researcher-lily-blog

[researcher-lily-blog]

“Have a safe trip back!  And don’t worry, we’ll definitely meet again,” Lily assured Sara, shaking her hand.  “And...if you need help with general upkeep, I think there’s a species called “Gurdurr” or something?  Unovan Pokemon, I heard they’re good with this kind of thing.  Well, either that or a Bibarel.  Anyways, be safe and don’t be strangers!”

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

kalosranchergirl:

-

Alanna was about to answer him when Lily spoke and the gardevior stepped back out of politeness to let the pokemon and trainer speak. After listening she was just as surprised as Leon was that this was going on, she stood beside him through this and looked up at him curiously. “W-Well then…Welcome to the group in that case. Sara runs a ranch in Kalos for abandoned pokemon and eggs, so we get around quite a bit. Get used to seeing young pokemon around, it’s kind of her thing.”

“Alright, if you’re sure that it’s okay.” Sara was still unsure about taking Lily’s translator away but she took out a brand new Luxury Ball, the kind she used for all that came to her for a gentle ride across the many regions. She took Leon’s pokeball and gave Lilly the pricy pokeball in exchange.“Here, this one belongs to Tidus. Don’t worry about his brother, Yuzuki’s in good hands.”

She turned to Koyomi with a bitter-sweet smile as she reached forward to stroke the top of the popplio’s head. Little Tidus making a happy howl in response to the action. “Take care of him Koyomi, he’s your’s to raise now.”

“Oh?  That sounds amazing!  I’ve never actually gotten to see eggs or hatchlings up close before.” Leon said.  He glanced at Lily, trying to check, once more, what her intentions were.

Lily nodded at Leon.  You’re not a burden.  I’m slowing you down- the life I’m living in isn’t what’s best for you.  Go with her, see the world.  I’ll stay in contact.

What about you though?  You can’t speak any Pokemon languages and you’re only so-so with Akane’s speech.  Leon mentally asked back.

I’ll manage.  It’ll be just like the old days before you were my translator.  Awkward, but we’ll get by.   Don’t worry about me!  Go out there with your new friends and make memories and have fun!  And be safe, of course.  I want to hear all about it when we have a chance to talk again.  Lily encouraged.  He nodded back to her.  She looked back and blinked as she accepted the Luxury ball.

“Oh, uh.  Thanks!  I’ll make sure to take good care of them.”  Lily paused, and cracked a lopsided smile.  “I wonder if this is how my mom felt when I told her I’d be a migrations researcher.  And uh, I hope you won’t mind that I’ll be staying in touch with you guys.  Make sure Leon’s okay and let you know how Tidus and Koyomi are doing.”

Koyomi nodded.  “I will definitely do my best with this little one.”  She blew another bubble, trying to make it a bit stronger this time so it would stay on Tidus’ nose.

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

Alanna was about to answer him when Lily spoke and the gardevior stepped back out of politeness to let the pokemon and trainer speak. After listening she was just as surprised as Leon was that this was going on, she stood beside him through this and looked up at him curiously. “W-Well then…Welcome to the group in that case. Sara runs a ranch in Kalos for abandoned pokemon and eggs, so we get around quite a bit. Get used to seeing young pokemon around, it’s kind of her thing.”

“Alright, if you’re sure that it’s okay.” Sara was still unsure about taking Lily’s translator away but she took out a brand new Luxury Ball, the kind she used for all that came to her for a gentle ride across the many regions. She took Leon’s pokeball and gave Lilly the pricy pokeball in exchange.“Here, this one belongs to Tidus. Don’t worry about his brother, Yuzuki’s in good hands.”

She turned to Koyomi with a bitter-sweet smile as she reached forward to stroke the top of the popplio’s head. Little Tidus making a happy howl in response to the action. “Take care of him Koyomi, he’s your’s to raise now.”

“Oh?  That sounds amazing!  I’ve never actually gotten to see eggs or hatchlings up close before.” Leon said.  He glanced at Lily, trying to check, once more, what her intentions were.

Lily nodded at Leon.  You’re not a burden.  I’m slowing you down- the life I’m living in isn’t what’s best for you.  Go with her, see the world.  I’ll stay in contact.

What about you though?  You can’t speak any Pokemon languages and you’re only so-so with Akane’s speech.  Leon mentally asked back.

I’ll manage.  It’ll be just like the old days before you were my translator.  Awkward, but we’ll get by.   Don’t worry about me!  Go out there with your new friends and make memories and have fun!  And be safe, of course.  I want to hear all about it when we have a chance to talk again.  Lily encouraged.  He nodded back to her.  She looked back and blinked as she accepted the Luxury ball.

“Oh, uh.  Thanks!  I’ll make sure to take good care of them.”  Lily paused, and cracked a lopsided smile.  “I wonder if this is how my mom felt when I told her I’d be a migrations researcher.  And uh, I hope you won’t mind that I’ll be staying in touch with you guys.  Make sure Leon’s okay and let you know how Tidus and Koyomi are doing.”

Koyomi nodded.  “I will definitely do my best with this little one.”  She blew another bubble, trying to make it a bit stronger this time so it would stay on Tidus’ nose.

