Ask to Join The Journey

[sgiovannii]

It was a quaint little town, the lack of tall buildings evident as the sun shined overhead in the blue, cloudless sky. The sun was just beginning to get higher and higher in the pale blue sky by the time the grey pickup truck rumbled up the town's main street from the west, rumbling to a stop in front of the doors of the town's Pokemon Center. About a mile or so in the distance, the shining sea reflected the sun's rays so brilliantly that the young man exiting from the truck's passenger side was forced to shield his hazel eyes for a moment after foolishly gazing at the beautiful sight for too long, practically stumbling onto the cement paved ground with a breath that showed in the cold November air.

"Thank you again for the ride, Mr. Tanaka! I'll let my mom know I got here safe, thank you!" He bid farewell to the gentleman who was so kind enough to give him a ride all the way from Sandgem Town's little port and slung his heavy pack over his shoulders, waving as the truck puttered off into traffic. Damian stretched in relief, sighing once more before slipping a Pokeball off of his belt and releasing a large Charmeleon in a flash of light. "We made it, Balerion! Two full days of travel finally paid off," he said to his Pokemon, whose attention was soon caught by the opening of the Pokecenter's sliding glass doors. A young boy skipped away happily with his newly healed Skiploom in tow, and behind him Felix could see the inside of the building, its shops, cafeteria, videophone booths, and front desk in clear view. "Let's take a little break," he said to his partner, who waved his fiery tail as he followed his trainer into the center, warm compared to the morning air outside, claws clacking on the shiny linoleum floor. Felix was just about to make arrangements for a room at the front desk when the huge flatscreen TV on the wall above it suddenly raised in volume, grabbing his attention.

"Breaking News!"​

 

[Vaporeonn]

Iskra was sitting in the back of the Pokecenter, lazily skimming through the newspaper she bought. It was her second day in Sandgem, Sinnoh, staying in the most expensive room the Center had to offer, of course. A cold cup of coffee was sitting on the table, missing only a sip or two - it wasn't by the girl's measure. Too bitter. And the one on the ferry was too sweet. She may have left home, but she took some parts of it with herself, unwillingly. Such as the mentality that something wasn't worth anything if it wasn't by her measure. Iskra grimased, gripping the newspaper firmly. That wasn't who she was. She wouldn't allow anyone to think she was conceited, not even someone as unimportant as a Pokecenter waiter. The girl let the newspaper go with one hand, and grabbed the coffee mug instead. Maybe she could even take the least expensive room for the next night. I'm better than them, she thought, as she placed her lips on the edge of the mug. Bottoms up. Iskra's expression hadn't changed, still fixated on the paper, even though that cold coffee was the worst thing she had ever tasted, and her throat burned with displeasure. If she hadn't thrown up then, she'd never.

At that moment, Iskra swore there was no sweeter sound than that of a mug hitting the table. A long exhale later, she asked for a glass of water. A Misdreavus was floating next to her, curious as to why her trainer decided to drink something she didn't enjoy. Iskra gave the Pokemon a quick look and a shrug, as if to say You'll understand eventually, Katya.

The Center was oddly busy for a small town like Sandgem, but it was far from crowdy. The Professor's Lab was near, so many new trainers found their way to the town. That was all Iskra could come up with. She watched a young boy with a Sliploom exit. Maybe it was time for her to get a move on, too. She called on the waiter to pay.

"Was the coffee to your liking?"
"I loved it," she replied dryly.

As she passed another young trainer, who carried a Charmeleon, her attention was caught by what was shown on the flat screen TV hung above the front desk.

 

[sgiovannii]

It seemed the attention of nearly everyone in the center was drawn towards the large plasma screen. And, it turned out, for good reason. The introductory music and bright red, blue, and white of the Sinnoh News Net title transitioned to show a slightly alarmed news anchor in a smart outfit sitting at a large desk, background behind her showing the topics she would be covering.

"Good morning, West Sinnoh County! I'm Kinsey Akiko with Sinnoh News Net bringing to you the latest breaking news stories. First off, we're coming to you live from Jubilife City's Poketech Company with our very own Roxie Fulton at the scene covering the latest in a string of alleged kidnappings, the victim of which this time appears to unfortunately be Sinnoh's very own Pokemon Professor Rowan. Good morning, Roxie."

Gasps and the sudden buzz of murmured voices erupted all around the center, and Felix's eyes narrowed in confusion and alarm at the screen. He'd never heard of such a high-profile person as a professor going missing - much less getting kidnapped - before. He glanced around in shocked disbelief to see everyone else's reactions, and he briefly met the gaze of a trainer with a Misdreavus before looking back at the TV. The screen was now split down the middle, one side showing the news anchor's perspective while the other showed a younger female reporter, clearly trying to maintain her composure as in the background behind her stood the shiny entrance of a massive building, where a number of Officer Jenny's and deputies were speaking with official-looking well-dressed individuals - Poketech higher ups, Felix guessed.

"Thank you, Kinsey. I'm here at the entrance of the Poketech Company's headquarters with the company's president, himself, who had been meeting with Professor Rowan just hours ago. Would you please elaborate on the last time you saw the professor?"

She held her microphone out and the camera angle widened to include a rather short, plump, mustached, and very sweaty and nervous man in a pinstripe suit.

"W-We were to meet this morning, t-to discuss the possible collaborations on future devices. Everything had gone well, but nearly an hour after he left - a-at about eleven - I received a message by Murkrow telling me to call the police, for Rowan had been taken! The note gave no explanation as to w-who would do such a thing, nor why, and seeing as the professor hasn't returned to Sandgem Town as expected or answered anyone's calls or messages... I fear it may be true."

The segment wrapped up soon after that, and the center came back to life much louder than before, groups of people talking among themselves about the news. Felix left the counter, Balerion following, and stepped up to the curious girl and her Misdreavus.

"Hey, there, uh... can you believe this?"

 

[Vaporeonn]

(ooc kind of meh, but I didn't want to make it too long so everyone can make a decent introduction post)

bic

"...the latest in a string of alleged kidnappings, the victim of which this time appears to unfortunately be Sinnoh's very own Pokemon Professor Rowan..."

Falco focused on the story, much like everyone else in the room. Gasps and quiet chatter quickly arose, the girl's attention interrupted. She glanced at the people around her, and briefly met eyes with the boy with the Charmeleon. Her focus was once again on the TV once the murmuring subsided. An interview with the president of the Poketech company.

The series of kidnappings were familiar to Falco. She had read about them in the previous day's papers. She got the impression no one had a clue on the reason, let alone on who might've been behind them. Half of the article was pure speculation. The girl hoped the interview would reveal something about the cases, but the president seemed just as clueless as the rest of them. A bit disappointing, she had to admit, but the news were chilling nonetheless. As the interview was wrapping up, the entire room came back to life. Iskra took it as a sign to finally leave.

... And then a boy approached her, taking her by surprise. "Hey, there, uh... can you believe this?" he asked her. He had a Charmeleon with him. She blinked, unsure of how to reply. She assumed her exterior was cold enough to seem unapproachable. Perhaps she was wrong. Still, the boy deserved a response. "I guess," Falco finally answered. Her inability to small talk was embarrassing. Not that it mattered to her. "What's not to believe?"

