#pkmnhorizons

[surasthana]

EVENT: the challenger's path. ( dazzle 'em )

At first, she's not sure what to make of the potted flower-turned-creature at her side. From its beady little eyes, coupled with the springy little grass legs it had grown to properly support itself in walking, Nahida had little time to process fully just why it had been given life in the first place. All she knows is that everyone has seemingly been given similar partners of their own and because of Ofiuco's short explanation of the situation, she has an idea of what to do.

As she stands in the large dressing room, people frantically dressing their spiralemons in different sets of clothing, makeup, and other accessories, Nahida feels a bit lost in the commotion. It's only the familiar face of Liko that grounds her again, who also seems to be having fun dressing up Sprigatito! "Liko, you're here too?" she calls, moving to the girl's side, flower pot in hand. It waves at Liko and Sprigatito, matching Nahida's cheerful tone. "Oh! This is…well, I haven't thought of a name yet. Maybe you could help me?"

"Not just with the name, but with this whole...competition, actually!"

@pkmnhorizons

[isolaradiale]

without a prior reserve i'd like to app liko from pokemon horizons! her app is the third link on the sidebar!

Welcome to chilly Isola Radiale, Liko!

You’ll be staying in CONDO 422!

You will retain your Sprigatito!

Enjoy your stay!

�� ⋆ mimosa.

[inablinkgone]

This is the second time Till has heard someone talk enthusiastically about their 'partner' and he thinks he's starting to understand what it means to people. His initial reservations begin to melt away as the girl talks about her world. They were both so optimistic and enthusiastic. Young but passionate.

It was nice to hear that there were worlds where humans lived peacefully with non-humans too. 'Monsters' had to be different than 'aliens,' right?

"That's really awesome. Usually 'partners' in my world sing together." Or they were business partners... but Till has the feeling that doesn't apply here. "Do you two perform together too? You're both very in sync." They were very... cute. It's really the only word applicable.

"Oh, I get it. She's a 'pocket monster' 'cause she's so small she fit can in your pocket!"

◓ Sprigatito aside, Liko didn't think there were any Pokémon out there that ate brains! Wouldn't that be more like a zombie out of a movie than a Pokémon? If one did exist though, she'd have to be careful! She didn't like it when people called Sprigatito her "pet", because that was fundamentally incorrect.

So she was happy when he called them "friends" instead! "Mhm! We're partners!" The cat meowed in agreeance when her trainer pumped up her fist.

"Ah..." She kept forgetting that Pokémon weren't common around here. She couldn't imagine a world without one. "Pokémon is short for "pocket monster". Our world is populated by them and we live in relative harmony. Sometimes humans and Pokémon become partners, usually for life!" Liko didn't really know how to explain it better.

[surasthana]

"A…cat?" The green hue of its coat makes her wonder if that's entirely right. Curious, Nahida bent to eye level, her head tilted as she cautiously held out her hand. Animals usually came to her instantly, but not this time. The two of them were still, watching the other for any sudden movements. After a couple more moments pass, Nahida decides to take a more forward approach.

The hand that had been offered now presses to the grassy patch that they stood on, a small flower sprouting almost instantly. Once it's fully bloomed, Nahida plucks it and offers it to the other. "There! See? I'm a friend,"

"Where's your owner anyway…? Do you have an owner?"

@pkmnhorizons

[snackleader]

"That's dumb, if they have time to make 500 million different sauces, they can at least bring things from your home!" They get a bit quieter. "I miss shopping with Dile. She always knew what to do."

◓ "I can kind of relate. Not only are there a lot of brands, I've never even heard of any of them. They also don't sell a lot of products from where I come from. It can be kind of hard to shop sometimes..."

[diamonddomain]

("Their back is a crystal as well?") Diancie said, giving a pretty in-depth look at the photo despite its simplicity. There was a possibility they might've been some sort of relation nobody told the Pokémon but it was doubtful.

("It doesn't ring a bell. If my Carbink partners or even Xerneas was here I think they might've known. But it still seems like I'm the only one here from my region.")

Yet despite that she seemed to be doing well. A couple close encounters but nothing she couldn't handle alone. Really the only thing missing now was having friends like Liko to talk with more often.

("If they did ever show up however I'd love to meet them. Most of my life was only in a small area so perhaps they could be an ancestor?")

◓ Liko knew that her goal would likely be a difficult one in the long run. There were definitely plenty of people out there that had pursued a similar goal, and there were probably people that would challenge her optimism too. But she was still a kid, she was still learning!

Upon being asked what Terapagos looked like, Liko crouched down and began to rummage around in her bag. "One second!" Sprigatito hopped down and watched as her trainer pulled out a notepad and pencil, and within thirty seconds she had produced an amateur sketch of Terapagos.

