✶ Pokémon Breeder ✶

Wow, that actually worked? Nicholas thought to himself. Thought for sure those Mareep were gonna charge right past me. Trying not to look too shaken, he took a small step forward, gesturing to Abomasnow to do the same. The two of them crept forward, guiding the Mareep closer and closer to the breeder and her Ampharos.

When they finally arrived to her, Nicholas had to wipe sweat off his brow. While not a long walk back over to the girl, it felt like an eternity as they tried to keep the Mareep calm and in line.

“And here they are! Are you heading back in that direction?” He said, pointing down the path. A hand want up to run the back of his neck. “I can walk them back with you, make sure that they don’t run away again.”

“I’m Nicholas by the way. What’s your name?”

         as the pair work together, lillian and ampharos do the same, softly calling to the herd and gesturing them to get closer. though slow and a bit stubborn, the shock from seeing the suddenly - large pokémon seems to have done just the trick! as soon as they’re close, lillian counts them all to confirm that no stranglers managed to escape. thank arceus, everyone’s accounted for! lillian sighs in relief. but then she feels heat rising to her cheeks, embarrassed to have to ask so much of him all of the sudden.

nicholas.... ah !! no wonder him and his partner looked familiar! her nerves spike just a bit more, the introduction confirming his identity. 

“ thank you very much! both of you! ” she says quickly, bowing her head to nicholas and the abomasnow, “ lillian! i’m lillian, and these is meeps. and these are my family’s mareep. ” she introduces, gesturing to herself, her ampharos, and then the herd. “ uhm, if you’re not busy, we’d love the help. the farm isn’t far, you can see it from here. ” she points to the farm not too far in the distance, “ they seem calmer now, so it’s just a matter of making sure they don’t take off the wrong way again! i’m sure they won’t with you two behind us. ” lillian assures, already beginning to make steps down the path. just like she guessed, the mareep follow. she also beckons to nicholas and his pokémon. 

     must’ve been a newcomer to announce lillian’s arrival, seeing as the individual was a bit awkward and made a big deal out of it. which made sense, usually when people arrive to the elite four’s quarters, they’re there to challenge them and then finally challenge him, should all of the elites be defeated.      nobody ever just came to visit. but they’d made an exception for her, given that she didn’t have all the badges and simply just wanted to see him or deliver things. iggy wasn’t a very busy man in the first place, as the elites generally halted any would-be challengers. since his time becoming champion, he’d only had a battle or two ? two, yes. both had been broadcasted to live television since it was such a big deal. seems he was just as popular as the other champions were in their own respective regions.      the idea is a bit unsettling, but he physically shrugs it off and settles comfortably within his ‘ throne ‘. the champion’s chair.      as the door opens, his sableye’s head jolts upwards, gem-like eyes peering in the direction of the figure as they step within. escalus’ head tilts next before he finally relaxes and hops down from his trainer’s shoulder, the little gremlin-esque creature rapidly running over to lillian before he attaches himself to her leg. how embarrassing.      ❝ that’s an interesting look for you. the hat, i mean.      you know, if you like it enough, you can have my other one.      or i can get you one of the replica ones and sign it. ❞ 

     despite his disgruntled appearance, there’s a smile on the man’s face.

          her eyes are bright as they meet iggy’s, but her attention is drawn away almost immediately once she’s entered. she grins as she looks down, making sure the hat stays diligently ‘pon her head with one hand while she leans down, gleefully patting escalus on his head. 

“ hey, buddy! good to see you again! ” she’s always just as thrilled to see iggy’s pokémon as she is to see him, unfazed as the ghost clings to her leg. around her neck, her own sizzlipede wriggling his little arms in greeting. she looks up again as iggy speaks, a small amount of laughter shaking her frame in response to his offer. there’s an unmistakable pink hue to her cheeks, too, though she silently scolds herself for feeling flustered over a harmless comment! she squares her shoulders.

