[FIN] Water is the Softest Thing

[Gwennythe]

"'Ow come what?! 'Ow come I thought y' were chasin' me t' eat me or summat? Cuz the bloody Muckskipple or wotever the bloomin' 'ell it's name is attacked me inta the water outta bloody nowhere, and next think I know, I 'ear you swimmin' after t' me, yellin' for me to stop..."

His eyebrows raised as Tymiko spoke, and then revealed that, whatever this cloud bird thing was, it was a 'wild shiny'... Huh.
He made to check himself for empty pokéballs, but found only his own team as he patted himself down. His empties were still a little up the river, where he'd set up to fish.
"Bugger..." He swore out loud, then realized he did. Well, he wasn't going to offer a reason why, and she probably noticed him giving his wet cloths a pat down... Whatever. Trainers tried to catch these 'shiny' things too, didn't they?
"So 's not yours but y' know the bloom'n' Flufflebird?"
Shiny? How was it 'shiny'? He wasn't sure he understood why they called them that, but saying that out loud was probably one of the 'stupid things' that Lex might warn him about if he was here...
Bollocks, why was Lex suddenly a mental guide? He made a note to drink a lot later to try and drown the brain-invading b*****d.

<< Why the hell would I be 'nice'? Neither are you, you great flamin' cotton swab! Pickin' pokémon up outta nowhere... I'm a -fish- ya know? I'm much more bloody well at home in the water, get it? And I mean wot a I bloody say ya dumb bird; go on and give 'im a shout. He'll unnerstand you! Course I do! He's /my/ trainer, ain't no dragon's...>> She grumbled, but still watched the bird expectantly, waiting for it to try addressing her trainer.  

[Tymiko]

"But how come you thought I was a dragon-type?" the girl asked. Muckskipple... It was getting harder to suppress her amusement and she couldn't help a tiny smile. "Like I said, I'm really sorry. I think he attacked you on accident; he probably didn't mean to make you fall into the water."

"I didn't know if you were hurt or something, so I wanted to swim after you to help or at least apologize." She tilted her head. "If you heard me yelling, why would you think I was a pokemon in the first place? Last I checked, they don't usually yell at people, let alone to tell them to stop."

Ty paused, watching the man pat down his soaking wet clothes. "Uh...did you lose something?" If he had, that would be her responsibility too, because none of this would have happened if she and her pokemon hadn't bothered him in the first place. Maybe she could retrieve it, perhaps with Fathom's help, or at least replace whatever it was.

"I think it's called an Altaria," Tymiko answered, her smile growing wider. "And maybe. I mean, I don't know an Altaria, but there was a shiny Ditto I met in Kanto once when I went there for a tournament. It followed me back, but during a mission against Team Rocket, I lost it. I thought maybe they might have gotten a hold of it." She looked back up at the shiny curiously. "As a Ditto, it was a sparkly pale blue, so I used to call it Aquamarine."

At the sound of its name, the dragon bird turned it head and chirped at the girl in a friendly manner, causing her to laugh. "Glad to see you're safe, then, Aqua," Ty told it. "But what were you doing with our pokemon just now?"

Aquamarine answered, both to Mircalla and Tymiko. It preened itself to try pretending it wasn't affected by the Carvanha's insults. The last part caused it to raise its head irritably, though.

Turning its attention to Clancy, the bird asked,  

[Gwennythe]

"Cuz I can bloody 'ear the flamin' things..." Clancy grumbled, with some irritation- he was still slightly disappointed he hadn't got the ability to hear water types instead.
"'Ow the bloody 'ell does a Mubblykipper attack someone on bloomin' accident?!"

He didn't bother following through about 'why he thought she'd been a pokémon', he felt like he'd already explained that.
"N-" Oh wait! Maybe he /could/ get something out of this? "-yeaaah. Lost me flamin' cash! All me bloody winnin's from me last pokee-wotsit scrap!"

He listened and suppressed... whatever that feeling was- pride or panic at hearing the mention of his team's name? He actually wasn't sure.
Ditto... Ditto...
"Dittle? Wot's a Dittle? So that thing ain't even a real Altometair?"

He narrowed his eyes at the temporary dragon type as it spoke to him.
"Aye, I can 'ear ya, you bloody nuisance... Don't you go flamin' droppin' any of us or I'll be 'avin' fowl f'r dinner!"

Mircalla snickered.  

