Marcus was astounded upon recieving the offer. How was he to say no? Especially when the Pokemon inside could be anything. That thought alone was worth the risk of accepting the egg. A Togepi? A Caterpie? Any Pokemon was fine, but the egg itself seemed rather unidentifiable so he supposed he would have to wait and see.

"Sure, I'd love to!" Marcus exclaimed more excitedly than he had hoped to show, gratefully accepting the egg and carefully placing it in his backpack, mentally noting to himself not to just throw his backpack carelessly to the ground when he took it off anymore. Bidding an awkward farewell, Marcus found himself once again pacing around the streets of Petalburg. He was rather nervous about the fact that he had yet to run into any starting trainers such as himself, did they all get that far ahead of him?

He had been debating the thought with himself when a sudden feeling of cold shook him from his thoughts. "What is going on?" Marcus asked himself as he looked at the sky, watching as a small dots of white feel from the sky, softly landing on his skin before they melted to small droplets of water and fell to the ground. "Snow? Is it the season?" Marcus spun around, scanning in all directions with a curious glare, almost convinced something around him was the cause of the seemingly random extreme shift in weather.

"Snorunt!" A sudden cry filled the air, Marcus pin pointing the sound as coming from a nearby alley, where he couldn't help but notice the snow falling hardest. Running into the alley, he could hear the sounds of fighting. His worries of catching a cold and his questions of where to buy a jacket quickly forgotten as he saw the source of the noise before him.

"Pikachu!" The second Pokemon declared as it rushed the Snorunt that stood opposite it with a sudden jolt of electricity. Marcus could quickly see that the Pikachu was once under someones ownership but had been abandoned, seeing as nowhere nearby would naturally hold Pikachu's and its fur was covered in dirt and filth. The Snorunt, however, was a different story. It was clean, healthy, and from the way it seemed to be taking those attacks, only decently strong. Why was it in the city? It was found in a cave over by Mossdeep right? To complicate things further, what was it doing fighting a stray Pikachu?

"Pika, pikachu!" The yellow mouse exclaimed as it gestured to the ground, electricity cackling around the red sac's on its cheeks. That was when it hit Marcus: Snorunt had wandered into its alley. It was battle of territory, a battle that from the confused look on Snorunts face -- was a battle it didn't want to fight or didn't know it had too.

"Snorunt, sno!" The Pokemon tried to protest to the violence that seemed so random to it, but the Pikachu only readied for another strike, having none of Snorunts words. Marcus set his backpack down, knowing that what he was about to do didn't need to have the egg involved. Marcus saw the Pikachu launch its next attack, the lightning nearing its intended target, and Marcus -- doubting whether it was a good idea or not -- jumped into its way.

"Shiiiiiiiiiit!" Marcus yelled out in pain, the electricity coursing through his body giving him numbing pain that made him spasm and struggle to breathe. Luckily, the Pikachu stopped in surprise upon noticing that what it hit wasn't the Snorunt. Smoke almost seemed to be rising off of his body, but Marcus didn't care, he was just glad that Snorunt was safe, and that the snow it was somehow creating was numbing the pain. Readying a pokeball, Marcus quickly released Spheal, hopeful to take the Pikachu down, but mainly hoping for the assistance of the Snorunt he had protected.

Yet, the Snorunt did something Marcus hadn't predicted -- attacked him. A sudden chill running down his spine from the Snorunt's Icy Wind. A warning Marcus figured, telling him not to interfere. A proud Pokemon that was for sure, even though it wasn't defending itself before. It was a wierd one. It had become a three way battle. A battle that Marcus was at the disadvantage of.

"Great, try to help get attacked. Peachy." Marcus complained, trying to think of a quick way to end things. "Spheal Water Gun Snorunt!" The jet of water the Pokemon spat hit the Snorunt, but didn't affect it too much because of its typing. A bolt of electricity hitting Spheal while Marcus was distracted. What had he gotten himself into? The Snorunt quickly got to its feet, intent to deal with the Pikachu first as it fired another Icy Wind, one more focused and powerful than before. Marcus was content to help it along as he ordered Spheal to do the same. The two attacks blowing the Pikachu back into the brick wall at the end of the alley, possibly damaging it more than the attacks had.

"Spheal Water Gun Pikachu!" Marcus stated, he and Snorunt eying each other before giving each other a simple nod to show they were to work together until their common enemy was defeated. The Pikachu had found itself trapped between a wall and two opponents. Maybe if it had a trainer's guidance it could have escaped and won, but with one Pokemon always having Pikachu in the middle of its attack it was quickly defeated. Marcus looked at it with pity, it wasn't a bad Pokemon, it had just had bad luck. After dealing with Snorunt, he would be sure to take the Pokemon to the Pokemon Center, maybe the nurse could find someone that would give the Pokemon a good home.

