[PKMN FULL] BEYOND ic

moon · Mar 8, 2017

Route 14 and Route 13
starting April 27 ic / March 8 ooc

When the road reaches the sea in the east, it curls northwards and gets named Route 14 instead. Over the last few years, there have been increased construction on windworks and waterworks here, and Route 14 is now the location for the new power plant in Kanto, with ca 60 people working there. The workers are living in the small village on Route 13 in the north or coming in daily from Fuchsia. Unfortunately for interested trainers, the power plant is so well watched over that there are no wild pokémon crawling around its facilities. You're better off looking for new captures near the cliffs!

Just north of the power plant, the coast curves to the east again and Route 13 is located. It is a well traveled, yet interestingly steep set of pathways along the cliffside - however nowadays there is also a wider road built for motor traffic. No adventurous traveling trainer chooses that road though! Many bird watchers or sky trainers enjoy these parts. In the middle of the route lies Rose Village which has some homes and a pokémon center but not much else.

What to do here?

- There are wild pokémon! Not in the power plant but certainly on the routes otherwise.

- There are trainers! Bird trainers, youngsters, rangers, engineers from the power plant... Should you choose to challenge them or meet the gaze of feisty ones, be prepared to be a Battler!

- There is a pokémon center in Rose Village on Route 13, but should you linger for long in Route 14, the Power Plant has some free housing for trainers.

- Remember you have max 5 actions... Choose what pokémon you want to capture, and when it's worth spending an action to battle trainers instead!

- It will likely be possible to move on to a new area on April 28 ic / March 15 ooc! Get your April 27 actions in before then - but feel free to stay for more than one IC day in any of these areas.

Wild pokémon

Pidgey Lv 7-8 // Tackle - Sand Attack

Rufflet Lv 7-8 // Peck - Leer - Fury Attack

Wingull Lv 7-8 // Growl - Water Gun - Wing Attack - Supersonic

Poliwag Lv 7-8 // Water Sport - Water Gun - Hypnosis

Vullaby Lv 7-8 // Gust - Leer - Fury Attack

Mantyke Lv 7-8 // Tackle - Supersonic - Bubblebeam - Bubble

Snubbull Lv 7-8 // Tackle - Scary Face - Tail Whip - Charm - Bite

Special pokémon

Available in the wild only after you have captured 3 other pokémon here!

Farfetch'd Lv 6 // Brave Bird - Poison Jab - Peck - Sand Attack - Leer - Fury Cutter

Spoiler:

FireSnow · Mar 9, 2017

Martin Lovett

Martin rubbed his eyes and stretched out his arms as he let out a yawn. Next to him, Crabrawler still seemed pretty tuckered out. Yesterday had been pretty exhausting for the both of them. After getting back on the main road, the two of them found a pretty little spot in view of some rocky hills and the water past them. After settling down, Martin had called out his new Pokemon, who had healed up a little bit but not much and tended to it for most of the night. Martin had never felt so at peace while sitting by the light of the little fire, that had taken him several hours to build no less, he was still proud of himself though. There was something nice about taking care of his Pokemon and he could see that his partners liked it too. After patching up Bellsprout, he returned it to its ball and went to bed for the night.

Now, he got up and out of his sleeping bag and stretched the rest of his body. Based on the position of the sun, it had to be noon already. Martin couldn't remember the last time he had slept in so late and he loved it. After packing up, he began heading north, enjoying all the sights around him, especially the large wind turbines along the horizon. It was a beautiful route, one he could imagine living on one day, in that small village he had read about. After several hours, Martin's stomach began rumbling, reminding him that he hadn't ate anything all day. Finding a quiet spot under a tree, he laid out what food he had for his party and prepared some sandwiches for everyone. Calling out Bellsprout, the three of them dove into the food and enjoyed each other's company. Martin couldn't remember the last he had this much fun with his family, let alone Pokemon. While the three of them sat and ate, Martin remembered he hadn't even given his two partners names yet.

"Ali..."

He said looking at Crabrawler. The crab looked up at his trainer and clicked its claws together. Martin figured that was the a-okay sign and smiled, looking now at the grass Pokemon.

"Jolou"

He said confidently. It was the perfect name for the little Pokemon with the fiery spirit. The Bellsprout seemed to agree, wriggling it body in excitement. With that done, the trio went back to stuffing their faces. In a flash, there was only one sandwich left. As fate would have it the two Pokemon both reached for it at the same time. Locking eyes, the two both held onto their end of the sandwich.

"Bellllllll...." Jolou growled out.

Ali clicked its free claw at the other Pokemon. It was clear neither side would back down. Martin sighed as he watched the two of them. It looked like this was going to be a constant thing between the Pokemon. Racking his brain for ideas, the new trainer thought of a great idea.

"Okay guys....u-ummm....you are going to battle for the last sandwich"

Though a great idea, Martin was still nervous about the whole battling scene with how powerful and fast-paced it was. This intrigued the two Pokemon though and they locked eyes, nodding to each other and placed the sandwich down. They both moved away from the tree and out into the open. Martin was pretty unsure of what to do and stood off to the side. Should he yell out commands for one? Both? Should he just stand off to the side like he was? Thankfully the Pokemon made the decision for him as they lunged at each other, trading blows. Martin was in awe of his Pokemon as they battled back and forth, dodging hits, not giving even an inch to the other. Just when it seemed one had the advantage, the other would somehow bring it back and turn the tide.

While this was happening it seemed someone else had their eye on the sandwich. In a flash, the little creature dove down, grabbing the sandwich in its beak and looked to fly away. It would've gotten away too if it hadn't knocked into one of the glasses, sending it down into the plate, making a loud crash. At the sound, the trio turned towards their set-up to see a Pokemon trying to steal the last sandwich!

"Hey! Thats ours!"

Martin yelled at the Pokemon, running over to it. Surprised, the Pokemon squawked and tried to flee. It got about 15 feet off the ground before getting hit by something, sending it falling back to the ground. Martin, shocked by the event, turned towards his Pokemon, to see Bellsprout landing on the ground. It seemed Bellsprout wasn't going to let this bird get away that easily. Sandwich still in beak, the Pokemon landing on the ground with a thud.

"Ruuuuufffff...."

The Pokemon seemed a little dazed by the hit but nothing serious. Bellsprout waddled to its trainer and nudged him, pointing to the downed Pokemon. Clearly it wanted to battle. Now was the time, Martin was going to battle for the first time. He could feel his anxiety building.

"A-alright you h-h-heathen! If you want that s-sandwich, you're going to have to b-b-battle for it!"

Jolou brought one its leaves to its head and sighed. Martin wasn't exactly the most confident or intimidating trainer. By this point, the wild Pokemon had gathered itself together, ruffling its feathers back into position. It made eye contact with Jolou and squawked, flying up to a branch and placing the sandwich on it before flying back down. Martin guessed it had accepted the challenge.

"It must really want that sandwich"

Martin sighed and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down, taking deep breaths.

"Alright Jolou lets get our sandwich back!"

"Beeellllllllllll!"

Jolou yelled in pain as the opponent fluttered back to the ground. While Martin was busy working himself up, the bird Pokemon took the opportunity to attack.

"H-hey! That wasn't fair! We weren't r-ready!"

Jolou looked back at him with a look that meant business. It was time for Martin to be a Trainer not a whiny baby. Martin gulped and nodded.

"Okay Jolou, use Tackle"

The grass type jumped forward with speed at the bird, who just flew up and laughed. Jolou looked up with anger.

"Bell! Bell bell bellsprout!"

This only made the bird laugh even more at the helpless Jolou. One could see the anger in the Bellsprout's eyes as the Pokemon hovered above it. Without warning, it shot off the ground at the wild Pokemon connecting with its abdomen. Martin looked on with surprise, as the Bellsprout attacked on its own. To be honest, it'd probably be better off without me

Meanwhile the bird recovered and looked down at Jolou with an angry look in its eye. It seemed to not appreciate the feisty Bellsprout. Without notice it divebombed the Bellsprout, its talons coming out as it neared. Martin quickly snapped to reality as he watched what was unfolding. "Umm...ummm...ummmm...what do i do?". Then he remembered something he had seen on TV.

"Dodge!"

Jolou obeyed as it used its thin, sinewy body to evade the Pokemon's Fury Attack. The bird, frustrated, retreated back to the sky. Martin smiled, he had done something right. Coming in for round two, the bird lead with its beak this time. Feeling the tiniest bit of confidence, Martin was much more prepared this time.

"Use Sand-Attack!"

Jolou, using its leafy "hands", whipped sand towards the bird, straight into its face to be exact. The opponent, caught off guard, received a large helping of sand and dirt right into its face, to the point it couldn't see. Stopping its attack and landing on the ground, it tried to clean its face. Taking the opportunity, Martin delivered the final command.

"Okay Jolou, lets end this with Tackle!"

Barreling forward, the Bellsprout again connected with the wild Pokemon's abdomen and sent it flying into a tree. It was clear who the winner was. Without hesitation this time, Martin grabbed a Pokeball and threw it at the defeated Pokemon. In a white flash, the Pokemon disappeared and the ball clicked shut. Martin had his second catch and third Pokemon!

Releasing the Pokemon from the ball after catching it, he grabbed a towel and wiped clean the new partner's face.

"Now what kind of Pokemon are you?"

Martin pulled out his Dex and pointed it at the unidentified creature.

"A Rufflet huh? Well, welcome to the team Rufflet!"

The Rufflet chirped in happiness and ruffled its feathers. Martin couldn't help but smile and laugh. He had just partaken in his first battle and it was kinda fun actually and in the end he ended up with another new Pokemon. Maybe this journey was gonna be more fun than he thought.

Remembering the point of the battle, he sent the Rufflet to grab the sandwich and bring it back. With it now sitting in front of everyone, Martin thought about what he should do. Taking a small knife, he cut into halves and gave one each to Rufflet and Jolou.

"Eat up guys, you earned it"

Excitedly, the two Pokemon ate their share. Meanwhile, Ali clicked its claws angrily at Martin.

"H-hey now, Jolou won the battle and Rufflet deserved a welcoming gift"

Martin waved his hands sheepishly at the crab Pokemon.

"This crab sure is a character" Martin sighed, smiling.

Actions: (Since there were a couple)
#1: Training, +1 lvl to Crabrawler & Bellsprout
#2: Battle, +2 lvls to Bellsprout
#3: Caught Rufflet
#4: Moved to Route 14/13

Crabrawler => Lvl 13
Bellsprout => Lvl 9
- Bellsprout learned Vine Whip and Growth!

MurkMire · Mar 11, 2017

Damien Lalune

Level 18

The sound of chirps, Pokemon cries, and the very Earth already woken up had stirred Damien from his sleep. "Hmm... never imagined this would make a good bed." He pulled an arm free, though still with some webbing. "Heh, practical still." He chuckled as he undid himself from a webbing hammock, and climbed down carefully from a large tree. His Spinarak partner skittered downwards with him without missing a beat. "Good morning, Spinarak," he said with a grin on his face, extending his arm for Spinarak to crawl on. "At least I don't have anything to repack... you're an amazing Pokemon, my partner." Spinarak, after reaching and clinging to his hair, vibrated with joy, almost making a small screech to reply. Damien didn't realize it in time, but he didn't pack any form of camping equipment, or even a sleeping bag. However...

~

Last Night

The night came quicker than Damien realized, after walking along Route 15, Damien stopped under a large tree and leaned against it. Spinarak, with it's eyes wide open and carefully watching their surroundings, noticed his trainer was getting sleepy. Damien yawned , stretched his arms and tried to wake himself back up just long enough to find a place to rest for the night.

"Hmm... Spinarak, I think you may have to return to the pokeball tonight. We don't have any camping equipment, and I'll have to find a place to-" Before Damien cold finish, he felt his Spinarak hop off his head, and could see it skittering up the tree. Damien was a bit surprised, but watched his partner... create a hammock out of String Shot. However, it looked intricate, nearly a Spider Web look-a-like.

Within two sturdy branches, Spinarak had spun a "bed" for his trainer. Damien smirked, and then yawned again. "I'll accept your offer," the wild haired trainer said as he climbed the tree. He was, of course, slightly hesitant into lying on webbing. But, what if he fell off a branch and broke his back?

