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Post by Atticus on Nov 8, 2017 23:16:10 GMT -5
Winter let out her species' signature trill in response to Chelle's idea, nodding her head. Convincing the stubby-legged reptile wouldn't be too hard now, she thought. She'd gotten most of the ranch to go along with her antics in the past, after all.
"Okay, be careful nothing jumps you. Keep an eye out for movement," Eliza warned her little siblings as they moved through the tall grass. In this part of the region, there wasn't anything particularly dangerous she knew about, but it was never worth being careless and finding out the hard way.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Nov 8, 2017 23:22:44 GMT -5
Chelle proceeded confidently, her head abuzz with the thought of adventure. It was a clear, sunny day; the kind of day where nothing ominous seemed to loom, but she hoped it had something in store for her anyway.
They didn't get far before the grass parted, and a snake Pokémon emerged. With the confidence of a legendary it slithered right up to Winter and periscoped at eye level with her. Its tongue flickered in her face as it examined her, its eyes coming in and out of focus while it used its other senses.
Chelle let out a surprised peep. It came upon them so abruptly that she didn't even see it approach. The name of the creature was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't grasp it. "It's... What is it? Aunty has one." She watched it cautiously, conscious that it could turn on her precious Sylveon, but dubious that it would. "Is it wild?"
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Post by Atticus on Nov 8, 2017 23:34:08 GMT -5
For all her confidence, the Sylveon only practiced her survival skills in theory. She'd been very lucky in her escapades outside the ranch as a cub, but she usually had someone to save her. Ryu and her family weren't here, or even Entei for that matter, and it was now her job to be someone's guardian.
Needless to say, the sudden appearance of the purple snake threw her off her groove. She stepped back with a paw raised, startled as her back bristled.
("If it's civil, it doesn't have any manners!") Winter gawked, as if her human could understand her. She heard Kitto and another pair of pawsteps come up behind her, but she didn't dare to peel away her blue eyes from the Ekans.
"It's an Ekans," Eliza informed her little sister, glancing down to make sure Kitto was at the ready if the Pokémon attacked. "They're poisonous, so be careful. I don't think this one has a trainer."
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Nov 8, 2017 23:44:23 GMT -5
"(Rude and ignorant,)" the snake Pokémon replied, its voice an offended but not aggressive hiss. It lowered onto its belly and slithered back into the grass.
Chelle was dumbfounded. She started to raise another inquiry when the snake reemerged, this time with two humans following. The first was a girl about Eliza's age; she had a bit of an exotic look to her, with dark skin and red-brown hair. She looked down at the Sylveon and her eyes lit up. "Oh, how pretty... hello!" She squatted, holding her hand out to the unfamiliar creature. But she didn't ignore the humans. "Hi!"
Her companion was a boy, and although he was younger than her, he was taller and broader. He chewed on a piece of sugar cane and he examined the scene in silence, clearly taking queues from the girl. He waved shyly.
The girl was followed by a houndour. Its color was classic black and brown, and it was build thick and stout, with a square jaw instead of narrow, angular build. It wore a heavy red collar around its neck; in classic punck style, except there were metal studs instead of spikes. Upon seeing an entire party, it perked up, little nub tail in the air. "(Aw, shit. You were supposed to find wild Pokémon, you dumb bitch.)"
The Ekans, who promptly curled up by the boy's feet, flicked its tongue at him in a gesture of dismissal. The young canine's casual profanity did not seem to offend it.
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Post by Atticus on Nov 8, 2017 23:56:24 GMT -5
("Yeah? I'll poke my tongue in your face and see how you like it!") Winter called as she snake slithered away. Her ears flattened when it returned with two humans, however, and she stepped back towards Chelle.
She looked with uncertainty at the dark-haired human who approached her, but she certainly seemed more polite than her Pokémon. At the compliment, the Sylveon yipped coyly and gave the girl's hand a sniff.
Eliza was relieved to see that the Ekans did indeed have human company. The Pokémon Center was just a short walk back, but it was always better to avoid such things. "Hello," she greeted them, offering them an inert smile.
Kitto's ears twitched in surprise at the language the Houndour was using, and he looked to Winter and Dante in uncertainty. Winter, momentarily distracted from the human, looked baffled at the newcomer. Dante smirked.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Nov 9, 2017 0:02:20 GMT -5
"It looks like my brother's Ekans found you," the girl went on, apologetic. "Sorry about that. She's supposed to be looking for wild Pokémon. I guess she saw something she couldn't pass by. You are so pretty." She cooed at Winter, patiently waiting for her to receive. "Do you mind me asking what it is?"
Chelle was still trying to catch up with all that was going on. "She's a Sylveon. Her name is Winter."
