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[PKMN FULL] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]

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    Cracks: A Sinnoh Story

    Chapter One - Genesis
    The group meet in Oreburgh as they prepare to head to Jubilife, the first step on their journey towards rehabilitation. For Team Fruit Punch, its the beginning of a brighter future... or so they may think.​

    Chapter One: Genesis
    Oreburgh City is the most prominent mining location in Sinnoh and one of the most notable in the world. Located in a valley between Mount Coronet's foothills and the enormous mountain itself, the land around the small city is rich in valuable ores.

    Oreburgh is a small and semi-isolated city due to the area it resides in, life in Oreburgh revolves almost entirely around the enormous mining operation nearby with a staggering 71% of the town's employed people having a job connected to the mine in some fashion. However, in recent years, the mine has begun to produce less and less ore and as such the already small city has been shrinking further as people have moved away to Jubilife, Eterna or Hearthome City to look for new work. Unemployment and poverty in Oreburgh is also at an all time high. Recently a push towards the sciences has begun in an effort to rejuvenate the local economy.

    Notable Locations
    Oreburgh Mine
    The Oreburgh's Mining industry isn't as large as Driftveil City's over in Unova, but the Oreburgh Mine itself is the largest in the world stretching well beyond the edges of Oreburgh itself in the directions of Eterna and Mt. Corontet. The mine actively produces over a hundred different ores as well as several gems and even evolutionary stones. When the mining began to slow down, it began allowing trainers to enter select parts of the mine to train or catch wild Pokemon for a fee. The Oreburgh Mine is connected to an even larger network of tunnels called the Sinnoh Underground that is said to stretch the length of the entire region.

    The Museum of Geological Sciences
    Originally the Oreburgh Mining Museum, a half-baked tourist attraction based on the mine, the imminent death of Oreburgh Mine lead to the company that owns it converting it to a more legitimate museum. Oreburgh's proximity to Mount Corinet and connection to the Underground via the mine make it an extremely valuable location for scientists and with the miners moving out and the museum offering suitable facilities now, the geologists are moving in. In recent years the museum has also been putting a heavy focus on palaeontology and fossil Pokemon.

    Oreburgh Gym
    The Oreburgh Gym seems like a pretty typical Oreburgh City building, albeit larger than any of the small houses nearby and is only immediately noticeable as the gym because of the signage that says so. Inside however is a different story as beyond the lobby it quickly opens up into a large amphitheatre with a cracked stone floor covered in dirt and littered with jagged stalagmites. Unsurprisingly given the battlefield, the gym specialises in Rock types.

    The Gym Leader, a young man named Roark, is joked about as being the busiest man in Oreburgh as he is also the youngest foreman in the mine's history. As such, he is often difficult to pin down for a gym battle. When he is finally dug up from the mine, he battles opponents in a one vs one battle.

    Wild Pokemon
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]

     
    ledyba ? female ? rattled swift ? silver wind ? supersonic ? light screen ? agility ? sweet scent
    -----
    the air wasn?t very clean. it was thick with clouds of who-knows-what, and combined with the dull brown that decorated the streets, the city wasn?t all that fetching to someone who grew up in comparatively tropical hoenn. but a brochure holland got at the center assured him that it was ?an up-and-coming hub of scientific discovery as priorities shift from exploiting resources to searching for artifacts of untold historical value,? and he wasn?t planning on wasting the trip over a first impression.

    -----
    there was a lot of time to kill before the group met up, so he took lingering gazes at everything that could be considered remotely interesting; eventually meandering into the famous mine off the suggestion of a friendly hiker. he coughed in amazement as he descended a rudimentary staircase and came upon a giant deposit of coal being labored on by a bunch of workers. he offered a palm to its surface and sighed with a sense of profoundness.

    -----
    the shaking ledyba groped to his calf buzzed its wings in fear, but holland mistook this for likewise fascination and smiled as he sipped from a juice box. he rubbed his fingers together to test the texture of the black dust left on his hand, and took a brief glance at his shuttering companion before playfully dotting where a nose might?ve been and giving a dumb giggle.
    -----
    their expedition through the countless dark tunnels was occasionally broken up by spells of admiring stones that vaguely resembled faces or smearing cartoonish designs on eachother. their curiosity was rewarded right as they were about to head back, when the trainer caught a glimmer in the corner of his eye that revealed itself to be a sizeable vein of firestone. he clasped his hands in delight as he crouched down and decided what to do.

    -----
    ?wouldn?t this would make a wonderful bracelet!? he speculated. a smirk took over his lips and he adjusted his voice to something officious, as if he was another person: ??what a thoughtful gift!?? holland laughed at his imagination. ?and - and i?d say ?well, i gathered this straight from the mine, haha!??

    -----
    a sudden shudder of unsureness caught him. ?what do you think?? he asked his pok?mon, but it just half-heartedly cried as it split its attention between a couple intimidating shadows. a moment of hesitation later, holland stood up and commanded to use swift. the bug snapped to its senses and spit a barrage of stars into the stone, sending fragments in all directions. the boy warmly complimented his friend as he picked up the shards and ruminated where he could fashion them to thick string.

    -----
    tremors in the earth stopped his contemplation short. he looked about wildly, as if questioning reality, before the smartdex hummed from his pocket. ?wild encounter nearby,? a notification stated. he tried investigating, but the lack of service only provided crude representations of the app?s format. fear crawled up his spine - he wasn?t confident in his skittish starter to take on whatever would call somewhere this deep home - so he excused himself as he hustled the overgrown ladybug into his arms and began dashing towards the entrance.

    -----
    a loud explosion of mud appeared in front of them, followed immediately by the menacing roar of an onix. the creature was enraged and dealing with pain from one of its rocky spheres infected with lines of firestone. ?o - oh,? holland whimpered. ?this is an issue, this is an issue.?
    -----
    using supersonic had made the situation into even more of an issue however, as the serpent wavered heavily in its confusion and began slamming its body haphazardly everywhere around it; preventing all the duo?s attempts to escape.

    -----
    growing increasingly frustrated at its debilitation, the onix powered through its delirium so it could rip a boulder from the wall and lob it at them. ledyba panicked as it flew out of holland?s grasp and put up a screen of light, forgetting that such a thing wouldn?t prevent them from taking the full force of the rock. its trainer narrowly dodged the move, but the bug wasn?t as lucky as it was smacked and sandwiched between the projectile and dirt a few yards away.

    -----
    holland was quick to rescue his teammate as the wild pok?mon busied damaging itself against the tunnel?s support beams. it was in terrible shape yet breathing, but neither of them would survive much longer if their opponent managed to cause a cave-in; which seemed likely if it continued carelessly shooting whatever that beam of pink flame was. the boy desperately searched for ideas as he reached in his bag for a potion, where he glided over a stock of unused balls that inspired a plan.

    -----
    he had ledyba summon the remainder of its strength to send a flurry of silver scales towards its foe as it was regaining composure. the onix turned its head and took the attack in stride, not noticing the ball or the great white light that engulfed its entire form.

    onix ? female ? rock head
    rock throw ? dragon breath ? bind ? self-destruct ? rock polish ? mud sport
     
    Last edited:
    A JP with Shak


    "I honestly dont get it. What is it about all this stuff that you find so exciting?" Logan sighed, tapping away at the glass casing of a small skull shaped rock on show at the museum. His boredom overid any sympathy he may have had for the dirty looks he was getting from museum fanatics. Today was the big day, in a sense. Since the camp announced its 'patients' would be sent off on journeys around Sinnoh, Logan had been ecstatic about the idea of getting his first pokemon. Somehow, he'd been left as the only member of his team without one; and he wasnt the least bit happy about it. Admittedly, he'd made the journey to Oreburgh early...well, early for him, in order to beat the others there and surprise them with his new starter. The starter he didnt have yet.

    With no knowledge of the city, he was supposed to venture into the mine and track down professor Rowan without bumping into one of his new travel mates along the way. Which is why he had to think of some sort of compromise when he did eventually bump into Ed, who apparently also decided early was the way to go. Well...early for Logan. So here they were..a museum, where absolutely nothing was happening.


