Round Two

First topic message reminder :

OOC: This thread is open, so anyone is welcome to join! The more, the merrier. =]
EDIT: This thread is no long open, as we already have 5 people.

[Energy: 19 - 5 (Entrance Cost) = 14]
[Exclusive Item: White Silk (Reduces cost of every other Pokemon rolled by 1)]

Pilot gazed ahead at the sickeningly sweet forest of Pecha. It was a common location for rookies to train, which is exactly why he chose to go there several days prior... However, that trip hadn't ended very well. The tiny Taillow shuddered when he recalled being exploded on by a Pineco, and then subsequently getting poisoned by an Exeggcute... Indeed, he had been defeated by two tiny forest critters, and now he was back for vengeance. To say that he was bitter about his failure in the forest would be an understatement. Since his terrible Pecha Forest expedition, the small bird Pokemon had become much stronger, and now he was going to prove himself by finally getting through the "easy" dungeon.

While he was confident that he could conquer the rookie's dungeon alone, Pilot couldn't help but feel a bit lonely. Maybe it was because he had grown accustomed to always having a partner with him during his explorations... Not that he missed Hidon specifically. Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find someone else in here, Pilot thought to himself, remembering how quickly he had found a temporary partner the last time he had been in the dungeon. "Hey, anyone here?" He chirped, trying to attract the attention of any other rookie explorers in the forest. Of course, he was also attracting feral Pokemon in the process...

Raze X Cana (I ship it, and now Pilot does, too =])

Pilot, being the observant little bird that he was, noticed vague signs pointing to the conclusion that Raze had feelings for Cana: he fixed himself up before she woke up, he called her "sleeping beauty", and even gave her a gift. Even if his findings weren't necessarily true, he certainly believed them, now convinced of Raze's (probably non-existent) crush on the Fennekin. Pilot decided not to say anything, but he started to come up with plans to push the two together... He fancied himself as Raze's future wingman (groan-worthy pun intended).

Shipping aside, Pilot was relieved that Cana seemed to be alright. More importantly, he was happy that he wouldn't have to use one of his precious items on her. Not a particularly charitable Pokemon, the Taillow was glad that he wasn't put in the awkward situation of having restoration items, but refusing to use them on someone else. He knew that his collection of Oran Berries, Reviver Seeds, and other staples would help him out in a tough mission, so he was naturally very reluctant to use them.

(OOC: I don't see- oh. Welp, no use trying to stop you from that. :P And Evana, you can add the energy from the Berry. It was rolled and I don't really need it.)

Energy: 0

The Minun was actually surprised at how quiet Pilot was. Shouldn't he have been more concerned for the well being of his ally rather than just standing there silently? Then again, he had been the one to wake her up. "You aren't really trouble, of course not! Heck you put out the fire before I even finished off the two Nidos." he said with a shrug. Of course, he hadn't really kept track of time, but as far as he could tell, it was faster than he expected to disperse the flames. The duo assaulting the ferals was still busy, and Raze did not want to get in their way. His recent attacks had exhausted him to the point of inability to form a Helping Hand, nevertheless sustain it to fire the energy as a projectile.

Of course, the Electric type grew a bit restless and tried to strike up a conversation. "So, why are you guys here? I mean, Pilot, I know you aren't here specifically to recruit me, you know. Anything interesting happen to bring you here?" he asked. Raze had his own reason to travel here; to escape from the hustle and bustle of town, as well as train to join the guild. He didn't find it very interesting, but perhaps the others would. Even then, he knew nothing of the motives that brought these two here in the first place. The Cheering Pokémon waited for a response, his mind filled with possibilities.

(Energy: 1+1+10=12)

Cana felt a bit better after eating the Oran Berry. Noticing how bad the Minun was doing made her feel a bit bad about eating it though. "I-I didn't really do much. It were those Lotad and Lombre who put out the fire. I didn't really put out the fire. At least this forest didn't burn down."

Cana was relieved to see there was little damage and no Pokemon seemed to have gotten injured in the fire. "It could have ended really badly..." The Fennekin looked around at the charred trees and bushes. She noticed Lillian and Katsumi were fighting some ferals but she was too weak to help them. They did seem to be able to handle it.

"Haha, don't worry about it~," Pilot chirped to Cana, giving her a reassuring grin. "No harm done, so we might as well just forget that even happened," The Taillow added, with the intention of making her feel better. In truth, even if the entire forest had burnt down, he still wouldn't have cared. He had never been particularly fond of Pecha Berries, and honestly, he didn't care for the ferals in the area, either. Especially those stupid Nidorinas and Nidorinos...

"Why am I here?" Pilot asked, pointing his wing at himself in a questioning way. "Well, I guess you could say that I'm here for the training... Not that I really need it. But yeah, since that mission my team took involves coming here, I figured I'd prepare by scoping the area out. That, and I'm also collecting items that would be helpful. Never know when you'll need a Blast Seed or an Oran Berry, you know?"

