[attr="class","nem2heroesgymlyric"]

WE COULD BE BIGGER AND BRIGHTER THAN SPACE

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Camilla caught herself counting this as a good day just as she watched an inkay drift up behind the swinub from seemingly out of nowhere. Had it come from the water? One of the shrubs of grass? She couldn't quite tell, but the swinub reacted much in the same way she had to Gambit attacking her from behind. When Camilla saw the swinub blindly ram into the inkay, she frowned and her heart sank. Whether it was something the swinub had always done before they had met, or was a trait she had acquired after their meeting, it was something they were going to need to work on. She couldn't have the pokemon getting spooked and attacking someone who was actually harmless.[break][break]

The inkay rolled back through the air, and its anger mounted as it tossed the poor swinub over. Camilla winced as the pokemon squeaked in alarm, reaching for the ice-type's pokeball to withdraw it, but it rolled over and huffed. The medium hesitated, and then lowered the pokeball. Well ... if she was sure she wanted to try. Unfortunately, as far as she had been able to tell, the swinub didn't have much in the way of attacks. So, if they were doing this, it was going to get more than a little repetitive.[break][break]

"Just keep hitting it. Do your best." She tried, and the swinub nodded. Or at least, she thought the small pokemon had. The ice-type lunged at the inkay, ramming into it. The inkay paused at the blow, staring down at her and slowly inhaling ... and then exhaling, appearing to wave off the ice-type and dismiss her. Camilla's heart sank, but before she could warn her pokemon, the swinub had taken the bait, attacking out of sheer anger. [break][break]

She watched carefully as the inkay wobbled at the newfound strength behind the blow, knowing full and well that she could easily be picking up a poor battered swinub if just one thing went wrong. She inhaled slowly, hoping for the best as she watched the pokemon lunge yet again, knocking right into the odd squid pokemon, skidding to a halt in the dirt and grass as she landed and turned towards her opponent just in time to see it bring up some kind of shimmering shield ... and charge again.[break][break]

Whether through sheer luck or pure anger, the last blow was enough to end the battle. Camilla watched the inkay retreat into the grass and approached the swinub, frowning. "Are you alright?" She asked. That had looked like a pretty terrible blow.

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymicon"]

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymlyric"]


FOR @ SAFARI WILD

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymbot"]

FEMALE // KEEN EYE // LEVEL 08

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymlyric"]

WE COULD BE BIGGER AND BRIGHTER THAN SPACE

[attr="class","nem2heroesgympost"]

Camilla moved to run a hand through her hair before she remembered it was up in a high ponytail, and instead, she settled for rubbing the back of her neck as the nervous energy from battling with such a small pokemon fluttered through her still for a few more breaths. The swinub seemed to nod, but maybe she just bowed her head as she caught her own breath. When Camilla thought the swinub seemed ready, as it had given a little hop, she picked a direction and began to progress deeper into the safari.[break][break]

After all, they probably wouldn't find the most fun things if they stuck to the beginning area. [break][break]

Camilla cleared her throat as they walked - or, in the swinub's case, shuffled - along. "So, that startle response. Have you always done that, or is that ... new?" She stumbled over the final word, unsure how exactly the broach the subject but knowing it needed to happen. It was hard to gauge the responses she got, still adjusting to the new member of her team. The swinub slowed, and Camilla wondered if she had made the pokemon feel ashamed, or if she was overanalyzing every movement of the poor ice type. "I'm not judging," she quickly added, "It's just ... something we'll have to work on if you're going to get stronger, and it helps me to know where this comes from." [break][break]

As she was waiting for her response, a blur of yellow broke up out of the ground and the swinub was toppled onto her side. Camilla couldn't tell if the attack had missed or not, but she couldn't help but take a step forward and towards the danger as she studied the newfound opponent. It was a sandshrew. They were cute things, but this one seemed aggressive. Had she done something wrong? "Swinub, come back," she called, not wanting the ice-type to be in danger of unnecessary harm. She had initially come here with the thought of training the pokemon, but the day would be ruined if she didn't pick and choose the pokemon's battles.[break][break]

She'd much rather just spend time and have fun, then try to train her and lose out on that time.[break][break]

Reaching for a pokeball, it was instinctual to call on her long-time friend. The emolga broke out from the pokeball in a flash, zipping up in a flip once she was released. "Bandit, use acrobatics." Camilla called, and the emolga darted forward just as the sandshrew dove underground. That was fine. With Bandit in the air, it just meant that they had to bide their time rather than worry about any danger. Bending down, she reached up and picked up the swinub into her arms, careful to let the creature's feet have a resting place so she wasn't hurting it. It seemed nervous about the action, but complied eventually. "Just wait for it to surface and attack again." The emolga nodded, giving a chipper squeak as a response as it rose up, surveying the area a bit.[break][break]

The moment the sandshrew rose up out of the ground, the emolga dove like some kind of bird of prey, flipping into a roll and colliding with the wild pokemon. Camilla hadn't expected the amount of impact that made, taking a small step back in surprise. Was that too much?

