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Posted by: 2gamers May 19 2009, 09:14 AM

FUROH BLOG ENTRY #1

Riding the Red Liner

As I write this (I'm not near a computer at the moment), I am staring at the bluest ocean I have ever seen. It's practically black! This boat is so fast; we just passed a school of Sharpedoes! If only there were underwater windows...
I'm out on the deck of the S.S. Red Liner, taking advantage of this cloudless sky. As some of you may know, the Red Liner is named after the legendary champion from Kanto, Red. He ended his rival's reign in a matter of hours, and the match itself took even less time! Of course, the color does the name justice too; it's like a newly waxed car finish. I wish we held the graduation party on this instead of the gymnasium. No old gym sock smell here!
I should be arriving at Fidona within the hour. Just a basic survey, but it's my first assignment, so I'm still excited . I'll post pics later.

"Miss?"

Pan looked up from her journal to see a young waiter, just a bit older than herself. Dressed in what appeared to be a naval-themed uniform, he held out a chocolate milk shake, complete with a thick layer of whipped cream, large chocolate sprinkles and two red straws.

"Ooh, right here," Pan replied, pointing to the small table next to her lounge chair. As he set the drink down, he was being closely watched by the patron in the adjacent chair. Sitting on his own lounge chair, the bulbasaur kept his eyes on the waiter until he left his view. His attention then turned to his trainer, who leaned over to take a sip.

"Come on, Turnip! Try it!" Pan pleaded to the resistant bulbasaur. Turnip seemed to be the complete opposite of his fun-loving trainer: reserved and a bit grumpy. He eventually gave into her pleading look and sucked onto the straw. The rare but slight grin confirmed his pleasure, something that in turn pleased Pan. Together, both finished the shake quickly, leaving nothing but a few bits of sprinkles. Soon after, Pan stood up to get a better look at the boat. Turnip followed; though he would have prefered to take a nap, he also felt he had to watch his trainer, so he stood by her side, still looking around for suspicious activity.

The S.S. Red Liner wasn't nearly as large as the big cruise liners. Indeed, only 50 people were on board, including the crew of 15. What it lacked in size, it made up for in looks and speed. The paint job on the boat was a bright red, resembling that of a fancy car. Pan had to shield her eyes from the sunlight reflecting off the hull. This drew her attention to the symbols near the front of the hull: a white silohette of a flying charizard followed by the name of the boat, also white. Pan quickly drew her camera out of her pocket, aiming for a good shot of the hull. Through her lens, Pan also saw a small speck of land. She looked up; the journey was almost over (or rather, about to begin.) Forgetting about the picture, Pan ran back to the lounge chair (Turnip really wished she would stay in one place), grabbed her journal, and wrote one last thing:

It can be frightening, going to a new land. You don't know what is waiting for you. And yet, that's exactly what makes it so exciting. Who will you meet? What will you find? You just have to have more courage than fear, the courage to step onto the trail and never look back.

"That'll work," Pan said to herself, scratching out the previous final paragraph in her entry. She then put her belongings in her bag and walked towards the front of the boat (Turnip's annoyed grunts following her). With a slight grin on her face, Pan started humming a tune. It was nothing in particular; she just tried to keep a steady beat. She stood there, watching that speck of land called Fidona get bigger and bigger...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PKMN Center- Town of Fidona

The PKMN Center wasn't too far from the dock, so Pan wasted no time after arrival heading over to said center; she didn't even get a good look at the rest of town yet. The center was a modest-sized building, complete with a healing station, a lounge area of red couches and blue carpet, and a computer lab. The nurse was already busy with a line of customers; luckily, Pan didn't need healing services just yet. The lounge area had a few people in it, many of whom appeared to have slept there overnight. The computers within the lab were rather old, but they at least were able to get online. It was here that Pan was reading the latest correspondence from her advisor, Prof. Stone:



Pan was happy to hear that she now had money to spend on supplies. If she didn't need them now, she would definitely need them before heading off to the mainland.

Pan looked behind her, towards the lounge area. On one of the red couches, Turnip was finally taking his nap. Pan logged off the computer and thought about joining him, but there was work to be done. She grabbed a Fidona map from a brochure table and headed for Turnip's couch. Once there, Pan opened the map and laid it on the plush blue carpet, then she too laid on the carpet on her belly, looking for the route to their next destination.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire May 20 2009, 01:39 AM

"Rio!" Jii enthusiastically shouted as he expertly hit a boulder with a Quick Attack. The boulder sustained a crack, dust and small pebbles coming out of it. Jii smirked and disappeared in another of his Quick Attacks, hitting the boulder one more time. It crumbled into dust at the force of the impact. Jii gave a triumphant yell, turning to see his trainer walking up to him with a small smile on her face.

"That was great, Jii," Sapphire told the proud Riolu, who pumped his fist into the air. Sapphire's smile widened microscopically, and she returned a high five from her Riolu. She knew that he loved impressing her with his tricks. Her Charmander Aidan who was busily blowing some flames upwards, looked at the exchange with some kind of a jealous expression.

"Char!" Aidan said, crossing his arms on his chest. The flame on his tail burned more ferociously as his eyes were filled with envy. Sapphire and Jii turned to him, each wearing a different reaction. Jii was puzzled, scratching the back of his head, while Sapphire was greatly amused. Aidan almost always treated Jii as a rival, challenging him to a lot of random contests, like Poffin eating contests, etc. Jii, being the immature he is, didn't take the rivalry seriously.

Sapphire sighed deeply, lifting Aidan off his feet, carefully avoiding the fiery tail. The Charmander shifted his gaze away from his trainer, maintaining his envious front. "Stop that, Aidan. I know you're good too," Sapphire reassured him, and a grin stretched from his face. "Isn't that right, Jii?" Sapphire's eyebrows rose as the two of them looked at Jii expectantly.

"Rio! Riolu!" Jii responded cheerily.

Sapphire crouched to let Jii jump on her left shoulder (as he always did so easily), as Aidan climbed up to her right. Not minding the weight of her two friends, Sapphire started to walk towards the PKMN center. Looking around the quiet town, Sapphire appreciated the peacefulness of the town. But however quiet this town is, Sapphire didn't find any good friends here aside from her trusted Pokemon, which would explain why no one ever bothered to speak with her.

The doors of the center slid open to admit the three of them in. She usually stays in here to relax a bit, also to let her Pokemon play with others. Jii leapt agilely off her shoulder as she carefully let Aidan down, who was again eyeing Jii jealously. Sapphire sat down one of the red couches in the Center, noticing a Bulbasaur sleeping soundly beside her. Better let Alexis out to have some fun too, she thought, letting the Bulbasaur sleep in peace. Before her hand could even grip the Pokeball on her belt, the said ball opened, releasing bright white light that immediately revealed a happy Shinx.

"Shinx!" Alexis chided as she rubbed her head on Sapphire's leg. Sapphire scratched the Shinx's side, earning some purrs of content from the electric-type. Alexis turned to stare at the napping Bulbasaur, and a mischievous gleam appeared in her eye. Sapphire realized this quickly, but not quick enough to react.

"Alexis!" Sapphire hissed as Alexis jumped on the couch, nudging the side of the grass-type playfully. "Alexis, don't wake him up!" Sapphire said quietly but annoyed, but the Shinx kept on nudging the Bulbasaur. Jii and Aidan turned to watch as they heard their trainer's voice.

Posted by: 2gamers May 20 2009, 08:55 AM

Let's see, if I take the route north, that should lead me more inland...

Tracking the routes with her pen, Pan examines the map for possible locations for this "giant tree". She deduced that the tree must be deep in the forests, not easily spotted off the coast. It would also be more secluded from people, though she had no idea how much of the forest had been explored by the Fidona natives.

Pan's train of thought was interupted when something brushed against her leg. She looked to her side to see a Shinx approaching Turnip, lightly nudging him. It took three nudges before the Bulbasaur started to wearily open his eyes, directly facing the cub. A bit annoyed by the pokemon's lack of courtesy, Turnip emitted a long low growl, telling the Shinx that he was in no mood to play.

"Come on Turnip. No need to be rude; this one just wants to play," Pan replied. Using the couch as leverage, Pan sat up on the carpet and faced Alexis at eye level. She put on a big smile reached her hand out to pet the Shinx. Turnip, annoyed by his trainer's confusion of who was being rude, watched the two in case he had to intervene.

"Isn't that right? You just want to play," she said in a playful voice. Pan had not yet seen that Alexis' trainer was just feet away.

Posted by: Gespenst May 20 2009, 03:34 PM

A sigh.

A story that starts with a sigh.

A lone youth out on the streets, rubbing the palm of his hand against his forehead, while looking around in absolute bewilderment. He was a native to both the island and the town, one who'd never ever even set foot in the world outside this town.

