Two Pairs

[Carrie_Slovak]

((OC: Alright, let me start this off by saying this is INVITE ONLY! If you want to take part there are a few requirements: You have to post at least a few times a day (we don't want the topic to drag), you have to have good grammar (don't make our eyes bleed, please), and you have to be commited. That means you can't drop out of it in the middle because you got bored of it. That leaves the other participants hanging, and everybody hates it.

Participating Members:
Carrie_Slovak
Trainer Sonjo
Prodiguy (Added)
HyperReaper33 (Added)

Edit: The limit has been turned to four people, so no more participants for now.))

It was raining.

Now that wouldn't seem like a big deal to most, concerning the fact that rain is a good thing to have in the middle of the summer. However, there was one who was taking issue with it.

Carrie sighed, a disgusted grimace taking hold of her face as she buried her gloved hands elbow-deep in mud. If they weren't already preoccupied she would have used them to strangle her mother--mud or not. The woman was currently a mere five feet away, the happiest smile you'd ever see plastered across her face. She, too, had gloves upon her hands, digging through the mud in the garden. She had foregone the protective hat Carrie wore, however, allowing the harsh rain to pelt her atop the head.

If there was one thing Carrie hated doing, it was gardening. The sad thing was, however, her mother adored it with all her heart. This struck Carrie as ironic, seeing as how her mother had once been a Trainer specializing in Rock- and Fire-type Pokemon. Every plant she touched seemed to wither and die a horrible death almost instantly, but this never put her off.

Carrie sighed, wishing she could put her face in her hands. This would be rather counter-productive, though, seeing as how mud caked the gloves for at least three inches. Carrie frowned in disgust and shook it off, longing to be inside with a cup of hot chocolate. Rai was busying herself about the kitchen making stew. Carrie could tell, by the delicious aroma wafting from the crack in the kitchen window twelve feet from where she knelt in the mud.

This just wasn't her day. She hated both gardening and mud, and mixing the two together was enough to absolutely ruin her day. She had only arrived home three days ago, and already her mother was bent upon making her time there miserable.

It was made worse by the fact that Carrie was expecting a visitor. She had invited a good friend of hers to visit her in Pallet Town (she held the belief he had never been here before) and was expecting him to turn up any minute, terrible weather or not. She didn't want to greet him at the door covered in mud.

She glanced at her mother, wondering if she could sneak away. The woman was humming away some nonsensical tune she had heard playing over the radio that morning. Most would think she wouldn't notice anything around her, but Carrie knew better. The moment she made a move to stand her mother would turn demonically sharp eyes upon her, wordlessly ordering her to return to her gardening.

Carrie hung her head, a large sigh escaping her. This wasn't her day.

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

Sonjo rushed through the rain, covering his head in a vain to prevent getting wet. He got out of the bushes and tall grass, to see Pallet Town; home of the renowned Professor Oak, and a friend of his. The young trainer missed having his companion by his side, but he rather disliked the pouring rain.

Putting that aside for now, he looked for a certain house. Next to the Professor's Lab... Got it. Sonjo scurried over to the door, and knocked softly. The roof slightly decreased the precipitation above him.

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie had to suppress a distressed squeak when she heard the pounding on the door through the rain. Her mother looked up curiously, as if wondering if she heard right.

"I wonder who would be outside in this weather?" She asked blankly.

Carrie struggled against the overpowering urge to knock herself unconscious. Instead she jumped to her feet, ignoring the heated glare of her mother as she accidently splashed mud all over her precious water plants. She rushed to the back door, throwing it open. She paused upon the threshold, wiping her feet on the mat. Rai had already recovered a towel for her, holding it out while attempting to keep the ladle in her other hand from dripping upon the floor.

Carrie accepted the towel gratefully, wrapping it around herself. Humming resumed behind her, and she knew her mother had huffily gone back to her gardening. The girl passed through the living room and front hall, hearing peals of thunder outside. She winced in sympathy.

She reached the front door and opened it, smiling in amusement at her friend outside. Sonjo was hanging out under the jutting rafters, pressed against the wall to keep the water off of him--though he was already soaked.

"Hey," She greeted. She stepped aside to let him in. "Good to see you. Come on in. Oh, and make sure to wipe your feet first."

It was a good thing the front hall was tiled.

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

Sonjo looked down at his once clean running shoes. They now terribly muddy and needed to be wiped off. "Thanks. I should have bought a parosol before comming to Pallet." He hopped inside and dragged his feet on the carpet in front of him. He then knelt down to greet Rai.

