"They look like quite the promising group, if I do say so myself."

A familiar voice rang out from behind Roxanne, prompting her to whip around so fast that her glasses almost fell out of place. A grin spread across the young professor's face as she recognized with whom she was speaking.

"Flannery! it's been too long."

"Too long, my ass. If you actually wanted to see me you'd get out of this hellhole you call a lab for once and come visit Kanto. You're always welcome to come by and watch me whoop down on trainers in Cinnabar."

Giggling at just how unchanged Flannery's fiery personality was, Roxanne gave her old friend a hug. "I was just about to ask how you and the twins were doing over there, but I suppose there's my answer."

Giving the shorter girl a pat on the head, a pouty expression spread across the red head's face. "Well you know those two. Liza and Tate never come around to visit me anymore, they're too busy up there in the Indigo Plateau to ever see their auntie Flannery. I always have to go up there to check up on them myself."

She sighed before leaning up on one of the various contraptions that took up the lab's interior. "You already know that they can handle themselves just fine. The only one of us that I'm worried about is Brawley, I haven't even heard from him since then."

A troubled look made its way onto Roxanne's face, before she caught herself. "I'm sure that he's fine. As irresponsible and reckless as he can be, he's always come back home in one piece."

"I suppose so..." Not allowing her mind to remain caught on disconcerting thoughts, Flannery changed the topic of discussion by pulling out her pokénav. "I'm assuming you got Winona's message?"

"The one concerning the reunion?" The professor pushed up her glasses before crossing her arms. "I've already responded, I can't make it due to some new findings that popped up. Make sure to apologize to her in person for me."

Giving a hearty laugh, the fiery gym leader nodded. "Of course you're not coming. We're sure gonna miss you, Norman, and Brawley, but we'll be sure to party it up in Evergrande to make up for you guys!" After mussing up her friend's hair, Flannery gave her a farewell hug. "Well I gotta get going. Be sure to send the strongest youngsters of the batch my way. It's been a little while since I've had a good battle."

"I'll be sure to, my friend." Returning the embrace, Roxanne smiled. It had been a while since she'd had a chance to have a face to face discussion with any of her old friends.

After waving goodbye to Flannery outside the lab, Roxanne returned to her place behind a desk filled to the brim with various notes and sheets of paper scrawled with writing. "Now... where was I?"​

After receiving your starter pokémon, a number of pokéballs, and a shiny new pokédex from Professor Roxanne, you're all set for taking the first steps of your adventure! You've already had the past couple of days to explore Rustboro City, so it's not as if there's much left to do here. The former pokémon gym that was converted into a state of the art laboratory, serves as a precursor of what is to come along your journey. The Professor has already mapped out your passage to Verdanturf Town, home of the closest gym, and recommended starting point for all rookie trainers.

The first stop on that path is Route 116, running east of the city, straight into Rusturf Tunnel. It is a popular area for beginner trainers to develop their battling skills, so you'll be sure to see quite a number of kids running around, challenging everyone and everything they lock eyes with to a battle. A few areas of the pathway are covered in light tree cover, but otherwise it's a single stretch of fresh, green grass. At the end of the route there is a small building, which is a rest house for the construction workers who are working in Rusturf Tunnel. .​

​

You can choose out of any of the missions below. Be sure to claim missions in the OOC thread to let me and the other players know which one you are doing. You may joint post or collaborate on these missions with other players, but two players may not write for a single mission separately. Also, know that you aren't limited to just these missions. You can make posts catching pokémon, battling a trainer or exploring the route for yourself. I purposefully made fewer missions than there are players because I'd like for you guys to have some fun with this and not be restrained by these things. The missions are only here to serve as a prompt for you to write off of :3

Mission 1: A number of baby Taillow are wandering about on the ground, not above in their nests like they should be. Looking around, there doesn't seem to be any up in the trees. Where is the mother Swellow in this situation? Could this involve that group of kids you saw earlier, playing with the slingshot? Reward - Muscle Wing

Mission 2: Nora's mother always told her, never go out into the tall grass without a pokémon. Well, Nora was feeling rather brave today and decided to venture out into the tall grass... without a pokémon. Now she's found herself surrounded by a small number of Poocheyana. A helping hand from a passing trainer would be much appreciated. Reward - 500 P + 1 Great Ball

Mission 3: After a long night, the construction workers within Rusturf Tunnel have returned to their rest house for the day. However, the horde of Seedot outside of the building are making so much noise that it's impossible for any of them to get any sleep. As they're too tired to fight their own battles, a trainer's help is needed. Reward - 1,000 P + TM Rock Smash

Mission 4: Ryker and Audrey are in the midst of a couple's argument for the ages. The normally loving pair's dispute has resulted into a pokémon battle that is not only harmful to the pokémon of the route, but to their blossoming relationship as well! A third party is needed to end this confrontation through peace or violence, either would work. Reward - 3 Potions + 1 Super Potion

Mission 5: Forty-five year old Jimmy thinks that he's real tough, picking on beginner trainers with his Loudred. He's positioned himself in the middle of the route, challenging unsuspecting trainers to a battle. Someone needs to put this middle aged delinquent in his place. Reward - 600 P + 1 Potions

Mission 6: While many hold the belief that bug pokemon are gross and icky, the silk that Wurmple create is a beautiful commodity desired by many. Unfortunately, the illegal trade for this silk has been on the rise recently. Some unprofessional goons on the outskirts of the route have been going through its Wurmple colonies and trying to get them to produce this valuable resource by force. A trainer could teach them a thing or two about respecting wild pokemon. Reward - Silk Scarf
​

Zoey Winters

Rustboro City

Chapter 1-1 | Baby Steps

Current Party:

Zoey sighed as she listened to the voice on the other end of her Pokégear. At this point, the pink-haired girl had lost all track of time in regards to how long her phone conversation had been going on. In a sense, it was baffling. Her parents seemed to have had no qualms about the girl heading down to the city to pick up a Pokémon and a Pokédex from Professor Cypress. However now that she was suddenly about to embark on a grand journey across the Hoenn region, Zoey's mother was suddenly beside herself with dread and worry.

