Through the Sludge and Sewage

[Noerd]

Marshall sauntered back into Cherrygrove city, his eyes drooping from the constant training he had subjected himself and his Pokemon to. Dragging himself to the nearest Pokemon Centre, he sighed in relief as he handed his balls over to the attendant. He sat himself down and pondered to himself about what his next move should be. Was he ready for the next Gym yet? As he considered this question, his mind passed back to Silver. The brat and his unique... training method had been pestering him for quite a while now. Sure, he and Darius had won that match, but it was a close call. He had to use a Potion, of all things. Marshall bit his lip in frustration. Next time would be different.

"... Grimer..." Marshall heard a female voice say. He didn't hear anything else of the conversation, but this one word stuck out in his mind. He knew the Poison type quite well, having spend a little time around the Cianwood sewers in his youth. He bounced to his feet and rushed over to the conversation. "Yeah, I noticed that too. The Poison types seem to really like it, but it's kinda disgusting..." a woman answered. "I mean, I'm glad someone this slime, but I'm not touching polluted water. I hope this gets sorted soon, I can't keep buying bottled water out of Violet like this," the first woman replied. Marshall's face darkened a little at this. He had expected some kind of interesting Pokemon discussion, not mundane pollution talk. He took his Pokemon back and walked out into the streets. As he walked around, he thought about the pollution problem a little more. The two girls were cute, for sure. Maybe he could be their saviour, like he had been for Jimmy. Suddenly, he beamed with excitement. He wasn't usually popular with girls, so this could be his way in. He started off on a search of Cherrygrove, asking anyone and everyone about the pollution concerns.

[Not finalised my Pokemon choice yet; will be double checking the quest info first.]

[❤ Aphrodite ❤]

Aphrodite was currently sitting down at one of the empty tables located inside of the Cherrygrove Pokemon Center. After earning her first badge in Violet City, She had decided to backtrack to Cherrygrove Town in order to train some of her newly captured fairy-types in a safer environment, since the Pokemon Trainers and Wild Pokemon near Violet City were a little too advance for some of them at the moment. She trained with her Pokemon for a couple of hours nonstop before finally deciding to take a break and to enjoy a nice cup of warm tea. While sitting down at the town and sipping on her tea, she would pull out her town map and attempt to figure out her next destination. "Hmm. Since I've already defeated the Violet City Gym, it seems like my next destination should be Azalea Town. It is the next town that has a Pokemon Gym." She spoked softly to herself, her dainty fingers tracing the path that would lead her to Azalea Town. Her warm amber eyes soon glanced away from the town map after noticing that a dark-haired male around her age had entered the Pokemon Center and took a seat not too far away from her as he waited for his Pokemon to be taken care of by Nurse Joy. She figured that he must had been taking part in a little of training himself, too. Perhaps, he was also pondering his next move too from the expression being shown on his face. It was not long before she noticed that the stranger became quite interested in a conversation that a couple of other females were having in the Pokemon Center. Aphrodite turned her attention towards the ladies for a few seconds, but quickly turned her attention back towards her town map after hearing the name Grimer being mention. A disgusted frown spread across Aphrodite's face as she thought about the hideous Pokemon.

A couple of more minutes passed before Aphrodite folded up her town map and placed it back into her bag. She had spent enough time sitting around in the Pokemon Center. it was time for her to focus on reaching her next destination. She finished up her cup of tea then exited the Pokemon Center. Aphrodite inhaled and exhaled the fresh air circulating around her as her keen eyes scanned over her surroundings. There appeared to have been quite a few people roaming around the town at this hour. She would wave and greet a couple of people walking passed her. Within a few seconds, she would noticed the same male trainer from the Pokemon Center earlier and from the looks of it, he appeared to have been looking for something or someone. After debating on approaching the stranger, she finally decided to make her way over towards him. "Hello there. I believe that I saw you at the Pokemon Center a few minutes ago. I assume that you're also a Pokemon trainer, too? I couldn't help, but to notice that you seem to be looking for something or someone. Perhaps, I could help you?" She asked, a soft and alluring smile curving against her rosy-pink lips.