[Tymiko]

"You - you can?" Tymiko's jaw dropped. "You mean like hear them talk? Is it just dragon-types?" She'd heard of the Egg of Arceus before, but this was the first time she'd met someone who seemed to have been affected by it first-hand. "Is it because of that object they found in the ocean? That's amazing! I'd ask Skipper why he attacked you, but he's not a dragon-type and as far as I know, I can't talk to pokemon." She glanced at Aquamarine. "And you can hear Aquamarine even though Ditto isn't really a dragon-type? Who knew? I wonder if that means type-changers can talk to all people who have a pokemon type!"

Her astonishment was interrupted by her distress at the news that the man had lost something after all. "Oh no! How much was it, do you remember?" She patted her own soaking pockets before realizing that all her belongings were further upstream. "Uh, I have some money with me, but it's with my bag and the rest of my stuff back the way we came. If you don't mind following me back, I'll be sure to return every coin I made you lose. If I don't have enough on me now, I'll earn more through some battles until I do." Wasn't she forgetting something? "Oh! Sorry, sir, my name's Tymiko. I can give you my contact information from my pokegear. I understand if you want to report this to the police, but I promise neither my pokemon or I meant any harm."

She managed to remain serious right up until hearing 'Dittle', and 'Altometair' simple served to secure her fate. The girl burst out laughing and continued to laugh until she had to clutch her aching stomach. Tymiko was barely able to gasp for breath, let alone speak, as she started trying to stumble in the direction opposite of the river's current. "We...come on...on the way," she managed between giggles, gesturing upriver as she tried to get a grip.

Startled at Clancy's response, Aquamarine squawked and jumped back a little on its perch, ruffling its feathers. can hear me! I guess that doesn't make you any less mean, though...> It tilted its head at the man and then jerked it at Mircalla. you instead!> The Altaria puffed itself up on its branch and flapped its cloudy wings violently. Then, noticing Tymiko was already walked away, Aquamarine pushed off from its perch and glided toward the humans before beating its wings to keep aloft just above them.  

[Gwennythe]

"Yeah, yeah! It's a flamin' nuisance, them damned things /nattering on/!" Clancy insisted with a firm nod. "Just bloody dragons f'r all I bloomin' know; 's no less flamin' annoying! And, yeah, I can hear this floofy arse just flamin' fine."

The last was said with clear exasperation.
"Flamin' thing's threatenin' to eat us. Any'ow. Most kind. Ain't no used callin' the police long as ya pay a gent back, good lass. M' name's Carl and... 'ey, wot's so funny?" He asked, unaware of what could possibly have caused her to laugh, choosing to /ignore/ the fake dragon-cloud-bird-thing's threats.
"So you're /interested/ in talkin' to me? That's pretty bloody weird, Puffbird."

Mircalla was returned as he turned to follow Tymiko.  

[Tymiko]

Aquamarine muttered irritably. Tymiko, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying herself even if she could only overhear one side of the conversation between the man and the shiny ditto.

"Don't let it get to you; it's probably just saying those things to test you. If I were a pokemon, I bet I'd be really excited to find a human who could understand me that clearly, too. People are usually too busy trying to fight or capture them to try to listen or make sense of what they want to communicate, I think. You have a gift. That's really amazing." She laughed again. "I wonder what it says about you that you can talk to dragon-types, too, since they're considered so powerful and majestic."

Nodding happily at learning his name, Ty just managed to suppress another barrage of giggles when the man asked what was so funny. "I'm sorry; I just really like the way you talk. It's very refreshing." She glanced up again at Aquamarine. "Maybe Aqua does, too."

the bright Altaria remarked. For whatever reason, the funny fellow really was starting to grow on Aqua. Maybe Tymiko was right and it was just the result of being able to be understood by a human on such a clear level (well, it seemed to be clear, but who could tell with the weird way the guy talked?) that made him so suddenly appealing to the pokemon.  

[Gwennythe]

"Don't you bloody dare set the world on fire, y' blinkin' cotton-wool-bird..." Clancy muttered, probably, now, willfully misinterpreting the pokémon.

He perked up considerably, however, at what he perceived to be flattery from Ty, walking a little taller and straighter.
"Oh, pow'ful and majestic? Eh, I s'pose that makes some bloomin' sense then. Ain't quite water types but ain't so bad when y' bloomin' well put it that way, t' be fair..."

He blinked then, and slowly tilted his head at the girl.
"It is? Y'r the first t' say so, m' gel, but I ain't sorry t' hear that. Bloomin' sods complainin' 's 'ard t' unnerstand me fr'm time t' time. Knew 't was a pro'lem wi' 'em an' not me."

Suddenly he laughed a little.
"Nah. No blood. 'S a figure 'f expression, Strangebird."  

[Tymiko]

Aqua answered back.

