United One

Hazel has been traveling pretty much constantly since the two year skip. Not aimlessly though. They are obviously off the beaten path in the forest. Her caravan has been left parked elsewhere to save time.

"Did we see the mossy rock last time we were here?"

Her Espeon just shakes his head. If they saw it he doesn't remember. She sighs and turns on her Xtransceiver.

[[ video ]]

[ She looks at the camera sheepishly while Zack decides to sniff around. ]

Has anyone ever come across a large mossy rock in Pinwheel Forest? One that um... kinda feels a bit strange if that makes any sense. It's supposed to have something to do with evolving Eevee.

So...

[ Before she can finish her thought Zack gets a scent that obviously must be followed right this second. Suddenly... Running... While Hazel happens to be sitting on his back. ]

Eep! Zack!

[ Nope. Not stopping just yet. Gotta find the thing! ]

[[ end video ]]

Hazel hastily shuts off her Xtransceiver and puts it away to avoid dropping it since she isn't actually wearing it.

"Zaaack! Where are we going?" She's still a bit shocked at the sudden run but, she's more curious about what he's trying to find than alarmed really. She didn't actually tell him to stop after all.

He pauses for a second to make sure he's still on the trail before he's off again.

[ Hazel is getting over a cold. Aside from a little sniffling here and there she seems mostly okay though. She's inside with blankets and hot tea though. And she's got a baby Eevee cuddled in her arms. ]

Was gonna put his egg away 'cause I wasn't sure about hatching it anymore but... well, couldn't get to a PC since I was stuck in Dragonspiral Tower.

[ The Eevee's ears perk up curiously. What is that thing and why is she talking to it? ]

I can plan to find someone who wants it while it's still an egg but, I don't even want to think about giving him up now... Guess it'll have to be eggs if I ever get around to the business part of breeding.

[ Not that she actually done any breeding on purpose yet. Unless you count catching an Eevee just because her Arcanine was fond of it. ]

...Would it be considered irresponsible to um, keep enough Eevee to have one of each of its evolutions just because?

Hazel wasn't particularly inconvenienced by the lack of electricity. She spent more time out on the routes than in cities anyway. She wouldn't even have noticed if it weren't for the signal going out on her Xtransceiver. Coming to town had been the only way to find out if it was just hers.

It was creepy as hell being in Nimbasa at night with all the lights out. It was just so odd here. And it was too quiet even for this late.

The light coming from a Rapidash was not particularly good if you wanted to see anything beyond the immediate area. Maybe the effect wouldn't have been a bit creepy if Eiko wasn't a shiny. If Hazel had thought to buy a flashlight she would not be having this problem.

She thinks she can see some ghost Pokémon drifting around here and there so, she's a little jumpy as she looks for the Pokémon center. Might take her a bit to find it since the darkness is kind of disorienting.

Is there anyone else weird enough to be out in the middle of the night during a black out?

[ Early morning somewhere with a lot of trees. There is really only one reason Hazel turned the feed on. And that reason is to show how her idea of riding Zack is going. Seems to be going well since all it's showing is a blur of the scenery. She speaks but, the words aren't heard over the wind.

They seem to be having a lot of fun. Well, until something causes Zack to suddenly skid to a stop. Unfortunately Hazel isn't able to hold on and she goes flying. When her tumble ends the camera is facing her Arcanine. He's in a sort of bowing position with an Eevee in front of his nose. It looks like he barely managed to stop in order to avoid trampling it.

The Eevee has it's paws over its eyes for a moment but, it moves them when Hazel groans. It looks relieved to not be trampled and a bit concerned now that it sees that someone is hurt. ]

Ow.

[ And Zack quickly gets up and heads over to his trainer followed by the Eevee. The camera shifts as Hazel tries to pick herself up. She hisses in pain but, manages a sitting position. ]

I-I'm okay... [ Even her big goof of an Arcanine can tell that's a lie and he whines worriedly. Hazel forces a weak smile. ] I guess... [ She winces when she moves her arm. ] ...I guess we shouldn't have been going so fast.
( And then a nightmare decides to pay a visit )

[ Aside from the light from a small campfire it's pretty dark. Hazel is staring at the feed. It is clearly not in her possession at the moment since both her hands are in plain view and she is nervously clutching them together. Judging by the view it is being held by something bigger than her. None of her Pokémon can be seen meaning that, for once, they are all in their Poké balls. ]

Um... I n-need that... um... Please?

[ She twitches one hand marginally closer to the device but, changes her mind and takes a nervous step back instead... Unfortunately a moment later the thing is very close, very quickly as she is apparently pounced by the Pokémon holding it. ]

Eek!

[ And nothing more is seen as the Xtransceiver is dropped and Hazel is no longer in view. ]

Aaaaah!

