The Challenge in Lavaridge

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC- Just for the heck of it, and 'cause I feel loik writing...and I have another bio to play wif, behold teh RP of zee numbair twa(two)]

BIC-

As a neverending haze of ash swirled down from the summit of Mt.Chimney, a small and overly-dramatic boy, dressed in a store-bought ninja costume crouched down in the cover of the sooty reeds. Never the patient one though, he shifted more and more frequently, and before long his not-so-hidden spot was free of ash; naturally the green patch amidst all of the sooty grey was more than a beacon.

"Gosh...how can I be a ninja when no one will come around?" he grumbled darkly to himself.

The sound of his own voice covered up a frustrated cough, which could've been heard to the boy's left and up a steep incline. But as he fell silent, the 'ninja' heard the minorly annoyed voice cutting through the thick cloud of ash.

"Geez...c'mon Lan...I swear, coming to this place is like asking for trouble..."

He turned curiously and scrambled up the hill, only to topple back over when a pair of figures, blanketed in soot, popped out of a patch of grass in an explosion of ash. He pitched backwards with a small yelp, rolling down the hill and wincing as a small stone thunked on his head at the bottom.


Ramen glowered at the small reprieve from the sea of ridiculously soft grey. His crimson-red hair was grey, his black shirt was grey....and even Lan, a light brown and white Eevee, was the same grey.

I swear, if I see ashes in a fire for a month, I'm gonna throw up he thought darkly, lifting the small, affectionate Eevee up and giving him a pat down.

The resulting mist of soot clogged his nostrils, and he stumbled off to the left, into another patch of grass, which sent another shower of powdery ash on top of them.

"Oh, come on..." he muttered, wiping off the accumulating pile from his hair.

The ninja boy now waited giddily, a grin cracking across his face as he pulled out a Pokeball and waited. Waited and watched for the duo to come down the small hill that led from there to the gloriously soot-free town of Lavaridge. It didn't take long (Ramen's patience was a trembling, thin thing, and it broke faster than a tiny twig under pressure. And when it did, the map was the first thing to come out) for the trainer and his dingy Eevee to come upon him.

He bounded from his hiding spot and halted right under Ramen's nose, grinning with aggravating confidence at him.

"Hello mortal! I am a ninja, and you must prove yourself to me in order to pass!" he declared, showing him his single Pokeball, holding a Nincada that was as old as the volcano itself.

"Unless I'm mistaken, ninjas are just as mortal as anyone, and thus have no right to deem anyone else a mortal." Ramen said coolly to the young boy.

"Eh, well -"

"And my Eevee and I have no time or patience to fight you. You'd end up losing and then I'd have to put up with you muttering excuses." the teenager snapped again, sneezing a cloud of ash.

With that he marched off, evading a no-doubt boring battle purely by lack of social ability. The boy blinked silently a few times, watching the exhausted trainer stomp off, cutting a green path through the field of mottled grey.

[OOC- If someone wants to show up in town, Ramen and Lan would be at the Pokemon center's natural springs, with Ramen looking anti-social and evasive ^_^;;;]

 

[Linkachu]

"C'mon, Ted! That's my food! Give it back!!" a teenaged boy cried as he tore out of the Pokemon Center cafeteria wing into the main lobby. He was gaining ground on the chubby lunch thief, but the Pokemon was tricky, not to mention downright evail when it came to food.

"Muuunch! Munch-laaax!" the Pokemon cried in return as it dodged past couple of trainers and headed for the exit, a cheese burger clutched tightly in its stubby hands.

"I'm gonna get you!" the boy roared with his arms out-stretched, gaining two steps for every one of the Pokemon's. The Munchlax yelped at this realization, finally tossing the burger high into the air and opening its mouth wide, catching the burger on the way down and swallowing it in a single gulp.

"Munch-munch!" it laughed victoriously. He loved torturing the boy.

"ARGH! Mark my words, you'll pay for that, Teddy! C'mere!" The male lunged forward, but the Pokemon quickly dodged left and avoided capture. To this the boy lunged again, and again, but each time the Munchlax managed to evade the human's flailing arms. They were putting on quite a show for those inside the facility: some who laughed at the sight, while others rolled their eyes at the ridiculous display. But that's how it always was when Kenji was involved. He lived for fun, and didn't care how silly he came off in the process. It was all good.

