I jet off after her. She's started this game, and I'm not going to finish until she's the one loosing. It's not difficult either, because she's slower. True, I have to weave a bit more since I'm bigger, but the trees aren't as densely populated here and there's not much to dodge around. I manage to keep her red tail feathers in sight though, which makes me think the person who made the female BRIGHT RED was actually trying to make it difficult for the significant male to keep her safe.
I mean, yeah, red is a frightning color, which is a sort of defense. But less frightning when the thing it's attached to is looking at a flower, or picking berries. It's not even remotely near the definition of camouflage, and it might as well have a giant buzzing sign attached saying "ATTACK ME!". Which is the last thing the male needs when he's trying go look after her.
I provide a good example why this is bad in how I catch up with her in seconds, not that she can tell as the whole thing is silent.
I'm aiming for the thing which will be easiest to nab, and by easier I mean closer to me and as far from her centre as possible. That'll mean I can flee faster than she can try and tig me back.
In this case, her tail fins are the best choice, and my snout is getting ever closer to them... Just a little closer and...
She slows down a fraction and her fins get well with in reach. I do a teensy bite (Bianca would call it a 'nip') on her left fin and immidiatly fly upwards, shouting to let her know she's been got as I burst out above the treeline.
"TIG!"
"Really?" She quips back. It's sarcastic, and we both know. When the other bites us, we know all about it. It's not blood-drawing or anything (I think we're some way designed to be immune to our own bites, since me and Latias used to playfight and bite each other all the time and never really get hurt). But it sure does sting. Oddly, biting does less damage to ourselves then our claws. I don't know how that works.
She flies up too, bringing in a curve so that she should run into me, or at least brush past. But I turned too quickly for her, and she flies right underneath me, a meter below. She tries again and does the same, turning back backwards, but the curve is slowing her down, and she's one and a half meters short on the next pass.
"Ha! Too slow!" I shout to her, even slowing down to taunt her.
Which I end up regretting, because Latias chooses the same moment to go in a straight line. The result is her drawing line with my wings, which she bites before peeling away from me and back down.
"Oh Yeah? TIG!"
Ultimately, I will win, because getting back to the house will require going through the archway and I'll beat her on the straight line. All the same, I'd like to be winning sooner rather then later...
I do a backwards turn and dive down after Latias. We got quite high up before she caught me, but she's not going particularly fast, so when I catch up we're just above the tree line, where Latias was hoping to dive into to make it difficult for me to spot her. But she isn't going to manage that, because I'm already almost past her.
"TIG!" I shout and do the same movement as before, biting her wing and flying away. Except this time she's ready.
She does the same curve as me, and the result is we both do two full circles in an attempt to escape/catch up with the other.
We do two loops in under half a second, but that's plenty of time to think about the next move. The issue is, either one of us could break the loop and fly straight, but then the other would have the advantage to tig back because the initial speed would be that of the turn. Very complicated, but after the second loop I come up with a plan.
I keep the turn, but rotate myself a quarter of a circle, so I'm now doing the full circular turn on a different axis to Latias.
"Ha! didn't think of that, did you?"
Then, at the point in our runs where I'm furthest away, I accelerate towards the direction I know the arch is in. After a brief amount of time to find a suitable place, I dive down into the trees. That'll make it even harder for her to find me. I'm not turning around to look where she is though. But she must be far away.
I break through the treeline and within seconds feel a bite of my wing-shoulder kind of region. "TIG!" a voice behind me shouts, and I realize what she did.
While I was in the trees, Latias carried on right above them and was able to go faster. Then when I emerged from the tree line, it must have been simple for her to just duck down and tig me. Very clever. But two can play at that game.
I halt and drop to the ground, lying on the grass with my wings down. Almost immediately, Latias flies round and faces me, hovering just a few feet above and infront of me, looking confused.
"I tug you!"
"I know..."
"So why aren't you tigging back?"
"I am."
"But your NOT! Come on Latios!"
"You wait and see"
"Really? Fine then. I'll just be leaving, after all, we're ment to be fetching Tony."
She turns around and looks a bit dejected. Then she flies for the arch, halfheartedly. Perfect.
I fly right after her, just a lot, lot faster. She's completely unprepared, and I almost don't have time to tig her. But I do, and nip her wing on the way past.
