#alterxrp

Alter wandered among dense, overgrown plant life, while he fondly polished his new Bug Badge with his thumb.  He had been lost in this forest for so long, he’d decided to at least attempt to enjoy the scenery.  After a while of nothing but trees, though, he grew tired of not being able to use his rollerblades in the uneven terrain, and wanted to get out.  It was clear to him that he had no idea which direction was where anymore, so he simply kept walking, hoping to find an end to the forest.  Admiring the badge that he’d just earned in Santalune helped him forget, momentarily, that he’d gotten stuck in this odd forest after taking directions from a couple of snickering teens.  He should have known they were not a trustworthy source…

But it was too late for regret.  All he could do now was put away his badge, sit down on a large root, and let his pokémon out for some fresh air while he rested.  Just as he was about to take out a pokéball, though, he caught wind of a sound which broke into the ambience of rustling trees and the occasional Fletchling chirping.  There were footsteps—a lot of them.  Keeping Cayenne’s pokéball in his hand just in case, Alter scanned the gaps in the trees for some sign of movement.  His eyes caught on some shifting greens and browns, and he stood up and moved closer, leaning to peer around trees and make out whatever it was.

A procession of Skiddo was passing through the forest.  They looked harmless enough, so he slowly made his way toward them.  Upon closer inspection, he could see the makings of a path, presumably created by the Skiddo taking this route more than once.  There were an awful lot of them, he observed.  Perhaps that was why none of them noticed the baby Skiddo which was lagging behind the group, struggling to clamber over tree roots too large for its awkward young legs.  

The twinge of Alter’s heartstrings at that moment was all the reason he needed.  Immediately, he tucked Cayenne’s pokéball away and picked through the trees and shrubbery to follow the Skiddo herd, staying close enough that he could keep an eye on the baby, but not close enough to startle any of them. 

He was so focused on how exceptionally adorable that baby Skiddo was to him, that he realized a bit too late that the herd was entering a clearing in the wood.  When he finally tore his eyes away, he saw not just a clearing, but a building.  The herd carried on beyond the humble building, toward what appeared to be a barn.  Alter’s relief at the thought of civilization was interrupted by the sense that he was intruding on whatever this place was, until he spotted a sign that read, “Inn.”  At this observation, he hesitantly made his way to the entrance.  

"Um… E-excuse me…"  His voice embarrassingly cracked as he took hold of the knob and cautiously pushed the door open.

Soft thuds and rustling grass could be heard as a small yellow body tumbled down the hill. Alter flew after it on his skates, hot on the thing’s trail. He was already panting from the frantic chase, but his cheeks grew even hotter when he blew past a couple of girls who were passing through Route 5, just like Alter had been, but had now stopped to stare at him. Yes, this crazy guy was chasing his fat little Pikachu that was rolling down the hill, he was sure they would be reporting to the whole Holofeed, with pictures attached. 

He gulped, but it didn’t help him swallow his shame at all. He settled for just making a determined effort to pretend he hadn’t noticed the girls. Instead he focused all his attention on poor Kokomo, who had reached the bottom of the slope and let out an indignant Pi! as his descent was soundly halted by a tree. The pikachu lay there unmoving and dizzy. Horrified, Alter made no effort to slow down, wanting to quickly scoop Kokomo into his arms. But his luck was a cruel mistress; Alter could never seem to get exactly what he wanted. And so, rather than letting him tenderly embrace Kokomo, his reckless velocity inevitably sent him barreling right into an unsuspecting trainer.