Running on Empty [mod]

[Krystal]

After her chat with River, Kat had decided to let Vulpix out of her pokeball on the condition that she wouldn't run around and cause trouble. It was lucky that she did, or she would have never have found the egg.

It had been lying next to a dead pokemon, a large blue and black sort that Kat had never seen before. Even from this distance, Kat could tell it was dead from the smell. Had it been abandoned, perhaps? Who would do such a thing? Without thinking, she had scooped up the egg, wrapping it in a blanket she had in her pack, and started running with it, heading in the direction of the pokemon center.

The egg had hatched en route to the center; she should have realized it was close to hatching, but all she was thinking about was getting the egg to a safe place. The baby pokemon had already impressed on her, but the staff at the center were kind enough to identify and sex it for her. She had also taken the opportunity to report the dead pokemon to the Ranger Union.

So that was how she ended up walking the streets of Featherwing with a Riolu in her arms and Vulpix by her side. Riolu was still wrapped in the blanket she had used to wrap her egg. She didn't want to risk leaving her vulnerable to infection if she could help it.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting this," she remarked to Vulpix, becoming a surrogate mother to a baby pokemon wasn't high on the list of experiences she wanted to have on her adventure, yet now it seemed as if she was stuck in that role.
"You'll help me take care of her, won't you?" She asked, grinning when Vulpix yipped in reply. "Good, just remember to be gentle with her." She knew from recent experience that her Vulpix could be rather boisterous.

[| odysseus]

I'What a morning! In exactly three hours, the sluggish fire type Pokémon had managed to get from underneath a tree she’d hidden under in order to evade yesterday’s rain. It wasn’t very effective to say the least—being a tree’s leaves weren’t very good at deflecting droplets—but she was still alive. However the rain had dramatically cooled parts of her magma body, causing it to harden in place. Unfortunately, this made moving even more difficult for her than usual. As if her species wasn’t slow enough without complications! Hopefully now that she was out of the shade and back into the sun’s rays her body would warm up and get back to its usual…unhurried self.

In that moment the Slugma began to wonder whether being slow was…bad. She was clearly not the quickest Pokémon in town, as she paused to ponder this subject. Her non-Slugma friends could get from point A to B without having to plan where they’d rest and what they’d look at along the way ahead of time. They’d just get there. A sloppy frown appearing in her droopy flesh, she began to experience self-pity. Perhaps she could find one of those four-wheeled machines that some young humans traveled on! What were they called? Skateboards! That’s it; she could find herself an abandoned skateboard and go up and down the city just as quickly as her friends. If he dangerously hot body didn’t melt it. Caught up in her imagination, the Slugma failed to notice a human and her Vulpix approaching her.

A wild Slugma has appeared!

Female.
Level: Five.
Yawn | Smog | Ember

[Krystal]

Kat held up a hand to shield her eyes from the hot sun. At Wetherseed Town, the trees provided shade and protection from the sun's rays, but out here she felt exposed. How do city dwellers stand it? She wondered. Had she packed a hat in her bag? She thought she had. Maybe I should stop and get it out...

Vulpix gave a sharp yip and she froze, realizing that she had almost come close to colliding with...what was that? She took a closer look. A slug? The pokemon looked like it belonged in a volcano rather than a city. Its body was reminiscent of lava, now that she actually thought about it.

It also didn't seem to be in any sort of hurry.

Vulpix started forward to investigate, but Kat held her back. "No, Vulpix, let it go by." She knew from experience that even the most unassuming pokemon could cause serious injuries if provoked. The last thing she wanted was for Vulpix to hurt herself while attempting to satisfy her insatiable curiosity.

ooc: Ugh, short post, sorry...

[TSAVO]

The Slugma looked up at the girl and her two pokemon. But she did not seem to pay much mind to it. Slightly distraught by this idea, she continued to move sluggishly by, until she noticed the Vulpix moving a bit closer to investigate. Perking up at the idea, the girl called the pokemon back. The Slugma sighed to herself before using a small ember attack just before the Vulpix, hoping that this was not some sort of a trick or anything like that. She would have liked a battle, or to at least play or something. Try and move around a bit more, help her body go properly back to the way it should be, after having some of it harden up.

Although, she worried that perhaps this girl did not want to battle. And after making sure she did not actually hit the Vulpix with its attack, the Slugma moved in the direction of it. Stopping a few feet off and tilting its magma head. "Slug? Slugma?" She tilted her head again, wondering if they did not like her... not that that was something she really believed. She was not common in these areas, in fact, the only reasons she was even here was thanks to a swarm. In which case, trainers should have been pleased to see her, and she knew that. Now focusing on the Riolu, she perked her head up some more and slowly scooted a bit further forward.