[Noerd]

While the young lad wandered Cherrygrove Streets, he muttered to himself about the job ahead. 'Pollution' wasn't much to go on as a clue, and he hadn't had the foresight to return to the Centre for further advice. Marshall must have looked quite conspicuous at the moment, drifting this way and that to try and find some semblance of a clue. Brainwork wasn't at all a strength of his, and this would have been evident but for his pride blinding him. As he considered his best move, a feminine-sounding voice called out to him from the distance. At least, he assumed it was aimed at him. He cleared his throat and turned to face the woman in question. To his mild surprise, she looked about his age. She spoke very properly for one so young. She was also taller than him, however. This bothered Marshall a little; his height was the one thing that he disliked about himself. He found himself not holding it against her, though, for one simple reason. 'Wow, she's pretty.' That was the dominant thought in the trainer's head. Realising that this girl was still due a response, he spoke up as quickly as he could.

"Looking for someone? I guess you could say that. I'm doing some detective work!" he replied, his voice wavering slightly in the heat of the moment. For all of his bravado in the past, he hadn't had much experience with girls. "I don't know if you've heard, but there's some kind of pollution problem with the water right now." Marshall's usual confidence started returning with each word as he realised that he had control over the conversation as things stood. "I was just trying to gather some info on that right now. But, well, it's not exactly easy to get started on these things, y'know. People don't leave around signs saying 'pollution here, come and fix it', after all!" Marshall chuckled at his own joke for a brief moment. "Anyway, I wouldn't mind some help if you wanna tag along. Name's Marshall. What's yours?" He extended a hand her way, grinning happily. Having a travel partner for a bit might be nice, anyway.

[Note to Mod: Please swap Demeter (Chespin) in Marshall's party for the Mankey in his box. Details are below. Also, would like to feed my birthday cake to Mankey, Demeter and Tyr if that's OK.

To Aphrodite: Any particular order you want to tackle this in? Any parts of the quest you particularly want/don't want to do? I'm gonna leave most of the decisions to you since I kinda remember most of the details from modding it. Rather not ruin things, hah.

Code for aforementioned Mankey (haven't included the level/happiness rise in the case that I can actually use my cake here):

[img src="http://pldh.net/media/pokemon/gen5/blackwhite/056.png"]
Mankey
Name: Hans
Gender: [choose]
Level: 5
Attacks: Scratch, Leer, Low Kick, Focus Energy
Ability: Vital Spirit
Nature/Personality: [choose]
Happiness: 0

[❤ Aphrodite ❤]

Aphrodite giggled a bit as she heard the nervousness in Marshall's voice during the first part of the conversation. She was not sure if the nervousness was due to a random stranger approaching him front out of the blue or if he often founded himself feeling a little more timid around pretty females like herself. Either way, he managed to pull it together eventually without too much of an issue. "Oh, detective work, huh?" She asked, becoming rather intrigued by the conversation thus far. "Now that you mention it. I do recall hearing a couple of ladies discussing something about Grimer and pollution. However, to be honest I kind of stopped listening once I heard the name Grimer being mention." She added, being completely honest with him. She then found herself giggling softly at his joke. "Well, I was going to head towards the next city. However, I believe that it would be a little more interesting to investigate this pollution mystery. So, count me in." She replied with an alluring smile, showcasing her pearly-white teeth and deep dimples engraved in her cheeks. "It's nice to meet you Marshall. I'm Aphrodite." She introduced herself, extending her dainty hand and returning a friendly handshake.

"I believe that we should go check out the river first. It is the main source of water here. So, it makes sense to start off there and look for some clues. We should not be too far away from the river as a matter of fact." She stated, glancing over at Marshall and allowing her enchanting amber eyes to make contact with his eyes for a few seconds before glancing away and turning her attention back onto their surroundings. She would wait for Marshall's response to her suggestion before taking the next step to start off their investigation.

[Noerd]

"Aphrodite, huh? Nice to meet you," Marshall responded, smiling widely. He took a deep breath in anticipation of what was ahead and cast his keen eyes across the landscape in front of the pair. Still with no idea as to where to begin, Aphrodite's next comment answered his immediate questions with little delay. The river. Of course, that would be the natural starting point. Marshall's face wrinkled up as he pondered on the situation, trying to think about any other options that the two of them had. Unfortunately, strategy and forward planning weren't strengths of his, but he was keen to impress this new companion of his. After a little thought, he resigned himself to the reality that he had absolutely no idea what else he could do. "Yeah, I suppose the river is the only choice. It's a little obvious, but it can't be helped," he answered pensively. He flashed a smirk her way before continuing, his energy picking up once more. "Alright then, let's get going." He started off in the general direction of the river, marching at a fairly brisk pace and leaving his partner to catch up to him.

