Lance was the next to awake, temporarily staring up at the ceiling, his Glizan still curled up on his chest. However, she opened her eyes, tilting her head at him slightly but crawling off so he could sit up. He slowly stroked her head, looking over to notice that Asterik had already gotten out of bed, though Agni still slept where she had occupied. She was obviously still around.
Anubis opened one eye; he had been awake, and yet, faking the illusion of sleep was nothing new to him. He had kept his place in the windowsill, paws still behind his head. "Morning, beeyotch," he greeted, closing his eye again.
"You certainly are an angel to wake up to," the Johto champion muttered, sighing slightly as once again the water-type starter crawled onto his lap.
Opening the bathroom door and stepping out, Asterik gave a small smile to the assembled people and Pokemon. "G'morning," she offered, voice not sleep-riddled which was a good indicator she had been up for a while. Sitting on the bed and petting Agni, the blue firecat waking up with a mixture between a purr and a mewl, Asterik started.
"I was just thinking- Before we leave here, we need supplies. I've gathered that Sytar doesn't get a lot of new trainers or trainers at all- so we'd need to ask around for the thing most similar to a Pokemart, here. I'd think they had herbal things instead of the potions we're used to- nobody buys them, why carry 'em?" A pause as she let this sink in. Not only were they on unfriendly ground without their pokemon, they would need to get used to using various new items with which to heal.
"It'd be best to get going as early as possible, but I'm not gonna rush- I know it takes me a while to wake up," she laughed quietly at the understatement, "So if we take at most half an hour mucking around in the room to wake up, I'd figure we can be out of town after getting what we can before the sun gets too high, and try going to the next town."
"What's the town called... Hetauf?" he asked as he began shaking his head to wake himself up, quickly digging the map out of Asterik's bag uninvited. "Yeah, Hetauf, the first gym... after that," Lance remarked, tracing his finger along the map. "I'm not sure, since this entire damn place is confusing, but it looks like the first big city in the place..."
He paused. "Barrade, I think... but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," he added, shrugging slightly.
"You're right, though," Anubis said to Asterik, standing up. "I didn't notice any pokemarts and we went around the entire town yelling for you... but it shouldn't take long to get out of..."
"Fine, go into my bag, whydon't'cha?" Asterik muttered, though obviously joking. A nod to Anubis, though, as Sally seemed it was time to join them. The trainer nodded once more, continuing, "I'm sure someone would help us out here- like that one girl we saw who tried to warn us away from the gym?"
"We should also buy a better map," Lance added, handing the demolished map to the other trainer with a sigh.
"I don't think most people here have a qualm, they're just scared... of us, or something else," Anubis remarked, folding his arms. "Not sure which..."
Both, Sally offered questioningly, as Asterik shoved the tattered map into her bag once more before shrugging it over a shoulder, running a hand as best she could through her hair.
"I don't know about you," Asterik reminded, "But we're going to have to use money sparingly. It doesn't seem like there're many trainers around to battle and get it from- even then, I don't think it'd be the wisest thing to do 'round here."
"Agreed," Lance responded, nodding. He hadn't picked up a great amount of money in Sinnoh, and that which he did, he spent along with his backup. That, paired with the fact that he couldn't go back home to get any of the money he kept there... well, by his standards, he was running dry.
"... this isn't going to be pretty, is it?" Anubis asked, chuckling slightly.
Nope, Sally laughed, But while we haven't exactally been through worse, we DO have teams Rocket and Galactic under our belts...
"But that's not saying much," Lance pointed out, "because Rocket were a bunch of farfetch'd."
"But Galactic weren't," Anubis retorted, smirking. "Of course, they were idiots, but they were COMPETANT idiots..."
"Not all of Rocket was," Asterik muttered quietly, but shrugged. "Ah well- The most we can do is hope, and get going. As said, I'm ready when you are.
"All the ones I came in contact with were," Lance replied, rubbing the back of his head. "At least in battle... poison type is pretty useless on its own..." he went off into his own small digression, before blinking.
"Yeah... let's just get going, shall we?" he said after a moment, the dog greeting him with a nod and smirk. "Mizu, return," he added, recalling the reptile back into her ball.
"True," Asterik conceeded, letting Agni jump up onto her shoulder. It seemed to be a special treat for the cat, who smiled in his own way, tail flicking. "But there were some who had some common sense. Ah well-" she stood, going over to the door and fishing for the key, making sure she could return it. Sally returned to her Pokeball as her trainer moved to go out.
"Anubis, y'mind?" he asked, indicating the pokeball the dog carried.
