Obvious exits:
North <N> leads to Overgrown Lands - Route 11: Off the Route.

Fair weather clouds sail across the blue sky, propelled by light breezes from the west. It's warm in the sun, cool in the shade, and the air is clear and dry.

Soki has connected.

Fair weather clouds sail across the blue sky, propelled by light breezes from the west. It's warm in the sun, cool in the shade, and the air is clear and dry. In the forest, the wind rustles the bright green leaves of trees and bushes and carries Oddish pollen, downy seeds, and the fragrance of wildflowers along with it. While at the coast, the ocean is a deep cool blue today, the waves lapping at the coast gently under the pleasant spring sky.

Though the world outside is brimming with color, with waves of freshly grown grass, sparkling blue skies, and a bright sun, the old deteriorating barn is still the same old drab and boring brownish grey. Most of the habitants of the barn (those that have not already left for the winter) are outside having fun, enjoying this beautiful weather, but the large family of Growlithes, with their five rapidly growing puppies, are inside, perhaps settling down for the night. All the kids are less active than usual, perhaps tuckered out from a day of romping through grass and over stones, but they still have the energy to carry on a small game of tag. Their parents, however, have entirely depleted their supply of vitality for the day. Aurora is fast asleep, sprawled around the ground, nuzzled into Peppy's side. Peppy himself is awake and watching the pups to make sure they're okay, but judging by his hanging eyes and relaxed position, he's quite exhausted as well.

Soki enters the barn, not exhausted but tired as well. He's spent the day honing his combat skills in the the areas around the barn, sparring with invisible partners, much to the delight of a few young Rattata who thought it looked extrememly silly. But Soki ignored them, and kept on doing what he was doing for the sake of not interrupting his training. Any expenditure of energy towards reprimanding the smaller rodents would have been wasted. The presence of a Raticate nearby might have had something to do with it, as well. In any case, Soki nows passes through the opening into the barn, not quite ready to sleep but aware of the proximity of the need.

What's that smell? Candylion? Better save be-Ooo, pretty colors! (Delet-er, saving!)

Peppy's sleepy eyes glance up at the entrance to the barn at the new arrival. Dusk and Karen jump right across his line of vision, yipping and barking enthusiastically. Briska galumps after them only a moment later, his face even more wide-eyed and bright with excitement. All the while, their father sort of peers ahead blankly, though he does quirk up the sides of his mouth at Briska rams the side of his nuzzle into Karen's side, invoking a little mock fight from the female. Peppy's eyes widen slightly, but not at the sudden fight - it's more like at a memory. The Growlithe raises his head up high and moves his paws forward a few inches to support his upper torso. <Hello!> he barks at Soki, perhaps remember that "Sandslash=friend, friend=greet". His tail sways back and forth briefly, accidentally brushing right over Dakota, who blinks and tries to swat at it.

Soki stops in his tracks and peers at the Growlithes, momentarily surprised. For this Sandslash, the equation is Tired = Easily Surprised = Defensive. Fortunately, this Sandslash also has sharpness of wit to spare, so the alarm rapidly switches into a greeting of his own. <Good day,> he calls with an amicable wave. <Are the children behaving themselves?> Diverted from his plans to head for his nest, Soki decides to follow this new path with all the vigor that he was going to put into falling asleep and appropriately heads over the to the congregation of dogs.

Peppy seems surprised that Soki decides to approach his family instead of his usual sleeping spot, and he blinks once or twice. He lowers his head back down to the ground, settling his furry white chin back onto his paws, and glances up at Soki. <Behaved?> His eyes flicker not over to the puppies but over to his sleeping mate. He grins uneasily, flashing Soki a couple of his teeth. <Um... of course. As well behaved as usual. They're not...> At that moment, Dakota, who has come around her dad's side and, wanting to see the playing fight between Briska and Karen, has started to rush towards the fight, bumps right into her father's large muzzle. Woof of surprise come from both father and daughter as they remain touching muzzle-to-muzzle, though realization sinks in. Dakota backs up, beams at her father, and rushes over to cheer her sister on. Peppy glances back at Soki, grins a little further, and says, <... Not bad. Hyper, but not bad puppies.> His tail sways back and forth.

