Persuading the Pidgeys!

First topic message reminder :

Crash the Tyrogue, a member of the guild, found himself in the Pecha Forest once again on a request from Wurmple. Apparently, according to his cry for help, there were simply too many Pidgey in the area! For him, it must have been scary for a bug-type like him with all of those birds around. It was good for him that there were explorers like Crash around to keep the peace. Usually, a fighting-type going into a job like this would seem like a bad idea, what with brawns over brains. However, this Tyrogue was going to try a "diplomatic" approach before he did anything rash. The pokemon walked through the forest at a brisk pace, trying to find the pokemon who were plaguing this forest.

The orange vixen stayed quiet as Varda finished tying up the sleeping Pidgey. Some part of her questioned if they were doing the right thing, but she reminded herself that this would be more humane in the end. She didn't like to cut corners on her missions, either, so she shouldn't be complaining that they found a better solution to the request.

The Vulpix glanced over at the Pidgey, nodding as the Swablu said that the bird Pokémon were heavy. "You're right. I could probably only carry one at a time anyways. Two, at the most." She mused. She wasn't sure how long the move Sing usually lasted, but right now, she was just hoping it would stay asleep long enough for them to find a place to put this Pidgey. Speaking of which, where exactly would be a good place to put it?

She considered this for a moment before Varda had finished tying up the other flying type. "Right." She confirmed, walking towards the feral Pokémon. "I think taking them to a deeper part of the forest would work, but I don't know any exact places where we could put them." She had only been to Pecha Forest a week or two ago, but that was more than enough time for the Mystery Dungeon to change from when she was last here. Otherwise, that spot where she fought the Cacturne might've worked.

Energy: 23

Varda nodded as well as Lumina agreed to his words. The Pidgey were going to have to be carried if they were asleep – or knocked out in some other way – so they had to make sure they could actually lift such a heavy burden. The fox seemed to at least be the heavier of the two, and the small bird could assume that the larger Pokémon was also the stronger one... So if she thought she could only handle one or two at the same time, that definitely meant they couldn't carry all the necessary Pidgey away with just the two of them! ...And they definitely couldn't just drag the poor birds, either.

"Well... If we don't know any particular place, then we just have to find one," the Swablu chirped cheerfully in his usual optimistic way, not very bothered by the idea that they had no idea where to go. He waddled around the Pidgey to get to the other side of the still-sleeping bird, slowly squeezing his wings under its body as he prepared to lift it.
"We could walk to the opposite direction of the town, right? The edge of the forest is in the direction of Grassveil Town, so we would head deeper if we walked away from it," Varda told Lumina his idea – which wasn't much, but perhaps it was... Something.

The bird Pokémon finally tried to lift the sleeping Pidgey's body, grunting a bit as he gritted his beak. His wings were wobbling as he put everything he had into the job, managing to actually slowly lift the other bird off the ground.
"Unnnghh... D-Do you maybe want to take this one," he asked carefully, shaking and wobbling.


Current Energy: 15 (14 +1 from the new page)

Bird carried out 1 launched of one Mission Dice :

3

"Alright. Not a problem, Varda." The Vulpix nodded, watching as the small Swablu put all his strength into getting himself and the Pidgey off the ground. She would imagine that it would be hard for him, as he wasn't much bigger than the feral Pokemon himself. She grabbed the coral pink ribbon tied around Pidgey, careful that she wouldn't accidently sink her teeth into the fabric, and took it from Varda's grip.

Her head was slightly dipped as she carried the Pidgey, lifting it a few inches away from the ground. Surprisingly, the small bird wasn't as heavy as she'd thought it would be. She glanced back up at the cotton-winged Pokemon, giving him a quick nod to tell him she was alright, and began walking forward again. She tried to keep her sights on the path ahead of her, occasionally looking back down at the Pidgey to check if it was stirring from it's sleep.

PhantomSun carried out 1 launched of one Pecha Forest :

Varda did his best to keep the Pidgey off the ground despite how heavy the other bird was, not wanting to suddenly drop it and wake it up. Luckily Lumina did agree to take it off his hands – wings – and gently grabbed the ribbon he had used to wrap the bird up into a neat little package. Immediately the Swablu let out a sigh of relief, allowing his wings to droop to his sides limply, letting them relax. He did need it.
"Phew... Thank you," he chirped happily.

The bird eventually folded his wings and took another look at the fox to see how she was doing. She didn't seem to be feeling very tired yet, apparently keeping the Pidgey off the ground quite easily. The only bad thing about it was that she had to use her mouth to do it, meaning she was unable to say anything at all!
"You're fine, right?" He cooed as he tilted his head, getting a nod as a response. Lumina already started to walk and Varda of course followed her, having no idea which direction they should be headed as he didn't know where Grassveil Town actually was now! He was certain that the fox did, however.