"Dear, don't you think you're being a tad unreasonable?" the voice on the other end of the Pokégear questioned. Zoey rolled her eyes. This had to have been at least the third time that her mother, Willow Winters, had asked this exact question. "Being a Pokémon trainer is no easy task. You never know what sorts you'll meet out there or where you might end up sleeping! Plus, it's all so... dirty out there. You've got your Pokémon now, right? Why don't you just come home now and we'll go on a huge shopping spree!"

"Mother, for the last time you're making a huge deal over nothing!" Zoey exclaimed, the frustration growing evident in her voice as she protested her mother's wishes. "I'm tired of just doing the same old thing, day in and day out. I want to experience something new and exciting! I've read all sorts of stories and journals about the life of a Pokémon trainer, and I think it's just something I'd love to give a try! Exciting battles... magical encounters... it's just all so enticing!"

There was a small pause on the other end of the phone. Had Zoey not heard the rather slow breathing on the other end of the line, she would have sworn that her mother finally gave up and hung up. After a few moments, the girl's parent finally began to speak once more.

"Zoey... You do know that... It's not that..." her mother tried to reason.

"Enough. Mother, I've made up my mind and you're not going to change it for me. This is something I'm going to see through. Who knows! By the next time we meet, I could even be the new league champion!" Zoey exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement all the while. A satisfied smile stretched across her lips as she closed her eyes for a moment, picturing herself defeating the champion with a massive audience all cheering her name. Just the very thought of it all gave the pink-haired teenager goosebumps. "Look, I'll talk to you soon mother. I need to get this journey started, okay? Tell daddy I love him for me!"

Without waiting for the woman to respond, Zoey quickly ended the call and placed her Pokégear back into a pocket on her bag. In a sense, she understood her mother's concern. Even Zoey herself had to admit that she had perhaps been a tad too impulsive when she made this decision out of the blue. However, it was a choice that she made and Zoey just knew for a fact that her mother was being melodramatic with her fears. Besides that, Zoey was almost 18 years old. The pink-haired girl was more than capable of making her own decisions at this point. And it was not as if she was going to be alone on her journey for that matter.

Glancing down to her side, the young woman eyed the Poké Ball which now rested on her belt. Inside the ball-like capsule was a Pokémon... her Pokémon. Just the very thought of those two words running together in the teenager's mind was enough to send shivers of excitement down her spine. The girl couldn't help herself any longer. She just had to meet her new Pokémon for the first time. Without wasting another moment, Zoey quickly grabbed hold of the poké ball containing her new companion and tossed it up into the air, releasing the Pokémon that was inside.

A bright flash of light shot out of the ball-shaped capsule, revealing what appeared to be a small, owl-like creature sporting a green bow tie of sorts. The Pokémon in question was cute... very cute... It took everything that Zoey had to keep herself from pouncing on the poor creature right then and there.

"Hey there, good to meet you!" Zoey exclaimed, grinning brightly at the small Pokémon.

The owl-like being, who was still coming to grips with the sudden change in its environment, jumped at the sudden greeting from the pink-haired girl. He quickly spun around, eyes-wide as he took a moment to catch his breath from the surprise. Zoey grinned sheepishly at this, quickly realized that perhaps she may have come on a bit strong for their first, proper meeting.

"W-Woah... I'm sorry about that, I guess I just got a bit too excited..." Zoey replied, giggling softly as she spoke. "My name is Zoey- Zoey Winters, to be exact, and starting from today you and I shall be partners."

She paused, extending her hand forward as she spoke. The bird Pokémon cautiously looked the fledgling trainer up and down. He wasn't exactly sure just what he was supposed to make of this whole situation. On one hand, the human in front of him seemed to be quite... energetic to say the least. She also appeared to be at the very least somewhat friendly. On the other hand... she was loud... and her movements seemed to be somewhat spontaneous to say the least. Still, the Pokémon seemed to determine that the girl before him wasn't... all that bad. With a conclusion in hand, the feathered creature carefully extended a wing, the tips of the feathers brushing against Zoey's hand gently.

"Nice to meet you then... um... Let's see... What did the professor call you again...?" Zoey mused. She closed her eyes, mulling over the different Pokémon that Professor Roxanne had mentioned during their meeting just a few moments ago. "Ah yes, Rowlet! That was what she called you."

At the mention of its species name, the Rowlet seemed to perk up just slightly. Zoey wasn't sure if this meant that the Pokémon had been fully understanding her or not. At the very least, he seemed to at least recognize his name. This was a good first step in the right direction regardless.

"Now then... I suppose calling your Rowlet is all fine and good. However, I think you need a proper name, one that will make you stand out above all the other Pokémon around..." Zoey resumed, taking a moment to carefully place her Rowlet on her shoulder. It was another move that seemed to take the Pokémon by surprise, but one that managed to not freak him out too terribly. "And I have just the name for you... Are you ready? How about... Artemis, right? Isn't it a lovely name?"

The Rowlet, which had now been dubbed Artemis by the pink-haired girl, gave his trainer a curious look. He clearly didn't seem to know just what to make of the name he had been given. That said, Zoey seemed to not notice in the slightest bit... And if she did, then she pretended not to.

"Are you ready, Artemis? This is the beginning of our grand adventure!" Zoey exclaimed. From here on, we'll face many challenges... and probably battle many foes, both trainer and wild Pokémon alike. But, I can tell just from looking at you that you're quite the strong and formidable Pokémon. Are you ready to prove yourself as the very best?!"

The Rowlet stared at Zoey in a mix of dread and surprise. For some reason, not one word that the girl mentioned seemed to fill him with any bit of excitement for what was ahead. In fact, Artemis suddenly felt like zipping back into his poké ball and hoping to Arceus that this was all just some sort of bad dream. Unfortunately, it was something that the Rowlet would have no luck of accomplishing. Before he could make a noise to imply any sort of rebuttal, Zoey took off with glee in a mad dash towards the gate that would lead them to Route 116.

