A wild ABRA appears! "FFFFFFFUUUUUUU-"

The sweet scent of cherry blossoms filled the air. Though it was not spring, the trees were miraculously still blooming, transforming the very light in the forest. It was one of the many reasons Sakura was considered to be the most beautiful place in Nerta.

Samuel, having lived in the frigid north his entire life, had to agree. While his heart still had a certain tenderness for the crisp white after a midnight blizzard, this world just had so much color. He sat crossed-legged on a cool rock in a clearing, taking in the peacefulness of the surroundings. His PDA had told him that wild Natrelmon were in abundance in this area, and so he had been staking out the area in case any Natrelmon would show. Four new shapeless Relics were in his small bag. He had purchased them upon arriving in Sakura. Very useful devices, these soul-capturing Relics...

Ethically, capturing a soul sounded bad to Samuel. And if he hadn't seen the relationship between his master and his Natrelmon, he would have believed the whole exchange cruel and unusual. However, the Natrelmon didn't seem to mind it - in fact, the creatures were more partners than they were slaves. This fact satisfied Samuel's conscience enough. The guilt was still present, but after spending the last few weeks traveling with his own Natrelmon, he realized that he really had nothing to fear. The little volcano-like creature had brought many smiles to the large man's face on the road from Relin to Sakura.

In a single fluid motion, Samuel rose to his feet. The time for reflection was over, and the time for action was now. Leaving his perch, Samuel shouldered his way through the light brush and headed into the depths of the cherry tree forest. The sunlight filtering down from the sun became even more distorted as the concentration of tree became thicker. It created a surreal feeling for Samuel, who had only been exposed to the snow-covered coniferous forests of the north. While walks through forests at home seemed to be oppressive and compressing, the mood here was an uplifting one. But Samuel forced himself to not be distracted. If he was to find and catch a Natrelmon, his attention would have to be completely on the task at present. Years of discipline brought his mind back to the here and now. Despite his large build, his progress was silent. Any Natrelmon he would come across would be taken by surprise.

((Rolling!)

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Samuel came to another clearing, where a small Datic was busy rustling in a bush. Its ears perked up as it caught Samuel's scent. It leaped to its feet and stared at the human for a moment. Samuel grinned at the little canine. He had no interest in capturing it, so there was no need to be hostile. However, the Natrelmon didn't feel the same way and after growling softly, it turned about and scampered back into the forest. The martial artist watched as the Datic left, his smile widening. His first encounter with a wild hadn't gone... exactly as planned. But it didn't bother him. It was the experience that counted. Finding Natrelmon would be an invaluable skill in his immediate future. It came with this whole Trainer business. And, of course, his final goal was to capture a Gen and train it all the way to its final evolution.

But for the moment, he would enjoy the search. And to make it more enjoyable, he released his Volcan with a muttered incantation. The Natrelmon appeared on the forest floor. It looked around for a few seconds to get its bearings, and then looked up at its Trainer quizzically. "We're searching for other Natrelmon," Samuel said in way of explanation. Volcan understood and nodded its approval. It was eager for its Trainer to capture more creatures so it had someone to play with. Without further ado, it began tromping further into the forest. Chuckling, Samuel followed his little friend as it led the way. This was why he figured the whole "capturing soul" thing was alright. Volcan was as much in control of itself as Samuel was in control of it. It was a partnership on a deeper level, if anything.

After trekking for several hundred yards, Volcan came to a stop. Samuel stopped as soon as he realized his Natrelmon had halted. "What do you see?" he asked the volcano-creature. Volcan just continued its silence, staring into a thicker area of underbrush. Crouching down, Samuel began slowly advancing on where his Volcan seemed so fixed on. He forced his breathing to stay calm as he grew closer and closer to the brush. He could see now that the leaves were moving in an unnatural way. He glanced back at his own Natrelmon, smiling in praise. The Volcan stayed passive and began to advance with Samuel towards their quarry. Suddenly, a twig snapped. Samuel winced as he quickly raised his hand from the leaf-covered stick. The rustling had instantly stopped. Whatever was in the brush obviously knew it had company. Samuel slowly reached into his bag and retrieved one of the Relics, just in case.

