[ORP] Winter Diversions

[Akira Midoriyama]

"Oh, thank goodness. You really are a lifesaver, Adam." The brunette began to follow after the blond before realizing he, too, was being followed. Glancing back over his shoulder, he kept walking, but a look of unease came across his features.

"We don't have anything more for you," he told it gently. "You might not like it where we're going, so you better run along." Facing forward again, he smiled at the other trainer's comment about his roommate. "I'm glad my roommate doesn't keep his pokemon out. I can't imagine what that'd be like. And I certainly hope you're not used to those kind of attacks!"

Just then, however, something jumped down from a nearby tree and landed in front of Adam, its claws extended. "Sneasal snea!" It cried at him, acting for all the world like a highwayman. Its message was clear enough - give it whatever they had of value or face the wrath of her claws.  

[Magician Arcana]

"Thankfully he only keeps a few out at a time. If he kept more then stuff would be really annoying." He laughed and watched as Akira gently admonished the little swinub. It looked rather attached to him.

It wasn't his pokemon, and Adam already had two. That was a lot. Three swinub? Now that was just ridiculous. "One of his wants to rip my face off cause my piercings are asymmetrical. Such a drag." Chuckling, Adam couldn't help but glance over his shoulder again. Yes, it was still there desperately trying to follow.

"Look... Dude." Adam spoke softly and gave Akira a pitying gaze, "I think that little guy really likes you. Maybe you should take him home? Give it to your roo --"

"GAH!" Adam jumped backwards, and slipped in the snow. Sprawled on the ground, he watched the sneasal with open shock, "W-what the ********?! Is it -- IS IT ROBBING US?"  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"W-what?! That's absurd!" he said, trying to ignore the furry creature following them. "Are they even properly trained? Why would anyone keep a pokemon like that out of their ball?"

Akira flinched when Adam turned back. He reddened again. "I-I would, but my allergies - AH!"

Taking a step back, his Leafeon jumped out of his arms to land in the snow before them, growling at the wild Sneasal. Yes, it was cold, and the Grass-type was freezing, but he wasn't about to let this opponent think his trainer and his friend were defenseless.

The Sneasal, however, was too distracted and amused by Adam's fall and distressed inquiries to pay much attention to Happa. It appeared to laugh at him before the Leafeon struck it with a Razor Leaf. That caught the Dark and Ice-type's attention.

"Happa, no! You're weak against Ice-types! And it has the advantage in this terrain!" Akira called, crawling over to Adam. "Are you okay? I don't know what it's doing, but if you have any pokemon with you at the moment, right now would probably be the best time to call them out."

Suddenly the Swinub that had been following them scurried forward to take its place beside Happa. "Swinub!" it cried as ferociously as it could. Akira was touched by the gesture, but none too convinced it could do much more than Happa. He glanced back at Adam. "Unless you have any better ideas?"  

[Magician Arcana]

Adam wasn't the best with types and advantages. It was honestly a weakness he figured would mend in time. However, faced with an angry looking sneasel (who he abruptly realized reminded him of his roommate when angry)... Well his mind kind of went black. Cursing loudly, Adam slid and pushed his way to a standing position before throwing the ball that held Manny.

The ghastly blinked, confused and startled to be awakened. Everything was... White. And cold! It was marvelous!

"Manny! Get the sneasel!"

The sneasel? Manny turned and stared. Oh. There was a leafeon too. "Ly?"

"Mean Look!" Well, if Adam called it. He focused and unleashed the move at the Sneasel.  

[Magician Arcana]

"Thanks for being my friend, Nord. You don't know how much it means to me. And I don't think it'd be half as fun being here if you weren't here, too."

Alexis Nordstram didn't really get what just happened, but he understood one thing: He had made a friend. It wasn't a word that was used in his company very often. At least not genuinely. And Tymiko had said it so candidly and truthfully that a torrent of emotions soared through him. Not only that, but she was having fun with him being there. The mysterious little girl who appeared in his time of need, fed him, taught him, and who somehow still tolerated him.

