chiron_survivor | A microbiologist and a Cylon walk into a pokémon lab... ((for youmeandpokemon))

Madrone makes sure Caspar is okay without saying anything, worried that he might would his pride further. For now, he does his best to keep the Solosis at bay, which isn't too difficult, since the cell Pokemon are staring at the second entrance to the cave. A large shadow is approaching, and the Pokemon are growing excited chirping back and forth with each other.

Adia and Madrone should be able to understand what's going on from their Solosis: 'He's coming!' 'The Shiny One approaches!'. From the mouth of the cave, a purple Pokemon makes his entrance, mouth wide open and waddling towards the center of the room. The Wobbuffet looks scary, and one might assume it wants to challenge the Solosis to a battle, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

'Shadow Battle!' One of the Solosis cries out, causing the Pokemon to start stacking in the middle of the room, while Wobbuffet raises one arm, his hidden tail casting a shadow against the back of the wall. From the left and the right, one can see the shadows of the Pokemon growing, as if trying to outdo the other. The two Solosis start to explain what's going on.

'The Shiny One has a long shadow!' 'Yeah, we try to make our shadow longer than his! If we win, he gives us berries!' This might not seem like a big deal, but these Solosis take the competition very seriously.

Adia looks over at the second entrance in anticipation. Who is the Shiny One? Another pokémon? When the strange purple creature lumbers into the room, she immediately holds up her tablet to scan it. "Another psychic pokémon," she says excitedly. She watches the 'Shadow Battle' as it unfolds, delighted by this completely unexpected competition. "Good luck," she calls out to the growing stack of solosis. What a delightful image they make!

"This is the strangest thing I've ever seen," Caspar announces. He no longer sounds anxious, or even disapproving. Perhaps just confused. Tepig snorts in agreement. Psychic pokémon are weird.

The two Solosis join in with Adia's cheering, while Madrone takes a few pictures of the Wobbuffet and Solosis with his Pokedex. It seems like the cell Pokemon are winning, but the stack is wiggling and wobbling too much. Finally, after a minute, the Solosis lose control, bouncing back to the ground, leaving Wobbuffet the winner. A collective 'Awwww' can be heard from the Solosis, but they seem undeterred.

'Next time!' The Solosis call out, while Wobbuffet helps pick them up one at a time. They seem uninjured, which is a good thing. Adia's Solosis buddy nudges her neck with his body. 'Help us evolve?' Madrone is trying to resist laughing at the request. "We're just visiting, but maybe Adia wouldn't mind seeing you again in the future." He knows that it would be difficult to take a Pokemon home, but there's no harm in making future friends here.

Adia feels sorry for the cell pokémon who lost the competition, but it is heartening to see the wobbuffet helping them back up. She had no idea that pokémon were up to these sorts of games, but it makes sense, considering the level of their intelligence.

"Oh, I wish I could," she says sadly to the solosis on her shoulder. "You'd be far too obvious if I took you back home with us. Well, unless I found a cave remote enough." She looks over at Caspar. "Do you think if we --"

"No." Caspar is not immune to the pokémon charms, but he draws the line at one that can speak directly into his brain. He does not have the chill for that.

Adia pats her cell friend on the top of its slimy body. "I'll come back to visit again, I promise."

Wobbuffet is clearly on good terms with his psychic brothers and sisters, making sure each Solosis is back to doing well. Madrone tries his hardest to not laugh at the situation unfolding between Adia and Caspar, and is happy to come up with a solution on the spot.

"Adia, why don't I take a picture of you with the Solosis? That way you have a memory of today. Caspar can get into the photo as well." He offers to take said photo with his Poke'dex. The Solosis on Adia's shoulder seems okay with this idea, of getting to see Adia in the future and also getting a photo taken. 'Yay! I made a new friend!' The Solosis is happy to cheer out his excitement at this new change.

Normally reticent to have her photo taken, Adia seems fine with the idea, warming up to it further when Solosis chimes in its enthusiasm. "Sure," she says. "You can send it to my PINpoint. Caspar? Would you like to --"

She doesn't need to finish her question. Caspar is already taking his place beside her, mindful of the other pokémon rolling around on the ground. He shifts his grip on Tepig so that she's nestled in one of his arms so he can wrap the other around Adia's waist. "Wish I had my suit on," he mutters, even if it would have run the risk of getting dirty.

