World Tree MUSH

     It's a partly cloudy day on Akala Island in the Alola Region, with the area still a bit damp after some recent rain. Suiren has come to one of her favorite spots in the island chain, Brooklet Hill, a spot famous for having several large pools of water cascading off each other with well over a dozen waterfalls. Suiren is sitting on an outcrop overhanging one of the larger pools with her partner Popplio sitting in her lap. The young girl appears to be fishing, with a line in the water and a rod in one hand, but she seems to be paying more attention to the book she's holding with her other hand. The book appears to be about Pokemon that live in and around wetlands.

Benedicta's on vacation from the problems on the Earth she's from. Beacon Society figured it would be best if she went off-world for a while. Of course the feeling of wet fur isn't the greatest but at least isn't pouring down. Plus few people have mistaken her for a Pokemon and tried to catch her during this visit. This place seems remote enough that not too many people should bother her.

    Belle is NOT on vacation, but having spent most of her time on her world, then ending up in some weird science-magic mess more than once, Belle is not going to complain about a much less frantic situation. The teenage girl adjusts her glasses, still adjusting to all the weird animals here. She's seen some weird stuff though, so this isn't a big deal, just fascinating.

    She's actually been watching for a few minutes, sort of surprised that Suiren is just fishing, but with Benedicta wandering over, the young investigator shrugs, strolling in that direction without making much noise. Don't want to scare the fish, right?

     Suiren doesn't immediately take notice of the off-world newcomers to the area, this can be a rather popular spot at times due to how beautiful it is. It does soon become clear that Suiren isn't too engrossed in her book to notice a bite on her fishing line. She quickly sets the book down to grab her rod with both hands and starts reeling in whatever she just hooked. Seconds later a rather fancy looking goldfish about four feet in length comes splashing out of the water, and it soon leaps towards Suiren aiming to attack with its large horn. Popplio reacts quickly before Suiren even gives a command, moving between the attacking Pokemon and her trainer. 

     "Iona, use Aqua Jet!" Suiren calls out as she stands up. Iona quickly envelopes herself in water, and a moment later is propelled forward inside the column of water, striking the large fish and knocking it back into the water. Suiren then catches Iona as the sealion-like Pokemon rebounds towards her.

Benedicta watches as the Pokemon battle in the water. "That's certainly one way of fishing. Been having much luck?" She's not quite sure what Suiren is trying to catch not being that familar with the Pokemon here.

    Well... that was a surprise. It happens quickly, so much so that Belle couldn't intervene anyway, though she starts to rush forward before it's taken care of. That does get her closer though, close enough to skid to a halt and frown. "Looks like a lot more dangerous fishing than I'm used to," she admits, glancing at Benedicta as she joins.

     Iona moves to hang from Suiren's shoulder as she fully reels in the fishing line and sets the fishing rod down, then turns toward Belle and Benedicta as they both have come closer and spoken about what just happened. She greets them both with a smile and nods. "Yeah, fishing around here is truly more dangerous than on many other worlds. If you think that Seaking was agressive, there are Gyrados in these pools sometimes, and they are terrifying by comparison. Fortunately also much more rare to get a bite from one on a fishing line, but definately not impossible. Anyway, I'm Suiren, and this is my partner, Iona, she's a Popplio. Welcome to Brooklet Hill, one of the most beautiful places in the entire Alola region."

    "I'll say, fishing is supposed to be relaxing, I hear..." Belle rubs the back of her head. "At least, that's what I've heard. If it's like this then maybe I should give it a try." She'll be disappointed, but probably won't give it a try anyway. "Ah, nice to meet you. I'm Belle, just been world-hopping a little. Usually they aren't so quiet. And usually there are more humans." She glances at Benedicta again, then to Iona. At least she doesn't seem to think they're weird, right?

    Another person arrives to the rather pretty spot, looking over a small handheld device as if reading directions, flanked by a small floating creature that looks like a small Panda in a Jiangshi costume.. Luke and the pokemon spot Suiren at the same time, and the trainer waves happily, "Suiren!...".
     Meanwhile Pangshi(the ghostly panda) simply takes off in a straight line towards Suiren and the Poplio, and by straight, it means phasing through trees, or even perhaps Belle or Benedicta if they were in the way, before coming to hug Iona, chittering excitedly. A moment later comes an out of breath boy, "No, you need to stop running around like that... and through people Pangshi." he manages.

"Yeah, it's nice to have a chance to talk when there aren't dogs after us." Benedicta remembers briefly meeting Suiren before. "It's certainly nice here, I'm glad there are places that people haven't had a chance to ruin yet." It seems that her and her double do agree on something. "I'm Benedicta." She introduces herself to the younger girl. "Hey Luke, how are things going?" It makes since that this would be a place that Pokemon trainers meet.

