#we’re heading back to Lilycove now but WOW!!! wow

[harteofthehart-ayyy]

I’ve been to Sootopolis like once in my life before today and WOW! It’s pretty

[rhnuzlocke]

Episode 16

Scene 5:

[The next day Ren goes with Kai to the forest north of Lilycove. They spend most of the morning and early afternoon collecting data. Zach and Teka help spot and interview wilds. The two pikachus seem to have really hit it off, which makes Ren happy. Teka has a new collar for her light orb and looks sleeker and shinier than before. After lunch, Ren helps Kai and Jay with some breathing exercises in a clearing. Once they feel ready, Kai and Jay have a battle against Ren and Ao, who both manage to mega evolve for the first time. The battle is close and Ao is winning in the beginning, but eventually Jay’s speed boost makes the blaziken faster than the manectric and Jay wins. Everyone has to take a break after that and lies down in the grass.]

Ren: [deep sigh] Today’s been really good.

Kai: Hm, I had fun.

Ren: It was almost like back when we were both just starting out: running around in the woods near little root, you collecting data, me distracting you with training.

Kai: Yeah. We’ve kinda been doing that since Fortree, but it’s different with Wally around—Not that I don’t like him!—But it’s nice hanging out just the two of us again.

Ren: [chuckling] I know what you mean and it is.

Kai: Of course things are different now.

Ren: No kidding. That’s probably why I’m enjoying this so much. I don’t know how many normal days I have left.

Kai: Have you had any Kyogre dreams yet?

Ren: No. I guess they can be patient having waited this long already.

Kai: But you’ll tell me when you do?

Ren: Yeah.

[Kai’s nav boops softly in the quiet and he checks it. Ren glances over to see what he’s doing.]

Ren: Is that Wally? [sly smile] I didn’t know you two were texting.

Kai: Oh, yeah… He’s, uh, kinda different when you talk to him like this.

Ren: I know! He can be even shyer than you face to face, but it’s all just a cover for his inner sass.

Kai: I donno. I definitely got glimpses of it. He may be a little self-conscious and quiet, but you can always sort of see the gears turning. And he’s fearless. Like after you and Steven went to help the orb guardians on Mt. Pyre, I was freaking out and Wally was having a hard time with all the smoke and stuff and kept having to use his inhaler, but he was the one who calmed me down and got us all out of there when Aqua showed up. It really made me pull myself together. And he is sassy, but he’s still really nice all the time. And he’s a super talented trainer. If he didn’t have to take breaks he would totally catch up with us. He might catch up with me anyway. [Kai turns his head to look at Ren and sees that she is grinning from ear to ear.] What?

Ren: Nothing. I always said he was really cool. I’m happy we’re all friends now.

[There is a sudden ruckus amongst the pokemon and the trainers look up to see Ruby going after Teka and yelling. Zack dives between them and Ruby rages at him.]

Kai: Ruby! We talked about this!

[Ruby yells back at him. Zach pipes up and Ruby throws him a poisonous look, still swooping about in agitation.]

Kai: She didn’t know! You have to tell everyone once and if they still get it wrong then you can pick a fight.

[Ruby huffs and flies to a branch, back turned to Kai and the pikachus.]

Ren: What’s up with her?

Kai: Him, actually.

Ren: But I thought your swellow was…

Kai: Ruby’s bigender and today he’s a him.

Ren: What? Really?

Kai: Yeah.

Ren: Wow, I guess I never really thought about pokemon having a concept of gender.

Kai: I didn’t either before Ruby. I’m not so sure that all pokemon do. In fact, I’m pretty sure they don’t. I wonder if it’s species specific or if it’s related to human contact. I think I’d like to do a project on it, but I don’t have the background. Maybe in college after I’ve taken a gender studies course or two.

Ren: That sounds really cool. Has anyone studied pokemon gender before?

