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 Vulpix stood still, preparing to attack or dodge if the other Pokémon made any sudden movements. This was bizarre... the Aipom wasn't attacking them. It still seemed hostile, but it wasn't trying to hurt them, at least not yet. She kept a constant eye on the purple monkey, feeling strangely tense about this situation. Feral Pokémon didn't normally act like this, something just seemed... off. She only nodded as Varda admitted he wasn't sure what it was trying to do. She didn't know, either.

The Fox Pokémon glanced back at the Swablu, keeping watch of the Aipom out of the corner of her eye. "I... don't know." She murmured, her eyes narrowing. They must've been able to speak somehow, through body language or tone of voice, but did they have their own language? She frowned, something about this troubling her. The feral Pokémon were exactly the same as civilised Pokémon, yet she couldn't even be sure if they could speak. "Maybe we should leave?" She suggested under her breath, turning her gaze back to the Aipom, returning it's stare.

Varda couldn't help but feel a bit concerned. There was clearly some kind of communication barrier between them and the feral Pokémon that seemed like it was trying to tell them something, but they just couldn't understand. They couldn't even be entirely sure if it was trying to say something. And if it was indeed saying something... What was it? Would they be doing the wrong thing by accident because they just couldn't understand? It all was very puzzling.

Lumina suggested leaving, and after a moment of thinking about it... The Swablu couldn't help but agree. The feral Pokémon wasn't attacking or coming closer, it had only attacked when the bird had walked in too close to it. And the berry wasn't worth it, no matter how delicious it was. One could even think that the seed the monkey threw at the bird was proper compensation for the lost berry! Of course, Varda didn't actually know what the seed did yet, but he could get it checked. Even if it was completely useless, he most likely could still eat it...

"I... Think we should," the bird chirped, nodding in agreement. He started to back away even more, starting to head out of the little clearing they had walked into. They certainly didn't seem welcome, but if they could just leave in peace... Well, the Swablu wasn't going to be too mad about it.


Current Energy: 11 (10 +1 from the new page)

The Vulpix backed away, refusing to turn her back on the Aipom. Not just because she didn't want to get attacked from behind, but because she found the way it was acting somewhat unnerving. She had a hunch that Varda's suspicions had been right, it felt like the feral Pokémon was trying to tell them something. She wasn't sure what, but... something. Was it trying to scare them away from the berry? Was there something wrong with the berry? After all, it had only lashed out at Varda when he tried to walk up and take it...

... she really couldn't be certain, though. She could probably have taken it if it had tried to attack them, she had knocked out that Weepinbell earlier with a single move. Maybe the Aipom was looking for a way to settle this without violence by scaring them off...? The Vulpix shook her head, she needed to stop thinking about this. She wasn't going to get an answer. She focused on the purple monkey, cautiously continuing to back away. She still refused to take her sights off of it until she could no long see it through the branches of the trees.

Energy: 27 (+2 from new page)

Varda kept walking away slowly, though the way his partner was acting made him feel a bit suspicious, too. She refused to look away from the feral Pokémon, but the monkey seemed to be returning the favor and staring at the two, its eyes following their movements. He was forced to keep glancing behind him as well, Lumina's backing away making him slightly paranoid, almost as if they were waiting for an attack. But the monkey didn't seem to be making any moves towards them, still in the same place where they had left it – still staring.

The pair backed away slowly and carefully, eventually leaving the sunny little clearing behind as the trees again sheltered them from the sun, only letting in the occasional beam of light through. There was no rustling to be heard, the feral Pokémon didn't seem to be following them and jumping from branch to branch. It was quite calm, actually. Pecha Forest seemed just as quiet and peaceful as ever.

"That was strange," the Swablu cooed, finally able to relax as the monkey had disappeared behind the flora of the forest. The two of them seemed to be on a path of some kind, snaking through the trees and heading... Somewhere. The bird couldn't be entirely sure, not having been to this area before. He was quite sure that it was still heading away from the clearing where they had left the Pidgey...

But suddenly, something was heard from the trees. High up in the leaves, protected by the shadows... A crow-like caw rang out.

