Sea Salt Air

[Kris Parker]

Tags: Open!
Pokemon Happiness: Trek - Maxed

"This wasn't a bad move, was it?"

"Grove..."

Kristen leaned against the sturdy fence that separated the board walk from the beach below, her Grovyle Trek right beside her. The sun was setting, casting the slow-curling waves licking the beach into a soft glow, pinks and oranges blending together. Almost lazily, a trio of Wingull were calling to each other as they drifted on the sea breeze, circling the last few boats of the day departing from Gaia Island.

More and more visitors were beginning to grace their shores every day, interested in seeing what the new residents of the island were brewing. Kristen could only hope that they liked what they saw. There were only a handful of ranchers on the island at the moment, herself included, and they were all working their tails off -- human and Pokemon alike -- to continuously improve life on Gaia Island.

Kristen took a deep breath of the sea salt air, finding that her stomach didn't quite roll over all the way from nausea. She had never pegged herself as someone who would live on an island, of all places. In the middle of a forest, sure. At the top of a mountain, perhaps. But surrounded by water? She surprised even herself with that one.

"What shall we do tomorrow, Trek?" she asked her Pokemon. "There's still plenty of places to explore and wild Pokemon to meet, I'm sure. Maybe the White Tops? Wonder what kind of Pokemon are up there..."

[Kurt Emerson]

Tags: Kris Parker, open!
Pokemon Happiness: Coconut - 0 (1/5)

Kurt had closed up his shop a little earlier than usual that day -- okay, so he didn't have quite set hours just yet, considering they were still getting used to the amount of visitors and the island time itself -- to wander around the boardwalk area. Living on an island had its perks, if one enjoyed smelling the ocean air as one worked. It was a laid-back kind of style, one that Kurt could appreciate. Coconut was on his shoulders, the Aipom also seemingly a bit more relaxed at their new home rather than the constant organized chaos that the previous Gaia Ranch was. Considering how timid Coconut could be, Kurt chalked it up as a good thing about the move.

He spotted Kristen and Trek relaxing near the fence above the beach, and Kurt grinned to himself as his feet carried him closer to the two. Aipom chirped a greeting to the two as Kurt leaned against the fence on Kristen's other side.

"You going hiking?" Kurt asked, having heard the tail-end of Kristen's words to Trek. He wouldn't have minded a day exploring the mountains.

He gazed out at the sunset before saying, "You know, I never would have guessed that you of all people would willingly move to an island. It was a chore trying to get you to go for a swim in the lake at the old ranch during the summer days."

[Kris Parker]

Tags: Kurt Emerson, will always be open should anyone else want to join.
Pokemon Happiness: Trek - Maxed

Trek straightened up beside her, the Pokemon having spotted their friends before Kristen did. She turned and smiled, giving both Kurt and Coconut a greeting. "How are you two?"

At Kurt's question, though, Kristen gave a casual shrug. "Not too sure. Might keep the shop closed and head up the mountains on the north end of the island. We're only really seen the species in the sea around the beach or near the lake by your place. How's everything going, by the way?"

A light sea breeze blew over the quartet and Kristen suppressed any shivers, wanting to enjoy the air for a little while longer before heading inside for the night. Kurt mentioned how he was surprised at her being on an island, and she chuckled.

"You know I'm not the strongest swimmer," she said. "Truth be told, I never thought of myself as settling down on an island either. What about you, though? With your affinity for water-types? Where do you think you would have ended up if not here?"

[Kurt Emerson]

Tags: Kris Parker
Pokemon Happiness: Coconut - 0 (2/5)

"Trek, my man." Kurt went in for a fist bump with the Grovyle, and Coconut took the opportunity to carefully climb down from Kurt's shoulder to balance on top of the fence near the other Pokemon.

"Not doing too bad," Kurt said to Kris. "You guys have a good day?

"You're going to play hooky tomorrow?" Kurt let out a fake gasp. "In actuality, exploring more around the island wouldn't be a bad idea at all. I'm game to go too, if you want more human company."

The fun of exploration aside, Kurt hoped Kristen would take him up on his offer for safety in numbers and all that. Kristen and her team were more than capable of handling themselves, but they really weren't too sure what they would find deeper into the island.

Kurt nudged her arm. "You know we wouldn't have let anything happen to you while swimming," he said. "Is that why you have such tall water-types? A Gyarados, Kingdra... Well, I guess Gastrodon and Staryu aren't that tall." He paused, mulling over the question Kristen had asked. "I probably would have stayed at Gaia Ranch for as long as you let me. That place was home. I had no desires to go off and search for new water-types or work in a gym or anything like that. I think where I'm at now is me."

