(PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~

Subject: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Tue Apr 15, 2014 6:55 pm

Billowing smoke from a returning ship circulated in the air above the calm sea below. The sun was acting up in a fierce fashion; its beams casting off the clear water below making the world beneath it seem brighter. Anja brought her arm to her face to blot the sweat from her brow before carefully walking down the docking ramp. She had taken her Pokemon on a cruise in order for them to relax for a while since their last battle at her final gym. She removed the sweat from her wrist by wiping onto her navy blue skirting. The dock was full of life around her with boxes being unloaded from a few cargo ships, and others waiting for the next cruise ship due to port a few hours later.

She adjusted her backpack as she walked towards the PokeMart on the inside of Vermilion City. She hadn't been to this place since she earned her Thunder Badge. It was a welcoming city the last time she had been there. As she walked through the city in order to get her bearings of the layout again, she noted that the construction site was still being stomped out by a Machop under the guidance of his older owner. She gave them a wave before stopping to ask for directions. “Uh, it’s right over there, Miss!”

Anja looked in the direction the man had vehemently jutted his finger out towards. “I must have been too busy looking everywhere else. I can’t believe I walked right past it.,” she rubbed the back of her head before waving once more, “thank you very much!”

Her footfalls picked up to a faster pace as she made her way across the road to enter the PokeMart. Once inside she approached the counter and bought another batch of assorted Pokeballs, antidotes, and other trainer needs. She also bought some treats for her Pokemon before exiting. Her next destination was the Poke Center in order to finish off her Pokémon’s relaxation.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:54 am

It had been a long while since he'd traveled around Vermillion City though it was a good spot to research a pokémon or two. Meowth ran wild around these parts as did Drowzee and Ekans, which made this spot ideal for study on either of these species. His grandpa had expressed an interest in getting a bit more data firsthand though didn't have the means to travel out this far from Pallet Town on his own.

His research wouldn't start until later and he'd report his findings back to his grandpa later but for now he needed to rest. His own pokémon needed a break anyways with how many trainers had been littering the road here. Gary wasn't sure why there were so many out there but it had made for an eventful last few days, that was for sure.

Around him the city was as busy and lively as ever. He could hear a Machop calling out to someone and wondered if that old construction site was still up and running after all this time. Gary didn't think about it too much as he passed by the area, he had things to see to after all.

The pokémon center wasn't hard to find when he kept an eye out for the telltale red roof. Gary wasn't sure when that feature came to be prominent thing to look for but it made things easier for traveling trainers. In no time at all he'd found his way inside, the cool air a relief out of that heat. The sun beating down on him hadn't helped much considering there were few clouds to keep it at bay.

There were a few people inside, some lounging around as they waited for their pokémon to be returned to them or otherwise just taking a break from their own travels. Gary didn't spare many of them any mind though as he made his way to the counter to speak to Nurse Joy he found the woman's attention already on someone else. Gary stood back, waiting his turn as he studied the trainer there.

Her purple hair was long enough to pull back into a bun like it was and she was dressed in a rather fancy way. He'd seen the look before in bigger cities but it wasn't one he saw too many girls wearing. Gary couldn't be sure why a trainer would take to such clothes if they were out on the road like this but then it wasn't much of his business either.

Gary wasn't sure how long he waited, probably only a few minutes, but it felt a whole lot longer to him. It got to the point where he finally spoke up. "Hey, is this gonna take much longer? I've got some pokémon that need tending to."

----[x]----

Claire hadn't been in Vermillion long this time around. For the most part she'd backtracked to do a bit of training against the wild pokémon as many were ones she was familiar with. It was out in the nearby countryside that she'd done some training before passing through. That had been before she'd stupidly gone on to the next city before she checked a map and realized that there was even a gym here. At this rate she wouldn't have the eight badges needed to participate in the league this year but then there was always next year's.

No, for now two of the members on her team had some catching up to do before she felt they were ready to tackle the gym. She hadn't had too much experience battling other trainers who specialized in electric-types and Claire was a little afraid that it'd end up in the same way that the battle against Elesa had ended up in her home region. She'd rather not have such a thorough beating again, her pokémon deserved better.

For now she sat on a bench, Eevee beside her. She had no thunderstone to evolve him at the moment but for now they'd make due. Until such a time that she could afford one back at Celadon City they'd carry on like this.

In her hands she had a notebook, all sorts of thoughts scribbled over the pages. Mostly Claire kept it to keep track of just what she needed to work on with her team at times like this. With so many battles there were bound to be things that'd slip through the cracks and be forgotten about if she didn't keep track of them. She'd rather avoid repeating mistakes if she could help it.

Eevee cooed, head cocked to one side as he watched his trainer. Claire blinked down at him before smiling and scratching behind his ears. From the bored look on his face he must have been annoyed with how long they'd been sitting here doing much of nothing.

"In a bit, I promise," she said. Eevee cooed again before yawning and curling up where he sat. For the time being it looked like he'd leave her to it even if he didn't quite understand or care for what she was doing at the moment.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Wed Apr 16, 2014 9:17 pm

When Anja entered the PokeCenter, she made her way to the back of the line. This PokeCenter seemed much busier than the one in her town, and she almost thought about coming back at a later hour, thinking that less people would be up to service their Pokemon. A couple in front of her left the line and she looked over at them. They seemed to be having a discussion of some sorts, so she stepped forward and took their places. Now she was only one person away from Nurse Joy, and she readied her Pokeballs. This Nurse Joy seemed rather tired, and she was rushing about filling prescriptions and helping the line move along. Her Chancy was also frazzled.

At last Anja took the front of the line. “Good afternoon, how has your day been?”

The young Nurse glanced towards the girl before holding up one finger. Anja nodded in understanding as she placed her Pokeballs upon the table. She observed the single nurse as she bustled over to a machine and placed two packets in. She typed up a few notes before the machine sucked the white bags up into a chute, and then the nurse hurried back to the desk. “Thank you for waiting, did you need to have your Pokemon healed?”

Anja nodded. “Yes please, we had a little practice battle on the cruise ship before docking. Thank you for your time to assist me,” her lips spread into crescent moon, “you seem rather busy today.”

“One of the nurses couldn't make it today, so I am just waiting for her shift replacement. I didn't think it would be so busy, otherwise I would have asked the other nurse to come in sooner.” The nurse carefully placed the Pokeballs into the tray before placing them into the machine. “It’ll take a few moments, and I will be right back when they are ready.”

“Hey, is this going to take much longer? I've got some Pokemon that need tending to.”

Anja turned to face the impatient young man behind her. Her steely eyes took in his rather casual image. Her eyes stopped moving for a moment as she took in his face before looking at his rather interesting hair style. “The nurse is taking care of my Pokemon, she said it would be just a few minutes. They are a little understaffed today, so maybe cut her some slack? There are other trainers as well that are patiently waiting.” Anja gave a polite nod, her lips forming a forced smile before she returned her attention to the desk in front of her.

---{X}---

Lt. Surge had had enough of the trainers coming through his gym’s doors for the day. Not one had earned their Thunder Badge, and for the most part, not many had any evolved Pokemon. His fingers dug through his pockets as he searched for his keys. Once they were in his grasp he yanked them out and locked his gym doors. Raichu looked up at him from his side, his eyes bewildered at his trainer’s actions. It was very rare that they left the gym early, but Raichu didn't mind resting for the duration of the day.

The gym leader’s shoulders picked up the sun’s heat fairly quickly, and he glanced up towards the sky. He pulled his sunglasses from his pocket and placed them upon the bridge of his nose. Now that he had closed the gym early, what was he going to do? He thought about maybe going for a swim, but he didn't want to speak with anymore trainers in the most part. They usually asked to battle outside the gym, and his response was almost always the same: “When you are finally ready to enter war, come to my gym.”

His bright blues moved underneath his dark glasses as he looked around the road around him. “What is with all of these pint-sized trainers today? Just lazing around, they should be busy training their Pokemon. No wonder no one beat me today.” His gaze fell upon a sleeping Eevee, and he ticked his tongue against his teeth. “What a weakling.” He continued walking down the street, his little companion’s paws patting at his side. He decided to stop at a little café in order to eat some lunch.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Thu Apr 17, 2014 2:04 am

Gary wasn't paying too much attention to the conversation the girl was having with the nurse. If he had bothered to peer around that purple-haired girl to the nurse he might have even noticed that the nurse on duty looked stressed. Since he didn't this news was lost to him until he'd spoken up and the girl had turned to speak to him.

Eyebrow raised, he met the girl's eyes evenly. She spoke calmly enough though there was something about it that was a little off putting. Gary tried to ignore it.

"Well, how 'bout that?" Gary said in an offhand manner, a dismissive wave of his hand following. If that was the case he wouldn't kick up a fuss, not like he'd been planning on that anyways but still.

There was a moment that passed in quiet between the two where Gary shoved his hands into his pockets. The girl still seemed to be sizing him up, maybe expecting him to start trouble. He offered a shrug; there wasn't much he could due to stop whatever she was thinking.

"What?" he wondered, "I'm not about to start fighting about something like this you know? I'm not that hardheaded."

Gary wasn't sure why he'd said that, it wasn't like the girl knew him. Heck, Gary didn't even know her name either. From the looks of it they'd be here a few minutes thought while the nurse tended to her pokémon. While Gary didn't mind a good battle there wasn't much use in arguing with each other over something like this.

----[x]----

Claire wasn't sure how long she'd sat on that bench, Eevee dozing beside her. People passed before her though she spared little attention to them. Instead she was going about trying to figure out how best to train her Eevee and Mareep with the pokémon in the area. She had some powerhouses on her team but if she kept relying on them than these two cuties would never have a chance to get stronger either.

There wasn't much more she could do now but to get on with the actual training before they tried to take on the gym here. Shoving the notebook into her bag she took to shaking Eevee awake. If she was feeling hungry Eevee must have been too, he'd been out of his poké ball all day now.

"C'mon, Talos, time to get moving," she said. Eevee's ears twitched before he blinked up at her blearily. With a cry the little pokémon stretched before he was ready to follow after her. Now it was just a matter of finding someplace to eat at.