"Maybe... You could also try to carry it on your back? Then again, I'm not sure how we would make sure that it stays there, especially if you have to run," the Swablu started as he kept walking, staying at Lumina's side as he looked back at her. He was just wondering if there were any better options that didn't limit his partner's ability to talk so much. But suddenly, the bird stopped. He listened for a while. For a moment, it sounded... Quiet, normal. But then he heard it again, a strange buzzing sound coming from somewhere.
"...Do you hear that?"

The Vulpix wondered if there would be a way to carry it on her back when the Swablu suggested this. It would probably be a bit more comfortable for her, and she'd be able to talk more easily. But Varda was right, she wasn't quite sure how they'd make it stay there. They could use her own ribbon to keep it there, but wouldn't they need it for the next time they encountered a Pidgey?

She kept on walking for a second after Varda stopped before pausing, hearing an abrupt stop to his footsteps. That was when she heard a soft, irritating buzz, causing the vixen to flatten her ears in a futile attempt to keep it out. When he asked if she heard it, she nodded once more, glancing in the vague direction the buzzing had came from. If the Weepinbell had been any sign of how strong the feral Pokemon here were, they didn't have much to worry about, but the Vulpix still didn't want whatever was making that noise to try and surprise them.

Energy: 20

Varda glanced at the fox who had also stopped, her ears flattened. It seemed like he wasn't just hearing things and that there really was some kind of strange buzzing sound in the air. Lumina even nodded in agreement, not leaving the bird to just guess at her body language – though this time, he had guessed right. He turned back to look at the forest, letting his eyes slowly take in what he was seeing, trying to pick out anything strange... But everything seemed normal. It was only the sound. The Swablu tried rotating his head to pick out the exact direction of the buzzing, but it was still so faint that it proved to be rather difficult. Until it started to come closer.

He could finally hear it properly. It came from the back and slightly to the right, causing the small bird to quickly turn around so he could see. It didn't take long for a round shape to emerge from the bushes, much larger than the Swablu himself. Varda actually was prepared for the attack this time, managing to quickly rise up into the air to dodge the fast shape before landing back and taking a better look. It was another one of those red bug Pokémon with dark spots on its back... And the last one he had seen had been quite vicious, even attacking a much larger Pokémon than itself!

The feral Pokémon turned around, flapping its wings and creating a slight buzzing noise. Varda backed away a little, looking at Lumina. They couldn't let any harm come to the Pidgey or the ribbon keeping it in place, so that they didn't disturb its sleep – or allow it to escape after all the hard work they put in to catch it! The Swablu was rather lost, but he knew what the outcome of this had to be: they had to get the Pidgey away. Using the moment when the large bug Pokémon had to stop to turn around, Varda quickly hopped up and flapped his wings to rush at the feral one, trying to peck it with his beak so it would leave them alone.

The Ledyba tried to turn around quickly, but it wasn't swift enough to avoid being pecked by Varda. It stumbled back, now facing the Swablu, seemingly irritated with him. The first two of it's six 'hands' began to glow as it hovered towards Varda, swinging wildly at the Cotton Bird Pokemon as it used Comet Punch, trying to catch it's opponent with a quick flurry of blows.

Lumina paused briefly, considering what she could do. She needed to make sure the Pidgey didn't escape or try to break the ribbon in case it woke up, but she also needed to help with the feral Pokemon. Then again, her only ranged move was Fire Spin, and Varda was too close to the bug type for her to risk that. She might accidently trap her partner in the fiery vortex if she used it.

After a moment of consideration, she placed the sleeping Pidgey on the ground. It probably wouldn't be able to get far, even if it did wake up for some reason. The Ledyba had already finished it's Comet Punch attack, and Lumina made a quick note to make sure Varda hadn't been badly hurt by it. She raced towards the Ledyba, slamming into it with supernatural speed as she used Quick Attack.

Varda landed on the ground after his attack, his claws digging into the ground as he felt his own feathers ruffling from the adrenaline rush. He was facing a rather large enemy – and he was dangerously close to it, even. His attack had connected and it had caused the feral bug to stumble backwards, but it wasn't backing away, oh no. The other Pokémon looked like it was quite irritated due to the pain the bird had caused, not going to let him get away easily. The first two of its six feet were pulled up as the upper pair of hands started to glow and the bug Pokémon narrowed its eyes. The Swablu did the same, unsure what was happening – but bracing for an attack despite that.