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Before Samuel could react, a small squirrel Natrelmon leaped clear out of the bush and scampered up a tree. It jabbered angrily at Samuel and Volcan for a few moments before hopping to another tree and running out of sight. Samuel felt a warm nudge at his side, and turned to smile sheepishly at Volcan. "Sorry. Guess I startled it." He chuckled as Volcan turned its back on its Trainer and huffed off. Samuel wasn't bothered by what had happened. In fact, he was laughing at the situation. One of the greatest lessons he had learned from Sujii was that you couldn't win them all. It was a lesson he had taken to heart. When he was thirteen, Sujii had sent him out to cut down the largest tree he could find. At the time, Samuel had been confused. Sujii normally revered life to an extreme, killing only that which he needed. He had also had a reverence for ancient objects, treating them with utmost respect.

Which is why, when Sujii tasked his student with cutting down the largest and therefore oldest tree he could find, Samuel was taken aback. He questioned his master about his motives, but Sujii simply waved him off to carry out his instructions. So, without any further questioning, Samuel entered the forest. He walked for hours, delving deeper and deeper into the snow-covered foliage until he found the tree he was looking for. It was an evergreen, but one of epic proportions. It stood over a hundred feet tall and was wider than Samuel was tall. It was covered from roots to tip in a thick, icy covering. Samuel remembered the awe he had felt just looking at it, and then the frustration he had once he had begun hacking at it with his axe. He worked on the tree for hours on end, and couldn't seem to even penetrate the ice covering the bark. He did not stop, however, until he felt a pair of eyes on his back. Recognizing the presence, he had turned around to find Sujii simply shaking his head.

"The ice is too thick, Master," Samuel had said. "There is no way I can cut down the tree."

Sujii had merely smiled and nodded.

That's when it had hit Samuel. "I was never meant to actually cut the tree, was I?" he asked in revelation.

"No. You were not. Defeat is always an option, and one we must not only not forget, but embrace."

Samuel smiled sadly as he remember that lesson, and the many others he had been taught over the years. He missed his master very much. But he had already mourned, and Sujii would have berated him had he continued to dwell on his death. As it was, Samuel forced his mind again back to searching for another Natrelmon. Volcan nudged his leg and motioned towards a path. Samuel nodded and followed his Natrelmon, keeping his eyes and ears open for signs of another wild creature.

((If you don't want more of these pointless backstories, the minimum length for wilds NEEDS to be reduced.))

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Night hadn't had much luck so far when it came to catching Natrelmon in the forest. Really all he had been able to accomplish was scaring away some incredibly hostile Xiao that had attacked Kight and Night earlier that day. Several factors had kept him from actually finding any Natrelmon to capture. One had been his own tame Natrelmon, Knight, who had been choosing to spend most of his time attacking Night playfully and hiding from his trainer instead of helping him find other Natrelmon. In fact he was hiding from Night now despite the two being in the middle of a chase!

The Xiao was scurrying tree to tree and Night was charging after it. Labored breaths were puffing in and out of his chest faster and faster as the length of the capture increased. Truthfully it seemed like they were running in circles and that the Xiao was just playing with Night. The thing even seemed to be laughing in a series of jittery quick sounds that mimicked a human chuckle. This just made Night angrier, who decided to give it one last go and made a large leap at the squirrel. This.... Obviously wasn't very wll thught through as all it accomplished was smashing Nights face against a tree... And then everything had gone black.

It was a short while later when Night felt water spraying on his face. His Kaigara Knight sat in front of him in a bush with a mischevous grin while spraying water from its mouth onto Night. Night gave a long sigh and let his head fall limply on the floor to rest. Knight got the hint and climbed over his face until the Natrelmon was resting securely on his trainers back. They sat there for a moment when the bushes to the left of them rustled while the Xiao from before shot out onto a tree and yelled something in a high pitched chatter. That was when Night noticed the other trainer and his Volcan in the forest.

" Sorry. Guess I startled it. " Said the trainer. Night stood up immedietly, shaking the large turtle off his back. Knight hit the floor with a thump and laid helpless on his back with his legs swaying in an attempt to correct himself. Night raised his hand and waved to the trainer. " Hi there! You looking for some Natrelmon too? "

He asked when more rustling was heard.