The game of cat-and-mouse soon led the duo to the automatic Pokemon Center front doors, which slid open allowing the Pokemon to dash on through with his trainer right on his tail (aside from the fact that Munchlax have no tails). The glutton Pokemon made a sharp turn to avoid one of the boy's pounces, finding itself fleeing straight towards the Lavaridge hot springs.

"Munch-munch-munch!" Teddy cried as he passed through the hot spring entrance way, finding it hard to dodge with the random pools of water and jagged rocks spotting the area. Finally it skidded to a stop before the largest hot spring with nowhere to run, whirling 'round to find his trainer barreling towards him at top speed.

"I got ya!" the boy laughed, leaping forward to throw his arms around the Pokemon and embrace him in bear hug, the momentum of his dash sending them both tumbling over the edge into the hot waters. The water erupted in a wave that harshly splashed all those peacefully enjoying the spring or sitting nearby, leaving the boy and Munchlax with many angry glares as they resurfaced laughing heartedly at one another. The 16 year old's usually long, spiky blonde hair now hung down over his blue eyes, and his clothes were soaked, but thankfully PokeBalls and his trainer's belt were water resistant.

He separated his dripping hair and slicked it back, scanning the glaring faces around him and grinning sheepishly. "Sorry ‘bout that, but feel free to resume your relaxing."

OOC: Up to you if Ramen saw my charrie or not. Kinda an untraditional entrance, but meh. It fits Kenji XD Also, not sure if you're into Pokemon speaking-isms (aka. them saying their names), but I am, so you'll just have to accept them

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC- Naw, I do it in my posts as well. (the speaking-isms) I'm just happy someone posteded. Was worried that this topic was destined to gather dust ^^]

BIC-

Ramen shook collected water from his hair, unsurprised to find his carefully brushed hair obscuring his eyesight; not that it wasn't already in his eyes without the assistance from his headband, but now the dripping locks were near-impossible to see through. He had moved in time to shield his tiny Eevee from a soaking, though Lan simply smiled cheerily at him and made a purring sound. It wagged its bottlebrush tail a few times from the edge of the hot spring, where it was lying neatly. A twitch of its white-tipped ears later, and Ramen found himself with the swift-footed Pokémon balanced very precariously on his head.

"You've already had a bath, and I don't want to have to dry you off again, so careful." he chided the normal-type quietly, lifting it under its front legs and setting it back off to the water's side. It blinked at him in acknowledgement before twirling around, trying to catch its tail.

Satisfied with Lan's condition, he swiveled around and looked bluntly at the blond boy, wondering why he had dive-tackled a Munchlax into the hot springs - fully dressed and all. His hair was drying rapidly, a fact noted because it meant that his bangs were flipping upwards before falling in his eyes now. The boy and Munchlax were laughing cheerfully at each other's antics, but the blue-eyed teenager was quick to apologise for his intrusion. Nonetheless, Ramen took the interuption as a sign to escape from the springs. The one he resided in had been empty at first, but to his dismay had become popular after he had settled into the steamy waters (which meant that he was stuck, too uneasy to take leave of the place when everyone could look at him).

In the locker room, he toweled his head off roughly, and quickly dried himself before tugging on his freshly-washed clothes, now soot-free. He took the time to glance down at his heel to his Eevee, which was already watching him with sparkling eyes. As soon as he had tossed the heavy damp towel into a designated basket, Lan bounded onto his head, using a bench as a stepping stool.

"Vee! Eee-e-vee." it declared gleefully, paws scrabbling on his forehead to avoid forfeiting its new perch. The red-haired boy refixed his headband once more (his Eevee's handiwork had shoved it so that it fell over his eyes), then grabbed Lan and held it out in front of his eyes.

It batted playfully at his cheek with one paw, violet eyes dancing, then murmured its name as he settled its hind paws on his shoulders and its front paws on his head - it was safer than the Eevee struggling for purchase on his head alone, and Lan wouldn't settle for walking by his side once they were out of the Pokémon Center.

"Why don't we get a snack before seeing sights, okay?" he suggested rhetorically to the pale chestnut-brown Eevee, receiving an answering "Ee!" in reply anyways.

With an unnecessary pull on his gloves to ensure they were on completely, he pushed open the nontranslucent glass door that opened out on a chilly, air-conditioned hallway. Burying his hands in his pockets, Ramen headed evasively to the main section of the popular Center. A nurse tried to wave at him and offer to heal Lan, but he skirted slyly between to other trainers, one who took her up on the inquiry.

