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Guardian's Journey

Yuri had come to the hotel late last night, after hearing some commotion from the woods that had been called her home for a couple of months. She seemed to always find her way here, for at least the last two years. "It's not like that." She told herself, shaking a thought that came to mind. She made a small bed of leaves and twigs in the brush nearby to nap in. After all, even if she went inside now, most of the guardians would be either asleep or partying right now. She wouldn't find anyone worth her time, not now. And so, she set to wait until the morning, "Maybe... tonight can be my last night like this." Thustly hoping, she fell asleep, wrapped in leaves for what she'd hoped would be the last time.

The next morning, Yuri woke up just after sunset, a habit she'd picked up only in the last two years as well. She went to a nearby stream to check her reflection and fix her appearance. No, no amount of brushing off and running her fingers through her hair would fix her image, the image of living out in the wild, but maybe she could mitigate it somewhat. After what seemed like forever to her, Yuri was eventually satisfied with her appearance, and she headed in for the hotel. By now, hopefully some guardians would be awake and she could maybe, finally, find one she could bond with. Not like with Marissa. Yuri took a moment to calm herself, before throwing open the doors to the Inn, and heading inside.

Once in, she smiled slightly to herself. The lobby was decently busy with the hustle and bustle, so Yuri set to her looking around. "Hmmm, no, no, no, may- no, no, no..." She looked up from her individual searching to lament her potential loss yet again, when a certain group caught her eye. A Houndour, and a Croagunk with a Guardian. "No, maybe not... no bracelets." It sure is odd, seeing humans and Gijinka together at this time of year and not be a Guardian.

Yuri went back to her looking around. The legend said you were supposed to make a true bond, right? So it's not like she had to talk to any of these people. In her single-focused search however, she accidentally ran into Thomas as he was receiving a package and stumbled back. "Huh? Watch it wouldya? I'm busy here." She looked up, and her eyes noticed first the set of seven bracelets in the box "A Guardian?" She said under her breath. As she looked up further, she caught Thomas's eye, and it felt like time froze for her. She felt attached to him suddenly, not physically, but like they were connected by spirit, by soul, by fate. As time began to move, Yuri began to think about what to do.

"Y-you, you're a Guardian, Right? The one with the Houndour and the Croagunk?" She double checked the bracelets and counted to make sure she did indeed see seven. "With only you and two Guardians, you don't need all seven of those bracelets, right? How about you give me one, and in exchange I guess I could travel with you. For a little while, anyway." She looked back to Thomas, to judge his reaction. She subconsciously held her breath as she waited for his reply.
 
In spite of her anger, Kiara could no longer feel jealous of Artemis as she sat down to finish her breakfast in spite of her loss of appetite. In spite of Artemis’s tough exterior, it was easy to see that she was an emotional trainwreck underneath. The Aron accused her living in the past and not moving forward, but in the very same breath accused people like her of destroying her family’s farm. Clearly, Artemis herself was still stuck in the past if she felt the need to blame a petty criminal for whatever happened back then.

Some of the things that Artemis said to Kiara offended her. One of them being that while Artemis preached about blame and letting the past go, the Aron not only dwelt on the past herself but actively tried to keep Kiara from moving forward, blaming her for things entirely unrelated to her and far beyond her ability. That blame was the next thing that offended her. After destroying a road without remorse, the Aron had the audacity to compare Kiara to people she claimed destroyed her family farm. While Kiara may have broken a few mailboxes, dinged a few cars, and scorched some grass and leaves, it was far less damage than the Aron caused with very little effort. The very idea that the short-fused and violent-tempered monster who destroyed a road would blame her for destroying something on the scale of a family farm was ludicrous in every conceivable way, especially when the accuser herself smashed a glass on the table as she made the accusation, and even cut herself in the process. She was still pissed off at Artemis, but the last traces of jealousy she had felt towards her shattered with the glass on the table only to be replaced with an unfamiliar and equally unpleasant feeling. Did she actually feel sorry for the ill-tempered brat?

Next, she started thinking about the prospect of evolving and about her own self-doubt in that area. Where did her self-doubt come from? If that bundle of bitterness could talk about evolving as if she were an expert on the subject, why couldn’t she? The idea of Artemis evolving into something more powerful was a terrifying prospect. She shuddered at the thought of a pissed off Aggron razing an entire city without even flinching then blaming some small-time petty criminal for the destruction. But now her imagination was running wild.

For the first time, she started feeling apprehensive about entering the haunted forest ahead of them. She wasn’t afraid of ghosts. Most of them were harmless. They usually just liked to pull pranks and scare people and just basically cause mischief, and even if they encountered any that were hostile, they would be weak to her dark-type magic. It also helped that to her knowledge, most of the Nightfires feared ghosts and usually avoided the haunted forest, so they could safely get a good distance away from her former home turf and no longer have to worry about anyone recognizing her. The sudden cause for her concern was the thought of having the emotionally unstable Aron with them. She knew that many ghost-types could pick up on and exploit things like fear, anger, bitterness, and jealousy. Some ghost-types even fed off of those very things. She would definitely have to keep an eye on Artemis while they traveled in the haunted forest.