Lumina only turned back around when she could no long see the Aipom through the tree tops, her fur bristling as she stubbornly refused to take her eyes off it. Something about this feral Pokemon was unnerving her, they just weren't supposed to act like this. The ones that didn't talk never tried to communicate, at least the Vulpix had never seen them try to do so before. She exhaled deeply as she turned her attention back to the path ahead, forcing the fur along her back to flatten back down.

'That was strange'. The Fox Pokemon blinked, the words drawing her gaze to her partner. "Couldn't say it better myself." She muttered. Her general dislike of feral Aipom was only growing. The first one she encountered surprised her and made her look like an idiot; the second was the one they had encountered just now, and it had been no better. She wondered if she had done something to somehow wrong the Aipom, but she quickly dismissed that as a silly idea.

That was when a loud, angry 'caw' resounded from somewhere high up in the branches. It sounded like a Honchkrow or a Murkrow, if Lumina had recognised it correctly. Knowing Pecha Forest, the latter was more likely. But she couldn't pinpoint where, exactly, it was hiding. In some way, she was grateful that the feral Pokemon had arrived, now she had something else to focus on besides the Aipom's odd behaviour. She heard wing beats from somewhere up above her, and the Vulpix turned her head to try and keep track of where it was going. "I think it's trying to get behind us..." She murmured, informing Varda of her suspicion.

Varda could hear how the Pokémon up in the trees was flying, the flaps of its wings quite audible. Based on the voice, he was quite sure that it was a Murkrow. It was a sound he had heard many times, being quite familiar with it. He had no reason to doubt his conclusion – or then again, perhaps it was something that was only mimicking a Murkrow... But it was definitely a Murkrow's cry! Whatever it was, it kept high up into the air, hidden by the leaves and the shadows as it flew, he couldn't even catch one glimpse of its body even though it was moving. Occasionally the leaves rustled and moved in a fashion that suggested the Pokémon that touched them, but even then... Nothing. The supposed Murkrow was really good at hiding.

The Swablu tried to follow the sounds, just like the fox by his side. Not only was it good at staying hidden, it was also pretty fast! Or perhaps it was only distracting the two in an excellent way, flying quietly to another place when it had forced the leaves to move in another spot to suggest its presence over that spot. Lumina suspected that the flying Pokémon was trying to get behind them, and Varda nodded. He wasn't sure if that was the case, but the supposed Murkrow did force the little bird to turn around many times as he followed the sounds of the movement.

Some leaves fell down from the treetops, though the rustling stopped soon almost as if the flying Pokémon had stopped there. The Swablu kept staring in the direction, even rising to his toes to get a better look as he tried to peer through the leaves... But nothing. The truth was, the Murkrow wasn't even there anymore. Gliding quietly, it had soared to another side yet again, slowly descending closer to the pair. Varda didn't even notice it, focusing all his senses on an entirely different spot, causing the world around him to disappear. The Murkrow landed softly behind the blue bird, finally yanking the Swablu's tail feathers with its beak while Varda himself let out a high-pitched tweet.

Lumina scanned the shady trees, trying to pick out where the Murkrow might be hiding... but while she was searching, Varda let out a startled cry. The Vulpix whirled around almost automatically, only to spot the dark crow with a few soft blue feathers in it's beak. Instantly she felt irritated, she hated it when the feral Pokémon tried to mess with them. It would've just been too hard to fight them, wouldn't it? Then again, maybe it was being smart... trying to fight her and Varda at their current strengths, it would've been sounded defeated.

Maybe this was what it was thinking when it soared back into the shelter of the trees, narrowing dodging a Fire Spin before it once more vanished from her sights. The Vulpix scowled, glancing back at her partner. "It might try that again, or it might actually attack when it shows up again. Either way, I doubt that's the last we'll see of it." She muttered, listening closely for any rustling in the trees. She wondered if it would be a good idea to ask Varda to chase after it and drive it out of the tree tops, but what if the Murkrow was able to outmaneuver him up there?

(Sorry I haven't been posting lately. I'll try to at least post once a day from here on out.)

Varda felt pain as something tugged at his fail feathers, even managing to pluck a few of them off. It did seem to cause the gripping force to lose its hold, allowing the bird to turn around in surprise as it tried to catch a glimpse of what was going on behind him. He could only see the Murkrow's dark feathers for a moment before it opened its wings and soared up high into the air, managing to avoid one of Lumina's fiery attacks as it returned to the safety of the trees. Quickly the dark bird disappeared behind the leaves and the shadows, the light blue feathers it had managed to rip off gently floating to the ground as the Swablu's gaze followed them all the way to the ground.

