Tomiko Kioku [Forest]

Unlike the open fields, the experience of walking in the forests of Lifan was entirely different, almost like another world entirely. Here the greens were more expansive, the field had been a plain of light, with bright vibrancy spreading as far as the eye could see. In the deep forests of Lifan though the green was lusher, deeper, and more imperial. The trees were old, and some of them were massive, even looking at them now Tomiko wondered if her arms would fit even half way around the trunk, she doubted it. That sort of Majesty was entirely different from the frozen Norths of Relin, where trees were rarer, and the ice covered mountains glistened in the moonlight, and shone in the sun. Tomiko was again reminded of the fact that she had not traveled the world much and now was only just learning about the fact that such wonders existed, things that she hadn't even considered possible before now. Tomiko thought to herself about the wonders of nature, and wondered what the rest of the world looked like. It was true she planned to own a farm but that didn't mean she couldn't travel and at least see the world. There was also the fact that different areas had different Natrelmon, and some were more common in some areas than others, so to obtain the best to breed she would probably have to travel a good deal.

Here the tans, browns and grays of tree trunks merged with the deeper green cast among the shadows, broken up by the light green ferns. The sunlight was nice, and peaceful but more subdued and less fierce than it had been the previous day. The storm had brought a slight chill into the air, the sky was clear and the color of slate, a blue tinged with the first violets of dusk. It was a beautiful time of day to search for Natrelmon, and hopefully it would be at least as successful as yesterday, though Tomiko wasn't sure anything could top seeing the Atrix, there was a chance that something interesting would happen. She started by bending down to look in a nearby bed of ferns, brushing the leaves aside with a slight whisper, feeling the soft tendrils, aware of the moss which she felt through the soles of her shoes. The peace of the forest was something monolithic that had encompassed her from the minute she stepped into the green domain, Tomiko had not yet traveled far from Lifan itself, but the city had disappeared within the sea of trees swallowed faster than a pebble falling to the bottom of a pond, and probably just as easily. If given the time it was entirely possible that the forests here would swallow the city, though it was said that other places had forests which were more impressive still.

Though it was summer, and most of the greenery had filled in by now, there were still some places where new greenery could be seen. One of these was in the small saplings which were growing up from the forest floor around the larger trees. The farther away the saplings were the better their chances, but it was hard to find a patch of ground off the path that didn't seem to be crossed by a root, bush, fern, or something. There were also some streams running across the forest floor, one of which paralleled the path that Tomiko was on. The water looked cool and it would be refreshing to stop and bathe her feet in it, but now wouldn't be a good time for that. Instead she stopped and looked into the clear running water, searching around with her eyes to see if she could spot signs of Natrelmon. There seemed to be some tracks at the waters edge, but she wasn't sure that there were any aquatic Natrelmon in the stream, it was quite small after all. The tracks proved that Natrelmon did frequent the area, so it wasn't impossible. Often times Natrelmon would stop by a place like this to drink, especially in areas where the water was swift and clean, therefore unlikely to be contaminated by outside sources. Despite being close to Lifan, it didn't seem like many people traveled in this area.

Tomiko searched with practiced methods, looking first at the lowest point for burrows, and then moving on to the bushes, she was careful to only investigate at a distance to start out, because you could never quite tell what might be hiding in something, and what might be aggressive enough to attack you if you chanced upon it without being prepared. With any luck, and the odds held Tomiko hoped to find an Omu, which was just what she needed. Though Omu weren't particularly common even in forests, and might even prefer a warmer climate. On the other hand they were in very high demand and something that most breeders considered to be a requirement. The other requirement for proper breeding was even rarer, an Albion, which was one of the rarest Natrelmon and considerably powerful. This made it valuable not only for its ability, but to sell the eggs to trainers who would pay a high price for even the lowest level Albion. At the same time rarity didn't always dictate desirability though it certainly helped in most cases. For that matter, some Natrelmon which many people possessed could also be considered rare due to the fact that they weren't often found in the wild and therefore could be sold for a high price. Many people also valued flying types for the ability to go from place to place with ease, making many valuable even outside of combat ability.

