Ice Cream Run (Closed)

[wildkuma]

"Hmhm...yes, it probably would be. You're lucky he didn't whip out his Pokedex on you. He could've found out with that altered technology of his...

That boy is much smarter than he looks."

Rhea seemed definate about this factor, a glance being cast back in the parlor's direction as she pondered her earlier nemesis. That Abra...it wasn't particularly strong, but it had such a drive to defeat her. She hoped it wasn't bitter about the whole ordeal.

"You're quite welcome. I know I would not wish any spontaneous evaluation on anyone...and you've done me plenty of favors in the past. I don't see why I shouldn't take the initiative here."

Fenrir's comment about the handouts seemed to make her smile whimsically. A quick leap was made from the bench to the floor, and a glance in the direction of the park was to follow. She hadn't meant anything serious about mentioning the little gifts the park visitors sometimes bring, but she was rather concerned about what had been left behind in the parlor.

"Hahaha...of course they're nice. But it's not as if I would beg for them...people are simply tickled when you accept gifts from them. I was hoping there might be a replacement for the ice cream you left...it looked as if you were enjoying it and I had to tear you away..."

She admitted begrudgingly, perhaps a bit of impish nature mixed in, but it was quickly replaced with a brighter vigor as some pedestrians walked by. Surely now was not a good time to get the poor lost Pokemon schema working. Sometimes there was no stopping good intentions, even if they proved to accomplish the contrary.

The statement that followed was a definate joy to Rhea and she wasted no time in addressing it. That sheepish nature that came out of Fenrir occasionally was so adorable...not that she was regularly affiliated with the quality. A few steps were taken, and she looked back over her shoulder, a smile upon her face as she glanced toward the intended starting point.

"I wouldn't mind a short stop at all...we really should get out of the area until Silas shifts focus. I wouldn't want him challenging us to a battle in front of all the young ones."

An smooth quality had entered her footwork as she tread foward to investigate a bit more, returning gracefully back as if to subtly encourage him to follow. Good posture, high spirits...she had caught a really good vibe from somewhere, and was in her element. Maybe it was the sunshine and all that ice cream sugar combined, but the dark-pelted Espeon felt as if she could take on anything at the moment. Even the Elite Four if they dared step forth to challenge her. But all in good standing of course; though she wouldn't admit it, she couldn't wait to head over to the thick stretches of bluegrass and stretch her limbs out a bit, have a good run...and perhaps be "persuaded" into playing a few games. She had a tendancy to appear reserved at first, but once in it, she was as game as anyone out there. Now if only she could get Fenrir involved....nah, better not push her luck. She would be fine just sitting back, soaking in the sun's rays, and enjoying a nice conversation over the occassional prodding of a few gregarious youths. Maybe even teach a young Pokemon a trick or two. She had a few skilled pupils which resided in the park already. It didn't seem as if there was much left to think about, and the quiet moment prompted the ineitable inquiry.

"Well then, are you coming? Follow or lead the way, I don't mind which."

-/-/-/-/-

"Hehehe...oh, nothing much...just kinda has two parts to it. The first involves my Croagunk, kind of why I brought her out."

Beating around the bush perhaps? Well, Silas seemed to take the current situation as more as an in depth evaluation of the terms and what was to be expected. He wanted to make sure Kamille and Aiden understood everything that was to come...or at least the next part of how to do things. This was going far better than he'd initially expected, and his confidence was growing because of it. He stepped to the side so that the two trainers could get a good look at his prized battler before beginning to speak of its significance.

"Before I begin, I want to introduce you to Tilda...he may not be an evolved Pokemon, but she's a good as any out there. I'll be entering her in the G1 Grand Prix Fighting Pokemon tournament in town later...you can probably tell where it is from all the sideshows and megaphones. Moving on, I want you to come by and watch me in my final battles later on...and I want you to promise. I need someone to record my victory for me..."

He looked unusually sly as he continued now.

"I need you to recognize I'm one of the greatest trainers alive today, and then we can get down to business ok? Make sure you come and see, it'll be well worth it!

...

Well I guess that's it for now. I'll be expecting to see you at the 2:00 tournament! Bye!"

And with that, he bolted out of sight, taking the Croconaw and disgruntled Tilda with him.

-/-/-/-/-



"Ok...well that was weird....how is he just going to sign us up to watch him? Oy...so rambunctious..." Kamille voiced with a sigh, unsure of how he should be expected to deal with this kid. She sort of trained her eyes on him for a while to see if he was really gone, but was quickly convinced by the lack of noise. It prompted her to turn to the other situation at hand, the swift relocation of their trusted partners.

"...Hey Aiden, did you happen to see where Fenrir and Rhea went? I don't blame them for slipping off but..."

She scouted the area for any sign of their Pokemon, but found herself having to rely on energy signature rather than visual confirmation. Hopefully Silas hadn't gone after them, or they would have to move off even further from the initial destination.

"...So you think we should go follow them? Better to head out before the crowds pick up...in another hour, this place is going to be swamped with Pokemon enthusiasts..."

She didn't seem worried, but it did look to be the proper option for the moment. The last thing she wanted to do was get seperated early into their little excursion...

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[wildkuma]

Altered technology? Great...that always sounded like good news. Last person he knew who was that kind of genius...Fenrir shuddered to even think of that man's name. But surely this Silas wasn't nowhere near that bad. Still, it would probably be the best to avoid the young lad, at least until they could meet in way so that the boy was in a calmer state. If they could get the boy to speak in terms he could understand, that would make things much easier. All that scientific talk was confusing the Lucario, and he wasn't one who liked to be confused. If it was one thing that didn't mix well with Fenrir, it was science and technology, for a decent reason as well.
The SOLDIER cracked a small grin as Rhea mentioned the ice cream he had deserted to come outside. She made it sound as if he was obsessed and addicted to the stuff, though he had to admit: the treat was very delicious. Her statement was slightly embarrasing: He grabbed his right arm with his left paw, but still smiled.
"Hmph, don't worry about it. I think I'll manage."

