[ Safari Zone - South Region ]

[Faolan]

The building Feng stood in front of was one that he had always reminded himself to check out later but had never really had the time to follow through with that little reminder. He supposed that now it was later and there wasn't much else he could do to avoid it. He was already there, after all, and it would take him the better part of the day to get back to headquarters and the city.

It hadn't taken him more than an hour to get over to this part of the region, the various ruins and slums of the city giving way to lush, rolling hills and plains once he had gotten outside the city walls. It was almost unnerving how such scenery could exist so close to the site of crime and pollution, and with the slums and the Underground the way they were... well. It was more than a little surprising, it was downright unbelievable. Here he knew that the same rules that applied in the city and even in headquarters would not hold through -- he was well outside his territory and would do well to remember that.

A small part of him, though, was giddier than ever at the prospect. Perhaps someone would actually try and start something with him? This thought was far too exciting to bear and it was all he could do to keep himself still. It was almost a good thing that he hadn't worn his Pravus uniform, preferring instead to dress in casual, black jeans, a black jacket, and a white t-shirt beneath it. For all extents and purposes he looked like a normal civillian, even with the gaudy jewelry decorating his ears and fingers.

After looking over the sign that proclaimed "Safari Zone" in large, colorful letters, he fingered the pokeball around his neck housing his Arioche and quietly pushed the door open to trek inside. Once there, he greeted the attendant with a charming smile that didn't do much to gloss over the malice in his eyes and paid the fee required to enter. He selected his preferred region from the map given to him and strode through the doors and into the watery terrain of the South Region.

[NPCmod]

A marshland stretched all around Feng for as far as his eyes could see, sturdier trees of willow and aspen, barely visible on the horizon--ingalng a end just out of reach. Rocky little islands, and large hills of dark soil dotted the water, and algae strewn lland. Brightly colored aquatic plants swung to and fro on the surface, punctuated by large lilypads. The occasional ripple spread across the water's surface, occasionally punctuated by a loud splash. Croaks and whistles were easily audible on the open water, along with the occasional cries of other Remoor citizens.

The water was surprisingly sweet-smelling, and for the msot part a pleasant jade green--where one could barely make out the sandy bottom. This illusion of shallow water tempted trainers to jump in, regardless of the "DO NOT ENTER--" signs posted along the river banks. These were msotly there for the benefits of younger trainers, at it's deepest the water crested eight feet deep, currently beneath Feng it was a little over three feet.

--

In the immediate area fingers of land stretched out across the marsh, crisscrossing one another in widespread passages. Short bridges of green-rope draped between the outer islands, connecting them.

At first glance, the entire place wasdevoid of pokemon, until a second glance made you blink. A few islands to Feng's left a island of bright-bubble gum pink sat--which did not fit in with the drab colors of all the others. A odd ring wrapped around it--and its entire body seemed to move with breath. Bubbles erupted from the water around it, as occasionally one of its stout little ears gave a wiggle. If this was in fact a creature--its eyes were screwed tightly shut.

The attempt at blending in was laughable to say the least--but half the time, people walked right on by, going for the brightly colored fish in the shadows.

Maybe . . this was not this slowpoke's lucky day?

[Faolan]

Post Count: 1/25
Ball Count: 10/10
Bait Count: 30/30

The scenery Feng stepped out onto put him in mind of an old movie he had seen some time ago. The watery marshland gave him cause to hike up his jeans a little to avoid getting them drenched in the sweet smelling waters all around him. There was a small island of land suitable for stepping on to his right, and he hopped over to it now as he ventured deeper within the region. There was some gratitude to be had, here, especially since the area was not completely devoid of all life and noise and the occasional chirp or splash of water served to distract the boy from his thoughts. Idly he reflected upon how much it would have behooved him to bring along a guest, though the only person he could think of whose presence was not a complete drill to his brain was Mickey; even then, their relationship could hardly be called a healthy one.

Toeing a lily pad with his worn and scuffed sneakers, he nudged it gently aside to watch it drift on the ebbing waters before his gaze caught on something. It was a glaringly pink blob situated on one of the islands farthest from him [since he'd gone to the right instead of the left, where the slowpoke was situated], curled up and... bubbling in the water, clearly in a deep sleep. Though Feng had not had much in the way of pokemon studies, having ended his lessons at the fiftieth pokemon in the Kanto region, he had seen enough on TV and read a few books to know just what pokemon it was that was slumbering away in the waters.

