Set in the original region of Arciel, Legends Rising is a route-inspired, but not strictly route-based, Pokemon roleplay. Pick a faction, pick a class, and strike out into the wild to take on the League, master Contest coordination, research the mysteries of Pokemon and Arciel, and much, much more. Will you be a classic trainer? A criminal? A farmer? Choose your destiny on Legends Rising.
-- Active Party -- Inari - Vulpix, Level 5, 5/5 Energy
"Do you have everything packed? Your sewing supplies, your brush and clippers for Inari, some changes of clothes, plenty of food and water?"
"Yeah, I got them, Mom..."
Andrew couldn't help but breathe in deeply, as he inhaled the crisp air of an early morning. The sun was only just starting to crest over the horizon, bathing the world in a gentle warm glow - the sky shifting between similar golden hues, as well as various shades of blue. The occasional lazy cloud hung in the sky, as far as the eye could see - and already Andrew could hear the singsong of birds, animals and pokemon alike.
Ahead of him stretched the length of road that was Route 2; rolling plains as far as the eye could see, dotted with trees, rivers and streams, as well as the occasional buildings. As a breeze passed through from the west - rustling the leaves and tall grass about him, and prompting a flock of bird pokemon to take wing - Andrew could smell a hint of sea salt carried on the air, no doubt from the beaches that Route 2 ran parallel to.
"How about some sunscreen? I've heard it's gonna be extra sunny today; make sure you don't get sunburnt, okay?"
"Ah - yeah, probably a good idea... Thank you, Mom."
It hadn't been very long, since Andrew set off on the road; leaving his home town for what must've been the first time in a long, long while. He wasn't sure what exactly had prompted this sudden urge to leave, to do something with himself, but...
To step out here, into the wild(ish) open, caused a sense of freedom to wash over him.
No more cooping himself up in his room, no more staying glued to his mom's side the few times he did leave the house. He was free to go as he pleased; and while it did cause him to briefly freeze up with indecision, at first - as to whether to go north to Route 2, or south to Route 1, well...
"And you too, Inari; take good care of Andy for me, okay?"
"Yip!"
... A certain somebody had made the decision for him! Namely, his best friend - a large vulpix by the name of Inari. The second she noticed him freezing up with indecision, Inari tugged him along up Route 2 - which brought him to where he was now, following Inari down the path.
In hindsight, he couldn't help but wonder if she already knew where he would've decided to go - coming up north this way, he would get to see Bass City, and places like Ivy Town or Plum City. Then, once the two islands were explored to his heart's content, he could go back down south - through Cedar Town to visit his mom - to Birch City..!
"Be safe, dear... I... I love you very, very, much... Okay...?"
"I... I love you too, Mom... I-... -sniff- ... I promise I'll b-be safe..."
Briefly, Andrew would pull his phone out - idly glancing over the map, already trying to plot out where he could go, what he could do... Bass City was, of course, the first place he'd stop at once he was past Route 2; a large city known for its entertainment... Maybe he could learn a few things, about being a coordinator, up there? Things like the clubs and bustling streets didn't exactly appeal to him - but perhaps he could get some ideas from the arts it hosted!
Then once he got there... He wasn't sure whether he'd take a ferry up north, to Ivy Town, or whether he'd take one west to Plum City, but he figured that Ivy Town would be a nice breather after the hubbub of Bass City; seeing as it was comparatively smaller, and more focused on knowledge than glitz and glamour...
As Andrew planned it all out in his brain, he couldn't help a brief nod to himself. Yeah... Yeah, that sounded good..!
Almost as though Inari could read his thoughts, the vulpix would yip, prompting Andrew to glance up at the vulpine pokemon, and smile warmly. She was perched on a boulder that sat alongside the road, her tails wagging, and eyes bright. This all was so new to her, and though she did indeed stay close to Andrew's side - knowing that she had a duty to fulfill - she wanted to explore, too! She was just as eager as Andrew was to see the new world, with all the new scents and sights and sounds...!
"You're full of energy, this morning." Andrew would comment - going over to the boulder, and reaching up to pet Inari. She would press her head into his hand, and give an affectionate lick and yip in response - making Andrew chuckle lightly. "Even after I woke you up from your beauty sleep so that we could get ready.” He began in teasing, smiling playfully. “And here I thought you were grumpy at me for it, huh?"
At the teasing, Inari would pause to quietly consider it, before sticking her tongue out at Andrew, in an equally playful raspberry. Sure, anyone can be a little grumpy at being woken up, but she knew what the game plan was gonna be! She just overslept, was all..!
Andrew could only chuckle again, a little brighter this time, at Inari's reaction - giving her one more scratch behind the ears before they continued down the road. "I'm already excited to see just what all we can expect, out of Bass City. Maybe we could get a head start on ideas for the contest scene, that way?" He would muse out loud, smiling down to Inari as she fell back in line at his side and yipped in agreement.
In fact... Maybe he could get a head start, without needing to get to Bass City? Even if Route 2 was spotted with neighborhoods, wild pokemon still called this place home; wild pokemon that Andrew could catch, to give Inari a playbuddy, and start forming a troupe with for contests...!
This notion had Andrew putting his phone back into his pocket, so that he could instead glance around - trying to see if he could spot any pokemon. Aside from the flock of bird pokemon that he had spotted flying by earlier, it seemed that things were quiet; at least for now...
"... Keep an eye out, Inari; I wanna see if we can find any pokemon to catch..!"
"Yip..!"
... But, perhaps, it wouldn't be so quiet for much longer...?
Last Edit: Apr 9, 2020 21:32:11 GMT by Andrew Wynn
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 10, 2020 3:35:23 GMT
With Andrew all caught up in the excitement of a brand new day, would he even notice the air shimmering and twisting above his head? It wasn’t exactly a very noisy phenomenon, after all, and it could’ve easily been mistaken for the ripples one would normally see on a hot day. Yet unlike those ripples, these didn’t fade after a brief moment. In fact, they just distorted more and more, until soon a bright light flashed from the hole. Would this get Andrew’s attention? Or would it escape his notice as well?
As the light faded, a small humanoid figure emerged from the distortion. It wasn’t a true human; its diminutive size, flipper-like arms, and stubby, dress-like body the same color as its porcelain skin made that fact clear. Even through the dark green hoodie, the one article of actual clothing the creature was wearing, it otherworldly appearance made its body look quite inhuman. So too did the orange horn poking out from its bright blue bowl cut, which a pair of bright red eyes curiously peeked through. It looked around, as if processing it was in the middle of the air, and then began flapping its arms in a panic.
It’s attempt at flying, needless to say, was unsuccessful. The figure let out a high pitched squeak before falling straight to the earth. Would it end up hitting the ground? Or would its desperate scrambling, against all odds, stop it from going splat?
Andrew, initially, didn't notice the shimmering above him. His eyes were fixed on the foliage and grass beyond the beaten path instead, his gaze scanning for any wild pokemon that might lurk beyond. Indeed, he was too caught up in his excitement to notice that something strange was going on; wanting to hopefully catch a glimpse of some interesting wild pokemon. Maybe he'd find something like a zigzagoon, or a nice bird pokemon…?
He wasn't exactly expecting anything big or rare right off the bat, after all; and even common pokemon could be charming! (That, and he admittedly always thought the galarian variety of zigzagoon were cool.)
Inari, however, was a different story. While she indeed had been focused on sniffing out a wild pokemon - both figuratively and literally - her ears were as keen as ever. Said large ears would twitch as the shimmering phenomenon began, her keen hearing picking up a strange, pulsing, warbling sound. It was an unusual sound, one that Inari had never heard before - except for maybe in Andrew's games!
As a result, the shimmering phenomenon quickly got Inari's attention; the young vulpix at first glancing around, ears swiveling, as she tried to figure out what exactly was making the noise. Andrew didn't immediately notice this - gazing off in another direction, but…
… it was safe to say that he was quickly clued in that something had Inari agitated, when she glanced upwards - at the anomaly above - and began barking!
This would visibly startle Andrew, the young man faltering in his step as he glanced down at Inari - noting that something seemed to have her full attention. "What is it, Inari?" He'd question, initially unsure of what she was making such a fuss about, as he glanced around. "Is there a wild pokemon nearby…?"
Following Inari's gaze, Andrew would look upwards, towards the sky - the pale blues already shifting to a deeper and more vivid sky blue as the sun rose - and towards the shimmering phenomenon that had formed above them. Bit by bit, it was growing more and more twisted, more and more intense; and Andrew couldn't help but back away a couple of paces and rub at his eyes, as if this anomaly would turn out to be nothing more than a figment, or a Really Large Floater in his eyes.
When rubbing his eyes didn’t make the phenomenon go away, Andrew would bring his hands back down; frowning in a disconcerted fashion. This wasn't anything that he had seen before, being relatively new to seeing psychic pokemon in action. So, this all raised but one question in Andrew's mind…
… What was going on?
Well, whatever it may be, the answer would come quickly; heralded by a bright flash of light, that would cause Inari and Andrew both to yelp in surprise!
