Contents:
Wesley
Obvious exits:
Way around City <WAC> leads to Pokemon Route 3: Pewter City.
North <N> leads to Pewter City: Southern Pewter.
South <S> leads to Viridian Forest - Route 2: Almost Out.

Towering white clouds drift slowly through the blue sky. It's hazy and hot, and the glare of the sun seems to drain the color from the landscape. In the forest, the shade under the deep green leaves of the trees is welcome relief from the hot glare of the sun. While at the coast, the sea sparkles in the brilliant sunlight, the waves rolling merrily against the shore.

Well, there aren't many shaded areas around Pewter, but Wesley Brier seems to have claimed at least one. Underneath a tree the boy stands, a tower of strength and perseverance. A tower at a whopping 4 foot 10 inches..wait, when did he get to be ten inches? Did..did he grow? Or..did somebody update his desc? Maybe! Either way, he's now wearing official summer duds; a white tee-shirt and shorts. No galoshes either! However, this Wesley-tower appears to have a chink in his armor - he's sniffling. And wiping his nose with his hand. And occassionally even rubbing his face. He has a cold! The Pokemon out Training today consist of: Fistfight, ThoughtThief, Skysnake (a blue Ekans), Unbreakable (Geodude), Rainstar (Staryu) and Playright (Growlithe). Right now, however, they all appear to be watering down and cooling off.

Tracks in the snow, a glimpse of something. What's on Northern Mountain? (Saving)

"It's... so... hot." "Char!" "Do..." Melissa Barlette, sitting beside her 'usual' rock, glancing down at the Pokemon next to her - her Charmander, Apple. "Do fire types feel the heat, too?" "Char!" "Stop saying that!" "Char?" Well, at least she changed the tone that time. Sighing a little bit, Melissa shakes her head slightly. "Never mind." That's what you get for striking up conversation with something you can't understand. Well... anyway. Melissa pulls out her book and begins reading. Surprisingly, it's... a book on ground types. So what else is new? However, what Melissa's doing this time, however, is... actually reading the parts about battling and training. She usually skips right over those parts! Huh... well, if Wesley is in sight, she doesn't see him quite yet. However, Apple, who has the attention span of a drowned rat, has already begun glancing about the area, "Char"ing to herself happily.

*Sniiiifle* is the sound most commonly heard from Wesley Brier. Rooting around in his backpack - which is off his back, what, you think he'd carry it in such hot weather? - he pulls out a kleenex and blows into it, wincing in frank disgust at what he sees there. He moans lowly, just not being in a good mood. "Duude," chuckles Unbreakable, muttering something derogatory about their dear Trainer to ThoughtThief, her curmudgeon in crime. Skysnake and Rainstar stick near Fistfight, listening to the Machop chat about a fight she had in the past. Playright, meanwhile, has had enough of drinking and silly things like trying to spout out fire. So boooring listening to shout-man! Wanna run an' play! And off she goes, going to find friends to run and play with. Fuuun!

Melissa flips the page of the book, mumbling a little something very quietly. "I didn't know they did that..." She mutters quietly. "I'll have to try that one." "Char!" Melissa glances down at her Charmander. The fire type just grins up at her. "Aren't you tired... from... from that race you had earlier?" "Char!" And Apple shakes her head. "You want... another race?" "Char!" Apple nods her head. "Against Slip?" "Char." And the Charmander shakes her head. "Against... Puff?" "Char." And the Charmander shakes her head. "Then..." Melissa blinks, adjusting her glasses. "Who?"

Quite to the trainer's surprise, Apple points at Melissa. Who sort of peers. "You want... me to race you?" "Char!" Ugh. They never tell you about these things in the books. Melissa looks down at her book, and, with a little sigh, sets it upon the rock. Well, she needs the exercise, anyway. Too bad she didn't wear shorts today. Why did she *have* to wear jeans? Ungh. Apple pops off the rock, mumbling happy things to herself. She's gonna race! Yay!