However, the Snorunt that glared at him demanded his immediate attention. Although weak from its altercation with Pikachu, it was far from defeated. At least, not as long as Marcus was unable to do any super effective attacks on it. It may have been because of his previous distractions, but he had just noticed that the Pokemon was always shivering, as if it was cold just as he was. It was wierd, just as he was. He had to catch it.

"Spheal we're catching this one! Water Gun!" The Snorunt had retaliated with Icy Wind, Marcus unable to contain his surprise when the Water Gun had been pushed back by the chilly gust of wind, small chunks of ice from it returning to its source to pelt Spheal and Marcus. Thanks to both Pokemon having similar typing, it was going to be a long battle as long as Marcus didn't think of something else.

"Spheal, Icy Wind!" Snorunt had almost mirrored the move. Marcus saying almost as he almost considered it Snorunts only move so it had no choice, but he knew better. Both Pokemon slightly damaged from the combination of attacks. Marcus was beginning to notice the snow piling up on the ground, something which gave him an idea of how to strike back with a damaging blow. "Water Gun on the ground!" Marcus ordered, hoping his plan wasn't going to backfire as much as he believed it could. "Now dodge!" Marcus commanded, glad to see that Snorunt had acted as he predicted and fired an Icy Wind which caused the water to turn to ice, covering the alley in slippery footing. "Now to finish the plan, return to me and use Defense Curl!" The Spheal rolled back to his feet, intent to follow his every command as it tucked into a neat ball. He suddenly gave Spheal a little push towards Snorunt, who only looked on with a shocked look as his opponent struck him like a bowling ball thanks to the ice giving him momentum.

"Got him," Marcus stated proud that his plan had worked, readying a pokeball as the Snorunt began to pick himself up off of the ground. Throwing it, Marcus prayed to god that it would end favorably, but ready all the same should it not.

Oldale Town


The boy and his Mudkip trotted into Oldale as it began to snow. "Third time now..", Jupiter murmured. The large white and red building was well visible and they dashed towards it. . . .

Jupiter called back Aquaseas and handed the three pokéballs to the smiling nurse. Minutes later the nurse returned with two pokéballs..

"I'm sorry.. Your Poochyena took some major damage.. He needs to stay some time.."

Jupe almost cried, "How is he? When he.."

"Don't worry at all.", the nurse assured, "Your Poochyena will be back to his former self very soon.. Come back 30 mins later."

Jupiter left the pokemon center with worries and the two pokemon. The snow was starting to pile up. A lot of noise could be heard from the direction of Route 102, the trio decided to investigate. . . .

It was a festive mood in this route. People and pokemon filled the atmosphere with all sorts of noise. Seels swam proudly in the waters, Vanillite were seen everywhere, alongside the known residents Psyduck, Surskit and others. Jupiter shouted in joy.

Event 01, Part B​

Marcus watched the scene with worry as the Pikachu stood back up, managing to not only call for help, but also to make it rain. The electricity cackling out of all of their checks seemed even stronger than usual because of it. Something Marcus knew would be dangerous because of all of his Pokemon's typing. A flying, Ice, and a water and ice wasn't exactly the best match for a group of angry electric types, but he had no choice.

Gathering his new team mate, Marcus was quick to release it, doing the same with his Pidgey. His mind cursing itself for his stupidity in not having taken the time to heal it at the Center before running wildly around the city. Meaning he was to fight three electric types -- a weakness shared with his whole party -- with a team that is already weak from battle.

He shared a look with his Pidgey, the only Pokemon in his possession to have experienced an extreme battle. Or any in fact, that wasn't waged against a wild Pokemon. This battle, however, was different -- each of these Pokemon had once been trained by a trainer -- making them a step above the average encounter. The only upside was that the one that seemed to be the boss was weak from the last battle. If he could call having the energy to summon a storm weak.

The two groups just stood and watched each other. Each tempted to make the first move, but knowing that being the one to make the first mistake is what would cost the battle. Snorunt appearing more serious than before, something Marcus hoped would be a good thing. Maybe it was the fact that Norman had seen potential in him, or perhaps the lightning that he had already been struck with that day, but Marcus felt like he could pull it off. He just needed a bit of luck.

"Pidgey use Swagger! Spheal, Snorunt Icy Wind!" Marcus commanded, trying his best to usher the command with the fewest words. Pidgey was the first to move, circling the three as it taunted them, enraging them even more, but making them dizzy as well. The cold wind that pushed the three back came as a surprise to them, but Marcus knew as he watched them stand up that it hadn't helped their rage any.

