A mountain hike!

[blake]

Madness. Sheer madness was all Blake could think of to call this trip. Officially he was out to search for legendaries, as per the head scientists Mizu's request. In reality, he was getting out of the labs for a few days, as a more mandatory request. Apparently he was not supposed to yell at a grunt when they nearly burned off his coat due to a accidental experiment's acid spill. Who would have thought. Though, when he thought about it, he had been getting more cocky around the place. Maybe he should get out more, take some breaks. Especially since he didn’t ant to pass out like the last time he’d worked too much.

Of course, this vacation didn’t come entirely free. There was one snag, in the form of a tag along called Connor. Why was that a bad thing? Well, Blake never was too fond of muscle bound men, and he seemed about as muscle bound as you could get. Still, things weren’t all bad, he was still outside, and he hadn’t been that much of a pain yet. So, as he walked further up the mountain trail, watching for any signs of legendaries visiting the area, he smiled. It was nice to get out. He needed to do it more.

Flash the entire time was walking right next to Blake, casting quite a few glances towards the new company they had. This guy was probably going to be trouble. He was a Pokemorph, and those people tended to be rather unstable. He didn’t want to deal with some crazy nutcase right now, especially when they were on a mountain trail, and while he didn’t know how strong or what he could do. Even if it seemed rather paranoid to most, Flash knew that it was probably the only thing standing between Blake and utter despair. Of course, that didn’t meant he got thanked for his chore.

Blake was meanwhile busy trying to figure out where the heck the last legendary they had been tracking had gone. He’d caught a trace, faint as it was, that perhaps Shaymin had been around, but from what he was seeing now, well, there was nothing there. Sighing and standing up, he shook off his hands, and turned, to face his companion. It’d been a while since they’d last talked, and he figured he’d tell him about the bad news. Besides, muscle bound he may be, but two heads were better than one.

“Well, I can’t seem to find the trail. You have any ideas where it might have gone?” He expected no real smart reply, but sometimes inspiration struck from the oddest of things. Besides, he had to admit he shouldn’t be cold to a guy who could most likely pick him up and throw him with one hand. Experiments were a little too volatile to not treat nicely. And heck, if he made him his friend, he might just end up with a powerful ally, at least in the physical department. You never knew what a friend could end up doing for you, but they never did hurt.

[Conner and The Brat]

‘On the road again, Just can’t wait to get on the road again. The life I love is making music with my friends. And I just can’t wait to get on the road again.’

Good song. Not too bad a song to get stuck in your head. Now if only he were actually on the road with a friend. Not that he had something against this scientist in particular…he just didn’t like scientists. Too many smells, and a strange association with Hurt…He couldn’t really remember what Hurt, but Scientist Smells=Hurt in Conner’s book.

As fast as the thought entered his mind, it was gone. He didn’t dwell on painful memories, not at all. He didn’t hurt currently, so who cares whether he hurt in the past?

Anyways, this scientist didn’t smell that much like a scientist now after a good while on the road. Still, why Conner was stuck traipsing around a random wilderness was outside of his understanding. Eh, probably because scientists were like omegas in a Pack. Not very good in a fight, but good at weaseling their way into a leader’s good graces. Still, why send a scientist out into the wilderness where muscle was needed, and not brains? That just seemed…weird.

Eh, whatever, Enigma-alpha probably wanted some more information about what the scientists were up to anyways. Enigma-Alpha didn’t like the scientists any more than Conner did. And, seeing Enigma’s less than awe-inspiring appearance, neither could Conner.

Conner trudged up the mountain trail, leading the way like any good leader should. The Brat and The Girl trotted on his heels, for once not snapping at each other every few minutes. The large Luxray who accompanied the scientist was making the pups nervous. Conner in his Houndoom form was the same size as the oversized kitty, but the Luxray weighed at least a third more in muscle. It would be close if the cat decided to make a jump for supremacy. The little pups didn’t stand a chance against the Luxray. Pack unity took precedence over petty internal squabbling when there was a big kitty on the prowl. So what if they were on the same team, kitties and puppies didn’t mix too well.

So the pups were on edge, Conner wasn’t too happy with being stuck with a scientist on a venture into the middle of nowhere…all was going just swell.

Surprisingly, Conner didn’t really like being outside in the wilderness for long periods of time. He needed people around. Houndoom ran in packs; he needed that constant interaction and action. Besides, he didn’t really like the rain.

Wait, the scientist was speaking to him. Conner rewound through his mindscape…oh, the trail.

