Shady Glen

[Dan]

Both birds had been found thankfully. Sam had proven herself as quite the valiant trainer and came through with the quest that Sylvester has sent her on! It’s much easier said than done, so this long and tedious quest should be regarded as quite the achievement.

A couple of tall bushes rustled and Sylvester crawled through the thicket to find Samantha carrying both of the ducks. “Whew! There’s quite a lot of Pokemon out here, I need to watch my step more next time. You have both Pokemon! Great job! I can’t thank you enough for all of your hard work, I hope this HM can cover all of the dues sufficiently.” The shaggy haired lad handed over the HM and attempted to wrangle the birds as we walked back towards town.

Sam completed the quest! Sam acquired HM 01 Cut.

[Tyger]

GRAYE'S MARINADES

Sylvester soon came into view, and Anapa gave a little head jerk in his direction, just in case Sam hadn't noticed. She did though, but managed to free up a hand long enough to give the little Riolu a pat on the head. "Thanks for looking out for me! I bet you're excited to dump these birds off so we can start training, eh? I don't blame you!" Sam grinned, noting how Sylvester had crawled through a couple of bushes to get to them. Huh, guess they had been a little off the trail. Oops. 

"Two Farfetch'd, as ordered!" She beamed, handing over the heavy birds. They were a little battered, but still in one piece. Hopefully he wouldn't be upset. It seemed as though he wasn't, which allowed Sam a little time to breathe. "Oh it was no trouble, you're good." Sylvester insisted on her taking the HM though, so she graciously accepted. The tiny disc was tucked away in her bag and Sylvester soon disappeared back towards town. When he was out of sight, Sam sat down on the path and let out a huge sigh of relief. Anapa plopped down next to her, mirroring her trainer. 

"Phew! Glad that's over. Next time we trudge through here, you'll be stronger and i'll be better at walking long distances..." She chuckled, lazing in the shady glade for a bit before standing. "Welp! That's enough rest. Shall we, then?" Anapa let out an audible yip, one of maybe two she'd done so far, and Sam took that as a full hearted yes. "Let's get to it, then!"

Leaving for now!

[Dan]

As Ororo finished her miniquest, she pondered about what is next to do on her list. Obviously trying to figure a way out was important, yet she wondered about the different types of Pokemon that are squirming around the thicket she had been weeding through. Was there anything worth looking for in this forest? Anything she could use? The thought of having to go through area after area looking for a gem in this mess deferred her greatly in interest. She had a large amount of concentration in her work, so any thoughts of derailing missions always made her frustrated.

Polipop seemed to be all for exploring this area more, but Ororo still had her doubts. Perhaps it’d be best to leave and if interest captured her eye, she’d come back. Polipop shrugged, not too invested in either option. He was always very supportive of her decisions. Polipop pointed toward the exit, sure of his way. “Well. At least one of us is good at mazes.” She followed his lead as he skipped toward the light yonder merrily.

((178 words to incubator. Going toward Dense Thicket))

[Andrew]

Entering Shady Glen and starting Wild Goose Chase quest

If you see me comin' down the street... ... You know it's time to go.

Now that she had a Hive Badge in her possession, Terri was almost ready to begin her mission with Team Rocket. But first, she'd pay a visit to the Charcoal Kiln as the quest required her to know how to use Cut. The owners of the kiln were well-known for having Farfetch'd who cut down trees in Ilex Forest. Stealing the flying-type had crossed her mind but she didn't want to blow her cover when there was bigger mission about to take place.

Terri knocked at the front door of the house, but after waiting around for a couple of minutes, she realised that there wasn't anyone home.
"That's just great," she hissed, sarcastically. She was starting to feel under pressure for time now but she couldn't show up without the necessary skills.
"A'right, let's see. If there's no-one home, maybe they're out choppin' some trees." she decided, trying to stay focused.

Terri began to jog towards the entrance of Ilex Forest. It looked enormous but hopefully the owners of the kiln wouldn't have ventured in too far. After all, they had to transport all of the wood back home. It would be completely impractical to stray from the entrance.

