Starlight [Solo RP, Adventure Start!]

Wow, what a night, if it really was night time still. Everything about her environment indicated that it was: the blanket of indigo and the constellations weaved along it; the cool breeze of a spring slowly departing for summer; and the fact that Alice Hope had been in her fucking bed before waking up to this insanity. She wondered if her blood sugars were low and if this was one of those weird dreams she had, her brain attempting to wake her up for a snack or soda stop. As it was, everything felt too real, even if the drastic change of setting and the strange creature in front of her was making the young woman question if she was on drugs.

The strange creature in front of her? Some freaky bug, big enough to look like it had been ripped straight of Australia: land of murderous beasties. It had several little black legs, practically invisible in the dark in contrast to its bright white fur, striking blue eyes and the bizarre orange strikes that burned through the shadows. It radiated warmth, too, naturally keeping the air around it a little toastier. It was fucking terrifying, honestly-- and it wouldn't stop staring at her, or leave her alone, even! The blonde had parked her arse on the grass a good distance away, which the being would occasionally continue to invade. It kept nudging a red and white sphere towards her, the two halves split by a black band and decorated with a single pink sticker. A cute Poke Ball! So this was a Pokemon! A Larvesta, by the nerd's clever deduction. Neat. She'd always fucking feared dying in a fire, and had never been too fond of most bugs in real life. Not cool, hypo-brain.

“Are you supposed to be my Larvesta or something?” Alice broke the silence with a questioning sniffle, pale face flushed and tear stained. She didn't even have her pyjamas on anymore, which was the weirdest part. Actually, she stood out in the brush herself with her long-ish azure shorts and the pink,rainbow-embellished tee. The shoes, too, were bright, and the twinkly rainbow backpack that the Poke Ball had spilled out from. The Larvesta seemed to chitter encouragingly, serious blue eyes lighting up for a moment. Hope, yes! Yes, it was! Alice reached for the bag, slowly pulling it towards her to investigate further. There were a few Pokemon-y items in there as well as a cute wallet, her medical pack, a big filtered water flask and her hair brush. Definitely her bag, then, but... How? Everything felt real, from the wind against her skin to the grass prickling bare legs and her own racing heart. If she sat and contemplated this any longer, she would have a crisis, and the Larvesta might eat her...

“Do you know the way out of here? Or even where we are?” Most forests in the Pokemon world had a city either side, yes? If this was a Larvesta, maybe they were in Unova. That was unhelpful, because she didn't know Unova so well, and she didn't want to be burnt to a crisp by a Mama Volcarona looking for her lost child, either... When the Pokemon once again gave her an affirmative and strongly knocked the ball towards her, Alice nodded and wiped away more tears with the back of a damp palm. “Okay, then. We should go, maybe, if that's okay...?”

As if sensing her distress, the Larvesta traversed a respectful semi circle around her and then stopped expectantly. The blonde picked herself shakily from the forest floor, Poke Ball in one hand and the bag over her shoulders. Well, maybe it was best to enjoy the dream before it ended for a more dull reality. It wasn't every day that one got to live their fantasy like this, after all! And so, off they went.

Alice's walk through the forest would have begun rather uneventfully. Were it not for her new companion, she could have easily thought she was still in a boring old forest much like those she'd become accustomed to. The night sky provided passale amounts of light at first, but as her walk continued things became darker as the moon sank and the tree coverage grew denser.. At some point, the larvesta began to lead Alice off the beaten path, as if intrigued by something. At first, all this meant was trekking through taller grass and pushing the occasional small branch out of the way. Eventually though, it seemed this path may have been a mistake as Alice would take a step and feel a stringy substance press against her face, a step back would reveal that it was stuck there. Finding the web wasn't the freakiest part probably, no, that would be the green spider roughly the size of a dinner plate with what looked like a smiley face on its back descending from the trees ahead of her.

In spite of her skillset, Alice's balance wasn't always her strongest attribute, and this was particularly the case when traversing through ever dark, natural terrain. At first it wasn't so bad, because there was a path to follow, and even when the Larvesta strayed away from it the ground wasn't too uneven and it was mostly dry, too. She did begin to make noises of struggle, though, which had the Larvesta slow down and periodically check on her. This was the case, too, when the young woman cried out and leapt back to observe the grim substance she'd faceplanted-- and then she almost shrieked, whimpering pathetically.

