In Home's Shade

Toki's curry entry

thread summary: Toki meets the rambunctious Ettie while on his journey to Fortree City, as that was selected as his primary station as a Ranger. Curious about this Pokemon-raised girl, the two went on a quick journey to Fortree together. The two got to know each other and their Pokemon, and their teams seemed to get along very well. After several tense encounters with Pokemon while on the route, the two eventually reached their destination as new friends.

why is it important?: Toki's been a relatively solitary character since he moved to Hoenn to begin his training as a Ranger, so this chance encounter with Ettie will do wonders for his social life. Her energetic, extroverted behavior came as a surprise, especially since he wasn't used to people finding him approachable given his usual quiet demeanor. Seeing their Pokemon get along and her passion for those she cared about was a wonderful experience for Toki, and he wants to take his meeting with her to heart whenever he encounters anyone new. As a Ranger, he understands he will have to be in contact with people and try to be reasonable and approachable, so this was an amazing first step for him on that path to be a more open and friendly person.

Malik drifted to a cozy slumber after Ettie decided to leave him be to recover. New friends were always appreciated, and his rest was relaxed and calm. Toki's other Pokemon were also clearly endeared to Ettie, comfortably getting closer to her and happy for her presence. Toki couldn't help but admire Ettie's energy and how she lived for the moment so effortlessly. Nothing bothered her or got her down, at least not for very long, and that kind of optimism is something that should be cared for and nurtured.

Ettie was someone who was extremely easy to get along with. Extroverted, kind, a bit hyperactive and overall really friendly. Her philosophies on family and love were more than enough to warm Toki's heart. She was someone who could do a lot of good someday, and he knew that she would if she kept going as she is now.

The road was now clear and safe from immediate hostility, so the route to Fortree was safer. Toki let out a sigh of relief "That was...definitely an eventful hike. Sorry if I got a little carried away in handling the wild Pokemon around here, Ettie...I tend to...push myself a little hard with my Ranger duties. I just hope my Pokemon aren't stressed out about it...though they definitely seem to be okay." He said as he smiled at his crew. When Ettie mentioned he was a good 'pack leader,' he couldn't help but blush "You really think so? Compared to a lot of people I'm pretty new at this sort of thing. I appreciate the compliment of course, just...yeah you know what...I'll grow into this. I won't let you down, Ettie." He smiled softly.

"Yeah...we're friends." He said, happy to have her as a friend. "I'm happy to have you as one." Once the two were almost at Fortree, he looked at Ettie "Think you can help give me a little tour of Fortree? At least show me where the Ranger station is?" He asked as he started to put his Pokemon back in their pokeballs so they could get some nice rest.

Toki knelt down next to his Popplio "You ready Azura? Think you can handle this without me?" He asked her, and she just stood on her tail and puffed out her chest with her flippers on her sides confidently "That's the spirit, go do a great job, I know you've got it in you." He said with a proud smile.

She looked across the craft and spotted some spots that were in serious need of deep cleaning and she certainly had a good plan in mind to do that! She took in a deep breath and exhaled a stream of bubbles using Bubble Beam to coat the problem spots on the craft, getting a nice coat all across its surface. Next, she would carefully climb along the supports and look for a good spot to slide down. Once she did, she did a stylish little leak and water erupted around her body in a thick shroud as she used Aqua Jet to slide along the bubbles she left behind, giving the craft a deep clean as she zipped down the sides of it. Over and over she would repeat this motion, and if one didn't know any better they might think she was having fun. She was absolutely having fun.

After a few go arounds with the same moves, the spots were looking great and sparkly. She admired her work, beaming proudly.

• player/ooc name: Connor Tavarin
• character tags: Toki Akiyama
• dropped characters' tags (if applicable): N/A
• ic posts for characters: Post
• are characters in directories?: Y
• any notes/comments: N/A

Toki figured he would come to the shrine at Meteor Falls for the New Years' to pray for good health and prosperity for him, his friends, his family, and his Pokemon. This sort of pilgrimage was new and interesting and it brought a sense of comfort to his mind. Did he believe in fate, superstition, and luck? He wasn't entirely sure of that himself, but he wanted to believe that doing certain rituals and doing well by others would in turn come back to benefit him in the long term.

