Contents:
Strife
Obvious exits:
Northeast <NE> leads to Commerce Road - Route 7: Trader Way.
Southwest <SW> leads to Celadon City: Eastern Entrance.

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. Here and there, groups of colorful Butterfree can be seen flying towards the ocean. 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.

It's a beautiful afternoon. Nice and warm, the area simply shines with beauty. The grass practically shines in the sunlight, and though the air is humid, there aren't so many bugs that it reaches the point of being annoying. What would be the best thing to do on a day like this? Take a walk? Play a game? Sleep? ... Sleep? Who would want to sleep on a day like this? Peppy the Growlithe apparently does - snoozing away about thirty feet from a den dug deep into the ground is the pup, catching up on his zzs. From the way he's sprawled out on the ground, however, it doesn't look like he's just napping for the heck of it; he looks completely worn out. From doing what?

What a detestable day. Hot and sticky, the area seems dull and dry. There's too much light, and it reflects off of the road and grass, hurting the eyes. This may be why one man's hat is pulled down low, to block as much of it as possible. His skin is covered by black material, leather and denim. He must be very hot. He seems alone at the moment, and his eyes are distant. His fists are slightly clenched--it's apparent he's thinking about something, but not speaking a word.

A pack of Growlithe puppies play Tug-of-War with the database. Better save! (Saving)

Though tired, Peppy looks like he doesn't have a care in the world as he snoozes - a small doggy grin shines on the puppy's face, and every few seconds he licks his chops and growls something about munching on this or eating that. A direct result of this dreaming undoubtedly about burgers is a little drool starting to dribble out of the dog's mouth - cute or disgusting depending on how you look at it. With a yawn, a jaw-smack, and a content little growl, the pup rolls over onto his side and continues snoring away.

The man's eyes narrow as he hears the Growlithe. His eyes catch the little fire-pup, and the man nods slowly. With a sigh, he begins to move on, before he takes another look. "Nah," he mutters gruffly. He taps his thigh a moment with a gloved finger before he reaches onto his belt to remove a Pokeball and let it silently drop to the ground. Flash! A Scarewulf appears, floating a few inches from the ground. He leans down on one knee to whisper something quietly to the ghost, who nods as it is spoken to.

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. Here and there, groups of colorful Butterfree can be seen flying towards the ocean.

Perhaps it's the noise the man makes, or perhaps it's the pokeball being opened, but whatever the case, Peppy's ear flinches softly, and his blissful growling stops for a moment, as though his subconcious is deciding whether it's worth the trouble to wake up or if it's all right to go on sleeping. The smart thing would be to wake up just in case - but given three facts (that Peppy never does 'the smart thing', that Peppy loves sleep, and that the pup is tuckered out in the first place) he doesn't. After a moment's hesitation, the Growlithe eventually goes back to dreaming about All-You-Can-Eat Burger Buffets.

The ghost dog tiptoes around Peppy, so that the Growlithe is in-between him and Strife. Then he lowers himself silently down, Strife still lowered down on his haunches, himself. Strife's face is expressionless, although there is a hint of amusement and curiosity in his eyes. Only a hint, though. The Scarewulf leans down until he's inches away from Peppy--after all, he's a ghost, and he doesn't make a sound unless he chooses to. And then he chooses to make a sound. A quick, sharp, "Woof!" Enough to wake up a sleeping Growlithe, but not much more than that.

Wake up? Peppy does a lot more than wake up, all right - he practically has a heart attack. One minute he's inches away from biting into a deliciously warm, gigantic, scumpadilyicious burger... and the next he's wide awake, heart thumping, stomach stinging, chest heaving in and out and gasping for air, glaring right into the face of a Scarewulf. The puppy's eyes widen, but he doesn't make a move to run or fight or anything. He's probably too paralyzed with fear.

The Scarewulf growls in a ghostly grin, completely enjoying this sort of thing. Strife doesn't seem to be as obvious. The Scarewulf then lowers himself very close to Peppy, knowing the fire type can do little against him. He growls in a husky voice, "<You're not dreaming anymore.>" Strife crosses his arms, ready to catch the Growlithe in case he does make a break for it. Not that Strife's as fireproof as the Scarewulf, but...