He replied with a tiny smirk. He watched Rhea jump to her feet and take a few steps forward: he remained motionless for a moment, taking the time just to listen for the time being. getting out of the same vicinity as the young boy sounded like a swell idea at the time. Now, what would happen if Aiden and Kamille were ready to go, and they weren't around? Sure, both of the trainers had been trained in the Aura arts, so finding them shouldn't be too much of a hassle. But it was going to only be a short visit, right? It wasn't like Fenrir had to worry about Aiden or anything, and Fenrir didn't give his trainer any reason to worry about him, so all should be well.
Now the only question remaining was whether or not he should lead or follow. Fenrir knew the way through the park by this point in time, so it wasn't like he could not lead. But he found no fault in following Rhea either. They were both going to the exact same destination anyways. Why was this such a difficult question? Well, after a second of thought, he figured it best to let Rhea go in front, or at least they could walk in a way where he wasn't in front. She seemed to be the more perkier of the two, and probably knew more people/pokemon than he did. If they saw her first, maybe more people would be adept to visit. Even though his fur and eyes did tend to attract attention, Fenrir figured he didn't appear the most welcoming. In a sense, this was almost like a training exercise for him: A social training exercise, where the simple goal was trying to be more "social", like Rhea. Not that he was using Rhea or anything like that, but meeting new people sure was easier when you had someone you know there with you.
The Lucario hopped off the bench and took several steps forward. He tried lossening his posture, trying to be more relaxed. For the most part it worked: he even managed to keep that small grin as one of his facial features at the moment. He felt awkward for a moment, almost out of place, but it wasn't something unbearable. He figured it was just a normal feeling he should get used to. He walked up beside the Espeon, glancing down at her before speaking.
"I'll follow along from here: I'm sure they all would be happier to see you first."
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Silas left Aiden with his mouth hanging open, never giving the poor SOLDIER time to answer. He had his hand up in the air with his index finger pointed outward, planning to use it for emphasis. He tilted his head for a moment in slight confusion before closing his mouth and setting his hand down simultaneously. The boy was in slight befuddlement for a second, unsure if he should even use the breath he had to utter the words he was going to return to Silas before he bolted out the building like lightning.
"Uhhh...No, I kinda lost track of them when Silas jumped in. He might of bumped one of Fenrir's nerves on accident."

Aiden replied slowly, thoughts slowly drifting from his planned reply to the speedy tyke. After pulling himself together, he focused on the matter at hand, which was the whereabouts of their a-wald pokemon companions. It took the Guardian only seconds to find their Aura, so he didn't worry much at all. He wasn't worried in the first place: This was Rhea and Fenrir, so what could possibly happen? Either way, the location of their Aura signatures meant one simple thing.
"They're pretty close: Not too far off. Guess I can't blame Fenrir. He's not a fan of science, with all that talk and such."

To be honest, Aiden wasn't so much of a fan either. Thought of science and technology brought thoughts of a madman in a white labcoat with one irritating, creepy laugh and a sociopathic mindset. but those thoughts faded within a mere second, as if they were non-existant to begin with. Aiden glanced towards the door of the parlor for a moment before gicing Kamille a nod of his head.
"Yeah, we probably should at least find them. I wonder where they're heading off to. You wouldn't happen to know, would you?"

[wildkuma]

The girl simply gave a nod in agreement a Aiden voiced his part of the case, an investigation inevitable considering the good chances. Tuning into the energy fields around her, he could get a good sense of things too, and Aiden's claim seemed valid. The knowledge of his distain of science was a little less familiar to her, though she'd aquired a little bit of background on the stalwart Pokemon. She wasn't the biggest fan of science either, but she didn't have a reason to hate it either. After all, many of her experiences with science pretained to Pokemon, education, and entertainment, fields she found to be quite enjoyable. Of course, there were times science intermingled with human ambition that got out of hand, but she would blame the individuals who caused the upsets rather than science itself.

She did not respond to the words regarding Fenrir's position on the topic verbally, but she figured the nod would be enough to clear the topic without raising any bad memories.

"Maybe...I'd have to get a better feel for things first.. We might as well just get looking for them; they probably wouldn't have gone far without reason..."

The thought apparently brought up a question which had been festering in the girl's mind for quite some time.

"...You know, I do wonder where Pokemon go sometimes when they're on free time...even wild Pokemon. I mean, when you go out into the rural areas...you usually find them looking for food or challenging you for a battle. I don't think I've really taken the time to stop and watch them...not as often as I used to anyway...

I suppose time does wash away everything...be they memories of sadness...bliss...or indefinate..."

She sort of took to clearing her area at the table, and straightening her clothes, even though there really wasn't much to do. She found herself wondering why she'd even bothered mentioning that; perhaps the overflow of thoughts had allowed for a few extra to escape. The slight surprise caused her to hurry in this endeavor, moving up to the front windows to get a better view of the Park outside. Best to let it tide over...spontaneouly slipping into a negative demeanor wasn't common of her, and this was not the place to make it apparent.

Eventually, she turned back to Aiden with a renewed vigor. "Well, I suppose I don't hear anything out of the ordinary, so they must be ok. Let me just pack this up for a moment and..."

She took to fidgeting with a small pouch at her hip and locking it up tight, perhaps having just recently used whatever was contained within. It looked to fit perhap a PokeDex or some other sort of handheld device...perhaps a PDA or a notebook of some kind? Whatever the case, it was in its proper place now, and she'd found her feet had carried her to the door without much thought on her behalf. eeing as he was here, she simply called out to Aiden with a look of triumph, apparently having gotten a better feel for the energy wavelength in the park after cracking the door some.

"Yep, I think I've got a pretty good idea of where they are...Rhea usually hangs out in that area whenever we visit the area. Chances are, she'll stop by at least once."

She appeared quite assured of thi fact, though Aiden could probably confirm it too just through aura. Though she remained lingering at the window as Aiden readied himself, she was prepped to move out at the slightest cue. A bad habit from living constantly on the move perhaps. Hopefully, she wouldn't allow her haste to get the best of her and make her appear impatient. Most likely however, once out amongst the park fauna and festivities, she would be in her true element and could take things one step at a time.
______________________________________________________________________________________________

So those were the breaks, hmm? Seemed well enough; the Espeon simply took heed of his decision and headed off first, assuming a more tranquil walk as the park patrons zoomed about at a much greater pace in this place. Her reponse was one of contentment, even if it did have a bit of sadness in it.

