bravenewworld | Grassy Knoll Expedition

Entry tags:

Grassy Knoll Expedition

Who: Merrill, Yuuna, Thorin Oakenshield, Bilbo Baggins
Where: Grassy Knoll
When: 3/15
What: Unlocking the last map area for bonding.
Warnings: New and exciting Pokemon. Also, I requested the 'mod tags once every 24 hours rule' just to keep things moving. We'll keep the thread order somewhat loose.

[After her first conversations with Bilbo and Thorin, Merrill had gotten it into her head to go out searching again for more clues to her peoples' past. Unfortunately, she isn't exactly sure where to go, but eventually ended up figuring if she doesn't know what direction to travel, any direction is equally potentially good. And since they were so kind and turned out to also know her girlfriend Yuuna, Merrill invited the two along for the journey. It won't be ancient Dalish ruins they'll be finding today, though, but rather a new area with Pokemon they've never seen before. Oh well. Discovery is discovery, right?]

Oh, this is so exciting! I haven't been on an expedition since before the snow fell.

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[Yuuna laughs at the obvious excitement exuded by her girlfriend. She shifted her backpack a bit, looking back at the other two members of their little party.]

It has been a while hasn't it? Since the Wetlands, and those Victreebells.

[In a way though, that'd been different. It almost felt like a different time, since Rei had retired from training for a while, and Goku was off...being Goku. He'd be alright, and so would they. She had faith in that much, at least.]

Can't say I'm glad to see the back of those, to be honest. But hey, at least there's no muck.

[ there was a part of Bilbo that was wondering what on earth he was doing out here. a fairly short trip out to somewhere like the flower grove was one thing, but this? venturing out towards places that were entirely unknown? he must have been mad to agree.

luckily(?) for everyone present, this part of Bilbo was still being mostly drowned out by the part that was more than happy to agree. for one thing, he hardly felt he could turn Merrill down. for another, maybe an extended trip would be just the ticket to get Teasel in line and out of everyone in Union's hair. and well - he would never admit it, but something Tookish had woken up inside of him lately. bother all that talk of ancient history!

the talk in front of him made his ears perk up in curiosity, though. he'd always been one for a good story, and well - frankly, anything to keep his mind off daydreaming of his kitchen at home. ]

Victreebells? What happened with those?

[ thorin, for now, is content to listen as the others talk. a short time away from the city will do him good, clear his head to think, given everything that's reared its head in the last few days alone. he'd been surprised when he was asked to come along, but would hardly say no.

so he listens to the others' stories, and he considers to perhaps share one of his own - reconsiders just as quickly, though.

why the librarian of all people is here is a complete mystery to him, but then, so far he isn't slowing them down. they're not on a tight schedule. ]

[Looking from Merrill to Bilbo, Yuuna shrugs. That wasn't exactly her finest moment, but then...that trip had been a muddy mess.]

They tried to eat us. Of course that was Gold's fault, rushing down into that hole like that. And Goku didn't help.

It was all very fun, though, wasn't it?

[Getting stuck in muck and almost eaten. Merrill's idea of fun is certainly strange.]

[The team hears an odd sound, that of a... coiled spring? Accompanied, at any rate, by what sounds like something making the noise of a coiled spring. Spoink! Spoink!]

Fun? I wonder.

[ annnnnd he might say something else, but gets cut off by one (1) Growlithe baying up a storm in response to that unfamiliar sound. she sees the stern look Thorin gives her and stays by him, at least. so there's that. ]

[ Bilbo was just. going to be over here mouthing "eat you??" to himself and looking utterly alarmed by that. and slightly worried for Merrill's sanity if the look he was sending her way at the same time was any indication--

well. right up until that odd sound, anyway. ]

Was that-- did I just hear a spring?

Merrill...

[Yuuna is about to sound grumpy when she too hears the sounds and perks up. At her side, Renraku the Porygon chirps mechanically and starts hover-rolling off towards that general direction. He will investigate...]

