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[PKMN FULL] Pathways: A Unova Story [M] [IC]

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Pathways: A Unova Story

Chapter One - A Long Road Ahead
The group assemble together in Aspertia City spending their final hours within its confines before taking the first steps of their journey together. A simple beginning but only time will tell what lies in store for them.

Chapter Two - An Emerald Path
Awaiting the completion of their travelling group, the rookie trainers leave Aspertia together and journey north west towards Floccesy town and onwards towards the real beginning of their story.​

Chapter One: A Long Road Ahead
Aspertia City has grown a lot in the past two decades, originally a moderately sized city, it has been developed a lot over the past twenty years and metamorphosed into a small city with a gym, specialised trainers school and ever growing population. A testament to the people of Unova's tendency to reach for the stars - a belief that anyone can become anything that is culturally ingrained in the region.

Geographically, the city is still surrounded by the thick forests of its townhood days and while the city itself is extremely modern, the land to north is very rural and dotted with farms leading into Floccesy Town.

Notable Locations
Trainer School

Although not the only school in Aspertia City, the Aspertia Trainer's School is by far the most prominent due to its rigorous, Pokemon-focused curriculum. All applicants for the school are required to pass an age-appropriate Pokemon knowledge test and an interview in order to secure their place here. There is an elite program designed specifically to fast track gifted students into professional battling positions such as gym leaders or tournament battlers.

Aspertia Gym
Aspertia Gym is a recently officialised gym specialising in Normal-typed Pokemon. It is located directly behind the Trainer School and it's leader, a young man named Cheren, is also a new teacher at the school.

The actual gym structure is still under construction, as such Cheren is taking challengers using one of the outdoor battlefields between the gym itself and the school. Against new trainers, Cheren stages a one vs one battle while against more experienced opponents the rules shift to three on three.

The Lookout
Aspertia's lookout is famous among the local population and a popular weekend destination for those in the city. A stone set of stairs leads up to a concrete platform surrounded by grass and trees. The platform overlooks the expansive forest to the north of the city giving a view of the trees, a glistening lake and in the distance the Mistralton Mountain Range.

Available Wild Pokemon
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Trev

[span="font-size: 8px; color: white;"][font="Monts
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Andrew & Ryan | 0
At the Aspertia Lookout, all is calm and serene. Overlooking the beautiful evergreen forest, one can spot a clean, glistening lake breaking off into tiny eddies that lead to streams, rushing towards countless rivers and seas out of the eye's view. In the distance, the snow-capped Mistralton Mountains stand stoically over the forest like a watchful guardian. On this particular day, a crisp and refreshing breeze rustles the care-taken grass. The sun blankets the area, warming any inhabitants with its comforting touch. A quiet bird song flows through the area, delighting those that stop to listen. Nothing could ruin such a peaceful sce-

CRONCH! CHOMP! SLURP! GLOP! MUNCH!

Andrew and Ryan hastily and viciously dug into their packed lunches, devouring the defenseless sandwiches and snacks without mercy. Ryan's giant front teeth sunk into the middle of a large, juicy apple, splitting it in half like a bodybuilder's hands would. Andrew chomped into his comically large sandwich with ease, chewing the food like it was his last meal on Earth. The two ate joyously to the detriment of anyone that happened to come within listening distance, savoring their delicious meal.

Andrew swallowed his portion of the sandwich, watching Ryan mutilate the poor apple. "Man, that walk sure made you hungry, Ryry."

Ryan, lost in the enamoring flesh of the literal forbidden fruit, didn't respond. Not that Andrew expected a response. Ryan neither talked verbally nor paid attention to what Andrew said half the time. Lunchtime only made Ryan's spaciness worse.

Andrew glanced out over the forest with longing. Since he was 15, he dreamed of leaving Aspertia to explore the region, discovering the many hidden secrets that few dared to chase. His dreams, constantly postponed by the responsibility of school, were closer to reality than he had ever dreamed. With his graduation a week past him, he was finally free to do whatever he pleased. He knew what his parents preferred - jobs at the Gym were secure and paid well - but there was no way Andrew could be contained to the same town his whole life. His dreams were far bigger than that, and so he applied to take the Gym challenge at the earliest date. Though the challenge itself wasn't what he was truly interested in, he knew from researching that it would take him through every major city, town, and landmark in the region, which was the perfect way to create exploration opportunities.

"Soon, Ryan, you and I are gonna be sprinting across this region finding all the awesome secrets!" Andrew laughed, wiping his hands on a napkin. "Isn't that gonna be super fun?"

Again, no response from Ryan. His attention shifted from the apple carcass lying in the wake of his hunger-fuelled massacre to the bag of baby carrots that would soon meet a horrible demise.

Andrew watched him thoughtfully, his mind drifting elsewhere. This was certainly going to be a long journey, and while Ryan was Andrew's most trusted confidante, he definitely needed another companion that would actually respond to him. Andrew's mind raced back-and-forth across his mental list of friends and acquaintances from school. He had plenty of friends, but most of them were interested in going to tournaments or working in the nearby cities. The few that chose the Gym challenge, like him, were already paired or grouped off, having made the plans early in their high school career. That left Andrew with limited options, most of whom he didn't think were willing to do the challenge.

Of course, he had Rosalind and Padha. He and Rose became close during Andrew's sophomore year, and he met Padha through Rose his junior year. They weren't super close, but they definitely knew they could rely on each other. Unfortunately, they don't graduate until the end of the next school year, which means they'd have to return to school by the end of the summer if the three of them left now. The few others that Andrew considered already had summer plans or moved away, leaving him with essentially no options.

"It's gonna be hard to find someone here to come with us, Ryan," Andrew mused as Ryan garbled the baby carrots like a starving dragon consuming foolish knights. "We haven't even considered catching another Pokemon either. I can't take just you if I'm gonna challenge Gym Leaders."

Andrew shook his head, clearing the forming melancholy. "No, I can't let my worries get to me. Regardless of who I go with, I'm going to have a fantastic time on this journey!" He beamed. "I just have to stay determined! I know I'll find someone."


Spoiler: Andrew's Party
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865
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13
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  • Age 38
  • Seen Feb 24, 2024


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Current Party:
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Lani Baxter - Making An Entrance



A bright smile stretched across Lani Baxter's lips as she made her way through the gate that led into Aspertia City. Her heart was positively racing with excitement as the girl quickly ran past the gate keeper, all the while a little Mareep was busy doing her very best to try and keep up with the girl. It was only as the duo stepped into the city proper did they finally come to a stop, a decision that the Mareep seemed to be quite thankful for as she let out a tired, quiet bleat. Lani glanced down at the sheep Pokémon behind her, letting out a weak giggle as she knelt down to the Mareep's side.

"Sorry 'bout that, Marble. Ah reckon we've been runnin' for a good three or so hours since we left Floccesy Town, huh?" Lani questioned, gently rubbing her Mareep's snout as she spoke. "Ah didn't mean to keep ya movin' for so long, but we just had to make it here as quick as we could. The last thing we needed was Pa catchin' up to us and draggin' us back to ranch, ya know?"