"Well, it doesn't have to be necessarily...but I suppose we ought to just get moving, hmm? I can already sense that Silas is on the move again."

The momentary frown shifted back into a pleased smile as she tread ahead, almost breaking into a light skip from time to time. A particular crowd she'd been hoping to check up upon, overlooked by many, and certainly not the type others would expect her to associate with, but as good a set of company as anyone could be. The meticulouly maintained trail began to lead them into the recreational portion of the park. Here, the trails spread out along wide stretches of open turf and frisbees and plaid blankets rested in abundance.

-/-/-/-/-

Theme: FF Crystal Chronicles "Clouds Reflected on The River's Surface"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W94OPtkThfc&feature=PlayList&p=E163419B7C0F941F&index=9

"I know they're around here somewhere..."

The slightly intrigued Espeon began to search around a bit more for a common landmark, a lone tree which had tood in the park for ages. Though it was alone, it occupied the same amount of space of ome of the smaller groves did. The branches were especially wide and allowed for generous shade. Here, Rhea began nosing around at the base, finally coming to a stop and sitting politely by a low-lying Cheri bush. Apparently, the hardy plant managed to etch out a living depite the giant tree's general hogging of sunshine.

With a few more moments added to the scene, rather than a clump of mere berries, another presence bcame apparent. The clump split to reveal a rather nosy creature, both in nature and conformation.

"Hey, it's Rhea! What took you so long? Momma's been waiting to see you forever!"

The Pokemon scampered back into it's burrow to spread the news, then back out again as soon as it had completed the task. Four other inquisitve faces peeked from he concealed den, though the mother was not to be seen. Finally the Pokemon took notice of the ebon Lucario behind her, and froze in their tracks, observing the situation. So stiff and silent all of a sudden...perhaps the towering Lucario had given them a sort of shock? Whatever the case, it looked as if some work was going to need to be done before they could calm down.

"R...R...Rhea.....who....who's that? I...I think....I've seen him....before...."

[wildkuma]

"They...know me? They couldn't mean...from the first time I..."

Traveling through the park was somewhat quiet, not much to be heard except from the normal happenings in the park. Though, the Lucario didn't have much to offer in a sense of conversation anyways. He was just along for the ride. He didn't have any plans, or any idea why this small gathering was called upon in the first place. He walked beside the Espeon in a calm manner, simply examining their surroundings as they contiued to walk, taking in sights and sounds he wasn't fully familiar with. At first, he thought this was just a walk that served as the means to escape the prying mannerisms of one boy named Silas, but Fenrir started to realize soon that perhaps there was an intended destination.

This became evident once Rhea began her investigation of the Cheri bush near an old tree.

He remained silent, standing by patiently as he knew not what the girl was looking for. He crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly to the left in a fashion that seemed typical to his nature by this point. It would have been simple for the Aura-trained SOLDIER to sense out any Auras nearby, but he didn't necessarily feel the need to do so: He didn't feel like attracting much attention to their location, should anyone else trained in Aura be close to their vicinity. There was no need for Aura, however, as the small creature appeared from the berries, apparently excited by Rhea's arrival upon the scene. The pokemon took to a quick retreat, only to arrive with several more reinforcements right behind. They all must have been quite fond of the Espeon to come out so quickly and cheerfully...

Until they noticed his presence, that is.

Fenrir felt a sudden nervousness ruch through his body and settle within his abdomen. The once solid warrior froze in slight shock as well, looking upon the expressions of the Rattata. Perfect: He hadn't managed to even utter a single syllable, and he already ruined the tranquility within the park. Their expressions and Aura told Fenrir everything: They were shocked and perhaps even scared, and the fact that they might have seen him before was for more unnerving, since he didn't make many trips to this part of the Academy. Fear of worsening the situation kept him quiet. Worst case scenarios already building up within his psyche. Maybe...coming to the park wasn't the best idea, but he couldn't simply walk away from the situation: There were so many problems with that option he couldn't even list them all. He felt not only out of place, but almost as if he should feel guilty for something. Not knowing what to do other than not to flee, he slowly revealing the onyx wing, only to serve as his veil, wrapping around his form from the middle of his face and downwards. In addition, his left paw once again took a place on his right arm. He turned his head to the side, looking else where. Hopefully, there was some kind of peaceful and quiet resolution to this matter close by.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

"That's awkward..."

For a moment, Aiden thought he could sense a slight feeling of conflict with Fenrir's Aura. It was something he wasn't able to sense with other pokemon: It was one of those feelings that could be sensed only by a bond between a trainer and his pokemon. He gave it a small amount of thought, since Kamille was ready to commence their search for the two. Whatever it was, it would most likely settle itself within the meantime, and if not, then the issue would be settled soon enough.
He listened to Kamille as he placed the silverware within the two bowls and cleaned whatever melted ice cream had managed to fall onto the tabletop. She brought up an interesting thought or two, which the boy took note of as he set everything into a nice, organized pile.
"Yeah, That'd be interesting to find out. Maybe they have favorite places to relax on their off-time."
He thought about the last comment, but didn't give much feedback on the topic. In some cases, Aiden hoped Kamille was right. He hoped that some memories could be washed away, or at least replaced by those memories more favorable.He wasn't sure how Kamille came about to such a thought, but it certainly was a thought of interest.

Everything seemed to be in order within the parlor, or at least in their booth. Once Kamille had packed whetever item she needed to put away, Aiden was ready to move as well. He took a momentary glance out the window, almost fading into thought for a second. He took to his feet and made his way to the door where Kamille awaited. He seemed to have a approximate lock on their location, and both trainers seemed prepared and ready to leave. As Fenrir did for Rhea, Aiden opened the door, holding it open for Kamille to exit while offering her a small smile.

[wildkuma]

Well that was that...the path being clear, Kamille made a semi-dramatic curtesy as she passed through the door held by Aiden, having decided she didn't care to goof off in public. Not that anyone seemed to be watching in particular, but apparently the manuver was necessary by her standards. It was a welcome relief to feel the sun's rays brush againt her after spending that time in the sweet smelling, but chilly parlor. Then again, she found herself quite refreshed in either situation. Whatever the case, it was time to find those two "simply impossible" Pokemon.