Inari was able to quickly recover from the flash; even if she was stumbling, rubbing a paw over her eyes, and shaking her head as the stars faded from her vision. Andrew, however, was less fortunate; his photophobia meaning that his eyes were quite sensitive to light, and the early morning meant that his photochronic glasses hadn't adjusted to the sunlight yet…! The poor coordinator was quite dazzled by the bright light as a result, wincing as he rubbed at his eyes with both hands; temporarily blinded.
It would only be when Inari barked again, paired with the sound of something up above squeaking, that Andrew would try to pull his hands away to squint upwards; just in time to see a shape in the sky above. Still recovering from the flash of light, Andrew couldn't make out more than a small, indistinct shape; but, even then… He could tell that, whatever the shape was, it was falling…!
Andrew didn't know what was falling down towards him, but he acted on impulse; extending his arms out, and attempting to ready himself to catch the falling individual! He'd grunt as the large Ralts made impact in his arms; the childlike pokemon being a bit bigger and heavier than he had expected. But, once the psychic type was secure, Andrew would have a proper chance to survey just what he had caught.
As his vision came back into focus, the first thing that Andrew would note were the colors; blue, white, and orange, with red eyes. Next, was the shape; that of a childlike pokemon, with a bowlcut, and distinctive horns. It took Andrew some time to recognize the pokemon, even for as well-read Andrew was…
… Because the last thing he expected to find, out here, was a Ralts…!
As Andrew realized this, he couldn't help but blink owlishly. Firstly, he realized that the colors of this Ralts was different from the usual varieties; blue instead of green, orange instead of pink. Next, was the fact that - as far as he knew - there weren't any habitats anywhere nearby, for a wild Ralts to live…!
Not only was this little fella shiny, but they were also far from any place that a normal Ralts normally called home…
Faintly, in the back of his head, a small voice suggested that this Ralts might've not been a wild pokemon. That they had a trainer, or lived with someone in one of the neighborhoods here, and had gotten lost! But, for the time being, Andrew was more focused on the pokemon in his arms - on checking up on them, and making sure they were okay.
Andrew would slowly move for the side of the road, sitting down on the dirt. Inari, visibly curious, would follow after him - settling down next to him as he carefully arranged the Ralts on his lap, and cradled them close. "Hey there, little fella…" Andrew began in greeting; smiling warmly and kindly. "You okay? That all was quite the surprise!"
Inari, meanwhile, would rest her head on Andrew's thigh - her tails slowly wagging, as she sniffed the Ralts. She could tell straight away this Ralts wasn't wild - they smelled like humans, and other pokemon! She was curious about who they were, and about how they got separated from what must be their trainer; as well as where that trainer must be right now.
But, for the time being, Inari was happy to regard the Feeling Pokemon as a potential friend; making a soft yip in greeting, her tails wagging a bit faster.
Andrew chuckled, unwrapping an arm from the Ralts to pat Inari on the head. "My name's Andrew, and this is my best friend, Inari." He would introduce the both of them, gesturing to Inari as he did. "Do you have a name, buddy?"
Honestly, he recognized that the Ralts was unlikely to be able to communicate verbally or telepathically. However, he figured that they had ways of getting around it - writing in the dirt and whatnot. He'd nearly taught Inari how to use a keyboard, once; though her large size made typing a bit awkward, when she'd tap multiple keys at once with one paw..!
Surely though, this Ralts - though they appeared larger than he thought Ralts usually were - wouldn't have any trouble with figuring something out, right?
Last Edit: Apr 10, 2020 16:03:16 GMT by Andrew Wynn
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 10, 2020 17:15:15 GMT
Naturally, the first thing the Ralts did upon landing was start fixing up her hair. She seemed less concerned with falling from above and more concerned with the fact that her perfectly-aligned bowl cut was in a state of disarray. Andrew would see over the course of his examination that there were no cuts, scrapes, or bruises on the Pokemon, whether before or after its impact. In fact, it didn't even seem to notice that it had been caught until it heard Andrew's gentle voice for the first time. That was when the Ralts stopped furiously pawing at its hair and looked up at the trainer smiling down at him.
She promptly squeaked in surprise, pulling her hood down over her face and covering her eyes with her tiny hands for good measure.
Nevertheless, a bit of close, comfortable cradling and a metric ton of warm, calm emotional vibes were the antidote to a timid Ralts' shyness. Slowly but surely, Echo lowered her hands, curiously peeping at Andrew and Inari alike. They seemed like good people, and were genuinely excited to meet her. And they weren't overloading her with excitement, fear, or anger. Maybe she could let her guard down a bit! She shook her hood back off of her head, looking between human and Pokemon to give them wide smiles.
When asked her name, the Ralts tapped a hand on her chin, looking up to the sky as she thought how to best convey that information. Most of the time, she just kind of made strange, hollow-sounding trilling noises. Yet she really liked the name her human had given to her! It'd be such a shame if she couldn't say it right! She cleared her throat, made a few hums at various pitches to try and tune herself, and finally turned to Andrew to answer his question.
"Eh-oh."
You know what? Close enough!
With her question answered, Echo looked at Andrew and Inari, pointing at each of them and nodding. It was as if she was trying to make herself acquainted with them as well, pairing their faces and names. Once that was done, she clapped excitedly, then disappeared into another flash of light. If Andrew was wondering where his new friend went, he'd find his answer soon. Another shimmering distortion appeared above his head, out of which the Ralts would come tumbling through. This time her landing target was clear; the soft, fluffy mop known as Andrew's hair.
Seeing that the first thing that this mysterious little Ralts did was fix her hair, Andrew couldn't help a brief chuckle; visibly endeared. The little fella was particular about their appearance, huh? He couldn't help but wonder, about the hoodie she wore, but didn't focus on it very hard. Instead, seeing that Echo was unhurt was a relief - he wasn't sure what he'd do, if he had ended up with an injured pokemon on his hands!
He certainly had a gift with Aura that he didn't entirely understand - having never had anyone but himself and the internet to teach him - but it was nowhere near refined enough to do anything more than perhaps heal little bumps and scrapes..!
As Echo pulled her hood down and hid her face, Andrew would blink - surprised as well, though probably nowhere near as surprised as the little Ralts was..! Letting out a soft exhale of amusement, Andrew would gently rub his thumb over her shoulder in a soothing gesture. He knew that Ralts were sensitive to the emotions of others, though... Maybe... He could also try something else, on top of staying calm, to help ease her shyness?
Getting comfortable and leaning against a boulder behind him - the same one that Inari had perched on before, - Andrew would quietly close his eyes; reaching out with his Aura, and channeling it. A warm, soothing feeling - very subtle, but still present - would emanate from him; something that had Inari letting out a relaxed sigh as she briefly let her eyelids droop.
This facet of Aura Channeling wasn't something that Andrew used often - typically, he used the healing facet far more often, for whenever he pricked himself sewing, or nicked himself with the cutting knife while cooking. As a result, he wasn't sure whether the effect would be soothing to Echo at all or not - though Inari appeared calm, at a glance. It appeared as though things were going right, however, when Echo began to seemingly relax as well - lowering her hands, and shaking the hood to her hoodie off.
Geez, this was an adorable little Ralts, Andrew couldn't help but muse to himself; returning Echo's wide and happy smile, as she gazed to the both of them. "There you are..!" He'd comment in a light and playful tone - as though they were playing peekaboo. "You're quite the cute fella, huh?"
Inari, meanwhile, had been pretty idle and quiet; she didn't want to startle Echo, or put off the wrong signals, after all..! Seeing the Ralts smile to her, though, was an encouraging sign; Inari's tails wagging like before as she'd slowly and carefully move partway onto Andrew's lap. She'd move closer to Echo, to inspect the Ralts, and to better sniff her; seemingly curious about the hoodie in particular.
She wasn't entirely sure about all the scents - a majority of them being from species of pokemon she had never met before. But, that only made her more curious - wondering just what sort of trainer or household Echo belonged to!
As Echo made a variety of soft noises, in response to Andrew asking her name, the young man would listen quietly - briefly wondering if he shouldn't suggest an alternative way for her to convey her name to him. But, just as he was about to speak up... Echo would turn in his direction, and make a pair of distinct sounds; making him pause. Was that... Her attempt, at speaking her name?
Andrew would be quiet for a second, thinking it over, trying to think of what sort of words or names that could fit the bill. Ego... Edo... Enzo... Even Inari seemed to be thinking hard, her head tilted a bit one way, with a paw placed on her chin like one might place their thumb and pointer finger...!
As they thought to themselves, however... They would be startled, when there would be another flash of light; Echo suddenly disappearing from sight...! This would leave trainer and vulpix alike bewildered; the both of them rubbing at their eyes and glancing about as they tried to figure out just where the Ralts they had been interacting with before had disappeared to! It wouldn't take long for them to find their answer, though. There would be another pulse of light from up above - prompting the duo to glance up...
... Just in time, for Echo to land straight on Andrew's head! "Ahck!"