Kai: I didn’t find much, just lots of articles about pokemon sexes and species that don’t have a male and female. Pokemon sociology is a pretty recent field of study, so I guess it’s not surprising.

Ren: You could be the first!

Kai: Maybe. I’ve always been interested in behavior, just haven’t had much opportunity to learn about it. For now I’m just trying to get Ruby to talk about his feelings rather than fight about them. Things have gotten better since I figured out the gender thing.

Ruby: I’ll say.

Kai: Sorry!

[Ruby looks away, but he no longer has his back to them.]

Ren: Me too!

[Ren lays back down in the grass and Kai joins her.]

Kai: …You know, I was thinking, after I’m done here I might go home for a few days. Would you want to come?

Ren: I don’t think so. I’ve got some things to take care of here and then I should probably move on. But you should visit Wally when you go home. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.

Kai: O-okay.

[There is quite for a few minutes while Kai types on his nav and Ren stares up at the sky. Ren’s nav boops and she picks it up to see a text from Wally.]

Wally: Ren! Kai wants to come to my house! ‧˚₊*̥(∗*⁰͈꒨⁰͈)‧˚₊*̥ What do I do???!!

Ren: Let him?

Wally: Help me! ლ(´﹏`ლ)

Ren: With what? You have an inhaler if you can’t breathe.

Wally: ε-(´��｀) ﾌ I already used my inhaler you shitlord! ೕ(Ò⺫ Ó )೨ How could this happen??

Ren: Sometimes, when you have friends, they visit your house.

Wally: You’re the worst! 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 You’ve never been in my room. You don’t understand! ｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡

Ren: Is it like a mess or something?

Wally: It’s covered in anime posters! What if he finds out what a weeb I am?

((유∀유|||))

[Ren bursts out laughing and Kai looks at her questioningly. She tilts her nav to show the last few lines of the exchange.]

Kai: I’m not gonna judge his posters. We’re friends. Tell him to calm down.

Ren: [typing] Calm down. Maybe you could show him one of your favorites shows. He’s a little sheltered. It’d be good for him.

Wally: But what if he doesn’t like it? (๑ó⌓ò๑) I’d die! ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚

Ren: Then it wasn’t meant to be.

Wally: Shut up. (Ò 皿 Ó ╬) This is so unreal. He asked out of the blue. (๑°艸°๑)

Ren: [snickers, then types] You’re welcome.

Wally: OMG YOU DID NOT!!! I’M GONNA KILL YOU!! AHHHHHH!!!!!

ｴｴｯ?工ｴｴｪｪ(๑̀⚬⩍⚬́๑)ｪｪｴｴ工!!!

[Pan out as Ren cackles. Kai is smiling too as he types on his nav. Naihi, who has a razor claw necklace, is practicing her moves on Pohaku. Ao and Jay are napping with Mele, Akahata and Lily. Dusty and Kata are telling each other jokes and Ruby is listening in from a nearby branch. The pikachus are playing tag in the background.]

[pingo1387]

for the fanfic word game: "stop"

yeah let’s do this!! 

From A Dream Whose Name I Dare Not Mention 

Zoro stopped short. A figure stood ahead of him, wearing a pink shirt, blue shorts, and carrying a white-sheathed sword.

~ 

Zoro looked down. “I know. But I’m not going to stop here.”

~ 

“You promised to keep going, you idiot,” he hissed. “Don’t stop here just because you don’t understand.”

~ 

As he approached, he quickened his pace and stopped in front of the obstacle.

~ 

Zoro stumbled to a stop and looked around. “The wrong way?”

~ 

He and Sanji rushed, as if on instinct, towards him, stopping him with blows of sword and kicks.

~ 

The ship was docked, and the crew bade solemn farewells to the ill Yorki and their dying crewmates. Brook was about to leave with the others, but the doctor stopped him.

