bottlecaplogs | April Catch-all

"I'll try not to fly too high." For now, Akechi hovers above the group, low enough to be seen, but high enough to get a decent view at the path ahead. "We should be ready to fend off hostile Pokémon that may have already inhaled the spores. Additionally, if it's anything like before, even the plantlife isn't safe."

Humming, he looks down at Firepaw. "It may be wise to create some form of torch to light the way." Ren shouldn't carry it, of course. He's a grass type, but...

Swooping down, he picks up a stick in his talons. "I don't mind carrying it, since I've a bit more dexterity."

The others are quadrupeds, which limits how much they can carry.

"You're pairing with Akechi ..." Junpei murmurs from beneath his mask, looking between the bird and the cat with an unsure expression in his button eyes.

He's tried not to dwell on the discussion he and Firepaw had had that one day they were gathering resources together. The Pokémon in charge had said it was fine. So it was fine. There was a difference between the birds in the forest and the birds in the guilds.

Shake it off.

Glancing towards Ren he gives him a nod in greeting, "I've been practicing breaking rocks and logs, so leave any obstacles to me. I'll give you a warning to stand back."

Ren hums in agreement with Akechi. "Yeah. We can see well enough now, but the deeper we get, the darker and more disorienting the forest gets. If we have a torch, we can look out for it even if we get separated."

It's probably also for the best that he stays on the ground. He used to be pretty nimble, but with the ache in his muscles (even if fainter now than before), he's probably not in the best condition to be jumping from branch to branch.

(Oh, how he misses his grappling hook, though.)

That- and travelling in pairs of two is probably safer anyway.

Having said his part, he turns to Junpei, giving him a sharp smile- though only his eyes are visible, under his mask. It is quite the adorable sight.

"Sounds good. I'm a little more immune to the spores, so I'll take the front until we get stopped by an obstacle." He looks at Akechi and Firepaw, then back to Junpei. "If I can smell any, I'll yell."

Firepaw nods, and breathes a small, controlled Ember onto Akechi's stick, looking pleased with himself once it catches fire.

"Sounds like we're all ready, then. Ren, you pick our direction and we'll follow. I might be hard to see up there, but I'll stay close by."

He really doesn't want to get stranded again.

And he does make eye contact with Junpei for a second after that comment, but doesn't reply to it. He's... privately dealing with how weird he feels about hunting, and definitely not ready to hear more feedback about it.

Instead he pretends he didn't notice and sets about climbing up a nearby tree. Which, to someone as practiced as him, really looks more like he's running up it at full speed. He's staying in the lower branches, but his dark fur makes it pretty hard to see anything except for the red marks on his legs and face.

Edited 2025-04-05 21:05 (UTC)

"I have good eyesight, so it shouldn't be too difficult to keep track of everyone. If all else fails, rely on scent and sound." He holds the torch carefully, making sure not to hover too close to the leaves or nearby branches.

They don't want to start a fire, after all.

"We have one vial of medicine each, so we should only use it if absolutely necessary. Ideally, we'll make it through without any unnecessary afflictions, but time will tell."

With that, he's ready to go when the others are.

Junpei has no problem with Ren leading the way, especially as he himself is likely the slowest of the group when it comes to movement. Before he’d learned of the comic amount of strength his cute little body possessed he’d wondered how Stufful protect themselves from danger with their lack of speed. While not as slothful as say, a Slowpoke, he’s not exactly winning any races as he does his best to keep up with Ren once a direction is chosen. It’ll be easier to just keep an eye on him than to constantly check the positions of Firepaw and Akechi.

"Alright. Follow me!"

Ren sets off northward, further into the forest, tail held high- though with both Akechi and Firepaw farther away from him, the pain has returned something fierce. He glances upwards to watch the two, and then behind himself to make sure Junpei is following. He's... definitely not going as fast as he could be, but Junpei not being very fast himself is a decent enough excuse as any.

Then again, the slower going is also, in part, because of caution. Ren's ears swivel with the noises of the forest, keeping track of what's around them, and once again, the forest feels... far too alive to just be a forest. The sensation of being watched is quick to dawn on him, and he whispers to Junpei, his voice low;

"Do you have your Grumpearl handy? Something's watching us," he murmurs, "can you ask those two if they see anything? I don't want to alert whatever it is."

