victory_road | (no subject)

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Who: Naeva, Hunter, Varian, and anyone who happens to be along the way!

Where: Goldenrod to Ecruteak City

When: Early January, about one week

Summary: Three people make a cold winter's treck up the wooded route to Ecruteak. Shenanigans, inevitably, ensue.

Rating: PG, will warn if otherwise.

Log:

Trekking up to Ecruteak at the very beginning of the year isn't the worst decision anyone's ever made, but it's still a cold and damp decision, further affected by the whims of Sorunt. Still, new travels for a new year can be pleasant...and full of surprises.

[ooc: if you'd like to tag in and discover Naeva, Varian and Hunter along the road, please feel free! Or, if you'd like a specific toplevel made, PM one of us and we can work something out!]

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[Well, it's only about a day and a half's walk up to the National Park, and the weather so far is cold but pleasant. Certainly, it's a glorious winter wonderland out there.

A winter wonderland with a lot of wild pokemon in it.]

[It's kind of nice to be traveling with Naeva. Varian would say he and Hunter get along pretty well now, but it still feels just a bit off... Having an additional person in the group for now is nice. And Varian finds Naeva agreeable, a word he's not sure he'd apply to Hunter even as he's gotten more used to him. But to be fair, he's not sure he'd apply that word to himself in so many ways, either. At one point, not long after the group departs from Goldenrod, he pulls Naeva aside.]

So, can I ask you for some advice? Not about Pokemon, this time... Although, well, I guess it could come in handy with them, too.

Hm? Of course, Varian.

[Naeva's traveled alone pretty much the whole way, which doesn't really bother her, but it is nice to not be alone. Even Varian and Hunter's teenaged prickliness (Naeva may not have a well-calibrated measure for how prickly normal teenagers are) doesn't much bother her. And of course, that ever-present Togetic trails nearby, humming to himself...]

What is it you want to ask?

Okay, so, well... I've been trying to do what you said and, you know, slow down. Listen more to other people, too. And I think it's going okay? I mean, I have friends back home. But...

[He makes a helpless gesture, turning his hands in circles around each other.]

I'm not sure I really know how to cheer someone up. Or even, like, figure out if I should...? You know what I mean?

Ah...hmm.

[She has to pause, and think about this more deeply. This one's a more difficult question...she is flattered Varian regards her as a source of advice, so she's decided to not point out she didn't have very many friends for a long time. Cursed forest castles are a little bit extenuating circumstances.]

I do know what you mean, but I am afraid it's a question that doesn't have a clear answer. It really depends why someone's sad, and what they, as an individual need...it's one of the hardest things to do, actually.

[She sighs a little.] For example, if someone is sad because they are missing their friends and family at home, the best you can do is to try and do things with them that can make them happy.

[He sighs with a nod. What he's getting from all of that is that helping Hunter will be easier if they become more familiar with each other. Which makes sense, but it would've been nice if there was some set method he could apply here. That's why alchemy is the best.]

Yeah, that... Uh, that makes sense. [A brief chuckle, with very little humor to it.] The Princess always made it look easy.

...You're worried about Hunter, aren't you?

[YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM GRANDMA YIPPERS, VARIAN. Though after a second she tilts her head. May as well give him an out...]

The Princess?

[He will absolutely take that out. It's not that he doesn't want to talk about this, but now that Hunter's name has specifically come up, Varian feels all too aware that the other teen is nearby.]

Yeah, the princess of the kingdom I'm from. I guess I haven't talked about Corona much, huh? [If only because it makes the homesickness hit harder when he does.]

You haven't, but I haven't talked too much about Schwarzwald, either...it's not a fault of either of ours.

[She tilts her head a bit, and Togetic, as if sensing the homesickness, floats down to kind of bob soothingly near Varian's shoulder.]

But you can tell me about it, if you'd like to.

[Varian absent-mindedly scritches the Togetic's feathers. It's not the same as Ruddiger being here, but it's comforting in its own way.]

Thank you, I'd like that. Corona is a pretty great place, although I didn't really grow up there-- I mean, yeah, I did, actually. The village of Old Corona is part of the kingdom, but being in one doesn't feel much like being in the other. Old Corona is mostly farmland, and-- Oh right!

[His smile goes from sad and shy to an eager grin as he looks up at Naeva.]

That was why I thought of a farm! For your Pokemon, I mean.

On the one hand, strictly speaking, if Sion were simply to ride one of his several flying-type Pokémon into town, he wouldn't need to deal with the cold as long. On the other hand, clinging to the back of a dragon or giant bird as it soars through the icy air isn't exactly the most fun experience, either. And on the other hand, he's already having enough trouble with his hair without adding high winds to the mix.

Which is to say that, today, Sion's making his trip to the town on foot. Which, as it happens, is rather convenient, because one of those people looks quite familiar indeed...

"Naeva! Just arriving, I take it?"

"Oh!"

Naeva had known, vaguely speaking, that Sion lived near Ecruteak. In fact, she'd been planning to contact him when she got there, so this seems to be just another bit of the good fortune Togetic's brought her! She will wave him down--and if Varian or Hunter are curious she'd be happy to introduce them. Remy, of course, runs right up. He doesn't know about the static. Oh no, Remy, you're gonna get paralysis--!