[ Aww, look it's cloud. The Espeon is wearing a necklace and appears to be covered in shiny powder. He has a look on his face like he is putting up with something embarrassing because someone he cares about wants him to.

And there's Hazel, smoothing his fur and placing a tiara on his head. ]

Hmm, I don't think I'm very good at picking out accessories.

[ She tilts her head at Cloud for a moment and removes the necklace. ]

Aand I don't think Cloud likes being sparkly.

[ As if to confirm, Cloud tilts his head until the tiara falls off. Maybe her idea of doing the contest thing with her first Pokémon isn't going to work too well. ]

...Maybe there's something he won't mind as much.

[ Lucky for Cloud that she doesn't have very many accessories yet because he's likely going to end up trying them all on. ]

Anyone have suggestions for some things that go together?

[ Or not so lucky. That's a 'help me' look if ever there was one. She'll realize how much he doesn't like it and switch to another Pokémon in a little while. ]

AAAAAaaaahh!

[ Why is Hazel screaming? Well, the flaming Pokémon that runs through when she dives out of the way is a good hint. She coughs when she inhales a lungful of smoke from the burning grass. It's a Ponyta... and it's blue. When it turns back for another run Hazel throws out the first Poké ball she gets her hand on. It's Cid and he's kind of on his own as far as deciding what attacks to use. Hazel is still choking on the smoke and can't really talk right now.

He tries a Slam attack which misses and gets stomped(a critical hit) for his trouble. That isn't the end though and he gets up and retaliates with a Quick attack. The attack doesn't do much to the Ponyta though and it responds with a Flame Wheel.

Cid seems about on his last legs. Hazel is about ready to switch him out when he makes a determined face. She hesitates.

Cid tries another Slam which connects this time. The Ponyta is knocked off balance but, nowhere near out of fight yet. Cid acts again before it can recover its feet. He takes deep breath and uses Ice Beam for the first time since Hazel started trying to teach him. He manages to freeze the Ponyta and Hazel, after a few seconds of gawking, decides to throw a Poké ball before it thaws out. A few tense seconds of the poké ball shaking and it clicks. Yay. Ponyta is caught.

Hazel coughs a bit more, stumbles over and gives Cid a hug. After a bit she remembers she turned the X-transceiver on. ]

...So, I was going to see if anyone was close enough to help. [ She croaks. ] Guess I don't need to now. [ She gives a sheepish smile and turns off the feed. ]

[ Hazel looks a bit nervous and fidgety. She's not doing anything particularly interesting. Just sitting on a bench with her Espeon half in her lap. ]

Um... is there anything worth seeing in the Desert Resort. I've read some things about a... um Relic Castle I think?

I'm not sure whether I want to take the detour.

[ She forces a small smile. ]

So, I guess I'm looking for advice.

[ She ends the video and takes a few deep breaths. After a minute or so she starts talking to the Pokémon in her lap. ]

You know, at home I went into a city for school. It's was the only city I'd been to before here... It was nowhere near as big as this one.

[ A pause as she scritches his ears to calm herself more than anything. ]

Nimbasa was a little bigger too. Nowhere near as stuffed full of people though.

[ She's still fidgeting nervously. Cuddling Cloud is not helping as much as she hoped. ]

I think I need to leave soon or I might make myself sick from nerves.

[ She just has to go get more supplies first. In a minute or two she'll get up to do that. Just gonna hug her Espeon a bit more first. ]

[ Hazel doesn't really look happy. She seems about to talk a couple times before words actually come out of her mouth. ]

Um... Is anyone planning to go through Pinwheel Forest any time soon?

I kinda want to explore it a little before going through to um, Skyarrow Bridge.

[ She's hesitating because she'd much rather travel alone but, she's realized it's probably not always a good idea to do so. ]

My Pokémon are great but, it might be nice to have another person around for a while.

[ The video ends there. But now, because of THIS she's going to try to send N a more private message. She takes a minute or two to read the manual again to make sure she's doing it right.]

[ voice, private to N ] N? Did you tell anyone about my uh... skills? [ She kinda didn't think to ask him not to before.]

[ Hazel has made it all the way to Striaton City. She's got her hood as far over her face as she can get it and still see where she's going. And she's just wandering around at random.

She is jumpy and avoiding all contact with anyone she passes by. She's even going so far as keeping at least a foot between her and anyone else. It probably looks suspicious to everyone who sees her even though she's not really up to anything.

The only reason she's braving the city is because she heard about getting gym badges being a possible way home.

No, she's not going to challenge the gym anytime soon. She's just trying to get used to being in a human city so she's not all nervous and stammering when/if she does.

She's kinda been making a squeaking noise and jumping away if anyone happens to brush against her accidentally. She might end up smacking anyone that intentionally touches her. ]