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No Pokemon presented themselves as Botan and Futaba moved through the grass and into the shade of the trees. There were certainly some around - he could hear their cries in the distance and the rustle of foliage closer by told him he was definitely being watched. He smiled to himself, wondering what they thought of this oddly-dressed human in their midst. Futaba, at least, was probably more familiar, the Eevee sporting no adornments or unusual colours. The teen picked his way down a faint path, probably left by other Pokemon, content to wander and admire the spring day until something appeared.

He was well within the trees when a Pokemon dropped down from the branches of a tree. "Karr, karr!" it hissed, tiny fangs flashing as it glared at him. Purple eyes narrowed as Botan studied the beetle-like Pokemon, promptly dismissing any thoughts of capture. It was neither graceful nor pretty, and so didn't deserve to be on his team. "Futaba, Swift!"

Leaping from his shoulder, the Eevee did a quick somersault, bright stars shooting out of her and slamming into the bug. The insect slid backwards a few feet before catching its balance, running forward as Futaba landed on the ground. Small mouth open wide, it bit down on the Eevee's shoulder, making her cry out sharply.

Botan frowned slightly, analyzing the situation as Futaba freed herself from the bug's fangs and bounded backwards, putting some distance between the two. "Quick Attack," he decided. Futaba crouched as the bug braced itself and glowed briefly, no doubt preparing itself for the attack. She shot forward a second later, light streaming behind her as she slammed into the Pokemon. The insect cried out as it was sent flying, but managed to rise to its feet.

"How annoying. Finish it!" Another round of Swift left the bug in the dust, and Botan rubbed Futaba's head as she returned to his shoulder. "Very good," he said as she purred. "Do you need to rest?" She shook her head, so he nodded and continued on into the forest.

- Futaba defeats Karrablast (+1 level)
- Futaba's health is at 85%

Team: Eevee, lv. 12 - Cacnea, lv. 3 - Trapinch lv. 5 - Oddish lv. 2

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The trail - if that's what it was - grew fainter the further he went until it was lost among the bushes and fallen trees. Undeterred, Botan carried on, picking his way through the undergrowth until he reached a small clearing. While he would have not given it a second glance, a flash of red amidst all the green caught his attention, and he paused. A red rock with holes ringed with white sat at the edge of the trees, and Botan chuckled softly as he recognized the 'rock' as a Shuckle's shell. In the way some people found Snubbull cute, he found Shuckle to be charming, and was delighted at the opportunity of finding one.

Taking out a Pokeball, he enlarged it and pressed the centre button, Shugo appearing in front of him a second later. The pon noise made by the ball had caught the Shuckle's attention, and it poked its head out, quickly extending its limbs when it saw the Trapinch. "Bite," Botan commanded, Shugo scuttling forward as fast as his stubby legs could carry him. He managed to clamp his massive jaws around the Shuckle's neck before it could withdraw back into its shell. The Shuckle struggled, trying to pull away, but only succeeded in rolling over onto its back, pulling Shugo with it.

Its limbs extended quickly, wrapping themselves around the Trapinch's hard shell and squeezing tightly. Constrict or Wrap, Botan thought, saying only, "Bite again." His Pokemon was rather limited in attacks, but Bite seemed effective so he'd keep using it. Shugo readjusted the position of his jaws slightly and bit down again, the Shuckle making a low noise in response. It did loosen its grip on the Trapinch and Shugo used the opportunity to wiggle out of its grasp, Shuckle withdrawing into its shell and using its limbs to spin itself around until it was a red and white blur.

"Bide," Botan called, and Shugo hunched down and glowed red as the spinning Shuckle began to move towards him. The attack sent Shugo sliding backwards, but he shook it off and continued to brace himself as the Shuckle circled around and barrelled towards him again. The blow was more powerful this time, but the Trapinch withstood it. As the Shuckle swung around again, Shugo took the initiative, charged forward using the energy he had built up during the prior two attacks.

The fully-powered Bide was enough to interrupt the attack and send Shuckle flying, the Pokemon hitting the ground and bouncing a few times before coming to a halt. Seeing his chance, Botan threw a Safari Ball at it, watching anxiously to see if it would be a successful capture.

- Capture attempt on Shuckle
- Trapinch's health is at 60%

Team: Eevee, lv. 12 [health 85%] - Cacnea, lv. 3 - Trapinch lv. 5 - Oddish lv. 2

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The Safari Ball sucked in the Shuckle and dropped to the ground, shaking a few times before going still. Shugo hurried over and picked it up, holding it up to Botan as the teen joined him. "Excellent, excellent," he said, taking the ball and minimizing it before slipping it up his sleeve. "Wonderful job, Shugo." he added, recalling the Trapinch. Futana trilled and rubbed her head against his cheek, clearly pleased at the addition to Botan's team. He stroked her head and crossed the clearing, intent on continuing onwards.