The girl just couldn't stop grinning. She was even more interested, however, when Carl brought up water-types. "You like water-types?" she said, her voice rising in excitment. "So do I! I don't have all that many now, but I'm trying to become a proper water-type trainer. Is that what you are?"

<...Now you think everything is blooming?> the Altaria interjected.

"I'm the first? That's crazy. I could listen to you all day; it's wonderful. People should just take the time to listen better, then! And maybe they should learn to appreciate a different way of understanding things rather than hearing exactly what they're accustomed to," she remarked. "Like needing to hear the term 'Altaria' to know what you're talking about instead of thinking about one as a 'cotton-wool-bird'," Ty added with a laugh.

Then she pointed ahead. "There it is! My bag!" Picking up her pace, she leaped from rock to rock before reaching the one her belongings sat atop. Her shoes and socks were strewn across the bank where she had thrown them in her rush to get into the water. Enigma peeked out of his shell when he heard his trainer's voice. Ty scooped him up and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry, Enigma! I didn't mean to leave you here all alone for so long! We got swept downstream and there was a lot of confusion, but things should be okay now." Setting down the Omanyte, she gathered up her dropped belongings and sat herself down on a stone. The girl got out her wallet and asked Carl, "How much did you lose? Do you remember?"  

[Gwennythe]

"Eh, probably. But nah, ain't nowt wrong with how I 'spress nuffin', and comin' from a bird 'oo looks like some sorta candy floss, I ain't at liberty t' be tak'n' that as serious bloody criticism..."

Clancy seemed a little surprised, but his smile lifted, as the girl brought up water types and being a water trainer. "'Ow 'bout that. Bloody right, them's the most sensible types around are water types. Bloody good taste y' got. Could say that. Mirc', m' fish y' just met, 's m' top 'mon, and I got a coupla others. Nowt like a Gyarados or nuffin', least yet, but 'm working on 't." He, at least, knew 'Gyarados' as a pokémon name then. "An' quite right y' are! Ain't no issue wi' knowin' wot's wot, lacking name or owt!"
He frowned at the dragon-bird.
"'S a 'nother figurement o' 'spression, a'right?"

The man hung back for a moment, tilting his head at the strewn belongings, and at the strange creature she spoke to.
"Wot the bloody 'ell's that? One of them Whirglewotits? Ah, uh... Call it an' even score?" The way he said 'score' suggested he meant it as an amount...  

[Tymiko]

Aquamarine squwaked at the red-head.

Tymiko chuckled, perching her elbow on her knee and her chin on her palm as she listened to Carl. "Probably helps that there's more water-types than any other pokemon type and that the world's covered in more water than land," she said thoughtfully. "But why do you like them? Just because?" The trainer beamed. She may not have been familiar with a lot of Unova or Kalos pokemon that were being discovered recently, but she was at least familiar with those from Kanto and Johto like Gyarados.

When he was set down, Enigma looked up at the man his trainer was talking to before slowly attempting to crawl over to him with his little tentacles.

"Sorry, I forget; how much is a score again?" Ty asked, counting out her pokédollars. She briefly looked up when Carl asked about her pokemon. "Oh! That's Enigma. He's an Omanyte resurrected from a Helix fossil. They're Water and Rock-types. Eni's still getting used to this world, so we're trying to take it slow and learn things a little at a time." She noticed the creature attempting to scale Carl's shoe. "Looks like he likes you."  

[Gwennythe]

"Y' -are- a bird. Y're a bird -right now- an' I only metcha as a blinkin' bird, an' ya say y' /like/ bein' a bloomin' bird, so ya -are- a bird." Clancy insisted, before nodding at Tymiko.

"Yeah, yeah, mostly just 'cuz. They're bloomin' magnf'cent critters, water types. Bloody awesome battlers and just plain top 'ole, see. Oh, an' a score's a score. I's twenny."

Clancy was frowning as though it was all news to him- Omanytes and Helix fossils, but softened a little when he learned the strange creature was a water type. A /fossil/ water type; which probably meant it turned into that sharp bugger he remembered seeing in museums as a kid; a predator, but not a fearsome one right now, apparently.

"Heh. Cute little blighter. 'E gets bigger 'n 'at right? Turns into one o' them 'Kabbageceratops' critters?"  

[Tymiko]

Aquamarine squawked in indigence. The shiny pokemon paused.

Grinning, the girl finished counting out twenty bills and handed them over. "Yeah, he'll get bigger, but if you're talking about Kabutops, that's the other Kanto region fossil pokemon. Kabuto can be ressurected from the Dome Fossil and evolve into Kabutops. Enigma here is an Omanyte, which evolves into Omastar."