This was going to be a long day...

1.0: Initialization

The beeping on Kimberly's Poketech - the cry of a Spearow - sounded off, signalling that her wait was over. She calmly shut it off and looked towards the Gym-esque door of Professor Roxanne's lab. Though the city did a good deal of work on the building, she could still features from the previous building. The door style, the general structure of the building itself, and the sign that had yet to have its glass-shielded paperwork updated were remnants of a relic lost to history, standing glorious only in photographs electronically transcribed onto the pages of a schoolbook.

Kimberly had been waiting patiently for the trainers to file in and out of the lab so that she could have some discretion when receiving her Pokemon, sitting on a bench and solving some Supoku puzzles as she passed the time. A few of the more friendly trainers tried to engage with her after leaving, but her demeanor quickly drove them away. She didn't do so intentionally - it was simply a byproduct of Kimberly's social skills, which were far from competent.

As she watched the last trainer turn the corner and head back into the bustling streets of Rustboro, she stood up. Most would have rushed hastily into the lab to claim one of the rarer species Prof. Roxanne has available, but Kimberly was not so rash. She was aware that she'd been assigned a specific Pokemon by the Devon Corporation's research facility, and she simply didn't feel like dealing with the chaos of new trainers scrambling to snatch a Gible or a Beldum. But now, it was her time.

She walked directly into the lab, intent fueling her steps and composure stoning her face. Prof. Roxanne was leaned over table in the back, intently studying a specimen under a microscope. However, the sound of footsteps approaching drew her attention, and she perked up when she saw who they belonged to. "Ah, Kimberly. I was wondering when you'd arrive."

"Professor," Kimberly greets, her voice unconcerned but still purposeful. "I figured that I'd have an easier time getting my Pokemon without dozens of trainers crowding your lab."

Prof. Roxanne laughs. "Uh, yeah, that was a good call." She gestures to the scattered papers, books, and instruments. "They sort of tore this place up."

Kimberly looked at the ground, and then back at the professor. "They did. I would recommend cleaning this up, for safety purposes."

The older woman smiled, unfazed by the minor insult. She was used to Kimberly's demeanor, having worked with her a few times at Devon Corp. "Good suggestion. Let's get you set up."

The two walked towards the back of the lab, stepping carefully over the mess created by the stampede of trainers that earlier inhabited the small space. Prof. Roxanne moved towards a locked cabinet, swiping a card to open it and then pulling out a high-tech, light blue box with various black-and-green line designs wrapping around the exterior. She pressed a button, and with a small fwoosh, the top of the box flipped open, revealing a shiny Pokeball.

Kimberly eyed it, some excitement raising the hairs on her arms underneath her sweater. "So," Prof. Roxanne starts, "as I'm sure you're aware, you've been assigned to the Gym challenge for a purpose different from other trainers. While the majority of your, uh, younger colleagues will be challenging the Gym for badges, you will be challenging them to record the behavior of their Pokemon and how said behavior compares to wild Pokemon that have little to no interaction with humans."

Kimberly nods. "I am already aware of this information."

"Good," Prof. Roxanne chuckles. "Now, this is important, and may not have been explained to you already. You are not to complete this task alone." Kimberly's eyes widened slightly. "A requirement of your assignment is to travel with at least one other Trainer, ideally more if you can find some willing participants."

Kimberly mentally groaned, but did her best to hide her displeasure from appearing on her face. "Professor, I have to ask the reason why. I am perfectly capable of completing this task alone."

"You've demonstrated your competence in working alone, yes," Prof. Roxanne corrects. "But you will be working in a team environment when you start working full-time with Devon Corp. This assignment will help you practice your social skills. It's also useful for the research - we don't want just notes about the Gym Leaders' Pokemon and your interactions with your own Pokemon, we want to see how these Pokemon behave with others as well."

Kimberly inwardly cursed but kept her mouth shut. This is far from satisfactory. The presence of others will merely hinder my abilities. Nevertheless, she nodded - Prof. Roxanne was still her superior, and raising protest with the conditions laid out could cost Kimberly her job. "I understand. I will do my best under the circumstances."

Prof. Roxanne smiled. She knew that Kimberly wasn't happy with having to work with others - the girl often worked alone, and tended to produced amazing results - but knew it would be good for her. She had seen Kimberly upset another employee without meaning to on more than one occasion. Her people skills needed a lot of improvement if she intended to become a full-time employee. "I believe in you. You've shown incredibly tenacity and skill with your work - this is but another challenge that I'm confident you can overcome."

Kimberly nodded. "Thank you, Professor. Now, may I receive my Pokemon?"

Roxanne chuckled. "Alllright..." The woman grabbed the Pokeball and held it out in front of her, Kimberly stepping to her side to avoid the beam. With a click of the button in the center, the ball burst open in a flash of bright light, and a Pokemon materialized in front of the two.

Moves

• Psybeam
• Telekinesis
• Heal Block
• Miracle Eye
• Rock Tomb

Kimberly eyed the floating Pokemon with fascination, some excitement leaking through her features. Its appearance was far more technological than natural, as if it had been produced by humans. However, the design was far more advanced than anything humans had been able to come up with. The alien-like being floated upwards towards Kimberly, coming eye-level with her. "Professor, I have to admit, this is truly an astonishing Pokemon. I don't believe I've seen such a Pokemon before."

"This is Elgyem," Prof. Roxanne begins. "This is one of the few Pokemon in the world that are, for lack of a better term, organic technology. Until recently, this Pokemon was exclusive to the Unova region, and also completely undiscovered. Elgyem possess incredibly Psychic abilities and are the only Pokemon able to communicate with humans directly using their own language."

Kimberly's eyes widened with surprise. "Communicate with our language?"

Prof. Roxanne nodded. "Telepathy. Elgyem are able to connect with human beings using Telepathy and communicate directly to them. They seem to have some kind of language processor that adapts to the language used around them."