And she was telling him that it meant a lot for him to be there. That she was thanking him for his friendship.

The only thing that kept Nord from grabbing Tymiko and giving her a bearhug was the abrupt assult by the snowball. Laughing, he brushed himself off. He grinned, prepard to shout at her when she continued and ran away. Ah, the wild Nord huh? Well...

"I'm going to get you!" He began to run in the snow, carefree for a change, and somehow thoroughly thrilled to be playing chase. Okay, feeling time over, he needed to actually catch her and Nord hadn't played since he was... elven? Maybe even younger. Playing didn't get you a job.

Looking over the options at hand, he nodded and kept chasing her, at times moving to scoop a handful of snow and make a snowball to throw at her, "The wild Nord uses an ice attack!" and then jog as fast as he could to catch up. Good lord why was this girl so fast!? Or was he merely that out of shape?  

[Akira Midoriyama]

When Akira saw Manny released, he glanced at Adam with a small wince. "I'm still pretty new at battling and pokemon, but...aren't ghost-types weak against dark-types?"

Happa was distracted by the Gastly's appearance, unsure for a moment if the new pokemon was friend or foe. The Sneasel, seeing its chance, charged forward with a Quick Attack. In an interception, the wild Swinub Mud-Slapped the Dark and Ice-type.

Realizing just how slim its chances were while outnumbered, the Sneasel turned to leap away. However, Manny's Mean Look stopped it in its tracks.

The brunet trainer looked startled. "How come you kept it from escaping? Did you mean to catch it?"  

[Magician Arcana]

Adam grinned toothily at Akira, "Ah that's the plan. DO you got any balls? And I mean the pokemon kind, not the ones in your pants." Saving someone had it's perks. If Adam couldn't steal one of Akira's, he could at least bend the others arm into catching it for him.

"Manny! Return!" Manny look startled, but didn't fight being summoned back. Adam hadn't used Flicker in a real battle... Or much of anywhere. Adam was still a little nervous over the pokemon. Sighing, he sucked it up like a big boy and threw the ball.

"Flicker! Go!" Flicker appeared, a little black candle with green luminous eyes and an orange flame. It blinked a few times before turning and chirping "Lick!" in glee at Adam.

"Damnit no! Not me! Use Ember on the Sneasel!"

"Li?" Tilting its wax body, Flicker turned and stared at the sneasel. "Li!" Yes, he could definitely do this. His flame flamed upwards and shot out at the pokemon.

A least its not draining me this time...  

[Akira Midoriyama]

At the question about balls, Akira opened his mouth to respond, but then he caught Adam's reference and his face turned bright red. "E-excuse me?" he asked. But the blond young man was already immersed in battle.

Akira took a deep breath and attempted to recompose himself. Forcing himself to focus, he felt in his pockets for spare pokeballs. It wasn't as if he planned to use them much, anyway.

He was going to toss it Adam's way when he saw the black candle pokemon being yelled at. The brunet wanted to laugh. If only his own pokemon was disobedient in such an affectionate manner. Little did he know of Litwick as a pokemon species or that it was a ghost-type as well as a fire-type.

The flame hit the Sneasel full force, and though Ember as an attack wasn't especially powerful, the fact that it was a fire-type technique by a partial fire-type against a partial ice-type was enough. The wild pokemon fainted.

Akira hesitated, holding the empty pokeball still in his hand. "Oh, uh, right!" Remembering what he'd meant to do with it, he tossed said ball to capture the Sneasel. In a few minutes, the pokemon was secured. Happa carried it over to his trainer.

"Thanks, Happa, but I think Adam earned this one," Akira said, jabbing a thumb at the blond. The Leafeon turned to Adam instead and gently dropped the ball at his feet.  

[Magician Arcana]

A pleased smile spread over his face. Kneeling he picked up the pokeball and shoved it in one of his pockets. Before standing, Adam gently gave Happa a pet on the head. He had done a good job and deserved some thanks in the retrieval.

