A Pokémon Journey: The Road to Victory

OOC: Guess I'll start things off. Decided to try a few different things. Nothing big, just small styles things. Looking forward to role-playing with all of you.

Thomas Bartholomew Lakeland

100 steps forward, 30 to the right

It was raining again. In fact, it had been raining for the past three days. Three days since he left home, three days of rain. It was almost poetic if not just a tad overkill. The rain was constant and persistent. It was the kind of rain that made wearing a raincoat pointless. You were going to be soaked no matter what you did. Regardless, the young man attempted to keep himself as dry as possible as he continued his slow plodding on the way to his next destination: Pallet Town.

100 steps forward, 30 to the right.

Pokemon trainer. The idea was still foreign in his mind and slightly terrifying. The young man had extremely limited knowledge on the subject due to years of isolating himself from anything that had to do with his parents. It never ceased to amaze him how difficult he had made his life by being so stubborn when the came to the subject of his father and mother. And now he found himself crucified between two thieves: the worries of the future and the regrets of the past.


It was hard for Thomas's mind to not drift to thoughts of his parents now that he was following in their footsteps, though his steps were a bit older and less enthusiastic than theirs undoubtedly were. Yet still, here he was, setting off to start that which they loved most. That which brought them together. That which took them away from him. He hated this journey for what it did to them. Yet Thomas could not deny that a small part of him was excited. It only served to makes things worse. He adjusted his backpack as he reached the projection of a tree. He wiped the water from his face with futility. Took a breath. Sighed. He was off again. No rest tonight. The rain was warm anyways. It made it easy to ignore the tears.


Thomas found it odd that he was feeling so sentimental over his late parents. For 7 years he had ignored their existence. For 7 years he did his best to heal from the wounds their absence caused. And after 7 years he found himself walking down the road of their graves, completely willing yet unwanting to go. He wondered what they would think of their forgotten son. Would they be proud? Ashamed? Would they even care? A tree root hiding in the muddy road reached up to stop the boy's movement as if nature itself disagreed with his path. Boot connected with root. Stumbling. His hand grabbed a low hanging branch. Steadied. Thomas continued walking. He should have never left Meagan.

100 steps forward, 30 to the left…no…no, it's 30 to the right. I have to remember that.

He knew she was unhappy about him leaving even if she tried not to show it. He remembered the last week he got to spend with her before he left. He did most of the talking. She stayed quiet. Meagan was always quiet when she was upset. He did his best to explain why he was leaving with giving away anything that could put her at risk…even if he didn't truly understand himself. A letter. A package. Bastion. None of it made sense. Ice? But going was the only choice he could make. He was meant to do this. Someone had chosen him.

100 steps forward, 30 to the right

Meagan had always loved pokemon. She particularly liked the "cute" ones. As much of a tomboy she could be at times, she was still a girl at heart. Unfortunately, she was never able to go on her own pokemon journey. Thomas had always found it curious that she would deny herself something she loved. Her father would have supported her, and her mother was always bringing up the idea. Thomas even asked a couple of times if she wanted to go on her journey. She would always just laugh and say, "I'm already on my journey" with an unforgettable smile on her face. Thomas did not understand what that meant until three days ago. She never left because she knew he would not have gone with her. She knew about his past and how he blamed pokemon for his parents' absence. She could not bring herself to let it take her away too. And now Thomas found himself doing something that she wanted without her. No amount of explaining could fix that. He didn't blame her. He was out in the world experiencing life. Meagan…Meagan could only see outside when the hospital curtains were drawn back…

100 forward, 30 to the right.

Pallet Town was ahead. A journey needed to begin. Life was waiting. Avoid the ice.

[OOC: It's been a while since I've written anything long, so I'm just getting back into the groove of writing. Hopefully I can improve my skills!]

It was a troubling letter. More trouble than she could even predict, which is quite an accomplishment.

Elise reread the letter a few times, making sure she completely understood the contents. No matter how many times she looked over the words, it did not make her feel anymore comfortable with what she read. It stirred up too many unwanted feelings.

The first paragraph alone was enough to make her nervous. Who is this Bastion person? What are his goals? Why her? The threat of "great consequences" was even more unsettling. She did not want to be involved.

The second paragraph didn't improve anything for her. Just the thought of her becoming a Pokémon trainer reminded her of her dead mother. Though she still desired the chance to fulfill her childhood dreams, she wanted to know how and why Bastion knew about her. How much did he really know? Does he know about her family situation? How long have they been watched?

It was the next couple parts that really got to her. A request. No, a requirement. Some special task of greatly implied importance. Delivering a package was not a difficult task, which is what made the job so mysterious. It must be something of extreme value, beyond comparison. However, if it was something like that, why would he give it to a stranger, just so they could give it back to him later? The whole scenario was suspicious.

That letter really was troublesome. But inside of her were the growing, undesirable feelings of responsibility.

Sure, it may be some sort of trick or trap, but it also might be genuine. If it's such an important task, that she was specially chosen for, then she had to do it. There's no way she could ignore one who has called out to her. What would happen if the package fell into the wrong hands? It could be potentially devastating. She had no idea what would happen, unless she found out for herself. As much as she wanted to push away these thoughts, her subconscious desire for an adventure of her own, much like her mother's journeys, was encouraging them.

Her barrage of thoughts was graciously interrupted by Hannah, Elise's younger sister. "Morning, big sis!" She cheerfully greeted her sister as she entered the kitchen. She quickly noticed the letter in her hands. "What's that letter about? Is it from Nana?"

Elise, although pleased to see her sister, did not enjoy how quickly she noticed the letter. It was not something she wanted to talk about, and didn't know if she even should talk about it. She decided to only tell some of the details.

"Oh, well, an old professor said that he could give me a Pokémon, so I can finally become a trainer after all of these years," she lied. "But, I don't think I should accept his offer…"

"What?!" Hannah exclaimed in shock. "Of course you should accept his offer! Why wouldn't you? Hasn't this been your dream since, like, forever?"

"I'm much too busy looking after you guys." Elsie replied quickly. "I mean, Pokémon are nice, but your well-being is way more important! I can't just leave you all to fend for yourselves-"

"I am perfectly capable of looking after both myself and the twins!" Hannah interrupted, sounding rather annoyed. "I am 13 years old. When Mom died, you were only 10! Plus, the boys aren't babies anymore. You don't need to constantly watch over them. You need to be concerned with your own life!"

Her argument was valid. There was no use trying to fight with her about it. Her little sister wasn't as little as she used to be. She was very independent. The two twin boys were more of a concern. They weren't as fragile as they used to be, but they were trouble-makers. Still, Hannah could handle it. She was tough, even tougher than Elise, who constantly let her worries get in her way.

She had no choice now. Nothing was holding her back except herself. If she refused to go, her family would be disappointed, and her mind would be flooded with endless "what ifs." She was going to do it. Even though everything in her body is telling her not to. She simply must.