"That's... incredible..." Kimberly was, for probably one of only few times in her life, completely awestruck. She was already considering the various ways in which telepathic communication between a Trainer and Pokemon would give huge advantages in battles. "I'm honored to receive a Pokemon this powerful for my journey."

"Well... not everything is perfect," Prof. Roxanne chuckled. "Elgyem are a little wild when they're young. This one in particular exhibits playful behavior. That may prove a bit challenging for you in the beginning, but with some refinement, I believe she will be a powerful asset in your research."

"Absolutely," Kimberly couldn't help but let a small smile escape. She looked back at the floating Elgyem. As if instinctively, the Elgyem held up her hand, the red/green/yellow nodes glowing. Curiously, Kimberly placed her own hand against the nodes.

Suddenly, a buzzing sensation rocketed around her body, as if she were being painlessly electrocuted. The Elgyem chirped delightfully, her eyes flickering between red, green, and yellow. Just as quickly, an electronic voice sounded in Kimberly's head, vaguely female but more robotic than anything else.


Kimberly covered her mouth, trying to hide her surprise. "M... my name is... Kimberly Crawford."


Kimberly looked to Prof. Roxanne with bewilderment and excitement. "This is... incredible!"

Prof. Roxanne can't help but give a huge smile. "I'm so very happy to hear that you find your Elgyem suitable. Be warned, however, that you'll have a big learning curve when using these features and Elgyem's powerful Psychic abilities. Try not to, uh, destroy anything."

Kimberly nodded. "I promise I won't. I'll make sure to utilize Ivy to the full extent."

"Oh, you've already given it a nickname?" Prof. Roxanne smiled. "How sweet."

Kimberly withheld the information that Ivy provided her own name. The girl sat patiently through the Trainer registration process, itching to put Ivy's abilities to the test. While waiting, Kimberly observed Ivy's playful nature. The small being floated around, chirping happily and stacking some fallen books into a small castle-like structure with Telekinesis. That may prove... difficult to work with. Kimberly was the exact opposite of playful, and ironing out that quirk from Ivy may take some effort.

After providing Kimberly some starting Pokeballs and her Pokedex, the girl rushed out of the lab with Ivy in tow, moving quickly towards the route. "I hope you're ready, Ivy. I want to see exactly what you can do."


That cheeriness might eventually rub Kimberly the wrong way, but for now, she was way too interested in Ivy's abilities to care. With haste never previously exhibited before, she tore through the town towards Route 116, eager to experience what could possibly be a new technological wonder.

Zoey Winters &
Jeff Miles

Route 116

Chapter 1-2 | Baby Troubles

Current Parties:

"So, let's see..." Zoey mused aloud as she made her way towards the northeastern exit of the city. "According to the map, we need to travel along Route 116 first. It doesn't look like it'll be too much trouble to get across... Still, I guess we need to make sure that we're ready for anything that might come our way, Artemis."

The Rowlet in question, who was still perched on his trainer's shoulder, gave the girl a curious look as she spoke. It was something that didn't go unnoticed by Zoey, who offered the owl Pokémon a quick pat on the head before explaining.

"We weren't the only two to be paired up back at Professor Roxanne's lab," Zoey began. "So no doubt all the others who got their first Pokémon and Pokédex from her will be heading this way as well. That is, if they aren't already on the route to begin with. There's also the fact that other trainers will most likely be traveling the route as well..." She paused for a moment, bringing a hand to her chin as she began to think the possibilities over. "I don't think there will be any trainers that are... rich with experience out there... At least, there shouldn't be many. Most likely it'll be local students bumbling around."

Zoey's reasoning seemed to be doing little to ease the Rowlet. Artemis seemed to suddenly be somewhat hesitant in venturing out onto Route 116. He was already somewhat nervous about it, having never really left Roxanne's lab before. However, to now be facing the prospect of many trainers with other Pokémon who may be just as strong... if not stronger than him, all with varying levels of experience... Well, it was only natural for Artemis to feel somewhat apprehensive about the whole ordeal.

Zoey seemed to pick up on this and rolled her eyes with a somewhat playful sigh escaping her lips. "Oh, relax Artemis. I'm sure we'll do just fine. Besides, this could offer us a chance to maybe catch a new team member as well! I'm sure there will be many wild Pokémon lurking around on the rotue as well! Just thinking about it makes me even more eager to get out there!"

Eager was an understatement at this point. Before Artemis could so much as respond, the pink-haired teenager took off running past the city gate. While Zoey had ventured outside of towns before, they were usually under the comapny of her parents or some of the hired help. This was truly the first time that she had set off into the wilderness on her own, and it did indeed offer some sort of liberating feel to it all.

---

As it turned out, whistling for too long could really chap a person's lips so Jeff took a break to hum instead. "What kind of pokémon should we catch first?" He blurted out suddenly at Romanov when some rustling in the trees caught his eye. The buddy in particular lifted an arm and happily proclaimed "Munch!" Jeff shook his head in mock disappointment. "No, no, I've already got one of you, the team needs diversity." Romanov tapped his chin for a few moments, then shrugged.

"Hmph, fat lot of help you are, with all your not-talking and such... stupid language barrier. How do we have all this pokémon based technology and yet not even one translator?"

"Lax!"

"Exactly! And what about all the poor saps that can't understand each other as well as we do? But I suppose that's part of the fun of dealing with pokémon... makes me feel bad for trainers with problems understanding body language or social cues though... " More rustling by some trees, louder this time, further off. Jeff even thought he heard something like a voice. He turned to ask Romanov for one of his ever-astute observations only for the Munchlax to bolt towards the sound without so much as an acknowledgement.

The new trainer followed his friend instinctually and didn't have to chase him too far beofre they cam to a small clearing in the shrubbery where Romanov leaned over a bundle of feathers crumpled on the forest floor. Upon closer inspection the bundle in question was a young Tailow, likely even newly hatched. "Oh no! You poor thing." He said, kneeling down. "Romanov I know you've got a good nose but I didn't think you could smell injuries!" The Munchlax looked at his trainer with hands and a mouth full of fresh berries picked from a nearby tree and Jeff's eyes narrowed in disappointment. "Oh, that explains it."

