Estelle + Xiu: Unexpected Adventure!

[brandnewshoes]

Who: Estelle, Xiu
When: May 16, 2016! That's Saturday. Forward-dating!
Where: Tropical Island
Warnings: Adventure!

[Estelle told Xiu that if she ever wanted to go some place dangerous, she would tag along! She knows, on some level, that she's now a tough and more experienced Enlightened than many. She likes that part of it; helping and protecting people close to her is great. It's like going into ruins and seeing the world.]

[She hasn't been to the tropical island before. It's nice to see it, and as she walks down the beach, she takes a look around, before stretching her arms. Then she looks over her shoulder, back at Xiu.]

It's nice and warm here! Want to look around the beach or the jungle area?

[Reminds her of home, at least in that way. It's completely different in others. She flashes Xiu a grin; it's actually nice having her along for reasons besides finding exploring fun. After the incident with the gods, she'd been out of sorts, but Xiu -- even if she didn't know it, even if she didn't intend to -- helped her get a sense of peace again. Estelle owes her for that.]

Comments

[echoingmelody]

[Honestly, Xiu wasn't sure how dangerous a tropical island could be, but it sounded nice! It had been her first time seeing the ocean since she'd lost her memories as well, so it was pretty breathtaking for the musician.

She actually walks along the sand rather than float, enjoying the feeling of the sand beneath her bare toes. Xiu glances back at Estelle with a grin, before looking a bit more thoughtful at her choices.]

Hm.... [She thinks about it for a moment, playing a few notes from her biwa floating behind her before she speaks up again.]

Let's check out the jungle! We can always come right back to the beach after.

[brandnewshoes]

Sounds like a plan! Here we go, then!

[Estelle picks one of the trails that leads off. It probably is one made by wild Pokemon, but it's well-worn enough that she's comfortable. Anything beats pushing through tightly gathered underbrush, anyways.]

[She glances sideways at Xiu, as she forges on ahead.]

Keep your eyes open! There might be some daaaaangerous~ [She wiggles her fingers jokingly.] --wild Pokemon out here!

[echoingmelody]

[Xiu follows right by her side, and made by Pokémon or not, the trail really is appreciated. She makes an expression of mock surprise, although she does think there's a chance things aren't completely safe here. You never know, right?]

Oh my! I guess it's a good thing you're here then, huh?

[brandnewshoes]

I am pretty awesome~!

[She grins with pride that's half-faked, half-real, and keeps walking a few steps. It's probably totally safe. There won't be anything they can't handle. Nothing like...]

[...a trio of Tropiuses, walking out onto the trail ahead of them, and looking down with mighty tail thumps and glowers.]

...uhhhh!

[echoingmelody]

[There's a giggle from the musician, which cuts off abruptly when the three saurian Pokémon step out in front of them.

...and they don't look too happy.]

...oh. [Xiu lets out a little surprised sound, but she takes a step back and starts trying to play a calming melody in the hopes that maybe the Tropius trio won't attack them.]

[brandnewshoes]

[One of the Tropiuses (Tropii?) starts to sway back and forth, grooving to the music. Then another of them swats the chilled Tropius with his tail and gives him a look.]

[Then all three of them stomp their feet into the ground at once! It shakes mightily; some coconuts come dropping off, and Estelle backs up a little, standing in front of Xiu.]

N-Nice dinosaur Pokemon! No bitey! No bitey!

[echoingmelody]

[At least she tried! And although it doesn't seem to be calming them down now, she's not stopping, either. At least she's not alone, though. Otherwise she might be in some serious trouble.

Xiu looks a bit more way once they stomp like that. Looks like they mean business.]

Yeah...just...just chill!

[brandnewshoes]

[Estelle takes another step back, not liking the look in the eyes of the first Tropius. There's a good reason, because it lunges its head out for Xiu; Estelle swings her staff into its head hard, with a loud crack.]

[At the same time, though, a second of them is opening its mouth -- and about to unleash a storm of razor-sharp leaves and wind at Estelle. Leaves swirl up, but Estelle's currently parrying the first Tropius.]

