[IC] It's some kind of madness, that started to evolve!

[amberstrike]

Rasca grunted at his comment, but was pleased that he understood her joke. Superior was another matter altogether, thankfully Leon was able to persuade him. Begrudgingly, she would have to learn from him, so that she could be just as friendly with the Nidoran as he managed to do. It always happened to be a bit difficult to understand why she couldn't just become miss friendly to pokemon like Leon could. She knew his extensive knowledge helped a great deal, but his personality itself made a great difference as well.

Turning back the normal way to walk, Rasca cheered when Superior finally caught up to her. She made her pace slower to accommodate him, and grinned widely at Leon, then at Superior. She even acknowledged Leon's pokemon with wave. While walking, her hand reached out to resume it's petting, though she made sure to do it in a respectable pace, so as not to creep him out. 'Just like me, huh?' She looked at Leon and wondered why he was still holding onto the female. It also puzzled her as to why it let him do so for a long time. It was as if they had become the best of buds. 'Figures.' His question surprised her however, and Rasca had to think for a bit about what she really wanted.

"I'm not quite sure. I've been thinking about visiting where the ghost pokemon hang out, but that probably wouldn't be the best idea. Otherwise?" She shrugged and looked down at Superior. " I guess...just hanging out with you sounds okay." She made it sound like okay, meant something bad, but sneered playfully while doing so to show Leon that she was joking. Her goal at the moment was to find ways to make Superior like her more. Later on, she day-dreamed that they would meet up with other Nidoran's, and Rasca would become their queen. It was a stupid thought, but it amused her greatly.

[RyuHll]

"The ghost Pokemon?" Leon questioned. "That's all the way out in Lavender Town. Clear other side of Kanto." He grinned a bit, though. "Can't say I'm not a little bit curious, though. It might be interesting. Dangerous too." His tone took on a cautious tone, as if he were telling a scary story. "The ghosts are said to enjoy playing pranks on unsuspecting trainers."

Nidoran wrinkled its nose in distaste while her larger brother turned its head slightly to listen. He seemed interested in the story.

This just made the young boy grin. "That's what the legends say anyway. I'm actually just interested in seeing other Pokemon and learning about them first hand." His answer was normal for him, always enjoying studying and being with Pokemon.

[amberstrike]

Nodding at his directions to the ghost pokemon, Rasca affirmed his decision. "We've just got a nice long walk ahead, that's all." Raising her eyebrow at his less than scary antic's, she merely quipped, "Don't worry, I'm sure they won't even think to go after you. You'll be safe!" Her mouth formed an O-shape, as if the very mention of them gave her the shivers. Continuing her boast, she went on. "Of course, i will be fine. I'm an excelled trainer!" Rasca even winked at Superior, who hadn't even so much as growled at his new name, much less accept it. There wasn't much chance of him playing along with her either, she assumed.

Rasca pointed at Superior, making another little joke. "Maybe he's the real trainer, and that's why he's so interested in your story." She placed the pokeball beside the pokemon, after taking it out of her bag, and waited for it's next move.

"Even if the legends aren't true, we could still fight them and get a bit more experience. And maybe even catch a few!" Rasca giggled softly, happy to be thinking about what they could possibly be doing. 'Not like we could get there immediately.' Her thoughts drifted off into all the walking they would have to do, and then resolved to complain along the way, as seemed custom to do on journeys.

[RyuHll]

Leon smiled a bit. “We'd need other Pokemon or better moves first,” he responded. “Ghosts are immune to normal type and fighting type moves. That's all we really have in the two Nidorans other than Poison Sting. Their evolved forms would be able to learn more powerful moves like Thunderbolt, even though they aren't electric types. These forms, though? We'd stand no chance against them.” He offered a small shrug, moving to catch up. The male Nidoran let out a grunt of annoyance, turning its head away at being told it wouldn't win against them. The female one just looked up curiously at her new trainer.