"You're still picture-perfect," Adia replies, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Rowlet? Would you like to be in the picture, too?" The little owl pokémon flies up and lands in the crook of her offered arm. Behind them, the wobbuffet herds the other solosis out of frame, not wanting them to accidentally photobomb the happy couple.

Edited 2018-02-23 14:33 (UTC)

Madrone waits on a cue from Wobbuffet to let him know once all the Solosis are out of the frame. He doesn't tell everyone what to do, but is smiling and encouraging everyone to be happy.

"Alright, be sure to smile big. You too, Rowlet and Tepig!" He brings the Pokedex level to his face, making sure that everyone is in the frame. "One...two...three..."

The Pokedex chirps a little tune and a few pictures are taken, without any flash surprisingly. Madrone doesn't want to irritate the Pokemon, but the camera is also strong enough to take photos in the dark. The professor gestures for everyone to come look at the pictures once the task is complete.

"These came out very well! I'll have to print out a copy for you both when we get back to the lab." Madrone seems pleased at his work, seeing Adia and Caspar smiling, but for a second, his expression becomes sad. That fleeting moment passes when Magnemite hovers over to him, beeping cheerfully. He's getting in the next photo for sure.

"Wobbuffet," the pokémon says, giving the professor a salute. All set!

Adia and Caspar smile for the pokédex, Caspar giving her a little squeeze so that she'll giggle, her smile brightening. It's a lovely set of photos -- everyone looks relaxed and happy, pictures that could grace a pokémon getaway magazine.

"They look great," she agrees, admiring the photos. Madrone's brief sadness catches her attention, but disappears so quickly that she wonders if she imagined it. "Yes, we'd love a printed copy, thank you."

Caspar looks up at Magnemite when it beeps, and flashes it a grin. "Sorry you got left out, buddy. We can take another one when you don't need to provide the lighting."

"I'm glad you approve, Adia. I will have those sent to the lab right away and do not let me forget to send them via PINpoint to you as well." Madrone nods, compacting his Pokedex and putting it away. He's completely forgotten about the Solosis on his shoulder, who seems ready to come down.

"There's one last place I want you both to see, it's especially important to our Magnemite friend." Madrone gently places the Solosis on the ground, where he rolls off to rejoin his other Psychic friends. "I think you both will like the surprise."

Magnemite beeps and twirls around in the air, excited! Yay! He's already off like a bullet, gliding towards the last cave entrance. Madrone will most certainly wait on Adia and Caspar to make sure they've seen and done everything they've wanted in this portion of the cave system, before moving on.

Somehow Adia doubts that Madrone will forget to send her electronic copies of the photos, but she smiles and nods anyway. When he removes the solosis from his shoulder, she's reminded to set down hers, who seems less ready to be put down. He wanted to hang out with his new friend a little longer! Oh, well. He rolls off to join his buddies after a telepathic goodbye.

Rowlet also hops down to the ground. Caspar looks at Tepig, who grunts and shakes her head. He laughs. "Okay, princess. I'll carry you a little longer." He's awfully curious to see what has Magnemite so excited. Adia is, too. What could be in a cave that would interest an electric pokémon that much? So they follow along with Madrone's assistance.

Goodbye, kind Solosis! The Psychic Pokemon, adapt as ever, continue their activities with Wobbuffet, as if they never encountered humans. Madrone smiles at the sight of Tepig being carried, and some part of him really wishes the Pig Pokemon could be Caspar's partner. They get along so well together, which makes him wonder if keeping Tepig around is a good idea. He'll ponder over it later, as Magnemite beeps to the group. Hurry up, people!

The cave path becomes wider and longer than the previous routes, leading the trio deep into the cave system. Different sparks of light can be seen after a few minutes of walking, leading into a glimmering cave full of Magnemite and Magneton! In the center of the room is a large set of stones: one looks metallic and the other is a dark greenish-gray rock that shimmers in the light.

It's not just Magnet Pokemon that visit the cave, as a small group of Clefairy are also dancing around the stones with some Magnemite. Perhaps this was the surprise Madrone wanted to show Adia? It's a very safe guess.