 

[Confidentheart]

"Teddi! Teddi!" A tiny Teddiursa tugged at the belt of Riley's sweatpants with a look of concern on her face. "What is it Grace? Is there an issue?" Riley turned to to the Teddiursa to see her gnawing on her paw. A look of annoyance shrouded Riley's face once he was able to decode the Teddiursa's message. "Grace, I literally just gave you honey not more than an hour ago. Can't you wait? Or else we'll run out and then you'll be really upset." Riley's request seemed to have upset the Teddiursa even more. "Teddiiiiii! Teddiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Her cries became louder and more drown out. This went on for a moment before Riley let out a loud disgruntled yell. "Okay! Okay! There's a town up ahead. I'll give you some more honey when we reach the Pokemon Center." An adorable smile spread on the tiny cub's face. Behind the Teddiursa was a Marshtomp who picked her up and gentle set her on his shoulders.

Within a few minutes, Riley arrived a Sandgem Town with his Teddiursa mounted Marshtomp. Holding a map, Riley navigated through the town before finally arriving at the Pokemon Center. Riley took the nearest available seat and set his duffel on the floor as the Teddiursa restlessly bounced on the Marshtomp's head. "Aaaaaaaaaand here you go. Some fresh honey for the baby bear." Before Riley could hand it to her, the Teddiursa hopped off the Marshtomp's head and snatched the jar of honey out of Riley's hands. Riley let out a sigh of exhaustion as the Teddiursa joyful gnawed on her paw once again, now slathered with fresh honey all over it. "This is why I'll never have children. I'm way too soft for my own good."

Riley was able to take notice of the commotion going on around him once he'd taken care of his situation. He was curious as to what had the whole building in such a ruckus but not enough for him to actually talk to anyone. So instead, he decided to eavesdrop on the nearby couple with the Charmeleon and Misdreavous.

 

[MelodyMay]

Rhashyya sat towards the back of the pokemon center, people watching. Her pokemon had already been healed. Now it was time to hunt. True, she still had a decent amount of money but it never hurt to get more funds early. So there she sat, munching on a cold cut sandwich as she tried to pick out her best option.

She almost laughed as she saw the entire center get upset and tense over the news of good Professor Rowan's kidnapping. True, the old man had given her a pokemon- her Buneary- but she felt no warmth for him. He had been harder to con than a senile old man should have been. As far as she was concerned, he had served his purpose; anything that happened to him now was none of her concern. Still, numerous abductions with no clear motive was her business. As such, she kept an ear out on the newscast as she continued choosing her prey.

She had been keeping an eye in a girl with a Misdreavus. Her uppity attitude, apparent in how she behaved and carried herself, would make luring her into Rhyshyya's trap all too easy with Buneary at her side. Yet then the girl had to ruin the hunt by interacting with another trainer. This one had a Charmeleon with him; far too strong to risk springing her trap on.

Turning back to the crowd in the center, she quickly spotted what looked like a tired young man. His wailing Teddiursa made that all too simple. He was surrendering a container of what looked like honey to the spoiled little bear. 'Soft and easily led... Buneary can handle that brat of a bear. As for the Marshtomp, I can use my ace on it," She thought as she finished her sandwich.

Grabbing her bag, she made her way over to him. "Hi, there!" she chirped happily, grinning from ear to ear as she reached him. "Welcome to Sandgem Town! Your pokemon are adorable," she added, making sure to seem like she was barely containing her excitement at just how adorable they were.

 

[Confidentheart]

Riley almost didn't notice the young lady speaking to him. He reluctantly turned his head towards her. "Oh, uh um." The Teddiursa let out a tiny squeal before running behind the Marshtomp, making sure to bring the jar of honey with her. Riley turned his head back towards the guy and girl talking before returning his attention to the stranger who had approached him. "Uh, hi. Thank you for the welcome. And yeah, I guess they are." He was rather confused as to why she just randomly decided to approach him but then quickly averted his gaze to his Teddiursa, who was silently whining while peaking from behind the Marshtomp. His Marshtomp, however, stared directly in front of him with a distant, nonchalant expression. Not wanting to be rude, Riley decided to strike up a conversation.

"Right. Anyway, This place riled up right now. I just arrive here a moment ago so I don't really got the details as to what's going on. Would you care to explain?" He didn't want to talk to this girl more than he had to but she already made her presence known and this might've been the best way for him to get information.

 

[MelodyMay]

"Oh, it's just dreadful!" she replied in a distressed tone. She made sure to close her eyes, press her free hand to her cheek, and pressed her full lips into a thin line. For an extra touch of fragility, she held her backpack in front of her with one hand. "Professor Rowan has been kidnapped! So many people have gone missing lately... That's actually part of why I wanted to talk to you."

Before continuing her explanation, she opened her eyes but kept them downcast so as to create the illusion of embarrassment. "I live in Jubilife City; it's the nearest town to the north. But I only have two pokemon and I haven't been training long. I just worry about traveling that whole way all alone," she lamented. She moved her hand from her cheek and began fiddling with her hair, aiding her awkward appearance.

"My name is Gabriel, by the way," she lied through her teeth. "I know this is awkward but please, sir, I really am worried. You're strong enough to have an evolution! And my grandmother would feel so much better with me back home... will you help me?" she asked, biting her lip anxiously for effect.

 

[Confidentheart]

Riley took an exaggerated sigh before letting his body go limp against his seat. He had a deep disinterest in being around this girl for too long, not to mention she's a complete stranger. Riley glanced over to see his Marshtomp still staring at lord knows what, and his Teddiursa quivering with anxiety. He wasn't very experienced in battling himself, however he has taught Marshtomp how to defend himself, along with RIley and the Teddiursa.

"Okay look, I'm sorry about your little situation but uh, I kind of got some of my own things to take care of." Riley refused to make eye contact with Gabriel. He knew his lie was transparent but he didn't really care that. Though, he did feel some shame in turning down a girl who's potentially in need. "I'm sure there are some other people here are willing to assist you." He pressed his index finger into his temple, hoping the girl would leave him alone.

 

[MelodyMay]

"Oh... of course. I'm sorry; I- I didn't mean to waste your time," she rambled as she started looking around for someone else. Internally she was seething. Of course she would pick the socially awkward prey on her first try! Why couldn't her look be any better than that?

As she continued to ramble, she started batting her eyes enough to make then water and thus creating the illusion of budding tears. Yes, she was laying her act on rather thick but she really wanted to score some cash today. While she was doing this, one of the pokeballs on her golden belt opened up.

The white light settled into a fluffy, long eared form. The fuzzy pokemon twitched her button nose before leaping high into the air, seemingly estatic to be meeting new pokemon. "Bun! Bun bun eary, ry!" she greeted as she pressed her tiny paws against her chin. Seeing the Teddiursa was extremely nervous, she quieted her tone and approached slowly. "Buneary bun ry?" she practically whispered as she held out a paw to shake.

 

[Confidentheart]

Marshtomp promptly asserts his presence by stepping in front of the Buneary. His derpy, spaced-out expression had disappeared completely and was replaced by a menacing glare. Teddiursa carefully watched the Buneary from behind Marshtomp, though she wasn't as fearful as before. The sight of a Pokemon relative to her size helped relieve some of the stress she was feeling.

