Open Green Hills and Blue Skies

[Coroxn]

"In-intrusive? But-"

Part of every conversation was, of course, listening and responding to the other person's words, or otherwise the excursion was more similar to a series of monologues. It could never be said that Fletcher dismissed and ignored other people's opinions outright.

So when Cassy told him, non-too-gently, that he was being intrusive, he doubted. It occurred to him that despite how little he was around the same people for any large amount of time, being in this group was easy-he didn't have to constantly be thinking of the right thing to say, as was per norm, because there were no real goals, just a general, defeat-some-Gym-Leaders-have-fun thing. And with no ultimate goals, nothing to be working towards steering conversation to, he was left in a situation which he was surprised hadn't hit him earlier. It had all come so naturally.

And here he was, intruding.

Had he made any other mistakes?

And suddenly he was silent, thinking everything he had said to the group over and over again to himself, trying to determine whether or not they were mistakes the group wasn't pointing out due to embarrassment, or sentences they accepted. He was barely aware of the group moving onwards, of Alex's words, and he certainly wasn't in any humour to appreciate beautiful night views.

 

[Lil Kuchiki]

((GRRRRRRRR DERRRR MUST POST SOMETHING FRRRRRRRR))

"Well, maybe intrusive isn't the best word." Cassy twirled her ponytail around her finger, staring at the bill of her cap. "Pushy? Or forward? Over-enthusiastic. Yeah, that. I dunno, but you get the point." She glanced at him again. He hadn't reacted very well to this fact. She hoped he hadn't thought he was perfect or anything. She didn't like tearing people off their ego-based thrones unless they totally deserved it, and Fletcher didn't seem too bad. A little pretentious, but not bad.

She began playing with her PokeTech as though it had some sudden interest to her. "So anyways, Fletcher, that's just my first impression. Not too bad, really. You're human. Your hair is very... Unique, and you seem like the type to enjoy owning things. I think you're alright-" She stopped mid-sentence, looking up at Alex.

"We gonna' go to the Coal Mine? Most of the Pokemon available to me before Oreburgh aren't too tough against Rock-types, so a Geodude, or if God is so kind, an Onix, would be my best bet."

 

[Spatz]

~Alex

Alex nodded,

"Sure, of course we'll go to the coal mine. Mot everyone has to come, I hear theres plenty of things to do in Oreburgh, including a museum." Alex saw that Duncan wasn't doing much and spoke in his direction, "You already to go yet Duncan? Mustn't continue standing around after all..." Alex turned heel, and of he went, leading the group down the new route.



(Short post is to get us on the way, conversations can still happen, but everything must now progress...and someone can catch a Pokemon on this route if they wish, but it has to be region specific, so nothing that isn't naturally native to Sinnoh)

 

[Black Yoshi]

Dink looked up. "Of course I'm ready." He smiled. "Just saying goodbye." He said as he lightly stroked a rock with the tips of his fingers. He stood up, saluting the rock with three fingers before kicking it into the woods, and pulling a few leaves off a tree. He put the leaves in his mouth and obediently followed the others.

He began considering their destination when Cassy mentioned the Coal Mine. He began whispering to himself.

"Now the city has a studded nose,
Because the city is so pretty, and the city knows:
The city, she almost fooled me underneath the
Chicken sky- The city is so pretty,
But the city lie:
I loved the city and all its vermilion moods and ice-creams,
With parks and busses and city airplanes
And city rides- City coffins and city dies;
And I watched the city get drunk and turn around
And raise its monuments and party down;
And I sat upon one of her benches in a speculating mood,
And wondered if the city was so pretty,
Why was she so rude: The vulgar nebulas of the city’s
Eyes, the narcissisms of its displays:
There are so many well suited boys better than I out walking
In their sunny city days:
And I realized, the city didn’t love me,
The city plays and paws and eats up little boys such as
Me- She said she loves her little poet boys, such as me,
But the sweet, sweet city lies,
Because the city is so pretty, studded nosed and stunning eyed,
But she uses her autumn facades to blind the autumn chicken skies-
The pretty, pretty city has me hypnotized,
But the pretty, pretty city lies."
​

He laughed to himself. He wondered if this city would treat him as the poet's city treated him.