Kamille did like the prospect of just a good long walk to see what was around, but seeing as the likely spot was just a short while off, she'd finish with that first, then decide what to do with her other Pokemon. Perhaps she'd leave them to play in the park for a whilse whilst she continued on her plans for the day. Then again, knowing her Pokemon, it would more likely be dozing in the sun for the majority of the time, other than Jalene. Breyen on the other hand might have to be kept under wraps....even at an establishment such as Starfall, seeing a giant dragon Pokemon blotting out the sunlight might not be taken particularly lightly...at least without its trainer. Then again, Orion was kind of big too...and Kamau....it suddenly came to her that her Pokemon had gotten pretty big. No wonder the food bills were so high...

[...Wait a minute, afternoon naps? Food bills? Just what am I getting at anyway?!? This is important! ...I...I think....gah, what's wrong with me...]

She discarded the random thoughts and turned back to Sir Silvermop as Breyen affectionately called him. Even though the two had not had much time to interact since that emergency situation with the Dark Mage several months ago. Luckily, the situation had been able to be resolved without much upset, but she had to admit, she appreciated having an excuse to hop on the back of her Salamence casanova and sail out over the ocean, especially with her best friends for the ride. "Yeah, it should be just about three minutes walking distance from here...I just hope she's still around to catch." Kamille announced shortly, trying to determine something of particular interest to start with before they moved off. She had a few ideas in mind, but much of the time she'd hoped would be filled by occurances such as the fair and other events they would likely come across. Perhaps show him a few of her favorite hangouts...no, no, that would be silly. Surely he'd catch on to the fact she was up to something? There was much she wanted to accomplish actually, but the task of carrying out everything she wished was going to be difficult. The main reason she called him out was the exact same reason she was having such difficulty doing such a thing, and the reasoning behind it was so strange she didn't want to think about it. To think a free afternoon of festivites would be a selected time to do some soul searching; all this deliberation was making it difficult for her to come up with something to talk about. So the twin-hued girl decided to cast the thoughts aside and focus on enjoying herself instead; maybe that would invite more thoughts of a casual nature to pervade her psyche...or at least anything to keep her from acting so weird.

"...Oh by the way, there's this cave I have to show you down by the coastline; it's kind of tricky getting there without being able to fly, but it's well worth the trip...I suppose it's kind of odd to mention it all of a sudden, but....hmm?

Hey, is that them?"

She was ever so greatful for the distraction to recollect her words. Kamille stopped in her tracks and looked down the path, noticing the same huge tree she and Rhea used to always hang by. And sure enough, there looked to be some figures by the tree. Two stripes with a bandage tail (No longer required to nurse injury but serving as protection.) and half of an obsidian hued figure suggested she was one the mark, and seeing as the energy fields appeared to be correct, the target was in sight. Her pace livened up as a smile was quickly made, as if in inquiry as to whether Aiden was impressed by her deduction skills. Of course, it wasn't a particularly outstanding accomplishment seeing as they traveled there all the time, but ther was still a certain satisfaction in being right the first guess. Regardless of what he thought, she turned back to him content as ever, raising the important inquiry.

"...What do you think? Should we spectate for a minute, or just head over?"

There was slight mischief in her words, even though Rhea and Fenrir would probably sense them as easy as they had been detected in the first place. Still, it was interesting either way...or even if Aiden chose another course of action. The girl gradually moved over to lean against one of the inactive park lights, hoping her image would blend with the passing traffic. Just what might they be up to, anyway?
____________________________________________________________________________________________

For a moment, the tension in the air felt a if it could be cut with a knife. The Rattata looked to Rhea, Rhea looked to them, their tiny tails were fluffed in shock. The Espeon could've taken a moment to try and remedy the situation, but for the time being, she merely glanced at the base of te tree, having noticed a sixth presence nosing its way through.

"Oh, my...we have visitors? Now calm down children; you're exciting yourselves over nothing. Just look at his eyes...does he look like someone that could go around hunting the shortstacks?"

An older Rattata now emerged from her burrow, enfixing a relaxed eye upon the ebon pelt bearer. A smile crosed her maw...incisors worn from extensive use, but her condition just shy of being elderly. She looked to have seen some rough days in her life however. The purple rodent scratched an ear for a moment before clearing her throat and sharing a few words.

"Why, good afternoon dearie...and how have you been? I wasn't expecting to see you today, but I'm happy for a visit as always.

You haven't been around so much recently....has something happened?"

"Oh no, nothing of the sort...we've been rather busy in a sense, but there's no trouble. I'm glad to see you're doing well, too. Not sure how your boys would hold up without someone to herd them back home."

"Hahaha...indeed child, indeed. They're as much a handful as ever...So I would assume this is just another break day for you...."

Rhea expression didn't suggest she'd noticed any disturbance of any kind, and in fact, she looked quite pleased. Just what she might've been pleased about was perhaps rather obscure, but whether it was a subject worth pondering was up to those around her. One of the younger Rattata took a minute to climb upon the shoulders of the Espeon and looked toward Fenrir supiciously. "Yeah, you're right ma...come ta think of it, he don't look so tough to me! (Not as tough as Rhea anyway...I hope...)" The mother simply shook her head in disapproval, before turning her gaze back to the unfamiliar face beside Rhea. A long study was made of the relativel tall figure, before settling with a quaint smile and a nod as she voiced her thoughts.

"...And just who might you be handsome? A friend of hers? I say, if I had nine years taken off and perhaps a few more pounds or so, I'd hoard you away along with the children!

But of course, I'm just pulling your leg dearie. What might your name be? It's not very often that we have visitors whose first thought isn't to treat us like a chew toy."

She seemed ever so pleased by the arrival, possibly for the fact it had potential of another set of eyes looking out for them. The life of a Rattata wasn't so easy with so many predatory Pokemon around, including the potential for Rhea to turn on them. But it appears that she had proven herself to be an exception, and now it was to see what this one was all about. Not that a Lucario would be their first choice for an ally, certainly far from it, but with the psychic type standing around and the den nearby, they had at least some formof reassurance.

