The Whirl Cup (T)

[{Swan}]

If I'm not mistaken there's one Totodile that's still open is it not? If so I'd like to reserve it please.

[Breezy.]

@drunk: Great character! Just let me know when you finish off the rp sample.

@Swan: You are correct, the last Totodile is up for grabs and now reserved for you :D

Since four out of the six available Pokemon are already taken, the first chapter will be up in maybe a day or two? Depending on how quickly drunk and Swan get their su's done and dusted. Once the OOC thread goes up, could everyone please post their accepted SU's in it? Just so you can keep track of Pokemon you may acquire and their stats and what not. The OOC thread will also be where I'll post the various choices that may arise for your characters to make. Once we get past the start, not everyone will be following the same path. There's eight gyms in Johto but you only need five badges for the Whirl Cup. Again, if anyone has any questions, please feel free to let me know.

[drunk ¬_¬]

DONE! Let me know what you think :D

Spoiler:

Name: Leon Reed

Gender: Male

Age: 19

History:

Leon was born in Cianwood City, Johto. His father worked as a Lab Assistant with the local professor, Prof. Bowen and studied the Pokémon of the Safari Zone. As a result, Leon managed to visit the Safari Zone plenty of times, and grew very fond and knowledgeable of the rare species of Pokémon. As he approached his tenth year, Prof. Bowen sent a letter to Prof. Elm asking that he may allow Leon a starter Pokémon and Pokémon Trainer license. Prof. Elm, however, turned down the request, claiming that his government grants had been cut in half since the surge of "modern jobs" and that therefore he wouldn't have a Pokémon or PokéDex for Leon. Later that year, they would come to learn the true magnitude of this statement, as former government investors shut down their own research.

Out of a job, Leon's father turned to fishing, and at first he did okay. He only had to worry about feeding one kid, his wife and himself, but pretty soon there were more fishermen than buyers in the Cianwood coast, and with declining tourism Leon's family decided to move, to the capital of "modernism", Goldenrod City. There, both of his parents were forced to take up office jobs, and Leon found himself alone a lot of the time. Before, he'd been used to learning math in the morning with his dad, spending the rest of the day with his mom, going to the beach to "hunt for Krabbys" or to hang out with his friends. Then he would spend the weekends at the Safari Zone with his dad, and sometimes Uncle Bowen too; but now…

He didn't know anyone in Goldenrod. He lived in a poor neighborhood, and not being a particularly physical specimen, he was intimidated by many of the hood's kids. He thought he'd make friends when school started, his dad had said he'd enroll him in a Pokémon Academy, but the city could be so expensive to live in, that that soon stopped being a possibility. As such, he found his only refuge from danger or loneliness in the local library. He could become so engrossed in books sometimes, that he'd spend the entire day there; then again, he was always home before dark. He particularly liked reading mythology; any mythology really, Pokémon myths as well as ancient and foreign myths. He always thought of the monsters in Classical Greek mythology as fantastical foreign Pokémon that he just yearned to one day see.

At the age of sixteen he decided to get a job in the library, started saving up some money for himself, and rotting every day in the same damn building. He became frail, he became absent-minded, his usually tanned skin had turned completely pale, and as he grew, he grew thinner and thinner. Although his parents were always home at night, and they had dinner together as a family, he grew distant, and his parents seemed almost strangers. Books, that was his only escape from his miserable life, to awe at the power of the gods of mythology, to cast himself to be the protagonist of a novel, or the hero of an epic. He read of legendary Pokémon masters who made a name for themselves by saving the regions from a given predicament, and yearned that one day they could write a book of him. He wished that he could make a name for himself as a Trainer and become a Pokémon Master… how sweet that would be. And then one day, his opportunity was there. He held up the poster he'd been asked to post on the library door, and saw it… The Whirl Cup!

Personality:

Even when young, Leon has always been very intelligent, however, he never went to a formal school, being homeschooled in math and versed in Pokémon by his dad. As a young boy in Cianwood City, Leon was always a very cheerful kid, he very rarely got into arguments with his mom, and absolutely idolized his dad, as well as Prof. Bowen for how much they knew about Pokémon. He had an easy time making friends and was also athletic, but most of that changed after moving to Goldenrod City. Leon's family lives in a rather poor neighborhood due to his father's lack of wallet size in an inflating economy, and the kids there aren't quite as nice as the Cianwood islanders, or even the tourists. Aware that there are several gangs in the area, and absolutely petrified of them due to his small frame, Leon always keep a low profile, and doesn't loiter in the street for too long. However, even though he's become highly introverted, and physically weak and frail, the new-found possibility of becoming a Pokémon trainer has given him the determination that he can make his life worthy of a book!

Appearance:

Leon's most characteristic trait is that he's redheaded. Well, his hair color is actually more of a strawberry blonde color, but he won't be the one to tell you that! His eyes are amber-colored, and he has light freckles on his nose. Since he spends most of his time reading, his lack of physical activity and contact with the sun have turned him prone to disease, physically weak, and of very pale skin color. Leon is also very skinny; although he stands at 5'10" he scarcely lifts the scale to 150 pounds. Thus, he finds himself wearing thick long-sleeved shirts almost year long, since he's pretty damn sensitive to the cold.

Starter Species: Totodile

Nickname: Typhon

RP Sample:

Spoiler:

Dear Mr. Reed,
We regret to inform you that you will not be able to participate in this version of The Whirl Cup. Although we received a lot of interest from would-be trainers in the region, we will not able to accommodate all applicants with a starter. We're deeply sorry for this, and hope that you'll consider applying for next year's competition.

Our deepest apologies,
The Whirl Cup Committee

Leon must've read the letter ten times over, maybe more. How could this happen? Why him? He'd waited for so many years, almost ten now, and although he'd seen a light of hope here, it was now gone.

The nineteen year old didn't eat, sleep or read for the next couple of days following the letter. Countless times he'd sat down and begun to write an appeal letter, only to be reduced to tears. How could the world be so cruel?

His parents, although aware of their son's disappointment, couldn't offer much comfort, and obligated to work their respective office jobs, didn't spend much time with him at all. Slowly, depression started to grab a hold of Leon.

A week later, he found himself back in the library, organizing stacks of books.

"How come you didn't come to work last week?" Julia asked. Julia was a girl of seventeen, Leon's coworker. She was a small girl with curly, brunette hair and deep blue eyes, and although she seemed to be more than fond of the man, he was utterly oblivious to her advances.

"No reason." He sulked.

"Yeah right." She sneered. "They would've fired you if there really was no reason." She was right, although their boss didn't know the reason for Leon's absence, he had asked for a week off, and that had been granted to him. "Come on, just tell me," she continued, "I'll keep it a secret if you want me to" she finished with a wink.

Leon sighed. "There's no point…"

"So what?!" Julia asked becoming exasperated. "Come on Leon, talk to me. You know how dreadful this place can be when you're not here."

Leon looked for a way out, but in the end gave up and gave in. "Have you heard about the new Pokémon competition? The Whirl Cup?" Of course she had, everybody had. After she nodded, he continued to explain what had happened…

By the end of the story, Leon was once again on the brink of tears, and although he knew there was nothing to do about it, Julia listened, and offered comfort and a shoulder to cry on, and once again Leon felt human. But little did he know that his life was about to change…

Another week had passed, and Julia was about to finish cleaning up for opening hour when Leon barged in radiating happiness. He rushed over to his coworker and best friend and when he caught up with her, hugged her, picking her up and twirling her around before showering her cheeks in kisses. Flustered, Julia asked him to put her down. "What this about?!" she demanded, face red as a Tamato.

Grinning widely, Leon showed her a piece of paper. "A letter of resignation?" she asked, not understanding.

"I was accepted!" He exclaimed.

"Accepted?" Julia was still confused. "Accepted to what? Did you apply to school or something?"

"No." Leon responded. "No, no, no. Here, check this out!" He said pulling out a piece of paper:

Leon Reed:
It is my pleasure to inform you that you will be able to participate in this year's Whirl Cup. A number of applicants have had to withdraw from the competition, and your application was the lucky one to be picked up! Please send me a letter informing if you'll be able to participate after all, if you answer positively, I'll expect to see you at my Lab in Olivine City at the date of the start of competition. I look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,
Prof. Woods

"Good." Julia said finally, although with a solemn tone.

