Keenan covered his ears, as did his Pokemon. The pseudo legendary's fists vibrated and smashed the wall into pebbles with ease. That was quite an intense attack, as Kee was able to feel the disturbance on his face and bare skin. Well, even his clothes vibrated some from it. Inside was a chest full of gems and a key. Eyes shining because of shiny stones, he stumbled forward towards the chest. Shalin took the key, but Keenan took a few of the gems. They didn't feel like they were plastic or fake, but they definitely needed to go to a jeweler or something to get them valued. "Shoot, even a handful or two would be enough! Sadly...I don't think we can take the whole chest. It'll just slow us down a lot, and we may end up as skeletons because of those Seviper. I'm just going to take a handful or two..."

It wouldn't be good if they got slowed down by the chest and those Seviper caught up because of it. He took three handfuls and stuffed them in his backpack. Then he eyed the key. "There was that door back there. We might use it there and move on in a hurry. That door looked like it was the only way forward..." At least, he didn't see any other passageways or anything. If they rushed, they might be able to get there and through before the Seviper were even close. He may even use Ariados's various web attacks to slow them down some more, or make it look like they might have went another way.

Taking the key, they went back to the previous chamber, and used it on the door. It fit perfectly, and with some loud thumps and klinking, opened with a hard push...

Shalin Nariya

Kee figured that was what any disabled person would want. Even if that's something he and his brothers would do differently. He kind of sounded like a workaholic. "Sounds like they're just watching out for their boss. Everyone needs a break, even a short one, to just recharge and get ready for round two. I think even if you weren't blind, they would still insist on you taking a small break. Part of that could be because of age. I think they just don't want you to get burned out." Cooking was hard work, after all. He'd seen his brother and mom work tirelessly to cook a good meal. It wasn't always quick and easy.

"I wondered if that was true. Still cool though." You hear about that all the time, other senses getting better to make up for the lost one. Still cool that he could tell what spices and seasonings were in by smell alone. Not that he'd ever intentionally get that close, but Kee now hoped that he didn't smell bad by any means. But the next answer...that made his eyes grow to be saucers. Kee did not expect that, he just assumed they were still alive. Guess Shin was the only surviver in an accident that also cost his sight. "Sorry...I didn't..." A somber tone blanketed the atmosphere. Shin seemed to shake his head clear and went on. "That's good. Mom is in IT, I think she's some upper leveled manager or something for a tech company, so I can see that. She's better at computer stuff than any of us brothers!" Kee was glad that the mood changed quickly, even with a chuckle.

"Yep!" And off they went. Soon they did come across a Pignite and a Crabrawler. Kee didn't like either one, so he just kept a close eye on whichever one Shin didn't go for. The red head had Serperior stand down, and sent out a Zweilous. "Oh, I had one of those! I trained up my Zweilous enough that she became a Hydreigon! She can be tough to handle, but she's really strong..." Seemed Shin was going for the Pignite.


shinobu fujimori

"Ugh, after a while, I'd start getting pissed too..." You'd have to adapt, and while it may take a while, you're not completely helpless. They continued on once his pokeball stopped shaking, and the Rhyhorn was captured. Shinny started to answer his question. He took out his phone and made a note about it. Kasumi's Eatery sounded nice. He'd have to do more research on it. It sounded like it was a coping mechanism for losing his eyesight, but soon it turned into something more. That was really cool. And the red head had support to do it! "So cool! I wonder if there are some programs to help with that for blind and other visually impaired people to do their finances..." And how much that would cost. Maybe he'd see if his mom knew anything about it. If Shin could see, he'd see the sparkles in Kee's eyes.

Soon, they heard something heavy heading towards them. They soon found it was an Aggron! "Aggron!" A cool and dangerous Pokemon. Especially with the way it was charging at them. Shin's Serperior came into play, using Leaf Blade to deter it. The battle didn't last much longer, with a pokeball thrown. Despite being blind, he hit it! "Nice throw! You gotta have some damn good hearing to pinpoint that." That was the only reason he could think of that Shin knew where to throw it at. A little farther down, he saw an injured Machoke. Taking out some potions, he treated it. The fighting pokemon barked at him and hugged him. Then seemingly asked if he could go with the blonde. The Houndoom barked a warm welcome. Without even consulting him! Kee sighed and took out a pokeball and tapped it on Machoke's chest.