"Dodge!" A command he had spouted for everyone, the Pikachu's firing their electricity almost as if at random because of their confusion. "Tackle Pidgey!" Marcus felt hopeful when he watched his Pidgey dive towards the nearest Pikachu, striking it hard and swiftly. Marcus was curious though as he watched the Pikachu pick itself up with a smirk, but when Pidgey suddenly cried out and fell to the ground it had become obvious. Pidgey had been hit by Static.

"****. Spheal use Water Gun! Cover for Pidgey!" His words hadn't been fast enough, a bolt of electricity hitting the imbolized Pokemon causing it to become unconscious after a quick cry of pain. Returning it to its pokeball -- grateful it had been able to do what it did with so little health -- he suddenly wasn't so hopeful.

"Pika, Pi, Pikachu!" The boss yelled, evading Spheal's Water Gun with ease as if in a show of power. Marcus figured the words to be some form of insult, and was fairly certain he was correct.

"**** you too! Snorunt use Double Team!" Marcus exclaimed as he read from the Pokedex, watching as his single Snorunt, became three completely perfect copies. "Now Icy Wind all of you!" The attacks were carried out at the same time as the Pikachu's second wave of electric bolts were fired out, making both sides take damage. Damage that Marcus was not fond of, as Spheal was now on its last legs. One of the lackey Pikachu got a sudden boost of courage, leaving its group to try to hit Marcus' Pokemon with a physical move. A move Marcus never got to see as his Spheal and Snorunt had quickly dealt it some blows, defeating it. The Pikachu posse had attacked again in anger, one of them trying to hit Snorunt, but only dispelling an illusion while the other succeeded in hitting Spheal. Rendering it unable to battle any further.

"It's just us now. Let's go down fighting." Marcus explained to the Pokemon as it stood before him, his other two currently resting in their pokeballs. "Snorunt use Powder Snow!" The two Snorunt's had hit the Pikachu's with their best attempt at producing damaging snow from their mouths, but the rain wasn't helping anything.

The Pikachu had only been frustrated further by the attack, the leader exchanging words with his remaining lackey, who quickly gave a curt nod. Thier bodies becoming enveloped in white as they sudden moved to run at Snorunt, something Marcus had actually hoped for. "Jump and use Icy Wind!" Snorunt obeyed as quick as it could, the deciding factor as not even a second later the two Pikachu were upon it, one of them grazing the bottom of its feet causing it to tilt in the air as it readied the attack, but the Pikachu didn't notice, as they had been more concerned on dealing with the fact that they had run into each other.

The only downside to all of it, was that the Icy Wind attack had been fired at an angle that Snorunt hadn't been prepared for, making it miss the boss Pikachu, and hit its lackey instead. Successful in knocking it out as well. The battle was once again on even ground. If a battle against an electric type in an enclosed space in the pouring rain was even ground.

"Screw it, Snorunt use Bite!" The Pikachu expertly avoided the Snorunt as it lunged at its foe, rewarded with being struck by its opponents electric attack. Snorunt too, could be seen visibly near exhaustion, but on the plus side, so could its opponent. He had a plan, but he would hate himself for doing it. He knew with Pikachu's superior speed, it would get the first attack off, and with Snorunt's lack of health, it would win. So as the Pikachu readied its strike, electricity seen bouncing across its face, Marcus took the oppertunity to stand between it and Snorunt, just as he had when it had first met. And just the same as they had first met, the electricity hurt. Amplified by the rain, the electricity was close to making Marcus himself become unconscious, but the Pikachu had once again halted, confusion etched on its face as to why a human would dare take its attack twice to defend another.

That was the moment Marcus struck. "Icy Wind!" Marcus bellowed as he jumped out of the way, practically forcing his body to move as it threatened to shut down on him. His muscles ached with pain, his skin wet and cold from the rain and snow, and his Pokemon managing to succeed in landing the surprise Icy Wind attack. All of which were things that Marcus would use to describe a good day as he readied another empty pokeball. Throwing it at Pikachu, not having the desire to catch it until he realized he most likely wouldn't win a battle against it. Much like the feelings he held when he was fighting Pidgey.

As the orb sucked the Pokemon inside, he questioned whether or not it would keep as he tried to think of new plans to use incase.

(OOC: Sorry for the delay, holidays and stuff, hope you understand)

Chapter 1-2: The Raccoon, Zigzagoon

"Yes! I caught it!" yelled Miles, not noticing that the PokeBall had caught something else. When he saw the Zigzagoon still attacking Milo, Miles looked in his PokeBall.

An Oran Berry. His first catch was an Oran Berry. A half-eaten Oran Berry, to be exact. Miles wasn't going to take any of that.

