» PC
» TAGGED, auklet
» WORD COUNT, 762

Vivien wouldn't say he was nervous, exactly, but there was an unmistakable tension across his shoulders and in the fingers of his right hand as they gripped the strap of his bag. An unconscious gesture, but a telltale sign nonetheless. He was eager as well, though, and every movement of the grass brought his gaze swinging hard to it.

Valencia, bright and observant as she was, turned her head to talk to her trainer as she walked. < You don't have to worry, Vivien. Television gets it wrong. Wild Pokemon are more afraid of us than we are of- Woah!! > Valencia tumbled out of sight, seemingly swallowed by the earth.

"Val!" Vivien called in alarm, dropping all pretenses of stealth and running the fifty feet to where his Pokemon had disappeared from view. Not, as it were, swallowed by the earth, though Vivien's frantic heartbeat showed that his body wasn't as quick to believe as he got to his knees. Below where he knelt was a pit, just wide enough to be concealed by the tall grasses and long, as if to catch as many unwary passers-by as possible. It wasn't terribly deep, maybe three feet, but it was treacherously criss-crossed with thick cords of what turned out to be sticky web. Valencia, having missed the trap while looking back at him, had fallen in and was now wiggling uselessly on her side.

< Out, get me out! I hate spiders, > she shrieked, and Vivien got down on his belly, reaching his arms down to try and pull her out. "Stop struggling, I can't grab hold," he wheezed, breathing especially difficult in that position.

< Oh, dear. You're not quite what I was looking for, > came a voice from below them at the bottom of the pit, and Valencia shrieked with renewed ferocity. "Stop, stop, Val! Not a spider! Come on, you, help me get her out!" Normally more diplomatic than that, Vivien was distressed at how panicked poor Valencia was. There was shuffling from below, and after a moment a pair of yellow and orange mandibles came up into the light, neatly snipping the web on either side of the grass-type. Vivien had hold of two legs, and unceremoniously pulled her back over the edge of the pit.

She keened unhappily, but stayed put while Vivien pulled the remaining strands from her. At the same time, a Pokemon crawled out after them, about half the size of the Chikorita. For all that this whole things was a mess, Vivien couldn't contain his curiosity as he watched the Pokemon. While Valencia turned to look at it with rage in her eyes, Vivien pulled out his Pokedex. Grubbin, the Larva Pokemon. A Bug-type. Grubbin scrapes trees with its large jaws and drinks their sap. It makes its home underground.

< Who goes around digging pits? What's wrong with you? > Valencia squealed angrily, nearly in hysterics over the scare. The little grub somehow managed to look haughty, looking up at her with defiant eyes. < Relax, it's not as if you're hurt. We've had problems with a rabid Poochyena of late, and I'm simply trying to catch it. Why try and track it down when I can just make a trap? Maybe you should pay more attention to where you're going. > He said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Valencia was stupid for not seeing it. Vivien looked over the edge of the pit again with renewed interest. True, this would be the perfect sort of thing to catch a Pokemon that wasn't in its right mind and tended to be out at night. Smart.

"Do you have a lot of trouble with things like that?" Vivien asked, putting a hand on the fuming Chikorita's head to try and calm her. The little grub sighed, clacking his little mandibles together. < It is hard, out here alone. There are many predators, so I must be constantly vigilant. > He seemed a bit melancholy as he said it, or as melancholy as a bug could look. He seemed proud, though, so quickly recovered. Vivien regarded him for a minute, then hesitantly reached into his bag. Valencia, watching him, snorted out a noisy breath but said nothing as he pulled out a small, empty Pokeball. The Grubbin watched him with interest. Vivien held the ball in front of himself a little self-consciously, then extended it toward the Grubbin.

"I don't want to seem pushy, but if you want, you can come along with us. You won't have to worry about being hunted, we'll watch your back."

