Starting the Raid and Race

Devin stood at the peak of the Frostbite Mountain - the dark, heavy clothes for once making sense, considering the cold. Devin didn't seem the slightest disturbed by the cold though as a pale hand was raised into the blistering cold, and Devin ennunciated clearly, having figured out this one - and having gotten a Japanese -> English hand held learning dictionary who tutored you by translating things in the distinct way you'd say it in that language. "Ready? Six pokeballs set? Okay, then, start!" And then, sprinting ahead of the others, Devin took off down the mountain, looking for the targetted pokemon - Sneasel. First to catch a Sneasel won the Frostbite Mountain heat, and they'd move on to the next one - the Center City. The east, then west, then into the Heatwave Volcano, then to the beach.

Devin, admittedly, had cheated. Well, not really cheated so much as had done some reasearch. At the bottom of the mountain, there was a family of Sneasel in a burrow, though the father was a Weevil. Spriting down the mountain at full speed, Devin arrived there before the others - hopefully before they had caught anything. Finding the burrow, Devin crouched in front of it, and tried to call out the Sneasel. And, having seen this work a few times before, Devin started to sing. Softly and melodically And then quicker and more powerfully, Devin sung, the song boucing off the clean, strangely slick walls of the burrow. But then, Devin could see some yellow eyes glaring back at self. Continuing to sing, Devin didn't expect the reaction that was invoked. The Weevil jumped protectively out of the burrow, its claws extended, going for Devin's forehead. It cut through the velvet band, cutting a scar across Devin's forehead, splitting the skin from Devin's forehead, across Devin's pale nose, across the right eyesocket, and finally, onto the opposite cheek. Blood poured, warm and fresh, into the snow, just as the Rotom finally made its move, paralyzing the Weevil where it was. Its joints locked up, and it slid back into the hole with its children. Devin's blood poured slowly down the pale face, the velvet band being whipped to the icy ground. Almond-shaped, hazel eyes stared in blank horror, because the hazel seemed glassed over. Devin was blind. She always had been. Yes, she . . . because, the Devin that stared at the blood trickling down her face, was a she. Devin was a girl.

((How'd you not see that one coming? I never once put "he" while referring to Devin, but three previous times I put "Her" or "she" - though it looked like I was referring to her pokemon. She's also blind . . . I thought I would have an interesting character.))

"Kuso." Devin whispered, staring blankly at the dripping scarlet. The Weevil had cut open her forehead! Of course, head wounds bled more than most, but that was a lot of blood. Ditching the velvet band that usually concealed her face, Devin just plastered her hands as well as she could over the wound, pale skin seeping and showing the color red well, though the blood did slow from the pressure. The cold would help too, but what Devin needed was either a hospital or a Blissey. She had neither. Taking one hand away from the wound, but still covering as much of it as she could - though blood covered her free right hand - Devin reached into her black jacket, removing a chrome-and-black phone, and called Hisoka. No answer . . . which was annoying, after having gone through the trouble of finding his name and registration number in the phone book. That, and there was blood on Devin's face, hands, neck, and clothes. Always a big factor. So, she ended the formality and called for an ambulance. "私は凍瘡山の遺跡にあります。 私は襲われ、出血停止しませんが傷の頭を苦しみ am。 ... 支援してください。" (I am at the ruins of frostbite mountain. I was attacked, and am suffering a head wound that won't stop bleeding. Help . . . please.) If there was any relief in Lox, it was the fact that emergency law enforcement had translation technology, so she didn't have to try and speak in English. Feeling dizzy, Devin took a few steps from the burrow, Tormod the Rotom following, and sat down, removing the black jacket she constantly - and unnecessarily - wore. She was a bit photosensetive, was all. She used her hands to put the jacket to her forehead, which seemed to work better than her hands, even if she was going to have to get a new jacket after the blood stains. A curtain of deep red hair with green streaks fell about halfway to her waist, which, from a distance, would have given the impression of blood flowing from more than her forehead. It looks like she was out of this round . . . she'd meet up with them at the Central Area.

