Obvious exits:
West <W> leads to Plains - Route 11: Wheat and Rice.
East <E> leads to Field and Streams - Route 11: Farmlands.

Valentino arrives from Plains - Route 11: Wheat and Rice.
Valentino has arrived.

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.

Spring rolls along nicely. The weather is as beautiful as its ever been, and gentle heat combines with soft winds to create a wonderful atmosphere. The fruits and vegetables, planted weeks ago in honor of the early Spring, are growing along nicely, but nothing has bloomed or sprouted yet; those herboviorous pokemon in dire need of berries and apples will need to satify themselves with grass for the time being. Thankfully enough, some pokemon make do just fine without lemons and limes, and one of them marches down the route now. His head held high, his pace brisk and careless, Peppy the Growlithe enjoys the fresh Spring day - the first one he's seen in almost a week, thanks to a few injuries. His side still fires up every so often, but it's easy enough to ignore; after all, it's a small price to pay to enjoy a day like this.

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.

It is indeed a beautiful day on all accounts. A perfect blue sky and light breezes, warmth giving all of the living creatures who roam the lands a big sunny hug. From the west there appears a tall figure, decked out in a black leather jacket and matching pants and boots, topped off by a button-up club shirt that shimmers with dark blue sparkles when the sunshine hits it just right. The lanky dark-haired man's eyes are protected from the sun by a pair of sleek black sunglasses, although considering his concentration seems to be on the ground by his feet they seem like a waste of money. The man has his hands stuck deep in his pockets as she walks slowly along, look of almost no expression on his pale features. In complete contrast to Valentino is the happy little brown fuzzball that runs beside him, giggling happily as he strays from his path to chase the occasional butterfly. If the Eevee ever strays too far, the Rocket stops in his tracks and stares at him until he comes galloping back, tail between his legs.

And Peppy continues on his ignorant little trail, unaware that he's rapidly approaching a mean ol' Rocket. Though technically he's out hunting, he doesn't seem to be doing a very good job. He's looking up at the trees, down at the blooming flowers, over as far as the eye can stretch... he's having a grand old time. Presently, the Growlithe comes to a stop (when within range of sight of Valentino, no less - supposing the Rocket will look up), and stares at the ground for a second. His nose twitches. His fear flickers. His head rears back slightly, and he sniffs, sniffs, sniffs... does he catch the trace or something? Does he have the scent of some prey? A moment later, the Growlithe thrusts his head forward - and sneezes! "Lii..." he mumbles to himself, shaking his head vigorously and sniffling. What, does the dumb pup have hay fever?

Valentino does not notice Peppy. The Eevee, on the other hand, gives a happy little squeal the moment the canine appears and is off like a shot. This gets Valentino's attention in a jiffy, causing him to raise his head so fast that the sunglasses go sliding down his nose. "Alexander Come back here now!" he snarls, only a second later noticing what has the little ball of fuzz in such a tizzy. If he was peeved before, now he's just annoyed. "Alexander! Don't go near that! You don't know where it's been!" he cringes a little as he speeds up his pace to try and catch up with the Eevee "Ech. I'll bet it's rolled in all kinds of filth..." Alexander is a bit too excited over the prospect of a new playmate, and only stops when he's near enough to the Growlithe to hold a conversation. <Hi doggie!> he calls out with a huge smile, tail wagging like mad behind him <Whatcha doin'?> Obviously, this kid has next to no wildlife survival skills. The fact he could be a main course in the eyes of the Growlithe never occurs to him. Valentino gets a cocky grin as he gets close enough to bend down and scoop up the Eevee... only to have Alexander move at the last moment and cause him to take a little stumble.

A port in a storm, a home away from home. We're (saved)!

