The FALLARBOR Team (PLOT)

"Me too. I didn't get to see much of it back in the day," Chris admits. Yeah, that... sounds about right. If you didn't set out to do the gyms or some other form of the Pokemon journey right of passage...

You probably missed seeing a lot of the region you were born in.

She wonders if he started it at all or not.

"Say, do you think they've made it to the waterfall yet?"  Oh, he's ready to switch gears. That's fine; there's a bittersweetness in remembering... just, remembering. And it's not like either of them want to dwell on the sadness in front of basically a stranger.

"Probably. I hope Flame has the good sense to not just jump in without checking." She sighs. "His species can go in water but they're very poor swimmers. Because fire types. And he's very... excitable." Yeah, that's a good way to put it.


"Bro, never-never talk to me again!" the Vaporeon shouts, making Flame burst into a new round of giggles.

"Just for that pun, he comes too!" The giggles die into squawks of protest when Charizard scoops up the Vaporeon, but one look at his face and he can't complain. Sure it means they'll tie, but the other guy is as excited as he is to be riding on the back of a fucking dragon; who is he to accuse him of cheating for that?

Even if it totally wasn't fair. Ya picked his side, Charizard; you can't just add onto it!

"Hell yeah!"

They whiz by the dino, the tongue that had been hanging out like a puppy pulling back into his mouth. "Hey, you're cheating!"

Flame makes a face at him. He's totally an adult you guys, and from the looks of it, so is the Vaporeon. Huh. Maybe he's met a kindred spirit here!

"We win!" Charizard lands and sets them both down.

"Man, does winning feel great!" he crows launching into a really goofy victory dance. Flame falls over laughing

"You guys are great!" he gasps out, aware that he might be finding this a little too funny but not taking time to care. Because really, who gives a shit? This is the first time in forever he's felt this light; time to take advantage of it and wring this entire situation for every last drop of joy he can squeeze out of it.

They stood victorious in the river, the waterfall's roar unable to smother their cheers. Galahad chuckled as the others rejoiced, sitting on the riverbed and refraining from going into the water. He didn't mean to be a sourpuss, but water and he didn't mix terribly well. Dinadan soon arrived, jumping high into the air before cannonballing into the water with a joyful roar. Galahad turned his head away to prevent the spray from getting into his eyes, but he wasn't in the least perturbed by his comrade's appearance.

With the giant dino baby frolicking in the water, Galahad took in a long breath and settled in the shallows. What a day. He spotted the trainers making their way closer and waved, simply happy to be able to bear witness to such revelry. If only Lance would be able to join...

"Probably. I hope Flame has the good sense to not just jump in without checking."

It sounds like Flame hasn't had good encounters with water before. If Chris was a Fire-type, he probably wouldn't enjoy a leisurely swim in the river either. If a Chimchar's flame went out, could it hurt them, or maybe even...kill them? No, certainly not-why would Sara-Anne let Flame get near a waterfall, in those circumstances? Maybe she trusts him that much. Or maybe he's always careful and won't actually jump into water. Could just be a joke. Or maybe-

"His species can go in water but they're very poor swimmers. Because fire types. And he's very... excitable."

Thank goodness, Chimchars and water aren't a lethal combination; his heart settles down a bit. Chris notices she says “excitable” the same way he might say that Atlas is “cheerful”. He manages to smile a little bit. A lot of people in the old days hadn't appreciated his Vaporeon's infinite enthusiasm, but maybe Sara-Anne is different. Emphasis on maybe; she's only just arrived.

”He sounds a lot like Atlas,” Chris says, though whether or not he's already said his Vaporeon's name is tugging at the back of his mind, ”I bet they've gotten along great.”

Not that Atlas didn't get along with most people. Being social is kind of his thing, in direct contrast to most of Chris' other Pokemon (and Chris himself, but that detail's unimportant). The idea of a Fire-type who can't swim well and someone who can literally melt into water befriending each other almost gets a chuckle out of Chris; once they get to the waterfall, he hopes to see a bunch of happy Pokemon waiting for the poor, slow humans to catch up. They're definitely close; from this distance, Chris can see Tyrantrum enjoying the waterfall, and he waves back at Charizard, who's sitting on the riverbank for obvious reasons.


Flame looks ready to split in half judging by how wild his laughter is. Careful, bro, because Atlas has heard stories of people actually dying from laughter. No matter how many times he's told otherwise, he believes it. "You guys are great!"

