Pokemon: Tournament of Life [T] (IC)

Tucking Eevee firmly between her arms, Willow twitched her shoulder back, readjusting her backpack nestled between her shoulder blades, before flashing a smile at her Pokémon. So ok she was going to get lunch with a boy whom she had only just met and seemed to study things, whether that was Pokémon or humans. But it could be worse. He seemed nice enough and his Pokémon seemed to like him which was always a good sign. Not to mention he hadn't tried to beat, steal or murder her which was always a good start, despite the blank face.

Eevee looked up her, his hazel gaze meeting hers before he mewed happily and wiggled down, settling for the trip. It was warm here in her arms and welcome break from the never ending sand which kept getting into his pads, nipping him uncomfortably. However his comfort was short lived. As he curled up, wrapping his bushy tail about himself like a scarf, a cold, wet, jet of water hit the back of Willow's scruffy head.

The cold water on contact snatched her breath away, as it drenched her clothes which had only just begun to dry. The newly added moister seeping down her hoodie, through to her top and shorts. Letting out a cry of surprise, she sprang forwards in a pathetic attempted to get away from whatever it was that had sprayed her, but this only resulted on yet another stream of water to appear, this time aimed at her legs.

"hey!" Willow yowled as the cold water bit her bare skin. "so uncool!"
Giving up on her retreat, she span on her kneels, half expecting to see the kids from the rock pools with water guns. The sight that met her eyes, however, was just as amusing. There, just a little way down the beach from her and her company stood a line of clamperl, shells still glistening with residue water from their previous submersion.

"OOoh pretty!" Willow gasped, her mouth dropping open as she took in their small form with admiration. Eevee who had been protected from most of the spray by his trainers arms, peered out from his safe heaven, before letting out a playful yap and jumping down from her arms. More Pokémon to play with!
His joy was short lived though, as three jets flew towards him and knocked him back with a terrified yelp. When the water ceased, it revealed a soggy looking brown mop of fur, dark eyes glaring out from beneath a water logged fringe.

Upon seeing this however willow burst out laughing, clutching her ribs as her legs buckled under her, sending her to the sandy floor with a bump.
"Jinxsey! Nice new look boy! Gotta be in for the wet season" she giggled, clamping a hand over her mouth as she laughed more. Jinxsey simply continued to glare at the pokemon before he let out a low growl and slowly stepping forward. The clamperl stayed putted though, their expression all of mirth as they met Jinsxey's glare with their own.
Willow, when hearing the growl, stopped abruptly. Figuring that perhaps now wasn't the best time to laugh. She'd have plenty of time afterwards anyway. Still sitting on the floor, she glanced up Gau through her own sodden hair, twigs drooping sadly in the tangled mess.

"three against one is hardly a fair fight" she smiled, just as a fresh batch of water jets exploded forth from the clams, this time aimed at Gau.
Within this split second however, willow shouted to Jinxsey the command to tackle, her logic being that while the pokemon were busy focused on her company, they wouldn't be looking out for the mushy fur ball speeding towards them.

Jinxsey didn't need telling twice, ears twitching towards his trainers voice, he bounded forward, his paws treading slightly on the sand under foot as he shot towards his target.

Wet fur streaming out behind him, he aimed towards the furthest left target whose focus was souly on spraying both trainers. Letting an opportunistic, wolfish grin to appear on his small face, the small Eevee bolted down the sand, before coming into range and jumping forward. Slamming his shoulder against the hard shell of the Clamperl with a heavy thud, he thrust the surprised Pokémon backwards, tumbling into the sand with spluttering squeal as he let out a triumphant bark, which echoed down the beach.Before attention of the remaining two Pokémon, turned on him.

Jinxsey glowered bitterly at the remaining two, but a gulp tugged at his throat as he eyed the two left. He was perhaps not prepared for two on one fight he admitted to himself but he was in too deep to back out now.

Up and down the beach, the happy shouts and murmur of chatter ceased as the commotion of battle took flight. Everyone's eyes transfixed on the scene with the up most attention, that it almost made Willow blush and shy away.

Gau had begun to follow his new found friend towards the town when he saw her and her pokemon get hit by jets of water turning quickly to see three clamperl revelling in the mayhem they were causing. A jet came towards Gau which he sidestepped but he couldn't avoid the next one which knocked him to the ground next to Willow. Teddiursa on the other hand, had become animated at the launch of the jet jumping from Gau's pack to ground as her trainer crashed to the ground.
"Teddiursa!" the pokemon shouted, angry at the sudden attack.
Willow had risen quicker than Gau and had her Eevee attack the trio of shelled pokemon but the furry pokemon was being overwhelmed by its foes. Gau got up next to Willow and observed the situation. The three water-types didn't appear to be particularly strong and were very slow moving pokemon. He knew that the two of them, could use this to their advantage in some way...
"They're slower than our pokemon and can't manoeuvre as well but have better defence" he said so Willow could hear "we should concentrate our attacks on one of the end one's and use it as a living shield so it will take hits from the other clamperl also" Gau suggested calmly to Willow and to Teddiursa.
Gau felt out of place telling others what to do and was curious as to how both his pokemon and the trainer besides him would react, but that moment was not the time for self-doubt nor was it time to be recording his observations, he could do that after the battle. He gathered his will power for the battle and prepared for his first battle as a trainer.
"Teddiursa, run past the two closest to us and attack the third Clamperl from the far side with scratch" commanded Gau, showing little of the elation he actually felt
"Teddi!" the pokemon replied as it darted across to the water pokemon that was focused intently on Jinxey. Teddiursa slashed at the exposed, pearl-like body of the clamperl with silvery claws before it could hit her with an attack. She was composed but Gau could tell she was enjoying their firt battle together, even if it involved another trainer. Teddiursa hit the clam pokemon and then ducked down using its body to hield herself from a water gun attack that came from behind her target. Gau watched this with intense interest before glancing at Willow from the corner of his eye, he was curious to see if the more rash trainer would follow his lead or take her own path, and hoped she would follow his advice. He was after all, native to Sandgem and had a very good knowledge of the pokemon in the area.

