Pokemon: A Fresh Start

[Groc]

"Here you are, sir! Your Pokemon have made a full recovery! Again. Do be more careful with them." The Nurse returns Moe's Pokemon, a look of concern on her face. Moe accepts them back, smiling sheepishly. "Well, they're just children, really! They play a little rough now and then, but it's never gotten out of hand, honest!" "Still, your Cyndaquil seems on edge. I think you should take a look at him to be safe." This surprises Moe, so he tosses the ball, calling forth his starter. "What seems to be the problem, Cyndy?"

Cyndaquil stands still, hunched over and quivering. "Cynda... quil! Quil quil QUIL!" He stands up on his hind legs, throwing his arms out to the side and tossing his head back. His back bursts into flame as a yellow light surrounds and suffuses him. Moe watches in fascination as Cyndaquil's body shifts inside the yellow aura, his body becoming long and lean. The Nurse merely puts on a pair of sunglasses as she types on her computer.

"Quil... lava." The glow stops, and Quilava now stands getting a feel for his new body. He stands on his hind legs, resting his front paws on Moe's leg as he smiles, looking up at his Trainer. "That... that's fantastic! You've evolved, Cyndy! Uh, I guess you're Quilava now. I should really give you a more permanent name, shouldn't I? I'll think of one, don't you worry." He scoops up Quilava, turning to the Nurse. "He was evolving, that's all!" The Nurse stops typing, giving Moe a blank look. She doesn't even lower her purple-lensed sunglasses. "You can never be too sure. And technically, it's more like metamorphosis than evolution. But saying they metamorphed doesn't sound as good, I guess." She continues her work, not interested in conversation. "Have a nice day, sir."

"Right. You too." Moe heads outside, carrying Quilava in his arms. "This was easier before. You're bigger after metamorphing. I have to agree, that does sound rather odd. Ah well. I kinda like it. Come on, Quilava. Let's head back to Old Mahogany." Quilava hops down, electing to walk beside Moe. "Hey, I got a better idea." Moe turns to see none other than Joshua Gates approaching him.

"Joshua? Fancy that! What brings you out here, listening to me ramble on?" "Like I have a choice? You ramble on loudly no matter what you do." Joshua stops a few paces away, gesturing to some hot air balloons anchored not far away. "But seriously, why walk back when you can ride in style? New Mahogany's famous for its hot air balloons, and as a momento of our little town, I'm offering you a free ride in one. It'll stop in Old Mahogany and let you off, and I'll fly it back. What do you say, Moe?"

"I say that sounds fun! But I was hoping to spend a little time with Quilava, help him get situated to his new body." Josh shrugs. "Yeah, you can do that. But when else are you gonna get a free hot air balloon ride? This is a once in a lifetime offer, pal! You sure you wanna miss it? Seriously. I'm only offering once." Moe and Quilava look at each other, shrugging simultaneously. "Oh, why not? Sign us up!" Josh smiles at them, a look of victory on his face. "I was hoping you'd say that."

----One breathtaking trip later----

Moe and Quilava step out of the balloon, near the edge of Route 42. "Thanks again, Joshua! That was an exciting new take on the old Route! Maybe we'll see you again some time! Bye!" The two head off, going toward Route 42. Josh waves, then immediately turns to talk to a pair of girls walking by. "Hey ladies. Care for a trip in my balloon? Heading up to New Mahogany if you're interested."

----On the road again----

"Right! That was a fun distraction, but now we get to go back to training on the road. I'm sure you're interested in trying out your new body, and I still can't get over how odd that sounds. How do you feel?" Quilava gives Moe an exasperated look, finding it much easier to emote with visible eyes. "Quil..." "Right! Sorry! Let's go, shall we?"

The two head down the path, Moe taking in the scenery and Quilava getting the hang of his long weasel-like body. Moe stops to look at some trees, noticing how the yellow trees are beginning to overpower the green ones. Quilava chases a butterfly. "You know, when I traveled through Sinnoh, the scenery was really all I had to keep me occupied. Well, the scenery and my companions. But they had other things to do, and my journey was much more relaxed than theirs. I guess, now that I think about it, that they were on journeys of higher importance, and I was their companion. It's interesting. People usually think of themselves as the protagonist of their story, and rarely think of themselves as a character in someone else's story. Makes me wonder what happened to my old friends. Wonder what they're doing without me..." Quilava had been listening, but recognizes the look on Moe's face. He stands on his hind legs, bracing himself against Moe's legs. "Quil?"

