Nick the photographer - Torry the Rockruff & Emmett the Eevee out - Route 1, with Hyde, Adrian, Flint, and now George.
Torry was wagging his tail until Zullie floated down in front of him. He stared back at her, head tilting in confusion as he did not understand what she was threatening him about; in fact he didn't even quite understand that she was threatening him at all. After Hyde got her calmed down, Torry looked up at Nick expectantly, as if his trainer might have the answers for him.
Nick himself blinked as he saw Zullie nod at him, not entirely following her train of thought. "Uh, right, let's not start another fight, shall we?" Nick said, in line with what Hyde had said out loud. Then the photographer looked down at Torry. "Be a good boy and you'll be given food, okay? If you keep trying to take it when you're not supposed to, then I might have to keep you in your pokeball."
Torry let out a little whine and shrank down slightly. "Well you won't be in trouble if you behave," Nick muttered in an apologetic tone, giving the Rockruff a pet along his back. "As soon as everyone else has had the chance to have some, I'll let you have some more; but not before then, okay?" the photographer continued, then looked back up, seeing another teen entering the scene.
"Huh, didn't think we'd see so many people out here... Wait, it's along the first route and a bunch of other kids also started their journeys today; of course there's going to be others around," Nick thought out loud, then realized he should probably answer George's question. "Well, it's not exactly our picnic to decide," the photographer noted, and glanced at Flint.
You are reading this.Route 1, -puts down box- Picnic Time
“Hoennian here, specifically around Mauville.”
Adrian nods, chuckling at the antics of the various mons.
Luna pops herself back out of that silly ball, unfit for constraint as it was, and lands among her new teammates.
Maia and Sirius do the most natural thing and apply sniffs hello.
All three then, as though through some manner of catmon (cat/dog mon?) telepathy, sit and yup for food.
“Well…this place certainly became lively.”
Flint and co - Route 1 picnic
"Ah- Hey there!" Flint blinked at the sudden rockruff on the makeshift table, and shook his head in bemusement in the resulting antics as Nick removed him from the rock. Webster apparently had enough at this point and started scuttling back to his old tree, but Flint returned him to his pokeball before giving the smallest Eevee his own sandwich.
"Well it's nice to meet all of you" Flint said, waving to the newcomer as well "Yeah, you can join in, just a sec". With that he moved to the other side of the table and started pulling things out of the bag of food, in a matter of moments he had bread sliced and was layering ingredients on them. The process and the results weren't anything flashy but from his speed it was clear Flint was rather experienced in preparing food, and anyone or mon who had not gotten a sandwich yet would have one either handed to them or placed on the blanket covered stone table next to them, with the balance of meat, cheese and vegetables adjusted for their apparent diets. Though as Torry was being chastised for jumping on the table, Flint gave the rockruff's sandwich to Nick instead.
Nabe happily ate her sandwich while watching the proceedings, the arrival of Hyde's friend and the rolling applin and pursuing trainer that arrived on the scene.
Hyde - Zullie the Misdreavus - Route 1, with a lot of folks
"Vuuuuh~" Zullie sighed. She was used to communication problems, even with other Pokemon, it seemed. However, she was determined to try being friendly. With a mischievous grin on her face as she formulated her plan, Zullie would wait until no humans were looking, turn invisible and sneak some scraps off the table to give to Torry.
Meanwhile, Hyde smiled as his friend from Aleph Town emerged from the bushes."George! Hey man, good to see ya. Yeah, you wouldn't believe all the stuff we've been up to since we split up. Zullie and I lost our first battle, then won our first battle. We even just caught a Pokemon that'd give Crusher a run for their money in the scary looks department!"
"How have you been doing, then? I want details," Hyde asked. Over George's shoulder Hyde couldn't help but notice the approach of a high speed apple, with Jacques in hot pursuit. "Are uh... are they with you?"
Higher beings, these words are for you alone.Nick the photographer - Torry the Rockruff & Emmett the Eevee out - Route 1, with Hyde, Adrian, Flint, and now George.
Emmett gave a happy yip, and started munching on the sandwich enthusiastically, in quick, tiny little bites.
Meanwhile, Nick took the two offered sandwiches, keeping them out of reach of Torry. "Wow, you're pretty good at that, Flint. Got plans to be a chef after your Pokemon journey?" Nick wondered as he watched the sandwiches get prepared.
