Coastal Callings

"Trial and error always works, come on let's go scope out the Kimono Girls Dance Theatre and Tea Room." Whitney urged with a little wink, as though knowing the place Thel described full well, without ever having 'officially' leaving Goldenrod.

Ecruteak is just as the boy remembered it, the tall towers, rustic buildings, sparse population and dense surrounding woods giving it that oppressive sort of feeling. The Dance Theatre, by comparison, was bright and cheery, with well dressed girls flitting about vibrantly, though not at all in a lascivious or provocative manner. Thel does pick out the green haired Em among them, sporting the handsome kimono she'd gotten on his last visit here.

"Looks like there are a few tables open if you'd like to be waited on." Whitney stated somewhere adjoining his ear, but may as well have been back in Goldenrod for how drawn his attention was. She laughed and smiled for strangers, moved about with a sense of grace and purpose. Though she was doing things for the patrons of the business, taking their dirty things and bringing food and drink about, she put off an air of control and subservience. It conflicted strangely with Thel's understanding of what it was to be a Lady.

---

Muku and Terra gave chance to the Torracat, deeper and higher into the mountainous woodland until the stagger out onto an outcropping, the feline bolting behind one of two figures in the open space and yowling, cowering behind a taller, bipedal cat with a flaming belt at its waist. Across from it, appears to be a masked green and red bird with capelike wings and short legs. There is an exchange between the two which seems slightly heated, then annoyed. The bipedal cat thumps its chest at Muku and growls something at her.

Muku breaks from the tree line heaving heavy breaths, yet proud of her ability to chase horrible cats through the underbrush. She levels sleepy Talon towards her foes and shoots them a nasty glare. "Thief! Scoundrel! You stole Starly eggs! You probably ate Starly eggs! Unforgiveable! Crime! Criminal! Worse than Pidgey! How could anything be worse than a Pidgey!?"

Pivoting, one leg forward in strident defiance of the big cat, she turns towards Terra with a positively manic expression of rage on her face. "That cat! Bad cat! Eats eggs! Starly eggs! You, me. We beat the cat! We beat both cats because cats are bad! The cats are beaten for they have been bad!"

This was a new thing for Terra, chasing after an "Egg Thief" as Muku called it. She could understand fighting for territory, but chasing after an egg she was still wrapping her mind around. Once they were in the opening, there was a quick pause as she caught her breath. The sight of two other pokemon, she glanced over them both. A cat and a bird working together? Interesting.

Muku's speech and expression did not have an encouraging effect on Terra. More of an uncertain look came across Terra's face at the way she spoke. "Right... Bad." She replies with a slight nod. She wouldn't let Muku fight alone, that'd probably be bad, so she did take a stance as well.

The Torracat and Incineroar have a brief exchange, seeing the quadruped give the larger feline a shamed look. Turning towards the humans, it draws a claw into a fist and bellows back at Muku, as though to say 'It's the law of the jungle!". The Hawlucha trills softly and steps forward, intent on a two on two battle.

---

Em blinked several times, stunned, before breaking into a delighted smile. "Thel, welcome back! I knew you looked familiar but I couldn't place you in those clothes!" Giggling into her palm, she forces a straight face after a moment. "A tea for the young man in pink, and for you Miss?". "Whitney, pleased to meet you, I'll have a berry smoothie?"

Just like that, with a bow she was gone. Flitted away with an order and to other tables. It was oddly quiet with her cheer having departed the table, but she was back before long, setting a hot steeped tea and a puree'd fruit drink on the table. "Once I'm done my current customers, we can go talk Thel. This place is super serious about service."

It is maybe an hour before Em settles at your table, coming and going while Thel and Whitney make casual conversation. Smoothing out her outfit, she gives the cutely dressed boy and the gym leader a serene smile. "So what brings you back so soon Thel? And who is your new friend?" The last word was delivered as a double question, the green haired former Pokemon looks over Whitney with great interest.

This is such a weird scenario to be in. Honestly Terra never really had much to do with eggs. The main reason she followed after her companion was to not get further separated than they already had from Thel.

Well, looks like they've got something now. A look to Queen "Do you think you can handle it?" an offer to let someone else from the team handle the battle. The blue pokemon patted her paw against her chest signalling she was ready to fight. Which receives a nod from her trainer. "Alright. Let's do this."

"Easy Thel. Breathe." Em soothes, resting a hand on his head and cocking her head to one side in a habitual gesture. The fact that she can't tell how he's feeling by the contact seems to cause her more unrest then the news does, but the brush of her fingers along his bangs is relaxing. "You cannot hold yourself accountable for the decisions of others. You also cannot prevent them from acting as they see fit. Omega wants very badly to be a strong Alpha of a strong pack, we talked for a little awhile when he came back through Ecruteak." Her slight touches moved to rub under his chin, those large red eyes not moving from his. A little smile curled at the edges of her mouth.

"Omega can take care of himself, he was headed to the Olivine gym. He said something to the effect of "sharpening his fangs and claws on the strongest." Letting her hand drop gently from his face, she folded them in front of her, the wisp of a smile and her gaze disappearing somewhere into the table. "Kursz too, I think will be alright. Readily able to escape situations that make him uncomfortable. It is good you made a few more friends." The girl nodded at Whitney, who sat quietly as the Kimono girl mulled everything over.

"You are one, Thel. The people doing this are many, and for all you know, had things gone differently you might be in the same predicament as Muku and Terra." Closing her eyes, she sat up straight. "They've come here too. At night the first time, I still remember the screaming..." Vigorously she rubbed her arms, getting goosebumps from the memory. "Then in the day, men in red armor with helmets. The Kimono girls have turned them away once, then Morty directly the second time. I don't know how he always seems to know..." (Thel may make a Perception Check)

---

With a dramatic trill, throwing its wings wide, the Hawlucha does an impressive aerial leap into a somersault, so high it is just a spec in the distance. The Incineroar falls onto her back leg and raises those large clawed fists into a defensive posture.

Both Terra and Queen's heads raise up to follow the bird pokemon launching itself up high.

"Well... We can't do anything about that one until it comes back down..." Terra states with a frown. "Okay, we'll start with the big one," she adds pointing towards the large cat. "Start us off with a Poison Sting!"

Queen gets just within range before shooting out a string of poison at the defending pokemon.

Thel swears he sees something off about Em's shadow, as though it fidgeted on its own when Morty was mentioned. She doesn't seem to notice in the slightest. "You cannot set unrealistic expectations for yourself Thel. A hatchling cannot protect its mother, and we are very much newly born into this world. Be forgiving of your mistakes." The girl councils in an even, relaxed tone. "I could come with you to Olivine if you'd like? We could find Omega together, and figure out where the girls are from there."

---

The small poison dart shatters on the Incineroar's body like so much purple glitter, and she answers it with an unimpressed look, an indignant sniff, and brushing at the effeminate glittertoxins with the back of a paw. Hornise's rockblast is met with a more meted response, broad furry fists smashing the stones in midair as they closed. Making a face, she raises a single finger and waggles it back and forth with a growl, before drawing her arms in against her chest. With a palpable aura of power rippling from her body, her muscles swell tremendously, fur glistening in the sunlight. With a 'LUUUUUUCHACHACHACHACHACHAAAAA!' the avian plummets to earth, somersaulting and trilling only to stick a perfect three point landing on top of Queen, driving the poison type's body hard enough into the ground to raise a small cloud of dust and crater the earth beneath her. (Queen takes 59 Flying Physical, Incineroar uses Bulk Up)