Pokemon - Saturday, September 14, 2002, 7:07 PM -----------------------------------------------
A group of pokemon find a baby in the wild one stormy night...
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Pokemon Evolutions
http://www.byte-me.org/pokemush
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GM Room
Contents:
Vertebra
Dakshi
Soki
Streetwind
Chia2
Chilly rain falls from a grey sky. It's bleak and raw. The wind blows from the east. In the forest, raindrops patter against the leaves, and glisten like silver beads on their fiery vermillion and gold surfaces. The wet tree trunks have darkened from grey to brown. While at the coast, the sea matches the miserable grey sky as the rain splashes down onto its white-capped waves.
(Because I connected late, I won't pose until a little way into the RP. Thanks to Vertebra from emailing me the poses I missed!)
It's a cold, wet and rainy day on Route 7. This particular spot seems rather secluded, far enough from the cities to be someplace frequented by pokemon, yet not so far that people are uncommon. Today, however, there are no trainers at all about. Rain pours from the grey sky above and the water settles in puddles on the ground, drips from trees and bushes and is tossed about by the gusty wind. It's far from a pleasant day to be outside, for certain.
A certain Sandslash is used to that type of day, being something of a seasoned traveller. Despite his ground type, he's handling the rain well. The fact that this Sandslash, Soki by name, is out in the rain by choice might have something to do with. As of late, he's been antsy to return to his wandering days, and his position as leader of Team Zenny has facilitated that urge through orders to travel with him... with the promise of a return home at a designated time.
What's a Charizard, an elusive fire pokemon, doing out in the rain you ask? Why, hunting Pidgeotto of course! Walking along the seemingly deserted trail, stepping in puddles of muddy water every now and again, a Charizard lumbers along on all fours. Every once in a while she stops to sniff the moist dirt, and to check the air for scents. Her wings are folded up against her back, but they twitch in eagerness, just waiting for the chance to be put to use. The dragon-like pokemon carries a satchel slung over one shoulder, and its sides bulge curiously. What on earth is this Charizard doing with a satchel? Only she knows, and perhaps it's better that way.
Water, water everywhere. Too very much to drink. An amber scaled lizard of the earth walks outside tonight and notes this fact. In an extremely loud voice. <By God! By /the/ gods! There has to be some way to vanquish water forever!> As is common with Vertebra, once one illogical statement is said, more follow in droves. <I'll bet even rain can be blamed on the humans. Humans and rain! Curses! Disgusting curses! As are brothers and siblings and parents and kingdoms and friends and. The. World!> Soki might be close enough to hear his voice over the rain, if not his actual words. Why is this? Vertebra walks next to and slightly behind the Sandslash, and is part of the once illustrious and infamous Team Zenny. He's wandering along with Soki, though he doesn't share his comrade's ease in the weather. Obviously.
Streetwind tries not to think too much. Rain tends to give her depressive thoughts. The Ninetales is traveling; after having visited the northern areas of the island following a few rumors, she's now heading south again. The south is generally warmer in fall. Traveling, that means in her case: a fast but unhurried pace, energy-preserving and thus perfect to cross large distances. She forced herself to pay attention to her surroundings for a change; too easily one gets lost in thoughts during those long hours of running. And, as we already stated, she doesn't like the weather at all. Water physically hurts the firefox. She's endured much worse weather, that's for sure, but that doesn't mean she's happy at the moment. Streetwind is incoming from the northeast, and will cross the path of the others quite soon.
Yes, while there might well be pokemon out and about, even on such a day as this, there certainly aren't any trainers around at the moment. The road is indeed devoid of all human life and the rest of the area apparently is as well. It's a peaceful mid-afternoon despite the rain, and the entire general place is quiet, save the splattering of rain. That is, it's it's fairly quiet. There is one other sound besides the rain, though it's a very quiet one, that comes and goes. Off the road a good several paces, from an unknown place, a faint mewling noise drifts through the rainy day. It's not loud and only the sharpest of ears would be likely to catch it, but it's there, just the same. It would seem to be coming from the bushes. Somewhere...
It's not as though Soki could say that Dakshi's ownership of a satchel is weird; he carries a human backpack himself. There is, currently, a fairly good stock of human supplies and a pebble in it, and it's all soaked. Oh well, the human stuff's in cans and most rocks withstand water. Soki isn't concerned with the condition of the human supplies, and neither is he concerned with Vertebra's whinings. Over time, Soki's learned to tune those out, with the unfortunate side effect of tuning everything else out as well. Thus, the validity of the term "leadership" as applied to Soki at the moment could be questioned.
Currently, Dakshi is northbound, but she doesn't seem to notice any of the others on the trail. Instead she is concentrating on other things. She listens intently, waiting for an unwary Pidgeotto to give itself away. As expected, none of the evolved bird pokemon makes such a mistake. In fact, it's more likely that there aren't even any Pidgeotto in this area. Nevertheless, Dakshi remains determined. She takes the satchel off her shoulder, and opens it with a dexterous paw. Standing up on her hind legs, she pulls a rope from the satchel, closes it, and puts it back on her shoulder. With her paws she makes a noose out of the rope, and puts the circle part of it on the ground. Then, without any hesitation, she reaches up, and ties the other end of the rope to a tree. When this task is finished, she nods in satisfaction, grunting her approval. If any Pidgeotto comes this way, she'll certainly catch one! Any other pokemon best be wary of her trap, lest they trip in it and become hopelessly snared. The hunting pokemon does notice the mewing sound, and she turns her attention away from the snare. Her wings open slightly, her muscles tense, and her eyes narrow. <Pidgeotto?> Hmm, looks like someone has Pidgeotto on the brain, when they think a mewing sound resembles a bird's call.
The Cubone tosses his bone into the air. He also sports an article of humanity in the small Z medallion around his neck. He fumbles a bit as he catches it; one of the many things that he blames on the rain. <I hate you!> he shouts, his head lifting upwards as he roars at the heavens...only to have water splash into his eyes. <Yagak!> he yelps, stopping his forward march to lower his nose to the ground and shake his head from side to side. Vertebra blinks rapidly, giving a low grumble as he does so. His little act serves a purpose, though - eventually, he can see clearly again. As clearly as one can see in the sheets of grey water. <Wait up,> he snaps at Soki as his little legs churn, moving him forward at a faster pace. Any mewling sounds are lost on the Cubone, all he can hear through his bone-clad ears in the patter of water dops and his own chatter. Maybe that's why he talks so much, to try ignore the ever-cursed rain.
The rain pounds down with a steady rhythm that quickly nestles in your head as a background noise. Through this background, other sounds are suprisingly good to hear - because they're different. The ears of a predator can distinguish between different noises of the same intensitiy fairly easily. A distant voice ahead catches Streetwind's attention and snaps her out of her half-trance. It's Vertebra she hears, him complaining loudly about the world in general. Not that she understands anything yet, over the distance. But her interest is wakened. Hour after hour of landscape, the restless Ninetales needs a change. Accelerating somewhat, Streetwind soon breaks through the bushes near the side of the road. The first thing she notices is: a big big Dragon. Whoa! Stop. Streetwind comes to a hasty halt near the perimeter of plants, from where she watches the busy Charizard for a while. It doesn't seem to notice her, for she's usually adept at staying quiet on her paws. Eventually, she calls a half-loud <Hi> to the big fire-type.
The cry quiets after a minute or two, fading away into the rainy day. A good several minutes pass and it doesn't come again. Not so much as a hint of it. In the sky the big grey stormclouds swirl, still pouring bucketfuls of water on the unfortunate creatures below. Then suddenly there's a bright flash of light, followed a few seconds later by a tremendous rumbling noise. And quick as that the bushes erupt with sound once more, though this time it's a long, loud, wailing scream.