After a moment, she wiggled loose, jumping down to walk beside them. It seemed happy to stay near the boy, though, keeping pace with him. “Not only that, we won't be able to keep training them at that rate. A strong Pokemon won't listen to a weak trainer, in most cases. Certain characteristics change this, but your Nidoran won't listen to you without proof of your strength. Respect. The easiest way to do that is the gym battles. Being able to gain the badges and continue on is a way to prove your strength and competence as a trainer.”

The smaller Nidoran shrugged at the explanation, turning back to look at the town around them. For them, it had to have been the first time they had properly come into Viridian City, having lived in the wilds for so long. It was fascinating to the female at least.

[amberstrike]

"Thunderbolt would be nice, but i'm more interested in Thrash." Rasca smiled deviously at her Nidoran, already cooking up the many trainers that could be crushed under his mighty move. He would be hard to control afterwards, but the end result had to be worth the trouble. 'Though to actually get to that point..it will take so long to get there.' "Hah, did you see his face? Dang, talk about brooding, silent type." She chuckled and worked her arms a bit. It made her seem restless, and even if she wasn't it was fun to show off what little muscles she did have in her arms. Plus it could help with her Nidoran's image of Rasca's power. She doubted it though.

Looking at Leon's pokemon, she nodded a bit at how it finally jumped to the ground. 'At least there isn't a chance of the pokemon being arm-ridden now.' This, in turn, gave her another brilliant idea with her own Nidoran. Truth be told, it was probably best to save it for later. "Well then Superior, I guess you'll have to trust me for now. We probably won't hit a gym for quite some time." Listening carefully to the rest of Leon's words of wisdom, she waited for a good moment to speak to her pokemon. This time whispered, as if Superior was being told a grand secret. "I'll make a deal with you though, if you manage to stick with us, i promise to tell you where Leon keeps his special snacks in his pack. But you must remember to report back to me afterwards, especially since this could be a stealth mission." Winking at him, but still being totally serious, she picked up her pace a bit.

Focusing her attention on Leon, she tried to ask him an obvious question. "Where should we take them first? They look fine now, and a the rest of the people that live here shouldn't be bothered by it. Unless you wanna head back...?" She was speaking of going ahead to the path again, as if Rasca wanted to rush everyone out of the city. It might not be fair to either of the pokemon, or help them to begin, but it seemed like a good idea for strength showing.

[RyuHll]

The Nidoran perked up at the mention of the treats, as much as it seemed to regret it immediately afterward. Like most Pokemon of his nature, he didn't want to show interest. However, like most Pokemon, he also couldn't resist the allure of the treats Leon kept handy.

Seeing the two get along a little bit better, the boy smiled a bit. “Well, I think we could do to set out if you think you're ready to,” he stated. “I packed enough supplies to last both of us to Pewter City. We'd just need to manage through the forest. Shouldn't be that difficult. We just have to be careful to avoid any nests of Beedrill. I've always wanted to go out and study the Pokemon out there.” He grinned a bit at the thought. One of his favorites had always been Butterfree, giving him extra motivation for heading out that way.

Of course, the other choice was Pallet Town. The only thing to accomplish there was to grab a Pokedex if the Professor was feeling generous. With Leon's knowledge, though, that became less pivotal to their adventures.

[amberstrike]

For the sake of the pokemon's pride, Rasca pretended not to notice his happiness, but secretly she smiled to herself. Making sure to turn her head the other way, just in case he was really watching her. Outwardly, she gave him more options to choose from, though they weren't much better than the idea for Leon's treats.