"TIG!"
"What?! You stopped playing!"
"No I didn't, I said wait and see!"
"Yes, but you'd stopped chasing!"
"WINNING!" I shout as I fly into the entrence of the archway, victorious. Haha, she fell for that one hook line and sinker. Whatever that means. Lorenzo says it whenever we fall for one of his tricks. Like sneaking medicine into our food.
"But you cheated!" I can barely hear behind me, Latias clearly not even at the archway yet whereas I am already out the other side.
Assured in my victory, I fly over to the door, which is open, since I didn't close it when me and Cubone went through. As always, just as I'm through the door, when a tug on my wings jerks me back. I sigh, fly backwards, fold them back and retry, folding them out again once I'm clear. Then it's just the doorway to the hall and I'm there, Tony's distorted image visible through the fogged up glass set at the side of the doorway. The door is locked from the outside, but on the inside all I need to do is pull the handle down.
I do so with my teeth, flying inwards at the same time. The door opens with me and I let go of the handle, allowing the door to swing inwards.
Tony is looking dead ahead and does a double take, before looking down at me. "Oh, there you are!"
Most people forget that although we can fly, we don't always fly at head height around the house. Most of the time, we're at human chest height, and so often end up starting conversations being looked down at. In this instance, I was opening the door and so was at waist height. I fly up to his level as he's already struggling with a plastic box, which by the smell of it has the cake inside.
"Come in!" I invite him, in a tone Bianca would be proud of. What else does Bianca say to guests? Oh yeah!
"Don't bother taking your shoes off, boats aren't that muddy!". It's not exactly what she says, but it's close enough.
"Oh you are kind. How are you then?"
This is one of the things I like about him. Whereas most guests don't ask us a question unless it has a yes/no response, Tony'll ask us all kinds of things. It's nice to talk to him even if you know he doesn't understand most of what your saying.
"Not bad, quite excited for this afternoon. You?"
"Good good. I'm doing well too, hired a new chef, we might start doing cooked meals now!"
Mmm... That would be nice. Omelettes and that kind of thing. I'm about to comment when Latias barrels in.
"TONY!", she coos, long and loud. I can see in her movements that she's about to go and thrust her head up to Tony for a stroke or ear scratch, so I'm relieved when she sees the box he's carrying with two hands and stops. He responds by putting an a ridiculously large grin. "Nice to meet you too, Latias. We can talk on the way... Why don't you show me to the party place?"
"Sure thing!" She turns tail - a considerable feat considering the amount of room in the almost crowded hallway - and heads out through the door into the kitchen.
"She's lively today!" Is the only comment Tony passes on the subject.
"Yeah, Bianca thinks she's going into heat" I tell him, which is true, not that that'll mean anything to him. I let him walk infront of me as we all follow Latias out of the house. Once out, she flies alongside Tony as we all walk towards and into the archway.
"So, Latias. How are you?"
"Not too bad. Wait... Hungry! Definately Hungry! But not bad at all thanks. That cake smells nice though, let me see!". She starts sniffing around the bottom of the box, while Tony is walking, nudging it with her snout. To say Tony doesn't live with us, he doesn't bat an eyelid at Latias almost tipping the box out of his hand.
"Apapapa! Nope, you'll see it in a few minutes. Where is Bianca anyway?"
"She's in the garden." Latias answers, flying away from the box and back to Tony's side, pointing to the end of the arch with one claw.
"Oh right"
Tony has been in the garden before. Him and Lorenzo like to sit on the balcony like area and drink 'gin and tonic' from time to time. But he's not familiar with it by any means, and he still does an awe filled expression every time he steps in. I can see why. Compared to the relative trauma of living in Alto Mare, the garden is isolated and as calm as it gets.
"This way!" Latias shouts, having already flown to the stairs at the side whereas I've been keeping pace with Tony.
We make our way down the steps and down the path between the two ponds. Or lakes. Tony doesn't say anything for the time being, just enjoying the tranquility of the garden. That is, until Latias starts squealing.
"TONY! TONY LOOK! SWING!"
