Third Dream [Video/Open Action]

[rainsrespite]

[With all the tests needed passed, the paperwork signed, and the badge obtained, Yuuna finally felt she'd figured out the place where she could do the most good. Joining the Rangers at the suggestion from Jade and after several conversations with Goku just seemed like the natural progression of things. So, once the weirdness of being stuck in Robin's body had worn off she'd gone in and taken the last test. It wasn't hard, just a basic athletics exam that'd gone swimmingly, and after a brief induction ceremony she was pretty much given leave to carry on and wait orders.

So, back out into the wilderness to train she goes, her merry band in tow, heading north on a mission.

The last few weeks had been pretty damn weird, what with all the random Croagunk attacks. Whoever heard of Pokemon taking such a dislike to someone? And they'd gone after more than just her, too, since they'd seemingly targeted Robin while their bodies had been swapped. It wasn't like they were being particularly talkative, and so she'd gone out and located one last week that'd seemed amenable to training with her, but that'd turned up nothing. If anything, bonding with Geshiko had made the problem worse, with Croagunk turning up at least twice a day.

And Geshiko herself? Well...once she'd swapped back, the little froggy had seemed absolutely horrified to be in Yuuna's presence. She'd gone from openly affectionate to seemingly terrified in the span of a day, and that was incredibly worrisome. None of her other Pokemon seemed to know what was wrong, either, which...really didn't help matters. Maybe it was a vain hope, but if nothing else she figured a trip to the swamp might hold some answers. And if not, let the poor girl go.

On the way, though...]


Video

Hey there Union...and not Union people. This is Yuuna, and I figure I probably should announce it since I passed all the exams this morning. I'm now officially a part of the Rangers. So, if there's any help you need, or something I can do, please don't hesitate to send me a message and I'll do everything I can.

And while I'm at it, I've got a problem of my own that I'm wondering if anyone can help with. The past few weeks I've been having repeated encounters with angry Croagunks. Like, they've been attacking me when I've been anywhere near the swamp and sometimes in Union too, like they're following me around. It's really kind of weird, and I'm wondering if anyone else has seen similar behavior in Pokemon before. I don't even mean the same ones, either, because each time these have been completely different Croagunks.

Also on a related topic, last week...I bonded with a Croagunk, and ever since that weirdness stopped, she's been acting terrified of me. I figure it's probably related, but I'm not sure what to do with her. Any thoughts on how to maybe keep her from wigging out when we're in the same room? I don't want to scare her or anything, and I really don't want to have to fight off a bunch of frogs every day, so any thoughts would be-

[A deep, burbling, basso croak echos behind her, audible even over the warp band]

-oh...hell...

[The camera drops to the ground as Yuuna drops it and rolls away, and the attacker is plainly visible. A second Pokemon shrieks, and the Poliwrath has an opponent! A Hawlucha squares off, standing between the water-type and her trainer, crouched and ready for a fight! And then the camera blanks out as a hand grabs the band.

Sorry guys, this ain't pay-per-view.

That said, there is a lot of noise coming from an area, so anyone who's out and about today is more than welcome to come running for an Action portion to spectate, help out, or just stare at the spectacle. Yuuna's not far outside Union]

Video, much later

[It's an hour or two after the fact, and Yuuna pops back on the warp band, wearing streaks of mud and a sheepish grin on her face.]

Sorry about that. But, you see what I mean?

[OOC: And feel free to break time if you want an action thread!]

Comments

Video.

[aerial_ace]

[...Yuuna, you didn't.]

Please tell me you didn't take advantage of Robin's appearance to bond with that Croagunk.

Video.

[rainsrespite]

No? [...She really didn't think of it that way.] This one approached me, Cordelia, and decided she wanted to bond with me. Geshi was actually sort of insistent on the matter when I gave her some food.

I figure it probably didn't hurt that I looked like Robin...but I didn't exactly keep it a secret that I was, y'know, me? And it's not like the Croagunks haven't seen my Pokemon before. [If anything, they've gotten a fistful of Hitmonchan and Hawlucha...]

Video.

[aerial_ace]

[She still felt it was taking advantage of the situation, but wasn't going to argue the point.]

Even still, it's understandable why she would be so hostile. She likely didn't understand the situation, even if you explained it to her.

Video.

[rainsrespite]

That still doesn't explain the situation with the rest of them. And she's not hostile, because she hasn't attacked me like the others.

[A sigh. Because honestly...]

I was just trying to resolve things, and I immediately offered to break the bond and take her back to the swamp...but she refused that too, so I don't know what's going on in that little head of hers.

Video.

[aerial_ace]

Perhaps she's a spy.

[Cordelia no]

Video.

[rainsrespite]

Somehow I doubt that. She's not spending enough time paying attention to me to be a spy.

And...a spy should be better at acting, right?

[Maybe?]

action

[kickboards]

[One of the first things Rei wanted to do upon returning to his normal body was to go on a good hike-- he knew for a fact that Duke hadn't kept up with his fitness regimine, and he wanted an excuse to get out and think a little.

There was always something about motion that relaxed him.

He had been taking a small break on the trail to stretch his legs when Yuuna made her video. It was excellent news--Rei was about to congratulate her on her accomplishment when the interruption happened.

...from the sounds of it, it wasn't very far away, either.

Acting on a snap decision, Rei abandoned his gear on the trail and took off in the direction of the noise. There wasn't much that he could do...but, when he was this close, there was no reason for him not to try.]

Yuuna-san?!

[He called out her name when he drew near. What kind of mess was this...?]