Although she felt bad for lashing out, she still felt that she was justified in doing so. She took a breath to calm herself before responding to what Thomas told her. “I’m sorry for my outburst,” she said softly, “but no, what Artemis said was wrong, and she had no right to say it. She was wrong to say I don’t know about hard work and dedication. Laziness was a luxury I never had. Every day of my life I’ve worked myself to the bones just to survive, but I never once complained. We didn’t have the luxury of self-pity either. We didn’t have the option of running away every time our feelings got hurt. We had to face it head-on, and that’s one thing about me that won’t change. She was very wrong to say I’m stuck in the past. That’s another luxury I never had, and my friends are still out there right now waking up cold and hungry. That ain’t in the past, and I couldn't help thinking of them when I saw all that food go to waste. Still, I wouldn't have said anything if she hadn’t spoken first. And she put words in my mouth, claiming that I said things I never said. She talks about me casting blame, but I never blamed anyone for anything. All I said was that I know more about hard work and dedication than she thinks. Worst of all, she blamed ‘people like me’ for destroying her family farm. I don’t know what happened back then, but she had no right to blame me. We may have stolen food from farms, but we never would’ve destroyed one. Even if we could, we needed the food. People like me may be street trash, but we would never destroy someone’s livelihood. That’s the one thing everybody in that gang wants more than anything, and I can’t forgive Artemis for accusing me like that. If she continues to judge me, don’t I have the right to judge her by the same measure? From what I’ve seen of her, she’s the most destructive person I’ve ever met with all that raw power and no self-control. As much as I hate Nightfire, I did learn some good lessons from them like patience, self-control, and teamwork, and I won’t forget them. That’s one thing you just mentioned. Teamwork. And that’s one thing I could never have survived without. I’ve never complained about my life, and I’m not complaining about it now, I’m just saying that what Artemis accuses me of being is impossible and that she has no right to judge me the way she does.” She felt herself flaring up again as she spoke, but something about Thomas’s calm and cool nature kept her in check. She hoped she hadn’t crossed any lines by speaking her mind, but she felt it needed to be said.

After breakfast, Kiara followed Thomas to the shops and immediately started looking for new clothes. She picked out a black faux fur coat similar to what she had but was actually her size, along with new jeans, tee-shirts, underwear, and socks. She liked the boots and gloves she already had, so she didn’t want to replace them. She picked out some hair ties and a brush, as her frazzled and tangled twin-tails held in place with brittle rubber bands must have been quite a sight. She had never before worried too much about her appearance, but now she suddenly felt the need to try to look more presentable. She found some necklaces that would have gone nicely with the skull pendant her father had given to her just before she lost him, but a necklace was not a necessity, so she quickly moved on. She picked out a small bag of pelletized pet food that was formulated for a feral Vulpix thinking it would be good for her to snack on. It was cheap, well-preserved, nutrient-dense, and high in carbs to help her fire-type body maintain its high temperature, and it didn’t taste too bad either.

Lastly, she found a display stand with some books on it, and she couldn't help being entranced by them. She had never owned a book before, but they were her secret pleasure. She never could’ve let her gang know that she liked to read, or she would’ve never lived it down, but she could occasionally sneak into the local library when she was alone. She sometimes had to flirt with the librarians to convince them to let her stay, but fortunately for her, the brainy types almost always fell for her charms. But being able to sneak into the library to read their books was not the same as having books of her own. She browsed through the novels on the display rack, reading the synopsis of each one on its back cover, relishing the feel of the paper between her fingers as she let their rhetoric sink into her mind. She didn’t expect to get one since it wasn’t a necessity, but it was the one treasure she found truly hard to resist.
 
Dendra shrugs and carries on. This was drama that at this point could not be helped. She goes down to the clothes shop with Kiara to scope out her potential wardrobe. Kiara is way more efficient than her at this as she's already done by the time Dendra is still looking for things. Dendra gives her a wolf-whistle "My my my, lookin' fly flame bitch" she said in her obnoxious tone yet a playful manner "I could eat ya up!" she the resumed clothes shopping. A few things catch her attention; a tanktop to replace her bandeau, some underwear(sports bras and boxer briefs to be precise), some extra boxing tape, black of course, As well as a matching set of a zip-up hoodie with shorts. The shorts were shorter and less baggy than her usual sort, but Dendra could use the breath of fresh air style-wise The set was bought on a marine blue and the one she wore out; a somewhat silvery gray one.

"heheh, now I look like a true boss" she said posing to no one in particular "I look so shiny and cool!" she said. After that she looked for general supplies; a comb to replace her old worn one, a couple of berry bars for snacking, and a case for her glasses, just in case. The last thing she took is a field guide for herbs and mushrooms in the area, passing by Kiara. "Didn't take you for a reader, K" she said in a playfully taunting manner before heading to the counter with her purchases. the only thing she kept from her old life, aside from her glasses, was her set of reliable black stomping boots.
 
