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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 31, 2016 16:27:16 GMT -5
Late in the chilly Hoenn night, Petalburg Woods erupted into a cacophony of screams and cries. The trees shook, the ground rumbled, and young Pokémon scrambled in every direction in a desperate attempt to get clear of the hoard of newly-evolved vigoroth destroying a path through the thick foliage.
Paving their own path blindly through the night, Yejide and Ebele were only just ahead of them. Ahead of them sprinted one vulpix, weaving through the heavy plant cover to find them a path to safety, and behind them ran another bigger one, doing his best to keep the Pokémon at bay with balls of fire that would light up the forest for a few terrifying moments before throwing the angry pursuers into darkness again. But despite Huff's best efforts, the vigoroth were gaining, and with a wild cry one leaped forward, claws extended, and made a grab for Ebele. The girl let out a shriek as its claws caught the hood of her hoodie, yanking her backward in the instant before Huff slammed into the Pokémon and knocked him backwards. Yedije grabbed her by the arm, spared Huff a desperate look, and sprinted after Puff.
As the girls scrambled up a tall tree Puff spun on his paws and turned to face the vigoroth descending on his brother and pouring past him. His chest swelled with a growing Ember attack, but before he could let it loose the vigoroth were thrown backward by a massive column of fire that rose from the ground around Huff. The massive vulpix rose to his paws, flames still dancing across his pelt, and glared at the stunned vigoroth, turning a slow circle so that none escaped his stare. Puff let the fire die in his throat. The Pokémon finally seemed to have stopped.
The relief didn't last a full minute. Like ghosts rising from graves the Pokémon were on their feet. Huff's eyes widened, and before he could be swarmed again he turned and sprinted toward the tree. Puff backed up until his tails brushed against bark, but there he stayed, unwilling to leave the girls hidden in the tree. The vigoroth descended upon the vulpixes mercilessly, and with their backs to the tree the two vulpixes blasted them with fire ball after fire ball as the twins above screamed for help.
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Post by Atticus on May 31, 2016 17:03:24 GMT -5
"Kitto, Flame Burst!"
The shrieks bouncing around Petalburg Woods weren't all that hard to track, and with the same integrity as her parents, Eliza was doomed to run towards it. When she had rounded the brush and undergrowth, she was nearly knocked back by the clan of vigoroth, looking to make a meal out of two teens and their vulpix. The granddaughter of Lt. Surge, there was nothing that could stop her from intervening.
The canine chimera sent the sparking embers towards the sloth Pokémon-- one of the perks of this attack was its explosive nature. As the name suggested, the flames burst upon impact, embers grazing the other Pokémon nearby. It started a small chain reaction, and soon the vigoroth were regularly distracted by their small burns and the embers that kept sparking and flashing in their faces.
"Hey!" While Kitto continued to frustrate the shit out of the vigoroth, Eliza turned towards the girls in the tree. Arceus, she wasn't good at this rescue business. What was she supposed to do now? They had to either chase off the vigoroth or make it out of Petalburg Woods... obviously...
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 31, 2016 17:24:26 GMT -5
The girls didn't move from their place in the tree until the sounds of the howling primates had faded into the distance. Yejide was the first to descend; in a few careful hops she was on the ground next to Eliza, shaking the leaves out of her hair. She heaved a shaky sigh as her sister joined her, and then she turned to Eliza. "Thank you. So much." A foreign accent was heavy in her words, although her English was clear.
Ebele managed a smile and nodded. She spoke with the same accent as her twin, although she seemed to have recovered a little more than her. "You really saved our tails."
Already previously burned, the vigoroth were more distracted than deterred. Huff and Puff, sensing their opportunity to get the girls away, joined the other fire type in luring them away. With Huff driving them away from the tree and Kitto and Puff leading, the hoard was soon scrambled and off in their own directions, finding far less important things to destroy than the precious twins.