    "All that stuff?" Ed looked up from his notebook to see what Logan was looking at. Oddly shaped rocks and bits of coal, from the look of it. "Not much, admittedly." He closed his book, putting it away in his backpack. He had no idea why Logan had agreed to come inside, but he must have been truly desperate for something to do. Ed wasn't happy with the museum himself, but it was the closest thing to culture this town possessed. "What I'm interested in is the stories." He began, pointing Logan over toward a gemstone on display. "Ancient artifacts, monsters, and heroes. People who rise up to face impossible challenges and come home, even when they shouldn't. The possibility that it could have actually happened, and may still happen today..." He trailed off a little, looking at the skull rock.


    "Stories? I dont see how you're finding that here. Besides, in my experience, returning home when you shouldnt is never a good thing." Logan waved in response, completely dismissing the idea of heroes and artifacts. "Rocks dont tell stories. I mean, you said it yourself, there just isnt that much here." Logan sighed again, taking a moment to look around the room. It was only then that he realised just how quiet things were. "Kind of spooky actually."


    Ed didn't bother looking around the room, instead heading to another display. "Yeah, well this place kind of sucks. But apparently, this little town doesn't have a used book store, let alone a proper library." He looked at some fossils, determined to learn something of value on this trip. "You want a story, look at this. 'Remains of Dunsparce, a rare Pokemon legendary for its scarcity. Though it is still around today, few actually manage to catch a glimpse of this snake-like creature.' See? Rare Pokemon that used to live around here. Now, wouldn't that be an exciting find? The word 'sparse' is in its name! How many have you seen, hmm?"


    Logan peered over to the exhibit as Edward mentioned legendary pokemon. "Dunsparce, huh? Hardly sounds like a Hydreigon, but I'll hear you out. What can it do?"


    Ed leaned slightly away as Logan looked at the exhibit. "Well... that's all there is on the card. As I said, this place sucks. Let me check my notes..." He started pulling notebooks out of his bag, ignoring the looks his comments garnered from the other patrons and the security guard. "It's a snake, about five feet long... can apparently fly using the wings on its back... and hides underground when spotted. If I had a Pokedex I could probably tell you more." He sighed, putting his books away. "Which means if I want to see one I have to go digging around outside. Fun." His tone of voice made it clear he didn't find the prospect fun at all.


    "Oh, you're going digging? Good luck with that bud." Logan chuckled. He was no more enthused by the idea than Ed. He did want a chance at the legendary pokemon, but what chance did he have without a pokemon of his own. Sure the Ed said it was prone to hiding, but they didnt just call anything legendary. All he needed was his Chimchar, digging would be the easy part. "I guess I'll have to catch up with ya once I get my shovel." He continued, putting on the best act he could muster. Things were heating up now. He needed to get a starter and start digging before Ed found the Dunsparce.


    Ed shouldered his bag. "Yeah, thanks. It'd be more interesting than this place, at least..." He hesitated for a second, then lightly punched Logan's arm. "We still have a little time, if you wanna look around the city a bit." He started toward the exit, lazily waving over his shoulder. "I'll catch up with you later, yeah?"
     
    -Logan
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    Crabs in a Bucket​


    A foreboding gust whistled through the neck of the cave. A young blue haired rogue, of course, was completely oblivious to it. Instead of heeding the warning, Logan continued to bob and weave through the plunging stalagmites and dripping waters from the cave ceiling. The boy absentmindedly burst through every cloud of musty fog, mumbling to himself about a certain flaming chimp. He wasn?t exactly sure what he was supposed to do once he got the Pok?mon, but just the prospect of having that sort of power at his disposal was exciting. He?d never been allowed to hold a gun in his time in The Zwiels, surely this had to be even better.

    His path of destruction continued. With a firm kick, he crashed his way through a dusty old cobweb, and found himself in a hollow cavern with nothing of note but an old white haired man and a plunging well of water. Just beyond that, a tower of rocky rubble seemed to plug an even larger plunge of absent earth. Logan?s eyes were drawn back to the man as he noticed the white pelted head turn to face him.

    The man seemed unphased by Logan?s unannounced presence. Instead, he chuckled to himself. In all his years, this was becoming all too familiar a sight. Granted it wasn?t his usual setting for such a meeting, but it had the same luster. He looked back down to the water. ?Fascinating isn?t it? I came down here to study how the relationship between zubat and geodude habitats affects their evolutionary patterns. What I found was rather peculiar.?

    Logan glanced around awkwardly.

    ?This section of the mine is underneath Mt Cornet, and quite far removed from where most tend to do their excavation. It seems some of the cave pools from above have seeped into the mine and created similar bodies of water at the lower level.? By now he could recognise that the boy had no interest in his observations, but confident the point needed to be addressed, the man continued.

    ?Y-you?re professor Rowan, right? So?would I be able to get a starter pokemon from you?? Logan butted in, almost withdrawing as soon as he finished his question.

    The man paused for a moment. He reached into his bag and pulled out a sheet of paper. ?I am indeed, professor Rowan. Can I assume you?re Logan, then?? The man spoke rather flatly. The only response he got was a stiff nod, but that was all the affirmation he needed. ?No surname??

    Rowan waited for some sort of response, but Logan gave him nothing, choosing to let the fact sit rather than answer.

    ?I see.? Rowan chuckled. ?Come Logan, I want to show you something.?

    Logan sighed, but adhered to the professor?s request, and walked up to the body of water. As he looked down, he saw a whole bunch of pokemon making their way out of the tight well-like tunnel. As one made any sort of progress, it was quickly tackled, punched or dragged down by one of the ones below it. Logan rubbed his heart. The scene before him continued to grow more unnerving as one even began to reach the top, and was yet again dragged down. Not one of them seemed desperate though, just determined.

    ?These are crustaceans. This one is a Krabby.? He pointed as one made its way above the others, before its leg was clasped by a big blue claw. He noticed Logan wince as the Krabby was tossed aside and fell right to the bottom of the plunge puddle. ?That one is a Clawitzer. These types of pokemon are usually found near the sea, but as time has changed - as the landscape changes - so too do habitats and ecosystems. Competition between crabs is something that seems to be ingrained in their DNA, especially when it comes to competing for food. No doubt most of these found themselves wondering into Mt Cornet looking for cave algae. How they got down here though, is up for speculation.?

    ?What about that one?? Logan asked pointing to a larger purple crab that, unlike the others, was staring straight up at them.

    The professor squinted to get a better look. ?That?is a Crabrawler.? He reached into his bag and took out a sheet that depicted a rough sketch chart of every pokemon in the pool: Krabby, Clawitzer, Corphish. ?Funny you should ask. Those are mountain crabs. They, more than any of the others strive to get to high places. It?s said many of their mating rituals take place atop tall mountains. How they get all the way up there is anybody?s guess.?

    ?This one doesn?t seem that desperate to get up.? Logan shrugged.

    ?Perhaps not. Surely for the others, this tenacious battle will lead to them reaching a new level of strength through evolution. That?s why I?m here after all. For the Crabrawler though, it isn?t so simple.? He finished with a sigh. From his bag, he grabbed a pen, and added Crabrawler to the list. He pushed Logan out of his light as the boy, full of curiosity, leaned over him. ?He needs to reach a much higher peak, before he can get to that level.? As he spoke, he struck a cross through the name he?d just written down.

    As the professor, finished speaking, Logan stood himself back upright. ?Well, it?s been cool professor, but if I could get my Chimchar, I?ll be on my way and leave you to watch your cruspacians.?

    The profressor hesitated, before deciding not to correct the boy?s mispronunciation. ?If you don?t mind me asking. Why Chimchar??

    ?Well, it?s the strongest. So why wouldn?t I?? Logan shrugged.

    The professor snorted in amusement once again. He glanced down at the crabs as one began to glow with a white light. ?Unfortunately I?m fresh out of Chimchar at the moment. I have no Turtwig or Piplup either. Perhaps you?d like to choose a pokemon from our fine selection down there.? As he spoke, a fierce looking Crawdaunt scuttled out of the hole, completely dismissed the duo and darted off into the deep of the mine.

    ?Woah?I think I?ll go for that one.? Logan gasped at the spectacle.

