Breaking Out

A cool sea breeze blew in from the pier, filling the port town with the salty air. A large ship sat in the harbor, its passengers on shore for site seeing. Olivine City was well known for its diner, after all. The sounds of crew members and fishermen yelling to each other indistinguishably filled the air, as did the cawing of wingull just off shore. It was this place that Makoto Montoya had called home for the past four years.

A young woman, looking to still be in her teens stood at the edge of the pier looking down into her reflection. The waters were clear, as was the sky. It was a decidedly good day to begin a journey. She brushed a bit of her red hair back over her hear, adorned with large golden hoops. Her green eyes smiled softly in unison with her lips, the reflection smiling back at her tan form.

She was slender, but clearly mature by her curvature. Her outfit was very unique, consisting of a variety of belts and plaid materials in blues, browns, golds and grey. Her top was V-cut, consisting mostly of gold and coming down further in the front with the plaid blue and brown pattern. It raised at the sides and toward the back, exposing part of her skin to the air around. In addition, she wore rather short gray shorts with brown and gold trim. Her legs were mostly covered by the strange almost stocking-like apparel she wore, her sandals being the only things to cover her feet.

Adjusting the goggles atop her head she nodded, her grin growing wider. Most people found her to be odd, but she enjoyed indulging in her "SteamPunk-Gypsy" style. A green figure appeared in her reflection, her gaze shifting to her side. It was a small muted-green creature with an orange belly, and dark diamond shapes covering its body. It had what appeared to be a horn jutting from its forehead that was made out of the same substance as its body, and eyes were red.

"Laar-vitar!" The creature charmed, nudging its trainer's leg. The foghorn blew, and people were returning to the ship. They had to leave the pier before they were forcefully removed by security, and he knew it. "Lar-lar Larvitar!" he said, hopping from one foot to the other anxiously.

"Alright, alright," Makoto said calmly with the remnants of a smile on her face. "Let's go back home and finish packing." The Larvitar nodded in agreement. His name was Roxas, and he was Makoto's loyal partner to the very end. The two headed from the water to a small cabin like house just on the edge of town. Well, technically Olivine was a City but Makoto hardly felt like it really was. It was always so peaceful and serene there. Nothing every happened aside from the tourists.

"Ma, I'm home!" Makoto said, walking in and sliding off her sandals as she walked up to her room. Her mother didn't respond, not shocking to Makoto. She had just recently lost her dear friend and hadn't spoken to Makoto much since. Makoto merely sighed, she had known that would be the case. She gathered some clean clothes, tossing them into a pack with supplies. Raiding her piggy bank, she had managed to scrounge up $6,200 for her journey. She knew it wouldn't take her far, but she was hoping to make more along the way.

Packing the last of her materials, she checked her computer one last time. The last log was from the day her mother's friend had passed away. The day she had decided it was time to leave on a journey. She sat staring at the screen for several minutes before sighing and shutting the electronic down. She wouldn't be using it any time soon, after all. She picked up the custom PokeGear off her desk, clipping it to her bag as she made her way back downstairs.

She stopped at the door for several minutes, simply staring down at her shoes. It hurt to know she wouldn't be back any time soon. It hurt worse that she knew her mother wasn't going to reply. She stepped into her sandals, tapping the toe on the floor to securely fit them as she turned the door handle. "I'll be going now..." she called, waiting another long pause before exiting, carefully shutting the door behind her.

She stared down to the ground for a few seconds when she felt a tug at her leg to break her from the trance. "Hm? Oh, Roxas...thanks, buddy." The Larvitar replied with a chant of his name. "Right, let's go." She had already said her goodbyes to the townsfolk earlier. The ones she actually talked to, anyway. Now she was headed north-east to Eckruteak City. From there she would make her way to Violet City, and take the Gym Challenge to prove herself. Taking her first steps into the wild, she looked up toward the clear sky and took a deep breath. The sea air was already fading as she headed north to route 39 and MooMoo Farm.

It’s winter time, and as Akiko walks along, she shivers slightly in the low temperature. Larvitar seems unaffected. Unless it’s a tough attack by an ice Pokemon, his ground-type body can endure a little frostiness. It adds beauty to admire, however – the trees and glass are all glistening, and as Moo Moo Farm is passed, the duo heads east along Route 39 towards the old-styled Ecruteak City.

Walking along, Larvitar tugs onto his trainer’s ankle and points out something unusual stuck to a tree. It looks like a clump of leaves have been stuck to the trunk, but on closer inspection, one would find something black protruding from both ends. The leaves are dry and frosted, and the clump of leaves seems even to be... Shivering?

Whipping out a Pokedex or going closer to it would identify a female Burmy at Level 2, feeding by trying to suck the sap from said tree. However, its cloak is thin considering the conditions, and it appears to be dried out, too...