[We're ready for a mod to take this now, I believe. Headed to the riverbank. Also, it looks like I must've missed the name and gender on my Mankey. Should be "Hans" and "Male", respectively. Sorry about that. This is what I get for rushing him into the squad at the last minute. ^^;;]

[Kataya]

Encounter!

"Oh my gawwwwwd Martin calm down! You're acting like a baby!" This was what could be heard as Aphrodite and and Marshall headed down towards the Riverbank. Below a young woman scrolling through her Poketch had one ear covered with her free hand as a young boy sat next to her wailing loudly as he did so. "Driiiiinkkk! Want drink! M'Thwirsty!" the young boy cried. A little ways away was a bike with a busted tire as the girl continued scrolling.

"I'm looking for that note with Aunt Margie's number, will you calm down?!" the girl demanded, but the crying only got louder. A deep sigh left her as she just then spotted the Duo heading down the bank. "Excuse me? Could you help me please?" she asked over her brother's crying, rubbing her ear in slight annoyance. "I'm sorry to bother you, but my bike had a little bit of an accident, we had a run in with some strange Pokemon..." she started, sighing as it seemed Martin's crying was getting louder every moment.

"I'm trying to call for help but my brother is thirsty and he just won't stop crying. But I can't go get him a drink. Would you be able to find a nearby cafe, possibly get him something?" She hoped she wasn't interrupting a date or anything like that, but this was urgent! "Please," she begged. "I'll pay you, I promise!"
---

Kat Says- Ow! This kid is hurting my ears! This young lady is willing to pay you  300 if you'll go find a drink for her younger brother at the nearest restaurant! To be honest, I'll pay you 300 just make him stop crying!

MADE BY ★MEULK

[❤ Aphrodite ❤]

Aphrodite nodded her head as she listened to her new teammate's words. He still to have been fine with her suggestion, which meant that at least the two of them would be able to work on the same page with each other. Perhaps, the two of them would be able to discover the cause of the recent water pollution happening within Cherrygrove City. "Sounds good. Let's get started then shall we?" The golden-haired beauty smiled as she followed behind Marshall, allowing him to lead the way through the city. She couldn't help, but to feel a little anxious herself due to the not knowing who or what would be awaiting them at the river.

While moving towards the riverbank, Aphrodite's keen ears soon picked up on the sound what seem to have been crying coming from not too far away from them. Aphrodite came to a quick stop as her amber eyes glanced over their surroundings. It was not too much longer that she noticed what appeared to have been an older sister attempting to calm down her little brother. A soft smile curved against Aphrodite's lips as young lady asked for their assistance. "Ah, no worries. We would be more than happy to help out, right Marshall?" Aphrodite smiled, glancing over at her partner. "Hmm, a strange Pokemon, huh? Perhaps, you could tell us a little more about this stranger Pokemon after we help you out with your little dilemma?" Aphrodite suggested as she turned her attention back towards the other female. The stranger Pokemon that the siblings had managed to encounter could lead them towards their first clue.

Aphrodite would wait for Marshall's reply before rushing off towards the local shop to purchase a cool drink for the younger sibling. "Hi there cutie-pie. Please don't cry. It makes me sad to see you cry. How about my friend and I go grab you something to drink? You will have to promise to be a big boy and listen to your sister, okay?" She asked the little boy in her calming voice as she kneeled down to get on his level. She would then take out a clean napkin from out of her purse and gently wipe away a couple of tears running down the child's cheeks. Aphrodite always enjoyed being around the company and kids and she always dreamed of something having a younger brother or sister to help raise. However, she was never given that opportunity.

[Noerd]

As Marshall walked with Aphrodite to the riverbank, he kept looking over at her. He was no longer admiring her appearance, but was simply excited to be travelling with someone else for once. His interactions thus far had been limited to individual conversations, so this was a very welcome change to the norm. He ran a large hand through his hair and tried to flatten it, but to no avail. He didn't remember the last time he'd taken a brush to his head, and it was now showing quite clearly. He didn't care about his apperance too much, but his hair was one thing he could manage easily, and the neglect that he'd shown it was starting to irritate him.

