ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

-Walks right up to the cave entrance, where the area gets dark, save for the glow coming from the twilight covering the entrance-

Alright, let's get this over with.

-Enters-

Mt. Coronet

Amanita: -follows, keeping a hand on Thorn's Pokeball-

- Follows -

Route 37 - Johto

Lake — <Come on, admit it.>

Phyco — Narrows his eyes. <Admit what?>

Lake — Smirks. <That you didn't find Ecruteak ugly?>

The Kingdra rolls his eyes, turning away from Lake dismissively.

Phyco — <Sorry, but human architecture will never be able to match the beauty of a nature, no matter how hard they try otherwise.>

Lake says nothing, simply letting out a small sigh. It was as if seemingly nothing could hit Phyco's seemingly insurmountable standards.

"Can't you at least admit that it was beautiful in it's own way?" Luke added, pausing momentarily from harvesting some Apricorns from a nearby tree. "Sure, it may not be beautiful in the same sense as...say, a coral reef, but it can still stand out by it's own merits, no?"

Phyco responds by blowing some bubbles of discontent.

Phyco — <Sorry, but I just can't get exited about a bunch of wooden boxes, even if they are nicely decorated.>

Luke says nothing, simply going back to trying to pick some Blue Apricorns from the tree.

"Well, if that's how you feel, I won't try to change it."

Phyco — Nods. <Thank you. Now, if you don't mind, I have a question of my own.>

Lake lets out a yawn, lying down on the grass as he glances at the Kingdra.

Lake — <Before you ask: No. I'm still not going to teach you Bubble Shield.>

Phyco — Glares at Lake. <That wasn't the question. And for the record, I still don't see what harm it would do if you taught it to me. Unless you enjoy it when my bubble is burst by anything prodding it too hard?>

Lake — <Well...It is kinda' funny...> Chuckles lightly.

Phyco shuts his eyes, shaking his head.

Phyco — <Whatever, we're going off on a tangent here.> Glances at Luke. <The main thing I want to ask is...well, what are we doing exactly?>

Luke blinks at Phyco as he manages to dislodge a Blue Apricorn from the tree, bending down to place it in his Apricorn Case.

"We're making our way to Cherrygrove City to meet with Silent, remember?"

Phyco — Nods. <Yes, I remember that. But what do you plan to do after that?>

"Well, I'm planning on catching some more Pokémon. It isn't really safe travelling with only two Pokémon with only two types between them. That, and I really need something that can fly or Teleport."

Phyco — <And what do you plan on doing once you have more party members?>

"...Er..."

Luke pauses, unsure how to answer that question. Thankfully, Lake has something to add.

Lake — <We plan to meet up with the rest of our friends at some point. Most likely once they've cleared up that mess in Sinnoh.>

Phyco — <Oh?>

The Kingdra swims over to Lake, but keeps his distance somewhat. He had a habit of popping his bubble for "The LO Lz" as people up here on the surface apparently like to say. With such terrible use of their own language, Phyco wondered how they had ever become the dominant species on this planet, but that was another matter entirely.

<And what do you and your friends do together?>

Lake — <Well...we travel around the world...>

Phyco — <And why do you do that? Are you explorers?>

Lake — Shrugs. <Some of us are, I guess? Gene for example.>

Phyco blinks, looking somewhat lost.

Phyco — <Who?>

Lake — Looks awkward. <Oh, you haven't met him yet, have you? Gene's a Sandslash.>

Phyco — <A Sandwhat?>

"He's like Dintel, but bigger and sharper, and slightly more mature."

Phyco — <...I see. These friends of yours then, you're explorers?>

"...Sort of? We're actually all Pokémon Trainers, but that seems to take a bit of a back-seat to what we end up doing most of the time."

Phyco — <And what is that?>

Luke looks somewhat awkward at this.

"Er...usually, we end up fighting against something or another to save the local region, or the world or the universe, at one point from danger, often with the help of the local legendary Pokémon..."

Phyco pauses, looking somewhat bemused by his trainer's statement.

Phyco — <...I find it rather hard to believe that is what you actually do, but I'll take your word for it for the time being.>

Lake — <It's okay. We get that a lot.>

Phyco — Nods. <Well, then let me ask you two: do you enjoy doing it? And is it what you want to do?>

The human and Feraligatr glancing at each other, a somewhat doubtful look on their faces.

"Er..."

Lake — <I would if we weren't in so much danger all the time...>

"I'll admit it can get somewhat...frustrating to have to deal with the things we go through, sometimes."

Lake — <It does happen an awful lot.>

Phyco gives the two a slightly concerned look.

Phyco — <You both seem to have some doubts about this...perhaps a rethink is in order here?>

"...Perhaps..."