As the last of the hoard dissipated, and the three canines were freed from them, Huff sank to the ground with an exhausted sigh. Puff trotted to him, his backwards-curling tails wiggling. "Ha! We did it! Bastards," he panted, shaking himself off. He turned to the stranger with a wide grin. "Thanks, buddy. You really saved our tails."
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Post by Atticus on May 31, 2016 22:56:10 GMT -5
Eliza's head whipped back to the horde as the three vulpix ganged up on the sloths, watching the foxes chase them off. Relief cleared the tightness in her chest like a crisp wind, and she sighed, relaxing against the trunk of the tree as the two girls climbed down it.
"Oh, uh, not a problem!" she grinned, wiping her brow. The instinct that had driven her and her commands washed out when the danger ceased, and Eliza was left with blatant confusion. She was not the type to really rush head first into danger... well, she didn't think so, anyway. She was much more of a planner, but... granted that the vigoroth hadn't really given her a whole lot of time...
"I, uh... think I know the way out if you guys are headed to Rustboro? I just came here to train with Kitto."
("No problem,") Kitto assured them, watching the last of the vigoroth disappear into the woods. When he was sure that they were clear, he peeled his eyes off of the undergrowth and glanced at the two vulpix. It wasn't everyday they bumped into one of his kind... half of what he was, anyway.
("There are vulpix in this region?") he asked suddenly, his head cocked. ("Or are you guys from somewhere else?")
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 31, 2016 23:16:40 GMT -5
"That would be great!" Yejide chirped, a wide grin spreading across her tan face. They had only been meaning to pass through, but they had underestimated just how big this wood was. And then they had gotten lost. And then they had gotten mixed up in what Yejide was sure was the strangest evolution experience she had ever seen. She was just glad that they had gotten out of it unscathed, and was looking forward to getting the hell out of here.
As her thoughts danced from the attack to their defenders, she looked around for her and her sister's Pokémon. Ebele began to speak up, but seeing that her sister's priorities had already shifted to their Pokémon, she decided to address the blonde before them instead. "Yeah, we'd appreciate it. We didn't plan on being here all night. Is Kitto your Pokémon?"
'Yeah, from quite a ways,' Huff replied, lifting his head. He fixed the stranger in his sights as it occurred to him that he looked very familiar.
His stare remained fixed as his brother looked around the forest, reorienting himself. 'Super far! We were just passing through this place. Walked in on an evolution party that turned into an angry romp.' He snorted and shook his head, trying to clear his vision a little bit. He could hear his girls somewhere nearby and he wanted to get back at them. But Huff was still laying on the ground like a lazy lump. He shuffled on his sore paws, absently waiting for his brother to rise. He hadn't even glanced at the striped canine since the chaos had ended, and he wasn't planning on it until he was back with Yedije.'You, uh, from here?'
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Post by Atticus on May 31, 2016 23:26:46 GMT -5
"A-Alright!" The blonde perked, trying to ignore the fact that if she got lost now, she would be failing more than just Kitto. Through her journey, Eliza hadn't really interacted with a whole lot of trainers, other than those coaxing her into battle. Together, she and Kitto had come a long way, but this interaction alone was enough to make the young girl realise she needed to make time for people too. Training and sight-seeing was such a priority... she was losing touch with all other confidence. Social skills too, for that matter.
She glanced at Kitto as she rocked on her heels. "Yeah, Kitto's my... well, my mom says he's a chimera. Kind of a... half vulpix, half growlithe. Two embryos fused, and I guess one of them was a lucky growlithe cub. I usually just call him a vulpix, since he mostly took after his mother."
The fox nodded, picturing the the harmless group of slakoth evolving and rampaging. ("I hope they calm down, or soon they'll just be some other trainer's problem.") He looked at the shaggy vulpix curiously, his brows twitching. He wasn't one to judge, but these foxes were pretty peculiar looking-- certainly not purebred.