    ?I think perhaps you?d be better off choosing for potential over strength young man. I?ve seen many a bright eyed new trainer, and you don?t seem like the type ready for such a pokemon.? He noticed Logan was taken aback by the comment, but glad the boy seemed to accept the advice. ?Fret not, I?ve been wrong in the past.? The professor reassured.

    ?What about the mountain one? I don?t really feel comfortable at the idea of swimming down and catching it though.? Logan mumbled, clasping at the insides of his jacket sleeves.

    ?A fine choice.? The older man spoke. He reached into his bag and pulled out a blue pokeball, with a wave pattern marked across it. With a single toss, the ball passed through the tunnel, avoiding every other crab and hitting the Crabrawler. Just a single rock of the ball was enough to secure the capture. Before Logan could question his methods, the professor reached into his bag and tossed another pokeball. Out came a Floatzel. ?You?re going to need to be quick, but I?m going to have to ask you to get that pokeball down there.?

    Without hesitation, the pokemon followed the request and dived into the pool, dodging pincers and claws. Every crab watched with envy as the Floatzel easily swam through the waters at high speed, even using an aqua jet to shield him from attacks. One even managed to clasp the tail of the sea weasel, but the water type responded in turn with a powerful Sonicboom that sent all the wall dwelling crabs in every direction. The Floatzel hopped out of the water, and handed the ball to the professor.

    ?Thank you Floatzel, you did very well as always. Logan.? Rowan spoke, leaving the name to sit for a second. ?Remember to attend my conference in Jublife tomorrow. I assume your team knows about it aswell.?

    ?Thanks professor, this is awesome.? Logan snickered, as he near snatched the pokeball from the professors hand. ?Enjoy the cruspacians!? He waved, leaving no time for the moment to even soak in. He had a Dunsparce to catch.

    As he finally stepped out of the cave, he stopped and took a deep smiling breath. He finally looked up from the pokeball, and winced at the harsh daylight of Oreburgh. A smirk grew on his face. ?Those guys are gonna be super jealous when they see my mountain crab. Even better when I got a legendary pokemon to add to the team.? His voice croaked as he imagined his triumphant moment of gloating. A single thought lingered in his head though, hollowing any premature notions of grandeur he might have been getting. ?Wait?what conference??


    Spoiler:



    Oreburgh City - Deeper Mine​
     
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    Ed left the museum confused and a little embarrassed. He'd decided to stop by the gift shop on his way out, just out of curiosity, and noticed there was a sale... on commemorative shovels. In all fairness, it was a nice shovel, with a folding head and telescoping handle, but still... it was confusing.

    Naturally, he bought one, hence his embarrassment. He held the thing gingerly, at though concerned he'd get sick from mere contact with it. "Of all the ways this could begin..." he muttered as he walked. "I'm going outside, looking for something that lives underground." He had no idea where to look, but he wanted to avoid the mines if at all possible. Dozens of people went there on a daily basis, so not only would it be crowded, but a Pokemon that tended to avoid people wouldn't be anywhere near the place, underground or not.

    So, he found himself heading north, following the gentle slopes of Mt. Coronet. It was a pleasant day, with blue skies, a cool breeze, and not a cloud in sight. Ed wasn't having it. "It's not that I hate the outdoors." He complained as he climbed. "I've just never really felt the need to 'hang out' in nature. Inside has books, tea, fewer bugs, a roof..."

    He eventually found himself in the foothills, even noticing a few small caves. "Seems as good a place as any..." He grabbed the Dusk Ball from his belt, calling out his trusty Golett, who stood by Ed's side awaiting instructions. "Here, hold this, please." He handed Gauntlet the shovel, digging through his bag for his notebook while the little golem adjusted the shovel to his size. None of the caves were very big, and Ed even had to duck to enter some, and none of them contained any sign of the legendary Dunsparce.

    After what seemed like hours (but based on the position of the sun couldn't have been more than 45 minutes) the pair were no closer to their goal, and Ed was getting miserable being under the sun. He wrapped his face and neck in his scarf, thankful for his long sleeves to protect himself. As he was doing that, Gauntlet was examining a hole in the ground, noting that something had come out of it, rather than going in. He called Ed over to investigate himself.

    "Good find, Gauntlet!" Ed allowed himself a small smile. "And it looks like it stayed above ground for a bit, based on this trail. Keep vigilant! The game's afoot!" They followed the trail east, headed toward another entrance to Mount Coronet.

     
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    Rachel Rose
    Oreburgh City
    Chapter 1-1 | Bounding Ahead








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    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]

    "You know, it feels good to get outside and stretch my legs. The only problem is it feels so dirty out here. All the coal dust and grinding of machines... I dunno how anyone could call this place home, really. I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go round. Do you get what I'm saying, Graham?"

    The Teddiursa looked up from a carefully stacked pile of rocks in the direction of his trainer. He blinked slowly, as if carefully trying to take in just what she was saying, but ultimately he really couldn't manage to make much out. He could only tell by the tone in her voice that the pink-haired girl was not exactly pleased with what her current situation was... And even then, that was just a hunch. Not knowing what else to do, the cub Pokémon picked himself off the ground and trotted over to the girl's side. He comfortingly placed a paw on the girl's leg, patting it as if trying to give the girl some form of reassurance.

    "Aw, see? You do see it too!" the girl exclaimed, her eyes filled with joy at the understanding that had come between herself and Graham. Without warning, she scooped down and grabbed hold of her Teddiursa by his paws and began to spin around with him in quite the jovial manner. "See, this is why we're such a good duo! You get things, Graham! You can see outside of the box!"

    The Teddiursa began to wail and fidget as the speed of the spinning increase. No matter how many times that she did this and no matter how many times he protested, Graham could not seem to get his trainer to stop in this wildly dangerous and down right nauseating act of spinning him in circles. The girl had a habit of doing this whenever she felt that the two of them were becoming closer... and more often than not his protests were taken as a sign that he wanted her to go faster. It was quite troublesome to say the least.

    Gradually, the girl came to a stop and sat the now very dizzy Teddiursa down. The bear stumbled around a bit, coming to a stop only when he happened to fall right into the pile of rocks he had so carefully stacked into a tower. A small groan of disappointment fell from the cub's mouth as he tried to regain his sense of balance.

    "I mean... I guess it's not so bad. I could start the story off as sort of a humble beginning, you know?" Rachel resumed her musings, kneeling down to her Teddiursa's side as she spoke. "Still... I don't want my story to start off boring. People these days like action and adventure! They crave it! My story needs to appeal to this desire, with brief periods of rest here or there in between!"

    Rachel Rose was in quite the quandary about how to actually begin her journey. While she was mildly interested in traveling around Sinnoh with some acquaintances from her past, Rachel had other objectives in mind for her tour around the region. For starters, the teenager wanted to write a story. She wanted to tell the world about her experiences and budding adventure around Sinnoh, filling it to the brim with a gripping narrative along with enough twists and action to keep readers of any age immersed in her tale.

    The only problem was... Rachel had no idea just how to begin her story.

    The girl knew that her story needed to be written with great finesse. If she wasn't careful with how she wrote it, it would come off similar to some story about some kid and a Pokémon they'd probably never evolve, lucking their way around the region and then losing it all before realizing that the journey was truly the greatest prize. She had read a story about a boy and his Pikachu like that seven times now... and each time was more frustrating than the last. It wasn't the kind of story she was looking to create, and Rachel would be damned if she'd even start writing one like that. Not if she could help it.

    "Well, let's see... I guess the first thing I need to do is figure out what sort of things a Pokémon trainer does..." Rachel hummed, watching as Graham began to rebuild his tower of rocks. "There's battling trainers... taking on the gym challenge... and catching Pokémon..."

    "Did ya hear? Did ya hear?" a voice called out, grabbing the attention of the girl and her Teddiursa. The duo glanced over to see two younger boys walking by. One of them, sporting a fashionable, blue baseball cap, was speaking in an extremely animated manner. "They're saying there's some kind of ghost haunting the mines! Late at night, you can totally hear it howling out into the city!"

