the closest cave is just as good as any for their immediate purposes, so that's where they end up. vera struggles to catch her breath. she's used to running, but not running for her life. a chuckle dies in her mouth at razz's sarcastic remark.

[break][break]

"yeah, i think we'll have to confront the leader some way or another, to be safe." she places a thoughtful hand on her chin. "or leaders. see, there's something that's been bothering me. ledybas couldn't have possibly melted sand into glass without the help of someone else. silicon dioxide liquifies at over a thousand and seven hundred degrees celsius."

[break][break]

vera lets that thought sink in. she didn't want to believe it at first, but after the forced close-up she got of the spears, she could no longer deny it. they're dealing with more than an aggressive swarm of ledybas here.

[break][break]

"fire types can be lured with smoke and charcoal, but i can't think of any way to single out the ledyba leader without being attacked by the entire horde." as she speaks, vera's gaze drifts down to the end of the cavern, or what she thinks is the end of the cavern. it's pretty dark. a very light breeze brushes her cheeks.

[break][break]

"where do you think this tunnel leads?"

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beyond just getting back on her feet, the eevee had gone ahead and rushed to meet the girls. or rather, to meet one of vera's pokéballs. the eevee jumps up and down and sniffs at the small ball in its reduced form. "this usually only happens when they're after food." all of which she's left some minutes behind, by the way, letting simmer and guarded by a couple of her more trustworthy team members.

[break][break]

it takes vera a moment to look down and realize what exactly the pokémon is so excited about. "do you want to meet brownie?"

[break][break]

she doesn't let the question hang in the air for long. a second eevee materializes before them, ears perked up and just as curious as the first. vera gives them each a pat before letting them meet and greet each other. together, the two eevees run in circles around the ginger's feet until they exhaust themselves. vera lets them, turning her attention towards utah's direction to avoid getting dizzy.

[break][break]

"all good?" she asks, but just a glance tells her as much. the chansey seems attached to utah already. "maybe your new friend can give us a hand and check everyone with a quick heal pulse?" she suggests. of course, the chansey would have the final say.

[break][break]

meanwhile, a small puppy would finally manages to catch the ball between his fangs and return it to his trainer. vera beams at him. "good job, macaron!" she takes the toy and gives him a scratch. "who's a good boy? yup, it's you. do you want your prize now?"

[break][break]

as if summoned, the other pokémon walk up to her at the mention of a prize. it makes her laugh. "all right, fine, you all can come for some curry, too. oh, the invitation is extended to you, too, utah."

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the gas masks are heavy in vera's hands. she carries them past the small crowd gathering outside, under the keep out tape, and to the mini celebrity, elite four member kyle lopez, in front of the complex that the league is intervening today.

[break][break]

"here. it's a pt-100, so i recommend testing it for a couple of minutes before actually going in." the last thing she wants is for an operative to realize once inside that it's harder to breathe with a gas mask on.

[break][break]

against all odds, the ginger puts on the other mask, heeding her own advice. after a moment, she adds, "ready when you are." as soon as the words leave her lips, she feels cooler than ever before.

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something between a whimper and a howl is what she hears. vera's senses are all put on alert. one can never be too sure when reports of aggressive poison pokémon litter not only newspapers and news channels, but forums online as well. luckily, she spots the electrike fairly quickly.

[break][break]

"hey, puppy, what's wrong?"

[break][break]

vera rushes to the ppokémon in pain, half-hidden behind a patch of tall gras. her miltank readies the bell around her neck for a

heal bell

. when she arrives to the scene, she notices a couple of half-eaten berries. it's a paralyzing sight. that berry is not supposed to be poisonous.

[break][break]

"we should take some of that back. but first, the electrike." both pokémon nod at her hint. first aid protocol is followed, ranging from putting a stop to the poison to neutralizing the toxins with some fresh milk and even restoring the pokémon's health with it.

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the electrike's breathing would remain heavy for a while, but the worst had passed. "you'll get better in no time," she promises with a gentle pat. "we'll take care of you."

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as they say, third time's the charm. is it really? where does the saying come from? vera isn't sure. what she does know is that the poisoning scare from earlier had taken a good chunk of the time she had left to find those starter pokémon and return them to the professor.

[break][break]

unconsciously, her hand brushes against one of her pokéballs. at least the blitzle is safe and sleeping soundly now. she'd had to wake him up in a few hours to check on him. but, for now, she's back out again and with both ampharos and miltank in toe. she's ready for any other emergencies that may arise.

[break][break]

"ready, ladies?"

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who is more surprised, the yamper or his trainer? the question is not that easy to answer, as their reactions vary wildly despite both being triggered by surprise. macaron yelps at the collision, his small body visibly pushed back by the boltund's strength. his puppy eyes follow the older dog as he runs back to a girl with hair the color of bubblegum, and then trail back to his own trainer.

[break][break]

vera is by his side in no time, gushing over him and whether he is fine or hurt or aching anywhere. he might feel the pain later, but at this very moment there are only three things that exist in macaron's world: him and his puppy eyes and the boltund. later, his focus shifts from dog to owner. the girl extends her hand. the ball is within his field of vision, and he takes it gratefully. just so it can switch hands back to vera.

[break][break]

when the girl offers her hand, vera returns the gesture with the hand not holding the coveted ball. "utah, thank you-" she begins, but a chuckle takes over the rest of her sentence. turning towards the boltund, the ginger feigns an astonished, "what sort of mischief have you been getting yourself into, to deserve such a nickname?"

