Ask to Join Pokémon: Role Play Thread

[D34N.U5R]

(Back In Character)
Sora - Lumiose City, Kalos - July 2nd
"Shit, I think I'm gonna need to get to a hospital," Sora mumbled to himself. Then he heard... someone speak up. Sora quickly found out where the person - or more accurately, girl - was. Sora looked at her with a smile on his face. "I'm fine," he said cheerfully, "I've been through worse." Then he wondered; was that gonna make everyone more concerned? He was interrupted when he noticed his Cinderace get back onto its own two feet. Sora smiled even more. "Glad Cinderace is OK," he said. Then a Pyro Ball flew right past his already broken nose. "Your aiming's getting better!" he told his Cinderace. He turned back to the girl, but tripped and landed on the back of his head afterwards. Blood flew out of his mouth. "This... is what I mean when I say I've... been through worse," he said, "And this isn't even the... start of it." Sora blacked out.

 

[Hecotoro]

Azumi, I didn't go to medical school, Towers.


Azumi's jaw dropped at the sight of the Cinderace almost knocking its trainer head off and then gasp when he fall on the back of his head and passed out.

"Um..." The Kalosian girl quickly took out her Rotom Phone and called for ambulance. "Cinderace, make sure your trainer is breathing, I'm calling an ambulance and they'll be on their way soon."

She stood up from her seat to get a better view of the boy on the ground. Why did some random person show up and spit out blood just when she was left alone.

 

[IDKWhatUserNameToDo]

Kaden Miller - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel, Sinnoh
Kaden smiled warmly at the older trainer, "Glad if I could provide that you despite not being a battler," he replied and ran his hand through his hair and just noticed the amount of sand in there, "Maybe I should let you now when I attend a contest again for you to see her really shine," the coordinator said, continuing to brush his hair with his hand to get the worst of the sand out of his hair.

"These days she's one of a kind, but if you want to look more into it she's a Hisuian Arcanine like I mentioned. I'm quite sure there were other pokemon like her with a different form in the past, but it's been a while since I've brushed up on any of Sinnoh History,"

Lara Brook - 16th of June - North Lake Miloch, Wild Area, Galar
"A Pokemon Professor?" Lara asked in a surprised tone and turned to look at Nicole, "I haven't thought about it, no. I honestly have no clue even how to get into a field like that. I wouldn't really consider myself studious either. I just... Sort of like watching pokemon and photographing them," she added and shook her head with her gaze falling to the ground. Yet, her mind couldn't help but latch onto the idea. Maybe she should look into it? No, she was getting ahead of herself. They had a migration to wait for and she didn't have any clue on how to even get or apply to a field like that.

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Saturday – 7:30 pm July 2

Lumiose

Kalos Region​

Team On-hand: Pyrrha (Jangmo-o), Pariparisithea (Munna), Tarrah Ta’Ella (Bounsweet), Kasriel Ikaros Svelinka Sō (G-Zigzagoon), Bâquîle Nâva (Goomy), L’ Basseau. (Surskit)

In Esther’s care: Houndour​

FWOO~osh~!!

Instinct honed from 2 weeks of dangerous farm work kicked in and Esther juked away as the Pyro ball missed her by not far enough! Bloody Hell! She liked the blaze of her camp-fire hairstyle as purely aesthetic thank you very much!

Already irate, the goth whirled around with a snarl in her throat and a sharp tongue-lashing pre-loaded.

“KID, what the F—" Just as she was about to hit him with the hard F, Esther noted the kid wasn’t listening. Hell, he wasn’t even conscious! The fires of her wrath burned just a bit dimmer, but she still threw a nasty look at Cinderace.

“This is why kids shouldn’t be allowed on journeys.” Esther sniffed scornfully and—wait...was that...? Sniff, sniff... that smell...!! A fire! Esther whipped around and her gaze locked onto a burning bush—a decorative hedge that circled the park. Had that been where the Pyro ball landed? Must’ve been. A vexed growl came from the girl as her hands found Nâva and Basseau’s pokéballs. “«Water Gun»!”

The fire was doused quickly, but Esther had the surrounding bushed soaked to make sure. Now that the threat of the park going up in flames was extinguished (heh)... Her eyes went back to Azumi who was on her phone. The hospital must’ve been nearby or something because Esther could already hear the blare of sirens. It wouldn’t hurt to wait a bit more, she supposed.

Esther pivoted slightly to address Monty & Nico. “We can leave after the ambulance gets here, we can’t leave Azumi with...whoever this kid is.”

Spoiler: Esther’s Inventory

$3,889
Hand-woven kilt
Pokéballs x2

Spoiler: Working Towards

Everstone x 1 – $15,000.00

 

[| Korutesu |]

Nico Zacharias Flynn
Date: July 2nd
Location: Lumiose City, Kalos

Oh man, this kid's Cinderace just hit the hedges of the park! This was not a good thing, especially in Lumiose City too! Atleast Esther and her quick thinking got the flames out using her Surskit and Goomy's Water Gun. Although, she was right. They couldn't really leave Azumi alone with whoever this kid was, and since they still had some parts of their small picnic still in the park.

"I'll clean up the rest of our stuff here, and then we'll wait for the Ambulance, okay?" Nico said, as he went over to where they were sitting before to start cleaning, as Broccoli and Pepper followed suit to help Nico to clean.

 

[~Patriot~]

Montagne Khastil
July 2 - Lumiose City, Kalos

Did he smell fire? Monty's back was to Azumi, Nico, and Cinderace-kid, and he went to turn around only to be yanked to the ground from behind and below. "AH! Wha-" The fire ball rushed past, too quick for the criminal to call a warning to Esther, and as the fiery-haired girl jumped into action with her dual water pistol pokémon he turned and thanked his quick thinking partner.

The criminal picked himself up and cracked his knuckles, ready to teach the kid another lesson in Lumiose hospitality, but he practically went slack-jawed when the job was taken care of for him.

Monty had seen plenty of fights. He'd seen men get slept in one punch, and he'd seen them tank hits and hit back harder like they were using <<Counter>>. Never before had he seen a kid put himself to sleep, though.

He had to bite his tongue to keep from bursting out laughing, not wanting to off-put the rest of the group who seemed genuinely concerned for the kid's well being, but Oracle had no such qualms. Mirth practically gushed out of the Absol as she fell to the ground, rolling onto her back and bicycling her legs in glee. A faint 'hehehe' sounded from her throat; was she laughing?

Ever the poor influence on her trainer, the Absol's display of merriment at the kid's behalf made Monty's held-back smile crack. "Cut that ou-hou-hout!" A laugh of his own threatened to burst, but the criminal took a deep breath. He had to calm down...it was only the funniest thing he'd seen since Esther's Surskit-catching fiasco.

Oracle continued to roll in her laughing fit, but Monty got himself under control after his brief internal struggle. He picked up on the distant sirens, and agitadedly milled about with the rest of the group while keeping an eye on the wildcard Cinderace. This was the last time he didn't tell a foreigner to 'fuck off' on sight.

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Saturday – 7:40 pm July 2

Lumiose

Kalos Region​

Team On-hand: Pyrrha (Jangmo-o), Pariparisithea (Munna), Tarrah Ta’Ella (Bounsweet), Kasriel Ikaros Svelinka Sō (G-Zigzagoon), Bâquîle Nâva (Goomy), L’ Basseau. (Surskit)

In Esther’s care: Houndour​

The blare of a siren grew louder and closer. It was a block or two away, at most, and approaching fast. Esther stepped out of the park to wait on the curb. In a jiffy, the streets were dyed by flashing lights and the Ambulance wheeled around the corner at speed. The Oblivian flagged down the driver and the paramedics were bursting out the back before the vehicle had even come to a halt. Esther stepped aside as a Chansey rushed past with a stretcher...surprisingly nimble for its shape and size. That was a pokémon for ya; looks could be deceiving!

Esther jogged back into the park and exchanged a look with Azumi. The officer in training was obviously in her element and Esther knew she’d only be in the way. She went over to tap Monty & Nico, careful to avoid obstructing the medical workers.

“We should go, where did you suggest? Route 5? Lead the way.”

Spoiler: Esther’s Inventory

$3,889
Hand-woven kilt
Pokéballs x2

Spoiler: Working Towards

Everstone x 1 – $15,000.00

 

[D34N.U5R]

Sora - Lumiose City, July 3
Sora woke up in a hospital bed. He wasn't surrounded by people or Pokémon, but he just felt... a lot of pain. "At least I'm not dead," he said to himself, "That would be a bummer." He stood on the ground, his nose still bleeding (not even close to how severe it had been last night) and decided to check the time. 7:52am. "No wonder I feel like I woke up from a bad dream," he said, "I was out for a long time." His Cinderace walked up to him and smiled. Sora, somehow feeling his Pokémon partner's presence, also smiled. "Good to know you're still there, Cinderace," he said. Sora yawned. "All that stuff that happened last night... it was all accidental," he laughed, "I know that for a fact."

 

[~Patriot~]

Montagne Khastil
July 2 - Lumiose City, Kalos

The sirens, the lights, the paramedics and the deceptively agile Chansey— they all put Monty on edge. He and Oracle gave them a wide berth as they tended to the Cinderace-kid, and as they watched the scene the criminal couldn't get over his surprise that the kid was still out cold from tripping and falling.

An out presented itself in Esther's fiery-haired form, and Monty took it immediately. "Versant Road, it is. Come on, Oracle." He would say goodbye to Azumi, but it looked like her attention was on helping with Cinderace-kid. That's a do-gooder, for you.

