Water to the Left of Me, Water to the Right

[Spiderc]

As Arved started to cross the bridge that would bring him to Remus Isle, his stomach started to churn slightly. Just looking at the water made him feel a little queasy after his less than desirable experience on the SS Lupa. Sighing slightly, Arved muttered to himself, "Why in the world did I come to an archipelago?" Deciding he needed to take his mind off of the ocean, he reached into one of the side-pouches of his backpack and grabbed a Pokeball that contained his new Pok?mon. He had been working towards getting a Pok?mon for a while, but he was slightly apprehensive now that he was ready to actually see his new partner.

Taking a deep breath, Arved hit the center button twice to enlarge the ball and then to release to Pok?mon inside it. However, despite his small misgivings, Arved was unable to prevent a large smile from coming to his face as he saw his first Pok?mon. The Timburr quickly looked around trying to take in her new surroundings. She then turned to Arved and looked at him shyly which only increased the size of his smile. Deciding that he should probably say something, Arved quickly said, "Hey, my name is Arved, nice to meet you! If it's alright, could I call you Luthi?" The Fighting type took a second to consider this, but she then gave a small nod of approval.

"I'm glad you're okay with that name. Now, from what I understand you're not a big fan of battling?" Arved paused for a second in which the Timburr nodded emphatically. "That's fine. I'm not going to try to make you do something you don't want to!" At this, Luthi finally gave Arved the sign he'd been hoping to see, a small smile. According to the scan his phone had done, this particular Timburr was very shy, so he was happy to get at least a small positive reaction out of her. Turning away from his small reflection, Arved looked back at the Pok?mon and said, "Well I guess we should start heading to Remus Isle." With that the pair started to walk down the bridge, Arved in front and Luthi a step to his right and a step behind.

[ZOM]

As the pair progressed down the road, the world around them seemed almost still. Clouds drifted lazily by, the squawks of sea birds were few and far in-between this time of year, and the ocean was calm and quiet. The constant sound of waves gently lapping against the support beams of the bridge was enough to lull one to sleep, especially when one factored in the warmth of the sun; in Solastella, winter wasn't very cold at all.

+Yep,+ said a voice from behind Arved and Luthi. +Sure is a nice day here on my bridge, ain't it?+ There, strolling casually behind the trainer and his partner, was a Meowth. The feline's eyes glinted up at Arved. +'Fraid I'm gonna have to threaten to toss you off, though. You ain't paid the toll.+ He was a shrewd-looking creature with a sly, sharp-toothed smile and crooked whiskers. Though his walk was as easygoing as it got, his claws were extended now and clicking against the ground with each step. Either he had only recently sneaked up behind the pair, since there had been no clicking to give him away until seconds ago, or he had been following for a while and had only just extended his claws as a sort of threat.

+So, pal, what's it gonna be? You ready to pay up? It ain't too hefty a fine, and it's for your health.+

[Spiderc]

Arved took in a deep breath as Luthi and he continued down the walkway, it was refreshingly warm here and he found himself enjoying the sea air despite his misgivings about the ocean. He was used to the winters back in Mahogany Town and the persistent cold that accompanied the time he had spent in the Gym there. The weather here seemed more akin to fall than the winter, but it was nice at any rate. Suddenly, he heard noises behind him and he turned around to see a Meowth that appeared to be talking to him. Arved automatically took a step towards the Normal type, bringing him side by side with Luthi who likewise turned to face the Pok?mon.

Unfortunately, Arved was unable to understand the languages of Pok?mon, so he was unable to ascertain any meaning behind the mewings from Meowth. Luckily, he did notice that the Pok?mon had extended its claws and that its voice seemed a little threatening. As he wasn't sure what the Meowth wanted, he decided to just play it safe with a greeting, "Uh hello. My name is Arved and this is my partner Luthi." With that, he gestured to his side to find that the Timburr had taken a step backward and was once again slightly behind him.

Unlike her trainer, Luthi had been able to understand what the Meowth had said. For a split-second she had considered standing up to the Normal type, but she found that she was just unable to. Instead she had decided that she would trust in her new trainer and hope that he could get them out of this. Without fighting needless to say. After all, he had promised.

[ZOM]

+... 'Scuse me?+ For a moment, the Meowth had to wonder if this guy was an idiot. Then it hit him that maybe he couldn't understand Pokéspeech. Heh, figured. Friggin' humans. +Yeah, alright, that's great. Nice to meet'cha, yadda yadda, whatever.+ The trainer couldn't understand him, but the Timburr could, so he figured he might as well keep talking while figuring out some way to communicate alternatively. Hmm...

Trainers and their Pok?mon tended to have freaky bonds and whatever, right? Maybe the Timburr could help him out. The Meowth turned his attention to Luthi, big eyes staring unblinkingly at her. +Hey, you. You any good at charades, kid? I need to deliver a message, capiche?+ He gestured a paw towards Arved, but didn't glance up at the human. He didn't care one way or another about the useless dope, as long as he got his money. +A'ight, tell him this: I want you to pay me a fine of 100 human monies. In return, since I'm a generous guy, you get a Magikarp. It's a pretty good deal.+ After a pause, he tagged on, +Or else.+ Now he looked pleased with the message, and stared at Luthi expectantly, waiting for her to work her... trainer-bonded mojo or whatever. +Okay, there, so tell him that.+

His part done, he plopped himself down, prepared to watch. His tail swished back and forth, and for the moment he had withdrawn his claws.

