PKMSkies -- The Ladies' Knight

RP 4
Dixie Croagunk and Sir Gawain Kabutops
The Ladies' Knight

<DarkraixCresselia> It was a rather chilly day. Dixie had to switch her shorts and t-shirt for her red sweatpants and orange turtleneck; she even had to wear her green waders, which nearly reached up to her crotch. She knew she looked rather silly, but she would rather look silly than have her feet freeze off. Besides, she loved her waders, having had them since her father gave her them when she turned sixteen.

It had been a few days since Asuka entrusted her with Ughlpuff, her pet koffing, and her banette doll while she and Sir Gawain battled the alien. Asuka had been worried something would happen to her house, and to Ughlpuff by extension; she also seemed worried about the doll. Dixie didn't mind looking after her best friend's pet and doll, seeing as she herself wasn't tangling with the alien anytime soon. So, she set the banette doll on a shelf next to her stuffed trubbish, Stinky, with a pat on its head, and let Ughlpuff hang out in the house. Because the weather had gotten cold, she wasn't able to crack even one window without the house freezing. So, she decided she would stock up on candles once Asuka was able to take Ughlpuff back.

Once he realized the grumpy koffing wouldn't explode near him, Rolly Polly got used to Ughlpuff. When the bouncy walrein tried to get Ughlpuff to play with him, however, he simply grunted in disinterest. Realizing the koffing was no fun, Rolly left him alone, though he still didn't care for the smelliness that filled the room wherever he went. Oh well, if his owner said he was to stay for a while, he would have to deal with it.

Dixie had decided to wander around town and smell fresh air. She made sure Ughlpuff was comfortable, saw that Rolly had settled down for a nap—being the bouncy pokemon he was, he took long, deep naps—locked the house up tight, and set off, promising herself to only be gone for a few minutes.

It wasn't until she was near the ramp leading down to the north-western part of the beach, far from her home on the southern side of the lake, that she remembered there was an alien flying around and attacking people. And she was unable to defend herself, seeing as she didn't like battling; even if she wanted to defend herself, she couldn't quite remember how to use any moves. “Maybe this was a bad idea, croak,” she mumbled to herself, looking around worriedly.

<Dr-InSean> "STAIRCASE!" A small Raichu shouted as she ran up behind a Kabutops clad in armor.

Without a moment's hesitation, the Kabutops crouched forward on one knee and slashed horizontally with both of his blades. A scraping sound indicated that he hit his marks: the knees of rampaging alien.

Before the extraterrestrial menace could groan in pain (provided it was capable of such a sound), the Raichu ran up the Kabutops' back, jumped off his head and lept forward with a punch. The timing was perfect...by Earthly standards.

At an unearthly speed, the alien shifted from a sleek, sharp body to an even sleeker, thinner body and flew backwards, all before the punch could ever reach it. Before the Raichu could land on the ground, the alien shot forward like a bullet, knocking its enemies down to the ground.

"Awww!" The Raichu groaned as she held her stomach. "This guy's cheatin'!"

"There's...There's no cheating in war, Lady Asuka." The Kabutops winced as he got up to his feet. "We simply must fight harder and smarter than this menace can. No matter how daunting the task gets."

By the time the Kabutops finished his sentiment, the alien shot up into the air and lingered in front of the Sun. As the Earthbound Pokemon shielded their eyes from the glare, the alien propelled its body down at them, a living cannonball looking for blood.

"BWAAH!" As Asuka and the Kabutops stood defenselessly, a Muk oozed out of the ground and smothered them with its liquid body.

SPLAT!

The alien crashed into the Muk, failing to hurt its intended targets and getting itself stuck in the blob's thick body. Sadly, it was only a few seconds before the alien's body vanished in a flash of light and reappeared high in the sky. No longer sensing danger, the Muk slithered off its friends...They were never so grateful to breathe fresh air.

"AUGH!" Asuka blurted out as she held her nose. "Smooze, you're a life-saver, but why you gotta stink so bad!?"

"Thy nose-holding is in vain, Lady Asuka." The Kabutops said as he sniffed his own blade. " 'Twould seem we hath contracted the smell as well."

"Breaagh." Smooze, the Muk, cut the conversation short by pointing up at the sky. Pointing up at...nothing.

"Hey, where'd he go?" Asuka asked, realizing that their alien enemy was nowhere to be seen.

"We let our guard down and lost our prey. It could be worse but..." The Kabutops answered.

"Got'cha. Which way do we go?" Asuka knew what her friend was getting at.

"The fastest route to Paradise is straight and forward." The Kabutops pointed straight in front of himself.

"But...Evil aliens don't go ta Paradise, right?" Asuka replied with a query. "So, we should go...In the totally opposite direction, right?"

" 'Tis merely a figure of speech but...Perhaps splitting up will help our cause. Better for one of us to be wrong and the other to find the foe then for both of us to be wrong together and the foe be free to assault our friends at its leisure."

Asuka looked up at the Kabutops. He could already tell what she was thinking.