Fortunately, something in the distance took his mind immediately off of his hairstyle. Unfortunately, said "something" turned out to be even less tolerable than his own appearance. It sounded like a child crying. Marshall didn't have the most patience for this kind of behaviour. 'Oh, for Arceus's sake... it's not hard to look after your damn kids, woman,' the young boy thought to himself. He had no experience in the matter, but it didn't seem difficult from what he'd seen. Parents made it look easy. As they approached, Marshall kept his mouth firmly closed while Aphrodite spoke to the pair. There was mention of some note, an "Aunt Margie" and... a Pokemon? Marshall took note of this last statement; even if it wasn't linked to the pollution, it might give him an excuse to catch another new Pokemon for his team.

Once Aphrodite turned the conversation his way, Marshall spoke up a little awkwardly. "Oh, um, yeah, of course we will!" He forced a smile, his round face artificially brightening while Aphrodite picked up the talking again. Marshall was quite glad he'd teamed up with someone with a little more tolerance, for once. The promise of both payment and a clue to some "strange Pokemon" was too good to pass up, but he wasn't sure he could speak to these two for any more than was absolutely necessary without exploding. He continued to hide his frustration, pulling out a wallet while he waited for Aphrodite to finish consoling the boy. Once he felt it was appropriate to leave, Marshall turned to Aphrodite and spoke again. "Alright, shall we get going?" he'd ask, holding out a hand to help her back up to standing height before leading her to Cherrygrove's Pokemart.

[Should be ready for a mod now~!]

[Lamont]

"Oh, thank you so much! Here, here's some money to get my little brother a drink," the lady slipped a hand from her dress pocket and pulled some spare change out in offering to the helpful pair. The young boy, sniffling and smiling up at the nice blond lady hopped on the spot with excitement.
"I want a Soda Pop! Or or Lemonade! Yeah it's so hot out here and I'm soooo thirsty," the boy whined.
"Martin please, don't bother these nice people!" the sister retorted sternly, tapping her sibling on the shoulder with her hat in hopes he'd finally begin behaving. "A water would be just fine for him, he doesn't need all that sweet stuff." The boy pouted, grumbling something about it even the river giving up on plain old fresh water.


As the two departed with the 300, the young lady waved goodbye and thanked them once again. The boy took a seat on the ground and began pouting to her chagrin, but soon they were out of sight as streets were navigated toward the near Pokémart. The doors slid open and they were immediately met with a booming voice of the tender.

"Hello customers! A fine day out isn't it? And we have just the special product in for it. For a limited time we're offering 3 kinds of drink! Fresh Water, Lemonade, and Soda Pop! Get 'em now before we're out of stock, though, we're at such limited supply the manger doesn't want to deprive any future customers from the pleasure, so we've limited it one drink per group. Sorry," the man added quietly, almost sheepishly, after he finished the scripted advertisement.

[❤ Aphrodite ❤]

Aphrodite smiled and nodded her head at the older sister as she reached into her dress pocket and pulled out enough money to purchase a refreshing beverage for her little brother. "Thank you, we will be back shortly just hang in there a little longer." She spoke towards the other female then turned her attention towards the little boy, giving him a soft smile before glancing over at Marshall. "Yes. We should get going now." She replied to Marshall's previous question.

The golden-haired beauty allowed her partner to lead them towards the nearest market. Once instead, the duo was greeted by the clerk. The older male did not waste anytime reciting his scripted advertisement. "Well, you guys definitely have what we're looking to buy. We would like to buy one Fresh Water, please." She replied as a warm smile curved against her lips. Aphrodite felt a little tempted to order the little kid a Soda Pop, but decided to follow through with his sister's wishes to bring him back a Fresh Water.