[She doesn't quite see it!]

[echoingmelody]

[Xiu winces when she hears that crack, and it isn't even her that got hit! However, she's thankful that Estelle blocked the attack.

Luckily for the both of them, she's not very slow. It didn't take more than a brief moment for her to realize that Estelle was a little preoccupied and wouldn't be able to block this attack. While not much of a fighter, Xiu does have a few tricks up her sleeve.

She plays a horribly sharp, awkward sounding note from her cello, a move that would hopefully make the other attacking Tropius flinch. Astonish.]

[brandnewshoes]

[Estelle finishes the Tropius that she'd been dealing with by making her staff wreathed in flame; then she cracks it down hard into the Pokemon. There's a puff of fire and smoke, before the Tropius shrieks and bolts away. That's when she notices the other Tropius rearing back with a shriek, razor-sharp leaves swirling--]

[And then Xiu's cello makes a sharp, piercing noise. The saurian Pokemon screeches and steps back, and Estelle holds a hand up; a bolt of flame shoots off her hand, hitting it. Between the two attacks, it's enough to send the second running.]

Awright! Good job, Xiu!

[She turns towards the third; it's rearing back, angry -- and then abruptly, there's a flash of blue, and it's... bowled into the jungle, knocked away.]

Uhm?

[echoingmelody]

[Xiu gives her a brief nod and a smile, continuing to focus on her instruments. If she had to continue fighting, she was ready. If not, she was still playing her music.

The flash of blue completely catches her off guard, though.]

What was that?!

[brandnewshoes]

I-I don't know!

[...but it's coming back. It rolls back around, before it bounces once. It's tall as a man -- but spherical, nearly, and thus much heavier. It's wide, with a big open mouth, and tiny beady eyes. It stares at them with a challenge.]

[Estelle whispers unnecessarily; it can hear them.]

It's a Wailmer...!

[echoingmelody]

[Of course, Xiu whispers back. It probably looks like they're conspiring or something, but she's not super quiet. Either way, it's pretty pointless. She does look sliiiiightly concerned about their uninvited guest, though.]

Aren't they supposed to be in the sea though?

[brandnewshoes]

Yeah, I thought so, too! Maybe the coast's clear and--

[Nope. The Wailmer drops down, hitting the ground, and then hovers; a bubble of water is around it. This, truly, is a Wailmer of war. A... Warmer, if you will.]

[It opens its great whale mouth -- and a huge gout of water goes flying, right between Estelle and Xiu. It blows back a huge amount of mud and knocks over a palm tree. Estelle yelps, then she grabs Xiu's wrist, and begins running.]

We gotta get away from that thing! To higher ground or--or something!

[echoingmelody]

[Today is apparently full of unexpected, not very pleasant surprises. This was supposed to be a fun trip! Or Xiu had thought so at least. Thankfully, Estelle starts dragging her along when she started gawking after that attack. Which is a pretty easy feat, considering how light Xiu is.]

Like a mountain or something?

[brandnewshoes]

[Estelle feels a little guilty, but only a little; she'll feel more later. She had no idea that the island would be a den of horrors today.]

Yeah! I'm thinking maybe we can scare it off there and see it coming. This jungle--

[Case in point: it shoots a blast of water from the trees, which bowls over a tree to the left of them.]

--makes it kinda hard to see where it's coming from!

[But the trail's getting steeper ahead, as it starts going up a hill top. Unfortunately, there's a few more water spouts fired their way that they need to dodge!]

[echoingmelody]

I saw a mountain that way, I think...

[She gestures off in the general direction of the volcano. She flinches when a blast of water suddenly smashes a tree right next to them. This was decidedly not cool.]

Y-yeah, I guess so. [Dodging those would be pretty difficult. Thankfully, Xiu can float a bit, which helps her move somewhat faster. Enough for her to just barely get out of the way of one, a few notes playing on her biwa to encourage Estelle like an After You attack.]

