With The Odds Against You

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Lumina, you've just been full of bright ideas lately, haven't you.

Her own thought dryly chastised her as the six-tailed fox stood outside the entrance to Serene Cave. Despite the guild badge, treasure bag and wonder map poking out of the before mentioned bag, she wasn't here on a mission. No, she had decided to give herself a small break from her guild work.

She was here for something else. To grow stronger. To satisfy her curiosity. To come where she hadn't come before, in an attempt to learn about the world around her. Or maybe she was just here to entertain herself. What could she say, she enjoyed a good challenge now and then. Most likely, it was a little bit of all these reasons combined.

Her head held high, the Vulpix stood outside the cave regally, her ears perked attentively. She stepped inside, the cool air inside replacing the warmth that the sun left on her fur, and for some reason she couldn't quite explain, this gave Lumina a chill down her spine.

Energy: 1

Noel moved the rock in place and felt like no one would try to break a random rock in the middle of a cave she felt like if they did they would be weirdos even stranger then them as Noel stops the flame and goes to one of the caves sides and lays down but doesn't close her eyes she was going to wait a bit see if anything happens then pass out once she felt good she closed her eyes and fell asleep

Lumina snored softly, her own voice muffled by her tails. She hadn't known how tired she had been, to fall asleep so easily. Normally she liked to be the one keeping watch, or she even had trouble getting to sleep. Maybe it was just due to her lack of sleeping last night, as she had stayed up late to watch the stars and go around Grassveil at night. The crowds always seemed thinner after sunset.

That was what the vixen of dreaming of right now, actually. She was walking through a large city at midnight, dark clouds covering the stars and moon. She brushed by some other Pokemon, strangers that she didn't know and doubted that she'd see again anytime soon. A Zoroark, a Bayleef, a Lucario, a Swablu, even another Vulpix. If she remembered this dream, she could've decoded the symbols inside her own mind easily, recognising them as the Pokemon she'd met since she moved to Grassveil. But for now, she was asleep, and the dream seemed meaningless.

Energy: 14

Noel was fast asleep but she was holding her bag like a pillow Noel didn't know this but she hugged things while she was asleep and her bag was the only thing that was around her at the time she didn't snore but the hug thing was most likely the reason she didn't.

Noel was dreaming of something from her past watching her mother fight it was a large fight one she had remembered it was the fight she had before Noel left her alone fighting over fifty feral Pokemon all most likely stronger then any Noel had faced so far she watched the fight like she did before happy with the dream as she smiles while she was asleep happy to remember her mother

Then, in the midst of her dreamscape, Lumina bumped into a Ninetales. A shiny Ninetales. It's red eyes glared down at her, and though she didn't like to think of herself as a feeble or cowardly Pokemon, something about her made the Vulpix cringed. The other Fire type seemed fifty feet taller, and for some reason she couldn't quite comprehend, she had failed it...

Then a Flareon walked past the Ninetales, but unlike Lumina, seemed to show no fear. But for another reason she was unsure of, the Vulpix felt an instinctive hatred towards this stranger. "Move along." She and the Ninetales hissed at the Flareon with an uncanny unison. With the look that the stranger gave her, one of equal parts disappointment and pity, Lumina's dreamscape was slowly molding into a nightmare.

In the waking world, she turned and twisted in her sleep, her expression emotionless. She rolled over from her back to her flanks to her stomach, as if she was trying to get comfortable, but obviously with little success. Her paws and legs twitched in her sleep, her fur growing tangled and dirty from moving so much.

Noel was still in her happy dream when all of the sudden something came crashing down noel was alone she remembered this also she was in a large room she had wandered away from her mother and had gotten trapped in a large room Noel was slightly afraid.

But remembering that it was just a dream started.to jump around the room with her new strength she had found while exploring on her own when she got out she was facing three Pokemon a swablu a vulpix and a houndour she had remembered them they were the first Pokemon she had ever really gotten to know as friends Noel smiles and starts off in her dream followed by the three.