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

“Well, there is such a thing as the Pokemon Musical which I would love to preform in…” Alanna moved her hand in a soft sweep of the air and laced her Thunderbolt around her in a way that the blue flashes seemed like fine crafted jewelry rather than electricity. “Granted I haven’t gotten the chance to yet. You need all three qualities to partake in it. A voice that both humans and pokemon find appealing, a skill for dance, and of course an artful florish with your moves. Plus, it’s up to your human partner to make sure one looks the part that they are assigned.”

“In that case…” She smiled at seeing dance so skillfully and offered him her hand. “May I have this dance?”

As for young Tidus, he nuzzled against the older water type. The greninja’s webbed hands providing him with a comfort and safety similar to that of which a mother Primarina would give. 

Sara nodded her agreement with Lily as she watched both sets of pokemon interact. “The interaction with a new hatchling is actually something that Koyomi has been needing for a very long time it seems. Hmmm…hey, Lily? I think…I would like to give Tidus to you. It’s clear he likes Koyomi, and having him around her will help her heal in more ways than one.”

“Of course.  I know a few dances- would you prefer a waltz, a samba or a tango?” Leon offered, no longer fluttering about in his initial nervous manner.

“Ah-?  Oh!  Thank you, from both of us.  I agree with you- I think this will do her good.  With this little ball of joy here, I’m sure things will get more exciting.”  She paused, glancing over at the two psychic-types.  “Leon?” she called.

“Hm?” he asked, not immediately catching the bittersweet note in his trainer’s voice.  Then, hearing it, he became concerned.  “What is it, Lily?”

“I know I don’t spend as much time with you as I should.  And I don’t think you deserve that- to be stuck in one place.” Lily took a breath in.  “I think it would be good for you to travel with Sara and Alanna for a while.  What do you think?”  

Leon blinked, temporarily stunned by her words.  “I...I would but...is this really okay...?  Is this goodbye?  Was I not...?”

“No, no, it’s not because you’re not enough or whatever, don’t think like that.  I know it’s sudden and it must seem really weird after you spent basically your life up til now with me.  This isn’t goodbye either- we’ll surely meet again, I’ll make sure of it- but I think you’d do a lot better with Sara.  My kind of lifestyle isn’t letting you grow as much as you could be.  But,” Lily said.  “this is if you want to- and if Sara’s okay with it.”

“I...I think I would like to.  If that’s okay.  Are you sure you’ll be alright though?” Leon said uncertainly.

“Of course.  I mean, I’ll miss you, and it’s gonna be weird without you around, but we’ll manage.  I want to see you happy, and becoming the best you can be, more than anything.  You are my friend, and I will not hold you back.” Lily turned to Sara and held out a Pokeball that had a few bright star stickers on it.  “Sara, if you could, please take Leon with you.  I think he will do much better with you and Alanna.  Let him taste the world and all it has to offer.  He’s not going to get the sort of experiences he enjoys if he’s following me around all the time.  All I do is track migration routes and talk in front of committees when transport and conservation conflicts arise.”

Koyomi stood nearby and nuzzled the small Pokemon back, chirping softly at it.  It felt...right, doing this.  This tiny creature wasn’t one of her many children, but that was fine.  She could raise this little one, even though she wasn’t exactly sure what this child would turn into.

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

“I am quite well thank you,” Alanna chuckled a bit at how awkwardly adorable Leon was. “If you don’t mind me asking, what is your past time? I’m more an actress myself, but….I would like to know about you.”

Sara looked down at the popplio that had since tried to bounce one of the adult’s bubbles on his nose only for it to pop in his face and leave behind a very confused sea lion.

“Koyomi…just hold him.” Sara sighed and offered the pup to the female greninja noticing the exchange between the frog and the newly hatched seal. “For your own sake…Here.”

“Bwark?” Tidus looked up at the greninja before reaching out his flippers for her. “Mmmm…..mmm…”

Poor Leon could barely form coherent sentences at this point.  What was he supposed to do?  This lady before him was beautiful, well-mannered and talented!  He was...honestly kind of plain, in his own opinion.  “You are an actress?  You must be talented, to become anyone whenever you please.  I’m, uh, well, I enjoy dancing.”  While he was speaking, he did a quick samba step, and didn’t seem to be altogether aware that he was doing it.  “Do you perform, by any chance?” he inquired curiously.

Koyomi nodded and gingerly took the little sea lion in her long, thin arms.  “Hello, little Tidus,” she croaked at him.  

Lily, on the side, thought she would develop a case of mental sugar shock from the sheer amount of sweetness she was seeing.  “They seem to be hitting it off well,” she commented quietly to Sara.

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

“Ah, got a white knight on your hands I see.” Sara commented quietly to Lily as she stepped aside to let the two psychic pokemon interact. “Such manners…”

Alanna blinked in surprise at being addressed in such a way, placing a hand to her chest in the same movement before giving a smaller acknowledging bow in return. “Just Alanna please, and it is quite alright….I happen to disappear from most people’s sight unintentionally. And thank you for the complement, Leon. Yet, do not sell yourself short either…you are quite the handsome gallade yourself.”

“Bwark? The popplio watched the bubble before trying to blow one of his own, the tiny water balloon in response. 

The created water bubble was only about as big as a baseball but it still floated quite well through the air. The popplio sent the item off towards the greninja with a happy bark.“Bwark! Bwark!”