"Good? It's great!" Leon demanded, wondering why Julia didn't share his rejoice.

"So you'll leave me here… alone?" she asked instead.

Leon could sense that something was wrong, but didn't care to find out what it was. "Julia. I've waited for this opportunity for ten years!" Exasperated at his coworker's silence, he went on: "I'm giving this to the boss right now, Julia, next time you see me, I'll be the Pokémon Champion; please understand, this is my dream."

"Good then. Now make space, I need to finish cleaning."

Julia's mood was ruining Leon's day. "Fine. If you won't be happy for me, I'll be happy enough for both of us. I'm turning this in; I leave for Olivine tomorrow. Will I see you before then?"

Julia averted his eyes. "I have to write like three essays for school, so no." Leon frowned, but turned around and headed to the boss's office. "Good luck." He heard her say, but he didn't notice the crack in her voice… or the tear running down the cheek where he'd kissed her.

---

Leon was awestruck when he finally reached Olivine City. The taxi ride had been long, but he had scarcely slept the night before and he ended up sleeping most of the way there. Although the city wasn't noteworthy in Leon's eyes, he didn't want to miss a single detail of it, not knowing what lay ahead here in the near future; the start of his very own Pokémon journey.

[Red's Hawt Chibi Pelippers]

Originally Posted by Breezy.

@drunk: Great character! Just let me know when you finish off the rp sample. :)

@Swan: You are correct, the last Totodile is up for grabs and now reserved for you :D

Since four out of the six available Pokemon are already taken, the first chapter will be up in maybe a day or two? Depending on how quickly drunk and Swan get their su's done and dusted. Once the OOC thread goes up, could everyone please post their accepted SU's in it? Just so you can keep track of Pokemon you may acquire and their stats and what not. The OOC thread will also be where I'll post the various choices that may arise for your characters to make. Once we get past the start, not everyone will be following the same path. There's eight gyms in Johto but you only need five badges for the Whirl Cup. Again, if anyone has any questions, please feel free to let me know.

I'll be gone over the weekend, just a heads up :( But I'll be able to post today and after sunday :)

[Breezy.]

@drunk: Awesome stuff! You are of course accepted!

I think we may get started.. I will get round to posting the first chapter later on this evening hopefully!

[Red's Hawt Chibi Pelippers]

You do so! I'm ready now :3

[Fuyu]

We is all ready that is the last time I likely will use such poor grammar

[RyanRoksXD]

I edited my SU, and I noticed the RP had already begun. Is it too late?

[Breezy.]

Originally Posted by RyanRoksXD

I edited my SU, and I noticed the RP had already begun. Is it too late?

Thanks for the heads up! You are all good to go. I've got you down for the female Totodile, is that alright with you?
Which means the last male Totodile is available.

Chapter 1: The Road to Johto!

Posts: 1-2

This is it. The day has finally arrived. For you, as one of the chosen participants of Professor Woods, you must be pretty excited. There'll be free gifts all around, I'm sure. The most important gift of the day however will most certainly be the small beating heart that currently lays within a shiny red and white Pokeball. All over the Johto region, at specifically chosen locations, budding trainers will be lining up, shaking hands with their respective Professors and being handed out one of those small hearts. Only three different species were made available to participants - for the trainers chosen by Professor Woods, it turned out to be a choice of either Totodile, Chikorita or Cyndaquil. Surely you've made your choice already? It'll be first in, first served unfortunately so you better hurry up!

Location: Olivine City - The Port with Sea Breezes
It is in the outskirts of the city that Professor Woods built her laboratory. Close to the beach, the smell of the salty sea is undeniable outside the front door. With the sky as clear as day, the ocean reflects the hot sun's rays, twinking in the distance at you if you stare at the looming ocean even for a second. It is an easy ten minute walk and an even shorter distance on bicycle from the city center but definitely worth it for this sort of experience!

To Do List:

Meet with the Professor and Jasmine, gym leader of Olivine City Gym (Jasmine will be the last gym leader you will face.)

Register and receive your I.D card (Useful if you want to check in at Pokemon Centers, use the computer storage system, register for the Whirl Cup after gaining badges etc)

Receive your Pokemon/information regarding the Whirl Cup/Who's that Pokemon (a free complimentary guidebook on the differing species of Pokemon)/5 x Pokeballs/Map of the region

Main Event: First Battle!
Each trainer will pit their newly acquried partner Pokemon against another trainer's. These rookie trainers you will be facing are local trainers to Olivine City. They've specifically joined onlookers who have arrived at the lab to see what kind of Pokemon each of the Whirl Cup hopefulls would receive, in the hopes of challenging each of the participants to a battle. They think they've got the one up on you all - but do they really?
Important note: You can choose either to win or lose your battle against the rookie trainer. Your win or defeat should correctly reflect your characters prior abilities as a trainer and their personality. For example, a character who has doubts about him/herself's battling ability will not win this battle. But I'm leaving the choice up to you.

Palcks

Spoiler:

vs. Rookie Trainer Grant (Krabby)
Grant is the youngest of the group of rookies. He's lived his whole short life in Olivine City, hardly ever travelling anywhere. He attends the local Pokemon tech school and despite his age, Grant has extensive knowledge on Krabby and it's evolutionary form Kingler, along with how best to use Krabby's abilities in battle. It may be wise to consult your guidebook if your character has limited knowledge on water types!

First Snow

Spoiler:

vs. Rookie Trainer Adam (Krabby, Rattata)
Adam is also a youngster of the group of rookies. He only recently caught his Rattata, starting out, like Grant, with a Krabby. He's spent most of his young life aboard a small fishing boat his father operates out of the Olivine Port, which specialises in capturing water type Pokemon suitable for people who want a Pokemon. He's still pretty unsure about his Rattata's abilities but is confident when it comes to partnering up with his Krabby.

RyanroksXD

Spoiler:

Totodile 1 vs. Rookie Trainer Luana (Vulpix)
Luana is the most experienced rookie trainer of this group. Having come from a decently wealthy family who made their money in the fishing industry around Olivine, she was gifted her Vulpix. As a student of the Pokemon Tech, she has been confidently working on enhancing Vulpix's abilities, especially when it comes to trying out her fire type attacks such as Ember. Her younger brother, Marrick, also attends the Pokemon Tech (see Marrick's bio).

Totodile 2

Spoiler:

vs. Rookie Trainer Marrick (Meowth)
Marrick is the younger brother of Luana (see Luana's bio). He comes across much more reserved and quiet than his older sister but that doesn't stop him from excelling in battle class. His Meowth however is still rather young itself, wanting to play around with Marrick a lot rather than battle. This won't stop him from trying however, he knows that his Pokemon is young and makes allowances for him as he enjoys spending time with his Pokemon.

Fuyu

Spoiler:

vs. Rookie Trainer Isis (Oddish)
Isis grew up surrounded by the woods of the Lake of Rage in Mahogany Town. Her Oddish was captured and gifted to her by her older brother who was one of the few people to become a trainer from this generation. Whilst her forte isn't really battling (she's fascinated by the idea of contests), she's the type of girl who will give most things a good go. She's won most of her battles too which gives her a bit of incentive to continue on. Isis is very good friends with Luka.

Red's Hawt Chibi Pelippers

Spoiler:

Cyndaquil 2 vs. Rookie Trainer Luka (Caterpie, Weedle)
Luka is your average bug catcher. Bugs this, bugs that, you name a bug type, chances are he'll have thought of it before the words even came out of your mouth. He loves his Caterpie and Weedle dearly and continues to train and battle with them in the hopes that they will soon evolve. (Special Task: During your battle with Luka, his Caterpie must evolve into Metapod, so that you face off against this evolved form.)

Outcome: Be ready to begin your adventure! There's lots of things to purchase if you haven't already and reading the guide book and information given to you would probably be a good idea..

EDIT: LOOK AT THE OOC THREAD FOR EXTRA INFO.. :D

[RyanRoksXD]

Ok, I edited my SU . Is the RP still open?

