Juana looked down at Archie and grinned. "Looks like I won't have to worry about freezing out there," she joked.
Juana entered the Poké Mart, as the signature jingle played through the speakers. She found it a little humorously jarring that such a mystical fairyland still had your standard convenience store.
"Hmm... let's see..." she mumbled to herself, sorting through the items in the shelves. Oddly enough she couldn't find any medicines; must be pretty hard to come by for such a town. She managed to find some natural products, including peppermint oil. She grabbed that, in addition to three Poké Balls, a Potion, and a Rare Candy.
At the checkout, she also nabbed a tin of Curiously Strong Mints. Just for kicks.
Stuffing the items into one of her pouches, Juana grinned down at Archie. "It's practically 3 in the morning right now; I'm so not waking up early tomorrow," she laughed.
Bounsweet's sepals jiggled as Juana returned to the Center with her groceries. Thankfully none of them had run into any fairy troubles, though Juana did accidentally goosh a Cutiefly (the dazed bug Pokémon simply left with an annoyed huff).
Juana opened the doors and sat next to Tora. "Quick market run, eh?" she asked, jabbing Tora lightly in the side. She pulled out one of the Poké Balls and set it in front of Tora. "That's for the one you lent me for Dewpider. Thanks again for that, by the way." Juana gave Tora a wink, before letting out a yawn. "Iiiii'm probably going to have to get at least a little sleep tonight," she joked, jabbing at the window. Already the darkness was greying out, signaling the coming of the sunlight, and the retreat of the dancing Morelulls into the dark undergrowth. "Don't worry, I'll wake up myself! But for now, ¡buenas noches, amiga¡"
Juana graciously took her key and skipped into the room assigned to her.
Then she flopped face first onto the bed without taking her shoes off and started snoring like a truck. Bounsweet stared at her with a blank expression, before snuggling up next to the tanned girl and falling asleep as well.
~~~~
The next morning...
Bounsweet was jumping up and down on Juana's back. It didn't take long for Juana to flip completely around and grab Bounsweet out of the air. "You never gonna run out of energy, huh?" she laughed. "You're practically made of carbohydrates."
Juana glanced over at the bag of stuff she had bought, and walked over to the small desk in the room, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She blinked; the daylight was pretty glaring, especially for daylight that was streaming through layers upon layers of deciduous foliage.
Juana dumped a few berries she had brought along as potential ingredients and produced the peppermint oil. She worked for about an hour and a half, mixing here, pounding there, occasionally asking Dewpider to squeeze out a Bubble or two, and eventually she came out with a batch of (what she hoped was) throat drops.
"OK," she said, grabbing a small bag with a drawstring and dumping the throat drops into it.
Juana kicked open the door, startling a couple of other patrons, before sliding down the banister (the nurse yelled at her) and making her way out the door.
"I have had two hours of sleep and I am totally going to fall over! Bring it on, day!" she said, pointing to the sky. Bounsweet warbled in assent.
Eventually, Juana found Tora and presented her with the sack of drops. "Might help with that throat irritation, amiga," Juana said, handing Tora the bag.
Tommy and Amica had spent the better part of the night searching for Cici, starting from near the forest's edge and heading deeper in. Anytime they saw a Pokemon, Amica would ask if they had seen the missing girl, but those who didn't run scared at the sight of a trainer owned Pokemon hadn't. The duo eventually had to stop and get their bearings after a few hours, but after about a ten minute rest, went back to it. "Cici!" Tommy called, hoping his friend would hear him and answer, but it was to no avail. As the sun began to rise, Tommy and Amica stood in a clearing, both exhausted from the lack of sleep. Yawning, the young trumpet player turned to his Froakie with the unspoken question and she shook her head.
"Well that's great...let's hope that she found her way back while we were out here..." Turning, Tommy started towards where he thought town was after returning Amica to her pokeball so she could rest up. As he walked, he pondered on whether or not he'd over reacted when he heard that trainers had disappeared out here and not come back. He knew Cici well enough by now to know she could take care of herself, but it was no secret that Fairy Pokemon were dangerous in their own right. As he stumbled along through the woods, he came across another clearing and took a moment to look up. In front of him was his friend who seemed to have just gotten over something, or potentially coming down with it, and the nice girl turned attitudinal fighter, who also had looked better. Putting what was left of his energy into a short run, he ran up to the pair, helping steady Cici and turning to the other girl. "You guys both look like you've had better days. What happened?"
Archie just looked at Juana, giving a doggish grin as she opened her jaws and playfully spewed out little flecks of ember to show that the green haired girl was quite correct on staying warm. Cheerfully following in the mart, while occasionally pawing at Bounsweet's leaf. It was a quick trip though, the Growlithe barking at others she thought could be a disturbance or just chasing her tail and speeding head, and repeating the process.
When they returned, Tora had already changed into her nightly attire of a light lavender with dark stripes silken fully clothed outfit. The woman sitting on her bed with Sirius in her lap, fingers gingerly sliding along the Staryu's gem and limbs. Giving her Pokemon a relaxing massage, in which Sirius seemed to appreciate as it lie limp, giving a gentle hum like sound.