”I could've told you that, dude,” he teases, taking a few more seconds (around thirty, because why not) to finish up the amazing pawsteps of his “first place” dance. By that time, Mister Cheater has caught up and done a “second place” cannonball, spraying everyone in the vicinity with a wave of water. Hell, Atlas isn't even upset-he should be doing a cannonball too! It's a shame he can't achieve the glory of a thousand-ton or whatever dinosaur, but oh well. You win some, you lose some.

After finishing up his dance of victory, Atlas immediately sets his sights on the beautiful blue water where the big old dino was splashing about like little Eevees did. His tail wriggling back and forth, the Vaporeon dived in, the very molecules of his body melding with the water to form what Atlas called “one-of-a-kind camouflage". Grinning like a well-paid court jester, Atlas poked his head above the water's surface, the rest of his body still invisible. He can see Chris and his new pal approaching too, which is chill as hell. Once they got close enough, Atlas is definitely going to splash them with some bonafide Fallarbor Falls water. It would be hilarious.

”He sounds a lot like Atlas,” That was the Vaporeon, right? Did he introduce them? She can't remember and like hell she'll ask; it's probably the Vaporeon, anyway. ”I bet they've gotten along great.”

She grinned. "God save us if they are. Those two will be holy terrors together."

Loud mouthed wiseguy pranksters. Coming to Fallarbor would either be the best idea of her life or the worst.


”I could've told you that, dude,” laughed the Vaporeon. His victory dance was soon interrupted by their Tyrantrum friend plowing up to the water and cannonballing his way in, Flame letting out a delighted shout at the splash and moving to get in range.

The water tidal waved over him, the chimp dripping went and giggling like a first grader as he watched Dinadin paddle around in the water. Atlas wasted no time getting in, himself, melting away into it as soon as he got in, the laughter dying down to be replaced with awe and curiosity.

"Hey, how'd you do that?" he called, approaching the water's edge and looking down and around, failing to miss Atlas surfacing nearby, or the two humans approaching.

(Forgive me, but please skip. My pokemon are simply frolicking like idiots.)

(So I've tried for hours to get this post done and it's just...not happening. So I'm skipping this round. I did manage to get some dialogue done; Atlas says to Flame in response to his question: "It's just something Vaporeons can do, my guy. We blend in. Or more like...we become water. It's kinda confusing." After that, he tries to splash Chris with water and ends up missing him completely. I'm really sorry I don't have much else. :/)

"It's just something Vaporeons can do, my guy. We blend in. Or more like...we become water. It's kinda confusing."

"I mean, either is hella cool," Flame chirped, eyes bright and curious as he watched Atlas paddle around. The mischievous little brat tried to splash his trainer and missed, the chimp snickering. "Man, your aim is awful. Don't most water moves rely on aim?"

”Pretty sure they do, but watch your mouth, Flame.” Sara-Anne grinned. ”He might not be able to get Chris from this distance, but you're a lot closer.”

"Pfffft I'll be fiiiiiiiiiiiine. Tyrantrum will help me, wont'cha buddy?" He gave the giant dragon dinosaur puppy his best Bambi eyes while Sara-Anne rolled her own. God. What a child.

Galahad sighed happily as the kids played -Dinadan included- and let his body relax for a moment. He had no idea a little pocket of peace could actually exist outside of the Plateau still. "It's just something Vaporeons can do, my guy. We blend in. Or more like...we become water. It's kinda confusing." He chuckled a little at the banter, but simply sat on his haunches and enjoyed the wind on his hide.

"I mean, either is hella cool," Flame chirped back. The sound of splashing caused one of the dragon's eyes to open, if only to keep tabs on where they were splashing. "Man, your aim is awful. Don't most water moves rely on aim?"

”Pretty sure they do, but watch your mouth, Flame.” Sara-Anne laughed back. ”He might not be able to get Chris from this distance, but you're a lot closer.”

"Pfffft I'll be fiiiiiiiiiiiine. Tyrantrum will help me, wont'cha buddy?"

"Not sure Tyrantrum's going to be of use to anyone anytime soon," Galahad chuckled, his one open eye looking down to the small monkey. The large dragon in the water paddled around like a dog in the deeper parts of the river. "See? Useless."

If there's one consistent thing Chris knows about himself, it's that he's well-versed in the pranks his Pokemon pull on him. Avoiding the splash of water from Atlas is easy as pie, and he can't stop himself from laughing alongside Sara's Chimchar. The indignant look from the Vaporeon is just too good, and rather cathartic after all those other times Chris didn't manage to dodge. Plus, he liked this particular flannel; getting it soaked would've really sucked.

"Man, your aim is awful. Don't most water moves rely on aim?"