[Red's Hawt Chibi Pelippers]

chapter one - The Road To Johto (part I)
Simon Silvester, Professor Woods' Lab

When Simon entered the lab, the salty smell of the ocean outside didn't fade away. It was almost as if it grew stronger. Woods sure had an unfitting name... she should be called professor Seashell or something. Simon snickered to himself, before entering the room at the end of the bright corridor he had been walking through and seeing two people stand chatting. Being from Olivine, he recognized both of them, even if he knew none. Professor Woods and... Jasmine, the gym leader. Simon didn't flinch, but his eyebrows unintentionally flew up a little. He had always found her cute, even if she was a lot older than him.

"And who do we have here?" the professor said as Simon approached them.

"Simon. Simon Silvester," he said casually and then saw that the professor stretched out her hand to greet him. He sighed inwards but took her hand. Better be polite around fine people, he told himself.

"Yes, I know you! You are one of the Whirl Cup contestants, no?" the professor said enthusiastically. "You've come to register, I suppose."

"Yeah," Simon said, and noticed that Jasmine smiled softly towards him.

The professor registered him and handed him an ID-card, explaining how it was useful around Johto for a trainer. Simon couldn't help glancing at Jasmine though, and only half listened to what the professor said.

"And here's your guidebook on Johto and the Whirl cup, some extra pokéballs as well as a map... Simon?" the professor said when she noticed his lack of attention.

"Aren't you one of the gym leaders I'm supposed to fight?" he asked Jasmine directly.

She blinked. "That is true," she answered and looked into his eyes.

Professor Woods flapped her arms. "Iiiii don't think that's a good idea just yet. Jasmine is a very strong gym leader, you see! You'll have no chance against her yet."

"Oh," Simon simply said and looked down at the items the professor had handed him instead. "Hey... am I not supposed to get a pokémon?"

The professor smiled and Jasmine nodded. "Yes," Woods said. "Absolutely. The pokémon we have in store for you are right this way."

He followed the professor through another corridor, until they came to a back yard. There, six pokémon seemed to be playing or lazying around. They looked rather cool, Simon found himself thinking. They looked interesting... powerful almost. Even though they were so small. Especially a pokémon looking like a little ball of fur piqued his interest. Suddenly, flames erupted from its back! And it yawned. Then the flames were gone again.

"You can choose any one you'd like!" the professor said. Jasmine watched the boy closely as he walked up to the little ball of fur and picked it up. The two beings blinked at each other for a second before the ball of fur yawned again and let out a puff of smoke from its back.

"This one," he simply said.

"Great choice! It's Cyndaquil, a male one. He's quite the lax type, but if you train him hard, he'll be super strong!" the professor cheered. Simon couldn't help thinking that she treated him like a 5 year old instead of a 16 year old.

"That's it, then?" he asked, giving the prof a bored look.

"Um, yes that is it. You are now on your way to become the master of Johto!"

"Swell," Simon said and walked past the girls, straight out from the garden. "See you later, Jasmine," he said and gave her a little smile that made her eyebrows rise. "Cyndaquil, you coming?"

The pokémon started taking a few steps after the boy, but then stopped, looking a bit confused.

"You'll have to have its pokéball, otherwise it won't trust you," the professor said. "Here."

She handed him the red and white sphere while Cyndaquil was watching. That seemed to convince it. It instantly walked up to its trainer and looked like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Remember that these pokémon have been trained to belong to someone," Jasmine suddenly said. "Wild pokémon might not trust you that quickly."

Simon nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. And you..." he looked down at his new partner in crime. Not that he'd make any more crimes now... he had to get out of Olivine and then he would feel a bit lighter for sure. "You can't go around and have me calling you Cyndaquil. That would be like you calling me Human. You'll be... Cinder."

The professor frowned. "That's a cute name, but not very original-"

"I'm not very original," Simon simply said, and walked off, down the hill in the morning sunlight, Cinder following him blindly.

[RyanRoksXD]

Ryan entered the lab, and took in every aspect of it. This place was ginormous, and the outside definitely did not do the inside any justice. Everyone was busy, running around and completing strange tasks that didn't make any sense to him. He shrugged and kept walking. Ryan had been in the lab so long that he didn't even notice that he passed Professor Woods, she being dressed in a lab coat as well as everyone else in this god forsaken labyrinth. If this strange woman in flashy clothing hadn't been standing next to her he would have walked right on by.

"Hi, um, I'm ready to receive my pokemon?" Ryan said, his cheeks flustered.

"Very well then." Professor Woods smiled, obviously very enthusiastic about the Whirl Cup. "My name is----"

"Professor Woods, I know. Ever since I got the letter I have been researching constantly" Ryan said, grinning like a mad man.

"Well then, somebody is going to have an edge in this competition" She smiled. "Well then, you must know that you have to receive-----"

"At least 5 badges before you can apply for the Whirl Cup, and to register you have to be between the ages of 15 and 19. Well I'm 15 and I'm ready to go" Ryan interrupted rather rudely. But Ryan had been waiting for this opportunity for so long that it didn't really matter to him. Professor Woods also saw the excitement in his eyes.

"Obviously you did study! Well, let me register you into the system and get you your I.D. card and I will be right with you." Professor Woods said quickly before disappearing around a corner.

"She sure is cheeky" Ryan said smiling.

"Sure is" The strange woman spoke for the fist time since he had entered the lab.

"Are the Jasmine, the gym leader!?" Ryan said, suddenly becoming starstruck.

"Yes, yes I am. Now don't get all crazy on me. I used to be like you, traveling throughout Johto, catching Pokemon, battling gym leaders." Jasmine said, obviously reminiscing about her travels.

"Well I've been waiting for this since I was 10, I think I'm ready" Ryan said smiling. Just as quickly as she left Professor Woods hurried into the room in which Jasmine and Ryan were in.

"Okay, here we are, your I.D." She said handing it to him. "Now, this will allow you to use the box system in the Pokemon Center, Check in at Pokemon Centers, Register for the Whirl Cup when you are ready, and obviously identify who you are. Now have a nice day." and she began walking away.

"WAIT! What about my pokemon!" Ryan yelled

"Oh my goodness I completely forgot, here let me lead you to them." She said as the walked down the hallway. They took so many lefts and rights and went up stairs then down some, it would have been impossible to get out if he were by himself.

"Here they are, these are the pokemon you can choose from" The room was filled with adorable pokemon running around, and jumping.

"Wow" Ryan said, as he walked towards them. He sat and just looked at them. Soon, a little totodile came over and headbutted his leg. "Hey there little cutie. He picked her up and petted her. "I think I'll take this one" He said, taking her pokeball. "I think Toti will be your name. Ummmm Professor, how do we get out?" He asked

"Well there's a door right in front of you leading out of this room and puts you straight on the path towards the first gym. Here are 5 pokeballs, enjoy your journey!" And ryan walked out of the door and onto the path.

[Breezy.]

Good posts guys! The portrayals of Professor Woods are both quite different :D

@Red's Hawt Chibi Pelippers: Simon received Cyndaquil!
@RyanroksXD: Ryan received Totodile!

[RyanRoksXD]

I'd like to think that her personality changes with the tides hahahaha (Or I prefer to imagine her as a happy person)

[Breezy.]

Originally Posted by RyanRoksXD

I'd like to think that her personality changes with the tides hahahaha (Or I prefer to imagine her as a happy person)

To prevent a messy thread, please do not post OOC here since the RP has already begun. Please take comments and queries to the OOC thread in the Roleplay lounge.

[Red's Hawt Chibi Pelippers]

chapter one - The Road To Johto (part II)
Simon Silvester, Olivine City

When Simon walked down the hill, he saw some people closing in on the lab. But they didn't look like kids wanting to get their first pokémon... some were already holding pokémon in their arms or walking alongside them. He recognized some kids... oh... they were people from downtown who had come to see the new trainers set off. Figures.

He realized that he'd have to walk through the forming crowd to get back to Olivine. "Come here, Cinder," he said and took up the little pokémon in his arms to not let it be scared of the other people. Not that it was unused to people... thinking about it, he didn't really know why he did such a thing. That wasn't really gangster-like, to carry a tiny pokémon in his arms... but he wasn't a gangster no more. Right.

"Hey, look!" someone shouted when he reached the crowd of people. "It's a new trainer with... a Cyndaquil!"

People came closer while Simon, looking quite bothered, only tried to get past them. Suddenly, a little guy stood right in his way with a bitter look. He didn't seem to want to move. Simon sighed and turned to walk around the guy, but the boy moved!

"What?" Simon said, annoyed.