She wandered into the forest, keeping her eyes peeled. The forest was a maze so Terri decided that she'd have to be tactical.
"Edwina, see if ya can find the Charcoal makers. Keep a lookout for some Farfetch'd and guide me to 'em." The flying-type emerged from her Poké Ball and quickly got to work. In a strange turn of events, she'd recently become Terri's most used Pokémon. She flew up into the sky to get an aerial view, instantly spotting someone who fit the description.

'Follow me!' she called out at her trainer, gliding towards a boy dressed in blue. The boy seemed to be panicking about something. Terri approached him, blatantly ignoring the situation and cutting to the chase.
"Listen kid, I'm lookin' for a guy who can teach my Pokémon to use Cut." Although she wanted to keep a low profile, if the kid wouldn't cooperate, maybe she would have to resort to violence.

GRAYE'S MARINADES

[Dan]

Sylvester looked behind him frantically to spot a large bird coming towards him. “Oh my!” He was a bit scared, considering the two birds he was supposed to be watching had ran off into the forest. How would he protect himself? Thankfully he spotted the Staravia’s trainer.

Abruptly, the trainer asked about the HM. “Oh yeah! My boss can certainly give you one, but his Pokemon ran off into the forests. One went that way, towards the dark part of the forest where the light can barely reach the ground. The other one went towards the thick wooded area filled with the trees that have needles for leaves. If you can help me find them, I’ll get you the HM! I can’t go about hunting the ducks myself as I don’t have any of my own Pokemon. It sounds silly, but that’s the reality of my predicament hahah.” Sylvester laughed nervously, hoping this trainer wasn’t affiliated with any Pokemon hunting organization. If these birds didn’t come back he’d be in big trouble, but this woman was his only chance of redemption. “Just bring them here back to me and I’ll call my boss on the Pokenav. He’ll bring the HM with him!”

Sylvester needs your help!

[Andrew]

Continuing to Luminous Vale.

If you see me comin' down the street... ... You know it's time to go.

Sylvester was a walking disaster. It was unbelievable that someone like him could be trusted with such a useful item. With no Pokémon of his own, the boy was leaving himself completely vulnerable to thieves. But as she knew, Terri needed to lay low for a while. She couldn't have the police on her case before she even found out what her new mission was about.

"Fine, I'll help then. Wait here, and make sure ya got that HM waitin' for us when we get back," she insisted. She took a deep breath and looked around her. From ground-level, the place was a maze but luckily this wasn't a problem for her Pokémon. "Edwina, lead us there."

Upon hearing her name, Edwina flew up above the trees and quickly scanned the two areas. To her dismay, she wasn't able to locate either of the Pokémon. However, she could see the sections of the forest described by the young charcoal maker, which was a good start. The bird was aware that time was a factor so she didn't waste any in making a choice. She decided to start with the brighter, more attractive route. In the distance, there were pine trees which seemed to match the boy's description.

GRAYE'S MARINADES

[Andrew]

OOC NOTES:

Entering Shady Glen and beginning Wild Goose Chase quest

The trees towered above Andrew as he took his first steps into the renowned Ilex Forest. The winding path made it almost impossible to tell what was around every corner. It was exciting, albeit a bit misleading. Andrew was thankful that he had his own Pokémon in case he lost his way.

It was still morning but a heavy cloud of mist had formed since Andrew's gym battle. It added a sort of eerie vibe to forest. If the surroundings hadn't been confusing enough already, this had certainly ensured they were. Andrew ambled forward, squinting to see ahead. Only a couple of feet were clearly visible which made navigating quite difficult.

Sanga rested on his trainer's shoulder, where he'd spent much of his time since his return. Watching his trainer struggle, he leaped down and waddled out in front. His flame conveniently cleared some of the mist, making it a little easier to see.
"Ah yeah, good idea!" Andrew praised the lizard's innovativeness. Sanga grinned and turned around to light the way.

The pair walked for some time, encountering nothing. It was strange and almost unsettling for a place like this to be so quiet. Andrew wondered if there were thieves lurking. He kept close to his Charmander, just to be sure that nobody could snatch him while his guard was down.

Just as he was starting to feel worries, he saw the figure of a kid in the near distance. The boy seemed to be a bit distressed. Perhaps he'd taken a wrong turn and couldn't find the path back to Azalea Town.
"Hey, are you okay?" Andrew asked as they approached him.