Soki nods, saying, <It's good that they have a lot of energy. They're good and healthy, then. Must have wonderful parents.> Soki adds a wink to his conclusion. Complements may not be his forte, but he knows how to pick the kind words out the ones he knows and put them together. Taking a look around at the puppies, another question springs to Soki's mind. It's not as though he's planned it... it simply occurs to him. <Think you've got any fighters in the bunch?> the Sandslash asks. <I'd be happy to let one of them become an apprentice of mine when they're grown. But, I suppose that will be farther on in the future...> he concludes, thinking aloud.

Peppy actually catches Soki's wink! It takes him a second or two, but before long his tail is wagging far more vigorously and his eyes are far more bright and pleased. If there's anything a Growlithe (or, at least, -this- Growlithe) likes to hear, it's a compliment. <Thank you!> he woofs in reply, his voice cheery and maybe even flattered. His face is locked into a doggy grin, and his long pink tongue hangs out and dangles as his head bobbles back and forth. He rolls it back into his mouth upon Soi's next question, however, and his smile fades a bit - not because he doesn't like the question, but more in thought than anything else. <Fighters?> He peers up at his forehead thoughtfully, as though he never thought about it. <Dakota's definitely energetic enough to be a fighter.> He nods. <And... I think Flame is smart enough, and he's mean and really... uh, interminating.> He nods once again. <But Dusk is small and really agile, but Briska's got spirit and bravery, and Karen is like her mom...> At this, Peppy gestures to the female sleeping at his side, as though Soki really couldn't figure that out. <Quick-minded and doesn't really like to give up. So I think they'll all be fighters! And really good ones, too.> He nods a third time, as though his words are wise and totally unbiased.

The evalutation is pondered for a while by Soki. After deep scrutiny, he delivers his verdict. <I guess we'll have to wait and see, then. Energy, intelligence, wit, and agility are all fine attributes for a fighter to have, but you can have all of them and still not have the spirit of a fighter. With that, you can attain all of the others, even beginning with nothing. However, I thank you for accepting my offer, and I shall certainly look into the issue,> the Sandslash at last finishes. So now he has permission to scout for a potential new addition for the team. Understood, however, that it's going to be while. Puppies take a while to grow up, and Soki really isn't certain when he'd be comfortable subjecting someone else's child, no matter whether they're a friend or not, to Zenny-style training. But, those are issues that he'll address later. For now? Well... it looks like the ball's in Peppy's court for a conversation topic.

Peppy pauses for a moment, his head slowly nodding forward as he stares at the wooden floor, lost in thought. He peers back up at Soki, cocks his head, and squints at the Sandslash as though the Growlithe doesn't completely understand what the ground-type just said. <Accepting? Offer?> Fwoosh! Over his head it's going... going... gone! Peppy's tail now sways back and forth in a more controlled and steady rhythm, and he's no longer pumping with enthusiasm as he was when he was talking about his children. Should Soki happen to watch Briska and Karen in his fight, he'll find a rough tumble and bumble going on, though neither of the two young ones hurt the other one much. Dusk and Dakota watch on with interest, and even Flame, who has isolated himself from the family unit, can't help but glance over there on occasion.

Soki makes a gesture that, in Sandslash body language, is the equivalent of snapping one's fingers. <I think I worded that poorly,> he explains. <Thank you for accepting my request to train one of your children as a fighter. But there should be no need to do so for some time now, and I would never dream of separating you from your family before either you or your child is ready for such a thing.> That, at least, ought to be true, considering Soki's own history with the subject. He knows what it's like to lose one's family prematurely; it's not something he'd gladly put someone else through. The tumbling puppies go unseen by Soki, as the Sandslash is too busy trying to make sure he isn't accidentally saying something he doesn't mean.

