Babysitting Blues

The sky was awfully dark and gloomy despite it being daybreak. That was how it had been for a while now, even sometimes seeming like it got darker each and every day. Yet despite the dark clouds, there was no storm brewing, no lightning in the air. But that didn't mean there wasn't that certain tenseness lingering everywhere, that feeling of wrong. Perhaps there was a time when Pokémon could be ignorant and continue their normal lives – but such was no longer the case. Everyone knew it. Something was up.

But Wellrose honestly had some much bigger things to worry about. Like say, his whole life that had turned upside down. It wasn't an entirely new thing, no, it had been a while now. But it certainly still felt new and foreign. Early before the sun had even properly risen, the old Audino had woken up and started his slow journey across the land, one shaky step at a time.

While he had expected it to be darker than back in the day, the dark clouds weren't the only thing blocking the sun and its light. Slowly but surely, the air starter to get thicker with a white blanket of mist – and before he knew it, Wellrose's vision had managed to turn almost completely gray. It was a miserable situation, one where waving his cane helped a little to clear the foggy air around him, but the lack of a breeze made sure that there would be more of it everywhere around him.

He had to be at a lower elevation where all the mist rolled down to. Using his cane and his feet to feel around, the Audino tried to find his way to elevated ground.

The only problem with that tactic? Well, climbing uphill was much more difficult than walking on level ground, for sure! Wellrose's leg and back already were aching, begging for a break. But he wasn't ready. The fog was growing thinner as he continued, which was a good sign. Perhaps he could soon see a bit further, as even though his ears were flicking around picking sounds from his environment, they didn't really help him find his way to his destination.

He had to be close, though. There was a town somewhere around here…


Current Energy: 11 (22 -10 from entering)

Within the depths of the fog, a slimy little creature was making his way through the mist with ease. He could not exactly see where he was going, but he did not allow that to kill his mood as he simply kept moving forward with a big goofy smile on his face. The dragon type was thrilled to go on this adventure, considering it had taken hours to get out of that dumb jolteon's line of sight this time around!

Why did that stupid Taffy have to ruin all of his fun? Mammy would let him go places, Cluckoo not really, and he never really got to see much of Spoop. The goomy squinted into the mist uselessly in hopes of improving his vision. It did not help, though he finally noticed a large shape making its way up the big hill.

Oh? What was this thing? The goomy crawled ever so slowly closer, his large body flattening slightly as he attempted to sneak behind the big pink thing. He did not want to be found, he just wanted to see what it was. He wouldn't be able to see the face, but seeing the face would probably mean he would be attacked. The little goomy crawled closer...and closer to the back of the audino, trying to figure out what he was exactly.

Wellrose's paws treaded softly on the grass – well, one of his paws at least did, the other following with a much heavier step and the added soft thunk of his stick. Very small, insubstantial noises to many, surely, but to him? His ears heard it all. It was as if this all was a part of his world just like colors were to some, obvious and apparent. Up ahead, he could swear he could see some darkening shapes following the landscape. They were worthy of examination…

...But a sound stopped him, the Audino's ears twitching. Something from behind him, below… The way the grass rustled just slightly, over a larger area – but not an awfully large area. It seemed more like slithering than footsteps, but not quite long enough to be a snake… Wellrose couldn't think of a Pokémon that might have lived in the middle of the mist that would fit the description.

What was apparent was that the thing, whatever it was, was following him. While it wasn't a particularly fast turn, Wellrose did his best to turn swiftly and let his eyes scan his surroundings – which unfortunately, still were covered in the blanket of mist.
"Identify yourself," the Audino spoke up, his throat dry and voice hoarse.

Oh! The pink thingy turned around, he had been heard! Dang it. The goomy blinked as the audino spoke with his weary voice. This thing needed a name, he still could not identify it, but he had seen a fluffy little tail before the creature had turned around. Shinka looked up at the taller figure, the gears in his mind turning as he studied the pink and yellow figure that the mist still obscured before him. Name...Name...Name...he could ask for a name, but where was the fun in that?

Wait. He had the perfect name, "Fluffybutt!" the youthful voice of the gooey dragon exclaimed with pride and joy. The stupid grin only grew as he decided on the nickname for the significantly older pokemon. The gooey little dragon slithered a bit back so that he was not so close to the large pink thing he had deemed "Fluffybutt".

Was this pokemon a friend or a taffy? It had not attacked him, so it must have been a friend! The pile of goop expanded himself proudly slightly, waiting to see if the new friend would like the new name he had given the strange three-legged mon. At least...he thought it had three legs. One leg certainly was a lot more active than the other two...looked weird too. He did not quite realize that the "third" leg was actually a cane, since he had never quite seen another pokemon with a cane before.

Wellrose was tense, his single eye searching the white mist. His ears managed to pick more than his eye, but with his hearing, he was able to pinpoint the being's position, at least. And if he squinted really hard… Maybeee he could make out movement in the midst of the mist? Or was it just the slow shifting of this cursed bad weather?