So, he slowly laid on it, and found himself able to sleep on Spinarak's improvised bed. "Thank you, my partner." He saw Spinarak was planted on the side of the tree, watching over him. "That's right," Damien thought aloud, as a metaphorical light bulb clicked on. "You have Insomnia, so... you never sleep." The String Spit nodded. "Hmhm. Well... goodnight then." Damien relaxed (as best as he could) and drifted off, as his Spinarak simply sat at his post, watching over Damien. Throughout the entire night.

~

Damien and Spinarak had set off, the sun already risen, showing Damien had to sleep in a bit. But it didn't matter to him all that much. He had food prepared in case he had to sleep out in the wilderness. For now, Damien and his String Spit partner were about to cross the border from Route 15 to Route 14, reaching ever closer to Lavender Town, where Damien had spent most of his current life.

"It's hard to imagine what I'll be doing back so soon at home, but I can at least check in with my hometown and family." Damien thought over not only that, but his current goals. He wanted to become a powerful trainer, sure, but to what end? He had heard of Frontier Brains, but only vaguely. He figured he'd get information once the time was right. However, he remembered Rose Village was along the way. He was definitely curious if there was anything of note.

The wind continued to pick up here and there, it was fortunate that Damien had Spinarak to make a webbing hammock. Otherwise, he'd have been blown off the tree, and severely injured. The trainer struggled to keep his balance, the wind trying to knock him over. Spinarak merely continued to sit, unaffected by how clung tight he was to Damien's head.

Eventually, the wind subsided as Damien reached picturesque Route 14, a coastal road that was overlooking the sea that reflected the light of the sun, making the scenery all that much more beautiful. Damien and Spinarak, however, quietly walked down the road that paved the way for countless trainers that have walked this road before. The trainer, now with a vague goal in mind, silently walked with Spinarak resting on his head as they made their way down the road.

Actions:
#1: Move to a new area (you can do this in any post, and jump back and forth if you want, but it does take up one action every time!!)

Route 15 to Route 14

Groc · Mar 11, 2017

Elise Greene

Elise woke up in her own bed, as though nothing different had happened to her yesterday. Still half asleep, she almost forgot that she had officially started her Pokemon journey, stifling a yawn as she got out of bed. Or rather, tried to get out of bed, but her legs were pinned by a pair of kittens curled up on top of them. "Oh right..." She murmured, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I didn't get very far yesterday before I came home." She carefully extricated herself from her sheets, wincing as the movement sent pins and needles through her legs.

Espurr and Shinx were awakened by the lack of human warmth, yawning and stretching. "Well good morning, Pearl. And good morning to you too, Ray. Did you enjoy your first night in a bed?" The Jolly little Shinx meowed happily, leaping off the bed and rubbing up against Elise's shins. She wasn't sure if the tingling sensation was static electricity or if her legs were just still asleep. "Come on, guys! Let's get breakfast and then head out! We've got a lot of ground to cover!"

With Pearl safely in her Pokeball and Ray walking beside her, Elise set out from Fuchsia City and east along Route 15. "Look, Ray! There's the patch of grass you popped out of yesterday. Any friends or family you want to say goodbye to before we leave?" Ray shook his head, a happy smile on his kitty face, eagerly looking at the road ahead.

"Okay, if you're sure. Let's get going, then." She cautiously took a few steps, expecting something to jump out at her, but nothing happened. Ray looked at her, wondering why she was hesitating, but found the day too pleasant to let it concern him. Just when Elise was sure she would be fine, the grass rustled as a Pidgey hopped out of it. Elise jumped in surprise, but the Pidgey wasn't paying attention to her. Instead, he was looking at Ray.

"Oh, is this a friend of yours, Ray?" The little cat tilted his head to the side as though shrugging, but he looked eager to fight. "Oh, I see. So, he's like your childhood rival?" Ray shrugged again, but Elise understood what he meant. "Well, I don't like the idea, but if a fight is how you want to say goodbye, then let's get it over with. Just don't get yourself hurt, okay?" Ray meowed eagerly, looking over his shoulder at Elise.

"What? But this is your fight, you don't need me!" Ray's smile faltered, his bottom lip trembling as he pleaded with his large kitten eyes. Elise felt her heart catch in her throat at that look, as though Ray's heart was breaking because she didn't want to engage in his favorite pastime with him. "Oh... fine! For you! He looks tough, so use... uh..." She fumbled for he Pokedex, checking Ray's moves list. "Leer!" Ray fixed Pidgey with a steely glare, grinning arrogantly. The mild form of hypnotism put Pidgey off his game, making him more reckless. He flapped his tiny wings, kicking up sand and throwing it at Ray's face.

"A Sand Attack? Counter with Flash, to even the playing field." Ray wagged his tail, the star on the tip emitting a bright beam of light directly into Pidgey's eyes. "Oh, do that's what that was..." Unfortunately, Pidgey's Keen Eyes prevented the light from affecting him, and he hopped forward, jumping up and diving down on top of Ray. "Oh, now it's getting rough... Ray, use T-Tackle! But be safe!" Ray pounced on Pidgey, knocking him out of the air. The tiny bird hopped back up, diving into Ray again and flying out of easy reach.

Elise concentrated, looking at their auras. Ray was still a healthy green, but that one hit had reduced Pidgey to a distressed orange. "Um, Tackle him again?" Ray pounced at Pidgey, again knocking him to the ground. Elise winced as Pidgey's aura faded to red, but the tiny bird wasn't giving up, diving into Ray and again flying back up. Elise grew concerned as Ray's aura faded to orange. "Okay, maybe we should stop. One more Tackle and Pidgey won't be able to fight!" Ray heard what she was saying, but instead of listening to her suggestion of "stop", chose to interpret it as "finish the fight". He grinned as he knocked Pidgey to the ground, this time not letting him get back up.

Pidgey put up a valiant effort, but between Ray's fighting spirit, the lowered defense, and simple biological advantage, the bird couldn't defeat a cat. Ray let Pidgey go, and the tiny bird hastily flew away, in no condition to fight anymore. Ray happily rubbed against Elise, who was mainly just confused. "You did... good, I guess. But you got all scuffed up in that brawl. Let me fix you up." Ray purred as Elise cleaned the sand out of his fur and combed his coat back into place. She sprayed him with a potion, the medicine soaking into his skin and kicking his accelerated healing factor into gear. He felt good as new, and Elise was happy to see his aura glowing a healthy green.

"There, all better! Now let's get away from this Grass before something else jumps out at me..." She picked up Ray, hurrying down the path and away from Fuchsia. She idly wondered what the other trainers would think of her, concerned that they'd probably laugh at her. She pushed those thoughts aside as she buried her face in Ray's soft fur, deciding that she didn't care what the others thought, only what her Pokemon thought. Ray just purred happily at the attention he was getting.

Actions taken:
#1: Moved location (Fuchsia City -> Route 15)
#2: Fought a wild Pokémon (Shinx level up +2=6->8)

moon · Mar 12, 2017

PAIGE

The Electrike was very shy and nervous in the beginning. Paige realized that she needed to keep it in its pokéball at first, just like she did with Trapinch. When the evening came, they had reached the end of Route 15 and could see the sea ahead. Paige made camp under a large tree some distance off the road and prepared some food before she called both her pokémon out again.

Food seemed to make Electrike feel much better and even accept the fact that it was caught; it no longer tried to run away. When the night fell, Trapinch wanted back inside his pokéball, but Electrike fell asleep next to the almost burnt out fire, on the opposite side of it from Paige's sleeping bag. Good enough, she thought as she fell asleep.

The next day, Paige entered Route 14 and was amazed by the large wind turbines lining the coast. The flocks of Wingull soaring past made her jealous. One day, she would like to acquire a flying type pokémon that could shuttle her through the sky. In her dreams at night, and at day too for that matter, she had sometimes soared with the winds on her own wings. Only dreams, of course.

They went down to the cliffs, where Paige decided to take out Electrike and see how strong it could be. A bit shy still, Electrike finally seemed to want to do Paige's bidding as she explored the moves the pokédex read that the pokémon was able to use. It seemed the electric puppy was also wary of the scary Trapinch still, but Paige convinced her starter to hold back in a practice battle between the two on the windy cliffs. It seemed to indeed boost the canine's self esteem a bit, and when they decided to take a break for a pre-lunch snack, Electrike and Paige were both eager to head out and find an actual opponent to battle instead of just practicing.

She felt quite content with her pokémon team so far. But she certainly would look for more additions at any opportunity...

Actions:
#1 Move to a new area
Route 15 -> Route 14/13
#2 Train pokémon
Electrike +1 Lv
Trapinch +1 Lv

Aquacorde · Mar 13, 2017

Sorley + Golett
April 27 // As Of Today

The matrons have lectured them time and time again not to use this path.

Traversing it involves a significant amount of climbing. It isn?t safe. It isn?t even really a path. But for Sorley, clambering down the cliffside has always been the fastest way to the beach. The matrons will certainly catch them this time, but it won?t matter. As of today, they?re no longer under the matrons? care.

That is a thought Sorley hasn?t actually yet come to terms with. Their whole life they have been looked after by the matrons, even if the last few years they have been allowed nearly full independence. As of today, there will be no more lectures, no more curfew, no more schedules. No more reading bedtime stories, no more family meals in the giant kitchen, no more beachcombing with their siblings, no more games of Cops and Rockets. The matrons assure Sorley that they are loved, and that they will always be welcome, always be able to come visit, but as of today? the orphanage is no longer home.

?SORLEY! What have I told you about climbing down here?!?

Matron Samira?s voice rings out from further down the beach, followed immediately by a medley of voices shrieking Sorley?s name. A gaggle of children swarm around Sorley as they jump the last few feet down, questions firing off left and right. Sorley laughs. ?Shush, shush, one at a time! Hmmm?. Addie, go!?

?Is the Professor nice??

?Yes, she?s super cool! Galen??

?Did you get any mustard??

?Yes, here, you can give it to Miss Bella. Yes, Nata??

?Did you meet other battlers??

?No, I didn?t. The professor said a lot of them left a few days ago. Umm? Beryl!?

No one speaks.

?Where?s Beryl??

The group looks around, murmuring worriedly. Sorley stands on tip-toe, scanning the beach. The matrons are still further down, Bella prodding the grill and Samira briskly heading toward them with her Wigglytuff. Between Samira and the kids Sorley?s eyes find Beryl. The little boy is turned away from them, but Sorley is immediately sprinting as fast as they can across the shifting sand.

?Golett! Out! Astonish!?

The squat golem falls heavily to the ground next to Beryl and looms over the Sandygast, making it flinch away and break its concentration on Beryl. Sorley skids over to scoop him up. ?Mud Sla- wait, no no, that?s just going to give it more sand. Um! Pou- no, ghost type, shoot- Rollout, Golett!?

Golett?s spin is slow to start and kicks up sand in all directions. Sorley pulls Beryl?s shirt over his face to protect him as they back away just before Golett shoots forward, momentum sending the Sandygast?s form flying in all directions. Golett pops out of the spin some ways away and turns to face the reforming Sandygast, preparing to roll once more, but the castle quickly slides down toward the ocean, leaving Sorley to deal only with a crying Beryl.

?Hey hey, it?s okay, I got you.? Sorley croons. ?I know it?s scary, but it?s okay now. No harm done, just a bit of a scare, yeah??

Beryl?s sobs lessen as the shock wears off. He?s always been easy to comfort, Sorley thinks. Just having someone hold him is enough- and that had been nice change of pace from Addie and Kimmie. Set off by any little thing and taking nearly hours to settle down on bad days? Sorley loves their little sisters and certainly could settle them if the matrons were busy, but they?d take cuddling Beryl over dealing with that any day.

As of today, they won?t need to comfort anyone anymore.

?You?re squishing, ?lee.?

?Ah! Sorry, sorry.? They loosen their hold and Beryl nods, appeased.

?That was quick thinking, Sorley.?

Matron Samira and Wigglytuff appear at their side. Samira reaches down for Beryl and settles him on her hip. ?What have we said about using shovels that aren?t ours??

?Don?t do it,? Beryl answers in his solemn little voice.

?What about shovels that you really want to use??

?Really don?t do it.?

?And why not??

??Cause that?s prob?ly a Sandygast.?

?Good boy. You?ll probably remember better now that you?ve seen one.? Samira turns back to Sorley and Golett, who has finally made their way back to their trainer.

?Well! I never expected you to come back with a Golett, but now I think it rather suits you. Are you two treating each other well??