A pack of Growlithe puppies play Tug-of-War with the database. Better save! (Saving)

Jameka has connected.

Peppy simply cowers into the ground, ears down, tail drooped. <What do you want?> growls the pup very quietly, lowering his head and just glancing up at the ghost. It's easy to see he's trying to be brave - but given that he just woke up, and combined with the fact that Scarewulves are one of the five most horrifying things in the world to the hapless pup, he's failing miserably. Get this - after the dog finishes growling his question, he actually has to stifle a yawn, clenching his jaw shut and hoping the Scarewulf doesn't notice.

The Scarewulf notices. "<No yawning,>" he growls lowly. His eyes then light up on cue, and it's almost as if he makes everything arond him darker. Maybe that's just because he's so close, Peppy can feel his cold breath. "<I want you to run,>" the dog finishes. The man in dark clothing with no name kneels a few feet behind Peppy, still unnoticed.

Darn it. Darn it darn it darn it. Peppy's brain is telling him to run. Peppy's legs are telling him to run. Every single aspect of Peppy is screaming, "Run, you idiot! Run as fast as your chubby little legs will take that burger-filled body of yours!" And Peppy should. Peppy -would-. But through his tired, confused, and frightened mind, the Growlithe remembers one thing - he's only feet away from Aurora's den. Suddenly, he can't just run away. Shaking like crazy, the puppy clenches his teeth together to keep them from chattering. Growling, the dog makes this little attempt to try and stand up, but the action probably won't spark as much interest in the ghost as his growl will: <I'm not going to.> Certain doom.

The Scarewulf doesn't seem phased at all. He begins walking slowly toward Peppy, and will bump up against him if the Growlithe doesn't move backward with him. Noteably, it would only take a few steps to bump into Strife, who is still mostly watching the scene with detatched interest. "<I... see,>" growls the wulf, a little intrigued by the show of courage.

Tense moment. Very, very tense moment. Surprisingly enough, though, only a few feet away in a nice bushy shrub is a creature completely oblivious to it. This creature is none other than Jameka, the scrawny Pikachu. And there she sleeps, curled into a nice little yellow ball, despite the immediate danger for a poor Growlithe only a few feet away.

Peppy doesn't take a step backward, but this isn't because he's being brave and standing up for himself - no, this is because he's simply so terrified with fear that he's petrified. <An... and...> the Growlithe gets out, his entire body stiff except for his chest, which is heaving in and out at a mile a minute. <And... I'm... not running.> A perfectly pointless thing to say, but he couldn't just stand there like an idiot and say nothing, could he? ... Could he? ... He's going to die a horribly painful death and he knows it.

If Peppy doesn't take a step backward, this means the Scarewulf is now pushing into him. The wulf's fur is cold but somehow solid, yet still feels very strange. The ghost isn't actually trying to push Peppy, it's just that he's edging forward, ignoring the fact that Peppy isn't moving. Peppy's either going to have to push back or be slid back. The wulf's eyes are locked on Peppy's, but he doesn't say a word more.

And Jameka remains asleep. Cute, adorable, oblivious sleep. She has no idea that just outside her shrub are two doggies, one dead and one that's likely to be dead in a few minutes' time. If she did know this... well, she'd probably run away screaming. But she doesn't know this. So instead she remains sleeping. Although this sleep is slowly starting to lighten...

Every single muscle that isn't completely frozen with fear is now working on standing in the same place - but it's still not enough. Peppy can't help it; he tries his heart out, but, completely involuntarily, the puppy lifts his hind paw and steps back. And then he does it again. His fear... the Scarewulf's pressuring... the fact that he's being pushed by a giant blob of peanut butter... The puppy does, however, get something out of his mouth. His lungs are tight, his jaw is practically glued shut, but he does manage to squeeze out a surprisingly loud, <Stop it!> Darn it darn it darn it. Peppy really, really, really hates Scarewulves. They're like Katerwauls but... not as bad. ... And, believe it or not, recalling the fact that Katerwauls are even worse actually makes the puppy feel a little bit *better*.

