It was that time of year again. Waves of dry heat crashed down to Earth as the Sun scorched the grass with merciless rays of light. A group of Bulbasaur huddled up in the shade beneath a bright green sycamore tree, their only hope of release the gentle wind that had begun to stir from the East. Even the heat-adjusted Ponyta and Rapidash were soaking their hooves in the large lake that overtook a portion of their pasture, taking careful caution against soaking their flaming manes and tails. Only a small Fennekin seemed oblivious to the heat as it partook in an energetic game of Chase-The-Tail, bumping into it's mother Braizen who firmly scolded the smaller kin for its reckless behavior. The mother was sat lying against the thick bark of an oak tree and gnawing on the fresh end of a fallen stick. Her teeth hurt.

A large farm house rose up and covered a small meter of pasture in cool shadow. From within, the sound of a television could be heard notifying the viewers of cooler weather on the horizon. Quite literally, the meteorologist was stating, as the sun fell past its highest post. As it fell, so too would the weather in thanks to a cool wind from the East. A moment that Caroline Foster, daughter of the farm house's owner, could barely wait to experience for one moment longer. "I am going to melt" Caroline was groaning to her mother, her body sprawled across a fabric arm chair. Her brown hair fell down to the ground in a pony tail as she stared to her mother from upside down. "That family is supposed to be here any minute with those babies I gotta take care of, mom." Caroline was saying, "So, if I melt before then, could you kindly give them my regards? I will gladly reschedule for a time after my death." She rolled over onto her stomach and reached her arms down to the ground.

"Don't overreact so much, Caroline." Her mother laughed, hands busy as she prepared an afternoon snack. She paused, however, by a movement from outside the kitchen window. "Oh look, here they come. Are they going to stay in the Lilac Room?" The Lilac Room was a special building that housed the Foster's babies during their training period. It had air conditioning, private rooms, bedding, and everything a baby could dream of needing. Caroline rolled to the floor before she crawled up onto her knees and then to her feet. "Yeah, I got it. If Leo shows up, tell him I'm in the Lilac Building. He's bringing over a friend to help me out. I dunno how many babies this guy is bringing over. He was so sketchy about it like 'Oh, I dunno, just a few here and there or whatever. You guys are professionals, blah blah,' I'm going!"

Clad in a tank top, sleeveless button-up, and jean short, Caroline left the warm house to the hotter outdoors. The introductions quickly proceeded, the greetings passed, and within a half hour the man's expensive car had peeled out of the driveway and she was left staring at an abnormal collection of babies. With big beady eyes, two Skiddo stared up at her. Two Magby ran in circles shooting little spurts of flames at each other. A Azurill was bawling her outside out for reasons that could only attribute to her being an... Azurill. Lastly, a Teddiursa had designated Caroline's leg as a new climbing post and was trying to pull its way up her leg. The fleshy skin wasn't helping that, at all.

A moment of terror flashed before Caroline's eyes and she glanced back at Echo, her Lycanroc, who stared sympathetically from the room's main entrance. "I knew this guy was going to be a problem." She reached for the Teddiursa, pulling it under her arm like a football as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. One moment later, it was ringing.

"Yo Leo? These babies are so cute, hurry on up and come check them out! I know you're gonna love them."

leo del río Victor Wexler

Caroline rested her back against the farm's front gate. Above her, the wooden pole connected to an arched, flat piece displaying faded letters that read Foster's Farm. By her side, Daisy nibbled at the scarce pieces of grass still fighting winter's chill. A faded blue duck, Deedee was her name, sat on the edge of a fence and poked her short beak at Daisy's side. She was ignored. Food required more attention than a slight nuisance.

"Zac!" Caroline waved her hand eagerly as the red-haired man approached. Almost immediately, Caroline could tell that his Mudsdale seemed much more relaxed and receptive compared to their first meeting. "Wow, Fango looks fantastic today. Even his coat seems more refreshed. I'm glad those tips helped you out." Of course, most of their horses were growing out winter coats to shield against the cold, but Fango's had developed a slight shine to the fluff.