"Nice house. I like the tile design a lot." He observed the patterns, seeing as he was already near the floor to begin with.

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie smiled in good humor. Rai greeted Sonjo happily, but then excused herself, waving her ladle in the air for emphasis to say 'I have lunch to attend to.'

Rai left them in the hall, Pearl taking her place as she came down the hall, struggling with a thick, fluffy towel held in her small paws. Carrie took it from her with a word of thanks and handed it to Sonjo.

"You look like you need it. There's a bathroom to the left, first door on the right, if you want to wash off. Lunch should be ready in a half hour."

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

Sonjo gave a thankfull smile to Carrie, and reached for two pokeballs. He sent both of them out, releasing Riolu, and Combusken; his two best buddies. "Have fun and make yourselfs comfortable. Help Carrie and friends if they need anything, m'kay?" The both of them gave happy cries in return; the answer clearly being 'Okay!'. He rushed to the bathroom soon after.

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie took herself upstairs, down the hallway to the end. She took a shower herself, rather disgusted by all the mud on her person. When she was done she came back downstairs and entered the kitchen, hair slightly damp but at the very least clean.

It was a comical sight. Rai was ordering Sonjo's Pokemon about, Combusken hauling a towering stack of plates to the dining table a room over. Riolu followed with some silverware, happy to be of some help. Rai stood before the stove, a large pot of beef stew bubbling, almost fully done, atop the burner. She was stirring it, keeping a sharp eye on the two handy-men traversing the tile floor. Pearl stood beside her, handing her various spices and materials on command. She smiled at them as she passed by, pushing the back door open. She called out through the pouring rain to her mother.

"Hey, Mum! Lunch is about ready!"

The woman waved a careless hand to show she had heard and began reluctantly packing her tools away in the nearby shed. Carrie rolled her eyes and shut the door, moving to help Riolu with the rest of the silverware.

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

Sonjo stepped out of the bathroom, now cleaned off and refreshed of all of that rain that had barraged him earlier. He heard Carrie's call to her mother, and peered into the kitchen. It smelled good, whatever it was. Combusken set the dishes on the table, boosting Riolu to the table to place the silverware.

"You mind if I have some lunch? I never got a chance to eat."

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie waved her hand, smiling.

"Of course. I figured you'd be hungry when you got here." She looked around the dining room, hearing her mother enter the kitchen behind her. No doubt she was going to get cleaned up.

"You can sit down. Rai will bring the food any moment, and I have to go get Dad."

She left the dining room as Pearl seated herself beside Sonjo, smiling up at him. Carrie moved down the hall, going down halfway. The door to her father's office was the third door on the right, and she opened it without knocking.

He looked up in surprise, his dark purple hair falling to cover his eyes. He pushed his square, wire-rimmed glasses up his nose, peering at her through his hair. A pile of documents sat in front of him.

"Carrie?" He asked questioningly. Carrie thumbed over her shoulder.

"Food's about ready. You coming to eat?"

He frowned at her, a small frown, and looked down at the documents. She could tell they were nowhere near complete, but he pushed them away with a sigh after a minute of silence. He stood, his tall frame almost brushing the chandelier he himself had installed two summers ago. He stretched, smiling a tired, wrinkly smile at her.

"Coming."

He followed her out into the kitchen, where Rai was just preparing to bring the food to the dining table. Carrie carried the pot for her, much to the mouse's chagrin. Her father took a seat on Pearl's other side, scratching the Pokemon atop the head briefly. Her mother came in just as Carrie set the food down, cleaned up thoroughly, though Carrie detected some dirt still under her nails.

The woman smiled at the assembly, seating herself next to her husband. Rai bounced into the seat next to her. "Look at all the visitors! I should have made desert."

Rai and Carrie blanched simultaneously, rushing to assure her it wasn't necessary. Her mother + kitchen = disaster.

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

Sonjo looked up to Carrie's mother and father. He felt introductions were needed. "You must be the Mom and Dad around here. My name's Sonjo." In the corner of his eye, he could see the pot, smelling the contents. The aroma was to die for; he just woundered what it could be.

Sonjo's pokemon grasped their silverware, putting their napkins on their laps. They could barely keep themselves from drooling.

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Her father's eyes narrowed in on Sonjo. Carrie could see what was running through his head.

"Marc," He introduced himself distantly. Carrie rolled her eyes as Raichu dished up the beef stew.