Monty led the pack back out onto Lumiose's streets. The crowds were sparser, and the bright light of the sun was replaced with warm streetlamps that cast a faint orange glow. The difference between the city during the day and night? It was the calm. Lumiose was always go! go! go!, but when the sun went down she cooled off.

Oracle preferred it that way. Far less input to her sensitive horn, and far less peons to annoy her by getting in her way. Monty preferred the city at night, too. A calmer city meant less to go wrong.

The group took a side street from Bleu Plaza to South Boulevard, and from there it was only a few more minutes of walking until they reached the Route 5 gate. The crossing was practically empty, with most people already having done their traveling for the day, and they were quick making it through to the other side. A sign hung from above the exit— 'VERSANT ROAD'.

A wide dirt road sprawled forward into the pseudo-wilderness of Route 5. A massive skatepark sat to the right, devoid of patrons and with a small battlefield right at the center. Dim lamposts cast shadows over it, but the moon would be out soon enough to give them more light.

"What kind of training are you looking to do?" Monty turned his attention to Esther. "We could probably rustle up some wild pokémon and practice our teamwork."

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: July 19 (26yo)
Location: Yellow Rock Beach, Yellow Rock Isle, Whirl Archipelago, Johto
Pokemon Team: Mudster the Swampert, Iwa the Wishiwashi, Aero the Aerodactyl, Hattie the Hatterene, Silenus the Sceptile, Yuki the Froslass, Tochi the Parasect

Interactions: Blastoise, Esther (kyuukestu), Reina (Hecotoro), Desmond (Godjacob)
Mentions: Rick (Ridge), Eveline (Quantum Lila), Aldon (ThAtGuY101)

Reina caught it...

Almost.

Naka had retrieved enough blood in the vial, so when the Blastoise disappeared, she was satisfied with the amount she retrieved. Sending out her Wishiwashi to land on top of her schooling form and returning her screeching Parasect, she quickly put the glass vial into another plastic tube casing, and then put that plastic tube casing within another hardened plastic casing that looked more like a small kit. She then set it within a small pouch that she zipped up tightly. Her Wishiwashi had been battling the torrential currents as best as she could, aided by the Hatterene making sure her trainer didn't get sucked in (since Reina had already saved Esther earlier... Somehow, and Rick's Rapidash, Eveline, Desmond, Aldon, and most of their Pokemon were relatively safe).

Only for the Blastoise to come back.

The surge of water that came from the many-tonned turtle coming down had thrown Naka and her Wishiwashi for a loop. Not wanting to get caught up in it anymore than she was already, she sent out her Aerodactyl, who was surprised he was underwater. As Naka held onto the dorsal spine of her fossil, the Wishiwashi summoned all her strength in Waterfall to charge up and get both her and Aerodactyl out of the water. Aero kept his wings partially folded to aid in letting himself get pushed out. With a mighty flap, Aero got rid of most of the dampness, with Naka clutching to his back. She returned her Wishiwashi, sighing in relief that she got what she came for.

Now to focus on weakening it.

"Reina, throw another one!" She ordered, catching sight of her on her Lapras. She looked around to see if anybody needed saving, then looked up at the paraglider of the Wingull. She flew up to it, waving at Desmond. "Need a more sturdy lift than some stuck together Wingull?" She asked, smiling and letting her Aero dip right below the paraglider so Desmond and his Politoed can hop down.

Meanwhile, her Hatterene watched with some concern, hoping the Blastoise didn't wake up.

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 19
Location: Route 216, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous, Silenus the Sceptile, Mudster the Swampert

Interactions: Ron Towers (Hecotoro), Gwen Tucker (IDKWhatUserNameToDo)

The earlier wild Pokemon encounters had given Fluffy and Silenus some fun. She even got to show off Chu's usefulness in using Flash and annoying several Zubat before decimating them with a Thunderbolt from the little Pichu, showing she was extremely strong for a baby Pokemon.

But now, it was the snowy routes. Despite the more grey-washed look, it did seem like a winter wonderland. The snow was nice and powdery in some places, while others had sheets of ice laying overtop an indeterminate amount of snow. The trees were absolutely covered in snow, each branch with a blanket of snow to better camouflage Abomasnow that may or may not be lurking amidst the sparse trees in front of them in the chasm. Bridges above them allowed people to cross from one large cliff to the next without needing to use Pokemon, and up ahead were steep stairs made into the cliff face to reach those bridges at the top of a plateau. Ahead of the descending path was a large clearing with a forest lining around it.

The snow around Furia indeed melted at a rapid rate. There was essentially a stream of water that trailed where she walked over, only to refreeze into ice once it was away from the source of warmth. Naka stayed near enough to Furia to stay warm without ending up knee deep in wet snow that could cut through her clothes faster than if the snow was just powder.

Naka looked back at Ron and Gwen, her Sceptile walking beside Gwen with the Flareon having climbed atop the Sceptile's back to impart warmth to the Grass-Type. Naka heard something about a cabin and raised her eyebrow. A cabin? Oh, right, there was a cabin. "That's up ahead. It's called the Snowbound Lodge." Looking up, they'd just need to keep walking. She noticed Furia's flames and she recognized that look in her own Pokemon. She chuckled, waving her hand nonchalantly. "Of course, Abomasnow would be too easy. What about Mamoswine? Weavile? Golem? Medicham?" She asked, wondering if there was anything this Pokemon can't beat. "Not going to lie, I'm interested in how much you can take, Furia. I admire your strength." She smiled wide, already liking her, even if Furia didn't like her back.

Then Naka turned back to see that Ron was perturbed. Yeah... There would be a lot of trainers here, wouldn't there be? She looked around, and already she felt a foreboding chill. "Yeah... We'll be on our guard." She swore she was being watched.

That's when Fluffy noted something moving near them. Squatting, he then pounced on the unsuspecting thing from the back of the Sceptile, yowling as he caught something, then backed away as his ambient warmth melted the snow around whatever it was.

Naka whirled around and realized it was just a small wild Pokemon. "Fluffy, come on... You startled me..."

Fluffy barked back indignantly, saying he thought it was some drone or something to be worried about. Naka sighed and shook her head. "Alright, alright."

Reginald Valerias​

Date: June 2
Location: Tangelo Island Beach, Orange Archipelago
Pokemon Team: Emeric the Shiny Haunter, Elvira the Munna, Bob the Shedinja, Large Marge the Drifloon, Missy the Misdreavus
WCS Rank: 69,989

Interactions: Adrianne Silvers (Godjacob), Briar Hightower (ThAtGuY101)

After getting himself situated, he took off his backpack and vest, revealing a black, long-sleeved t-shirt with a Giratina logo on it. He used his vest and backpack to make a spot where his stuff would stay while leaving his rod there pinched between them. He threw the line itself without needing to flick the rod outward, not needing to wait for Maggie to move as the movement would allow the rod's lure to dance in the waves, and he also threw it off to the side so Maggie didn't swim towards it. He laid back down, his Munna humming as she landed on Reggie's chest. Cradling her in both arms, Reggie's eyes lowered, letting the rocking of the water and the heat of the sun lull him to sleep, along with his Munna's faintly ping glowing body in using Calm Mind. A pink mist formed from her forehead and attached to his head, but as soon as it touched his head, it immediately darkened and turned into an ugly, unsaturated pinkish-grey.

Thank fuck that lemur was asleep. He was able to catch some Z's.

Milo​

Date: August 1
Location: Turffield Stadium, Turffield, Galar
Pokemon Team: Oddish, Eldegoss

Battling: Laura Willham and Koffing (Grand Master Koop) vs Eldegoss
Field: N/A

"Now! Max Guard!"

A glowing green barrier encompassed all of Eldegoss, completely avoiding the wave of poison. "Max Strike!" Maybe if he hit the Koffing with all his might, he might win. The Eldegoss's body glowed a bright white and energy transferred into the ground, where it then cracked underneath the Dynamaxed Koffing, and white energy surged forth to smash into it and lower its speed.

Milo​

Date: August 2
Location: Turffield Stadium, Turffield, Galar
Pokemon Team: Lombre, Eldegoss

Battling: Wilford Pine and Thwackey (sSoul) vs Lombre
Field: N/A

Smirking, Milo was actually liking this fight, despite how tense it was to be up against this Wilford guy. It must be his sternness. Still, it made the fight more interesting.

Lombre was forced back by the Thwackey using his stick to reduce the impact. Thwackey's Double Hit and Branch Poke combo was enough to send the Lombre back against his own bubble wall, the bubbles popping on impact with a loud and powerful burst. The Lombre struggled to get up, but he wasn't going down yet. As he scrambled up and stumbled, his body seemed to waver and become two conjoined at the hip before coming back into one and then wavering as if the viewer had double vision.

He used Teeter Dance. He wasn't going down without giving some bit of annoying RNG to play with for when Eldegoss appears.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Ezio Farello - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel, Sinnoh

"I'd love to watch, she looks like a star in battle, so she would be wonderful on stage." Ezio said, chuckling as Kaden brushed his hair. "Sorry about that, you're gonna want to take a shower and really shake out those clothes of yours, that should get most of the sand out." The Ruin maniac apologized.

"Hisuian Arcanine....." Ezio muttered. "If it is old history, maybe Solaceon or Celestic Town knows something. Maybe the Canalave library has some old books as well?" The man said, pacing back and forth. It was clear that he already was thinking about his next move.

