[X] My Assistant

[Verity Lily]

"All Bound for Moo-Moo Land" came to an end early because of RL issues. We (Romana and I [previously known as Butterfree Farm] are picking up from more-or-less where our characters were because there's still things we wanted to do with the plot.

Setting up camp for the night was just Verity's kind of thing, a chance to fuss over everyone around her and try to make things nice. Tonight, however, she felt a little despondent. After all, they had done exactly what that nice Agent Jennifer had asked them to do, checked out Moo-Moo Land and found out that it was all above board, even if the prices were almost criminal. It was a good thing, she told herself, that nothing was wrong.

She just couldn't shake the feeling that she'd failed somehow, and that a proper Amazon would have found something evil in among all the pink, and ruthlessly rooted it out. Maybe she and Connie really were just a couple of silly little girls.

She gave Connie a slightly shaky smile. "I'm glad we left!" she said. "That place was too dear by far. That bouncy castle nearly wiped out all my winnings from battles!" The thought cheered her up; it seemed so terribly grown-up to have battle winnings. "Weren't my pokemon cute, though?"

"Iggly!" agreed Candyfloss, climbing onto her foot and snuggling close to her ankle. The Empress of Fidona took a running leap and ricocheted off a tree, apparently trying to demonstrate what she'd achieved on the bouncy castle, and Verity giggled, settling down with an igglybuff on her foot and a starly on her head. She was becoming used to being a kind of walking pokemon stand.

Butchette suddenly harrumphed "Chop!" and abandoned the firewood she had been stacking. With her shoulders set, the little pokemon turned and stalked back towards the path, pausing to look back over her shoulder. "Maaa?"

"What's wrong, Butchette?" Verity asked. "Are you offended? But you looked so adorable on the castle! You musn't be so cross."

"Chop!" Butchette came back, grabbed Verity's hand, and pulled her to her feet, sending Candyfloss flying and causing Starly to flutter up with an irritated squawk. "Machop, machop!"

Verity struggled to keep to her feet. Butchette was so determined that her partner go with her that the little girl was in danger of falling face forward.

"Um, Connie? I think Butchette wants something..." she said, helplessly.

[ROMANA]

Connie had been astounded at just how much Tammy Rose apparently thought her Moo Moo milk ice cream was worth. After all, it couldn't actually be as good as ice cream made from Butterfree Farm Moo Moo milk, could it? And yet, a simple tooti frooti pistachio Sundae extravaganza with sugar dusting, toffee fudge, butterscotch topping and choco-mint crumble pieces was nearly as much as four goes on the merry-go-round. How was a girl to choose? She couldn't. She just had to do both, her earlier experiences in the helicopter forgotten.

Suffice it to say, Connie was not intending to eat much of whatever it was Verity was fussing over.

She took a sip of fresh water and turned her attention to her pokemon. Mary had settled down sleepily, tired after all of her rushing around trying (mostly in vain, thank goodness) to get her nose into any and every source of available food. For all that Mareep wool was sparky, it was also lovely and warm, and Connie carefully adjusted herself to be snuggled up close to her without setting off to much of the static charge. Torchie settled himself in her lap with a big, and rather smug yawn. He had managed to light the camp fire all by himself for the first time, much to Connie's delight. She wasn't looking forward to camping with no fire. Carmilla had half buried herself in the long grass next to Mary and Victoria was buzzing around in the warm air currents above the fire.

"Weren't my pokemon cute, though?" asked Verity.

"I never thought you'd get them off of the bouncy castle!" said Connie with a giggle. "But yes, Moo Moo land was awfully pricey. I hope we find some trainers on our way to Gigarte!"

Butchette, who had been very helpfully keeping the campfire stocked with fuel, marched over to her trainer and pulled her to her feet, dislodging Candyfloss and Courage.

"Um, Connie? I think Butchette wants something..." said Verity, as she was towed away, back towards the path.

"Do you think she wants another go on the bouncy castle?" asked Connie, jumping up to follow her friend's relentless progress. Butchette did not look at all impressed by Connie's suggestion, not answering with anything more than a sigh. "She does seem to be heading back the way we came. What shall I do about the fire, we can't just leave it."

Butchette stopped but did not let her trainer go.

"I think she wants you to put it out," said Verity. "Do you have any water left?"

"Oh! Yes, good idea!" Connie ran back and poured the rest of her fresh water over the carefully built fire, dousing the flames. The wood crackled and spat and was still glowing red. "I'm not sure we should leave it like that..." she said but the reluctant progress had begun again. "Wait for us!" called Connie, and she returned her pokemon to their pokeballs and ran after Verity and Butchette.

[Verity Lily]

"Maybe she does want another bounce. I'm not so sure she liked it, though," Verity said dubiously. "I hope not - my savings are almost gone! Maybe she wants more icecream?" Verity could understand that.

Butchette gave her an offended look, and continued to tow her down the path. Verity sighed. "Please let go, Butchette. I'll be good and come, although I warn you, we have hardly any money left at all. But please can we slow down a little? What about poor Candyfloss?" Girl and machop glanced back over their shoulders, to where the igglybuff was desperately scampering along on tiny legs and falling further and further behind. Butchette slowed a little, looking remorseful.

"Starly!" Courage took off from Verity's head, causing a yelp of pain as several strands of Verity's hair came with her, and swept down on the igglybuff, scooping her up in her claws. Candfyfloss squealed with glee as the starly carried her up high.

"Well, that's better. Now can we slow down?"

"Chop!" Shaking her head, Butchette marched onwards. Verity was really beginning to think she needed to train her pokemon differently. After all, she was supposed to be the trainer, not Butchette, but it didn't really feel like Verity was the one making the decisions. She resolved to look it up in her new strategy book. Maybe a gym badge would help? That's what she and Connie had originally set out for, after all.

The memory struck her with terrible guilt. Here it was, almost bedtime, and she hadn't called her mother yet! Stumbling along to keep up, Verity managed to partially unhook her jigglypuff backpack with her free hand, and fish out her phone.