"If one of us is correct, we'll chase or lure the monster in the direction we did not take. We'll rendezvouz and renew our assault as a team."

"When this is over, we gotta get phones." Asuka said glumly.

Asuka hugged the Kabutops' leg and the dinosaur returned her affection with a pat on the head.

As they parted ways, Smooze followed Asuka; she didn't ask it to and knew she couldn't ask it not to. The Kabutops was actually relieved by this. The way Asuka had been favoring her belly, she was in no shape to face the alien alone. The Kabutops hoped that she could recover before making much progress in her direction...Even more, he hoped that his was the right direction and she wouldn't have to face the monster at all.

The Kabutops took a deep breath...and then regretted it. The Stench of Smooze was still on him.

"The Tale of Sir Gawain and the Abhorrent Alien begins with a simple trek to the beach..."

With that, Gawain marched forward. If his recollection of the Town Map was reliable, he would be in the North-West region of the beach shortly.

<DarkraixCresselia> As much as she tried, Dixie couldn't stop the slight shaking of her knees, or her nervous breathing. She glanced around with wide worried eyes, biting her lip and wringing her large hands. She had no way of knowing what the alien looked like; she didn't know how big it was, how it attacked, how fast it was, or how angry it was. But from what Asuka told her, it seemed dangerous.

She couldn't remember the last time she was scared, possibly because she was too scared to do so. Taking a deep breath, she muttered to herself, "Stop acting like such a wimp, Dixie. You don't see anything dangerous-looking anywhere, croak. M-maybe it's preoccupied with someone else... or maybe it decided to go away... yeah, like that would happen, croak" she chuckled nervously. "C'mon, stop it! There's nothing around, croak!" she snapped, slapping her cheeks with her hands with a scowl. When she looked around to confirm her own statement, she sighed with relief at indeed seeing nothing.

Maybe a walk down the beach will make me feel better. I think I saw a small hollow in the side of the cliff, so if I see anything, maybe I can hide there, croak. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply again, and leaned her head back with a sigh. She was starting to feel a little better, and maybe even a bit braver. She smiled as her eyes opened again.

Her heart nearly stopped when she saw something large nearby, and in the shadows under a tree. She screamed in fright, and tried to jump backwards, but tripped over her own two feet. When the shadowy figure spotted her, she curled into a fetal position, squealing, "Don't hurt me! I don't remember how to attack!" Really, Dixie? Way to make yourself vulnerable, croak.

<Dr-InSean> The short trek to the beach was quiet...lonely...barren.

Were this Simple Sunday, Gawain could have enjoyed the trees. Were he in a battle, he would have been too busy to notice the clouds starting to gather in the sky. This, however, was something else. The monster's threat made it impossible to enjoy the day, but its absence made it impossible to quell that threat. A false peace. A battle that wouldn't let itself end. Gawain always hated the calm before the storm.

...He also hated the way he smelled.

He had smelled Tyrantrum dung in the prehistoric savage lands and festering dungeons in the medieval "Dark Ages." Roses compared to the odor Smooze gave him! How could this "Modern Age" pride itself on its technology when it produces--"Don't hurt me! I don't remember how to attack!"

Gawain's thoughts were interrupted by loud and sudden screaming; he almost thought it a banshee, but he never heard a banshee so loud...or casually honest about being incapable of fighting...Ooohhh! It was a Lady!

"Monster!? WHERE!?" Gawain responded to the screaming woman, referencing words she never even said. "Say only the word and I'll cut its gizzard out!"

There was...no sign of the alien...Or anyone. Just a Croagunk, the source of the screaming...Oh, it was Lady Dixie, a friend not met often, but always well-met.

"LADY DIXIE!" Gawain shouted to the damsel. "EVERYTHING IS OOOO--KAAAAAAY!

Gawain ran up to the Croagunk, flailing his sharp blades over his head. His 6 foot frame towered over the 4 foot Croagunk.

"THERE'S NOTHING TO FEAR! STOP SCREAMIIIIIIING!"

<DarkraixCresselia> When she heard a familiar voice shouting, Dixie finally calmed down enough to look up, only to see a familiar figure. "Oh, Sir Gawain," she sighed with relief, relaxing, "it's just you, croak."

As she stood to her feet, she felt her face burn red with embarrassment. "I-I-I'm sorry for freaking out," she said, playing with the hem of her sweater. "I was walking around, and I remembered the alien Asuka had mentioned the other day, croak. So, when I saw you in the shadows... I guess my imagination got the better of me." She rubbed the back of her head, looking down at her boots sheepishly.

<Dr-InSean> That was...Much easier than Gawain expected. For some reason, he thought it would take much more yelling to calm this scene down. He was glad to be mistaken.

"Think nothing of it, fair maiden." Gawain said as he lowered his arms. "No harm came from our altercation. In fact, it may hath saved thy life."

Gawain looked around. Nothing on the ground...Nothing in the sky.

"I suspect the--how did you say it—alien is nearby. I doth not know what brings you out here alone, but it is my duty as a knight to safeguard the good people of Springleaf during times of crisis."

