Fang against fang, claw against claw, beak against beak - the air was filled with the growls and snarls of beasts below, and the raucous caw of corvids above. Ettie's pack moved in tandem as they formed a defensive line against the shadowy canids that sought to pincer the group as a whole against the other shadows on the opposite side - the shadows of Ettie's compatriots and their pokemon.

However, the pack's bonds were strong - and even as one took a hit, others were there to support. A Heal Pulse from Anat, Safeguard from Pago, Lucky Chant from Haru - there were a multitude of moves exchanged amongst one another, to ensure that the pack did not falter. However, on that same note, the shadowy pack had similar tactics on offer for them - it was looking as though the only thing giving Ettie's pack an edge was their prior howls, and keeping the shadow-Adraea too busy for them to use Mist.

All the whilst though, blades clashed against blades as Ettie engaged her own doppelganger; teeth bared in a wild half-grin half-snarl, as Scarlet's tassels wrapped around her forearms. Much like with the rest of the pack, though Ettie had an edge, it was still a tough fight - a clash of steel and grit, to see who flinched first.

Josh Devlin , Callan Young , Johanna Joy

Ettie smiled gently, relaxing as Dahlia seems to accept the answer. She doesn't wholly understand everything that the otome has to say, but nonetheless, Ettie takes comfort in assuming that Dahlia doesn't want to hurt the legnedaries, either.

However, then a new report comes - and Ettie's eyes widen briefly at the shape that darts in and out of the fray, ice and darkness alike at its beck and call. That felid beast, from the Border - Ettie recognized it... And yet, this seemed... More solid, if anything. And it is fighting the two wolves with ferocity.

At Anat's direction, another screenshot is taken.

❤️

Swarms were a curious thing - large groups of pokemon (typically rare, from what Ettie understood,) making an excursion across some part of Hoenn, and trainers in turn following after in hopes of catching themselves one. Ettie was curious when she had heard of a swarm of pokemon called 'ditto' hanging out out in Route 113 - and she was eager to check it out, and see what, exactly, these ditto were!

However... The one thing that Ettie probably didn't realize she was signing up for - until it was much too late - was for her pack to slowly multiply. At first, there were two Ruffian. And then there were two Adraea. Two Duchess, two Mina, two Anat... And for whatever reason, three Anne!

It wasn't too hard to tell the reals from the fakes - but Ettie, safe to say, was getting increasingly confused - perhaps she needed a hero, to help her sort out this mess...!

Ettie nodded happily, in response to Nikita's words - idly wiggling in place, almost like she were trying to wag a tail that she didn't have. "Ettie ok, Ettie not-lone." She emphasized reassuringly, (although potentially unintentionally driving Nikita up a wall in the process, with her odd speech.) Her gaze briefly shifting over towards Ruffian, who was studying Winters just the same as Anne was.

Although whereas Anne was just gauging to see where they stood with the houndstone - be it as friend or foe - Ruffian was clearly sizing him up, as if he intended to tussle the ghost-type later. Princess, seeing this, just sighed and shook her head - before yawning widely. That was none of her business, and Ruffian was going to have to learn to choose his battles a bit more wisely one way or another anyways.

But, all the same, Anne's gaze on the houndstone softened with a friendly hue, when the ghostly hound gave a greeting in turn. Mutual acknowledgement, acquaintanceship. She'd return the bow with a respectful dip of her head, her own tail giving an idle wag, before she turned her attentions back to Ettie's and Nikita's interactions.

Ettie's frown grew, however, at hearing that this other person hadn't brought his pokemon with him. She could see now, why Nikita and his pack were seeking the missing individual out - surviving in the wilds on one's own was a grueling task, in her opinion. No wolf was meant to roam alone forever - and in her eyes, humans were the same way. The faster that they could find him, the better...

Anne and Duchess would both walk side-by-side - the larger lycanroc assisting Duchess, in remaining on the trail. Ruffian and Ettie would follow after, as Princess and Haru came up right behind - both groups keeping their attentions on the surrounding area. As the detective spoke up though, Ettie glanced over her shoulder at him - visibly thinking for a few seconds - before shaking her head.

"Ettie not-see. Not-here long. Pack move-lots." She spoke. They didn't have any one territory or den that they've settled down in - not yet - and instead led a more nomadic life, moving from place to place wherever Ettie's wanderlust (or the pack's needs) led her. Hoenn as a whole was so big, so new, when all she had known previously was the deep wilds of Route 119. But as a result, having only relatively-recently arrived in this area, there wasn't much of a chance for Ettie to notice anything amiss up until now.

