Pokemon: Mind and Soul [IC/PG-13/Not Accepting]

[Blake]

In a whirlwind of excited speech, Jackie had disappeared yet again. Genny stood in silence for a moment, barely managing to keep her chin from hanging, as the dust settled. Ivan had grumbled something about food and stepped away while the 'leader' had motormouthed, so Genny and Etoile were alone in the store's lobby. However, that was for the best. After all, she would hopefully be long gone by the time the two were back. Turning to leave the department store, Genny hummed softly. As she rounded the corner nearest the exit, only to run into an oddly dressed man. 

 

"Ah, I'm so sorry! Is there anything I can do for you?" Genevieve asked with her thick accent, but the man ignored her, muttering about tourists. The contest star was about to write the man off when she caught sight of the emblem on his back. Like a phoenix from the ashes, from the corpses of the damned, it was striking against the leather jacket. Glancing from the corner of her eye as she pretended to walk away, the man approached a woman who managed to match him perfectly. And for some reason... He gestured at her.

 

"... Change of plans, Etoile." The little pokemon looked up with a bwark, questioning the statement, Genny flashing the baby a grin, "Why don't we get you some snacks instead?"

 

Walking with the same pace, Genevieve made her way to the nearest elevator, calmly pressing the button. She prayed the strange duo wouldn't follow her, reminding her of obsessed fans... Or those weirdos trying to hijack Goldenrod. Shaking the thoughts from her mind as she reached the top floor, Genny looked about until she spotted Ivan and the Pancham. She made her way to him with a brisk pace, gripping Etoile tighter.

 

"Oh, Iiiivan~"

[Mr. Hyde]

 

After obtaining a map, it was unanimously decided that they would head to the Pokemon Center first.  Oswald nodded, as Bubbles was visibly hurt.  He couldn't stand to see someone's Pokemon in pain.  It was another reason why he was so hesitant to battle in the first place.  He was here to make Pokemon's lives better, not hurt them.  After a short while, they made it to the 'Healing Place', that Naomi called it.  It looked rather tame, reminding him of a Center in Goldenrod.  It was a little nostalgic actually.  He walked over to one of the vending machines, putting in a couple of Poke to receive a couple of Fresh Waters, before scoping out the scene again.  

 

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to him...no signs of criminal activity as of yet.  What a relief that this place wasn't a cesspool of crime.  But time would tell whether the region as a whole was.  He tapped his finger, as he stared at the vending machine, his mind still set on his mission. 

 

"Mister...excuse me...I wanna soda."  Oswald jumped a bit as he felt something tugging on his pants from behind.  A little girl stood behind him, with a look of impatient innocence.  Next to the girl, Archie was rubbing his head against her hand. 

 

"Some guard Pokemon you are."  He thought to himself. He put some more Poke in the vending machine again, and another Fresh Water popped out.  He handed it to the girl with a smile on his face.  

 

"Drink this instead.  It's healthier for you."  The girl took it, and nodded in agreement.  She still stood there, looking at him.

 

"I still wanna soda!"  She said, with an even bigger smile.  Oswald's eyebrow twitched.

 

"This brat..." He thought to himself again.  He eventually gave in and bought the girl a soda.  The girl ran off giggling.  Oswald sighed.  He was now down more Poke than he had meant to be...but it wasn't as if he were flat out broke.  He looked to the couches, and saw that Naomi had decided to plop down on one of the sofas.  Oswald shook his head, as he made his way over to her, chopping her on the forehead.  

 

"No napping.  I'd like to swing by the shop before we head out into the wilds."  He said sternly.  He then turned his attention towards the T.V. that was in the lounge.  The weather channel was on.  It looked like it was going to be rather pleasant weather throughout the week.  Although, Oswald took the forecast with a grain of salt.  There was always a margin of error whenever one tried to predict the future.  

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Naomi made an unhappy groaning noise as she got chopped on the head. She was leaning over the couch's arm, stomach and face flat on the cushions, which, she noticed, were quite firm, when Oswald came up to her.

"No napping.  I'd like to swing by the shop before we head out into the wilds."

"Neh?" Was the next noise that came from Naomi's mouth. She started talking again, into the cushion. "Idnwnna". It took a moment for her to realize that she was only talking to the couch at that point and turned her head to the side. "Dun wanna, here, getsome...uh...Pokeballs and Potions please." She waved her money pouch towards Oswald.

Despite not knowing this man in the slightest she felt no qualms about trusting her with all of her money. Were Princess here she'd stop her but Naomi by herself very clearly had no notion of self-preservation.

[Yui]

---

"To the heal place! Where's it?"

 

"I was wondering when someone would ask, here's a map of the town, the Pokemon Center isn't far from here, we thought it important to make sure any sailor's Pokemon got quick treatment."

Nomi had insisted that she be the one to carry the map around. As a result, she wound up leading the way. It took ten minutes. "See? Always going left DOES work." It worked, sure, but there were infinitely better ways to go about it. Such as letting someone else look at the map.

 

"With how long it took to get here, I wouldn't call that 'working'. Next time, just let me do it."

 

Stepping inside, Kanon glanced around the Pokemon Center. It was a lot like the one she'd come to know in Fortree, but there wasn't a Poke Mart in here. Must have been a different building then. That was how it used to be in Fortree too, but a few years ago, Hoenn Pokemon Centers picked up a trend that was sweeping the globe by combining their Poke Marts and Pokemon Centers into one building. It was super-convenient! Perhaps that simply didn't get to Korova just yet. Whatever the case, Kanon approached the counter. The lady here looked a lot like the person who worked in the Pokemon Center back in Fortree too. Come to think of it, the ladies working in the other Hoenn Pokemon Centers Kanon stopped by while on her way out of region looked the same. Maybe they were all related?

 

...no. That would be ridiculous.

 

"I need to heal my Pokémon," she said, setting Bubbles down on the counter to show the woman the Pokemon in question.

 

"Okay, I'll take your Pokémon for a few seconds."