Gawain bowed his head to Dixie. "Until thou art back to the safety of thy home, I shalt be thy shadow and thy shield."

<DarkraixCresselia> Dixie cocked her head when Gawain had mentioned how her screaming might have saved her life, but quickly understood: he was much more of a capable fighter than she was, and just might have tangled with the alien before. He lived with Asuka, so they probably fought together, even.

She smiled and giggled slightly when he bowed his head and said he would be her protector. "Thank you, Sir Gawain," she said, nodding her own head. She stepped forward to pat him on the arm, but upon inhaling, held her nose tightly. "Why do you stink, croak?" she asked, eyes watering from the smell. She knew it wasn't koffing she smelled; even though she had been around Ughlpuff for only a few days, she had gotten well-acquainted with his scent.

<Dr-InSean> "Stink?" Gawain tilted his head in confusion. "Is that an expression the children use these days? What does it mea--Oh dear, I know exactly what you mean." Gawain cut his own thought short when whiffed his own arm and realized he wasn't the only one who could smell his 'cologne.'

Gawain took a step away from Dixie and looked for something to hide behind, hoping to keep the smell from reaching her. Let's see...That rock? No, too small. This tree? No, the smell might kill it. Thar rock...Wait, that's the same rock.

"I apologize, Lady Dixie." Gawain said as he looked around nervously. "I were in battle with Lady Asuka and her knight, Sir Smooze. He shielded me from an attack with his poisonous body, but 'twould seem that hath imparted his smell onto me. If it is any consolation, the stench bedevils--"

Gawain lost his train of thought when something caught his eye. Springleaf's beach was visible in the distance. Water...The Mother of Life and Arceus' Instrument of Cleansing. If anything could take this unholy smell away...

"Many pardons, m'lady." Gawain briefly bowed his head to the Croagunk again. "Grant me a short reprieve and I shall wash this unnatural odor away for good."

If Dixie had a reply, Gawain didn't hear it. After a quick scan of the sky to make sure nobody was flying overhead, the knight made a mad dash for the beach.

<DarkraixCresselia> "Oh, well in that case, that makes-" Dixie was cut off when Gawain broke for the ocean. "-sense." she finished with a chuckle. She remembered Asuka mentioning she had a pet muk; she wondered if said muk was called Smooze. She would have to check back later, just out of curiosity.

She found herself wandering down to the beach, though staying a respectable distance from the bathing kabutops. She felt a bit safer around the taller pokemon, and didn't fancy getting caught by the alien alone, especially if it needed the combined powers of three pokemon to battle it.

She looked down at the sand, smiling as she shifted her boots. She loved going to the beach, and wished she could take off her boots to squish her toes in the sand. But with it being cold, she didn't want to freeze her feet. Especially when she knew she would have to wash them off in the water, and didn't want her socks and the insides of her waders getting wet. So, she settled for sitting down, picking up sand in her large hands, and watching it fall through her fingers. It was such a peaceful day, she almost forgot the danger she and her companion could be in.

She blinked in surprise at a strange noise. It actually sounded similar to how Rolly sounded as a little spheal, but higher in pitch. Another spheal? she pondered to herself, standing and brushing the sand off of herself. She walked a few steps towards where she heard the sounds, and in the waves, saw a small pale-blue pokemon that looked like a baby sea lion, with a sea green ruff around its neck, a light-pink ball for a nose, big dark-brown eyes, and a little scruff of white fur on the top of its head. It was wandering along the shore, looking very nervous.

"Sir Gawain," she asked over her shoulder, "do you know what that pokemon is, croak?" She gestured at the little blue pokemon.

<Dr-InSean> Even for a Water-Type Pokemon tend to float in water, but Gawain had a little bit of help submerging himself in the form of his heavy armor. With the nonchalance most people walk through a park, Gawain walked through crashing tides and soon himself completely underwater.

It was billions of years ago, but he could still remember what it was like the first time he walked onto dry land. He was very lazy back then and wanted nothing more than to sleep, snooze and snore in the cool embrace of the ocean. He didn't even want to crawl onto the beach with the other Kabutos, but primordial Sharpedos (which look identical to modern Sharpedos) had a funny way of motivating one to see new places.

Gawain took a second to savor the water's embrace, but only a second. Protecting friends and vanquishing monsters were more important than naps...Someone would have to take charge and defeat the monster...

Walking back on shore, the first thing Gawain noticed was that The Stench of Smooze was finally gone, never to be missed. The second thing was Dixie. Seems she found a Pokemon.

"Let me see this--What in the world is that?" Gawain couldn't even finish his sentence before the sight of this Pokemon bewildered him.

Not that it was ugly, horrifying or any other from of unpleasant to look at. On the contrary, its small body and timid nature were endearing and its light color scheme was pleasant to look like. Were Gawain a Hugging-Type, he'd be tempted to hug the Pokemon, stray or not.

"Regretfully, I hath never seen such a Pokemon. Its neck somewhat resembles a jester but, beyond that, I cannot identify it...It's cute, though."