[Spiderc]

If Arved had been confused before when the Meowth had tried to talk to him, he was bewildered. The Normal type had turned to Luthi and had started to talk to her and then it promptly sat down. On the plus side, it appeared the Meowth had retracted its claws so that was a small victory. Maybe his friendly greeting had pacified it. Yes, that must be it. However, that still begged the question of what it had said to Luthi. Deciding he should probably figure out what was going on, Arved turned his attention from the Meowth back to his Timburr.

Luthi meanwhile was still feeling somewhat intimidated by the other Pok?mon, but slightly less so as it appeared that violence wasn't going to erupt suddenly. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure if she could do what the Meowth wanted for several reasons. First off, she wasn't sure if Arved had any money on him. She remembered that he had gotten some at the lab, but the money was on that card and she didn't think there was a way to get it off. Secondly, she didn't think she would be able to communicate to her trainer what the Meowth wanted. Lastly, Luthi didn't exactly want to aid the other Pok?mon in robbing Arved.

Having made up her mind, Luthi faced the Meowth and said "<All of his money is on a card, and there's no way he can get it off right now.>"[/color] It wasn't the best responce, but having said it, Luthi felt a tiny bit braver. Meanwhile, Arved was just a little surprised to hear his Pok?mon speak, even if it did sound a little halted. On the other hand, Pok?mon just said one word over so it must be hard to not sound like you're stuttering.

[ZOM]

The Meowth was getting visibly impatient and agitated at Luthi's long pause. When she finally spoke up, it wasn't what he wanted to hear, either. He froze and stared. +... You're kiddin'.+ Card? Since when had the lab started putting peoples' starter money on cards? Those bastards, dang, they'd done this on purpose, the Meowth was sure of it...

He got to his feet and started to pace, twitching his whiskers and scowling to himself as he thought. If none of his victims had any cash on them, what was he gonna do? He couldn't use the currency or anything, he just liked shiny stuff; still, he really really liked shiny stuff, and he didn't want his steady supply to be tapped out. And it wasn't like he could just arbitrarily ask for... whatever. He had street cred to maintain, here. His gang would be disappointed if they weren't getting what they wanted anymore, and they'd lose respect for him. Granted, they were a bunch of bird brains, so maybe he could ask for whatever? If it glitters, it's close enough to gold, right?

+Alright, new plan, so listen up!+ He spun around to stare at Luthi again. +How 'bout this. Figure out if your trainer's got anything shiny on 'im. If he does, that's good enough. But next time he better bring some coin! Capiche?!+

The Meowth's demands were followed almost immediately by the caw of a bird. A Murkrow flew up to the bridge, carrying a Magikarp in its beak. The bird landed on the brick wall between the walkway and the open air, then dropped the Magikarp to the ground. The fish flopped helplessly. +Hey, boss, got the fish--+

+You idiot! They ain't paid up, yet!+ He turned to the Murkrow, yowling with aggravation. +Ugh! Can't you boneheads do anything right? Sheesh.+ Fluffed up with anger and spitting a little, he spent a few seconds being annoyed before calming himself down. He licked at his fur to smooth it, then casually glanced over at Luthi like nothing had happened. +Alright, fine, whatever. Plenty'a fish in the sea. You can take the stupid thing, we don't care. But you gotta give us somethin', or do somethin' for us.+

+Yeah!+ chimed in the Murkrow helpfully. The Meowth shot him a sharp look which shut him up quick.

[Spiderc]

Luthi was feeling pretty good about herself and the response she made to the Meowth's demand for money. However, apparently the Normal type wasn't to be so easily dissuaded as he was now demanding an item. She was pretty sure that Arved had bought some Pokeballs and Potions, but she was now stuck while she had to try to communicate this new development to her trainer. Just as she was about to attempt this endeavor, she heard a sound which immediately took her attention.

Meanwhile, Arved was still confused as to what was going on. The Meowth was acting somewhat aggressive, but it still wasn't making any actual move to attack. While he was pondering this, a Murkrow appeared and dropped a Magikarp on the ground in front of him. This seemed to prompt more agitation and talking from the Meowth, but Arved thought that he had finally figured out what was going on. Clearly the Meowth was distraught by the fact that his friend, the Magikarp, was hurt and was only acting aggressive because he was overly worried. Deciding that he had to help the poor Pok?mon, Arved reached into his backpack, grabbed a Potion, and started to walk towards the Magikarp with the intention to heal it.