 

"This is for your own good, Bubbles." Kanon's next move was to swiftly move her right hand, holding her lone Poke Ball, to catch Bubbles with it and holding it down until the Poke Ball stopped rattling and trying to pry itself open. I'm sorry. Once Bubbles' ball had settled, Kanon handed it to the woman, who set it atop a machine for a short moment. It made some noises, and overall the process was super-fast. The woman soon handed Kanon the Poke Ball, which she wasted no time in opening to set Bubbles atop the counter. He looked good as new! Technology sure was impressive sometimes.

 

"Thank you for waiting. We've restored your Pokémon to full health. We hope to see you again!"

 

With the point of this trip taken care of, Kanon turned her attention toward Oswald and Nomi. Nomi was... being Nomi. From what she could somewhat sorta hear over the other trainers in the building, it sounded like he was going to the Poke Mart. Perfect. Kanon made her way to her partners, Bubbles hopping along behind her. "If you're going to the Poke Mart, I'll tag along. Best to make sure nobody forgets anything that we're supposed to get." It may have been tough to pick up if he wasn't paying attention, but the tone of her voice sounded like she expected Oswald to forget something if she let him go on his own.

---

[Mr. Hyde]

 

"Neh?  Idnwnna". 

 

"Excuse me?"  Oswald said, with a smile, and another twitch of the eyebrow.  This girl had some nerve, not to mention no sense of discipline?  She might've been worse than the brat that conned him out of a couple hundred poke.  "Seriously, Naomi, we should stock up on supplies.

 

"Dun wanna, here, getsome...uh...Pokeballs and Potions please."  The girl waved around poke in the air, like he was supposed to take it from her or something.  Oswald was a servant, but he wasn't that kind of servant.  NO!  He was a civil servant!  The best kind of servant, in his opinion.  Instead, Oswald began to lift the girl from her chair and drag her across the floor.  

 

"I'm your partner Naomi!  Not your butler!  Now don't make me drag you all the way there!"  In his desperate attempts to struggle at getting Naomi off the furniture, he could here Kanon come up from behind.  

 

"If you're going to the Poke Mart, I'll tag along. Best to make sure nobody forgets anything that we're supposed to get."

 

The tone in her voice was somewhat sharp.  Where did these girls get off talking to him like this?!  Was he the parent chaperone for this journey?  He was the only one with an inkling of true responsibility here!  

 

"Well Naomi has the map, and she's coming whether she likes it or not!  So she better give me directions while I'm dragging her!"  Oswald looked back to Naomi with a stiff upper lip.  "No but's about it!  You need a dose of reality, miss!"  

[👀 REP 👀]

 

---

 

As the elevator doors opened, he was greeted by the sight of other people picnicking, some of them taking photos. Ivan took a deep sigh, realizing his mistake when coming up here. Still, there were some vending machines with snacks in them; he would bring some for the trip ahead of them. He glanced over at the railings before adamantly turning away from them - he was not curious to know how high they were. Unfortunately for him, he would get to look over them as he saw Po make a beeline to look over the railings. "H-Hey!" He yelled out, chasing after the small panda Pokemon. "Whoa..." While he was able to catch up to the mischievous Pokemon, he had done so right next to the railings, giving him a good view at just how high up they were. Realizing this, he grabbed onto the Pancham tightly. "You idiot! You could have fallen off!" He scolded the Pancham, which only caused it to giggle, responding.

 

Ivan sighed. "Well, at least you're safe... Let's go get those snacks, shall we?" The Pancham nodded, although it wasn't like it had much of a choice now that it was being tightly held by the former delinquent. As Ivan made his way towards the machines, he did his best to avoid the few eyes that were now staring at him due to the ordeal. He noted that there were definitely more people looking at him than he had expected. Sure, what he had done was a small scene, but not really much worth all the looks he felt he was getting. Something was up, he thought. Meanwhile, the Pancham was turning back and around the other people, giving them a cheeky smile.

 

"Alright, let's see..." He muttered as he stood in front of the machine, deciding on what snacks he wanted to get and how many. He didn't really have all that much on him, not enough to buy these snack for the long term. As he was making his choice, however...

 

"Oh, Iiiivan~" A familiar voice called out for him. He turned, and was greeted by Genny, who was making her way towards him at a brisk pace. Was she done already?

"Yo" He waved at her with one hand, still holding the Pancham with the other. The small panda Pokemon let out what sounded like a greeting as it excitedly waved its hands.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Naomi let out a rather lackluster protest as she fell from the couch onto the floor. "Where we goin?" Naomi mumbled as Oswald, with a fair amount of effort, dragged her towards the door. It seemed like Kanon, too, was going to come with on this adventure. "What're we s'posed to get?" Naomi asked the girl, tilting her head to the side even as she was dragged out of the Pokemon Center's doorway.

 

Oswald had to take a moment after dragging the girl this distance. And in that time Princess left her ball on her own volition. Naomi raised her arms and smiled in greeting. "Princess, you're back! I think we're going to go buy things." She said.
Princess grunted and lowered herself next to the young girl who proceeded to crawl, using the least amount of energy s possible, up the rocky Pokemon's side and lay across her back.

She was not situated in the position that a saddle would be, her feet and head barely kept above the ground. She seemed none too worried about this and, in fact, as they started on their way she said "This place has a nice ground..."

 

After several steps Naomi grunted and started to reach for her side, where the map was, then stopped and slumped her arms forward. "Someone grab the map, sinm'pocket."

[Alaina]

 

Jacklyn began making her way through the department she was in, grabbing a backpack for each member of the group alongside sleeping bags for when they needed to rough it for the great outdoors. Taking her stock over to the cashier, who was a bit confused as to why one girl was getting so much, the girl eventually got everything checked out and packed, ending up at a grand total cost of 300 pokedollars. Tying each sleeping bag to the bags and shoving each bag with food, the girl was ready to get moving when she noticed a rack of maps up against the wall. Thinking it be for the best, the girl grabbed one complimentary map of the Korova region and began to waddle with great effort, toting the bags around towards the elevator. Screaming out, "Rus! Ruuuuuus!" the Lepash hopped back towards its owner, an impassive look on its face. "There you are. So, wanna help me out," she shrugged with a smile on her face towards the fire rabbit. 