?Yes, Miss Samira!? Sorley chirps. Golett nods slowly.

?Good. You must remember, the most important thing as a Battler- no, the most important thing in this world- is to??

?Treat others how you want to be treated!? Sorley jumps out of their skin at the chorus. It?s rare that their siblings manage to sneak up on them, but here the other five of them are. Natalia, leader of the pack. Galen, still holding onto the bottle of mustard. DeAndre, keeping the twins Kimberly and Adeline from climbing all over Golett. Their family. Their weird, broken, mismatched, lovely, loving family.

Sorley almost cries. Instead, they grin.

?Everybody, this is our new friend Golett!?

---

While it is still too cold for the children to swim, the beach gives them unrivaled space to run and play. Natalia organizes an obstacle course involving various toys and towers of sand which Kimberly and Adeline gleefully run through over and over, pulling Golett along with them. DeAndre drags Galen off on a ?secret mission? after Galen gets scolded for trying to grill a live Krabby. Sorley, helping Matron Bella keep the wind off the grill, can see the two rolling large rocks around some distance away. Samira is definitely keeping an eye on them. Beryl is playing games with the waves under the careful watch of Wigglytuff, running toward the sea as it lets out and shrieking happily as it chases him back inland.

?Sorley.?

?Hm??

?You?re not yourself today.?

That?s Matron Bella, all right- straight to the point. No use trying to evade, either, but that never stops Sorley from trying.

?Am I not??

?You?re worried.?

Sorley waves a hand in dismissal. ?Nah, nah! Adventuring?s going to be fun! Seeing all kind of places, meeting tons of people and Pok?mon-?

?You?re worried about leaving us.?

?Uh-?

?Sorley.?

?I mean- yeah. Yeah. I take care of them all the time. I know! I know you and Miss Samira do too, but- I?ve always been here. They?re always with me.?

?Sorley, look at them.?

As they look over to the girls, Kimberly trips herself and faceplants into the sand. Sorley knows what?s coming. They start to move forward, but Bella stops them. ?Watch.?

Kimberly picks herself up, lip wobbling and tears forming. But before the wail that Sorley is used to pierces the air, Natalia is there. Brushing Kimberly down brusquely, checking her over, patting her back and sending her off. And Kimberly?s tears never fall. Adeline takes her hand and they run off again, laughing as they had been.

?Look again.?

Sorley looks to DeAndre and Galen now, where they are setting rocks in some sort of formation. Galen is getting visibly frustrated trying to move a particularly large one and is looking more and more like he is going to kick it, as he often does when he is irritated. Instead of seeing their little brother hurt himself, though, Sorley sees DeAndre come over and help Galen lift the rock into a different place. And the two are off again, continuing their mission.

?They?ve learned from you.?

?From me??

?Nata and DeAndre are nine now. They?re big kids. They know how to handle their little siblings. They learned that from watching you.?

?But who?s going to protect them? Like the Sandygast-?

?Did you wonder why Wigglytuff has been out, but my Machoke has not??

?Uh-?

?Samira was going to take care of that situation. You were just faster.?

?Oh.?

?You?re valuable, Sorley, and you have done so much good here. But it?s time for you to start your own life. We are going to be just fine.?

Sorley sniffles and rubs their eyes. They?re still refusing to cry. Then Bella hugs them, and they are sobbing.

April 27 Actions

1. Battle Sandygast // +2 levels to Golett // Golett lv 12

MurkMire · Mar 14, 2017

Damien Lalune

Level 18

As Damien continued down Route 14, he looked to his left, seeing the spinning turbines as they spun with the wind. He let the view waiver in his mind before he turned his attention back to the road. When he did, he was hit square in the face with a rock. Right in the noggin. "Yee-owch!" He toppled back, and while holding a hand on the bump, he eyeballed everything around him.

Spinarak, however, was sitting there. It wasn't really paying attention at the moment. However, as he winced in pain, he saw... what looked like a bird with a diaper on it. Made of rock. "Whaa... what is that?" He stood up, and took a better look at the small, bird-like Pokemon. It flapped it's wings as if it was challenging him, and cawed obnoxiously. It definitely looked like it was wearing a diaper, though. But it also looked like a skull, and Damien was already interested in catching this little miscreant of a Pokemon.

Pulling out his Pokedex, he pointed the device towards it, and played the information audio:

Vullaby, the Diapered Pokemon. It can't fly yet and must wait until its wings have developed more. Since it's still at a playful age, it hops around friskily. They tend to guard their posteriors with suitable bones they have found. They pursue weak Pok?mon.

"Well, that's kinda cute, if not weird. Alright Spinarak, care for a battle?" Spinarak, with no hesitation, hopped off his hair. It landed in front of him, opposing the miscreant. Vullaby cawed again, and flapped it's wings, creating a Gust attack. Both Damien and Spinarak were nearly blown off their positions, but Spinarak clung to the ground and his trainer shuffled back. "Urgh... alright, time for some lasting damage! Spinarak, use Infestation!"

Spinarak's body vibrated, with small spider-like creatures appearing out from between his mandibles. The swarming attack skittered towards the Vullaby, and struck. Vullaby halted it's Gust to shake off the attack, but cawed with each painful bite and scratch form the small insects. Damien bounced back, and Spinarak readjusted itself.

"Alright then, now I think we can use a String Shot and Constriction combination!" Spinarak immediately shot a thick String Shot, and after reaching contact, wrapped around the Diapered Pokemon, like a baby in a blanket. So not only was Vullaby taking damage from the Infestation attack, but it was dealing with Constriction from the String Shot. But, with enough struggling, and it's sharp beak, it broke free!

Damien nearly called off another String Shot, but the Vullaby jumped into action, striking the Spinarak with a Fury Attack. Over and over, Vullaby relentlessly struck Spinarak. "Alright, let's try... something else!" "Spinarak, let's turn it around with Poison Sting!" Spinarak opened wide, and fired a round of Poison Sting into the Vullaby's face. It rolled around, cawing in pain.

Shaking off the stingers, Vullaby tried a Leer attack. Spinarak shivered, it's little legs stuttering. "Ugh, time to end this! Let's seal the deal with Double Team!" With a flash, three, then five, then seven Spinarak appeared around the Vullaby. "Vullaaaa?!" It cawed in surprise, eyes wide and unsure what to do.

Damien grinned, and made a final order with, "Now then, Poison Sting again!" All seven opened their mandibles, and fired. With no time, it made heavy contact with the Vullaby, knocking it out cold. "Time to take you in, you little trouble maker."

Damien unclipped an empty Pokeball, and pressed the button with shaking fingers. "Now, time to make it count." He raised his right arm, and chucked it at the Vullaby, with a declaring "Pokeball, go!"

"Vulla-" Almost getting up, it got it's head bonked on the Pokeball with a "thunk," being absorbed into the device. Spinarak sat off to the side, panting from the look of it. Damien stood a couple of feet in front, watching the shaking Pokeball. It shook to one side, then shook to the other. "Why is it so violent?"

*Ding*

At first, Damien walked over, and squatted down to examine the Pokeball. The red light faded from the center button, signifying the capture. "Hehehe. Vullaby is mine!" With a triumphant snatch of the Pokeball and raising it to the heavens, he proclaimed his first capture. Spinarak, however, sat there staring up at his trainer. "Ah, right, lemme fix you up, my partner."

~

After the battle, and after patching up Spinarak, he held up Vullaby's pokeball. "Come out, Vullaby." "Vulla!" Damien was greeted with a furious Fury Attack. "OWOWOWOW, Stop!" Unfortunately, he couldn't shield his face with his arms. Soon after, it hopped away and crossed it's wings with a huff. Spinarak was staring down at the new comrade, silently judging it. Sizing it up. Vullaby just glared back, but cawed at Damien. "Augh, right, here you go," he said as he offered the Diapered pokemon the remaining Pokemon food, and offered to heal too. "Vull... Vulla...." It fidgeted with contemplation, whether it should accept or not. However....

With a snatch, Vullaby gobbled up the Pokemon food. And after finishing that food, Vullaby reluctantly sat down in front of Damien, twinging in pain. Vullaby shot another glare at the Spinarak, still staring. "Don't move, okay?" He sprayed on the wings first, then applied it by hand across her head. "Grr... grr...." Vullaby grumbled and pouted as it was practically being babied by Damien, but complied, still feeling the pain from the battle. "Little brat you are, eh?" Damien said with a grin. Picking her up, the Vullaby shook in protest, but met her trainer's eyes and paused. The amber quivered as it met his grey eyes. "Now, who's a little imp? Is it you? Yes it is!" Damien playfully "juggled" the Diapered Pokemon. Vulll-Vullaby!"

"Peck, peck, peck, peck, peck," the sound of Vullaby's beak beating her trainer on the forehead could be heard. He groaned in pain, and gently set her down. "Alright, that'll take some time. Come along, why don't we all go together?" No answer came from Spinarak, of course, but Vullaby hopped up, and waddled next to her new trainer.

Soon enough, after the bumps on his forehead formed and the bleeding stopped, he and his Pokemon reached Route 13, seemingly treacherous and steep. One wrong move could cause a painful tumble. The paths were narrow, but not as dangerous as first thought. "Now, just a steady course, o-" But no, the Vullaby marched in front, and waddled her way down the path. She clucked with each step, happily marching along.

"Snuuuuubbull" Something small and pink rolled into Vullaby, knocking her on the ground. It appeared to be a Snubbull that was very... hostile. Vullaby rolled back up, and squawked at the Snubbull, jumping to Damien's front. She looked back at him with a glare, a look of waiting for him to battle. "Well, I'm not sure why the Pokemon here are so violent, but let's go. Use Leer!" Vullaby eyed the Snubbull, and leered at him with great intensity.

Snubbull shivered and hopped back, but retaliated with a Scary Face. The two made the same faces at each other, amusing Damien greatly. He chuckled for a few moments before he woke up, and called out, "Now, let's try a Gust attack!" Vullaby flapped it's little wings fervently, creating a mean gust of wind being blown at the Snubbull. "Snuuubb...Snuub!" It rolled back, and bonked it's head on a rock, knocking it out in the process. "Err... well, that was definitely a victory. Heheheh," he chuckled, the Vullaby clucking with him as if she laughed with him. She waddled over, and kicked dirt onto the unconscious Snubbull, only to waddle back.

She looked up at her trainer, and clucked with a "Vulla-by! Vull-a!" "You're saying let's go, right?" Vullaby nodded, hopping and flapping. "Alright, brat, let's go."

And so, Damien and his Pokemon Spinarak and Vullaby, continued down Route 13. He was careful of anymore territorial Pokemon, or any trainers that may come his way.

Actions:
#2 - Catch a pok?mon (if there was a battle leading up to the capture, levels gained accordingly. No need to wait for approval; you may capture pok?mon in any way you like) +2 Levels(?)
#3 - Move to a new area (Route 14 > Route 13)
#4 - Battle a Wild Pokemon (+2 levels)

Spinarak went up by 2 levels! Spinarak is level 20!
Spinarak can now learn Shadow Sneak! Spinarak forgot Nightshade, and learned Shadow Sneak!

Vullaby went up by 2 levels! Vullaby is level 10!
Vullaby learned Pluck!

moon · Mar 15, 2017

PAIGE

The sand was soft between her toes, and made her skin glisten in the sunlight. The water was still too cold at this time of year to swim in, at least according to Paige. Trapinch seemed to agree, and simply buried himself in the sand pretty far away from the water's edge. He looked like a large, brown egg there in the sunshine, his eyes barely visible above the ground. Electrike was more antsy, still.

The electric dog had been barking at the water for many minutes now, after they had finished their meal. He hadn't seemed so aggressive before, so Paige wondered what was triggering him. Suddenly, she saw something glimmering in the water near a rock. Electrike growled and his hair stood on end all of a sudden.

She marched up to him, which seemed to cause something, or somebody, to splash around in the water ahead.

"Who's there?" Paige called out, stopping when the sea wetted her soles.

For a few seconds, everything was silent and calm again. But then, a human shot up from the water, jumping up to sit on the rock. He was dressed in a wetsuit, wearing diver's goggles and snorkel, as well as a smile that made Paige feel uneasy.

"Relax," he said when he saw her reaction. "I was just swimming around and saw your little meal and thought you looked cute."

"You..." She had to take a moment to take in his words. "You were watching me eating with my pok?mon?"