Peppy's hind paw barely touches Strife's boot when he calls out his yelp. The Scarewulf does stop, but not because of Peppy, but because it suddenly looks upward and see something behind Peppy. "You are the same Growlithe," mutters the man who's boot has been touched. "But grown." The Scarewulf stares quietly at Peppy, but moves his head back to give Peppy some breathing room, and stops the relentless edging.

Jameka's ears twitch slightly in her slumber. And then they twitch again. And then... <Stop it!> The Pikachu's eyes fly open, her entire body tensing up suddenly. <What the...> she murmers sleepily, long ears flattening against her head. Cautiously she gets up and creeps to the edge of the shrubbery, peering outside to see what on earth is going on.

Death! The Scarewulf is pushing Peppy back! It's definite doom. There is no way Peppy is going to the survive. The Scarewulf is going to tear Peppy apart. The Scarewulf is about to inflict major, horrible pain on the pup. The Scarewulf is... backing up. The Growlithe can only blink. His first reaction? To glance up and check and see if an aura of holy light is shining down upon his body. He doesn't see a heavenly aurora - but he does see a rather tall man. "Lithe!" woofs the dog as he scampers around in a circle, glancing up at Strife. <What... who...> Terror and depression move aside to let confusion and curiousity take over the puppy's face. What in the world is going on?

Strife's eyes move to the shrubbery when the Pikachu begins to make noise, but before he can investigate further, Peppy has begun talking and his eyes rest on Peppy once again. The Scarewulf sets down, obviously satisfied that Peppy was scared.. and sure he could make him run if he wanted. The dark man, however, doesn't look satisfied or not satisfied or.. anything. "Do you not remember?" he asks. "Are you not the same Growlithe? We met before quite the same way?" This is a lot of words for the man, and he chooses that minute to let Peppy answer.

The poor, confused little Pikachu sticks her head out of the bushes cautiously... before promptly squeaking and withdrawing into the foliage once more. There sits for a moment, eyes wide with surprise, pondering out what she saw. <Peppy... human... thing,> she repeats several times over to herself, trying to figure out what to do. Well, it had seemed as though the Growlithe had been in trouble. The human was obviously dangerous, and the... thing, was probably dangerous too. But she couldn't just leave poor Peppy all alone, could she? "Ka pikapi!" the Pikachu mutters, turning about in the bushes. She crouches down, takes a deep breath, and crashes through the bushes, electricity crackling at her cheeks as she darts toward the odd little gathering. <I'm coming, Peppy!>

Peppy simply peers at Strife for a moment, before turning his head to glare at the Scarewulf. He turns back to Strife. <Is that your Scarewulf?> barks the pup rather angrily, assuming something of an offensive stance. <That w-> Peppy's right ear twitches, and with a blink, the pup turns his head to the side to see none other than... Jameka. <Uh oh.> Remember just how bad those electrical attacks can *sting*, the puppy dives onto the floor, covering his paws with his eyes. He knows this leaves him vulnerable to anything that evil, evil Scarewulf can do - but dangit, Thundershock hurts!

The Scarewulf spins on a paw, staring at the Pikachu wildly. Strife really can only do the same thing, and all he can mutter out is, "A Pikachu!?" in a slightly surprised tone of voice. The man who almost never can be surprised... is quite startled, at the very least. The answer to Peppy's question will have to wait.

"Pikapiiiiii!" <Incomiiiiing!> Jameka yells at the top of her tiny lungs, running headlong at human and Scarewulf. <Take /this/ you bullies!> she screeches bravely, halting a few bounds away and powering up for a Thundershock. The little electric rodent sits back on her haunches, flattens her ears against her head and squeezes her cheeks. "Pi... ka... CHUUU!" While a fairly impressive attack for such a little bugger, it's also fairly wild and will go in every which direction... look out.