The little Eevee trotted along at her side easily enough though it wasn't like Claire was in any great rush. It had been awhile since she'd last been in Vermillion City and she'd need to remember where the little things were. It wasn't too long before she found a little place nearby however. Claire didn't spare much mind to the name of the café before she wandered in though. Heading inside she found the place already occupied by a few others, one man in particular with a Raichu stood out with the military fatigues he wore.

The line at the counter wasn't long though she'd still be doing a bit of waiting. Nonetheless Eevee was curious of the Raichu that belonged to the man in front of them. While she had a Raichu on her team for as long as she could remember this one might have been different in personality and tastes and Claire imagined this was what had Eevee so curious of this one.

[[OOC: Sorry about the bit of mirroring there with the waiting in line thing. Couldn't think of how else to set up Claire and Lt. Surge in an area long enough to meet without having it be at the gym. >_>]]

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Thu Apr 17, 2014 7:52 pm

Anja watched the young man behind her. His manner was very surreal to him, from the way he waved his hands to the he spoke. She looked over to the machine to see if her Pokemon were close to being finished, but unfortunately, she couldn’t tell from where she was from. “What? I’m not about to start fighting about something like this you know? I’m not that hardheaded.”

Her lips moved to speak, but instead they closed. She just stared at him, bewildered. Finally she crossed her arms over her chest, as his words felt a little abrasive. Inside she started to feel anxious. What if she had offended him? She hadn’t meant to, she never meant to insult anyone. Her mind began racing as she stared at the boy, and she couldn’t help but feel butterflies in her stomach. This guy was such a jerk though, at least from what she had witnessed from him. Her lungs expanding in slow inhalation before she locked gazes with the brunette. “I apologize for my tone.” Her head bowed in politeness before turning to address the nurse behind her.

“Your Pokemon are ready, miss.” The nurse seemed to be a little less stressed since the other nurse had just walked in the door. Her smile was more inviting than earlier as she slid the tray over to Anja.

Anja quickly collected her Pokemon and she placed them in her pocket. “Thank you very much, Nurse.” The purple haired girl bowed slightly before reaching into her opposite pocket. She retrieved a candy and a Pokemon treat before holding her hand out to the nurse. “For you and your Chancy, have a great day.” The nurse thanked her before taking the treats, and Anja turned to the male behind her. She also gave him a bow before exiting the PokeCenter. She took a left after leaving and headed for a nice place of grass underneath a tree. It was close enough to the water for her to Lapras out. Her Lapras splashed into the water, and began to have a swim while Anja released her other Pokemon.

Her Charizard and Hypno shot each other dirty looks, they never seemed to get along. Haunter hid up in the shade of the tree, and Jolteon laid by her side. Her Kangaskhan stretched before roaring and rubbing her stomach. “I know you guys. I bought some food, so don’t worry.” She dug through her bag and began to prepare them something to eat. Lapras playfully sprayed a mist at Anja, causing Charizard to growl at her. She took a deep breath and plunged back into the deep blue. Their trainer shook her head and giggled at them. “You guys need to get along, we’ve been together too long to be acting like this to each other.” Haunter drifted down to her lap and grinned widely up at her.

----{X}----

Lt Surge tapped his foot impatiently as the line in the café seemed to be crawling at a snail’s pace now. He glanced up at the menu above once more to be sure of his order, he also checked the Pokemon menu for his Raichu. The kitchen behind the counter was moving much faster than the line, surely things should be moving much faster on his head of the restaurant. His eyes darted back and forth between two entrees, but he decided on the latter. He scanned the menu a few more times, debating on leaving and just making something to eat at home, but he didn’t feel like cooking. Soon his attention was pulled towards his Raichu.

His little companion was making some rather strange noises, and his tail was moving crazily. “What are you doing?” His question was answered at he spotted the bane of his sanity for the day. An Eevee. An unevolved Eevee rubbing noses with his Raichu. He hated unevolved Pokemon, and seeing one at the end of this day struck a deep nerve. “Hey, you pipsqueak, get out of here,” he addressed the Eevee, his muscles tensing, “unevolved Pokemon are a joke.” He shot his attention to what he believed to be the owner of the Eevee.

“Your Eevee is bothering me, you should probably call it back.” A few of the other customers glanced towards the man’s outburst, but after recognizing who he was, they returned to their own business. Raichu’s expression deflated at his owner. He was trying to make friends with the tiny Eevee.

{{OOC: Am I getting his Personality correctly? I can rewrite, if not}}

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Fri Apr 18, 2014 2:20 pm

Gary waited, unsure of what to make of this girl. She was a cute one but the lack of a reply left him a little dumbfounded. Had he offended her or something? She'd opened her mouth and closed it, arms folded over her chest before she was apologizing and had turned away from him.

Taken aback, Gary blinked, unsure of what to do or say now. Whatever he'd been expecting it sure hadn't been that succinct of a reply. Maybe he'd just annoyed her, grandpa had always told him that he could be a bit of abrasive. Maybe he'd overstepped some kind of line he hadn't been aware of...

Before he had much time to say anything else to her she'd already gathered her pokémon from Nurse Joy and had run off after handing the nurse something or other from her bag. Gary was left standing there, scratching his head while he handed the tired nurse his own pokémon to care for. It wouldn't be long with the machine she hooked them up to but then it wasn't like any of his pokémon friends were seriously injured either.

A few short minutes later and he had his poké balls back in hand and he was off. There wasn't much point in lazing around in the center when he had plans to help his grandpa with research around here anyways. Outside it felt nicer than it had in the air conditioned building but them maybe that was just Gary's opinion on the matter. He didn't put much stock into it before he'd left.

Pulling out the pokédex he'd long been given he sought out the information on Drowzee inside. He'd start with those first considering they were a little harder to find. Gary figured it was better to get information done on them and out of the way before his patience was shot. Now it was just finding one...

"Now, let's see," he muttered to himself as he reached the outskirts of the city. There were already nice grassy patches in sight that he could look around in, the weeds growing tall so pokémon had places to hide. It wasn't this that caught his attention first, however.

Nearby was that girl, having found a patch of grass that had been mowed over . Her pokémon had been released to enjoy the warm day though two of them seemed to be leering at each other. The Hypno, in particular, caught his eye though he hesitated a moment. It had seemed like he'd gotten off on the wrong foot with her earlier, would she be annoyed and uncooperative if he approached her asking questions about Hypno?

----[x]----

Though the line was moving slow the place was fairly calm. A few other trainers had a pokémon of their own out, smaller ones that could fit in the place and not cause trouble anyways. In front of her the blond man seemed to be growing impatient though he hadn't said anything about it. At the very least the Raichu at his feet was rather friendly even when Eevee took to bothering the other pokémon.

When Claire bothered to look down she was met with a cute little sight; the man's Raichu seemed quite thrilled that Eevee was bothering him, his tail wagging in a strange looping fashion. It was something Claire had long since noticed with how long their tails were, that Raichu had to take care when they actively wagged them. Still, it was a little cute and funny to see all the same and Eevee seemed to enjoy the fact that Raichu was friendly.

The man's impatience and annoyance, however, quickly became known after that. Eevee balked, ears and tail lowering as he scooted back closer to Claire's side when he took to snapping at him. Claire huffed ready to say something before he'd turned to her and done the same he had to her Eevee.

"No way, you don't own the place," Claire argued indignantly, folding her arms over her chest, "and unless you want to shell out the cash for a thunderstone than you don't get to complain about it."

From the corner of her eye she saw a someone shake his head though she didn't put much stock into it past that. Maybe this was some kind of common occurrence for all she knew. If that was the case that was a little sad to think about; Claire could just imagine the young trainers who might've run into this guy and had their day and hopes crushed because of this attitude.

"Besides, what does it matter where my Eevee is in its evolutionary lineup? He's not part of your team so it shouldn't be such a personal affront to you," Claire pointed out, perhaps a little huffily.

[[OOC: I think you're doing all right, don't worry.]]

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Fri Apr 18, 2014 6:14 pm

Anja quietly fed each of her Pokemon. She took time to speak with each of them, and made sure she pet them and that they each had plenty to eat. Charizard and Hypno were now on better terms, perhaps they had just been cranky from being in their Pokeballs. Haunter was busy floating in the air above her purple locks, and occasionally he would carefully lick her shoulder, causing her to giggle and playfully push him away. She took great care in looking after her newest Pokemon, Kangaskhan. Although Anja treated all of her Pokemon with love and respect, this particular Kangaskhan was very wary of her trainer.

The young woman carefully offered the Kangaskhan’s baby a treat, but instead of the baby eating it, the mother had taken it from her hand was inspecting the treat. Once it was passed through the mother’s careful inspection, she handed it down to her pouch. The young Kangaskhan accepted it happily, and this seemed to please the mother. Anja looked up at her large Pokemon. “I would never hurt you, you know?” Anja offered a small smile and a treat to the careful Pokemon. The Pokemon accepted the peace offering. She chewed the treat slowly before sitting down carefully.

Hypno was in a tizzy for some unknown reason. He was jumping around in the area in front of his trainer, and was giving his own little noise. It sounded almost like some sort of laughter. It wasn’t often that he was in such a good mood…unless he was going to pull a prank. Anja quickly looked around to see what he might have done before noticing that he had gotten a marker from her pack. This marker had been used to draw a mustache upon the sleeping Jolteon next to her. She sighed heavily before holding out her hand. “Siesta. May I have my marker back?”

The Hypno seemed to be contemplating the dilemma he had put himself in. He glanced from the marker towards his Trainer’s hand before giving a slight huff sound. He handed the marker over slowly, and as she grasped it to take it away, he wouldn’t let go of it. “Hyp-no.”

She gave him a look. “I guess you don’t want your treat today. You were behaving so well, too.”

The Hypno’s eyes widened. She wouldn’t withhold his treat, would she? He didn’t chance it. He let go of the marker, his legs moving him closer to his trainer. He leaned down and hugged her, but one of his arms had reached into her pack and removed the treat he believed he was going to be missing out on. He popped into his mouth and swallowed it quickly so that his trainer wouldn’t be able to take it away.

Hypno often managed to get into trouble, but Anja was always patient with him. She had received him through Mr.Fuji a few months ago since he was causing too much mischief at the center she worked at. They both had agreed that the Pokemon (at the time he was a Drowzee) needed some time to see the world. They also decided that he needed extra love and attention since he had been an abandoned Pokemon.