Speaking of racing...there's a racing Growlithe in the area, heading vaguely in their direction. Who's she competing against? No one. She just runs for the joy of running, the joy of being away from shout-man, the joy of..being. Wesley just stares after her and heaves a great gusting sigh that's cut off by a sneeze so forceful it causes him to double up, giving another moan. Heck, let's say groan, this time, just for variation. With that, the boy sinks to the ground, lying on a soft carpet of grass. <Wes?!> Fistfight yelps, rushing to his side, concerned. "I'm fine..I think I need to rest, though, standin' up all day," Wesley mutters. Fistfight frowns. <G'wan and get the dog back, rocko an' rainer,> she orders to the two levitators. The Geodude grumbles, while an enthusiastic "hyaa!" marks the other's response. Skysnake follows Fistfight to Wes' side, as does ThoughtThief, for lack of anything better to do.

While Wesley is slowly dying of a terrible threatening disease in which the virus is destroying all of the vital cells inside his body, Melissa is playing games with her Pokemon. Mmm. "To that tree?" Melissa asks quietly, receiving a headshake in reply. <That rock!> And the Charmander points at a boulder much further than the tree Melissa pointed at. The girl rubs her head. Well, heck. This is going to stink. "Okay. That boulder." Melissa adjusts her glasses, wishing she could take them off while she ran. But no - she'd probably run into the middle of the forest and not know it. She's that blind without them. Sigh. "When do we start?" <Now!> And the Charmander begins rushing towards the boulder, as fast as she can go. "W... wait! We need... to, um, go 'one, two, three', and decide a start point, an... and... a..." Realizing the Charmander is gaining quite a lead and not even listening to her, Ms. Barlette sighs quietly, and begins jogging after her Pokemon. Huff puff, huff puff...

Wesley coughs some more, tears coming to his eyes. Fistfight, motherly as she is, doesn't quite know what to do in the situation. She appears a bit helpless for a minute, before deciding to tousle the boy's hair a bit, feel his forehead, and mumble soothing words to him. <Hey now, yer gonna be all right, kid, don't worry about it...> Skysnake stands..uh, sits..uh, well, she looks awkward, but eventually nuzzles her Trainer. This might not be /that/ life-threatening a diease, but these two sure act like it is. ThoughtThief just keeps an ear out for the two dog hunters, or the dog herself.

Towering white clouds drift slowly through the blue sky. It's hazy and hot, and the glare of the sun seems to drain the color from the landscape.

Hopefully, Rainstar, Unbreakable, or Playright (oh, Playright. That's likely.) will be able to direct Melissa toward the poor, sick trainer! Who knows? Maybe she'll shed a tear, and by some act of a miracle, he'll by some miracle be restored to perfect health... er, um, actually, right now, it probably won't be a tear, but a drop of sweat. Yes. Melissa has been jogging for 13 seconds now, and she's already huffing and puffing, perspiration building on her face. Apple is not as good as running as Slip is, of course, but that doesn't mean she won't turn around and start running circles around her trainer. And that she does. "S... sure..." Melissa pants. "Rub it in." <Okay!> And then a very loud Growlithe is heard. Yes! An excuse to stop. Melissa comes to a screeching halt. Unaware, Apple crashes right into her trainer's ankle. Bonk! "Mander!" She squeaks as she drops onto her bottom, adding a little sob for drama. "What..." Gasp. "Was that?" <My rump hurts...> Too much sweat is in the girl's eyes, and it keeps her from seeing well. She starts to rub them a bit, pushing up her glasses as she does so. Apple just moans about her hurt booty.

That very loud Growlithe is heard again. <Frrriiieeend! Plaaaay!> she begins again, in the demented cackled of the damned. A human and another flametail! The dog goes charging up to them, an unstoppable bullet of redness, tongue hanging out and being whipped backwards by the wind, a demonic gleam in her eye. Is she going to stop? Can she stop, with all that momentum behind her? A Staryu appears, as well, moving faster than the Geodude. <Spray 'er!> snaps Unbreakable. <No,> replies Rainstar. He's a good Staryu, y'know. <Fine then!> Unbreakable grouses, picking a rock from the ground, and zipping sideways. /Just/ as Playright is about to rush up to Apple in a Take Down attack...a rock flies into her rump, sending her tumbling to the side, rolling through the dirt, with a loud yelp of pain!