Sure enough, despite the fact that he's supposed to be the one getting 'saved' here, Peppy gets zapped - and zapped a lot. Fzzzzt! <Ow!> Fzt fzt fzt! <Ow ow ow!> Involuntarily, the puppy twitches - and twitches a lot. Poing! The puppy's fur starts to stand on end as a result of all the powerful static. <Hey!> he howls, ascending to all four paws - then "G-rowl?!"ing and taking a duck to the side, narrowly avoiding a blast of electricity. <That hurt, Jameka!>

A pack of Growlithe puppies play Tug-of-War with the database. Better save! (Saving)

Strife, well, doesn't have much defence, and he grunts as he spins around, turning his leather jacket into tempoary armor against the electrical attacks. Not that it helps all too much. The attacks seem to go through the 'Wulf, though, and it avoids the brunt of the attack. Gotta love being part ground-type. The Pokemon growls curses at the approaching Pikachu, but doesn't have more time to react further than that, yet.

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. Here and there, groups of colorful Butterfree can be seen flying towards the ocean.

Ha ha ha! Eat electricity, bad guys! Take that! And that! And-- oh. Wait a second. Jameka's Thundershock ends abruptly, her attention being drawn off the scary human and dead doggie and to the living doggie, instead. <Uh... huh> she blinks innocently at Peppy. <Hurt? How did I hurt? I'm saving you, silly!> Okay, so the Pikachu definately isn't a battler. This is made obvious by the fact that now, speaking to Peppy, her attention is almost completely focused on him and not the strangers.

Peppy shakes his head a bunch, trying to shake off the lasting tingly effects of the electrical attack. He's starting to look like a fuzzball right now, and with a light bit of annoyance, he lies down on the ground, starting to pat down his fur with a paw. What if someone he knew saw him like this? Bah! Lifting his head to glance at Jameka, the puppy gives her a light uncertain grin, glancing out of the corner of his eyes first at Strife, then at the Scarewulf. <It's all right. Hey! Wait a second!> Still halfway poofy, Peppy pops up to all four paws, and begins growling again at Strife. <Why did you make your Scarewulf attack me?> His fierce (but fuzzy!) little face softens as he blinks, pauses for a moment, and turns to look at the ghost. <He... is yours, right?>

Strife nods slowly. "He did not attack you," the man corrects. "He woke you up." The Wulf growls at the Pikachu, but since it isn't attacking any more, and Strife hasn't issued any new orders, he doesn't do anything beyond that. "Unlike this Pikachu friend of yours," the man adds in, standing fully upright again. He stares down at the little, yellow rat, obviously not impressed.

Jameka promptly ignores Peppy as more pressing matters present themselves. Like the fact that she's being growled at by a Scarewulf. <Eeek!> the scrawny Pikachu yelps, skirting the big dead doggie and trying to hide behind Peppy, who suddenly managed to become useful. But once she's there another matter presents itself: the fact that the Growlithe is discussing something with a human. A human?! <Eeek!> she squeaks again, this time trying to burrow into Peppy. Or at least his (now amazingly puffy!) fur.

Peppy turns his head back at Strife as he speaks, and after listening to what the man has o say, the Growlithe, who would under normal circumstances pause, nod, and admit that Strife is right, growls at the trainer, his bushy tail wagging once or twice. <But he seriously scared me,> the puppy growls, <And you know it.> A pause. The growling becomes woofing. <Besides! Waking somebody up is really mean, too.> With that, Peppy, still looking up at Strife (though no longer growling), walks a large circle around Strife - not because he's being threatening, but because he will feel a lot safer with himself between the human and Aurora's home. This entire notion is destroyed, however, when Jameka pops herself into the pup's fur. "Growlithe?" Blink. <What are you doing?>

"You should not have been so close to the road," the man chides. "At least the Pikachu had enough sense to hide somewhere sensable." This may have been meant as in insult, given the man's apparent opinion of the yellow Pokemon. The Scarewulf grins as Peppy admits to being seriously scared. He also seems happy that the Pikachu is now similarily scared--and all it took was a growl.

Hey, you try being up against a dead thing that's resistant to your attacks and see how easily your scared! Well, okay. So Jameka isn't scared. She's terrified. Whatever bravery the little yellow rodent had previously mustered is now down the tubes, so instead of trying to face these two holy terrors, she does the smart thing. She hides. In reply to Peppy's question, the muffled response is simly: <I'm hiding!> Well duh.

