if you're going into the woods tonight...

[red_berry]

TURNBLOOM CITY

Today, you might see Red on one of his rare visits to the city. He's sitting around on a plastic chair somebody's dragged into the street, but what may draw your eye more is the poster on the wall next to him. It's a large white paper with large, clumsy lettering in multicolored crayon. The poster reads: "LECTRIC TYPES HAT HIM! WHO IS THIS MAN? TELL RED" and has a shaky drawing that may be somehow recognizable as Attila if you squint. Near Red, you can also see a Charizard and a Venusaur, surrounded by scattered crayons. The Charizard seems to be drawing on a piece of paper, lying on his stomach on the street, while the Venusaur watches with his legs tucked in underneath him, making quiet comments. ...They might be blocking your way.

SHROUDED WOODS

Another day, you'll find Red in the wilderness, his more natural habitat. If you stumble into the right part of the woods near Route 1, you'll see him sitting on the moss, clutching his ankle. He'll look at you when you approach, and if you've met him before you may be surprised by the pain on his usually unexpressive face.

"Help," he hisses out.

(Alternately, WILDCARD! Give me another scenario for meeting Red! He's usually in the woods, the tunnel or somewhere else in the wilderness!)

Comments

[domeinion]

Sounds like you're happy about it. In that case, I hope they do too. You really care about your brothers, huh?

[She checks the time on her phone and puts the ice back on the injury.]

[red_berry]

Red blinks.

"uhhh yeah duh??? they're my brothers so ofc. i only met them like a few years ago so i'm making up 4 lost time!!! they're great kids!!"

When Alice puts the icepack back, Red comes to a realization.

"Thanks," he says out loud, while typing his next message.

"omg i hadn't thanked u yet!!!!! i ttly forgot even tho u've been taking care of me the whole time!!!! thanx so much >."

[domeinion]

...Right. Family usually does. It's still a good thing to see, though.

[Alice reads the text and gives a little nod.]

No problem. To tell you the truth, I got caught up in the conversation, too. We just didn't want you to get more hurt out there. You are our friend. Right?

[DJ gives a thumbs up, Hyperbug an affirming buzz.]

let's assume Red's had his bag this whole time and it was set down somewhere

[red_berry]

That pause... Right, there were families that don't care for each other. Red decides not to talk about that further, just in case.

When Alice calls him a friend, Red gives a slight smile.

"you're our friend too!!! :)))"

He then notices his phone battery's running low after all that time in the forest. No problem. He'll just get his charger out of his bag and... Where did his bag go?

"...My bag?" he asks.

[domeinion]

Oh, right, where'd it go? One second.

[Alice looks around and climbs down the ladder. She audibly rummages in the lab and comes back up with Red's bag, then sets it down beside him.]

I was a little focused on you, so I couldn't remember where I put it. Do you need anything? I don't have everything I need out here yet, but the basics for research are here and plenty of books.

[red_berry]

It's a bit frustrating having to stay still like this, relying on others, but Red can deal with it. All for his ankle.

"Charger," Red replies, holding his phone up. Since Alice's lab is in progress, Red doesn't assume it has electricity yet, but Pika can help with that.

[domeinion]

Oh, sure! [She starts emptying the bag out until she pulls out the charger.] This one? Though I don't have power all hooked up. I remember you having a Pikachu, if he'd be able to help with that.

[red_berry]

Red's bag can, of course, fit way more than it looks on the outside, and it contains all the basics a Pokemon Trainer would need: Potions, Pokeballs, TMs, a bicycle, and so on. Most items are clearly bought from Kanto, but there are things from Hoenn and Alola as well. There's also basic items like sunscreen, a water bottle, a notebook, and a passport. The latest items he's put in the bag are some berries, apricorns, evolution stones and other shiny stones he's found on the ground.

"Mm. Thanks," he says, reaching his hand out to take it. With his other hand, he takes out Pika's Pokeball. "Pika."

Pika pops out on the bed! He skitters down to look at Red's ankle first, examining it until he's apparently satisfied. He turns to Alice and bows while saying "(Thank you)" in Pikachu language.

[domeinion]

[Alice smiles and hands the charger over, then nods at Pika.]

Here you go! It's no problem. We just didn't want you getting hurt, you know? It's a good thing DJ found you out there. And that there aren't very many dangerous things living in here -- at least that I've found, anyway.

[red_berry]

"Mm," Red agrees. The Pokemon around here are all pretty chill... Other than the Dunsparce. He probably could've managed a while longer out there, but this is a lot better. He's glad Alice was around.

Red waves at Pika to come closer, and the Pikachu complies, accepting the phone charger and sitting down with it between his paws, leaning against Red's legs. He closes his eyes and starts generating a mild, steady stream of electricity. He's done this enough times that he knows how to not break the phone, but it always takes some concentration. Red knows it, so he just sets his phone down and lies there quietly.

...He might be nodding off a little. Sorry, Alice, but your bed's been taken over!

[domeinion]

[She just shakes her head and puts a blanket on top of them, then gets to reading over some notes. Have fun dreaming of whatever goes on in your head, Red. It's got to be much quieter than Alice's.]