"Milo! Use Haze, once again!" Miles saw the area around him covered in... well, haze. "Now Milo, use Brine!" What Miles wasn't aware of was that the Zigzagoon was right next to him, and vice versa... thus causing both him and the Zigzagoon getting drenched in water. Smelling the wet raccoon, he looked at it. Its fur smelled, and it bared its teeth, tackling Miles instead of the actual Pokemon it was meant to be battling.
"Zigza, zig zig...." it growled. It didn't seem so playful anymore. Miles jumped away quickly. When was this thing going to stop? Miles looked around. It kind of sucked, actually, that all the Zigzagoon had before was scales in his eyes, that he wasn't hurt or anything (not like he's abusive- but it's disappointing) and also the fact that the Pokemon had eaten part of an Oran Berry- which was, like, 1/4 of it's health? And Feebas only had one worthwhile attack to use- Brine. Lots and lots of brine. Miles held out the Oran berry in this hand. He took it out of the PokeBall, and watched the Zigzagoon. It was about to tackle the Feebas. Again. Of course, Milo hit it with Splash, and the Zigzagoon jumped back, again, with scales in its eyes. Now was the perfect chance to...
"Milo! Use Brine, now!" The smell of wet raccoon entered the area once again as the Haze whittled out. Then, the Zigzagoon jumped out of the remaining haze, trying to tackle Milo once again, annoying Miles for all it was worth. Milo was pretty hurt, by the looks of it. Miles quickly threw the half eaten Oran Berry to his partner, and the Feebas ate it greedily. It seemed replenished. Miles groaned. He could use some replenishing himself. As the Feebas ate the Oran Berry, the Zigzagoon came at him one more time, spitting the Oran Berry out and sustaining damage. Great. 1/4 Oran Berry left.
"Milo, Haze! The area was covered in the thick fog, and Miles took advantage and checked his Pokemon as much as he could. About half stamina (or HP?) left... so now was the perfect time to...
"Feebas, fee, feebas!" An overwhelming amount of water engulfed the raccoon, being powered up by the fact that Milo was at a little more than half health. As soon as the move Brine had ended, Miles used a PokeBall, hoping that this time the Pokemon would be caught. But as the PokeBall rocked, Miles wondered how the Pokemon had used the attack without his command...

(OOC- Was busy with christmas stuff the last few days, so was unable to post)

"Van! Van!".. A cheerful noise came from the back. Jupiter turned around and came into eye contact with the happy Vanillite.

"Van!", the fresh snow pokemon let out another noise.

"Vanillite.. ", he scanned it with his Pokédex, "You seem to be quite eager to play, huh?

"Van! Vanili!", the pokemon nodded in approval.

"Ok.. Your playmate is.. Seedot!", the bright red flash blinded the Vanillite and Jupiter.

The acorn pokemon materialised but stayed still, as if it was berry. Jupiter understood the trick and said, "Oops.. I mean your playmate is Aquaseas."

The Vanillite came forward and sniffed the Seedot, thinking him to be a berry.

"SEEEE!!!", suddenly Seedot hit the unsuspecting Vanillite. It rolled on the ground quite a distance from the hit.

Vanillite recovered fast and its bright eyes grew a deep blue sparkle. . .

The area around them suddenly turned cold as if it was minus temperature. Snowfall intensified and suddenly a blast of wind came towards Seedot.

"Icy wind! Quick Seedot, use Bide!"

Seedot stood strong against the blow. Another blow came followed by an even stronger Icy wind.

Seedot was barely standing after the super effective blows, clinging on to its last bits of strength, all the while charging up for the counter attack.

"Yeah.. Now show the Vanillite who's the boss here!"

Seedot grew a yellow aura around it and darted towards Vanillite, dodging all incoming blasts. . .

Sensing imminent danger, the Vanillite hardened its ice body as the Seedot slammed on it with double the power of the icy winds inflicted on it. . . . .

BAMMMM! The Vanillite flew several meters away, fell on the ground with a thump. The last moment harden has prevented its fainting. Seedot's power was impressive but self damaging, as it took quite an amount of recoil damage. It lay defeated, seeing stars.

"You're mine!", as the pokeball enclosed the Vanillite inside it.

Marcus couldn't hide his disappointment at his failure to capturethe Pikachu, but he was even worse at hiding his displeasure of evenmore having shown up. Snorunt was near defeat as it was, another round of electric mice wasn't exactly in his best interest. Running wasn't an option though, so he took a deep breath and gave his Pokemon its first order of the restarted battle.

"Snorunt lets start with Icy Wind!" Luck had begun to favor Marcus, as soon as the words had left his mouth an impatien tPikachu had cockily lunged at Snorunt without any support. It had jumped into the air, intent to deliver the final blow, but found itself frozen solid. The Pikachu encased in ice was probably unhappy, but from the looks on its friend's faces -- they were unhappier.