"You looked like you were having a good time! And training so hard earlier too, you really deserved it."

"Just how long have you been watching us?" Paige roared, putting her hands on her hips.

"What, you don't like being looked at? I think you do. Else you wouldn't walk around with that fancy hair color and necklaces, and keeping your pok?mon out in the open-"

"Electrike, Thunder Wave!"

Electrike merely blinked and then seemed to almost shrug, before he with a bark sent out a shockwave that made the guy squeak loudly when it hit him. He tumbled off the rock, back into the water.

For a few seconds, not a sound or movement was heard again. A few seconds more. Then it hit her.

"Oh god, it might have paralyzed him, and he fell into the... Oh no!"

She hurriedly tossed aside her shirt and jeans, before she ran out into the water, diving down to where the guy had fallen, a few meters out. It wasn't more than a meter deep, luckily, and she found his body immediately. It was quite the effort to pull him up onto the beach, Electrike helping minimally by biting into his wetsuit and almost piercing it with his teeth.

It wasn't until she turned him over on his back that she realized he wasn't unconscious after all. He seemed to have been holding his breath underwater, and was just slightly pale now. He sure didn't look arrogant anymore though. Seeing that he seemed unharmed, Paige's concern disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"I hope you learned your lesson!" she snapped as she got up and picked her jeans up, regretting terribly that they were now sandy and her skin wet. This fueled her bad mood even more.

"I'm sorry," came, rather weakly, from the guy behind her. He was now sitting up, glancing nervously at the growling Electrike who seemed to take it upon himself to be a shield between the humans for now. "Let me lend you a dry towel? I have my bag at the other end of the beach, it's not far."

Paige grunted, but gestured for him to take the lead. She returned Trapinch to the pok?ball (he had been sleeping in the sand throughout the commotion) and picked her own bag up before she and her feline partner followed the strange diver through the sand. She made it very clear that if he as much as glanced at her legs now that she was pants-less, she would put him back underwater again.

He hadn't been lying, at least. His stuff sat neatly next to a bike, and she was given a big, almost warm towel to dry the water and sand off with. When she was finally dressed again, and the guy had also changed into a bright t-shirt, dark bomber jacket, black jeans and blue sneakers, he finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I was just joking around, you know? You're a pretty girl, come on. And you seemed like a battler too; how could I not want to watch you for a while?"

There was a faint smile on his face, but not quite as arrogant as earlier. Paige decided to relax a bit. After all, she had been the one to put him in danger, while he had been pretty helpful and harmless so far. Not all human guys were douchebags. Some were completely fine... Like Damien.

"Fine. I'm Paige. Who are you?"

He seemed to really light up at her change in attitude. His face did look a tad bit sleezy, she thought. But judging people by the looks was bad, she had been told her whole life. His black hair wasn't very long, the fringe combed back by his hand now, in its seawatery state. The skin was darker than hers, certainly more because of genes than a tan, and his brown eyes and ultra wide smile looked pretty much like a commercial.

Personality, not appearances, she reminded herself.

"I'm Joshua. I'm a battler too."

That finally caught her attention properly. "You are?"

"Well... I'd like to be. Others don't want me to. I couldn't just head over to Fuchsia and get a pok?mon from that professor, but I can battle in my free time. Well. When nobody sees, at least. So don't tell anybody in Rose Village! Alright?"

She narrowed her eyes and glanced at Electrike, who seemed to have grown bored with being wary and started casually scratching himself behind the ear instead.

"I'll keep your secret... If you battle us!"

"Ouch. I'm terrified of that little creature now. You sure you want to terrorize me like that? Could you use your other pok?mon instead, maybe?" he said, with a very pleading face.

"Sorry. I think Trapinch is sleeping, and I wouldn't pull him out of that just to force him to battle." While that was true, she also would enjoy terrorizing him a bit more.

He didn't seem pleased at all, but reluctantly agreed and put some space between them.

"Okay buddy, let's show them what we've got. Major, go!"

What materialized on the 'battlefield' was a Poliwag. It looked very jolly, even when the electric dog stepped up in front of its trainer to be the water type's opponent. No sign of intimidation at all. In only a few moments, Paige found herself even more intrigue by the pok?mon than by its trainer.

The battle was surprisingly long. Still not actually long, or particularly gruesome. But longer than Joshua seemed to have anticipated. He realized quickly that Electrike didn't know many electric moves, and started going out very offensively with Poliwag's Water Gun. Luckily, Electrike was rather quick at jumping aside, even after the tadpole used Water Sport to make the terrain even more bothersome for both Electrike and his trainer to run around in.

Electrike manage to use a Thunder Wave to paralyze the Poliwag in place, but just when it seemed like they might be able to tackle their way to victory, Poliwag used Hypnosis. The already overworked dog was too easily affected by it, and fell into a deep slumber immediately. Laughing at the turn, Joshua called out for a final Water Gun to properly knock the opponent out...

But Paige ran up and called out for it to end, before the attack could be delivered. Just like in the battle against Damien, she saw no reason to continue now. Her opponent would win without question, and she didn't want to expose her pok?mon to pain unnecessarily. She picked up the sleeping puppy and gave it a hug, even if he probably didn't notice it, before she returned him to his pok?ball.

"That was... different," Joshua commented, walking up to her. "You gave up."

"It was over," Paige shrugged.

"You don't even seem disappointed."

"Eh, we'll get stronger. This was great practice!"

Joshua snickered and shook his head. "That's not a great thinking for a good battler. You need to push and be daring in order to win. What if the Water Gun hadn't knocked Electrike out, but instead woken it up?"

Paige considered it for a moment, letting her gaze wander from the trainer to the blue pok?mon on the ground. It was looking up at her with an expectant smile. Smiling back, she bent down and patted its head. The skin was slimy but strangely warm against hers. The wind and involuntary dip into the ocean had cooled her down, and she realized she was actually shivering.

"Maybe next time, we'll push harder. Maybe," she simply said, standing back up. "Your pok?mon is really nice."

"Thank you! We've been buddies for a long time now."

"But he hasn't evolved?"

"Well... If he did, people would notice I was battling, wouldn't they?" Joshua said, twisting his hands a bit.

"I suppose. You don't have it easy, do you?"

"Haha, don't worry about me! What about you? You look super cold. Maybe we should get you to Rose Village! There's a pok?mon center where you can rest your Electrike up, too."

"Sounds like a plan!" Paige said.

She wasn't sure of this guy yet, but there wasn't really any point in holding a grudge or being suspicious for no good reason.

Actions
#3 Battle a trainer
Electrike +3 >>> Lv 9

Aquacorde · Mar 20, 2017

Sorley + Golett
April 27 // Familiar, But Not Too Familiar

Route 15 is not an unfamiliar place. Well, the first half of it isn't. Well… the first half of the designated road isn't. Sorley is quickly realizing a fair few things about Route 15, and the most obvious is that the matrons had always taken them out here on nice days.

The biting wind only gains strength as the afternoon wears on, catching Sorley's baggy clothes and giant backpack, whipping the occasional untethered Hoppip past them. After nearly an hour of such torture, Sorley can no longer stand it and abruptly leaves the road to seek shelter in a small grove of trees.

"I know I have pants in this backpack somewhere- ooh, and scarves, yes! And a hat- why do I have a hat? I can never fit them over my hair. Golett! Here, wear this hat. And… this scarf for you, and this one for me, and… oh right, I'm looking for pants. Ummm…"

By the time Sorley locates a pair of pants to swap with their shorts, half the contents of their backpack are strewn over the ground. While Sorley haphazardly shovels their supplies back into the bag, Golett carefully places the beanie on their head and tries to pick up the scarf. It's held back by some thin vines, and as Golett tries to step forward to free it, they realize that they too are held in place. Their quiet noise of surprise alerts Sorley.

"What's wrong- oh, you're stuck? Wow, you really got tangled up; they're not moving at all- oh! Oh boy now they are! How are they moving?!"

A hiss from below draws their eyes to meet the gaze of a very small but apparently very angry Pokémon slithering its way out from the mat of vines. It is quickly joined by another, and another, and soon the entire forest floor is carpeted in Bellsprout, glaring daggers at the intruders.

"Oh boy oh boy uhhh- use Rollout!" The spin begins slowly again, but the momentum builds enough so that the vines holding them down snap and Golett rolls out of the clearing, Sorley right behind and Bellsprout swarming after them. Rollout creates an easy path for Sorley run through, and the pair are much faster than the Bellsprout. Sorley sees them falling back to their grove in defeat. Golett pops out of the spin when they hit the main road and carefully brushes off their hat.

"That could have gone much worse. We'd better be more careful where we step!"

A hiss is all the warning they get before a lone Bellsprout leaps out of the grass, smacking Golett with the thin vines. Golett gives its attacker a hefty kick and it is caught by the howling wind, rather sadly flailing as it is blown back toward Fuschia.

---

The thing about the setting sun is that once you notice that it's setting, it takes no time at all for darkness to roll on in. Sorley noticed it twenty minutes ago and now it's getting hard to see. Golett is leading, the warm glow spilling from the chinks in its rocky form lighting the road at least under their feet.

"We're really close to the campgrounds, I'm sure of it! Keep looking for a sign that says "Pomeg Trail"- wait, can you read? I don't actually know if Pokémon can read. I mean, you don't get lessons or anything, so you probably can't. But can you learn? I think you can! We should try-- ow!"

Golett turns to see Sorley rubbing their shoulder, having glanced off a pole stuck in the ground. Their eyes pan upward and illuminate a sign affixed near the top of said pole. Golett points, Sorley reads.

"Hey, that's- wow, we wouldn't have found it if I didn't run into it. That's lucky!" They turn into the little path, trying with little success to avoid being smacked in the face by overhanging branches. Golett follows impassively, trudging along slowly until suddenly they run into Sorley's back.

"Lexi!"

Golett peers around Sorley to see a small campsite occupied by a lone person stirring something over a small fire. The person starts at Sorley's cry, nearly knocking over their dinner.

"Sorley? What on earth- why are you all the way out here?"

"I'm on a journey now, I guess! It's weird to say that. I just left earlier and I'm not even very far. Does it count as a journey if I've been here before?"

Lexi laughs as Sorley and Golett join her at the campfire. "I think it's the intention that makes it a journey, not the area. Did you get a Pokémon from Professor Oak, then?"

"Nah, nah, from Professor Cypress. She was really nice! She picked out Golett for me after we talked for a while and she talked about working with my Pokémon to develop Aura. I don't really get it but she just said to try my best to bond with my Pokémon and see if anything weird happens."

"Ooh, that's neat. Pretty low-pressure, too. Your goal is basically just 'make some friends'!"

"Yeah, yeah! It's pretty great. I haven't thought about catching other Pokémon yet but it might get harder to make friends with all of them if there are a bunch, so maybe I should focus on Golett for now."

"As if you've ever had trouble making friends!"

Sorley shrugs and glances away. "It feels different now that that's my goal, though."

"Don't worry about it being your goal. Just do what you usually do." Lexi's always been easygoing. Sorley appreciates that. "Did Cypress say anything about having to battle?"

"I mean, she says I'm a battler now. I guess that means I have to."

"Aw, it's not such a big deal! People mostly just do it to help their Pokémon hone their skills. Winning and losing doesn't matter so much. Even when Pokémon lose, they still get exercise and experience."

"I guess so."

"We can battle tomorrow if you want. Just to practise! You trust me, right?"

"Yeah. Wait, tomorrow?"

"Well, it's better to battle when we can see what we're doing! You can stay here tonight- I've already got camp set up. And-" Lexi tastes her cooking. "-dinner's ready! I'll trade you a bowl of curry for some of your kickass trail mix."

"Ooh, that's a deal!"

April 27 Actions

2. Move to Rt 15
3. Battle Bellsprout // +2 levels to Golett // Golett lv 14 // Golett learns Shadow Punch

Groc · Mar 21, 2017

Elise Greene

After healing up Ray, Elise set off down the road again. She took the time to look through her Pokedex and study up on her Pokémons' moves. Considering their relative levels of experience, it didn't take long to learn them all. "I guess you guys are still new to fighting, so you haven't mastered many of your techniques yet. I can relate..." She put her Pokedex away, following the road as she lost herself in thought.