While Nick wasn't looking, Torry sniffed with his nose and turned his head, seeing scraps of food floating over to him through some unseen, invisible force. He tilted his head with a confused, "rr?" then started stretching his neck forward to start licking towards the scraps... But then paused, and glanced back up at Nick and let out another little whine.
"Just a little longer, Torry," Nick told the canine Pokemon, giving Torry another pet along his back.
Torry let out a quieter whine as he looked back at the floating scraps, before his keen eyes spotted incoming movement. The Rockruff let out a bark then, and started moving his legs to be free of Nick's grip.
"Hey! Torry I told you- huh?" Nick started on another reprimand only to get confused as he realized that Torry wasn't going for the sandwiches. That's when he noticed yet another trainer and a... Rolling fruit, on approach? "Now what's going on?" the photographer wondered, letting the canine Pokemon free to get to the ground and stand guard.
You are reading this.Route 1, Apple, Aqua and Jack.
Whether it was miscalculating the distance to the picnic or forgetting to try and stop it's momentum and worrying he'd gone too far, Carmine tried a stop...which, simply caused the poor apple to tumble and spin around like a top, before fall flat on his 'face' before trying to pick itself, eye-leaves reappearing and looking somewhat dizzy.
"G...Good grief, we've only been a team for a few minutes and..." Jacques remarked, worried about the greedy apple before noticing the gathering of trainers and the picnic, some of them looking familiar.
"O-Oh...bonjou- Er...hello again."
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.Route 1 (Joachim & Gliss)
As fascinating as the behavior of the one Deerling was, what with its camouflage ability being shown off, the young Trainer couldn't afford to take his attention off of the battle, given that Gliss had just been tackled and sent tumbling.
"Gliss! Are you okay?" Joachim called out, concern in his voice for his partner, but thankfully his fears were put to rest as the Snorunt got back up, shaking her head and bopping up and down in an annoyed tone, as if declaring the Deerling would be sorry it touched her.
Proud member of the AGOG community.The Deerling that was hidden in the bushes continued to stay still, keeping its eyes shut. The other one cried out, lowering its head in a threatening manner and shaking it back and forth, also holding its ground against Gliss.
George laughed, seeing Carmine roll up and fall flat on its face.
"Oh, I'm eager to see anything compared to how scary Crusher is," George responded. "Uh, no, this kid isn't with me. Hey there, name's George." He grabbed two Poke Balls that were attached to his hip, and grinned. "Okay Crusher, Pointer, you guys ready to eat?" he asked, tossing the two Poke Balls into the air as they released their Pokemon. Crusher the Pinsir appeared from a flash of light, screeching before sitting down next to the makeshift table with the other Pokemon.
The second Pokemon that emerged, presumably named Pointer, was a brown worm-like Pokemon with beady eyes, a large round nose, and a pointed horn on the very top of its head.
"Weeeeedle!" it buzzed, inching its way over to the table and snuffling its little red nose in the direction of the food.
"Pointer must be hungry, I just caught her about 10 minutes ago," George pointed out with a smirk, then sitting cross-legged with the group.
Edited by AllHailThrall on Mar 23rd 2023 at 2:18:12 PM
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.Hyde - Zullie the Misdreavus - Route 1, with a lot of folks
Zullie's attempt to befriend Torry was going nowhere fast. In her ghostly point of view, she hadn't given any thought to how being invisible made her offering look more like a weird haunting than anything else. On top of that it looked like Torry was too good a boy to go for something he'd been told not to. Giving up in a huff, the Misdreavus let the food scraps fall to the ground as she reappeared in full retreat. She would proceed to sulk, hovering a few feet above Hyde's head, which was becoming her go-to place when she needed to get away.
Meanwhile, Hyde was happily catching up with George, though seeing Carmine land flat on his face brought about an instant, sympathetic kinship. Hyde squatted down next to the Applin, flashed it a friendly smile and asked, "Hey, you okay there?"
When Jacques greeted everyone Hyde noticed the Kalosian slip in his speech. He made a mental note to avoid his habit of using the language almost exclusively for swearing. It was something that his older brothers had taught him, as a joke.
"Hi there, name's Hyde," he said, pointing to himself unnecessarily. "Welcome to our little, impromptu victory party." After some introductions (and fawning over how cute Pointer is), Hyde joined in around the makeshift picnic table. While he recounted some of the details of his day to George, like the run-in with the Nickits and teaming up to save the Eevees, the sandwich Hyde had put together went untouched. That sandwich had a crucial mission to accomplish. One that Hyde couldn't help worrying about, despite trying to be optimistic. After some time, Hyde would try to find a moment to stand and excuse himself.