Artemis made her way downstairs towards the medical centre. Her thoughts were still buzzing from her sudden outburst, but she had meant every word of it. What gave Kiara the right to be so entitled? It also hurt her that whenever anything was said, Thomas always seemed to take her side. Did she need to become a tearaway to ger any attention?! Her thoughts were dashed as a throb of pain drummed her hand and she hissed in discomfort, flexing her fingers from inside the wrapped up pillow case.

There wasn't a long wait as the Chansey nurse soon spotted her and beckoned her over. "My, my what have you done?!" she asked in shock as she slowly peeled away the material to reveal the gashes.
"I... I got in a fight with my breakfast... the orange juice won..." Artemis said with a small lame laugh. "I... was just a bit heavy handed"
"I can see..." The chansey murmured as she surveyed the damage and delicately plucked out a couple of shards of glass. She soon perked up and flashed the young girl a smile, "Don't worry I can get this fixed up in no time!"

Artemis found herself smiling back, a small warmth on her cheeks. She knew the chansey was just doing her job but it was a nice relief to not be judged when she spoke. She watched with a curiosity in her eyes as the woman worked to effortlessly clean her up and skillfully wrap a bandage around her hand and wrist. "There, that should do it! You were quite lucky, that orange juice seemed like it was a tough opponent!" she laughed, gently teasing the girl.
The aron felt as her cheeks reddened and she became rather bashful, "Um.. I mean... yeah... you could say... Thank you ma'am"
The chansey lady nodded and folded her arms, a smile still splashed across her face, "Go on, be off with you! I bet your trainer misses you"

The colour in Artemis' cheeks rapidly cooled and she simply nodded. She didn't want to tell the chansey just how wrong that statement was. She knew Thomas was wrapped up with Kiara and Dendra shopping, she could just picture the two other girls trying on lots of clothes and spending money which wasn't theirs too. Clothes and shopping was one of those things that never bothered Artemis, mainly because she wasn't very girly and it was just something she wasn't very good at. She hated being stared at whilst she browsed or the judgemental looks if she chose something sge liked that others didn't. Her look might be odd, but she liked it and it was pratical - for her type anwyay.

Artemis left the medical room with her newly strapped up hand and made her way towards the reception. She was just in a luck! A male pelipper gijinka was stood talking with the kricketune, a post satchel sat proudly around his waist as he handed out today's letters. "Please don't go yet!" she called out as she dashed towards him when he turned to leave. The pelipper turned to look at Artmeis and smiled, "Do you have something little miss?" The aron nodded eagerly and searched through her tabbard pockets before pulling out a crumpled letter, "Here! It's for the Orre mountain farm!" she beamed, the pelipper took the letter and looked at the address then tipped his hat. "No worries little miss, I'll get there"

Artemis stood and watched as the postman disapeared, she felt a small relief and weight of her shoulders knowing her mother would appreciate the letter. With her jobs done, she slowly wandered towards the clothes shop. She had avoided the others for long enough and should probably regroup.
 
Thomas Wyse
The One with an aura of Kindness and Love
Guardians:
1). Artemis | 2). Kiara | 3). Dendra | 4). ??? | 5). ??? | 6). ???
​
Obviously in is clumsiness he bumped into someone while he was shopping. "O-Oh I'm so sorry--" he paused as he locked eyes with another Gijinka. His heart began to resonate with hers, was she another guardian? So soon? First with Artemis, then Kiara and Dendra, and now this mysterious woman? She questioned him about the bracelets afterwards and he gave her a slight quizzical look. Not many Gijinka knew about the bracelets, well those that weren't participating in the festival. This Gijinka also asked to have one and to travel with him? Wow this whole Guardian bonding thing was happening so fast! He blushed a little and smiled at her. "Sure you can come along if you'd like. You can even have one of these but I want to wait until everyone is here to give them out." he happily stated to Yuri. Though would Artemis approve of her? It didn't matter too much but she wasn't getting along with the others. Was the Aaron afraid she'd be replaced? No, she would always be special in his heart. She was the first one to believe in him and set off on a journey with him.

Thomas wasn't sure why this Slyveon wanted to travel with him but she had the guts. Smiling warmly he placed a hand on her shoulder gently. "It's alright you don't need to explain, I can feel your desire. I'm Thomas by the way. Do you have a name?" he asked her waiting for the others to show up. What would they all say? Would they be upset that he found yet another guardian to join them? He really needed to have a big talk with them to straighten out some things before they all left on their journey. It would be hard but he didn't want them hating each other. Of course he wasn't going to force them to like each other he just felt helpless when Artemis broke the glass that morning. She was pretty cute too, with her ribbons and everything. His Guardians were all turning out to be female? Was that a good thing? Not that he minded or anything. He just hoped it wouldn't draw the attention of the other trainers or Gijinka on the roads ahead.
 
Yuri listened to the man talk. He sounded calm, polite, and caring. Not like Marissa, very not like her indeed. "Do I have a... Of course I have a name! What do I look like, a savage?" She looked over her current appearance and concluded that she probably, indeed, looked like a savage. The simple thought of it brought the slightest of blushes to her cheek. "My name is Yuri. Yours is Thomas, you said? What a simple name." She huffed and turned away from him, crossing her arms over her chest. She noticed the head of one of his companions she'd seen earlier, the Houndour girl in the store. Yuri thrust her arms to her side and began walking over that way.