Her blue eyes flicked up as Juana came into the room, the store run taking little time. The entrance shocked her a little, but she relaxed. She was used to knocking and the formal 'Mylady may I proceed to enter your room?' Or just don't enter and simply speak through the door or the speaker. Still, Juana's presence was welcomed. Tora was just glad she returned safely.
"Welcome back." Tora greeted, blinking at the Pokeball as she picked it up. At the show of gratitude, Tora smiled in return of the wink. "I'm happy to help to the best of my abilities." She said before chuckling, waving a little as Juana left. "Try to sleep well." Tora said, watching the girl go before feeling Archie leap on the bed, pawing at her.
"Oh alright. You too." she said, gently pushing Sirius off and allowing Archie to get on her lap. Her fingers rubbing against the warm body as she massaged the Pokemon who gave a satisfied bark. Pressing firmly against any tense muscles in order to ease them up and relax her Pokemon for a good nights sleep. When finished, she turned off the light and curled up under the covers. Sirius cuddling against her back while Archie curled up against her chest, cuddling in her arms and warming Tora up with the fire type's natural body heat.
It did not take long for any of them to drift off to sleep.
~The Next Morning~
Everything hurt. If everything didn't hurt Tora swore she'd be dead at that moment. The black haired woman gave a soft weak whine as she cuddled further in bed, feeling her body sore from the after effects of yesterday's excessive activity, getting only a couple hours sleep, and being in a totally different environment. For her at least. Her throat felt scratchy and clogged like having a politoad in her throat and she felt beads of sweat roll down her forehead. At times, she cursed her body for being so fragile. She wanted nothing more than to just stay here and try and sleep for a week. However, she wasn't back at home to be a prized doll. She was a Pokemon Trainer now, and Pokemon Trainers didn't have life handed them on a silver platter just because they are sick. She knew that despite how she wasn't feeling so great, she needed to keep going. Especially if she didn't want her parents to find her.
Archie was curled up beside Tora, looking at the ill trainer with concern. Tora just smiled and stroked the top of the Growlithe's head. She wasn't quite sure how she was going to travel in this condition... But she was going to have to.
"Perhaps I should have caught a Ponyta or a Skiddo huh Archie? I'd hate to have someone else carry my weight, but I may need some help from Pokemon now and then." she mumbled.
Tilting her head, Archie gave a little whine in response. The Growlithe looked around thoughtfully before her ears perked up as she got idea. Bouncing off the bed and towards Tora's backpack, the puppy Pokemon dug through it before pulling out the Pokeball Juana gave Tora last night. Bounding to the door and jumping up, forepaw landing on the handle and pulling down, using her back legs to kick the wall to open it. Dropping down the Growlithe soon dashed out and out the front doors of the Pokemon Center.
"Archie...?" Tora spoke in a soft throaty surprise as she forced herself to get out of bed. Quickly change clothes, pick up her backpack and allow Sirius to cling to it before dashing off after the fire Pokemon. Taking deep breaths, she was forced to slow to a walk, blue eyes glancing around for her Pokemon.
Archie jetted into the forest, sniffing the air as she tried to find something. Ears perking as she finally spotted the thing she was looking for. A Skiddo, happily grazing away. Crouching low, the Growlithe tried sneaking up on the grass type before bouncing. Smashing the ball against the surprised goat like Pokemon. Skiddo disappeared in a flash of light and seeped into the ball. It rocked once. Twice. All the while Archie was clasping her jaws shut on the orb in a attempt to keep it shut. However it didn't quite work as the Skiddo managed to break out, giving a fearful baa before turning tail and running away from the fire type. Archie gave a annoyed snarl before gripping the Pokeball and giving chase.
Tora having lost track of Archie, gave a sigh. "What is she up to now? I'm sure she'll be okay... But she's too easy for her own good... I guess.. Since I'm here, I might as well buy supplies." Tora said, looking out to the forest before walking into the Poke Mart to buy some supplies.
She bought a Potion, two rare candies, and three Pokeballs.
Walking out, she paused when she saw Juana, smiling, she waved to her travel companion. Pausing as Juana suddenly offered a bag, blinking more as she took it and looked inside. At the explanation, Tora just stared at Juana, stunned. Before flashing a genuine warm smile. "Thank you... Juana.. You are much too kind to me." Tora managed to say before gingerly plopping one of the cough drops in her mouth, relaxing as she felt it soothe her throat a bit.
"Have you seen Archie by any chance? She ran off all of a sudden and she was too fast for me to keep up." Tora questioned.
+1 post +1HHG = 33 (-30) = 3 +1CP = 10
Pokemon:
Archie the ♀Growlithe: Level 3/Healthy
Sirius the Staryu: Level 3/Healthy
Inventory: 4x Pokeball 2x Rare Candy 1x Potion
-Continued interaction with @ToadRopes's character Juana. -Tora bought 1 potion, 2 rare candy, and 3 Pokeballs.
As Azerus approached his pawniard he noticed the sharp blade pokemon having troubles trying to sharpen his blades on the ill shaped rock. That's when he got an idea. Azerus was just about to release his roggenrola when he herd an unexpected voice behind him. Startled he spun around to see a striking young woman approaching with long black hair and bright pink eyes.