[brandnewshoes]

[Estelle looks up in the direction Xiu points, then she nods. Yes, she thinks, that makes sense; that will work. She decides to run that direction; at the end, she has to scramble up over a ledge. She's a little jealous of Xiu's floating now.]

[She looks around, spotting a couple of large boulders, and then she looks down at the Wailmer. It's huge; it won't go down easy.]

[She gets an idea.]

I'll smack it, when it gets up here. When I do, can...you get one of those boulders falling at it? Maybe it hits it--even if not, it could spook it, and do the job.

[She feels the song-inspired power moving through her. It'll help when that Wailmer gets up top.]

[echoingmelody]

[Floating is pretty nifty. It means she doesn't trip over everything! Which is actually a problem when she walks most of the time. She looks thoughtful at the question.]

I'll give it a shot. [A pause.]

It's not really gonna hurt it, right? [Xiu this is not the time to be worrying if you'll hurt the creature chasing you.]

[brandnewshoes]

[She takes a deep breath, looking down at the Wailmer. It's hoping from lake to stream to pond, hopscotching across bodies of water and the occasional treetop, to get up to them. Will it?]

[She actually considers for a second.]

No. Not a lot. It's gonna scare it away, and that's it. [She hopes. Something that huge... she's not sure that she can knock it back far enough to get it with those boulders. She'll still have to try.]

[And maybe not tell Xiu. It's almost here and there's not a lot of time to make a Plan B.]

[echoingmelody]

Alright, let's do it then!

[She's just going to trust Estelle on that. Xiu hurries up behind a boulder, taking a few deep breaths to prepare herself.]

Ready!

[brandnewshoes]

Awright! Here we go, then!

[Estelle walks to the edge of the ledge. The Wailmer rises up over it, shooting high into the air; she looks up, eyes widening like saucers, and stares. The good thing is that the whale-like Pokemon is coming down for her, not for Xiu.]

[That's about the only good thing.]

[Estelle wheels back with the stored alacrity from Xiu's earlier buff. She swings her staff with two-hands and a mighty, wordless shout. It slams into the Wailmer's side -- and the Pokemon's blubber just takes it. There's one terrible second where it seems like her staff just freezes against it. Then, it begins to bend backward, slowly, like it might break and bowl Estelle over. The Calderan's eyes widen with panic then, before she grits her teeth.]

[She doesn't even notice when flame ignites around her involuntarily, a blazing aura of might and fury as she evolves on the spot -- and then Estelle's strength is far greater than before. The blow reverses halfway; the staff, instead of giving, is enough to send the Wailmer flying backward.]

[And then it starts to come back at Estelle, but it's knocked out there at just the right angle--]

XIU! HIT IT!

[echoingmelody]

[Yeah, Xiu would probably just stand there and stare in awe.

As it is, she's just sort of peeking over the boulder as Estelle goes on the offensive. She does wince at the hit, even though the Wailmer just seems to take it without any trouble. It looked like it'd hurt.

There's a brief second where she's about to intervene, or try to at least...until it appears that Estelle bursts into flame. Did she mean to do that? The musician didn't know, but she notices that the Wailmer is actually being pushed back! It startles her when Estelle yells out, but with a shout of her own, Xiu pushes the boulder just enough to get it moving!]

[brandnewshoes]

[And down goes the rock!]

[It slams into the Wailmer, loud enough to make a meaty thunk -- but as Estelle (perhaps foolishly, because how could she know?) promised, it bounces back up. It's dazed and gives the two girls a long look, before it bounces off.]

[Estelle lets out a whoop, then sits back down. She didn't quite notice that she's still on fire.]

[echoingmelody]

[There's both a sense of relief and accomplishment from Xiu when their plan seems to work smoothly. She's pretty glad no one got injured during that exchange. After letting out a sigh, she floats on over to her travel buddy.

...why is she still on fire? Xiu sniffs. Nothing smells like its burning. That's good.]

Estelle...? Why're you on fire? [She could make some terrible jokes here, but she's more curious right now.]