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

Jameka arrives from Commerce Road - Route 7: Trader Way.
Jameka has arrived.

What in the world is going on here?

Bah! Who in their right mind would be out in such horrible weather, anyway? Most humans have got the sense to be indoors, and most pokemon have taken shelter in some form or another. Why on earth would someone -want- to be out in a storm, with gusty winds and buckets of water? Nope, nope. A nice sheltered hole is where Jameka takes refuge, curled into a tight little ball and sleeping soundly. Sure, it may be a little damp, a little muddy. But who cares? No one's going to find her and she's save and relatively dry! What more could a Pikachu ask for?

Sometimes you just gotta let it all out! <I hate this weather!> Peppy howls suddenly, loudly, and forcefully up at the sky, coming to a complete stop as he does so. As surprising as this may sound, however, absolutely nothing appears to have been changed, and the pup just gives off a little depressed sigh. <Okay,> he whimpers under his breath, getting more and more wet by the moment. <That bush right there means I'm not far from the den.> A pause. <Or does it mean I need to turn around?> Another pause. <Wait, no! She's right... no... ... um.> Oh, great. It's late, it's raining, and Peppy's lost. Wonderful.

Okay, apparently a semi-dry place to sleep isn't all a Pikachu could ask for. This is made rather apparent to poor Jameka, as she's promply awakened from her pleasant slumber by a sound. A noise. A really loud, really annoying racket. <Uuuhm?> she mumbles sleepily, uncurling a bit. The electric mouse yawns cutely, twitches her ears, then sighs. <Darn. I'm awake now...> Her tiny frame slumps a little at this thought, before her excitable mind jumps to yet another one. <Oh well! Wonder what that was?> Curiousity getting the better of her common sense, the tiny Pikachu rises from her curled position and creeps toward the hole's enterance to investigate.

A Meowth kitten starts to chew on the database -- better save, quick! (Saving)

Oh my God! When Jameka peeps out of her hole, she'll see the terrible, horrible... ball of wet fur! Nooo! Indeed, Peppy doesn't really look like a Growlithe by this point. The tuft of hair on his forehead has become so clogged with water that it's dropping over his eyes and hindering his sense of vision, and his fur is so soggy and it almost looks like it could touch the ground. Peppy's a miserable sight tonight, and the fact that he's lost doesn't help much. He shakes himself off vigorously, perhaps hitting poor Jameka with a little of the muddy water, but it doesn't really seem to help much - the water dripping from the sky quickly replaces all that the shake knocked loose. "Grrrr... growlithe!" Peppy barks loudly at the gray clouds in the sky. Stupid rain!

The clouds darken further, rain drenching the landscape as evening approaches.

When Jameka first pokes her head out of the hole, surrounded buy shrubbery. It would seem whoever dug this hole first somehow managed it so the shub guarded the entrance. Not a bad idea, in itself. But it doesn't keep the poor Pikachu from getting... <Augh! Wet!> Jameka shrieks, instantly getting drenched by the water that drips down through the bush's leaves. <Eww, eww, eww! Make it stop! Make it stop!> Immediately the rodent's auto shaker goes on and she begins to shake madly, trying to throw the drops of water off her fur. Good luck. Even within the shelter of the bush, the rain's coming down by the bucketful. There's no way she can get herself dry out here. But she does succeed in making a rather impressive racket, trying to.

No matter how cold, wet, tired, hungry, blind, and lost Peppy may be, even he can't miss it when Jameka suddenly started shrieking loudly. Hey! He may be howling at the sky from the rain, but he's taking it like a man! Not running around and squealing! Howling out your frustration can be very masculine if done correctly. Now, his ears perking up (basically, the only real sign of life on the pup), Peppy directs his attention towards Jameka, curiously taking a step or two in her direction. <Hello?> he woofs loudly, trying to attract the other pokemon's attention. The voice... the smell... the hiding in the bushes... it all reminds Peppy of one pokemon! ... Now, if only he could remember who that one pokemon is...

Okay, hold it right there. Shrieking can be perfectly... uh. Masculine. Sorta. Or not. Either way, Jameka obviously doesn't really care at the moment. Instead she continues to shake herself vigorously and continue to squeal, <Eek! Eek! Wet! Get it off! Get it off! Eek!> Over. And over. And over. A deaf, retarded Slowpoke would get the message. Unfortunately, the Pikachu is so busy shrilling away, she doesn't manage to catch Peppy's call, loud as it might be. She just keeps screaming and shaking. Shaking the bush, in the process which equals... a screaming, shaking bush. How... odd.

