Wait a second! I didn't expect it to be this bad!

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Dexter let Umbra look at the route before them. It was quite... muddy, wet, and dirty. +Wait a second! I didn't expect it to be this bad!+

[/color] Umbra said, complaining for the first time. "Really, it's not too bad once you get going. Besides, you can wash off afterwards. The next town is surrounded by nice, clean water," Dexter said. Umbra sighed, and led the way. Dexter followed, and released Saren. +Wow. This place is just deeeelightful,+[/color] he said, glad he could hover, unlike poor Umbra and Dex. "I know, isn't it?" Dex said sarcastically. Dexter shrugged, and continued on, trying to avoid the muddiest parts and keep halfway clean. "It'll be over before you know it," Dexter said, trying to convince himself more than his Pokemon. +Yeah, you just gotta keep believing...+[/color] Umbra said, also trying to convince herself. She would hate to have to battle in this mess. So, her hope was to befriend a Pokemon rather than battle. She'd leave the battling to Saren.
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[~/Birdybot\~]

A small figure appeared, squatting, in the distance. It rose, then began to move towards Dexter. The Pokemon gave a few murmers to itself as it came, these becoming audible as the shape became more distinguishable. There were hunched shoulders, large cheeks and hands on the reasonably small figure. It krept closer to Dexter, and soon was fully visable, black and purple three-fingered hands glowing in warning as it eyed the trainer.

The red cheeks expanded and came in. ~Croooo...~ it breathed as it did so. The Croagunk continued to mutter to itself, dimly glowing hands the only sign that it had acknoledged that Dexter existed. ~Don't worry... they ain't gonna get'cha, they comin' back... They never got me anyways... got Crow, bu' never me...~ it was whispering, although rather loudly.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Dexter, although curious at this Croagunk, wanted to keep his distance. He didn't like the fact that its hands were glowing. But... what had it meant by 'they ain't gonna get'cha'? +Who's 'they'?+

[/color] Umbra asked. Then Dexter had an idea; he hoped it wasn't Team Vex. They had done enough in his life already... of course, he couldn't be choosy about his destiny. And why was the Croagunk... whispering? Or, at least attempting to whisper?

((Meh, no muse for this particular post, sorreh ))
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[~/Birdybot\~]

Croagunk began muttering again. ~They talkin' 'bout ya, Croagunk. Behind ya back. More than this. Whole life, they've be'n talkin'. 'Bout ya. All 'he'time, no break. They been spyin' on ya, Croagunk. They all has.~ he muttered, before moaning then gradually moving down to lie on the mud, eye twiching. He was clearly mad, but why?

~I tell ya who they is. But I don' wanna. I don't trust ya. I don' trust nobody.~ Croagunk said quickly and fiercely. Then he let out a sob and changed. ~Alright, I guess ya me only 'ope. 'They' is ma trainer an' 'is sister. They ain't treat me right, they don'. I ran'd aways. Crow's me brother. He ain't escaped. Them ain't good, me trainers. I can 'ear 'em now, lookin' for me. They thinks that to get us to battles right, they needs to 'urt us. They don' know we 'ave feelins. They need tellin'. They got lots of unwanted Pokemon, too. Abandon 'em to die. Right now they got's an Egg. They ain't abandoned it yet; them are looking for quicksand to put it. Help it! Teach 'em to treat Pokemon right!~ Croagunk seemed desperate, and a little less mad now. It was true; in the distance, soft sounds of people aruguing over whether something was quicksand or not was heard. There wasn't much time.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Dexter cocked an eyebrow slightly at the Croagunk. Well, obviously it was in distress, but... for what reason? Dexter could completely understand the Croagunk, but at the same time had no idea what it was saying. He glanced down at Umbra, who was slowly making her way towards the Croagunk. She stopped and sta down as the Croagunk began to say something, just a couple feet beside him.

