Gelid Journey [Open]

[Black Ranger Talis]

Jesse was still cold as he walked into Route One, and if he was, with all his clothing, he couldn't think of how freezing it must be for Dew. But really it was the brat's fault for not staying in his Pokeball.

Every few seconds, the Sunkern's head would emerge from his backpack, scanning around for any sign of living things, before shivering with the cold and descending again.

Eventually, Laura, Jesse's new Sentret, snapped at the Sunkern. >Would you keep your head in that damn bag?!< she hissed, and Dew gasped in fear and despondently dipped back into the bag, only his eyes and quivering ears showing. H edidn't particularly like this Sentret. She scared him.

[spade]

Indeed, the air was brisk with the coming winter, sending chill winds throughout the entire Route. Rather than cloak the terrain with a blanket of dark clouds, however, to further emulate the upcoming season, the sky was clear save for a few wisps high in the atmosphere. The lack of cloud cover did little but make the area even colder, with nothing to hold in any possible heat. There wasn’t even the gentle promise of snow, at the moment, to soothe those down on the Earth below.

Despite the presence of the sun hanging overhead, the Pokémon of the route were listless. Preparing for worsening weather did not at all appeal to them, not at the moment. The weather, however, was not the sole source of this lack of interest. In addition to huddling together to keep warm, many Pokémon were either hiding from, or watching, a particular group of entirely edible entertainers.

<We must gather!>

<Gather!> came a chorus of voices, following the first.

<Gather for the upcoming winter! Gather for the future of our kind! All of us, together!>

<Together!>

A group of no fewer than twenty Sunkern were gathered in a clearing not far off the main pathway, all surrounding a single, slightly larger Sunkern, who was apparently the main speaker. They did not appear to notice the approach of a human and his companions.

The Sunkern are Gathering...

[Black Ranger Talis]

Dew hopped out of the bag and onto Jesse's head at the sound of another Sunkern. And not just another. 20 others. Blinking slowly, not quite sure of what he was seeing, Jesse tried to slip past the huge number of Sunkern. When Dew squeaked in protest, wanting to talk to his brethren, Jesse shoved him back in the rucksack with a squeal of unexpected shock.

That done, Jesse closed his eyes, tiptoed past the huge army of Sunkern, and moved on, hoping that predators wouldn't get them.

[spade]

However sneaky the human tried to be, there was nothing that would prevent the Sunkern from hearing the cry of one of their own. Instantly, twenty pairs of eyes turned to stare at the source of the sound, only spotting the tip of their fellow Sunkern’s head as it was being shoved into the bag.

Which was not good for Jessie.

Almost instantly, each Sunkern’s expression turned violent, the eyes narrowing into vicious slits as they glared at the human. The Pokemon in the center began to speak again, his voice low. <Human abductor. Thief!>

<Thief!>

<Release the hostage! She must join us!>

<Join us!>

The seeds bounced towards Jessie, spreading out to form a ring around the trainer.

::sunkern:: x 20
The Sunkern are Angry...

[Black Ranger Talis]

Jesse growled as he took his Sunkern out of its bag and held it protectively in his arms. "Get the hell away from me," he demanded, glaring at all the Sunkern as he Dew close to his chest.

>You don't understand!< squeaked Dew. >He's my Trainer. I want to go with him!<

Jesse knew he was outnumbered. The little kernels were weak by themselves but in a group they would be crippling. Jesse's hand reached for the lighter in his pocket in case the Sunkern didn't listen to Dew's protests. If he had to, he would set these cult-like Sunkern alight. He would feel terrible doing so, but he wouldn't let Dew be snatched from him.

Laura stood protectively in front of Jesse, flicking her large tail angrily to show her distaste for the seedlings.

::sunkern::

::sentret::

[Dracken]

The Sunkern started mumbling together.

<We shouldn't let them pass.>
<They mean no harm, right?>
<Let's eat them for breakfast!>
<I like Pokeblocks.>

A bunch of nonsense rambling from a few before one came up to the Trainer. Clearly the leader because all of the Sunkern made sure to get out of the way.

<I am sure you mean no harm,> He started. <But what are you doing bother us in the midle of our gathering?> He demanded. With a army of 20 Sunkern you'd better not get this one mad.

::sunkern:: x1 Is talking to you

::sunkern:: x19 on standby

[Black Ranger Talis]

Jesse raised a condescending eyebrow at the Sunkern, who seemed to have a look on its face like an upper class person whose unidentifiable- and unnecessary- ritual had just been interrupted.

"You're not exactly easy to miss, ya know." He folded his arms protectively over his own Sunkern. "Just gathering right there in the middle of the route. Do you like... expect to be uninterrupted?"