As far as the search itself was going though, the pack moved at a steady pace - only pausing to investigate when something else of interest, such as the tracks of a wild pokemon passing through the area, came up.

Ettie, however, frowned gently - pulling her jacket around herself a little tight, and watching the puff of her own breath in the winter air - as a thought occurred to her. "... Cold not-good... Hope lost-friend stay-warm..." She spoke, wondering how long a lone human could stand weather like this. The pack didn't have to worry about it as much, between their fur coats and Haru - a fire type - being around to help them stay warm... But this person didn't exactly have either of those going for him.

Maybe hurrying would be a good idea, she wondered - though there was only so fast that they could go, while staying on the trail...

The day had come - a day that Ettie had eagerly been waiting for, ever since the agreement had been made between Josh and herself.

Duchess had evolved, some time ago - and ever since that happened, Ettie had spent the passing days practicing with the electric wolf. She had taken Duchess on rides practically everywhere they went, often went on excursions; just the two of them going as fast as they pleased, getting used to the feeling of a saddle.

And now, it was time to see if Ettie and Duchess were up to the test; as today, they were going to race Josh, and likely Saber as well. As the pack strode into the gym, Ettie would already be on Duchess' back, both of them prepared for the ride. Anne would walk alongside the manectric, the two wolves idly nuzzling and making happy-friendly chuffs to one another as they moved, and Anne occasionally licking Duchess' fur as if to groom her. On the other side, was Princess - the granbull lazily - yet encouragingly - patting Duchess on the shoulder.

The cantle - 'backrest' - of the saddle was relatively high to provide Ettie with some lower-back support and something to brace against whilst the manectric was moving at full speed. In addition to this, there were a couple of straps that went around the front of Duchess - over her shoulders and chest - so that Ettie had something to hang onto with her hands. These straps were relatively loose, compared to the straps that held the saddle in place, to avoid restricting Duchess' movement and allow Ettie to slip her fingers underneath.

And Ettie, in turn, had a pair of gloves - made from similar materials to the saddle. These were so that she could safely hang onto the straps without getting shocked by the electricity in Duchess' fur, as well as use pressure or little tugs to help steer. For the time being, Ettie would have her hands lightly placed on Duchess' withers - roughly where the wolf's neck met her shoulders - though made no attempt to direct her.

They knew where they were going, after all - and Ettie and Duchess both were looking forward to this.

Josh Devlin

Ettie blinks a bit, tilting her head with a puzzled expression at the first portions of the response. Anat, however, wisely skips forward some; this wasn't something Ettie needed to worry about, even if both Anat and Anne were considering asking her to switch to playing another route if things were going to go like that.

But thankfully, before long the scene shifts - namely, to that of the canid legendaries. And though the images are blurry, they are nonetheless there - something that has Ettie perking up as she gazes to the images. (Anat, after a moment of fiddling, has the phone screenshot them. She wanted Julia to see this later, just in case...)

The question is there of what to do with them though - and well... Ettie frowned gently at the options. The idea of hunting down the two seemed rather cruel and unnecessary to Ettie - and she didn't like that there wasn't an option to just... Befriend them. Surely, if they were seeking safety, then being in a pack was where they'd be safest - but it wasn't really a pack if everyone was there by force.

After a moment's thought, she settled with Option 4 - Leave them be.

With Ettie's own pokemon tended to, Julia asked about looking after Spot and Ribbon - and the wildchild perked up, before nodding. She went straight to work, moving over to the lucario and cutiefly both - carefully tending to any wounds they might've recieved from the series of fights they had been put through. Trying to figure out how to apply a bandage to someone as small as Ribbon was a bit of a new experience - something they had to play by ear - but all the same, Ettie was diligent in her work.

Anne and Duchess both would be there, too - the lycanroc carefully licking Spot to groom him, and to clean his wounds as Ettie wrapped them. Duchess, meanwhile, laid down next to them - her tail wagging as she nuzzled his side.

As Julia reached where Princess and the one remaining thug had been though, the snubbull would appear to have dozed off completely! One would think that you shouldn't sleep whilst so close to the enemy, but well... She was a bit of a juggernaut for her size, even if she was on the slower side, anyways, right? She'd begin to stir and grumble as Julia and the thug began chitchatting though, and it'd only take a light nudge for her to get off of the man's chest, so that Julia could tie his wrists.

