Dark Void [PG-13]

[Cdub399]

I never really used Mightyena in the games, except when going with an all Dark/main Dark character, in which I mainly stuck with Crawdaunt and Cacturne.

 

[Strikit]

I use it whenever I can. To make it better, I'll offer opportunities for it to learn the elemental Fang attacks, since it doesn't learn them naturally.

 

[steffyace]

Mightyena has never been a huge favorite of mine. Though I have never actually tried one out.

Strikit, if I am understanding correctly you are playing as a character for Lance and one for Esthin right now right? Just want to clear that up, I am a tad bit confused.

 

[Strikit]

Likely so. Since Lance and Esthin won't be prevalent throughout the whole plot, they'll be sort of a way to nudge the plot along where needed.

 

[eveelution]

Okay, I'm confused. All you need are two Esthin trainers? 'Cause if so... Can I reserve murkrow? I really am interested in the plot.

 

[X75flames]

Okay, I'm confused. All you need are two Esthin trainers? 'Cause if so... Can I reserve murkrow? I really am interested in the plot.

Correct. If you get accsepted, all we will need is 1 more trainer.

 

[eveelution]

Great! :D Now all I have to do is get accepted! (That's the easy part!) Joking, joking!

Here is my SU! Do not worry. The abandoned pokemon will never come back. I'm to lazy to spend the time creating a pokemon team from the past.

Name: Christopher Sterling Royel
Age: 18
Gender: Male


Appearance: Christopher has sharp angular features, though his nose is quite small compared to the rest of his face. He has large dusty blue eyes, with his eyebrows are narrowed toward each other in a disapproving glare. Christopher's lips are full and naturally bright red. He keeps his rather long, raven-black hair side-sweeped to his right, and combs it regularly, though the wind often ruins his hard work.
Christopher has grown very fit from his travels, though he is still rather thin, as if his muscle simply gets leaner, instead of bigger. In a word, Christopher is a "string-bean." He has long legs and will often walk with a bold, "Don't mess with me," stride. Sadly the affect is ruined by Christopher's lanky form. In a weird contrast Christopher is barrel-chested, with a thin, short neck.
Christopher wears blue jeans that are slightly worn for traveling. His shirt is plain white and obviously often used. Christopher's worn cotton jacket is black and soft and is used to keep Christopher warm on those nights when one wants to curl up with some hot cocoa.

Personality: Christopher is a tactical and hardened battler. He's seen the worst parts of battles and the best. He believes that strategy can win any battle, and is amazingly good at using the battle styles of each of his indivual pokemon. He does not accept defeat lightly and will give out harsh punishment in the form of training to the point of exhaustion (not only for his pokemon, but also for himself).
Christopher is considered rash, though he puts it as being "Sure of one's own abilities, and acting upon that surety." Under his hardened character is an amazingly soft and understanding person, but his parents taught him to suppress all emotions, and to be a "good little boy." Sadly, one thing Christopher hates is being called "Chris." He continually will ask to be called "Christopher."
He taught himself to separate himself from his pokemon, as they are to "better the name of his family." Yet, Christopher grew to see his pokemon as business partners of a sort, and Christopher and his pokemon still have a mutual acquaintance.

History: Christopher lived the life of a rich, show boy. His mother owns a growing business that consults for high prices, while his father is a well to do lawyer. With the family's growing reputation, Christopher's father pushed his son to become a pokemon trainer, for "The family image." His mother believed that the perfect child was a quiet, obedient child, and Christopher upheld that image. Sadly, when he did talk he sounded cold from his emotional separation. He was in turn treated with hatred by the other kids, and Christopher grew into the man he is today.
When he traveled on his journey, Christopher caught a team of top pokemon. He had attained all the gym badges; he spent years training, and beating the Elite Four. Then he faced the ultimate challenge. He fought the Hoenn Champion … and lost. Christopher was utterly destroyed in that battle, and he didn't forget. Soon afterward, a week before his eighteenth birthday, Christopher released his pokemon as failures. They now continually train in their respected environments, hoping to someday gain their original trainer's respect again.
On his eighteenth birthday Christopher received a letter from the mysterious "Void Gym." More importantly from Esthin. Apparently Esthin had taken a special interest in Christopher, and he said that he could help Christopher train to be the best. That Christopher would beat the Hoenn Champion through the power of dark types. Christopher was curious and entranced. He had gotten all his gym badges before the Void Gym was created.

Pokemon: Murkrow
Move Set:
Confuse Ray*
Peck
Astonish
Pursuit
Personality: Murkrow is a quiet and cold hearted pokemon. He rarely crows out like most murkrows, but when he does, you could hear it from a mile off. Murkrow will relentlessly attack his opponent, dodging his opponent's attacks with quick, deft, aerial maneuvers. Sadly, Murkrow has very weak defense, and can only take a few attacks before going down.

RP Sample: (From "Inner Demon" a joint role play by Mira and _Diego//)

Spoiler:

Nicholas stared out into the thick snow outside of the inn he had stayed the night at. His wind breaker was zipped up to his neck, and you could hear him grumbling, "Damn snow, so thick you can barely see in front of you." He was slowly gathering the courage to head towards the small train station on the outskirts of Snowpoint City.

Nicholas had his scarf wrapped around his mouth and ears, but his nose and eyes were bared to the elements. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his windbreaker, and as an extra precaution he had tucked his pants into his shoes, as if they could keep out the snow. He had on a blue backpack that was crammed full of books and a few pairs of clothes. Then he steeled himself, rushing towards the doors in an attempt to act now and think later.

Nicholas slammed into the doors not realizing that he was supposed to pull, not push. His hands flew up to hold his nose, and the young maid in the lobby was quietly trying to contain her laughter. Sadly, she didn't succeed very well and chuckled to herself as she advised, "You might want to pull open the doors before leaving, kind sir." Nicholas just glared at the girl, quickly wrenching the glass doors open and stomping through the thick snow.

*

Nicholas snapped his book shut, growling at the distracting hustle and bustle of the train station. The soft blue walls of the train station could hardly be seen, the crowd was so thick. The noise itself was substantial, with the intercom buzzing, the crowd talking and the simple noise generated from so many people moving at once. Nicholas looked up at the loud speakers, as if he could glare them into quiet.

