Swaying to and fro from the man-made vines perched a small Taillow who quietly watched the scene from above. He loved the peaceful summer days, he loved the way the human vines crackled with electricity, feeling like tiny massages in his sore feet. What the Taillow didn't love was seeing this merchant get their way, especially after watching them stalk after the last two people prior to Iba. This particular individual simply couldn't take a hint, and to be honest, the Taillow was getting sick of it.

That was it - he made up his mind! This merchant was going to learn their lesson the bird way.

"I really only have enough funds for the travel fair. I need to be going." Iba stressed this point again, getting fed up when the merchant continued to interrupt her and present more items that were hidden within their jacket pockets.

With a shrill trill, the Taillow swooped between the two humans to separate them. He growled a tiny squeak, inching somewhere between adorable and threatening. Well, he couldn't deny that he was a cute tough guy.

"Huh?"
"Whazzit??!" The startled humans backed up from one another, with Iba nervously trying to track the blur's movements and the merchant jumping further back for safety.

"T-That can't be safe! A rabid bird, that one! I'd get away from it!" The merchant warned, grabbing a nearby rock to taunt their adversary. It wasn't anything lethal- just the right size to work for a warning shot. "Hiyah!" The salesperson cried out as they lobbed it at the bird, eager to frighten it off.

Instead of backing off, the Taillow scoffed and smacked the stone away with its wing. While it put on an impressive display of power, it internally cried at how much its wing hurt and how that was going to bruise tomorrow.

"E-Eek!" The merchant cried out, sinking with regret as they struggled out of their shock. They needed to move! This bird was mad! And upset and mad the Taillow was - it proceeded to chase after its foe with heated Pecks.

Honestly, Iba didn't want to stop the bird, but there was no need for this much violence. She'd have to break it up if this was ever going to get resolved. It was unfortunate that her team was weak to flying types, but they'd have to make do. "Chaka, stop its movements with Leer." She tossed the Passimian's Pokeball out in front of her, sternly staring down the two troublemakers until the primate fully emerged with a cry.

Eager to impress her leader with her fighting prowess, the Passimian intercepted the Taillow's movements with a hostile Leer. <Knock it off, vermin.> She snarled, spitting at the ground as the Taillow recoiled in surprise.

<W-What? Where did you come from? Hey! No! I'm not in the wrong!> The Taillow quickly protested, pointing a wing at the merchant's direction.

<I don't care. That's enough.> Chaka spat back, continuing to Leer down the Taillow until the merchant was able to make a safe escape.

<They're just going to do it again.> Taillow huffed, quietly deciding it wasn't even worth it anymore. His feathers began to flatten as he started preening his feathers post-fight.

<I am strong enough to protect Iba. We don't need dead weight bird.> Chaka folded her arms, adamant that she was capable of solving whatever Iba needed.

<Dead weight?!> Right when the Taillow thought things were over, now this jerk monkey came out of nowhere and insulted his good nature!

"Hey, hey. I don't know what you're saying, but we don't need another fight-" All of Iba's protests were far too late as the Taillow pressed forward with an aggressive Peck. Chaka didn't even dare to dodge, instead choosing to endure the pain with a wince so she could get the Taillow in range for a fierce Tackle.

She slammed the smaller target back with a vengeance, definitely not appreciating the type advantage it had over her. And punching such a tiny bird was far from easy! The most she could do was wait for the bird to zip close enough to strike.

"Chaka, take to the trees if you must." Iba groaned, exasperated that the fight was no longer in her hands. If Chaka was so eager to prove herself in battle, then so be it. The Taillow managed to get another good Peck in the Passimian's side as the primate scuffled up the truck of a nearby tree. Once she was safely hidden away in its branches, she waited for the Taillow to get entangled mid-strike within the foliage. With the crinkle of the leaves as an early warning, Chaka pounced towards the sound of wings beating against the greenery, managing to land the decisive Tackle to win her the battle.

While the poor Taillow crashed to the ground with a defeated grumble, Chaka landed proudly on her feet, huffing and puffing with exhaustion.

--
823 words
featuring Chaka the Passimian, who battled the Taillow for 411 exp! Not catching anything rn. fitz

Chaka's first scuffle felt a bit over-the-top. With shaggy fur, fleas, and an impulsive drive to please and go above and beyond, Iba found it hard not to nitpick her new partner. Yet despite that, she felt optimistic about her on-going journey. "I'm glad you made it out of that ok. Fighting flying types is not easy, I can tell that much." There was still good in every situation, and certainly, she hoped the Passimian's newfound experience would come in handy later. "But still, let's not be so quick to throw fists." And Iba was more than willing to work on her teamwork skills with the Passimian if need be.

