[X] My Assistant

[Umbrae Calamitas]

This thread is only for the wielders of the Espeon Card.

Team Kids- Mascot Card: Espeon- Scavenger Pokemon- Pichu, Igglybuff, Chatot
"Tuesday "Silence" Ilia Berdison"- Umbrae Calamitas- Kanto- 13
"Elizabeth Verilo"- berry314- Sinnoh- 12
"Waker Faland"- Luxem- Johto- 15


Tuesday led their group of three trainers through the northern door. She might have been surprised that she had taken the lead in their assigned grouping, if she had actually noticed. She hadn't, however, and so she didn't give it a second thought.

Others, however, did.

"Mi hermana is dominante," he said in a wondering voice, as he walked next to Odysseus.

The older buizel glanced at the riolu with a smirk. "The lass in't as shy a' she used t' be, laddie. She's growin' up, and it's 'bout time fer it, too."

"Por qué... now? Why?" Zorro asked, confused.

Odysseus chuckled and gave the riolu and gruff pat on the head, causing Zorro to close his eyes and grin widely. "The lass is used t' bein' led by yer guerrero, laddie. He ain't here now, an' she's out from unde' his shadow." He gave a proud, knowing smirk. "It'll b' good fer the lass."

The two of them continued walking in a companionable silence - something that only Odysseus had ever managed with the hyperactive riolu.

~*~

The hallway didn't seem to have any noticeable lights, but was aptly lit for their walk - slightly dim so as not to be overwhelmingly bright. The hall was lined by doors on either side, and Tuesday wondered what exactly they were going to lead to, until she remembered Mr. Vonmoto - Lonnie - saying that they would find rooms and choose where they would sleep. She had expected to be able to sleep near Jaima and her other friends, but it looked like she was bunking in the same hall as her scavenger team. Well, it could have been worse. She could have been separated from Jaima and the others by buildings, not just walls.

Tuesday went to the first door on the left, even though the one on the right was closer. She had always had a penchant for the left. She turned the antique knob on the door and pushed it open. Despite its obvious age, the door didn't make a sound as it swung inward, and Tuesday's eyes lit up at the state of the room.

There was a twin-sized bed in the middle of the room, with a cherry wood frame. A small table of the same material sat next to the bed, with a lamp and clock sitting on it. There was a desk in the corner of the room, with a computer and space for setting down and writing a letter. None of that was what drew her attention, however.

The wall were painted a soft brown color, going with the forest theme already marked by the thick dark green carpet on the floor. The walls were barely visible, however, beyond the cherry bookcases that lined them, filled to the brim with all manner of books.

"This... I am in the fields, no doubt," she whispered.

She turned swiftly to her companions. "We're supposed to choose our rooms, and let's drop some of our things off before we go on." She dropped her bag on the ground to show her claiming of the current room, and let the other two move off to choose which ones they would be staying in.

Tuesday tossed out her pokeballs, watching all of her pokemon appear in flashes of red light. Ashleigh took one look at the bed and grinned, before leaping up to curl on the blankets in the corner, closing her eyes and dozing.

"Don't singe the bedspread, Ashleigh," she warned, as she moved her bag containing her travelling gear into the corner of the room by the desk, before slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder again. Then she went to study the bookcases, while her pokemon explored the room, giving the others time to find their own rooms.

"Homer, Ovid, Goldman, Brown, Koontz... Mr. Vonmoto has brilliant taste." She pulled out a book - Atlantis Found, by Clive Cussler. "And quite varied tastes, as well."

She put the book back and turned to her pokemon. "All right, who's in their pokeballs and who's out?" she asked, scanning the to locate each other them. Zorro had pulled off the lampshade and fixed it over his head, causing Tuesday to sigh. "Put it back, Zorro." He grinned cheekily at her, but obeyed. "All right, who wants to play Rip Van Winkle while the rest of us walk?"

Tempest's hand shot up in the air immediately, eyeing Zorro with a dangerous look. He smirked at her and her cheeks sparked, but Tuesday recalled her quickly. "You two are horrible," she said to Zorro. "Why don't you give me a bit of a break, and I'll call you out later?" He shrugged, unconcerned, and she recalled both he and Dante, leaving Ashleigh laying curled up on the bed.

"Come on, boy, let's go see if the others found a room. And I can introduce you." She smacked her forehead lightly. "And introduce myself! I forgot to get the girl's name. Geez, I'm rude."

She shut the door behind her and with Ashleigh trotting behind, went in search of Waker and the girl she had yet to offer introductions to.

[Dragava]

The girl leading Lizzie told her that they were supposed to choose their rooms. Lizzie noticed that the girl had a riolu, and wondered for a moment if it might get along with hers. She shook off the thought and proceeded to picking a room at the end of the hall. She randomly chose to stay at the room to the right.

"This way, I won't forget which room I am in. I just remember that it is the room in a corner," She told her Riolu. Riolu groaned in response. It doubted her words because each door looked slightly different.
"What do you mean I just wanted a room in a corner?" Lizzie asked, as she entered the room. Riolu jumped off her shoulders while she was looking around.

Lizzie sat down on the bed, taking a few moments to think. "I think first we should figure out why Charmander feels down. What do you think, Riolu?" Riolu shook its head. "Alright then, what should we do?" Riolu shrugged. "That's not very helpful," Lizzie fell back on the bed and started to think.

"Maybe I could write a letter. Nah, nothing to say. Maybe go on the computer? But it's not like I have a reason to." She went to the desk and found a pencil and paper. Lizzie drew a circle. It turned out to be less than perfect. Lizzie flipped the paper over and made a few random lines with the pencil. She sighed and crumpled the paper up. After several more pieces of paper were crumpled, Lizzie decided to stop drawing and make a paper airplane. She threw it in a random direction. Riolu, who was bored as well caught it before it landed with a Quick Attack.

"You can play with that if you want to." Riolu nodded in understanding and started to toss the airplane around. Lizzie watched the plane zoom around, wondering when she could leave the room without being noticed by the rest of her team. She did not really feel like making any introductions.

[Ganymede]

As soon as Tuesday had moved through the door leading out of the main hall, Waker quickly knelt down and tapped the floor gently with his hand. Azzy bounded back from where he had been and Pora sat up, her left ear twitching disdainfully. Giving the Nidos affectionate pats on their heads, he smiled at the two before pulling out two Pokeballs from the inside of his jacket - one with a blue top and one with a violet top. He held them up questioningly, hoping that the blank faces of his Pokemon would soon change into ones of understanding.