~ Not again! ~

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Samuel turned around instantly when he heard the other voice addressing him. He found himself instantly dropping into a defensive stance. It was another new feeling for him, being taken by surprise. Realizing its Trainer's distress, Volcan also adopted a defensive stance, crouching slightly and lowering its head towards the newcomers. Samuel spread his feet apart, his left in front of the right, and raised his arms, ready for anything. Then he realized how ridiculous he looked. Feeling his face turning red, he came out of his stance quickly. Clasping his large arms in front of him, he bowed low.

"I apologize. You startled me," he said in a way of explanation. He motioned to his Natrelmon to do likewise. Even though the small volcano seemed like it resented it, it abandoned its own stance and bowed slightly too. He took in the new trainer, whom he towered over, and his Natrelmon. A Kaigara, he remembered from his studies. A very good Natrelmon for defense, he knew. It could withstand a lot.

He suddenly realized he was being rude by staring. He blushed again. Sujii had been a great master of will, character, and martial arts, but in no way had he prepared Samuel for social graces. "Again I apologize," Samuel repeated, bowing again. "My name is Samuel Smith. Yes, I am looking for Natrelmon. I haven't had much luck, unfortunately. As it seems with you." Samuel blushed yet again, realizing he had just insulted the other Trainer.

Nights eyes widened when the boy and his walking volcano adopted a more agressive stance towards Night. He simple stood up straight as a board while the other two seemed like they were about to engage in some kind of martial arts showdown. The very large boy blushed suddenly and dropped the combat-ready pose. Bidding his volcano to do the same, the walking mound of volcanic rock slowly obliged and went back to its unguarded position.

"My name is Samuel Smith. Yes, I am looking for Natrelmon. I haven't had much luck, unfortunately. As it seems with you." The young man immedietly blushed again after saying this comment. Night didn't really see the problem because it was true, he wasn't that good at catchoing Natrelmon. Or most things involving Natrelmon, anyway. " So... Samuel? I see you have a Volcan, are you looking for something in particular in this forest? I'm Night by the way. This is my Kaigara Kni- Where's Shiner (His Kaigara)... DAMNIT NOT AGAIN! "

Suddenly Night began to rip apart the bushes and grass around him in search for his turtle. If Samuel had good eyes he'd notice that the devious Natrelmon had somehow made its way into the tree above Night... He might stop a wonder for a moment how something without developed hands or feet was able to do that... Completely oblivious to his pet above him; Night was on his knees still searching through a bush, he looked over at Samuel for a moment to speak. " I must look like an idiot right now. Sorry about this, but my Kaigara likes to hide and play tricks on me frequently... " He turned back to the forest and yelled.

" Come on Shiner! You're harder to find than wild Natrelmon! "

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Samuel chuckled at the antics of the other Trainer. The shorter man had obviously established a good, playful relationship with his Natrelmon. That was good, Samuel knew. He only hoped that he developed a similar friendship with his Volcan. The Natrelmon, while friendly, hadn't begun opening up yet. It was all part of the process, Samuel knew, but he still craved the closeness he had seen between other Trainers and their charges.

Taking advantage of Night's momentary distraction, Samuel sized the Trainer up. Not short, but not as tall as he. Not many were, though. He had a buzz cut similar to Samuel's own. It was a little longer, but would have still been accepted by a master like Sujii. Night was lean, his muscle built less for the heavy lifting Samuel was used to and more for the the agility that beset a runner or swimmer. All in all, not nearly a match in a physical fight for Samuel, but perhaps a challenge when it came to comparing one another's strategic prowess in a Natrelmon battle. The martial artist grinned at the thought of being in an actual battle. It would be fun, he already knew. Perhaps, once he was back in the village, this Night would be his first opponent in the upcoming tournament.

A small bit of motion caught Samuel's eye from up in the tree. He glanced up, then did a double take. The Kaigara, a large, lumbering turtle, had somehow managed to scale the tree while both Night and Samuel were distracted. Samuel was instantly impressed. It was not often someone or something could sneak around his well-trained senses, and the fact that the Natrelmon had done it right in front of his own eyes further led to Samuel's admiration. The large turtle spying down foiled comically with Night's frantic searching through the bushes and the forest. Samuel's smile grew even wider.