"He's not my boyfriend, Dad," She admonished him. Her mother looked distinctly dissapointed, but she recovered quickly, offering Sonjo a bright smile.

"I'm Beth, but you can call me Mom!" She said brightly, brushing her raven hair out of her face. Carrie put her face in her hands.

Rai finished dishing up the food, and Carrie waved her hands at his Pokemon.

"You guys can go ahead and eat," She told them, noticing the looks on their faces. "Rai made plenty."

Raichu thumped her chest, taking off the off-white apron tied around her middle. She draped it across her chair and sat between Carrie and Combusken, taking up her own silverware. Both Pearl and Carrie had already begun eating; Carrie reaching for the salt and Pearl swatting her hand away.

"Chu," She protested vehemently. It translated roughly to 'Taste it before you salt it!'

Carrie rolled her eyes, popping a spoonful in her mouth.

"It's delicious," she told both Electric Pokemon, once more reaching for the salt, "but I need my salt. I'll get water-logged otherwise."

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

Combusken chomped on his food, and lit flame in his eyes. He then started digging into his meal, it's mouth getting more messy with each bite. Riolu took his time with the meal, and seemed rather embarresed. He store at the gluttonous bird, as if to say Slow down! You look like a pig!'

Sonjo got mixed reactions from the parents. Marc seemed rather serious, where Beth- or 'Mom' appeared to be playfull and upbeat. He shugged, and took a bite of his meal. "Mmm! It's very good; great job Rai!"

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Rai gave him a look as if to say 'Duh.' Pearl watched Sonjo eat with fascination, as if she had never before seen a human stuff food into their mouth. Carrie slowly ate, feeling that if her parents stayed around Sonjo for much longer he may need to go see a psychiatrist.

((OC: Time-skipping.))

Dinner was over; Carrie helped Rai and Pearl gather the dishes, shooing her parents off ("You have gardening and filing to do!")

Once they left the kitchen Carrie turned to Sonjo, a serious expression crossing her face.

"You remember why I called you, right? About the rumor in Johto?"

She handed Rai the next dirty dish, taking absent notice of Pearl drying the clean dishes and storing them away.

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

"Yeah." Sonjo still could remember when Jeanne had muttered those passing words. "I called my own parents and checked to see if they knew if they knew anything. But, they were tooo busy at the time, and had other buisiness to attend to." The two pokemon seemed to be listening intentively to their conversation; Sonjo didn't really mind them.

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie leaned against the counter, letting the two Electrics take care of the dishes. She didn't mind them listening in, either.

"It's a big deal, here," she muttered. "My parents whole-heartedly think he can do no wrong."

She looked at Sonjo, a warning in her face. "I wouldn't suggest mentioning the rumor around them. They'd go A-wall if they found out. They love him to death."

Raichu let out a dissaproving 'chu'. Carrie agreed with her.

"I've already went about and bought everything I'd need for the trip, but I haven't told them yet. I was thinking I wouldn't; they're used to me dissapearing overnight on some new adventure."

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

Sonjo's parents never usually see him unless he either calls them, or stops over. He was a nomad, now that he thought about it. "Mom and Dad loves us eaqual, though Dad's usually takes Zeikku's side in a debate." He let out a 'pfft' after that was said. "Well, anyways, I'm all set. My hammack and ramen are all I'll ever need."

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie gave a small snort ("hammock" had always seemed a funny word) and pushed off from the counter. Pearl and Rai were finishing up the dishes. Carrie gestured for Sonjo to follow her.

She moved to the hallway, opening the second door on the left. She stepped aside, letting him in to investigate.

"This is the guest bedroom," She explained. "My room is upstairs. I'll wake you up early so we can leave before the parents are up."

Rai and Pearl had followed her, peering past the doorframe to watch Sonjo.

Carrie waved at him, turning to go upstairs. "Get some sleep. We'll be moving fast tomorrow."

She turned away, clomping up the stairs. Pearl kept to her feet, Rai taking a slower pace a few feet behind. Carrie's room was the first on the right, and she entered the cool, dark chamber. She flicked the light on long enough to change into her nightclothes, settling into bed. Pearl hopped up to sleep at her feet, and Rai took the time to turn the lights off before hopping up next to the Pikachu. Carrie scratched them both behind the ears before settling in, setting her alarm clock to wake her up at five.

