44. Striking Out

Hunt this thing down. Maybe get the Witch out to help, hopefully she'll be able to keep her head with whatever's going on.

------------------------------------

Nobody messes with your head and gets away with it! You're gonna find this bitch and teach her a lesson she won't forget!

... of course, you can't exactly fight while carrying your mistress. That's just asking for an accident. And you're pretty sure she's not one of those who're strong or tough enough to deal with being in a pokegirl battle. 

Ugh. Humans. Why do they have to be so squishy?

Luckily, you spot the balls hanging at her belt and realize that you don't have to be the one carrying her. You grab both the filled balls, releasing their contents. 

"What did you do?!" the Witch gasped, staring at the tamer's unconscious form slung over your shoulder. The dragon just stood there, arms crossed and frowning disapprovingly. You smirked, tossing the human over to her. 

"Some crazy feral decided to attack us. I'm going to go hunt it down." you explained. "Now just sit here like good girls and wait for me to come back, yeah?"

"The tamer's safety is paramount." the dragon rumbled. "We should return to a safe location and find medical attention for her."

You shrugged. "Well, whatever it is managed to mind-whammy the mouse. Pretty sure the boss'll be upset if we don't try to get her back."

"I guess..." the magic type muttered. "Perhaps we could split up? One of us takes the mistress back, the other goes after the feral?"

"Bad idea." the Dragonqueen said bluntly. "Splitting up is death. We need to stick together."

You snorted, tapping the weapon at your waist impatiently. "Well, why should I listen to you? Last I checked, you ain't the Alpha of this little group." 

The dragon type bristled, shooting a glare which you ignored with the ease of practice. "Fine." she grunted. "Witch. You have been with this tamer the longest. What do you think she would want us to do?"

The young magic user hesitated. "Well...

[] Lamina is right. We need to find this feral and rescue Ana.

[] Thana is right. We should get to safety as soon as possible, even if it means abandoning Ana.  

43. A Voice in Your Head

[] Go North, but get some safety distance between you and the river where ferals are likely to hide and hunt.

-------------------------------

After a moment, you decide to keep moving north, following the river until you find a place that's safe enough to cross. Going deeper into the wilderness might be a bit risky, but at least you won't have to worry about random challengers. 

Ignoring Lamina's groans, you tell your Woodmouse to lead the way. Ana is eager as always, her tiny form showing you the quickest and safest path forwards, though you notice that she chooses a path that puts a healthy distance between you and the river's edge. You can't even see the river, though the sound of rushing water nearby lets you know that you're still on course. 

The three of you push on, struggling past the increasingly thick undergrowth as you move. The deeper into the woods you go, the more abundant the flora becomes. The trees grow to massive sizes, blocking out the sunlight and casting everything into shadow. The bushes are no better, growing so large and thick that Lamina's sword needs to be used more then once to hack a path through. You can hear birds singing, but the sound seems muted, almost as if it's being swallowed up by the woods all around you. The air itself seems thick and cloying, pressing down on you as if it knows that you don't belong. 

Is this what the wilderness really felt like? Your high school camping trips were nothing in comparison, even after two of your classmates had disappeared one night. 

Here, there were no chaperones, no adults, no safety measures of any kind. Just you. Alone. All alone. Nobody would miss you. Nobody would care if you were gone. Nobody would ever... would ever...

[Saving throw passed by ally!]

You yelped in pain as an armored fist struck the back of your head with a loud clang. "You back with us, Mistress?" the Armsmistress drawled, looking completely unrepentant. 

"What was that for?!" you growled, clutching at your aching head. Were you bleeding?! Oh, god! What if you got infected? You could die out here! All alone, with no one to-

Clang!

"Stop hitting me!"

"Then stop letting it get in your head." Lamina shot back, her sharp eyes darting from one shadow to another. "It's already got the mouse. I can't afford to let you wander off by yourself either."

"Mouse?" you blinked, your thoughts feeling strangely... heavy. "Ana? What's wrong with-"

"I dunno what it is, but we need to get outta here ASAP." the former gladiator said. "Mousy girl's wandered off somewhere. I thought she was taking us on a safe path or something, but she's just leading us deeper into the woods."

"What... what do you..." you... weren't feeling so good. What was going on?

"Can you hear the river?" Lamina asked. "Cause I can't."

You blinked slowly. Huh. That's right. Where'd the river go? And why was it so important, anyway? You already knew where you needed to go, after all. You just needed to... to...

Clang!