"You shall battle me!" the boy said.

Simon blinked and looked down on Cinder. Battle? He was completely new to this... he knew how trainers gave commands to pokémon since he had seen it before, but he didn't know the pokémon's moves or anything... maybe that pokédex trinket knew that though?

"Look, kid... I don't have time for that," he said, to make things simple.

"I am Luka! The best bug catcher in town!" the boy shouted so the whole crowd turned to look. "I am a better trainer than you weak noobs from the professor's lab! Bugs are the best and she doesn't give out bug pokémon, I know that! You are too weak to handle bugs! I will show that!"

'I can't believe this guy,' Simon thought. 'Are all trainers like this?'

"Right..." he said, looking down on Cinder in the morning light. Cinder yawned a little and blinked up at him. "Think you can work with me and win our first battle?" its trainer asked.

"Cynda!" the pokémon said. Simon had no clue of what that meant. "I'll just take it as a yes," he said and let the pokémon down onto the ground.

"You have never battled before? You shall then fail your first attempt!" the bug catcher Luka said and took a few steps back.

"I just got my pokémon..." Simon mumbled. Stupid boy.

"Watch... this! Come out, Weedle!" Luka said a threw forth a pokéball. The ball bounced on the ground and then let out an energy beam that quickly transformed into a worm pokémon with a horn on its head. The pokéball automatically bounced back up into Luka's hand. Cool.

"Huh," Simon said and took up his pokédex. Might as well try to use it. He pressed some buttons and stood there reading for a few seconds...

"HEY!" Luka shouted. "What are you doing? Battle!"

"I'm reading up. I'm ready now," Simon said and let out a smug smile. "Cinder, use Smokescreen."

"Wait!" Luka said, but Cinder performed the attack. It lighted up the fire on its back and blew out a black cloud of smoke that covered the crowd, making everyone cough and no one see anything.

"Weedle, spray String Shot until you find him!" Luka's voice came.

Weedle started firing its String Shot, but the only ones it hit were people in the crowd. They started shouting bad things to Luka and he blushed a little. "Ok, bad tactics, I admit. Weedle, stop! Use Poison Sting instead!"

Weedle turned into a tiny question mark. Use it on what? It didn't see anything. Suddenly though, someone was standing right beside him. Weedle was startled.

"As I thought," Simon said, still smiling. "Cyndaquil can see through its own smoke." He was standing next to Cinder, who had found his way up to Weedle in the dark cloud. But the cloud was quickly blowing away now, making the air less dense for every second.

"Cinder, Tackle!" Simon said, and Cinder rammed into the bug pokémon before it had the chance to react. It tumbled around on the ground.

"No!" Luka said, seeing it as the battlefield was clear from smoke by now. But Weedle got up again, looking angry. "That's it! Use String Shot again now!"

Weedle sprayed its String Shot onto Cinder, who squealed as it got covered by the icky strings. Its movement was greatly restricted now, as the bug had bound its feet and arms.

"Hahahha!" Luka laughed meanly. "Now you can't go anywhere! Weedle, POISON STING!"

The crowd gasped as the bug quickly moved in on the fire mouse pokémon, and Simon clenched his teeth at Cinder's side. He couldn't help the pokémon by trying to grab the String Shots and pull them off him... fire mouse... but Cinder could get them off by himself!

"Lighten the fire on your back, Cinder!" Simon shouted, taking a few steps back. "Now!"

Cinder blinked in his usual way and then fired up his back, just as Weedle's sting was about to make impact. The fire burned away the String Shot, releasing the mouse pokémon, and as a double effect it also burned the bug pokémon, making it miss its target.

The crowd let out a breath and cheered at the new trainer as Cinder decided to use a final Tackle on his own accord. It knocked out the Weedle. Simon started smiling again, feeling smug indeed.

Angered, Luka returned the pokémon to its pokéball. "How did you know its attacks? How did you know about the fire on its back? You're a rookie!"

"This," Simon said and waved the pokédex in front of Luka. "I just read up a little on our pokémon."

"That's cheating!"

"No... that's knowledge, stupid."

Luka's face was turning red, for several reasons. "It's not over yet!" he said, the crowd raising their eyebrows. "You don't think a veteran trainer would have only one pokémon, did you?"

Simon wrinkled his nose. 'I wouldn't call him "veteran", really...' he thought. The boy sent out another worm looking pokémon that Simon's pokédex identified as Caterpie.

"You're in for a real battle now, rookie," Luka said, smiling.

"With another worm? Sure."

"Caterpie, String Shot!" Luka called, and the Caterpie obeyed.

"Don't try the same trick twice," Simon said. "Keep your back fired up, Cinder!"

Cinder nodded and intensed the fire sprouting from his back. The String Shots melted when they tried to twist around the pokémon's body. But all of a sudden, Cinder was hit by a Tackle! Simon was surprised.

"You can't even keep your eyes on several things at a time!" Luka laughed. "What a rookie!"

Cinder got up again, not hurt badly. "Tackle it back!" Simon said.

But just then, Caterpie started glowing. It seemed like it transformed into a state of energy... and then it took another shape and materialized. It had evolved into another pokémon!

Luka cheered, and the crowd applauded. "I knew you would evolve soon, Caterpie!... I mean, Metapod!"

Simon took up the pokédex again. Metapod... very difficult to hit because of its great defense. Dang.

"Metapod, use String Shot!"

"You're trying to use the second tactics again?" Simon said. "Cinder, Tackle! Charge and let the String Shots burn out on the way!"

Luka's smile faded a little as Cinder ran past the String Shots and tackled Metapod. But the bug pokémon didn't budge yet. "Again!" Simon called out. And Cinder attacked again. And again. And again...

Eventually, Cinder was tired. Simon could see it clearly, and Luka could as well. "Haha! Metapod's defense is so great that it has barely moved from its spot while your Cyndaquil has run all over the place tiring itself!"

Simon thought hard. Even if Metapod's defense was great, it had to had taken some damage, hadn't it? And Cyndaquil had one more attack up its sleeve...

"Cinder, now you'll have to be fast..." he said, making sure that Cinder listened even though it was tired. "Leer!"

Cinder sent an intense glance at Metapod that made it gasp and become nervous for a short moment. "What's the matter with you now?" Luka asked it. "You've nearly won!"

"Leer again!" Simon said, and Cinder made another even worse glance at the bug cocoon, who became even more nervous.

"Metapod?" Luka said, and then seemed to realize that Cinder was attacking it in a strange way.

"Now, Tackle!" Simon shouted and Cinder shot forward, trying to be as fast as it could.

"No! Harden!" Luka shouted desperately... but too late. Cinder made impact and Metapod had apparently lowered its defenses, because it was visibly hurt by this last Tackle. It fell over and didn't try to stand up again. It was over.

The crowd cheered even more than before and Luka, teeth clenched, moved up to Metapod and took it into his arms. He didn't look at Simon.

Simon was a bit overwhelmed. What had just happened? Had he been fighting a trainer? And... won? The crowd around him and the proud looking pokémon at his feet seemed to implicate so, anyways. He smiled a little. Cool.

"Hey, kid..." Simon said before Luka could turn away. "Thanks for battling me. I learned a lot, I think."

Luka met his eyes, rather bitter. "Sure," he just said and walked away. No wonder. That proud little kid had just been defeated after boasting a lot. That must have hurt. Simon shrugged and went down to Cinder's level. "You're quite good," he said to it. "Looks like you got a few bruises. Let's go to the pokémon center. I've heard they can heal you there."

He took Cinder in his arms again and carried it away from the hill and the people, who were still chatting about the intense battle they had just witnessed.

[RyanRoksXD]

Chapter One, Part 2: The Battle

Ryan happily walked out of the Pokemon Lab, in one hand his pokedex, in the other his Pokeball.

"Come on out Totodile!" Ryan said, as a beam of red light cascaded from the ball. The Totodile blinked a little bit, scratched its head, and then waddled over by Ryan's feet.

"Come on" Ryan said, as they walked down the path further.

"Now, what does the handbook say about you?" He said whipping out the trusty black machine.

Ryan took the book out of his bag and began to read. "A Big Jaw Pokémon. This alligator-like Pokémon stands on two legs. It has a small body but an impressive jaw that boasts potent bite power. It can do serious damage to someone even if it's just playing. Its tendency to chomp down on anything that moves in front of it means Trainers have to be extra cautious around it. When it levels up, it evolves into Croconaw."

