Queen of the Hill

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The day was bright, but the fog obscured it in this strange hill enshrouded in fog. The house that stood on top of this hill was hidden by foliage of the trees that surrounded it, and those trees too, were hidden behind the mist. The grass seemed to be fresh and covered with dew, suggesting that either the mist had left some of its water on the leaves and was settling, or morning and the present was not too far apart.

In this thick mist, a small and stocky rock and dragon type was making her way towards the hill. She was attempting to reach home once more after having followed a strange pawniard to the dark forest called Shadowhue and visiting the strange waterfall by the name of Monochrome Falls. The trip had been cruel to her after a certain flabebe decided to blast her with a strange move called Solar Beam she had not been familiar with.

The strange rock type stopped walking, her big and heavy feet leaving marks in the grass from when her weight crushed the grass beneath her and made it difficult to spring back up. She was utterly lost, she was wondering why she had not demanded that the pawniard take her home. Her mother had always taught her that there has to be times where royals do things themselves, they cannot abuse their subjects for their every will.

The teachings of her mother and father had always conflicted against each other. Her father always spoke of ruling with an iron fist and using fear to gain respect and never fearing anything herself, while her mother spoke of kindness and pity, respecting the subjects and helping them out, gaining respect through trust. Two teachings and only one could be chosen, the tyrunt trusted both of her parents, and both of her parent's methods seemed effective, but she could only choose one. If she were to choose one, she was to reject the other method and possibly anger the other parent.

She sighed as the picked up the blue sapphire amulet that hung from her neck, a family heirloom. It was proof of her royalty, and it was passed down for generations according to her parents. Giving her this seemed like it was the only thing her parents actually agreed on doing, so it must have been important to them. Although it was actually the tyrannitar, her grandfather, that gave it to her and just told her that her parents agreed to give it to her. He had also said that they had agreed to let her go out on this journey. She had trusted her grandfather, why would he have any reason to lie to his grand-daughter after all?

The tyrunt smiled, remembering her home kingdom bringing back fond memories despite bringing back the confusion that resurfaced with it. She let the amulet dangle from her neck once more, and looked back into the fog, she could see only two meters in front of her or so. The exact distance was difficult to determine due to the tyrunt's lack of education in such a department.

Victoria, the tyrunt, moved along in hopes of chancing her way into another friendly pokemon to help her, or scare a feral into helping her. She did not mind this place too much, but she needed to return home to her shelter. She needed to finish it, her home, she also needed to try and collect some pokemon to help her in building her kingdom. One day, this little tyrunt hoped to be queen, to fulfill her destiny her parents had given her!

((Victoria energy: 9))

“Wow, V—,” Cracker started to say, but stopped himself. “That’s a—a very pretty name. I hope someday you’ll let me call you that.” He giggled awkwardly, biting his lip. “Anyway, we’re not really lost—I mean, we are, but we aren’t. If you know what I mean?” The Aipom gestured fruitlessly with his arms. “Okay, so yeah, we can’t really see… And we may have lost the path, but—but! I know we have to go in this direction.”

Cracker pointed in a general Westward direction, still seeming a little unsure of himself but he was recalling his path through this land previously with the Ralts, Akuroma. This had been an unavoidable region to pass through on their way to the mountain range, and their trek had always been towards the setting sun, rarely visible as it was.

He was all but certain that he knew the direction, just not the terrain. And with the path lost to the mist around them, all they could do was follow the sun which was already beginning to set, casting yellow and orange streaks through the thick vapor surrounding them. It would be dark soon, and finding a place to rest in these woods might be a difficult task; especially if the native Pokemon were to express their displeasure over Cracker and Victoria’s presence.

“Hold on and stay close, okay? The mist gets even worse at night,” he warned, draping his tail-arm around the Tyrunt once more before proceeding to march forward slowly.

