Getting Paws on a Pewter Gym Badge

"I'll admit, walking wasn't the best of ideas," Amber sighed to her Pack. Ash seemed to look up at her with an I told you so look, and all of the canines were panting and in need of rest. In fact, it seemed the only one of the group that wasn't phased was the Skitty that, though they had trudged through a couple towns to get from Vermilion to Pewter, continued to make enthusiastic noises and chase the hand-like tail of hers around in circles. Whenever Amber's eyes would leave the feline for too long, Carnation, as the trainer had decided to call the little straggler, would run up to her and claw at her pant leg until appropriate attention was given to the cat.

Over the course of her journey, the little Skitty had grown on not only Amber, but the rest of the Pack. Lavender always gazed at her with curious intent, while Azure found a playmate that would keep up with him. Ash was tolerable, so long as Carnation didn't nip at his tail, and Amethyst seemed to forgive the cat's attention-seeking nature. Though it was a reluctant addition, Amber had decided to catch and keep the Skitty. Every Pack needed an odd one out, right?

The group had finally reached Pewter as the mountains began to obscure the setting sun. She had departed Vermilion at dusk, and reached Pewter at sunset, though exhausted, it was pretty good timing. Amber looked around. It's too late in the day to challenge the gym, so I mine as well do some training. Every time I mean to, something drags me away from it. Maybe I'll actually find a wild Pokemon for once, she chuckled at the thought, thinking it somewhat backwards for a Pokemon Trainer. "Well guys," she said to the Pack, "let's see what Pokemon we can find around here, maybe we'll even run into a future Packmate!"

The group stayed in the outskirts of Pewter, taking advantage of the disappearing light. With it nearing night, less trainers would be out and about with more Pokemon, particularly dark types, coming out. So, they searched for a Pokemon to battle.

Amber's hopes of searching for a pokemon to battle would be dashed when someone called her quietly. "Amber," the stranger called from a tree nearby, the figure clearly hiding away from the light. "Amber ,it's nearing night."

Amber turned toward the source of the voice, slightly irritated that her hunt was cut so drastically short. The voice sounded familiar, and though obscured by the darkness of the tree, someone that knew her name must be some sort of ally. Ash growled slightly as Amber approached the figure, obviously mistrusting of people that hide behind trees, though it was Carnation that reached them first. The little Skitty excitedly bounded toward the figure with a playful purr and a bouncing wag of her tail. Amber soon caught up, and grabbed the Skitty before she could start to jump up onto whoever it was under the tree. The trainer looked up to see who it was, though she already had a fairly good idea.

The figure looked to Amber with a light smile. "Greetings," he told her, holding something in his spare arm, the other against the tree. "Instead of sending someone I just came, if that's alright." He was breathing heavily as though he had been running from someone.

"I'm fine with it," Amber replied, though something in the Alpha's demeanor told her that he probably wasn't supposed to do things like that. He seemed out of breath, but they were a long way from Vermilion, so it didn't bother her too much. She looked curiously toward what he seemed to be holding. It had obscured itself in the shadow of the tree, and the fleeting sunlight didn't aid her curiosity. "So, er, what are you here for?" she asked, still struggling to keep the squirming Skitty from jumping from her arms into the man.

"Well, for two reasons," the alpha told Amber. "The first was to bring you this and return your belt." He held his arm out, a robe exactly like his and the others over it. Amber's belt was also atop the cloth. "

"Oh, thank you," Amber said to the Alpha. She clasped the belt back across her waist and threw the robe over her current disheveled outfit. It was oddly snug, and fit well. It also chased away the gripping cold night air that was slowly building as the sun disappeared from the sky. "And what was the second reason?" she asked him curiously.

"Well," the alpha began, "it's a bit of a story... After you left I looked through some things and found there was a lot more wrong with the group than I anticipated. I noticed people staring at me funnily..." He silenced a bit when his two pets came up to his sides. They nudged his hands to be petted, the alpha sitting down to do so. "I couldn't let it stand, especially after what you told me. I set the place ablaze to destroy what they were doing..." He seemed to pause and wait so Amber could respond.