It was not one that interested him particularly, and so he soon set off with a little wave of his hand, arms then stretching out to keep his balance like a small child at play while he went from island to island in search of more interesting looking species.

[NPCmod]

The young Slowpoke continued his coma-like doze, completely oblivious to Feng ever having been there.

--

The Grunt slowly picked his way over the little islands of the marsh, soon of the smaller ones squelching under his feet--or shifting slightly. Muddy puddles accompanied his steps, rings of water spreading from where his feet grazed the surface, or mud clots dropped into the murky water below. Long tresses of kelp grew up a few of the desolate isles, turning their sides slippery and green. With each breeze these kelp tendrils waved to and fro. Occasionally patches of water exploded upward bugs disappearing under the water--the remnants of oily fins disappearing beneath the water. Baby Pokemon swam back and forth around the islands--being sure to stay away from Feng's mighty sneakers.

Vibrations raced through the water with each trod of the damp shoes. Sensitive whiskers (and gills) irritated, many eyes turned to stare at the approaching human. With many arrow like wakes, the pokemon dispersed to a new spot to resume their gossiping.

--

Most of the Pokemon fled . Underneath the shallow water, a single (small) grey shape was outlined, tooth filled jaws pulled back in a grin. Flying from its tail like banners, two wedges waved back and forth. The muscles down its spine tensed, the fish's muscular tail began to wiggle back and forth. Feng's shadow fell over its horn crowned head -- its black eyes narrowed. At a closer glance it was obvious the little Remoraid (for that’s what it was ) happened to not be looking at Feng. Instead it was practically salivating over a large black horsefly fluttering just above the water's surface.

Nodding resolutely the Remoraid let loose its pent up energy, surged forward--and flew from the water. Its muscualr tail waved up and down like a single wing--attempting to propel it forward. The Remoraid opened its narrow mouth the fly now buzzing inside its depths. With a muddy sploosh, the fish crashed into the island, a few inches in front of Feng's foot.
" THE HELL! "
The fish screamed as its prey bobbed away on the wind, its eyes narrowed in hatred.

[Faolan]

Post Count: 2/25
Ball Count: 10/10
Bait Count: 29/30

The soft sploosh of something grey and rather small crashing into the mud before his foot made him pause, rusty hues darting down to peer at the little fish flopping around and possibly stirring up even more smushy dirt, if that were at all possible. Brow arching in abject fascination, the Pravus private bent down to the pokemon whiole careful not to soil his jeans. It was a fish, obviously; he didn't know quite just what kind it was, but it certainly looked goofy-looking enough. Cute, even, if one were into that sort of thing. But that wasn't exactly what he was here for, and though the fish had caught his interest for the moment, it wasn't enough to have him put forth any actual effort to go about catching the thing. Although...

The burden of Safari balls on his person was something he could do without; with one less added to their number, certainly it would have made his trek across the minor outlying islands a bit easier? Perhaps the little fish would prove useful in some way or another-- and if not, at least then he had a little snack to munch on if ever the time came. He doubted Arioche's legs would be any better rolled in flour and fried in batter. A fish probably was a better meal choice.

It was with this thought firmly rooted in his mind that he plucked up one of the pieces of bait gifted to him when he started the game, and outstretched it to the gray fish in the hopes it would come closer to nibble on his proffered treat. The grin on his face was carefully pleasant, eyes lit with an emotion that could best be likened to mirth-- or play.

[NPCmod]

The silver scales of the Remoraid were now rusted--akin to the odd color of Feng's eyes. Onyx colored irises swiveled so that they now scrutinized the trainer.
"What the hell are you just kneeling there for!? Apologize! You lost me a snack!"
The Remoraid squealed in a high-pitched voice, his mouth flapping uselessly after each word. The banner like tail flopped about in the muck of the island's side, sending brown water, broken grass, and mud flying all about. The small ribbony fins at his side rotated in circles, attempting to gain purchase to drag him back into the luke-warm water of the swamp. With his keen ears he could just make out the laughter of some other Pokemon.