The sunlight slanted down to the forest floor in a very pleasant manner, forming a pattern that was peaceful and inviting, a mix of warmth and shade that appealed to both people and Natrelmon. Many of the upper canopies were lit with light, and Tomiko knew they would seem like an entirely different world, she wondered sometimes how her Sparwire felt as it flew in places like that, she wondered if it thought about the beauty of the scenery in the same way she did or if thought about that sort of thing at all. Flying wasn't the easiest thing to do and that might take concentration, especially within the canopy of a tree where flying into a stray branch would mean a headache at best, a fatal accident at worst. Tomiko mused to herself, as her eyes and hands continued to search for wildlife around her, she was wondering about a time when Sparwire evolved and became larger she would be able to fly around on his back. It would be a nice change to not have to take a train to get from city to city, and in some cases it might be faster, though at times probably more dangerous. There was also possibly the chance of running into a wild Natrelmon in the skies, a proposition that would be highly risky, but potentially rewarding, especially if the wild Natrelmon is something rare like an Albion.

Standing up, Tomiko stretched, looking towards a tree surrounded by a cluster of short bushes, there seemed to be a good deal of ferns around making the area a very good hiding place. The dense vines obscured at least one tree trunk, the bushes providing cover, and the ferns veiling the ground. With the moss it was unlikely tracks would be seen unless something was very heavy, and it also could approach from behind. Then Tomiko saw it, a flicker of some sort movement behind the obscuring bushes. Tomiko called out her Sparwire, and started to move around the area, looking for hints of movement again, for a moment there was nothing a stillness that made her doubt what she saw. Then she was sure, something happened as the shadows and leaves seemed to jump to life, it could have been the wind, sure if the trees had been moving more it could have been the wind, but in this case it wasn't. Tomiko was sure that there was a Natrelmon there of some sort, however it was difficult to approach the area and there was a high chance she would lose track of the Natrelmon while searching the area, especially something small. It was also possible, maybe even likely that the Natrelmon would have an escape route particularly if it was something that could burrow...

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#1 'Percentile' : 79

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#2 'Percentile' : 70

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#3 'Percentile' : 11

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#4 'Percentile' : 99

A Kohitsuji burst from the area that Tomiko was looking. However, it was not a wild Kohitsuji. It belonged to Eien, who was also out searching. The lamb had sensed Tomiko nearby and had brought Eien along with it to see her again. It seemed to like her presence. Eien followed behind it, but walking around the dense area that the Kohitsuji had gone through.

He saw Tomiko and nodded, greeting her silently before apologizing for Kohitsuji's actions, "Sorry if you thought that was a wild. Kohitsuji insisted we come in this direction." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, the lamb now chewing on a piece of foliage as he apologized for it. "He sensed you nearby and I guess thought you could use the company, and I must say I agree with him. Have you had much luck yet today?"

Eien's Atrix was in its relic, as were his two Golls. Kohitsuji was his main aide in fighting wild Natrelmon if it got to that point, but so far none of the Natrlemon here had seemed to pose much of a threat. For the most part, they were young and weak. He supposed it was about that time of the season for some of the species and that most of the wilder and stronger Natrelmon were further out. Most of the new trainers had to stay around Lifan anyway, since the tournament matches were still going on.

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#1 'Percentile' : 95

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#2 'Percentile' : 3

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#3 'Percentile' : 77

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Tomiko had thought that the movement was caused by a wild Natrelmon and when she saw the sheep she wasn't sure at first but then recognized it as Eien's. She saw him a few minutes later, somehow looking more out of place within the trees than he had yesterday in the field. She was reminded of someone who didn't get outdoors as much exploring. Though thusfar Eien had proved himself to be more than competent when it came to finding Natrelmon, either that or he was extremely, one might even go so far as to say unnaturally lucky. Tomiko wondered if it was some sort of innate skill he had.

"Hello Eien, you did startle me a bit but not much. I've been wondering, I could use an investor in starting my farm, would you like a 50% share in everything?" It wasn't something that she would ask just anyone, but she had known Eien for a long time, and after meeting up with him again recently she thought he would be a good business partner, as he could handle many of the aspects that she didn't know how to, or wasn't very good at. While on the other hand, having a trustworthy partner would leave her free to pursue her hobbies such as breeding more, and with Eien's luck he would probably get an Omu before she did.

Tomiko Saw the Meu appear and was quite shocked. Meu was a very rare Natrelmon, and not one she had had the luck to encounter previously. It was both graceful and beautiful at the same time. As soon as she saw it Tomiko turned to Eien and with a somewhat awestruck tone told him, "I think you have the best luck of anyone here, you've now encountered not one but two very rare Natrelmon in such a short period of time." It was a chance occurrence, probably not once in a lifetime, but not every day either. Today would be worth commemorating later.