The last light in the west begins to fail, heralding a stormy night.

One thing pops into Peppy's mind, one thing he is absolutely 100% certain about - the Pikachu is being attacked by a pack of Katerwauls! "Growlithe!" he barks suddenly, frantically, shifting back and forth as he nervously decides what to do. He's got to help! ... but... Katerwauls... But he can't just leave the Pikachu there along! ... But there are Katerwauls... but if he was being attacked, he'd want somebody to help him out, too! ... But... Katerwauls! In the end, Peppy just sort of squeezes his eyes shut, and howls a very loud, <Do you need any help?> He then cowers into the mud, absolutely positive that the Katerwauls will pop out of the bush and tear him to pieces now.

Poor Peppy. He's such a kind, loyal, nice puppy. And such a coward. Poor guy. Jameka, meanwhile, simply continues what she's been doing for a good several minutes: shriek. Duh. This time however, something changes. She must have (by some miracle) heard Peppy's howl over her own wailing, because a moment later she comes crashing out through the bushes. Still shrieking. <Aaugh! Wet! Wet! Get it offa me! Get it off! Help! Eek! Wet!>

A Meowth kitten starts to chew on the database -- better save, quick! (Saving)

Hey! Peppy isn't a coward! He... just... really doesn't like Katerwauls. At all. The moment Jameka pops into view, the pup jumps four feet into the air, takes a step back, and whimpers. She's... she's... And then he just sort of blinks, pulling himself into a more erect position, cocking his head. <She's not being attacked?> ... This is very strange. The canine approaches Jameka slowly, his eyes (well, his right eye - his left one's covered by his wet tuft) full of concern. <Of course it's wet,> he woofs quietly as he walks, as if he's not sure he should be telling Jameka this. <It's raining.>

Driving rain pours from clouds darkening from grey to black as daylight fades, propelled by a furious east wind.

Wailing wind blows rain through the darkness.

It... it's raining? Well, that would explain why she's soaking wet, wouldn't it? The Pikachu suddenly halts her frantic attempts to get hersely dry via shaking and blinks. <Oh,> she says finally, voice returning to its normal tone rahter than it's squealing one. <So... it's raining.> No, it's evaporating. Hello. <Hey,> the electric rodent's mind skips a beat again, popping on to yet another topic in the blink of an eye. <Hey, I know you!> She blinks at the (soaking) Growlithe in front of her. <You're... that... thing.> Yes. Obviously she's not completely awake yet. Or her brain cells have been deteriorating. Probably the former.

You can call Peppy lots of things. You can call him a Growlithe, you can call him a pokemon, you can call him a dog, a canine, a pup, a fuzzy little guy (just don't call him late for dinner!). 'Thing', however, is something Peppy's really not used to, and he sort of peers at Jameka, woofing, <Thing? I-> And then it happens. Due to the fact that his left eye is being covered, his sense of perception is virtually nonexistant. He steps right on a rock - and trips right over it. He goes crashing down into the mud (imagine it in slow-motion, it's funny) with a loud yelp - before getting a muzzleful of the disgusting wet dirt! He makes a great splash that will almost certain get poor Jameka covered in mud. Now Peppy's just downright suffering. ... <Ow,> he wails quietly, gurgling up filth.

Jameka gets peered at. She gets talked at. She gets stepped at. Then she gets splashed at. With mud. Oooh, bad. Very bad. <Eeeeeee!> the Pikachu wails shrilly, suddenly getting covered by wet dirt. <Ewewewewew! Get it oooffa meeeee! Ewwww! Ew! Ew! Ew! Wet! Ew! Mud! Ew! Eeeeew!> And not only is she chattering like crazy, her usually mousy, high-pitched voice is going up a few decibels as well. Geez, the rodent is hitting notes even dogs couldn't hear! Poor Peppy. As if him falling weren't bad enough... why not add a shrieking Pikachu to the mix? Again.

If there's any mysterious, never-before-seen glass pokemon in the area, it just broke into a thousand pieces. "Grrrowlithe!" Peppy barks suddenly and loudly, thrusting his paws up to his ears and covering them as he whimpers. Ow! Ow! Sometimes, being an animal with more sensitive hearing than humans is -not- a good thing. <Stop!> the pup wails piteously, trying to make himself louder than Jameka but failing miserably. <Quite! Ow, ow, ow!> Okay, it's all going downhill from here. Peppy's wet, he's hungry, he's sleepy, he's muddy, he's tired, his ears hurt, his stomach hurts, his brain hurts, he's lost, and worst of all, he's never going to find Aurora's den to get out of the rain! ... Bah.