OOC: I'm not that used to writing ultra-long introductions, but I suppose that this should be a decent enough intro.

My name is Bastion. "Is it really?.. Or is it just a name you made up.." Alexandra muttered to herself as she reread the letter for about the tenth time after receiving it. She sat with her back against a tree in the large forest that was separating the city from the port. The ferry to Pallet Town was leaving in a few hours, and while she was very excited to finally start her journey, there definitely butterflies in her stomach.

"Or maybe they're Butterfrees" She snickered at her own joke as she looked up through the cover of leaves towards the sky.

I'm offering you a chance at a Pokemon journey. A chance that you've been denied time and time again. "I guess you haven't been watching me that well then. I didn't get denied, I refused.. But what's done is done. I'm just curious what you see in me."

The nice weather caused Alexandra to drift off into a slumber and starting to dream about things to come. Great things, she hoped at least.

~~~~~~~~~
"Aipom! Focus Punch now!" The Aipom's tail connected fully with the cheek of the young girl's Goldeen as it had jumped out of the river it had been using as protection for the majority of the fight

"Gol... deen..." The goldfish Pokemon groaned as the power of the Focus Punch had nearly knocked it out cold. "Oh no! Goldeen!" The young trainer yelled as a red beam from her Pokeball recalled the defeated fish.
"Well done Aipom, very patient." Alexandra giggled as the small primate climbed onto her shoulder and scratched her head with it's fingered tail. "Aipo, aipom, ai!" She stroked the Aipom in return before sending it back into it's Pokeball. "I know, you deserve a nap."

Alexandra smiled at the girl as they were standing just outside Cerulian City, where she was hoping to get her second Badge. A loud horn sounded in the distance. "Wait.. that's not a normal signal."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"That's a... boat?" The girl yawned softly as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, apparently having dozed off because of the sun and the weather
"Oh crap! It's the ferry!" Alexandra swore loudly as she grabbed her black backpack and slung it over her shoulder before sprinting off towards the port. The ferry to Pallet Town left only once every three days, and she needed to catch it otherwise she'd probably be late.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit!.. Wait for me!" She yelled as her silhouette faded to the horizon while the horn of the ferry sounded again.

Nicholas trotted down the empty route. People were non-existent. A chill wind fluttered the ends of Nicholas' cashmere sweater. His jeans were muddy from a day of travel. Still, Nicholas was proud of himself for making it to Route 1, albeit with the help of two freinds. Though he was exhausted. He was at the meeting place, Nicholas was sure of that. The agent scanned the road with a trained eye, picking out a small group at the side of the road. The agent walked up, ready to recieve the package needed for the sake of the entire region.

"Looks like you are all here," the women speaking weas obviously impatient, firmly holding out her hand. The agent was confused by the action. He had not been debriefed about giving anything to her. Nicholas blushed in embarassment at her next comment, "The envelope, please." As the other five hand over their letters, Nicholas fishes out his. Once the woman has looked over all six letters she removes the hood of her cloak in one quick movement.



Rather distracted by her prettiness, Nicholas only realized she was talking half-way through her sentance; "-
My name is Seven. That's a code name - no questions, you will receive no answers. You will always address me as such. I will be the one who will watch over you on your journey. You will never see me. You will soon doubt that I am even there. My mission is simple; protect you and help you on your journey. You may think this is some fun trip to candyland and you can just take it easy and quit if it gets too hard. You're wrong."


Nicholas listened with rapt attention. It was just like his books. He would become a hero!
"The moment you got here your whole life changed. No more carefree teenage days - you hear me? This is serious. The future of the Balance depends on your success. You cannot quit. You cannot go back home. Never forget that, or you will face the consequences. I am sure He explained that in the letter."


Nicholas barely heard her thinking about all the wonderfull fans he would have. It didn't help his attention when he saw her pick up a pokeball. It was finally happening. This wasn't like the other things Nicholas had wanted to be. This time he would actually become a pokemon trainer instead of just talking about it.



Nicholas started as a pokeball was shoved into his hand. "Get to know your partner. Battle a simple Wild Pokémon. If you lose, this is where your Journey ends. Good Luck - you'll need it."



The world-renowned pokemon trainer walked into the tall grass fearlessly. He was training a new edition to his team that had been sent in by an anonymous fan. First, he had to get to know the pokemon. Kneeling down the pokeball was silently opened. Nicholas watched wide-eyed to see what pokemon would emerge.



"Chu," the yellow mouse that popped out blinked it's long lashes questionably. "Hi. I'm Nick," Nick quietly peeped, mind already comparing the pokemon to a pikachu he had read about in a book some kid that had missed the "usual" three options had gotten a pikachu that electrocuted him. "The kid was named Ash. Will this pikachu electrocute me? Nick calmed as the pikachu jumped into his lap. The skinny kid fell onto his but with the force, his smile a mile-wide.



"Chu," that deceptively simple grunt was accompanied by an elctro static shock that left Nick's hands numb.



Once Nicks hands had recovered he was already standing up and rooting through the grass for a pokemon to battle. The mischevious mouse pokemon trotted along willingly while Nicholas thought to himself "Let's think. I can't name her Static or Volt. They aren't feminine enough. Zap won't work either. What about... Trish. Like from ElecTrishity. Perfect." Nicholas stopped abrubtly and announced to his pokemon, "I'm going to name you Trish."



Trish smiled and nodded in acceptance before going back to chatting with a rattatat. Nicholas blinked at the pokemon. Just the thing he had been looking for. "Trish, we're supposed to battle the pokemon!" Trish smiled as if to say that she knew that.



The rattatat took the cue, taking a battle stance. Trish took a similiar stance and twitched her ears to show that she was listening. Nicholas didn't understand what the ear twitch meant and just gave an order, "Trish use... um, just use an attack since I don't know any." Trish stood up and faced her trainer with hands on her hips.



There was no time for that though, as the rattatat charged in with a Quick Attack. Trish fell onto her face before turning and Growling at the rattatat. Nicholas was fortunate enough to recognize that, and took the chance to say "Now use a different attack!"



Trish stalked up to the cautious rattatat then spun around in synchrony with the purple rat. Their two Tail Whips collided at least three seperate times before Trish realeased her trump card.



Nicholas tried to follow, "Let's see that was Tail Whip?" Then he was blinded as a Thundershock fried the rat. "Woah, and electric move!" Trish ignored her trainer, instead focusing on getting up from a tricky Quick Attack. The rat was still fighting. Nicholas decided to try his first actual order, "Rattata should be weakened by the Tail Whips, so use That Electric Move, Trish!" Nicholas wasn't sure why he shouted the order, though euphoria and adrenalin passed through his mind as possibilties.

Trish smirked as she fried the rat once more. Perhaps not the most dramatic of finishes, but Trish was just proud about winning. So was Nicholas, though he was a bit busy sitting on the ground as the physical exertion of the day caught up to him. "Good job, Trish."

Chapter 1: Part 1

It was quite a long trip from Saffron to Pallet Town. The more time passed, the more anxious she became. Elise paced back and forth the whole boat ride from Vermillion, thinking of every possible scenario. When she finally arrived, she considered not getting off and simply going back home. Of course, she wasn't going to do it. She had come way too far to simply turn around.