“Well, someone’s happy to meet you Koyomi.” Sara chuckled before lifting up the little popplio to talk to him. “Now what should I call you, ya little cutie? You’re already blowing bubbles so…hmm….How bout Tidus? As in the water term for the tide.”

“Bwark!”

“You flatter me richly, Alanna,” Leon said, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.  He trailed off awkwardly.  What was he supposed to say?  What do you talk about when you meet a pretty lady?  “Ehm, so, um, how are you today?”

Lily quickly busied herself with something in her bag.  She was trying so, so hard not to laugh.  Good grief her Gallade was so precious, but so, so awkward.  As a result, she couldn’t answer.

Koyomi gave a small smile and blew more bubbles at the small sea lion, croaking in a lilting, quiet way at him.

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

Sara chuckled at the young gallade’s actions and even more so at Alanna’s slightly shy behavior as she looked at the ground suddenly. The rancher rolled her eyes before approaching the PC herself to swap out Caviler and Nala for the Popplio twin babies. Only one of which she let out currently, that being the older of the two, and holding the little guy in her arms so he was content and relaxed.

“Bwark?” The sea lion pup looked around curiously as Sara now approched the gallade. 

“My name’s Sara,” She greeted the gallade with a smile, arms currently full of the baby pokemon. “I’m a rancher from Kalos, hence me grabbing this new little fella from the data base so he gets used to my presence. Anyway, Lily told Alanna and I about you yesterday. It’s nice to finally meet you Leon.” 

She looked over at her gardevoir and motioned with her head for the psychic type to come over. “Come on Alanna come over here and say hello.”

“S-Sorry…it’s just been a while since I’ve seen one of my own kind.” The female translator brushed some of her green hair out of her eyes before looking up at Leon and smiling at him in greeting. “Hello there, I’m Alanna. It‘s a pleasure to meet you.”

“It’s an honour to make your acquaintance, Miss Sara.  ...I hope Lily hasn’t been telling embarrassing stories about my youth...” Leon said.

“...Leon, you’re not that old.  And don’t worry, I didn’t embarrass you.  Sara is, incidentally, friends with a Gardevoir and I thought it would be nice if you made some more friends among your species, instead of it just being you and your sister.” Lily said.

Leon had been peering at the clown-like sea lion when Alanna came into view.  For a moment he stood stock still, rendered dumbstruck by the graceful Gardevoir.  Then, as if finally remembering what he was supposed to do, he took a step forwards and swept a courtly bow towards her.  “Milady Alanna, the pleasure is mine.  My name is Leon.  Pardon my earlier rudeness- I do not know how I could have failed to notice someone as lovely as yourself.”  

“...Cute.” Koyomi stated, referring to the Popplio.  She wiggled her face at it and blew a small bubble on a whim.

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

“….Someone very special.” Sara told the male frog. “N was…well ask about him in Unova, everyone knows about him by now.”

Liam nodded to Grenny and chose to ignore the earlier comment and got up to go aid Sara with moving things around. Most notably removing the important items from Haruhi’s bag to move to Sara’s own while Lily’s team cleaned up the rest. Sara herself worked on putting everyone away into their pokeballs.

She leaned against a tree while waiting for Lily and nodded when the researcher came back out of the station. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Alanna nodded as well, still being out and ready to go.

“Huh.  Okay then.  Thanks.” Jinbei said with a slightly uncertain tone.  Seemed like Sara didn’t want to talk about him.  Which was fine, Jinbei wasn’t going to press.

The trip to Fortree City was a moderately short hike up the hill and a left turn after reaching the top.  Once at the Pokemon Center, she put Akane back in her Pokeball and exchanged her for Leon, who she let out, right then and there.  He looked out around, blinking in confusion.

“Eh?  Oh!  Hello Lily, everyone and greetings to you, human that I have never seen!  Did you need something?”  Leon greeted them.  He didn’t seem to have noticed Alanna just yet.

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl: 

-

Sara listened to Koyomi before closing her eyes and reaching in her bag, pulling out a cloth bundle and unwrapping it to reveal an old frayed ribbon and a dented shell, a Shell Bell. “….I’ve never forgotten the mistake I made Koyomi. Like I said…it was years ago when I was still an impulsive teenager. I know now that healing hearts and building trust takes time. You saw how I was with you, I know better now. I’ll find her again one day, I have to return this when I do. Till then…I help as best I can to try and fix some of the damage caused by others of my own kind.” She sighed and put the item back in her bag. “….Sometimes I think N had a point about humans…”

“Sara’s ranch is in the Kalos region to the north-west,” Liam told Grenny about the location. “It’s pretty easy to spot most days as it’ll be the only place on that route that’s not covered in rain. We have a castform friend that makes sure of that. I think the closest city is Lavuree or something like that….the french words are hard to pronounce for me and I’m FROM Kalos!”

“I know what you mean,” Sara laughed as she listened to the researcher. “I guess I should send back Caviler, he’s really kind of too big to be wandering around and maybe Nala to check that area. I want to be as close to the new popplio as possible. Besides I still gotta give those babies names….”

Sara was fortunate that she couldn’t understand the Blaziken’s clucks because Liam stiffened the moment that that lizard line was mentioned. The greninja digging his claws into the blanket under him and a dark expression coming to his face, for a moment…he looked like a completely different greninja. Then, it was gone as he looked aside and off towards the pond, relaxed yet again.