It was quiet here. Peaceful. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the chilled air passed through in a breeze. He walked up the wooden steps of the shrine towards the bell. He waited for a moment. Apparently the timing was important, and he wanted to respect that. He spent the time contemplating his place in the region, his place among the rangers, and his place among his friends. Who was he, really? How important was he? How important would he be if at all? He clutched his shirt near his chest, these worries making his heart pound. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. It would be okay. It would all be okay.

He clapped his hands in prayer, and when the time came he rang the bell while wishing for good fortune for himself and those important to him. Would his prayers be heard? He liked to believe so. He stayed there for a few more moments, before he smiled and turned to leave this holy site. Come what may, he would do his best to face the challenges ahead.

Malik gently nuzzled into Ettie's scritches, appreciative of her attention and praise. Toki smiled and continued to cradle the resting Pokemon "He likes you." He said as they continued walking along. It shouldn't be that much longer before they reached Fortree. It was a long day already, but checking in at Ranger HQ and finding a place to stay would add more to it still. He shrugged it off and tried not to stress too much about it.

"Pack like home, huh...? They're your family, so of course you appreciate them so deeply..." He mused as he began to understand how difficult it could be for Ettie to communicate her feelings with her vocabulary. If she really was raised by a group of wild Pokemon like this, then it was frankly a miracle she was as good at communicating with people as she was now. She was intelligent, friendly, and had a positive and outgoing attitude, so Toki was sure she was going to live her life well. She wanted a lot of Pokemon to add to her pack, to her family. It was a pure, kind reason to raise Pokemon...

It was true that corvids and canines got along pretty well all things considered. A symbiotic relationship where both flourished under the right circumstances. Aylin went back to her happy waddling and waving her hammer around joyfully as soon as the quick battle was over. Toki was decent at handling wild Pokemon, and would only consider himself decent at this stage. He had a firm grasp of type match ups and a good feel for tactical move usage, but he still felt as if he had a long way to go.

Toki, Ettie, and their Pokemon would continue down the path with all of the eventful stuff seemingly behind them. "Thank you, Ettie. For taking this walk with me. You didn't have to, but...you did, and you said nice things about my Pokemon. So...thanks." Azura was walking alongside some of Ettie's pack, cheerfully bounding along and barking her unique songs. Aylin stuck by Toki's side, and Malik was fast asleep. "I don't have very many friends outside of my Pokemon...it...never really occurred to me to even try making some."

Toki sighed "Yeah...my duties as a Ranger, especially a fledgling one, make it hard. Alola's pretty far away from here, so it would have to be when I have a lot of time off. Moving so far away...I guess I still haven't really considered what that means in terms of seeing family. But you're right...I can visit." He gently cradled Malik "Pack helps pack, huh..?" He always appreciated how much he and his Pokemon got along, but he never really considered their own affection towards him. They were like family to him now...but was he theirs? Given their sensitivity to his emotions, perhaps they appreciated him more than he realized.

He would let Ettie dote on Malik after his victory. It was hard earned, so the praise was good for him. She would proceed to help with his injuries, something both Toki and Malik appreciated as the grass type wiggled his little claws happily as he looked at her. "I think he likes you." Toki said with a smile. "He's just got a couple little bruises, nothing a little rest and some water won't fix." He said as he pulled out a little spray bottle of water and spritzed some on Malik.

Toki was taken aback by the sudden cawing laughter that came from the trees and looked up at the Murkrow mocking the downed Crawdaunt's defeat. Then, Ettie immediately gravitated towards the bird Pokemon and offered it a place among her team. He didn't really know the symbiotic relationship between some birds and canines, so he asked "May I ask what some of your favorite kinds of Pokemon are? Clearly dogs, but it looks like birds are on that list too?"