"And please don't mind the child; he just has an impressive mouth on him. So I would hope things are well for you too?

There was nothing but absolute trust in the old biddy's eyes as she looked to Fenrir with interest trying to put a finger on just where he might've come from. She had a strong inkling of where she'd seen him before, but she couldn't put a paw on just exactly what had happened. That wing was what had stood out the moment, even if the children couldn't see it. Such a peculiar Pokemon...she'd keep an eye on him in the future.

But for now, she'd let him speak his own case. Didn't want to ponder it too much lest she allow herself to jump to conclusions...

[wildkuma]

The SOLDIER stood silently, unsure of his next movements, if he should be making any. The awkward silence that followed their arrival and the appearance of the Rattata was unnerving. Fenrir, however, had yet to experience the worst.

His eyes instantly trailed towards the larger, more experienced Rattata as she arrived on the scene. He was a little surprised that she saw anything in his eyes. Did anyone else see things in his eyes? Were they good things? Bad things? Terrible things? It was an interesting thought that was provoked, but he didn't have the time to ponder upon the thought. The Lucario appeared to loosen up slight upon the comment, taking a slightly more relaxed stance and even managed to lower his wing to where his entire face was visable. The mother was correct in her statement; Fenrir wa snot the type to pick on those smaller or weaker than him. Only shame and immense dishonor would come from such pointless acts of violence.
He stood by contently and quietly, simply watching the older Rattata and Rhea converse; these must have been some of the little ones she had described earlier. He noticed that the younglings were still in a slight state of shock in his presence, and in a sense he knew how they felt. He gave a slight glance towards the young Rattata who made his way onto Rhea's back. He let out a slight huff, but in a comical sense rather than a defensive sense. A slight upwards crakc appeared on the right side of his lips. This one seemed to have a small bit of spunk in him. Of course he had no idea what Fenrir had done, and it would be best to keep it that way. He didn't seem to be offended in the slightest; it was slightly relieving that the tension was dying down.

Just as Fenrir was relaxing, the mother rattata had to pull an unexpected joke. It was so fast, not to mention the fact that Fenrir rarely dealt with such jokes from members of the opposite sex. His eyes widened as his head perked up instantly in shock. His wing once again covered the lower half of his face, now from sheer embarrassment rather than nervousness, hiding most of the sudden redness in his face, though not all of it. He closed his eyes and turned his head, almost as if he was serious and irritated, however that was far from what he was truly feeling. This motion only lasted for a short period of time as he was questioned in a serious nature this time around.

"Oh...Uhh...I'm Fenrir...Uhh...Ma'am."

He gave a slight bow afterwards. It was odd however; he had never used the term "Ma'am" before now. He never referred to anyone as such, but he had heard the students, inlcuding his own trainer, use it when speaking to the older female teachers. Hopefully, it was the correct terminology to use in the situation and that he didn't offend anyone.

"Oh, it's no problem. I'm doing fine. Just...enjoying the day."
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The boy kept a simple, calm mind about him as he closed the door to the parlor. The sun brought about a nice shift in temperature from the relatively cool establishment behind them. His calm and simple mind, however, did not stop him from thinking about all that could happen today could not prevent his mind from imagining all sorts of things. Such a mindset also would not stop him from skiddish feelings. He kept his eyes out for the two renegades, enjoying the park walk all the while. His mind would wnader, now and then, to different subjects, significant or not as he walked beside Kamille. He had been to the park several times before, but he never realized just how beautiful everything was, at least compared to Midgar, where he spent the majority of his life up to this date. All the trees, the grass, the wildlife, the fresh air: Midgar was void of these things. Even the sky seemed more blue and clear. The only place in Midgar with any flowers like those in the park was a small church found in one of the lower sectors of Midgar. It was odd how these thoughts came to him on this day.
He gave a simple nod and a small laugh with his company's comment. It would be interesting to discover the reason for their departure, and better yet who was the lead? Aiden couldn't think of any reason why Fenrir would have gone off by himself abruptly, so his guess was that Rhea had something to do with this, not that this was a bad thing by any means. Maybe something was bothering them? Either way, finding them now would probably provide something interesting.
"A cave? Sounds like...
Huh?"
The sudden thought of finding the two pokemon interrupted his current thoughts about the cave Kamille had mentioned, also interrupting any thoughts as to the cave's mentioning. His eyes followed the direction that Kamille had focused upon, and sure enough there they were. It felt as if there were more forces under the tree than Rhea and Fenrir, but it wasn't anything to be concerned over. Actually, this was something interesting that Aiden was suspecting to happen. He heard Kamille's inquiry, taking it into quick thought. Thoughts of the fair and this supposed cave passed through, but the prospect of watching Fenrir's reaction in such a situation was also promising and intriguing. It might just have been too intriguing to pass up the opprotunity to watch Fenrir. Things seemed to be working well so far.
"Well...let's watch, maybe just for a moment. I...kinda wanna see what he does..."
Normally, Aiden would not be the type to spy and easedrop on others, but this was just one of those moments he couldn't refuse. It wasn't that Aiden enjoyed watching Fenrir out of his usual comfort zone, but it would be nice to see how far he has progressed. In a sense, it was as if Aiden was more like testing the Lucario, rather than spying on him. Yeah...testing...

[wildkuma]

Kamille was rather surprised by the boy's decision, though she wasn't complacent. Apparently he was as curious as she. She simply nodded (In order to prevent her voice from carrying.) and hunkered down a bit more, wondering whether a move to a nearby hedge would be advisable to get a better look. Or perhaps take a seat on a nearby bench and try to blend in with the crowd. Almost immediately, she laughed internally because of the ridiculousness of the thought and simply shifted a bit, deciding the current vantage point was acceptable for the time being. Not as if Fenrir and Rhea were the type to get into trouble, right?

...

She hoped not anyway...