Sara was puzzled by the greninja’s actions but Lily’s question distracted her from it. “Of course not, right Alanna?”

“I don’t mind.” Came the quiet telepathic response from the gardevoir.

Koyomi nodded, her expression neutral.

“Who’s N?” Jinbei asked.

“Lavuree...oh.  Laverre.  Yes, I believe I know where that is.  I am certain we’ll drop by at least once.  Our trainer tends to roam quite a bit, perhaps, if we are lucky, we will meet there at least once.” Grenny said.  He got up to start tidying up where he was sitting and help his Trainer wrap up the few leftovers...and noticed Liam’s expression change when Akane offhandedly mentioned Lily’s family’s predisposition to types like Greninja and Sceptile.  He said nothing, nor gave any sign he saw, but mentally tagged Akane’s comment regarding “Sceptile trainer” and “concerning change of demeanor”.  He would have to talk to the others about this later.  But that was, of course, for later.

The rest of Lily’s party made short work of the cleanup, putting the little bits of leftovers into a box and storing it in the fridge.  Lily had gone back inside the station briefly to do a quickly cleanup of the oversized waffle iron and shove it back into the bottom shelf of storage.  Once that was done, Lily got her notes, a lightly packed bag and her team together.  “Are we all ready to go?”

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

“…..sometimes….they won’t let you help.” Sara looked down as she remembered that one last time. “No matter what you say, no matter what you do…they won’t trust anyone, pokemon or human. It happens…and it hurts every time. They need the help but are too afraid to reach out.”

She shook her head to clear away the bad memories. “That was a while ago though, and I’m wiser than I was then. Still…I hope that Delphox is alright in isolation. They moved her to a safari zone corral until she could be calmed last I knew…”

“Well there’s not much in the way of long range communication.” Liam laughed at the suggestion regardless. “Besides the grovyle clan would attack any electrical lines they saw, Arceus knows they hate humans and their technology.” He looked at the older greninja and offered a smile. “Well if you guys are ever in Kalos you could drop by the ranch. I know its not quite the same as meeting my folks but, I’ve got family there too.”

“Right,” Sara nodded to the other human and set her focus on finishing her own breakfast. “I’ll put the gang back in their pokeballs save for Alanna. That’ll make it easier to travel, even if it is a short distance.”

“I understand.” Koyomi said, taking a deep breath.  “And I am sorry about the Delphox.  I too hope she is alright- being left alone with your demons is not a pleasant feeling.  ...I will tell you a story, Sara. Perhaps Lily already told you that I evolved far later than I should have.  Being stuck in the body of a child when yo are far past ready to be an adult does not leave one happy.  It becomes even more disconcerting to mature by two phases in a short period, and when I finally evolved for the last time...I will not hesitate to say that I was a monster.  I hated Lily simply because she was a human like my previous “trainer”, and resented Jinbei since he was taking this so much better than I did.”  Koyomi blinked slowly, collecting her thoughts.  “It took me a week and a half before I remembered where I was.  During that entire period, Lily always stayed in my line of sight.  She left food for me, made sure I took care of myself, fool woman even had her back to me a few times- but she never forced me to talk to her, even though she was talking at me for some of it, and she never tried to touch me if I didn’t let her.  I came back in a week and a half, and we started working from there.  I think she knew that if I were completely alone in there, I would more than like hurt myself rather than heal.  Those who have been where I was, an in worse places- helping too hard, too soon will get you pushed away, and not responding soon enough will lead to you not being acknowledged.”  Koyomi was hinting that while she didn’t know Sara’s situation, it was possible to consider that the Delphox could not tell who was friend or foe, and that just being in a person’s benign but not actively “helpful” presence for an extended period could have itself been helpful and might have encouraged Delphox to approach for help.

Jinbei pointedly pretended not to listen, instead getting up to help Lily tidy up some of the eating area.  

Grenny nodded.  “Might I ask where is this ranch, my friend?” 

Lily stared at the scene before her briefly.  “...Eh.  I guess I’ll do the same.  Guys, lemme know when you’re ready to go, alright?  ...Gah, I wish we could have more than 6 Pokemon with us at once.  Ugh.  I can’t get Leon out if I don’t swap one of these guys...”

Akane patted Lily’s shoulder lightly.  “I’ll go.  But!  Make sure you take pictures for me, okay?”  Lily hugged the tall fire-hen.

“Akane, what in the world would I do without you?” she said.

“Be a Sceptile trainer, I bet.  Your family has a tendency towards the serious swordsmaster/shinobi types.  Anyways.  Pictures!” Akane demanded.

“Of course!  Don’t you worry.  Hey um, Sara, Alanna, would you two mind if I took a commemoration video of the meeting?” Lily asked. 

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

“I struggle to grow even patterned beans on my ranch so I couldn’t say,” Sara admitted with a shrug. “But Rainbow Beans are hard to grow in general so it’s best just to leave it to the experts on the Poké Pelego. Anyway, here everyone.” 

She passed out three of the rare food items to each of the pokemon, except Caviler cause he had removed himself from the group. Then she sat back to eat her own breakfast, the beans really weren’t meant for humans even though they smelled so good. She held back from trying one…or she’d end up like the fellow looking after the island where these things grew.