A giant green spider. Nope, nope. In fact, it looked like a Spinarak. If she needed anymore persuasion that her guide was a Pokemon, that was it. "Oh my god, no, I don't like it! I'm not going! Don't leave me behind!" She called desperately, and the Larvesta turned properly. Here they go, time to do their duty to protect and serve. Alice had put herself at a reasonable distance from the other bug, meaning that it was safe for the Larvesta to spit some Embers in the other's direction. Alice audibly gasped, watching in a mixture of horror and amazement as the furry bug literally began shooting fire at the other, right before her eyes. This was truly something to behold, and just as terrifying in the flesh as one could imagine. Neat!

The Spinarak seemed as frightened of Alice as she was of it, beginning to skitter its legs as she started to scream at it. The poor bug's day was ruined even further as the small motes of flame fired from Larvesta hit both it and the webs supporting it. There was a soft thud as the spider pokemon landed on its back before frantically righting itself. In a moment of panic, it shot a string of sticky thread towards Alice's face before skittering off. For a moment, it seemed that Alice was safe from her insect attacker, until a new skittering sound could be heard followed by two blue glints of light that gave way to a larger, red spider creature.

There was no way that Alice was going to dodge that attack, and she screamed and spluttered once more as the grim string tangled up on her face. She frantically made to remove it, pulling her glasses off as well, figuring that right now she'd be able to see better without them than with the blotches concealing her vision. The Spinarak had fled, but instead, a more dangerous challenger had taken its place.

An Ariados. A fricking Ariados, really? It was huge. She was not cut out for this world, evidently. "Larvesta!" The Pokemon wasn't surprised, but was relieved that the girl at least ran behind him, allowing the Pokemon to protect her better as he fired off another set of embers. This one might have been a Pokemon that they should flee from, but right now, the prideful little bug would stand its ground.

Larvesta's small embers were a valiant effort against the much larger spider, but they seemed to be mostly in vain. The initial salvo elicited a slight flinch from the Ariados, but it quickly realized just how much of an advantage it had over Alice and her partner. It got closer, the two decorative appendages sticking out of its back raising up menacingly. If Alice's focus were to turn from the spider for a moment however, she would have heard rapid foot prints approaching her. Suddenly, a large shadow moved over her, landing on the ground between her and her attacker. What appeared to be a large, 3-headed ostrich being ridden by a person wearing a large brimmed straw hat with a long blonde pony tail poking out beneath was now protecting Alice. The Dodrio pecked down at Ariados, seeming to be much more effective than Larvesta's attacks as the rider turned and smiled down at Alice. "You know, it's not safe to wander off the path at night, especially in these woods." The rider, a girl, said, smiling.

As much as the Larvesta had done his best, he was simply too weak to take on a full blown Ariados. Alice was quickly realising this truth as the Ariados began to advance on them, a smug gleam in its blue eyes - and thank god that someone came to the rescue. It was easy to surmise that the strange, giant bird was a Dodrio... Did she recognise the rider, too? Her gut said so. God, this dream was wild. She hadn't read Pokemon Adventures in years...

"Ah-- Sorry, I just followed this... My Larvesta. He was trying to lead me out of here, I think." She glanced at the fluffy bug, who returned the gesture, seeming slightly affronted, "And I'm scared to creepy crawly things, so-- please help me?"

"Well, I already saved you from that Ariados..." She started to say, smirking and holding her chin. "Well, I guess." She scooted forward a bit on her Dodrio, opening up room for Alice to climb aboard. "Don't worry, Dodi's harmless unless you try to hurt me, and you seem pretty trustworthy." Once Alice was settled, the dodrio would begin to trot through the forest, navigating the somewhat rough terrain with ease. Soon the canopy opened up, revealing a decently sized clearing, it appeared that the stranger had been living in this area as the Dodrio stopped and the girl climbed off. "You can rest here for a while if you like. It's actually really comfortable."