Devin had 23 stiches done when she was out of the hospital. Yeah - 23. A big black line of the sewing string went from the left side of her forehead (which was concealed underneath the hair she had mostly over her eyes), across her nose, cutting the bottom of her eyesocket on the right side, which finally crossed over to cut her right cheek open. The doctors had told her that it would slowly develop into a thin, pink scar, which could be fixed with some scar-remover. It had taken two hours . . . Devin reached up, putting a hand on the stiches. It felt strange . . . not having the velvet band there. She had it most of her life - she'd probably have to buy a new one soon. People thought it was creepy, seeing the staring, sightless eyes of a blind girl. Devin didn't like staring back, either. Sighing, Devin started making her way back to Frostbite mountain. Without her jacket, her copper hair swayed in the wind like bloody sea spray, and she started to speed up, wanting to finish this fast - to find them or not . . . get out of the cold. When it's about 17 degrees where you are, a jacket is always nice. However, she'd been discharged with what she had - and that was a sleeveless shirt. Having not bothered to buy a new one had been stupid; her pokedex and pokeballs were in her pockets now - pokeballs in her breast pocket, pokedex in her jeans pocket.

Arriving there, she heard the click-and-beeping sound of a pokeball GPS, the uneven, fustrated breath of a young boy, and the footsteps of Noah. So, he had lost his pokeballs out here, had he? Being stealthy, Devin appeared by him before he noticed her, and she asked, "Lost . . . pokemon?" She gave him a smile, reaching a hand up and scratching the back of her head, not very disturbed by the frigid air.

Umm....ummm ummm ummm....whatwasitnow...Hi? Hai? Umm Yes? 海??

Devin held out her left hand - the right hand's silver bangles bouncing lightly and cheefully, despite what had just happened. Devin tried to stop herself from shaking - losing control was not her. At all. Her family prized self control. The left hand had her Poketech. It told her exactly what he said, and she said, "Hai is yes. そのため、使用できますですか？" The Poketech translated for her, telling Noah Can you use that? - While she gestured at the GPS tracker. She had that in her pokeballs too, but she'd yet to need to use them. Her pokemon seemed okay with staying . . . and she definitely hadn't dropped them or anything.

(( So the Pokedex translates? Okdok ))

No, I can't use it. Its really frustrateding..do you know how to use it?

Hisoka cheerfully strolled along the mountain. Even though he had a jacket, he didn't seem to care to lift the hood. He folded his arms behind his head, then thought he heard something. Awesome! Maybe it was that sneasel, or something. He pressed a few buttons on the control pad on his arm, and a screen came up showing a radar image of the area. Pokemon were marked with little pichu icons ((like in pokemon ranger)) and items in the open were marked with pokeballs. He noticed a pichu icon moving, and found that it was closeby.

Smiling, he set off to go see. When he got there, he just found a young swinub that looked lost. Slowing down, he crept towards it, making soft noises in the snow.

"hey there little swinub, are you lost?"

Devin nodded cheerfully, taking the GPS into her capable, pale hands. She instantly noticed the large blue arrow that represented where the GPS was. The little lines crisscrossing in little squares represented 50 x 50 yard sectors. A pulsing pink light to the southeast represented where the two pokeballs were - the color fusing to make just one little ball. Starting to walk, and keeping the GPS in one hand, Devin turned, gesturing with one slender finger, pointing to herself slightly, bending her finger. Basically "follow me," though it could also be a come-hither thing, but she definitely wasn't flirting with Noah. As she was walking, however, she caught the sight of Hisoka. "Hisoka!" She called, running over to him. Whispering a few words into the Poketech, it told Hisoka, once she was over by him and the Swinub - Noah misplaced a few pokeballs. We're looking for them before we're going to have a competition to see who can catch a Sneasel first. You in? Oh, look a cute little Swinub . . . Devin smiled, crouching down by the Swinub, who stared blankly back at her. "こんにちは。" (Hello there) Devin greeted the Swinub brightly, extending a hand towards it, no goosebumbs visible on her sleeveless arm. The Swinub sniffed her hand before leaning into it, and she scratched the side of its head for a second before looking up at Hisoka with a smile.

Now that Noah has his pokeballs again, Devin decides to re-initiate the catching raid. It was Sneasels for the target, again. Illyana and Edward exited their pokeballs, just in case that Weevil came back, or something similar. Devin got the faint impression Edward was just trying to impress Illyana, but hey, it wasn't like she was going to complain about them getting along - it made teamwork easier. Devin whispered the starting call again, and the Poketech announced it. Now, time to try again. Sneasel is the target. Go on five, four, three, two . . . one . . . go! And then she scampers off again, Illyana and Edward teleporting every few feet.