Josh's hard work at Lilycove's largest library had paid off. He had deduced, with the help of Eva Morales and illeana reyes , a location with a large Infinity Energy signature, a deposit of many Mega Stones. It was the best lead he had to get another ABSOLITE. It was only because of Twilight's ability to Mega Evolve that he was standing after Kyurem covered half of Route 103 in an eternal coat of NEVER MELT ICE. The Absol had saved his life twice already. Without a replacement Mega Stone, she may not be able to do it again.

Unfortunately, the energy signature radiated over a wide area, and the Ancient Tomb was not marked on any map. He would have to find it himself. He did, though, have a great team of Pokémon to locate it. "Blinky, not too fast, okay?" Josh requested of the Jolteon he was astride, her crackling-sounding cry an indicator of approval with slight resentment. It would be a relief for the others running nearby, though; there were five other Pokémon that stood roughly human height running behind the swift Jolteon: three quarters of the Eeveelution rainbow. All of them were there, except for Vaporeon and Leafeon, bounding along Route 120's main road in a triangle formation. The Gym Leader's eyes shifted about, keeping them open for a memorial or other subterranean entrance that stood out from among the rainforest's foliage.

As it turned out, when most pokemon were not keen on showing up and potentially having to deal with your entire pack, the remaining wild pokemon you saw typically came in one of two categories.

The first category consisted of pokemon who were looking for a fight. It had been near one of the many ponds that made up Route 120 - just beyond the trees and undergrowth - that the sound of splashing water caught Ettie's and Anne's attention. Initially, Ettie was curious - hopping down from Anne's back to creep forward, and take a peek at what was making all that noise; it sounded as though it was something big..!

... But, in all of her curiosity, Ettie would end up face-to-face with a Crawdaunt, and an aggressive one at that, given the roar he'd let off!

"Yeep!" Ettie yelped, visibly startled. Following instinct, she'd be scrambling up onto Anne's back - the Lycanroc in question already bristling and growling threateningly.

They had little time to react before the crustacean was charging however, swinging his claws in every direction. One claw would smack into Duchess, the Electrike yelping as she was sent tumbling - letting loose a burst of electricity purely on instinct, that had the Crawdaunt flinching back and stiffening. The other pack, however, would manage to move back and away from the other flailing limb.

Ettie and Anne were quick to move to their packmate's side - Ettie hopping down, to check on the little Electrike. "Is okay, Duchess??" At a glance, it seemed that she wasn't all that hurt - the Electrike shaking herself off as she got up onto her paws - though the strike was sure to bruise in the morning.

But, with Duchess having been struck... A low SNARL rose up from Princess - the Snubbull bristling with rage at Duchess being hurt, alongside the fight-happy Ruffian already sizing up this opponent. One after the other, the duo would charge at the larger Dark-type, flinging themselves at him in a pair of Play Rough's!

Safe to say, it was possible that the Crawdaunt did not know what he was getting into, in confronting the pack. However, he was undaunted (hah) all the same - letting loose a hissing roar, as soon as he managed to shake off the two pups.

"Princess! Ruffian!" Ettie called - running over and scooping up the two pups in either arm, even as they were raring up to move right back into the fray. "Let's go!" Sure, they could try to fight the Crawdaunt - but it looked like a nasty specimen to say the least, and it wasn't smart to get into needless fights in the wild if one could help it. Nor was it worth hunting, either - Crawdaunts overall being utterly unappetizing.

Thus, the pack beat a hasty retreat - turning away and bolting for it as quickly as they could. Not that they had to move all that quickly, given a Crawdaunt's naturally slow speed and them favoring the water. The sounds of stomping and crashing behind them would quickly grow distant - and before long, they would find themselves surrounded by the natural sounds of the woods once more, prompting them to slow and come to a stop.

"Whew..." Ettie sighed to herself, as she finally set down Princess and Ruffian - the latter appearing annoyed, at having been pulled away from the fight. But, Ettie would pat them both on the heads with a warm smile. "Good Princess! Good Ruffian! Protecting pack!" She praised - which Princess would accept with a content hum, and seemed to help stroke Ruffian's ego enough for him to relax and let the unfinished fight pass.

