Gigi concentrated on configuring her phone while reality began to grow out of focus. She was very finicky about the settings and layout of her streams. In retrospect, she should have prepared this ahead of time. The encroaching darkness sent chilled shivers down her spine. Distracted, and definitely not scared, it was only a matter of time before something happened to the easy prey. 

A figure pounced from the brushes, greedily latching onto the bright phone that looked shiny in the darkness. "What-" The woman found herself momentarily frozen. Did that just happen? What even- Oh Arceus, her phone. 

Trembling fingers managed to grasp a spare, private phone from the depths of her pockets. It was just in time, too. Gigi managed to activate the flashlight right as she spotted the shadowy creature scurry up a tree. Fear morphed into annoyance. That phone was fucking expensive. If it somehow managed to break, which seemed unlikely given how well protected it was wrapped into cocoons of cases, then this thief would pay the consequences. 

Concentrated light scanned the naked branches in search of the cat burglar and, more importantly, her phone. She didn't realize how correct the term "cat burglar" would apply to this situation until the light battled the shadows away and revealed a Purrloin. Purrloins were common pranksters back in Unova.

Gigi had certainly run into her fair share of these devious cats: falling for their cute charms only to have a precious possession snatched away. Luckily, all of those encounters had prepared the woman. She knew how to thwart their tricks without damaging her own property in the process. And all it would (hopefully) take was a single coin.

Illumination from her spare phone turned flashlight captured the gold coin, causing it to glimmer and glisten. Glowing green eyes peered down from a tree branch, watching intently as the coin was continuously flicked into the air. "I'll trade you." Although she couldn't see it, the Purrloins ears picked up. "If you return my phone.." she paused before amending her previous words, "If you safely return my phone than this coin is all yours."

The Purrloin contemplated his options. He couldn't deny that the coin looked more fun to play with.. such it was so sparkly! Eventually, he descended from the tree with the stolen phone firmly captured in his bite. As he dropped the item, placing one paw on it, he looked up to the human with a mixture of mistrust and eagerness. 

When the coin was tossed in his direction, the cat immediately chased after it. Purrs erupted as he batted the coin this way and that. While the Purrloin was distracted, Gigi quickly fetched her precious phone. She moved to put distance in between the instinctive pickpocket but the cat followed her. His eyes glimmered with curiosity as he wondered what other goodies she had.

Gigi's sigh was interrupted by her toothy smile, "I promise there is a lot more fun things to play with if you come with me."

Enthusiasm fizzled when Gigi instinctively went to check her social media feeds. Teeth gnawed the bottom of her lip as brows furrowed. It looked like her former team was doing well: qualifying for a major tournament and all that jazz. Tough skin turned to thin paper as she read the various comments, "lol gg rlly was the problem". Hands trembled, overwhelmed by bottled up emotions and hidden pain.

A twisted smile forced its way to her face. This was okay; this was fine. The rumors and comments never bothered her. She didn't need people's acknowledgment and goodwill. 

Her lie was exposed as an incorporeal shadow lingered over her shoulder. The ghastly presence fed on the spite and hidden vengeance within the streamer. Its power grew as it feasted on the gourmet meal presented ever so conveniently. 

Gigi began to grow sluggish, a thick cloud shrouding her mind. Emotions dissipated from her heavy shoulders, lifting some of the weight constantly pressed down on them, but that would not last. For now, though, she enjoyed the sudden ignorance she gained. 

However, the longer she stood there, the colder the air grew. Warily, dark eyes scanned her surroundings. The previously ambiguous apparition was now fully shaped. Confusion crossed her face as she glanced at the.. sock puppet? Damn- she really needed to study up more on Pokemon. It didn't take research, though, to gain a vague understanding of the situation.

Despite it being a nice relief, Gigi knew she had to put a stop to it, "Uh. Could you stop feeding on my energy or whatever it is that you do? It's kinda invasive, y'know?" And draining, she noted. 

The Shuppet examined the woman as it slowly processed the words. After a long, heavy pause, the ghost nodded albeit it stayed by Gigi's side. Gigi half sighed, half laughed at the scenario she found herself in. Positive thinking alone wasn't capable of changing the negative emotion veiled behind her outgoing persona. 

Wide eyes stared at Gigi as the Shuppet made no move to leave. "If you're going to use me as a snack, then I oughta get something in return." A quizzical look was casted her way, the Shuppet tilting its head (body) in a sign of curiosity. Instead of answering, Gigi reached for an empty Pokeball. Realization struck the Pokemon and the former pro gamer was certain the prospect would chase the Shuppet away.

Yet, that wasn't quite what happened. The Shuppet appeared to be weighing its options. Having a consistent human to satiate it was tempting. In fact, the opportunity was far too tempting to pass down. Gigi was visibly surprised when the puppet agreed with a curt nod of the head.