“ you think? should i get a leather jacket too? ” she tips her head to feign deep thought ; it’s never a look she’d actually attempt to pull off, but the thought is funny regardless! but she shakes her head after, striding across the room but careful she doesn’t toss her new leg accessory. it’s easier than walking through a crowd of busy mareep, that’s for sure! she’s glad he’s smiling, even if he looks a little tired!

“ nah, it’s definitely your look. ” she says confidently. once she’s close, lillian stands on her tip-toes, really having to reach, arms extending to put iggy’s hat back where it belongs. just when did he get so tall ?? she takes a few steps back once the job is done, looking up at him and nodding.

Nicholas was having a nice, calm walk. He was on his way to visit family down in Kenyte City, the sun was shining, and there hadn’t been too many interruptions on his journey. He tilted his head up, letting the sun warm his face, and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth.

His relaxation was ruined by a shout coming from far away. He opened his eyes and looked towards the sudden noise. He saw a girl yelling and running, behind a small herd of Mareep, charging right at him.

He reached for a Pokeball at his belt, and threw it out. He knew he needed something to intimidate the Mareep into stopping, and needed his biggest and scariest Pokemon to do it.

“Abomasnow, let’s go! Mega Evolve! Try to stop all the Mareep!”

breeder nearly stumbles as she skids to a stop on the path ‘pon watching as the trainer calls a pokémon to his side. she pauses a brief moment to catch her breath but also to get a closer look at whoever she’s called out to. his appearance, his voice, the pokémon he’s called to aid . . . oh. lillian shakes her head ─ she can fret over his identity later! instead, she watches a glow envelope abomasnow, shape slowly changing until taking a new form altogether. mega evolution. something she’s never seen in person! the breeder watches with awe, temporarily forgetting the situation at hand. well, until her ampharos nudges her, drawing her back to reality. 

the mareep have, thankfully, stopped running, also mystified by the giant pokémon before them. some take a few tentative steps back, others hesitate, freezing in place. the scene is quiet. lillian can practically hear her heart thumping in her chest.

He sighs in relief, giving a smile as he helps steady the girl. ❛ I’m glad you’re unhurt, at least. My Blaise is really very sweet, he just enjoys causing mischief when the opportunity presents itself, aha! ❜

Coordinator wasn’t in a particular rush, as Blaise always returned home at some point, but seeing as his friend hadn’t returned by his side upon sight, the pokemon hadn’t had his fill of mischief just yet. ❛  If you’d like, I’ll escort you to the nearest Pokemon Center and- ❜ Golden eyes widen as loose string unravels above the girl, wrapping her arms as well tightly and securely before lifting her right in the air, Blaise revealing himself and blowing raspberries at friend before taking off again. 

❛ You…..YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE, BLAISE! ❜ he shouts, before running after them. 

“ r - really! it’s okay! it’s not a problem! my rockruff is the same way... she gets into trouble far too much... ” her words trail as a faint tint of red colors her cheeks, recalling the recent incident at the league when the pup literally ran amok... besides her, meeps nods and makes a similarly exasperated expression just thinking about it. but the quaint mood erupts in seconds, lillian yelping as arms bind to her side and her feet leave the security of the ground. her ampharos cries out as well, attempting to grab her trainer but failing due to ... short arms. instead, she hovers below her trainer, looking up with concern and squeaking at the ghost pokémon to release her trainer.

lillian, though, tries her best to remain still. she’d hate to wiggle and loosen the strings or throw off the pokémon’s grip, resulting in a fall. but she can’t stop the way her heart races from being so far from the safety of the ground. this isn’t like riding the league’s braviary with iggy, no no, this is just a bit more stressful.

   While the atmosphere of their gym was often preferred, even the masked leader needed time in the sun; to ‘breathe’ in crisp air rather than re-breathed filtration. Their Pokemon too deserved time away, to relax from the day’s battles, and ever happy is Ike to treat them to a park local and known for trainers and their Pokemon to wander through. 