Soki jumps. Rain's one thing; lightning's another. He may resist electricity, but his parents taught him about a few Sandshrews who got hit by lightning and promptly vanished off the face of the earth, so shelter certainly seems to be in order. ...if, of course, there were a handy shelter, which there isn't. That, in turn, means that Soki'll need to start digging. This entire train of thought is then promptly negated by the sudden crying, which prompts the Sandslash to say to Vertebra, <You hear that?> and head for the source of the noise, the cans in his backpack clanging together as he runs.
Yes, the Charizard is busy. She's busy setting traps, and now she's listening for an encore of that strange mewing sound. Instead what the dragon gets is a loud, and very unexpected greeting. She starts, and turns her head to look at the Ninetails. At first she doesn't know what to do. Placing her clawed paws on her hips, she cants her head to the side, eventually raising an ebony colored claw to a pair of pursed, scaly lips. <Shh. Can't you see I'm hunting here?> Her scolding of Streetwind is cut short when the sky flashes and the ground rumbles. The Charizard hobbles this way and that, struggling to keep her balance. Dakshi's hunting instincts snap into action when she hears the cry again. That is, until she decides that the call is not that of a Pidgeotto. Nevertheless, the call does pique her interest, and she starts lumbering off in its direction.
While Vertebra's hearing may not be good, his eyes certainly are...at least, when he's paying attention to his surroundings. The former Prince doesn't seem terribly preoccupied with the lightning flash, though he notes it. Sound is of secondary importance, at least to the Cubone species. Scavengers have to be alert to any little blade of grass or suspicious scent that may alert them to the presence of a corpse. Dead bodies don't tend to make many sounds. Even the aurally in-adept Cubone can hear the thunder rumbling. He shudders. Just about when Soki begins to consider digging, Vertebra speaks up. <All right, Soki, time to do that specia--> Vertebra begins, but trails off as the Sandslash's hero reflexes kick in. Vertebra stares after his comrade before looking around the area. What is that giant red blotch over there? It strikes a chord of memory within the ground type, though he can't quite identify the Charizard for what it is. "Bone," Vertebra says anxiously, before turning towards Soki and waddling after him. While he's not quite running, he's moving at a quick pace.
The dirty sand-white firefox is quite a ghostly appearance in front of the dark grey background of the wet bushes in the rain. The pokemon seems to consist of tails mainly, nine of them, each of them close to four feet long. Along with her body, this adds up to well over six feet of fox. Her orange-colored eyes seek the sky for a second, her expression turning into a frown. The rain has been getting worse and worse in the last half hour. She really hopes this won't turn into another week-long storm, she's had enough of those for her whole life. But thunder and lightning don't bode well. That's just the moment where the Ninetales, too, notices the strange, fourth noise source around. Her ears draw an imaginary map in her head - much less a radar-style map than a intuitive understanding of her surroundings -, on which she places Dakshi in front of her, two other unidentified pokemon making their way towards her position a little distance away, and now that new sound. Dakshi's scolding is outright ignored - she'd have paid little attention anyway -, and she follows the Charizard to the source of the mewling. The Ninetales is keeping a little closer to the bushes from the beginning on, though; before she found out more about the big Dragon, she'll try not to get to close.
This time the sound doesn't fade off so abruptly. Instead it only gets louder. The noise starts off as a rather regular squalling sound, rising to a high-pitched screaming. There's a brief pause as whatever it is that's wailing seems to hesitate for a breath, and anything close would catch a series of choking coughs. But then it starts up again, just as infuriated as before. The cry is a mixture of anger, fright and general displeasure... and it doesn't sound like any sort of pokemon, either.
(Here's where I came in!)
Soki at last realizes that there are other pokemon on the trail. He must've been tuning out more than he thought! <What's going on?> he calls to the other pokemon in a voice that he hopes can get through the rain from the distance he's at (which is fairly far away). The Sandslash is honestly hoping that they know *something*, because he'd like to know it too. The sound of crying is not a sound Soki likes, and therefore he hopes to have its purpose explained, at the very least.
Quickly, Dakshi picks up the pace. Because Charizard are meant for flying and not for walking, her running looks absolutely hilarious, and at the very least uncomfortably awkward. Her satchel bounce up and down with every step that she takes, banging against her shoulder as she runs. Small trails of steam rise from her flaming tail as water droplets splatter it. When she reaches the source of the noise, Dakshi looks around, almost certain that this is some sort of Pidgeotto planned prank. Okay, someone has a paranoia complex. Once she reaches the general vicinity of the bushes and the source of the noise, she drops down on all fours, and looks under the thick growth, trying to find what is making such a noisy ruckus. As for Soki's call, Dakshi doesn't hear it, she's too busy searching for whatever it is she's searching for, grunting all the while with the effort that she is exerting. Her wings quiver ever so slightly in the rain, and she flaps them once to keep them from falling asleep, which sends a gust of wind flying out from underneath them.
Vertebra can't help but pause at the creature's wailing cry, just as he's beginning to catch up to Soki. Another shudder wracks his small form, and this time it's not because of the degenerating weather conditions. Let his fearless leader go in and tangle with whatever that thing is. Vertebra slows to a stop, and unfortunately begins his deceleration near a muddy patch of ground. The only noise he has time for is a <Gwa--> before he skids. His pudgy arms shoot out, hoping to provide him with some balance. It (three!), predictably (two!), doesn't work (one...!). With goopy *splash!*, Vertebra falls to the mud. He babbles out a few loud but definitely human curses. The amusing thing is that he picked the best ones up from his non-Rocket trainer. He lies in the mud, attempting to push himself onto his clawed feet with little success. <Hate this!> he shouts, a palpable whine. Looks like he's trying to give the bush-bound crier a run for its money. Vertebra then glares at his surroundings and...oh my. Now Vertebra can put a species name to Dakshi's form. Vertebra's eyes widen comically as he freezes, wet and frightened in the mud.
Mark unidentified pokemon #1 as Cubone; mark unidentified pokemon #2 as a Sandslash: done. Streetwind registers theses facts from Soki's and Vertebra's voices, but instead of answering, she stores the information for later use and otherwise just ignores them. Her main interest is focused on the weird sound that won't fit to any pokemon she knows, and on the Charizard that's digging through the bushes in front of her. The Ninetales stays back a moment, listening more intently to the wailing, trying to place it in her head, or at least make out a word or two. At the same time, she hopes to catch a glance at whatever Dakshi will find in the foliage. Streetwind doesn't like to admit it to others, but she's terribly curious. Rain or not, she'd stand here for hours if necessary.
Wonderful weather this evening, it is. Lots of rain, yes! And thunder so powerful that it belongs in a movie with mad scientists bringing back the dead. Only the most desperately hungry, most pathetically lost, or most foolhardy would be out in a storm like this, and Peppy belongs in group D: All of the above. While he -should- be sleeping through the storm or at least getting out of the rain, the Growlithe is instead pawing along the route, fur soaking wet and twice as heavy, just generally looking pitiable and oh-so-miserable. Poor little guy. As for the loud screaming sounds, calling Sandslashes, Cubones faling into mud, and *giant* Charizards running down the path, Peppy is, -somehow-, completely oblivious to it all. He's lost in his own thoughts, and his own thoughts revolve around how much he *hates* rain. Because he does. No, really.