Noel in the awake world didn't show this but she did crush the bag harder lucky she didn't have anything to breakable

She was in the Ninetales' shadow now. The Flareon stalked away with a look of utter contempt at the shiny Ninetales - who, strangely enough, didn't seem so shiny anymore. Dreams were strange. He looked into Lumina's eyes, and despite her attempting to break the eye contact, she couldn't move. He spoke five simple words, which seemed to echo all around her, resonating around the city.

"Don't live in her shadow."

With that saying, Lumina snapped back awake, her dream leaving her feeling panicked and discontent. Her fur was ruffled and dusty, presumably from all the twisting and turning she had done in her sleep, and her back was sore. Probably for a similar reason, if she had to take a guess. Groaning, she started to smooth down her fur, deciding to look like slightly less of a mess in case Noel happened to wake up and see her like this.

Noel was still asleep as she was also still hugging the bag as she was holding it tighter still happy with her dream though she had been having nightmare a lot she was happy to have found a good days sleep as she didn't even notice lumina awake

Lumina's gaze traveled over to Noel as the Riolu seemed... more or less at peace. She couldn't tell for sure, of course, but if her body language was any indication she didn't look like she was having a nightmare. The vixen wondered about her own dream as she did this, looking at her paws. Her parents were a Ninetales and a Flareon... could that have anything to do with it? And it quickly hit her that the Pokemon she walked past in the big city were all Pokemon she had met since coming to Grassveil. Or evolutions of them, at any rate.

But what did that mean? Don't live in her shadow? Was her subconscious trying to tell her something? Lumina searched her mind for where she'd heard that phrase before, but to no avail. She hadn't a clue where she'd heard those words before. She mused them under her breath, but even then, she wasn't sure of their deeper meaning. Assuming that they had a meaning at all.

Noel rolled over in her sleep letting go of the bag as she sat up and stretches and looks over to see lumina awake as Noel adjusts her scarf and looks over to lumina and stands up "hey morning" Noel says with a smile as she looked up "well at least I think it's morning hard to tell.

Noel looked at lumina and didn't even need to use her aura to know something was up and Noel walks closer "are you ok?" Noel asks with a worried tone she knew what happened when Pokemon had nightmares

"I..." Lumina sounded momentarily distraught, unsure of how to reply. She definitely wasn't fine, not after a perplexing dream like that, but she wasn't sure how to express that. "... I'll be fine. Just a meaningless nightmare." She explained, shaking her head. That was a lie that Noel could probably see through easily, if she wanted to. But right now the Vulpix was simply hoping she didn't.

Noel got a little closer as she titled her head "lumina you can't lie come one tell me" she said with the same worried tone "we are friends I want to at least try to help" Noel didn't like seeing others get hurt even a nightmare can be very bad

The Vulpix grimaced. "I'm fine. Really, I am, though I appreciate the concern." She said hurriedly, getting back to her paws. Don't live in her shadow. ... don't live in my mother's shadow? Her thoughts turned to anger swiftly, why should she care what her father thought? She never even knew him. He and her mother had broken up while she was young, and he was surely an awful Pokemon in the first place if she left him. She looked back at Noel, giving the Riolu what she hoped was a reassuring half-smile.

Noel walked over to lumina close "lumina you can't lie to me it would be better to tell me now with that rock in the way I'm the one who needs to move is" Noel says her tone still worried but stern she wanted to know exploring while under stress was bad

(My last post for the night)

"... then I guess we'll be sitting here for a while, because really, nothing's wrong." She repeated, a silent willpower behind her tone as she focused on guarding her own secrets. Why was she shiny one moment, but she wasn't when I looked back at her? Yet another question that bothered her. She tried to brush it off as the fact that dreams could be strange and abstract, but this didn't have too much success.

Noel stands leaning on one of the walls as she sighs and then goes over to the entrance as she moves the rock away and looks back at lumina "I know you must have your secrets I understand but remember we have another night here if we want to make it through so I was trying to help but if you really feel that strong about it I won't continue" she says with a hint of sadness behind her voice as she steps out she was still really worried but she knew this was a wall that wouldn't budge