Riley ignored the interaction between the Pokemon by him, too distracted by the pleading girl in front of him. His patience had been running thin more than his conscience at this point. There's nothing that irritated him more than people who didn't know when to shut up. He'd finally had enough when he burst out of his seat in frustration. " Al-freaking-right! I'll take you to Jubilife City. I'll just, deal with my issues later I guess." Riley tried his best to maintain his frustration as he zipped his duffel bag and threw it over his shoulders. "Come on you two, we're leaving." On que, Teddiursa hopped onto the table nearby and latched herself onto Riley's back, hoisting herself up to where she was riding on his shoulders. Marshtomp promptly nodded in response and his demeanor returned to its usual carefree expression, completely forgetting about the Buneary right in front of him.

 

[Vaporeonn]

Katya wasn't interested in her trainer's current conversation with the strange boy. She was soon drifting away, her inquisitive nature leading her to wherever. The Pokemon wasn't out to create any kind of spite, as she wasn't half as mischievous as one would expect a Misdreavus to be - Katya was just curious about her surrounding, and all the interesting souls in it. This peculiar trait, unlike the other's of her kind, was one of the main reasons Falco decided to catch her. Although an unusual amount of time passed between the first meeting between the two, and when Falco finally caught the Misdreavus.
Katya didn't quite understand her trainer, even though she spent a lot of the time outside her PokeBall, just like her trainer's other Pokemon. Falco was an odd person, and her specific energy was what drew Katya to her. It was strange how, unlike the other trainers the Misdreavus had met up until that point, Falco showed no sign of wanting to catch her. She allowed the Pokemon to hang around her, though, as if she was trying to make sure it really wanted to stay and battle. After all, Falco had no intention of forcing anyone, not even a Pokemon, to do something they didn't want to. It'd be hypocritical of her to do so.

The Misdreavus was led to another duo, finding the negative energy. Only then did Falco realise her Pokemon had been missing. "I don't pay attention for one..." she muttered, walking over to the bickering couple, apologizing hastly to the boy who had approached her. Too much time had been spent on banal things, she thought. Fyodor was still waiting outside, probably flying. There was no reason to worry about him, though - she was sure the Talonflame had plenty of fun soaring through the skies, her backpack safe with him. Still, it was rude to keep him waiting so long.

"You must excuse the intrusion," Falco monotonously said, averting her cold eyes to her Pokemon. "She didn't mean to bother. Katya," the girl shook her head in a manner that suggested 'Come on, let's go'.

 

[sgiovannii]

Starting up conversations never was Felix's strong suit, if his brief interaction with the girl wasn't evidence enough. To top it off, he hadn't gotten a second of real rest yet the past day and a half during his travels. It was a wonder he could even keep his eyes open, much less form sentences. The news of the professor's kidnapping was enough to energize him just a little, but the potential new acquaintance walked away before he could begin to recover. He sighed in embarrassment, patting Balerion's head and watching curiously as the Misdreavus, followed by its trainer, approached a couple of other trainers across the center's main lobby who appeared to be having a rather animated conversation, though their Teddiursa and Buneary in particular seemed friendly enough.

With a little shrug, Felix turned to resume his signing up for a room - until sharp claws gently poked his side. "Ow!" He jumped, exclaiming more out of surprise than anything. His Charmeleon was staring at him pointedly, then looking back towards the small group. Felix understood him at once: they did hear one of them mentioning they'd be heading over to Jubilife City, and it'd be rather smart for him to briefly tag along rather than go by himself the next day. Safety in numbers. "But I already look dumb in front of that other girl!" He groaned, only to be met by the roll of his Pokemon's blue eyes. Even without speaking, Balerion always seemed able to get his point across to his trainer.

A few seconds later the sleepy young man approached the three trainers with a cautious wave, and nervous glance at the Misdreavus girl. Balerion, meanwhile, was nice and easygoing as he acknowledged the other Pokemon. "Hey, uh... didn't mean to overhear, but are ya'll heading into Jubilife City? I'm pretty new to Sinnoh - just got here actually - so I could use a bit of help getting there, if that's cool. Plus with all this kidnapping stuff... yeah. Mind if I come along?"

 

[MelodyMay]

Buneary quailed under the Marshtomp's glare. She seems to shrink as her lower lip started to wobble; her ears even went droopy. Seeing the little bunny's distress, Rhashyya scooped her up in her arms.

The black haired girl regarded the ghost type curiously. "What drew you over here?" she whispered more to herself than anyone else. She waved her hand nonchalantly at the newcomer, letting her know she was unbothered and that her pokemon had hardly intruded at all. No, it wasn't until the second boy came up that Rhashyya started to get annoyed.

'How am I supposed to pull a scam with three of these idiots hanging around?!' she internally snapped all while keeping her smile plastered on. Briefly, she considered her options. She just needed to lure one of them into a battle and it wasn't even a guarantee that the other girl was coming.

Yet that wasn't the issue, was it? No, now she had two, maybe three people expecting a guide to Jubilife. But she couldn't go there! If the old woman caught her... Although, she wasn't truly an old woman; Rhashyya had just formed the habit of calling her grandmother such because she knew Lilith hated it. She would be dead meat if anyone from her family saw her back home.

Yet if she broke character here; she would risk being outed in front of the entirety of her main hunting grounds! She had to follow through, at least for now. Besides, there was nothing saying she couldn't try to weasel a con in halfway along the route. She may still be able to pull it off.

"Oh, gee, you really want to?" She asked as she hugged her little bunny close. "That would be just super! Now we definitely won't be attacked. My name is Gabriel, by the way. No use in us traveling together, even for a short while, if we don't introduce ourselves," she added as she eagerly put a hand out for the two newcomers to shake.

 

[Confidentheart]

Tedduirsa quivered as the newcomers came to introduce themselves. She ended up dropping the jar of honey with Riley barely being able to catch it before it hit the floor. Riley felt the skin on the back of his neck tighten up as Teddiursa's claws tug hard on it. Marshtomp maintained his dense exterior, probably not even registering the presence of the boy and girl. "Note to self: Help this bear gain a spine. She can't be cowering at the sight of everyone..." Riley sealed and the jar of the honey and placed it back in his duffel bag.

Riley grunted. He had little interest in travelling with Gabriel already so having doubling the group was nothing but a pain in the rear to him. He'd rather not reveal anything about himself to these strangers, however, it didn't seem as though he was getting out of this situation. "Name's Riley." He placed his hands into his pockets, indicating he has no intention of making contact with anything of them. "Been travelling around Sinnoh for a little bit but I'm still quite new here. I guess leaving in a group wouldn't be too much trouble but I suggest we get going as soon as possible. Bunch of stuff I got going on I need to take care of."

Teddiursa carefully watched the Misdreavus float around them, making sure to hide the lower half of her body in Riley's hoodie. Marshtomp had finally snapped out of his trance and observed the group around him. "Marsh... Tomp," he said, paying close attention to the Misdreavus, Charmeleon, and especially the Buneary. In fact, he was practically staring an abyss into the Buneary. What about her could have him so interested?

