(Open) Destiny's Calling

Milt could feel the next chapter in his life beginning. Never had he ever felt such a strong sense of purpose. This had to be what he was meant to do, his destiny. Only had it all planned out: from here he would traverse the rest of the Black Spear Mountain Range, cross the Cattail Marsh, and arrive in Rainfront Town. From there, it would only take him a few days to reach Grassveil Town, where he could finally form an exploration team. Milt smiled as the wind blew at his back, as if it was urging him forward. "Look out everyone...!" he cried, throwing a foreleg into the air. "Milt the Aron is gonna change the world!" he cried before descending the mountain.

Milt had been around this part of the mountain range, but the further out he went, the more unfamiliar things became. This did not dissuade him however. He enjoyed the unfamiliar; the thought of finding something new excited him. Milt hopped from rock to rock, although thanks to his weight and small legs, he didn't go far, but it was enough. He could see the natural path off in the distance but where was the fun in that? However, excitement could only get you so far, and the constant climbing and jumping made him quite tired.



Energy: 3/19 (-16 from entering)

Lapis: {17 - 16 = 1}

The slug-like sludged across the rocky terrain, a few pebbles sticking to her slimy underside. Not only was it gross, but also extremely uncomfortable. She was exhausted from the journey to make it there and barely had any energy left. She would be panting, but she hadn't even had to climb the mountain yet.

Lapis lived in Rainfront Town, where rain was at its best, and the Goomy never dried out there. She had just traveled from Grassveil, however, as she was trying to form a team there. She hoped that by the time she got back, her friend would have thought it through enough to agree. It wasn't every day that one found one of their own species, especially one from her old town.

Entering the mountain now, the blue-dyed Pokemon kept a watch out for attackers. She really couldn't battle due to her weakness, and further due to her exhaustion of travel.
Why, of all places, did I choose to come to a mountain?

As best as he could, Milt made his way back onto the beaten path down the mountain. As much as he wanted to have fun and explore, he just didn't have the energy right now. As he walked, the mist that the mountain was named after began to roll in, slowly making it harder and harder to see. It was an odd, dark color, and almost made it look lather in the day than it actually was.

Off in the distance, Milt could begin to see a figure, coming in the same direction as he was. He slowed down, almost coming to a complete stop. Who could it be? Was the pokemon friend or foe? Milt wasn't sure, but he was sure that if he could see the pokemon in front of him, it could see him too.

Lapis: {1}

Although the Goomy was going extremely slow, it was the speed she was used to going. Already, it seemed to be getting dark, so at her rate, she wouldn't make it halfway through the dungeon before it got dark. Either that, or it was extremely cloudy and shrouded in thick moisture that it blocked out the sun, or even the mountain itself could be blocking it out.

Straight ahead, in the distance, there were several rock-shaped lumps, but one of them was distinctly moving, it seemed. Lapis narrowed her eyes, making sure it wasn't just a trick on her eyes. It clearly must not be a rock, so it had to be a Pokemon of some sort. She hoped it wasn't running, so she turned slowly with her foot wriggling with effort, and began to slide the other way, trying to avoid possible battles.

At first, Milt was walking so slow that Lapis was actually getting away from him, but not for long. If it was running away from him, then it couldn't have been a feral pokemon. Maybe it thought he was the feral pokemon. Milt couldn't have that.

"Hey... Hey wait!" he called, picking up the pace so he could catch up to her. "I'm no threat, promise." Once he was close enough to actually get a good look at her, Milt stopped. He'd never seen a pokemon like this before. It looked like... Well, it looked like a blue blob.At first, Milt was walking so slow that Lapis was actually getting away from him, but not for long. If it was running away from him, then it couldn't have been a feral pokemon. Maybe it thought he was the feral pokemon. Milt couldn't have that.

"Hey... Hey wait!" he called, picking up the pace so he could catch up to her. "I'm no threat, promise." Once he was close enough to actually get a good look at her, Milt stopped. He'd never seen a pokemon like this before. It looked like... Well, it looked like a blue blob... with wings! Was this some sort of flying-type pokemon?

Lapis: {1}

When the strange Pokemon called out, Lapis became even more startled and tried to escape faster. Unfortunately, her fastest speed was just about a casual walking speed of most other Pokemon. Once he fully approached her, the Goomy hopped away as fast as possible until he promised he meant no harm.

When she turned around, the look he was giving her was really bothersome.
"Excuse me, what do you want from me?"
Realizing it may have been her appearance, Lapis's face flushed and she tucked in her loose slime, her membrane tightening and causing her clay wings to rest higher on her back.

Milt seemed apologetic as he looked off to the side. He didn't mean to make her feel like that. "I'm sorry. You just... You look really cool! I've never seen a pokemon like you before," he said with a friendly smile. He walked around her once, getting a better look at her. "I like your wings. Are you a flying-type?" he asked, believing them to be real. "The name's Milt by the way."

TheRussBuss carried out 1 launched of one Black Mist Mountain :

Lapis: {1}

Lapis continued to look at him, but often lost eye contact. His admiration of her didn't seem to affect her reaction.
"No, actually, I'm a dragon type. A Goomy. You may call me Lapis," she explained, moving her back skin to make her wings flap.
"These are fake. They're made of clay, and pose as a symbol of my freedom. But it's a pleasure to meet you."

