Bubble Brook

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A few trees provide shade for the newly erected ranch. Surrounded by a variety of colorful wildflowers, the pale farmhouse stands out like a sore thumb. The chattering of Pokémon from the nearby Jaded Meadows accents the sound of flowing water. Corbin McBanderson, the ranch owner, has affectionately named the site Bubble Brook, after the nearby creek.

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@aeranautics


A resounding thud filled the room as the cardboard box touched down. The young woman, who went by the name Corbin, who had been moving the box wiped at the sweat on her brow. The weather today was unseasonably warm; a scant covering of clouds acted as the only shade against the sun.

If Corbin had known today would've been such a scorcher, she would have hired Pokémon movers to assist her. Instead she had to tough it out and haul her things all on her own. At least it wasn’t raining, that was the only thing that could make her transition more difficult.

Cobb, her Ducklett, would have prefered the rain. After all you know the saying “lovely weather for Duckletts”. Speaking of, Corbin looked amongst the boxes for the little bugger. When she’d announced their move, he hadn’t been enthused, and so he’d taken up hiding through the process. Corbin recalled seeing him basking in the yard earlier that morning, but with her chores she missed where he’d waddled off to.

Worry had just begun to envelop her when she couldn’t find Cobb. She hoped he wasn’t getting himself into trouble already. Afterall, there was only one chance with her neighbors; if Cobb was picking fights, well then...

The sound of running water from the faucet caused the young woman to turn towards the kitchen, worried that perhaps a pipe had burst. Instead, Corbin was met with the unapologetic face of Cobb as he tried to fill the sink with cool water.

Corbin rubbed tiredly at her face, sighing in slight exasperation. There was a stream not two-hundred feet from the house and here he was running water. Cobb quacked quietly under his breath as he watched the water run down the drain rather than fill up the basin. Weaving her way between the boxes, Corbin turned off the faucet. Before Cobb had a chance to complain, she scooped him up in her arms and led him outside.

“We moved to the country for a reason,” Corbin told her Ducklett. “You’ve never been too good for a puddle or stream, don’t get picky now.” Cobb responded with a harsh quack before he fluttered free of Corbin’s grasp and began waddling through the thick grass. Sometimes Corbin couldn’t believe how thick headed Cobb could be.

Trudging back out into the sunny weather, Corbin resumed moving boxes. There weren’t many left, much to her relief. She hadn’t the faintest clue where she’d accumulated all these things. Traveling across Unova left her with the assumption that she had few belongings. Upon moving, Corbin learned that there were a number of things stored in her PC -- and that didn’t include the things her father passed on to her. It felt as if her backpack of supplies had multiplied overnight.

Maybe once she got all of her things moved in she'd take a breather and take the opportunity to meet her neighbors. New to the region, Corbin didn't know much about the other ranchers aside from their names, and even then it was only their first names.

Bryar and Nitrine, from their names alone Corbin could only assume they were kind people. She'd heard nothing but good things when researching the area. She wondered what kinds of Pokémon they raised and trained. Aside from Cobb, her father's Shuckles, and a wild Pidove, Corbin hadn't had much experience with training Pokémon.

Besides, Cobb was a handful all on his own, to take on another Pokémon was questionable. She always dreamed of being a famous trainer with a full team of Pokémon, but now that she met Cobb, Corbin was unsure if she could even handle one more--assuming they were as stubborn as her Ducklett. Thoughts of meeting a new Pokémon who wanted to join her team kept Corbin entertained while she continued moving her things.

Not far away, Cobb bobbed up and down with the flow of the river. He found the water to be delightfully cool on such a hot day. Quacking in contentment, he paddled his legs beneath the surface of the water to propel himself upstream in hopes of finding adventure.

((Happiness: Cobb - 0 (1/5))

[Deleted]

A pair of Doduo sped across the expanse of flat grass, a larger Doduo chasing after a smaller one with an unusual, fluffy, black tail. The larger bird could catch up quite easily if not for the sharp turns and whirls its smaller target took to evade him. It was only a matter of time before the elder Doduo was finally able to nip that tail in his long, pointed bill.