   A few wander; Arbok following Salazzle at the tail, Drapion seeking a shady tree to nestle under, and Scolipede acting a menace. The megapede gallops ahead of his trainer, and while Ike believes it to be aimless, the Pokemon had a goal in mind: and it was to follow its instinct, aiming to near topple over the much smaller pede-like Pokemon settled in the park. One of poison seeks that out of fire, and once the little creature was in sights, Scolipede hunkers its large body down to flop; its form like a fallen building with the slam of exoskeleton to grass. 

   While the familiar Pokemon ran to one another, Ike was close behind, yet, no urgency was in their movement, knowing that their own companion merely wished to play. Though mask obscured vision the leader allows a smile to settle, and arms tucked away beneath cloak move the fabric, elbow popped at rest against hip.

   “–Found y’erself a ‘lil pal, did’ya?”

   A faint coo touches their voice, but before the pair of creatures have enough time to properly introduce themselves a trainer’s voice piques, and her frame in a flash is there to retrieve what was likely, her own partner. Behind mask Ike blinks, and in disappointment Scolipede stays on its side; stubby legs kicking in the air in some form of a fit.

   Over-dramatic. 

   “–Ain’t nothin’ ‘ta worry ‘bout. Ace jus’ got a lil’ excited is all. Sorry if’n you’ve been lookin’ f’er y’er partner ‘ere, would’a brought ‘em over if’n I knew.”

   Ike’s own body is tipped in a half bow, and apology wrought upon features is unseen. 

   “Fan of y’er partner choice, most ain’t so fond of how they look.”

the relief that washes over her is evident in a slow exhale and the relaxation of her shoulders. she’s grateful they aren’t angry and that scolipede isn’t disturbed. in fact, scolipede seems to want to play more , rolling over onto it’s side very akin to how her little rockruff acts when she wants to play. despite the awkward situation, lillian can’t help but smile at the cute appearance. but her cheeks soon light up as masked gym leader apologizes to her, something of a rarity.

“ n - no! don’t worry about it! you couldn’t have known! ” she insists, waving off his apology with her free hand. the apology is unexpected ─ usually she’s the one trying her best to make it up to someone once sizzlipede or rockruff wander off! but embarrassment soon falls off, eyes brightening at the confirmation that scolipede ─ ace ─ is just as excited to see her bug as he is to see the scolipede.

“ oh, tiny is happy, too! it’s not often he finds someone else like him! i’ve never really seen him take off so eagerly before. ” and as if someone’s flipped a switch, lillian’s earlier flustered state has vanished , replaced with excitement and fondness for both pokémon before them. she practically glimmers, holding out the wrist her sizzlipede has since coiled around like a bracelet.

@voltrider​ said: [ boop ] & [ braid ] !

[ braid ] for your muse to braid mine’s hair & [ boop ]  for  your  muse  to  boop  my  muse  on  the  nose→ word prompts compilation.

moments like these are rare. between her own studies as the other’s position as a gym leader, time to themselves is always hard to come by. for that very reason, whenever lillian finds herself getting to spend some quiet time with thyra away from their respective responsibilities, she CHERISHES it. 

the breeder remains still as the other’s fingers work swiftly yet gently through tresses of hair. growing up without siblings or many friends to call her own, lillian had never really experienced moments like these ─ her mother and grandmother, of course, did her hair on special occasions but that was DIFFERENT. a moment like this between friends is more than she ever expected! it’s impossible to keep from grinning as thyra works, enjoying their casual conversation and the soft electronic music picked by thyra herself. there’s never NOT something to talk about between gym matches, studies, adventures on the farm, travelers completely ill - prepared for kenyte’s weather . . . almost before she realizes, her friend has finished, topping off her work with an affectionate boop ! to her nose before offering a mirror. lillian eagerly accepts, eyes widening as she examines the two braids that have been pinned back into a small crown ─ a huge contrast to her usual method of simply . . . letting her hair lay down.