Anja pat his head lightly. “Ask next time, alright? I’ll let it slide this time since you were so good for that long cruise.” She had taken this time to look around the area around her. She needed to see if she had enough room to play with her Pokemon for a while before finding a place to rest. She would probably end up back at the PokeCenter to use their waiting room for the night. During her inspection, she locked gazes with the young man from earlier. Wanting to show that there was no animosity between them, she waved at him. This time she gave him a genuine smile.

----{X}----

The gym leader blinked at this trainer before him. Not many others had ever spoken so rashly in return towards him. He always seemed to give off the impression that an argument with him was always a battle lost. He looked towards his Raichu, and then at the small Eevee. It was, what he had decided, cowering next to his owner. This only added further proof to him that unevolved Pokemon were weak and not as dependable as stronger evolutions. “The reason why you don’t have enough cash to buy your own Thunderstone is probably because you lead a team of weak, unevolved Pokemon that can’t win battles. So, you are left ‘shelling’ your cash out to your opponents.”

He began to formulate another comeback to her other statement. Before he could completely finish his thoughts, the cashier behind him once again asked for his order. Lt. Surge turned his back momentarily to place his order. He removed his wallet from his pocket to pay before giving his attention back to the owner. He began to size her up. His eyes started at the top of her head. There he found bright pink hair. His eyes traveled down to her own Golden ones. They reminded him of some of the cat like Pokemon that he had encountered through his years.

One of his eyebrows rose over his sunglasses. She wasn’t from around here, even though she seemed to have a olive tone that could almost be a natural tan. She dressed casually, which fit the description of most Pokemon trainers due to the traveling distances that they had to endure. He once again returned his vision towards the small Eevee. “A team is as strong as their weakest link. So this little weakling will sink you in your battles. You aren’t ready to face me, pipsqueak, so it is a good thing that I shut down the gym for today.” He took a step to his left to allow her to move up to order her food. “Make sure you get a hearty meal for the little one. He’ll need to grow big and strong if he’ll ever be a real component.”

He found himself staring at her for a moment longer than he had planned. Perhaps he was still in shock for the way she had addressed him, or perhaps it was her interesting appearance. Whatever it seemed to be made the sure man shift uncomfortably before he turned to take his food from the pick-up counter. He found the last empty table near the entrance of the café before he took one of the four seats. His Raichu clambered into the second. The Lieutenant sat both of their trays upon the table.

Raichu was still interacting with the Eevee. He made a small whining sound. It was trying to comfort the Eevee. Lt. Surge looked towards his Pokemon, and Raichu took the hint that it was now time to eat. The electric pair started in on their meals. Occasionally Lt. Surge’s hidden gaze would move under his dark glasses. He kept stealing glances of the woman he had argued with earlier.

He wanted to see if she gave any reaction. His eyes quietly observed her, seeing if his words had taken some effect in her mind. He enjoyed psyching out trainers that had come to face him. It was his form of psychological warfare, which he learned was as important on the battle field as it was out in the war. He had not only perfected his own type, but he managed to use it to manipulate others on the battlefield in his gym. It was his way of gaining the upper hand. He had learned how important it was after his C.O. constantly used it during Lt. Surge’s time serving underneath him.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Fri Apr 18, 2014 7:56 pm

Gary wasn't sure how long he stood there, uncertain about what to do. He'd like to think he was getting more tactful as he grew older but sometimes he stepped on toes without realizing it, he was a little worried he'd botched things up with potential help before he'd even realized it.

From afar he saw her pokémon interact with each other and with her. That Kangaskahn she had looked to be like the wary type but it was hard to tell from back here. For all he knew that particular pokémon was just timid or overly cautious, some were and it took all kinds. That Hypno was what had his attention the most though, asking about it from that girl would help him to understand Drowzee and Hypno better or so he hoped.

Before he could think much more on the matter she seemed to spot him, standing there dumbfounded with his pokédex in hand. Whatever she thought about this wasn't something Gary could guess at even if she waved and smiled at him. At least it looked like she was smiling, it was hard to tell from here.

All the same he waved back and started forward. Now was as good a time as any to introduce himself and get to know her and ask about her Hypno. It took a few minutes to reach her picnicking area though she seemed to be waiting for him patiently and for him to say something. By the time he reached her he'd shoved the pokédex away and was rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Hey, I didn't catch your name earlier," he pointed out, "I'm Gary Oak, grandson of Professor Oak. Maybe you've heard of him."

If nothing else that might make his request easier and give him a more favorable response. She didn't look like the contrary type but who knew? He'd rather not take too many chances when he had a Hypno right there to study and ask about. They were hard enough to find around these parts as it was.

----[x]----

It was impossible to tell what he was looking at with those sunglasses he wore. While it was certainly easy to tell he was all ears, for the moment anyways, he might have been looking at either her or Eevee. Heck, maybe it was both for all she knew. When he finally did answer it wasn't exactly a very nice response though Claire hadn't really been expecting otherwise, the guy seemed like a hardhead.

Resentment and annoyance flared in her chest, settling there and burning hotly. The scowl on her face was mostly like enough to let him know how she felt about what he was saying. Eevee still remained at her side, staying out of the argument. Perhaps the poor little thing thought he was the cause of it. Claire would tend to Eevee's hurt feelings later, when things were settled down and she was less apt to be snappish.

"Is that right?" she huffed, resisting the urge to reach for Electivire's or Elektross' poké balls, "well, tell me, how are you so sure of that?"

Whatever the man might have said to this was left a mystery, the man working the counter was calling attention to him, asking for his order; maybe that was the guy's way of trying to stop the argument from escalating. Claire might not have minded if she hadn't been so affected by those words. She'd worked hard with her team, had done so ever since she'd been given that Pichu long ago. She wouldn't take those insults so lightly when her pokémon were her pride and joy.

By the time he'd turned around Claire realized only then that she realized that he'd mentioned the gym just a few minutes before hand. This revelation left her at a loss for words briefly even when he imparted what might have passed as advice. Whether nor not she noticed the way he'd taken to studying her when she'd stood there was anyone's best guess before he'd wandered off to find an empty table for himself and Raichu.

Claire huffed, missing the way that Eevee and Raichu whined at each other again. The two pokémon might have wished that their trainers would get along but for the moment that was a hopeless endeavor. She ordered her food, paying for it immediately after only after she made sure that she had what Eevee wanted most. By that time Raichu had drifted back to his trainer, Lt. Surge if she wasn't mistaken. She'd heard a bit about him but she hadn't expected this kind of man to be the gym leader.

It wasn't long before she had her own food and had taken it upon herself to find her own little table. For the moment she had to think and plan. Due to Lt. Surge's attitude today she might be a little more willing to push the intended gym battle up a little sooner than she'd been planning.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Fri Apr 18, 2014 8:40 pm

Anja began to feel nervous as the male from earlier waved back. She hadn’t expected him to walk over, and from the look on his face, he seemed to be deep in thought. Her eyes followed his moves carefully as he tucked what looked to be his PokeDex back into his pocket. She fixed the skirt of her dress and began to wring her hands together to dissolve her nerves. “Be nice you guys,” she addressed her Pokemon since they had turned their attention to the approaching trainer, “especially you, Siesta.”

Her Hypno gave a huff before turning his back to her. Once the young man had reached them, his hand had moved to the back of his neck. She had noticed that a few people did that when they weren’t sure of a situation. She usually rubbed the back of her head or twirled her hair. She listened to his introduction, and upon hearing Professor Oak’s name she felt embarrassed. Of course she knew Professor Oak. Mr. Fuji had often asked her to deliver research papers about the effects of abandonment on Pokemon to him. She politely stood before curtseying. “My name is Anja Klein. I know your grandfather, because I have delivered certain documents to him for my mentor. I have heard a few things about you as well. You seem to be quite the trainer.”

Anja chewed her bottom lip carefully. She wasn’t sure if he cared to hear about all of that, but she had a problem with rambling on. She looked to her Pokemon, and she had to take an acorn from Hypno since he had it primed and ready for their guest. “Siesta, what has gotten into you today?” She sighed as she pet his head. “He’s trying to be nice, so let’s be nice too, alright?”
She turned back to Gary. “This is my Hypno, Siesta. He likes to play pranks, so just be aware when you are around him. As for the rest of my team,” she gestured to each Pokemon, “the Jolteon’s name is Sparks, Drizzle is the Lapras, Charizard is Tinder, Haunter is Simon, and Kangaskhan is my newest. Her name is Roo. I haven’t come up with a nickname for her baby yet, since I haven’t really been able to observe his personality. She is still getting used to me, so I am taking my time for her to get comfortable.”

She looked to him, wondering if she was speaking too much, but decided to continue. “I am really sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have been so short with you, since I don’t know you, and for all I know, you could have been having just as bad of a day as the nurse was.” With this, she began to chew on the inside of her lower lip again. Her fingers twisted around each other behind her back as she waited for him to take in all of the information she had just given him.

---{X}---

Lt. Surge grinned smugly to himself as the woman passed his table to find her own. He felt he’d won this battle, and that brought a sense of inflation to his ego. She didn’t seem to have taken his bait, but that didn’t matter. Like most of the other trainers he tried to deter from entering his gym, she was probably hard headed and determined. He knew he would be seeing her soon in his gym, and it may not be this exact day, but it would be soon. He began to ponder what other Pokemon she might have in her team. He wondered if she was the type to have a Pokemon just because they were ‘cute,’ or if she actually built around each of her Pokemon so that they flowed well in battle.

Whatever the case was, he would know sure enough. Unless he had been able to deter her, of course. Trainers that were so easily pushed from the path of gyms was useless anyways. That was how he felt. He had seen many outcomes through his years of travel, service, and gym leading. Raichu had long since finished his food, and Lt. Surge was lost in his own train of thought. He was building a strategy in his mind against his sure to be competition. From her reactions today, he could deduct that she was somewhat level headed, since she managed to keep her cool. He could also deduce that she had passion in her Pokemon, given the way that she had reacted to his words. Raichu had been trying to get his attention, since his boredom had started to sink in.