"Ma!" She smiled happily toward them, not sure if they would be nice to her. Many humans were not nice to the pokemon around them. Nor were many of the pokemon she had run into throughout her days. Even other Slugma could be vicious to her. All she wanted right now, hwoever was to be able to move about a bit faster and to feel as if she had not hardened over. She did not bother to stop moving, even in her spot before them. Instead, she continued to move from side to side, almost pacing, and in small circles, hoping the sun's heat would help warm her as well. She was not in anyway vicious, nor was she a push over. Somewhere in between instead, wanting to see what these creatures were doing, watching them curiously as she moved about.

Slugma playfully shot an Ember attack toward Vulpix.

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[Krystal]

Kat watched the pokemon curiously. She had expected it to pass her, but it seemed more interested in interacting with her instead. More specifically, it seemed more interested in interacting with her Vulpix.

"Vulpix, look out!" She cried as the Ember attack came towards her, jumping back as the fox pokemon nimbly dodged it, her hand coming up to shield Riolu, who was now pressed to her chest as if stuck there, eyes wide as dinner plates.

"Hey, what are you do--" she paused, mid-rant, to stare at the creature. It wasn't acting aggressively. In fact, it was...smiling? It didn't look like it wanted to battle, so was it possible that it wanted to...play? In the back of her mind, she chided herself for imagining that it was impossible for wild pokemon to be friendly, trained pokemon had to come from somewhere, after all.

It came towards them, and she took a step back. "Hey, listen! You can't just...go around throwing attacks at...things!" She exclaimed. "Do you understand? You could have hurt someone!" She didn't know if it understood, but this ranting was making her feel better. Wild pokemon or no wild pokemon, she couldn't believe anyone would do something that irresponsible.

Vulpix dodged the attack!

[TSAVO]

The Slugma was wondering why the girl had worried about the attack so badly. It was not as if it would have even hurt the Vulpix much. Plus, she had not even tried to attack it. She just wanted to get some movement going with her body, to get some ex cerise and do something. She did not want to freeze over, oh how terrible that would be! She slid about, still moving from side to side and back and forth, swaying as she listened to the human yell at her. She still did the best she could to smile at them, although the smile was now fading. Well this was not helping her at all. Nor was it entertaining.

A human rode by on some roller skates and turning from the human and pokemon, she watched him. Oh how she would love easy mobility like that. Mostly because moving so slow just plain sucked. No longer listening to the girl as she went on about hurting someone (or something along those lines) she whined. "Sluugg" With a sigh as the person disappeared from her vision she looked back toward the person and pokemon, wondering if they were done chewing her out to do something fun yet. Her head tilted and she continued to keep her magma body moving around, her smile returning a bit.

"Playy?" She said looking between the Riolu and Vulpix, although the human would not have understood her at all. "Or battle?" She tilted her head the other way, her small smile returning. Moving another foot toward them, she used another small ember, this time smaller than the first and trying to do better at missing them completely, not wanting to hear the human go on about how she was irresponsible again. However, as she did this, another human rode by, this time on a bike, and once more, she went into her imagination, wishing she could have that skateboard about now. Especially if she was going to be playing!

Slugma blew some Embers at the ground.

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[Krystal]

Kat watched as the pokemon watched a boy go by on roller skates and she could have sworn that the expression on its face was one of longing.

It wants...roller skates? It even sounded absurd in her head. No, don't be silly. What would a pokemon want roller skates f--

She continued to stare as the pokemon turned its attention to Vulpix and Riolu, watching as Vulpix's ears pricked up and Riolu leaned forward in her arms, listening intently. A few moments passed, at the most, and then Vulpix bounded forward, yipping excitedly and running circles around the pokemon.

When Riolu started to squirm, it was as if a light had turned on inside Kat's head.

"Oh, you want to...play?" She asked, watching Vulpix turn mid-dash and run towards her, yipping excitedly up at Riolu, tails wagging.

"Well, I guess...I guess a little exercise wouldn't hurt..." She conceded, bending to set Riolu down. "But be nice to Riolu; she just hatched." She watched anxiously as the youngster toddled towards the pokemon. Her task accomplished, Vulpix went back to running around the slug-like creature, Riolu following in the fox pokemon's wake.

"It's times like these that make me wish they had a pokemon-to-human dictionary," she muttered as she sat down on a nearby bench where she could watch the three pokemon play. It could have been worse, I guess. It might have just attacked us.

Vulpix is running in circles around Slugma!


Riolu is chasing after Vulpix.

[TSAVO]

The Slugma watched curiously as the girl stared at her, but figured it was just another weird human thing. Those creatures could be so odd! And they thought pokemon were the strange ones half the time, too! However, she waited to see if the Vulpix would accept either offer, play time or a battle. Or perhaps she wanted play time to lead to a battle? The Slugma was pleased to be doing something and moving about either way. She gigled as the Riolu leaped down, following the Vulpix as it ran circles around the Slugma, who ran in slower, inner circles.