Lake — <Yeah...>

Jubilife Park (the other one)

Ashley's and Hunter's teams are milling about, keeping mostly separate, though Lauren, Marvin, Domino, and Ion seem to be getting along pretty well. All of a sudden, Serge leaps to his feet and starts loping in the direction Ashley, Hunter, Cole, and Cesar went off in. Lockspur and Trixie, after a moment of hesitation, runs after him. He calls over his shoulders to the others.

<Yo, losers! C'mon, we're gonna go find our Trainers!>

<Oh, that loser did not just call me a loser!> James starts running after him, but is considerably slower than the Luxio.

<... We should follow him,> Ion says, slowly getting to his feet. Six and the Noctowl have already taken off chasing him.

<Are you sure we should go with them?> Marvin asks, sighing.

<Yeah, they're kind of jerks,> Lauren adds.

<Oh, no argument there,> Ion says, offering a hand to help them up. <But we should make sure they don't get into trouble.>

<Oh, fine...> Marvin gets to his feet. <C'mon.>

On all fours, he bounds off after them. Lauren, Ion, and Domino follow, Domino flying above and calling down directions.

The Sculpture Competition

Ashley is wandering among the sculptures, chatting with their creators. Cole shuffles along beside her, looking rather unhappy.

Silly Phyco. It's for the lulz, not the LO Lz. o3o -pats the Kingdra's head patronizingly~-

Sculpture Competition

Breeze: -notices the Pidgeot- <Bird!> -glomps-

Diesel: <...> -faceblades-

edited 3rd Mar '12 8:31:11 AM by memyselfandI2

<AH!> Cole uses his wings to hit Breeze, then lets out an Uproar to get him off. <ATTACK!>

"Ah! Cole! Calm down!" Ashley tries to still the attacking Pidgeot, hugging him tightly to pin his wings to his sides.

"Um, Chimecho, could you let go please? You're scaring my Pokemon."

Elsewhere in the competition

Serge, Trixie, and Lockspur have reached the competition, and are running among the statues, with James, Six, and the Noctowl in pursuit. James has set his fists on fire and is yelling at the top of his lungs. Unknown to him, the heat coming from his flames is starting to melt the statues around him. The Noctowl, thinking this was on purpose, starts letting off random Uproars, cracking some of them further.

Six, knowing better, is trying to stop him.

- Is following the others -

Tulip: (appears to be thinking about something)

Briar Rose: <Is something the matter, Tulip?>

Tulip: <Huh? Oh, don't worry about me, I'm fine, yes!>

Dream World, earlier

Swindle: <Hey, Tulip? You spoken to him yet?>

Tulip: (shakes head) <No...>

Swindle: <Oh, what are you so afraid of? You have Attract now, with that move there's nothing to worry about! You can have that Sceptile, or any other Pokèmon your heart desires!>

Tulip: <I guess so, yes...>

Sculpting Competition[

Breeze: <@_@> -floats around- <That was mean... >

Cole, still slightly skittish, hops around a bit before calming down enough for Ashley to let go.

<You attacked me!> he huffs, looking indignant. He ducks his head, using his beak to smooth his ruffled feathers, then glares at Breeze.

"I'm very sorry," Ashley says apologetically. "He's a bit... skittish... sometimes. You surprised him."

Elsewhere

James has finally caught up to Serge, who is admiring a sculpture of a Luxray. He poses, while Lockspur and Trixie roll their eyes impatiently.

<HEY!> the Heatmor yells, startling the Luxio. <Who's the loser now, loser?>

<Oh, still you,> Serge replies, keeping his cool. <It's not as if you could beat me in a fight.>

<Oh really? You think so? You're dead meat!>

<Serge, dear, I have a type disadvantage here,> Lockspur whispers, trying to mask panic in the face of an angry Heartmor.

<Oh yeah? Hey, Trix, y'know how you were complaining about how Lockie and I both have a type advantage over you?> Serge asks, still looking at James. A grin spreads across his muzzle.

<Yeah, but... Oh. Oh.> Trixie starts giggling. <Bring it on, buddy boy. Let's dance. I've got a type advantage, and a whole lot of pent-up frustration.>

James blinks a couple times, looking nervous. <Uh... Six? Noctowl dude? Some backup would be nice... Dude?> James looks over his shoulder, then turns and runs. Trixie chases after him, firing Water Pulse willy-nilly, most missing and hitting sculptures, knocking a few of the smaller ones over. Angry entrants unleash their own Pokemon, which follow the duo.

James's hurried Flame Bursts land on both Trixie (who doesn't care), some of the pursuing Pokemon (who definitely do), and the sculptures around them.

edited 3rd Mar '12 8:58:17 AM by Crewe

Jubilife City, ice sculpture contest

Forte: Whoa! Watch it!

Icicle: <Hey! Don't mess around with our airship! Shadow, do something!>

Shadow: <Already on it.> -telekinetically moves the airship statue out of the way of a Flame Burst-

Forte's tent

-Mezzo is asleep on one of Forte's sleeping bags, and is having a dream in which she betrays the rest of the team for a lifetime supply of candy-

Near Ashley

Breeze: <No, I hugged you. >

Other Side of Mt. Coronet

Amanita: -exits- That place gives me the creeps...

edited 3rd Mar '12 8:58:58 AM by memyselfandI2

-Walking through the cave-

I remember the first time I walked in here.