 

[Vaporeonn]

Falco was not interested in taking part in the newly formed group. They already started sharing names - that was her cue to leave. She didn't need a larger group for protection. She was fine on her own. It was already decided. As the girl was about to turn around and leave, though, her Misdreavus wailed in discontent. Iskra halted, confused. "Shto-?" slipped from her mouth, speaking in her mother tongue by accident. Did Katya not want to leave? For what reason? Falco raised an eyebrow at her Pokemon. Katya floated to her trainer, trying her best to explain that she wanted to spend more time with the group in the best way a Pokemon could. She wished to stay around the new-found energy, not wanting to let it go so quickly.

Falco sighed after a moment of contemplation, before giving into her Pokemon's wishes. "...Ladno," she whispered, telling Katya she would stay, slight misery in her tone. If it'd only last until Jubilife, Falco could handle it. A group this size couldn't be the worst thing in the world. She turned to the group again, eyeing her new companions. A boy with a Marshtomp, and a Teddiursa hidden in his hoodie - Riley, if she heard correctly. An overly-excited, over-the-top, cute girl, with a Buneary. Gabriel? And the boy she conversed with earlier, who still didn't introduce himself. "Falco," she coldly said, letting her alias hang in the air. She had used it for so long, it might as well have been her actual name.

 

[The Kitsune]

The distant roar of a poorly tuned engine heralded Shana's approach in the quaint little town of Sandgem. With a rather pointed series of knocks and grinding metal, the vehicle came to an unscheduled rolling stop under the eave of the pokemon center. An extra turn of the handle bar earned her nothing more than a sputter and knock, and the engine died.

"Damn..." Shana swung herself off the bike and swept the helmet from her head, braid cascading over a shoulder as she knelt to give the exposed engine an appraising look. The inch long hole and flayed metal edge was enough to confirm that she'd thrown a rod and put her only mode of transportation out of commission. With another barely contained swear word, Shana stood up and combed a hand through her bangs in frustration. So much for making it across the region in one quick trek...

As if her contained companion could sense her mood, the single Friend ball clipped to her belt gave a shutter and she had to clasp a hand over it to keep him from releasing himself. She already had enough passersby eyeing her because of the failing vehicle without him appearing and causing a scene on top of that. Pocketing her keys and tucking her helmet under one arm, Shana ducked into the Pokemon Center and made immediately for the main desk. She needed to find the local mechanic and who better to ask than the resident Nurse Joy.

Unfortunately, Nurse Joy seemed to have her hands full. The queue was already six deep at the counter and, judging by her lengthy interactions, she wasn't going to be getting through them all any time soon. With reserved exasperation, Shana cast her eyes around to the other center patrons. Surely someone here knew the area well enough to answer her question... a group of four conversing trainers nearby seem to be a good bet.

"Excuse me," she interjected, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she stepped forward. "Sorry, don't mean to interrupt... but would any of you happen to know where I could find a mechanic in the area?"

 

[Vaporeonn]

Falco eyed the girl who had approached them. Her hair was messy, probably the work of the helmet she held under her arm; and she looked a bit tired as well. Either it was a long journey, or there were plenty of annoyances along the way, Falco thought. The helmet, and the girl's question, indicated she rode a vehicle of some sort. A motorcycle, or something similar. Falco wasn't familiar with vehicles, as she didn't particularly care for them. She had Fyodor to take her places.
"...would any of you happen to know where I could find a mechanic in the area?"
Falco couldn't help but like the way biker girl talked. The way she held herself wasn't bad, either. Iskra instantly took some sort of liking towards her, or as much as she could on first sight. No one could make a good first impression on Falco. Nor a second. Or third. She had terribly high standards, which was her excuse to keep people out of business. Somebody once told Falco she kept a cold and unapproachable exterior so that there was no reason to open up to anyone, and ran away from people she found too close - which couldn't have been further from the truth, if you asked Iskra herself. What could've possibly made them draw such a conclusion? Psychologists, and their degrees, and thinking they can read everyone. Silly.

"I'm afraid you won't find any in Sandgem," Falco answered the girl's question. The only notable places in that town were the Lab and, by a stretch, the Pokemon Center. The rest were all townsfolk and their homes, and while there could've been a possibility that someone had knowledge in mechanics, Falco wouldn't trust them to tie her shoe, let alone fix a car. Or a bike. Whatever it was. "I'm guessing you'll have better luck in Jubilife, the city next over," she concluded. She could've suggested for biker girl to come with, but Falco didn't want to seem like a pushover. And while she was the most decent stranger yet, Falco didn't like her that much. Not at all.

 

[MelodyMay]

"I'm afraid Falco here is right," Rhashyya added. This group was becoming too much of a burden too fast. Really? Another new factor. Very rarely had her hunts gone this far off script.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded sadly. "It's too small of a town. Mechanics wouldn't have enough of a client base to start a shop here of all places." She decidedly ignored her Buneary who was stubbornly tugging on her jet black hair.

Buneary was unsettled. Why did the Marshtomp keep staring at her?! Idiot water type; it didn't even know what it was in for! Giving a dark snigger, she started to let him know as much. "Bunny bu-!"

Only to be cut off by her trainer. Rhashyya was beyond her patience at this point but had the discipline to keep her act in place. Still, it wouldn't do for her pokemon to do anything besides play her role of "over excited starter". So she cut the little one off by firmly- almost too firmly- clamping her hand down between the rabbit's ears.

"Well, we should get going," she ushered, hoping to keep attention away from Buneary's momentary lapse in judgment. She would need to have a serious talk later with the little girl.

 

[Confidentheart]

"I'm guessing you'll have better luck in Jubilife, the city next over." Hearing those words didn't sit well with Riley. Having three other companions was a bit too much for him and the chance of adding another was the least appetizing thing for Riley right now. Right now, he is internally kicking himself for not just taking Gabriel's offer without resisting. The two could already be on their way by now without the extra nonsense going on around.

Marshtomp was unfazed by the Buneary's response. Instead, he just continued to carelessly watch the tiny bunny act weird without a care in the world. Though he tried his best to keep his attention on the conversation at hand, he couldn't help but gloss over the activities of his Marshtomp and the Buneary. Unfortunately, something really heightened his curiosity. His Marshtomp seemed deeply focused on the Buneary, which wasn't that much of a big deal in itself.. But the real eye catcher was the Buneary's reaction. Riley blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining anything. But just as quickly as it happened, it was gone.

"Yo Milk Dud," Riley snapped his fingers a couple of times, catching the Marshtomp's attention. It didn't work initially so Riley tried it again. "Marsh?" Marshtomp tilted his head sideways and faced Riley with an absentminded stare. "Gabby is right, we should really leave." Riley was fed up with the idol chatter. He just wanted to get this trip over with and be on his way. He'd already put the Buneary's actions off as just being a weird Pokemon and started heading for the exit without waiting for the others to respond.

 

[The Kitsune]

The weight of this unpleasant news made a slight but visible change in Shana's posture. With a sag to her shoulders and a hand on her hip, she looked away, chewing her tongue in thought. "Great. I was afraid of that," Shana replied, though the words were quiet enough she may have simply been talking to herself.