"Lead the way, Leon. You shouldn't have to worry about the Beedrill's though, I'll protect you, just like always." Reaching out her hand to her pokemon, she extended his strength as well. "Besides, Superior knows we can't do it by ourselves. I bet he's more than happy to be the toughest one in our group." Rasca knew this would be true eventually, as both of them would surpass Leon and Rasca in power alone. [i]'The pokeballs will surely come in handy then, just like being a respectful trainer. Leon wasn't kidding when he started talking pokefacts.'[i] She didn't want to be on the offensive side of her pokemon, but it was much more difficult respecting something small. On the other hand, Leon's Nidoran happened to be easier to deal with. So Rasca tried one of his moves on it.

"But you know more about the path up ahead. Maybe you and Leon can be the escorts." It felt odd talking to the female Nidoran this way, and oftentimes Rasca made strange faces while speaking. Her voice remained firm, but she was definitely struggling with being cozy.

[RyuHll]

Leon chuckled at that, grinning at her. “Leave it to me,” he stated, pointing his thumb to his chest. “I'll get us there. You just have to protect your weak, downtrodden friend.” The smaller Nidoran let out a cry at that, puffing its chest out a bit. It seemed to be signaling that it would protect the boy too. That got a smile out of him, looking down at her. “Of course, I'm counting on you too, Nido.” It was said without missing a beat, as if he could understand her. He had a way with talking to them. He seemed to understand them and he was able to get through to them.

Turning back towards the way they came, he pointed out towards the way they came. “Onward to Pewter City then,” he stated. Sheepishly, he added, “I've always wanted to see the museum out there anyway. Heard it had some interesting fossils.” He grinned, scratching the back of his head.

[amberstrike]

"You'll be weak-kneed from all the glory me and Superior show while battling and being majorly tough. Ain't that right Superior?" She feinted towards him to give a quick pat, trying not to hit any of his spires. 'How does anyone know exactly where to pet?' Rasca watched Leon make friends with his Nidoran, making it so natural it seeped from his very being. Rasca scowled slightly, digging in her bag to retrieve her shades, and sliding them back onto her face. She was glad to have them for these moments, they weren't really good for anything else. 'Besides making pokemon flip out. Too bad we can't use it as a battle tactic.' Her happy mood returned for the moment, watching Leon and his Nidoran walk off like they were made to be beside each other.

"Speaking of museums, isn't there always some kinda crazy fee? I'd love to sneak in to see your dead fossils."
Rasca wouldn't mind visiting the place, so long as she could pretend to be a spy that was trying to hide the goods.

[RyuHll]

“I wouldn’t say the fee is that outrageous,” Leon commented, waving it off. “The fossils are supposed to be cool, though. From what I heard, there are three ancient Pokemon that the researchers have discovered. Kabuto, Omanyte, and Aerodactyl. I’ve wanted to study them for a while, but all I’ve had are books so far.” Of course, what Pokemon didn’t he want to study? He was always on about wanting to study the different species; this was no different.

As the two started to near the edge of the city, the other two companions behind them, he turned to face her, walking backwards for the moment. “I haven’t been this excited for our adventures in a long time,” he said offhandedly with a wide grin. He was always excited to spend time with Rasca and he made that known. The issue was that he got bored exploring the same areas day in and day out. He knew Rasca did too. This was a nice change of pace and it was allowing him to do what he had always dreamed of doing.

[amberstrike]

"Mmmh, alright then. Might be cool to see a dead kabutops. You could even write your own book about em!" While Rasca rambled on about her favorite ancient pokemon, and all the things she wanted to do with them, Superior became a bit jealous. Though he didn't care much for her, outside of the food she gave him, hearing her talk about some pokemon other than himself was disheartening. He made sure to walk a little faster than her, watching Rasca catch up to him, before he suddenly slowed down enough to make her trip over him. Pouting a bit, she dusted herself off and pulled something round from her side. "Trying to be funny huh? Nice." She frowned and moved to gather him inside the pokeball she had. After a few tries he was locked in, so she pocketed the ball and moved on.

