[Marley Hyde]

Heart of the Wild Quest

Marley's eye scanned the forests around him as he walked. By his side, Alley walked, looking around as well. This was no regular walk through the woods, or even a trek through to another town. No, the pair were looking for something. Or rather, looking for someone.

While in Plum, Marley had heard an interesting tale. Aura. Apparently it was a power that both pokemon and humans can tap into. A sort of inner strength that can manifest into the physical world. Marley wasn't entirely sure whether it was real or not. But, well, crazier things had happened. And something told Marley that, well, he had the potential to use it himself. He didn't know why. It was just a strange feeling, that's all.

He had heard there were packs of pokemon that could teach the use of this skill. And that one such pack was hidden somewhere in the forests of this route. Now, Marley wasn't one to turn down a potential challenge. He would find these pokemon, and see if he really could use Aura.

The problem was, well, finding them. Thus, they were here now. The pair looked around, looking for any signs of the pokemon they were seeking.

Word Count: 202

I3FUDJc0

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Marley Hyde

There is absolutely no sign of any sort of aura pack. Bird Pokemon fly overhead. A few others shift around here and there. You see a Stantler far off grazing with a pair of young. Spring was starting to come out, perhaps? But otherwise you don't see a thing.

[Marley Hyde]

Hmm, no sign of them so far. Not that Marley was surprised. A pack of pokemon like this would no doubt be trying to keep themselves hidden. Poachers and prospective tamers would jump at the chance to have a pokemon that has mastered Aura. Granted, Marley wouldn't mind having one of his own. But right now, he was more interested in learning about this Aura from them.

"Keep an eye out Ally," Marley murmured, "Let me know if you see anythin'."

Marley made his way over to one of the trees. Perhaps a higher vantage point would give him a better chance of spotting who he was looking for. With care, Marley climbed up the tree, pulling himself up from one branch to another. All that working out, mining and construction work was paying off. He couldn't help but wonder if having a strong body would make mastering Aura easier. It certainly sounded like that. Unless it was one of those things that was all in your mind, but somehow, Marley didn't think this was the case.

Pulling himself up as high as he could go safely, Marley looked around, trying to find any indication of a pokemon pack nearby.

Word Count: 200

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[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Marley Hyde

36 + 34 = 70
You see a few shadows in the distance. Those are probably Pokemon, but are they the group you are looking for? Well, only one way to know for sure.

[Marley Hyde]

Marley narrowed his eye, spotting what appeared to be shadows some distance away. A group of pokemon, clustered together. They had to be it. Who else would be clustered together in a place like this? Well, to be honest, a number of pokemon, but he had to treat this lot as if they were the ones he was looking for. Otherwise he'll be out here forever. He clambered down the tree, taking care not to slip and fall. Would really suck if he injured himself before he could find them. He jumeped down the last few branches, landing besides Ally.

"I think we found 'em girl. Let's go!"

Ally let out a supportive yelp as the two of them headed off, running in the direction they had seen the shadows. Marley was keeping the image of them firmly in his mind, trying to remember if they looked to be heading in a certain direction, and adjusting his course accordingly. They shouldn't be too far off, and Marley had the stamina to keep going. Even if it took him all day and all night, he would find those pokemon. He only hoped that they didn't try to kill him the instant he showed his face.

Word Count: 204

6FxKftho

[Jenesis]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Marley Hyde

70 + 23 = 93
You've found the... Pokemon? Oh, nevermind, it's just a colony of Bidoof, who flee into the bushes as you approach. But if these Pokemon have made their home here, there's bound to be others, right?

[Marley Hyde]

Marley skidded to a halt when he saw that his discovery had ended up being a colony of Bidoof. BIDOOF! Dammit, he was absolutely sure that these were the pokemon he was looking for. As the Bidoof took off into the bushes, Ally caught up to her trainer, noting what they found and giving a small whine of disappointment.

Marley let out an annoyed sigh as he moved to lean against a tree, giving himself a brief moment to collect himself and catch his breath. Well, these were big woods, so logically there could be many groups of pokemon running around. He would just need to keep looking and he'll run into them eventually, right? Unless they didn't exist at all and he'd be walking around all night, and then punching out the man who fed him such lies.