After a few seconds, Azzy's ears perked up. "He wants to know if we want to stay in our Pokeballs and rest!" he exclaimed, the excitement of figuring out something before Pora did clearly evident in his voice. Catching the glare from his companion quickly erased that feeling of accomplishment. "Um, so, I'll sit this one out, then."


"What?" Pora asked, stunned. Azzy was usually trying to be the centre of attention, a blurred violet ball of hyperactivity and rash decisions. With a sheepish grin, Azzy sat on his back legs and scratched his ear. "Why?"


"Well, uh. No offense Pora, but Waker doesn't really call you out much." Before the Nidorina could say a word, Azzy kept on. "I mean, he always has me out, and Locke's been getting a lot of attention recently, and you know that once we're out of this place he's going to spend all of his time with that Vulpix. I just think that you should have some time with him, for once."


Before Pora could shake the look of shock off her face and protest, Azzy stood up and tapped the release on the violet-topped ball, disappearing in a flash of light. Blinking, Pora could only watch as Waker put the Pokeballs back in his jacket, pausing briefly to re-adjust Pora's barrette before standing up and following the other Espeon team members out the door.


Pora followed her trainer, much quieter then she'd ever been.

---

Waker caught up with Tuesday and - wait, is that... - his other teammate as the first girl announced something.


"We're supposed to choose our rooms, and let's drop some of our things off before we go on." He watched in silence as she retreated back into her chosen room, with the other girl moving off the the right. With no other choice, Waker went with the second room on the left - his jaw dropping as he took in what lay behind the door. Pora, too, let out a small gasp before walking across to one of the bookshelves, standing on her back legs as she reached up and grabbed a book. Waker set his bag down on the bed before picking up Pora and the book (with no small amount of effort - Pora really wasn't as small as she used to be) and sitting down on the soft comforter. The book had a blank, grey-blue cover, nothing written on it - or the spine. Frowning, he turned to the cover page, only to see that the title was in an entirely different language. Sighing, he flipped through the book - all tiny print, no pictures. Pora made a small noise and tapped his hand, picking up the book and jumping off the bed, replacing it where she had found it. She walked back to where Waker was and pulled on his pants leg, leading him back to the hallway.


Tuesday was standing near the door to her room, a Houndour at her feet. Pora stopped short, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air. With a silent peal of laughter Waker bent down and lifted her up again, wishing dearly for the days when she was a Nidoran and weighed much less. After walking up to Tuesday he set her down, fixing her barrette again before straightening up and looking around, frowning as he noticed their missing teammate.

Do you know where our other teammate is, Tuesday?

he wrote, careful to spell her name right.

---

"Er, hello." Pora ventured, still a little wary of the Houndour. To be completely honest, she had never been to keen on Fire-types - the ones in Johto, at least, had been nothing more than loud, fire-belching troublemakers. Everest was only bearable because he rarely spoke and when he did, it was to ask Pora if Waker could change the bandages on his injured leg. He was always polite and a little nervous - something that got that stupid maternal instinct Pora had stirring up again. She supposed that she should set aside her prejudices now - after all, she had evolved, and wasn't she supposed to be more mature?


"My name is Pora, and this is my trainer - well, coordinator, really - Waker."

berry314, how do you want to go about doing Waker and Lizzie's interactions? I'm basing Waker's point of view after Trainer Training (which is why his as-of-yet-uncaught Vulpix is mentioned), which means that from his perspective, he's already seen Lizzie before, if not been introduced during Trainer Training.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Sorry, Waker. I think I forgot to mention that Ashleigh has evolved by this time. He is a houndoom now.

Ashleigh watched the nidorina approach him with caution and he was careful to not leap forward and lick the poison pin pokemon from her feet to the crown of her head. The One Who Didn't Taste As Good As She Smelled told him that this was scary, to be attacked by a giant dark-type, fire-breathing dog. Ashleigh tried to explain that of course he wasn't attacking Mercury. If he was attacking her, he would be snarling and would be baring his teeth and there would be no mistake. He was just licking, and licking was fine. His mommy had licked him and nuzzled him and it meant love, and Ashleigh loved The One Who Didn't Taste As Good As She Smelled, and he loved it when pokemon talked to him. So he would lick.

But this pokemon seemed scared. Almost as scared as The One Who- The Smell Good One was of Ashleigh's type of pokemon before she had met Ashleigh. And The Smell Good One had screamed and Ashleigh had smelled more fear in her sweat glands as they released, and he didn't want the nidorina to run away, because it was nice to have a friend, so he wouldn't lick.

Not right away, at least.

"Hiya, Pora!" Ashleigh barked, and his tail went haywire without his consent, though he couldn't focus on talking to the nidorina and stopping his tail from moving, and talking to the nidorina was more important, so he hoped no one was behind him to get smacked by his tail, and he let it be.

"I'm Ashleigh," the houndoom explained, still lying on his stomach and regarding the nidorina with a grin. "My trainer is Tuesday. She's a gym battler and and coordinator, and a pokemon researcher, and she gives really good belly rubs." He let his tongue loll out at the memory. He could use a belly rub right now. Belly rubs were... oh wait, he was having a conversation. That was more important than a belly rub, but only a little more important, because, as The Trickster would say, belly rubs were muy importante. "Tuesday even promised that I would get to be in the next gym battle! I am so excited! Have you ever been a gym battle? No, no, you're trainer is a coordinator. I bet you were in a contest. I bet you won, you're so pretty. Do you think I could win a contest? I'm not so pretty, but I'm strong." His tail wagged furiously. "Big and strong, uh-huh!" He gave a loud bark in excitement, his entire backside shaking with the force of his wagging tail.

~*~

Tuesday took a glance at the page on which Waker had written, and then looked around the hall. "Maybe she's still looking at her room," she suggested. "I wish I hadn't had a glaring moment of stupidity and actually managed to introduce myself." She shook her head and, peering at the doors, picked one at random. She walked over to a door on the right side of the hall and knocked softly. When there was no answer, she turned the knob and pushed the door open slightly.

"Um... hello?" she asked, glancing around.

Unlike her bedroom, this room was decorated with an oceanic theme, the carpet a soft golden tan color that would have appeared as sand from a distance. The walls were varying colors of blue in an indescribable pattern. There were seashells painted on a border that went along the top of the wall, and a few in baskets around the room.

Satisfied that their group partner wasn't in this room, Tuesday shut the door and turned around. She shrugged at Waker. "I guess we try them all," she suggested helplessly, and moved on to the next.