[Lamont]

It figured that a cool creepy mist would fall upon the forest while he waited. While Sylvester was certainly prepared attire wise for the shift of weather the chill wasn't what was causing his goosebumps. Quiet mumbles under his breath of spirits accompanied his shifting gaze at any little noise or movement nearby. When a diffuse glow and incoherent shape approached the boy was put on edge, and needless to say once that shape called out to him he couldn't help but startle.

Passed the first second of panic though Andrew's friendly tone, and words, made it clear that this wasn't some lost spirit come to take him away into the depths of the forest. Of course not. Sylvester felt silly even thinking such a thing now as the trainer and his charmander approached. The faint warmth of the tail fire giving another boost of comfort to the company.

"Y-Yeah, thank you," he began with half an embarrassed chuckle underlying his reply. His chest was still pounding. After another moment his head cleared a bit more and he continued, "Actually no. I'm kinda in a pickle. You see, I lost a couple of my mentor's pokémon in the woods. Two farfetch'd. They're quite a handful and I don't have any badges so they don't really respect me at all."

"I can't leave without them, but I also can't get them either as I have no pokémon myself." Sylvester clasped his hands together as he pleaded to Andrew, "Would you help me? Please? I can make it worth your while. My boss has a great HM that's nearly necessary to get through these woods if you're planning to go to Goldenrod. If you can help me I'll make sure you get one." A hopeful smile came over his face as he voiced his request, and almost before Andrew could even respond he was starting up again to give the trainer more details on the matter.

"One of them went off to the lighter part of the forest, where some apricorns grow, and the other went the opposite way but thankfully not in the spookiest section of dark forest. I actually have one other trainer helping me right now to track these guys down, she went off after the first farfetch'd if you'd like to join forces. I... I just don't want to sit here in the wild much longer all alone," he admitted a bit ashamedly. While Shady Glen was definitely one of the more safer parts of Ilex it wasn't void of wild pokémon. Sooner or later something would cross Sylvester's path.

Sylvester requests aid!

((Ilex is an unorganized group RP area! As another character is already undertaking the same quest you have the option to complete it with both by joining Terri's journey. If you'd prefer to do it separately then just avoid her location))

[Andrew]

OOC NOTES:

Joining Terri in finding the two Farfetch'd.

...Leaving for Gloomy Ravine in search of the second one.

Sylvester was lucky to have come across two trainers with such thick mist in the air. Andrew could only assume that many others would be put off by this. The boy was completely helpless. Andrew could hear the stress in his voice as he explained his situation. What had his boss been thinking, trusting him with two Farfetch'd?

"Hm, that's annoying. I hope we can find them for you." Even though he wanted to get out of the forest as quickly as possible, Andrew knew he had to offer assistance. Sylvester would get nowhere by just standing around. To be fair though, wandering in a big forest without any Pokémon didn't sound very safe.

"Okay then, we'll go this way," Andrew gestured, moving in opposite direction to Terri. It seemed pointless to follow someone else. He knew he'd just end up checking the same places she'd already looked and wasting his time. "Light the way, Sanga."
'I'm on it!' Sanga held his tail up and marched towards the Gloomy Ravine.

[Andrew]

...Entering from Luminous Vale and waiting for Andrew to return with the second Farfetch'd.
(no mod needed for now)

If you see me comin' down the street... ... You know it's time to go.

After a long wearisome walk to retrieve one of the Farfetch'd, the group finally found their way back to base. The boy was still pacing around the same spot, completely useless to anyone. Had he not run into a trainer, it was worrying to think how he would handle the situation.

Terri stormed in his direction, preceded by her Staravia who was carrying the fainted Pokémon like a prisoner. Behind her, Ollin waddled, struggling to keep up and to maintain his balance. He was certain that if he fell behind right now, Terri wouldn't even notice as she was so caught up in finishing this task on time.

Edwina slowed down as they approached Sylvester which allowed Terri to march up behind her a snatch the Farfetch'd from her grip. The girl shoved the fainted Pokémon into its carer's arms forcefully, scowling as she did so.
"Here. Don't lose it again, idiot!" she snapped. "Or if ya do, try doin' somethin' other than standin' around waitin' for someone else to fix yer problems!"