Ray meowed in curiosity, smiling up at her. "Oh, I was just thinking. The Professor said we should study aura and the affects it has on Pokémon, but I don't know the first thing about it. I guess I should look around Lavender City when we get there, see if I can find any books on the subject. I'm sure Professor Cyprus would have read them already, but I'll have to start from scratch if I'm going to learn anything new." Ray purred, either unaware or uncaring of what Elise was talking about.

"But until then, we need to get you into shape!" Elise scratched Ray's stomach as she teased him. "According to my Pokedex, you should have some fantastic powers at your disposal, but all you do is pounce on things!" She let Ray down so he could walk beside her. "Well, you do that thing with your eyes, and can emit light from your tail, but that's just the beginning! We've only scratched the surface of what you can do, so let's get to it!" Ray meowed, and Elise giggled as her face heated up. "I almost sounded like a real trainer there, didn't I?"

A cool breeze gently picked up, which Elise turned to face, closing her eyes and enjoying it. "I guess I am a real trainer now. And I feel good!" She opened her eyes, just in time to see something pink hurtling toward her face. She yelped in surprise and spun around, causing whatever it was to smack off the back of her head. It didn't hurt much, and it floated to the ground at her feet. She looked down at it, wondering what it was and who had thrown it.

It turned out to be a Hoppip, carried by the ocean breeze. It bounced when it landed, blissfully unaware that it had hit something, and trying to catch another breeze to carry it away. Ray's eyes grew wide as he watched it bounce along the road, and he looked to Elise for permission to play with it. "Oh, fine. If you can catch it, you can fight it." She took out her Pokedex as Ray chased after Hoppip. It described Hoppip's aimless bouncing as a Splash attack, a technique that served no purpose other than expending energy. It "Splash"ed off the ground again, looking for a breeze, when Ray pounced and Tackled it to the ground.

Elise jogged over to the pair, surprised to see them both smiling like fools. "Ray, you should start with a Leer." Ray grinned as he looked into Hoppip's eyes, using his hypnotic eyes. Hoppip turned away and... uh... wagged its tail at him. The hypnotic motion put Ray off guard, while Elise consulted her Pokedex. "That was Tail Whip? But it barely has a tail! Ray, I suggest you blind it with Flash." Ray nodded, turning and shaking his tail at Hoppip, along with a dazzling beam of light. Hoppip bounced into the air, accomplishing nothing. "Okay, this fight is kind of awkward and embarrassing... Ray, use Tackle!"

Ray pounced at Hoppip, batting at it with his paw and knocking it out of the air. It bounced off the ground and toward Ray, sailing right over his head. Fearing that it would hit her again, Elise froze up, watching it careen toward her. Ray didn't wait for a command, and rammed headfirst into Hoppip, sending it over Elise's head. He wasn't smiling anymore, concerned for his trainer. Hoppip fell to the ground and bounced, apparently forgetting about Ray and Elise.

"Okay, we need to leave now!" Elise half-shrieked, fighting to get her breathing under control. Ray looked over at Hoppip, with its pointless bouncing and happy face, and frowned. The normally Jolly Shinx suddenly felt fiercely protective of his pet human, and resolved to drive off the smiling buffoon that had scared her. He charged in, leaping up and knocking Hoppip headfirst into the road, probably giving it a concussion. Rather than play with his toy, he smacked it away, where a stiff breeze lifted it up and carried it away. Satisfied that it was in no condition to fight, he went and sat by Elise, purring loudly.

Ray's presence helped ease Elise out of her panic attack, for which she hugged him close. "Thank you, Ray. I really don't like battles. I'm glad I have you here to protect me." Ray meowed, as if to say 'Any time'.

After regaining her composure, Elise led Ray off the scenic route and onto the main highway. They were less likely to encounter Pokémon up here, and would get to Rose Town faster than taking the hiking trail. Elise looked at Ray, noticing his healthy aura, and resolved to work harder to overcome her fears. The road took a left turn, and Elise found herself heading North onto Route 14.

Actions taken:
#3: Fought a wild Pokémon (Shinx level up +2=8->10)
Ray learned Charge!
#4: Moved location (Route 15 -> Route 14)

moon · Mar 23, 2017

Route 12
starting April 28 ic / March 23 ooc

Reaching north of Route 13's eastern end is several kilometers of bridges lining the Kanto coast; this is Route 12, or the Kanto Waterways as it's sometimes called. There are no beaches, and the coast is very rugged and overgrown so instead, people travel on man-made bridges to get from Rose Village to Lavender Town. Since the waters are very deep even close to the coast, a lot of exotic water pok?mon come in. Here and there, there are fishing huts and small holiday houses. The weather is most often rainy for some reason though, so it's not an overly popular resort spot, compared to Cinnabar or Cerulean City. It is, however, the most prominent fishing spot of the whole region!

What to do here?

- There are wild pok?mon! Mostly in the deep water, but some come up to visit the bridges sometimes.

- There are trainers! Fishermen, scuba divers, researchers, eccentric old people on holiday...

- The closest pok?mon centers are in Rose Village (on Route 13) or in Lavender Town. It's not impossible that you can heal up in some kind fisherperson's hut though.

- Spend one action to learn about fishing from some NPC on the route! They will give you an Old Rod.

- Remember you have max 7 actions for 2 ooc weeks... Choose what pok?mon you want to capture, and when it's worth spending an action to battle trainers or each other instead!

- It will likely be possible to move on to a new area on April 29 ic / April 5 ooc! Get your April 28 actions in before then - but feel free to stay for more than one IC day in any area you wish.

Wild pok?mon

Slowpoke Lv 9-10 // Tackle - Curse - Yawn - Growl - Water Gun

Tentacool Lv 9-10 // Poison Sting - Supersonic - Constrict - Acid

Qwilfish Lv 9-10 // Water Gun - Spikes - Poison Sting - Tackle - Harden - Minimize

Mantyke Lv 9-10 // Tackle - Supersonic - Bubblebeam - Bubble

Corsola Lv 9-10 // Tackle - harden - Bubble - Recover - Bubble Beam

Ducklett Lv 9-10 // Water Gun - Water Sport - Defog - Wing Attack

Special pok?mon

Available only if you obtain an Old Rod!

Goldeen Lv 9-10 // Peck - Tail Whip - Supersonic - Water Sport - Horn Attack

Horsea Lv 9-10 // Bubble - Smokescreen - Leer

Remoraid Lv 9-10 // Water Gun - Lock-on - Psybeam

Spoiler:

moon · Mar 28, 2017

PAIGE

Route 13
Joshua had led Paige to Rose Village, a small settlement just north of the cliffs lining Route 13's coast. She had never been there before, despite its closeness to Fuchsia City. In the very picturesque and calm village, Paige enjoyed a break from the wilderness and welcomed a chance to sleep under a roof again, in the town's pokémon center. She tried to bide farewell to Joshua, who seemed reluctant to let her go. Thinking she had judged him too harshly before after all, she finally agreed to meet him for breakfast at a small café down the street.

After a night where both trainer and pokémon slept soundly, tired after being new to traveling on foot, they gathered at the quaint café that was pointed out the night before. It was chilly, so Paige opted for an indoors table. She peered through the window for Joshua to come around, while her pokémon displayed various behaviors from the floor to indicate their state of hunger. She gave up when Electrike even jumped up in her lap to get her attention, and ordered some pokémon food for him and Trapinch.

Just when she was about to cave in and buy some tea for herself, Joshua sprung into the restaurant. A wide, slightly crazy grin was on his face, and the Poliwag was clutched in his arms, looking slightly bewildered.

"What happened?" Paige asked hesitantly when he came up to her table.

"I did it!"

"Did what?"

"Told my family I was going to be a battler."

Her eyebrows shot up, and she only then noticed the backpack he wore.

"How... Did they react?"

"Got angry. I got a bit angry too. But I left, and here I am now. Ready to go! Just need some coffee and proper breakfast first."

He sat down, placing Major down next to Paige's pokémon and waving to the skeptical waitress behind the counter.

Paige just watched him for a moment, not sure of what to say. He was excited, full of energy. She realized that he had changed his life, his whole future, with just a few words this morning. Had they been deliberate and well thought out? Or just spur of the moment? She didn't know him well enough to take a qualified guess. Glancing down at Major, she could tell the little guy was certainly a bit confused and surprised, but not necessarily upset. Electrike growled slightly when the Poliwag approached his dish, but Trapinch seemed to shrug before he pushed his own dish over to the water pokémon, who gladly accepted the offering.

"So where will you go?"

"Oh, I don't know really. I suppose I need a map, don't I? Haha." He leaned over the table and caught her eyes with his own intense pools of brown. "Or a companion with a plan!"

"Companion?" She felt confused, but felt some kind of alarm start to ring inside of her.

"I'll go with you, of course!" he said, as if it had been obvious. "You're bound for the gym in Lavender, aren't you? I'll need to train a lot on Route 12 to have a chance to beat that of course, heh."

She hadn't noticed herself leaning back from him until she almost tipped the chair over backwards now. "I don't have a travel partner," stumbled out of her.

"So the spot is vacant then," Joshua said with a wink, clearly not having taken the hint yet.

"Pokémon are the only partners I need," she said, no wink on her face or trace of a joke in her voice.

His smile froze slightly and he straightened up, as it seemed to start to dawn on him what she was getting at.

"You would rather travel alone? Through Kanto? Won't that get boring?"

"Traveling isn't boring, nor is battling. And I have my pokémon," she said, not looking at him. This was slightly awkward, wasn't it? What if the thing that had spurred him to finally break routine and proclaim himself as a battler was the thought that he might be able to travel with her?

After a few silent seconds, she dared to look back up at him, and her stomach sank when she could see her worries confirmed in his expression.

"You're ditching me?"

"I never said I wanted to travel with you! I haven't said anything."

"Fine then. Major!" He got up, and his pokémon exchanged a nervous look with Trapinch before it scuttled off to Joshua's side. "We're leaving, then. I'm going to become a battler without help. Without a companion."

Paige felt the world start to swirl around her. She hadn't asked for this, and wasn't sure how to react to her new acquaintance being upset like this. Not even a day ago, she had thought this could turn out to be an uncomplicated human with whom she could have an uncomplicated acquaintanceship. Friendship, even. But humans weren't uncomplicated.

"Congratulations, Paige Perrary. You have gotten yourself a rival."

She heard the little bell on the front door jingle as he left, but all she could look at was the lines in the wooden table in front of her.

"Tea?"

The voice came from the lady in the coffeeshop, who actually sounded a bit more concerned than skeptical.

"No thanks," Paige managed to say. "I... I think I'll need some coffee today."

Not two days into her journey, and she already had a rival. Joshua Stones, the battler.

MurkMire · Apr 2, 2017

Damien Lalune

Spoiler:

Damien swiftly made his way through Route 13 after the events that he dealt with, and passed through Rose Village with no real need to stop anywhere. Eventually, he met Route 12, a series of man-made bridges that led travelers between Rose Village and Lavender Town. It wasn't long that Damien walked down the bridge before he felt something graze over his head, as something flew over him. "Woah, holy fu-" "Quaack, quack-quack-quack-quack!" Damien turned, and saw a gaggle of Ducklett hanging out on the posts that lined the bridge. There were three of them, squawking as they laughed.

Damien felt a tinge of anger, and looked over to his Spinarak partner. "Ready for a battle, partner? You'll team up with our new Vullaby friend." Spinarak hopped immediately to his post, ready to fight. Unclipping a pokeball, Damien called out, "Vullaby, let's go!" As she materialized from the light of the pokeball, she cawed at the trouble-making Ducklett. All three of which seemed ready for a tussle themselves. But before they all flew in, one of them slapped both of his fellow Ducklett. "Quack, quaaack!" He glared at both of them, and pointed to Damien's Pokemon, then looked back at his buddies. He held up two "fingers" on each wing, showing that though they were pranksters, they weren't cowards and needed to fight fair.
The Ducklett on the left seemed to quack angrily, probably asking how to determine who goes to battle. Damien and Vullaby, however, looked on in confusion. This was… definitely a sight to see. Spinarak simply stared at the three blankly, just as it always does. Before long, the third one raised it's wing, and suggested something to the other two Ducklett. First, a closed fist, then an open one, and by the third gesture… Damien tried to hold in a snicker. They were going to decide with rock, paper, scissors. The trainer stood idly by and watched the Ducklett figure out the debacle. Spinarak sat quietly while Vullaby tapped her toes impatiently, wings crossed and watching with a pout.

