[X] My Assistant

[Saroko Phoenix]

To call the place the middle of nowhere was something of an understantment. To be more precise, it was actually the halfway point between Lenoilia and Gigarte, but when you're surrounded by a never ending horizon and rolling hills and it was nearly dusk, details rarely matter. The wind blew hard and was bringing a small scent of rain with it. There wasn't cover for miles, and the only trace of civilization was a worn road that three lone figures followed.

A human boy led the group and a scary one at that. His black eyes were hidden underneath the worn, leather witch's hat he wore and were shielded from the pounding winds that whipped past him. A female stunky trotted beside him, pushing herself against the wind bravely as she too was pounded relentlessly. Last and not least, a mudkip stumbled behind them both, giving out complaints and backed up with an angry glare as dark as his trainer's.

"Mud-kip! Mud-kip! Mud-kip!" complained the little water type. His black eyes fixed themselves on his trainer's hat and he found himself wishing that he knew an attack that would knock the horrid thing off. Of course, the mudkip knew that such an attempt would be suicidal. Sheething with frustration, he continued his mouthing off.

The stunky was beginning to grow annoyed to. Before now, she had been inwardly making fun of mudkip, but her usual good nature was beginning to wane. She looked up at the back pack on her boy's shoulders. Right now, ducking into her pokeball would be heavenly. It meant a nap, no winds, and quiet! Ooooh how long had it been since she last heard quiet? A year? A month? No! Just one bloody week! She swore to herself that if this went on for the rest of her life, she would go mad!

She looked up at her trainer's face. His glare was scorching, as if he was blaming the road they now walked on. If that was so then the stunky didn't blame him. She was starting to hate it as well. But for all she knew, he was probably enjoying it. In the time she grew to know him-her entire life incidently- that hat had never been for show. Maybe not outwardly since she knew that only pokemon had powers, but inwardly...

The stunky shot a glare at the mud fish, and that shut it up. The ticked creature plodded up to join them, mumbling words in his native language that were anything but nice. The stunky let herself be satisfied. At least if she wen't mad, it wouldn't be around complete idiots.

[Saroko Phoenix]

The stunky, still feeling a little good at being the smart one, did not realize her trainer had stopped until she actually ran into him. He was gazing up at the starless night sky, his face and thoughts hidden from her by the same darkness. A small boom was heard in the distance that cause all of them a bit of concern.

"We'll have to stop early," said the boy. Neither pokemon missed the growl in his voice. "We'd better find a flat spot or some shelter. Lightning seems to be evident too." Quickly, as if they knew what they were doing, they got of the road and hunkered down beside the base of a nearby hill. All except the mudkip, which was cheerfully waiting for a nice, wet rainstorm.

"Stunky! Stun-ky!" hissed the stunky at the mud fish.

"Don't worry about him, Ammonia," said the boy. He lay on his back, fixing the rim of his hat to protect his face from the rain. "Lightning only strikes the tallest thing in the area. Dropwort doesn't fit that profile."

Ammonia laughed at the joke, but Drowort was unamused. He complained heavily until the first drops hit the ground.

[Saroko Phoenix]

Light burst from the sky with fury and roars. Rain fell faster and pounded on the unfortuneate group. Dropwort played in the puddles and drank the rainwater with relish. Ammonia and her boy were not doing as well. The stunky huddled to the sullen boy's side and tried to cover herself with his arm. Normally she wouldn't have minded the rain and normally enjoyed it. It got the dirt out of her fur and washed away that putrid, swampy smell she always seemed to emit. Right now, though, wind was gsting down and seemed to freeze them everytime it swooped down like a hunting staravia.

"Ammonia, make certain Dropwort isn't drowned," the boy said suddenly. Ammonia jumped. She thought for certain he was asleep. Grumbling, she climbed up his torso and poked her head over the hill. She exchanged a few words with the mudkip before huddling back in. No way she was risking her life for that idiot. Besides, whoever heard of a drowned mudkip?