“You are not the first case of trainer and day care abuse I’ve seen Koyomi,” Sara smiled at the greninja as she cut into her food. “I’m just glad that I was able to help you. Some cases are….” She shuddered and put a hand to her shoulder. “….way worse. Dangerous even…”

Liam put one of the beans in his mouth and ate it before answering Grenny. “My mother? Well, her name’s Espia. Meaning “spy” and it fits, you try finding her when she doesn’t want to be found and you will not. She often acts calm, putting on a poker face to hide her thoughts and emotions. Yet she’s the smartest person I know and also one of the most compassionate. She worries about me and Sara a lot, even before we left home. She’s my mom, taught me how to climb and use Quick Attack. I miss her…”

Akane bobbed her head and nibbled a bean.  She decided she liked it and let out a happy chirp while munching on the rest of it.

“I would never come under the assumption that I was.  I will, however, assume you have personal experience and an old battle wound from your body language, however.” Koyomi said.

“She sounds pleasant to be around,” Grenny replied, taking a bean and dipping his head in thanks.  “I- well, Kaloa and I can understand how she feels.  We worry about ours, too, Jiraiya and all of his brothers and sisters.  It would probably make her very happy if you went home to visit her.  I’m sure she would love to hear about your adventures.  I’d suggest a phone call, but I don’t expect human technology to stay reasonably functional in the kinds of environments we typically call home.  ...I suppose it is too much to hope to meet your family, but I’ll hope all the same.”

“So it must be something about the soil then.  Hm.  Perhaps next time I go by Alola I’ll have a look.” Lily said.  “Which I expect to be reasonably soon, once I get started on tracking Feebas.  Ah, looks like they’re all finishing up.  I could start cleaning up in a bit, then we can go pick up Leon, maybe?”

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

“It’s more fun to travel the world.” Sara told her, petting Haru’s nose as the latios waited while she cut a piece for him and then took some of the sweet section for herself and chaska. “Besides if I can get those abandoned babies to either a good home or a secure refugee, I’m happy.”

“Also, Koyomi, I’m glad to see your doing better.” Sara chirped to the female frog, having been watching how she was moving. “In just a few hours you’re walking around on your own again and obtaining a better appetite.”

Caviler just reached over top of everyone and took the whole top waffle, waddling off to eat it so he wouldn’t disturb the others. Welp, he was half snorlax so Sara wasn’t surprised at the swampert’s actions. She then perked up and reached into Haruhi’s bag that he had strapped to his sides.

“Before I forget.” She murmured before pulling out a large bag and reaching her hand inside to pull out several Rainbow Pokebeans. “Here’s a treat from Alola for the pokemon. I nearly forgot about them, and since we’re eating I may as well share these as well.”

“I guess so…” Liam shrugged, putting his piece down for a moment so he could speak. “After yesterday, I guess I am feeling a little home sick. The ranch is wonderful sure, but…you just can’t beat going back to your homeland. Heh, if we’re lucky Dad has managed to prevent Mom from heading out on her own adventure to find me.”

“Can’t disagree with you there- oh?  Rainbow beans?  I remember seeing those!  I’ve heard they’re considered something a delicacy in Alola- or at least, that’s what Sa-chan says.” Lily commented.  “...I wonder if it’s possible to grow them here.  The temperatures are similar, but the soil quality in this region might not be right for it...I’ll have to try at some point.”

Koyomi nodded at Sara around a mouthful of waffle and honeyed berries.  She swallowed her bite.  “Your advice for how I should be consciously altering my way of thinking is helpful.  Thank you.”  And she went back to her breakfast.

“That’s understandable.  No place like home, right?  ...Your mother sounds like quite the free spirit.  Would you mind if I asked what she’s like?” Grenny inquired.

Akane stared for just a moment as Caviler took off an entire layer of the giant waffle by himself.  Well, at least now she knew why Lily made them huge.  She finished off her piece and let out a satisfied “cluck”, feeling pleasantly sated.

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

“What?” Liam shifted uncomfortable under the stares, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. “I got around quite a bit with Sara okay? The experiences stacked up fast…”

“….Melemele Champion….” Came the low toned voice of Caviler making Liam shoot him an annoyed look then sighed in defeat and nodded.

“I did…..try it, once.” Sara frowned at the reminder of that attempt at the championship all those years ago. “But the champion….he was too much for us. Chaska and I learned our limits that day. And I don’t really enjoy competitive battling to start with, so I became mostly a rancher instead. Course people still challenge me every now and then but…I know what I’m doing. It takes a lot for someone to beat my team, they’re the ones that decide which battles to take on most of the time.”

“Thanks Jinbei, not everyone can get my Clan-sister’s rage cooled so quickly.” Liam told the other male, clapping him on the shoulder lightly before moving to join his own group to eat.

“Well, I suppose it isn’t for everyone.  Maybe it’s for the best you didn’t make it up there.  I’m told being Champion is a lot of work.  You’d have to still manage your life while being ready to answer your challengers as well as keep an eye out for threats to your region.  I expect you’d be getting involved in some of the bureaucracy, as well.” Lily said as she cut a slice of the sweet-sour part of the stack for Koyomi, and took two chunks of the Everything section for herself and Akane.

Grenny quietly reached over and lightly pat Liam’s arm.  “It’s not bad to be strong.  Means you can protect you and yours more easily.  Sorry about the staring, though.”