Although the magnemite and magneton are what initially attract Caspar's attention, it's the clefairy that hold his wide-eyed gaze. Oh. They are very cute. His expression softens into a look that he normally reserves for Adia, a gentle half-smile on his face. "What are they doing?" he whispers.

"Is that a moon rock?" Adia asks the professor, pointing to the shimmering greenish-gray rock. She's equally enamored, but unlike Caspar, she's done some research into various fairy types, including clefairy. She knows about their connection to the moon. "What's the other rock, the metallic one?"

Tepig squirms in Caspar's arms, so he crouches down and lets her hop to the ground. She scrambles over to the ring of clefairy and magnemite and attempts to join in the dance. No, she doesn't know what those rocks are, but the dancing looks like fun! Rowlet flutters up to an alcove on the wall and chirps a greeting to a gathering of magneton.

"They seem to be celebrating an upcoming evolution." Madrone points to a Clefairy and a Magneton that many of the Pokemon are dancing around. This also confirms Adia's two questions about the different types of rock. "Yes. The green one is a Moon Stone deposit, while the other one doesn't have a name, but it contains strong magnetic properties. If either of you think of a good name, I'm open to suggetions."

The Clefairy and Magnemite are very welcoming to Tepig and Rowlet, so long as the two Pokemon are passive, they've no reason to quarrel. Madrone pulls out his Pokedex and takes a few pictures, while continuing to talk. "It's rare to see two opposite types of Pokemon get along. Steel Pokemon have an advantage over Fairy, but these two species have learned to put aside conflict and live together in peace." Kind of like another robotic species...

The magnetic rock's attraction is self-explanatory, but Caspar doesn't understand the significance of a moon stone. His confusion must show, because Adia whispers to him, "Clefairy are from outer space. They came to Earth via meteors."

"No kidding," Caspar marvels. Adia smiles and holds up her pokédex to learn as much as she can about the pokémon in front of her. The dancing reminds her of a ceremony, especially the way the clefairy and magneton in the middle of the circle are acting. They are dancing with one another, the clefairy occasionally reaching out to pat her partner on one of its three heads, and the magneton beeping happily in response. It's terribly sweet, and she's delighted to hear from the professor they they're getting along despite their opposing types.

Meanwhile, Tepig is really throwing herself into her dancing. She kicks up her tiny hooves and wiggles her rear as she moves around the ring. One-two-three-kick! One-two-three-shimmy! Caspar catches sight of her and loses his composure, turning away and bringing his hands to his mouth to stifle his laughter.

Adia looks over at him in surprise. "Are you okay?" she asks. Caspar squeezes his eyes shut, giggle-snorting behind his hands as he tries not to disturb the relative silence of the cave. It makes her grin; it is so rare for him to laugh like this, even when it's just the two of them. She pats him on the back and then goes back to looking at the pokémon, giving him the illusion of privacy.

"So the myth goes. There's always a theory or two floating around about Clefairy coming from the moon, but no real solid evidence to prove it yet." Madrone wraps up his photo taking, turning the Pokedex to video mode and placing it on a solid rock formation, so it can film the Pokemon while he's talking. Thankfully, he misses Caspar's happy breakdown, his eyes on the spectacle ahead.

"It seems like Tepig is enjoying herself, as well as the other Pokemon..."

There's a small commotion near one of the top alcoves, a few Magnemite are beeping angrily at a shadow on the wall. Madrone looks up at the spot, noticing dark purple colors in place of the usual black spots. Something seems off...

He doesn't get a chance to react, as a large purple, spiky ghost emerges from the wall with a large grin on his face. It's a Gengar, which completely confuses the professor. "How can that Pokemon be here?"

Mention of the moon puts a thoughtful expression on Adia's face, as it always does. "It'd explain why they like to dance under the full moon." She watches the dance continue, grateful that she's able to experience something so rare and sweet, and able to share it with Caspar.

Gengar's appearance unfortunately spoils the mood. Tepig squeaks and runs over to the Cylon, hiding behind his legs. Even rowlet looks worried, ruffling her feathers and huddling closer to the magnemite that she befriended in one of the shallow alcoves.