And then, someone spoke up. A young, clear voice rang out from the mist, one that shocked the Audino to the core. Out of all the things he had expected to hear… This wasn't even on the list. His eye grew wide as the surprise forced him to react.
"Wha–" Wellrose only managed to splutter before his surprise passed and gave room to a realization, his expression twisting into a frown. Did that thing just… Was it referring to him?! Not like there was anyone else to refer to, as far as he could see, so already he was growing annoyed.

"Are you mocking me?!" The old Pokémon huffed, his fingers tightening their grip on the stick in annoyment.

The little goomy shrunk away as the older fluffy pokemon seemed to dislike his new name. Hm...perhaps he should give him a different one then? What was wrong with his old name? The goomy thought long and hard for an entire minute, studying the pokemon in front of him, or rather what he could see in front of him. The dragon type had shrunk in overall mass as he had recoiled, however he slithered forward once more in attempt to get a better look at the pokemon.

Shinka studied the pokemon for a moment before coming up with a new name, "Three-legs!" he exclaimed with glee, not realizing his names could have been taken as insulting. He just wanted to give the new friend a name, what was so wrong with that? The little goomy tilted his head, the horns shifting limply to the side with his mouth agape as he waited ever so hopefully to see if his new friend enjoyed the name.

"Three-legs~ Three-legs~" He sang with glee, hoping the new friend would like the ring placed into the new name. He still wasn't sure of the species of the pokemon, but it had to be friendly if it was not attacking him yet, right?

There was… Silence. Well, Wellrose's world never really was completely silent, but this Pokémon he had wanted an answer from didn't reply. And even though the Pokémon was quiet… It was not completely still. The Audino's ears swirled as they listened, his eye narrowing when he heard the sound approach once more. That thing hadn't actually tried attacking yet, but it certainly felt like it was trying to pick a fight with him…

And then, the thing spoke again with its insults. Wellrose's eyelid twitched as he listened to the thing's singsongy voice. Oh was this annoying or what. But he was above it. He wasn't going to let something like this get to him, no. Taking a deep breath and exhaling through his nostrils, the Audino let his tenseness leave his body with his breathing.

"That's great," the Pokémon growled before he sluggishly turned around and started to make his way up the hill once more, one step at a time,
"Now scram."

The goomy's head tilted further, he would have fallen over if his body had not stretched to make up for the turning. Shinka's head returned to its normal gooey state as he was then told to scram. He was still for a moment, but decided to follow the fluffybutt up the hill. His friend seemed to have liked his new name, Three-legs it was! His new friend even gave him a nickname too! "Scram" what was a scram? The little goomy hummed happily as he followed along behind the audino, happy that he and his new friend had given each other special and cool names to go along with each other.

Mammy, Spoop, Clukoo, and that Taffy had all given him a cool name, Shinka! So they were off! New adventures awaiting in this new fog as his eyes sparkled with adventure. Did Three-legs have more friends for him to meet? Where was three-legs going? When was he going to see the rest of Three-legs? Oh! What if...it was impossible to see the rest of three legs? Did he just keep going up and up forever? Shinka's face turned to awe at the thought of meeting the tallest pokemon ever, not quite allowing logic to bring his fantasies crashing down.

Shinka: 10 energy

Wellrose continued his slow ascend, his cane sinking slightly into the slightly wet ground as he let his weight rest on it instead of his hurt leg. He managed to hear the other Pokémon's movements, and at first, he didn't really react to them. After all, one had to move to be able to leave, so he hoped that the sounds would soon dissipate. Oh, but that just would have been too good to be true, wouldn't it? The slithering ended up following him, a soft hummed tune echoing in the air.

Was this some kind of proof that karma existed? ...No, there was nothing he could have done to deserve this.

The Audino's eye narrowed and his nose scrunched up all the while his ears twitched from the nuisance. Slowly but surely, the further he climbed, the worst of the mist seemed to start being behind them.
"Didn't I tell you to get lost?"

Bird carried out 3 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

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Three-leg Mc Fluffybutt spoke once more to the goomy. Shinka's young mind did not seem to register that the friend wanted to be left alone. What kind of friend would want another friend to go away after all? The goomy had simply been confused by this dialogue. When did Three-legs tell him to do that? He was already lost, how could he possibly get more lost! The goomy's head tilted as his small black eyes blinked.

"Already...lost?" he spoke, befuddled by three-legs's behavior. The goomy studied the shape of the pokemon has he continued to attempt to figure out what the heck three-legs was. He was tall...he did not have wings so he certainly was not like Mammy. He sure had a fluffy tail, but he was not short like the eevees he knew as Cupcakes. He could not have possibly been a Taffy! Taffys were much too mean, and this friend had given him his own name! The little goomy was sure to appreciate his new name of "Scram" for times to come!

(Let's bring in some more friends)

Kat carried out 5 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

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Wellrose sighed. The thing following him… Was one of those Pokémon, wasn't it. The annoying ones that didn't really get a clue, ever. Just his luck. Despite his very polite request, he was still being followed – and he didn't particularly enjoy this company. Unfortunately he was in no shape to try to kick this thing off, or try to out-speed the slithering, slimy thing.