Sniff, sniff, sniff. <Whew, what a sn- ... ?> Peppy's jaw falls slack as his eyes lock onto a fuzzy cannonball, hurtling itself right towards him! The Growlithe can only stare wide-eyed for a moment as his brain registers what his eyes are telling him, before yelping out a "Growli!!" of fright and scampering backwards a step or two, unsure of what else to do. His entire body tenses up, bracing for impact. The hyper little Eevee comes to a stop right in front of the Growlithe, however, and the frozen pup can only stare as Alexander warmly greets him. <... Uh,> is Peppy's intelligent reply. It's quickly followed by more confused, bewildered, overwhelmed "Grooo"s and "Lit?"s as Valentino picks up his pokemon - or, at least, tries to. <... Um, hi,> Peppy mumbles with an uneasy grin.

Alexander tilts his head to the side and does yet more tail wagging. It seems like the little guy is powered sheerly by his love of being alive, again in great contrast to his 'trainer'. Valentino uses one hand to push his sunglasses back up his nose while the other makes a quick grab for the Eevee, this time managing to scoop up the bundle of energy before he gets away again. "That was a very naughty thing to to, Alexander. You know better than that." he scolds the fuzzball sternly, only now peering at the Growlithe through his shades. Having owned a Growlithe for quite sometime in the past, and having recently acquired another one, he's well aware of what the canine is saying. <Aw, I'm sorry Mommy.> Alexander hangs his head in shame, although he doesn't let his cheerful attitude stay dampened for very long. Soon his head is up again, and that tail is wagging like crazy as he fires another question at the fire pup <You're not like nice lady's doggie! He's see-through, and he doesn't say much!> While it can't be seen through his shades, taking into account the way Valentino is tilting his head, one can assume he's rolling his eyes "That's a Scarewulf. This is... a..." He pauses. Yes, he owns one. Yes, the creature is stating parts of his name while speaking. That doesn't mean he remembers it. It's a pokemon, not a designer vest or something worthy of remembering. Eventually he gives up and just scrunches up his nose at Peppy "Well, nevermind what it is. I'm sure it's filthy, and I don't need you catching anything from it."

Though Peppy can't exactly see through Valentino's sunglasses, the Rocket's body language and the tilt of his head give him away. He glances up at the Rocket, grins a little, and turns his head to the side when Valentino continues to look at him. Every few moments, he glances up at Valentino to see if he's still being peered at and, if so, directs his attention back to the side. Alexander's words cause Peppy's ears to perk, and the Growlithe slowly turns his head to glance at the Eevee, his eyes narrow slightly. Valentino's follow up only further asserts Peppy's assumptions. <A Scarewulf?> Peppy repeats, visibly a little shaken at the though. He seems to be ignoring Valentino's condescendance, his attention now fixed on Alexander. The Growlithe plops down on his haunches, which make it easier for him to peer all the way up at the Eevee. <Like, like, you mean, like they're kind of dark and sometimes you can't see them? And they have *really* *really* sharp teeth and they can pounce or bite you or just attack you? And they go, they go, they go,> And with that, Peppy thrusts his head up to the sky and howls, "Grooooooooooowlithe!" Filthy and primitive. Sounds like Valentino's worst nightmare.

The canine's sudden howl causes Valentino to back up a few steps. Not out of fear of being attacked, mind you. Rather fear that the furry savage might jump up on him and get dirt on his new pants. Alexander just nods and nods until Peppy gets to the part about Scarewulf attacking. He tilts his head to the side again, looking really confused <No! Nice doggie would never attack me! He's my friend!> Valentino narrows his eyes at the Eevee "You consider that mutt your friend? Please dear, you could do so much better. That -girl- and her pokemon aren't the type I'd want to hang around with." Apparently the fact that he's spent plenty of time hanging around and pestering Lee ('that girl' whose name isn't important enough to remember) for no reason doesn't register with him right now. <Besides,> Alexander giggles <I don't think he goes 'Groooowlithe!'.>

Nothing like a good howl to brighten any Growlithe's spirits. After he's finished echoing his voice to the sky, he brings his head down to peer at Alexander, grinning slightly. His bushy white tail wags back and forth at a rapid pace, which quickly slows when the Eevee calls the Scarewulf... nice. <Nice?> Peppy repeats, canting his head slightly. His green eyes, sparkling in the sunlight, switch back and forth from human to pokemon as they speak, though the Growlithe has no idea who or what the Rocket is talking about. <The only Scarewulves I've talked to are -mean-,> he woofs indignantly, a frown creasing his furry face. <They pounce you and growl at you and then when their trainers make fun of you they step in so you can't even get close to them. They're almost as bad as Katerwauls.> What in the world is this dog talking about? Is it even something to waste concern over?