Energy: 0

Raze nodded in understanding at Pilot's response. Of course, he couldn't just say that he was here looking for a fight, but he didn't want to lie either. Overall, he didn't really see the harm intelling the truth seeing as it wouldn't come true anyways. They could all agree that it was exhausting earlier, what with the Nidos and other ferals. "Ah. I've just been looking for some sparring opportunities, yet no luck. I swear, some people really can't take a little friendly fight, eh?" he said with crossed arms. It was actually true; not a single battle between civilized Pokémon had occurred since he arrived. Though the peace was a nice change of pace, he got sick of it real fast and craved excitement.

The Minun diverted his attention to Cana once more. She was busy mumbling something about ending badly. Without hesitation, the mouse protested her argument on what he thought to be the topic of the fire. "It could have, but I don't really blame you for it. I mean, it happens, right?" he said with a lighthearted smile. He wasn't even sure if she was the one to set it, but he generally didn't care. Whoever ignited the pyre was forgiven, enough said. "Besides, I'm not even sure which of you actually set it, to be honest. Regardless, consider it water under the bridge, okay?"

Cana looked at the others. She understood they were trying to cheer her up but it wasn't really helping. How would they have reacted if Pokemon had died in the fire? Would they still have been so forgiving? She had yet to find someone who would not be angry at what she did or called her a murderer. Of course, only those in her home village and from the forest know what she did. She never told anyone about it. "Would you still be this nice if the fire got out of hand? All of you could have died in this fire." She didn't look at them. She was too scared to. She didn't start this fire but she didn't care who got the blame. She only wanted to know what they would think about this. They probably would have hated me if the forest had burned down. Who wouldn't be. I don't deserve this kindness.

Pilot nodded, never really the best at reassuring others, but was still trying nonetheless. "Of course we would! I mean, we're friends, right? Or, at least, acquaintances..." He trailed, looking away from the two. It was still too early to label them as "friends", but they were definitely closer than the word "acquaintance" implied. "But yeah, it's not like I would miss this place anyways. I've never really been a fan of Pecha Berries... Oh, and those ferals were also pretty annoying, too," Pilot added, trying to add a little levity to the conversation. It felt strange for him to not be making some sort of wisecrack comment, or gloating about his personal achievements.

In an attempt to get more comfortable, Pilot flew up onto a tree branch, and looked down at the other two from above. Doing this helped him feel like he wasn't a midget, and the feeling of being at a higher altitude calmed his nerves. The bird let out a quiet sigh. All of the excitement from before seemed to have finally died down. For a moment, he seemed completely relaxed.

{OOC: Shorter than usual, but whatever.}

Energy: 0

The Electric type tried his best to hold in a smile when Cana said that he could have "died in the fire". What, does she think I'm that stupid? That's hilarious! he thought jokingly. Seeing as it was a sensitive topic, however, he resisted the urge to voice his thoughts. "...Well, what's life without a little danger? Why jump into the frying pan if you're afraid of fire?" he chuckled. Raze didn't necessarily fear the risks, but instead used it as motivation to succeed. It hadn't worked most of the time, but that never stopped him. "Not saying that's the case here, but whatever."

However, Pilot's comment put a look of utter shock on his face. "What?! You're saying that you would literally forget all of the Pokémon that live here just because you don't like the area?!" Raze replied in disbelief. There was no way the bird could be telling the truth about this... Was he? "You can't be serious about that, Pilot! Sure, they attack and it hurts a lot, but they're still Pokémon regardless, right...?" The Minun could tell he was getting nowhere with explaining it to Pilot. He let out a sigh of disapproval and annoyance. The mission would be an interesting one, if anything...

Cana was shocked at what Pilot said. He wouldn't care? What kind of coldhearted Pokemon is he? Even these ferals don't deserve to die by something like this. It's just so cruel. Before she could comment on that, Raze already was voicing his own protest. It seemed Raze was on her side on this one.

Pilot was already in the tree. She wasn't sure if he heard Raze and she didn't feel like yelling after him either. She just sighed and lay down. "Thank you..." What else did she have to say? They wouldn't have been angry at her. She felt better because of that.

"You asked...why I am here, right? I just arrived in the area and wanted to explore the forest. I...really love forests." She smiled a bit as she said that. She still didn't look at Raze but she felt a little more easy.

Pilot rolled his eyes, clearly not expecting their harshly negative responses. "I was kidding, Twinkle Toes. Learn to take a joke..." He called down to the electric mouse, trying to force a smile on his beak despite his frustration. For some reason, it seemed that other Pokemon couldn't understand his dry sense of humor. He had been called "insensitive" many times before, but the way he saw it, everyone around him was either not intelligent enough or too naive. For Raze and Cana, he knew that it was the latter.