    "A ghost...? No way, Jimmy..." the other boy replied with a sigh. He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Ghosts aren't real... Well, outside of Pokémon anyways... And besides, there's no ghost types in Oreburgh! Roark said so himself, and he knows the mines better than anyone..."

    "Come on, why would I lie about this, George?!" Jimmy protested. He huffed in anger at how George doubted his information. "I happen to have proof over this! Sam saw it himself! He snuck down to the mines last night and saw a pair of glowing eyes wandering about in the darkness! That's why he's grounded today! He ran straight home and got caught by his mom! Boy, did she ever let him have it!"

    "A ghost... A real ghost?!"

    Both boys jumped at the sudden question. The duo spun around and found themselves staring face to face with a deeply interested Rachel. The girl all, but shook JImmy as she grabbed the boy by the shoulders.

    "The mines, right?" she asked. "A ghost... A real ghost, yeah?"

    Jimmy fumbled for an answer, eventually only replying with a quick nod.

    "Yes, yes, yes! This is perfect, Graham! We've totally got the source for our book now!" Rachel mused with excitement. "We'll make it about the various mysteries surrounding Sinnoh! We're gonna track down everyone and uncover every secret we can! It'll be amazing!"

    Graham did not seem to have the same feeling of excitement that his trainer had. The little cub shook his head quickly, clearly not in the mood to go ghost hunting down in the dark and spooky mines. Sadly, the Teddiursa had no real say in the matter. Before he got a chance to further refuse, Rachel scooped up the bear Pokémon and started charging straight through the mines.

    Both Jimmy and George merely stood there, staring at a each other in a mixture of confusion and maybe even a bit of fear. Suddenly, the duo felt like ditching soccer practice was not a good idea after all.
     
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    A JP with Shak


    Ed had been following the trail through the brush of route 207 for a while, noticing that whatever created it had stopped for some Berries at one point. As he continued following the trail, it led him to a small stream. There, on the bank, sat a dull yellow serpent, taking a drink of water. Consulting his books, Ed found the creature matched what information he had of Dunsparce. "We did it!" He whispered to Gauntlet. "They're said to startle easily, so we need to approach carefully."

    Ed crept forward, taking the shovel from Gauntlet as he did. His foot slipped on some loose rock, making a soft scuffing sound that alerted Dunsparce. It whirled around, wings fluttering in surprise at the sight of Ed. The drill-like tail started spinning, and Dunsparce started sinking into the ground, but Ed jumped forward, tripping over himself in his haste. He got the shovel underneath Dunsparce, scooping it up and tossing it out of the dirt. "Gauntlet, use Telekinesis!"

    A green glow surrounded the Golett's hands, and Dunsparce was wrapped in a similar aura as it was lifted into the air. It struggled for a bit, but couldn't move. "Excellent work, Gauntlet. To acquire it for ourselves, however, we'll need to prove our worth with a contest of strength, to pacify it and earn its respect. To that end, I recommend starting with Pound."

    Gauntlet sauntered over to Dunsparce, who had stopped struggling in his psychic grip. Winding up his fist, he delivered a solid overhead slam into Dunsparce. To the surprise of both Trainer and Pokemon, Dunsparce lunged forward and bit down on Gauntlet, opening its mouth wide enough to encompass the Golett's entire head. "It can Bite?" Ed reacted in surprise, before making note of it in his log. "Er, of course it can. With a head that large it makes sense as a means of attack... Another Pound!"

    Gauntlet forced Dunsparce off of him with his Tekekinesis, moving it into position for another punch. After taking the hit, Dunsparce curled into a ball to protect itself, which Ed diligently took note of. "Defense Curl. Logical. It must be concerned. Use Fire Punch!" Gauntlet cocked back his fist, flames erupting around his hand. A jet of flame erupted from his elbow, propelling his fist forward with great speed. The punch landed, knocking Dunsparce back as the telekinetic grip faded. As soon as Dunsparce hit the ground, it rolled forward like a boulder, running over Gauntlet. Ed was suitably impressed. "A Defense Curl/Rollout combo? You'll have to remember that one, Gauntlet. But for now..." he grabbed a Pokeball from his belt. "Time to catch this thing."


    "Finally! How's the search going?" Almost on cue, a dishevelled Logan burst through the shrubbery, stomping and twigs and leaves as he bumbled his way past the Dunsparce and toward Edward. Almost like an ambush, the boy completely ignored the situation before him and made a plundering break for Edward. "Geez, I almost couldnt find this place?" The blue haired boy panted.

    The aggreivated legendary pokemon seemed confused for a moment, but promptly took the distraction as an oppourtunity to flee. The yellow snake promptly wasted no time burrowing its escape route, leaving nothing but a hollow tunnel in its wake.


    Startled by Logan's arrival, Ed fumbled with the Pokeball, almost dropping his notebook, and stepped back in his impromptu juggling, tripping over his dropped shovel and going down. The ball rolled harmlessly over to Logan as Ed landed on his butt, his notebook in his lap. "I... But... Wha... I had it! It was right there!" He pointed futilely at the escape hole, a slightly battered Gauntlet coming to help him up. "I searched for hours! I followed the trail! I had it in my-" He clenched his fists, taking several deep breaths to calm himself down.

    "Logan." He said through grit teeth. "What are you doing here?"


    Logan paused for a moment. He looked down at Ed's pokeball and flicked it up with his foot, before catching it. "You mean that yellow ball thing back there? Didnt look like a legendary to me." He said as he pointed to where their desired legendary had once been. With a smirk, Logan swung the shovel he'd been dragging over his shoulder. "Besides, you know exactly why I'm here. If I'm gonna catch this legendary before you do, I gotta be in the right place." Logan chuckled innocently. "Although...if that really was it, you kinda messed it up back there, huh?" He mused, looking back at the hole in the ground again.


    "Actually, I was doing fine until you came along..." Ed muttered as he got to his feet. "That's not important right now. What matters is that I found it, so I'm going to capture it. And you're either going to help me, or stay out of my way." A thought occured to him suddenly. "How did you locate the creature, by the way?"


    "Footprints." Logan shrugged. "I just followed the footprints, and boom, here I am. Now that I got my new starter Pokemon, I'm primed and ready to catch." He proudly spun his new pokeball on his finger as he spoke. "So find it or not, you'd better find your way to the back of the queue if you think I'm missing out on a legendary. This is a once in a lifetime oppourtunity."


    "Footprints?" Ed looked at Gauntlet in bewilderment, but the Golett had no input on the subject. "...right. Well, if we're going to compete, then in all fairness I should direct you to the source of the creature, point out the very trail I myself followed to find it. If you head due east, you should come across a patch of Berries that I believe it's quite fond of. Perhaps begin your investigation there. I'll excavate the area here a bit more, see if I can't suss out where it's gone to." He grabbed his shovel off the ground, holding his other hand out expectantly. "And if you'd kindly return my dropped Pokeball, I'd be most appreciative."


    The blue haired boy willingly tossed the pokeball up for Edward to catch. He looked around for a moment, seeing no berries in the immediate vicinity. "East...east..." He mumbled to himself, cluelessly looking for some sort of hint as to what Edward was talking about. "I dont see any footprints heading east, so how do I know you're being honest on that one?" He queried aloud, pointing southward as he asked.


    "Okay, look." Ed pointed at the sky as he explained. "It's not yet noon, yeah? So the sun is in the east. The shadows are going west. If you look here..." he pointed to the trail, specifically his own footprints. "You'll see the path I took to get here. Go that way, and you'll find the same Berries I did. Did you get all that, or do I need to walk you through it?"


    "Follow the footprints until you find it. Worked last time." Logan laughed in affirmation, before running off into the brush to follow the prints.
     
    -Logan
    Edward Ortega
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]

    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    A Legendary Rivalry​


    A head of blue hair peaked over the the berry bushes. Logan scanned the area, but saw no sign of the yellow snake. The bushes rustled, and the boys eyes shot to it like blow darts. A small purple Rattata scurried out from under the leaves. Logan sighed. He could've caught one of those, but he saw them all the time back in Jubilife. They could be dangerous, but they were no legendaries. "I wonder if Ed's having a better time." He groaned, dropping himself into a seated position. As he fell though, he felt quite a steep, but narrow incline which caused him to fall onto his back.

