Leafeon &Co. Explore Hoenn

[yip9]

'Incredible!' cheered Aster, grinning from ear to ear upon hearing Paws' berry satisfactory report. 'Not only can you smell where tasty berries are, you can even sniff a whiff of their specific flavors and identify the species. Such skill is unmatched.' She stopped skipping, spun around to face the reporter Glameow, and bowed. 'Thanks so much.' Turning to face the gourmand of a Lapras, the Leafeon exclaimed, 'This is great news, wouldn't you say, Ellsia?'

'Yes, indeed!' agreed Ellsia, flapping about joyously. 'Let's reward the super effective guide Glameow, not to be confused with the super old Guide Gent, by heading along the route with the berries she likes.' One could say the Lapras had mixed motives because she had a sweet tooth, but that might or might not be accurate, because the Lapras liked all flavors. She was the sort of Pokemon who perfectly fit the descriptions 'Happily eats anything' and 'Ellsia isn't fussy about food, but seems hungry.' Fortunately for her, it looked like someone was going to answer yes to the question 'Give her a berry?'

So the Leafeon and her Lapras began their journey to the West. The Americans must have agreed with this Chinese epic, for they recommended, 'Go West, young man.' This wasn't entirely out of place in a Pokemon world, for the little Leafeon had read of the titles and quotes famous in a place her textbooks called 'the human world.' The Twinkle Star clan, the house of Eon nobility of which Aster was an heiress, emphasized instruction in the arts abroad as well as at home. This was why little Aster was so desirous to experience Hoenn for herself: she wanted to see if the stories of the wonders and horrors she had read about in her rudimentary study of the world beyond her shielded home held sunlight, er, held water. Was the Hoenn region really as gorgeous, delicious, deculture as her trainer claimed? Would Ellsia be as satisfied with the berries and fish as with those back home? What cool stories of most excellent adventures could she share with her mommy and boast about to her friends?

'Come on, Sunset and Paws, what are you waiting for?' she exclaimed, a tad impatient with excitement. 'Guide us ahead on our way like the super effective guides you are.'

 

[SkittishHeart]

My, my, Paws truly improved, Sunset noted in her head, smiling proudly. It took her weeks to convince the Glameow to train for that; months to finish. Now, looking at how happy and amazed their clients are -- thanks to the gray kitty, the lavender one just couldn't help but feel so successful. "I must congratulate you, Paws," she started, still smiling, "this marks your mastery of your skill. We should celebrate when we can."

"Thank you, Sunset!" Paws flashed a proud grin then turned to Aster. "Ah, I also thank you, Miss Aster; but you gave me too much credit." She blushed. "You see, I'm already familiar with the berries I mentioned, that's why I was able to give you some information. My ability is actually limited to scent and nothing else. Oh, and it's a pleasure serving you both." The Glameow made her lips form a happy smile. And after hearing the Lapras' decision of going to the west, she couldn't contain her excitement and so sat on her tail then used it as a spring to make her jump higher than she normally can. "YIPEE!" Then she noticed she was up in the air. Uh oh. Apparently, Paws is afraid of heights; therefore, she kinda panicked, not knowing how she'll land safely. If only "cats always land on their feet" were true, then she'd have no problem. Thankfully, Sunset was watching her closely, knowing how mischievous she could be; the Espeon used Psychic in order to help the Glameow return to land unharmed.

"Merci, Sunset; I owe you one," Paws uttered, breathing a little heavily.

"Of course. Now let's go; our clients are waiting." She began to walk towards Aster and Ellsia, eventually passing them, with Paws striding a few steps behind.

 

[yip9]

Aster giggled, amused at Paws' antics. 'You two are so cool. Paws, your tail seems to be multi-functional. It even lets you go boing boing. I'm glad you landed safely. Sunset, your air resistance thingy would be even more useful. Maybe you can help us all someday with it.'

Walking West from the town of old supported by ale led Aster &Co., or were they Sunset &Co., to a wide verdant path shaped by solid thick trees fully covered with leaves, the same kind that had blocked the kitties and their transport from heading East. As the route opened up Aster's eyes caught an almost rectangular pond and a small field of tall grass next to it. Next to the field was an impassable ledge with nine red and yellow flowers that seemed to be dancing. What could be in the pond? Some kind of fishy Pokemon? How about the grass? Would the racoony species be in there? The flowers sure were pretty, but Aster couldn't see past the ledge to determine whether the berries they sought were nearby. So Aster decided to continue along the route until they found the berry bushes. Paws' sniffer was reliable. Aster and her plesiosaur-like friend pranced and water-skimmed to follow their guides along the route between the trees and tall wild grass, until they came to a patch of the wild tall grass that spanned the route. There was simply no way around it. Her heart beating a little faster, Aster crossed the field, Ellsia right behind her. The jumpy Leafeon was Astonished when a Lotad popped out.