Julyanne watched the scene before her with a mix of bemusement and amusement. Perched on a rock, out of the way of the waves and any mischievous Pokemon, she actually saw what transpired to lead to this predicament.

Three Pokemon, the kind she often sees despite being from another region, blasted two unfortunate trainers with water. And unfortunate they are, in Julyanne's opinion.

The girl looked like she was dragged into the forest as punishment for putting gum into a spoiled princess's (and her) hair with nothing but a knife and a single empty Pokeball. Her quite messy hair looks more wild with her outfit, very different from the girls she met so far.

The guy with her... well, put together, they look like they're from the opposite end of the spectrum. Compared to the girl who really stands out and her exuberant personality, this guy looks so dull. His color scheme doesn't help in that regard. Is his hair a natural color?

She is broken out of her musing when her sister tugged her sleeve to point at the battle. She must be mesmerized by the Clamperl. She, however, focused on the peculiar boy and ragged girl.

Both are trainers, she observed. She didn't see from this far-away, but they both have brown Pokemon with them. Wait, those two are from the lab earlier! They're already getting into trouble this early in their journey? Feeling a headache forming, she turned back to the ocean and clutched the Egg-in-a-glass closer to herself, rubbing her forehead lest it crease.

Julyanne suddenly felt shifting around her, forcing her to look at the disturbance. She was alarmed however when she noticed that her sister is off the rock and neared the battle to take a closer look. She would have chased after her, but she stopped in the perimeter the crowd is giving the combatants.

Biting her lower lip, she adjusted her cap and kept an eye out for her sister and the battle, her legs folded neatly with the ankles crossing, and her arms on her lap, the egg on the flat rock beside her.

Willow nodded as Gau instructed her. Sure she could be hard headed at times but she recognised skill when it was there and at this moment in time there was no point ignoring it. With her Pokémon outnumbered greatly, she had to use what she could to her advantage.

"Jinx! Back around for sand attack, make this one count bubby!" she ordered smiling, as the small fox jumped to meet her commands, with an eager grin.
The small, damp Eevee sprang forwards. Delicately weaving across the sand while narrowly dodging random sprays of icy water, before once again coming into range of the clamperl he had attacked earlier. The poor Pokemon already subjected to attacks from Teddiursa and Jinx was now being peppered by clumsy attacks from its fellows too.

But there was no mercy to be had at this point. His fur was wet and that meant war. Digging his paws deep into the sand, Jinxsey skidded to a shuddering halt, the end result being a tidal wave of golden sand flying up into the air and fly towards clamperl's open and bare face. Following this without a second thought, Jinxsey then leap forward, sliding across the sand on his belly, as fresh streams of water whizzed over his head. Debris from these jets splattering his coat lightly. Jinxsey didn't bother to look up at where these jets hit, when an annoyed gurgle bubbled up into the air like crackling oil, answering his question.

This hiss was the result of what followed. The clamperl, already annoyed from the being pushed backwards by the annoying fur ball of doom, had then when recovering itself to it's rightful position been the victim of the vicious claws of Teddiursa, as they slashed its naked, exposed insides leaving uncomfortable gashes, red raw across its face. It was then that the Fur Ball came back, this time spitting sand into the already tender scratches and infecting it's eyes with the golden grains, blurring it's visions.

Here was when it realised with painful realisation that it's joke had gone very wrong with them being at the butt of the jest. As if adding insult to injury, it was then as this thought pasted it's mind, that fellows clenched it when a fresh blast of freezing cold water.

Hissing, the clamperl glowered from between the slits in his shell as it closed around him, keeping him safe before he retreated. Abandoning his fellows to finish what they had started together, without so much as a look back.
Willow almost screamed with joy, as the first clamperl retreated from battle.
"one down, two to go!" she laughed, spinning on the spot with joy, while Jinx celebrated in his own way, shuffling happily in the spot before another jet reminded him that, his body shield had now retreated from the field, leaving him open to attacks. Letting out a panicked yelp, he was hit, face first with water gun. The sheer force was enough to knock him for two, as his legs buckled and he hit the floor.

At this yelp Willow was drop back to focus with an equally horrified squeal, jumping back to her fixed position her mind wheeling on how to help her friend. When the stream broke, however, her heart skipped a beat as she watched Jinxsey pulled himself back up from the floor, and puff out his chest, he had fight in him still.

At this, without letting him become once again an easy target, she instructed Jinx to do the same as before only this time to the second clamperl along, sand-attack peppering Clamperl's face with granular substance, causing it to burble in disgust, before Jinx hit the floor once again being peppered by water splash backs, not allowing for a repeat of last time.