Dexter, Umbra, and Saren listened intently to the Croagunk as it finally spoke. Great... another case of abuse, just like his Murkrow, Kit, had gone through. Or, well, perhaps not as bad, but... similar. Being forced to battle when you simply couldn't and not cared for. +Oh, I'm sure Kitkun would love to help out with this once he learns about it,+

[/color] Saren commented with a grudge in his voice. Dexter headr the voices in the distance; he would release Kit on the way over there. "Will you help out, Croagunk?" Dexter asked as he began half-jogging half-running towards where he thought the voices were. On the way, he let Kit out. Umbra was scampering along behind him and Saren was gliding along next to her. He explained it short and sweet to Kit, and it was definite that Kit would help no matter what it took. Disposing of an egg in quicksand? Unwanted Pokemon, abandoning them to die? That was right up the Murkrow's alleyway. His alleyway of hatred, that is.
[/size][/center]

[~/Birdybot\~]

"I'm telling you, this is quicksand!" the first, a feminine, voice exclaimed.

"Nah, no way. Look; my boot hardly sinks in it."[/color]

"Quicksand isn't always quick. Urgh, sometimes I like the Pokemon more than you."

"No, you don't! I'm your brother! Well, maybe only the good ones. Look, let's just leave the egg here, maybe-" the second, male voice was cut off as he spotted the Pokemon and their trainer.

The girl snarled. "What are you doing! Go away!" she shouted, gripping a Pokeball just in case. She was eyeing Dexter with such hatred it was remarkable.

The boy, obviously having not much between the ears, blurted out something stupid next. "Yeah! And... um... you Pokemon are... common! Yeah! We'd have abandoned them long ago! Us, Andrew and Emma!"[/color] he shouted uncertainly, and Emma elbowed him in the ribs, hissing something.

"Urgh, you're so STUPID, Andrew! Leave me to do the battling! Right, get out here and fight!" she cried. Andrew had already released a Pokemon he wanted to use for battling; a rather confused looking Vulpix. It blinked slowly, then lost interest and began to groom itself. As for Emma, who was actually battling, she released a cold-eyed Growlithe who growled at both his trainer and the opposition.[/size]

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Dexter kept a straight face, though he dying to die of laughter at the male's stupidity. So, the two were brother and sister? Obviously they argued quite a bit from the sound of it. Dexter wondered how long it would take for them to notice him.

"Go away? Is that the best you can say?" Dexter scoffed. Kitkun glared at the two before them. He would attack them if he could, like Saren and Zar had his old trainer from the Team Vex machine where they had barely escaped... but not without Melebi and Celebi as well. He shuddered to think about it, and refocused on the woman in front of him. She would be his, all his.

"Abandoned? Oh, that's a pity then, isn't it? Then you should have no problem beating them, since they're so common," Dexter said. Of course, he was just saying that to provoke the two, and his Pokemon knew what he meant and it didn't bother them one bit. Umbra sat by herself, mimicking the Vulpix in cleaning herself for a bit. So, Andrew and Emma were their names, eh? She'd remember that for future references, she noted as she sat still, watching what they'd do.

Umbra giggled a bit at the comparison of the two Pokemon; the Vulpix, utterly confused, and the Growlithe, utterly aggressive-looking. +You could use a types-advantage to get it over with easier,+

[/color] Umbra suggested, referring to the Staryu and Chinchou he had captured on the last route. "No, Umbra. Type-advantages aren't always the best. If I could, I'd use weakness just to prove they are idiots," he said, the last part so only Umbra and his Pokemon could hear. All of them giggled a bit at it, despite the obvious tention.

So, I have the Growlithe... this should be fun, the Murkrow thought. He was ready for battle. Very energetic, as he had been given a nice healing since the last time he battled. The Chinchou had been easy to defeat, considering though... she had been distracted so easily. This Growlithe, though... would be more of a challenge. More fun for me, he noted, as he did his best impersonation of a growl back to the Growlithe.