She laughed and smiled at them, occasionally stopping to catch her breath. <Ooh, friends!> She squealed. She was jealous of the Vulpix. It was so much prettier than her, and also a fire type. No doubt she would become stronger. Not to mention, she could move so much faster! She looked around longingly, wishing that she had at least had legs... or if anything weighed less than she did. If that were the case then she would be able to at least hitch a ride on something else! But many of the pokemon she saw around these parts were no were near strong enough to lift her. That or she weighed way too much more than she did.

Looking over the Riolu, she was also jealous of this one. It was more humanoid. It could walk on two legs and use its arms to grab things and such. She looked down at her frame, wondering why Slugma not only had to move so slowly, but could not even have legs! The magma seemed to be moving faster now and she hoped that those harder spots would not fall off and make her a smaller size. Although it could be a good thing, if it meant she could be carried around quicker. She smiled at the pokemon and again used a small ember attack, this time not really meaning to, but out of excitement instead. Looking back to the trainer, she smiled again with a "Slugma!" pleased to be making friends. Still, she was surprised that this trainer was so willing to just let her pokemon run about. It seemed as if almost all of them only wanted to battle... Not that she disliked battling, in fact she would not mind doing that right now. It was just nicer to make friends through playing.

Slugma blew Embers playfully as she slowly followed the others.

[/center]

[Krystal]

Content to let the pokemon do their own thing, Kat decided that now was a good time to rearrange the contents of her backpack. There were a number of side-pockets that were currently unused that could hold items that were taking up space elsewhere. She shifted her map of the Nexivus region to a front pocket for ease of access, briefly checking her food preserves. She could survive for a few days if she didn't do her own hunting.

She looked up when Riolu squealed, concern vanishing when she realized Vulpix's enthusiastic nuzzling was the cause. The fighting pokemon made a half-hearted effort to right herself before apparently deciding that it wasn't worth the effort. Vulpix, apparently displeased with this development, abandoned tormenting Riolu to focus on Slugma, leaping over the other pokemon effortlessly.

Kat took a few more minutes to finish rearranging the items in her backpack, just as she was finishing, however, a thought occurred to her. She fished out the collapsible water bowl that she had brought just for this purpose, not only was it made of waterproof material, but it was also lightweight and easy to carry.

"Water!" She announced, pouring a little from her pouch into the bowl and setting it on the ground for the Pokemon. Instantly, Vulpix ceased leaping about and raced towards the bowl, nearly tipping it upside down in her haste.

"Share with the others, Vulpix," she admonished the fox. "There's plenty for everyone, that includes you, Slug-ma...slugma? Is that what you're called?

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[TSAVO]

Slugma grinned as she watched the Vulpix play with Riolu. She started to inch toward them, but was moving to slow, missing out as the pokemon squealed before Vulpix focused on her instead. Which was much more interesting. The pokemon leaped over her with almost zero effort, to which she again wished she could romp about like that. She smiled at the pokemon, turning to face it before moving in its direction, blowing some more playful embers at the thing. It was all she could do, really. At least right now. Especially since the thing moved so much quicker than she did.

Suddenly, the human called out something, to which everyone seemed to turn and face her. The Vulpix stopped bouncing about and took off toward the bowl, almost tipping it. Slipping toward the bowl, the Slugma was curious as to what it was and if she was invited to drink it as well. Inching forward, she was almost frightened to learn it was water! But after all that work to get there, she inched forward just a bit to take a small slurp out of the bowl, again sliding backward to look up at the human. Nodding to the word Slugma, she hoped the girl would realize she was trying to say that yes, she was called Slugma. She smiled at the human and inched toward her now, almost forgetting about the other two pokemon. She was fascinating, and so tall! Not to mention, most humans were not kind to her.

Slugma did not attack.

[/center]

[Krystal]

Kat grinned when Slugma nodded, secretly relieved that it did seem to understand her after all. "My name is Kat, er, Katerina, but everyone calls me Kat, even my parents." What did it matter anyways? It wasn't like Slugma could say much else besides her name and the syllables of same, on the other hand, it was considered polite to introduce oneself when someone gave you their name, wasn't it?

She glanced over at Riolu and Vulpix, who had apparently decided to share the water between them, and were drinking amicably. Slugma seemed as fascinated by her as she was by Slugma. Slowly, so as not to startle the pokemon, Kat crouched down so that she could be at eye level with the creature.

"Well..." she began, then paused. It wasn't as if they could have an in-depth conversation about, well, about practically anything. There was one topic of conversation that she had been avoiding since they'd encountered each other.

"Maybe you should come along with us?" She said suddenly, cocking her head at Riolu and Vulpix. "Oh! But I guess, I guess we'd have to...battle...first? That's how it is, right? She nodded to herself. "We battle, I catch you in a pokeball, you travel with me and my other pokemon...I mean, if you want to, of course..."

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