Printable Version of Topic

Posted by: Ozzy Feb 6 2010, 05:16 PM

As Luna made her way out of the Pokemart, she noticed the rain starting to fall. She took the few supplies that she had just bought and put them in her small, brown purse. She thought about taking out her Abra and using Teleport to make it back to the Pokemon Center, but she decided against it. I can probably make it back before the rain gets too bad, she thought to herself.

She had made it about halfway back to the Pokemon Center when the rain started coming down faster. She pushed herself, quickening her pace. It was hard to see through the rain, but she could make out the lights and the familiar smell of the place where she was currently staying. As she made it to the door, she almost ran into a small girl, around 16. "I'm sorry," she said. Luna pulled a small key out of her pocket and walked down one of the few hallways of the center. She walked up the stairs and made a few turns, then came to a door at the end of the hall. She pulled out her key and opened it, walking into her room. She quickly changed clothes, gathered some food for her Pokemon, then walked back down the stairs.

Once she made it down the stairs, she sat down on a small couch close to one of the windows. Nurse Joy had handed her a blanket earlier, so she unfolded it and wrapped it around her. She had been freezing, due to being out in the cold rain, but now she was warm. She let her three Pokemon out of their pokeballs and gave them each a bowl of food. While her Pokemon ate, she curled up on the couch and looked out the window. The rain had let up a little and she could make out two figures standing in the dark. It was a young man and an old woman, who looked familiar. Luna, being a very curious person, grabbed a raincoat, called back her Pokemon, and ran outside.

It was getting dark out, but she could still see well enough to walk around without running into anything or anyone. She used the shadows to cover her and hid behind the tree closest to the two. She now knew who the familiar woman was. It was her grandmother. She listened as the two talked about transferring money to Groudon's Thumb. She knew that the Rebellion should know about this meeting, so she turned to go back to the Pokemon Center to call Mr. Rydel. She accidentally stepped on a small twig, which made a loud snap. Luna looked back and saw the young man looking right at her. She ran, with him chasing her. She took a longer route back to the Center, eventually losing him. She ran inside and looked out the window where she had been sitting before. The young man, most likely a Magma grunt, was looking around outside, but could not find Luna. He returned to the old woman, shook her hand, and ran off. They were probably going to continue their meeting at a later date due to the intrusion. She took a deep breathe and turned to walk back to her room. Luna wasn't paying attention and ran into a girl, the same one as before. This time, Luna had gotten a better look at her. She had red-orange hair and green eyes. Luna felt awful for running into the poor girl again, so she apologized for the second time.

Posted by: Amissa Feb 6 2010, 07:25 PM

After a hard day of working and training, Caroline finally made it to the pokemon center, the one place where she knew that she and her pokemon could find some respite. The downpour had been annoying for her, but she'd expected it and worn her brother's old black raincoat. It didn't change the fact that she had water in her shoes and wet feet, however, and was eager to dry out a bit. Just when she reached the door, she was suddenly bumped by an older girl with dark red hair. Caroline thought nothing of it, since anyone would be in a hurry to get out of this rain and simply went inside.

The sweet familiar face of the brave Nurse Joy who worked at the pokemon center in the poor district greeted Caroline with a smile. "Hello again, Caroline! How was training today?" She asked politely.

"Hard," was Caroline's response as she handed the woman her three pokeballs. "Can you check Thor for me? He was stung by a beedrill today and he won't let me touch him to see how it is."

"Certainly," the nurse said and released Caroline's electrike on the counter before the two. She then put on a pair of rubber gloves to examine the electric type, who struggled against her ministrations. "Nothing I can't take care of," Nurse Joy declared. "You know, considering Thor's Static ability, he may simply prefer not to be handled because he wants to protect you. It may be a sign of affection."

"Maybe," was all Caroline had to say. She was still learning about her pokemon and their peculiar mannerisms. It wasn't unthinkable that Thor might simply show affection in more subtle ways than she would expect, but she wasn't certain either.

"I'll have them all healed and ready to go home with you in a jiffy," Nurse Joy promised before recalling Thor to his pokeball. She placed the two pokeballs of the uninjured pokemon in the recovery machine which would have them fully rested in only a few minutes. She took Thor's pokeball with her into a back room for a bit more attention, but Caroline knew that he'd be ready before long too.

She took this time to go to the bathroom and clean up as well as she could. She was eager to get back home and rest, but the thought of sitting at the dinner table with her brother's seat empty made her stomach turn. Why hadn't he come back? Was he that mad at her? He couldn't have escaped the town, Team Magma made sure that no one could, so where was he living now? Caroline heaved a sad sigh and pushed her unanswerable questions from her mind before heading back out into the main room. There she was bumped again by the same girl.

"It's okay," Caroline said in her small, quiet voice, "But are you all right? You look a bit alarmed. No one's been bothering you, have they?" It may have been an odd assumption if they were in any other part of town, but in the poor district the possibility of being attacked or harassed, especially for young women of their age, was great enough to make the question less awkward.

Just then, Nurse Joy called over from the counter, "Caroline, your pokemon are fully healed and ready whenever you are." She set Caroline's pokeballs on the counter for her to retrieve whenever she wished.

Posted by: Ozzy Feb 7 2010, 07:18 PM

"It's okay, but are you all right? You look a bit alarmed. No one's been bothering you, have they?"

Luna studied the girl, who Nurse Joy addressed as Caroline. She could see the slightly worried look on her face. Luna thought of what to tell her. She had no idea if this girl knew about the Rebellion or about what had just gone on outside. She didn't want to raise any alarm, for all she knew, this Caroline girl could be part of Magma.

She took a quick glance out the window, to where her grandmother and the young man had been standing. No one was there now. She took a deep breath and responded. "Um... yeah, I'm fine. No one has bothered me, I just thought that I'd go for a little run. Everyone's inside when it rains, so there is no one to bother you." She still felt a little uneasy, due to almost being caught. "I'm Luna, by the way. Lunaraye Cardelle."

After introducing herself, she took off her raincoat and placed it on a small coat rack near the door. She then turned to the counter where Nurse Joy stood and handed her the three pokeballs that she carried. "Will you please take care of them for me?" Nurse Joy nodded and took Luna's Pokemon to the recovery machine. Then she turned back to the girl, "I'm going to say that your name is Caroline, right?"

It was getting close to lights out in the lobby, so Luna rummaged through her bag, looking for her key. She took it out and held it in her hand so she wouldn't have to try and find it in the dark. She took a seat on the closest sofa and invited Caroline to come sit with her.

Posted by: Amissa Feb 7 2010, 11:32 PM

"It's nice to meet you, Luna," Caroline said. She considered running in the rain an acceptable explanation, even if it was a bit odd. She reminded herself not to judge others quickly regardless of any unusual habits. Caroline waited as the girl hung up her coat and handed over her pokeballs to Nurse Joy. She counted three, Luna had as many pokemon as she did. Clearly if the girl was going to run around in the rain, she wasn't stupid enough to go completely unprotected. Caroline kept her raincoat on, however, expecting that she would eventually have to grit her teeth and just walk home in the rain.