Andrew would yelp a bit as the Feeling pokemon made touchdown; visibly startled, and perhaps wincing a hair. Though Echo was small and lightweight, much like most base-stage pokemon, the sudden weight was still a bit much for Andrew - who didn't have much time to prepare...! Inari would make a concerned-sounding noise in her throat, at noticing the wince - though Andrew would reach down to pat the vulpine pokemon's head, reassuring her. "I-It's okay," He'd soothe Inari - adding "Just, surprised, heh..."
Inari, honestly, was unconvinced - the Vulpix puffing her cheeks a bit - though she'd let it go, to instead settle back down across Andrew's now-vacant lap.
Ignoring the ache he now had in his neck from the impact, Andrew would reach up to steady Echo - gently rearranging her, so that she was seated on his shoulders. This way, he could keep a hand on one of her legs, to keep her steadied. "You surprised us, ah... Echo, right?" Andrew guessed - Echo was the only word or name he could think of, that'd fit the sounds that the Ralts made.
Once Echo confirmed her name though, he would carefully and slowly nod. "You surprised us, Echo." He'd begin again - without the questioning, now that he knew her name for sure. "Could you warn us ahead of time, next time you do that, please?" Andrew requested kindly, smiling a bit sheepishly. He wasn't sure if his neck would survive, if the Ralts kept skydiving onto him like this...!
Last Edit: Apr 10, 2020 18:14:52 GMT by Andrew Wynn
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 10, 2020 22:39:45 GMT
Would Inari recognize the scents on the hoodie? For the most part, it kinda just smelled like teenage human boy. Exceptionally clean and well-groomed teenage boy, compared to the usual standard, but teenage boy nonetheless. After all, that's who had been wearing it. The rest of the smells were a lot more subtle, yet still layered on the hoodie. There was the humble smell of Dedenne, straw, wood chips, and fresh electrical smoke. Then there was the overwhelmingly briny smell of Shellder. Finally, prime meat and velvet, clear indications of a pampered Espeon. If Inari could make out the smells, she'd see that the Ralts' trainer had quite the diverse assortment of Pokemon!
Of course, with how little the scents were on the hoodie comparatively, it was clear that the trainer hadn't been on their Pokemon journey for very long. That probably explained why the Ralts was still a little rambunctious, teleport-flopping onto Andrew without a care in the world. It's clear she underestimated her own strength, or perhaps her own weight, because her hands flung to her mouth in horror when Andrew let out a startled yelp. Immediately she let out a wailing cry, reaching for Andrew's neck to give it a few gentle pats. All the while she babbled worriedly, as if trying to get her apologies across for spraining the poor guy's neck.
As she patted away, her hand started to glow. A Heal Pulse washed over the achey neck. Would it provide relief? Or would a Pokemon technique not even work that way? Whatever the case, Echo insistently focused it into Andrew's neck, her blubbering only easing once the move had run its course through his system.
Afterwards Echo pulled back, listening to Andrew's request. She sniffled a bit, but nodded and made a keening noise in the affirmative. Then she took her place on Andrew's shoulder, smiling softly at him. Later she'd consider what signal she'd use to warn others of their teleportation, but for the time being she just wanted to sit down and enjoy the perch. She flopped gently against him, enjoying the soft, warm feeling of his hair. At least she'd still be able to enjoy her intended goal, right?
As Inari took in the different scents, the young Vulpix would mull the smells over - picking out what scents she could and couldn't recognize. In particular, she would - obviously - recognize the smell of a human, the hoodie smelling clean, though still having the same sorts of telltale scents that Andrew had, but his mother didn't. She, additionally, recognized the smell of a Dedenne - though she, admittedly, never actually met one face-to-face. All she knew was that she once smelled a few passing through their neighborhood, and - thankfully - not trying to steal their electricity! The other two scents, however, would be unfamiliar; though she could pair the briny smell to the ocean, at the very least.
It wasn't hard for her to come to the conclusion that whoever Echo's trainer was, they - possibly he - had a variety of pokemon who stayed with him. Inari couldn't help but wonder what these pokemon were like, in particular the fancy-smelling one.
As Echo began to wail and babble apologetically, patting at Andrew's neck, the young man couldn't help reflexively scrunching up his shoulders a hair - apparently ticklish there, though he winced at the motion tensing the sore muscles in his neck. "H-hey, easy there; it's okay..." Andrew would attempt to reassure Echo; gently patting her knee, the concern on his face visible - even if Echo might've been unable to see his face. "It's just a little sore; I'm sure it'll feel better in a short bit."
That being said, though... As the warm pulse of Echo's Heal Pulse washed across his neck, easing the ache in his muscles, Andrew would relax visibly; letting out a soft exhale. "Thank you, Echo." Andrew would praise - smiling warmly, as he tried to reach up to pat her on the head; being mindful to not bump the horn. From his understanding, that was a sensitive part for a Ralts, so he didn't want to overstimulate Echo! "I'm feeling better already, you did great."
Inari would yip to Echo, her tails wagging cheerily, as though to add on her own agreement and thanks to Echo. She wasn't entirely sure what the Ralts just did, but it looked like it did plenty of good! And anyone who was nice to Andrew was good, in her book!
As Andrew felt Echo's weight shift - flopping against his hair - he'd be unable to help a warm chuckle, keeping a hand up to keep her steady, as he'd slowly stand up; Inari moving off of his lap, so that he could do so. Once upright, Andrew would hum for a second; mentioning "You seem like you have a trainer, already - so let's see if we can find them, and reunite you two, while we look for some wild pokemon. That sound good to you?" Andrew would suggest to Echo, as he set off on the path once more - glancing about for any signs of any other humans on the trail. "Let me know if either of you spot or notice anything interesting, okay?"
Inari would yip in acknowledgement, already keeping a few paces ahead of Andrew as she begun sniffing the path for any scents, ears swiveling about for any little noise. As to be expected, the path was rife with the scents of humans and pokemon alike; though most of the scents were much too old, or too different, to have possibly been from Echo's trainer or friends. However, even with this...
... A glint, in a nearby patch of bushes, would catch her eye! The early morning light was reflecting off of something; and though Inari wasn't sure what it was, she was ready to investigate! Slowly, but surely, she'd prowl towards the bushes - ears swiveled forward, nose idly sniffing the air, and eyes peeled, all to try and identify just what she saw in the bush. She didn't smell any pokemon nearby, nor any humans or animals, so it didn't seem like this thing she saw was a living creature... But it still raised the question: what was it?
Andrew would watch with visible amusement, as Inari reached a paw out - pushing back the leaves and branches of the bush, and sticking her head into the hole she made in the foliage. "Find anything, Inari?" He'd question, crouching down near the bush to try and see if he could spot what had gotten the Vulpix's attention.
For a couple of seconds, all Andrew would be able to see was Inari rooting about in the bush - her tails wagging all the while, as though she were satisfied with herself for spotting something. Before he could begin to guess what she found, though, the young Vulpix would back out of the bush - leaves and seeds clinging to the fur on her front half - with a pokeball in her mouth; a net ball, to be exact! Inari's eyes were lit up in triumph, visibly proud of being able to find and retrieve something for Andrew, and would sit down before him - offering the net ball to him.
Laughing gently, Andrew would take the net ball - idly wiping any saliva or dirt on it onto his pant leg - before shoving it into his pocket for the time being. He would pat Inari on the head, and ruffle the curls atop; praising her quite lovingly. "Good girl, Inari; such keen eyes! I'll have to groom you when we take a breather, to get that stuff out of your fur, though..." He'd chuckle a little, at this; smiling a bit lopsidedly. He briefly wondered how a net ball ended up here - though he figured that some trainer might've been trying to catch one of the local bug types, and couldn't find the ball when one broke free.
At the mention of the debris clinging to her fur, Inari would blink, glancing down at herself. Ah. Yes. She supposed that she did, uh, get a bit messy digging about in that bush, didn't she? Briefly, Inari would shake herself to get some of the seeds and leaves off, before plucking the biggest offenders off with her teeth and paws. She wouldn't take very long, however, before she decided that enough was enough - already starting off on the path ahead. Glancing back to Andrew, she'd wag her tails and bark to him, as though encouraging him to keep up!
Andrew, endeared, would simply chuckle and (gently, for Echo's sake) shake his head to himself in an amused fashion; standing up once more, as he followed after his partner. "She's usually pretty calm, though I think the new environment has her excited," He would idly comment to Echo; smiling gently, even as he sighed. "This is... New territory, to both of us, honestly. I've never really left the house before - let alone Cedar Town - and Inari's typically glued to my hip, so she didn't leave the house or town all that often, either. We've only very recently started our adventure."
Meeting Echo was one heck of a start to their adventure, though; Andrew could say that much.