Then Nicholas' expression changed into one of befuddlement. Again, the loud speaker boomed, "May all passengers of train 1337 board now! May all passengers of train 1337 board now!" Nicholas stood up and growled, packing his book back in his bag. Then he walked away from the bench he had been sitting on, shuffling towards the gate on his boarding pass with his shoulders hunched. He stopped and raised an eyebrow at the short stubby man in front of him who demanded to see his bag.

Nicholas looked down his nose at the security guard that stood at the first checkpoint. He was a few inches shorter than Nicholas, and yet he was demanding to see the contents of the teenager's bag, as if the short stubby man had the highest of authority. Nicholas scowled saying, "Look, I doubt you could stop even a street urchin. You'd think this place would have higher security," as he zipped open his bag and showed the security guard the pile of books. The silly, little, security guard leered at Nicholas before saying "You may pass."

Nicholas gave the man the mother of all scowls before walking towards a friendly looking woman who simply asked for his letter. Nicholas gave it to her and walked on towards the next checkpoint, not even noticing that she kept the letter. The next person was a tall, thin, man wearing a uniform. He took a quick look over Nicholas' boarding pass, and gave a tip of his hat as Nicholas boarded the train.

The train was top of the line with almost a hundred seats and most of his new class-mates had already boarded, but there was a small trickle of students yet to board. Nicholas quickly took an empty window seat and pulled a dog-eared book out of his backpack, propping his feet on the edge of his seat. The seat next to him was quickly taken by one of those sheltered, friendly kids. Nicholas gave his usual almighty scowl when the young boy introduced himself. One could even see the poor boy gulp.

 

[Strikit]

eeveelution: I adore your descriptive writing style. You are undoubtedly accepted.

With that done, I must warn everyone that I might be scarce this weekend. If I am, I'll work double time this week to make up for it.

Here's my SU for Esthin's side. I went ahead and took Poochyena, so we're ready to start. Give me some time to work up a starter post.


Name: Elyssa Karis Renoira (Prefers to be called Karis.)

Age: 17

Appearance: Generally, Karis wears tight fitting dark jeans with a plain black belt, and a short, long sleeved black shirt. Over the shirt she wears a black jacket zipped up three quarters of the way. She's already fairly tall at 5'5", but she wears combat boots that elevate her another inch. In her pocket, Karis keeps a tie for her long bluish violet hair in her pocket so that if she comes to a situation where it gets in the way, she can just tie it back. Her eyes are a cold icy grey color. Coupled with her pale skin and hair, they give off an aura of burning iciness. She keeps her nails on long-fingered pale hands long and sharp, and sometimes polishes them black to match the rest of her outfit. Around her neck Karis wears a black collar-style choker with a round metal ring in the front, as though to clip a leash to. Altogether her appearance gives off an impression of angst. Secretly, however, her favorite socks are bright orange with light blue smilie faces.

Personality: Cynical, misanthropic, and sarcastic, Karis does not play well with the other children. She prefers to keep the number of people she associates with small and exclusive, seeing as most people are in her experience lacking in intelligence, manners, and interesting things to say. Those she does get close to are generally males, as she finds that in the teenage years too many girls are concerned with their hair or clothes or latest breakup, and she wants nothing to do with any of these things. She does have a few female companions, though they're few and far between. When she does find someone she cares for she's loyal to a fault. Luckily, however, she rarely cares so much for someone who hasn't proven themselves one way or another.

Despite her cold exterior, Karis is a nurturer. She thrives when she has something or someone to take care of. This could perhaps be the root psychological reason for her love of Pokemon. She's had pets of various species her entire life. A recurring theme among them is that they were shelter or abandoned Pokemon, or endangered in some other way. Anyone who had been to her home before she left it to join the Void Gym would be astounded by how many pet Pokemon she had, and how well cared for and happy they all were. Surprisingly, she does not like kids and never wishes to have them. Karis does not take an emotional approach to things. Logic is her way, and her mind works strategically and analytically.

Karis adores Esthin. Far from a brother sister relationship, she constantly tries to impress him enough so that he will love her like she loves him. She knows that his emotions have been dulled and shredded by endless training with his Dark Pokemon, but she still manages to hope that somehow or another he'll see her as more than a trainee.

History: In 1957 Karis's grandparents immigrated to the Johto region and settled in Goldenrod. They met little success when attempting to start a ranch for Tauros and Miltank. Their son, however, offered the idea to sell the cow-like Pokemon and instead buy Ponyta and Rapidash to breed for recreational animals. It was a risky venture but they decided to do so. By the time Raymond Renoira was twenty six he was living in an extra house built off of the original with the money produced from the instant success of the business. The endeavor had given Raymond enough confidence to decide to enter the world of race Pokemon. He bought a stallion Rapidash by the name of Brine and Dandy. He turned out not to be an instant winner, though he did receive a phone call from a young woman named Diana McNiel. She owned a young Ponyta, and wanted to purchase Brine and Dandy's sire services. He agreed to meet with her the following day, and when he did it was instant chemistry. Their Pokemon produced a foal they registered as Dandy Lion, who became a success when he was just two years old. To celebrate his win of the Kentucky Derby Diana and Raymond married, she twenty seven, and he twenty eight. A year later Karis was born. Her parents loved her dearly, and bought her anything she desired, or anything they thought she desired.

She grew up happy and well cared for, as well as naïve. Everyone and everything was Karis's new friend, from Bug Pokemon to other children. Socially, Karis blossomed and had no trouble making and keeping friends, until she hit her teenage years. As often happened, her clothing darkened along with her outlook on life. She hit the gloom and doom stage hard at thirteen and fourteen, thus distancing herself from a number of her childhood friends. Those who stayed with her, she grew even closer to until they became more like family than just friends. She grew out of the darkness somewhat, though sarcasm and cynicism stayed with her.

Always having been a fan of Dark Pokemon, when the Void Gym in Hoenn was publicized Karis knew what she wanted to do with her life. She said goodbye to her friends, family, and pet Pokemon and traveled to Mossdeep immediately. When she arrived Esthin gave her a new outlook on life, though he did not offer her a Pokemon yet. He told her she would have to earn it, to prove herself worthy of owning a Pokemon he had hand chosen. She took the challenge willingly, doing whatever he asked of her. When he told her he would need a number of his trainees to keep Lance from getting too involved in the gym's affairs, Karis jumped at the chance to impress him.

Pokemon: Poochyena, egg move is Poison Fang.

 

[eveelution]

eeveelution: I adore your descriptive writing style. You are undoubtedly accepted.