Marble let out a small, quiet nod in response, one that caused Lani to feel a tinge of regret for how she had been forced to treat the Mareep. The auburn-haired girl had practically raised the sheep Pokémon from an egg. As a result, she felt a very strong bond with the Mareep. It would not be a stretch in the slightest to say that Lani almost felt a sort of parental connection to her. An obvious option would have been to keep Marble tucked away safely inside of a poké ball... however, that was relatively hard to do when you didn't exactly own one in the first place.

"Ah'll tell ya what... We'll go find some place to put our feet up and relax for a bit, yeah? After that, we'll look into findin' ya a poké ball or somethin' of the sort so ya don't have to get so frazzled, okay?" Lani suggested.

Marble seemed somewhat hesitant to respond. Reasonably, the last thing the Mareep wanted to do was go trudging through the city after already being on the run for quite some time. However, her time with Lani had already proved that putting up too much of a fuss or resistance wouldn't really change much. The fact that the two of them were in this bustling city as opposed to the comfortable confines her pin at Floccesy Ranch were proof of this.

"Alright then! Let's go find us some place to take a load off! Ah dunno 'bout ya, but Ah'm more tired than a Dodrio after runnin' a marathon while draggin' a Golem behind it," Lani exclaimed. The girl paused, looking around until she spotted a sign pointing up a rather long set of stairs. "Let's see... Aspertia Lookout, huh? There's gotta be somewhere to sit and relax up there! Come on, Marble, let's go check it out!"

Before Marble had a chance to protest, Lani scooped the Mareep up into arms and began the trek up the stairs. So far, Lani had to admit that everything was going pretty smooth. Of course, she still did feel a bit guilty over the fact that she had more or less simply run off from the ranch without so much as a word to her mother or father. However, the thought that they would have both would have stopped her was more than enough to renew her conviction that she had made the right choice. Lani appreciated the work that her family and the hired help did at the ranch, but she wanted to see more and experience more! Hefting hay and tending to fields was fine on its own, but there was so much more to this world to see! How could they just not understand?

Lani managed to snap back to her thoughts as she reached the top of the stairs leading to the overlook. A gentle breeze was blowing through the air, carrying with it the sound of a gently babbling brook and the gentle cooing of the wild Pidoves. Just hearing and feeling this moment was more than enough to bring a calming effect to the girl and her prized Mareep. In fact, Marble had already managed to doze off in her arms during the climb to reach the Aspertia Lookout. Lani shrugged off that little fact and began to look around for a place where she and Marble could truly get some rest. However, it was at that point that someone in particular caught her eyes. Dark hair... a bombers jacket... his somewhat shorter stature... There was no doubt about it!

Lani's grin grew wide as she practically began to charge straight for the young man in her view. "Andrew!"​
 
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Ozymandias

i'm going on a journey
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Rosalind Welles - Aspertia City pt. 1



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Checking over her bag one last time, Rosalind nodded contently. Everything was in place and in order, she was fully prepared for the journey ahead. She had to admit, she was a little surpirsed that her parents allowed her to take this trip, but seeing as she was technically an adult now, it seemed that they were finally loosening their grasp on their daughter. It seemed like so long ago that she had taken her first steps towards independence, but it really hadn't been all that long. She began to smile to herself as her mind reminisced upon the last year she had spent in Aspertia City.

After having begged her parents to finally step out of their overbearing presence, they allowed her to attend the prestigious trainer school located within the city. The next year flew by so quickly, but was filled with the most meaningful memories of the young woman's life. Having made her first real friends, gone through her first real trials, she had felt both great jubilation and discomfort during her time away from home.

Of course, her parents wouldn't have let her leave home alone. Kyla, her trusty maid was always fussing with her about this and that, but it was Caspian who was to be her personal body guard as she went about this considerable change. Almost as if he could read her mind, the little Aron hopped up onto the bed where Rose had been packing her things and nudged her to wrap things up, lest they be late for catching up to Andrew.

Born in the most esteemed ranch of the Hoenn Region, Cass was an Aron of the highest quality. He was bred specifically to be the perfect guardian and trained specifically to be the perfect gentleman. Because of all these factors, he believed himself the perfect match for his prim and proper, albiet slightly odd, liege. That being said, he didn't quite share his trainer's ideals and beliefs, not to mention her fondness of her friends and felt them to be underneath their level of prestige. Her couldn't quite wrap his mind around why she would want to associate with such commoners, but he was tasked with watching over her, so he too was resigned to journeying alongside such undesireables.

"Alright dear, I believe that's everything!" Rosalind beamed at her pokemon as he just nodded and hopped off the bed towards the door. She slung her bag over her shoulder as a giddy feeling started to creep into her stomach. This was it. She was going to finally begin her very own journey.

It took all the self control in the world to not burst out the door and sprint towards the Lookout, but somehow she managed to keep herself poised as she said her goodbyes to Kyla and walked out her home. Well, the building itself wasn't truly home, all of this around her was. Rose took a moment to take in all the sounds and sights of Aspertia outside of her front steps. It had only been a year, but she had experienced so much within the city. The first time she had stepped out that door, she was a strange mix of terrified and excited all jumbled together, but now she could only feel a thrilling sensation throughout her entire body.

A thrilling sensation... and something else. The trainer took a look down at her bag only to find it rustling around and a purple tail sticking out of it. The familiar sight made her giggle as she pulled a Purrloin out, holding the devious pokemon by its scruff. "How many times must I tell you young lady, thieving is crude and for the uncivilized."

"Puur." The dark-type shrugged as she dangled from the young woman's grasp. This Purrloin, like almost everyone of its species loved to pilfer the bags of unsuspecting trainers, and this one in particular had picked Rose as its favorite target. With her dense inexperience and wealthy background, she was the perfect pick to mark, but eventually she had caught on to the game.

"You cannot do this anymore, especially now that I'll be leaving for sometime. Other trainers may not share the same sentiments that I hold about you, and you may end up getting hurt," She said seriously, scolding the pokemon. "Not to mention the immorality of it all."

Cass on the other hand, was jumping up and down, ready to bash the theiving Purrloin's head in. He had hated the detestable thing since they had first encountered her and was ready to punish her for all her wrong doings before they left the city.

"Puuuur?" It questioned this time, its eyes opened wide. Why was its favorite mark going away? Where else would it go to find the best and easiest handouts in the city?

"Yes dear, we're headed off on an adventure, so I won't be around to give you whatever you want anymore." Rosalind smiled sadly. "As loathsome as your behavior may be at times, we will truly miss your constant prescense." It seemed like Caspian's jumps reached a couple of more inches after that statement.

The dejected Purrloin slouched in her grip, disheartened at the idea that the countless riches that it thought it would accumulate from the girl were walking away, off for a different Purrloin to take. Its expression filled the trainer with a deep sadness until an idea popped into her mind.