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 11, 2020 5:45:11 GMT
Echo let out a happy cheer, clapping excitedly for herself as Andrew confirmed that he was feeling better. She did it! Her move worked! She gratefully leaned into Andrew's hand, accepting his head-pats and even nuzzling into it. The aura-fueled good vibes he was giving off, his gentle understanding nature, and his soft, fluffy hair were making him incredibly easy for Echo to warm up to. And, heck, he kind of reminded Echo of her human when he started his journey! Her human was still like that for the most part, but at least some of that nervousness was replaced by confidence, training, and the phone numbers of most of an idol group.
Echo nodded as the boy pointed out her trainer's existence. "Eh-ee-oh," she helpfully chirped, as if trying to confirm the boy's name. Did it matter that Andrew would have no idea who Elliot was, even if he could parse that "eh-ee-oh" meant that in the first place? Probably not! What mattered was that she could make word-noises, gosh darnit! She listened to Andrew's orders to look for her trainer, nodding diligently as he finished his thought. She then leaned forward, holding a hand over her eyes to shade them from the sun. She was trying really hard to look for Elliot. So hard that at times she'd lean too far forward and start tipping over. Fortunately, all it took was a little bit of windmilling her arms to straighten herself each time. When would this poor Ralts finally learn how to balance herself?
That said, for the longest time she didn't see anything. Instead, the first thing that caught her eye was that Inari was very messy from diving into the bush! Echo let out a huff of surprise, then hopped off of Andrew's shoulder and dove for Inari. Rather than land on the poor Vulpix, she instead launched a flurry of shimmering leaves from her sleeves, riding the cloud of Mystical Leaves down towards the Vulpix's side. Upon reaching her she shook her head, tsk tsking at the messy state of the fire type's fur. She proceeded to pace around Inari, trying to groom all of the mess out of her fur the way she remembered Joule doing.
Unfortunately, Joule had pronounced teeth and sharp claws that made this part really easy. Echo had a teeny-tiny mouth and little flipper hands. Her best attempts really just amounted to ruffling the poor thing's fur, occasionally plucking out one of the biggest and most obvious leaves. Yet, look at how she flailed those arms! Echo was really trying her best here!
As she groomed away, Echo listened to Andrew's tale. First time leaving home, huh? She honestly had a feeling. Yet as far as she could tell, they were already doing quite the good job. She made a few encouraging squeaking sounds in response, even though she wasn't exactly one to talk here. She was, quite literally, born on the road, Elliot so excited to show her the world that they embarked on their journey before she even hatched! Yet without any way of vocalizing these thoughts, she simply continued squeaking, listening, and cleaning. It was the least she could do, right?
Once Inari had been "groomed" to the best of her ability, Echo turned to proudly walk back towards Andrew. However, before she could, she promptly tripped and fell right on her face. Was the Ralts really that clumsy? Well, yes, but maybe there was something else afoot here. Even from this far down the path, Andrew and Inari would feel aftershocks rippling across the route. Something was thrashing and making a major ruckus of itself, so far away that it was barely even visible. As distant as it was, it looked like a pile of blobs jiggling back and forth, yet no matter which direction Andrew and Inari tried the ripples would seem to be emanating from it.
They weren't the only ones who would find this road impediment troubling them. A tiny, pink Skitty, no more than a foot high at the shoulder, lay curled up underneath the Route 1 sign. She looked towards Andrew, Inari, and Echo, yowling at them, then looking over her shoulder and yowling somewhere in the general vicinity behind her. Echo, detecting her displeasure, tugged on Andrew's pant leg before pointing at the jiggling blobs. She then pointed at the Skitty and made crying motions with her hands. This'd be easy to parse, right? Blobs make kitty cry?
Echo's nuzzling against his hand would bring a warm smile to Andrew's face; gently scritching his fingers thru her hair, with how eagerly she was accepting the affection. "You're quite an adorable Ralts, aren't you?" He would muse out loud; faintly teasing, though otherwise a genuine compliment.
He'd glance down at Inari - noting that she was giving him a look, prompting him to laugh gently. "And you're an adorable Vulpix, Inari." He'd add to her - smiling in amusement as Inari puffed her chest in a confident fashion, as if saying 'damn right.' Even if Inari initially appeared jealous, it seemed as though it was all in good fun, really; judging by the fact that the duo would both chuckle or giggle in their own ways, before moving on.
As Echo tried to sound out Elliot's name, Andrew would fall quiet for a moment, as he thought it over; the duo trying to parse out what Echo was trying to convey, this time. "Mmm..." Letting out a thoughtful hum, Andrew furrowed his brows in a focused fashion; before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Echo. I don't think I understand what you're trying to say." He'd admit honestly, adding "Though, I'm sure we'll still find your trainer, whoever Eh-ee-oh may be." with a reassuring smile.
Though he thought to comment about confirming the trainer's name once they found them... Andrew wasn't sure if he was ready to start his adventures off with already needing to talk to someone; the notion bringing up a tinge of anxiety, though he was quick to shove it back down. He didn't want to worry Echo - or Inari, for that matter - with his own shortcomings.
Instead, he'd briefly note the way her weight would shift, each time she tried to lean forward and look around, lost balance, and windmilled herself back upright; a cycle that'd repeat a couple of times, before Andrew would place a hand on one of her knees once more, to help steady her. "You alright, up there?" He'd gently laugh; mentioning "You're gonna fall off, if you're not careful."
As Echo noted Inari's fur - still a bit messy, even after she attempted to groom herself - and hopped down from Andrew's shoulder, young man and fox alike would blink a bit in surprise. So Echo not only was particular about her own appearance, but the appearances of other pokemon as well? Andrew was endeared at this, too; smiling as he crouched down; watching Echo try her best to pluck out the seeds and leaves in Inari's fur. Seeing that she was struggling a bit, though...
"... Here, maybe these'll help?" He'd suggest; digging through his backpack briefly, pulling out a brush and comb, and offering both to Echo. Though he figured the comb would be easier for Echo to use, there was no harm in trying to offer the brush as well, he figured.
Inari, meanwhile, appeared amused - but otherwise appreciative - at the attempts; patiently sitting down on her haunches as she watched Echo try to groom her. Eventually, the Vulpix would decide to return the favor; craning her head towards Echo, and beginning to groom her hair! Gently combing it with her fangs, licking it, and nosing at it - Inari was helping straighten out any spots that Echo might've missed, given how she never did finish grooming herself, as far as the Vulpix knew.
Echo's encouraging squeaks, though, would make Andrew smile a little - thinking, wondering how much he wanted to share with a pokemon he just met. "... Personally, I'm interested in both battling and contests, though... I really want to become a Coordinator worth their salt, more than anything." He'd eventually decide to mention; adding "You don't know how often me and Inari have watched streams and recordings of contests, for ideas and inspiration." with a sheepish chuckle.
As Echo wrapped up her grooming, though... The little Ralts would end up tripping, and falling over - much to the duo's concern! Before either one could check to see whether Echo was alright however, sudden shaking beneath their feet would make them both stumble; Andrew making a surprised noise in his throat and going back into a crouched position when he tried to rise up to his feet, and Inari barking in alarm as she nearly tripped over her own paws!
"W-what.." Andrew, initially, was alarmed and confused; barely able to put together his own words, and instead glancing around so as to try and figure out just what in the world was going on. Slowly, he'd manage to rise up onto his feet on the second attempt; visibly off-balance, but otherwise not about to topple over immediately.
Inari, too, would be glancing about in a wary and on-guard fashion - having an easier time maintaining her balance, compared to Andrew, but being equally alarmed. A distant sound - that of a yowling - would draw Inari's attention, her ears pricking and swiveling, before turning to glance in the direction of the source. A Skitty - a rather small one, at that - who appeared to be in visible distress, over the situation!
On top of that, gazing beyond the Skitty... Inari would be able to spot a strange shape - a bloblike one, that she could barely make out at this distance. Pointing with her paw, Inari would bark - grabbing Andrew's attention, and pointing out both the Skitty and the strange blobs in the distance to him.
It didn't take Inari's gesture for Andrew to notice the Skitty, though he'd certainly have to briefly squint to spot the blobs, with as distant as they were. Was the Skitty scared, cause of this situation? Whatever the Skitty must've been feeling, Echo seemed to have a similar conclusion - that the Kitten Pokemon was upset by the whole situation - prompting his expression to be one of deep sympathy. Poor fella; this didn't seem safe for any of them to stick around in..!
Andrew would glance down to Echo, nodding in acknowledgement, as he bent down to pick her up - placing her on Inari's back. The Vulpix - with her large size - was more than big enough to handle carrying Echo, and seemed to have an easier time standing steady than Andrew was, even with the added weight. "Stay with Inari, okay Echo? I'm gonna try to coax the Skitty over here. The further we are from whatever Pokemon's over there making the shaking, the safer, I think." He'd gently instruct the Ralts - trying to remain calm, as he spoke. Next, he'd add to Inari "Inari, keep an eye on Echo for me, okay?"
Inari would yip in affirmative; though her eyes still cast between the Skitty and the blobs, concerned about whether it was safer for Andrew to come even slightly closer, to the seismic activity. She was loyal to Andrew, however, and trusted him - so she'd stay where she was, ready to move if things got too dangerous for any of them.