Saren noticed Kitkun wanted the Growlithe, so he paid attention to the Vulpix. Well, looks could be deceiving, he knew. But, if the Vulpix didn't have that great of a trainer, perhaps he could defeat it easily, or at least convince it not to fight. +Deeeeelightful, this is,+[/color] he said to nobody in particular. He tensed his ghostly body and waited for the Vulpix to make the first move, if it even obeyed its trainer. +Pity you have him for a trainer. You have so much promise, but it's just wasted, being with him,+[/color] Saren said, sighing. Same with the Growlithe, though the Growlithe at least looked willing to battle- to an extent.
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[~/Birdybot\~]

The siblings smirked at Dexter. "You seriously think you can beat us? You don't even treat Pokemon with discipline, sniveling snot-nosed brat." Emma sneered. Andrew nodded. He seemed to be the stupid one of the twosome. "Yeah, you... non... telling offer... person?" he said simply, although it sounded more like a question than anything else. Emma rolled her eyes. "Perhaps I should deal with insults. Growlithe, I order you to use Bite!" she cried. Andrew shrugged. "Um, Quick Attack, and it had better hit!" he roared.

Growlithe obeyed without question; he seemed more violent than Vulpix. The fox nodded to Saren. ~Tell me about it. Andrew's an idiot. It would be fine if they realised that Pokemon have feelings, I suppose. They seem to consider them objects.~ she spat, six tails quivering in disgust. Behind her, Andrew gave an angry cough, so she sprang forwards at a good speed; the promised Quick Attack.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Dexter chuckled at Andrew's uncertain talking. He did feel quite sorry for that Growlithe, though it didn't seem like it wasn't happy, so maybe that life that the Growlithe had was good for its personality. The Vulpix, however... man, to have such an idiotic trainer. He smiled and shook his head, shoving his hands into his large coat pockets. He could tell just by looking that Kitkun would be challenged, and Saren perhaps not so much.

"Alright, use Peck, Kitkun!" Dexter said to his Murkrow. Kitkun gave something of a mix between a caw and a growl as he flew forward immediately to meet the Growlithe's Bite; his beak glowing, prepared for a Peck attack.
+Idiot hardly comes close to describing the likes of him,+

[/color] Saren commented. He chuckled a bit as the Vulpix came towards him with the Quick Attack; good move, but too bad if had no effect on Ghost-types, such as him. +You know, you should become a rebel. Turn on Andrew if you don't like him, or at least don't listen to him until he realizes you have feelings as well,+[/color] he said, feeling a little weird as the Vulpix passed through his transparent body. +But, surely you wouldn't want to stay with him... if he doesn't know that normal-type moves, such as Quick Attack, don't work on Ghost-types like me by now... that's extremely pitiful,+[/color] he said.
[/size][/center]

[~/Birdybot\~]

Emma shouted the same thing she had last time. Andrew stood, face screwed up with confusion, open-mouthed and scratching his head. "Um... how does that work? Um, Quick Attack! Stupid Vulpix, you went through it!" he yelled. Some people never learn.

Growlithe growled as the Peck rammed into his flank, letting go of his grip on Kit in his teeth. He clenched them together again on the order.

Vulpix sighed. ~I like Andrew. He may be stupid, but he's nice. They're both nice. They just don't understand Pokemon. They think they don't have feelings.~ She sighed again, glancing back to her trainer. Yes, there it was- a sad love in her eyes. She must be telling to truth. After all, everyone should have a second chance, right? Even Emma and Andrew. She looked back to Saren. ~Tell me what to do to get them to know that Pokemon have feelings, and I'll do it. They still should be trainers, just they need to learn. Teach them!~ she cried.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Dexter raised an eyebrow at Andrew; he was using a normal-type attack on a ghost-type... OK, so, he was probably even worse than he looked. "Hang in there, Saren," Dexter said calmly, not ordering him to attack quite yet.

Kit cawed in pain as the Growlithe sunk his teeth into him again, and he eagerly used Peck again on Dexter's command. Saren was having it easy... well, he deserved easy. He had been through a lot, right? Well, Kit had, too, but... he wanted the challenge. He tore his thoughts away from Saren and the Vulpix and concentrated on the task at hand.

Saren nodded, hovering above the ground motionlessly. +Everyone has a good side, no matter how dumb or careless or evil they may be,+

[/color] he acknowledged. +I'm not sure how exactly to answer to that... it isn't just something that happens in a minute, or I don't think so, anyway. If I were you, I'd just refuse to obey him until he sees that you have feelings and are not just a tool,+[/color] he said. That was a hard question to answer, for him... how do you make an abusive/uncaring trainer realize that his/her Pokemon are beings, too, and not just things that do whatever you want them to?
[/size][/center]

[~/Birdybot\~]

Vulpix grinned, nodding and not using the Ember she had been commanded to do. She looked over to Growlithe. ~Growlithe! Stop fighting; then our trainers will realise we have feelings and treat us well!~ she called, and the dog let go of his grip instantly. Currently, he fought for pride. If he were treated well, then... that would give him something great in his life for once. They both looked back at their trainers, pain in their round eyes.