❝ w - woa !! it’s so pretty! ❞ surprise is equivalent to awe as lillian looks at her own hair a few moments longer, a bright smile quickly following suit, ❝ thank you, thyra! i love it! ❞ her gratitude is genuine, just as her excitement. her smile turns into a grin, a determined glint in her eyes.

@maldxctumbellus​ said: [ cover ] 

[ cover ]  for your muse to cover mine with a blanket or a jacket→ word prompts compilation.

an exhale ─ warm breath is visible against the chilled air, a small shiver racing up her spine as the winter temperatures sucks any warmth her body had. she would complain about the unexpected snowfall, except she should know better by now ─ bad weather isn’t exactly a rarity in norite, being so close to the mountains. but that doesn’t make her situation any better! petite arms instinctively wrap around her frame in an attempt to preserve warmth to little success. oh, well ─ she’ll simply have to tough it out until indoors.

. . . except she doesn’t have to.

amber hues glance up as a larger, thicker jacket covers her shoulders. quickly, lillian shoves her arms through, zipping up and pulling the collar up around her neck. a bright smile spreads across her expression as she already feels warmer, attention now towards souya. 

❝ that’s much better already, thank you, souya! ❞ the jacket even doubles as gloves, considering the sleeves cover her hands, ❝ i guess i rushed a bit too much this morning, ahah . . . ❞ she admits sheepishly ─ not something that’s never happened before, and certainly not something that won’t happen again. but her smile quickly turns into surprise as she realizes that souya is now with one less jacket !! he’s still better off than she was, but . . .

❛ Blaise! Blaaaise! ❜

Man shouts for pokemon, looking frantically through the streets. Though he had only been running for twenty minutes, he’s already out of breath. Really, it shouldn’t be this difficult to find a floating ball of yarn! Regardless, he continues on chase.

Meanwhile, the rambunctious Haunter finds a target, a young woman and stealthily floats close, unraveling the ball and wrapping yarn loosely around midsection before tightening it. The ghastly pokemon then starts pulling it, making it spin! As the girl twirls, the Haunter makes itself visible, cackling uncontrollably at the sight. 

❛ B-Blaise! That’s dangerous! Stop at once! ❜

The pokemon takes notice of old friend once the end of the thread comes, raveling it back up into a perfect ball and disappearing before making his escape. ❛ Are… Are you alright, Miss? ❜ Souya ask, rushing over in concern. Though he still needed to give chase, someone’s well-being held more importance. After all, a floating yarn ball shouldn’t be too hard to find.

☾ @denryuus​

surprises take many different shapes and sizes. being a bit impulsive and disorganized herself, lillian is no stranger to getting caught up in . . . weird scenarios by chance. this particular situation is definitely a first, though. her ampharos takes note of something strange going on before lillian, able to feel the presence of something else ( quite literally! ) floating about. lillian, however, doesn’t take note of the floating yarn before it wraps around her. the breeder squeaks, trying to spot the source. at her side, ampharos is frantic with worry but unable to do anything in fear of hurting lillian in the process. 

before she can do much of anything, she finds herself in a twirl. she hears the cackle of a pokémon before she spots it. ampharos does, though, growling at the mischievous ghost as a warning. it sure is a good thing neptune isn’t out, otherwise there’d definitely be a fight lillian couldn’t stop! well, maybe. the haunter is gone before anything else can be done. lillian steadies herself by placing a hand on meeps and holding her head with another as she gets her bearings. oh ─ someone’s speaking to her now?

❝ h - huh ? ❞ it takes a few moments for the world to stop spinning and she processes what’s being asked of her. lillian offers an assuring smile as her mind steadies a bit, ❝ me? i’m fine! it’s nothing to fret about! it’s not like i fell, or anything. ❞ she nods, but not too quickly! 

   “ lil’ where you been ?! “ the gym-leader is caught mid-stride when she spots the familiar breeder, they both share a town after all! regardless, she’s just as quick to pull the other into a one-arm hug, ruffling the top of her head with her other hand.