"I've been pretty fantastic! I hope the same's goin' for you." Rarely did Caroline have a complaint for the world. Her life was a peachy keen as it could get. "If you're okay with it, we've got a small group of Mudsdale here, too. I'm sure they'd love to run around with your Fango while we check out your other Pokemon." She motioned to the pasture on her side where three Mudsdale were stood motionless and staring at the new arrival. Devon, her most recently acquired Mudsdale, was amongst them. He was newer to the herd, but had quickly fought his way to leader of the others. He huffed in response to Caroline's overheard words.

"So who else have you brought along this time? Don't think I'll be doin' all the work for you, but I'll show you how to work with what you've got."

Zac Ramsay

Daisy tapped her hooves on the ground in excitement as she noticed a group of familiar faces approaching the farm house. Leo's colorful Christmas sweater caught an eye of curiosity, but it was quickly stolen away by the sight of her old friend. The black and white Zebstrika's pelt glittered beneath the glow of a thousand Christmas lights curled around posts and laced across ceilings and roofs. She nickered as the Zebstrika approached, her flames casting a tender glow around her near surroundings. The humans entered the building, but Zebstrika remained outside where Daisy nudged her with excitement. She wanted to run together. Like they used to.

On the inside, Caroline was unaware of Leo's approach. She was offering her newly acquired Slurpuff a piece of snowman-shaped marshmallow when two long arms, attached to an equally (dare she say, abnormally long body) were thrown around her in a hug. "Leo!" Caroline's voice piped up with bright excitement as she spun her body and wrapped (much shorter) arms around her old friend. On her tippy-toes, she planted an affectionate kiss to his cheek. It'd been years since Leo's height had suddenly shot for the sky, but it was a shock that she let die.

"Merry Christmas!!" Her words beamed with excitement as she left the Slurpuff to nibble on her marshmallow. An arm stretched out to (in exaggeration) support the weight he pressed upon her. For someone so skinny, he weighed as much as a Wailord. "Oof, what have you been eating?" A joke, but honestly she didn't mind the touch of her friend. They'd been close ever since they were children, two kids left to pave their own journeys through the farm land. Caroline ready to cause trouble and Leo just along for the ride.

"It's been soooooooo long since I've seen you. What, like? A million years? Have you gotten - oh, no - have you gotten taller??" She laughed, but then abruptly stopped. "Oh no, maybe I'm getting smaller." She stared at her hands in disbelief, but her gaze then reached up to his with a glint of mischief, though her next words held nothing of the jokes she learned from her father. It was honest, short, sweet, and straight to the point.

"I missed you. Did you eat?"

"That easy to tell?" Caroline chimed with a slight laugh as Chryssa's touch creeped up her arm and touched upon the strap of her swimsuit. Oh, this might be going a little further than Caroline was willing to taunt and tease, but before she could say anything, Chryssa's attention was gone. Dewgone, you might say. Haha.

Caroline's feet nearly slipped out from under her as she was forcibly yanked towards the ocean. "Woah, woah, wo-" A stream of excitement burst forth from Chryssa as she dragged Caroline across the sandy beach. She didn't have time to get a word in otherwise. Chryssa was requesting, no, this sounded like demanding that Caroline assist her onto the Lapras.

Well, whatever, it wasn't like Caroline had any other plans. "Get your ass up there, let's gooo." Caroline let her voice match the excitement and enthusiasm of Chryssa, boosting the girl onto the Lapras. In the process, she stepped on something slimy and a dazed Horsea popped out from under her foot. "Oh, oops! Echo, get that. I'll be right back!" She called behind her before scrambling her own way onto its back.

"Onwaaaaard, Chryssa's loyal steed. Get your lady that Dewgong."

And away they went.

chryssa glasgow
stepping on (capturing?) Horsea

The scowled words of the man forced a tsk from Caroline as she turned her attention back to the task at hand. Her conversation with him was only slowing down her own duties and it was obvious that nothing she said would change his mind. As frustrating as that was. Her gloved hands pulled rock after rock away from the collapsed entrance, her efforts revealing nothing so far. Until, well, it wasn't her work that produced the results.