Conner paused and closed his eyes, scenting the mountain wind, parsing through all it brought him. Beneath the ozone scent of an electric type, the clean spring of his Girl, and The Brat’s all around musty spunky odor, well, there was nothing. A Grista flock had claimed this area as its own, a Snapdragon den was nearby, there was a cave full of nice interesting smells off to the south…but no spicy exhilarating legendary scent.

“I can’t smell any legendary around here right now, but this isn’t the best place for it. We need to get higher” Conner barked abruptly, turning to continue up the mountain.

The Brat followed loosely, but not before muttering to Salad at his side “Stupid kitty is fouling up the place, Boss can’t get a scent.”

Conner stifled a growl of annoyance. Stupid pup was going to make this trip a lot harder than it already was. Antagonizing the furball wasn’t going to help them find a legendary any faster.

[blake]

Blake watched as he seemed to sniff the place, then said that while he couldn't get a trace of a scent, he had to get to a better place to actually do anything. It made sense, sure, but he wasn't quite sure if the scent would really be that much different up there. Still, he deferred to the man who had a nose like a dog, for several reasons, and followed him. A constant eye was out for unusual flora, because that was the hall mark of Shaymin. She had a unique ability to instantly purify all air. In fact, she was about the only way for Remoor to turn back to normal. The power to fix remoor had to be theirs, or so the higher ups believed. He wasn't so sure, but then again, he wasn't the leader.

Right now, he was walking up a mountainside, and a rather steep mountainside at that. Right now he was walking abreast of Connor, careful not to get ahead of him so that he wouldn't foul up the scent, but too well, wired just to stand back. A few times he almost was tempted to run up and examine something he saw, but with supreme effort, held himself back. Last thing he needed to do was to make Connor snap at him. Flash wouldd freak out if he started to spew fire or something. So, instead, he tried to strike up a conversation with him. The silence was getting to him. "So, whats life as a Pokemorph like?"

This was of interest to him not just because he was a scientist, and was interested in everything, but because he was soon to become one of their own, or likely to be. There was still firm debate among his pokemon as to if he should go about it, but he figured he would eventually, especially if he was going for that promotion.

Flash while this was all going on, was having a mean staring contest with the others, or at least he was. Of course, he wasn't doing the absolute greatest about staring them down, due to the fact that he was constantly breaking this contest to look all around, even using his X-ray sight as well, to scan for enemies, but he was doing his best to seem extremely intimidating and powerful, though in all honesty he probably didn't have to put on the whole show. They didn't seem that much of a threat, but in Pravus, where a little girl could turn out to be an assassin, and a quite good one too, there was honestly no way to be too sure of oneself. So, he continued to glare them down, between paranoid looking around sessions, and hoping they wouldn't try anything.

Blake didn't notice this animosity passing between the pokemon at his ankles and Connor's, mainly because he was more interested in the potential conversation and a rather rare plant he'd discovered, and decided to take a leaf of. Why a leaf? because he wasn't sure what kind of species it was, and he was always curious as to what thigns he didn't know about were. So after plucking it, he said "Do you get out much?" Another question would work well in hopefully icing out their conversation. Or it'd prove his previous theory, either one.

[The Sky Warrior]

What a beautiful mountainside! She had never seen anything so glorious! Aside from that strange building that jutted out over the treetops (what was that building, anyways?) it seemed like this place was absolutely gorgeous. Remoor was an under-appreciated place, and she wished to go back home so that she could talk up a storm with Azelf about it. He always seemed interested in such a beautiful landscape.

Or maybe that wonderful Smeargle fellow she met in that strange cave. He was a bit crazed though, what with talking about how Remoor came to a halting screech in development when the clones and Pravus decided they just did not like each other. That was quite alright, he seemed to like it when she beautified his cave. She would most likely have to make a visit later, seeing as he promised the 'beautiful Shaymin' a 'wonderful painted gift' when she returned, which she promised she would do as soon as she could.

However, she had to go explore some more, or else she would never see Remoor for it's splendor, if it had any. It did seem that most of the landscape was either barren or crawling with people. There did seem to be an area that was crawling with security, but she assumed that was the Pravus building. They did seem to have quite a bit of control over the land, after all.

She was currently gliding around in her Sky Forme (it was a beautiful day in this beautiful landscape), letting her ears and wings catch the drift of the warm summer breeze. She barely noticed the two gentlemen from Pravus until she landed on a tree near the top of the mountain, and, even then, she could barely make out who they were they were so far away. Luckily for her, the wind seemed to be on her side, so if there were any Pokemon that could sniff, they would not catch on that she was around until she got a decent enough look.