"I'm going to say that your name is Caroline, right?"

"That's right," Caroline replied, collecting her pokeballs from the counter before walking over to the sofa to accept Luna's invitation. "Caroline Kelly. I live nearby. Where are you from?"

Posted by: Ozzy Feb 8 2010, 10:30 AM

"That's right, Caroline Kelly. I live nearby. Where are you from?"

Luna took a minute to think about that question. She had changed her whole life and she didn't know whether to lie or just tell the truth. She settled on the fact that even if Caroline knew were she was from, she still wouldn't know who she actually was. "I'm from Lilycove City."

"Luna, your Pokemon are fully healed."

It had taken only a few short moments for her Pokemon to heal, especially since they haven't really done anything recently. She stood up from her seat and walked over to the counter and retrieved her Pokemon. She took her Pokemon back over to the couch and let them out of their pokeballs. She pulled out some more food, since they never finished it earlier. Growlithe and Gastly happily ate their food, while Abra curled up beside Luna and fell asleep. She gently petted his head while he slept. She looked out the window and and saw that the rain was coming down harder than before. "What are you doing here so late, if you don't mind my asking?"

Posted by: Amissa Feb 8 2010, 12:20 PM

Caroline felt a little jealous watching Luna with her pokemon. The little abra curled in her lap looked positively angelic and the rest of her pokemon looked very happy. Even the ghastly, who Caroline would expect to be difficult to control, eagerly enjoyed its meal beside Luna's growlithe. They acted more like a family than a team. She wished that she could have that kind of relationship with her pokemon. She wished she could have that kind of relationship with her family.

When Luna asked what she was doing up so late, Caroline gave the girl a weak weary smile. "I don't get off from work until eight, and then I have to hustle over to the outskirts of town where I train my pokemon. But even on days when I don't get to train, I try to stop by here. I like to talk to Nurse Joy. She has family everywhere, so she hears a lot of news."

Caroline paused, trying to judge Luna's reaction. What she wanted to share wasn't private information, but some people may find it startling or rude to bring up with someone you've just met. However, considering the situation, Caroline didn't think of courtesy as her first priority. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a photo and showed it to Luna. It was a picture of a young man grinning widely at the camera. He had his hair dyed black and spiked upward, and a face full of freckles. His right eyebrow was pierced and he flashed a peace sign at the camera.

"You see, Nurse Joy lets me know if she's seen or heard about him. He's my brother, Rick. He's about twenty years old. He used to live with me and my parents, but one night we had a fight and he left. None of us have heard from him since then, so we ask everyone to keep an eye out for him. He gave me my first two pokemon, but I'm sure he would keep one pokemon for himself. If he's a trainer, then he'd have to visit the Pokemon Center sometimes." At least that was Caroline's hope. This was assuming that he hadn't given her his only two pokemon. It was also assuming that all of the Nurse Joys would cooperate and identify her brother. Realistically, though, she knew that the nurses were probably too busy for something like this.

"Team Magma is so strict that they won't let any of the citizens leave Noverus, so he would have to still be in the city unless he found some miraculous way to escape. But anyway, you wouldn't have seen him, would you?" Caroline glanced up at the girl, but she wasn't hopeful. There was no way that Rick could have made it as far as Lilycove, where Luna was from, and Caroline had checked everywhere that she dared in the district.

Posted by: Ozzy Feb 8 2010, 12:37 PM

"I don't get off from work until eight, and then I have to hustle over to the outskirts of town where I train my pokemon. But even on days when I don't get to train, I try to stop by here. I like to talk to Nurse Joy. She has family everywhere, so she hears a lot of news. You see, Nurse Joy lets me know if she's seen or heard about him. He's my brother, Rick. He's about twenty years old. He used to live with me and my parents, but one night we had a fight and he left. None of us have heard from him since then, so we ask everyone to keep an eye out for him. He gave me my first two Pokemon, but I'm sure he would keep one Pokemon for himself. If he's a trainer, then he'd have to visit the Pokemon Center sometimes."

Luna listened as Caroline explained what she was doing. She knew how it felt, having someone leave you. When she was young, her parents just disappeared, no one knew what had happened to them. Not even Mr. Rydel.

"Team Magma is so strict that they won't let any of the citizens leave Noverus, so he would have to still be in the city unless he found some miraculous way to escape. But anyway, you wouldn't have seen him, would you?"

Luna took the photo that Caroline presented to her. Studying it carefully, the boy looked familiar. She though for a few moments, I've seen him somewhere, I know it. She had no idea where though, and she didn't want to get Caroline's hopes up if she was wrong. "No, I haven't seen him. Sorry." She handed back the photo to Caroline. "If you want, you're welcome to stay with me tonight. I'm staying in a room here, and you never know, you may find someone who knows something. It also beats walking home in the rain."

Posted by: Amissa Feb 8 2010, 01:09 PM

"Thank you," Caroline said, putting her photo away. "I just need to call home real fast to let my family know where I am." With that she walked over to use one of the net-phone computers. Soon her mother's face appeared on the screen wearing one of her father's Pokemon League hats in order to cover up her diminishing hair. The conversation was brief, though not as quick as Caroline would like. Her mother was suspicious of Caroline spending the night with any friends that she hadn't met, so it took some convincing before she was satisfied that Caroline was safe.

"Leave Swiper out of his pokeball when you go to sleep. He'll keep an eye on you."

"Yes Mom."

"And next time if it looks like rain, come straight home!"

"Yes Mom."

"I love you, sweety. Good night."

"Good night Mom."

She hung up the phone and yawned. Happily she went over to the coat rack and hung her coat next to Luna's. A crash of thunder from outside made Caroline jump and scurry back over to Luna. "Thanks again for letting me stay. I really didn't want to go back out there."

Posted by: Ozzy Feb 8 2010, 04:55 PM

Luna watched as Caroline walked over and used the net-phone computer. She could hear her talking to a woman, probably her mother, but Luna could not hear their conversation. It didn't last long and a few moments later she was back.

"Thanks again for letting me stay. I really didn't want to go back out there."

"Oh, it's no problem," she replied, "I have an extra bed in my room." She called for her Pokemon to follow her and led Caroline to her room. They walked up the stairs at the end of the hall and it only took a minute or two to find the door. She put the key in the door and opened it. "Well, here we are." The room wasn't very big, but it could fit a few people and their Pokemon just fine. Luna laid her bag next to her bed and sat down on it. She called her three Pokemon back to their pokeballs and laid them on a side table.

She let Caroline get settled, then went to make a quick phone call. "I'll be right back," she said. She jogged down the stairs to the net-phone computers and called up Mr. Rydel.

"I'm sorry I'm calling so late--"
"It's fine, Luna. What is it?"
"Grandmother was here with some man. They were talking about moving money again."
"Did they say when? Where?"
"They didn't get to finish their conversation, I sort of interrupted them..."
"Luna, you mustn't do that. You could have gotten yourself into some serious trouble. You could have been captured."
"I know that, I'm sorry."
"Luna, I have to go. I'm going to make some phone calls and see if I can get anymore information. Be careful."