To Lapis, the only fault of being so small was that she had less organs. Her hearing wasn't enough to catch the scrabbling of a wild Pokemon on the rocks of the mountain.

Energy: 0/19



Milt could feel fatigue creeping up on him. He needed a place to rest and take a break. Once he heard the sound of another pokemon though, the situation became much more dire. When it came to strangers, Milt like to believe that pokemon were innocent before guilty, friend before foe. In his current state however, he didn't want to risk going up against a feral pokemon. He quickly looked around, searching for some form of shelter they could hide in. Lucky for them, there was a shallow cave with a few rocks they could even hide behind.

"Someone's coming. We gotta hide," he told Lapis in a low whisper before slinking over to the cave. Halfway there, he looked back at the Goomy. Hurrying her along with a foreleg.

Lapis: {1}

The movement of extra paws suddenly became clear underneath her slimy underside from the movement of rocks, and her antennae wriggled to have detected a wild predator. The next thing she knew, the stranger had disappeared from her side and was by the entrance of a cave, gesturing to her with a nub of a limb. In the urgent situation, Lapis decided to try something new. She hopped and curled up, the momentum of being in the air allowing her to roll after him. A short while of rolling and she was forced back open, immediately beginning to slide the rest of her way over. She would never survive at this rate, cave or not. Her skin was too bright, and surely she would be noticed.

When she reached the mouth of the cave, she orientated her body to start moving up the wall of the cavern, going to the top of the opening and going inside the cave upside down, and above the Aron.
"Don't stop on my account, I'll be right above you," she explained to him, hoping he would understand that she's too slow to survive an ambush while on the ground.

Seeing his slow acquaintance moving about, Milt had half a mind to go out there and start pushing her to assist. Apparently that wasn't needed. He nodded back at Lapis as he found somewhere to hide. There were several large rocks scattered about the cave floor, almost making it look like a maze of sorts. There wasn't a specific place he could hide, but if he could manoeuvre himself the right way without making a sound, he could avoid the pokemon entirely. No sooner than he hid behind a rock a the back of the cave, the pokemon in question had revealed itself.

A single Poochyena stood at the mouth of the cave, and it was immediately apparent that it was feral. It's lips were drawn back in a snarl, and there was a faint red glow in its eyes. It brought its head down low to the ground and started sniffing as it entered the cave. Lucky for them the Poochyena had yet to learn Odor Sleuth, or else it would have had no problem locating them.

Lapis: {1}

The snarling of the vicious wild canine was of no surprise to Lapis. Wild Pokemon had a strange tendency to be that way to visitors, whether they meant harm or not; attacked or didn't. Whether this was because of territorial behaviors, or even some strange control dungeons had, the Goomy didn't know for sure. She had plenty of theories as to why the world was as strange as it was, with places that changed every time you came to them, and no logic nor explanation.

The blue-dyed slug continued inwards until the roof dipped in and met the floor: a dead end. Lapis knew she was fairly safe on the roof of the cavern where nothing other then flying and climbing species could get to, but Milt could very easily be doomed. He looked a bit like a rock type, maybe even a steel type, so nothing the Poochyena was capable of using as an attack wouldn't be too effective. She only hoped he could manage on his own, but she could always shoot a surprise attack Bubble from the safety of the ceiling without putting herself in harm's way. That is, if the dog Pokemon even found them.

With no clear sight of the Poochyena, Milt had to rely on sound, but that also meant that the Poochyena had to be close first. Lapis had a bird's eye view of the cave floor. She could see the Poochyena only a few yards away from him, and Milt as he slowly moved away from it. It was definitely a tense situation.

Even if the pokemon would have a hard time damaging a steel and rock type, Milt was already feeling pretty weak. He glanced up at the Goomy. Maybe she could do something to distract the Poochyena or lead it out of the cave.

Lapis: {1}

Although the Goomy couldn't see too well out of her tiny pupils, she could easily rely on her sixth sense that her antennae provided her. The ones in front acted as a lateral line would on fish, allowing her to detect other presences, while the longer ones behind were much like receptors for sound. The auditory sense translated a little differently than most of the other organic Pokémon's hearing organs did, but she still ended up with the same result.

Using these senses, she was able to sense that the Poochyena was becoming dangerously close, and Milt wasn't seemingly able to do anything about it. Just as she planned before, Lapis shot bubbles at it testily with no true harm intended, hoping it would either run away thinking it was a strong attack, or it was being attacked by a big Pokémon since it came from so high, or that it was being ambushed by something, or was even somehow distracted by the water-type move. Hopefully it would be enough...

A few of the bubbles managed to hit the Poochyena, but they did little more than annoying it. Lucky for them, it would be enough. Whatever the Poochyena had followed, it was obviously on the ceiling now, and there was no way it could get up there. With an annoyed growl, the pokemon finally left the cave, leaving the two of them alone.

Milt saw Lapis' attack and heard the Poochyena as it went away. He waited just a little longer before finally letting out a relieved sigh and flopping onto the floor. Finally, they could relax in peace, at least for now. Milt looked up at the ceiling towards Lapis, giving her a friendly smile. "Thanks for the support. That was a cool little trick you had," he told her, referring to her climbing the wall and sticking to the ceiling.