The bug threw a punch at him, causing the bird Pokémon to stumble backwards and force his claws deeper into the soil as he attempted to stop himself. But it didn't stop at just one punch. Another one came, and another, and another. They were fast jabs that managed to hit their target and Varda could just try to shield himself with his soft wings, hoping that the cottony padding was enough to protect him from some of the harm. It hurt and he kept sliding backwards despite trying to ground himself, leaving behind deep grooves. Still, he stood his ground.

Eventually the attack ended, though the Swablu couldn't bring himself to remove his wings from their shielding position yet. The feral Pokémon was finished and started to wind up another punch... Only to be swiftly slammed against by the fox, causing it to fall down. That was when even the blue bird could finally move his wings, taking a look at the scene. He couldn't waste more time, seeing the perfect opening as he jumped backwards and flapped his wings, rushing to the bug with his beak prepared as he tried to knock it out. The impact did cause Varda to bounce off the other Pokémon however, causing the small bird to somersault through the air, somehow – miraculously – landing on his feet, rather confused as to what just happened.

Shortly after she slammed into the bug type, Varda had knocked it out with a Peck. "Varda, are you alright?" She wondered, sending a stray glance at the Pidgey. The Swablu didn't seem to be too badly hurt, judging from the way he landed, but it would be good to make sure. She kept an eye on the Ledyba next, her gaze only travelling back to her partner once she was sure it was actually knocked out. She wasn't going to fall for that 'pretend-to-be-unconscious' trick.

The Pidgey seemed to have woken up in the racket, and was chirping loudly as it struggled against the ribbon. "Er... do you want to put it back to sleep?" She wondered, hoping that the racket wouldn't attract more feral Pokemon. Or more Pidgey trying to help it. It seemed a little cruel of them, when she thought of it that way, but this really would be better in the end.

"I... I think so!" Varda chirped when he was asked if he was fine, his wings spread a bit awkwardly as he had tried to balance himself. Slowly, he turned around to look at the fox and the bug, the latter of which seemed to actually be out cold. The bird's feathers were rather ruffled and all over the place thanks to the fight, but it seemed like he was moving fine otherwise, not showing signs of extreme pain.

Loud chirping quickly caused the Swablu to turn towards the voice, seeing that the Pidgey they had put to sleep and captured was now awake once more. It was squirming and trying to break free, though the ribbon had managed to contain it – for now. Lumina suggested that perhaps it should be put back to sleep, and Varda nodded, walking over to the struggling, feral bird. He started to sing once more – but due to how agitated the Pidgey was, it didn't fall asleep immediately. He got to sing for quite the long time to get the other bird to relax so his lullaby could even take hold, its eyes eventually forced shut as it dozed off.

The blue bird could stop his song, looking at the feral Pokémon that appeared to be sleeping. Its chest was rising and falling slowly, looking quite calm. Getting a moment to himself, Varda started to preen his own feathers, now starting to get annoyed with their messy way.

The Vulpix nodded, content when Varda said he was alright. He seemed to be telling the truth, too, the only thing that looked out of the ordinary were his feathers, which had gotten a bit messy in the short battle. She sat down as he once more lulled the Pidgey back to sleep, and after it had dozed off, she walked back to the feral Pokemon and picked it back up.

She looked back over to the Swablu, who was currently preening his feathers. Deciding to wait until he was done, she put the Pidgey back down, unwrapped the blue ribbon from her lower foreleg, and took out another, lighter blue ribbon from her bag. She struggled with the sky blue ribbon for a few moments before managing to replace her old ribbon with this new one, which she had tied neatly around her paw. Time to see how this Heal Ribbon would work.

That was when Lumina picked the sleeping Pidgey back up, glancing back to Varda to check if he was also ready to keep going. She stayed aware for any unusual sights or sounds, but was satisfied to not hear anything for the moment, despite the Pidgey's loud chirping a minute or two ago. Hopefully they could find a place to put it soon, they still had three more to catch.

Varda's eyes followed the fox as she started to approach him and the sleeping Pidgey again, having decided to stay further away as he sang his lullaby. It was probably a good thing, he didn't really know how big of a range the tiring effect was... He still had his feathers to preen, so he tried to do it as quickly as he could when he saw Lumina pick up the feral bird, not wanting her to have to wait for him! As he picked up the pace however, his partner had already decided to put the Pidgey back down as she reached into her bag. The Swablu quickly arranged his feathers the way he liked, his beady eyes looking at fox-like Pokémon, full of curiosity.

The darker ribbon had been removed from her paw and another one of a different color produced from the bag. Varda tilted his head, unsure what was happening... But it seemed like they had quite many ribbons at the moment, actually! Unfortunately the bird wasn't given a chance to ask if Lumina needed help with tying the new, lighter blue ribbon on her front leg, as despite her struggling, she still managed to do it rather fast. He also wasn't given a chance to ask what it was all about when the fox already picked the Pidgey up in her mouth already. Actually, he didn't quite realize that at first.