Time passed at a sluggish rate. At some point Dropwort got bored and pranced up to mock them and was now taking a nap. Ammonia was close to dozing off too. Once you were near something warm (ie. your human) it was easy to think of rain as a lullaby. She blinked drearily through glazed eyes when she felt something hard hit her ear. Then another and then another...

This post has been edited by Saroko Phoenix: May 22 2009, 08:27 PM

[Saroko Phoenix]

Ammonia looked up in annoyance. Dropwort was standing over her with his flipper poised for another poke. "Muud-kiip," he mocked. Growling, Ammonia tried to bite him, but the mudfish pokemon jumped to the side, laughing excitedly. "Mud mud, kip? Mudkip! Hahahahah!" Dodging another blow, Dropwort climbed up the human's shoulder. In a leap, he avoided another snap from Ammonia-and knocked over the boy's hat.

No one moved. The boy's witch hat rolled a few feet away from the group. Dropwort and Ammonia watched it roll with increasing dread. Smiling hesitantly, Dropwort looked up at his trainer. "Mud...kip?" More silence followed for about two minutes before the boy delivered a few bumps on the mudkip's head.

[Evren Vale]

Normally in a downpour, people try to find cover and wait out the storm. Adrian wasn't most people though, calmly drudging though the cold rain. It was dark, but Adrian was used to the dark, so his eyes were well adjusted, as were the two Nidoran's that trotted dutifully behind him. They had Pokeballs, but he loathed to put them in them, as he thought that made them more of tools. Though, with all the loud thunder and bright flashes of lightning, he heard a small commotion. That was soon followed by a hat rolling though the mud.

"Well, that's not something you see everyday." He muttered, watching it with interest. He ground his toes in the mud before moving his head, Nido obeying to retrieve it. He didn't know where it came from, but judging from the direction, it was somewhere to his right.

"Mud... Mudkip!" He heard a small whine. A trainer it seemed, was the recipient of the hat, and at that was hitting a Pokemon! He quickly ran forward to see the boy and his two Pokemon, the Mudkip and a Stunky, huddling their best to get out of the rain. He also noticed the Mudkip wasn't really injured, save two bumps. Maybe it was roughhousing.

"Hey." He called to get their attention. He grabbed his hood a little, raising it to allow the boy, if he could see him, his face. "I think you dropped this, or something." He raised the hat, shaking it around a bit. Before any answer could be given, he added, "What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere in the rain?" Adrian, on the other hand, did not question why he was walking though the rain himself.

[Saroko Phoenix]

With the hat off, his face and sandy red hair were revealed. His black eyes roved from Adrian, then the nidorans, and finally his witches hat. He reached out and grabbed the hat, nodding silent thanks. He stuck it on his head, and the majourity of his face became hidden again. He didn't bother to explain himself either. Instead he said in a calm, uncaring voice, "What's your reason?"

Ammonia and Dropwort were assesing the newcomers as well but, unlike their human, their thoughts were as clear as day. The stunky seemed exasperated and a little annoyed. The mudkip was half paying attention and half rubbing his new lumps. He did seem relieved to see the human's hat returned. Another moment and he would've been sent to retrieve it!

This post has been edited by Saroko Phoenix: May 22 2009, 08:29 PM

[Evren Vale]

Adrian parted with the hat fairly easy. Upon seeing that it was some sort of wizard hat made him smirk.


"What's your reason?" The boy questioned. Adrian seemed momentarily confused.

"Reason?" He asked. He promptly looked up. "Oh, that reason. I'm on my way to Lenoilia. I've wasted enough time getting to Furoh, so I thought I pick up the pace." He answered succinctly, using his bare feet to scratch the mud a little in boredom. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more walking to do. Nido, Nida." He spoke, promptly turning to depart. He didn't even know the identity of his young magic friend, but truthfully, he didn't really care. As long as the rain didn't get worse, he was content to move on.

[Saroko Phoenix]

"You enjoy yourself," the boy said. He seemed to leave it at that. Ammonia, however, was looking longingly at the bare foot boy. She hated the idea of traveling in the rain of course but she hated sitting around getting soaked even worst. At least if they kept moving they would be getting closer shelter. Plus, she had never met any other pokemon before. The two nidoran intrigued her.