~ 

His vision blurred. For a moment, he thought he felt something deep in his chest, and he finally stopped playing to feel the spot—

~ 

He did his work in the flashes of memory shown to him, and occasionally found a shiny object on his way, always making sure to stop and pick it up—who knew what could happen if he failed to collect even one?

~ 

Humming caught his ears (not that there was anything to catch) and he turned to see a zombie approaching. The corpse had the appearance of a samurai, a single sword resting on its hip, and the zombie’s eyes were hollow as it hummed a song, stopping several feet from Brook.

~ 

“Stop,” Brook exclaimed, surprising himself with his own vehement tone. “Don’t touch my hair, Ryuma-san.”

~ 

From Sealed with a Kiss 

The spotted seal let himself be washed ashore and waddled farther on the cool sand and rocks until the ocean’s waves could not touch him. He soon stopped by a stone half his length in height and raised himself so he rested upon it.

~ 

Luffy had stopped calling for him, and the silence was blissful. Where he had gone Law didn’t know and didn’t care, pleased as he was to have the beach back to himself.

~ 

“Huh, he’s really retiring?” he said. “I never thought grampa would stop working …”

~ 

He stopped, kneeling in the sand to rest, and soon he looked up when a pair of legs blocked his vision.

~ 

“Pig meat.” Luffy stopped in front of his house, lifted a leg, and used his foot to open the unlocked door.

~ 

“I need to—” Law stopped himself and clenched his hands on his legs, hesitating. “I need to go to the sea.”

~ 

Luffy tilted his head, slowing his pace to walk with him but putting a far too energetic bounce in each step. “We’re gonna stop somewhere before looking for your treasure,” he announced.

~ 

Law was a quick learner, and their departure only took as long as it did because he had stopped to ask Franky about his own legs—those enchanted limbs he had crafted himself.

~ 

They were almost out of this area (to Law’s relief, for they had been given alternating less-than-friendly and too-friendly looks along the way) when Luffy stopped and stooped, straightening back up a second later and examining something in his fingers.

~ 

Law came to an abrupt halt in front of the house and turned himself around to follow Luffy through the front door. He stopped at the threshold, realizing his wheelchair wouldn’t fit through the frame; Luffy turned back and, noticing the problem, offered his hand. Law ignored it and stood on his own, taking the crutches and leaning on them as he managed to move inside. Luffy got the wheelchair and figured out how to fold it to fit it through the door before carrying it inside, banging it on the frame regardless and setting it against the wall.

~ 

“Why did you stop?” Law said.

~ 

When Law yawned, showing sharp teeth, Usopp stopped talking at last and looked out the window.

~ 

He narrowed his eyes and stood, using the wall to leave and head a few steps outside the hall, stopping just outside the kitchen, where he heard Usopp say in exasperation, “What do you mean, ‘Him?’ Your friend Law.”

~ 

Law did so, wary, as Luffy released his wrist. Usopp poured the cool water on it. Law closed his eyes, pleased with the sensation, and opened them again when it stopped, looking to Luffy.

~ 

He glanced at Luffy, who hastily stopped his ongoing impression of Usopp’s soapbox speech.

~ 

Luffy went to the cabinet, whistling. Law looked back at him, noticing his lips, and he pursed his lips the same way, blowing softly. To his surprise, the same sound came out for a second, and Luffy glanced at him with a grin. Law stopped and turned back to the pot.

~ 

“The eggs are probably cool.” Law snapped out of his thoughts when Usopp stood and said this, and realized Luffy had stopped talking and instead was staring at him. He looked away, focusing on Usopp, who was lifting the eggs from the water and bringing them over, placing one on each plate. Law stared at his, picked it up, and placed it in his mouth.

~ 

Law stared at them as they clopped along. After a moment he turned his gaze forward again, taking his time gazing at the street and people around them. Folks of all shapes and sizes milled about, some clutching their hats in a hurry, others stopping in their tracks to examine something, others entering the buildings surrounding them.