After a few moments of attempting to get his trainer’s attention, Raichu hopped down from his chair and sought out his new friend. He began sniffing the air and he was soon on the trace of that interesting Eevee scent. He walked quickly over to his new friend before his trainer could break from his chain of thought. As he reached the table, he gave a slight cooing sound to Eevee, and his tail began to dance around behind him again.

When Lt. Surge had finally come back to his senses, he realized that Raichu was missing. He stood up and glanced around, and finally saw his little companion at another table. Of course he went to THAT table. The man growled low in his throat before heading over to his defiant Pokemon. Once there, he looked at the woman from earlier. He stared for a short moment before looking down to his Raichu. “Come on, it’s time to go.”

Raichu continued to let his tail dance as his paws reached up to pat Eevee upon the head. “Raii-chu!”

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Fri Apr 18, 2014 11:11 pm

Gary didn't know what she was saying as he nearer though it was clear that it was aimed towards her pokémon anyways. No skin off his nose, he figured. Besides, if it was important then she'd say it to him, at least he hoped that would be the case. Until he was proven wrong there wasn't much point in mulling over it.

"Well, maybe now you'll me in action, huh?" he boasted. Though he was curious as to what had been said about him.

He raised an eyebrow as he caught Hypno trying to lob something at him though it was quickly snatched away by Anja. Gary didn't get a good look at what it was though from the looks of things it would have hurt. He shrugged it off for now, Hyno hadn't done anything to him yet even if it was only because Anja had put a stop to it quickly.

While he had asked for her name only what he got in return was not only hers but her team of pokémon's names as well. Gary tried to place the names she rattled off to each pokémon but he was sure that he'd really only remember Jolteon's and Lapras' for some time. He hoped that he wouldn't end up offending any of them because of that.

"Speaking of your pokémon, I was wondering if you'd let me study Hypno for awhile," Gary asked, gesturing towards the pokémon in question, "grandpa's doing some research on Drowzee lately and having some info on its evolved form might help him out."

Anja seemed to size him up though Gary wasn't sure if she really was or not. The Hypno at her side didn't seem enthused at the idea of being studied but then most didn't. While grandpa Oak had plenty of pokémon at his lab to study it was always nice to see them out in the wild or with other trainers for varied data.

----[x]----

Claire didn't bother to spare another glance Lt. Surge's way. No, she'd rather not let him think he'd cowed her into steering clear of his gym. The travel back around to this city was enough to make her keep that thought from getting to her. She couldn't be sure what kind of a game he was playing but she wasn't about to let him win it that easily.

She picked at her food, hunger almost forgotten about though not completely. It wouldn't do her much good not to eat anyways and Eevee might feel worse off if she didn't. However long they sat there on their own, the chatter of the other patrons around them keeping silence at bay, Claire wasn't sure. It wasn't until a familiar tail came into her line of sight did she become aware that there was a little visitor at the table as well.

Blinking, she watched Eevee and Lt. Surge's Raichu chat with each other for a long minute before she shook her head, scoffing in amusement. 'At least his pokémon is better mannered than he is,' she mused. While she waited for Raichu to either wander back to Lt. Surge or for the gym leader to come over and collect his pokémon Claire offered one of the little snacks she had left over to Raichu. Eevee was overjoyed that Raichu had come on over to visit, his ears perked back up and his cries sounding cheerful. The large grin on his fury face was hard to mistake for anything else to boot!

It honestly didn't take long before Lt. Surge had wandered over, however. For a minute he just stood there, staring at her. Claire met his gaze, eyebrow raised. If he had anything to say he had yet to say it even as she rested her chin on her clasped hands.

"Oh, come on, letting Raichu hang with unevolved pokémon isn't going to make him any weaker," Claire snorted, ignoring the look he might have shot at her for the comment.

Beside her Raichu was happily patting Eevee on his head who cooed happily and wagged his tail. This was all before Eevee playfully nudged Raichu with his head, unbothered by Lt. Surge for the moment.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Sat Apr 19, 2014 12:00 am

Anja giggled slightly at his question. “I am not sure if I would battle you. I heard you are a very strong opponent, and I barely scraped by with my badges. I am not very good in battles because I worry about my Pokemon so much. We do well as a team, but we have our ups and downs.”

Anja listened to his request. She looked towards Hypno before returning her gaze to Gary. “Professor Oak has given us a lot of funding for what we do, so of course I would love to help him. I just don’t know how Siesta will interact with you. He even gives me a hard time sometimes. You see, he was abandoned as a Drowzee by his owner. He was very destructive when we first received him into our care, and he was pretty mean spirited. So, my mentor asked to take him with me on my travels, since he believes that being out and about and having one on one attention will help him. It’s been a long journey with him. He does much better now, but sometimes he can be a little, well… naughty.”

Upon hearing his name, the Hypno had approached Gary and puffed out his chest. He still had a hard time dealing with other people, and would sometimes act up during battles. Hypno looked the other trainer from head to toe before turning towards his own. “Hyp-p-no?”

Due to her height, she and Hypno could see eye to eye. She stared at him for a moment. “Siesta, do you want to help our new friend learn more about you? He needs to help Professor Oak, I know you remember him because he always gives you those special puffs you like.”

Hypno mulled it over, his glance moving between the two trainers. He felt really special for being asked this, so he puffed up his chest again and made an approving cry. He stepped towards Gary, and stared up at him. “Hyyyp-no.” He held out his pendulum between his fingers. “Hypn-ooo.” His other hand made a swinging gesture towards Gary as if he were showing the other trainer how it worked. Soon he brought the pendulum in both hands and offered it up to Gary.

“You are very lucky he’s trying to show you. He’s only ever allowed myself, and your grandfather to hold it.” Anja gently rubbed Hypno’s ears to show that she was proud of him. “Just be careful. One time he tricked me to eat my dreams.”

Haunter came floating over and he circled around Gary before licking his shoulder. Anja turned her attention to her other Pokemon before calling them back into their Pokeballs. Haunter gave Gary one last lick as he departed back into his small home. Anja figured it might be easier for Hypno and her new companion to interact if they weren’t crowded. “Did you have any questions about him?”

----{X}----
Lt Surge sneered at her comment. He knew his Raichu’s strength could never be swayed by an unevolved Pokemon. What he was worried about was Raichu not being able to battle the little Eevee in the event that this trainer did come into the gym. He could see it now: They are both down to the last Pokemon, Raichu on his side, Eevee on the other. The two Pokemon move to begin their battle, but no! It’s a game of Poke-Tag instead. The game lasts for several hours until Raichu falls asleep from running about so much. She earns her Thunderbadge. He tensed at this thought.

He watched his Raichu as he dangled his tail in front of Eevee’s face, almost as if coaxing a small kitten with a yarn ball. He gave a huff as he folded his arms over his chest. He decided he could give Raichu at least a few more minutes of goofing around. The Raichu had clambered up into Eevee’s chair, and the mouse Pokemon was now feeding the young Eevee. Lt. Surge wondered if this was due to him evolving Raichu too quickly. He still had some maturing to do, even if he did look like an older Pokemon. He had learned that when he lost to that Pikachu.

The man ran his fingers through his crazy blonde hair to keep himself busy while his Raichu played. After what felt an eternity, he looked at his Pokemon. “Raichu, we are leaving now.”

Raichu gave him a little whine before climbing off the chair. He turned and gave Eevee another pat on the head before looking up to his trainer dejectedly. He hardly ever got to meet new Pokemon, and he really liked the way this one smelled. Raichu turned towards Claire before patting her shin underneath the table. He began to walk towards the exit, leaving his trainer to follow him in a perplexed state. Raichu hardly ever acted this way, and it was very strange to the Lieutenant. They stopped at the door, and Surge glanced at the trainer one more time before replacing his shades. He headed out and started to walk towards the beach in order to go for a quick swim, then he would head back to the gym to prepare for the next day.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Sat Apr 19, 2014 9:58 pm

Gary sighed, a little put out that he wouldn't get a battle. It had been awhile since he'd had a good one, one that tested his and his pokémon skills. He put the thought out of his mind for the time being though, there were other things that needed done anyways. At the very least Anja would help now it was just up to Hypno if he would or not. From what he'd already been told Gary wasn't sure what to expect.

"Well, I guess it's up to... Siesta, was it?" Gary said, glancing towards Hypno.

It didn't look like he'd get confirmation on the name though Hypno had taken to studying Anja. It was in that moment that Gary realized that the pokémon was about as tall as Anja was and able to look her square in the eye. This wasn't so much startling as it was something that preoccupied Gary as he waited for the Hypno's answer. Many pokémon were large, larger than most people anyways.

Finally Hypno had turned, puffing out his chest before he'd strode forward and began to demonstrate his pendulum to Gary. Whatever Hypno was telling him was lost to Gary though he still did his best to look attentive for Hypno's sake. He'd rather not get on the psychic-type's bad side if he could help it, already he'd tried to lob something at Gary and he'd rather avoid anything worse then that happening to him.

Anja's next words didn't inspire much confidence and he found himself even warier of Hypno now. He'd rather not have any of his dreams eaten if he could help it. Still, he was learning a little bit about this particular Hypno and, possibly, the effects of being abandoned had had on it. Maybe it would be helpful when compared to another Hypno or a Drowzee and how they behaved.

"I'll be sure to be on the look out then," Gary answered, reaching out to warily tap at the pendulum, "I haven't had anything like that happen yet and I'd like to keep that record clean. Is he usually up to these sorts-"

Whatever else he might have had to say was cut off as Haunter had drifted behind him and licked his shoulder. Startled, Gary cringed, glad that his shirt sleeve had taken the brunt of Haunter's saliva. From experience as a child he knew that the drool had paralyzing properties that were often used on people and pokémon alike both for defense and pranking purposes. Anja wasted no time in recalling her other pokémon, including Haunter back to their balls by this time.

Clearing his throat he tried to ignore the way that he'd cringed, it wasn't all that impressive after all and he thought he might've looked a little foolish. Anja didn't seem to mind, instead wondering if he had any sort of questions. Gary shoved his hands back into his pockets, offering a shrug.

"Mostly just what his behavior is like on a normal day and what effects traveling with a trainer for so long has had on him," Gary answered.