"On second thought, I believe I've reached the perfect solution! How would you like to accompony us upon our journey? I can keep you well nourished while also finally teaching you some proper etiquite." While both Rose and the pokemon's expressions lit up, Cass ceased to jump, his steel face drained of what little emotion it could show.

"Puur!" The Purrloin nodded excitedly. Shaking itself from her grasp, it shimmied back into the bag and reappeared with a red poke-ball in its grip. Handing the device to Rosalind, it sat expectedly, waiting to be captured. After a quick tap on the nose, the dark-type dissapated into a red flash and with three quick jiggles the poke-ball clicked, leaving the trainer with a grin on her face.

"I suppose that makes us a party of three now." Caspian just walked away towards the Lookout, grumbling to himself and shaking his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe just how bad this day was going.


NEW POKEMON
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Diana the Purrloin
Limber
Scratch | Sand Attack | Growl | Fury Swipes | Pursuit


 
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Trev

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Andrew, Lani, Ryan, & Marble | 1
"Andrew!"

At the sound of an approaching voice calling his name, Andrew's head whipped around to see his cousin, Lani, barrelling towards him. Excitedly, he jumped up and took off running to her as well. The two collided in a suffocating hug, Lani's grip tigther than Andrew's. Ryan didn't look up at all during the whole ordeal. "Holy Miltank, what are you doing here, Lani?! Aren't you supposed to be on the ranch?"

Lani froze for a moment, her brain quickly going into overdrive as she came up with a response. "Ah was just in the neighborhood and decided to drop by for a quick visit! Ain't ya happy to see me or anythin'?"

Andrew laughed. "Well, of course I'm happy to see you!" he beamed. "It's always great to see you. Here, come sit, we can chat for a bit."

Andrew led Lani over to the blanket where the feast/veggie massacre was taking place. Ryan briefly looked up at Lani and returned to voraciously consuming his food. "Don't mind Ryry. I made him walk more than 30 feet today, so he's been starving like a castaway. Here, have some." He reaches into a bag and pulls out a second sandwich, which he holds out to her.

Lani was hesitant to take the sandwich at first, but the girl was convinced when the very sight of it caused her stomach to growl quite loudly. Neither she nor Marble had had a decent meal since the duo had departed from the ranch at pratically the break of dawn. As a result, the tanned-girl was quick to snatch the sandwich from Andrew's hands and start devouring it rapidly. Marble did not need to be told to eat twice either. The Mareep was attacking an apple with such ferocity that it was putting Ryan to shame.

Ryan looked up when Marble started eating the apple, his brow furrowing as he noticed another faction in the war on fruits and vegetables. "Ryry, be nice. Marble's hungry too, and she's our friend," Andrew warned, giving him a stern glare. Reluctantly, Ryan continued to devour his carrots, but kept a close eye on Marble just in case.

"Uh muhn... uff uph suh gud!" Lani exclaimed, her mouth full as she tore into the sandwich with glee.

Andrew smiled as she ate the food. "I have no idea what you said, but it sounded complimentary, so thank you." He leaned back on his hands, watching her patiently until she had swallowed the food. "How are things going on the ranch? Everyone getting along?"

Lani paused, her smile faltering ever so slightly before responding. "Ah... Well, Ah mean... Ah guess they are, yeah? Ah mean, they were last night anyways..."

"Am I correct to assume it didn't last?" he asked tentatively. This was always a touchy subject, since he knew Lani didn't exactly see eye-to-eye with her parents nor did they see eye-to-eye with each other. "Not prying, you know. Just wanting to make sure you're alright."

"Well, ya see... That's part of the reason Ah'm here," Lani answered. The auburn-haired girl took a deep breath before looking her cousin in the eyes, her face looking much more determined now. "Ah decided to finally become a trainer last night! In fact, me and Marble just set off this mornin'!"

Andrew's expression changed to one of confusion and excitement. "You're becoming a Trainer? ... Lani, that's awesome!" His excitement won the war over the confusion - this needed to be celebrated! "I can tell you, the Trainer school is so much fun. It's gonna be the best two years of your life!"

"Oh... Ah... Um... Ya see... Ah'm not gonna be enrollin' in the school..." Lani mumbled, absent-mindedly fumbling with a spare apple that neither Marble or Ryan managed to engulf.

Andrew blinked, his confusion creeping back in. "But, that's... pretty essential. Wait, are your parent's gonna homeschool you on being a Trainer? Are they even allowed to do that? I thought all Trainer-related education had to go through the school. Plus, they're ranchers, aren't they? That means that they don't know -"

Lani's gaze slowly lowered to the ground. "Ah didn't... exactly tell Ma or Pa what was goin' on, Andrew... They don't even have an idea that Ah'm here right now..."

A long silence ensued, punctuated only by the sounds of Marble and Ryan eating. Andrew looked at Lani for a long time, processing what she had just said. "That's... I don't... Okay, hold on, I just..."

He put his head in his hands, rubbing his forehead in tight circles with his fingers. "Alright, let me get this story straight. You're telling me that you ran here for Arceus knows how long, by yourself, without telling anyone, and now you want to go become a Trainer without even applying for the Gym challenge or going through any of the Trainer education necessary to take the Gym challenge?"

"Now wait just a dern minute! It's not like Ah took off like a Lillipup chasin' a Cubone 'round the cornfield or anythin' like that," Lani protested. "Ah've been tryin' to be a trainer for a while, but Ma and Pa always keep sayin' that it's not a good idea and Ah should just stay at the ranch and work there! Ya got me there with the whole not goin' to the school bit, but Ah got every intention of takin' on those city slicker gym fellahs!"

She paused for a moment, glancing over at Marble proudly. "That's why Ah snuck Marble out with me! She's pretty much my Pok?mon anyways. Ah raised her myself, so don't that mean she's legal as my starter or somethin'?"

Andrew sighed. He weighed his words carefully, because he knew exactly what was happening. "Look, Lani, I understand why you did this. I know how it felt to be 16 and feel like the whole world wanted something for you that you didn't want. Believe me, I considered doing exactly what you're doing so many times. But..."

He looked over to Ryan, who, for once, was actually looking back at him. He must have sensed the shift in the atmosphere during their conversation, a rare occasion. "There's a lot more to being a Trainer than just having a Pokemon and battling Gym Leaders. The amount of registration you have to handle is usually enough to turn people away, without evening mentioning the age restriction. On top of that, being a Trainer is stressful. You're constantly on the move, you have to weather extremely rough conditions, and you have an immense pressure to succeed at the risk of wasting years of training, with basically no rewards unless you make it to the top."

He looks over to Marble. He was always fond of Marble. Her wool was soft and comforting, and she was always happy to see him whenever he came over. Maybe his closeness to her and Lani made him feel extra protective of the two. "On top of all that, Marble wasn't a Pokemon that was raised for battling. Not that Ryry was ever really going to be a great starter since he barely pays attention..." Ryan snorts in protest. "But Marble is going to struggle without any formal training. I'm worried you two will start off with a disadvantage, and I wouldn't want that to impede your experience."