The others were happily tucking into their torn-off chunks of waffle stack.

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

Liam blinked in surprise at the other greninja’s actions unsure of how to respond to this. Meanwhile, Sara who could understand every word tried her best to stifle her laughter. That was just too funny, watching a full grown greninja acting like a froakie trainee.

Liam was unsure of what to do in this situation and carefully pulled his hand out of Jinbei’s grip before croaking, “Another time perhaps. I believe our trainers have other plans for the day.”

“Oh my Arceus….Lily you just missed the funniest thing.” Sara so wished the other girl could understand what that young greninja just said. It was so lost on those that couldn’t. 

 She sighed after getting control of her giggles and looked up at the trainer beside her. “Well…the thing is….” Sara gave a sheepish smile before speaking again. “……Liam’s level 100.”

“I’m sure I did,” Lily said good-naturedly.  “After all, it is my younger cousin that speaks the language of amphibian Pokemon.  I’m more proficient in understanding bird language.”  On hearing that Liam was level 100, most of Lily’s Pokemon stopped what they were doing for just a second to stare at Liam.  

“Well,” Akane said after a moment.  “That explains what Chaska was saying.  I suppose it would have made more sense if Grenny or Koyomi were Liam’s opponent.”

“Impressive,” Lily said, nodding respectfully at Liam.  “I assume that means you have attempted the Championship challenge at least once in your home region, Sara.  Also you guys, if you want to come eat, you can.”

“Sweet.  I’ll take you up on that next time we meet then.  You’re welcome, by the way.  Ugh, Koyomi’s never going to let this go...” Jinbei croaked softly, not wanting Sara to hear.

“What was that all about?” Koyomi asked casually as Jinbei rejoined the group and they headed to the giant waffle stack.  “Were you practicing a fangirl impression?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Koyomi,” Jinbei said, but there was no bite in it.  “I was just really impressed, alright?”

Bolt wheezed a laugh.  “Greninja.  Right when you think you’ve got them figured out, one of them does something to surprise you.”

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

Liam dropped down and offered the other a hand up. “Sorry about that, that’s the weakest move I’ve got right now and I guess I over estimated your level. I’m sorry Jinbei.”

“Liam is the strongest of us all,” Haruhi told the hen, quietly then added. “Chaska was the best of us but with his age he can’t fight as he used to.”

“My levels are going down with time…” Chaska told them closing his eyes for a moment. “But Liam there….he’s still young and he’ll probably be Sara’s champion fighter for a long time.”

“What level is he these days?” Alanna looked at Chaska for an answer but it was Liam himself who answered.

“Me? I try not to tell that…” Liam croaked out after helping the other frog to his feet. “People get scared every time I say it… Ask Sara if you must know.”

Inside…

“You know this would be easier if you just asked Alanna.” Sara sighed, shaking her head at the other young woman’s actions. “And thank you for thinking about those two, I know they’re supersized…”

She called for her gardevior and the psychic type swiftly came over. Useing her Psychic to move the majoirity of the breakfast outside but allowing Lily the dignity of moving the blanket while Sara grabbed a pitcher of berry juice and followed them. However…..Sara took one look at what had happened outside and shot a glare at her greninja who backed away, slightly scared.

“Liam! You know you’re not supposed to spar with pokemon under level fifty!” She lectured him as Alanna set up the plate and food on the blanket. “For Arceus’s sake! You can’t do that anymore! You’re too powerful!”

Liam visibly deflated as each word hit him harshly, he knew he wasn’t supposed to but it was hard seeing others battle and he couldn’t. He stared at the ground and she sighed, very disappointed in his behavior.

Jinbei accepted the help, croaking his thanks and trying to play it cool.  Secretly, he was very impressed at Liam, and it gave him a bit of hope.  Maybe one day, he could be as strong as this other guy.  Then they could maybe have a proper rematch.  He was about to express as much when that other human, who had yesterday aided his sister, came out and was practically radiating disapproval.  On hearing her yell, he did the first thing that came to mind- which may lead some to think that Jinbei had been watching too much anime.

He took Liam’s hand in both of his, made his best attempt at the starry-eyes expression, and proceeded to do something he was sure his sister and “older brother” would likely never let him live down.  The things I do for my fellow frogs... “Wow!  That was so cool!  You must be at least Champion-level, Liam, sir!  Please, could you teach me some more, Liam-sensei?  I want to be strong like you, so I can protect all of my friends!”  Okay, MAYBE that was a bit much, but too late for second thoughts now.  Internally, Jinbei bade farewell to whatever dignity he had left.  Somewhere at the edge of his vision, Koyomi hid her face in her tongue-scarf, shoulders silent shaking in laughter.

Lily looked over at the situation unfolding nearby as she got food to the eating spot.  She made eye contact each with Akane and Grenny, whose subtle motions and glances told her roughly what happened.  

“Did anyone get seriously injured?” she asked Grenny.  He shook his head. “Was this a serious battle?”  Again, Grenny shook his head.  “Was this all in good fun?”  This time Grenny nodded.  Yes.  “And was this, by chance, an attempt at a learning opportunity?”  Grenny answered in the affirmative.  