[Dragava]

Riolu felt that it would be a good time to open the room door. For one thing, her Trainer was distracted. She was busy drawing something on a piece of paper. Riolu threw the paper airplane at the wall as fast as she could. It hit the wall with a thwack . She sighed, as if to say that the room was too small for throwing paper planes. She needed an excuse to get the door open, after all.

Riolu headed to the door. She managed to grab the doorknob after a few jumps and rotated the knob by pushing against the door-frame. With the door now open, Riolu picked up the paper airplane and threw it into the hall way. She chased it into the hallway and caught it in midair.

"Don't mind me, I am just playing with something my trainer gave me!" Riolu declared. Lizzie, Riolu's trainer, heard her pokemon's voice. She looked around for Riolu, finding her in the hallway.

"Can't I do my own things without having to chase you around?" She whined. Riolu knew that she was just being sarcastic. Lizzie really did not mind chasing Riolu around, especially in the bored state she was in. Riolu gave her trainer one of her disapproving looks. She did not mind the sarcasm too much. Riolu just felt that her trainer did not want to meet the other trainers. Why her trainer was so nice to her, Charmander, and a few other select people or pokemon but quiet and maybe a bit mean to others was a mystery to the young Riolu.

"Alright, I will stop being so lazy." Riolu's trainer had interpreted her incorrectly. "Where do you want to go?" she asked. Riolu looked around, hoping that the other trainers noticed a paper airplane flying out of the right room at the end of the hall.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

"Paper airplane!"

The pokeball on Tuesday's belt containing her ever-energetic riolu exploded open with this cry, and the riolu appeared, flipping gracefully and landing to catch the thrown paper airplane before it crash landed onto the carpet. He raised it aloft. "Victoria!" With a flashing grin, he sent it sailing through the air back toward the other riolu. "Me llamo Zorro," he said with his trademark grin. "Y tu?"

As Zorro was introducing himself to the riolu, tossing the paper airplane back and forth, Tuesday made her way quickly over to the girl coming out of her chosen bedroom. She was still rather embarrassed at her lack of manners, but she could fix that now.

Stopping in front of the girl, Tuesday held out her hand to shake the girl's. "I'm sorry for being so rude before," she apologized, unable to stop the blush that crept up her cheeks. "I'm Tuesday." She made a motion with her left hand at her two present pokemon. "That's Zorro, and there's Ashleigh." She turned back to the girl. "So... what's your name?"

[Dragava]

"Ah? nice to meet you?" Riolu looked confused. It did not understand Zorro. There were some things that did not need to be spoken, however, like the grin Zorro had and the airplane flying in its direction. Riolu jumped up to get it, but reacted too slow and missed. The airplane ended up hitting its nose.

"Whoops! Your turn to catch it!" Riolu threw the airplane back to Zorro.

Meanwhile, the two trainers were talking... in a sense anyway.

"My name? Uh," Lizzie did not see too much harm in giving her name away. "Elizabeth, but I prefer Lizzie." She was curious about the origin of Tuesday's name, but said nothing. She instead looked at Ashleigh. After trying to figure out what it was, she smacked her head lightly. She had apparently forgotten about the pokedex she received from professor Rowan. She took it out and scanned the pokemon.

"Houndoom, the Dark Pokemon. The evolved form of Houndour. It has an eerie howl that is said to make even the bravest shudder with fear."

Possibly not the right place to write this, but, I am not too sure on how to do pokedex descriptions. I used some of the entries from Silver, the anime, and made up the rest.

[Ganymede]

Pora stared blankly at Ashleigh, astounded that there was a Pokemon in the world that talked faster than Azzy. Shaking her head, she quickly put on what she hoped was a polite smile, thumping her tail against the floor.


"I'm sure you'll be great in a Contest," she said, looking up to Waker for confirmation. However, the boy was staring at the corner, where the hallway they were standing in and another met. There was a confused, curious look on his face. Pora dearly hoped that he wouldn't run off mid-conversation.


"I mean, um. Well, Fire-types do especially well in Beauty Contests, but if strength is more of your forte, I can hazard a guess that you'd excel in that was well." Waker was beginning to inch away, and Pora swiftly tapped his foot with her tail. The boy stopped and sheepishly bit his lip, still looking back at the corner.


"You'd have to eat some fairly sour berries, though. I prefer them bitter, and Azzy - my companion - likes them spicy. And as for the pretty factor, you seem to be very well-groomed. I've met some Houndooms who - oh, for the love of Arceus!"


Waker had somehow snuck off while Pora wasn't paying attention and was now rapidly approaching the intersection of the hallways. Quickly excusing herself, Pora started to run full-tilt toward her coordinator - only to be stopped rather abruptly when he turned around and smacked into her. Rubbing her head briefly as an apology, he sprinted back toward Tuesday, pulling out his notebook and writing quickly as he went.


---


While Pora spoke to the Houndoom and Tuesday started examining rooms for their final teammate, Waker took the opportunity to look around. The mansion really was a nice place - he wished he'd brought a camera with him to Furoh now - and he bet that the view from the windows was nothing short of amazing. There was a square of light on the floor around a corner nearby; maybe there was a window there?


Before he could move, though, a flash of yellow and black caught his eye on the other side of the hallway. Frowning, he tried to remember where he'd seen that colour combination before. Pora cleared her throat none-too-gently and whacked his foot with her tail, reminding him to be polite. Waker sighed and looked longingly at the hallway. He'd really love to explore this place, maybe find out what the black-and-yellow thing was...


Wait!


Waker quickly scrambled though his pockets, withdrawing the Espeon card in triumph. Sure enough, underneath the picture of the Psychic Pokemon, there were three smaller images - one was of the yellow-and-black Pichu. Waker skimmed over the words next to it excitement, and swiftly turned and ran to the corner, hoping that the Pichu was still there.


Disappointed, he turned and sprinted back to Tuesday - running into Pora on the way - and flipped open his notebook, writing as neatly as he could.

i think i saw the pichu we get the tag from!
it was near the corner over at the end of the hallway

I hope this is an acceptable way to start off the hunt; if not, then I apologise.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Tuesday sighed as the pokedex mechanically informed them of Ashleigh pokemon species. "Personally, I think that description is biased. There's more to houndoom than their howls. Ashleigh can be frightening, of course, but he's one of the most loyal pokemon I've ever seen." She could hear the houndoom's tail thumping heavily on the floor and turned to smile at him, and saw Waker walking up to her with a new note.