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[attr="class","nem2heroesgymlyric"]


FOR @ SAFARI WILD

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymbot"]

FEMALE // STATIC // LEVEL 16

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymlyric"]

WE COULD BE BIGGER AND BRIGHTER THAN SPACE

[attr="class","nem2heroesgympost"]

Bandit came to a rest on Camilla's shoulder, letting her head rest in the crook of the woman's neck as it peered out of the side of its eye down at the swinub. Camilla inhaled slowly, before asking, "Well, shall we continue?" As she took a step forward, though, the swinub looked down at the ground below before craning her head up towards her trainer and giving a sharp snuffling that Camilla hadn't heard before.[break][break]

Her heart dropped a little and she faltered in her step before continuing. Had she hurt the swinub's feelings when she pulled her out of that battle? Camilla glanced down. "You wanted to fight it so you could become stronger, didn't you?" She asked, feeling the coolness of the soft fur as she shifted how she held the pokemon in her arms. Her response was a series of little snufflings, probably the pokemon trying to explain, and she couldn't help but regret that she could not fully understand the pokemon. If she could have, she would have stopped and listened. As things were, she simply slowed in her tracks.[break][break]

"I just thought it would be better to save your strength for something you would be better at fighting, is all." She said softly. "I'll help you get stronger, I promise. But it probably won't happen overnight, okay?" Schnuffle schnuffle. The tone sounded like an acceptance, if a half-hearted one. Camilla reminded herself just as much as she would remind the swinub; their relationship wasn't going to bloom overnight. No one single word or conversation would bring them as close as she was with Bandit.[break][break]

It would take time, and that was okay.[break][break]

Bandit's ears brushed against Camilla's cheek as they suddenly went straight, and before she could ask the emolga had taken off, shooting from her shoulder to circle above a clump of grass. It was something she had taught the emolga to do in ... well, entirely different situations, but it worked well enough here. "What did you-" she had started to ask, but just then an egg walked out of the bushes, as if to escape what could have been a looming bird pokemon. [break][break]

Wait, what?[break][break]

When she looked closer, she did finally recognize it as a togepi - a very rare pokemon, yes, but it also reminded her of someone she had met a little while ago. "Bandit, nuzzle it, okay?" The emolga nodded, easily catching up to the slow baby pokemon and pulling it into a sort of hug, electricity sparking from her cheeks as she rubbed them against the fairy-type. The sparks that would course through wouldn't be enough to make it faint, but it would be more difficult for it to run away or resist in battle. Perhaps a little mean, but it just seemed like a perfect gift.[break][break]

"Just a few more times, nothing too strong." The togepi began to cry, and Camilla almost felt bad before she realized it was directed at Bandit - perhaps a plea for help, sure, but most likely? It was a pokemon move she didn't recognize. Still, Bandit hesitated only for a second before pulling it into another shocking hug. When it was time for what Camilla guessed would be the last one - nuzzle was a weak move, but a baby pokemon probably could only take so much - the togepi waved its hands this way and that, and Bandit fell face first into a spiky shield.[break][break]

... What? Camilla blinked, calling out to make sure Bandit was okay. When the emolga nodded, stumbling back, the togepi didn't seem to do any further damage or attack. A good sign. The togepi did the same motion when the emolga tried once more, and this time its eyes lit up with a purple glow, but nothing else seemed to happen. Camilla didn't like the sign of that, and reached for a pokeball, tossing it towards her quarry.

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[attr="class","nem2heroesgymlyric"]


FOR @ SAFARI WILD

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymbot"]

FEMALE // STATIC // LEVEL 16

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymlyric"]

WE COULD BE BIGGER AND BRIGHTER THAN SPACE

[attr="class","nem2heroesgympost"]

Camilla tensed as she watched the pokeball shake one way and then the other, and she hadn't even realized she'd been holding her breath until it clicked shut. She exhaled slowly, shoulders dropping as she relaxed and smiled. Talk about a spur of the moment gift. Well, all she had to do now was walk over and pick it up. "Thanks, Bandit." She said as she started over, but just as she got close a pansage swung by, scooping up the pokeball as he went.[break][break]


Camilla froze, torn between sheer panic and the small part in the back of her mind that wanted to confirm that this pokemon she'd just caught was absolutely for Delilah. "Bandit!" She finally cried out when she snapped out of it, but the emolga was already shooting after the actual thief, who was swinging expertly through the safari zone. "Use pursuit to catch up!" She called before she began running after the duo, just about as fast as she could. The swinub made a squeak every time it almost flew free of her arms, and she slowed down just enough to adjust her grasp without hurting him.[break][break]