"Yes...we're coming up from Goldenrod."

"I would offer to let you stop by my place for a break, but at this point I imagine it'd be easier for all of you simply to continue on to the city."

Seeing as it's, well, right there and all.

And fortunately, Sion is aware of his little static problem, so he preempts the little guy with a wave and a greeting before he can get to touching distance.

"And it's good to see you as well. Have you been keeping warm?"

"Ah, you won't escape me visiting proper that easily, Sion."

She does note that he's stopped Remy. Remy has not, and is instead running happy circles around him. Well, fighting types are strong against ice, but this is a little ridiculous.

"Warm as can be expected, anyway. It's fortunate the weather's been calm, we made good time."

Sion gives a light laugh.

"I wouldn't dream of it. But it seems rather thoughtless to insist on a detour when you've already come all this way."

They can stop by the Pokemon center and rest first, and then come visit the gym. Or something like that.

"That's good to hear. Will you be staying in Ecruteak for a time, now?"

Edited 2023-01-13 15:19 (UTC)

"I hadn't really decided yet...I seem to have an excess of time, at the moment, so I thought I might play it by ear."

Remy has decided to go gather snow with his paws...I'm sure it's not for any mischief. Don't mind him. It's fine.

"Well, it's certainly smaller than Goldenrod, but there's still plenty to see and do, if you're so inclined."

It's one of the best compromises between 'city' and 'not too big' in his personal opinion. There's a reason he and Ryner chose to live nearby, after all.

"Sion, I grew up in a forest, all these cities are big to me."

She does laugh a little, but she is eyeballing Remy's plot. Should she warn Sion? ...Naaahhhh.

"Ah, is that so?" Sion grew up a city boy all the way. "Should I warn you about the dangers of getting lost in a city, then?"

Sion is also observant, and doesn't miss that watchful eye on the Riolu. Then again, it's usually pretty normal for a trainer to keep an eye on her roaming Pokémon, isn't it?

Though he might get curious enough eventually to spare a glance, himself.

YIP!

Remy knows this is his only shot, and so lets that snowball loose! Whether or not his aim is any good he has successfully reduced Naeva to helpless giggles, so you'll have to give her a minute to collect this rapscallion.

On the one hand, Sion wasn't exactly expecting that.

On the other hand, he used to have to dodge assassins back when he was a teenager.

Suffice it to say, whether Remy's aim was on point or not, Sion's quite quick to jump out of the way. Almost suspiciously so, given that the movement seems quite natural, almost a reflex, rather than an awkward dodge. Someone had to do his own fighting back before he had Pokémon to do it for him, and has apparently more or less tried to maintain those skills.

All of that said, though, he seems more amused by the whole scene than anyway.

"You know, if you're going to ambush someone, you really shouldn't yell when you strike..."

[It's bright and early. The sun is shining. The snow is glistening. A Pikipek is...Pikipeking, somewhere.

There's a pile of eggs in Naeva's tent and Costin, at least, is the smuggest Zorua on earth.]

...Excuse me? There are how many?!

[Naeva is frankly flabbergasted.]

[Ah yes, the Pikipek. Varian made an attempt on the second night of travel, by fiddling with the Pokegear's radio, to find a frequency that would scare the nightly pest off, but it was unsuccessful. Although apparently, in playing around with 'gear he hit on something...? Because now when he plays a specific station with certain settings in place, instead of a song coming over the radio, his Bronzong gives off a rhythmic hum. Varian's got no clue what that's about, but Varian finds the sound soothing, and Oxidation seems cheery about its new role as, essentially, a white noise machine.

It's only helped a little with the Pikipek, though, so Varian has already been awake for a while when he hears Naeva's baffled question, leaving him paused outside her tent. He can't just let himself in there, but that doesn't sound great?]

Uh... Is everyone okay in there?

[The tent flap opens rapidly. Naeva is dressed. Corrosion, we assume, has already left the scene of the crime as she's a little big for the tent now, but Costin is sitting atop a pile of eggs and looks incredibly pleased with himself.]

It appears someone had a very busy night!

Oh no.

[Logically, Varian can understand this is natural and not even necessarily a problem. People sell Pokemon eggs. Especially breeders like Naeva. In fact, Varian has hatched two eggs that came from Naeva's Pokemon already! But given Naeva's surprise, he's guessing this wasn't just unplanned, but quite possibly didn't just involve Naeva's own Pokemon. And that's just kind of embarrassing? Now Naeva's got to deal with this because of his shortcomings training his Pokemon.

...Look, there is almost no doubt in his mind that those eggs are Corrosion's, too. She's the only female Pokemon Varian's traveling with at this time. Sure, it could have been one of Hunter's team members, but it just seems like a fair assumption. Varian knows better than to equate Corrosion's improved connection with him as a trainer with her no longer having the spirit of a troublemaker.]

I am so sorry! I should've had a better eye on her, I mean-- Corrosion!

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Day 1-2 | National Park

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Pretty much JUST south of Ecruteak, whenever they happen to get there...

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I figure we can do split threads for intros rather than attempt to wrangle a 4-way!

Sounds good to me!

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arises from my grave

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Day 4 | EGGS

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