Moe snaps out of his daydreaming, grinning at Quilava. "Sorry. Got distracted again, didn't I? It's just... How often do people just stop and look at it, hmm? This world I mean. Most people are always pushing their Pokemon to get to the next level,moving from one place to another, in search of some goal. I just like to stop and see the world, you know? People don't do that enough." Quilava just gives Moe a look, that flat look that says Moe is wasting time. "Right! Let's go look over there, shall we? See what that bridge has to offer."

They come upon the lake, with the metal bridge spanning it. Moe stops at the fishing rod, getting an idea. "Quilava, how about we try fishing? If we fish up a Pokemon, you could battle it! It's a nice place, I could see the scenery, and there's a potential fight in it! I know you love violence!" Quilava closes his eyes, nodding proudly. "Right! Fishing it is! Just scan my hand, apparently, and bingo! Fishing rod! Let's see what we can catch!"

----Ten utterly pointless minutes later----

"Right! So, nothing yet. But don't worry! Fourty-second time's the charm! Just cast the line, and... we wait." Quilava lays flat on his stomach, his limbs tucked underneath him. He glares at Moe, not even bothering to lift his head. "You seem much crankier now. Oh well. Guess I'll just have to get used to that." Something finally happens in the water, a Pokemon appearing. A Deerling steps out of the trees, bending down to get a drink. "Oh, look! A Pokemon! Let's see what the PokePad says... Deerling, eh? Normal/Grass type, rarely seen around here. Interesting! Apparently this one's a girl. A female Deerling's called a 'doe'. Isn't that... Quilava?" Moe glances over at Quilava, or rather, where Quilava was. Moe looks down at the water to see Quilava facing off against Deerling, who does not look amused. "Oh, dear... Ha! Oh deer. Ha ha. No time for jokes." He drops the fishing rod, running to catch up with Quilava. A Red-striped fish bites the end, taking the bait and swimming away.

Deerling cocks an eyebrow as Quilava takes an aggressive stance. She puts her hoof in the water, energy rippling up her leg and across her body. Her formerly tan-and-orange coat is now blue-and-orange, and she smirks at Quilava. Quilava's head and tail flames flare up as a fireball forms in his mouth, which he spits at Deerling. She takes the hit, smirking as it barely leaves a mark. Quilava is confused, then angry. His flames flare brighter, just as Moe appears. "Wait! She's changed type! She's a Water-type now! Your flames won't hurt her!" Deerling is surprised, and scowls at Moe. "Quilava, use Wild Charge! That'll teach her!" Quilava smirks as electricity courses through his body. Deerling panics, stepping back from the water and Camouflaging again. Her blue coat becomes beige again, and she glares daggers at Moe.

Quilava charges foreward, slamming into Deerling. The impact knocks them both back, but Quilava smiles as he sees the blue vanish. "No such luck. That technique has turned her into a plain Normal-type. Now none of your techniques will have an advantage." Quilava looks back in surprise, and Deerling smirks again, pleased with herself. She nods at Moe, her eyes betraying her anger at him. "That said, Tackle's always a sound strategy!" Deerling concurs, and the two Pokemon charge one another. Deerling is faster, but Quilava is stronger. The two collide, with Deerling being pushed back. "Quick Attack, Quilava! Get to her before she gets you!" Quilava rushes forward, too fast to be seen. Deerling rises onto her back hooves, dodging. She spins around, bucking Quilava with both back hooves, knocking him back.