The thick bushes rustle and drip under the breeze created by Dakshi's wings as the Charizard roots through the shrubbery. And meanwhile the noise is still going, strong as ever. In fact, it almost seems to be getting progressively louder and more frusterated as the minutes tick by. It rises in pitch, cuts off completely for a few seconds to be replaced by a hiccuping, gasping noise, then lets loose once more. As Dakshi goes through the bushes she'll eventually come to what would seem to be the source of all this commotion: a large rectangular box, covered by a soaking wet, blue blanket. And the squalling sounds would appear to be coming from somewhere inside of it.
Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)
Soki closes in on the other pokemon for a moment, then hears Vertebra slip (among the rest of the paraphinalia that went along with it). As much as he'd like to continue his pursuit of greater knowledge, the Team comes first. Thusly, Soki turns and walks begrudgingly to the Cubone prince's side, holding out an arm for the scaley one to grab ahold of and pull himself up.
Dakshi is probably the most curious of the group, perhaps even more so that the Ninetails. Without waiting to investigate the odd looking box further, the Charizard eagerly gets up on all fours, gives the soaking wet container a quick sniff, before lifting the blue blanket off the top with her paws. She then peers into the dripping wet box, excited about what it is she will find. This must be a hidden Pidgeotto nest! Ha, she has found her enemy's beloved children! Nothing will stop her from bringing havoc and undeniable destruction to their young ones! Ha, she will have her revenge! How do you like that?
"Cuuuu..." whimpers Vertebra. His whimper fades into a whisper that fades into a mere hissing of breath between his clenched teeth. Only his eyes are visible as a facial expression. His black pupils, riveted to the monstrous Charizard, speak of his fixation with the giant pokemon...and the fact that his eyes are the size of dinner trays accurately convey how completely terrified he is. People often underestimate the stories the eyes can tell. Even the mud collecting by Vertebra's feet has disappeared - in his mind, the only thing he can see are a Charizards claws, flames, wings and teeth. Even if Dakshi is rooting around in the bushes, his mind's eye overlays it with an image of the angry Charizard that tried to assassinate him many times! He can see the thing's strong teeth closing in on him, ripping him apart while his blood soaks into the wet ground...The eye in Vertebra's mind is a particularly active and gruesome one. If Soki wants to move him, he's going to have to try a bit harder than that to get his attention.
Streetwind can do a whole big nothing at the moment, as long as the big Charizard fills out all the bushes. Plus, she doesn't like crawling through foliage when it rains; she's wet enough as it is. So, the Ninetales takes this opportunity to shake herself free of some of the water, a useless action considering the amount of water pouring down from the sky. But it somehow makes her feel less helpless towards the weather, and that's what counts. She doesn't notice Peppy yet - how to hear distant footsteps against this /horrible/ screaming? Instead - come on, you dragon, get back out there, and better bring something with you. Or at least silence it. Patience is not Streetwind's main trait.
Even Peppy can't stay ignorant for *that* long. Stopping right in the middle of a *big* mud puddle, the pup, one of his front paws remaining suspended in the air as he freezes in the middle of a step, quiets down his grumbling immediately. His tail and ears perking up from their droopy, soggy position, the Growlithe hears something. It's a loud something. The canine pokemon's first thought is - augh, it's the Pikachu! - but, fortunately, it doesn't exactly sound like a Pikachu. The noise is more... uh... kind of sort of like a human, but then again kind of sort of *not*. Needless to say, the Growlithe's four brain cells are completely unable to make any sense of this deductive reason, and the pup's face changes from misery to a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Ignoring everything else (as if he wasn't ignoring everything else before the shrieking came along), Peppy lowers his head to the ground slightly, padding across the mud. He looks like he's trying to be stealthy, but really failing. Sure, the whatever is screaming loud, but Peppy himself isn't a churchmouse, either - his paws make splooshy noises in the muck, and his body rustles any branch that dares to even come close to him. Silent ninja assassin of the shadows, Peppy, you are not.
It takes a little tugging to remove the blanket from the top of the box, as both items are exceedingly wet and rather stuck together. But once the tops off the noisemaker becomes quite clear. And no, it's not Pidgeotto babies. There may not be any trainers out and about in this weather, but that doesn't mean there isn't any sort of human life around. In soaked cardboard box, surrounded by wet blankets and screaming at the top of its lungs is a human baby. As the Charizard removes the cover from the box, leaving the child open to the rain, his yelling stops momentarily and he blinks at the fire type, wide-eyed. Only to resume his screaming again, obviously terrified by the enormous creature before him.
...okay, Team or no Team, something is going on with the wailing that the Charizard and Ninetales are doing and Soki wants to know what it is. His mental debate resolved, the Sandslash takes off at top speed to join the other evolved pokemon in their inspection of whatever's making the noise, leaving Vertebra behind. --Charizard? Hold up! ...and Soki does. Charizard are nasty, evil creatures that attempt to eat small pokemon. That isn't good by any stretch of the imagination. In much the same way as Vertebra, the Sandslash freezes up midway to the gathering spot, at a loss for a reaction.
Well, it's a baby. Unfortunately, the sight of the human baby brings a disappointed frown to the Charizard's face. Sorry Dakshi, no insane merciless killing spree for you today. Crossing her orange-scaled arms in front of her chest, Dakshi doesn't know what to do. She most certainly isn't the maternal type, but she is curious, and it is her interest in the strange creature that keeps her from going back to her trap making. Reaching out towards the wailing infant, the Charizard pokes the baby's stomach with a knuckle, making sure not to touch it with one of her sharp claws. She turns her head to the approaching Soki, looks the spiky rodent up and down, chuffs her boredom with the creature, and turns her attention back to the more interesting human child. A bit of smoke leaves her nostrils, and she says to Soki and Streetwind, although to neither of them in particular, <Baby.>
Ever so slowly the odd predicament begins to dawn on Vertebra. The baby's screams penatrate his fear-fogged mind and his life (grossly edited to make him appear a martyr of mythic proportions, of course) no longer flashes before his painfully wide eyes as Vertebra's inward vision slowly begins to reflect the outside world. Not that that makes much more sense - in fact, the Cubone's vision is still taken up with the Charizard, not what it's carrying. Now he realizes that he has to get away. The little ground lizard attempts to scramble to his feet but slips onto his belly in the process. "Bone!" he snaps. Vertebra's arms reach out and dig into the mud as he slowly begins...well, dragging his way to a more solid patch of earth. It looks a bit like he's swimming in mud, actually. Once blessed earth is reached, Vertebra manages to stay on his feet, though he doesn't look a pretty picture. He takes a few deep breaths, in preparation for the run of his life.
How much longer? Streetwind hates screaming things. It hurts her sensitive ears! And she also hates seeing nothing. Third, she hates not being the center of attention. Fourth, she hates rain. Fifth, she hates... err, what, there's a baby? <What kind of baby?> She asks, her voice hinting her impatience. Can't the fat lizard be a bit more specific? <Care to get it out for /us all/ to see?> The average pokemon would probably watch its tongue when talking to Charizards, but Streetwind is not impressed. Streetwind being both impatient and polite, that's yet to witness. The Ninetales groans once more at the wetness and the ear-shattering wailing while she waits for the Charizard to /do/ something.