"Ah made it this far already, didn't Ah?" Lani argued back, crossing her arms with a huff. "Besides, Ah've spent my whole life at the ranch too! While all ya'll at the school were busy with homework and worryin' 'bout dates, I was milkin' Miltanks and tendin' to the Mudbray, rain or shine! That's gotta count for somethin', yeah?"

Andrew couldn't help but chuckle. "Homework and dates? Is that what you think we did in school?"

"Well, yeah! Ya'll weren't busy paintin' fences or harvestin' berries," she replied rather bluntly.

He smiled. Lani always had a way to make him laugh. "Alright, look, I'm not gonna stand in your way of becoming a Trainer. I just... want to make sure you know what you're getting into. Those two years at the school would really help you. I know your parents are hard to convince, but I... I would suggest another try. But... if you're really set on this, I'll support your decision."

"Ah ain't never been more sure of nothin' in my entire life!" Lani said with glee. "Besides, Ah was gonna do this with or without ya, ya know..."

Andrew paused for a moment, thinking. "I have an idea." He stood up suddenly and grabbed Ryry by the sides, lifting him as the tiny beaver protested with squeaks as he was pulled away from his food. "You, me, battle. Right here. Well, over there, away from the food. But seriously."

Lani's eyes lit up with excitement. "A battle...? Like, a real one? Ya ain't just pullin' my leg are ya?"

"Nope. We're gonna see what you're made of. I wanna know if you've got what it takes," he grinned. "Ryry might not be the fastest battler, but he can put up a fight. Plus, we've both got Pokemon with us anyhow, so why not?" Ryan looked grumpy was not happy about having to battle when he was still trying to eat.

"Alright, then... But Ah reckon you better not get all mad 'nd stuff when I start winnin'," Lani replied in a somewhat taunting manner. She rose to her feet, glancing downward at Marble with a wide grin on her face. "Ya ready, partner? Time to show this city boy what we got, yeah?"

Marble let out a small mewl in response, putting on a rather intimidating face... or as intimidating as one could possibly be for a Mareep, anyways. It seemed to work well enough for Lani, however. The trainer led her Mareep a little bit away from the picnic blanket in order to make sure that none of Andrew's food or belongings would get damaged.

"City boy? Ha! You know I can do farm work too!" Andrew laughed as he followed. He grabbed a few sticks lying in the grass beyond the railing and marked places for himself and Lani to stand at, giving ample room for the Pokemon to battle. Ryan sauntered into place begrudgingly. Andrew reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. "Heads or tails?"

"Tails!"

Andrew flipped the coin high, catching it on the backside of his hand. "Heads! First move goes to me!"

Ryan tensed, looking a bit more determined, as Andrew called out. "Ryry, use Rollout!" Ryan quickly curled into a ball and pushed with his back feet, launching himself into a rapidly-spinning ball that hurtled directly towards Marble. Despite Ryan's overall laziness, the move was coming quickly!

The battle had hardly started, and Lani was already having the time of her life. The girl had no idea that she was already going to be having an intense battle so soon! Thankfully, she had just the strategy needed to counter the incoming attack.

"Marble, knock him back with an Iron Tail!" Lani shouted.

Marble's tail began to glow brightly with energy as she began to run straight towards the rolling Ryan. With an energetic mewl, the Mareep hopped up into the air and spun around. She brought her tail straight against Andrew's Bidoof, attempting to knock him back as if he was some sort of golf ball.

"Ryry, left!" Suddenly, Ryan turned sharply to the left, Marble's tail swinging out in a big arc where he would've been had he not moved. "Right!" Just as suddenly, Ryan turned again, careening directly into Marble's side roughly and sharply.

Marble let out a pained wail as the attack collided with her body. The sheep Pok?mon fell back against the ground, but managed to slowly pick herself back up after a moment or two. Marble's face had a look of absolute determination as she stared down at Ryan, a sight that relieved Lani with the knowledge that her Pok?mon was hanging in there.

"We gotta slow that bugger down, and Ah reckon Ah know just the way..." Lani thought with a small smirk. "Marble, zap him with a Thunder Wave!"

Marble let out a deep wail as the orb on her tail began to spark with electricity. The sheep let out a wave of sparking, electrical energy. The voltage danced along the ground as it zapped its way right in the direction of Ryan, shooting out wild sparks all along the way.

"Ryry, off the rail!" Ryan nodded and quickly spun back into Rollout, speeding off in the opposite direction as the Wave closed in. He suddenly launched into the air, smacked directly into the rail, and propelled himself in the opposite direction overtop the incoming sparks. The Wave crashed into the metal, sending jolts along the entirety of the rail. Ryan skidded to a halt on the ground, shaking himself off.

"Gotta work a bit harder for that, Lani," Andrew joked, a big smile on his face. She was really giving her all, and it was admirable. "I'm not gonna go down that easy."

Lani huffed, crossing her arms in defiance. "Ah ain't outta this yet! Just ya wait!" She turned her attention back to Marble, giving her sheep a look of encouragement. "We can do this, Marble! Charge on with a Headbutt!"

Marble nodded quickly in response and began to charge straight towards Ryan. She lowered her head as she ran, her stubby, little legs moving as quickly as she could. All the while, she let out a fierce, angry sounding growl.

"Ryry, keep it rolling!" Ryan curled up again, this time rolling towards Marble directly. He seemed to be moving faster than before, and quickly closed the distance between him and the sheep. They collided with a strong force, a small shockwave hitting the ground as they impacted.

"M-Marble, are ya okay...?!" Lani called out, her eyes wide as she waited for the dust to clear.

The girl's eyes were focused intently on the battlefield as she waited. After a few moments, the forms of both Ryan and Marble could be made out. Ryan looked to be recovering from the impact rather well. Marble on the other hand, was lying on the ground, clearly in pain. She was breathing quite heavily from the exchange and clearly a bit tired from the rahter intense battle, at least the most intense battle she had ever had. Marble slowly began to pick herself off the ground, her body staggering to keep balance.

"Okay, that's enough!" Andrew called out. "She's hurt."

He quickly rushed over, Ryan scooting out of the way. Andrew knelt down and dug in his bag, producing a Potion as quickly as he could with all the disorganization inside. He held it out to Lani. "Do you want to do it? She'll trust you more than me."

Lani quickly took the Potion from Andrew and knelt down beside her Mareep. Without even a moment of hesitation, the girl began to spray the healing medicine on her Pok?mon. Marble let out a small whimper, clearly from the Potion stinging a bit as it was applied, but it didn't take long for the Mareep to at the very least appear to start feeling better.

Andrew checked up on Ryan, who had a small mark on his forehead from the Headbutt collison. He took out an Oran Berry from a small bag hanging off his backpack and cracked it open. He dug into the berry with his fingers, scooping out some of the inside, and gently smeared it onto Ryan's forehead. The Bidoof remained as spacey and unattentative as he usually was.

Andrew looked behind him to check on Lani and Marble. "Everything going okay? If we need to go to the Pokemon Center, we can."