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

Riolu and Comusken took the spots which felt most comforable to them. The bird leaned against the wall and Riolu curled up in the corner. Sonjo exchanged his headband for his sleeping cap, eyes and teeth in all. The room seemed comfortable, but he wasn't really used to sleeping on a solid bed. He shrugged and hopped in. "G'night, guys." The pokemon gave their respective cries, and Sonjo switched the light off.

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie was rudely awakened the next morning by the piercing, ringing call of her alarm. Before she could so much as take a breath Rai had leapt from her perch, slamming a fist upon the 'off' button. Carrie blinked the sleep out of her eyes, peering around the room still shrouded in darkness. Pearl shifted at her feet as she slipped out of bed, a sleepy 'chu' sighing from the small creature.

Carrie dressed in darkness, not daring to turn on a light. Rai brought her her pack and she shouldered it, carefully opening the door. It squeaked slightly, but not loudly enough to wake anyone. They both slipped out of the room, leaving Pearl behind as they quietly descended the stairs. After all, her parents needed someone to do the cooking for them, since they were incapable of doing it themselves.

Carrie opened the door to the guest room, letting Rai in to wake Sonjo up. She instead went to the kitchen, pulling out the various food items from both the fridge and the pantry.

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

The trainer was awakened by small pushes and soft 'chu'ing crys. Sonjo sat up rubbing his eyes. "Eh, morning already?" He remembered then that carrie mentioned they'd be sneaking off early. Sonjo got out of bed, and swapped his cap for his headband. He apted to change his clothes to, but they were fresh, still. He woke up his partner, and headed to the kitchen, following Rai.

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie had just finished stuffing the last bit of provisions into her bag when Rai led Sonjo in. He still looked asleep.

"We're going," She said in no more than a whisper, leading him to the front door. She unlocked it and stepped out into the dark, early morning air, moving aside to let Rai, Sonjo and his Pokemon by. She closed the door behind them, locking it once more, before turning and heading down the path to the town proper. She planned to stop by Oak's before going; she needed to retrieve a few things.

Rai rubbed at her eyes and gave a small yawn. Carrie smiled at her, pulling something out of her pack. A box of Pop Tarts was in her hand, and she tossed it to the mouse. Rai caught it, sniffing it and tearing it open with delight. Rai offered some to the others, even as they stepped up to Oak's front door.

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

Combusken gladly accepted the poptarts, while Riolu politely declined. The firey bird wolfed the morning snack down in a matter of seconds.

Sonjo waited, building up his excitement. "I've never seen Professor Oak in person before. Birtch talks about him sometimes, though I never got the chance to meet him." The labrotory looked to be just to be getting to work inside, the lights just turned on.

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie smiled and pushed the door open, letting Sonjo, Riolu, Combusken and Rai in first. She followed, letting the door close itself behind her. The front hall was brightly lit for being so early, pristine in its own, personal manner of cleanliness. She led the way down a confusing mess of halls, giving a monologue as she went.

"He's a pretty nice old fellow. Always up before dawn. He has a beautiful pasture out back for the Pokemon. He also makes some pretty good coffee. It must be from years of making it."

She stopped in front of one door in particular, nothing about it making it stand out any more than the others around it. She opened it and stepped inside, ready to see Sonjo gape.

An immeasurable number of Pokeballs lined the walls, various labels along the shelves to indicate types, personalities and to which Trainer they belong. At the very back of the large hall she could make out the Professor at his desk, typing away at his computer, a large mug of steaming coffee at his elbow. She walked up behind him, tapping him upon the shoulder. He jumped, swiveling around.

"Carrie?" He asked, shocked to see her there so early. He looked behind her at Sonjo. "And another visitor. I'm surprised. You usually wait until at least noon before crashing my home."

Carrie smiled at him. "I need to pick up the stuff. You have it, right?"

He nodded, standing. "I'll go get it."

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

The look in Sonjo's eyes brightened greatly. "Professor Oak!" He ran up to him, and shook his hand. "Very glad to meet you! It's an honor." Riolu comically mocked his movments. There was so many things he wanted to ask the professor, put he saw it would be polite to ask some other time. Combusken laughed at Riolu's display.

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Oak's face displayed a grandfatherly amusement.

"It's always nice to meet someone who respects my work. I think we might have to chat later, but right now I need to retrieve something."

He left the room, exiting through a nearby door. Carrie could hear the sounds of him rummaging around from inside the room. Meanwhile Carrie raised an eyebrow at Sonjo's behavior, finding it odd. Rai was busying herself with studying the Professor's computer.

Oak came back a few minutes later, a large leather bag held in his hand. He gave it to Carrie, who thanked him whole-heartedly. He looked at the two.