The human kept staring. Slapping his fins vehemently upon the water's surface, he pointed a shaking fin at Feng. The fish's eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"WHAT YOU’VE NEVER SEEN A FISH OUTTA WATER! QUIT STARING! YOU FREAKIN' CREEPER!"
The Remoraid appeared to be doing an odd dance--where he imitated a pancake in a frying pan. Small pebbles flew from beneath him, as a muddy hole began to form under his silvery body.

--
Turning to glance at the shifting ground beneath him, the Remoraid shivered--cold air caressing his fine scales. It wasn't just the chill though, that damned human was still staring at him! Twisting his head so it faced upward, the fish opened his mouth to speak again, only to find a wonderful smell wafting into his nostrils. On a dainty white string, a few inches above the crown of his head dangled a little cube of food.
"Paying me back are ya? No hard feelings eh? "
A gleam formed in the Remoraid's eyes as its stomach let out a low-pitched grumble.

Stupid Slowpokes slept on the food supply! Besides who would pass up a chance like this?

"Alright--I'll bite."
With a surge of energy, the Remoraid leapt from the puddle--its needle-like teeth aiming for Rath's wrist.

Well! No human was holding out his food like he was some prey to be baited!

[Faolan]

Post Count: 3/25
Ball Count: 10/10
Bait Count: 29/30

It was a noisy little bugger, that much was certain; Faolan did not mind the noise, but he didn't much appreciate being shouted and yelled at by a fish. Picky, this one. Not even Arioche had raised her voice to him, although she didn't much talk at all and preferred the safety and necessity of tending to her webs throughout the day. She would drop in from time to time when things in Faolan's room were too quiet for his liking and he started getting fidgety, but other than their excursions out and about she did her own thing and left him alone.

The fish would prove to be a nuisance in due time if he ended up capturing it, that much was for certain. Doubtless Arioche would shun the pair of them for a week to show her disapproval until either Feng got rid of the fish or else ordered her to mind herself. Truthfully, he didn't much need a vocal, little annoying fishy thing in his arsenal-- unless he was hungry. That prospect was still there, and was a rather tempting one. Still, that didn't stop him from grinning guilelessly at the little critter, no matter how vocal it was. Even with the rudeness the fish had exhibited, it was still sort of cute and meaty and would probably provide Faolan with a few moments of play during his Safari Zone run.

The Pravus grunt was all too content to just sit there and dangle the little cube of pokefood, waiting until the critter trusted him enough to waddle closer and peck at his proferred treat.

That is, until it went for his wrist.

Those little teeth didn't much look pleasant and he was certain they wouldn't much feel any better embedded in his skin-- so he did what any other person would have done, given the circumstances.

He clenched his free hand into a tight fist and swung hard in the direction of the fish's face.

[NPCmod]

The fish's needle sharp teeth crashed together on empty air. No meaty taste enveloped his mouth, and he found himself falling. Thrashing his tail back and forth, the Remoraid made a desperate grab for Feng's exposed wrist. The purle of racing blood just underneat the surface was reflectedi n the little guy's large eyes. The reflection slowly distored though, and now a wall of tan dominated his vision. The fist was just registered as such, before it slammedi nto the side of his face. The halting flight was stopped--and the Remoraid found itself flying through the air toward the end of the island. Its tail thrashed back and forth uselessly, even as it watched the clenched fist of Feng grow smaller. The bait swung back and forth in a taunting manner.

"AH FUCK!"
The fish screeched, as it fell stomach first into the shallow water, its offwhite belly scraped against the rocky floor. A few drops of blood diffused into the water. The fish quickly glared a t Feng, before shoving its tail against them anmade island, and disappearing into the murky water. It returned to its former playmates among much teasing and laughter.

Stupid human. It'd get what it had coming.

--

All the commotion had drawn the more curious pokemon, who now observed Feng from a safe distance. To the right of the island, a brightly colored weasel floated--its fork like tail, spinning lazily in the water. Its bright blue eyes were hooded--it looked rather uninterested in the human. To be truthful it also looked haughty.