Pad, rustle, rustle, sploosh, pad, rustle, sploosh. Peppy continues trotting towards the sound of the noise, his nose twitching and his ears twitching as he gets closer and closer - and, appropriately, the screaming gets louder and louder. But something makes the pup slow down. Like a car slowly braking into a parking spot, Peppy's steps gradually get shorter and slower as he approaches the sound. No, it's not because he's tired. No, it's not because the baby hushes for a moment. It's because there is a *very very big Charizard*. The pup sort of peers at the two hundred pound fire-type for a moment or two, before deciding that he really doesn't feel like taking a vacation to Cinnabar Island today, thanks. Turning his head, Peppy takes one step to the side - before stopping. His ear perks once more. What did that Charizard say? Did it say... '<Baby?>' ... Great, just great. Given Peppy's current condition, he can't help but be curious... but it's a *giant Charizard*! ... But a giant Charizard who found a baby can't be all bad, right? ... Unless she's going to eat him! ... but why would a giant Charizard eat a baby? Peppy's head is turning from Dakshi, to the side, to Dakshi, to the side, to Dakshi. With a little sigh, knowing he is *so* going to end up four million miles away from here, Peppy creeps into the vicinity by plowing his way through a bush, though after all the rustling he's nice and quiet. He offhandedly notes Streetwind speaking, but right now, he's focusing just a liiiittle more attention on that Charizard. Please don't let it be that first one, please don't let it be that first one.
Not just any human baby, this particular kid is one of the most pathetic-looking little runts in the world. His sandy-colored hair, and there's quite a bit of it for his age, is plastered to his skull by the rain. The stained sleeper he's in is also soaked through and clinging to him as he lays there, surrounded by equally wet blankets. Big blue eyes are red-rimmed as he peers at Dakshi, still screaming at the top of his lungs. As he's poked by the Charizard his yelling only gets louder and a chubby fist reaches up to rub miserably at his eyes, then pop into his wide-open mouth, muffling the sound of his partially terrified, partially furious screams.
In a train of thought much like Peppy's (and that's a scary thought in and of itself), Soki decides that since the Charizard looked out him without trying to eat him, then his first Charizard encounter must have been a fluke. Besides, he's got claws. If she tries to pull anything, he can defend himself. With that issue resolved, Soki begins his own march upon the duo already at the baby, intent on deducing once and for all what's making that stinkin' racket. And maybe help make it be quiet. Scratch that-- definitely help it be quiet.
Dakshi can practically feel the stares of the multiple pokemon, and she can sense that they are all waiting for her to do something. Yeah, it figures, put all the decision making on the Charizard! Well, it looks like it's time for her to put on a show! She wants the screaming to stop, so this is the first problem she tries to address. Carefully, the Charizard scoops the wailing infant into her arms, being as gentle as she can. A Charizard, gentle? Well, there's a first for everything right? Making sure to keep her lethal claws from poking the baby too hard, the Charizard turns to face the group, so that everyone that is in the area can see the baby. Vertebra tries to breathe. A strangled squawk or two comes out after his first few breaths, but soon the Cubone has pushed his fear down into a deep dark pit inside of him. In an unfortunate occurance, that pit is usually too small to hold the amount of fear usually wrapped up in the former Prince. Still, the attempt to focus his mind is made. And now it's off to the races for the Cubone! ...But what in the world is Soki doing there? He's...no, he's not moving forwar-- He is. That idiot. Well let him die! That Charizard is turning around and is going to flame is spiked butt! With her..screaming box? Vertebra blinks, tilts his head, and blinks some more. No amount of eye clearing or brain shaking makes the scene makes sense. Still, the Cubone does not go forward to resolve his confusion - he hangs back, not moving. Confusion is a lot easier to deal with than being eaten is, you know.
That basically leaves Streetwind speechless. Doesn't happen often. But it is a fact that she can hardly believe that there's a /human/ baby out here. How did it get here? Can it survive at all, out in the wild? And does it have an OFF switch? This situation is definitely new to her. What to say? What to do? No idea. In an attempt to get her thoughts back in normal routes, she turns to face the newly arrived pokemon: amazing, it's Peppy again! She seems to run into him time and time again. Whereever she goes there will be Peppy. She briefly greets him, and then turns back to the Charizard. <Put your claw over its mouth. I can't stand that sound one single more minute!>
Peppy's world is currently a mix of confused chaos. He's scared half to death of that really big Charizard, curious towards the little baby, almost relieved because he *knows* the Ninetales, miserable because of the weather, not to mention that he's also hungry, tired, and worst of all, lost! Combine this with sensitive hearing that really doesn't help much when there's a screaming kid, and it's not a wonder that Peppy's whimpering. Sure, it's not audible over the little screecher, but he's whimpering nonetheless. Aww. Needless to say, when Dakshi picks up the baby (maybe the Charizard wants a little snack before the meal, Peppy thinks to himself), the pup sure as heck doesn't protest. He only woofs a little "Grrr-lithe" of a greeting to Streetwind - maybe loud enough for her and the other pokemon to hear, but perhaps not. The kid's still shrieking, after all. Before the giant fire-type can horribly mangle before digesting the infant, though, Peppy makes sure to get a good look at the kid. His teeth clench together tightly, and despite his fear and anxiety, his tail gives a little wag. Apparently, Peppy's a sucker for babies. Awww. Only one guess as to why.
Really, how would you react to suddenly being picked up by someone you've never seen before? What if that someone just happened to be seven feet tall, orange and reptillian? Exactly. The poor baby wails all the more, despite the fact that he's being treated relatively gently. He's terrified, that much is obvious. Not to mention wet, and the rain's still coming down hard as ever. The little guy's fist gets removed from his mouth in the whole lifting process and he squirms, still squalling, until he can get it back in. And still he screams around it, although the sound is nicely muffled by his chubby fingers.
Soki, at last, gets a good look at this scene's little boombox. His first reaction, in accordance with the laws of "no duh," is to say, <It's a human kid,> to nobody in particular. No duh, Soki. After that, the Sandslash returns to intelligent thought and deduces that the child doesn't like the rain. He wouldn't if he were that young and drenched. <Keep the rain off of him!> Soki says at once, forgetting for the moment that he's out-sized by at least four feet, carries no authority with pokemon outside the team, and hardly said it mildly. That is, by Soki's count, Bonehead Move #482. Rrrg.
That's it, she's sure of it, this is a torture placed here by the Pidgeotto that are out to get her! Curses, she's fallen for their trickery yet again! Still, luckily for the screaming baby, she doesn't take out her anger on the infant in her arms. Instead, she continues to try and hush the child. While she has seen few humans, and she knows nothing about their offspring either, she somehow gets the idea in her head to rock the baby. Maybe this creature will find the movement lulling, and go to sleep. And, if the baby is like her at all, it probably doesn't like the water that is falling on it either. Holding up her wings like an arc angle, (nice comparison for a Charizard), she helps to shield the baby from the rain and wind. She protects the baby because she wants to though, not because some strange Sandslash suddenly told her to. While she does this, she looks to Soki and lifts an eyebrow. <You want to hold him?> Hey, if the Sandslash wants to take care of the baby, it's all his.
Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)
Vertebra glares at the scene before him. Actually, it's more like a squint - he wants to see it better. Before he knows it, the Cubone has taken a few steps forward. His eyes widen. Oh, no. No, no, no. He doesn't want to go near there. He stops his raised foot and sets it back down again. The Cubone is still, and proud of himself for overcoming those wheedling voices that say how the Charizard isn't attacking, and how stupid he'll look when everyone else knows what's going on and he doesn't. He's going to ignore them, because he knows Charizard are evil and Dakshi is just waiting for her moment to strike! He's so intent on ignoring his thoughts that Vertebra forgets about ignoring his feet. Slowly the Cubone moves towards the group.
Hel-lo, she's still here! Streetwind feels left out! Likely that's because the baby seems to draw more attention than she does. That ranks the little guy already serveral steps lower in her mind. <So it's a human baby. And? It's annoying, and it's as good as dead out here in the wild anyway. Why do you bother?> No matter how others think about the baby, humans don't count as overly cute in her mind. And she hunts pokemon that are somewhat cute every day, kills them, and eats them. And they scream a lot less than this baby does. Grrr.