Peppy lets himself drop a little bit, realizing that the human really is right - the pup should have slept somewhere else. <That still doesn't mean you should scare me,> woofs the puppy, now directing his gaze to the ground somewhat sheepishly. His ears flounder at their sides. Positive attention is something Peppy craves: and, likewise, negative attention is his worst non-Katerwaul/Bulbasaur/Charizard/Jynx/Scarewulfy fear. <And besides,> he grumblegrowls, his tail giving a quick swish swish. <I didn't want to wake up Aurora. She's-> The puppy's eyes widen a bit, and the dog realizes that maybe - just maybe - telling a human with a Scarewulf about someone else's home is not quite the brightest of all ideas.

Strife's eyebrows raise. "You are guarding another Pokemon, so that is it..." he mumbles. "Eh. It is not the Pikachu, is it?" he asks, realizing that the thing is still trembling in Peppy's fur. He subconsiously straightens his jacket, still smoking a bit from that electrical attack she tried. The Scarewulf sombers as Peppy talks, and moves to stand next to his trainer silently.

Purple, gold, and vermillion clouds grace the western sky as the sun descends toward the west.

Jameka peers out of Peppy's fur, brown eyes narrowing as they fall on the dreaded human. Then she promptly burrows into the Growlithe's fur once more, acting as though she wants to be permanately attatched to him. The conversation between Peppy and Strife continues, though, and the wheels in our electric rodent's head start to work through this dilemma. Finally she pokes her head out again, and shouts up at the human, <Go away! Just leave us all alone! And quit scarin' everybody!> Then she withdraws once more.

Peppy is now faced with a number of options. Lie? But *every single* time he's lied in the past, it didn't work. Tell the truth? What, and get poor Aurora in trouble? Dodge around it? Yeah, that would work until the human sics his Scarewulf on the poor pup! But Peppy has to woof *something*, so, hoping to think of something to say *fast*, he opens his jaws and... and sounds like a Pikachu? Peppy glances at the little squeaking mouse and blinks softly. Peppy then looks up at Strife without a word. How's the human going to react to this?

First off, Strife understands Growlithe. He does not understand, "Pikachu pika, pika!!" So he kind of pauses a moment without saying anything or reacting with anything beyond a surprised blink. He then looks to his Scarewulf, who translates, "<She wants us to leave.>" Strife sighs and mutters lowly, "I could have figured." The man then crosses his arms, looking down at Peppy for a moment more. "Where is your girl?" he asks after a moment, the voice less harsh and more.. curious and concerned. If that's possible for Strife. "That Patch."

Jameka nods vigorously at the Scarewulf's trasnslation. Although, since she's hidden in Peppy's fur, it probably can't be seen at all. <That's right!> she sqeaks into the Growlithe's side. <Go away and don't come back! Ever!> Oh yeah. That'll be real effective. But then the conversation between human and fire type starts up again and this time the Pikachu has the brains to shut up and listen curiously.

The reply is instant, loud, and almost reflexive. <Gone.> With a little growl, the dog turns his head to the side, suddenly realizing that he hasn't thought about Patch for quite some time. He's quiet all through Jameka's little rant, before giving Strife a slightly more decent reply. Turning his head, he glances up at Strife with somewhat... pleading eyes, and woofs a soft, <Don't ask about it, okay?> Granted, Peppy doesn't expect this request to be fulfilled: when he tells others to stop pressing about Aurora, they just do it *more*... and this human's so evil he has a Scarewulf.

Strife's eyebrows raise at this news, and he nods. "I understand," he mutters lightly. "And the one you are protecting?" He looks past Peppy at whatever he's guarding.. but then looks back at the Pikachu. He never got an answer to just who Aurora was. The Scarewulf huffs at the Pikachu, as if reminding her of her place.

A pack of Growlithe puppies play Tug-of-War with the database. Better save! (Saving)

Confused and curious, the little Pikachu actually manages to shut up for longer than a minute, long black-tipped ears twitching as she listens in on the conversation. Being huffed at by the Scarewulf doesn't thrill her, though, and despite her usually obvious fear of the pokemon she manges to muster up a halfway decent glare, static electricity sparking at her cheeks. But she promptly chickens out again and goes back to cowering a moment later.