It was true that it was cold, which made Makoto thankful for her stockings. Still, she wouldn't let it cramp her style regardless of the temperature. She smiled walking along, giving a pat to one of the Miltank that was near the fence as she passed by MooMoo Farms. She always enjoyed visiting on weekends and feeding them berries, especially with the owners' grandchildren. They had only been a few years younger than her when she moved there, and made for good friends when they were in town.

She rubbed her arms and gave a stretch, moving on down the route toward Ecruteak. "We should try making it there by night fall, Roxas," she said, looking up at the clear sky. It was beautiful, though often the clear days were the more frigid ones. She knew it was gonna be a short day, and didn't feel like spending the night in a tent while the temperature dropped.

Feeling the tug at her leg, Makoto glanced down to her small yet observant partner. Following his stub of a hand, she took quick notice of the leaf clump. After all, aside from evergreen pines all the trees had already lost their leaves for the season. She approached curiously, and saw it rustle lightly.

"Right then," she said reaching into her pocket to pull out her Pokedex. Flipping it open the screen lit up, entering its auto-scan mode. It pinged, showing a much more vibrant picture than the Pokémon before her. "Burmy, the Bagworm Pokémon. Even if it is born where there are no cocooning materials, it somehow always ends up with a cloak."

Flipping it closed, Makoto pocketed the device once more. It was clear based on the difference in colors and thickness of the coat that this specimen wasn't too healthy. Not really too surprising considering the current weather. Digging through her pack, Makoto puller out a water thermos hoping she could somehow help the creature. "Hey there," she said reaching her hand out to the small creature. "You don't look so good, you thirsty?" The water audibly swished about in her thermos.

The Burmy doesn't appear to hear Makoto approach, or if she does, does not respond until she's close and crouching. The bug-type pulls slightly away from the chewed in bark, its fuzzy black face flushing pink in embarrassment at being caught in such a predicament. The Pokemon's body is partially visible where its cloak has begun falling away.

It doesn't take her hand, but nods meekly. It is thirsty, though perhaps not hungry anymore, and it is most definitely cold, too.

With this second look, it was obvious to Makoto that the creature was more than dehydrated. By this point it was down right sickly! Makoto frowned, biting at her inner cheek a bit as she wondered what she should do. For now, she would try to get some liquid in the creature, and focus on its other problems secondary.

She unscrewed the lid to her thermos, using the cap as a small bowl to pour the water into. She let a trickle into it, unsure of how easily the bug type would be able to sip with its own anatomy differrent from most. Still, she held the cup close to the Burmy on the trunk, hoping that when this was over she would be able to take it to a Pokémon center. It needed warmth and care that she wouldn't be able to provide here.

Burmy's anatomy was different than most, but underneath their cloaks, their bodies resembled a Wurmple's, or a bigger Caterpie's. It curled over so that its head was as into the cup as it could manage before beginning to drink. When it had drained the water, the bashful bug smiled grateully, letting out a sweet, "Burmy, burmy~!" of thanks.

Makoto cracked a small smile, seeing the Burmy happier. It even spoke to her, which she just assumed was a thanks for the water. She checked her bag, searching for something to wrap the Burmy in to keep it warm. She finally pulled out a checkered scarf, hoping the Pokémon would come with her. She didn't want to leave it there so ill.

"Burmy, you look really cold. I can take you somewhere warm, and get you some medicine. Will you let me help you?" Makoto asked calmly and slowly so that thepkmn would understand her better. She held the scarf out trying to invite the bug into it to help keep it warm.

Burmy took a moment to consider the stranger's offer. She seemed trustworthy enough, but the Pokemon wasn't entirely sure. Still, they had a point - she was really cold, and needed help. "Burmy." It said decisively. What it did first was surprising, however.. It completely shed its cloak, which seemed to consist mostly of dead and old leaves, before bouncing bare into the blanket. Its cloak had not been providing much warmth for it then, and it would gather a new one once it felt better.

Makoto blinked as the dead leaves fell to the ground, rustling lightly. They stayed only a moment, as they were quickly swept away by a light breeze. She'd never seen a Pokémon like Burmy shed its cloak before -not entirely anyway. Still she caught it in the open scarf, wrapping the poor bug in the flannel material.

She stood, slinging her pack over her shoulder as she held the bug close to her body for more warmth. "Guess it's sort of like a caccoon for you, huh?" She said absentmindedly, even though Burmy didn't go through such stages. Roxas on the other hand seemed jealous now, huffing and kicking at the base of the tree.

"Come on, Roxas. Let's get going, we need to get somewhere warm and safe." She only had the Pokémon Center in mind, though when push comes to shove she would take pretty much anywhere over a cold tent for the night. However, she'd already wasted a good chunk of time on this little encounter that she could have been walking.