The sound of rain hitting the ground and his own heartbeat were the only sounds heard as the two groups eyed each other. Each of them trying to decide what the best course of action was. Marcus was pretty sure that he wouldn't win the battle ahead, but if he could take enough of them out of it he could hope for the rest to run in fear of being defeated similarly.

Until then, he would have to fight. Something Snorunt was willing, but almost rendered unable to do.

"Snorunt use Icy Wind on the puddle!" Marcus commanded. Snorunt complied, the chilling winds it emitted being cold enough to transform the once peaceful liquid into a solid prison that entrapped any of the Pikachu who had been unable to escape it in time. Marcus smiled at the sight of his immobilized opponents, they were left helpless to his attacks. "Powder Snow." The Pikachu were hit bythe chilling Ice type move, several of them eliminated from the fight while the rest that had been entrapped continued to struggle for freedom.

Those that hadn't been trapped though had launched their counter as multiple bolts of yellow narrowly missed Snorunt, the creature being pushed to its limits as it struggle to avoid being struck. "Double Team!" The call had probably saved his Pokemon, the illusions that had surrounded it having taken most of the blows for it.

Marcus tried to get an accurate number of his opponents as he formulated his counterattack, but found their wild moving to be to much opposition. The boss Pikachu, however, had stayed still as it stood on the metal trash can at the end of the alley, serving the role of overseer as it recovered energy. It still looked grim for Marcus though, his only advantages being his opponent's independence– each of them working by themselves rather than them following a single plan – and the fact that they were strays which probably meant most of them weren't in the best health to begin with.

The Pikachu that acted as the leader of the pack, however, was different. It was the same as the rest in the fact that it was a stray, yet its drive to win and strength was beyond the others. Marcus was willing to bet that its level wasn't any greater than the rest, yet it was still conscious unlike many of the other participants that had been there since the battle's start. The samething could be said for Snorunt the more Marcus thought about it, but Pikachu had been trained and was reintroduced to a foreign environment whereas Snorunt had been on its own from the start.

The battle quickly escalated into sheer chaos. Marcus relying heavily on Double Team to avoid battle ending attacks from afar and using Icy Wind to inflict a damaging counter to those that had decided to finish it physically. It had worked for a while, the horde of Pikachu actually thinning out as time passed. Many fleeing with their defeated friends, but that didn't make it easier to win for their numbers still far outweighed him and Snorunt.

"Bite!" Marcus called to the Pokemon, decided that giving it a specific target unnecessary as hitting any of the Pikachu that were attacking them was a good outcome.

"Pika, pi!" The leader Pikachu shouted. It was something important about the battle as the entire horde stopped their attacks, each of them turning to listen to what it was saying.

"I sure wish I could understand what they were saying, but I guess it doesn't matter. Icy Wind!" The Pikachu had avoided the attack, their minds back into the fight as they each carried renewed hope in their tired eyes. It hadn't struck Marcus as odd that they had suddenly opted to attack him one at a time at a close range, not until luck no longer favored him that is. It had been about the fifth Bite attack ordered on a lone Pikachu trying to use Tackle when it happened – Snorunt seized up.

"Static... they were playing the odds." Marcus could tell it was paralyzed from the way the Pokemon's constant shivering even seemed to cease, the electricity that bounced around its triangular body only confirmed his suspicions. He had to admit that it was a smart plan, but it only made the prospect of his Snorunt's status effectively ending the battle before any attack could all the more painful. He saw the horde of Pikachu ready their next attacks with evil grins on many of their faces, but Marcus knew it was unneeded.

"I surrender," Marcus began, moving so he stood between Snorunt and the Pikachu, "You win. I see no need to put my Pokemon through pain any longer with the outcome of the battle obvious to everyone." Marcus explained. The Pikachu eyed him wearily, as if it would turn out to be some kind of trick. "I would like to call a truce and leave. You'll never see me again should you not want too." He hoped that he would get at least one of the Pikachu to become moved by his words and decide to go with him, but it was a long shot that would most likely only happen within cartoon shows.

Marcus eyed the Pikachu with curiosity, hoping they would let him go. He no longer had any Pokemon to fight them with that would last more than a single attack. He hated the thought, but he would just have to admit defeat and leave without another member to add to his team to justify what he had went through.

It would take a miracle to win if they decline and attacked, but as he gripped Snorunt's pokeball he felt confident that he could return it and at least spare it from the onslaught that would follow.

"WHOA!" , Jupiter cried as the Vanillite broke the pokeball, "You're mighty bro, but not as powerful as Aquaseas.. You did great Seedot, have some rest." , Jupe called back his fainted pokemon.

"Go Aquaseas!", the Mudkip was itching for a battle. He rammed on the ice cream cone with a powerful tackle. The Vanillite took the blow and in return blasted away an icy wind.

