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B- Grab what supplies you brought for yourself before heading into the center of town, to the inn. Hey! Some extra (read: FREE!) supplies won't hurt!

Yahya woke up early that morning, taking his time to get ready to respond to the letter's desire. He was naturally a goodhearted person, and couldn't ignore anyone's desire for aid. Besides, he had Batyr with him, and doubted things could really go wrong. "You ready?" he called out to his elephant pokemon who was contentedly sleeping at the foot of his bed. It would be... a little while longer before Batyr was obviously ready to go. While his pokemon dozed off, Yahya began to pack his backpack with some extra supplies.

Obviously they would need a lunch, and that was the most important thing beyond all else. A potion, maybe even a revive just in case... It was far better to be safe than sorry. "C'mon, Batyr, get up." He walked back over to the foot of his bed, gently nudging his pokemon in the side. Batyr protested with a small trumpet of his nose. "Okay, you can rest in your pokeball for a while, then." It was the only happy medium he could come to with his pokemon right now.

Obviously Yahya should have known better than to try and wake his pokemon up in the morning. He returned Batyr to the pokeball, and swinging his pack over his shoulder, left his home and began his trek to the gym.

[I didn't want to disqualify anyone just yet, so... <33 No disqualifications this round. There are no wrong choices!]

IF YOU CHOSE A...

No matter where your first footsteps outside land you, Lucky Island presents you with a decision to make. Regardless of your starting area, reports have been floating in of the major portion of the bug swarms being located in two different areas.

On the northern side of the island it is far more hospitable; rolling, green hills give way to perfect land for pastures and farms. People herd Miltank, Tauros, and other equine- or bovine-like Pokemon, as well as raise rows and rows of precious herbs. The farms here on the northern part of the island are smaller than anywhere else, but there are more of them per square mile. With only the crosswinds from over the ocean to disturb the air, the temperatures around the large, commercial farms remain generally the same. It would be a short walk to the outlaying farms, with only an hour or two in any direction to reach the northern coast.

But, along the eastern side of the island lay a far more lucrative opportunity. Not only are the crops grown here worth more (and you could probably sneak a few handfuls into your bag without anyone noticing, right?) but the swarms are promised to be larger. The general layout of the land isn't that much different from any other part of the island; green, grassy, some small hills, etc. The farms are larger than anywhere else on the island, and number in the single digits. You could walk for miles and see nothing but crops, dark, rolling hills, and Pokemon. The only difference from the north versus the east is that it will take you longer to get there, and help will be a long ways out if you find yourself overwhelmed by a horde of Beedrill.

SO. Do you...

A- Go north, and play it safe?
or
B- Go east, and take your chances?

IF YOU CHOSE B...

The inn is absolutely bustling with activity! There are swarms of people out front, large enough to rival even that largest of the rumored swarms of bug Pokemon out amongst the farms. Trainers have mostly come from the neighboring two islands to help out with the infestation, but there are some that have come from even farther. They're saddled on Ponyta and Doduo, striding alongside Bayleef and Houndoom- there's a vast array of different Pokemon types and companions on display.

There seem to be two main groups of trainers, with smaller groups forming intermittently- but for the most part, everyone seems to be gathering one of two ways. The first group is led by a bulky, muscular man who stands with a hand resting on the shoulder of his Meganium; the pair are physically formidible... except that the man is wearing a bright pink bandanna and shorts to match his Pokemon's neck-flower, as well as a large, drooping flower tucked into his shirt pocket. He would have looked more normal than not had his shorts not been cutoffs, and the sleeves of his shirt messily torn-off. The man is named Gene, he calls his Meganium Dynamo, and the pair have owned and operated one of the largest crop farms on the island for decades. He does well for himself, living comfortably with his family on his farm, making enough of a profit to enjoy life. His intent is to scare off the swarms with the larger Pokemon in the party, perhaps giving the opportunity to catch a few- but, Gene is reluctant to cause any harm to the bug and grass swarms. They have to live, too!

The second group seems to be headed up by a svelte, lanky woman of middling-age. Her dark brown hair is worn in a loose tie at the nape of her neck, and her clothes are relaxed and comfortable- but her expression is stern, and her Infernape sits stoically. Vanessa came to the island only recently; within the past few years, with the intent to turn a huge profit on the cash crops used to make the various potions and healing remedies used widely around the world. But the bugs have, year after year, prevented her from turning any sort of profit. As her money dried up, her attitude turned sour. Now, Vanessa wants nothing more than to exact revenge on the slithering, crawling, destructive creatures that have ruined her livelihood (and bank account!). There are some meaner looking Pokemon in her group, and they have stocked up on battle items to enchance attack and power. They intended to roll over the swarms with enough force to send them reeling, not willing to give them a chance for retreat.