GRAYE'S MARINADES

[Andrew]

OOC NOTES:

...Entering from Enchanted Orchard

The weather was extremely temperamental today, Andrew observed as he left he beautiful enchanted orchard. Perhaps his decision to recall Sanga earlier had been an overreaction. At some point between now and the beginning of his previous battle, the rain must have transformed into a white fog. His jacket was barely warm enough for the cool winds and little snowflakes. His vision was also heavily compromised due to the fog which left him squinting to see out in front.

"This weather is killing me," he moaned as he glanced around in the hope of seeing a landmark he recognised. It was pointless though as the fog clouded everything. Ruffle's ears perked up and she leaned forward.
'I hear someone over there!' She excitedly began to point over to their left.

Andrew tried to pick up on the noise as he followed her suggestion. At first, he heard nothing but the wind blowing against him and some scattered cries of wild Pokémon; but the further left he went, the more certain he was that he could hear something too.

Within minutes, they'd arrived back at the base. It looked like Sylvester hadn't moved one step. However, it seemed like someone was there with him.
"Ah amazing, that girl found the second Farfetch'd!" Andrew announced, jogging over to present the boy with the one he'd tracked down. Delighted that his mission was at an end, he didn't even notice the aggravated expression on Terri's face. However, as she noticed that he too had brought back a Farfetch'd, her frown began to fade.

[Marchbaby]

Though Terri did not seem like the kindest person on the planet Sylvester was still quite thankful for her bringing back one of his Farfetch'd. " Thank you very much, I will certainly be more careful from now on, once the other young lad gets back with the other Farfetch'd I have a reward for you as promised." Just as Sylvester finished speaking he could see Andrew running towards him and breathed a huge sigh of relief as the young man held out the second Farfetch'd. He could hardly express his relief as he started to speak once again. " You two have no idea how happy I am right now. You two are lifesavers and I cannot thank you enough."

The young man reached into his pocket and grabbed two disks with his families signature move loaded onto them. As he handed each trainer a disk he explained what they were. " These Hidden Machines contain the move Cut which you will need to get through the deeper parts of the Ilex Forest. It can also be used in battle as well so they are useful in more than one way. I wish I had something else to give you but I do hope they will suffice. Now if you excuse me I have some logs that need to be cut. We need to make up for lost time." As he started to walk away both Terri and Andrew finally had what they needed to continue their journey.

Sylvester gives both Terri and Andrew HM01 Cut for recovering his lost Farfetch'd! Both trainers can now travel deeper into the Ilex Forest.

[Andrew]

Leaving for Azalea Town...

If you see me comin' down the street... ... You know it's time to go.

This was a weight off her shoulders. Another trainer had brought back the remaining Farfetch'd so now she didn't have to. Finally, there'd been some good news. Her grimace faded away as Sylvester declared the mission complete, and presented the two groups with a fitting reward.

Terri accepted the machine, though not so graciously. Her eyes were peeled on the prize and she made no attempt at eye contact with either person. She still found Sylvester irritating after this whole ordeal and Andrew looked like a boring do-gooder.

As Sylvester excused himself, Terri was reminded that she too had somewhere to be.
"Yeah yeah, keep an eye on 'em this time why don'tcha!" With this remark, she began to head back towards the forest entrance. From this point, she knew the way back and would no longer need to rely on Edwina's guidance. She was relieved to avoid making small talk with the other trainer afterwards. Lucky for her, he wasn't headed in the same direction.

After walking far enough to be out of sight, she abruptly came to a halt. She scanned the area behind her to make sure there were no unwanted people trailing behind. From an outsider's point of view, she would have looked incredibly shady at this moment but ironically, this would be the least shady part of her day.

"Now, someone's gotta learn this move." She considered her options. A quick glance at Ollin and Edwina was enough for her to know they weren't the right choice. Tiago could be a possbililty. Or perhaps, the Tangela she just captured. She reached for the grass-type's Poké Ball. She semi-aggressively called the Pokémon from its device. Tangela looked confused and gave its teammates a disapproving look. For a moment there was silence, and then Terri spoke.
"Ye'll now be known as Padma. Now ya need to learn how to use Cut."

After carefully utilising the HM, Padma had learned the new move. At last, she was ready to partake in her mission. "Gotta keep on the down low now so everyone back to yer Poké Balls." Placing all three devices back in her bag, she took a breath and marched to the entrance, temporarily leaving Ilex Forest.