"Mud Mud!" , it had almost no effect on him.

"VANNN!!!" , another blast at Aquaseas. He dodged it with relative ease and showered the Vanillite with water gun.

"More force Aquaseas! Make his cold body the reason of his doom!" , orb after orb was flung at the weakened Vanillite. The plan was successful and Vanillite freezed inside the ice cone.

"Go pokeball!", the
ball hit the block and sucked inside the frozen pokemon.

Marcus was chilled to the bone by the time the rain subsided, leaving a thin layer of mist in the alley. Pikachu's which had been eager enemies a few minutes ago looked at him with curiosity after his declaration. They no longer seemed to want to fight, but to just get their friends and treat their injuries. As Pikachu after Pikachu left, taking many of their fainted friends with them, one remained.

The one that had started everything.

It looked at Marcus, with longing which he didn't understand, even exchanging a curious glance with Snorunt about it until he noticed its gaze directed at a pokeball on his belt. Smirking, he grabbed the device, pushing the button to enlarge it as he walked towards Pikachu. "I see you finally saw my side of things. You know this could have all been avoided, but you insisted on fighting. Let's hope that in the future we both can learn to be better when it comes to peaceful negotiations, yet get to be strong enough to come out on top should that fail." Marcus tapped the head of the Pokemon with the ball, letting the device abosrb the Pokemon into it without a fight.

He, in all honesty, had done enough to warrant that already.

"Come on Snorunt, let's go get healed before something else happens," Marcus stated as he grabbed the backpack containing the egg, carefully slinging the backpack over his shoulder as he and his Pokemon left the alley.

"I see you caught Dolce." The nurse congradulated as she handed him a tray holding his four enlarged pokeballs.

"Dolce?"

"Yep. It was the name he had before his trainer ditched him. I was worried about him, but he didn't trust anyone enough to let them help him. You must have done something amazing to get him to join you, so please don't prove his decision to trust again wrong." She warned.

"I won't," Marcus stated, "I know how strong he is so I am not at all worried about him falling behind. I'm not the type to give up on stuff I invest my time in anyway." Marcus laughed as he left, determined to travel around the city so he could get his clothes to dry faster.

It had been a tough week for Rick these past few days since his dead beat brother had turned up beaten and dead. Not to mention hearing about how, just a few days after he had left to get over to Proffessor Birch, that the entirety of Rustboro had been demolished and turned to dust. This was hardly a recreational visit, considering the circumstances and the ruby gemstone sitting on the table between Rick and Birch. After what he has been through Rick could clearly say that his life was not ready to deal with anything else that was out of the ordinary. Not to say that that was going to happen though, as his home was gone, his brother dead, and the only thing connecting the two were a Terrorist Organization and a simple gemstone.

Needless to say, this wasn't Ricks best week and he was desperately hoping that he could just lie asleep and wake up to find out he has a test the next day. Thankfully he had been given the Slugma by Birch before he had left, as its fire-type attacks served a great help in destroying any of those pesky bug pokemon of Petalburg woods. There weren't that many trainers out in the woods when Rick was moving through this time, which served him greatly, since he didn't have any potions and/or antidotes on him either. He did happen to see a few shady-looking members of Team Gaia, but luckily for Rick, he was able to avoid them with proper stealth and misdirection. He was hoping to know if Norman, the gym leader of Petalburg could help him out, but the guy was out at the time and he needed to make haste or else he would risk getting to Birch too late.

"Please tell me that you have some inkling as to what this thing is and why my brother saw fit as to die to give me it."

"That's a Burst Heart — much more than a simple thing, but it looks empty. Similarly to a Pokéball, a Burst Heart is used to contain a Pokémon. Once they're out it's a different story, since if a Burst Heart breaks, the Pokémon is released. It requires perfect synchronization with a Pokémon to fuse with them and gain their abilities through a process known as Burst, and many people have been found dead trying. I can hardly recommend using it, as attempting Burst would almost undoubtedly be fatal without months, or even years of back-breaking training."

Hiei's back stiffened as he heard about how the gem could cause death to an unskilled user and he wondered just why his brother would give him something like this.

"Instead, I'd like you to keep Slugma, if not for your own protection. He seems to have taken a liking to you, too."

Rick pulled himself out of the chair and turned to leave, grabbing the Burst heart with him as he turned around, wanting to investigate more on why his brother would give him such a strange, valuable, and dangerous object. It was empty, so he wasn't even sure if he could do anything about it, much less see if there was anything worth investigating from this, but Rick was a man of thought rather than action, so he was going to need time to solve this mystery.

"You're taking it with you? I can't endorse this if you are planning on going through with it."