Andrew, meanwhile, would slowly move for the Skitty - trying to stay upright the best he could, any aftershocks under his feet threatening to upset his balance. Reaching his hand out in a friendly gesture, Andrew would gaze to the Skitty, and call to them - trying to soothe and reassure the little feline. "Hey, it's gonna be okay, little fella; I'm here to keep you safe. Do you think you can come over here?" Making a soft 'pspsps' sound, Andrew would attempt to coax the Skitty closer, adding "Are you alright? Let's get away from all the shaking, okay?"
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 11, 2020 17:21:31 GMT
The Skitty tried to stand, but it was so undersized compared to the magnitude of aftershocks rippling around it that the poor thing couldn't even manage to. That one must have at least been a 9 or 10 on the scale! Even Andrew would have a hard time standing in the face of them. Echo, who remained by Inari's side for the time being, found herself trying to fight for balance as well, though the larger Vulpix would have no problems by comparison. Despite this, Echo didn't seem hurt by the slips and falls in the slightest. How much of the magnitude could she take if she dared go closer?
The Skitty let out a curious, appreciative "nya?" in Andrew's direction, but shook her head at the request to come closer. She looked up at the boy, using a few quick swipes of her paw to try and wave him away. Couldn't he see that this area was dangerous? And they weren't even at the epicenter yet! How bad would it get if they got closer to the source? Yet despite her best efforts, all of her warnings came off as a series of squeaks, meows, and nyas. The poor Skitty just couldn't let him know if she tried! That said, if Andrew tried to pick her up to make up for her lack of movement, he'd find she wouldn't resist.
Yet it seemed Andrew wasn't the only one around here. On the other side of the wiggling pile of blobs, someone else approached from the distance. Currently they were so far away that they seemed to be little more than an indistinct humanoid shape on the horizon. About the only thing that set them apart at the moment was the walking stick they held in their hands. Behind them were two more distinct shapes; a small, purple shell, and a rather haughty-looking feline.
~~~~
Lord Beerus rolled his eyes as he looked up at Elliot, groaning. His eyes started to glow slightly, and Elliot was sure he knew what the cat was hoping for. "No, Lord Beerus," Elliot said, voice firm yet gentle. "I know they're in their way. But come on, look at them." He was standing a fair bit closer to the mysterious quacking entity than Andrew, Inari, and Echo were, keeping his walking stick firmly wedged into the dirt for support so he could do so. He was close enough to see its identity; an Alolan Dugtrio, eyes merrily closed as it flung its multiple hairstyles back and forth. "If they were looking for a fight, don't you think they'd be a bit more . . . aggressive? I don't even think they realize what they're doing right now.
Murex?" At her name being called, the Shellder next to Elliot perked up. "I know Echo's been practicing her psychic powers lifting you up. Think you could trust Lord Beerus to do the same?" The Shellder looked at Lord Beerus, swallowing nervously as he gave her a Cheshire Cat's grin. Yet she turned back to him and nodded. "Good!" Elliot chirped, returning a firm look to Lord Beerus that the Espeon promptly scoffed at. "Alright, Lord Beerus. Confusion, just enough to get her over there." The air around Murex started to shimmer and distort, and soon she was being lifted right into the air. Lord Beerus steered her over to the Dugtrio, doing a few orbits around it before returning her to Elliot's side.
He bent down to the ground, then handed her a small stick. "Alright, Murex. See anything odd?" he asked. The Shellder lolled her tongue out, splashing water into the nearby dirt before taking the stick from his hand. She sketched a clumsy portrait of the Dugtrio, then drew six tube-like figures sticking out of their ears. Elliot watched her draw, intrigue in his eyes, before finally putting two and two together.
"No wonder they don't know the ruckus they're causing. They have their airpods in."
Joule scampered from Elliot's shoulder to his head as she looked down at the drawing. "This one's all you, Joule," Elliot said. "I'm gonna need you to find the signal of their headphones so we can take over the frequency. We could be here for hours if we waited for them to run out of juice on their own, but maybe if we can get their attention we can get them to stop for a second. Think you're up for it?"
Joule nodded. She stood on her tiptoes on Elliot's head, whiskers and tail pointed rigidly towards the sky. Every once in a while she swiveled her whiskers and changed the angle of her tail, perking up when she found a good result and shaking her head when she started losing the symbol. Yet, like an expert lockpicker, it wouldn't take her too long to get a handle on the situation. Maybe five minutes after beginning, Joule's body froze rigidly so that she could keep a firm grip on the signal. Immediately the Dugtrio stopped their thrashing, its three bodies looking at one another in a state of pure confusion. They murmured, one of them shaking out an airpod and giving it a few curious prods to see if it was still working. That was when Joule started communicating, puffing her cheeks in rhythmic fashion. It was almost like morse code, if the standards of what accounted for morse code were defined entirely by a single species of hamster.
Their attention gained, the Dugtrio started churning through the earth to head towards the boy.
~~~~
Now, how much of that did Andrew see? From the distance he was previously at, he may have noticed an orange mouse-like shape scuttling onto the human's head, followed by the blobs starting their shaking. Yet the closer he came, the more he would see about the overall situation.
Elliot's Team
Echo - Level 20 Ralts - 5/5 Joule - Level 20 Dedenne - 5/5 Murex - Level 17 Shellder - 5/5 Lord Beerus - Level 27 Espeon - 5/5 Eevee Egg - 1/5 (didn't want to start counting it until Elliot had actually appeared!)
As the latest and perhaps the strongest of the many aftershocks shook the route, Andrew would - indeed - have a difficult time standing, being sent toppling onto his hands and knees with a yelp. He'd wince as a sharp stone dug into his palm, and his knees ground against the earth; but furrowing his brows to himself in an attempt to steel himself, he'd try to slowly rise up to his feet regardless. He'd stumble a little, as another shock wave nearly knocked him off his feet while he was still regaining his balance, but otherwise would manage to bring himself to a standing position.
Glancing ahead to the Skitty, he'd notice that she wasn't moving closer - and in fact, was trying to wave at him with her paw, meowing and nya-ing in an insistent fashion. Was she... Scared? For herself? For him? Andrew's expression firmed in what might be determination, but his voice was still gentle as he called "It's okay, I'm okay; let's just get us both out of here, alright?" to the Skitty.
Once he was able to reach the sign post, Andrew would firmly grip it in one hand, as he leaned down to the Skitty - "See? I'm okay... I'm gonna pick you up now, alright?" - and carefully scoop her up in one arm, cradling her closely and securely. Once there was a lull in the aftershocks, Andrew was prepared to make a run for safety; but until then? He'd have to bide his time, maintaining his tight grip on the pole of the signpost for balance.
Meanwhile, there was Inari and Echo - the former of which was concerned, with how much the Ralts was falling and slipping about, with all the shaking, and her attempts to see just what was going on! Though Inari was able to stay upright, she was pretty sure it'd really begin to hurt, if she got any closer to the blobs causing all this shaking. Even as Echo appeared unhurt, Inari was concerned for her.
So, she would make the executive decision to pick Echo up by the back of her hoodie - lifting the Ralts up like a mother cat might a kitten, so that she could stop doing an impression of those wobbly dummy toys. Please stop falling, child- you are doing the fox a concern. As she got Echo under control, though... Inari would perk up - noticing that there were others on the route, opposite from the vibing blobs!
Andrew, too, would notice this; glancing towards the trio as they gathered on the opposite side from the Alolan Dugtrios. Briefly, he couldn't help but wonder who they were - could the person, whoever they were, be Echo's trainer? Regardless of the answer, Andrew knew better than to linger any longer than he had to. Especially now that there was a brief lull in the shaking - which was his and the Skitty's chance to abscond out of this shaky (hah) situation..!
Wrapping both arms around the Skitty in a protective fashion - so that she wouldn't be hurt, if he did fall over again - Andrew would murmur to her "Alright, we're moving now; hang on, okay?" as he began to run, back towards Inari and Echo. Briefly, he would half-trip and stumble - a weaker aftershock shaking underfoot - but was otherwise able to remain upright, as he ran for safety. Inari, seeing him approach, would wag her tails - visibly relieved that Andrew and the Skitty both were okay and heading back.
Once Andrew was back with the two pokemon, he'd allow himself to flop down to his knees - letting out a sharp and heavy sigh, as he tried to ease the beating of his heart. Geez; he wasn't ever one for P.E., and that was doubly apparent here. But, despite that... He was happy, to be helping a pokemon in distress. And speaking of such pokemon, Andrew would glance down to the Skitty in his arms; smiling warmly to her, as he set her down on his lap. "Hey, little fella... How are you feeling?" He'd ask softly; briefly looking the Skitty over, to see if she was hurt at all or not.
Inari, curious, would crane around to set Echo on her back once more - quietly praying that the Ralts wouldn't slip off a second time - and approach the Skitty, laying down in a lax fashion to sniff her. In sniffing, however... She'd note a cut on one of Andrew's palms, and would make a concerned whine; nosing at the young man's hand..!