SO. Do you...
A- Group up with Gene- you can't see yourself beating a little Caterpie to a pulp!
or
B- Group up with Vanessa- those stinking bugs are GROSS and do nothing but destroy! Let's destroy them!

A.

With Momo on her shoulder, Lila stood against the wall of the inn and watched the hustle and bustle. She half wished she’d decided to go it alone, but the supplies she’d collected upon arriving were sitting nicely in her back and that made it worth it. Momo was still in his Pidgey form and in between twittering at any Pokemon that went past, he seemed intent on grooming Lila’s hair out of its ponytail.

So, who to choose? She crossed her arms over her ample chest and studied the two main groups that were forming in front of her. Lila had no issues with bug Pokemon; they certainly weren’t eating her crops. So Vanessa’s idea seemed somewhat of an overkill. Whereas Gene’s idea of simply scaring them off with size didn’t seem too likely to work. Either way there was a good chance she might be able to catch something along the way.

“Ow!”

Momo had accidentally pecked her in the side of the head and he fluffed his feathers out apologetically. There wasn’t going to be any bug squashing from him. Oh well. Maybe if she’d had a badass Pokemon she would have gone with Vanessa, but as it was, it seemed Gene’s peaceful plan would have to be the go.

Hn. Maybe she’d just skip out of there the first chance she got and go her own way.

Pushing away from the wall Lila moved to stand alongside Gene and his Meganium. If they needed extra size, Momo could be whatever they wanted.

A- Group up with Gene- you can't see yourself beating a little Caterpie to a pulp!

"Goodness, they recruited a lot of trainers to help didn't they?" Flor held onto her Meganium tightly as they entered the crowded inn. She couldn't even see where she was supposed to get the supplies the note mentioned. But she spotted several trainers huddled together in different groups, probably forming plans. Since she doubted her own battling skills, she made the decision to join one of these groups.

But which one? There was one with tough-looking Pokemon. She did not fit in with them at all, in both appearance and demeanor. But oh look. There was a man with a Meganium. That ought to be a good sign.

"Hello." She approached him with a smile. "Are you looking for more trainers in your group...?"

B. Group up with Vanessa- those stinking bugs are GROSS and do nothing but destroy! Let's destroy them!

Although one couldn't say Caius was short, he was not of tall stature, either, and he struggled to catch a glimpse of any sort of authorial figure that would help him sort through what, at first glance, appeared to be a chaotic crowd. After a while, it became evident that, should any exist, he would not find them here -- not while he was standing around, at least -- and he pushed himself into the crowd, hoping he hadn't missed the two things he had come for.

It was hard work shoving through, so he was glad when he found a strip of, surprisingly, empty space. He hurried to it, pleased to find it stretched for a longer distance than he had originally thought, but with a sudden realization, noticed it was a divide between what was actually somewhat of an ordered crowd. Two teams were being formed it seemed, and a glance each at what appeared to be the head of either were enough for him to decide which team he wanted in on. His event with the two majikarp had taught him that even caterpies could be dangerous if they wanted to, and he would much rather be with the Pokémon that could set bugs on fire, thank you very much.

A- Go north, and play it safe?

Shaera set off north. She knew it would take a little more time... but she was ready for that. Others had undoubtedly set off first. They probably even brought with their pokemon. They would be the ones that would be the real help, not her. She smiled a little to herself. She would probably end up being mostly a spectator, dull as it was.

It was a nice day for a walk, too. The northern path was far more scenic. She enjoyed the soft lowing of the miltanks in the pastures as she passed them. She wondered, would anything still be going on by the time she got there? Frowning a little, she picked up her pace. She didn't really want to arrive too late.

A- Group up with Gene- you can't see yourself beating a little Caterpie to a pulp!

It took Kai'e a couple minutes to open the inn door and squeeze out of it, tugging her backpack full of free supplies out with her. It was all she could do to resist gawking at the collective group. There were so many pokemon! So many large pokemon, too. She felt a flash of envy, as her stantler was too short to ride. Well, technically she could still ride him if she didn't mind her feet dragging along on the ground and -- no. That would just look ridiculous!

It looked as if two groups were forming. She wandered over to the group lead by Vanessa first and spoke with some of the members, checking out their supplies as she did so. Attack X? Calcium? Kai'e wondered if they had any antidote. If she was going to use her magikarp, she would have to get in quite close to the pokemon. Pokemon that can bite, string shot, and poison.

She sighed and edged over to Gene's group, looking rather uncomfortable. Her pokemon were anything but big. Maybe she could let her magikarp out to splash around in the grass and try to look bigger than it was? That would work, and hopefully the other big pokemon would scare away any potential predators attracted by her fish's splashing.

Or maybe they'd be attracted themselves. Kai'e hoped not. The last thing she wanted to do was ask another trainer to please order their pokemon to spit her fish out.