ah, there she is. mika inhales, and in that breath, wonders if she's not doing everything completely wrong. half the time, she shrugs away moments like these, reluctant to place herself or julie at each other's sides, even though they both know the placements are natural. familiar. yet the other half of the time, mika agrees to a show of closeness, and even incites it to begin with. isn't that what civilized people do, though? the two of them don't hate each other despite everything, so there should be nothing wrong with being near each other, instead. [break][break]

right? but julie looks happy to see them, so maybe this is the right thing to do, after all. "hi, jules." it would've been so easy to just elongate the word, and call her julie like the rest of the world would, but as soon as they enter each other's space, it's as though the world around them fades — becoming dull flecks of light in the background of their lives. mimi and jules, jules and mimi. the way it is, the way it had always been.[break][break]

"oh, you're fine, i wasn't waiting long. oh, um, there's a lot of things to do and see around here, so i figured we'd just start at one side of the market and make our way through." mika starts walking towards the stalls, and nods at one in particular. "wouldn't you know it, our first stop is a dessert stall. donuts and crepes, cute and sweet stuff, y'know..."[break][break]

because otherwise mika wouldn't really pay attention to that kind of thing, but there's no denying that the cream shaped in the style of eevee or pikachu is extremely endearing, as well as spun sugar in the form of a golden alcremie — a tiny topper on a decadent treat. there are many other stalls and vendors down the way, too, each one selling something different than the last. it's all exciting to think about, but the excitement ramps up a notch when someone familiar is at mika's side, their silhouettes wavering under swaying lights. [break][break]

now, if only the empty spaces between stalls weren't so dark and foreboding. it's like staring straight into the void, unsettling in the way that even mika would walk a bit faster to get to the next venue...

[break][break]

+ Julie Solette [break]
+ distorted dreams: red or blue? [break]
+ hehehe yeah their total not date like totally it's not a date and yeah just ignore those dark alleys and stuff like wow... [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

a mienfoo. that would be fine, since fighting types are helpful, and mika recalls that particular species to be graceful and quick learners. they're also known to be isolated, choosing to train in solitary wilds than in the presence of others. the more mika thinks about it, the more they realize that that sort of pokemon would work perfectly on a team of hers. [break][break]
rather than use other tactics to hinder the mienfoo, however, she'd ask one of her pokemon to face the wild pokemon in a fight, instead. "juri." mika and their toxicroak walk ahead of her other pokemon. the mienfoo they approach seems to be in the midst of training, but stops once a foreign presence draws nearer. [break][break]"mienfoo," mika begins to say, "i challenge you to a fight. if i win, you'll come with us." juri speaks up, as well, the toxicroak making noise that only fellow pokemon could understand. as the mienfoo looks between the frog pokemon and its trainer, it nods once in understanding. [break][break]the fight is on. then, an exchange of blows: mienfoo, graceful and quick, while toxicroak is strong and direct. for a while, it seems like the fight could go either way, but juri the toxicroak uses one last poison jab to win the fight in her favor. the male mienfoo falls to the ground, and struggles before ultimately remaining stuck. [break][break]
mika wordlessly leaves an empty poke ball in the mienfoo's vicinity, nodding once. the mienfoo rolls over on its stomach, and stares at the poke ball for a moment. from the ball to the trainer, it hesitates. but then seeing that the choice is between defeat or possibly being left for dead, touches the capsule without hesitation. [break][break]
the ranger picks up the new acquisition, and nods at juri. she brings the whole team around and congratulates everyone for their efforts today. amid a crowd of happy pokemon, mika stops petting and praising everyone long enough to say: "time to leave. come along, everyone. let's bring our newest team member to a pokemon center, shall we?"[break][break]