____________________________________________________

With those few words, the Ratatta began to laugh heartily, being a rather good judge of character. Oh this was certainly a cute one! Fenrir had her full approval. Of course, it was only a few moments before she had returned to a calmer demeanor, remembering she had a duty to provide a sound example for the youths aound her. And that didn't include breaking into anonymous fits of chuckling without giving a reason behind it.

"Honestly young'un, you're are the cutest little man I've ever seen. And I'd wish you well! I'm sure there's plenty of trouble you two could get into considering that everything is well. Why, we've managed to gather quite enough rations to last us through the coming week or so, the kids are sound and secure. It'll be a gift to think your day does as well as mine has, dearie...

Now then, Huxley, would you get off of our guests back and acting like you've got burrs on the belly. Keep being rude and I'll cuff you good!"

The Rattata flashed her jaws for a second and hastily the boy on Rhea's back leapt off, fleeing instantly for the safety of his burrow. Rhea could only shake her head, though she had plenty on her mind besides the mere antics of the little ones. These weren't exactly the same little ones she'd intended to show Fenrir, but they were on her mind too and she did visit them often. "Hey, Palla, sorry to be in such a rush, but there was something I wanted to ask of you." The Espeon noted shortly, prompting the Rattata to pull her head back out of her burrow, and consequently save the fleeing tyke from facing his mother's jaws. "Oh, of course hon. Whatever you say, I'd almost forgotten. Business as usual, or are you planning for..." "Don't worry, nothing big today, I just wanted to ask a favor..." The Rattata perked her ears in interest as Rhea voiced, or more like privately messenged the Rattata using her psychic prowess. Palla immediately nodded and began climbing the tree bark, which knowing the size of the tree, seemed as if it'd be quite the task. But the mother Rattata seemed not to be discouraged by this factor, and made it quite clear that she didn't intend for the traveling pair to stand around in the meantime.

"Well, sorry to rush of so fast young'un, I know you'd be heartbroken without me, but I think I have to have a chat with the neighbors for a time. Why don't you run along and play before the kiddies get any ideas about going with you? After all, I'm sure you could use the privacy...

*Scuttles up a little higher.*

I can tell ya now, he's a good one! Grab him while he's clueless! Oh, and nice meetin' ya Mr. Fenrir!"

She had a devious little smirk upon her face which caused Rhea to pin her ears in defiance, though the Rattata took no notice of this whilst she continued scuttling higher. Rhea would've maintained the shocked front if she'd not been in the presence of company, but she decided to play it off and resume the task at hand, seeing as she was obligated to tend to her guest.

"Hahahaha....Palla is always so full of jokes....but yes, Fenrir, sorry to keep you in the dark, but it was rather important. Now then, where was I? Oh right..."

Rhea, for the lack of something better to do, glanced around, stared at a paw for a moment, obviously thinking of what next. That was a bit hasty for even she to expect, and as a pair of Pidgeys began soaring around the top of the tree, she'd already noticed that her request was underway. Apparently it was time to move on once more, but where? She wasn't one particularly entertaining, at least she didn't think so. But there was no reason to stand and look lost.

Finally, her indecision was sealed with a pair of enthusiastic cries. She perked up immediately from the temporary stupor, looking towards the source of the voices, which happened to be running in her direction.

"Hey teach, wait for us!!!"

[/i][/b][/color]

A smile came upon her face as she noted the child, this two very much different than the Silas they'd greeted before. No, these two twins looked to be around six to seven years of age, and the only thing they seemed to be aware of was giving a hearty hello. Upon noticing them, the rest of the Rattata kits hastened back into the burrow, but all Rhea could do was brace herself before the kids threw thier arms around her neck. She had the most blissful expression upon her face due to it, despite her auds having been roughly pressed against her head.

"Good afternoon Ms. Rhea, where have you been?! We've ready for training now!"

It was becoming obvious that she had more than a few friends at the park.

"...Fenrir...be careful around these two...*Gasp* They're dangerous!"

"Hey, now there's two of them! Moose! Frog! Quick, use Take-Down before he gets away!"

*Excited Barks*

"...Run, they're after you!"[/i][/b][/color]

She simply grinned and bore it as best she could, though the Growlithe and Poochyena tagging along weren't helping things to be any easier. With the added weight of the smaller brother, it was enough to send all three tumbling to the ground, though in a very light hearted manner as they let the Espeon catch her breath and get back to her feet. he Pokemon were keen to get their paws on Fenrir however, whether their trainer's trainers were in support of the activity or not. It wasn't often in one's best interest to simply assaultt an unknown Pokemon, but they certainly had charged after Fenrir, and it looked as if the trainers thhemselves were leaving the defeated remains of Rhea and eager to conquer the new territory.

The park could be a hazardous place after all, these kids would keep anyone on their toes.

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[Enigmus]

Was this Rattata trying to make this moment any more awkward? If she was, then she was succeeding with ease. Fenrir stood silent, to dumbfounded to say a word. In actuality, he was too dumbfounded to know that he was dumbfounded! Such could probably be expected from one who is still getting adjusted to a new life of social interactions and so called "jokes". He had to smirk slightly at the Young rattata's reaction as he scuttled off in a hurry after his mother's remark.
Fenrir stood patiently afterwords, letting the Rhea and the mother Rattata converse. He wondered if these were the younglings the Espeon spoke of. There was not much communication between the two, not that he noticed anyways. And before he knew it, the mother started to scuttle her way up the tree, rather nimbly at that. What did she mean he'd be heartbroken? He wouldn't be...unless that was another one of her jokes. Jokes were proving to be a hard concept to grasp. There were those who joked around in SOLDIER, even among the 1st class. Fenrir just wasn't around it much to get use to the practice, and Sephiroth wasn't the joking kind.
He watched as the Rattata scuttled up a bit higher. he gave a nod as she spoke, as his way of saying that it was good to meet her as well. He wasn't sure how to take on the possibility of being chased down by younger ones, though if it was something along the lines of what Vince and Freya had put him through in the past, then it could be at least tolerable.
But what did she mean by privacy?
Moreover, what did she mean by clueless?
What did she mean by clueless? I'm not clueless...am I?
"Uhh...Nice meeting you too...Uh, Ma'am..."
Perhaps he was a slight bit clueless, since he hadn't an idea what the mother Rattata was speaking of. Why would Rhea have any need of grabbing him? Ah! All these jokes!
"Ah, I see. And it's alright."
A momentary lapse of silence followed afterwords. It felt a bit awkward for some reason. The Lucario didn't notice rhea glancing toward her own paw, since he was glancing around the area himself, not sure what to do, or if he should say anything. His wing started to relax, standing at his side now in a folded position. What was in store now that the Rattata had gone off?

