Though things had briefly appeared dicey, Duchess was advancing up through the ranks a bit - having managed to pass Blitz and Crash both! However, there was still the trouble of actually catching up to Josh - Saber having since sprinted into the lead, with a gradually expanding gap between some of the competitors!

Even with this tricky track though, it was plain to see that Duchess was having the time of her life, her tongue lolling as she breathed heavily yet steadily, her angled tail wagging a mile a minute. As she neared and passed Blitz, she'd greet the Luxray and his rider with a happy, playful bark!

But, another obstacle was fast approaching - a large loop, the steep incline that formed it sure to test Duchess' traction and strength. Ettie chuffed gently - encouragingly - as she ran her gloved hand over the manectric's neck. They could do this.

6SxsinG2

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

The Border had been strange then - but in a way, the Ultra Deep Sea was an even stranger place. To be able to swim through the air as if it were water, the dim and eerie lighting, a pulsing rumble like a beating heart...

Really, the primary reason why Ettie was here was cause of Johanna Joy . When she heard that her friend had been preparing a trip into another one of these strange rifts, the wildchild was eager to follow after - ready to explore someplace new! The fact that another person she knew - namely Nikita Sokolov - was present was a plus, too! But upon entering the Ultra Deep Sea, it became readily apparent that this was an opportunity for something a little different.

Namely, it was a chance for the seals to come out and play.

Pago, Penny, and Aurien all would be out and about - the trio happy to swim to their hearts content in this strange environment. Ettie would be seated atop Pago in particular - whilst the offer was open for Nikita or Johanna to ride atop the other two. Aurien was eager and daredevil in nature, enjoying flipping and twisting about through the 'sea'. Penny, on the other hand, was a bit more lax - but also a diva, who enjoyed nothing more than having her rider's attention on her.

Otherwise, there was also Anne, Duchess, Princess, and Haru - the others waiting in their pokeballs for the time being. With the awkwardness of 'swimming', only some of the pokemon were interested in dealing with the fuss. Anne stuck around because of her dislike for a pokeball, wanting to be near Ettie and able to assess their surroundings. Duchess, meanwhile, would use this as a chance to practice moving about with Magnet Rise - Princess following close behind.

And Haru took to lighting the way with her staff - a flame at the end providing visibility, much like a torch.

Finally though, there were two others. Scarlet was present, remaining sheathed at the small of Ettie's back - and a certain Marshadow hid within her shadow. For now, Scarlet was dormant - the doublade simply content to slumber until it was time for them to be drawn. The Marshadow, on the other hand - given the name Delle - would watch her surroundings from Ettie's shadow, full of awe and curiosity alike...

It had been some time since they initially entered this place, though - and thus far, there didn't appear to be any visible threats. At least, not yet. Ettie was relaxed, looking around with about as much awe as she did when they first entered - though Anne remained on the alert as always, keeping a close eye on the group's surroundings... Who knew what might dwell down here, after all...?

Completed 03



Johanna Joy , Nikita Sokolov

Sadly, despite the duo's best efforts, they'd find themselves pushed towards the back of the pack. Though Duchess had attempted to squeeze her way into the narrow lead, she wasn't quite aggressive enough with the advance - Josh and Shawn would manage to push past her, bringing the manectric to the back of the pack alongside Lyndon and Crash.

Ettie, however, wasn't discouraged - reaching out to gently scritch Duchess on the neck. They were still close - practically tail-to-nose, with barely even a half-second difference between them and Blitz at the lead. Were this a hunt - which, the instinctual part of her brain almost wanted to treat this like one, though she pushed that part back - she'd consider her prey good as caught. The race had only just started - with plenty of opportunities to potentially change it.

Such as with the uphill turn - and things like this was where the difference between Duchess and Saber would likely shine. Though she wasn't as sturdy-built as the other manectric, time spent in the wilds did well in teaching her to try and adjust to a variety of terrain. Her claws would dig in the slightest bit as she shot for the inner portion of the turn, practically leaping up the incline as she moved. Hopefully, with the track having widened out after that narrow bottleneck, this would be her opportunity to pass the others!

The looping turn had Ettie whoop with excitement all the same though, laughing with delight as she hung on to Duchess. Win or lose, this was fun - and the pump of her heart amidst the chaos of this hectic race was like nothing else!

But, even if Duchess was able to handle the uphill turn, there was still a more challenging test ahead - namely, a pair of sharp u-turns just beyond. Though Duchess had decent maneuverability, would she be able to handle this?

GTD_k0lk

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

The air smelled distinctly like bread as Ettie stepped out onto the route - and initially, with the young wildchild being completely unawares of the existence of Fidough or Dachsbun, she had found the smell to be quite the puzzling one! The pack seemed to concur with this - a number of them hungrily sniffing the air (Princess especially) as they tried to track down the source of the smell... Only to come upon another pack, one of odd - yet cute - canid pokemon she'd never seen before!

Friends?