Jubilife City

Vanilluxe: -Is trying to prevent his sculpture from getting destroyed-

edited 3rd Mar '12 9:05:39 AM by rmctagg09

With Breeze

<Did not! You flew into my face! It was totally unprovoked!> Cole fluffs up his feathers, looking indignant.

"Where's your trainer, Chimecho?" Ashley asks, looking around.

Elsewhere

<Don't blame me, blame the crazy 'duck!> James yells over his shoulder. Turning around, he sees a giant sculpture of a Wailord in front of him and skids to a stop just in time to avoid crashing. Turning around, he reaches out a hand and grabs Trixie by the neck, narrowing his eyes.

<Fine. You wanna play, little duckie? Let's play.> Raising his free paw and extending his claws, he starts using Fury Swipes. Trixie ducks under the first blow, coming face to... nose... with the Heatmor.

<Oh, boy. Did you just make the mistake of your life.>

<What? What are you... Eep...> James's eyes widen as Trixie opens her mouth. A moment later, he's unconscious, lying on top of the shattered remains of a Wailord ice sculpture, with the guy that made is hopping up and down, tearing at his hair and spewing Angrish.

Trixie chuckles, crossing her arms, then sprints away from the still-pursuing Pokemon, taking a roundabout route to get back to Serge and Lockspur.

Mt. Coronet exit

Amanita: Oh? Was it always this creepy?

With Ashley

Breeze: <Hmph.> (to Ashley) <Over there~> -points at Every, who is admiring a sculpture of a Lapras making a sculpture of a Lapras making a sculpture of...-

Elsewhere

-Mix is still asleep. Turns to awake: 2-

Mt. Coronet exit

Not really.

Nudi: <At least there's no Zubat bothering us.>

Garchomp: <Shame, I could use a snack...>

edited 3rd Mar '12 9:11:56 AM by rmctagg09

Mt. Coronet

Amanita: Aww, I like Zubat.

Garchomp: -To Amanita- <I do too, as a snack.>

Garchomp, don't creep out the non-researchers.

"Thank you, Chimecho." Ashley goes over to Every and the recursive statue, intending to apologize for Cole.

Cole gives Breeze a warning look then follows Ashley without taking his off of him, hopping along backwards.

Elsewhere

Trixie has found refuge posing in a sculpture of Golduck (apparently the Pokemon chasing her are really stupid) and turns around to find Serge and Lockspur. T He Luxio is rolling around on the ground, cracking up.

<Well done, sweetheart,> Lockspur says, applauding with both flowers. <Now then, shall we clean up?>

<Are you kidding?> Serge pulls himself together and rolls to his feet. <We can totally blame it on the Heatmor!>

<Serge, think for a second. Cesar. Is. Going. To. Kill. Us if he finds out about this.> Trixie hops down from the sculpture.

Just then, the Noctowl swoops down over them and unleashes an Uproar at the sculpture. The three cover their ears as cracks run through it.

<Wheee! This is fun! Gonna find James and tell him!> the Noctowl flies off, doing tumbles and flips. Six shoots by the three, giving them a dirty look as passes on his way to chase the Noctowl.

<Okay, so maybe Cesar can just kill them instead?> Trixie says, shading her eyes to watch him go.

<Kill who, Trixie?> an ominous voice sounds from behind the Golduck.

Elsewhere

Ion, Marvin, Domino, and Lauren are wandering around in a section where the sculptures haven't been destroyed, looking for the other Pokemon.

Mt. Coronet

Amanita: -glares at Garchomp- Touch my Crobat and I'll sic a Drapion on you.

With Ashley

-Breeze floats along happily-

-notices Ashley- Hmm?

edited 3rd Mar '12 9:17:45 AM by memyselfandI2

Mt. Coronet

- Still following the others -

"Hi, my name's Ashley. Err... your Chimecho tried to hug my Pidgeot, and he kind of attacked him for it. Sorry." Ashley shrugs, giving him an apologetic smile.

With Ashley

...I see. Breeze?

Breeze: <Not my fault.> -crosses paws-

...Don't hug strangers.

Breeze: <Hmph.>

Bonus Room

Abigail: -Has spent the night in a Sleep Cute position with Thresher- <...huh? I feel like stuff's happening at the contest...>

Sculpture Contest

-a stray Water Gun knocks Pankaja off one of the sculptures he was bouncing between; he suddenly notices the damage around him...-

Pankaja: <WHO HURT ICE STATUES?! THEY PAY!>

WOOPER COMBAT!

Cole "hmphs" and turns around, then notices his proximity to the ice and takes a few steps back.

Ashley pats him, then looks at the sculpture curiously.

"Is this one yours?"