Before that, though, he heard a sharp clang. He turned and just a few feet away, Aylin had clashed her hammer with a Weavile's sneaky claws. "Aylin?" He called out, concerned as the Weavile swiped at her again, though she blocked it just in time with her hammer again. He felt around his pockets to make sure nothing was amiss and thankfully the Weavile didn't get a chance to grab anything. "Careful Aylin, let's do this quick and simple. Play Rough." He commanded, pulling a free Pokeball out of his pocket. Aylin charged with a slightly pinkish hue as she dove headlong against Weavile, giving them a good smack on the head and pushed it away as Toki tossed the ball. Caught off guard and dizzied by the blow, the Weavile was caught with little fuss.

Toki sighed and felt around his pockets again "I'll have to restock on Pokeballs soon at this rate...come on Ettie, let's pick up the pace!" He said with a smile as he continued walking forward with Aylin at his side "Thanks for catching that, Aylin...I didn't even hear them coming. You probably saved a lot of our stuff." He leaned down and pat her head gently, and she looked very pleased and content with the praise. "Aylin's always been super attentive along with Azura. I swear the two are like the big sisters of my group..."

Catching the Weavile

With the recent rise in Combee agitation across the region for one reason or another, Toki was particularly concerned about the city where he was stationed, Fortree. It was a city built in the trees, and one of the nearby routes had no shortage of bug type Pokemon, which could mean it was particularly vulnerable to being invaded by angry Combee and Vespiquen. Why were they so agitated and aggressive? They typically don't bother anyone unless they're being directly threatened...was it something in the air? The food? Either way, he had to do his part in solving the mystery, however that may be.

Toki understood that he couldn't do this on his own, so he called for backup from another Ranger. He hoped the call wasn't an inconvenience for them. He waited at the meeting spot as he looked over a balcony for any potential movements in the trees, his Noibat right beside him perched on the railing. Nyx chirped, while in addition to sounding adorable, helped her locate any strange movements if there were any. Toki gently scritched the top of her head "You're doing good, Nyx...just let me know if you see anything, alright?" He smiled. He considered strategies. Nyx was his only Pokemon that could fly, but he also had others that were agile enough to keep up if they had to. What kinds of Pokemon would his new ally have, he wondered? He'd have to discuss that with him.

He clenched the railing and tapped his foot nervously. The pressure was certainly getting to him. Or was it his own nerves psyching himself out? He questioned if he was really capable of doing this when push came to shove, and the thought of failing in front of a senior ranger made his blood run cold. He shook his head and sighed. "Come on...none of that. Not anymore." He squeezed one hand in another and tried not to lose himself to his spiraling negative thought processes.

ollie morales

This would mark Toki's second time being away from home for the holidays, something that has left Toki in a slight funk. The cool night air lit up with mist at his heavy exhale as he sat atop a hill. He held up his phone and looked at the reception. It would be Christmas Day in Alola right now. He entered his contacts and selected his mom's cell phone number. He crossed his legs and waited as the phone rang. A click and a greeting later, Toki smiled slightly "Hi mom...y-yes I'm doing fine, I just didn't want to miss the chance to call today. Is dad home...? He is? Great, I'm glad he has some time off." He laughed and smiled as he continued to talk to his family over speaker phone.

They were doing fine...they were proud of him, in fact, for following his heart and doing something he set his mind to. He was an adult...a young adult, but still, it was important for him to pursue goals and aspirations. "Thank you so much for just...believing in me and taking care of me...I'm sorry about how I was in high school, I-...huh? Don't worry about it? But..." He rubbed the back of his head "It was so much wasted time..." They reassured him that it was not wasted time. Everyone has their moments of weakness, everyone stumbles...and that was okay. It made Toki who he is today. Toki sighed and could barely keep his composure. He ran a hand through his hair and chuckled weakly. "Thank you..." Was all he managed to say. They stayed on the phone for a while longer. "I love you both so much. Merry Christmas...both of you. I'll try to find time to visit when I get some time off. Y-yeah Azura's doing great! So are the others! Yeah...I'll call again soon. Bye." He hung up and smiled. That was a lot off his chest...