Unfortunately for poor Peppy, Jameka keeps up her high-pitched wailing for a good several minutes before calming down again, as the rain suceeds in washing away the worst of the mud that covers her. Then her shrieks die down to little more than sniffling sobs. <I'm wet. I'm wet, I'm wet, I'm wet. I don't waaaaanna be wet!> She sits down solidly and hunches over, tail curling up at her side and ears pressing down against her back. Aww, she looks so sad! <I wanna... I wanna go home!> Sniffle. Sob. <I wanna be dry!> Hiccup. <I... I don't like this rain!> And the crying begins again. Fortunately, it's merely crying this time. Not shrieking. Yay?

Few minutes? To Peppy, who's having to sit through all this, it feels more like a few hours. Days. Weeks. Months. By the time Jameka quiets down, the pup's ears are visibly throbbing and he is whimpering in pain, trembling into the mud. Once Jameka finally stops talking for a moment, Peppy, with a little sob of his own, asks quietly, <... Are you... done yet?> Why couldn't he have more sensitive taste? Or sight? Why did it have to be hearing? <J... just... hide under a tree,> the pup suggests softly, <Or build yourself a den. I have a friend who built a den, and she... she... Did I tell you about her?> A pause. <Are you even who I think you are?> And then it strikes Peppy that he doesn't remember the Pikachu's name. ... Doh!

A Meowth kitten starts to chew on the database -- better save, quick! (Saving)

Yes, she's done. Sorta. <I. Don't. Wanna. Be. Weeeeeet!> So, she's not longer wailing, we've established that. But she's still crying hystarically. For the moment, at least. Peppy's suggestion about hiding under a tree or building a den seems to cause her poor little mind to skip once again. <Oh. Well.> The Pikachu pauses, suddenly nowhere near tears. Wow, can we say "mood swings"? In the blink of an eye, the rodent is in stuffy mode. <Hiding under a tree doesn't help!> she states matter-of-factly, turning up her little nose at the Growlithe.The fact that water's dripping off it, her ears the pretty much the rest of her rather ruins the effect. <Obviously! If hiding under a tree helped, I wouldn't be wet, would I? Hrumph!> Whatever else the puppy said goes completely ignored in her quest to prove herself correct. How cute.

Yeah... this is Jameka, all right. <Well,> Peppy says quietly, as though he's actually attempting to say something thoughtful. <It's not... really... as bad as snow.> Yes. He's soaking wet, freezing cold, and about to die of hypothermia, and he's looking on the bright side. <And remember? We were out in the snow a -lot-, and it was worse! To me, at least... Maybe not for you.> Why? Because she's special? Peppy doesn't elaborate. He contemplates something for a split second, but immediately dismisses it - there's barely enough room in the den for two Growlithes, let along two Growlithes and a Pikachu. <Maybe you have to find a bigger tree.> Wow. Bigger tree = more protection. Logic. Peppy seems to gain an IQ point or two when he's miserable.

Jameka is taken aback. <It's...> she blinks. <Not...> Blink. <As bad...> Blink. <As snow?!> This last bit is screeched at the Growlithe, the electric rodent's ears shooting straight up as she rises up on her hind legs, standing her full (and fairl unimpressive) height. <Not as bad as snow?!> she repeats, wide-eyed. <It's wet! It's wet and wet and wet!> Oo, descriptive. <And even a big tree won't keep you from getting wet!> Again, she presses her point strongly, trying to get the stupid Growlithe to see how right (and brilliant) she is. Doesn't he understand her logic? Doesn't he see how amazing she is for figuring this out? Dumb dog!

Heavy rain drenches you in the dark as it falls from grey-black clouds, driven by a howling east wind.

Hell hath no fury like a Jameka scorned. "Grrrowlithe!" Peppy woofs quickly and suddenly, dancing a few steps back and getting -away- from the Pikachu, lest she go psycho on him. <Quiet down,> Peppy growls under his breath, trying to slow his beating heart and rapid breaths, his tail wagging in agitated motions. <Look, I...> He glances through the darkness and rain now to try and find the largest tree in the area. This particular section of route 7 is more dedicated to housing bushes and shrugs, not trees, but there are still a few of the large plants in the area. Giving Jameka a quick glance, Peppy gestures with his dripping wet head to one not too far away, woofing a gentle, <It's not that bad.>

A Meowth kitten starts to chew on the database -- better save, quick! (Saving)

The Pikachu hrumphs again at the stupid dog, still not recognizing her brilliance. How insulting! She flicks an ear irriatably, sending droplets of water flying, then raises a non-existant eyebrow at Peppy. <Well,> she sniffs haughtily, small nose twitching, <Tell me this, Mr. Smarty-Pants! Where do /you/ manage to keep so dry, huh? I bed not under some dumb ol' tree!> She sniffs again, flicking her ears back. <As for me, I have a hole! So there!> That's right, Jammie. Make him all jealous (envious?) of your hole!