 

It did not seem amused. 

 

"C'mon it was just a joke. Anyway, my hands are kind of full so hop aboard!" Rus shrugged, hopping off the ground, onto one of Jacklyn's bags, onto her head (further messing up her hair and causing the girl to lurch forward,) and then nestling down in her hood. Continuing her walk, the girl eventually got into the elevator, going up to the fifth floor, or roof. Once she was there, her face perked up saying, "Ivan! Genny! You guys are here first, wow! You must've been really excited." She didn't really pay much mind to them being light on supplies. 

 

Walking over, she shoved the food stuff backpack sleeping bag bundle, one of each, to each of her teammates. "Don't worry guys, I got you covered. Anyway, who's ready for picture tiiiime?" The answer was neither. Genny didn't seem ready to roll on this whole picture thing and Ivan was less than caring about the whole thing. However, the girl persisted. "Come on guyyys, we gotta get a picture. How else are we going to remember the start of our grand journey? Come on, pleaaase, please please." With her unyielding enthusiasm eventually wearing down the two, the girl let out an excited cheer as she pulled everyone to a photo booth. Paying the 25 pokedollars to get the thing ready, the girl set her stuff down at the booth and said, "oh and don't forget to bring your two little buddies in too." Rus poked his head out of her hood. 

 

With all of them crammed into the photobooth the girl said, "here's to adventure!" before the series of photos were taken of them. 

[Blake]

"Yo" was the only reply that Genny received from Ivan, but she didn't let that stop her. She continued her brisk pace, locking arms with him and attempting to pull him to the side. While she didn't want to be near him, much less touch him... It was better than the imagined alternative.
 
"Well, mon cher," she laid it on thick, furtively glancing about, "I thought we should head down to meet up with our, how you say... comrade."
 
But, as with much of her day, she was caught completely off guard by Jacklyn's sudden appearance. She barely managed to question how the elevator had made it back down that quickly before she had a bag shoved into her hands... And then found herself in a photo booth, completely discombobulated. When she gathered her bearings, she noticed a Florges-colored Zygarde at the front of the... booth that they were in, with a camera coming out just beneath its head. 
 
"Here's to adventure!"

"Ah, Jackie..." Genevieve protested as the pictures were taken, her Popplio happily clapping and posing as they came, "Don't you think we should get moving? After all, we don't want to miss out on our... aventure, non?"

 

Despite her usual grace in front of a camera, many of the photos from the booth would end up showing an expression that was slightly off, as if Genevieve was nervous or uncomfortable.

[👀 REP 👀]

 

---

 

Ivan watched as Genny approached him... and didn't stop approaching him as she got close. Instead, she went for an arm lock, which completely caught Ivan by surprise as she attempted to pull him off to the side. "Well, mon cher, I thought we should head down to meet up with our, how you say... comrade." While she was looking around, Ivan simply glared at the girl. Did she have no concept of personal space? Meanwhile, the Pancham was simply laughing it up from within his arms, which only served to anger him more. He was about to answer, trying his hardest to hold back his aggression, when suddenly Jacklyn showed up.

"Ivan! Genny! You guys are here first, wow! You must've been really excited." She seemed have quite a few things on her hands, it almost made him feel bad for being empty handed. Almost. Ivan took the opportunity to break free from Genny, before having a bag shoved into him. "Don't worry guys, I got you covered. Anyway, who's ready for picture tiiiime?" Ivan shrugged, trying to play it cool. However, he definitely did not want to take a group picture; one glance at the photo booth and he wondered if they'd even fit. "Come on guyyys, we gotta get a picture. How else are we going to remember the start of our grand journey? Come on, pleaaase, please please." Jacklyn, however, seemed dead set on this photo thing. 
 
Ivan sighed. The girl had gone out and gotten most of the supplies for them, the least they could do was take the dumb picture with her. Plus, he had the feeling that she wasn't going to take 'no' as an answer and he'd very much like not to be here anymore. "Alright fine, let's go take that picture..." He said begrudgingly, not hiding his disdain very well. Still, he couldn't help but smile when the girl's face lit up at the response, and Po cheering wasn't helping. Her enthusiasm was contagious. It didn't last very long, however, as he felt himself getting dragged for the second time in such a short time span. Was he the only one in the group that understood personal space?

Inside the photo booth was about as cramp as he had expected it to be. He tried his hardest to make sure his elbow didn't jab Jacklyn in the side as the three awkwardly sat next to each other. Po, not having to deal with how packed they were, was having the time of his life. He kept a relatively neutral face throughout all the photos, trying to mask his discomfort. At some point during the photo shoot, Genny voiced that she wanted to hit the road. Ivan couldn't agree more as he nodded while one of the pictures was being taken. "Agreed. There'll be plenty of time to take pictures once we're on the road... hopefully somewhere less cramped..." He mumbled the last part to himself. He turned to face Jacklyn. She'd be a problem for his plan, as she seemed dead set on travelling with him and Genny. "What a pain..." He thought to himself.

[Yui]

---

"Well Naomi has the map, and she's coming whether she likes it or not! So she better give me directions while I'm dragging her! No but's about it! You need a dose of reality, miss!"

 

"Princess, you're back! I think we're going to go buy things."

 

Kanon exhaled sharply. Nomi and Oswald were both handfuls in their respective ways, but if she had to ditch one to distract an angry Ursaring... well, Nomi would be bear chow. Oswald was a bit overbearing, but surprisingly, that was the lesser of two evils with this group. Princess must have been a very understanding Rhyhorn, who had a strong bond with the absurdly lazy girl. Kanon, meanwhile, was neither of those things. She didn't have a bond with Nomi, and she didn't want one with someone who couldn't do anything but sleep.

 

"Someone grab the map, sinm'pocket."