Tony and I both look to see Latias on the swing attached to a branch of a tree next to the water's edge. 'On' is a bit of a misdemeanor, as I doubt she's actually putting that much weight on her rear. But she is swinging backwards and forwards, the crook of her arms on the rope. I have a tire swing on the tree next to it, and I'm tempted to join her, but I want to appear slightly more mature in front of Tony. Besides, someone's got to take him to Bianca.
"Very Nice Latias" He shouts over to her, which prompts a "thank you!" from her direction, quiter as she gets further away. Tony lowers his voice and continues talking to me.
"How's that Cubone doing that you picked up?" Tony asks me, and I do an ashamed face. I hope he didn't get into trouble for us taking him.
"Oh, there's no need for that face. The lady called and asked where he was. I told her that I'd dropped him at the centre and she said that if I wanted to I could keep him. She even had the cheek to call me lonely and 'in need of a companion'!"
I breathe a sigh of relif. The woman didn't want Cubone back, and Tony didn't get in trouble. "He's doing good. Cheerful once you get past that mask, really."
"So you didn't have him for lunch?" He teases. I act horrified, but he knows I'd never abuse his trust like that. He knows we're carnivores and hunt, but I don't think he'd live it down if we'd eaten a pokemon lured into his shop. But he makes a valid point.
"No, I'd never do that! Besides, Cubone wouldn't taste good. Too bony" Haha, if only he understood. Which he doesn't, so he just carries on.
"Ahh good. I guessed you and him would be good friends..." He lapses into a silence and I consider this unassuming ice cream man.
He doesn't have any pokemon of his own, because he's said to Lorenzo in one of their chats that he thinks keeping them in a ball is inhumane. From what I've gathered from captured pokemon, it's a half truth. Some of them like it, some don't mind and some adamantly refuse, which is apparently an option.
His wife died many a year ago. He lives in the apartment above the shop on his own. He's got a daughter and two grandsons, but they moved to the mainland. The son in law is a 'good lad', apparently, but other then that Tony doesn't mention his family much around me and Latias. Lorenzo probably knows more.
In due time, we reach the clearing. Bianca is sat on the table, swinging her legs, clearly at a loose end, having finished with the table. Cubone is also sat in the same way, just with his stubby feet extending barely beyond the edge of the table. He's talking to Bianca, who is giggling at him, mainly I think for the fact that she can't understand a single thing he's sayinf but for the fact his growl-like speach sounds unimaginably cute . Tony smiles as be sees this, and I can hear him chuckle.
"Hey! Bianca! and the Little Guy!". By that of course he means Cubone. As a response, Bianca waves and jumps off the table and Cubone waves his bone in immitation, Although opting to stay on the table.
Tony walks briskly over with the cake, but I stay where I am because I feel a presence approaching. Specifically, a big, red presence with a very happy aura. It closes in until it's right next to my ear, but anyone else wouldn't notice unless they could feel aura. But I do. And I know what she's going to do next.
Before she can, I turn my head and nip her right on the snout. I make a "BOOP!" noise as I do so, which throws her in to complete confusion, before turning back to Bianca, Cubone and Tony.
What she was going to do was get really close without me noticing and then squeal in my ear, making me jump. Except she failed at the 'not noticing her' part, so from her point of view she's just suddenly been bitten on the snout for no reason. I give it a few seconds before she works out what she's going to do.
"What... the?... Wait... What?!"
I wait a few seconds and then "BOOP!". I do the same thing again, and turn back to watching Bianca.
"Oh. So you're going to play THAT game" she says, like 'THAT' is a game we've played before. In actual fact, that's the first time I've done that, so if she's turning it into a game it will be a game neither of us know the rules to.
A few seconds pass, then Latias flies forwards and bites my snout, her head sideways so I can just about see the mischevious look in her eye. "Boop!". She returns to the position she was in like nothing ever happened, just like I did.
A few seconds pass.
She's just abut to do it again, but this time I duck down and she snaps at thin air. "Oooooh!".
I fly all the way down to the ground, lying down facing Latias, who is still at chest height. Now if she wants to "boop", I can just move my head out of the way, then go on the offensive myself.
Sure enough, she thinks that because she's now higher up, she'll have the advantage, which would be true if not for the fact that this 'game' appears to be limited in the area you're targeting I. E: You can only bite the other's snout. She lowers herself so my snout is in reach if she streaches her neck, but stays off the ground. She extends her neck forwards to try and make a grab, but I just move sideways and dodge, before moving back to where Latias' snout still is, and "BOOP!". Another point to me.