To the left a creature of ebony observed the human through narrowed eyes. Its entire body lay underneath the shallow water, only its dark eyes lay on the water surface. A little farther down, a dark comb stuck out of the water, it trembled with each wave of water.
Maybe one of the other pokeon idiots would attack, and he'd eat that bait for breakfast, then eat that bruised idiot.

That sounded like a plan.

[Mod posts are always gonna be short for me]

[Faolan]

[D'aww they're not short. They're good. ]

Post Count: 4/25
Ball Count: 10/10
Bait Count: 29/30

The sight of the fish flying through the air brought a small, rather boyish smile to Faolan's lips. It could be most likened to a small child who'd set fire to a small anthill and was watching the chaos unfold, though the situation was far from different. After the creature hit the water with a splash and disappeared from view completely, Feng threw the cube of bait into the water as a parting gift to the little fish and straightened on his part of the island. The shift in weight had a bit more mud squelching up beneath his feet and he took a few moments to carefully step over the little ridges rising between his sneakers and over to drier bit of land.

The myriad assortment of colors he could see from the corners of his eyes prompted the Pravus grunt to turn his gaze in the direction of the pokemon that had come to observe. Neither of them looked vaguely familiar or even remotely interesting-- well he had to admit that black fishy thing was a bit more to his tastes -- and while he hadn't even bothered glancing at the list of pokemon that populated this region, that didn't mean he'd go on and settle for just anything. He knew this was a game and there was limited time, but he didn't really feel like pursuing the pokemon that looked, well, boring and bland. The fish from before had been entertainment enough, but it was gone now and he was more or less all alone with a handful of bait and some Safari balls still attached to his hip.

Faolan migrated himself up to the higher point of the little island he was currently situated on, lifted his hands to shield over his eyes, and peered around the watery zone to find what he could. A few moments of this and he found a rather enticing looking path characterized by a set of islands clumped together to form a small oasis-looking groove in the middle, so he started picking his way carefully through the mud and the watery inlands for this new landmark; he eventually reached it in a few moments time and stood on one of the little islands peering down into the oasis waters.

[NPCmod]

The pair of pokemon watched Feng walk off--the Buizel's mouth curled downward in a frown.
"What an useless human."
With a powerful flick of his forked tail, the weasel disappeared under the water , his bright eyes instantly settled on a school of Remoraid. A little pink tongue snaked from between his fuzzy muzzle, needle sharp teeth flashed in thw shallow water. The otter-pokemon became a blur of orange, and rocketed toward the Remoraid. The little fish instantly split up, and the Buizel found himself alone in the water.

The Delfen merely dove underneath the still water--swimming toward the gate where it seemed another tourist was arriving,. Like a snake it shifted through the water, its body curving in elegant waves.

---

The oasis was an island build of long reaching tree roots. They weaved together in a cage like embrace, swamp weeds cemented them together. A thin layer of dirt covered the 'cage', solitary trees sprouted through holes in the latticed ground. With each step, the wood bounced underneath Feng. Much like a very dirtrty trampouline. Water lapped at the island's borders. Logs lay strain about it in random patterns. The middle of the island was made up of a wooden cup--filled with cool clear water. Sand rested at its bottom. Little shrubs wrapped around the entire 'oasis'.

From one of these little shrubs a little blue shape watched Feng's approach with apprehension. Its bug like eyes followed his movements,, and its breathing rate increased. Stubbyh little claws grasped at stray leaves, quickly pasting them to his chubby little belly. As was to be expected they fluttered to the ground, dropping to the swamp with little ripples.
"Human..ccrud..crud...I am not even supposed to be here..."

Pursing his large mouth together, the Gible backed away from the bush, before running headlong toward the shallow water. Feng touched down just as the Gible threw itself off. For a few seconds a red belly was shown to the sky--then the dragon smashedi nto the swamp bottom. White sand flooded into his mouth, stuck to his stomach and arms. It could feel Feng approaching, quickly. Pulling its stubby little limbs into its body- it angled its head upward. It was now a round lump--with two little oval protusion beside its side. A glint of red was still visible.
be a rock..a rock...be still..be boring

Be a rock. A very bright blue rock. A bright blue rock with eyes and obvious teeth.