"As far as when you hand them out, I don't particularly mind. But don't expect any favors from me until then, got it?" She cast her new trainer a casual and quick glance over her shoulder. Yuri couldn't help but find herself wondering about him. He didn't seem overly wealthy, so why was he here? All the other trainers had money to spare, Marissa included. Why did he seem so different? "So, what's the team looking like, anyway? I know you have a Houndour and a Croagunk, what're they like?" The Sylveon was more than happy to assume he didn't have any other partners, otherwise they'd be together right? Most trainers and Guardians were joined at the hip, after all.
 
“Damn limp...” This was the lone thought that dominated Hanayome Atsuka, ‘Well-trained’ Ralts’ mind. “Now NO gosh-blasted Trainer’s gonna be picking me... Hell, even I wouldn’t pick me right now...”

The previous night had been the first night she hadn’t been raped, gang-banged, robbed, or otherwise assaulted since her ‘parents’, an elderly couple, had died some time back, and she was sent away. They had kept her from due punishment for a while, but could no longer protect her from beyond the grave.

Then again, as she had gradually adapted to being a Ralts in human form, she had been taught the rules of society. She didn’t know until it was too late that an attempt at sexual assault did not merit... castration. She had been shunned by the entire town since then, especially since the boy happened to be the Gym Leader’s little brat.

Last night, she got the brilliant idea to sleep in a tree, and of ALL nights, that night came one of the biggest earthquakes the Region had ever known. At least, it felt like that. She fell from her branch, startled, and landed on her leg. She had almost cried out in pain, but blocked out the response, and concentrated on a large group of happy vibrations, which she felt as sounds, and as such, being a feeling Pokémon, could focus to send some of her own, that others could feel, albeit very slightly. She began crawling towards them, ever so slowly...

Now, she was at the top of the steps, long after sunrise. Every step caused agony, and she felt drained. In a desperate, last ditch attempt, she locked onto an Aaron (Aron?) with silvery hair (Mostly because she was the first one that she saw, as a result of her shiny hair) and attempted to cause her to look around with the only thing she could: mixed feelings.

She knew the risk of only sending a signal out to one Gijinka, but she also knew the risk of spreading it out, making it weaker, so that NOBODY came to help. Also, a female, likely being more gentle and motherly than a male, who might just try to rape her, would further increase her chances. After a few seconds, she groaned, her energy spent, and passed out on the spot where she lay.
 
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Kiara winked at Dendra and gave her a mischievous smile when she commented on her clothes. “Eat me up, huh?” she said in a soft, feathery tone. “Is it a threat or a promise? Careful though, 'cause I don’t forget about either one.” She resumed her shopping. When Dendra commented about reading, Kiara said in a more normal tone, “I could say the same to you, but yeah I did kind of have to keep it a secret.” She noticed the book that Dendra held, and she realized the other’s selection was far more practical than her own. She had expected Dendra to be the first to make fun of her, and she was pleasantly surprised to see that her judgment was wrong.

While Kiara stood near the store entrance looking through the books, she glanced up just in time to see a Sylveon walking in her direction. In her mind, at least, the Sylveon seemed to be approaching her, but paranoia may have been feeding that perception. In all of her life, she had only ever known one other Sylveon, and that was Officer Driskar, whom Kiara considered to be the third scariest cop on the force. Even Nightfire’s big boss, a large, buff Honchkrow, respected him. Kiara hadn’t been paying attention to what had been said, but she caught the words ‘Houndour’ and ‘Croagunk’ and assumed the Sylveon was referring to her and Dendra, and without thinking, she reacted to the person she mistakenly believed to be Officer Driskar. “I ain’t stealin' nothin’, Friskar,” she called out, her tone somewhere between mocking and annoyed. It was a knee-jerk reaction, and she realized her mistakes immediately after she blurted out her comment. While Driskar usually tolerated the mispronunciation of his name, he always got angry whenever someone mistook him for a girl, and mistaking this girl for the cop was essentially the same thing, not to mention that she needlessly called herself out as a petty criminal. Even worse, she had just spoken rudely to a complete stranger who had done nothing to offend her. Her face turned red, and she looked down at the book in her hands. “I… I’m sorry, Ma’am,” she said softly, “I mistook you for someone else.” Her gaze settled on the cover of the book, and she focused on what appeared to be an Eevee gijinka child sitting on the back of a feral Lugia.
 
"Oh... heheh, well wouldn't you like to know?" said Dendra nervously, surprised at the response. Ok, maybe it wasn't time to get as chummy. She'd heard horror tales of people that dated Kiara. She wouldn't get burned like them. Then the houndour remarked about her own hobby and Dendra simply commented "Makes sense, but hey, you can read them now eh?" then adds by pointing at the field guide "This though is for research, I had an outdated edition at the hideout, needed to get the new one if I'm gonna keep you all alive, Inns arent everywhere y'know?" She said despite the genuine fascination she had for the subject.

