Fizzytopian Park and Gardens

[Marion Ette]

Fizzytopian Park and Gardens

What could be better than a day at the park with your Pokemon? Whether relaxing on a bench with your pals or starting an impromptu game of frisbee with other trainers and their Pokemon, the FPaG has something for everyone. Our beautiful gardens contain the widest variety of plant species in all of Fizzytopia, and are well-accented with beautiful statues, regal fountains and serene garden pathways. The park itself is home to the spellbinding Mystic Lake, where swimming by both trainers and Pokemon is encouraged, and lakeside picnics are very popular. Various nature trails are also marked for your convenience throughout the park for those who prefer a bit of exploring.

In order to ensure a calm, worry-free experience for both trainers and Pokemon, tall grass has been thoroughly manicured and the Pokemon who once lived in this environment have been relocated to our private wildlife park. As such, please do not expect to run into many wild Pokemon here. In addition, it is against park rules to capture any wild Pokemon you encounter.

We hope you enjoy all that nature has to offer here at the FPaG!

[Missingno. Master]

A Pokemon trainer around the age of 22 wandered into the park, gazing around in awe at the well-kept landscape. He had a cowboy hat on his head, Poke Balls on his belt, and a Meowth on his shoulder. "Wow," he murmured. "They really fixed this place up good, didn't they?" The first thing he did was wander up to the large and beautiful lake. Pausing only to marvel at the sheer size and beauty of the body of water, he took two of the Poke Balls off his belt and launched them out over the water. "Hebenon! Pisces! Come on out!" he shouted.

In twin flashes of light, a Qwilfish and a Blue-Striped Basculin materialized, landing in the water, both of them looking back up at their trainer.

"Have fun, guys," Keith grinned. "Lot more room here than the bar's aquarium, right?"

"Fish Qwilfish!" Hebenon replied happily as he submerged himself to swim around.

"Bas bas Basculin," added Pisces as she too started to swim around.

Satisfied with this, Keith turned around and threw three more Poke Balls. "Pomona! Hermione! Peeves! Come on out!"

In three more flashes of light, an Ivysaur, a Weedle, and a Duskull materialized. Pomona the Ivysaur appeared, landing softly on the grass, glancing around excitedly to see if any of her friends were going to show up. Hermione the Weedle appeared on Keith's shoulder, and looked around, admiring the carefully maintained park. Peeves the Duskull appeared in midair and also glanced around. "Where this?" Peeves asked Keith in perfect, albeit grammatically incorrect, English.

"We're at the Fizzytopian Park and Gardens," Keith explained. "We've all been spending so much time at the bar, I thought a little fresh air would make for a pleasant change."

"It sure seem like pleasant change for Pomona," Peeves observed as the Ivysaur started rolling around in the grass. Keith chuckled a little bit at this.

"OK, guys, go on, have fun, just don't get lost, OK?"

"Aye aye," Peeves replied as he floated off. Hermione remained on Keith's shoulder, opposite from the one Meowth was on.

"I'm stayin' right here," the Meowth stated in a voice identical to that of the Meowth on TV. "Dis shoulder of yer's is just too darn comfy."

"Yes, Meowth," Keith sighed, "You've made that clear twenty times this morning."

[gmoyes]

Alex sighed as he made his way down to the shore of the lake. He heard that this was a good gathering place for trainers. He had popped by the trainers bar, but he personally found it rather loud and crowded. He never was one for lots of other people. Here in the fresh air was much more comforting for him. Plus, this was a good time to hang out with his squad. But first, itwould be best to introduce himself to the newest member of their team.

When he got to the beach, he shrugged his backpack off his shoulders and pulled a pokeball out of his pocket. "Ok Delta, come on out." He released the small seahorse pokemon into the water in front of him. He crouched down in front of her. "Hey Delta, welcome to the team. I'm Alex." The Horsea gave a small chirp and a grin, which Alex mirrored. The water type was certainly cute. "I'm going to introduce you to the rest of the team. Come on out everyone!"

With that he pulled four regular pokeballs and one premier ball out of his pockets and released all the pokemon they contained. Out came Theta the Magnemite, Echo the Bronzor, Phi the Abra, Kilo the Klink and Bravo the Beldum. Alex grinned to himself as his pokemon looked around at where they were. This was the first time he ever had everyone out at once. "Ok guys, we're just here to hang out and have fun. Now don't get into any trouble."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Bravo locked his eye on Kilo and charged at it with its head covered in steel energy. Kilo responded by surrounding itself with fire and charged back towards the Beldum. Alex groaned. "Echo, stop them." The Bronzor bobbed a nod and its eyes glowed a deep blue for a moment. The charging steel types were surrounded by an aura of the same colour and they slowed to a halt. They struggled for a moment then looked over at Alex. "Why must you two always keep fighting?" he stated with his arms crossed. "Seriously, you're worse than me and my brother."

The duo looked away sheepishly and Alex smirked. His pokemon seemed to pair up. Bravo and Kilo had a rivalry with each other, Theta and Echo were partners and if they weren't non-biological he would think that the two of them might have been in some sort of relationship. And it looked like Phi and Delta were in the middle of a conversation. It made sense that those two would pair up, they were the only ones who weren't non-biological. He wondered what potential pokemon might join the team in the future. He dreamed of earning enough money to buy a Porygon, but with his luck Arceus knows how long that might be. He looked forward to what discoveries he might make with these pokemon and what challanges he would face. Who knew what would be next?

[Missingno. Master]

Hebenon, Pisces, Phi, Delta: Pisces swam around aimlessly, until she could detect the sudden appearance of a new scent in the water... Horsea. Female, she figured. Silently and stealthily, the Blue-Striped Basculin swam towards the source of the smell... There it was, she could see, the Horsea was partially submerged near the shore... She swam closer... closer... She could practically taste it... And then she found herself not moving. Her fins continued to move, but they were no longer propelling the Basculin forward- Hebenon, her Qwilfish teammate, had spotted the Basculin and stopped her in her tracks with Psywave.

"Pisces, what the hell are you doing?" Hebenon demanded as he swam over to the Basculin.

"Getting my lunch, if you don't mind," snapped Pisces.

"I do mind, though," Hebenon retorted. "How many times did Keith tell you to not eat Pokemon belonging to other trainers?"

"Prove that she belongs to a trainer," said Pisces.

"I saw her trainer send her out," said Hebenon. "Now do you really feel like arguing with me?"

Pisces felt like arguing with just about anyone who restricted her access to prey, of course, but Hebenon was a different case. She could sense right from the start that Hebenon outclassed and overpowered her thoroughly, and that he could very well kill her if it ever came down to it. "No," she snapped resentfully as she swam off to try and hunt down some more easily accessible prey. Hebenon turned around and realized that his conversation with the Blue-Striped Basculin took place not two feet away from the Horsea, as well as an Abra she was talking with. They were very likely overheard.

"Sorry about Pisces there," Hebenon said. "She's one of my trainer's newest Pokemon, she's still got to learn to not eat Pokemon belonging to other trainers. Keith and I- Keith's my trainer- we've been trying to teach her that, but we haven't been very successful so far. Oh, sorry, where are my manners? My name is Hebenon, and who are you?" he asked the Horsea and Abra.

Keith, Meowth, Hermione, Kilo: Meanwhile, Keith noticed as another trainer entered the park and sent out a small assortment of Pokemon, one of them looking like little more than a pair of gears, meshing with each other and rotating in midair. Keith had never seen a Pokemon like this before, and approached it curiously. Hermione, the Weedle on his shoulder, looked equally curious. Keith took out his Pokedex and pointed it at the pair of gears.