Thanks, that's the nicest thing ever said about my writing! :)

 

[Strikit]

[[Without further ado, we shall begin! Esthin's trainees, just go accept your Pokemon. Lance's trainers, go to the laboratory and get your starter. Neither side knows what they're going to get until it's handed to them.]]

From his position concealed in the thick, smoky darkness he saw a rectangle of light appear, then vanish as soon as it had come. A challenger had arrived. A smirk curved his lips as he watched the girl first be confronted by one of his members, then a second. When she defeated that one as well a dark shape stirred by his feet. A cold aura emanated from it, heightening the frightening appearance that came from its twisted silhouette.

"Calm," the man commanded. It fell silent instantly, its blood red eyes trained on the young woman.

It did not take her long to get through to them, suggesting she had at least one team member that could withstand Dark offenses. That was alright. It would not make any difference in the outcome. As she neared his pedestal her footsteps slowed and her confidence melted visibly, leaving a shivering child in her place.

"State your business," he said coldly. She shuddered at the sound of his voice. It was like a serpent slithering over ice.

"I-I… I'm here for the b-badge," she stammered.

"Then let us begin. There are no rules in this gym. Either you succeed, or you do not. It is up to you."

When he emerged from the darkness he heard her stifle a gasp. His frigid blue eyes, focused intensely on her, glowed eerily. Black hair fell like a pagan wreath around his head. His unnaturally pale features twisted into a sadistic grin, giving the impression that he was on the ledge of insanity. The rest of his body was obscured by a floor length cloak, blacker than the darkest moonless night. His boots thudded dully as he led her to the center of the gym floor. Unbidden, the trainers moved out of the way and watched silently from the shadows, their eyes glowing like hungry dogs.

The twisted shape had followed him down. It positioned itself in front of him and waited. The girl realized after several moments of silence that she would not be told what to do here. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she retrieved a ball from her belt and threw it. A Forretress landed where it fell, towering over the far smaller dark shape. However, despite the species' generally blank expression, its anxiety was evident in the way its eyes darted back and forth. He chuckled cruelly.

"Go."

The little shadow lunged forward with a bloodcurdling screech, sealing the fate of its opponent.

After the battle the girl rushed out of the Void Gym with tears in her eyes, no closer to possessing the Blackhole Badge. Esthin looked down at Hades the Sneasel with a cruel grin. "Impressive as always, my friend." The dark furred Pokemon smirked up at his master, his red eyes glowing. "This has been a promising start to the day. With any luck, the trainees will manage to impress me as much as you have."

On that note he returned to his pedestal. "Those of you I have named," he said loudly, "come forth now. Riverton, Johnson, Alabaster, Noctis, Royel, Renoira. I will give you your Pokemon, then you will board the ferry that will take you to Littleroot Port. From there I expect you to locate and terminate Lance's pets. Your membership at this gym depends on your success."

*****

In Littleroot, the sky overhead was dark with oily grey clouds. The threat of rain was ever present, but the air of excitement in the little down could not be washed away. Professor Birch's laboratory had been opened to the public early, at five AM, to prepare for the many young people who would begin their training that day. Lance had arrived shortly after the lab opened to help Professor Birch prepare. Of course, he couldn't stay long; the League could not get wind of Lance's hand in distributing these Pokemon with the intention of an exposé on the Void Gym. By the time the clock struck six Lance was well on his way back to Johto, where he was supposed to stand as Champion of the Elite Four. He would surely be missed if a challenger had no Champion to face.

However, Professor Birch was ready. Four shiny new Pokeballs stood in a row on a table with several niches so that the balls wouldn't roll. Everything was polished and cleaned in anticipation of the visitors. Mr. Mime and Smeargle worked along the shelves, organizing notebooks and scientific-looking binders, and young men and women in labcoats bustled about adjusting machines and stacking boxes. Clean, white, and efficient, the inside of the lab was impressive and professional. Hopefully, the extra effort would have the desired effect and inspire the young trainers to do their best on their trek. Excited to begin handing out the starters Lance had given him, Professor Birch stood next to the table with the balls with his hair combed, his coat bright and white, and a huge grin on his face. Every year when he gave out starters he was excited, but this was even better. Lance had asked him to do this for him, and he would to the best job that he could.
​

 

[LordSephy]

"So, ready to grow closer to and farther away from dear old dad at the same time buddy?" Koam, Shear's father said to him as they stepped off of the SS. Aqua that had just arrived from Johto. "Of course I am, finally! my journey is beginning." Stepping off of the dock and onto the soft neat grass, they began walking in the direction Koam said Prof. Birch's lab would be.

"Maybe now you'll finally meet a nice girl you can actually talk to, after all, your mother and I met because I was a Trainer." Shear blushed a bit and tried to sound un-stressed. "Dad, don't worry, it may happen in time, don't rush things." "I'm not, do you know how hard it is to watch your son stay single 3 years longer than most boys and get wobbly legs whenever he actually talks to a pretty girl? Of course you don't, your 16." Sephy sighed and thought to himself. "This will be a long trip if dad doesen't get off this subject soon, oh well, I can finally start, Woohoo!" He pumped his arm gleefully into the air as he thought the last part.

At what was about an hour later, yet seemed like minutes to Shear because there were beautiful pokemon he had never seen everywhere, they reached Littleroot town. Koam stretched happily "Ah, brings back memories of when I started my journey, course I didn't have connections like you do." "Whatever, you're just jealous of my skills." "I sure am, it's like you were never even a noobie, heh."

Sephy looked at the large pokemon lab, he was about to step inside when his dad shoved him through the door. "Come on junior! We've got people waitin' for us." "Don't call me junior dad...." Sephy walked through the lab, looking at all the assorted scientific and pokemon related things. "Cool." When Koam noticed Prof. Birch he ran straight to him. "Hey! Professor, hows it goin'?" Sephy walked slowly behind, embarrassed. "Heh.....well I guess I made it...."

Flashback

"So, you really think you can take on your old man already? Somebody is confident about themselves." "I sure am bring it on!" Koam had decided to let his son choose any pokemon within reason for the battle, while he used his trusty Nidoking, Sephy had chosen Riolu, feeling a strange link to it. Pressing the buttons on the pokeballs, they released their pokemon, Riolu looked truly puny compared to Nidoking, nonetheless, it looked determined.