[Noerd]

Marshall quickly, and slightly forcefully, led Aphrodite to the nearest Mart in Cherrygrove, the path to each available service now becoming routine for him. It would be quite a shame when he eventually had to leave this route. The stout lad burst through the door with a smile on his face, as he was happy to finally be rid of that irritating screaming. Unfortunately, this would soon be replaced with a rehearsed advertisement. 'Oh for the love of- what's this clown up to?' Marshall thought to himself, unimpressed. This was the first time he'd seen something like this in the city, and it wasn't going to happen again if he had anything to say about it. Before he had any chance to admonish the clerk for his sales pitch, however, the calming influence on the team spoke up. Marshall stood and admired the girl's apparent patience, though any level of patience was going to impress this boy in truth. When she finished, Marshall could only stand and mutter in agreement. "Yeah, er, one Fresh Water for us, please." he said, offering the £300 in payment. 300 for a bottle of water, eh? What was the world coming to? Once the transaction was completed, he'd gesture for Aphrodite to leave with him and head back to the boy. Arceus help them if they were back too late; who knew what the boy would do?

[Kataya]

Whatever this Is

"Fresh Water, huh?" The kindly salesperson asked. Sure, they could have that, but what about all the other more tasty things that they had to offer? They were in fact more expensive, and they were easier to sell when it was only one per group.

"Uhh...Are yous sure I can't interest you in some tasty Soda Pop, Lemonade?" holding up the two different cans, it seemed evident that neither trainer was going to change their minds, and with  that the salesperson cleared their throat. "No? Right, well, one Fresh Water, here you go. That'll be 200, please!" taking the money, the two were given the fresh water, and they could now head back to the distressed girl awaiting the delivery for her whiny brat of a brother.
---

Kat Says- Alright, well you got the kid something. Please, please take it back so he'll stop crying!

MADE BY ★MEULK

[❤ Aphrodite ❤]

After grabbing a refreshing beverage for the little kid, the duo started to make their way back towards the two siblings. "The young lady mentioned that the two of them had encounter some strange Pokemon. Do you think that whatever strange Pokemon that she is talking about could possibly lead us towards our first clue?" The golden-haired beauty trainer asked her teammate, glancing over at him. "I must admit that I'm feeling quite hopeful that we will find our first clue sooner or later." She added with a soft smile as the two of them cotinued to travel down the path that would lead them back towards the siblings.

A couples minutes passed and Aphrodite and Marshall soon found themselves approaching the two siblings. "We're back. I hope that we didn't take too long." She stated walking a little closer towards them. She would then lower herself towards the little kid. "We have a fresh water for you. I know that it may not be a soda pop, but I'm sure that it will still enjoy it, too. They're quite refreshing." She smiled at the little kid, hoping that he wouldn't be too disappointed about their decision to follow through with his sister's order.

[Noerd]

As the pair walked back to the riverbank, Aphrodite brought up the one topic that had interested Marshall himself: the 'strange Pokémon' mentioned by the kid's guardian earlier. He thought for a moment about his answer, furrowing his brow as he considered the question. "Well, it's possible, for sure. Probably not though; a strange Pokémon could be almost anything, y'know?" His face lightened considerably as a smile formed on it, and he continued, "But even then, it's Pokémon related and we're trainers, right? It'll still be interesting anyway." The Fighting type trainer quickly turned his mind to any other topics he could possibly mention now, trying to take his mind off of the reality of where they were walking. He'd give almost anything right now if it meant that Aphrodite would give up on the kid, but he knew that was a lost cause.

Unfortunately, before he could come up with anything decent, Marshall heard the noise he'd been dreading. He slowed down, letting Aphrodite take the lead as inconspicuously as he knew how. The woman worked her charm, providing the boy with a bottle of Fresh Water while her partner stood and once more wondered at her patience. It must've been nice to be so tolerant. Marshall stopped walking a few feet behind Aphrodite, keeping as much of a distance as he felt he could without making it obvious, and turned to the boy's guardian. He might as well make some use out of this situation while he could, anyway. "So, um, you said something about a strange Pokémon, miss? What'd you mean by that?"

[Midnightive]

The boys eyes darted as the sign of movement over the hill, a big beaming smile replaced a sad expression. With a few wipes by his eyes the tears were gone, and he looked up at Aphrodite and Marshall with beaming eyes. The young lady smiled "thank you, Thank you so much" the young lady watched as the bottle was passed from Aphrodite to the little boy.

The boy quickly unscrewed the lid and draw half the bottle down. Before tears started to swell at his eyes again, before the little boy could even screw the lid on he had throw the bottle into the water with it half full. "Water is nasty! I want something different" the kid started to cry again. The young lady was about to snap, Aphrodite and Marshall should probably get out of here. Before the Young Lady shouting at the boy, leaves them deaf for weeks to come.