<DarkraixCresselia> "Hmm," Dixie replied. She had heard about new pokemon, that hadn't been seen before, coming to live in town. Perhaps that had also attracted feral pokemon as well. Word of the mouth was that they had come from a tropical region called Alola, though Dixie hadn't inquired more about it. It sounded like a vacation-worthy place though.

She then nodded in agreement with a smile, "Yeah, it is cute, croak. But I wonder what it's doing on its own. It looks like it's still a baby, croak." She crouched down so her feet were flat against the ground, very contrary to how she normally stood, and inched closer to the pokemon. "Hey," she called out softly, holding out a hand.

The pokemon froze like a deerling in headlights and stared at the two pokemon with wide eyes. It cocked its head slightly, but didn't come any closer. "It's okay," Dixie whispered, taking a tiny step—or rather, shuffle—closer. "We're not gonna hurt you, croak."

With a small whimper, the pokemon clumsily backed away, favoring its left flipper. Dixie saw small spots of blood in the sand from where the pokemon had been. "I think it's hurt, croak," she said, glancing back at Gawain. "I could possibly bandage its flipper, or find someone who could help, but I don't want to scare it more by grabbing it." She tried to shift back, but her heels dug into the sand, and she ended up falling backwards against Gawain's leg. She giggled an apology, and leaned her head back to ask, "Any ideas, croak?"

<Dr-InSean> Using the dull stems of his bladed hands, Gawain lifted Dixie to her feet.

"In my years as a squire, I encountered a number of stable steeds that needed shoes or other services that required extensive contact with them. Alas, my hands were not made for gentler pursuits like petting and holding. I did, however, have one useful skill to offer."

Gawain knelt down, pointed his head to face the small mystery Pokemon and closed his eyes.

"Steeds, and mayhaps all feral Pokemon, are just as varied as you and I, as were the results of using my skill on them. Some calmed down immediately, froze in place and allowed us to perform whatever task on them we needed. Some, however, paid me no heed and continued being difficult. A rare few reacted violently and I had to cease my actions immediately. I know this creature before us now is no steed, but I thought it prudent to give thee a fair warning."

With the explanation out of the way, Gawain got down on all fours and opened his eyes. Using Leer, his eyes shone with a pale-yellow light and glowed like a ghost in the night. More than a mere scowl, the glow in Gawain's eyes could have some effect on the feral Pokemon's mind...Whether or not it would have an effect and what kind depended on what kind of Pokemon the seal was.

<DarkraixCresselia> Nodding, Dixie took a couple of steps back and clasped her hands behind her back. She jumped slightly when Gawain's eyes briefly glowed, but otherwise was unaffected.

The little pokemon, which she internally dubbed a Jester Seal, was quite the opposite, however. It jumped in place with a frightened squeal, and fired a beam of bubbles from its nose at Gawain, encasing his entire head in one large bubble. Then, it turned around and began running, or rather shuffling, away. It tried to go deeper into the sea a couple of times, but was tossed back by the waves before giving up and simply skirting down the shoreline.

Dixie bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "Well... I guess this is one of those times where the pokemon reacted violently, croak," she shrugged, popping the bubble around the kabutops's head with a single finger. When she turned back to look at the Jester Seal, it was now several feet down the beach. "Welp, time for plan B, I guess." She trotted after the small pokemon, holding her arms out to scoop it up. When it glanced over its shoulder at her, it froze, and a glowing, light-blue force-field appeared around it. Before she could stop herself, she tripped over the force-field and fell onto her side with a grunt. When she sat up, she found that she was unharmed, save for getting sand on herself again. And when she looked up, the Jester Seal was running away again.

Dixie crossed her arms with a sigh. "All right... what's plan C? she asked herself. She was so deep in concentration, she didn't see the long-armed silhouette in the sky overhead.

<Dr-InSean> "Bruffa moowa uffa bow." Gawain couldn't make out a single thing Dixie said from inside his bubble.

It was strange living inside that bubble, even for a Water Type Pokemon. It wasn't as painful as what the feral Ponytas of his time gave him back in the stable, but it was definitely stranger. It was like living in a tiny world populated only by him...It was actually a relief when Dixie popped it.

"Zounds." Gawain humorously exclaimed when he saw the Jester Seal evade Dixie. "Who knew one so tiny--"

What was that? Gawain swore he saw something in the sky...He did.

Gawain stomped on the ground. His Earth Power kicked pounds of sand into the air, forming a small cloud over the Croagunk. Without a moment to lose, Gawain ran up to her, scooped her up in his arms and kept running.

"Apologies, Lady Dixie, but the monster is here!" Gawain looked over his shoulder. The alien was indeed here. It was distracted by the cloud of sand...but not for long.

He couldn't battle the monster when Dixie needed protection. He couldn't protect Dixie out in the open. He would need to hide...but where?

"Lady Dixie, do my eyes deceive me!? Is that a hole in the cliff ahead!?"

<DarkraixCresselia> Dixie nearly jumped out of her skin when she was surrounded by a cloud of sand. Before she could ask what was going on, or at least move, she found herself in Gawain's arms as he took off down the beach. "Wait, what?!" she exclaimed, looking over his shoulder and spitting sand out of her mouth.