The two seem fairly evenly matched, but Moe is devising a strategy. Their fight has moved away from the stream, and onto the path. With a bridge on either side of them, Deerling now has her back to the dry lake. Quilava's tackles continue to push back the Deerling, but her kicks are brutal and she refuses to give much ground. The fight has gone on for two minutes, and both Pokemon are starting to tire. Deerling goes on the defensive, Growling to weaken Quilava's attacks. "Tackle, Quilava! We've almost got her where he want her!" Deerling kciks out at Quila again, but when she turn to kick, he stops, causing her to miss. He then leaps, striking her in the side and causing her to stagger closer to the edge of the dry lake. "Now, Quilava! Wild Charge!" Deerling kicks sand at Quilava as he charges, but Quilava slams into her, knocking her into the pit. She lands on the slick muddy wall, sliding down into the feeble stream. Quilava lays down on the edge, catching his breath.

Moe moves to the edge, looking down at Deerling as she rises to her hoves, her strength gone. "Well, it seems we've backed you into a corner. That was well fought, worthy adversary. But you've been outmanuvered." He begins pacing back and forth, feeling the doe's eyes following him. "So I'll make you an offer. Your choice, of course. And it is simply this." He pulls a Pokeball out of his jacket pocket, showing it to Deerling. "Join me, and rise from your humble beginning to see this land, an experience you won't soon forget, and attain a level of strength, both physical and spiritual, that you may never ttain otherwise. Join me, and travel as my companion. More imprtantly, join me and get out of this pit. I mean, come on." He stops, smirking at Deerling. "You think you can climb this muddy incline?"

Deerling's eyes narrow, and she takes an aggressive stance. Challenge accepted. She charges forward, running up the slanted wall, straight toward Moe. She slips, but leaps, flying over his head as he ducks. She kicks out with Double Kick, catching Moe in the shoulder and sending him face-first into the dry lakebed. He tosses the Pokeball as he does, the ball striking her flank and converting her into energy as it sucks her inside. Moe hits the wall, sliding down into the tiny stream. Quilava looks down in horror, then turns to glare at the violently shaking ball in anger. Moe rises to his feet, soaked and dirty. "Well, that could have gone better. Cano! Tell me if we got her!" He stops, considering. "Cano. I rather like that. That'll be his name."

 

[{Swan}]

@Godzil - Oooh, great battle and use of Camouflage, I really liked reading that! As well as Moe's little philosophy moment xD

Cyndaquil evolved into a Quilava and grew to lv. 17!
Moe caught a lv. 12 female Deerling!

 

[Groc]

"Right! I've got a good feeling about this plan." Moe sits cross-legged on top of Tank the Tirtouga, who stares at the slick muddy incline, trying to prove his superiority. Ditzy the Zubat flaps around about halfway up the wall, flying in a tight, clumsy circle. Cano the Quilava waits at the edge, looking on in concern, while the as-yet-unnamed Deerling sits off to the side, her eyes closed and her nose in the air, haughtily refusing to be part of this.

"Ready, everyone? Right. Allons-y!" Tank tucks his limbs into his shell, an Aqua Jet launching him up the incline. He loses momentum about halfway up, but Moe leaps forward. Ditzy grabs his shoulders, flapping frantically as she carries him forward. Deerling is standing up now, watching in fascination. Ditzy can't propel Moe forward anymore, and his feet hit the muddy wall, causing him to fall forward. Cano leans forward, grabbing Moe's outstretched hands, leaving only his back legs on solid ground. Unfortunately, they start to slide back down.

Fortunately, Deerling leaps forward, grabbing Cano with her forehooves, stopping the group's slide. Moe starts laughing. "Yes! Come on, group, we can do this!" Ditzy flaps as hard as she can as Deerling hauls Cano back from the wall, dragging Moe as well. When he makes it to stable ground, he climbs to his feet, giving Cano a hug. Ditzy clings to his shoulder, panting heavily. Tank lies at the bottom of the incline, glaring up at the group, and Deerling stands proudly, her head raised high.

"Great job, everyone! See? Nothing, natural or man-made, can defeat us if we work as a team!" Tank growls angrily, getting Moe's attention. He pulls out his Dive Ball, shooting the red beam down at Tank, returning him, then sending him back out on shore. "Right! Tank, how about some water to get this mud off me?" Tank shoots a Water Gun, spraying off Moe. Cano's head and tail flames flare up, increased by his Blaze ability. Ditzy flaps hard, blowing the hot air over Moe to dry him.