With that, he hung up. Luna walked to the vending machine and grabbed some food for her, and for Caroline if she wanted it. She made her way back up the stairs and back to her room. "I'm back."

Posted by: Amissa Feb 8 2010, 06:46 PM

Caroline followed Luna up to her room and sat down on the second bed. She set her bag on the floor nearby and nodded to Luna as she left to make her phone call. Once Luna had left, Caroline took out Swiper's pokeball and released the ekans into the room.

"Ekanssss," he hissed, displeased by the strange surroundings. He raised himself on his coils and looked about the room, flicking his tongue in and out of his mouth. He could tell by the scents in the air that this room belonged to another human and that this human had pokemon. He looked to Caroline for further clarification.

"We're at the Pokemon Center. We're staying with a girl I met. She was nice enough to invite me to spend the night so that I wouldn't have to walk in the rain. Be good." Caroline said. She reached out a hand to soothe the pokemon, but Swiper drew back. His large yellow eyes regarded her, as they often did, as though she were stupid. Then, to Caroline's great surprise, Swiper came forward and began to wrap himself loosely around her.

"Swiper!" Caroline cried, worried what Luna would think is she returned to find Caroline locked in the coils of the great snake. Nevertheless, Swiper would not move. She had brought him here and she needed his protection. In return, he would need her heat. Just as Caroline had feared, Luna walked in at just that moment.

"Uh, sorry. This is Swiper, he's my ekans. My brother gave him to me but he doesn't take orders very well. My mom wanted me to leave him out of his pokeball while I sleep so that he could keep an eye on me. Can't be too careful, you know. He's not unfriendly." Caroline tried to explain. Swiper untangled himself from his trainer as Luna entered the room. Curiously, he raised his head, using the foot of the bed to help support his long body. His gaze on Luna was critical and calculating. Just who was this trainer, and could he trust her?

Posted by: Ozzy Feb 9 2010, 05:16 PM

"Uh, sorry. This is Swiper, he's my Ekans. My brother gave him to me but he doesn't take orders very well. My mom wanted me to leave him out of his pokeball while I sleep so that he could keep an eye on me. Can't be too careful, you know. He's not unfriendly."

The curious snake uncoiled itself from around Caroline and stretched out on the bed. Luna saw his eyes following her as she moved around the room. "Your mom just wants to make sure you're safe. I understand. I brought you some food if you want it and I have some Pokemon food if Swiper wants any." She sat the food down on the small coffee table between the beds and took a seat on her bed.

While rummaging through her bag to find the Pokemon food, if needed, her Growlithe , Lyra, let herself out of her pokeball. The red beam quickly took shape of the small Growlithe. "Lyra, what do you think you're doing?" Lyra jumped onto the bed next to Luna and laid down. She watched the Ekans, who was still staring at Luna. Luna still hasn't bonded very much with her Pokemon, due to the fact that she hasn't had them long and that they belonged to someone else before. She did all she could to make them comfortable and they were starting to become attached to her. Luna petted Lyra and leaned up against the wall behind her bed.

Posted by: Amissa Feb 9 2010, 09:33 PM

"Oh, thank you. Neither of us have had dinner. I'll pay you back later okay?" Caroline said a bit nervously. She wouldn't have any money to pay Luna back with until the end of the week. "Or maybe you can come over someday and eat dinner with my family."

Swiper slithered closer to Luna as she took her seat on the other bed. He coiled up on the floor between the two beds, tongue flicking in and out as he sized her up. Then from one of the pokeballs on the girl's nightstand, a growlithe appeared. Caroline smiled wide as the cute little growlithe kept its eyes on Swiper. She thought that it clearly felt protective and with good reason. Ekans weren't reknowned for being gentle or friendly.

"It's okay. He's just curious. He wouldn't hurt anybody," Caroline reassured the little growlithe, Lyra.

Swiper was actually pleased to meet the growlithe. After all, there was no better way to learn about a trainer than to talk to its pokemon. The ekans hissed, speaking to the other pokemon, "What kind of trainer is this? Is she honest? Is she kind?"

Of course, all that Caroline could hear of the conversation was, "Ekansss, ekanss ekanssss?" She could tell that a pokemon conversation was going on, but had no idea what it could be about.

"I always feel awkward when they do stuff like this, like they're talking about me, ya know?"

Posted by: Ozzy Feb 10 2010, 11:16 AM

"Oh, thank you. Neither of us have had dinner. I'll pay you back later okay? Or maybe you can come over someday and eat dinner with my family."

"It's fine, really. You don't have to pay me back. It's vending machine food, it's probably not good for you anyway." She laughed. While watching the Ekans move around on the floor, she ate her food.

"It's okay. He's just curious. He wouldn't hurt anybody."
Lyra looked up at Caroline when she started to talk to her, then back down at the Ekans.

"Ekansss, ekanss ekanssss?"
"Growl, growlithe, growl. She takes care of us, she would never hurt you."
The two watched as the Pokemon started their conversation. Luna wondered what they were really talking about, I guess we'll never really know, will we? she thought to herself.

"I always feel awkward when they do stuff like this, like they're talking about me, ya know?"
"Yeah, I know exactly how you feel."

Posted by: Amissa Feb 10 2010, 04:52 PM

Caroline leaned over to accept the second sandwich sitting on the coffee table and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully and watching the pokemon. She swallowed and smiled up at Luna. "It may be bad for us, but it tastes all right. As for Swiper, he has these long conversations with my electrike, Thor. They are the two that my brother gave me, so I guess they probably spent a lot of time together. They're like buddies. Except that Thor is much better about following instructions. I have a spearow too, but I can't let her out too much. Her name is Friday. She's...not quite right, but I think that maybe some real bad stuff happened to her before. She's super sweet if it's just me and her and she can tolerate Swiper and Thor, but she's really mean to everyone else, even my parents. My parents keep telling me to release her. I won't though, not unless that's what Friday wants."

Caroline spent another few minutes finishing her sandwich and generally thinking about her pokemon. Despite all of their quirks, she loved them to bits. Naively she went around assuming that everyone else would as well. It had been quite a shock when her parents asked her to release Friday and her relationship with her parents had only grown more strained over the request. Caroline couldn't bear to release her pokemon, no matter how psychotic or destructive it behaved. However, Caroline had to keep Friday safely stored in her pokeball most of the time for fear of the spearow lashing out at friends and strangers. Friday only came out when Caroline could be alone with her. Though Caroline admitted to herself that she wasn't above releasing the tiny bird pokemon if she was in danger or in a pokemon battle. She was at least fairly certain that Friday couldn't inflict any lethal injuries.

"What are your pokemon like, Luna?" Caroline asked after she had finished eating.