((Victoria Energy: -1 because of item +1 because of new page))

The tyrunt wondered why the aipom kept draping its tail over her, but had figured it was just the customs down in this area. She figured that since she was the guest and she was asking the aipom to respect some of her customs, she should allow some of the aipom to perform its own. The tyrunt followed the aipom, her big and heavy feet leaving obvious foot prints in the grass, crushing the green growth below her weight.

She said nothing for a while, watching only the mist as the aipom led her to "safety" she did not really doubt the aipom's validity of his kindness, but the way the aipom draped his arm around her made things feel a bit awkward for her. She shoved the awkward feeling aside and spoke to try and get her mind off of it, thinking she was over thinking things, "So...subject, where do you reside? Since i've already told you about Black Spear Mountain Range."

The tyrunt looked into the mist, it became thicker and seemed to be clouding around the duo even more as if colossal walls were closing in on them, waiting to hug the two and crush them to death. Thankfully, the "walls" was just mist, water in the air that had yet to settle. Nothing would crush these two today, hopefully...

Kat carried out 1 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

It was difficult for Cracker to contain his enjoyment of such physical contact with the Tyrunt. He didn’t really know why, but he felt unusual around her right now. Perhaps it was because he’d never met a Princess before; certainly not one that was both pretty and terrifying at the same time. When he’d first seen those mighty jaws overhead, he was in awe as much as he was in terror. Victoria somehow looked both powerful and delicate. He had to wonder if this was how all Princesses were meant to be.

The combination of traits was certainly enough to demand the Aipom’s admiration. Especially since Victoria didn’t seem to mind his tail being draped across her back. Most Pokemon hated that; in his experience anyway. Naturally, he would’ve expected a Princess to feel the same way, but rather than be repulsed she made a concession and permitted it; that alone made him feel giddy and emboldened.

As they continued on through the mist, the Tyrunt posed a query, to which Cracker had to qualms providing an animated answer. “Me? Well! Uhm… I’ll be honest, I—I don’t really have a home at the moment. Long story—I got kicked out of my village—but I’ve been eyeballing this pretty tree I found in Pecha Forest a while back. It’s big and hollow and I think it’d make the perfect place…” He trailed off for a moment, before abruptly countering his previous statement. “But—uh! I’m not committed or anything, hah… hah.”

The Aipom came to a stop, retracting his tail from the Tyrunt so he could wring it nervously between his paws. Why was he getting so flustered? It was just a harmless question, but it was already making him reconsider making that tree his home and running off to live with the Princess instead. Like she’d even have me, anyway. This was silly and he was being dumb; knights didn’t act this way, and neither did body-guards. If he was going to consider himself either one, he had to be more confident and tough.

“A—Anyway, I think we should make camp for the night. Lots of mean Pokemon come out at night, so…” Cracker examined their immediate surroundings; they’d entered into something of a hollow in the landscape and there was a sizeable tree with hanging leaves that would make a nice spot to hide. “Over there! That should be perf—”

The Aipom moved to secure the location, but as he spoke, he foot caught on a small box jutting out of the ground. With a yelp, he toppled head-over-heels and rolled down deeper into the hollow in the direction he’d intended to go, but with decidedly less control. He collided with the tree and plopped flat on the forest floor, staring up at the sky again as he rubbed his head. Great, I can’t even walk right around her.

((Victoria - 8 energy because of last roll))

The tyrunt neared the pretty looking box, tilted her head to get a better look at it with one eye before nudging it out of the ground and into her makeshift sack that was her Joy Ribbon. She adjusted her ribbon a bit, wondering how she was going to get the box open before speaking up, "Nice find.."

She was relieved the aipom had taken his tail off of her, it made her feel awkward and uncomfortable for some peculiar reason, and not in the same way it made the aipom feel. She looked up at the large tree, wondering just how they would hide in a tree. The aipom seemed like it would be able to hide in there, but what would she do? Cling onto the branches with her tiny arms?

