There had been a traffic jam up ahead from the looks of things - and though Ettie was still behind, it was nonetheless a chance for her to close the distance. Duchess' excitement was plain to see, all the whilst - the prior boost had been fun, and well... She wanted to do it again! - glancing back to express as much to Ettie.

The wildchild couldn't help but giggle - fingers scritching along the manectric's mane. "Wait," She spoke gently - seeing the obstacle coming up. Doing it straight away may not be the best idea - but she had a feeling if they just waited a second, and gave it just a few seconds longer, they could... There! "Go!"

Seeing the opportunity to go all-out, the electric-type was prepared to use the boost right up - once more darting into a breakneck Quick Attack, in hopes of catching up to the others..!

Using a boost; taking the second target
BVy2LoKd


Speed: A (4) // Endurance: C (2) // Reaction: C (2)
Josh Devlin

A game to test one's strength? Ettie tilted her head as Johanna explained it - visibly curious, and watching another person swing the aforementioned mallet at the target that sat at the base of the machine. The bright lights, the sound of the ding when the indicator manages to hit the bell... It was quite eyecatching, to say the least!

But what really sold Ettie on giving it a try, was the interest that Ruffian had on display - the little lilipup giving a bark and gesturing a paw towards the machine. "Ehehe- Ruffian want-play?" The wildchild questioned as she pointed to the Test Your Strength machine - only to giggle and nod when the pup gave a bark of affirmative. "Ok! We play!"

Thus, Ettie and her packmates would move to wait in line - not that the queue was all that long. Ruffian was visibly antsy though, paws tip-tapping as he fidgeted - trying his best to wait, despite the impatience that he'd express in the occasional little 'rrrruff!'s he made. For a moment, it'd look as though he would just run on ahead and cut in line -- but Anne would press a paw down on his back to hold him still, making an exasperated huff at him.

And before too long, the group's turn arrived - and Ettie, eager as always, would be the first to try her hand at the machine. Mallet in hand, she'd heft it over her head with an excited grin - and swung it down with gusto..! Which, she would manage to hit the target a little harder than one might have expected for such a small girl. Though taking her athletic nature into account, one could say she did pretty well, even if strength was ultimately not her strong point.

Glancing over to Johanna though, she'd smile brightly - eyes lit up like a puppy waiting for praise - asking "Is good?"

Ruffian, however, was quick to take a crack at the machine. It was pretty clear to him at from the start that the mallet was a no-go, given his lack of thumbs. But he was determined to make an impression - at first attempting to slam his front paws down upon the target a few times! When the indicator barely twitched upwards though, his expression furrowed - he couldn't really put his back into it, like this...

... So instead, he barked for Anne to come over. The lycanroc gave him a puzzled look as she approached - ready to question what he wanted... Only to be surprised when Ruffian would leap, scrabbling up her mane and onto her back! From here, Ruffian would puff his chest with determination, before diving down from the vantage point Anne offered - and throwing himself into the target with Take Down..!

This time, the indicator rocketed up - right up to the bell, where it'd give a satisfying DING!

It was probably a good thing that the machine appeared to be made to withstand pokemon giving it a try - although Ruffian had not considered the consequences of slamming face-first into a metallic surface. The lilipup was clearly dazed from his own gambit - stumbling and staggering back to the others, despite his best efforts to hold his head high and appear proud and composed.

Anne just sighed and shook her head.

"Za-ci-an... Za-ma-zen-ta..." Ettie would slowly sound out the names to herself - as if she were familiarizing herself with the feel of the names on her tongue. But all the while, she slowly nodded - thinking back to the otome. So they were real? She knew that Julia had said that what happens in the otomes was fiction - that it isn't what's actually happening - and yet... Having this confirmed to her, it made the wildchild wonder if the two legendary canines really were out there somewhere.

The mention of stories, however, was curious. Glancing up to Elise as she continued to help, Ettie questioned "What stories? Josh tell-Ettie Legendary Pokemon... Ettie want-know more!" She knew that they were strong, from what Josh had mentioned before - very strong. That, and that there was usually one of them... And yet, it seemed as though Zacian and Zamazenta were a duo. "Zacian-Zamazenta... Is packmates?" They were canids like lycanroc, after all - were they a pack, even if a tiny one?

Elise Calcifet

OOC for my own sanity buuuuut~

- #9: "Despite everything that's happened and will happen, why are you still in Hoenn?"
- - Mainly a sense of loyalty. Ettie has friends - friends she wouldn't want to leave behind. She adores those she's met in her exploration of Hoenn, and would be willing to fight for them if need be. Otherwise, it's sort of a sense of scale (or lack thereof.) She can't quite imagine a threat that she and her pack wouldn't be able to handle with the right plan - mainly because she hasn't truly faced anything that couldn't be fought off or ran from.