The wooloo were back in their rightful place - returning to the barn to sleep, now that the danger had passed. And with Julia having called dispatch, there'd soon be other officers here to deal with the tied-up thieves. All in all, for how chaotic everything was, tonight was a job well done - and Ettie, hearing the praise, couldn't help but giggle and wiggle in delight over it all! She'd reach out to Julia to give her a big hug - mentioning "Ettie love-help! Love-Julia!" with a wide and warm smile.

There was only one wooloo who was still out and about though - namely, the bold one that was at Ettie's side. And though Anne attempted to nudge him along, to guide him to the pen, he'd make a little protest - "Meh!" - as he simply rolled around to the opposite side of Ettie. And when the lycanroc attempted to follow, he'd respond by lightly headbutting her on the nose! Anne would pull back and blink owlisly at this, visibly caught off-guard.

Ettie laughed at the antics, meanwhile, and crouched down to pet the wooloo. It was pretty easy to see that he was set on staying with her. "Friend come-with?" She'd ask the little sheep - smiling gently. She wouldn't say no, if he was that dead-set!

And indeed, the wooloo made a bleat of confirmation, nuzzling Ettie's hand. This was, perhaps, a bit of an odd addition to the wildchild's pack - but who was Ettie to complain? A friend was a friend! And any friend was welcome to be a packmate!

Tonight, all in all, had been quite a good night - and Ettie was eager to see what other nights would have in store for her, and her growing little pack.

With each wild strike Ettie made, her shadowy doppelganger retreated backwards step by step; only barely able to keep up and parry away the wildchild's swings, when the shadow themself only had one blade.

With the surge of confidence and morale amongst the pack thanks to the support of Johanna's pack, the shadowy beasts were driven back; a number of them dissipating into nothingness, as they were defeated one by one.

It had looked like a clear and cut won battle, even if Ettie's clone had yet to surrender - but in fact, they had one last trick up their sleeve. It had come as a surprise to the young girl and Scarlet alike, when the shadow tossed aside the remaining blade... But then suddenly, came a flurry of blows - punches coming Scarlet's way, that'd send the doublade flying out of Ettie's own hands!

However, Ettie was not daunted by this - in fact, she'd likely act in a way that'd startle her doppelganger and the others alike, when she decided to tackle the shadow to the ground, snarling like a wild beast! Sharp nails dug in like claws, and Ettie attempted to bite down on the shadow-clone, only to sink her teeth into the other's forearm, that they brought up to protect themself. It looked as though the doppelganger would wind back their opposite fist with intentions to punch Ettie - but they stopped. Reconsidered.

And decided to - with an expression twisted in a snarl of their own - to try and bite her back!

It became complete chaos, in that moment - the two clawing and biting at one another with low growls and wild snarls. It was as if Ettie was no longer a human, at that moment - the gaze she regarded her doppelganger with like that of an angry wild pokemon. Words were not needed - only the understanding that they were enemies, and that they had fangs and claws with which to fight. And wrestling against eachother, they were not about to back down from one another easily.

But before long, Ettie's opponent was the first to tire - to take on the veil of someone else was one thing. To take on the veil of many things, and to fight an entire pack all at once, was another. Ettie snarled as she managed to properly push down and pin her opponent, and she prepared to bite down once more--

-- But then, the shadows melted away from around the marshadow, revealing them for what they truly were. And as if they were still but a beast, they bared their throat with an attempt at a canid whine. A sign of submission, of harmlessness, against a stronger pack.

The rest of Ettie's pack began to gather at the fringes of where the two had been wrestling but moments ago - and Ettie, slowly, would allow the marshadow to get up. Anne, eyeing the ghost, would let out a low growl - but Anat stepped forward, gesturing in a request for the lycanroc to stand down. Something that Anne reluctantly acquiesced to - though she nonetheless made a displeased huff.

Ettie, her mind still more a beast's than a human's, would make a soft chuff at the lucario's approach - letting out a relaxed sigh, as the warmth of a Heal Pulse fell over her. Bite punctures and claw scrapes were soothed, and the wild adrenaline of fight or flight eased from her body. And together, the two regarded the marshadow - who was currently kowtowing, likely having no interest in facing the entire pack's wrath at once.

The wildchild, in response, couldn't help but sigh a second time - albeit this one was more exhausted. They could figure out what was next, once everyone was okay. But for now, Ettie was just plain tuckered out...

Coherent thoughts could wait a little longer...

Anne gave Morrigan an unimpressed stare - both at being referred to an 'it', and at her denying that they were sisters. But glancing to the salazzle, she'd simply regard Callisto with a exasperated huff - she had no bad blood towards the fire-type, but Morrigan was visibly getting on her nerves.

Ettie, on the other hand, just tilted her head a little - as if the statement that Morrigan made was odd, even if inoffensive. "Ettie-Anne grow together, with Mama. Is family! Is sister!" She explained, smiling brightly. She recognized by now that she and Anne were not related by standard definition. But the fact that they grew up together - Ettie's original pack even considering her a part of the litter Anne was born from - still made them family, right?