Posted by: Ozzy Feb 11 2010, 03:52 PM

Luna listened as Caroline talked about her Pokemon. She listened as she talked about all of their faults, their quirks, their personality. Those were the things that made each Pokemon special. Luna started to think about her Pokemon, about Niyati. It had been a wile since she had last seen her, or even thought about her. It was hard for Luna, she loved that little Vulpix. She didn't like thinking about her, because it was hard on her, but when Caroline talked about her Pokemon, about loving them and being protected by them, it made her think about Niya. About the times when Niya would protect Luna from the dangers outside, the few times she actually was allowed to go outside.

"What are your Pokemon like, Luna?"

When Caroline started talking to her again, she came back from her thoughts. Back to the present. "Well, my Abra does nothing but sleep, really. He just stays in his pokeball most of the time. My Gastly, well... she's just a little trickster. She loves playing jokes on people. She's the one to have around when you need a laugh. Lyra is very protective. She belonged to a friend of mine, then he gave her to me. To protect me here."

Posted by: Amissa Feb 19 2010, 09:00 PM

"Ekansss," was Swiper's reply to Lyra, swaying from side to side in contemplation. "Good to know." Deciding that it wouldn't do to be antisocial, Swiper slithered up onto Luna's bed, nudging the girl's free hand in order to invite some petting. He just hoped she didn't have any silly fear of snakes that would keep him from winning her over. He glanced at Caroline, silently wishing that his trainer had the sense to network the way he did. Why did she have to be so shy?

Indeed, Caroline's quiet nature was becoming more apparent. After discussing pokemon, the one topic that every trainer had something to say about, she didn't really know how else to move the conversation. She just sat awkardly on the bed, smiling politely and nodding as Luna spoke. With one hand, she nervously pushed around Swiper's empty pokeball.

Posted by: Ozzy Feb 21 2010, 04:00 PM

Caroline's Ekans slithered over to Luna. He nudged her hand she started to pet him. Luna had run out of things to talk about. She didn't really know much about Caroline, so she didn't know how to start a conversation. Caroline sat on her side of the room, playing with the empty pokeball.

Within a few moments, there was a knock on the door. Luna stood up and went over to answer the door.
"Hello, girls," It was Nurse Joy, "I'm glad to see you're still awake. I was wondering if the two of you would like to help me with a few things around here? I'm working alone and it would be nice if I had some help."

"Sure," Luna replied. Before she could answer, Luna walked over to Caroline and grabbed her hand. "Come on."

With their Pokemon following them, Luna and Caroline followed Nurse Joy down the stairs and into one of the many rooms. "Sometimes, trainers find Pokemon eggs on their journeys and they bring them to me to take care of," Nurse Joy told both of the girls, " and whenever they hatch, they are usually very shy. I was wondering if you girls would play with them a little, get them used to people." She opened the door and Luna saw two newly hatched Pokemon. One was an Eevee and the other was a Poochyena. They both seemed very scared, and Luna didn't blame them. They've never seen humans before.

Luna walked over to the small Poochyena and held out her hand. The little one sniffed her and cautiously walked closer. "It's okay, I won't hurt you."

Posted by: Amissa Feb 22 2010, 08:51 PM

Caroline didn't resist as Luna pulled her along down the stairs and into one of the rooms where Nurse Joy did her work. Upon entering the room, she gasped in astonishment and put a hand to her chest as she felt her heart melt into a gooey mess of love. She managed to keep from making any exclamations that might frighten the newborns but all that she could think was, Aww, they are so precious!

As Luna knelt and offered her hand to the baby poochyena, Caroline crouched beside her, unsure of how to win over the frightened eevee. The little darling sat curled up in a blanket and he did not look at all inclined to come near. Instead, he burrowed deeper into the blanket, trying to hide.

"Here, this might help. I prepared these before I went up to see you," Nurse Joy said as the held out two baby bottles. "You can feed them with these. I trust that you girls can manage on your own for a few minutes. I have other pokemon that need my attention. If you do have any problems, I'll be right in the other room." And with that, Nurse Joy went off to complete her other duties, leaving the two girls and their pokemon alone with the babies.

Caroline took one of the bottles and crawled closer to the eevee. "It's okay, sweety. I don't want to hurt you. Are you hungry, baby?" The eevee poked its head out of the blanket, curious but not completely won over.

"Ekansss ekansss ekanssssss," Swiper said to the eevee as he curled himself up in a corner of the room. "She wouldn't hurt anyone. Certainly not a pokemon and especially not a mere infant like you." He, however, was another story. He was officially a tame ekans by now, but the babies were practically bite sized. If he were still in the wilderness, these little ones would be an easy meal. Now he was simply disinterested, finding nothing to gain by entertaining the two youngsters. He was satisfied to observe from afar.

The eevee crept closer, moving stealthily away from its nest in the blanket as though stalking some elusive prey. When he reached Caroline, he sniffed the bottle that she was holding before eagerly suckling on the tip. This delighted Caroline and she smiled, looking positively enchanted.

Posted by: Ozzy Feb 26 2010, 05:14 PM

"Here, this might help. I prepared these before I went up to see you. You can feed them with these. I trust that you girls can manage on your own for a few minutes. I have other Pokemon that need my attention. If you do have any problems, I'll be right in the other room."

Luna nodded and took the bottle from Nurse Joy. She then held it out to the small Poochyena, who sniffed it very cautiously. Nurse Joy left the room and the Poochyena watched her as she left. "It's okay, I won't hurt you." She said again, more sincere than the last time. The young Bite Pokémon crept a little closer and then took the bottle. Luna gently lifted the little one onto her lap so she could feed him better. It didn't take long for the baby to finish the bottle. Luna looked over at Caroline, who was happily feeding the young Eevee.

Once the little ones were done with their bottles, Luna let out her Growlithe, who she had called back into her Poke ball. Lyra looked at the young Pokemon and kept them in her sight. The little ones watched Lyra carefully, sniffing her to see if she was safe. When they knew that she wouldn't hurt her, they started to play with her. They spent a while just playing around, then they eventually fell asleep. Luna called Lyra back into her poke ball and looked over at Caroline. "I guess we should go now? Let them sleep."

Posted by: Xal Feb 26 2010, 05:41 PM

"You ok, Squirt?" Karuto asked the Squirtle who was stood by his side. When the rain had picked up the pair of them took shelter in an alleyway, watching the path for passers by. Anyone else might have found the dark alleyway a little spooky but Karuto just saw it as an irritation. He wanted to be out there making problems for Magma, not hiding away from the world. It was just rain, it wasn't like it could hurt him. All the same, there was no use getting dripping wet. It's not like there was anything he'd achieve by going out there, and he'd rather not have his clothes soaked through. They were in bad enough shape as it was.

The pair of them looked over their shoulders as one of the bins rattled ever so slightly. For a moment everything was completely silent as Karuto tried to listen out for any more clues. After a few seconds past he shook his head and sighed.

"Don't worry about it Squirt. It's just the wind." He mumbled. That close call had already happened about a dozen times in the half hour they'd been waiting there and it was starting to get tiring. He wasn't scared of what could be there, just wary. His whole life he'd had to keep on his toes but not out of fear. With all the Magma grunts running around it would be simply foolish not to.