"Klink, the Gear Pokemon," droned the device. "Klink rotates to generate the energy it needs to live. Its special attack is Gear Grind."

"A Klink, huh?" Keith said, interested. "Pretty cool."

"Yeah, I'm wit ya on dis one," Meowth agreed.

Hermione then spoke up. "Hi," she said to the Klink. "I'm Hermione, what's your name? Please pardon my curiosity, but I've never seen a Pokemon quite like you before... how is it you stay in midair like that?" she asked keenly. Hermione never passed up an opportunity to learn something new.

[Marion Ette]

It was a beautiful day at the Fizzytopian Park. The sounds of laughter and frolic could easily be heard from the lakeside, as trainers and Pokemon enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere. The occasional chirp from a Pidgey or Taillow echoes from the clear blue skies, as birds of all kinds take to stretching their wings in the sunlight. The Autumn foliage is particularly beautiful this time of year, and warm reds, cheery yellows and deep oranges dot the landscape. All in all, it was a perfect day, mellow and calm without interrup-

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEE!

Suddenly, the sound of a loud motor can be heard bursting through the park, as a flash of orange darts along the lakeside, spraying cut grass everywhere. The odd creature zooms to and fro, laughing maniacally as it zigzags across the park, singing in an utterly manic, high-pitched yet upbeat tone;

MOW THE LAWN MOW THE LAWN TIME TO MOW THE LAWN LAWN MOW TIME MOW TIME LAWN

In seemingly no time at all, the insane lawnmower seems to have mowed all the grass within a mile radius of the lakeside, with surprising precision. Satisfied with its handiwork, the possessed yardwork equipment makes its way to the lakeside, grinning ear to ear with pointy, grass-filled teeth. It seems intent on saying hello to the trainers that have gathered there. The scent of fresh-cut lawn emanates strongly from the odd creature. Its eyes lock onto a trainer with a large hat speaking to a rather bookish sort of fellow, and approaches them both.

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii... The creature softly says through its grin before launching into a full-on monologue. You must be PEOPLE! OHMYARCEUS. People are SO MUCH fun you have NO IDEA NONE WHATSOEVER OH NOOOOOOOO your brains cannot comprehend the fun happy fun times. The lawnmower cackles erratically. I have a name do YOU have a name because names are very important you know I like names I want to know your names so I can SAY THEM TEN TIMES FAST because that's what people do with names or at least that is what they should do with names because people forget names all the time and there was a man who forgot my name and I told him he should say it ten times fast and then I ate his foot by accident MY NAME'S GADGET HI! The Lawnmower named Gadget seems to nearly jump in the air with its introduction, such is its uncontrollable energy and enthusiasm. They told me my trainer's real real sick but her sister's allllways watching. She's my super-awesome caretaker person thing but she might be dead too I don't know. She's around here soooooomewhere! The creepy lawnmower's eyes dart to and fro, never landing in any particular spot, to indicate the mystery of his "caretaker's" location. But when my trainer gets better she will see all the lawns I have mowed and she will love me I hope she will love me I am very helpful yes? Mowed lawns make trainers better yes? A bit of sadness flashes in the lawnmower's wide eyes.

[gmoyes]

Hebenon, Pisces, Phi, Delta: Phi gave a little nod to the Qwilfish and hovered over the water so they wouldn't get stuck in the shallow water. "Don't worry too much about it. I can sense her hostility so if anything were to happen, I have my Thunderpunch to help deal with it. I'm Phi and this is Delta."

"Nice to meet you!" Delta chirped. "I'm new for my trainer too!"

"His name is Alex and he's back on the beach," Phi said making a little gesture landward. "It appears he's talking with your trainer. He's a nice trainer, though it's hard getting into his mind. His thoughts are fast and somewhat scrambled, I can only really convey one word at a time. Hopefully that will change as I get stronger."

"I'm glad I have a trainer!" the Horsea piped up. "I wouldn't like to be left alone where things like Basculin could eat me!"

"Manners Delta," the Abra said eyeing Pisces. "We don't want to make someone who already want to eat you mad."

"Sorry!"

Keith, Meowth, Hermione, Alex, Kilo: Alex turned toward Keith and noticed him checking out Kilo on his pokedex. "Ah, you're interested in Kilo huh?" He walked up to them leaving Echo, Theta and Bravo to float around and explore. "They're an interesting species, one of the oldest species of mechanical non-biological pokemon. I've written up a report on the line. It's currently at the library of Talas, you should check it out." He paused for a moment. "Hey, you're Keith right? I've read your report on Koffing and Weezing. Rather interesting. Have you written any others? I believe our studies overlap when it comes to the Grimer and Trubbish lines. Both of them are non-mechanical non-biological I believe." He paused and gave a little smirk. "Sorry if I'm going on for awhile, this is a subject I'm passionate about."

Edit: Just then Alex heard the noise of a small engine and looked aound and saw a lawnmower zipping around the park on its own accord. "What. The. Heck." Alex just stared as it rolled up to them and started its monologue. He tuned it out as he searched his brain for information. It must have been a Rotom, a ghost type that love to inhabit electronics. He heard that they could possess lawnmowers to access a grass typing as well as the move Leaf Storm. A rather interesting pokemon and he promised himself to do some more research on them at a later date. It may have been a ghost, but it just about fell in the non-biological pokemon group. "Uh, settle down some. I'm Alex."

As he was talking with the trainer, Kilo was talking with the bug type perched on his shoulder. "We feel the energy of the earth and we use it to our advantage," the twin gears said speaking in stereo. "The Magnemite Theta and the Beldum Bravo also utilizes this energy. The Bronzor Echo uses psychic energy however and we believe so will the Beldum once it evolves." The steel type turned slightly to look at its rival. "It's not fair is it, to be outmatched by the one we continually fight against. The Beldum will grow larger than we would ever be and use move that we could only wish for." It paused to look at the little Weedle. "We get the feeling you might feel the same way."

[Missingno. Master]

Keith, Meowth, Hermione, Alex, Gadget, Pomona: The loud motor sound made Keith jump as an orange lawnmower, seemingly of its own volition, came zooming through the park, mowing down all the grass in its path. Keith wheeled around in alarm, holding his Pokedex out in front of him like a shield.

"Rotom, the Plasma Pokemon," droned the device. "Rotom's unique physiology allows it to possess various appliances and power them from within."

At that moment, the Rotom approached Keith and began talking rapidly, in Rotom language. Well versed though he was in Shuppet language, Keith couldn't understand Rotom language at all, and so he gave a glance to Meowth, who seemed to be trying to take in all the Rotom's words.

"Hey, Keith?" Meowth said a few seconds after the Rotom had stopped speaking, "Does Marion have a sister?"

Keith shrugged. "Damned if I know," he said. "Why?"

"'Cuz dis Rotom here says its trainer's sick, but dat da trainer's sister's been lookin' after it, but it said someting about da sister possibly bein' dead or someting. Da Rotom's trainer's female, too, from da sounds of tings. I tink it said its name is Gadget."

"Gadget?" Keith repeated as he turned to face the excited Rotom. "Nice to meet you, Gadget. I'm Keith, this is Meowth, this is Hermione, and the Ivysaur running up to you from behind is Pomona." For at that moment, Pomona, excited at the prospect of meeting a Pokemon just as energetic as she was, ran up to the Rotom.

