Two Levels Away From Leveling Up

A blue and black furred Pokemon had started sprinting across the hill and through the mist, looking around for a few items that she had heard were found in the fog here.  The Shinx stood up, looking around in the grass, but even with her good sense of smell, she couldn't find anything.

There isn't anything around here.  Maybe further in the area I'll find something.  Arashi though as she got ready to charge further up the hill.  Without warning, the poor creature fell flat on her face, having tripped over a big rock that she didn't notice before in her haste.  "OW!!  Why does this always happen to me?  No one else seems to trip over things as much as I do.  Maybe I should be more careful next time."  The Shinx said angrily, yet still quiet, except for her cry of pain.

Energy: 17 - 10 = 7

Lapis: {17 - 10 (entrance) = 7}

The blue slug Pokemon sludged across the grassy terrain, the surrounding fog not truly making it any harder to see. After all, her antennae could pick up on nearly anything, and her foot could feel the earth around her, which was far more important than sight. Or in her opinion, anyway. She did rely heavily on seeing, so this would limit her quite a bit, but with the combination of senses provided by the organs in her extremities, it wouldn't be too hard. It was just a mere taste of blindness. haha, so foreshadow-y

Not after long, the Goomy's hind antennae picked up a sound, and perked in attempt to locate from where it emitted. Don't tell me I'll have to battle already... But it actually sounded like talking, so maybe Lapis was safe for now, especially since it stopped screeching. She continued on, not evading the Pokemon, but still wary of its presence.

As the Shinx had started to get back up off the ground, she could feel the presence of something or someone else. She didn't know who or what it was, but she intended to find out. When she had finally gotten up, she first looked around, but couldn't see anything here. Even though Arashi had great vision, the fog still hindered it. She then moved on to scent, and found a smell of clay and water, and headed off in that direction. Although, it wasn't too strong of a scent.

I really hope that something with a stronger smell appears before I reach this scent.. She thought to herself, still moving along. In about a few minutes, Arashi could finally see a silhouette of a round Pokemon with antennae. She couldn't see much more, but now she didn't have to worry about scent. The Shinx the did the first thing that came to mind; She dashed at her.

Lapis: {7}

The slow limbless Pokemon began scaling the hill, gravely hoping nothing jumped out from the mist to startle or attack her. It was hard to not even be scared by a simple looming object, especially when it appeared so dark a silhouette, whether it posed as a threat or not. Anything that couldn't be identified and was dark made Lapis uneasy, especially if that object was bigger than she. Large Pokemon scared her quite a bit, and really just huge things in general, no matter what they were.

All four of Lapis' antennae wiggled and twitched uncomfortably, picking up on the sound of running through grass and the scent of a living body. But what? And where? The urgency of her current situation left her with no choice; she leaped into the air, using Bubble while spinning to cover the whole circumference, landing with a splat and keeping her senses aware. When she saw it, she nearly screamed, somersaulting midair into a Poison Tail attack, hitting it on the foreground that separated the Goomy and the stranger, sending dirt and dust in a wild explosion. If she were only fast enough, she'd make a run for it.

Arashi suddenly stopped when dirt and dust went flying in her face. She couldn't tell what caused it exactly, but it definitely wasn't a Sand Attack. The Shinx spat out some dirt and rocks that had landed in her mouth, coughing all the while. When she finally cleared out her mouth and lungs of dust, she turned her attention back to the smell, which was now weaker, but close by. Arashi then saw the the round form again, this time walking slowly and quietly, hoping not to provoke it.

The blue-furred Pokemon could see a bit more details, just enough to see fear on its face. "Don't worry. I won't bite." Arashi said sweetly and softly. "I'm sorry if I scared you. If you want, I can help you with whatever you need. Please don't be scared."

Lapis: {7}

As the flying dirt and dust was clearing, the slow slug tried to go as fast as she could, only managing to be inching away from the Pokemon, antennae shaking fearfully as it crept towards her. What is it trying to do? The mere questioning thought scared her even more, as she had no idea what was to become of her now. It startled her at first when it began to talk, but it was a calming and assuring feminine voice, sounding sympathetic and sincere. Lapis pivoted slowly to look at the Pokemon. She didn't really know how to respond to it, so she looked a little uncomfortable. She believed her, but just didn't know what to say about it.

It was wrong of her to presume that it was a dangerous wild Pokemon, but she couldn't say that. That would be embarrassing, and she was already sheepish about the whole situation as it was. She just hoped it would say something else so the situation wouldn't become awkward, either. As mature as she was, the Goomy was still extremely timid, even despite age. Hopefully it wouldn't go horribly either way.

"You know, your scent may not be too strong, but there could have been a wild Pokemon that found you first." Arashi said softly. "I mean, I could protect you while you do whatever you're here to do. If you want me to, that is." The Shinx slowly walked closer to the round Pokemon, still unable to identify what it was. She hoped that she didn't sound like she would hurt the Pokemon. When she was only a few feet away, Arashi sat down and waited for a response.