"It sounds like your aunt has your back. Any siblings, or how did your parents react?" That was a risky question to be diving into. Hopefully he didn't open up a can of worms with that one...


shinobu fujimori

While Shalin's Pyroar dealt with her opponent, Keenan released Ariados and Whiscash. While Growlithe did jump back, he did lose some fir. That was a little too close. Whiscash used Spark, electricity surging around around it, then tackling the Seviper attacking Growlith. Then it was Araidos's turn. "Ariados, block the way, Electroweb, Sticky Web, and Spider Web! All the webs!" There was Toxc Thread there, but the Seviper would all be immune to it. Still, the spider Pokemon started off with Electroweb, forming a literal web of electricity to block the way. Sure, they could cut it down, but that would cause them to get a very nasty jolt. And with webs everywhere, even on the ground and all over, their progress would be slow.

Hopefully Kee and Shalin can put on some distance then. And they found an arrow on the way back. "Yeah, we better. All of those webs are just going to slow them down. At least they seemed pretty determined to get to us. So the more distance, the better." Even with Ariados putting up another Electroweb and more webs in general at the entrance behind them. And hopefully they won't be too smart...


Shalin Nariya

Seemed the other boy agreed. "Everyone has an off day. Even me. But so far, you seem friendly enough!" Even bashful. While Houndoom dealt with the Rhyhorn, Shinobu said something that caught his interest. "Before I went blind." So the red head wasn't born that way. Nevertheless, he ordered his Serperior to keep the Diggersby occupied. After a Dark Pulse, the Rhyhorn looked worn down enough. So Kee took out a pokeball and threw it.

"Ace mentioned you own a restaurant? How'd you manage to do that at our age?! I don't even know what I want to do in my life, let alone try to take on that kind of responsibility." Or look at the finances. They weren't poor by any means, but his parents couldn't just invest in a business for him to run like that. Or attempt to run. Anyways, while that was an interesting comment about not always having been blind, Kee also didn't want to be nosy. Plus, he didn't know if the chef was sensitive about it or not. And he really wanted the boy to like him!


shinobu fujimori

Awe...so cute when he stumbled over his words. Clearly not used to hearing such remarks. That was tragic. Then Shin asked if Aaron had told him that he was blind. Oh, well, that explained the cane. And lack of flashlights and/or lanterns. "He didn't. Not that it would be a deal breaker if he did, ha ha. Ace just takes it as part of the person, not unlike being wheelchair bound, missing an eye, or a limb or anything else really, including tattoos and ear piercings. It's not important nor is it a red flag. No, Aaron didn't mention anything that was concerning." That was just the type of person that they were. "Both of us, well, all three of us since there is another older brother but he's in Johto, were raised to judge on character, not by anything else."

The cutie patooie nodded, and was ready to go. Houndoom went up ahead of them to keep an eye out. The Serperior went in front as well. From what he could see, there was a Rhyhorn and a Diggersby nearby. The Diggersby digging and the Rhyhorn just glaring at it. "Looks like a Diggersby and a Rhyhorn. I'm going to go after the Rhyhorn. Oh, do you not have a Rotomdex or something similar? I've heard those were pretty handy for those with certain disabilities." They were pricy though. It wasn't often that Keenan had to take his pokedex though, since like his brothers, he could identify most Pokemon. But man, it was nice to have when he did have to use it.

With a target mentioned, Houndoom stepped out in front even more and growled out a challenge. The Rhyhorn turned and eyed him. Then fully faced him and roared back at him. Only for Houndoom to fire a Flamethrower. Not that it did much, but showed that he wasn't intimidated. Now the game was afoot. The Rhyhorn charged with Horn Attack, only to miss, and get a Sludge Bomb in the side, toppling it over and rolling. Once it recovered, it was charging again...