And once Julia returned to the rest of the group, Princess would follow after in her usual lazy waddles - taking to snuggling up amongst the other canids to resume her nap...

... At least, until Anne threw her head back to howl - a signal for Marina and Ruffian to come back and regroup, now that the danger was done with.

When Julia asked to open up the truck though, they'd have a sudden visitor - namely, the little wooloo from before! Ettie wasn't sure how he had gotten out of the pen - but she was more than happy to see him, crouching down and patting the wooloo on the head with a happy little "Mehhhh!" of her own in response. "Ettie-friend help other-friends?" She suggested to the wooloo - gesturing for him to follow, as she went to open up the truck.

A handful of wooloo could be seen - kept in stacked carriers, likely to keep them from rolling around too much. When they heard the bleating of one of their brethren though, they'd begin to noisily bleat back! One by one, the carriers would be opened under the careful watch of the pack - the canids herding to help keep the wooloo from wandering off, and guide them back towards the farm.

But, the nervous-but-bold little wooloo that had stuck by Ettie's side lingered - and glancing towards the thieves, tied up, he'd puff his chest and give them one big "MEHHHHH!", as if to give them a piece of his mind!

Ettie couldn't help but begin giggling with this - and mimicking him much like before, she'd look to the thugs and bleat out a hearty "MEHHHHHHH~!" of her own!

(Anne, visibly amused, just shook her head and sighed fondly.)

Safe to say, being yelled at after that whole mess was not entirely what Ettie had expected - and she blinked owlishly, admittedly still a bit dizzy from the whole ordeal that had occurred but a couple minutes ago. Duchess, clearly not wanting to start any confrontations or fights, just whined softly in response - her ears tilting back and tail half-tucking, as she rolled back onto her feet.

(It was probably a good thing that Princess wasn't here, Ettie noted to herself as she pat Duchess reassuringly - even if not in those exact words. Else, the Granbull would not be afraid to give Morrigan a piece of her own mind.)

It took a second for Ettie to reply, mostly cause it took a second for her to process Morrigan's words. After yet another blink, she responded "Oh - sorry. Ettie-Duchess practice-ride, is-new!" It was a shame they hadn't been able to clear a lap, before things went awry - but at least that meant it wouldn't take long, for this other girl to get to meet Ettie's pack once they caught up!

But, for the time being, Ettie would smile to Morrigan, and tilted her head - questioning "Who-friend?" Other humans were usually good about introducing themselves, before starting a conversation... But then again, this wans't the same as most conversations she had with people.

Present:

Morrigan Anderson

It had come as a surprise, really. A sudden burst of violet-colored energy had slammed into the ground before Ettie and Duchess both - and it was more than enough to grab the duo's attentions, the manectric unable to help a surprised yelp. Glancing ahead, the two could now see that there was another trainer and their pokemon right on ahead - and that they were on a bit of a collision course..!

Fight or flight may have kicked in a slight amount for Ettie - and though the two likely could've easily just swerved around, her brain would derail completely as she blurted but a single word. "UP??"

Thankfully, Duchess was quick to figure out a solution here - and indeed, it was to go up. Using Magnet Rise, sparks would gather around the manectric's paws as she leapt as if to jump over Morrigan and Callista both..! But instead of coming down, Duchess would begin to hover at the peak of the jump - using electromagnetic energy to remain hovering, just above the duo! The electric wolf, however, proved to be clearly unused to this move - as without the ground beneath her paws to stop her momentum, she simply kept going..!

And it did not help that, when Duchess attempted to bring herself to a stop and turn around, she'd end up overdoing the rotation - and instead proceeded to begin spinning wildly! "Wooaoooaaooooh?!" Ettie yelped out - as she ended up being brought along for the ride, as the poor wildchild and wolf alike continued to spin like a top through the air..!

However, a nearby tree was more than enough to put a stop to this wild ride - the two sharing another yelp as they crashed into the boughs with a cacophony of rustling leaves and broken twigs. Slowly but surely, a dizzy Ettie would stagger as she hopped down from the tree - nearly falling on her face in the process. Duchess in turn slowly floated back down to the ground right behind her, although would slump onto the ground with a soft whine.

The two would remain like this for a short while as they regained their bearings - Ettie hunched over with her hands on her knees to steady herself, and Duchess just practically pancaking on her side. But as coherent thoughts and straight vision returned to the wildchild's head, she'd glance up to Morrigan and Callista. And with a dumb lopsided smile, she'd greet them with her usual "F-friends! Hello..!"