Peppy just sort of rolls his eyes, shakes his head, and starts to trot towards the tree, every few seconds looking behind his shoulder to give Jameka a quick glance. Is she going to follow him? <We need to find someplace more dry to talk, because it's really, really wet out there!> Brilliant deducations, Watson! Actually, Peppy's just sort of half wondering if he should tell Jameka about the den, lest she be one of the many to go off about him and Aurora being mates. Maybe if he stays really -vague-...

<Hey!> Jameka's haughty-show is shattered by an eyerolling dog. <Hey! Don't turn your back on me, you... you...!> the poor Pikachu stammers out, ears flattening against her head. She hesitates briefly, then bounds after the Growlithe, yammering away. <You can't walk away from me like that! Don't you have any manners! You're so stupid! We're not going to be any dryer under that stupid tree! Hello? Are you even listening to me?!> Likely, Peppy isn't. Even if he was, her words are so fast that even a hyperactive Rattata probably couldn't catch them. Oh well.

A Meowth kitten starts to chew on the database -- better save, quick! (Saving)

You what? You dumb dog? Mangy mutt? Crummy canine? Uh, putrid pup? ... Grouchy Growlithe? Whatever the case, Peppy thankfully is -not- listening to Jameka - though I'll bet he wishes he could ignore her this well when she was shrieking her lungs out. His entire point for walking to the tree, however, is fulfilled. Finally getting under the sanctuary of the trees, Peppy shakes and shakes and shakes, sending muddy water flying all over the area - but thankful, he might get decently dry this time.

Heavy rain drenches you in the dark as it falls from grey-black clouds, driven by a howling east wind.

Okay, bad idea. Wet Growlithe shaking near water-irked, pissed Pikachu. Not a good combo. <Aaaaaiieeeee!> Jameka wails again, getting splattered by the mud shaken off of Peppy. Uh oh. Here we go again... <Eeee! Wet! Wet! I'm wet again! Stupid dog! I'm wet! Wet! Wet! Wet! Help! Eek! Wet!> the Pikachu begins to shriek at the top of her lungs again. Fortunately, though, she seems to be losing her voice... every couple of cries the rodent's voice cracks, sinking then rising again in a very comical manner. Peppy goes completely ignored once more.

Jameka starts that screaming again - and Peppy just really is not in the mood to tolerate it right now. <Enough!> the pup woofs, hopefully loud enough to hush her up. <Why don't you build yourself a den or something? That'll keep the water out really, really nicely.> Do Pikachus even build dens? Growlithes seem like they could be built for digging, but how would a Pikachu go about it? They don't exactly look like burrowers. <I wish I was back at mine.> Pause. <Ours.> Another pause. <Hers, I guess. I still don't know whose it is.> What is he talking about?

Indeed, Jameka is hushed up. Briefly. By pure insult. That... that dripping wet /thing/ dared to shut her up?! The horror! <But... I'm... weeeeet!> the Pikachu begins again, after little more than a brief pause. <I'm wet, and hungry and tired and--> Ours? The rodent's ears prick up and she blinks big brown eyes at Peppy. <Ours? Ours... den? Hers?> she questions rather incoherantly, blinking. For some reason all this rings a bell... she just can't figure out which one. Her little mousy mind has too many.

Peppy clenches his sharp teeth together, as if biting back the urge to simply snap at the Pikachu, '<I know you're wet!>'. Thankfully, our Peppy is a -nice- Peppy, and he doesn't say something like that - and it helps that getting zapped would hurt a -lot- more while he's wet. <... Yeah,> the puppy woofs softly with a little nod, as though he's not quite sure of how to reply to the electric mouse. <I don't know, I wonder if she's lonely right now. Maybe I should go back to her, because she might need something.> A little grin dots the pup's face, and he arfs a quiet little, <But she's probably just sleeping. She likes to sleep even more than me.> Aww.

