Pokemon Colosseum: Legacy [IC]

Alicia Mose smiled brightly as she stepped out of the hotel, the early morning sun beginning to shine its way through the fog which lightly filled the streets. She took a deep breath of the crisp, morning air before setting out into the city. A bounce was in her step the whole way, with a look of excitement evident in her face.

One might ask why the girl was so excited at an early hour of the morning such as this. The answer was simple. Today was the day that she would be embarking on her own Pokemon journey... A thought which had kept the blonde up for most of the night prior with anticipation. However, if the girl was tired from being kept up most of the night, she surely did not show it.

Rather, Alicia kept on smiling as she made her way down the street. Each person she may have passed that was out enjoying the morning was greeted by a smile and a wave from the teenager. Eventually, the girl paused in her walking. Her eyes widened a bit as a building came into view, one she had been looking for the entire time of her early morning trek.

"Professor Cedar's lab..." Alicia said quietly to herself, staring at the doors ahead of her.

Inside that building, the Pokemon that she would begin her journey with was waiting. The moment that had kept her awake most of the night was just minutes away. The excitement that Alicia had once been feeling was slowly disappearing, instead being replaced with a feeling of nervousness. This was her one shot... Her one shot to finally stand out from her siblings, to show her parents and sisters that she was an individual and had the talent and skills to make something of herself just as much as they did.

"O-Okay, Alicia... You can do this..." the blonde girl told herself as she slowly began to walk towards the lab ahead of her. She tightened her grip on her bag as she walked, keeping her eyes focused on the building ahead of her. "It's just a Pokemon... And it's like, a trip... Yeah, a trip! N-Nothin' to be nervous 'bout at all..."

Snapping out of her daze-like walking, the girl realized that she was now standing right in front of the door. A small sigh escaped her lips before she took one more deep breath. She then opened the door and stepped inside the lab with a small smile.

She looked around the room, noting that... it did not look much like how she thought a lab would look. Alicia had honestly been expecting some strange machines, with lots of test tubes and tons of little men wearing thick glasses and white lab coats. Spotting an older looking man along with two boys her own age, the girl waved as she walked further into the room.

"Um... 'scuse me, is this place for that um... program-thingy?" Alicia asked.

Calmness. Keep a straight back and always look others in the eyes. No clenching of teeth, just a friendly smile.

He pushed his hair back and let out a soft sigh. Poise... it was all about poise. You lose your poise and you start to lose everything else.

He practiced a false smile in the mirror and had to curl up his lip just a bit more to achieve the perfect result. Excellent. He was good. Now these people weren't adults, they would be able to tell how he felt far more easier, so he would have to play the role of the likable guy, give them a reason not to suspect him. If they liked him far too much, then they wouldn't want to dispel that illusion. No one liked making the hero of the team suddenly be viewed as a villain, and the others he would befriend would be quick to call anyone who tried to break his cover jealous or such and shoo them away.

He formed his genuine smile back in the mirror again and slicked back his hair just a bit... perfect.

Happiness, he was happy to be here, grateful in fact. Yes, grateful. He straightened up his back and walked out of the restroom of the small restaurant. It wasn't that packed... or maybe it was. He didn't know if anyone usually ate in this particular dinner, but he supposed it didn't matter. He was going to be out of here soon enough so the need to make an appearance to the locals wasn't as urgent.

He stepped out, having to blink his eyes to quickly adjust them to the bright sunshine. He noted that if this kept happening he might just have to purchase some sunglasses, but apart from that he made his way along to where the giant building was. The building just screamed LAB all over it... or maybe it was because of the huge sign he saw that pointed it out as a lab to the public. He paused in front of the building and noticed that there was a garden around it. Most likely this lab had this garden to keep the pokemon peaceful and to have them in an environment that they could experience in the wild.

He made his way down the path to the door only to spy a girl right there. He stopped walking and quietly observed as she took in a deep breath. Her body language gave away that she was extremely nervous... probably because this would be her first time picking up a pokemon. They were all new trainers after all, though Sean was far from nervous. Once she had gone in he waited for a while before he too began to walk to the door. He opened it up and casually strolled in, almost as if he was used to such events.

He could already see two of his fellow trainers already getting their pokemon. He smiled warmly and walked on over, "Hello. Professor Cedar? My name is Sean Webster. I'm here to receive my pokemon." He said with a confident voice. "A pleasure to meet you all as well."