GRAYE'S MARINADES

[Andrew]

OOC NOTES:

Switched out Kiet for Yael (self-updated)

Leaving for Dense Thicket...

The situation could only be described as awkward. Terri didn't hold back with her criticisms of Sylvester and didn't even so much as acknowledge Andrew's existence. Andrew decided he best not open that can of worms. The girl had safely returned with the other duck and that was all that really mattered. Aside from this, he felt the need to fill some of silence as Sylvester expressed his gratitude.
"No worries man. I can see those Farfetch'd are a lot to handle. Make sure you keep an eye on them." In the boy's defence, the wild ducks did seem to be a handful. Andrew had only dealt with one of them and it had been absolutely vicious.

"Alright, see ya. Thanks for the gift," Andrew called out as both Sylvester and Terri went to deal with other matters. He examined the HM, curious to test it out. "Hmm, maybe I should make some changes to the team before we go any further," he said aloud. Ruffle tilted her head slightly but said nothing. "I think Cut would be best suited to a normal-type like Yael. I guess I need to go back to get her then. We'll need to have someone who can Cut to get through this forest," he explained.

He was reluctant to walk in the same direction as Terri but knew it was unavoidable. He dawdled behind to ensure she wouldn't notice him. After seeing how she treated Sylvester, he'd learned everything he needed to know about her. Despite his plan to hold back, it didn't take long for Andrew to make it back to the exit at Azalea Town. With no sign of the girl, he was able to pick up the pace. He jogged back to the Pokémon Center with the Pikachu still perched on his shoulder. The building was busy enough that no heads turned as he entered, but quiet enough that there were no queues to use the PCs.

"Alright Ruffle, I think now's a good time for a rest. Don't worry, this doesn't mean I'm sending you back." The Pikachu sulked but returned the device that had captured her back in Cherrygrove City, as requested. Next, Andrew made a quick switch, depositing Kiet and withdrawing Yael. After taking a short moment to confirm his choices, he logged off and headed back outside. The trip back to Azalea Town seemed pretty excessive for such a minor swap. He'd have to get better at planning out his team in the future.

He retraced his steps in the forest again, passing by the spot where he'd met Sylvester. By now, he almost knew this section of the forest like the back of his hand. He'd come to accept the fog by now and his eyes had almost even adjusted to it. Oddly, he hadn't crossed paths with a wild Pokémon in quite some time. Perhaps he just covered more ground when walking on his own. Before long, his surrounding began to change again as he began to enter a new area within Ilex Forest.

[Tarlar]

(Pokemon Team: Yakul, Amanda, Lykke, Janus, Pia, Baard)

Astrid looked at the towering trees in front of her, she couldn't see down the road very far as it quickly disappeared into the lush greens of the forest. She had heard a lot of stories of this forest and how easy it was to get lost within so she had taken her precautions so she could spent days in it if necessary, should she get lost.
Yakul was here to carry her, it would be a longer trek than she expected she could handle on her own two feet, and the goat was carrying a tent and other camping equipment too. She had brought Pia to have a bird who could scout above the trees and help find the right direction, Lykke to handle the bug there should be swarming in here, Amanda for light in the darkness and general comfort, which was the same for Janus. Perhaps the smal bug knew something about forest even though he had spent so much time in her house.

Ilex was a test for all trainers, it was direct route between Azalea and Goldenrod and Astrid had more than once waited anxiously to hear news from her own kids trip through the tricky forest.
"This is it, come on Yakul, there is no point in stalling it any longer," Astrid said gravely and the yakul tripped nervously as she walked towards the forest entrance, picking up on her rider's nervousness. Yakul paused at the entrance and just outside the gloom of the shadows and then refused to continue, Astrid took a deep breath to calm herself and with a gentle touch of her horns, Yakul strolled in under the canopy.

They soon reached a crossroad, that even had three options and Astrid hesitated. The most obvious way to get through the forest was going straight ahead but she doubted things in here was so easy.
Before she got made a decision she noticed another trainer who walked around and called out, clearly looking for someone missing, and Astrid urged Yakul to trot over to him.
"I am sorry young man, what has happened? Do you need any help?" She asked worried.

(ooc: Starting the Goose Chase quest)