"Chaaar..." And the fire type jumps to her feet, quietly rubbing her sore rear end. She brings her foot back to kick Melissa's dumb ankle in anger, but she stops as she notices the same thing her trainer does - a terrifying Pokemon heading straight at them, howling out in a mournful call that tolls death! "Eeek!" Melissa shrieks, frantically taking a couple of hurried steps backward. She steps on Apple's foot, and the Charmander gives a "Mander!" of pain (and fear, too!). Just as the Growlithe gets close enough to sink her teeth into Melissa's soft flesh with one well timed pounce... she gets knocked to the side. By a flying rock. Melissa untenses, her fear turning into confusion. "What in the world..?" She adjusts her glasses, glancing down at the yelping Growlithe. She glances up at the direction the pup came from... and spots a Geodude and a... a... a something else. Huh. This is weird. This is very weird. "Char!" And Apple begins rushing toward the boulder again. Ms. Barlette takes no notice.

Oh, it's not that weird. It's just some good ol' Evil Geodude discipline. As Playright cries and howls her agony, proving that Apple isn't the only dramatist in the area, Unbreakable lifts her up into her arms. <C'mon, you sorry little freak,> she grouses. <No! Baaad talking rock! Baad!> yelps Playright, but is unable to do much more than bite ineffectively on the stone surface of the 'Dude. The Staryu comes up beside Unbreakable, mentally shaking his head at the state of affairs. Sensing others in the area with his psychic senses, he uses them to fully flesh out who else is there. <The girl..> he "yuuus" in surprise. <Maybe your Trainer would help ours? Ours is dying,> Rainstar says. Or, so he thinks.

Tracks in the snow, a glimpse of something. What's on Northern Mountain? (Saving)

Yes, it is weird. Then again, most of what goes on involving Melissa or Wesley is pretty weird in the first place, so this isn't too much out of the ordinary. "Don't... don't... um, hurt him..." Melissa says quietly, adjusting her glasses with a little blush. She hasn't determined that these are Wesley's Pokemon - I mean, where's the old Machop? Where's the weird Drowzee? Shaking her head slightly, Melissa hopes that the Growlithe doesn't get hurt by the Geodude (despite the fact that the trainer thinks she was about to get ripped apart by the pup). It's about now that she notices the Staryu, and, with a quiet little wave, meekly mumbles, "H... hi there." Apple has strolled ahead a good 30 yards before realizing that Melissa isn't following. <Come on!> She yells back at the human, who takes no notice. <I'm gonna win!> Melissa still takes no notice. With a little growl, the Charmander stomps back over to Melissa. <Come o-on!>

<OOC> Melissa grins. Oh, physics! Yuck, yuck. So glad I'm in Anatomy and Physiology now.

Unbreakable doesn't hurt Playright too much - she just gives her a 'little' squeeze, and mutters <Bad girl, why don'tcha put your energy into fighting like the rest of us and stop giving Pokemon a bad name?> <Mebbe I hate you stoopid Pok'mon!> snaps back Playright, whining somewhat. Hey, she's learned a bit of the art of verbal communication. The two hover back to Wesley, unconcerned about the human and Pokemon. Rainstar levitates over to Melissa, twirls around her once, then starts off in Wesley's direction, pausing to see if she'll follow. He'll play Lassie. <I would appreciate it if you would accompany me,> he says of Apple - but she probably doesn't know what those big words mean. Wesley, meanwhile, has struggled to his feet. "See, I'm fine!" he snaps, sniffling a bit. "I don' need Pokemon t'take care of me, I can do it myself. I'm not that bad, really. Don't make a big deal of me." <How can I not, kid?> asks Fistfight with a loving chuckle. Skysnake and ThoughtThief turn away at this - too much emotion.