She'd planned on passing through Jubilife City anyway, but on bike. It would be a lot harder to avoid the odd trainer on foot, and their demand for battle would only lengthen the journey. She doubted any of the juvenile trainers around here would prove much of a match for Dart anyway, but it was a headache nonetheless. Not to mention when they pulled out their little Pokedex and it failed to identify her partner pokemon... That was never an easy explanation, or short for that matter.

"Well, we should get going."

The words brought Shana seemingly back to herself and she quickly switched to a falsely bright smile. This was her problem, not theirs. What was she thinking, burdening these strangers with her worries? "Well, thanks anyway," she added cheerily, as the boy in the group made to leave. "Don't let me keep you."

With a small wave, Shana turned toward the door herself, walking at Riley's heels as she considered her options. Hm...There was a wide overhang on the back of the pokemon center. That would be a good a place as any to store her motorcycle until she came back this way, wouldn't it? A quiet little town like this, she doubted anyone would bother it in the meantime.

 

[Vaporeonn]

Although Katya wasn't the malicious kind, what she had in common with other Misdreavus was feeding off negative energy. And this group was currently abundant with it. Now content, the Misdreavus glided next to her trainer. "You seem satisfied," Falco noted, wishing she wasn't so easy on her Pokemon. She likes to act strict during training, but all of them knew their trainer would give in to all of their wishes.
Riley and Gabriel seemed to be in a hurry, so Iskra tagged along behind them. She wasn't sure what was up with the yet unnamed boy, but if he wanted to come, he would follow. Katya observed the Buneary and Marshtomp, enjoying their odd exchange.

"Don't let me keep you."
Falco wondered if biker girl needed help with her... bike, which probably broke down. Now, Falco rarely bothered with other people's business, as it didn't concern her. And the whole thing with the broken down bike, it wasn't her problem to worry about. So, she didn't understand why she felt guilt for not lending a hand. It was unlike her. But her stomach was pulling her towards the girl, and before she realised what she was doing...

"Excuse me." Falco picked up her pace to catch up with the girl, and the sliding doors of the Pokemon Center opened. The sudden daylight was difficult to get used to. She squinted. "Do you need any help with your... vehicle?"

 

[sgiovannii]

Thank goodness. Balerion really did do them both a service, making Felix talk to the group. Now they would not only have guides to Jubilife City, but extra protection and company as well. "Nice to meet all of you, and thank you. I'm Felix, this is Balerion. We'll hurry along with you guys." He patted his Pokemon's head as he spoke, who was busy interacting with the other Pokemon.

Standard introduction time was over, and the boy tried and failed to stifle a yawn. He turned away to do so, not wanting to seem rude, and spotted ahead of him in this new direction a certain... strange individual. The person, a man it looked like from that distance, was doing nothing but leaning near the wall of videophones, newspaper in hand. He looked the very picture of a distinguished gentleman with his mustache and coat and all, but Felix could not shake the unease he felt just by looking at the man. He was smiling into the newspaper, but his eyes were still - as if he were looking instead at a photograph. Felix could have sworn he caught a brief glance in their direction.

When Felix turned back around he remained quiet, observing as the conversation went on, but they were finally off. The group split, but he chose to follow after the Marshtomp guy and Buneary girl. Met with bright sunlight as they stepped through the center's glass doors and onto the cement-laden road, he breathed a sigh of relief. A flock of Wingull flew overhead, their shadows zooming across the street beneath them. "I'm glad we're going now. There was some, like, dude in there and I could swear he was being weird but all he was doing was reading-" a quick pat from Balerion and he summarized his words. "Sorry. I got... off vibes from someone in there is all. Like I don't-"

"Excuse me, miss, may I bother you for a favor?" Felix had been cut off again, this time by a voice he didn't recognize. He turned and found himself face to face with the very man he had just been talking about. He swallowed; he had not even heard the center doors open again. He just stared in slight confusion as the man spoke again, staring straight at Buneary girl but somehow also giving off the impression everyone else was under his eye, too.

"Nothing too terrible, of course, but it would certainly mean the world to me. May I please borrow your Buneary for a few minutes? It would be a huge help."

 

[Sciencewars]

Sandgem was peaceful. Despite being the location of many journey's beginnings, it was a small town without much movement. A boat occasionally came by, and, from what Xavier Cross was told, the most exciting thing that happened recently was a flock of passing Wingull settling on top of the lab.

Which is why it was much more surprising when the professor disappeared.

"Oh, come on. I came all this way, partially to speak with Rowan, and now he up and gets kidnapped?" Xavier, settled in one of the Center's chairs, sighs. A Tyrunt, curled up at his feet, looks up at him with tired eyes. "Oh, I'm ok. Did you have a nice nap?" He asks, not really expecting a reply. The rocky Pokémon lightly headbutts his leg before getting up and placing her head in his lap. Without thinking, he begins scratching her ear-like horns.

"So, I was thinking that we could head on out today. That ok with you?" His question is answered by a soft growl, then a nod. "Ok. I know we haven't really fought together at all, but I know you will take care of me. So, whatcha say we head on out to Jubilife?" This was responded to much more excited hop-and-Ty! combo. Maybe they could find a group to travel with later.

 

[MelodyMay]

Rhashyya froze at the question asked of her. Borrow her Buneary? Her arms tightened around the little rabbit as she thought over it. Buneary just gave her a quizzical look; this was not a mood she had ever seen from the girl before.

Rhashyya Grey was not a girl who had much. She effectively lived on the street and had two pokemon. She made her living by conning people out of their money in what could be considered borderline theft. While she would never admit it, her pokemon meant everything to her and she wouldn't let anyone put them in harm's way.

Which is why, through all the obstacles thrown in her way today, this was what she felt was worthy of dropping her act. Slowly she turned around and gave the stranger an icy stare. It wasn't a glare, per say, but there was no warmth at all in the look. "And what, pray tell, do you want with her?"

Her tone was as cold as her eyes; the sentence spoken in such a tone that it sound more like something two socialites would say to each other. It was a speaking habit forced upon the girl by her grandmother who, while not extremely high in the pecking order of the Jubilife elite, did frequent social gatherings and events that brought in such people. It had been a household requirement that Rhashyya use that tone in public and it was still a habit she found herself falling into whenever she felt her self control slipping.

 

[Keybored]

Supposedly, when there is no destination set out, can a traveler really ever get lost? Maybe not, but that didn’t mean said traveler wasn’t interested in knowing where they were. Or so you’d assume, but from a first glance it didn’t seem like Esme was even the slightest bit lost on her journey to the- eh- ends of the world? In fact, she had quite some pep in her step as she hiked down the route. Her peppy pace accompanied by the quick pitter-patter of a Furret darting energetically around her feet as they moved down the road.

Though the enjoyment of traveling, through for her uncharted territory, wasn’t the only reason for Esme’s walking speed. It also kept her warm in the chilly air that wasn’t very forgiving towards the girl’s attire. Propping up the collar of her jacket she made an attempt to keep the cold breeze from chilling down her cheeks. She may have looked somewhat shady. Intimidating even. With just her twinkling green eyes visible from the thin slit left between the top of her collar and the rim of her hat. That is, if she didn’t look like a child ready to go trick-or-treating in the town up ahead.