She made her way through the quaint little town, completely different from the big city she was so used to. She was surprised that the ferry even went there, but it was much easier than crossing Mt. Moon. However, Elise didn't have time to take in the sights. Her goal was Route 1. She was almost there.

As she reached the outskirts of town and made it to the start of the route, a chill ran down her spine. Something was unsettling about the place. It felt as if a part of it was missing. There was a strange silence, only broken by her footsteps. No. There were more footprints. More than just hers. She soon realized she was not alone out here after all. She quickly glanced at the others who were approaching the route as well. Thankfully, they didn't appear too dangerous. Just teens around her age.

Soon, she noticed a dark figure off to the side, observing them. Whoever the person was, they seemed considerably more threatening than anyone else around. Perhaps this person was the mysterious Bastion? She wanted to approach the stranger, but she was unsure if they were even related to the sender of that troublesome letter. Thankfully, there was no need to approach the strange figure. They do the approaching for her.

"Looks like you're all here."

From voice alone,Elise could tell the mysterious stranger was a woman. She could also tell that the woman had many other places she would rather be. The woman's hand emerged from her coat, pale and delicate. Elise simply stared at the hand, unsure of what to do.

"The Envelope please," growled the woman.

Elise jumped at the sound of her voice, then quickly grabbed the letter from her purse. She handed her letter over, in embarrassment. The other teens handed over mint green letters as well. "I suppose I wasn't the only one chosen then," she thought, relieved at the fact she wasn't alone.

The woman removed her hood, determining that it was safe to reveal herself. Elise was surprised at her appearance. How could someone with such doll-like features have such a menacing air? It was unsettling. She did not want to look the woman in the eyes.

"Listen, I have no idea what He was thinking. If it was up to me I would have never chose you lot. Who needs a bunch of foolish kids getting in our way? Whatever. He's the boss so I guess I am stuck with you."

That certainly didn't ease her nerves. However, her attention soon became focused on the briefcase that was being opened. There was a PokéBall for everyone of the teens present, among other things. She gazed at them in wonder. Which one would be hers? What kind of Pokémon were inside? She wouldn't have to wait for long.

"Now, pay attention. My name is Seven. That's a code name - no questions, you will receive no answers. You will always address me as such. I will be the one who will watch over you on your journey. You will never see me. You will soon doubt that I am even there. My mission is simple; protect you and help you on your journey. You may think this is some fun trip to candyland and you can just take it easy and quit if it gets too hard. You're wrong."

Seven glared at them. Elise swallowed nervously.

"The moment you got here your whole life changed. No more carefree teenage days - you hear me? This is serious. The future of the Balance depends on your success. You cannot quit. You cannot go back home. Never forget that, or you will face the consequences. I am sure He explained that in the letter."

Seven handed the first PokéBall to the dark skinned boy.

"This is the most valuable thing in your life starting now. Never lose, forget, or mistreat your Pokémon. I don't except much from any of you. You could never understand."

She then distributed the other PokéBalls from the briefcase to each of the teens. Elise gripped the ball tightly once it was placed in her hands. There was a Pokémon in there. Her Pokémon.

Seven walked up to a few patches of tall grass. "Get to know your partner. Battle a simple Wild Pokémon. If you lose, this is where your Journey ends. Good Luck - you'll need it."

Only hesitating slightly, Elise opened up the PokéBall, to see what kind of creature was inside for her. A bright flash of energy was released from the ball, and formed the shape of a small bird on the ground. He looked up at his trainer with bright eyes, and chirped. "Pidgey!"

"Oh, a Pidgey?" It wasn't what she was expecting, but then again, she didn't really have any expectations to begin with. She was actually kind of glad she got a Pidgey, since they were supposed to be easy to train. It was much better than being stuck with a tough Pokémon.

"I'm Elise, and I'm going to be your trainer." She introduced herself to the Pokémon at her feet. It felt awkward just looking down at him, so she knelt down to be more at his level. "Now what should I call you," she asked herself. The Pidgey simply chirped and trotted along the ground, exploring his surroundings a bit.

"Hmm, it shouldn't be too silly, but not too fancy either. What would be a fitting name for a Pidgey? Swift? No, that's also the name of an attack, so that could possibly be confusing. Ace? Seems a bit generic…" Elsie was preoccupied with her thoughts, so the bored Pidgey decided to check out the tall grass a little bit.

"How about Chase," she asked aloud. "Is that good?" She looked for the Pidgey to see his response, but he was nowhere to be seen. She immediately panicked. "Oh no, I should have kept my eye on him, now he's probably far away or lost or-"

Luckily for her, he simply flew out of the patch of grass he was in. "Pidgey pid!" He beckoned Elise to come over where he was. She made her way over to him, only to find an irate Rattata staring right at her. She had never seen one this furious before. She gulped nervously.

Chase fluttered above the Rattata. He looked at Elsie, waiting for her first command. Of course, since this was her first Pokémon battle, she wasn't sure what to do, or even what moves the Pidgey knew. Still, she did have some basic knowledge.

"Chase, use Tackle! Yo do know it, right?" She knew that Tackle was a very common move, so she just guessed that he could use it.

"Pid!" Chase dove down towards the raging Rattata, who was trying to jump up and attack him, rather unsuccessfully. He rammed into it with a Tackle. The Rattata fell back, but didn't look too hurt from the attack. It charged forward to deliver its own Tackle.

"Look out!" Chase tried to dodge the attack, but the Rattata was quick, and managed to hit the Pidgey.

"Chase, use… something that isn't Tackle!" She had no idea what other moves he had, so she didn't even bother guessing. She just wanted the battle to be over quickly.

Chase was a bit confused at first, but went ahead and used his second move. He flapped his wings hard enough that the dirt from the ground got in the Rattata's eyes. It tried to Tackle once more, but he avoided it. "Oh, that must be Sand Attack," Elise said in realization. "Keep using it!"

Chase continued his barrage of sand on the disgruntled Pokémon, who's attacks were much more inaccurate. Still, he managed to get another tackle to hit Chase.

"Okay, switch back to Tackling it!" She was starting to feel more confident. Pokémon battles weren't as difficult as she pictured them to be.

Chase easily landed another two Tackles on the Rattata, but it still wasn't giving up. It had a lot of guts for a little rodent. With a burst of speed, it crashed into the Pidgey with its Quick Attack. It was stronger than the other move, and he was visibly more worn out than earlier. However, he didn't seem to care about that, he still had enough energy left to finish the fight. With one final Tackle, he knocked the Rattata down and out.

"You did it! We did it!" She chanted excitedly. It was a while since Elise had felt this way. Who knew one could get such pleasure and excitement out of Pokémon battles? Perhaps becoming a trainer was a good idea? Sure, the suspicious Seven was a rather unsettling character, and the possible dangers ahead were nothing to laugh at. However, at the moment, it certainly felt a lot better than expected.

(Sorry if the ending is a little rushed, but I was trying to finish before I left for the weekend. ^^')

Chapter 1: Part 1a