"Not a problem, compadre," Anubis chuckled, recalling himself, dissolving into red light, going into the red and white sphere that Lance picked up, nodding at Asterik before following her out of the room, his mind racing from idea to idea.
Upon returning the key to the lady behind the counter, thanking her, the female trainer walked out and...
Smack-dab into someone.
"Oh- I'm sorry-" she offered, having remained standing, though the person hadn't. Looking down to offer a hand and another sorry, her eyes landed on the child from before, known as Izzy. He looked up at her in fear, before his hazel eyes softened and he offered a smile.
"Fancy running into you again," Izzy started, picking himself up. Somehow he looked... worse. His white clothes were dirtier, more ripped, and his skin more caked in grime, as if more people had pushed him over much in the fashion Asterik just had.
"What happened to you?" Lance asked quietly, raising an eyebrow at the boy from before.
"He got roughed up?" Anubis suggested, popping out again, shrugging his shoulder. There was a bit of an odd feeling he had about Izzy, though he couldn't tell quite what; his aura was just a bit odd. Stronger than most people's, he noted inwardly.
"What Anubis said, it's kinda common around here," Izzy shrugged, though inwardly hitting himself for saying the Pokemon's name. Ah well, he could flub it-
"How do you know his name?" Asterik asked. Yes, he would need to.
"I overheard you talking to him, when I saw you in Relar," Izzy shrugged before changing the subject in the most graceful manner he could think of. "So, you need anything?"
"Yeah, if you could direct us to a place where we could get some healing supplies," Lance muttered, "It'd be great."
"Oh, uh-" A pause as Izzy ruffled his hair, only succeeding in making it messier. "Y'see that alley over there? If you cut through it, the first building to your right is a small shop. If not, you'd have to go around this row of buildings, but it's still basically the same. Want me to show you there?"
"If you wouldn't mind," Anubis remarked, nodding. "All the buildings look the same, at least to me," he muttered, frowning.
"You're not alone," Lance added, brushing a bit of his hair out of his eyes to see better, looking around him, still somewhat preoccupied.
Izzy nodded, "Follow me, then," He offered and, making sure the group was, indeed, following, started off toward the alley he described. Asterik, in thought [definately noticing that there was something off about the kid but deciding to ignore it, followed without question. After all, he seemed honest enough, even if he was weird.
"You notice anything off about that kid?" Lance inquired of the Kanto champion quietly, covering his mouth with his scarf. Not only good for hiding his face, but to conceal that he was talking, watching Izzy quietly.
"If I didn't, I'd tell you to smack me," she muttered, letting Izzy pull ahead a bit.
"Shame that I can't," Lance muttered in a joking tone, shrugging slightly.
Asterik merely gave him a playful sneer, chuckling.
"Ah," Anubis remarked after a moment, as they stopped outside of a small building; reasonable that he couldn't see it, as the small wooden sign, aside from its size, was fairly dark, hard to distinguish the text from the wood in plain daylight.
"That might be it," Lance remarked dryly, indicating the small wooden "shop" sign.
"And it is," Izzy offered in a small chuckle, then nodded. "An' this is where I leave you- I'm sure we'll see each other again, eh?"
"Yeah- Thanks, Iz," Asterik smiled, as the ten-year-old went off by himself once more and she, shrugging, gently pushed open the wooden door.
"As I said," Lance remarked as soon as Izzy was gone and they were inside, looking around at the labels, "what's with that kid?"
"No clue," Anubis responded whether he was wanted or not, the few people inside the store turning to stare at the talking pokemon.
"Just seems off," Asterik agreed, when she was greeted by a familiar [somewhat face.
"Hey," smiled the blue-haired girl who had warned them, "You guys need help with anything?"
"Uh- yeah," Asterik muttered, then gave a weak laugh. "Anything here used to heal pokemon?"
"Sure! One second, I'll go get it," And with that Kaelah went into the back, pulling out a couple jars and other such things.
"What are these, exactly?" Lance inquired, looking at the jars almost skeptically. As far as he remembered, most artificial herbal remedies had a tendency of being undesired by pokemon.
"This," Kaelah offered, handing him a jar, "Is a salve. It works for small cuts, healing them almost instantly- and deeper ones, though they take more time. Just take a little bit of the powder and mix it with some water, then spread it on what you need." A pause as she offered up another, this one already in a cream-form, "And this is kinda what I'd assume you'd call a potion- just take a finger-full of this and it'll heal your pokemon considerably- And," she winked, "It has some flavour added so it doesn't taste so bad. Imported oran berry juice!"