With a puppy-like yelp, the smaller Doduo faded into a Zorua and fell down in the grass under a tree. His black fur was dusted with brownish dirt. Panting hard, he whined, "You're no fun, DJ."

DJ, the real Doduo, stood over him, one head bent down to stare at him. The other head, as per usual, scanned the area, always on the watch for danger. He grunted, "You bet I'm no fun, not when I have to chase after you because you don't want to take a bath!" His watchful head added, "Look at how far from the ranch we are!"

Nitrine's house and barn were both about the size of grapes on the horizon.

Cole, the Zorua, raised his head to gaze in front of them. Beyond the shimmering creek some distance ahead stood two white buildings amid wildflowers. "Hey, I wonder what that is?" he said.

"It's a small river, and someone else's ranch," DJ answered dryly. "Time to go home."

"But," Cole insisted between panting breaths, "I want to see whose ranch it is! Do you know whose it is? Is it Bryar's?"

Taking two curious steps forward, DJ examined the ranch with one of his heads. After a minute of silence, he said, "No, it isn't. Me and Nitrine went by Bryar's ranch at one point. It's not that close to any creeks like this one. Must be new."

"New neighbors!" Cole jumped to his feet. "Let's go see them."

"Not without Nitrine," insisted DJ. "Besides, do you really want to go over there before you've even had your bath?"

He saw the mischievous Zorua glance at the river in front of him, and before he could crow "No!", Cole had already bolted. With a sigh, DJ's heads bobbed up and down as he trotted after the youngster.

Cole spotted a blue bird Pokemon floating on the surface of the gentle creek. He waded into the water gingerly—it was definitely cold, but nice—before fully immersing himself to swim. He dove under the clear water... and surfaced as a Ducklett, just like the Pokemon that was also bobbing along the creek's surface. He gave a quack, "Hi, there!"

On the shore just a few meters away, DJ sighed and stood watching. Cole was technically clean now. But they were on someone else's territory. He ruffled his feathers at the idea. He didn't want an unfriendly rancher sicking a vicious Pokemon on himself or Cole, but he also knew that Nitrine would be able to handle a confrontation like that. He stood still, one set of eyes on the Zorua and the other on his owner's ranch off in the distance. Nitrine would be on his way soon.

Tags: @astori

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     Lost in thought, Cobb hadn’t heard the Doduo or Zorua run up, let alone converse amongst themselves. Instead he idly paddled, keeping himself stationary as he looked off towards the Jaded Meadows. Having recalled hearing the sounds of other Pokémon and the rustling of grass when moving, Cobb couldn’t help but wonder when he and Corbin could venture out and locate the source of the noise. Likely none of it was trouble, but the Ducklett didn’t want his trainer to worry.
 
     Cobb’s attention was brought back to the river when he was splashed and pushed by the force of someone diving into the water. With brows wrinkled he looked down into the creek, trying to get a glimpse at the culprit. Beneath the surface there was nothing but river rocks, but the image of a Doduo was reflected onto the water.

     Looking towards the riverbank, Cobb opened his bill to quack at the bird when another voice came from behind him. He turned around in a flurry, his beak open and ready to strike if need be. Met with a surprise, the true Ducklett closed his beak and gave the intruder a once over; it’d been awhile since he’d last seen another Ducklett, but something about this one seemed off.

     “Watch where you’re swimming,” he quacked gruffly. He wouldn’t mention how he nearly attacked the birds out of surprise, after all Corbin wouldn’t appreciate his lack of manners. Paddling towards the shallows, Cobb turned to he could see both birds. His head turned from one to the next, looking each of them over in turn before he spoke. “Who’re you?”