"Y-You did what?" Amber asked in total shock. Whatever she had been expecting, it was definitely not that. "There were people and Pokemon in there. They may be corrupt, but if they didn't get out of there they probably died." She took a deep breath, but the wide, shocked expression on her eyes didn't leave her face. "So what happens to the organization now, then?"

"Trust me, no one died," the alpha told Amber in consolation. "I may have the intent to destroy what was happening, but I wouldn't kill someone. I made sure everyone escaped before I snuck off and ran here." He then rubbed his nose a second. "As per the organization, consider it restructured... You and I are the only members now, since everyone else lost their belongings for it in the fire." He looked up at her, his hood falling from his head. His ears were twitching to listen to Amber's response.

"W-Well that's one way to get a promotion," Amber stuttered, still a little shocked. She blinked a couple of times and drew in a long breath while she tried to muster a response. Her Skitty seemed to have given up her struggles, and was instead playfully nipping at the long sleeve of the robe while wagging her hand-like tail back and forth. "Where do we go from here, then?" she asked. Two people to form a new organization doesn't seem possible... it's been done by the Alpha before, so who am I to doubt?

"I honestly have no idea," the alpha told Amber. "I had been in that place with the others for a year or two at least," he explained ot her. He sighed and looked down. "I suppose that makes me and my canines here homeless now," he chuckled. "I suppose that we could follow you on your journey, if you'd allow us."

"If you want to," Amber replied, "though I'm technically homeless myself," she made a sad sort of smile, "nowhere to go but forward, I suppose." The idea was slightly off-putting. Amber had always been a lone wolf, so to speak, at least when it came to company, but she wasn't going to deny the Alpha's request. Besides, it could be interesting to have like-minded company. At the moment, at least, she had forgotten about the officer she had befriended, and the fact that he probably wouldn't react well to the two together, if they ever did meet again.

By now, the moon was cast brightly in the sky, and the sounds of nocturnal Pokemon stirring from their resting places broke the silence of the area around them. "Well," Amber said, "I was looking for a wild Pokemon or something, maybe another packmate..." she trailed off, not sure where to take the conversation.

The alpha chuckled a bit when Amber spoke of looking for a packmate. He stood up, his two canines at his sides. "You really don't like othe rpokemon besides canines, do you," he asked.

"It's not that I don't like them," Amber said with a wry smile, "I just have a preference for the ones I'll take along with me. Besides," she glanced down toward the Skitty in her arms, still nipping at her sleeves, "sometimes certain Pokemon slip through the cracks. I won't deny a Pokemon companion that wants to come with me, even if they aren't a canine. Sure, I'd prefer to find them a better trainer for them than I, but, sometimes you can't force them to leave."

On that note, a complete stranger ran towards Amber. "Here, take this," he spoke quickly, turning his head to the side a few times. He had wrapped a pokemon egg in a blanket, the guy rushing off before a few others rushed past the alpha and Amber, oblivious to the fact she now held the egg. "I think they say that's a bit of irony," the alpha told Amber, staring to the egg.

Amber stared dumbfounded at the egg, and just shrugged. "Weirder has happened to me, to be honest," she smiled. She had to juggle the Skitty into one arm and lean the egg against her hip and her other arm in order to not drop either of them. The egg was a bit strange... it seemed to have a pinkish color, not the usual tan of normal Pokemon eggs. Must be something special if people are chasing him over it... wonder why you'd give it away, though... Pushing the though aside, she looked up at the Alpha. "So, uh, what next? It's getting pretty late. We could head to the Pokemon Center and rent out a room for the night, or sleep out here. I'm fine with either."

"Either option is probably risky," the alpha spoke to Amber. "But perhaps spending the night in the center is best. We wouldn't be out in the open for whoever decides to search for me as well as whoever's after the egg." He wrapped his arms lightly waiting for Amber to ponder the thought.

"True enough," Amber said, glancing down toward the mysterious egg in her possession. "These things hatch pretty quickly, hopefully it'll do so soon. They are pretty conspicuous, especially with it being such a strange color. Never seen anything like it," shrugging, she dropped the now exhausted Skitty to the ground in order to grip the egg with both arms. Carnation made a small protest at being on the ground, but quickly dashed off toward Azure and climbed onto his back. The Kyansei yipped in surprise, but didn't object to the Skitty, who positioned herself in a way that she had enough balance not to fall off before closing her eyes and dozing off. "So, the Pokemon Center it is. I'd wear that hood of yours, you ears are, no offense, a little eye catching. It's probably better to remain as descriptionless as possible." Deciding to take her own advice, Amber put her own hood over her face, obscuring it into darkness. Then, she turned back toward the direction of town and headed toward the Pokemon Center.