"Hi!" Pomona exclaimed happily. "Hi, my name's Pomona, what's yours?"

Keith, meanwhile, thought to himself... If this Rotom really did belong to Marion, it might not be the only one of her Pokemon around here... It was with an odd mixture of nervousness, outright fear, and, oddly enough, anticipation, that he considered the possibility that Minerva might also be present. If she was really present, he wanted to talk to her. He knew he had to talk to her, even if he was putting his life on the line by doing so.

At that moment, the Klink's trainer, by the name of Alex, approached and greeted Keith, and remarked on how he had read the Poison-type trainer's report on Koffing and Weezing. "Oh, you saw that, huh?" Keith grinned. "I haven't written any others yet, though I'm considering working on one for Grimer. It probably won't be until mine evolves, though- I've owned a Weezing for years and years, so that line I know all about... Maybe I should write one about Qwilfish," he murmured. Alex then remarked that their studies might overlap when it came to the Trubbish and Grimer lines, given that they appeared to be non-biological Pokemon. "I guess so," Keith agreed. "I mean, I don't know as much about the Grimer line as I'd like to. My Grimer, Strychnine, hasn't been with me for very long... I've seen Grimer before I started as a trainer, though- I lived in Hoenn, in Lavaridge Town, and I've seen a couple of Grimer in the nearby caves. Now, the Trubbish line, that's one I really like. I can't really think why that is... But Trubbish itself, believe it or not, I think it's one of the cutest Pokemon ever. But anyway, yeah, I'm Keith. I don't think I got your name, but I'm guessing it's Alex, right? I've read some of your reports, yeah. I myself am kinda interested in Klink, and I can't really place why. I mean, I actually specialize in the Poison-type, but as I'm sure you've guessed, I've made some exceptions.

"Hey," Meowth spoke up from Keith's shoulder. "Name's Meowth, I'm one of da exceptions he was mentionin'."

"Yeah," nodded Keith. "Also, if you see a Duskull around here, that's mine, too. His name's Peeves, he's pretty friendly. And I have a Blue-Striped Basculin somewhere in the lake. She's rather hostile, but I got my Qwilfish watching her, she shouldn't cause any problems."

Hermione, Kilo: Hermione, interested by the Rotom though she was, was already engaging the Klink in conversation. She nodded as Kilo explained how they feel the earth's energy and use it to their advantage, though was still unsure as to how exactly that worked... She was already starting to form theories about magnetism, but didn't dwell on it too much, the better to listen to the Klink speak as they remarked on how unfair it was that the Beldum, apparently their rival, would grow larger and more powerful, and acquire moves they could only dream of using. Hermione nodded understandingly. "I get what you're saying. I myself know the only four attacks I'm ever going to learn... But I don't plan to evolve. Not now, not ever. See, I always hear about trainers that catch Weedle, only to make them evolve as quickly as possible into Beedrill. I want to prove that a Weedle can be worth something in battle without evolving, you see, even if all I have to work with is Poison Sting, String Shot, Bug Bite, and Electroweb."

Hebenon, Phi, Delta: "Pleased to meet you both," Hebenon stated as Pisces swam away. Delta, the Horsea, then mentioned that she was new to her own trainer. "That's nice," Hebenon said. "I've actually been with my trainer for a long time, way back when he was just starting out, and he started out a little over eight years ago." He then turned to Phi, the Abra. "So you can communicate with your trainer via telepathy?" he said. "That's cool. My trainer's Weezing can communicate with telepathy too, believe it or not. So can his Woobat, though that's a little more believable." Phi then warned Delta about her manners, as Pisces was still within earshot at that moment.

"Manners don't matter much to Pisces," Hebenon assured the Horsea. "She splits living things into two categories- those she has respect for, and those she hasn't yet eaten. And manners aren't the way to earn her respect, power is. And believe me, I'm more than a match for her myself."

[OkikuMew]

Okiku, Omenya:
Okiku, wanting to take small break from all that adventuring and battling, decides to travel to the famous Fizzytopian Park and Gardens, which supposedly was recently rearranged. She earlier giggled when reading in its pamphlet that the "tall grass has been thoroughly manicured", but stopped in horror as soon as she reminded herself of the implications, then felt relieved as she read right afterwards that the grass' inhabitants were moved to a wildlife park.

As the 22-year old arrived, she was slightly disappointed that, although not as much as a bar she visited in the past, some trainers, none that Okiku recognized, were already present. "So much for being alone," she thought, "but I guess it's better than being in crowd so noizy you can't hear yourself thinking." she reached for the five Pokéballs strapped on her backpack, and threw all of them over her head.

"Come on out guys! 'Tis a-break time!"

A Pokémon for each of Okiku's thrown receptacle came out, including her Poochyena Max, her Starly Rawk, her Espeon Himiko, her Shuppet Omenya and her Spheal Hershel. All greeted their trainer as they became fully spawned.

"Hi guys!" Okiku greeted them back. Knowing they're used to be called only to ask their help, she added: "No no, no battles or special task for you guys to do today." Most of her creatures gave her a curious look for the exception of Rawk, expecting to take on another job to show off his talents, frowned.

"You can do whatever you want here today, just relax and have fun! But behave yourselves too," she placed her hands on her hips, "I don't want any trouble!"

All went off in different directions of the park, for the exception of Omenya, smiling... and feeding on his trainer's dark emotions, as usual.

"Ack, Omen..." she painfully blurted, holding herself not to cry in public while having the horrible moments of her past flashing in front of her eyes, "... stop it... not... now..."

Thankfully, the Shuppet complied, but he was still grinning and licking his lips after having that delicious snack. His trainer took time to catch her breath and dried a few tears before talking to him again.

"...You really need to do that in more... subtle ways or something. ...Let's go sit at that picnic table of there," she points at a table far from most people around, "and look at the trees, alright? I like staring at all the coloured trees in fall, and seeing all the migratory birds passing by too."

After a few steps though, a Rotom dashed into the scene, cutting all the grass in sight, and joined most of the present trainers to talk to them in an extremely fast and overexcited fashion that could rival the Space Core. Slightly disturbed by the sight, she rushes her Shuppet to the table she pointed at earlier.


Max, Rawk, Himiko, Hermione, Kilo:
The trio, knowing each other more than the rest of the team as they were the young adult's first Pokémon in her team, decided to hang out with each other.

"Dude, why's Okiku not giving anything to do!?" Rawk complained loudly, "How am I supposed to show how awesome I am now!?"

"What, facing that creepy mirror on Halloween and getting away from it without a scratch and understanding and following Okiku's orders given in code that one time isn't enough for you?" Max retorted.

"It's never enough! I have to make everyone FEEL THE RAWK!" the bird puffed up his feathers.

Max and Himiko sighed in unison.

"Anyways..." Max tried to change the subject, "Himiko, I see that you evolved! Congrats! How does it feel?"

"...Thank you," the Espeon shyly answers. "...It feels strange to be honest, I'm feeling and thinking things I have never have before. I would blame that to the drastic change of my type."

"Oh, right," Max remembered, "back when you were an Eevee, you were just a normal... "normal" type. Probably it's your psychic powers kicking in."

"I believe in the same reason," Himiko nodded, "I feel the temperature and the humidity better, in consequence can almost guess the weather in advance well. I'm starting to understand Okiku better too, time to time I feel like I know what she's saying in her head."

