Once Upon a Legend (Birthday Legend)

[Daniel Munny]

OOC: I'm hoping for Darkrai please!

Daniel carried his new egg in a pouch around his stomach; it was to keep it safe and warm while it incubated. Meanwhile, his elemental trio of other pokemon followed him into the Giya Swamp, the day swelteringly hot and humid, especially in this region of Shula. Dusk, his newest pokemon, a shiny poliwag with a water allergy - could you get any more unlucky??? - was waddling along beside Tarragon, who was talking his ear off about how great the grass starter was.

Hasira was hopping along from one foot to the other, flapping her wings in practice for flight; after the disaster with Team Diamond Crystal and that awful pokemon they'd released, Hasira had been insistent that she finally learn how to fly. So, she was hopping from one perch to the next, making short flights with her outspread wings, attempting to teach herself, as each of her teachers had butted heads with her for one reason or the other.

<Ugh, could it get any hotter?> Tarragon complained to the Dusknoir gijinka, who was only slightly listening to him. <I'm literally dripping with sweat, and let me tell you, us grass types don't sweat, we sap!> He flung his head around to demonstrate, the sticky substance leaking from his pores and flicking onto Daniel's shoes.

<Really, Tarragon, you had to fling your 'sap' onto me?> Daniel complained, shaking one foot, trying to dislodge the stucky substance, to no avail.

<I can get it off!> Dusk volunteered, a small bubblebeam spraying onto Daniel's feet, covering them with water. Luckily, his own water moves didn't seem to trigger his allergy, for he soaked the two of them, as well as spraying Tarragon a little bit, who had been standing off to the side.

<Aw, geez, Dusk...> Daniel moaned, his shoes and subsequently, socks and feet, now soaking wet.

<Sorry, Dan!> Dusk squeaked, looking down sadly. Hasira laughed mockingly, while Tarragon rolled his eyes.

<You wouldn't think it so funny if you had gotten soaked, Hasira,> Tarragon reprimmanded her, and the fiery-tempered bird rounded on the grass type, steaming mad, literally. A trail of steam escaped her mouth as she opened it to yell at Tarragon.

<Shut up, you stuck-up sap-sucker!> She snapped at him, letting loose a trail of embers from her beak, that barely missed hitting Tarragon on the side.

<That's enough, you two,> Daniel ordered, shooing Hasira away from Tarragon. <Hasira, you need to control your temper. Tarragon, don't needle her when you know she has temper issues,> he said, looking between the two opposite pokemon. Tarragon rolled his eyes again, and Hasira huffed grumpily.

<Come on, you two, let's have some fun!> Dusk said cheerfully. <There's no need to fight, we're all on the same team here!>

[Gardeon]

The swamp was quiet.

As a place little happened there as few wished to enter in to the dark and murky area at the best of times and in the summer, it was little more than a mud bath with the odd sinking patch and very little water to its name. All the same, even for the time of year, it was quiet. There were flying types around, flittering through the very tops of trees with long curling roots in the sludge and a lot of bug types moving along them.

But they were far away, and the noise of the group only seemed to push the pokemon around them further and further from them. They were clearly being avoided, though as the summer sun shone down through the breaks in the trees over sun baked earth and on to a few rare patches of shallow grimy water, smells in the air aside, it was not a bad day to be exploring.

[Daniel Munny]

Danny continued down the almost invisible path through the dry marsh, the path covered by dried mud and scraggly, arid bushes that seemed to be struggling to survive in the harsh heat of the summer months. He wondered where all the pokemon were? There didn't seem to be a single soul besides him and his own pokemon around. Perhaps they were all hiding from the heat? But still, surely there would be a couple ground, rock, or steel type pokemon, ones that didn't mind the heat as much as others?

Danny wondered if something sinister was going on. He looked back at his bickering pokemon and held out an arm towards them. "Guys, there might be something going on," he said seriously.

Tarragon and the others looked up at him in confusion. <What do you mean, Danny?> Hasira chirped, hopping up to him and fluttering her wings, managing to lift herself up to his shoulder.

Danny turned his head towards her and answered, "There seems to be a distinct lack of other pokemon around, and it doesn't seem... natural." He glanced around and gestured at the surrounding area, as if to indicate said lack of pokemon.

Dusk blinked and said, <...Huh. Now that you mention it, there should be some Mudbrays or even some Rockruffs around at the very least, but there's no-one. But do you think something is wrong, or that something scared the pokemon away, maybe?> he hummed thoughtfully.

<Bah, I'm sure everything's fine,> Tarragon yawned dismissively. <They're all probably hiding from this hideous heat wave!> He eyed one of the small puddles of water nearby with longing. <Too bad all the marsh has dried up, it would be nice to take a swim, huh Dusk?>

<I wish,> Dusk sighed longingly. <If I weren't allergic, I'd jump in anyway!> he said.

<Oh yeah, I forgot about your allergy,> Tarragon responded. <What's it like, being allergic to your own element? That's gotta be rough, buddy!>

<Yeah, it stinks,> Dusk agreed. <But, if I get enough creams and antidotes, I'm good.> He shrugged, seemingly not worried about his allergies.