He received an answer in the form of two voices running toward them.

Fenrir almost instantly drew his attention toward the twins that barreled their way toward Rhea. He was ready to take a defensive stance, but upon realizing that they were merely children, he simply stood still, unsure of how to take this situation now. The two kids seemed to be very fond of Rhea by the way they jumped toward her, holding her be her neck, but she seemed to be perfectly fine, maybe even enjoying the moment. He made a slight gesture when all three of them toppled to the ground, wanting to make sure everyone was ok, but everyone got up safely. Now he had his own problems once they took notice of his presence.

"Wait...what?!"

The command was given to take down the Lucario, and now Fenrir had to decide what to do next. He could hear the barks of the Growlithe and Poochyena calling out as they began their charge, and he heard Rhea's warning, but was this a game? Should he actually run? If he wanted to get away, that wouldn't be a challenge in the slightest, though the SOLDIER doubted that he should actually leave the area.
But should he let them catch him, if this was just a game? That he did not know, and a Take Down would probably hurt the attacker more than the defending Fenrir.

So for the time being, he would simply make short dodges to evade capture while showing no aggressive signs; they were children after all, and they obviously had no intent to deal any real harm. Just a plain child's game, so participating a slight bit wouldn't hurt him, right? Though if the two children also joined in this game, it was probably a matter of time before his capture was immanent.

[wildkuma]

"...Hahaha, I'm pleased that you think so. There's quite a deal of potential in the class. Some may appear more...eccentric than others, but I assure you it will be an engaging experience."

"Hearing it from you, I suppose I can have some degree of faith then. You be sure to do well on your trip then sir. For the time being, I think I'll return to my recordkeeping. It's been a wonderful outing but I think I'll have to hit the books if I'm going to be prepared to..."

"Hmm? Is something wrong?"

"Not quite, but have a look at those two over there...and those Pokemon..."

"Hmm? Those are the last two I'd think to be nosing their way into trouble...but anyways, do be on your way Ms. Quyen...I've some business specifically with those two anyway."

"Ah yes sir, and thank you. I'll be off then.

The man's eyes pierced through the crowd with precision as the woman clumsily gathered her materials and moved on, occassionally leaning over to recollect herself inher haste. Of course, the situation was of no concern to the teacher, who casually and quietly moved through the crowd so as not to draw attention. Ms. Naveen and the unmistakable Mr. Kaid...yes, this was an interesting occurance no doubt. A curious look crossed the vetean battler's face. He'd hoped to speak with both of them eventually, but never imagined they'd be in the same place. Though he wasn't sure whether they were aware of his spying upon their spying, he'd at least make himself prominent that it would be considered such for long. "...Good afternoon...I'd think you're making effective use of the time you have off for this summer?" He voiced simply, keeping a short distance to judge just how focused they were on their task. It would be a tremedous shame to find that they were too preoccupied to humor him for a few minutes, but he was hopeful that their current behavior indicated otherwise. With patience characteristic of him, he stood quietly, gaze travelling between the students and their quarry, but remaining indifferent all the while.

[Enigmus]

So far Fenrir's "testing" was going smoothly. He was remaining clam and being surprisingly polite. Despite getting the idea of feeling awkward, Aiden had to smile on what he was seeing. It was hard to think from Aiden's perspective that Fenrir first came to the Academy with intentions to kill and destroy from what he was seeing now. Aiden knew Fenrir only a little bit back at Shinra, but from what he did know at the time, he concluded that this was the real Fenrir, and whatever caused those previous actions and intentions had to be some sort of outside cause, most likely from Sephiroth and Jenova. But Aiden watched Fenrir now being chased by the children and their pokemon. Sure, Fenrir still felt very awkward, but he wasn't disliking the situation, which was a relief on Aiden's thoughts. It was very interesting to watch, though his engrossment in his spy...err...testing did not keep him from noticing and hearing the man who appeared behind him. The man gave Aiden a small startle, causing him to turn around very quickly but no jumps. The sudden appearance caused Aiden to give a quick reply without taking the time to recognize who he was talking to.
"Oh! Uh, yes! It's a great day to be outside!"
A rather awkward response from the boy, showing that the man had caught him by surprise. He wasn't figuring on drawing attention from anyone, let alone having someone come up to them. Now he felt somewhat stupid from his reaction, remaining silent until he could gather his thoughts again.


The arrival of the man had not gone unnoticed by Fenrir. He felt the presence of his trainer nearby, though he did not pay much attention to it until the man had approached Aiden and Kamille. Instincts told the Lucario to look back towards the trainers at the arrival of a unfamiliar Aura, and for a second he dropped his guard...

[wildkuma]

"I see...it would be a great time to pull out some books and do some studying under a tree as well, but I never see much of that happening over the summer..."

The teacher voiced this along with sporting an insinuating look, causing Kamille to flinch a bit as he eyed the pair with cold malice. Even tough the question hadn't directly been addressed to her, she wondered what was going through Aiden's head, seeing as he appeared to be so serious about it.

" I would hope you're not encouraging mischievous behavior among the younger students as well Mr. Kaid...seeing as you have a standout role as a Platinum Lugia...

But I'm more surprised at you Ms. Naveen, considering I've never viewed you doing anything besides research in the library."

As he turned for a moment to focus on the next victim to receive a verbal scolding, though he apparently wasn't finished with Aiden's, Kamille felt her stomach drop. It wasn't as if it was that bad, just being embarrassed and all, but still, why Mr. Arc, of all teachers it could've been? He kept records of every single offense that ever occurred in the history of his classes.....even after they'd been completed for years...at least she'd heard anyways.

"Well, I'm still trying to figure out what field I want to go into...but studying is important."

"...And when you're not studying you're training."

"Ah, well you need experience along with theory..."

