Dull, Dusty, and Gray [Industrial District/Closed]

[Jinn Monette]

Doctor Jinn Monette

Jinn had walked deeper and deeper into the maze of back alleys of Hyo City as the sun rose, nervously fiddling with the pokeball in her jacket pocket until she was sure was far from the lab as well as the busier core of the city. She'd never really done anything really, properly illegal before and the idea of immediately getting arrested for having a pokemon put her on edge. Enough to drive her further away from people than she'd normally be comfortable doing,

It was only then, alone and hidden the the shadow of a seemingly abandoned building that she crouched low and pulled the ball out of her pocket. During her walk she had apparently picked at the tape label enough that it was mostly pulled off and Jinn anxiously peeled it the rest of the way. Then she took a deep breath and triggered the pokeball release mechanism.

The omanyte was bigger than expected and seemed wary of her until Jinn offered him the other half of of a rolled peanut candy bar she'd bought from a bodega upon arriving in Hyo City. She was uncertain if she should let him eat candy meant for humans but he snatched it away with his slightly longer 'arm' tentacles and slorped it under his body to his hidden mouth the moment it was offered.

He warmed up to her a bit after that. In so far as he let her awkwardly pet his shell.

Jinn couldn't understand him – even his body language was difficult to parse and Jinn had no idea how intelligent he actually was. He was fully disinterested in her suggestions that she find a name for him but didn't seem opposed to the idea of 'Carnelian'. He did try to get access to her pockets in a quest for more stale candy (she assumed) until Jinn stood up and her jacket was safely out of range before he could find her stash of candied cashews.

”You're probably supposed to eat fish, huh? Or berries?” Carnelian stared silently up at her with big, dark eyes. Jinn could have sworn he knew she was holding out on him. ”When we find a shop we can get a few things for you to try.” Carnelian raised his arms and wiggled them in such a blatant 'gimmie gimmie' gesture that it made Jinn laugh.

”C'mon Carnelian, I can get you candy later. So would you like to walk with me or do you want back in your ball?” Carnelian lowered his arms and stared at Jinn for a long moment before he flattened out his 'leg' tentacles under himself and wiggled them in an imitation of walking. That got the point across and made it clear that, at least to some degree, Carnelian could understand what she was saying.

”Alright! And maybe, if we see some other pokemon, we can add them to our team!” Carnelian stared up at her beaming face before he quietly scooted past her, clearly uninterested in Jinn's enthusiasm if it was going to get in the way of a promised meal.

[jello]

Wild Pokemon Appeared!

Clouds begin to form overhead, and in the distance thunder rolls. Was it supposed to rain today? Regardless, as you approach the intersection of the next alley, it's possible to hear several voices - two of which seem sort of like growls, while the third is crying...

Has the arm of a teddy bear in its beak and is trying to get it from the tailow!

pidgey | female | oo7
keen eye | tangled feet
tackle | sand attack | steel wing*

Has the leg of a teddy bear in its beak and is trying to get it from the pidgey!

tailow | female | oo7
guts
peck | growl | focus energy | brave bird*

Is on the ground, crying beneath them both... Rain seems to be starting overhead.

whismur | female | oo7
soundproof
astonish | pound | echoed voice
rain dance

You may choose which pokemon to interact with. Choosing to ignore the pidgey, tailow, OR the whismur will NOT count as ignoring an encounter. Choosing to ignore the pidgey, tailow, AND the whismur WILL count as ignoring an encounter.

(also don't forget you get one free level for starting your thread! ^^)

[Jinn Monette]

Doctor Jinn Monette

((+1 level to Carnelian for starting a thread))

Jinn walked quietly beside Carnelian, keeping an eye on the strange creature that was now hers with a small smile. Every time he stumbled on a bit of rubbish he stopped to poke around and once Jinn even had to swoop down and take a half full bag of questionable crisps from him before Carnelian could figure out how to open the bag the rest of the way. The look he gave her for that was one of utter betrayal that managed to cross the species barrier just fine. He only started moving again once he'd been promised no less than three times that Jinn would buy him a new bag of crisps that hadn't been left open on the street for weeks.

They'd not managed to get much further than that when Jinn felt the first drop of rain on her cheek. She looked up and was surprised to see how dark the sky had grown. She'd heard that squalls by the coast rolled in quick but within seconds her head and shoulders were already drenched. That's what she got for not bothering with a hooded jacket, Jinn supposed as she zipped up the jacket she did have over her t-shirt and up to her collar bone.
Jinn looked down at the omanyte beside her but Carnelian seemed rather pleased about the sudden rain. His eyes were shut and he had all his limbs splayed out in apparent delight.

Oh no, he was adorable.
Jinn wanted so badly to start taking pictures of him before he could notice. Before she really got the chance to do anything, though, Jinn's ears picked up the faint sound of crying under the rain, and the sound of fighting. It didn't register that the crying wasn't human, and years of 'wild pokemon are dangerous' PSAs ran through her head in an instant. Before she had time to actually think Jinn took off running down the alley and towards the crying.