But more specifically, he'd never really set much foot outside of his own home, and the four walls that surrounded him. Driven to travel by an avalanche of pressure, Thomas could not help but feel like going back and just not bothering altogether finding out which was the correct way to reach the ferry.

Going home meant he'd have to argue with his mother on why he went back on his word, though, and he was considered himself a man true to his word. ... A wimpy man, but a man nonetheless, even if he wasn't yet old enough to be anything but a boy.

"Can't be helped, can it?" the youth mumbled to himself; years of solitude and reading had made him develop a habit of talking to himself. He always excused it by saying it improved 'cranial activity', though the validity of that claim was sketchy at best.

Decidedly lost, but not so lost that he didn't know what a Pokécenter was, Thomas decided he'd just go there and see if there was a map around. Surely he wasn't that hopeless yet that he couldn't read a map.
... or maybe ask someone for directions.

There was just one small problem. Thomas was not the sort to approach random strangers and ask them for directions to a place that, quite likely, was common knowledge. Perhaps he shouldn't ask. What if others'd laugh at him? What if they'd make fun of him? Perhaps his ignorance could be considered offensive, and he might offend someone.

Thomas... sighed once again, and lightly tapped his forehead with his knuckle. Another gesture that, supposedly, made him think better, although it achieved no such effect. He peered idly around the room, and saw nothing of real interest.

Wait. A map! Heavens be saved! Resolutely, Thomas took a step towards the map. Doubly resolutely, he remained standing just one step from the entrance, pondering whether it would be morally acceptable to check the map. He wasn't sure whose map it was, but it might belong to the girl near to it. He wasn't sure. Ought he ask her?

Decisions, decisions.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire May 20 2009, 10:09 PM

Alexis purred in content as the girl petted her head. She had always loved that gesture. Sapphire assumed that the girl was the Bulbasaur's trainer, and she heaved a sigh; it was not in her nature to talk to strangers, but she had to apologize for Alexis's behavior towards the Bulbasaur. Standing as quietly as possible, she made her way to the girl, Jii and Aidan following behind her, both wearing curious faces.

"I'm sorry if Alexis woke up your Bulbasaur, miss," she said timidly. "It won't happen again." Or at least, Sapphire hoped it wouldn't happen again. She hated talking to people, let alone strangers.

"Riolu, ri," Jii agreed merrily. Alexis turned to face her trainer, and grinned as she jumped to Sapphire's welcoming arms. Sapphire scratched Alexis's chin. The Shinx meowed contentedly, causing Sapphire to smile.

As she waited for the trainer to accept her apology, Sapphire studied the map that was laid out on the carpet. The girl must be a traveler, she assumed. But that wasn't her business, was it?

Posted by: 2gamers May 21 2009, 08:20 AM

"Miss? What do I look like, an old lady?" Pan stood up to meet the trainer. She brushed off the carpet fluff off her shirt with her left hand, and reached out with her right hand to shake Sapphire's hand.

"The name's Pandora, Pan for short. And no need to apologize; Turnip sleeps too much anyways." Pan was glad to meet a new person, especially in such a foreign land. She wondered if Sapphire was a resident, one that might be able to help her get around Fidona.

Turnip wasn't listening, for his attention now focused on the other trainer near the entrance. He was just standing there doing odd movements like tapping his head with his knuckle and appearing indecisive in overall behaivor. This trainer appeared (to Turnip) to be staring at Pan, and the bulbasaur did not like that at all. He leaped from the couch and onto the floor, determined to scare off the suspicious character. Turnip stood in front of both the map and Pan, who's back was to Thomas and thus unaware of what the Bulbasaur had seen. He emitted a low warning growl to Thomas.

Posted by: Gespenst May 22 2009, 04:26 PM

So caught up in his musings was he that Thomas did not immediately realise that there was a Bulbasaur growling at him. Of course, when he finally did realise it, it did not occur to him that he was in a problem, for he thought the Bulbasaur's growl was not directed at him.

Not at all. He gandered around at anything else that might be nearby, and only then did he realise that it must've been at him for, indeed, there were none closer to the Bulbasaur than he himself was, and it was a right nasty thing for him, as he was unsure how to react.

He did the only thing that came to mind.

"Ah, s-sorry!" And, with two steps back, bumped into another man. Another apology followed suit, and thankfully the man did not at all mind, but Thomas was slightly unnerved by the growling nonetheless.

There you had it! Pokémon didn't like him. Probably no Bulbasaur'd like him. Maybe he did something bad to them once? Maybe he smelled bad. Or maybe his clothes were bad for Bulbasaur. Was it the scarf? Thomas tugged at his scarf, then untied it and offered it to the Bulbasaur apologetically.

The way he did it was as follows.

First, he crouched down, and held the scarf to the Pokémon. Then, he inched closer. And a little closer. ... And then a little farther away.

"Uh-uhm... what's the problem? It's... the scarf, isn't it? Isn't it?" he asked meekly.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire May 23 2009, 01:01 AM

Sapphire managed a low chuckle. "You can call me Saph, I guess," she told Pan quietly. "Nice to meet you."

Alexis jumped out of Sapphire's arms and went to join Turnip, who was growling at a boy who was offering a scarf. Sapphire sighed. Alexis had too much enthusiasm for her own good. Jii and Aidan went towards the map spread out on the floor, occasionally poking some locations on the paper, arguing about them all the while.

"You're a traveler, I assume?" Sapphire asked, making an effort to start a conversation. She wasn't used to talking to other people, hence the shyness in her tone. She hoped that Pan wouldn't mind her awkwardness.

Posted by: 2gamers May 24 2009, 07:01 PM

"Yep, Kanto born and raised," Pan said with enthusiasm in her voice, "I lived near Celadon City, if you know where that is." She loved her hometown, and could probably go on and on describing why she loves it so. However, Pan also detected the shyness of Saph's voice, and didn't want to overwhelm the girl with all the chatter. Instead, Pan went on about why she was a traveler.

"And now, I'm taking an internship with the Petropolis Museum, searching for 'sites of interest untouched by humanity.' In other words, I get paid to find cool places no one's ever seen," Pan said with a smile on her face. If it wasn't her hometown, her other favorite topic was talking about what she did for a living. She didn't want to hog the spotlight, and she was curious as to who she was talking to, ao Pan changed the subject. She hoped to get Saph out of her shell.

"So that's what brings me to Fidona. What are you up to?"

Meanwhile, Turnip looked at Thomas in utter bewilderment as he waved the scarf around. He turned his head to the side, trying to see if looking at a certain angle would make sense of the situation. It did no such thing. In the end, Turnip decided Thomas was not a threat after all. The bulbasaur turned around, noticing the riolu and charmander arguing about the map. He stood by and watched for the mild entertainment factor.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire May 25 2009, 03:14 AM

Sapphire listened closely to Pan's short history, nodding at some certain points. Wondering wherever the heck Celadon City is, she figured Pan was overall nice, but she still didn't trust her fully. "I'm just wandering around here, I guess. Training my Pokemon, that kind of stuff. What is in Fidona that interests you?" she asked. She was uncomfortable talking about herself.

"Char!" Aidan yelled, startling Saph for a bit. Turning to her other two Pokemon, Sapphire's eyes narrowed as she saw Aidan's claws almost ripping part of the map.

"Aidan! Jii!" she scolded, slightly embarrassed at the fact that she was scolding her Pokemon in front of Pan. "Get off that map before you shred it to pieces!" Aidan and Jii slumped and slightly frightened, stepped away from the map. "Sorry, guys, but that map's not ours," Sapphire quickly apologized before turning back to Pan. "Sorry about that."

Posted by: 2gamers May 25 2009, 09:47 AM

"Well, the professor wants pictures of what kind of pokemon live around here. Also, he wants me to look for this giant tree somewhere in the forest. Not exactly an epic adventure, but it's a start." Pan said this in a matter-of-fact tone: she wasn't super-excited, but every adventure must begin somewhere.

"Hey, do you live around here? Maybe you can help me figure out these routes." Pan turned to the map to find Jii and Aidan on the map. She watched as Saph scolded her pokemon, though Pan didn't think the damage was that bad.

"No need to apologize. I'll likely do more damage to it myself," Pan said with a slight giggle. As she was saying this, she grabbed the map by its sides and set it on a nearby table. The entire map fit perfectly, as if the wood table was made specifically for looking at the Fidona map. Pan kneeled next to the table, waving her hand to Saph to invite her closer. Turnip joined in, his front "paws" on the table. Pan traced the route named "Woodcutters' Road," a route that led straight to the forest border, but didn't go into the forest itself. She waited for Saph to join her before going further.

"I don't bite," Pan said with a reassuring smile. The bulbasaur gave a loud snort in response.
"You shush," Pan playfully replied.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire May 27 2009, 02:01 AM

Sapphire studied the map closely. Some of the routes were familiar to her, but some, she hadn't explored before. "I don't think I ever walked that road before," she said seriously, indicating the path towards the forest. "But I think I know where it is."