His behind was aching a bit, but the forest grew quiet once more. The feral Pokémon wasn't moving or making any sounds, but perhaps it was just waiting. It had attacked the two of them after all, even though it could have stayed hidden and they never would have seen it. To Varda, it seemed like the Murkrow was picking a fight and, well, it probably wasn't going to be satisfied with a few plucked feathers. But what did he know about the mindset of feral Pokémon...

The Swablu nodded to the fox's words, believing that the other bird might very well attack them again. But this time, he was going to keep an eye on his back! Or at least try to.
"We need to be careful! It's fast," the little bird chirped, stating the obvious as he started to waddle cautiously, heading down the path. His eyes kept flicking upwards, trying to see if he could catch even a glimpse of the Murkrow hidden in the trees...


((Hey, I don't mind a little wait and I think this time of the year is busy for most!))

Bird carried out 1 launched of one Pecha Forest :

The Fox Pokémon nodded, her eyes narrowing once more. She constantly glanced behind her as she heard the wind rustling the trees, her gaze snapping to wherever she thought she heard something or saw a sudden movement. But she saw no trace of the Murkrow's yellow beak or inky black feathers. Where had it gone off to? It had to still be following them, it couldn't have just left...

She mused over this, trying to pick out where it might be hiding as she continued to walk down the path, her paw steps almost silence as they gently hit the ground. Varda seemed to be on the lookout as well, as she noticing him glancing upwards. That was good, the feral Pokémon would have a much harder time surprising them if they both stayed aware.

From somewhere just behind her, the Murkrow was perched on a tree branch. It narrowed it's red and white eyes, trying to find another way to take the two of them by surprise. Or should it attack outright? No... not yet. That wouldn't be much fun. With a small smirk on it's face, it vanished back into the shady tree tops and continued following the two explorers, careful not to make any sound and alert them of where it was. Maybe it could show itself once it had some support, it would be much easier to fight two on two.

Varda continued to walk down the path, the small tufts of grass rustling under his little feet. The fox behind him, meanwhile, seemed to be completely silent. Occasionally the bird had to glance behind him to make sure that Lumina was still even following him, his ears barely hearing her soft steps! Perhaps it was just because the rest of the time he was concentrating on trying to see or hear the Murkrow so hard that the rest of the world around him disappeared, but he had to admit: the fox could be very quiet when she wanted to!

The Murkrow seemed to be very hidden, as well. The Swablu no longer even knew if it was following or if it had given up, but if it was following... The feral Pokémon was very, very quiet as well! Varda's eyes still constantly glanced up as they tried to look for signs of movement above them, but it was actually a sound that caught his interest. Suddenly, he stopped as he tried to listen very hard. The sound didn't come above them, so it couldn't be the Murkrow, it came from elsewhere. It didn't sound like movement or leaves, either, it sounded like... Running water!

"Lumina," the little bird chirped as he turned around to face the fox, excited about his new discovery and completely forgetting about the feral Pokémon that might have still been stalking them,
"Can you... Hear that? It sounds like water, right?" The Swablu continued, his little eyes positively sparkling. His feathers were still quite sticky from all the juices of the berry they ate earlier and a source of water was something they were looking for, so to him, it was a great find! If it actually was a river, of course.


Current Energy: 8 (11 -3 from the encounter roll)

The orange Fox Pokemon paused, slowing her pace. She closed her eyes, listening closely... and yes, it did sound like the soft gurgle of a stream. "Yes... I hear it. Sounds like it's coming from that direction." She replied, facing a bit more to the right, where she thought the noise was coming from. She was cautious, but optimistic, it definitely did sound like water. She wasn't sure what else it could be. "Let's go check it out. Also, keep an eye open for that Murkrow, I don't want it trying to toy with us." She added. Annoyed at the memory of the crow-like Pokemon, she quickly promised herself it would be ashes the next time she caught it in her sights.

Varda's eyes grew brighter when the fox agreed that she heard the same sound as him – and at least she didn't object to it sounding like water, so most likely she thought the same way! Of course the little bird trusted Lumina's senses and her judgment – perhaps a bit too much, but he was certain that if she heard it, it most likely was right! He did quite like to wash himself, so finding a river right now was about the best possible thing right now in his eyes. With a nod, the Swablu started to waddled towards the source of the sound, at least trying to keep his eyes on the branches and leaves above them, just in case the Murkrow was following them...