'Hiya,' the Lotad greeted them. 'Welcome to Tad's Field. You're here to buy, sell, or barter, right?'

'Actually,' Aster stuttered, 'we're just sightseeing. In particular we're looking for the berries on this route.'

'Berries?' asked Tad. 'We harvest them, all in a day's Wurmple. We've got Pecha and Oran today in no short supply. What can you offer for them?'

Aster turned thoughtful. What could she offer for them? She had only brought her very rough map, Aquaradar link, and wreath of Lum Berries. The Lum Berries were much more valuable than Oran or Pecha Berries, the Aquaradar link was her only connection to her home and loving family, and the map that was almost useless to Aster and her friends would likely be utterly useless to a Hoenn native. Ellsia had brought fish and dried berries. Aster took a look at the trio of Wurmple that had emerged from the grass. These must Tad's workers. They looked eager for the prospect of payment. Aster briefly wondered if wild Pokemon in Hoenn always appeared in fours. Maybe it was nature's way of keeping a balance, since there were four in her party. It was unknown whether Lotad and Wurmple ate fish, but they didn't look like the sort of Pokemon who would. Chanseys were high that they wouldn't accept dried berries in exchange for fresh berries.

It was time to rely on her ever reliable guides. Aster looked at Sunset expectantly. Ellsia tried to alleviate the tension by spraying the Lotad with Water Gun, allowing it to heal with Rain Dish. 'Thanks,' it said, smiling while waiting for the field's intruders to make an offer.

 

[SkittishHeart]

Paws couldn't help but smile goofily at the comment of the Leafeon: she wasn't used to the adjective 'cool' being used on her; what she often got was either 'cute' or ' beautiful,' with her preferring the former because she believes the latter suits the Espeon better. The 'boing boing' bit even made her chuckle; Aster sure seems to be almost as childish as her, and the Glameow couldn't wait for the expedition to be over so they could just play all day... if possible, anyway. As for Sunset, who does like getting complimented, she was having the urge of showing off a tad, since her Glameow friend seemed to have shown a few of her skills. But now is not the time; maybe when they do need the 'air resistance thingy' that Aster mentioned, it'll be a chance for her to shine.

Weeheehee! WATER!! Before the Glameow could dive into the small pond that they saw on the right corner of the west area they just entered, the Espeon swiftly used Psychic on her at the right moment. "Now, now, I know how much you love to swim, Paws, but remember: our desires come after those of our clients'." She gently laid Paws on the ground. The gray kitty wanted to complain as well as act like a baby, but all she did was pout. Big time. As stated a while back, Paws respects Sunset, so arguing with her was a no-no. Besides, she didn't want to make them look bad in front of the kind Leafeon and the gentle Lapras. Oh wait, perhaps she already did... well, at least it was only her.

"Fine..." Paws muttered as they continued to move on.

Look at those pretty flowers, Paws, Sunset told her telepathically. The Espeon likes those kinds of plant, which explains her current excitement. She wished so bad to take even just a sniff of one -- technically, she can already somewhat catch their scent, yet smelling the aroma of the flower directly from it is a thousand, no, a million times better.

Flowers are too girly, the Glameow said, almost bluntly.

Sigh. That was all the Espeon could think of as a reply; there's no point in proving something to Paws if she isn't interested.

Now, after more walking, their attention was focused on the Lotad and the three Wurmple. Sunset was sure they can just pick berries whenever they wanted to, as long as they'd leave some for others. Maybe the way things work are different here from Sinnoh. Thankfully, she brought money with her -- she always does. "I can p-"

"Ooh! Sunset can perform a trick for you guys, if you wanna! She's an excellent move-combining Pokemon!" Yep, the lavender kitty was cut off by the gray one, only to be indirectly told to show them what she can do.

It was a chance for Sunset -- a chance to finally shine. She wanted to take it, but should she? She can pay anyway, yet the idea of showing off her dazzling move combinations is exciting her. The Espeon tried to deliberate more; however, her desire to display a Contest performance got the better of her. Soon enough, Sunset fired multiple yellow stars out of her mouth, which was followed by a multi-colored beam shot from the gem on her forehead. The ray hit each five-pointed polygon, making them take the color of the Signal Beam. Next, she jumped onto one of the stars prior to using Psychic, controlling everything and letting them fly. "I can take you to the skies, or I can pay you." Satisfied with her show, Sunset waited for their answer.

(EDIT: The Flying Star Beam or something isn't originally mine; I watched an episode in the past wherein an Espeon did the Swift + Psychic combination, if I remember correctly. I just added the Signal Beam effect.)