   “ been workin’ your noggin’ to death again? remember to take it easy once in a while, you free right now ? because my stomach sure is. “

@denryuus​

a wide, toothy grin is flashed immediately as lillian’s pulled into a hug by a very familiar person. alright ─ many of kenyte’s residents were familiar. but thyra is always a face she’s happy to see! the ampharos at her side agrees, cooing happily in greeting.

❝ i could ask you the same thing !! ❞ she teases with a grin, ❝ i hear you’ve been winning matches all over lately! kenyte is lucky to have you guys! ❞ she means it, too! she was happy thyra’s the one to take over the gym. ampharos, too, having more electric types around! 

@denryuus​

Another week, another hapless ten-year-old trainer coming to challenge the Pokémon League with the misguided belief that eight badges automatically placed them amongst the best of the best. Currently, the Champion himself was busy testing their mettle in the arena in order to see if they had what it took to enter the hall of fame. Cora didn’t approve of Ignatius’ unprofessionalism, but she had to admit he was a talented trainer – there was no way a mere child could beat him so easily.

And no, she wasn’t just salty because the child beat her themselves, that would be ridiculous.

At the moment, Cora was making use of the miniature Pokémon Center machine outside of her room to heal her team members after the last battle. Then it would be back to her room and on to the next challenger. That was the plan, at least.

A loud, piercing bark broke through silence and Cora snapped to attention, nearly dropping her Poké Balls on top of a lone Rockruff. The small puppy darted in between her legs and wagged her tail playfully as she sprinted down the hall again. Following behind were three League employees, who bustled past the Fairy specialist and shouted to catch that dog before it causes any more trouble!

For a brief moment, Cora began to wonder who had let their Rockruff loose. She didn’t have to ponder for long as she turned in the opposite direction to find a familiar face approaching, exhausted.

“Again?” Cora asked, raising an eyebrow.

it’s never guaranteed she’ll see iggy when she visits the league. he’s the champion first, after all! if he’s amidst a match, she’s not about to go and interrupt it ( as if the league would even let her, anyway ). it’s not too much of a big deal, though! she’d been in the surrounding area to buy some material and figured she’d stop by to say hello if he wasn’t too busy. she’d been told she could always wait around but decided against it, figuring he’d need a bit of a breather after his match. but she hadn’t left right away, wanting to sit down before she made the trek back home.

the decision to take a small break and give her pokémon a snack was apparently not a good one. 

rocket. it’s always rocket. whether she caught the scent of something that piqued her interest or simply grew bored sitting around, the rockruff was gone in a second, jumping playfully at staff and the other trainers and shoving her nose towards anything she could. ❝ rocket, no ─ !! get back here! ❞ unfortunately, lillian’s cries go ignored, the pup’s focus now entirely on whatever had gotten her attention in the first place.

she does her best to run after the pup, but she’s definitely not that fast. embarrassingly enough, some staff jump in and try to help. oh, she just hopes he doesn’t disturb a league match! she’s not as fit as the other staff so she ends up lagging behind a bit but is determined to stay on her rockruff’s trail. this hyperfixation leads to another problem, though. 

as she sprints around a corner, lillian nearly collides with someone else ─ she practically stumbles over herself to stop from slamming into them! as she catches her breath, lillian realizes who she’s just run into ─ almost literally.

@denryuus​.

     the sound of static cuts through the silence of the champion’s chamber, the intercom above where iggy stands sparking to life. the person on the other end sounds a bit nervous though that wasn’t anything new, they always sounded that way.      ‘ — mister champion, sir ? there’s– there’s a visitor here to see you, but she’s not a challenger ! she insists that she has to see you though… ‘