Seconds later though the bin rattled again, but much louder than the first time. Something had to be up.

"Get ready, Squirt..." Karuto muttered, cautiously stepping towards it. As he got closer the rattling picked up again, causing him to flinch and step backwards. Embarrassment flooded through him and was almost instantly followed by irritation. In his frustration he stormed forwards and kicked the bin angrily, causing the Ratatta hidden behind it to run away into the shadows of the night. Karuto sighed and rolled his eyes, he couldn't believe that he'd been shaken by a Ratatta. Since he'd started staying away from home he'd found himself much more on edge and far more easily rattled by this kind of thing.

"I don't care about the rain. Let's go." He muttered, putting his hands in his pockets and pacing out of the alley, not bothered by his shoes being consumed by the puddle he stomped through. He looked down the road and saw two dark figures who looked like a person and a small pokémon. The pair of them tiptoed through the shadows and squinted in an attempt to get a better look. Was that a Magma goon?

"Look, Squirt. A Magma." He said, crouching down and pushing Squirt back. He didn't want to draw attention to them, not from a Magma grunt anyway. He looked around and he didn't see any of his Magma friends nearby though, which gave him an idea.

"Do you think we can take them?" Karuto asked, but the look on Squirt's face indicated a clear 'no'. "Come on, look at them. They don't look too tough, they're easy pickings. We might not get an opportunity like this again for a while."

Squirt still didn't look convinced but Karuto wasn't bothered by that. He wasn't going to miss the chance to beat a Magma in battle because a Squirtle had stage fright. Water splashed everywhere as he leapt out of the darkness and into the middle of the road, followed reluctantly by Squirt.

"Hey! Who are-" The grunt span around and was about to bark an order at his Poochyena, but Karuto was too quick.

"Bubble!" He shouted, and Squirt instantly followed his command. The bubbles hit the pokémon but he didn't seem even slightly fazed.

"Get him!" The grunt roared, flinging his arm forward. The Poochyena flew forwards and tackled Squirt, knocking him to the floor.

"Use bite! Again!" Poochyena carried on his attack and Squirt seemed completely helpless.

"Come on, don't give in so easily! Bubble again!" Karuto ordered but it was no use. Squirt was taking a horrendous beating, and it was all Karuto's fault. He couldn't believe that he'd been so foolish, there was no way Squirt could beat a grunt.

"No... No!" He shouted, just in time to see the Poochyena climb off. Was the battle over? No, it looked more like he was getting ready for another attack.

"Not if I can stop you..." Karuto muttered, pulling Squirt's ball from his belt and recalling him. Squirt disappeared not even a second before the Poochyena lunged forwards again, teeth bared and growling. For a brief moment Karuto's eyes met the grunt's and then the pokémon's. There was a moment of silence and then all hell broke loose.

"Get back here!" the grunt shouted, but Karuto was long gone. He dashed back into the alleyway and ran faster than he'd ever ran in his entire life. Terror gripped him as water splashed around his ankles, not daring to look back and see if he was being chased. As he ran past bins he knocked them to the ground to slow down any attackers but knew that it wouldn't be much use. He was desperate though, he'd never got himself in such a big mess. He was so scared that it was more than a minute before he realised that he'd left the alleyway and was charging down one of the main roads.

"A pokémon center... that's where I need to get to." Karuto thought aloud, just to hear the sound of his voice and remind himself he hadn't died from terror alone. He finally gathered the strength to look over his shoulder and nearly passed out from the relief of not seeing anyone there. With relief come a sense of reality however, and the painful raindrops that felt more like hailstones were part of that reality. His hands fell to his knees as he panted heavily, trying to get his breath back after that mad dash. The grunt probably just couldn't be bothered with him, Karuto either couldn't have been worth the trouble or he'd got somewhere else he needed to be. Karuto wasn't going to question his good fortune though, just thank the heavens for it.

When he'd recovered he started walking. By now he was drenched to the bone so he didn't care in the slightest about wading through the deep puddles. It wasn't long before he found his way to the pokémon center and stepped in, leaving puddles of his own as the water ran from him and onto the previously clean floor. He approached the desk and unclipped Squirt's pokéball from his belt, holding it in his outstretched hand.

"My Squirtle's badly injured. Can you help him?"

Posted by: Ozzy Feb 27 2010, 01:41 PM

The girls left the room and walked over to Nurse Joy. "The babies are asleep."
"Thank you, girls. You've been a big help." Nurse Joy smiled and turned to someone who had just walked in.

"My Squirtle's badly injured. Can you help him?" Luna watched as Nurse Joy called out the Squirtle to check out it's injuries. It looked like it had recently been in a vigorous battle. Luna walked over to the couches and sat down. It was still raining outside and didn't look like it was going to stop for a while. She, unlike most people, actually loved the rain. It was calming, she found it amusing. When she was little and no one was home, she'd sneak outside to play in the rain. She ran through puddles and she just danced in the rain.

"I can have him fixed up in a little bit, you can sit in the lounge area until I'm done. Luna, you have a call."

She told Caroline that she would be back and walked over to the net-phones.

Posted by: Amissa Feb 27 2010, 04:51 PM

Walking back into the main room of the Pokemon Center, it was hard for Caroline to shake of the mildly euphoric feeling that had come over her while playing with the baby pokemon. It had been so cute and funny to watch to two tiny newborns pouncing and playing with Luna's growlithe. Her pokemon was evidently not only a good watch-dog but also very gentle with the young ones.

Caroline went over and sat on one of the couches as Luna walked over to receive her call. She yawned, exhausted from playing with the rambunctious babies and from her hard day of work and training. Training...she thought, where did Swiper get to?

Swiper was, in fact, by the reception desk. He was keeping an eye on the trainer who had just walked in to heal his pokemon. It was difficult to see since the lights were dimmed during the nighttime, but the outline of this boy looked familiar. The ekans drew close to the new trainer, flicking his tongue in and out to catch his scent. Suddenly the snake pokemon became disinterested. It was not who he had thought it was.

"Swiper!" Caroline scolded, walking over to where her ekans was, "What are you, oh!" She stopped suddenly upon seeing the trainer's back. From behind, he looked like her brother. She drew back for a moment, unsure yet whether she should be delighted or not. "Rick? Is that you?"

It's probably not him. But what if it is? He could be anybody. If only I could see his face. At that moment, a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the room and was shortly followed by the crash of thunder. As usual, Caroline jumped, startled like a nervous skitty. She'd gotten a better look at the boy, at least, and her expression fell slightly. She blushed a little, embarrassed by her mistake. "I'm so sorry," she said in her soft voice, "I thought you were someone that I've met before."

By that time, Luna was making her way back over. Caroline glanced over at her as she approached. She felt better with Luna with her, a bit less like an idiot for mistaking some random stranger for her brother.

Posted by: Xal Mar 1 2010, 04:46 AM

"Thank you." Karuto mumbled when the Nurse Joy said she'd treat Squirt. He was still ashamed at what he'd done, they'd never been in a real battle before and Karuto should have known it was a bad idea to suddenly confront a grunt. He just hoped that Squirt would be okay, he'd never be able to live with himself if something happened to him.