Blinking a bit, Andrew would glance to the hand in question, before unable to help a slight wince. Oof... Yeah, that must've been from when he was knocked over by that big shockwave... "It's okay, Inari; it'll heal right up." Andrew reassured the Vulpix, instead focusing more on her and Echo's wellbeings. "How about you two - are you both okay?"
Inari wasn't entirely placated from worrying over Andrew - even if he was technically right - but she would nod in confirmation that yeah, they were okay. She wasn't sure if Echo exactly had a sense of balance, but they were okay, as far as she knew. This would prompt a smile from Andrew, and a nod in acknowledgement; allowing him to turn his attention ahead, to the blobs, and the mystery trainer beyond.
By now, Joule was out - and Andrew could, faintly, make out the flash of orange atop the distant human's head. None of the pokemon - beyond perhaps the feline, which he though was an Espeon or Liepard - were close enough for him to identify. However, even then, he could tell that something was going on. Especially when, suddenly, the shaking began to slow to a stop; the blobs seemingly calming down for reasons that Andrew couldn't discern. With the earth under them no longer threatening to treat them to a rodeo, Andrew and Inari both would quietly wait, with bated breaths, to see what would happen.
When the blobs began to approach the trio further up the road, and the ground did not begin to shake again, Andrew would carefully deposit the Skitty on the ground next to him, and stand. "I... I Think that things are calming down, now...?" Andrew would guess in a hopeful tone - taking a few steps forward, trying to watch and see what would happen now. He didn't want to get too close - in case things started up once again - but he did want to see just what all was going on..!
OOC: I'd like to skill up Agility for this post, as Andrew balances like he's never balanced before for ~400 words, please..!
Last Edit: Apr 11, 2020 18:55:47 GMT by Andrew Wynn
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 11, 2020 21:13:46 GMT
The Skitty was all too happy to curl into Andrew's arms, letting out a happy "Nya!" as Andrew checked up on her. She, too, had wisely avoided straying close enough to the aftershocks. They had yet to reach the point where they would hurt her, even if they were tumultuous enough that she didn't want to risk moving through it all. Andrew's spill on the way there was part of the reason why. Was he hurt? Her happy meowing quickly gave way to a more concerned sound.
The Skitty herself tensed up a bit at being sniffed by a far larger canid Pokemon, but upon realizing that the Vulpix meant no harm she relaxed and began sniffing her back. Overall, the Skitty had calmed down quite a bit now that she was out of the earthquake zone, and calmed even moreso when she saw that the Pokemon causing it had promptly stopped its furious wiggling.
Echo, too, was okay. She didn't seem to mind being carried by the scruff of her hoodie by Inari. In fact, while carried like that, she occupied herself by laughing and swinging back and forth from Inari's mouth. She behaved herself more once she was set on the Vulpix's back, then turned her concerns over to Andrew. Another pulse of bright pink energy flashed from her hands, this time flowing into Andrew's own hand. Before, she had just treated a bit of bruising and soreness. Would the Heal Pulse be effective on a cut like the one Andrew had, too? She could only hope.
As the situation calmed down, Andrew would be able to both see and hear the other human better. It seemed to be a boy about his age, with soft features and a gentle demeanor to his stance. He certainly didn't look as rigid as he did beforehand, now that aftershocks didn't mean he needed to cling to his walking stick for dear life. He approached the Dugtrio as it burrowed towards him. Would Elliot be close enough for Andrew to see the soft smile on his face? Maybe not, but it carried through to his voice as he addressed the mass of moles. "Hey there," Elliot said, sitting down so he could look them in the eye. "Sorry we had to interrupt you guys. But I was really curious. What were you guys listening to? Think I could hear, too?"
That seemed to do the trick. Immediately the Dugtrio perked up, shooting back over to their fallen earbud and nudging it over to Elliot. They motioned at it insistently, waiting for Elliot to pick it up. He dusted it off, then held it near his ear. Joule stopped hijacking the frequency, and Elliot smiled as he prepared to listen to the sound.
That may've been a mistake. Incredibly loud surfer rock music hit him square in the face, so loud that it almost left him floored. Joule winced and reached up to cover her ears, Murex clamped down hard on her shell, and Lord Beerus pawed at his head and groaned in agony. The Dugtrio didn't seem to mind all too much. They just started grooving and jiving in place, the force of their dance moves starting to get the earth quaking again. Good thing Elliot was already sitting down! He reached out a hand, smiling gently yet nervously at the trio. "Hey hey, would it be okay if you guys turned it down a little?" Elliot asked, voice raised a hair so he could be heard over the music. The Dugtrio stopped, the earth mercifully settling down as well, and eyed him curiously. "I really like the music, but my ears are really sensitive. I think I'd love it even more if I got to hear it a bit more quietly."
They looked at each other, muttering among themselves, then nodded. They parted, revealing an old music player cradled between themselves, and looked at Elliot expectantly. He reached out, hand hovering for a second as he waited for the Dugtrio's approval, then smiled at them before turning down the music. He waited until Joule and Murex gave him the nods of approval, knowing full well that Lord Beerus was a prima donna who'd groan until all of the music was off. He pulled back, holding the earbud close to his head again and sighing warmly as he listened to the music. It wasn't really his kind of genre, but it was pretty good! Seeing his approval, the Dugtrio prepared to start jiving again.
Elliot chuckled good naturedly. With the earbuds no longer so overpoweringly loud, it seemed like their grooving had calmed down as well. The earth still shook, but at a far gentler magnitude than it did before. "See? Just like that, very good," Elliot said. "You guys had the route all shook up, you know. I think you were partying a little too hard! But, hey, I can't blame you. You should see my big bro when I get all lost in a song. Guy's a total grump about it. It's funny.
What other songs do you guys have on there? You have good taste!" The Dugtrio looked at Elliot, faces blank, tilting their heads one by one. "You, uh . . . you guys have other songs on there, right?" Elliot asked. The Dugtrio turned to one another, nodding and murmuring between themselves, then returned to their confused glances. "You know, songs? Like the ones you guys are listening to, right?" More blank looks. Did these Dugtrio not know that other music existed?
Elliot blinked in surprise, only for a warm smile to spread from ear to ear. "Oh, you guys are in for a treat. Joule, hook my phone up to their earbuds?" Elliot asked. Joule nodded as Elliot held up his phone, her whiskers on one side attuning towards Elliot's phone and the other holding the earbuds' signal. After swiveling her whiskers for a few moments, Joule's tail perked right up. It was all connected!
The Dugtrio looked a little bit confused as a bouncy pop-punk song went through their earbuds. Was this music? It didn't sound anything like what they were used to! Then Elliot flipped songs to a pulse-pounding rock song. Then something a bit more mellow and blues-y. He even hopped through a few video game soundtracks. For a few minutes he just sat there with the Dugtrio, flipping from song after song to give them a little tour of the musical world. While at first they seemed confused more than anything, by the back half of the impromptu playlist they were grooving away. And with how low Elliot's volume was comparatively, they weren't even destroying any parts of the route in the process!
It seemed Echo and the Skitty both, too, were worried over Andrew. He couldn't help a soft, endeared chuckle at the feline's concerned sound. "I just got a little cut on my hand, is all." He'd begin in reassurance, smiling gently to the Skitty. "It's okay, though; it should heal up in a few days." As soon as he said that, though... Echo appeared to be straight on the case, with another Heal Pulse; the now-familiar soothing warmth of the pink light washing over his palm..!
Andrew would watch as the cut on his palm mended up more or less perfectly - still somewhat tender to the touch, with the skin a faint red with irritation, but obviously a lot better than an open cut! "... Or right now, with Echo's help, I suppose!" Andrew couldn't help but add with a gentle laugh, reaching over to give Echo another gentle headpat. "Thank you again, Echo. You've been doing great, with mending me up today." He'd mention with a softer chuckle.
Inari, meanwhile, would be calm and patient as the Skitty tensed; laying down passively, sniffing the ground in a relaxed fashion, as if to say 'I'm no threat, it's okay' as she waited for the Skitty to calm down. Once the feline did relax and approach however, Inari was more than happy to let her sniff her - tails wagging, as she sniffed the Skitty back. With how tiny the Skitty was, Inari couldn't help but wonder if she was the runt of some litter or not. Either way, she'd make a soft "Yip..!" in greeting, visibly friendly and welcoming to the Kitten Pokemon.
Once things were winding down proper though, Andrew would soon turn his attention to the other trainer, and the pokemon that were gathered around them. He could faintly hear the other boy talk - albeit not well enough to make out any words, at this distance - and see the body language of the different pokemon assembled, all of which seemed to signal to him that things were okay now.
Andrew was unable to help a brief sigh of relief, at this confirmation; his shoulders slumping as they lost their tension. Though, even with that being said, he was unable to completely relax now that he was no longer the only human on the road. For the briefest moment, he had debated asking Inari about checking to see if this trainer was Echo's trainer, so that they could move on as soon as possible...