"Have you two had breakfast yet?"

Carrie shook her head. Rai looked up from the screen, interested now that the topic had switched to food.

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

Sonjo's interest turned to the leather bag, but left that concern to be asked later on. Now, from meeting the Professor to eating with the Professor? Wow, this was already turning out to be a great and eventfull day. " Why you ask? Are you cooking something?"

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie rolled her eyes. The Professor looked sheepish.

"Well, I saw Raichu here and was wondering if she could cook me something." He put a hand on his stomach, embarassed. "I've been ordering take-out for some time now."

The words 'take-out' made something in Rai snap. She pushed Oak out of the room, the man spluttering in surprise. With such speed that Carrie thought impossible she steered the group into the living room, seating them around a coffee table. She rushed off to the kitchen, and Carrie could hear the sounds of pots and pans smacking together as Rai tore the kitchen to pieces.

She stared at Oak accusingly. "You should have known better."

((OC: Check your messages, dude!))

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

The boy chuckled at the event that just took place. Rai just couldn't refuse an opprotunity to wip up a meal. Sonjo turned his attention back to the leather bag. "If you don't mind me asking, what's in the bag?"He didn't specifically aim the question at anybody, so either of them could answer. Combusken and Riolu trailed off to assist Rai.

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie's hand absently wandered to the bag.

"Something we'll need." She answered vaguely. It's not that she didn't trust him with the knowledge; it's just that she wasn't quite so sure what was in there, herself. All she knew was that it once belonged to him, and that it undoubtedly contained something of great importance.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Rai swinging into the room like a tornado. Three trays landed with a clatter upon the coffee table, decked out with toast, eggs and bacon. Two glasses of juice landed before Carrie and Sonjo, and a small version of the people's meal landed before Riolu and Combusken.

Carrie stared at the panting Rai in disbelief.

"I thought I'd never see the day where you move faster than Jolteon," She said at last. Rai beamed proudly.

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

Snjo stood with his mouth wide open, looking back and forth at Rai, then the table. "That's just crazy..." He sat down reguardless, and crunched into the bacon. Combusken and Riolu took their seats, and ate in their respective manners. "Rai is just brilliant when it comes to cooking."

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie smiled when Rai hopped up on the couch next to her, snitching bacon of her plate. She took a sip of her juice.

"Meh, she needs to be," she explained, "I'm like my parents. Can't cook to save my life. I'd sneak away from the house and order pizza with the Professor to avoid eating their cooking when I was younger."

Oak was inhaling his breakfast with gusto, a content look on his face. He paused, expression becoming distant as he remembered the old days.

"Ah, I remember that," he chuckled, "she would hide when her mother came around looking for her."

Carrie smirked at him. "You know why I did. I remember how scared you were whenever she dragged you over to my house for dinner."

Oak visibly shuddered.

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

Sonjo was reminded of when he would feed his Mother's spinach to their Mightyena, and then sneaked a pack of Beef Raman in his room. "Heh, I can sympathise with that." he laughed slightly while finishing his eggs. "I didn't really like my Mother's cooking, and my Father rarely ever cooks." Combusken could remember when she unleashed Kalamari on them... Ick.

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie laughed a bit too, finishing off the rest of her food with help from Rai. She stood as the mouse took the plate to the kitchen, stretching her muscles. She slung The Bag over her shoulder, where it joined her duffle. She shook Oak's hand.

"Thanks for putting up with us," She said, stepping away from the couch, "but we need to get going before Mum comes here looking for us."

Rai had returned, and 'chu'ed in agreement.

((OC: Last post for tonight--have to get up early tomorrow for work.))

 

[Trainer Sonjo]

((G'night, see you tomorrow.))

The lad's ears twitched at Carrie's comment. "Wait!" Sonjo ran up to the Professor, while he still had the chance. "I've got a lot of questions for you, still. If I can just get your phon-" Combusken then started dragging him away from the professor, having an indifferent look on its face, though it seemed to be humming happily to himself . Riolu laughed to himself, as he followed the both of them. Sonjo sighed, and bid farewell to Oak.

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

((OC: Back in black.))

Carrie laughed a bit as the group left Oak's place, heading down the road to town. It was nearing seven in the morning, and the sky was a blend of pink and a misty, baby blue.

"If you want his number I can give it to you," She said, amused. She recited it to him briefly as they passed by houses, the residents starting to wake up. A few waved to Carrie and she waved back. Pallet was a pretty small town, all considered, and it wasn't long before they reached the edge of the neighborhood.