She read the note quickly and grinned. "You're going to laugh, but I actually forgot we needed to find the tags." She grinned sheepishly and rubbed the side of her face. "Well, you saw the pichu, Waker, so lead on, mo capitan!" She made an over-exaggerated motion with her hand in the direction he had indicated, and smiled partially in embarrassment, as she walked to stand by Ashleigh, the houndoom rising to his feet.

As they began to walk, she scratched the large dog between the horns where he liked it best. "Did you make a new friend, Ashleigh?" she asked. If the whipping of his tail was any indication, she had been spot on in her determination.

Tuesday blinked and then ducked abruptly in the same instance that Ashleigh barked. Zorro, with a look of surprise but pleasure on his face, went flying over her head, a somewhat-crumpled paper airplane in his paw. He flipped in midair and landed gracefully on his feet, before tossing the airplane toward Lizzie's riolu, still behind Tuesday.

The young girl rolled her eyes and met Ashleigh's gaze in an exasperated look that he returned. "Zorro's always making friends, isn't he?" she asked softly. Ashleigh merely barked in response, tail wagging.

Tuesday turned to Lizzie with a smile on her face. "So, Lizzie, what are your plans here in Furoh? Are you going out for battling or contests?"

[Dragava]

Lizzie was walking with the group, thinking about how the Pichu could be captured. She did not have a lot of time to think, because Tuesday asked her about her plans in Furoh.

"Battles, most likely," Lizzie replied. "It seems easier," she added, a possible after-effect of the big smile Tuesday wore.

"I don't have any pokemon for contests anyway. Maybe Charmander, but, besides, contests don't suit me. " Lizzie's mind started to wander, like it did before Tuesday spoke to her.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

"That's a misconception," Tuesday pointed out, raising the index finger of her right hand in an unconscious attempt to note that she was making an important point. "Battles are generally no easier or more difficult than contests, but the specific capabilities of the trainer in question, taking into account, will mark your affiliation with one particular set of activities.

"My friend Darryn, for instance, is a capable battler, but he's brilliant when it comes to contests. His knowledge of fashion and pokemon abilities is brilliant, as is his own ability at choreographing moves to bring about the most visually-dynamic appeals.

"In contrast, my brother, Jaima, isn't really good at contests. He's a great battler, though - far better than I am. He can think on his feet like that." She tried snapping her fingers, and pouted a little when her attempt (and a few following attempts) failed. "Anyway, Jaima's a strategist when it comes to offensive tactics, mostly. Darryn's great when it comes to style and visage." She shrugged a little, adding modestly, "I've tried my hand at both and I'm nowhere near as good as either of them."

Walking at her side, Ashleigh growled softly in disagreement, but Tuesday tapped his head between the horns and he quieted. Still, he didn't agree with her assessments of herself. Tuesday was a great battler, but she succeeded differently than both the pretty one and the alpha. She choreographed moves in sync with other attacks and defenses, in order to create even more power maneuvers. It was brilliant, but it made Ashleigh both sad and angry that she couldn't see that.

"So if battling is easier for you," Tuesday continued speaking, and Ashleigh allowed himself to be pulled back toward the active conversation, "perhaps you're better at strategizing tactical procedures than you are at planning stylistic visuals. It's good to have a powerful focus. After all, if you focus on too many things at once, you don't excel at anything in particular."

She grinned, and opened her mouth to continue speaking, when the building seemed to shake, a rumbling sound meeting their ears. Tuesday froze, closing her mouth slowly, as she looked around.

Ashleigh had frozen, crouching low to the ground and glancing from side to side, his tail dropped between his legs. Zorro had dropped the paper airplane, ignoring it as it went sailing in a suicidal mission toward the stone wall. He bounded back to Tuesday on strong legs and wrapped his forepaws around her waist, holding onto her tight.

"What's going-"

A seering flash of pain erupted through Tuesday's skull so fast it cut off all of her senses and replaced it with pure, white-hot agony. She clapped both hands to her forehead and bent over, trying to push the pain away. The pull on her mind was immense, terrifying, and unmistakable but confusing. She knew there was danger - immediate and profound - but she had no idea what it was or where it was coming from.

Her senses returned abruptly. The pain didn't dissipate, fade, or even lessen in degree, but suddenly she could hear again the rumbling of the building around them. She could see the flickering of the candlelight dancing in wild panic on the walls. She could feel Zorro's grip tighten around her waist, his muzzle pressed against her ribcage. She could taste the bitter cold of the air. She could smell the snow.

And something else... something more... a sixth sense, undefinable, unclear, and yet there - through that, she could feel, as well, something coming, nearer and nearer, and dangerous. A cruel wave of emotionless danger that rushed at them like a plow, ready to consume them all.

Two things became abruptly clear; two things that needed to be dealt with immediately.

One was that they and their pokemon were in danger.

The other was that nothing was stopping this incoming horror.

Ashleigh's pokeball was in Tuesday's hand in an instant, and she recalled the houndoom without a word, the frightened, shaken creature returning to the safety of the capsule without a complaint.

Tuesday didn't bother grabbing Zorro's pokeball. She knew he would fight her recalling him with his every ounce of strength, despite whatever fear he might be experiencing. She also knew that he was not as susceptible to what was coming as Ashleigh, though she couldn't explain how she knew. Still, it was something, and she had become accustomed long ago to knowing things without knowing how she knew them.

Perhaps Brone or Cassandra were sending her psychic suggestions. That would be helpful.

"Lizzie, get with your riolu," Tuesday commanded, her voice sharp and containing none of the submissive tones that normally inhabited it when speaking with others. She wrapped an arm around Zorro as he clung to her, and together they stepped back instinctively, away from what was suddenly a danger zone (though it was clear that there was no place within the vicinity that wasn't a danger zone).

"Hang on, Zorro," Tuesday whispered, though she did not know why.

A moment later, a wave of snow, white as unconsciousness and cold as Dis, came like a plague through every orifice of the building, consuming the hallway and everything within it.

[Dragava]

"It's dangerous! Return!" Lizzie exclaimed as she returned her Riolu. It was good that it could tell that there was going to be danger. She quickly placed its pokeball on her belt.

CRASH

Something fell down, an alert that something was coming. Something big. Very big.