It was a highly anticipated and sought after morning. The morning Trevor would begin his journey. Getting out of bed and dressed for the day was somewhat more sluggish than usual. There have been many slow mornings before, but today in particular nagged at Trevor like an itch you can't scratch. A sudden nervousness he wasn't used to befell the boy. Looking in the mirror, he attempted to asses the gravity of the situation. The image of receiving his partner and the concept of traveling across the region loomed within his mind's eye. Just like that, such anxiety was then expelled and replaced with excitement. The program, the tournament, is what he came to the region for. It took extreme willpower to contain himself to the point of being able to not skip breakfast and hastily exit his house.

The City of Lynbury was certainly different from Floccesy town in Unova. It was astounding how many tall and well developed buildings occupied the area. The urbanization that brought every man, woman, child, and Pokemon comfort and convince was stationed all about the city. Complimented with greenery and scenery that would make one feel content wherever they might be. It made Trevor feel accomplished to have come so far already and witness the change in atmosphere from the different regions.

Giddy with excitement, he remember to contain his composure as he walked out the front door. It took a minute to settle down and no time at all the ponder about the many variable that lie within the competition and his journey. What were starters like? Would they be using traditional starters? How many other trainers are entering the program? Rather than worrying about these factors, they filled Trevor's imagination as he jovially saunters down the calm streets of Lynbury. He was so lost in thought that he nearly passed the laboratory he was aiming for.

The Horizon Corporation. Glancing back at the address in his acceptance notice, and then back at the tittle of the building, his leisurely pace slowed to a stiff walk towards the door. Steeling his nerves and taking a breathe, he found it unreasonable to be nervous. It would be a sour way to ruin the experience of receiving his partner. Opening the door into the lobby, a number of people who Trevor assumed to be fellow trainers, all were looking expectantly at a tall man wearing a lab coat. He assuming this to be the Professor. Announcing himself properly seemed best. "Hello", he said to everyone giving a small yet sincerer smile. He then turned directly to the professor. "Professor Cedar? I came to receive a Pokemon."

Kevin Riley

Lynbury City. Kevin couldn't think off the top of his head what the Johto equivalent of it was. Maybe it didn't have one. Maybe it did and he just didn't know about it. Truthfully, he hadn't done much travelling even in his native Johto beyond the occasional trips to Ecruteak City. Kevin was quite content in his little bubble surrounded by sights and faces and sounds he was all familiar with. His life had become a pattern, beginning in relatively the same way, and ending the same way, with only minor deviations.

The main reason for this was because Kevin didn't like change. His current life was a neatly stacked pile, with everything arranged perfectly just as he liked it. Throw anything off even a little, and the entire pile could come crashing down. Throw anything new onto the pile, and there's no telling what could happen. And that was why he didn't like change. Because dealing with change was dealing with the unknown, and deep down, Kevin was uneasy about what he didn't know.

Yet life was a detached roller coaster, and before he knew what was happening, the ride had already taken him to an unknown region to do something he never thought he would be doing anymore. Kevin had long wondered why he had decided to eventually agree to go. Sure, his parents did have their opportunity here, so they would be better off. But if Kevin wanted, he could have been selfish enough to ask to stay, and his parents might have just allowed him to do so. He knew he had that option. No, he knew in the end it was he and only he who decided to journey here, to go to unknown lands and dangerous, new territories. To attempt something he hasn't tried in a long time, one more time.

Needless to say, he was extremely nervous. Walking to Professor Cedar's lab now, he could practically feel his heartbeat through both layers of clothing he wore. A lump sat directly in the center of his throat, or so it appeared whenever he tried to swallow. He wiped his hands across the front of his jeans every few seconds so when he shook another's hand, they wouldn't be clammy. He finally reached the front doors of the lab, but didn't immediately go inside. Instead, he walked to the side of the building and leaned against the tree, waiting, not entirely sure for what. All the while, he pondered why in the world was he doing this.

As he waited, other people around his age walked inside. First, it was a pair of teens. Then, others went in on their own, first a girl, then another boy, and that was followed by another one. Kevin continued to try to build up the courage to walk through those doors, but every time he tried to take another step towards the building, his body quickly stopped and he retreated back to his spot. A few times this happened, usually right after every new person had arrived. Kevin continued to ponder to himself: why did he decide to do this?