What's that, Rainstar? Wesley fell down the well? Oh, well. Melissa adjusts her glasses as her Charmander and Staryu begin communicating. Well... sort of. If you call "Star, Staryus" entering through one ear and heading out the other communicating, then maybe. <Hi! I'm Apple. How are you, Acupunymee?> ... she must think 'I would appreciate it if you would' means 'My name is'. I make the mistake all the time, too. While Melissa can understand at most a word of what her Charmander is saying, she can just sort of tell that Apple is not exactly putting up an intelligent conversation. Melissa glances over at the Growlithe being brought away by the Geodude, and takes a couple of hurried steps. "C... c'mon, Apple. Bring your new friend..." She adjusts her glasses (big surprise). "... if you like."

Rainstar gives a Staryu equivalent of a sigh, which, in his case, means his points droop, at Apple's striking conversational skills. Still, the human's moving - that's a good thing. "Yuu! Staryu!" he calls out, speeding ahead of her, pausing every once in a while for her to catch up. Meanwhile, Geodude and Playright reach camp, where Wesley is standing up, Fistfight is being all motherly, and everyone except the Machop is looking uncomfortable because of her motherlyness. Wesley, coughs. "Report," he croaks, not looking like he'll care much about what's said. <The water freak recognized this girl, brown hair..funny eye thingies..found the mutt trying to attack her flametail, stopped her,> Unbreakable says, dropping Playright cruelly to the ground. Fistfight goes over to help the pup. <Don'tcha do that again, y'hear,> she mutters, still petting PR lovingly. The maternal instinct isn't gone quiet yet.

Using her extreme intelligence, Melissa decides that the Pokemon's intent was to... duh duh duh! Make her follow him! He's leading the way, so... ahem. "Where the heck are we going?" Melissa asks, although it's more of a question to herself than to the Staryu. Heck, she's never even seen a Staryu before - she wouldn't understand a word of what the faceless creature would say. Apple rushes after Melissa, calling out to the Staryu, <I asked, how are you, Acumadatama!> It doesn't even look like 'accompany me' anymore. It's just gibberish.

Rainstar hesitates before responding. <My name is Rainstar, little Charmander,> he says. <And..ah, I am fine. And you?> Tiring of his levitation, he begins to cartwheel along the ground, still not getting too far away from Melissa. Wesley, meanwhile, is busy wiping sweat from his face and snot from his nose. Immediately after that, though, he recalls Playright, just as she's in the middle of describing the horrors of being in Unbreakable's clutches. His head is too muddled to make sense of the 'brown haired girl' comment. Fistfight pats Wesley's arm. <We should go to the 'Center, and get you some rest,> she says kindly. "We still have Training to do," Wesley insists stubbornly. "Skysnake..uh, battle Unbreakable, no, how 'bout Fistfight..achoo!" Needless to say, his orders aren't obeyed.

The Charmander blinks, stopping for a moment to peer at the Staryu. <Rainstar..?> She resumes her trotting, her curiousity getting bigger. <But I thought your name was Ucupunme.> Eyeroll. Melissa is a little less intent upon learning the name of the Staryu and a little more intent upon wondering where she's going. What if the Staryu is actually just a slave of Ballistic, leading her to her captured death? Oo! Creepy thought! Ahead of her, Melissa sees (and hears, too!) a group of Pokemon, and instantly she thinks of Wesley. Who else would camp out with all of their Pokemon out of their Pokeballs? (Okay, probably lots of people, but.) Melissa adjusts her glasses while her confused little Charmander just sort of goes, <Um. I'm okay. No, I'm better than okay! I'm Apple!> Uh. Right.

Rainstar never was a talkative guy, so he closes his part of the conversation with a <...ah..good.> They're getting nearer and nearer Wesley - Melissa might just be able to see the sick little boy soon. Or hear him for..."Achoo!" he gives off another sneeze, groaning and leaning against the tree. <Hero, we're goin' to the Pokemon Center!> Fistfight asserts. <Listen to the lady, kid,> ThoughtTheif responds, grabbing Wesley by the hand, his intent to tug him towards the life-sustaining Center. <Hey, if he wants to stay out here, let 'im, right TT?> Unbreakable asks pointedly, disturbed at the Drowzee's show of..affection for the kid it was plainly understood they both hated. ThoughtThief can't think up an excuse, so he coughs and shrugs. Skysnake hisses, beginning to slither off, doing as her mentor Fistfight suggests. <...Come,> she hisses.