One, two, three! The middle Ducklett and the Ducklett on the right both drew scissors after a third attempt, while the last held up paper. It gaped a mouth open, and squawked in misery. "You ready yet? I'm getting a little antsy here, like my Pokemon," Damien scoffed as he tapped his foot as well. The Ducklett that had won jumped down to the opposite side of Spinarak and Vullaby. "Alright, Spinarak, Shadow Sneak! Vullaby, use Leer!" Vullaby's amber eyes gleamed at the two Ducklett, making them shudder before Spinarak's shadow struck one of them. It knocked the Ducklett back, forcing it into the air. The second one fired a Water Gun attack, making contact on Vullaby. "Vullll!" The Diapered Pokemon rolled back, and nearly fell of the edge, had Damien himself not dropped behind to catch her.

"Hey Vullaby, you okay?" Damien looked down, and saw Vullaby's in tears and a small smile. But, she immediately hopped out of his arms, and cawed louder than before. Getting back up on his feet, Damien shouted out, "All right! Now, use Gust, Vullaby! Spinarak, use Poison Sting!"

Spinarak fired off a Poison Sting on the second Ducklett, and before they could retaliate, Vullaby whipped up a hearty Gust attack, knocking them against the posts on the bridge. The attacks had knocked them out, both cold. The last Ducklett gasped, and raved at how badly Desmond and his Pokemon beat down his buddies. It quacked and squawked at him for a one on one match.

Vullaby cawed, and hopped in front of Spinarak, eager to battle the remaining Ducklett alone. "Hmmf...
alright partner, come back. Let's let Vullaby have this one." Spinarak complied, and scuttled back to his trainer, crawling up to his shoulder to watch Vullaby battle.

The sea waves rushed beneath the bridge, the wind blew calmly. Both Ducklett and Vullaby held eye contact. Suddenly, the Ducklett flapped it's wings and took to the air. Then, it fired a Water Gun attack.
"Alright Vullaby, dodge it!" Vullaby, using the skull diaper, rolled from one side, then to the other to avoid the second Water Gun. Ducklett, out of anger, immediately swooped down towards Vullaby with open wings. "Vullaby, get ready for a Fury Attack!" Vullaby held her place, waiting for Ducklett to come in close. And as Ducklett tried to smack her with a Wing Attack, she hopped and grounded the Water Bird pokemon. It struggled and fought, but Vullaby mercilessly pecked and pounded on the Ducklett with no pause. She fought much harder than before.

She hopped back, off of the Ducklett. However... the Ducklett wasn't able to immediately take flight again. It slowly got up, only for Damien to call out, "Now, let's finish this with a Gust attack!" Vullaby flapped her wings with all her might, and once again, blew Ducklett into his friends, knocking him out cold as well. "Vullaby, you did it!" Damien hopped for joy, and picked up his Diapered pokemon. She squawked for joy, and hugged back.

After that, Damien allowed Vullaby to walk alongside him and Spinarak, as they continued down Route 12.

Actions:
1. Move to a new area. Route 13 -> Route 12
2. Battle a wild Pokemon (+1 levels to each of your battling pokémon)

Spinarak's level is too high! Spinarak did not level up.

Vullaby's level went up by 2! Vullaby is now level 12!

FireSnow · Apr 2, 2017

Martin Lovett

After catching Rufflet and nicknaming the hungry bird Mickey, Martin made his way to Rose Village quickly. It was a quaint little place and Martin felt very at peace there. After spending the night at Pokemon Center and healing his Pokemon he set out towards route 13. Making his way along the cliffs and its pathways, Martin had to battle through a couple of surprisingly aggressive wild Pokemon. What was their deal? After gaining his wits about him, Mickey and Jolou were able to defeat the Wingull and Poliwag.

After finally making through the route 13, Martin could see the beautiful route 12 and its seaside setting. Figuring it was as good a spot as any for a rest, Martin and his partners set up camp for the night on top of the last cliff, overlooking the route. His last image was of the moon shining brightly as the waves crashed against the shore before nodding off for the night.

Actions:
#1 Battled a Wild Pokemon
- +1 level to Rufflet and Bellsprout
Bellsprout -> lvl 10
Rufflet -> lvl 9

#2 Moved to new area, Route 12

Aquacorde · Apr 3, 2017

Sorley + Golett
April 28 // New Places, New Faces

"Leave no trace" is a popular motto amongst trainers, championed by rangers and other ecological scientists. Unfortunately, it is fairly easy to discern what happened at this particular campsite.

In addition to a trail of rice and a granola bar wrapper, clear evidence of a battle is scattered around the area. Two trainers faced each other, that much is certain- this was no scuffle involving wild Pokémon. Tracks in the grass easily betray a Golett, though it is only on close examination that its opponent can be confirmed as a Shroomish. The Golett appears to have stayed in essentially one place during this encounter, which may indicate a less experienced trainer. The ground where it stood is littered with tiny seeds- Leech Seed was a component in this battle. Some have been scooped up with a handful of mud, though the purpose of that maneuver is unclear. The Shroomish tracks come right up to the Golett footprints, but are overlapped on the right side of the prints by a distinct imprint of a Shroomish body. The Golett most likely punched it directly into the ground. There is also a ring of yellowish powder in about a two-foot radius, excepting the point of contact between the ground and the Shroomish as well as a distinct silhouette where Golett stood. The Stun Spores are also packed into the dirt at a point just in front of the Golett footprints- it looks as if the Golett fell to one knee as it was paralyzed.

Though there is no further evidence of battle, leaving a public site in this condition is considered rather rude.

---

Taking the ranger trails through the forest, about an hour's walk drops Sorley, Golett, and Lexi smack dab in the middle of Route 14's main road. The morning haze has burnt away quickly, and weather is far more pleasant here than Route 15, due to the hills blocking the ocean breezes.

"Seriously dude, what were you even going to do if you hadn't found me last night?"

"Um… sleep on the ground?"

"Without a sleeping bag? In that wind?" Sorley winces at Lexi's chastising. "And what about when you woke up at four in the morning covered in a layer of dew, freezing out of your skin?"

"Camping gear doesn't really grow on trees," they reply gloomily.

Silence reigns for a few moments. A Rufflet flaps away hurriedly as Sorley nearly steps on it.

"Sorry."

"It's fine."

"I just get worried…"

"Yeah."

Before Lexi can say anything else, the underbrush in front of them explodes.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" it screeches. Golett is unperturbed, but Sorley and Lexi jump out of their skin. "I can't believe such rudeness! Such insolence!"

As the bush continues its dramatic rant, waving its branches around menacingly, it becomes more apparent that it is not, in fact, some type of sentient plant. It is a human clad in an elaborate disguise- just taller than Lexi, and rather rotund.

Lexi narrows her eyes. "What are you even yelling about?"

"I can't believe a ranger such as yourself would allow this to happen! That you would be the cause of such a travesty- inconceivable! How could you--"

He is cut off by Lexi pulling him in by the collar. "What. The hell. Are you. Talking about?!"

The man wilts for a second, but rallies quickly. "You two scared off the beautiful Rufflet I was watching! I'll never get another chance to see one in person. I can't believe such a terrible thing has happened to me-"

Lexi pushes him away roughly and begins to walk away, Sorley and Golett at her heels. "That's the worst reason to scream at strangers I've ever heard. Rufflet aren't even rare here."

"Hey- you can't just walk away after what you've done to me!"

"Oh yes I can!"

"No you can't! I- I challenge you! Come back and battle me!"

"Nope!"

"Not you, the other kid!" Sorley turns. "Yeah, you! You scared away my lovely Rufflet, so you're gonna pay!"

Lexi sighs. "You don't have to battle, Sorley."

"Yeah but…he yelled at you."

"It's not a big deal. I can't take him seriously after all that anyway."

"It could be good practise, too."

"He weirds me out though, dude. Who knows what he'll want from you if you lose?"

A flash of light brings a Litten to the man's side. "Come on! My little girl will show you who's in the right!"

Lexi actually laughs. "Oh, damn. You know what, Sorley? Go for it. That Litten shouldn't be a problem for Golett at all."

"Well… you heard her, Golett! Let's go!"

Litten growls as Golett approaches. Golett pauses briefly, then rushes forward to astonish her. She starts, but rallies with a scratch at Golett's eyes that does… nothing. Golett slams a fist into Litten's head; her eyes flash and a mouthful of flames latches onto Golett's arm. It waves its arms around in a slight panic, looking to Sorley for help.

"Beat out the flames!"

Golett complies, beating its flaming arm- with Litten still attached- into the dirt. Litten finally releases the hold as she is smeared through the dirt, but takes the opportunity to lick Golett's leg and darts away. Golett tries to pursue, but its leg is dead weight.

"She's paralyzed its leg," A hint of worry tinges Lexi's words.

Sorley shrugs. "Golett doesn't usually chase after anyone anyway. Mud Slap!"

Golett scoops a handful of dirt from the road and heaves it at Litten, hitting it squarely in the forehead as it comes in for another attack. Litten is knocked off course and as she completely misses Golett, Golett swings a fist covered in ghostly aura to send Litten flying back to her trainer.

"My baby girl!" The man scoops up his Litten, cradling her gently even as he yells at Sorley. "I'll never forget this injustice! You'll see me again- and I'll get my revenge!"

He backs away into the underbrush once more, leaving Sorley rather dumbfounded. Lexi tosses a few berries to Golett. "Eat those; one's for your leg and the other's for health. Just like when we battled earlier."

Golett nods and begins munching on the fruit. Sorley shakes themselves out of their stupor. "Is that… is that a common way to act? For trainers?"

"Um. No. Not at all."

---

The push for renewable energy all across Kanto and need for a plant dedicated to more than just the monorail has led to the recent development of the new complex on Route 14. Springing up alongside it, first housing construction teams and now plant employees, is Rose Village. Lexi is one of the few to live in Rose who are not employed by the plant.

"Farha's an engineer at the plant- I met her when a bunch of rangers went to help with minimizing the environmental impact of all the machinery. It was really interesting, actually; I might try to be a real ecoscientist someday. Anyway, since I patrol routes thirteen through fifteen now, I figured I'd stay in Rose and Farha offered to split rent on her house with me."

"Am I gonna get to meet her?"

"Yeah, of course! Actually-" Lexi checked the time. "Perfect timing; she's nearly done! I told her I'd pick her up on my way back today."

The power plant complex is big. It takes nearly two hours for Lexi to lead Sorley and Golett to the northern gates. The guards chat a bit with Lexi as they head in; she comes often enough that they know her well. They pass a smaller building- Lexi says it's the guards' break house- and enter what looks like a large warehouse.

It's filled to burst. Machinery, parts, and assembly stations are haphazardly strewn across the ground floor wherever they can fit, human figures nimbly scuttling through the apparent mess. Sorley watches a few ascend to a catwalk that hugs the wall in a U-shape, where computers and other delicate equipment are arranged far more neatly. Lexi is unfazed by the sights and heads up to the catwalk as well. Sorley sees a tall woman at a standing desk about halfway down, alternating between furious typing and turning something under a microscope.

"Farha dear, I've come to sweep you away!"

The woman glances over and grins wearily. "Three minutes, my love."

Lexi leans on the railing to look down into the chaos of the main floor. Sorley joins her, curious.

"Are you and Farha girlfriends?"

"Oh! Nonono. We're just. Affectionate." Lexi sounds a little bit wistful, but Sorley doesn't quite pick up on it and instead turns their attention to the floor.

"What do they do here?" they ask, after a bit.

"Huh? Oh. This is a repair shop, basically. Stuff that breaks comes in and the engineers figure out why it broke and how to fix it."

"Does Farha like it?"

Lexi laughs. "God, no. She's the most junior engineer here in age, but she just got her doctorate so she's a shift leader too. The older guys don't like an upstart so they make her do the night shift."

"It would be okay if it weren't for that." Farha joins them, shucking off her lab coat. "Working nights throws my entire body rhythm off. Don't let anyone else know, though. I can't be caught complaining."

"What were you working on?" Sorley asks, following Farha back downstairs and out of the building. She shoves the coat in a locker as they pass.

"Some idiot didn't position a belt properly when they replaced it and a whole bunch of crap got gummed up when it shredded. Had to write that report and recommendation for remedial training."

Lexi winces. "Again?"

Farha mashes a button mounted on the exterior wall. "They give me the worst employees." She contemplates something for a moment, then turns abruptly to Sorley. "Right. Knew I was forgetting something. Who are you?"