He shook his head and turned the Tailow over to check it. It didn't seem hurt too badly, it had a small bald spot in some of its sofy down with a bit of red. It seemed to have fallen unconscious, likely from shock moreso than injury - before Jeff could examine it any further Romanov pried its beak open with one hand, and dropped an Oran berry he'd chewed to pulp into its mouth. The little flying type woke with a start, seemingly renewed with fresh energy and hopped out of Jeff's hands, hopping madly about the clearing and cheeping as loud as possible in fear at waking up in such a strange situation.

---

The excitement of stepping out onto Route 116 did not last too particularly long for Zoey. The route was quite a bit quiet, with barely a peep being heard as the she and her Rowlet began to make their way across the path. While she knew it was early, the girl did not suspect that the route would be this... vacant at this time. Sure, she really hadn't been in Rustboro City for all that long... But were the people there just late risers or something of the sort.

"Well, this is certainly a disappointment," Zoey finally said in a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Where is everyone?"

Artemis did not seem to be too upset over the matter, though. In fact, the Rowlet seemed to be taking the turn of events rather well. If the route was this vacant when the duo set out, then perhaps it would be possible for the two to make it to the other side without so much as a single confrontation. It was a pleasant thought to the Pokémon, but a thought in name only. A sudden gasp of surprise from his trainer alerted Artemis to the fact that their situation was about to change rather quickly. He glanced over in the direction of Zoey, finding the pink-haired girl to be staring off to the left in the direction a young man and his Munchlax. Without so much as a word of warning, the girl took off in a sprint in the duo's direction. Her eyes shining brightly with excitement with each step she took. Before long, the Rowlet managed to slip off the girl's shoulder, forcing him to fly after Zoey as quickly as he could.

"You two!" Zoey shouted out as she came to a stop. She paused, taking a moment to catch her breath before pointing at the two in a rather dramatic fashion. "I challenge you to a battle!"

He turned to her, clearly distressed. "I can't battle right now. Something weird is going on." He pointed at the baby Tailow, now quieted down but still hopping about looking for - Jeff could only assume - its mother, occasionally letting out a distressed peep. "This Tailow is too young to fly but for some reason it isn't in its nest and I haven't seen or heard any Swellow." Romanov raised his hands in an awkward attempt at a fisticuffs pose until he heard his trainer's denial and he seemed to remember the problem at hand, deflating somewhat.

"Come to think of it..." Jeff continued. "I haven't heard any birdsong since I left town. Have you?"

Zoey frowned, clearly not impressed by the response she had received. "Not really... but it's not that big of a deal is it? Little things like that probably getten eaten up by bigger wild Pokémon all the time!"

"Not around here they don't." Jeff replied. "Tailow don't really have much in the way of predators out here, that's why it's a popular nesting area, at least that's what the Professor told me. But they just might start getting eaten if something is knocking them out of their nests, it could screw up the ecology of - " An increase in the frequency of the cheeping and peeping caught his attention and he swiveled his head to see there was now a second little Tailow in the clearing, no doubt drawn by the sounds of the first.

"Another one? Err... tell you what, if you help me figure out what's going on, I'll battle you - OH, right! I never got your name! I'm Jeff!" He introduced himself offering his hand to the excitable girl while Romanov mirrored his action with the Rowlet that had followed her, except his hand had an Oran berry he'd found in it.

Zoey glanced down, a somewhat annoyed sigh escaping her lips in the process. All she wanted to do was battle this boy, and now she found herself having to put up with solving some mystery if she had any hope of actually doing so? It was quite troublesome to say the least. Artemis on the other hand, seemed to be practically beside himself. He had just set out from town and he was making a new friend already. When he first saw Jeff's Munchlax, the Rowlet was a bit nervous. He was a bit larger than the bird Pokémon was, so in some regard it was to be expected. However, the Munchlax seemed to be quite friendly. At least, he did so to Artemis. The Rowlet gladly accepted the berry, offering a small coo of thanks in response.

"You sure we can't just battle first and then you can do deal with... whatever it is going on?" Zoey asked.

Jeff's brow furrowed, both because she hadn't introduced herself in turn and because he actually really wanted to battle her too... but he couldn't just leave the poor little birds to die! "If we battled now, I'd be all distracted and concerned, probably not a very good challenge. We could accidentally hurt one of the Tailow ourselves too. Besides, it's the least we could do for Professor Roxanne after all she's done for us, I bet something like this would be really important to her."

"Alright, alright... Fine... Let's just get this over with," Zoey pouted once she saw that she was not going to get her way in the matter. "Lead on."

Without further ado Jeff ran straight to the clearing's biggest tree and scrambled up it like a Mankey. A few moments later he popped out from the leaves, hanging upside down from a big branch by the backs of his knees. "There's bits of grass and twigs and some feathers up here, but no nest. Rowlets have good eyes and I figure they know a thing or two about nests. Think he can help us out?"

"Huh... Yeah, sure..." Zoey replied, really not paying attention too much to the sight before her. She glanced down at her Pokémon and gave the Rowlet a quick nudge. "Aretmis, go up there and see if you can find anything that sticks out."

The Rowlet nodded in response, flapping his wings gently as he took to the air and made his way towards the nest in question. He landed carefully on the branch which held the nest, taking the utmost care as to not disturb the nest in question. The Rowlet knew that the last thing he needed to do was to shake the nest loose or cause any important clues to come spilling out. Artemis leaned in close to the nest, his eyes widening as he began to examine it closely for a sign of any sort of disturbance. After a few moments, the bird Pokémon let out an excited coo. He gently reached into the nest with his beak, pulling something out before he flew back down to the ground below.

Zoey held her hand out to her Rowlet, allowing Artemis to place whatever he had found up in it into her hand. "...pellets...? What are these doing up there? I'm pretty sure that Pokémon don't use something like these to make a nest... right...?"