"Yes, I told you to–" the Audino started with a dry huff, but the realization of what his follower was saying hit him. Was it… Lost?  Wellrose bothered to give the area behind him a rather lazy glance over his shoulder, for a moment. Still couldn't see the thing, as the mist was the thickest around his feet – and speaking of the mist, the area around his eyes was finally starting to get clearer, as the heavy mist sought to roll down the hill to the lower ground.

A rustle from elsewhere caught the old Pokémon's attention, however, his ears swiveling towards the direction of the sound. It wasn't close yet, and he couldn't quite make up a shape in the distance… But he could hear something. Nothing particularly heavy or big, but maybe it was… Jumping?


((That's not how you summon friends, let me show you how.))

Bird carried out 2 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

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The friend was speaking again, but he seemed to cut himself off. The goomy slithered back an inch to give the new friend some space. What now? He was saying something, but the simple minded goomy could not quite piece together what the tall creature was talking about...unless...the tail WAS the creature! He wasn't tall, he just had a really big forehead. Where were the eyes though? Did he just have a long nose? Shinka tilted his head in the opposite direction as he stared at the fluffy tail.

"What Wrong?" the goomy spoke to the fluffy tail he now believed to be the face of the pokemon. This sure was a strange pokemon, then again Shinka himself was a strange pokemon, but he was normal to himself. The little goomy did not hear the faint thumping noises that the audino seemed to hear, much too focused on the here and now than his surroundings. The goomy waited for an answer, as he tried to put together what exactly had caused the audino to stop speaking himself.

(Let's try that again)

Kat carried out 5 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

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Wellrose stared into the distance intently, his paw holding his stick tightly. It was too far for him to see, in this mist especially… But perhaps that went both ways. Still, he didn't think his ears were deceiving him: something was coming towards them. Whether or not they had been seen, they might be eventually. Not knowing if this was a friend or a foe, the Audino didn't want to risk it. He was in no shape to fight to protect himself, and Pokémon sure were acting crazy these days. He had to hide.

"Shh," Wellrose hissed at the other Pokémon, not wanting anyone to hear them in case their presence was still unknown to others. Picking up his pace, the old Pokémon started to climb up the hill once more, his cane occasionally used to feel the land's shapes around him. The thinning mist was enough for the Audino's immediate surroundings to show up as hazy silhouettes, leading him to a large stone he might be able to hide behind…

And it was a good idea to hide, too. Not only did the thumping sound get closer, it wasn't the only sound. Something was galloping behind it on four legs, running rather fast. There wasn't much time.


((We're good at rolling Pokémon!))

Current Energy: 3 (-3 from the item rolls, -5 from the encounter rolls)

((I know right?))

The little goomy glanced around, finally hearing the strange noises that Three-Legs seemed to hear as they got closer. The little purple blob of goo blinked as he wondered if perhaps more friends were coming as he was hushed by the older pokemon. The slimy beast twisted his head around left and right in a full circle too look for the new friends. His antlers shot up as he heard a sharp twitter that pierced through the dense fog. The goomy's eyes widened as he spotted a shape above them swoop around and create a U shape as it turned back. The sharp twittering started up once more before a sharp gust of wind struck the little ball of goop.

The thick fog was blown away by the attack, but the little goo stood strong against the winds and looked to the source of the sudden powerful gusts. A little fletchling swooped upwards after finishing the Tailwind attack before swooping back into the mist. The winds still remained as they served to deliver swiftness to the approaching pokemon. The goomy's eyes widened as the flier flipped backwards into the fog that was beginning to recollect itself and fill in the gaps once more. The tailwind was meant to give speed as well as clear the mist so that the others could see, but it did not work as a Defog as the mists began to creep back in on empty space

"Huh?" The goomy blinked, wondering what was happening, "Friends?" he asked, looking to the taller pokemon as he wondered if they were friends of the audino's.

Wellrose made it to the large rock as fast as he could with his bad leg, his eye glancing up to the sky as he heard a sound. A bird… A bird that flew and cut through the fog and drawing shapes that lingered for a little while before the mist started to roll and engulf them once more. But then, a gust of wind, ruffling the old Pokémon's scruffy fur. Squinting his eye in his suspicion, he was quite certain that there was more to this wind than just, well, that. It wasn't enough to blow the mist away completely, but it did stop the area around them from being engulfed like it was earlier, keeping the mist moving and rolling by. Had the bird seen him? It was hard to say if the rock was good enough when someone's eyes were on the sky…

Not to mention the other Pokémon that had been following him. Now that there was less mist, it was easier to make out the creature's shape and colors. A Goomy. Now that… That explained many things, but the Pokémon didn't really seem to understand anything about what was going on. Through gritted teeth, Wellrose could only grumble in a strained voice.
"No. Now get out of there before they notice you."

In the distance, a Spoink hopped forward as fast as its springy tail could propel it, clearly exhausted – and it was uncertain how long it could keep going. Occasionally its little beady nervously glanced behind it, hearing the footsteps and panting that followed it. It could feel the wind blowing from behind it, but if it actually helped the little pig jump any faster was difficult to say…