He was about to walk over to the seats but an Ekans appeared by him, staring and flicking its tongue. Karuto exhaled, closed his eyes and turned away. He wasn't in the mood to be pestered, he was horribly worried and under massive stress. Fortunately the snake soon lost interest and slithered away, leaving him in peace.

"Rick? Is that you?"

Somebody behind him started talking, and for a moment Karuto didn't realise she was talking to him. When he realised that she was confusion engulfed him. Rick? No, he wasn't called Rick, he didn't even know anyone by that name. He was about to turn around to answer when she spoke again, a moment after the room was illuminated by a bolt of lightning. It must have been close, the thunder echoed through the pokémon centre about a second after the lightning struck.

"I'm so sorry, I thought you were someone that I've met before."

Karuto sighed. He was no longer stressed and annoyed, only sympathetic. He knew what it was like to go about mistaking complete strangers for someone else, he could hardly snap at someone for making the same mistake.

"It's all right, don't worry about it." He said. "I do the same thing all the time."

Posted by: Amissa Mar 15 2010, 11:45 PM

Caroline could feel Swiper by her side. The ekans was listening in curiously. Sure, he wasn't Rick, but that didn't mean he didn't know anything. He wished that he could make his trainer ask all of the right questions. If only she could squeeze the information out of people the way that he would, they might actually get somewhere. But she was too soft-hearted and soft spoken for all of that.

"I hope that my ekans didn't bother you. He's just curious too." Caroline leaned against the reception counter as she spoke. Her exhaustion showed clearly in her expression. It was very late now and she hoped to be able to go to bed soon. "You do your hair like him. Like that person. Like my brother. Are you staying the night here too?"

Posted by: Xal Mar 16 2010, 06:31 AM

"No." He said. The thought had never occurred to him, but when a bolt of lightning struck again he started to reconsider. The rain didn't bother him and he was already soaking wet, but it was worth finding somewhere to stay and dry off even if only for the sake of convenience.

"Yes. I don't know, I might. Maybe?"

In reality he had no idea, not only about staying in the centre but about anything in general. There was more on his mind than just rain and lightning, Squirt was seriously injured and he couldn't help but worry. He was numb all over and it wasn't because of the cold. It was as if he wasn't even there, it almost felt like he was somewhere far away somehow looking through the eyes of Karuto Jones.

"Those grunts." He mumbled, his breathing shaky with anger. How dare they? There was no need to lay into Squirt like that, it wasn't as if he posed any real threat. The stupid Magma could have just laughed at the pitiful attack and walked away. The two of them were inexperienced and too big for their boots, there was just no need. No need.

Karuto wished he could believe that but he still couldn't stop blaming himself. He started a fight and he lost it, and Squirt was left inches from death because of it. He knew he was exaggerating and that the Squirtle couldn't have been as badly injured as he thought, but it was no comfort. The Magma grunt was still wrong though, not only to be so ruthless (but what else could you expect from them?) but because of the enemy he'd made. This encounter had made Karuto more determined than ever to take on Team Magma, but in a much more controlled way. No more random skirmishes with lone grunts for the sake of it, he'd use controlled and calculated attacks. He'd need help. He'd have to find stronger pokémon and train Squirt and Deli until they were capable of a real fight, but he'd do it. The problem wasn't one of strength, it was one of tactics and control. He could see that now, the grunt had enlightened him and he would live to regret it. Strength only goes so far, Squirt was strong enough to take a Poochyena but was still beaten effortlessly. He needed training and better tactics, and then he'd be able to fight Magma. They valued strength far too much, and Karuto could now see that that would ultimately be their undoing.

"Yes, I'm staying." He decided, and waited for Squirt to be healed and returned.

Posted by: Ozzy Mar 27 2010, 01:27 PM

Luna walked over to the net-phones and turned on the screen. It was Mr. Rydel. "Well, Luna. Have you gotten yourself into anymore trouble?"

"No, sir. I haven't, yet..." She had to whisper the last part. She didn't want Mr. Rydel to worry. Luna was a very curious being and she had to investigate, it was against her nature not to.

"I made a few calls, and by the way you described him, I believe he is only a grunt. He shouldn't be too much of a problem, but we have to find out what exactly he's up to. Remember, even though he's a grunt, don't try to face him. You never know if they're having him followed and you don't want your grandmother to find you."

"No, I don't." That was true. Her grandmother finding her would be worse than being captured by Magma, or, at least that's what she believed. Her grandmother was a strict, overbearing old woman who was forced to take her in when Luna's parents left. She didn't like Luna, yet she didn't want her to be like her "filthy rebel" parents, as her grandmother called them. But she couldn't let this go. She had to confront the Magma and stop her grandmother from sending them anymore money, who know what they could be looking for.

"Luna?" She snapped back to reality and looked at Mr. Rydel, his facial expression showed some concern.

"Oh, sorry. I was just... I'm just tired. I think I'll go to bed now." Before he could answer, Luna shut off the net-phone and walked back to Caroline. She was talking to the boy that had brought in the injured Squirtle. "I'm back, Caroline. Oh, hi," she said, acknowledging the boy, "I'm Luna."

Posted by: Xal Apr 3 2010, 08:31 AM

Karuto had spent a few moments silently dwelling on Team Magma and how he would be getting revenge, but in his state it felt like a lot longer (or was it shorter? In his agitated state nothing seemed consistent, not even time). He was about to change his mind and tell the stranger that he wouldn't be staying after all and march out the door just for the sake of having something to do. His mood was flitting between calm and enraged. Sometimes all he wanted to do was sit back and hide away, other times he wanted to march out there and
Just as he was about to pipe up someone else approached. She spoke to the person beside him, who was apparently called Caroline, and he assumed they knew each other.

"Oh, hi, I'm Luna." she said, looking towards Karuto.

"Hi." He said, forcing a smile despite his feelings about the recent disaster. He didn't entirely feel comfortable giving out his name to a pair of complete strangers, but they seemed trustworthy enough. He now had theirs anyway (unless they were lying, and this was all some kind of bizarre Magma trap) and it wouldn't hurt to be polite.

"I'm Karuto."

Posted by: Amissa Apr 3 2010, 08:08 PM

"I'm Caroline," Caroline added, joining in the sharing-names game. "Luna is letting me stay with her tonight. It's too dark and rainy to try to go home tonight, I think. It's nice to meet you, Karuto, and I hope that you and your pokemon get plenty of rest."

"Me, well I'm so tired I think I might fall over," She looked at Luna as she said this, smiling and blinking her eyes sleepily. "How about you, Luna?" Swiper coiled himself and leaned against her legs, as though he wanted to test and see if she really would fall over. He grew annoyed when she stepped away, leaving him to topple over instead.

"Maybe we could meet for breakfast or something, if the two of you feel like doing that." Caroline suggested, trying to be friendly.