Tags: @aeranautics

[Deleted]

When the Ducklett quacked at him, Cole's brows twisted up into a look of bewilderment. He sure hoped this little bird wouldn't be as much of a grump as the big bird he'd already come to know. He followed Cobb to the shallows, saying, "I just wanted to say hi."

DJ rolled his eyes. "Let the little guy have some personal space, huh?" He looked at Cobb and said, "We wandered over here, and by 'we', I mean he did." One head nodded to his younger companion, wagging his bushy black tail. "I had to chase after him. We're from the next ranch over, back that way."

"I'm Cole!" chirped the transformed Zorua. "And that's DJ."

"He wanted to know if you were knew to the neighborhood," finished the Doduo. "At least, we're assuming you belong to whoever's inside that house up ahead."

@astori

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Finally! Someone who understood personal boundaries. Turning to face the Doduo, Cobb looked past him towards the ranch in the distance he referred to. He had to squint his eyes to see, and continued to squint as he looked up to the Doduo. "My trainer calls me Cobb." Turning to Cole, Cobb shook the water from his feathers. "We're moving in today. Rather, Corbin is."

Looking back at the Doduo, Cobb quacked loudly. "She's my trainer. I remember her talking about a Bryar and Nitrine, do you two belong to either of them?"


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[Deleted]

"Cobb, huh?" said Cole. His huge tail swished in the water, even though he was still in Ducklett form. "Nice to meet ya, Cobb!"

DJ nodded one head, answering, "Yes, we belong to Nitrine. I think I see him looking for us over there." The watching head nodded in the direction of Nitrine's ranch.

It was hard for most to see, though DJ's excellent vision provided a perfect view of Nitrine trekking on foot with his Snubbull oh his heels. Kellen must have stayed behind at the house -- he was obsessed with the idea of becoming the designated "guard Pokemon" of the ranch.

"He is?" asked Cole. "Well, I'm not going home. No baths! Not until we meet Cobb's trainer."

@astori
I'll start marking up happiness in the next post.

[Deleted]

Cobb tried to spot Nitrine off in the distance, but with his lack of height he couldn't see past the tall grass. He took a moment to glance back at his ranch; there wasn't a chance of Corbin outside but the amount of boxes left to move had since shrunk. Wiggling his feathered tail, Cobb quacked at his new companions, "If Nitrine is coming to find you anyway we can go to Corbin." Without waiting to see if the two were following him, the Ducklett started his slow waddle towards the ranch. "This morning she mentioned something about wanting to meet the other ranchers in the area; we can introduce them."

-----

Corbin sipped at her water in the shade of the doorway. She couldn't help but peek out of the door on occasion in an attempt to keep tabs on Cobb. Unfortunately the Ducklett was small and hard to see in the tall grass. In the back of her mind Corbin knew that he wouldn't have any trouble with wild pokemon, he could handle himself, but it didn't keep her from worrying.

With the last box moved, Corbin stood in the living room for a moment. Looking around at all of her and Cobb's things, she couldn't help her curiosity as she wondered where the Ducklett was. Prepared to trek out in search of her companion, Corbin stepped out of the house just in time to see Cobb leading a Doduo and fellow Ducklett towards the house. She admitted that she was a bit surprised, it wasn't often that Cobb led other Pokemon to the house. Corbin straightened her clothes and wiped her brow in an attempt to look presentable as she began towards the group.

"Looks like you found fast friends," Corbin said to Cobb, a friendly smile on her face as she regarded the Doduo and peculiar looking Ducklett. "You two must be one of the local rancher's Pokémon--I don't recall hearing of wild Doduo or Duckletts in this area."


@aeranautics

(Happiness: Cobb - 0 (2/5))

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Cole waddled after Cobb, panting and laughing with excitement. DJ, one head gazing back at Nitrine as if in thought, stepped into the water and eased his way across the creek. He really wanted to run back and grab Nitrine so the human could hurry up and deal with Corbin, just in case she wasn't exactly the friendly type. But if she wasn't friendly, he didn't want Cole to be in danger, either. The hyper little tyke was defenseless. With a huff, he stepped out of the creek on the other side, shook the water from his downy feathers, and trotted behind the two Ducklett.