The orange-red sun sinks below the western horizon, leaving a darkening tapestry of purple and red-gold clouds behind it.

Huff, puff. Melissa glances nervously over her shoulder, hoping she's not going to be led too far away from Pewter. What if the Staryu won't lead her back? She'd have to find her way back with a Charmander as her guide. Well, the Pokemon would surely know the land better than she does... "Char!" Maybe not. <You're good, Ekpme? That's good! I think Melissa...> And she waves a hand at her trainer's legs. <... is good, too.> It's good when everyone's go... eh. A small 'Achoo!' is heard in the distance in front of Melissa. She blinks. Now that is odd. Whatever it is, it's a sort of good sign - if there's a person out here sneezing, there's likely not a Charizard in the area. How relieving. They're getting closer to the camp... and Melissa's glasses slip off. "Yipes!" She squeaks as she catches them before they hit the ground. She breathes a sigh of relief, and, still walking, begins to polish them off with her shirt.

"No," Wesley growls ineffectually. "I don't need you guys to boss me around. Your my Pokemon, I'm a human - I think I can figure out what I need or don't need. I guess..I just need to rest a bit. Maybe we can do some night traini--achoo!" he mutters. He looks up at what little he can see of the fading sunset, squinting at it. "Never done night training before." <Don't be an idiot, kid!> Fistfight growls in exasperation. <And did y'ever think that your Pokemon might be smarter than you?!> snaps Unbreakable. <Yeah!> seconds ThoughtThief, taking up his role of Trainer-Hater once again, which ellicits a happy 'welcome back' smack from Unbreakable. Skysnake comes back to the group. <..Do you want to die?> she eventually hisses. "I'm not going to!" Wesley voice rises in protest. Rainstar, meanwhile, continues leading Melissa onwards. Onwards!

Tracks in the snow, a glimpse of something. What's on Northern Mountain? (Saving)

The sun sets, the western clouds turning purple, red, and gold. It's hazy and warm.

Well, at least Wesley hasn't died yet. That's a good sign, right? Maybe? Heh. Putting the glasses back on her face, Melissa grins at being able to see once more... and the grin droops slightly as she recognizes the form of Wesley ahead. No, she's not sad to see Wesley - she can just already tell something's wrong. Are those Pokemon... did they *attack* him? He doesn't look so good; Melissa can tell that even from a distance. And some of 'em seem to be getting sort of mad. "What's going on?" Melissa asks the Staryu in front of her, although, of course, the water type most likely has no clue. Apple has started skipping now, noticing Wesley's sick condition but not caring much about it. She's thick.

<You may go and ask,> he says curiously, cartwheeling over to Wesley's side. "Ah..there you are," Wesley mutters, then goes into a fit of coughing, wiping his nose on his hands. Muttering one of those light swear words he knows so well, the boy leans against the tree he sheltered under, rubbing his eyes. He doesn't like his Pokemon trying to control him - they're Pokemon, he's smarter than them, because he's human. They obey him, not the other way around. It's a matter of principle. "I'm not going, until we get some..training done," he mutters. Louder, he adds: "If you had some stupid cold, I'd still make you practice. It isn't gonna be th'other way around." Uh, that's fair..right? His Pokemon mutter amongst themselves, some angry, some desparing, some both.

Let's hope Melissa didn't hear that! Fortunately enough, she didn't - she heard him saying something, but a sudden <Where the heck are we? Udte? Where did you lead up?> from Apple (and yes, Udte is, in her mind, still short for 'accompany me') prevents Melissa from hearing much more than a "not" and an "isn't". Rushing past the Staryu (well, walking quicker is a better word than rushing), she hurries towards the camp, calling, "W... Wesley! W... Wes!" Oo! These should be some interesting actions that Wesley's Pokemon will give.