- #10: "If you can be an avatar, which legendary Pokemon would you prefer to be your patron?"
- - Ideally, Zacian for obvious reasons - though Ettie existed before Sword and Shield, it's honestly funny to me how much Ettie and Anne as a duo fit the theme of sword vs shield respectively, at least in my head. Zamazenta would be a close second, of course. Otherwise, I actually kinda like the idea of her and Koraidon? But iunno.

Ettie blinked initially at some of the terms that Elise used. Embassy, ambassadors, royal family... Though context and her gleaning the important bits did help to fill in some of the gaps, a quizzical hue was still in her expression for a few moments. But, with Elise's introduction, Ettie would smile and nod. "Happy-meet!" She responded, her expression quickly turning warm and bright. "Is-cleaning? Ettie help!"

Not even waiting for an answer, the wildchild would take to gathering up pieces of trash - humming happily as she did.

Anne, meanwhile, was content to let Mana work once initial greetings were out of the way - the wolf following after Ettie and watching her hard at work. Occasionally, she'd cast a glance back at Elise - watching, gauging - before turning her attentions back to Ettie, though the lycanroc's ears were still swiveled in the princess' direction. Though her gaze wasn't solely on Elise, she was still listening to the other's movements all the same.

Ettie, either oblivious or not acknowledging Anne's protective behavior, would instead approach Elise once more to deposit a couple handfuls of trash into her bag. A thought seemed to occur to her then though, as her smiling expression turned inquisitive. "Ga-lar-i-an... Elise-friend know, uhm... Galar-i-an canids? Blue-red?" Namely, the ones that the girl had seen during a certain otome route, with a certain Dahlia Goode...

She was curious about Zacian and Zamazenta - even if she did not know them by name - and wanted to learn more about them. It may have been an odd question for Ettie to drop out of the blue - but the wildchild was curious! Could you blame her for that?

Elise Calcifet

Elise would not be the only one on the job today - although, to say that this was a 'job' was probably not the exact word one might use for someone like Ettie and what she did. Given her nomadic and freespirited nature, Ettie didn't usually stick in one place for long enough to actually be employed (let alone the fact she was probably a bit young for it!) But, if there was one thing that Ettie enjoyed, it was lending a hand to those close to her.

Thus, whenever her wandering looped back around to Mauville so that she could visit Josh, it wasn't unusual for her to volunteer at the gym while she was in the area. This mainly consisted of her working with Josh's land beasts and helping care for them - feeding and watering them, grooming them, and - most notably - giving them exercise.

This lattermost task was what Elise would soon bear witness to - as a number of Josh's beasts would be seen mixed amongst some of Ettie's own canids, engaged in one huge game of tag! They were chasing eachother around the fields within viewing distance of the office building - the title of 'It' often changing hands (or paws) faster than one could blink! And all the whilst, the sounds of excited barks, playful growls, and cheery laughter filled the air - Ettie astride Anne, as the two barely manage to duck away from Saber's attempts to catch and tag them.

The game would begin straying close to the building - not concerningly so, especially given that a number of the pokemon present had the minds to make sure things didn't get out of hand. But, it was enough for Ettie to notice that there was another employee here - a woman that she didn't recognize, and her mismagius.

Curiosity piqued, Ettie would end up directing Anne away from the general mass of the playing beasts - trusting the rest of her pack to help keep everyone occupied. The dusk lycanroc initially gave her a puzzled look, at least until she noticed the woman as well. This person was clearly new - newer than the other employees that Ettie had since familiarized herself with, at least. Who were those two, they wondered?

With a light encouraging nudge from Ettie, the duo would approach - the horse-sized wolf and the wildchild astride her. And as they neared, Ettie hopped down from Anne's back and waved widely - greeting "Friend! Hello!" She smiled brightly, her friendly demeanor plain to see, even as she spoke in an odd broken English. "Ettie not-meet before! Is-new? Who-is?"

Anne, meanwhile, glanced to Mana - dipping her head and chuffing in a polite greeting towards the ghost. Though, it was clear to see she was paying Elise close attention as the little wildchild approached the princess. After all, Elise was a stranger - and you could never know how human strangers were going to act.

Elise Calcifet

It seemed that it was Morrigan's turn to go unnoticed - because Ettie was perfectly happy to pay more attention to the comparatively friendlier Callisto.

Even if there was still the language barrier to be contended with, Haru was happy to help - the Delphox stepping up, and using telepathy to help convey Callisto's words to Ettie. Namely, by expressing a number of concepts and imagery upon Ettie's mind. Play, fire, shaping and molding...