Swinging down and dropping from his branch a bit awkwardly, Jeff joined her in examining the pellets and his eyes widened. He grabbed one between his fingers and squinted at it. "Those little Rattata! These are the same kind of pellets I got hit with earlier! I ran into some kids running around shooting each other with slingshots. I bet those brats knocked the Tailow out of the tree! I owe those turds a good talking too." He exclaimed, clenching his fist angrily.

Artemis shivered slightly at the sight of the angry Jeff. The Rowlet was quick to flutter his way behind Zoey, cautiously poking out from behind her leg just in case the boy happened to fly off the handle.

"Hold on, now... Are we really gonna be worrying ourselves over some kids now too...?" Zoey questioned, growing more annoyed by the moment. "They could be anywhere by now... Besides, who even knows if they're still in Rustboro?!"

"They were just kids." Jeff countered. "They can't be from too far away, if they're not around they're not around but we can't -" He was cut off by the sounds of excited laughter and snapping sounds preceeding a rapid pitter patter of feet. "You wanted a battle? Jeff asked, his smile returning and angling itself into a smirk. "I think you just got one." When the approaching noises grew close Jeff pushed his way through the bushes and jumped out onto the forest path, causing the kids to come skidding to a halt and slam into each other. They dropped their slingshots and Jeff pointed triumphantly.

"That's quite enough of your crap!" He shouted while Romanov mirrored his actions, wagging his stubby little finger for emphasis.

Zoey huffed, rolling her eyes as she followed behind the boy and his Munchlax. A rather bored expression graced her features as she followed Jeff out, all the while Artemis fluttered behind the girl. "Yeah... Knock it off..."

The two young boys looked at them, clearly confused. "What's your problem, blondie? Didn't we already apologize for hitting you earlier?"

"Romanov?" was all Jeff had to say for the Munchlax to stomp on the slingshots the boys had dropped when startled by the trainer.

"What the heck, man?!" They exclaimed. "You can't do that. those were ours!"

"If they were so important to you kids you shouldn't have been shooting baby pokémon with them!"

"This is all over those stupid Tailow? Who cares?!" One of hte kids argued. "I bet they get eaten all the time!"

Jeff's eye twitched at the familiarity of the argument. But before he could say anything else one of the boys withdrew a pokéball from his pocket. The other one did the same when he noticed.

"Let's see how high and mighty you are when you're beaten to a pulp!" The yappy one said before they both threw, releasing a Poochyena and a Wurmple.

Romanov stepped firmly in front of Jeff while his trainer smiled over at the girl apologetically. "See? You get a battle after all."

"Yeah, after you dragged me into this mess," Zoey retorted. "Man... I didn't sign up for beating up a bunch of kids like this..."

"Aww...! Are you scared, old lady? Why don't ya go on home if you're soooo scared?!" the boy with the Poochyena called out.

Zoey paused, glancing down at the boy in question. Her eyes narrowed, quickly glancing behind her without missing a single beat. "Artemis, you're on."

The first kid gestured frantically and shouted "Poochyena, use Tackle!" The ravenous little pokémon let out an attempt at a viscious howl that only managed to sound adorable before it charged at Romanov.

The second ordered "Wurmple, tie them up with String Shot! Then hit that featherball with Poison Sting!" Wurmple did as it was commanded, spitting a sticky silk all over the arena and at both of its opponents.

"Romanov, show that Puppy some love." Jeff said. Romanov walked slowly forward like a tank, ignoring the strings of silk that fell on and draped over him even as they made him yet slower. When the Poochyena reached him he spread his arms and took the hit, sliding backwards a few feat from the impact, then clamping his arms around the puppy pokémon in a Bewear hug. Romanov opened his gaping maw and his tongue came out, now seeiming impossibly large. He dragged it slowly a cross the Poochyena's face making it freeze up in disgust and convulse slightly at the extremely unpleasant and alien feeling of the strange attack.

Artemis quickly took to the sky as the Wurmple shot out the sticky, web-like substance in the direction of both Romanov and himself. Zoey smirked at the owl Pokémon's quick response. "Good thinking Artemis! Now, use Ominous Wind!"

Artemis coo'ed in response, quickly flapping his tiny wings as hard as he could. A dense, fog-like purple mist flowed forth from the Rowlett, envoloping the battlefield before it encompased the Wurmple entirely. Zoey was quick to follow up with another attack, quickly commanding her bird Pokémon to attack with Tackle. Artemis quickly dove down in the direction of the bug Pokémon, only to be greeted with a Tackle attack of its own. The two Pokémon slammed into each other, but Artemis being a bit heavier than the Wurmple was enough to send the worm recoiling back from the exchange.

"Chip Away at that Poochyena, Romanov!" The Munchlax lifted the little dog pokémon higher up with one hand and began to smack it back and forth with the other. Poochyena's trainer ordered it to use Crunch, surprising Jeff by knowing a move that advanced. It clamped its jaws down on Romanov's arms hard enough to pierce even his tough hide and he started to flail his arm, swinging the puppy around like a club. "Hmmm... Oh, Lick it again! And keep at it!' Romanov wasn't too keen on getting more fur in his mouth but he followed his trainer's advice and stopped flailing his arm to drag his massive tongue back and forth accross the Poochyena's face over and over again.

The Poochyena held on valiantly, but after a few more licks sparks began to run all along its body and it froze up completely. "It's paralyzed!" Jeff called out to his pokémon. "Now whip it at that Wurmple as hard as you can!" Romanov called out an exciting "Munch!" and took on his best pitcher pose, leaned back just a bit while he wound up...then snapped his arm forward and launched the Poochyena right for Artemis' downed opponent.

Zoey felt somewhat satisfied over how easily both she and Jeff managed to handle their opponents. In most circumstances, the girl would have probably let the match end right there and then. However these kids did make it a point to call her an old lady, something that the pink-haired teenager was not about to let slide despite how easily they had dominated the battle against the younger trainers' Pokémon.

"Artemis, finish them both off with a Leafage," Zoey called out. The Rowlet gave his trainer a somewhat hesitant glance. The Wurmple and Poochyena were pretty much both defenseless now. Still, Zoey seemed adamant on the command. "Just hurry up and do it already!"

