Pokemon: Mind and Soul (Retry) [IC / PG / Probably Not Accepting / Co-Hosted by Skaia]

[LordCowCow 841]

Team JAA/AJA/AAJ

Kenta's Machop, and Kenta himself, seemed startled at the sudden ranged attack. Up to that point it had been mostly a back and forth of physical attacks, with Machop being at the advantage, and it seemed that Kenta hadn't considered that would stop. "It's fine, just keep hitting em with all you got, Low Kick again!"

Machop grunted and came in towards Leopold to deliver a kick once more. "So persistent, how admirable!" Anneliese called out.

Leopold seemed less impressed by the move than Anneliese had been and, as the Machop came in, jumped back to avoid the kick entirely. Anneliese clapped her hands together in delight. "Wonderful! You're so fast Leopold, Thunder Shock again!" The Shinx, seemingly grinning from Anneliese's words, let loose a small electric shock towards the Machop. Who took it on directly.

Anneliese noticed sparks coming off the Machop, and the Pokemon dropped down to a knee, and she gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry, I believe that is Paralysis, yes? I didn't mean to do that."

"Nah its fine, it just makes Machop stronger. Go on show em, Low Kick!" Kenta didn't change up tactics at all. Choosing instead to continue with his bull rush strategy. Indeed, somehow it felt like the Machop had powered up from the status move, and Leopold felt that the next attack would be too much to take.

Thankfully Anneliese didn't completely stop giving commands after her bout of guilt and called for a Tackle attack. Leopold, moving even faster than the Machop now, tucked its shoulder down and rammed into the Machop. He knocked it over completely and, after a few moments, it was clear the Pokemon had fainted.

"Ah, man, guess gotta get a bit stronger huh, good work buddy." He then returned the Pokemon and looked over at Anneliese. "You got a tough little guy there don't ya? Nice work!"

"Why thank you!" Annelise said, then noticed that Anima had left. "Oh, I didn't see how her match went, what a shame..."

"I won, of course." Chad said, frowning at Kenta. "Can't believe both of you lost, what the heck happened here?"

"Wait Fuyumi lost? Me losing is one thing but, whoa, these guys might be pretty good."

Chad shook his head. "Or lucky. Well, whatever, come on we should get going, Fuyumi what are you doing?"

The girl had been silent after her loss, looking down at the Pokeball where her Abra was now. Finally she moved over towards Jacklyn. "Was it a code word? Prior strategy?" Unbeknownst to Jacklyn the girl had thought her mess up with calling out attacks had been some clever ruse to trick the opponent into thinking they'd be going for a different attack.

And, despite her expressionless face, her stare indicated she would insist on an answer before they left.

Spoiler

This little bit shouldn't take long, so unless Feral wants alone time can go find Anima afterwards. So I guess just check in with each other what you want done next.

Also Leopold and Rus have both gained a level!

 

[Cheshire Toon 141]

Nate was so excited that he leapt to his feet and nearly hugged Belle, but thankfully, recalled that not everyone appreciated hugs. “Man, you’re smart! No way to check a website out here”—and truth be told he was not very good at navigating the interweb or whatever it was called—”but I’ve got some potions on me.” Nate slung his backpack onto the ground and kneeled beside it, finding the side compartment that he had labeled MEDICINE and whipping a spray bottle full of potion out of it. He was familiar with the purple-colored recycle sprayers; he had seen his dad use them in the dojo almost every day… though now he realized that he had no idea how to use them. Nate frowned and looked back at Belle. “Do you think I just spray it on? Or do I need to like, shake it or something first?”

He would never find out the answer to his question. At that moment Quinn nearly bowled him over. Nate dove to shelter the Rattata and make sure neither of them were accidentally tread on by the ghost-person. 

Thankfully, the specter caught themself. Nate breathed a sigh of relief and pushed himself back up to a sitting position.

“Is that…?” Ratking. Nate had so many questions for the girl. Where did she find it? What had it been like for him to catch it? Had it made a den? Did they think there was more in the area? Nate wanted to know so much more than the little bit of information he had been given about fighting over food; Pokémon ecology (a fancy word he had heard used in a documentary as a kid) was a special interest for him. It ranked third, behind only rare Pokémon and battling, both of which also applied to the little rat before him.

So it was to his great surprise there was also an uncomfortable burning in his chest as stared at the little rat he learned was called Normie. Normie looked proud of her conquest. Proud of what she had done to the Rattata before her.

It is the way of the world, in the wild, his dad would have told him. It’s a Pokémon eat Pokémon world out there. Might is all that matters. It was only natural that Normie had defended her food.

Nate knew that on a logical level. He reminded himself several times over the course of just a few seconds, looking at the Ratfian, but the burning in his chest would not subside. 

We must be strong. Stronger than any strategy. Stronger than any type-disadvantage. Strong enough to reclaim what was once rightfully ours.

Peat bumped against his leg and stared up at the boy, wet nose wiggling curiously.

Nate forced a too-big smile on his face and gave Quinn a thumbs-up. “Congrats on the Pokémon! Normie looks really strong! You’ll have to tell me more about how you met at some point. Not now though, I gotta go find a ranger. These Pokémon need help!” Nate scooped up both Rattata as gently as he could and sprinted off to deliver them to the Pokémon Ranger they had passed on the way. “Follow me, or go on ahead if you want! I’ll take care of this and then catch up! Promise!” He yelled over his shoulder as he went.

Peat trundled off after as fast as his flippers could carry him, and before long, the two were gone.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Cheshire Toon

[Skaia 578]

With the match having ended, the girl looked over to see that Anneliese had also won her match though didn't have any idea where Anima was. Victory celebration was cut short, into one of a little frustration as Chad declared himself the victor in his own match. Perhaps though, it was less an annoyance at his own self assurance and her comrades defeat and more so that the man acted like it would only be natural for her and Anneliese to lose. "They lost because our team is amazing! Sure you won one, but we got two which makes us the better champions to be! And Anima will get her revenge for sure, so just you wait bucko." 

The girl then turned her attention towards her opponent, startled for a moment as the girl was closer then when she had last looked. As Fuyumi asked about what she had done, Jacklyn said, "what? Bucko isn't a code word it's like, what you call someone or like, bud? But less friendly?" That was clearly not what Fuyumi was asking for, however, as she didn't seem satisfied by that answer nor did it make any sense as a "prior strategy" or something that she had actually "done." Truthfully Jacklyn hadn't the faintest idea what the girl was asking for, but she had enough sense to know that it probably had to with their battle and more importantly her victory. And so proudly Jacklyn said, "oh that? Rus and I don't need any tricks or planning like that. We're fellow adventurers and teammates after all! And when we work together there's no battle we can't win, right Rus!?"

The girl seemed proud with her answer, happily puffing out her chest, as the Lepash didn't bother responding to her. Instead, almost completely blowing her off. After all their victory, he felt, was entirely because of his own decision making and prowess. And so he walked off, leaving the girl to look back and say, "uh, Rus? He's just...shy?" The girl tried to save face with Fuyumi. 

[radio414 909]

Quinn was quick to be on the defensive. “Oh, no! I am not injured. At the very least, I am not hurt in a way that would impede our journey. I am ready to continue onwards once you two have wrapped up your business here.” Really, what hurt more was how both Belladonna and Nathaniel seemed more concerned with things other than her and Cassiopeia’s moment of triumph. Well, he supposed any sort of acknowledgment from Belladonna had to be a positive one, but Nathaniel had seemed so bubbly as they had left New Point Landing, talking about how he had to catch all the Pokémon that ever existed and some that did not. If it was jealousy, that was new. Quinn had not judged Nathaniel to be the jealous type.

If this was about the Rattata, that was also confusing, but in different, more vexing ways. How did neither Belladonna nor Nathaniel know? Had they never experienced just what wild Pokémon could do to each other? To a human, even? It was why people were warned away from tall grasses without a Pokémon of their own at their side. And even besides then, in environments one might think were domesticated… Quinn gripped Cassiopeia’s string and held on tight. The naïveté of the living, they supposed. And the Rattata were still alive too. When Normandie walked over and sniffed one of them, it still flinched.