Although he was still within the hearing range of his travel companions, he zoned out, distracted by the upcoming mission. The objective of catching a stupid Pidgey seemed simple, but somehow, he expected it to be much more difficult than that. After all, the bird Pokemon had ended up on the Outlaw Board for a reason... Even with the addition of Raze and possibly more recruitment to come, Pilot had a gut feeling that they were going to have a hard time.

Energy: 0

Perhaps it was jumping to conclusions, but Raze felt a slight touch of remorse for snapping at Pilot, no matter how dark and twisted his sense of humor was. Sure, the name he was called irritated him, but the Minun was the one to overreact to the joke. "...Sorry about that then. Guess I got a little carried away; there's no way that could be true, hehe! And to think I actually thought you weren't kidding for a minute!" he apologized with a bashful chuckle. Turning to Cana again, the mouse listened to her reasoning as to why she was here and was surprised. If she likes forests... Why was she afraid of setting it on fire? I'm seriously doubting she'd actually use a Fire type attack if she likes forests that much... he thought, deciding not to say it aloud in case he was wrong.

"Heh, I prefer Fallen Leaf Copse myself, but I guess Pecha Forest made the top 10." he explained. In fact, anywhere seemed awesome to Raze except for Shadowhue Forest; most of his encounters there brought nothing but unfortunate chances and constant battles with the exact same Pinsir. ...Yeah, I have no idea if that was the same Pinsir, but who cares? Worst. Place. Ever. I'm still curious as to why Cana was so apologetic about this... If I'm right and she didn't set it, why is she beating herself up about it? I may need to ask eventually, but maybe when I'm not on an exploration. Now doesn't seem like a good time... the mouse thought with a nod. It was just a theory, but he was willing to stand with it until proven wrong.

Cana wasn't really sure if he was joking or not. He did sound pretty serious to her. She was smart enough not to voice her thoughts. Raze seemed to believe Pilot was joking. Maybe she was overreacting. The fire just had scared her so much. She had calmed down mostly right now but she still looked at the charred trees from time to time. She was wondering what they will do now.

Cana glanced at Raze. "Fallen Leaf Copse? I don't think I have ever been there before. What is it like?"

"Yeah, how tough are the ferals there?" Pilot curiously asked. "I need a new training spot... I'm kinda tired of training in here and Shadowhue," He finished, looking around at the scenery. It would be nice to go somewhere different for once. Of course, with his new job as an explorer, he would undoubtedly travel to faraway dungeons with time, but he needed to wait until Team Rising ranked up to get better jobs. For now, anytime he wanted to go to a unique location, it would have to be unrelated to the guild.

Another question: would he bring his teammates along with him on training trips? As much as it was in his best interest to help progress the team as a whole, Pilot couldn't help but think that maintaining the competitive attitude that formed the team would help even more. Besides, why would he willingly bring that chubby Charmander with him? It's not like they got along very well...

Energy: 0

The mouse almost burst out in enthusiasm as his two companions were interested in his training spot. "Trust me, you guys would really like it there! There's leaves that fall down, a huge lake around an island with stones to cross, there's some tough ferals there, and the afternoons- Oh man, you guys just need to see it for yourselves!" he exclaimed with a grin. For some reason, it was always his favorite spot to go for anything related to training. The scenery and emotion the place exerted was so calming and tranquil, and it was the one place that Raze felt that he had made any progress at becoming stronger.

By then, the suspense and awkward silences were happening. In an attempt to entertain himself, Raze began toying with the sparks radiating from his hands. Most saw them as girly little pompoms while he... pretty much thought the same. The Electric type understood that he was adept at supporting teammates and typical stereotypes of his species, but at the same time refused to follow them. No way I'm gonna be some damn cheerleader or anything; I was born a fighter, and I'm gonna stay that way! he thought with a small smirk. "How about you, Cana? I know you like forests and all, but what's your favorite? I'll bet you that I've been to it." The smirk he gave was slightly uncertain; had he visited as many areas as he thought he had? Only a map could tell, and the best one he had didn't even map out specific areas. As for Pilot... his area was probably foreign to him. Flying types often had hard-to-reach places as training places, or at least the ones he had met.

Cana listended closely when the Minun told about Fallen Leaf Copse. He sounded pretty excited about the place. She did hear a few things before but hearing Raze talk about it like that made her really want to go see the place for herself. She was wondering if it really was so beautiful as people say they were.

Then everyone grew silent. It made her a little uneasy. She watched as Raze was playing with the sparks in his hand. They seemed a bit like pompons.....and very not so Raze like. She smiled a bit at the thought of Raze being some kind of cheerleader. She had to be careful not to laugh. The idea was too funny.

In the middle of her imagining that, Raze suddenly asked her a question. "Huh? My favorite forest? I'm not sure. I guess it is the forest near my home town. It was very pretty. The leaves were shades of blue and purple and seemed to radiate some strange energy. There were a lot of psychic types in the area. Lots of weird plants I haven't seen in other forests yet too." Cana smiled about the memories of the forest. It is true a part got burned down but it never burned down completely.