Because people picked on him quite a bit before about never completing something. That was a good reason. But then again, Kevin knew that others' opinions had slowly faded from the forefront of his thinking. Sure, others saying he couldn't do something hurt, but he had developed enough nerve to not care as much. Then...Because he wanted to win it all. He wanted to prove that this was something he had a talent for, and it would be something he could be proud of accomplishing. Again, another good reason. Doing it for himself felt exponentially better than trying to prove others wrong. Yet again, he knew that wasn't the main reason he tried to do this.

Because...he was afraid, and he didn't want to be anymore.

Kevin proceeded forward and opened the doors, walking inside and standing in the back of the room as the others moved a bit forward. He scratched the back of his head, wondering what to say. "Uh...hi," He said from the back of the room. "Is this where you do the thing for the...uh...thing?"

The damned stomachache came at the worst possible time.

Austin sat on his hotel bed doubled over in pain as the excruciating pain continued to gnaw at his abdomen, causing him to make numerous growling and groaning noises. The pain had actually woken him up, and as Austin tried to cope with his ailment he managed a glance over to the nearest clock; it showed five past eight, a remarkably late time for him to have woken up, especially on such an important day. Austin immediately threw off his blankets and scrambled out of bed, took a lightning-quick shower and put on the yukata he normally keeps so prim and proper in a haste, resulting in quite a mess. Not like he cared: even the stomachache wasn't bothering him at this point.

Out of the hotel and onto the streets, Austin could see that life had already begun in Lynbury City. Cars swooped past him as the pedestrians' chatter created a quiet buzz, mixing with the birds' chirping to create a rather pleasant sound. The tall, inconspicuous buildings reminded him a bit of his hometown of Goldenrod, though the latter was, to Austin, much more attractive, with its striking bright colors and perpetual loudness screaming at your every sense to look and take in the entire city. Lynbury was decidedly less pronounced in showing its grandeur, but anyone can see that this is an established city with a well-developed people.

Professor Cedar's lab was whitewashed concrete, just as all the other buildings are. It was an unattractive building, a massive white square with not much to brag about. The owner apparently realized this fact, because what the lab lacked in internal attractiveness it more than made up with in an elaborate, high-variety garden that took Austin's breath away. Gazing around the garden, he made his way into the lab.

The reason he's here is, of course, for the Argent Tournament. This was going to be his first day as a trainer, despite being 22, and he'd already thought about the Pokemon he'd like to start out with. He'd mulled it over over the course of the last week or so, and he'd wounded up choosing Piplup. He didn't know why, but he gravitated immediately towards the cute penguin Pokemon.

As he thought of the Pokemon he was potentially going to get (he really hoped his being late didn't result in someone picking Piplup ahead of him), his eyes caught sight of a decidedly smart-looking man dressed in a lab coat. Even though he was but one among many, Austin could see that he was quite obviously the one in charge: he had that air of authority around him. Austin walked up to him. "The professor, I assume? I've come for the Argent Tournament..." he began.

When it rained, it poured. Soon after the first two new trainers had arrived many more became pouring in the door. Some were nervous and jittery, some strode through the door as though they owned the place; Daniel always found it interesting watching the different reactions people had to such an important day. He let them talk amongst themselves for a while while he got everything ready, silently counting how many people had arrived out of the corner of his eye.

"Welcome, Welcome! May I have your attention please?" he called out once a crowd of about fifteen – not counting the two early birds – had gathered before the table. "I'm Professor Daniel Cedar, and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to my lab on this special day." All eyes on him the professor started pacing back and forth between the table, gesturing wildly with his arms as he spoke. "I see many different people here, from many different places. What unites us all, what has brought you all here is our love for pokemon! Every year, through me, Horizon Industries sponsors many new trainers, giving them the tools to make something of themselves in the world of pokemon. There are many paths that the life of a trainer can take one down, and I sincerely hope that what I give you today will help lead you down the path that is right for you."

"Now-" he continued, smiling as he stepped to the side to reveal the pokeball and hologram laden table, empty spaces restocked while he was talking, "-the moment I'm sure you've all been waiting for; your pokemon! Oras doesn't have a native equivalent to the starter pokemon offered by other regions, so we instead offer you starting trainers the chance to choose from all of them! Now go ahead and choose your pokemon; no need to fight over them, there are plenty of each." He stepped back to the side and took a quick gulp from a glass of water an aide handed to him, giving the assembled trainers several minutes to file up and get the pokemon of their choice. More and more aides were arriving now, the natural flow of life finally catching up to the excitement of new trainers. These were directed to various places; keeping order with even more trainers that had arrived and were waiting for their turn or going off to their various duties.