10 minutes later, it had been a fierce battle, but Riolu was on the ropes. "Alright, time to finish this, Nidoking, use Super Power!" Nidoking glowed with a red aura and charged at Riolu with a fierceness that would have made a Dragonite quail in fear. Sephy waited, it was risky, but he did nothing until Nidoking was less than a foot away from Riolu, to late to change course now. "Riolu, use Counter, and then Force Palm!" As Riolu's body began to glow Nidoking made contact, it staggered bag from the blow, then right as it was stunned Riolu slammed it in the ribs with a glowing fist, Nidoking's entire body twitched, it was paralyzed. "Alright Riolu, now it's time to finish it up with-" Koam interrupted. "Extremespeed, now!" Nidoking was too fast for any reaction, it slammed into Riolu, who then fell to the ground, total Knockout, but seconds later Nidoking keeled over in fatigue.

"Oh Come on!" Sephy said disappointed, he was about to complain again when his dad scooped him up with a hug so powerful he thought he would suffocate. "I'm so proud of you, that was amazing! I have to call him right now, he'll love to hear it." "Who would love to-" Too late, he was gone into the house, Koam couldn't wait to tell Lance, Sephy thought it would be harmless, but only becuause he didn't understand how Lance's situation would change very soon, lots of things would be....

Present

Shear sat uncomfortably, watching the adults talk. "Could that battle really mean I have the kind of potential dad said I did?......I hope this doesen't turn in to anything bad....I have the eeriest feeling....."
"Alright, here you go." Birch said, handing Sephy the ball containing his new pokemon, treat it with care." "Yes!" Sephy jumped once in excitement, then pressed the button on the pokeball, releasing a red light which formed into a Scyther. "Sweet! I'm gonna go outside right now and pl-" "Son, sometimes overzealousness can lead to rudeness, why don't we just wait for the others to get here?" "There are others?" "There sure are....why don't I tell you about them, me and Lance spent a lot of time talkign about it."

 

[eveelution]

First Post!

Christopher watched on in an amused way as the poor girl ran out of the dark gym. He was disgusted at how the other trainers around looked upon the scene in an adoring way. They might have well as been in love with Esthin. That didn't matter though. Christopher was there to receive the pokemon that was to help him and to figure out a way to repay the Void Gym's leader.
Deep in his thoughts, Christopher was jolted to attention when he heard Esthin start talking; "…Royel, Renoira. I will give you your Pokemon, then you will board the ferry that will take you to Littleroot Port. From there I expect you to locate and terminate Lance's pets." Christopher strode forward confidently, quickly claiming his pokemon. He then turned toward the exit of the gym, but not before he heard Esthin's voice speak out, saying "Do not fail me, or else you may be terminated, too. Christopher Royel."
Christopher's hair rose on the back of his neck, though he simply continued toward the door, albeit a bit faster.
Outside it was much warmer, and Christopher was forced to spend a moment letting his eyes adjust to the light. He mused over that termination bit, thinking to himself, "I can delay them instead, can' t I?" With that, Christopher walked down the road to ponder his mission.

*

Christopher stared out across the tide pools Mossdeep was known for. His parents would be expecting a call, and Christopher had an hour before his ferry left the port. He made his decision and pulled out a rounded object from his pocket. There was then a flash of light, illuminating a pokeball and a murkrow. "So, Murkrow it is," Christopher said in a flat tone, "Well show me what you got!"
He was now pointing at a crabby crawling through the sand in a lazy manner, and the murkrow quickly gained altitude before diving toward the crab pokemon and performing an astonish attack. The murkrow then followed up with a confuse ray, his eyes flashing purple, as the crabby jumped back in surprise. The crabby's eyes flashed the same shade of purple seconds later, before banging its claws on the sand over and over again. Murkrow flew in with a quick peck, and after that the crabby started to run for the open ocean. Sadly, Murkrow was faster, pursuing the crabby with none other than a pursuit attack. That was the end of it.

*

"…Of course mother," Christopher quietly whispered into the phone, as his mother went through a checklist of things he would need to appear well-groomed. His mother went on, saying "And don't forget to wear that nice suit I bought when you are in the city." Christopher answered his usual "Yes mother," and was glad he wouldn't have to stop by Mauville City for a while yet.
With that Christopher walked towards the harbor to catch his boat. Murkrow was in a pokeball in Christopher's pocket, and the two had already gained a mutual respect for each other.

 

[Anti-Hero]

OOC: Just as a note, I changed my character slightly.

Niki watched from the upper floor with great intensity as the girl battled, knowing that nothing would matter when she reached his master. There was a flair in his eye, he longed to be a great battler once again, just like Esthin. The only problem that all of his tip-top pokémon. A smirk spread across his face as the girl approached the leader; it grew even wider when she backed away in horror, her pokémon felled in one blow. However, the scream was horrible, it reached the depths of his mind. Using the railing for stability, he barely managed to stay up. Blinking a few times he was normal again. But, during his daze, he had thoughts, thoughts about the life he had chosen; was it a good choice? Of course, none that mattered now that he was in his normal state of mind.

"...Alabaster, Noctis, Royel, Renoira..."

Hearing his name called, as well as some of the other fledglings, he scurried down to his leader. Holding his hand out for his pokémon, the man ran his hand over his, a ball falling from seemingly no where. This ball wasn't a normal one, yes it looked the same, but there was more energy emanating from it. Well, that is what he thought, it could have just been the excitement of him holding a Pokeball, he didn't really know, or care for that matter. Hearing his instructions, he stepped outside of the gym. The sudden change from darkness to light made his head hurt. The change was too drastic, too much difference in too little a time.

Knowing the he had time to burn, he had decided that he would check out his pokémon, see what it is, and how it acts. Of course, now that he could get Pokémon, he need a holster of some sort, but what? He decided to mull over the idea later. Squatting, he made sure his boots were tightened all the way. Standing up, he readjusted his hat. Fingering the small ball that he had placed in his pocket, he pulled it out. Pressing the button, the ball grew much larger. It was an awkward feeling that would take time getting used to. In a flash of light, appeared an Absol. It was an often misunderstood pokémon, something that fit his persona all to well.