---------------

Nicole Newman - 16th of June - North Lake Miloch, Wild Area, Galar

"You can always apply as an aide, taking pictures of study subjects. Photographs can be used to identify Pokémon, as they are all just a little bit different. For example, Cassidy looks just like a normal Skarmory, if not for the burn marks on her wings. A picture of her in flight would make it very obvious it is a picture of this specific individual. By using pictures, you don't need to camp all the time and can look at the Pokémon in the vicinity by using their photos as references." Nicole explained as she looked up at the sky.

"It is your choice though, and it would not be right for me to decide what you should do."

 

[IDKWhatUserNameToDo]

Kaden Miller - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel, Sinnoh
"Ah, it's nothing that a shower won't fix," Kaden replied, waving away the Ruin Maniac's apology, "I'll have to see when I'll get back into doing contests. Taking a bit of a break in search for some inspiration," the coordinator then explained casually.

"One of those places would surely have more information on the old Hisuian times," he then hummed and thought about it, "Could also get in contact with the Sandgem town laboratory. They probably have some knowledge on the topic as well," Kaden then suggested and dusted some sand off of his shoulders and clothes.

Lara Brook - 16th of June - North Lake Miloch, Wild Area, Galar
Lara listened to Nicole. She was right and it sounded like an appealing job for the photographer if she had to be honest, "It is, but that does sound quite fun... Maybe I should look if there's something back in Unova," she then said and looked up at the morning sky as well. Doing research work could possibly grant the same if not more travel possibilities than working for KENN. Being outside all day getting familiar with the pokemon in the area and taking pictures. It very much sounded like a dream come true. She'll have time to think about it while waiting for the Swablu migration as well.

Gwen Tucker - 19th of June - Route 216, Sinnoh
Gwen turned around in a snap as she heard Fluffy let out a loud cry accompanied by a squeal. Cobalt let out a startled noise as well, but tried to compose himself as fast as possible. She tugged on Ron's arm to try and get him to take a step or two closer to see what the commotion was about. Tumbled over with clumps of snow on top of it was a pudgy little Swinub. The Pig pokemon let out a few frantic little grunts and got up on her feet again and froze in place at all the eyes on her.

"A Swinub!" Gwen exclaimed in a delighted tone. While walking and making her way to the snowy routes, she had been thinking of catching another teammate to her team and Swinub had been one of the pokemon she thought to catch and this was a golden opportunity to do so. The young blue haired girl let go of Ron's hand and nabbed an empty pokeball as fast as she could, clicking the center button to prepare it to catch the ice type. Cobalt looked up at his trainer and noticed the pokeball in her hand. Was she seriously going to try and catch it? Well- Suppose Ozzy hasn't been a complete dunce and as bad as he thought.. With a small frown, the penguin Pokemon let Gwen throw the pokeball at the ice-ground type pokemon.

"Cobalt-" Gwen started, but cut herself off as she saw her starter stay put. She smiled at him to which Cobalt replied with a pout. The Swinub squeaked a bit as she noticed the ball hurling at her, but she didn't have any time at all to dodge it. The ball hit her striped back and she was engulfed in red energy and pulled into the pokeball. The pokeball landed into the soft snow and shook once. Gwen watched with bated breath as Cobalt also watched the pokeball in the snow with curiosity. Then it shook again with the red circle in the button of the ball fading on and off. Then it shook a third time and stopped moving.

"I caught it!" Gwen said and celebrated with a fistbump before crouching down to grab the ball and dust it off of snow, "My first caught pokemon... No offense Ozzy-" she called out and felt a small shake in her pocket from the Deino, but it might just be him reacting to his name being called out.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Ezio Farello - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel, Sinnoh

"True!" Ezio exclaimed, quickly jotting the places down in notes that were almost unreadable. "Oh, I can barely wait to get moving again! I need to heal my Pokémon, get to Solaceon, explore those ruins. No, wait, gotta prepare first before I go ruin diving. Do I have paper? Where's my pen?" The Ruin Maniac was so excited, he was already rambling and didn't hear the text message that he got from Aldon.




Nicole Newman - 16th of June - North Lake Miloch, Wild Area, Galar

"You could." Nicole simply stated, looking at the sky before nudging Lara. "They're here." The bird keeper said, pointing at the sky as the first Swablu began to fly over. It looked like dozens of clouds arrived out of nowhere, coming down near the streams to clean their wings and quench their thirst. Nicole got up and fired up the camera, recording some footage.

 

[IDKWhatUserNameToDo]

Kaden Miller - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel, Sinnoh
Kaden raised his eyebrows and just let the man ramble and pace around. Well, he was at least passionate about his job, but good if he got the ruin maniac interested in the old Sinnoh History. The coordinator chuckled and placed a hand on his hip, "I'm sure you'll figure it out. If you have anymore questions, you have my contact information and I'll do the same whenever I have another contest I'll be participating in," Kaden said and looked up at the cloudy sky already darkening as it had turned evening. What an adventure he had today.

"I know I need a good rest after everything today at least,"

Lara Brook - 16th of June - North Lake Miloch, Wild Area, Galar
Lara looked up immediately and gasped in delight as she saw the flock of Swablu's fly down and land by the lake. She took her camera and frantically made sure her settings were good before starting to snap away, "Oh, they are so cute!" The reporter gushed in a hushed tone and looked at the other woman with a large smile before turning to photograph the small and fluffy flying types some more as they bathed and cleaned themselves in the lake water. Focusing on some individual ones and then a larger group together. Oh their feathers looked so fluffy and soft. The Cotton bird pokemon really looked like little clouds fallen from the sky.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers - June 19th, Eterna City Sinnoh


Furia looked over her shoulder at Naka's questions. She glared at the blonde woman before snorting a puff of purple smoke and turning around again. Furia wasn't as interested in their new companions, she just knew that Ron needed them for some reason to find their next target. If they were able to keep the punk on the right path, that's all she really needed. Her ears perked as the sound of a wild Pokemon came to close to them, but it wasn't anything Furia would even bother fighting, so she yawned and waited for the humans to be ready to keep moving.

"Yo, nice catch Gwen. Not a bad choice either, Swinub can be pretty cool." Ron walked up to the blue haired girl and looked at the PokeBall in her hand. "Another sniffer huh?" He shrugged and turned back around. "I'm going to have to shower more often if I'm going to have all these Pokemon sniffing me all the time."

Ron and Furia took the lead, moving ahead while looking at their surroundings. Ron did began to wonder if Furia's presence was keeping most wild Pokemon away. The Swinub must've been either really hungry or oblivious to the situation for it to have risked getting caught like that. Maybe his Typhlosion didn't give off such a threatening aura to those around her and therefore the wild Pokemon don't see them as a threat? Furia would be pissed if Ron had said that out loud.

While he was lost in his thoughts and made sure Gwen and Naka were close by, his eyes caught sight of a small light in the distance. A big cloud of vapor escaped his mouth as he sighed, "I see the cabin."

Despite being well prepared for the weather, the thought of a nice warm place was very attractive to Ron. Being around Furia for so many years had made him more comfortable in hot temperatures. Yet, he was craving a nice cold beer... Upon the cabin coming fully into view, Ron managed to make out a figure opening the door and waving them down. It seemed whoever it was, they had been watching them for a while now, probably something easily done due to Furia's flames.

"Welcome welcome, come on in!" A big bulky man stood outside the cabin, a big smile spread across his face. Just looking at him gave off the feeling of a nice comfortable bed. "Been a while since we've seen trainers these last few days. I saw those purple flames and though a Will-O-Wisp was in the area, scared the soul of me."

Ron raised an eyebrow, he then realized that Furia's flames indeed resemble some sort of witchcraft. He looked over his shoulder at Naka and Gwen. "You two go ahead inside, I think I'm going to stay out here with Furia for a bit. Make sure things are okay."

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Aldon...~
~Skol the god, Bran the bronzor,
Zippy the magnemite, Huck the golett, Wunder the Sigilyph and Bolly the Baltoy...~
~Yellow Island, July 19th...~

"Tiiiiikmbeeeeer!!" Aldon called out. A huge wave blasted out. Someone was to catch it...? He could only imagine what they'd need it for. Aldon rode Bran over to Desmond and 'the others'. Looking over at the sleeping blastoise.

"I think it is over..." Aldon said. Wunder began to spin around mid-air then fly towards Aldon and friends at a faster than usual speed. Desmond was right, they'd need to hurry and catch the beastial sea turtle. He turned to look at Naka and her underwater aerodactyl...? Poor thing got wet. Hopefully second time would be the charm. Watching and waiting. Aldon was half expecting some silly shenanigans.

Spoiler: Bag

$16,350
14x pokéballs
5x Super Potions
3x Full Heals
6x Oran berry,
C-Gear
Waterproof sleeping bag
Travel cooking supplies
Portable tent
Hiking and archeology tools

~Briar Hightower...~
~Briar Pokémon: Grafaiai/Baba(F), galarian wheezing/Puff Puff(M), tentecruel/Maggie(F), Revavroom/Hemi(M), clodsire/Claudia(F), smeargle/Frida(F)...~
~Turffield, August 2nd...~
~Rank: 48,420...~

Briar slowly began to wake up. Head ache was not gone, but she knew where she was and the battle between Wilford and Milo still raged on. Briar But looking closely at the two pokemon fighting, it was obvious the battle had been going on for a while. Clearly things were moving along well. She cleared her throat. She turned and patted Frida on the shoulder. Baba was still out cold. She ran her fingers through her lil monkey's fur petting it.

"Not bad" Briar mused.