 

[yip9]

'Woohoo,' exclaimed the Lotad. 'Look at the pretty colors.'
'My stars,' swore a Wurmple.
'Look at 'em go,' gasped another Wurmple.
'Ain't you something,' judged the third Wurmple.
'Yeah!' exclaimed Aster, unable to contain her excitement as her eyes shone with hero-worship. 'I knew it! Sunset is incredible!'

Tad Astonished Aster again just for the fun of being a Lotad, then turned to the performer kitty and said, 'We'd prefer not to get taken up to the heavens by your stellar combo. We'll take payment. Offer Poke like those Mysterious Dungeon townsfolk use or Yen with a P like Hoenn trainers and their suppliers use; either will do.'

While Aster was being stunned by Tad and Sunset as they did business, the company's Lapras struck up a conversation with her favorite Glameow. 'Hey Paws, I noticed your interest in the pond we passed by. It's interesting how the pond's shape completely lacks curves. It was like the joining of two rectangles. I wonder what kind of Pokemon live in that pond. Is its water texture as soft and clean as its surface looks? Do any tasty fish swim in it? We should go swim in it. The nice thing about this quest is there's no need for rush. We're here just kicks and giggles. Do you agree?'

The Lapras was impressed by Sunset's performance too, but she thought Aster and the field seller Pokemon had said it all. Ice crystals and water shows were pretty, but how well could their dancer catch fish?

 

[SkittishHeart]

The praises and compliments were enough for Sunset, so she wasn't disappointed when the Lotad and his company declined her offer; besides, she half-expected them to rather get money than enjoy a relaxing moment, soaring in the sky. Not sure if they saw it, but the Espeon nodded in agreement prior to proudly jumping down from the star she was on and soon everything vanished. "Seems like you enjoyed my little show. And I have no idea what you're talking about the yen thingy, but I do have the ones used by Mystery Dungeon Pokemon. Anyway, how much for..." Before finishing her question, Sunset turned to the awed Aster and asked, "How many berries do you want, Miss?" She took off her backpack and opened it, readying the Poke-money.

Sunset is really awesome, Paws mentally said, giggling. Maybe I should try doing move combos as well, but nah, that's her thing and I've got my own... Well, I'll know what it is... someday. Once again, she got distracted by the Lapras' words. Of course she didn't mind, since she pretty much had nothing to do right now and how can she pass up a chance to play with water? The Glameow smiled childishly at Ellsia. "I'm afraid I can't answer the first among your queries, yet I can tell you that there are Magikarp swimming in that pond. Other Water-type Pokemon are there, too, but I won't tell you." From a childish smile to a mischievous grin; Paws is obviously getting excited. "It'll be a surprise! Sooo... let's go now! Oh wait... what about Sunset and Miss Aster?"

 

[yip9]

Aster was baffled. Her guides were mysterious. Paws had an amazing sniffer and a boing boing tail, while Sunset showed everyone a fabulous display of colors and stars, thrown around by some gust of wind that didn't blow like wind usually did. Yet Sunset didn't know of the common currency Yen with a P that was used by all the humans Aster had ever met. Her textbooks related the facts of humans in other worlds that used other currency, but the textbooks stoutly proclaimed that not only in Sinnoh, but in all regions of the Pokemon world humans bought and sold with the currency known as Yen with a P. Now Sunset was talking with the Lotad about some sort of money used by Mystery Dungeon Pokemon. Aster's studies had informed her of a world by that name, but it was inaccessible from her world. It wasn't the same as simply passing from Sinnoh to Hoenn, the textbooks said. In that world there were supposedly no humans and Pokemon did all their business between themselves. Aster thought it must be a lonely world. She wouldn't like to be deprived of her trainers and her best friend, all of whom were humans. It was one thing to leave them for an adventure, but something completely different to live in a world without them.

Aster was brought back to the present moment by Sunset's question. How many berries did she want? Let's stop and consider the following. Well, how many berries did Tad and his crew have? Should they buy them all? As a nice big Transport Pokemon, Ellsia could probably carry as many berries as they cared to accumulate. It was their original intention to just pick a few berries to taste and leave the rest for other Pokemon. Did this apply when the berries were for sale instead of fresh off the bushes? Plus there was the consideration of Sunset's mysterious Mystery Dungeon Pokemon money. How much would it be wise to spend? Ah, this'll do. 'How about four Oran Berries and four Pecha Berries? Please get one of each berry for each of us, generous Sunset.'

'That'll be 34 Poke. Buy high, sell low, I always say,' Tad chuckled, producing the requested berries and passing them to Sunset. The Wurmple blinked and wiggled in anticipation of pay for their labor.

'Magikarp?' echoed the Lapras. 'Delicious! How well can you catch fish? Aster and Sunset, would you please accompany Paws and I to the pond we passed earlier on this route?' Ellsia started to bob her head in excitement, being careful not to whack anything with her long neck.