Eventually, once he was sure that everyone had their pokemon, the professor cleared his throat loudly to get everyone's attention once more while his aides started filtering through the crowd, handing out small packages to everyone. "The packages my assistants are giving out contain a selection of items to get you started on your way; your trainer cards, pokeballs, food capsules and some other basic supplies. They also contain two of an Oras trainer's most important tools; a Pokedex and a PokeTab." He proceeded to explain the two devices, holding up one of each as he spoke, "A Pokedex is an electronic encyclopedia that supplies you with information about pokemon from a global database. Whenever you capture a pokemon your Pokedex will automatically scan it, taking note of any deviations and improving our knowledge of the species. A PokeTab is a new piece of equipment developed by Horizon Industries specifically for trainers-" the device he held in his hand was a thin rectangle of metal – about the size of a small book – with one side dominated by a large touch-screen and a scattering of buttons, "- it performs many functions, acting primarily as an interactive map and a communications device, capable of making and receiving phone calls, texts and delivering news about the region in general and the area you are in. It can also act as a backup identification if you lose your trainer card. I encourage you all to take some time to explore these devices and learn what they can do. For those of you who wish to take part in the Argent Tournament, you will find a feature on your PokeTab which will let you sign up and provide you with information about what is happening."

He paused for a moment, taking another large gulp of water. He was getting too old for this, the excitement and strain of dealing with so many new trainers. "And with that, I set you free! You have your pokemon and you have your equipment, what you do now is up to you. I will ask that you leave my lab though, today is a busy day for many more people like yourselves yet to come. If any of you have questions to ask me or my staff feel free to visit us tomorrow." Finally done he turned around and made his way into a back room where the days first batch of trainer registration paperwork awaited him. The aides started moving forwards, slowly herding the newly minted trainers out of the lab so that more hopefuls could take their place.

For his part Marcus just let himself be caught up in the flow of events, practically staring at the pokeball in his hand the whole time. The feeling, the concept that he was holding in his hand his own pokemon was still stunning to him. His pokemon. Not his parents messenger pokemon. Not a pokemon that had been a familiar, protective figure since before he was born. His pokemon.

His mind felt overloaded, and the slew of items dumped on him didn't make things any less confusing. The pokeballs he recognised, as he did the food capsules – white and red devices, similar to pokeballs, shaped like slightly oversized pills that each held enough food for a day once opened – but the rest was confusing to him, bottles of vividly coloured liquids and mechanical devices... hopefully there was some sort of instruction book for all this. He kept the PokeTab out, flicking curiously through the menu and looking at all the icons advertising different features. The Argent Tournament app was easy to find, the silver H icon displayed prominently on the first page.

Tempted as he was to ignore it and just go do something else with his life and his pokemon Marcus knew he'd never hear the end of it from his dad if he didn't try this tournament so he swallowed his nervousness down and clicked the icon. The PokeTab was pre-loaded with his information and two taps of the screen later he was registered, the application displaying a loading bar as it uploaded his data before morphing into a newsreel about the tournament. Various statistics like how many people had signed up were scattered about but the thing that caught his eye was that the first qualifier round was already planned to be held in Fairbreeze town not long from now. The professor was still talking but Marcus only half listened, flicking over to the map to see where Fairbreeze town was. Not far from Lynbury as it turned out, though the route would take him through an area of farmland and finally a cave.

Suddenly the entire room burst out in conversation and Marcus realised that the professor was doen talking and the other men and women in lab-coats were herding them outside. He let himself be taken along, slipping the PokeTab into his pocket.

Outside he just wandered around a bit, feeling lost. There was quite the crowd here now, trainers and onlookers alike. Many of the new trainers were filtering away, many making for the small park he had been resting in earlier and releasing their new pokemon to met them. Marcus' own pokeball remained clutched tight in his hand as he drifted about, trying to figure out what to do next.

Kevin Riley

Kevin stayed toward the back of the room as Professor Cedar introduced himself. While the man spoke, he made glances toward the other trainers, trying to determine a bit about him, though without much success. He was never really great at getting a read on people. Top that off with the whole "looks can be deceiving" spiel, Kevin's general lack of confidence in himself, and the fact that he knew close to nothing about where these other trainers came from, he decided to not bother. Maybe soon as this Argent Tournament would get under way, he'd find a bit more about them anyway.