~Briar Hightower...~
~Briar Pokémon: Grafaiai/Baba(F), galarian wheezing/Puff Puff(M), tentecruel/Maggie(F), Revavroom/Hemi(M), clodsire/Claudia(F), smeargle/Frida(F)...~
Tangelo Island, June 2nd...~
~Rank: 48,420...~

Briar nodded at Adrianne, and gestured for Molly to swim out to sea. Briar stuck her fingers in the water. Water rippling against her hand as the tentecruel swam. Briar watched as Elvira used calm mind on Reggie.

"Get your sleep, sugar" Briar said softly before turning back to the sky above and the sea below.

Spoiler: Briar's mystery bag

$20,939
14x super balls
5x hyper Potions
3x Full Heals
6x sitrus berry
7x water bottles
4x repels
Rotom phone
a bottle of whiskey
x2 mystery flasks
x6 shot glasses

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Saturday – 7:40 pm July 2

Lumiose

Kalos Region​

Team On-hand: Pyrrha (Jangmo-o), Pariparisithea (Munna), Tarrah Ta’Ella (Bounsweet), Kasriel Ikaros Svelinka Sō (G-Zigzagoon), Bâquîle Nâva (Goomy), L’ Basseau. (Surskit)

In Esther’s care: Houndour​

“More basic than that,” Esther surveyed the area; the skate park would make a good obstacle course, but she’d need some open space for what she wanted to do. “I have a full team, a bit more than that actually, and that means a lot of moves. First, I need to get familiar with all those moves and then we can see about some teamwork.”

The first pokémon up for review was naturally Pyrrha. Esther couldn’t be more familiar with Pyrrha’s regular moves, but regular moves weren’t gonna cut it and besides, Pyrrha had learned a new move during their battle at Restaurant Le Nah. Maybe it was time to shuffle up which moves they kept in practice?

Esther brandished her pokétch to display Pyrrha’s information; the display was a lot more detailed than the standard pokédex entry as Esther had been able to fill out some of the additional data fields.

Name: Pyrrha
Species: Jangmo-o
Ability: Overcoat
Parents: Deino-line, Jangmo-o line.
Birthday: Jan 7th

Esther had managed to confirm Pyrrha’s ability and heritage back in Galar, and her birthday had been one quick check at the shelter. Some quick math would show that the drake was just short of 6 months old; it was crazy to think pokémon could mature so swiftly, but she’d seen Wooloo running around the ranch mere minutes after being born and by the next day they were ready for battle. Crazy.
The Oblivian moved on to the next block of information.

Species Battle Profile: Jangmo-o are a species with well-rounded—almost perfectly even—attributes; however, their robust physiques lend them a minor preference for physical attacks and a more pronounced physical defense. Their dragon-typing and notable physical defense stand out among first-stage pokémon and are generally only out-classed by more defensive rock & steel type pokémon. While it would be an exaggeration to say Jangmo-o ranks among the best defenses, they’re certainly well above average.

She’d never given too much thought into what Jangmo-o as a species were good it; of course, she knew Pyrrha wasn’t the fastest of pokémon and she didn’t hit the hardest, but those had never been problems due to her moves. Work Up and Scale Shot allowed her to increase speed and offense when the opportunity arose and the rest of her moves, well...

Known Moves: Dragonbreath, Scale Shot, Tackle, Leer, Bide, Protect, Dragon Tail, Scary Face, Headbutt, Work Up, Screech.

This was a solid repertoire of moves and they’d done pretty for her in every battle thus far but there was a major problem. While she had a lot of moves, they were primarily of two types: dragon and normal. Esther had always been away that fairy-type moves were super effective against dragons, and she thus assumed fairy-types would resist dragon-type moves. Apparently, things weren’t that simple. Fairy types didn’t resist dragon-type moves; they were straight-up immune. Bathed in dragon fire? They barely felt it. Raked by dragon claws? Those claws would sooner snap.

Against a fairy, half Pyrrha’s moves were reduced to stage effects; pretty, but with no punch to them. That left her with only tackle, headbutt, and bide. And, since headbutt was in essence better-Tackle, in reality, her only options were headbutt and bide. This was not a pleasant state of affairs. If they wanted to cover their bases then they’d need more moves, moves of different types. That brought Esther to the next section of the dex entry, Pyrrha’s learnable moves.

Learnable Moves: Iron Defense, Dragon Claw, Noble Roar, Dragon Dance, Outrage, Focus Punch, Aqua Tail, Low Kick, Reversal, Counter, Dual Chop, Bulk Up, Iron Tail...

Jangmo-o’s learnable moves were further subdivided into several categories. Some moves like Focus Punch and Counter could only be learned if Jangmo-o had specific fighting pokémon somewhere in its ancestry, while some required special tutelage—like Scale Shot. Esther didn’t know what pokémon were apart of Pyrrha’s family and she wasn’t confident she could tutor Pyrrha a new move without help. After all, they’d relied on assistance from a Dragon Tamer to master scale shot.

Taking a step back, even if she could teach Pyrrha a new move, they only had some two and a half days. There’s no way they’d learn it in time for the tournament. And even if they could do that, fairy types resisted the vast majority of moves Pyrrha was poised to learn. It was still better than nothing but YEESH!

This was a thorny problem. Their only other options were to start thinking way outside the box or to get really good at Headbutt.

Well, there was the third option of not using Pyrrha, but wasn't that the same as admitting defeat?

Spoiler: Esther’s Inventory

$3,889
Hand-woven kilt
Pokéballs x2

Spoiler: Working Towards

Everstone x 1 – $15,000.00

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 19
Location: Route 216, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous, Silenus the Sceptile, Mudster the Swampert

Interactions: Ron Towers (Hecotoro), Gwen Tucker (IDKWhatUserNameToDo)

Oh, it was a Swinub. Naka blinked as Fluffy stood back, then jumped behind it to keep it from running. Fluffy looked up at Gwen expectantly, tail slowly swaying in excitement to help the girl get another member of her team. Once it was caught, Fluffy stood up straighter and ran back to Gwen's side to impart some of his warmth to her, chirping up at her happily.

"Good job, Gwen." Naka smiled. She had noticed Furia wasn't much of a talker. Even if she couldn't understand Furia's speech, she can tell Furia was rather distant and acted just like her trainer. Which only made it easier to read her. She didn't like being with the group. In fact, just like her trainer, she must have wanted to do the very thing Ron set himself out here to do. Find Team Rocket.

If that was the case, they had common ground, and Naka wanted Furia to like her. Even if it was passing toleration.

Ron's joke though had her chuckling, her lips pressing into a line to keep from saying anything too dirty in the presence of Gwen. Naka let Ron and Furia lead, going back to walk with Gwen, Sceptile, and Fluffy. It was then after descending down again did they see the cabin, and Ron's call clarified it.

The man who was waving them down was in his forties, and he had a bit of grey showing in his trimmed beard, but it was still mostly brown, his hair up in a bun. The man sounded rather familiar, and Naka chuckled as they got closer. "Hey, Akira. Wassup?"

"Naka? Ahhh, Nakaaaa." His grin grew impossibly wider. "Got some research assistants with ya today? Thought you normally rode solo?"

"We have the same interests." She said.

"Heh, we've got a shared interest." The teasing, flirtatious tone had Naka's eyes widening. The only reason why he didn't say anything too bad was because he saw the girl with them. He opened the door, and allowed them inside. "I know you're waiting for a bed there, bud. Hope that perimeter check goes well." He waved to Ron, and closed the door behind him once Gwen and Naka were inside with their Pokemon.

Silenus and Fluffy shook their bodies to get rid of the snow that lingered upon them, as Naka walked up to the counter posted near the right side of the wall, far from the door. This cabin was two stories tall, with the lobby having chairs, tables, and the counter. Pictures of the man's family as well as candles lit up the hearth and a chandelier lit up the rest of the lobby. A fire crackled inside the fireplace, which lent to the cabin's roiling smoke from the chimney.

It was so toasty that Naka had to take off her coat, slipping off her backpack and having her Sceptile carry it instead. "Can we get a room for her?"

"Sure sure." He gestured towards the rooms against the back wall to his right. "Each room has the essentials. There's a small kitchen behind me if you're hungry. My sister's in there cooking." He went to grab a set of keys behind him hanging on a plaque and gave it to Gwen. "Here you are, little lady. Get yourself comfortable and warm."

The man specifically waited for Gwen to disappear into her room before speaking again, smiling wide at Naka. "So, he your boyfriend?"

"Wha..." Eyes widening, Naka's cheeks burned hot. "Kinda..." She looked away, unsure of how to handle that question. Which only made Akira laugh and he patted her on the shoulder, but now he had that devious look on his face. "Aite." He then walked back to the counter and rested there. He wasn't sure if she was going to ask for one or two rooms, so he waited.

Silenus and Fluffy sat on the chairs, absolutely tired from the mountaineering and the trek through the snow.

However, just like the route, the cabin barely had anyone inside, aside from Akira, his sister, and a few trainers at the top floor. Luckily, Gwen got the key that had her going to the bottom floor's room.

Naka was wondering if Ron was going to come back, so she attempted to look through a foggy window, but couldn't see much.

Leona Davison​

Date: June 19
Location: Route 217, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Pyroar, Excadrill, Shiny Azumarill, Hisuian Decidueye, Liepard, Grafaiai

Interactions: N/A
Mentions: Nakano Saito, Gwen Tucker (IDKWhatUserNameToDo), Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

"Ma'am."

A grunt rushed over to Leona, who was perched atop a rock in white winter clothes with her Pyroar by her side, giving her warm with his glorious mane. The grunt handed the woman binoculars, who took it and looked ahead onto Route 216, seeing three human figures and five Pokemon figures, their forms looking like ants against the lenses from how far away they were. "What is it?"

