You Can't Handle the Coral!

Dreyar swam through the ocean at a leisurely pace, his little squirrel-like tail wagging behind him slightly as he did so. The Coral Forests were such a nice place to explore, especially since the only pokemon that could get there were water types, meaning that no polluting poison types could get to it. The little squirtle finally saw the beautiful reefs a little distance away, and swam with a little more haste, excited to see what was in store for him.

Tom, having "misplaced" his previous exploration buddy after a rather savage encounter with a pugnacious Seadra, was once more swimming about in the Coral Forest location. Its region had numerous shades of different colors, and such flashy brightness was comparable to a scarf, ribbon, and thread shop. All about him life flourished and skittered about: schools of Fish Pokemon swam swiftly, Sharpedos idly flitted about, and dazzling Lumineons allowed their lights to penetrate the bright blue. It was a tropical paradise, and the Totodile was so pleased with himself that he had finally come here, even if there had been numerous trials and tribulations prior.

Dreyar stopped for a second and just floated in the water, taking in the beautiful scene. Along with the pokemon swimming through the coral reefs, there was a large diversity of pokemon around the surface. Wailord broke the surface for a mere moment before gently floating back into the water. The young squirtle's eyes were shiny with innocent amazement. He thought to take a break on one of the coral's branches, tired from his long journey to the Coral Forests. But then, Dreyar noticed a pokemon who looked pretty friendly and easy to talk to nearby, so he swam over to the Totodile in a hurry.

"Hi, I'm Dreyar! What's your name?"

With such vibrancy and colors surrounding the watery atmosphere about him, Tom was admittedly quite distracted. There was so much life here that simply could not be fully captured year-round on land, and it was refreshing to be able to return to the same liveliness whenever he felt like it. It was nice to play spectator in the game of life every once in a while, and nothing quite topped the sensation of simply reclining upon an underwater current and letting that carry him about.

Just as he was debating whether or not he might indulge his desire to relax, a voice - followed up with an introduction - was distributed to him. The Totodile would pivot about so that he might face this newcomer head-on and was pleasantly surprised to see a Squirtle. A toothy, full grin smeared itself across his mandible as he did his best to look friendly, and he would mimic this sentiment as best he could with his voice, "Tom! Nice to meet you, Dreyar!"

Dreyar gave a smile in return, feeling a large anime sweat drop roll down the back of his head. That Totodile's toothy maw was a little intimidating to the little Squirtle, but he managed to push that thought to the back of his head. This guy didn't seem like a bad guy...maybe he could help him explore the forests? "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know this place well, would you? I'm aiming to explore this place, but I'm a little new around here."

The Totodile, who at this point was merely treading water, was doing his best to look as dapper and friendly as possible. Although it was admittedly difficult when Arceus granted him a less than appealing countenance, he would simply have to compensate with his personality and overall friendliness. Upon the inquiry as to whether or not he knew the reefs here particularly well, he would allow a single hand to support his chin. He would stop moving and begin to slowly sink as he pondered whether or not he could truly classify himself as an expert. Promptly he would perk up, and level himself with the Squirtle, swiftly exclaiming, "Can't say that I am. Nope!"

"However," he would add, "I'm sure that I could help you explore!"

Dreyar looked a bit disappointed when the Totodile said that he hadn't known this place well, but it was fine, really! This just meant that he wasn't the only one that had no idea where he was going! The Squirtle turned towards the Coral Forests, then back at Tom, "Well, I guess we won't get anywhere just treading. C'mon!" Dreyar turned his body completely around and shot towards the forests, stopping right in front of the coral reef and taking in the scenery for what seemed like the last time before swimming in. Hopefully the Totodile he had just met would be able to keep up, but he was a water type just like him, so it would probably be fine.

Tom would swiftly nod his head in agreement with the Squirtle. He would speak with a steady tone, for his eyes were merry and his voice was cheerful, "Lead on! I'll be right behind you, Dreyar!" He would swim quickly with his tail whipping behind him fiercely and his limbs flailing strategically to propel him to the turtle's side. There was something nice about meeting a fellow wanderer in this location of vivid color and life, and thus he was naturally drawn to someone who was willing to go spelunking with him. As he swam, something caught his attention beneath a rock heap. He would swim towards it, hoping to find something exciting.

ares carried out 1 launched of one Coral Forest :

Dreyar looked to the totodile, who was about to find a Joy Ribbon beneath a heap of rocks! "That's a nice find!" The squirtle wished he had luck like that. Joy Ribbons were so good to have, especially for one as him with a low level. Dreyar swam through the colorful coral cautiously, no telling what could happen in these depths. Small bubbles came up from a crack in the rock below a larger coral grouping, betraying the appearance of an empty space. The squirtle, naturally curious of such things, angled his swimming pattern towards it. Hopefully he would find an item or something, and not an unfriendly encounter. Just in case, Dreyar called over to Tom to make sure he knew where he was.

Guest carried out 1 launched of one Coral Forest :

From beneath the rubble, Tom would find a piece of fabric. It whipped about in a slow, methodical manner as it moved lifelessly in the undersea current, rippling like a flag caught in a lagging breeze. He knew right away what it was, and understood its importance: a Joy Ribbon allowed him to level up faster and become stronger. He would quickly wrap it about his deltoid, fastening it in a cursory knot so that it would not be swept away; he would figure out what sort of fashion statement he would use it for later. The Totodile would give a friendly nod and smile as his companion mentioned how excellent a find it was, and he couldn't help but reply, "Yeah! I hope we can find one for you, as well! That'd be so neat!"

When Dreyar began to swim again, Tom quickly followed behind him. He ensured that he wouldn't get out of his sights because he knew how dangerous these colorful reefs were, despite how wondrous they appeared. Suddenly, a Luvdisc shot forth from the location that the Squirtle had been examining - and it looked mad!

Dreyar was taken in by the gaze of the Luvdisc, as it was using a special move, and didn't realize that it was being shot with a Water Gun until it was too late. The poor squirtle went spinning through the water, passing the tops of the corals and into the above seas. That's when Dreyar spread his arms and legs out to stop himself, glaring at the spot where he had been shot out of. "Grr...you're gonna get it, now." After concentrating for a short bit, a ring of water surrounded him, replenishing his stamina. Then he swam towards the Luvdisc, head-first and at full speed, attempting to ram into it. The attack hit its mark, as the Luvdisc hadn't been expecting that kind of attack, and it went spiraling towards Tom, very vulnerable.

Dreyar was quite skilled in combat, and recovered quite fluidly when hit; he even was able to conjure up what appeared to be a healing ring! Though perhaps Tom might have handled the situation a bit more poorly, the Squirtle maintained control after being damaged and even managed to push the vulnerable enemy towards him. The Totodile was never a man to pass up on an excellent opportunity, and would dart forward quickly in order to attempt sinking his teeth into the fish's pink body. It was a simplistic Bite attack, but he hoped to score a hit and perhaps frighten the pugnacious creature away.