From the side lines the battle was going well, the small fox pokemon following the lead of the Teddiursa with nimble twists and turns. But from inside the arena things were looking slightly different.

Jinxsey's paws were becoming sore from the sand rubbing against the soft pads of his paw, while his should ached from the tackle he had performed before. Sure it had been effective, enough to buy them some dodging time, but that shell was hard! It had been like bulldozing against an unmoveable wall! But rest was for afterwards and with Willow's happy shouts, Jinxsey pushed on, Panting in short, hurried breaths after his rather harsh hit. Just a little while longer and Teddiursa and him would have the remaining clamperl running for covering at least he hoped anyway.

"Teddi!" the little pokemon yelled a it used the now retreating (albeit slowly) Clamperl as a springboard and aiming its scratch attack at the next of the annoying clamper. Gau, whilst till focused on the battle, noticed that someone was watching from further off than everyone else, trying to be inconspicuous, which was of course, conspicuous. He was shaken from his thought by the view of a little brown furball of doom ramming, very hard into the clamperl pushing it back into the one behind it.

In the confusion of that moment, Gau saw an opportunity to take out the next one, and despite his insecurities about giving command he was not going to miss it.
"Teddiursa!" the bear pokemon looked at him briefly before returning its eyes to the battle "Covet, straight into the shell!" Teddiursa paw took on a pink, vaguely heart-shaped glow as it trusted it into the clamperls shell, withdrawing a small pearl. Teddiursa was taken by surprise, clearly not expecting to actually find something in the shell. She rolled the shiny orb to Gau and turned to face the pokemon she had just robbed, it was in bad shape having taken a STAB Covet and Scratches from Teddiursa and numerous attacks from Jinxey.

"Scratch it again!" Teddiursa lunged for the clamperl colliding with the weak, pink body inside the shell... as the shell closed. Teddiursa was now inadvertently rooming with the Clamperl... which was still being hammered by attacks from Jinxey.
"Well that's interesting" said Gau, fighting the urge to reach into his pack for a notepad and a pen.
What a peculiar situation... I have never seen nor heard of this happening before. Gau figured he may as well use the situation to his advantage, the clamperl was, you could tell from the water that rhythmically flowed out form the middle of the closed shell. Since Teddiursa couldn't escape it was going to hit it over and over again. But it couldn't escape either.
"Hit it till it lets you out!" called Gau, the aggressive tactic garnering him a surprised look from Willow, who seemed to have finally come back down to Earth long enough to notice Teddiursa's new house.

"Teddi! Teddi Teddi" was heard, muffled by the shell but the irritation in the tone was certainly clear. After a few more attacks the shell opened and Teddiursa tumbled out revealing the, now fainted, clamperl. Teddiursa stood up ready to take on the last of the trio. Gau looked at Willow, he'd let her take the lead this time, he was very interested to see what she would do.

Jinxsey's shoulder now pulsed with pain from the continuous ramming against the shell which had held Teddiursa. Though he had not gotten off brilliantly with the small bear at first, that didn't mean he wasn't shocked and a little worried when the shell of the clamperl closed in around it.

However, when at last the shell opened and Teddiursa tumbled out, marking the end of the second foe, Jinxsey abruptly moved on to the next, wheeling round on the sand and bounding towards the final Clamperl at Willow's command. No time for inspecting his team mate.

The remaining Clamperl stared out in shock at its fallen comrade, shell shocked. Things had gone wrong. Very wrong and now he was paying the price.

As he stared, fear knotting it's self in painful twists around it's consciousness, it blocked out the world around it, too focused the relaxed body of its fainted friend until a spout of sand hit its eyes.
It wailed as the grains stabbed, blurring it's field of vision to the point of blindness before squeezing it's eyes closed in pain. Upon opening though it's heart clenched, almost stopping for a split second as it made out the small form of the Eevee flying down towards it, eyes focused on him, the bull's eye of his form.


Jinxsey had reacted without thinking, Willow's voice now drilling through his mind and almost controlling his every thought as he darted this way and that, flicking sand into the shell's embrace with sharp twists and turns, before one final bellow from his trainer signalled the end of the battle.

"Finish it!" Willow's voice called from the side lines, her body tense and her voice showing strain as she took in her Pokémon's slow, aching movements with pitying eyes. This battle had been harder on Jinxsey than she had realised, yet he had not given up despite him now favouring his left front leg over his right.

Jinxsey leapt, bunching his leg muscled together briefly before propelling himself up into the air at fast speed, aiming directly for the centre of the clam. The sun kissed his soaking fur as he plummeted forward, ignoring the pulsing pain in his right shoulder from the brutal clashes with the clamperls' hard shells. Focusing, he glared at his target, growing ever near to the now squinting perl before with a soft thud, he struck.

His shoulder connected with a sickening crunch before searing agony bloomed across his good leg, making him yowl for a brief second. He froze here as red covered his vision but Willow's cry of shock caused him to push the pain to back of his mind before slamming his shoulder into the perl again.

He had struck true, hinting his target with deadly precision and dizzying the Clamperl, to the point of collapse. The second strike however, pushed it over the edge and with a dark eyes, he glared as the Clamperl's eyes rolled back and it's body's muscles unwound with a pitiful sigh.