"Winter? That's cute." She gave Winter a moment more to decide if she liked her, and then she stood. "I'm Janice. This is Damion." She motioned to the boy standing back with the Ekans. "These are our Pokémon, Malachi and Medusa." She pointed to the houndour and ekans, respectively.
Malachi returned Dante's smirk as if it were some sign of camaraderie. Of the group, the other houndour was immediately his favorite. Medusa looked over the group again, tongue flicking. Her face wasn't exactly expressive enough to communicate anything when she wasn't talking.
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Post by Atticus on Nov 12, 2017 18:25:45 GMT -5
"It's nice to meet you," Eliza smiled, relieved. "I'm Eliza, and these are my brother and sister, Roy and Chelle." The blonde placed her hand gently on her siblings' shoulders.
"'N that's Dante and Kitto," Roy added out of some kind of inner obligation, gesturing briefly with his hand towards the lilac coloured houndour and the fire hybrid. His blue eyes settled on Malachi, noticing the differences in the two dogs standing across from one another. "Your houndour is really cool looking," he said after a moment, admiring the dark rusty colour complimenting his sleek, black fur. His was wider and more stout looking than Dante, who looked a lot more lean, like his grandfather. "I've never seen one like him before."
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Nov 12, 2017 18:34:55 GMT -5
"I've never seen one like that," Janice said, appreciating Dante from a distance. "I heard that they could look different, but all the ones I've seen look more like Malachi."
Her eyes shined as they landed on Kitto. "Oh, what's that?" she asked politely, head tilting slightly to the side. "Is it a kind of Growlithe? I've never seen one in-person, except for the police dogs. And I know they're specially trained..." She trailed off, realizing that she was rambling.
"You have a lot of cool Pokémon," the dark-skinned by commended, voice soft with shyness. His green eyes were trailing from each of them appreciatively, but unlike his companion, his feet remained rooted. Clearly he wasn't the socialite of the two.
Malachi danced on his paws, suddenly restless. He looked at his trainer, anticipating some sort of command that she wasn't ready to give yet.
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Post by Atticus on Nov 12, 2017 18:57:58 GMT -5
"Huh. Well, I haven't seen a whole lot of houndours besides my family's, so maybe I've got the weird ones." Roy tapped Dante's flank with his heel playfully. He then added, looking back up at Janice, "I know for a fact his colours are uncommon. His dad's an Espeon and his mom was a mutant, we think it has something to do with that."
Eliza was starting to get a little uncomfortable, though she fought not to let it show other than hoping Roy would catch her awkward smile. When meeting new people and showing off his Pokémon, Roy could get unusually gregarious. He wasn't amazing at keeping information to himself if he thought it would impress other people. Their family having strange and unique Pokémon was something Eliza really loved, but she was cautious to throw that information around.
She knew she was running the risk of question and attention constantly through her bond with Kitto, but he was her most precious companion, and she wouldn't have chosen anyone else for this journey. The girl would just have to do her all to keep him safe, as he did with her.
"Ah, well... he's a chimera," she said somewhat hesitantly. She couldn't ignore her question. "He's a cross between a Vulpix and a Growlithe." She exhaled quietly, and decided to try and perk up. They were kids, just like them. Not scientists, not some creepy adults, just some kids on a journey looking for adventure and Pokémon like they were. With this optimism, her chest began to feel a little better.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Nov 12, 2017 19:07:51 GMT -5
"A chimera? Wow..." She looked at all of the Pokémon again, enthralled. "That's so cool. It makes me wish I knew more about these guys." He gave her impatient houndour a pat on the head. "Are you heading to Cherrygrove city, or New Bark Town? We were going to Cherrygrove, if you want to walk with us? Go ahead, Malachi."
She offered the last part as an offhanded permission as Chelle leaned forward and held out her hand to him. The giddy houndour trotted to her, nub wagging, and sniffed her all over as she pet him. Chelle loved meeting new Pokémon; all of the charisma she lacked with humans seemed to have gone to monsters instead. She lacked any fear, or even a healthy respect for ones she didn't know, although in situations like this, she had learned to let the Pokémon come to her. Malachi, luckily, was tolerant of her coddling while he conducted his cheerful investigation.
It didn't last, however, and he quickly moved on to Dante. His body language friendly, he sniffed the leaner houndour over before introducing himself. "(Heyo, Dante, right? Like the fucking comedy!)" He flashed him a toothy smile, thinking his joke very funny.
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Post by Atticus on Nov 12, 2017 19:58:48 GMT -5
"Yeah, they're a pretty interesting looking bunch," Eliza agreed, looking over the three Pokémon. In Kantō and Johto it seemed, Eeveelutions such as Glaceon, Leafeon and Sylveon were not quite as popular or common as the other five. The fairy type, and the corresponding Eeveelution by nature, was the most recently discovered typing. She'd read about it often in Trainer School, that scientists were even reevaluating Pokémon with well established types and moves and theorising the new fairy type. Discoveries like that made her want to see the rest of the world, but she was happy to start her journey in a somewhat familiar region.