"Um...that's a good find and all..but how am I going to hide in there?" she asked, raising a brow. She looked back up at the tree as an ominous wind passed by shaking the tree slightly and causing the leaves to brush against each other, making a rattling noise similar to that of an Ekans.

In response to the Tyrunt’s question, Cracker sat upright sharply, staring up at the tree branches overhead. She had a point, and it was something he hadn’t initially considered. He couldn’t let her know that, though. The Aipom was determined to appear as utilitarian as possible, and less like the complete buffoon he no doubt appeared to be.

“Oh um… Well… That’s not a problem, ha…! Don’t worry, just—give me a second!” Leaping up onto his tail, Cracker catapulted himself into the tree, snagging the first branch within reach, before racing about from limb to limb. “I’ll just—get this here and—take that and…”

The sound of the Aipom’s beefy tail repeatedly striking branches rang out for about half a minute as large chunks of foliage rained down from above. When he was finally finished, Cracker jumped back down to the ground, zipping around busily as he constructed a lean-to from the branches he’d relieved the tree of. By the time he was done, Cracker was panting heavily and looking a little dizzy, but he turned around triumphantly.

“See…? No big deal!” he wheezed, dropping to the ground in exhaustion. “Man am I beat…”

Lumin carried out 1 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

The tyrunt watched as the aipom moved swiftly from branch to branch, collecting the branches and causing leaves to rain down upon and around her. The tyrunt had been almost coated in leaves as she refrained from moving the entire time. She shook herself, causing the leaves to slide off and settle on the ground, far from their home in the tree.

She looked at the constructed structure the aipom had exhausted himself into building. The tyrunt had to admit it looked a little shabby in her opinion, but it was better constructed than her rocky home back at Black Spear. She watched the aipom wheeze as he expressed his exhaustion and fell to the ground.

"It will do," she spoke, taking a step into the temporary shelter, "Sleep in the trees, that way if something attacks in the middle of our rest you will have a surprise advantage," she spoke, her tone at the halfway mark between suggestion and order since she was a bit conflicted on whether this aipom would be considered her complete subject yet.

((Energy: 9))

The sound of Victoria's praise, as neutrally delivered as it was, made the Aipom leap back to his feet with a grin. He didn't really recover the energy spent making the lean-to, but he certainly felt like he did. He didn't know why he was so eager to please her, but he didn't bother to question it either. The Tyrunt was pretty in a way only a short-armed, stocky little dinosaur could be, and he liked her, which was all that mattered.

In response to the Princess, Cracker bowed awkwardly, still maintaining his grin. "Yes, sir! I mean ma'am, I mean-- Aheh... You Highness!"

Leaping away to the pile of leaves that had previously attempted to bury to lovely Tyrunt, the monkey scooped them all up into a large ball and bounced himself up into the tree overhead. He quickly found the perfect little nook in the branches and proceeded to make his bed, already feeling more than tired enough to sleep. As he worked though, a small item tumbled out of the materials he was working with. It was a small seed with a shiny shell. He wouldn't have recognized it by name if not for the fact he'd seen one before. This was the same kind of seed he'd given that Zorua when she'd gotten ill. What a lucky find! he thought, tucking the Quick Seed into his makeshift bindle with the other items he'd been collecting.

Once he was finished making his bed, he considered just dropping into it and going right to sleep, but he could feel his tummy grumbling. The tree he was in bore several sizeable grapefruits, but he didn't want to eat alone. Perhaps Victoria was hungry too. Snatching a couple of the large orbs, he crept back down the tree, peeking into the shelter he'd made for the Princess.

"Hey, um... Princess?" he asked quietly, not sure if she'd already gone to sleep. The sun had gone down by now and the mist was diffusing the limited moonlight. "Are you hungry? It's okay if you're not, but--well, I found some fruit. I've never tried it before, but it shouldn't be too bad--Uhm, you're awake, right?"