Turning towards some cliffs, Niki motioned his pokémon to follow him. He ran towards the cliffs, hopping up to a ledge. "Come on, Absol, you do the same." He watched repeatedly as the pokémon tried in vain. He sat there waiting, then, eventually it made it. He made his way to a higher ledge. "Keep coming." he commanded. A few failed attempts is all that it took. Climbing to the top of the cliffs, he demanded that Absol do too. It jumped up, failing to reach a foot hold. The distance to the ground was great, and he watched as the Pokémon fell. Moments before it fell to the ground, he called it back to its pokeball. Absol were supposed to be sufficient at maneuvering mountainous terrain, this one, was obviously not used to it. It was a drag, but would be worked around. Releasing it to the bottom, it quickly made its way up, this time, not daring to fall for fear that his master would not make the effort to save him. A smile spread across his face. A few more times of practice and he would be perfect. He sat and watched, not impressed until it had it had completed the course flawlessly.

 

[Strikit]

The ferry pulled up to port at Littleroot and the sailors breathed a sigh of relief. They had been eyeing the dark clouds overhead for the last several hours, and they feared a storm. Now that they had docked the fear was gone, thankfully, and the ship's passengers could disembark safely. Fyora did so gladly, her legs unsteady after three days at sea. She hoped never to have to travel by ship again; it certainly wasn't her favorite way to get from place to place. But that was alright. She had reached Littleroot, Razor's Pokeball was clutched in her hand, and the excitement in the air was so thick she could practically taste it.

The clouds overhead rumbled angrily. It appeared that there would indeed be rain. That was alright. Fyora's long black jacket was perfect for protecting her against the weather, and she could already see Professor Birch's lab ahead of her. It wasn't a particularly impressive building, after living around Claire's gym for a good portion of her lifetime it would be difficult for anything but the best to impress her. She did have to respect the Professor's work; researching Pokemon was a never ending task, as more just seemed to constantly pop up.

A single drop of water landed on Fyora's head. She sighed, thinking her training would likely begin in the rain. It could be worse, but she'd been hoping for neutral weather. Now she just wanted to get inside before the downpour started. She doubled her pace and managed to reach the lab before the first crack of thunder. The door was simple, wooden, and surprisingly heavy when she tried to open it. 'To keep lab Pokemon in and thieves out?' she mused as she slipped inside.

Fyora was greeted by whirring machines and people in lab coats milling about. Here and there an assistant Pokemon worked diligently. But none of this was what she was looking for. She only had to glance about to see Professor Birch at the back of the room. Taken by excitement yet again, she hurried over to him.

"Are you the second, then?" Birch asked enthusiastically. Fyora nodded, suddenly somewhat shy. The Professor motioned for her to come closer. "Ah, good. This is Shear, and he just got his first Pokemon. You're Fyora Roschel, right?" She nodded again. Grim lines appeared on either side of Birch's mouth, but he didn't drop his enthusiastic front. "Then you'll already have your first."

With a third nod Fyora pressed the front button on her Pokeball, calling Razor out. The young male Sneasel landed on all fours and glanced around quickly, assessing the situation. When he decided there was no threat he jumped clear to Fyora's shoulder, where he perched and glared at everyone else. "Be nice," she hissed. But Birch just laughed. "Ornery little fellow, isn't he? It doesn't look as though he'd let me too close, he's feeling anxious. See the way the tips of his claws are protruding from his paws? But from what I've seen he isn't fond of other people, but he's perfectly healthy. He'll be a suitable partner."

All that said, he gave her five Pokeballs, which she shrunk down and attached to the clasps on the inside of her jacket. "Thank you sir," she said, hints of her shyness still showing through. "Shall I stay here with… ehm… Shear?"

Birch shrugged. "You may if you wish, but I don't require that you stay here and wait. If I did that, you could be waiting forever for stragglers, and we can't have that."

Fyora shifted her weight from foot to foot, glancing at Shear. "Might you want to go together for a bit?" she asked. Razor grumbled at the notion, but he knew he had no say, so he just eyed the Scyther cautiously.

[Watch yourself, man. I'll cut you in half if you hurt my girl,] he warned. Razor had always had the issue of talking like he was ten times larger. Not only was Scyther bigger, but it also had a type advantage against him. But Razor didn't care. All he could see was the large scythes at the end of the Pokemon's forearms, and he was highly overprotective of his girl.

 

[steffyace]

Fear.
It can control your life and make every decision for you. Most follow its path without knowing they did so. Some torment the world with it, since they themselves have mastered it they find enjoyment out of making others feel miserable in their everyday lives. But living in complete fear is not a life at all and it is not one she wished to live. The eerie sight of shadows sent shivers crawling down her spine. Small bumps slowly rose on her soft pale skin as a chilling breeze swept across the room. I am not afraid She whispered to herself repeatedly. She has come so far and shall not leave now as a failure. She would look like a fool walking about out of the door she just came through. No one will see her weakness, ever. Her whole life has been keeping everything a secret. Keeping everything too herself and never letting anyone close enough to know her. She remembered how it used to be…

Laughter used filled the air, along the long dirt roads the children played games. Ones about being trainers, and ones about being the champion of the whole league and others battle to become the new one. But it was all just pretend. Alone sat a young girl with her arms wrapped around her legs, holding on as tightly as she could. You could barely see the soft tear drops that fell down her skinny cheeks.

That girl was neglected, alone, and lost in her own world. She promised herself she would never be that girl again. Never getting close to another human being means never getting hurt ever again. But she was ripped from her thoughts before she got too deep.

"Those of you I have named," said the man loudly. She looked to the chair on which as strange dark haired man. On his side stood the red-eyed Sneasel just staring at her, it showed no emotion. If that wouldn't creep someone out, what would? But this is what she had come for. She looked intently into his blue eyes waiting, just waiting for the words. "Come forth now. Riverton, Johnson, Alabaster, Noctis, Royel, Renoira. I will give you your Pokémon, than you will board the ferry that will take you to Littleroot Port. From there I expect you to locate and terminate Lance's pets. Your membership at this gym depends on your success." There it was. A small grin erupted over her face at the call of her name. Riverton, Arianna Riverton. She has always been proud of her uncommon name. She liked to be different than most around her.

With that she strode forward, tossing the strand of dark red hair out of her way. Everything had to be perfect, this was everything she wanted and no one was going to ruin that. She wanted to remember it twenty years from now and think of how it made her feel. It felt good. Her emerald green eyes looked ahead with such intensity. Like she was the hunter, and the small red and white ball in the palm of his hand was her prey. She only took hers eyes away from the Pokéball to make sure it was alright to grab it. But his face showed nothing. Aria raised her hand to take a hold of the Pokéball. She held it firmly with her vicious grip not daring to let it go.