Lani huffed, the girl clearly a little disappointed that her first battle against another trainer ended in defeat. "Yeah, yeah... Everythin' is good... I guess we should probably take her down there to make sure she's all fixed up and ready to go."

"Are you doing okay?" he asked seriously. "Battling can feel really intense for everyone, you know. It's pretty scary sometimes."

"What are ya talkin' 'bout? That was a hoot! I can't wait to battle some more trainers and stuff!" Lani exclaimed, managing to quickly regain her earlier bravado. "When do we leave?!"

Andrew laughed. That was certainly not the reaction he expected. "Well, first, Pokemon Center. I'm gonna leave later today. That should give us enough time to get you registered for the Gym challenge. When that's done, we'll be ready to go!"

"Then what are we standin' 'round like a bunch of Sudowoodo caught in a mudpit fer? Let's get goin'!" Lani insisted as she took hold of Andrew's wrist and practically began to drag the boy behind her.

Andrew yelped gleefully as Lani dragged him down the stairs. Ryan lazily hoofed after them, struggling to get his chunky body down the stairs, contemplating how he was going to chew up Andrew's shoes in revenge.


Spoiler: Andrew's Party
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Spoiler: Lani's Party
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  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
Padha 16 years Female
Spoiler:
"So this is it?"

The man who asked the question had his arms crossed. Padha stopped in her tracks, almost dropping the bag from her shoulder in surprise. He was blocking the footpath towards the garden exit. His gaze was focused. She didn't look away, instead grabbing hold of the bag's strap harder, and clenching the other fist as well as her jaws.

For what felt like minutes (but probably was only seconds), they stood there, the wind tugging their equally pale manes.

Then she started walking again, as if daring him to stop her when she tried to pass by. He did, but not the way she'd expected. He put both hands on her shoulders and forced her to look up at him. He wasn't much taller; neither the few years he had on her nor the gender difference had given him much of an advantage there. But he had seemed to win all the color of their mother's deep blue eyes, and left almost nothing for when it was her turn to be born.

"Where will you even go?"

"Why would I tell you?" Her usual kind tone was gone. She had never played facades with her family.

"Because you should tell someone, and I'm fairly sure you haven't told mom and dad."

Padha just shrugged, and squirmed away from his grasp. "I'll be fine. I have Mo, and I have- I have my friends." The last words stumbled out.

"Friends? Since when?" He still hadn't moved from the spot.

She sighed. "How would you know? You just work, just like dad and mom, and you forget to actually live. I don't want to become like you!"

Her words left him standing ajar. She instantly regretted it. It was harsh. She wouldn't have said that to anybody else. But there were never any barriers between the siblings. No fake words or effort. She knew that he knew that, but she could clearly see that he was hurt.

He swallowed hard, and let his hands fall to the sides. She didn't want to start crying in front of him, so she just hurried past, through the garden gate.

"Padha," came his voice from behind.

Despite not wanting to, she turned back to face him, but he was still facing their house. The white walls and big windows, the uncared for flowerbeds and fruit trees. So many years and hopes in this space, and so little result. They valued a different kind of success in life. She valued... She didn't know what she valued. She didn't know yet.

But she had to find out.

"I'll call sometimes," she whispered. "Goodbye, Pavi."

She closed the wicket carefully behind her, as she always had. As she half-ran away, she pulled up her cellphone.

"I decided to come with you after all. Where can we meet?"

> send to contact Rosalind Welles
 
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Ozymandias

i'm going on a journey
1,069
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10
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Rose, Lani, & Andrew - Aspertia City

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With Caspain leading the way, Rosalind made her way to the bottom of steps that lead up to the Lookout. If Andrew were going to stop by anywhere before heading off on his journey she knew that this would be the place. Sure enough, just as she arrived, a familiar figure, and one she didn't recognize were making their way down the steep slope.

"Okay, now hold on!" Andrew laughed as Lani rushed ahead of him. "I can only move so fast!" Further up the steps, Ryan was trudging down as fast as his legs could carry his chunky body.

"Aw, come on now! Are ya tryin' to tell me that ya've done gotten that outta shape since the last time ya came to the ranch?" Lani questioned, glancing over her shoulder as she led Andrew down the steps. "We're gettin' ready to go on a Pokémon journey! Ya need to get yourself into better shape if your gonna go runnin' 'round all over the place!"

"Hey, I didn't say I was out of shape! I have short legs!" he protested as the two reached the bottom of the steps. Before he could continue, however, he noticed the person standing several feet away. "... Rose? Is that you?"

With an amused smile, Rose waved to her friend. "Hello Andrew. Getting some exercise in before such a long trip is quite a good idea." Caspian just turned around, embarrassed at the sight of such an unruly pair. "I don't believe that I've met your training partner."

"Ah, well, I wasn't exercising - but anyway, this is Lani! She's my cousin!" he beamed. "Lani, this is Rose, a friend from the Trainer School."

Lani looked the girl up and down, taking in her features carefully. "Is this one of your friends who's supposed to be goin' on this journey with us...?"

"Very pleased to make your acquaintance, Lani, and actually that is why I am here." Grinning as she did, Rose scooped up Caspian into her arms, as if to place further emphasis on her next words. "After much discussion with my parents, they have allowed us to accompany you on your travels across the region."

Andrew's jaw dropped. Ryan came bounding up behind him as he spoke. "Are you... serious? You convinced your parents into letting you go with me? How on Earth did you manage that?"

Ryan looked out from behind Andrew's leg, looking up at Caspian and at Diana, who was circled around Rose's feet. He felt immediately weary at both of them, since Caspian looked positively disgusted at the sight of all of them, and Purrloin were always sneaky and devious. He frowned the best he could, but his squishy Bidoof face looked more uncomfortable than anything else.

"It took quite the conversation, but after much deliberation they decided that since I am now technically an adult that I should be able to make some of my own decisions." Rose pulled out her phone and scrolled to her texts with Padha, turning it around for Andrew to see. "I hope you don't mind, but I also took the liberty of inviting Padha along and it seems that she will also be joining us on this journey."

Lani smiled brightly, her excitement growing even more than it had before. Back on the ranch, the girl had never really had the chance to interact much with other girls her own age. As a result, the shorter girl suddenly had a fascination to getting to know everything she could about Andrew's friend.

"Your name's Rose? That's a purtty name! What's your favorite color? What's your favorite Pokémon? How long have ya known Andrew? Are ya'll close friends? He ain't never mentioned ya to me at all! Got any funny stories 'bout him that Ah don't know about him?!" the girl rambled off.

Marble on the other hand, yawned quietly as she looked over at Rose's Pokémon. She wasn't sure what was the issue with Caspian, but the Purrloin looked somewhat friendly. The Mareep waved one of her stubby, little legs at the cat Pokémon, as if she was offering a small greeting to it.

Diana responded to the gesture with a wink, while Caspian glared at her. He couldn't believe that she would even acknowledge these country bumpkins. He thought lowly of the repulsive Purrloin, but even she must have some standards. He couldn't believe his luck. Not only would he have to deal with Andrew and his detestable Bidoof, but Little Ms. Backwoods and her sheep.