"We found Ms. Saito. She's on Route 216 and she's with two others. She's brought her Sceptile and Flareon, the kid's got a Piplup, and there's this guy with an odd looking Typh-"

"It's the Hisuian form of Typhlosion. Fire and Ghost..." She squinted her eyes as she saw the man and his fiery badger not enter the cabin. "I guess they'll be waiting out the day. We have tomorrow. The blizzard is going to hit extra hard then."

"But... Ma'am. Meteorological predictions state that the blizzard won't be hitting as hard as today's."

"That's the point." She smiled, looking down at him. "Your brother had a small group that had Pokemon with Snow Warning and Hail at the ready."

There was silence.

"So... We won't be getting them in the cabin?"

"No. Too risky. If we do, we are just going to get the ire of the Snowbound Lodge's owner, and I'd rather not have his Mamoswine come and find us. Make sure nobody else is around that area, we don't want to be found out too quickly. Besides, I want them to feel like everything's fine before we strike. An illusion of safety." She grinned, showing off her canine. "'Sides, those Pokemon are strong. I hope that Sceptile is the one that stays with her when we get them to separate. Otherwise, we'll just have to prevent the other Pokemon from helping her."

"Right. We'll get posted and be at the ready." With a salute, the grunt ran off.

"Ohhh, Naka... Who's this boy toy of yours?" She chuckled, clicking her tongue at the roof of her mouth.

A Golbat and Delibird flew overhead, before diving into the trees near Route 216 to hide from the light and to seemingly get away from the chasing bird.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers - June 19th- Route 16, Sinnoh.


"Look, I know this isn't the ideal situation." Ron leaned against the cabin wall looking over at the purple crackling flames on Furia's back. "But Naka is a competent trainer, she has information that might help us out." He paused while his Pokemon glared at him, "Okay so I get an extra benefit, but I feel I deserve it." He sighed and watched the vapor disappear in the cold air, "And Gwen, well she has potential. Never know when we might need help in the future."

After that, Ron stood there quiet, looking at the scenery in front of them, trying to clear his head. Furia snarled and spit a small flame at the ground, turning her fire off and walking away. "Good talk." Ron said, removing the beanie from his head as he stepped into the cabin.

"Furia is staying outside." He said as he took off his jacket, hanging it up on the nearest hook. "So, you two know each other?" He dropped his backpack on the ground.



July 19, Tuesday - Yellow Rock Isle, Johto. Reina, current rank, 34,107

"We're not giving up yet!" Reina gripped the GreatBall in her hand, took aim and threw it!

The GreatBall hit the Blastoise directly again, sucking in the giant water Pokemon and the fall into the water. The sphere moved several times as the Pokemon inside struggled to break free. Maybe it had taken too much damage or Reina was just lucky, but after several attempts, the PokeBall locked, capturing the Pokemon inside.

"A la verga, I did it!" Reina's green eyes were full of surprise. Her Lapras rushed to the location of the floating GreatBall, allowing Reina to scoop it up and look inside of it. "I can't believe it, it actually worked!"

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: July 19 (26yo)
Location: Yellow Rock Beach, Yellow Rock Isle, Whirl Archipelago, Johto
Pokemon Team: Mudster the Swampert, Iwa the Wishiwashi, Aero the Aerodactyl, Hattie the Hatterene, Silenus the Sceptile, Yuki the Froslass, Tochi the Parasect

Interactions: Blastoise, Esther (kyuukestu), Reina (Hecotoro), Desmond and Politoed (Godjacob)
Mentions: N/A

Naka blinked as she sat atop her Aerodactyl.

Reina... Actually caught it.

Feeling a sudden sense of pride for complete strangers, she whooped and clapped. "Great job, everyone!" Her Aerodactyl screeched out a happy roar, and Naka returned her Hatterene. Feeling Aerodactyl wanting to dive back down into the water to celebrate, Naka pulled back on one of his horns. "Wait, we need to wait for Desmond."

Aero looked back up to see Desmond and Politoed above them on the Wingull paraglider, and he cooed, trying to close the distance between himself and the glider to allow the two to easily hop on.

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 19
Location: Route 216 - Snowbound Lodge, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous, Silenus the Sceptile, Mudster the Swampert

Interactions: Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

Naka was about to go outside when Ron had come back without Furia. She pouted a bit, but figured this was going to be the case. They were both rather similar in personality, so they were going to butt heads. She smiled and nodded, Akira chuckling. "Yup, she comes up here often for research on the Abomasnow and Mamoswine. Oh, tomorrow, the blizzard shouldn't be too bad, but the weather can still be unpredictable."

He then smirked, and Naka only dreaded what his response was going to be. Nervousness hit her and she looked back at Ron. "Yeah, his sister here also cooks. It's like a mini hotel."

"Aww, complimenting my humble establishment." Akira made a mock sniffle and Naka snorted, going up to the counter.

"Alright, a room for us."

That might have been the wrong words to use, because the man held out his arms with a cheeky grin and mischief twinkling in his black eyes. "You could have just asked if you wanted a three-"

He didn't even end that sentence as there was a sudden, swift punch to the man's left part of his chest, making him grunt and rub it to soothe the sting. He still had that shit-eating grin. "Alright, alright, you saucy couple. I'll stop teasin'. Here you are." He gave her a key for one of the rooms on the ground floor, a couple rooms away from Gwen with no neighbors. He had a knowing look and Naka realized he had isolated the two away from the others so nobody got disturbed by any noises, not that the wood didn't already keep the sound at bay.

Sighing, she shook her head and took it, gingerly taking it from his pinched fingers. "Thanks."

"Haha, cheer up, I'm only kiddin'." He laughed, retreating from his counter. "Didn't think you'd be so staunch about not playfully flirting back though if your relationship wasn't that serious."

Naka could only wonder if he was really kidding. She deadpanned, groaning with her shoulders hunched and jaw clenched, yet her feet felt rooted there. "It was for platonic funsies..."

"Riiiiight." That damned teasing tone again.

"Stooop!" The exasperation was real. Man, she sounded like a lovestruck teenager.

She can just hear Silenus and Fluffy laughing behind her. She sighed, not having the heart to glare at him anymore.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers - June 19th- Route 16, Sinnoh.

Ron raised an eyebrow at the man attempting to be funny. He wasn't amused at all by his cocky remarks, instead he seemed a bit annoyed. The only reason he wasn't snapping back was because he realized he was going to spend the night with Naka again. There was just one thing he did feel he needed to say...

"We're not a couple." Ron picked up his backpack, getting ready to go put it away in their room. "We're just working together for now." He grabbed his jacket and looked at Naka. "Want me to take your stuff? Bet you two have a lot to catch up on." He stretched out his hand, waiting for the room key and Naka's backpack.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 19
Location: Route 216 - Snowbound Lodge, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous, Silenus the Sceptile, Mudster the Swampert

Interactions: Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

Naka can feel Ron's irritation behind her. Returning her two Pokemon, she gave Ron her backpack, which surprisingly weighed about eighty pounds / thirty-six kilos and she had been lugging this thing around for days. Her shoulders definitely felt like two huge knots.

However, she kept the keys, their teeth biting into her skin as she held them tightly. "Nope, nothing to catch up on, let's go."

With a quick dismissal, she immediately went to the door and unlocked it, leaving it open for Ron to come in. Immediately, she collapsed on the single bed, groaning. She threw the keys on the end table, eyes glaring at the ceiling. "Motherfucker, whyy...?" She mumbled, getting up and wincing at her sore shoulders.

"Sorry about that. Before I met you and all, I'd have a knack for casually flirting with people without any intention of going any further than that. Helped ease myself into learning about people. But now the practice just makes me sick." Standing up, she took off her coat and threw it at the chair that sat in a desk in the corner of the room. Along with the desk and chair, there was an armoire in place of a closet at the other corner and a chest at the foot of the bed, with two end tables on either side of the bed.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers - June 19th- Route 16, Sinnoh.

Ron followed Naka, carrying her bag and tossing them into the room once they entered. He looked around the place, throwing his winter clothes on to the chair. He listened to Naka while he sat down at the corner of the bed, nodding softly afterwards.

"Why stop?" He asked, leaning forward. "Nothing wrong with a fun flirt." He passed his hand through his hair and looked at Naka over his shoulder. "You hungry?"

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 19
Location: Route 216 - Snowbound Lodge, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous, Silenus the Sceptile, Mudster the Swampert

Interactions: Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

That was a good question.

Why stop?

Naka shrugged, not wanting to scare Ron way with her quick attachment nor did she want to even think about it. "Dunno. Just feels... wrong now. Of course," then she threw him a cheeky, playful grin. "I think you would have not liked it if I flirted back." The idea struck her as odd now.

Not a couple, yet he was doing couple things with her.

How funny.

The idea had her dismissing it with a soft chuckle, standing back up and stretching her legs by going on her tip toes. "Fine then, since you don't miiind~." She playfully said, smiling. Thinking Ron wasn't going to be okay with it still, she wanted to push his buttons to see if he was still going to be alright. "Let's go to the kitchen and find something to eat. What does Furia like to eat?"

She asked mainly because she didn't know when Furia was coming back and she wanted to see if she can soften up that big badger up with food.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers

The Johtoian raised one eyebrow at Naka, "Why wouldn't I like it?" He got up and couldn't help sneaking a peak at Naka while she stretched. "If you want to flirt, flirt away."

He opened the door for Naka, "Furia is not a picky eater. I can handle her food though, you don't have to worry about it." He waited for Naka to get out and walked with her to the kitchen. "So, what's to eat?"