OOC: First of 3 posts I will make (unless I just edit this one). I wanted to at least put something down. I scrapped my first plan so this was a far as I got. 11 hour work days are a killer. Expect much more in my next two posts.

Thomas Bartholomew Lakeland

It is the start of…something.

The absurdity of the situation that the young man found himself in struck as clear as a church bell on Sunday morning. In the six days that it took him to travel to Pallet Town, most of his thoughts were focus on what he was leaving behind, what would be left for him when he returned, and other matters from the past. Rarely had the young man's mind drifted to thoughts of what this journey would be like or how important the task was that he being entrusted with completing? Not to mention the fact that he didn't even know the first thing about raising a pokemon. What was he doing here? Surely this Bastion knew about his lack of knowledge. Why would this apparently well-informed man make such a terrible decision? Thomas rounded a corner in the road. Pallet Town was in sight. He was almost there. He wanted to turn back. His foot paused mid step and dangled uncertainly in the air. Shoe hit dirt. The young man pushed forward.

The man's calloused right hand played idly with the second to top button of a thick, red, plaid, long-sleeve shirt. He has nervous. He had been nervous since he left home. He had been nervous for most of his life. It was a surprise that any of his shirts had a second button anymore. Meagan was about the only thing that seemed to get him over his nervousness. He was confident around her. He was a leader around he. He made jokes, sang songs, played music, told stories, and even danced a bit around her. He was a man around her. Now…now he was quiet, awkward boy playing with a button. The young man/boy stopped again suddenly and looked at his surroundings curiously. Tall grasses littered the area around the road he was currently on. A few small hills and a handful of trees gave character to the otherwise dull landscape. It struck Thomas as odd that his journey would start in such a well-known and well-traveled place. It struck Thomas as odd that this well-known and well-traveled place was so…empty.

Thomas stood still in the middle of the road as a soft breeze flowed around him. The idea of him being in the wrong place briefly crossed his mind as he looked around for any sign of life. Was he actually supposed to meet this Bastion in Pallet Town? No, no. The letter said Route 1. Nothing more, nothing less. They have to be around here somewhere. Thomas was about to turn around and search further back when he caught some moment from the corner of his eye. A person covered in black stood off to the side of the road in an area that Thomas could have sworn he looked over at least twice. Running his left hand through his hair, Thomas made his way over to the black clad individual. He shoved both hands into his pocket upon reaching his destination in order to not look like a complete nervous wreck. Thomas just hoped that this mysterious individual could offer some answers.

Before he knew, Thomas found himself surrounded by other trainers: a tall, lanky, white haired girl, another girl whose hair covered one of her eyes, which only seemed to bring out the color of her viewable emerald eye, a pale skinny boy, and a short brown haired girl with glasses. Different faces from different place, and they all seemed to be here for the exact same reason. There had been no mention in the letter about having to travel with other people. Thomas realized his right hand was playing with the button on his shirt again. It took more effort than before to return it to his pocket. You're only nervous because you've convinced yourself that you should be nervous around people. It is a habit just like playing with your button. The only way to break a habit is to do the opposite. Be confident. You have more to offer people than you could ever a imagine. Meagan's words sang through his head. Thomas took a deep breath and calmed down a bit. The figure, who revealed herself to be a rather stunning lady, was talking. She wasn't Bastion, but she, or Seven as she preferred to be called, seemed to hold large a lot of information. He couldn't afford to miss what she was saying.

Supposedly, Route 1 was the place of beginnings, where all new trainers passed through. Yet here it was, bare and deserted. Hell, it was tough not to imagine a tumbleweed rolling across the scene. One might wonder if Oak had moved out- God knows he's the only reason anyone would go to that backwater town at the other end. Standing to the north, near the entrance to Viridian, a rough-looking young man scratched his stubble with his right hand, as he examined one last time the green letter in his left. He snickered to himself, his yellowed teeth peeking out of his dry, cracked lips, which were twisted into a mocking smirk. What amused him was the line 'the Balance is in your hands'. The boy joked to himself, muttering under his breath more out of habit than anything, despite the desolation, "Who's this guy think 'e is, Obi-Wan Kenobi? Heh. Wh'ever, free stuff's free stuff."

Recomposing himself into a demeanor almost inoffensive to look at, William stuffed the letter unceremoniously back into his pocket, immediately shooting to attention at the sign of some movement down the way. Seeing some people were gathering, the young man ran up to one of the little ledges of the twisting path down, hopping into the air and landing on the next level down. He ran across the second way, and repeated this maneuver on the next ledge. Once on the same level, William walked silently up to the gathering trainers, trying to blend into the background and watching everything suspiciously. Almost as soon as he had arrived, a woman in a black coat started walking up to them.

"Looks like you are all here."

While the woman talked, William examined the others gathered there. Another smirk curled across the young Garret's mouth. This Bastion guy sure did know how to pick hands in which to place 'the Balance'. Dreadlocks guy was the only one who looked like he could handle himself in a fight. The tall girl must have had some kind of pigment deficiency in her hair, because it was white as snow. The next girl down the line had some emo-bangs going on. Finally, there were two nerdy-looking kids.

Will quickly turned back to the black coat woman as she snapped at them about the envelopes. Will obediently handed it over, crumpled from its place in his small jacket pocket. Dropping his smirk as the woman seemed to examine them, he crossed his arms and waited for the next instructions.

"Listen, I have no idea what He was thinking. If it was up to me I would have never chose you lot. Who needs a bunch of foolish kids getting in our way? Whatever. He's the boss so I guess I am stuck with you."

Now this woman sounded like she knew what she was doing, unlike Mr. Bastion Kenobi, as Will had taken to referring to the mysterious benefactor in his head.

"My name is Seven. That's a code name - no questions, you will receive no answers. You will always address me as such. I will be the one who will watch over you on your journey. You will never see me. You will soon doubt that I am even there. My mission is simple; protect you and help you on your journey. You may think this is some fun trip to candyland and you can just take it easy and quit if it gets too hard. You're wrong. The moment you got here your whole life changed. No more carefree teenage days - you hear me? This is serious. The future of the Balance-" there was that Kenobi talk again "-depends on your success. You cannot quit. You cannot go back home. Never forget that, or you will face the consequences. I am sure He explained that in the letter."

At this point, Will was starting to wonder if this was a good idea. Apparently they'd be being watched, so running off with the package would be made... difficult. Seemed he wasn't being given much choice but to stay now, though. Maybe he could take her down, she was pretty small. Then again, weapons could be easily concealed in that coat. Best not to take too many chances. For now.

"This is the most valuable thing in your life starting now. Never lose, forget, or mistreat your Pokémon."

The woman had presented a Pokeball to the dreadlocks guy. Finally, they were getting some loot out of this. Waiting his turn, William accepted the Pokeball and examined it. He'd 'obtained' a few Pokeballs in his life, but only empty ones from PokéMarts. Trying to steal a trainer's Pokemon was just asking for it to beat the crap out of you.