Standing up, Adam chuckled and walked over to Akira, "Thanks. I gotta admit, I didn't expect you to catch it for me. So seriously, thanks man. Come on, let's get out of here before another pokemon fights us..."

Despite saying that, the blonde didn't move. Instead, he looked towards the little swinub. It had done its best to defend Akira. Didn't that merit a catch? Sighing, Adam rubbed the back of his head, "Dude... That Swinub. I think it's just in love with you. Seriously. It seems really serious and very loyal. Definitely a good pokemon to have, don't you think?"  

[Akira Midoriyama]

Happa happily accepted the pat and chirped in pleasure before going back to Akira and pawing at his pant leg to be picked up. His paws were freezing.

The Swinub remained where it was, watching all this from a distance. Akira followed Adam's gaze as he mentioned it again and laughed lightly at the mention of it being 'in love' with him.

"Oh, right. Almost forgot. Um...hi there, little Swinub," the brunet said as he picked up Happa absently and bundled him back up in his coat.

The creature stiffened, clearly at attention as it raised and twitched its nose.

"Uh...would you like to join my team? I'm not a very good trainer yet, but I'm working to be." He smiled sheepishly as he pet his Leafeon, who gave a friendly bark toward the new friend.

The Swinub, overjoyed to have been invited, did a little hop before scurrying toward them and running little laps in a figure eight around Akira and Adam's shoes. Akira laughed.

"I guess you're right, Adam." He took out another empty pokeball. "It's sure better than having to rely on pokemon who hate me." Pressing the button, the Swinub immediately leaped into the ray of light that extended from the device and disappeared inside.  

[Magician Arcana]

"Agreed," giving Akira an affirmative nod, he clapped him on the back, "That swinnub will do great with you garunteed. I bet you're a good trai---" before the word could fully leave Adam felt woozy. No. More like faint.

"Litttto-wiiick!" Oh s**t. Flicker. Looking down Adams eyes became dinner plates. The candle was snuggling his leg fiercely and all the while the flame was burning higher and higher. Yelping, the trainer jerked back and tried to shake it off his leg to no ******** ******** ********!!! Not again!" Adam remembered the ball, which changed the situation drastically. "Flicker return!"

"Li?" In a flash of red the Pokemon was sealed away and Adam could breath easy. Sighing in relief he rubbed his face and slowly stood. "Its cute, but obsessed with killing me... Heh."  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"Adam? What's wrong?" The brunet looked from Adam to the candle pokemon clinging to his leg. He blinked, unable to fathom what was happening, but the other trainer's exclaimations seemed a pretty good indication that it was bad.

"...Killing you?" Akira repeated, astonished. "What do you mean? Did it burn you? Are you alright?" He'd heard the phrase 'love someone to death', but this was ridiculous.  

[Magician Arcana]

Did Akira not understand what a litwick did? Then again, he hadn't either and had nearly fainted at first. Pretty pathetic, for a ghost trainer. Sighing, he shook his head.

"I don't think it means to. Litwick feeds on energy. Some say life force or soul energy. It can knock you out or even kill you if you're unlucky. They like to lead people around, getting them lost while taking up what they can." Adam shrugged and looked down at his perfectly fine pants, "No burns, he just made me feel like a pulled an all nighter, but I'm getting better."  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"Oh...goodness, that sounds awful," the grass and ice-type trainer commented. "Thank you for telling me. I thought it was just a normal fire-type. I guess that shows just how much I still have to learn about pokemon." He extended a hand. "Here, lean on me. We'll be warmer if we're closer and you can guide us toward the main resort buildings."  

[Magician Arcana]

Pass up a chance for cuddles? With a kinda cute dude? Yeah right! It wasn't koubito, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Adam gratefully accepted and leaned a little on Akira, helping to guide their path towards the building.

"You're a pretty ******** nice guy Akira. I'm glad to have met you." Adam grinned toothily at the other.