Blue collapsed, unconscious. 

The Armsmistress sighed, lifting her tamer over her shoulder. "Dammit. Now I'm getting a headache. Goddamned magic types. Now, normally I'd let the tamer do the thinking, but it's obvious that you're in no condition to plan. Right now, the best thing to do is..."

[] To hunt this thing down. Nobody messes with my brain and gets away with it. 

[] Find that stupid mouse. She's the only one of us who knows how to travel in the woods.

[] Fuck this shit, I'm flying outta here. Gotta get the tamer to safety. The mouse will just have to take care of herself. 

42. Wilderness Walking

[] Go off the beaten track. A bit riskier, but at least you won't have to deal with challengers

[] No. Keep Ana and Lamina out

-----------------------------

The two students you'd met earlier seemed alright. Well, one of them had seemed nice. The other guy looked like he needed some serious anger management classes. Still, you've got no intention of wasting time battling random people - you've got to get to Raymond's Rock and meet up with Red!

With that in mind, you tell Ana to lead you off the main road. It'd be a little riskier, sure, but at least she could help you avoid most of the problems a young tamer might run into while alone in the woods. The mouse type seemed all too eager to get moving, diving into the undergrowth like she was born for it. Fortunately, she made sure to keep the pace slow enough for you to keep up. 

Beside you, Lamina tromped along grudgingly. The Armsmistress was obviously out of her element. She'd refused point blank to remove any of her armor, and the clanking and creaking as she forced her way through the underbrush and hacked apart anything in her path was making quite a racket. 

Fortunately, fate seemed to be smiling on you. Despite all the noise Lamina was making, you encountered no ferals during your walk. In fact, about an hour after leaving the camp, an excited looking Ana pointed you towards something interesting. 

"Berry bush!" the Woodmouse squeaked, looking pleased with herself. "Still ripe!" 

[Mind Check: 59 83 + 5 (Academic Dabbler): 88]

Peering closer, you identified these particular berries as Rasapples. The white flowers could be used to cure paralysis while the ripe reddish fruits can be used to remove burns. Unfortunately, it seems that a hungry feral's been through here recently - most of the flowers are gone, while the only fruits available are tiny and hard to reach. Still, you gather as much as you can, feeling a little guilty about leaving the bush bare and empty behind you. 

[Gained: 1 Rasapple Flower, 3 Red Rasapple Berries]

A short while later, you can hear the sounds of rushing water over the tromping of Lamina's feet. Sending Ana ahead to scout, you confirm that there's a river nearby. It's a bit too fast and deep to risk crossing, but you could always journey along the banks until you find a place that's safe enough to wade through. 

[Mind Check: 4 13 + 5 (Academic Dabbler): 18]

You have a bad feeling about staying near the river for some reason, but you can't quite remember why. It's probably nothing important. 

What do you do?

[] Go upstream (north), deeper into the forest

[] Go downstream (south), heading back towards the main road

41. Meeting New People

[] Be friendly. Maybe they're nice people?

------------------------

"Hi there!" you call, waving as you approached the pair. "Got room for any more?"

The tamers glance at each other for a moment, then nod. "Sure!" the girl smiles. 

The two of them happily share their meal - half-stale sandwiches. A veritable mountain of them. It's not the best meal you've ever had, but at least they've got plenty to spare. Even your pokegirls are surprised to have a plate shoved into their hands. 

"Just eat," the boy grunts. "Our backpack's broke. Don't know what went wrong, but now all the food we packed is going bad."

"Toldja we should have had it checked out earlier," the girl chided. "But nooo..."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, waving off her concerns. "Anyway, I'm Brian, she's Betty, and we're from Port Bismal. Just started our journey a few months ago, though we haven't managed to get any badges just yet." 

"I'm Blue, from Charlesville Town. These are Ana and Lamina." you said, pointing towards each of your pokegirls as you introduced them. "I just started a few days ago, myself."

Betty smirked, standing up as she reached for the pokeball hanging on her belt. "Ooh, a newbie, eh? What say we-"

"No." Brian interrupted flatly. His sister turned, pouting at his interruption. 

"But Briaaan!"

"No, no, and no." he snapped. "We had an agreement, remember?"

She sighed, flopping back to the ground. "You never let me have any fun." 

Ignoring her antics, Brian turned back towards you. "Sorry about that. She has a habit of bullying weaker tamers." 

Beside you, Lamina bristled slightly, the Armsmistress' eyes narrowing at his words. "We are not weak." she spat. 