I think Bianca notices, because she starts to shout to discipline me.
"LATIOS! DON'T BITE LATIAS'... Oh right it's a game." She trails off her sentence as Latias tries to make another series of jabs at me, each of which fail.
"STAY STILL!" She squeals after that series of jabs didn't work.
After another failed attempt, she gives up and flies to Bianca and Tony, not necessarily for any affection but more to see the cake which Tony has just set down on the table in its box.
I'm interested in the cake too and fly over on the opposite side of the people to where Latias is. We're now all in a line, centred on the cake, me on the left, then Bianca, then Tony and finally Latias. Cubone is stood on the table, looking at the tub.
"Do you want to take the lid off?" Tony asks Cubone, receiving an enthusiastic nod in return.
"Okay then little guy... Let me help you". Tony grabs hold of the bottom of the box, which is actually the box's intended lid but as its been turned upside down (presumably so the cake will be ready and easier to eat off the lid). "Go for it!".
Cubone grabs the sides of box and starts lifting, his little arms starting to show strain as he tries to get the right angle on it. His palms are flat against it, the ever-present bone between his left palm and the box, until the top of the box pops off, the base held down by Tony.
Cubone raises it further until we see the cake.
It's a magnificent creation in every aspect. Smells wonderful, looks wonderful and I bet it tastes even better. The whole cake is iced white, for starters. Around the edge is more icing that's red and blue, and in a star tube pattern. The image in the middle is almost in the same style of the banner, and if you'd seen the two you'd say the cake was done to match the banner, even though that isn't possible since Tony hasn't even seen the banner until now.
The design iced on the top is muted so as not to clash with the text layered above it. It's almost like he's drawn it with a pencil, which is impossible because it's icing, and it looks like a colored pencil rendering of Lorenzo when he was commentating on the race. Except in the open window, in the distance in the sky, is me and Latias chasing each other's tail fins. Awww...
Everyone except Tony lets out an amazed gasp.
"That ... Is... Amazing" Bianca looks in awe, the cake easily besting her artistic talent. Yeah, the picture is about as good as one she could draw. But it's done in ICING! I don't know if you've ever tried spelling your name with icing, but by the looks of it it's almost impossible even if you have opposable thumbs.
Bianca pulls her phone out and starts taking pictures of the cake from different angles and with the flash on and off.
While that's happening, Latias is adoring Tony's skills and rubbing her head against his shoulder. "That's amazing! That drawing... And it only took a day, how on earth did you do it, I mean it takes me two hours to draw a stick man..."
Tony is smiling even more, not smug or anything, just really happy we like his work. "Glad you all like it!". We do.
Bianca stops taking pictures of the cake and turns to Tony. "Thanks, that cake is AMAZING... You should really set up a stall or something at the market place"
It's a good idea. He'd make a lot more money, because more tourists go through the market then the ally his shop is in. Plus with cakes like that you could charge as much as you like and you'd still get people buying them, they're that good.
"Hey, with Lorenzo as a TV presenter, you could get him to mention your shop on TV. You'd get lots more people!" Bianca points out.
"Naah" - Tony dismisses the idea with a wave of his hand - "I'm sure there's rules against that. Anyway, I'm happy with the work I've got now."
Bianca gazes at the cake for a few more seconds before speaking again.
"I think it's time for lunch..."
Brilliant, I'm starving. What's on the menu?
Latias starts to fly over the delectables on the table but is stopped by Bianca grabbing her wing with one hand. "Oh no, we are NOT opening any of that stuff until the party. Me and Tony are going to have something from the house. You lot can find your own."
Tony laughs at Latias disappointed coo.
"I thourght you liked getting your own food?"
"Yeah. But not one someone else is telling me to!"
I don't mind really, it's just a shame that we can't have the fish which is already out on the table. Then again, she's essentially said 'have anything you want except the stuff on the table'. Which isn't too bad, I guess, considering we have the whole of Alto Mare to select our food from.
"Who's the little fella going to eat with?" Tony asks as he does a mini handshake with Cubone, who has to wrap his entire hand around Lorenzo thumb.