Smiling a bit at Leon's actions that mirrored her own a while back, Rasca replied steadily to him. "Guess we must finally be doing something interesting!" Leon always acted so dorky when they hung out, but she admired him for being that way openly. "Just wait till we get to the museum, then you'll really be beaming." She shook her head, and glanced down at her pocket where the pokeball was. 'I'll let you out when we actually get in the forest. Then maybe you won't be so eager to make a fool of me.' Rasca figured that this was a way to teach Superior a lesson, and perhaps one he would learn rather quickly.

[RyuHll]

Leon kept an eye on the two as they interacted, trying to gauge how best to help Rasca connect with Superior. After a moment, he smiled, watching the small purple Pokemon retreat into its Pokeball, albeit unwillingly. “Try not to take his antics too seriously, Rasca,” he commented. “Male Nidorans are meant to be a bit hot headed. It’s normal for them.” He glanced down at the smaller blue Pokemon that he had managed to befriend. “I have a slight advantage over you. Nido and Superior both saw me defend them from the Mankey that attacked. I’ve earned their respect quickly. As painful as that respect was to earn.” He rubbed the arm that had been hit with a sheepish grin. “The problem is, I can’t tell you how to connect with Superior, exactly. They have general characteristics that stay constant, but they are as different as you and I. You just have to work at it and, eventually, I’m sure he’ll see your intentions and come to your side willingly.”

With that said, he turned back to face the road, walking alongside Nido. “Not saying you need to send him back out. You can punish him if you want. Just telling you that you should try to be open minded with him,” he added as an afterthought, glancing back to smile at her. Easy for him to say. Nido was practically best friends with him in a matter of minutes.

While it almost looked like Leon had taken an easy way out, taking the more reserved and stable Pokemon as his own, the boy knew what he was doing. His personality was a direct clash with that of a male Nidoran, or more effectively, a Nidoking. Rasca was fiery, hot-headed, and could hold her own in a fight. She had already done so for him a number of times. He was positive that Superior would see her strength and come to respect her. Just the same, he knew Nido would get the most use from being with him, being one who needed to be nurtured and helped into her stage as a Nidoqueen. His efforts would pay off, but the way Leon had arranged things was the only way he saw this group working out. It was the best match of personalities and skills, despite how it looked at first glance.

[amberstrike]

"Yeah well, i'm not about to step in front of a Mankey either." Begrudgingly, Rasca let Superior out of his pokeball, getting down on his level and giving him short commands. She looked up at Leon and gestured at his arm. "How're you feeling anyways? Can't have a lame partner exerting himself, especially if your Nidoran wants another arm ride." Returning the pokeball to her bag instead of her pocket, she commented softly, "Little late for not bringing him back out i suppose. Maybe i'm being more open-minded this way." Rasca huffed, and walked a short distance from Superior, expecting him to follow her. When he didn't come to her side immediately, she made another bargain with him. "Tell ya what, if walk with me, instead of acting emotionally injured, i promise not to ride you when you become a NidoKing. I doubt you could take my weight anyway." In retaliation, Superior charged at her, obviously ticked off by her slander she threw at him. Glancing quickly at Leon, and still moving towards the forest, Rasca called out, "You may have the advantage my friend, but me and Superior will just bond the old fashioned way."

Hearing Superior's little battle cry, Rasca flipped her attention back to him and crouched down. Once he was within reach, she reached out and grabbed him by the waist. Gently tossing him in the air like a child, she caught him again, getting knocked in the face by one of his horns. Dodging the poison, Rasca wasn't able to fend off his head butt. They both fell to the ground in a heap, Rasca taking the moment to give his head a brisk rubbing. It was meant affectionately, though in return, Superior knocked her hand aside and cried again.

"Alright Mr.Superior, you win that round. Call it even for now eh, gotta keep my dignity." Her head flopped back onto the dirt, while she searched for a treat to give him. Coming up with nothing, she grinned at him, picking her head off the ground. Superior merely looked away, as if he couldn't be troubled by the loss of no treats. Instead, Rasca gave his back a little massage, letting him walk off of her stomach to allow her to get up. "Phew. Jealous of our bond yet Leon?"