Brian rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. But no matter who wins, I'll be the one stuck cleaning up the mess. No thank you."

"What mess?" you asked. 

"I'm a fire specialist," Betty said, giving you a thumbs up. "My girls light up the battlefield like no one else!"

"And I'm a water specialist." Brian groaned. "Guess who has to stop the town from burning down every time someone gets too enthusiastic?"

"It was only once!" Betty protested.

"Once was more then enough," Brian replied. "Anyway, did you run into any of those dojo dorks on the way here? Last we heard, a couple of them were camping near that bridge down the road."

"Yeah, I saw them," you admitted. "They were a little... distracted, though. They let me go on without a fight."

"Lucky you," Betty groaned. "Most of those guys don't take 'no' for an answer."

"Apparently, their "sensei" is trying to set up his own gym." Brian said, "So he sent all his students out to "gain experience" by challenging people. It's a complete pain in the ass."

"Are they really strong?" you asked.

"Eh..." Betty waved her hand dismissively. "The ones with the gold belts are the seniors. They can be pretty tough, but the rest are..."

"They're shit." Brian said bluntly. "Poor discipline, poor training, only one or two girls under their command... and they're like goddamn Mosquitits, always swarming around when you just want to be left alone."

"Are they hurting people?" 

"Nah, but some of those guys are real assholes, you know?" Brian rolled his eyes. "All 'honor' this and 'justice' that. Makes me want to punch someone."

"They got some kind of quota thing," Betty explained. "If they don't manage to defeat enough tamers by the end of the month, they get expelled from their dojo. A couple of them are starting to get desperate, but no one's gotten hurt yet, so the police aren't willing to get involved."

"They always stick to the main road, so if you want to avoid them, just cut through the wilderness." Brian said. "That's what we were doing."

You stay and chat for a little while longer, but after a while you decide that you can't stay any longer. Your girls seem eager to go, with Lamina in particular looking impatient to continue. Before leaving, you make sure to swap contact numbers. While you doubt you'd run into them again soon, it'd be nice to fill up your contact list a bit more.

As you leave the camping area, you consider the news they'd given you. The dojo students you ran into earlier didn't seem that much of a problem, but if there were a whole bunch of them waiting around, things might get annoying. 

On the other hand, going off the main path had its own problems. Sure, you wouldn't have to deal with challengers, but there were ferals. Also, without Ana around, you were sure to get lost pretty quickly. 

In the end, you decide to...

[] Stick to the main paths. Surely these dojo students couldn't be that bad

[] Go off the beaten track. A bit riskier, but at least you won't have to deal with challengers

Right now, you have Ana and Lamina out. Do you want to swap them with anyone else? 

[] No. Keep them out.

[] Yes, I want... (Pick two of your pokegirls)

Part 40. Camping Out

"We have a schedule to keep if we're going to meet up with my friend (Slight blush at the mention of Red), and we can't really afford any but the most necessary of delays, such as eating and sleeping."

-----------------------------------

Lamina groans. "Mistress, I haven't had a proper fight in days now! I know you want to meet your friend again, but when are you actually going to use me for what I'm trained for?"

Don't worry, you'll be fighting Red when you meet up with her. She'd probably insist on it, actually.

"Really?" the Armsmistress asked suspiciously. "Is she any good?"

Well, her mother was a gym leader, so Red's bound to have at least some idea of how to train her girls. 

"Huh. Alright then." she nodded, a distant look in her eyes. "I just hope it'll be worth all this waiting."

---------------------------

There's a designated camping area just up ahead. The sonic markers are supposed to keep it safe from ferals, but it's far from perfect. Apart from that, you might also run into other tamers looking to get some rest.

-------------------------

Normally, you'd go to the town. It's the safe option, giving you a chance to relax and enjoy a proper meal at a restaurant. 

But you're a tamer now. You're wandering the wilds for the first time, a harem of powerful(ish) pokegirls at your side. While a part at you grumbles at having to eat outdoors, the rest of you is elated at the chance to try something new. 

Besides, even if you burn the food, you can still eat the energy bars, right? 

About half an hour later, you spot the sign. A blue triangle inside a square - the mark of a designated camping area surrounded with sonic markers. 

Leading your team off the main trail, you soon find yourself in a large clearing in the middle of the woods. A medieval looking well has been built in the center, its simple rope and bucket mechanism allowing access to fresh water. A number of scorched circles on the ground shows where people have made fire pits in the past, and just to the side you spot what appears to be a berry bush of some kind. 