     Suiren nods and giggles a little to Belle. "Yeah... here it's a lot more relaxing if you just hang out and enjoy the scenery without trying to catch anything. Some wild Pokemon can be pretty docile, even friendly if they don't see you as a threat." She states with a nod, soon spotting Luke and giving a wave. Iona sees Panshi coming and leaps from her perch on Suiren's shoulder, flippers outstretched as she aims to meet the ghost panda Pokemon for a mid-air hug. Suiren giggles at the sight and casts her fishing line into the water again, though her attention is turned to Benedicta. "We might be chased by a different sort of dog here, but hopefully not, so we'll have more time to talk this time."

    What might be a casual nibble graces Suiren's fishing line. A simple curiosity perhaps that aligns well with the potential laziness prompted by the beautiful scenery. Nothing definite, but there. Who knows which pokemon it might be. Not much happens for some passing seconds, however; perhaps for all the poking and nibbling, nothing wants to commit to a good solid bite...until the line goes taut with the signs of a normal catch. 

    Fishing can be a very relaxing activity indeed. When one has friends to spend time with (or enjoys the company of naught but the sounds of Nature) the simple wait doesn't become a task. It remains a simple part of the whole and the result of catching something or not is kept from being an ultimate goal and resides in the category of 'a nice outcome, but not necessary'. However, when there is a bite and a tug, it can be all the more exciting in ways that the friendly time spent in waiting isn't. 

    And then the reel lurches and the line tugs. Hard. It might be one of those big ones Suiren mentioned! Ever see a Gyarados face to face? Would you want to?

"I mean I like dogs, when they don't think I'm a snack. I think that pretty much goes for wild animals in general. Most of them will leave you alone if you don't bother them. People seem to think they need to live everywhere though and there's still somehow a housing shortage in places. "What kind of dog lives here? I'm picturing something like a giant Portguese Water Dog that actually sprays water everywhere." Benedicta figures that would fit their current surroundings.

     Luke grins to Benedicta, "Hi!, glad to see you in a calm and nice situation." he offers, smiling and moving to offer a greeting to her as well. "I haven't seen one yet, but I am not entirely sure if there is one or not." he says. He chuckles at the pokemon playing, "Pangshi, let Iona help Suiren.". 
     The focus of the pair turns towards the new catch, and he reaches for his pokeball as he can see what happens in slow motion, "You got a big one!" Luke says, slowly reaching to his pokeball belt, just in case.

     "Hmm, dogs around here? You might see some Herdier and Lillipup, they're medium-sized long-haired light brown dogs with a dark blue overcoat. Very loyal, a few of them help at Paniola Ranch to the south." Suren answers Benedicta after a bit of thought. Her attention is soon drawn to her fishing rod though as she has another bite and this one seems to be a monster. She quickly grips the rod with both hands again and struggles to start reeling in the line. Iona is distracted playing with Pangshi, but after Luke calls out to his Pokemon, she notices Suiren is sliding forward as she tries to reel in her catch and quickly rushes over and wraps her flippers around Suiren's legs, hoping to help anchor her in place, but is only able to slow the sliding some.

    "/I/ don't think of you as a snack," Belle clarifies. "Though I'm not actually sure if there's dog in my ancestry. Something with fangs and stuff, so probably wolf in there somewhere?" She rubs her chin, musingly, even if she looks completely human. At the moment anyway. "Hey Luke," she says belatedly, giving the young trainer a wave while the others introduce... and just then Suiren gets a big one! "Woah!"

    This is going to be one of those big lines of people holding on, right?

    The fishing line intersecting with the water cuts through it to the side in one direction, but then swiftly changes course and goes back the way it came. There is a darkness of shape in the water hidden by the surf and froth and aggitation of the line whipping about. It's hard to tell just what it might be. Hard to guess a pokemon by its silhouette through an aquatic filter. Two more sharp tugs follow. While they have some strength to them, they seem to lack the leverage from a longer line, so that at least means the line is getting shorter and the catch is closer to the surface of the water, but it's going to take a bit of help to get it that last bit of the way. 

    All it needs is a good solid tug. Probably from a few folks all helping in a line holding on. It's sure to be impressive!

    Luke knows just what to call for this situation. "Bewear! come help Suiren!". In a flash of bright red light, the fluffy 'bear' beast appears, and charges to Suiren's side, somehow managing to grasp her with those curious 'paws' it has, mysterious. In either case, both the pokemon and Luke join in tugging, that certainly has to turn the tide in the contest!.