As Ettie took the time to reassess their situation now - glancing around, to see where they'd ended up. Obviously, it was still Route 120 - and it definitely was quieter here, than... Actually, scratch it being quiet. Distantly, there was the sound of footsteps and a voice - the sound coming from somewhere beyond the foliage, and gradually coming closer. Ettie moved to investigate - but Anne, knowing better, would come alongside; the duo peering out past the bushes...

... To see what looked to be a pack of pokemon - with a human riding astride one of them. They moved in a disciplined formation - one that painted the picture of a fellow pack of canid pokemon, moving like a well-oiled machine. And given that these weren't wild pokemon... Perhaps they were more likely to be friends!

Thus, Ettie would step out into view, waving an arm with a bright and cheery smile. "Hello! Friends!" She called, letting out a yip of excitement afterwards. In fact, even some of her body language was like that of an excited canid - wiggling in place like a happy Granbull might.

All the while, the rest of the pack would emerge - Anne staying right next to Ettie, whilst the other pups would curiously regard Josh's group. Of the four, Duchess was more than happy to give a greeting of her own... Or multiple - the little Electrike making excited yips of hellos and other such greetings, as she approached them with eager little bounces.

---

Josh Devlin

A young girl's call got the attention of not only Josh and Blinky, but the entire Eeveelution brigade. The girl was astride a Lycanroc with no gear at all; riding the Rock-type bareback had to be painful! The rest of her crew looked equally rambunctious! Was this Shalin Nariya looking to broaden her horizons to other ride Pokémon? No, this girl was too young to be her. Plus, even she preferred a saddle and bridle with most of her Pokémon. Before Josh could react, the rest of his Pokémon bolted toward Ettie's pack, ready to play with the excited, little ones. They never got to experience the joy of playing with young Pokémon, primarily due to Josh outsourcing the task of evolving them to breeders and other trainers looking to make a quick paycheck.

"Why, hello there!" Josh returned the greeting. "Your Lycanroc is an impressive one!" Blinky let out a crackling greeting bark as well, the other five saddleback Pokémon too distracted by the rest of Ettie's Pokémon to say hello. Blinky began sniffing toward the Lycanroc, then the rider, being careful not to poke either of them with her quills. Though electricity wasn't running through them, they were still sharp enough to pierce skin. Inky the Glaceon eventually joined Ettie and the Jolteon in greeting the wild one, mist seething from his blue fur.

The Eeveelutions' fast approach was met as a pleasant surprise - Ettie's pack regarding Josh's pokemon with equal amounts of curiosity. Who were they? What were they like?

Duchess, to say the least, was absolutely enthused over the whole matter - the electrike bouncing and yipping amongst the larger Eeveelutions, running circles around them with utter joy. Friends! Friends! Playtime!

Princess was a bit more subdued in her reactions - but she was friendly all the same, simply humming contentedly as she sniffed at the nearest Eeveelution - Clyde. Briefly, the Snubbull's attention would drift - glancing over towards a cacturne that was watching them from afar. Though, she'd soon look back to the Eeveelutions, letting out a soft and lazy 'whuff' of greeting.

Ruffian, meanwhile, was a little more feisty - letting out excited little 'rrrrruff!'s as he nipped at Janus' ankles, as if trying to goad the espeon into roughhousing with him. No matter how much bigger or stronger they might be, the littlest lillipup was always ready to throw down.

Anne, however, would initially be paying more attention to Josh as Blinky neared - the lycanroc's eyes narrowed with suspicion. A larger and stronger pack, with another human at the lead. What would Josh's angle here be, Anne wondered?

As if noticing Anne's demeanor though, Ettie smiled down at the wolf - gently patting her on the neck, just between a couple of the rock spikes that made up her mane. "Calm, Anne. Is okay!" She spoke gently - this group seemed plenty friendly. And in response to Josh's compliment, she'd smile to him - responding "Friend has nice pack!"

Anne couldn't help a slight huff - she had no way to tell if it was truly okay, as Ettie said. But, it wasn't as though Josh had taken any undue actions or shown any ill will yet. Yet. Thus, she would turn her attentions to Blinky and Inky - letting out a gentle chuff in greeting to them, as she sniffed them in turn.