Lizzie was thankful for the alert from Tuesday, as the snow would probably have swallowed up both her and Riolu if she had reacted at the time of the crash. She ran as fast as she could, but humans, unlike pokemon, could never hope to outrun Mother Nature. Before she knew it, she was buried in cold, wet, snow. The sweatshirt she was wearing helped block out the cold a little, but Lizzie realized when the snow around her melted she would be freezing, sweatshirt ,or not.

"Charmander, that's it... no, the water from the melting snow. That would only put Charmander in danger. Riolu? it can't get me out, but it might be able to save Charmander and get help, or, they will be saved if I don't make it. Right, It might be too cramped to open Riolu's pokeball, but snow is mostly air, right?" Lizzie wiggled around in the little space she had. She somehow managed to withdraw her arms from the sleeves of her sweatshirt . Her cold hands struggled to the spot on her belt where she had hurriedly placed her Riolu's pokeball. The return trip from the belt to the cavity between her sweatshirt and shirt was easier since some of the snow was pushed away while Lizzie was reaching for the pokeball.

"Riolu," She whispered. Riolu popped out after feeling that it was safe. It could not understand why there was snow everywhere. It looked at Lizzie for an explanation.

"Trapped, save Charmander," Lizzie said quickly, using as few words as possible, "Quick Attack out at an angle." Riolu understood and reached for Charmander's pokeball. After grabbing it, it held it between its teeth for safe keeping. With one Quick Attack, it darted through the snow at roughly a forty-five degree angle. The snow from above filled the gap, blocking the Emanation Pokemon from view.

"Good luck..." Lizzie knew that it was all or nothing for Riolu. However, she felt that she should cling to whatever chance of surviving there is, instead of waiting to die. There was too much to live for, after all, like her parents. beating Carl. Making him take back what he said about her being a sissy a long time ago.....


Riolu was aware that her Trainer was in danger. She forced its way through the snow with a sense of pride; she got to rescue the very trainer who helped her a few years back. Are you watching? I have gotten much stronger since the day you rescued me. Now, I will help you so we can spend more time together! Riolu managed to burst out of the snow with one last Quick Attack. Trouble was, she had no idea where her trainer was.

"Come out, Charmander! Lizzie is in trouble!"

"What? No! After everything we got to do together!" Charmander cried,
"why did she tell you to carry my pokeball out of the snow, I wonder?"

"I guess she was afraid of letting your tail flame loose in such a small space. But, we really should get Lizzie out of there.

"Aren't you cold?" Charmander asked out of concern.

"Your tail flame can warm me up, but Rescuing Lizzie is more important right now. Try using Flamethrower there." Riolu pointed at the patch of snow it just emerged from.

"I-Wonder-Why-We-Aren't-Sinking-In-The-Snow," Charmander commented between flamethrowers.

"I guess it's because we are light pokemon," Riolu answered. "Don't talk to me, I'm trying to spot Lizzie. It would be easier if I had some sort of power, like that 'Aura' thing Aunt Starapter told me about. Too bad there are only, what, three pokemon that can use it, right?" Charmander gagged, then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, Auntie never told you? You evolve into Lucario, the aura pokemon. Aura. AURA!"Charmander giggled.

"Very- hey! I think that's Lizzie!" Riolu bounded towards a patch of grey through snow that was half-melted by Charmander's Flamethrower. With a bit of help from Charmander, Riolu managed to pull Lizzie out of the snow.

"Well, she's no longer buried..."

"But she is out cold, and needs warming up, fast."

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Whether Tuesday blacked out or not, she didn't know and probably never would. The first thing that she became consciously aware of since the collapsing wave of snow around her was the feel of Zorro's arms, wrapped tightly around her waist. His nose was buried against her side and she could feel his hot breath against her skin every time he breathed. The snow was packed tightly around them and Tuesday's right hand hurt from the cold, but she could bear it for a while if she had to.

Blinking a few times, realizing that she had her eyes closed, Tuesday gazed at the area in front of her. The snow wasn't so tightly pressed against her face, the temperature of her exhaling breaths having succeeded in melting some of it.

I must have passed out as least for a little while, she thought, sighing. There was too much snow melted in front of her for it to have been otherwise, and that worried her. She did quite enough fainting on her own, without the inclusion of natural disasters and being buried in the elements. Although she did not like the idea, it was only safe to be wary of a possible concussion.

She clenched her right hand, burying her fingers in Zorro's soft fur. She felt him tense immediately and then relax, realizing that it was her. She was glad that he was conscious.

"Zorro," she whispered softly. She felt his head move as he pulled his nose away from where it was buried against her, protecting his ability to breathe. The snow around them shifted at his moments and he stopped, clearly waiting for her instructions. "No matter what happens," she explained to him slowly, making sure that he was able to understand her even though they were buried beneath the snow, "don't let me fall asleep." She knew that if she did have a concussion, it would be better diagnosed by someone else than herself, and the possibility of one meant that if she went to sleep, she might not wake up. "Comprende?" she asked softly in his own tongue.

She felt his head lean against her side and then he nuzzled her softly, clearly understanding both her words and her reasoning, but hoping she was wrong. Tuesday felt the same.

Now that one crisis was done, Tuesday focused her mind on the fact that she and Zorro was buried Goddess-knew-how-deep in snow. She knew that when an avalanche was moving, you were supposed to swim like you were in water. The prospect made her shiver and the snow shifted. She froze instantly.

All right, so the swimming option is out, since the snow has stopped moving. Except when I shift, which means we have to be careful. I don't know how deep we are. She paused, chewing her lip. I don't know what position we're in, either. She tried to tap her feet on the floor but felt only snow beneath her. For all she knew, they could have been upside-down. The snow was packed too tightly for her hair to give any clues.

Spit test, she concluded. Leaning her head forward a little ways into the gap formed by her warm breath, Tuesday let the saliva build up in her mouth for a moment, before she spit.

The small drop of liquid fell outward from her at a gentle angle. Tuesday sighed in relief. They weren't standing straight, but at least their heads weren't toward the floor. The last thing anyone needed was for them to start moving downward through the snow.

Thank you, Uncle DeBrody, for teaching me things I was sure were completely useless.

"Zorro... are you ready to try and get out of here?" She felt his grip tighten around her waist, knowing he was worried. "It's not safe to stay here," she admitted, though she chose not to verbally admit that it was equally as dangerous to try and leave their position. In truth, they should remain where they were and wait for help to arrive. There were problems with that, however.

One, some of Tuesday's pokemon were back in the room that she had chosen as her own, in who knows what condition.

Two, Lizzie and her pokemon had been caught in the avalanche as well and she might need immediate help.