When she was done, she showed it to Diancie. "They look kind of like this? Like a turtle, but their back is a crystal!" Maybe it was wrong to assume that Diancie would know about it just because they were both crystal related?

[railheist]

Maria nods. "Yeah, that's right. They call it the Selene Space Station. Great view up there, if you've never been. It makes you ponder a lot of things..."

"I think we'd notice if the moon was shootin' out folks and suckin' 'em up. Unless it was happenin' faster than the eye could see, or somethin' like that..."

◓ "The moon... There's a space station we can go to behind it, right?" She'd never been because she wasn't sure how her Pokémon would react to being in space. It might be worth a trip someday though!

"But would that mean the moon is shooting us out and sucking us in whenever we come or go!?" Scary!

[einwish]

Rounding a corner, Kyubey finds a well-proportioned tree and scampers up the branches, finding his perch on the tallest one before he peers down with his eyes at his pursuers.

Girl, 1. Cat...also 1? He's yet to meet one so expressively green, however.

Fortunately, speaking telepathically means that he can easily communicate even when the target is still chasing him down the block.

§ Even if you catch me, I can't give you anything now. §

§ But I can promise you something nice later if you ask! §

◓ "Eh!?" Something dashed by Liko's feet, causing the Sprigatito to give chase down the sidewalk. "S-Sprigatito!? Wait up!" What was her Pokémon's interest in that monster? Was it a Pokémon too? There were a lot she had never seen before, so it was definitely possible.

"Sprigatito! Slow down! Don't hurt it!" She had no choice but to pursue the both of them on foot either way.

[antoake]

"I've...never heard of them, to be quite honest with you. I would have thought he was some kind of cat-shaped harvest sprite, had you not been so kind as to correct that assumption."

He feels almost childish for admitting that: harvest sprites are typically something little ones, the elderly, or the very religious believe sincerely in, after all. Still, the creature -- Sprigatito, she'd called it -- was certainly interesting. Its kind, gentle stare...the soft, shiny fur (which was a rather vibrant green -- he'd never seen that on an animal, though he'd known of pink or peach colored cows)...truly, a pet someone lavished affection on.

Surely, there must be a lot of interesting animals that've made their way to this place (more cats, hopefully, too). He can only hope they're adjusting so well.

"Is your friend something akin to a cat? I've never seen one such a...earthy hue before."

He refrains from asking to pet the little guy (it would be unbecoming of him, to do so right upon meeting the two of them). That can come later -- he's very curious about just what Sprigatito is now.

It couldn't hurt to ask, surely: it would give him a chance to socialize more (like his sister tried to get him to do so often back home), and acclimate himself to things outside his idea of the norm.

"And...would you care to explain more about pokemon to me? I'm unfamiliar with the term -- it isn't used where I'm originally from, so I'm afraid I've no idea what it means."

@antoake

◓ The level of eye contact between Sprigatito and this man might as well have been off the charts. Liko felt like she was just an accessory in this encounter, and had taken to looking off to the side for a moment as she tried to figure out what to say.

"Um... Are you interested in Sprigatito, by chance? I guess Pokémon aren't very common here, um..." Being brought to this city had opened a whole new can of things to make her anxious about, seemingly.

[akazukinemma]

"A costume...?"

Confused, Emma began turning in a circle in place, trying to examine every ruffle and ribbon of her outfit. Everything was in its place from what she could tell. Was her outfit really that stand out compared to everyone else?

"These are just my normal clothes! I didn't know there were performers around. It seems so dreadfully boring here.." They didn't even have Buddyfight on the island last time she had checked.

"Ahem! That is to say; thank you for the compliment. But I'm just Red Riding Hood, Emma. I could try and juggle though, if you wanted."

@akazukinemma

◓ "That's a cute costume! Are you a performer by chance...?" Liko had probably spent a little too long trying to figure out what to say. She liked meeting new people but was a little socially anxious and had a tendency to overthink what she wanted to say. But she hadn't really seen many people close to her age in the city!

She didn't want to squander this chance!

She had no idea if her question was on the mark, though. "I mean... I guess people around here wear some interesting things? Maybe I'm wrong..." The Sprigatito on her shoulder was just blankly staring at the stranger in the meantime.

[inablinkgone]

"I guess she is a little small to be a brain eater..." Till gives a sigh of relief when the alien jumps off of his head - though, he starts to feel a little stupid for his assumptions as he watches the 'cat Pokémon' act so friendly and familiar around a human kid.

"Are you two... friends?" It's a strange idea, to think an alien and a human could be friends, but he can't think of another word to describe it.

"I've never heard of a 'cat Pokémon' before."

◓ "Um... I don't think Sprigatito is going to eat your brains. She's just a cat Pokémon!" Liko had been on Sprigatito's tail for some time now, but when she finally caught up she hadn't expected to find her on a man's head. A man afraid she was going to eat his brains, too!