The Diggersby was just looking around confused.

shinobu fujimori

Normally, Keenan wouldn't touch a place that was recently very dangerious in the form of the Ultra Deep Sea. Particularly since a major fight happened there recently. But...when Aaron said that a cooking teacher (seriously?! another one?!) was wanting to get out and try catching Pokemon again, and that the guy was just Kee's type, he was very curious. Ace wasn't known to try to be a matchmaker, but it was also kind of cute that he was looking out for his big brother. So here he was with Houndoom out.

Their meeting place was Granite Cave. The entrance more specifically. He just hoped that Team Rocket had long since left. With his bad sense of direction, he had gotten lost, and while looking at his phone to try to get to the entrance, he ended up falling five feet and face planting into the sand with his butt up in the air and an "oof!". His Houndoom slid down and barked a hello. Pushing his head out of the sand, the blonde noticed a red head with a Serperior at the entrance, and the hello. After blinking a few times to make sure he wasn't hellucinating, he spoke. "Hi there, cutie. You Shinobu? Aaron's recent cooking teacher? I hope you didn't see that...ah, I'm Keenan Toral, nice to meet you!" How could someone look so angelic! And have a cool Pokemon by thier side! And he hoped to Arceus that the lad did not just see him fall flat on his face. He sort of rambled there.

But cute guy plus cave plus Pokemon hunting...sounded like a date. "So...yeah, are you ready?" Getting up, he darted, almost haphazardly yet gracefully, towards the guy and the cave entrance. Turning on a flashlight, it didn't take long for an encounter...


shinobu fujimori

The box torches...were not as they seemed. They were much heavier than he thought, and there was no way he could take them with him. Oh well. The path in front of them had a door that needed a key of some sort. There was a wall that looked...off. But nothing more. Kind of? He could feel an air current there. Even so, his lighting both fires did open up a pathway. Shalin went first, saying something about a medallion. "What medallion?" Was he missing something? Sadly, he didn't get an answer. But only because they ran into a bit of a snag. Seviper. And a ton of them too! Kee looked around and found a tunnel to his right.

"Shalin, this way! Growlithe, cover her with Flame Burst!" Growlithe jumped between his trainer and the snake pokemon and started firing fire balls. Upon contact with anything, they exploded in a decent area of effect, but the fire dog was careful with it too. Both trying not to hit Shalin, but also not causing that much damage as well. It was a delicate balance. The blonde ran down the tunnel as it got narrower so only one person can go through at a time. Keenan was a fast runner, probably the only other thing he was good at besides singing and dancing and doing both of those at once. The narrow space did provide one advantage though. One to two Seviper at a time. Once every so often, Growlithe would turn and use a Flame Burst to slow them down.

He eventually made it out of the tunnel and into another chamber. But also did a faceplant first since the chamber's floor was about three feet lower than the ground. Face and torso on the ground and his lower torso bent back with his legs over his head. Feet almost touching his head because he was that flexible. Arceus he hoped none of the Seviper decided to chase them this far...and hoped Shalin followed him...

Shalin Nariya

That Beedrill's wings were loud! Even as a Quagsire tried to shoot her down, and got kicked by his Tyrantrum, off they went at a comfortable speed and distance. They did find it...or maybe it was the entrance to it? An eyesocket of some kind...gross. Shalin hopped off while Kee slid down Tyrantrum's tail. Cuz she was awesome that way. The blonde followed the woman, returning his big dinosaur into her pokeball. It wouldn't be good if she rushed in and started to destroy things. He took out Growlithe, while Shalin took out her Pyroar again. "Growlithe has Flash Fire. I saw that when hit by a fire type move, she glows..." And is very much unharmed. The puppy barked in confirmation.

They soon found a crossroads, one of which had box torches in front of it. Huh. "Looks like we're not the first ones here. Road not taken or the safer route?" Walking over, he grabbed both torches and held them out as far away from him as possible. Growlithe used Flame Burst to light both of them at once. And didn't even hurt her trainer! Such a good girl! Keenan handed one of them over to Shalin, ready to follow her. It...probably wouldn't be a good idea to split up at all. Especially with his terrible sense of direction...