Three, Tuesday didn't like being stuck in a cold, enclosed place that dripped and slicked like a tunneled river.

People, or pokemon, might need her help. She wasn't going to sit still, in that case.

"Zorro, I'm going to put you back in your pokeball," she told him, but he slapped her hand when she reached toward her belt. She sighed. She didn't want to make him risk his safety because she was stubborn, but she hadn't really expected anything less.

"You're going to get yourself hurt, being so much like me," she whispered.

She heard a distinctive snort of derision beside her, and then there was a flash of movement. Snow fluttered down around her, both like feathers and as clumps, as Zorro made a leap through a weak part of their prison, and landed gracefully some feet above where he had been standing moments ago. Tuesday blinked away the snow that had fallen on her eyelids and stared up at him worriedly. "Careful, Zorro," she said softly, as he bounded again.

Zorro slipped on the ice one his second bound, but was able to regain his equilibrium swiftly enough. He stared back down at Tuesday, his golden eyes full of their own level of concern. Of course, she was telling him to be careful because she was worried about him. It bothered him (and he realized now why Dante was so often unwilling to leave her side for a moment) that she took so very little time to concern herself with her own well-being. Yes, he very well could slip and fall, but the snow was shifting at his every movement, and she was beneath him. She wanted out and he agreed, but he was worried. He prayed he would not force the snow to shift to such a degree that he suffocated his hermana. He could not bear it.

He moved his head from side to side, burrowing lightly into the snow so that he only sent down feathery flakes of it. Poking his head into the mass, he smelled warmer, fresh air. Leaping up again, he pushed through the surface of the snow and out into the open. With a happy yip, he climbed back down to where Tuesday was and, with both patience and finesse, helped her out of the packed prison and onto the surface of the snow.

Tuesday huffed a sigh of relief, as she settled down on top of the snow. She took a few grateful minutes to relax, before she allowed herself to look around. It was then that she discovered Lizzie and her two pokemon, the charmander and riolu. The two of them were huddled around the girl's unconscious form.

"Did she hit her head?" Tuesday asked, as she made her way over to Lizzie, sliding on the ice to keep from having to raise her feet and risk tumbling over and down some graceless hole in the snow cover. The riolu hesitated in her movements, but shook her head uncertainly.

"Hopefully just the shock, then," Tuesday said. She did a mental tally in her head and didn't like the results. She had left Tempest and Dante (the egg in Dante's care) back in the room she had chosen, since the two seemed to prefer sleeping rather than tagging along on a scavenger hunt. Not only was Dante her oldest companion in time since having "captured" him, but asides from Odysseus, he was the most mature. He was also the most proficient of her pokemon at fire. She could have used his help right now, but that couldn't be helped. He was too far away.

Odysseus, as a water-type pokemon, wouldn't be much use unless they needed to make an ice bridge or wanted to cryogenically freeze themselves, which Tuesday didn't plan to ask for anytime soon. It seemed that her two pokemon on hand were Zorro and Ashleigh. Ashleigh had the better nose and balance from four legs, but he also had better hearing and was warmer than Zorro. As much as she didn't wish to fulfill her plans without Ashleigh's capabilities, Lizzie needed him more at the moment. That thought in mind, she called him out.

Ashleigh appeared abruptly in a flash of red light, standing tall and looking around with wary concern. He was not stupid, however much he often acted it, and the manner in which he had been recalled screamed that there had been danger. He saw what it was now, and turned to Tuesday, awaiting a command that he would loyally obey without question.

"Ashleigh, I want you to curl up with Lizzie," Tuesday said, her tone one of authority, strangely so. Ashleigh's tail thumped once at this realization, but he continued to listen aptly. "Your heated skin should keep her warm." Biting her lip, hating the thought, Tuesday stepped over and felt Lizzie's skin. It was cold from the proximity of the snow, but the girl wasn't hypothermic, which made Tuesday sigh heavily in relief. She would have had to make a series of important assurances before she left if that had been the case, not the least of which would have been explaining to the pokemon not to let Lizzie's arms pull close to her body. However, the girl was safe from that for the moment. Stop thinking about it, Tuesday mentally growled at herself, and went back to the topic at hand.

"Zorro and I are going to go and find something burnable - a chair or lampstand or something. I don't anything will be of much use beyond that, anyway. Keep her warm, Ashleigh," Tuesday said, as the houndoom gently moved to lie next to the unconscious girl, curling his warm mass around her. "We'll be back soon. If anything happens, howl."

Ashleigh nodded, chuffing in understanding. With a wary look at each other, Tuesday and Zorro turned and left in search of some burnable ware. Hopefully they wouldn't have to go far, and even more hopefully, they wouldn't get stranded, or lost.

For those of you who may be interested, I took a Natural Disasters class last semester, and the tactics that Tuesday used while trapped under the snow, are actually tactics that can be used if such an occasion should arise for you (and we would hope not). So if you are caught in an avalanche, swim, and if you find yourself disoriented, not knowing which way is up, use the Spit Test.

Much thanks to my professor, Ben, for fueling my ever unsatisfied desire to learn random and occasionally useful things.

[Dragava]

There was something warm and comfortable around Lizzie's body. She opened her eyes, hoping that she was out of the frozen corridor. Before she could get a clear view of her surroundings, something moist and pink ran up her face. It was gross to Lizzie, who had never been licked before, yet, strangely pleasant.

"Thank you," Lizzie petted the Houndoom as it got up. It bounded over to Tuesday, who was sitting around a medium-sized fire. It was hard to tell what was being used to fuel the fire, proof that Lizzie had been out of it for a while. Lizzie looked around the corridor. While she may not be entirely safe yet, at least she was still alive. That was something to be thankful for.

"Charmander!" Lizzie's Charmander hugged her, he was also glad that his trainer was fine. Ashleigh's warm body was so large that she had not noticed it. Her Riolu was beside Charmander. It was looking at her with gleaming eyes.

"You did a very good job," Lizzie rubbed Riolu on her head while petting Charmander on his, "It wasn't too cold for you, was it, Riolu?" Riolu shook her head.

"Rio, rio!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

"I guess it's only good manners to thank the person who rescued me," Lizzie told Riolu, "So..." Riolu jumped onto its usual spot on Lizzie's shoulders. The familiar weight was comforting.

"Charmander, how are you feeling?" Charmander looked cheerful. Seeing his Trainer alright must have made him forget why he was upset in the first place. It walked alongside Lizzie as she made her way to the fire.