She then lined up at the cashier to have Thomas pay for her stuff... Only to spaz out when Kiara called out for the dreaded Driskar. "Drisk!? Fuck, hit the deck!" she said diving behind the register's counter with surprising instinct fueled dexterity. She peeked out a few seconds and looked at Yuri "What? that ain't Driskar! she's all short and lanky... K you have to check your peepers, spirits confound it!" croaked out the Croagunk girl as she crawled out of the back of the counter. "You're gonna give us both a heart attack" she then looked at Yuri as Kiara apologized. Her cheeks churned a bit but she just shrugged sighed and waited on her items to be rung through as she chewed on some bitter herbs she pulled from her pockets.
 
Artemis stood in the lobby of the inn, still in two minds to whether actually join Thomas and the rest in the shop, or just keep to herself where Kiara can't bother her. She looked down at her bandaged hand and flexed her fingers, wincing a little as it moved. Artemis may have had patience in battle but when it came to healing her patience were few and far between.

The sound of the inn door swinging open behind her caught her attention. She had expected it to be a trainer slamming the door in a rush as they left for their adventure - she hd not expected to see the Ralts girl collapsed on the floor.

"H-hey?!" The girl was looking directly at her which made the Aron feel rather uneasy. She looked around but no one was rushing to her aid, could they not see her?! Artemis dashed to the Ralts' side and knelt down beside her, supporting her head with her arm. "Are you ok?!"

What a stupid question! Artemis scolded herself. Of course she wasn't ok! She was losing consciousness in her arms and the poor thing looked beat.

And still no one was coming to aid them!

"Hey... don't worry, you're safe" Artemis spoke softly, not wanting to spook the pokemon. As much as it wasn't her place to get involved, she couldn't leave the poor girl on the floor. She stood up, carrying the the Ralts with ease in her arms bridal style. "I've got you, just stick with me" she continued to speak softly.

Artemis looked around, maybe Thomas would know what to do! Then again... she'd probably get a lecture from the Houndour. No doubt the girl would mock her for showing compassion. No. Artemis would try and fix this herself. She turned and walked back towards the Chansey at the healing desk.

"Back so soon?" she asked with a soft laugh, looking up from her clipboard.

"Please you have to help this Ralts!! She literally just stumbled through the door and collapsed! She needs help"

"Is she a guardian? Our services are reserved for those taking part"

"I-I don't know! Can't you make an exception?! You can see she's in a bad way! You're really going to let someone suffer because they're not a guardian?! You healed that no good houndour and she wasn't a guardian!!" It was clear the Aron's anger was bubbling as her eyes narrowed.

"Your trainer seems to think differently."

"That's not the point! Will you heal her or not?! I'll pay for it myself if I have too!" Artemis knew she had a very small coin purse tucked away. Her mother had given it her a long time ago when she had left home and she had kept it safe for an emergency. This seemed to warrant an emergency.
 
Thomas Wyse
The One with an aura of Kindness and Love
Guardians:
1). Artemis | 2). Kiara | 3). Dendra | 4). Yuri | 5). ??? | 6). ???
​
Thomas blinked, staring at Yuri as she turned away from him in a huff. Was there something he did? Placing a hand to his face he smelled his breath, after all he had brushed his teeth this morning. In the matter of a day and a half he had recruited four guardians. "W-Well there's also Artemis. She's a Aron and my first Guardian!" he happily stated to Yuri as they made their way over to where Dendra and Kiara were. Both of them seemed to be sporting new duds, and he couldn't help but think it made them both look cool. "To keep it all short this is Yuri, she's also going to be a guardian." he stated to them both as he purchased their new outfits. Counting the bit of cash he had left, there would be enough for Yuri to get a better traveling outfit, though he'd have to find a way to earn more cash. "Yuri, you can pick out some new traveling clothes too if you'd like. I'll buy them for you." he happily stated to her as he stood between Dendra and Kiara.

Then he fell silent, but in his mind he was calculating the distance to the next Inn. Pulling out his pokedex he began to explore the map feature and read about the surrounding forest and area. With four guardians as his side they should be fine, but Ghost Gijinka were tricksters. Maybe they'd find a way to make money along the way. No one really mentioned that to him, but there wasn't a lot about this contest that he knew about. Most the knowledge he had learned through experiencing first hand. Though he felt so clueless, could he really lead them all to victory? To become a champion and bring fame and fortune to the Guardians who followed him. He stopped a moment to glance at the poison and the fire gijinka. "I've been doing a lot of researching, and apparently there are pins that enhance elements. Hopefully we'll find some on our travels. So, did you both get an alright sleep last night?" he asked both Dendra and Kiara as he waited for Yuri to either pick out some clothing or not.

He knew tons about Artemis since they had shared a lot about each other on the road. Though he hardly knew much Kiara, Dendra, and Yuri. Thomas smiled at them politely hoping he wasn't being too nosy. For the most part he was raring to go, to get past the scary ghost zone and hopefully into a more welcoming city or town. He just wanted to leave this part of the continent, too many of the other trainers still lingered about. He could feel their cold non approving stares the more he stayed in this Inn.
 