[rainsrespite]

[Well the scene Rei will stumble onto is a pretty chaotic one. The first and most obvious thing is the fact that Yuuna is standing off to one side, her sword drawn, electricity buzzing down the enhanced blade. Gouken and Zedd are standing sentinel nearby, with Hyozan hovering behind her. And then there's the new duo, Hoyo and Ichijou. The Aerodactyl is resting protectively on Hyozan's back like an airplane awaiting orders, and the Hawlucha is...as the video showed, engaged in a wrestling match with a belt-wearing Poliwrath.

The enemy seems to be trying to get around the luchador and towards the human, but the agile bird is quite capably keeping him held at bay. It seems to have summoned a localized rainstorm though, and is trying to bull-rush Ichijou when Rei runs up...

But beyond all that insanity, there's another battle going on. Kyo seems to be stomping around a large group of Croagunk that are zealously charging at him over and over, attempting to reach a cowering frog. In Pokespeak they're chanting something that sounds almost like a religious hymn, their eyes fixed angrily on the goal...as if the stony titan isn't the way at all.]

Ryugazaki?! What are you doing here?!

[She's surprised to see him, or really anyone, but there's a mixture of amusement and excitement in her voice. Almost like she's enjoying this on some twisted level. It's weird, but Rei probably has seen her like this before once the adrenaline gets going. The question remains though: how does he intend to help?]

[kickboards]

I was out for a hike--

[As if that explained anything. Shaking his suddenly soaked hair from his face, Rei assessed the chaos from above his rain-splattered lens. He didn't need clear vision or his analytical prowess to figure out where he needed to be--]

Harima! Hanai! Take Shiro over there and help out Kyo!

[A bunch of froggies that could fight? It shouldn't have been too hard for the delinquint's protege to handle. He took his glasses off and tried to flick the excess water away when the pokemon rushed off to storm the band of zealots from behind. Between Harima's street smarts, Hanai's chill demeanor, and Shiro's skill, he was going to trust them...

In the meanwhile, he was joining Yuuna.]

...what happened, Yuuna-san? Has this been a regular thing?

[rainsrespite]

[Yuuna snorts a laugh at his response, but the Pokemon part to let him get into a position beside her. And the sudden advance of Rei's Pokemon does have some effect on the Croagunks. Forced to back up and regroup, they seem to chitter and croak at one another, not actively engaging the Tyranitar or Rei's squad yet.

They're learning. Forming a plan...]

This? No. Usually it's just a couple of Croagunks, and Gouken or Ichijou send them packing. The Poliwrath is new.

[Speaking of, the bigger Pokemon has engaged the Hawlucha now, trying to get her caught into a grapple. The flying type almost allows it before skipping aside and launching the wrestler into the air with a throw. Don't worry humans, she has this lump well in hand.]

LUCHA!!!!

[kickboards]

[The Hawlucha's movement and dexterity were impressive-- this was his first time seeing one, and he would be lying if he said that he wasn't touched by her grace.

But those Croagunks...]

....they're clearly organized. Do you think they actually asked Poliwrath to do them a favor?

[or, even more bizarrely, hired Poliwrath? What kind of favors did they promise the Pokemon?]

[usedstringshot]

Short of accidentally harming their territory, I can't think of anything that would cause them to come after you. You might wanna see if Goku, Apollo, or Quinn would be willing to talk to your Croagunk about it.

[rainsrespite]

Well I don't think I did that. The initial mess started when I was out in the swamp, taking a path to the ruins. You at all familiar Croagunk territory?

And you're right, Goku may be able to help.

[usedstringshot]

A little, but I haven't done any in-depth examination of it. I may have to change that once we figure out what's causing them to do this.

[rainsrespite]

Yeah. I may have to leave that up to you. I...well...if it wasn't so surreal, I would say I'd feel bad for hurting them. But they're pretty persistent.

[Action]

[garbagedisposal]

[He too is out in the wilderness, just being Goku- he's having a little fun, swinging through treetops while keeping an eye out for his Ranger duties. His new Joltik sticks out from the top of his head, looking around in wonder at the new area. Though it's hard to see through the tops of the trees, the foilage being heavy. He stops on a rather large and sturdy branch, creating ruffling noises above Yuuna as he's trying to see who's down there.

Unfortunately, all he's doing is making noise with no introduction...]

[Action]

[rainsrespite]

[Well...uh...that's not a welcome sound. Because things creeping above her tends to mean, at least for the last few weeks, that there are Croagunks after her. From down below, Goku will hear an exasperated sigh. And then a shrill whistle.]

[Aaaaand, whatever branch he's on will shake a bit as further out near the edge of the tree, a red and white bird lands on the end, glaring at him.]

Who's up there, Ichijou?

[Action]

[garbagedisposal]

[The bird actually scares him, because he wasn't expecting that.]

Waaaaah! Hi, I didn't mean to intrude! Is this your tree?

[Action]

[rainsrespite]

[Hearing the voice, Yuuna calls up:]

Goku? Is that you?

[Hawlucha just stares because why are you in a tree, dudeguy?]

[Action]

[garbagedisposal]

[Hey, he recognizes that voice.]

Hey, Yuuna! Yeah, it's me! I'm in this tree with this red and white bird! Are they yours?

[video]

[hawkethat]

[Wow that sounded pretty serious...]

Sounds like you could use an interpreter.

[video]

[rainsrespite]

[After the fight, presumably, Yuuna looks a bit more bedraggled. Wiping a bit of wet hair out of her face, she offers up a small smile.]

Honestly? Probably could. You know one?

[video]

[hawkethat]

[Dang, girl.]

Yeah - me.

Are you okay?

[video]

[rainsrespite]

[She chuckles]

Yeah. Perfectly fine. It was just a few Croagunks and a Poliwrath. We handled them well enough.

And you can? Heh, I'd appreciate it.

[video]

[hawkethat]

Well, if you say so...

I can, no problem. I'm even in town right now, if you've got time.