 

[SkittishHeart]

Sunset could only watch as her Leafeon client pondered about the berry stuff. She simply made her tail patiently swish back and forth, knowing Paws wasn't there to pounce on it again. Speaking of which, if the gray kitty was the sole Pokemon with her, she'd probably be requesting all the available Pecha berries; thankfully, Aster was nothing like her... except, maybe, the liveliness. After a few minutes of waiting, Sunset heard the answer: a total of eight berries. She wondered if those would be enough: Paws can be rather greedy when it comes to the food she likes, but perhaps the Catty Pokemon would understand the situation. And upon knowing the overall cost of the berries, Sunset was quite surprised: in some parts of Sinnoh, those kinds of grub are pricier. She almost blurted out, "Seriously? Just thirty-four Poke?" but of course, that would be considered rude. "All right, then." The lavender cat-like creature took out the exact amount of Poke-money from her bag before Psychic-ing one Oran and one Pecha into it. She continued to employ Psychic in order to "hand out" the berries to the receivers. Once she was done, she faced the Lotad and uttered a "Thank you."

"Hooray! I get a Pecha berry!" Paws, who caught the berries with her springy tail, declared joyfully. "Does anyone want the-" Before she continued, the Glameow suddenly thought about how it would appear like she's rejecting the Oran berry if she gives it away, so she decided to discontinue what she was supposed to ask and set her attention back to the Lapras, who seemed to like Magikarp. "Lemme see... how well can I catch fish?" she repeated Ellsia's question. She contemplated the right answer; truthfully, she has had a lot of experience with catching fish, yet she never saw herself as an expert. Also, if she said, "Very well," then it may make the Lapras expect a lot from her. "Um... how about you just see...?" Hoping to avoid any awkwardness, she tried to take away the nervousness in her voice and immediately turned to Sunset. "Y-yeah, Sunset! Pleeeeaaasseee take us to the pond... I wanna go swimming! And Miss Ellsia wants fish!"

 

[yip9]

'You're welcome,' replied the Lotad. 'It's always a pleasure doing business with you.'
'Come again,' chorused the three Wurmple.

'Thank you for the berries, Sunset. It's very nice of you to buy us these sweet treats,' said Aster happily. 'You'll have to show me sometime how you make the berries float around in the air like that.'

'I didn't know a tail could catch things. That's splendid,' Ellsia commented. 'I bet you can catch fish very well, but I'll be surprised if you catch them with your tail.' Emitting a happy sound, Ellsia wolfed down the berries Sunset bought for her. 'These are delicious! Hoenn has great berries. Thank you for the pleasant light snack. Would you take us to the pond we passed by on this route?'

The fancy yet generous Sunset led everyone's favorite Glameow, the bouncy little Leafeon, and the gourmand swimmer Ellsia West and a little North on to the route to the pond they had passed by earlier. Ellsia gracefully translated her Surfing on land to Surfing on water. 'Look, it's a Magikarp, just as you predicted, Paws!' Ellsia exclaimed. She caught the unfortunate fish in her mouth, chewed thrice, and swallowed it. 'The taste is most excellent and it has much to nourish a warrior.' She caught a second Magikarp, deftly winding its whiskers around her horn, and deposited it on the shore, where it Splashed. 'Our guides, if either of you two like fish, please give it a try.' Ellsia hoped the Catty Pokemon or her sunny mentor would like fish, because as a common interest in would score them bonus points in her book. Aster didn't eat fish, but then Aster didn't need to eat. Aster appreciated berries and that counted too.

Aster giggled happily, pleased at watching her friend Ellsia having a good time. Aster decided to wait and see what Sunset and Paws would do in the pond before she made contact with the water herself.

 

[SkittishHeart]

"It's my pleasure, Miss," Sunset replied sweetly, smiling as wide as her lips can stretch upwards. "Well, it's all thanks to my psychic powers; without them, I wouldn't be able to do these kinds of things." She let out a faint giggle before turning her attention to her Glameow friend. What, the pond? It's a body of water, and you know I can't deal with that... stuff... but since Miss Ellsia wants to go as well, then I guess I have no choice. "All right, then. Off to the pond." And then she began to walk while trying to hide her nervousness by sauntering proudly.

Lalalalala~ Paws hummed happily as she rocked her head from left to right as they headed towards the pond; she was really excited to swim and catch a Magikarp or two, although she never tried doing it using her tail. Maybe this day she can and hopefully, she wouldn't make a fool out of herself.