If Kiara hadn’t already made things awkward enough, the person she mis-identified wasn’t just a random stranger but a new member of the team. She shot a glance toward Dendra and said in a hoarse whisper, “Yeah, false alarm, didn’t mean to scare you like that. Sorry.” She returned the book she had looking at to the shelf and sheepishly said to the three, “I ain’t doing so good with first impressions, huh?” She wouldn’t mind too much what Yuri thought of her. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, but whatever the Sylveon might think about her probably wouldn't be any worse than the truth, but Kiara was acutely aware that she was making Thomas look bad, and that seriously bothered her. “Um, pleased to meet you,” she said, her tone uncertain. She would’ve offered a handshake if she hadn’t felt like she made a fool of herself.

She bore the silence that followed while Thomas looked over his pokedex, and she was relieved when Thomas spoke again, changing the subject. Her eyes lit up when he mentioned pins that enhance elements and suggested that they might some on the journey. “Those are real?” she asked with a hint of surprise, “I’ve seen items like them mentioned in books I’ve read, but I always thought they were fictitious.” In retrospect, she did recall that some of Nightfire’s alphas and betas had certain items that they fiercely guarded, and she now wondered if those items could be the very thing Thomas was talking about.

The subject of sleep was another matter entirely. She recalled having been unnerved by the way she had slept in that morning, considering she usually had a hard time sleeping at all, especially since her sleep was usually plagued with nightmares. “The hot shower and warm blanket were quite nice,” she said, “but if I can be honest, the bed was a little too soft for me. I guess I just felt like I was sinking down into it. I’ve slept on a hard floor for as long as I can remember.” She could sense that he was eager for them to be on their way, and Kiara was as well. She knew most of the Nightfires avoided the haunted forest ahead and would therefore be much less of a threat as soon as they entered it. Of course, becoming friends with the rest of the team would likely be another story.
 
"yea yea, sorry for the outburst, I'm Dendra and the scaredy-skitty here's Kiara" said Dendra coarsely introducing herself. "Listen, we don't need to be all gal pals, but we gotta cooperate, as long as your biz doesn't mess with mine we're cool." She then looked over to Thomas and grinned "Well, if we find them those would be awesome, we could all use a bit more oomph!" She gestured with a playful jab.

"night was fine, stayed up late with my crew, slept in the old hideout... I'll miss it" she admits.
 
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Yuri looked around as Dendra and Kiara mentioned Driskar. She didn't know him, but they certainly made it seem like someone to be concerned about. She shortly found out they meant her, and couldn't help being a little offended. "It's not like all of us Sylveon look the same, y'know." She huffed. At Thomas's offer to buy her a new outfit, she relaxed a little, and let her arms drop to her sides. "Well, if you're sure, then I'll gladly accept." She looked back to her new fellow guardians. "Like Thomas said, I'm Yuri. And don't worry too much about it, who's the Driskar, or Friskar person, anyway?"

She went to go look at the clothing options available to her, still close enough to the girls in line to hold a conversation. Might as well make a good first impression, right? She looked through the dresses, skirts, pants, took her time deciding what to wear. Ultimately, she decided to stick with a dress, a soft pink high-waisted one. She also picked up a pair of white tights, and soft pink boots. Normally she wasn't a big fan of boots, but her time in the wild had shown her heels weren't exactly practical while travelling. With her new outfit decided, she got into the checkout line. "Items that boost power? Never heard of them." She dismissed the idea. It didn't make any sense anyway.
 
The next thing Hana knew, she was in a revive pod in the ICU of the PokéCenter, with a cast on her leg and a Chansey looking over her. She sat up and saw that there was also an Aron standing there, the same one that she had signaled. She grinned and said, "So, you got my signal, eh? Thanks for takin' me here. I've had a rough couple of days, the other night especially. Damn earthquake came outta nowhere, knocked me outta my tree, and I broke my leg. The odds that alone would happen are incredible, so I really appreciate your kindness."

She looked at the Chansey and, smile on her face, asked, "Say, can I have some crutches? I wanna tell this fine girl's Trainer how well a job they've done with their Aron. I'm sure they're gonna be proud." In truth, she just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. She wanted to find that one Trainer everybody said was an underdog in this year's competition, see if he'd choose her. Heck, not like he could do any worse with a disabled Guardian on his team, right?
 
The aron watched on, a feeling of hopelessness inside her as the ralts girl was carried away. She rubbed her arm as she waited and looked about, wandering what to do next. She knew she should return and find Thomas and the others, but she couldn't leave the ralts on her own for when she woke up. Artemis began to pace in frustration, walking towards the shop to find the others, but she would stop herself and return to the help desk not wanting to leave the girl on her own. Her thoughts circled as her actions repeated themselves until eventually she saw the chansey and ralts return.

"Hey?! Are you ok?" she asked concerned, running up to the counter as the chansey set Hana down and finished her check up. The older woman handed the injured girl some crutches when she was finished.