Asterik nodded, vaguely impressed, but the kicker came in the form of Kaelah tacking on, "It also works on humans, too, the both of 'em..."
"Okay, so that one's odd," Lance muttered, blinking a couple times. "And, err, how much, exactly, does this stuff cost?" he muttered, his mind going back to the amount of money it would be safe to spend at once. Not a lot...
"Two-fifty for each," she offered, "So five hundred in total- plus there's the fact that they're multiple-use."
Pulling Lance aside for a second, Asterik muttered, "Cheaper than potions at home, and you probably get ten times more in one jar. Maybe we're not completely screwed over."
"Yeah, but we're probably gonna have to use it a lot, considering where we are," Lance replied skeptically, but his voice was lost, as Anubis grabbed a bit of money out of one of the side-pockets of Lance's messenger bag -- not where most of the money was held --, pulling out the appropriate money.
"I can't speak for the girl," the Rukario said, putting the cash on the counter. "But we'll take them."
Asterik nodded as well, pulling out the five hundred pokedollars - which was really cheap, considering one super potion cost the same amount - and handing it to Kaelah. The girl nodded and handed Lance and Anubis one jar each [of each kind, and the two to Asterik.
"Thank you for your business- is there anything else I can do for you?" Kaelah asked.
"Yeah- what about poisoning and burns and the such?" Asterik asked, thinking ahead.
"The salve for burns- apply it to the skin- and the ingested one for poisoning. It'll take a little while, but it'll work."
"Oh- thank you," Asterik muttered, not knowing how the items could be so handy.
"I do have to ask, though," Lance said quietly, putting the items into his bag, after Anubis placed his own into the bag. "What, exactly, do you make these things from?"
"Various roots and herbs around here- some are growing in the back if you'd like to see- and some are imported from other regions, like the oran berry plant we have growing in the back and other such things." A pause, "All natural, don't worry- it won't hurt your pokemon, nor you if you need to use it on yourself."
He paused, before nodding. There was really no use in arguing; he'd have to take her word on it, even if he had a tad of trouble believing it. Then again, herbal medicines were usually cheap... but he couldn't shake the possibility that they'd have something off with them.
And yet, Lance nodded, turning to go. "Well, nice to do business with you," he muttered, his shyness catching up to him, making him eager to leave.
"See you, Kaelah!" Asterik smiled, Agni on her shoulder giving a mew as she followed Lance outside. "Well, then- head to... uh... Whatsitsname?"
He nodded, deciding to let Mizu out, and she instantly crawled up onto his shoulders. "I wish you wouldn't do that, Anubis," Lance remarked, lightly hitting the dog upside the head.
"What, talk to people after they know I'm with you, or buy shit?" the Rukario asked, grinning. "Because either way, I'm not going to stop doing either."
Sally, who had burst out of her Pokeball as they left, gave a mental chuckle. That seemed eventful- and now we're going to wander around to see if we can find a wild pokemon? Try to, yannow, level up those guys? With that, she motioned to Agni, who batted at her.
"Probably wise," Lance said, before pausing for a moment. He had just praised the idea of Sally. He rolled his eyes slightly, before nodding. "Err, looks like we have to go back out, back to where... well, you know," he muttered, staring at the ground for a moment.
"Back to Relar?" Asterik asked quietly. Seeing how rare it was for her to remember names, it seemed the town had burned itself into her memory.
"Well, no," he remarked, looking over at her. "Towards it, but... remember, we passed that road on the way here that went off this route? I think that's the way to... Hetauf, or whatever the hell it was..." he muttered, forgetting the names of the towns, as Asterik had the tendency to do. The more on his mind, the more forgetful he was.
"I allow you to use 'whatsitsname'," Asterik offered in a weak joke, then nodded.
And looked around. Okay, maybe her sense of direction WASN'T so good. "Uh- Geez, where's Izzy when you need him?"
"No clue," Lance responded, hands behind his head. "Not our job to keep track of him, is it...?" he muttered, trailing off in thought.
"Let's haul ass, guys," Anubis cut in, smirking. "The more we dally, the more time it takes to get to where we're going, no?"
"Yeah- thing is- I have no idea where we are," Asterik admitted, as Sally took the initiave to fly up above the buildings and call down.
Just go through that alley right next to you and turn left- then it's straight, until I can see some tall grass.
"Kickass," Anubis chuckled, punching one palm with his other paw, smirking. "So there are advantages to having you around, Sally, Eh?" he chuckled, immediately setting off. "Last one to the crossroads is a rotten togepi"