<Understood.> The Passimian answered with a resolute nod, appreciating the compliment-coated criticism and taking it in stride. Back in her old family group, mistakes would turn to jests and insults. One could hardly call it a kind working environment. At least with Iba, Chaka could set her goals for the right reasons.

Noting the Passimian's weary expression, Iba crouched down to give Chaka an affectionate scritch on the cheek. "Take a break. I'll let you know when we leave town, ok?" With a final pat on Chaka's head, she pressed a Pokeball to the tip of the Passimian's nose, successfully recalling her for the moment.

As for now, Iba had a bus stop to find.

--
229 words
another spawn pls! :D
fitz

Preferring to conserve her phone battery as much as possible, Iba relied on a good old fashioned town map to navigate the outskirts of the village. In one hand, she kept an eye on the streets she needed to turn into. In the other, she kept a close eye on the bus schedule. Being late was an awful thought, since the bus traveled by once every half hour. That meant a half hour of sitting around in the sweltering summer heat melting away under a bus stop. Who had time for that?

Certainly not Iba.

Right as she wished for the wind to wisk the heat away, luck was on her side. It tossed and tussled her hair and soothed her soul, but in exchange, it flipped her map right out of her hands and carried it into the air. "Hey! Ay ay, come back here." She laughed, starting to chase after it as best she could.

A nearby Mincinno saw her plight, and eager to help, it leaped off its mailbox perch and grasped onto the map with the tip of her claw. <Gotcha!> She cheered, landing with a wobbly finish with the map triumphantly held above her head. As soon as Iba caught up, the Minccino gave a friendly wave her tail, coaxing the human closer so she could happily return the elder's belonging.

"Oh, thank you kindly. You didn't have to go out of your way." A bit out of breath from chasing the map down, Iba happily accepted her map and flipped it back open. So far, she was still on the right path. Nothing to worry about other than killing time.

<Ehehe, of course I had to. We help each other here.> The chinchilla boasted with an easy-going grin, proud to represent the village with good spirits.

"Cute." Iba couldn't understand the words, but the body language was more than enough. To her, the subtle way the Minccino scratched the back of its head with its tail hinted towards a humble nature. Thinking there was no need to part so early, she figured she'd keep their company for a bit longer. "Would you happen to know where the bus stop is? I've been trying to find it." Gauging the Mincinno's expression for a reaction, she didn't get much other than a curious head tilt. Maybe it didn't know that phrase?

"It's ok if you don't know. But if you'd like to tag along until I find it, that'd be fine as well. We could play cards." She snorted, imagining the chinchilla sneaking cards in the depths of that bushy tail to cheat and get its way. Now that was an idea.

With an encouraging wave for the Minccino to follow her, the happy-go-lucky rodent chirped and trailed behind her. Possibly thinking she had food, though the promise of a game appealed to her as well. It took 10 minutes of wandering around to find the bus stop, and thankfully they both got to appreciate the soothing coolness of the shade as they both took cover. Attempting to make good on her promise, Iba brought out her Uno cards and invited Fava the Carnivine to play and wait with them.

Explaining the rules was a bit difficult, so eventually Iba had to give up and allow the Pokemon to make up their own rules as they tossed cards about.

<I've got a full house of red! Your move.> The Carnivine boasted, slamming her hand into the center with glowing pride.

<What?! Already?> Minccino gaped, nearly dropping her hand in horror at the revelation. The two Pokemon continued to banter and make dramatic accusations while they waited for the bus, with Iba chuckling and quietly watching from the sidelines.

<I want a rematch.> The Minccino whined, finally giving up and tossing the rest of her cards in the center of the pile.

<You'll have to stick around if you want one. I'm a busy gal. I got things to do. You know. Things.> Fava replied with a smug look, puffing out her chest as if she was someone important. Like hell she was.

<Stick around? You asking me to follow you farther? You mean...farther than the town?> The Minccino gasped, eyes widening in wonder at the thought. Adventure was appealing, and at least once, she wanted to see what was out there with her own eyes. The way to do that? The Minccino had the gist of it, and began to paw at Iba's bag, causing the older woman to gasp in surprise. Getting a tiny paw in there, the chinchilla began to fish around until it happily came out with a couple of candy wrappers and a bagel - wait, no. Wrong stuff. Ok, so she was hungry.

