M7 Past: Run Through The Jungle P1

"Owww..." Rose the Dratini said, rubbing a bump on her head gingerly with her tail. "I haven't taken a spill like that since ah fell off thuh stage at thuh Ponyta Keg..." Rose looked around herself, trying to get her bearings. The riot of living color of the Prismatic Jungle did little to help, and Rose saw no other pokemon. Her ear frills quivered slightly in worry. "This isn't like any forest ah've evuh seen... Hello?" She called out, to the masses of overgrowing plants surrounding her.


There wasn't any response. Rose curled up her body as she looked around for any likely means to civilization. She perked up with hope as a voice answered hers. "Hello? Is someone there?" Glad to have a rescuer, Rose answered immediately. "Yes! Ah'm right ovuh hehe, y'all!"


Mike shoved his way through the oppressive plant growth, followed closely behind by a whimpering Vertigo. "Oh, Mike, what a suhprise!" Rose said. "When ah prayed foh a Rescueuh, ah nevuh dreamed ah'd get thuh pick of the littuh!" Mike rubbed the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed to be complimented. "Ahhh, that's, um... I-I'm just glad you're all right...Who are you, again?"


"Mah name's Rose, sugah. Ah'm powuhful chahmed to meet y'all!" Rose curtsied daintily to Mike, before slithering up to the pair. "Vertigo, hun, is that you? Thehe ain't any need foh y'all tah be shiverin' so!" Rose cooed, her sweet drawl luring the Spinda out of his fear a bit. "Oh, hello, Rosey-Posey. I wasn't sure if it was you or a deviously disguised dragon looking for delicacies! This place is frin-diddly ferocious!"


"..." Mike glanced at Vertigo with slight frustration, but now wasn't the time to deal with the Spinda's antics. "Yeah, Rose, it's nice to meet you and everything too, but we can't talk right now! Some big lug and his dragon buddies got Sherri, and they're coming after me, and if we don't get out of here they're going to eat us all!" Mike's tail flame, already at a heightened state, flared momentarily with his excitement.


Rose tried to calm him down by placing her tail on his shoulder, but she immediately withdrew it when she realized he was scorching-hot to the touch. "Ow! Mike, youh burnin' up...Listen, sugah, y'all just calm down, okay?" Rose tried her best to stay in control. Panicking would only set the others off. "We'he safe foh now. Whehe did they take Sherri? Who else is hehe?"


Mike closed his eyes and concentrated for a minute, and got himself back under control. "All of us...Master Foo, us, and a lot of the Merchants. A big flying one, like a dragon, took Sherri and went off..." Mike looked at the horizon, unsure. "That way? I don't know. I've been running in circles...This place is an island. We need to get everyone together before we get off!"


Suddenly, the entire landscape seemed to rumble with the oncoming footsteps of a behemoth. Vertigo cried out in despair. "Wahahahahaaaaa! After all those years eating healthy! I should try being fast food!" Mike looked at Vertigo in astonishment. "We're about to be devoured and you're making puns! Are you for real?!" Rose quickly looked about, and saw the hulking form of Tivoli coming up.


"I can smell you, Loirekin! When I get a hold of you...Hah! I'm not sure whether to just eat you straight or ground you into a paste, first!" The giant roared with sadistic glee. Rose turned to the others. "Mike, take off! Circle around and we'll meet up latuh! Vertigo, hun, y'all ahe comin' with me! Let's vamoose!" The group scattered as Tivoli tromped into their section of the underbrush, his maw hanging open hungrily. "I see you now! There isn't any getting away from me!" Rose and Vertigo took off in one direction, and Mike bolted in another.


"What! You're using me as a distraction?! Dammit, this isn't faaaaiiiiiirrrr!" Rose could hear him screaming, followed by the thundering impact of Tivoli's footsteps. Despite losing track of the behemoth, Rose and Vertigo didn't slow their rate. They continued their mad dash, until Vertigo was snagged from Rose's side. Rose looked in fear to see what it was, only to see Master Foo holding Vertigo's mouth shut with one arm. He lifted his other and motioned for Rose to be silent, and she found no reason not to comply.


Master Foo waved a paw toward Rose, beckoning for her to follow. Vertigo tried in vain to break Master Foo's grip, but the Mienfoo's grip was too strong. The poor Spinda was drug along as Master Foo leapt from area to area, while Rose was barely able to keep up. Before too long, Foo led them to a clearing, where most of the Merchants were gathered. Back in semi-safety, he released Vertigo.


"Guaaaaa! Foo on you, Foo! I do my spine-tingling spinning with my feet on the ground!" Complained the Spinda, as he dropped to the ground and hugged it. Foo didn't look towards him. "I did as I had to. If you had shouted when I got your attention, you could have doomed us all. Where's Mike?" Rose looked off towards the jungle. "We split up when a Tyrannitah came aftuh us. It seemed mighty set on catchin' Mike, and it put thuh heat on him." Rose took a brief moment to orient herself using the sun.


"He went west, ah think, but he'll be circlin' around. Dependin' on whehe he circles, he could end up eithah nohth of us, oh just west." Master Foo, Vertigo, and several of the Merchants gave her odd looks. "Oh, ah'm just good with directions, is all. Ah can pinpoint nohth from practically anywhehe, so long as ah can see the sun. Momma used tah tell me it was cause ah'd swallowed a compass."


"Ees too bad you never swallow a boat." jeered a voice from the assembled Merchants. Esperanza the Vulpix looked down her snout at Rose. "Do you know anything useful to help us? I say we forget dee pendejo and get off dis island." Master Foo glared at the Vulpix.


"Enough!" The martial artist yelled. "We're not leaving anyone behind, and that includes Sherri and Mike! In order for all of us to get collected, we'll need to get them. Veritgo, you're staying here with the others. I'll go north to see if Mike goes by that route. Someone will go west-" Esperanza jumped in, before anybody got the chance. "I will go to save Mike."


Master Foo flatly criticized her. "You just told us to abandon him a moment ago. Why should we trust you?" Esperanza made an innocent face. "Is because your devotion and caring for your friend melt my heart and can make me understand how strong is friendship." Rose huffed. "Esperanza, ah sincehely doubt y'all have a heart."


Esperanza waved her away. "Dejar de hacer tan cabrona! I am tired of run away. I deal with big stupid men all de time, if I see Tivoli, I fool him, and me and Mike escape. Ees simple, no?" Rose's ear fins quivered in anger. "Ah want nothin' tah do with whatevuh youh plannin'! Ah'm goin' tah save Sherri." Vertigo shook his head. "Oh, two headstrong heroines are harrying us out of habit! I definitely don't relish this dilly of a pickle!"


"I SAID ENOUGH!" Master Foo shouted. "Whatever the two of you have against each other, drop it! Esperanza, you'd better give your all into saving Mike if he's unfortunate enough to take your path, because if anything happens to him, I'll see that you answer to it, personally!" Master Foo then turned on Rose. "And you, lose any notion about using Sherri's rescue as an excuse to pursue your little vendetta! She's out there right now and she's likely terrified!"


Master Foo sighed. "All right, we have our plans. Everyone go, and meet back here...And for the sake of all of us, good luck."