Smiling sheepishly at Lani's barrage of questions, Rose tried to pick through the ones that she could make out. "Thank you very much, my full name is Rosalind Welles. My favorite color would have to be a sky blue and my favorite pokemon would have to be Caspian here. He may seem a bit unfriendly, but I assure you that he is a compassionate soul." The Aron glared at Lani, making for quite the antithesis to his trainer's statements. "Andrew and I met when I first moved here to attend the Trainer School and yes I do consider him to be a very dear friend."

"Yeah, Rose is pretty cool. I'm still in shock that your parents actually let you do this!" he laughed. "You said that Padha is coming too? Do you know why? I'm surprised she got permission to go since she's not 17 yet."

Ryan walked up to Diana and looked at her quizzically. The Purrloin seemed to be rather tame and playful, but he was still on guard around her. He knew Purrloin weren't trustworthy, but he felt safe knowing that he didn't have anything on him that could be stolen.

"I've not the slightest idea. I extended the invitation to her since my parents thought that going on a journey alone with a male would be improper, but I did not know whether or not she would actually be able to set out with us. It seems like she's gotten the permission, however, and that is all that truly matters in the end, is it not?"

Andrew chuckled. "Your, uh, parents tend to forget about the whole gay thing, don't they?"

"Aw, Ah wouldn't worry too much 'bout it. Parents have a hard time understandin' anythin'. Trust me, a lot of 'em wouldn't even know a Mudbray from a Ponyta if it kicked 'em in the head," Lani chimed in, regardless of the fact that she didn't have a great deal of understanding in the situation regarding this Padha character.

"Well, regardless, I'm glad to have you both along," Andrew smiled. "Man, this is turning into a bigger group that I thought. Here I was thinking Ryan and I were gonna have to - hey, wait a minute, where is Ryan?"

Andrew looked around and spotted Ryan near Diana. As he approached her, the Purrloin swatted him on the snout, causing him to jump back in surprise which elicted an amused purr from her. Ryan jumped back in surprise and then growled at the Purrloin. Andrew quickly picked him up before things could get worse. "Ah... guess we're gonna have to work on that team dynamic, eh?"

"Ah yes, my apologies about Diana. She just joined the party and I've yet to had the chance to instill any manners in her," Rose apologized as she gave a stern look towards the Purrloin. Diana just grinned back up at her in response.

"Alright, since Padha is coming, we oughta wait here for her, yeah?" Andrew suggested. "I have to get the stuff from the picnic, so why don't you two chat for a bit and then I should be back by the time she arrives." Before anyone could protest, Andrew began climbing back up the stairs with the grumpy Ryan in tow.

"Well it seems that it'll be just the two of us for now." Rose gave a friendly smile towards the much shorter girl. "I actually have a few questions of my own that I'd like to ask you."

 
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  • Age 38
  • Seen Feb 24, 2024


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Current Party:
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Lani Baxter & Rose Welles- Unorthodox Catch



Knowing that their conversation might be prolonged by the absences of Andrew and Padha, Rose took a seat on the bench beside the lookout stairs. There was a long journey ahead, so she thought that giving her feet as much rest as she could beforehand would prove to be most beneficial. She let Caspian down on the ground, but scooped Diana up into her arms so as to avoid the conflict that surely would have taken place, had they been within each other's reach.

"As cliche of an inquiry as it is, I'm quite curious as to where you are from. Your accent is thoroughly charming and this is the first encounter with someone that speaks in this way."

Lani smiled, a small blush rising to her cheeks from the compliment. She had never been told that her accent was charming before. Usually, she was given only grief about it.

"Ah'm from Floccesy Ranch," the auburn-haired girl responded. "What 'bout ya? Ya don't seem like the sort that get raised up 'round here!"

"Oh my, living on a ranch must have been hard work. I've always admired the farmhands and ranchers I read about in my books." While Rose genuinely venerated the blue collar life, Caspian on the other hand just rolled his eyes and trudged away from the conversation.

"I hail from Driftveil City, well the outskirts of it. My father owns a shipping company, so the city provides the port in which much of his business flows through." She paused, a frown spreading crossing her expression as she thought of home. "That being said, I spent much of my time inside the household, so my knowledge and experience with the city itself is rather limited."

"Ah get what yer sayin'... One of them brainy indoor types, yeah?" Lani mused. "Ah can't really blame ya for wantin' to get out and stretch yer legs. I'd go crazy sittin' 'round like that all the time."

"Yes, it was a life of comfort, but also one of discomfort in a sense..." Rose's train of thought trailed off as she watched a Scraggy saunter by the pair. The wild pokemon gave a sideways glance at them, but continued on its way.

Unfortunately, Caspain also saw this. There was no mistaking it, that Scraggy had slighted his trainer with that look. He had to defend her honor. With all the built up rage from the day, the Aron charged forward, smashing his head into the unsuspecting pokemon.

Rose could only watch in horror as the dark-type was sent flying into the opposite direction. "Caspian! How could you act in such a despicable manner?!" She quickly returned him back to his poke-ball before rushing over to the Scraggy. "Lani, come quickly, he seems to be quite wounded."

Lani placed Marble down on the bench before quickly following behind Rose. While she did have a few more questions she wanted to ask the older girl, she decided it was probably best to wait until this little situation had been cleared up. The duo made their way towards the hurt Scraggy, Lani kneeling down to its level as she watched Rose inspecting the wild Pok?mon carefully.

"He ain't too hurt... is he...?" the ranch girl questioned, looking up at Rose curiously.

"Yes, now that I take a closer look, it seems that the shock of it all must have clouded my judgement." The Scraggy was back on its two feet looking a little dazed, but not too worse for wear. "My deepest apologies. Caspian can be quite impulsive at times, but I assure you that he didn't mean you very much harm." The older of the two girls crouched down beside Lani and gave the pokemon a soft pat on the head.

The Scraggy merely gave an impartial shrug in response to Rose's apology. Despite the obvious aggression shown by Caspian, the little fighting-type Pok?mon seemed to show very little anger towards it... if any at all. While this may have been viewed as a sign of relief for Rose, Lani had other thoughts rolling through her mind. In particular, the wild Scraggy seemed to take the hit rather well. In fact, it barely phased it all. It definitely seemed like the Pok?mon seemed to be capable of holding its own when attacked. It was something that Lani found herself realizing that could be very beneficial to her on this journey she was about to set off on.

"Ah got it! Ah know just what Ah need to do next!" the ranch girl exclaimed, her eyes beaming with excitement as she spoke.

Getting up with an amused smile, knowing full and well what Lani was thinking, Rose humored her with the question, "What would that be?"

"Ah'm gonna add him to my team!" Lani proclaimed triumphantly. Of course, it wasn't really much of a team outside of Marble... Then again, the girl saw no reason to point out this small detail. "He's supposed to be a fightin' type, yeah? With somethin' like this guy around, Ah'll be able to make Andrew beg for mercy the next time we battle!"

