Open Green Hills and Blue Skies

~Alex

Alex grinned as he sat at the picnic table, his team all chatting with each other in front of him. There were five tables, one for each of the kids, but Alex was currently the only one there, the rest were to be arriving shortly. Alex was happy to have companions on his venture through his homeland, and was quite certain that it would be a very enjoyable time. A small cry catches his attention, and he sees that Ezaia has fallen to the ground, possibly from Set's roughhousing. Alexs smiles gently as he picks her up, looking into her eyes.

"It's alright Ezaia, it's just Set's way of behaving. Not alot we can do about it, but then again, where would the fun in that be? Here..." Alex places the young Riolu on his head, helping her with her glasses, "...lets watch for our traveling companions as the other five play."

Kiara walked two miles to where she was supposed to go. She was excited to start her journey, and she knew she would be better than anyone at it, but she was extremely tired! She arrived and sat at her picnic table. She looked at the boy at the other picnic table.

"Hey there. I'm Kiara." she said.

Clutching Masque close to her chest, Atem slowly stalked toward the picnic tables, her eyes narrowing. As she drew near to the tables, Masque looked up at her. "...Meep?"

Atem smiled softly with her licorice lips as she stroked his head. "Need not to worry," she whispered to him, though it sounded like she was reassuring herself more than him. In all truth, Atem was a bit nervous about meeting others after what happened. Since her brother's passing, her trust in others fell drastically along with her kindness. Nonetheless, she was terribly bitter without him, and the only one that didn't feel her wrath was Masque.

She silently lay Masque on the picnic table and, ignoring the others entirely, slid onto the table's chair. She fished her cell phone from her pack and flipped it open, checking the time. Pocketing it again, she turned to the Shuppet.

Masque blinked at her once more. "Meep?" he squeaked.

Atem rolled her eyes as she flicked his rings, letting the soft metallic ping slice through the air.

Duncan walked in quick, short steps. He chewed absentmindedly on his fingernails, his eyes flicking all around him. He stopped when he observed the tables ahead of him. Five of them, five kids. Five children and five heads, heads or tails? No tails, just tailbones. And that was the most peculiar thing, indeed.

Vasile floated lazily next to him, currently upside down. Clemm bobbed around in the Pokeball in his pocket. He sat down setting the ball on the table, watching it rock back and forth. Vasile observed opposite of him. As Dink's finger tapped the button, releasing Clemm, he turned to look at the others. He didn't so much as take note of them as their mannerisms. All things had a purpose. Except for slugs. They did nothing to aid nature, and were far to rubbery to enjoy as a meal. Perhaps if they were mixed with cheese and- no, there more important things to worry about. Like all the dismembered ants he was making. Yes, much more important.

He began giggling to himself as he grabbed another ant. "Little Jack Horner sat in the corner eating his Christmas pie... He put in his thumb, and pulled out a plum," Dink whispered quickly to himself. "And said, 'What a good boy am I!'"

Hey guys, Lirrus told me that we haven't gotten our Pokemon yet. =\

Fletcher's steps were awkward and fumbly. His anticipation was high-not only would he finally get his own Pokémon, something that he must have wanted for years now, but he'd be talking to kids his own age for the first time in what was probably forever. His stomach tide itself into a knot as he approached the five tables, and groaned inwardly at his being the last to arrive. Late to his own party, as it were. On one table an elegant young brat snubbed her nose at everybody, at another a rather scary young boy was... dissecting ants? And two others at a table seemed to be talking to another, one with their own team of Pokémon.

Fletcher grinned and rubbed his outrageously spiked hair. Soon, he would get his very own Pokémon, and start his very own journey with these kids. He made a mental note to stay away from the dissector and the snob, and approach the other two instead. They'd probably be easier to carry on with. His hands rubbed together in anticipation, he was going to love every second of this adventure, despite how nervous he was, he could just feel it. He'd almost be sorry when he stole everything these chumps owned, and emptied Nanka Kurohari's bank account. Almost.

Walking past towards the ones he had targeted for friendship, he sat on a nearby table and waved to the two of them, a self-conscious hand running through the back of his hair, and he grinned what he hoped was a confident grin and said:

"'ey, guys, I'm Fletcher. Who're you?"

Kiara turned to the voice calling both of them. It was a boy walking awkwardly. He had no pokeon with him, unlike the other two. She smiled at this guy, considering it was nice to meet new friends. "Hi Fletcher, I'm Kiara."

She turned back to the boy who had been here first. "And you never told me your name. What's your name" She asked the boy (Alex) again.

~Alex/Nanka

Alex was about to reply when he head his father.