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#1 'Percentile' : 82

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#2 'Percentile' : 64

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#3 'Percentile' : 25

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Tomiko decided that she would search just a bit longer, before calling it a night. She hadn't had as much time to spend searching today, but she had run into Eien again which was good. Tomiko realized she would have to pick a location for her farm, at least if Eien agreed to split the venture with her. It was somewhat risky, to split a business venture, which is why it was something you only did with a person you could trust. There was also the fact that Eien's family had a good deal of influence, which would help when dealing with red tape. "If you do agree to split the farm with me, what shall we name it? I don't really have any ideas for a name myself, do you?" Tomiko asked him curious as to what he'd reply. She did hope that he would say yes, partially because once she truly set her mind to something it was hard to change it, and she had now set her mind on going into business with Eien as her partner. It was both a practical choice, and a logical one, especially if he continued to have this luck with encountering rare Natrelmon.

At this point the shadows covered much of the forest, and it was a prime time to find Ghost type Natrelmon, or Dark type. The nighttime forest was probably spooky, but unlike the exposed plains where she had felt vulnerable, somehow Tomiko felt comforted by the trees around her. The vast presences seemed to communicate to her on a level that went far beyond verbal. It had transcended that to something more primal and elemental. "You know, I think I could get used to spending more time in forests, they're much more enjoyable than the plains, and strangely more comforting." Even now, when she thought back on the daytime view of the forest, Tomiko saw what had changed when night fell, how shadows expanded covering the trees in regality while the moon shown above, a benevolent eye. Even the stars seemed to be somewhat happy or at least friendly, twinkling down from above.

The sounds of the forest were different as well, where on the open plains things had seemed more sinister to Tomiko, she now felt enveloped, as if she was part of the forest, rather than being an intruder to the woods... ...something not normally part of the forest, something that didn't truly belong there. It might be that the forest was wiser, and older than the plains and in that sense more accepting of others. 'Or it could all be in my head.' Tomiko thought to herself as she started looking around for more Natrelmon again. It would be a good time to call it a night after this. Especially if she was able to find something rare and valuable, she was especially glad that Eien found a Meu because she knew he was looking for psychic types, and this was a strong one. Tomiko was disappointed at her recent lack of luck but wasn't yet discouraged, she still had hope that something good could be found in this forest.

"What other Natrelmon are you looking for Eien?" Tomiko asked, considering the question herself for a moment before answering. "I'm really not a combat expert, but I suppose I will need some to take on Gyms. I know I want an Omu for breeding, but I don't think I should also have one for combat, when my first is a flier. The Centice I got should work, it's decent at least. Aside of that I really don't know, a Forblaze maybe? I could also probably use a strong psychic type, you know more about those than I do." Right now she wasn't really thinking of fighting gyms yet, though odds are by the time she did it wouldn't be much of an issue. Tomiko was cautious and wouldn't take on a Gym until she was sure that she'd be able to defeat the leader. Turning back to her search, Tomiko continued to look around, taking care to peer into the shadows while shining a small light into the darker places, it was hooded to prevent the light from blinding her. It did still illuminate the area decently, but wasn't too bright.

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The Meu was the first thing on Eien's mind, his relic light immediately bolting from his hand, which quickly grabbed a relic. Kohitsuji bleated excitedly, knowing that Eien would finally have a psychic type to use aside from itself. The purple psychic cat Natrelmon was incredibly rare and something few people came across. Eien was thrilled with his luck. Hopefully the relic wouldn't fail to capture the cpsychic cat.

Meanwhile, a Kaigara lazily moved around near Tomiko. It was fairly oblivious to what was around it. Its pace was leisurely, making it a viable target for capture. Eien was only vaguely aware of another Natrelmon's presence, but urged Tomiko to capture it, "Go for it Tomiko!"

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Tomiko readied her Relic, it was only an F-rank but as oblivious as the Kaigara was, Tomiko didn't think it would prove a challenge. As she looked at the creature it seemed to be more of a kitten than a full grown creature, "It's really sort of cute", she said to Eien taking an immediate liking to the Kaigara even before having captured it. She readied her relic and activated it, without calling Natrelmon to her aid, the Kaigara didn't seem to be threatening, in fact Tomiko wondered if it had noticed her at all yet.

As Eien attempted the capture the Meu it saw him and reacted by jumping into the air, and moving to the left as a blur, it was swift and able to avoid the relic. The Meu didn't run away, but rather stayed back seeming to taunt Eien in trying to capture it again. If a cat could laugh, it probably would be now, as much at the oblivious Kaigara as at Eien's failed attempt to capture it.