He pocketed his phone and stood up. He wanted to patrol this route and make sure it was safe for anyone traveling for the holidays, so he brought out his Noibat, Nyx. She perched on his arm. "Go take a look from above, alright?" He asked. She chirped back at him and launched off his arm with his help and began to circle above.

    

Aylin seemed pleased with all the play and waved to her new puppy friend before sticking close to Toki. She felt bad that they got in Anne's way during their roughhousing, but Anne herself didn't seem all that annoyed about it. The Lillipup had quite a lot of energy and didn't seem to know how to hold himself back, which Aylin hoped was something he would grow out of. Ruffian was an apt name, at the very least, though she didn't hold it against the young puppy. Azura, meanwhile, barked playfully at the Houndoom when it greeted her, glad that it was a friend before she also went to play with Lopunny.

Toki shook his head slightly at Ettie's question "My family? It's not too big...I'm an only child." He sighed and scratched the back of his head "I sometimes feel bad that I came here to pursue being a ranger. My dad's still away a lot, and...so mom's home on her own a lot. I just hope it wasn't selfish on my end to do this..." He said, visibly slowing down as he thought about this. He seemed troubled, as if going through a series of conflicted mental gymnastics in his head, caught in a thought loop that would spiral negatively if this kept up. Malik looked up at Toki and very, very slightly pinched his leg. "Ack!" He yelped as he looked down at Malik "...Sorry Malik, you're really sensitive to others' emotions huh...? Thanks for snapping me out of it." He said with an embarrassed sigh. "Sorry, Ettie...I'm...not the most confident of people at the best of times...I struggle with second guessing a lot of my decisions."

Lopunny was very down to earth and gentle and reacted very passively to Ettie's playfulness, though her slight smile indicated her overall contentment. However, her ears twitched, and the overall mood of the scene quickly took a downward spiral. There was a tension in the air as Toki looked at the usually calm Anne growl fiercely at something nearby. Then, a Crawdaunt smashed through the bushes and hissed threateningly at the group. Clearly aggressive...and Ettie wanted nothing to do with it if her reaction was anything to go by. She wanted to leave this behind and just go. Had she encountered it before? Either way, Toki stood his ground. "If it's aggressive, it could hurt someone..." Aggressive Pokemon on a main route could definitely lead to some issues if left unchecked.

Then he noticed something. Two small mice-like Pokemon dove out of the bushes looking weary as if woken from their slumber. Crawdaunt had crashed into their current home and woke up them and was now tormenting them. Toki took a deep breath. People could get hurt if the Crawdaunt wasn't taught a lesson. "Malik." He said, as the Fomantis stood at attention. Despite their sleepy nature, when something needed done, he got ready.

Crawdaunt swung its claw violently, to which Toki called out "Leaf Blade!" Malik leapt forward and clashed against the claw with his own blade. Malik and Crawdaunt exchanged blows, with the small grass type surprisingly able to hold his own. Type advantage was on his side, but he was still a young Pokemon. Crawdaunt caught Malik off-guard with a Leer into Night Slash, sending him tumbling back. Toki tried his best to remain calm as he said "Sunny Day!" The area around Malik pulsed with warm light as he stood up. Crawdaunt snipped its claws menacingly and rushed forward to attack again. Toki, however, had another plan. "Solar Beam!" Malik gathered energy rapidly thanks to Sunny Day and fired the beam directly at the charging foe. Crawdaunt tried to tackle it head on, but the beam completely overtook it and blasted over its body. The seared, dazed Crawdaunt twitched, took a few steps in retreat, and then fainted. Toki took Malik in his arms "Good job...take a rest, you deserve it."

The Tandemaus that were rudely disturbed held hands and walked up to Toki. They waved, still weary, but clearly seemed like they wanted to come along. Once more, Toki found his own pack getting bigger as he obliged, throwing a Pokeball at the mouse Pokemon and capturing them without a fuss. Toki exhaled, glad to have that situation resolved. Azura barked worriedly and beckoned Toki to kneel down before gently spraying Malik with a little bit of water to soothe his leaves. Toki smiled warmly at the display of camaraderie his current Pokemon had. "Ettie? It's safe now. We can keep going down this path."