    He glanced down at what he'd fallen into. It was a large thick indented trail in the ground. "Hmm...I mean...it's not footprints, but it's better than what I got right now." The boy sighed as he began blindly following the trail.

    His journey through the trail ended at the sight of a rather large grey creature. It looked fearsome. It's light grey body was offset by tough looking tar coloured trunk that stretched across the top of its body. Even more menacing were the great white tusks that protruded from its mouth. The step Logan was about to take hovered over the ground for a moment. He watched the pokemon. Silently. Even Logan's breath stopped in the moment - but slowly - as the trainer began to feel more at ease, a grin took his face. He reached for his bag and took out a pokeball. This pokemon was still completely oblivious to his presence, so if he could catch it by surprise...without a seconds more hesitation, he tossed the pokeball.

    The ball hollowed as it sucked in the leviathan. Before it could shake even a single time, it cracked open and exploded into fragments that rained across the route. The pokemon was now facing Logan, and if he knew anything, Logan knew the dragging of its front foot and flaring of its nostrils was bad news. He quickly dived out of the way as the pokemon curled up into a ball and rolled towards him at high speed. He shook off the the torque on his ankle, after his foot brushed against the rapidly spinning wheel of a pokemon. Logan ran.

    The creature was close behind him, but every time it got near, he was able to quickly change direction. He'd already made it back to the berry bush, but no sign of Edward. Had Ed found a new lead and not told him or something?

    As the pokemon stopped to catch a breather, Logan quickly slid under a nearby bush, before it could track where he'd gone. He was confident the pokemon wouldn't follow his footsteps. Somehow, he was right. By some miracle, the pokemon curled itself up again, and continued charging off in the same direction.

    Logan breathed a sigh of relief. The floor was about as comfy a resting spot as any in that moment, so Logan happily dropped a cheek to it as he too recovered. His face was subsequently thumped into the ground. After the initial white noise, the boy managed to grab the heavy weight and heave it and its teeth off of his head and out of the bush. "Dammit, do I look like a berry to you?" He spat at the three yellow blurs in front of him. "Wait...you're..." He began as his vision began to clear.

    Back in the clearing by the stream, Ed was busy digging for the Dunsparce. Or rather, Gauntlet was digging while Ed looked for tunnels. His search was going amazingly well, as he had found dozens of tunnels under the dirt, leading in all directions. "I hate to admit defeat so easily, but I doubt we'll find the right tunnel at this rate, or be able to follow it even if we do. We may have better luck searching above ground, and waiting for it to come back for sustenance." Gauntlet nodded silently, folding the shovel in defeat.

    As Ed strapped the tool to his bag, his attention was caught by a loud rumble, steadily increasing in volume. A monstrous dark wheel burst into the clearing, unfolding into a Donphan as it approached the stream. It trumpeted out loudly, clearly out of breath as it stopped to get a drink. Ed took no chances as he snuck away as quickly as he could, Gauntlet at his heels. "Why is Rollout such a popular technique around here?" He questioned as he slunk away. "And where did that thing come from?"

    He realized where he was headed, suddenly feeling a little anxious. "East... I hope Logan didn't run into that thing as well." As much as the pair sniped at each other, Logan was still one of the only people Ed called a friend, and he felt worried for him. With the Donphan far enough away, he retraced his steps along the trail, hoping to find Logan.

    He felt relieved when he finally found him, only slightly confused to see him crawling out from under some bushes. Ed stopped to catch his breath, the adrenaline from his encounter with Donphan fading. "Ah, there you are." He gasped, already winded by his short sprint. He unwrapped his scarf from his head so he could breathe better, temporarily obscuring his vision. "Find anything interesting down there?" He stopped as he caught sight of what Logan was holding.

    "Nothing!" Logan blurted, clutching the yellow snake and shoving it out of Edward's line of sight. "Just looking for...ow." The boy shuddered, making a small bleating sound as the Dunsparce chomped down on his hand. "Just picking some berries." His voice croaked through the pain.

    Logan had tried to hide the Dunsparce, but Ed had already seen it. He merely looked on in bemusement as Logan winced in pain. "And here I thought I was going to see a master in action. A battle for the ages as the aspiring Trainer does combat with a Legendary befitting his skills. Oh well. I guess if you're just looking for Berries, I'll head elsewhere."

    "Yeah, that'll be cool. I think I saw the leg-Argh, dammit!" With yet another clamping bite, Logan's pain tolerance was crunched away. The boy flicked his arm, tossing the Dunsparce into the clearing. It was time to act fast. If he didnt stop it one of two terrible scenarios could take place: it could get away again or worse yet, Edward could make the catch instead. Logan reflexively tossed his pokeball. The ball rocked once. Logan clenched his fist in excitement as it rocked a second time. Before the third rock, the pokemon came bursting from the ball. It seemed to have no more intention to escape.

    Ed let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "A valiant effort, my friend, but to capture a Pokemon of this caliber you need to battle it first!" Gauntlet took that as his cue, putting his back to Logan to prevent any shenanigans from happening. "Use your Fire Punch!" A strike from his rocket powered fist knocked Dunsparce reeling, but it countered with Bite, once again fitting Gauntlet's head in its mouth. Ed could only look on, confused. "...seriously, what is up with that?"

    Logan wasnt about to let Edward win that easy. He jumped up, tossing his Dive Ball in the air. "Crabrawler, use..." The boy stopped to think, realising he didnt actually know anything about his starter. He didnt have much time to rue that fact however. His pokemon was quick to capitalise on this moment of freedom, opting to scuttle off into the bush. "Hey! Where are you going?" His trainer hollered, but the crab payed him no mind. He triumphantly darted away, before being sucked into a red light.

    Gauntlet managed to pry Dunsparce off of him, striking it with an overhead Pound. Dunsparce landed on the ground, letting out an ear-splitting "REEEEEEEE" that visibly distorted the air, even irritating Gauntlet. Ed decided that this was as good a time as any, and grabbed the Premier Ball from his bag. "Alright, that's enough of that!" He threw the ball, Dunsparce getting absorbed by the crimson energy.

    After discovering that his starter wasnt to be trusted, Logan turned around to find out that his friend wasnt either. "You stole it?!" He cried out to Edward, as he defeatedly watched his first catch sucked away into a pokeball.

    "Technically, I'm stealing it back, after you snatched my victory away with your intrusion on my earlier battle." Ed kept an eye on the ball as it shook once, trying to placate Logan at the same time. "Besides, what would you have done against it? Thrown Pokeballs until you ran out?" The ball shook again, drawing Ed's attention. "I did the research, I followed the clues, so logically, this catch belongs to me." The ball shook a third time, and Ed said nothing as he watched it, the air thick with anticipation.

    Finally, the ball settled with a satisfying click!, and Ed grinned like a madman as he snatched up his ball. He felt quite proud of himself, especially for using his one of a kind Premier Ball for the occasion. "Can't argue with logic!"

    His grin faded upon seeing Logan's face turn green with envy, almost feeling guilty for his outburst. Not for capturing Dunsparce, though. He was still happy about that. But he didn't like to see his friend so distressed. It was an odd feeling. "Hey... don't, uh... you'll get your... better luck next- no... good show, Logan." Ed was truly terrible at this. "This hunt wouldn't have happened without you, and it certainly wouldn't have been as thrilling."

    "I still think you cheated." Logan huffed, shoving his hands in his pockets. He looked back in the direction the Donphan had rolled off, but kept his mouth shut. As much as he wanted to try, he was far more excited about finally meeting up with the full compliment, and the day was starting to get away with them. "So you've got you legendary, what now?" The boy grumbled, doing a bad job of hiding the spite in his tone.

    "Uhh..." was the best Ed could come up with on such short notice. "You know, I really have no idea. I honestly didn't think we'd get this far. I guess I'll show it to the Professor, study its habits, try to learn something from it. If nothing else, it's a hell of a story."


