Adventure Thread - Group A

Clay is indeed just outside the Fighting Branch, still accompanied by a relatively-hulking Swampert. "Tiki? Is something wrong?" Granted, it's not like it would be the only time he's seen Tiki looking depressed recently, but she hasn't usually sought him out like this the past few days.

Clay bites his lip, lowering his own voice. If Tiki's actually worrying about this instead of her thing with Rei and her upcoming performance, she's clearly found out something serious. "Everybody's going? I know Fighting Branch is heading out to Mt. Moon - I just got the word this morning - but we apparently aren't saying it's anything but a long training thing. If everybody's going, yeah, sounds like something big is happening."

He rubs the back of his neck thoughtfully. "If everybody's going... then yeah, I guess the bosses know something. Or suspect something. Rei's still in Cerulean for a couple of days, I was hoping to link up with her and take care of something up there, then. Something that could help with this problem." Concealed under the noise of the market is one thing, but as paranoid as Tiki's acting, it's infectious - Clay doesn't want to tell Tiki about the tree thing out in the open. "If you want in, I can tell you, but it's super-secret and I don't really wanna talk about it here. And it's not exactly the same way you're going, anyway."

He huffs out a breath. Tiki's concern for her Pokémon reminds Clay of his worry about what to do with his own if he leaves. "Rei took all of her Pokémon she could with her to Cerulean, I know. She said she was gonna leave them with Kalani if she was okay with it. I dunno anybody in Celadon, except maybe the jerk lady with the ghosts, and she's not exactly, y'know, the kinda friend you ask for favors. Hm." Clay crosses his arms, pondering the issue, but he's not sure he has a good answer.

"Yeah, I understand." Clay frowns as he considers things. "I guess we could try and find you a little farm or something, but I don't think we've got the kind of money that'd take. Farms are expensive, right?" He's basing this mostly on the idea that they're large.

After a moment, he sighs and shakes his head. "I just don't know. I guess you can try and find somewhere in Celadon, but I dunno where - I don't know the city. And it'd be pretty short notice either way. If you go out and look for a place, I could come and help you, if you want?" He's a little reluctant to make the offer - he has a lot of people he wants to talk to today, and after that is going to be busy - but helping out friends comes first, of course.

Clay ticks his itinerary off on his fingers. "My new staff should be ready tomorrow, I think. Fighting Branch is leaving in three days, but if you need help I can let Instructor Mason know I'm gonna be late or not make it or something. I can help out today if you need me, too; if not I'm gonna be around the Guild most of the day looking into other stuff."

In the morning:
Clay's sleep this past night wasn't the best; with Fan and Sandy still away learning their new techniques it's the first time in weeks he's slept without Fan curled up next to him, and only the second time in ages before that. He rounds up the rest of his A-team - Flower, Red Child, Baloo, Kaa, Tavi, and Peng - and heads to breakfast. He wonders if he'll see Tiki there; he hopes so, since he wants to double-check what time they're leaving for her performance. Then again, this is her big test - he wouldn't blame her if she's too nervous to eat anything. (Of course, everyone Clay's ever had for a teacher would make her eat anyway, but he doesn't know if Tiki's Pokémon are pushy enough to do so.)

He has to keep Peng and Tavi from sparring with utensils at breakfast - Tavi seems to be full of energy today. Baloo, on the other hand, is wolfing down his food like he's storing up for the winter. Clay makes a mental note to check whether Pancham hibernate, though it's a little early for that anyway. Kaa has just curled up and is catching a few extra Zs - or maybe Ss.

"Morning, Tiki! You all ready for the big thing?" Okay, the hand-holding is cute, and he sends Aeon a low, whuffling sort of "good job" noise. "What time were you gonna leave for that? I can walk you there, if you want."

He's actually hoping there's time for him to run over to see Smith and pick up his new staff, but if there isn't he can just as well get there after the performance.

And Rei's day passes without issue. As she wakes next to Holly on day 2, her mind is buzzing again. She begins pacing the room, quickly worrying about things again, even though she should still stay still. She's supposed to be taking a couple days off to heal up but an attempt on her life coupled with things moving forward tends to make 'staying still' a non-option. She's sitting there in Cerulean recovering, with not a fraction of her own plan. Going with the others to Xerneas is... a step. It's not any sort of power, it's only protection. And since her discussion with Holly was supposed to help her cope with her own dark ideas, and since Holly seemed against it, she couldn't bring herself to keep on it.

...So that really leaves her with nothing. She continues to pace as the morning goes on.

Rei is suddenly stopped as Holly hugs her. She'd argue but last time that got her de-clothed and suplexed on the bed. So instead she just lets Holly stop her.

"I'm wearing a hole because I have no real idea about what to do, and I feel like I 'need' to go do something but I shouldn't because I'm supposed to heal up."

"Okay, great!" Clay pauses to figure out whether he can get to Smith's and back in that time frame. "I'll definitely be there! Have to cheer my friend on, after all." Clay wants to make a serious effort to be there for her even if she's leaving - he knows if he were going to leave he'd want to know his friends were behind him even so.