Once cleaned and dried, Moe begin recalling his Pokemon. "That was fun! Good work, everyone! You've all earned a rest! Especially you two." He says to Deerling and Cano. "Let's get you two to the Center for some healing." He returns Cano, and motions for Deerling to follow him. She cocks an eyebrow, surprised he'd make her walk, but walks beside him skeptically. "As my newest companion, I'd like to get to know you a little better. First off, you need a name. Now, you remind me of a girl I used to now. Like you, she was quick, and headstrong, and proud of her skills. She had a special connection to the seasons, and each one made her feel and look different. Much like a Deerlin. Her name was Din, and now, so is yours." He kneels, opening his arms to offer a hug. "Welcome to the team, Din!"

Din rears her head back in surprise, then smiles arrogantly, accepting Moe's words as compliments of her skill. She steps forward, nuzzling Moe's cheek as he wraps his arms around her neck. "Right! Let's get you healed up, and we'll head off down the path, shall we?"

 

[moon]

((OOC: Joint post between romdinner and Red's Hawt Chibi Pelippers~ And there's possibly another one coming up later as well.))


Ashton Elden & Lily Blackstar


After Ashton had won, his bitterness washed away and he celebrated happily with Francis on the field. Rebecca came up and congratulated them and then even Joshua came over to them. He programmed in a proof of Ashton's victory into his PokéPad and gave him a Technical Machine. Cool, Ashton thought. Now he had two! Maybe he should use them.

"Alright, so where should we go next? I guess we're finished in New Mahogany now," Ashton thought out loud as they walked out from the battlefield. The rain had stopped and the sun was starting to shine through the dark clouds.

"Isn't that obvious? Ecruteak is the next town down the road," Rebecca said. "We'll have to go back to Mahogany Town through route 43, then through the route 42..."

"Oh, man... that sounds really bothersome," Ashton grunted.

"Haha, if you like, you could always get quickly to Mahogany Town with a hot air balloon," Joshua said casually behind them. Both teenagers stopped and blinked.

"There's a hot air balloon going there?" Ashton asked.

"Yeah, now that the weather is better again, they usually go sometimes between Old and New Mahogany. I'll give you a ride for free, as a thanks for beating me."

"Thanks for beating you?" Ashton said skeptically.

"It doesn't happen often, it's refreshing," Joshua winked. "Go back and rest up at the Pokémon Center if you like, then find the spot where the balloons start and wait for me. I'll have to go find another person who I believe wants a ride."

They were out on the other side of the gym now, on the street. Joshua said goodbye to them from the entrance to the gym, and Ashton and Rebecca went back to the pokémon center. There, they healed their pokémon up rather quickly and had something to eat. Then they walked through the city and rather quickly found the hot air balloon place since Ashton bothered to read the signs this time... It was a large field on the edge of town, where several balloons stood. But most of them seemed to only hover around New Mahogany. One of them stood by a sign saying "Ride to Old Mahogany Town" though. They decided to sit down beside that balloon and wait for Joshua to come back from whatever he was doing.

Meanwhile Lily was at a local café with her pokemon waiting anxious for their order. The earlier day Lily, with the help of her pokemon, won her first badge and then had some trouble reaching the center but managed to get out of it. So today Lily promised all of her pokemon a treat to celebrate their victory just before they would leave the city and get on with their journey.

The waiter came and brought a big bowl of banana split. All of them were devouring the ice cream with their eyes, even Ace couldn't help and gulped.

" Ok guys this calls for a speech." Lily said trying to make the scene more dramatic. " Cloveeeer!!!" she shouted as she was about to say something. The bug pokemon was with its tongue out trying to reach the ice cream. Lily quickly grabbed him away from the bowl. " Fine no speech. But let me help you with that. " she said knowing that Clover wasn't able to hold a spoon like the rest of her pokemon. " NOW LET'S DIG IN!!!!" the girl said raising her spoon and taking some ice cream and shoving it in her mouth and doing the same for Clover. Winter and Ace followed them and were pleased by the taste.

" I see you're enjoying yourself." Joshua said as he saw Lily at the café and approached her table, Lily and her pokemon being half done with the ice cream.