Posted by: Ozzy Apr 4 2010, 08:55 AM

She must talk a lot when she's tired. "Come on, Caroline. Let's get you to bed. He's probably tired of us bothering him." She pulled Caroline away, which Swiper did not like. She led her all the way back to the room, for she was afraid she would just fall over.

"Here we go," she said, sitting Caroline on her bed. She leaned back and her Ekans curled up beside her. "Goodnight, Caroline." She whispered.

"Good.... night... Lu..."



Luna couldn't sleep. Her thoughts wouldn't let her. Why would she give money to Magma? Is that all she's doing? How did I not know this for so long? Questions like that went on for what seemed like hours to her. It was her grandmother and she had to stop it.

It was still early in the morning, probably around midnight, when she got up. She tiptoed as softly as she could, not wanting to wake Caroline. I'll just go for a walk, clear my head. She made it to the door, but Swiper was awake. Watching her. "Go back to sleep, do not wake her." She whispered to the snake.



No one was in the lobby. It was quiet and she liked that. She walked out the doors, which she was surprised to find them not locked. She walked around for a few minutes, never straying far from the Pokemon Canter.

"Who are you?" She turned around to see that grunt, and her grandmother.

Posted by: Xal Apr 4 2010, 12:12 PM

"No, I don't mind." Karuto replied when Luna said he was probably tired of being bothered. "It's good to know that there're still some friendly people around."

Karuto thought it was kind of hypocritical he felt that way, although he was sick of some people not trusting anyone and refusing to speak much out of fear he was very much the same way. The two of them made their way off, just as Karuto saw the nurse waving him over. He walked over to the counter and accepted the pokéball as she handed it to him.

"Your Squirtle is fully healed." She smiled.

"Thanks. Do you have any rooms for the night?" Karuto asked her.

"Yes, we do. They're just up there." She said, pointing towards the room. "Should I book you in?"

"Please." He said, making his way upstairs.



The room was small but decent. Karuto was used to sleeping rough so having one at all was something of a treat.

"Squirt, are you ok?" He said, calling the Squirtle out of the pokéball. He seemed fine and was grinning from ear to ear (or would have been if he'd had any), which made Karuto feel a lot better about the situation.

"Come on then, let's get some sleep." He sighed, calling Squirt back into the pokéball and climbing into bed.

Posted by: Amissa Apr 4 2010, 05:59 PM

Caroline lay in the extra bed in Luna's room, fast asleep and comfortable. Swiper, however, remained awake and aware of Luna's restless midnight wanderings. He sensed no danger, not yet anyhow, so there was no reason for him to wake his trainer. He did, however, uncoil himself from his sleeping trainer and sat stretched over the floor. From there he could feel the vibrations of Luna's feet as she walked away.

Ekans have only mediocre eyesight, but they make up for it with other senses. Their most powerful sense is smell, but they are also very sensitive to vibrations in the air and through the ground. Swiper used this sense to remain aware of how far Luna walked and even how long it took her to get there.

Foolish human, Swiper thought as he silently slithered out of the room. He moved slowly and kept a good distance between himself and Luna. He didn't want her to know that she was being followed. Running around late at night...very suspicious. It's a good thing I'm keeping an eye on her. It would be terrible if she were to...come to any harm. He admitted to himself that part of his reason for following at all was because Luna had told him not to. He didn't obey his own trainer, why would he ever listen to her? It pleased him just to be defiant,

Caroline rolled over in her sleep. Her face twitched as though troubled. Something wasn't right and somehow she knew it. In her sleep, she dreamt that Swiper was gigantic and squeezing her until she was out of breath. She rolled over again and in her dream Swiper's grip tightened. His jaw opened, but not to devour her. He wanted to speak to her. He had learned something and he wanted to share it. Caroline rolled over again and this time she spilled out onto the floor and awoke wrapped in her blankets so tightly that it was constricting her breath. She wiggled free and looked around the room.

Where did everyone go? Even in the dark, Caroline could tell that Luna's bed was empty. She stumbled around the room momentarily, trying to verify whether or not the room was completely empty. Once she was sure that she was left alone, she poked her head out of the door of the room and looked both ways down the hallway. It took a minute, but then she was certain which way she needed to go. She'd spotted something, a touch of light reflecting off dark scales and even a flicker of movement. It was far ahead of her, and she hoped that she hadn't just imagined it.

"Swiper," She called in a whisper. She felt awkward standing outside of a room that wasn't hers, dressed still in her work uniform, stalking her own disobedient pokemon. "Swiper!" She called a bit louder, doing her best not to wake anyone. However, it was no use. Swiper didn't care to come back to her so she was left to quietly follow him down the hallway. She moved slowly, since she was afraid of falling in the darkness and kept looking forward for signs of her pokemon. Every once in a while she would glimpse a bright yellow eye glimmering far ahead of her.

Posted by: Ozzy Apr 4 2010, 09:08 PM

They were standing not more than five feet away from her. She made sure to keep her hair in her face. If her grandmother recognized her, that would be trouble. "What does it matter to you?" She tried her best at a thick London accent. Her grandmother was a bitch, but she wasn't stupid and she was eying her carefully.

The Magma called out a small Poochyena. By the looks of it, he didn't treat the poor thing very well. It looked like it had been through hell. She felt a little bad. Luckily, she had brought her bag with her. Luna called out her Growlithe, Lyra. "Lyra, Roar!"

"GROWL!" The small female Growlithe let out a loud Roar, which caused the Poochyena to back up in fear. The Magma kept trying to get the Poochyena to attack, but it seemed to afraid. He picked up a stick and threatened the poor canine with it if he didn't do what he wanted. That made him attack. Although, instead of attacking Lyra, he knocked over Luna.

"Who. Are. You?" He wouldn't let it go.

"It's none of your damn business." He walked up to her, trying to get a better look at her. Lyra was still battling the Poochyena on her own and she was alone. Except Swiper.

Swiper came out of nowhere, wrapping around the Grunt's leg. He tried kicking at the snake, but it wouldn't let go. He turned around, looking for some kind of help, but there was no one. Her grandmother was gone. "See what you've done! You've ruined everything." He wasn't talking to Luna. He was talking to the poor little Poochyena. Swiper had let go of his leg, so he ran off. Although, not before kicking his Pokemon.

Posted by: Xal Apr 6 2010, 07:50 AM

To his surprise Karuto was enjoying a decent night's sleep. He'd been expecting to be kept up all night worrying and fretting over Magma but he was sleeping much better than usual, although it had taken him a while to get to sleep in the first place. He was sure that there would be some kind of psycho-babble explanation about him being able to rest now that he'd decided on a plan to attack Magma instead of being a restless soul without a cause, but he was too busy in a deep sleep to be bothered by explanations.

That was, however, until he heard footsteps outside the door. The soft patter slowly made its way into his dreams, which was soon followed by more footsteps and someone's voice. Karuto had always had good hearing and the small noises of the night were soon in his mind. They weren't loud enough to wake him, but that changed when he heard a familiar name. Swiper was what that girl had shouted out when the Ekans went over to him at the counter and it was what someone was saying, although faintly, now. The recognition quickly dragged him back to reality. He stretched and sat up in his bed, looking around the room. A crack between the curtains was letting the moonlight spill into the room and light up a line of the wall and ceiling above him.