“Then,” Lily said, turning her attention to Sara and dropping the edge of the tablecloth,  “Sara, I think you might be hangry.  No harm was done.  Jinbei doesn’t seem upset, so chances are this was voluntary on his part, and clearly he likes Liam-san if he’s willing to embarrass himself like this.  So let’s not start getting upset.  I think he just wanted to have a little fun.  I trust Jinbei to know his limits, and if Liam-san is as strong as you say, then he must have great control over how much strength he uses.”  She covertly took a picture of the event with a small camera.  

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

“Oh boy…” Nala sighed as they all watched what was happening. “How long do you think he’ll let him stay on his feet?”

“I’d give it two turns.” Alanna responded, leaning against Caviler’s massive shoulder.

Liam turned towards the forest, honestly where else would a greninja go? It was too easy to sense for him. In an instant, Liam vanished from veiw. No smokescreen, no hiding, just unfollowable speed for a brief moment. Then came the harsh blow of Aerial Ace against the other shiny, knocking him back out into the open and getting the rest of the group to wince. Liam was now perched on a branch up above as he had climbed up here after attacking, smiling a bit unsurely as he hadn’t even hit full force but still was concerned he hit the other a bit too harshly. “You okay?”

Indoors…

Sara didn’t mind her pyroar’s roaring it was what the lioness did when bored so she was used to it. She smiled at Lily’s excitement to see how their two now evolved kirlia would react to each other. “It will be interesting to see for sure. Alanna can be a tad shy but she’s a gentle soul at the core. I’m sure they’ll get along just fine,”

“Wha- OOF!”  One moment he was crouching on a branch, the next second he was flat on the ground seeing spots, thoroughly winded by the impact, and also fairly sure he had to have bounced at least once.  “Ow.  Well then,” he wheezed, giving an awkward eye-smile.  “Yeah no, I give.”  He raised his hands in concession.  “Nothing-kheh- will come of this.”  He sat up, rubbing his ribs gingerly.  He could tell the other Greninja had held back.  But that blow alone told him that Liam was at the very least 50 combat levels above him. Jinbei was only freshly evolved and while he knew he wasn’t good at a lot of things, one thing he was fairly proficient in by necessity was estimating his standing compared against his opponents.  The Daycare yard could get brutal sometimes, and not knowing how to pick your fights meant getting pulped both physically and on the social ladder.

Koyomi blinked, and made a mental note never to accept an invitation to spar from this other Greninja until after Lily gave them more training.  Grenny, on the other hand, did want to spar against this fellow at some point...but perhaps when their trainers weren’t busy.

Bolt winced.  “Ooh, that’s gotta hurt.”

Akane nodded.  “Well, judging from how he handled himself, Liam is far more experienced than many of us, I think.  Not someone to take lightly.”

There was silent agreement within Lily’s group.

Inside:

While the waffles were cooking, Lily had started chopping up more berries in earnest.  She didn’t want to spend too much time doing this- if she left them alone for too much longer, she suspected they might get a bit antsy for want of food.  Good thing Fruit Waffles weren’t something that took long to make.  She paused, shook out a clean tablecloth, opened the iron, and with a large spatula, flipped the waffle onto the cloth.  She refilled the iron with batter, and got back to chopping.  Once she thought she had enough berries, she got some Combee honey and Moomoo cream, spreading those on the waffle and placing berries by flavour to make seven sections, layering honey on top.  The next waffle came out, got flipped on top, layered with fruit, honey and cream, and the last bit of batter went in.  By the time Lily was done, a giant triple-layered waffle and fruit stack sat on the tablecloth.  She turned off and unplugged the iron, closing it first to avoid burn risk.

“Sorry if I went quiet on you.  Would you care to assist me in dragging out this monstrosity of a breakfast?  It’s meant for everyone to just rip off a chunk and eat it as they need to.  Figured with your guys Haruhi and Caviler there, I should supersize the thing.” Lily said, grabbing one side of the tablecloth and slowly sliding it to the doorway.

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

Chaska muttered something under his breath, too quiet to hear as Liam adjusted the blue pendant around his neck. The greninja moved a distance away and the other pokemon naturally moved to the sides to watch out of habit. He turned back to Jinbei with a smile, “I get the impression that you don’t do much fighting. Jinbei, I’ll let you have the first move.”

He shifted his stance and a roar from Nala signaled the start of the match. The remainder of Sara’s pokemon seemed….concerned. Because if Liam didn’t say that, this match would’ve been over all too soon. 

 Inside…

“Huh? No, I was just curious.” Sara chuckled as she sat in a chair to get out of Lily’s way. “Alanna’s not much older than him in that case. She’s the child of my first gardevior, Lexie, gosh I miss her….but I’m glad to have Alanna around even if she is nothing like her mom. It’s still nice to see that fire every now and then. Leon’s tendency to play knight as a ralts is pretty common so that’s normal.”

Jinbei made a sour expression with his eyes.  “Yard brawls were all the practice I had.  I hope I can learn to be a proper Greninja from you.  ...This is going to be kind of embarrassing for me,” he said simply, alluding to his awareness of having fewer “good” moves than he would have liked.  He made some signs with his hands and produced a smokescreen, waiting for a moment before slipping into the shadows of the nearby forest.  Some sense he had was telling him to be cautious.