"Looks like you found fast friends..."

"'Friends' isn't the word I would use," muttered DJ, standing a few meters back.

Cole, on the other hand, enthused, "You betcha!" To Corbin, however, it probably sounded like a somewhat high-pitched quack. Staring at Corbin, he blinked at her once, and then in a single instant, his illusion changed from that of a normal-sized Ducklett to a half-sized Corbin, clothing and all. Of course, his poofy tail wagged behind him, and when he smiled, his mouth was still full of sharp little teeth.

DJ squawked scoldingly when he heard a voice far behind. "Dee-Jaaay! Cooole!"

The Doduo turned around and hurried back to the river. On the other side, from the open field, stood Nitrine, panting, with Oxana the Snubbull beside him. Nitrine called, "Where is Cole?" When one of his Pokemon's heads nodded back to Corbin's house, Nitrine heaved an enormous sigh. "That Zorua is such a little brat."

At his side, Oxana snorted agreeingly.

@astori
Happiness: Oxana, DJ, Cole - 0 (1/5)

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Unbeknownst to Cole's true form, Corbin simply smiled at him when he responded. His quacking, not too far off from Cobb's, came across as an affirmative to the woman. "I'm afraid we just moved in, so I don't have any food to offer..." Turning towards the house while considering the contents of her fridge Corbin didn't notice Cole's shifting form. "Actually, I take that back, I might have some berri--Augh!"

Cobb, jumping right into action, puffed up his chest and hissed at Corbin's duplicate. He'd pulled his head back, ready to strike at Cole, but held back when he noticed Corbin held out a hand to stop him. Corbin took a deep breath to calm herself from the scare. Taking a moment to inspect the fluffy tail and fangs from a safe distance, the ex. trainer recalled seeing an illusion not unlike this one.

“Oh, oh, you’re a Zorua aren’t you?” Corbin took a step closer to her doppelganger, leaning in for a closer look. Cobb, not entirely convinced that Cole was all that safe, attempted to get between the two and force Cole to take a step back. His attempt seemed unproductive as neither Cole or Corbin budged. His scowl grew ever grumpier as he peeked around the Zorua in time to see DJ leading a human towards their group. The feathers on top of his head pricked up in curiosity while he stood guard.

Corbin had since extended a hand for Cole to shake while she mentioned her past experience with shape-shifting Zoruas. “It was a tough battle, but Cobb and I managed to cinch the victory. I bet you’re just as strong as that Zorua was.” She looked up in time to see the same sight as Cobb, only Corbin offered a friendly wave as opposed to stern disapproval. “This must be your trainer?” The rancher asked Cole before speaking out to the one approaching. “Hello there, are you Bryar or Nitrine?”

@aeranautics

(Happiness: Cobb - 0 (3/5))

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Cole doubled over and let his tongue loll as though laughing at Corbin's fright, completely unfazed by Cobb's fierce display. Straightening up with Corbin caught her breath, his tail wagged twice when she asked if he was a Zorua, bending to sniff her outstretched hand. When she waved at someone behind him, he turned to see Nitrine crossing the brook, water up to his waist, with Oxana in his arms. Cole turned and lifted his arm in a wave, mimicking Corbin.

Nitrine set Oxana down with another huge sigh. "Ugh, my pants are soaked..." he grumbled.

Oxana barked and pointed ahead at the group in front of them. Nitrine rolled his eyes as he padded through the grass towards the house, DJ and Oxana close behind. "Of course. Impressing the new rancher with his magic transforming powers." When he was within a few meters of the house, he said, "Hi! Sorry my Zorua came trespassing. He's being a little extra naughty today." He grinned with his teeth at his new neighbor, subtly glaring at Cole, who shapeshifted back into his true form.