"Ah, good to see all of you made it on time, I'm not one to enjoy people being late." Nanka began, Spatz sitting on his shoulder as he carried a tray fillied with Pokéballs. "Now lets see...Nekko will be first."

Nanka proceded to her table, and set down three Pokéballs, ensuring each let out their respective Pokémon. A Duskull, an Eevee, and a Gothita all appeared upon the table, regarding their new trainer, and freind, with the youthful perspective they had. "Kiara is next."

Nanka proceded to do the same, but letting the Ponyta and Lapras appear on the ground next to the table instead. The Bonsly, Charmander, and two Eevees appeared upon the table, and began conversing with each other and Kiara. "Fletcher, your next."

This time a Ralts, Cherubi, and Litwick appeared upon the table, and a Rhyhorn next to it. The Rhyhorn was still asleep, but the other three were quick to address their new trainer. "And...Duncan. Only one choice I see, well, I guess that means you'll likely be catching new freinds along the way."

The single Pokéball released a Croagunk, who sat on the table with a strange admiration of his new trainer.

"Now that all of you have your teams, I'd like to say a few words; This is your journey through a wonderous land, make the best of it, form deep freindships with your teams, and periodically, try to make new freinds. As the one famous line goes, 'The more, the merrier.' I'll leave you five to mingle for a bit, and meet your respective new freinds, then I'll escort the five of you to Sandgem so as to begin your journey." With that, Nanka proceeded inside, leaving the five with each other.

"Hi Fletcher, Kiara, I'm Alex, Alex Kurohari, and as you can guess, that was my dad. So...where are you two from?" Alex replied to the two of them, a large grin plastered somewhat foolishly upon his face. Ezaia had fallen asleep upon his head, and was now somewhat drooped over his greyish white hair, whilst the rest of his Pokémon where begining to leave the table, wanting to make new freinds with their future travelling companions.

Kiara was amazed at her new Pokemon. Already, four of them were inclined to trust her- Charmander, Lapras, Ponyta, and the espeon coloured Eevee. The Bonsly was pretty shy, ad the other Eevee was just sleeping. Kiara knew just what to name them. Xena would be the Charmander's name, considering Xena is a warrior princess, and this Charmander seemed that it wuld become a warrior someday.

The Lapras would be named Lucy, on account that it seems really gentle. The Ponyta would be named Cassie, as Cassie sounds like a fitting name for a horse. The Bonsly woul be named Timmy, since...well, actually, Kiara just liked the name Timmy.

The Espeon coloured Eevee would be named Sunny, since it has such a sunny personality. Finally, the Umbreon coloured Eevee would be named Umbra. This Eevee didn't seem to trust Kiara at all, because it didn't bother to even acknowledge her. The Umbreon coloured Eevee seemed to be the opposite of sunny. The opposite of sun. Umbra, meaning Moon.

Kiara adored these Pokemon. She was suddenly thrown in the air. When she fell back to the ground, she landed on Cassie. Cassie wanted Kiara to ride on it.

Kiara turned to Alex. "I'm from Cianwood city in Johto," she said, as if that city was the best city ever. "I have actually seen a legendary Pokemon. It was a dog silhoutte with a flowy mane. Ever since seeing that, I wanted to go on a journey, and my prayers have been answered!" she continued on.

Atem blinked her blue-gray eyes at her new Pokemon. Masque floated backwards closer to his owner with a defensive glare at the others, and flinched when the Duskull "Fwee'd" cheerfully. The Eevee gave the Shuppet a small nod as her greeting, and the male Gothita had a small, prideful smirk as he cocked his head back and "hmphed."

Atem turned to the Duskull first. "Spiritus. That will be your name. It fits quite well," she reached her hand out to him and softly petted his ghostly head. "Fwee!" Spiritus cried, as happy as ever. His strange blue eyes blinked at Atem a few times and then at Masque. "Fwee?" he tilted a bit toward the Shuppet, whom sharpened his stare.

The Goth turned to the Eevee. "With a close tie between Vesper and Aveen, it shall indeed be Aveen," she stated, her voice monotone. The Eevee gave her an understanding stare and nodded curtly. "Myeh." Atem moved her hand to Aveen's small skull as she stroked her fur. Masque let out a jealous "Meep" at this.

And finally she turned to the prideful Gothita, whom's back was turned to the others. "Enigma seems like a good choice. It will be so." Enigma glanced over at her and, after adjusting his bow, he stepped closer. "Nyah." He looked at Masque and sneered a bit at his jewelry, a small smirk pulling at his lips. Masque scowled deeply at Enigma and rested his head on Atem's chest.

After all the naming was done, the three other Pokemon chatted among themselves. "Masque, why don't you go with them?" Atem whispered to her Shuppet. "They're your new teammates, after all."