» PC
» TAGGED, auklet
» WORD COUNT, 304

It was after come careful, drawn out consideration - with his little eyes wary and contemplative the entire time - that the little bug gave a small nod. < I think that that would be beneficial for both of us, > he said matter-of-factly, walking up to stand expectantly just before the young man's offered hand. Vivien, smiling widely, said "I agree." Just before he pressed the button on the Pokeball, though, Vivien remembered a rather important question. "What is your name?" he asked, and the little Grubbin chittered his mandibles for a moment before responding. < It is nothing you would be able to pronounce, so you may call me whatever you like. >

"I will think on it," Vivien said happily, then a flash of light engulfed the Grubbin and pulled him into the ball. It didn't even shake, just clicked definitively shut. Vivien stood from the ground, grinning like an idiot and not caring a bit. It was, after all, his first catch. < You look awfully proud of yourself, > Valencia said primly, perhaps still a bit sore about the whole situation. Vivien was coming to learn her temperament, though, and he felt that she would forgive the Grubbin eventually. "I am," he replied with a sigh, then began his trek around the ditch. Valencia loped along after him, then angled off to the left, where the grass was tall enough that she became nothing more than a leaf parting the way.

He actually didn't know how comfortable he was with that - anything could attack and it would only be a shadow coming. But he didn't dare call her back, not when she was in a mood to be independent. If they got into trouble, they would deal with it. He did stick closer, though, and kept a wary eye in the late afternoon sunlight.

» PC
» TAGGED, auklet
» WORD COUNT, 710

The sun rose higher, and the heat became less tolerable for a boy used to the constant shade of a canopy. As he walked, following Valencia's trail of parted grass, Vivien made an attempt to pull his hair off his neck. The result was a little hit or miss, with at least most of the long strands making it into confinement. An improvement, though, with the short hairs at the back of his neck dampening with sweat with each passing moment. "Val, sweetie, what are you looking for?" Vivien asked wearily, stepping carefully around a collection of rocks. He would just as soon be waiting out the hottest part of the day under a tree, or at lease moving a little more efficiently. But Val was having the best time, searching through the grasses and getting over her little tumble and insult earlier.

The Chikorita loped back around, her leaf shining brilliantly in the warm sunshine. Even if Vivien was struggling, Valencia was completely in her element. < Anything! Everything! Something nicer than the dumb bug! > She turned and darted out again. Vivien laughed, following after her. It felt good, just watching her have fun out on the trail.

A sound caught Vivien's attention, quiet. Vivien frowned, slowing, while Valencia pulled ahead. It came again, a small mewling noise, coming from somewhere off to his right. "Hello?" he called, scanning the area. Nothing. Then again, the noise, softer. Frowning, Vivien thought he knew the direction it had come from, and walked toward it. After some searching in the tall grass, parting it with his hands, he came across the sight of a Poochyena laying in the grass. As he watched, it shifted, eyes closed, and made the little mewling noise again. After a tense moment, Vivien let out a sigh of relief. It was just sleeping.

< What are you looking at? > Valencia asked from just behind him, too loud, and Vivien was forced to jump back as the Poochyena leapt to its feet in startled alarm. < W-Who are you? > she asked, clearly a bit shaken, and Vivien put his hands up in a calming gesture. The last thing he wanted to do was spook the little canine into action. "Easy now, you're okay. I'm Vivien, and this is Valencia. I think you were having a bad dream, I was just coming to make sure you're okay." He backed up a step, but Valencia didn't seem quite as cautious - she stepped curiously up to the pup, smiling. Well, Val was a good judge of character, anyway.

< Oh. Oh, well, thank you then, > she said, and her face was a bit troubled. After a pause, where Valencia and the Poochyena eyed each other, Vivien asked, "Do you mind if I, um... Are you alright?" She looked a little lost, a little bewildered. She looked up from the Chikorita to Vivien, but seemed a bit embarrassed at the question. < It's alright, I don't mind. I just get sleepy a lot during the day, is all. I didn't mean to go to sleep here out in the open, I'm so sorry to have bothered you! >

< Sleep during the day? So are you just nocturnal then? > Valencia asked, and the Poochyena shook her head. < No. Well, yes, mostly. But I don't sleep well anyway and I just get sleepy at the worst times. > She looked up at them with a smile, a brave face if Vivien had ever seen one. < But it's alright, I'm okay! I make due, so don't worry about me. > Very, very brave. Vivien's heart went out to her, silly as that was. She'd said herself that she was fine.

It came as a surprise when it wasn't Vivien, but Valencia, that extended a figurative hand to the friendly Poochyena. < If you want to, you could come with us! Then you can sleep whenever you want, no problem. > Vivien looked down at her, eyebrow raised, but didn't contradict her. The face she shot up to him was determined. She had, it seemed, found someone she liked more than the Grubbin. Vivien put his hands behind his back and carried on, turning to walk through the grasses. "Yes, and perhaps we'll all take a nap now. This heat is killing me. Probably literally."