Oscar's holy shit turned Caroline's attention back to the ex-rocket member, then to the target of his wide-eyed gaze. Something red and white was sticking out from beneath the rubble, a ground-stained bag filled to the prim with peeked out from within. It took the Kommo-o moving to allow the man an observation before Caroline could make out what exactly they'd discovered. Her own words echoed Oscar's, "Oh, shit". Argument foregone, Caroline and her Lycanroc paused their work and approached the deceased Delibird. "Oh, that poor thing. It must have been getting ready for Christmas." She murmured, eyes catching the sudden softening of Oscar's expression.

Then, the smile. "Yo, what the fuck?" Caroline stepped forward and threw out a hand to stop the man from rummaging through the Delibird's sack. "What do you think you're doing?! The poor thing's dead." The absolute nerve of this man, to think that a dead creature gave him the right to rummage through its belongings. Guess she wasn't too far off in thinking he was a stale piece of scum. "Seriously, are you crazy or what? Take it to the - oh, no, never mind - you can't be trusted over my dead body. Or anyone else's apparently. I'll take it back to the group."

oscar clayton

crobat and sawsbuck

"I tried a little here and there, but it wasn't quite my cup of tea." Certainly, Caroline was no stranger to Pokemon Contests. Before joining the League and focusing her mind on rehabilitating and protecting Hoenn's nature, she'd dabbled here or there in Contests. However, she'd never seen anything quite like Chryssa's stunning spectacle. "I have zero doubts that you could be a professional if you wanted to, Chryssa. Maybe I'll even be in the crowd cheering you on!" Her face beamed with excitement. There was nothing more exciting than watching trainer and Pokemon perform in harmony.

Caroline took a step back as the Lapras dragged his body onto the safety of the beach and away from the snapping Carvanha. Of course, Caroline couldn't blame them for their irritability. They had, after all, just had their peaceful afternoon completely disrupted by a massive wave. A Spritzee had approached the commotion of frenzied Pokemon with keen interest, but let out a screech when one of the Carvanha leaped from the ocean and tore into her feet. She somersaulted through the air, directly into Caroline's arms. What a poor thing. Echo approached and took the startled Spritzee in her jaws. They'd care for it later.

"Oh no, these ole things ain't fake." Caroline smirked, hands now free and running a hand along the flexed muscles, "just a little by product of my work on the farms. Something to show off to the boys, you know." Then, she added. "And the girls."

Finally, girl and girl stood on glistening sand, it's reflection of sunny warmth curling around their toes. The crooked smile on her face kept it's place as Chryssa approached and stretched out dainty fingers to her biceps. Caroline flexed her arms harder as they wrapped around the muscles of her arm. "Well, how do you think? I put a lot of work into these babies." She placed her own hand atop Chryssa's, feeling the soft and uncalloused touch of skin. A contrast to her own, hardened, hands.

chryssa glasgow
catching Spritzee

Characters: caroline foster [break]
Request: redeeming gacha and premium gacha from advent (for flying) [break]
Thread: pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/11910/carolines-gacha[break]
Moderator: staff completes this field

As the rock exploded, something blue and white sailed into the air with a loud screech and crashed to the ground. Echo ears pricked at the sudden sound and Caroline let out a short gasps. A Galarian Mr. Mime lay on the ground, stunned from the (successful, she must say) attack used by her Titan. "Wow." Caroline stepped to the Mr.Mime and stared at its stunned face. "That was almost perfect, Titan, but next time we should make sure there aren't any unsuspecting Pokemon lying around." Titan let out a huff of dissatisfied air. Wasn't he supposed to be battling Pokemon and doing things to get stronger. If the Mr.Mime had been quickly stunned by his Earthquake, than Titan would say that was a job well down.