But then Nathaniel said congratulations, so perhaps Quinn had just been overthinking things. “I am sure you will hear several stories from me,” Quinn said. “I do love giving a good tale.” And Normandie turned around and started pawing at zir foot, so she was done with her lording over still-alive things and certainly done with the introductions that came with that. “Oh, hungry already? Alright, for being so good…”

They fished out a berry and offered it to the Rattfian, who snatched it right out of her hand and started gnawing on it. Quinn used the opportunity to stroke Normandie’s head, making sure to get behind the ears where he assumed Rattfians liked pets best. Getting up close and personal with Normandie’s fur, however, got Quinn to start paying attention to its condition. “Oh, you were just in a number of fights yourself, were you not?” Quinn said, jerking back upwards. “And Cassiopeia, forgive me, I do not know what I was thinking. A single potion could not have mended all that abuse you endured on my behalf. We should go back too.”

Nathaniel had already rushed off back towards town with the wild Rattata. Quinn could only give chase, bursting back through the brush calling out, “Wait for me!”

[Sethera 290]

"Oh, no! I am not injured. At the very least, I am not hurt in a way that would impede our journey. I am ready to continue onwards once you two have wrapped up your business here."

Did that mean that ghosts didn't feel physical pain? Or did injuries not matter unless they were to the soul? What attacks could mar the soul, anyway? Dark moves? But before she could think of an answer or reply, both Nate and Quinn departed the scene.

Left behind again. Though this time she knew they weren't leaving leaving her, a trace of insecurity remained. Of 'What if they do?' Sometimes it felt like all that was needed was one more snide comment, one more complaint, and she would be out. Abandoned.

Lost.

The girl shook herself from her doldrums. "This is stupid," she muttered to herself. "Nate's just trying to find a Pokémon Ranger, and Quinn's following him. That's all." She wasn't sure where this insecurity came from—lie—but she would like to not-so-kindly ask it to leave and never show its face around her again. She wasn't insecure. She was used to being on her own. So why should it bother her if the others left her? She was better off without them.

Belle ran after them anyway. They needed her help to find the Pokémon Ranger. She doubted Nate even saw them in his endless jabbering earlier, though he was at least headed in the right direction. And Quinn? Might not have seen them at all. That was why she needed to catch up to them and make sure they didn't get lost on the way back. For the sake of the Rattata, if nothing else.

It took her some time to catch up, being as out of shape as she was, but when she did, she pointed in a certain direction. "That way… I saw one… that way. Before." She stopped and leaned over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

[Tiamat's Circus 117]

…In the event, Anima hardly got that moment of being alone. Between other new trainers, those working at the Pokemon Center, and her own mind… Anima couldn't help but feel as if she was surrounded at all times; as if her crushing defeat was evident by her actions. Was that normal? she had to wonder. Was it normal to feel like the world was crashing around you? she wondered, again. It was… Failure. She had failed in the greatest of extents, she had lost in the greatest of extents--

And her buddy was the one who shouldered this burden, so where did she get off feeling terrible?

It wasn't until after the Nurse handed the Pokeball back to her, and Anima was walking out of the Pokemon Center that she even began to process things again. She hadn't even actively noticed, as the Nurse had said something about being prepared to train and stock up on potions-- she didn't have the heart to mention that she was broke, and simply nodded and said she would, most likely; though she could hardly remember it. Instead, she simply found herself… Stalling, outside the Pokemon Center, as she lightly kicked the dirt in front of her.

The others were probably done with their battles by now. 

Were they waiting on her?

Probably.

But… She still hardly felt like moving yet. Instead, as Anima took a few steps to the right, she found herself kneeling down as she clicked the Pokeball to release her partner to the ground in front of her. Doing her best to smile, she nodded as the pink-eyed Pokemon stamped her feet a bit, letting out a somewhat quiet cry, as she… Lightly tackled into Anima's legs. "...I know, Confi," she smiled, patting her head. "...I… Should have had more faith in you, right?" she asked.

The quiet Pokemon didn't let out a verbal reply; instead continuing to 'charge' into her legs, simply butting her head into the newbie-trainer's legs as she laughed a bit. "I know…" Anima trailed off. "...I wasn't as in-sync with you as I should have been. Despite being quiet, you're… Pretty aggressive in battle, right?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "...I get it. You want to view every fight like…" she trailed off, nodding for a moment, as she let the silence finish her thought for her. "...I'll do my best to help facilitate that in our coming battles, okay?" she picked up the Pokemon, as she stared directly into their pink eyes. "That means I'll… Do my best to learn how not to hesitate, or freeze up again. We'll fight with everything we've got left," she promised her Pokemon. "Even if it takes some time to get there," she laughed lightly, spinning the Corsola around as she rose back to her full height, and began to walk back off towards the entrance, or exit to the town; planning on telling the others that she'd see them on the route, and that she needed to do some training, if she ran into them.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Tiamat's Circus

[LordCowCow 841]

Team JAA/AJA/AAJ

"oh that? Rus and I don't need any tricks or planning like that. We're fellow adventurers and teammates after all! And when we work together there's no battle we can't win, right Rus!?"

Fuyumi stared at Jacklyn for a while, not reacting much to Rus's antics, just continuing to look at Jacklyn directly. Finally she spoke up. "Ridiculous." was her response. Then she turned towards her companions and followed it with, "keep your secrets then."

Before they left Kenta looked back once more "Uh, hey, probably go check on that other one eh? She kinda ran off in a hurry ya know."

And then they were gone.

Anneliese turned to Jacklyn. "You did wonderfully! I don't think I could have won if Leopold wasn't so strong. You said something about working together yes? That's incredible, you haven't even had Rus for long! I should learn from your example."

Leopold looked horrified at this statement and quickly looked towards Rus as if asking the Pokemon to help talk Anneliese out of it.

"But Kenta was right, we should go find Anima. I bet she'll want to know how it went!"

---

Team BQN

As the group looked for the nearest Pokemon ranger they ended up asking several of the other trainers for where they could find one. And all of them pointed them in the same direction.

Heading over to the area indicated, with the Rattata in tow, they eventually saw something unexpected. A person dressed in a black outfit, complete with a helmet with a visor and a strange decoration on the forehead, and cape was standing just off the pathway.

When seeing the group the man struck a pose, both arms to the side and one leg raised. "Hello adventurers, tis I, Pokemon Ranger Black! Do you have a villain in need of defeating? With my kick of justice I will surely strike them down!" His voice was muffled and, as he held his pose, he looked rather wobbly.

Moments later someone else, dressed much more like one would expect when thinking of a Pokemon Ranger, hurried over. "There you are, I thought we told you to stop messing around here. You're confusing everyone and causing a scene, now go on, shoo, shoo!"

"Alas, adventurers, justice will have to wait for another time!" He called before running off.

The actual ranger let out a sigh and then turned to the group. "Sorry about that, is there something you need? Something that needs someone that ACTUALLY can do something to help?"

[Skaia 578]

Jacklyn raised an eyebrow, a bit annoyed at Fuyumi's response saying, "jeez what's her problem?" The girl then shrugged, not really lingering on it much longer before she turned to Anneliese. Smiling at the girl she said, "oh yeah, Rus and I are the best of partners!" She gave an annoyed frown as she saw the Lepash walking over to the Shinx, still not paying her any mind, before going back to smiling. "But yeah, we're just like, naturally in sync in combat or something. I don't know how much battling you've done before, but you just gotta like, feel it. You know? Just whatever you think is best and shout it and I'm sure you and Leopold will work amazingly together!" 

Rus was a competitive pokemon through and through, and normally he would be fine being standoffish with Leopold. However, the Lepash could only let out a, "...pa..." as he seemed to understand the plight that the Shinx was soon to face, unable to do anything but sympathize.

"Well, anyway, you're right. Let's get going! I think she probably went to the pokemon center so might as well go check that out. Come on Rus," the girl brought out her pokeball, bringing the pokemon back in. On the way to the pokemon center, the duo ran into their third who Jacklyn could see was looking a little more down than usual. Jacklyn frowned, less annoyed this time, but didn't really comment on it instead saying, "well, see you back there. Come on Anneliese, let's heal up and then get to adventuring!" 