"Hi, Mama! We've been having a wonderful day! The pokemon went on a bouncy castle - yes, Butchette too - and a merry-go-round and had lots of icecream and Connie turned green, there might have been something wrong with the icrecream, it's not like our icecream, and - Oh! Moo-Moo Land! We - OW!" Not looking where Butchette was steering her because of the chattering, Verity stumbled on a root, but miraculously managed to right herself without dropping the phone. "No, I'm okay, Butchette just wants to go back on the merry-go-round- oh, it's fine, Mama, Officer Jennifer brought us, I know you liked her. What?" She tripped again, and Butchette hauled her back to her feet, regardless of the damage to Verity's jeans, and continued onwards.

"But you got her phone number, Mama, I know you did. Oh, you're so silly! I'll ask her again when I see her, promise. But she'll be really cross if you arranged to see her and don't say anything, you know. Oof!" An ill-timed bounce on the Empress's part sent her banging into the back of Verity's knees, and she stumbled again. Really, she would call them all back into their pokeballs, just as soon as she had a free hand.

"What was that? Well, um, we have a little money left. It will be okay. We just need to win more battles..." She glanced back over her shoulder at Connie. "Of course Connie saved more money than me, she's older," she lied, guility. "Um, Connie, Mama says you're a good, reliable girl. And sends love. Bye, Mama, love you too, kiss Fiddy for me. Bye-bye!!"

She managed to close the phone and somehow shove it back in her backpack, stil dangling loose from one shoulder. The gates of Moo-Moo land loomed ahead - somehow, much less pink and attractive in the dark. They loomed... like a Moo-Moo. Verity began to feel a little sick; maybe that icecream had been no good after all. And she had been raised on a farm, she wasn't used to late nights.

"Connie? Do you think maybe I could call Butchette back and we could go back in the morning? It looks..." She looked at the dark, ominous shadows. "...closed."

This post has been edited by Verity Lily: May 29 2010, 05:47 AM

[ROMANA]

Connie's pokemon did not seem nearly as keen to go back to Moo-Moo Land as Butchette was. Victoria had buzzed angrily as the water caused a billowing cloud of smoke and steam that enveloped her. It seemed to make the Combee a little dopey and she buzzed her way down to be with the others. She wasn't even aware enough to avoid Mary's fleece. The static seemed to shock her back to awareness. She seemed rather angry. Connie pulled out Victoria's pokeball and called her back.

"Come on," said Connie to the others. "We need to go with Verity and Butchette."

Connie could have sworn that Mary rolled her eyes. Carmilla seemed quite enthusiastic about going, though. She had half-buried herself and she very enthusiastically scuffed her way out, spraying mud over the fire and, coincidentally, over Mary and Torchie, too. The two of them spluttered and rather sulkily followed the little Oddish. They followed Verity and her pokemon as quickly as they could. Courage helped little Candyfloss to keep up and Connie realised that poor little Carmilla was also having trouble on her little legs. She scooped up the Oddish and popped her on to Mary's back with Torchie, much to Mary and Torchie's mutual disgust.

"Connie? Do you think maybe I could call Butchette back and we could go back in the morning? It looks...closed."

"Hoot-hooooot!"

"Noctowwwwwwl!"

Two large shadows swooped over the girls, making them jump. Connie had been so caught up with her pokemon and Verity's phone call to her mum that she hadn't quite realised how creepy this place was in the dark. The high, double gates were looming ahead of them like something out of a horror film. The Hoot Hoot and Noctowl were followed, in true horror cliche style by a whole flock of zubats, fluttering low over their heads into the wood. Connie gulped. It really was seeming less and less like a good idea.

"I don't know," she said quietly, "it sort of seems like, if there is something that Agent Jennifer should know about, it might be a good time to find out."

Butchette squeezed between the bars of the gates and, with a determined "Chop!", headed off into the shadows of the farm yard.

"Poochyeeeeeena!"

While Connie was used to having pokemon around to help with rounding up Mareeps, she had never heard a Poochyena howling quite sound so creepily.

"Butchette seems very determined."

Connie put down her bag and recalled her pokemon, it was going to be much easier to keep track of them if they were in her pocket. She smiled at Verity and squeezed her hand. "Come on," she said, her smile a little watery. "It'll be exciting. And everyone seemed really nice, I'm sure everything's going to be ok, anyway."

She squeezed through the gap in the bars and reached back through for her bag. She pulled it through and then reached for Verity's hand.

"We'll go together."

[Verity Lily]

Verity bit her lip and followed. She wasn't entirely sure things would be exciting, so much as scary. The howling poochyena was fraying her nerves; she wished someone would let it inside in the warm. She kept shooting little glances at the Miltank bouncy castle. It had been the cutest thing in the world when it had an igglybuff and a spoink bouncing wildly on it, but as a massive shape in the dark it just looked like.... a really, really big Miltank. On the faint breeze was carried the voices of the real miltank, lowing softly, and making it seem as if the giant inflatable miltank was crying grief to the wind. Verity shuddered.

"I... I don't think this is a good idea. It really does look closed."

All she could think of was legends of abandoned amusement parks, haunted by the ghosts of old merrymakers, which was ridiculous. Moo-Moo Land wasn't remotely abandoned, she'd taken most of the pokemon on the Octillery mini ferris wheel just that morning, although Connie had decided to remain on the ground to look after Mary. There was no reason for there to be ghosts... or even ghost pokemon.

Verity fumbled for Connie's hand as they trailed after Butchette. One of the older girls at Butterfree Farm had told her once that ghost pokemon were the spirits of pokemon mistreated in life, and had turned vindictive as a result. If they found a new trainer who treated them well, they would be redeemed and be able to pass on, but if not, they remained forever malevolent, playing cruel tricks on the humans who had failed them...