Lapis: {7}

Lapis pulled her antennae back onto her head after hearing what the Pokemon first had to say. She knew this place was dangerous, but she never thought it would be that bad.
"I have nothing against you protecting me, just so long as you lead the way. I don't know my way around dungeons, so it's best not to put your trust in my decisions," she suggested. The Goomy didn't want to be responsible for anything that happened to the two of them.

"Dangers aside, I go by Lapis, in case you were curious about my name," she stated uncertainly. She didn't want to sound too pushy, but she wanted to know the four-legged mammal's name, and there was not a polite enough way to put it. The last thing she needed was a bad first impression.

It was probably a worse thing to have Arashi lead the way, since she had a habit of getting in to trouble, but that thought didn't cross her mind at all. She was focused more on the Goomy, who calls herself Lapis. "Nice to meet you, Lapis! My name's Arashi. You won't have to worry when I'm around." The Shinx said, laying down. "Come on, you should get on my back. You're slow, right? It'll take forever to be able to through this dungeon if we move slowly. I can fix that easily!" Arashi gave the Goomy a cheery grin, hoping it was welcoming enough.

Lapis: {7}

As friendly as Arashi was, Lapis couldn't bring up a smile. She was still a little concerned.
"Me? On your back? I couldn't possibly... Surely you wouldn't want something so slimy and disgusting touching you..." As slow as the limbless Pokemon was, one would much rather bear moving slowly than with a ball of goo sitting on their back, and if someone couldn't even manage slowness, then they could just abandon her. "You're much better off with me just following you. You might have to go a little slower, but I can keep up."

Hopefully her suggestion was good enough, but now what did the quadrupedal Pokemon think of her? That she was weird and worthless? Incapable of leading herself through a dungeon? All this self-doubt just made Lapis feel worse about herself. Maybe she was better off without her... Maybe it would be better for you... she thought silently.

Arashi just grinned at that. "I can't move slowly for the life of me, honestly. And really, I always get covered in mud and sap almost every day. If you don't get down and dirty on any trips, then how are you supposed to grow stronger? Slime won't bother me, so hop on!" The Shinx waved her starred tail towards her back, signaling for Lapis to get on. Her smile was still on her face, her eyes shining with adventure. "And besides, is there really anything that's truly disgusting in this world other than disloyal Pokemon?"

Lapis: {7}

The left side of Lapis' antennae were practically plastered to her head, while the other two were perked up slightly. This Pokemon was really interesting. He smiled, even though the suggestion for them to travel slowly together was one he was not willing to do. Was the dry Pokemon really willing to be covered in slime more than slowing down a bit? Goomy weren't that slow...

Tucking in the folds of her foot, the slug became rounder and neater, trying to hide her sliminess as she approached the Shinx, really uncomfortable with the situation. She would hate to climb onto someone. To her, that would be really weird.
"Um... Are you sure about this? Because I don't think I can climb onto you..." She could, she was physically capable of it, but she didn't think she may.

OOC//:

Arashi just shrugged at her comment. "You never know until it happens or it doesn't!" She said joyfully, reminding herself of what she would say to others whenever she was challenged to do something no one thought she could. "Give it a try! You might not be able to catch up to me if you have to walk, but I'll at least try to be slow if you do. I don't mind!"

The Shinx continued her waving of her starred tail, waiting for Lapis to make her attempt. She was sort of hoping that she would get on so she wouldn't have to go slower than she normally would. But if she had to, she would definitely try.

OOC:

Lapis: {7}

The Goomy shrunk back, not wanting to slide up the dry Pokemon's furry body, leaving her disgusting little slime trail. If only there was another way to get on the Pokemon's back without that happening... If only a bird would swoop down and carry her onto the Shinx's back, or perhaps there might be a move she could use in order to attempt it. The only move that made a little sense was Bubble, but she couldn't climb into a bubble and pop back out above the electric-type's back.

Lapis sighed, as it seemed she had no other choice, and slid across the terrain with a wriggling foot in the effort to move, and halted at the Shinx's leg, where she 'switched gear' and began to climb straight up and onto her back. The Goomy flattened her antennae, half in discomfort and half in shame, and called out somewhat calmly, "I'm ready."

Arashi waited patiently for the Goomy's decision. She seemed to be mulling it over, or at least contemplating something. In the end, the Flash Pokemon felt a slimy surface slide onto her back, and the weight of Lapis climbing up. When she said she was ready, the Shinx stood up slowly so her passenger wouldn't go overboard. "Is everything alright up there?" She asked the gooey dragon. "Is it comfortable? And you needn't worry about falling off, if that's a concern. Your slime should be able to keep you aboard!" Arashi looked back at her rider with a large, friendly grin. Hopefully the Goomy would realize that she shouldn't worry about what others think of her, as long as she could love herself.