There are also a pair of tents set up nearby. The owners are sitting just outside, enjoying a picnic together. From their similar appearance, you're guessing that they're siblings of some kind. You don't see any pokegirls around, though you do spot the pokeballs clipped onto their belts. 

Your pokegirls stiffened as they spotted the other humans, though they relaxed slightly as they realized that they didn't seem to be an actual threat.

"S-should we try talking to them?" Ana squeaked, looking a little nervous at the prospect.

"Hmph. We're eating out here?" Lamina huffed, ignoring the other tamers. "Hope you don't expect me to help. I'm a city gal, born and bred. Got no idea how to cook anything outside a proper kitchen."

How do you want to deal with the other tamers?

[] Leave. You're not interested in dealing with other people right now.

[] Be friendly. Maybe they're nice people?

[] Be aloof. Ignore them and stay on the other side of the camping area.

[] Be daring. Challenge them to a match!

Part 39. But it failed!

[] Um, not now. I'm kinda in a rush...

--------------------------------

The other woman shrugged before waving you on. "Ah, fair enough then."

A loud crump booms from where the two male tamers are fighting, followed by a strangled cry. The woman sighed. "Go on, then. I need to make sure those two idiots don't get carried away."

Deciding to take her advice, you and your girls hurry across the bridge. Ana looks relieved, though you can't help noticing Lamina dragging her feet a little and sending occasional longing glances towards the fighting. 

Once you're out of sight of the bridge, the Armsmistress turns towards you. "So... why didn't you want to fight them? Those were just trainees, so I doubt they'd have anything too powerful. We coulda taken them on easily." 

[] Response?

----------------------

You've been walking for a few hours now. Though none of your girls show signs of lagging, you're beginning to get a bit tired. You're only human, after all, and as your rumbling tummy reminds you, it's almost lunchtime. 

Checking the map, you can see a few possible places to rest.

[] There's a designated camping area just up ahead. The sonic markers are supposed to keep it safe from ferals, but it's far from perfect. Apart from that, you might also run into other tamers looking to get some rest.

[] It's a bit out of your way, but there's a village nearby that you can rest in. It's too small to have a proper pokecenter, but you're sure that there'll at least be an inn or something where you can relax and find some grub.

[] Forget resting. You're strong! You're tough! Keep pushing on and try to cover as much ground as you can. 

38. Trainee Kelly Challenges You To Battle!

Let's check it out. Keep out our mouse and the armsmistress and approach to ask whats going on.

Keep alert on case of potential ambush. If we're attacked, bring out everyone and get some distance between the threat and us.

No sacrifices to "stall while you get away"

---------------------------

While you're still a bit wary, these people don't seem like a bunch of Team Rocket goons. Cautiously, you step out into the open, Ana and Lamina at your side. 

Unfortunately, it seems that everyone else is too busy to pay attention to you. 

The rough looking tamer in green looks a little too smug for your liking. "Look," he drawled. "None of you said anything about not allowing switching. I won fair and square."

The two people on the bridge seem less then amused. The man in particular is fuming as he shouts at his opponent. "Fair and square?!" he spits, "You wretch! If you had any sense of honor, you would-"

"Hang on, Lionel," the woman beside him interrupted. Judging by the pokeballs on her belt,she was almost definitely another tamer rather then a pokegirl. Her clothing looked similar to her companion's, if a little more elaborately designed. "We have company."

"What?!" the man growls, glaring at you. "More cheating scum, here to rob us of our hard earned money?"

The guy in green coughs. "Speaking of which, I believe you still owe me-"

"Silence!" the martial artist demands, pointing dramatically at the other tamer. "I will not stand for this insult! I challenge you again! Double or nothing!" 

The guy in green smirks, pulling a brightly colored pokeball off his belt. "Well, if you're that eager to get your ass kicked, who am I to complain?"

"Boys..." the female martial artist muttered, rolling her eyes as she approached you. "Hey there, stranger!" she calls. "Sorry about the mess. I'm afraid Lionel tends to get a little too worked up by these challenges."

So what's going on here?

The woman gestures at her uniform. "Well, as you can see, the two of us are trainees from the Silent Fist gym. As part of our training, we're supposed to test ourselves against other tamers, which is why we're challenging anyone who wants to cross the bridge. You interested in a battle?"

[] Sure!

[] Um, not now. I'm kinda in a rush...

[] No thanks. But could I stay and watch your friend's battle?