 

[Zexion]

Wondering up ahead, Ogio spies a shaking bush. He looks in and sees a little Budew. He pulls out his flash cards and sees that they are a grass-type. He walks back to the group and says, "There is a good grass-type, a Budew, up ahead. If you want a good Pokemon to fight Roark, that's one."

He glances to see if anyone wants it, petting his Swinub.

 

[Coroxn]

"I have a Cherubi, I'm good, thanks," Fletcher mumbled absent mindedly. True, he could catch it, but he'd prefer to save his sixth and final battle slot for a truly special Pokémon, of which very few people could count Budew. Other beginner trainers would benefit from the creature's company more than he would at this point.

He kept on wandering up ahead.

 

[DarkAura]

Kiara thought long and hard about capturing the Budew or not. She already has seven Pokemon, but none were strong against Roark. Of course, she could just train her Pokemon and have some strategies, so she just passed the Budew.

 

[Spatz]

(OOC: GM controls activate!)

~Alex


Alex saw that Ogio had pointed out the Budew. Alex smiled a little, the little plant was busy poking about, clearly looking for something, but somewhat whimsically. As no one else made any interest in the Budew, Alex decided to lead them on their way.

Over the course of the next few hours the troup made their way along the path, a slight uphill incline towards the looming mountain. On either side there was sparse forest, with breaks of flatland frequenting it. By nightfall they had arrived at the entrance to the Oreburgh gate, and Alex came to a halt, and motioned for them to set up camp, pulling out his tent.

"Ok guys, we'll sleep here tonight, and in the morning we'll make our way through the cave to Oreburgh. So I guess, get yourselves set up, and if you neglected to bring appropriate gear, remember that Ogio has extra stuff." Alex announced, as he tapped a button, unfolding and expanding the tent to it's full form. "Oh, and it's best if we make sure we eat, as well as our teams."

 

[Zexion]

Ogio looks up at Oreburgh Gate, the sun setting nearby, and breathed deeply. He pulled one of his tents out, listening to Alex. "Yep, I had a couple of people travling with me and they left me. I have two more tents and some other gear. Pokemon food, water bottles and pots and pans."

He pulled the tent up, stuck the poles in the ground, and pulled it all together. The tent was a dark purple and had the image of a ghost on the side. He sent out the rest of his Pokemon; along with his Swinub was a Gastly, a Natu, a Sunkern, and a Mantine. Even the water typed Mantine found a nearby lake and made herself happy.

 

[DarkAura]

Kiara got out a dissassembled tent from her bag and put it together. The tent was an indigo color, with a Poliwhirl picture on it. After setting the tent up, she looked through her bag and got some Pokemon food out. She sent her Pokemon out, Xena, Windswept, Lucy, Sunny, Timmy, and Cassie, and fed them. After her Pokemon were fed, her Pokemon went to sleep in different places; Windswept slept in a nearby tree, Lucy slept in the lake that Ogio's Matine was in, Cassie slept upright next to the tree Windswept was in, and Timmy, Xena, and Sunny slept in the tent.

 

[Coroxn]

"Wait...they left you, and their stuff? Strange people you were with, Ogio," Fletcher called out as he unpacked his ridiculously expensive tent. There were more functional models, but Dad had had the money to splash, so here he was. A tiny thing, he would probably feel cramped and constricted all night. He took out a bag of crisps from his pack and nommed happily away, scrunching it into the side pocket of the bag when he was done.

He released his Pokémon and fed them, and was somewhat surprised when a usually antisocial Dozer crawled into his tent after eating. The young Rhyhorn looked very solid and immoveable there.