Once their pokemon center trip had finished, the two of them made it on to the route proper, waving to Anima saying, "heeeeeyyyyy! We're here!" Getting onto the road the girl then took in a deep breath, before letting out a heavy exhale. "Ah, that's the smell of Adventure if ever there was one! And like, grass." The girl then said to her companions, "alright, we're here now! No longer bound by the confines of our starting town. And so, the world is our cloyster! We can go anywhere we want! As long as it's on this road I guess, but anywhere from there!"

After rambling about it for a bit, the girl said, "well, with that out of the way we got some training to do! After all, even though we won overall, you still loss Anima and Anneliese you still aren't confident. So, as our leader I can't just let things stay the way they are. No no. And everyone knows an important part of adventuring is the training arc! The making new friends! Rising above adversity so that when you go into your rematch you kick some wild butt!" The girl punched her fist into the air, before pausing. Not really knowing how else to finish this she said, "well anyway let's take on whatever challenges are on this route head first!" 

[Tiamat's Circus 117]

Anima had waited for the others as a courtesy, at the start of the route; but she couldn’t help but feel like Jacklyn’s comment about needing training was a bit of an unintended jab, forming a pit in her stomach as she slumped slightly in response to the comment. “Y-Yeah,” she laughed a bit awkwardly, taking one of the hands which had been holding the Corsola in her arms to rub at the side of her neck. “Guess it’s time for a… Er… Bit of a training montage then, huh?” she did her best to laugh, kneeling down to release Confi; who plodded out in front of her, letting out an almost silent cry of agreeance, as she began scanning the route.

“...Catch you guys on the flipside,” Anima gave a slight wave as she rose back to her full height; keeping close behind Confi, as the ghost-type Pokémon began to ‘gallop’ forwards with heavy steps. At first, the Pokémon simply led her forwards, further onto the flat route; before turning mid-galop until plodding off into the tall grass silently. Chuckling lightly, Anima simply nodded as she took a few steps herself into the tall grass… And then a few more… And a few more, as she followed her Pokémon until they stopped, rather suddenly.

Anima opened her mouth, so as to speak, before Confi beat her to it; letting out a shrill cry as a flock of Starly took off from the grass just in front of her. For their part, the majority of them left in a flurry of feathers and their own cries; as was the way of bird-like Pokémon. But one, however, seemed to halt mid-flight, looking around as Confi made yet another screech into the sky. “...So you wanna fight that one, right?” Anima glanced downwards, and then up towards the rotating bird. “...Hey! Er… Bird-Brain! Your fights down here!” she called out, kneeling down to just behind Confi, as she... Threw a pebble in the Starly's direction!

The Starly, for its part, finally locked eyes on the source of the sound (and pebble);, having a larger target to attribute it to (as well as a rock to follow), and let out what sounded like an angry-squawk. For a second, Anima wondered if the bird would just leave them be to find another Pokémon, only for it to... dive towards Confi! “Same as last time, buddy-- Wait until it’s about to hit, and then strike with a tac-” she had barely gotten the words out, before the Starly had closed the distance. It was faster than she was expecting; much faster, and yet, the attack did… Little to nothing, as the Pokémon phased through Confi; the ghost-type Pokémon growing translucent, as the normal-type attack failed to make its mark!

Using this to her advantage, Confi wasted no time bounding forwards and turning around as the Starly moved to right themselves, letting out a cry of ascent as she slammed into the back of the Pokémon. “Yeah, just like that! Wait until it phases through, then use Harden to make your tackles hit!” she called out grinning as Confi let out a cry of agreeance. Even as the Starly made to take off again, twirling from the hit, Confi kept the assault up; slamming into the back of the Pokémon once again.

It was only as the Pokémon finally managed to reach the skies, again, and turned to face Confi again that… Anima realized a problem. Turning to see that Confi wasn’t a suitable target… The Pokémon turned its sights on her; darting through the air with extreme speed before slamming its side into her stomach, knocking the air from her mouth. “Hhh..!” she grit her teeth, stumbling back as the Starly squawked angrily; hovering in the air for a moment, before flying upwards and… Preparing to do it again! “It’s-- Coming back around! When it hits me this time, hit it on the rebound-” she managed to just get the comment out between breaths, before the bird slammed back into her side, knocking her to the ground, and yet…

Confi made good on her instructions, yet again! Leaping into the air, the small Pokémon grew solid once again as she knocked the Starly to the ground, hard. The Bird moved to slowly get up, breathing heavily-- But it was too late, as Confi walked up and finished it off with another Tackle, leaving the bird unconscious in the slump on the ground. “...R…Right,” Anima wheezed a bit, as she moved to get to her feet, smiling a bit. “J-...Just like that, right,” she laughed idly, as Confi plodded towards her, sitting down with a triumphant cry. “We… Just have to work together, to keep their attention while you take them down, since they can’t hit you easily,” she smiled with a slight fist-pump.

Of course, that was going to be… Easier said than done; given she was effectively signing herself up to be a punching-bag for any bird or rat who got frustrated when Confi wasn’t as easy to hit as they wanted. But…

It was only the sound of her Pokémon turning around, plodding forwards as implacable as ever, which brought Anima back to reality; scrambling back to her feet, as she made to follow her Pokémon into the unknown, with a stammered, “h-hey!”, as she dashed off to follow the Pokémon; reminding her in no-short order, that this training was for the both of them.

[LordCowCow 841]

Team JAA/AJA/AAJ

Anneliese, a bit late, pumped her fist into the air. Mimicking Jacklyn's motion without really knowing why. "Um, yes, quite!" She called out in agreement. "Perhaps we can all train toge-oh." Before Anneliese could complete her sentence Anima went off on her own. "Oh, well, maybe she has something else in mind."

Hands now clasped behind her back Anneliese turned towards Jacklyn. She gave her a soft but bright smile and said, "I suppose we will have to catch up. You will have to escort me on this part of the journey yourself it seems."

With that the girl set out. While Anima wasn't going all that fast Anneliese kept pausing every little bit to comment on something she saw. "My, the grass really is tall, do they not have a caretaker here?"

"Oh goodness that man is wearing such dark clothes, and a mask at that, does he not get warm running in the sun so much?"

"I cannot say I expected that Starly to attack me when I offered to pet it, thank you Leopold that was very kind of you."

She also tended to stop to talk to each trainer that she saw. Some of whom would insist on a battle beforehand.

"Tackle, Patrat!"

"Tackle, Leopold!"

"Tackle!"

"Tackle!"

"Tackle!"

"Ta...wait, Thunder Shock!"

"W-whaaaa?"

Eventually however Anneliese spotted Anima running after her Pokemon. "Why hello there Anim-oh she probably cannot hear me." She gave a small smile to Jacklyn. "I seem to be too quiet, do you have any pointers how to speak as loudly as you do?"

Spoiler

So basically Anneliese will have had a few trainer battles during all this the one "shown" gives a general idea how it would go.

Skaia if Jacklyn wants to do stuff during this go ahead and also if she wants to talk to Anneliese during this that's fine too. Just felt awkward writing in pauses for that purpose.

Also Leopold and Rus should be level 6 atm, possibly 7 if they do some more battles after this, Confi probably could be about 7 by end of the training session.

 

[Sethera 290]

Belle walked behind the other two, making sure to neither draw too close nor stray too far away. She frowned to herself. 'If we don't find a Pokémon Ranger soon, then Nate will probably spend all his Potions on these Rattata. Everybody's pointing in the same direction, so we just need to keep walking. But how long do we have to walk for? My legs are getting sore.'

When they found the ranger, her face brightened for a moment. "That's the—wait, no, you're not them. Who are you?"

After his introduction, the light came back to her eyes. "No, it couldn't be! Are you one of the Hoenn Rangers Coexistence Force?!" They were an obscure team of heroes native to Hoenn, but their fame had once been legendary. She had watched every season before they got canceled. "I've never heard of a Ranger Black, though. Are you sure you're with them?"