"Thank you Esthin" She whispered to him, and quickly removed herself from his sight. She took a glance behind her to watch as the others received their Pokéballs as well. When she turned again to face forward she was nearly blinded by the blazing sunlight that shone directly into her eyes. She heard the door close automatically behind her, at least she thought it did. As her eyes adjusted to the light she noticed her surroundings. She saw the vast ocean that surrounded Mossdeep, separating it from the entire world. Suddenly a loud noise echoed out into the air. With a jump of surprise she turned to face what had startled her and saw it was the ferry to the mainland at the port already.

"Esthin instructed me to get on it…" She said merely to herself. She shrugged her shoulders and started a slow pace to the boat. But with sudden realization Aria withdrew the Pokéball from her bright orange bag that was hanging from her shoulder. "Might as well see" She said simply. And with a swift click of the button she threw it up into the air as far as it could go. With a flash of light it opened and out came a brown Pokémon. Its innocent brown eyes looked up at her.

"You have got to be kidding me!" She yelled out loud. "An Eevee is the dark Pokémon I receive? Why it is hardly dark at all" She mumbled frustrated. What was Esthin thinking? She started to pace back a forth as the Eevee stared at her with a blank expression. "Alright, fine. If this is what he wanted me to have I will take it" She decided. This was not exactly turning out as she had planned.

After that debate she set off towards the boat, the Eevee followed briskly behind her, its excitement showed clearly on its face. "Oh my goodness, what a cute Pokémon!" Cried a voice from somewhere around her. She switched into her defensive mode and looked around for the one who spoke. Then there came a small boy, only around the age of six running to pet the Eevee she owned. Her Eevee jumped back as the boy reached it and started growling. Alright, well that is evil enough. "Back off" She snapped to the boy, who looked taken aback by the Eevee's reaction. Tears started to form under his eyes. Oh no. With that the kid burst into a high pitch crying. Time to run.

****

After the little fiasco Arianna took off, leaving the boy crying and running home to his mother. "You seem decent enough to keep around" She said smiling and glanced at the Eevee by her side. "Now to name you…" She said. As she walked closer to the boat she pondered ever name possibility around. There had to be something good enough for the Eevee.

"That's one cute Eevee Ma'am, what's her name?" Asked a man on the ferry she walked passed. She turned around to face him and with a snap decision thought of the name.
"Mika"

​

 

[X75flames]

"Those of you I have named," he said loudly, "come forth now. Riverton, Johnson, Alabaster, Noctis, Royel, Renoira. I will give you your Pokemon, then you will board the ferry that will take you to Littleroot Port. From there I expect you to locate and terminate Lance's pets. Your membership at this gym depends on your success."

'Finaly I get to leave.' James thought as he watched everyone went up to Esthin. Leaving his seccluded cornor, he walked up to. After a quick look a Esthin, he took his pokeball. "Thank you for housing me here. I intened to return the favor now."
James swore a small smirk flashed accros Esthin's face, but it was gone so fast he may have just imageind it. James turned to see his fellow trainers leave. Looking at the light outside, he let his eyes adjust a little from watching the others leave. Finaly, with a deep breath, he stepted outisde.

Suddenly everything was bright. A bit to bright. James blinked twice quickly, and his eyes adjusted.
He walked over to the cliff, looking out over the sea. James reached into one of his large pockets and withdrew his pokeball. He stopped at the cliff, and simply dropped his pokeball on the ground. Suddenly, a Houndour appeared from the opened ball.

'Heh, the irony', James subconsciously thought. 'Wait, what? Why did I just think that? What irony?' Sighing he sat on the edge of the cliff, letting his feet dangle. His Houndour sat too. A slight breeze came through, blowing his cloak over the helpless Houndour.

Sitting on a bench, he struggled to pull his jacket on; just then a wind came sweeping down the road, right to the bench where he sat. Taken by surprise, the jacket slipped from his lose grip. The jaket flew for a bit, dancing on the wind, and fell. Landing in a lump on the ground, he reached for it. Picking up the fallen jacket, he saw a Growlithe under it, turning and playfully biting at it. As the jacket rose laughter filled the air. "Looks like we're going to need to wash that," a women's soft voice joked.

James sat blankly on the cliff, his Hounour finally free from the cloak's clutches. 'What was that?' For the first time, he turned to the harbor. Shocked he saw the boat, waiting next to the docks. He also became aware of a small child's crying. 'Might as well.'

Refreshed with the day's energy, James started with a sprint down the cliff side path, towards the town. As he entered the town, he slowed the stopped. Houndour, who was right on his heels, came to his side. James quickly scanned the port. After a split second he found the source of the crying, as small boy, sitting in the cornor with his arms folded in front of his eyes. James let out a sigh and started walking twards him. The boy hearing his foot steps stopped crying and looked up just in time to see Houndour running up to him. The small boy let out a frightened gasp, and cringed. Reaching the boy, James said "Don't worry. What happened?"

The boy seemed taken back by the cloaked man's words. "A lady wouldn't let me play with her Eevee," he pitifully spat out. James looked on puzzled at the boy, whom Houndour was try to play with, but the boy seemed to be paralyzed by the cloaked man in front of him.

Growlithe rolls over and jumps high into the air. A fit of laughter can be heard as he hit the floor on his side. "It's ok," an equally small voice said, as a pair of hands reached for the Growlithe. As the hands drew nearer, he started jumping back and forth, trying to doge the hands grasp.

'Huh?' James saw his Houdour trying to jump onto the boy in front of him. Confused, James simply walked to the boat. Once in his room, he laid down, to think clearly for the first time in two years.

 

[Cdub399]

Nox Noctis stood watching the battle, if you could even call it that, between a girl and his new Master, nodding indifferently at Esthin's victory. Nox was neither pleased to see the opponent's Pokémon defeated, nor disheartened. Nox's eyes went from the defeated Pokémon to Esthin when Esthin started speaking.

"Those of you I have named," he said loudly, "come forth now. Riverton, Johnson, Alabaster, Noctis, Royel, Renoira. I will give you your Pokemon, then you will board the ferry that will take you to Littleroot Port. From there I expect you to locate and terminate Lance's pets. Your membership at this gym depends on your success."