It was only at the next intersection over that the 'fight' was happening and when Jinn saw it she almost tripped onto her face in her rush to stop mid-sprint. Then, when she leaned back, she almost kicked Carnelian with her heel as he trailed after her with surprising speed.
It wasn't a child cornered by two infected pokemon at all – in fact the two aggressive pokemon hardly seemed to notice the whismur beneath them. It seemed like whismur was fully capable of running away and just . . . wasn't. But it was upset and Jinn didn't really know enough about pokemon to approach it while a fight was ongoing.

Jinn turned and knelt next to Carnelian, putting one hand on the top of his shell and shielding her mouth with her other while she whispered, ”do you think you could, like, spit a bunch of water at those birds to chase them off?”
Carnelian blinked slowly up at Jinn, then at the fighting birds and cowering whismur. He seemed to consider it for a while before he looked up at Jinn again and waved his tentacles in a way that could mean literally anything. So she tried, ”will you help me help that little pink thing?”

Carnelian stared at her in something like defeat before he let his tentacles go limp. Apparently Jinn hadn't managed to interpret his very clear 'I attack with rocks and they're able to fly'. It was frustrating that he was immediately being asked to do something he wasn't really sure he even could do.

But.

If he tried. . .

He might get more candy from Jinn.

That was really all the motivation Carnelian needed.

The omanyte shifted for a moment, withdrawing his soft and squishy bits further into his shell before he skittered further down the alleyway with a speed usually reserved for when he was underwater. Thank the rain for that.

The birds were in the air, but Carnelian waited until the fight brought them low before he reached a tentacle up and wrapped it around one of the kicking legs of the slightly smaller pidgey. The bird shrieked in some mixture of confusion, anger, and terror as she was forcefully yanked out of the air, letting go of the stuffed toy she had been wrestling for and the taillow holding its leg suddenly shot up with her own muffled cry of alarm. She was faster than Carnelian still, despite the rain, and she seemed to judge this as an excellent opportunity to fly off with her prize.

The pidgey was less upset about the immediate loss of its prize and more alarmed by the fact that it was being held by something that fell into the broad category 'might be able to eat a pidgey if it tried really hard'.
While she was held firm by the omanyte now, she could still kick her legs and a single wing. Not enough to escape but plenty enough to flail wildly, kicking up sand and smacking Carnelian's rubbery skin wherever she could reach it.

The whismur, meanwhile, saw the taillow escape to the rooftops with the stuffed toy and she wailed, her high voice trembling with fat tears. She hiccuped a few times before her voice rang out sharply, so loud Jinn had to clap her hands over her ears and the other two pokemon felt her wail rattling through them. Crybaby, Carnelian silently cursed the whismur for not actually bothering to attack the taillow that had taken her toy to begin with and instead hitting him with something that wasn't dampened by his hiding in shell.

Carnelian's Swift Swim has activated! Speed Doubled
Carnelian uses Withdraw! Def +1
Carnelian uses Bind on Pidgey!

Pidgey used Sand-Attack on Carnelian! Accuracy -1
Pidgey used Tackle on Carnelian!

Whismur's Rain Dance is still in effect!
Whismur uses Echoed Voice on Carnelian and Pidgey!

Carnelian

Pidgey

Taillow

Whismur

[Jinn Monette]

Doctor Jinn Monette

The taillow was gone, taking the whismur's toy along with her into the dark sky. Really nothing that Carnelian could do about that now but hope she didn't lash out with any more undirected attacks.
He was too busy to pay her much mind, though.

Carnelian drew deeper into his shell in an effort to protect his huge, venerable eyes but he didn't loosen his grip. He did the opposite, actually. The arm around her leg twisted further, pining it and her left wing even tighter against her body as he wrapped another tentacle around her neck and squeezed.
The noise the bird made was pained and cut off quickly. Her wing flailed for a moment before a pale silver light blossomed across her flight feathers. For a moment the pidgey's wing shimmered like it had been cast in steel then she twisted in Carnelian's grip and brought her wing down hard on the top of his shell.

The blow felt like it rattled around through his shell before white pain raced through his nerves and he reflexively twisted his tentacles tighter around her throat.

The whismur had covered her eyes fully and she had began to shiver and whimper. Jinn's heart twisted at the sight of the poor thing but she wasn't sure how to approach. Or even if the whismur might attack Jinn instead. (And was she humanizing the pokemon too much? It wasn't an actual baby despite how many of the 'I must protect this' boxes it ticked for her.)

It wouldn't be safe for her to approach the whismur or try to lure the whismur over while a fight was going on, though. It also wasn't safe for Jinn to hop in and try to help Carnelian when he and the bird were all tangled up together. So, instead, Jinn palmed one of her spare pokeballs and watched the fight nervously for an opportunity to either try to catch the pidgey or recall Carnelian if he got too hurt.