"Honestly, Alexander." Valentino speaks when he notices the Eevee's face becoming a wee bit upset "Are you going to accept without question the words of some uneducated savage?" Again his nose curls up again and he regards Peppy coldly. Alexander looks first at his trainer, and then back at the Growlithe. <What's a savage? What's uneducated?> he whispers in confusion <... and this Sc-Scare... nice lady's see-through doggie has never done those things to me!> The little fuzzball's voice trembles slightly at the very notion of Inuki doing those things. It's not possible! <He wags his tail and says hello, just like you!>

Though Alexander did whisper his question to Valentino, Peppy's keen ears do pick it up - and, oddly, his own question coincides with the Eevee. What is a savage? Is it a good thing? His tail wags. Does "uneducated" mean good, "savage" mean dog? The Eevee's distressed response breaks Peppy's concentration, and the Growlithe slowly shifts his sights to the brown ball of fuzz for a moment. <... Well,> the Growlithe replies after a moment, peering thoughtfully up at his forehead. <Maybe it's because you're not a Growlithe,> he suggests, <Or because you have a trainer.> He uses his head to gesture at Valentino, apparently just in case the Eevee wasn't intelligent enough to make that step of logic himself.

A port in a storm, a home away from home. We're (saved)!

There's a pause, and then a giggle from the aforementioned fuzzball. His worry is once again drowned out by his seemingly boundless optimism. <Oh, that's Mommy! Not a trainer! Silly!> he grins broadly and nuzzles against Valentino in an affectionate manner. The Rocket becomes nervous and looks away from the Eevee, pretending to be interested in a random cloud that's passing by overhead. He's accepted the fact that the not-so-bright Alexander will always call him 'Mommy', however the whole adoration thing still makes him uncomfortable. So, he decides to battle all that icky parental love stuff with more of being a jerk. He turns to look at Peppy again, small frown forming at the edge of his lips "You're rather slow, aren't you dog? What in the world would his species or having a trainer have to do with whether or not the Scarewulf was nice to him? Bah. Look at me, trying to reason with a wild beast."

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.

Peppy just kind of blinks at the Eevee for a second. His head cocks even further, and it's almost totally perpendicular to his body as he stares at the fuzzball. Speaking in a slow, curious voice, Peppy replies (and if there's one thing he knows from being a father, it's this:), <... Doesn't your mother have to be the same species at you?> The Growlithe now glances up at the human, and sniffs the air a couple times, lifting his head up high to do so. A soft smile grows onto his face. <... And female, at that?> This small, warm smile is immediately wiped off the pup's face when 'mommy' speaks to him, and, erecting his stance, he glares at Valentino with all the seriousness his fluffy face can muster. <I don't pretend to know why Scarewulves do that,> he informs the man, none too pleased with the Rocket's spectacle. <I only know that they do.>

<Species?> the Eevee blinks his huge black button eyes <Female?> Ah, apparently Alexander isn't getting any awards for his intellect anytime soon. He doesn't seem to take notice of Valentino's sour mood or Peppy's response to it. There's no room for negativity in his sunny little world! Valentino, on the other hand, looks positively shocked that this 'wild animal' is talking back to him. Even making a grain of sense! He's not about to acknowledge this, of course. "My, you have a sharp tongue for a ball of fur and drool." he mutters quietly, moving one foot to try and walk around the canine before Alexander starts speaking again and causes him to stop. <Wait! I still don't know what you're doing! I want to know!> he looks down eagerly at Peppy <I saw you sniffing! Are you looking for flowers to smell? The pink flowers smell the best!> He puffs his little cream-colored mane out proudly at knowing that very important fact! It's Valentino's turn to cock his head to one side "What in the world are you going on about, Alexander? I have more important things to do than stand out here in the middle of nowhere holding a conversation with--". <What kind of flowers do -you- think smell the best, Mommy?> the fuzzball turns to beam up at Valentino, managing to ruin his whole tirade. "What? Erm... roses... roses, I guess." he mumbles in a flabbergasted tone, the wind totally taken from his sails.