"Okay," He announced, trying not to sound nervous. "I think it's about time I touched base with Seviper. Now, I know better than to do that right here, so I was thinking I'd head into the woods a bit first. I doubt he'd appreciate being surrounded again, anyway. So, um... if I'm not back in a few minutes... uh, please come looking for me." Hyde played off the last bit like it was a joke, with a shrug and a grin that didn't seem all that genuine.
Higher beings, these words are for you alone.Nick the photographer - Torry the Rockruff & Emmett the Eevee out - Route 1, with Hyde, Adrian, Flint, Jack, (Jacques) and George.
Nick smiled in familiarity as Jack greeted them. "Oh yeah! Jacques, right? We got our Pokemon together at the lab, and then we talked about maybe traveling through the route together," Nick said, recalling what had happened earlier that day. Then Nick blinked a couple times. "Oh, yeah... Kinda got distracted with the battle and then stuff at the Pokemon center afterward. Sorry about that," the photographer added, then looked down at his Rockruff.
"It's alright Torry, they're friends, remember?" Nick reminded Torry, while sitting back down in front of the makeshift picnic table. "I guess if people are just gonna keep showing up, I should go ahead and let you eat, or you might be waiting forever," the photographer decided, picking up the sandwich meant for the canine Pokemon and offering it out.
Torry was very easily distracted from the new arrivals by the promise of food, and barked happily as he turned back towards his trainer. With enthusiastic gusto, the Rockruff scarfed down the entire sandwich in just a few seconds.
Nick let out a chuckle, then noticed the scraps of food dropped on the ground nearby. He raised an eyebrow, wondering briefly if Torry had managed to grab more food he wasn't supposed to? Though, nothing had been in his reach while Nick was holding him. Had somebody else tried to discreetly feed Torry while Nick wasn't looking? Well, regardless, he decided to let it go, and just shook his head as the Rockruff moved on from the sandwiches to the scraps, and devoured them too. "Guess you were hungry, huh," Nick muttered, then looked over as Hyde mentioned getting some time with his new Seviper in. "Shouldn't you at least stay within sight?" the photographer suggested, in a mildly concerned tone.
Meanwhile, Emmett had started bounding around the trainers, stopping to briefly look at each of the new Pokemon that were showing up. He'd then yip at them before continuing to run, at a quick scamper.
You are reading this.Joachim & Gliss (Route 1)
Seeing that the Deerling wasn't going to back off, and knowing that he'd have to take the initiative at some point, Joachim pointed at the Deerling in question. "Attack again!"
While not exactly a clear cut command, it did the job well enough for Gliss to get the idea, and so she responded with another use of Powder Snow, this time hopping forward to try and make sure that the Deerling took the brunt of the icy force.
Proud member of the AGOG community.Route 1, Jacques and Friends.
As Carmine mostly snapped out of his dizzy and somewhat confused state, eyes blinking and refocusing as it noticed both it's trainer and Hyde showing concern. For a moment, it hesitated, glancing to the side to notice how many people and Pokemon were present before deciding that he would at least try to behave. Mostly. If there was food it could get away with taking, though...
The Applin gave something akin to a nod by tilting it's eye-leaves in response to Hyde's question while it's trainer seemed a little perplexed at what was going on.
"Est-ce vrai...? E-Er, is that so...I guess it's something to, uh, celebrate, I suppose." The young Kalosian remarked.
It...seemed a little excessive and made the trainer worried it'd give the greedy apple ideas...while looking a little envious but doing his best to at least try to smile, especially when Nick spoke up.
"It's alright...I think we both got distracted by other things that we just, um, forgot and got split up."
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.Deerling winced and was pushed back, wincing back from the chilly snow attack, which built up and crystallized on Deerling's body. The ice surrounded the Grass-type Pokemon, and it stood there motionless, partially embedded in a block of ice.
The other Deerling shivered, opened its eyes, and darted into the bushes to flee from the fight.
George grinned, nodding and listening as Hyde explained the details of the group's day.
"Wow, three Eevee, that's not something you see every day," George commented, while Crusher stuffed his face with some of the food that was set out for the Pokemon. Crusher chirped happily, seeming surprisingly cheery for something so large and menacing.