"Tar..." He said grumpily, turning and walking on with his trainer. That should be him wrapped up in her arms! He kicked at a pebble, having it travel a few steps forward apeach time. Makoto watched him and sighed, rolling her eyes a bit. He'd get over it, and she knew it. He was just throwing a fit as was usual. Burmy was just lucky that she was a Pokémon and not a human (in addition to being ill). The trio marched onward, searching for any help they might come across. She might have turned around if it hadn't been for the fact she'd already managed to reach route 38. Her long legs could hustle when need be.

Burmy could sense and hear Larvitar's envy, glancing down as the Pokemon kicked stones about and walked along with them. It wasn't long before they came across a trainer: a young girl with strawberry blonde hair, donned primarily in red and trotting along on a Ponyta. She slowed to a stop a short distance from them.

"Hey, you're a trainer with two Pokemon!" She exclaimed excitedly, clearly someone with a great age gap from Makoto. Her accent sounded foreign, too, from a totally different region. "Let's have a battle! Think you can handle my Pokemon?"

Makoto was walking along, almost grinning because of Roxas' envy. She found it rather amusing herself, making her want to coddle the Burmy more. She laughed to herself about it. She felt as though they hadn't gotten very far, when she could feel the heat approaching. It was hard to hide a fire type in the cold weather, after all.

Makoto glanced up with barely time to speak before this kid trainer challenged her. "Wh-wait WHAT?!" Se exclaimed, clutching Burmy a little closer. "No, you don't understand! I only have one Pokémon, this Burmy is sick!" She said defensively. However, Roxas stepped forward with a grin and narrowed eyes ready for anything (or so he thinks).

The girl had almost reconsidered, and then Roxas stepped forward, making the child smirk. She swung her legs over Ponyta's side, removing the tack as swiftly as she could. "We'll have a one on one battle first, then we'll see if I can help." She suggested, "Your Larvitar seems ready for it!"

Setting the heavy stuff on a patch of grass where the damp had now melted, she ushered her first command, "Ponyta, Growl and Flame Wheel!" The trainer cried. Her steed whinned sweetly, making Larvitar ever more arrogant and lowering his attack power, before charging forward, engulfed in hot flames.

Makoto stepped back a bit, shocked by the girl's bold actions. However, it was now too late to back down. "Quick Roxas, sandstorm!" She called. She wasn't sure how strong this Ponyta was, but knew that her Larvitar would be able to safely hide in the sandstorm whereas the ponyta not so much.

Larvitar whipped up the storm, hiding within it and narrowly dodging the Ponyta's second attack. "Good, now use Stone Edge!" Makoto called, bringing the scarf up over Burmy's face. She pulled her goggles down and over her eyes to help herself as well. Roxas used his inner strength to summon stones from below the foe's Ponyta. They raised sharply, stabbing upward in attempt to strike the foe.

The child trainer grimaced. She had no goggles, and ducked her head, trying to shield her eyes with her arm, a red cape billowing behind her in the strong winds. Ponyta had managed to evade Larvitar's Stone Edge, but the sandstorm was hurting him, and effectively blinding him, too.

"Stay strong, Ponyta!" The girl called, coughing through the disgusting sand that got in her mouth, "Keep the flames up to protect yourself from the sand and use Tail Whip to try and keep it away from it! Then run towards Lavitar with your Flame Charge when you can see!"

Even if Ponyta managed to see a few feet in front of him, Larvitar's sand veil made him blend in rather well raising his evasiveness. It would prove to be difficult to strike while the sandstorm was still in effect. Meanwhile, Roxas felt right at home in the raging sands.

"Roxas, use dragon dance, then bite!" Makoto called. She had to make up for the attack loss from earlier. Within the storm, Roxas began to perform an ancient and mystic dance to boost his attack power and speed. He could see the Ponyta's flames now, charging right at him. He chose to use it to his advantage, sacrificing the hit to attempt latching on with his Bite!

Ponyta charged right into Larvitar, dealing quite a blow from having built up speed. However, with how thick he was, it hurt the assailant, too, and furthermore, the small creature had latched onto one of its slim legs. "Ponyta!" The girl exclaimed with worry as she heard the stallion cry out. It rose onto two hooves, trying to throw the enemy off with great jumps, bucks and stomps. Its mane and tail flared up in full heat, effectively catching the dual-type in an extreme, ongoing Flame Wheel! Larvitar has a burn!

Roxas grimaced when he felt his thick rocky skin sting with the burn. However, it only made him clench his jaw harder for a moment before releasing and rolling out from under Ponyta.

"Okay Roxas, now use Stone Edge again!" Makoto ordered. She hoped the burn wasn't too serious but she didn't have anything to heal Roxas with at the moment. Still, she hoped the Stone edge would hit this time as the Sand Storm was beginning to die off. It would only last one, maybe two rounds at this point.