While the two had their conversation, Rawk felt a bit ignored so he quickly went off to look for others to impress. He spots the two Pokémon the closest to him, a Weedle and a Klink, and fly towards them.

"Har har har har! Time for you dudes to meet the RAAAAAAAAAWK!"

Max, quickly picking up the Starly's voice, dashed right at him, jumped and tackled him to the ground before Rawk hit the two other Pokémon.

"Get hold of yourself!", the Poochyena snarled at the bird, "We're not here to hurt others!"

"You're not running away from this! Feel the horror of a world–class RAAAAAWWWKING!"

As the two started fighting, Himiko slowly walks towards the steel and bug Pokémon, glancing embarrassingly the battle.

"...I apologies about those two, especially Rawk," she sighed. "He's so concentrated in showing himself off, he can't seem to see the effect of his actions. Good thing Max keeps an eye on him... Although I'm not to keen on how he does it." She paused for a moment, before realizing how awkward the silence was. "O-oh, I'm sorry... Rawk, if... you haven't guessed, is the Starly, while Max is the Poochyena. And I'm Himiko, nice to meet you," she nodded.


Hershel, Hebenon, Phi, Delta:

Hershel, although wanted to stick around with most of his teammates to have a nice chat, felt that his skin needed to be hydrated, so he headed out to the park's lake. To his delight, he spotted a Horsea, an Abra and a Qwilfish swimming and discussing together. He rolls to them and waits for the opportunity to talk without interrupting the tree Pokémon.

"Hello there! Sorry to barge into your conversation," he spoke to them with a young but refined voice, "It is a nice day for a swim, isn't it? I must say this place is quite lovely. Oh, before I speak any further, let me introduce myself," he cleared his throat then politely bows down, "I am Hershel, and I am glad to make your acquaintances."

[Marion Ette]

Keith, Meowth, Hermione, Alex, Gadget, Pomona - Gadget's wide eyes bulge even further at the sight of Keith's talking Meowth. After a moment, it cries out in joy. I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU COULD STEAL PEOPLE FROM THE TV!!! Do you miss the happy TV land Meowth? DOES 3D HURT? Can you taste outside-tv-food? I can go inside TV land but I can't take people out of it but now I know I can which makes me REALLY REALLY HAPPY so I need to figure out how to do that and MOW DOWN HONEY BOO BOO The lawnmower giggles before realizing it has been addressed by a cheerful and energetic Ivysaur named Pomona. It seems distracted by the budding flower on the Ivysaur's back. There's something on your back Pomona!! I can mow it for you... nice and smooth, all down your back! Mow all nice! I can help you because I LOVE helping~ The Rotom revs up its motor in preparation to mow Pomona the moment she agrees to its help, when it suddenly stops dead in its tracks, distracted by the sound of its name being called by a distinctly feminine voice.

That's her! That's her! The one I talked about! The pretty-scary scary-pretty lady that smells like cigarettessssshe sounds mad but she always sounds mad even when she's not mad because she's mad like a BIG GIANT HAT WITH NUMBERS ON IT The lawnmower giggles and zooms toward the voice, leaving Pomona and Keith behind. One wonders whether or not it would be wise to follow such a crazy Pokemon, especially if the voice calling it has anything to do with Minerva, but curiosity is often a powerful motivator...

[Missingno. Master]

Hermione, Kilo, Himiko, Max, Rawk: As Hermione was conversing with the Klink, an overly-confident Starly was suddenly zooming right towards them, making his presence known very loudly. Hermione prepared to fire off an Electroweb, when a Poochyena quickly made such a tactic unnecessary by using Tackle to stop the Starly. At that moment, an Espeon introduced herself as Himiko and apologized for her teammates.

"It's quite all right," Hermione replied politely. "Truth be told, I'd have been interested to battle that Starly... Rawk, you said? I recently learned an Electric move, you see, so I was curious as to whether that would help me overcome the type advantage. But anyway, my name's Hermione, and it's nice to meet you," she continued.

Hershel, Hebenon, Phi, Delta: As Hebenon was talking to Phi and Delta, a Spheal came swimming over and introduced himself as Hershel.

"Hi," Hebenon said to Hershel. "I'm Hebenon. This is Phi, and this is Delta. Good to meet you. Pisces, don't even," he added sternly, for at the Spheal's appearance, a Blue-Striped Basculin came swimming silently up behind the Spheal, teeth bared hungrily.

"Oh, come on!" Pisces snapped. "I'm friggin' hungry over here, there's a buffet gathering right in front of me, and you're not letting me eat any of it!"

"You just ate before we came here," said Hebenon. "I swear to Arceus, you're worse than Crabbe."

"Hey, now, that's an insult," snapped Pisces. "That slimeball knows nothing about the fine art of hunting!"

"Just don't eat these guys," Hebenon said. "And if you try, I will stop you."

Pisces said nothing, but slowly turned around and swam off, very much aware that the Qwilfish could easily make good on that promise.

Keith, Meowth, Pomona, Gadget: Gadget started chattering excitedly as it realized that Meowth could talk. "Heh heh," Meowth chuckled. "Settle down dere, I ain't dat Meowth. I'm a big fan, though!" Gadget then wheeled around and offered to mow Pomona's flower for her. Though it was unmistakably offering to do so with good intentions, Pomona suppressed a shudder all the same.

"Oh, no, I don't want my flower mowed!" she said to Gadget. "I like it how it is, but thanks for offering anyway!" She was about to say more, when a voice called Gadget's name out. Though Pomona seemed unfazed by this voice, Keith blinked, dawning comprehension on his face as he realized just who was taking care of Gadget. Meowth tensed up, his fur standing on end.

"Keith," he hissed in his trainer's ear. "I tink dat was Minerva!"

"Minerva..." Keith repeated quietly as he started to wander off after Gadget, slowly and purposefully.

"Eh? Eh? Is youse crazy?!" Meowth exclaimed once he realized what Keith was doing.

"That's entirely possible," Keith replied, not stopping, not slowing down, not turning around.

"OK, Keith, does you possibly remember dat dis is da same Minerva dat tried to kill you?" Meowth asked, trying and failing miserably to keep his cool.

"Vividly," Keith answered, as the look of anger and sorrow that he had seen in Minerva's eyes flashed in his memory, further compounding his already palpable guilt and remorse.

"OK, you wanna tell me why youse is going towards da crazy Banette dat tried to-"

"Don't call her crazy," Keith interrupted, with a stern glance at Meowth. "She did what I drove her to do with my stupidity and ignorance. It's not just that thinking about taking Neville back was a bad idea- it was, of course- but for all I had taken into consideration, I thought I had considered everyone I cared about with that decision... And I was wrong. She wasn't the stupid one, I was. And I need to tell her that."

"And if youse die?" Meowth asked nervously.

"Then I go with a clean conscience," Keith stated firmly. "Better than living with guilt of that magnitude."

Desperate to stop his trainer from walking towards his imminent doom, Meowth tried to lock eyes with Keith, intent on casting Hypnosis to persuade him to turn back. Keith, however, averted Meowth's gaze deliberately, having expected tactics of this sort. And so he continued to follow Gadget, who was very likely going to lead them right to the Banette Keith so needed to speak to. Crazy? Perhaps. Risky? Definitely. Was there any way to talk Keith out of this? No way in hell.

[LucarioArtcunoSuicunLover]

A young lass walked into the park, Spearow on shoulder and Ferroseed (uncomfortably) in arm. It was a beautiful day, the sun out and a gentle breeze ruffling her hair about. She couldn't wait to dig into the food she'd packed in her backpack; a little treat for her and her pokemon. All were ready to have a nice, relaxing time in the park. Maybe they could meet some other trainers and pokemon having a lovely time, too?

