art is a (midnight)

[Susanna Rosenbaum]

A day at the beach was just what his team needed to bond and relax. Sure, it was a cool day at the beach, but that could still work! If anything, it seemed like Cola liked it more. He chased around Nightingale. They’d found a few shells and smooth stones to play with.

Koda the woobat rested on the coordinator’s shoulder. Said coordinator sipped on a canned coffee. It didn’t do much to warm him up, but it kept him away. These odd jobs were killing him…! But, it kept him in the black and able to provide for his team. So, it was beyond worth it.

The tranquility was interrupted when Susanna saw a batch of green stuff coming close to the shore. What if that got on his precious pokemon?! Waving one arm and yelling, he warned them.

“Hey! Watch out!! There’s some gross junk in the water!”

That probably interrupted the peace of the day for anyone there to enjoy the tranquility of nature.

Midnight Reyes

[Midnight Reyes]

Midnight was walking alongside the beach, his loyal companion Heracross at his side as the youngest member of their team, a joyful Fomantis, tottered at the water's edge just shy of where the waves stopped as they washed up across the sand. Everyone was certainly enjoying the tropical breeze, and the teenage boy wondered why he had never before left the quiet wooded tranquility of Azalea till now, for this truly was a tropical paradise. And if this was only the beginning of their Shula adventure, Midnight could not wait to see what else this region held, especially if everyone was as friendly as the professor had been.

His happy thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud call from someone on the beach about something in the water, and as he turned, Midnight already saw Heracross buzzing over to scoop Fomantis into his arms just as she had started dashing for some strangely gross green gunk floating atop the waves. He had no idea what this stuff was, nor whether it was harmless or potentially dangerous for either of his partners, who were in fact returning to his side at that very moment. The little Grass-type was struggling to escape, of course having no idea of the potential problem amd simply wanting to continue her walk along the beach, but the big blue beetle's protective hold was unyielding.

Giving Fomantis a reassuring pat on the head, and a word of thanks to Heracross for his help, Midnight's eyes scanned the beach until falling upon a trainer with a Woobat on their shoulder and two young Pokémon of their own gathering at their feet. Deciding this was as good time as any to try his hand at making his first friend here in Shula, the teenager started over toward the icy-blue haired trainer with his right arm raised in a friendly wave. "Hello! I'm Midnight, originally from the Johto region, and I noticed you have some young 'Mon of your own. Thank goodness you were able to keep them out of whatever that green stuff is, too."

Susanna Rosenbaum

[Susanna Rosenbaum]

It seemed that Susanna’s needless fretting about some harmless seaweed washing up on shore had affected someone else. The pale haired man was preoccupied for a moment making sure his sniffling cubchoo and carefree happiny came toddling back up to him to focus on the other person approaching.

Sue definitely saw the guy. His pokemon just came before anything else.

Satisfied that his precious pokemon were safe, Sue finally returned the wave. Koda fluttered off the man’s shoulder and circled the other trio curiously.

“From Johto, huh? Well, welcome to Shula! It’s a great region, you’ll find! … Excusing whatever’s in the water.”

It was just a cluster of seaweed, but Susanna so rarely explored the wilds that anything except sparkling clean, chemically filtered water was questionable to him.

“Anyways, I’m Susanna. The cutie pie giving you a once over is Koda and these two—” Here, the man dropped down onto one knee. His canned coffee was placed down so he could lovingly ruffle the heads of the two ground-bound members of his currently out-of-their-pokeballs team. “—are Cola and Nightingale!”

While Nightingale the happiny waved to greet Midnight and his two pokemon, Cola just held her free hand and trembled.

[Midnight Reyes]

Midnight smiled at Koda the Woobat as it circled himself and his two partners, Fomantis futilely wiggling to free herself from Heracross at the sight of the fluffy bat with a heart-shaped nose. Her dark pink pupils then grew huge at the sight of the adorably pink Happiny waving at them from Susanna's side, and within mere seconds the Grass-type had launched herself free of the large blue beetle and was speedily tottering towards the Playhouse Pokémon with leafy scythe-arms extended for a hug. "Fo, Fo, Fo!!"

"I'm so sorry, she just really loves pink Pokémon!" hastily apologized the teenage boy, hoping that neither Susanna or his Pokémon would be too offended by the faux bug's unbridled enthusiasm. "She's very friendly, and genuinely wouldn't hurt anyone ever!"

Hoping to change the topic before things potentially grew awkward, Heracross buzzing forward in his attempt to recapture the young one, Midnight tried to start some conversation. "On a different note, my partners and I love just being out in nature and enjoying the beauty of it all. Back home in Azalea Town, we -- or rather Heracross and I, since Fomantis only just hatched a few days before we came here to Shula -- we could spend all day just exploring the peaceful shaded expanse of Ilex Forest.

"Do you and your partners spend much time outdoors here? I'm sure you're probably used to it all, but I just can't get over how bright and beautiful it all is... and this only the first tiny bit of Shula, so I can't wait to see what else this region has in store for us." As his sentence came to a end, Midnight was relieved that Heracross had recaptured Fomantis just seconds before she would've made it to Nightingale the Happiny. The Bug/Fighting-type gave a quiet "Cross, cross," almost as if scolding the young Pokémon as he briefly shook his head, walking back to rejoin Midnight at his side.


Susanna Rosenbaum