(Egg) Laying the foundation

(Energy: 17-5=12)

"Pecha Forest again..."

Cirrus didn't expect to have too much troubles with the dungeon this time. She had been able to purchase a TM for the move Double Team and gotten some practice in on the new technique. Clearing Pecha Forest wasn't her plan for today though. What she intended to do was gather herbs.

On her last visit, she had met up with a Shiny Houndour and learned about some of their effects. Borage, Cirrus recalled, could bring down a Pokémon's fever. She had since done her homework and was now returning to collect more varieties. To expand her knowledge...

"Well, in I go~" the Togepi said while walking in to the forest, her eyes open for anything.

(Energy: 16-5=11)

Darcy paced steadily through the maze-like latticework of mossy trees and logs, absently humming a tune to herself as she walked.  A cool breeze ruffled the Skitty's fur and sent the blue ribbon around her neck fluttering.  Pinned to the ribbon was a small badge--the mark of a Grassveil Guild member.

Another Pokemon had joined her exploration team recently, and Darcy's goal for the day was to buy him a gift.  She was thrilled to have a new teammate, and she wanted to give him something nice to commemorate their partnership.  The problem was that she had overestimated how far her money would go.  An hour of wandering the shops of Grassveil Town had proven that she couldn't afford anything good with what little she had.

And so she had come to Pecha Forest.  It was common knowledge that you could find rare items in Mystery Dungeons.  And failing that, she could at least gather some berries and try to sell or trade them in town.  She still wouldn't be able to get her partner anything great, of course, but it would be better than nothing at all!

...The forest was a little boring, though.  She had only been there for a few minutes and was already wishing that she had some company.  Too bad that she didn't have any friends in Grassveil Town to drag along on excursions like this.

She spotted an especially tall tree up ahead.  It looked like a good spot to take a rest.  Protracting her tiny claws, she scrambled up the tree trunk and hauled herself onto a sturdy branch two or three meters above the ground.  The cat Pokemon settled down, letting her tail dangle as she leisurely took in her surroundings.

After a few minutes of relaxing, she noticed movement on the ground below her.  A strange, egg-like Pokemon walked into view.  Her ears perked up.  She had never seen that species around here before, so it couldn't be a feral.

...Well, it probably wasn't a feral, at least.  It was a chance she was willing to take if it meant curing her loneliness.

"Hey there!" she called, sitting up on her haunches and smiling down at the newcomer.  "Are you here to explore the forest too?"

Cirrus took a start upon hearing the voice, possessed by a Pokémon seemingly out of sight. She relaxed a little bit under the assumption that it was most definitely not a feral. They wouldn't usually call out to a Pokémon and ask if they were "also" exploring the forest...

Also... That word gave it away, whoever this was, it had to be an explorer of some sort.

"Hello?" the Togepi called out, looking around for the speaker until finding them sitting in seeming comfort atop a tree. A small, catlike Pokémon... She'd have thought it to be a stray if not for the words, until she saw the ribbon and badge. Cirrus had seen them once before on a Buizel, they indicated membership at the Grassveil Guild.

"Ohh, hello. I'm here to stock up on healing herbs. What brings you here?"

So she was collecting plants for medicine!  Maybe she was some kind of herbalist?  That was interesting.  Darcy had never met anyone like that aside from her mother.

"I'm here to hunt for treasure!" Darcy said as she leaped from her tree branch and landed softly on the ground.  She trotted towards the egg Pokemon, smiling playfully.  "...Or whatever passes for treasure in a forest like this, anyway.  Probably just some berries or seeds.  I'm saving up to buy a gift for a friend."

She began circling the newcomer curiously.  She had never seen this species of Pokemon before.  It was awfully small... even smaller than her, which was rare.  Darcy definitely wasn't very strong either, but she felt a twinge of concern for the little thing.  "Are you here by yourself?  Places like this can be pretty dangerous, you know," she said as she sat down and idly swished her tail back and forth.

A gift for a friend? Cirrus had to admire that. Showing one's gratitude with a handpicked gift was a good thing to do, she'd remembered getting one such gift which turned out to be rather valuable. In her head, she almost immediately approved of this Pokémon's mission within the forest.

She watched Darcy circle around her before the kitten sat down and asked if she had any sort of company in this dungeon. "I'm here on my own, but I'm able to look after myself." she said while watching the Skitty's tail for a short while. "I've been living by myself in Grassveil Town for just around a month now"

Saying that, her mind briefly flashed back to the family before coming back... "I'm Cirrus, a Togepi. What's your name?"