"Hey, man, don't-"

He was interrupted by the rest of his Pokémon, who all clambered into the tent as well, taking up most of the already sparse space. He raised his voice to protest, thought about it, shrugged, and clambered in after them, zipping the tent short as he proceeded.
It was cosier than he'd expected what with the unexpected company, and would likely prove to be an enjoyable night's rest.

"Night guys," he said, to the camp at large.

 

[Spatz]

~Alex

Alex sent out all of his Pokémon, and placed a small bowl of food in front of each, allowing them to eat. He took out a small bag of trail mix, and began to eat as he watched the sun finally descend over the edge of the treeline. His green tent was fairly large for a tent, as Alex had wanted a tent that he and his team could comfortably sleep within. The chirping of Kricketot could be heard in the distance, a calm song, celebrating the coming of night.

Each of Alex's team members enjoyed their meal quietly, and began chattering amongst each other afterwards. Alex smiled happily as he watched his team socialize amongst themselves. After a little while Alex crawled into his tent, and snuggled into his sleeping bag, falling asleep soundly, his team having fallen asleep where they wished.

 

[Black Yoshi]

((Return of the Dink.))

Dink released his Pokemon, and swiped some food from someone else's supply(He believed it was either Cassy's or Alex's, but he wasn't sure). He didn't think they would mind. If they did, he had plenty of time to repay them for a little food. After all, his Pokemon didn't have the same resourceful taste he did. They didn't find tree bark, pinecones, dead pine needles, or most grubs very satisfying.

The three of them set to work on the food. They eventually found themselves in as comfortable positions as possible, and were asleep in seconds. Dink had no sleeping bag or blankets, but he never really used those for anything other than hiding himself. He pulled his hood over his head, and crawled up a tree with branches low enough for him to reach. He stopped when the branches would no longer support his weight (So you understand, he was quite high), and wedged himself between a few branches. Comfy for now. In a few hours, he'd be sore and wake up, but that was fine. He didn't care for sleep, and he had much more to do out here than in that stuffy little hotel room.

As he drifted off to sleep, he muttered a little something he'd thought up ages ago. He didn't usually make his own poetry, songs, or anything, but this one happened on accident one day.

"Rock-a-bye baby, don't close your eyes.
Up in the stars, you fall from so high
If you stop looking. So just go to sleep.
In dreams where you're falling, we will not meet.

Rock-a-bye baby, keep your eyes wide
Above a painted world, in cradle you cry.
But don't forget, don't let it go dark
For these things you imagine are not where you are.

Rock-a-bye baby, in a strange world
Awake and dreaming, stars unfurled
Just let your eyes close, don't start falling yet.
Just let your eyes close and let yourself forget.

Rock-a-bye baby, sleeping so sound
Dreaming a world where we all fall down.
I won't meet you there. You know what I said.
So don't give up on reality yet.

These things you imagine are not what you are
Don't let us go falling through the sky like stars..."​

He fell asleep wondering what sort of deranged parent puts their child in a tree, anyway. And they call him crazy.

 

[Lil Kuchiki]

Cassy popped out her own little tent and sleeping bag. She pulled her hairband off, letting her hair fall down loosely. In a short time, she was crawling into her bag, with Clu snuggling close to her chest. Boy, had she screwed up today. That Budew had been wide open, calling her name. And she loved Budew. But nobody wanted to stop, it seemed like, so she had ignored it. She'd get one, though. Alex seemed to be the only other one who was truly interested in the same types of battles as her. And even if she was ten times the trainer he was (which she figured she wasn't; given the Kurohari Family Name, he was probably more than a little knowledgeable), she could never compete against his numbers.

She watched Duncan make off with some of Clu's food and crawl up a tree like Gollum. Little wierdo. She'd make him pay her back for the food later. Hopefully he wouldn't offer her tree bark or anything.

Her mind still in a jumble, Cassy eventually drifted off to sleep, thinking about Alex's team, Dink's eccentricities, Atem's choice of lipstick, and Fletcher's hair. What a bedhead that would probably be come tomorrow morning.