Azerus, since arriving had rested and eaten, but due to his late arrival and early awakening he had not found time to clean himself up. Still tattered and dirty with worn clothes he was suddenly feeling very self conscious before this beautiful woman. "H, hi." He stammers as he stepped back, greeting the friendly stranger with a faint smile and a wave, unsure what else to say.
His eyes fell to the Pokemon at her side and an eager smile grew on his face. "So your a trainer then? Have you been in these mountains for long?" he asks with a bit more confidence.
"Oh, no problem; it's a cough-drop recipe my parents picked up back in Unova," Juana replied. "From someone who had gotten it from Alola, who had gotten it from some region to the north of Kalos..."
She stopped trailing off when Tora said Archie was missing.
"Archie? No... did your Growlithe run off?" Juana asked, tilting her head. "¡Ay, caramba! I hope she didn't scamper off too far!"
Juana turned around and looked for the fire-type Pokémon.
She turned back towards Tora and scratched her head. "...No sign of the pup 'round town, it seems..."
Bounsweet, however, had noticed in the loamy earth cloven hoofprints superimposed with the pawprints of a small animal. Bounsweet whistled and jabbed towards the tracks with its sepal.
Juana rolled her eyes. "Well, duh," she said, kneeling to get a better look at those tracks. "Shoot, looks like she did get off to the forest, if those tracks are anything to go by," Juana remarked, standing back up and turning towards Tora. "Thankfully, it's broad daylight, so I bet none of the creepy kind of fairies that like to lure people into the dark woods at night are out and about. Nothing but Cutieflies from what I'm seeing. Though you never know..."
She looked at one of her empty Poké Balls. She then looked back up. "We should probably look for Archie. Let's follow those pawprints. 'Think she was chasing a Skiddo, or a Gogoat, or something. Probably a Skiddo, yeah."
Juana and Bounsweet followed Archie's and the Skiddo's footprints. Juana was a bit wary, however; multiple people have said some pretty scary things about Morelull.
Arceus mio, ¿por qué las cosas lindas son mas peligrosas? she thought, letting out a sigh. "¿Donde está...?" she mumbled, scanning the brush.
She saw some of the bushes rustle, but it wasn't Archie; it was just a couple of Yungooses running across the path, followed by a Gumshoos, who was examining the tracks like a private eye would.
It lost interest when it determined that Growlithe and Arcanine were in the higher echelons of the food chain. Gumshoos left.
Juana turned to Tora. "Hm. Well, Archie can't have gone too far, since a Pokémon that can run that quickly, that is the one she was chasing, probably prefers wider, more open spaces?" Juana scratched her head.
-TP: Post +1 HHG bonus +1; total: 15 -CP: CP +1. Total: 13 -Continued interaction with @Silver Fox's character Tora.
Tora sighed a little as she looked at the prints in the dirt, following after them. "It is a little odd, perhaps the Skiddo is a little young and just got curious of the forest. We should be alright since it's daylight. Archie is also pretty tough on her own. Growlithe and Arcanine tend to be fierce enough to fend off even the biggest of predatory Pokemon." she said softly, blue eyes glancing around as she searched for the Growlithe.
It took a bit of searching, but suddenly, with the rustle of bushes, Archie bursts out from them. Covered in twigs, leaves, and dirt. Pokeball clutched between her toothy jaws. Obviously, having gotten in quite a tussle. Proudly puffing out her chest, Archie trotted up in front of her trainer, fluffy tail wagging happily. Tora blinked a bit before her worried expression turned into one of relief then stern.
"Archie! Don't go running off like that. You had me worried." Tora said but her Pokemon just gave a happy yip, dropping the Pokeball and sitting down on her haunches, tail wagging faster. Blinking, Tora gingerly picked up the warmly slobbered Pokeball. Curiously examining it before pressing the button. To her surprise, it flashed and released a Pokemon. What appeared was a Skiddo, who had a few burns scorched on its leaves.
The Grass type tiredly took a breath, before looking to the Growlithe and baaing fearfully. Leaping up onto a nearby stump in a attempt to get a higher level away from the fire puppy. Tora blinked a little before walking closer to the Skiddo, reaching out kindly. Watching as the goat like Pokemon sniffed her hand before allowing her to let the top of its head.
"Well hello there... Archie... Did you go out and catch this little guy?" Tora asked a little surprised. A Pokemon catching a Pokemon... Did that still count as her catching a Pokemon?
Archie gave a happy yip, seeming happy with her accomplishment.
Tora sighed and gently stroked the Skiddo's ears. "I'm sorry dear, Archie can be a bit Tauros headed when she gets her mind on something. She's really nice though. How about we take you to the Pokemon Center and get those burns treated? Perhaps a name too since we'll be traveling together? How about... Pezi?" Tora smiled, listening to Pezi baa, snorting toward Archie but give a slow nod in response.
Turning toward Juana, she gave a relieved smile. "Thankfully, Archie seems alright. Just decided to go... Pokemon hunting I suppose?" she mused.
+1 post +1HHG = 5 +1CP = 11
Pokemon:
Archie the ♀Growlithe: Level 3/Healthy
Sirius the Staryu: Level 3/Healthy
Pezi the ♂Skiddo: Level 1/Burned
Inventory: 3x Pokeball 2x Rare Candy 1x Potion
-Continued interaction with @ToadRopes's character Juana. -Tora caught a Skiddo? Used 1 Pokeball.