Lily was with her spoon in her mouth when Joshua spoke to them. She quickly pulled it out and replied. " They deserve it after all their hard work." She said looking at her pokemon.

"So why are you the one eating it." Joshua said with a smirk leaning on an empty chair next to Lily.

"I didn't say I didn't want one too." Sticking her tongue out making a cute face. " So what brings you here? " she asked putting her spoon on the table.

" Well I presume you want to go ahead on your journey and leave town. And since I, the generous and helping gym leader that I am, thought that you wouldn't want to go back by foot to Old Mahogany and decided to come for you and offer a hot air balloon ride to the town." He said sitting on the chair and crossing his arms.

"How could I refuse such a nice opportunity from such a modest gym leader." Lily replied with a grin. " But leaving jokes aside, we'll be glad to take the offer." Her grin turning into a smile.

" So then are you ready to leave?"

"Yup just wait a minute so we can finis……." But her words stopped as she turned and saw the bowl empty while Ace and Winter were looking pleased and stuffed and Clover was trying to lick the bowl. When Ace saw Lily turn and realize that they didn't leave any he jumped down from the table and went near Lily jumped and pushed the button from his pokeball and went in. Not knowing what Ace was doing Winter followed his actions being too shy to say anything towards Lily. BY the time Clover managed to get a few more licks of the ice cream he turned around and saw that Ace and Winter were gone and Lily was looking at him. " Clover!!!!" he said in a low tone trying to apologize.

Even if Lily was a bit upset that she didn't get to eat some more ice creams he could help but laugh. Who wouldn't? Two of her pokemon just rushed into their pokeballs and Clover looked so clueless when he realized he was the only one on the table that it was too funny not too. " Next time we're all getting each one!!! " she finally said making sure Winter and Ace heard her from their pokeballs.

"So I guess you're done here!!" he said with a smile on his face. " Now just pay and let's go, somebody's waiting for us."

Lily pulled out some money and gave it to the waiter, not forgetting to leave a tip. Then took Clover in her arms and started walking with Joshua towards her ride. " You mentioned that somebody's waiting for us earlier."

"Yup. Two more trainers will be joining us on the ride. One of them just earned his first badge too so you're at the same level."

"You get defeated often?" Lily said joking. " Kidding…..but if he managed to beat you than means he or she is a strong trainer." Lily said giving it a better thought. She was intrigued by this mysterious trainer.

" It's a HE." And look there he is right there!" Joshua said pointing towards a tall and slender boy which was sitting by the balloon next to a girl at what looked like a 5 minute walk from them.

"I see them!" Lily said finally managing to spot them despite all the balloons that were blocking her view. They finally reached the balloon and Joshua made the introductions. " Ashton, Rebecca this is Lily. A trainer like you who also won her badge from me yesterday."

"Nice to meet you." Lily said trying to act polite. "And this is Clover my partner pokemon."

" Swadloon!!" he cried with a big smile on his face.

Ashton flew up from his seated position on the field. Another girl! "Hello," he said and nodded with a grin towards them. "I'm Ashton... uh, though Joshua already said that. But still!" Astrid jumped up and down on his shoulder. "Uh, and this is Astrid, my partner Aipom."

"I'm Rebecca," the other girl said politely. "Nice to meet you too."

Joshua seemed content with them having exchanged greetings, for he turned to talk to the managers of the hot air balloon. Then he turned back to the youngsters.

"It's ready to go. Climb aboard. I won't be going with you, I have to stay here in New Mahogany. But good luck on your journeys, everybody!"

Ashton and Rebecca said goodbye and climbed up into the hot air balloon. It was rather spacey so even though they would be three teenagers, two pokémon and a guy handling the balloon (who was a rather old but cheerful man) it wouldn't really be tight.

"Wow, it's really a nice afternoon sunlight," Rebecca said, looking up at the sky. "It will be so beautiful to fly now!"

"I guess," Ashton yawned. "Hey, we should have brought some snacks for the ride." Astrid nodded in agreement.

"You think of food way to often," Rebecca commented with a sigh.

"Well, I'm not fat so I'm allowed to like food," Ashton grinned. Then he turned to the new girl, Lily. "So, where are you from?" he asked. Not because he really cared, but he thought this was going to be a boring ride and they might as well chat or something.