("No, my girl and I come from Johto,") he explained, tossing a glance back at the blonde.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 31, 2016 23:36:20 GMT -5
Yejide's smile only grew. "Thank you so much. I am Yejide, and this is my sister Ebele." She motioned to the shorter-haired good, and as the flower clip in her hair last hold of the last short strands that were holding it in place she plucked it off her head before it had a chance to find the ground.
Ebele hardly seemed to notice as she flashed the blonde girl a smile. But then her gaze was back on the vulpixes. Huff not getting up was worrying her; was he okay? She cupped her hands around her mouth and called loudly enough that they could hear her, but softly enough that the whole wood couldn't, "Yo, Huff! Puff!"
Huff's ears gave a poignant twitch, and the floppy ear perked a little as he pushed himself into a sit. He suddenly looked energized with excitement, but couldn't find the words to exclaim his enthusiasm. He recognized this little guy now! How could he forget his baby brother? 'Puff!' he whispered, reaching out a paw to catch the smaller vulpix by the shoulder.
But he was out from under his paw and never saw the motion. The sound of his name was all it took for Puff to lose his patience, and he was trotting to the twins with a spring in his step. He spared a glance over his shoulder as he reached Ebele's feet, and watched the much larger vulpix scramble after him clumsily. Huff's excitement wasn't enough to make him refuse a direct order- an obvious growlithe trait he had inherited from his father -but he kept glancing back at the striped canine, and wasn't watching where he was going. He bumped into Ebele's legs before he stopped, which didn't make the twins think that he had made it out of the battle uninjured. They exchanged a frown as Ebele scooped Puff off the ground- he definitely wasn't injured -and Yejide crouched to examine him.
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Post by Atticus on May 31, 2016 23:45:20 GMT -5
Though his trainer hadn't called, Kitto followed the two older vulpix back to the trio of girls, pawing around Eliza's feet. These guys were doggedly loyal! His growlithe blood could appreciate that in other canines.
"Are they okay?" the girl asked, staring doe-eyed at the foxes. The larger one looked more distracted than injured, but better judgement figured they go and get them at least examined by a nurse at the Pokémon Center. "If not, I have a potion I could spare..."
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 31, 2016 23:55:08 GMT -5
"We have berries," Ebele assured her politely, pulling one out and handing it to her sister. It was only an oran berry; if Huff was really hurt, it wouldn't do him much good. But it would make him feel better.
Yejide took it, but Puff was still watching the striped canine. Even as he took a bite of the berry he was practically vibrating with excitement, and as he finished off the berry he bounced on his paws like he had suddenly developed springs in his feet. 'Bro!' he exclaimed, eyes shining. 'Little brother!'
Puff snorted back a laugh, too exhausted to put together just why Huff was so jazzed. 'What? I'm right here.'
'No, you!' He howled, hopping free of Yejide's hold and leaping toward the chimera. He stopped just short of bowling him over- his size didn't make anything he did look delicate -and grinned at him, tails wagging wildly. 'Puff, it's our little brother!'
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Post by Atticus on Jun 1, 2016 0:39:28 GMT -5
"Oh, alright." Biting her lip, she watched the girls feed their vulpix the berries... though the larger one was... was he shaking? She gasped suddenly as the floppy-eared fox launched himself at her cub, stopping just short. It was enough to startle Kitto, who reeled back in surprise, eyes wide.
("What?") he peeped, brows raised. Brother? He was no stranger to the knowledge of having siblings but... these two here? He glanced between the two, his eyes rounded. There was no way... what were the odds? He cocked his head, circling the larger vulpix carefully and inquisitively. It was hard to be certain. ("You're... you guys are my brothers? How can you be sure?") the chimera asked.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Jun 1, 2016 0:48:55 GMT -5
Yejide nearly launched herself after Huff, for a moment afraid that something had provoked him to attack the smaller Pokémon. But when he drew to a stop, she didn't move. Still on her knees, she watched him with a puzzled stare.