This certainly was one hell of a way, to greet someone.

Present:

Morrigan Anderson

The group followed close behind Johanna - Princess idly hanging out on Anne's back, and Duchess letting out happy little yips as she bounced alongside. Astus and Adraea both, meanwhile, would simply hop and flutter from perch to perch - briefly swooping past through employee entrance, when the gymleader opened it up.

Even from the outside on its own, Joyland was a mess of sounds and lights - laughter, music, chatter, all seeming to filter out past the walls that marked the outer edge of the amusement park. But actually entering the park - like passing through a portal to another world - was something else entirely. Everything was so bright, so colorful, with music playing over a general haze of chatter from parkgoers and the like...

When Johanna glanced back, it was easy to see that Ettie might've been a little overstimulated - having stopped in place, staring wide-eyed and somewhat vacantly at everything around her. Anne, too, seemed to find it to be a bit much - the lycanroc stock-still and making an agitated rumble in her throat. It was as if fight or flight was setting in for them both! And yet... A gentle pat and 'whuff' from Princess, and happy yips from Duchess, seemed to help the wolf settle.

Anne would give Ettie an inquiring nudge and chuff - prompting the wildchild to blink as she was snapped her stupor, before giggling. "Is ok!" Ettie spoke to Anne and Johanna both, reaching up to pet the lycanroc. "Is... Lots." She admitted to them with a laugh - to which Anne simply nodded in agreement.

This was indeed a lot - and it seemed that Ettie and Anne would need a minute to adjust to it, compared to the city-born trio that Duchess, Princess, and Ruffian were. And yet, the awe would now filter in more properly as Ettie took in her surroundings a second time, this time a bit more slowly. This was so different for her, so new, so alien - but, with so many people around, with so many smiling faces and happy chatter... It certainly helped, in reminding her that this was a safe and fun place.

And Ettie was eager to try and get used to all of this, one step at a time. Where would they start?

It happened faster than Ettie could even blink. One moment, they were on the move - but the next, the others were being attacked by shadows! Things were quickly falling apart into an all-out brawl, as shadowy doppelgangers rose up to fight their true selves. The pack reacted quickly - clustering up around Ettie and Johanna both in a protective fashion, since the two were already close together. But when a shadow rose in their midsts, chaos would begin to arise as the Joy Gymleader fell under attack from her own shadow..!

Thankfully, Retnuah was there - the gengar rising up to punch the shadow-Johanna out without a second thought! Still, the pack was agitated - Anne lightly pulling Johanna closer to Ettie, as if to better watch over the both of them at once.

And Ettie, meanwhile, was quick to prepare for combat. Though a good portion of the pack stayed in their balls so that they didn't have to deal with the toxic atmosphere of the Border - the ones who stayed out being overall hardier and thus better able to tolerate it - in times like this, the pack needed every one of their numbers that they had to protect everyone. One by one, the pack's numbers grew - Astus, Adraea, Ruffian, Haru... Even Scarlet, the doublades easily settling into their place in Ettie's hands, though they did not wrap their tassels quite yet.

... But in that same vein, so did the number of opposition. Astus and Adraea both would make warning calls - as over the ridge, a group of shadowy beasts revealed themselves. Teeth were bared, snarls and growls made on either side - the shadow-pack was visibly hostile, and the true-pack in turn were becoming agitated.

The shadow-pack would let loose a battlecry; throwing back their heads in a chorus of Howls to ready themselves for the attack. Ettie, however, would be fast to react - glancing to the corvids above. "Adraea!"

The murkrow in question, already snickering, would beat her wings - a white fog spreading outwards in a Mist. The shadowy beasts seemed bewildered that the strength that they previously called upon was now gone - and that moment of surprise was more than enough for Anne to call for a charge - leading her pack in a Howl of their own - and before the shadow- Adraea could let loose their own Mist, Astus was upon them with Wing Attack!

But Ettie could see, without a doubt, the leader - a pair of doppelgangers of both Anne and herself, a set of shadowy blades in the false wildchild's hands. Climbing up onto Anne's back, Ettie glanced back to Johanna - murmuring "Be safe," before the two charged forwards - the pack prepared to meet their shadows in combat.

After all - violence for violence is the rule of beasts - a rule she was quite familiar with.

Josh Devlin , Callan Young , Johanna Joy