Willow squealed and jumped in the spot, forgetting to breath briefly as she watched Jinxsey deliver the final blow. Without thinking she darted forwards, grinning wildly and wrapping her arms around Gau's neck in joy before letting go as quickly as she had appeared and darting towards Jinxsey.

Upon approach, Jinxsey swivelled on the spot, leaving the shell in one slow movement before limping slowly toward Willow, a wolfish grin once again cross his face, masking the dull ache which now gnawed at his body.

At this, a wave of gratitude for her Pokémon swept over Willow. He had fought true and hard for her and for that she was grateful. Swooping down, she pulled him up into her arms burying her face into his damp fur and breathing in deeply.

"We make some team" she smiled, emerging to meet Jinxsey's hazel gaze with her own. Inspecting his legs for injury she realised that he was worse for wear.

and that's putting it lightly, she thought grimly to herself before she noticed her Pokémon's face. He beamed at her, tail lazily wagging. "Eeeevv" he mewed quietly, before slowly lowering his chin to her arm, resting there as his eyes closed.

Willow smiled, running her fingers through his fur, before whispering in hushed tones "yeah you rest bubby. You deserve it."

With that she then turned and inspected the crowd which had gathered, waving slightly as people waved back, chattering eagerly to one another with wild calls of celebration filling the air from all bar one. A small girl whom seemed set in the back of the crowd, quietly craning her neck to see, seem to gaze into the battle field silently. Willow gave her best grin, trying to meet the girl's gaze before waving again then with that turned back to Gau.
"Nice moves, Gau and thanks for the help, don't think Jinx and I would have handled that well without you."

Gau and the slightly dizzied Teddiursa watched as Jinxey took out the final Clamperl. The experience the two pokemon and their trainers had gained was certainly valuable and he planned to put it to good use. Gau reached for his notepad but before he could retrieve it from his backpack Willow surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck. The contact had been brief but he had not known how to react and was still contemplating the strange behaviour, how could she be so free spirited with a person she had only just met?
Deciding not to dwell on the thought for now, Gau picked up Teddiursa feeding the tiny pokemon with the crescent moon shape on the top of its head an oran berry from a pocket in his bag. Teddiursa smiled at Gau
"Teddi" it offered as reassurance of its well being
"We certainly get each other don't we?" Gau rhetorically asked the little fur ball
"Teddi" Teddiursa responded again, this time with a happy, agreeable tone instead of one of reassurance.
Teddiursa and Gau watched Willow interacting with Jinxey, amused by her childlike persona and surprised at the serious enthusiasm she had produced in battle. When the sprite-like girl and her eevee seemed to have finally calmed down Gau approached her
"Well done" he offered "we made a good team" Gau continued before stopping to ponder her reaction
"If you are still interested in that lunch I suggest we eat at the pokemon centre so our pokemon can get checked up by the nurse there besides," Gau paused briefly before wondering if it was right to reveal the location of his old home to a stranger "I left something in my old room there and need to get it" he finished his sentence realising that he would receive no ill response from the free spirited young woman.
But her eyes appeared to be locked on a strange little kid; she looked like a younger version of the person he had seen watching from far off, although he could not tell the gender of the older person.
"Do you think we should invite that kid?" Gau asked Willow; examining not the girl he was talking about but the older person who seemed to be staring at the situation from further off "she seems interesting". Gau pulled out his note pad and placed Teddiurda on his shoulder before beginning to write more notes about Willow and his experiences of the day, he would switch to the other booklet to write about Teddiursa after lunch.

Willow offered a brief smile at Gau's comments before nodding. No question came to mind about the Pokemon centre. If anything she wishjed she'd thought of that last night rathr than opting to camp it out.

"Think we should invite the kid? She seems interesting."

Again Willow nodded before parting her lips to speak in hushed tones.

"I'd say. She seems to be so quiet for a kid so young. Aren't they meant to be noisy, dirty and I dunno, bouncing around the place?" she questioned examining the girl with her gentle gaze, as memories of the kids flickered up from back home.

Grins plastered across their tiny faces which were smeared with mud and dust. Plasters criss-crossing their knees and their clothes something of nightmares belongs to mothers across the land. This child seems so different to that image, set in the back, behind the hustle and bustle.

At this thought, Willow glanced towards Gau only to realise with another spout of curiosity blossoming within her, that Gau was in fact not looking at the young girl she had been so eagerly focused on, but another person with the same attitudes whom was perched on a rock further down the beach.

"Well, if we are going to do this lunch, the more the merrier." Willow thought before realising that once again Gau was in his own world, pen and paper reappearing in his grip as he began to scratch away. Shaking her head she giggled, before looking back towards the crowd as it depleted in number, people now bored, every now and then a small wave coming their way in goodbye. Willow returned as many as she could with a friendly grin before readjusting her hold on her snoozing Pokémon, but as a few seconds ticked by, Willow decided that Gau would most probably follow when he was finished with his notes and so with this thought in mind Willow began her short trip towards the young girl.

"Hey" she said quietly, smiling as she went. "The names Willow." She began not entirely sure how the small child would take her approach, after all stranger danger right?

"Enjoy the show?" she questioned lightly, the smile still spread across her lips as to not seem scary, if that was even possible for Willow's kind features.