"Gimme a break dude, I'm usually not this lame," Atlas protests, though he sinks a little further into the water, to the point where Chris can only really see his eyes and the top half of his fins. Though the Vaporeon's still muttering...something, Chris can't understand a single word of it.

"Pretty sure they do, but watch your mouth, Flame. He might not be able to get Chris from this distance, but you're a lot closer.”

Uh oh. Chris can recognize that scheming glint in his Pokemon's eyes from ten miles away.

"Pfffft I'll be fiiiiiiiiiiiine. Tyrantrum will help me, wont'cha buddy?"

Flame gave his best impression of a wide-eyed, innocent Pokemon, and Chris has to cover his mouth to try and hide the laughter. It's been so long since he's had the company of another trainer and their Pokemon, but now he's remembering how fun it can be. I just hope it's not temporary...

"Not sure Tyrantrum's going to be of use to anyone anytime soon," Charizard points out, and though such an intimidating-looking Pokemon unnerved him at first, now the dinosaur resembled the world's biggest puppy. It's adorable, and helps keep Chris from dwelling on his more melancholy thoughts. Who can be sad around a dinosaur puppy? Or puppy dinosaur, both could work. "See? Useless."

"That means I can do this!"

Right on cue, Atlas splashes more water from the river, though this time in Flame's direction. It's a harmless splash (which is good, considering his "foe" is a Fire-type of all things), but he's absolutely determined to make up for that earlier, shameful display of inaccuracy.

"Not sure Tyrantrum's going to be of use to anyone anytime soon," Sara-Anne felt a grin spread across her face as the dragon pointed out the obvious to her chimp, glancing over at the Tyrantrum before Charizard could direct their attention there. He was acting like the happiest goddamn puppy in the world and oh, how she wished she had a camera. How precious. "See? Useless."

"That means I can do this!" A rather girlish scream erupted from Flame as the splash hit him dead on, the shriek turning into laughter halfway through as the monkey immediately shoved as much water as he could in the general direction of the splash, head turned away to avoid getting any potential revenge splashes right in the eyes.

"You dick! I didn't even get a chance to swim away!"

”That's kind of the point, doofus!” she laughed, approaching the water carefully and shucking off her boots, rolling her pant legs up. That was the nicest water she'd seen in awhile and the weather was... not super hot, but warm. It was always warm in Hoenn.

A dip would be a bad idea when she had no change of clothes, but it wouldn't be so bad to dangle her legs in it, right? She sat down and plunged her legs into the water, gasping. ”Shit that's cold!”

"In other news, the sky is blue. Why were you expecting different, again...?"

He was far out of splash range but fuck it. She kicked her leg, sending spray his way that fell short. ”Aw shut up.”

(THAR SHE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLDS
MOTHERFUCKING FINALLY)

As the children frolicked and played at his feet, Galahad simply chuckled and closed his eyes, embracing the peace and the joy surrounding him. Even in the plateau he hadn't felt so at ease. A deep, happy rumble reverberated through his chest as the splashes and jovial giggles swirled about him. This was possibly one of the best days he'd had since the world ended. As Sara-Anne and Flame playfully bickered, he peered open a single eye to check on them, a grin plastered on his reptilian face. He doubted Lance or Arthur would join in, but the others likely would.

"This truly is a lovely place you have here, Chris. I know I've complimented it before, but I just have to say it again. How have you kept it so... clear? This water isn't even dirty."

Atlas' successful splash brings a shriek from the Chimchar and a bout of shameless laughter from the Vaporeon. He's so busy falling into a fit of giggles that he doesn't even bother to return the Fire-type's splashes. What would be the point? Atlas has had his victory, and he's perfectly satisfied with it.

"You dick! I didn't even get a chance to swim away!"

Atlas doesn't say anything back, still cackling gleefully. Chris rolls his eyes, but the gesture's betrayed by the wide grin on his face. He was totally right about this being the most fun he's had in a long time; Chris doesn't want it to ever end. That's a childish wish for sure, but he's been starved for the company of other humans for years. Didn't it make sense for him to feel so strongly, now that he knows for certain more of his own kind had survived? Chris loves his Pokemon no matter what, but seeing another person-another human-here brings him a different experience. Sara-Anne and even Lance, who Chris barely got to see, remind him of his family; maybe there's still hope that they will return to him.

”That's kind of the point, doofus!”

As Sara-Anne and her Pokemon exchange quips, Chris edges closer to the water, trying not to dwell too much on the familiar melancholy of his missing loved ones. By now, the pain is so intertwined with his emotions that Chris can almost ignore it. Big emphasis on almost. Anyways...he's not about to imitate Sara's shock at the river's temperature (he'd rather keep his clothes dry anyway), but the Hoenn heat still has him sweating a lot. For the trillionth time in his life, Chris asks himself why he has to wear so many layers. Something something body issues, I'm self-conscious. Oh, well. It's not as if the heat is going to kill him anytime soon; Chris can enjoy being near the water and therefore, a little bit cooler.