----[x]----

At her comment Lt. Surge had scoffed at her though otherwise said nothing. In a way it was a little awkward sitting there while Eevee and Raichu played, it wasn't like Lt. Surge was making any effort into easing the tension any. No, instead he just chose to stand there, presumably studying her and the pokémon. At the very least the two were enjoying the few minutes of company even if their trainers were not getting along well.

He hadn't really said anything in return to her remark and so Claire wasn't sure what to do next. It really was rather awkward considering how much presence Lt. Surge had in the city as its gym leader. Claire was sure that a few of the other café patrons were shooting them furtive looks, probably worried that something might get started if no one kept an eye on things.

Finally Lt. Surge ran his hand through his hair and called for Raichu to follow him out. While neither pokémon seemed thrilled at this turn of events Eevee at least took it well enough. He cooed after Raichu, even after the electric rodent had patted him on his head and started off after Lt. Surge.

Claire pouted briefly, still unsure about leaving things so quiet. It didn't sit right with her, especially when he'd left her so speechless in line earlier. She was sore about that even if she wouldn't outright admit it. Before he'd made it out the door she made the decision to finally say something.

"I hope you won't be closing the gym early tomorrow!" she called after him, forcing herself to sound friendly, "you'll have to entertain a pair of cuties!"

"Ee?" Eevee wondered, blinking up at Claire.

Of course he'd be confused, Claire had been meaning to put the gym battle off for at least a week to try and prepare Eevee and Mareep. That had been the plan, anyways, but with Lt. Surge's attitude she couldn't take that lying down. She'd have to keep Eevee and Mareep on the sidelines and rely more on the more veteran members of her team.

Claire couldn't be sure as to how Lt. Surge took her words before he disappeared out the door. Claire huffed, a little disappointed at the lack of an answer, even a sneer or scoff would have been better then brushing her off like that. 'Oh, well,' she reasoned, 'we'll be botherhing him tomorrow anyways.'

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Sun Apr 20, 2014 1:40 pm

Anja was observing Gary’s interaction with her Hypno very carefully. She didn’t let too many other people aside from battlers to interact with her Pokemon, and this was a very special case. She had noticed his cringe from Haunter’s lick, but instead of speaking about it, she just recalled her Pokemon. After Gary cleared away his throat, he asked her a question. “Well, when we first received him, he was pretty destructive as I said earlier. It got to the point that we thought he might have to go to…other services. So Mr. Fuji and I sat down and spoke about it for a while before deciding that I would continue on my journey with him.”

She took a moment to smile fondly at her Hypno. “For the first part of our journey, I had him out of the

Pokeball often. I would just let him out though, so that way if he decided to be abrasive, he wouldn’t be able to harm my other Pokemon. The first few interactions were rather…interesting,” Anja brought a hand to her hair. She carefully twisted the ends between her fingers, “the first one on one interaction, he cut my hair. Then the second one, he tricked me and ate some dreams. I became pretty frazzled as our interactions went on. I felt that I shouldn’t be alone when I interacted with him.”

Hypno had taken interest in his trainer’s words, a sudden sadness drifting over his defined facial features. “I continued to work with him, and eventually I introduced him to my other Pokemon one at a time. He and Charizard give each other grief, but they are good friends. One time Charizard’s flame almost went out during a battle, but Hypno intervened. I may have been disqualified, but that was when I knew that he was starting to change. He was still a Drowzee then though.”

She had started to absentmindedly pet between his ears, and the Hypno gave a delighted noise. “That night, I let my Pokemon out to sleep with me in a hotel after we had visited the PokeCenter. I had fallen asleep, but I could hear Siesta making some strange noise. Almost like a singing. I began to dream during this time, and when I awoke the next morning, Drowzee was standing next to me. I believe he had shared the dream he ate before. After a few more battles he evolved. Now he plays harmless pranks. His behavior is usually pleasant, when he is being good. Sometimes he is even affection and wants me to constantly pet him. When he is in his pranking mood, he gets very excited and tends to dance around.”

Hypno began to pat Anja’s head, a smile like appearance upon his face. “I think one on one training has had a very positive effect on him. About a month ago, he was able to stay a week with Mr. Fuji while I was sick with the flu. He even assisted with the other Pokemon at our facility. It was a huge step for him.” She looked at Gary, a proud grin upon her face. “I am very happy with him, and I wouldn’t want any other Pokemon to take his place.”

The bright yellow Pokemon had taken another treat out of Anja’s pocket, but instead of eating it himself, he held it up to Gary. The Pokemon stretched up on his tip toes to hold the candy to Gary’s mouth.

---{X}---
Lt Surge chuckled lowly in his throat at her comment. He couldn’t deny that he had found her cute, and much to his dismay, he had found Eevee to be adorable. Raichu looked to his trainer and cooed at him. “Don’t worry Raichu, you’ll see them tomorrow.” Raichu’s ears twitched excitedly at this news. The electric duo started their way to the beach. The sun was still hugging the earth tightly, but the heat was subsided by a nice breeze.

He took his shoes off and left them on the beach before diving into a deeper end of the deep blue. Raichu splashed his feet a shallow pool nearby The muscular blonde clicked the timer on his waterproof watch. His arms began an overhead stroke. He swam quickly towards a buoy and returned to the beach. He decided to splash through thirty laps today. He was determined to surpass his past time, and so he put more force behind each stroke. The water was colder than he had expected, but it felt relaxing in today’s heat.

As he pushed through his laps, he thought about his strategy to defeat his female competition tomorrow. He ran through his Pokemon and their abilities. He at least knew that she had an Eevee, but he couldn’t even begin to fathom an idea of the rest of her team. With as many Pokemon that were out in the world, the combinations and possibilities were endless. After his twentieth lap he gave up planning out his match, since he wouldn’t know which Pokemon to place out on the field until he witnessed what she had to place against him. For all he knew she might have a team of Ground Pokemon. Now that would be problematic for him.

He powered through the rest of his laps, and checked his watch. He had surpassed his time by five minutes. He felt a strong sense of accomplishment. Raichu gave his trainer a supportive clap before holding up a little seashell. Lt. Surge placed the seashell within his pocket. “I’ll put it with the others.” Not many people got to witness him being considerate, but he was always considerate of his Raichu. They had some tough ordeals that they had been through together. He shook the water from his blonde hair. Some of the droplets splash his Raichu’s face, causing him to make a slight grunting noise.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Mon Apr 21, 2014 7:23 pm

Gary wasn't sure how much information Anja would be up to sharing right away with him. Just because he was Professor Oak's grandson didn't mean he would instantly trust from her. Many trainers could be wary of others out here but then Gary had heard of his fair share of bully stories too. He'd been skilled enough that he could drive anyone off on his travels but others weren't always so lucky.

No sooner had he wondered did Ana start, smiling down at Hypno and patting him affectionately on the head. Every time Gary thought that she might stop, done for the moment, Anja plowed right now passing along more information about her Hypno. Gary was left a little dumbfounded for a few minutes. At the very least he'd have some starting notes on abandoned pokémon and what kind of behavior one could expect from them.

When she was finished Hypno had taken to patting Anja on the head, looking proud of the things that had been said about him. Gary chuckled, shaking his head. He'd seen all kinds of interactions between pokémon and trainers but this one was new to him.

"Well, it sounds like you've been been through a lot together," Gary noted. Before he could say much more Hypno had approached, holding something out to him. Gary didn't get a good look at what it was before Hypno had pushed it towards his mouth, causing Gary to jerk back a little, trying to see what it was.

It took a moment or two before he realized that it was some kind of candy that Hypno was holding out for Gary to eat. Carefully he took it from Hypno's hand, eyebrow raised. A moment after he figured 'why not?' and popped the treat into his mouth. Hypno seemed to grow delighted at this and Gary couldn't help but to snort in amusement.

----[x]----

Claire finally shook her head, tugging out her notebook again though this time she would not be going over the ones she'd jotted down on her two newest team additions. No, she had to prepare the veterans on her team for tomorrow, that was for sure. Someone as cocky as Lt. Surge had to have something to back it up with and Claire would rather not be caught off guard. If nothing else she could try to prepare a few strategies around a Raichu opponent.

Eevee took the time to crawl up into her lap and steal a leftover, half-eaten snack from her order while she was doing this. It wasn't until Claire heard the crunching did she realize what Eevee was doing though all this netted was a roll of the eyes. Eevee cooed happily at this, tail wagging lazily.

For some time they remained there, picking off the remains of their meal before they'd eventually leave, clearing up the table for some other patron. Eevee still trailed freely at her side, enjoy the sunny day as they headed to the outskirts of the city. There would surely be a few trainers she could practice with and if not Claire would figure out some way to train with her team well enough.

The walk wouldn't be long but it did take quite a bit of time all the same. Pokémon and people alike crowded the sidewalks and Claire made sure not to run into or trip over any of them. She'd rather not have someone else snapping at her for something today.

Once outside the city and closer towards the areas where wild pokémon would be hiding she reached for her poké balls. No sense in putting it off, there was work to be done.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Mon Apr 21, 2014 8:26 pm

Anja had always had a terrible habit of rambling on. She took a moment to look around at their surroundings before looking towards Gary. “Are you really like people say?” She twisted her fingers together before looking up into his gaze. “I mean, are you really skilled at battling? I have heard that you are a very advanced trainer. You aren’t as abrasive as people made you sound though.”

She bit her lower lip because she wasn’t sure if her questions would offend him. Her hands dropped to her skirt, and she began to play with the hemming. Her stomach turned over, and nerves began to flow through her bloodstream. She hadn’t meant for it to come out that way, but she had already spoken and she couldn’t pull back her words. She broke his gaze only to return Hypno to his Pokeball. He had started to do his mischief dance, and she didn’t want to risk it.

---{X}---

Lt. Surge closed the doors of his Gym behind him. He began to set up his barriers for the next day. His fellow trainers moved about quickly in order to set up their own places. A few set the trashcans up in a new line up, and the buttons were reset. The skilled leader stepped into his own place as the barrier conducted behind him. He removed his Pokeballs from his pocket and released them. He had to set up some sort of plan, and he decided that the Pokemon could help him.