“Yep, trainer. Shanae Eller,” Shanae introduced with a friendly grin. “Just got here yesterday, actually. You?”
Looking to her side, Shanae realized that there was a clear air of tension between the Jigglypuff and the Bisharp. Dark-Steel dual — what an uniquely terrible typing for Amatorius to meet, Shanae thought in amusement. Usually Tori would be my first choice against a Dark-type Pokemon, but with the addition of Steel Amatorius become my last choice. This, and the fact that Tori never liked Dark-types much anyway, makes for a shaky meeting at best.
“This is my Jigglypuff, Amatorius,” Shanae said, nodding to the Pokemon beside her that was hastily swallowing his biscuits while maintaining a death-glare at the Dark-type. “Um, so I think I’m going to return him for now,” Shanae said with a small frown.
Amatorius went away without protest and was promptly replaced by Ebon, Shanae’s Houndour. The Fire-Dark dual gave his fellow Dark-type a respectful nod, settling down beside his trainer and waiting patiently. “Ebon, my Houndour,” Shanae explained to the other trainer.
“Hey!” Cillian shouted in alarm when the Scyther flew headlong into the trees. Breaking into a run after the Pokemon, Cillian continued calling out to him. “Hold on! You can’t just leave!”
But leave the Scyther did, and Cillian finally gave up and recalled the Pokemon into its capsule, panting lightly. He raised the Pokeball to eye-level, sighing. “I guess it isn’t quite time yet, huh,” Cillian mumbled, returning the Scyther’s Pokeball to his belt and retrieving Kelby’s.
“C’mon out, Kelb,” Cillian said, releasing the blue-and-orange Water-type. The Mudkip looked around at his surroundings curiously before sitting down with an unimpressed look on its face, waiting for his trainer to make up his mind. “Let’s head back to town,” Cillian said with another sigh, leading the way.
Kelby looked at his trainer with surprise, noting the lack of enthusiasm in the human’s voice. Concerned, he sped up his pace to catch up to Cillian and headbutted his trainer with the fin on his head, prompting the boy to look down at his Pokemon.
“Whoa! What was that for?” Cillian asked, surprise written across his features. The Mudkip shrugged, continuing at his brisk pace without another look at his trainer. A smile broke across Cillian’s face, shaking his head at his Pokemon’s antics before he continued the trek back to Feyhollow.
Wiping her brow and smiling at Tora, Juana said, "Thank goodness; your Growlithe is one smart pup. Knowing how to not only find her way back to you, but also snag a Pokémon?"
Juana watched the Skiddo quaver. "Hey, I'm probably going to stay here for a bit to catch another Pokémon. Feel free to get that Skiddo healed up," she said to Tora.
Wandering into a clearing, Juana looked around. There was a small clump of sleeping Morelulls at the base of a tree, and a troop of Oddish marching across the forest floor. There was a Weedle on a tree, a couple of Cutieflies buzzing around, and some Flabébés picking the flowers with the help of a gentle Comfey.
A patient Victreebel hung from a branch, its mouth open for any unsuspecting bug Pokémon; a Carnivine was positioned the same way. Juana kept quiet as a Nidoking stomped through the forest. The fairies hushed as well; the power of Nidoking was not to be reckoned with.
Corphish did not care. But Juana did, and before Corphish could challenge the BIG KING, Juana and Dewpider pulled it out of the clearing.
"Not just yet, tiger," she said, waggling her finger at Corphish.
Suddenly, out of the underbrush, a poisonous stinger lashed out at Corphish, and jabbed it in the gut. Corphish was furious. The crawdad turned towards the perpetrator, a Skorupi brandishing its claws and ready to fight. Corphish prepared to snip-snip the scorpion, but fell over, frothing at the mouth.
"¡Madre de--!" Juana pulled out Corphish's Poké Ball, and checked her Pokédex; that Skorupi had poisoned Corphish.
"You need some manners knocked into you!" Juana said, pulling Corphish back into the ball. Skorupi chittered as if in challenge, eyeing Juana's other Pokémon. Corphish was no snack, but Skorupi appeared to be one angry belligerent Pokémon.
Corphish flailed about in the ball, eager to beat the toxic snot out of the Skorupi. If it's a fight it wants, then by Kyogre's big blue behind Corphish was sure as heck going to give it one!
"Not this time, amigo. You're poisoned," Juana chided Corphish.
IT'S JUST STUPID TOXINS! I AM INVINCIBLE!!!!! Corphish seemed to be saying.
"You need to rest," she pointed out. Skorupi made no other sudden moves, but it was clearly ready to use those claws and poison pinchers.
Juana put one hand on Dewpider's Poké Ball. "Okay, Skorupi, let's settle this mano e mandible," she said wih a smirk, before tossing Dewpider into the open. Dewpider landed on its spindly green legs and eyed Skorupi. The scorpion Pokémon seemed just about ready to start scrapping, and Dewpider was sort of kinda ready to oblige.
The spider Pokémon turned back to Juana with a look that said "BE CAREFUL!!!"