"Wow, that's sure informative. One day we'll put that jaw to use." Ryan said smiling, and the Totodile crawled up Ryan and into his arms. Good thing he did too, because not too far ahead there was a group of trainers standing around.

"HEY YOU. YOU'RE MINE" A squeaky voice rang through the silence. A young girl ran forward. She had pink swirly pigtails and a red velvet dress. "I'm going to battle you, and I will wail against your little Totodile.

"Psh In your dreams" He retorted. "Totodile may look tiny, but shes incredibly strong!"

"We'll see about that" She grabbed a pokeball off of her belt. "Go Vulpix!" She threw the pokeball, and out of it appeared a little fox like pokemon. The pokeball flew back into the girls hand.

"I am Luana, and this is Vulpix. Prepare to lose." She said smirking.

Ryan whipped out his handbook once again and flipped through to find Vulpix.

"Vulpix, a Fire Type Fox Pokémon. Its six tails are extremely beautiful. As it evolves, it grows even more tails."

"Hahaha Fire Type, see thats what you're downfall is going to be Luana." Ryan said.

"Alright Totodile, start this off with----" Ryan began to say but Luana cut him off.

"VULPIX USE EMBER" Little bits of bright burning embers shot straight at Totodile, but Ryan saw them coming.

"Totodile use Watergun on the embers to create steam!" A burst of controlled water burst from Totodiles mouth and at the embers. Then Totodile disappeared within the steam.

"But, but, where did you go!" Luana shrieked.

"Totodile use scratch repeatedly!" Ryan screamed

"Oh no you dont." Luana smiled "Vulpix, use Tail Whip. The smoke quickly was blown away, but Totodile had gotten a few hits in.

"Totodile, use Leer!" Totodile glared at Vulpix, and Vulpix had no chance.

"Totodile use Water Gun!" A spout of water slammed right into Vulpix, leaving her very weakened.

"Its ok Vulpix, we can get through this. Use Roar and then ember!" The little Vulpix now seemed much more fierce then it previously had been as its Roar rang through the air. Then, ember shot through the air so powerful and at such a speed that Totodile had no time to dodge and it was a direct hit. The smoke cleared, and Totodile was still alright. The Ember, although powerful, had not done much damage.

"Alright lets end this now Totodile! Use Water Gun!" The Spout of water flew through the air and hit Vulpix, a direct hit. The smoke cleared and Vulpix was down for the count.

"But, but How! I'm top of my class at Pokemon Tech!" Luana said , tears coming to her eyes.

"This is the real world honey, not some classroom. Now lets get that Vulpix to a Pokemon Center." he said as they walked down the path.

[Fuyu]

Skarmory touched down on the sandy beach, allowing me to climb off his back with ease. A part of me wondered why Mother did not nickname her Pokemon; it seemed like her way of doing things normally. She nicknamed many things after all. Things, what a bizarre word that was. It seemed so vague. Putting the subject of words and their oddities out of my mind, I patted Skarmory's steely wings with a tiny smile. Skarmory made a coo like bells, the fierce look as adoring as ever. IT was hard to believe the Steel flier was so ferocious in battle.

"I may catch a Pokemon like you," I told her. She cooed again, nipping my ear as lightly as she dared. Skarmory was incredibly intelligent, not quite as smart as that odd one my father had from another region... Metagross? Was that what it was called? It certainly sounded right... regardless, the creature had the intelligence of four supercomputers. I stepped away from Skarmory now, letting her spread her wings and fly away from me. I bowed my head slightly and walked from the beach toward Olivine City. The salty air was strange yet gentle on my tongue. I passed a building not too far from the beach and paused. Perhaps this was the lab... it was the only actual building in the area.

I shook myself a bit nervously, hearing the sound of birds above my ears. "It will be all right Ryn," I said to myself. This was my only chance at receiving a Pokemon. So I had to stop worrying it and take a leap of faith as the stories say. I clutched the strap of my violin case for a moment and knocked on the door of the building, forcing a tight, wary smile onto my face. That was how it should be; friendly yet witholding judgment.

A woman dressed in white with brown pigtails opened the door. Something about her seemed rather regal and unbending, like a queen to battle. She smiled at me, trying to look me in the eyes despite my clear avoidance of the expression. I recognized her after a moment as Jasmine, the Olivine Gym Leader. "You're one of the new trainers," she began softly. "Aren't you?"

I nodded quietly. "Yes ma'am. My name is Coryn and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Jasmine."

The woman blinked for a moment before a slow smile passed over her face. "Nice to meet you too. Now the professor is waiting. Please come this way." I nodded obediently, nudging my backpack more. The professor was examining her Pokeballs carefully. She looked more toward a surfer stereotype than a professor, which made me relax a little more. Unfortunately I could not recall her name, causing me to hesitate in my speech. I am certain Father will be amused at that.

"I am sorry for interrupting you Miss..."

The woman looked up with a smile that if not kept in check would grow and brighten enough toe eclipse the sun. "Woods," she replied lightly, brushing her auburn hair away from her face. "Professor Woods. And you must be Coryn. Welcome to the world of Pokemon Training."

"Thank you," I replied quietly. She beckoned me forward and I went to the computer.

"This form is for your trainer card," she told me, stepping away. "I'll be back shortly with your Pokemon and essentials." The profesor left my vision and I focused on typing, making a few errors. I know the basics of a computer but I am not probably as efficient as I ought to be. She returned moments later with two small books, five shrunken spheres, and a small black handheld that had to be a Pokedex. She examined my form and nodded, printing my card for me to take.

"Now, here you are. You chose Cyndaquil, am I right?"

"Yes ma'am," I parroted and she chuckled a little, somehow amused by my formality instead of turned away.

"Then it's time for that wonderful moment: when trainer and Pokemon meet!" I could almost feel the contained excitement in her voice. She opened the ball and released the echidna, who shook itself, blue and cream-colored fur poofing with the movement. "Are you going to give this little guy a nickname?" I noted her looser emotions now and did smile.

"Yes, his name is Tory." The Cyndaquil looked around, evidently confused by who spoke. It settled its snout on me, sniffing a little, then trotted over, squealing curiously. "Hello there Tory," I greeted, letting him sniff my hand. He paused, squeaked and sniffed, then seemed to nod, trying to climb up my pant leg and failing. Almost chuckling, i picked him up with one arm, taking his POkeball from the professor. "Thank you so much," I told her sincerely.

She just beamed. "No problem! Everything's there for you. Good luck, have fun, and win it all!" I just shook my head and left the lab, nodding a farewell to Jasmine. I almost didn't want to leave the building. It was so peaceful...

(I AM NOT DEAD! Just busy! XD I'll add the battle to this post... unless Breezy beats me to it. :D)

[drunk ¬_¬]

The Road to Johto
Chapter 1, Part 1:

Leon stepped outside the taxi amidst a large crowd that had gathered outside Professor Woods' lab. He had to shield his eyes form the coastal sun, and flared his nostrils upon recognizing the smell of salt in the air. It's incredible how much your reaction to things can change once your body gets used or unaccustomed to them.

Shouldering his way through the large horde of onlookers, Leon stepped up to the door only to double back and retrieve the backpack he'd left in the cab before walking into the lab. He noticed he had clammy hands even though the air felt fresh, and his clumsiness also gave away the level of his nervousness. Although he attempted to walk in solemn and dignified, it is hard to hide one's expectations after waiting a whole decade for this time.

Inside, Professor Woods and Jasmine cut short their conversation, looking up at the future Pokémon trainer.

"Umm… Hi." Leon started as he felt a knot of nerves forming in his throat. "My name is Leon; Leon Reed. I'm, uh, here because of the Whirl Cup?" He noticed that his final statement sounded more like question than, well, a statement, but at this point what could he do about that? If only he had the power to 'soft reset' life…

"Mr. Reed! Of course, we've been expecting you!" The lady with the white lab coat began as she got up. "Please, do follow me."