... though the Vulpix seemed to have another idea! Noticing the other people, Inari would stand back up - stretching her limbs as she did - and made a nod in Elliot and co's direction to the Skitty, as though suggesting to the feline that they move in the assembled group's direction together. Regardless of whether the Skitty would take Inari up on her offer to walk together or not, though, Inari would trot up the road; barking to Andrew as she passed, as though to say 'come on!'
Andrew would jump a bit at this, surprised - seemingly having been in his own thoughts, in debating how he could avoid a social situation with the other boy. "Ah... I... I d-don't know, Inari..." He'd mumble; eyes casting aside, his kindly nature being smothered by a notable dose of anxiety. If he didn't feel this much shame at his own anxiety, then maybe he'd have found it funny, the way he was willing to face a Dugtrio's seismic activity to help a frightened pokemon, but was unable to face possibly talking to another person.
Any further uncertainties or protests would be stifled, though, when Inari proceeded to pull the puppy eyes, making a soft, pleading whine as she took a hold of the edge of Andrew's sleeve, and tugged lightly. Since when could she use Baby-Doll Eyes?!
Andrew would keep his eyes averted, initially, though... After a few moments, he couldn't help but look up - in Elliot's direction. The other trainer looked to maybe be the same age as himself, and he... He didn't look to be all that bad, either. He seemed rather kind and good with pokemon, in fact; judging by the fact he appeared to be having a nice time with the Dugtrio - even with the chaos that the wild pokemon had been causing before. Even his other pokemon seemed pleasant, too...
Swallowing the frog in his throat, Andrew would quietly nod - deciding that he could... He could try, maybe, being nearby? He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk, but... Maybe he could meet the Dugtrio, too. Yeah. Just meet the Dugtrio, and maybe those other pokemon..!
This seemed to satisfy Inari, a proud look - for Andrew's sake - in her eyes as she followed at his side. She knew this was nervewracking for Andrew, but she was happy that he was at least willing to try this much. They would both slowly approach - Echo, and potentially the Skitty, in tow - as Andrew sat down criss-cross, at the edge of the congregated group. He would watch the Alolan Dugtrio grooving out to some unheard song, and quietly observe the other pokemon - a Dedenne, a Shellder, and an Espeon. They had an awful lot of pokemon gathered here, huh? Seeing them was... Kind of soothing, in a faint way.
What was even more soothing, though, was when Inari would take up Andrew's lap - a familiar and comforting weight, that Andrew could focus on, to keep his mind off of the anxiety that was curdling in his gut. He'd wrap an arm around Inari, stroking his fingers through her fur, before glancing to Echo, and asking - ever so softly - "Do... D-do you recognize anyone here, Echo..?"
Maybe he could, well, at least handle this trainer potentially talking to him about Echo. Then maybe the other boy would be happy enough, and move on, and then he and Inari could move on too...
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 12, 2020 6:26:11 GMT
Echo grinned, puffing her chest out with pride as she successfully healed up Andrew's hand. That was two for two! Clearly, she could do anything! Getting more praise from the fluffy boy was always a nice reward, too. He was such a good human! Could Elliot catch him, too? If she could catch another Pokemon, then he could totally catch another human, right? Between Echo's pride, and the relaxed Skitty resting happily by Andrew, it seemed like nothing could spoil the white-haired boy's day.
Then he was confronted by the fact that another person was around.
Inari's new Skitty friend tilted her head curiously at Inari's offer, but after a moment's consideration shook her head. She had somewhere to be, after all! She promptly dashed away to the bushes, out of which Andrew and Inari may have heard a faint cry. The Skitty slowly backed out of the bush, dragging a much larger Skitty behind her by the scruff of his fur. While physically he was much bigger, his tail stuck straight up in the air, his ears and legs were stumpier, and his features were overall softer. Was this her large son? She stepped away from her large son to look back over at Andrew and Anari, giving them a grateful meow for ending their separation. She then picked the Skitty kitten's scruff back up, dragging him back away as he giggled up a storm.
With that, Andrew's group made their way over to Elliot's, the human a bit busy listening to music and soothing the Dugtrio's nerves to notice them at first. Yet Ralts was quick to notice. She perked up as she saw the identity of the human, tugging at Andrew's sleeve and pointing at the other boy. "Eh-ee-oh!" she chirped, practically jumping up and down with joy. "Eh-ee-oh! Eh-ee-oh!" Would Andrew realize that she was pointing out her trainer was here? Or would he just think that she was making more adorable vocalizations?
Well, if Andrew didn't notice, then Murex certainly would! As soon as the Shellder noticed her best friend she practically blurred over, rocketing forward on a shard of ice. Echo, seeing Murex coming fling over, hopped off of Andrew's lap and in the path of the Shellder, before catching her in a direct impact tacklehug! Murex wrapped her tongue around the Ralts as the two snuggled into each other, happily babbling in their various Pokemon tongues. Joule looked towards Lord Beerus, who was doing his best to ignore the reunion, and gave him a gentle elbow to the side. He rolled his eyes, then relented. Joule immediately scampered over to fuss over the duo, while Lord Beerus haughtily followed behind them. He looked at Echo, as if determining whether she was okay or not, then went back to lazily sunning himself.
With the reunion finished, Echo took Murex and Joule by the hand (or tongue, in Murex's case) and brought them over to Andrew. She looked up at him, smiling widely, then motioned to two of her best friends the entire world. Joule nodded, giving him a soft smile, while Murex bashfully peered up at him through a closed shell.
All the while, Elliot and the Dugtrio kept discussing their music. Now it seemed that the Dugtrio was trying out a few different dance moves, Elliot giggling while giving him pointers on each. He even tried to demonstrate a few of his own, despite his bad leg and general gracelessness making them rather poor examples. "See? There are tons of ways to dance. You don't even need to cause an earthquake with half of them," Elliot said, all smiles.
Andrew couldn't help but be visibly amused and endeared, at the size difference between the little Skitty and her son. It reminded him just how much a pokemon's size could vary between two different individuals - even those of the same species - and it made him briefly wonder who the other parent to that larger Skitty must've been. As the mother Skitty gave a meow of gratefulness and farewell to the duo, Inari and Andrew both would wave to her - Inari yipping her well wishes, and Andrew calling "Be well, you two!" as the feline family made their departure, and eventually disappeared from sight.
Which then left Andrew and Inari with Elliot and his group of pokemon. Thankfully for Andrew, Elliot was still preoccupied with the Dugtrio; allowing him to settle down - pulling his hood up and snuggling close with Inari and Echo - and steel himself for the inevitable interaction, even if he believed he wouldn't ever really be ready to deal with another person.
A welcome distraction would come along, however, when Echo begun lightly tugging at Andrew's sleeve, babbling excitely. Though Andrew would jump visibly at first, appearing to have been in his own thoughts, he'd relax when he saw that it was only Echo - glancing in her direction, and smiling faintly. That had been her attempt at naming her trainer, much like how she tried to say her own name before, right? Taking in a deep breath to try and ease his anxiety, Andrew would speak in a soft and low voice - responding "So that's your trainer, Echo? I'm, uhm, happy that we found him; do you want to, well, go reunite with him?"
It was possible that Echo would notice by now, that Andrew was visibly nervous about her trainer; even if Inari's presence helped to keep his stress down. But why could he be so nervous about other people, especially a trainer as nice seeming as Elliot?
Before any conversation with Echo could go much further though, it would seem that 'Eh-ee-oh's pokemon had noticed that Echo was back! Andrew would blink in surprise as the Shellder more or less rocketed to them on a shard of ice, only for Echo leap up and crash into the bivalve with a tacklehug! Andrew was unable to help a short startled laugh at this, but would smile warmly as he watched the duo snuggle close, happily chattering to eachother. Talk about enthusiastic reunions, huh?
Then, there was Joule and Lord Beerus, who Andrew took note of; given the former looking to be a bit of an older specimen of Dedenne, and the latter seeming to be more indifferent to the whole situation at large. He'd watch the two mammalian pokemon interact, the comparatively smaller Joule coaxing Beerus to join in the reunion, prompting a soft chuckle as the young man began to gradually forget that Elliot was even in the background with the Dugtrio right now. Andrew was perfectly happy, just focusing on the pokemon here!
As Echo brought Joule and Murex over, Andrew smiled warmly. "So these are your friends, huh? They look quite nice," He'd comment in a soft and calm tone to Echo, briefly looking the duo over. A kind and gentle look to him, he would slowly lean over to offer a hand to the duo, for Joule to sniff and Murex to, well... He wasn't entirely sure how the Shellder would react to the gesture, but he was open to Murex figuring something out on her own, and at her own pace. As he extended the hand in greeting, Andrew would speak to Joule and Murex both, murmuring in a gentle voice "Hello there, you two. How're the both of you today?"
Inari, meanwhile, seemed curious about Murex and Joule both as well; slowly and carefully climbing off of Andrew's lap, to investigate. Though the Vulpix kept a respectable distance from Murex - noting the Shellder's shyness - she'd idly alternate between sniffing the ground to convey her relaxed mood, and the duo; tails wagging as she was able to match these scents to the smells on Echo's hoodie. Yep! These were Echo's friends! "Yip!" Inari would yip in greeting to them, laying down next to Andrew in a lax fashion, but visibly happy to meet more friends.