"Squirt?" He called out groggily, asking if the pokémon was okay although he knew he was in his pokéball. Karuto was still fully clothed so clambered out of bed and made his way towards the door. He was half asleep and should really have gone back to bed, but he just wanted to see who was out there.
As he looked around the corner he saw that it was Caroline, the girl he'd met earlier. That made sense since he heard the name of her pokémon. If the dark figure in the shadows was what he thought it was then she was following the Ekans. He instinctively followed, although he knew it was a bit creepy, to see what was up.

"Are you all right?" He called out in a whisper after he'd been walking for a while, when he'd just about caught up. He didn't know why everyone thought that the breathy tones of a whisper would still be quiet even if they were clearly talking quite loudly, but he still decided to do so. It just seemed natural.

Posted by: Amissa Apr 10 2010, 10:09 PM

Caroline jumped and gasped as she turned to find the source of the whisper. She backed against a wall and looked at Karuto in the dim light. "I'm okay, but my ekans is up to something and I can't find Luna. I'm worried that she may be in trouble." She blinked at the boy for a moment, feeling wary again now that she'd had some rest and regained her senses a bit. But she felt inclined to trust him. He was just another trainer caught in the rain same as she was, who came to the pokemon center for respite. Besides, she wasn't sure that she could handle herself on her own if she found that Luna really was in danger.

"Would you come with me? It's probably nothing and I'm sorry if I woke you up, but I would feel better if someone came with me."

She glanced ahead and she could no longer see any sign of Swiper. However, she did hear the sound of the door to the pokemon center opening and closing, so she supposed that he was heading outdoors. She didn't wait for Karuto to answer. She headed down the stairs and through the lobby, hoping that he would follow her and glancing behind herself occasionally.

---------------------------------------------

Swiper let go of the trainer that he had captured and drew himself up in his coils. He flicked his tongue in and out of his mouth and observed Luna and her pokemon. The magma grunt had run off, leaving them safe for the moment. Swiper wasn't certain that he wouldn't come back, and if he did, he might bring friends along. He needed to keep an eye on Luna for now.

The encounter had put the ekans in a bit of a shock. He knew who that trainer was. He'd been captured by that trainer once and he had been impressed by his battling skill. But now Swiper was realizing how little else he knew about him. He hadn't been around him enough to know his true character or even how he felt about pokemon. And that trainer had given him away, quickly and easily as though Swiper meant nothing to him. He was unsure what to think or how to feel about this encounter.

To try to focus on something else, Swiper moved over to the abandoned poochyena. It was bruised and terrified. It looked utterly heartbroken, like it had lost its only friend. Maybe it had. The trainer had kicked Swiper too, so the snake pokemon had an idea what kind of physical pain it was enduring. But he would never be so foolish as to hang all of his hopes for happiness on a human. Not even that human. That's what he was telling himself, anyway, that he could not empathize even a bit with this sad abandoned thing.

"You're really better off without him," Swiper told the battered poochyena. "Who needs a trainer who is so violent and immature? You'd be better off in the wild than with him." The ekans leaned closer to the small canine and spoke to it in a soft silky tone that he hoped exuded honest and trustworthy intentions. "But I wonder, where do you think he's running off to? Do you think he might come back?"

Posted by: Ozzy Apr 11 2010, 08:09 AM

Luna watched as the Magma left his Pokemon there, injured. He just left. It was like the poor Poochyena meant nothing to him. No wonder this guy was a part of Magma. He was cruel.

Luna got up and walked over to the young pup. Swiper had moved over to him, talking to him. The closer she got, the more the pup tried to run. He tried, he really did, but he was in too much pain. "Hey, it's okay," she said in a calm voice. "I only want to help you." He was tired, so he didn't even try anymore. Luna picked up the Poochyena and rushed him back to the Pokemon Center.

In a hurry to heal the poor Pokemon, Luna had almost run into Caroline. "Oh, I am so sorry. Did I wake you?" Caroline looked, horrified, at the small Pokemon in Luna's arms. Luna hadn't given her time to answer before she went to Nurse Joy. "Please, help him." Nurse Joy nodded and took the small pup into the back, where she could take care of him properly.

Posted by: Xal Apr 11 2010, 08:58 AM

"Sure, I'll come." Karuto said. Curiosity surged him, what was going on? Sleeping had calmed his nerves caused by the conflict and he was happy to go into another battle. He'd probably use Deli since he was still a little cautious about sending Squirt out to face another battle, but he was already eager to get back to fighting Magma. He'd make sure to do it in a much more planned way, no more random attacks on passers by, but the hunger to jump in and battle the group had returned, more powerful than ever.
He sighed and realised he was getting ahead of himself. There was no guarantee there was anything wrong at all, to be honest it sounded like Caroline was being paranoid. He didn't know where Luna had gone and he didn't see why the snake slithering off was so suspicious. Even if there was a problem there was no guarantee it was Magma, but then again if there was anything trouble it usually was them.

The pair of them walked through the center almost silently, eventually reaching the lobby. When there they saw Luna running in with a Poochyena, who Karuto thought looked suspiciously familiar. It looked a lot like that one that attacked Squirt. Most pokémon of the same species looked almost identical but there were always at least a few distinguishing features. He was sure it was him, it looked battered but it was definitely the same one.

"Hey! Where did you get that pokémon? Is it yours?" He called out as she handed it over to the nurse.

Posted by: Ozzy Apr 11 2010, 09:17 AM

Luna turned around when Karuto started talking to her. Seeing the poor Poochyena hurt was hard on her. Seeing any Pokemon like that was. She tried to act strong, not show any weakness. She still wasn't to sure if she could trust him, she knew nothing about him. "He's not mine. He was abandoned." She wasn't sure if she should say where she found him or who he was abandoned by. She was a little shaken up. Not only by the hurt Pokemon, but also because her grandmother almost recognized her. Maybe she did. Luna shook those thoughts from her head.

It had been at least an day. Or, well, it felt like it. She wasn't sure exactly how long it took. The Poochyena was hurt. Badly. Part of it was her fault, which made her feel even worse. Will he heal? Will he be okay? Thoughts like that just kept running through her mind.

Nurse Joy had called her over to the counter. She got up from her seat by the window, which she had been staring out, and walked over too see the Poochyena. He looked better. He wasn't in pain anymore. "Hello, little one," she said. She reached out a hand and the small pup licked it. Maybe he was thanking her for helping him. She didn't really care, as long as he was safe. Nurse Joy handed her a Luxury Ball and nodded towards the pup. The ball would make him more friendly, which would be a good thing. It would be tough getting him to trust her. "Would you like to come with me?"

She opened the Poke ball and the Poochyena was sucked into it with a red light.

Shake...

Shake...

Shake...

The ball stopped shaking.