Peppy's initial fear was that he was going to end up on that island place, though this time with no trainer to rescue him, but now Peppy's actually worrying that he's going to go deaf first and foremost. Thankfully, the kid's sucking his fingers now, so the noise has decreased down to the level of a jet engine. Now, the pup is perfectly content with being nice and quiet in the background. You know, that guy in the group who doesn't actually contribute, just smiles and nods. In this case, it decreases the risk of being eaten alive. Still... maybe it's because he likes the baby, or maybe it's just because he's dumb, but whatever the case, Peppy pads a couple of steps forward, shortening the distance between himself and the Charizard. Crazy. <He's really, really loud,> the pup woofs (what's with all this stating of the obvious today?), his eyes going up, up, up towards the baby. <But I think he's kind of cute.> Tearing his eyes away from the infant, the Growlithe takes a glance back at Streetwind - not a threatening one, not a condescending I'm-right-you're-wrong one, just a simple peer to see how the Ninetales reacts. Even Peppy can detect that they have a conflict of opinions.
While certainly, being dry and comforted is exactly what the baby wants, it's never that easy to calm a kid that's this upset. He continues to wail away, hiccuping and coughing and choking every few minutes. After all, he is still wet and hungry and being held by a Charizard. All his racket, however, does begin to quiet down slightly after a few minutes and the chubby little fist in his mouth shifts. Finally he succeeds in getting ahold of his thumb and his sobbing ceases altogether, though he continues to shudder and hiccup in Dakshi's arms.
Soki shakes his head. <Sorry,> he apologizes, <I didn't quite mean it like that. Desperation, y'know?> After a moment of observation (especially of the fact that the crying has abated), Soki continues. <Actually, I think you might be the best one to hold him... you've got your wings to hold over him. Anyone else would have a hard time of keeping him dry.> Now, what do they do with the kid? That's the real issue. For the moment, that occupies Soki's entire mind... Vertebra, Streetwind, and Peppy are ignored entirely.
A nod. Now here's a pokemon that knows how to treat her! So many of the pokemon she meets are so inconsiderate and impolite! At least this one can apologize. <No problem. I get a little desperate with Pidgeotto myself. Thieves, murders, and a danger to society they are!> she tells Soki, as if this some valuable MIB information he simply cannot live without. Luckily, for all the pokemon around her, and the baby besides, Dakshi doesn't go into a full on speech about why she is on her mission to destroy all existing Pidgeotto. Continuing to act as a living umbrella, Dakshi's mind is on the same track as Soki's. <So, what do we do now?>
If anyone's left out, it's Vertebra! The Cubone walks over to where Soki stands...and blinks, pausing in mid-step with a foot raised in the air. He peers left. He peers right. He peers up, and blinks a few times. <Uh. How did I get here?> Vertebra asks, but the comment would be only audible to himself. The Cubone still has some mud splattering parts of him, but most of it has been washed off in the rain. <And what is the thing that..isn't howling anymore?> he asks in surprise. How can something go from making so large a racket to suddenly stopping? And, more importantly, why? His gaze falls upon his Sandslash friend, the one pokemon he actually knows out of the assorted, and the one pokemon whose explanation he'd trust the most. Predictably, Soki's off in his thoughts. Vertebra knows that look and snorts loudly. <Right...anyone care to fill the Prince in on the situation?> the Cubone asks, his voice pitched to carry over the rain, his arms crossed over his chest.
So all but one of them ignored her statement which was definitely not one of the nicest. She basically suggested to kill the child, and only Peppy seems to bother. Streetwind had hoped that she'd at least get a decent argument out of this. Being ignored only makes her more angry. Well, it normally would. There's this one fact, however, that makes her react a little different: it's Peppy who responded to her. Peppy, of all the pokemon assembled would likely have the smallest of all chances against the stray firefox, but for one reason or another, Streetwind actually considers his words. <Well, as long as it shuts up>, she finally mutters, not sounding overly content.
Half of Peppy sort of wants to at least get to see the baby up close, while the other half of him does not want to even bother asking. The poor dog pokemon is absolutely mortified of drawing attention to himself when it involves the Charizard. Sure, he'll bark loudly when he's talking to Streetwind, and his woofs will be pleasantly audible when he just *has* to announce that he thinks the kid is cute, but talk to the Charizard? No way! That's just stupid! However, as has been established, the fuzzy pokemon finds absolutely nothing wrong with talking to the group of pokemon as a whole, and so the pup turns his head. He's focusing mostly on Streetwind as he speaks, but his eyes do stray a little. He's woofing generally, not specifically to the Ninetales. His tail sways back and forth, and a little doggy grin perks up the sides of his mouth. <I think it's a really young human.> No! Really! Truth be told, he's actually trying to help the Cubone - whom he doesn't recognize, thank goodness - out, but he'll likely just come across as dumb. <But he doesn't have any of those pokeballs.> Turning his head and opening his mouth, Peppy is *about* to ask Dakshi '<Does he?>', but then he remembers. No talking to the Charizard.
While he still continues to hiccup and shudder and recover from his wild screaming, the baby seems to have calmed down considerably. He sucks on his thumb almost desperately, chubby cheeks moving up and down cutely. And now that he's dry, he can take a decent look around, as well. Wide blue eyes move about, examining the dreary world about him with the usual curious intensity of the young. His gaze falls on the pokemon closes to the one holding him, Soki and Vertebra, and for a few minutes he stares at them, blinking. Then his free hand reaches out to them and he mumbles a few words around his thumb, still staring fixedly at the two ground types.
Soki continues talking to Dakshi, answering her question. <I think we should take it back to its family... or, since we're not likely to find them, at least to a human city. Someone must have lost him... who'd abandon a child?> Some people would, but Soki has a more optimistic view of the world than that. Now, the question remains: how to get him there, and what to do after that.
Well, Peppy might not be allowed to talk to Dakshi, but of course, this rule does not apply to her. The Growlithe's energetic barking attracts her attention, and at first she narrows her eyes. She's not particularly fond of Growlithe, and she grumbles irritably. A baby *and* a Growlithe, wow, that's pushing it. The Charizard tries to stifle a growl, fighting the urge to curl up her lip in an agitated snarl. By some miracle or another she manages to contain her rage, and even manages to be pleasant around the fire dog. <Yes, it is young, and it's a good thing that it doesn't have those pokeballs. You seem to know a lot about these *humans*.> Has Dakshi forgotten the fact that all of Peppy's knowledge currently consists of statements of the obvious? Apparently. <Know how we can bring it to a city?> she inquires, following up on Soki's ideas.
As Peppy speaks, Vertebra's white head jerks his way abruptly, his eyes narrowed...in thought, fortunately, not in anger or recognition. Both of the Cubone's hands go to his bone as he pats the weapon while he thinks. <Well,> he says eventually, his face slowly panning over to look at the group. A long look is given to the Ninetales - he's never seen a pokemon like her before. Soki's words cause Vertebra to turn back to the Sandslash. At his question, the Cubone barks a short, ugly laugh. <Humans did, obviously!> he says loudly, wanting to make his opinions known. <Why would they go through all the trouble to put it into a...a box, eh?> Yep, the Cubone had to pause to remember the human word - boxes don't occur in nature. <Humans are cruel, abandoning their own young on nights like these. Can't you see? They're a stupid, heartless species. Even /I/ wouldn't toss my brat out on a night like this!> Vertebra pauses, lost in a thought. <Well, of course, I wouldn't be around my kid, now would I?> he adds, mostly to himself. He looks over at the child and then /all the way up!/ at Dakshi. <...You could, uh, fly it there, one supposes,> Vertebra suggests. While he was loud and boisterous before, actually speaking to the Charizard sobers him up; he manages to speak in a somewhat polite, almost meek tone.