[Faolan]

Post Count: 5/25
Ball Count: 10/10
Bait Count: 28/30

Faolan would have been a fool not to have picked out the sudden loud splash that sounded even over the cries of watery pokemon and the softer splashes as the waters lapped at the island's edges. When he turned to look in the direction of where he'd heard the sound, though, he was met with the sight of a rather odd looking... rock? that certainly had not been there when he had first looked over.

With curiosity written all over his face he made his way towards the rock-shaped aberration for a better look; what he saw made him arch a brow and chuckle humorlessly.

Teeth. What sort of rock had teeth? And those little oval shaped things on the side of it... and were those eyes? He honestly doubted that this thing was a rock. It would have been stupid to assume so. There was a little patch of red over its belly, and though he couldn't see any arms he could certainly see that yes, there were eyeballs in it and yes, those were sharp little teeth; the thing looked like it had a huge mouth and, overall, that this sort of pokemon was meant to look vicious but really looked.... actually, the word "cute" sprang to mind.

The mud squelched up around his feet as he drew steadily closer, leaving the sanctity of dry land for the wetter, marshier terrain surrounding the pokemon. He still had a bit of bait left, which he plucked out and sort of threw in the direction of the odd-looking thing. It landed with a wet plop! in the waters in front of those sharp looking teeth and bobbed rather enticingly. The string tied around it draped across the water's surface in a wavy pattern that led up to Faolan's fingers-- which he held perfectly still and poised, waiting for the creature to move.

"That's a shitty camoflauge job." He rather drawled, perched at the edge of the lake waters to study the creature. To any faraway observer it would have looked like he was talking to a rock and he had to admit he certainly felt like it. But those were teeth, those were eyeballs, and this thing was something he'd never seen before. It certainly grabbed his interest, to be sure.

[NPCmod]

The Gible tried his best to remain still, even as waves washed over his head, and vibrations tickled the base of his nose. Football shaped ears twitched, the mud squelching around the human's feet rang like gongs in the dragon's brain.
Oh shi--no no bad word--crud--please go away, go away go away go away, don't come closer, stop ..stop...STOP!
Scrunching his eyes closed [not exactly a rock-like move] the Gible then began to pray to Arceus, willing the new comer to be on his way. The dragon type began to itch all over--and only sheer will kept him from scratching at himself, and blowing his cover.

What kind of genius would it take to see throguh his wonderful disguise? No. Close your mouth, only Geodude have mouths. The Gible let out a sigh of relief when the human stopped moving, his eyes opening and revealing a bright ivory slit, before closing again. Something plopped down in the water uinches from his nose, and the Gible opened up his eyes again.
Throwing things at me now..I thought humans were in-tee-lect-quals.....
A spongy littl piece of food now bobbed inches from his face. It was tempting...ooh so tempting...

But everyone knows rocks don't eat.

Unless they are pet rocks. A single stubby claw reached up toward the baited string, it clasped at the string--just out of reach.

Wait until the silly human turned around...

Maybe he could pretend to be a hungry leaf.

Leaves ate right?

--

The pokemon's stomach let out a rumble, and he shifted position slightly, lifting up his back legs--and he now resembled a runner at the starting line.

Waiting for the gun...

Bob.

Bob.

Dip.

So close. So what if he wasn't supposed to be here? The human was throwing food at him.

What did it matter if he took a single bite?

The human wouldn't even notice.

Dip.

Bob.

Dip.

--

The human then opened his mouth.
" IT IS NOT! I AM A VERY GOOD ROC--"
Eyes shot open like blinds, and the Gible murmured to himself:
"Pebble..pebble.."
Rocks sounded like that right?

[Faolan]

Post Count: 6/25
Ball Count: 10/10
Bait Count: 28/30

So the thing didn't want to eat. That was perfectly fine with him, Faolan had been in these sorts of situations before and his patience was certainly not something to sneeze at. If the odd creature wanted to just sit there and starve itself to death, he was all right with that. Graciousness was a pleasantry that was privileged to others and he didn't have to extend any sort of courtesy towards the pokemon that he didn't want to.

There were a few decent sized stones buried in the mud around him that he could make good use of, after all.