Indeed, it seemed the alien, monster, or whatever it was had found them. It was unlike anything Dixie had ever seen. It was quite large, and was orange and teal in color, with some sort of purple gem on its chest. Its arms looked like twisted licorice, but they straightened into two separate arms, and its body shifted into a sleeker and sharper form. If Dixie had blinked, she would have missed it.

She was so busy staring at it in fear that she barely heard Gawain speaking to her, even though he was very close to her ear. "Wha-hole? Y-yes!" She turned her head and pointed to a hollow in the side of the cliff close to the waterfall. It looked just big and deep enough that they both could hide in it. "There!"

A high-pitched bark broke her concentration, and she looked again to see the Jester Seal running faster down the shoreline as fast as it could. It looked even more frightened than it had before. "Wait!" she exclaimed as Gawain reached the hollow. "What about the Jest-I mean, the baby seal, croak?!" She gripped the pointed shoulder-pad of his shirt and said frantically, "Gawain, we can't leave it out there!" She barely noticed she hadn't called him by his full title; she was too worried about the baby pokemon to fully care.

<Dr-InSean> Once inside the maw of the cave, Gawain let Dixie back down onto her own feet. This was no time to rest, though, as he saw the Jester Seal Dixie pointed out. He'd be lying if he said he was elated to go help the creature, but he couldn't hurt Dixie by letting her know it was abandoned, let alone hurt the seal by abandoning it.

That said, the task being essential didn't mean it was easy. The sand cloud covered their retreat into the cliff, but it had dissipated now, leaving the alien with a clear view of the beach...The long beach that the seal was on the far...far opposite end of.

"Lady Dixie..." Gawain whispered loudly, but solemnly. "What I am about to attempt is dangerous and there is no guarantee of its success. If the worst should happen, do NOT come to my aid. Do NOT attract attention to thyself. Stay in this cave until the monster leaves, or find some exit towards the back."

Without waiting for a response, Gawain stabbed his scythes into the ground several times. Then, he burrowed himself into the ground, the way he and his Kabuto kin did billions of years ago. His body as a Kabutops, however, was larger than it was in those days; he wasn't completely buried, the spikes on his back and the pointed tips of his head poked out of the sand. It was by no means perfect, but it may well have kept eyes off of him if eyes didn't know to look for him.

BOOM! An explosion of sand sounded in the distance.

The alien didn't fly over to it, but it did look in its direction.

BOOM! Another explosion, another distraction for the alien.

As explosions kept the alien distracted, Gawain started burrowing through the sand, straight into what he hoped was an intercepting course for the seal. If he timed his Earth Powers as well as he thought he did, the visuals and sounds of the explosions would keep the alien distracted long enough for Gawain to reach the seal, retrieve it and make it back to the cave.

If his timing was off, there probably wouldn't be anything to keep the alien from noticing the shuffling taking place just underneath it...

"I will not lie, Lady Dixie." Gawain said in a loud whisper as he cautiously looked out the opening in the cliff. "This is a hopeless situation we find ourselves in. I could try using my Earth Power to erupt sand far away from us, but there's no guarantee the monster will move to those spots to investigate them. Were we on solid ground, I could make a subterranean tunnel between us and the Jester, but sand will just collapse."

Gawain searched the environment. He searched and he searched...but he couldn't find anything.

"Confound this brain of mine!" He grumbled as he punched the wall with the stem of his arm. "Why can't it find some solution to this plight!?"

<DarkraixCresselia> Dixie didn't say a word. She simply nodded, wide-eyed, at what Gawain told her to do. She would have stayed in even if he hadn't; she didn't want anywhere near that monster. She hadn't even seen what it was capable of yet, but she didn't wish to.

She simply watched from the sidelines, as it were, as Gawain tried to distract the alien and find the baby seal at the same time. While the alien was indeed distracted, it stayed in place, shifting its body into a bulkier form and seemingly losing its neck in the process. Although it was good that it wasn't coming closer, it wasn't going away either.

Dixie then spotted the Jester Seal; it seemed to have given up trying to escape into the sea, and was now running around the beach, as if trying to find someplace to hide. She nearly yelled out its location to Gawain, but clapped her hands tightly over her mouth. If she said anything too loudly, the alien could hear her, and they would all be in trouble. But she couldn't simply run out and grab it. What if she wasn't fast enough? What if she couldn't grab the baby seal? What if she did grab it, but tripped and fell? And anyway, Gawain had told her to stay in the hollow. What do I do?! What do I do?! she thought frantically, gripping the top of her head and chewing her lower lip.

Then, while the alien looked to see another "spout" of sand behind it, the Jester Seal turned its head to Dixie. Her eyes widened; this could be her chance! She frantically gestured for the baby seal to come to her, mouthing the words "come on" over and over. She was so frightened and desperate, tears were actually budding in the corners of her eyes, and she was very close to bolting out and grabbing it.