He glances over at Charizard, relieved that the dragon is happy. When the big, typically intimidating Pokemon are being cute and content, then everyone can be content. That might not be a popular saying, but hey, it's still wisdom. What Chris did not expect, however, was the Fire-type addressing him directly.

"This truly is a lovely place you have here, Chris. I know I've complimented it before, but I just have to say it again."

Chris looks away, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. He doesn't know what to say. Fallarbor is a lovely place, but he can't take all the credit for it. Heck, Chris probably couldn't take even a fraction of the credit. Without his Pokemon, without Azelf...well, things would be a lot different, that's for sure. Fallarbor wouldn't be the place it is, and they wouldn't all be enjoying their time spent here. The dragons' trainer wouldn't have a safe place to rest-none of them would, most likely. It's a depressing line of thought.

"How have you kept it so... clear? This water isn't even dirty."

"Um, well, a lot of it's due to luck, honestly. We don't get a lot of, you know, undead around here. I think it's because of the climate," Chris admits. In the back of his mind, he wonders if that is even an answer to what the Pokemon's asking. What if he ends up looking stupid? It's happened countless times before. God, Chris knows he needs to keep talking before he loses his nerve. Already, he's starting to bite down hard on his lip; though  it's not yet enough to draw blood, the sudden pain nudges him back into speaking.

"We keep Fallarbor secure, so nothing gets in to taint the water, though we still have to make sure it can't be polluted by others means. It's not easy-I wouldn't want to bore you with all the details. But as for why this place is as nice as it is, well...I have to give the credit to my Pokemon. Fallarbor wouldn't be what it is without them and all their hard work."

Though he doesn't mention them by name, Azelf is included too. From his place in the water, Chris can see Atlas smiling at him. As carefree as the Vaporeon is, Chris isn't about to leave him out; he knows the Water-type puts in as much effort as any of his other Pokemon. All of his companions have done their absolute best alongside him to make sure Fallarbor is not only a safe place, but one where people could be happy. Chris can't take that recognition away from them just to make himself look better.

"This truly is a lovely place you have here, Chris. I know I've complimented it before, but I just have to say it again." Sara-Anne looked over at Chris with a big smile and a nod. God, it sure was. Not like they'd seen a lot of the land yet, but what they had was unbelievably beautiful. The boy--man? How old was he?--glanced away, sheepish, rubbing the back of his head. "How have you kept it so... clear? This water isn't even dirty."

"Um, well, a lot of it's due to luck, honestly. We don't get a lot of, you know, undead around here. I think it's because of the climate." ... That was a good point. Come to think of it, when was the last time they saw an undead? Was it too hot here? They didn't come out as often in the daytime, so maybe someplace as hot as Hoenn was just... not... how would Max put it... optimal conditions. There. That sounded science-y enough. "We keep Fallarbor secure, so nothing gets in to taint the water, though we still have to make sure it can't be polluted by others means. It's not easy-I wouldn't want to bore you with all the details. But as for why this place is as nice as it is, well... I have to give the credit to my Pokemon. Fallarbor wouldn't be what it is without them and all their hard work."

"Well, you guys've done a hell of a job. This place is awesome. Been awhile since we've found a small body of water clean enough to just dick around in like this."

”Yeah, usually they have to be running water, or the pollution just... sits there.” Which was gross as hell.

”Have you seen any other humans come by here, by any chance...?” Might as well get that question over with. Rip off the bandaid and get back to more enjoyable things.

Galahad smiled as Chris nervously answered him. What a sweet man. "Um, well, a lot of it's due to luck, honestly. We don't get a lot of, you know, undead around here. I think it's because of the climate." Shit, that was right. Hadn't Arthur said something to that tune, or... something? It certainly sounded familiar. "We keep Fallarbor secure, so nothing gets in to taint the water, though we still have to make sure it can't be polluted by others means. It's not easy-I wouldn't want to bore you with all the details. But as for why this place is as nice as it is, well... I have to give the credit to my Pokemon. Fallarbor wouldn't be what it is without them and all their hard work."

"Well, you guys've done a hell of a job. This place is awesome. Been awhile since we've found a small body of water clean enough to just dick around in like this." Galahad silently agreed with an impressed nod; usually, they could only rely on their own stores they carried and rainfall.