"A shiny pokemon? They're extremely rare... How am I so lucky to get one?" she asked, while handing him the coin toss app. He then went off to buy some items.
"Oh." she said. She started walking out of the shop when the boy came up to her and gave her a map.
"You'll find it handy." he told her.
"Thank you!" replied Fait. When she got out of the shop, she saw pokemon running about. She then decided to go to Route 202.
"Hmm. Think we should go down here?" she asked her Sandshrew.
"Saaand. Shrew, Shrew!" he replied. Fait walked out of the town and the second she got out she saw a strange pokemon. It was orange with black stripes. The girl quickly grabbed her pokédex out of her bag to see what it was.
"Growlithe?" she said, looking at her Pokédex. "But that's rare. I better catch it!"

"Sandshrew, go on! You're doing well!" she shouted. The Growlithe looked weak. She unbuttoned the pokéball from her belt and lobbed it at the Growlithe.
"Growl...Growlithe..." it said. The pokémon looked hurt. She felt bad that she had attacked it and let it run away.

"I hope it's okay..." she said, while sitting on a wooden bench to eat some lunch.

"Woooooooooommmp" the ship screamed as it passed by a small , homely looking town. 'This is my chance' Ike thought.

"Aha!" He yelled as he exited from his hiding spot on the ship he had been secretly stowed on since that morning. Running to the end of the ship with nothing but his empty pokeball in hand, he recklessly jumped off the ship into the lukewarm water.

'Finally.. a place I can start new. No more worries. I hope this is it' is the only thing that went through Ike's mind as he slowly made his way to shore.

"What are you doing, young man?!" a tall man questioned as Ike crawled on to the shore.
"Cuh cuh uhh" is all that Ike could say as he spat the horrid tasting salt water out of his mouth.
"Well boy?!" the man continued.
"I am here to.. start new," Ike reluctantly replied in a soft voice, "So where am I?"
"Sangem Town!" the man started, "And I am Professor Rowan! You have quite some timing!"
"Rowan? Timing?" Ike muttered.
"Yes! Professor Rowan. I am a pokemon professor!" he replied putting a lot of emphasis on the word professor while extending his hand out to help Ike out.
"Well.. can you help me start new? I have nothing.. and would rather not talk about my past," Ike said with fear of rejection as he got up on his own leaving Prof. Rowans hand untouched.
"Funny you asked.. and appeared when you did. I just sent some new trainers on a journey.. if you are interested, I will give you a quick explanation of what's going on, give you a couple things, and send you on your way. Will be a perfect way for you to make new friends! Just follow me to.." Prof. Rowan started as he turned to walk off.
"What if they don't want me to be their friend?" Ike interrupted in a snappy manner.
"I'm sure they'll like you just fine. Now follow me to my lab please" Rowan finished as he kept walking toward his lab.

Ike followed him distastefully as Rowan explained everything about the Lifekeepers and the issue at Jubilife City.

"So I just arrived and you want me to risk my life on something I could care less about?!" Ike rudely exclaimed.
"Well.. yes, actually. You would be well rewarded and could peacefully reside here afterwards. You don't seem to have many more options, son." Rowan replied irritated.
"Guess you're right.. I don't exactly have anything to lose either.."
"That's the spirit! Now choose a pokemon!" Rowan exclaimed while showing Ike the few remaining pokemon, "You can't do this alone, after all."

It didn't take Ike long to choose. He did a quick look-over and there was a small odd, yet cute red pokemon that caught his eye and warmed his heart.

"That one, sir!" Ike exclaimed.
"Ahhh, Magby!" the professor started, "excellent choice!"
"But, wait.. Can I put him in this pokeball? I have had it for a long time and.." Ike asked as he pushed the ball towards Rowan.
"I'm sorry, but this pokemon balls has already been chosen." Rowan replied uneasily, "Now here take these and get going! You have some catching up to do. If you have questions, there are plenty of trainers that will be more than willing to help you!"

The professor handed Ike the pokeball of his new Magby as well as a bag holding a few necessities. Ike took the bag with a confused grin and proceeded to walk out of the lab.

"WAIT!" Rowan yelled, "Almost forgot about this!"

The professor ran over to Ike and snapped the cold, steel life counter onto Ike's wrist.

"What is this?" Ike question.
"Your life," Rowan stated, "Don't let it run out.."

Ike walked out as Rowan turned to one of his machines.
'Good luck, boy' Rowan though to himself.

Ike started at a fast-paced walk that quickly became a sprint towards route 202 and the beginning of his new life.

Yay. The battle's finished. Now, please leave so that the beach can be as peaceful as it was before you two arrived. These are the thoughts running through Julyanne's mind, her mood somewhat pessimistic.

She easily stepped off on the beach as soon as the battle finished, eager for her sister to get away. The last thing she wants to happen is to lose sight of her, get found by someone, then reported to her parents. It's just troublesome to escape from them, especially now that her ride's totalled.

'Aaaaand, now she's talking to Ms. Messy Girl.' She hastened her steps, sand crunching under her feet. The less time she has talking to her sister, the less she's going to recognize her, that is if she keeps up to date to foreign nobles. Still, better safe than sorry.

"Beatrice, you shouldn't have wandered off. What would I do if I lost you?" She chastised her, voice naturally sounding like that of a prince with only little effort in her part. She turned to the two trainers, introducing herself.