"We're heading to Cherrygrove," Eliza confirmed, coming back to at the girl's question. At the offer, the blonde smiled. "Yeah, that'd be nice." Thinking on it, she added, "Are you guys from around this area?"
Dante blinked as the houndour trotted over to him, somewhat surprised to be approached. ("Sure,") he responded, with no idea about what the other houndour was referring to. All that Dante knew was the ranch, born and raised.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Nov 12, 2017 20:14:56 GMT -5
Janice smiled and motioned for the group to follow her. She took the lead through the trail, confidently following the gently worn trail. "We're from Goldenrod City," she explained. It was a bit of a half-truth, although the reasons for that varied between her and Damion. Naming Goldenrod was a safe answer; these strangers hadn't earned their life stories anyway. "We've been traveling with our Pokémon for a few months now. We went to New Bark early today. It was a little disappointing... No professor, huh, Damion?"
"Gone researching," he agreed, nodding. His ekans slithered up his arm and wrapped around his impressive bicep like an arm cuff. He followed the redhead.
With everyone moving, Malachi trotted casually after his trainer. But Dante's bemusement wasn't lost on him. "(You know? The Divine Comedy? No?)" He pouted, but it didn't irk him. "(What, they didn't teach you shit like that as a pup?)" His gaze shifted to Winter and Kitto in turn, inviting them into the conversation. It wasn't hard to tell that Malachi was a naturally friendly pup who lacked talkative company. He was hoping for the best with this bunch, but he hadn't gotten his hopes up yet.
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Post by Atticus on Nov 12, 2017 20:38:01 GMT -5
"Oh!" Eliza beamed. For some reason, hearing a familiar city somewhat comforted her. Even in Kantō, people gabbed about Goldenrod and its dazzling lights and bustling streets. It seemed so much different than the cities in Kantō.
"Hey, we have an aunt that lives there! She's does Pokémon, uh... rehabilitation? Maybe you know the place?" Roy asked, following after the redhead with a jump in his step.
Eliza kept her lips shut tightly at the mention of the professor. She hadn't met him, but she was still not impressed with his staff, even if she was a bit embarrassed by her outburst.
Kitto, catching the houndour's gaze, shook his head. ("Um... well, you see, we're from a ranch up north. Rolling fields and white picket fences are more our speed,") he confessed sheepishly, offering the pup an apologetic smile.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Nov 12, 2017 20:50:46 GMT -5
"She's a be-hav-ior-ist," Chelle corrected, her tone empirical. How silly for Roy to not know something like that. Aunt Emily had the coolest career; it was easy to remember the name of it. She stuck her tongue out at her brother, teasing but good-natured.
"I don't think we'd know anyone like that," Janice said, apologetic. "We didn't, um, have the chance to get into Pokémon until we left." That was not a complete lie. Fighting off sewer ratattas and hungry pidgeys definitely didn't count. "But that's cool! I've never heard of anyone who did that. Does she treat Pokémon from all over the world, or just Kantō-Johto Pokémon?"
Malachi cocked his head to the side. "(Oooh. Tenderfoots!)" Despite the vaguely derogative meaning of the word, he didn't use it negatively. Such a type of Pokémon interested him, even if it was a kind of shallow fascination of a creature from another world. "(You didn't hear stories there? What could you do for fun?)"
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Post by Atticus on Nov 12, 2017 21:44:34 GMT -5
Roy pressed his lips together, letting out a dismissive "pfft" sound. "Same thing," he insisted haughtily, waving his hand. All he knew was that she dealt with Pokémon with attitude problems. "Maybe when we get there, she can train you," he teased with a boyish chuckle, crinkling his nose at her.
"Oh," Eliza said simply, monitoring her siblings' banter with the eyes behind her head to make sure she could curb it before it got out of hand. "Mm... I think she can handle anyone who comes to her," she said, speaking up for her now occupied little brother.
Roy twisted his head back towards the conversation and chimed in, "Yeah, Aunt Emily knows Hoenn Pokémon, too, I think. She's got a few of her own."
Winter felt more now than ever the disassociation the ranch had from the rest of the world, and it was making her gloomy.
("A-ah, well... we tend to help ourselves to our own stories, evidently...") Kitto chuckled weakly, glancing at Winter who looked away coyly.
("The ranch isn't fun,") Winter said simply, and Dante rolled his eyes.
("There's lots of places to relax,") the houndour reasoned, as the pup found cloud-gazing to be one of his favourite pasttimes. Winter immediately checked his flank with her hip.
("Exactly! Boring.")
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