”Yeah, usually they have to be running water, or the pollution just... sits there,” Sara-Anne commented, her disgust apparent. ”Have you seen any other humans come by here, by any chance...?” Oh, right. Last night's Uno game brought up a vivid memory. She was looking for someone. Intrigued to know himself, Galahad turned to Chris for the answer as Dinadan continued to frolick in the river.

"Well, you guys've done a hell of a job. This place is awesome. Been awhile since we've found a small body of water clean enough to just dick around in like this."

Chris can't take a compliment to save his life, but at least his Pokemon received the recognition they rightfully deserve. He goes to say thanks, but the words end up becoming a stuttering mess he quickly cuts off-better to be safe than sorry, right? In a stroke of good luck, Chris stops speaking right when Sara-Anne begins to say something herself. If any gods actually exist, they're on his side this time.

”Yeah, usually they have to be running water, or the pollution just... sits there.”

He can understand her obvious distaste; nobody wants to have to deal with gross things like that. One would think Chris would be used to handling all sorts of disgusting occurrences by now, but of course that's not how it works; he still cries inside when he steps in something as normal as mud. Silt, soot, ash, and who-knows-what-else filled water? No thanks...not appealing at all.

"Yeah, we try to avoid that," Chris says, an unpleasant image of dirty, congealed water in the current river popping up in his mind. Thanks for that, brain. He would personally take a bucket of ice into hell before his Pokemon would be forced to drink such filthy water.

”Have you seen any other humans come by here, by any chance...?”

The question hits like a punch to the gut, but Chris forces himself to keep his expression from showing it. How'd they go from talking about keeping Fallarbor as nice as it is now to this? Wait, fuck, he's an idiot-of course anyone would want to know if others had found a safe place. Whether due to curiosity, or because they need to find someone, it's an understandable question. There's not likely to be a whole lot of places that are protected from the undead anymore. He thinks of his parents, his siblings, Lyka, everyone he's ever cared about...all taken away, out there in the desolated world and likely far away from the safety of Fallarbor. Or dead.

Suddenly, Chris really doesn't want to answer this question. But what choice does he have?

"I'm sorry, but no. You and your friend are the first to show up around here in a long time." It's an answer nobody wants to hear, he's certain. "It's only been me and my Pokemon ever since we first arrived here, actually."

"I'm sorry, but no. You and your friend are the first to show up around here in a long time." She ducked her head. Yeah. She figured it was going to be like that. "It's only been me and my Pokemon ever since we first arrived here, actually."

"Okay, thanks." She lifted her head, giving Chris a strained smile. "Figured it was worth asking; might as well just get that out of the way and move on to nicer things, right?"

"Yeah uh- like this!" His mouth and body miles ahead of head, the monkey shoved both hands forward, sending a spray of water at his human. She shrieked, raising her hands as if that would shield her from the oncoming spray.

”FLAME!” She held her arms out, shaking them a little, droplets flying off as the monkey floated in the water, sheepish. ”What about this was nice!?”

"Clean water to splash around in? Come ooooooooonnn it's been for-ev-er since we've had a swim together!"

”It's not hot enough you dick!”

"'Not hot enough?' What, are you waiting for the volcano to erupt or...?"

”Fuck you!” She kicked a spray of water at him, pouting, Flame paddling backwards and avoiding it with ease. "I'm not going in."

"Aw c'mon; you're already wet!"

"No, I'm a little splashed but I'm not wet and if I was, I'd be coming in there after your ass so count yourself lucky." She scooted backwards, pulling her legs out of the water and standing up. "Eugh, I should change out of my clothes so they can dry." She glanced over at the dragons. "Could you keep an eye on my impulsive idiot best friend while I go get dried off?"

(Gonna try moving this along so that Phoenix can rejoin with her babs. Gonna have a short timeskip soon to like, early evening; that should be enough time for the kitties to have rested~)

Closing his eyes once again as the children at his feet continued to jest and laugh. They were good sounds, sounds he soaked in like a sponge. The sheer joy from the kids at play just... was a salve on his soul. It warmed the Charizard to hear them frolic and... apparently piss each other off?

”FLAME!” Galahad flinched at Sara-Anne's cry and the fire type couldn't help but peek an eye open. He could see Dinadan sink a little under the water in his peripheral. ”What about this was nice!?”

"Clean water to splash around in? Come ooooooooonnn it's been for-ev-er since we've had a swim together!" The Charizard chuckled. It was rare to see a fellow fire type so enthusiastic about water, and, you know, being in it.

”It's not hot enough you dick!”

"'Not hot enough?' What, are you waiting for the volcano to erupt or...?"