They had to leave the path for a moment, once again heading through the taller grass and thick bushes. While the bird Pokémon could have easily flown over them, Lumina did not have such a luxury – and honestly, sometimes he did forget that he had wings and the ability to fly. Because of that, Varda stayed on the ground as he tried to use his body to make them a small path through the local flora. Some of the thicker branches of the bushes proved to be a bit too much for his light weight to push, but that just meant going around them. A small detour, but it didn't take all too much time.

Finally, the grass started to grow shorter again and the trees grew sparse around them. The sound of the water started to grow stronger however, the gentle lapping clearly indicating a small river of some sort. The water wasn't moving very fast, based on the sound. Soon even the smell of fresh water was lingering in the air as the area started to feel slightly colder thanks to the cooling effect of the water. The Swablu was quite ecstatic – but decided to play it smart and keep his eyes on the trees above them just in case the Murkrow was waiting for them to start paying attention to something else. Of course, not paying any attention to where he was going as he exited a bush meant that he couldn't really see in front of him – causing the little bird to bump into some soft, purple fur.

"Er, Var-" She couldn't call out to the Swablu quickly enough to prevent him from bumping into an Aipom. He had been focusing on the trees, probably searching for the Murkrow, and she figured he must've forgotten to look ahead. That seemed like a mistake Varda would make. But luckily enough, the feral Pokémon hadn't spotted him either, and it stumbled back when the small blue bird bumped into it. It struggled to regain it's balance, but failed and tumbled into the river with a startled squeak.

The Aipom scrambled back out of the water, ending up on the opposite side of the shore from Lumina and Varda. It shook off it's fur, trying to dry off, if only slightly. It glared at the two with an angry chatter, as if considering whether or not to attack, grabbing onto a low tree branch with it's hand-like tail. In a single, fluid motion, it jumped up on to the tree branch, crossing it's arms in what it probably thought was an intimidating manner. It continued the angry chattering, making it clear that it wanted the two to leave.

Varda let out a little oof as he walked into something that was a lot more solid than he had expected, his eyes squeezing shut. Whatever it was, it seemed that it was quite easily pushed aside even by the small bird's force, quickly toppling over backwards and... What followed was the splash of water. The Swablu quickly opened his eyes and looked where he was going, pushing some of the grass that was in his way aside with his cottony wing. They had indeed found the river – and he seemed to have found another Pokémon as well. Yet another purple monkey, though this one was quite a bit wetter as it had fallen into the water and was now splashing in the water as it tried to get out.

The bird Pokémon immediately waddled closer, just in case the monkey was unable to get up on its own, ready to help. Luckily, the other Pokémon did manage to get to the other shore, its fur quite wet. Instead of speech, the two got just some angry chatter, which probably meant that this was a feral Pokémon...
"Sorry!" Varda chirped loudly, wanting the monkey to hear just in case it could understand in some way. He hadn't really meant to bump into anyone or throw them in the river, so of course he had to apologize. It was no surprise that someone would be angry because of that. The feral Pokémon jumped up into the trees as it continued its angry sounds.

"We would just want to borrow some of this water, we're not staying for long," the Swablu tried to get the monkey to understand as he inched closer to the water, his eyes on the other Pokémon to see how it was going to react to his movements.

The Aipom still glared, but the chattering stopped. It tilted it's head slightly to the side as it stood on the tree branch, trying to decode what the Swablu was talking about. It watched intently as the bird moved slightly closer to the river, he seemed to just want some water... Although it still didn't like how closely the Vulpix was watching it, she wasn't attacking yet, either. It swung down from the branch once more and continued to drink from the river, still keeping a close eye on the two of them.

"Maybe we shouldn't stay here too long." Lumina suggested, speaking softly as she kept a wary eye on the feral Pokemon. The Aipom wasn't attacking, but it looked ready to if they did anything to provoke it. She hesitantly dipped one of her forepaws in the river, the waves gently lapping over it, and when the purple monkey didn't react, she put her muzzle underwater and let the flowing water wash off the sticky Watmel Berry juice.