The baby seal looked back and forth between the alien, which was still miraculously distracted, and Dixie and Gawain, as if trying to decide which party was safer. Finally, it began padding towards the cliff, still glancing back at the monster.

But it wasn't fast enough. "Come on, faster!" Dixie whispered frantically. "Faster! Come on!" Her eyes darted between the baby pokemon and the alien worriedly. She gripped the mouth of the cave with one hand to keep herself from running out, and continued to gesture with the other. But the Jester Seal was only halfway to the cave, and she was starting to worry that time was running out.

<Dr-InSean> The plan seemed to be working, but that did little to alleviate the stress of the situation. One damsel out in enemy territory and another just a stone's throw away from the enemy. Two objectives on what felt like opposite sides of the planet. Two targets only Gawain could shield.

Just as Gawain contemplated his uphill battle, Fortune smiled on him. For whatever reason, the Jester Seal actually started heading toward him. They met up halfway down the beach! His trip was essentially over already! Gawain popped out of the sand, grabbed the seal like a mother would grab a baby and started running back to the cave as fast as mortally possible...The seal didn't quite share Gawain's enthusiasm.

Being scared during calm circumstances, it shouldn't have surprised anyone that a giant horseshoe crab bursting out of the sand as explosions sounded off in a constant chain would...understandably unnerve it. Squirming and bubbles ensued and Gawain soon found another bubble around his head. Bothersome, but not enough to stop in him.

BOOM! BOOM! The explosions continued to distract the alien.

BOOM! BOOM! The blasts obscured the sounds of Gawain's footsteps.

BOOM! He was just outside the cave now!

Thip, thip, thip. ...Why did Gawain just hear his footsteps?

The explosions ended, didn't they? The monster heard Gawain enter the cave, didn't it?

"Bwuffa boo." Gawain's voice was muddled by the bubble as he handed the Jester Seal to Dixie. He popped the bubble. "Have you seen any chambers or places to hide in this cave? I have a feeling we will need them."

<DarkraixCresselia> Dixie held the baby seal close to her chest as it squirmed and squeaked. Upon hearing Gawain's question, she turned and looked around, shifting the Jester Seal into one arm, and feeling along the wall with her free arm. Because the sun was overhead, there were shadows created by the cliff, and so the hollow was quite dark.

But finally, she felt the cave wall give way. Feeling around more as her eyes adjusted more to the darkness, she saw another mouth leading into another cave, and it was just big enough that they could get through, though one at a time. And the cave deeper inside was large enough that it could fit twice the amount of pokemon present. She grinned back at the kabutops, despite the dire situation, and whispered loudly, "I found something, croak!"

No sooner did she say that, she saw the alien slowly move in front of the entrance to the cave. Her eyes widened, and she swore she felt her heart jump into her throat. Luckily, it didn't seem to see them, though it probably knew they were nearby, having heard Gawain's footsteps when he reached the cave. Still clutching the Jester Seal, which had stilled and was quiet, tight against her sweater, she brought a finger to her lips, and climbed into the next cave in a somewhat backwards and sideways motion.

Once she was all the way into the cave, she sighed with relief. The Jester Seal remained quiet, and seemed to clutch at her sweater with its front flippers and bury its face into her chest. When Dixie looked back to say something to Gawain, she nearly fell back in fright:

The alien was looking into the entrance to the caves!

<Dr-InSean> Shuffling into the inner cave was a little difficult for Gawain's body shape, but the urgency of the situation had a funny way of making the task easier. Once he knew he was inside the larger cave, he turned to Dixie and led her around. He didn't say a word until he felt an alcove in the wall he could fit her into; as luck would have it, there was stalagmite in front of it that mostly obscured it, making for a safe hiding spot. Once he was certain Dixie and the Popplio were safe, he knelt down and whispered to them.

"Watch your surroundings as best you can. If you think you can escape, escape. If you think you should stay hidden, stay hidden. I shall do what I can to stop this beast." He leaned in closer to make this next point stick. "Do NOT help me. 'Tis too dangerous."

Without another word, he stood up and started creeping along the wall. He could barely see in this cave, but he did have one thing working in his favor.

Seems the beast hasn't noticed the Stench of Smooze. Gawain thought to himself as he noticed the familiar smell growing stronger. Though his eyes couldn't make out the full picture in front of him, his nose filled in the gaps.

The alien walked through the cave slowly...It was almost unnerving for Gawain. The creature's slow pace dragged the moment out so long...Let the tension build so thick, it almost choked Gawain's neck.

Just...A little bit...More...Almost...THERE!

The second Gawain knew he was behind the alien, he thrust his scythe forward. Straight into the monster's shoulder.

CRANG!

Gawain found his blade bouncing off the alien's hide harmlessly. It must still be in its protective form!

WUFF!

The alien's massive tentacles swung through the air as it tried to smack Gawain. The knight was just fast enough to anticipate the counterattack and duck under it. Once down, he tried tackling the monster to the ground, but its bulky form couldn't be moved.

The same couldn't be said of Gawain.