Alexis went off to play with Aidan as Jii jumped on Saph's shoulder to get a closer look. He tilted his head to the side in confusion before looking at her for answers. "It's Fidona, Jii," she explained. Jii nodded once as she sighed. She slightly wondered what Jii and Aidan were arguing about a moment ago, but went back to examining the map.

"I could try to take you there, but I won't guarantee it. I could also try help you find that tree you're talking about," she added the last part reluctantly. She wouldn't mind an adventure, but she might disturb Pan's research. But this adventure might make her Pokemon stronger, she thought, especially in that forest. She waited nervously for Pan's answer.

Posted by: 2gamers May 27 2009, 11:40 AM

"Really? I would love having another person around," Pan replied, enthusiastic about Saph's involvement. "It's a very good idea to have another pair of eyes in my line of work. Plus, I could use more company." Pan was not only happy about this turn of events, but also somewhat relieved. She thought she'd be the only human in the vast wilderness. Sure, having Turnip and her baltoy Pivot were around, but conversation wasn't their strong point.

Pan stood up and started folding the map neatly according to the creases. She put the map in her back pocket. Turnip walked over to stand by her as Pan adorned her bag like a backpack.

"Maybe on our way, you can show me around town. You know, all the hot spots," Pan jokingly asked. She didn't know a whole lot about Fidona, but she had heard of its small town status. Then again, perhaps Saph knew something Pan did not.
"What do you say, partner?" Pan reached her hand out to Saph, as if to ensure mutual agreement between them.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire May 27 2009, 09:52 PM

"Uh, ok," Sapphire said quietly as she accepted the warm handshake. She managed a small friendly smile, hoping for the best. Jii grinned widely and walked towards Turnip, his paw held up. Apparently his friendliness was kicking in again. Aidan, however, remained indifferent.

Saph began to walk towards the doors of the Center, calling for Alexis on the way. The Shinx jumped into her welcoming arms as Aidan followed closely behind her. Being deep in her thoughts, she hadn't realized where she was going and bumped into a boy who held a scarf.

"Sorry, my bad," she said apologetically to the guy.

Posted by: 2gamers May 28 2009, 10:15 AM

Turnip nodded to Jii, then extended a vine out of his side and into the Riolu's hand. He never shook hands with another pokemon before, so his moves were slow and deliberate. After shaking, the Bulbasaur caught up with Pan as they headed towards the door. While Saph was busy apologizing to Thomas (Turnip again watched the boy for more peculiar behavior), Pan looked out the window of the Pokemon Center, her first real look at the town of Fidona.

There weren't many people out, even though it was just after lunch break. Pan noticed that the majority of the buildings she saw were basic necessities: a grocery store, a clinic, and a hardware store were clearly visible from her position. These buildings also looked rather...historic; each had old brick walls, rusted metal signs, and white patios with chipped paint in several places. Indeed, they looked like places Pan's grandparents would have shopped at when they were her age. The overall look appeared charming to Pan, as if going back to a simpler time.

"Nice place to grow up in," Pan said, talking to herself.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire May 29 2009, 09:30 PM

Sapphire shrugged as the boy didn't seem to answer her apology. Putting the matter at the back of her head, she went over to Pan, hearing what she had said. She sighed, and walked towards the door. It wouldn't be a very nice place if you know what I'd been through, she thought sadly. Jii came to her side, noticing his trainer's sad aura. Even if he was just a Riolu, Jii had the power to sense the aura of some people, but he wasn't very good at it.

"Rio?" Jii asked her thoughtfully, tugging at the end of her pants. The Riolu leapt on her shoulder with ease.

"I'm fine, Jii. No worries," Sapphire lied, trying to reassure her Pokemon. Jii nodded in understanding.

Saph turned to Pan. "Fidona's really a peaceful town. A lot of grass, trees and flowers, but not much buildings, sadly," she explained to the traveler. "The forest you're talking about is just down the road. It won't take much time to go there."

Posted by: 2gamers May 30 2009, 08:48 AM

Being human, Pan did not notice Saph's sadness, though she did see a close bond betwen her and the Riolu. As she followed Saph's lead, Pan reached out to scratch Jii's chin. She often couldn't help herself; she had to touch a friendly pokemon. This annoyed Turnip quite a bit; he knew it never was a good idea to touch all manner of creatures. Indeed, he half-hoped she would get bitten, just so he could say he told her so (or rather, think it).

As she entertained Jii, Pan commented on Saph's view of Fidona, "Well, when you come from a big city, peace is a good thing." Though she lived in the suburbs, she was never far from the busy life of Celadon City. It was a welcome change to experience life without the noise of a bustling city in the background.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire May 31 2009, 01:18 AM

"Rio..." Jii mumbled satisfiedly as Pan scratched his chin. He wasn't the kind of Pokemon to attack other people who were just trying to be friends with him.

The doors of the Pokemon Center opened. Saph motioned for Pan to follow her as she walked out of the building, Aidan coming to rest on her other shoulder. Alexis willingly returned to her Pokeball to give her trainer's arms some freedom. Saph began walking down the road. Fidona wasn't actually full of wondrous sights, if you aren't a flower person. Plants and trees lined the sides of the road, varieties of flowers giving colors to the place.

"If memory serves me correctly," Sapphire began, "the route that leads to the forest... there," she pointed to a stone path that was leading to a darkish dot in the distance. "If you're ready we can start trekking, I guess. Or you could stock up some supplies first," she pointed to a not-so-small wooden hut nearby.

Posted by: 2gamers May 31 2009, 08:50 AM

Pan stopped scratching Jii so she could observe her surroundings. She glanced at flower fields containing every color of the rainbow and two kids playing with a tire swing attached to one of the many trees. She was reminded of her own childhood experiences: swinging on her own tire swing, with Turnip pushing her (and vice-versa).

Her nostalgia trip was interrupted by Saph's question on where to go next. Though she wanted to get this adventure started, it would be foolhardy to go into an unknown area without supplies. Indeed, all she really had were pokeballs.

"We better gather some supplies first. I plan on eating at some point," Pan replied, with her bulbasaur nodding in agreement. She moved to Saph's side, and headed for the wooden hut.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 1 2009, 05:06 AM

Saph cautiously entered the hut. Even if she kinda knew what was in it, it wouldn't hurt to be careful at least. It wasn't a PokeMart or something of the like. It was her aunt's hut.

"Aunt Diane?" she asked no one in particular. Only the wooden floor creaked in response as she stepped in. She turned to Pan. "Come in. I'll just tell my aunt later about this. She won't mind," she assured her and walked inside the hut. There was a sack that was half-full leaning on the wall, filled with Pokemon food. Saph turned her attention to a average-sized pot on the table at the other corner and sniffed the scent that was coming out of it. She managed a little smile. It was her favorite: corn soup.

"You...uh...want some?" Sapphire asked reluctantly to Pan as she went to get two bowls from the stack nearby. Jii went towards the sack of Pokemon food along with Aidan and Alexis, who had just gone out her ball, pushing the sack down. Pokemon food went gushing out, and Jii made a sound like 'Oops'. Saph, realizing what happened, hurried to put the sack back, but poured some into a sizable bowl for the Pokemon she and Pan had. She then went back to the corn soup and poured herself some.

"There are some trainer stuff my aunt has in the back. Maybe some potions, pokeballs, etcetera etcetera," she explained as she sipped.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 1 2009, 12:01 PM

Before entering, Pan first took off her boots. Years of being told not to walk on wood floors with boots made her take offf her boots almost by reflex. Besides, she liked sliding around on the smooth wood surface. The room permeated with the smell of corn soup; it would have been more tempting had Pan not eaten during the trip here.

"Actually I already ate, but do you think we can borrow a thermos? We can have some of this later," Pan replied, predicting that they may needing dinner. She quickly added, "And some water bottles, if it isn't too much trouble."

Meanwhile, Turnip helped himself to the bowl of Pokefood, first taking a small bite to test the taste. He approved and took bigger mouthfuls, careful not to spill any on the floor.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 1 2009, 09:51 PM

Saph nodded as she finished her soup. Sighing in content, she placed the bowl on the table. "Ok, hang on a minute," she told Pan as she went to get a thermos and some water bottles. A shelf was nearby and she opened it, knowing that it was where her aunt usually kept her kitchen stuff. She pulled out a large thermos from the shelf, examining it for a moment, then placed it on the table. She also took four empty water bottles.

"Jii, mind helping me out?" she asked Jii, who was sitting on the floor, finished eating. The Emanate Pokemon nodded and carried the thermos and two water bottles easily, not even complaining. "I'll just wash these and fill the bottles with water," she explained to Pan. "There's a clean well at the back."