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

Confusion absolutely reigns over Peppy's face when Strife doesn't press on about Patch. I mean, it's simply amazing how befuddled the Growlithe looks right now. Why didn't the trainer... ask... The puppy simply shakes his head, snapping back to attention as Strife asks yet again another question. <Nobody.> Pause. <I don't kno-> Hrm. No, that's a lie. <I'm not protecting anybody.> There. Peppy's content with that - Aurora can very well take care of herself, and Jameka... well, given Thundershocks like that, Jameka can practically protect Peppy. And, after all, it has to be a lie for it to not work, right? (It's amazing the way this pup's mind works sometimes.) Peppy does glance down at Jameka, however, really hoping the little Pikachu doesn't reveal Aurora's identity or, worse, location.

Interest passes Strife's face, but then he looks a bit distant. He's considering something in his mind, but his eyes only barely give a clue to what it may be. "Is it a mate? Or just a friend?" he asks gruffly, glancing between Jameka and Peppy, watching for the Pokemon's reactions. It might be a material posession, but it has a name, so it must be either the Pikachu or another Pokemon.

Jameka isn't gonna say anything. She's too busy doing a wonderful job cowering. Sure, she may pack a punch in her random, anger-powered Thundershocks, but this electric rat isn't going to be winning any awards for bravery in the near future. Or the distant future, for that matter. Instead she tries to glue herself to Peppy's side and listen in on the conversation. And surprisingly enough? She's manged to stay quiet for more than five minutes! It's a miracle!

Peppy tenses visibly. It's not the same kind of tense as it was when he was terrified by the Scarewulf, or when he was being shocked by the Pikachu's Thundershock. No, the puppy seems even more stiff this time, as if he's a new kind of Tree pokemon! Through clenched teeth and rapidly reddening face, Peppy growls, <She's not my mate. She's jus...> Pause. Peppy glances to the side, making sure to *not* look at either the human or his pokemon. <Just nothing! I don't know an Aurora...> Peppy turns his head to glance at Jameka, and, clenching his jaw shut even further, growls a little, <Do you?> to the Pikachu. Please say no, Peppy thinks to himself. Please say no!

Don't talk, don't talk, don't talk, don't... <Huh?> Jameka blinks up at Peppy, not quite understanding that he asked her a question. She blinks a few more times before this fact finally dawns on her. Oh! She's supposed to answer now, isn't she? <Uhm, Aurora? I...> the poor Pikachu blinks a bit more, dreadfully confused as to why this would matter at all. But she shrugs a little at the Growlithe and answers truthfully, <Nope! I don't know her.>

The Pikachu's actions don't need much a translation. "I see," he says. He shakes his head, a slight look of sadness crossing his face. It's replaced by vanilla indifference, though. "So, do you share the Pikachu's sentiments?" he finally mutters, tilting his head slightly. He seems to grow a bit in the darkness. "Do you wish for me to leave?" The Scarewulf glances up at his master, and then back down at the Pokemon.

Peppy exhales softly as Jameka replies just as the puppy wants her to, and he gives her a small little grin, though she might not notice it. Peppy glances up slowly at Strife as he speaks, and the Growlithe ponders his options for a moment. <You don't... have too,> woofs the puppy softly, realizing that just because the Scarewulf was mean enough to wake him up is no reason for Peppy to be mean back. <Er.> Peppy does rotate himself to the left a little, possibly making Jameka stumble in the process. <But, um, you should move over there.> He makes a gesture with his head. Gotta put himself between Aurora and Strife, after all!

Brindled clouds conceal a few patches of starlit sky.

Only just getting over the fact that she had actually been /asked/ to speak, Jameka seems to forget that she had previously been trying /not/ to talk. So when Peppy replies to the human, telling him he doesn't have to go, she promptly decides to get her two cents in. Again. <No! Don't listen to him! Just go away!> she chatters a the man and his pokemon... before getting half run over by a Growlithe. The little Pikachu stumbles sideways a bit before regaining her balance and poking Peppy with a little paw. <Hey! Watch it!>

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

Strife blinks, and is surprised again. "I..." he begins, but stops himself short. He takes the step respectfully. "You have grown," he mutters lowly. "And whatever this Pokemon you are... not protecting is, it should feel fortunate." He seems at a loss for words. The Pikachu's outburst snaps him out of whatever he was thinking. "I only let you be because I am friends with the Growlithe," he mutters at the Pokemon. He glances back away, moving respectfully, but seems to be ready to head off, anyway. The Scarewulf stays at his side as he moves.