"Stunky stun stunky stunky," she said quickly to her boy. The boy didn't react. She gave him a little prod, but that didn't do much either.

She frowned and gestured Dropwort to help her. He refused having already gotten on the human's bad side already. "He has a point," the boy said suddenly. The two pokemon looked up in suprise. "If we started walking around in a lightning storm it wouldn't take long for us to get fried, and, unlike pikachus, lightning doesn't hold back."

Dropwort frowned and pointed at Adrian. "Mudkip mud-kip"

The boy shrugged. "He's lost time and wants to make up for it. Not our problem if he loses all of the rest of it in one sweep."

[Evren Vale]

Nido and Nida looked back at the small group. The they felt briefly they had a kindred spirit, as the Stunky is poison like them. They knew better than to pester Adrian about it, though. They may be like family, but at the end of the day, Adrian won out as far as what their agenda was. However, one thing was clear. They were starting to dislike the frequency of lightning.

"Nido. Nidoran!" Nido whined. Adrian stopped, casting a low eye to his purple companion.

"What's wrong Nido. The lightning scaring you?" He crouched down, patting his young Pokemon thoughtfully. "It's nothing to worry about. You guys are short, even if you are lined with potential lightning rods. I on the other hand..." He started, only to be cut off as a nearby tree was struck by a bolt, promptly igniting.. The tree was a little close for comfort. "Have every reason in the world right now to duck down." He added with a smile. He wasn't really scared of the prospect, but then again, he hadn't really thought about it. "Though, we have a fire going." He added somewhat enthusiastically. The two Nidoran chirped somewhat happily. The three promptly scuttled closer to the flaming tree. Sitting in relative close distance, the fire provided some relieve from the flames, though he doubted they'd last too long. You know, given the rain. "I guess we have been traveling for a... I dunno, 8 hours. We can take a break." He relented. He eyed the sky, seeing another bolt dance across it. "And you. Stay up there."

[Saroko Phoenix]

Ammonia and Dropwort looked up from the top of the hill. The burning tree was visible from where they were and they were looking at it longingly. "Stunky stun stun stunky?" Ammonia asked her boy.

Dropwort quickly rejected her question though. He shook his head vigorously before the human could answer. "Mud mud! Mudkip mud!"

"Stunky stunky!" Ammonia protested back with a sharp glare at the mudkip. The two slid back down the hill and Ammonia pawed the boy earnestly. "Stunky stun. Stunky stun stun stunky?"

The boy stared into the dark, rainy distance. The fuzzy poison type looked up at him hopefully. Finally, he got up. "Why not," he said. Ammonia brightened instantly, and Dropwort's jaw droped in disbelief. "He got my hat back."

The three got up and headed over to Adrian despite the lightning. Ammonia instantly shot forward to sit near the fire, Dropwort trailed behind in disbelief, and the boy sat nearby but not too close. "Before you protest, let me say that she dragged me here," said the boy and he waved a hand airly at Ammonia. "If you don't want company take it up with her." By some sick coincidence or maybe observant wit the boy shose his last words just as the stunky had her back towards the humans.

[Evren Vale]

Adrian froze. He didn't expect the wizard boy from before to follow him. Not that he minded, and truth be told, there was a fire here, so it was probably a smart thing to do. But he never got to even so much as answer anything before the entire situation turned 'hostile.' The Stunky rose her tail, but did not yet spray. Which was good. Adrian had encountered one of these belonging to a trainer traversing Viridian once. It was not pretty, needless to say.

"Hey, I have no problem with anyone here." Adrian hurried. He said this for two reasons. One, the prospect of getting sprayed by the foul substance would not be pleasant. He did know the gases were poisonous as well, but he and his Pokemon had nothing to fear, given their relative immunity. The second was the two vibrating Nidoran, who immediately sprang forward in defense of their trainer. He didn't want a fight right now. Oh, and the open flame, as these gases were, for lack of a better word, flammable. "You guys can stay if you want, I really don't care." He continued, hoping to ease the Stunky. He didn't know if his words were lost on her, or if she would understand. He prayed for the latter.