Leon nodded and did as he was bid, and he was led towards a garden, where a group of Pokémon were prancing about "These are the Pokémon starters that will be available for you to pick." She started to explain, "They're all rare Pokémon native to Johto. There's Chikorita, the leaf Pokémon and the big jaw Pokémon Totodile. Unfortunately, other trainers have already taken the two Cyndaquils I had, but please, pick whichever you prefer." At this point, Prof. Woods stepped to the side, allowing Leon to step up.

Leon was fascinated by the Pokémon, they all looked so… excited, and they'd come up trying to impress the trainer, probably to be picked next. Leon did notice that there was only one Totodile left, as opposed to the Chikoritas, but to be honest, he had never been good with Grass-types… allergies.

Swiftly, Leon pointed towards the blue reptile. "I'll take that one." He said convincingly. Prof. Woods only seemed to nod as she gave him the Poké Ball that belonged to the Water-type.

"Press that button in order to recall it. Have you thought of a nickname for him?"

Leon looked at the professor a bit puzzled. "We only just met." He stated, scratching his head.

"Of course, you'll want to get to know him. Please." She continued as she led him back into the lab. "You'll have to fill this form for your trainer I.D." She also brought out and gave him a pamphlet with details concerning the Whirl Cup and a guidebook of Pokémon, as well as five Poké Balls. But as soon as Leon thought he was finally ready to leave…

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Prof. Woods said as she bid halt to the new trainer. "This is Jasmine. You may be familiar with her, she's the Olivine City Gym Leader."

Leon turned around, facing the Gym Leader. Meeting women had always been sort of complicated for Leon, being shy as he was, but standing there, facing the Olivine Gym Leader eye-to-eye. Even her beauty couldn't faze him. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He said rather blandly.

"The pleasure's all mine." Jasmine retorted with a smile.

"I aim to become the first Whirl Cup Pokémon Champion. If I haven't obtained five badges by the time we meet, well, you'll have to forgive me then."

Leon turned and walked off. Somehow, he knew he wanted nothing to do conversing with a Gym Leader; they'd be his obstacles soon enough. Wherever the courage came to tell her off like that, however… that he didn't know.

[Breezy.]

@Red's Hawt Chibi Pelippers: Weak noobs from the professor's lab > I laughed so hard hahahahaaha. Good progress, great battle! Cinder learnt Ember!

@RyanRoksXD: Your battle with Luana was a bit on the short side but you made up for it by using Totodile's attacks effectively in battle, that was good to see. Totodile learnt Rage!

@Fuyu: I was wondering where you had got to :D Great post! Coryn received a Cyndaquil!

@Drunk: Yay! More posts! That was great, Leon received a Totodile!

[First Snow]

Chapter 1 Part 1

I was inside the little cottage that sat on top of the beach. It was a lab. Many machines flashed their multicolor lights in my face as if they were trying to say: “Ha, we’re machines! We are totally better than you!” This was assuming that computers and other machines could live, breathe, feel emotion, and communicate without all the zeroes and ones.

Prof. Wood was a short little girl. She was unnaturally thin and this coupled with her shortness made it hard to believe that she was an adult. Her large eyes tired eyes were covered by her thin glasses and her hair was in a messy bun. Her choice of clothes were a thin strapped top, shorts, nonslip water shoes, and over her top was a lab coat.

When she had first opened her door, she was studying me slightly. She opened her mouth and started, “And you are?”, but then she stopped and looked at the box and the envelop I was holding and then ushered me inside. I walked in and she led me further into the cottage/lab. There were a lot of tables, machines, and computers. There was an array of clipboards hanging on the wall as well. One thing, no someone, had caught my eye and struck fear into my body.

It was Jasmine, the gym leader of Olivine.

She didn’t remember me did she? She won’t remind me of my failure? Would she call me out that it was my fault that all my pokemon died because of my stupidity and overconfidence?

She stayed silent, thank goodness.

“Here’s your chocolate,” I said trying to fill the silence and handing her the box of chocolate, “Oh and my uncle game me this envelope to give to you.”

Prof. Wood had stared at the box and the envelope. She gave the box to Jasmine and then she opened the envelope. I turned around and planned to walk out of the lab, but I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Tristan, you can’t leave yet,” Prof. Wood said.

I turned around, “Why?”

There was silence that signaled in tension to fill the room, “You have to receive your pokemon for the World Cup.”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“You need to receive your pokemon for the Whirl Cup,” She replied slowly, knowing she was treading on dangerous waters.

“No,” I mumbled before I broke into a sprint towards the door. I grabbed the knob and tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Fear was running through my body as I tried to shake the door open, “Let me out!”

“Please let me out!” I screamed once more.

“Calm down Tristan,” Prof. Wood told me.

“I never signed up for this,” I muttered weakly, “Please let me out.”

“I know you didn’t,” Prof. Wood revealed, “your parents and I arranged this.”

The world froze.

“What?”

“Your fathers told me of your situation,” Prof. Wood explained, “They were very worried and they thought this would be the best for you. I happen to agree.”

Something hit me.

“That’s how you know my name?”

Prof. Wood looked down in response.

“Then you know the gist of it. You know why you have to let me go,” I responded to her silence, “If… if one of these pokemon are to be in my care then… they’ll die.”
Silence.

“I’ll kill them…” I muttered.

“You will not!” It was Jasmine, the first thing she said when I seen her here.
I shook my head.

“It was just a mistake and everyone learns from mistakes,” Jasmine explained.

“I killed them how is that a mistake?!” I cried, falling to my knees, “Spare the others and let me leave!”

“I can’t do that,” Prof. Wood, “If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for your fathers. They love and care about you. Do it for them.”

”They shouldn’t even…” I stopped before forcing out a different response, “Fine…”

“Good,” Prof. Wood nodded. She reached into her coat pocket and held an id card and five pokeballs, “You’ll need these.”

She left them by my feet and then went to the back off the cottage. She came back and then said, “Your parents sent your back of supplies over.”

She handed me my old messenger bag and then held out a guide book, “The rules of the cup force me to give this to you even if you’re experienced.”

She placed this on the floor, waiting for me to put everything in my bag. I didn’t and she continued with a sigh.

“And here’s your starter,” She said. She plucked a pokeball from her pocket and pressed the tiny button in the middle. The ball expanded and then spat up a white light which unveiled to be a Chikorita, one of the known starter pokemon in Johto.

The Chikorita looked at me curiously at my defeated state. I didn’t look back. The Chikorita got close to me and then nudge me with its head. I didn’t look at it or get happier. The pokemon nudged again and again until it got me to look at her with my empty eyes.

“This is the only available starter I have left,” Prof. Wood said and then handed me the letter I gave her, “This’ll explain the rules you should read them.”

I left hours later with a Chikorita by my side.

[Breezy.]

To those who have posted already, I wasn't sure whether to address this or not since two of you have included it in your posts, but Professor Woods did not give you a Pokedex. She gave you a guidebook. A book. Non-electronic. A book to flick through that has information on the various Pokemon you may encounter. Please edit your posts and please read all the information that is given before sitting down to write your post.

@First Snow: A dramatic start, the poor guy. Good post! Tristan received Chikorita.

[drunk ¬_¬]

The Road to Johto
Chapter 1, Part 2:

As Leon walked away from Prof. Woods' Lab, he began to feel a low rumbling and pain in his stomach; it was sort of like the Butterfrees, but he would have more likely called them Beedrills; angry Beedrills.

Why did he say that to Jasmine? Couldn't he have just complimented her hair, or her dress, or the way she smelled? Leon had to look down and think about something else to get rid of the sudden redness on his face.

As he turned around, he noticed that some of the people who'd gathered at the foot of the lab had begun to follow him. 'What do they want?' He thought to himself helplessly. But he decided to ignore them and continue walking straight, south, towards the beach. Why the beach? Oh yeah, Cianwood. He hadn't been home in over eight years. He hadn't even seen the island in that lapse of time.

Leon took off his shoes, walked toward the shoreline, took a deep breath of the salty breeze, and let the waves wash his feet. As he glimpsed off into the ocean, he could make out the outline of the Whirl Islands, and off to the west… Cianwood City. The nostalgia pushed a tear from his eye, which the wind kissed, moistening up his cheek. He thought of all the people he'd known, his friends, who were likely to be fishermen or Safari custodians by now… or was the Safari Zone even open still? Prof. Bowen, was he still living there, or had he moved elsewhere to continue his research? Leon seemed to remember him saying something along the lines of going to Kanto to the Pokémon Reserve. Leon also wondered if Chuck was even the Gym Leader anymore… eight years could be a long, long time. Finally however, the constant murmuring behind him got to his nerves, and he turned around. "What do y'all want?" He demanded.