Watching Ellsia grab the fish-like Pokemon using her mouth was cool and somehow refreshing for the Glameow. It's nice to see someone love those water creature as much as, or maybe more than, she does. "Nice fishing skills, Miss Ellsia," the gray kitty complimented, looking at the Lapras with admiration and respect. "I always catch Magikarp with the help of my paws and claws; never with my tail, but since you seemed like you want to see me do it, I'll try my best in order to fulfill that... um... 'wish'." The Catty Pokemon went near the pond, waiting for the right moment. As soon as she saw the basic stage of Gyarados, Paws straightened out her swirly tail then dipped it into the pond with much force. When she felt something, she immediately seized it by re-twirling her most noticeable body part and took it out from the water. Disappointingly, it was just a branch. "Erm... well, that was embarrassing..." Yet she tried once more, except this time, she used her paws and claws. Again, when her walnut-shaped eyes caught sight of a Magikarp, she instantly clawed at the pond, making the fish go out of it. Next, she jumped up then hugged her prey and bit the life out of it before landing into the water. Giggling, she swam back to the land with her food in her mouth. She gave it to Sunset, who was too scared to even go near them. "There, Sunset. I know you love fish as well, but-" She stopped. Apparently, the Espeon was already nibbling on the flesh of the other Magikarp that the Lapras 'hooked' in a way. "I see you're already eating that; I guess this one's for me, then." Paws looked back at Ellsia. "Has Sunset thanked you for the food? She can kinda get carried away when it comes to fish, so she probably haven't; therefore, I'll be thanking you on her behalf." She smiled briefly. "I'm sorry I couldn't show you anything amusing, though, Miss..." Her ears drooped and she simply bowed her head in shame.

(I'm still unsure if I made any sense with this post. Ehehe.)

 

[yip9]

'Psychic powers?' asked Aster with a giggle. 'Yeah, right. Those are the stuff of Celebi and Jirachi tales: levitating, teleporting, mind reading, time traveling, and the rest of the wonderful impossibilities.'

Ellsia laughed pleasantly. 'Watching you try to catch fish with your tail and then expertly catch fish with your claws and jump, hug, bite, swim combo is very amusing. Please don't feel downhearted. I liked your show. Don't forget that the important points are to have fun in the water and get something good to eat. It doesn't matter much how you do it. You're very welcome for the fish. Catching them is my pleasure.'

'I think I'll play in the water too!' exclaimed Aster, jumping in with a splash. A Magikarp used Splash too, as if to prove that Magikarp could do it better. 'Hey fishy,' Aster greeted it. The Magikarp Splashed again as if in protest against the intruders of their pond. Aster swam a few laps around the pond, because it was relatively small and the water felt refreshing, cool enough to be comfortable yet not the lukewarm temperature that some folks would consider icky. 'Come on in, Sunset,' the oblivious Leafeon encouraged her. 'The water's fine.'

Ellsia liked conversing with Paws, her fellow water lover and fisher. The Transport Pokemon was happy to see that both of her guides relished fish. That marked them as sensible Pokemon. Ellsia looked forward to testing Paws' claim that there were other water Pokemon in the pond by diving below the surface and exploring the water thoroughly.

 

[SkittishHeart]

Sunset couldn't figure out if the Leafeon was being sarcastic or if she simply didn't believer her, which would be quite odd: How could a fellow Eeveelution not know about an Espeon's psychic powers? The Sun Pokemon could only smile as she listened to Aster's words that are related to the psychic world; she had no idea what to say, so she just remained quiet and politely chewed on the Magikarp.

The Glameow's ears immediately perked up after hearing the praise of the Lapras that she tried to amuse and impress; her eyes also shone like twinkling stars as she start to admire Ellsia's understanding personality. "Thank you so much, Miss Ellsia!" Considering how loud she shouted that sentence, it's as if Paws screamed her heart out with joy as well as excitement. "I'm really glad you, um, appreciate my attempt to display something amusing for you; and thank you for being so kind." Her tail twirled around like a dancing ribbon -- this showed how happy she is; it's also her way of wagging her tail. She then glanced at her Espeon friend before looking back at the Lapras. "It appears to me that Sunset is really enjoying the fish that you caught," Paws commented with a chuckle.

Apparently, I'm now alone, Sunset thought to herself while she watched Aster dive right into the pool. Why did all of them have to love swimming? What's so fun about it? Those questions played around with her mind for a while; she'd never get the answers to those unless she tries swimming herself or go and ask them. Being a Pokemon who's afraid of water, this Espeon would obviously opt for the second option, but her curiosity is beyond that. How exactly does it feel to have that clean, odorless liquid soak her fur? She never bothered to try going for a dip because of her fear of drowning, which sprouted from seeing some of her friends lose their only life by being out of breath under the depths of the ocean. Maybe they would have been saved if they knew how to swim or if someone stopped them from wandering too far; she could have done it herself, but she was... busy building a sand castle back then and was too focused in creating it. Snapping out of her thoughts before she turns emotional, Sunset considered Aster's offer. It seems everyone's really having fun with that pond... I guess I won't be able to understand how they feel until I join them. Sighing, she swallowed the last piece of flesh of the Magikarp then stood up. Taking her steps carefully, the Espeon stopped fully just in front of the little body of water. Well, here goes no- "-THING!!!" Being pushed into it was not a part of her plan, and the sole Pokemon to be blamed for this is none other than Paws. Instead of letting rage rush through her, Sunset was somehow calmed down by the gentle caress of the water; she had no idea why -- maybe it's just its effect on her. "Hey, you're right, Miss Aster; the water is indeed fine." She completely forgot about the Glameow. For now.