"Hey now!" Jeff interrupted. "They're just dumb, bored kids, is that really necessary? Besides, it wasn't their pokémon making trouble, don't they have it hard enough having such immature trainers?"

"What are you talking about? You were the one who was all determined to put a stop to them back when they were hurting those baby Taillow," Zoey argued. "I'm just making sure they learn a lesson about all of this!"

One look at the terrified looks on the faces of the two boys sealed Jeff's doubts. "Seems to me like they learned their lesson already." He began, taking a few steps forward. "A little emphasis couldn't hurt though." He continued to approach the boys, Romanov now at his side. They backed up until they tripped over the prone forms of their pokémon. "Romanov, these poor kids seem a bit scared, why don't you give'em each a kiss on the cheek to make them feel better." The Munchlax hummed an affirmative and gave each of the troublemakers a big Lick across their faces, leaving them shivering in disgust and trying to shake it off.

"So, you boys gonna cause anymore trouble?" Jeff asked before continuing without allowing them to respond. "Because if either of you hurt any more innocent pokémon in your stupid playtime I'll come back to stomp you and drag you back to your parents and tell them exactly what you've been up to. I'll even bring Professor Roxanne with me if I have to. Speaking of stomping..." The boys had dropped their slingshots when they stumbled. In unison Jeff and Romanov each slammed a foot down on a slingshot, snapping it in two.

"A-Alright, alright! We're sorry!" the boy with the Wurmple cried out, looking over at his friend in fear. "Hurry up, Tim! Apologize already!"

"Y-Yeah, yeah! We're sorry okay! W-We won't do it again!" the boy known as Tim stammered out.

Zoey watched with a rather unimpressed expression as the two boys scrambled to their feet. They were both quick to recall their Pokémon before attempting to make a mad dash back towards Rustboro City. Although, Tim was quick to stop by Zoey on the way.

"Sorry for calling you old..." the boy sniffled.

Zoey rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she looked the other way. "Whatever... Just hurry up and get lost."

Tim didn't need to be told twice. The boy practically jumped in fear at the pink-haired girl's response before he took off after his friend. Neither one of the two younger boys even dared to look back as they made their way back to town. Zoey didn't take her eyes off the pair for one moment until both of them were out of her field of sight, almost as if she didn't trust them to try and pull something else upon their departure. Once they were both out of sight, the teen sighed and finally looked away.

"What a total waste of time that was..." Zoey grumbled. "They didn't even put up a good fight."

Jeff chuckled at the whole scene. "Well, at least you got some experience battling with your new friend Artemis, right?" He asked, bending down to scoop a Pecha berry off the ground. "Plus it's pretty obvious that kid just wanted to get your dander up before, you're obviously too pretty and energetic to be old! Kids like them just think everyone older than them is 'old'. Plus, your hair is pink!" He blurted out the end as he'd only just now noticed. "Cool, is that natural?"

Zoey rubbed her forehead in annoyance. First this guy dragged her to deal with some punk kids and now he was hitting on her? The girl could feel her frustration growing by the minute and she suddenly just wanted to get on with her journey.

"What kind of question is that supposed to be... You know what, forget it. Let's just finish up taking care of these baby Taillow already," Zoey snapped, making her way back to the small duo of bird Pokémon. Both of the baby Pokémon were now chirping in delight and quite loudly at that. It was very annoying to say the least. "So, what now? You're the expert on these... things clearly. So what do we do?"

"Yeesh, sorry I asked," Jeff said to the air, walking over and scooping one of the Tailow into his hand. "Since the nest looked more or less in tact I guess we just put them back so they're nice and safe whenever their momma gets home. If you're really that tired of all this I won't hold you up if you wanna go. I won't forget I owe you a battle later." Without waiting for an answer Jeff set the first Tailow on top of his head and carefully climbed up the tree. A few seconds later he leaned down from a low branch and held a hand out. "Hey Artemis, wanna lend a wing to help out your cousins?"

The Rowlet gave Jeff a somewhat affermative nod. He quickly made his way towards the baby Taillow that still rested on the ground, carefully taking care as to not hurt the tiny Pokémon as he scooped it gently into his talons before making his way up towards the trainer in the tree. Artemis slowly let go of the baby Taillow, depositing it safely in Jeff's hands before coming to a rest on the nearby branch and watching the boy curiously.

"Thanks, buddy." Jeff said, standing up on his branch and carefully stretching up to deposit the second Tailow back into the nest where its sibling was already waiting for it. Now they were both peeping more happily than ever and Jeff couldn't stop a big smile from spreading on his face. "That's the ticket, you were both so brave. Make sure to thank your uncle Arty and tell your momma he helped you out." The incoherent babbling babies kept up their noises while Jeff sat back down on his branch and reached into his pocket, pulling out the Pecha he'd found earlier and offering it to the Rowlet. "I know Romanov already shared but I have to thank you somehow." He rubbed the back of his head. "I don't think your trainer likes me much, so you can give it to her later if you don't want it. Hopefully if it's from you it will brighten her mood"

Artemis glanced down at his trainer, taking in the sight of the girl waiting somewhat impatiently for the duo to come out of the tree. Not wanting to linger any longer than he probably needed to, the Rowlet happily took the offering from Jeff. He held the berry carefully by his beak as he slowly flew down to the ground, landing close by Zoey. The girl looked down, quickly taking note of the berry being held by the Rowlet.

"Another berry, huh...?" Zoey questioned, taking it from her Pokémon. She sighed, before placing it inside of the berry pouch on her trainer's bag."This whole distraction, and that's all we get out of it...? Whatever, I'm sure we'll have a use for it later..."

Jeff swung his legs back and forth a bit in preparation to jump down, just in time to be startled by a loud birdcall while something swept by the tree close enough to send the branches swishing. There was a large cracking noise and the trainer plummeted to the earth, shaking his head to clear the stars while he picked himself up. "You really are a grump, aren't you? Do you only ever help anyone for the sake of a reward?" He groaned, his optimism starting to crack a bit. "Don't worry, I promise not to ask for your help again anytime soo-" The sound rang out again, this time the silhouette stopped above the trainers' heads.