"Yes, you do look fairly foolish right now. But I understand. If I lost something close to me, I would be acting in the same manner." Samuel gave a discreet glance to the overhanging turtle. "However, you never know. Look to the sky, and you might find your answer." The large man stifled a laugh at his own joke.

A nudge at his leg brought Samuel's attention down to Volcan again. His Natrelmon was eying the sky, which had begun growing dark. Dark clouds raced across the little bit of blue that could be seen from in between the trees. It was apparent that a storm was on its way, which was ample cause for Fire-type Natrelmon to be nervous. Tapping his armband, Samuel asked, "You wanna go back in? I can call you out if I find a wild Natrelmon that I need you to fight." Volcan nodded. Muttering another incantation, Samuel returned Volcan to its Relic.

And not a moment too soon, either. Seconds after the volcano Natrelmon was safely tucked away, large drops began falling from the sky. A distant roll of thunder could be heard overhead. Samuel didn't mind the precipitation, having endured much worse, but Night might. "If you want to head back to Sakura now, I can come with you. There's a small inn on the edge of the village that we can stay in for the night." Motioning for Night to follow him, he turned on his heel and began jogging back in the direction of Sakura.

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Night looked at the much larger trainer with a quizzical expression on his face. He wasn't exactly sure why the man had told him to look to the sky and why he seemed to be holding his breath. This was soon answered when a bucket load of water came cascading down on his head drenching him completely. Night turned around with water dripping from his eyebows and faced the tree behind him. The Natrelmon there laughed, despite only one being the cause of the joke...

Night and Knight looked at the Xiao chuckling in the tree at the same time. The same thought crossed their mind too...

" Got you this time! " Yelled Night as he took out all four of his marble relics. He attempted to catch the Natrelmon.


Whatever the result, Night turned back to the large trainer and spoke to him as he beckoned. " Sure I'll be right there! Wait up! " He yelled over as he began to run after the other trainer. Somehow Knight had repositioned himself yet again, this time the location being right on Nights head bouncing up and down with each step.

" We're off to Sakura! "

(( All four F relics. ))

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~~After Samuel's Tournament Battle~~

Samuel sat in the forest, meditating. His newly evolved Volcanon was curled up a few feet away. He was extremely proud of the Natrelmon. It had surpassed all of his expectation during the fight with Night. Its reflexes had been quick and its attacks had been carried out without fail. It had been a hard battle, but Volcan had come out on top. Volcanon, actually, Samuel reminded himself. The Natrelmon had evolved immediately after the fight. It was a shocking thing, the creature's very form changing. Already, it looked stronger. It was hard getting used to all this change going on. So Samuel was doing what he always did to calm himself. Meditate. It calmed Samuel down so that he could think clearly and without distractions. It had been, yet again, one of Sujii's many lessons.

And already, Samuel found himself loosening up. He was more aware of the forest surrounding him - the animals, the trees, the very air itself. This place was so alive, so vibrant. An owl could be heard in the distance, hooting its unanswerable question, "Who?" Insects created a symphony of chirps and buzzes. A gentle breeze rustled the trees, releasing a sweet scent into the air that penetrated all. Samuel breathed deeply, capturing the smell deep within his lungs. Sakura was so serene, so... amazing. And Samuel found himself growing sad that he would have to leave this place presently to go to Toran. There, he would begin fighting Arenas and winning Badges so he could eventually make his way to the Elite Triumvirate. He knew that his travels would take him all over the world, eventually back to Sakura, but all the same he was sad. It was for the best, though, he knew. His narrow mind needed to be expanded. He needed to see new places, meet new people. Overcome new challenges.

After all, what was the point of Sujii willing Samuel to go out on this journey if he just wanted to stay in one place?

Sighing, Samuel came to his feet in a fluid motion. Hearing its Trainer moving, Volcanon raised its head quizzically. Motioning slightly, Samuel gestured for the Natrelmon to join him. The armadillo did, coming out of its ball and falling into step with Samuel. The pair left their resting area and began trekking through the forest back to Sakura. Samuel hoped to encounter a wild Natrelmon on his way back, but if he didn't, it was alright with him.

