Sojaveña Wilds Silver Riverside

[Weazel]

His sudden appearance seemed to come as a shock to one of the assembled. The Meowth, Jade if he remembered right, had watched him swim to shore. Now, as he approached the group, he shot the feline an easy smirk.

“Surprised? I often have that effect on Pokemon,” he said, voice just the right mix of bravado and playfulness to make it hard to tell how serious he was being. Of course, only Koa had any real idea just how surprising running into him could be. For the rest, that was a surprise the Buizel could still spring. He glanced at each of the assembled Pokemon in turn. “Hey Koa, Anubis, Jade…”

His vision settled on the preening little bird. Shit, what had been their name? Virgil? No, that wasn’t quite it. Dustin had met way too many people all at once to keep them all straight. Jade at least was easy to remember, she was a friend of a friend after all. But a friend’s friend’s… Ally, or something? That was a struggle.

“… Anyway,” he pivoted, more than a little awkwardly, back to the group as a whole, “Sounds like you’re all in a rush to evolve. Guess I can’t exactly relate, I was never a Floatzel.”

 

[Tetra]

Anubis had been watching Jade wield the flames with fascination and approval. "Excellent choice of element." The comment drew a slight grin from Koa. Bias much?

Then Virga's words caught up to Koa. 'This form'? It didn't sound like the way Anubis spoke of being back in his Houndour form. More like he wasn't used to this form at all. "Corviknight are pretty good physical fighters and really tough, so it'll be a good idea to work on that. Were you not-"

He was cut short as Dustin emerged from the water. "Hey Dustin!" he called happily. He was glad to see he seemed to be adjusting to his new situation. Dustin's awkward pivot wasn't lost on him, he was all to familiar with that himself.

"Yeah Virga and Anubis both really want to evolve," he said casually to Dustin. It took a great deal of restraint not to immediately say 'Hey Jade, this is my friend Dustin he's actually Lugia and its super sick' . Not his secret to share yet.

Koa stretched and shook his paws. "I bet we can get close to doing that pretty fast if we try."

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Excellent choice of element." The comment drew a slight grin from Koa. Bias much?

"Oh, um, thanks," Jade replied, grinning back. "Been trying to practice as many as I can, since y'know... normal-type." She figured she'd leave out the part where Water was the first element she'd made any headway with, thanks to training with the samurai Kyoko.

“Sounds like you’re all in a rush to evolve. Guess I can’t exactly relate, I was never a Floatzel.”

Koa stretched and shook his paws. "I bet we can get close to doing that pretty fast if we try."

Virga clacked her beak. "It would seem that those of us who have just arrived are... rather weak compared to the others. "Testing our capabilities against each other would be the most sensible."

It wasn't the first time Jade had realized that she was, as weird as it seemed, far stronger than Lugia here. In any case, she couldn't argue with the idea. After all... it was probably only a matter of time before the Wayfarers would find themselves in battle again, and if the newcomers couldn't hold their own, there'd be trouble.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Malachai had spent a scant pair of days on this new planet, and his initial resentment was already – slowly but surely – giving way to pragmatism. He was engaged in this reality, so he would need to regain strength. He was a Noibat, and he needed to evolve once again... Therefore, he needed to train.

He flew over this 'Frontier Town', seeking Wayfarers, and found himself drawn to the bright ribbon in the scrublands that was the Silver. Pragmatism was one thing – perhaps once he evolved he would feel himself enough to appreciate this world's beauty, and the opportunity to explore a reality other than his own.

Right now, however, he had definitively practical concerns: make allies, and (should they be amenable) battle them.

"Good day," he said, announcing himself as he came to an abrupt landing beside the one that resembled Laura. "I heard you mention training."

He heard everything, more or less. Perquisites of being a bat.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade blinked at the well-spoken bat who'd just landed on the riverbank beside them. Right, that was... Laura's partner, right? She wished she'd gotten a better introduction; she couldn't even remember his name, just that it was long and kind of important-sounding.

"Uh, yeah, some of the new arrivals were thinking of testing out their skills before we get into a real fight." She paused for a bit, tail swishing. "Did you want to train too? That'd make four, which is enough for a double battle." Something about making it a double battle felt right.

Virga fluttered forward. "If I recall correctly, you were also given a more diminutive form than you were accustomed. We're alike in that, I suppose."

The Rookidee inclined her head as a greeting. "I am called Virga here. And you are?"

 

[Tetra]

Koa saw a serious gleam enter Anubis gaze, and felt the slight increase in heat coming from him. He suspected the Houndour was already raring to fight.

The new arrival drew Anubis and Koa's attention. Another bat, how interesting. He'd long since learned about underestimating an opponent. "A double battle sounds excellent," Anubis said.

Koa felt mildly less enthusiastic than his pokemon. Double battles had never been his strong suit, but he supposed practice wouldn't hurt.

 

[Jackie Cat]

The Noibat bowed lightly to Virga.

"I am called Malachai," he replied. "It is my firm hope and intent to return to an evolved form with all haste. I wish you the same success, Virga."

He glanced over the others present, and a knowing smile teased at the corner of his mouth. He'd spotted some subtlety, some unity of movement in each pair.

"Pokémon trainers and their partners," he murmured, pensively. "That is what you are, yes?"

 

[Weazel]

Virga! That was it. Glad that crisis was averted, then. He’d almost seriously embarrassed himself. The Buizel didn’t have much time to feel relieved though, as their little group was suddenly joined by yet another face he was going to have to remember. A Noibat by the name of Malachai, who talked with the kind of tedious formality that reminded him oh so much of the birds whose blessing he’d had to seek to earn the Legendary gig. And then accused him of being some human’s tamed pet.

“Guess again, buddy; ain’t no humans on my world,” the Buizel replied.

With the new arrival added in, Jade proposed they pair off and fight two on two. Presumably that meant Koa and the Meowth would be sitting out, then. That seemed fair enough. His time traveling with Koa had made it pretty obvious to the Buizel that, even if all four of the newbies took on just him alone the fight would still be heavily stacked in the Electric canine’s favor. Jade, as his contemporary, would likely be just as tough. But the four of them should be in relatively even position.

“Yeah, two on two’s fine,” the Buizel affirmed.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Malachai's ears swivelled like telecoms dishes towards Dustin.

"Mm... No, not you. No, you're something else." The bat indicated first Koa-Anubis, and then Jade-Virga with pointed wingtip. "You've trained together... and you two. Mm, not trained. Travelled? Something like that?"

He frowned, as if the reaction from the Meowth and Rookidee had taken him aback.

"Never mind it," he added, as if thinking better of pressing a suspected wound.