[RyuHll]

Leon smiled despite himself. “Incredibly so,” he stated, walking over to her and offering a hand to help her up. Nido had taken to moving towards Superior, seeming to talk amongst themselves for a while, not that the two humans could figure out what they were saying. Well, one of them. Leon was smiling a bit, as if getting a private joke. It did help that he knew their natures. It helped him to make assumptions over how the conversation was going, following the small fight.

Once Rasca was back up, he turned back towards the forest. They were nearing it now, only a few minutes away from the treeline. “Let's try not to get into any more tussles for the moment. Wild Pokemon could be around now. We should be ready for our Nidorans to train,” he stated, digging into his pocket for a moment. He retrieved four more Pokeballs and handed them off to Rasca. “It can also be a chance to expand our collection. Nido and Superior are great starters, but they're not going to be able to get us through the gyms alone.” It seemed Leon had come entirely prepared for their long journey ahead.

[amberstrike]

Taking his hand only long enough to steady herself, Rasca inspected him a bit, wondering if he had sprained himself while helping her out. Folding her hands behind her head, she questioned Leon. "Oh great, now i gotta deal with you giggling about me too." She snorted derisively, and tried desperately to try figuring what they were saying. If anything, Rasca deluded herself into thinking that Leon's Nidoran, was telling Superior what a great person she was. Obviously her worth as a leader towards him was definitely improving. And if Leon had anything to laugh about, it would be how silly his Nidoran thought he looked. Satisfied with her retched idea of what was going on, she smiled widely.

Holding up her right hand, Rasca made a solemn swear not to bond with Superior for quite some time. It was a shot in the dark to think that the pokemon had enjoyed it at all. "I'd negate what you are saying now Leon, but you're hardly ever wrong about pokemon." Cradling the pokeballs gently, she stuffed two in the lip of her bag, while the final one's twirled and rotated in her left hand. "What do you suggest we start with? If it isn't too much on you, to ask." Rasca was glad he hadn't asked her to be the one to pack for the trip, even though it would have spoiled the surprise. Tidiness wasn't exactly a strong suit of hers.

[RyuHll]

Leon was quiet for a moment, thinking it over. “Pewter City, home of one of the most extensive museums on fossilized Pokemon as well as the Pewter City Gym. It is situated on a rocky plateau, near to Mount Moon,” he began reciting what he knew of Pewter City quietly, more to himself than to her. “The gym leader is Brock, master of rock type Pokemon. Rock types are weak to grass and water, primarily. So...that should be our focus.” His eyes came back into focus, looking to her with a small smile. “For that gym anyway. Further than that, we'll face more rock types in Mount Moon.”

After a moment, his smile turned to a frown, looking back out to the forest. “We'll mainly find grass and bug types here. There are rare sightings of other types of Pokemon, but it's not as prevalent in this area. Of course, type advantages aren't the only thing that wins battles. I could probably figure a way to take on Brock between our two Nidorans,” he commented. “Personally, I want to capture every species of Pokemon. So it really comes down to what you want to have in your party. If you get a well rounded team, I'll give you a strategy to win.” While his forte was his intelligence, the way he worded it made it sound as if he was doing this solely to help Rasca win. It was almost as if he didn't plan to fight in the gym battles himself.

[amberstrike]

"Thanks for coming back down to earth with the rest of us. Since we're getting all the badges, wouldn't it be good to get a water type? That way it'll be easier to nab the waterfall badge. Though we'd be kind of dead in the water," Here she giggled at the pun and continued, sneaking glances at him to see what he thought of her plan so far. "Once we hit Vermillion city." She didn't touch on rock types, even though it would be much easier to use against the other types. Mt. Moon was a totally different story, it would be bad enough just getting there. Did Leon really have a workable plan for everything? She became more serious however, when he continued talking.