Wesley is in a tense stand off with his Pokemon, when, all of a sudden, another voice invades the scene..and it sounds quite familiar. "Mel..Melissa?" he mutters in surprise, sneezing into his hand. Ack. Skysnake rears up and hisses in surprise at the intruder, before catching her scent on the thick night air and realizing she's smelt this human before, and she's no threat. <Yes, I made her follow me so she could stop you from dying,> Rainstar explains. "But I'm not..." Wesley begins, getting just as annoyed as before. <Huh, looks like that girl I was tellin' you about earlier, brown hair, funny eye thingies,> Unbreakable notes. <..Huh, this is almost poetic, ain't it?> ThoughtThief remarks to a visibly more relieved Fistfight. Surely Wes will listen now!

Brindled clouds conceal a few patches of starlit sky.

Melissa rushes (yes, she's jogging! And not sweating like crazy, either!) forward to the boy, giving hurried little waves to the Pokemon and a quick "Hi" to Fistfight (her favorite!). When she's close enough to be able to talk to him at a reasonable level, Melissa, with a few little huffs and puffs, notes the obvious. "You're... sick." She adjusts her glasses slightly, a serious little look crossing her face. "Th... that's... that's, um, quite a relief." Huh? Relief? "I was afraid..." She gestures towards the Pokemon, blushing a bit and hoping they won't take offense. "Th... they might have, um, hurt you. M, maybe on accident, though." Apple rushes after her trainer, taking note of all the exotic and interesting Pokemon. Wow. Melissa should catch some of these Pokemon, they're a heck of a lot cooler.

Well, I wouldn't put it past Unbreakable (who snickers), maybe ThoughtThief (who looks vaguely amused - doesn't the girl have anything better to do than to meet up with his Trainer at all hours of the night?), but the rest wouldn't hurt him on purpose, and hopefully not by accident, either. Skysnake hisses, yeah, that offends her, while Rainstar has the sense to keep quiet - he's seen those things happen before. <Hey,> Fistfight replies, a bit over-happily considering her Trainer's condition, to Melissa. This causes Wesley to frown a bit - well, that was kinda cold. However, Fistfight explains, <you can take this one to the Pokemon Center now, gal!> "Well, they've hurt me by accident before, but...*coughcough!* not this time. I came down with something a few..days ago..wasn't that bad..still isn't!" he adds. What a great time to develop a backbone.

"It... sort of looks bad." Melissa mumbles, crossing her arms across her chest. "I... I think you should go to th-" <Meliiiiiisa!> Okay. That word she knows. Melissa turns to glance at her Charmander. <It's... scary out here.> She mumbles to herself. It is sort of getting dark, so you can't really blame her. Glancing back at Wesley, the girl hesitates for a moment, then smiles a little shyly. "I think... I think she wants to go." Whoa. Did... did... did Melissa just... accurately get what her Charmander was saying? Sure, Apple had fear in her eyes, was shaking, was looking around nervously, but the girl didn't ask 'Are you hungry?'. Wow. What a big step up. Of course, she doesn't realize she just just recall the little lizard. She waits for Wesley to offer to walk her back to Pewter... which could work to the Pokemon's advantage, as well. Of course, probably not to Wesley's...

Wesley- in a cruel and unusual twist of capricious fate - doesn't really note Melissa's ability to actually understand what her Pokemon are saying. He sneezes into his hand again, sniffling somewhat. Not having any good manners, he rubs his nose on his hand, as usual. "Oh..ah, fine, then," Wesley mutters absently, trying to focus his thoughts - even his mind seems to be clogged with mucus. <Hey, flametail..booh!> says Unbreakable..who hovers just above the 'Mander's head. Wesley sighs and recalls her, taking the time to recall Rainstar and Skysnake as well. Aww, and without even a thank you for their efforts. <Kid, take her home like you usually do,> ThoughtThief clarifies, after a pause. "Huh? What..? Oh. Oh! Can I walk..you home?" he asks, sniffling somewhat. In anticipation, he moves to her left side, where he usually walks, Fistfight and ThoughtThief taking up their positions behind him.