---

» PC
» TAGGED, auklet
» WORD COUNT, 498

Movement behind him, and the sound of chatting, assured Vivien that both the Chikorita and the Poochyena were following along behind him. It was for the best. Valencia liked him well enough, but she needed another girl to talk to. A girl Pokemon, even. Really he wasn't paying all that much attention to them given they they were playing nicely and he was actually dying from the heat. He collapsed under the first tree he came to with a groan, sprawled over the grass with his face in his arms. His bag half spilled across the ground, but he couldn't be bothered to pay it any mind. Sweat dampened the back of his shirt and curled the tendrils of hair at the base of his neck, but the slight breeze made him feel a little more human. He wished he was one of those guys that was comfortable just shucking his shirt when it got too warm, but his humility forced him to suffer.

Valencia jogged up, then started rifling in Vivien's spilled bag to pull out her own travel kit. < I made this myself, > she told the Poochyena proudly, flaunting the leaf sewn onto the side. She proceeded to pull out her journal, flipping through that as well. < There's not much in here yet, but there will be more the further we go! I write in it every night! > It was said so happily that Vivien couldn't help but smile at her optimism. It was infectious. The Poochyena was smiling as well when Vivien peeked over, her fluffy tail wagging slowly. "Would you like one as well?" Vivien asked, and the Poochyena got suddenly bashful.

< N-No, that's okay! It would be- but don't go through so much trouble! > She seemed a bit flustered at the attention, and Vivien felt perfectly content in reaching out and ruffling her head from his position. Her mouth opened but she didn't seem unhappy. "Don't worry about it. When we get to the next town, I'll find you one." Perhaps he spoiled them, but it was easy to. Valencia seemed happy as well.

They rested for awhile, the girls chatting quietly the whole time, before Vivien gathered everything up and they started moving again. Valencia and the Poochyena moved ahead, happily going through the grass parallel to the road about fifty feet from them. It was a bit in the distance, but Vivien was starting to be able to make out the shape of the next village. He couldn't help but think that things were going very well for them. Or at least, better than a complete rookie had any right to expect. He was happy for it, though. Valencia wasn't the most confident Pokemon, but she was getting so much stronger emotionally with every encounter they had. It was wonderful to watch. The next step, of course, would be to get her to grow physically as well... but that would take some nudging. She wasn't really inclined that way. Baby steps...

---

"Vivien"
< Chikorita >
< Poochyena >

» PC
» TAGGED, 🌺 inari 🌺
» WORD COUNT, 551

They were within reach of the town, almost literally, when Valencia came to an abrupt halt. Vivien frowned, then looked to his left - the Poochyena was stock-still as well, sniffing vigorously back in the direction of the route. Like moths to a flame, flies to stink, they walked like those possessed out into the thick grass. It took Vivien another minute to smell it, not possessing their senses - but it was a sweet smell, alluring, and it was apparently irresistible to his Pokemon. He could have called them back he supposed, but they didn't seem alarmed. Just interested. He turned away from the close promise of a bed and followed them back into the tall grasses. The longer they walked, the stronger the scent became - enough to make even Vivien crave it.

They didn't see the source until they were nearly on top of it - the creature blended in so well with its surroundings, except for a single distinguishing feature atop its head. A bright leaf stood out against the rest, lime and vibrant, attached to a blue body hidden by the grass at first. < Oh! Oh, welcome friends! > it squealed happily, bouncing right up to them without a care in the world. "Hello," Vivien started, but was distracted by Valencia. Without ceremony or introduction she pushed right into the friendly Oddish, rolling it onto its back and nuzzling her face into its leaves from atop it. < You smell so good, > she squealed, the picture of complete bliss. The Poochyena whined from the side, agreeing by the look on her face but nervous at her new friend's antics.

The Oddish, though, was giggling. "Off, you big leech," Vivien grunted as he grabbed the Chikorita soundly round the middle and pulled her off of the other Pokemon. The Oddish kicked her little feet for a minute before she could roll up to standing, bright leaf shining in the sun. < She's okay! Oh, I just adore her, she's so cute!! > the Oddish said, blushing and twirling back and forth and overwhelmed with the show of attention. < I was just hoping someone fun would come! > she said happily. Vivien smiled at her, not minding now when the Poochyena went up to her and sniffed all over her fronds while Valencia simply cuddled up to the grass creature.