@astori
Happiness: Oxana, DJ, Cole - 0 (2/5)

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Corbin couldn’t help but chuckle at that herself. ”Trespassing? No, no. I believe he and my Ducklett were coming over to say hello.” Corbin offered a smile to the now shifted Zorua. ”Lucky I knew about his powers or else Cobb here probably would have let him have it.” As if on cue, Cobb took a step towards Nitrine. With his heavily furrowed brows, he offered a curt quack.

With a wave of her hand towards the Ducklett, Corbin offered a glare, although not as subtly as Nitrine, towards Cobb when she noticed his aggression. Without even looking back towards his trainer, Cobb flattened his feathers and reduced his aggression to a mere look. Meanwhile, Corbin took the opportunity to notice the Snubbull near Nitrine’s feet. ”And who is this?” She asked, leaning a smidge closer to get a better look at Oxana.

Cobb too turned his sight away from Nitrine to look at the Snubbull. As if repeating after his owner, the Ducklett gave his tail a small wag. ”Who are you?”


@aeranautics

(Happiness: Cobb - 0 (4/5))

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Nitrine scoffed, lightly, at Corbin's remark as Cole frisked to his side. "Be glad you knew," he said. "I sure didn't the first time he did it to me. Gave me quite a scare." His glare softened into a genuine smile. He said, "That's Cobb, right? He's a cute little Pokemon. I've never seen his kind before. I grew up in Sinnoh and have seen a lot of Pokemon, but he's not from around there, is he?"

Nitrine paused and shook his head quickly, taking a few jaunty steps forward. "Well, first of all, my name is Nitrine. My ranch is back beyond that river, in that direction." He pointed. One could barely see the house on the horizon. "This is Oxana, my first Pokemon," he added, gesturing to his Snubbull.

Oxana greeted Corbin with a wave and held out her hand to Cobb.

Pointing to his other Pokemon, Nitrine said, "It looks like you already met Cole and DJ. Cole was just about to have a bath when he just ran off away from the barn. DJ went after him, and I guess they ended up coming here. Again, I'm really sorry for them trespassing." He shot another, more obvious glance at the Zorua, who folded his ears back in a genuinely guilty look.

@astori

Happiness: Oxana, DJ, Cole - 0 (3/5)

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A little reluctant, Cobb held out a wing to shake Oxana's paw, nodding his head in a welcoming fashion as he did so. Now that Corbin was here the Ducklett acted a bit mote friendly, albeit more protective. Once Cobb finished his handshake, Corbin offered her own hand to greet Oxana. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Oxana."

"But yep! Li'l ol' Cobb, he's a Ducklett," Corbin said with a smile as she crouched down and ruffled his feathers. He looked like he'd rolled out of bed before he fluffed up and expertly preened himself. "I grew up in Unova, which is where I met Cobb, but I've traveled around. Not sure I've ever been to Sinnoh though!" Of course Corbin had heard of Sinnoh, and she knew some of the Pokémon from the region, yet she'd never had the opportunity to go. Perhaps she'd ask Nitrine about it some other time.

"Really though, it's no trouble at all. I was just finishing for the day, and I'm sure I would have stopped by to introduce myself in the next couple of days." Straightening, Corbin offered her hand again, this time to the other rancher. "I don't think I've introduced myself, my name is Corbin McBanderson," a warm smile graced her features as she took notice of the house on the horizon. "It looks like we're neighbors."

( @aeranautics )

(Happiness: Cobb - 0 (5/5) --> 1 (0/5))

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Oxana, and then Nitrine each accepted Corbin's hand for a handshake. Nitrine remarked, "Ducklett, huh? Are they all as fierce as Cobb? He looks like a tough little guy."

DJ gave a little scoff; he could probably take Cobb in a battle.

"I hadn't noticed this house being built out here," Nitrine went on, "or if it's been standing here awhile and I just haven't noticed. Did you just move in today?"

@astori
Happiness: Oxana, DJ, Cole - 0 (4/5)