"...Is spying on your fellow trainer's Pokemon a skill you intend to develop?"

"If you're aiming like something like law enforcement or Central Intelligence, you could use the skill..."

[/color]

"So the end justifies the means, correct?"

"Um...well no, but those Pokemon...."

By this point, the girl's cheeks had flushed a vivid crimson, and she jumped back in the same manner as Aiden had, quite surprised herself to have actually been visited. She had felt Zephyr's energy in the crowd, but she never expected him to stop and have an audience with them. This was going to be slightly odd to explain....she turned to Aiden with a slightly lost expression, as if silent osmosis would make her any better at responding. But then Mr. Arc's cold, stern voice quickly shifted into a shake of the head, and a chuckle of disbelief, and it became quite apparent that he was just fooling with the girl concerning her questioning. Attention turned back of the platinum maned SOLDIER, as he pondered the boy's response to his questions. A leader had to be prepared to have their decisions critiqued by outsiders, and Aiden was no exception. Zephyr wasn't going anywhere without making sure his students were up to par.


-/-/-/-/-/-/-

As the ebon Lucario's attention was drawn by the activity further down the park, both the kids and the Pokemon caught on to the lack of defense. It couldn't have come at a worse time....for Fenrir anyway. The kids huddled for a moment, before the the Ppochyena and Growlither head forth first, the kids running around to the sides. Rhea was about raise her head to speak, but not before the group gave a massive warcry and attacked from all angles.

"GOTCHA!!!'

One by one they slammed into the fighting and steel type....unknowing that he was indeed, part steel. The Pokemon gave a sudden yelp, seeming to be momentarily paralyzed and quite unaware they were still pressed against the shining gold pelt. The boys seemed to fail to take the notice of their partner's plight, but managed to contact a softer surface by transferring the force through their Pokemon. Rhea seemed to flinch slightly at every impact, though they weren't of a grade to consider an attack. The would probably be just enough to send the jackal Pokemon tumbling over if he didn't hold his ground, but at this point, the impact looked as if it'd be more severe on the kids than anyone. Rhea finally opened her eyes to view the results of the catastrophe, hopeful the kids, ad possibly Fenrir, would turn out alright. "Please...please don't attack them..." she voiced quietly, before taking note of her trainer's situation as well. Two catastrophies to occur at once...how was she supposed to cope with the confusion?
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[Enigmus]

After the initial shock and a moment to gather his thoughts, Aiden was able to recognize the identity of the man, though it did not help much: Mr. Arc., one of his teachers. Aiden had one class with the man before, so the boy had little, to basically no knowledge of what kind of man he was, however, from how this conversation was going, Arc did not seem like someone to mess with. Of course, Aiden had no intentions of messing with any of the teachers, or students for that matter; such mischievous activities were not in his nature. All he wanted to do was spend some free time with his friends. Now, figuring he was in some kind of trouble and not knowing why, the SOLDIER was going to attempt his best to remedy the situation, even though speaking wasn't necessarily Aiden's strong point.

"Oh, no trouble here Mr. Arc. We're just...supervising our (He put a small amount of emphasis on the word "our", to note that these pokemon were their own) pokemon while they take a break from training. Yeah, you know...like an mother would watch her child while they play at the park...Well, more like a father in my case. Ummm...Maybe more like an older sibling watching a younger one. You'd be surprised what you can learn from watching your pokemon adapt to new environments and situatio-"

Aiden paused from his current explanation (AKA. Excuse) of the situation upon catching the exclamation of the two kids and their pokemon upon their glomp-fail on Fenrir. He winced at the sight, starting to break a sweat. Now there was the possibility of dealing with Fenrir on top of Mr. Arc. "Please, Fenrir...don't attack them..." Aiden voiced quietly, unknowingly repeating the words of the Espeon who directly witnessed the wreck.

Everything seemed to be going so well...and now all this. The platinum-haired youth already had enough to handle for a while, and now he had to find a way to keep both himself, Kamille, and their pokemon out of trouble.

"Yeah...you can learn a lot from these kind of situations...maybe we could use this opportunity to practice what we learned from Healing Class!"

As far as Aiden knew, he was screwed.
****

One by one the attackers ricocheted off Fenrir's body, every impact pushing further and further off balance. He picked the perfect (or in his case, imperfect) time to look away. So much for ever-vigilant. The Lucario gave an attempted to keep his balance, his body and one of his legs made a 180 degree angle while the other leg hopped, trying to find solid ground. But the final impact was enough to send him tumbling over, landing hard on his back. Of course Fenrir wasn't hurt. Getting shot in the wing; now that hurt. This was nothing, but that did not mean the incident was without some irritation.

Fenrir felt partly irritated at himself, being left open so easily for an assault, by kids and their pokemon no less. But who goes and attempts to tackle an unknown pokemon? far all they knew, they could have just attempted to glomp someone like Creed! Fortunately for everyone, Fenrir was nothing of the sort. He did realize two important aspects. One was that he did leave himself open, and they were just kids; playing is what they did, and they didn't have the intent of hurting anyone. They had done the same to Rhea, and she came out just fine, though she didn't have a part steel body either, nor did she have the same personality as the Lucario.

The SOLDIER laid on the ground, staring aimlessly into the sky as he contemplated on how he would handle the situation. He could be mad, and grant it he was somewhat upset. He could leave, but that would ruin the entire point of the day. He could check on the kids and their pokemon to make sure they were alright, but such wasn't directly in his nature, but wasn't the one of the points of these outings to change his behavior, to make him more friendly? Maybe this was a test.

With a sigh, the onyx-pokemon slowly leaned upwards into a sitting position, brushing off the areas where he had been struck. At least none of them managed to hit the spike on his chest: That would have been nasty. Sometimes, Fenrir wished that spike wasn't there, due to the hazardous predicaments that could follow. He looked at the pokemon and the kids, closing his eyes and letting out another disgruntled sigh. "*sigh*...You ok?" He asked, not necessarily in a manner that made him appear to care, but more as if he felt obligated to ask. Fenrir wasn't considered to be heartless, but he certainly wasn't the most inclined to show too much care, at least in this kind of situation.