"We should reach Viridian before nightfall," She confided as she stepped out onto the Route. "The Forest doesn't take long to navigate if you know where you're going."

 

[Prodiguy]

((Greetings, peoplez! Friendly neighborhood Prodiguy here!))

Further down the route, a boy in mostly black but for the jacket could be seen huffing as he walked, kicking rocks and glaring at grassy areas. He continued toward the two without noticing them, glaring down at his shoes as if they were the most annoying, ugliest things on the planet.

His backpack, while looking rather new, had a few scratch marks, his Pokeballs on his belt seemed scratched up too. In fact, as he got closer, the pair could see what appeared to be scratches all over him. His face was still bleeding, but that just seemed to be a nosebleed, most likely from stress. The tissue in his nostril didn't help much, as it seemed to be dripping down his shirt.

He finally glanced up, spotting the pair, and his eyes brightened slightly. "Finally! More trainers! Jeez, you wouldn't believe how many non-trainers I've found on this road... This place is usually filled with kids that give my Pokemon easy wins, but today it's pretty bare..."

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Carrie slowed her pace, her eyebrows jumping to settle within her hairline as she took in the newcomer's appearance.

"Good God, what happened to you?" She asked, incredulous. She didn't think anything around these parts was capable of doing that to someone carrying Pokemon. Rai chirped her agreement, tail whipping about. She looked up at him with wide, shocked eyes.

 

[Prodiguy]

The boy sighed, rotating his neck a little. "Well, let me start from the beginning... I was travelling from Pokemon Tower, and decided to go down the docks for a shortcut to Vermilion City from Lavender... So, I proceed down the docks, talk to a few fishermen, they say there's a Pokemon blocking the road again... I think 'Oh, I'll move it when I get there.'

"I, in my almighty intelligence, cut down a small tree and get attacked by a little Pidgey. I didn't want to hurt it, so I just let Dragonair squeeze it 'till it fell down, and began walking away... The little bugger slammed itself into a tree, and a whole flock of the things came out..." Michael sighed, gripping his right arm as it began bleeding again. "They then hit more trees, and more came out and... It just didn't bode well. So, I kept running down the docks, a huge flock of Pidgey after me... I didn't want to hurt them, because if some fell in the water, I would not only have trouble getting them, but also, how would I manage to get ALL of them to safety?"

He reached into his backpack, pulling out a band-aid. He removed the one on his arm and replaced it. "So, guess what I encounter? Snorlax blocking the way. It seems that they ALWAYS go there to sleep now-a-days. So, I was cornered and... Well, I tried running back THROUGH the flock. After half an hour of running, bleeding, and tripping, here I am! ...I think I ran a little far though... Where am I? I'm SURE I passed Pewter a ways back..."

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

Incredulity spread across Carrie's face. Rai mirrored her expression, ears dropping.

"You're near Pallet Town. You passed Pewter a long time ago."

Raichu 'chu'ed softly, staring at him in shock. Carrie sighed, massaging her temples.

"You ran pretty far. The Pidgeys don't surprise me. They do that here, too."

Carrie brought her hands back down, resting them on her hips as she looked the newcomer up and down. "You're scratched up pretty bad. You'll need to get some of those cleaned, for sure."

Carrie looked around. They were already a fair distance down the Route, and it would take no more than a half hour at most to reach Viridian.

She sighed again. "We'll take you to the town. Nurse Joy will clean you up."

She looked at Sonjo, waiting for some indication of his thoughts. Rai had already walked up to the other Trainer, tugging on his sleeve in concern.

 

[Prodiguy]

The trainer's eyes widened, then he began grumbling. "Obviously... Pallet... You know, one of these days, I might actually be able to stop in the right place... How did I pass Viridian so easily? ...I guess that would be the adrenaline... Oh, talking of which, I think that my energy rush from the adrenaline is about to die, so the sooner we get to V. City, the better..."

At the mention of the scratches, he sighed. "Yeah... They're probably infected by now... Best to get 'em cleaned up and stuff... Thanks for the offer."

He turned to Sonjo, then back to Carrie. "I KNEW I forgot something." He bowed deeply, and with more hand motion than is healthy for that kind of thing. "I am Michael Stanton, Pokemon trainer. Who would you people be? ...And why is your Raichu so concerned? I wish my Pokemon cared about others that much... Charizard is terrified of interaction with people, and Gyarados is just... Not very friendly in general."