"I am 'Julian' Eigis, and this is Beatrice Eigis, my sister. It is a pleasure to meet the trainers I shall be working with against the syndicate." She made a sweeping bow, mimicking the gestures of those that she knew. Julyanne even went as far as grabbing hold of the girl's hand to lay a peck on the girl's knuckles. "Please excuse my sister, for at the moment her voice is stolen by an incident when we arrived. The doctor, however, said that she'll regain that ability someday."

Okay, time to add a little confusion so that they wouldn't focus so much on her. "The battle I witnessed was quite impressive, I have never seen someone who is able to command a Pokemon in their first battle. Who do you think would have won a battle should you and your partner have a friendly battle?"

Of course she meant what she said, only that she made it vague enough to be misinterpreted. Now, they're going to think about what she said rather than herself. Julyanne knows that even a friendly battle can damage a person's Life, so she said it now when their Pokemon are incapable to battle. She only said it as a diversion though, not really interested to see who will win.

Beatrice suddenly clung to Julyanne's leg, her arm holding onto the glass case containing the glowing Pokemon Egg.

DeSean Guilliver had arrived at Professor Rowan's lab hours ago and yet he still couln't work up the courage to ring the freaking doorbell. He passed the front porch for about another ten minutes before considering his odds. "Well he invited me didn't he?" He whispered to himself. With three powerfull knocks on the door Professor Rowan came to open the door.
"Hello there, you must be DeSean."
He took a good long look at him before gesturing to follow.
"Is Swinub still here Professor?" DeSean asked.
"I believe so." Professor Rowan said holding out the Pokeball in which his new partner was in.
"But you must promise me a favor in return. Can you go to Jubilife City and look for a suspicoius gathering of Pokemon?"
"Is it safe?" DeSean asked.
Professor Rowan sighed and looked down.
"I can't guarentee your safty though you shall know when to bail for I will give you a device that can sense your pulse and tell you how much life you have left."
"So thats it? My life is now some game and I'm your pawn!?"
DeSean was starting to get really pissed at Professor Rowan. How could he be used in such a way that he could die! It wasn't right to put a sixteen year old at risk of death. But just then a memory popped up and in it he could see his mother, burning at the hands of the group who the Professor was indicating. The Life Keepers, ruthless and without remorse his home destoryed along with his mother. He would never forget her. The anger he felt wasn't toward the professor but toward the Life Keepers. His anger swelled inside of him like a balloon on the verge of bursting.
"I'll do it" was DeSeans responce.
The professor nodded and walked to the back room where he put a watch around DeSean's wrist. Two tiny needles poked into his dark skin and it boot up with a lone number; fifty.
"And here is your partner."
Professor Rowan told him holding out the Pokeball for a second time. DeSean took the Pokemon with gratitude. After saying good bye DeSean's first thought was that if he would have any chance of surviving he would need to train his Pokemon to be the very best.

As Ike made his sprint towards route 202, 4 trainers by the beach caught his eye.
'I wonder if those are some of the trainers the professor mentioned' he pondered, 'maybe I should wait and see which way they go..'

The large, lively pokemon center caught his attention and he stopped mid-sprint almost crashing to his face.
'I guess I will go sit over there.. this will be a good chance to meet my Magby..' Ike pondered as he hastily walked to the side of the building and sat down onto the cold, dew-wet grass. He put his back against the wall and stared at the pokeball in his hand, hesitant to meet his new partner.

'Well.. here goes nothing..'
"Go Magby," he said softly so not to gain any of the other trainer's attention as he gently brought out his Magby.
"Maaaaaag...by," the small pokemon yelled out as he emerged from the pokeball.
"Oh No!" Ike exclaimed as he looked around quickly, "You have to stay quiet Magby!"
Ike went on to grab his small, red companion, but was stopped as his hands got close to magby.
"Maaaaaaagbbyyy!" the frightened pokemon yelled once more as it's eyes started to glow yellow.
"Uuh.." Ike grunted as the Magby stunned him with leer.
Magby's frightened looked quickly turned into a huge grin as he realised that this ignorant boy was his trainer. He preceded to snap Ike out of the leer with the grin still on his face.

"Maagby" the pokemon yelled once more, "Magby! Magby! Magby!"
"Please stop!" Ike urged to Magby as it mocked him.
The magby continued his rant, now jumping up and down.
'This just isn't working' Ike thought to himself as he grabbed his pokeball.
"Return," Ike said, still in a soft voice as he put Magby back into the pokeball..

"What will I do... I have no idea how to handle this Pokemon.." He questioned himself with pity.
"What will I ever do.."

Gau remained silent throughout the exchange, observing the peculiar boy. Something was strange about this Julian, something even Gau could consider weird and he didn't just think this because of the boys strange, eccentric, behaviour and silent sister. Something about him just didn't fit.
Interesting Gau thought to himself.

Gau let Willow make the introductions, using the time to record some quick observations about the duo they were talking to, watching them quizzically between strokes of the pen. He tilted the note pad slightly so he could tell his thoughts to Willow without dissuading the strange pair before him.