When she looked up, she was lucky to see just a flash of yellow wings as the emolga rammed into the pansage, knocking it down and out of its stride. The grass type swung his feet up, hopping to his feet with the pokeball still clutched under one arm, and Camilla kept running until she had caught up to the fray. The monkey reached out an arm, a vine shooting out and latching onto a tree. For a moment, the woman thought the pokemon was just going to escape again, but as it took its running jump it instead used the swinging momentum to attack the flying emolga with another vine. In doing so, it immediately dropped the pokeball, and Camilla's eyes darted to it as Bandit was struck with the grass-type attack.[break][break]


"Retaliate with an acrobatics." Camilla said, not even paying full attention as she was already moving towards the rolling pokeball. Bandit pulled into a swandive after the pansage, before tumbling against it, and knocking it right into the tree. The monkey crumpled into a ball, down for the count after the harsh flying-type move. Gently setting down her swinub, Camilla put the pokeball safely away.[break][break]

Now where were they?

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymicon"]

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymlyric"]


FOR @ SAFARI WILD

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymbot"]

FEMALE // STATIC // LEVEL 17

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymlyric"]

WE COULD BE BIGGER AND BRIGHTER THAN SPACE

[attr="class","nem2heroesgympost"]

Were they lost now? This area looked much different from where she had caught the togepi. It was almost a little chilly, even. Just as she started considering turning back and leaving, she caught sight of movement and blinked a glance over to catch sight of a moving ice cube. Camilla blinked, and frowned. She already had an ice type she liked, and this pokemon didn't quite appeal to her. Given that her swinub was part ground-type, the wild pokemon would probably have the advantage, too. [break][break]

It was yet another battle she couldn't reasonably put the small ice-type into, but that was fine. [break][break]

With how slowly it was moving, Camilla glanced towards Bandit. "Ready?" She asked, voice soft. "Start this off with electro ball, okay?" The electric type swooped up in an arc, doing a small flip as she charged electricity with her momentum and released it at the slow-moving bergmite. The ice-type shuddered with the blow, before the air around it turned cold and it seemed to catch Bandit on the very wind she was flying with some kind of ice-type attack. Camilla winced. She hadn't thought about that type matchup, but it should've been immediately apparent. [break][break]

Still, Bandit managed to soar right by anyway, courageously turning back again for the second round. Camilla steeled herself. If she wavered, it would be her pokemon who suffered for it. "Use electro ball again, please." Once more, sparks began to heat up the air just around the emolga as she shot through the air, creating another sphere of electricity that she aimed at her opponent. [break][break]

The blast hit true, and the ice-type crumpled. Camilla's shoulders dropped a little, and she looked around. Bandit couldn't withstand so much of this. Hopefully, they wouldn't run into another. "Let's see if we can retrace our steps." The woman offered, turning around and trying to retrace her steps back to the forested area.

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[attr="class","nem2heroesgymlyric"]


FOR @ SAFARI WILD

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymbot"]

FEMALE // STATIC // LEVEL 18

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymlyric"]

WE COULD BE BIGGER AND BRIGHTER THAN SPACE

[attr="class","nem2heroesgympost"]

Camilla was relieved when she saw a forested area, but to be honest she couldn't actually tell if it was the forest she had left. Still, she was on the right track, and that meant Bandit was safely away from the ice and snow. They had yet to find the pokemon she had come here in hopes of meeting, but that was alright. She checked back over her shoulder and, sure enough, the swinub shuffled along next to her, nose in the ground. "You looking for something?" She asked, a smile playing at her lips.[break][break]

Anything she was about to say was knocked out of her when a terrible noise hit her ears, and Camilla covered them with both palms as she winced. What in the ...? When she found the source of the sound, she was surprised. Back home, venipede weren't exactly rare, but now that she saw one, she couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia. Why this venipede looked so proud of itself for such an atrocious noise, though, she couldn't quite say.[break][break]

"Bandit, acrobatics." The flying type move should make short work of it, and then they could be on their way. The emolga, ears pinned back with pain, shot forward towards the venipede, which immediately realized the danger it was in and curled into the ground, a shining blue field of energy forming around it. Immediately, Bandit practically bounced right off of it. The emolga didn't seem phased, though, so there was no reason to switch. If they just kept hitting it, it would go down, but ...[break][break]

"Nuzzle it," Camilla commanded, making a decision on a whim.[break][break]

The emolga nodded, hopping down on the ground next to the venipede and moving closer to nuzzle it the moment the protective shield went down, cheeks sparking with electricity and jolting through the small bug. The venipede cried out in pain, lashing out as bandit took up into the air, biting into it. The emolga cried out in pain, but didn't seem as harmed as Camilla initially thought, and she relaxed. "Now, acrobatics." She called, and the electric type rounded to ram into the other pokemon.[break][break]

The venipede rolled over once or twice with the force of the blow, and Camilla reached for one of the safari balls, hesitating for a moment before throwing it at the bug-type.

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymicon"]

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymlyric"]


FOR @ SAFARI WILD

[attr="class","nem2heroesgymbot"]

FEMALE // STATIC // LEVEL 18