Before the man could respond, an actual ranger chased him away. "Tch," Belle clicked her tongue. "You've gotten away for now, Pokémon Ranger Black." She turned her attention to the newly-arrived ranger. "Yeah, we have a couple of injured Rattata here." She pointed at the Pokémon in Nate's arms. "They got hurt by another wild Pokémon, which also injured my companion here." The girl gestured at the ghost.

Edited September 26, 2023 by Sethera

[radio414 909]

Nathaniel was taller, certainly worked out more than Quinn did, and was also, well, alive, but Quinn did its best to keep up all the same. It was not like they were out of shape. He had spent time with Cassiopeia wandering the outskirts of Eterna City in preparation for her journey, and besides that, back when xe was mortal, zey had been a rather active youth. All this together meant that while Quinn did fall behind, Quinn did not fall too far behind, and was there in time for Pokémon Ranger Black to introduce himself.

Meeting a Pokémon Ranger was a new experience. She had not been sure what she had been expecting, having never in the past needed their services (Perhaps some had been assigned to his rescue mission? That would seem likely, though Quinn would not have known for a number of factors, including having died in the meantime). Fae still did require such services, to be fair, as ey had explained several times to both Belladonna and Nathaniel in the meantime. The experience was still exciting, however. Belladonna seemed to recognize Pokémon Ranger Black as part of an entire task force from Hoenn, which meant they were dealing with Pokémon Ranger royalty!

Unfortunately, just as soon as Quinn had formed such a thought, Pokémon Ranger Black was chased away by another, more mundane member of the occupation. Quinn could not help but wonder if this second ranger was simply a hanger-on, trying to improve their credibility by association. Did Rangers not follow the same all-encompassing “dibs” rule? It did not matter. “I do not actually need help,” Quinn said. “I am only following my companions at the moment, though I would like to visit a Pokémon Center when convenient. Cassiopeia here has been through a lot already, and we would not want her to faint on the first grand step of our adventure would we?

“And let me assure you, I am not injured! It is true I was attacked, but look!” Quinn lifted his shirt, showing just where Normandie had rammed herself into his stomach.

Cassiopeia jerked in Quinn’s other and, and Quinn’s voice grew quiet. “...Oh, that is quite the bruise.” It had developed quickly, all blotchy in places, and its several different colors stood out all the more on such fair skin. Quinn reached out and touched the impact site and immediately regretted that decision, pulling back her hand and sucking through hir teeth. “Perhaps Dark types being super-effective against Ghosts is a truer maxim than we thought…”

[Cheshire Toon 141]

Quinn and Belle were following him. For a split second, Nate wished that they weren’t. Then he realized what he was thinking and was disgusted with himself. They didn’t do anything wrong, he scolded himself. I’m the one bringing up bad memories. 

He slowed down until both of them were able to roughly keep pace with him. A dead sprint slowly became a light run, and then, a brisk jog before Belle was finally able to catch up. She was red in the face and breathing heavily, and Nate’s stomach churned with the terribly familiar feeling of guilt when she nearly buckled. Belle hadn’t been put through the physical training he had. And if he were being realistic, he was several inches taller than Quinn, even if they were in decent shape. It was unfair to try and force them to move at the pace he set. I need to think more before I run off. A good friend should be considerate.

Truth be told, Nate had not had very many friends in his life. A lot of training partners. Several rivals who resented him at the dojo. But people who just wanted to be around him without any kind of expectation? Those were far and few between. 

Nate had little experience in how he was expected to treat his friends because of that. At least, practical experience. He had seen a lot of television about how good guys treated their friends. All he had to do was be like those guys. Right…?

Peat caught up to the group then. He was huffing nearly as heavily as Belle, his flippers stained with dirt and clumps of grass stuck between his claws. Nate felt even worse. “Hey bud,” he shifted the Rattata in his arms to be cradling them both in one arm. “Here. I’m gonna return you, alright? Rest up. You earned it.” Peat huffed but seemed too tired to argue, then vanished in a flash of red light. Nate clipped his ball back to his belt and turned towards Belle. “Over that way?” he asked. He hadn’t seen them before, but he was so caught up in the excitement of training that it was no great surprise that he had missed things. “Alright. Follow me. Don’t worry, little guys, we’ll get you help real soon.”

He mumbled assurances to the two unconscious Rattata and then set off again. This time, Nate was sure to move slow enough that neither of his companions would find themselves straining too hard to keep up. 

The person they found was someone right out of the old Hoenn Ranger cartoons that his Mom had shown him as a kid. Costume and all. Kanto rangers had dressed in a much more practical way that, as a kid, had disappointed Nate a lot. The guy in front of him on the other hand… Nate was surprised when Belle seemed to recognize him too. “You know about them?” he said, turning to face her. He beamed, the first genuine smile he had shown since finding the Rattata. “I loved those guys! The Red Ranger was my favorite!” His smile faded, and he looked back at the ranger. “She’s right though. I don’t remember any Ranger Black. Did you just start?”

Another man burst onto the scene before Ranger Black could answer, causing the man to flee with another cartoonish shout. Then the ranger asked how he could help.

Nate felt a great weight lift off his shoulders. There was a professional now. An adult. Someone who would actually know how to help. “She summed it up, sir,” he said, stepping forward and gesturing down at the Rattata he held with his chin. “Most wild Pokémon I’ve seen aren’t hurt as bad as these little guys were. It didn’t feel right to just leave them there, where another Pokémon could take advantage of them being hurt. I was gonna use my potions but then my friend Belle here—she’s the smart one who was just talking to you—she said that she saw a Pokémon Ranger, and thought we should bring them back to you.” Nate took a deep breath. He had rambled all of what he had to say out quickly, without pausing to breathe, his anxiousness spilling out of him like water from a broken pipe now that there was someone to handle things. 

“So…” He held out the Rattata for the ranger. “Can you help them?”
 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Cheshire Toon

[LordCowCow 841]

Team BQN

The ranger took a deep breath, seeming to realize that his tone had been pretty snappy. "Yeah that's something I can help with. Much easier than dealing with people like that. Why do they think I became a ranger in the first place I didn't want to have to interact with...." He realized again he was going off on a rant and stopped himself.

He leaned in and examined the Rattata and nodded. "Yeah, dunno why but lately lot of Pokemon have been more on edge. Must be something they know we don't, like usual, but don't have the slightest clue what it could be." He straightened up again. "I'll take em off your hands for you." He pulled out of his pack what looked to be a bundle of rods and a tarp and quickly set up something that resembled a wheelbarrow made of fabric. Gently he took the Rattata of their hands and placed them into said wheelbarrow. "Hoothoot, come on out, I need you to keep an eye out in case anything tries and attack us on the way back."

He looked at Quinn and frowned. "I'm no doctor but, uh, here ya go, this Oran Berry might help reduce the swelling there." He paused as if waiting for any more questions then awkwardly grunted and lifted up the wheelbarrow to head off.

Spoiler

If you want lines from the ranger ask me otherwise they'll just be taking off with the rats.

 

[Sethera 290]

Nate seemed both surprised and delighted to find a fellow Hoenn Rangers fan. "You know about them?"

"Of course I do!" Nate's question had Belle rearing up, affronted. "Not only did I watch every episode, but I also have a a full set of their limited-edition figurines made for their ten-year anniversary." She puffed up with pride. Maniac collectors had offered her thousands, but bragging rights were worth more than money any day.

The girl deflated when Nate expounded on their request to the ranger. Right. They were here because of the injured Pokémon. It wasn't the time to think about her home collection. She could dwell on it later, along with everything else back home. Where she wasn't. Because she was on a stupid Pokémon journey.

The ranger leaned in to examine the Rattata. "Yeah, dunno why but lately lot of Pokémon have been more on edge. Must be something they know we don't, like usual, but don't have the slightest clue what it could be." He straightened up again. "I'll take em off your hands for you."