A dark shape rushed past her head in the gloom and she gave a muffled shriek, dropping to her knees and feeling one knee of her jeans rip. Something clamped over her mouth and she stared wildly around, expecting to find that she had been attacked by a spiritomb or a haunter. Verity, too scared to order one of her pokemon in to attack, squeezed her eyes tight and waited to die.

"Verity, are you okay?" Connie's anxious voice came, followed by a quiet and reproachful "Chop!" She managed to squeeze open her eyes a chink, and then wider, as she realised the flying thing had just been Courage, swooping past her with Candyfloss. The starly fluttered down beside her, depositing the gleeful igglypuff and pecking contritely at Verity's shoulder.

Verity managed, with some difficulty, to pull Butchette's hand from her mouth, and gathered Candyfloss up in her arms, hugging her tight and taking in the calming Sweet Scent of her. "Butchette, don't you want us to make noise?" she whispered.

"Maa," Butchette said quietly, shaking her head.

"But - we can't just sneak on the rides without paying, Butchette. Maybe - maybe if we left some money?"

"Machop!" Butchette said, disgustedly, and pulled Verity to her feet. Verity looked at her, puzzled. Maybe she had it all wrong - maybe Agent Jennifer had been right, and Butchette was just a better detective than she and Connie were, and something was really wrong here. Oddly enough, that didn't make her feel any better. She sighed, put Candyfloss on the Empress' head, grabbed Connie's hand again and followed.

They walked around the periphery of the park, fortunately not going too close to the frightening shape of the bouncy castle, but skirting the public areas and around the back of the dairy.

Towards the mournful cry of "Miiiiiiil , miiiiiiltank." Just where Verity didn't want to be.

"Spoooooink..."

For a moment, Verity thought the Empress was trying to mimic the tragic lowing of the miltank, but the sound was followed by as astonished "Buff!" She turned her head to see Candyfloss tumbling over and over, dislodged from her place as the Empress crumpled to the grass.

"Oh no!" Verity fell to her knees again, barely noticing the way the ground hurt against her newly exposed knee, and pulled some lemonade from her backpack. "Here, Empress..." The little pokemon lifted her mouth and obediently drank, but fell back on the grass after a few sips. "I don't understand it - is she just exhausted?"

"It must be her pearl!" Connie whispered, her eyes very anxious. "She's tun out of energy without it, Call her back?"

Verity, close to tears, did so. She had no idea how to find another pearl, and she remembered guiltily just how much she'd played with the Empress otday. She was such a bad, stupid trainer. The Empress should have remained safely in her pokeball.

"Maybe we shoudl go back?"

But Butchette had already turned and strode on into the darkness. Courage swooped by the machop's ear.

<<That's the useless psychic pokemon gone>> Butchette said quietly. <<And blue-haired girl has called back all her pokemon. Be ready, birdbrain. If there's trouble, there's only you, me, and the useless pink blob to protect our humans.>>

<<I'm ready!>> Courage said proudly, and settled back protectively on Verity's head.

Butchette expelled her breath sharply. Clueless humans were bad enough, but remembering the stupidity of the miltanks in the truck, and seeing the cluelessness of their humans, she had a bad feeling about this rescue mission.

<<I really hate normal types.>>

This post has been edited by Verity Lily: May 31 2010, 08:35 AM

[ROMANA]

Connie waited for Verity to recall the Empress into her pokeball and then took her hand with a smile that her friend probably couldn't see. It was a clear night, but they were in the shadow of the large Miltank sheds and what light there was wasn't much help with details here. She could make out Butchette's shape ahead of them, heading determinedly for the nearest shed.

"Looks like we're going in," she whispered, as they set off again. "There shouldn't be anyone in there at this time of night. They wouldn't have any new eggs or calves in the main sheds."

Butchette opened the door and slid into the warm, familiar, fragrant darkness of the shed. Connie took a deep breath and, pulling her pokeballs out of her pockets, slipped through the door after the little Machop. She stood still, just inside the door, hoping her eyes would adjust to the darkness and that there would be enough light to make out what was around her. These were not the rather elderly wooden sheds of Butterfree Farm however, these seemed to be constructed of some sort of prefabricated panels and there didn't seem to be many chinks for moonlight (what there was of it) to get in. The Miltanks seemed quite aware of the human and Machop in their midst, however, and were shifting uneasily, if the noises around Connie were correcty interpretted. There was a feeling and a warmth and smell that indicated that the pokemon were quite close to her but she couldn't really get a sense of scale.

Connie wished, not for the first time, that she had been more organised about packing for her journey - a torch would have been a really good idea. Or one of those machine things that taught pokemon moves, then she could have asked Mary to learn Flash. As it was, she was going to have to improvise.

She rumaged through her bag as best she could by touch alone and eventually identified her pokedex. Flipping it open, she discovered that she could iluminate a tiny patch of shed directly in front of her and nothing further. Not that anything further would have helped much. There were far more Miltank in this enormous shed than she would have expected. Far more, really than seemed right. Or safe. There was a tiny space at the entrance to the shed where Connie was standing, then there was a metal bar gate and what appeared to be a wall of Miltank. From what she could see with her little pool of light, there was no sign of Butchette. The little Machop had no fear of the normal type pokemon, unlike her trainer, and while Connie wasn't generally worried by them, this number all crammed into an enclosed space like this was a little intimidating. Trying to hang on to the open pokedex with one hand, Connie bravely clambered over the gate and gently but firmly manouvered her way into the press of pokemon on the other side.

This post has been edited by ROMANA: Jun 1 2010, 07:34 AM

[Verity Lily]

Verity hovered in the doorway of the shed, letting Connie's hand slip from hers. She could sense the movements from the mass of miltanks, and hear their low cries. When Connie's pokedex lit up what seemed like hundreds of miltank, all pressed in together, Verity had to bite her lip so as not to scream.

Butchette had disappeared completely, so Verity didn't even have the comfort of a fighting type - and anyway, what good would one unevolved pokemon be against so many huge pokemon? Even the legendary Butch wouldn't be able to beat them! All Verity could see and sense was miltanks, for what semed like miles and miles.