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Tomiko's attempt to capture her Kaigara also failed, the turtle resisting the power of the relic, crumbling it to dust within Tomiko's hands. She would have to try again to have any hope of capturing the Natrelmon. Eien, as well, tested his luck again, throwing the power of the relic forth once again. He was a bit worried though and thought he may have to borrow a relic from Tomiko, since he was on his last E ranked relic. He was a bit irked that he hadn't brought a higher ranked relic to capture it with!

Eien gave some encouragement to Tomiko, "You can get it. If not, try to weaken it. You can borrow Kohitsuji if you need to do some damage to it." He thought the sheep might fare better against the water/earth turtle type than Tomiko's Sparwire. While it was a good Natrelmon, it wasn't the best opponent against a creature like Kaigara.

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Tomiko took out another relic, glad she had bought so many. "These are really a bit useless I guess, but they're cheap so I don't really mind." She replied to Eien. This time she took a bit more care in aiming, having watched the last one disintegrate after failing to capture what was essentially a defenseless baby. This was certainly not pinehearst's finest moment by any standard. "Do you need some relics? I have extra I can lend you." Tomiko offered some to Eien, seeing his relic fail again

Unlike the Kaigara that was very docile, the Meu was now getting annoyed, and its eyes blazed with psychic energy which it launched at Eien's sheep, the Meu wasn't stupid enough to attack him, but hoped to knock his natrelmon into a bush and make them both look foolish. The attack was not intended to be lethal, or in any way life threatening. After all, the Meu didn't feel like it was in any danger, in fact it felt like it was totally in control of the situation here, and could do whatever it wanted.

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Eien grabbed a few of the relics she offered, giving her a quick nod in thanks while he ordered Kohitsuji to match the Telekinetic Glare with his own. The sheep obeyed, the psychic forces pummeling into each other and shattering. This was getting more intense for Eien, who was now locked in battle with a rare, and powerful, Natrelmon. The Meu could easily prove to be a challenge, the creature far more agile than Eien's Kohitsuji.

Using one of the relics he borrowed from Tomiko, he let the light flash out once again, attempting to capture the Meu in the relic once again. He prayed to Suzaku again that he would capture the Meu to add a new member to his team that he would actually use.

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Tomiko decided to return to the forest, and search for more Natrelmon. So far the forest had proved far more bountiful than the plains, and Eien seemed equally lucky in both cases. Then again, Tomiko's own luck had not been terrible either, it seemed the Kaigara, her kitten, was a good find. She didn't quite know why, but she saw the small turtle as young kitten, probably because of its timid nature, even if it wasn't soft or fuzzy. It was a nice change from the extroverted Sparwire, that for all its charm simply wasn't cute or cuddly even when asleep. With any luck, today's searches would render something useful as well.

In this case, Tomiko decided that she was going to look a bit deeper into the forest, farther away from the city of Lifan. She started by following the stream, and working her way deeper in the woods, following the bank along its path. The sound was comforting, babbling and gentle a natural companion of sorts that accompanied her on her search. Of course she was not alone, she had set off from the city of Lifan with Eien and he was with her now, though the two of them hadn't spoken very much yet. For her own part, Tomiko was distracted by her search for the Natrelmon trying to be as careful as possible.

Thus-far there had been increasing signs of Natrelmon activity, but not much else, there was only a few flashes of movement in the trees, or a dancing shadow across the brush. Few Natrelmon would be as brave as the Meu, and even if another were to come along there would be a chance that, as fast as Meu were, it would slip away. Tomiko was again reminded of the fact that she wanted an Omu for its breeding ability, so she looked upwards, until this lofty line of sight nearly caused her to trip and fall over a root which crossed the bank and dipped down into the stream, drawing water back to a great tree.

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#1 'Percentile' : 90

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#4 'Percentile' : 45

From behind Tomiko, two things emerged. From the left side, entered Kohitsuji and Eien. From the right, an Elwis. Making sure his presence didn't distract Tomiko from what was going on, he pointed at the Elwis. It was a decently rare Natrelmon that was definitely worth a capture, in his opinion, for someone like Tomiko. In case it was needed, Eien had clutched Meu's relic to summon the psychic cat out to do battle against the powerful ghost type. He wasn't sure if Tomiko would be able to handle it since her Natrelmon were lower leveled.