"Swellow! The large bird pokémon glared at the trainers for a few moments before it deemed the sound of the cheeping Tailow more important and flew into the tree. After a short delay the Swellow popped its head back out and looked at the trainers more softly this time, something fluffy and white clenched in its beak. It dropped the cargo and a pair of feathery objects drifted down to the trainers. They looked like small, white wings.

"I guess she's thanking us?" Jeff said with a hint of confusion. "Guess the babies really did tell her what happened."

"Do you really think they can?" Zoey questioned. "Even if Pokémon can understand each other, I honestly doubt that those two little runts can actually form enough words to actually describe what just happened... Anyways, I guess that means that this whole mess is finally taken care of." She paused for a moment, picking one of the small, wing-like objects off the ground. "I wonder what this thing is supposed to be...?"

Jeff shrugged and tried looking at the wingthing from every angle he could think of. "Dunno." He held it out to Romanov and the Munchlax held it gingerly between his stubby fingers, squinting at it all the while. "Pokédexes have data on items related to pokémon too now, don't they? I think I remember hearing something like that." He withdrew his pokédex and pointed its camera at the wing. The little red light came on and blinked once or twice and a little loading symbol spun around on the screen.

"Muscle Wing." The pokédex explained. "One of a group of small wings that can grant pokémon additional power when absorbed. The Muscle Wing increases a pokémon's physical strength."

"It makes a Pokémon stronger, huh...?" Zoey mused, a small smile gracing her lips. She glanced over in the direction of Artemis, already grinning at the thought of giving her Rowlet a quick power boost, before placing it inside of her trainer's bag for safekeeping. "Not a bad gift, I must say..."

Jeff plucked the feather out of Romanov's hand and stuffed it into a pocket of his bag. "Looks like we got a reward after all. Should come in handy whenever I catch a pokémon weaker than Romanov." The Munchlax tilted his head, he'd really expected to be the one to use the Muscle Wing but he got over it quickly enough. Romanov wandered to the edge of the clearing, having had enough of standing around for one day and waved back at Artemis. "I suppose that's that." Jeff sighed. "See you later, hope you have more fun with whatever happens to you next." He finished and made his way back towards the road so he could get back to his journey.

"Yeah, yeah..." Zoey grumbled, watching as Jeff made his way ahead. "Come on Artemis, we better get going too."

Zoey began to walk towards the path as well. Artemis quickly flapped his wings, taking his place back along the girl's shoulder. While she wouldn't have called it the most exciting day so far, at the very least the girl did manage to get a few unexpected gifts to help along with her journey. Hopefully, there wouldn't be anything else as annoying as this waiting for her further up the road...

​

As with much of the Hoenn Region, Rusturf Tunnel has changed quite a bit over the years. Instead of the straight shot cavern that it used to be, it has been expanded into a series of various tunnels and passages for mining purposes. It can be quite easy to get lost within the cave's long and winding paths, and the rocky terrain certainly doesn't make walking around easier.

For all of its problems, the Tunnel has become quite popular with Rock Pokemon enthusiasts and explorers in general, as there have been rumors that some have found the fossilized remains of ancient pokemon within Rusturf Tunnel's walls. It is also a popular place for Hiking Trainers to both train themselves and their pokemon, as the difficult terrain provides a challenge for both.

The cave's selection of pokemon does no favors for aspiring trainers, as it leads directly to Verdanturf Town, the home of Poppy, the region's grass-type gym leader. ​

Special: may only be caught in specific mission

You can choose out of any of the missions below. Be sure to claim missions in the OOC thread to let me and the other players know which one you are doing. You may joint post or collaborate on these missions with other players, but two players may not write for a single mission separately, unless it is a repeatable quest. Also, know that you aren't limited to just these missions. You can make posts catching pokemon, battling a trainer or exploring the route for yourself. I purposefully made fewer missions than there are players because I'd like for you guys to have some fun with this and not be restrained by these things. The missions are only here to serve as a plot point for you to write off of :3

Mission 1: A group of construction workers are blasting their way into finishing a new tunnel. Problem is, they've run into a rather large colony of Whismur. Now it's a battle for the colony's home vs. the progression of the tunnel. It's up to you to decide on which side you take. Reward - 5,000 P (Workers) or Choice of Evolutionary Stone (Whismur)

Mission 2: Near the front of the tunnel, a rather crazed looking man runs up to you with an offer of adventure and excitement in exchange for your protection from the cave's wild pokemon. Who is this man? Why it's the Fossil Maniac of course. Join him on a journey into the caverns of Rusturf Tunnel to find the fossils that he so loves. Reward - Choice of Fossil

Mission 3: Little Joey was dared by his friends to journey to the other side of the tunnel by himself. Unfortunately for him, he came with no pokemon... or map. This calls for a trainer's assistance. Reward - 2 Great Balls + 2 Potions

Mission 4: The former Sinnoh gym leader, Roark, has journeyed to Rusturf Tunnel for some research on the cave environment's recent expansion. If you talk to him and impress him, he may have a gift for you. Limited to 1 Character Reward - Larvitar

Mission 5: Deep within the tunnel there have been a series of unnatural rumblings. Rumor has it that a pokemon, not normally found in the tunnel has taken up residence in the cave's lowest caverns. Whatever it is... it sounds big. Limited to 2 Characters Reward - Onix or TM Stone Edge

Mission 6: Star pupil of the trainer school, Alyssa Hawkins, is usually upbeat and raring to go. However, you stumble across her in a hidden tunnel talking anxiously to a mysterious figure. When you approach, the figure is nowhere to be seen. When questioned, she feigns ignorance and instead challenges you to a friendly battle and she's not taking no for an answer. Limited to 2 Characters Reward - 500 P (Win) or Ultra Ball + TM Dragon Pulse (Lose)​