Valentino's reply excites a little growl out of Peppy - not a particularly ferocious once, neither the Rocket nor the pokemon should feel a sense of impending doom creeping out of Peppy's throat. The Growlithe is, however, bothered, and his teeth clamp tightly together. Chances are he and Valentino would further provoke each other into something more serious had Alexander not butted in with his utter naivety, which causes Peppy's jaw to slacken as he peers at the Eevee, not for the first time this evening. <N-No, I was... sniffing... him. Er, mommy. Her. You know, that guy!> And with a quick jab with the head, he points sharply at Valentino, looking at Alexander with a face that reeks of 'If you don't get this, you really are hopeless'. This is coming from a hopeless pokemon himself.

<Ooooh!> Alexander smiles, although who knows if he really gets it or not. The growl from the canine, ferocious or not, is given a small snarl by Valentino. How dare the Growlithe be angry at his obvious insults! He's not supposed to be smart enough to even identify them as insults! The Rocket again makes a move to try and step around Peppy and continue on his arrogant way to whatever final destination he had intended. Alexander keeps his eyes on the Growlithe, not seeming to want to leave the company of this new friend. <Aw, can't we stay a little longer?> he begs Valentino <I want to play with him!> At the very mention of allowing his newly groomed and bathed pokemon playing with the assumed filthy Peppy, Valentino shudders somewhat "Absolutely not. It's out of the question! Wild beasts can't be trusted to play with. One wrong move, and he'd tear you to shreds." Alexander examines the Growlithe with a squint, his tail still wagging behind him <I don't think he would! Pleaaaaase? Pretty please?> The Rocket stops and looks between the Eevee and the Growlithe worriedly.

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

Any animosity Peppy held towards the Rocket is rapidly regrading into confusion, pure and simple. <Tear... shreds?> Even if Peppy is an ignorant little guy, even if Valentino is getting on his bad side, the Growlithe still realizes that he's too docile to kill something that isn't a yucky Rattata. <I... wouldn't, really,> the pup woofs in defense, peering up at Valentino with a little uncertainty. And perhaps the Growlithe is starting to get intimidated by the Rocket, unable to stand up his defenses for long, or perhaps Peppy just needs to get going, or perhaps the thought of playing reminds him of his kids. Whatever the case, Peppy, his voice quiet and submissive, woofs, <I... don't think I could play anyway, though. I should get going.> But he doesn't budge an inch.

"See, Alexander? The icky little doggie doesn't want to play. Let's get going." Valentino gives a relieved grin, pace quickening as he finally manages to pass by Peppy without being interrupted by the hyper little Eevee in his arms. Alexander wriggles about, managing to give himself enough of a push to peek over his trainer's shoulder at the Growlithe once they've past him by. <It was nice to meet you! We'll play someday! Okay?> he casts a joyful little smile at the fire dog, his still wagging tail becoming visible every now and again. As they head off, the pretty boy mumbles a 'Over my dead body...' to the Eevee's sentiment, obviously hoping he doesn't run into anymore of these things on the way to the next town.

Peppy doesn't step aside for to allow Valentino access, of course. That would be too convenient. Instead, he only peers up at the human intently as he walks by, peering back over his shoulder as he is passsed. <Um, all right!> Peppy calls back to the other fuzzy pokemon. He slowly turns his head back to the front, and sits there for a few moments, blinking a couple times, staring at nothing in particular. A minute or two later, he shakes his head vigorously, takes one last glance back at the retreating duo, and ascends to all four paws. <... Weird,> he mumbles to himself before he continues down the path, perhaps this time actually putting some time and effort into finding a pokemon and not just enjoying the weather.