"Well, that's nice to know. What did you hook there, a whale?" Benedicta's horn glows yellow and several tentacles appear out of the Almir'aj's girl back. One of them wraps around the fishing rod as well. She doubts there's enough room for more with Luke and Bewear already helping out but hopefully between the four of them they can manage to pull it up.

     "Woah, maybe I really did catch a Gyarados!" Suiren exclaims while grunting with effort. She clearly struggles at first and if not for the help probably would have either had to let go of the fishing rod, or get pulled into the water by whatever she has hooked. But, with Luke, Bewear, Iona, and Benedicta all helping, she pulls with all her might on both rod and reel and if this doesn't reveal what she's caught, it's likely her line will snap instead.

    It's not likely Belle can help more with pulling, not without transforming. So instead she scoots to the side, flicking her wrist and then playing with the bracelet there. She's just going to keep an eye on this in case it IS dangerous! But if it isn't... then she'll have a good seat to see them all fall over in a heap, so it's win-win for her.

    Just when it seems the catch might be getting a second wind, just as it becomes a real tug-o-war, the line goes slack and a shape bursts forth from the brine with a spray of water through the air that dazzles. And there, through it all, is a massive shape of the elusive- Wait, Suiren's been...catfished! 

    A large lion-like half-clothed biped is sent flying up out of the water, left arm first, as the fishing tackle seems to have latched onto water-soaked wrist-wrappings. There's all but just a few seconds of surprise through the hang-time as all clustered to help with the rod and reel become overshadowed by the wet falling beast. 

    "Nani ga okotte iru?!" exclaims the figure among the sound of splashing, spraying, and effort.

"Oh crap.." Benedicta's horn glows yellow once again and she loses her grip on the rod as the tentacles vanish. She falls back as she sees the lion-man and freezes right there. The rabbit in her kicks in as she realizes that she's likely to become a snack for the lion man. Her flight instinct will likely kick in once she comes to her senses unless someone interferes with her.

     Of course, Bewear falls down, but at least it works as a cushion for Suiren as she is tossed back by the quick capture. Both fluffy bear and Luke spend a moment just glancing at the thing. "Rez?" the boy asks, "What were you doing... underwater?" he asks, moving to check on the wet, and splashing lion man. "Are you ok?"

     Suiren gasps in surprise then bursts into giggles as she sees that the 'catch' she hooked is a Rez. Suiren has much the same question as Luke about the situation. "Going for a swim Rez? I thought cats didn't like water." She says with a grin as she offers a hand to the Leomon. She's quick to try and reassure Benedicta as well. "It's ok, nothing to be afraid of, Rez is a friend of mine, he's not going to be making a snack out of you, right Rez?"

    Well, the two seem to know one another, so Belle's initial panic fades. She flicks her wrist, and the bow that appeared there vanishes again, as she moves forward to the others again. "I see..."

    Being a predator in her alternate form, Belle does notice Benedicta starting to panic. She lightly places a hand on shoulder, "Ah, I don't think he's going to eat you, and even if he tried I don't think the others would let him." Can't have the rabbit having a heart attack.

    The beastman lands just shy of falling atop the pile of people and pokemon alike. He sits up, white mane all soaked through and plastered to his head, and looks absolutely bewildered. Blue eyes pass along all present in turn, widened, leaving a pause of silence before he manages a reply: "What are you all doing in the Digital World?" It's not exactly a reassurance, but the lion guy isn't exactly jumping to his feet and he looks lost and dazed. He hasn't even noticed the fishing line caught on his wrist wrappings yet. 

    A glance is given over his shoulder at the water, then over to Belle, then to Benedicta, then to the children he has met in the past. He then reaches back to grab his tail and pull it from the water, only to find a fish pokemon dangling from the end of it. Looks like he caught something?

Benedicta takes a deep breath and calms down, "Sorry, force of instinct. It's time like this I wish I was something more imposing." Most people don't fear rabbits after all. "This isn't the digital world...trust me I wouldn't pick this as an avatar if I had any say in the matter." She gets back onto her feet, "Some cats do like water especially when it's hot outside. It beats overheating after all." She certainly knows about that.

     Suiren blinks at Rez's question and bewildered look. "Did I fish you through a vine to the Digital World? That would really be something! It's nice to see you all the same, but I think you have something on your tail." She says with a laugh, then smiles as she notes Benedicta is calming down as Belle reassures her and the situation seems calm. She nods about the cats and water. "That makes sense, though there is a cat around here that is hot and likes it that way, it's a fire-type Pokemon called Litten. I don't recommend getting them wet unless you're looking for a fight."