"Ah, well." Caroline pulled a ball from her belt and dropped it on the Mr.Mime, who disappeared in the glow of light. "We can take care of him back at the hotel, later." She then turned back to Titan. "Do it again, Titan. Another EARTHQUAKE. I know you can do better." Echo's head was back on her paws. They seemed to be fine. The Mr.Mime was nothing to worry about. On the other hand, Daisy seemed quite startled by the noise (and surrounding commotion of Earthquake) and her flames surged anxiously. When were they going home?

capturing Mr. Mime.

A festive cheer. A festive joy. Laughter and delight filled the atmosphere and glistened in people's hearts like the sparkling Christmas tree lights. An assortment of wrapped gifts were settled beneath the natural pine needles, their wrapping and ribbons varying in shades of red and green. On the kitchen counter, sided by tall candles with flaming wicks that shook and shivered, was another assortment of Christmas treats and snacks. Gingerbread shaped cookies. Strawberry and blueberry tarts with few pieces remaining. Lollipops made to look like little Stantler with ribbons tied around the base of their heads. Marshmellows that looked like snowmen. 

A Christmas melody played in the background of active conversations. Sleigh bells ringing. Starly in a pear tree. Grandma got run over by a Stantler. The children always sang loudly when that one played, their joyous laughter filling the air. Sometimes, the parents would join in. But mostly, they were busy drinking eggnog, playing Christmas themed games, and catching up on all the fun activities of the past year. Some of this sat before the fireplace, kept alight by a small Charmander with a red and green ribbon tied around her neck and a Santa hat upon her head. She seemed to enjoy the constant attention from the children's cooing and fawning over her adorable little outfit. In all these places, adults conversed and detailed their past journeys.

Did you hear about Henry's surgery? I heard that Delilah finally got pregnant. Beautifly and I finally won our first contest last month! The conversations were endless. It was a delightfully joyous time for all of those involved in the Foster's Christmas celebration. As typical of the rehabilitation group, their Pokemon had also been invited to join in on the celebration, though some were required to stay outside (the house wasn't that big, after all). Christmas lights sparkled and glittered along the outdoor fences and each and every Pokemon had been given a special treat suitable for their type. Some had even been given gifts to share with each other.

Yes. Yes. Once again, it surely was a joyous time for all. And Caroline was no exception. Within the warmth of their home, she wore a sleeveless red and black plaid dress that reached down to her knees and fit snug with a black ribbon around her waist. She wore a headband with red antlers and a silver necklace with a minimalistic Christmas tree around her neck. With her mother and father, she laughed and joked in the active socialness of their evening. Many of the visitors were people whom she'd not seen and the joy she felt listening to their recent activities was unparalleled. The day couldn't get any better.

leo del río

Christmas had been a joyous time in the Caroline household. Assorted presents. Roasted chicken. Laughter and joy. It was no surprise that the holiday held a special place in her heart and a near constant and eager awaiting excitement. There had even been a Delibird, outfitted as Santa, handing out gifts to people. However, the holiday and celebrations had come and gone, though New Year's Eve and it's celebrations were still an awaited event. Even her family's Delibird had been enjoying tricking and gifting people with its present skill. However, it wasn't like Caroline to stand around without doing something in benefit of the League or her Pokemon. In this case, it was working with Titan on his cockiness and power control issues. He seemed to find joy in exploding everything around with an Earthquake or attempting to bring down mountains with similar attacks. If not that, he was (for some god forsaken reason) putting his teeth into everything.

Tree? Fire fang. And would you look at that! The forest is kind of on fire now! Fish? Ice fang! And huh, how about that? Now the pond is a bit frozen. Thunder fang? Let's not even get started about the time he tried to get Caroline with that move.

It wasn't his fault, persay. Evolution had given him a whole set of new and exciting skills to try. Therefore, it was only a given that Titan wanted to try everything every minute and every second of every day. That surely would not do.

"Okay, Titan." Echo was watching Caroline work from a raised stone, her paws draped and crossed over the edges. Daisy had curled up her hooves and leaned her head against the stone. "If you use Earthquake too much in here, this whole place is going to collapse. We're going to work on limiting the spread and intensity of it." Her eyes glanced around until she found a large stone sticking up from the center of the path leading further into the cave. "Use Earthquake on that stone, blow it up but don't go past it."