And yeah, I think you did. That's...weird. What the heck could that be?

[And without much more thought than that, she starts in the same direction as the Porygon. If a crystal duck can go, so can she.]

[Merrill has a pretty low threshold for what constitutes fun. She was there with a bunch of friends, exciting and interesting things happened, and nobody died. In her book, that's a pretty good day.]

Let's go and look.

[Fiddling with her Warp Band for a moment, she calls out her Vespiquen, just in case.]

[The team sees as they round the bend a group of peculiar Pokemon bouncing around. Spoink does appear to be their name, as they continue to repeat it. There are about twelve of them.]

Oh, they're cute! Look at them bounce!

[Merrill claps her hands together excitedly, looking for all the world like a little kid who just got a new puppy or something. Sulahn the Vespiquen seems a bit more guarded, hovering protectively at her side and half-shielding her from a possible bouncypig rampage.]

Oh my savior! Aren't they though?!

[Yuuna is right beside Merrill, grinning like a lunatic. These are absolutely among the cutest things that she has ever seen! Hopping piggies!]

I've never seen Pokemon that adorable!

[Porygon shakes his head. We've lost them, Jim. They're dying of cute overload.]

[ Bilbo's reaction is a bit less... overt than the other two, but there's no denying that there is something very endearing about those pigs. he can't help the baffled, but very much present, smile that covers his face as he rounds the bend enough to see them for himself. ]

Well, my word. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like these little fellows. D'you think they bounce around like that all the time?

[Seeing the humans, they start to bounce toward them excitedly, clamoring around them]

[Okay. So sudden swarm of bouncing piggies. That's really cute.]

What do you think? [She holds up her wrist to show the Warp Band.]

Should we try and see what they want?

They certainly seem excited about something.

[Merrill nods to Yuuna.]

And they're not trying to eat us, so this is already better than the Victreebel from before.

[Looking back to the Spoink, Merrill opens her mind to them, trying to get a feel for what they're so bouncy over. Child of the Verdant Forest time.]

[ Thorin's hanging back, but his growlithe not so much. she greets the newcomers excitedly, running around between them, barking, and generally getting in everyone's way as good-naturedly as possible. her enlightened makes no move to stop her, smiling to himself. ]

That is not a very high bar. Still, we should probably try and see.

Mm, no reason why we shouldn't, I'd say.

[ that was said a little absently, Bilbo focused on the Spoink now crowding around them and following Merrill's lead. what's got these little ones so excited...? ]

[The Spoink begin bouncing in a direction, as if trying to lead the team toward one of the larger hills within the knoll.]

[Yuuna looks around at the group and shrugs.]

Maybe...we should go along? I mean, worst that happens is they have an extra head that tries to eat us and we have to fight them. But I don't think that'll happen.

[Yuuna, at least, will follow hoppypigs]

They're insistent enough.

[ thorin shrugs and lets himself be ushered that way. kiltal is running around the whole lot pretending she's doing the herding. ]

Maybe they're worried about something. There could be a stronger Pokemon bullying them. Whatever it is, they do want us to follow.

[Merrill is happy enough to do so, her Vespiquen buzzing along after her.]

[ Bilbo, for his part, tries not to trip over Kiltal, and looks at the path ahead of them dubiously. his more pessimistic side is providing a million and one ways in which this could all go wrong. but then again... ]

No, they don't feel as if they're ill-intentioned. I don't - I don't suppose we have any other option now that we've come this far, really.

[ though he really doesn't like the idea of running into a stronger, meaner Pokemon around that bend. ]

Erm, when you say "stronger Pokemon," Merrill, what exactly did you have in mind?

[Meanwhile, the merry band of Spoink bounce their way over to one of the hills, where the team will see somewhat unnatural caves have been carved into them. There are quite a few more Spoink in there, it looks like they've made their home here.]

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/flomps in here.

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