Well, he simply couldn't let one setback stop him. He pushed himself off of the tree, looking down at his partner. "Ready to keep lookin'?" The Zorau gave a small bark of approval. Marley smiled and then headed off into the woods. The pair of them will just keep looking until they found who they were looking for. It was as simple as that.

Word Count: 203

8MVx|uga

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Marley Hyde

93 +5 = 98
You hear a strange cry above you... and catch a glimpse of a Riolu darting through the branches. Hey now wait a minute! 

[Marley Hyde]

The cry caught Marley's attention as his gaze turned upwards, seeing a small form shooting through the trees. A Riolu? Wait a minute, weren't Riolu and Lucario supposed to be able to use Aura? Were these the pokemon Marley had heard about? A bright grin spread across his face. This was it! He had found what he was looking for! He just needed to make sure he didn't lose sight of the little pokemon up above.

"Come on Ally!" Marley called out, the pair breaking into a run. It wasn't easy, with the Riolu being up above and having more room to move around, plus cover on top of it. Marley and Alley dashed through the woods after it. Weaving around trees, leaping through bushes, trying not to trip over roots or anything that might slow them down. This was their best chance of finding these elusive aura pokemon, and he wasn't going to miss this opportunity now. Alley rushed to keep up, having a little difficulty due to being smaller and having a shorter stride. Marley noticed this, quickly pausing to scoop the little pokemon in his arms before continuing the chase. His eye strained to keep track of the Riolu in the trees.

Word Count: 205

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[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Marley Hyde

The Riolu leads you on through the woods and as you come to a clearing, you find the aura pack. They are all in various states of training. A pair of Mienfoo are sparring while a Hitmonlee is meditating with a particularly old looking Lucario. The Riolu runs over to the Lucario and gives a small cry before gesturing to the human and his Pokemon. The Lucario opens her eyes and slowly nods before standing. 

[Marley Hyde]

Marley slowly came to a stop when they finally reached the pack. This was it. The pack of Aura pokemon. He had finally found them! Though he honestly hadn't expected them to be so varied. Riolu and Lucario, certainly. But Mienfoo and a Hitmonlee? That was unexpected. He had a Hitmonlee of his own as well. Perhaps he should bring her out to join this, if they accept him for training of course. He stood in place, noting the older Lucario rising to her feet. Guess she was the one in charge of this pack. The dominant female.

Marley took a couple of steps towards her, not to show any sense of hostility or anything of the sort. But he wasn't going to simply back down or show submission as well. Not after coming so far. "I heard you all can use this thing called Aura," Marley spoke up, more addressing the female, but taking note of the other pokemon around here as well. "And I heard you guys can train humans to use it as well. Well, I figured I'd go and see just what all this is about." He looked into the Lucario's eyes. "So, can you train me...please?"

Word Count: 202

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Marley Hyde

The Lucario stares at you for a long moment before making a gesture to sit down next to her and the Hitmonlee. Folding her legs again, she closes her eyes and waits. If you can’t master the basics of meditation, you cannot master aura.

[Marley Hyde]

Meditation. Well, guess that made some sense. After all, if one was to achieve strength from within, clearing and sharpening your mind seemed to be a natural part of it. And despite what popular belief would tell you, Marley WAS capable of keeping himself calm, when he wanted to of course. He made a move to sit beside the Lucario, before pausing. "Actually, before I do," he murmured, pulling out a pokeball, "I think I have someone who should join us." He flicked the ball. "Come on out Leia."

With a flash, the Hitmonlee appeared, ready for a fight, but then paused when she realized that there was no fighting to be had. Marley gave a small chuckle. "Come on girl, join us. I get the feelin' this'll help you too." Leia looked over at the other Hitmonlee who was meditating, and started to get some general idea. Marley moved to sit next to the Lucario, cross legged, before closing his eyes. Alley moved to sit beside him, and then Leia took her place next to Ally. The five of them, now sitting on the ground, eyes closed. No, the key to meditation was breathing, right? Marley slowed his breathing to deep breaths.