[Saroko Phoenix]

Ammonia looked back with a confused look on her face. Were they talking about her? Oh well. She couldn't help but notice how the nidorans and the barefoot boy were edgey around her though. Honestly, did they think that just because she was a stunky she was going to start spraying them at random?

She stretched and curled up into a ball just as Dropwort trotted up. He eyed the fire warily. He didn't like it when fire outlasted rain. Water could beat fire any day! This, to him, seemed to be cheating. He scowled at it and scowled back at his trainer as if he was blaming him for coming to such a spot. The boy didn't seem to notice or care however and continued his impassive silence at the world.

[Evren Vale]

Adrian breathed a sigh of relief. However, his Pokemon became more aware of the simple fact that nothing was going to happen. She was merely stretching, though they didn't notice at first either. Then again, any time Adrian is on the defensive, so were they. For good reason, too. With silence once again becoming the norm, Adrian's eyes fixated on the flames, Nido and Nida softly moved toward the ball-like Stunky.

"Nido. Nidoran!" Nido introduced himself, in his way. His eyes were closed in a state of contentment. Nida was a little more on the hesitant. This was another female Poison type, which might challenge her. What that challenge would be, though, she didn't really know, especially as they wouldn't fight over Nido, seeing as Nido and Nida were brother and sister. Regardless, she only chirped a small "Nidaran." Neither at this point paid much attention to the Mudkip, who was still glaring at the flames, almost as if that would will them to die.

Just want to randomly piont out technically it's still Nidoran for Nida, but when she says her name, it comes out as if it were an a instead of an o, merely because of her voice. Not that important, but whatever.

[Saroko Phoenix]

"Stunky," Ammonia chirped with a smile. In between her boy and Dropwort, she rarely met friendly pokemon. She gestured towards Dropwort and introduced them both, but the mudkip only nodded briefly. To get his mind off the flames, he trotted towards Adrian and was poking him now. Ammonia rolled her eyes. "Stun stun key," she sighed, exasperated. 'What an idiot.'

Dropwort chose to ignore her. He glared up at Adrian. To him the human looked like an older version of his trainer without his hat. This caused his whiskers to bristle, and he hoped Adrian wouldn't act like his trainer either.

Remembering the witch boy in time, Dropwort sneaked a peek at him. The boy had his head lowered and seemed to be sleeping. The mudkip frowned because to his boy A.M was P.M and rarely took naps, but on the other hand there really wasn't much to do. Dropwort's face lit up as an idea popped into his head and he sneered. Now was the perfect time for pay back...

[Evren Vale]

Nido and Nida at first were happy to meet Dropwart, until he paid them little attention. It seemed that their little 'family' wasn't has happy as theirs. Nido also growled at the Mudkip's sudden desire to suddenly harass Adrian. Adrian's response stopped Nido from attempting an attack. Calmly, he peered at the little water Pokemon from his bangs.

"You want something?" He asked. He was met only with the glare of the Mudkip, appearently waiting to see what happened. Adrian calmly opened a little pouch, tossing a Cheri Berry to it. "Here you go." Adrian promptly went back to ignoring the small Pokemon, turning his thoughts to his trip again.

[Saroko Phoenix]

To get on the boy's good side, Dropwort ate the cheri berry. He chewed slowly and rechecked himself to make certain that his trainer was really asleep. Satisfied, he licked cheri juice from his lips and sauntered over his boy's backpack. Quietly, it started pawing at it.

"Stunky?" hissed Ammonia. Dropwort gave her a reasuring tail wag and managed to tip the the bag over. He started pulling at the zipper, but seemed to have trouble with the complex device. Frustrated, he looked up at Adrian and his nidoran and gave them his most appealing look for help.

[Evren Vale]

Luckily Adrian didn't notice. Had he, he would have let the encounter be known, as he wasn't for pranks. However, Nida found the idea interesting to her. She was much more mischievous then her brother, and promptly waddled over to the bag, much to the delight of the Mudkip. Nido hissed a sigh of discouragement, but this was ignored as Nida waited for orders on what to do. Nido turned to Ammonia, shaking his head in apology. Then his ear twitched. Something was wrong as another bolt of lightning hit fairly close. He hadn't noticed it before. How could anyone, with how loud it's gotten. But the rain had let up a little, so he could hear better, and being a Nidoran, he had good ears.