"Team Gaia went and killed my brother over this. I can't very well get you caught up in this on a clear conscience. I'll look further into this on my own time. If you find anything else, give me a call." Pausing a bit as he made his way, "By the way, You wouldn't happen to have a few empty Pokeballs on you, eh? Something tells me having just Slugma isn't going to keep me safe for long, especially in the wild."

Oak gestured his hand over to the top drawer of the the filing cabinet next to Rick. Opening it he found a set of ten Pokeballs inside, each unused and ready for capture. "You sure do keep yourself prepared for new Trainers, don't you?" Taking the ten balls, Rick waved goodbye to the gentle soul and made his way out, heading north to do combat with the dangers of the winter that laid between here and the two town ahead. It wasn't a straight journey from here to Petalburg, so it would take some time, but the adventure certainly would be good to help increase his experience. Birch did say that one would need plenty of experience if they were going to even attempt to use Burst, which meant he was going to be spending a while out here.

Making his way through the tall grass, Rick released his Slugma and prepared for whatever battles lied in wait for him. It didn't last long, as before he knew it, a Vanillite flew at him. Ducking from the charge, the Vanillite turned and began firing an Icicle Spear at them. "Slugma! use Ember on the Ice, melt it and then follow up with a second strike!" The first spit of fire went through, melting each barrage of ice, its heat being hotter than the cold of the Ice. The Vanillite as only fast enough to shoot two volleys, both of which were taken out by the first ember. The second ember, hidden behind the first, struck the Vanillite hard. Pokemon in this area were definitely of the weaker variety. With higher leveled Pokemon, even moves with a type advantage won't make a one-hit wonder, but being as weak as it was, its pure Ice type body couldn't handle the Fire.

There were quite a few more Vanillite to grace them with their presence after that. The second Vanillite wasn't smart and tried the same move as the one before it did. It did manage to hit a volley of five this time though and the fifth one, having no shield went right through Slugma. Luckily for both of them, Slugma's body was heated and made mostly out of Magma. The collective heat being leached off of the Slugma was far superior than the -50 degrees that a Vanillite could muster. But its level was high enough that they did have to use two Embers to make it melt away.

The third and the forth of these guys were smarter, hoping to double team them, but neither was very smart. With Rick's superior brain power, he was able to corner both of them and get them in a line together, ready for Slugma to use Flame charge on them. His Magma body, coupled with the fire covering it completely to increase his speed was an edge. Its sudden burst of speed took them by surprise and neither was prepared for what happens when you get a face first of Magma.

Luckily, they were able to get out of the first set of woods and make it to Oldale Town and heal up. As they packed up and made their way through to route 102, they came across a much more dangerous threat: A Sneasel. The Sneasel was of a pretty rough caliber and was a lot faster than anything in here. Its speed was more than twice as fast as a normal Vanillite and five times as fast as Rick's Slugma. So they needed to strategize.

Unfortunately for the Sneasel, it wasn't experienced in fighting a Slugma, as most fire types weren't made entirely out of Magma. It lunged at them with its superior speed and tried to used Quick attack to catch them by surprise before using Scratch to deal the blow. Its claw went through the magma, a little blood dripped from its thin physical body, but there was hardly enough to call one anyway, and his blood was Magma as well, burning the Sneasel as its hand went right in. As it cringed in pain from the burn, Rick commanded the Slugma to se Smog to blind it before shooting it with Ember.

While the smog did catch its eyes, it wasn't slowed down enough to be taken by the hit. It leaped back and tried to gain some ground. Rick and Slugma pursued, trying to keep the momentum on their side. The Sneasel dropped to one knee, feigning weakness. Taking the chance, Rick commanded a Flame Charge. Leaping towards the Sneasel with his flame covered body, the Slugma was prepared to win, but the Sneasel was preparing a Faint Attack, leaping right at the Slugma. It prpared its fist to land right into whatever organs it thought it had, but it couldn't make it. The pain of the Burn and the Smog, plus the fire blcoking its way to Slugma's body, plus the very magma its body was made of, when the Sneasel finally struck the body, its body was hit with an Ember and was done for.

Rick, taking the chance, and knowing that he was going to need a striker on his team as well as a Tank, threw a Pokeball at the grounded Sneasel, hoping that the Pokeball would work.

Sara Lain
Sara woke up feeling pretty weak. She was laying on a bed in a small house. She sat up "Hello? Is anyone home?" She was answered by a beautiful woman who was probably her mother's age.

"Well look who is awake!" She said excitedly, "My daughter found you out in the forst covered in sleep powder, she got me and we carried you all the way here." Sara sighed, of course she was knocked out, how typical. "If you are looking for your Pokemon, they are out back with my daughter training. I must say your Pokemon are very determined, especially that Poliwag and Zigzagoon, they've been going at each other nonstop."