After some few moments the two came back, Jii holding four full water bottles as Saph carried the now clean thermos. She quickly poured the soup from the pot to the thermos, carefully so as not to spill a drop. When she was done, she realized that she had emptied the whole pot. "Rats, I'll have to leave a note," she mumbled to herself while closing the thermos tightly. She thought for a moment, thinking how to leave a message for her aunt. She can't scratch the table, or she'll really get a taste of her aunt's anger. Her eyes darted around, looking for some writing material. She saw her aunt's pocketbook, the one she always reads.

I hope she doesn't get mad at me... Saph prayed as she went towards the book, scribbled a short message explaining the situation and laid the book beside the empty pot.

Aidan and Alexis eyed their trainer curiously as they ate. Yawning widely, Alexis then returned to the safety of her Pokeball by herself. She always does that. Aidan shifted his gaze to the Pokemon Food then Saph, telling her to bring some food for him and the other Pokemon as well.

After a sigh, Saph tied open end of the sack to close it, and motioned for Jii. The Riolu happily obliged to bring the food. Saph turned to Pan. "I've never been in an adventure, so this is my first time," she said.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 2 2009, 09:24 AM

"First time? I don't believe that for one second," Pan replied, "You whole life's an adventure: an experience with unknown outcomes! You might be able to say you never been camping or into the forest, but you can never say you never been on an adventure." Indeed, in Pan's view, Saph was being silly. All one had to do was go outside, do something different from the usual, and that would be an adventure.

After the conversation on adventure, Pan looked around the room for pictures and items of interest. She didn't think Saph needed help packing; she seemed to know where everything is.

"So do you live here too?"

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 2 2009, 09:50 PM

Saph mulled over Pan's words for a minute. In a way, she was quite right. This brought a small smile to her lips.

"Not here, really," Saph said as she zipped her bag close. "This is just a hut of my aunt's, where she hangs out when she's bored or something. Our house is just a block or two away from here."

After double-checking all the things needed, Saph heaved a sigh of relief. Maybe, just maybe, now they can finally start. Jii held the sack and water bottles firmly, grinning proudly as he did. Aidan climbed up to Saph's shoulder as his trainer carried the thermos.

"Let's go," Saph said as she exited the wooden hut.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 3 2009, 11:53 AM

"Alright, let's roll!" Pan slid across the kitchen all the way to the exit. She put her boots back on and motioned Turnip to follow. While Saph led the way, Pan grabbed her digital camera from her vest pocket, making sure it was charged and ready. She put it back in her pocket and looked ahead. The forest stretched as far as the eye could see, the canopy thick with leaves. It would probably be significantly darker than out on the plains. Though they's probably be OK without a flashlight, Pan still wished she brought one along.

"So, do you have any idea what is living in here?" Pan asked, trying to continue the conversation.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 3 2009, 09:50 PM

Saph shrugged. She had really never been in the forest before, but she heard some stories about it. "Bug, Grass-types, I think," she said uneasily. "And some flying-types too, but they aren't permanent residents."

Aidan was glancing around suspiciously. He occasionally caught glimpses of something moving, probably a wild Pokemon. Jii was walking closely behind, not minding the load that was entrusted on him. Aidan went down to Jii, slightly jealous of his strength. But when he was approaching the fighting-type, he tripped on a vine on the ground.

"Char!" Aidan complained loud enough for everyone to hear as he fell face-first to the ground. Realizing what had happened, Sapphire carefully picked Aidan up and put him back on her shoulder. "Char...man...der..." Aidan muttered softly, scratching his head.

"You have to look before you leap, you know," Saph told Aidan. She turned to the vine, and for a split-second she thought it moved. It might be more than just a plant, her instincts told her as she watched it closely.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 4 2009, 09:45 AM

Pan looked around as they entered the forest. She was glad that it wasn't as dark as she expected: though the trees were thick, beams of sunlight penetrated the canopy to allow a dim glow over the forest floor. Sevaral bird pokemon flew through the trees, singing short melodies that echoed through the branches. She looked down at the game trail they were traveling, it was littered with the footprints of humans and various pokemon. Pan quickly looked straight upon hearing the "Char!" from Aidan. He had apparently tripped on a vine, one that was undamaged despite being on a well-traveled.

This seemed very suspicious to Pan, so she got down on her knees to investigate. While Saph cmforted the Ccharmander, Pan massaged the vine between her thumb and fingers, Turnip tried to push Pan away from the vine with his own vine, but Pan took the vine and examined it in similar fashion. She thanked Turnip for offering a comparison, but the bulbasaur gave a grumpy growl. Once again his trainer just had to touch something that could be a pokemon.

"This vine does feel similar to Turnip's...I wonder where it leads?" Pan said outloud, looking beyond the trail to see if the source was visible.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 4 2009, 10:10 PM

Once Aidan was safely on Saph's shoulders, Saph looked towards the vine, tracing it with her eyes. She was trying to concentrate on the kind of Pokemon that had these kinds of vines, but the singing of the bird Pokemon from above kept interrupting her thoughts. Funny, how the glorious sounds of nature made her irritable.

The source of the vine was hidden under a bush. Saph hesitated before she walked up to the leafy plant. When she was about a foot away, the bush quivered, then the vine was quickly withdrew by its owner. "Definitely Pokemon," Sapphire confirmed as she nodded. She felt Aidan's grip on her shoulder tighten; her Charmander got easily frightened, by the looks of it.

"That Pokemon must surely be a grass-type," she assured Aidan. "Being the fire-type you are, you've got a good advantage, so no need to worry." She felt Aidan sigh, and his grip loosened a bit. Inhaling deeply, she cautiously tried to clear the leaves of the bush to see what exactly they were dealing with. Unfortunately, her right hand was met with a painful smack.

"Hey!" Saph said quickly as she withdrew her hand, shaking it vigorously to try to get rid of the pain. She was quite sure that it was the same vine from before that hit her hand. "Owowowowow..." she mumbled rashly as the part where the vine hit her hand began to turn red, causing a pinkish line across the back of her hand to appear.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 5 2009, 10:34 AM

Pan looked to the quivering bush, taken completely off guard when the vine slid through her fingers. She jumped back to her feet, standing next to Saph. "I second that," she replied in response to Saph conclusion of the vine's source. Pan grabbed her camera as Saph went in for a closer look. She quickly put the camera away as Saph backed off, holding her injured hand.

"Here, let me see," Pan said, insisting to examine the injury. She was no doctor, but she knew a little bit about first aid (though she was kicking herself for not bringing a kit along). "Jii, we're gonna need a water bottle," she asked the Riolu. Though the creature wasn't hers to order around, Pan hoped Jii would understand the situation.

Meanwhile, Turnip, curious as to what grass-type was hiding, approached the bush. Rather than cut through the leaves, he sniffed at it from a safe distance, then responded with a series of vocalizations.

"Bulba bulba?" he asked the bush, hoping it would reveal its identity to a fellow grass-type.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 5 2009, 09:57 PM

Jii calmly nodded once and handed Pan one of the water bottles. Being quite worried about his trainer, he watched Saph with concern. Saph tried not to wince from the pain, clenching her teeth to stop her from doing so. She promised herself not to do that close observing again.

As Turnip made an effort to start a conversation with the grass-type, Saph ran the names of the grass Pokemon that can learn Vine Whip in her mind. Her reason for doing this was because she was slightly curious, also to distract her from her now numb hand. There were a lot of possibilities as to what creature had slapped her hand.

The bush quivered once more when Turnip stopped speaking. Low squeaky sounds could be heard from the plant. Sounds like a baby, Saph thought. Then another sound, probably trying to answer Turnip's previous statement, revealed what had been hiding there.

"Chiko...." the creature said unsurely, still hidden beneath the leaves. "...Chiko...chi..." It sounded like crying.

Jii was about to go nearer, but decided against it. He positioned himself in front of Saph and Pan, ready to fight back in case the creature wanted to attack. Though he was quite sure the grass-type won't, hearing that it was still a baby.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 6 2009, 09:05 AM

"This might sting a little," Pan said, pouring some of the cool water on Saph's wound. After washing the injury, she closed the bottle and placed it on the wound. "Hold that there for a bit. That ought to numb it up." Pan smiled and continued, "It's a good thing you didn't stick your head in that bush!"

Pan then looked over to the bush. Turnip was apparently successful in communicating to the unknown creature. The creature not only sounded young, but also in distress. Ever since she was little, Pan knew Turnip was good with young pokemon, though the bulbasaur wouldn't admit it. On the other hand, it was probably important to show the pokemon that Saph wasn't a threat. Establishing trust could bring some light onto why the grass-type was in distress.

"Maybe you should try giving it food, Saph," Pan said. "At least it won't be too afraid of us, and we might find out what's wrong."