 

"I'll do it," Kanon sighed. It would have been way better if Kanon had the map in the first place! As she reached for Nomi's pocket, she added "I don't like agreeing with people I barely know, but Oswald's right. You need some reality thrown into whatever dream world you keep running off to." It was honestly tempting to have Bubbles fire off some water on Nomi to see if she could jolt the girl awake any. But she was on a Rhyhorn. What if Bubbles missed and hurt such a majestic creature!? After a bit of digging around, Kanon found the map, and opened it up to have a look. She took some faster steps foward to put herself at the front of the group, so as to lead the way.

 

However, she couldn't help but stop for just a moment, getting down to be closer to eye level with Princess. Nodding toward the girl on the beast's back, Kanon quietly asked "Is she always like this?" Kanon was, unfortunately, met with a grunt of confirmation. Great.

After some leading the way - in a much more efficient manner than Nomi had managed - Kanon and her group found themselves at the local Poke Mart. "Well, we're here. We need Poke Balls and some Potions for our trip, and some Antidotes wouldn't hurt either. Anyone else need anything specific?"

---

[Alaina]

 

Jacklyn was overjoyed after the pictures were taken, seeming to be on cloud nine as she skipped out of the photo booth. Grabbing the photos, the girl didn't seem to care that her other two adventuring comrades looked uncomfortable in the image, merely putting the pictures away in a pocket in her bag. Picking up her gear and strapping it onto her back, the girl's face lit up again as Genny suggested getting on with the adventure. She was glad the girl was as into this whole journey thing as much as she was. Then Ivan made a suggestion as well, which caused a twinkle to appear in the bunny hooded girl's eyes. "You're right Ivan! There will be! Don't worry guys I'll be right back- no! Actually, meet me downstairs!" With that said, the girl bounded away from the duo, running down the stairs at a surprising pace. 

 

When the duo made it downstairs, the girl would be waiting by the elevator/stairs for her party members to return. When they did, they would see the girl swaying in place, grin on face and hands behind her back. Looking at them she said, "tada!" Revealing a camera she had purchased. "See, with this, we'll be able to take more pictures and document the whooolle trip!" Pocketing the device, she then reached into another pocket pulling out a map."Now, for our next stop on our journey. See, we're here." She pointed to the far left of the island on the map. "And so if we keep going east from here, we'll eventually get to our next destination. So, who's ready to get going?" 

[Mr. Hyde]

 

 "I don't like agreeing with people I barely know, but Oswald's right. You need some reality thrown into whatever dream world you keep running off to."

 

Oswald nodded.  At least this girl had a good head on her shoulders.  She seemed to be the second most sensible in the group, after him of course.  Oswald waited for Kanon to lead them in the right direction, being that she was the one who had taken the map from the resident sleeper.  He tapped his foot, and crossed his arms impatiently.  

 

"Well?  Shall we get a move on?"

 

It didn't take much time or effort to make it to the shopping center of the city, a rather large mall infact.  

 

"Well, we're here. We need Poke Balls and some Potions for our trip, and some Antidotes wouldn't hurt either. Anyone else need anything specific?"

 

"I don't have much cash after that bra-...I mean after that young lady asked me for something to drink.  I think it's best if someone else buy us some camping supplies.  That way, we aren't stuck in the middle of a forest with nothing but the grass beneath us as comfort, right?"  Oswald gave the two girls a thumbs up.  "I'm counting on you two!!"  He then went off to an aisle that contained fresh stock of pokeballs.  Upon finding the capturing devices, Oswald grabbed a mere 5 of them.  "This should be enough...right?"  He looked to Archie's pokeball, on his waist.  The Mareep next to him wagged it's tail, feigning ignorance of how easy it was to be captured.  "We can't bust a criminal organization with just one friend, right Archie?"  Oswald gave his partner a thumbs up as well, but turned to Kanon and Naomi.  "I guess I will really have to count on them...huh?"  

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Naomi simply smiled warmly at the two while they were scolding her for her attitude. She didn't see a point in worrying about it even if she wasn't sure what the issue was. She was doing just fine so far. She'd not left her house until recently and she was already in a different region!

 

As they reached the mart, wow it really was big, Kanon asked if anyone had anything they needed and Oswald gave them a task. "Can do!" Naomi said, slumping off of Princess's back before returning her to her ball. She wasn't entirely sure what "camping supplies" entailed but she remembered something about marshmallows.

 

But first she knew she wanted to get some Potions. She needed to be sure Princess didn't get hurt, after all. So she headed, after several minutes of talking to the lady on the first floor out of confusion, she made her way up the stairs to the second floor. She took a few more minutes to rest at the top of the steps before going to the healing item section. Picking up an armful of Potions, she paused to grab a Burn Heal, and made her way to the cashier.

 

By the time she made her way to the first floor again she had forgotten what she was supposed to get. It was after she grabbed a mere two Pokeballs that it hit her. She then hurried over to the food and grabbed two big bags of marshmallows. Feeling good about herself she bought her last supplies and went towards the door to wait for the others.

 

She ended up sitting down next to the doors, resting her head against the wall.

 

Naomi dozed off until she felt something hit her outstretched legs. She opened her eyes to see a man with long red hair and a leather jacket with a symbol of a flaming bird riding from a pile of skulls laying across her legs.

 

She blinked in confusion. "What're ya doin?" She asked the man. He got up in a huff and the girl next to him, with short red hair and a similar jacket, leaned down to get in Naomi's face.

"Think you're funny or something?" The girl said, practically spitting with every word. "You think you can just trip one of us and get away with it? Don't you know who we are?"

Naomi tilted her head to the side. "Um...Bikers?" She guessed, judging from the jacket. The girl put her hand forward and grabbed Naomi by the collar.

 

"Bikers? BIkers? What are you, stupid?" She asked, getting more in Naomi's face. The girl just smiled back in response.

These people were certainly excitable.

---

As Team JIG got everything ready and headed to the exit of the city they'd find that they weren't the first to do so.

 

In fact there were three other people standing at the city's exit, as if they had been waiting for someone to pass by. Those that had paid attention on the boat would recognize the group as one of the trios that they had arrived at the region with. A group who had been together since before the news about the teams being a requirement was announced.