"So um... well, I don't see any option but to ask I guess. Do you want to come along with us? We're on a little journey." There was plenty of room, after all, and the more Pokemon Vivien collected, the better he could understand them. The girls looked excited, and the Oddish had that particular brightness in her eye as well. But then she looked troubled. < Well... well, that sounds like so much fun! But would I have to fight? I don't like to fight much, I'm happier if everyone is happy! > She looked so adamant, and Vivien had to kneel down to her.

"Of course not. If you just want to hang out with them, I won't force you to do anything else." It's not like he was about to hit up the gyms or anything like that, and he had Pokemon that were willing to fight in hard situations. So if that made her happy, it was fine with him. "So what do you think?"

---

"Vivien"
< Chikorita >
< Poochyena >

» PC
» TAGGED, 🌺 inari 🌺
» WORD COUNT, 707

The Oddish remained unsure - Vivien could tell by the look on her face. While she seemed very comfortable with his Pokemon, he got the growing feeling that he was the one she didn't trust. Which made sense, he supposed, if he took two seconds to actually consider. Not everything was as trusting as the Grubbin, or the Poochyena. In theory, neither of those could truly be considered prey-type Pokemon, while the Oddish's more skittish nature showed that it likely was. It couldn't be as trusting to survive. As it was, it took a single step back, looking between him and his Pokemon as if coming to a decision.

She jumped as Vivien plopped back, legs sprawling in front of him, weight resting back on his hands. A distraction to break up whatever flight plan was forming in her mind. She seemed surprised, perhaps because he made himself so vulnerable, even as the Poochyena came up to him and settled herself on his lap. "Why don't you like to fight?" he asked the Oddish, tone completely conversational and casual. He lifted a hand to stroke the Poochyena's slightly coarse fur, thinking that he truly believed some wild Pokemon were simply looking for a home. For someone to give them a safe place, to care for them. But not everyone was going to be that way. Learning about the more difficult cases was all part of the experience.

With Valencia still glued to her side, the Oddish waved her fanned leaves emphatically. < Why fight?? Things don't get solved by fighting, people just get hurt and angry and it's a continuous cycle of pain that didn't need to happen. I think it's much better to talk things out. > She was almost a bit defensive with the last of the words, and Vivien smiled in response. "I understand. I may not completely see things the same way, but I do respect it." He felt he should be completely honest with her, not just sweet-talk her into joining him. She with her brightly colored leaf, setting her apart. "We only fight when it's to protect ourselves, or each other. Occasionally to become stronger, but that's only ever friendly competition. To learn." He continued to stroke the Poochyena as he spoke, but his attention was on the Oddish. "I hope that everything we do will bring us all closer together. We may fight others, but we won't fight each other." He couldn't really promise her she would never have to fight if she went with him, but it wasn't any different in the wild. She would, someday, have to fight. For her own life, or a friend's, or a child's. Life didn't always let you do things the way you wanted to.

But he would never force her. Or any of them. Valencia only occasionally showed a willingness to fight, and Vivien was alright with that. Would he love to see her bloomed as a Meganium someday? Of course. But he would never force the change on her, or force her to risk herself simply for his scientific interest.

The Oddish sighed, but she also nodded. < Family is important, > was all she said, and Vivien couldn't help but think there was a story there. Something a bit sad, judging by her tone alone. He wouldn't pry, though. Kicking himself over how cheesy the line was, he spoke the way he felt. "We are a family. You could be part of our family, too, if you choose to. I think we could learn a lot from each other." Because setting aside the emotional differences and similarities between them, Vivien couldn't help but being curious in a researcher's sort of way. Plus, she would definitely fit in - his fascination with grass-types was getting him quite a team. The more he learned about them, the more obsessed he became. They were just so... different from the other creatures, more like the inanimate trees and grasses around them, chemically. But they were living and breathing, and often so gentle it made his heart hurt.

It helped reassure him, every day, that he was on the right path. Perhaps some of that confidence in himself would make him appealing to this latest wild one. He could only hope.

"Speak"

---

"Vivien"
< Chikorita >
< Poochyena >