Belle breathed out a sigh of relief. 'Finally.' She didn't have to worry about these Rattata anymore. They were officially "someone else's problem." That, plus knowing that they had done a good deed... it felt nice. Not that Belle was the type of person to make a habit of such things. She wasn't generous enough to save every Pokémon she met, but the injuries on these two had been astonishingly brutal. Then she took in the ranger's words about Pokémon on edge. Definitely a bubble burster there.

"Well, that's that done," the girl muttered. "No questions here, unless you have any advice for avoiding those edgy Pokémon. Thanks for doing this, Mister." She turned to the other two. "Looks like we can finally relax after we get Quinn seen to."

However, the ghost seemed to disagree that she was injured at all. "And let me assure you, I am not injured! It is true I was attacked, but look!" the youth lifted his shirt.

Belle did not expect the colorful bruising mapped across her companion's skin. 'It seems ghosts really can get injured.' What a strange world they lived in. "Looks like it did quite a number on you. I can't believe you want to keep that thing around." Her tone was flat save for a pale strain of disbelief.

[radio414 909]

“It is still just a bruise, however!” Quinn said, even as he thrust his shirt back down to cover their injury. “It only hurt when I touched it, and only a little. Rest assured, Belladonna, this is nowhere near the worst thing a Pokémon has done to me.” Quinn tightened his grip on Cassiopeia’s strings. “Besides, we have come to an understanding. I see no reason to think they would do so again.”

With zir free hand, Quinn took the berry and inspected it. If they remembered his berry charts correctly, it would be a useful boon for later, especially since she had already had to use a potion on Cassiopeia so early into the journey. And if xe did not, surely fae would be able to find a replacement chart at another town or otherwise find a way to look up such information. She felt Cassiopeia tugging again. “Oh, would you like to hold it? Very well, I see no reason why you should not. Perhaps you will be able to tell me what it does, then.” Cassiopeia went to consume the berry right away and Quinn had to pull her back. “Later, you silly balloon! When you need it! We are already on our way to a Pokémon Center. You will be polished clean and ready for action before you know it.”

The trip to the Pokémon Center was uneventful, but then, all three of them had already cut such a swath through the route, leaving little in their wake, that now that the time came to retrace their steps, there was little left to encounter. Other trainers were still licking their wounds, and any further wild Pokémon stayed well inside the bounds of the taller grass. It was the first time Quinn used the Center, though, which turned into a whole thing.

“Cassiopeia, return to your Pokéball so the nice nurse can heal your wounds,” Quinn said for what felt like the seventeenth time. But the Balloon Pokémon acted in her nature instead, stubbornly drifting to the corner of the ceiling furthest from her trainer.

The nurse was only offering as much help as she could without getting out from behind the counter. “We do accept Pokémon who have rejected a Pokéball for one reason or another,” she said in a rather joyful voice that betrayed a hint of laughter. “The healing process is slightly different, but it is just as effective.”

“No, I am the one who prefers to keep her outside her ball,” Quinn said. “She-” He took another running leap to try and grab at Cassiopeia’s strings but got nowhere near enough height. “She is perfectly fine with it on most occasions, and she needs to learn to be alright with this if our journey is to continue. We just started our Pokémon adventure today!”

“Really?” the nurse said. “I couldn’t tell!”

Quinn tried another jump, missed, and gasped when they hit the ground, feeling the bruise once again. The nurse noticed, and her demeanor changed. “We also offer our clinical services to trainers. Perhaps you can both get looked at at the same time,” she said.

Quinn stared at Cassiopeia, who was no longer fidgeting in the corner but was now drifting just far enough away that she could react to another wild grab if Quinn tried it. “Will you get in your ball if I get looked at with you?” Quinn said. “Please, Cassiopeia.”

Fae held out the ball, and Cassiopeia, with one of her handstrings, tapped its button and allowed herself to be sucked in.

Treatment for its injury was about as simple as Quinn could hope for. While the Poké Center worked its magic on Quinn’s two Pokémon, the nurse and a Chansey wrapped Quinn’s stomach “In a few days, you can use a rag soaked with hot water as a compress,” the nurse explained. “It will encourage blood flow, which will help shrink the bruise.” Quinn did not have the heart to tell the nurse about her condition and how that too might affect the healing process but accepted the advice all the same. Normandie and Cassiopeia finished right at the same moment, and Quinn accepted them back as well, though they kept Cassiopeia in her ball for the time being.

“Well, my friends,” Quinn said as they exited the center and returned to Nathaniel and Belladonna. “Now that I have caught a Pokémon and we are all healed up, I suppose we have a lot of training to do. Normandie still has to get used to fighting with a trainer, after all, and while Cassiopeia and I have performed well so far, we are clearly still both novices. Let us return to our adventure!”

[Skaia 578]

As Jacklyn made her proclamation about training Anima had immediately split off to go do some of her own. With just her an Anneliese to do their own training the two went off to explore the area around them. With Anneliese being distracted by just about everything along the way, though it wasn't as if her curiosity was any problem to Jacklyn. "My, the grass really is tall, do they not have a caretaker here?"

"Caretaker huh? I know some public spaces have people mow their lawn, but I don't think I've ever seen so much grass in one place before so I guess not? But more tall grass just means more places to scour and find things in! After all, you can't hide something if it's shorter than a blade of grass right?" 

"Oh goodness that man is wearing such dark clothes, and a mask at that, does he not get warm running in the sun so much?"

"Just be careful if he starts trying to sell you poketchs or something." 

It wasn't until a bit later, after Anneliese had been attacked by a wild starly and started getting into a trainer battle of her own - "yeah, take him down, Anneliese!" - that Jacklyn had realized that she had been so wrapped up in keeping pace with what her companion had been doing that she had been neglecting her own training montage. Not that there was much need for her specifically since she and Rus were already the ultimate combo, but there was no reason to deny herself such fun either. 

Splitting from Anneliese for a moment, the girl then looked into the grass to see what she could find. There were wild pokemon all over the place for Rus to take on and fight, but of course Jacklyn had a shiny new premiere ball to use and wanted to add to her team. And of course it couldn't just be any pokemon that she got, she needed something that truly spoke to her. Sure Starly's were neat and all, and Jacklyn understood the necessity of having a bird in her adventuring team. After searching for a bit, and Rus embering away some of the wild pokemon that came at her, Jacklyn was disappointed in the lack of anything that really drew her attention. As she was ready to get out of the tall grass and go back to Anneliese to see how her fight had gone, the girl stopped as her eyes fixed onto something. 

What appeared to be a pokemon, one she recognized as Buneary if only because she had a predisposition to such types of pokemon, had stumbled towards her. A clueless expression on its face as it looked at Rus and Jacklyn, cocking its head and letting out a, "bu?" Most strikingly to Jacklyn though was neither the pokemon nor the way it acted towards her. She knew what a Buneary was. She knew how one looked. Brown fur with like a beige? fluff around its ears and bottom fur. But this one, it had more a red and pink tinge to its fur, something far more unique then a regular Buneary.

A shine in her eyes Jacklyn shouted, "Rus! Rus! Look! Look! Isn't that amazing!? I've never seen a Buneary like that before, are you like super rare? Super strong? Super cute? Of course you are! Alright come on Rus!" An annoyed expression crossed Rus at his trainer's exuberance but it was quickly switched to a more fierce one as he got ready to battle. The Buneary, however, still seemed incredibly clueless about what was happening, seeming to throw Rus a bit off his game before Jacklyn shouted, "go and tackle it!" 

The Lepash moved quick and slammed itself into the Buneary, the pokemon rolling back from the hit before landing on its feet and hopping back up. Seeming to know that there was now indeed a fight going on, the expression of the Buneary changed as well to that of something trying its best impression at something that would be seen as tough. Hopping in place, the Buneary started to close the distance between itself and Rus before hopping in place...and that was it. Rus was, again, thrown off its game as the Buneary appeared to be doing nothing of consequence. "And now hit it with an ember!" The Lepash reluctantly complied as it shot fire from its mouth towards the Buneary. With the pokemon weakened Jacklyn said, "alright, so you weaken them first before going in for the capture right? Well, Rus is plenty strong so that should be enough. So come on and join the team!" With that, the girl took out her premiere ball out of her bag before tossing it at the still confused but active Buneary. 