'Witty' forces on.. engage! It's joke time! "I... don't know. Can you?" Melissa asks seriously. She was not, I repeat, not being sarcastic - she's being serious. Would Wesley be able to make it to the town without collapsing? "If you think yo, um, you can, we-" "Chaaar!" Apple shrieks, now rushing over to hug Melissa's ankle. It's so dark! So scary! And there was an evil... thing! That said 'Boo'! Eep! Feeling a little panic, Melissa does the first thing that's natural to her - bends down, picks up the Charmander, and comforts her like that. Apple shuts up, obviously content and safe. She makes sure not to set Melissa's clothes on fire with her tail or anything. Wouldn't that be perfect? A sick boy frantically trying to put out the fire on his friend's shirt? Hee. To herself, Melissa remembers the disease Fistfight caught a few days ago... did Wesley catch it from her? Hm... will Melissa catch it from him? Only time will tell...

Tracks in the snow, a glimpse of something. What's on Northern Mountain? (Saving)

Wesley frowns and nods emphatically. "It's..just a bit of a cold. After a few days rest or so, I'll probably be back to..ACHOO!" he stops, barely managing to cover the sneeze in time. "Back to normal," he repeats. To prove his point, he even begins to walk on ahead, sniffling and snuffing. Glancing back briefly, he notes Melissa's..cuddling of Apple, and quickly averts his eyes, thinking that it's something he shouldn't see. Is it dirty? Unclean? Unpure? Well..not really. It just..bothers him. Fistfight notes it, though, and smiles up at Melissa, while ThoughtThief chuckles a bit..at the 'Mander's stupidity, of course. The two then hurry up..just to make sure Wes doesn't collapse.

Framed by a rack of clouds, the full moon rises into the deep blue of the starlit sky. Melissa notices Wesley glance away, but there are plenty of logical explanations for that. Maybe Wesley's so sick, he only glances away so as to not sneeze on Wesley? Maybe he... uh, okay, that's the only real excuse Melissa can think of. "Are you... sure you'll be okay?" She asks quietly. She opens her mouth to suggest something, but closes it right away. "You... um, I'm sure you, um, wouldn't train your Pokemon if they were sick... why should you work when you're sick too?" She don't know him very well, do she? Apple snuggles deeper into Melissa's grasp, all tuckered out from a long day of being dumb and running around.

Wesley sighs, his breath just reeking of disease and bacteria. Get sick sometime, you'll know what I mean. "I have to, because I can't have double-standards. I'm not going to keel over and die, and I have to train them because..summer's a good time for me to challenge Brock to a battle, and then I can go to..ah, forget it," the boy says with an exasperated growl, angry at himself for babbling and - he realizes with a flash of uncharacteristic insight - making himself seem even more sick. Maybe he has a bit of a fever? Who knows. <Kid..you'll have to go to a Center anyways, to get some sleep. So don't talk about night trainin', huh? Just lead the lady to her house, and go back and get some rest. Mebbe Nurse Joy can fix yah a bit!> This of course comes from Fistfight. You think ThoughtThief would care that much?

Ew! Disease! Bacteria! They need a Disease-Killing Pokemon. Anyway. "B... but certainly you can take a few... a few days off?" The little gears inside Melissa's mind click. Oh, she hopes she has an idea! She hopes he likes it! "Why not... train them in a, um, different way? Um... while... while resting in bed, ask them what they'd do in a certain circumstance? Let 'em prepare?" Uh... maybe... it's a good idea? Eh. The two are quickly approaching Pewter, at a faster rate than when Melissa was following Rainstar. Apple has started to drift off to sleep, the soothing rumbling of her trainer as she speaks mixing with the monotonous walking is just enough to will her into unconsciousness. Well, good. No more annoying Charmanders.