 

[Ulqi-chan]

Unlike the others, Atem didn't carry a large pack—there was no need to when you could miniaturize everything to work out. Pulling a small, yellow capsule out of her pack, she pressed the button on the side and carelessly tossed it onto the ground, watching it sit there for a brief second. However, within moments, a small, somewhat exaggerated boom came from it, with a puff of smoke and dust to follow. In moments, the cloud cleared, revealing a comfortable-sized tent. Ha, technology. And money, too. Those two things got you places... and saved you a lot of trouble, no doubt.

Fleeing into the isolation of her tent, Atem released her team, letting Enigma sit by himself in the corner of it, frowning at his teammates in arrogance, Aveen and Spiritus chat happily, and Masque rest soundlessly in her arms. After feeding them and herself fairly, she let them interact with each other for a few more minutes. She smiled vaguely as Aveen convinced Enigma to join her and Spiritus in their gossip, and surprisingly the Gothita turned out to be quite the conversationist after the blue-eyed Duskull mentioned something in a high-pitched fwee.

The Goth pulled her hair out from the buns, letting it fall messily on her shoulders, and put the bands in her pack. She settled down into a sleeping bag that came with the tent capsule, and snuggled Masque close to her chest. Her Eevee had gone to rest by Enigma, and the Gothita actually welcomed her in doing so. Spiritus fell asleep by Masque, and Atem felt herself beam at her team. "Sweet dreams," she mumbled subconsciously, drifting into sleep.

 

[Spatz]

((OOC: And the night goes by in a single post, gaspeth!))

~Alex

Alex slept soundly through the night, the soft chirps of Kricketot in the far off distance creating a sweet natural lullaby for all those listening to feel at ease.

The first one up was Zhassa, and with several care movements, she emerged from the tent, and looked for a suitable piece of envioronment to train against, allowing herself to toughen her claws and fists by continually, and somewhat rythmitically, pounding a rock a slight distance away. Ezaia and Jade woke up a little while longer, and Jade made quick work to get the Riolu training for the gym match later that day.

Eventually Alex awoke, finding his tent much less crowded, and yet still hard to get up, as Set had taken to falling asleep on his chest.

"Set." Alex whispered as he nudged Set, "Set, wake up."

Set remained motionless, sleeping gently and contently, making no indication of awaking. With a clear thump, Alex pushed Set off of his chest and onto the floor of the tent beside him. This awoke Set quite quickly, and Alex quickly found himself recieving an onslaught of a groggy disgruntled Sneasel. Alex made short work of sitting up before he could be pinned again, knowing that momentarily, Gallahad would awake to resolve the situation. After a short kerfuffle later, Alex was up and dressed, and Set was outside training, having completely forgotten about his rude awakening.

Alex got out of his tent, everything already packed, and collapsed it, Gallahad now sitting on his shoulder, and Arcade jittering about with the closest thing to a smile on his insectoid face. Alex pulled out a small cooking kit, and began to prepare for breakfast, a simple meal of pancakes.

 

[Black Yoshi]

((Kerfuffle? X3))

Dink had been very much right in his guess about the night. He'd been up for some time, the knots in the tree digging into his small frame, and he awoke with three red spots on his ribs, and a bruise high on his right leg. He had spent the last three hours or so staring into space, occasionally fiddling with some tree bark. He wasn't hungry, though, so in time, he was dropping little shreds of bark and leaves to watch them float down.

He heard Alex begin moving around. So he crawled down the tree, and crouched at the base of it for a moment. He chewed on a fingernail, and glided over to Alex, where he stared intently at the pancakes. He wasn't even sure if he'd eat one, but he was positive his Pokemon would like it. He muttered a little to himself, now sucking on his sleeve and still staring at the breakfast. All it would be possible to make out of his murmurs was "wake up my dearest friend."