"Teddiursa?" the pokemon on his shoulder appeared to feel the same way as Gau but was more fixated on the lightly pulsating egg that Julian carried and on trying to understand what Gau had written. She constantly shifted her faze from the glowing egg to the neatly written noted Gau had now completed for the time being. He had been distracted from his writing when Julian asked the surprising question of who, out of himself of Willow, would win a battle. Gau actually pondered this for a while, decided on an answer and then continued to consider the motive for such a question before he responded
"Willow" he said simply, not explaining why
"Teddi?!?!" the bear pokemon fell off of his shoulder from the surprise answer. Gau smiled at the crescent-marked pokemon. It was simple really, he was a better thinker than Willow and Teddiursa certainly seemed to be a better battler to Gau, but they lacked the fiery determination Willow and her pokemon possessed. It wouldn't matter how many complex strategies he thought of, she would plough on straight through them if need be. Gau watched the three people he stood with, looking for Willow's reaction to his statement, Julian's motives for such a random, possibly conflicting question and wondering why exactly Beatrice had temporarily lost her voice when she clearly did not have a cold or anything.
What interesting people he thought to himself as he picked Teddiursa of the ground and placed her back on his shoulder.

Willow stared blankly at the boy in front of her, mouth gaping open somewhat embarrassingly she knew but she couldn't help it, her system was in a minor state of surprise.

He kissed my hand… the thought drifted through her head slowly as wrinkles formed across her brow. Ok…so that is defiantly odd. No one ever does that back at home, unless the boy is sweet on the girl and that is defiantly out of the question here.

Slowly, brow still wrinkled, Willow withdrew her arm back to the safely of her space, before shooting a quick, awkward glance towards Gau whom was still scribbling in his note book. Yet there was once change in her friend's stance that caught her eye.

He had tilted his note book, ever so slightly, so that now she could just about make out what he had been writing so avidly within its pages. With quick, curious eyes she scanned the page, following the neat loops and strokes of Gau's hand writing and upon registering her friend's note on their present company, Willow completely agreed. There was something off about this whole thing.

The boy's features seemed strange and she didn't even start to think on how weird their mannerisms were that was plain for everyone to see.
They acted quietly but from what she saw of these two in front of her, her soft gaze settling on them, they seemed to belong in the public eye. Everything about them said this. Their speech, accent, even the way they held themselves seemed out of place.

But pushing this thought to back of her mind, dismissing it as a silly idea, Willow smiled in greeting. No point in being suspicious of new company, they seem nice and that could never be a bad thing.

"Nice to meet you both" she began, smoothing her brow from confusing and nodding to both in turn. Though her pleasantries were cut short with one simple question and being so taken aback by it, all her wild theories about the two in front of her slipped away. Forgotten instantly.

"Who do you think would have won a battle should you and your partner have a friendly battle?" Julian asked smoothly, looking between her and Gau.

"Erm" Willow began, pondering this question as she soaked in what had been asked. But as she at last settled on her answer, after a few moments of comparing both her style and Gau's, she was, once again, cut short. This time by Gau.

"Willow."

At this both Willow and Teddiursa had the same reaction. Arching her eye brown so much so that they disappeared into her long fringe Willow turned her gaze to the boy next to her once more, her jaw dropping open and her lips forming a silent oh in question.

"Pardon?" she finally stuttered, after a moment of digesting what had just been said. "Surely you mean yourself? You have better gasp on both strategy and Battling!" she exclaimed, eyes wide and refusing to believe that Gau had not just said her.

"I simply charge straight in and hope for the best. Not exactly something which is sort after in trainers." She tried to smile at this, as she gazed at Gau. She had at first thought he was odd, but out of her present company she was rather use to his peculiarities now and his company was a comfort. Yet with his answer about the battle had thrown her off completely. She'd been willing to bet money on the fact that other people would agree with her view too. So perhaps she hadn't figured out the quiet boy by her side just yet but regardless. He was kind.

At this she then returned her gaze to Julian and his younger sister. Now with a firm smile set across her lips. "Personally I will stick with Gau being the winner, but regardless of our different views on this, there's one thing we can't dispute. Me and him? We make one hell of a team." Willow beamed at this and looked down at Jinxsey whom was now stirring in his sleep and after a moment of inspecting why, Willow realised the cause.

There was a faint glow was illuminating his face, pulsing slowly and annoying her partner in his rest. Looking up to find the source her eyes settled on a glass container held in the grasp of Beatrice and with her brow once again furrowing in confusion, a common thing to happen within the past morning, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Umm." Willow began, nodding towards the egg. "Is it just me or do eggs normally give off a weird pulse-y light?"

For fifteen minutes, Julyanne's world blacked out. That fifteen minutes started when the girl, Willow if what she gathered is correct, pointed out that her egg is glowing. Then, Julyanne witnessed her first Pokemon's birth.

The next thing she knows, she's cuddling a pink and brown Pokemon to her chest. The Pokemon itself sound asleep as Beatrice handed her sister a Pokeball from the top of the case. Her sister though had this smile she always has on when she or one of her siblings did something embarass-... Oh, wait. She's the only one here.

She spared the two trainers with her a glance, almost cringing at their expressions. Her 'fascination' with Pokedolls must have resurfaced when her Pokemon hatched, because the Pokemon she's holding looks almost exactly like Zau'berin, her favorite Pokedoll.