"Hmm... What am I going to do..?" His voice had taken on a sort of inquisitive tone, like he was talking to himself and had completely forgotten who he had been addressing just a few moments earlier. Taking up a cube of the bait he'd been given at the start of his game, he bounced it slowly in his hand and then threw it lazily up and down in the air, sighing heavily. "I've got aaaaaall this food... and no one to feed it to... There's sooooo much of it, tooooo..." The sing-song, lilting air to his voice did not gloss over the slight glint of malice in his eyes, but it helped some that his gaze was pointed elsewhere and not at the "camoflauged" thing in front of him.

"If only there was someone I could feed all this nice, yummy pokefood to... But there's nothing here except for rocks... and no pokemon..."

Seemingly resigned with his fate, Faolan plopped himself down just a few inches before the mud started and bent his knees up. His arms hung limply down between them and his shoulders slumped, giving him a dejected, forlorn sort of temperament that was only emphasized by the occasional sigh of disappointment he would let out.

"I guess I'll never be able to feed the pokemon..."

[NPCmod]

The Gible allowed himself a determined nod, there was no way he was revealing his disguise again. Something kept distracting him though, the layer of thick moss clinging to his crimson belly. Claws moved with quick little jabs and threw it into the water. The dragon type kept both wide eyes on Feng, its claws occasionally pawed at the thick , pebbly bottom. It was almost certain that Feng had decided to ignore him, until he began speaking tot he air.

What a crazy human. Eyes slowly tilted upward he attempted to find whoever the trainer was speaking to. Unless it was a ghost type, it was nothing but air, but his Uncle had claimed to hear voices sometimes, maybe it was the same thing.

The traitorous balloon that bulged into the sand beneath began to growl at the words. The light, happy, lilting tone with which they were delivered caused the Gible to bob his head with Feng.
"...why is no one eating it.. what could it hurt?"
The dragon tried to talk himself into getting up, his tummy was now literally shaking. Maybe this nice human would give him the food, then help him over the fence. Someone who could sing was not a bad person! Na-uh!

Mud dripped from his belly as he rose to his feet, and quickly shook his head. Water spouted from his nostrils, and ears landing on the water's surface with a series of ripples. Why was he getting up? Was he going to throw the food away?

The Gible rushed forward through the warm water, claws lodging in the silt. With a sound of surprise it disappeared beneath the water. Stubby arms splashed inches above the waters surface, and with a gasp the Gible rose to the water's surface. Murky water spurted from between his teeth as he began to wave, and charge toward Feng.
"Wait wait--I'm not really a rock! You can feed me all you want Mister!"
Unlike the Remoraid he was polite, and ground to a stop at the Pravus member's feet, arms raised palms facing skyward, and wide black eyes stared into Feng's face, which was beginning to look a lot less harmless.
"Sorry for fooling you I really wasn’t a rock!"

[Faolan]

[Hnnnngh short reply is short sorry Feather. 8C ]

Post Count: 7/25
Ball Count: 10/10
Bait Count: 28/30

Mentally he started counting down the seconds in his head.

Ten... nine.... eight...

He'd just barely hit two when a splashing noise caught his ears and he glanced up from examining the clumps of grass stuck in the mud. A Cheshire-like grin spread across his face when he saw the beast charging toward him and he leaned back a little to survey the pokemon more closely. Since it was more or less out of the mud he took careful note of the protrusions of its body, the short, stubby aspect to it as a whole and the varying colors. Usually one could tell what type of pokemon it was from the colors [grass tended to be green, water blue, etc.], but Faolan could honestly say he had never seen such a creature before. It didn't help that it hadn't said its name yet, not that that might not have done him any good since he was only familiar with the Kanto, Johto and Hoenn region pokemon. Even then his knowledge was a bit murky, at best.

"That's all right," he said reassuringly, and offered up the cube of bait he'd stopped bouncing around in his hand some time ago. It was a warm gesture, but his other hand had disappeared at his waist and was now fingering one of the Safari capsule balls that had been given to him at the reception desk. Even if he didn't know what sort of pokemon it was, it was interesting enough for him to want to catch it. It probably had something to do with the fact that it hadn't wanted Faolan to see it at the beginning and, for some reason, that intrigued him more than anything.

"You hungry, huh?"