This is new news to Peppy, apparently. The Growlithe only cocks his head even further, narrowing his eyes into slit as he gives Soki The Evil Eye. Sure, he still looks cute and fuzzy, so it shouldn't intimidate the other pokemon at all, but. <Train them? Since when?> Half of Peppy sounds skeptical and uncertain; the other half wonders what the heck is going on. <I... I... wouldn't you think that teaching them to... to hunt and survive is more important than fighting? If they w...> Though the barn is mostly empty, there are a couple scragglers in the barn. The Growlithe peeks at the rest of the barn, glances over at Soki, and leans a little closer to the Sandslash. His voice becomes quiet. <... If they wanted to fight as a trained pokemon, that would be their choice and the res... res... responserbilty of the human, right?>

Soki shakes his head quickly. <Not what I meant at all. I'm not suggesting that they be turned over to a human, I was simply asking if you would allow one of them to join my own personal team of travelling Pokemon,> he fires off quickly, noting that he's reverted to square one. <And I'm not saying that this wouldn't be their choice. In fact, I'd prefer to wait until it *could* be their choice to make. All I'm saying is that I see the potential for a good sport fighter among them, and I'd like to know if you'd allow one of your puppies to join my team at a later date. That's it; it's your choice to say yes or no as you please.> Aye yi yi, what a mess. See what happens when you act spontaneously, Soki?

What's that smell? Candylion? Better save be-Ooo, pretty colors! (Delet-er, saving!)

Fair weather clouds sail across the blue sky, propelled by light breezes from the west. It's warm in the sun, cool in the shade, and the air is clear and dry.

Traveling pokemon? Instead of continuing to stare at Soki, Peppy, whether submitting to Soki's words or simply because he wants to look at the puppies, turns his head to the side. He sighs softly, and when his mouth closes, it's degraded into a frown. <That will be their choice to make,> Peppy woofs at last, smiling ever-so-softly when Briska dodges a well-timed pounce from Karen and counters. Dusk, perhaps getting bored, whines softly and makes a few motions to join in the fight and make it a one-on-one-on-one. <Making your own decisions sometimes doesn't always end up with the best results, but I want them to decide what they do when they grow old enough.> He pauses for a second. His voice rises in pitch a bit, more on par with his normal speaking voice. <Though we won't stay in the barn forever. Do you... uh... know any good spots for a, uh, for a den? You know, around here? Do, uh, do you even build dens?> Peppy sniffs suspiciously at the Sandslash once or twice, perhaps trying to detect something.

Soki nods. <I wouldn't have it any other way,> he answers the statement about the pups making their own choices. Then there's another issue to answer to. <Dens. Dens. Actually, I myself don't fully know how to build a den. But that disease that went around that made everyone learn new stuff and forget or lose the ability to do some things gave me the ability to dig really fast, so perhaps there's something about building a den in there somewhere. If you need me to build something for you, I'd be happy to help.> That, in particular, is autonomous from anything else that Soki's been talking about today. He'd help whether or not there might be something in it for him.

The Sandslash is just filled with confusing things tonight. <Disease?> Peppy peers at Soki for a second, as though the word is foreign to him. Sure, he knows the meaning of the word. He just doesn't know what Soki means by it. <What dis... d... hmph.> Perhaps losing interest in what the ground-type is talking about, the Growlithe shakes his head, ruffling up the fur on his face. <Actually... actually, Aurora and I will be okay if we know where to dig. She and I made a really nice up there on this, uh, place near this big long thing with really fast things - I think Aurora said, uh, that her trainer said they're cars or something - and it was deep and kept the water out and really cozy, too!> Only Peppy. Only Peppy could get enthusiastic about going outside and working for days on digging a hole in the ground.

Soki sighs, though close to inaudibly. Intelligence is both a blessing and a curse at times. But, one must always be polite. <It was easy to miss, I suppose. Suffice to say I know how to dig. And if you two can manage by yourselves, then that's great as well. I think the area near the human city of "Celadon" would suit you... that seems to be a climate where Growlithes do well. I think. I'm not quite certain, but that should be a good spot to try first.> Soki hopes that Peppy knows what "Celadon" is, at least. Giving it another thought, the Sandslash decides to add, <It's sort've east of the big, stinky, human city in the middle of four roads.> That's about as descriptive as Soki gets in the vernacular.