Luckily, Luthi was still slightly ahead of Arved and was able to tell what he intended to do from where he was looking. So far the Meowth hadn't attacked them, but now she knew that he would be forced to if one of his minions was watching and he still didn't get what he wanted from Arved. Seeing only one option available to her if she wanted to avoid a fight, Luthi ran over to the Magikarp and stood in between Arved and the Water type.

Arved was completely caught off-guard when his new Pok?mon ran in front of him and blocked his path to the Pok?mon that was clearly injured. In a surprised tone that carried his opinion of all the the events in this encounter Arved asked, "What are you doing Luthi? I need to heal that Magikarp. Don't I?" At this point, Arved almost expected to see the Timburr shake her head at his question. Sighing, Arved asked the Fighting type, "Okay, what should I do then?" When this question was replied with simple pointing at the Potion in his hand and then at the Meowth, Arved simply sighed again, walked over and put the Potion on the ground by the Meowth. The only thing that Arved could think to explain the situation was that the Meowth wanted to heal the Magikarp all by himself and even that was a weak explanation.

[ZOM]

The Meowth looked a little surprised and pleased by Arved's responsiveness to his command. Luthi didn't even have to do any persuading, huh? Yep, maybe this kid wasn't a total dimwit after all... except wait. Why was he walking up to the stupid Magikarp? Oh come on. The cat was about to make some sort of patronizing remark at Arved, but Luthi wordlessly interrupted before he had a chance.

+I'm confused, boss,+ whispered the Murkrow. The Meowth rolled his eyes, but he too was a little perplexed. Humans were just so dumb, it was impossible to understand them.

Finally, Arved approached the Meowth and placed the Potion in front of him. Stupid human still didn't seem to get it, but hey, the Meowth wasn't complaining. It wasn't coin, but it did have a pretty glint to it... +A'ight, kid, you and your trainer keep outta trouble now. Heh heh heh. Nice doin' business with ya.+ He grinned a wide, toothy grin, strutting away and exuding smugness as he went. The Murkrow eagerly dove at the Potion, snatching it up in his beak and then carrying it after his boss.

That left Arved and Luthi alone with a helpless, flopping Magikarp. Its big eyes and gaping mouth didn't convey any expression at all, really, but presumably the poor thing was confused or scared or something. Probably. On the bright side, it sure did know how to use Splash! Look at it go. Wow. Splashing all up a storm. Incredible.

The wild Magikarp is available for capture!

[Spiderc]

Once again, the Meowth's actions took Arved by surprise as the Normal type just ran off with his Potion. He turned to Luthi, "So... what was all that about?" but instead of trying to answer, the Timburr just shrugged not wanting to go through charades. Suddenly, both Pok?mon and trainer remembered the Magikarp and turned around to face the poor Pok?mon. "Umm, so what do we do with this guy?" For some reason, Arved hadn't yet moved past his orginal idea that the Meowth was trying to help the Magikarp and that was apparently slowing his thinking process.

However, feeling somewhat pained by the feelings she was sure the Magikarp had, Luthi picked up the Water type and deposited it back into the water, ignoring its flailing. Arved watched his Pok?mon and then shrugged himself, "Well, I guess that works. So, uh, do we keep going or what?" The pair looked at each other after his question and once again came to the conclusion that they could continue on. Arved quickly readjusted his backpack and they continued down the bridge.

While Arved had come to the conclusion that the encounter with the Meowth had been a waste of time for the most part, Luthi was feeling pretty good about herself. She had managed to stop a potentially violent meeting and no one had been hurt much due to her actions. Maybe the world outside the lab wasn't as dangerous a place as she had thought. While she was pondering these developments, Luthi forgot to walk behind Arved and instead the pair walked down the bridge side by side.

[ZOM]

Throughout Arved and Luthi's interaction with the Meowth, someone -- something -- had been watching from behind the cover of a well-groomed bush. She saw as Luthi confronted the Meowth (sort of), and saw with a great deal of surprise that the pair returned their newly-purchased Magikarp to the sea instead of forcing it to stay with them. The creature who watched them was impressed and touched. Yes, perhaps they would help her...

The tap tap tap of her feet against the stone floor announced her reveal. A Galvantula scurried hesitantly towards Arved and Luthi. +Please,+ she said, bowing her head sadly, +Help me, and my children.+

She had gathered, of course, that Arved was human and incapable of understanding Pokespeech. Unlike the Meowth, who believed Arved was simply stupid for being what he was, this Garvantula was more than willing to accommodate, and more than capable of getting her point across despite the language barrier. She turned away from them, facing an empty stretch of ground, and began to spin her web.

Within the web was all manner of imagery, strung together to tell a story. In the first image, a group of Joltik were happily sitting together. In the next, their cheerful expressions had become looks of terror; a creature, some kind of monkey from the looks of it, had invaded their home. The images which followed told the tale of how this monkey (a Pansear?) had kidnapped the Joltik children and taken them away to eat them up. When at last the Garvantula had finished her elaborate, artfully-crafted web, she turned back to Arved and Luthi with a pleading look in her eyes. +I have no chance against him, I... I am not strong enough. I don't want to fight. I just want my babies back. Please. Could you get them back for me?+