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 19
Location: Route 216 - Snowbound Lodge, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous, Silenus the Sceptile, Mudster the Swampert

Interactions: Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

Naka wondered if Ron had thought she was talking about flirting with him and not other people. She let the misunderstanding go without correcting him, finding it funnier when it does happen. She noticed his gaze on her, which had her bosom bubbling with pride.

And make her cheeks red.

"Why, aren't you being a gentleman." She teased when he opened the door for her, ruffling his hair just to spite him now that she felt a lot more comfortable and playful.

Akira was in the dining area, where it looked like a small L-shaped diner one would see on the streets with those booths and a counter that showed the cooking process. But this was more traditional than the modern burger places that lined most city's streets. There were still comfortable booths, as well as regular round tables with comfy chairs. Across the counter had a young lady with brown hair braided and over her shoulder. Her golden honey eyes were focused on the food she was prepping for tomorrow and the dishes she was cleaning.

Upon hearing people coming in, the lady smiled and bowed towards them. She looked to be wearing a dress built for the winter with an apron over it. "Greetings. This is our menu." She pointed up, and there was a chalkboard, of which her Meditite was floating and was copying symbols from paper onto the chalkboard with white chalk - a cheat sheet to get a Pokemon to learn how to write without understanding what they were writing for the most part. The menu items were dinner based and either more modern dishes like spaghetti or more traditional like ramen bowls, and they seemed to have quite the range of selection.

Upon sensing others were inside the diner, the Meditite looked down at them and waved, humming before going back to writing out menu items.

"The best meat selection in the northern side of Sinnoh." Akira boasted, leaning his elbow against the counter and smiling at the two. There was a strange mischievous air about Naka he was sensing, and the two locked eyes. Then, they both grinned.

Oh, that poor man next to her...

Naka ended up following up with a tease. "The best, hm? I'm sure the best isn't even on the menu."

The playful flirt had Akira laughing, shaking his head. "Hah, flattering me? How cute."

"I'm sorry, but you're like two men combined, I couldn't help myself." Naka sneered.

"Hmm..." He thought about that some more, then smirked at Ron. "So, a fourway."

Naka slapped her forehead with a pained groan, shaking her head. Even his sister was staring at him with wide, stern eyes. "Akira!" She yelled, exasperated. "Your flirt game is terrible. Can't even call that a flirt." His sister criticized, getting Akira to laugh again.

"Oh, I know, that was bad."

"Anyway," Naka paused and peered at Ron to see if he was feeling any better about what she had just done before picking something on the menu. "Hmmm, I think I'll go light this time. Winter chicken ramen."

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers

Ron didn't say much, he took his seat and leaned his elbows on it. He listened to Naka and Akira go back and forth, which only forced him to look away and try and distract himself. Once he heard they were finished, he sighed and spoke up.

"Got any coffee? No sugar or milk." Ron tried to focus on the nearest window, to either spot Furia or tune out the conversation going around him.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 19
Location: Route 216 - Snowbound Lodge, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous, Silenus the Sceptile, Mudster the Swampert

Interactions: Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

Oh? He seemed bothered, but she wondered if he actually wasn't bothered by this at all. Either he was trying not to care or he wasn't really caring. That was good, she had made good friends with another researcher just a day before she met Ron and Gwen. Either way, the sister bowed and went about making the food, also getting Naka's soda order by handing her some Pikacola and a mug full of coffee.

Naka walked back to the table and sat across from him, setting the bottle down and giving him the mug, then resting her head on her hand as she gazed at him, her other hand in the middle of the table playing with the grain in the polished and coated wood. "So..." Now, Ron was her interest. Her eyes passed over the dining room. Nobody else was in here besides Akira's sister, who was hard at work. Akira had gone back to the lobby. She went back to looking at Ron, her voice quiet and oddly gentle. "I am curious. About why you're going after Team Rocket. Not that I'm going to stop you at all." She shook her head, chuckling. "No, I have no need to, you'll be doing me a favor." She chuckled, though her tone remained reverent. "I'm not going to pry too much if the topic is too sensitive, which I know it is, just letting you know I'd like to know what caused you to go on your mission. And to let you know I'll help where I can. I have my own..." A pause. Her voice then dipped low in a near growl. "Reservations against them that have nothing to do with them defiling my home."

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers

Ron placed his hands around the coffee mug and looked at Naka. He wanted to smile when his eyes connected with hers, but he drank from his hot beverage to avoid doing it. His eyes looked away though when Team Rocket came up. He thought about what he should tell her. Part of him wanted to spill it all out, but a louder voice was stopping him from saying anything.

"Community service." He replied, feeling a bit bad about his answer. "Someone needs to do it, right? We don't have those heros from years ago to put a stop to them anymore. People stopped trying, so I stepped up."

He took another sip from his coffee. "What about you, all mighty Guardian Nerd, or whatever your name was."

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 19
Location: Route 216 - Snowbound Lodge, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous, Silenus the Sceptile, Mudster the Swampert

Interactions: Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

That answer had her giving him a wry smile. "Community service, hm?" Pulling her sleeve over her hand, she grabbed her bottle and gripped the bottle cap, prying it open with brute strength and tough hands. She didn't even wince. She took a small sip and set it aside, huffing in a sort of chuckle through her nose. "I like to think you're a lot more passionate about it because of something personal. You forget I can read right through you." She chuckled, then sighed.

Her eyes went down to the table, eyes trailing the grain. "They almost took my younger brother from me." Gaze cold, she flexed her fingers and made fists as her hands started getting clammy. "We were in Hoenn. About six or eight years ago, I was about eighteen or twenty. I failed in my challenge against Tate and Liza, and to understand double battling better, my brother came to teach me by having me fight him. That annoying prick of a brother is a sweetheart when he isn't trying to make you wanna punch him." She chuckled, a fond smile finding a place on her face, but her blue eyes remained cold. "Still, he helped me, and from his efforts I was able to beat Tate and Liza. To return the favor, I went to Mt. Pyre with him to help him investigate something he had heard about. Something about a swarm of Ghost-Types, and he wanted to find a shiny Shuppet. He did get it in the end, but..."

That smile faded just as quick as it came. "A resurgence of Team Rocket was there. They had Aqua and Magma members with them that had broken off from when the main groups were disbanded by their leaders." Her lip curled in disdain. "They angered the ghosts. Made them so upset that they were more than some night terror some words on a Pokedex's screen conveyed. Those grunts were surprised we were there, and they had caused a disturbance by using technology none of the other regions aside from Almia had ever seen. They made their own miniremo machine like Team Dim Sun did all those years ago, but all it did was create a high pitched sound that bothered the wild Ghost-Types." Her hands clenched. "We fought them off as best as we could, but one of the grunt's Shiftry separated us. Another Pokemon destroyed a part of the ceiling, trapping me behind a wall of rock. I heard my brother scream..." Her voice broke, eyes welling up, she breathed deeply to ease herself from crying.

"I have heard many people scream the way he did. I have fought to make sure I wouldn't lose anybody, whether they were strangers and acquaintances or close friends of mine. But even though I wanted to strangle my brother countless times before, I felt so helpless..." She looked up at Ron, a deep sadness within her eyes. "When I got out, the grunts were gone, and so were their Pokemon. He was on the ground, not breathing. He was dead..." Her eyes fell.

"A Banette took his soul, too. To make it worse. I managed to win back his soul and some CPR later, the compressions and Chu's zapping restarted his heart and he was alive... But he was never the same." She shakily breathed. "They robbed who my brother was because now he's almost unbearable to be around. I want to cherish him, to not feel like a bad sister for not being there because I've been so busy with work and travel, and feeling like I hate his guts for existing, but... His personality now makes that so much more difficult." Her head hung, shoulders tensed and she winced. "I don't know if it's from being clinically dead for a few minutes, or from his soul being stolen, or if it's from something else... I just... Want him back..." Her voice reached a higher pitch as it fell into a whisper, and she breathed deeply to calm herself down. A tear fell onto the table. Every fiber of her body tense. "A part of me wished I shouldn't have saved him because then he wouldn't be so different. But I wouldn't even know how I'd handle just letting him die like that..."

She paused, trying to calm herself down because she didn't want to be bawling right now. She sniffled, tears falling down more now, her leg bouncing in a fast tempo from her anxiety in having relived that. Looking up to stem the flow, she calmed herself down enough to get out a few more words, letting out a low growl in frustration as her hands clenched tight enough to dig her fingernails into her skin and make them bleed. "They will pay... For everything..."

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers

Ron sat there, looking at Naka and listening. In the end, they were after Team Rocket for a similar reason. He wondered, if she hadn't saved her brother, would she have turned out like him?

"Listen..." Ron grabbed Naka's hands and looked at her. "Trust me, your brother being alive is a lot better. You have a chance to fix things. I'm sure, one day, he will be himself again." He smiled at her, "You're a researcher, great battler, taking down rockets and sexy." He shrugged, "I don't think there's anything you can't do."

Ron let go of her hands and took a drink from his coffee. Maybe he should've been as supportive to his sister when she needed it. Then again, he didn't know what was going on back then. "Besides, I'll make sure something like that never happens again."

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 19
Location: Route 216 - Snowbound Lodge, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous, Silenus the Sceptile, Mudster the Swampert

Interactions: Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

As Naka ripped herself away from that horrific memory, warm hands covered her cold, tense fists. She looked in some form of surprise, her hands easing in their tension. In that moment, Ron looked like a different person, and she looked at him with doe eyes, like she had been needing to hear this from someone. They were connected, following a very similar path, just Ron's was more stuck on it and not able to trade lanes like she was able to. If her brother had died...