Pointer, meanwhile, sniffed the food, inching its way up to Emmett and looking up at the young Eevee curiously when it bounced nearby.
George raised an eyebrow and stood when Hyde mentioned his plan with Seviper.
"You sure you don't want any backup with that?" George asked him.
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.Route 1 - Picnic
Maia regards Hyde with slight caution. The beast may have been caught by him, but there’s no telling if the young man could tame it. “Bui…Evui.”
She opts to nuzzle her mate for comfort, which Sirius obliges.
Adrian scratches the back of his head, “Yeah, hehe…today’s been busy for all of us.”
Luna watches Flint work his culinary magic, mouth watering.
“Mroooooooow!” She bats at the meat magician’s leg, the huntress demands food with eyes that absolutely aren’t pleading, don’t be silly.
Hyde - Zullie the Misdreavus - Route 1, the Picnic
"Backup, huh?" Hyde pondered, pulling the miniaturized Poke Ball containing Seviper from his pocket. He kept his grip on the device tight, knowing they weren't infallible. He wondered how Seviper might be feeling, curled up in there. The interior of a Poke Ball is supposed to be peaceful and safe, facilitating rest and recovery for the Pokemon within. Still, Seviper's hunt had turned into a 4-on-1 battle. He would likely be tired, hungry and on edge.
"I guess... It's not a bad idea," Hyde admitted. "However, I don't want him to feel threatened. One, maybe two other people, at most and just to watch my back. He's probably going to be wary after that fight, so I was initially thinking that if it's just me he sees then he might be more inclined to relax a bit."
Hyde sort of shrugged his shoulders with that last part. It was painfully obvious that this was all more hope than a well-thought-out plan. It certainly didn't escape Zullie, who began to float down almost sarcastically slowly, directly in front of Hyde's face. The Misdreavus's exasperated frown stared straight into his soul.
"O-of course, I guess I was never going into this solo, was I?" he asked, knowing damn well that was a rhetorical question. Zullie just sighed and delivered a not-too-hard headbutt to Hyde's solar plexus, as she lacked hands to dope-slap some sense into the boy.
Higher beings, these words are for you alone.Flint - Route 1 picnic
"Maybe, I'm not sure yet. My Dad's a chef and bartender so he taught me some stuff, but my Grandpa is a craftsman and wants me to apprentice with him to keep the family business going... Both sound interesting, but I'm not sure what I really want to do yet."
Flint kept himself busy making sure there was a sandwich for the newcomers as well and idly listening to their conversations. He chuckles at the mighty Shinx and slips her an extra slice of meat to tide her over while he works, and regards Hyde, Zullie and the miniaturized ball for a moment out of the corner of his eye. "Go for it, you've got your partner and can recall that Seviper if something goes wrong the first time. Even if it's grumpy it should still be tired out from the capture"
Nick the photographer - Torry the Rockruff & Emmett the Eevee out - Route 1, with Hyde, Adrian, Flint, Jack, (Jacques) and George.
"Well, we're together now! So we can head to Betata together," Nick said to Jacques with a nod. Then Nick returned his attention to the conversation with Hyde. "Oh right, you have Zullie, of course," the photographer noted as the little ghostly Pokemon reminded her trainer of her presence. "Still, best you not get lost or jumped by wild Pokemon again, so don't go too far."
Then Nick turned his attention back towards Flint. "Well, hopefully you'll figure it out during your journey," Nick suggested in an encouraging tone.
After scarfing down what food he had, Torry looked around curiously at some of the other Pokemon, taking a few steps around Nick and sniffing at Crusher and Pointer.
"Torry, you and Emmett should get to know each other. You're teammates now," Nick mentioned after he noticed the wandering of his canine Pokemon.
Torry looked at Nick for a moment, then over at the bouncing, fox-like Pokemon. Torry let out a playful bark, then scampered after Emmett. Emmett saw the Rockruff, let out a yip, then started running in circles around the perimeter of picnic, with Torry chasing after.
You are reading this.Route 1 (Joachim & Gliss)
Seeing that the Deerling Gliss had been fighting was now encased in ice, Joachim looked torn between trying to help it escape, or pressing the advantage he had. However, in the end, he opted to take a third option, and instead withdrew a Pokeball, tossing it at the Deerling in an effort to catch it.