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 7 2009, 12:43 AM

Saph held her breath as Pan washed her injury, managing a light chuckle at her last remark. She turned to the bush, a small irritated gleam present in her eye. She now held a grudge on that Pokemon, baby or not. Upon hearing Pan's suggestion, her mind instinctively said 'no'. She didn't want to admit it, but she wasn't quite good in that. Plus, if she sticks her other hand inside the bush, it might be in danger of another vine whip. One injury was enough.

"It still might be scared of me," she said lamely, searching for a probable excuse. "I mean, we don't want it to be frightened away, right?"

Jii turned to her, sensing a little of her anger aura. He grinned teasingly. "What?" Saph turned to him a little too innocently. Aidan grinned at her now too, joining in the teasing. "What are you grinning at?" she demanded of her two Pokemon, who kept on smiling like there's no tomorrow.

"Fine," she muttered darkly. "Give me the sack Jii." The Riolu handed her the sack eagerly and she used her injury-free hand to get a small piece of brown Pokemon food from it, all the while keeping the cold water bottle on her wound. She slowly and carefully approached the shivering bush, stopping halfway through. "Are you sure this is a good plan?" she asked Pan with uncertainty. She would like to protect her good hand from any further pain.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 7 2009, 09:44 AM

In response to Saph's excuses, Pan also started to grin, "Saph, are you afraid of a little baby pokemon?" Pan had to admit that the wound looked like it hurt, but she had to hold herself back from laughing out loud. Of all the pokemon to be afraid of, her friend feared the wrath of a baby. What next, butterfree?

She watched as Saph caved under pressure and approached the bush with food. "Well, I would have just put the food in front of the bush, It's more afraid of you than you are of it, though I think it's a close call," Pan giggled. She signaled to her bulbasaur to watch for any vine attacks. Turnip stood his ground next to the bush. Using his vines, the bulbasaur sketched a picture of leaves in the dirt, signifying food.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 8 2009, 12:30 AM

"Er...no," Saph replied shyly. But it used a freakin' vine whip on me! the darker side of her mind retorted. She sighed. At least it wasn't a bug-type Pokemon with colorful wings... She shivered at the thought.

She slowly and carefully placed the food right beside Turnip's sketch, and backed away almost immediately. She watched it and the bush closely, waiting for the baby to come out.

A vine went out of the bush, and a sound like "chiko, chi" was heard. The bush quivered and revealed the Chikorita's scared face. It hadn't come out yet, watching Turnip. It turned to the leave picture on the ground, and then to the food Saph had placed there. It hesitated, before picking up the food with its vine. It examined it closely for a moment before taking a delicate bite.

"Chiko..." the Chikorita mused as it gobbled up the treat. It didn't seem so scared now, so Jii took a step forward. The grass-type looked at Jii with the same terrified expression as before, and hid itself inside the bush once more, letting the leaves cover its face. Its eyes watched the strangers, obviously frightened.

"Still scared," Saph concluded. I knew it wouldn't really work, she thought to herself.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 8 2009, 10:56 AM

After observing the outcome, Pan concluded, "Well, we did try. I guess we'll leave it alone and keep moving." Pan looked at her Poketch, tracking latitude-longitude coordinates of the Chikorita sighting. She typed in the word "Chiko" as a reminder of the event. In Pan's opinion, if it was the group that bothered the pokemon, then leaving was the right thing to do. If there was something else, the creature was welcome to follow.

She then pulled out the map from her backpocket, unfolding it and holding it up with both hands. She tracked the trail with her eyes, following every turn. "It looks right we're headed in the right direction. Come on everyone, before we run out of daylight," Pan said, putting away the map. Turnip went back to his trainer, but not before looking back at the bush. He nodded to the chikorita inside, a silent farewell as they continued onward.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 8 2009, 10:27 PM

Saph nodded once and began to follow Pan, casting one last glance at the scared Chikorita. Jii was sad to leave the poor baby alone, but followed his trainer nonetheless. Aidan wasn't at all bothered by their leaving.

Saph looked up at the sun, noticing that it was beginning to set. She quickened her pace. It won't be long until night comes, and they have to stop to rest. She thought about the tree Pan mentioned, and wondered what made this certain tree so special. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft yawn coming from behind her. She looked to see Aidan sleepily clinging on to her shoulder.

"You should rest now, Aidan," she murmured softly as she pulled out Aidan's Pokeball. The Charmander obliged easily as it turned into red energy being sucked inside the orb. As she placed Aidan's Pokeball back on her belt, she looked behind her to check on Jii. "Feeling alright?" she asked.

"Rio!" Jii replied, as energetic as ever. Saph nodded. Jii never seemed to lose his energy.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 9 2009, 02:26 PM

CLICK CLICK CLICK

As the two continued onward, Pan was making good use of her camera. She took pictures of flocks of Pidgey, Tailow, and Stary, getting some great shots the birds taking off into the sky. Her camera also found Cherubi hanging off trees, a trio of Pichu sticking their heads out of a tree hole, and a pair of Ledyba fluttering over a small field of flowers. Pan soon noticed that the native pokemon were beginning to retreat. The beams of sunlight that lit the forest were dimming, and small openings to the sky revealed a light orange glow, the clouds with a purple tinge to their color. It was about time they begin setting camp.

"Shoot! I totally lost track of time! We need to find some shelter." Pan put her camera away in its case, then in her bag. "It'd be nice to find a good tree to sleep in. I'd hate to sleep in the dirt-"

Pan stopped walking as she looked ahead. They had come across a small grove totally open to the evening sky. There was a fairly large tree, large enough to hold two people and their pokemon. Finally, in the middle of the grove grew several bushes, each dotted with different specks of color. Pan smiled: after a long day of exploring, this was probably their best find so far.

"A tree for sleeping, berry bushes, the sky above us. We couldn't have asked for a better place to camp!" she exclaimed. Turnip darted past her to examine the berry bushes, bringing his appetite with him.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 9 2009, 10:26 PM

Saph was looking around, interested, as Pan took a lot of pictures with her camera. She soon concluded that Pan's job wasn't as boring as she thought at first. Nature was just so beautiful, even in the forest, and she wondered why she hadn't been here before. Why hadn't she thought to train here in the first place?

She soon noticed that her vision was dimming. No, it wasn't really her eyes, night was just slowly creeping in. Pan found a nice place to camp, a grassy meadow with a big tree with a lot of colorful bushes surrounding it. Saph saw some innocent eyes from the bushes, probably from wild Pokemon like Rattata. With a jolt, she remembered the baby Chikorita from moments ago, and pity took over her, even if the grass-type slapped her at first. She shook the thought off, assuring herself that the Chikorita might be okay now.

"Rio...lu..." Jii said softly, obviously awed by the view. He hadn't seen anything as beautiful as this before.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 10 2009, 01:29 PM

Pan headed towards the open area, which consisted of a small patch of dirt. "This would be a good place to start a fire...if I had the sense to bring a pot for cooking food," Pan said, making another mental note about bringing cookware. "I don't know how warm the soup will be, but it looks like there are enough berries around to make a decent dessert. I'll see what I can gather." Pan set her bag at the proposed campground, then joined her bulbasaur at the berry bushes.

As Turnip munched on some berries at the bottom of the bush, Pan examined berries on the top. She sampled one, swirling the fruit in her mouth to better enjoy its sweetness. Unfortunately, these berries weren't quite ripe, so she was met with a rather bitter taste, almost like horseradish without the spice. Pan quickly spit it out; it was by far the worst berry she had ever tasted. Turnip, however, couldn't get enough of the fruit.

"How can you eat these?!" Pan said to her bulbasuar with a surprised but somewhat disgusted look on her face (the taste was still in her mouth).
"Saaaaaaaauuuuuuur..." Turnip replied, enjoying the nice treat.

Meanwhile, unknown to Pan or Turnip, another pokemon decided to visit the campsite, specifically Pan's unattended bag. The small squirrel pokemon moved slowly from tree to ground, then moved like a blur straight into the bag. The momentum caused the bag to knock over, the owner still unaware of the potential thief.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 10 2009, 08:58 PM

Saph sat down on the grass as Jii put down his load. She gazed dreamily at the sky while Pan started to look for berry desserts. With a contented sigh, Saph opened the thermos, checking the soup from her aunt's hut before, and pulled out two bowls from her bag. She hadn't noticed that Pan's bag was wide open and something was rummaging around its contents.

"Rio!" Jii was the first to notice the squirrel and rushed towards Pan's bag. The squirrel's tail was poking out, wagging around as squeals can be heard from inside the bag. Jii promptly tried to pull the squirrel out, his strength allowing him to do so.

"Jii!" Saph said, catching the two in their tug-of-war. "What are you--wait, that's Pan's bag." She turned to Pan, who seemed to be have tasted something really bad, and called, "Pan, something is trying to mess with your things!"