"Hehe, if I didn't push Sunset, she'd probably never take another step forward," Paws muttered with a smug look on her face, ignoring the random word that the Espeon blurted out, since she knew the Psychic Eeveelution was thinking of something. She was sort of sharing that information with Lapras and wondered what her reaction will be.

 

[yip9]

'You're welcome,' said Ellsia, beaming with an open-mouthed smile. She thought Paws' gyrating tail looked both cool and cute. 'Aren't fish the best? Berries are scrumptious too.'

Aster giggled at her watery friend's culinary comments. 'You're always eating and talking about food, Ellsia. I think a complete description of you is "a nice Lapras who likes to eat."'

Ellsia gave Aster an open-mouthed smile, indicating her agreement.

'I'm glad you like the water, Sunset,' said Aster, giggling a little at the sight of Paws pushing Sunset into the pond. 'Now we can all play in the water together.'

'Oh, Sunset didn't like water?' asked Ellsia, responding in surprise to Paws' muttering. Espeon weren't weak to water, so the Lapras didn't expect Sunset to dislike water. Ellsia had no knowledge of cats and their supposed dislike of water and she wouldn't have associated Espeon with cats.

'Don't worry, Sunset,' Aster said in a cheerful tone. 'This pond isn't deep at all. If anything were to happen, we have Paws and Ellsia here.'

'Let's make something happen!' cheered a voice.

'Speak of Tsao Tsao, and Tsao Tsao appears,' returned Aster, giggling at the surprise of the sudden occurrence. Four Corphish popped up from the depths of their pond and danced around the intruders. The Corphish waited to hear the responses of Sunset, who they thought of as a newfangled Delcatty, and Paws, who they thought of as a interesting variation on a Skitty, to what their clients, who the Corphish saw as a funky little wingless short-necked Tropius and a bloated long-necked Wailmer, had said.
(In case that is horribly unclear, the Corphish waited to hear the responses of Sunset and Paws to what Aster and Ellsia had said.)

 

[SkittishHeart]

The Glameow offered another smile to the Lapras who had been so kind to them. She then wondered how old Ellsia is; maybe she could be her big sister... in a way. The thought of the word 'sister' stirred nasty feelings inside her, though, so she shrugged it off; as far as a female sibling is concerned, she wouldn't give a damn. "Yes, Miss Ellsia, fish is definitely the most wonderful food we Pokemon can ever get... at least to us, anyway." She forced out a chuckle, badly wanting to rid of the evoked emotion in her. Paws then nodded at the last statement of the Transport Pokemon before staring blankly into the sky, making her unable to pay attention to the Leafeon's comment. It sure took her a while before returning to her usual cheerful self, and it was just in time to answer the Lapras' question. "Yup. Sunset has -- well, more of used to have -- a fear of drowning due to a certain event in her past. If you want to know, you should ask her; I don't feel comfortable with sharing other Pokemon's horrible experiences." Her lips curved up a little.

"Y-yeah... thank you, Miss Aster..." Judging by the random quivers of the Espeon, it's quite obvious that she's still a tad shaken, but she gradually felt at ease when she started to paddle leisurely. One can never relax for too long in a foreign region, though, and it was proven when the four crustacean-like Pokemon emerged out of the pond. Sunset was sure she had seen that specie sometime before but failed to remember what they're called. "Um, miss Aster? What's a Tsao Tsao? Is that what those Pokemon are named or something?" She tilted her head to the left, showing her confusion. That Leafeon really seems to know a lot about... a lot. Sunset wanted to make sure the quartet of Corpish wouldn't harm them before she does anything that could set them off.

"So what are you guys going to do?" Paws asked boldly, feeling quite annoyed at the sudden intrusion of what-was-supposed-to-be-their-playtime. They were lucky she had gotten over her bitter emotion, or else they would have been attacked viciously right now.

 

[yip9]

Aster giggled at Sunset's question. 'No no, Sunset. I don't know what those Pokemon are named. According to the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Tsao Tsao is a man in the Chinese emperor's court who takes over the empire by establishing his family as the successors to the throne and uniting China by military force. That's an extremely simple summary of Tsao Tsao's actions. I've only read a little of human history and only a summary of Three Kingdoms. The expression "Speak of Tsao Tsao, and Tsao Tsao appears," refers to the idea that as soon as someone spoke of Tsao Tsao, he could see Tsao Tsao's army arriving in force. So in this case, I just said, "If anything were to happen," and then right away something did happen.'