He couldn't tell how many there were. They were to the east. He voiced this news to Ammonia without hesitation, though the news was almost given too late. A howl filled the air. Looking in the distance, he saw a blue Pokemon, sparkling in energy. A Manectric. Around it were numerous younger Pokemon, it's young Electrike.

"Nido!" The young poison type called out, getting Adrian's attention. Without fail his eyes were drawn to the pack overlooking them. As the rain began picking up again, one thing was clear. This was not a random storm. It was cover for a pack hunt. Joy.

This post has been edited by Elysian Sable: May 3 2009, 04:16 PM

[Saroko Phoenix]

(ooc: 0.0 Oooh. Nice twist!)

Ammonia's fur bristled at the news and then the howls. Her fur bristled in purple spikes and she fluffed up her tail. "Stunky!" she shouted in suprise. Dropwort, caught unawares, looked up at her with annoyed suprise, but his face twisted in fear when he saw the electric canines ahead.

Forgetting the prank, he tried to hide behind his trainer in fear. The sudden movement woke the human up and he calmly looked up at what was going on. He got up, leaving Dropwort shivering in fear, and stood beside Ammonia. In the distance another howl sounded and the boy turned to the sound warily. "How good are your nidorans?" he asked Adrian out of the blue.

[Evren Vale]

(ooc: I thought we should have some sort of battle happene. It all fell together when I thought of the elements already in play)

Adrian wasn't surprised by the question. He was about to ask the same thing. "Not good enough for this." He replied honestly. He liked to think his two Nidoran could handle situations, and for the most part they are good at what they do. However, their overall power level would be no match for a Manectric. He may not have an idea about how this system of leveling worked, but he knew this blue wolf required far more than his. "We should have little trouble with the younger ones, except for their numbers. But that big one is a problem. I doubt all of our Pokemon could take it down." He analyzed. The Witch Boy didn't reply right away, but he was sure that he agreed with the assessment.

"Luckily, I don't think they realize we have noticed them yet. That gives us an advantage." He spoke. As he did, he dug his feet into the ground. What he couldn't see he could feel, and it was clear there were a good number. At least ten. This didn't bode well. He was more disheartened by their Pokemon types. They didn't have any real good offense against Electrics. If not for the rain, he would be sweating at this turn of events, his heart pounding with the prospect of being torn apart by energy pups. Though...

"You!" He pointed toward the Mudkip, who jumped a little. Something told Adrian he wasn't much of a fighter. "Does your Mudkip have any Ground attacks! Water would do, though." He quickly demanded. It was true this rain aided the electric powers of their new found adversaries, but Rain Dance was more accurately a move that aided Water-Types. It's true Adrian wasn't the greatest fighter himself, but he did understand the elements well, having lived most of his life out in them.

This post has been edited by Elysian Sable: May 20 2009, 10:48 PM

[Saroko Phoenix]

The boy snorted and sent a sideways glare at Dropwort. "He doesn't know any attacks beyond tackle and growl," he said grimly. "Never bothered to learn." He cautiously took a step back from his bristling stunky to give her more room to maneuver and went back to eyeing the electric Pokemon.

"If they haven't seen us, then the best thing we can hope to do is back away and take a long route around them," he added. "However, there isn't a lot of clearing here and we stand out too easily. If they spot us they won't hesitate to attack. Wild Pokemon don't always object to what kind of prey walks into their claws as long as it's edible and weak. Plus, if that Manectric is a mother of all those electrike than she'll probably try to protect her young."

Behind them all, Dropwort was panicking. Electric Pokemon meant lightning attacks. Dogs meant sharp teeth. Electric dogs were not good news at all. His little heart pounded 'till it hurt. His mouth gaped like a fish, a scream of fear fighting to get out. He still had some wits though and, seeing his trainer's glare, clamped his mouth with his front fins.