The image of a peaceful, pleasant park crashed as soon as they entered. It wasn't complete chaos, sure, but El had been expecting more picnics and less living lawnmowers. Pokemon were all around, she felt awfully out of place with her meagre party of two now. Not that she'd trade Sparow or Livermorium for the world, she just felt... young, inexperienced. Like she actually was. What kind of person can't even run without shattering their nose, anyway? At least that had only happened once though.

"Ow!" Livermorium was twisting around in her arms. She nearly dropped the Ferroseed, it was the least she could do to drop down and put him on the ground like she was ducking for her life. Not that he probably would have minded being dropped, he was a very special boy in that regard. As soon as he was free of El's grasp, he began hopping forward. Hop. Hop. Hop. El looked at Sparow and began to follow her younger pokemon. Wasn't hard really, Ferroseed weren't exactly known for their great speed.

"Heeeey, hey everyone!" He called out across the park as loud as he could. Sparow immediately burried her head in her wing, bracing for what was destined to come next. "What do you pay a policeman attending an evening chemistry class? Copper nitrate! Haha get it because copper is slang for a policeman and nitrate sounds like night rate! And it's a chemical! Ha! I am a comedic genius." Sparow groaned, but El just laughed at her pokemon's antics, not understanding a word of the poor joke.

"Now Liver, don't disturb everyone too much, they were doing things before we arrived, after all."

"I'm so sorry he does this all the time and she doesn't understand him and keeps encouraging the bugger! Sparow screeched across the park.

"Sparow! You're old enough to know not to do that! Don't disturb the nice people." Sparow dropped her head. Sure, El was nice, but she was being a little biased towards her newest member. She'd blame maternal instincts but the girl was, well, a girl. She was just proud of the odd little pokemon.

[lilbluecorsola]

Jessica sighed as she breathed the sweetness in the air, under which grass and earth spread. The fragrance of fall, fresh. She smiled. What a perfect day for a late-season picnic at the park. Beside her, Blueberry the Drifloon was carrying a basket inflated with warm baked goods she and Waffle the Rotom-H had made together, including apple pie and fritters. There were main courses too of course, such as hot soup in a thermos, sandwiches, and staple potato salad. Containers were bursting to the brim, and Jessica could hardly believe they'd be able to eat it all. Still, she was glad to partake in the pair's first feast, fit for a king.

And they would have help, of course. Frolicking by her feet were a few furry bundles. Two were brown and white, the third simply gray - but just as fabulous, if not more so, in spirit. Kief the Zigzagoon bounded about the recently-opened garden with glee, sniffing all the foreign scents curiously. Kanna the Furret hung back with Minchi the Minccino, the latter wrinkling her nose at how filthy the racoon's coat was becoming. When he invited the two females to roll in the dirt, the chinchilla frowned and declined in disgust, as did her friend, but in her case due to shyness. Finally, in Jessica's arms slept a small Sewaddle, still without a name for now. Jessica hoped she would be able to find one just right for little gal soon, but she certainly wouldn't wait until then to make a new member feel like a part of the team.

They selected a quiet spot near a large tree overlooking the lake, where several trainers and their Pokémon were having fun. Waffle waved the blue-and-white cloth he was carrying, settling it gently on the ground. The three mammalians took the corners and helped to stretch it out, smoothing each and every wrinkle under Minchi's exacting scrutiny. Only once she was satisfied was Blueberry allowed to set the basket down. Upon opening its contents, delicious aromas wafted out and mingled with the crisp autumn wind, traveling down to the water. Jessica placed Sewaddle carefully down on the blanket, letting her crawl towards a bowl of Berries as the girl worried wondered whether the sight and smell of refreshments in such close proximity might attract some unwanted visitors. She wasn't sure whether that was part of her plan or not, as she preferred peace, especially in such an open, exposed environment. Ironically, in the past she was more comfortable within the confines of the Bar because of her closeness to most of the patrons there. However, all the new faces that had begun to habit the establishment had made her somewhat hesitant to approach these days. Out here was less crowded, but still a strange setting to her, full of trainers she didn't know. Here felt more public instead of private - no shadowy corners to sequester herself in when she needed a break from socializing. Still, she supposed that a small part of her secretly sought to make new friends, for she had chosen to sit here in plain view after all, not to mention bring so many enticements. She certainly wouldn't – or couldn't – say no if someone came up and asked to join her. There was plenty to go around, and in fact that may have subconsciously played in her strategy as well. Yes, she was admittedly looking forward, if only slightly, to the prospect of meeting some folks to share her fortune with.

For the meantime though, surely things would remain calm for a bit, she thought as she unwrapped a homemade burger and bit down on it, mouth watering as the medium meaty juices flowed across her buds. Waffle was clearly a master at his craft; he had cooked the patty to perfection in his own belly. Blueberry had made the buns, which were big and fluffy and topped with toasted sesame seeds. Jessica grinned as she wolfed down the grub, eager to enjoy her excellent meal in pleasant silence as usual, surrounded simply by her Pokémon pals, who provided more than enough noise and entertainment.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEE!

At that moment, an orange blur shrieked by, spraying snippets of lawn in its wake. Blueberry immediately inflated herself to act as a shield for the dishes as well as the diners, bouncing back most of the blades and soil so as not to spoil her and Waffle’s hard work. Minchi had unfortunately been outside the circumference however, tugging fastidiously at an uneven edge. She spat a glob of mud back to the ground and glared after the offender, while Jessica couldn’t help but suppress a giggle. So much for tranquility. Gazing after the vandal, it seemed to be heading directly to the beach, and for a moment she was concerned it would drive straight in. However, it switched gears at the last moment and screeched to a halt in front of a group of two trainers and their Pokémon. Both boys looked befuddled, and she couldn’t blame them. As she squinted at the crazed contraption however, a sense of awareness sparked in her, and she turned to Waffle.

“Say, didn’t that lawnmower look familiar?” He nodded- then switched to shaking as Blueberry gave him an evil eye, glancing back and forth between the other rascally Rotom and its “brother” suspiciously. Waffle rubbed the back of his head with one of his mitts, whistling as he turned away and began digging into a plate of pizza, complimenting Blueberry on the crunchy crust. Jessica chuckled as she handed Minchi a bunch of napkins to wipe herself with before continuing to chow down on her own bread, deciding to leave well enough alone. Perhaps later after they were well-fed and content she’d suggest they all go say hi.

[Missingno. Master]

Pomona, Livermorium: As her trainer walked off in what was a potentially very, very unwise move, Pomona looked around and noticed a newly arrived Ferroseed shouting a rather less than funny joke across the park. Seeing the opportunity to make a new friend, the Ivysaur ran up to him. "Hi!" she said cheerfully as she approached the Ferroseed. "My name's Pomona, what's yours?"

Peeves, Jessica, Sewaddle, Kief, Minchi, Kanna, Blueberry, Waffle: Peeves was drifting around the park aimlessly when he smelled the faint smell of food. Curious, the Duskull floated over to the source, and noticed a trainer and her Pokemon setting up a picnic. Peeves floated over to where they were sitting and introduced himself.

"Hi," he said in English (albeit grammatically incorrect). "My name Peeves. It OK if I join you all?" he asked. "My trainer pack food, but his Basculin eat it all..."