"I'm sure you'll be able to bring my team to its knees as well. A Scraggy would make a fine addition to any team. Do you have any poke-balls with you or would you like to use one of mine?"

Lani paused, glancing back over at Rose. "Pok? balls...? Why do Ah need any of those?"

"Why to catch him of course!" Rose's smile shifted to an expression of confusion. "Are you to tell me that you caught Marble without one?"

"Well, Ah mean... Ah raised Marble from an egg, but... No, Ah never used a pok? ball on her. She's never been inside of one her entire life. Is that a problem...?" Lani questioned.

"Of course not, it's just quite a remarkable feat. I could only hope to have the same connection with Caspian and Diana, myself." Rose subconsciously touched at the two poke-balls on her waist. "Ah, my apologies for interrupting you, however. Please do go on ahead and add Scraggy to your team."

"Right! Let's get to it, then!" Lani exclaimed with glee. "Are ya ready, Marble?"

At the sound of trainer's calling, the Mareep in question stretched her wooly body out and hopped off of the bench she had been napping on. Marble made her way over to Lani and the wild Scraggy, bleeting softly as she eyed the wild Pok?mon up and down. It was at this point that Lani made the next move... by extending her hand straight towards the Scraggy.

"Heya, Scraggy! Ya look pretty tough, alright! Ah'm on my way to becomin' a Pok?mon trainer and explorin' the region! Ah'd love to have ya along, what do ya say?" Lani inquired.

The Scraggy gave a curious look between at the girl for a moment, before glancing back down at Marble. The Mareep began to bleet at the Scraggy, her tail swaying back and forth all the while. It was almost as if Marble was explaining the situation to the wild Pok?mon in question. Eventually, a small smile seemed to come to the creature's mouth. Slowly, he reached out and took hold of Lani's hand, shaking it firmly on the spot.

The girl's eyes lit up yet again. "Does this mean ya'll are gonna come with us?"

The wild Scraggy nodded. This girl seemed to be on the up and up... at least, that was what the Mareep had told it. Besides, it would be easier to get along in life with having someone around to help take care of it.

"Now that's what Ah wanted to hear! Welcome to the team, Scraggy!" Lani cheered.

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Lester The Scraggy
Male | Relaxed | Capable Of Taking Hits | Moxie
Leer | Low Kick | Sand Attack | Feint Attack | Headbutt
 
Last edited:

Trev

[span="font-size: 8px; color: white;"][font="Monts
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  • Age 27
  • Seen Nov 15, 2023


0
Andrew & Ryan | 3
"Ryannnnnn, you're so slooooowwwwwww!"

Ryan huffed as he hoofed up the ginormous stairs. He was damn near sick of these stairs. He didn't understand why Andrew couldn't just carry him up like most normal trainers would do. But then again, Andrew hasn't ever shown any sign of acting like a normal trainer, so maybe he was wishing for more than he would ever get.

The tiny beaver finally climbed the insurmountable mountain and collapsed in a sweaty heap. Andrew gave him a celebratory round of applause. "You did it! You'll be in shape in no time, Ryan!"

Ryan merely responded with a bitter, despondent glare before sliding blissfully into sleep. Andrew turned around to head towards the picnic, only to find it getting ransacked by... a Combee! "Hey! HEY! Get away from my stuff!"

He barreled towards the floating honeycomb, drawing its attention with his shouting. At first, the Combee looked confused, but then suddenly its face twisted into anger and it flew right towards Andrew, buzzing menacingly. Andrew screamed in shock and ducked down, just barely missing a makeshift body slam. Before he could get back up, the bee expertly swiveled around and came back a second time, landing the hit and sending Andrew sprawling. "Oof!"

He pushed himself up, taking a defensive stance. "Ryry! Use Rollo- RYAN!"

Ryan maintained his forlorn position, dozing peacefully.

"RYAN!"

Ryan didn't move.

The Combee huffed and sent out a Gust, battering Andrew with strong winds. "AAAAAAH ARCEUS!" he screamed as he shielded his face and braced his feet to keep himself from getting pushed back. When the wind stopped, he drew a Pokeball from his bag. "Fine! Let's do this, you little - AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

The next ten or so minutes entailed Andrew frantically running around the lookout as a Combee chased him around angrily. He kept throwing the Pokeball, but it kept missing, and it only made the Combee angrier each time. Finally, after getting slammed into and Gusted so many times that his entire outfit and very existence was a hot mess by pure definition, he managed to clack the Pokeball onto the bee creature and trap it inside.

One... two... three... click!

"Oh my lord Arceus above..."

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Sarah Juconia the Combee
| Very finicky | Hustle
  • Gust
  • Sweet Scent
  • Mud Slap

After a brief moment of recovery spent lying on the ground, Andrew pushes himself up. He looks across the lookout at Ryan, who is now staring back at him. The two share a moment of silence before Andrew speaks up. "We never, ever talk about this.' Ryan nods in agreement.

Andrew grabs the picnic supplies and repacks them. The two then head back down the stairs, Andrew fixing his hair and outfit and Ryan complaining mentally the entire way. Sarah buzzed grumpily inside her Pokeball in Andrew's bag.


Spoiler: Andrew's Party
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25,439
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Chapter Two: An Emerald Path
Unova's Route 19 is a rural area with heavily forested terrain covered by lush greenery on account of the frequent rainfall the area receives due to their proximity to the nearby Mistralton Range.

Surrounded by thick forest on either side and dotted with lakes and ponds, the route itself is relatively free of foliage save for the grass. Through a small valley, it travels up north from Aspertia before curving off to the north-east where it eventually opens into Floccesy Town itself.

Available Wild Pokemon
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37,467
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16
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  • Age 34
  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
Padha 16 years Female
Spoiler:
Padha hurried through the city. Rose hadn't replied to her text - did that mean that she was busy? Or that her phone was broken?

Shaking away her anxious thoughts on family and friends, Padha tried to focus on what lay ahead. She was going on a journey! With her reluctant cupid by her side. It was probably going to be a problem, Mo not wanting to battle at all. Maybe he'd warm up to it. They hadn't tried overly much so far, after all. She had tried to battle some kids, and Andrew's funky Bidoof at some point. Mo had not even given it a half-hearted attempt before he promptly had sat down next to his "trainer" with a grumpy face, on both occasions.

Luckily, Padha had battling experience from elsewhere. She was a student of the trainer's school, after all. Oh, her parents would be so mad if she didn't come back before school started again after summer... Unless she managed to be really successful and impress them? She hadn't really impressed them ever, from what she could recall. All the neglect and distance between the family members overshadowed any happy points in between.

So lost in thoughts, she almost ran over the puppy that turned a corner at the same time as her but in the opposite direction. It barked and jumped to the side in the nick of time.

"Pop! Watch where you're running!" Padha exclaimed, but did feel a bit guilty for not having watched her step herself.

The Lillipup didn't seem to mind though. It happily let her bend down to pet it, as usual. The stray dog had been roaming the neighborhood for months now, avoiding trainers but being quite good at finding people with food and begging for enough to keep it alive and well. It didn't even look unkempt; this was a wild puppy who cared about its appearance. Since it knew that Mo hated battling, it had long since stopped avoiding Padha, and was instead an occasional companion on her walks through town.