Nox approached Esthin's pedestal with a bow. The stink of spirits emanated from Nox, incurable by a mere washing. Even though Nox had not had any alcohol for two weeks, the smell would remain with him for at least another fortnight; Nox was aware of this, and planned to use it to his advantage.

Nox stood straight-spine, looking into Master Esthin's eye. Those eyes; Those terrible, terrible eyes! Nox thought, and felt a wave a fear ripple through his body. This man is a mad man.

Nox took the Pokeball and studied it carefully for any kind of difference. Finding none, Nox nodded to Esthin and left then gym after again bowing to Esthin again. Once outside, Nox released the Pokemon from the orb and was surprised by the familiar sight of a Sableye. How did he know? The Sableye stared at Nox through large crystalline eyes not wavering for a second.
"I am Nox Noctis. May I give you a nickname?" The Sableye continued to stare, until it slowly nodded.
"What do you think of the name 'Siloculus'?" Nox asked the creature, kneeling down to his level. This time the Sableye nodded quickly, it's eyes shimmering brightly.
Nox chuckled "Apparently you like that one. Very well. I'll put you in the Pokeball for now and release you when we get on the ferry." Siloculus' eye's dulled and he took a step back when Nox raised the ball.
"Ah, I understand. You rather travel with me." Siloculus nodded. "Very well, but if you change your mind tell me."

Nox started towards the docks of Mossdeep with Siloculus following closely behind him.

 

[LordSephy]

(OOC: oh no, I made a typo. I put Shear instead of Sephy, heh, sorry.)

Sephy stood in Birch's lab, unenthusiastically listening to Prof. Birch and his father talk, it bored him to no end, so he decided to try and get to know Scyther better. "so...what should I name you....those scythes....that grim demeanor....how about Grim?" At this the Scyther pondered....a name with a deep underlying meaning that could also bring fear to enemies in combat...perfect." Grim nodded as he looked Sephy straight into the eyes.

As the doors to Prof. Birch's lab whisked open, he and Koam stopped their conversation to watch a young girl run in, she seemed pretty enthusiastic about all of it, but then again Sephy was too. Sephy watched as she went up to Birch and they had a short dialogue about the important details of the current situation. "Fyora Roschel? Pretty name to match a pretty face, but I also see an underlying deepness, I guess the first description was not a fitting one." Continuing to watch, Sephy noticed Fyora turn to him. "Might you want to go together for a bit?" she asked. "Yes! An excuse to not sit here and listen to my dad talk!"

"Sure." Sephy answered, rubbing the back of his head nervously, he was never good at talking to girls, but he would probably end up traveling with Fyora a lot, so he would have to make sure as soon as possible that he wasn't nervous around her. Grim stared back into Razor's eyes intently as he was threatened. "Why would I do anything like that? It takes a pretty pathetic pokemon to want to hurt a human, they're so fragile, and you know, you shouldn't threaten somebody who your life may depend upon at some point." Grim answered back to Razor.

"Is this your Sneasel?" Sephy added, looking as close as he could without getting into Razor's "Bubble". "Very cool, I'd like to get one someday, although I'll try to make sure he's not overprotective of me....No offense." Sephy added as he finished speaking, not wanting to offend Razor.

 

[Strikit]

Darkness was not naturally invigorating. For most humans living in constant blackness caused depression, suicidal thoughts, and it sucked the happiness out of life. Karis may have been just a blurry face among the masses at one point, but she'd found a way to break away, to do something more. Leaving her apartment in early morning darkness, training endlessly in a dark room all day, and leaving for her apartment in utter blackness left little to no room for sunlight. Indeed, the lights at her home were rarely on. Over time Karis had adjusted to a complete lack of light, and now found it easier to see clearly when things were dim. This made the Void Gym the perfect place to spend most of her time. The most light that ever entered the room was when the front door opened for the arrival or departure of a challenger.

Spending so much time in the gym had its effect on her. Karis's already pale complexion had lightened even further, making the contrast between her skin and her dark clothing even more shocking. The influence of the concentrated Dark energy had somewhat dulled human emotions for her. As a result her icy grey eyes appeared colder. Her ability to control Dark Pokemon had grown considerably over the last several months to the point where she hardly had to say a word -- if she knew the Pokemon, of course. No matter the types, a strange Pokemon was still strange. But the improvement was clear, and she loved it.

Today those who Esthin had marked were not to get involved in training. They were to come to the gym and await further instruction. Any who asked questions were torn apart in Esthin's silent way, with a wordless, emotionless stare from those mad blue eyes. That was somehow worse than if he had set the Sneasel that never left his side upon them. Karis had learned shortly after she began training at the gym never to challenge Esthin's word. Though he may be a power hungry madman, he was worthy of respect, at least in her eyes.

The first challenger of the day was a girl that obviously could not hope to defeat the master of the gym. She had drive and determination, but that was not enough to beat intellect and sheer power. Karis watched with a growing smirk as the girl worked her way past the other trainers, coming ever closer to facing Esthin himself. Mentally she crossed her fingers; she loved seeing the man work. As stupid as she knew it was, she had one weakness. One person could play with her mind as he liked, twist and contort it, make her do whatever he wished. He undoubtedly knew of his power over her, and it would be a lie to say that he didn't use it. But as masochistic as it may be, she didn't mind.

The battle between the Sneasel named Hades and the challenger's Forretress was brief. The colossal shelled insect Pokemon hit the ground with a thud, incapacitated by the well trained Dark weasel. Predictably, tears welled up in the challenger's eyes and she hurried out of the gym as though the devil himself were pursuing her. Though that was a reasonable fear in this place, the devil stood on his pedestal and watched her leave. Soon after Esthin raised his voice above the hush of the gym. When he called her name, she approached the pedestal at the most dignified pace she could manage, not meeting his eyes. Karis held out her hands to receive the Pokeball Esthin had designated for her.

"Thank you, sir," she said humbly. With a respectful bow she turned and exited the Void Gym. The glaring sunlight almost made her shrink back into the darkness, but she didn't want to anger Esthin, so she pushed on into the brightness. After several moments her eyes adjusted, and she was able to see in the sunlight. Granted, she already missed the comfortable darkness, but she had to impress Esthin and do as he asked of her. She may not be the only one to have the mission given to her, but she felt it to be a personal responsibility that she neutralize Lance's boys, make sure they're no longer a danger to the existence of the gym.