[Kris Parker]

Tags: Kurt Emerson
Pokemon Happiness: Trek - Maxed

Trek gave Kurt an amused smile but the Grovyle humored the human with the fist bump before turning to Coconut to greet the Aipom.

Kristen rolled her eyes at Kurt's fake gasp. "Oh, please. I think we can afford it at this point. Besides, wouldn't it be prudent of us to discover what kind of wild Pokemon are around the White Tops? And of course I wouldn't mind your company. Not sure what kind of Pokemon we'd want to bring. Trek will be coming... Maybe a Flying type as well?"

Kristen ducked her head when Kurt nudged her. "I know you wouldn't have let anything happen," she said. "Swimming was just never for me. I don't think there's any correlation with my choice of water-types and my hydrophobia, heh.

"I'm glad Gaia Ranch was your home," she said warmly. "I'm only sorry that we kind of uprooted, but I am glad you're here, too."

[Kurt Emerson]

Tags: Kris Parker
Pokemon Happiness: Coconut - 0 (3/5)

Kurt was absolutely delighted that Trek returned his fist bump, but he let the two Pokemon converse while keeping his attention on Kristen.

"Well, I suppose we should keep some sort of list of wild Pokemon species that are on the island," Kurt said, half-teasing. "That would actually probably be really useful, or at least see what types are up there. I'm guessing we may run into ice types near the top, maybe more rock or ground... Flying types might like the place for their nests, too.

"I'll probably have Peanut and Apple with me, at least," Kurt continued. "Maybe Chili, give him some exercise and in case we run into those ice types."

He gave Kristen a crooked smile as she responded to his question about her water type Pokemon, but his smile twitched when she apologized for the move.

"Don't be sorry," he said. "I'm glad I could move here with you. And I'm glad that you're glad I'm here. Figured you'd be sick of me by now, heh."

[Kris Parker]

Tags: Kurt Emerson
Pokemon Happiness: Trek - Maxed

"Hm, yeah, it probably would be useful," Kristen agreed regarding the idea of keeping lists of wild Pokemon species that could be found on the island. Vaguely, she wondered if Ascua had any regional variations of Pokemon they already knew of. It'd be interesting to discover, at any rate.

"Sick of you?" Kristen echoed, giving her friend a raised eyebrow. "I don't think that's possible. I'm lucky you decided to come along."

She paused for a moment before asking, "Did you think that running a ranch would ever become your life? I'll admit, running Gaia Ranch back in Sinnoh, when it first started, seemed temporary at first. It would go on for a few good years, of course, but it was something to do while I took a break from battling."

[Kurt Emerson]

Tags: Kris Parker
Pokemon Happiness: Coconut - 0 (4/5)

Kurt mulled over the idea further, wondering if they should have the list public or if it would be better off in their files in the main office. Of course, if anyone asked, they would certainly tell people what kind of wild Pokemon to expect in certain areas of the island. Would warning signs be good for explorers and potential ranchers? Granted, they haven't had any incidents with wild Pokemon, considering they stayed away from the man-made roads and houses, but still.

"Really?" Kurt teased when Kristen mentioned that it wasn't possible for her to get sick of him. "Back on Sinnoh's Gaia Ranch, Rapahel called me a plague more than once."

Color Kurt surprised when Kristen mentioned that having a ranch had been a temporary idea once upon a time. "That's unexpected," he admitted. "While I know how much your team and you enjoy battling, I thought the ranch was created because you were settling down or found more satisfaction from raising and rehabilitating Pokemon. Personally, I never thought of the idea of being on a ranch, but I think it suits me. I had tried my hand at battling, never minded it, but gym challenges were never a full passion of mine. I liked the traveling and I liked Pokemon, but I'm totally cool with settling in one place to be with my Pokemon and helping any others that come around."

[Kris Parker]

Tags: Kurt Emerson
Pokemon Happiness: Trek - Maxed

Kristen laughed at Raphael's old nickname for Kurt. "The plague? I suppose he would think of you that way, considering you were roommates and all. I was under the impression that the pair of you got along just fine," she added teasingly.

"Battling is amazing," Kristen said, a smile slowly forming on her face as she thought of the times her team and she had spent in the various Pokemon Leagues. "Raising Pokemon and rehabilitating those who need it, though, is more satisfactory, I'll admit. I'll just have to challenge you more often, that's all. Or maybe visit a gym or two in the rest of the region.