Peppy gives Jameka a little glance when she pokes him, but he only gives her the softest of all smiles before turning back to Strife. And then, with no warning at all, it hits Peppy. Upside the head. Hard. <You're-> Peppy blinks, his eyes locked on Strife, his face showing seriousness behind all that fur. <You're that human.> A pause. <Aren't you? Down on that place where the Charizard was.> Hey, Peppy's colorblindness helps him when it comes to seeing things move - it sure doesn't help when he's trying to figure out what things are. Jameka will probably be at a loss. Shoot, given how unclear that was, Strife might be at a loss.

Jameka glares nastily (or as nastily as an undersized Pikachu can glare) at the stange human, though the fact that she's still cowering behind Peppy kinda takes away from the full effect. What little there was. Her attention is drawn back to what all's going on in the conversation when Peppy starts talking again. Not that it matters. She hasn't the foggiest idea what he's talking about, and frankly, she doesn't care. As long as it doesn't involve that human, and as long as that human's leaving. Of course, the fact that neither of these things would appear true at the momen doesn't seem to dawn on her quite yet.

The human was leaving... until Peppy brought up Cinnabar. He looks over his shoulder. "So you remember?" he asks lightly, eyebrows raised. He recrosses his arms and glances over Peppy. The Scarewulf mumbles to itself, still in grumbly mood.

Poor Jameka is pretty much forgotten as Peppy waits for Strife's reply. He doesn't know where the realization came from - one minute the human's a mystery to him, the next minute the Growlithe's almost certain he somehow remembers the identity of the man. And it's only just now certified. <I don't know how,> admits the puppy, giving a little tail wag. His face is neither a smile nor a frown; he doesn't know which expression to put on. <But I do. You are him, aren't you?> And suddenly, it all makes sense! 'He's grown' since last time the man saw him, all right!

<Boring, boring, boring,> Jameka mumbles quietly to herself, stifling a yawn with a tiny yellow paw. Her long ears and zig-zag tail droop a little, sleepily, and a second yawn breaks out free this time, causing the little rodent to bare tiny, needle-sharp white teeth briefly. She's just starting to drift off when Peppy's question hits her. <Hold it,> she perks up slightly, though still talks partially to herself and partially to the Growlithe. <You /know/ the human?!>

"I am, yes," Strife says simply. He turns to fully face Peppy. "I met you once, along with Shadow. Then again in Cinnabar, where I met you and your..." he trails off awkwardly. The man shakes his head lightly. "I am who you are thinking of," he finally finishes with a shrug. The Scarewulf looks at the Pikachu deadly. She's a quick one, isn't she?

Peppy glances down at Jameka again, and even though he replies to her, he's looking up at Strife. <I've... met him a couple times,> he admits softly, his tail giving a nervous wag. He can only hope this isn't going to result in four million watts of electricity rupturing throughout his body or something. Lifting his head a little bit, Peppy woofs softly to Strife, <A, um, a lot has changed since then.> The Growlithe is actually sort of surprised that the human remembered him (despite the fact that Peppy's memory is about one fortieth as useful as your average human's) - but that tiny little vain part in the puppy's mind asks, 'How could somebody *not* remember me?'

A pack of Growlithe puppies play Tug-of-War with the database. Better save! (Saving)

Jameka's a rodent. All the speed she posesses is in how fast she can move. There was no speed left over for her brain, unfortunately. Still, she may not be the brightest thing on four legs (that spot's reserved for Peppy, of course), but once she does know something she doesn't let it go. Thus her reply: <What?!> The Pikachu's jaw drops, big brown eyes widening to gawk at Peppy. <You mean... you know... I... argh!> And the electric rat begins to brood over this for the next couple of minutes.