She would have been just like Ron: seeking vengeance as a way to apologize for a lost life.

Ron didn't need to say what had happened for her to understand. She didn't even need to know the details. It was certain now - more than ever - that he did lose someone to Team Rocket, and that emotional connection just now proved that. Her hunch was correct.

She felt so sorry for him, but she knew that's not what he needed. No pity nor sympathy can aid, but action. And she had plenty of that.

But with the option to change things... Naka didn't know if that was even possible. He was so far removed from who her brother was before then that she didn't know if there was any way to get him to change now. He's just as stubborn as she was, too.

His compliments had her smiling, her cheeks burning red as she looked away, chuckling like a cute, lovestruck teen again. "Thanks..."

Letting go of her hands had her wanting to just snatch them back up, but she knew better. She let him sip his coffee, smiling sweetly at his protectiveness coming out in those words. "Thank you. And I'll be there to make sure it doesn't happen either."

Right on cue, Akira's sister came around and got Naka's food, then tilted her head at Ron. "You sure you don't want to eat anything?"

The winter chicken ramen had an amazing smell and if Naka's mouth wasn't drooling, the look in her eyes were. Then Naka came to her senses and felt the stinging in her hands. She grabbed a napkin and dabbed her palms from the blood that began leaking, wincing from the sting.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers

The punk looked up at the girl serving Naka's food. "You have some bread? Toast or something? Pie?" He shrugged, "Anything similar will do."

Ron turned his attention back to Naka. "Alright, Naka, since we're getting to know each other more and I want to keep my place in the bed with you tonight, what else would you like to know?"

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 19
Location: Route 216 - Snowbound Lodge, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous, Silenus the Sceptile, Mudster the Swampert

Interactions: Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

The woman bowed and left, whipping up something light for him to eat. Meanwhile, Naka was busy drinking her bottle, her hand now languidly holding it and her body didn't seem as tense.

But the reason for why he asked had her nearly spit out her cola and she slammed it down on the table and covered her lips with her other hand to keep her from spitting it out or choking. She managed to get it down and she gave him a 'really?' look, chuckling. "Nearly making me choke on my soda. I bet that's not the only thing I'll be choking on." She eyed him playfully, then laughed a little. "Well, I am curious of many things. I would like to know your revenge in a bit more detail seeing as I just spoke my soul out, but I won't ask." She giggled playfully, though the reminder of it caused it to hold some tension. "Instead, I want to know how Furia evolved." She watched Ron now with fascination, eager to learn about how Furia evolved - if there was any special reason for it.

Akira's sister came by and dropped off buttered toast and a small slice of Oran Berry pie. She bowed and left, leaving the two to talk privately.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers

Ron took a slice of the pie and then pushed the plate towards Naka so she could get some. He sighed when Naka brought up the Team Rocket subject, instead he focused on Furia's.

"You're really curious about her, huh?" He took a sip from his coffee and sighed. "You're gonna say I'm crazy, since there are no records of this place anywhere. But, there's a forth Sinnoh lake. I saw it with my own eyes and there was this famous guy with me, a contest star of some sort. So, we found some ruins, we were chasing this galactic grunt. Inside of said ruins, things go weird..." He rubbed his chin and drank from his coffee. "There was voices, shadows, heck I think I saw ghosts. We finally reached the center I guess? It was a maze in there, and found more Galactic members. We got into a fight, Furia lost her Everstone during it and she evolved." He scratched the back of his head, "That's it. I don't know why she turned out the way she did. I know she's confused, angry. But we can't figure it out, at least not for now."

 

[Godjacob]

Desmond Andrews (Unranked)
Yellow Rock Isle, Whirl Islands, Johto (July 19th)​

Desmond seemed to look on in disbelief, this...this was over. It was finally over, Reina actually managed to catch the big beast and now this nightmare seemed to be done. If Desmond had any energy to him he'd have jumped for joy barring the fact he had been on this makeshift Wingull glider of sorts. Aldon's confirmation only seemed to cement as much.

However, the most he managed to do was let out a relieved sigh, Politoed however seemed overjoyed and bounced a bit on his back as the wind nearly took him for a ride much to Desmon'd horror but he managed to hang onto his shirt. With that bit of panic gone, the pair noticed Naka's Aerodactyl who seemed to offer a ride back down, and as Desmond and Politoed moved onto it they prepared to let the dinosaur Pokemon fly them down as Desmond seemed to collapse on its back.

"N-next time someone offers to take me diving...remind me to say no." Desmond muttered as Politoed patted his head in support while Kricketune had taken a ride on Wunder back tot he beach as it aimed to meet up with them.

Adrianne Silvers (Normal Class: 96,094)
Tangelo Island, Orange Archipelago (June 2nd)
​

As the group set out to the sea, Reggie cast his rod and Elvira used Calm Mind as he attempted to get some sleep, to which Briar seemed to wish him a good sleep as she had not been able to mask a smile. "Sweet dreams Reggie~" Adrianne said with relaxed tone before she got her fishing rod up and focused on the open sea as they had set sail.

"All right, let's see what I can find." Adrianne mused to herself, casting her reel far as she could as it bobbed below the water and she sat as now the waiting game had began.

 

[~Patriot~]

Montagne Khastil
July 2 - Versant Road (Route 10), Kalos

"Assez juste— er, fair enough." Monty started walking further up the path, giving Esther a wide berth. If she was gonna be getting more familiar with her team's moves, he didn't want to get caught in the crossfire. The Kalosian threw up a hand and called back, "Find me when you're ready!"

Now, what should he focus on? Oracle was in decent shape for the tournament individually, but Shabboneau's was a doubles bout and her team play was— Monty looked down at his partner, who kept throwing annoyed glances back at Esther. —not incredible. Based on her performance alongside Kasriel against those Fighting-Types in Santalune, she would likely be more focused on finishing one opponent while her partner kept the other busy.

There was something from that battle that they could work on without Esther's help, though, and he could kill two birds with one stone by getting some training in with Chauffemagne, too. Yeah, that would be parfait!

The criminal reached into his pocket and felt for the bumpy texture of his Houndour's dormant Dusk Ball. With a CLICK! and a FLASH! the pup materialized, and though Oracle rolled her eyes at his appearance Chauffe was plenty happy to see them.

SNIFF-SNIFF-SNIFFFFFF!

Chauffemagne put his nose to the ground immediately. A new place?! So many smells! Grass, dirt, pokémon, flowers, metal, rubber— he could barely fit them all into his snout! And were those the girl and boy from yesterday that he smelled?! The Houndour's black eyes snapped to the people down the path, and he was about to take off when his trainer spoke. "You're not going anywhere, chiot. Eyes on me."

As Oracle's counterpart, Chauffemagne filled a vital role; ranged attacking. His biggest strength was his ability to swap between his moves quickly, like in their gym battle where he was able to launch Fire Spin and Incinerate in quick succession, but there were two aspects of the attacks that Monty noticed needed work: range and accuracy.

"How do you think you did in the battle with the Vespiqueen yesterday, Chauffe?" The Houndour BARKED! and his tail kept wagging.

"Good, eh? Because the way I remember it, you only hit one attack the entire time, and that one was because Oracle gave you an opening." Monty and Oracle looked down on the pup in tandem, the former because he could've been killed had Nico not picked up Chauffe's slack and the latter because she enjoyed looking down on him.

Chauffemagne's tail stopped wagging, and his excitement was replaced with a fiery determination. Not wanting to be taken lightly, maybe.

"Show me an <<Incinerate>>. Aim down the path." Monty wanted a visualization of the attack's range, and the Houndour readily complied. Chauffemagne took a deep breath as he threw his head back, and a ball of flame BURST! from his jaws when he SNAPPED! his head forward.

The fireball steadily shrunk as it soared down the path, and dissipated completely at...somewhere between 60 and 80 meters. He'd have to run a better test another time, but it was enough for the sake of that session.

"Now Oracle, you go down to where the Incinerate dissipated." Monty thought it was a simple enough request, but Oracle's response was an annoyed glare and a shake of her head. Why should she have to move down when it was Chauffemagne's inaccuracy they were working on?

Monty knew the look in her eyes well, and rolled his. "Fine, Chauffe you go down there and stay put. Oracle will be here, and when she starts moving you're gonna try and hit her with Incinerate. If you hit her even once, you win." A fire blazed behind the Houndour's eyes and he barked his approval, but the Absol was flabbergasted. While Chauffemagne ran down to his assigned spot, Monty explained the rest of the plan to his dumbfounded partner.

"What, surprised? Ranged attacks are your biggest...," How should he put it? "...limitation." The Absol seemed almost offended at her greatest weakness being pointed out so brazenly, but Monty continued regardless. "I like using Flash Step to close distance at close range, but let's try using Quick Attack to close a distance this big. No need to waste such a valuable move on...moving."

Oracle could hardly believe her ears. Just what had gotten into useless Monty? Did he forget who she was?! She was Queen Oracle the Honored One, She Who Stands Above, the All-Powerful and All-Knowing, Mistress of Her All-Encompassing Domain that was the battlefield! Was he forgetting that it was her innate prowess that won the battle against the Vespiqueen and the Vivillon only yesterday?!

The Absol huffed and shut her eyes, turning her nose up at her trainer in unmistakable objection to his foolish plan to use her as a test-dummy for Chauffemagne's sake.

"Oh? Are you saying you can't dodge a few measly fireballs from a weaker pokémon? Maybe Abné'll be up to the task."