As the duo went along their way Sandgem Town steadily took up more of the horizon. Whereas Jubilife City had long since disappeared behind them. The sight of a new, bustling town was captivating. Until Esme’s attention was pulled away from the town and directed towards a sight that caused her to halt. “Everything A-Okay, Slink?” It seemed like her Furret’s attention had been caught by something out in the wide-spread fields surrounding the road. Sparking the creature’s interest enough to dart off into the grassy landscape. Leaving a faint trail by dashing away the last remnants of morning frost clinging to the blades of grass. Normally Esme would’ve gone after the nimble creature. Which is the main reason why she gotten lost so many times before, but this time she would wait for Slink to come back to her.

It was like a feeling carried through the air. A sense of adventure that carried down this road. A certainty that if she were to stray from this path, she’d miss out on something. Something grand! Surely the chance of something like that was worth the wait, right? Besides, she had nowhere to be in the first place.

 

[The Kitsune]

"Do you need any help with your... vehicle?"

"Hmm?" Shana turned slightly at the question, surprised to find that one of the girls had broken off from the group to follow her. "Oh, thanks, but... even with an extra set of hands, I'm afraid there's not much that can be done. Not here anyway."

With a rueful smile, Shana moved the last few feet over to where her motorcycle was parked, just outside of the Pokémon center entrance. Even broken as it was, the blacked-out bobber looked aggressive, with scarred twin exhausts running down the right side, the worn, green saddle bags over the back wheel and the chipped block lettering of the brand name on the tank. The vehicle had clearly seen better days, but only the jagged metal protruding from the camshaft actually revealed the real problem. And it was to this Shana indicated as she stopped at its side with a sigh. "Need a new rod, new valve cover... maybe a whole new engine, knowing my luck." She added the last with a self-deprecating chuckle as she took the handlebars in hand and lifted the kick stand deftly with one foot. "I'll just have to leave it here," Shana nodded toward the darkened, space behind the Pokémon center, "...and walk to Jubilife."

Starting to feel like she was over-sharing her own problems again, she added "Where are you and your friends off to?" with an awkward smile.

 

[sgiovannii]

Borrowing Pokemon was not something to be asked lightly, everyone knew that. It was nearly akin to asking if someone could borrow your sibling, or your child even. Felix himself could count the number of times he had let someone take one of his Pokemon for a brief period of time, and of those times the people who needed them had always been family members. What the older stranger was suggesting was... strange, to say the least, to ask of someone they didn't seem to know.

Felix shifted uncomfortably, glancing between him and - Gabriel? - and took a step back nearer to the girl, placing himself between her and the older man, Balerion behind him staring intently.

"And what, pray tell, do you want with her?"

The stranger smiled in response, but it did not reach his eyes. He held his newspaper in one hand, and Felix could see the indentations from how clenched his fingers were.

"It's... it's my daughter. She is rather sick, you see, and requested I bring her a doll of her favorite Pokemon. But seeing as the store in the Pokemon Center was out of stuffed Buneary's..." he gestured sheepishly at Gabriel and her Pokemon. "It would mean the world to me."

"... I'm sorry, what?" Felix spoke up suddenly, confusion written across his face. Maybe it was all that was going on around Sinnoh that had him being so cautious, even for people he had just met. He crossed his arms before speaking again, glancing back at Gabriel and Riley. "I'm sorry to hear that your daughter is ill, but, like... why not just find a wild Buneary yourself or something?"

The stranger's mustache twitched, and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he stared at them for a few quiet moments. One of his hands slowly dipped into the inside pocket of his coat, bringing back with it a plain, age-marked Pokeball he enlarged with a tap. "I must ask again, it seems. Please... give me your Pokemon."

 

[Confidentheart]

Teddiursa peeked out from underneath Riley's hoodie to observe the altercation occurring around. She closely watched the man closely, shuttering at his threatening demeanor. Riley grabbed her from off of his back and placed her in his arms as he watched the man slip out the Pokeball. "Marsh..... Tomp!" The entire time, Marshtomp had been staring off into the distance until even he was shrouded by the tension. Marshtomp gave the man a cold glare, even frowning to let him know he means business.

"Hey, it isn't any of my business what your 'situation' is, or for your 'methods' of solving them..." Riley firmly stepped forward, followed by his Marshtomp which was on all his all fours. "But I doubt this is the course of action necessary for any of us. I suggest maybe finding a different solution." Deep down, Riley wondered what had gotten into himself. Normally, he'd never take such a stand, much less even defend such a stranger so boldly. Was it because he'd already taken the responsibility of looking after Gabriel? Maybe because he passively threatened him as well? Whatever the case may be, he'd already taken a stand and there was no backing down now.

 

[Zenhu]

The cold blistering wind quivered around Gertrude and his Graveler, as they trudged up the grand rock-side before them. Although it was quite the venture to the top of the jagged cliff, the two daring explorers kept forward, urging to to the top. They'd reached halfway up, when Gertrude suddenly lost his footing, nearly falling flat off the side of the massive rock—only to be snagged back up by his Pokémon. "Crikey! What would I possibly do without ya' Terrak?" The exhausted rock Pokémon gave a thumbs up in response, then continued upward, using it's multiple arms to heave it's cumbersome body up the side of the cliff.

"Bang, clang, our picks had rang, when stone and rocks had sang~"
"Although we were in the deep below, we held our spirits high~"

Gertrude whimsically chanted one of his favorite verses, even Terrak had bobbled his hulking body back in forth, almost in sync with the jolly chant. The tune was unfortunately brought to an end—as the two had finally reached to top of the rock-side, and stumbled to their feet. After brushing themselves off and taking a quick breather, they carried forth, heading towards the robust town set in the distance, and of course hummed a jolly tune along the way. Gertrude had something of value to find in Sandgem town, and even though it's a shot in the dark, he has to at least to attempt to claim an ancient artifact that was rumored to be buried in the peaceful town. Since both of them are heavy, it takes quite awhile to walk long distances. They'd eventually passed lake verity, and then had finally got onto a route that seemed to head straight for Sandgem.

Gertrude titled his head to see a peculiar girl who was seemingly just waiting for something, then struck it as an opportunity to see if he'd been heading in the right direction. The wholesome man smiled and waved towards her, then started towards her, his Graveler hobbling behind him. "Aye there!" He'd exclaimed, "Would you know if this path heads for Sandgem town, mate?"

 

[MelodyMay]

Seeing the man seem to reach desperate measures, Rhyshyya couldn't help but laugh. Bringing one hand to cover her mouth, she addressed him again, her gaze now a full on icy glare. "You must excuse me, but when met with such bad planning, I have to laugh. If your daughter is sick, I apologize. Not that it's really my problem. Second, with all the trouble happening in Sinnoh right now- not to mention the fact that pokemon thieves have been around just as trainers- and I have to assume you think me quite the moron to hand over an extremely common first stage pokemon!"

On her golden belt was a luxury ball with an ornate lily carved into it with golden ink. The ball shook furiously before opening up, a bright beam of light shooting forth between the teenager and the stranger. A form coalesced from the light energy, practically shoving Felix aside as it sought to make a barrier of itself. With silky white fur and a sharp black blade like growth on its head, the pokemon let out a furious roar.