"Get to know your partner. Battle a simple Wild Pokémon. If you lose, this is where your Journey ends. Good Luck - you'll need it."

It seemed they were being left to their own devices, for the moment. Walking over nearer to some tall grass, William tossed the ball in the air like he had seen trainers do, sending out the creature. The small, lizard-like creature materialized, looking up at William through its skull-helmet and twirling around the bone it carried in an attempt to show off. Running a hand through his hair, William got it caught on a knot and yanked it out, pulling out a few hairs with it. The young man flicked the hairs off onto the ground and addressed the Pokemon, "Not bad, ya look like ya c'n 'andle y'self. Don't s'pose ya got a name yet, huh?" The Cubone shook its head. "How 'bout we call ya Chuck, then? Simple 'n easy t' remember."

The Pokemon didn't seem particularly fond of the name, and pounded the ground with its club in disapproval, wanting something more impressive. Will just smirked again, "Fine, w' figure it out later." The young man walked over to the tall grass, glancing around and watching for any movement as the Cubone hurried over and walked ahead of him, trying to lead. It was looking back to see if Will was watching, when the trainer used a foot to push the Pokemon over, out of the way of a lunging Rattata that had jumped out of a bit of tall grass.

"Pick up the slack, w' got trouble," the boy remarked coldly, the Cubone getting into a combat stance, hoping to impress everyone. Across from the two, the Rattata was preparing to lunge again.

OOC: Alright. I will have the battle portion up soon...like sometime tomorrow.

Thomas Bartholomew Lakeland

Thomas stood frozen with his newly acquired pokémon sitting uncomfortably in his hand. The pokeball was cold and foreign. It was heavy. It was real. For the first time since leaving home, the stark realization of what was happening hit the young man. He was now responsible for the care and upbringing of life. This wasn't the joyful adventure he had heard eleven and twelve year old children talking so enthusiastically about. It was terrifying. What if something went wrong? What if the pokémon got sick? What if it died? He didn't know anything about pokémon, and now one of the creatures was depending solely on him to survive. I barely feel qualified to travel by myself across the word, much less care, protect, and train a pokémon along the way. Why the hell do people let twelve year olds do this? The words of Seven were drumming louder and louder in his head.
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The meeting was starting off well enough. Simple and short introduction. Proof of identity was required. Thomas dropped his letter twice in the process of trying to hand it over, but managed to not stutter like a fool. Granted, he didn't say anything either. Satisfied that everyone there was supposed to be there, the mysterious stranger revealed themselves to be a women. A very stunning and beautiful women with the most serious and unamused eyes Thomas had every seen. A Rose Thomas thought thankfully to himself. Beautiful to behold, but requires care when handling. I'd best avoid the thorns around this one.

"Listen, I have no idea what He was thinking. If it was up to me I would have never chose you lot. Who needs a bunch of foolish kids getting in our way? Whatever. He's the boss so I guess I am stuck with you."
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The pokeball felt heavier than before. Part of Thomas wanted to through the blasted thing back into the briefcase and leave right then and there. Surely they could find someone else to take his place and his pokémon. His breathes were becoming more frequent and less filling. He had to calm down. Passing out was not the way to make a first impression. Impression? Why did he care about impressions? He was leaving right? Right…
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You may think this is some fun trip to candyland, and you can just take it easy and quit if it gets too hard. You're wrong. The moment you got here your whole life changed. No more carefree teenage days - you hear me? This is serious. The future of the Balance depends on your success. You cannot quit. You cannot go back home. Never forget that, or you will face the consequences. I am sure He explained that in the letter."
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****!

That was more or less Thomas thought process upon hearing Seven's words. When did pokémon become so serious? And why were eleven and twelve year olds being sent out into the world if the very balance of the world could possible rest on their ability to train pokémon. Calming down didn't seem to be an option anymore. The Balance? Consequences? Never returning home. It took everything Thomas had to not crumble to the ground and throw-up the food from the morning. This was all too much. Sure, Thomas was aware the journey he had been asked to take was important, but it was just delivering a message. How serious could it be? Well, apparently serious enough to involve pretty threatening consequences. And what would happen if they failed. What was at stake? Money? Power? Lives…Life? Surely this was a job for more professional trainers. The pokeball might as well have been on fire for all the effort it was taking Thomas to not drop it and run. The journey hadn't started yet. He would just hand the pokeball back to Seven and leave. It was the right thing to do. He had no place here…
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"This is the most valuable thing in your life starting now. Never lose, forget, or mistreat your Pokémon."
------------------------------

Thomas couldn't honestly tell you why he accepted the pokeball from Seven. To be completely honest, he had already come up with ten excuses of why not he wouldn't be able to participate in this journey of insanity. He was already planning his trip home. Yet when Seven's hand reached out the pokeball to him, he found his own hand waiting like a starving child being offer bread. As soon as the red and white ball touched his hand the young man realized his mistake. It was like fire in his hand, but he couldn't find the strength to let it go. He was determined to let it burn him. Nervousness and shyness kept him from saying what he was screaming in his mind, Take it back! I don't want it! I just want to be home with Meagan!

It was Seven's words that changed everything. This pokémon, whatever it was, was to be the most important thing in his life now. She said them directly to him. Thomas didn't doubt that she wanted all the new trainers to hear those words, but she had meant them for him. yhey was meant to bring home the seriousness of the journey ahead of them and how important their partnership with their pokémon would be. For Thomas however, the statement cut deeper than intend. Or maybe it was intended to do exactly what it did. Bastion seemed to know enough about him. Who is to say he didn't pass that information along to their ghost of a shepherd. But all of that was second in Thomas's mind compared to the one name that kept repeating, Meagan…Meagan…Meagan.

Meagan would always be the most important thing to Thomas. Her safely would always be his first priority. The young man didn't know what this Balance was, but Seven and Bastion both seemed convinced that it was a big enough risk that they recruited a special group to take care of it. Thomas was still unsure whether he would actually be able to succeed, but he could live with failure. He couldn't live with not even trying. Especially if it resulted in any harm coming to Meagan.

The rest of Seven's words were lost to Thomas. His feet moved by themself, his head nodded in response on its own. The next conscience moment the young man had, he found himself in the tall grass slightly separated from the other trainers. By the sounds he heard ringing around him, some of them were already trying out their pokémon's battling skills. Battling was the furthest thing in the young man's mind at the moment. The thought of releasing his pokémon into the world was both terrifying and slightly exciting. Did Thomas just feel excited about a pokémon?