When Liko was in range, the cat leaped from the man's head and onto her shoulder.

"Sorry about that! She's, um... very adventurous sometimes! ...H-Hey!" Sprigatito didn't seem to like that comment based on how she placed her palm on Liko's cheek.

[diamonddomain]

("Oh that's wonderful! A rather difficult task considering how many Pokémon there are out there but one I'm sure can be exciting to go about.") Everyone always went on about how big the world really was outside of her own domain. The mere idea of every other region out there potentially having something like her or Xerneas was something always on her mind, especially after being in Spirale for so long.

("Terapagos? It doesn't ring a bell no...") Nor did she remember any real mention of it from one of her friends either. ("What do they look like? Being crystalized does make me curious. Maybe its similar to the Carbink we have at home..")

◓ "A Pokémon Master? Well... I guess that's a pretty common goal for a lot of trainers..." The beauty of being a Pokémon trainer was that your journey could take many paths. There were so many different goals you could set with your Pokémon at your side! Some wanted to be the strongest, but was that all being a "Master" entailed? If she ever met someone with those aspirations, she'd have to ask! "I... I'm trying to understand and support Pokémon. And we're searching for some legendary Pokémon..."

Liko supposed searching for Lucius' team was probably off the table for now though.

When Diancie introduced herself, Liko found herself bowing politely. It was like being in the presence of royalty somehow! But she sparkled with those crystals... "It's nice to meet you! But um... Could you possibly know anything about a Pokémon named Terapagos? It seems to be related to crystals too... I wish they'd come here with me, then you could meet."

[surasthana]

"Well, she seemed too tame to be a street animal, so it made sense!" That she had an owner, that is. Liko's appearance not too soon after only served to confirm that statement. Plus, just from a glance, they seemed to match in both appearance and energy.

Liko's staring doesn't go unnoticed, Nahida just smiles in response and instead chooses to focus on the both of them rather than herself. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend. Your partner, then!" As there was clearly a distinction and she wanted to respect that. "Sprigatito..." As the Archon mulls over the name a sweet scent emanates from its fur.

"A display of trust, maybe? What a wonderful smell!"

◓ Liko had been watching from afar. Sprigatito didn't seem to be causing any problems for the girl and they were getting on well enough. She was trying not to stare at the girl's ears, but it was because she still wasn't used to seeing things that wouldn't have made sense back home.

"O-Oh! I'm surprised you could tell..." That the two were a pair. Maybe she had been watching a little too obviously, and when she'd crept closer it had become even more obvious. "She's not my pet, though! She's my Pokémon partner! Her name is Sprigatito, she's the Grass Cat Pokémon!" She was just reciting what she remembered from the dex entry.

The Grass Cat in question mewed from Nahida's shoulder, shaking to release the sweet scent from her fur.

[railheist]

"Good question. If I had to guess, I'd say it's got something to do with that moon. Ain't no normal one, that's for sure. It gets Mister Blue all worried, too..."

◓ "I still don't know. Is there any reason why there's an eclipse every time people come and go? It always upsets Spirgatito..."

[inablinkgone]

"Ohshiwazzidoinizzonmyhead?!"

Luckily, the cute creature isn't being aggressive at all so instead of his usual fight or flight response, Till just freezes.

...Actually, it's kind of nice. The little body is fuzzy and warm... After a few seconds of nothing happening, Till visibly relaxes but he doesn't dare to move yet.

"Uh, can you understand me? If I don't shake you off are you gonna, like, eat my brains or somethin'?"

◓ "Mrr, mrr!" Sprigatito stared back at him for a moment before pawing at her face to help clean her fur.

And then she jumped down onto his head. "Mrr!"

[diamonddomain]

("I met a few of them before arriving here. One was aspiring to become a "Master" and their friends all had varying degrees of aspirations. It was a bit remarkable to see really...")

Though she had to wonder where they all were today. And if they did achieve their dreams she'd want to hear every second of how exciting it was to finally get to that point. All of it exciting Diancie just thinking about it.

("It's lovely to meet you two! You may call me Diancie. And I am a Pokémon yes. Though I suppose I'm just a bit different from ones you've met before considering how I communicate.")

◓ The Pokémon would quickly have its answer as Liko stepped back with a very shocked expression on her face. "I-It can talk!?" She'd met a lot of Pokémon since joining the Rising Volt Tacklers, but never one that could talk! Roy and Dot would have gone crazy! Meanwhile, Sprigatito just jumped onto the unknown creature's head.

("I guess she can. Try not to give her a heart attack though!")

As always, Liko was left wondering what her partner was saying.

"Wait, you know what a Pokémon trainer is? So that must mean you are one..." It wasn't ever day you got to meet a talking Pokémon. "M-My name is Liko! I'm a Pokémon trainer from the Paldea region! And this is my partner, Sprigatito! It's nice to meet you!"