She had always been scared of them, and tried to hide it, in the daylight of the farm. Nervous, more than scared, she'd told herself. But in the dark, with the huge unseen numbers, and her nerves overstrained by the spooky journey, being a bit scared turned into sheer, utter terror. Verity couldn't go into the shed. She just couldn't. Her stomach flipped over painfully, she felt overwhelmingly nauseous, and she also felt incredibly... sleepy.

"Please go on ahead," she said, the words coming out slowly and with difficulty, as if from a long way away. "I'll wait here with Courage and... keep... guard. Butchette will.. look after ... you." She managed to take two steps out the door and slumped to the ground. Maybe Connie had been right, and there had been something terribly wrong with the icecream. And after all, it was past her bedtime.

The little girl didn't really recognise what was happening to her. After all, in the movies and cartoons, silly women screamed and fainted at the sight of a rattata or a spinarak, and they just flopped over and snapped back to awakeness a moment afterwards. It was funny. This was nothing like that - Verity just felt sicker than she ever had in her life, even when her mother had been afraid she ws going to die of fever, or even after seven scoops of moo-moo delight with pomtre and augave sauce and hazlenut sprinkles, followed by milkshakes. She felt like she was going to be violently ill, and at the same time so lethargic she wanted to curl up on the grass.

She put down her head on Candyfloss's warm body, closed her eyes, and quietly fainted.

This post has been edited by Verity Lily: Jun 1 2010, 03:00 PM

[ROMANA]

"Please go on ahead, I'll wait here with Courage and... keep... guard."

Connie heard Verity call after her and nodded, having Verity keep look out was a good idea, they didn't want to get into trouble, after all. She had already lost Butchette in the midst of the Miltank and was wondering what exactly what she was supposed to be doing when she heard it. It was a very familiar sound, made all the more so in her current surroundings. She even wondered, for a moment, whether she had imagined it. And then there it was again! A Miltank bell, off to her left. Carefully, she made her way in the direction of the sound, moving mostly without being able to see where she was going, muttering quietly all the time, trying to soothe the increasingly flustered Miltank as she went.

It was just as she put her hand out and found the collar of the Miltank with the bell, that she fell over something at about knee height. The something panicked. There was a terrified wail of "Miltaaaaank!" and, in the overcrowded shed, it seemed like all hell had been let loose as the Miltank around her tried to move away but couldn't. Connie found herself face to face with a terrified baby Miltank, that looked awfully like it was about to Tackle her. The little girl had other things on her mind, most notably that in all likelihood, she and the baby were about to be squashed by about a million panicking adult Miltank. At least one of which was wearing... yes, there it was! The Miltank she had just found when she tripped up maneuvered above her and the bell hanging from its collar swung into the light from her dropped Pokedex. The bell had a picture of a Butterfree painted on it. It came from Butterfree Farm. Connie scrambled forward, away from the Butterfree farm Miltank's hooves and desperately tried to calm the baby at the same time, patting it and talking gently to it while she pulled out Mary's pokeball.

"Mary," she said quietly, as the little Mareep popped out of her pokeball, "if they get too close, Thundershock!"

It was just as Mary looked like she might try and hide behind Connie that Butchette reappeared.

<<It's about time she released you again, woolly brain. Little humans can be very silly. I've been trying and knock the wall down and let this lot out. They're too stupid to do it on their own.>>

"Oh, Butchette, thank goodness!" said Connie with relief, as she made it back to her feet. None of her pokemon were going to be of much use if this lot started Rolling. "Please can you help us get this poor little thing out of here? She should never have been in with all these big Miltank in the first place!"

The baby Miltank was going to be put off no longer. The Tackle took Connie by surprise and down she went again, the rest of her pokeballs flying out of her hands and releasing her pokemon. The little group was all hemmed in together.

<<We need this lot to move!>> Butchette said.

"We need them to stay calm," said Connie. "Everyone just keep quiet, including you, little Millie." Connie patted the baby Miltank. It Tackled again and this time the baby and Connie fell onto Mary and the static from her fleece discharged, lighting up the shed with a blinding flash. The baby Miltank was paralysed.

"Thank you, Mary," said Connie with relief. "That should keep her a bit calmer."

And then the Miltanks around them finally gave into their growing panic.

This post has been edited by ROMANA: Jun 2 2010, 09:03 AM

[Verity Lily]

"Wake up, little girl!

Verity struggled to surface. Her head ached and she felt so sleepy and sick, and she wanted to wake up just enough to tell her mother that she wasn't well enough for chorse and classes, she needed more sleep, thank you. But as consciousness painfully dawned, she realised that the voice was nothing like her mother's voice. She blinked awake, and the face she saw when her gaze finally focussed was very little like her mother's rugged face, either. It was all pink and white... and surrounded by cerise hair.

"Oh, thank heavens. You scared me." Tammy Rose straightened up and picked up her lantern. "Tis is no place to take a nap. honey. Where are your other little friends?" The milkmaid's tone was light, and she was smiling, but there was something unfriendly about her.

"I don't know," Verity said. It was true enough that she didn't know where Spencer, Waker and Aussie had gone after their paths parted, although she could have done with having the older boys there as support right now. And, somehow, she didn't want Tammy Rose to know Connie had trespassed into the shed.

"You don't know..? For land's sake, child!" The lantern swung from Tammy Rose's hand. "I suppose I'll just have to take you inside and call your mommy and daddy to come fetch you. We can't have you stumbling around here in the dark. Just wait here a moment while I check on the miltanks, they seem fractious tonight, and then I'll take you in for a nice glass of warm milk. On account."

"No!" Verity stumbled to her feet, and after the overwhelming urge to vomit had receded a little, realised that Tammy Rose was looking at her with surprise and suspicion. She tried to force her brain to work. "You're a pokemon trainer, right? So am I! I challenge you - you have to beat me to get into the shed." She assumed her most pleading expression, the one she used when she wanted a new book. "Please?"