"Must not eat much out here as a wild Pokemon. I always feel bad seeing Pokemon struggle when people become...overpopulated." Hesitating over her word choice, she settled on something that didn't sound entirely correct to her ears. But it'd have to do. The thought of having an extra companion around was appealing, and as the Minccino chomped away at her snacks, she decided to tap a Pokeball against its cheek to see what would happen.

--
879 words
fitz
attempting to capture minccino ft fava the carnivine! also requesting another spawn :'D ty for modding!

The bus had yet to come, but Iba didn't mind the wait. Taking out a bottled water, she broke the seal. It felt lukewarm after sleeping soundly in her bag, but water was water. Ideally, she loved having ice in her drinks. Maybe she'd train Pita to learn an ice move or two sometime. Was that sanitary? She mulled that one over a bit. It was only dirty if the ice was inside the drink. No one said you couldn't freeze the outside of the bottle.


Fava waited with Iba for a bit, occasionally sharing drinks until the Carnivine started to doze off. For a youngster, waiting wasn't an easy task. She quietly withdrew the Carnivine back into her Pokeball to let her catch up on that all too important shut-eye. Liv was fun to text while she waited, but her wife sounded busy at the moment. Must've been off helping move all of their belongings back into their new apartment. Apparently one of Liv's daughters was supposed to be in the region to help with the move. The timing was terrible, so Iba doubted she'd get to see her by the time she left Cassiopeia.

That's adulthood for you, though. Schedules are hell.

--
204 words
fitz
glad u thought the last post was cute! That Minccino is gonna get so many pets. last spawn pls! :D Then Iba can move to the next area.

At some point, Iba began to doze off. Something about the summer haze made her eyes heavy with comfort. For all she knew, the bus could putt putt on by during the brief moments she rested her eyes. And it wouldn't even matter. Not with how soothing the wind was when it brushed the sweat off her brow, and with the song of the birds to lull her into a drowsy stupor.

She vaguely sensed a pressure against her lap in the middle of her nap, but thought nothing of it. Perhaps her handbag had shifted its weight and fallen against her sides. A minor mishap. Back to rest.

Then that persisting weight started to feel heavier. Her consciousness nagged at her to stop being an old lady and to wake up and smell the roses. There was still plenty of time in the day to enjoy herself and the sparkling sun filled weather while it lasted, but her lack of sleep was finally catching up to her. Time zones from travelling across regions was not an easy adjustment - plus time management and stress from planning the move chipped away at her mental state.

Stop and smell the roses, don't fall asleep in the roses.

It was funny how her consciousness was hyper focused on the old saying. Eventually, her internal nagging got the best of her and she drowsily rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Lo and behold, the weight on her lap revealed a dramatic spread of roses and tulips spread across her lap. "Uh..." Flabbergasted at the display, Iba held one of the roses to confirm that it wasn't her mind playing tricks on her. There was no way. This wasn't some romantic display, was it? "I'm...I'm married." She weakly croaked, unable to comprehend who would do something like this. Liv? No. Liv's romantic style was much more in your face. If Liv was here, she'd make sure her name was written all over it.

She briefly caught sight of something pink and fluffy hiding behind the bushes - was it a stranger passing by? Well, that would be awkward. Iba wasn't sure where to go from here, so she started to bundle the roses together into a bouquet. What else could she do?

What she assumed was a pink cloud immediately jumped out on the defense, timidly whining and barking whenever Iba made any sort of movement to arrange the flowers.<N-No! I just had the perfect arrangement!> The puff dog dismayed, wiggling his arms as he tried to fix things to the way they used to be. Startled, Iba went stiff. It was hard to assume the Snubbull's intentions, but it quickly became clear that he was involved in her rose surprise.

"Why- What? Where did you come from? And what about these?" Slipping over her words, Iba barely made a coherent sentence in her confusion. Once the Snubbull appeared satisfied with the arrangement, he dipped his head and began to furiously groom his fur.