Those two being Akechi and Firepaw, of course.

Firepaw has spent plenty of time in the forest - exploring, questing, hunting, rescuing newcomers, napping away from the noise of the city. He's starting to get accustomed to how vibrant and alive it feels, even compared to the forest back home, but he's still keenly aware of how many things could harm them. Hostile Pokemon, the fog, the spores, and maybe even new things that no one else has discovered yet. It makes him grateful that Ren is picking a relatively slow pace, so he can pick his jumps while still keeping his eyes, ears and nose open for any signs of trouble.

"I smell Bug-type Pokemon." He murmurs, just loud enough for Akechi to hear him. "Seems like they're everywhere around here... but I can't tell them apart yet."

Akechi's eyes scan their surroundings. A rustle in the leaves, somewhere in the distance... Yes, there are most certainly bugs of a sort.

He gazes down at the torch in his talons. "At the very least, we've the type advantage."

Briefly, Akechi dips down, so he can inform the others. He trusts their sense of hearing enough that he doesn't fly too low to lose sight of Firepaw. "There are bug-type Pokémon nearby. Get ready."

Then up he goes again. It's for the best, so he can strike first as needed and keep Ren safe.

Before Junpei can take out his Grumpearl, Akechi flies down with his warning.

"Got it."

Bug-types. A grimace behind his mask. He's still not quite used to the whole concept of insects as big as he he is, and while he'd never speak it aloud they make him uneasy. All those legs. Mandibles. They'd be amazing to see in a horror movie, but not so much in the flesh.

Still, he braces himself, ready to throw paws if necessary. He gets the impression 'Baby Doll Eyes' won't be as useful on a bug.

Gah, Bug types. He's learned the hard way that he's rather weak to them- he's glad he's used to freaky sights thanks to the Metaverse already, otherwise bugs the size of himself would've certainly freaked him out more. Doesn't mean he has to like them... but it also doesn't mean he's not ready to defend himself and his allies.

His ears swivel around, and his nose twitches underneath his mask, trying to get a better sense for where they're at, but it's hard to say. The entire forest feels like it's watching, and it feels like they're surrounded. Maybe they are- Ren hopes not. Even without his achy debuff, as Futaba would say, that'd be troublesome.

He continues on, staying a little closer to Junpei, until he thinks he sees something in the corner of his eye, moving near the undergrowth. He freezes, his head snapping towards it... but it's already gone. Only a pair of small, red mushrooms are visible.

...?

"... There's something about those mushrooms, right?" he whispers to Junpei, "I can't put my finger on it..."

Good news for Ren - the ache is about to start fading again.

Firepaw has noticed in the past that Bug-type Pokemon don't smell like much, unless you're close enough to smell their pheromones. He's so focused in on trying to pick apart the scent notes, that he completely misses his next jump and is sent crashing down into the brush. His mask lands nearby, whipped off during the fall.

The Pokemon he lands on is a large Paras, which hisses loudly and lets out a burst of purple Poison Spores as a knee-jerk reaction. Which, unfortunately, hits Firepaw at point-blank range and might also hit Ren or Junpei.

Damn it!

Well, only one thing to do, then. Akechi dives at the Paras, torch still aflame. He knows they're rather weak to fire, and that combined with his flying typing should at least act as a deterrent.

But, just to be safe, he'll whip up some Tailwind to help the other outspeed the pest.

"Yeah, they -- Firepaw!"

Thankfully the mask keeps Junpei from inhaling any of the spores, even though a few dot his pink fur with purple spots as he launches himself forward to shield the cat from any further onslaughts. In his panic he's forgotten that, being a fire-type, Firepaw is going to be far more useful against the Paras than his 'chopping paws' attacks. Akechi's quick thinking sorts that issue out, which allows Junpei to focus on how to help his friend.

"Water ... how far away are we from a stream or a pond or something?"

Again, in his panic, forgetting that's a bad idea when you're talking about a fire-type.

April Catch-all

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