Ding! <Celadon!> The only town Peppy can recall the name to; Cerulean is no longer a part of the thick pup's memory. <I... I... ... that's where the old den was. Aurora...> Peppy gestures to the female once again, maybe just in case Soki forgot who she was. <... She had noticed that the, uh, the car things... you know what they are?> Peppy lowers his head as he looks at Soki, as though he expects the Sandslash to reply. Unfortunately, the Growlithe won't give him enough time. <She thought they would be too... dangerous. For the puppies. What if one of them hits one of them? And we don't even think we could go back. We, um, we traveled here when Aurora was...> What's the word? Peppy furrows his eyebrows, peers up at his forehead for a moment, and eventually shakes his head. <When she was, um, big because the puppies were inside her.> Pregnant is such a difficult word, after all. <And we could do it then... but all... um... seven... seven?> Pause. He glances down at his paws, perhaps using his little stubby digits to count on in his mind. <Seven... all seven of us couldn't make it so far. Not when they're so small.>

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

The idea of allowing them to use the Orange Base crosses Soki's mind, but is immediately dismissed. The Team is still technically using, and... and Vertebra's going to have a child sometime, too. Scary thought, that. Soki thinks for a moment, then suggests, <Perhaps you could build a den farther away from the roads, then. Or... perhaps you could build a den *next* to ours!> There we go! Nothing says you can't have neighbors, eh? That does sound like an interesting solution, and Soki can't come up with a better one...

Neighbors? Well, Peppy doesn't twitch, gag, moan, groan, roll his eyes, sigh, mutter, gasp, or cry, so that may be a good indication that he's not violently opposed to Soki's suggestion. A warm smile comes onto the Growlithe's face, and he nods softly, though not with his usual overly ecstatic enthusiasm. <We think we want to... um, stay around here somewhere... for now, I mean. Once the puppies are old enough to... uh... you know, I mean, you know. Uh. Meet other Growlithes.> Peppy blushes faintly, and flickers his eyes to the side. <... Then we'll worry about being the only Growlithes here. But, you... uh... if you're a traveling... pokemon... will you keep a den?> The question is genuine; he's not trying to deter Soki away from his neighbor idea. Another plus sign.

Soki nods. <It's always nice to keep a base of operations where you can rest if need be. And I don't think our Base was built to house children, either. But, as for a den around here... well, what's wrong with the barn, then? It's free food and free lodging, and I don't think they're going to kick you out any time soon...> Apparently Soki's ignoring the mating plans of Peppy for his children. That *would* be the thing he decides not to hear, wouldn't it?

Anybody who knows Peppy knows that his memory is nothing impressive. It's barely even acceptably decent. Still, somehow, in the very far reaches of his mind, something about a base hits Peppy. That neuron fires off memories of something that causes the Growlithe's eyes to widen gradually. The pup stares at Soki for a few moments, possibly making the ground type uncomfortable in the process. He snaps back into reality with a blink after a moment. His eyes flicker left, then right, left again, then at Soki. <Oh... uh... sorry, just... uh... well, um, you see, we... um, Aurora and I, we don't think the puppies will stay in this barn for their whole life. They're... going to grow up in dens in the wild... and we want them to not be new to the idea of living outside. Do you understand what I mean? It was Aurora's idea.> Wag, wag, wag.

What's that smell? Candylion? Better save be-Ooo, pretty colors! (Delet-er, saving!)

Soki nods enthusiastically, not only adding emphasis to his agreement but also adding creative flair to a time-worn and fairly stale phsyical expression. <That makes perfect sense,> he concedes. <Well, I suppose you need to find a nice, clear spot away from human roads. That's as much as I can help you.> A yawn punctuates the last sentence. <Well, it's getting late. I've enjoyed talking to you, but now I think it's time to sleep. See you around!> With that, Soki waves a clawed paw amicably, and trots off to his straw nest to think about and ponder over the many wonders of the universe.

When Soki mentions sleep, Peppy blinks, hesitantly turns down to his chest, and blinks once more. ... Right. Sleep. Almost automatically, the pup's jaw opens wide, and he lifts his head high up to the air as if to howl at the moon. But he doesn't howl... he yawns. And it's a big yawn, too; by the time he's finished, Soki is halfway back to the straw. <Good night!> he woofs after the ground-type. <... And thanks for talking to me!> He freezes for a moment or two, and glances over at his children. Karen and Briska are just about tuckered out, and Dakota and Dusk... well, they're already fast asleep. "Grrrrr," Peppy growls to himself quietly, something of an "<Awww>". He stays watching them for a moment, before standing up and walk over the puppies, preparing to take them all one-by-one by the scruff of their necks back to their mother to get ready to go to sleep.