Behind him, a group of kids had formed. Leon thought he recognized some from the lab, but he could tell more people had joined them on the way to the beach… and by people, he meant kids; he couldn't see anyone older than twelve in the group.

Nervously, one of the kids stepped forward from the group. Leon could hear the urging whispers behind him: "Go get him." "You got this." "Just do it."

The kid, who seemed to be the shortest of the group, was clutching a Poké Ball in his hands. "I ch-ch-challenge you!" He said as he managed to muster his words.

Leon could see the excitement of the crowd, but considering the nervousness of the kid, simply imagined they were bullying him into it. That, plus the fact that he had never actually battled Pokémon before, or even gotten to know his starter added up in his head for a rotund "No."

"What?" "Boo!" "What a joke!" "DO IT!!!" The kid was noticeably distraught at the answer, but it was all the jeering that was really pushing Leon's buttons. He tried to walk away, but the gang of children simply continued to follow him and insult him. SERIOUSLY. Leon didn't even know half of the insults they were using at their age. 'Freaking kids'.

…

"Okay!" Leon finally snapped, turning around similarly to how the jeering turned to cheering. "Let's do it." He said as he brought out his Poké Ball and released:

"Totodile!" His Pokémon seemed to be in high spirits, and kept jumping up and down while pedaling in the air and screaming his name.

Although by no means a physical specimen, even by Totodile standards, Leon's opponent seemed to lose even more of his battle confidence. "Come on Marrick!" the crowd started, "Battle!" "Yeah!" "Cool!" and "Ooh, you have no chance with your Pokémon."

…Honestly, the guiltless little goblins!

Finally, Marrick pressed the button in his Poké Ball, and pushed his hat back in an amazingly clichéd manner. "Go, Mr. Meow!"

"Meowth!" the Pokémon meowed upon coming out of the Poké Ball, looking to purr along his trainer's legs.

"Not now Mr. Meow," Marrick urged it. "It's battle time!"

Although the Pokémon didn't seem very excited at the prospect, it was neither Leon nor Marrick's place to stop the battle now… it had begun.

"Totodile, charge!"

"Tooo-to-to-to-to-to…" Totodile screamed, as he charged at the Meowth with an outheld hand, ready to scratch the ever-living snot out of him.

"You know what to do Mr. Meow…" Marrick yelled, and when Totodile had begun swinging at his Pokémon, the Meowth simply ducked under, and sweeped the legs from under Totodile, making the Water-type fall face forward and eat a handful of dirt. "Good Fake Out! Now Scratch him!" The Meowth did as he was bid, and dug his claws deep into Totodile's snout.

"To-to-to!" Leon's Pokémon screamed as he tried covering up.

"Get out of there Totodile!" Leon found himself screaming. Damn, he hadn't had time to ever train his Pokémon, and Marrick obviously knew how to handle his Meowth. However, Leon was knowledgeable about Water-types, and he did know the most basic of all Water-type attacks: "Keep your distance with a Water Gun!"

"To-toooo!" His Pokémon screamed as he lunged himself away, shooting several streams of water at his opponent. His aim was horrible, but he did hit the mark once or twice.

"Meowth!" Marrick's Pokémon screamed as it shook the water off and begun rolling in the beach sand.

The crowd's "oohs" and "aahs" kept becoming louder, but with every passing second, Leon became less and less aware of their presence. To him, the only people were Marrick and himself, and the only important thing in the world was the present battle.

"Come on Mr. Meow, close the distance and Bite him!" Meowth shot himself at the Water-type, but Leon would not allow that to happen…

"Don't let him Totodile! Use another Water Gun to keep him off!"

Totodile did as he was bid, and caught Meowth full-on in the mouth with a powerful stream of water, but the opposing Pokémon did not let up and caught Totodile with a couple of Scratches to the ribs.

"Good job, Mr. Meow, keep it up!"

"Don't let him Totodile…" and suddenly coming to a realization he said: "Buy me some time here!"

Totodile met Mr. Meow's claws mid-strike quickly with his own paws, and intertwining their fingers together, brought the battle to a sudden halt. Suddenly, the two Pokémon were trying to overpower the other with pure strength… a matchup that Totodile should've easily won.

"Don't let him get his way Mr. Meow! Use Growl!"

'Damn him!' Leon thought. Even though Marrick had looked extremely shy, and weak at first sight, this was quickly proving to be a too strong of a mismatch against a beginner like Leon. He had brought out his guidebook however, and right about now he was furiously flipping through the pages until he found what he'd been looking for… "Totodile! Use Leer!"

Totodile gave Mr. Meow a sort of glare with his eyes, but the Meowth's constant purring had somehow lowered his will to fight, and Mr. Meow easily overpowered him, shooting him backwards.

"Good job Mr. Meow! Now! Use Bite!"

The Meowth lunged himself at Totodile once more, mouth open and Leon knew that the time was now or never. "Totodile catch him with a Water Gun… NOW!"

Unfortunately, Marrick had been expecting that, and so had Mr. Meow. "Fall back Mr. Meow… and pounce again, NOW!"

Elegantly to a fault, Marrick's Meowth bent down avoiding the Water Gun just barely, and shot up once more at the Big Jaw Pokémon, catching the back of his neck in his jaws.

"Get him off of you Totodile, use Scratch!" Leon pleaded, but it was too late.

Totodile looked up towards his trainer helpless. "To… to…" and with a sigh drifted into unconsciousness. The match was over, Marrick had won.

[Breezy.]

@drunk: I thoroughly enjoyed your post, great job! Totodile learnt Rage

@Fuyu & First Snow: I'm posting the second chapter but just be aware you still have a battle to complete

Chapter 2: It All Comes Down To One Pokeball

Posts: 1-3

So, you've got your Pokemon huh? Congrats! You are now one step closer to becoming eligible to enter the Whirl Cup! Lets get things straight though, you've got a long road ahead of you. Firstly, badges are needed to enter the cup. The most logical choice is to head straight towards the closest gym - Ecruteak City! But hang on, you'll need to build up your team before you do anything else! It looks like a storm is covering this area of Johto too.. I hope you packed a rain jacket!

Location: Olivine City and Routes 37 & 38
With the storm coming in, Olivine City is brimming with light from the Glitter Lighthouse. The Routes however seem far more sinister than they truly are. Despite the majority of these routes being grassy fields, the significant tree line should be more than enough to help shelter you from the weather. At some point you may come across the MooMoo Farm, famous for the milk produced from their many herds of Miltank. Don't bother trying to shelter here however, the owners are having a hard time trying to keep all the Miltank safe from the weather! Maybe you could help them out?

To Do List:
Looks like you'll have to weigh up your options! There's the big storm heading in, other contestants may already be starting to catch Pokemon whilst you only have your starter and you need to make it to Ecruteak City. You have the option to either:

- Hang around Olivine City until the storm passes, surely there's gotta be something around here! (GM will let you know if and when the storm passes over).
- Head out onto the route despite gale force winds and belting rain. You need to locate some Pokemon, right?

Main Event: Attempt to capture a Pokemon!
The rarer the Pokemon, the harder it is to capture. A great post will be needed to capture the Pokemon specified as 'rare' or 'very rare' in this area. If you miss the Pokemon the first time, you will get one more shot at it before it flees. There are two areas for you to search, depending on whether or not you stay or leave Olivine.

Olivine City Areas (Beachfront/Warf)

Tentacool
Poison Sting, Super Sonic, Constrict
Very Common

Krabby
Mud Sport, Bubble, Vicegrip
Common

Voltorb
Tackle, Charge, Sonic Boom
Rare

Corsola
Tackle, Harden, Bubble
Rare

Route 38 & 39

Pidgey
Tackle, Sand Attack
Very Common

Spearow
Peck, Sand Attack
Common

Shinx
Tackle, Leer,
Rare

Growlithe
Bite, Roar, Ember
Rare

Plusle
Thunderwave, Growl, Quick Attack
Very Rare

Stantler
Tackle, Leer, Astonish
Very Rare

Special Optional Side Quest:
1. Leon (Drunk's character) and Simon (Red's character) must end up at the MooMoo Farm and attempt to help the owners round up the Miltank that have gone astray in the storm. If you include this in your attempt to reach Ecruteak City, you will be handsomely rewarded for your efforts! (Both these characters may want to team up for this challenge? You don't have to however.)
2. Due to the harsh circumstances regarding the storm, you may very well not be able to catch any Pokemon at all. Whilst your character may be behind upon arriving to Ecruteak, you will have made it safely, instead of going out of your way to try and find a Pokemon hiding away. You will ofcourse be rewarded for your patience when you get to Ecruteak.