The pokemon was enveloped in the light from the Premiere Ball. One shake. Two shake. Three shake. "Wahoo let's - " It broke free. Jacklyn froze in place, her exuberant expression locked in shock, before  it finally shifted into a more humorless one. Buneary, for its part, didn't seem to understand what had just happened, instead hopping around harmlessly yet again. Letting her head fall and hang in shame, her arms following suit, the girl let out a heavy sigh. Taking out a regular pokeball she tossed it again.

One shake. Two shake. Three Shake. Click.

Jacklyn walked over, defeated in spite of her victory and picked up the pokeball. Looking at the newly caught pokemon's pokeball, then to Rus's, the back and forth again the girl said, "maybe I'll paint it a different color." Sending out the pokeball to see her new companion, the Buneray was let out, letting out yet another "bu," as it did. In spite of its injury and combat with Rus, it didn't seem to harbor any hard feelings about what had just happened.

Rus, who still didn't really feel like he had taken a fight he wanted at all, was still a bit confused letting out a "pa," as it apologize to the Buneary. The Buneary simply cocked its head to the side, walking over to Rus and patting it on the head, which elicited the Lepash to back off a bit. Staring at the Buneary, Jacklyn's previous disappointment had all but vanished as she simply shouted, "you're so cute!" Diving in and picking it up, rubbing her face against it she said, "what an adorable pokemon and party member! Welcome to the squad uh," the girl looked at the Buneary before saying, "Cherry! That's your name now! Welcome aboard Cherry, c'mon let's go meet up with the others!" With that, she let go of the Buneary before running back to meet up with Anneliese, the two bunny pokemon following from behind. 

When she caught up, it had seemed Anneliese had almost caught to Anima before asking Jacklyn for pointers. Confused by the question she said, "speak loud? Hm, I can't really think of how I do it but people seem to be able to hear me easy enough. Oh I know!" A flash of insight came to the girl. "It's simply really. It's all about projecting your adventurous spirit! First, look to who you want to hear you. Then, think about how much you want them to hear you. And then!" The girl took a deep breath before shouting, "hey Anima! Look what I found!" Smiling to Anneliese she said, "like that see? Oh, oh, oh, you should also look at what I found too. Say hello to Cherry, my newest pokemon!" The girl threw her hands to the side to emphatically point at the Buneary that had just caught up with her. 

[Tiamat's Circus 117]

In all honesty, training had been a different sort of exhausting than Anima had been expecting. She had expected it to be a mental game, one where she had to think more about what her partner should be doing, how to dodge, how to attack… Or, one where she was trying to wager how much damage her Partner could sustain, what to do to avoid taking damage, and something more along that line. What she hadn’t expected, was for the first route they went on to be primarily normal-type Pokémon… And for her to have to be the target of other Pokémon's ire.

Perhaps then, that’s why her ankles and arms had hurt so much. Her ankles and calves had taken the brunt of attacks from anything on the ground, and her arms had been used to defend her torso from more than a few Starly. She was probably even already bruising, if she had to guess. She bruised quite easily, after all… But if this was what it took to help Confi get stronger, then… It was the least she could do, she decided, as Confi trotted up to her, letting out a quiet noise to get her attention, as she knelt down.

“You’re right,” Anima smiled, patting the Pokémon on the head. “That’s probably enough for right now. You’re probably feeling about half as beat as I am right now, right?” she smiled, chuckling slightly at her Pokémon's fervent disagreement as they lightly tackled into her hand. “Well, you’re at least getting a little bored,” Anima countered. “I saw how long you hesitated on attacking that last Rattata,” she tapped the Corsola on the head. “Either way, we should take a brea-”

Anima cut herself off as she recalled the, rather simple fact, that this wasn’t a solo-journey; prompted by the shout from Jacklyn, after all. Scooping Confi up in her arms, Anima rose back to her full height after a second, wincing slightly as both her ankles and calves reminded her that she had been a training-dummy for more than a few normal-type Pokémon. “What’s, uh, going on?” she began, voice quiet, before she let Jacklyn finish her sentence; already walking over towards her two party-members… Just a tinge slower than perhaps was normal.

“Awww,” Anima smiled, once again crouching down as she held Confi close to her, hoping to get a closer look at the Buneary. “She’s adorable, Jacklyn!” she smiled, leaning forwards slightly. “It’s nice to meet you, Cherry! This is Confi, someone who you’ll be adventuring alongside, and my partner Pokémon,” she explained, setting the dead-Coral Pokémon down in front of her. For her part, Confi just sort of… Blinked a few times, unsure of what to do, before letting out a somewhat pathetic-sounding cry towards the Buneary.

Edited October 22, 2023 by Tiamat's Circus

[LordCowCow 841]

Team JAA/AJA/AAJ

"It's simply really. It's all about projecting your adventurous spirit! First, look to who you want to hear you. Then, think about how much you want them to hear you. And then!" The girl took a deep breath before shouting, "hey Anima! Look what I found!"

"Oh, I see! Adventurous spirit...adventurous spirit..." Anneliese repeated this to herself a few times, as if saying it again and again would help her understand. Unfortunately she wasn't sure at all what Jacklyn meant.

But she wasn't going to say that. After all Jacklyn was so good at being loud surely she must know what she's talking about. It was up to Anneliese to interpret her advice.

So when the girl introduced her new Pokemon Anneliese stared at it for a little bit. "Adventurous spirit...." Then she spoke up, her voice volume not much changed at all but her tone much more intense. "Hello! Cherry!" She said, then smiled at Jacklyn as if to say "like that?"

A bit later she seemed to realize something. "Oh, her color! My father's friend has a few like that, he told me that he spent a lot of money to get them!" Leopold moved closer to Cherry and seemed to puff out his chest, as if trying to tell the Buneary that he was in charge.

As the two interacted Anneliese's attention was drawn to Anima. "My, it looks like Confi has gotten stronger already, why I bet they will evolve in no time like that! Oh but whatever happened to you, Anima? You look so...raggedy. Did you take a fall?"

---

Some time after the group continued on they realized that it was starting to grow dark. And so they found a spot just off the road that wasn't full of grass to begin setting together camp.

Anneliese, for her part, was so excited she was literally bouncing as they began to prepare. "Ooooh this will be wonderful. We shall pitch a fire, and stoke a tent! Jacklyn, Anima, please let me know what it is I can do. I wish to become a camper type person posthaste!"

Spoiler

The only thing I have planned for the night is later I want Anneliese to catch a Pokemon but that's just for her.

Also Confi could safely be moved up to level 7 I think.

 

[Cheshire Toon 141]

Nate grinned at Belle once the matter with the Rattata had been settled. “So, you really have all of the anniversary stuff for the rangers?” he asked as they walked back to the Pokémon Center. It felt like a great weight had been lifted off of his chest now that he no longer had to worry about injured Pokémon, and he was happy to talk about something more light-hearted. “My Mom has a few too. She grew up in Hoenn so she was really into the show, so she watched it with me a lot. I only ever wanted stuff with the Red Ranger in it though.” His face flushed and he scratched at the back of his neck and looked away, still smiling. “I just thought he was cool. What about you? Got a favorite?”

Nate would continue the conversation if Belle responded during the trip back to town. If she didn’t, he wouldn’t press the issue, and instead focus on the scenery around them.

When they arrived back at town Nate would head inside and have the nurse quickly heal Peat. Unlike earlier that morning, there was no paperwork involved, and the whole process was a quick and easy thing. He clipped the Poké Ball back to his belt and took a seat to wait for his friends to be ready.

Well… he sat for about a minute. Nate was never good at being still. After a few seconds he was bouncing his leg. Then a minute later he was on his feet pacing. By the time Quinn reunited with them outside the Pokémon Center, Nate was shadow boxing with the air, slipping and sliding his shoulders to roll away from imagined punches. His movements were crisp and fluid, and when he struck back at his invisible opponent, the blows were snappy and the air cracked around his knuckles. It was clear even to someone untrained that Nate was a very experienced boxer.