    "Not really looking for a fight today," Belle admits. "I've been doing a lot of fighting lately, I'm ready for a vacation. Glad it wasn't something trying to eat you." She squints at Rez. "Probably."

    If it's one thing that Rez has never seemed to fully grasp, it's the concept of Vines and other Worlds. He gives his tail a vigorous shake to dislodge the fish Pokemon, likely sending it through the air, before he adjusts his sitting posture. The soles of his feet touch and his legs spread wide to where his knees touch the soggy ground. He then stubbornly crosses his arms and closes his eyes. Yep, Suiren's line is still caught on his wrist. 

    "I was chasing an Ebidramon through the water after visiting Capacitor Town. There was an incident that needed resolving. I lost sight of it and got turned around. It was about then that something started pulling on me." Suiren likely latched onto the Digimon after a crossing over. A single eye opens. "Who are your friends?" His stomach then makes a hungry noise and the lion man's composure, for what he retains throughout the miserably wet appearance, starts to break down. "What's this about a fight? ...and do they have food?"

"Yeah, there seems to be some people here that think I'm something called a Cinderace. Apprently, it's some kind of fire rabbit. Must be magical or something if it doesn't have to worry about setting itself on fire. Lucky rabbit..." Benedicta mutters something under her breath. "Are there digital sinkholes, talk about a memory leak." She can't resist making a bad pun. "I'm Benedicta and you certainly put up a fight when Suiren hooked you. Wait, digital beings have to eat?" She sounds a bit confused now.

     Suiren moves closer to Rez and pulls the hook from his cuff and smiles as Iona attempts to give Rez a hug, and might just continue holding on if Rez lets her. "Fight? Had a little scuffle with a Seaking I hooked before you, but that was all. I agree with Belle, not really looking for a fight today, just did a lot of training and my Pokemon need a rest. If you're hungry we could head to the Pokemon Center and order up some food at the cafe, I don't really have much on me besides some cheese and crackers." She offers to the Leomon before turning to Benedicta and chuckling. 

     "Yeah, I guess that is the rabbit Pokemon you're closet to in coloration, and fire types do indeed have some unique biology to deal with their firey nature. Some of them can literally light themselves on fire and it probably feels good, and a few literally have bodies like magma.

    "Food sounds like an idea!" Belle agrees, then her watch beeps. She squints at it, and makes a face. "But I'll probably have to take a rain check. Glad it was just a friend popping up, I'll be sure to come back here when I need to chill a bit." She fingerguns at Suiren, and then smiles at Benedicta, "See you 'round, hopefully not during a crisis or something. I seem to end up in those a lot lately." She gives a last wave to Rez, the one she knows least, and then hurries off toward the nearest Vine.

"Yeah, for a rabbit I certainly seem to have bad luck." Benedicta smiles back at Belle. "Hopefully we can meet up again before I have to go back to work." She hopes Scura doesn't decide to go vinehopping and make her life even more difficult. "Though being in physical pain from getting wet certainly isn't the best trade off." She can imagine that would lead to a different set of problems.

    The wave given to Rez by Belle is returned in kind with a stoic nod and a grunt. That's the best he has to offer at the moment, but it means more than it might outwardly seem. This all happens as his arm is messed with to remove a wire of some sort and he gets hugs from a fellow 'mon. Rez doesn't mind hugs. Children like hugging him. Or giving him high fives. Especially children that like Pokemon. 

    The lion guy sighs deeply. No great amount of snack cakes or fruit? "Maybe there's a Meat Tree around here somewhere," he comments. That might sound more morbid than it is. It's actually quite normal in the Digital World. But that would mean that he still thinks- Some arguments you just can't win. 

    He does offer an introduction, though, since it hasn't yet been formally said: "I am Bancho Leomon, holder of the title of Bancho, proven repeatedly through strength of will and arm. The children like to call me Rez." He clears his throat. "You can call me Rez, too." This 'Rez' guy looks in need of a bath now, truth be told.

     Suiren gives Belle a wave as she leaves and nods in agreement. "Sure, maybe we can head to one of the cities around here and you can really sample some of the local food. Hope you have a drought in crisis situations." She offers with a smile. "You know, I have wondered where the whole 'rabbits are lucky' concept even came from. Seems strange. Oh well, hopefully you have good luck while you're here. As for the pain being wet, it's kind of how things work here. Every Pokemon type has something it's weak to. It's also not quite so severe that they can't get wet at all either. Getting caught in the rain for example would generally only be mildly inconvenient to all but the most weakened fire types. At worst it would just make their fire-based attacks less effective." Finally she chuckles at Rez's mention of a meat tree. "We have electric trees, so I suppose anything is possible."