He inspected each Pokemon carefully, and nodded in his decision. Now all he had to do was finish preparing for the next day. He recalled his Pokemon and turned to look over the rest of the Gym preparations. He chuckled to himself. He didn’t really need to set up all this. There was no possibly way that she’d get through all of his trainers, and then figure out the correct order of the buttons for his electric gate. His boots clomped upon the ground as he paced back and forth. He needed to relax. His mind kept wandering to the interesting woman he had met in the Café.

He had to stay focused, otherwise he might be handing out a Thunderbadge the next day. That was something he couldn’t allow.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:33 pm

It had grown quiet for a stretch of time, Hypno stepping back to Anja's side in that time. Gary glanced up at the darkening sky, wondering if he should head back to the center or not just yet. It wouldn't be long before he'd have to and jot down what he'd learned about this Hypno lest he forget it all. He'd rather not turn back home to gramps empty handed.

Anja spoke up and he blinked at her, taking a moment to register what she'd said. Afterwards he puffed out his chest and placed a hand on his hip, looking for all the world like everyone should know who he was by now. If this attitude bothered Anja he hadn't noticed it.

"Of course I am, I didn't get the place I had in the Indigo League for nothing, you know?" he boasted with a little shrug to boot. A moment after he glanced up at the sky again and gestured up at it. "Maybe we could take this conversation back to the city, huh? I'd rather not be out here and camp again unless I have to."

He would wait until Anja answered before he'd start heading back. It would be simple to find the center and get a room for the night and from there Gary would worry about everything else.

----[x]----

Claire wasn't sure how long she'd stayed outside the city, training her pokémon and battling the odd trainer that ran across them. Raichu, Electivire and Elektross were all more than happy Even Galvantula had enjoyed the sunny day despite being on the sidelines for most of the battles. All the same the afternoon soon gave away to evening and Claire had to head on back to the city for night. There wasn't much sense in camping out when they were this close anyways.

The center was easy to find with its bright red roof and the lights on inside. So long as there were rooms unoccupied trainers were able to rest here free and Claire rather preferred this method over having to find and pay for a hotel room. Besides, at least this way her pokémon could get treatment if they started acting sick in the night.

Luckily there was no shortage of rooms and so Claire made short work of getting one for herself, following the nurse's directions. Only once she'd dropped her things off there and doubled back for a meal in the center's cafeteria did she settle down for the night. There wasn't much point to mingling with the other trainers out in the lounge, at least to Claire there wasn't.

[[OOC: I hope you don't mind the bit of time skip to evening/night time. I'm trying to keep Claire and Surge's timelines meshed up well with Gary and Anja's so things don't get confusing.]]

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Fri Apr 25, 2014 2:10 am

Anja’s eyes watched every move Gary made. She was searching his demeanor to see if she had offended, and her mind raced with different apologies to repair any damage she might have done. She couldn’t help but giggle a bit at his answer. He was very peculiar. She found that he was much different from his Grandfather, but since she had such great respect and gratefulness towards the Professor, she would also display the same respect for his grandson. For the first time she noticed that daylight was fading as the night began to creep upon them.

“Oh, of course. Did you want me to call you Gary, or Mr. Oak?” It was an honest question. He hadn’t stated what to address him by, and until she was told otherwise, she always chose the more formal choice. She had quickly gathered her belongings. In order to try to establish more of a friendship she glanced in his direction again. “When we get to the PokeCenter, you owe me ice cream,” she gave him a teasing grin, “since I gave you such important information.”

The young woman had never really interacted with too many others in her age category. Was that appropriate to display a playful attitude since they had barely met? She wasn’t sure, and soon her stomach began to turn again. She played with her fingers. Twisting and turning them into each other, her teeth biting at the inner corner of her lips. In her mind, the best decision was for her to apologize. “I am sorry for my bold statement,” her hands placed upon her knees and she bowed forward slightly, “it was uncalled for.”

After her apology she looked towards the direction of the town. “Shall we start heading back?”

---{X}---

Lt. Surge gave his gym secondary look over. Everything was in place for the next day, and after speaking with one of his trainers, he could tell that the upcoming day would be a demanding one. There had been a sudden influx of trainers wishing to take him head on for their Thunderbadge. He doubted he would have to give very many, but his mind kept flowing back to the woman in the Café. Usually he could make heads or tails of trainers he came across, but she was much different. Perhaps it was her attitude. She had stood up to him and held her own against him. It was a nice change of interactive pace, but he wasn’t about to let her take a Thunderbadge.

He dismissed his trainers for the night so that they could be well rested. They were his first wave of defense against trainers, and so he had to make sure they were well rested for the impending battles. Each of his trainers were pretty strong in battle, but occasionally they would let a trainer slip through the cracks. He hoped that tomorrow wouldn’t have this outcome, but he never knew. Once his gym passed his inspection he headed towards the upstairs floor in order to make dinner for himself and his Pokemon team. They ate very healthy that night. On the nights before busier days he wouldn’t allow them to be slowed down by poor meals and little rest. He always wanted to make sure it was quite the opposite.

After completing their meals he cleaned up the kitchen and began his nighttime routine. He showered, placed on comfortable sleepwear, and then carefully brushed his teeth. His mind had made itself up earlier in the day to start his sleep cycle early tonight. He clambered into his bed after wishing his Pokemon goodnight. The night was particularly quiet, and he found himself tossing about his bed for a while. He moved from his bed and began to pace back and forth in his room. He often did this on the nights he couldn’t sleep, and he could already tell that he would be up most of the night.

((OOC: It is fine lol. I was going to skip it towards night if you hadn’t.))

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Sun Apr 27, 2014 2:06 pm

Gary scrunched his nose at the formal option she might call him by. He wasn't one for such things if he could help it and it just sounded so stiff. He shook his head and said "just Gary is fine."

He didn't get the chance to say much more before she declared that he owed her ice cream. Taken aback he watched her a moment, unsure if she was kidding or not. He supposed the center might have something in the cafeteria but he couldn't be sure. Many trainers ate early and got off to bed or hung out in the lounge from what Gary observed. Anja quickly took back what she said, however, wringing her hands as she did.

"No, it's fine," he assured, nodding towards the city. It wouldn't take long to get back from here. "If they still have any there anyways."

When she mentioned heading back herself Gary started them off, leading the way. He shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked, toying with a poké ball to pass the time. Anja kept pace easily though she kept a respectable amount of distance between them. Gary wondered if she was always like this or if it was just when she first met people. For all he knew she'd loosen up in time.

By the time the pokémon center came into view he'd glanced at her and said "how long do you plan on being in Vermillion City?" If she stuck around he could ask more about Hypno and take to observing the pair on a daily basis until he gathered enough data. He had yet to really interact and study a previously abandoned pokémon with a new trainer, after all.

The sliding doors opened, the air conditioned air much cooler than the evening they walked in from. Gary tried not to be bothered by this though he could feel goosebumps raising on his arms. Instead of dwelling on this he lead them to the cafeteria, his stomach growling.

----[x]----

Claire hadn't wasted anytime in getting comfortable in the bed provided for her after dinner. It was early but there wasn't much point in going out and about to wander the city. If she did that she'd just end up out after hours and get locked out of the center for the night. Claire would rather avoid that happening again if she could help it.

Eevee was tucked away in his poké ball, for the moment Raichu was out to sleep against her side like always. She was small enough to be able to do so in such a small bed even now unlike poor Electivire or Elektross.

Already Raichu was snoozing at her side, her sides rising and falling in a rhythmic pattern. Occasionally Claire would reach down and scratch behind her ears though for the most part Claire was busy toying around on her phone. At the very least she could play a few arcade games until she was tired enough to doze off. Her night would carry on in this manner for a long while, time seeming all too slow to her. She would be lying if she said she wasn't a little anxious for the gym battle tomorrow.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Mon Apr 28, 2014 12:51 am

Anja followed Gary carefully; she was still feeling uncomfortable about her ice cream comment. She felt that was rather rude of her. She just met him so she couldn’t possibly make any type of demands. The road beneath them crunched softly with each step. “I plan on staying here for a least a couple of weeks. Mr. Fuji decided that since I have acquired all my badges, it is time that I should bond with my Pokémon further and take some time to rest. I tend to overwork myself, and even though I have a deep affection for Pokémon of all types, I began to go through a burn out.” Her arms laced behind her back, her fingers resting on their opposing elbows.

Her body shivered slightly as the blast of the air conditioner splashed over her, but she continued walking towards the Cafeteria. Her eyes looked over each of the items available, and after some consideration she decided to go with a mixed fruit basket, and a salad. She didn’t often eat meat, as she felt it upset her stomach. She found a table towards the back of the cafeteria and sat down. She slid her bag onto the seat next to her before she unfolded her napkin and laid it out next to her plate. Her utensils lined up in size order, and her drink was directly in to the right hand ‘corner’ of her bowl. Anja’s hands worked to separate her fruits since she did not like her food touching.

She watched Gary as he scanned over the food bar, but dropped her sight to her basket again. She wasn’t sure what was going on with her stomach when she looked at him. Since she had never really interacted with anyone her age, she was having a hard time deciding what this feeling could be. Could she be allergic to him? Her anxiety built up at this thought. She had just made a new friend and what would she tell him if she was allergic to him? This was an issue she would have to discuss with Mr. Fuji on their next phone call. She could also ask the Professor since her next contact was to be the next afternoon. He wanted to view the progress on her Pokedex, as well as share new information from his own research on abandoned Pokémon.

She could inform him of meeting his Grandson. She wasn’t sure how that conversation would go, but she felt that he might accept their friendship. After her fruits had been properly sorted, she began to eat a few blackberries while she waited for her new companion. She glanced up at him again to see his progress in his own food run, and she happened to catch his gaze. Her cheeks became warm. “Great. I am definitely allergic to him.” She thought to herself. Her eyes returned to her food quickly before she took a sip of her grape juice.

----{X}-----

Lt. Surge stretched out upon his bed again before watching his Raichu roll over in his sleep. The little Pokémon began to snore again, and the broad man couldn’t help but chuckle. For such a little creature, Raichu could sure saw logs. He took out a book and turned on a dim light in order to read. It would help him clear his mind and delve into another world until he found the will to sleep. This story was particularly boring and dry, and soon he found himself yawning again. His slumbering Pokémon rolled over and his tail knocked the book from his trainer’s hands.