With the pokemon mingling amongst each other now, things looked to be plenty peaceful. "Who friend? Am Ettie!" Ettie would introduce herself to Josh - once more wiggling like a happy Granbull in lieu of wagging a nonexistent tail. She'd reach down a hand to pet Blinky - scritching the Jolteon behind the ear. She could note how the fur felt wiry and stiff - and she figured that it likely wouldn't be a good idea to pet against the grain, to avoid getting poked.

Skipping Cacturne

Josh Devlin

What a wild child Ettie was. Josh's definition of a wild child before was Shalin Nariya ; she was articulate enough to converse with him and other people "normally", though she lived in her own little corner of Petalburg Woods. While Lycanroc were much more "tame" ride Pokémon than Shalin used (who else would ride a Skuntank, after all), everything else about the friendly young girl caught him off guard. He didn't even respond right away to being greeted by the word "friend".

A curious stare filled his face, like two wild Pokémon with a neutral disposition observing one another, before it clicked. "Shalin, you can cut the cave girl act. It's not Halloween anymore." He blinked, and saw that it was a completely different face. Frowning in embarrassment, Josh immediately apologized. "I'm so sorry! I mistook you for another friend of mine! Ettie, was it? Great to meet you! Elite Ranger Devlin or Gym Leader Devlin, but the name I go by is Josh. This is Blinky," the racer took his right hand off the Jolteon's reins long enough to gently pat her, "and Inky," he gestured toward the Glaceon, who was hesitant to introduce himself to Ettie's pack,

Blinky smiled when Ettie pet her - those scratches hit the spot perfectly! "You're really good with Pokémon. Most people don't want to pet her for multiple reasons." Those, of course, were the intense shocks a Jolteon could induce, as well as stiff fur that could pierce almost any skin. Having to wear thick gloves made adjusting the Jolteon's saddle a pain, which he had to do more than he would like, given how violent her full speed gallop could get.

Their conversation was cut short by a sound akin to squealing tires on an asphalt road. That could have meant only one thing - a Cyclizar was nearby! He had heard of the species before from all the calls he had received from Paldeans trying to sign up for his Gym, but this was the first time he had seen one in person. Observing just how fast they were for himself made him want one all the more.

He wasn't letting this one get away.

"After it!" Josh cried, his Espeon, Umbreon, Flareon, and Sylveon chasing after the dragon-type. Not one of them could catch it. It was little wonder the Pokémon was such a popular mount in Paldea! Eyes shifting to see it was being chased, a tires-on-asphalt screech came from the wild again as it pulled a sharp about face, rending across all four Pokémon with a ferocious BREAKING SWIPE. Landing a bloody blow on Clyde in particular, the Flareon let out a screech before collapsing on the spot. Kamuy and Janus were badly hurt, too. The only one left unharmed was Pinky the Sylveon. Was Cyclizar a dragon-type? Only one way to find out.

"Pinky, use MOONBLAST!" Pointing her feelers at the wild, the fairy-type loosed a high speed sphere of searing light toward it. While the Cyclizar was fast, there was no escaping the blindingly bright projectile. With his quarry spinning out and crashing on its side, Josh guided Bilnky toward the stunned dragon with great speed, hurling an empty Poké Ball at it when he got within range.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD KROKOROK APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ANGER POINT
[attr="class","wildtabox"]LEER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TORMENT
[attr="class","wildtabox"]RAGE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]HONE CLAWS
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Ettie Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD SKUNTANK APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] STENCH
[attr="class","wildtabox"]MEMENTO	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SUCKER PUNCH
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FEINT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]NIGHT SLASH
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Ettie Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Josh Devlin CAUGHT THE CYCLIZAR!

Elite..? Gym Leader..? Ettie would cock her head as Josh introduced himself - mulling over the terms that he referred to himself with. Ranger she recognized - Julia Davis was a ranger! Rangers were friends to wild pokemon! And she understood that Josh was a leader to... Well, a gym. And obviously also his pack! She kind of knew that gyms were a Trainer thing? Something that had been mentioned to her before, but she otherwise didn't grasp it very well. Nonetheless, with the introductions, Ettie smiled brightly. "Hello Josh! Hello Blinky! Hello Inky! Friends good!" She spoke, nodding sagely.