"Um, well, I would like to thank you for rescuing me," Lizzie said to Tuesday, as an impatient growl emerged from her stomach. "That was embarrassing," Lizzie muttered to herself.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

"Your riolu and charmander are to thank for your rescue," Tuesday said, nodding to the respective pokemon. They had you out of the snow before Zorro and I were able to make our way out, and I only managed that with his help." She smiled at the growling of Lizzie's stomach. "I imagine that dinner is postponed." She flipped open the flap of her messenger bag and pulled out a couple granola bars, handing a few to Lizzie. "I'm afraid I left my frying pan in my other bag, so these will have to do us for now."

Tuesday had no plans of leaving her frying pan out of her reach. Her next stop was going to be her room, if she had any say about it. She would feel much more confident if Dante and Tempest were with her.

She chewed thoughtfully on a granola bar, as she stared into the fire. She wasn't so much of a fool as to think it would be an easy trip. She and Zorro had seen corridors completely blocked by snow. In some places, ceiling lights had crashed to the ground and started fires. The flames were kept at bay by the snow soaking the ground and taking away one of its energy sources, but Tuesday hadn't been confident that it would remain that way.

By the time Odysseus was done, the floor was coated in a thick sheet of ice that would be treacherous to navigate. They would find a way, though. Tuesday didn't know the abilities of Lizzie's pokemon specifically, but Ashleigh had a good nose and all of her pokemon were smart. They'd make it back to the room, and then they'd find a way to meet up with the other teams. There was safety in numbers.

Turning to Lizzie, Tuesday explained her plans.

[Dragava]

Lizzie was surprised. She did not expect her pokemon to dig her out by themselves. It must have been tiring for Charmander, who probably did most of the work. She opened and slipped the granola bars to her pokemon. They did help rescue her, after all. She peeled open another granola bar and started nibbling on it herself.

Tuesday explained her plans to Lizzie while she ate. She was mostly silent, there wasn't really anything she wanted to add. With two fire-types, digging through the snow will not be much trouble. The main problem was trying to meet the other teams.

"I think we should start moving soon," Lizzie said. She was not too keen on staying in the dark corridor. Her pokemon were tired and she did not want to wear them out even more. Lizzie made sure that Charmander had finished eating before calling it to her side. After that, she picked her shivering Riolu up. She hoped that the shivers came from excitement, not fear or cold. Lizzie looked at Tuesday's direction, waiting for her input. She was the more experienced of the two, after all.

This post has been edited by Dragava: Feb 20 2010, 11:25 AM

[Umbrae Calamitas]

"I agree," Tuesday said in response to Lizzie's suggestion that they leave soon. It was a wise idea not to stay in a secluded place like this where danger was all around them. Tuesday was also a but worried about the fire and the proximity of two fire pokemon causing the snow to weaken beneath them.

She shoved the last of her granola bar into her mouth and stood up, pocketing her wrapper. "Let's get going, then," she said, kicking the fire apart and letting the snow smother the flames. She raised her eyes to the charmander and smiled at him. "I imagine you'll make a wonderful torch, won't you, Little Fire?" She looked at Lizzie as she shouldered her pack. "I don't remember if you ever told me, Lizzie - what are your charmander and riolu's names?" She couldn't recall if Lizzie had told her or not, but she didn't recall any new names in her memory. But then, she did have a feeling that she whacked her head at some point, having gone unconscious. At least she didn't have a headache.

"Well, there's no telling what we'll find, but I suppose we'll just head back the way we came," Tuesday suggested. "If we run into any roadblocks, then we can simply turn around." I hope.

"Mi heremana make bueno leader," Zorro commented to Ashleigh.

The houndoom's tongue lolled out excitedly. "Yeahyeah! And she gives good bellyrubs!"

The two grinned at each other as they followed Tuesday, Zorro bounding from her side to the far back of the group, and Ashleigh walking at the back. The positions were done instinctively. Zorro, with his lithe and quick movements, could easily skate around on the ice if there was danger. Ashleigh, the largest of the present pokemon, would watch their backs. It might have been paranoia that led them to take such precautions, but they were gratefully for such things after ten minutes of walking, when Ashleigh let out a sudden, sharp bark.

The lot of them spun around at the added sound of metal against metal and came face to face with a small, quick weasel pokemon.

"Shards," Tuesday cursed, taking an instinctive step back. "That's a sneasel." The pokemon were known to be vicious and cruel, and Tuesday didn't imagine that he would settle for a handful of berries and granola.

"Ashleigh..." she warned.

The sneasel lunged abruptly. "Ember attack!"

[Dragava]

"Names, huh? I can't think of anything fitting." It was true that Lizzie had thought about naming her pokemon, but none of the names she came up with seemed to stick.

"This is exciting," Riolu commented.

"I guess..." Charmander had more important things on his mind. He was hoping that everyone would be able to make it out safely.

With Charmander there, the dark hallway did not seem so foreboding. The warm light from its tail surrounded the area, and it started to feel more like an exploration that a disaster scene.

Ashleigh's barkcaused Lizzie to pause. She looked around, knowing that the Houndoom had spotted something. She saw a Sneasel dart away out of the corner of her eye. Another Sneasel from the opposite direction lunged at Ashleigh. It looked like two Sneasels were working together, for whatever reason.

Charmander must be tired from digging me out. They also look pretty fast, and Charmander might not be able to keep up with its speed. I guess Riolu is my best choice right now.

"Right," Lizzie told herself after mentally coming to a conclusion, "Riolu, Quick Attack the sneasel over there!" The second Sneasel had decided to charge at Charmander, but Riolu managed to knock it off guard. It Leered at Riolu. It was a little surprised, but otherwise fine.

"Another Quick Attack!" Riolu's attack connected, but it did not seem as powerful as it could have been. The Sneasel was knocked away, but it recovered quickly and headed towards Riolu with a Quick Attack of its own. It hit before Lizzie could tell Riolu to dodge, causing Riolu to slam into a wall. Sneasel jumped back and away from Riolu.

"Try using Endure!" Lizzie yelled, as the Sneasel prepared to launch another Quick Attack. Riolu seemed to absorb the Quick attack, leaving the Sneasel at close range. It gave Riolu a quick Scratch before jumping away again to gain distance.

"Try to Quick Attack it mid-jump!" Riolu aimed a Quick Attack on the Sneasel and sent it flying up towards the ceiling. The Sneasel fell onto the floor and fainted.