“OH! Quinn!” Nate paused mid-punch and grinned. “You get the nurse to check on you guys? I’m used to getting roughed up by Pokémon, but that bruise looked nasty.” When the potential specter mentioned training, Nate pumped his fist with excitement, then paused suddenly. “I think Peat could use a break. We’ve been training the whole time, and I haven’t managed to catch any Pokémon yet. You went and beat me to finding the Rat King!”  The momentary pause was not enough to keep his spirit down. “I can help you train though! Mom and Dad ran a dojo back home, right by the Saffron city gym, so I’ve been training since I was a kid. Oh, and Belle and Moo can join too! This’ll be great.”
 

[Sethera 290]

Belle didn't like the sound of that "nowhere near the worst thing a Pokémon has done," but she also didn't care enough to ask what Quinn meant. "If you say so," she said instead and turned away. She was tired and ready to go home. But she couldn't do that, so she did the next best thing—return to the Pokémon Center. The way back was quiet except for the occasional wild Pokémon. Remembering her earlier loss, Belle bit her lip and sent out Moo to get some training in. The cow seemed to handle most of the Pokémon just fine, which was good, at least.

Nate seemed to take their shared interest in the Hoenn Rangers as a sign that they were friends now. Or that she was open to chatting. With a put-upon sigh, the girl replied in short sentences: "Yes," and "fascinating" and "uh-huh," though her irritation subsided eventually as she was drawn into the conversation despite herself. "You mean Littleroot Crimson," she corrected. "And he's not bad. I preferred Pacifidlog Cobalt, myself. She was the coolest, but she was also hyper-aware of how the world saw her. She felt the most realistic out of all the Rangers."

Moo didn't have to rest much compared to the others (having done the least amount of battling) but he still benefited from a rest in the center. When everybody was done, Belle approached the other two, agreeing with Nate as she glanced over Quinn's stomach. "It did. I wouldn't overdo it if I were you." She didn't push the subject, however, instead grunting at Nate's last words. She didn't enjoy training (it sounded too much like work), but she also didn't enjoy losing. Which is why she got good at League and Unite. But if she didn't want to lose in actual battles, she had to train. Sabrina had told her that enough times.

[Skaia 578]

Jacklyn gave a smile to Annelise as she had tried to speak to Cherry with her adventurous spirit. The girl felt that there was something lacking in it, but could tell the effort was there at least so they could work on making something of an adventurer out of her later. "Wait really?" She said to Anneliese's comment on the fact that she had something like this before. "I wonder if there are other weird colored pokemon out there."  Cherry, for her part, was a bit confused why this new human woman was so speaking so intensely to her but let out a "bu!" that sounded both like it was confident and completely unsure at the same time. As Anima made their way and gave their greeting, there was a much cheerier and less confused response from the Buneary. Cherry then stared at Confi, waiting for its greeting before letting out another cheerful, "bu" to the Corsola. 

Jacklyn also looked at Anima more closely as Anneliese had pointed out how rough they looked. "Whoa, she's right. You look like you've already been diving head first into this adventure! Nnnn," the girl mulled for a moment before saying, "as your leader I should be proud for how readily you've been adventuring but I feel like I'm falling behind. Oh well!" The girl clapped her hands together to refocus herself. "All that matters is that I - we! - keep pressing forward!" With newfound resolve Jacklyn was ready to tackle her way through any challenge that had come their way. 

The next challenge for the group to face was the night. Specifically being able to weather or, sleep through it or some kind of thing like that. As Anneliese had made her comment Jacklyn smiled and nodded along saying, "yeah I'm pretty stoked to build a tent too! Don't worry, I've watched tons of videos," or just a few, "and read up a lot," or a web page or two, "on how to build tents so I'm sure I can do it no problem!" Once they had settled down, eager as she was and without waiting for anyone else's say, the girl gone to take all of the tent supplies out of its container before saying, "as for a fire, that's where my handy dandy partner Rus comes in. He can make fire instantly," the girl looked around saying, "though I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to start a fire on a grass...hmmmm...Well, I'm sure we can deal with any problem anyway, Corsola's a water type anyway right?" 

[radio414 909]

“Fear not, Belladonna,” Quinn said. “I have spent the past year and a day familiarizing myself with my new corporeal form. I know my limits. But that is also why we must expand them! Why even be on this journey if we are not going to pursue the absolute pinnacles of what trainer and Pokémon can achieve?”

All the maps provided to them had been very clear. Fernsworth was the next town over. That was their destination, and they had whatever time remained in the day to get there. Their initial foray into Route One Oh One had gotten them sidetracked by the thrill of independence, of a whole new world opening up before their eyes. Now was the true trial, the true measure of worth. Their supplies were lesser for the sidetrack, but at the same time, their total number was greater. Quinn felt both Cassiopeia and Normandie by her side even as they were still both in their Pokéballs in his bag. They could all train as they went along. Quinn’s pace was steady, slow enough to keep Belladonna from falling behind, yet still firm and with purpose. They could train along the way.

---

“Enough of this,” the Lass said. “Starly, get back here! We’ll regroup and-”

They were almost the same words Quinn had used when encountering Normandie for the first time, and the Ratffian barely even needed to be told what to do in such a situation. Quinn still issued the command: “Normandie, keep up with Pursuit!” At the very least, Quinn felt xe had to demonstrate e could make proper decisions. Quinn wanted to improve their relationship with Normandie to the point where she might listen when their decisions contradicted. As things stood, it felt more the other way around. Maybe Normandie was already charging up the Pursuit, and Quinn was just following along barking out the order as a formality. It was either that or ze was just a natural at training Pokémon, and she did not have enough hubris to believe that to be the case.

It was working out for them so far. Normandie dashed forwards and leapt several times her height into the air, snapping at the Lass’ Starly, finally landing a blow around the starling Pokémon’s ankles and dragging -- no, slamming -- it back to the ground. The Starly had already taken a few Tackles and a couple of Tail Whips. The Pursuit was the final nail in the coffin. Not literally, of course, although, given how Normandie still stood tall and proud over her conquest, one could never be quite sure until the Starly’s eyes fluttered as it returned to the Lass’ Pokéball.

“Well done, Normandie!” Quinn said. “Here, let me…” They were already fishing around in his backpack for a berry to reward their Ratffian, and Normandie in turn dutifully trotted over to receive it. As they made their exchange, Quinn heard scurrying behind hir. She turned around only to see a telltale purple tail disappear into the bush. The wild Rattata of Route One Oh One were out for revenge, were still out for the berries, or both. They were getting testy. But they were not all jumping out to attack at once, at least, so Quinn just kept an eye out. Normandie, too, glared at the bushes until they finally stopped moving, even in the breeze, before returning to her Pokéball.

---

At one point along the journey Quinn took up Nathaniel’s offer of physical training, though Cassiopeia took even more interest in the activity than Quinn did. She had absorbed the basics well enough watching the trainers go through a basic drill, learning how to punch, learning where to punch, and, most importantly, learning when to punch, and now it was time for the Drifloon to do the same. The target pad had been set up. Cassiopeia faced the target head-on, arms raised in front of her face just as she had been shown. She pressed forward and…

…and barely touched Nathaniel’s palm.

“You can do it, Cassiopeia,” Quinn said. “Remember what Nathaniel said: you are moving forward with the blow to put your weight into it. Punch past the pad.”

Cassiopeia nodded and her eyes grew fierce. Quinn had read that Drifloon and Driflim were theorized to be propelled by a secret fire, and he could certainly see that in Cassiopeia’s eyes now as she squared up again. She reared back, breaking the form Nathaniel had shown her just to put her all into this next punch and…

…and lightly brushed the target this time, little more than a light shove.

Quinn rushed in immediately to console her balloon. “Oh, dear Cassiopeia,” she said. “You do only weigh two gravelerock at most. Perhaps this is not the activity for you. But we can find something else that will suit you better. I promise you that we will.”