On the sidelines, Koyomi crossed her arms and watched the battle impassively.  She wanted a chance to fight too, but she was still feeling a bit off-colour.  Grenny observed the proceedings.  It was basically a given, he could tell, that Jinbei would lose.  The only question was how fast it would happen.  Still, it was a good chance to be properly socialized.

Inside:

Lily nodded and checked the iron again.  It seemed to have gotten hot enough- finally.  She took a four cupfuls of batter (which was about a third of the salad bowl) and poured it onto both sides of the iron, giving it a few seconds to cook the bottoms before closing it together.  She thought she heard Nala roar, but wasn’t thinking too hard about it.  It didn’t seem like they were in any immediate danger.  “Oh, then it would be interesting to let them meet, haha.  I can’t wait to see how they’ll react to each other.”

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated

[researcher-lily-blog]

kalosranchergirl:

-

“Yeah, it seemed like Sara had something on her mind yesterday.” Liam looked back at the station and then back at the other geeninja. “Would anyone like to spar while we wait?”

“Whoa! Liam!” Chaska sat up when he heard that greninja offer that. “You know you’re not supposed to battle!”

“It’s just a friendly practice match, Chaska. Calm down.” Liam sighed, even though he knew the pikachu was right. “It’s just a good way to wake up. No one’s gonna get knocked out…..I hope.

Back inside…

“One would have to be really foolish to attack my ranch.” Sara laughed as she plugged in the iron to a generator to heat it up, so it would be ready. “Cerberus is a certian hydregion I’ve trained and I’m sure you know how much a hydregion hates trespassers. Not to mention the bisharp, serperior duo, and Furfrou guarding the eggs and hatchlings. That would be plumb crazy to try….and reallllllllly stupid. Course…I could get Hawlucha or another pyroar for Nala’s sake. So the ranch isn’t prone to the pests and the babies don’t have to stay inside the entire time I’m gone.”

“Anyway, so…what’s your gallade like?” Sara asked about the pokemon they hadn’t met yet. 

“I agree with Liam.” Grenny said, with a nod.  “Besides, it is part of our culture, or at least that was the custom among those living in the same chunk of Kalos as myself.  Hm.  Come to think of it, we’ve been doing everything backwards, haven’t we?”

“We have?” Jinbei asked, confused.

“Yes.  See, kiddos, we’re ninjas.  Typically, we like to stay hidden when a newcomer arrives- yes, I know I’m an outlier as a contest performer, but the custom is that when a newcomer arrives in an area where other Greninja are, the newcomer tries to stay hidden for as long as possible and prepare an ambush to test the native Greninja’s environmental awareness.  Should the native Greninja realize someone else is there, they try to deceive the newcomer into thinking that they haven’t been spotted while preparing their countermeasure.  As soon as the first shuriken is thrown, it becomes like a semi-serious sparring match in which the age, experience level, physical fitness, and intentions of both parties are made known to each other...or at least partially, anyways.  After that it could escalate into a full-out duel to the death or deescalate into peaceful negotiations.” Grenny explained.  “And like I said, we’ve done it backwards.  All of us here know, more or less, that we’re not at odds with each other, and that as far as age goes, I’m probably older than Liam, who is in turn older than you.  Still, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to practice.”

“Geez, we missed out on a lot, huh, sis?” Jinbei said, scratching the back of his head.

“Kindly don’t remind me.  And brother, if you want to meet Liam, you don’t have to stick to me like a Remoraid.  I’m a big girl.” Koyomi replied.

“Feel free.  I’ll hang around with Koyomi.  If I get into any sort of fight now, Scout will want to join in, and then it will become unfair.” Grenny said, his eyes forming lines to display his ease of mind.

So Jinbei, all wide-eyed eagerness, stepped away from his sister towards Liam, thinking to learn at least some of the customary greeting.  He was a little apprehensive though.  If that old Pikachu was telling Liam he wasn’t supposed to fight, either Liam wasn’t at full strength or health, which did not appear to be the case, or Liam was very strong, in which case, Jinbei was probably going to get his tail whooped.

Akane, finally finished with grooming, came out to see an odd little circle of Greninja near the pond.  She shrugged and fiddled with something around her neck as she moved to the side to watch.  Scout was perched on a tree, listening to the conversation.  She’d wanted to buzz at Grenny, but he was, unfortunately, right in his assessment.  The two of them had been working together for so long that unless Lily was there, any battle Grenny got into was a 2vs? match.

Inside:

Lily added a few drops of vanilla to the batter and continued to whisk it, working the lumps out.  

“I’m glad you have such faith in your friends,” Lily said.  “If you believe it is so, that you will have no trouble, then you probably won’t encounter any problems, so long as no organized efforts come knocking.”  She uncapped the vegetable oil, opened the iron, and drizzled a couple of capfulls onto the big one.  It barely bubbled.  Lily closed it, feeling like it needed more time to heat up.  “Leon?  Well, he’s young, just evolved.  Quite easygoing, actually, and really likes going on adventures.  He’ll ask you about everything if you tell him you’ve been somewhere he’s never heard of.  Still, he’s a gentleman, and our group’s psychic translator.  He shows his emotions openly, and he likes being with others.  Guy used to play knight when he was just a Ralts.”  She smiled fondly at the memory.  She side-eyed Sara.  “...thinking anything in particular of that?”

Birds on your hat/Twitterpated