A quick shake and his head was clear. He needed to focus on a more important matter. How was he, a person with an extremely limited knowledge of pokémon, going to figure out how…how…how to release his pokémon? Did he just throw the thing? Was there a voice command or something? Rolling the ball in his hand, Thomas noticed a small button like protrusion that seemed to hold the device together. Haha, it is time to begin a journey of great importance. And like all journeys of great importance, this one will start by pressing a button. Taking a breath, Thomas pressed the button and hoped for the best.

"Vulpix"

The small creature that now sat before him might have been the cutest thing he had ever seen. A beautiful rust colored pelt covered the creature. It took the moment to scratch one of its foxlike ears with it back paw. Thomas noticed the cream color underbelly of the creature (He also noticed that the pokémon was a girl). Satisfied that the itch was gone, the pokémon stood on all four of her paws and shook herself. The orange bangs on her head shook slightly with the effort. However, it was hard to notice anything other than the pokémon's marvelous tails. The six tails that the creature sported were absolutely beautiful. The young man found himself slightly mesmerized.

The small foxlike pokémon ignored Thomas for the moment, seeming to be more interested with the nature that surrounded her. The pokémon closed her brown pupil-less eyes, lifted her foxlike nose up, and sniffed the air for a few seconds before reopening her eyes and releasing a timid but happy, "Vulpix!"

The young man breathed a sigh of relief as he took a slow and small step towards the creature. He was about to speak to the cute pokémon, but the creature noticed him. Before he could say anything the happy creature lost her calm demeanor and entered into her flight/fright response. she bonded to the left one step, changed her mind, turned quickly, and dashed to the right towards the nearest clump of grass.

Not the best start to our partnership, Thomas thought as he quickly lowered himself to one knee in the hopes of making himself look less intimidating. The poor pokémon probably thought him to be some predator out to get her. The small foxlike pokémon had done her best to hide behind a nearby clump of grass. Unfortunately, her wonderful tails made it quiet hard to completely hide. Moving slowly and cautiously, Thomas made his way closer to his new partner. At about three steps away, the young man stopped to analyze the situation. The small pokémon was behind some grass with her face to the ground and her backend in the air. Her paws were placed firmly over each eye and the rest of her body was shivering. Thomas was going to need a way to ease the creature's nerves, but he was afraid to say anything for fear of causing the pokémon to run. What was he going to do…Food!

Reaching into his backpack, the young man pulled out some of his leftover jerky. He wasn't positive, but Thomas had a pretty good guess that the foxlike creature would like meat. As slowly as possible, the young man place the jerky as close to the pokémon as he was willing to risk. Pulling his hand back, he risked a word. "Hey there girl," he said as softly as he could with the doubt in his mind that the creature could even understand him. "I have some food for you. I know you have to be hunger. Or at least I hope you are."

Despite his awkwardness, Thomas seemed to at least be calming the pokémon down. No longer shaking, the foxlike creature slowly uncovered her eyes. She held eye contact for a moment. Something in Thomas moved. He didn't know what. A strong sense of protection came over him. Nothing was going to harm the pokémon in front of him. Not without going through him first. The pokémon's eyes now went to the jerky on the ground. Moving slowly, the pokémon moved from behind the grass and made her way to the food. As she got close she stopped. Lowering her head, the pokémon sniffed the jerky a couple of times. Pulling back, she began pawing at it to see if it would attack back. Thomas found it hard not to laugh at the creature's behavior. Finally, satisfied that it was safe, the pokémon took the jerky in her mouth. Chewing. Swallowing. Smiling. "Vulpix."

Thomas breathed a sigh of relief. As he was about to make his next move however (actually touching the creature), something in the grass caught his attention. It was running towards them. No, not running. It was…slithering!

"Ekanssssssss!"

Pallet Town, after a good day's worth of sitting on a boat crossing the sea, the budding young trainer finally arrived at her destination. But there was no grand entrance or welcoming committee, the whole village was deserted. Nobody outside, no young Trainers that were eagerly awaiting their new journey.
"What in the world went on in this place.." Alexandra muttered to herself as she walked past the abandoned homes towards Route 1.

As she saw the gathering of youngsters like herself further down the road, she perked up, at least someone was still around. As she met up with the rest, she was greeted with only a few nods of recognition and introduction, no words were spoken as the others also seemed fairly uncertain of things to come.
A few moments after, the hooded person that had been standing to the side approaches them

"Looks like you're all here"

Came the definitely feminine voice from under the hood as she walked past each of them collecting the envelopes, her temper seemingly getting shorter every time she had to repeat herself to get the green envelopes from them. As she reached Alexandra, the girl mistakenly offered the woman a different one first before getting the right one from her jacket.
"Oops.." `Great start Lex.. you oaf ' Lexia berated herself as the woman stepped back and pulled her hood off, revealing her rather surprising figure.

"Listen, I have no idea what He was thinking. If it was up to me I would have never chose you lot. Who needs a bunch of foolish kids getting in our way? Whatever. He's the boss so I guess I am stuck with you."

So this Bastion figure was this woman's boss. Made sense when she thought about it, why else wouldn't he have shown up himself. Though the way this woman talked didn't make Lexia like her a lot either.

Now, pay attention. My name is Seven. That's a code name - no questions, you will receive no answers. You will always address me as such."
So not even a normal name either. Clever, yet disturbing
"I will be the one who will watch over you on your journey. You will never see me. You will soon doubt that I am even there. My mission is simple; protect you and help you on your journey. You may think this is some fun trip to candyland and you can just take it easy and quit if it gets too hard. You're wrong."
For just a fraction of a second, Alexandra thought of speaking out against the woman, but quickly decided not to. This Seven person most likely had a much better idea what was going on then she and her fellow 'trainers' could even think of.

"The moment you got here your whole life changed. No more carefree teenage days - you hear me? This is serious. The future of the Balance depends on your success. You cannot quit. You cannot go back home. Never forget that, or you will face the consequences. I am sure He explained that in the letter."
`Balance? What is she talking about? Bastion mentioned a similar thing, but I wanna bet none of us have a clue with they mean.. And since when did Pokemon become such serious buisness.'
As Seven handed out the Pokeballs, Alexandra smiled a little to herself as she took the one she was offered and nodded lightly towards the woman who stoically kept going down the line.

"This is the most valuable thing in your life starting now. Never lose, forget, or mistreat your Pokémon. I don't expect much from any of you. You could never understand."
`So.. the journey finally begins and she expects us to instantly fail. Now that's a reassuring thought.. Does she know something that we don't? '

Alexandra judged the Pokeball she held in her hand, it's weight never changed so she couldn't tell anything from that fact. The fact that is was a normal Pokeball didn't eliminate many choices either, though she knew it wasn't caught in the Safari Zone.
She left the group and walked to one of the more secluded patches of tall grass that were surrounding their area.
"Now, let's see what I've got." Alexandra smiled as she forced the Pokeball open and waited for the stream of plasma to settle into a shape.