"Whoever he wants..." Bianca looks at him, opening the floor for him to select who he wants to have a meal with. On one hand, what me and Latias will be having will probably taste better to him. On the other, if he went with Bianca, it won't be wriggling, which obviously distressess him.
He points the hand with the bone to me and Latias.
"Okay, them it is. See you guys later!" and she becons Tony to follow her towards the archway. Something tells me she's got a plan or something like that, and wants me and Latias to stay out of. But then again, perhaps she just didn't want to make food for 2 more mouths. Or the extra washing up afterwards.
Latias flies over to Cubone and puts her snout right up to his skull. "We get to feed you!" she says, an obvious statement. "So, what do you want?"
I'm glad he's been given a choice, because I'd always go for 'whatever's easier' option. But letting Cubone decide is a challenge.
"Er... Erm... Oh... Er..." he stutters, really unsure about what to have. It's probably been ages since he's had any kind of choice, let alone an almost unlimited choice. Latias butts in to help.
"If you can't decide we can just get whatever and suprise you?" She suggests.
"Aren't we having party food later?"
"Aren't you hungry now?"
"Yes?"
"Well let's eat what we want now and worry about what we'll eat later, later". It's a good policy and hasn't failed either of us yet.
"Well... Okay... But I don't know what's available. You two just suprise me.". Oh we can do suprising, believe me.
"Well okay then" - Latias takes the lead in food planning, she normally eats the most anyway - "Who do you want to help? Me?"
"What do you do?"
"Find berries, leaves, fruit. That kind of thing."
"And what does Latios do?" He asks Latias instead of me directly.
"Whatever he wants. Probably hunting knowing him." - her snout suddenly snaps towards me - "Wait, don't you have that fish on the pa-"
"THAT'S FOR LATER!" I shout over the top of her. She is not having that gift until everyone is here. Which is awkward behaviour in her eyes, since I rarely keep food. Naturally, she's intreuged: If she could open one eye more than the other to make an intreugied face right now, she would.
"Hmmmm... Okay then... So. If me and Cubone get some planty stuff" - that's what she calls the stuff she finds - " You can get what you think's best"
That's fine by me, so I give her a nod of the head before levitating up and away, thinking about what food to get.
The problem as I see it is that Alto Mare is very restricted by way of places to get food. Since ground space is limited, there are almost no green areas where wild pokemon will be, and those that there are often have people in, so you can't go and just attack things even if you are invsible, because odds are someone will see that zigzagoon suddenly die and then fly off into the air, apparently all of its own accord.
I could go and steal something from a market stall or from the stand outside a shop, I guess. Those places are so cheotic almost no-one notices. But I don't think there will be anything large enough to feed me and Latias and Cubone. What does he like anyway? Probably land animals or something, since scavengers won't come across fish often, if not ever. Something nice and meaty.
I take a quick look at the parks first, because it's a Monday and there will be less people around them. After turning invisible, I check out the first, largest park. It looks like a no-go, because there's a couple and child there and while they may not see, they might hear and run to try and see.
The next park has too many people in, full stop. It looks like a school trip or something.
I strike gold on the third park though. Completely empty, perfect. Now all I need is something to actually take back. Which is yet another issue.
It's an issue because, being an island, wild non-water Pokemon in Alto Mare are actually quite rare, as there isn't many places trainers haven't been. And I don't like praying on caught pokemon, because more often than not that makes the trainers (many of whom are new or young) upset to the point of crying, which then makes me feel bad even though I'm only doing the natural thing.
The only wild pokemon that aren't rare are the ones that are undesirable to the trainers, such as oddish or zigzagoon. I don't generally catch the undesirable ones either, as there isn't normally much meat or anything useful on them. But sometimes the population gets a bit out of control I have to for fear of them taking over. Even if I don't like the taste that much.
Plus Latias always has a go at me if I bring oddish back. 'Latios, I'M meant to get the plants, YOU'RE meant to get the meat!'. She says it in a kidding tone and we do eat it in the end, but all the same. It smacks a bit of too little effort, which isn't what you want when your trying to convince her to be your mate.
Today I spilt hydraulic fluid all over an electrical connection and set my work on fire. On two separate occasions. I need cheering up. Reviews please?