That was all she needed to hear. The mere thought of being compared to a baby who couldn't even battle was enough to make her blood boil, and Oracle had half a mind to strike useless Monty down right then and there. Unfortunately that would leave her without her most useful attendant...oh, what to do? She'd have to orchestrate some sort of revenge for forcing her hand.

Begrudingly, Oracle took stood up and took a sprinting stance. "Changed your mind, drama queen? Oh! And no cheating with Detect."

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 19
Location: Route 216 - Snowbound Lodge, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous, Silenus the Sceptile, Mudster the Swampert

Interactions: Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

Some tension from bringing up Team Rocket. Yeah, that was a touchy subject, and she was glad she gave him something else to talk about. Her eyes widened however as he spoke of a place she dreamed of going but hadn't had the time to do so. She knew exactly what place he had been to, as Lucas had gone there and experienced the same thing. Eyes widening, she just stared at him.

"Turnback Cave. Holy shit, you went there...?" She asked in awe. She went to grab her backpack, only to realize it's in the bedroom, her hand going up to nothing but air beside her. Then she went to her phone, pulling it out of her pocket and accessing her servers used by her professor and her coworkers. "That lake you said is called Sendoff Spring, only accessible via the Spring Path off the path from Route 214. Sendoff Spring is called that because that's where we think the deceased go to journey to the world beyond, and it's where flocks of Drifblim and their young tend to inhabit. Turnback Cave has a weaker barrier that separates us between this world and another. Lucas, Professor Rowan's successor, went there. He reported very similar things happening there and he nearly got lost. He said it was like a maze in there, and he tried having his Pokemon use Dig to get out, but was unable to. The very corridors you went through could lead to someplace else, and it's said to hold an amazing power within the very depth of the mountain, but barely anyone has ever gotten close to its deepest level. Mainly because they all get turned away and made to leave to avoid from accessing it or were set upon by the latent energies of the cave. The only way Lucas got out was when he met up with one of his research aides and she used her Alakazam to Teleport themselves out of there."

She finally pulled it up on her phone and laid it on the table, pushing it towards him. On the screen were Lucas's research notes on the foggy cave system. She grabbed a bit of Oran Berry pie as she did so, humming in its taste before going to her ramen. "From what Lucas thinks, there are portals between every archway which causes you to get lost if you don't follow the inscription in the entrance room. The inscription was rather hard to read and most of the words were rubbed off, but it basically means to get to the deepest depths, you must go a set way to find the pillar room denoted with the number three on its pillar. But if you go into thirty rooms with no luck, whatever power is lurking within pushes you out. Lucas likened this power to immense ghost energy and he even said the energy levels were going off the charts. Numbers appeared on the central pillar, which only appears in three rooms, to show how many rooms they've been in while another number shows which pillar room they are in. The numbers changing was something Lucas thought was likely from the ghost energy there. Lucas nearly got a rough idea of a map of where these archways lead, but he was set upon by powerful energy that felt draining to be in. Not to mention all those voices. He likened it to hearing the voices of the dead or damned."

She then held up her finger, then touched her screen and had it scroll further down to see Lucas's theory. "Lucas thinks Turnback Cave is the resting place of a powerful Pokemon, able to create portals between this world and the next. A ghost Pokemon made this specific area weak to being tampered with by the spiritual energy, and I think an overabundance of this energy caused Furia to evolve into the Hisuian form of her species. Especially if you guys got into the center, then that means Furia must have been affected by the center of all that energy up close." She then switched subjects, the passion in her voice fervent. "Hisuian Typhlosion is called the Ghost Flame Pokemon for good reason. They are said to purify lost, forsaken souls with its flames and guide them to the afterlife. The researchers back when Sinnoh was called Hisui three hundred years ago hypothesized that they believe the Typhlosion was influenced by the energy of the sacred mountain towering at Hisui's center, but that would be Mt. Coronet. Since things have changed in three hundred years, we think the center of this energy has moved to Turnback Cave."

Then, a grin creeped up on Naka's face. "So, I think I know why Furia is acting the way she does. Imagine never evolving for whatever reason, then all of a sudden, an energy not familiar to you forces you to evolve into something you weren't ready for into a completely new form you didn't expect. Ghost-Types are very sensitive to the emotional stimuli of their surroundings, as well. Countless Ghost-Types who evolved or even just stay near areas full of grief and envy tend to become extremely malicious and bitter. I think she just needs to understand the very energy that made her evolve into what she is now. She knows the power it brings and what it has done to her body, but I'm not sure if she realizes how it's affected her mind, if it's caused certain traits to strengthen or become more potent."

She then leaned back, preparing to eat her ramen. "I don't pretend to know how she was like as a Quilava, but that's for you to piece together the differences between how she was then and how she is now. Whatever has been affected, it's by the ghost energies that made her evolve and that she can now wield. I'm thinking once she uses her ghostly energy in more battles, she'll start to calm down."

She then hummed a bit and came to a different conclusion. "It could also just be that she feels bad for having evolved in the first place if she never wanted to and is just really wanting to put her new form to good use as a sort of apology. But I don't really know what the arrangement was between you two about her evolution in the first place." She shrugged.

Now done and thoroughly making her throat sore from talking too much, she went to eating, then leaving a bit of it left for Ron if he wanted to have some.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers

Ron looked through the information Naka showed him. Everything that she mentioned about Turnback Cave made a lot of sense. How it was described was exactly how he remembered it. What was surprising to him was that a dedicated researcher wasn't able to reach the center but he was by pure luck. Then Naka started talking about Furia's situation.

Ron knew the Typhlosion was struggling with herself, he never imagined ghost types struggled so much though. He would've been pretty annoyed also if he had all those senses suddenly. However, Furia wasn't one who usually disliked new power, the fact that she wanted to become stronger everytime was proof of that.

"She didn't want to evolve until she reached her full potential as a Quilava. But, well, she was starting to fall behind compared to her teammates. Going from the leader of the pack to being benched made her push herself more to reach that potential. Now though, we'll never know how far she could've gone. Oh and she doesn't like the idea of having to you and Gwen to look after if things get serious."

Ron ate again from his pie and shrugged. "A lot of changes in a short amount of time. We, um, we're not big fans of things changing so rapidly. Specially when those changes can force us to slow down or become a distraction." He looked at Naka, "No matter how good the distraction looks."

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 19
Location: Route 216 - Snowbound Lodge, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous, Silenus the Sceptile, Mudster the Swampert

Interactions: Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

Naka was glad she was able to help Ron with his issues by being a walking dictionary for him. As he spoke, she finished her food as Ron didn't really make an effort to respond in eating it. He really didn't seem all that hungry today. Was he okay?

Hearing that Furia was falling behind from her teammates had Naka nodding in understanding. "Wow... So, going from feeling weak and incomparable, to then suddenly having all that power before it was even her time? To go from wanting to earn that evolution to having been thrusted upon her... I'd be pretty cranky, too..." She mused to herself aloud, completely understanding the poor badger. Then, Ron spoke of their thoughts on having Gwen and her around, which had her smiling playfully. "She doesn't need to look after me. It's helpful if she does, but I can take care of myself. After having shotguns aimed at my head and having been set upon by Pokemon comparable to that of a Mamoswine, I'm not too concerned."

Then, he said they weren't big on changes. Well, that would do it, which just had her smiling all silly. But upon hearing they didn't like those changes that slowed them down or become a distraction, she blushed pink upon being given a compliment again. "Ah-hah, well..." Looking away, she regained her composure, completely ignoring the other meaning of what he said. "Yeah, I don't like slowing down much either. I just go and I can't really be stopped until I've completely destroyed myself. In fact, my own Pokemon have tried to force me to sleep so I won't end up staying up for my third day in a row and keep me from overworking them." She chuckled.

"I promise not to slow you guys down too much. Sometimes though, instead of feeling like your on one train and missing out on what you could be enjoying and feeling like you're going to get stuck if you crash or get delayed, there's no issue in stopping and smelling the roses every once in a while. Sometimes, it's a good breath of fresh air and allows you to center yourself and not lose yourself in your goals. Let's you remember who you are as yourself and not a pawn or a weapon used for one purpose, and gives you an idea of what you can do afterwards once it's all said and done. Back in Eterna, it's been a while since my Pokemon had fun, and it seemed like your Pokemon needed the breath of fresh air, too."

She sighed and set aside her bowl, leaning back and crossing her legs. "Trust me though, from someone who stays up days on end for my own research and my own goals, it gets hard to continue if you don't stop and remind yourself that the world does exist. I do wish we were robots or machines, capable of continuing on without any need to rest or take breaks. In fact, I envy them." She stared out the window, viewing the winter wonderland that was the world outside.

"But our mentality suffers from it, and then our bodies soon after. I figured neither of you want to be taken from your goals, so I will make sure you get right back on track if we ever end up straying. But at least enjoy the moments when they come and feel like yourself again. There's nothing wrong with having a bit of respite and I know your Pokemon would be grateful for it, too. Not to sound too blunt or harsh, but there's a whole world out there, and I know you know it. But don't forget there are things out there you can enjoy along the way, too. Don't want you missing out on the things you could enjoy or are enjoying now. Not sure how long those precious memories will wait for you at the end of your mission. Who knows, those memories and what you learn along the way will be the reason why you come out on top in the end. It only becomes a distraction instead of a boon if you judge the Pokemon by its appearance and not use all of its strengths." She smiled, giving Ron a confident gaze. "'Sides, you could use a partner-in-crime-fighting." She laughed, finding her spunky energy back.