[Dracken]

The leader Sunkern blinked. Well, maybe it wasn't the best tatic but it was the only place they could find. Instead of telling him that he said, <Yes. We Sunkern are masters at hiding.> It was more of a large lie but the Trainer didn't need to know this.

The other Sunkern begin jumping up and down.

<Continue!>
<We must get rid of human!>
<Does he have food on him?>
<HI!!!>

You'd better do something before they all Poochyena-pile on you or something!

::sunkern:: x1 talking

::sunkern:: x19 on standby

[Black Ranger Talis]

"Shut up for five seconds," grumbled Jesse, glaring at the Sunkern as Dew squeaked, a little fearful of all these Sunkern gathered around them like a ring of imprisonment.

"Look," he sighed, massaging his temples with one hand before continuing. "There's a sheltered spot just behind me where you can all have your meeting or plot to take over the world or whatever shit you Sunkern do when you gather up like some kinda cult."

[Dracken]

The leader gasped. <Really? SUNKERN!! HUDDLE!>[/b

]The Sunkern got together in one group and started muttering about something.

<Should we trust it?>
<What choice do we have?>
<I dunno if I trust him...>
<We should follow him though.>
<Can we eat yet?>

After a long time of talking the leader nodded and hopped back over. <Lead us to this spot, if you dont mind.> He said, as his fellow Sunken hopped up and down happily.

::sunken:: x20

[Black Ranger Talis]

Jesse sighed inwardly as the Sunkern clammered around him, and decided he may as well take the indignant approach that he basically didn't have time for all this crap. Sunkern were supposed to be shy. He simply hoped that was true when they were high in numbers as well.

"Look here. I have better things to do than to screw around with you and find you somewhere to talk. Why not just do something yourselves instead of relying on humans. You don't want predators to think you're weak, do you?"

[Dracken]

The Sunkern gasped. <Weak? .......you think we're weak, don't you?!> The leader exclaimed. <Well, we're show you who's weak! MEN! GATHER!>

Two other Sunkern stood by the leader, ready for battle. <You win, we leave. We win, you show us to this spot.> he said. It seemed fair enough, right?

::sunkern:: x3 want to battle

::sunkern:: x17 on standby

[Black Ranger Talis]

Jesse blinked. Suddenly the seedlings were looking rather aggressive. "The problem is I only have two Pokemon," murmured Jesse calmly, looking at the three Sunkern as they approached him.

"Unless you want me, the leaderof this group, to take on your leader," suggested Jesse with a smile. "I can fight, ya know."

[Sp❣rit]

Sunkern Leader ♂
Agrees to Battle
(Special Attack +1)

Sunkern Second in Command ♀
Joins in
(Special Attack +1)

The group of Sunkern went back into their huddle, unable to decide which two of them should fight these pair of Pokémon. Who was the strongest? Well, most of them were all brothers and sisters from the same parents, and didn't have much battling experience. But in numbers, they were quite powerful. To single them out from each other would take that all away.

<Fine. Fine. My little sister and I will take care of you.> The top Sunkern agreed with a nod of his head. The sister hopped right next to him, appearing pleased that she was chosen for the mission. Good, some action! Some fun! About time!

<Sister, prepare thyself!> The leader demanded, instantly growing in size to get ready for the match. The rest of the Sunkern hopped away, a bit fearful of getting caught in the back lash. His sister followed his orders willingly, and also bulked herself up with a Growth.

[Black Ranger Talis]

Jesse stepped back as his Sunkern hopped out of his arms, ready to battle. He was quickly joined by Laura, who glared at the top Sunkern, ready to take him on while Dew went for the second in command.

"Dew, use Growth and Absorb," demanded Jesse. "Laura, Defense Curl and Scratch." As little Dew's body pulsed with a squeak, he grew to approximately twice his original size, before sending out a pair of inquiring vines to suction some health from the female Sunkern. It wouldn't do much good against a fellow Grass Type, but damage was damage at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, Laura stepped forward, briefly curling her body into a ball to increase her defense, before uncurling and lunging at the male Sunkern with a Scratch towards his eyes. Even though Jesse didn't particularly want to leave the leader maimed, it seemed his aggressive Sentret did.

::sunkern::
Dew used Growth and Absorb.

::sentret::
Laura used Defense Curl and Scratch.