Pewter City: Southern Pewter
The southern section of Pewter City is the residential zone. The street is lined with houses of varying sizes, from small to medium. The constructions are made of the same grey stone as the rest of the city. Aside from the Pokemon Gym and the museum to the north, there are no truly large buildings in Pewter. Most of the houses are one or two stories, some broad, others long. Some of the buildings have rock carvings or sculptures decorating the drab stone.
Obvious exits:
Southwest <SW> leads to Pewter City: Abandoned Warehouse.
West <W> leads to Pewter City: Rolling Stone Burger Club.
East <E> leads to Pewter City: Pokemon Center.
North <N> leads to Pewter City: Onix Square.
South <S> leads to Pewter City: Outskirt Fields.

Wesley arrives from Pewter City: Outskirt Fields.
Wesley has arrived.

Wesley just sorta...blinks. And pauses. He even pauses in midstep, trying to let the idea settle into his brain. Fistfight, however, has a brain unclogged by cold symptoms, so she latches on to it quickly. <Yeah..say, Trainer, I could help teach the team like that! I mean, I know a lot about bein' in actual battles, you know a lot about types and such, ThoughtThief..well, he don't know nuthin', so I'll have tah teach him too.> Wesley just..blinks again. "The point of Training is to /show/ Pokemon what to do," he replies, in the same exasperated tone, talking to Fistfight (though, answering Melissa's doubts. No, he doesn't like the idea.) <Look, you freak, you need rest, and we'll still get trained. Stop being such an (bad word here!) and accept the (bad word here!) idea!> That's ThoughtThief. Wesley rubs his hand over his face, with a sigh. He's beaten. "Fine," he mutters curtly, to shut them up.

With a little blush and a quiet glance at the ground, Melissa feels a little hurt. She thought her idea was a pretty good one... you know, a nice way for the Pokemon not to overdo him or herself, but also to learn while recovering... well, Wesley's still the 'ultimate master' guy who knows what's best, but she would have prefered a 'What a great idea!', even if he was just lying. She can only hope it was the sickness. Who knows? Maybe, the more he thinks about it, the better the idea will sound. Or the worse it will sound. Who knows. She sighs once more, and sort of makes a little gesture toward her house. "I, erm, here we are." She clutches Apple a little closer. "Guess I'll... um, see you around, huh?" She doesn't look at Wesley while she speaks. Aww...

The night is warm and sultry, and dark clouds hide the stars in patches. Elsewhere they shine brightly. Dew forms on the ground.

Well, maybe when Wesley actually practices it, he'll see it's benefits; or it's lack thereof. And...surely she didn't think Wesley would lie to her, did she? Friendship, m'dear, is all about honestly. How else can friendship work? Normally, Wes would be able to read something from her; he'd be able to tell something's different about her, since he knows her..uh, sorta well, but he couldn't tell what. However, his sensitivity to these things is greatly reduced. He nods rather listlessly, as if he's already yearning for his soft couch in the Pokemon Center. Still, he gives her a "of course you will..I might stick to the Pokemon Center for a while. If you want you to could find me there." Will she want to see him? Hmm, maybe. He waves to her, then turns to walk off. Fistfight smiles over at Melissa, giving her a confidential wink. <I'll talk him into it, girl,> she says, kindly. <Great idea for a beginner> she adds, before turning to follow Wesley. <Yer not half as dumb as you look, not that that's saying much,> ThoughtThief adds, following after.

"I'll look there," Melissa says, glancing south a bit. She does look at Wesley as she says, "But, if I can't c... cat... see you there, I'll be at my rock. I have some... some reading to do." Okay, so she'll actually be there, trying to think of a training technique that Wesley won't grind into the ground. Aww... poor Melissa. "So... I'll... um... see you then?" Still holding the little Charmander in her arms, she starts a speed walk toward her home. If Wesley was listening for it, he might just here a little sigh of desperation as Melissa makes her way home.

Wesley glances back, his grey eyes flashing in the luminous moonlight, the steam from a manhole cover billowing behind him, making his figure all the more impressive, as he turns to face his love on this sultry night of warmth and passion...