Proud member of the AGOG community.Joachim tossed the Poke Ball at the frozen Deerling. As it was encased in ice, the Grass-type was incapable of dodging out of the way, was hit with the Poke Ball, and transformed into energy as it was sucked into the ball. The ball fell to the ground. It shook once, twice, three times, then the button flashed red, it let out a low ping, and went still and silent.
George looked unsure, but raised an eyebrow, nodding slightly.
"If you're sure you'll be all right. I'll be right here. Just holler if you need us, okay?" he asked. "If this Pokemon is as dangerous as you're saying, I wouldn't want to mess this up for you."
With that, he turned his attention to the picnic, sitting back down and taking a bit of sandwich as it was passed out to him. Crusher nibbled at some of the picnic food, as did Pointer, who had gone back to paying attention to the food once Emmett had scampered away.
"I hope Betata's not too far away," George added. "This route's supposed to be short and easy..."
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.Hyde - Zullie the Misdreavus - Route 1, Near the Picnic
Hyde bowed as he excused himself from the picnic. He went to the edge of the area, scouting around for somewhere to let Seviper out without distressing its former lunch targets. Zullie followed high and close, her head (her whole self, really) on a swivel. It was her personal mission to ensure her trainer's safety.
After some searching, Hyde found pretty much the ideal spot. A smaller clearing, adjacent to the picnic clearing, with a large, flat stone close to the near side. Hyde made himself comfortable, sitting on the rock. With the Poke Ball in one hand and the sandwich in the other, Hyde psyched himself up.
"Remember, calm but in charge," he said to himself before tossing the ball. "Go, Seviper!"
The Poke Ball snapped open mid-flight and a bright light poured out. As the ball returned to Hyde's hand, Seviper materialized in a loose loop. Once he realized he was free, the snake scrambled into a curious, vertical zig-zag stance. It was ingenious, Hyde thought. It conceals Seviper's true body length while allowing it to launch an attack from any of the points where it contacts the ground.
"Ssssevvvv," the snake hissed. He spotted Hyde first, seeing that the human appeared far more relaxed than at the scene of the battle. Next to him however, was the little ghost Pokemon, the threat of her Psywave attack implicit in her glaring stare.
Seviper's attention was on Zullie and his tail-blade was beginning to quiver in tension. Hyde gently waved his hand, drawing the serpent's gaze back to himself. The boy held up his secret weapon, the sandwich. Seviper watched curiously as Hyde tore the sandwich in half (he'd made sure there was nothing solid across the middle, just for this) and took a bite.
This was very nearly Hyde's undoing. He'd intended to show that the sandwich was food and perfectly safe to eat. What Hyde wasn't ready for was just how spicy the ingredients Zullie picked out were. His mouth was an inferno but somehow, his face stayed serene, if reddening around the cheeks. Hyde handed off that portion of sandwich to Zullie. Allowing this momentary distraction, the Misdreavus took the sandwich with her prehensile hair tentacles, like some kind of floating octopus.
With her first bite, Zullie's face filled with a deep blush. Her stoic gaze was replaced with wide, sparkling eyes, focused on nothing in particular. She was lost in a sea of delicious, spicy heat. She may as well have been on the moon for all the attention she was paying now.
Seviper was so mesmerized by the ghost's sudden mood change that he almost didn't catch Hyde's approach. The boy didn't hesitate to walk within striking range and set half of the sandwich on the ground. He then backed away, keeping his eyes on the snake as he took his seat on the rock.
"Go ahead, eat," Hyde encouraged. "You must be hungry, after all that." This would be the moment of truth, though now he was a bit apprehensive about Zullie's atomic sandwich. He'd just wanted to make something a Pokemon would like, so he hadn't thought twice about letting her pick stuff.
Seviper glanced from the sandwich, to Hyde, to Zullie, then back to the sandwich. He slowly unfurled and flicked his forked tongue at it. The scent in the air immediately intrigued him and the second flick of the tongue was left lolling out of a slack, drooling mouth. Quick as a flash, Seviper lunges forward and chomps the sandwich. Tilting his head back, the serpent swallows the half sandwich whole, before going stock still.
"Sssehh~," the snake sighs as his face flushes with the spiciness as well. Instantly, Seviper's posture relaxes and he coils into a sleepy pile.
Taking his eyes off the snake Pokemon for the first time since he was sent out, Hyde turns back toward the picnic. Anyone looking his way would see him flashing his goofy grin and making a victory sign with his hand.