”Fuck you!” He opened his eyes more as the angry -maybe still playful?- curses rang out over the water. "I'm not going in."

"Aw c'mon; you're already wet!"

"No, I'm a little splashed but I'm not wet and if I was, I'd be coming in there after your ass so count yourself lucky." She scooted backwards, pulling her legs out of the water and standing up. "Eugh, I should change out of my clothes so they can dry." Her eyes soon me his own and he found himself straightening. Girl was a spitfire. "Could you keep an eye on my impulsive idiot best friend while I go get dried off?"

Galahad chuckled. "Of course. In a place like this, at least, it should dry quickly."

"Okay, thanks."

Chris can tell he's disappointed her. Who wouldn't be disappointed hearing bad news like that?

"Figured it was worth asking; might as well just get that out of the way and move on to nicer things, right?"

"Right," he agrees. Chris takes the thoughts of his loved ones and puts them in a metaphorical box that he can push away, at least for now.

"Yeah uh- like this!"

A rather impressive splash of water flies toward the unfortunate Sara-Anne, who tries to shield herself (unfortunately, as Chris has learned thanks to a certain Vaporeon, that never works). Atlas is cackling, and Sara herself definitely does not look happy. Chris backs away a bit before his own Pokemon tries to follow Flame's terrible influence.

”FLAME! What about this was nice!?”

She's right-getting soaked is not a positive thing.

"Clean water to splash around in? Come ooooooooonnn it's been for-e-ever since we've had a swim together!"

"You should jump in too," Atlas says to Chris, giving him his best puppy-dog eyes. The Vaporeon is paddling around the water in an attempt to make himself look cuter, but there's no way Chris is falling for that one. Well...not again, anyways.

"No, thanks." His clothes like being dry, thank you very much.

Sara-Anne and her Chimchar keep bickering, and though Chris can't say the experience has become unfamiliar (his own Pokemon have such contrasting personalities, after all), it's still weird for it to be coming from other people. He's so adjusted to the same seven voices that everything else is throwing him off, like they're speaking a language he understands, but doesn't hear on a daily basis.

"Eugh, I should change out of my clothes so they can dry."

That's a smart idea. In this heat, it wouldn't take that long for clothes to dry (again, Chris knows thanks to unfortunate experience). She looks to the dragons; if there's anyone who could keep a bunch of small, unruly Pokemon in line, it's them. Not that Atlas wouldn't try to be mischievous no matter who else was around, but it's the thought that counts.

"Could you keep an eye on my impulsive idiot best friend while I go get dried off?"

As the Charizard agreed, Chris looked pointedly at Atlas. One of the many rules of Fallarbor was that you could never take your eyes off the Water-type for very long, lest he see it as a pranking opportunity.

"Don't even think about it," he says, knowing full well that the Vaporeon was going to take Flame's successful splash against his trainer as a challenge; Chris isn't about to get his clothes wet too. He liked this outfit. Atlas didn't say anything, instead opting to melt back into the water...but Chris didn't miss that smug look before he disappeared.

"Of course," the dragon answered with a quiet laugh. Flame huffed and muttered something about a babysitter while Chris gave his own mischevious little demon a warning about getting him wet. "In a place like this, at least, it should dry quickly."

"Maybe stop being twelve and you won't need a babysitter." Sara-Anne snorted at her chimp, Flame sticking a tongue out at her. "Yeah, see? Twelve."

"I'd rather be twelve than an old grouch!"

"Then enjoy being babysat." She stuck her tongue back out at him.

"See! You're being twelve too!"

"Sorry; what was that?" she called as she walked away to find her way back to the cabin Lance and his other dragons were stationed at. "I can't hear you over all the adulting that I'm doing!"

"Cheater! You're walking away!" But she didn't reply any further; being in the water, his vantage point was a little lower than ground level, and as her not being in the water put her above him, she soon vanished from his sight. He grumbled.

"I'll get her some other time. Killjoy." She wasn't much of a killjoy, really, but there wasn't much else he could call her right now and despite the fact that she'd left, he was a guy committed to his acting. Even when they ended up annoying people rather than cheering them up. At least Sara-Anne understood its intention even if she wasn't going to call attention to it. "... Too bad that we don't have a swimsuit for her; she'd probably be more willing to get wet if she had actual swimwear..."

He sighed. "Well, maybe the next time we pass through a city or something." Not like anyone had grabbed swimsuits from them, probably.

---

It was a good twenty minutes until she returned in her change of clothes, the heavy black sweater and the faded, somewhat tattered pink skirt gone. Her black pants had been mostly untouched and the white t-shirt made her look much more comfortable, given the Hoenn heat. It was at least seventy degrees out. She didn't need to be wearing that sweater.