"What's the matter, Tepig?" Caspar asks his porcine friend as he points the pokédex at Gengar. Despite the mischievous smile on the creature's face, it doesn't necessarily look scarier than anything else he's seen so far. "What's wrong with a ghost type being in a cave? Don't they like the shadows?"

"The problem with a Gengar is the fact that they rarily evolve in the wild. It's very rare to see one here..." Madrone really doesn't get a chance to say anything else as the Ghost Pokemon jumps down from the alcove, immediately grabbing the hand of Clefairy, who's chirping out to Magneton for help.

There's a small bickering between Magneton and Gengar, who's protectively trying to steal Clefairy away from the magnet trio. Many of the other Magnemite and Clefairy are growing concerned at their friend being tormented by this ghost Pokemon. Madrone can only assume what's going on, verbalizing those concerns to Caspar and Adia.

"It seems like Gengar wants Clefairy for himself. Strange how the myth behind Gengar and Clefable is becoming true here..." He doesn't move forward, not wanting to spook the already fearful Pokemon, but something must be done. Alas, Gengar is not a happy creature, as he launches an attack at the Magneton, sending the Pokemon reeling backwards, while the other creatures scatter.

"That's right, they prefer urban areas, don't they?" Adia remarks. She's about to scan the ghost pokémon as well, but then she's startled by it leaping down and rudely breaking up the dance party. She clutches Caspar's arm worriedly, not liking its behavior one bit, but not knowing what to do. The professor isn't intervening... does that mean they shouldn't, either?

Caspar seems to be having similar qualms. "Hey, asshole. Take a hint, the lady's not interested," he calls out to the spiky-headed troublemaker. Maybe not the wisest idea, but better he get harassed by the gengar than that poor clefairy.

When the confrontation comes to actual blows and the magneton gets knocked back, a surprise contender enters the ring. Tepig rushes from behind Caspar's legs, nostrils flaring fire, and charges. "Pig!" she roars. You leave those two friends alone, you big bully! She rears up on her tiny hind legs, then slams her front hooves down and shoots twin flames at the gengar.

"Yes, or abandoned places where they can cause mischief and trickery with other Ghost Pokemon." Madrone was hoping to try and come up with a peaceful solution, but Gengar seems to have other ideas in mind, having already started to battle. As evident by a lack of AV field, it seems like Pokemon vs Pokemon is acceptable out here in the wilds.

Gengar turns to face Caspar, his grin widening, none to pleased to hear what the Cylon has to say. He tries to launch a Shadow Ball attack at him, but is interrupted by Tepig rushing forward, spitting fire at him. Gengar takes a direct hit, allowing Clefairy to break free from his ghostly grip. Madrone calls out Mudkip, who starts trying to guide the Pokemon to other corners of the room for safety

Gengar, meanwhile, catches his gaze on Adia, finding it unusual to see a female trainer down in these parts. For now, he wants Clefairy's attention once more.

"Caspar, see if you and Tepig can wear down Gengar. I'll focus on keepping the other Pokemon safe." Madrone hesitates for a second when he looks at Adia. He doesn't want to tell her to do a specific thing...Instead, he just nods to her confidently. "Adia, you have a good instinct for things, so I trust you to do what you feel is right in the current situation."

The brief look of alarm on Caspar's face is replaced with a proud smile of satisfaction when he sees Tepig score a direct hit on Gengar. "Atta girl! You kick his ass!" Madrone's instructions remind him that he ought to be calling out some actual moves instead of blanket encouragement. Too bad he doesn't know the names of anything, so general fighting instructions will have to do. "Stay evasive if he shoots anything at you! Then hit him again with your fire!"

Rowlet automatically joins Mudkip in herding the other pokémon to safety, although she keeps a feathery ear hole out for any instructions Adia might want to give her.

Adia, however, seems to be at a loss. The professor's words are encouraging, but don't give her much to work with. Her gaze turns automatically to the clefairy who was previously accosted. She's sitting by Magneton while he recovers, chirping softly in worry and apology. The scene breaks Adia's heart a little -- Clefairy must blame herself for Gengar's unwanted attention.

Hurrying over to the pair of them, she kneels down to get their attention. "Hey. You two were about to evolve, right? That makes you the most powerful pokémon here. And together, your bond is stronger than anything that gengar can dish out. So don't be scared, okay? We're all here to help you."