Unperturbed by the chaos of blipping machines as they restored health and overlapping conversations between patrons, the trainer maneuvered cautiously towards the cafeteria; Lan's previous bravo was gone now, and instead it clung shyly to Ramen's head, wary of every person that passed them. The trainer wasted no time in getting a sloppily made cheeseburger and box of fries for himself, as well as a few Pokéblock(s?) for the undersized Eevee. He took a seat off in a hidden nook of the cafeteria and proceeded to wordlessly eat his meal, handing a pale blue square to Lan, who munched on it energetically.

[OOC- I now wish that I had a more outgoing character... *gestures to shy Grey and antisocial Ramen*]

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: LOL… To be fair, Kenji is my only really goofy character. And hey, works well with an anti-social charrie

BIC:

The hot springs had been fun, but in the end Kenji had bid them an early farewell with the knowledge that he'd outstayed his welcome. Now back in his rented room at the Pokemon Center, the boy finished drying his hair and grinned down at his Munchlax companion.

"Well, that was some good exercise. Let‘s do it again sometime!"

"Munch!" Teddy nodded and smiled brightly.

The water being extra hot had helped with drying. Kenji's hair had now more or less regained its spiky appearance, with two long, slightly bouncy bangs off to the sides of his face and shorter bangs running across his forehead. He'd taken off his wet clothes and hung them up to dry, instead wearing his spare pair of baggy blue jeans and an old, white Indigo League t-shirt he'd found stashed in his backpack. The red emblem on the front of the shirt was of the league torch inside a PokeBall design and the words "I Survived the Indigo League" scrawled beneath it.

"Heh... Guess we'll just stick around the facility for a bit," the boy said as he removed his wet sneakers and slipped on a pair of forest green sandals. They weren't good for hiking, but they'd do for seeing the local sights. A thought occurred to the teen then, and he slipped his hand down to his belt to pluck off a single PokeBall. "Hey, Ted. Wanna rest for a bit?"

"Lax!" the Pokemon replied with another nod.

"Laterz then," Kenji smirked back, and in a flash the Munchlax had been zapped back inside the cozy sphere. "Sleep tight," the boy whispered to it before replacing it on his belt. He gave a loud, drawn out sigh and stretched out his arms above his head, the usual grin stretching across his face. "Now that the food monster is gone, I should try getting something to eat. Again."

Leaving his backpack in the bedroom, Kenji locked the door behind him and headed down the hallway, descending a flight of stairs and finding himself once more in the Pokemon Center lobby. Along with the usual lodging and café wings, this Center seemed extra nice due to the ‘touristy' feel and the hot springs being a short hop-skip-and-a-jump away. The boy planned to stick around for at least the week to get the most out of everything it had to offer.

Thankfully there was only a short line up in the cafeteria because the teen‘s stomach growling was beginning to disturb the public. "One cheese burger, please!" he chirped at the server, his mind snapping the second the words had left his mouth. "On second though, make that a triple! Quadruple even! And loads of fries!"

The young woman serving him exclaimed wide-eyed, "Quadruple? Can you even eat that much?!"

"Ma'am, if there's one thing I'm 100% certain about in this world, it's my ability to eat as much as possible and still look pretty. Heck, toss on a couple of extra pickles and some coleslaw. I'm starved!"

Reluctantly the woman passed on the order, handing Kenji the finished monstrosity a few moments later. He examined it closely, replying with slight disappointment, "I guess it's kinda big… Thanks a bunch anyways! This should tide me for at least a few hours."

"A… few… hours?" the woman muttered as the male turned to find an empty table, her right eye twitching ever so slightly.

He sat alone in a booth near the middle of the cafeteria. With a bright smile he laughed to himself, "Bon appetit!" and dug in, all the while pondering what he'd do next.

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC- Ah, well, that's nifty. Though now that I'm actaully starting a manga, I have a painful urge to make him into a character too...*sigh* Anywho, Time to make a scene XD]

BIC-

Taking note of the small commotion at the lunch line, Ramen leaned over to peer around the corner of his hidaway-nook, a ketchup-dabbled french fry hanging halfway out of his mouth. His mouth was comically slack with blank surprise as his eyes hung on the same blond-haired boy that had fallen into the hot springs. He remained silent as he watched the boy lug away a hefty order of food...about as much as Ramen would eat in a coupe of days. The serving woman seemed to think along the same lines, a skeptical look of annoyance riddling her expression.