'The sudden intrusion of what-was-supposed-to-be-your-playtime?' asked a Corphish.
'Don't you mean your intrusion into what-was-supposed-to-be-our-pond?' asked another Corphish.
'Cocky little grey Skitty,' judged another Corphish.
'Look, it's got sharp claws and a swirly tail,' commented the fourth Corphish.

'Oh boy,' uttered Ellsia in slight disbelief. Were these interesting fish that seemed to be the Hoenn version of Kanto and Johto's Krabby trying to set off Paws' righteous wrath? Their answers to Paws' question could be interpreted as pretty rude, if Paws took them the wrong way. The Hoenn type Krabby had a point. They were the pond locals and Aster and her guides were the guests. Well, they say a Lapras may sing an enchanting cry if it is in a good mood, so Ellsia sang loud enough for the Glameow to hear but softly enough to avoid disturbing the pond locals, 'Back up, Partner Paws, because a batch of bitter boys becomes a batch of better boys behind a big big smile.'

 

[SkittishHeart]

Sunset stared at Aster with awe as well as an expression of having no clue what the Leafeon said. "Um... I... oh... I see..." That was the best that she could manage to speak out. To further make her embarrassment obvious, the Espeon's butterfly-like face turned into a bright, deep shade of red -- pretty much similar to that of a tomato. I feel like I'm putting into some sort of a shame corner here. Miss Aster knows more than me and Paws, and yet, here we are, guiding them. The world's so weird. Bowing her head just enough to let her face touch the water, Sunset sighed; all she can hope for right now is that her fellow Eeveelution wouldn't mind her lesser knowledge. Not long after, she held her head up, glanced at Aster, and then set her attention to the Corpish.

"Your pond, huh," Paws repeated, somehow calmed down by the soothing voice of the Lapras. "I don't see any post that says 'whatever-your-species-is pond' or anything, so how do you prove this is yours?" She may have cooled off a bit, but there was still a hint of mockery in her tone, though it could go unnoticed if the crustacean Pokemon wouldn't pay attention to it. "And for your information, oh-so-smart ones," the Glameow started with sarcasm, "my specie is a Glameow, not a Skitty. You're all a bunch of Hoenn Pokemon and yet unable to figure out the difference of your native cat Pokemon from me? How pathetic." She simply laughed tauntingly, ignoring the other comments, then turned to Ellsia. "Miss Ellsia, I must leave the smiling part to you: I am in no mood to deal with them... unless you allow me to hurt them a bit."

 

[yip9]

'I'm sorry, Sunset,' Aster apologized, her face clouded with regret. 'I didn't intend to make you downhearted. I thought you wanted me to answer your question.' Aster wasn't sure why Sunset blushed and looked down. Were historical novels of war and intrigue a shameful thing in her culture? Then again, Sunset looked like she didn't understand Aster's explanation. Perhaps a failure to understand could be embarrassing, but as a teacher who failed to teach clearly, shouldn't Aster be the one who ought to be ashamed? Aster noticed Sunset observing some Pokemon that had popped up and were having a pleasant chat with Paws and Ellsia, so she paid attention too.

'We've been here since forever,' replied a Corphish.
'Unlike you bunch, who just splashed in a moment ago,' added another Corphish.
'Just ask the Magikarp,' suggested another Corphish.
'Who you've so thoughtlessly been eating,' uttered the fourth Corphish.

Ellsia hoped there would be a way to avoid a fight. Paws was wrong this time, she thought. The fish who talked in fours couldn't prove it was their pond, but their argument held water. 'Yeah, let's not deal with them,' the Lapras agreed. She smiled and offered a dried berry to each shellfish Pokemon. 'Here's something for your trouble.' The Transport Pokemon addressed her guides, 'Paws, Sunset, let's leave the pond and continue to explore this lovely region.'

 

[SkittishHeart]

"Ah, n-no, don't worry, Miss Aster; I didn't feel anything of the sort or something." Sunset kept waving her forelegs left and right to further indicate that Aster didn't do anything wrong. It's times like these when she wishes that she isn't so showy of whatever she's feeling; actually, she'd like to apologize more to the Leafeon, but her attention was already held tight by the Glameow who was arguing with the quartet of Corphish. The crustacean Pokemon didn't really make sense in her head; sure, they've been there longer than them, but that doesn't mean the pond actually belongs to those Water-type. The last two comments of the Hoenn Pokemon kind of hurt her with guilt, though. Was it that wrong to eat other Pokemon? It's part of their survival, isn't it? What if the berries and other non-Pokemon become scarce? She had quite a number of questions, yet she decided not to think about them too much.