Emma frowned. "Growlithe! Growlithe, for Arceus' sake? What's going on?!" she cried out in confusion, her voice still fierce. Andrew stroked his chin. "Wait... Vulpix? Emma, my Vulpix broke. Get me a new one." he moaned, stamping his feet like a two-year-old who had just broken a toy. Emma shook her head. "Pokemon don't break... do they? Oh, I'm confused. The only obedient ones aren't obedient. Growlithe, come on." she groaned, running a hand through her hair. Vulpix and Growlithe looked to Dexter to explain why; their trainers could not understand Pokemon.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Saren glided back to Dexter, away from the battle. He hadn't so much as lifted a part of his body in the fight; hadn't even started an attack of his own, really. And, he hadn't been injured, either. Just felt a little weird as the first normal-type attack that had ever been used on him went through. He was surprised that the Growlithe listened to the Vulpix; he looked too much like he wanted to fight instead of listen. Of course, well... perhaps there was another reason he was missing.

"Pokemon don't break, Emma and Andrew. At least, not in the way that you think. Actually, both of your Pokemon are 'broke' if you want to call it that," Dexter said, getting the look from the Vulpix and Growlithe. Odd, really... their trainers couldn't understand them. It had come naturally to Dexter; it was like they were even speaking plain English. Of course, everyone was different. "Your Vulpix and Growlithe will not listen to you until you have shown that you care for them. The way you treat them now is as if they are just tools with no feelings. No matter how bad a Pokemon is, no Pokemon wishes to be treated like that. They want kind, caring trainers that understand their needs and wants," he said. As if in response, Umbra jumped up into Dexter's arms, and he began rubbing her belly, Umbra making something like a purr of content to demonstrate.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Emma blinked in surprise. "Pokemon can't have feelings like people. Can they?" she wondered, watching Growlithe. There was some intelligence in those chocolate brown eyes, a spark of emotion... perhaps Dexter was telling the truth. Andrew shook his head. "It seems possible, I guess, but really strange. They don't look anything like humans." he said slowly. Vulpix rolled her eyes. Duh. Andrew noticed; this must mean the fox had understood him!

Bending down, Emma stretched out her shaking arms. "G-Growlithe? Come here..." she said, barely more than a whisper. It was not an order this time. Slowly, carefully, the puppy walked over to her. She embraced him, fondling his soft fur experimentaly. He gave a murmer of pleasure, and looked into her eyes. "You're right. Growlithe is happy. Pleased. You seem to understand Pokemon; perhaps I can learn to do this as well." she told Dexter, as Andrew followed her example. Vulpix looked back to Dexter, wordless thanks in her eyes.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Dexter nodded at Emma. "Of course they can. They are living, breathing beings. What would you think if you were a Pokemon, and were treated as a tool? Just because they can't speak like us, or look like us, doesn't mean they are any different than in their appearance and way they communicate," Dexter said, setting Umbra down, who sat loyally at his feet. "And, as you might have noticed, Pokemon can understand everything we say. You need to open up, and try to understand them as well. Once you understand your Pokemon, you'll be much better off. Your Pokemon will be stronger, will like you more and will obey much more willingly," Dexter said.

Kit watched with fascination as the Vulpix and Growlithe got the first touches of kindness. He flapped his wings a few times to get some altitude, then perched on Dexter's shoulder, giving him an affectionate peck. Boy, it felt good to be loved...
"I guess understanding Pokemon is my thing... it's almost as if they are speaking to me plain as day, as I am to you right now. When my Pokemon feel pain, I feel pain. When they are happy, I'm happy," Dexter smiled back to the Vulpix, glad he could help.
+Well, there's one happy ending,+

[/color] Saren said, smiling; an awkward sight. It looked more like either a grimace or an evil-looking smile, but the meaning was clear.
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