Anne, to emphasize that point, nodded with a gentle chuff.

And even with that being said... She was close even to the pokemon she didn't grow up with, like Duchess or Ruffian, too! They were family, also - and plenty of other folks usually felt the same way about their own pokemon, from what Ettie had seen! As if to make this point, Ettie gestured to Callisto - asking Morrigan "Is-family, for you?"

Present:

Morrigan Anderson

That feline pokemon, that they had met in the Borders... What was it, Ettie wondered? Some feline beast was certainly the obvious answer - but with how it was fighting against the two other legendaries, did that mean it was a legendary, too? It certainly did not seem like it was friendly - though Ettie couldn't help but wonder if this was a thing of territory, or something else...

... Not that Ettie had much of a chance to consider things, before the building they were in fell under attack! Before they knew it, an avalanche was crashing in through the wall, and Dahlia was reaching out towards her. Though Ettie would be inclined to protect the other, she was willing to trust in whatever Dahlia had planned - and she knew her own body was too small to properly protect her.

Thus, Ettie chose Option 1 - Hold her hand tight.

Madame snarled, as the shadowy granbull's fangs dug into her fur, the bipedal beast's fists slamming into her in some twisted mimicry of Play Rough. Though she managed to heave and throw off the malignant beast, when she tried to retaliate with a Ice Fang, the shadow-Princess was suddenly disappearing into the fold, only to be replaced with her own reflection that clashed against her.

But, a Heal Pulse from Anat would ease those wounds - and the lucario frowned, as she surveyed the fight from a supportive position. This was a tough fight, the fighting-type recognized - when you had to fight against yourself, it really was a question of who could make the most of what they had first. And yet, there was something strange about these shadows.

Though they indeed moved in tandem, it didn't feel like a natural flow in the same way their own pack's movements were. Though the shadows acted as one, there didn't feel like there was any individuality - any single action made for themself. It was almost as if even the dynamics between the shadowy-beasts were but a mimickry, one that was paling in comparison to the real thing. Bit by bit though, that cohesion that might've been missing before was filling in -- whatever was behind all of this, it was learning. And learning fast.

With reinforcements though, Anat had no need to worry about what might happen, if the shadows were to improve far enough. Johanna's ghosts moved into the fray, their shadowy moves more than plenty to sow confusion amongst the startled shadow-pack's ranks. And seeing the opportunity, Anat would throw back her head to howl in a rallying cry, the pack answering in kind and charging forwards to overrun the enemy beasts before they could adapt to the ghost-types' attacks.

And as the shadow-pack's strength faltered, it was as if the shadowy wildchild's focus began to falter as well. Letting Scarlet guide her hand, Ettie swung upwards - watching as one of the blades in her doppelganger's hands was sent flying, clattering off to the side. Pressing the advantage and allowing Scarlet's battlefury to overcome her, the young child roared - swinging out in a flurry of blows, forcing back the shadow bit by bit as the tides turned in her favor!

Josh Devlin , Callan Young , Johanna Joy

Indeed, even if not every pokemon in Ettie's pack was the most well-behaved, the older packmates - Anne, Anat, and Barbara to name a few - would be more than able to help make sure the younger members didn't cause trouble. Trying to settle in a space that was clearly intended for humans rather than pokemon was certainly an interesting endeavor for the quadrupedal beasts - armrests made laying across certain parts tricky. But, the group nonetheless found cozy spots for themselves as they watched the race that was about to begin.

Ettie giggled at Josh's tease - and in response, she'd call "Maybe Ettie learn-fly!" with a big grin. The little wildchild was no stranger to being flung off one's steed. It had happened a few times whilst she and Duchess both were still practicing, and it even has happened in the past with Anne - particularly during hectic hunts or chases! But, the mental image of Ettie suddenly being able to fly like her little flock was certainly an amusing one.

Duchess, meanwhile, seemed a little caught off guard by the 'trash talk' barking - blinking owlishly, before making a confused and somewhat hurt whine. What was that all about? Weren't they just playing, in the end? It was why they were gonna run and race around in the first place, right? To have fun? Ettie wasn't sure what the matter was between the manectrics, but nonetheless, she gave Duchess a reassuring pat as they lined up before the starting line.

Once the group was prepared though, came the countdown - and with each beep from 3, to 2, to 1, the duo would prepare themselves. Muscles tensing, bunching up, preparing - even Ettie seemed to hunker down and ready herself, as if she was prepared to pounce right off of Duchess' back! Eyes were on the path before them...

... And at the final beep, Duchess began moving - powerful muscles launching herself forward as she accelerated down the track, with all the same intensity as Saber! The wind blew past, Ettie's heart beat heavily in her chest with the thrill of the hunt - cause really, with everyone moving as fast as they can in such a group, what else could she compare it to?

But it didn't take long for the first turn to come into view - a U-turn with a 'drop' at the end of it. Duchess, eager to try and be the first into the narrow gap beyond, would push herself onwards. She wasn't going to let herself be stopped that easily!

Ot5S9oX6

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