The alien quickly wrapped its tentacles around Gawain's arms and body. Once he was neutralized, the alien shifted to its leaner, sharper form. Despite being smaller now, the tentacles squeezed so much harder, so much stronger. Before Gawain could contemplate the idea of Protection vs Strength, he found himself lifted off his feet and hurled through the air as the alien let out a grunt...that sounded like it was uttered through a long tube...and uttered by a ghost.

Flying through the cave faster than he had ever moved in his life, Gawain barely had enough time to tighten his muscles and curl into a ball. Using Endure just in time ensured that he bounced off the wall with a painful gasp...rather than painting said wall with his innards.

His head spinning, Gawain could barely push himself up to his knees. His muscles on fire and heavy as boulders, he couldn't lift his scythes to defend himself. His eyes blurry and trying to close themselves, he barely made out the figure standing before him, even as its chest lit up with what was either the Light at the end of the Tunnel, or a Hyper Beam ready to take him to it...

<DarkraixCresselia> Dixie moved so she was just behind the stalagmite, and carefully peeked around it. She felt her knees shaking when she saw the alien had managed to come into the cave, but managed to keep quiet as Gawain sneaked around it. Even the Jester Seal remained silent, perhaps realizing that making noise would only make the situation worse.

Even if she didn't battle anymore, it didn't mean that Dixie didn't like watching other pokemon battle. And despite still being frightened of the monster, she also found herself fascinated with the way Gawain attacked the beast. But her smiling face turned into one of horror when the alien managed to grab the kabutops knight and squeeze him like a snake. "Oh no!" she whispered, flinching when he was thrown against the wall. He had managed to get to his knees, but she could see he wasn't able to defend himself. And the alien seemed to be preparing an attack at close range. She wanted to look away, cover her eyes, huddle up and cry, but she couldn't; she almost felt like she was frozen in place.

Her grip on the baby seal pokemon must have loosened because it managed to jump out and hurry to Gawain. "No!" Dixie cried out, almost bolting out before wrapping her arms around the stalagmite. She couldn't look; she buried her face against the stone structure, praying for a miracle, or for it to at least be over soon.

And her prayers seemed to be answered. What she didn't see was the Jester Seal rearing up on its hind flippers and staring straight at the alien, though still shaking slightly. The monster looked down at it curiously, as if goading it to make a move. The baby pokemon reared its head back and spread its front flippers out wide. Its nose began glowing pink, and it seemed to grow bigger and glow brighter, illuminating the cave in a pink light. Once the orb was as big as the Jester Seal's head, it thrust its head forward at the alien with a loud, high-pitched bark.

The large, pink orb crashed into the chest of the alien, knocking it back a little ways and interrupting its attack. Seeing the baby pokemon still standing, and Gawain beginning to recover, the alien growled at the group, sounding similar to the grunt it had uttered before, and turned around and exited the cave.

Panting, the Jester Seal collapsed on its chest with a tired huff. The only sounds in the cave now were tired breathing coming from the baby pokemon and Gawain, and small whimpers from Dixie, who was still hiding her face in fright.

<Dr-InSean> Looking at a white light one second and being bathed in a pink one the next, Gawain thought he had gone to meet his maker; there was even an angel in front of him. When his eyes regained focus, however, he could that was actually the Jester Seal with its flippers spread wide...After a moment like that, there hardly seemed to be a difference.

When the alien was miraculously repelled by the Jester Seal's majestic attack, Gawain got to his feet and scraped his blades together to tell the alien that he was still ready to fight....Fortunately, he didn't have to put that claim to the test.

When the alien walked away and Gawain could not even catch a whiff of the Stench of Smooze anymore, he cautiously crept to the entrance to the inner cave...and then the entrance to the first cave...Looking outside the hollow in the cliff, he could see the monster flying away, heading down the shore.

Walking back into the cave with Dixie and the Jester Seal, Gawain let out a hefty, well-deserved sigh of relief.

"While I doubt the heathen will leave Springshire anytime soon," Gawain said, still not quite used to modern town-naming conventions. "It has definitely left us. We live to fight another day!"

Gawain walked up to the tiny seal and knelt down to speak to it on more even terms.

"And it would seem that's all thanks to you, my tiny friend." Gawain to the baby with the gravitas most reserve for public speeches. "I must admit some foolishness on my part. I was so obsessed with protecting you and Lady Dixie that I assumed you incapable of defending yourself, let alone me...Perhaps I've been underestimating a few friends lately..."

Gawain thought to himself for a moment. Though he never said anything derogatory to her, he felt he owed a certain Raichu an apology...Or at least some more credit.

"But, enough contemplation for one day." Gawain snapped himself out of his own head. "Lady Dixie, join us so that we might make our way to some safer locale!"

<DarkraixCresselia> The Jester Seal lifted its head as Gawain spoke to it, and smiled softly and tiredly. "Bwah," it barked softly, pushing itself up and shaking itself off. It turned around to look at Dixie, who was still hunched against the stalagmite, unaware that the battle was over. It padded up to her and nudged her leg with its round nose, whimpering.