[LucarioArtcunoSuicunLover]

Pomona, Livermorium: Livermorium began spinning around rapidly once approached by Pomona. See, Sparow, his jokes worked! Bounce bounce spin spin, he took a little time to stop himself again. "Hihi! Sorry about that when I get excited I spiiiiiiiin! He demonstrated as such with a few more rotations. "I'm Livermorium but my trainer that's her arguing with the Spearow behind me by the way sometimes calls me Liver or Lv for short! Apparently it's a metal of some kind I don't know hay can you see that I'm encased in metal? Which reminds me of a joke! Why was the steel type the life of the party? Because he's MET ALL of the pokemon there! Because metal sounds like met all and steel types a made of metal! Haa I'm a blast."

Sparow let out an indistinct screech. El knelt down and gave Livermorium a friendly whack. "Nice to see you making a friend dear! but don't forget to let them talk too."

NO you moron you're encouraging the bad jokes! The two returned to their argument.

[Missingno. Master]

Pomona, Livermorium: Pomona giggled at the Ferroseed's excitable personality, and even chuckled at his joke- she didn't think it was that bad. "Wow, that's pretty cool when you spin like that!" she exclaimed. "I could never spin like that, I'd get all dizzy! Great to meet you, Livermorium! Ooh, yeah, I see you're covered in metal, you're all shiny and stuff! And you got spikes, too, lots of them, just like Hebenon! Hebenon's one of my teammates, he's a Qwilfish, and he's pretty cool, but I never saw him spin like you did!" Pomona was clearly just as excited to meet Livermorium as he was to meet her, she loved making new friends.

[fishyfool]

At the entrance of the newly refurbished Fizzytopia Park, a handful of figures passed through, comprising of a human and four pokemon. While the bar was a nice place for a drink or two, the trainer felt that a good few lungfuls of fresh air always helped one's mood unfurl, and so it was that he and his team had found their way to the park, with several very large baskets being lugged around.

Gritting his teeth, Alex rested his picnic hamper to the ground, before cursing between his teeth as he realised with a great deal of discord that not only was his larger normal type not having trouble with her bag, but held a pair of item balls designed for carrying larger items with ease instead.

"Oh, you son of a...I forgot those existed..." he groaned before shrugging and picking up his hamper once more.

Beside him, the Infernape gave a chuckle, his natural strength allowing him to carry two hampers without much difficulty. While the situation was amusing at best, the ape knew the reason he was here, with some unfinished business to attend to. Looking over at the few small groups in the area, the fire monkey noticed a girl around Alex's age sitting at a picnic table with a Shuppet and nudged the boy in the side with an elbow, causing him to careen into the ground like a tree.

The other two pokemon, consisting of an Aipom and grey and purple Hitmontop, the latter having no problem with the basket due to the same stratagem employed by Totsuka, simply stood by and watched the amusements happen as Alex slowly climbed to his feet, hissing slightly before turning to the source, and twinged red a little.

"No-Nothung, stop it. Just because she's about as old as me doesn't mean we're an item. In fact, I've never seen her before."

Plucking a Moon Ball from his belt, he released his pumpkin orange Lunatone, whose eyes gave a faint cyan glow as telepathic communications were opened between him and his team.

"No harm in saying hi, is there? We'll keep ourselves looked after, just let Halley out for a stroll with us and join her."

"...well, just be mindful of anything that could pose a danger. We're here for a day out, not a war," he muttered before handing the Xmas Ball to the ape's hand before beckoning Harpe with him, leaving the group alone. Stopping halfway, Alex released his Swampert into the field, pointing him towards his pokemon before lugging towards the girl at the bench.

Totsuka, Nothung, Arondight, Nuhoko, Mjolnir, Halley: The five pokemon together, the psychic rock negated his link with his trainer before scanning the remaining group, his gaze swiftly turning into a frown.

"We need someone capable of defusing potential fights to stick with our shadow pokemon. It's very faint, but there's a trace of an encounter I'd rather forget in a hurry..." he grimly hummed.

"You mean there may be snakes on the plain..." the monkey remarked, to which the Infernape shrugged once more. "Arondight, you're on neutral terms with the team, you stick with Totsuka."

"Do I have to? She gives me the willies..."

"At least I know to keep my cool."

"What!?"

As the discussion commenced, nobody noticed that Mjolnir had left for the lake, having discreetly taken the special ball from the Infernape as he tried to calm the arguing pokemon down with Nuhoko aiding with some psionic persuasion.

"Forget it, we have business to attend to. We're here to relax. Me and my other orange companion-"

"Quiet, you."

"-will take our basket and head for that guy with the hat's Ivysaur, to keep her company. You two can entertain the Espeon's group, while Mjo...bugger, he's already off."

And with that, the pokemon headed in their directions, with the abnormally coloured ones giving a casual bicker.

Okiku, Omenya, Alex, Harpe: It wasn't long before Alex reached the table with his hamper, his burning arms screaming at his small mind for not making the task easier. His mind retorted that it built character and preferred the traditionalist method, whereby the stomach told the two to cease their silliness before he went heartburn on their arses. With the body situation sorted, the trainer hefted the basket to the side of the table and sat down to catch his breath while the Aipom hopped onto said table and broke the ice to the Shuppet.

"Hi there...this man is my trainer, Alex, and my name's Harpe. Is it okay if we join you here?"

Nothung, Nuhoko, Pomona: Approaching the high and dry Ivysaur, Nothung turned his head to the orange Lunatone.

"Now remember, if there's a whiff of Seviper, don't get me involved. The last thing I want is to sour any companionship with that Arbok any further."

"Noted, she can deal with them herself, she has some surprising speed after all."

Reaching the grass type, who seemed a bit lost, the monkey plopped the hamper down while the Lunatone glowed before suddenly teleporting away for an instant, before popping back in with a very large and compacted blanket, slowly setting it out on the ground while Nothung made small talk.

"Hello, we're just getting a picnic set up here for folks to join. You're free to join in, we brought plenty of grub for anyone," he started as he opened the basket, revealing, yes, item balls with small labels on them.

"Alex is an idiot for not thinking picnics through like us..." Nuhoko chimed in before returning to the task at hand.

"Just out of curiosity, but would you happen to know any Arbok?"

Hermione, Kilo, Himiko, Max, Rawk, Totsuka, Arondight: "I'm just saying that you need to relax, brah."

"I am relaxed, you're just antagonizing me you bloody ferret."

"Racism, is it? How crude..."

The pair approached the group, which consisted of the Espeon as noticed prior, as well as a Poochyena, Starly, Weedle and a Klink, the two newcomers a little puzzled as to the existence of.

"Well, it seems there are indeed such pokemon from Unova in these parts of the world. Who knew?"

"I dunno, Zangoose, what would you know?"

Brushing the cocky Hitmontop aside, the Shadow Zangoose composed herself and approached the group trying to appear as friendly as possible. Considering the crimson eyes, dark aura around her and purple fur, it was debatable how kindly this would be. However, the shadow pokemon never was one for fighting unless in self-defence, an abnormality amidst their kin.

"Would anyone care for some refreshments? We've brought plenty. I'm Totsuka, and my grey accomplice there is Arondight. Mind you, he's a little, er, pompous..." the normal type introduced before dropping one of the item balls to reveal a sizable basket, easily the height of the Zangoose while the Hitmontop gaped, ego still stinging.