Artemis didn't know why she cared so much. She didn't know this girl. But she sensed she was vulnerable and needed help. The signal that Hana sent too hit her deep, like it had been peering into her soul and set her a little on edge. "I... I'm just glad I could help" Artemis laughed softly, rubbing her head awkwardly. She never was very good at taking compliments. The laughter in her throat died away when Hana mentioned the earthquake and the aron soon felt cold in fear. "Oh gosh!! The earthquake!! I'm - I'm so sorry that was my fault! There was bandits and my trainer called for me to attack..." she hung her head in shame, cursing herself for injuring an innocent party.

Yet the Ralts never seemed mad, she just seemed happy someone had helped her when she needed it most. Artemis slowly lifted her head, still feeling terrible for what happened. "You... honestly don't need to tell Thomas anything... you're fixed up now and that's what matters" Unsure of herself, the young girl slowly extended her hand, "My name is Artemis... I hope you can forgive me, if not, you have my name if you want to complain to tournament organisers. Just please don't stop Thomas from competing."
 
Thomas Wyse
The One with an aura of Kindness and Love
Guardians:
1). Artemis | 2). Kiara | 3). Dendra | 4). Yuri | 5). ??? | 6). ???
​
He had noticed. Kiara had been sleeping at the foot of his bed instead of on one. Putting his device away, and back into his pocket he gently gave Kiara a hug. "I noticed. You'll hurt your back if you keep sleeping like that. Well to be honest we'll probably be sleeping on the ground for a while. I bought some camping equipment so it'll be nights filled with bonfires and such." he smiled warmly. "Though I don't need matches because I've got an awesome fire Guardian with me. I'd like you to sleep in beds more for health reasons but if you're comfortable it's fine too. Just mind your back, make sure it stays in good condition." he stated with a nod before letting her go. For Dendra he just draped and arm around her shoulder. "Hey it's cool, you'll see them again. The Guardian's Journey isn't forever actually, though I'm sure next time you'll all meet you all will be fully evolved. I'm sure of it. Besides you could always send postcards or letters. Well that is if that won't expose them to any danger." he stated shouldering his bag. She was going to be a powerful leader one day, Thomas sensed that after they had bonded, but they all would reach their potential eventually. He was just kind of there to help them, since he really couldn't fight himself. He just hoped that he wouldn't run into too much trouble.

Finally there was Yuri. Walking over to her Thomas gently took one of her hands and cupped it between his. "You're very beautiful by the way. I forgot to mention Yuri. Those ribbons make you look so cute. I'm sure you're just as strong though, you'll have to show me! You've evolved fully right? Maybe you could help the others prepare for theirs? If it's not a problem." he had completely ignored her prickly attitude she was showing towards him. Thomas just radiated kindness and love, not really caring too much if she was being rude or not. "After all you're my Guardian now! I'm sure you've got some experience under your belt!" he happily complimented before removing his hands from hers. Now it was time to find Artemis and keep going. His journey had barely begun and he already had acquired four Guardians! It was strange though, he figured it would be a lot harder. Glancing back at the three he gave them a nod and left the small store. For now he had everything to last until they got to the next Inn, well he hoped anyway. Though both Dendra and Kiara knew a thing or two about survival, so if they did run out of supplies maybe he ask for their advice.

Finding Artemis didn't take much time at all. In fact she was talking to a girl in crutches? Thomas frowned a little, poor girl hopefully she wasn't too hurt. Though it seemed Artemis had made a friend? "Artemis! There you are!" he happily stated as he gave the Aron a hug. Though she could probably tell he had been worried about her as he clung to her a little tighter than most. She was his first Guardian after all, so his bond with hers was a little stronger. He wanted to talk to her in private if they got the chance but he was glad she hadn't decided to run away. He didn't say a word but instead he just stared into her eyes for a moment, she probably could tell he was really worried about her. Thomas cared about her deeply, there was so much power radiating from within her, thanks to their bond he could sense it. Thomas wanted to help bring her to her full potential. It was a promise ha had made to himself, to help all of his Guardians reach their true potential. Though he was confused on how to do that. This whole experience was new to him as well. Turning to look at Hana, but taking one of Artemis's hands he held it smiling.

"I see you made a friend Artemis! Hello I'm Thomas Wyse, hopefully she hasn't given you too much trouble?" he asked giving the girl a look of concern. Unknown to him that it was his fault Hana had broken her leg in the first place. Once she would say her good byes to her friend they would need to leave, he was afraid of the ghost filled forest but they had to keep moving. He was afraid to even begin this journey but after he had met Artemis she calmed him somehow. Now with Kiara, Dendra, and Yuri by his side he felt more protected. Also humbled at the fact that four powerful women would come along with him. Thomas was just a boy from an Inn but that didn't seem to matter? Or well to Artemis it didn't. His attention returned to Hana for a moment. "Do you need help? I mean you probably don't but you probably shouldn't be standing so much, even on crutches. Well I mean it's your call, I just felt like throwing the offer out. If you need it." it was strange Thomas oddly felt responsible for this green haired girl?
 