Ettie smiled brightly as the meaning clicked in her mind, and she nodded to the Salazzle. "Fire dangerous - but pretty, and keep-warm!" She commented with a smile - adding "Haru good-with fire! Astus, too! Can play-with!" as she gestured to the two pokemon in question. "Barbara-use, too, and Anne can-use when shiny-glowy-pretty, uhm... Tera-stal-ize?" She paused for a second - glancing to Haru for confirmation that she got it right. When the fox nodded though, Ettie's expression brightened further.

But there was also the question of what Ettie liked to do - to which she stated "Ettie like chase - tag! And hide-seek! And wrestling! And explore!" It sounded like Ettie was quite the sporty child, all things considered - which, with her seemingly boundless energy, was that truly a surprise?

Duchess, meanwhile, would make happy barks and chuffs to Callisto - expressing that she loved to run. Like, really loved to run. She loved running lots and lots and lots! Maybe they could run together? Or even ride, she was pretty sure she was big enough to carry Callisto! That could be fun! Noone says that someone has to be a human to ride her, after all!

Ettie, visibly endeared at the manectric's enthusiasm, would giggle and scritch her behind the ear.

Present:

Morrigan Anderson

Things had initially appeared optimistic - although, this was perhaps when a bit of inexperience on the duo's part began to show. The steep slope was an unforgiving one - and when Duchess attempted to adjust for the turn, she'd end up tripping on her own paws! Yelping, the manectric was sent tumbling - and Ettie yelped in surprise as she, too, was taken along for the ride! As her leg roughly bumped into the wall and was pinched, Ettie snarled in pain - teeth gritted in a feral expression - though the discomfort did not last long, before Duchess found her footing again.

When the wolf sent a questioning whine in Ettie's direction, the wildchild's expression softened. "Am okay," She spoke - and it was true. Her leg was still aching a bit from that, and was sure to sport a bruise for afterwards, but it wasn't broken. It wasn't dislocated. She could still move it - which was all that the little wolfgirl cared, in that moment.

This had been a setback, though - being at the back of the pack once more, and perhaps slightly split off from it. But with the second lap in hot pursuit, it brought with the opportunity to shake things up. And Duchess, knowing quite well what was about to happen, was excited.

It was as soon as the manectric crossed the line that she was off - Duchess launching herself forward into a Quick Attack! She let out a sound somewhere between a bark and a howl - as if she were trying to whoop with excitement - as she sped forward with zero worries to be had. And Ettie, enjoying every bit of this, would let out a genuine howl of her own - gripping tight onto the straps of the saddle, as the wind rushed past them both...!

As Nikita came close, Anne would watch him like a hawk - the wolf's gaze sharp, her agitation clear to see from her half-curled lips, stiff tail, and ears tilted back. One wrong move would more likely than not set the lycanroc off, when she was on-edge like this - her protective instincts demanding her to be prepared to ward off any threat.

Ettie, however, just appeared a little quizzical at the detective's examination - the young girl allowing him to look more closely, and even tilting her head to the side to make it easier. Even in the dim lighting, it was easy to see where Ettie's pale skin was reddened - but it was hard to tell whether this was because she had been stung, or if it was because she had been scratching herself but moments ago. "Ettie... Feel okay," She spoke - briefly pausing to gauge how she felt - before casting a gaze over her shoulder once more. "Just... Surprise." Which, could one blame her? One second, she had been watching some distant nihilego - and then the next, everyone is up in arms due to something having snuck up on them.

Which, the surprises were about to continue. As if drawn by the lights and commotion, a swarm of sharpedo and veluza approached - corrupt beasts, twisted just enough to appear off to the naked eye. The pack began to bristle and growl, prepared to protect themselves against the approaching predators...

... Johanna, however, was keen on protecting them so they could run. Ettie's expression shifted into one of worry - to leave allies behind didn't exactly feel right to her. And yet, it was clear that the swarm of corrupt predators was more trouble than it was worth to fight. To stand their ground would just mean people getting needlessly hurt.

Thus, while Ettie was visibly reluctant to leave Johanna, she nonetheless followed the gym leader's instructions - the pack turning around to make their retreat. However, the wildchild glanced to Aurien, and with a gesture in Johanna's direction, she stated "Help friend."

Aurien, being the dutiful and brave primarina that he was, saluted without a second thought. He'd charge into the fray with an Aqua Jet, that was quickly followed up with a Play Rough to smack away a nearby sharpedo as he helped Retnuah cover Clay. All the while though, he let loose a valiant cry - as if to say 'Have no fear, Aurien is here!' ...

... It would likely become easy to see that this primarina had a taste for superhero antics.