Hershel, Hebenon, Phi, Delta, Pisces, Mjolnir, Halley: On the approach to the riverside, Mjolnir paused, not for breath, but for a quick identification check. The group in the water seemed to consist of a Spheal, Qwilfish and Horsea, none of which the ground type recognised, as well as an Abra hovering over the drink, as well as...

"Hmmhmmhmm..."

Lugging to the water mons, the Swampert set the item ball down before staring at it for several tense seconds. The Swampert had battled some vicious creatures, braved an assault against a corrupt corporate executive, dealt with the loss of a good friend and crossed proverbial swords with an abomination, and here he was stopped by an orb, of all things.

"...how does one open this thing..." he growled before inspiration hit him, and he poked the Xmas Ball to reveal in a burst of light, hidden from view of the other pokemon there, a foot tall fairy-like creature with a crownlike head complete with tags.

"Halley...how do I open these things?" Mjolnir blurted, poking the item ball with his prize with a very large digit. Without missing a beat, Halley touched the small button on the front of it, before giving it a small twist. Immediately the capsule exploded into a basket which seemed familiar to the Swampert.

"Isn't this from some giveaway?"

"Yup! Go make friends!"

Pulling a pair of orbs out with labels on them resembling steaks, the Swampert lumbered waterwards before looking round to his smaller companion, the pixie fishing in the hamper for an item ball before popping it open, revealing a basket and blanket with some sandwiches already preset as they laid it out.

"Uh, oh yeah...I'm Mjolnir, and this here..." the Swampert mumbled to the water types and Abra before shuffling into the drink to reveal the Jirachi, "is Halley."

"Hi!"

Paddling near the sulking Basculin, the Swampert fiddled with one capsule for a moment before opening it to reveal to the carnivore a fully butchered carcass of a Bouffalant, the large lump of meat landing in the water with a splash and floating there before the fish while the other orb opened to reveal a large ham, which Mjolnir took a chomp out of.

"I think I remember seeing you at the bar a couple of weeks earlier, back in that incident with my daft Honchkrow. He's still sulking over it...but anyways, I always consider the meat eaters out there and offer this as a gift of respect, seeing as you seem to be hungry."

[lilbluecorsola]

Peeves, Jessica, Sewaddle, Kief, Minchi, Kanna, Blueberry, Waffle: Sure enough, a Duskull drifted by, attracted by the delicious smell of food. Surprisingly, it could even speak English - albeit with some difficulty. Jessica choked down her shock and lettuce, then smiled at Peeves. Even if he was a specter, she was far less afraid than if a human had asked.

"Sure, help yourself. We've got tons." Blueberry handed Peeves a paper plate, happy to help out the hungry, not to mention a fellow ghost. She and Waffle watched eagerly as Peeves took the first bite, waiting for review.

Jessica stared closely at Peeves. "Say, aren't you the Duskull I fought a while ago? You were with a Petilil, weren't you?" For a moment she was glad she decided not to take Kristen today. After what happened during that experience... She wasn't sure how to Snorunt would react around Peeves, or vice-versa. Squinting closer towards the lake, she managed to spot Keith, recognizing him as one of the two males who had been talking to Rotom. "Is that your trainer there?"

As she said this, the lawnmower suddenly darted off, and Keith started to follow. She cocked her head, curious what they were up to, but determining it wise not to get involved.

Edit- Nearby, she also noticed a boy setting up another picnic, opting to use one of the provided tables. She flushed in embarassment as he announced the snacks were for all to share, realizing how selfish she must look now. Shrinking as if to hide herself, she shuffled nervously as she spoke to the gray spirit.

"Uh, um, if you want to go over there, where there'll probably be more... People- er, food, that is, feel free..."

[Marion Ette]

Keith, Meowth, Pomona, Gadget, Coselle - Keith and Meowth follow the trail that Gadget has left behind, which hugs the lakeside before veering off dramatically in the direction of one of the gardens. As the pair bravely tread on, they are greeted by an ivy arch which leads to countless beds of roses in all colors, shapes and sizes. Pink letters formed with flower petals advertise this area as the "Rose Garden". The air is thick with their perfume, and the bold reds, soft pinks and pale yellows, despite their contrast, seem oddly harmonic here in the tranquility of the garden. Pathways curl and twist in various directions, winding through the roses without clear direction... Clearly, this was a place intended for aimless admiration more than purposeful traveling, but Keith and Meowth are able to find the path with signs of skid marks consistent with the wheels on Gadget's lawnmower bottom, and follow the skids through the garden. As the pair follow these tracks, the sound of a conversation between two familiar voices becomes more audible;

"Here? In the park? Trainers? This place has been closed off to the public for years... Why would the park suddenly reopen like this? I thought we would be alone here and you would be able to expend your energy safely..."

I dunno! BUT THEY ARE HERE AND YOU SHOULD MEET THEMMMM

"I have you to do that for me, Gadget. Tell me... Who did you meet?"

I MET AN ODDISH. It was tasty.

"I told you to be more careful of grass types, Gadget... They are not for mowing, unless I explicitly tell you otherwise, ehehehe!" The familiar cackle echoes throughout the Rose Garden. "Now... what about the trainers? Who were they?"

OHright. Wellllll there was a science-y scienceman who's got mechanical friends sorta like me but not like me because they're that really fancy word he used nonbarawojikkal or something but they're really neat.

"Right, that must have been Alex..."

YEAH. He said that was his name but he told me to calm down and I don't know what he meant because I'm always calm ANYWAY I also saw my bestest former-trainer friend Yuki with my brother but I haven't said hi yet and I saw some girl with a Spearow and a lady with a fuzzy puppy named Max and I saw a PACHIRISU in a tree and it had chubby cheeks-

"Were there any other trainers, Gadget? Any other human beings I should know about?"

At this point, Keith and Meowth can see the origins of the voice... At the center of the garden, a swinging bench sways back and forth, carrying the weight of a ghostly-looking young woman with long, black hair. Beside her, Gadget's motor purrs, almost cat-like, happy to be with his caretaker. The ghostly young woman bears striking similarity to Marion, though her eyes are darker and her smile has a slight hint of malevolence that goes beyond Marion's look of mischief. The woman swings back and forth on the bench listlessly, admiring the heart-shaped bushes that surround her, covered with white roses tinged at the tips with a pinkish-red. Her style is decidedly more gothic than her sister's, complete with a short, black lace dress and combat-style boots that end above her knees. As she comes into Keith and Meowth's vision, she immediately tenses up, shooting an accusatory gaze towards Gadget.

"You... you were followed, weren't you??"

Nooooooooooo. Gadget pauses for a moment, thinking. Wait, I mean yes. YES! I think I might have been followed possibly sort of maybe if you carry the two. YOU SHOULD MEET THEM~

The black-haired woman grimaces, but pats the lawnmower affectionately despite her clear irritation. "Perhaps we should go..."

[Missingno. Master]

Nothung, Nuhoko, Pomona, Livermorium: As Pomona continued to talk to the excitable Ferroseed, they were approached by an Infernape and an oddly orange Lunatone. "Hi!" Pomona greeted them excitedly as they started setting up a picnic. "I'm Pomona, and this is my friend Livermorium! What are your names?" Before she got that answer, however, she was asked if she knew any Arbok. "Ooh, yes, I do," Pomona nodded. "My trainer's got an Arbok, it was the first Pokemon he caught in Fizzytopia! Her name's Nagini, and she's really nice, unless you somehow get her angry, in which case she can get pretty scary, but she almost never gets that angry. I don't think he brought her here, though..."