Lily was watching as they took off while listening to the two talking. As Rebecca said the day looked promising and as they were getting higher into the sky the houses started shrinking more and more. After a few minutes she could see the whole area just by turning around, both she and Clover were amazed by how beautiful things look from a different view. She turned and sat down just as Ashton turned towards her and asked her where she came from.

" I come from Sinnoh, Celestic town to be more accurate. " she replied then her eyes goofed off at a pair of balloons that were also flying a few miles away from them. " What about you two?" turning back to them.

"Ecruteak City!" both Ashton and Rebecca said at the same time. Then they turned to give each other looks, like they both thought it was their own town and not the other person's.

All this time Clover was sneaking around behind Lily, trying to get into her backpack. Somehow he managed to get in and found Lily's stash of snacks that they would usually eat later in the day but Clover had a too big of a sweet tooth to resist. Lily felt something moving and got her backpack only to find Clover munching on a candy bar.

" You never cease to amaze me. " she said smiling and giggling at the pokemon. " Seeing as you have the same appetite as Clover here why not try this." Lily said throwing a chocolate bar to Ashton. " And here's one for your girlfriend. Here!!" throwing one for Rebecca too, then handed a bar to Clover which at first wanted to dig in on it but Lily quickly took it from his mouth's reach and told him to give it to Ashton's Pokemon.

Ashton happily and a bit surprised caught hte chocolate bar. "Awesome!" he said, giving Lily thumbs up before opening and starting to munch down the whole bar quickly.

Rebecca wasn't quite as pleased, however. She switched to another even more strained look than before. "Girlfriend?" she said, trying to keep her temper down. Normally, she wasn't really easy to fire up, but that comment was really outrageous. "Girl. And friend. But definitely not girlfriend. But thanks for the snack anyways."

Ashton now realized what had been said, and nearly choked on his chocolate bar. He coughed a little before hearing Astrid giggling on his shoulder. He shrugged so that Astrid fell off and down onto the floor of the balloon cabin. "Haha!" was all he could thought of saying. Then his cheeks turned red. Why had he said 'haha'? Now Rebecca would only get even more mad, if he knew her right. And so he did.

Her face got a bit flustered as well, but she turned away from the others and started eating her chocolate bar as well.

The rest of the ride went by with nothing more than a bit of chit chat from the girls, some snoring from Ashton and a lot of sightseeing as they flew by Route 43 and Old Mahogany.

" Prepare for landing!!! " the old man shouted pointing down towards the edge of the town where they would land.

The landing was a bit rough, but nothing a few youngsters couldn't handle. Lily was the first one off, followed by Rebecca and last but not leas Ashton. They said their farewell to The old man and started going forward onto route 42. The route stared with a bit of mountain terrain, but you could see some trees here and there and in the far distance that the rocky terrain is overcome by a thick forest.

"Aah, good to be on our way again!" Ashton said, stretching his arms towards the sky. Aipom did the same, walking beside him.

"So now you like walking and traveling? Where's the laziness gone?" Rebecca teased.

"Hey!" Ashton simply retorted, but left it at that. "Anyways, do you reckon there's any interesting pokémon to capture on this route?"

"Are you never happy with the team you've got?" Rebecca asked.

"The more the merrier!" Ashton said, blinking at Lily as they kept walking down the road on Route 42.

Lily chuckled, the two reminded her of how she and Xander argued when they met for the very first time…..not that they still don't…but now they just tease each other. " Well as long as he can cope with them there's no harm." Lily said towards Rebecca. " Just don't go overboard." Turning to Ashton. Clover was sitting calm in Lily's arms, keeping an eye on Ashton and Aipom.