She took a whiff of her own, and crinkled her nose lightly. It seemed there were quite a few Pokemon, one of which she was not sure was all Pokemon, and a stranger smell, probably a male human of some sort. They smelled of many things, considering there might have been many Pokemon there, but she could not make out who was what exactly yet, seeing as they were rather far away.

She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a slightly better look without actually moving any farther. Of all her years, she had to be wary of what exactly was going on, even if she thought she could trust the people she just met. She was not sure if she could trust them, seeing as she could... just... barely make them out.

A lot of them were dark figures, and one was indeed bipedal (again, probably human) in nature.

She decided to get a little closer, taking to hop/gliding from tree-to-tree, slowly, to see if she could get a better look. They were a curious sort, human trainers.

It took her a few hundred feet or so (she was rather far away) before she stopped. Now, she was pretty sure they could make out at least a faint hintings of her smell. She was pretty fragrant, after all.

A Houndoom was all she wanted to make out. Did she like those? She did not remember; it had been awhile since she had encountered a dark type Pokemon...

That human, on the other hand, she was more wary of, seeing as she could still not make out anything about him other than his basic appearance.

And they seemed to be talking...

She would have to wait for them to notice her first. It was only the polite thing to do, after all.

[Conner and The Brat]

Now the scientist was trying to talk to him. Conner didn’t mind the silence. Scientists did make him slightly uncomfortable, and silence allowed him to put his full attention on observation. True, his mind did wander when he noticed that those mountains over there looked like a pair of very big lady mountains if you get his drift. The scientist’s question actually startled him out of a memory of a lady friend of his whose breast had looked like mountains…

Life as a Pokemorph? “That’s kind of difficult to describe…” Conner began. What was life as a Pokemorph like? He didn’t think of his life before. Conner rarely ever thought of life yesterday, so you can see how rarely he thought back to almost 5 years ago.

“Better than a human of course” Conner continued arrogantly. Pokemorphs were definitely of a higher caste than humans and Conner had the fangs and claws to prove it.

But he might as well give ADD over there something to think about. The scientist was so twitchy; it reminded Conner of Salad when the Eevee down the hallway from him had learned Attract. The Eevee had used it nearly 24/7, and Salad fell for it every time. Stupid girl had been so danged twitchy, keeping the whole Pack up all night with her stirring every 30 seconds to check if her amore had come to pay her a visit. The Eevee had mysteriously disappeared after a week (Conner had absolutely nothing to do with it of course) and reappeared, sans the Attract attack, stuffed into a locker in the men’s room. The Eeevee had no answer for where he had been for the past week. The only clue was that he refused to go anywhere near fire types and literally shrieked and fell over whenever Salad walked by.

Anyways, something to hold the scientists attention. “Humans are missing most of what happens around them. They rely on their weak eyes and only see what they want to see. ‘Morphs have so many other ways of viewing the world. I can hear your heart beat, the static of your Cat’s fur, I can smell what you had for lunch, what other Pokemon you keep at your belt, I can even taste the additives people put in packaged food-kind of plasticy but not too bad. You humans are walking around with blindfolds, earplugs, nose plugs; you can’t taste, you can’t feel, you can’t see, you can’t taste, you certainly can’t smell, yet you insist on complicating everything. Humans question everything; all you should do is follow the strongest one’s orders.” That was the most confusing thing about humans. The Alpha’s rule was law. If you thought you knew better, then you must be the Alpha.

Conner smirked at Blake’s next question. “Do I get out much?” he scoffed “I can go anywhere I want outside of missions. A top hat and trench coat and I look like one of you normies” Con fingered his silvery horns “Or I just ‘doom out and go to the park. People are getting used to Pokemorphs in public. Ladies dig the tail.”

He wondered why the scientist was taking a leaf from that plant. All he had to do was roll in it and chew on it a little. If it made him puke, it was Not Food, if it gave him indigestion it was Ok if Really Hungry, if it made the ladies come, it was Really Good. Anything else didn’t matter.

Conner almost asked why Blake was bothering with a weed that may or may not be food, but then a smell came to his nose. Fresh and flowery, purer than anything Con had even smelled before. But with an underlining of power, a fierce unique power that made something in Conner cow down to the ground and want to show his belly. “Shaymin” he breathed, turning his nose this was and that, trying to catch another whiff.