 

BGM

 

There were two boys and one girl among them. One of the boys was a massive young man. Standing even taller than Genevieve and with impressive, especially for his age, muscles, he would be an intimidating presence if he weren't grinning jovially.

 

The solo girl on the team was smaller, less than five and a half feet, with an icy gaze and neutral expression.

 

The last of the group, who stood in the center of the trio and, by the way the others looked to him when he stepped forward, was clearly the leader of the group. He wore glasses and had on the smuggest expression one could imagine.

 

He sneered at the trio approaching. "Finally someone came around, was starting to think the other groups were a bunch of Slowpokes. Though..." He scanned them each. "Looks like you're not much better. The name's Chad and I'm the one who's going to become Champion of this region, you all might as well give it up now. To prove it, lets have a Pokemon battle, right here, right now. It'll save you a lot of time if you learn how futile your adventure is from the start."

 

He nodded at the other two and they approached. The girl's expression not changing and the boy's taking on a more aggressive face. "Kenta, you take the beanpole." Chad said, nodding at Genevieve. "Fuyumi, handle that thuggish looking guy." He settled his eyes on Jacklyn, who would have been in front of the group. "I'll teach the annoying one a lesson myself."

 

Kenta punched his open hand with his fist and cracked his neck, stepping to the right to give space between the battlers as Fuyumi did the same, though to the left and with much less punching and cracking. "Ha, about time I get to have some action! This'll be fun!" He shouted. Unlike his companions he was still smiling through this, and looked fairly friendly as he waited for Genevieve to respond.

 

"Battle." Was Fuyumi's simple response, staring directly into Ivan's eyes as she got into position.

 

[spoiler=OOC]Team NOK can continue their shopping stuff, but near the end is when Naomi has her...encounter.

 

Team JIG, however....I present to you, the first Rival battle! Yes they won't let you pass without it. My next post will give more detail about their team. This is a battle that I will have more input on the opponent's moves than last time.

 

[Blake]

Sighing in relief as Jacklyn left, Genny slumped back against the photo booth. She squeezed Etoile tight in her arms and took a deep breath, taking a few short glances about the rooftop. Deciding that the area was safe, she turned to Ivan.
 
"I feel that I must apologize about earlier... But I will ask that you accompany Etoile and I as we grab a few supplies. After all, there are many wandering eyes, and I would feel much safe if mon chere would accompany us."
 
Without awaiting an answer, Genevieve turned and headed back towards the elevator, entering it. She was still nervous about those thugs from before, but they had chosen not to follow her... So pehaps it would all work out. Stopping before she got to the bottom to meet up with Jackie, she purchased 5 Pokeballs and 3 Potions. As she arrived at the ground floor once more, she met up with Jackie, pleasantly surprised to see the girl hadn't run off. She still didn't wish to travel with these two... But perhaps she needed them. For protection.
 
A short time later, as the group reached the city limits, they were met with another team from the boat. She recognized the bespectacled one at the front, Chad, but his companions weren't ones who had made an impact on her. He began a shpiel about why he would be the champion, arrogantly pitting his group against her own. She rubbed Etoile's head, averting her gaze, until a particular line hit her.
 
"Kenta, you take the beanpole."
 
Casting an icy glare at Chad, she was going to take him on herself... But the boy called Kenta stood in her way, a wild grin on his face.
 
"Ha, about time I get to have some action! This'll be fun!"
 
"... Non, that is no way to greet a lady." She turned to Kenta, her expression softening, even letting a small smile cross her face, "You should always offer your name. I am Genevieve Mireille, a contest star. However... this shall be my first battle. And your name is...?"
 
She rubbed Etoile's head while humming softly, before setting the Popplio down. With a bwark, the baby headed forward, ready to battle. She clapped her flippers happily, causing her naturally shimmering body to shine even brighter.

[👀 REP 👀]

 

---

 

Ivan simply shook his head as he watched Jacklyn run off downstairs. "She sure is an excitable one, eh?" He said to no one in particular, making sure to still hold Po. He thought about making a break for it now, since Jacklyn wasn't around. Unfortunately, Genny was still there on the roof with him. Plus, he didn't know any other exit outside of the entrance, where Jacklyn was probably waiting. He'd have to bide his time for a bit. He turned to Genny, who seemed to want to ask him to do something.
 
"I feel that I must apologize about earlier... But I will ask that you accompany Etoile and I as we grab a few supplies. After all, there are many wandering eyes, and I would feel much safe if mon chere would accompany us." Ivan let out a heavy sigh as he saw her start making her way off of the photobooth and towards the elevator. It seemed like he didn't have much of a choice. He wasn't as annoyed, though. In fact, as he followed the girl, he remembered that he would probably need to pick up some Pokeballs and Potions for the road. After all, they don't simply have PokeCenters in the middle of the wilderness now.
 
Genny seemed to be nervous about... something. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but whatever it was it didn't seem to pop up as she became more and more relaxed as they exited. Ivan picked up three Pokeballs and Potions, a good even distribution of items he thought. He was still surprised with how much money he had actually managed to bring with him - it was the most he had carried with him at once in a while. That thought made him a bit sad, since 2000 didn't really seem like it was all that much now that he thought about it. Jacklyn was waiting for them at the bottom, excitedly holding a camera. "See, with this, we'll be able to take more pictures and document the whooolle trip!" Pocketing the device, she then reached into another pocket pulling out a map, which Ivan was a bit surprised by. "Now, for our next stop on our journey. See, we're here." With a destination set, they made their way towards where Jacklyn was pointing at.

 

As the group reached the city limit, they were cut off by a group of trainers who seemed like they came from their boat trip, although Ivan would be damned if he recognized any of them. The way the apparent leader was talking pissed Ivan off - who did this punk think he was!? His teammates seemed alright to him, or at the very least they didn't immediately anger him. The three of them were split up to take on the three of them, Ivan being left with the rather cold looking girl. "Battle." The girl almost seemed to stare directly right into his eyes; it was a bit unnerving, to say the least.