"I see," mutters Strife. "A lot, I suppose, for you," he finally mutters darkly. He begins to turn around again, uncertainly. Strife seems to be a master of brooding, and tonight is no exception. He doesn't seem to have much more to say, and seems ready to leave, almost a touch defeated.

Peppy (yet again!) saves a little peer for Jameka, and the puppy seems genuinely confused. <What? He...> The dog is distracted by Strife, who rather suddenly makes a few motions to go. <Aurora,> the canine woofs softly, <Is a Growlithe. When it's raining, she and I share her den. That's where I sometimes am.> A pause. Peppy blinks, and just sort of stares down at his muzzle. He did not mean to say what he just said. <Um,> woofs the pup uncertainly, adding a little, <Guess... er, no secrets.> What?

Busily brooding, Jammie completely ignores Peppy, his peer and his confusion. But she does notice when he suddenly spills the bean on everything. And if you thought her jaw dropped before, now the Pikachu looks like the flippin' Nutcracker. Jameka stares at the Growlithe liked he just flipped his lid. <Uhm... Peppy? Did you meant to...> she has the sense to say this quietly, and in the end doesn't even finish it. Instead she gives a little shrug, shakes her head and darts out from under the Growlithe's fur and back towards her shrub, fast as her little legs can carry her.

Strife peers at the Growlithe. He looks... confused. Every time he walks away, Peppy adds another.. thing to the pile, and he's more and more unsure of why the dog is talking. He peers some more as the Pikachu darts away again. The man slowly shakes his head, and asks, "Why do you mention?" after a fair moment.

The Growlithe just kind of peers right back at Strife, and, mutters every bit as insecurely as the man, <I... don't... know.> And he's telling the truth, as well. <I, um, guess I didn't want to lie,> he admits softly, his tail giving a little wag. <You could have hurt me, but you didn't. Lots of times. And you helped me. You can know who Aurora is because I know you won't hurt her.> Sounds fair enough - but the puppy sounds confused as he speaks, as though he really isn't totally sure himself. Maybe his subconscious is more intelligent than he himself is.

Jameka streaks across the short distance seperating her from her shrub and crashes through the foliage, feeling safe only once she's hidden behind the full leaves. Then she flops down on the ground and curls into a ball, confused, tired and... well, confused. She doesn't fall asleep immediately, nor does she try to listen in on the conversation anymore; Strife and Peppy are probably too far away, anyway. But while she neither sleeps nor evesdrops, she's not going to come out from her hiding spot for a long time.

The man coughs lightly. He looks down at the ground. He shakes his head. "You gonna be here for long, dog?" he finally asks, uncertain of why he asks. It's a very simple question and delivered very simply. The Wulf narrows his eyes a bit.

It's a very simple question, yes, but it's not one Peppy knows the answer to. <What do you mean... tonight? Or... here... like, not tonight?> Descriptive! <I...> Suddenly, something feels strange. There are no squeaky voices. There's no pressing into his fur. And as Peppy looks, he realizes - There's no Pikachu. "Growlithe?" he asks himself, now peering about slowly. ... And then frantically. <Where'd Jameka go? Jameka?> He glances left, right... then, finally, up at Strife. <Where... where'd she go?>

Strife shrugs a bit. "Away. In a shrub." He frowns a bit. "I guess it does not matter," he finally states, and then turns to start walking away again. The Scarewulf at his side seems to be relieved that Strife didn't continue with his train of thought, and begins to follow.

And that's that. It would appear Strife's reply is the only one poor Peppy is gonna get... Jameka's too busy being curled up, thinking, and otherwise just being alone. Besides this, she's tired. Being scared out of your mind'll do that to ya, you know! So unless interrupted, the little Pikachu will slowly, slowly, drift off to sleep.

Peppy glances at Strife a moment further, his bushy tail giving just one quick wag left, wag right as the man walks away. Shaking his head softly - mostly out of confusion, because he doesn't really know why the human's leaving so soon - the pup lowers it to the ground, trying to catch a trace of Jameka's scent. He wouldn't be able to get to sleep knowing she's in trouble or something. And besides, after the scare with the Scarewulf, it might be nice for Peppy to find a buddy to sleep near tonight...