Masque gave her a stare saying "you should do the same with the other people here, then," but Atem ignored it as she rested her cheek in her palm, avoiding eye-contact with the others.

Fletcher was momentarily lost in his own Pokémon. Immediately, the Cherubi, a supposedly perpetually morose species, bounded cheerfully into his arms. He fell backwards in surprise, and then his back was on the grass and it was nuzzling into his face and whispering "Cher....Cher....". He burst out laughing and righted himself.

The Ralts on the table was dancing happily in a bid to cheer up the rather depressed-looking Litwick, but in vain. The Rhyhorn stayed where it was, on the floor beside the table, sleeping peacefully. "So..." Fletcher began, addressing his Pokémon. "It seems naming you would be the first thing to do, and, hey, cut that out!" The last part of the sentence being directed at the Cherubi, still nuzzling contentedly into him. "Slow down, Cher-Bear" he whispered, and instantly he decided this was her name.

He turned his attention to the Ralts, who had given up on the depressed little candle. Fletcher leaned into it, wondering what would be a good name, and decided the Pokémon's gender would be helpful to know. He bent down to ask, but it seemingly already knew the question he was going to ask and flicked his forehead in annoyance. He grinned, and Christened it Flick, and resolved to learn its gender at a later date.

He talked to the morose Litwick, but could get little out of him, and so he named him "Snub". No matter how hard he yelled, the Ryhorn would not get up, so he called him "Dozer". With the naming out of the way, he turned back to his peers.

"Johto, eh? Can't say I know that place. And...you saw a dog with a mane? Not that I doubt you, or anything, but you know Arancine's exist too, right? Legendary Pokémon are just that-stuff of legend. Fake."

Addressing Alex's query, he shrugged. "Just around Sinnoh. What about you? With a name like yours, I doubt you're from around here."

Kiara got only a bit irritated that he didn't believe her. She was about to argue in a nasty tone, but thought about his sentance. It couldn't have been an Arcanine, because an Arcanine's mane is much shorter than the being Kiara saw.

"No, it wasn't an Arcanine. The mane from that silhoutte was actually flowing. It move with the wind. I think there was also some kind of headset on it? I know it's legendary, and I know it's real." she said bluntly. She desperately wanted to meet the being again, and going on a journey was the best way to do that.

Xena climbed up ontop of Cassie, and snuggled with Kiara (Kiara being on Cassie). Sunny did the exact same, and both of them fell instantly asleep.

Timmy was suddenly very active and was ridinng on Lucy. Lucy didn't seem to mind that Timmy was riding it. Umbra was...sleeping...meh.

Dink's head shot up at the Croagunk before him. He was in the middle of reciting the story of the Jabberwocky to himself. He continued as he and the Coagunk stared into each other's faces. "And, as in uffish thought he stood, the Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, came whiffling through the tulgey wood..." He smiled a crooked smile.

"Jabberwocky... Yes, yes, you can be the Jabberwocky, yes? Oh, no, too long, too rough, but Wocky, yes, that will roll off the tongue, no?" He laughed quietly." The Croagunk had no apparent protest to this name, so Dink accepted it.

His head violently snapped to face the direction of another table. A blonde-haired girl was arguing with some boy, no doubt as thick-headed as a Golem, about legendaries. Dink jumped up from his seat, and in just a few short moments, had darted over to the table she was at. He hopped onto it, crouching with his elbows on his knees. He leaned forward until their noses were almost touching. All this in just a few seconds.

"Legends. Myths. Yet inspired, but by what? More legends, more questions, fewer answers, so how to answer? No answers, that simple!" He laughed again. He turned and pushed his face closer to the boy. "Stories come from somewhere, yes? Yes! Or not! Why be surprised when they're true? Don't be! But you'll always be shocked, won't you, yes." Another laugh escaped him, and he gleefully hopped down from the table, pulling a stale cracker out of his pocket. As he walked calmly back to his table, as though nothing had happened, he munched on it absentmindedly, pondering the mysteries of what life would be like as a dead fish.

Kiara stared at this strage boy who had jumped on here picnic table. "Listen you, I saw that beast with my own eyes. The mane flew like the wind. It wasn't an arcanine. I know it was a legendary."

She get her satchel from her shoulders, and opened it. There were a few book, a tiny paint kit, losse leaf paper, pencils, and a Nintend Ds with a couple games inside. She carefully took a book out, which was named "Legends of Johto"

"See this?" she said snobbily as she put the book to the kid's face. "IT's a book about the legends of Johto that were proven true."

She flipped the pages and stopped on one page. It had the silhouette of the dog thing she saw years ago, but only a silhouette. There was no name, and no colour.