Skorupi let out a "Th-shk-shk-shk-shk!" and lashed out with its poisonous tail at Dewpider. Dewpider, however, skittered out of the way and sprayed a jet of bubbles from its mouth. Skorupi blocked its face, which gave Dewpider an opportunity to get up close and sting Dewpider with a Bug Bite.
The attack was not very effective, however, and Skorupi clamped Dewpider in the face with its pincers. "Shhhhsshhh!" Dewpider hissed, loosing bubbles point blank into Skorupi, before raising its abdomen and loosing parasites upon the scorpion that bit and pinced at the larger bug's carapace. Skorupi let go and started swatting at itself.
Skorupi lunged at Dewpider and bit its water bubble whole; Dewpider, however, was kept safe within its jiggling helmet, and was able to uppercut Skorupi with yet another jet of bubbles. Skorupi had to let go and cough after falling backwards.
Skorupi shook off the pain and coughed once, before going for a Knock Off, hammering Dewpider over the head and causing the Pokémon to pitch forward and nearly drop its liquid helmet. Dewpider, of course, did not appreciate being clobbered, and it was very protective of its water bubble. Ergo, the Knock Off would have to be punished with a bite to the neck.
Dewpider jumped at Skorupi and bit it, causing the scorpion to turn its back and flail wildly. Juana thought she saw Dewpider give her a look, and she lobbed the Poké Ball at Skorupi, engulfing it in a flash of red light. For good measure, Dewpider encased the Poké Ball in an orange-sized bubble. It was not sure how well that would help, since, being a river-dwelling, water-breathing spider it wasn't exactly well-versed in the ways of human technology.
The ball shook and twirled in the water bubble, and Juana stood there with her fists clenched. "C'mon... c'mon..." she muttered.
A dull click. The bubble popped and the ball dropped with that satisfying mechanical ring that Poké Ball impact made. Juana ran over and scooped up the ball, peering inside.
"As soon as the tail claws close, its needle tips secrete poison. It can survive a year without food. Nature: Adamant. Loves to fight. Ability: Sniper. Moves: Poison Sting, Bite, Knock Off, Leer."
"Quite the scrapper, huh?" Juana remarked. "Not sure if you and Corphish would get along or put those pincers at each other's throats."
At mention of its name, Corphish perked up, curious about this new addition. Corphish waved its pincers at Juana and gave her an impatient frothing noise. "Lemme size up the new gal's claws!" it seemed to say.
"You want to meet our new friend right now?" Juana asked. She pressed the button on the ball, and Skorupi emerged, expecting, like, a cool fight or something.
Skorupi calmed down a bit when it realized there was no fighting going on right now.
Corphish scuttled up to Skorupi and boasted about its big crawdad claws. It puffed up a bit with pride.
Skorupi then brandished its scissor-like claws, causing Corphish to stop and marvel at their sharpness and thus inherent deadliness. They even came with poison secretions! (A fact which Corphish knew from experience.) Corphish and Skorupi got up in each other's grille, staring into each other's eyes.
Juana smelled a budding rivalry.
Juana picked up Skorupi, prompting the scorpion to flail about, not pinching anything but not realizing it was totally safe. "Whoa! Calm down!" Juana urged. She reached into her pocket and pulled out... a marshmallow? "Hey, hey, sh, sh, sh. No pinching! Calm down! I don't bite!"
Juana sat down on a tree stump and set Skorupi in her lap. She was very well aware how incredibly dangerous it was to hold a live scorpion in her lap. But it was a Pokémon, and one that she just captured, right?
She tilted the marshmallow to Skorupi's head, and the scorpion felt it with its mandibles a bit, intrigued. It was squishy, and it tasted delightfully sweet and fluffy.
Skorupi was immediately pacified by the confection.
"That's a nice scorpion," she said. "Good scorpion. No more pinching Corphish while you're here, okay?"
Corphish stuck its tongue out at Skorupi.
"Meanwhile, you need to get to the Pokémon center," Juana said, pointing firmly to Corphish.
Juana put all her Pokémon, except Bounsweet, into their capsules, and turned around, walking back to town. She entered the center, deposited her Pokémon, and waited for a bit.
-TP: HHG +1, post +1, total: 17 -CP: +1, total: 14 -Juana caught Skorupi! @Balthazar007 -Continued interaction with @Silver Fox's character Tora -Inventory: Used Poké Ball x1
-Bounsweet lv 4, healthy -Corphish lv 3, poisoned -Skorupi lv 1, worn out -Dewpider lv 3, also worn out
Oh, no... Cici cringed as Tommy ran up to her. She'd been supposed to meet up with him. "I... I don't know..." she replied, still struggling to think what had happened after she'd seen those lights. Morelulls, a large circle of Morelulls. A Sylveon. Then... what?
Bits and pieces of the night were coming back to her, seemingly disconnected. A Shiinotic. A song playing through the forest - her own, it took her a moment to realise. A burst of pink light, a squeal, a ringing sound...
"Cadence!" Grasping a Pokeball, teetering in place as she did so, she let out her Kricketot. She gasped. The bug staggered before toppling over with a strained cry. "Oh, Cadence..." Cici stared, shaking her head in horror. "I'm so sorry! I'll go get you healed up right away!" Returning Cadence to her Pokeball, she checked her other Pokemon. They were unhurt, but unusually sluggish.