+ solo wild; steel/ground/fighting [break]
+ catching mienfoo!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

mika keeps a nice steady hold on alia, moving carefully through the shallows of the lake. their own pokemon notwithstanding, the lake is teeming with water-types, and mika is mindful of any other presences. "as long as you don't disturb the water-types, we'll be okay." she says that for her own reassurance as well as alia's. [break][break]

marshtomp and prinplup jump into the waters after them, quickly catching up and swimming effortlessly near them. mika gives them a smile, nodding at them in acknowledgement. "yes, it's actually quite cold. it'll take some time but even cold water will feel warm after a bit of swimming." [break][break]

they get to the part where the shallows meet the deeper end, and mika pauses at the place where their feet still touch the ground, but only a few steps "okay, as we start getting in deeper, the water will rise higher. the first thing you need to know is how to tread water. this isn't as hard as swimming, it's all about keeping you afloat." [break][break]

prinplup demonstrates the motions: keeping its head afloat, hands and legs moving and kicking, lower body at a slight angle because ramrod straight in the water just means you'll sink. mika repeats all this aloud, as well, together with a word of encouragement: "i won't let go of you yet. you can practice water treading first, because as long as you learn to float in water, swimming will come easier." the blue-haired ranger takes a step backward into deeper waters, nodding at alia. "when you're ready."

[break][break]

+ @saturn

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

a revavroom. this pokemon is harder to avoid, simply because they are known for chasing down anyone that looks like a potential threat. knowing this, mika has both her vulpix and her toxicroak team up to knock the pokemon unconscious. normally, the act is a little more violent than what mika feels comfortable with, but she ensures the revavroom is still in working order before ushering her team to go further along in granite cave. [break][break]

"whatever is up ahead, that may very well be our next shot. it wouldn't do to leave empty-handed, after all." she says this aloud to assuage her own fears rather than that of her pokemon, but the sentiment still holds.

[break][break]

+ solo wild; steel/ground/fighting [break]
+ skipping revavroom!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"—an emboar!" mika finishes her earlier statement, a bit surprised. she hadn't expected to see one all the way out here in granite cave. nevertheless, despite being a strong pokemon, mika already had a couple of good fire-type pokemon in her arsenal. talonflame, her first pokemon friend, and now vulpix, one of her newest additions to the team. [break][break]

"we need to pass, but i don't want it to come after us, so..." she nods to her musharna. "willa, put him to sleep, won't you?"[break][break]

the musharna yawns loudly, floating away from mika and towards the wild pokemon, instead. before the emboar can react, bright pink psychic waves of energy emanate from willa's body, and the mega fire pig pokemon is knocked out within seconds. [break][break]

mika praises willa after the musharna returns to her side, and keeps the whole party moving along. they walk along for about ten minutes in relative peace, until brynn the mawile reacts again, and mika looks in the direction ahead of them. what could it be now?

[break][break]

+ solo wild; steel/ground/fighting [break]
+ skipping emboar!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

ever's skill in photography was something admirable, alright. that he only just started out, but quickly picked up on the skill to the point where he could make a living off of it? certainly something, indeed! and it had been the photography that helped cultivate an eye for detail. the injured taillow might have gone unnoticed had it not been for the camera, after all. [break][break]

she wanted to say you're welcome, but attention shifted to the taillow, and the words died in her throat. still, she figured that it'd be fine as long as they took care of the poor injured pokemon. as ever approached the startled thing, mika gathered her own pokemon, and put all of them inside their poke balls with the exception of bronzong. "we'll come back to this later," mika explained. they had hoped to keep kronos out all the while, though, to get them used to being around others. [break][break]

the blue-haired ranger caught up to the other, carefully regarding the injured pokemon, as well. "how is it looking?" he had mentioned a nearby pokemon center, mika figured she could carry his things or ask her pokemon to assist them with moving. "thankfully we're not too far from the city's pokemon center. it won't be long at all for the little guy." [break][break]

she felt a sting of sympathy. any creature, pokemon or human, deserved a chance to thrive on their own. whatever struck this poor taillow was lucky that the bird was only injured, and not dead. fallen navy-colored feathers and dark spots on the grass told a story about an ambush, though mika felt grateful that the pokemon had survived such an attack. "do you need me to carry anything for you?"

[break][break]

+ ever blackwell

[attr="class","pokeclass"]