Blackthorn's Aid - Goo

Anya’s paws dug into the soft snow below her. It was moments like this that she was very thankful for her fusion aspects, because she was sure she’d absolutely freeze her ass off in this little clothing if it wasn’t for her thick sanyatto fur coating her ears, arms and legs.
Of course she was still wearing a thick coat… she didn’t have fur everywhere…
But it still cost a lot less to buy just a Wintercoat and not a whole Winter Outfit.

Behind her Aurelia and Spätzle were making their way through, having little issues with the Snow as it just melted around the two.
Anya turned around to the two and squatted down to their level to talk to them about today’s mission.
“Alright you two… Keep your eyes peeled. This odd plant should be somewhere around here… The Professor described it as a vine with leaves that look as if they were touched by fog. So a little purplish and dark. And do not try and eat them, okay ? Just go and find me once you see one of them. Understood?”
The two Pokemon nodded their heads more or less enthusiastically and disappeared into the growth of the forest around them.
Wintervale was a little further off, just behind another mountain in this endless landscape of mountains and snow covered trees.

After she listened for a bit for the thudding of their paws against the frozen forest ground to grow quieter, she turned to go investigate herself, armed with little glass vials the Professor had told her to pick up at the lab.

It grew darker around her the deeper she went in, further and further from where the path had allowed light to get through the thick crowns of the conifers. But it was fine for Anya. The change was slow enough that her eyes could adjust to the lack of light as it grew more distant.
Suddenly she saw it. A vine growing along the bare bark of an old pine tree. Ranking it’s way up all the way to it’s top and spreading it’s leaves towards the sun. It’s leaves were long and thin, their tips sharply pointed and covered in purple goo with swirls moving around and along it even if the goo itself was not actually moving. Occasionally a drop of the goo would separate itself and drop on the ground underneath.
Anya stepped forward towards the puddle that was slowly forming underneath the plant. The swirls were present there too… The Professor might want a sample of this too, but touching it doesn’t seem like a good idea.
She looked around for any method she could get the slime into one of the vials without ever touching it and her eyes fell onto a stick a bit further away. She stepped over there and picked it up, grasping both ends with her paws and slightly bending it. When she confirmed it had a decent stability and wasn’t rotting already, she returned to the puddle of goop and stuck the stick into it.
A tiny bit of goop stuck to the tip of it and Anya got out one of the vials, ready to let the purple mass drip into the glass container when suddenly cracks and barks ripped her out of her concentration. In the next moment Aurelia broke through the bushes around her and came to an abrupt stop in front of her, barking excitedly until she noticed the plant and goop in front of Anya… Her excitement died down immediately and she settled with a heavily disappointed but quiet growl. Spätzle broke through the bushes too, seemingly in pursuit of the excited Fennebass, but definitely not as much in a hurry as she had been.
With a sigh Anya returned to her goop. Their sudden entrance had almost made her drop the goop stick… But with a little fiddling she finally managed the substance into the glass and closed it with one of the lids the Professor had provided as well.
Once she was done with that, she looked around to see if she could find another stick that was more fitting to ripping a leaf from the plant. That was what she was originally sent after, after all.
When finally, she found one which might work because it was tightly forked at the top, she spread herself to her full height and reached towards one of the lower leaves with the stick.
And with a quick snap, it was ripped off the plant and goo rippled down the connecting vines and into the puddle.
Both Aurelia and Spätzle jumped backwards to avoid any of the goo touching them, as they had been told by Anya beforehand.
With the same stick that she used to rip it off, the feline trainer fished the leaf out of the puddle and again, manoeuvred it patiently into the glass vial.
A content smile spread across her when it was done. Finally she could return home.
A look back at Spätzle and Aurelia told her that getting home wouldn’t be the end of the day though. Aurelia’s long, thick fur was filled with needles and twigs that she must have picked up on the way and when Anya looked down at herself she could see that she too, had not been spared by the conifer needles.

At least a warm shower would also wash away all their soreness from the long travel from Grovehart to Wintervale and back… It would be a nice way to end today.
She’d drop off the vials at the lab tomorrow and maybe incorporate it into her grocery shopping. Maybe take her Pokemon out too to get them some fresh air again…