He blinked a couple of times before realizing how odd he would look to passerby, quickly rocking backwards in his seat and snapping up the rest of the salty, hot fry. Completely lost as to why someone could possibly be so outgoing and social as the spirited, beaming specimen in front of him, Ramen reached thoughtfully down to his half-eaten cheeseburger. The meat was slightly overcooked, and lettuce, a tomato, and mayonnaise stuck awkwardly out of the sides. He started to pick it up, but froze with his fingers midway around the thick burger. His slightly tanned face drained of color, and he shot to his feet, sending his chair skittering backwards (though the sound was lost in the drone of conversation). He looked under the small table, then leaped over it effortlessly, landing on the other side of it and the stone wall with a small 'whoomph'. To cut to the problem, Lan had disappeared.

He couldn't believe that the small, shy Eevee had ventured away from him, but a quick scan of the room revealed that it had done just that. Lan was bounding happily towards the source of Ramen's curiosity, though it was using the tabletops to get around. Most of the patrons merely glanced up at the tiny Eevee as it jumped from table to table, even if a few glared at it as if Lan was carrying nine kinds of infectious deceases.

The crimson-haired trainer took off at a run to catch up with his Pokémon, dodging people carrying their trays to and from the serving line with impatient but precise accuracy. He swallowed nervously as one of the new arrivals called out angrily at his back, but kept on anyways.

Mr. Gambino was built much along the lines of a perfectly pompous man. He saw nothing wrong with his overweight, piggy-eyed body, and complained about nearly everything that didn't pertain to himself. Not an avid Pokémon lover either, he was at the Center's cafeteria merely for the free food given out to travelers. Technically he was such, coming all the way from Rustborro (half the trip was made on the back of a company Pidgeot) on business. It was only expected that when a tiny, no doubt filthy-pawed Eevee launched itself at his table, landing squarely in front of his tray (amusingly enough filled with more food than the blond that Ramen had noticed), that he be enraged.

"Runty little thing, get off!" he snapped in a grunt-filled voice, swiping a meaty hand towards the pale Eevee. Startled and terrified by the looming man, Lan's overlarge ears laid back against its head, and it cowered before him as the hand flew towards it.

Ramen caught the hand while it was still a good foot away from his Eevee, his grip firm and unwavering. Not in the least out of breath from his small sprint to Lan, he faced the arrogant businessman as he swiveled in his chair to eye the crimson-haired boy. At first, Gambino planned on yelling out in a rage at whoever had prevented him from dismantling the untamed Pokémon off of the table. But his words caught stupidly in his mouth as he turned to face the new trainer. Ramen's calm, usually collected and near-black eyes flared with anger, now appearing as crimson as his hair. Still holding the intimidated man's wrist, Ramen took Lan under his arm easily, then let go.

"Young man, you-hey!" Gambino had started to lecture, but wasn't expecting the unnaturally outright-looking kid to turn in the opposite direction of him, and dash sprint out of the crowded cafeteria, ducking and evading everyone in his path.

The only other partaker in the sudden commotion, Gambino shifted his eyes to look at everyone that was staring at either him or the receding kid's back.

"Stupid kid and his pet..." he grumbled in annoyance before going back to his meal.

*

Ramen barreled out of the Center's automatic doors in a panic, wanting somewhere to go where he could calm down and get a handle on the situation without intrusion. Naturally, the vacation-city of Lavaridge wasn't abundant in unpopulated places. Nearly the opposite of his home on the far side of Mt. Chimney, where all he had to do was strike out into the woodlands and clamber up a pine tree to become complete invisible. Defeated temporarily, he seated himself on a bench positioned artistically in front of an elegant fountain. He closed his eyes and listened to the soothing water as it hit the pond below it. There were four fountains of water, arching up into the air before falling inevitably back to earth, and the sound seemed to drown his own racing mind.

Still afraid, Lan dug its claws into Ramen's clothes and buried its soft-furred head underneath his arm.

"...vee.." it whined softly.

"I know...you didn't know any better...why don't you relax for a bit." The trainer said soothingly, returning the Pokémon to the safe confines of its Pokéball in a beam of red energy.

[OOC- Just assume that the man was being extra-loud, and that Ramen had gathered lotsa attention by running through the cafeteria and you can pretend it was a big commotion....>.>

Kudos to the Really Crappy Post That Taryn Is To Lazy To Revise]

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: Since Fire Fox claimed her fat man was nothing more than a random NPC...