((8))

Unfortunately for the small aipom, the princess was snoring away in the back of the shelter with her back facing the outside world. The tyrunt had been exhausted from the day's travels, even she had not noticed it until she had laid down within the small shelter. She was a bit uncomfortable to the springy grass that made her feel as if she wasn't on completely solid ground, but she was too tired to whine or complain.

She would have preferred the stony floor of her den, sure it gave her back and neck aches sometimes, but it just felt right to the tyrunt, at least until she had collected a following large enough for her to be living like a royal. Right now, she was nobody. So she was to live like a nobody. The tyrunt hoped that this would change, and she wished for it to change soon.

Kat carried out 1 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

((Sorry about short post))

The sound of a gentle snoring was the only response Cracker got, even after trying to get her attention for half a minute. He couldn't bring himself to wake her, though. That would be rude. Besides, she makes the most adorable noises when she sleeps, he thought. Wait, why did I just think that? The Aipom shook his head and plopped down on the ground, staring at the two grapefruits in his paws. Well, she may have been tired enough to sleep without eating, but he wasn't.

Setting down the fruit he'd intended for her, the monkey cracked into his, breaking it into two pieces with considerable effort. He'd never had or seen this kind of fruit before, but after the first bite, he was pleased to find that the flavor was quite agreeable. He had it eaten it a few short minutes, still sitting outside the Princess's little makeshift hunt. By the time he was finished, Cracker was more than ready for a good night's sleep.

Climbing back up into the tree, the Aipom was prepared to curl up in his makeshift nest when he suddenly realized... Sitting in his bed was a little Kricketot. It was all nestled in and looking cozy until he appeared, at which point it opened its eyes and growled ineffectively. Cracker figured he should've been affected by the attack, but maybe he was just too tired, or maybe the bug-type was just too weak. Whatever the case, he was tired and it was in his bed. Coming closer, he reached out to eject it from his roost. As he did so, the bug used Bide.

Staring blankly for a second, the Aipom rolled his eyes. "Come on now, this is my bed," he argued, picking up the little Pokemon but it's yellow collar. "Be reasonable, kay?" Growling again, the Kricketot used Struggle Bug, causing it to squirm erratically it the monkey's hold before headbutting him weakly. "Hey! Knock that off! This is my bed, not yours!" He was just about ready to throw the Pokemon into the bushes below, but decided against it. This Kircketot wasn't a threat; heck, it wasn't even scary. Cute would've been a more apt description.

Rather than give it the old boot, the Aipom set it back down. "Fine, you win. I'll go sleep somewhere else. I'm way too tired to argue anyway," he said with a yawn.

Leaping over to the other side of the tree, Cracker quickly scrounged up another bundle of leaves and fashioned them into a second bed. It wasn't good as the other one, but he was too exhausted to care at this point. The instant he was... mostly finished, the Aipom flopped into it with a heavy sigh.

Lumin carried out 1 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

It was at that moment when a small pidgey seemed to land in the tree branch that shared the nest with the aipom. It stared at the aipom, wishing for his nest. The pidgey began to think about whether it should try and force the aipom out or something else. In the end, the pidgey had simply decided to test to see if the aipom was willing to share. The bird hopped into the nest, forcing itself in to the small room left in the nest and giving a big smile like a thank you to the aipom as much as it could with its beak. It was a rather odd pidgey, but it didn't seem to want to fight.

Down below Victoria had been curled up on her side, heavy breathing indicating she was still asleep as her mind was flooded with dreams of her ruling her own kingdom. She was either loved or feared as she fiercely protected her kingdom by any thread that came across it. In her dreams she was a brave and strong warrior willing to do all she could, but in reality she was a small tyrunt that was barely able to attack a fletchling. Her views on how a queen should be was clouded by mixed teachings and views, as was her dream as it began to shift between the views and her mind grew frustrated at what it should want before dumping the tyrunt into the oblivion of a dreamless sleep.