red

@healxbell

Aether Paradise was far down on his list of places to visit, and yet Red found himself visiting the so-called “paradise.” Now, he didn’t doubt the good intentions of the individuals running the corporation, but he didn’t see the point in removing Pokemon from their natural habitat permanently. Maybe he didn’t get it, though. Maybe he was missing something. Whatever, he was there, and he was going to have a good time with his pikachu, who was perched neatly on his shoulder.

@noirtxt

Nimbasa City was pretty busy, Red noticed. It had been a while since he had visited the city--let alone the region--so he was curious as to the changes that the city experienced.

The last time he was in Unova he was in some sort of tournament, so he wasn’t exactly one-hundred percent sure of all the changes he should expect. Sure, he had passed through and seen the city, but that lasted for about a day. Because of that, his memory was a bit hazy on the details. With that in mind, he didn’t exactly notice anything particularly new or different about Nimbasa. It surprised him a bit, but, really, what did he expect? He was only in the city for a day, after all.

- A 30-year old murder case is resurrected.

Sylvia and Xan had a relatively good morning; their little crafts, trinkets, and Pokémon costumes were selling better than they normally did.  Some tour group must have rolled into town as they were mostly seeing newer faces.  Xan had been very excited to show off some costumes she had created for her fellow Mimikyu’s and was delighted to see one in the crowd.

When lunch rolled around, she and Xan closed up their booth to take a quick lunch break.  Sylvia grabbed her bag of food as well as her Pokémon’s and sat on the bench closest to their station.  She didn’t like wandering too far in case someone attempted to break in – this was a ridiculously stupid worry, but it didn’t stop her from contemplating it every lunch break.

She was only half paying attention to her bench-mate, who looked very worn out.  Perhaps he was part of the tour group?  His Pikachu seemed half rabid as it lept into the man’s lap to eat the berries he’d purchased from her booth neighbor.  Sylvia opened up Xan’s bag of food and then her own, munching on her sandwich contemplatively.  Actually she was a little worried by how unresponsive this guy was.

Xan pulled out a Poké Puff with her ghostly hand and stared at it in a prolonged silence.  After a moment she clamored over Sylvia’s lunch to offer the Puff to the Pikachu.  Unlike many other Mimikyu’s, Xan didn’t have a deep seated hatred for Pikachu’s; clearly she was equally concerned about the other’s health.  After a moments hesitation, Sylvia decided to prod the other man out of his sleepy state.  She coughed into her hand.

“It looks like your Pikachu ate up all your berries.  If you were planning on eating some of them, I have another sandwich right here you can have.”  She pulled out a second sandwich wrapped in plastic and offered it to him.  “I always bring two in case I want a snack later, but I can always run home if I get really hungry.”

Red was almost asleep when he’s prodded awake, so being prodded caused him to snap to attention from surprise, blinking wildly. When he notices who woke him up though, he let out a small sigh. Good Arceus, she nearly scared him half to death.

Upon hearing what Pikachu supposedly did, he looks down at the yellow Pokemon, who just meets his gaze innocently. Oh yeah, he definitely ate everything--he could see the guilt past that cute exterior. Red frowned and gently tapped Pikachu’s nose, indicating a “bad.” Pikachu frowned and his ears drooped.

Red’s heart melted. Arceus, he could never stay mad for long when it came to his first Pokemon.

And that’s when he turned to see what he was offered, surprised. He didn’t expect to be offered food! He could surely just buy more food for himself, but his stomach disagreed. He nodded to her, and signed, “Thank you! That’s really nice of you!” Hopefully she got the gist.

Ilex Forest was as familiar to Ava as the back of her own hand – more so, even, as she quietly made her way through the woods. Her footsteps were completely silent as her bare feet nimbly stepped over fallen twigs and dried leaves. Her satchel was full of mushrooms she had gathered for her supper, and she cradled a small bundle of sticks in her arms for the fire. She had nearly made it back home when she noticed a figure in the distance. Stealthily approaching him from behind, she sized him up – while she couldn’t be certain he appeared to be a pokemon trainer.

“Are you lost, traveler?” The Hex Maniac spoke finally, announcing her presence. She looked up; the canopy of branches nearly blocked out the sky, but the fading orange light of the setting sun still filtered through the leaves. “It’s nearly dark. The woods can be perilous at night.”

Ava knew better than most. There would be no moon tonight, so attempting to navigate the forest with nothing to light the path would prove disastrous for someone who didn’t know their way. 

“My shop is nearby. If you would like shelter for the night please follow me. Otherwise, enjoy wandering aimlessly through the dark.” She turned away to continue the journey home, hardly giving the man time to ponder the decision.

Red nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard someone’s voice from behind him. He snapped his head around to see what it was, only to find what seemed to be someone who lives here--or at least knows the area better. He was about to sign an avalanche of questions when she offered to room him for the night. 

Naturally, he was a bit suspicious at first. It just seemed a little too convenient that this individual lived in the forest. Still, it’s not like he had much of a choice, lest he stay out here throughout the night. (Which wouldn’t usually be a huge problem, but he had no camping supplies.) So he hurried to catch up with her, Pikachu clinging to his clothes with sharp little claws.

It had been a long time since Red had been to the Ilex Forest. The last time he went was likely... hm. It was probably just after leaving Mount Silver about a decade ago. He had come back to explore the lush forest and observe the native Pokemon.

The only problem was, he was lost. Very, very lost.

Maybe he shouldn’t have followed one of the wild Farfetch’d deep into the woods, but the little flying type was just so cute! That, and Pikachu kept squeaking at it and trying to get closer. He doubted that the Farfetch’d meant any harm by taking them deeper--probably--but it sure did get the two of them lost. He tried desperately to find where he came from, but everything just blended together and looked the same.

Red was tired. He was very tired.

He didn’t get much sleep last night, having slept barely an hour without any background noises to help him calm down. Pikachu was up trying to comfort Red, so he was exhausted too. At least he could get away with sleeping on the trainer’s shoulder though. Red had to walk them everywhere.

He eventually wandered into Driftveil City, still as exhausted as ever, looking for food. Oh, yeah, he was pretty hungry too. And kinda lonely--Pikachu fell asleep on his shoulder while he was walking. But mostly just tired and hungry.

Red noticed a market after about ten minutes of wandering around, and approached quickly. Hopefully there would be some food there. He wandered around the market for a while, before finally finding a vendor and purchased a few berries. With something to eat, the trainer headed towards the nearest bench and sat down, waking Pikachu up with a few gentle nudges. The yellow Pokemon woke up pretty quickly when it noticed food, and he jumped into Red’s lap to get a bite to eat. He, of course, obliged.

Pikachu was a good Pokemon, all things considered. He was always there for Red, and was always loyal. That being said, sometimes the yellow Pokemon would run off when he found something interesting. This happened to be one of those days, and it spooked Red really badly.

Pikachu just ran off without his trainer, determined to chase after something--Arceus knows what. Naturally, Red pursued his wayward Pokemon, but eventually the little mouse ran right out of sight. Almost immediately, the brunette started to panic--what if something or someone got to him first?! He bit his lip hard, trying to formulate a plan to find his companion, but nothing came to mind. Eventually, his thinking turned to pacing between the trees of the forest he was in.

He was mentally cursing himself--surely he could think of something that can find his missing Pikachu! Eventually, he ran out of ideas, and he silently sighed deeply. The only thing he could think of was waiting for Pikachu to return, but he’d much rather go out to find him...