 

Ivan sighed. There seemed to be no real way for them to get through them... at least, not without a battle. "Let's just get this over with, aight?" He said, voice full of annoyance. He let go of his grip on the Pancham, who immediately took on a battle ready stance. Well, at least one of them was excited for this battle. He gave the girl an annoyed look. "Ya gonna send your Pokemon out, or are ya just gonna glare at me!?" He stated impatiently, before taking a step back. He pulled out his comb, combing his hair back as he felt himself loosing his composure.

[Alaina]

 

Jacklyn was bounding along with her other teammates, ready to get going on the next leg of her journey. She wasn't sure what to expect, in regards to what they'd see on the road. Heck, she wasn't even sure what a road was like to begin with. Blissfully walking, a spring in her step, this was eventually stopped as the group was stopped by another team. While the girl had no idea who any of these people were, she immediately went on the defensive. As the man seemed to be both insulting and challenging the trio all at once, he finally stepped up to Jacklyn herself. In a fighting stance, seemingly ready to brawl with fists, the girl's posture broke as she said, "wait, annoying!?" She turned towards her trusty Lepash who had been following her, who simply nodded. 

 

Pouting a bit, the girl turned back towards this "Chad" fellow, and said, "well you know what, I'll show you who's annoying!" Pointing indignantly at the man she said, "Rus let's kick his butt!" The bunny, because remember a Lepash is a bunny, stepped up, a serious expression on its face as it seemed ready to throw down. 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

"... Non, that is no way to greet a lady." She turned to Kenta, her expression softening, even letting a small smile cross her face, "You should always offer your name. I am Genevieve Mireille, a contest star. However... this shall be my first battle. And your name is...?"

 

The large man actually looked sheepish for a moment. Then he smiled at her and gave a wave. When he spoke his tone was a bit...practiced sounding. "Hiya, I'm Kenta, welcome to our st-" He paused, seeming to have confused himself. "Ah, never mind that, it's time to rumble!"

 

He sent out his Pokemon, a Machop, and immediately called out to it to attack. "Go, Low Kick, yeah!" Kenta seemed incredibly pumped, thrusting a fist into the air, as Machop made its way towards Genevieve's Pokemon, ready to aim a kick at the Water-type's stomach.

-----

"Ya gonna send your Pokemon out, or are ya just gonna glare at me!?"

 

Fuyumi's expression didn't change. However she tilted her head very slightly to one side, examining the man. She seemed to be giving some thought to what he said before reaching for her Pokeball at her side. She took her time with sending out her Pokemon, an Abra, but the moment the Psychic Pokemon was out she called out her moves swiftly. "Teleport." She said. She didn't even indicate where the Teleport was supposed to be to but a moment later the Abra was several feet in the air. "Hidden Power." A bluish white energy formed around the Abra and a small blast, shaped like a snowflake, shot towards Ivan's Pancham.

----

"well you know what, I'll show you who's annoying!"

 

"You're doing a good job of that already." Chad said with a scowl in the girl's direction. He glanced at the Pokemon that had come out and laughed. "What, you didn't even have your own Pokemon? This'll be easy." He then sent out his Nidoran(M) and the purple Pokemon glowered at the opposing, male, Pokemon. He seemed extra fired up as he pawed at the ground. "Leer it, Nidoran." Chad said with a confident smirk.

 

The Nidoran's eyes flashed and Rus would feel his Defense drop. However Chad didn't call out a second attack, simply standing with his arms crossed, giving Jacklyn a look like he believed he had already won.

 

[spoiler=OOC]And the battle began! It assumes that your Pokemon are in combat ready pose.

Rival Kenta: Machop, lv 5, ???, Low Kick

Rival Fuyumi: Abra, lv 5, ???, Teleport, Hidden Power (Ice)

Rival Chad: Nidoran(M), lv 6, Rivalry, Leer

Reminder to try and get my okay for more than basic responses/actions.

 

[Mr. Hyde]

 

Oswald made his way back to the front of the store, ringing up his Pokeballs at one of the counters.  It was pretty pricey, five of these things cost him 1000₽.  He begrudgingly coughed up the money out of his wallet, a little sad to see his finances being whittled down one by one.  After paying, he turned to the wall to see an altercation taking place between Naomi and two very eccentric characters.  Oswald took note of their vibrant red hair, and the birds plastered across the back of their jackets.  Were they affiliated with some sort of gang?  A larger figure lay sprawled out across Naomi's legs.  One of them, perhaps a girl, was now practically spitting venom in his partner's face.  

 

 "Think you're funny or something?  You think you can just trip one of us and get away with it? Don't you know who we are?"

"Um...Bikers?" The girl then viciously gripped Naomi's collar, getting up close and personal.  It made Oswald's fists tighten.  If there was anything he hated...it was people who would dare treat another person like they were nothing.  

 

"Bikers? BIkers? What are you, stupid?"

 

Oswald walked up to the lady, and gripped her tightly on the wrist, ripping it away from Naomi's collar.  As quickly as he had placed a hand on her, that hand had already released her wrist.  

 

"Excuse me, you aren't happening to hassle my friend here, right?"  There seemed to be a fire in Oswald's eyes.  He didn't smile, and he didn't blink.  Instead, he looked straight into the girl's eyes.  "As you can see, my friend was resting.  You just so happened to fall over them.  There's no one to blame here but yourselves."  Which situation was he referring to here?  These two probably weren't the type to accept responsibility for themselves...rather they would blame everything on everyone else.  Oswald then crossed his forearms, a finger tapping on his elbow.  "This was just an accident."  He turned to Naomi and sighed.  "Naomi...you should apologize first.  You could have slept on Princess outside while you waited for us."  Again, he turned towards the...Biker?  "After that, Would you like to apologize to this girl now for the trouble you caused her?"  

[Blake]

"Hiya, I'm Kenta, welcome to our st-" The boy looked a bit embarassed, clearly trying to sound a bit less gruff then before. Genny let out a soft giggle, endeared and surprised he actually listened. "Ah, never mind that, it's time to rumble!"
 
In an instant, his humanoid Pokemon was out and receiving orders. "Go, Low Kick, yeah!"