"Be careful," Eien added, "It looks fairly powerful. If you need help, Meu is on the ready." He held the the relic, willing to toss it to Tomiko if she felt more comfortable handling the Elwis with a Natrelmon like Meu. He knew he would. But, he also knew she would be more than capable to do battle with her Sparwire.

It was kind of surprising for Eien though to see her out at night. He thought he would be one of the only trainers out at this hour to go Natrelmon hunting. But, once again, he wasn't against the company. So far, he had much better luck working with someone like Tomiko than hunting on his own. He had been having rotten luck until then. So far, it seemed to have turned around, although he still hadn't been able to find that Albion that he was after. It caused an inward sigh from him, but he knew he had to be grateful for what he got - it was more than most trainers so far.

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Tomiko took the Meu, glad for it. Currently she had nothing that was very effective against the Dark/Ghost/Poison type, and it looked to be higher level than most of hers, in fact from what she could gather it was nearly equal to the level of all her Natrelmon combined. Normally a match like this would be a very hard battle, but the Meu would make things slightly easier. "Thanks Eien." She said, summoning the Meu. Tomiko watched the wild Natrelmon for a moment, and then ordered the Meu to activate Telekinetic glare. The blast was not fully focused, instead she directed the Meu to disperse it, and knock the Elwis backwards into a tree, Timoko hoped that she would be able to pin it down next and knock it out.

In the nighttime forest Meu's psychic energy seemed to be all the more powerful. Light seemed to hang in the air around them, as the psychic energy was hurled at the Elwis. By spreading the invisible telekinetic attack out, Tomiko had also ensured that the Elwis would be far less likely to dodge, even if less damage was done. The dual weakness Elwis had to psychic energy assure that the attack would still do as much damage as a normal strike. She was already thinking ahead as best she could, not her specialty by any means, planning what the Elwis might do when it reacted to the strike. She was hoping that the telekinetic glare would knock the Elwis back for just long enough that she would be able to get in a good strike and incapacitate, or knock out the Elwis allowing her to capture it more easily.

Eien watched the ghost respond to his Meu's attack, him cheering on Tomiko and his Meu, with a shift to Intangibility and then immediately going Invisible with the ghost type innate. The creature would be nowhere to be seen...

This unnerved Eien a bit, since the ghost could potentially do large amounts of damage to his Meu. While the Meu had an advantage against the ghost, the ghost also had an advantage against the psychic cat. While the Elwis was invisible and intangible it move to its right before launching about 4 Ghostly Lights at the Meu in a slightly spread out pattern, aiming right at it and in a triangle around it to limit is movements, the ghost ready to fire more of its attacks once the Meu tried to escape. It was a very fiendish ghost, definitely something a skilled trainer would want.

Eien watched intensely though, hoping Tomiko would be able to win this fight. It would still be a hard battle with the Meu being only level 5 and the Elwis being level 12. It had significantly more power behind it. Plus, the Meu was new, even to him. That made it a lot harder as well. Knowing ones Natrelmon intimately gave a person a lot more of an advantage than people gave it credit for. He just hoped Meu's energy from when he captured it was still there, which might give it an edge against this more experienced, and a bit overconfident, Elwis.

Eien was ready though if things got bad. Kohitsuji was more than capable of joining the battle and the combination ghost/psychic type lamb might fare better against the higher leveled Elwis. It at least wouldn't have the ghost weakness in full effect. But, it would be good to see how Meu fared instead of immediately resorting to Kohitsuji. Realizing that this might go on awhile, he decided to take a chance.

"Hey, Tomiko, catch," he called, tossing her one of his F ranked Relics. He was wanting her to take a chance and use that on the Elwis to see if she caught it without weakening it. Who knows? Maybe she would get lucky enough and capture it without actually doing battle with the creature. If that happened, it would lower the risk of anyone getting hurt by the ghost type Natrelmon. It definitely would make Eien feel a lot better about the whole situation. Plus, he owed Tomiko a relic anyway and was more than willing to give her another for being so helpful when he was trying to capture the very Meu that she was using in battle.

He let another prayer to Suzaku echo in his mind, hoping it would give Tomiko the luck he had had the past few days in which he had caught his Meu and his Atrix. He figured he should start doing this on a regular basis. If he kept this up and some form of his luck kept up, he would definitely be wearing some red more frequently in honor of the phoenix. It definitely would merit at least that much, even though he wasn't the largest fan of red. He just hoped Suzaku was listening to his please and that if Tomiko was making her own, he was also listening to those....

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#1 'Percentile' : 53

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