Shalin Nariya

She agreed. And seemed like she was about to take out a couple of Pokemon before he got out his big girl. "Oh, yeah, Tyrantrum is awesome! Since she's evolved, I'm more eager than ever to bring her into a gym battle." And he didn't bring a flyer at all. Even if she did have one for him, Tyrantrum was large enough in his mind that the extra height wouldn't matter. Shalin took out some earplugs, ready to go on her ginormous Beedrill. Thing was twice the size of his! Keenan waved back at Queen Zing and so did Tyrantrum. Though his big girl kind of huffed a bit. Some Queen.

Both rider and Pokemon started to go, hovering just above the ground. Shalin wasn't kidding about the drum of her Beedrill's wings. Yikes! Tyrantrum was quieter...but not by a lot. The water would ripple with every step, similar to a certain classic movie. Even with all the Pokemon running, both prey and predators, they still had to be careful. More than once did Keenan had to direct Ty to a different route because of a nest or something similar. That was the problem with large Pokemon, they tended to disturb the environment a bit much.

Shalin Nariya

Keenan groaned at the compliment. "Thanks, but dear Arceus I hope I never have to get involved in an incident like what he did for the non-traditional challenge. I was still half surprised he rated our firepower at B. But the other two grades were higher yet. If that's the toughest out of the bunch, I'll be in the clear." Or so he says. Gym leaders were tough. Some tougher than they seem on paper. A Centiscorch scurried away from them as a Growlithe got a little too curious. Remmy caught it. "After checking up on my parents and bro, I may see if noah faber has any openings. I'm ready for that rematch." Granbull and Mimikyu were mostly trained and at the ready. They soon found a crossroads. One with a sign that sent them to a town. Well, at least he knew where to go after tonight. "I think I'm gonna head back to my camp. At least I know where to go in the morning. Good luck. If I find or see anything, I'll report it..." With that, he went back towards camp with Houndoom leading the way.

Remiel Calcifet

Kee's Whiscash flopped over, and gave him a little bit of water to wash off the mud on his face and arms. And clothes. So now instead of being soaked in sweat, he was soaked in water. But at least he didn't mud caked on him. The Pyroar riding gal sure was hyper, and explained why she was there and everything. The location itself did sound cool though! "Keenan Toral. I'm just a trainer trying to get back to Fortree City. I'm...bad at directions. Although that cave system does sound cool...mind if I tag along?"

He returned both his Ariados and Whiscash, and sent out Tyrantrum. "Hey, big girl, wanna give me ride? Since I can't move for crap in these wetlands?" The big fossil roared excitedly, and gently picked him up and tossed him onto her back. And boom, he was ready to go! "Of course, if you could help me get back to town afterwards, that would be much appreciated. Anyways, you lead, we follow?" His big dinosaur was ready to move, almost doing that wierd anxious hop thing that even humans do when they were excited or really needed to get going.

Shalin Nariya

Wetlands...they were icky, muddy, and wet. Keenan wouldn't have minded the wet part if there was some eye candy around, but there was not. Just tall grass and mud. Today was overcast instead of raining, so at least he could move about a bit. Whiscash wasn't having any issues, and neither did his Ariados. His spider stuck with him while his catfish bounced a bit further ahead. The blonde teenager wore a white tank top, blue over shirt, a straw hat, blue jeans, and sneakers. He almost lost his sneakers six times now. He really needed to get to know this area a bit more...or get a map.

He wondered if his brother knew more about this part of Hoenn. He did not like it, and had splatters of mud all over his clothes. Perhaps he should have planned earlier...Splashfest was coming up, and the list of events had him excited. Keenan didn't want to miss it. His fish yelled when it nearly got ran over by something with a red ponytail? Nope, that was a Pyroar! Female, he thought. "Woah! Whiscash, you all right?!" He yelled, and tried to trot over to them. Only to trip in some sticky mud and land face first into it. Ariados was not a supportive spider, snickering. But still went over to check on its friend...

Shalin Nariya