Kiara couldn't blame Yuri for being annoyed, but at least the Sylveon didn’t seem to hold a grudge. “You’re right,” Kiara said, “and you don’t actually look that much like Driskar. I just had a knee-jerk reaction and spoke without thinking.” She simply hadn’t expected to see a Sylveon there at all, to say nothing of a Sylveon without a trainer. She couldn't help wondering what had happened, but thought better of asking. She answered her question instead. “Anyway, I’ve had some run-ins with the law and he’s a cop I’ve had to deal with. We called him Friskar as a joke, but it kinda fits ‘cause he always had his hands on somebody, be it another cop or a suspect he's interrogating.” She could still feel the strong hand on her shoulder and the disapproving voice he always had, and while she had found it unpleasant, his touch did have one good quality. “He sometimes reminded me of Momma, but with twin-tails. I never could make my hair look as cute as his,” she added with a hint of jealousy.

Although Thomas’ hugs were becoming much more familiar to her, she still appreciated them. She appreciated his concern for her back, she was young and fit and didn’t think she had anything to worry about, though she supposed she could try to sleep in a bed as he requested, not that she would have to worry about that for awhile. She smiled and said, “I’ll keep that in mind, and I’ll try to sleep in a bed at the next inn. Oh, and thank you for the new clothes and stuff.” After leaving the store, she followed Thomas to where Artemis was talking to an injured Raltz. She had no idea who the Raltz was but thought it best not to speculate. She never would have guessed that the girl was injured in yesterday’s battle.
 
"Nah letters should still work. We figured out a system to get them to each other" Dendra said, getting her hand over Thomas' shoulders and returning the side-hug "You're right though, this ain't a forever thing, and I'll come back stronger and more awesome!" she tapped on Thomas' chest with her hand "and you're gonna help me make that happen. Thanks for the new duds by the way" She then broke the hug, took her stuff once paid and stuffed it in her satchel. She then turned to Yuri "Yeah you're right, you're better looking than Friskar, look less handsy than him too so... We could get along? I dunno..." she apologized in a non-apologetic way "Aside from what Kiara here said he's just a nosy grade-A asshole, so long as you're not that you're good."

As they walked out of the shop they found Artemis with a crutch-bearing Ralts girl. It felt unnerving to Dendra, she could almost feel the psychic waves coming off her... the fact that she was injured put the punk a bit more at ease though. Bringing her over though, Artemis had such a hero complex, she couldn't help herself did she? For now, she would just observe and cook up a good heckle if she proposed to be a guardian.
 
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Hana looked around, almost overwhelmed. Not only was THE Thomas Wyse here, right next to her, but when she saw all the Guardians that he had accumulated in only a day or two, she lost all hope of ever being a Guardian. After all, who needed a busted up Ralts girl when you had all these other...

But she couldn’t dwell on that now. He’d just asked her if Artemis was giving her trouble. She shook her head vigorously. “No, no Sir! She actually helped me over here. Artemis, is it? Nice to meet you all. You’ve done a fine job on this girl, Sir. Whatever you’re doin’, keep on. Now, I wouldn’t want to hold you up, so I’ll go ahead and be on my-“

Did her ears decieve her...? Or did Thomas just ask if she needed help? She was thunderstruck as she stuttered out, “I-ah... w-huh? You... wanna help... little old me?” She meant no disrespect by her words. In fact, she squeaked quite a bit as she asked him. Finally she said, “W-well... I guess. I mean, it really depends on your definition of the word ‘help’.” Her face went redder than her little horn headpiece and matching bow.
 
Artemis never heard Thomas approaching, nor the rest ofntheir group as her attentions were focused on the Ralts girl. The first she knew of his appearance was when his arms wrapped her into a tight embrace, a small squeak leaving her mouth until she realised who this was and her panic turned to relief. "Thomas...." she whispered, almost lovingly and only so he could hear as his arms tightened around her. She hadn't seen the young man since this morning and had been adament he wouldn't want to see her again. Afterall why would he? Kiara and Dendra were clearly superior to the aron girl in his mind, so Artemis thought.

Artemis tried to discard the thought and buried into the young man's chest as he held her tighter still. Even when their embrace ended, she noted how he still kept hold of her hand, their fingers lacing gently which gave her confidence. It was only then Artemis reliased the two in question were stood not far behind as well as... another? A syleveon. Artemis's brow furrowed. Why was there someone else here - unless - Thomas had acquired another guardian. An audible sigh left Artemis' lips as she pulled her hand away from Thomas' and shuffled away slightly. Another one so soon?! Maybe he really is trying to get rid of me...

Artemis' thoughts were cut short as Hana began to spoke and the feeling of bashfulness returned, making her rub the back of her head. She stepped in before the trainer could say a word. "We can take you somewhere safe. Return you to family or friends who can look after you." She smiled at the girl, "Until then, you can stay us, I'll protect you" The aron girl bowed her head to Hana and placed a fist on her chest. The rest of the group could think what they want. Yet it was their collective fault this ralts was injured and Artemis would do her best to right her wrong. Besides if Thomas could bring any scoundrel, bandit or rag along into the group, why should she be stopped from helping out.
 
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