Awkwardness was written all over the poor woman, clearly embarrassed to have been called out. In her defence, Yellow had dealt with the Ariados effortlessly - or rather, her Dodrio had. She was relieved to be invited along, however, even if the process of mounting the bird was an intimidating challenge in itself - especially with the Larvesta to worry about as well. The bug seemed nowhere near as bothered as Alice was, though. The bird's fur was soft! It moved so speedily, and with such precision! It was so crazy, she was riding a real Pokemon! How cool!

Eventually they reached their destination, and Alice clambered inelegantly from the Pokemon, thanking the creature and petting its back ever so lovingly. At least the bug didn't scare her so much following the fight and the ride. He, too, was a bundle of softness, and he was warm to hold. "Thanks. I'd really appreciate it." She replied. She'd given Yellow her name on the way over, so that introduction was over with at least. "Do you know what time it is?"

(Taking over with Mist's permission)

The woman just looked around before looking up at the moon. It looked like it was still crawling through the sky, and had only risen recently. She took a few minutes looking at the sky, seemingly tracing her fingers across the pathways of the stars.

"It's say its about nine at night right now," she tells Alice before hoping on her Dodrio.

"Well, I need to head out. This place is safe, so rest here until the morning. Viridian Forest can be dangerous if you don't follow the roads. Maybe I'll see you again one day. Good luck Alice," she gives a smile before riding out of the clearing into the night.

Now it was just Alice and her Larvesta. The night was still young, but this seemed to be a safe place in this world. And that Ariados wouldn't try and come back to attack so soon. There also seemed to be a small alcove here to set up camp for the night. Waiting for the sun to rise would certainly help in getting out of this forest.

Alice's mouth fell open, ready to shout for Yellow to wait, but the girl and her Dodrio were off before she could properly object. Once again, she was alone in this vivid dreamscape except for the Larvesta; blue eyes dropping down to the furry creature on the grass. Her heart was still racing away, fast enough that if it could leap her chest and abandon her too, it certainly would have.

"Nine feels early for me..." She lamented. This night would be long and full of terrors. "And I don't have anything to make a camp with, either." The young woman walked over, a little hesitant before crouching what felt like a safe distance from the Larvesta. "What you did back there with the fire was really cool. Thank you. But I should probably stick to the path next time-- you know, if you want to stay." She still had its Poke Ball, but in her mind, the creature did not feel like her own.

The Larvesta just looks at you, head tilted and seeming to just sniff the Poke Ball. It seemed confused on what you said. It knew it was yours and wanted to help you no matter the cause. It made a small noise, one that seemed to be filled with content, and just pressed its face against the Poke Ball. A small beam of red light envelops the Larvesta, before it just retracts inside of the ball.

Now you were truly alone in this dark place. Sure, your Larvesta was still technically with you, but in this moment you were alone in this strange world. Pokemon were real... And the characters from the manga you read were as real. It just felt like some type of weird dream. Surely, if you went to sleep, you'd be able to wake up in your own bed. Though, if this world was real, then staying on the road ahead may be for the best.

You do notice that there seems to be another path from the clearing adjacent from the one Yellow went down.A small sign post sits next to that path, and it just reads "Viridian City" with an arrow pointing towards the path. Must be the road to civilization. At least this is a ticket out of the forest... And maybe to a place with a more cozy bed.

The decision is yours.

Maybe she was just projecting, but Alice perceived the Larvesta's expression to be blank. That was a shame, but perhaps not a surprise. They didn't speak the same language, so it was no wonder that the bug couldn't really understand her, no matter what most media portrayed. When it disappeared back into the ball, though, Alice found it more upsetting than not. Maybe it was tired, but couldn't it just sleep out here...? God, she felt so very confused and alone, and it was all starting to overwhelm her, and before she knew it she was in tears.

Alice just sobbed for a while, distraught, mumbling to herself uselessly before eventually catching notice of the other pathway. Viridian City, so Viridian Forest. There would be a lot of people there, for sure, and the professor's laboratory wasn't too far beyond that. But wasn't Pewter City bustling, too? At least, in theory, the rockier city should be the opposite direction. Perhaps if she waited out the night, until sunrise, Alice could take the path the other way and try to figure it out. Maybe there'd be people who could help direct her - or the Larvesta could. He'd seemed to have had some idea of where he was heading, so long as he didn't try wandering off the track again...