"I'm Sorley! I just became a battler!"

"Hm." Farha looks them up and down critically. "Went with Professor Cypress, I see."

Sorley shrugs. "She's nice! And I didn't have to leave Fuschia to see her."

A shuttle bus rolls up in front of them. The group boards; Farha tells the driver they're headed to Rose- specifically, Petal Plaza.

"Farha doesn't like Cypress," Lexi stage whispers.

"It's not that I don't like her. I just don't think her ideas are very rooted in science." Farha sniffed. "She thinks there's some mystic power that can allow people and Pokémon to understand each other? That's just a result of developing bonds over time. Nothing strange about it."

"She said some people can heal Pokémon and stuff."

"Affection and support giving their brains a dose of happy cocktail to make them feel better."

"Leave their bodies?"

"Hallucinations, dreams, and vertigo."

Sorley can't think of any more examples, so they stay quiet as Lexi chats with Farha for the duration of the ride. The bus comes to a halt outside a tidy gated community comprised of about ten small houses. Farha and Lexi live in a light blue cottage right next to the gates- they say the rent is far cheaper because of it. Lexi bustles about in the kitchen while Sorley and Farha sit awkwardly in the combined living-dining room.

"So, uh. Why did you want to be a battler?"

"Well… I didn't?"

"Oh. So why are you one?"

"I kind of got kicked out of my orphanage."

"What did you do?"

"Got too old."

"Oh."

Sorley tugs on their hair. Farha picks at the couch's fraying upholstery.

"Do you have any Pokémon?"

"I don't use Pokémon."

"Why not?"

"They don't like me."

"I'm sure there's-"

"No. The fact of the matter is that I am uncomfortable around them, which makes them skittish and unpredictable around me."

"Is Golett making you uncomfortable?"

Farha gives the still golem a glance. "It's fine."

They fall silent. Farha picks up the newspaper and hands Sorley the comics page. Sorley appreciates it. They suppose Farha is nice, even if she has strong opinions and is a little hard to talk to.

They have lunch- curry is apparently the only thing Lexi knows how to cook- and Farha goes to bed immediately after. Sorley helps Lexi wash dishes, happy with more time to chat freely. She tries to make them take all kinds of food and equipment, but the only things Sorley accepts are a small tent and sleeping bag.

"Are you sure? I have flashlights, lanterns, maps, canteens, water purifiers…"

"It's okay, it's okay! I won't be camping a whole lot; just between Pokémon Centers, really."

"Alright… but if you need anything at all, come by any time! We're going to a conference in Pewter soon too; maybe we'll be there at the same time. I'll call you?"

"Yeah!"

Lexi squeezes them tight. "Good luck out there!" She waves Sorley off as they leave with Golett in tow.

April 28 Actions

1. Battle Lexi // +2 levels to Golett // Golett lv16
2. Move to Rt 14/13/Rose Village
3. Battle Birdwatcher // +2 levels to Golett // Golett lv18 // Golett does not learn Iron Defense

Aquacorde · Apr 4, 2017

Sorley's Journey Journal Day 2!

It was great to see Lexi! I haven't seen her since she was training at the Safari Zone last year. I gotta remember to call her. She lives with a lady called ~~Fayra~~ ~~Farra~~ Farha in Rose in a house they rent from the power plant. Farha is okay. She doesn't think ~~Proffes~~ Professor Cypress is a real scientist. But she doesn't like Pokémon either so how would she know about aura stuff?

I went a long ways today! I started on Route 15 and I got all the way up to Route 12. I've never walked that much ever. I'm not gonna do that again soon.

And I did 3 battles today! That's a lot! 1st was with Lexi and her Shroomish for practice. Lexi stopped us before Golett fainted. She coulda knocked it out easy. 2nd was this guy who was mad at me for scaring away a Rufflet? Golett beat his Litten. That's my first win! But that guy was weird. The 3rd was with a fisherman. I saw him fishing and went to talk, and he gave me a pole and let me fish with him! What a nice guy. But I sat there for 20min and nothing happened and I was bored so I asked if I could battle. He had a ~~Horsy~~ Horsea and a Ducklett. Golet made the Horsea faint and did really good against the Ducklett but lost. That's okay!

The fisherman gave me a revive and some berries and told me where the best spot to camp was. Putting up the tent was kind of hard but Golett helped. And now I'm camping in my very own tent! I don't know what I'll do tomorrow but I think Lavender Town is close. I can't wait to get there and see another city!

April 28 Actions

4. Move to Rt 12
5. Learn about fishing! Obtain an Old Rod.
6. Battle Fisherman // +2 levels to Golett // Golett lv20

moon · Apr 7, 2017

PAIGE

Route 12
The journey through Route 12 was eventful enough to make Paige stop brooding over her recent unfortunate rivalry.

During a light rainfall, she sought protection under the roof of a particularly cute looking shed on an isle connecting two big bridge roads. The inhabitant of the shed - which was actually a cottage where he lived - saw her and invited her in for a cup of tea and some dry space. Turned out he was a very enthusiastic "fishing master" who more or less forced Paige to eventually head out into the light rain with him again, some kind of old rod in her hands, because it was the absolute best fishing weather.

The fisherman, having positioned them on some rocks by the water, rods out and ready to catch something, explained to her that you had to be very very patient because that was the only way to get a good catch. Half a minute later, Paige felt a tug on her line, and pulled up a gleaming Remoraid. Needless to say, the fisherman's jaw dropped. Paige, realizing that this was some good opportunity to be taken, sent out Electrike and managed to paralyze and weaken the Remoraid before it could jump back into the water. It resisted with a Bubble attack, that didn't do much, before Paige managed to throw a pokéball and capture it. Still a bit stunned, the fisherman told her to keep the rod as she was clearly a fishing master already.

Stopping for a while when the local rain finally let up, Paige made sure to heal her fish up and learned that it was a female and actually quite nice and friendly, seemingly easily getting over having had to leave the sea behind. Paige wondered how some pokémon could be reluctant to accept a trainer capturing them, while others could so easily do it. Could it have something to do with... Aura? Remoraid maybe felt that Paige really wanted her to grow strong and be her friend. Or maybe she was just a little naive or stupid. Either way, Paige appreciated it! They spent a little time practicing Remoraid's abilities, learning what it could do and testing out its attacks. Electrike and Trapinch were unwilling to act as targets, so rocks would have to do. Paige was a little bit worried about Remoraid's inability to move around much on land - it could jump with a bit of an effort, but not outrun more more than a... well, Lileep maybe. They'd have to figure something out despite that.

After the break, they continued along the bridges and ran into an elderly couple looking quite upset. Paige wasn't sure she wanted to get in their way, but Electrike, who was outside of his pokéball again, ran up to them way too happily. Not very characteristic of him... Perhaps he sensed their Aura too? Paige waved those speculations away as she braced herself for talking to older humans who might have all kinds of set ideas about how people should greet and treat them.

They were actually quite nice. But a trainer had just beaten them quite harshly earlier. An unusually strong Poliwag, who had evolved near the end of the battle, as if just to beat them even harder. Paige felt herself go pale. She asked his name, and they didn't know it, but she felt pretty certain that they had met Joshua and Major. Sounded just like them. And Major had evolved at last... To think that all it took was for Joshua to get going and finally allowing himself to be a trainer. But to battle so harshly that he upset the elders... What was going through his mind? Had she really upset him that much, or was there more to it?

Starting to feel a bit tired, Paige hoped that Lavender would be close soon. Just as she thought she spotted the Pokémon Tower on the horizon, she was challenged to battle herself. It was a young trainer, claiming to be a battler from Lavender Town. Paige doubted that she was a real battler, since she was so young, but that only upset the lass.

The battle went between Trapinch and the girl's Vulpix, a pokémon Paige found very cute. It was also surprisingly strong for it's small shape, with very powerful fire attacks. Unfortunately, Trapinch wasn't much phased by the fire, and managed to drench the fox in sand and make it stuck in a fissure in the ground before he delivered a tackle that settled the game. The young girl was even more angry at that, and sent out a Ledian. Paige was impressed by the girl having an evolved pokémon, who managed to outmaneuver Trapinch completely and knock it out with strong punches. Instead, Paige sent out her new Remoraid, who seemed very happy to get to battle. However, it wasn't exactly fast on land. Ledian nearly laughed, as it prepared to punch it with even more ease than the bulky ground type earlier. But Paige had also studied Remoraid's moveset and tactics when she healed her up before. Making the fish steady up using Lock-on, just as Ledian started moving, Paige managed to make it use Water Gun just before the punch hit. The water splash came like a cannon ball and knocked Ledian off its course. Again and again, Remoraid had just enough time to get steady and use the Lock-on and Water gun combo before Ledian could get close enough to get a physical hit in. In the end, the battle was won when the fish switched to Psybeam.

As the girl - still refusing to call herself anything but a real battler - paid the prize money, it dawned on Paige that this was the first trainer battle she had actually won. Yet she didn't feel as happy as she imagined that she would have. Strange.

Maybe there was more to a battle than victory. Maybe who the opponent was, was important. And why you battled.

Actions taken:
#1 Learn to fish
Obtained Old Rod!
#2 Capture a pokémon
Remoraid Lv 9, female
#3 Battle wild pokémon
Electrike -> Lv 10
#4 Practice/train
Remoraid -> Lv 10
#5 Trainer battle
Trapinch -> Lv 20
Remoraid -> Lv 12

SORRY for being slow with updates, i will get better. Life's been a bit blergh lately, but shall get better.

Groc · Apr 8, 2017

Elise Greene

Route 14 stretched before Elise, but she didn't have time to stop and admire the view. (Not for very long, anyway.) She strode confidently down the path, Ray at her side and fire in her heart. She'd found that he preferred to be out of his Pokeball whenever possible, and she was content to let him walk free. Besides, she'd found out the hard way that wild Pokemon could pop out at any moment...

~~Flashback~~
"A new road, with new possibilities. Let's keep going, Ray!" She was still a little shaken by her close call with Hoppip, but having her Pokemon by her side (and embarrassment over the whole scenario) was a great motivator. She had barely taken her first steps onto Route 14 when something shuffled out of the nearby grass. "Ah! It's pink and fierce!"

Ray jumped in to protect her, and unlike Hoppip, this Snubbull looked like it would actually put up a fight. "Quick, use Leer!" Ray started off with his trademark smirk, but Snubbull had some hypnotic powers of her own, countering with Scary Face. "Oh... this might be a tough one..."
~~~~

She muttered to herself under her breath, psyching herself up. "Remember, Elise: you're a trainer now. Your Pokemon depend on you for guidance. You can't afford to be distracted, even if those windmills are pretty cool. Keep focused, and always be ready to bat- ooh, flowers!"

She hurried over to a small patch of sunflowers that swayed gently in the breeze. One particularly tall flower caught her attention, its petals defiantly close to the blades of a nearby windmill. "Look at that, Ray. That flower stands out above the rest, even though by doing so, it puts itself in danger. Remind you of anyone?" She smiled at Ray, who meowed proudly. He knew what she meant and had no regrets.

~~Flashback~~
Snubbull wagged her tail, a cute gesture designed to make Ray lower his guard. Knowing what it did only made Elise more annoyed that it worked. "Use Tackle! Don't let her get to you!" Ray leapt at Snubbull, knocking her to the ground. She reacted surprisingly quickly, Biting Ray as she scrambled to her feet. Elise winced at the sight. "Ooh! That looked painful! Get back, and blind her with Flash!"

Ray hopped back a step, shining his tail light in Snubbull's face. She growled angrily at the light, Biting Ray again. Elise let out a nervous gasp as she saw Ray's aura darken to orange. "Again! Flash!" The star lit up again, the beam of light hitting Snubbull directly. She snapped at Ray again, but missed. "Once more for good measure!" Ray couldn't help but grin as he shone a spotlight in Snubbull's eyes, but Elise was still concerned. "Now Leer!" Snubbull charged forward to Tackle Ray, but he easily dodged as he Leered, provoking Snubbull and lowering her defense.
~~~~

Elise led Ray back to the path, both of them smiling now. Maybe she didn't need to be so worried after all. It was a nice day for a walk, and even if another Pokemon showed up, Ray would happily fight it. But a stray thought still bothered her...