The comment about Ettie being good with pokemon though, would have Ettie blink briefly, thinking over the compliment. She guessed she was good with pokemon? She grew up around them, after all! "Why not? Blinky friend. Ettie trust Blinky." She'd respond easily - nodding to herself. Blinky was clearly friendly; even if she did get hurt, it would be by complete accident - not from any ill-will from the Jolteon. All Ettie had to do was be careful about where and how she pet Blinky, to not get poked by the wiry fur.

However, then came a wild pokemon who had caught Josh's attention - a cyclizar! At the gym leader's call, the pack was on the hunt - chasing towards the wheeled lizard without hesitation, although... The dragon-type, seeing the Eeveelutions, would make a full 180 to face the pack. Did it see them as a challenge of some form, Ettie wondered? It seemed as though if the cyclizar thought itself to be in true danger, it could've turned tail and ran without hesitation.

Nonetheless, Ettie watched the hunt as it went on - the beasts clashing as the cyclizar stood its ground with impressive furor. It had been able to hurt some of the pack - and it was only with Pinky's help that cyclizar would be stunned and weakened enough, for Josh to throw a pokeball and catch it. The hunt was over.

Ettie and her pack would soon catch up to the group - the young wildchild jumping off of Anne's back as she did. She'd make her way towards the injured Eeveelutions; moving slow and careful, but making no attempt to obscure her presence - as if she were approaching an injured wild pokemon. "Is okay... Ettie help." She spoke gently and soothingly to them, pulling out some bandages and gauze from her bag, that she had gotten at Fortree.

Ettie knew from her upbringing amongst the lycanrocs the importance of staunching a wound - though it had been Julia who helped her learn a little bit about how to apply proper first aid. If the eeveelutions allowed her to touch them, Ettie would take the time to bandage them - the young girl continuing to speak softly and reassuringly to them all the whilst. "Is safe... Ettie help... Pack will protect..." Stop the bleeding with the gauze, hold the gauze in place with the bandages...

All the while though, the pack would be present - Duchess gently sniffing and checking over the Eeveelutions with a soft whine of concern, Ruffian staring down the ball that the cyclizar had been caught in, and Anne and Princess both standing around, as if they were keeping watch over the hurt Eeveelutions.

Skipping

Josh Devlin

Josh breathed a deep sigh of relief when his catch ceased resisting. Blinky started bounding toward the caught Pokémon, its Ball disappearing in a flash of yellow. "Goroh," he named the swift dragon-type that would need no reins; much like Nitro, his Gogoat, the Pokémon seemed built to carry humans on its back. "Goroh will be your name. Once we're close enough, I want to travel to Paldea and join their Cyclizar Racing League. It's gotta get pretty intense." With how fast Goroh had come at them while still a wild, it had to be fast when focusing purely on speed... especially in the hands of a speed specialist like Josh.

Unprompted, Ettie started treating and bandaging the extensive wounds of first Clyde, then the rest of the Eeveelution team. "Ettie, you didn't have to--" There was no stopping the young lady. While only a Pokémon Center would truly be able to treat their wounds, the giant Pokémon were grateful for having their wounds dressed. Janus even gently knocked at Ettie's mind with a grateful set of emotions that could be only his way of thanking her for being so generous. Pinky trotted toward Ettie and attempted to hug her with her feelers, as well. "Thank you."

"It's mostly her prickly fur," Josh explained after the short but intense battle. "She's the only Pokémon that has guards on the front of her saddle," he gestured toward the uniquely-shaped riding gear he was sitting in. All the others looked much like what one would see on a common mount Pokémon such as a Rapidash, but in accordance with the wearer's body shape and size. "It's also important in making sure I don't go flying off when she really starts running. Have you seen just how fast they can get?"

Ettie would glance at Josh - regarding him curiously as he both gave the cyclizar a name, Goroh, and mentioned a... Racing league? "Goroh good-name!" Ettie spoke with a bright smile. She didn't know if it meant anything like Ruffian or Princess did, but it had a nice mouthfeel to say and seemed easy to remember - which in Ettie's opinion, was enough to make a name good! "Ettie like!"

But the racing league would get Ettie's attention, too. "Race like... Lots-run?" Ettie questioned, tilting her head. Did other people like letting their pokemon play and run together, too? That sounded like fun! Maybe Duchess would enjoy something like that - even if it sounded like this specific... League, or whatever, was for cyclizars in particular. Maybe there was a league for electrikes, then?