The Ninetales follows the conversation without adding anything further, and it becomes more and more clear to her: she isn't needed here. She doesn't like humans, that's for sure, and she'll learn swimming if she ever lifted a claw for that brat. She also has no desire to go near a human city right now. Let them find their way themselves, to rescue that oh-so-cute baby, and probably get killed by the first human who sees the child in the Charizard's arms. With another mutter, she starts heading away from the group. They day is too wet to waste time.
Now. Peppy's thinking about babies. You know, puppies. And though Peppy's none too bright, even he can surprise himself with a halfway intelligent thought once in a while, and right now a couple gears shift and a little package of logic deposits itself into the pup's mind. With a little worried look on his face, the pup opens his mouth, looking like he's got something oh-so-important to say - but he instantly becomes quiet as the Charizard half-accuses him. <Don't eat me!> the pup squeaks immediately, instantly cowering down, his ears and tail drooping even further than when they were just soaking wet, squeezing his eyes shut and whimpering softly under his breath. <I really didn't mean anything, I don't know humans and please just don't eat me!> Peppy trembles. He is going to die. There is absolutely no way out of this one. No way at all. He is mere seconds away from death! Any moment now, the Charizard is just going to bend over and chew him into little fuzzy pieces. Only one thought that isn't "I'm gonna die" lingers in the back of the Growlithe's mind - if he wasn't talking to the giant fire-lizard, how in the world did she notice him anyway? ... Sigh.
The baby continues to stare rather fixedly at the Sandslash and Cubone, red-rimmed eyes wide. His chubby little hand reaches toward the two, waves a little, then makes a grabbing motion as if he's trying to reach across and touch them. Or get their attention. Or something. As it is, however, he goes ignored. Being ignored isn't a good thing, either. Satisfactorily oblivious to the fact that he's still soaked through, the little human decides to rustle up some attention. Pudgy hand pops out of mouth and the next minute he's babbling loudly, "Da da da bah, da da da... bop!" This last bit is less of a babble and more of a sudden shout. That should get their attention!
Soki actually agrees with Vertebra for once. Wierd. <Yeah, we'll have to carry him. It's not like we can just stick him in the box and have someone else take him there for us.> That line would have much more comedic value if Soki knew the meaning of the word "mail" and used it in context. The leader of Team Zenny is about to continue when the baby suddenly "speaks" at him. With a pensive backstep, Soki says, <...why is it looking at me like that?> As if anyone else knows. Again... weird. At the moment, Soki is feeling very bad about having little knowledge of human children. For all he knows, it's about to barf at him.
Now what's this pest doing? Well, this chatter is better than his wailing, and Dakshi accepts what she cannot change. <Fly him there?> she inquires. This time it's Dakshi's turn to look hesitant, heck; she even looks a bit frightened. <But, there are people there.> Sure, Dakshi might be a powerful Charizard, but she won't stand a chance in a city that is populated by thousands of greedy trainers. Come on, she's not that dumb. Plus, she's not giving enough to risk her freedom for some baby. If the pokemon want the baby returned to the city, they better think of something else. As for Peppy, she can't help but chuckle at him. <I only eat Pidgeotto.> she states simply, finding Peppy's fear rather amusing. Perhaps Growlithe aren't so bad after all.
Vertebra does, indeed, turn his attention over to the kid as it shouts. He was busy chuckling and Peppy's display of cowardice (because, of course, Vertebra has never groveled before in his life!) beforehand. In fact, he leaps into the air and spins around to face the baby, his bone hand tense and breath flying into his lungs. His eyes narrow as he realizes just what it was that scared him. <Ugh,> he mutters. <Are they always that ugly?> he grumbles with great amounts of crankiness, trying to mask how startled he was. Another look upwards...ow, there's a crick in his neck. <Maybe you could fly it..and drop it off..erm, near the city?> he asks, rolling his neck very gently as he speaks. Ow, another crick. <Or leave it near the human path, where someone will pick it up?> He glances over at Soki. <Of course, it probably won't survive the night if that's done,> he notes. The Cubone perks up. <I could eat it, then!> He says this directly to the Sandslash, with a loud chuckle. Is he trying to gross Soki out? Does he honestly mean it? Life and death mean strange, strange things to this Cubone....
On the other side of the road, Streetwinds stops once, looking back at the others. They remained gathered around the baby, and didn't even notice her leaving. Geez. From afar, they look even more bizarre. Wild pokemon with a human baby! Absurd, totally absurd. There's no other word for it. Well, that story's maybe bound to get her a meal or two. But nothing more. When she turns around this time, it's final, and the Ninetales jumps into the light forest, accelerating back to her initial velocity. The recent experience is quickly pushed back into her subconsciousness as routine settles in. Just a few hundred miles more to go...
Streetwind has disconnected.
Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)
Even in the face of danger, so certain he's going to die, 100% positive that he won't even get to say good bye to Aurora as his life flashes before his eyes - Peppy still can't help but grin very softly at the baby's meaningless gibbering. His voice is very slightly shaky. <I remember when my sister was like that.> the pup woofs, almost - not quite, only almost - happily. He's glancing over at Soki, though much of his attention is focused on Dakshi, who doesn't look like she's going to eat him just yet, but you never can tell with Charizards. <She was in a litter later than mine, so I remember her being really small, and she would sometimes woof things tthat didn't mean anything, so I think humans do it too.> Chances are, they only way he recalls this is because that exact scene passed in front of his eyes a moment ago. His green eyes focus upon the baby once again, and speculates with a tail wag, <I wonder why they do that.> Has he completely forgotten about the Charizard or what?
Still babbling cheerfully away, the baby's volume increases bit by bit as the pokemon around him continue to chat among themselves. And ignore him. Well, at least his shout got one's attention, that's a plus. Vertebra spinning around suddenly to face him causes the little boy's face to light up and he giggles to himself, waving both arms at the ground type pokemon. "Da bah bah bah! Mum mum da bah!" he yadders away, wiggling in the Charizard's arms impatiently, like he wants to get down and investigate. Apparently he doesn't get the idea that if he moves, he'll be in the rain again. But he's a baby, he's not supposed to know that. So he wiggles all the more, jabbering away.
(At this point, Dakshi had to go, so we OOCly discussed the best direction for this RP to take. This is what we came up with...)
<I don't know why.> A pause as the Charizard ponders the Cubone's suggestion. <Yes, I could fly him to the city, maybe drop him off real quick, then fly away?> she questions, putting all her weight on a muscled thigh as she thinks this plan over. As for Peppy, his memories and array of spoken flashbacks go on ignored. Her attention is back on Soki, and it appears she is tiring of holding the baby, and of having to put off her Pidgeotto hunting. Not to mention the fact that she's in the rain, tired cold and hungry. Poor her, it's not like everyone else isn't suffering!
Make that two pokemon paying attention to the child, or so it would seem. Soki has two lines of thought going now: firstly, to respond to Dakshi, second, to see what the kid's babbling about. At least it sounds happy. First things first, though, the response to Dakshi: <Most humans I've met are friendly if you don't attack them first. If we hang around the outside of the city, quietly get someone's attention, put the baby down, and walk off, we should get away without much trouble.> Sounds like a Murphy's Law situation for sure. Now, as for the second line of thought, Soki steps forward towards Dakshi to get a closer look at the baby. Perhaps something in its expression will reveal the cause of the nonsense speech.