     iggy’s fingers run along his jawline, fingertips picking up on the stubble that’s already raised itself forth from his skin. dammit. and here he’d been hoping that today would be a nice, easy day. one with no challengers or visitors. nothing. just his luck though, that he’d have to deal with someone when really, his chair was calling to him, begging to be napped upon.      ❝ name ? ❞      again the loudspeaker crackles before a familiar name is murmured in reply, the champion nearly dropping the pokeball he held within his hand. oh fuck. god damn it. why here, why now ? he was in no state to see her, and she certainly didn’t deserve to see him in such a sorry way either.      ❝ i see. send her in. ❞

the moment she had discovered iggy left his beloved hat at home, she knew what she had to do. she’s grateful she’s an early riser, otherwise, she might not have made it soon enough! thankfully, the path through the icelandite mountains has become easier the more she’s traversed it. between the marked pathways, her familiarity, and the helpful ride pokémon, she was able to arrive at the league around mid-day. her sizzlipede rests happily around her neck, enjoying a little nap ─ the warmth he provided while she trekked the mountain path was more than any scarf would have given her. 

she’s come to visit him before, but it still feels odd to announce that she’s here to simply visit, rather than challenge him. by now, the staff know her enough to not question it, but she swears there’s a strange glint in their eyes whenever they buzz her through. before she heads in, she grins with an idea. lillian places his hat on her own head as she makes her way down familiar halls, feeling thrilled for an excuse to visit her friend.

she practically skips through the door, smiling widely as she enters and waves.

❝ iggy! hello! ❞ she crosses the familiar room to get in closer. it’s strange, to say the least, seeing him without his signature hat. but that’s what she’s here to fix! she notes his disgruntled appearance and feels a slight pang of worry. did he sleep enough last night . . ? if he’s not feeling well, maybe that’s why he forgot . . .

it really isn’t like her to make such a simple mistake. sure, after years of being away from the farm, she’s been a bit slow to get back into the groove of things ─ but letting some of the mareep escape through a gate not shut all the way? she’s ashamed! it was only when her ampharos started frantically trying to get lillian’s attention that she noticed and sprang quickly into action. luckily, the mareep that had escaped didn’t get far. most were easily corralled in with the help of her ampharos and togetic. even rockruff participated, utilizing barks and quick movements to round them up. 

but then there were the ones that had made it a ways down the road. lillian wastes no time in chasing after them, doing her best to call their attention back to her. but the mareep are stubborn and enjoying their new freedom ─ making her task all the more difficult. but she soon spots a long figure down the road, right in the pathway of the small mareep herd. she can’t make out who they are, but this is an emergency !! without any time to consider what kind of person they are, lillian frantically waves them down.

sizzlipede aren’t exactly known to be speedy pokémon. so how in the world did her’s manage to disappear from her vision in seemingly an instant !? lillian toys with the hem of her shirt as she paces the pathway of the park, ampharos at her side and togetic hovering in the air, glancing around in an attempt to locate the bug - type before he wanders away from the park. she can’t imagine he made it too far so she paces around the area she’d been relaxing in earlier in hopes of finding him. thankfully, his brightly lit body, albeit small, shouldn’t be hard to spot among the greenery. much to the breeder’s relief, it isn’t long before togetic chirps and prods her shoulder, gesturing to a group in the distance.

with them?: her sizzlipede.

it appears he’s found a friend. a scolipede. lillian assumes her sizzlipede was attracted by their similarities and simply wanted to play, but she never knows what kind of people he’ll find! an embarrassed red tinting her cheeks, lillian rushes over, beckoning her pokémon’s attention.

❝ tiny, no! ❞ she scolds, reaching down to usher him onto her wrist. he coils around the limb happily, as if nothing was amiss in the first place. she’s not mad, just worried! once she’s safely gotten her pokémon back, lillian takes in the scene: another trainer, seemingly on a walk with their own pokémon. not just any trainer, either. of course not! that mask is . . . unmistakable. she’s never personally met them, but she definitely knows of them. 

i cannot begin to tell you how happy i am to be back! and to have lillian back! * revs engine * i’m so excited to have agron up and running again. i’ve missed the group and you guys and all the characters. i can’t wait to see old friends & make new ones!