Futaba's ears pricked up as she caught the sound of running water, and she nudged Botan's neck to get his attention. When he looked at her, the Eevee gestured in the direction the sound was coming from. "Oh? Something over there?" he asked, changing course and stepping into the thicker bushes. He had to take a few minutes to untangle himself from some thorns his clothes had snagged on, but eventually he picked up the sound of water as well. After picking his way through the undergrowth, he emerged at the edge of a gurgling stream, the sunlight glinting off of the flowing water.

"How lovely," he murmured, deciding it was a good spot to take a rest. Futaba hopped to the ground as he settled on a fallen log, going over to take a drink from the stream. Botan pulled a water bottle and several small containers of food from the pack he was carrying, sipping the water as he set a dish of PokeFood on the ground for Futaba and dug into the container of rolled eggs he had brought for himself.

Futaba bounded back to him and began to eat, tail swishing back and forth in happiness. Botan smiled, wishing he had enough supplies to bring his whole team out. But his Pokemon were nice and cozy in their Pokeballs, so he let them be. He did bring out the occupied Safari Ball and opened it, releasing his new Shuckle. It looked at him blearily, obviously still tired from the battle, so he motioned towards the food. "Eat up and recover," he urged, Futaba sliding the container towards her new teammate.

As the Shuckle lowered its head and began to eat, Botan took out his Pokedex and trained it on the Pokemon, curious to learn more. "Female, huh? And an interesting ability as well," he murmured, taking a bit of egg. "I think I'll call you Yoshiko. What do you think of that?" The Shuckle looked up and nodded, Botan smiling back. "Glad you approve." Returning to his food, he decided to rest for a bit. Perhaps the smell of food would attract more Pokemon.

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Yoshiko and Futaba finished their meals in due time, the former withdrawing into her shell to rest while the latter hopped up on the log beside Botan. The teen broke off a bit of rolled egg and placed it in his palm before holding it out to her, smiling as she quickly downed the snack. "I'll give everyone some time outside and some nice treats when we get back to the hotel," he said as he ate the rest of the egg and put the container back in his bag. He was reaching for the empty Pokefood dish when the bushes rustled and a small boy stepped out, hair tousled and with leaves clinging to his clothes. Botan straightened and stared. The boy couldn't be older than six, and it was obvious he had been wandering in the woods for a while.

"How on earth did you get all the way in here?," Botan asked. He knew other trainers were in the Safari Zone aside from him, but surely the staff knew better than to let a young child wander in? "Did you get separated from your parents? Are you hurt? Here, sit by me."

The boy didn't answer, but cautiously walked over to the log the dancer was sitting on and sat on the far end of it, eyes glued to Futaba. The Eevee stared right back, ears pricked up and tail swishing slightly. Yoshiko had popped out of her shell and was watching closely, but neither Pokemon tried to approach the boy. "You must be hungry. I think I have something in here," Botan went on, routing through his bag before taking out an extra water bottle and a somewhat crushed energy bar. The child took them from him and slowly peeled the wrapper off of the bar. Botan watched him eat, worry gnawing at his stomach over why the boy was alone and in such a state. Had his parents been attacked by a vicious Pokemon? Had he run away from home and somehow ended up here?

"Are you hurt or sick?" he asked, repeating his earlier question once the child had finished the energy bar. The boy frowned, thinking, then nodded and held out his hand. Leaning in, Botan saw that his palm and wrist were scraped up and covered in dried mud and so reached for his bag again. "Hold on, I have some medical supplies." More rummaging produced a small first aid kit, and he quickly took out some antiseptic wipes and some bandages. "This will sting a little," he told the boy, getting a solemn nod in return. The child winced as he used the wipes to clear the mud and dirt from the scrapes, but held still until Botan had bandaged him up.

"There you go!" the teen said brightly, pleased that he has been able to help a little. "Let me pack up, and we'll go find your parents." The boy stared at him, then slid closer and grabbed his sleeve. "What's wrong? You can't stay here." Puzzled and concerned, the dancer was about to pull away went the boy's hand shot up his sleeve, emerging with a Safari Ball. "Hey! That's-"

His protest was cut off as the boy grinned, made a "Zooor!" noise, and turned into a small black fox with red markings. Tapping the Safari Ball with a paw, the Pokemon gave him another smile before it was sucked inside. Botan sat frozen as the ball rocked, trying to process the fact that not only had he helped out a strange Pokemon, it now wanted to come with him.

- Botan encounters a mysterious boy and helps him
- Boy reveals himself to be Zorua
- Zorua attempts to capture himself