Wocky seemed to be his only Pokemon in a mood for moving around, so stood next to him. While Dink stared at the pancakes, Wocky stared at Dink's hair, wondering what was going on in his master's strange little mind. In fact it went something like, Tread softly, little lizard, you've been devoured by ink and silence. I wonder wonder wonder wonder just why you aren't dead. Who has a coke? My nose if feeling rather numb. (This is because Dink did not enjoy tasting most sodas, but took much delight in sniffing them.) Demons to a faraway tail of a whale with a harpoon in his dorsal fin on a black unicorn riding down the side of an erupting volcano while drinking from a chalice filled with the laughter of small children.

 

[Coroxn]

((Yes. Kerfuffle. A perfectly cromulent word.))

"Blufghugh!" Fletcher choked out, waking. He'd just had the strangest dream. Something about a whale with a stick in it and a black Rapidash on a hill. And laughing. Little children, laughing, laughter thick like some terrible-

"Lllllllts!" Flick called, jumping up and down excitedly when she saw Fletcher was awake. She'd evidentally been waiting for quite a while. Snub, too, was awake, and gazed at him with a slightly bored complacency. He was fijity, and antsy, and wanted to battle, but he could wait a while.

He rolled his Pokémon uncerimoniously out of the tent, all except for Dozer, who he simply withdrew with his Pokéball and deposited outside. He wasn't going to carry the thing. He then found the roundish silver dome on the top of the tent, and pushed down. Its architectural design caused it to cruple, and in seconds it was the chunky cilinder he had taken out the previous night. He slotted it back into his bag, and withdrew a similar-sized bottle of hairspray. One almighty hole in the o-zone later, he was ready for the day.

Pancakes, his favourite meal, seamed to fill the air, and he turned to see Alex cooking some. He cracked a smile. "You brought a kitchen? It's pretty much settled, we can't call it camping any more."

Thinking of food, he turned to his Pokémon. "You all good?" he asked. Everyone nodded, except for Dozer (who was unconscios) and Snub, who shook his head. Fletcher reviewed all he knew about Litwick. "Hang on, you're nocturnal, right? You eat the souls of children or something. Maybe we can get you to an orphan-wait, the souls of children? That's pretty creepy. Would yoy be cool with just Pokéblocks?"

The Litwick nodded. Fletcher took out his sachet (running low, but he had plenty more) and tossed six or seven into Snub's hands. He caught them expertly, and cooked them thoroughly before eating them.

Fletcher just laughed and sat on the ground.

 

[Spatz]

~Alex

"No, this just a small portable thing, typical for a trainer who plans on adventuring in a group. I've seen worse, and bigger. There are somefanatics who carry massive portable kitchens, capable of cooking enough food for a good sized hamlet..." Alex replied to Fletcher comment, "Personally, I like it, nothing more than a double burner powered by a nice sized battery. As well as a small table thing to work with food on. Dad got it in a deal, as he has been contracted on several occasions by the company for specific breeding and such, primarily as mascots and advertisement purposes." Alex continued as he flipped a pancake, allowing it to land properly in the frying pan again. A;ex had just noticed Duncan hovering around, watching him make the relatively simple breakfast. Alex found Duncan strange and amusing, and thus likely made the group that much more unique.

Gallahad was watching curiously as Alex made breakfast, helping make sure that no pancakes flew wide of the pan. The little Ralts had a wide smile on his face, as he greatly enjoyed being helpful.

 

[Coroxn]

Alex talked a little. And then some more. Really, for such an offhand comment, the kid did go on a lot.

"Mascots and addvertisements? Bluh. That's just...they're Pokémon. They have minds, too. Breeding them just for some promotion is sick and wrong."

He stalked away to the tree, because he wanted to sit down and there was a complete lack of benches. He hoisted himself up the thick lower branches easily, and, for whatever reason, decided to keep going. He was only half-surprised to see Dink up there, too.

"Hey, Dink, you...did you spend the night up here? That's....pretty normal, actually, coming from you. D'you have a pleasant experience, or whatever?"

Fletcher also gave the small Croagunk, who's name currently escaped him, a nod.