"I can't believe I let Cadence get hurt..." she said, short fingernails digging into her palms. "Why didn't I do anything? We have to get out of this forest right now!"
There it was again, that resistance, that almost physical pain. Gritting her teeth against it, she turned to the other girl. "The fairies... What did they do to us?"
The sight of Cici staggering like a puppet with her strings cut should have alarmed Olivie, but the pain that flooded her dulled her perception. At the very least, she knew, the Sylveon wasn't stringing the other girl along any longer. Even knowing that she should be relieved that the situation didn't demand a real fight, Olivie still couldn't muster up the strength. Beside her, her Nidoran stared at her with wide, confused eyes. Bernard's Pokemon seemed less sympathetic, and instead scanned the forest for any lurking threats. While Cici started to speak, dazed and confused, Olivie coughed out a spurt of noxious purple bubbles. The questions of the person she helped to rescue didn't reach her, and when Cici attempted to take action, her own affliction put her down just as quickly. Neither could retake command of their senses, but whereas Cici's condition got better moment by moment, Olivie's grew worse.
Lo and behold, a dashing hero appeared on the scene in a show of luck fit for fairy tales. He examined both girls as he jogged up, noting their less than optimal health. Helpfully, he asked the two what happened, and when Olivie tried to croak out a plea for help, only another discharge of poison bubbles came out. Her legs slid out from under her and she fell onto her hands, arms shaking wildly. No doubt confused by the lack of answer, Cici asked her what happened as well, and Olivie didn't even try to respond. Second by second, her life trickled away; her ace in the hole against the fairies' curse had become her own countdown.
All the while, Painkiller stood by, still as a statue. The steely stolidness of the Bisharp, combined with the cold look in his eyes, suggested that his loyalty went as far as his true trainer commanded. Scylla the Tentacruel, meanwhile, watched Olivie curiously. She knew but could not, of course, say that a move like Heal Bell or Aromatherapy could cure Olivie of poison. Failing that, an Antidote would suffice. All three were measures taken by past opponents against her poisons in the past, so the curious and calculating jellyfish remembered them well. Regardless, the call to action lay on the present humans. If they couldn't cure the brunette or get her to a clinic in time, the results would be dire.
A scarlet headed, spectacled young lady wheeled down the street, taking in the morning breeze. A wonderful, glorious day it was! A day for action, a day for adventure, a day... for science! This was the day Gertrude Blackbourne was finally allowed to go out into the world on her lonesome, to achieve her own scientific dreams! And by the very cataclysmic event that created our planet, she wasn't gonna do anything but seize the day! She knew precisely what she had to do first, though. No matter WHAT field of science she'd study, she had to have SOMETHING to defend herself.
Like a Pokemon, of course.
The only issue that could present itself, of course, was the possible dangers of the outskirts of town. In a world populated by mice with teeth strong enough to pierce steel, and small birds creating hurricanes, it was quite a scary world to venture out into, unprepared. Which is why she was gonna be prepared!
Yes, quite! All she had to do was find a decent enough protector, maybe even something she could observe, from a safe distance, of course, and who knows, maybe it'll be almost like a pet to her? The idea almost began to excite her, her dreams soon to be realized. And so she kept on rolling, to the outskirts of town.
"Thank you. Archie can be a bit strong headed, but she's pretty smart." Tora responded, petting her Growlithe and giving the fire Pokemon a little Pokemon treat. Returning Pezi, the tall woman looked to Juana as her companion wished to go find another Pokemon. "Well alright. Be careful and safe though." Tora said, voicing some of her concern as she watched Juana run off. When the younger girl was out of sight, Tora walked back to the Pokemon Center. Giving Pezi's pokeball to the Nurse, she waited for the Skiddo to be healed, smiling at Archie who obediently sat proudly beside the trainer.
"Thank you Archie. You were worried about me right? Well, thanks to you, traveling should be a little easier. Skiddo are pretty good traveling with through plains." The black haired woman said, Archie giving a happy bark. "It's kinda funny how your the one who caught Pezi though. Makes me wonder if a Pokemon can catch another Pokemon and be a trainer?" she murmured, the Growlithe tilting her head curiously in response.
Just then she felt her phone buzz from within her bag. Opening it up, she took her cell phone, it was pretty fancy and obviously expensive. Even had a silver cover embedded with different colored gems. Examining it, she saw on the screen of her Father calling. With a frown, Tora pondered for a moment, simply staring at the ringing screen before it finally went to voicemail. With a sigh, she tapped her thumb against the phone, wiping it clean from all of its data. Glancing around, she walked to the nearest trashcan and deposited the cellular device inside. More than likely, she guessed her parents put some sort of tracking system on the phone, so it was just best to get rid of it and move on. Besides, the Pokedex should have it's own kind of phone inside of it in order to contact people. Her parents shouldn't know about it either. They probably already knew she was no longer in Central City anymore anyways.
Taking her newest Pokemon back, it was then Juana returned and deposited her own Pokemon. Tora greeted the younger girl with a friendly smile. "Welcome back Lady Juana. I see you have obtained a new friend. How did it fair?" she asked.