"I'll miss you, Pop," the girl said with a sigh.

Lillipup leaned its head to the side questioningly.

"I'm going away. It might be a long time. You'll keep the area cool won't you?" she explained, with one last pat on the puppy's head.

She stood up and started walking again, but soon heard a whining noise behind her. Pop the Lillipup had run up to stand next to her, looking expectantly up at the trainer, tongue hanging and eyes wide.

"You want to follow me to the edge of town, maybe?" Padha reasoned, and kept walking.

More whining. The Lillipup didn't seem happy with that. Maybe it figured it would miss the snacks Padha usually gave it, too much.

"Hm..." Padha pondered. "Maybe... you could come with me? But I'm going to be a trainer, you know. I need pok?mon to battle for me."

More whining. Padha facepalmed. But she did pick up an empty pok?ball from her bag.

"Fine. I'll be your trainer without forcing you to battle. Unless you wake up one day and want to, alright?"

No more whining, instead happy yipping. She only had to bend down and hold out the pok?ball, for the puppy to willingly touch it with its nose and disappear inside in a flash of light.

Yikes, this is starting well. Two pok?mon already, but none of them a battler...

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Trev

[span="font-size: 8px; color: white;"][font="Monts
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0
Andrew & Ryan (ft. Lani et. all) | 4
"Sarah! Hold up! HEY! Will you listen to me?!"

Andrew charged ahead of the group, chasing after his errant Combee, who was also charging ahead to scout the entire route beforehand to ensure safety. She buzzed in annoyance as she heard the short boy running after her. Didn't he want to be safe? One could never be too thorough when it comes to proper route analysis.

Ryan, on the otherhand, stood back. He was so exhausted from moving more than his daily recommended amount of movement - a good 20 inches on a good day - that he couldn't be bothered to pursue the two. Instead, he trotted comfortably alongside Marble.

"That Combee's got more energy in 'er than a Rattata eatin' coffee beans," Lani mused, watching her cousin being tormented by the petite bug Pok?mon. "I know ya like to use 'em, so why not keep 'er in a pok? ball if she's givin' ya that much of a hard time?"

"She broke out!" Andrew yelped as he was continuously battered by the hyperactive bee that was now annoyed at his presence. "She just doesn't want to stay!"

Lani couldn't help but give her cousin a rather amused grin at the situation he found himself in. "Man... If this is the trouble yer already havin' with just two Pok?mon, think about what it might like be like when ya got more? Didn't they teach ya nothin' 'bout this sort of thing at that fancy school of yers?"

"They said not to catch overly-energetic Pokemon because they - OW! - have a tendency to not listen until you get a - NAH! - badge!" he shouted over Sarah's loud buzzing. "I had to catch her or she was going to - UGH! - bury me in honey or something!"

"Bury ya in honey...?" Lani questioned. The girl shot a curious glance towards Lester, as if asking the Scraggy if he knew what her cousin was going on about. The fighting-type merely offered an impartial shrug, all the while he rested his hands behind his head. "I'm pretty sure ya might be exaggeratin' things a bit, Andy..."

"I am not!" he shouted before getting bowled over by Sarah, who then happily buzzed off to do more scouting once her threat was neutralized. "Ugh... Freakin'..." He jumped up and dusted himself off. "If I don't get that badge soon, I might go nuts," he laughed.

"Wasn't there a gym back in the city? Why didn't ya go challenge that gym if it's such an issue?" Lani inquired.

Before Andrew could respond, he heard a high-pitched squeak and angry buzzing up ahead. He whipped his head around to find Sarah whipping up a panicked Poliwag in a Gust, spinning it a few feet off the ground. "SARAH!"

He ran over, swooping up the Poliwag in his arms and dispersing the Gust. Sarah buzzed angrily at him. "No, that's bad! You can't just attack random Pokemon!"

He looked at the Poliwag. It looked up at him with big, beady eyes on the verge of crying. "Poor baby..."

Suddenly, he was bowled over as Sarah slammed into him, knocking the Poliwag out of his arms and onto the ground. She furiously zoomed after the tiny tadpole, which ran away from her with tiny squeaks. Andrew grabbed Sarah's Pokeball from the clip on his bag and hit the button.

A flash of bright red light zapped through the air, smacking into Sarah mid-flight and dematerialized her back into the ball. Andrew quickly hit the lock button to ensure she couldn't get out (despite her voracious slams into the side of the ball) and chased after the Poliwag.

It stopped as the buzzing disappeared and looked up at Andrew. He knelt down to it, patting it gently on the head. "Poor guy... I'm sorry about that. Sarah's a little rowdy." Angry buzzes and impacts sounded from the ball in his hand.

The Poliwag nuzzled up against Andrew's leg, squeaking curiously. It seems to have taken a liking to him despite Sarah's assault. "Oh... oh! Oh! You want to come with me, don't you?" The Poliwag chirped in delight. "Well, I suppose this is an unorthodox method of capture, but, well, if the shoe fits..."

He picked out an empty Pokeball and gently booped the Poliwag on the head. The bright red light sucked the tadpole up inside the ball, and with three gentle shakes, it clicked shut. "Aw, yeah! Welcome to the team, little guy!"

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Kaleb Marsh the Poliwag
| Quick to flee | Swift Swim
  • Hypnosis
  • Water Gun
  • Water Sport
  • Refresh
  • Double Slap

He turned towards the two girls behind him with a cheeky smile. "I, uh... may have caught another Pokemon."


Spoiler: Andrew's Party
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37,467
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16
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  • Age 34
  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
Padha 16 years Female
Spoiler:
There was no sign of Rose or Andrew at the Lookout.

Did they leave without me?

Probably. They probably thought she wasn't going to show. She clenched her fists in disappointment. The wind tugged at her hood and at Mo's scales, making them give out a slight clanging noise. Padha sighed, relaxed her fists, and resigned to look out over the landscape ahead. Unova was beautiful. Pity humans were working harder and harder to destroy it every day... That had been something he had been saying. And she had taken it to heart. Humans weren't good for nature.

A few moving dots caught her eye. They were walking on what must be Route 19. Two of the figures looked familiar... Padha grasped the Lookout's railing as if to be able to lean closer and see better. She didn't really, but she could still recognize them well enough at that long distance. Rose and Andrew! And someone else.

They have replaced me.

Her heart sank a bit at that discovery. She should have known that they weren't actually considering her a friend. They hadn't known each other well for long, after all. And Padha was a lonely weirdo at the back of the classroom. Not at all like them. But she couldn't go back home now - no doubt her brother had told her parents already, and she'd be grounded forever if she returned. There was only one way to go: forward.

Maybe they wouldn't mind her tagging along if she apologized for being late. And for being weird. It was worth a shot.

"Come on, Mo," she said.

The pink dragon scoffed at the view, before it followed its master's dash downstairs.
 
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