Hebenon, Pisces, Hershel, Phi, Delta, Mjolner, Halley: Hebenon watched as the Swampert struggled with the item balls, before letting out an unknown Pokemon to help him. As the Swampert moved into the water, however, Hebenon was astonished to see the legendary Jirachi! Not one to pass up an opportunity to talk with an actual legendary Pokemon, the Qwilfish swam up to the Steel/Psychic-type. "Hi," he said to the Jirachi. "My name's Hebenon, it's an honor to meet you... Halley, wasn't it?"

Meanwhile, Pisces looked on, impressed, as the Swampert unleashed a Bouffalant carcass into the water. "Aww, yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" she exclaimed as she started greedily munching on the offered body. "Mmm, this is good stuff!" she remarked after swallowing her first few bites. "Much appreciated," she added to the Swampert. "Didn't catch your name, by the way, I'm Pisces."

Hermione, Kilo, Himiko, Max, Rawk, Totsuka, Arondight: Hermione watched with keen interest as her group was approached by not only a Shadow Zangoose, but also a Shiny Hitmontop. "A pleasure to meet you both," Hermione said courteously as the Zangoose unleashed a picnic basket from an item ball. "I'm Hermione. I've never actually met a Shadow Pokemon, or a Shiny Pokemon, for that matter," she added, scientific interest and curiosity evident in her voice. "Totsuka, wasn't it? Is it true that Shadow Pokemon have certain attacks only they can use? If it is, may I see one?"

Peeves, Jessica, Sewaddle, Minchi, Kanna, Kief, Blueberry, Waffle: "Oh, thank you," Peeves said politely as he accepted a paper plate with food on it from the Drifloon. He took a bite, and nodded appreciatively as he swallowed the food. "Mmm, this very good," he said. "You cook this?" he added, directing the question to the Rotom currently possessing a toaster oven. Jessica then asked him whether he was the Duskull she battled, and mentioned a Petilil, and Peeves recalled very vividly the battle in which he was ruthlessly thrashed in a 2-on-1 onslaught once the opposing Ice-types made short work of his Petilil ally. Now he remembered. "Yes, I that Duskull," he answered. "Was that you Snorunt? I mean no offense, but..." Peeves shuddered a little bit. "Something about her... No feel right..."

Keith, Meowth, Gadget, Coselle: As Keith followed Gadget, against Meowth's better judgement, they could overhear a conversation between the Rotom and someone else, and the someone else had a very familiar... no, an unmistakable voice. The lack of stutter was a change, but there could be no question as to the voice's owner. That, and the fact that she seemed to be conversing with a Rotom who was speaking its native language was something of a giveaway. As Keith rounded a corner, he spotted a bench in the center of the garden they had wandered into, and sitting upon that bench, a woman who greatly resembled Marion, only with black hair, a different look in her eyes, and something different about the way she smiled. Only she ceased to smile upon spotting Keith, suddenly tensing up and looking decidedly more irritated, suggesting to the Rotom that they should go. At hearing this, Keith stepped forward, not wanting her to leave until he had had his say.

"Minerva, wait," he said, in Shuppet language. "I... I can't even begin to say how sorry I am... Not just for what happened to Marion, though make no mistake, I feel horrible about that... No, I... I should have just hung up on that adoption center guy. I shouldn't have given any thought to taking that hell-spawned fish back onto my team... After all he did... I was stupid enough to think he actually deserved another chance... More than that... I... I thought I had taken into consideration everyone I care about when I thought about taking Neville back... I was wrong," he said, blushing slightly as he said this, though not entirely sure why. "I was the one who was wrong. Not you. I was the one who was stupid, not you. And... And I'm sorry." He gave a sigh at this point, and looked up into her eyes. Meowth watched this go on, and was somewhat surprised at hearing Keith speak Shuppet language, and so fluently. He was relaxing somewhat, but still seemed very tense about the whole thing. Minerva did try to kill his trainer, after all.

Keith sighed again before continuing. "I'll understand if you don't forgive me," he stated. "I pushed you to do something you didn't want to do... I could see the sorrow in your eyes when you were about to cast that curse... And Marion got hurt on top of it all... And it's all my fault. So I understand completely if you can't forgive me... I'm not even sure I deserve forgiveness, I'm not about to ask it... But promise me one thing... Promise me that you'll kill Neville." A fire was visible in his eyes as he said this- his mind was more than made up on this matter, that Stunfisk had caused far too much pain, both physical and emotional, to have any shot of getting forgiveness from even him. "I didn't adopt him. Someone else did, and Arceus help me, I tried to stop him, I really did... Minerva... I do understand it- the need for blood. I only wish I had understood sooner... Had I understood sooner, I wouldn't have made such a stupid, stupid mistake... I know how much it means to you to kill Neville, and I should never have dreamed of taking that away from you... I was starting to like you too," he admitted. "I... I still do, actually," he added, blushing again, still without exactly knowing why. Here, he stopped talking and watched Minerva's human form, anxiously waiting to see how she would react, part of him hoping against hope for the impossible- forgiveness (that he didn't even feel he deserved, at that) from a Banette.

[gmoyes]

Alex, Theta, Echo, Bravo, Okiku, Omenya, Alex, Harpe: Alex sighed to himself. A bunch of pokemon showed up to talk to Kilo and Keith's Weedle while Keith himself went off to follow the Rotom mower. "I just wanted to spend some time were it wasn't that busy..." He looked around and saw a couple of trainers sitting at a picnic table with some picnic baskets. He gave a little grin to himself. Picnic baskets meant food. He made a beeline to the table. "Hello, may I join you guys? My name's Alex. Let's see, my guys should be around here somewhere..." He looked around and saw his trio of steel types floating down the lakeshore. He caught their attention and waved them over. "These are my guys, my starter Theta, Echo and Bravo." He pointed at his Magnemite, Bronzor and Beldum in turn.

He eyed the backets of food. "That looks good. My guys can't eat, but I sure can."

Hello you two, Echo spoke to the Aipom and Shuppet gracefully.

Hey, you guys look strong," the Beldum spoke up, then surrounded its head with some silver energy "I bet you can't endure this!"[/I]

The Magnemite shot a small thundershock at his teammate breaking its focus. "Bravo, stop picking fights with everyone you see zrrt. You're not as strong as you think you think you are bzzt."

"If our trainer let me battle more, than I would be. I'll be stronger than both of you."

Theta rolled his single eye. "Until then, think before you charge at stuff."

Hermione, Kilo, Himiko, Max, Rawk, Totsuka, Arondight: Kilo looked at the gathered pokemon as well as the food the Hitmontop and Zangoose brought. "Our trainer calls us Kilo. We're sorry but we're unable to consume food. But we shall stay at this gathering. This is the largest range of pokemon we have ever seen."

Hershel, Hebenon, Phi, Delta, Pisces, Mjolnir, Halley: The small Horsea gave a big smile and chirped happily. "So many cool pokemon! I can't believe you are all belong to trainers!"

Phi had a look of shock when he saw the Jirachi. "Oh my Arceus... are- are you really Jirachi? You're a legend, what are you doing here?"

"Relaxing and making friends! What does it look like they're doing?" Delta piped up cheerfully.

"I- I just- wow I don't know what to say," the Abra said. It certainly wasn't every day someone meets a legendary pokemon.

"Say hi!"

"You are definitely too energetic." He turned to Halley. "Uh hello, I'm Phi and this is Delta. It is really an honour to meet you."