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 11 2009, 11:33 AM

Jii sucessfully pulled out the culprit, a pachirisu trying to make off with Pan's camera. The pokemon squeaked like a chipmunk trying to escape the grasp of the riolu, attempting to drag his pursuer away from the approaching people. She could not oversome the strength of the fighting type, so she resorted to a quick attack. Like a blur, the pachirisu rammed herself into the riolu's gut, attempting to escape.

Turnip was about to charge towards the pachirisu, but Pan ordered a halt. "You might hit him!" she shouted, referring to Jii. While Turnip waited for an opening, Pan immediately headed for her backpack; she probably needed a pokeball to rectify this conflict.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 11 2009, 08:32 PM

Jii stepped back at the force of the attack, and clutched his abdomen. The Pachirisu seemed to hit him hard. But then, the Riolu wasn't about to give up that easily. Using his speed to try to catch up to the squirrel, he disappeared in a blur and hit the Pachirisu's side, responding with a Quick Attack of his own.

Saph watched the battle closely. "Jii," she said loud enough for the fighting-type to hear, "Quick Attack again, this time, head for Pan's camera and snatch it from the Pachirisu's grasp," she told him.

Jii nodded once, and disappeared in another blur, this time, heading for the camera the Pachirisu held firmly between its paws.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 12 2009, 09:55 AM

After being released from the riolu's grasp, the pachirisu attempted to make a run for the trees. Her effort was foiled by Jii's first quick attack, knocking the camera out of her paws. The pachirisu was thrown back and rolled several times before making a recovery. Determined to claim her prize, she raced back to the camera. The pachirisu moved like a blur towards the camera, almost grasping the case. A second quick attack by Jii, however, ultimately removed the camera from the pachirisu's clutches.

Before the pachirisu made her next move, Pan decided to end the fighting before the pachirisu was seriously injured. "Leech seed!" she shouted. Turnip complied, launching a single seed from his bulb, making a direct hit on the pokemon's back. The pachirisu struggled wildly to get the seed off, but her little arms could not reach that far behind. As she rolled all around tthe ground, the seed launched vines that wrapped around the Pachirisu. Soon, its entire body was covered in thin vines, slowly leeching the pachirisu's strength. Finally, Pan, as if throwing a game-winning baseball pitch, threw the pokeball at the potential thief. The pachirisu was quickly absorbed into the pokeball, shaking violently to get out. It took a full minute for the pokeball to stop shaking; Turnip was ready to deliver a tackle should the pachirisu break out. The shaking gradually slowed to a stop, and a click signaled that the capture was sucessful.

"Phew, that was close. I owe you two," Pan smiled, referring to Jii and Turnip. She grabbed the pokeball and attached it to her belt. The evening became quiet, save for the rumbling of stomachs.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 13 2009, 05:43 AM

"Rio Riolu!" Jii grinned triumphantly, as if to say 'No problem'.

Saph relaxed after that commotion was sorted out. Rumbling sounds from the trainers' and Pokemon's stomachs were heard, a cue to get the thermos, bowl and cups out. She had brought a small bowl for her Pokemon to eat, and slightly wondered if Pan does the same. Pouring some Pokemon food from the sack to the bowl, Saph called for Jii and Turnip to come. She pulled the two other balls she kept attached to her belt and sent out her other two Pokemon: Aidan and Alexis. The Charmander walked casually towards the bowl, while Alexis's eyes gleamed and she almost crashed into Aidan, which slightly outbalanced the fire-type. Aidan growled for a second before shaking the thought off, as he remembered that Alexis was younger than him. Saph laughed at the little show.

"Let's eat," she suggested as she poured some of the soup in the thermos into the two caps equally. She politely offered the other cup to Pan as she started to sip from hers; she was pretty hungry actually.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 13 2009, 10:53 AM

Pan looked at her two other pokemon as Turnip joined the others in feasting. She knew Pivot didn't eat, but perhaps could use some fresh air. She took the pokeball and pressed the button. With a flash of light emerged a baltoy, its arms slowly rotating around its body. "OK, Pivot. Scan the area, see if you see anything." Pivot immedately started going around the field, levitating over the ground by a few inches. It also made a low whirling sound; whether that was from its rotating arms or some psychic emitter, Pan was not sure.

As for her newly-caught pachirisu, she decided to wait on it joining. Pan wanted to eat before dealing with the potential chaos resulting from unleashing the pachirisu. Besides, it probably needed time to adjust to its new pokeball quarters. She sat next to Saph, taking the cup with a polite "thank you", also watching their teams interacting with each other.

"So...what do you think of your own backyard so far?" Pan asked Saph, eager to hear the reaction of today's escapade. Meanwhile, Turnip started playing around with his food, using his vines to toss individual pieces into the air, catching them in his mouth.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 14 2009, 04:12 AM

"I must admit it is kind of fun," Saph said as she watched the Baltoy named Pivot patrol the area. Today's event had given her the desire to go for a big journey. She had been thinking about it for months, but back then, the reluctance was still present. Now, it seemed to be erased, and she felt as if she had never been hesitant in journeying.

Aidan was apparently having a food-eating with Jii, as the two kept their gazes fixed on one another as they kept tossing the food to their mouths continuously. Alexis watched them eagerly, enjoying the contest as she ate.

Saph watched her Pokemon with ease while letting the day's events wash over her. She then remembered something, and it worried her quite a bit. "What do you think happened to the Chikorita now?" she asked Pan while turning to gaze at the night's sky.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 14 2009, 10:10 AM

"Hm, being a grass type, I'd say it is sleeping," Pan replied. "It's nighttime, so no sunlight to feed off of. Course, I'm no mind reader, so I really don't know." She took a sip of her soup, pleasantly surprised that it remained warm, though she could use more noodles. Turnip, finished with his meal, walked over to Pan, laying on his side. Instintively, she began rubbing the bulbasaur's belly, the pokemon purring in response. A common activity after dinner, this was one of their usual bonding moments.

"For someone who was afraid to get anywhere near that chikorita, you sure seem to care about it quite a bit," Pan added, continuing Turnip's bellyrub. She smiled and looked back at the other pokemon. Pivot floated over to the eating contest, looking back and forth between Jii and Aidan as they competed.

Posted by: Phoenix Sapphire Jun 19 2009, 07:38 AM

Since the night was dark, it was nearly impossible to notice the slight color in Saph's cheeks. "Sure, it was a bit violent, I must admit," she said with a soft laugh. "But it was also a baby. I wonder where its mother is though..." her voice faded as she turned to look at Jii and Aidan, who were apparently finished with their little competition.

Jii won, as usual, rubbing his belly contentedly as Aidan crossed his arms and glared at Jii. Alexis, seeing that the contest was now over, bounded towards Saph's welcoming arms and settled herself in, her mouth forming a small 'o' as she let out a hearty yawn. As her eyes closed, Saph scratched her chin softly, lulling her into a good night's sleep as she did.

Aidan noticed Pivot floating at his side. He tilted his head in confusion, eyeing the levitating Pokemon carefully, as if looking to see if it was a magic trick or not. He stopped, concluding it was real, and poked the Baltoy's side curiously.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 19 2009, 03:11 PM

"Usually, mothers are close by, watching their kids. Seeing that the baby was able to scare you off, she probably didn't think she heeded to intervene. In fact you probably gave that chikorita a lesson in self-defense!" Pan giggled: she still couldn't help think how Saph looked at the pokemon as if it were a demon.

Menawhile, it seemed Pivot did not react to Aidan’s curiosity. As the charmander poked its side, the baltoy leaned with the poke, only to return to its vertical stance afterwards. Its face remained still as the clay skin it was painted on. There was no sign of blinking or breathing; it truly appeared to be a simple clay doll.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After finishing her soup, Pan set the bowl aside and took out her new Pachirisu's pokeball. "If you excuse me, I need to give a proper introduction." She walked off to the berry bushes, this time picking off some ripe berries (after her experience earlier, she went to a different bush). "Well, here goes nothing," she said as she pressed the button on the pokeball, unleashing it's contents.

Seconds after being unleashed, the pachirisu started chatting in her annoying chipmunk voice. Her anger was evident to Pan, though she couldn't understand what the pokemon was saying. Pan decided to bend on her knees and offer the berries in her hand to see what happens. The pachirisu stopped the tantrum, looked at the berries, and back at Pan's warm smile. She took the first berry with hesitation, chewing on it while Pan continued.

"I'm Pan. What's your name?"

The pachirisu replied with a simple “chi-chi” while finishing off the berry. She wasn’t sure if that was it’s name or something else, but it did sound nice. “Alright, then I will address you as Chi-Chi.” The pachirisu looked back at Pan, seeming satisfied with the name.