+1 post +1HHG = 7 +1CP = 12
Pokemon:
Archie the ♀Growlithe: Level 3/Healthy
Sirius the Staryu: Level 3/Healthy
Pezi the ♂Skiddo: Level 1/Healthy
Inventory: 3x Pokeball 2x Rare Candy 1x Potion
-Continued interaction with @ToadRopes's character Juana.
Cici gave a cry of shock as, instead of replying, the girl vomited what looked like poisonous bubbles. She gave Tommy a desperate look before returning her attention to the girl on the ground, who became weaker with each passing moment. One of them had to do something...
Her dazed mind struggled to come up with an idea. She had no antidotes, no berries. But there was one thing she could try... "Dulcet!" She let out the Swablu, who wobbled in the air. "I know you're tired, but this girl needs help. Try using Heal Bell!"
Dulcet's body glowed blue-green, and waves emanated from her with a chiming sound. Cici stood, frozen with tension. She didn't know how well this would work on a human, but it had to at least help. It had to.
All Ella could do was scream as she fell, further and further, into a pit that never ended. Staring up, she watched the many Pokemon caged up in the forest disappear from view. She could still hear their cries. She hadn't been able to save them, hadn't been able to help in any way...
With a gasp, Ella woke up. Pushing the sweaty sheets off herself, she climbed out of bed. Another nightmare. She was being silly, she told herself. She'd been able to help last night. She could do this... couldn't she?
After washing and dressing, she took the two Pokeballs from her pocket, hesitating for a moment before letting out both Pokemon. This seemed to be the best place to get them to bond. As soon as they appeared, though, Treasure and Smiley backed away from each other.
"Hey... Treasure, this is Smiley," she said, gesturing towards the Ekans. "It's ok, Smiley, she's not going to hurt you."
Treasure kept her distance for a few seconds before edging forward on her little feet. Smiley studied her, then when it became obvious she meant no harm, relaxed.
"You see?" Ella dug out some food for both her Pokemon, and once they'd finished their breakfast, recalled them. It was time to continue yesterday's search. Heading out into the lobby, she spotted Leisy near the front. "Hey," she called out to her. "Have you seen Vivian around?"
As the girl spit out poisonous bubbles, Tommy realized that he had no way of helping her short of racing her to the clinic in town. And given how far in they were, he wasn't sure they'd have made it in time. Fortunately, Cici thought fast and brought out her Swablu, who knew a move that could remove the poison from the girl. Pulling Bulbasaur's ball free of his belt, he spins it before bringing out the Grass-Poison type, a name in mind for him. The now healed Pokemon looked around the forest before turning to his new trainer, a quizzical look on his face. Tommy smiled. "I know we just got you out of here, but my friend here got caught up by the Fairy types. Can you keep an eye out for them, Epsilon?"
Bulbasaur thought for a moment, though it was clearly more considering the name, before giving a nod and turning to look out into the woods. a number of the leaves around it's seed were still shredded and torn, and the top of it's head bore a number of scars from it's time on the run from the Spearow, but it was good and healthy now despite it. "Alright, so we're looking at a girl who was, for whatever reason, poisoned. And you are having difficulty leaving the forest. This is going to be interesting." He turned to the girl who had arrived with the Bisharp and Tentacruel, both of whom seemed unconcerned with her condition. After waiting to make sure the Heal Bell had done it's work, he spoke "I'll take it you know more than Cici does. What happened? And why in the hell were you poisoned?"
Taking her Pokémon back from the nurse, Juana opened her Poké Balls, sizing up her now sizable crowd of Pokémon.
Juana shrugged. "Corphish got stung by Skorupi's poison pinchers, but he's fine now," she replied. Corphish and Skorupi were having some kind of staring contest. Corphish made a weird "bleh" face, causing Skorupi to blink.
"Anyways, Skorupi looks like a real feisty one," Juana continued. "Now I'm wondering if that's good for Corphish, since I know how competitive he gets; I'm sure it'll work out, though."
Bounsweet bounded over to Skorupi and Corphish. Corphish puffed up its chest, while Skorupi gave Bounsweet a calm expression, as if admitting that Corphish was better at controlling itself (at least in terms of the eye thing).
Juana looked up at Tora. "Hey, you wanna have a real quick low-stakes Pokémon battle? It'll give our Pokémon something to do." Juana shrugged her right shoulder. "I mean, you don't have to if you'd rather not, I know you were just waiting for your Skiddo and all."
-TP: HHG +1, post +1, total: 18 -CP: +1, total: 15 -Battle proposal to @Silver Fox's character Tora
Chuckling a little as she watched Skorupi and Corphish, Tora hummed thoughtfully. Archie was watching the two with a expression that just said 'what the heck are these two doing?' as she tilted her head to the side, left ear twitching. However as Juana proposed a battle, the Growlithe instantly lept up, jumping up and down and spinning in circles. Looking down at the fire type, Tora sighed softly. "Well, it appears Archie wouldn't mind a friendly battle. Plus it is good experience, so I accept the challenge. What shall be the terms?" she asked, releasing her other two Pokemon. Sirius looking around, seeing the new Pokemon that was Skorupi, giving a nervous 'HYAA' and immediately hiding behind Tora. Pezi on the other hand, bounced around and jumped beside the other Pokemon. Giving a friendly cheery 'Baa' sound.