"It is a bit strange that we haven't been challenged by other Trainers yet, don't you think? I mean, my brother got into fights all the time back in Saffron. Do you think it's because we're out in the country now? I certainly didn't see many battles in Fuchsia, but then... I wasn't looking for them. And I guess we are taking the roads less traveled down, for that very reason... I don't know, I guess I'm just surprised that my plan is working so well. There are a lot more wild Pokemon out here, but no other Trainers yet." Ray purred, letting out a quiet meow that almost sounded like a laugh.

"Yeah, waiting as long as I did probably did give the others a decent head start, I guess..." she chuckled. She stopped suddenly when she heard something moving in the grass up ahead, covering her mouth with her hands. "Oh no... did I jinx us? Have I tempted fate and stumbled across another trainer?" Her concern was short-lived, as a small, but fuzzy, bird hopped out of the grass. It was kind of cute, for a bird, but looked kind of angry.

"Oh, good." Elise let out a relieved breath as she grabbed her Pokedex. "It's just a... Rufflet. Cat beats bird, any day of the week. Go get him, Ray!" Changing tactics, Ray started the fight with Tackle, wanting to get the first hit in early. Rufflet didn't appreciate that very much, Pecking at Ray's head. Elise winced in sympathy, but was actually a little excited. "Ow! Let's try your new move on him!"

Elise spotted the reflective glint in Ray's eyes (a telltale sign of his hypnotic status moves), but instead of his cocky grin, he started pouting, his bottom lip quivering as he looked at Rufflet with huge, sad eyes. Rufflet fell for it, and subconsciously pulled his metaphorical punches, his next Peck not hurting quite as much. "Now use Tackle!" Ray's expression immediately changed back to his usual grin, and he bowled Rufflet over as he lunged. Enraged, Rufflet started smacking Ray with his wings as he hopped forward, trying to push Ray back. The Fury Attack wasn't very strong (especially after Baby-Doll Eyes), but he did manage to get three good hits in. Elise grew concerned, but looking at the two revealed to her that Rufflet was on his last legs, while Ray was merely winded.

"It's over, Ray! Tackle!" Ray smacked Rufflet with his paw, knocking the little eagle over. Unwilling to fight anymore, Rufflet hopped back into the grass while Ray ran over to Elise for his post-battle Potion and belly rubs. Elise happily obliged, making a mental note to buy more Potions in Rose Town. "D'aww, who's a good little battler? You are, yes you are! And you didn't get hurt like last time! Momma's so proud of you!"

~~Flashback~~
"Use Tackle!" Snubbull and Ray both charged in, colliding with one another and bouncing off each other. Ray may have half blinded her and cut her defenses, but Snubbull still hit as hard as before. Ray was breathing heavily after that hit, while Snubbull was still ready to go, her aura still orange. "Ray, I don't think you can keep going!" Ray risked a look back at Elise, flashing her a grin. He was in a tight spot, but he was excited! He was having the time of his life, and didn't want to stop now. Elise bit her bottom lip nervously, her fear for Ray's safety warring with her desire for him to be happy. "Oh... fine! Tackle!" Ray meowed happily, turning back to the fight just in time to see Snubbull try to Bite him. Luckily, she missed, and Ray pounced on her and knocked her down before leaping to safety.

Both Pokemon were tired, and the fight could end for either of them with this next attack. Ray was all in, and Elise squeaked out her order for another Tackle. He pounced, but Snubbull was faster, charging in...

...and glaring at Ray with Scary Face. Ray collided with her, knocking her down and out. Snubbull tried to rise, but didn't have the strength. "You did it!" Elise shouted, scooping up Ray and hugging him close. "I was so worried, but you won!" Ray grinned like a fool, purring happily. Snubbull crawled away unnoticed, but Elise didn't care. She quickly administered a Potion, healing most of Ray's injuries. "I'm sorry I doubted you, Ray! You did great! That was actually kind of fun! Scary, but fun! Let's go!"

Route 14 stretched before Elise, but she didn't have time to stop and admire the view. She strode confidently down the path, Ray at her side and fire in her heart.
~~~~

With another victory secured, Elise continued on her way to Rose Town. She considered giving Ray a chance to rest, but he was crackling with anticipation and looking forward to training some more. Seeing him so excited filled Elise with determination, and Pearl didn't want to come out yet anyway.

Actions Taken:
#1: Battle a Pokemon (Snubbull)
Ray leveled up! (10+1=11)
Ray learned Baby-Doll Eyes!

#2: Battle a Pokemon (Rufflet)
Ray leveled up! (11+1=12)

moon · Apr 10, 2017

Lavender Town
starting April 29 ic

Lavender Town has always been seen as one of the most somber and sad places in Kanto - at least by the rest of the region's natives. The people living in the town themselves pride themselves on having built a thriving, caring community. Nobody in Lavender is left to their own accord if any help is

needed. Much thanks to the church that was founded around a decade ago, in a chapel near the Pokémon Tower. Led by a Miss Kina Fuji, the daughter of the old well known "Mr Fuji", the church does anything it can to help abandoned or abused pokémon as well as any humans in need. Any assistance or donation or extra publicity for their cause is usually welcomed by the young woman and her partners.

Commercially, the only real thing going on in Lavender is the immense tourism. Seen as one of the oldest and most well cared for pokémon graveyard places in the world, plenty of tourists come here all year around to experience the spooky feeling of walking around in the Tower, possibly with the eyes of the dead spirits upon them... The Tower has, however, since long closed down for new burials, as it was decided that it was too full and no old pokémon grave should be removed in favor for new ones.

What to do here?

- There are wild pokémon lurking in or around the Pokémon Tower! While you are not allowed to battle on the upper levels, the caretakers of the Tower realize how many trainers see this as a great opportunity to find ghost types, and allow it in certain halls on lower levels since the pokémon who feel inclined to meet humans have learned, and can go there on their own accord without "disturbing the resting spirits".

- There is a pokémon center, a pokémart as well as countless tourist shops.

Wild pokémon

Ghastly Lv 11-12 // Hypnosis - Lick - Spite - Mean Look - Curse

Misdreavus Lv 11-12 // Growl - Psywave - Spite - Astonish

Shuppet Lv 11-12 // Knock-off - Screech - Night Shade - Spite

Duskull Lv 11-12 // Leer - Night Shade - Astonish - Disable

Rattata Lv 11-12 // Tackle - Tail Whip - Focus Energy - Quick Attack

Houndour Lv 11-12 // Leer - Ember - Howl - Smog

Special pokémon

Available only after you go through all of April 29 ic without battling anybody!

Cubone Lv 9-10 // Growl - Tail Whip - Bone Club - Headbutt
Will evolve into either Kanto or Alolan forme, your wish.

Spoiler:

(Also, all levels have been updated in the OP now!)

Groc · Apr 14, 2017

Elise Greene

Once more, Elise and Ray found themselves walking down the road. They had spent too much time exploring the area and visiting the power plant yesterday, but the management had been kind enough to let her stay in a bunkhouse overnight. She had a nagging feeling that she was falling behind on this whole "Pokemon trainer" business, but refused to let it bother her. She was enjoying herself (most of the time), and her Pokemon were having fun too. Elise suspected that Ray would be happy no matter what he was doing, and Pearl was content to stay in her ball and watch the journey from there.

Elise had talked with her Pokemon about the whole Pokeball situation, and they had tried to explain it as best they could. From what she could tell, being inside the ball was like dreaming, but being perfectly aware of the dream and somewhat cognizant of your surroundings. Pearl found it peaceful, while Ray thought it was dreadfully boring. Elise suspected that Aura played a large part in the Pokemon's awareness.

While musing over the subject, Elise found herself turning east onto Route 13. Ray meowed in excitement at the prospect, wondering what new Pokemon lived on this route. Elise checked her Pokegear for information, shaking her head and shrugging apologetically. "Sorry, Ray. Looks like it's more of the same on this route. Oh, but listen to this!" She started reading a bit of the information blurb.

" 'Just north of the power plant, the coast curves to the east again and Route 13 is located. It is a well traveled, yet interestingly steep set of pathways along the cliffside - however nowadays there is also a wider road built for motor traffic. No adventurous traveling trainer chooses that road though!' A road without any trainers or Pokemon on it! We wouldn't have to fight anyone if we went that way!" She grinned happily at Ray, glad she didn't have to worry about battles for a bit.

Ray gave her a flat look, lifting one eyebrow as if to say "Seriously?"

"Oh, hush." Elise frowned, heading toward the wider road. "I help you fight all the time. You can help me relax for a change." Ray watched to see if she'd change her mind, but Elise refused to budge. Ray just shrugged his little cat shoulders and walked by her side, deciding that it would be fun even if he didn't get to fight.

After walking along the side of the road for a bit, Elise decided to strike up a conversation. "You know Ray, according to my Pokedex, you should be able to generate some electricity soon. You already know Charge, which is supposed to increase the power of your electrical abilities. Of course, it also has the side effect of insulating you against energy attacks with a layer of..." Ray yawned loudly, cutting off Elise's monologue.

"Right... sorry. Basically, I think you should practice charging electricity, so you can use it in a fight if you need to." Ray broke into a huge grin at the thought of learning a new technique. He started purring, making his fur stand on end as he drew in static electricity from the surrounding air. Yellow sparks danced along his body, and his tail star started to glow slightly. "Yes, just like that! Now try generating some electricity of your own."

Ray meowed, not sure how to do that. The sparks in his fur faded, but his tail still glowed faintly. He started purring again, drawing in more charge. The electricity crackled along his body, and yellow motes of light started lifting off his body before fading away. He focused on the energy, absorbing it into himself. He didn't feel any different, though. Elise watched in fascination, deciding to stop walking so Ray could really focus. "You're doing good. You really know how to charge yourself up!"

Ray meowed happily at the praise. He started purring again, drawing in more electricity. He didn't stop there, continuing to Charge until he felt like his body couldn't hold any more charge. Elise tilted her head, feeling a strange pressure in her forehead. She could see Ray's aura, glowing a healthy green, but could now sense something different. The Charge had raised his Special Defense, and she could somehow tell that he had powered up to his limit. Even if he used Charge again, his Special Defense wouldn't go any higher. She didn't know how she knew that.

Ray stopped purring, absorbing all the electricity crackling through him. He felt an odd tingle in his tail, running all the way up his spine. He concentrated on that tingle, following it until he felt the source of it. He crouched low, shaking his hindquarters in anticipation, then pounced at a small rock. He turned and pounced again, leaping and twirling seemingly at random. Elise fought not to laugh, but it was really funny to watch. "Okay, maybe you've absorbed enough electricity for one day. I didn't realize it was like catnip..."

Ray pounced, and electricity crackled across his forelegs. Not yellow lightning, like before, but blue. He hit the ground, sending the electricity out through his front paws. Elise and Ray both looked ~~shocked~~ surprised, then Ray grinned widely and inhaled in a happy little gasp. Elise picked him up and hugged him close, cheering his success. "Ray, you rock! Woohoo!" In her excitement, she didn't even notice all the static electricity Ray had gathered was making her hair stand up. And honestly, she wouldn't have cared if she did.

Actions Taken:
#1: Moved to a new location (Route 14 -> Route 13)

#2: Trained a Pokemon by exercise, practicing skills, etc.
Ray leveled up! (12+1=13)
Ray learned Spark!

[PKMN FULL] BEYOND ic

What to do here?

Wild pokémon

Special pokémon

Show me that Fighting Spirit

[font=special elite][color=#FF3399]Toxic Terror[/c

⟡ dig down, dig down ⟡

Sorley + Golett April 27 // As Of Today​

April 27 Actions

[font=special elite][color=#FF3399]Toxic Terror[/c

⟡ dig down, dig down ⟡

Sorley + Golett April 27 // Familiar, But Not Too Familiar​

April 27 Actions

What to do here?

Wild pok?mon

Special pok?mon

[font=special elite][color=#FF3399]Toxic Terror[/c

Show me that Fighting Spirit

⟡ dig down, dig down ⟡

Sorley + Golett April 28 // New Places, New Faces​

April 28 Actions

⟡ dig down, dig down ⟡

Sorley's Journey Journal Day 2!​

April 28 Actions

What to do here?

Wild pokémon

Special pokémon

Sorley + Golett
April 27 // As Of Today

Sorley + Golett
April 27 // Familiar, But Not Too Familiar

Sorley + Golett
April 28 // New Places, New Faces

Sorley's Journey Journal Day 2!