Taking a look at the pokeballs he had given her, Rasca raised an eyebrow at how many they had. There wasn't enough to go around for all the pokemon in the world. Of course if they went and bought some more, it would be easier. For once, she didn't worry about beating someone into the ground to win. She looked down at both their Nidoran's and posed a question to him. "What are we gonna do with the pokemon, once we run out of room for them? We could keep buying stuff to hold em in...but wouldn't that eventually get crazy?" A nonchalant look was magnified by her shades that had tipped down her nose. Rasca seemed almost bored, if not aloof with the small problem. "What you if you end up getting attached to all of them at once?" She knew it wouldn't be a fun task to shield his feelings if they were to get injured, after getting rid of so many pokemon.

[RyuHll]

Leon grinned a bit, having already taken that into account. "Normally, what trainers do, is that they send them to their hometown to rest. Unfortunately, we don't have anyone to rely on here. So I took the liberty of emailing Professor Oak," he explained. "Our Pokemon, once we've hit six, will be sent out to Pallet Town automatically and stay with the Professor." He had always talked about the Professor in an almost reverent tone. He couldn't hide his excitement at mentioning that he had actually spoken with the man. "So, we can just catch as many as we want. The excess will be stored and we can access them by using any PC in the Pokecenters."

He scratched the back of his head, thinking it over slowly. "As for being attached to them...I plan on it. You know me. I like Pokemon better than people, for the most part. I just have to be careful not to show favoritism. Shouldn't be that big of an issue. I like all Pokemon," he rambled on. Though, he stopped there, seeming to realize that he was starting to ramble. Smiling sheepishly, he turned to her. "Is there any Pokemon you are particularly anxious to see?"

[amberstrike]

"So we have to be real picky about which one of our pokemon we send out to old Oaky." Rasca didn't have nearly as much for the old fuddy duddy, though she tried to remain at least a little bit respectful while around Leon. As for the PC stored one's, i hope they don't end up feeling lonely. I'd hate to see em pile up too." She shook her head and stuck out her tongue in a disgusted manner, making a horrendous noise as well. Even Superior flinched, then growled at her for being so caught up in the trivial assumptions of her mind. Rasca tried soothing him with a chin chuck, which was carefully executed. Her attention was on Leon while she did so, making it easy for Superior to dodge any contact she made with him.

"I sure hope Nido doesn't get jealous. I know i would, if i were a pokemon. Especially your very first." She winked at Nido, not really sure if the pokemon would pretend to know what she was talking about. 'I still don't see how Leon does it. Some people just have the knack for it. At least i'm tough.' Rasca consoled herself in this way, and it made her feel a bit better about how he interacted with them. On the subject of favorite pokemon she nearly went into a spiel as well. Instead she just named off a few. "Parasect is amazing, and we might be able to find them in Mt.Moon. Venonat is a bug favorite of mine, and Electabuzz looks so strong." Looking down at Superior, she added," Can't forget Nidoking. All evoloutions previous too. They're moves are solid gold, and poison is a great deterrant. "

[RyuHll]

"Paris and Venonat may be found in the next area," Leon commented with a small smile. "I personally want to find every Pokemon, if at all possible. Though, I have always liked Growlithe and Abra in particular. Also, Eevee. And the normal starters that Oak would give beginners." His smile turned sheepish as his list expanded. "Some of them are a little harder to find, though. I have to hope I can actually run into some of them. Eevee, in particular. It's very rare to find a group of Eevee roaming around." He let out a small sigh, scratching the back of his head.

Though, as he thought, he began thinking of the other Pokemon he had heard about. "There's also the more legendary Pokemon. Dratini...Zapdos...Moltres...Articuno..." he murmured. "They've been lost to the world. The last report on any of them were from the current Pokemon League Champion. He managed to catch them. The three birds are supposed to be one of a kind, too. Doubt I'll have a chance to find them anytime soon."