Puff cocked his head to the side and examined the canine from where he was, pressed against Ebele's chest. 'Whaat? No. You sure?' With a glance toward Ebele, he wiggled in her arms until he was set down, and he trotted up to the younger cub and gave him a good sniff. 'I dunno, Huff, he doesn't look like one of ours.'
The massive vulpix did not lose his enthusiasm. 'Sure he does! Yeah, I'm sure! You were real little when we left,' he chattered giddily, tails swinging like a tree branch in the wind. 'Maybe just hatched? It was a while ago. Thea's your sister, right? She's the oldest, but I'm only a little younger than her. And Dad's a big Arcanine, that's why they say I'm so big. And Mom...' His brows drew together, and he looked at his toes. 'What were their names again?...'
'Mom and Dad,' Puff snorted, his broad grin back. Turning to the chimera he added more seriously,'Judis and Tori?'
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Post by Atticus on Jun 1, 2016 9:25:43 GMT -5
Kitto swallowed a lump in his throat, digesting Huff and Puff's information. Thea was his sister, and Judis and Tori were his parents... Was this really...? He had just happened into his two older brothers in Petalburg Woods, Hoenn...? His... brothers...
The canine let out a squeak of excitement, his large, fluffy tail beginning to wag. He could definitely see Judis and Tori in these guys: the size and floppy-ear of the older one, the shagginess of the... shaggy one.
("This is crazy!") he yipped, torn between disbelief and the pure, unadulterated excitement of meeting his two oldest brothers.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Jun 1, 2016 11:01:02 GMT -5
Huff reclaimed his enthusiastic dance, bouncing from paw to paw like he was following a beat. 'This is so great! I haven't seen you in years! Are you still the youngest? How is everybody?'
Puff snickered and gave his older brother a push that did nothing but get his attention. 'Will you chill, man? He doesn't even remember us. Tell him your name!'
'Oh. I guess you're right.' He flashed the youngest brother an apologetic grin. '
'Our names at the ranch were different,' Puff explained. 'Maybe you heard Mom and Dad use them. I was Simon, and he was Leo.'
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Post by Atticus on Jun 3, 2016 22:32:13 GMT -5
Kitto's ears perked. Yes, his parents had mentioned a Leo and Simon before... but Arceus, what were the odds? Living with just his two sisters, he had almost forgotten the concept of having brothers. They were just words, rarely spoken of. When there were so few ways to really figure out how they were doing, if they were well, it almost seemed pointless to worry.
When he and Eliza returned to Johto, he couldn't wait to tell his family... though some kind of confirmation would be nice. Judis and Tori would be able to recognise their kits, but this was Kitto's first time ever seeing them. Two strangers were telling him that they were his family, and all the signs were adding up... it was just so strange... but so elating.
He yipped giddily and began to dance around Huff's toes. ("Mom and Dad mentioned you guys! This is... kind of unbelievable,") he admitted sheepishly.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Jun 3, 2016 23:05:12 GMT -5
'Yeah, it's pretty crazy,' Puff (Simon) snickered, grinning ear-to-ear. But he kept his distance from the two; his little brother might not know any better, but he was perfectly aware that Huff's (Leo's) paws weren't always the gentlest. And the massive vulpix was prancing around like there were ants on the ground.
Huff could hardly contain himself. In an entirely different region, they had found their baby brother, after more than a year apart! It was unbelievable! The sound of his birth name all but threw him into a tizzy. He didn't know how Puff's memory worked, but he was glad it worked the way it did. It wasn't often that something came along that made him feel close to home. It surprised him that that old name still fit like a glove; a solid confirmation that he would always be Leo. 'It's great!' he yipped, hopping up and down. 'Who would have thought, right?'
"I guess they like each other," Yejide observed, raising a brow. It wasn't a surprise; Huff and Puff got along with nearly everybody. But the larger vulpix was noticeably more animated about meeting this odd-looking stranger. But the cuteness wasn't quite enough to distract her from the danger they had only just gotten out of. "Um, not to be too forward, but do you think we could get moving?" she asked, turning to Eliza with a sheephish smile.
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