With the savage serpent soothed, Hyde approaches and draws his divining crystal from his coat pocket. As the quartz gem dangles between them, Seviper regards it lazily. He's too tired and full of good food to bother making threatening gestures. Hyde smiles as he feels the snake's name come to him.
"Welcome to the family, Rykard," Hyde says, warmly. "I think we're going to do big things together."
Higher beings, these words are for you alone.Picnic.
"A...Alright. I guess if we don't somehow get split up again, that's fine." Jacques nodded in agreement, tilting his head a little in thought. "...getting there shouldn't be too hard, I...think. Depends on if we run into more Pokemon on the way..."
Carmine seemed to slowly roll back and forth, keeping an eye out for any unattended snacks while Aqua was observing the unfamiliar...or rather, new Pokemon that had shown up since the lab, partially out of curiosity, partially out of seeing she'd win in a potential fight.
That...soon changed as whether it was the somewhat intimidating appearance of the poisonous viper finally catching their notice or both of them somehow getting the feeling a fight would go poorly, even if all of them were being friendly for the time being, they retreated behind Jacques.
"H-Hey, we're all...um...friends here, you'll be alright."
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.Joachim (Route 1)
Blinking a few times, it sunk in for Joachim that yes, he had indeed captured a Pokemon. A smile overtook his face, and as he approached the Pokeball to pick it up, he looked quite proud of himself indeed...at least until Gliss bounded forward to intercept the hand, as if demanding she be congratulated.
"Oh, right. Thank you, Gliss, you did very well." Joachim told her, giving her some gentle pats before turning his attention back to the Pokeball, picking it up...and then frowning as he realized something. "I hope they're not mad at me when I let them back out..."
Proud member of the AGOG community.Nick the photographer - Torry the Rockruff & Emmett the Eevee out - Route 1, with Hyde, Adrian, Flint, Jack, (Jacques) and George.
Nick listened to George and Jacques, and put a thoughtful look on his face. "Guess when Hyde's back from meeting with his new Pokemon, we still gotta decide if we're gonna try to get all the way to Betata in one go, or stop and camp for the night," Nick said as he thought about it, scrunching his brow mildly in concentration. "But even if we make it some of us may still have to camp out anyway, if they don't have free rooms for trainers. I don't exactly have a lot of cash myself, but I can try selling-" the photographer stopped suddenly, his brow going up as he reminded himself of something important. "Oh jeez that's right, I should be getting more photos!"
Now that he'd reminded himself, Nick grabbed his camera and started getting some more pictures of the various Pokemon as they ate or interacted.
Meanwhile, Emmett was easily keeping away from Torry, bouncing over or around obstacles and other Pokemon in a pace that Torry couldn't keep up with. After a minute, Torry stopped, panting for breath, and Emmett looked back and let out a yip while bouncing in place.
You are reading this.Hyde - Zullie the Misdreavus & Rykard the Seviper - Route 1, Returning to Picnic
Rykard's eyes drooped as the Seviper slowly began to fall asleep. He could no longer resist the aches of his muscles nor the wonderful relief of a belly full of delicious food. He could barely contextualize just how much better that sandwich tasted than any hapless prey he'd ever caught. Certainly better than those scrawny Eevee would have been.
"Alright, you rest up, new buddy," Hyde remarked as he watched his new Pokemon begin to doze off, blissfully unaware of the predator's macabre thoughts. With a click of a button, he returned Rykard to his Poke Ball.
"Alright, that went about as well as I could've asked for. Zullie, thanks for the-" he paused. "...backup."
Hyde had just noticed the absolute state the little ghost was in. The sandwich was gone, the crumbs and sauces of its remains were speckled about the Misdreavus's bedraggled hair. Zullie's eyes were unfocused, devoid of any thoughts. A lock of her hair, clearly the tendril that had held the last morsel, trailed out of her mouth.
"You uh, you enjoy your sandwich?" Hyde asked. He was honestly surprised she hadn't also fallen into a food coma. That portion had been big enough for them to split. Zullie blinked a few times as she came to her senses. As comprehension dawned on her a new blush crept into her cheeks, unrelated to spicy food. She spat out her own hair and began to nervously look away, visibly mortified.
"Don't you worry," Hyde assured. He searched through his pockets for a moment. From an accessible compartment of his backpack came a comb he clearly didn't use enough himself. From a coat pocket (the same one containing packets of purifying salt and one packet of ketchup) came a sealed, single-use wet wipe. "Come here, let's get you cleaned up."