Tammy Rose sighed with irritation, but she had been fairly challenged and didn't have the right to refuse. "Okay, then. You really are a nusiance, little girl. Double battle, then. Positive, Negative, go!"

A couple of adorable little pokemon burst from her pokeballs, and despite her sickness, Verity cooed with delight at the tiny things. They were almost as cute as Candyfloss.

She fought to concentrate. Plusle and minun didn't have much in the way of defence, but they were fast, and there was no use sending a starly in against them. Which was a pity, because Courage was the closest she had to a battle worthy pokemon right now.

Verity recalled the starly, and sent out the Empress, hoping against hope that she'd had enough of a nice rest in her pokeball to be able to fight now. The spoink wobbled a little, looking as muzzy as Verity felt, but then righted herself and began, determinedly, to bounce. Just a little.

"Empress - psywave, go!"

The Empress hunched herself up, screwed up her eyes, shuddered with concentration, and... nothing happened.

Tammy Rose laughed. "This is going to be a short battle. A spoink can't fight without it's pearl, honey. You have a lot to learn. Positive - helping hand! Negative - charm!"

The little plusle began to cheer and clap and jump up and down, while the minun moved closer to Verity's pokemon, putting a cute little paw in front of it's face and making adorable little coos. Verity felt her heart soften - it seemed a shame to fight such a precious little creature. The Empress stopped trying to attack, and looked meltingly at the little pokemon instead. Tammy Rose's smile widened.

At this point, Candyfloss slipped from Verity's arms and trotted across to the minun and plusle. It looked at them with wide ruby eyes, and chirruped, "Igglybuff?"

"Minun!" cooed back Negative, and Postive, its eyes swimming with affection, agreed, "Plusle!"

"Iggly iggly!" said Candfyloss, adorably.

"Minun!" Negative amped up the Charm a little.

"Iggly!" "

Minun!"

"Plusle!"

"Iggly!"

The Empress bounced dreamily as the three pokemon got closer and closer, Charming the very air around them. The air, in fact Verity though dazedly, seemed to have turned into pink glitter, with flowers blooming at it, and hearts... A wonderful feeling of well-being and loving warmth crept over her.

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" snapped Tammy Rose. "Positive, Negative, stop playing with that ugly little balloon, and attack it!"

The little pokemon turned their eyes up on their trainer, and then Positive, startled by the harsh tone, burst into noisy tears. Showers of Fake Tears flooded out, soaking the Empress, who rolled helplessly about. Candyfloss, confused by the turn of events, began to cry as well, its own Fake Tears raining over the minun and plusle. Verity and Tammy Rose, bewildered, watched as the Empress and Negative collapsed in sympathy, and Candyfloss and Positive continued to wail in chorus. The sounds of pokemon sobbing filled the air.

"I give up! Positive, Negative, return!" The little pokemon came back to their pokeballs, and Candyfloss abruptly stopped crying and started looking around, bewildered, for her playmates. "Now - to business. Flamespurt, Snowstorm, go!"

A flash of light, and there, illumined by the lamp, were a houndour and a swinub. Verity could have danced. A dark type and an ice type, Butchette would go through them like a hot knife through -

Oh. So. She had a baby pokemon, a psychic type who couldn't attack, and a starly.

At that moment there was an ominous sound from the shed, but Verity stayed focused. Time, Connie needed time... And desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Empress, return! Go, Courage!"

[ROMANA]

Connie was not at all sure how she and her pokemon would survive a Rollout stampede in an enclosed space and she really wasn't sure that she wanted to try. It seemed that Butchette had other ideas. The Machop glared at the nearest Miltank, Focusing on her as hard as she could and Low Kicked. There was a moment where it seemed as though the Miltank was too shocked to react and then, with an almighty "MIIIIILTANK!" it Rolled Out.

"Oh, help!" squealed Connie. "Mary, Thundershock!"

The little Mareep did her best, but the electric attack seemed to have little effect. Connie scrambled out of the way and was amazed to see Butchette apparently using Karate Chop to deflect the Miltank's gigantic, cannonball-like form towards the nearest wall. And then came the rush. It felt like there were Miltank Rolling in every direction like a giant game of marbles. Contrary to Verity's very firmly held belief, even in their most Rolly moments, Miltank didn't want to hurt people. At least, not little people who hadn't done anything to hurt them and so while she was getting bumped about a fair amount, the pokemon were mostly managing to avoid actually flattening the little intruder in their midst.

"Carmilla," Connie called, "when she caught sight of her Oddish and could get her breath, "Absorb! Mary, Thundershock again! Torchie, ember! Victoria, Bug Bite!" She hoped the others would hear her over the din. She wasn't sure where they were.

Mary was Thundershocking for all she was worth and was beginning to look a little frazzled. At least three of the Miltank had been paralysed when they Rolled right into her but Mary wasn't entirely convinced this was for the best. Butchette still seemed to be more directing than battling and suddenly, as she and her pokemon were carried along in the rush, the reason why became clear. Connie was lifted off of her feet in time to see a glimmer of moonlight as the impacts of the Miltanks took out a panel in the side of the shed. Everything was a bit confused after that. It felt almost, for a moment, as though she was flying, carried along on top of the rush and then she was deposited, face-down in the dirt of the yard behind the shed.

She sat up and shook her head, looking around for her pokemon. Mary stumbled in her direction, looking rather annoyed, her fleece sparking in the darkness. Torchie had aparently managed to find Mary and was perched on her head, looking for all the world as though the last few minutes hadn't happened. A rather bedraggled Carmilla was carried out of the shed by Butchette, Victoria buzzing angrily over the Machop's head.

<<My little human could have been hurt! Go and get your own one into trouble!>>

<<Buzz off,>> said Butchette, <<Who put you in charge? I know what I'm doing.>>

"Miltank!" One last, very small Miltank came pelting out of the shed. It was too little to roll, so it was running as hard as its little legs would carry it. It was concentrating very hard on keeping up with its herd, and, covered in mud as she was, Connie was very easy to miss. Unless you ran right into her. Which it did. Again.