Archie suddenly jumped onto Tora's backpack, teeth snagging at the zipper before sticking her face into it. Pawing her way through the contents. "Archie?! Stop that! You are going to make me fall." Tora scolded, though soon enough the Growlithe jumped off with two blue wrappings sticking out of her mouth, happily gnawing on them. "Archie, are you hogging all of the Rare Candy we just got?" the tall woman sighed, watching as the Growlithe just gave a innocent whine and spat out what was left of the chewed up candy wrappings.
"You're going to get sick." Tora mumbled but shook her head before walking outside. "Well, guess she's a little eager. We should head just outside of town for the battle. Don't want to hit anyone with friendly fire." she suggested, before heading toward just outside of town. Finding a nice little clearing amongst the trees Tora turned toward Juana with a smile.
"Well this should do nicely." Tora said, Archie immediately standing in front of her trainer, apparently wanting to be the very first out. Tora honestly wouldn't have send out Archie first if she was being strategic, since the Growlithe was a fire type against two Pokemon who could use water. Save her for later for the more effective ones like Bounsweet or Skorupi. But it was Archie who wanted to battle, not really Tora.
Sirius hobbled over to a nearby tree, hiding behind it but peeking out to watch the battle. While Pezi hopped around the tree energetically, eyes curiously watching and full of interest.
+1 post +1HHG = 9. Tora Accepted a challenge for a battle. +5HHG = 14 +1CP = 13
Pokemon:
Archie the ♀Growlithe: Level 3 > 5 (LEVEL UP +2)/Healthy
Sirius the Staryu: Level 3/Healthy
Pezi the ♂Skiddo: Level 1/Healthy
Inventory: 3x Pokeball 1x Potion
-Continued interaction with @ToadRopes's character Juana. -Tora used 2 Rare Candies on Archie the Growlithe. @Balthazar007
Juana stretched her arms and grinned at Tora. "How about winner takes two TP as spoils, and loser has to buy lunch today?" Juana asked.
Juana thought it would be a very dumb idea to throw Bounsweet into the path of a fire-breathing dog. As such, she decided to lead with Corphish. (Not necessarily because of its type advantage, but Corphish seemed quite eager to tussle.)
"Two Pokémon each," Juana said.
Juana vs. Tora - A Friendly, Low-stakes Bout Over Lunch
BATTLE START
"Corphish, use Bubble!" Juana called. Corphish flung open its claws and threw its mouth open, firing a stream of bubbles at Archie. (3EP) Corphish
Corphish HP: 6 EP: 6
TP: HHG battle challenge bonus +5, HHG travel bonus +1, post +1, total: 25 -CP: +1, total: 16 -Battle with @Silver Fox's character Tora
Tora VS Juana: A Friendly, Low-stakes Bout Over Lunch
"Sounds good to me." Tora responded, Archie barking in response. "Archie, try and dodge!" she called. Archie yipped leaping away from the bubbles, yelping a little as some of the bubbles smacked into her. (EP: 3) (Hp: 10 - 3 = 7).
"Archie use Fire Fang!" Tora called. The Growlithe snarling and charging at the crawdad, flames surrounding her fangs as she lunged at the water type to bite down. (EP: 5)
HP: 7 Ep: 7
+1 post +1HHG = 16 +1CP = 14
Pokemon:
Archie the ♀Growlithe: Level 5/Healthy
Sirius the Staryu: Level 3/Healthy
Pezi the ♂Skiddo: Level 1/Healthy
Inventory: 3x Pokeball 1x Potion
-Continued interaction with @ToadRopes's character Juana.
Juana vs. Tora - A Friendly, Low-stakes Bout Over Lunch
Corphish had no intention of becoming a buttered dinner special; thankfully, the Water-type Pokémon could easily shrug off the Fire-type attack (HP: -2). Corphish waved its claws excitedly at Archie. Now this was a fight!
"Retaliate with another Bubble!" Juana called.
Corphish shook Archie off and sprayed another blast of bubbles. (3 EP)
Corphish -HP: 4 -EP: 3
-TP: HHG +1, post +1, total: 27 -CP: +1, total: 17 -Battle with @Silver Fox's character Tora
Tora VS Juana: A Friendly, Low-stakes Bout Over Lunch
Archie growled, fangs bared to look intimidating but was wagging her tail excitedly. Tora hummed, taking a breath. "Archie, dodge again!" she called, watching as the Growlithe obeyed, trying to duck out of the way of the bubbles, yelping as she felt some more water hit against her fur, unable to dodge. (Ep: 0. HP 7-6= 1) "Flame Wheel!" Tora called and Archie obliged. Leaping over the Crawdad before enveloping herself in a small wheel of inferno. It spun rapidly before ripping towards the Corphish. (EP: 6)
HP: 1 Ep: 1
+1 post +1HHG = 18 +1CP = 15
Pokemon:
Archie the ♀Growlithe: Level 5/Healthy
Sirius the Staryu: Level 3/Healthy
Pezi the ♂Skiddo: Level 1/Healthy
Inventory: 3x Pokeball 1x Potion
-Continued interaction with @ToadRopes's character Juana.