[Gardeon]

As the group continued to move, and continued to keep their volume up, the obvious path in front of them remained quiet. Around them it became clear over a little more time that pokemon were around, there was movement here and there but it seemed to again be moving away from the large collection of noise and voices.

Tree branches bent and creaked as small bodys hopped off them in and in to darker areas, the soft noises of water and mud being tracked deeper in to the swamp bounced around with leaves and twigs dropping from over head as the shadows of flying types disappeared from sight. There was a pace to most of the movements, something startled and moving away quickly, but many of those lower down within the roots and mud itself, seemed to move slower, until the group were close and then they seemed to hurry away.

[Daniel Munny]

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Daniel noticed as they walked along, that there seemed to be pokemon about, only - as soon as the group got close, the pokemon were leaving, like fleeing the scene. "Huh," Daniel lowered his voice, and beckoned to his pokemon. <I think the pokemon around here are being scared by something,> He said to his pokemon, and Tarragon nodded.

<Yeah, it's like they're fleeing upon seeing us,> Tarragon said quietly.

<Why would that be?> Hasira asked, not lowering her voice, but not being really loud either. 

<Maybe the pokemon around here have had bad encounters with gijinka?> Dusk suggested. 

<That would suck,> Daniel said, blinking. He looked around and caught a glimpse of the shadows of some flying pokemon overhead. He looked up, but the pokemon were gone already.

WORDS ● TAGGED ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Gardeon]

As the group moved, a minor effort being made to lower their volume as they progressed through the wild area, the day kept moving as any other. The wind blew through the area and brought the smell of wet mud and broken earth, rotting plants and tree bark as it curled through the trees and roots of the swamp.

vHSB8a0n

Pokemon could be heard skittering away as the group progress, trees breaking from their stillness to free a flying type there and there or bug types crawling higher whereas behind the group, small breaks in the dirt and mud revealed pokemon who had gone in to hiding for the troop to wander past them.

[Daniel Munny]

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Danny was getting more and more uneasy as the day went by and they saw no pokemon. <What is going on?> He wondered aloud to his pokemon, as quietly as he could.

<I bet something spooked them,> Hasira chirped, fluttering her wings to stretch them out. <Hey, Danny, lift me up so I can practice, will ya?> the fletchling asked, lifting her wings as an indication of what she wanted to do.

Danny paused in walking, and nodded. It was as good as a time as ever for her to practice flying. She couldn't do it very well at all yet, and it was important for her to learn it./font]

Danny lifted her on his arm and then tossed her into the air upon her cue. The fletchling soared for a couple seconds before she began falling to the ground again. Danny hurried to catch her as she tumbled through the air, barely managing to reach her with his arms outstretched.

<Maybe we should wait for later,> Danny said worriedly, but Hasira shook her head.

<I'm never going to get better at this unless I practice, Danny!> she insisted. <Now, do it again!>

So they practiced for a while; Danny throwing Hasira into the sky and her attempting to fly, mostly unsuccessfully. There were a few times that she managed to flap her wings the right way and managed to make it a little further than other times, but for the most part it was just her tumbling to the ground.

259 WORDS ● Gardeon ● Sorry for the late reply!

deltra of gangnam style

[Gardeon]

E4s3KBuY

With the group pausing in their trek through the swamp, there seemed a small moment of pause. The pokemon in the group worked on themself, as much as they could in a small moment in an area with many trees and not a lot of breeze but the little wind that could pass through was there, was attempting to help as much as nature could.

The pokemon in the wild area seemed to take the pause in movement and yet still loud voices and calling of different pokemon as a sign, still staying out of sight and making sure to move below leaves and in mud pools, but they were willing to pass by now. Those which needed to come in to roost were rustling in the tops of trees, those needing to hunt were hopping from mud pool to pool and diving down out of sight.

Staying hidden from the noise, but not pausing their days anymore.

[Daniel Munny]

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With Hasira and Daniel distracted, practicing Hasira's flying, Dusk and Tarragon were left to their own devices.

Dusk waddled over to one of the mud puddles and stared at it longingly, while Tarragon flopped down in the middle of the path, spreading out his stubby legs dramatically. Tarragon eyed Dusk for a while before calling lazily, <I hope you aren't thinking of diving in.>

Dusk flushed a light blue on his otherwise white, rounded cheeks, and mumbled, <Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't...>

<Are you daft? You're allergic.> Tarragon pointed out, raising his head and looking toward Daniel, who was still throwing Hasira up in the air for her to practice. <It's like both of you are dull-headed. Hasira will never be able to fly, and you should never come in contact with water,> Tarragon said grumpily.

<Heyyyy! I too will be able to fly one day!> Hasira called, landing in front of Tarragon with a flip. She pecked him on the head, and he recoiled, spitting out leaves at her. Hasira dodged them handily and stuck her beak up in the air at him.

<Guyyyys, stop fighting....> Dusk said, to no avail. Tarragon had gotten to his feet and was preparing a Double-Edge as Daniel stepped in between the two fighting pokemon. Tarragon stopped his attack in time, but only just, coming to a stop right in front of Daniel.

Daniel sighed. <Am I going to have to box one of you?> He asked, feeling exasperated.

Both pokemon protested immediately: <No!> in unison.

250 WORDS ● Gardeon ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style