~ 

A woman and her friend were talking as Luffy and Law passed them, and the woman rolled up her sleeve to show something on her arm. Law stopped and wheeled up to them, staring at it, and the two stopped talking to stare at him in surprise. He looked up at them and glared, backing away again.

~ 

Law screeched to a halt and turned himself around to head back to Luffy, who had stopped in front of a shop, staring up at the sign. Luffy pushed open the door and held it open for Law.

~ 

“Yes—the fur coat—” Brook looked behind him. “Messrs. Luffy and Law, I’m so sorry, I tried to stop them—some well-dressed scoundrels just made off with it, I caught them in the act and they ran off—”

~ 

“Give it back!” Law snarled. The men looked over, and the third one shooed the other two inside the train, including the one with the coat. He reached into his jacket and pulled something small and metal out. He aimed the long part of it at Law, who wheeled towards him without stopping.

~ 

From Two Households, Both Alike 

Kilo raised his arms, and the rocks flew into the air once more. This time they hurtled towards Aubergine—but they stopped short, hovering in a threatening circle around him.

~ 

“Stop following me,” Sanji snapped.

~ 

“I don’t want to know!” Usopp shrieked, hands flying up over his ears. “Stop right there!”

~ 

“Rain stopped,” Zoro said.

~ 

“Stop right there!”

~ 

“Outta the way, kid!” he yelled. He ran out of the city and to Route 116, past a few trainers, through thick grass, and stopped at the entrance to the Rusturf tunnel.

~ 

Not too far in, he stopped at a sheer wall of rock—the tunnel had yet to be completed.

~ 

“If anything, we should stay to try to stop Team Aqua, yeah?” Zoro said. “Drowning the world isn’t going to help anything, either.”

~ 

“I’m asking you! You stopped complaining about him a while ago, I was curious.”

~ 

“No.” They were on patrol together near Lilycove, Sanji having come along since none of Nami’s Pokémon knew Surf and she refused to swim from the hideout to the shore. Zigzagoon dashed across their path, making them stop every few paces.

~ 

“And—” She glanced around conspiratorially. “I think staying on this team is the best chance we have of stopping Magma, isn’t it?”

~ 

“Oh,” Sanji said, catching his breath. “Right—um, we stopped fighting. Seemed a waste of time to draw over and over.”

~ 

“Wow, that was fast!” Luffy exclaimed. A galloping sound came closer and Chopper, now sporting dull brown fur, skidded to a stop, nudging him. “Hi, Chopper! I’m fine! That was faster than I expected is all. I wonder what the other one is like? That guy was super nice. Oh, cool, the bike’s not even broken! That’s great!”

~ 

They stopped. A woman wearing a Magma uniform was holding a large rock, and at the bottom of the steps in front of her were a bristling Luffy, Chopper, and a brunette man with glasses.

~ 

The cable car stopped at the top, letting everyone out.

~ 

Zoro bit his lip to stop himself from bursting into laughter, but Usopp didn’t hold back at all. “Powerful Team Aqua, huh?” he jeered. “Look at you, scared of a sweet girl like Lauren!”

~ 

“Better for us if he stops your leader,” Franky said, turning back to the battle. “Sanji, dude, your fingernails hurt.”

~ 

“Good, so you can take care of things here. I’m gonna go stop that kid.”

~ 

“Hold up,” came a voice from behind them. Archie approached just as Luffy came back around the corner, his sweaty hands clutching the Meteorite, his battle prize. “Luffy, was it? Thanks for stopping Maxie. In gratitude, we’ll let you keep that Meteorite. But be warned, this is not the last you’ve seen of Team Aqua!”

~ 

“So you couldn’t stop him, after all?” Usopp asked, hugging her. “Team Aqua’s scary …”

~ 

“No, I didn’t stop him,” Robin said, patting Usopp’s back. “Let’s go catch up with Maxie and the others.”

~ 

“I just said I didn’t stop him,” Robin said with a shrug.