"Captcha," Gigi prodded the Rotom awake as she pulled out her phone. "Can you look up.." she trailed off, head tilting to the side. "Sock puppet ghost type Pokemon?" An electronic laugh resounded from the speakers of her phone. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at her possessed phone.

"I swear, if you keep this up, one day I will have Ethernet put up some sort of barrier so you can no longer enter my phone." The threat was enough for laughter to turn into silence. Captcha knew that she wasn't joking or teasing. The electric ghost suddenly began awfully obedient as he quickly pulled up the searched results. 

"Thanks." Captcha stick his tongue out of the phone in response. Very mature. With a roll of her eyes, she ignored Captcha as she speed read the information regarding her newly obtained Pokemon. 

"Shuppet is attracted by feelings of jealousy and vindictiveness. If someone develops strong feelings of vengeance, this Pokémon will appear in a swarm and line up beneath the eaves of that person's home."  Haaah. What did that say about her? She continued reading, "It eats up emotions like malice, jealousy, and resentment, so some people are grateful for its presence." That was a nice sentiment but it shed the truth on the emotions she chose to shun and push to the side. 

Gigi sighed as she sat on a nearby tree stump, unaware of the other ghost type lurking in the shadows. The life, joy, and idea behind this excursion dissipated into thin air. Her head hung low as her hands tightened into fists. Dammit. She should probably just leave. 

ooc:// skipping g!corsola

Ugh. Why the hell did her sense of direction not translate from video games into the real world? Somehow, Gigi found herself in the midst of a forest - that, quite frankly, was spooky af. She was fairly certain she hadn't traversed through the depths of the woods when she entered. Exuberance had been erased by fatigue. She just wanted to get out of this stupid conservation and go to bed, her festive mood completely extinguished. 

Leaves crinkled under footsteps. However, the noise didn't originate from Gigi. Instinctively, muscles tensed as her heartbeat pounded against her chest. A dark figure darted along the treeline. Thankfully, its true form could be easily discerned by a quick flick of her flashlight. It was a small, cute fox who didn't look too pleased by the sudden light nor the presence of the streamer. 

Despite this knowledge, Gigi still felt her hair standing on edge. Her muscles were still tightly contracted, eyes constantly darting around their surroundings. 

ooc:// passing fennekin!

Two gems glistened and gleamed when the flashlight briefly swept passed them. The moon above exposed the wide, jagged smile the creature wore. It was a sight befitting of a low-budget horror film (those were always the scariest).

Before the light could reveal the potential slasher, the owner of the cheshire smile vanished. The wind carried a crazed laugh that encouraged Gigi to pick up the pace.

ooc:// I love Sableye but I’m going to skip ;-;

The sound of crying - no, wailing - sliced through the heavy atmosphere. Just as Gigi was about to leave the forest, the ear-piercing, chill inducing, ghastly shrieks captured her full attention. Uhm. Yeah. No thanks. This was something straight out of a horror film and she refused to play the role of the idiot woman who went back into the darkness for some dumbass reason.

Gigi was intent on finally leaving the forest's grasps when realization struck her face. Were those cries.. from a child? It certainly sounded like it. A clever trap.. that she found herself falling for. The sadness in the howling sobs drew Gigi back into the forest. Logic protested loudly but the heart made the woman deaf to her brain. 

Years of spending hour after hour pouring her energy into video games was, surprisingly, helpful in locating the source of the cries. Although the voice echoed through the labyrinthine forest, Gigi barely struggled to pinpoint the direction. Hah. And her parents said she would learn nothing by playing video games all day.

At last, the "child" was located. Gigi tentatively crept toward a felled tree, the child-like sobbing coming from a figure with its head pressed against the remainder of the stump. Upon closer inspection, inhuman properties were easily spotted. However, she was still compelled forward. "Uh.. are you okay?"

The child started at the question, its head spinning in Gigi's direction. Tears stained the bark that composed its head. The little ghost type looked frightened but unable to move - incorporeal body frozen mid-air. 

Awkwardly, Gigi shifted herself closer to the young Pokemon. Comforting was not her expertise but she tried, "It's okay. You're okay." The moment the words left her mouth was the moment Gigi regretted them. Wow, yes, that was definitely comforting. 

"Uhm.. are you, uh, lost?" The Phantump weakly nodded. Okay, that was progress. "Are you looking for your mommy?" Shit- her question caused the phantom to burst into heavy sobs once again. Actions mimicking more machine than human, Gigi clumsily patted the little Pokemon's head. 

Stubby arms wrapped around Gigi as its wooden head was nuzzled into her stomach. She winced as a splinter pierced through her skin but she didn't move. A deep red blush painted her face with color as she struggled to soothe the pained soul. "I'm here, now. It'll be okay." 

The two would stay like this until the Pokemon had cried itself to sleep in her arms. Unwillingly to leave its side, Gigi attempted to secure the fragile, vulnerable ghost in a Pokeball. The idea of it wandering around, lost in the woods with tears in its eye, caused her heart to ache. She had to help.. even if she was far from adept in this field.