"This is the silhouette I saw years ago. It's been seen by others, but only a few others. This silhouette is real!" she said, stubborn as an Aggron.

Atem was getting irritated from the senseless argument about some canine's shadow. Cocking her head toward them, she stated loudly in a monotone voice, "You do realize how hopeless the search for that dog is? Honestly, you'll never find it, so I would suggest leaving it as it is."

She turned back to her Pokemon as her eyes softened. "Pay them no mind," she ordered quietly, placing Masque by the others. Spiritus blinked a couple of times at the Shuppet, and offered his most cheerful "Fwee." Masque stared at him for a while, then inaudibly answered him, "Meep." Aveen gave them both a small, genuine smile, but Enigma rudely stuck his tounge out at them, "Nyahing" as he sat on the edge of the table, kicking his stubby feet back and forth.

Kiara glared at the girl hatefully. "Listen Monotone, if I found it once, I can find it again. That canine stared at me with intent. It wanted me to find it. If I found it once, I'll find it again." She chuckled at the nickname she gave this girl. This girl spoke like a robot, with no emotion whatsoever.

Kiara was still on cassie, and Xena and Sunny were still sleeping on Kiara's lap. Cassie started to trot around, waking the two sleeping pokemon. The two fell asleep again, getting used to the trotting. Kiara enjoyed riding on Cassie. She had never riden a horse before.

Fletcher shrugged at the girl and her book. "Whatever. Our lady mistress there is right. Whatever you saw, or think you saw, you're doubtful to find it here. I don't give much thought to legends and myths myself. This world has enough in it all ready, this wonderfully huge, incomprehensible world, and we shouldn't try to cheapen it with pathetic man-made inventions and legends. Let it be what it is."

He turned from the girl, to the strange boy with the Groagunk. "Hey. You. You said myths start from somewhere. Why couldn't they start from somewhere perfectly natural, like an Arcanine with an unusually long mane, or a trick of the light, and blossom into such a flight of fancy as we can observe in this girl's book?"

Fletcher grinned inwardly. He was repeating, word for word, a speech his father had used against some foreign religious woman in Hearthrome, minutes before he stole a considerable amount of riches from her. He was sure it would go down just as well here.

Atem scoffed quietly at the ridiculously irrational nickname the blonde had given her, and although an arrogant smirk pulled at her coal-colored lips, she remained silent as she turned back to them, crossing her legs and folding her arms. She felt Spiritus float onto her left shoulder as Aveen peered over at the others on her right, and Masque drifted silently into her arms. Enigma, however, stayed perfectly still where he was, his head still tilted toward the sky and his eyes closed in distaste.

"Fwee?" Spiritus blinked, looking at Atem curiously. The Goth rolled her eyes and answered softly, "It's nothing."

Aveen fidgeted a bit on her shoulder, leaning closer to the scene that played out in front of her, and Masque snuggled closer into his trainer's arms, sighing quietly.

Dink's voice stopped midway through another rhyme, and his head snapped in the direction of the boy once more. He grinned. "Who are we to say what is in the world?" He lifted an ant between his fingers, showing it to the boy. "We're only little, little ants, and though we question, we can never answer, can we? No no no, only work until..." He sighed as he squished the bug between his thumb and finger.

And then he began giggling to himself again. He flicked away the ant's remains, then shot once more over to the boy, grasping his shoulders.
The rest of the poem was spoken so quietly, that it was inaudible to even Dink. He was laughing the whole way through, as though it were some hilarious joke that only he could understand because only he knew the poem. Because that's exactly what it was. "Never assume, never blink, or you'll miss it all! All the cheese in the wheel!" He released the boy's shoulders again, and once more began his return trip to his table, as though nothing had happened, chewing his fingernails.

~Alex

"Actually, this is my home town. Though I've heard that my thrice great-grandfather had moved here from a distant land, but that's lost in history. Holly Town is pretty great though, but I've needed to go out on this journey for sometime, I just feel...I dunno, cooped up, or cramped, if I stay in one spot too long." Alex replied, smiling happily, and carefully ensuring that Ezaia wouldn't fall. "So you and your father were, or are, drifters? That's an interesting lifestyle. But now I suppose we all will be able to benefit from that kind of life."

"Guys, guys, lets not bicker, there's no need for it, everyone's entitled to their opinions!" Nanka exclaimed as he emerged from the front door, a satchel over his shoulder. "Though Kiara, if you were to have seen that sillouette then you are quite lucky. Anyways, it's time for us to make our way to Sandgem. I hope you all are well acquianted, as you will be spending copius amounts of time with each other for the next while."