Shooting him a (mostly playful) dirty look, she rolled up her pant legs and again sat with her legs in the water. It would be another hour or so before she looked around, frowning in contemplation.

"It's been long enough for the cats, I think? They said they wanted some time to rest, but I don't wanna, you know, wait so long they think we forgot about 'em?"

(Aaaaand now I've set it up so they can go visit the kittens.)

"Maybe stop being twelve and you won't need a babysitter." The young girl snorted at her pokemon, who in turn made a very valid point in their discussion by sticking his tongue out at her. "Yeah, see? Twelve."

"I'd rather be twelve than an old grouch!" Galahad shook his head; Dinadan was being more mature, and he was the one blowing bubbles with his mouth upriver.

"Then enjoy being babysat." Sara-Anne, in a painting of maturity, stuck her tongue out as well.

"See! You're being twelve too!"

"Sorry; what was that?" she called as she walked away toward the cabin his trainer was currently recovering in. "I can't hear you over all the adulting that I'm doing!" Oh my God.

"Cheater! You're walking away!" His insults went unanswered, however, much to his dismay. Galahad's grin didn't fade -couldn't, really- as Flame began to mutter to himself. "I'll get her some other time. Killjoy."

"I'm sure you will. Eventually, I want to get Lance in there, too. He needs a good dunk." Galahad chuckled at the image his mind granted him. Yeah. That would be fantastic.

"... Too bad that we don't have a swimsuit for her; she'd probably be more willing to get wet if she had actual swimwear..."

The Charizard considered. "Perhaps. Not sure how necessary people deemed swimwear when everything went to pot. You might have luck."

He sighed. "Well, maybe the next time we pass through a city or something."

"Yeah. I'm sure there's something, somewhere." He gave his young friend a reassuring smile and went back to watching his comrade make a complete and utter fool of himself.

---

By the time Sara-Anne returned, Dinadan had pulled himself out of the river, completely exhausted and happy. He laid out on the shoreline, belly up and basking in the Hoenn sun. Galahad was fairly sure the dinosaur was already asleep.

He offered a small wave to the incoming human as she began to speak. "It's been long enough for the cats, I think? They said they wanted some time to rest, but I don't wanna, you know, wait so long they think we forgot about 'em?"

Galahad nodded. "We should at least check in. If they're still asleep, we can go do something else; either way, I'd like to check in on Lance as well, or at least check with Dragonite. Make sure he hasn't woken up or anything."

Chris was content to sit back, listen to the conversation, and watch Atlas occasionally poke his head past the water's surface. He couldn't say this feeling or experience was normal, but still, Chris didn't see anything wrong with a content smile. So what if enjoying the company of newcomers had become alien to him? That didn't stop take away the warm, fuzzy aspect of it. His Vaporeon splashed some water into the air, but none of it landed anywhere near Chris.

After a short time (Chris wasn't exactly a clock, so he had no idea how long exactly), Sara-Anne returned wearing clothes that were far more suitable for Fallarbor's heat. Like Charizard, he gave a short wave to the girl (was girl the proper term? She could be older than him), but didn't actually say anything, being distracted by the cute dog-like dinosaur flopped down by the river. It reminded him of how his brother's Umbreon used to lounge around their house, acting like the entire place was his. He missed the little guy, and all of Matt's Pokemon.

Eventually, Sara-Anne speaks up.

"It's been long enough for the cats, I think? They said they wanted some time to rest, but I don't wanna, you know, wait so long they think we forgot about 'em?"

"And they might need something from me that's not in that house," Chris adds. Upon catching the humans' conversation, Atlas jumps up from out of the water. That's right-he was the one who first met the wild cats, of course he would want to know how they're doing.

"We should at least check in. If they're still asleep, we can go do something else; either way, I'd like to check in on Lance as well, or at least check with Dragonite. Make sure he hasn't woken up or anything."

Lance. Right, that's the name of the other person here in Fallarbor...Chris can't remember if he was already told the name, but his memory is terrible enough for it to slip away regardless. Well, there's nothing stopping them from seeing both the kitties and Lance. Besides, going back into the heart of town means he might see some of his other Pokemon. How are they feeling about other humans, other Pokemon being here after so many years?

"We can go see both. I probably need to check in with everyone else anyways. My Pokemon, I mean. We've been out here for awhile, haven't we?"

"And they might need something from me that's not in that house," Chris added, the girl nodding along. Yeah. And wasn't one injured.

"We should at least check in. If they're still asleep, we can go do something else; either way, I'd like to check in on Lance as well, or at least check with Dragonite. Make sure he hasn't woken up or anything."

