farawayplace | [in which the rich brat has to work for the first time in his life, probably]

There will be no graveyard visits at witching hour, don't worry about it, Ash!

The quick change in Ash's demeanour actually made Trip laugh a bit, but he quickly stopped, feeling a dull ache in his head.

"... then, you can come. It might not be much to look at, though," Trip said presumptiously, not knowing Ash could see more than he could! "I'm still putting up flyers, so, do you want to meet again later?"

"Really? Awesome!" Both Ash and Pikachu raised their arms excitedly. He completely forgot that it's a paid service however. "Yeah, sure thing! Where should we meet up?"

It took a moment for him to recall how to get anywhere, but then he suggested, "How about near the gym? We can take a shortcut through the woods after that."

It'll make reaching Wildflower Cape much quicker!

~~Provided they don't get lost in the woods...~~

"I'll wait for you there, okay? I don't think I'll take too long... 30 minutes, 45 tops."

"Got it! Then, I'll see you later!"

And with that, Ash left Trip to do his thing. So he used up the remaining time to wander around the streets with his Pikachu and prepare for their trip. You can't go wrong with carrying some extra potions and maybe a snack for the road ahead.

---

Once Ash noticed the time, he sprinted off towards the street near Turnbloom Gym as Trip said. He then slowed his pace as he started searching for Trip. He hoped he wasn't late for their promised meetup!

He hadn’t been waiting long, standing on the side of the gym closest to the woods, but he was still checking the time on his Xtransciever when Ash arrived. Wearing the orange suit jacket again, as he was no longer trying to avoid being recognized. He kept the hoodie up for warmth, though.

“Ash! You’re late. Slow to catch, up as usual,” he said in mock-annoyance, then put his hands in pockets and smirked. “… only by like five minutes.”

"What, really?" Ash pouted. "It's only just five minutes. That's not too bad!"

At least not as bad as his other instances of his tardiness.

"So..." Ash's gaze then trailed towards the wooded area, a stark contrast the city just behind him. "You said we're going to a graveyard? Where is it?"

He laughed briefly, but stopped quickly.

"Memorial Garden on Wildflower Cape... if we follow the beaten path, we'll circle all the way around this whole island... might take us 'til tomorrow, depending on how fast we go, but the quickest way is through these woods. We'll just have to walk straight on ahead, no detours! Unless we have to navigate around something, basic stuff. Hopefully, there won't be any incidents this time..."

Gee, that's comforting, Trip...

Incidents? ...Must he ask? Because that sounded a bit concerning. Though Ash could see Trip's point about the travel time going to Wildflower Cape. He's only stopped by that area a few times in his usual wanderings, but he's never stopped by or even noticed the Memorial Garden before.

"It is a pretty long walk from here to there..." Especially when you don't have a Doduo to ride on, he thought. "If it's the fastest route to take, then I'll take your word for it."

With their destination decided, Ash excitedly walked ahead into the Shrouded Woods.

"Alright, to Memorial Garden we go!" And his Pikachu cried out in excitement after Ash.

"It is."

Trip sighed a little at Ash's noisiness, but trailed behind him, leaving some space so Ash and Pikachu could be their exuberant selves at a reasonable distance... until he noticed the figs. They were always there, he even took pictures of them from time to time, but he had never thought of eating them.
He usually was too cautious and lacking in confidence to try picking berries or fruits he couldn't recognize for sure. Eating wild apples or the ocassional larger, more recognizable berries, were as far as he'd go.

He stopped to pick some.

It's only when he could no longer hear Trip's footsteps is when Ash stopped in his tracks and took notice at Trip. Wearing a curious look, he approached the other.

"What are you doing?"

"Picking fruit. I'm not straying from the path, just taking what's closest. You don't have to wait up," Trip said, without glancing Ash's way. "I've seen Pokemon eat these, they aren't poisonous."

After a thoughtful pause, he tossed one Ash's way, although he didn't manage to throw it as hard as he intended, Ash should still be able to catch it!

And indeed he caught it. Ash took a second to stare at the fruit on his hand. It was small and red with patches of yellow around it. And it wasn't something he found familiar, so he couldn't imagine how it would taste like. Trip did say that he saw Pokemon eating these, so Ash figured his partner should give it a try first.

"D'you wanna try first, buddy?" Ash asked, lifting the fruit to his Pikachu's line of sight.

The mouse Pokemon craned his head close to get a whiff of the fruit first. But then made a face as he leaned back and tilted his head.

"No?" Huh, usually Pikachu would be eager to try new food. But Ash's curiosity got the better of him. So... Ash took a bite out of it.

And suddenly a strong pang of bitterness filled his taste buds.

"PTOOEY!" Immediately he spat it out. "Ugh, it's so bitter! You can't eat this at all!"

He looked over at Trip and wondered if he's really going to eat that.