This would prompt a chuckle from Andrew, glancing to Joule and Murex, and commenting "Looks like she says hello, too." with an amused smile. "My name's Andrew, and this is my best friend Inari. Who might you two be?"
Last Edit: Apr 12, 2020 12:20:10 GMT by Andrew Wynn
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 12, 2020 16:59:19 GMT
Echo went to chirp in the affirmative to Andrew's question, but as she looked and sensed him she stopped herself. She put a hand to her chin, deep in thought, then ultimately shook her head no. Murex looked rather surprised by this, letting out a slight gasp. Yet the older and wiser Joule clasped her hands together as she surveyed the situation. She may not have had Echo's empathetic senses, but she did have good old fashioned emotional healthiness. She looked up and down at Andrew, then turned to Echo and nodded in agreement. She goaded the Ralts forward, sending her stumbling back towards Andrew. Murex's tongue lolled out in confusion, but Joule chittered at her to explain the situation. With the situation explained, Murex's eyes widened in understanding as she nodded.
Echo returned over to Andrew, flopping on his lap. As she did so, Murex and Joule looked up at him, hearing his question. They both let out a series of happy cries in response, Murex slowly easing her shell open so Andrew could properly get a look at her. While neither were quite as animated as Echo was, they were both clearly happy to be reunited with their friend. As if for emphasis, Joule ruffled the Ralts' hair, Echo giggling affectionately in response. While Inari's approach got Murex hiding again, Echo was quick to point to the Vulpix and make a series of happy chirps. That was enough for Murex to pry herself open again, no longer letting herself stay hidden.
At the request for names, Murex and Joule shot each other a look. How exactly could they explain themselves here? Yet Echo was quick on the ball, looking up from Andrew's lap to point at the two. "Whoo-es!" she said, pointing at the Shellder. "Whooe!" she added, pointing at the Dedenne. Echo really wasn't the most helpful right now. But with the huge grin on her face, she looked so proud of herself. Murex and Joule couldn't really bring themselves to take issue with her attempt.
Perhaps Elliot would look over his shoulder, noticing that his Pokemon weren't by his side at the moment. Yet as he stole his subtle glance, Joule shook her head. The smile on her face was soft and understanding, and realization shone in Elliot's eyes as he looked at her. He turned away, so subtly that the distracted Andrew may not have even noticed.
Instead, he sat there by the Dugtrio's side, smiling ear from ear as one last idea shot through his head. "You want to know the best part of all this music stuff?" Elliot asked. The Dugtrio leaned towards him in interest, one head after the other. "You can make your own!" The Dugtrio's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, practically vibrating in place as they tried to see how this was possible. "Watch, try this. Hm-hmm-HMM-hmm-hmmmm~!" he hummed, a simple up-and-down melody. The Dugtrio chattered among themselves, then gave it a shot. "Tri-trii-TRII-trii-triii~!" Their attempt was rough and scraggly, but it wasn't like Elliot's shaky melody was perfect either. And the fact that the Dugtrio even tried got Elliot beaming.
"That's the spirit!" he chirped. "But you guys have something I don't. There's three of you. Hold on, that gives me a great idea. Why don't you-" Elliot looked at the tallest Dugtrio, who tossed his luxurious mane as he was acknowledged. "-try going a bit higher than the other ones. And you-" He looked down at the shortest Dugtrio, who peered up from beneath his bowl cut. "-try going a bit lower. Trust me, it's gonna sound great." The Dugtrio looked at each other, chattering, then nodded. They were going to give it a try! Their voices were still a bit rough, and they weren't quite in sync with each other, but they were still able to do quite the job at harmonizing!
Elliot clasped his hands together. "Perfect! Keep practicing like that for a bit, okay?" Elliot said. "I know it's not the same as the kinds of music big studios can produce. But, it's your own. Isn't that something special in its own right?" The Dugtrio chittered in agreement, rising up and down out of their holes as they continued humming their simple melody. It was hard not to be smiling in delight as he watched them. "Keep trying, and you'll get really good someday!
. . . Though . . . I bet if we stuck together, we'd be able to keep teaching each other, you know?" Elliot said. He fished an Ultra Ball out of his pocket, smiling down at the Dugtrio. "Would you guys like to come with me?"
Andrew, initially, was confused when Echo shook her head. Didn't she want to go see her trainer? Surely, they missed eachother, while they were separated, right..? He had a hard time understanding at first - but... When he realized what the problem was - that Echo could sense his anxiety over Elliot - a sense of shame bubbled up. He should've figured, that the Ralts would notice - but it wasn't exactly the best feeling. The last thing he wanted, was to make people worry for him like this...
"It's okay, Echo." He'd try to reassure the Ralts, offering her a smile. "It's... Just a little hard, for me to talk to people, sometimes. I'll be okay, if you want to go spend time with your trainer, though." He tried to downplay his own anxieties without outright lying; though it seemed that Echo was firm in her decision, as she flopped down in his lap.
Instead of arguing over it, Andrew would turn his attention to Murex and Joule; smiling warmly, as they responded to his question with happy cries. It seemed like everyone was in a good mood, at least! Andrew chuckled warmly to them; mentioning "That's good to hear," with a kind smile, as he carefully leaned in to gently pat them both on the head (or shell, in Murex's case.) "The Dugtrio situation had me a bit, heh, shaken up for a second there; though you guys all seemed to handle it wonderfully, from the looks of things."
And as Echo tried to introduce both Murex and Joule, Andrew couldn't help but chuckle a bit more brightly; finding Echo's attempts to introduce everyone as endearing as ever. "Well, it's very nice to meet the both of you. You two seem like a pleasant duo, no doubt!" He'd comment to Murex and Joule both; nodding to himself.
He'd then go to dig through his bag - pulling out what looked to be a bag of treats, that sent Inari's tail a-wagging. If Andrew let her, she'd just subsist off of the treats he'd get her! "Any of you want a treat?" Andrew would ask as he opened the bag, digging a hand into it to grab a few. "I figure now's a good time as any to share some, now that we're all relaxing together."
Inari, eager to have some, would be the first to take Andrew up on his offer; letting out an excited bark, her front paws briefly fidgeting, and her tails wagging the hardest they have been today! Smiling knowingly, Andrew would take out a couple of treats for Inari, holding them between the sides of his fingers. "Alright, Inari..." He'd begin. "Wanna show these nice pokemon just what you can do?" He didn't mind if she wasn't interested in doing a trick - though it was clear she was raring to go, if those tails of hers implied anything!
"Aroarf!
"Okay then, get ready girl..." Andrew began; watching as Inari tensed her muscles, seeming to be crouching down in preparation for something. "Aaand... Catch!" Andrew, with a flick of his wrist, would toss the treats as high into the air as he could; and like a released spring, Inari would leap upwards with all the grace of a fox! Her body would twist slightly in mid-air to snatch the treats up in her jaws, before landing on her paws; a tiny bit of dust being kicked up at her landing.
Satisfied, Inari would puff her chest in a proud fashion, before moving to curl up next to Andrew, and munch down on her well-deserved treats. It was easy to see that she was quite content, if the way her tails were still wagging - albeit more calmly now - were anything to imply. Andrew, proud of his precious partner, would pet her quite lovingly; scritching along her fur as he praised "Good girl, my little acrobat..." with a wide smile. Glancing back to the other three, he'd then ask "Alright, who's next?"
As he doled the treats out to the remaining pokemon, he'd glance over to the Espeon - Lord Beerus - noting that he seemed to still be sunning himself on his own. After a moment of consideration, Andrew would click his tongue at the psychic feline, to get his attention. Once that attention was had, Andrew would offer an apologetic smile for disturbing his rest, before asking "I'm sorry for bothering you, but would you like a treat, too? I wouldn't want you to miss out, just because you want space." Assuming that Beerus accepted, Andrew would pull out a few more treats to offer to him, hand extended.
It seemed that Andrew, indeed, wouldn't notice Elliot and Joule's wordless exchange - more focused on making sure that even the antisocial Beerus got his fair share of treats!
Once everyone was sated and happy, though... Andrew would catch a glimpse of a red flash of light, out of the corner of his eyes. He'd look up just in time to see the Alolan Dugtrio disappear into Elliot's ultra ball, and quietly watched as the ball shook once, twice, thrice...
... Before clicking audibly, as the Dugtrio was caught..! Andrew raised his eyebrows a bit, visibly impressed that the trainer managed to catch the evolved pokemon without needing to fight it... He really was good with pokemon, huh?
It took a second for Andrew to realize that he was staring, however - and when he did, he'd quickly avert his eyes; hoping that the other didn't notice him staring. He'd instead busy himself with glancing down at Echo in his lap, and idly running his fingers through her hair.
Last Edit: Apr 12, 2020 19:51:50 GMT by Andrew Wynn
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