[X] My Assistant

[Living Arrow]

Travelling back to Port Barley after the events at the Petropolis Grand Invitational had been a long and gruelling affair for Lori. Well, it had involved public transport which inevitably meant sharing elbow room with all manner of undesirable and social reprobates. If she was not worrying about her bag being stolen from off of her shoulder, the young Trainer was replaying the events of the tournament again and again to find the moment that had made her act so foolishly.

*Who really thinks they can play the hero and go down some stupid hole to save random people they’ve never even met before!?* She demanded of herself for the fiftieth time as the stench of body odour from her latest ravel companion drifted her way. Holding back a gag, she politely turned her head the other way and cried inwardly. *At least Cesc smelled good!*

*Hey! Stop thinking about him, dammit!* Lori blushed in spite of herself, heat rising in her cheeks to decorate her skin with blotches of ruby embarrassment.

The coach pulled up to a stop at the edge of the town in the later hours of the sunny morning, a couple of miles from her final destination, and freedom announced itself as the coach doors clunked open.

*Close enough!* Lori told herself, springing up from her seat without a backward glance for the stinking hobo next to the window. Cuddling her bag close to her chest with one hand while squeezing the length of her intensely red hair in the other, she hurried to the front of the vehicle.

“Thanks!” She smiled and bowed her head politely to the driver (a sweet old man who she doubted spoke any English) and skipped down the steps to the sidewalk. The coach pulled away with the hiss of its brakes releasing to leave her drinking in the fresh air of the coast. It had been a while since she had been in Barley, and the town hadn’t changed a bit, but she felt like a different person to the rookie that had picked fights with bullies on her first day in the town.

*Never again, Lor.* She reminded herself of the boys that had threatened to cut off her hair when she’d defended another beginner trainer at the bus station. She shuddered at the memory, pushing those thoughts down to her toes where they couldn’t plague her thoughts anymore.

“Pipster,” Lori clicked open the green-capped Pokeball of her Piplup and grinned as he materialised in front of her, “we’re back in Barley.”

“Lup, Piplup!” His cheery reply was a welcome change to the dismal mutterings of the ‘people’ on the coach.

“And you know what that means, right?” She prompted him. A blank expression was her response. She rolled her eyes and pumped her fists energetically, the infectious enthusiasm of her naturally bold demeanour finding its way back to the front of her otherwise woolly teenage brain. “It means we get back on a ferry and go to Fidona! That Gym badge won’t win itself, y’know?!”

“Lup!”

“So, let’s go!” Lori cheered, breaking into a run down the final slope into the town with her Penguin Pokemon close on her heels.

[Kamaitachi]

To Taggarty Lee, Port Barley had been nothing more than a point to pass through when he'd arrived in Furoh. Yet, upon stepping off the coach, and freeing himself of the reek of one of the more odorous passangers, he found that something about the air here felt different.

Port Barley was typically the starting point for Trainers in Furoh, and Tag had never experienced it. Passing it off as the fact that he had been a veteran trainer upon arrival in the new land, he hadn't taken the time to rightly experience the city.

The air smelled a little saltier, and little brinier. The people seemed friendlier than those in Petropolis, and even those in Arasam or Gigarte. The very place was welcoming. Tag took a moment to chastise himself for eschewing his enjoyment of the new place in favour of setting out to get Gym Badges.

He already had two out of the four, and after his loss while attempting to acquire the third, he figured he could slow down a little and enjoy himself. Maxi Z of Fidona could wait a little bit. Surely the Amazon King had other matters to attend to at the time.

He watched as a young red-headed trainer summoned a Piplup, and mentioned something about a ferry to Fidona and a Gym Badge. It seemed he wasn't the only one passing through Port Barley to Fidona. Her enthusiasm caught with him as she broke off into a run with the Piplup.

First order of business: Buy a ticket for the ferry. Preferably not one until later in the day, while he had time to relax (finally) and enjoy his time.

With his ever-stoic face hiding his actual enjoyment, Tag pulled out a pokeball.

For a moment, a wave of panic washed over him, as he found himself praying to whatever deities existed that the Pokemon appearing was in fact-

"Yan!"

-Suzu. The Ledian floated up into the air in front of him, breathing in the lovely fresh air before turning to him, smiling in her kindly way. Relief filled him once again, replacing the minor panic attack as he reached out to her. She touched one of her hands to his, tilting her head to one side in the gentle manner Tag knew, but this seemed tinted with the message: I won't leave you. Not ever again.

Allowing himself a smile, he nodded to her, and moved to stroll down to the docks to purchase a ticket.

* * *

Upon arrival, Tag placed an order for a ticket...only to realize that his money was woefully low. He had barely enough for lunch, let alone a ferry ticket to Fidona. He hadn't gotten any monetary compensation from the Grand Invitational, seeing as there wasn't actually a winner.

At least he had time to make some money to purchase a ticket.

With that, he moved over to a clear spot on the docks, and summoned the rest of his Pokemon. If he engaged them in training exercises, perhaps some foolhardy young trainer would come along to challenge him.

"Everyone out."

Five Pokeballs hit the ground, and five Pokemon appeared as the light faded. He had picked out a team that would be most likely effective against the Amazon King's Water and Fighting types.

"Bellossom!"
"Flaafy!"
"Slooow."
"Froslass."
"Foo!"

Suzu floated down to greet her brothers and sisters. Tag crossed his arms, smiling as they all breathed in the sea-air.

"Kyoko. Enka. Tonbo. Orin. Razo. Suzu." Tag roll-called, smiling down at his team of surprisingly small Pokemon. They were all quite cute, meaning they were quite the opposite of what one would expect of a thug-looking, tattoo-faced, long-coat wearing trainer.

"We've got a gym match coming up, so it's time to prepare. Suzu, Kyoko. Over here. Tonbo, Razo, you're a pair. Orin, Enka, pair up. I want Kyoko using Magical Leaf; Suzu, you dodge them as best you can with Agility, Light Screen, and Swift. Tonbo, can you use your water gun and water pulse on Razo? Razo, dodge them and try to hit back with Swift. Enka, Orin. Thundershock and Ice Shard. Focus on hitting while dodging, so as not to waste any movement."

They all nodded at their assignments, looking up at their trainer a heartwarming determination. With a nod, Tag stepped back, leaning against the railing to watch his Pokemon work.