Moments later, Hyde came striding triumphantly back into the picnic clearing.
"Good news, everyone! Rykard's calmed down and I'm reasonably sure we're good to go," Hyde announced. "That's, uh- that's the Seviper, by the way. His name is Rykard," he couldn't help but stumble on his words a bit.
Curiously, he walked with Zullie nestled in the crook of his arm. His other hand continued to idly brush a comb through her hair, though by now nary a spec nor smudge of sandwich remained. The Misdreavus looked somewhat embarrassed to be held this way but was also enjoying Hyde's doting too much to leave just yet.
Higher beings, these words are for you alone.

As Mars finally entered the laboratory, the other three trainers stood inside waiting patiently for him.
"There you are!" one of them said, a lithe and pretty 16-year old with red hair said. "Nervous to get your Pokemon too? Don't worry, I'm kind of nervous too... my name's Ariel," she said. "Come on, let's get our Pokemon!"
The other two, a 10-year old black-haired boy with glasses and a 13-year old pink-haired girl with pigtails, poked their heads from inside the inner laboratory, as Mars and Ariel followed them in. Inside, a middle-aged man with pince-nez glasses and a brown suit smiled at the four trainers when they entered. A Lucario stood next to him, looking determined but friendly.
"Welcome to Aleph Town. My name is Professor Hawthorn. You must be..." he said, checking his notes. "Joe, Ariel, Mimi, and Mars," he greeted, looking at notes one of the aides had handed him. He went to shake each one's hand individually. "Wonderful to meet all of you. Now, in order to determine your perfect starter, my Lucario here is going to examine your aura. Aura is a sort of natural life-force energy, your state of being, and the sum of who you are as a person," he explained. "My Lucario will then fetch you the partner that best matches your aura. Lucario! If you please."
Lucario grunted, then stepped forward towards the trainers. Its eyes started to glow blue, and its head appendages lifted up and crackled with blue energy. IT pointed its paw towards each trainer, its paw also crackling with energy. Once it had gotten a good reading, it barked and moved towards a large wall full of Poke Balls. It examined the Poke Balls carefully, then plucked four from the walls, moving back and handing one to each trainer.
Mimi, the pink-haired girl, wasted no time and excitedly threw her Poke Ball into the air. With a flash of light and a pop, a large multicolored fish Pokemon with an appendage on its head, large lips, and sharp teeth appeared sitting on the ground before her feet.
"Brux-ux-ux-ux!" the Bruxish grunted, gnashing its teeth excitedly. Mimi looked in awe at her new partner. Professor Hawthorn laughed and looked at the other trainers.
"Don't be shy," he said, going towards a desk that had a bunch of small red machines and a stack of empty Poke Balls. He gathered four of the red machines and a handful of the Poke Balls. "Go ahead and let's see your new partners."
Joe looked at the Poke Ball a little longer, before he opened his own Poke Ball to reveal a long thin purple-and-yellow snake Pokemon with a rattle on the end of its tail.
"Ekansssss!" Ekans hissed, coiling itself happily. Joe's timid frown slowly warmed up into a smile looking upon his new partner. Ariel was next up. She determinedly but excitedly raised up her Poke Ball, releasing the Pokemon inside. Inside the ball was an orange-and-cream colored crustacean Pokemon, with two large claws and two spikes on its head. It waddled towards Ariel, zigzagging back and forth as a crab often does when it wants to move forward.
"Ko-kii-ko-kiii..." the Krabby chirped. Ariel looked awestruck and reached down to pick up the crab Pokemon, examining it excitedly. Prof. Hawthorn turned towards Mars.
"All right, it's your turn," he urged pleasantly. "Go ahead, let's see your new partner!"
As the trainers enjoyed the food and their interactions, and their Pokemon acquainted themselves with each other, a rustle in the bushes sounded. After an unpleasant quietness, out of the bushes stepped an older teenager with a dark-green hoodie, a green baseball cap, and blond hair. It was George, the trainer who had helped Hyde out when he had arrived at Aleph Town.
"Hey, Hyde!" he exclaimed, removing some twigs that had embedded themselves into his hoodie. "Nice to see you again! I see you've joined up with this group here. Is this a picnic?" he asked. "Do you mind if I join in? I'm famished and tired. This Trainer business is hard work, and I just started!"
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.