 

Genny looked at Etoile and struck a pose, dramatically snapping her fingers. As she did, a ring of water begin to circle around the Popplio, who now stood on its hind legs. Etoile bwarked confidently as the Machop came close... Only to get struck and thrown back by the attack, flying past Genny to skid to a halt.

 

"Et-Etoile!" Genny called to the pup with her accent breaking momentarily, who was shakily picking herself up. Despite the hit, it looked like the attack had been slightly mitigated by the ring, but Genny was sure that Aqua Ring didn't break the impact. If it didn't, then why was Etoile seemingly getting a little better by the second. Thinking quickly, she knew that Popplios often made bubbles to play with, "U-um... Etoile, use Bubble!"

 

The baby barked and shot water from its mouth, catching Genny off guard once more. That wasn't the attack she planned for. As the water would hit Kenta's Machop, Genny began to tremble slightly, unsure of herself. She thought she could do this, but... maybe not?

[Alaina]

 

With the fight getting started, Jacklyn seemed to be bouncing in place as she heard her opponent give out their orders. Jacklyn didn't really know what a Lepash was capable of, however, she did know that it could spit fire. And since it was fire type, that meant that was the best thing to do. Always. And so, she shouted to Rus saying, "alright! Rus, use Ember!" The Lepash, in turn, puffer its cheeks up as it let loose a small ball of fire at the opponent. Seeing this, Chad had ordered the Nidoran to dodge to the side, followed up by a peck from its horn. Surprised, Jacklyn said, "wait you can do that? Uhh, Rus! Ember again! With gusto!"

 

The Lepash had let loose yet another small ball of flame from its mouth, striking the Nidoran as charged him, but still getting struck hard by the attack. Rus stumbled back against the attack, though managing to keep itself standing up. Startled by the damage that Rus seemed to take, Jacklyn said, "Rus! Rus are you doing good?" The Lepash responded by letting out a puff of smoke from its mouth before getting back into a fighting stance. Confidence surging through her, Jacklyn pointed towards her opponent saying, "alright Rus, Ember! Again!" 

 

"Brace yourself, then go again." The Nidoran once more took the hit, though seemed more prepared for it, and then lunged in again as Rus didn't go far and strikes once more.

 

After getting hit again, Rus seems to struggle to keep itself up, though Jacklyn seems to have some combination of worry and intensity in her expression. “We got this Rus! Keep it up and uh, try not to get hit!” Rus, though annoyed by his trainer’s commands seemed to be even more annoyed at the Nidoran. With the flames around its paws starting to grow brighter, Rus let loose another ember before leaping backwards.

 

Chad once again ordered Nidoran to dodge, however the Ember seemed larger than last time, and he still got hit. "Blaze, I should've known." Chad muttered. "Get in close, behind it." Nidoran jumped to the side and then ran, moving around towards Rus's side.

 

Jacklyn, more pumped then before, said, “Rus that was really good, do that again!” The Lepash turns around and looks at the Nidoran as it repeats the ember, while jumping back again. The Nidoran wasn't able to turn away from the attack fast enough, and thus the flames struck their target. It's momentum stopped, the Nidoran struggled to keep itself up, only for it to no longer be able to keep itself up and fall. A bright smile going across her face, Jacklyn shouted, "I did it! I won! Wooooooooo!" Jumping up and down, the girl rushed over to her Lepash, as she picked the bunny off the ground. Tossing it into the air, back and forth she said, "we did, we did! Good job Rus!" Cuddling her pokemon, the Lepash tried to push Jacklyn's face away but to no avail. Turning towards Chad she pointed at him saying, "take that!" 

[Yui]

---

"I don't have much cash after that bra-...I mean after that young lady asked me for something to drink. I think it's best if someone else buy us some camping supplies. That way, we aren't stuck in the middle of a forest with nothing but the grass beneath us as comfort, right?"

 

"I'm fine with that," Kanon shrugged.

 

"I'm counting on you two!!"

 

"Can do!"

 

Somehow I doubt that. Kanon would have to be the one to get camping supplies then. She didn't trust Nomi enough to do it, and in the event that Nomi did do it, spare supplies never hurt anyone, right? Kanon was no stranger to camping, preferring it over a night at home, and she knew from firsthand experience that things didn't always go quite as planned when spending a night out in nature. It didn't care that it was in the presence of humans and go on its best behavior because of it like... well, like other humans. It was something Kanon always liked about how nature worked; humans or not, nature simply did what it did.

"Camping supplies," Kanon muttered to herself. After asking at the desk, Kanon learned they were conveniently on the first floor. Tents and sleeping bags of course, but anyone with half a brain would think to get those. Kanon wasn't anyone with half a brain. If they went out with just those, it would be a rough trip. Backpacks were also super-important, for holding everything. Electric lanterns for when it got dark, though that was something a group would probably only need one of. For a moment, Kanon couldn't help but imagine Nomi's Rhyhorn with the lantern over its horn, as if it were a car or something. She stifled a giggle at the mental image before running further down her mental checklist.

 

Heaters would be good in case Korovan nights were particularly cold, or if there was a particularly frosty part of the region. But three tents and three heaters would be a bit much. I can save costs by getting one tent that's big enough for all three of us. But then I have to share with those two... no victory comes without sacrifice, mom always said. Kanon considered Repels for a brief moment, but she'd never been all that fond of those. Plus, those things were going to just be more money on how much Kanon had to pay when she'd gotten everything together. As she went around, gathering up the items on her checklist as Bubbles waddled along behind her, Kanon kept thinking. She couldn't help but shake the feeling she was forgetting something important.

 

If it's taking me this long to remember, it obviously can't be THAT important. And so, grabbing some food items as well - not starving was always a good idea - Kanon made for the desk. The price for all her items was surprisingly low. Only 500P! Content that she'd done a good job with her shopping, Kanon went to look for Nomi and Oswald. It didn't take long to find them, what with the scene that was starting up between them and the... were those bikers?

 

They look like bikers at least. Kanon brought her shopping haul over to the group, but otherwise was going to try and stay out of this conflict if she could. She'd already gotten tangled up with that Zoe girl earlier. Oswald was a brave strong man, right? Maybe? ...Kanon didn't know, come to think of it. She certainly hoped he was at least, because this was on him now.