    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]

    Dunsparce was caught!
    "It digs into the ground with its tail and makes a mazelike nest. It can fly just a little."
    Male
    Serene Grace
    Bite // Rage // Defense Curl // Rollout // Pursuit // Screech


    Spoiler:



    Route 207​
     
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    ledyba ? female ? rattled swift ? silver wind ? supersonic ? light screen ? agility ? sweet scent
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    onix ? female ? rock head rock throw ? dragon breath ? bind ? self-destruct ? rock polish ? mud sport
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    "graham" ? male ? pickup scratch ? baby-doll eyes ? lick ? fake tears ? thunder punch ? metal claw
    -----
    rachel spotted quite a few workers toiling around the mine as she braced the clammy breeze and made her way inside, and figured she had to admire their courage; most people would want to avoid this place as much as possible, especially with the likes of a ghost roaming about. "maybe they're here to find the ghost themselves ... " she mused, as she offered a small wave to one of them. "if that's the case, we better get a move on before they manage to track it down. it won?t be much of a story if someone beats us to it, you know?"

    -----
    graham fidgeted slightly in her arms, clearly wishing that his trainer would forget about the whole idea. everything had happened so quickly that he hadn't really come to grips with the situation until now, and his hopes that they'd turn around and head back into town only plummeted when rachel began to quicken her pace.

    -----
    "it's pretty dark down here ... we're not gonna get very far if we just stumble around," rachel determined. she smiled and pulled out her trusty pok?gear, quickly firing up the device in order to use it as a makeshift flashlight. in the midst of her fumbling, she accidentally tuned into the radio function and was blasted with a wall of white noise, and eventually the soft sound of a voice trying to wade through it.

    -----
    "hello ... i mean, yes, hello! nice to meet you - uh - whoever you might be ... ?"
    -----
    holland paused momentarily to let the imperfections of his introduction get the better of his conscious, before taking a sharp breath in and giving himself another chance. "i'm ... well, i'm - stuck! - yes, that's a good way to put it. sorry, a little nervous, i should've mentioned that there was a cave-in a while ago. and i'm on the other side of it. as in, the side that doesn't lead back to the entrance."

    -----
    he lifted his finger off the screen of his smartdex and thought of more things to say. when the more neurotic of his mothers downloaded an app that could make his phone function as ham radio, he thought the feature quaint; something his friends could play with after a long day of traveling. the boy never thought that it would actually be used for survival purposes. "you see, there was this onix - just the one - and ... actually, i should say, my onix. but, it wasn't mine at the time it attacked me and caused this predicament. i caught it after ... yes siree, that would definitely speak to my abilities as a trainer if it had been!"

    -----
    the boy weakly chuckled and tried getting his ledyba to join in, but the bug buzzed its wings in pressed concern. "oh, of course," he began again, "i can't release it to tunnel through to the other side. it seems enraged by this ... infection of firestone it has? yeah ... it might be disagreeable to, um, doing that. i'm really not keen on heading farther in to find a way out, since, y'know, that sounds counter-intuitive. so ... any and all help is appreciated! you can find me ... uh, you can find me ... where ... ?"

    -----
    silence premeditated through the air as holland realized he had no idea how to describe the essentially random route he took. he and his creature shot a look of horror at each other as his lips fumbled for an answer his mind could not provide.
    -----
    "... w - well," the voice managed to stutter out, "i'm sure you've something that .... can help you ... pinpoint the source of this transmission and track me down! good luck, and thank you very much."

    -----
    rachel's eyes lit up as the other end of her radio fell quiet, and the teddiursa she held cringed as the grin on her face grew wider. this whole endeavor was turning out to be more exciting than she initially thought. "did you hear that?! it's the ghost!" she tried to reason, "someone from beyond the grave is totally trying to contact us!"

    -----
    graham wasn't exactly sure if that was the case or not, but it had little chance to react before she began to speak back into her pok?gear. a small frown graced rachel's lips as she received no direct response for her trouble - the wandering spirit spoke listlessly when it did talk, as if it couldn't hear her - but despite this the girl had no intention of giving up. it just meant that the two of them would have to search the mine thoroughly in order to track it down.

    -----
    "let's get going, graham!"
    -----
    what started as pacing in a small circle and trying to keep the channel active evolved into holland tentatively inching through the dirt corridor, muttering nonsense about various things in his life: "... i suppose i regret a lot of things," he contemplated, "like that time at camp where i took a slowpoketail and - wait. hold on - i think i've found ... what appears to be, um, a hole ... maybe something a diglett would make?"

    -----
    he swallowed down a lump of anxiety as he examined the peculiar pit, instantly taking back his words when he saw how truly cavernous it was within; no mere diglett tribe could manage making something this humongous. right as he finished that thought, two bright lights revealed themselves from a deep corner. holland initially seized up, his mind consumed by questions and fear until he recognized them as animalistic eyes. "oh, i seem to have found someone. well, not someone ... like, a thing. a living, thing. um ... hello. hello?"
    -----
    rachel wasn't sure how long she had been wandering about, but one thing was for certain: so far, this whole operation was turning out to be a pretty big bust. it had been some time since that mysterious voice had suddenly disappeared, and to make matters worse, all of the paths within the mines were starting to look similar. of course, this didn't mean that she was ready to accept the idea that she was lost. instead, she took a page out of her father's book and made herself believe that she was only "taking the scenic route," and tried to embrace this newfound perspective as best she could.

    -----
    "we should play something to help pass the time!" rachel decided, glancing down at her ursine companion. the said pok?mon shifted slightly, turning to get a better view of his trainer as he dished out a skeptical look. "yeah, like ... i spy! that could be fun - right? - here, you go first!"

    -----
    graham scratched his head in confusion, not really sure how to take his trainer's impromptu jovial attitude or what exactly she wanted him to do. rachel's smile grew wide as she watched the bear query her with a curious growl, but unfortunately it seemed that - once again - the two were on completely different pages. "oh, i know! it's coal, right?" she guessed.

    -----
    before the teddiursa had the slightest chance to respond, a distant sound of wailing reached the duo's ears. rachel paused, grasping the pok?mon in her arms tighter. she called out, her voice echoing deep into the earthy void that laid in front of her: "is anyone there ... ?"

    -----
    the only response was the sound of her own words bouncing off the walls. the girl stood absolutely still, going as far as to hold her breath as she listened out. "y-you know ... maybe this wasn't such a hot idea after all ... " rachel sniveled, "i mean ... mines are dirty ... weird ... i dunno why you were so hung up on hunting down this ghost, but ... i think we should just make for the exit now, yeah?"

    -----
    graham huffed, not thrilled that he was taking the blame, but a sense of relief washed over the cub as his trainer began to backpedal; pushing her back against a wall as she shuffled towards the way she came. however, not too long after starting this retreat, a drop of wet slime happened to fall right on the girl's neck. rachel let out a sharp scream and began to run forward in fear. in her state of alarm, she roughly stepped on a pile of rocks, which quickly gave away from the impact of her footsteps. the abrupt shift in the ground caused the girl to stagger and immediately fall into the abyss below.
     
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    ledyba ? female ? rattled swift ? silver wind ? supersonic ? light screen ? agility ? sweet scent
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    onix ? female ? rock head rock throw ? dragon breath ? bind ? self-destruct ? rock polish ? mud sport
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    "graham" ? male ? pickup scratch ? baby-doll eyes ? lick ? fake tears ? thunder punch ? metal claw
    -----
    rachel slowly picked her body off the ground, feeling every pebble now embedded into her arms and legs. after wincing at the sight of the skinned ankle she sustained during the fall, a wave of dread came over her as she absorbed the sight of her new predicament and realized that her teddiursa was nowhere to be found. she started to call out for the creature but was quickly cut off by an agitated yap close by in the darkness. graham grabbed the palm of her hand and motioned for her to be quiet, but ever the oblivious, the girl mistook her pok?mon for the ghost they had previously been scouting and let out a shrill scream.

    -----
    as rachel began to discern the dismayed and annoyed mug staring back at her as her trusted two-foot-tall friend, the wailing they heard earlier echoed from the faint outline of a cave entrance nearby. "that ... that voice ... ?" she stammered, her terror subconsciously dampened by an odd sense of recognition. she batted away the feeling and whispered "it must be the phantom!"