"It sure feels nice to see something green once again!!!" Lily said as more and more trees appeared on their path as they were walking. The mountain area was slowly fading, making way for the lush green forest.​

 

[Groc]

----After healing and setting out again----

Moe and Din reach the metal bridge, Moe pointing to the river below. "And down there is where this all started. I was fishing when Cano ran off to fight you. In fact, the poles should be right... ahead..." Moe points to the bridge, where a man in an orange hat and cargo vest stands, casting his reel into the river below. "Looks like someone else decided to give fishing a try. It's actually kinda fun, even if I didn't catch anything." The two start off down the bridge, Moe deciding to be friendly as they pass the fisherman. "Hello! How're the fish biting?" "If you want to know, they aren't! Haven't hooked anything in the past 20 minutes. I did manage to catch something earlier, though. I'd like to try it out! What do you say, pal? Up for a little battle?" The man reels in his line, putting the pole back on the stand. Moe raises his hands placatingly as he takes a step back. "Well, I just had a battle not long ago, and we were just passing through..." Din snorts in annoyance, stepping forward and taking an aggressive stance. She shoots Moe a look, telling him to accept. "...But I guess we can help you out."

"Great! Check out the Pokemon I just caught, Basculin!" Fisherman sends out a blue-striped Basculin, which lands on the bridge, glowering at everyone present. "Shouldn't he be in the water? He is a fish, after all." "No, he's fine on land. For a short while. This fight'll be over long before he needs to take another dip!" "Alright, if you say so. Din, you wanted this fight, so you're up. Start with Tackle!" "Basculin, Bite!" Basculin jumps forward, Biting Din's foreleg. She shakes her leg, tossing Basculin into the air, then jumps forward, ramming her shoulder into the fish. Basculin hits the bridge, then flops onto his stomach to glare at Din. "Right! Double Kick!" "Water Gun!" Basculin spits a mouthful of water at Din, which she shrugs off as she charges forward. She stops at the last second, spins around on her front hooves, and bucks Basculin upwards, then kicks him again to send him flying at Fisherman.

"Water Gun, really? Against a Grass Pokemon?" Fisherman holds his Basculin, which is staring blankly at the sky. "You kicked him into unconsciousness, you brute! I said I just caught him! I haven't even had a chance to heal him yet!" "But you challenged us!" Din smirks as she trots back over to Moe, sitting down on her haunches and closing her eyes in satisfaction, turning her nose up at Fisherman. "I'm not done yet! I used another Pokemon to catch Basculin! Come on out, Goldeen!" Fisherman sends out a Goldeen, who spins gracefully as she lands on the bridge. Din rises, preparing for battle.

"So she's a Grass-type, huh? Well, Goldeen knows a Flying attack! Use Peck, Goldeen!" "Din, use Camouflage!" Din's legs glow with energy as she adapts to her surroundings, which on the bridge means she loses her Grass type to become a pure Normal type. Her orange coat turns beige as she finishes her technique. Goldeen, meanwhile, leaps forward, lightly jabbing Din in the shoulder with her horn. The weak attack barely registers to Din, who smirks as she bucks Goldeen into the air, then back to her starting point with Double Kick. Goldeen lands hard, her grace and beauty suddenly gone as she faints upon impact. "No! My beautiful little goldfish! She was still tired from fighting Basculin!" "Stop sending them into battle if they're too weak to fight! That's just cruel!" Din scoffs, sitting down and yawning dramatically.

"They're not weak! And my next FOUR are all fresh and ready to fight!" "Four?! Din, we may want to reconsider." Din's eyes light up, a fierce grin on her face. She rears up onto her hind legs, letting out a cheer. "Deer!" She lands, grinning at Fisherman, daring him to fight her. "Or not. You look ready." "Face the wrath of my Magikarp!" Fisherman sends out Magikarp, who rather pathetically flops around on the bridge. "Oh no. Please tell me that your other three-" "Are also Magikarp! Yes! Behold, fishy perfection! Magikarp, Splash attack!"

Magikarp flops around, but without any water on the bridge, it doesn't do anything. More so than usual. Moe sighs, facepalming. "Din. Double Kick. Let's just get this over with." Din scoffs at the Magikarp, double kicking it and walking back to wait for the next one. "Keep splashing!" Din whirls around, furious that Magikarp shrugged off her kicks like they were nothing. She charges forward, tackling Magikarp and knocking it back. It splashes around again. She stomps her front hooves in anger, then tackles it again, knocking it out.