Darcy nodded at the Togepi's answer.  "My name is Darcy.  I've only lived in Grassveil Town for a couple of weeks myself."  At least Cirrus wasn't a child.  Still, Darcy wasn't entirely convinced that the little Pokemon would be safe on her own...  

"Want to walk together?" she asked as she stood up.  "Safety in numbers, they say.  And I don't have any specific destination in mind."

Her job as a guild member was to help people in need.  Even though this wasn't a formal assignment, and there was no reward involved, she felt obligated to tag along and keep Cirrus safe.  And besides that, she was happy just to have found someone to talk to.

"Nice to meet you, Darcy" she said in response. Darcy seemed like a rather nice sort. Watching her get up, Cirrus listened to the Skitty's suggestion of walking through the dungeon together. Safety in numbers was indeed what "they" said, whomever they were, and it was also more fun.

"I have nowhere that I really need to head towards, so I'd be happy to walk with you. The day looks nice enough for it."

It was indeed a pleasant day. The sun was shining and a gentle breeze had begun to waft through the trees. A perfect reflection of her mood. "The herbs I'm hoping to find aren't usually on the main paths, I recall being told. Having someone watch my back would be quite nice."

Gengarzilla carried out 1 launched of one Pecha Forest :

"Sure, leave it to me!" Darcy said, flashing a smile as she cantered alongside Cirrus.  The earth beneath her paws was pleasantly damp and cool, and the breeze in the air kept her fur from getting too hot.  It was really a perfect day for a walk.  She resumed her humming and let herself enjoy the pleasant, relaxing feeling of being out in nature.

Darcy strayed to the side of the path as she walked, peering through the dense trees and bushes rustling in the wind, hoping to spot something valuable.  She wracked her memory for any information about medicinal plants while she was at it.  Her mom had definitely given her and her siblings some lessons on the subject before.

"So, what kind of herbs are you looking for?" she asked, eager to both help the Togepi search and to learn a little more about her.  "Just healing ones, right?  Do you need them for anything special?"

Eventine carried out 1 launched of one Pecha Forest :

(Energy 12-8=4)

Watching the cheery Darcy studiously keep to the side of the paths was good to see. The Skitty had that right mixture of enjoyability and seriousness. Cirrus took to similarly searching, and encountered some dried and fallen leaves of seemingly no significant value just as Darcy asked what kind of herbs she was looking for and why she needed them.

"I'm looking for any kind of herbs. There seems to be many varieties in the world, and I hope to use them to help Pokémon when I become a doctor. Just like my mother." she said while collecting the leaves, glad that Darcy was interested in knowing about her reasonings. "For example, I've learned that these dried oak leaves can be used to stop wounds from becoming infected when crushed and spread upon them." Putting them away in her bag, she didn't notice a Tangela watching...

(Energy: 11-1=10)

"Wow, really?" Darcy said as she bounded over to Cirrus, impressed by both the Togepi's knowledge and her ambition of becoming a doctor.  She pounced on another leaf drifting through the air and inspected it with newfound appreciation.  She had no idea that something so common could be so useful.

"You remind me of my mom, Cirrus," Darcy said, looking up at the egg Pokemon and giggling.  "She's not a doctor, but she collects plants and makes medicine with them.  She's really dedicated and knowledgeable."  Darcy wandered back to the side of the path and resumed searching.  "I think you two would get along.  She even visits this forest from time to time."

As she walked, Darcy spotted a flash of red somewhere deeper in the forest.  Pushing through a few small bushes, she found that it was an apple tree!  Most of the its fruits were unripe or had already been taken by other Pokemon, but there were still one or two that looked good enough to pick.  They wouldn't be worth much on their own, but it was a start.  Or maybe she and Cirrus could just eat them together later in the afternoon.  Darcy made her way towards the tree, straying farther and farther from the Togepi.

She let loose a little smile as she watched Darcy examine the leaf. Yes, such little things could make a world of difference, she thought to herself. Upon putting her bag away after she had collected what she needed, Cirrus then listened to the Skitty talk about her mom.

"Oh? Yes, I think I would love to be introduced to her sometime. I'm still learning." she admitted out loud. "Someone with that dedication and knowledge would be great to meet..." It sounded like Darcy's mom really knew her stuff.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a noise originating from the Tangela, followed by an expelled blanket of green spores to the face while Darcy was approaching the apple tree. Cirrus quickly flew into a Metronome while fighting off a sudden heavy feeling in her head, only to produce a relatively ineffective Bubble that the Grass type Pokémon shrugged off before she fell into slumber...