    -----
    against her companion?s pleas, the willful youth swallowed her fear and jogged towards the sound. in a moment she had both triumphed over her own survival instinct and renewed her sense of adventure, convincing herself that this moment was exactly the type she was looking for when she stepped into the mine. her mind raced with ideas about how she would structure this particular second in the book - how this very chapter was only the beginning to a long tale of peril and excitement - before she found her eyes entrenched in shadow, and then eventually, by cool tones of candlelight.
    -----
    inside was a trove of trinkets laid out meticulously on dirt shaped to be shelves, and the echoes of screams faded into snivels from a ledyba in the corner being treated to a stinging potion by its trainer. "holland ... ?? the girl came to acknowledge through her complete bafflement, ?w-what are you doing here? where's that ghost at?"

    -----
    the boy jumped a little at her voice but smiled when he saw its source. he stood up and greeted his friend with a constricting hug, commenting "i didn't know there were ghost-types here ... that might be a nifty type to catch!? after exchanging a few pleasantries.

    -----
    ?this has nothing to do with a pok?mon!? rachel protested through the pain of his surprisingly strong embrace, ?it's the ghost of the hiker! he was on the radio, reliving his death and stuff, but he obviously died and then ... um ... i really don't know what else ... " in fact, the more thought she dedicated to it, the less she understood what just happened to her. or why, exactly, holland's voice resonated so familiarly to her in a different way than it usually did.
    -----
    a series of barks interrupted her inner monologue and all attention in the room directed to a rockruff entering the cave, chasing a small bear as the latter climbed up rachel's leg in terror. holland tried to share a hello with the teddiursa, but graham couldn?t stop panting or yelling long enough to fulfill its end of the conversation. ?i see you?ve met my new pal!? the boy also mentioned, ?this whole gallery of wonders is actually its place, truth be told!?

    -----
    the pooch gave up on its prey and began running around holland. ?hey, buddy -? the trainer asked, kneeling down, ?question for you: ever hear anything about a ghost? my friend thought she saw one.? thinking he was sly, the boy winked at rachel as he finished his sentence and listened to the pok?mon offer a few woofs in reply. ?huh, neat ? that definitely means ? something affirmative!?

    -----
    the girl squinted in judgment. "what - no, no - all it's probably talking about is some bone it buried back out in town!? she bemoaned, pressing fingers to her temples. ?geeze, all that work and i've got nothing to show for it ... wait a second, how did you get down here ? ?"

    -----
    "oh! um ... i got myself into a spot of trouble with a cave-in and no one was coming, so ? ended up meeting this wee one and helped get this pokeball off its tail!? holland proudly displayed the great ball he had been storing in his pocket. ?then it brought me here so i could heal up my ledyba with the potions it?s found! cute story, right??

    -----
    "i mean ... yeah,? rachel conceded, ?but like, would that mean you know how to get out of here?"

    -----
    "uh ?? her friend stumbled, ?wow, i, uh. i didnt think of, um. huh." one momentary pause of awkwardness later, holland exclaimed "say, fluffy! do you think you know the way out?"
    -----
    the rockruff enthusiastically jumped up and without command started making good pace towards where this exit would be. the others and their respective teams were short behind it after a while and a labyrinth of windy turns eventually became one straight shot towards a pool of sunlight.

    -----
    ?now that i think about it,? holland said mid-conversation, cutting rachel off during one of her brainstorm babblings, ?you should have this!? the boy handed her the ball that was bound to the puppy they were following. ?i already caught a rock-type while we were in there, so there?s no point in having two. this whole trip is about variety for me, y?know??

    -----
    the girl stared intently at the device as a grand notion rose up into her conscious. "alright, new plan!? she said with newfound vigor, ?we're gonna change the story up. since there's no spooks to speak of in oreburgh, the first chapter will be about how i braved the dangerous mines to rescue a troubled boy in need! and then how i befriended the local wildlife to aid in his rescue! it'll be perfect!"

    -----
    ?oh.? holland remarked, numbly taken aback. ?that?s cool!?

    rockruff ? female ? own tempo
    fire fang ? bite ? tackle ? howl ? rock throw ? sand-attack
     
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    -----
    holland was tired, and an emotional hollowness writhed in his abdomen. whenever it got too much he?d take a deep, audible sigh and tune out from the opening speeches; he found that the cool breeze sweeping through the meadow was a little more comforting than the adults? optimistic promises, if only in the few seconds before it reminded him of the fresh air of his hometown and made him feel sick all over again. for a place halfway across the sea and shoved so far up north from what the fifteen-year-old was used to, floaroma town was uncannily similar to the scenery he was trying to leave behind.

    -----
    ?now, most of our team at honey tree will allow you to call them by their given name,? the camp director announced, ?which is both fine and highly encouraged! however, for the time being, i must insist on you referring to me as ?sir.? i will treat you with respect only if you grant it to me first.?

    -----
    ?coming in with that big-dick energy, i see,? whispered someone in the crowd. a handful of others gave a snicker at the aside, including holland; albeit a reflexive chuckle in that case and half-hearted at that. ?you can tell he?s afraid,? the heckler continued, ?he knows if he steps on the wrong kid, they?re gonna carve the word ?sir? into his belly with a switchblade.?

    -----
    an unheard agreement amongst the teenagers sat for a minute before something caused holland to furrow his brow. without removing his eyes from the grass, he turned his head towards the rabble-rouser and incredulity crept up in his voice: ?are you planning on stabbing him.?

    -----
    the person in question, a boy about the same age with tousled brown hair, glared at him and replied with a plain ?what,? obviously not comfortable with having his mien of worldliness compromised in any way. ?why the hell are you asking me that??

    -----
    ?you ? literally just mentioned doing so,? holland elaborated.

    -----
    ?i?m not talking about me!? the boy brushed off, ?he probably deserves it, i dunno ? this whole place is a waste of time. none of us wanna be here.?

    -----
    ?i mean ? if you intend this experience to be as worthless as the life you?ve been leading so far, then - yeah - i guess you can continue being as edgy as the corner of a piece of loose-leaf and do nothing but spout stupid shit.?

    -----
    ?boys, please!? a woman with a counselor badge dangling from her neck interjected, suddenly materializing behind them. ?you?ll have plenty of opportunities to chat later, please be deferential.?

    -----
    holland nodded at her and quietly apologized before taking a proper look at who he had been talking to, finally noticing the hot anger rising up in the boy?s face.
    -----
    however, to be frank, holland did think the assignment felt a bit backwards in tone. it was a commonly held notion that if one doesn?t know how to take care of themselves, they can?t be expected to be able to take care of others, and being responsible for the fate of an egg seemed like a tall order to impose on a group of troubled teens during their first week towards rehabilitation.

    -----
    not that this intimidated him in the slightest - in fact the challenge was rather lost on him, having grown up around the breeding business his whole life - but he worried about the specimens that weren?t his own, as there was no reason to trust anyone to understand the effort it requires to hatch a newborn. but he bit his tongue and convinced himself that the program knew what it was doing. the egg most likely wasn?t real either; a compelling dummy that was meant to teach the value of life to the careless. if that was the case, maybe he would discover something he needed to relearn.

    -----
    he politely offered to take the first shift in his group, wanting to scope out the rest of ?team fruit punch? - as it were - to see if any of them would prove to be liabilities, and there was hardly a fight over the privilege. as the day?s activities came to a close, he took out a bandana and compulsively polished the shell as he walked to the boys? cabins. for a fake, it had a lot of weight to it; something usually characteristic of most dragon-type embryos. holland began to speculate what it would supposedly hatch into: his initial guess being a bagon, but seconding himself with gible or noibat. or, it could be a trick, and actually be a munchlax of all things.

    -----
    not that any of this mattered, but the qualities of the counterfeit could hint towards the next challenge in which they could receive the pok?mon the egg represented for some purpose. it was best to be well-researched, and holland spent a good portion of the night listlessly scrolling through information on his smartdex until the flurry of pie charts and move statistics lulled him to sleep.
    -----
    ?hey, where?s the baby-to-be?? said one of the boys in team fruit punch after he shook out water from his hair. holland was still having a lot of trouble memorizing the names of his new companions and which story was whose, and he couldn?t recall if the one speaking was the bookish one or the one who was in a gang. ?it didn?t fall into the lake with us, did it?!?