"Spina!" The green furred spider lifted it's many-socketed eyes and looked at the person that had released him. Alexandra looked down with a mixture of disbelief, disgust and astonishment.
"A... Spinarak... " She sighed heavilly and sat down with her back to a tree. "What kind of a sick joke is this?.. He must've seen that I hate Poison types.. and what does he give me, a frigging spider!" Alexandra groaned as the Spinarak was slowly chittering closer to her. She looked at the green spider and sighed again.

"Look, first thing's first.. I don't like your kind of Pokemon, Poison types disgust me." The black face-like stripes on the Spinarak's back drooped. "But since we're apparently going to be stuck with eachother, it'd be better for us both if we just keep this relation strictly business, okay?" The face changed from disappointment into confusion, causing Alexandra to sigh once more. "I mean, we battle, we win, you get fed. Better?" "Spin! The face changed again to a much happier look as the Spinarak launched a string of web and hugged itself on Alexandra's leg.

"Heeyyy! Get off!!!" Shaking her leg violently to get the unwanted hitchhiker to let go, the two were disturbed by a rustling in the grass as two large brown ears stuck out. "Sentret? Sen?"
"Cool, that must be a Sentret.. I suppose it heard me and came out to investigate. Okay.. let's see what you're made of, little spider."

(( Battle report will follow later ))

The Rattata and Cubone were staring each other down from a few feet apart, each daring the other to try and act first. William would have to think fast, not knowing the small lizard's capabilities. He tried to recall if he had ever seen a trainer battle with one before, "Cubone, ya know Bone Club?" He asked, it being the only one he immediately remembered. The Pokemon glanced up at him in confusion, and the Rattata took the opening, ramming face-first into the Cubone's chest and knocking it back.

"Forget fo'malities. Hit 'im with whatever ya got," William commanded, getting into a ready stance in case he needed to interfere. After all, this wasn't a trainer fight, this was the wild. And in the wild, there are no rules. As the Rattata charged forward at Cubone again, the lizard hopped to its feet and kicked the rat in the face in the same motion, using its bone to maintain balance. Cubone went to follow up with a second kick, but missed the retreating opponent.

As soon as the Rattata recovered, it was suddenly a blur, crashing into Cubone and knocking it back into a tree. Cubone got up and tried to intimidate the Rattata with a growl. It seemed to back off a bit, but also readied itself to attack if threatened further. Watching this all with eyes flitting between the combatants, Will then turned his attention to the surroundings, and how they could be used to give a further advantage. Spotting a broken trunk of a young tree on the ground, William moved towards it.

The Rattata was running at Cubone again, and was blocked by the bone club, which rebounded back and knocked into the Cubone's skull helmet, leaving it a bit disoriented. The Rattata was about to follow up with a Quick Attack, when it was forced to dodge a flying chunk of wood, thrown by Will. The opening was enough for Cubone to get in another Double Kick, hitting the rat in the side and sending it rolling along the ground. The wild Pokemon struggled to its feet.

"Finish 'im with anotha' kick!" shouted the new trainer, feeling the excitement of victory. Will may have celebrated too soon, however, as the Cubone missed widely and was left off-balance. As Cubone fell backwards, the Rattata rushed past where it had been with Quick Attack. Unable to curb its speed, the wild Pokemon crashed face first into a tree and knocked itself out. Will snapped his fingers, "Hah!"

Cubone jumped to its feet and threw a fist into the air in victory. It walked over to its trainer and stood in front of him, pounding its chest proudly with one arm. Will nodded, "Did good, 'specially f' our first fight. Lesse how th'others 'r doin'." Will walked over to one of the ledges and sat down on it, observing the other battles taking place and scratching his face and thinking on a name for the Pokemon. Cubone hopped up into his lap, now all the more confident that it was the best.

OOC: Please give Thomas a pokedex soon. This is getting painful to right. My character needs google.

Thomas Bartholomew Lakeland

Everyone has a trigger. A trigger being an event that starts a course of action that not even the bullet, or person in this case, can control or stop. It is, in a sense, a completely necessary loss of control. A moment when emotion and reason cannot act fast enough. Instinct is the only option in that moment. The most important and dangerous part of this process is something that is decided way before the trigger has even been pulled. Aim. You see. There is no choice in instinct. Instinct is simply the direction the bullet will fly once the trigger has been pulled. By the time one realizes their instincts are off the mark it is too late to correct. Now it is possible for the instinct to change during mid flight. Unfortunately, this usually involves much pain and collateral damage. That leaves just the target and the aim. The target is the desired outcome. The clarity and certainty of the target really depends on how much warning is given before the trigger is pulled. Being married with two children in 10 years and being alive five seconds from now are both valid targets depending on the quickness of the trigger. And then there is aim. Aim depends on many factors, but I won't bore you with all of them. For now, let's just say that aim is life. A person's life is their aim. Every event and decision in a person's life effects their aim, whether they realize it or not. That is why Thomas's course of action was surprisingly unsurprising.

"Ekanssssssss!"

It took Thomas a second to realize that he was already moving forward. It took him two to see that the snakelike pokémon had lunged towards him and his new pokémon. It took him three to complete his forward roll with the foxlike pokémon wrapped safely, if not completely terrified, in his arms. Four seconds…four seconds and he felt the slight pain in his shoulder. A wound? No…just a scratch and nothing more. Probably from the roll. Pain shot through his hand. Teeth. His pokémon was biting him.

"Ow! Stop that and look in front of you!" the young man shouted while doing his best to hold on to the struggling pokémon. Seven seconds and the foxlike pokémon was still, other than the slight tremble it had developed. Or was that himself. Regardless, she was no longer biting his hand. He would just assume for the moment that his new partner had caught a glimpse of the creature staring back at them.

The purple pokémon swayed back and forth displaying its yellow band and underbelly in a strangely beautiful way. Its yellow eyes stared unflinching at the small pokémon in Thomas's hand as its yellow tail rattled hypnotically with each sway. It was waiting for something. What did it want? Thomas looked down at the foxlike pokémon in his arms. The creature could not seem to keep her eyes from starting back at the snake in front of them. Her trembling had increased. Battling was not an option. Thomas didn't even know how to battle pokémon, not to mention that his only pokémon seemed too terrified to even walk at the moment. No…he was going to have to find another way out of this situation. The foxlike pokémon stopped shivering…not good…

Thomas realized that he had been ignoring the danger that stood(…sat…swayed?) in front of him. Quickly the young man looked to see if the snake was moving to attack. He breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted the creature in the same place. Although something about the pokémon seemed different. Its eyes were…they were…

What's…what's going on? I can't move! Thomas was screaming at his body, but it refused to response. His pupils stared, refusing to divert, at the snakes glowing eyes. The snake was moving. Thomas struggled to no avail. He could still feel a slight tremble in his arms. His mind race with what to do, but no answers came. The snake was still moving. Closer and closer it came. It was at his feet. The pokémon in his arms trembled again. He had to protect her. He couldn't let this snake that was wrapping itself around his chest win. This pokémon was the most important thing to him now.