The sound startled Trip, but he then turned to watch Ash, warily.

That bad...?

He looked at the fruit in his palm suspiciously, then... rubbed it against the cloth of his hoodie, before shoving it into his mouth.

Edited (Better word choice, fff.) 2023-02-11 16:12 (UTC)

Did this thing just rob all the moisture out of his mouth and cause his throat to close up—

He looked as if he were choking, but stubbornly refused to spit it out and attempted to swallow it anyway, until all his attempts failed and he had to give up the venture.

"UGH!"

As if to add insult to injury, Tranquill appeared in a flash of sparkling white light on the ground, opened its beak, and snapped up the discarded fruit before it hit the ground. It seemed to like it just fine and flew back up to peck at more.

As he watched Trip struggle, Ash was just about to take out his water bottle until the other finally calmed down. Though regardless, he still took it out and drank from it just to wash away the bitterness in his mouth.

"Geh... that was awful. I guess Pikachu made the right call for not eating it."

"Piiika." And Pikachu patted Ash's cheek.

Though curiously Trip's Tranquill (Woah! It's been a while since he last saw him!) seemed to have no problems eating them, he thought as he watched the bird Pokemon.

"Well at least your Tranquill's having a good time! Maybe those fruits aren't tasty for anyone but Tranquills?"

Edited (oops html fail) 2023-02-12 14:09 (UTC)

Trip wanted to agree, but Tranquill eating it without trouble confused him.

"... m-" Trip coughed, made a face, then tried to speak again, "Maybe..."

Was it really only appealing to Tranquill? Watching him gobble up another two, Trip wondered if there was something he was missing.

He looked at the remaining fruits in his hands and wondered.

Figuring his travel buddy would need something to clear his throat, he poured water into the cup that he separated from the bottle and offered it to Trip.

"Here, just take it easy."

It's only then he noticed the look on Trip's face and trailed his gaze towards the fruits on his hand.

"...You're not gonna eat all of that, are you?"

"Thank you!" he accepted the water very eagerly, but went quiet again, staring at the fruits.

At Ash's question, he did not tear his gaze away, instead wearing a strange look of determination.

Cue attempt number two, tossing three at once into his mouth and pouring water down into his throat from a height. What part of that is taking it easy?!

Tranquill was too busy eating to notice at first, but eventually stopped to peer down at them, curious.

Seriously!? Ash just stood there as he watched Trip's next move, absolutely stunned. That's pretty brave of Trip, although he wasn't sure whether he found this admirable or not.

"W-Woah hey! Didn't I tell you to take it easy?"

The fact that he swallowed three figs in one go... Is Trip going to be okay?

Brave is putting it kindly, it's recklessness!

The water didn't help much and he just managed to choke on it. Coughing, snorting, overall messy and gross, and not very successful to boot. At least he kept the cup away from all of this...? Offered it back to Ash, while covering his nose and mouth with his other hand, looking depressed.

It's out at least!

"... my loss."

He admitted defeat, at least!

Tranquill made a concerned sound and flew back down, settling down between them.

Yeah no, Trip is not okay. That much is certain. Despite the gross display, Ash was undeterred now that his worry over Trip grew. That cup he was holding is instead being refilled as Ash poured more water.

"Geez and people tell me I'm the reckless one." Ash sighed, "You gotta watch what you eat, and don't force yourself to cram everything into your throat."

His tone sounded more like a concerned parent, but how could he after what Trip did just now!

"Besides, those things taste terrible. I'm surprised you're willing to give it another go."

Just what are those fruits anyway? Ash thought as he decided to pull out his Rotom Phone and start looking up what they just ate.

Ash was right, Trip hated to admit! But he still didn't like being called reckless and frowned.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who jumped in front of a Shadow Ball!" he protested.

He accepted the water gratefully nonetheless and sat down to drink it a bit more slowly, back turned to Ash, but still trying to drink from it at a distance not to get it dirty.

Tranquill agreed with Ash, which earned a glare from Trip, which quickly faltered.

Tranquill hopped closer to Ash and tried to peer at the Rotom Phone. These figs only seemed to appeal to Flying types, didn't they?

"Whatever, they're for the birds!"

And the Rotom Phone seemed to agree with that statement as it started to dictate information.

"Although this particular fig tree produces fruit, they are deemed completely inedible for humans. However they are favored by all kinds of bird Pokemon."

"Woah you're right, they're really for the birds!" Well it was no wonder his Pikachu didn't want to eat it. "I guess that explains that!"

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[... filler style shenanigans are always possible!]

heck yeah more side adventures, just like in anipoke!!!!!!!!!

[yup!! I’m excited already, fff]

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[keywords always and forever relevant]

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1/2

2/2

1/2

make it 2/3!

3/3; welp.

today: a series of unfortunate events for trip

[we haven't even upset any wild Pokemon yet!]

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