Roxas jumped back from Ponyta, trying to hide in the storm once more as he winced from the burn damage. He put on a tough face, summoning his inner strength once more. He summoned stones again, sharp rocks bursting upward from the ground beneath Ponyta in attempt for a solid, super-effective hit. Roxas used Stone Edge!

The young girl sent her Ponyta forth again, the Pokemon going straight in for another Flame Wheel. However, Larvitar had the type advantage and it was a critical hit! The horse whinned, its mane and tail whipping up in a fury before suddenly dying down - the rearing creature staggered on its tiny back legs before falling onto its side. The heat in the storm was dying down as Ponyta fainted.

"What?! No! Stallion!" The young girl shouted, dashing through the fading conditions, kneeling down at her friend's side. She looked ready to cry, which was unsurprising given her age and arrogance. Reluctantly, the girl withdrew her steed into its ball and then got back to her feet, reaching for her wallet out of her bag. "I guess you earned this..." The small trainer mumbled unhappily, "Your Larvitar is strong."

Roxas gains two experience and happiness points, and Makoto earns seventy-five gold from her victory!

Makoto blinked, eyes wide as she saw the flames die down. The storm was soon to follow, showing her larvitar in somewhat bad shape himself. With the burn he was feeling quite fatigued. "Good job, Roxas. For now, back in your ball," the older girl said, holding out the ball and returning her bartner in a beam of red light.

It was her first real battle, and Makoto was ecstatic to have won. However, she didn't want to show it on the outside. Especially not after making this girl feel so bad. Still, she gratefully accepted the prize money and offered one of her hands to shake. "It was a good battle," She glanced down to the wrapped up bug in her other arm, shivering a bit. "Do you know the nearest place I can get help for this Burmy, though? It would be a great help."

"It'll be Ecruteak City along the way." The trainer said, shaking Makoto's hand with a slight smile. "I'm Molly Tomara, by the way. I traveled all the way here from Orre. I'm used to sandstorms." She continued, "I can help you, if you like. Your Larvitar's in bad shape now, too... Maybe I should've waited to start a fight." The child reflected guiltily, looking back the way she came, "We could go together."

Makoto shook the younger girl's hand, a slight smile to her offer. "It's not your fault. After all, I should have called back Roxas rather than let him choose to fight. Still, I do appreciate your offer for accompaniment and gratefully accept it."

Wrapping the scarf to cover the bug better, she made sure she had all her supplies still in tact. She pulled the goggles back onto the top of her head, shaking some of the dirt from her hair. There was a ring of it sticking to her face, making her look almost as though she'd just been part of a motocross. She would worry about it later.

"Let's get going then, yeah? I want to get Burmy and Roxas some help."

"Yeah, no problem... And here." Molly added, bringing her cape round and carefully detatching it from her shirt. "Use this to wrap around Burmy. And I have a Magby, too. Maybe he'd be of some help? He could carry him and keep him all toasty." She suggested, revealing another ball from her belt. She had already started walking in the direction she came from, her strides shorter than Makoto's given her age, although she was a little tall considering. "Where are you from? You sound like you don't know your way."

Makoto looked down to the Burmy in her arms, then over to the girl as they began to walk. "I'm not sure, don't most magby have the flame body ability? That could potentially burn Burmy, right?" She asked, wrapping the cape around the bug for further protection. Perhaps she was being a bit cautious, but she was wary of letting a fire type hold a bug type.

"Oh, I'm from Olivine. But aside from MooMoo Farms I never really explored beyond that," she pulled out her PokéGear, turning on the map. "The map they gave me is simplistic, and just shows the basic layout of things. Nothing too in depth," she explained. Sure it was easy enough to follow the routes to the next town, but it didn't mean she was too sure about which town was the closest.

"Magby wouldn't have physical contact with it, it's covered up." Molly replied. There was the matter of the embers it sometimes exhaled, but they were only tiny and it'd be fine as long as he didn't sneeze. "You only have a Pokegear, huh. My PDA and watch handles it all for me, so I don't have to worry. But I have to download the info for new regions and that can sometimes slow me down." She explained. "Where'd you find the Burmy, anyway? I thought they were only in Sinnoh."

Makoto looked down to the Burmy, hoping to get a sign on whether it was alright being handled by the fire type or not. "Yeah, I got this PokéGear from my sister as a hand-me-down. She settled down a while back, so she didn't have any need for it." She mindlessly touched the beaten up black and gold PokéGear at her waist.

"As for Burmy, my Larvitar pointed it out to me as I was walking along. I found it dehydrated and freezing trying to suck the sap out of a tree. I couldn't leave it there alone..." She explained, the pair walking further down the road. She hoped they would make it to town before nightfall now.