"Aaaaabsoool!" it cried, baring its teeth. She knew she was meant to stay hidden until a scam was under way, but her human- not her trainer, her human- was being threatened and she would not, under any circumstances let that stand.

 

[Vaporeonn]

Falco's offer to help was in vain. But of course. There was no universe in which Falco knew anything about motorcycles, or all of the stuff biker girl was currently mumbling about. It was silly of her to even propose such a thing, she thought, feeling a bit embarrassed that she was lost in all of the words biker girl was saying. She glanced at the bike, and although it was shabby and looked like it'd been through a lot, Falco would assume it was far from broken, had she not talked to biker girl.

Biker girl. Falco didn't even know her name. Such a ridiculous way to refer to her, even in her mind only. "Where are you and your friends off to?" the girl asked, snapping Falco out of her thoughts. She almost chuckled after processing the word 'friends', but it'd be pointless to correct her. "Coincidentally, we're on our way to Jubilife as well," Falco answered. "So, you won't need to go alone."

Speaking of going... "Just a moment," she muttered, mostly to herself. Moving her right hand towards her mouth, she put her thumb and index finger between her lips and whistled, once. It was enough. A loud caw was heard, before a Talonflame flew down, causing a small gust with his wings. He was bigger than average for his species, being able to carry Falco on his back. "Fyodor," the girl readjusted the bag strapped onto the Talonflame, which had gotten loose. "We're going to Jubilife. Follow from above," she instructed, tightening the belt around the bag. Fyodor's head was tilted slightly to the left, as his left eye was scarred, therefore weaker, than his right. He cooed in understanding, pushing his head under Falco's hand, slightly throwing her off balance. She could feel his other scar on the beak, deeper than the first. "Idi," she said, sending him off.

Another loud roar caught Falco's attention, although this one wasn't Fyodor's. "Ma shto-" she stumbled around, witnessing a peculiar scene - were Gabriel and an elderly man about to have a Pokemon battle? She turned to biker girl in confusion.

 

[Keybored]

“Aye there!” A voice called from behind, prompting Esme to spin around with a cheerful response. “Aye-aye Capt-“ Her cheerful voice diminished into a whisper halfway through, reluctant to finish her sentence. She’d spoken too soon, and a feeling in her gut told her to regret that decision. The twinkle in her eyes faded. Replaced by a concerned expression. Even though the majority of her face was covered by her hat and collar, Esme’s nerves were nearly tangible from the look in her eyes alone.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Esme mumbled, her hands fiddling awkwardly with the fabric of her dress. After all, it wasn’t right to be disrespectful towards your elders. She’d learned that the hard way, surely. Her childhood years. The years her mind had chosen to forget out of self-defense against the pain. Forgotten, yet not forgotten. The trauma still affected her, making it hard to talk with men. “I don’t really know where this path goes.”

There was an awkward moment of silence, yet to Esme it seemed to go on forever. Then, she had a realization. The answer to the man’s question. “Though!” she started, interrupting the silence and pointing her hand towards road she’d just come down. In the direction of Jubilife City. “Down that way is another city, but it’s not called Sandgem. Don’t really know what it’s called, but not Sandgem! Soo- I guess the place up ahead is Sandgem? Maybe?” She’d started off her deduction confidently, yet at the end the uncertainty returned. It was just a guess after all. Who knows what would happen if she gave the wrong directions?

 

[Zenhu]

The boastful man chuckled upon hearing her panicked response, his Pokémon had given a little huff of amusement as well. "Not to worry!" exclaimed Gertrude, who had been patting his belly from the all the laughter. "I've gotta' guess there's only one way to find out where the route ends," he then stared down the long pathway ahead of him.
He placed his bag upon the rock that was laying beside him, then began to scrummage through the various travel items and supplies that were stuffed inside of it. After a moment of searching, Gertrude pulled out his Sinnoh map, and looked closely at the little towns and routes that were engraved on the crumpled map. Gertrude widened his eyes then placed his finger on route 201, and progressively moved his eyes over to route 202. He'd scratched his beard in thought. "Well this is malarkey! We're either route 201 or route 202." Gertrude's thought was disrupted from a strange screech heard in the brush beside him

He directed his attention to an ominous rustle in the tall grass, he'd leaped into battle formation, Terrak had known exactly what to do, as the Pokémon launched itself in front of Gertrude, in an offensive stance. "Ye' taking a donkey's year!" Gertrude yelled, then held his finger out towards the unknown disturbance in the grass. "Quit gawking mate, and use Stone Edge!"
The massive rock Pokémon rampaged towards the rustle, and then had swung down one of its fists in a brutal frenzy, with enough power to shatter a rock.

After the dust cleared around the point of impact, the impounded grass had shown a fractured Bidoof collapsed on the ground. Gertrude scratched his head, then sighed. "That gammy ol' Pokémon is gonna be just alright, mate!" he hobbled over to the injured Bidoof with his his bag around one shoulder, and proceeded to search around in it to find a potion. He'd patted the Bidoof's head, then applied the potion to the gash on its head. "Betta' than ya' were before!"
The stunned Bidoof then scurried off, with a mighty shiver. He'd smiled once more towards at the girl. "Sorry 'bout that," he held his chubby hand out to her. "The names Gertrude."

 

[Keybored]

There was definitely a good amount of caution to Esme’s actions as she stepped in closer. Her curiosity demanding she take a look at the man’s map. She’d thought about getting one of those a while back, but decided against it. What fun is traveling if you know where you end up anyway? Though, she couldn’t deny it was a bit more helpful than just guessing at every crossroad. Her eyes followed the man’s finger as it trailed over the depicted roads. Though she didn’t quite know how to read a map effectively, something made it obvious where they were.

“Route 202, right?” She asked, gesturing towards the map, yet apprehensive about touching it without some kind of permission. “It’s the only one with two cities in a line. The road was pretty much straight all the way to here, soo- then that’s Sandgem.” Esme turned her back to the man, facing the humble skyline of the town she’d been heading to.

“Ye’ taking a donkey’s year! Quit gawking mate, and use Rock Smash!”

The yelling stunned her. Frozen in place and assuming it was directed at her, waiting to be hit by the Graveler. What had she done wrong? An anxious moment later she heard the attack hit a target. Yet, not her. So- what target? Turning her head toward the origin of the sound. Glancing over her shoulder to catch sight of the pummeled Bidoof laying in the grass. It didn’t register correctly in her head and for a moment she thought it’d been Slink.

It took the man approaching her to snap her out of her own thoughts. Staring at the held out hand in disbelief. There was no way she’d accept it. The only thing that’d be shaking were her legs as she managed to back off from the man, Gertrude. Frantically reaching over her shoulder to take hold of her staff. That’d so far been neatly strapped in between her back and the backpack pressing against it. Yet, now she needed it more than anything. To hold it between her and the man in front of her. A hard-plastic barrier to shield herself if need be.

“Why- Why’d you do that? How’d you know it was- That wasn’t a fair fight! You just attacked. You- You’re a bully!” She exclaimed flustered, knuckles tinted white from clutching the staff tight. If he’d approach her she’d hit him. Hit his leg and run. Straight into town. Then it dawned on her. She couldn’t do that, could she? “Slink.” Her voice was quiet, spoken only to herself. She’d stand her ground. Until Slink returned she would. No-one left behind!