^^

BIC:

Kenji was about half-way through his meal when the commotion erupted in the cafeteria. He leaned out from his booth to see an interesting sight unfolding a few tables down. A small boy was retaliating after a much larger, pompous-looking fellow had attempted to swat his Eevee. The youth was intense as he held the man's arm back, and looked oddly familiar… The scene ended when the boy finally retrieved the tiny Pokemon and high-tailed it out of the wing.

"Heh… Gutsy kid. Serves ya right for picking on someone smaller than you," Kenji murmured to himself as he went back to his burger, though his words had been loud and clear enough for the large gentleman to catch. The man seemed especially agitated now, and slammed down his palms on the table.

"Do you have something to say to me, punk?!" his eyes blazed with anger as he lumbered out of his seat and turned towards Kenji.

You could hear people surrounding them murmuring "Not again…"

"Yeah, I did," Kenji replied between bites. "You shouldn't pick on something that's smaller than you. That just makes you a bully."

The man's face flushed such a deep red his head resembled a beet. "Why I'd never… How dare you speak to me that way, hooligan!"

"Hooligan? Heh. You should show more respect for others, too," Kenji smirked, allowing one hand to release his burger and slip down towards his belt to rest upon a choice PokeBall. He had a hunch this was about to get ugly.

"I've had enough of your insolence, boy!" Mr. Gambino roared, making the room literally shake as he stomped down the aisle towards Kenji. At precisely the same moment the round man had completed his first step, though, the teen had ripped the PokeBall from his belt and thrown it into the air. Fortunately for him, the mid area of the cafeteria currently clear of people.

The ball burst open expelling a large amount of bright energy from within, quickly taking form as the man continued his mad rampage. A mere second before the chubby man was to reach the boy's table, Kenji eyed his now fully materialized Pokemon and snapped his fingers. "Victor, psychic!"

"Meta!" the large, spider-like (OOC: Stel reference XD) Pokemon's deep voice rumbled, a crystal blue aura consuming its steel blue body. A similar aura consumed Mr. Gambino, who found himself staring horrified at Kenji as his arms and legs were constricted and he was slowly lifted off the floor. There he hovered in mid air, struggling to regain control with onlookers staring in a mixture of awe, shock, and disgust. Against the Metagross' finely tuned mental strength, the large man might as well have been a rag doll.

"Hmm… Good work," the blonde haired teen winked at his companion, wolfing down the last bit of his meal before wiping his mouth and giving a satisfied sigh. His mischievous blue eyes then shot to the floating man. "I told you not to pick on people who were smaller than you. Serves you right. I hope this moment gives you a chance to reflect on your misdeeds."
He slid out of his booth and crossed his arms, tapping his right foot and titling his head in an overly mocking way. "Hmm… Now, what shall we do with you?"

"Son! Please! Not inside the Pokemon Center!" a shrill female voice suddenly caught Kenji's attention. He revolved his gaze to find the woman who'd served him looking rather perturbed. "Put that gentleman down this instant! This isn't the way to settle arguments!"

"Aww… But he started it!" Kenji smiled innocently, adding quickly when he saw the wide-eyed woman open her mouth to retort, "Just kidding, ma'am! I'm sorry for upsetting anyone." He then looked to the large steel monster. "Victor, let the man down."

"Grooo…" the Metagross growled reluctantly. Its aura rippled as the chubby man was slowly lowered to the floor, the psychic force fading a few inches too soon and letting Mr. Gambino drop the remaining distance with a loud "thump".

"Uuughhhh…" he groaned, looking a bit dazed from the experience. Once he'd regained his composure, though, his piggy eyes burned with a new-found hatred. His voice quivered with rage as he snarled, "You… YOU-!"

"Uh-uh-uh!" Kenji winked and wagged a finger at the fellow. He wordlessly jerked a thumb at Victor, who gave a low rumbling growl in return.

"Argh!" Mr. Gambino grunted, looking from the boy to the Pokemon and back again. He simply gave an inaudible grumble and said nothing more, his defeated expression explaining all.

"That's my man," Kenji chuckled with a triumphant grin. He held up the PokeBall that'd magically bounced back into his hand - it was neat how they did that - and pointed it towards Victor, "Return for now, Vic!"

"Gro!" it managed to cry victoriously before dissolving into the red light and being zapped back inside.

"Sorry once again, folks. I'm here all week!" the teen laughed and reattached the PokeBall to his belt. With a salute to Mr. Gambino, he spun on the balls of his feet with his head held high and walked out of the cafeteria.

OOC: FYI, if it helps with a reply, Kenji's heading outside towards the town square.

w00t! Post 1700! XD