But before long, Clay would form a blockade in the tunnel to hold back the swarm; and Aurien took this as a sign that they were to skeedaddle! As Johanna turned to run, Aurien would swoop down to attempt to scoop her up in his arms - as if she were a damsel in distress - before he was off, swimming as fast as he could to catch up with everyone else...!

But even as Aurien aided in the escape, he could hear the sounds of thuds, and crumbling earth, as the corrupted swarm was striking at the blockade. The primarina spared a glance behind him - though it was too dim to make out much, beyond the way the rocks occasionally shifted under what must have been quite the assault....

Meanwhile though, Ettie's pack was moving with purpose - Haru having dimmed the light of her torch, to help avoid drawing any more attention to themselves. Anne's eyes scanned their surroundings warily, unsure of what to expect around any corner. They were tense, on high alert, and it was safe to say Ettie was pretty concerned for Johanna, as well. Was she doing ok? Was Aurien able to help?

The wildchild made a soft whine as she gazed over her shoulder - bringing a hand up to her chest, as if hoping to soothe the quickened beats of her heart. It had yet to calm down - though these hectic situations were sure to blame for it... That, and the sense of building unease that seemed to be sinking its grip into her... It was like her instincts were screaming at her that something was wrong - and yet, she wasn't sure what exactly... There was just something, about this whole place, that she didn't like...

Anne, picking up on Ettie's unsettled demeanor, would sidle all the closer to her - 'swimming' alongside Pago, and nuzzling against her smaller sister's side. The wolf couldn't help but share in the sentiments, even if she did not feel the same persistent heartbeat and building unease - this place was very different from the Border, in a way that she didn't like.

Johanna Joy , Nikita Sokolov

Harvesting:
- 3x Custap Berry
- - Unnamed Poochyena evolves into Mightyena (for Ettie)
- - Rascal the Maschiff evolves into Mabosstif (for Ettie)
- - Tsukiko the A. Vulpix evolves into A. Ninetales (for Makoto Kurumi)

Buying:
- 3x Custap Berries (45 pd)

"Oh..." Morrigan's icy reception, safe to say, seemed unbreakable - even in the face of a subject like one's family. And neither Ettie nor her pack were the only ones to be bothered over the other girl's statement, either. Ettie's eyes glanced over to Callisto with a hue of sympathy, and Anat - being a Lucario, and thus relatively sensitive to the emotions of others - would give the poison-type a light chuff of encouragement and comfort.

For a moment, things went quiet - Ettie seemingly having nothing else to say to Morrigan. In fact, the pack milled briefly as if they were getting ready to move on... Until something occurred to Ettie, that was.

She didn't exactly know how to feel about Morrigan... But she was definitely more than willing to socialize with Callisto - and she did just that, offering the lizard a warm smile! "Friend, want-play?" She offered, tilting her head with curiosity.

Pokemon were their own people - so it might not have necessarily been weird for Ettie to just sidestep Morrigan to talk directly to Callisto. But given that pokemon were usually behooven by their trainers in some shape or form, wanting to invite Callisto and not Morrigan might be a little odd!

As if picking up in the changes in Ettie's approach and demeanor though, Duchess would join in - approaching Callisto carefully, before dropping into a playbow with a friendly bark! She wasn't sure about the other human, but maybe Callisto was okay! They could play together whilst Morrigan did Morrigan things, right?

Present:

Morrigan Anderson

Last but not least though, would be a Spritzee - though Ettie found the little one hidden in an alcove in an older building that made up the city - curled up in a gap in the wall, fast asleep. The wildchild couldn't help a soft giggle at the cute sight - and would leave a couple of berries next to the fairy bird's nest, before moving on.

Wandering through the city was certainly a fascinating experience - and Ettie couldn't help but wonder what else they may find out here, another night...

Safe to say, even just from the entrance, Ettie could see a lot of different things. There were food stalls, the distant shapes of rides, and a variety of games - with all the smells, sights, and sounds to match! And unlike most visits that a child might be taken on, this one didn't have a time limit - Johanna was happy to follow after for however long Ettie and her pack had energy to spare!

Ettie would take Johanna's hand as they walked along - initially indecisive, unsure of what she might look for in a fun game or ride. It was safe to say that Duchess was gravitating towards anything with bright lights though, whereas Princess was staring at a food cart...

... But, that was when a distinctive DING! from off to the side caught Ettie's attention - and she'd notice a Test Your Strength game, someone having just swung the hammer. Interest piqued, Ettie pointed towards it as she glanced to Johanna - asking "What is?"

Ruffian seemed quite interested in the game as well - the lilipup staring intently. Perhaps he wanted to test his strength, too? Although, it was hard to say how he'd do it, given that he didn't have opposable thumbs to hold a hammer with...