Having packed everything that morning, a messenger style bag was slung across Karis's shoulder, resting at her left hip so that her right hand could have easy access to anything she might need. She started to place the ball inside the front pocket, but then she thought better of it. When she found her room on the ferry she wanted to release the Pokemon and get to know it better. Unsurprisingly, it was already in port. Esthin was notorious for his good timing; likely he'd known when the ferry would be arriving and leaving, and thus sent his trainees out at the perfect interval for them to make it on time without waiting for too long. And Karis wouldn't be surprised if Esthin expected for some of the trainees to miss the ferry, in order to weed out the weaker, slower people. He was all about the survival of the fittest.

Pelipper and Wingull flitted about lazily on the breeze near the dock. It was a sight Karis would have once enjoyed, but in the present day only Dark Pokemon truly captured her interest. Thus her attention was focused on the ball in her hand. She hardly noticed her footsteps leading her across the wood planks of the dock, onto the ferry. Reality returned to her when she met the attendant taking names and directing cabins. When asked for information, she gave as little as possible, as Esthin taught his trainees.

"Elyssa Renoira to Littleroot."

The attendant rifled through his papers and found her name. "You're in cabin A6."

Karis thanked him and made her way to her cabin as quickly as she could. The fewer people who saw her, the better. Polished wooden decks and clean white walls made the ferry look particularly nice, but that was not her concern. It was simply a vessel to take her where she needed to be, and now was not the time for recreation. She was glad when she reached her cabin. The oak door swung in easily, letting her into a basic room with a basic desk and bed. With a relieved sigh she crossed the room to the bed and sat down on the crisp, clean sheets. Now that she was behind closed doors she felt safe letting her Pokemon out. Pondering the possibilities, Karis pressed the button in front, letting a puppy-like Pokemon out onto the bed. She recognized it instantly as a Poochyena, one of the most well known Dark types. Despite herself, a smile touched her lips. Poochyena had always been her favorite Dark Pokemon, and secretly, she'd been hoping for it.

"Hey, handsome," she said quietly. He looked up at her with red eyes, neither affectionately nor aggressively. It seemed that he had not yet spent enough time around humans to truly gain an opinion about them. That was alright; she intended to change that. "I suppose all we can do now is wait."

He growled noncommittally and curled up on the bed, his head on his paws.

 

[Lostworld]

OOC: Quick thought, were they meant to be getting Pokedexes and the like? :]

The trip to Littleroot Town had been a long and tiring one for Lizzie Jordan. Her mother's sudden issues related to her daughter's departure, the ferry being very, very late and the constant crying of young children on the boat all contributed to the young girl's tired face as she trudged through the small town, keeping a look out for the laboratory she could not find.

Her knees hurt and her feet hurt even more in the new shoes her mother had purchased for her. Lizzie believed her messenger bag now to be full of rocks and her hair was doing its crazy untamable thing today. So far, it had been a rough start for Lizzie Jordan.

Her attention was then taken as she came across a large building. It seemed slightly deserted though activity seemed to be taking place inside. Lizzie hastily made her way to the door, quickly checking her appearance and tidying herself up as she did so. She knocked on the door, her stomach knotting with the hopes that this was the right place. She'd never been to Littleroot town, despite her mother dragging her on various holidays throughout the years.

The door was opened rather efficiently by a man in a white lab coat.

"Hi," Lizzie started. "I'm here to get a Pokemon..." She trailed off, suddenly not knowing what to say.

The man just nodded his hello before gesturing for her to follow him.

"Are you Elizabeth Jordan?" He inquired as he read her name off a clipboard in his hands.

"Yes, uh, it's Lizzie," She mumbled in reply, the nervous knot still in its place.

The man just nodded again before they entered a larger main room. The place was neat and tidy, research equipment lining the walls and desks holding important documents. Overlooking notes was none other than Professor Birch, head researcher of this particular laboratory. He was also decked out in a white lab coat, his hair combed and a smile on his face. There were a couple of other assistants in the room, as well as who Lizzie presumed to be the other trainers. She nodded in their direction, giving them both a small smile.

"Professor Birch, this is Elizabeth Jordan," The man said before he stepped aside. He assumed a position at a desk.

Looking up from the desk he was seated at, he replied "Ah! We've been waiting for you.
You've got a special job to carry out, best we get started, right?"

"Right. Sure. And it's Lizzie by the way," Lizzie piped up. The Professor was friendly enough therefore she believed she should be at least polite back, despite how she was feeling.

"Lizzie!" The Professor exclaimed. "Over here! Your Pokemon,"

He beckoned her over as the Professor retrieved a Pokeball. The Pokeball, gleaming near new, was dropped into Lizzie's hand. It was warm, warmer than usual.

"Go on, open it!" He encouraged.

Lizzie did as she was told, pressing the white button and aiming the Pokeball at the floor. White light flashed from the ball, half blinding Lizzie for a second before her Pokemon stood before her. With deep red fur and small bumps on it's head, Lizzie didn't recognise the Pokemon at all. Noticing the confused look on her face, Professor Birch answered the questions buzzing in her mind with a hearty laugh.

"She's a Magby, that one, a fire type if you didn't guess that already,"

"Magby," Lizzie repeated absent-mindedly before she kneeled down, trying to equalise the height difference between her and the Magby.

"Hi, uh, Magby,"

The Pokemon blinked a couple of times before replying with "Magby!"

"Uh, I'm Lizzie Jordan. Nice to meet you," Lizzie said before she held out her hand. The Magby took it slowly, to Lizzie's relief, her paw quite warm.

"Magby," She said again in a soft tone.

"Why don't you give her a nickname?" Professor Birch suggested, trying to eliminate the awkwardness he saw between trainer and Pokemon.

"A nickname?" Lizzie asked, pondering the thought. "A nickname would be good,"

Magby watched her new trainer expectantly. The fire type was pleased she'd been given to a female trainer, knowing that they would hopefully have more in common and her trainer would be able to understand her more than if she was with a headstrong, boastful male. She may have been young but Magby's mother had taught her a lot in the short amount of time they'd been together.

"How about... Azura?"

Lizzie watched the Magby's face light up, her smile growing.

"Azura it is then!" The Professor said. "We're pretty much done here now. Good luck to you Lizzie Jordan," The Professor said, shaking her hand. "Keep out of trouble Azura,"
He told the Magby.

It would not be long now 'till Lizzie and Azura would have to face what was unbeknown to both of them.