"You'd probably be best to at least have your hood down," the alpha told Amber, lifting his own over his ears. He twitched them a couple of times to make himself able to hear better with his ears covered. "That way we don't look like a group of thugs or anything." He stepped over to Amber's side, his two canine's staying in very close proximity to their owner. "Don't worry about these two by the way; they have their collars and I have their information if someone tries to get them. Their also pretty protective." One of the canines, while staying close, sniffed at Amber's foot a moment as if scanning her scent for a familiar one.

"You're probably right, I'm not as noticeable as you," she chuckled, pushing her hood from her face. She allowed the more curious of the Alpha's canines scent her foot before moving it to continue her trek. They were back into the boundaries of the town, and she veered toward the Pokemon Center. Her Pack idly followed closely. Though they didn't mind the company of the Alpha's two canines, they seemed to keep to their own and allow his Pokemon to do the same. They were still unfamiliar with them, so it'd take time for the group to become comfortable. The only exception to this seemed to be Azure and the sleeping Skitty atop his back. The Kyansei happily trotted in the space between his own Pack and the two other canines.

[His canines aren't pokemon, remember?]

The alpha's canines weren't that sure of Amber's pack either, so the feeling amongst the group was a mutual one. The alpha followed close behind Amber, following as though he were a silent friend of hers. It wasn't that he was meaning to act as such; he was focused on the thought of what he had done to his old home. He had burnt it to the ground, after all, so there was bound to be guilt and consequence to his emotions and mind, even if he had helped everyone escape beforehand. He hoped that by destroying the building he had fixated those who were researching the collars, though he himself would never know having run off in secret.

His thoughts were then disturbed. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center," a gentle, caring voice said a bit loudly. It wasn't the usual volume since it was darker outside and people were probably asleep. The nurse standing at the counter also seemed different, obviously not the one who usually took care of responsibilities of the center. "I'm sorry that Nurse Joy couldn't be here; she caught a cold momentarily, though she'll be back within a couple of days... How may I help you?" She looked to the alpha, and though intrigued by his hood hiding his face and snout, it wasn't like she knew what was hidden under it.

"I'll let you handle things," he told Amber in a whisper to her ear. "My voice isn't exactly child-friendly."

(I musta forgot o3o)

"Sounds good," Amber said in a quiet exhale toward the Alpha, assuming he'd hear her with his heightened sense of hearing from canine ears. "We'd like to book a room for the night, preferably one in a quieter wing of the Center," Amber said, loud enough for the Nurse to hear but quiet enough as to not wake any of the sleeping residents. She didn't find suspicion in the differing nurse, and accepted the story easily. "And something with two beds would be nice," she said, hoping she wasn't pushing her luck, "we have quite a few... companions," she glanced back toward her Pack and the Alpha's two canines, "and I'm not to keen on sharing a bed with anyone but my Pokemon." No offense to the Alpha, but I like my personal space.

The stranger that was working at the counter listened to what Amber was requesting. "Let me see what I can find for you two," she told her, looking around a bit. The counter lower than the uppermost one was a bit messy, a few different documents scattered around. In one there was a picture that seemed to be one of the collars like Amber had seen. The alpha noticed it first, sighing lightly. "I suppose that they spread it a bit farther than we may like," he told her quietly, giving a light gesture to the picture. The nurse found a clipboard, picking it up. "Well, we have two rooms that are like you want; they're both a bit smaller than the usual though... Will that be okay?"

"That will be fine, and we'll be comfortable in either, I wouldn't want to weigh you down with any more preferences," Amber said with a smile. Her eyes darted down toward what the Alpha had regarded, and she looked back up toward the counter lady. "Are these free to take?" she asked, gesturing toward the various papers on the counter. Usually there was some sort of flyer or another set into the Pokemon Center for trainers to take, she assumed these would be something along those lines.