Cassiopeia remained solemn, however. “Blooon…”

---

Cassiopeia did much better when it came to training against actual Pokémon. Her awareness against the several Rattata that had approached, one after the other, remained as good as Quinn could hope for, and she was able to use her flight advantage to great effect, dashing around the clearing in the middle of some tall grass, keeping herself Minimized as per Quinn’s plan, and Gusting when the time was right. It was not as though the Rattata could do much to harm her anyway, but Quinn had decided it was better safe than sorry.

She was getting stronger, too. Normandie was getting stronger as well, but Quinn had spent so much time with her Drifloon that they could see the gains more easily. It was encouraging. Quinn had promised faer parents that he would be well-protected, and even with the increase in Rattata aggression, no further harm since their bruise had come to their person. By the same token, though, Quinn could see the wear from all these fights. Normadie’s coat had gotten scratched up as well. They were almost to Fernsworth, and good thing too, because they did need to stop soon.

---

As the afternoon light faded into evening, Quinn almost felt like Belladonna, in that they wanted to fall asleep where they stood. It could see light up ahead, though, coming from a window -- a house bordering a fenced-off area where Quinn could see Pokémon roaming around with no conflict at all. As Quinn got closer, he could see that all the Pokémon had collars on them. There was also a sign near the front door of the house that said “DAYCARE” and then, in brackets underneath in a handwritten scrawl, “(also pokemon center).”

A Pokémon center solved one of their problems, at least. Quinn went right up to the door and yanked on the doorknob, but it was locked. There was a second sign (or third, depending on how one counted) on the door itself that said “Knock for Entry” and a door knocker just below it, so Quinn used that instead.

It took a moment to find out, but the man who answered the door had blonde hair and was tall enough that he clearly missed Quinn standing just in front of him, but he did look down before Quinn had to get his attention. “Oh, hello there,” he said. “I’m Billy, and this is my daycare. Well, mine and my brother Bobby’s. What can I do ya for?”

Quinn pointed to the sign. “The sign says this is a Pokemon Center -- if this is true then I request your services. In addition, my companions and I will require lodging for the night so if you know where in Fernsworth a hostel might be, that would be appreciated as well.”

The man -- Billy, right, Quinn thought, hopefully remembering this time -- scratched his head. “Not sure what a hostel is, but you can stay in one of the spare rooms here if you want. Just make sure you don't mess with any of the Pokemon and take your shoes off at the door. We sure do have a Pokémon Center too, if that’s what you need more.” He gestured inside. Quinn could see that she was looking into a modest living room, but ze could see some recognizable machinery through a doorway off to the side.

Still, Quinn could not help but show off his preparedness a little bit. Even as Quinn gestured for zir companions to join them in accepting Billy’s hospitality, they said, “I admit I do not have personal experience with hostels, but I did read about them in preparation for our journey. A hostel is a shared lodging, meant for short stays and the potential to meet and socialize with other travelers.” She dutifully took off her shoes and wandered in. “I suppose this could qualify if you ever think to update your signage again. You are most kind to offer this.”

“Well, aren’t you a smart…” Billy looked at Quinn a bit and finished “…young person. I think I’ll do just that. And don’t think nothing of it. We all gotta help each other out, after all.”

Quinn found themself fixated on Billy’s hesitation and sought to correct the matter. “My name is Quinn,” thon said. “I am a ghost!”

Edited November 2, 2023 by radio414

[Cheshire Toon 141]

Nate was sad to see the daycare appear on the horizon. He had been enjoying the journey. His skills were limited and training was one of the few things he was knowledgeable about, so it had been fun to share all the information that had been drilled into his head since he was a kid. 

His disappointment did not last long once they met the owner of the daycare. Nate stepped forward and extended his hand to shake Billy’s firmly. “Hi Billy! My name’s Nate. You already met my friend Quinn, spooky, right? The girl over there is…” Nate glanced around until he found Belle. During the journey, he had been sure to pace himself and never leave anyone behind, but he supposed he might have sprinted toward the house. “That’s Belle! Don't worry, she's looked like that since we got off the boat, but she's actually super nice.” He gestured at himself with his thumb and smiled. “We’re Pokémon trainers!”

Nate toed off his shoes and followed Quinn inside. “I was pretty spooked by whole ghost thing at first too, but Quinn is just as nice as Belle.” The boy glanced around at the inside of the house with amazement. “So this is what a daycare looks like. We have one in Kanto, but my family would never let me visit. Do you guys have any special techniques you use to care for your Pokémon? Do you feed them any specific food?” Nate fished his notebook and pencil out of his pocket. “Have you ever heard of a Pokémon called Bearble? My partner is named Peat, and he’s a Bearble. I was hoping you guys might have some advice on how I was supposed to take care of him. He worked real hard today so I wanna make sure his fur and his teeth and fins and stuff are all taken care of the right way. Right now I’ve been brushing him every night, and cleaning his teeth whenever I brush mine. He hates it, but I saw a documentary once talking about how most trainers don’t give their Pokémon proper dental care, so I wanna be extra careful.”

Nate stopped when he realized that no one else was talking, then he laughed, his face flushing as red as a cheri berry. “Sorry about that…” he said, awkwardly rolling his pencil between his thumb and forefinger. “I get a little excited sometimes.”
 

Edited November 3, 2023 by Cheshire Toon

[Tiamat's Circus 117]

Anima was happy to see the others were doing well for their own part. As much as she didn’t want to think about them in that way, she was afraid she was going to have to watch out for Anneliese at every junction; but it seemed she would only have to do so to keep the girl from getting ahead of herself, for now. At least, when it came to training, they all seemed capable enough, which was good. It meant she could focus on herself and Confi, which she definitely needed to do… 

"My, it looks like Confi has gotten stronger already, why I bet they will evolve in no time like that! Oh but whatever happened to you, Anima? You look so...raggedy. Did you take a fall?"

Anima’s mind shot back to the present, as she brought a hand up to her head, and shook it. “Er… Not exactly,” she chuckled nervously. “Um… Confi’s a ghost-type, so she can dodge normal-type attacks with greater-ease than most other types,” she explained with a gentle smile, scooping the Pokémon up as she raised back to her full height, holding her close. “Which means that, since a lot of Pokémon here use normal-type attacks, they were having trouble hitting her, right? So when she started to win a battle, they’d realize she wasn’t prey, and would just… Begin to run away,” she explained; or at least, did so as well as she understood it. “So… I had to play decoy for Confi, letting the Pokémon tackle me instead,” she winced a bit as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “It’s fine, though. Maybe I’ll have a few bruises, but I’ll heal! And Confi got stronger, too, so it’s a win-win,” she explained with a satisfied nod; more than ready to let the others take the conversation from here.

---

Of course, it didn’t take long for night to begin its strike; after all, they had been training for quite some time. “Right,” Anima nodded towards Anneliese first, and then Jacklyn. “As long as we, uh, follow the instructions on the tent, we should be fine. No need to go off of muscle memory or, uh, anything like that,” she cautioned with an almost tired smile. “As for what you can do to help… Jacklyn’s right, we should start figuring out for a fire-- But she’s also right in that we shouldn’t be starting it on the grass. The Corsola where I come from at Ghost type, after all,” Anima corrected; because after all, weren’t they all? “But, that doesn’t mean we can’t have a fire at all. We just need to find something else to burn…” she trailed off, tapping at her chin.

“Aha! That’d be a good job-- While I begin unpacking and preparing to pitch the Tent, perhaps you could, if it wouldn’t be any trouble, gather some wood for the fire?” Anima asked, smiling towards Anneliese. “We’ll need anything from branches to logs, if you can find any wood that doesn’t look too wet, to build a fire; after all, it won’t burn very well if it’s too damp…” she trailed off, scratching deep into her memory of the last time she had been camping-- Even if it was over ten years ago, with her parents. “Still, I think that would be an efficient use of time, right? Um… Though, you said you wanted to help with the tent too, right? So maybe instead of starting right away on that, once I’ve read the instructions, we can all work together instead…?” Anima would ask quietly, unsure if ‘divide and conquer’ was the right call this time, or if they could afford to take it slow.