The sign served as a marker for your location: Viridian Forest. From there, your geographic knowledge of the Kanto region started to take form. Besides Virdian, and Professor Oak's Laboratory south of that in Pallet Town, there was also Pewter City to the north. A mountainous, rock city, it was home to the rock-type Gym Leader Brock. It was a well known place for beginning trainers to start their gym challenge in the Kanto region.

Looking to the opposite end of the path, you see another sign. Going up to that one, it said Pewter City. Seemed like this was the main road through the forest, and this was also the path Yellow went down. You may be able to see her again if you go down that route. The main route through the forest was known to be safe, since it was frequented by many beginning trainers. Your Larvesta probably knew this, and he'd be able to lead you easily regardless of time of day, now that you know the route. The decision is yours.

Seeing the sign towards Pewter City was a relief, and it came with a trail to boot. Of course, the words that Yellow had spoken remained solidified in Alice's head and she was worried about running into another scary Spinarak or Ariados. Having some sense of direction was the most important thing, really. As it was, even with electing to stay put, it was spooky at night on her own. The clearing wasn't exactly bug proof...

She held up the Poke Ball that she clutched in her hand, peering through the translucent shell at the Pokemon within. "Larvesta, do you want to follow the path to Pewter City? Maybe if we're quick and quiet we won't run into anything else bad." She suggested, wondering if it could hear or understand her. She was still vigilent, blue eyes scanning the outskirts of their spot incase of anymore intruders. Or, maybe there'd be less scary Pokemon to fight or befriend. Not all bugs were bad, and what of others, like Pidgey or even Pichu?

Exciting, but still scary. Dying by electric shock or bird swarm wouldn't be pleasant...

As you scan the outskirts of the clearing, you spot a small bird Pokemon pecking around in the distance. A red, feathery cowlick sits atop its head, a small, cone-shaped beak, and bright blue eyes that twinkled in the moonlight. It gave you a look, and then continued to peck at the ground. It seemed to be curious about you, but wanted to keep its distance. After all, it was a wild Pokemon. It didn't know if you were friendly or not. Though, it seemed a bit out of place in this forest. The colors seemed to signify it was a more tropical bird than something you'd see in Kanto. Certainly not a Pidgey, that's for sure.

What do you do?

The Poke Ball once again burst open, the Larvesta landing on the ground not far from his intrigued trainer, and perhaps just at the right moment. The bug could see Alice peering curiously over at the Alolan bird, soon crouching down and moving just a smidge closer. "Hey, little birdie. Whatcha doing all the way out here?" She didn't think that Alola had a winter, so why come somewhere much colder? Was it lost, or a release? Maybe it had just been born here, Alice doubted that a world free of proper border control had Pokemon species so segregated like games and such suggested. "Are you hungry?"

She probably shouldn't just invite it over. It could probably kill her very sharply and quickly. Alice's own blue eyes shifting, the young woman looked at her own Pokemon. "Should we battle it...?" She didn't really know much about Pikipek or most Alolan Pokemon in general, but perhaps they'd have an easier time with this one.

Your Larvesta comes out of the ball, and it seemed just in time too. You had the idea that maybe you could battle the Pikipek. It seemed weak enough, and something you and your Pokemon could easily handle. Though, as soon as you start speaking to it, the little bird just hops closer. It didn't seem hostile, more curious than anything else. It seemed the word hungry was what made it come closer, and as soon as it saw the Larvesta it started to come closer and closer. Don't birds generally eat bugs? This could be bad. Especially as the Pikipek is picking up speed as it just stares down your Larvesta, ready to eat.

What to do?

Alice brightened up when she saw the Pikipek approaching, only for her expression to falter when she realised what the Pikipek had in mind. Oh, no, that wasn't good at all. "Larvesta--" She started, ready to make a command, but the creature was already jumping in anyway. It had clearly sensed that Alice didn't entirely know how to aid it in a fight, and so it had already begun glowing, aiming a watery Hidden Power at the Alolan bird, before attempting to wrap it up tight with a sticky, nasty String Shot. If it came any closer, its beak would feel the bug's Flame Body and perhaps a Zen Headbutt to boot. The Larvesta certainly meant business.