The Brat paused and sniffed the air “Of course” the Poochyena gripped “I smelled it five minutes ago” he lied, trying to seem cool.

Conner snorted, blowing a small plume of smoke, but didn’t call the brat on his bluff. This Shaymin scent was much more important.

[blake]

Blake was at the same time listening to the guy, who was responding to his question with some very interesting ideas, and wondering what the plant he had just picked up was doing all the way out here. Normally those kinds of plants didn't grow this far out, which meant something had to influence it. He was darn sure it was Shaymin, or at least that she was somewhere nearby. Made sense, since they were trailing her and all. He had said up to this point that life as a Pokemorph was strange, but by far better than life as a human. Which, he found odd, considering that being a Pokemorph was experimental, and all sorts of dangers came with it. Guess he didn't consider those much.

He then went on after a pause to say that humans were missing most of the world around them, with their weak eyes, and nose, and ears and everything. That almost drew a laugh out of him. Almost. Why would that draw a laugh out of him? Because it seemed so silly someone saying that. He honestly had no appreciation for things beyond crude manners, yet had the gall to tell him that he didn't know what was going on around him? Hmmph. He may not have the senses that he did, but he certainly had something the other lacked. Brains. And as for seeing what they wanted to see, well, that was only for the kinds who were uneducated, uncouth morons. Which he proud to say he was not amongst. Still, he said not a word, another matter had his attention now.

Flash, watching the forest around them, and listening to the conversation, almost missed the faint faint movement out in the distance. He'd been scanning with x ray vision, piercing though the tree's, and saw something moving. A quick double tap on Blakes leg, to let him know something was up, and he kept watching, having no idea what is was. He could sense motion, but it was too far away to do much else.

Connor soon however, told him what he needed to know. He smelled Shaymin, and Flash soon after did the same. Pungent, fresh, but powerful, much stronger than anything natural. This was most definitely shaymin. His Pokemon's next comment only caused a snort of derision to come from him. Why would anyone want to just follow blindly, and try to take credit? No one would believe him, especially since if he had smelled it five minutes ago, then he most definitely would have told them. That kind of Pokemon was never going to pass up a chance to outdo the morph. Almost seemed like a competition. Them and their alphas, they were so silly.

That quick double tap on the leg was what took his attention away from the conversation, as he looked around,wondering what in the world Flash could have seen. Though his last comment, chicks loved the tail, mystified him. What in the world was attractive about that? He pushed his curiosity aside, or at least about that manner aside, and focused on where flash was looking intently. He did get his answer soon, in the form of Connor sniffing it out, saying that they were dealing with Shaymin. Well, now would be time to put the drill into action. To double check, and not have him blow it, he said "Connor, remember. The goal is to get it on our side, or failing that, to get some of its DNA. A leaf off its back should do. So, no attacking. You hear me? No attacking it unless it attacks first. Are we clear?" He was not going to blow this because of some crazy dog. Now, all that they had left to do, was hope that it would approach, and they could talk to it. Otherwise, there was nothing they could really do, save hope that it left a leave from its body somewhere.

[The Sky Warrior]

Her ears twitched. She could just barely hear what the Pokemon were saying, but it did not seem that the human was attempting to be any quieter than she expected. As a matter of fact, she thought the human was being a little too loud. If he was trying to get her attention and not scare her away, what was the point in stating what his plan was?

Nose scrunching, she let out a small 'harumph,' before sniffing the air once more. Luckily for her the wind was on her side. The boy may not have seen the Shaymin properly, and for that, she was incredibly happy. However, this... strange smell, Houndoom in nature... she had to figure out what exactly made it so... well... different.

She jumped another couple of trees, not in any quick sense, most likely allowing the group below to get a good glimpse of her, but she was not attempting to hide anymore. It was clear they knew she was there, and even who she was, as if it were some sort of rather prominent honor... which, it was. Or at least, that was how they were making it out to be. It was either that or they assumed she was some random animal of some sort that just deserved to be captured.

Then again, she had absolutely no idea what they were thinking, seeing as she was not them and had no ability to read minds. She heard there were legendaries that could do that... but she was not one of them.

She hopped a few trees closer, sniffing the air a moment longer, before settling for staring at them. They were now about one hundred feet away, and were quite able to see and smell her. Maybe even carry on a conversation. However, until then...

She took a perch on a smaller tree, one that could just barely hold her weight; it was there she decided to stand simply because of how small it was, and how easy it would be to restore the tree while sitting and talking to these people?

Especially this strange Houndoom/human thing. He was intriguing.