"Oh, did you want to change the color or is it a special ribbon?" The Swablu chirped as he started to follow Lumina, only realizing a moment after that she couldn't really speak with her mouth full,
"Oh... Oh, right. Maybe I'll ask you later," he cooed with a small laugh, continuing to walk by the fox's side. But such lighthearted banter was soon replaced by a slight rustling from the treetops above. A leaf was gently floating down, landing on the ground in front of the two Explorers. What followed was an ominous silence... And finally a familiar chirp quite like the ones their captured Pidgey had made, coming from above.

The Vulpix managed a chuckle in response past the Pidgey she was carrying. She found it a bit of a funny thought that she had just wanted to change the colour, she wasn't exactly an expert on fashion. But she could tell that to Varda once she could put the Pokemon down again, it would be a little bit awkward trying to carry a conversation until she could get her mouth free.

She fell silent when she heard a soft rustling, her head snapping upwards to look for it's source. It was obvious enough that something was there. A small leaf that slowly floated to the ground and a soft chirp were only further proof of that. If whatever was up there (probably another Pidgey, judging from it's voice) was trying to hide from them, it was doing a poor job, Lumina quickly decided. She cast a glance at Varda, once more putting down the Pidgey. "Could you go check what's up there?" The Vulpix asked quietly, doing her best to keep her voice down.

Varda looked at the fox, just in time to meet her gaze. It was meaningful indeed, but not meaningful enough for the bird to immediately understand what she meant with it. Lumina didn't seem to even expect that, gently placing down the sleeping feral bird as she prepared to speak. She wanted the Swablu to fly up so he could see what was up there, seeing that he was the one that actually had wings and the ability to fly. He gave the fox a nod and spread his wings, flapping them hard enough to lift himself into the air.

Based on the sound, it most likely had been a Pidgey... Or perhaps something that could mimic the sounds of a Pidgey. He couldn't be entirely sure until he actually saw what had caused the noise, rising higher and higher so he could see behind the leaves that made the canopy. Finally Varda managed to land on a branch near to the sound he and Lumina had heard earlier, looking around as he tried to find the source of the sound. Had it managed to hide – or even escape?

Another rustle caused him to turn around however, seeing the familiar face of a Pidgey staring at him, inching closer. Perhaps the Swablu should have been worried that a feral Pokémon was so close to him... But he was actually rather excited that he had managed to bump into another Pidgey for their mission! But then, another rustle – and another Pidgey. And finally, a third. The joy he might have felt was soon disappearing as the blue bird realized he was being outnumbered...

Varda quickly spread his wings as he jumped off the branch, letting his wings catch the air as he glided down towards Lumina.
"Um!" He started, trying to rush his words out,
"There was a Pidgey! Three of them, actually," the explanation and the reason for his quick retreat came out of his mouth – though the reason soon was apparent even if he hadn't said anything. A flock of three Pidgey had flown after the blue bird, diving at him.

The Vulpix sat down as Varda once more vanished into the tree tops. She started to fiddle with the sky blue Heal Ribbon around her lower right foreleg, making sure it was tied tightly in case she got into a battle. She wanted to be ready if whatever it was that was up there wanted a fight, and the chances were good that it did. The feral Pokemon in Pecha Forest were somewhat aggressive, even if not as much as the ones in, say, Shadowhue or Scorchfall.

She watched as the branches rustled more and more, wondering if Varda was having any trouble up there. Was the Pokemon trying to escape? She continued to observe what was going on warily, preparing a Confuse Ray in case things started to go badly. The small, purplish-black orb hovered a few inches away from her chest, ready to fire the moment she saw her enemy.

Then the Swablu burst out from the branches, appearing to be in a hurry. The reason was obvious, too, as a trio of Pidgey were following him, diving towards Varda. She took a step back, firing the Confuse Ray at one of them, and the small orb started to circle around the bird's head in a zig-zagging pattern. The Pidgey stopped for a few moments, craning it's head to follow the movements of the tiny sphere, drawn by it's mysterious light... and a moment later, the orb collided with the Pidgey's forehead, leaving it confused and dazed.

That was one off his tail, at least for now. The second of the three Pidgey had apparently changed tactics and was now flying in her direction. Using Tackle, it slammed into the Vulpix's flank. Lumina backed away, her eyes narrowed as she summoned a ring of fire around the bird. There was a small, almost unnoticeable smirk on her face as the flames climbed higher and higher to prevent the Pidgey from just flying away.