“So, Chi-Chi, how would you like to find things much nicer than that camera from earlier?” Chi-Chi ears perked up; it seemed she and her new trainer shared a common interest (minus the stealing). “I’m talking about places no one’s seen before, treasures untouched for thousands of years, things like that. We’ll start here, but we’ll go beyond the forest, over the ocean, through the mountains, everywhere! I could use another pair of eyes, so what do you say?” Pan’s enthusiasm quickly spread to Chi-Chi, its eyes sparkling with wonder. The things they’ll find, the creatures they’ll meet, the foods they’ll eat! Yes, this was the beginning of a grand adventure indeed.

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 19 2009, 03:08 PM

“Now, come meet your new friends.” Pan led her pachirisu back to the group to meet the rest of the team. “This is Pivot, and you might already know Turnip.” Upon seeing the bulbasaur, Chi-Chi once again rambled in her high-pitched voice; she clearly was not pleased with Turnip’s attacks. The squirrel pokemon began banging her head on the bulbasaur, who was now seriously considering giving his new ally a thrashing. “OK, let’s look for berries!” Pan said, dragging Chi-Chi away from a potential brawl. Pan and Chi-Chi paired up to finish off the berry gathering. The pachirisu was quite the expert at determining which berries were ripe, pointing out sections of the grove to her trainer. Thus, the crew enjoyed a nice dessert to close out the day, and Pan gathered a nice supply of status-healing berries. A belly full of delicious fruit was apparently all that was needed to calm Turnip and Chi-Chi; the two had reached an uneasy peace.

Soon the forest retreated into the darkness; only starlight provided any sort of visibility. “Turnip, Pivot, Chi-Chi. We’re getting up this tree. Time to call it a day.” Pan recalled her bulbasaur and baltoy, and then released them into the tree. Turnip then used his vines to help his trainer and Chi-Chi up: one to hold the bulbasaur steady and the other for Pan to climb up (the pachirisu hitchhiked on Pan’s shoulder). Pan found a nice steady branch to lie back on as if she were on a lounge chair. Though there was no pillow, the bark was smooth and the branch was large and wide enough to cradle a person comfortably. After a long day of trekking through the forest, this would do quite nicely. Turnip decided to settle at his trainer’s feet, near the middle of the tree. Pivot joined the bulbasaur, still spinning (though at a slower pace) as it too settled down for the night. Chi-Chi decided to crawl into Pan’s vest, reminding the pachirisu of a tree hole. She was obviously taken aback by Chi-Chi’s choice of sleeping quarters, but it was a cool night; warmth was appreciated.

As her pokemon drifted off, Pan looked up at the stars, reviewing today’s events. She took a number of good photos of many wild pokemon; perhaps she should consider wildlife photography as a hobby? With thoughts of camera upgrades and giant trees, Pan drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOOM

A crash of thunder echoed through the night skies. A flock of bird pokemon darted into the sky, others scattered frantically across the forest ground. The trees in the area shook violently; this included the tree Pan and co. were sleeping in. Everyone was knocked out of the tree, resulting in a very disturbing wake-up call. Startled by the fall, Pan quickly rose from the ground, looking around as to what happened. Trees were still shaking from earlier, while the shrill calls of frightened bird pokemon disappeared into the distance. She looked over her own crew to see if they were all right. Thankfully, the fall wasn’t too far; the group only suffered a few bruises. Pan herself suffered from a bruised bottom; she hoped she wouldn’t have to sit down anytime soon.

She looked up towards the sky: not a cloud in sight or a drop of rain. “What the heck was that?” Her question was answered by a loud series of thumps quickly approaching the area. Turnip quickly took position in front of Pan, while Chi-Chi scurried back into the tree for a better look at the newcomer. Though it was still dark, everyone present could tell something very large had arrived. Its dark bipedal silhouette moved towards the berry groves, its only distinguishing feature was the prominent metal horn that reflected the starlight in the sky. The creature pulled a berry bush out of the ground, gorging itself on the succulent fruit. The next thing the group heard was the angry chattering of Chi-Chi. That monster just devoured her favorite berry bush; this pachirisu was having none of it! Chi-Chi began hurling nuts at the pokemon, but all they did was bounce off its rock-hard hide. “Chi, stop doing that!” warned Pan, but not before Chi-Chi hit the perpetrator’s eye. The pokemon howled in pain, holding its eye as it looked towards the pachirisu and her trainer with its uninjured eye. Pan half-suspected the pokemon’s identity, but it was all too clear now: they were dealing with a very angry rhydon.

Chi-Chi wasted no time in retreating back to the safety of Pan’s vest. Pan recalled Pivot, but Turnip stood defiant, ready to take on his powerful opponent. The rhydon accepted the challenge and charged towards the bulbasaur. “This way Turnip!” Pan quickly ran back on the trail, towards the area where the rhydon came from. The bulbasaur quickly followed, narrowly avoiding the rhydon’s horn attack. Turnip quickly turned the corner to follow Pan, but the series of thumping grew louder and faster; the giant was not far away. When the rhydon reached the trail, it was met with a series of flashes. Pan let loose with her camera, leaving the flash on as she made an attempt to slow down the rhino pokemon. The rhydon staggered, its vision masked by big purple dots. She took the opportunity to get ahead on the trail; Chi-Chi couldn’t help but to look over Pan’s shoulder and stick her tongue out at their adversary.

The trail ahead was certainly not the flat path of the previous areas. In fact, it appeared to have been hit with an earthquake. Sections of the ground jutted upward, large trees limbs littered the trail, and small pokemon were scattered across the trail in search of cover. It would take some teamwork to get across quickly. Pan helped Turnip get onto high ground, while the bulbasaur used his vines to provide Pan with a climbing surface. His claws dug into the ground to better support the weight of his master. As the two started darting around rattata, sentret, and various tree branches, Pan wondered why it had gotten so quiet…
“Risu!” Chi-Chi cried out pointing behind her trainer.
“Bulba!”
The bulbasaur quickly tackled Pan to the ground, landing on her back. From this position, she saw a tree soar straight over her. It wasn’t as big as the one they slept in, but it certainly would have killed Pan had it landed its mark. “That…was close,” she commented, petting her bulbasaur and pachirisu as thanks. The moment didn’t last long, as the thumping of footsteps signaled that the rhydon was on the move once more. Pan and Turnip picked up the pace, “leap-frogging” over larger tree limbs to keep momentum at a maximum.
“You know, this would be fun if our lives didn’t depend on it.”
For such a dire situation, Pan still managed to keep up a relatively light-hearted mood. She looked behind her to gauge how far their pursuer was when she tripped and fell on top of a fallen tree, the same one that was over her head minutes ago. This tree just so happened to be at the edge of a small cliff, the bottom of which consisted of a river. Turnip made the same mistake, providing the final push off into the river. “WHOOOOAH!” Pan yelled as they took a short fall into the river, creating a very decent splash that would make any magikarp proud. She rearranged herself so that she was riding the tree like a broomstick (she flinched, her current disdain to sitting now realized), with Turnip riding in front of her. She looked back one more time. The rhydon looked on, unwilling to continue into the water, then disappeared in a flash of red light.

So it belonged to someone. That explains something, but not everything…

The ride through the river was quite pleasant actually. It wasn’t a raging rapids experience, but it did go at a quick enough pace to actual provide transport. The thought on the rhydon quickly disappeared as Pan admired the scenery. The forest was getting increasingly thicker, almost appearing as a solid mass of greenery. A magikarp jumped out of the water in a desperate attempt to avoid a buizel. Pan managed to get a nice picture of the otter pokemon leaping after its prey. On her right side was a quintet of bibarels admiring the tree Pan was riding on. One gave an approving wink, a perfect shot for the camera. The group of bibarel quickly raced forward around the river bend. Pan decided to put her camera away, not wanting it to get wet. When she looked back up, the river was approaching its end…towards a waterfall! “Crackers!” Pan said quite loudly. She looked left, right, and above. There were no branches to hook onto or any other way out. They would have to prepare to get very wet; Pan was glad her camera was back in its waterproof case. The tree rotated to a horizontal position, perpendicular to the flow of the water. As they got closer to the edge, Pan grabbed a hold of Turnip, while the bulbasaur wrapped his vines around the trainer, with the pachirisu (relatively) safe in the middle. The three scrunched their faces, waiting for the inevitable impact, but it never came. Pan opened one eye to see the group of five bibarels holding the log back! With the rapid paddling of their tails, the bibarels defied the laws of gravity to lower the tree safely down the waterfall. It landed with a small splash, a far cry from the certain death they were all expecting.
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The group arrived at the bibarels’ dam, a wall of sticks and logs spanning the entire length of the small lake. With the sun slowly rising, Pan could also see that they were in the middle of a large colony of bidoofs and bibarels, each working on a section of the dam. Standing on top of the dam, Pan began to notice more of their surroundings: once again leaves hid the sky away, but there were no trees around. Only one remained, and Pan mistook it for a skyscraper at first. On second glance, the trainer realized it was indeed a tree, the precise one she was looking for. How could such a tree be kept hidden? Looking around the area revealed she was in the middle of a valley, with walls reaching heights close to that of the tree. Combined with the forest above, and this tree concealed itself from human eyes for…well a long time. On top of that, the dam network managed to keep the valley from turning into a swamp, insuring optimal growing condition for this monster of a tree. “I can’t believe this actually exists,” Pan said, in awe at how everything worked out to make the tree possible. Chi-Chi gave a low whistle, while Turnip simply looked upward, wondering if there were any berries in those limbs. Shaking off her awe-struck gaze, Pan rallied her team, jumping into the knee-deep water. “Come on, let’s get to work.” And so, they made their way towards the wooden skyscraper.