Carnelian's Swift Swim stays activate!
Carnelian uses Withdraw! Def +1 (+2 total)
Carnelian's Bind is still in effect!

Pidgey used Steel Wing on Carnelian!

Whismur's Rain Dance is still in effect!

Carnelian

Pidgey

Whismur

[Jinn Monette]

Doctor Jinn Monette

The thick ruff of feathers around the pidgey's neck kept her from being throttled but she was held firmly in place, and she hurt. Before Carnelian could wring her like a towel again she brushed her free wing over the cement then flapped grit back into the omanyte's face, blurring his vision even further.

That didn't do anything while she was still in his grasp beside infuriating him, and in retaliation Carnelian tightened his grip and twisted her shoulders and her legs in opposite directions. She couldn't manage much more than a muffled squawk with her neck bound but this time when she thrashed she threw her whole body into it. The grip around her tightened impossibly for a moment before -
She was free!

The pidgey tore out of Carnelian's grasp and desperately took to the air. She got only about a yard of height before she wheeled around and dove at the omanyte in another full body tackle. She rammed into mostly into his giant, stupid shell with a furious shriek. She did damage, not as much as she'd have liked but she wasn't getting anywhere near his tentacles again. The bird beat her wings, ignoring the pain sparking across her chest as she tried to get enough height for another dive.
This stupid fish cost her a meal? Fine, she was hungry and angry enough to eat him instead!

At least that was the plan before the pink haired human reeled back like a baseball pitcher and the pokeball Jinn threw managed to bean her off the back of the head.

Carnelian's Swift Swim stays activate!
Carnelian's Bind has ended!

Pidgey used Sand-Attack on Carnelian! Accuracy -1 (-2 total)
Pidgey uses Tackle on Carnelian!

Whismur's Rain Dance is still in effect!

Jinn throws a pokeball at Pidgey! -1 Pokeball

Carnelian

Pidgey

Whismur

[Daxton]

Congratulations!

You've caught...

pidgey | female | oo7
keen eye | tangled feet
tackle | sand attack | steel wing*

Additionally, for successfully completing your battle, Carnelian receives +2 levels.
(I like the addition of the whismur's reactions! And don't forget to subtract 1 Pokeball if you haven't already!)

[Jinn Monette]

Doctor Jinn Monette

Jinn sighed and ran a hand down her face before he put her hands in her pockets and approached the ball where it fell. Carnelian looked rough and the Pidgey looked worse before she'd been caught.
Oh Cresselia watch over her, how was Jinn supposed to even tell if the pokemon she'd just caught was infected? With how rough the fight between her and Carnelian had become Jinn didn't even know if she could let the pidgey back out without her trying to attack Carnelian again.

Jinn picked up the ball that now contained the pidgey and decided she would have to figure something out later. Right now there was still the issue of the whismur she had to deal with. She had a better idea of what had happened now. Jinn had come to a similar conclusion as Carnelian had on her own. Namely that, for a reason she didn't really know this whismur had a toy she liked and the two birds mistook it for a meal.
She guessed that gave her an idea for how to try to approach the pidgey at least. The way to her heart may very well be a decent meal and maybe a bath since the ongoing rainstorm hardly counted.

Later. That was all for later.

”Hey,” Jinn said softly and the whismur raised one ear a little and she peeked out between her paws. She was still shaking with tears and Jinn struggled not to reach in and scoop her up. Instead she held out a hand, palm up, and offered it to the whismur. ”Hey there you cute . . . lil' . . . radish?”

She saw Carnelian approach out of the corner of her eye, but he stopped dead at 'radish' and gave Jinn a look of absolute incredulity. Jinn withdrew her hand from the whismur sharply and covered her mouth as a laugh bubbled up in her throat. The movement made the whismur flinch back before glancing nervously between Jinn (possibly dangerous) and Carnelian (proven dangerous) and made up her mind. Before she could be captured the whismur shrieked, loud enough that the human withdrew and then she took her chance to sprint away, the opposite direction from where the taillow had flown and far away from the human and omanyte.

Jinn made a move to grab her but was distracted by Carnelian clearly thinking he was supposed to attack and she grabbed his shell before he could give chase. It was still raining, though it was already starting to peter out, so Carnelian could have outpaced her still.

Jinn's wasn't sure what her goal had been, but she certainly didn't want the poor thing to get hurt with how upset she already was. She was still left dejected. Technically this confrontation had gone rather well, Jinn had managed to catch a new pokemon for her team and Carnelian had proven that he could handle himself. After a beat Jinn pat Carnelian's shell and said, ”you did good, Carnelian.”
She ignored his little 'grabby hands' towards her pockets before she started back on her trek towards the City core.

Whismur's Rain Dance is still in effect! (But Whismur has fled...)

Carnelian

Whismur