<I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's not you- It's definitely not for you! I mean! That was rude. I didn't mean - ohh. Uhh.> The Snubbull mushed his cheeks together as he tried to piece together what he wanted to say. <The Minccino! Your Minccino. I mean, uh. Uhh...> He trailed off, twiddling his paws together as he tapped his foot on the ground. Gosh, this was awkward. <I need to see her. Please. It's for...her.> Practically covering his eyes with his floppy ears, he let out a tiny squeal. He did it! He managed to say it.

But how would he be received? He gave Iba a shy glance, but the old lady couldn't comprehend a word of it.

For all Iba knew, the Snubbull's bashful act was a way of confessing to her. With a polite smile, Iba pat the dog on the head. "I'm sorry, but I'm a married woman. Find a cute pup your own age, ok?" She rejected the dog as sweetly as she could. Love was tough, but Iba was sure this poor Snubbull could move on.

<N-No! I-I!> Stuttering in horror, the Snubbull couldn't believe his luck. <Not you! Oh, oh gosh.> Some humans couldn't understand a lick of speech, and of course this had to be one of them. In a desperate act to clear up the confusion, he leaped beside Iba and poked around for the Minccino's Pokeball. He was so so certain it was the one on the right, but an accidental press released a hulking Passimian instead.

Chaka, who was in the middle of a nap, awkwardly came out at the very edge of the bench. Before she could get a good grip on the end of the seat, she stumbled and fell with a half-asleep splat on the face. <Gak!> She yelped, curling back up like a cat as she rubbed her head. Iba and Chaka shared a confused blink, with Chaka wondering why Iba was confused, and Iba baffled at why the Snubbull wanted to see her Passimian. With an awkward shrug, she pointed to the Snubbull beside her, hoping this would be resolved.

<A-Ah! Not you. I wanted Minccino.> The Snubbull whined, growing frantic as he started to shuffle through Iba's things again.

Well, Chaka wasn't having any of that. With fur puffed up and her back arched, she immediately jumped in between the two and gave that Snubbull a stare to remember. <You will not touch the boss without permission.> She snarled with a Leer, lips curled to reveal sharp fangs that would tear at anyone she deemed a threat.

When the Snubbull didn't move - most likely out of fear and shock - Chaka took that as an act of defiance. Holding nothing back, she Tackled the pink mutt off of the bench, increasing the distance between him and Iba.

"Hang on, Chaka. He meant no harm, I'm sure-" Iba started to protest, but Chaka was in fighting mode. While the Snubbull scrambled back onto his feet to defend himself, the Passimian had already hopped down to greet him.

<I just wanted to see Minccino. M-Maybe even show her how cool I am.> The Snubbull gulped, still debating if he should stay or fight. If he left now, his love would go on that bus and leave him in the dust. How could he let that happen? He couldn't!

<We have no need for you here. Don't bring Iba into your love affairs.> Chaka snapped back, already irritated with her injuries from the previous battle and how suddenly she was sent out.

With fire licking against his maw, the Snubbull fought back with the scariest face he could muster. Even someone like Chaka had to slink back when the Snubbull's normally pathetic gaze turned serious. And where did that fire come from? While Chaka was distraught and distracted, the Snubbull charged ahead with a Fire Fang, easily biting around the Passsimian's arm. Chaka let out a pained cry and struggled against the Snubbull's grip, frantic as the embers started to catch and spread around her fur.

"Don't panic." Standing up to better assess the situation, Iba intervened. If the Pokemon were going to brawl, it had better be under her supervision. "Pat away the fire with your tail." Her advice came in handy, and as the Passimian wrestled the Snubbull into a somersault, the primate smothered the flames away with both her tail and the dusty earth.

"Leer it off, then Tackle." Iba advised, hoping a dirty look was all Chaka needed to loosen the Snubbull's grip on her. With Iba's advice in the back of her mind, the Passimian practically headbutted the Snubbull to force eye contact with him. The Leer sent chills across the Snubbull's body, and with his grip temporarily loosened with a worried whine, Chaka gave him one last Tackle to knock him out of his senses.

"You're my tough girl. C'mere." Iba patted at the bench beside her, allowing the Passimian to hop on up for a couple of head scritches. And as for the Snubbull? Iba decided to throw a Pokeball at him. If anything, she could treat his wounds and hopefully figure out his weird obsession with roses and Pokeballs.

--
1,388 words
used chaka the lv 6 passimian to battle snubbull for half exp! chaka is now level 9.

catching snubbull! -1 pokeball. ty fitz :'D Loved having u with me for iba's adventures.