Pan immediately started documenting the area, taking extensive pictures of the dam network, the valley walls, the grassy plains surrounding the tree, and of course the tree itself. She also took pictures of the pokemon in the area: the bidoofs and bibarel working in the area, a pair of taillow mock fighting in mid-air, shinx triplets following their mother luxio, and a close up of Chi-Chi’s face with a butterfly on her nose. It was time to get a closer inspection of this wooden skyscraper, but there was a peculiar feature only noticed upon closer examination.
“Is that a cave entry? In a tree?”
At the base of the tree, a ten-foot tall crack beckoned curious onlookers to come inside. After taking a quick picture, Pan went to go inside, but Turnip held her back. His vine grabbed her shoulder, giving a wary “saaauuur” as a warning of going into dark unknown places. Pan sighed, knowing the bulbasaur meant well. “Look, I’m going in. Are you going to come, or will you stay out here?” Turnip growled in disapproval; he hated these ultimatums. As compromise, the bulbasaur led the way, hoping not to regret it.

As they went inside, the group entered what appeared to be a forest from another planet. The surprising roomy “cave” was home to mushrooms of various sizes, from the small white portobello littering the ground to the giants that rivaled the Fidonan trees. Shapes were just as varied: many had the classic umbrella shape (including the giant ones), but others had flatter bodies. There were ones shaped like oyster shells ling the perimeter and even ones that reminded Pan of tulips. The large mushrooms gave off an iridescent glow, lighting the area with neon greens, blues and hot pinks. Tending this seemingly extraterrestrial garden were a group of paras, each with unique mushrooms taken from their surroundings (including a few small glowing ones). Groups of kriketot and kriketune stood on top of the giant mushrooms, providing an ambient soundtrack for the moment. Pan couldn’t help but smile at the sight; she would love to live in such a surreal environment. Dreams would have to wait as Pan needed to get busy taking pictures. She took pictures of every mushrrom she could find, with emphasis on the big glowing ones and ones with cricket pokemon on top. With the help of Turnip’s prodding of the natives, she managed to get a photo-op of six paras, each with their own mushroom collections. Afterwards, she complimented her pokemon, calling out Pivot as well. “Great job everyone. This is beyond what I expected to find. Special dinner tonight!” Chi-Chi did a back flip in joy, while Turnip cheered with a triumphant “Buuuuulba!” Pivot did a little spin, but showed no other signs of approval. Then again, what would you expect out of a clay doll?

After the minor celebration, Chi-Chi noticed that something dripped on her head. A quick whiff revealed its sweet aroma. The pachirisu sniffed around for more of this sweet nectar, finding a small puddle already occupied by a pair of paras. She joined them in lapping up the delicious liquid. Pan, Turnip, and Pivot followed close by, the woman performing a taste test herself. Turnip approved, seeing that Chi-Chi did not die, though in his opinion the squirrel pokemon would have deserved such for drinking unknown liquids. “Honey,” Pan concluded, “Which means…” She looked up: a bleached white giant mushroom was attached to the ceiling like a chandelier, with unspecified bee pokemon buzzing around the stem. “Well, we can’t ignore that, now can we?” Just after saying this, Pan was on her way to the chamber’s walls, examining the oyster mushrooms ascending to her destination. At the convenient size of a stair step, she found the first mushroom surprisingly sturdy. This led to a second step, then a third, until the group was heading upward at a steady pace. Each had to be mindful of where they step; one wrong move could end in a very hard landing.

The chamber’s height did not come close to that of the wooden skyscraper; Pan estimated about 5 stories. Still, it was a bit of a ways to walk, but they finally reached a good viewpoint. The upside-down mushroom seemed to have been converted into a colony of bee pokemon. Where the gills once were, now honeycombs line the inner surface. The colony consisted of an alliance of weedle, kakuna, beedril, and combee, all serving under a single vespiqueen. This vespiqueen issued orders as to where to place honey and where to place new kakuna, both signaled by pointing to specific places on the comb. The queen spun her left hand counter-clockwise, signaling seven beedril to take flight around the colony. She then dipped her right hand in honey and raised it in the air. She did not need to call out for the combee; a group immediately headed out of the chamber in search of more food. It was certainly an interesting sight; luckily, Pan was using the video function on her camera to capture all the intricate behavior.
So the combee must be the gatherers, and the beedril must serve as protection.
Pan’s theory was soon proven correct, as the group of beedril spotted the crew. One beedril emitted a loud “beeeeeee”, alerting the queen to the situation. The vespiqueen turned to the initruders: a human and her band of pokemon. In her mind, they either wanted honey or her colony members. They would get neither. The queen pointed to Pan and co. and gave a shrill scream; her remaining subjects began to mobilize.

“Pivot, use confusion! Knock the leader out of the sky!” The baltoy complied aiming its confusion attack at the leader beedril. The clay doll’s eyes emitted a purple glow, and the beedril was flung backwards to the ground below. The other beedril retreated, only to be replaced by a group of four combees. Pan knew these bee pokemon were part flying and knew gust. Confusion wouldn’t be nearly effective on them, while their attacks could give Turnip quite a beating. Worse, a well-placed gust of wind could be all it takes to knock any of Pan’s group off the mushrooms. She decided to cut their losses and make for the outside. “Let’s get out of here!” Her pokemon were in complete agreement, with Turnip leading the way, Chi-Chi latching onto her owner, and Pivot using his spinning arms like a propeller to greatly increase its speed. They all made a run down the mushroom staircase; not exactly the greatest of ideas, but neither was getting blown off said staircase by angry combees.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling filled the chamber, as if a stampede was in progress. Pan looked behind her: dozens of kakuna were rolling after them. Their hardened bodies threatened to foil the group’s escape plan. Pan looked to her side: if she could grab onto the mushroom stems…. She grabbed Turnip, taking the bulbasaur by surprise, and brought him up to speed. “Grab onto that stem!” Vines quickly shot out the bulbasaur’s sides, wrapping firmly on a nearby giant mushroom stem. Pan jumped off the stairs, swinging around the stem similar to a carousal ride. “Chiiiiii!” the pachirisu shouted as they quickly descended downward, accompanied by a “Saauur!” and a “Woo-hoo!” from Turnip and Pan. Pivot converted the purpose of its spinning arms to helicopter blades and glided down with the rest of the team.

“This way! We’re almost there!” Pan raced across the chamber, the white light of the outside in sight. The ire of the vespiqueen was still strong, however, and the beedril returned, this time carrying weedle. Flying overhead, they dropped the weedle, their spiked heads pointed down toward the group. The buzzing alerted Pan and the others of the attack and they sprung into action. While still running, Pivot guarded Pan’s back by firing off confusion attacks to deflect weedle away, while Turnip stayed in front, using his vines to knock a weedle back to its source. A beedril fell to the ground shortly after. Chi-Chi stood on top of her human’s head, using quick attacks to push an occasional weedle off its intended trajectory. These defensive maneuvers managed to get group out poison-free. Seeing that the bee pokemon had abandoned their pursuit, Pan sat on the ground, her pokemon joining her. She took the time to look for any injuries, of which nothing more serious than weariness. “Alright, we’ll rest here for a bit, but I think we can make it back into town before sundown.” Turnip nodded and took the opportunity to take a well-deserved nap. Chi-Chi did the same, curling up inside Pan’s vest (which Pan started to like after a while). Pivot remained in levitation; though it was possible the clay doll was also in some state of sleep. Pan stayed up, using the map to mark off coordinates of where they were and looking for trails to get them back into town.
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The sun had once again set in Fidona, and the group has ended their quest at the place it began: the pokemon center. Pan finished sending her pictures and observations to Professor Stone, satisfied at how things turned out (despite a few near-death experiences). She entered the lounge area, where Turnip and Chi-Chi were sound asleep on a couch (Pivot was nearby, balancing on the couch arm). The room was dark as other travelers and their pokemon were also enjoying a good night’s rest. Several noodle cups littered the table area, the only evidence of their victory dinner. After a quick cleanup, Pan joined her pokemon and curled up on the same couch. Tomorrow was a big day; they would set out for the mainland. Fidona was only just the beginning….