Scooping up the creature, she held him up for Carl to get a better look. Enigma waved its tiny tentacles up toward the man. "Do you have a favorite water-type, Carl?" Ty asked. Aquamarine bobbed its head up and down in a bird-like fashion, craning its neck as if to hear better.  

[Gwennythe]

Aquamarine's question got a confused frown, and thoughtful pause, and finally a shrug.
"They're just the bloomin' best 's all. I dunno. Couldn't bloody 'urt, though I wouldn't be able t' unnerstand anything y' said no more."

His face regained the grin as he found himself actually receiving the money he'd asked for from the girl; this was possibly among the easiest money he'd made.
He did listen as Tymiko explained Omanyte-to-Omastar and nodded along, noting to himself that this would not become the pointy creature he was thinking of, but the other one- he had a memory of something similar to this creature, with more spikes, sitting in a museum...
"Ah! A Omnomstar! Gotcha." Ridiculously, he found himself waggling his fingers back, in a sort of wave, at the spiral-shelled water type.

Her question deserved more thought than it got, probably, but Clancy had very clear views on his favourites, and amazingly, it seemed that /these/ he could actually remember and pronounce the names of.
"Oh, I'm mighty fond o' Sharpedo! Gonna be bloomin' lovely when me Mircalla gets 'er growin' goin' and 'volves inta that beastie! Also right bloomin' fond of them Gyarados critters, mind ya! Gurt savage beasties, them be!"  

[Tymiko]

The shiny Altaria fluffed up its cloud-like wings. Then it cocked its head at Carl. it asked. Aquamarine was surprised the man had even bothered to remind it of the fact that if it changed, he wouldn't have been able to continue conversing with it.

Tymiko looked from the transformed pokemon to Carl, trying to piece together what they were talking about. "You know, it's actually pretty funny - Aquamarine likes changing into water-types the most whenever she has a choice. Er, well I tend to call her 'she' even though Dittos don't have genders," she explained quickly. "But that's one reason I decided to call her Aquamarine."

She tried to stifle a laugh at 'Omnomstar', but couldn't contain herself when she saw the man waving back at Enigma. That was too cute.

"Oh, Sharpedo? Yeah, Mircalla seems well on her way to becoming a ferocious one," Ty agreed with a grin. "Gyarados too? So basically you like dangerous Water-types with aggression and teeth?" she teased. "I always thought it was weird Gyarados wasn't even a partial Dragon-type. Shame there aren't more Water and Dragon-types."

"Speaking of Dragon-types, though..." The trainer checked her Pokegear for the time. "There's one I have to meet at a lake higher into the mountains. Um, was there anything else I can do for you or that I owe you, Carl?" she asked. "I'd hate to waste any more of your time than I already have. You were fishing before Skipper bothered you, right?"  

[Gwennythe]

"I don't know 'cuz they 'ave a lot o' bloody good things 'bout 'em to choose from, 's obvious, see. An' it ain't so bloomin' much like I /live/ 'avin' t' listen t' you natter on an' on, but I know you lot, y' critters, the moment I can't bloomin' unnerstand y', you're gonna start flamin' insultin' me an' all that guff, an' I won't 'ave a bloody clue y're doin' it!"

His eyebrows rose as Tymiko explained that Aquamarine -like- changing into water types usually. He entirely glossed over 'Ditto doesn't have genders, but'- that just sounded way too complicated for him- if Aquamarine, and Tymiko, said Aquamarine was a 'she', then that's what he'd think of her as.
"'S a damned good name." Clancy complimented, than assessed the dragon-bird-ditto again. "Y' wanna change int' a water type, y' do so. If y' can make it one of 'em I like, I'll e'en give y' one o' me sandwiches."
He patted a pocket, and then suddenly winced. Right. Fallen in the water. Those were very soggy now.

Moving on...
"Aye, that's 'bout the size 'f it. Bloomin' gurt monster beasts bein' all majestic in th' water, see? Ain't nowt like them two 's far as I know. Bloomin' kings o' the seas, them!"
He shrugged, but grinned at the idea of a dragon-type Gyarados.
"Now! There's a bloomin' thought! 'Avin' a natter with a Gyarados; that'd be a right bloody highlight o' me life, I think..."

'Carl' fought the urge to suck on his teeth. Sure, he felt like he could blag more from Tymiko if he pushed, but he'd taken money already and he'd rather enjoyed talking with a fellow water type admirer; she seemed like an okay kid, but that was no reason to give the money back, of course, just to let her off without taking more.

"Nah, y're 'lright, luv, 's been nice t' meetcha, truth be told. But y're right there, 's a bloomin' fact; I was fishin' an' that'll be what I go on an' get back t'."