Outcome: End up finally reaching Ecruteak City! You can take shelter in the Pokemon Center if you wish.

[RyanRoksXD]

Chapter 2: It All Comes Down To One Pokeball

Part One: The Storm

Ryan walked side by side with Luana down the road towards the town of Olivine. Ryan hadn't realized how far away he truly was from town, when he was arriving the lab seemed like it was right around the corner from the town center. Now after a half an hour of walking he knew his excitement had skewed his judgement of time.

"So.........." Ryan said attempting to start a conversation. "What's Pokemon Tech like?" The road seemed to be getting more and more trodden on, hopefully that meant they were close,

"Difficult, I don't even really want to be there. But my mom used to be a trainer and she said its a "fulfilling and fun experience" " She said air quoting unenthusiastically.

"Well if you don't want to be a Pokemon trainer what do you want to be?" Ryan asked. He had always thought that everyone wanted to be a pokemon trainer. He was mistaken.

"Well, I wanna be a beautician. You know. Work in a salon, cut peoples hair, maybe even paint their nails. I've always wanted to do it, but I've just never been able to. Not with my mom nagging me anyway." Luana said, becoming suddenly quiet. Ryan thought about his dreams and goals, and he contemplated on how lucky he was. How lucky he was to not be stuck on that farm for the rest of his life. Sure he loved the lifestyle, but his calling was to be a Pokemon trainer.

"Is your Vulpix going to be okay until we get to the Pokemon Center?" Ryan asked, looking at the Pokemon in her arms, deep in slumber.

"Yeah I think she'll be fine" Luana said quietly. The two trainers quietly walked down the road, and nature began to work. The winds began to pick up, blowing nasty clouds towards them. The sky began to turn black, and trees were swaying almost like they were under a spell. It was hard to walk in a straight line anymore

"Luana! We need to find shelter! We can hide in that dead tree ahead!" Ryan shouted. The two grabbed onto each other and trekked on to the stump, where the wind couldn't affect them. The two huddled together for warmth, but it was no use.

"Well at least it isn't raining, that would be a----" And almost like clockwork, it began to rain. This was no normal rain, it pounded against the hollow tree trunk, and sounded like a drum. Ryan looked around his dark, cold, and almost cave like surroundings. It was slightly damp, but he found a patch of ground that could serve as decent kindling. He also grabbed to stones that looked like they could be used to make a spark. He looked around, hoping to find some twigs, SOMETHING that he could make a fire with. He finally decided that Totodile would have to help him.

"Totodile, come on out!" Ryan exclaimed as red light cascaded from the Pokeball, like it always did.

"Im gonna need you to scratch the walls of this tree and get some wood for a fire!" Ryan said, and Totodile began to scratch away.

"Luana, do you have potions, oran berries, anything? Were gonna need to bring Vulpix back to health by ourselves, and if shes healthy enough maybe she can use ember." Ryan said, peaking a look outside of the trunk. It didn't look any better than it had when they hid. It actually looked worse. The storm waged on.

"No, I used my last potions in a battle I had right before I battled you, is Vulpix going to be okay?" Luana asked, suddenly worried.

"She won't be if shes fainted any longer, are you sure you don't have anything that could be used to heal her? Ryan asked

"Well I might have one Oran berry in my bag, but I doubt it would work, its quite old." Luana said, trying to bring up her strength.

"That might do, try to find it. I'll be right back, I'm going to see if I can find anything that we can use to heal her. When I worked on the farm you could usually find some herbs to give to Tauros to raise their strength when they were plowing" Ryan said as he grabbed his coat and ran outside of the trunk. Immediately he knew he was not dressed properly for the onslaught of rain and wind.

"TOTODILE!" And his faithful companion came running to his side, and she was ready to fight if need be. They scavenged all throughout the miniature line of trees, hoping to find some kind of herb or berry that could save Vulpix, but there was nothing to be seen. He trekked on, and so did Totodile. Finally, a bush came into sight, covered with bright blue oran berries. As they approached it, a small growling sound was heard. Ryan quickly turned around to find a small orange pokemon. He grabbed his book from his coat pocket and began to read.

"Growlithe the puppy pokemon. It has bright orange fur with black stripes. Its belly, tail, and fluff on top of its head are a cream color. Unlike its evolution, Growlithe has two claws on its forefeet, and its paw pads are brown. It has a brave and trustworthy nature. It fearlessly stands up to bigger and stronger foes."

"Well obviously, its standing up to me, and I'm huge." Ryan thought, taking a good look at the pokemon. He was shaking, becase he was most obviously cold. He was also suspending one of his legs into the air, and was limping.

"Oh come here boy, let me fix that leg for you" Ryan said as he moved closer to the tiny Pokemon. Growlithe barked and tried to bite Ryan's hand, but then he whimpered in pain at his leg, and Ryan saw blood. Ryan then devised a plan. He would battle Growlithe, who was already in a weak state, and catch it. He would then use it to set fire the to fireplace he had set up before, and Vulpix would be healed by the fire as well. This plan would work.

"Alright, do you want a battle? I'll give you a battle. Come on Totodile, lets show this Growlithe how to do it." Totodile waddled out in front of Ryan, and Ryan instantly noticed that Totodile was powered up from the rain that was falling.

"Alright lets get this thing rolling, Totodile use water gun!" The spout of water flew from Totodiles mouth, but Ryan had underestimated Growlithes abilities. Even if his leg was hurt, Growlithe was incredibly fast. The puppy Pokemon dodged it with ease.

Growlithe had some moves of it own. Its mouth suddenly became a ball of flames. Ryan could almost feel the heat. It shot an ember at Totodile, and she was ready to dodge it, but by the time it reached her the once scary flames had turned into steam. Growlithe was angered by this, but did not let it affect him. He used his ultra speed to sink his teeth into Totodile. She screamed, this attack had beem a direct hit. He kept biting and dwindled down Toti's HP.

"Come on Totodile, just a few more hits" Ryan thought, He knew she would last, as she was a strong pokemon. Ryan had waited long enough, Growlithe was now comfortable and thought Totodile couldn't do anything. He was mistaken.

"Totodile use watergun!" It was a direct hit, and Growlithe yelped, skidding across the wet, muddy ground.

"Totodile keep on using watergun!" But this did nothing, Growlithes second of vulnerability was over. He was too fast. Totodile had to speed up her attacks...

"Alright then, that isn't going to work. Well......... Totodile, run up the trees and keep shooting Water Gun until it hits him!" Totodile jumped up and began to shoot Water Gun as if she was a machine, she almost resembled a machine gun. It looked like no use, but on the last shot, it shot straight at his bad lag. Growlithe cried out in anguish, and he doubled over on the ground. Ryan smirked.

"Totodile, now jump down and use rage!" The small blue pokemon became a flash, hitting the Growlithe over and over again, each hit becoming stronger and stronger.

But suddenly, Growlithe felt a sudden strength, and a Roar emitted from his mouth. He bit Totodile and threw her from his side. This battle was not over yet. Growlithe ran at Totodile, and in close contact, used Ember. Making it a direct hit. But luckily, although it was powerful, it didn't do much damage to the water type. But they still had that mean bite to look out for, especially now that Growlithe was powered up. Growlithe lunged for Totodile but Ryan was quick to counterattack.

"Totodile, use Rage and keep it coming until I say stop!" Totodile flew through the air, and Growlithe and Totodile collided, making a huge blast in the small forest. When the smoke cleared, Totodile received the upperhand. He kept attacking and attacking, the move rising in power every time it was used, and Growlithe became weaker and weaker. It was time.

"Totodile stop attacking! Go Pokeball!" The small ball flew threw the air and swallowed the Growlithe whole. It began to shake, now let the waiting begin.