"Well, that was expected. Magikarp, come on back. And come on out, Magikarp!" Fisherman swaps his unconscious Magikarp for a fresh one, much to Din's frustration. She Double Kicks this one, glares as it splashes, then Double Kicks it again. It splashes weakly, so she tackles it, knocking it out. Fisherman recalls it and sends out his third Magikarp, which Din deals with in the exact same way.

"Okay, so this isn't working. My last Magikarp will show you, though!" Din pants in exhaustion, having worn herself out with her tantrums and trouncing the other three Magikarps, plus fighting Goldeen and Basculin. "Din, maybe someone else should-" Din glares daggers at Moe, casuing him to flinch and step back. "Sorry! Just do what you do, then!" "Tackle!" Magikarp suddenly stops flopping around and leaps foward, slapping Din with his tail. She blinks in surprise, her eyes narrowing in anger. She charges forward to Double Kick, but Magikarp leaps over her hooves easily. He then Tackles her, slapping her hindquarters with his tail. Din squeaks in surprise, kicking out on sheer reflex. The kick knocks Magikarp upwards, and she follows through with another kick to knock him back.

Magikarp hits the bridge, bouncing into Fisherman's arms, and Fisherman laughs as he literally throws Magikarp back into the fight. "Tackle attack!" Magikarp strikes Din upside the head, and she whips her head around to Tackle him to the ground. "Din, if you'd just stop and listen-!" Fisherman laughs, literally slapping his knees in joy. "You see, the first three Magikarps tired her out and got you thinking this would be easy. Then Mr. Fish here, who was my first Pokemon ever, comes and beats on her while she's tired and expecting an easy win! He has never lost a fight in his life!" "Mr. Fish" leaps forward, actually tackling Din in the chest. She drops to her knees, the blow catching her off guard.

Moe steps forward, tossing a bag onto the bridge. "Din, listen! Use Sand Attack to blind him!" The bag pops open upon impact, spilling sand at Din's hooves. She rises back up, kicking Sand at Mr. Fish as her approaches. Din ducks, Mr. Fish's tackle going wide as he blindly leaps. Moe catches him, tossing him back to Fisherman. "This is yours!" Fisherman fumbles the catch in surprise, dropping Mr. Fish to the ground. "Sorry, Fish! Use Splash to clear your eyes out!" He grabs a water bottle, pouring the water onto Fish as he flops around on the bridge. "Din, time for a Double Kick!" Din leaps forward, spinning and bucking Mr. Fish with both back hooves, knocking him into Fisherman's stomach. Fisherman falls to his knees, holding onto his injured Magikarp. "Wait! Stop! We surrender! Don't hurt Mr. Fish anymore! I couldn't bear it if he ever lost!"

Din glares into Fisherman's eyes, pawing at the ground with her front hoof, prepared to Tackle both of them in order to win. "Din! You've won. Stand down." Din glares into Fisherman's eyes, but does as instructed. Moe steps forward, helping Fisherman to his feet. "Let's be clear, here. I don't like you. At first, you seemed alright. Then you told me you had four Magikarp, and I suddenly remembered my days traveling with other trainers. Fishermen with multiple Magikarp were a large problem in Sinnoh, and they annoyed my friends with a long but ultimately unfulfilling fight."

He grabs Fisherman's shoulder, now glaring at him himself. "But you? You go one step beyond. Using three innocent Magikarp to tire out Pokemon, sacrificing them so your beloved Mr. Fish has an easier fight, that's cruel and wrong to them. They deserve better than to be used as cannon fodder for your enemies. And Mr. Fish is wrong to profit from their losses. Maybe if you had shown a little respect for them, I wouldn't be so angry. But no. You deserve this. Din! Double Kick! One for each of them!" Moe grabs Mr. Fish, tossing him to Din, who bucks him back to the ground, then leaps forward, spinning and driving her hooves into Fisherman's stomach. Both Fish and Fisherman lie on the bridge, to hurt and tired to move. "We're done here." He grabs a water bottle from Fisherman's bag, popping the cap and letting Din drink her fill of the liquid, refreshing her from the long fight.

"Come on, Din. The next town's further up ahead, and I'd like to see what's beyond these bridges!" Din tosses her head, sticking her nose in the air haughtily as she walks beside Moe, leaving the bridges behind them.