"A ranch does suit you," Kristen said, agreeing with Kurt. "You're gentle with every Pokemon you come across with and I've seen firsthand how easily many Pokemon, and people, open up to you. You're a special person, Kurt."

[Kurt Emerson]

Tags: Kris Parker
Pokemon Happiness: Coconut - 0 (5/5)

Kurt grinned as Kristen laughed. "We got along just fine, no worries," Kurt said, figuring she knew that already. "I'd like to think that he thought of me as the annoying little brother he didn't know he wanted."

He smiled as Kristen mentioned her love of battling, but she admitted that raising and rehabilitating Pokemon was more satisfactory to her. He shook his head with a chuckle as she mentioned challenging him, of all people, more often.

"Don't think my team will ever be up to snuff with yours," he said, glancing at Coconut hanging out with Trek. "We'll try our hardest and give you a good run for your money, but it'll probably be a few more years before we can try to beat you."

Then Kristen just complimented Kurt on how he was with Pokemon and people, and he ducked his head away conscious of the heat gathering on his cheeks. "Aw, stop. It's only because of the people I surround myself with."

[Kris Parker]

Tags: Kurt Emerson, I'm playing off that this is before Raph joined Gaia Island.
Pokemon Happiness: Trek - Maxed

"He didn't know he wanted," Kristen echoed dubiously. She shook her head as she chuckled at the thought. "I wonder what Raphael is doing now. Hope he's doing well..."

She nudged Kurt and said, "Thank you for the compliment on my team, but you never know. I think it'd be great to battle at some point with your team. It'd be great practice for everyone. At the very least, perhaps we can practice together when we each start raising some hatchlings."

Kristen grinned at Kurt getting embarrassed at her compliments, letting it lie. She knew Kurt would know that she was just being honest. Glancing up toward the White Tops, Kristen said, "Do you want to go hiking tomorrow? I think we actually should. Rather, I'll go with a few of my Pokemon, but if you want to come along, feel free to."

[Kurt Emerson]

Tags: Kris Parker, sounds good
Pokemon Happiness: Coconut - 1 (1/5)

"Think he mentioned going back to Kanto to visit his family," Kurt said of Raphael. "I'm sure he's doing well. He gets along well with his parents, as far as I've heard. They're probably enjoying the time they have together."

Kurt grinned as Kristen thanked him for the compliment on her team and hummed in agreement when she mentioned that they should battle at some point with their teams. Kurt wouldn't mind giving his Pokemon the exercise, but hatchlings and younger Pokemon would probably be on more even ground than their current main teams.

Then Kristen confirmed that she was going hiking tomorrow whether Kurt went or not, and Kurt glanced at the White Tops in the distance. They had no idea what kind of wild Pokemon were out and about around there and, while Kristen and her team were strong, Kurt believed in the safety of numbers.

"Absolutely," Kurt said, agreeing to join. "Tell me a time to meet and where, and I'll be there."

[Kris Parker]

Tags: Kurt Emerson
Pokemon Happiness: Trek - Maxed

"I'm glad he got the chance to go back and see his family," Kristen said. She glanced at Kurt, curious. "What about you? I'm sorry this move happened so quickly. You didn't get a chance to visit your parents before coming out here, did you?"

Kurt was up for hiking, which Kristen wasn't surprised at. Kurt almost always seemed up for anything, especially if it involved being outside.

"Okay, then," Kristen said, "why don't we meet at the southern base of the White Tops, right behind Gaia Ranch around seven in the morning? We'll get an early start." She paused before adding, "Or, you know, you could just show up at my house and we'll go together."

[Kurt Emerson]

Tags: Kris Parker, edited to end the thread
Pokemon Happiness: Coconut - 1 (2/5)

Kurt mulled over the question regarding his family, finding that he didn't really regret not seeing them. He gave Kristen a small shrug and a smile, saying, "I didn't visit them before coming out here, but it's fine. My parents and I, uh, get along well enough but... We're probably not as close as some of the other ranchers were to their families, we'll put it that way. I considered those at Gaia Ranch, including you and my Pokemon, as my family."

He pretended to balk at the early time for their hiking trip. Truth be told, Kurt was sure both of them were used to getting up early on their ranches.

"I'll just show up your house a little before seven," Kurt said, grinning at her. "I'll bring breakfast."

Coconut tilted his head at the discussion, and Kurt reached out an arm to let the Aipom climb onto his shoulders again. With a quick hug to Kristen (and another fist bump to Trek), Kurt said, "I'll see you tomorrow."