A small yelp of surprise escaped Andrea's lips as a bunch of Dragon-type Pokémon surrounded her out of the blue. Seeing how they weren't hostile, but merely curious of her, the young PokéManiac smiled warmly at them. "Hi there. Don't worry, little ones, I'm not here to hurt you." She reassured the more wary-looking ones.

Soon, the Gym leader made her presence known, commending Andrea's oddly convincing getup. "Thank you, I worked really hard on it. My dream is to become a Pokémon, after all!" The young woman nonchalantly declared with the beamiest of faces, carefully leaning down in order to pet some of the friendly forest critters, should they allow it.

She was both overjoyed and mildly disappointed at the prospect of choosing one of those critters to tag along with her. "Awww, only one? I want all of them to be my friends!" Andrea sighed. It could not be helped, she'd have to follow the rules of this Gym. Mulling over her options (and curiously avoiding making eye contact with that Salamence), she eventually chose Yanmega, which kinda looked like a dragon, all things considered.

"Nice to meet you, Yanmega. Will you help me make it through this forest?" The draconic cosplayer gently requested, reaching her hand out towards the giant, ancient dragonfly.

Eris Halla //non-traditional (forest of secrets)

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Before 'Miss Dragon' could inquire about the purported 'strangeness' of her journey, the diminutive Gym leader walked away with her feline partner in tow, telling the cosplaying woman to meet her at the forest's deep. "OK, we'll see you there!" Andrea waved.

Traversing the verdant labyrinth, the unlikely duo found themselves being watched by someone, or some-thing. Unnerved by the sudden shift in atmosphere and the Yanmega's alertness, the dragon-costumed girl squinted her eyes, trying to perceive the faintest unusual shape among the lush vegetation that surrounded them.

A rusty scent eerily alike the scent of blood reached her nose, causing her to panic. "Yanmega, use... uuuh... Do you know Bug Buzz?" Andrea asked the ancient dragonfly, while pointing at the rustling bushes. One of the quirks of using rental Pokémon was not knowing their full moveset, but for once she prayed that her guesstimate had been correct.

Eris Halla //first roll: Andrea's perception check
//second roll: Ema is told to use Bug Buzz

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The unbearable scent drew closer and closer, a new threat laying itself bare. Gasping in shock, Andrea closed her eyes tightly and prepared for the worst. Several seconds passed, and yet the big brown bear did not maul her. It just stood there... menacingly.

The young PokéManiac blinked in confusion. She stared curiously at the idle Ursaring, noting its tiny hat, its dirty paws and its terrible table manners. Any sensible person bearing witness to such a grizzly sight would make a run for it, but she knew better.

There was no such thing as a bad Pokémon.

Andrea raised an arm to prevent the Yanmega from engaging further. "Wait! Maybe it's friendly..."

The dragon-costumed girl took a few tentative steps, cautiously approaching the ursine Pokémon. "Look at you, you're so dirty! Living in the woods is no excuse to eat so messily!" She mildly chastised the Ursaring like an overbearing mother. "Why don't you come with us? We could look for a river to get you cleaned." She offered, smiling warmly.

Eris Halla //Andrea attempts to befriend Ursaring

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Andrea staggered backwards when the Ursaring started throwing a tantrum and shaking its dirty paws like a moody child. "W-what's the matter with you?! Don't you wanna be clean and handsome?" She'd yet to meet a Pokémon - even a wild one - that didn't take care of their personal hygiene. They were not animals.

Feeling sorta guilty for bringing up what was clearly a sore point, the dragon-hooded girl sheepishly followed the grumpy bear deeper into the woods. Maybe it was going to show her something that would explain its outright aversion to the idea of being given a bath.

Eris Halla //Andrea follows Ursaring

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It seemed the Ursaring was having its sweet revenge by forcing the human to take the hardest route possible. Or perhaps this treacherous cliff really was the only route available.

Despite her best efforts to ascend the obstacle-laden slope, Andrea found herself slipping and falling on her sensitive bum. "Aieee..." She winced in pain as she got up, her hood trailing off her head and unveiling her long, orange hair. Her once immaculate costume was now covered in mud much to her dismay. "Oh no, now I'm the dirty one!" What irony.

How was she ever going to catch up? Despondent, the girl turned towards the Yanmega with a pleading, puppy dog-eyed look. "I could use a lift... Please?" The almost two meter-tall dragonfly should be able to carry an averagely sized human. Andrea was on the lighter side too, most of her weight concentrated on the chest area for some reason.

Eris Halla //Andrea asks Yanmega for a lift

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It seemed that they hadn't made much leeway, the Yanmega being dumbfounded by her request for a lift, while the Ursaring was growing impatient. Big sad.

Andrea would have to put her singular brain cell to good use. She inspected her surroundings, humming softly. "Hmmm, there has to be a way to make this easier..." Sure, she could just use one of her own Pokémon, but where would the challenge be in that?

Grabbing a set of long, decaying vines, she tied them around her waist, while offering the other end to Ema the Yanmega. "Here. You can hold onto this and pull me upwards. Easier, right?" At the same time, she grabbed a long, pointy stick, which she would use as a trekking pole to make her ascent up the steep, muddy hill easier.

"Alright, let's go!" The eccentric cosplayer exclaimed, digging her stick into the dirt and taking the first bold step forward. If the Ursaring had managed to climb all the way to the top using its claws, she would do the same with the tools offered to her by the forest.

Eris Halla //Think Tank selected

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