At Peppy's comments, Vertebra gives him a quick glance. What he gives more attention to is the lack of Ninetales in the area. What happened to her? Maybe she's hiding behind the Charizard? The baby gets another look by the Cubone, while Vertebra rolls his eyes at Soki's words. He didn't even get a reaction out of his leader, right when he had a really good line, too! >I think it would be best if she just dropped it off near the city,> Vertebra counters. <No one will be in any danger of getting caught then!> Sure, talk about the giant fire dragon like she isn't even here.
Dakshi's ignoring Peppy? That's just fine in this pup's book. The Growlithe is silent for a few moments, his tail swaying back and forth in the rain softly, the tuft of fur on his forehead bit by bit becoming more and more soggy as the canine pokemon moves around less and less. It begins to sag over his right eye slightly. He doesn't seem to notice, however - the pup remains quiet for a few moments, listening to everybody, before, finally, putting his two cents in. Run for the hills, it's a Peppy thought. <But... what the human turns into a big human that trains pokemon?> Trains - not captures - trains. That might or might not be a key word. <... Even though he's really cute, he might be a threat. Not, um, not for us, but for other pokemon who aren't born yet. Our children.> Aww. That's it, Peppy. Think of the children, all the while condemning the human. The pup's fuzzy, scrunched-up face appears somewhat disappointed - why can't something this... this... this sweet -stay- this sweet forever?
The rain starts to subside as the evening draws on and the sun begins to sink towards the horizon. And the kid is getting wiggly. "Ab bab bab da da daaa!" he babbles away furiously, still squirming in the Charizard's arms. He waves pudgy hands, wiggles and keeps up a constant flow of nonsense as the pokemon around him continue to discuss what's to be done. He's not concerned as to what happens to him; he's more worried about the fact that he's not being allowed down, to get a better look at the spiky Sandslash and funny-looking Cubone.
All right, she's had enough of this! Pidgeotto are going unhunted, unpunished for their crimes while she's wasting her time helping a human child. She's not going to stand for this incessant and wasteful chatter any longer. A sigh, and she clutches the baby to her chest, starting to flap her large wings. Her wings create a huge wind current, as she lifts herself off of the ground. <You guys stay here, I'm busy, places to see, Pidgeotto to catch, I'll take care of this. See you all around!> Flying off, she leaves the other pokemon to wonder the honesty of her statement, and whether or not she's going to return the baby to the city, or if she's going to eat it. About twenty minutes later, after some speedy flying, Dakshi places the baby at the edge of a city, and lifts off, heading back in the direction of Cinnabar and her warm cave. <Ugh, Pidgeotto.> What do they have to do with this situation now?
How about surprise, for one thing. The whole thing is over before Soki even realizes what's happened. Here he thought people were listening to him for once, and then the dragon up and flies off without his consent. ...in retrospect, that's probably a bit too egotistical to be thinking that way, but at the moment Soki is occupied with being indignant. Quietly, he facepalms. In the rain.
Dakshi has disconnected.
<Ow,> the Cubone mutters as he jerks his neck to one side. <Well, now we know why we shouldn't talk to Charizards much.> Another controlled jerk of his neck is given before he looks up into the sky and sees the Charizard flying away. <There goes a good meal,> he says, with a light sigh that probably can't be heard over the rain. <Humans. Disgusting,> are the only two words Vertebra says on the subject. He's probably preparing for a major diatribe in a few seconds, though. But for now he's just trying to figure out <Oh, what's wrong now, you great lummox?> That comment is delivered to Soki. Someone noticed his leader's bad mood...and makes a point of showing it, too.
Soki sighs. <I don't get any respect, you know that?> the Sandslash says irritably, then promptly heads for the nearest tree to sit down (not bang his head against it). It seems as though Soki's ready for a decent round of sulking and/or pondering. It's hard to tell the difference at times.
Peppy simply peers at Dakshi. That's it, he only looks as her as she takes off into the air. The overwhelming urge to jump up and spin around with victory music playing in the background is neutralized only by the fact that the adorable little baby is gone. The pup quickly becomes more aware of the world around him - the rain trickling from the sky, his muddy paws and tail and rump, and the two pokemon, both of which he's seen before though dismisses as only pokemon of the same species, not the exact pokemon. Peppy is quiet now, for the first time all evening - just figures that he's only silent now that the big mean Charizard is gone. He's more or less watching Soki and Vertebra's actions, though his thoughts are more or less on the kid. ... Man. What is it about a baby that makes it so cute?
Soki has disconnected.
Vertebra's response to Soki is automatic. <Because you don't deserve any,> he fires off. Insults just roll so easily off his tongue. <You force us to /walk/, in this /wea/ther, just because you've got some urge to..to walk!> He jabs his bone into the air beside him, as if imagining he's jabbing it in to Soki's slim shrew face. <And besides - besides that, you don't even have a vision! A goal. Nothing. Not, one, stupid, thing!> Each word is punk-chew-ay-ted by, a, jab, with, his, bone. Vertebra's really having fun beating up imaginary Soki. Which is good, because real Soki isn't paying him the slightest bit of attention. And it's about now that the little lizard notices this. Usually he gets a response by now, even if it is a lengthy logical argument that the Cubone can't seem to do anything other than agree with. Vertebra turns around and looks at Soki. He knows that posture. And that look. Vertebra heaves a heavy sigh. <And you /ignore/ me!> he snaps at the retreating figure. Now he jabs his foot into the ground, churning up a clump of mud.
Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)
Okay. Vertebra just -whacks- Peppy's thoughts to pieces as he starts verbally abusing the air. The -air-. Peppy just sort of peers at Vertebra with wide green eyes for a few moments, his tail swaying back and forth just over a snail's pace, before very slowly opening his mouth. <Um,> the pup woofs softly, almost whimpering. He seems very intimidated by the Cubone - but, granted, not only does the pokemon have a really big bone, but he also seems to be talking to nothing. <I... I'm not ignoring you. I, uh, I have a goal.> Peppy looks very, very uncomfortable right now. His big, fluffy tuft has finally gotten so soggy that it's draped over his right eye, so the pup can only peer at Vertebra like some kind of scary one-eyed Cyclops.
Vertebra had forgotten Peppy was there. He gets wrapped up in his own world so easilly that at times it's hard for his paranoia and awareness to break through. He turns not just his neck but his body this time, and gives Peppy a long, slow stare. The Cubone is surprised, definitely...but that quickly changes. <Excuse me,> Vertebra says, in a falsely amazed voice. <Excuse me, but I don't think I was talking to /you/. Because,> and now his voice is raised <Why on /earth/ would I be talking to /you/?!> Ooo. There is scorn there. Heaps of it. Scorn is standing right beside Vertebra, waving a little flag. Embrace the scorn! <Why would I care about your silly goals and where you put your stupid attention on?!> ..Hey, when you're angry, grammar isn't a big concern. <You stupid mutt!> Now Vertebra pauses. But only to take a breath.