    -----
    ?no! i left it in the cabin; it?s been there all morning,? holland reiterated. ?taking it canoeing with us was way too dangerous - because, y?know, this exact situation could?ve happened - so i left it by a window to get the light it needs.?

    -----
    ?thanks for tipping the canoe by the way, rachel,? said the other boy as he helped her yank said vessel through the mud of the shore, ?very lovely work.? the pink-haired girl gave a pout and turned her head to him in defiance.

    -----
    all of them were absolutely soaked and there was no way that their squad was going to win the race at this rate, so they shared a collective huff as they watched the other teams row by and plotted out what to do. their consensus ended up being to return the canoe to the docks and change their clothes, and with the excuse of attending the egg, holland was delighted to receive a pass to the second stage of the plan.
    -----
    the inside of the cabin felt eerie when sunbeams were seeping through cracks in the roof, and it had that mystical yet unwelcoming quality usually reserved for dark family homes while the inhabitants are on vacation or musky seaside cabanas that are only used for storage. holland could distinctly hear every step he created as he rounded the corner towards his room, which is why he immediately stopped when instead of a clean wooden sound, he heard his foot hit something metallic. looking down, he spotted one of those old-fashioned putters the campers were using yesterday during their inaugural mini-golf competition, except the end was covered in a viscous substance that trailed up in puddles between the bunkbeds towards the dresser he was assigned.

    -----
    there, perched near a window now crudely graffitied with the phrase ?should?ve been you, suicide boy,? resided a desecrated egg. it had been beaten in, and its remains were scattered on everything that was nearby; leaving all unguarded sheets, clothes, journals - and one particularly sentimental picture of his mothers - stained with developmental fluid and decorated with pieces of shell. holland stood silent, horror slowly taking over every muscle in his face as more details of the scene revealed themselves. he hadn?t realized his ears had been ringing until the ailment cleared away at the sight of a tiny body laying directly in front of the bottommost drawer.

    -----
    holland fell to his knees. his first guess had turned out to be right, it was a bagon.

    -----
    or it would?ve been, at least.
    a hugh holland memory, from two years ago.
     
    Chapter Two: Westward
    To the West of Oreburgh City lies Oreburgh Gate, a break in the mountains around Oreburgh, a natural passageway through a small cave. The cave is well lit by artificial lighting as it serves as the only easy entrance to the city and the way through is straightforward, easy and largely clear of debris. That being said, there are a few less-travelled side tunnels that more explorative trainers could look through, eventually finding their way to an underground lake.

    Beyond Oreburgh Gate there is a startling change in scenery. While Oreburgh was surrounded by rocky mountains and largely devoid of plantlife, Route 203 is green and grassy and lined with trees. Stairs separate the hilly route into three long plateaus, each easily traversable with a clear path and a lack of difficult terrain. It is by all counts an easy and accommodating route with a pleasant natural atmosphere.

    Wild Pokemon
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]

     
    "gauntlet" ? genderless ? iron fist pound ? defense curl ? rollout ? shadow punch ? fire punch ? telekinesis
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    dunsparce ? male ? serene grace bite ? rage ? defense curl ? rollout ? pursuit ? screech
    ledyba ? female ? rattled swift ? silver wind ? supersonic ? light screen ? agility ? sweet scent
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    onix ? female ? rock head rock throw ? dragon breath ? bind ? self-destruct ? rock polish ? mud sport
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    "cassius" ? male ? iron fist bubble ? rock smash ? wide guard ? leer ? swagger ? payback
    "graham" ? male ? pickup scratch ? baby-doll eyes ? lick ? fake tears ? thunder punch ? metal claw
    [PokeCommunity.com] Cracks: A Sinnoh Story [M] [IC]
    "biscuit" ? female ? own tempo fire fang ? bite ? tackle ? howl ? rock throw ? sand-attack
    -----
    logan bit his finger as he scoped out oreburgh gate for the umpteenth time. regardless of his great vantage point, no shadow, pebble or puddle he could see brought any solace from his strife. his spine wilted under the weight of desperation, laying him on his back. "i dunno. air?"

    -----
    ed cocked an eyebrow without breaking gaze from his book, lest he give away the solution. "yes, logan. 'i spied' the air. your powers of deduction are overwhelming."

    -----
    the younger boy squinted at his companion as he cupped his hands beneath his head. "it's all just rocks and dirt, y'know?" he grumbled, "what else could it be?" he craned his neck when ed motioned backward, and he locked eyes with a tangle of dead plants between two unassuming boulders. "alright, you're cheating! i definitely said grass."

    -----
    "tumbleweeds aren't grass, though," ed said dryly. logan huffed and turned away from him. after a moment, ed audibly shut his book and sighed. "one more?" he offered, a bit more kindly this time.

    -----
    "i spy is gettin' kinda old," logan said, returning to a seated position. "but rach and ol' hughy are takin' their sweet time, so ... can we squeeze in a game or two of twenty questions or somethin' instead?" he rested his chin on a fist and a hint of vigor rose in his voice, "and i'll give nothin' easy, either. no fantina."

    -----
    ed smirked in spite of his desire to appear bored. "okay, then: male or female?"

    -----
    "rockruff."

    -----
    there was an uncomfortable pause. "you ... do remember how this game works, right?"
    -----
    before his friend had a chance to comprehend what he meant, logan pushed himself onto his feet and brandished another one of his pokeballs. he tossed the device at the silhouette of a chipper pup trotting towards them, in hopes of redeeming himself for his earlier embarrassments, but the scene of his ball smashing to pieces on contact with the dog only proved to be equally humiliating. the pok?mon looked more surprised than concerned as it sniffed for foes, eventually landing its sights upon the duo and beginning to growl.

    -----
    "there you are, biscuit!" cooed a familiar voice. the pale glow of a pokegear screen ascended from a staircase behind the creature and rushed to meet its now-ecstatic mug. "you shouldn't wander so far ahead like that, you never know what kind of creepy things could be waiting around the corner."

    -----
    a pang of recognition caught logan as he adjusted to the light: "rachel?" his suspicions were confirmed when that unmistakable glint of mischief that lived in her eye stared up at him in response. "what are you doing?" he berated, "you're screwing up my capture!"

    -----
    rachel stood up, biting her lip impertinently. "that's a fine how-do-you-do! it's good to see you too."

    -----
    the blue-haired boy looked tentatively between the girl and the pok?mon. "i see what's happenin' here ... well, you can back away from - whatever you just called it - i already claimed dibs."

    -----
    ed sat up slowly from his position on the ground, where he had been compliantly laying since logan shoved him there during the excitement, and extended a wave to the new arrival. "hey, long time no -"

    -----
    rachel held up a hand in his direction. "excuse me?" she barked, concentrating her full contempt towards logan. "you can't call dibs on biscuit, considering she's already captured. by me."

    -----
    "and i've told you before. you don't have the authority to overrule dibs!" logan scoffed and rolled his eyes, trying to shield the fact that he was thinking of more big words to use. he turned to ed, trying to buy time: "can you believe this?"

    -----
    "technically, you didn't call dibs in the first place."

    -----
    popping his tongue in scorn at his unhelpful partner, the boy switched his attention towards the tall fellow that stood sopping wet next to rachel. "hugh, back me up here."
    -----
    holland?s debut had been quiet and less than glamorous. his foot had tripped into cave water earlier and disturbed a psyduck nest in the process; the experience left his pants entrenched in muck and his ledyba the worse for wear despite taking the win against the quacking monsters. he understandably had lacked energy to intercept the argument his peers had wrapped themselves up in when he had finally appeared, but now he gaped cluelessly at them while he summoned a response.

    -----
    "i'm ... " he contemplated, "so very hungry. please - food - in mouth, now?"

    -----
    the comments ed had been saving died in his throat when rachel and logan continued bickering. he couldn't help grinning; it was summer camp all over again. he skimmed his journals for anything that might pertain to rockruff as he joined holland in following said pok?mon while they made their way past the fighting duo and onto the route ahead.
     
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