"What about the Pokemon that were here before YOU? If you go by that logic, wouldn't this pond belong to THEM?" Paws retorted, feeling really annoyed. "Nah, don't answer; nothing good will come out from your... silly mouths." There was a different tone used when the Glameow mentioned "silly." Maybe she was going to use another adjective, yet chose to go with it instead. "Eating Pokemon is part of life, giant lobsters. Think about it: when you grow hungry and there's no berry or whatsoever, wouldn't you resort to consuming fellow Pokemon?" She smiled nastily smug. "And since Ms. Ellsia here does not want to deal with you, I'll stop; if you say something irritating, I'll seriously slash your throats out." The Catty Pokemon protracted her claws just in case, and then turned to her Espeon companion. "Sunset."

"Gotcha." The Psychic Eeveelution got out of the water, shook her body to dry herself a bit, and then stood by the Glameow's side. "Let's move on, Miss Aster and Miss Ellsia; I believe if they continue to argue, Paws will lose control." She was readying her Psychic attack if ever her friend goes berserk.

 

[yip9]

'Understood, Super Guide Sunset!' Aster exclaimed, giggling as she addressed Sunset with what she thought was a compliment of a title. Maybe it was a bit teasing too. Were Aster and Sunset on familiar enough terms to tease each other or would Sunset take it as an insult? Aster thought it was very nice to see that Paws had a righteous wrath mode. Her old trainer Yippy taught her that righteous wrath was the cutest emotion. Probably anyone formidable had a righteous wrath mode. This meant Paws was both cute and reliable as a protector. Aster didn't particularly like Pokemon to eat other Pokemon, but her friends did it and she couldn't complain because as a grass Pokemon who could synthesize sunlight for nutrition, she honestly couldn't relate to the need to sustain oneself by consuming other living things.

The so-called giant lobsters were in fact about to continue the pleasant chat, but the Lapras anticipated their verbal assault with a pre-emptive strike. She loaded up Paws and Aster and exited the place of watery delights, heading south and west to the middle of the route. It would be a place to cool down and have a nicer sort of chat. Ellsia wondered if her guides liked afternoon tea. Paws was quite right. Pokemon eating Pokemon was a part of life. It's called the food chain. Ellsia usually targeted only Pokemon that didn't seem to have any intelligence, such as Magikarp, but she would eat other fish-like Pokemon in a pinch. If a Pokemon directly communicated with her, she would be less likely to hunt it, because as a nice Lapras she would take pity on the Pokemon, unless she were ravenous.

'So, Sunset and Paws, where should we go from here?' Aster inquired of the feline pair. 'Any place is fine. We could go see what's past Mr. Lotad's field, we could return south of Oldale Town and see if there's anything interesting we missed when we were hurrying to the Pokemon Center following your victory over the Hoenn Welcoming Committee, or we could go north of Oldale Town in pursuit of the other two kinds of berries you sniffed out.' Aster honestly didn't care where they went; to her all directions equally promised a chance of an enthralling adventure. Ellsia, being the food lover she was, secretly hoped they would go west or north. Some more berries from Tad's Field would be sweet and the Leppa and Cheri Berries that according to Paws of the elite sniffer grew in the north would be equally inviting to her ever-hungry water dino taste buds.

 

[SkittishHeart]

Super... Guide... Sunset...? the Espeon repeated in her head. She wasn't used to having titles; this was actually her first to have one, and somehow, it made her feel proud. Sunset smiled a little before saying, "Ah, thank you for the title, Miss Aster. As much as I'd like to be called like that, I believe just Sunset would do fine. Then again, you can continue with that if you wish." The smile didn't leave her face; in fact, it grew to show that she really didn't mind with the Leafeon's "nickname" for her. Oh, they'll probably call Paws with that title, too; well, we are a duo, after all. The happiness she felt made her forget about the group of Corpish. She was snapped back into reality when the Grass-type Eeveelution asked her and her Glameow friend where they'd go. "Well..." Unknown to the Lapras, the Espeon read her mind, so she got the idea as to where they would be heading. "We could go to the north of Oldale Town." She made her voice sound and confident to hide little... 'trick' that she did. Paws, agree with me, okay? Miss Ellsia wished to go to the place that I just said.

Huh? Yeah, sure. Apparently, the Glameow was still feeling a bit irritated from the encounter with the 'giant lobsters.' "Yeah, I pretty much don't know where we should go, so let's take Sunset's suggestion. We could taste the other berries there, though I'm not sure if they're also being sold, or they're just planted for anyone not too greedy to take." She doesn't know if the words that came out from her mouth made any sense, but in her head they did, and it was too late to take them back, so she just let them be. "I'm really itching to get away from this place: I don't want to see those Water-type anymore. Excuse me, but I'll be going to lead the way." The Catty Pokemon retracted her claws and began to take the steps back to Oldale Town.