Ah, so Cirrus was still learning!  That made sense.  It seemed like she hadn't evolved yet, so she probably didn't have too much experience.  

Darcy kept walking towards the apple tree, raising her voice to make sure the Togepi could still hear her.  "Sure, no problem!  She and the rest of my family live one or two hours away from here.  We can stop by this afternoon if we have time."

She climbed the tree and walked out onto the branch with the apple.  The Skitty carefully grasped its stem in her mouth, trying not to get any teeth marks on the fruit itself.  She stowed it away in her bag and hopped back to the ground.  

"She's usually a little shy, but I think she'd be happy to teach you.  She's been homebound for the past few weeks and is probably bored out of her mind," Darcy called as she made her way back to the path, pushing through the undergrowth.  She expected a reply to come, but the air remained still and quiet save the rustling of leaves.  "Cirrus..?" she called as she finally emerged onto the dirt road.

She froze.  Cirrus wasn't moving, and there was what looked like a big ball of writhing tentacles leaning over her.  Without thinking, Darcy dashed forward and rammed into the grass Pokemon with the strongest Tackle she could manage.

She scrabbled to check Cirrus for any injuries, then let out a deep sigh of relief.  It looked like the Togepi had just been put to sleep.  She'd feared the worst for a second there.  She cursed herself for being so careless and urgently rocked the egg Pokemon back and forth, trying to shake her awake.  

"Cirrus, get up!  There's a feral!" she shouted, heart pounding.  She turned around to check the condition of the Tangela and let out a yelp.  The thing had crept up right behind her.  Darcy tried to jump away, but a tentacle yanked her tail and knocked her off of her feet.  More tentacles grabbed at her body in a Constrict attack.  She tried to squirm free, but wasn't having much luck.

"Mmmm... Mmmmh..." she lightly snuffled in her sleep, feeling Darcy's rocking but only associating it with being cradled in the sheltered valley nest back home with the nine other Togepi within her mother's clutch of young. She was too deeply asleep to notice or hear the scuffle presently going on right next to her.

Meanwhile, the Tangela's tentacles, gradually becoming more numerous, gripped Darcy harder and harder with Constrict before using them to toss her straight towards a tree at the other side of the area. Following this, the tentacles were used to collect Cirrus and her bag as the Tangela went back into the thick undergrowth of the forest with the Togepi in tow. Almost as though this was planned.

Darcy grunted with pain as the Tangela got a better hold on her.  She continued trying to struggle free, but she could barely even move at this point.  Just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, the Tangela lurched her backwards, then sent her hurtling through the air.  She slammed hard against a tree and crashed to the ground.

Her head pounded and colorful sparks danced in her vision.  She staggered to her feet, but the ground seemed to spin and she fell back over.  She panted, lying on her side and staring at the horizon as she tried to recompose herself.

Wow.  That had been shameful.  She was supposed to be protecting Cirrus, not wandering off and then getting thrashed by a feral.  If Cirrus got hurt just because Darcy was too weak and scatterbrained, she would...  She would just...

A wave of desperation pushed Darcy back to her feet.  A glance around the clearing revealed no signs of Cirrus or the Tangela.  She clambered up a tree trunk to get a better view, then spotted movement in the plants some distance away.

She hopped to the ground and bounded in the direction of the movement.  "Cirrus!" she shouted as she tore through the undergrowth, too adrenaline-driven to form much of a plan.

Eventine carried out 1 launched of one Pecha Forest :

(Sorry for the wait, that brother of mine left me hanging for the past week before admitting that he'd pass on this.)

As the Tangela continued to dart towards wherever it was darting to, the feeling of wind upon the sleeping Togepi's face had already begun to instigate a dream of some sort. Cirrus suddenly saw herself as a dainty little Togetic, taking in a gentle breeze while she flew about with blissful abandon. She didn't know how or where she had acquired a Soothe Bell to even evolve in the first place but it was of no concern. This was most enjoyable...

"Cirrus!"

That voice... Somewhere, somehow, it was vaguely familiar to the Togetic. They sounded worried... concerned... scared even... After a short moment of recollection, one Pokémon was a match.

"Darcy? Surely you can't fly? What's going on...?"

Cirrus awoke with a confused mumble. "Oh yeah. This Tangela." It hadn't heard her awaken. She went into Metronome again, flailing her stubby hands around in a vain attempt to hit the Tangela with a Rock Smash. Another flop...