The croagunk hesitantly pulled her face from the rock and looked down, sighing shakily with relief when she saw the baby seal at her feet, looking slightly tired, but unharmed; it even seemed happy. "Thank goodness you're okay," she whispered, rubbing the top of its head. It leaned against the touch, emitting happy sounds.

Upon hearing a familiar voice, she looked up to see Gawain standing before her, looking all right as well, if not a little scuffled. She felt tears begin to flood her eyes, and her chin began to quiver. "Gawain!" she cried, running up to the kabutops and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and burying her tear-soaked face into his chest. "You're okay! I was so worried and scared!" she said, slightly muffled against his tunic.

As well as feeling winded and shaken, Dixie also felt guilty; guilty that she couldn't help at all. It wasn't just that she didn't like battling, she couldn't remember how to attack. She didn't even remember what moves she knew, for Arceus's sake! All she did was practically sit on the sidelines and watch, even having to be rescued. Granted, Gawain was protecting her, and she was very grateful for that. But she also wished she could be of more help.

Once she realized what she was doing, Dixie jumped back as if she had just been burned, turning very red in the face for the second time that day. "I-I-I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, scrubbing the tears from her face and pulling the collar of her turtleneck up so it went up to her eyes in embarrassment. "I... um... I'm j-just glad you're fine, cr-croak."

As she tried desperately to think of a way to change the subject, the Jester Seal nudged at her leg, cocking its head slightly. "Oh!" Dixie exclaimed, pushing her collar back down and lifting the baby pokemon into her arms. "I forgot about your flipper, croak." Cradling the pokemon in one arm, she gently took its injured flipper in her other hand and examined the bottom. "Hmm, a little scraped," she said to herself as she wandered out of the cave and into better lighting, "but I think I have some bandages at home... Oh no!" she suddenly exclaimed, eyes widening. "I was only supposed to be away from home for a few minutes!"

Looking over her shoulder at Gawain as he followed her out, she asked, cheeks blushing red again, "Erm, Sir Gawain, if it isn't too much trouble, could you perhaps escort me and this..." she briefly lifted the baby seal up under its armpits to check it, and continued, "... this little girl and I home? I live to the south of the river bed... if it's not too much trouble, croak." She shifted her waders in the sand, still feeling sheepish about her hug attack earlier. I guess that's one attack I can do, though a lot of good it would do, she thought sarcastically.

<Dr-InSean> Gawain winced a little when Dixie hugged him, but it didn't bother him. Though his body was still sore from combat, his spirit had never been stronger. He always longed to fight for his country and defend his countrymen in his medieval youth, but Fate denied him that chance. Knowing he was in this place, at this time, to save these lives and be saved by them in kind...He couldn't help feel that maybe Fate put him here on purpose.

If Gawain's face was capable of smiling, it would have as he watched Dixie try to hide her bashfulness and abruptly change subjects to the Jester Seal's condition. Though, to be fair, he did forget about her injured flipper until Dixie brought it up again.

"There is no trouble, Lady Dixie." Gawain said in reply to Dixie's request. "On the contrary, 'twould be my honor, privilege and chivalrous obligation to escort you and our friend. After all, what kind of a knight would I be if I neglected to help a sister-in-arms procure the medical attention she needs?"

Scanning the skies as they walked along the beach, Gawain took comfort in knowing that the the monster was gone for the moment and didn't head in the direction they were now taking. This also seemed to ensure that Asuka and Smooze were safe from running into it. Of course, seeing the little Popplio stand up for him let Gawain know that his friends could take care of themselves even if they did run into the monster.

Speaking of Asuka, wasn't there something else about her on his mind? They were supposed to rendezvous, sure, but there was no set time to do so and he knew Asuka would understand any tardiness if it was in the name of escorting Dixie. No, it was something else...Something about...trinkets of some sort? Some strange trinket that would help them talk?...Oh! Of course!

"Excuse me, Lady Dixie," Gawain broke the peaceful silence. "Canst thou tell me anything about what the kids call...phones?"

<DarkraixCresselia> "Indeed, croak," Dixie giggled as they walked up the ramp, transitioning from the sandy beach to the green grass. She too kept a wary eye out for the alien, but the skies were empty, save for a few clouds. She wondered to herself if it would snow again. "Speaking of whom, I think I have a good name for her: Bubbles, since she seems to enjoy blowing them. What do you think, Bubbles?"

The little seal barked happily and clapped her flippers, wincing slightly at her injury. "Well then, it's settled," Dixie smiled. "I guess Rolly has a new sister, croak. A phone? A phone is... how do I explain this? It's a contraption where, if more than two pokemon have one, they can speak to each other through them. But it's not that simple, croak. They would need to know each other's phone numbers, which are simply a collection of... ten numbers. Each phone has buttons with the numbers zero through nine, croak."

This is nice, croak, Dixie thought to herself as she continued to explain phones to her friend, while they made the journey to her home. It's so peaceful and relaxing, now that that alien is gone. But hopefully the next time I decide to take a walk, I don't run into trouble... or I'm at least not alone, croak.