"Good idea. He's probably gonna be really disoriented and nervous if he's awake." Given how paranoid he'd been the singular time she'd seen him not drugged to oblivion, anyway.

"Man, I hope his medicine is still working," Flame remarked as he clambered out of the watering hole, shaking himself dry a bit like a dog. He climbed up Sara-Anne's body, feet settling braced against her back and peeking over her shoulder. He was getting her a bit damp, but whatever. It was hot out anyway, and she liked having him close to her as opposed to running off.

She raised a hand and rubbed his head, earning her a soft little noise of happiness and a nuzzle to the side of her head. "Well, fingers crossed, then."

It wasn't a long walk back to where the cats were, and rather than repeat the embarrassing (and kind of upsetting) incident that happened the first time, she hung back behind Chris against the side of the house by the door, waiting for how the cats would respond.

(Moved them back to the kittys' cabin because I figured that'd be okay.)

"Good idea. He's probably gonna be really disoriented and nervous if he's awake." Galahad sighed and nodded; Lance was not a relaxed man even in the best of times and now... well...

"Man, I hope his medicine is still working," Flame commented and Galahad could only agree. They should have enough to last quite a while longer, just... would it be long enough? Dinadan rose out of the river as well, a considerable amount of water running off of him compared to the little monkey. He shook his body in much the same way, spraying them all and grumbling happily as his thick fur still dripped. Fantastic.

"Well, fingers crossed, then."

"We'll meet you at the other house," Galahad chuckled as he wiped off a few droplets of water. "We'd probably do more harm than good with those cats anyway. See you in a bit." He waved to them and led the way back to Lance's makeshift hospital.

Chris keeps his mouth firmly shut when nobody acknowledges the second time he speaks. It isn't that he's upset, of course not, it's just...paranoia, most likely. What friends wouldn't be more inclined to talk about an injured person they know well over responding to some random stranger? It's none of their faults that Chris has some annoying tendency to feel ignored, and that it happens to be acting up right now. He's being selfish, and stupid, thinking that way. As the others exchange some words between them, Chris tries to think of nice things to say to the cats in order to keep things going smoothly, but his nerves must be working against him. Nothing he thinks up sounds any good.

They say a temporary goodbye to Charizard and Tyrantrum; Atlas, having already left the water, trots alongside Chris as he and Sara-Anne make their way towards the house where the feline pair are staying. Chris hopes they've been okay the whole time. He can't remember their names, and just like with Lance, he wonders if they even said them in the first place. Great, another reason to hate his memory...

When they get there, Chris takes the lead-not by choice or through any spoken decision, but simply because Sara-Anne hangs back. Considering how things went last time, it probably would be best for him and Atlas to approach first, though he thinks it better to be at he door instead of straight up going inside. Personal space and all, it's important. Even though his heart wants to run a marathon and he's skimming through what to say in his head at an ungodly rate, Chris still speaks to the feline couple first. At a reasonable volume, of course. Atlas is next to him, which provides a sort of comfort needed to help him from stuttering over everything he says.

"Hi? Um, it's been some time, so we wanted to check up on you guys," Chris says, "Did you two need anything?"

(I'm sorry this post isn't great, I did try but it was a bit of a struggle tbh. I hope the final dialogue was fine too? I don't want to overstep or anything, I can change it if needed, just didn't want to awkwardly end this post without Chris doing much of anything)

Alistair didn't know how long he was asleep for but the sun was still shining when he woke back up. A couple of hours, maybe? Hard to tell unless he actually saw the sun's position. Regardless of how much he got though it didn't matter because Kaeli was the one who needed the real rest and she was still quietly napping away at his side. The quiet rise and fall of her chest against his side kept his nerves from overloading again and he nestled close to watch the door carefully for any sign of danger or intrusion.

Not long after he awoke the sound of voices caught his attention, growing in intensity the closer they got to the cabin until a few continued past. But only a few. Alistair was about to peer through the door with his vision when he heard Chris's voice call out for him easing his concern somewhat. "Hi? Um, it's been some time, so we wanted to check up on you guys. Did you two need anything?" Raising his head slowly Alistair called out, as softly as he could to not disturb his mate. "I think we are alright. Kaeli is still sleeping though."

As if on cue the Rahneko began to stir and groaned softly, bruising quickly setting in as he stiff body protested each movement. "I think...I think I could use a softer surface," she groaned out, disappointed in her own voice as her pain laced through it. "Is there anything you could bring?" Alistair continued, hushing Kaeli as she leaned against him for support. "If she's in enough pain to ask it is worse than I thought."