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Samuel's peaceful journey through the forest was interrupted by a random green flash. The Giashock missed Samuel's face by mere inches. If Samuel looked to the Giashock's origin, he would see a Grandra standing in the open.

The impish Natrelmon looked to be angry. Why? That is unconfirmed. Regardless, the Natrelmon is angry, it wants to fight, and it is catchable.

Samuel flinched back from the Natrelmon attack. He turned to find a Grandra standing there, looking angry for an unconfirmed reason. Whatever the cause was, though, Grandra was angry and it was catchable.

"Volcanon! Earth Shot in its general area!" Samuel called out. The armadillo complied, launching a ball of compressed dust and dirt at the Grandra's feet. The ball broke apart, sending up a cloud of debris that would cause the Grandra to either close its eyes or become blinded by the particles in the air. Immediately after this attack, Samuel commanded Volcanon to use Earthquake Minor. The Natrelmon jumped up and down, creating a shockwave that spread out in all directions. Because of the Grandra being either blinded or trying to evade the Earth Shot, it probably wouldn't have time to see Volcanon preparing Earthquake Minor, much less have time to prepare for the attack.

Screeching loudly, the Grandra leaped to the left in a forward roll. The Natrelmon's movement was surprisingly acrobatic. So acrobatic, that the creature ended the motion on it's feet, and began a charge toward the trainer's Natrelmon. The leap had positioned the Grandra seven feet from it's original position, meaning it was now charging from 15 yards away to the Volcanon's right.

It's charge was slowed drastically by the Volcanon's earthquake. However, while sloppy, the Natrelmon still managed to gather itself enough to release two Giashock, in rapid succession, while charging the Volcanon.

"Heat Rush," Samuel commanded as the Grandra launched its attacks. The Volcanon instantly intensified its body temperature. It braced itself and caught both of the Giashocks on the armored shell above its head. While it did inflict damage, the combined natural defenses against Grass and the now-increased body temperature severely reduced the damage.

As the Grandra continued to rush, Samuel commanded Volcanon to the use cannon-like protrusion on its back. A stream of flame leaped out of the weapon towards the rapidly approaching wild.

Grandra was near upon the Volcanon. The armadillo's canon turned a scarlet red, signaling the Natrelmon that something hot and unwanted was about to be blasted at his face. Reacting swiftly, the Grandra rolled RIGHT to avoid the canon's blast. Seven feet away, at the end of the roll, the Natrelmon balanced itself suffiently enough to strave left of the Volcanon.

Soon after he began strafing, the Grandra spit three seed missles at Volcanon's face.

Volcanon continued to raise its body temperature, causing the very air around it to start wavering due to the heat. The Volcanon twisted its body far to the left, looking ahead of the Grandra, and caught the Seed Missiles on its shoulder plates, the intense body heat again taking away most of the damage that would have been done. Then, at Samuel's shouted command, it raised a pair of stationary Stone Blades, one directly in the Grandra's path, less than two feet in front of the Natrelmon, the other slightly ahead and to its right. While the Stone Blades wouldn't have enough time to raise to a very threatening height, the Grandra's speed and the angle of the Blades from the ground would catch the Natrelmon up and trip it up if it tried to stop, continue on its path, or DODGE RIGHT again. So it would either have to leap over the obstacle or dodge left, towards Volcanon.

Which was prepared for either attack. It began charging forward itself, towards the Grandra. If the Grandra attempted to vault the Stone Blades, Volcanon would fire a stream of three Singe Bullets at the imp, catching in midair. If the Grandra attempted to roll to the left, it would find itself colliding solidly with a very, very hot Volcanon. Physical appearances aside, the Volcanon's Heat Rush would damage the Grandra considerably.

Looking ahead, the Grandra found itself face to face with a Stone Blade. He had several options, but each quickly vanished as the additional stone blades appeared. In desperation, the Natrelmon tucked into a slide (a baseball slide). Hitting the underbelly of the stone, the Natrelmon bent it's knees to absorb the impact. Now at a full stop and on it's back, the Natrelmom had to decide quickly on where it wanted to go.

Unable to process the situation quickly enough, he threw up his hands and shrieked.