Your Larvesta fires off a volley of water orbs, seeming to draw onto its Hidden Power. The hit causes the Pikipek to lose some momentum, and the bird quickly flaps backwards. The look of determination in its eyes was obvious enough that the Alolan bird wasn't going to back down so easily. Flying towards your Larvesta, the Pikipek lets out a hungry Growl, the sound causing your Larvesta to shirk a bit and lose some overall attack power. Though, it gives him enough time to fire off a String Shot. While the Pikipek does manage to not get its wings entangled, it is slowed down from the string attached to its legs. It lands, trying to get the sticky thread off of it. Seems this would be a good opportunity for an all out attack!

Alice watched the battle unfold with Butterfree in her stomach, excited and terrified at how this could end. At least if the Pikipek started gaining on them, she could save Larvesta through his ball, even if at expense of herself. Seeing the way things were going, though, maybe they'd be alright? "Larvesta, now! Go for it!" She encouraged him, and the bug heeded her words. It jumped upwards, firing a barrage of Embers before being overtaken in a blue light, intending to slam down with a forceful Zen Headbutt.

Your Larvesta takes not of your words and starts to channel the fire within. He spews out a few fiery embers, with them hitting the Pikipek and scorching its feather. Unfortunately, it does burn off the remaining String Shot, giving the Pikipek more of its mobility back.

Taking advantage of that fact, the Pikipek dive towards your Larvesta and slams its beak into the bug's soft, fuzzy fur and piercing through the skin underneath. Your Pokemon lets out a whelp, the super effective attack dealing quite a bit of damage, but the good news is that the fire within has left a nasty burn on the Pikipek's beak.

The bird recoils, and flies a bit back trying to deal with its beak. At this point your bug-type glows with a blue energy, and slams its head into the bird. The Zen Headbutt sends the Pikipek flying, and it lands on the ground, dazed. You can see it flinch a little bit as it lands, and then cry out in pain as the burn on its beak worsens. Looks like a few more hits and the small bird will be down.

Alice gasped, almost recoiling herself from the sound that the poor Larvesta made when it was struck. Battling in 'real life' was pretty scary, honestly. "Try for another Ember, Larvesta, and then get clear!" Alice called out, and the bug obeyed, leaping up and using another set of embers. It moved back afterwards, and it became clear why: Alice had picked one of the Poke Balls from her bag, and was now concentrating to aim before throwing it. She hadn't been too sure, but maybe they could capture this Pikipek. She didn't know much about the species, but figured it might have been rare in Kanto. If things didn't work out, maybe they could trade it away...?

Your Larvesta gives you a nod as it executes your orders. Charging up the fire within, he spews out more embers onto the Pikipek. At this point, the Pikipek is pretty damaged, and looks more focused on nursing itself than continuing the battle. Looks like your Pokemon wasn't easy prey like the bird thought it was. That was a relief.

Taking advantage of the Alolan Pokemon nursing itself instead of fighting, you take out a Pokeball. Just got to aim this right... And throw it. THis was more difficult than it looked in the material you've looked at, but the ball sped through the air and landed on the Pikipek. You watch carefully as the ball starts to shake. One shake... two shakes... three shakes... And a small ding could be heard before the ball stopped.

Congratulations, you've caught a Lv. 6 Male Pikipek! Your Larvesta has also leveled up to Lv. 6

Having a new Pokemon partner will certainly help on the road ahead.

Alice was relieved that the bird had been relatively easy to defeat and capture, mostly because she had been worried about her poor Larvesta taking more damage. Her Larvesta - what a thought. The ball rocked: once, twice, thrice; and then it fell still, and Alice excitedly ran to pick the ball up. She peered through the translucent shell, able to spot the bird huddled inside.

"Oh my gosh! We did it! We caught a Pokemon!" She announced brightly, running over to celebrate with the fluffy bug. Any previous worry over his typing and since faded, it seemed. Perhaps the battle had helped her to trust him. She set a light kiss on his forehead, and then swung her bag around to put the ball away and procure a Potion. "I think I can make you a bit better with this? Hang on..." Her blue eyes read over the instructions, and she apologised incase the treatment stung. But once they were done, it was hopefully back on the way to Pewter City, barring any further interruptions or distractions.