"That was good, Riolu." Riolu gave Lizzie a tired, but happy, look. Lizzie looked for the other Sneasel, but had a feeling that it was already defeated.

I edited my previous post. Charmander did not get recalled.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Tuesday hadn't noticed the second sneasel.

The first had taken all of her attention once it lunged at Ashleigh. Only the sounds of battle from behind her as Lizzie's pokemon battled told her that they had a second opponent. She would not send Zorro to help, however - that would be insulting toward the other girl, even though she had admitted that Tuesday had more experience. Tuesday knew that experience came from taking on battles and events such as these by oneself.

Besides, this first sneasel was putting up enough of a fight.

"Ashleigh, watch your eyes!" Tuesday called, as the sneasel made a fury swipe attack at the houndoom's face. Ashleigh lowered his head, the claws of the sneasel parring against his thick horns and sending the weasel pokemon leaping backward, shaking his hands in pain.

"Ashleigh, try a smog attack!"

"DOOM!" Ashleigh howled loudly, his head thrown back. Tuesday saw Zorro flinch away at the cry in fear - an involuntary reaction that many seemed to suffer at such a sound. The riolu recovered quickly, however. In the time it took for the toxic black smoke to gush from the glands in Ashleigh's throat, Zorro had pilfered another costume from his bag and was now dancing from foot to foot, jabbing at the air in front of him with the boxing gloves he was wearing. He grinned cheekily when he saw Tuesday looking, and she just shook her head and turned to see the sneasel coughing at the effects of the smog attack.

Right... so sneasel are dual dark and ice types. This makes them weak to fire attacks, but they're also very quick, and we'll have to be careful that if the fire attacks miss, they don't melt something that will cause a collapse in the snow. She groaned internally. I hate snow.

"Ashleigh, move fast and get in close. Go for a bite attack, but watch the claws."

"DOOM!" With a snarl, Ashleigh lunged forward. His movements, often so floppy in puppy-esque glee, were suddenly well-though-out and executed, his body low to the ground, tail dropped between his legs. The thin fur on his back was sticking up in rage and his crimson eyes were narrowed, mouth open to show off his pretty fangs, dripping with saliva as hot breath ghosted from his mouth in the cold air of the hall. There was a moment when he and the sneasel both paused, gazing across at each other, as though sizing up the other through the hatred gleaming in their eyes.

And then they both lunged.

The sneasel moved like silent death, swift and unavoidable. Ashleigh lunged like a luxray, yet charged like a tauros in the same instant. As the sneasel slashed at his face, Ashleigh rose on his hind legs, jaws snapping wetly, saliva splashing from his lips. The sneasel's furious swipe missed his face, and Ashleigh's jaws clamped down on the weasel's claws. The sneasel released a hissing shriek in pained rage, and Ashleigh growled, low in his throat, as he tightened his jaws.

There was the sound of something breaking, shattering, and then the sneasel was merely shrieking. Throwing his head and body back, Ashleigh ripping the sneasel right off of its feet and threw it backward, opening his mouth and releasing the pokemon into the air. The sneasel went flying with a cry and Ashleigh spun with a snarl, facing it as it tried to right itself in the air.

"Ember, and don't miss!" Tuesday cried.

Ashleigh snarled agreeably, his mouth filling with flames. He let them loose with a howl, and their aim was true.

The sneasel opened its mouth, shrieking, and a wind suddenly picked up, blowing in their direction. Tuesday shivered, hunkering down, but her eyes widened as she watched Ashleigh's ember attack dissipate completely before it touched the sneasel. She racked her brain and then rolled her eyes at her own stupidity.

"Icy Wind, I'm a moron," she said. This has to be a well-experienced sneasel, though, for it to know such a powerful attack. In which case, we may be in for a bit more than I had anticipated. Or maybe... It was a long shot, but worth a shot, at least. "Ashleigh, roar!" If they could scare the sneasel away, that might solve their problems without them having to weaken themselves to defeat it.

Planting his feet firmly, Ashleigh threw his head forward and roared, a deep-throated sound that ripped from him. Even Tuesday felt herself chill at the sound, her breath catching. She found herself exhaling slowly, as though to do so quickly would have her the main focus of the houndoom's ire, although she knew that Ashleigh would never do anything to harm her.

The sneasel froze at the sound, its pupils dilating as the fear-inducing attack took effect. There was a moment when all was calm and still.

And then sneasel bolted, right for Tuesday.

Zorro flashed into view instantaneously, his speed bringing him between the sneasel and Tuesday. The weasel pokemon hissed, slashing sharply with its claws. Zorro dropped down on one knee in the sneasel's line of fire, his body taking on a blue tint that Shadow would have said matched the color of his aura. The sneasel's claws slashed down and hit him, only to freeze immediately upon impact.

There was a moment when the world froze, and then Zorro's counter attack took effect. The sneasel released a cry of surprise as it was flung backward through the air by the force of its own attack. Zorro was on his feet in an instant, leaping into the air. He flipped and crashed into the sneasel feet-first, sending the weasel pokemon plummeting sharply into the ground.

Blue light forming around his hand, Zorro quick attacked to the sneasel, who was rising to its feet angrily, hissing, and landed on its back, sending it face-first into the snow. Placing his hand on the sneasel's back, Zorro released his Force Palm attack, the blue light exploding around the weasel's form.

It spun, slashing with its claws. Zorro leapt away and then quick attacked to the side to avoid a faint attack. The sneasel was sent sprawling when Zorro quick attacked it from behind, and swiftly succumbed to unconsciousness once it was forced into the ground again.

With a sigh, Tuesday hugged Zorro tight, already having given Ashleigh a congratulatory and grateful chin-scratch. "Thanks, guys," she whispered, and then turned to Lizzie. "You all right? We should move on before our friends are joined by the cavalry."

[Dragava]

The Sneasel that Tuesday battled was obviously more experienced than the one Lizzie did. The fact that their battle took longer was proof. Because of the difference in abilities, Lizzie thought that the Sneasel attacking Tuesday might have been a parent trying to teach its child to battle. It was lucky that Lizzie finished off the weaker Sneasel before the Roar, however. The sound would have been very distracting for Riolu as well as herself.

Lizzie watched as Zorro finished off the Sneasel. The attack where Zorro placed its paw-hand on the Sneasel looked very interesting. She considered asking Tuesday what it was called, but refrained herself from speaking. She would find out the attack's name eventually.

"We're okay," Lizzie replied when Tuesday suggested moving ahead, "Moving on sounds good."