"OOoooooffff!" said Connie, once again collapsing into the mud. Victoria interpretted this as an instruction to use Gust. The little Miltank was knocked into the mud next to Connie.

<<You mustn't hurt humans!>> said Victoria, haughtily, drawing on her weeks of experience at being a trained pokemon.

<<Didn't mean to, it got in the way! MUUUUUUUMMMMMM! Where's my Mum?>>

The little Miltank started wailing. Connie really didn't want any more excuses for people to come and investigate the back of the barn. She'd been hoping anyone attracted by the raucus would be too busy chasing after the herd. The little Miltank seemed quite inconsolable, though. In desperation, she pulled out a pokeball.

"Look," she said, "You'll feel better in a bit and I really do need you to be quiet. I'm sorry."

She threw the pokeball and it caught the crying Miltank and lay twitching on the ground.

"So," said a silky voice above Connie. "Not content with criminal damage, you're stealing our pokemon, too."

This post has been edited by ROMANA: Jun 9 2010, 02:16 PM

[Verity Lily]

"Starly!" Courage materialised from the pokeball, turned in the air and spiralled on a draft of wind, crying out derisely at her opponents. It was about time she got the starring role in a battle, she felt. That arrogant machop always managed to hog the glory, just because she had a kick that could stop a rampaging tauros. Effective, but crude. Courage felt that a lesson in style and technique in battle was long overdue, and she was just the pokemon to give it.

She spun on one lazy wingtip and swooped back to settle on the top of Verity's head, where she sat, nonchalantly preening her flight feathers.

"Oh, Courage! I need you to battle!" Verity said, dismayed, but Tammy Rose's pokemon were quicker on the uptake, and recognised the starly's behaviour as the calculated taunt it was. The houndour let out a sudden stream of flame, and Verity shrieked and ducked. Courage had erupted into the air just in time, but Verity's pink locks singed and frizzled on top.

Tammy Rose giggled, and Verity drew herself up in outrage.

"That was so unfair!"

The milkmaid shrugged a pretty shoulder. "All's fair in battle, girlie. Flamespurt, finish that bird off!"

"Don't let it get you, Courage! Move fast!"

Courage twirped to indicate that moving fast was what she did best, and as Flamespurt geared himself up for another blast, the little bird began to zip swiftly back and forth, so quickly that its image began to blur and multiply. The houndour began to belch flame in all directions, in confusion, and Verity smiled.

"While it's distracted! Candyfloss - sing to it!"

"Iggly?" Candyfloss looked enquiringly up at its trainer out of big red eyes, then, by a miracle, seemed to understand, and decide to obey. With the joy of a performer who knows how truly cute it is, she toddled forward, and began to pipe, dreamily,

"Iggleybuff, iggley, iggleybuff..."

The swinub yawned, then began to curl up. Verity felt a moment's elation. The swinub was the most dangerous of her opponents -

"Starly!" Verity looked up in alarm to see Starly flounder in the air, her left wing more badly singed than Verity's hair. Perhaps she, too, had become drowsy - at any rate, the houndour had got in a good hit.

"Oh, Courage! Please - you must try hard!" Verity pleaded. "Connie needs us!"

"Starly!" The little pokemon, who had been dropping, began to flap her wings with renewed vigour. Just as Flamespurt knocked Candyfloss over and over with a contemptuous Roar, the force of the blast sending Candyfloss into an uncontrollable tumble, Courage gathered up all her remaining strength with one desperate effort, flapping higher and higher. When she was as high as she could go, she dived at Flamepsurt with all her remaining strength, mustering a mighty Endeavour. The houndour yelped, and stumbled back onto its knees.

There was a long moment while the two injured opponents made it back to their feet in one case, wings on another, and then Tammy Rose yelled "Bite!" and Verity yelled "Quick attack!" siumltaneously. As Flamspurt opened his maw, Courage pecked quick and hard, and the houndour, defeated, rolled over and played dead.

"Awesome, Courage!" Verity squealed.

"Starly!" Courage spread her wings. "Starly! Star - star- starravia!" Her little body blurred with light, reshaped itself, grew - and Courage's wings spread further and further, as her shape resolved itself into that of a staravia.

"Oh, Courage! You evolved! I'm so proud of you!" Verity was dancing with excitement. It was her very first pokemon evolution. She drew out her pokedex with shaking hands, and pointed it at the very first pokemon she had ever caught for herself.

Staravia. Recognizing their own weakness, they always live in a group. When alone, a Staravia cries noisily.

"You don't look too weak to me, Courage! But I guess we're the flock!" Verity said, giggling and beside herself with happiness, forgetting all about the battle in her joy and pride. She began to dig in her backpack for her phone, in order to call her mother and tell her.

Tammy Rose, who while all this excitement had been going on had been feeding her swinub a chesto berry, said, without looking up, "Snowstorm, powder snow."

"Staravia!" Courage crowed. "Star -" The whirlwind of snowflakes caught her wings and iced over the feathers, and she plummetted to the ground. Verity, rushing over to her fallen pokemon, was barely conscious of her already slight purse lightening still further as the battle money was transferred over to Tammy Rose.

"Right," Tammy Rose said, straightening and recalling her pokemon. "If you've quite finished wasting my precious time, I'll be going." She stepped over Verity, where the girl crouched over her staravia.

"Wait!" Verity looked at Tammy Rose's dainty ankle, just inches from her head, and a terrible temptation siezed her. After all, if poikemon could... "Verity, bite! She sank her teeth into Tammy Rose's ankle.

"Ouch! You little brat!" Tammy Rose yanked her leg away, and then raised her foot, prepatory to giving Verity a very unladylike kick in the teech. The little girl winced and close her eyes, regretting her impulse, but at that moment, all hell broke loose.

"Miiiiltank!" There was a terrible thunder and creaking of breaking wood, and Tammy Rose forgot what she was about to do, her eyes wide with horror even in the darkness.