"Never again," he hissed through his teeth. "Never again!" Power returned to the young man's arms as he quickly dropped his new pokémon to the ground moments before the snakelike pokémon began to constrict. Arms were pinned against chest but his pokémon was free. Thomas attempted to break the pokémon's grip, but his arms were still feeling the effects of whatever the snake had done to him. He was going to need some help or to get creative. As the snake grip tightened, Thomas looked to find his pokémon. He didn't have to look far. She was sitting right where he dropped her, paws over her eyes. Probably not his best bet. Creativity it would have to be.

The snakelike pokémon seemed content with the amount of constriction it had put on Thomas. Its head had now slowly lifted from behind the young man and rested on his right shoulder. "Ekanssssssss." Thomas felt the creatures tongue flick against his neck. He didn't know if pokémon would kill a human, but he didn't intend on being the proof. Without any better ideas, the young man took the only course of action he could think of. He fell backwards. Aiming his right shoulder to the ground, the young man prayed that the creature would rather release its grip than allow its head to be smashed against the ground. His prayer was answered. Right as he was about to reach the ground, Thomas felt the snakes grip loosen.

As shoulder connected with ground, pain shot through the young man's upper body. He ignored it and rolled to the right trying to cause the creature as much pain as possible with the weight of his body. The plan worked again. Not wanting to be rolled over again, the snake completely released Thomas and moved away from the large trainer with a rather irritated look on its face. Thomas struggled to his feet while trying his best to catch his breath. He quickly spotted his pokémon out of the corner of his eye and moved to position himself between her and the snakelike pokémon.

"You doing good, girl?" He hoped his voice was offering as least a little comfort to the small pokémon. "Don't you worry about anything, alright? I'll take care of this snake, and we can be on our way. That sound good to you?" Thomas risked a look back at the small pokémon and offered a smile. He noticed that the foxlike pokémon no longer had her eyes covered. She was staring timidly up at him. Turning his attention forward, Thomas focused his mind on a more important matter. How was he going to win a pokémon battle with a pokémon that seemed too scared to fight?

The snakelike pokémon in front of him hissed in annoyance. Thomas couldn't really blame the creature. Thomas was exactly the lightest person in the world. Regardless, understanding the pokémon wasn't going to solve his problem. He needed to figure out a way to end this fight quickly. First thing I'm doing after this is figuring out how exactly to battle a pokémon. I feel that I'm getting a bit too involved at the moment.

The snakelike moved quickly while Thomas was still thinking to himself. It slithered quickly to the right and disappeared into the grass. The young man was taken off guard by the pokémon's sudden retreat. He had expected things to be a bit more difficult than that. Whatever the reason, the snake was gone and his pokémon was safe. Turning to the foxlike pokémon that sat a few feet behind him, Thomas offered the small creature another smile. "What did I tell you, girl. Nothing is going to happen to you. You are safe as long as you're wi…." It was very faint, but the sound of moving grass gave Thomas the second he needed to react. The young man was already diving toward his pokémon as the snakelike creature dove back out of the grass with its poisoned fangs ready to deliver a nasty bite. A second later and the snake would have reached its target. A second earlier and Thomas might have been bitten instead. The second was just right. Thomas's hand clamped down right behind the snakes head, and his momentum kept the snake from reaching its intended bite victim.

The next moment, the young man was lying on his back with a rather angry snake being held in his hands desperately trying to avoid being bitten. One strike. Too high. Two strikes. Thankfully to the right. Third strike. Good thing hair doesn't feel pain. Fourth strike…why did it stop? The creature was just staring… Oh, ****! Too late. Thomas felt his arms loosing strength. Unable to keep them up, both of the young man's hands fell to his side. He wasn't going to be able to dodge or prevent the next attack. He couldn't defend himself. The snake reared its head back and prepared to strike. The creature started forward…and stopped. Heat…no fire! Five small bolts of fire struck the snake directly in the face and abdomen and sent it backwards off of Thomas's chest. The next moment, something else took its place. Six wonderfully warm tails gave him a clue as to what had saved him. Regaining control, Thomas sat up slightly, and searched for the snakelike pokémon and spotted it a short distance in front of him. Its face was badly burned, and one of its eyes seemed to have been damaged pretty badly. Giving one last angry, "Ekansssss," the creature disappeared back into the grass. Thomas had a feeling that it wasn't going to come back any time soon.

"Vulpix" The owner of the voice was much less timid than before. Thomas looked down at the creature that sat on his chest looking up at him with brown pupil-less eyes. "I told you everything was going to be okay," the young man said with a hint of humor and a smile on his face. A warm tongue left his nose slightly wet. Thomas's smile broadened as he stood up with the foxlike pokémon in his arms.

"I'm going to have to give you a name now aren't I," the young man said with a bit more excitement in his voice than an hour before. "Vulpix," the creature spoke in agreement.

"Well it is good to see that you have the ability to warm up to people…get it…because you shoot fire…eh…you right, that was stupid. I better not say that in front of people. Let's see if we can find the others. I'll try to think of a good name for you in the meantime. Come on, girl. A terrible serious mission with an extreme amount of pressure awaits."

"Okay let's see.." Alexandra said to herself as she raked through her brain in order to find some proper attack moves for the Spinarak. "Man, this is harder then I remember it to be.. Ah, got it!" While she had been thinking aloud, the Sentret hadn't moved or attacked. Apparently it was content with just standing on it's tail and observing the human and her Spinarak.

"Well, since you love being attached to something, use String Shot!" "Spin!" The spider chattered slowly as a string of sticky webs shot out of it's mouth and towards the Sentret. As the silk was flying, the squirrel-like Pokemon landed and rolled itself into a ball, causing the web to attach itself on the now rolled-up Sentret.
"Damnit, that didn't go as planned.. Okay.. Pull him towards you and use Bite!" The face-marks on the back of her Spinarak turned into a look of confusion, but the little spider started to pull anyway. "Spi… Spina…." There was no budging the ball, either it was too heavy to pull, or the spider had not enough power.

"Urgh.. what now.." Alexandra sighed a little as she sat looked up towards the canopy. She knew that Spinaraks had some Poison type attacks in their arsenal, but she definitely didn't want to resort to using one.
The spider was still pulling and getting more and more upset that the Sentret wasn't moving. After several more attempts, it cut the webs with the pincers and fired off several dark purple needles towards the balled-up Sentret.
"Wait!... oh damnit.." Alexandra groaned as she recognized the needles as a Poison Sting attack. Luckily for her, it didn't seem to do too much damage to the Sentret and also didn't inflict a Poisoned state. The squirrel-type Pokemon uncurled after letting out several squeaks of pain and quickly scurried away, apparently not interested in a battle.

"Spina! Spinarak!" The spider chattered happily, the markings on it's back changing into a very happy face as it walked back to it's Trainer. Alexandra sighed a little as she took her Pokeball back out and the red beam engulfed her Spinarak, sending it back into it's Pokeball. "We need to have a chat at some point." She sighed as she walked back towards the rest of the group.