Word Count: 203

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Marley Hyde

Half an hour of meditation passes. Neither the Lucario nor the wild Hitmonlee seem to move. The other Pokemon all continue training in one form or another. Calming your mind, regulating your breathing, you start to feel your mind open up a little more. You can feel the world around you, a gentle gust of wind, a chirp of a bird Pokemon far away.... and ... something else you can't quite figure out just yet...

[Marley Hyde]

Marley kept himself calm, focusing on his breathing. While he was a normally wild individual, he at least had the common sense to know that meditation took time. You were not going to get instant results. You needed to just sit there, clear your head, and wait. Taking deep breaths, his ears tuned into his surroundings, hearing the other pokemon training, and hearing that the Lucario and Hitmonlee weren't moving at all. Leia and Alley shifted a little in place, but otherwise kept themselves still. Good girls. Marley was a bit proud of them, though that pride quickly faded as he focused on his meditation.

As he meditated, he started to take note of other things. The surrounding trees, the wind in the trees, the birds. He swore he could even hear pokemon some distance away. Wait, was this really happening? It took his mind a second to realize what was happening, that his senses were reaching outword. Unfortunately, realizing it caused the effect to fade. Dammit! Ok, keep calm Marley, and just keep your mind clear. He took a deep breath, trying to focus his mind, letting it spread out, wandering freely to see what it could possibly find.

Word Count: 200

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Marley Hyde

Focusing on everything at once and nothing at all, you start to see it again, the flicker of color in your mind's eye. Shapes like flames start to appear, each flickering a little differently. One second of distraction, however, would break the sense.

[Marley Hyde]

He could see them! Shapes taking form in front of his eyes. Marley tried to keep himself calm, to focus on the shapes and colours forming before his minds eye. The urge to think one it, to mentally comment, was really strong, but a part of him knew that doing so would cause them to fade away. Distractions didn't just have to be physical after all. Instead, Marley would have to sit there and let whatever was happening just happen. He needed to give up control of his mind, at least for a little while as he looked at it all.

He watched the shapes flicker and pop into existence, fading and reappearing. He just passive watched them, not trying to distinguish what they were, and instead simply relied on instinctual recognition to determine what they were. So far, nothing that triggered anything hostile. Marley's body had gone completely still by this point, his breathing slow and calm. The pokemon beside him were starting to get into it as well. At least, Leia was, the Hitmonless having become as still as her trainer. Ally was pretty calm herself, though now and again a part of her twitched from an itch she couldn't quite ignore.

Word Count: 204

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Marley Hyde

The longer you are there, the more you see.... and the more you begin to realize how much aura is radiating off something not too far away. Right next to you, in fact. Even in a calm, relaxed state,  the sheer density of the Lucario's aura is without question monumental. There is a reason she is the matriarch as you passively come to understand.

[Marley Hyde]

Almost without thinking, Marley's head turned towards the Lucario. Through his minds eye, he gazed at the aura radiating off of her. His subconscious long recognized just what it was, and a part of him now couldn't help but wonder just how much Aura he had, if he had any at all. Slowly, his head looked down at himself, eyes remaining closed, as he tried to look within himself. Surely someone like him should have something in there, right?

He found he was having a bit of an easier time keeping sight of the aura. As his mind gently wandered, the coloured shapes remained. He wasn't losing focus as much as he did before, as he now started to focus all of his attention on himself, almost trying to will something from deep within to come on out.

Meanwhile, Ally had to give up on the meditation. Nothing seemed to be working for her. Leia was still going at it like a champ. She noticed the hard look on her trainer's face and looked up at him, a bit concerned. She placed a gentle paw on her knee, as if to quietly reassure him. Marley's expression softened slightly, though whether it was from Ally's support or not, one couldn't tell.

Word Count: 210

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Marley Hyde

As you start to pull at that sense inside, you find suddenly the world is much brighter in your mind's eye. Even if you open your eyes now, you can see it, wisps almost permanent are now mostly in your line of sight.