“Alright,” Surge spoke out to himself before returning the book to his bedside table, “I get it. Time to sleep.” He shoved his legs underneath a sheet before shifting to his side. Instead of sleeping, however, he ran through different modes of attack and teams for the next day again. Not just to battle HER, but whoever came into his gym. He didn’t want to give out any badges the next day and he could only hope that the rest of his trainers had been planning their modes of attack as well.

They had failed him in a few instances, first with a new trainer named Gary, and then with another new face dubbed Ash. He could picture a few other trainers, but couldn’t remember their names since they didn’t have such strong personalities as those two had. Maybe that is why he kept thinking of the woman in the café. She had a strong willed personality, and even though he had tried to dig in under her skin, she wasn’t having any of it. She fired back comeback after comeback, question after question. Even her Eevee seemed to want to stand up to him, even though he had been scared by the man’s snapping.

Surge rubbed his chin betwixt thumb and index finger before running a hand through his hair. He wasn’t going to let her pass, he decided. She wasn’t getting her badge unless she really gave him a battle for it.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:23 pm

Anja mentioned staying in Vermillion City for at least a few days to wind down and take a break from the gym challenge now that she had her share of badges. Gary spared a nod at this, planning out what to do for those days. He couldn't just keep following Anja around constantly for information about her Hypno, occasionally he would need to study the Drowzee in the wild as well. Absorbed in thought he didn't realize that he hadn't answered her after that, the rest of the walk to the center in silence.

Inside the cafeteria Gary glanced up as Anja quickly made her way over to the food bar, making her choices quickly before heading to an unoccupied table nearby. Gary shook his head at this, resisting a smile. Something that quickly done told him that she must have had a habit of what she ate for dinner. While there was nothing wrong with that Gary was far slower, picking and choosing what to put on his plate before he'd join her.

At one point he glanced over to see her separated her fruit salad into the individual pieces. As if sensing his gaze Anja had glanced up, meeting it before quickly turning back to what she was doing. Baffled, Gary raised an eyebrow as if silently asking her what that was about though it had been a futile attempt, she hadn't even been looking at him then.

All the same he finished off his choices and made his way to the table she'd picked, sitting across from her. Anja had just enough time to glance up at him before he'd slid a little bowl of ice cream towards her. There hadn't been a lot to choose from and he hoped she liked vanilla.

"You'd said something about owing you ice cream," he pointed out easily before he dug into his own food.

----[x]----

The arcade games weren't terribly exciting but it passed the time. Raichu was still in her sleep like always only occasionally shifting against Claire's side. It made it easy to sleep with the little pokémon now that she'd calmed since she'd been a Pichu. Those thoughts were fleeting however as she messed up the game of Tetris she'd had going.

Cursing under her breath Claire did her best not to let her mind wander, all the same it happened. It was a common thing when she was doing something monotonous for so long. Arcade games were no different even if their difficulty spiked in the later levels. It didn't help that she was a little anxious about the gym battle tomorrow.

Though she'd talked a big game and held her own against Lt. Surge she didn't know what pokémon he had only that they were of the same type that she was working to specialize in. Surely he had tons more experience then she did with the type and would know things that Claire did not. It was this that worried her on top of the specific pokémon he might use against her.

Eventually she sighed, tossing her phone onto the nearby table. It clattered there loudly causing Raichu to jerk and blink up at her blearily, accusation there in her eyes. Claire winced.

"Sorry, Light'," she muttered, reaching out to scratch behind Raichu's ears. This seemed to be all that was needed to calm her. With that done she settled in under the covers. There wasn't much need to flip off the lamp, she'd been playing her games on the phone in the dark for some time.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Tue Apr 29, 2014 12:25 am

Anja looked down to the bowl of ice cream before looking up at Gary. “I had only been teasing you. Thank you though, Gar-y.” She annunciated his name in order to get used to calling him that. Her hand moved to her fruit bowl and picked up a few strawberries. She placed the strawberries lightly onto her ice cream. The metal spoon clinked against the bowl as she brought a scoop up to her mouth. She ate it slowly since she feared suffering a brain freeze.

She took a few more bites before looking up at him again. “How long do you plan to stay here? If you are staying a couple days longer, you are more than welcome to interact with Hypno again.” She finished her small bowl of ice cream before placing it into her now empty fruit basket. She looked to her juice before sipping down the last bit of it. She also placed it into her fruit basket, along with her silverware. While she waited for Gary’s answer she began to fold her unused napkin into a flower. Once it was completed she placed it on top of her dishes.

Anja stifled a yawn as it crept up into her, and she could feel the sleepiness weighing down her eyelids. Even though she hadn’t really done much that day, she still felt exhausted. Perhaps her vacation was indeed necessary. She hoped that there would be a few more rooms open since she did not want to have to push two chairs together in order to sleep in the lobby. She watched as a group of other trainers entered the café. They seemed to be a rowdy bunch as they took a seat only a few tables away. Anja felt that it might be best if they left soon. She didn’t want to have to deal with any rude people.

She would wait for Gary’s answer before she would bid him goodnight. Hopefully he would offer to meet up the next day. They could even go out to the fields together since there were a few Pokémon in the area that she still wanted to encounter.

---{X}----
Lt. Surge rolled over onto his right side as sleep began to overtake him. His eyelids refused to open even as Raichu’s snoring grew louder next to him. His hand slowly reached over and he pat the Pokemon on its back. This seemed to calm his snoring as it lowered to an acceptable level for sleeping. Surge slowly scratched his head before rolling over again. His alarm clock glowed brightly in the darkness, and it almost seemed like an actual light was still on in the room. He pulled the covers over his head and repositioned his head upon his pillow.

Although it had been a hot day outside, inside his room it was quite chilly. He preferred to sleep in the cold rather than in the heat, since he preferred to have covers over him as he slept. After he had first returned from the war, he had seemed to hide under his blankets to escape the unpleasant memories that he had witnessed. He also found covers to be a luxury. He quietly counted in a sleep roughened voice as it became darker underneath his lids. Soon his breathing slowed down, and he began to sink into comfort.

He finally lost consciousness as Raichu’s hind leg gently kicked him in the middle of his back. The small Pokemon was a really rough sleeper, and so he rolled about the bed often. Sometimes he would even end up sleeping over his trainer’s face. Tonight, however, the little Raichu might stick to his side of the bed.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Wed Apr 30, 2014 2:31 pm

Though she declared again that she'd only been kidding about the ice cream Gary waved her off. It wasn't a big deal anyways and at least this way she got something more than fruit in her belly. Then again maybe she just preferred fruit over anything else, it wasn't like he knew her very well to say. He said nothing in return instead choosing to eat his own dinner.

"I was planning on about two weeks, give or take," Gary told her. It wasn't just Drowzee he was here to study, after all.

When he glanced up at her, fork halfway to his mouth, he caught sight of her folding her napkin though into what he couldn't say. The folds she was making were too precise for it to just be an idle habit. Besides that look of concentration on her face told him enough. In only a few minutes she produced a napkin flower, placing it on her dirtied bowl. Gary raised an eyebrow at this though said nothing about it. In a way it was a little cute.

It was only a minute later that she stood, excusing herself for bed. Gary blinked, choking down his mouthful of food to wish her goodnight. He might see her around tomorrow and he'd rather not end the night in a rude manner. He wasn't sure what all might offend Anja and he could be insufferable enough, or so a handful of people told him.

It wouldn't be long after that he finished his meal and headed off to his room as well. There wasn't much point in lingering in the cafeteria when more trainers and their pokémon funneled in for their share of dinner. He'd rather not have to sit and entertain a bunch of people when he had notes to jot down and then get some sleep.

----[x]----

Even though she'd spared quite a bit of time playing games on her phone it still took some time for Claire to actually fall asleep. Raichu cuddled up against her side as always, at least when it wasn't too hot out, a comforting little body. A couple of times Claire took to patting her or scratching behind her oddly shaped ears again.

Eventually she managed, a good chunk of the covers bundled up to her chest in lieu of anything else to hug. She'd always done this since she was a kid and it wasn't a habit that would stop anytime soon. It was like this that'd she'd fall asleep and she'd wake up in the morning. If nothing else she was comfortable.

She couldn't say how much sleep she'd manage that night, only that she did get some. By the time she'd rouse the gray morning light would be streaming in past the partially opened curtains.

[[OOC: I tried to set it up so you can start off the next day with Anja and Lt. Surge like we talked about in PMs a few days ago.]]

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Wed Apr 30, 2014 5:47 pm

The next day Anja rose early like she always did. She dug through her backpack in order to retrieve a new outfit. This time she decided to wear a soft cotton sun dress. Most of the dress was a bright white, but along the bottom of her skirting up to her waist, a variety of blue, purple, and pink flowers popped about. She pulled a short sleeved cardigan over the dress, and slipped on a pair of purple flats. This time she would be prepared for the weather in Vermillion City. After she had finished getting dressed for the day, she took the time to pull her hair up into a pony tail.

She stripped the bedding from the PokeCenter room bed and placed them neatly in a corner for the person that would stop by to clean after she left. Once she had gone through the room in order to make sure she didn’t leave anything behind, she walked out to the main lobby in order to return her key. She decided that later on in the day she would rent a hotel room for the duration of her stay. Anja stopped by the cafeteria on her way out in order to buy a little breakfast box to go for herself and each of her Pokemon.

The sunlight trickled down over her skin and began to warm her up as soon as she stepped out of the air conditioned facility. Today was cooler than it had been yesterday, however, since a breeze rolled in from the ocean. She wandered about outside for a bit before deciding to stop at the same spot she’d been in the day before. The first Pokemon she let out was Haunter. She opened his breakfast box and set it up for him to eat. In the mornings she spent one on one time with each of her Pokemon before she would let them out as a group. The green blades beneath her were cool and the smell of fresh cut grass entered her nostrils. Someone was keeping this area well-kept for whatever reason.

The tree branches above her head danced lightly in the ocean breeze, and occasionally a leaf would be blown off and it would float in the air towards a new home. Haunter spent time trying to catch some of these leaves. The leaves he managed to catch ended up slobbery wet onto Anja’s palms. She never knew just why he did that. He would often bring her random items. She watched him carefully as he floated about in the air. Suddenly Haunter hid himself behind her back, and she glanced up to see a man jogging down the road into town. She recognized him instantly. He was the gym leader of this town, and the battle she had with him was especially brutal. Her fingers brushed over Haunter’s head to soothe him as the large blonde man continued on down the path.