Tepig is doing a very good job at avoiding any attacks Gengar tries to show at her, but the Pokemon starts to pick up on this trend. The Gengar disappears into the shadows which cover the floor of the cave, slipping behind Tepig and delivering a harsh attack with his sharp claws. It sends the Pig Pokemon back a few steps to regroup.

Mudkip and Madrone stay focused on helping everyone to safety, leaving just Magneton and Clefairy to Adia. The Magneton seems to be doing better, floating back up while Clefairy nods at Adia's words. Yes, they were getting ready to evolve before this showdown occurred. Clefairy looks at Adia and smiles, understanding her words as Magneton does the same.

The steel Pokemon aims its magnets at Gengar, while Clefairy starts chanting, causing her partner to become surrounded in a pink light. Finally, Magneton launches a powerful Zap Cannon attack, enhanced by Clefairy's power, at the Gengar. The attack avoids Tepig easily and directly hits the Gengar, sending the ghost Pokemon to the floor in front of Caspar.

Caspar winces when the blow hits Tepig. People do this for fun? How can they stand watching their pokémon get hurt?! "Tepig, careful! Keep your guard up when he goes into the shadows!"

Relieved that her message was well-received, Adia gives both pokémon an encouraging smile and steps out of the way. Their combined attack is a sight to behold, and for a moment she forgets to be worried, focusing instead on the strength of the bond between these two very different pokémon.

As Gengar slams to the ground in front of Caspar, the Cylon is tempted to give a swift kick to its rear, but thinks better of it. It's still a pokémon, as obnoxious and aggressive as it was being, and deserves to be treated with more compassion than he'd offer a human in a similar position.

He can't let it get back up again, though. Digging into his pocket, he pulls out Tepig's empty poké ball and throws it at Gengar's prone form. Hopefully this will work. "Get in the ball if you know what's good for you."

People don't like watching their Pokemon get hurt, but it seems like Pokemon also know the risks of getting into battle. Tepig trots over to the Gengar and huffs some smoke at the ghost Pokemon from her nostrils. Good. The Gengar got what it deserves.

Madrone walks over to Magneton, taking a small bottle out of his pocket, spraying the Pokemon with the potion. Slowly, all of Gengar's damage is undone, leaving Magneton to smile happily at the professor, Adia and Clefairy. He doesn't get a chance to tell Caspar that the plan won't work, as the Pokeball bounces back to Caspar, deflected by some unseen force.

Gengar, meanwhile, just lays on the floor injured. Despite his scary demeanor, he's clearly shaken up by losing the battle and seems unlikely to attack again. The Pokemon raises his red eyes to Caspar in concession, despite the fact that the Cylon literally just threw a Pokeball at him.

"Gengar..." That almost sounds like an apology.

Caspar catches the poké ball on the rebound, disappointed that it didn't work. He'll have to ask the professor why later, right now he's meeting Gengar's supplicating look with a hard stare of his own. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, buddy."

From across the cave, Clefairy pats Magneton with her pointy little hands, happy that he is fully healed. Adia smiles at the reunited couple before crossing over to Gengar. "Hey," she says gently. "It seemed like you want to be friends with Clefairy? You can't hog her attention like that, though. Especially when she's in the middle of something. "Maybe the professor can heal you, too, if you promise to be a better friend."

"He needs to heal Tepig, too," Caspar adds. He looks down at the piglet and smiles at her proudly. "You were a badass, Tepig. Good job." Tepig puffs out her chest a little and oinks at the praise.

Madrone will have to explain that Pokeball mechanic, but for now, he's joining Adia, heading towards Gengar. He glances at Gengar, before walking over to Tepig. A quick spray from his own bottle, makes the wound marks Tepig received in the battle to go away.

"Yes. Being friends with one another is a good way to not anger others. I'm sure Clefairy and Magneton would welcome you into their circle, despite your initial outburst..." That comment sets something off within the ghost's brain, as Gengar closes his eyes, his form melting into the floor.

"Wait! We haven't gotten to heal you yet..." Too late, as the Gengar seems to have vanished from the cave, which causes the surrounding Pokemon to become less tense. "I hope Gengar will be okay."

A microbiologist and a Cylon walk into a pokémon lab... ((for youmeandpokemon))

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