"What in heaven's name?" The milkmaid turned, and ran towards the source of the sound, the other end of the cattle shed.

[ROMANA]

Connie knew that voice! With a feeling of growing horror, she looked up, slowly. Her position in the mud meant that all she could see was a large figure silhouetted against the faint light of the stars and the moon. She didn't need detail, however, as the shape next to the figure confirmed her suspicions as to just who had caught her.

"Absol," the little girl muttered, entranced by the beautiful pokemon standing at its owner's side, its white fur glowing in the moon light, "the disaster pokemon!"

"Absol!" agreed the pokemon, softly.

"Mr Refson," said Connie, struggling to her feet and dusting herself off as best she could, "it's not what you think, I didn't mean to steal Millie, you see, she was just being really noisy and..."

"And you wanted to get away with the whole herd you just released without anyone catching you," Uta Refson finished off. "Not content with looting the sponsors' gifts to the actual contestants at my contest, you decided to steal even more from me!"

"I did compete," insisted Connie. "And Mr Contesta..."

"Enough of this!" said Mr Refson, before the little girl's excuses could get into full flow. "I am putting a stop to your interference right now. Absol, Go!"

"Oh," said Connie, flustered. "Um, dark type, dark type..."

"How hard can it be, little girl?" taunted Mr Refson.

"Aaaabsol!" the pokemon agreed.

Butchette harrumphed impatiently. <<I don't know why she sent you, bug!>>

<<I can fight as hard as you, muscle-head!>> came the angry reply. <<Watch!>>

"Oh dear," muttered Connie. "Victoria, Sweet Scent!"

Victoria's buzzing got louder and a noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter exploded from Butchette.

The Absol jumped up and scratched at Victoria with sharp claws. Thankfully it didn't catch her wings and she was more batted aside than torn by the swipe.

"Um..." said Connie, "Let's try Bug Bite!"

The Combee buzzed around the Absol's head, dodging in close and pounced, getting in an irritating Bug Bite on the scythe-shaped horn curving over the Absol's head. The Absol shook its head in irritation. Bug bites could be very itchy and Connie was hoping that it would distract the pokemon. That and it was the only bug type move
that Victoria knew and Connie was counting on the fact that dark pokemon didn't cope well with bugs.

Mr Refson made a noise that sounded almost like a snarl.

"Absol," he growled, "Quick Attack!"

The Absol pounced at Combee, swatting it hard with a paw before she could get out of the way. Victoria was knocked out of the air and landed with a squelch in the mud churned up by the escaping Miltank.

"Victoria!" Connie rushed over to her pokemon. There was a grunt from a very unimpressed sounding Machop.

"Combeeeee!"

Victoria was apparently determined to carry on fighting. She got herself back into the air and buzzed angrily around the Absol.

"Bug Bite again," said Connie, excitedly. "You can do it, Victoria!"

The Combee buzzed in close and managed to land her Bug Bite right on the Absol's nose. The absol whined and batted at its nose with a paw, upset by the itchy bite.

"Don't be a baby!" snapped Uta. "Razor wind!"

"Bug Bite again," said Connie quickly, "it really doesn't like those!"

"Combee!" agreed Victoria and she buzzed in close again, landing a bite on the Absol's tail.

The Absol summoned a localised hurricane that caught the little Combee and spun her up and away from its now itchy tail. A Combee's tiny wings were no match for the eddies and Victoria spun out of control, crashing into the mud.

"Looks like your pokemon is down and out!" announced Uta, triumphantly.

"I have more," said Connie desperately.

Butchette grimaced threateningly at the Absol, who was still trying to suck on its poor, suffering tail while rubbing its nose distractedly with a paw. It might not have fainted but it was pretty sorry sight.

"Carmilla," Connie said firmly, "you're up next!"

Butchette was looking at her as though she was mad but Connie ignored her. She had heard that if you used someone else's pokemon and it was too high a level, it might ignore your instructions. Connie had a feeling that that would definitely apply to Butchette, who seemed to think Verity's Mum had put her in charge. Poor Carmilla was still looking a bit bedraggled from the rush out of the Miltank shed but Connie thought she could make the best of the situation.

"Carmilla, absorb!"

The Absol looked almost amused by the little Oddish waddling toards it.

"Quick attack!" said Uta, sounding almost bored.

The Absol sprang forward and thumped a paw down onto Carmilla before she could attack, squashing her into the dirt. Carmilla gave a happy sounding squeal. She liked dirt. She could do without people or pokemon stomping on her leaves, but being in mud was good thing as far as she was concerned. She focussed all of her might on the paw on top of her head and absorbed as hard as she could. The Absol jumped back, confused. Its paw felt strange. Between that and the itching it was getting rather upset.

"That's it, Carmilla," Connie said encouragingly, "don't let it get away! Sweet scent."

"Is this not finished, yet?" asked Uta. "Quick attack."

The Absol jumped on Carmilla again and this time, what with everything that had happened before, it was enough to finish the Oddish.

Connie recalled Carmilla and couldn't help noticing the smugness with which Verity's Machop was regarding her. Well, things couldn't really get any worse, could they? she thought.

"Butchette," she said, "I know you're not really my..."

The Machop leapt forward with a growl. <<Silly little human! You should have sent me first!>> "Machop!"

"Oh, good," said Connie weakly. "Um, that kick thing would be..."

Butchette hit the Absol with a Low Kick that knocked it flying and looked like she was about to go for Uta next.

"Um, I think your pokemon's unable to battle, Mr Refson," said Connie. "I'm really very sorry about your barn, I wasn't trying to steal anything, I promise."

This post has been edited by ROMANA: Jul 7 2010, 01:15 PM

[Verity Lily]

Slight bunnying done with permission

Verity clambered to her feet and ran after Tammy Rose, catching her up by the corner and just managing to avoid a clip on her ear at the pass.

She tore around the side of the shed like a small pink rapidash. She didn't really know if she was running to get to Connie before Tammy Rose did, or running to avoid just retribution for biting a milkmaid, but she ran as if her life depended on it.