[break][break]

she laughs it off and takes her turn to introduce her yamper and herself in stride. "macaron will forgive you, but only if you give him a chance next time. ready?" the ball is thrown once more, higher and farther away. she gives the boltund an advantage, if only to ensure they don't get a repeat of what happened moments ago.

[break][break]

"my name's vera, by the way. thank you again."

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vera must be a seer, because there's no other way she could be summoning pokémon just with a thought. she's actually a little confused when the castform approaches, suspecting it of being a mirage. then again, it's not that hot for her to be seeing things.

[break][break]

let's take that back. where the first castform she'd met today was cold to the touch, this one is hot. the warmth is engulfing. she can even see the tiniest of flames flicking off from a

fire blast

to a physical

headbutt

that actually feels more like a

nuzzle

than a headbutt. vera tilts her head in question, not sure of what to think about being attacked affectionately. it's a bit contradictory.

[break][break]

seconds pass and the castform doesn't appear to be attempting another attack. it doesn't seem to want to move at all, in fact, nestling itself in the woman's chest. "there, there," she croons, the whole scenario feeling a little too much like what a kid scared of thunder on a storm night would be.

[break][break]

the silence that follows is

ominously

quiet. when the castform finally calms down, vera offers it a place to call home.

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on a clear sunday afternoon in lilycove city, the park is full of people whose thought process was no doubt similar to vera's. namely, the weather today is too nice to stay in, for once. after literal storms and the unbearable dog days of midsummer, today is what vera likes to unofficially call a puppy day. it's bright and without clouds on the horizon, yet the temperature is comfortably warm.

[break][break]

perfect for a playdate with her pokémon.

[break][break]

"all right, boy, do you want this?" vera shakes the ball in her hand from side to side to catch the yamper's attention. he barks attentively, eyes fixed on the red and white of the ball. when it's released from the grasp of her fingers, the yamper doesn't even register his trainer's "here you go!" he's tunnel-visioned her words out.

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the ball is the only thing on his mind. he runs straight into another body.

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the idea that the spears were made of glass too is scary, but plausibly scary. vera can't be too sure without a close-up, which at the moment seems too dangerous even to confirm what exactly they're dealing with. if they were, though, that would imply the existence of a second species of pokémon helping them out.

[break][break]

"run? run where?" is vera's first thought. the pokémon were swarming out from the forest, which meant there would undoubtedly be more lying in wait inside. on the other hand, running along the beach gave them little cover. still, vera follows after the boy and his pokémon. just as the ledians, they too had strength in numbers. "razz! turn left, towards the mountain!"

[break][break]

as for the alolan raichu, two conditions are met: first, the electricity generated by whis's

plasma fists

leaves aftershocks on the ground from which to borrow power. fondue hops on his feet from side to side. one, two, three, four. one, two, three, four. he builds up energy for a long

surge surf

(or levitate using magnetism, more accurately).

[break][break]

before either of them notices it, the alolan raichu disappears from sight and reappears straight ahead to fend off wild ledians, occasionally

feinting

with his tail or coordinating with salem to release a beam of

psychic

energy here and there.

[break][break]

briefly, vera considers asking for her vikavolt's help, but cracker would only be able to carry one of them and not both. the idea is discarded. they'd just have to run really fast and avoid any attacks, until they find a good place to rest and consider their options.

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or perhaps not. fate seems pretty intent on distracting her with cute electric pokémon. vera doesn't mind too much, obviously. she loves cute pokémon. luckily she still has plenty of time to search. her alotted time to be back in lilycove does differ, but then again it's a cute little blitzle she's talking about here.

[break][break]

it's a cute blitzle approaching at an alarming speed that could only be reached with

agility

.

[break][break]

"anise!" she squeaks, hurrying to hide behind the ampharos' growing mane. they're pushed back a couple inches, but both trainer and pokémon are safe.

cotton guard

is a true lifesaver.

[break][break]

peeking out from behind anise's tresses, vera watches the blitzle's

thrashing

with worry etched on her features. "hey buddy, everything alright?" she asks tentatively.

[break][break]

he's not. he isn't alright. there's a needle stuck in one of his hooves and it hurts so much the blitzle doesn't think he can take it anymore. his eyes start to water, and he doesn't even notice the fluffy pokémon until he's already collided against it. ooph. the collision doesn't hurt, but the needle very much does.

[break][break]

"hold on, i see the problem," she says seconds later, a palm raised up as a signal to stop. a thin, purple needle contrasts against the pokémon's darker body. possibly poisonous, which isn't a very reassuring thought.

[break][break]

a blue light prefaces the appearance of a miltank. "mocha, i need your help. i'm going to remove the poisonous needle. ready?"

[break][break]

the question isn't directed only at the miltank. the blitzle himself looks so worried that vera has to offer him a reassuring smile. "don't worry. we've got you." and they do. after she carefully pulls the needle out, her miltank applies a timely

heal bell

, followed by

milk drink

, which produces milk both regenerative and, most importantly, delicious. it's good first aid, but not emergency care if she wanted the blitzle to be able to walk comfortably soon.

[break][break]

"would you let me bandage you up and bring you to the pokémon center?"

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not an anorith either, vera muses as she steps to the side. her mind wanders back to the castform she'd met all the way back when she arrived. for a moment, there's regret. maybe she should have tried to befriend it, despite it being so cold to the touch.

[break][break]

vera's musings have her distractedly opening her bag. fingers shift between its contents, looking for nothing and at the same time everything until she decides on the chocolate chip cookies. "let's share, fondue." unbeknownst to her, another pokémon wandered close to them and would be attracted by the smell of baked dough and chocolate.

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