---{X}---
Lt. Surge’s morning started off like any other. He was up by four thirty and dressed for his jog by four forty five. This morning he decided to run on the route outside of the city instead of running along the coastline. When he had left the front doors of his gym the morning had been gray and overcast. The sun was hidden almost completely behind a far off mountain. It wouldn’t be for about another hour or so before it would be risen in the sky above him. His pace started off slow to get his body warmed up for the real deal. His boots scrapped up dirt from the road below him, and as usual no one else was really out and about besides Officer Jenny making her rounds before another would come along to change shifts.

Someone had been out mowing this morning, and Lt. Surge inhaled this fact as he passed by a pile of mowed grass. He continued on down the path, his pace picking up to a jog. By the time he left the city he had entered an actual running gait, and the trees about him danced as the breeze rolled in softly from the waves behind in his town. On these mornings he was almost completely sure that it would rain. His breathing picked up in a rhythm with his pace. Inhale for two left steps, exhale for on right step. Inhale, Inhale, Exhale. The oxygen entered through his nostrils while his mouth would expel the unwanted carbon dioxide. He continued running and after a while he glanced at his watch. Six thirty. He had to start back soon or else his gym would be open late.

He stopped running only to turn around to head back towards the city. Once he had turned he entered into his running motions again. This time he picked up the pace. He had to if he wanted to be open at his usual time. He still had to shower after he returned. Another luxury. Being able to shower every day. Topped with a third luxury. Runs at his own pace.

After running for a bit longer, he slowed down to a jog to let his heart rate decline as he entered the route into the city. He noticed a young woman sitting under a tree, but he didn’t really pay her any mind as he continued off towards his gym. He had slowed to a walk as he turned onto the pathway that his gym rested on. He quickly unlocked the doors and headed inside. His trainers had already been waiting for him at the entrance. They took to their places as he headed up the stairs to prepare for his long day of battles.

He was back downstairs in twenty minutes, just in time for the first opponent to walk through the door. He was young, probably not too far into his Pokemon journey. The boy’s hair was fashioned in a bowl cut, and he seemed to be dressed almost professionally as he approached the first trainer. Poor kid lost the match in about five minutes. Lt. Surge shook his head as the boy hung his head in shame before exiting the gym. The gym leader wondered if the boy would try again after he had gotten more experienced. It didn’t matter to him either way. People came and went often in the world of Pokemon, and not everyone was born to be a trainer.

The broad man crossed his shoulders over his chest as he watched a few more opponents enter the building.

((OOC: Thanks! :) I hope you didn't mind it.))

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Fri May 02, 2014 4:35 am

As he'd long since gotten used to, Gary got up early, the sun rising and trying to poke through the curtains. Gary hadn't wasted any time in getting up and slipping into a change of clothes, shaking Umbreon awake afterwards. She was one of the only pokémon he had on his team that would fit in this room comfortably much less on the bed with him. Sometimes Gary wondered if Umbreon relished in that compared to the other pokémon Umbreon called her friends and teammates.

With the dark-type padding along at his side Gary wasted no more time in getting breakfast to quell his growling stomach. He'd have to grab something for his other pokémon to snack on later instead of just their poké-food. It was a short affair before Gary was outside to enjoy the chilly morning air until it inevitably warmed up.

"All right, let's start by trying to find some wild Drowzee before noon rolls around," Gary told Umbreon, fishing out his pokédex as he talked.

It was easy to find the entry he needed, long since filled out when he first traveled through here. Even still, the entry was short, only a sentence or two of the most basic information on Drowzee. All of the entries were this way, the pokédex only able to hold so much information at one time and with more and more pokémon being discovered even now... He shook the thought away. At the very least it kept upcoming trainers on their toes when they ran into information not readily logged into their give pokédexes.

He wondered if he'd see Anja running around out of the city or not today. She didn't seem like the adventurous type though she could be out here with her team all the same. Many trainers liked to take it easy once in awhile and she was definitely no different there. Gary shook the thought away. They'd run into each other sooner or later, at least he hoped so. If nothing else there was the excuse of getting more information on Hypno first hand that he could use to find her...

Running a hand through his hair he shook his head. He had to focus for the moment. He still had to locate a Drowzee with Umbreon's help.

----[x]----

Claire hadn't bothered setting her alarm. From early experience on her original journey through Unova she'd learned that eager trainers often ran into gyms early and she'd rather not be stuck behind a line. If the gym had been closed early the day before then she reasoned there might be something of a queue of trainers there today, no use getting up early only to wait.

When Claire finally did drag herself out of bed it was only because Raichu had taken to tugging at her long hair. Blinking blearily at Raichu it took a moment to realize that Raichu had taken to waking her because she'd grown hungry. Claire huffed though nonetheless pulled herself out of bed and slipped her shoes on. Her clothes were rumpled from sleeping in them though she wasn't quite so inclined to change then just yet.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go then," she yawned, running her fingers through her hair to lazily brush it.

After a quick breakfast she called Raichu back to her pokéball and instead released Eevee to trail along at her side again. She might need to call upon Raichu against Lt. Surge and she'd rather not let him know what other pokémon she called her team until the last minute. That and, feeling a little petty, she could at least hope to annoy the large man by letting Eevee keep her company while the others battled.

The gym came into view quickly enough, the large building rather imposing. Claire didn't let herself grow antsy or anxious long enough to grow deterred however, instead she hurried up to the door and slipped inside.

Subject: Re: (PKMN) Lights in the Sky ~Reserved~ Fri May 02, 2014 2:00 pm

After calming Haunter down from his excited state, she restored him into his Pokeball. He had been out a little longer than she had planned, so this time she let two Pokemon out at the same time. Kangaskhan and Charizard. These two ate rather quickly, so she’d be able to get to her one on one time with them. She decided to play a game of catch with them, and so she dug into her bag and pulled out a medium sized blue ball. Charizard loved this game, although Kangaskhan didn’t usually participate, Anja thought it was worth a try. After tossing the ball around with Charizard for a couple minutes, her Kangaskhan intercepted a catch and tossed the ball to Charizard.

This seemed to have taken the large orange dragon by surprise, because instead of catching it, it bounced off the top of his head. Their trainer became a little wary since the last time this had happened, Charizard and Hypno had had quite the Poke Argument. Instead Charizard picked up the ball and seemed to make a laughing cry as he tossed the ball back to Anja. Maybe her Charizard was finally warming up. He had always been jealous of her other Pokemon, besides Haunter. After a few more minutes of letting them run about the small field and tossing the ball back and forth, she recalled them.

The morning was going by fairly quickly, so she released her final three Pokemon. Hypno stared at his breakfast box while Lapras and Jolteon began eating immediately. Hypno sniffed the box suspiciously before holding it up to Anja. The trainer titled her head to the side as she examined the box. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it, so she opened it up to evaluate the food. Normally he set his own boxes up, so Anja figured maybe the food had been bad. Her mind seemed to click to his sudden demeanor as she looked at his face. He was looking at Lapras’ box, which she had set up for her, but the look he gave it seemed to be rather jealous.

Anja’s hands moved the food carefully into place before she held it back up to the Hypno. He gave her a smile before plopping down on the ground. She took time to pet each of these Pokemon before looking at them. “Want to go for a swim you guys?”

Hypno’s eyes grew wide at this idea, while Jolteon hopped upon Lapras’ back. Anja climbed on top of Lapras before holding her hand out to Hypno. “Come on, it’ll be fun. You can even eat your box while we are out there.” The large yellow Pokemon climbed on top of the large shell very carefully before sitting down. “Drizzle, make sure you go a nice, steady pace, okay? We don’t want to scare Siesta.”

Lapras gave a happy cry before pushing off towards the deeper part of the water. Hypno continued to eat his box very slowly as he stared out at the water below him. Occasionally a water Pokemon would pop up under the surface of the water, and Hypno would become excited as he pointed. Jolteon took this opportunity to take a nap in the sun shine. After they had been off shore for a while, Lapras returned to the sand bank. Anja recalled Jolteon and Lapras. “I think we should go find some Pokemon today, what do you think?” She gave Hypno a smile before leading him towards the taller grass.

---{X}---

Lt. Surge’s day was turning out much like the day before had. Many trainers had been filing through the doors, and he was growing tired of such weaklings taking up space in his battlefield. Out of the line of trainers for the day, only a handful had pushed through to him, and out of that handful two had gotten their badges. He wondered the capabilities of the gyms before him if so many trainers that were popping up and not being able to get through the gym.

It is probably because they used lesser Pokemon than his Electric type. They probably even battled with unevolved Pokemon. He chuckled low in his throat at this thought. That’s why all these new comers didn’t have the decency to evolve their Pokemon. Other gym leaders had set the precedence that this was acceptable during Pokemon journeys. He glanced at his watch and groaned. The doors of his gym would be open another few hours before he could close it. “Maybe I should open a school for trainers. Teach them how to properly evolve their Pokemon. Then they could actually earn their Thunderbadge.”

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, another Trainer had entered his gym. He looked up and instantly recognized her she even had the gull to bring her weak little friend along with her. He watched her carefully. Would she be moving up to battle him today? He doubted it. She might have the hard headedness factor, but her Pokemon lacked certain qualities he was sure. He wouldn’t have time to watch her long since another trainer had pushed through and was now standing in front of him.

“Get ready kid, I’m going to show you how real Pokemon battle!”

After what seemed to be too long of a battle to his liking, the trainer before him had still managed to lose. He had put up a good fight though, and Lt. Surge could sense the potential in him. The trainer didn’t hang his head in shame like most of the other trainers had that day. Instead he swore to return when he was ready before he left the gym. Surge now looked upon the lightly crowded floor to find sight of the woman again.

» {PKMN} Here's to Us {Reserved}
» [PKMN Rp] Gone, Gone, Gone [Reserved]
» [AC] Just a Dream [Reserved]
» [RE RP] My Apocalypse [Reserved]
» [|RE|] Seize the Day [|Reserved RP|]