[/B]

[Sp❣rit]

Sunkern Leader ♂
(Special Attack +1)
Hit by Scratch
Uses Absorb on Sentret

Sunkern Second in Command ♀
(Special Attack +1)
Hit by Absorb. Wasn't Very Effective
Uses Absorb on Sunkern

<Eeek! She's trying to kill me!> The male cried out when he saw that devilish look in the Sentret's eyes. He attempted to hop away, seeing that bulky body of hers chase after her only made him realize how futile that was. Regardless of his stronger level, Laura had legs and he didn't. The claws hacked away at his body, making him cry out in pain. Well, at least he was somewhat prepared to make attacks, right?

He gathered some of the energy of the ground around him, turning it into a weak Absorb that could steal some of the Sentret's health. No matter how many times she attacked him, he would always be gaining health. She, however, would not.

<Hey boss. I don't like where this battle is going.> The female spoke after feeling the sting of the Absorb. It wasn't very effective at all, and sadly for her, she had similar attacks. She did want to see how much health she could at least take from the little Sunkern, so she used a mild Absorb to try and test Dew's power.

[Black Ranger Talis]

Laura hissed as the health was taken from her body and given to the leader of the Sunkern, and Jesse flinched as the ferret's complexion became a little paler, her coat losing the smallest amount of luster.

However, he worried for Dew more. Whether or not the Absorb was effective, the little seedling was at a lower level than the other Sunkern, and slowly but surely, he would lose to his opponent. His first Pokemon squealed in pain as health was suctioned from him and towards the female.

However, neither of the Sunkern had used Growth again, which gave Jesse the chance of an advantage. "Growth and Absorb on the second," he ordered calmly, before directing Laura towards the second one as well. If the Sunkern were double teamed, they would go down faster. Laura lunged towards the female with a malicious growl and a slashing of claws, while little Dew became a little less.... little as he sent his vines towards the female again.

::sentret::
Laura used Scratch on female Sunkern.

::sunkern::
Dew used Growth and Absorb on the female Sunkern.

[/B]

[spade]

Honestly, the female Sunkern second-in-command was not all that keen on attacking her fellow Sunkern. That was what had caused this battle, wasn’t it? Shouldn’t they be busy trying to rescue her from the dreadful human? Their goal seemed to have changed. Still, they had already decided on this course of action, and she was not confident enough to counteract what her leader-brother had instructed her to do.

Her sympathy faded, however, as both opponents launched attacks at her. Distracted by her thoughts, she was struck simultaneously by an absorb and scratch. Squeaking in pain and surprise, she felt her strength being drained as the two critical hits landed. Weakened sufficiently, the female Sunkern launched an Absorb of her own at the Sentret. She needed health, quick. <Brother…> she said weakly.

The leader of the Sunkerns was shocked that the Sentret’s attention had been diverted. How dare they double-team his sister, after they had agreed on a fair battle! He was tempted to call in reinforcements, but… no. This would be a fair fight to the last. Without thinking to use growth even further, he shot out his vines at the Sentret, as well.

::Sunkern::
Male Sunkern Used Absorb.

Female hit by Scratch (critical hit) and Absorb (critical hit).
Weakening.
Uses Absorb on Sentret.

[Black Ranger Talis]

Laura jumped out of the way of the female's probing vines, only to land straight in the firing line of the male's vicious, health sucking pair. She hissed and writhed, eventually detaching herself from the male's grip.

"Keep it up, you two," murmured Jesse encouragingly. "Laura, Scratch again. Dew, Growth and Absorb. Go for the smaller one again." The female was looking weak, and as she'd gained no health from the previous attack, was in a dangerous position for one so weak.

As Dew sent out his vines, growing larger yet again, Laura lunged for the female, once again viciously aiming for the eyes in her fury at the Sunkern.

::sentret::
Laura used Scratch on female Sunkern

::sunkern::
Dew used Growth and Absorb on female Sunkern.

[/B]

[spade]

Indeed, the female Sunkern had no energy to even try to avoid the barrage of attacks that pummeled her from all sides. <I have failed you brother, I’m sorry,> she managed to murmur before rolling over, eyes closed. The remaining eighteen Sunkern all bounced over to their fallen comrade, glaring at the tame Sunkern that had dared to fight against its own kin so ferociously. This was no sister of theirs. They looked to their leader, wondering if one of them was to take the sister’s place.

<No,> came the reply from the wordless question. <We shall keep our end of the agreement.> The creature grew in size, seemingly more for dramatic effect than anything else, and puffed out what may have been his chest in a manner that seemed noble to his fellow Sunkern. Each of the seed Pokémon nodded, and backed away to reform the circle around the dueling Pokémon and human.

Sufficiently bulked up, the leader of the Sunkern association shot out another vine towards Laura, eager to drain more of her energy.

Female fainted.
Male used Growth and Absorb on Laura.