Okay, Peppy's just crossed that line from uncomfortable to downright scared. Sheepishly, Peppy turns his head to the side, peering hard at a rock as he tries to avoid Vertebra's piercing gaze. The Growlithe is about to say something - he doesn't know what, just *something* - before the Cubone himself speaks up... and pretty much crushes Peppy's fragile self-esteem. And so, the pup peers at Vertebra, somewhat wide-eyed, his tail still moving back and forth slowly, taking in the barrage of insults and mocking. After the ground-type is finished with his machine gunned bullets, Peppy sort of... well... he just kind of grins-lopsidedly. Yes, he grins. Amazing. <You're... right. If you don't know me or Aurora or anything then you wouldn't care about my goals until you do know me, because then you would care because we'd be friends, but we're not friends right now so you don't know me.> Wonderful logic. Peppy's tail increases its speed a bit. <Who were you talking to, then?>
As it is with logic, sometimes it can't get crammed into Vertebra's brain at just the right time. Vertebra and Logic have an on-again-off-again relationship, mostly due to the fact that his emotions usually reside (the brain) where logic is supposed to sit. The Cubone stares at Peppy as he speaks. That's nothing big, he was staring at Peppy before...but the look in his eyes eventually degenerates into a glazed, incomprehending look. One Peppy might be familiar with..eh, if he could look at his own eyes sometimes. Vertebra stills, his hands falling limply to his sides. Once again, his emotions have cooled and left him looking like an idiot. <I..was, uh, talking to Soki,> the Cubone says slowly. <Him.> He sort of nods his head vaguely to where the Sandslash used to be standing. <...And what's Aurora?> Vertebra asks, sounding rather confused.
Hey, how about that? Instead of letting his testosterone fortify him with insane and seething rage, Peppy just sort of played Vertebra off and the insults stop! How about that. Go, Peppy. The Growlithe, now absolutely positive that the Cubone will *never* give him another insult, wags his tail around happily, not even really glancing in the direction Vertebra gestures. He probably would take interest, had the ground-type not mentioned... <Aurora? She's the best Growlithe in the entire world! She's really smart, and nice, and really strong, too. And she's part of my goals! Once she was my goal!> An entire night of thrills and chills with Charizards, babies, and insults seems to have seriously morphed Peppy's social skills. Let's see how little Vertebra's interest is.
Vertebra still tries to figure out why the dog just smiled at him instead of cowering in fear, getting offended or insulting him back. That's the normal reaction, right? Unless you're Soki. Maybe Peppy's channeling his leader's spirit! He gives the place where the Sandslash vanished off to a wary little glance. The Cubone keeps his ears open for Peppy's response, but the words just sort of wash in one way and out the other. <...Right. Aurora. Right.> He was wandering with Soki earlier today. Then he met up with a Charizard and a giant furry thing with too many tails. Now he's talking to a Growlithe about doggy goals that have something to do with other Growlithe. When he did step through the portal to the Twilight Zone? <And...what are the rest of your, uh, goals?> he asks. Hey, might as well go with the weirdness flow. Though it would be nicer if they weren't out in the rain like this - the Cubone gives the sky a quick look. This is all the rain's fault. Every single bit of it.
Peppy's reply is somewhat simple. His tail still wagging back and forth, his conciousness completely and entirely unaware of Vertebra's incredible confusion, the pup seems to not really notice that Vertebra is showing minimal interest. Some might argue there's hardly any at all. <My goals?> Pink! Peppy's eyes squeeze shut, as if he's got to recall them from memory. <Well, uh, definitely to make sure the puppies grow up okay!> His green eyes appear once more, though he looks a little more serious now. <That's definitely my biggest goal!> Aww. <I also want to... find the burger tree, that's my second goal. And to let Aurora have one of the burgers, because burgers are really good and I think she'd like them. Do you know what a burger is?> Suddenly, Peppy's eyes light with fire, and his tail bursts into excited and frenzied shakes. He's hoping Vertebra says no. He loves enlightening people.
There's definitely little, that's for sure. The Cubone just sits back and listens to Peppy prattle on. Only a selection of words make it through his mind and, since there's only few, they don't tend to form much by the way of interesting and coherent sentences Vertebra could respond to. Though the former Prince suddenly perks up as one of the words wooshing around in the rather empty (for the moment) space in his head forces him to think. <Puppies,> Vertebra repeats, musingly. No, he doesn't answer the burger question. Peppy will just have to deal with Vertebra's cruel and unusual ability to answer only questions that he feels like answering. There's something about puppies that...<I'm having them!> Vertebra blurts out. Obligatory 'for dinner!' joke from the audience. <Uh, no, wait, I'm having Cubone puppies!> Pause. <Which...would be baby Cubone.> Interlude. <Or, uh, I will be soon.> Delay. <I'd better be soon,> he notes in a low grumble, giving an annoyed huff into the unfeeling rain. Leaving Peppy ignored until the canine feels the need to speak.
While waiting for Vertebra's response to his agitated question, Peppy becomes vaguely aware of the rain once again, and just how soggy and miserable he is (or, at least, should be - he's not sad in the slightest, now that he gets to talk about not only Aurora, not only burgers, but Aurora *and* burgers. That's enough to cheer the pup up *any* day). <It's a hard thi-> Peppy starts up on his definition of 'burger' for a bit, before he realizes that... uh, well, the Cubone didn't exactly ask what it was. He mentioned puppies. Cubone puppies. Peppy just kind of peers at Vertebra - the dog's done nothing but associate puppies with Growlithe since he can remember, and the fact that Cubones might have 'puppies' really confuses him. <You're... having puppies?> the Growlithe asks gently, his tail twitching, his spirit falling a bit. <... ... I thought only female pokemon could do that.> ...
Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)
Vertebra vaguely becomes aware that the dog is talking to him. Again. See, Vertebra was all caught up in his own fantasy. He was thinking what would happen if that human girl didn't bring his mate over to the Den at the right time. He was imagining what he would do to the human if he ever met up with her after this mating season, after she had failed to do her duty. Because humans usually fail in that regard. That was the fun part. But..what if he never met up with Kumi's owner? It would be Chance all over again! Vertebra's thoughts arouse anger, fear, desperation, and a large slice of self-pity at the unfairness of the world. His bone hand tenses before his ears begin to focus on Peppy's words and not the Cubone's thoughts. <Huh?> he mutters. It takes a few seconds for it to sink in. <I have a mate, moron!> Vertebra belts out, his form suddenly rigid in his anger. Hands up who saw that one coming?
While all of these thoughts and memories are flooding Vertebra's mind, Peppy is... well... Peppy's just sort of looking at the Cubone, his tail wagging softly, his mind distractedly thinking about Aurora and her puppies and is she okay and is she hungry or cold, perhaps he should get back because it's getting late? With a worried tone of voice, Peppy woofs a small, <I really should get ba-> And then Vertebra barks at him, catching the poor Growlithe completely off-guard and causing him to jump. "Gr-lithe!" he woofs in surprise, his soggy fur
Vertebra continues his rant. <Yes, I have a mate! And we're going to have babies - tons of them!> He takes a breath, his glare settling to the right of Peppy. Ohmygod, look over there! Or...don't, because there's nothing there except more rain. The Cubone just needs a spot to focus his rage on, and that patch of air and water seems like as good a place as any. <Grah, stupid human!> Vertebra shrieks suddenly, kicking another clump of mud that ends up falling right by the Cubone's feet. <I am /going/ to be a father, no matter what that human does or where she takes her, I'm going to pass on my illustrious line!> Only Vertebra could get away with saying 'illustrious' in a rant and not make it sound stupid! ..Oh, wait, no he can't. This whole rant doesn't even make any sense to an outsider's point of view. Let's see how Peppy can mangle this one. If he hasn't left already. I wouldn't blame him.
Peppy is just sort of peering at Vertebra. It is a very, very, *very* rare occasion when you see somebody who more 'special' than Peppy, but this is one of those times. Needless to say, the poor pup has absolutely no idea what to do right now, so with a peer to the right, an uneasy grin, and a gentle tail shake, Peppy pops up to all four paws. <I... uh, I think I should get back to Aurora now. You should go to your mate, too, she might be worried.> Peppy gives Vertebra an uncomfortable grin, before marching to the north in a -very quick fashion- before that Cubone can go crazy on him. It would be a shame to avoid getting eaten by a Charizard only to be bonked unconcious by a Cubone.