"Oof!" She crashed into a tall shape in the semi-darkness. Uta, who was midway through returning Absol's pokeball to one of his many hidden pockets, rocked back on his heels at the impact. His arms reflexively closed around the small missile, and in accordance with the inflexible rule which governs villians who have just lost a pokemon battle, knocked something small and shining from his pocket. Butchette, who had been watching the arrival of her trainer with some interest, sidled over and picked it up.

Verity looked up to see who she had unwittingly embraced. "Oh! Mr. Refson!" Her face burned with dismay, and she tried to disengage herself. Uta held on tight.

"I should have known that where one brat went, so did the other. "You're going to stay here and explain just what mischief you two are up to."

"Just snooping around, I think, Mister Uta," gasped Tammy Rose, who had arrived in a winded state. "I think we should just call their parents and - Oh!" She took in in horror the state the shed was in, and where the miltanks weren't.

"More than just snooping," Uta said, grimly. "Miltank rustling!"

"That's not fair!" cried Connie. "They just rolled out!"

That set the seal on Verity's terror. Held prisoner by a strange man, in the dark, with miltanks on the loose - it was just too much. With one almighty wriggle, the same way she had managed to escape her mother's arms en route to the bath when she was three, she managed to slide out from under Uta's grasp and ran for it again, grabbing Connie and Butchette's hands in passing.

The three pounded around the side of the building and into the dark spookiness of the closed amusement park. Verity ducked and weaved between attractions, sliding between fences here and unknown shapes there, and finally vaulting over a carnival games counter to crouch behind it with the other two, the shapes of plastic Mr Mime heads with mouths open to receive balls making sinister shadows. The three adventurers stayed very still and quiet as Uta and Tammy Rose passed by, searching for them.

Finally, Verity moved a little. "We should try to get out," she whispered, uncertainly. In the dimness she could see that Connie was holding something round, but she couldn't quite make it out in the shadows in which they were hiding.

They climbed back over the counter and cautiously picked their way back to the periphery of MooMoo Land - and what they thought was a periphery. Just as they heard Uta and Tammy Rose's voices approaching, the girls and the machop found themselves in a dead end, walled in by buildings, with only a door in front of them. Verity looked back over her shoulder, and saw the adults round the corner.

"Quick!" She tried the door, but it failed to turn. Tears starting to her eyes, she turned back to face Uta and Tammy Rose and attempt some kind of explanation, but was distracted by the feel of something cold and hard in her hand. Looking down, she saw that Butchette had slipped a key into her hand.

Hardly daring to hope, Verity put the key in the lock, turned it, and all three tumbled inside.

Slamming the door, they locked it again quickly, and collapsed, taking in their surroundings. Verity reached up to switch on the light.

It was obviously the Moo-Moo Farm infirmary. Shelves filled with potions lined the walls, a camp bed was set up, a PC awaited in one corner and, best of all, a Pokemon Centre machine in the other. Verity couldn't believe her luck - she'd feel a lot safer once she'd healed her pokemon. Of course, they were trapped in a room with no obvious way out except deeper into the building, and presumably Tammy Rose and Uta would soon give up banging on the door and just go around to another entrance, but Verity also felt much safer having Connie and Butchette back with her again, and no miltanks in sight or hearing.

She turned, smiling, to tell Connie so. But the older girl interrupted her.

"Verity, look who is coming with us!"

The light from the pokeball formed a small, round shape. It took a few long moments for Verity to realise just what shape it was gathering itself into. As Millie bayed petulantly up at her, Verity stepped backwards, shaking.

[ROMANA]

"I rescued her," said Connie proudly. She didn't notice that her friend looked about ready to bolt back out of the door and straight into the clutches of Uta and his henchman milkmaid. Millie stood between the girls, staring balefully up at Verity and complaining loudly. "Oh, Verity, you'll never guess what I found in the Miltank shed!"

Verity stared at the horror that Connie had unleashed. Slowly, she pointed a trembling hand.

"...Miltank..." she muttered, seemingly mesmerised or in shock.

"Well, yes, but there's no need to be mean. I meant I found out something important, too," Connie sounded a little petulant.

Verity tried to back away but found herself pressed up against the shelves behind her. She struggled, not quite registering that she couldn't keep moving and potions were knocked to the floor with series of crashes and clunks.

"We've got them now!" Uta's voice echoed in the room as the door handle was ratttled ineffectually.

"But how did they get inside?" asked Tammy Rose.

"I've... I've lost my Secret Key!"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh, Millie!" Connie whispered belatedly, returning the pokemon to her pokeball. "We'd better heal our pokemon and get moving before they find another way in," she said, and poked her head out of a silver, industrial looking door on the other side of the room while Verity healed her pokemon first. "There's some stairs down to a corridor. It looks quiet."

Verity, still looking rather dazed was hastily collecting her pokeballs from the machine. Connie took her turn and the two girls, spurred on by the rattling of the door knob, slipped into the silver stairwell on the other side of the door. At the bottom, a corridor stretched away to a blind corner and menacing statues watched over them as they crept slowly along. Connie motioned Verity to stay behind her and carefully sneaked a glance around the corner.

"There's someone standing outside a doorway, next to potted plant and a rubbish bin," she whispered. "Get your pokemon ready, I'll go first."

Connie knew how this bit worked, she'd been to the movies. She ducked and rolled. In her head one fluid movement left her crouched, ready for action in front of a surprised and unprepared enemy. In practice, Connie ended up sprawled and winded on the floor, the pokeball containing Torchie rolling slowly ahead of her before popping open and releasing a nonchalant looking Torchic. Connie's soon to be opponent did not seem to notice.

Connie got to her feet and brushed off her jeans. She coughed and made her way along the passage, trying to look like nothing had just happened.

"We're going to make the best ice cream there is!" announced the girl in a sinister pink uniform as Connie approached. She released a zubat from her pokeball. "You won't stop us."