But in any case, there were pokemon who needed tending. And though Josh claimed that Ettie didn't have to tend to them, the young girl shook her head. "Stop-bleed important. Cover important!" She spoke with a surprising amount of firmness - this wasn't something that she was going to budge on, from the sounds of things. Perhaps a good potion would've sufficed to treat the wounds - but from Ettie's perspective, just letting the wound remain uncovered was unsafe. Even for the more superficial scratches, leaving an open wound exposed while in the wild was just asking for it to be infected - even if they headed to a Pokecenter first-thing.

Better safe than sorry - Ettie knew how bad it could get if a wound was allowed to become infected, or worse.

And all that aside, it was clear that the Eeveelutions appreciated Ettie's care and attention. Though she was briefly startled by the sensation of Janus' psychic empathy, the feeling of the communicated emotions washing over her was... Warm. Soft.

And with Ettie's sensitivity, these feelings were all the stronger - all the more affirming. Ettie couldn't help being vaguely misty-eyed, at being able to feel the conveyed emotions so clearly and honestly and intimately. As if hoping to reciprocate fully, she'd gently hug Janus with a single arm - wiping her eyes briefly with her opposite hand - thinking hard on her own feelings, feelings of warmth and genuine affection for a friend, even if the espeon was someone she only just met. She wanted to make sure Janus knew her own feelings, too.

Pinky, too, seemed eager to show affection of her own, giving the little wildchild a hug with her feelings. Ettie couldn't help but giggle happily at this, returning the hug and nuzzling her cheek against Pinky's own. "No-bleed?" She asked, to double-check that everyone was tended to. It wouldn't do, to leave anyone hanging!

But from the looks of things, everyone was doing alright now - everyone had been tended to. At Josh's thanks, Ettie would nod and smile brightly to him. "Yes! Pack help pack. Pack protect pack!" She responded easily - being packmates was about looking after each other, after all.

With everything properly resolved though, they could return to a prior conversation - namely, one regarding Blinky's fur. Ettie nodded understandingly as Josh explained everything - it made sense, to make sure that Josh didn't get poked while he was riding - that probably would be unpleasant! But then came the question of if she'd seen how fast they could really get - to which she cocked her head thoughtfully, thinking hard on it for a few moments... Before shrugging. "Ettie not-know." She murmured - it was hard for her to know for sure if she'd seen the Eeveelutions at their fastest, unless Josh told her it was their fastest.

Were they at their fastest, when they had been chasing down the cyclizar? Cause then the answer would be yes, since she was watching! Or were they capable of going even faster than that?

Skipping

Josh Devlin

Ettie seemed insistent on making sure Josh's Pokémon were able to recover. While he wasn't going to be able to treat their wounds here, Ettie would at least be able to halt the bieeding. While she was getting to work on them, Josh explained himself. "Exactly that!" he smiled. "Rather than a contest where you coach your Pokémon through a battle, it's a contest where you ride your Pokémon as fast as possible through a course. If that sounds fun, you should drop by my Gym!" If she could get into the Gym, that was; Mauville Racing Grounds seemed to always have a long wait to get a match with the Leader. It got to the point where he had to expand his Gym's hours and let SHAWN RICHARDS assume the role of Leader when Josh couldn't be at his own Gym. The life of a popular Gym Leader was rough!

Ettie was immensely good with Pokémon. Josh was impressed with how well one of his best friends, Shalin, handled wild Pokémon. She routinely shared stories of riding wild Pokémon, both with their approval and against their will. Ettie blew all of that away. She could resonate with truly any Pokémon, no matter how hostile, it seemed. If Shalin had her unique talents, then Ettie truly was a special snowflake. Not in a demeaning way. She had a unique talent. "You really should think about becoming a Pokémon Ranger. You're nothing short of amazing with Pokémon, whether wild or not. I feel like I could learn a lot from you."

Ettie, while silent for a while, looked interested in seeing just how fast Blinky could race. "...I think I have a good way to do so. How about you go fast ahead of me on your Lycanroc, and I have Blinky use her QUICK ATTACK once you're almost out of sight?" It would be a great opportunity for Blinky to let loose, particularly on a part of the trail that was long and not too twisty.