Jameka continues to stare blankly at the Growlithe for a few minutes, jaw hanging open as she peers at him. Then, slowly, she seems to regain consciousness again and closes her mouth, straightens, then... grins. <Her, huh?> the Pikachu asks, a smirk spreading across her face for some reason. Then the smirk fades and the electric roden springs to all fours, suddenly ignoring the rain and the fact that she's wet. <Well! If she's gonna be lonely, this friend of yours, we might as well go give her some company, right?> Uh, 'we'? Since when? <And that's okay if she's sleeping! We'll... we'll just wait till she wakes up!> There's that 'we' again... poor Peppy.

Peppy just kind of glances at Jameka, before starting to feel very uncomfortable at the way she's just peering at him. Finally, she speaks again, dispelling some of the pup's nervousness - even if that smirk is a little deeper than just 'friendly'. <Yeah,> the dog considers after a moment, giving a quick little nod. <Yeah, I sh...> Pause. <We?> Uh oh. We = you + me, or Jameka + Peppy. Jameka = loud noise. Jameka + Peppy = major pain. Therefore, we = damaged eardrums. Damaged eardrums = bad. We = bad. "Growwww..." the pup woofs, a kind of '<Oh>' that sounds less than pleased. <Maybe I should go alone. There isn't much room in the den, and, um, I don't really know where it is... We could be lost in the rain for a really long time.> ... Wow. ... Suddenly, Peppy himself finds him not wanting to go.

A Meowth kitten starts to chew on the database -- better save, quick! (Saving)

Evil perhaps she is. The Growlithe's sudden discomfort about the whole situation seems to make the runty little Pikachu even more amused, and she grins sweetly at Peppy, ears flicking. <Oooh, that's no problem! I'll just stay outside the den, then! I don't mind, really!> she replies cheerfully. The little rodent pauses at the canine's other, actually decent, point. <Hm. But gettin' lost isn't good...> This problem is turned over in her young mind briefly before she comes to a conclusion and nods. <Okay! So we'll just stay here for the night and go visit your friend tomorrow!> Ha ha! Problem solved.

Problem not quite so solved. <But what if she's hungry or something?> he asks quietly, peering out into the storm with a somewhat worried flick of the tail. A little water dribbles through the leaves, splashing on the pup's head and causing him to woof a quick little annoyed, <Ow!> It didn't really *hurt* - it just caught him by surprise. <Or lonely or something. Like I am...> There's a little pause, a skipped heart beat, and a rather quick - <Or would be if you weren't here, I mean. I'm not lonely anymore.> Subtlety, thy name is not Peppy.

Problem solved if Jameka says it is. So there. <She's a big girl!> the Pikachu replies easily, obviously not caring if this is true or not. <She can take care of herself! And as for being lonely... she'll be okay! We'll visit her right away tomorrow!> Again, that 'we' syndrome. Hm. Peppy receives a blink at his comment about being lonely, although Jameka seems far from angry or offended. Instead she seems to almost laugh. <Lonely? I'm lonely all the time! I miss my family.> the electric rodent announces. <But I'll find them someday. Then I won't be lonely anymore!>

Peppy simply gives off a quick, sudden yawn here, as if he's just now realizing how tired he is. It's nice to be... well, not dry, as water still leaks in through the treetops, but... uh, not quite so wet. The pup just gives a little sigh at Jameka's inability to accept 'I' instead of 'we', but... hey, he'll figure something out in the morning, right? Procrastination is usually the best method when it comes to things like this. ... Yeah. <Oh,> the pup woofs softly as he begins to descend to the ground, now giving Jameka a quick glance. <Hope you find 'em someday.>

If the Growlithe could care less about her 'finding her long-lost family and living happily ever after' banter, Jameka doesn't mind. Or at least she doesn't show it. <Oh, don't worry!> she pipes cheerfully. <I'll find them! I know it!> Well, isn't she the little optimist? And... well, as for sleep, the Pikachu's nowhere near it. Hey, Pikachu can be nocturnal, can't they? They're mice, after all! She /had/ been asleep, of course. And probably could have made it through the night. But now she's awake. So. <Well, anyway,> the rodent says to Peppy, glancing at him as he settles in. <I'm gonna go... uh... do stuff! See you in the morning!> And with that she whirls about to scamper off into the rain again. Hey, I thought she didn't like rain? ...aw, heck.

Now would be the perfect time to make a break for it! Run off! Not have to put up with that Pikachu and her 400 decibels of noise! Run, Peppy, run! ... No, don't put your head down! Ack! Stop! Wait, don't close your eyes! Augh, stop sleeping! ... Yep. Before you know it, Peppy's got his head down, using the mud as a pillow as he snoozes away, probably dreaming about burgers or something else he likes. Like sleep. Or more burgers. He'll be asleep until morning - no matter how hard the rain may come down.