Reluctant Start [Mod]

Cynyr had hardly been paying attention to where he was walking, and the sudden appearance of the Sandshrew made him jump in surprise. As he stumbled backwards, his left foot slipped back out from under him, sending him straight into the ground face first. Luckily, he reacted in time to catch himself on his hands. The impact hurt and the sand burned the skin on his fingers slightly, but it was better than landing on his face and stomach. The trainer pushed himself up from the ground, taking a moment to steady himself. Falling again was the last thing he wanted to do.

"H-Hello," he spoke carefully to the Sandshrew, not wanting to provoke it. That pokemon was young, but it looked fierce, and appeared stronger than his own. Rayne would be at a disadvantage in this environment anyway, and he knew the type of the pokemon before him was strong against the Vulpix. His other option was his Piplup, Jargon, and although the water-type would be at an advantage, the penguin was young and inexperienced. Cynyr saw no reason to further disturb this Sandshrew. He had no reason to fight against this one, and he was reluctant to start a battle anyway. Stepping gently to the side, he started to make his way around the territorial pokemon's home.

"I'll just be on my way. I'm sorry for intruding," he apologized as he left, hoping that walking briefly in the deeper sand would not attract more attention from other angry wild pokemon. He doubted he could make it the whole way without a battle. Continuing on his way, Cynyr wondered what his next encounter would be.

It didn't take long for the young man to notice the Purrloin approaching him. Purple stood out very well against the sandy desert; her fur gave her away easily. Cynyr crouched low to greet her, reaching a hand out slowly. "Hello," he cooed, a wide smile plastered on his face. "You're a beautiful pokemon. What are you doing all the way out here?" This didn't look like a desert pokemon. He wasn't familiar with the species specifically, but such a fur pattern like that did not seem like something that would lend well to such an environment. She looked uncomfortable with the dusting carried around by the wind, further leading him to believe she was out of her natural habitat.

Deciding to try to help out the Purrloin, he reached for one of his pokeballs, the one that contained his Vulpix. She had a rather uncommon ability, one that allowed her to clear the skies and even surpress weather effects at times. Maybe it would work on the sandy air. "Come on Rayne, let's see if we can clear the air," he said, releasing his starter. The fire-type shook herself off and stretched, glad to be outside again. As she looked around to get her bearings, the sun seemed to shine brighter. The air in the area fell dead, the wind stopping. Her ability, Drought, had taken effect. Although it made the atmosphere a little warmer, causing the heat to rise, it also stopped the sand from whipping around in the air. Cynyr was relieved that it had worked.

When the fox pokemon met eyes with the cat, she glared. Who was this newcomer getting attention from her trainer? Glaring, the Vulpix lifted her head above the dark-type's. She wanted to show who the superior pokemon was here. This cat didn't stand a chance, in her mind anyway.

Happiness welled up inside the red-head at the sight of the thankful Purrloin. It always felt good to help out others, pokemon and people alike. Crouching down, he reached a hand out towards the dark-type. It was a friendly gesture, the young man doing his best to make it as non-threatening as possible. He was reluctant to touch her directly, unsure of how a random wild pokemon would react to such an action. No, he would just put his hand out there and see what she did. If she reacted badly, he would not push it. However, if she was willing to let him pet her, he would be delighted to oblige. "You shouldn't be out here all alone," he was almost slipping into baby talk, but managed to keep his voice steady. Insulting such a beautiful pokemon was the last thing he wanted right then.

Rayne did not take kindly to her trainer's friendliness with the cat. It was dangerous and stupid of him to be so trusting. Of course, she wasn't exactly fond of other pokemon stealing Cynyr's attention from her. For this reason, she did not respond to the Purrloin's words of thanks. There was really no need, she had not actively done anything for the cat anyway. Clearing the air benefited her more than it did the wild pokemon. She had not done it for the stupid, lost, cat. Despite the innocent look of the pokemon, the Vulpix was keeping her eye on this one. For now she was not acting hostile or attacking, but if the dark-type threatened her trainer, Rayne was ready to pounce. She would protect Cynyr no matter what. Even if he got mad at her for attacking without a command, she would still do it.

The brief feeling of cold nose on fingers tickled Cynyr as the Purrloin sniffed his hand. There was a tense moment where he unsure of the cat's reaction, but it seemed she was allowing him to pet her. He gently rubbed his fingers along the top of her head, happy to hear the soft purr rising from her body. The purple fur felt silky to the touch, despite the sand that had caked itself to the dark-type. This encounter was comforting to the red-head, a pokemon that didn't just want to fight.

Although her trainer did not understand the Purrloin's meaning, his Vulpix did. Rayne did not like the tone to her voice, but even more so she did not like how the cat was getting all that attention from Cynyr. Annoyed, the Vulpix nudged the dark-type roughly with her nose. <He's just trying to help you> she growled quietly, the sound more like a soft rumble. She hadn't really been sure what to say, not willing to admit her jealousy. The action from the Vulpix caused a quick reaction from her trainer however. Snatching the fox up into his arms, Cynyr frowned. "Rayne! That's not nice," he scolded, holding her up to see her face. "She did nothing to hurt you." Rayne refused to look at her trainer. After a few seconds, the young man set the pokemon back down. "Please behave Rayne," he pleaded, then looked at the Purrloin.

"I'm sorry about that," he smiled warmly. Flustering, he fumbled in his bag before producing a pokeball from it. Toying with it in his hand, he spoke softly. "I would understand if-if you don't want to..but would you like to come with me? I mean, join my team?" He smiled, holding the pokeball out to the Purrloin. It felt weird to him, saying he had a 'team', but he would love to have this new traveling companion. Rayne disagreed with Cynyr's opinion, but it seemed she was unable to convey that to the trainer.

As would be expected, a large smile crossed Cynyr's face when the ball confirmed Purrloin's capture. He had made a new friend, and he hadn't even needed to fight! There was the matter of Rayne's behavior, but he would work on that later. Looking down at the stubborn Vulpix, patted his hand on her head lightly. "We have a new team member, so be nice." He received a small snort from his partner, but she would comply for now. Though she wasn't fond of the Purrloin, she did enjoy seeing her trainer happy. If the cat started to get more attention than she did though, she would not hold back.

Cynyr contemplated putting Rayne back into her pokeball, but he was enjoying the route a lot more now that he didn't have to worry about a sandstorm. Picking Rayne up, he decided he was just going to carry her until they were out of the sand. The fire-type huffed, she could walk on her own, but she did enjoy being held in her trainer's arms. She just didn't want to admit it so readily, and after a moment squirmed to get free from the red-head's grip. Releasing her, Cynyr let out a small sigh. She was always behaving that way, but he was used to it by now. In fact, he had grown kind of fond of the Vulpix's antics.

It was time for him to be on his way, and he stretched a moment before he began to walk. He was nearing the end of the route now, but there was still a stretch of desert he had to go through. Rayne trotted along beside him, keeping her eyes out for potential threats. If anything tried to attack her trainer, she would not hesitate to fight. Even if her trainer was reluctant, the young starter was not.