---

[spoiler=The stuff Kanon bought]1 family-sized tent, big enough for team NOK with a bit of wiggle room, assuming pokemon are in their pokeballs or outside (Princess definitely can't join them in here)

3 backpacks, one for each team member

3 sleeping bags, again, one each

1 heater, for those chilly Korovan nights in the tent (remember to turn it off before sleeping; safety first kids!)

1 electric lantern, because who needs HM05 when you can have a lantern?

Assorted camping-friendly food items, so mostly canned goods you can make super-easy.

 

[👀 REP 👀]

 

---

 

The girl's expression didn't change as she sent out her Pokemon, giving Ivan some bad vibes. Just what was up with this girl anyways? She sent out an Abra, which Ivan was partially glad for if only because it was a Pokemon he actually recognized. If he remembered correctly, the only move these things knew, at least in the wild, was...

 

"Teleport."

 

Yeah, that. The Abra disappeared in a blink of an eye, causing both Ivan and Po to start looking around them to try and find where it had gone. Both of them eventually looked up, seeing the Abra floating above them. At the command of its trainer, the Abra launched a bright light directly at Po. Ivan grit his teeth, knowing that Po would probably not be able to dodge the attack. "Tough it out, bud!" He shouted as the panda braced itself for the attack as best as it could. The light slammed into Po, causing the panda Pokemon to shiver where it stood, although its eyes had enough fire to keep it warm. Ivan, seeing the Abra starting to descend back into reach, pointed his finger at it. "Now's your chance, Tackle it!" Before he even finished his sentence Po was already starting to move, planting his feet on a stone before springing off of it, aiming its body at the opponent.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

"Excuse me, you aren't happening to hassle my friend here, right?"

"Huuuhn?" The girl stared back at him.

"As you can see, my friend was resting.  You just so happened to fall over them.  There's no one to blame here but yourselves."

The two looked at each other, incredulous, then back at Oswald.

"Naomi...you should apologize first.  You could have slept on Princess outside while you waited for us."

"After that, Would you like to apologize to this girl now for the trouble you caused her?"

"Princess's'n er ball, silly." Naomi said, shuffling a bit in an attempt to straighten her collar without moving as much as possible. "Sorry biker people." She said.

 

"Heeeell to the no, brats." The girl said. "We don't got nothing to apologize, especially not cause of some wannabe tough guy."

The man spoke next. "Yeah, you really don't want to be messing with us. When we're on top we'll make sure to find you both and make ya pay."

"Nobody gets in our way, we're going to rise from the ashes and take this region for our own. C'mon, man, Alicia's waiting on us."

"Tch, you're lucky we're too busy for the likes of you." As he walked away, bumping his shoulder into Oswald on the way out.

 

"They were grumpy." Naomi said with a small giggle. She raised her hand up towards Oswald and tipped her head to the side. "Up?"

---

Chad recalled his Nidoran with a scoff, not bothering to even look at Jacklyn when she taunted him. "You're lucky we only have one Pokemon each. Battling like that you wouldn't last in a serious battle." He glanced around at the others, their battles should be just about over by now...

-------

Kenta's Machop was hit by the water attack but it didn't seem to deter him at all. "GO, another, take them down!" Kenta cheered on, pumping his fist in the air. The Machop surged in and used Low Kick once more on Etoile, an attack that would weaken the Water-type greatly. As soon the Machop attacked it would go in for yet another, not stopping the pressure.

---

Fuyumi didn't react as Po came in charging towards her Abra. Her eyes were flicking all over the area, rapidly, as she took in the scene. Abra was struck by the Tackle and was sent backwards, though it landed back in a sitting position.

"Hidden Power." Fuyumi said, nearly silently, and the Abra immediately sent out another Hidden Power so fast after being hit that it would strike Po before he could attack again.

 

[spoiler=OOC]For team NOK, feel free to interact and move on if you wish to leave the city, there won't be anything stopping you, though there would be signs of some sort of fight.

 

For Team JIG, Jacklyn can't do much until the other's posts because her part ends around the same time as their fights reaching a conclusion.

For the others, try and get info to wrap the fights off.

Also Rus gained a level! And Jacklyn gained 400 Pokedollars.

 

[Mr. Hyde]

 

 

"Heeeell to the no, brats." The girl Biker barked. "We don't got nothing to apologize, especially not cause of some wannabe tough guy."  It was then that the guy spoke up.

 

"Yeah, you really don't want to be messing with us. When we're on top we'll make sure to find you both and make ya pay."  Again, the girl chimed in next.  

 

"Nobody gets in our way, we're going to rise from the ashes and take this region for our own. C'mon, man, Alicia's waiting on us."

 

"Tch, you're lucky we're too busy for the likes of you."

 

As the one guy walked past him, he obviously shoulder checked the junior Interpol agent.  Oswald rolled his eyes to the side.  Nothing more annoying than wannabe tough guys who found the wrong crowd to exploit that misplaced anger.  He looked over his shoulder to watch the two exit the store.  He made sure to study that strange symbol on both of their jackets.  And that one thing the girl said...burning the region down?  It was quite ominous.  This would be a group that he would much need to investigate.  

 

"They were grumpy." Naomi said with a small giggle.

 

"Yeah...I'm just glad it didn't escalate into something more..."  He looked to Archie, as the Mareep titled it's head, "Violent."  He looked to Naomi, who was now holding her hand towards him.  

 

 "Up?"

 

It was almost too cute.  Was this girl even a real person?  Or was she a mew in disguise.  Oswald sighed, his face getting a tad shading of red, whilst grabbing the girl's hand and pulling her up.  

 

"Are you alright?"  He asked her, as he pulled the girl to her feet.  "Your leg doesn't hurt or anything?  That was a pretty big guy who fell across your legs you know.  You're pretty oblivious, but even that should've hurt a bit."  Luckily, Princess wasn't out of her ball when that happened.  If she had been, it would surely be an untimely burial for the two bikers.