Quickly, Julyanne captured the Cleffa in the complementary Pokeball and slid it onto a slot under her sash, then turned to the two trainers. She cleared her throat, hoping to diffuse the awkwardness of whatever they witnessed. "I'm sorry, but can we start again? I am Julian Eigis. I play the Bass, Piano, and the Violin. I am also a talented motorcyclist. In my journey, I hope to become a Pokemon coordinator. Pardon, but I did not catch your names?"

Of course, the thing about her being a Pokemon Coordinator is a lie, but she is knowledgeable enough in lying and coordinating that they won't see through it. She only said it to, once again diffuse the situation. Really, she shouldn't talk to other people. She just gets into more trouble than she'd bother to get out off.

Still, these two are interesting. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to socialize with them?

Gau's focus on the strange pair in front of him had been shifted briefly by the emergence of a cute, pink and brown blob, more commonly known as the pokemon Cleffa, emerged from the egg. This shift did not last long however, living in and often working in the pokemon centre in Sandgem he had seen plenty of pokemon births, many far more spectacular than this. He again began to ponder the strange boy in front of him, who after this latest out burst had made Gau sure of two things. One: Julian had a very high opinion of himself and Two: His eccentricities were due to living a lifestyle very different to his own. Gau was still questioning the unusually soft features and the very motherly way in which he acted. He had seen some fairly soft men in his time, he certainly wasn't rough and rugged himself either, but this was a display of feminine behaviour he had only seen in mothers or some female pokemon trainers. Gau decided that it was probably nothing to judge by, but he would certainly be writing about this later.

Wanting to observe both Julian longer, in addition to Willow, he offered their company to Beatrice and her brother
"We were heading towards the pokemon centre to get lunch and heal our pokemon, I also need to get something from my old room too. Would you like to join us for lunch?" he asked
"Teddi" the pokemon on his shoulder said, showing its agreement as it watched the baby pokemon Julian carried sleep, this reminded Gau
"You should have the nurse make sure your Cleffa is healthy too whilst we are there, sometimes babies appear healthy but have a defect that needs treating."

Gau then fell silent and continued to watch his companions interact and fell into considering why Willow held him in such esteem, surely she realised her passionate battling style and determination would be more useful than is own methodical view, simply because she didn't waste time questioning herself.

Willow watched with a blanket expression as Julian collected his pokemon and turned back to them, her eyes staring out with a look of surprise while her lips pressed together to form a thin line in an attempt to not laugh.

She had seen many a guy react to their pokemon in different ways… but what she had just witnessed reminded her of her mother cooing over a new born baby.

Well that was…extreme she found herself thinking as she continued to watch Julian, who had now seemed to have regained his poise from before and was now acting as if that squealing, cooing big eyed scene had never happened.

Yep, defiantly odd…. But then who I am to judge? She heard herself think distantly. Maybe he's just a really passionate about his Pokémon? … yeah he's just really Passionate about Pokémon, that's it.

However when Gau spoke, Willow snapped out of her inner thoughts with a smile.

"Yeah Pokémon centre. Food. Sounding good to me." She voiced, twitching her shoulders back slightly to move her backpack which had been hanging uncomfortably over one shoulder.

"Having a nurse inspect your new pokemon is a good idea too." She beamed, glancing at Gau with the best encouraging grin she could muster. "The name's Willow Greenheart by the way." At this she reached out a hand for a handshake in greeting, but remembering the whole hand kissing thing Julian had going on before, she quickly withdrew her hand again and opted for a small nod instead, before her stomach growled loudly.

At this sound Willow's cheeks flushed red, and she clutched her stomach with her one free hand.

"Oops" she started, looking away from the gazes of her current company, embarrassed. "Sorry, not eaten since I woke up and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hungry" she giggled, this time it was her turn to try and smooth over an awkward situation.

"Pokemon centre then? Before my stomach announces its annoyance to the world again?" she laughed. Before slowly turning on the spot and motioning to move off back towards the town, only stopping on the first step to see if the other were going to follow, as she was not about to simply walk away without waiting for a response. That would be rude.

"If I'm not any imposition, I'd like to join you two. Please lead the way Miss Greenheart." Julyanne mentally slapped herself. Several times has she almost called the girl a variety of names. She met several of them, and each of them has an exotic name. An example would be Heartfelt, Greengrass, Silvercloud and many more. It's a good thing she caught herself.

She kept in place with he two, her mind running though a list of lames she could use for her Cleffa. Personally, she wants to name it Zau'berin, but it would be unfair for the little fellow to be named after a Pokedoll.

When they reached the center, she already has her name picked out. The girl in disguise handed over her Pokeball to the nurse, saying "Please take care of Titania for me."

Ike continued watching the four trainers by the beach converse. Unable to read their lips, but straining to.

How long are they going to be.. maybe they aren't the trainers that are heading to Jubilife. I've been sitting here for so long... I am probably way behind now! But.. I can't go through route 202 now.. Magby won't get me through there.

He noticed the multiple gestures aimed towards his way.

Oh.. are they talking about me. No! The pokemon center. They are about to come this way.. I can't stay right here. I can't go to route 202. There are no hiding places.. I'll.. I'll.. just lower my head and close my eyes..pretend I'm asleep. I'll look like a homeless guy, but maybe they'll leave me alone.

Ike watched as the red, spiky haired girl turned his direction as if to lead the group his way.

No No No.. they're coming

He quickly lowered his head. His eyes shot up so that he could barely see them, but would know when to close his eyes.

Now I wait... and hope.