"Really?" She said, she never expected them to work hard.

"Yep, the Zigzagoon just adores Oran berries. And my daughter just can't get enough of both of them!" Sara stood up and stretched, "Why don't you come with me out back?" Sara nodded and followed. She looked outside and saw that they were still in the forest, sure enough Orrie and Poliwag were fighting out back. A girl, about Sara's age was sitting on the porch with nincada sitting next to her, watching the fight.

"That's my daughter, Selena."

"Is she a trainer?" Sara asked

"She wishes to be one, but we don't ever have the money to spend to get pokeballs, and she never was asked to receive one from a professor."

"That's really sad, especially since you are surrounded by so many of them." Sara said.

The mother looked sad, "Yea, my husband works hard to keep us alive, though I'm afraid it isn't enough." Sara looked at the smiling girl sitting on the porch. "How long have you been a trainer?"

"Not long, I just started yesterday, but I've always been poor too." She said sympathetically. "I got my first Pokemon for free to be honest."

"Well, why don't you go say hi? I'll make some lunch." She disappeared inside.

Sara walked next to the girl and sat down, watching the fight. "So who is winning?"

Selena excitedly explained the battle, "Well Zigzagoon has been trying to use thunder, but he keeps failing. His tackle hits hard though! Then the Poliwag, it failed at using water gun at first, but now it can use it very well!" Sara watched as Poliwag dominated Zigzagoon with a series of water guns.

"Hm, which do you like better?" Sara said.

"I like Poliwag!" Selena replied, "Your other Pokemon, nincada he has been sitting next to me the whole fight though, I think he likes me." Sara had almost forgotten that she had caught him in the first place. It was laying there, being pet by Selena in the shade.

Sara looked at the girl, then at Nincade, I don't need Nincada much... She thought, "Hey, Selena." The girl looked at Sara, She is as beautiful as her mother... Sara thought. "Would you want Nincada?"

Selena's eyes lit up, and she had a big smile on her face. "Yes, yes, yes!" She said.

"Well, you can keep him, but you have to go with me out of the forest, and your mother has to agree." Sara said.

"Agree to what?" Said the woman.

"This girl said she would give me Nincada if I adventured with her." Selena said excitedly

"Just out of the forest." Sara pointed out, "And I'll keep an eye on her."

"Well..." The woman said, "I don't see why not, I suppose if she is with you it should be fine. Why don't you guys eat first though?" She smiled, offerin me and Selena a sandwich, and a bowl of berries to the Pokemon. "So what is your name?"

Sara couldn't believe how trusting these people were, but then again Sara wasn't exactly the scariest person. "My name is Sara Lain from the Orre region. I just moved to Hoenn."

"Isn't that nice?" She said nicely, "Well you are welcome to stay or leave at your convenience, just make sure you pack up." The last sentence was directed at Selena who scarfed her sandwich down and sprinted inside. "Well, she is eager!" The woman laughed. "My name is Rose, and I'm very glad to have met you."

"It's the best I could do since you sorta saved me I guess." Sara blushed a bit.

"Still, that was a kind thing to do. I hope you have a great adventure." She stood up in her solid color green dress, "I must write to my husband about this." She smiled and walked inside. To Sara, it seemed like a graceful stallion walking away.

Rick was dumbfounded when this happened, as he was not expecting such an event like this. He was about to get a strong and reliable Sneasel, and instead he got a baby bird. Rick was not out to catch-them-all, rather he was out to protect himself from Team Gaia. A baby Delibird was not going to do him well at all, as not only were its possible stats very low, it was a baby, and even if it wasn't a baby, Delibird only learned Present. Delibird were primarily a collector's item, NOT a potential master, or a trainer out to deal with an evil organization. But Rick wasn't out of this yet, as Slugma's speed was inherently raised due to just using Flame charge, so he was fast enough to follow Rick as they went after the wounded Sneasel.

It was bleeding, and on the white snow, it was incredibly easy to follow. As they managed to make their way, Rick realized that there was a reason the Sneasel were so dangerous among the wild Pokemon. As the two of them began following the blood trail, Rick realized that he had been lead around in circles and that the wild sneasel has climbed up a tree. Being pretty barren due to the winter cold, it was easy to spot the wounded sneasel up on the tree. The Slugma use ember again, quickly burning through the trunk of the tree, causing it to fall. Rick commanded his Slugma and the Slugma used Flame Charge again, its speed increasing a second time, crashing into the wounded Sneasel, leaving it very burned after the long waste of time. Rick ran over to where the Sneasel dropped, pulling out his Pokeball, ready to capture it for real this time. He checked the surroundings to make sure that no Delibird eggs were laying around to act as decoys this time before he threw it.