 

[Zenhu]

Gertrude had held his hand up to her for a handshake, but slowly let it drop as the girl seemed petrified to what he had just done.

"Why- Why’d you do that? How’d you know it was- That wasn’t a fair fight! You just attacked. You- You’re a bully!”

He looked down at the ground, and stared at his large shadow beneath him, then up at the staff separating the two. "You're right," he'd sighed, "I should've handled that betta', I just got startled is all, but I'm greatly sorry." Although he'd acted out of line, to Gertrude he doesn't look or act like a bully, which meant those words "You- You’re a bully!" really left an imprint in his mind. The wind seemed to wisp gently over them, flowing throughout the forest and grass surrounding the two. Gertrude simply smiled and kept his distance from her, being sure to remain a comfortable position, that makes this strange girl feel feel less threatened. He'd overheard he say something among the lines of "Slink", so he scratched the back of his head nervously and attempted a smile.
"Is your Pokemon lost?" he asked—then continued, "I may not look it, but I'm a Ace Hiker, part of the Deluxe Hiking Club. You pick up plenty'a things along your journeys as a hiker ." Gertrude stated. "I'll help you find this 'Slink', if ya'd like..."

Gertrude looked down at his shadow once more.

 

[Keybored]

Something about this turnout of events got Esme to loosen her grasp on the staff. Color returning to her knuckles as held the staff to her side. Setting the foot onto the road with a frustrated thud. Even though Gertrude hadn’t exactly considered the Bidoof’s feelings in their encounter, she couldn’t exactly claim otherwise for herself. She been mean too and hurt feelings in the process as well. Gertrude’s feelings. That idea didn’t sit right with her. It clashed with her inner demons. A scenario that didn’t fit in with her self-taught reality.

“Is your Pokemon lost?”

“Eh? Slink- isn’t looost, just- out in the fields” She muttered reluctantly, dancing around the ridiculous idea she’d lost track of her Furret. It wasn’t like this was the first time it’d happened. Just the first time she didn’t follow after. So, maybe Slink got lost assuming he didn’t need to worry about finding his way back. That, or he’s running around trying to catch his own tail. To kill time until she’d catch up. It was all a game! There it was! The optimism had escaped her for a bit. Yet, it returned as suddenly as it left.

Esme lifted the staff, pointing the orb at the top towards the faint trail Slink had left in the grassy fields. About to go off-road once again. Even with the road laid out under her feet, there just was no way to keep Esme on the beaten path. After all, this could be the adventure she’d felt when trotting down this road in the first place. “Slink went off that way, you can kinda see the trail in the grass, see? It’s a treasure hunt, and Slink is the treasure at the end! Lead the way capt’n! Aye!”

 

[sgiovannii]

Agitation was all over the man’s face and seeping into his voice, panic seeming to set in now. He dropped his newspaper and it flew away with a gust of wind, his other hand clenching tight to his Pokeball. “I will buy it off you if I must, but I must hurry. How much…?” His voice trailed off when he heard the strong words and defensive stances of the younger trainers. Riley with Marshtomp, Felix with Balerion, and Gabriel – with a pretty awesome looking Absol, one that Felix made sure to get clear of. The Dark-Type meant business, and though the man looked startled, he did not back down.

“Fine. If it must be so… I’m sorry. Houndoom!” From the ball in his hand came another bright light, one which soon coalesced into the form of a huge, snarling black horned hound. It seemed to already know it was meant to battle, and licks of flame poured from its mouth. “Do not harm them too badly! Now, Flamethrower!”

The Pokemon released a torrent of flame directly towards the group, seemingly without a care as to who it was meant to target. Panic set inside Felix, and he exclaimed without thinking: “Bal! Counter it!” His smaller Charmeleon jumped forward and spat a significantly smaller blast in return, trying to keep it at bay while the others moved to safety. “Dude, what’s your deal?! Don't harm us with a damn Flamethrower?!”

 

[MelodyMay]

Buneary squealed in panic, trying to leap from Rhashyya's arms as the fiery blast approached. The dark haired teen made a mental note to thank Felix for having his Charmeleon take the blast; Absol could have done the same but not as well as another fire type. She quickly sat her bag and bunny on the ground. "Hide behind the bag and don't come out until I fetch you," she ordered briskly. The little bunny was all too happy to comply. She was Rhashyya's bait pokemon, not a real fighter!

Turning back to the battle, Rhashyya dived in headfirst. "Absol, show this idiot who he's messing with. Megah- hey!" She shouted as Absol leapt over Charmeleon, ignoring anything coming from the girl. Instead of comply with the megahorn order, instead her body became surrounded by a golden energy as she dashed forward. A golden trail was left behind her as she slammed into the Houndoom's side at full force. The demonic looking dog struggled to keep its footing as it was thrown back; even Absol stumbled on her paws for a moment.

Growling in frustration, Rhashyya snapped, "Just because this isn't a con doesn't mean you can stop listening to me!" Why was that so hard for this pokemon to learn? Did that big ol' horn mess with her brain or something?!

 

[The Kitsune]

“Coincidentally, we're on our way to Jubilife as well.”

The manufactured cheer in Shana’s smile vanished in the blink of an eye at those words. Dumb-founded by her own stupidity, her hand went naturally to her temple in an abashed grimace. Of course, they were heading to Jubilife City! This little town only had two neighboring populations of any significance, and Twinleaf was in the other direction. How forward she must seem; asking a question with such an obvious and relevant answer,she’d as good as forced the invitation out this girl!

“Look, I wasn’t trying to-” As Shana tried to find the words to explain her oversight, the girl’s shrill whistle and the sudden downdraft of a descending bird made her stop. The brilliant crimson and black plumage and that yellow cere was a nostalgic and all-too familiar sight, though admittedly an exceedingly rare one in this region. As the girl handled her pokemon, (and it was obviously her pokemon considering its obedient demeanor) Shana studying her with renewed interest. Taking the opportunity to back her motorcycle into place, she retrieved the saddle bag for shoulder carry and re-approached; all the while, her eyes and ears turned for discreet observation of this fellow Kalosian.

…a slight drawl to her voice, indicative of the Kalos region. It was suble, faded by time perhaps…but it was definitely there…her jawline though, and the bridge of the nose… those weren’t outlying ‘commoner’ qualities. City then…yes...that self-assured glare in her blue eyes suggested a certain propriety. So...what was she doing here? Sinnoh was a far journey for a casual visit. She couldn’t have any connection to the tribe, could she? Talonflame was a tribal symbol, and a popular pokemon in the village because of it, but the same could be said for half the region. Its pre-evolution was the most common bird there after all, and-

A primal battle cry broke Shana’s apt concentration, and her head snapped around to take in the strange sight of the ferocious Absol, Marshtomp and Charmeleon squaring off against a lone Houndoom in apparent battle. Whatever this was, it had certainly escalated quickly. Feeling the Talonflame girl’s eyes upon her, she shared a briefly curious glance before taking a step forward. She wasn’t usually one to interfere, but three on one hardly seemed like a fair fight, and as the Absol alone landed a heavy blow on its opponent, she called out, “What’s going on here?!”