Kevin walked forward along with everyone else to examine what Pokemon he would choose. A good bit of them seemed to be going for the fire type. Truthfully, Kevin had no idea which he would choose. Every one seemed like a good choice, or maybe it was designed to seem that way. The others began looking through while Kevin pondered quietly to himself. He was familiar with the Johto-native Pokemon: Cyndaquil, Totodile and Chikorita. Any one of those seemed like good choices. Besides, he wanted to pick one of them to represent his home region of Johto.

Fire. Water. Grass. He could see one of them missing now, as one of the others seemed to have taken the Cyndaquil for himself. That left just two to choose from. Kevin darted his eyes back and forth between the balls, thinking deeply about which one he wanted to have as his own. He didn't want to make the decisions lightly, as he knew that the Pokemon he would pick would be the one he might have to stick with for the rest of his life. It was an important decision, and he could already feel the pressure begin to build inside of him. What if he chose wrong? Is there even a wrong choice? What if the Pokemon inside wouldn't take to him? So many different thoughts raced through his head, all of them doubting if he would be able to make the correct decision to get his Pokemon.

Eventually, Kevin took in a deep breath and reached out his hand, aiming for the Pokeball on the left, the one that belonged to the Grass Pokemon Chikorita. Yet as he did this, he took one more look at the other Pokeball. For a second, a brief moment, he thought he saw a light shining off of it, a reflection of the lab lights above. Perhaps it was nothing, but it suddenly caused Kevin's hand to retract, reexamining his decision. Kevin placed his hand back to his side, gazing as if enchanted at the Pokeball, until he finally reached out and grabbed it. The Totodile.

Soon most of the trainers had selected their starters. Kevin continued to examine his own Pokeball in his hand. The aides in the lab began to hand out items to the trainers, which snapped Kevin out of his mesmerized disposition and back to focus on what the Professor was saying. He accepted the package, the trainer card, Pokeballs, other supplies, as well as the Pokedex and PokeTab. He fiddled with the devices in his hands, simultaneously listening to the Professor explain how it works while also trying to figure it out at the same. He placed all of the other items in his back, now holding only the PokeTab and Pokeball with his Pokemon in each hand. Eventually, everything was explained, and Kevin proceeded toward the exit. He put away the PokeTab, and now looked only at the Pokemon inside the PokeBall in his hand. Just as he was about to reach the exit, he suddenly exclaimed "Oh!" As if he had forgotten something, then rushed back toward the professor, smiling at him. "Thanks!" He said cheerfully to him, before proceeding back to the exit.

Kevin stood now in the grass of the small park, looking over the Pokeball in his hand. He took another deep sigh, and released the ball next to him, which unlocked the Pokemon Totodile inside. The Totodile looked around the park, then up at Kevin next to him, who looked back down at him. There was a moment of silence between the two as they both seemed to try and look over the other and examine them. In the Totodile's case, it seemed almost as if he was scrutinizing Kevin. In Kevin's case, he was just trying to figure out what he should say.

"Err...hey," He finally blurted out. The Totodile tilted his head. "Looks like its you and me. I'm Kevin. Kevin Riley. I'll be your trainer now, if you're cool with that." He gave the water Pokemon a cheerful smile, hoping his action would be returned. Surprisingly, the Totodile instead chose to spray his trainers face with a light dose of water. The water dripped off the front of Kevin's face onto his shirt and on the ground, which caused the Totodile to burst out laughing. Kevin didn't understand exactly why he did this, but he smiled a bit too. "Feisty guy, aren't ya?" He asked rhetorically. "Well, alright. I'll give you that one. You seem like the kind of guy that wants to have fun, and I can promise that if you stick with me, we'll have a bunch of that, and more! What do you say to that?" He asked hopefully. The Totodile titled its head again, as if contemplating what his trainer had said. A moment later, it straightened up, and fired another dose of water at Kevin's face. It laughed again afterward, dancing around in place.

"Heh..." Kevin smirked, wiping the water from his face with his sleeve. "Well, you sure do like to use that," As he wiped, he suddenly had a thought. "Hmm....Torrent!" He called out. The Totodile stopped what it was doing, seeming to be attracted to the sound of the words Kevin said. Kevin looked down below at the Pokemon, seeming to think it liked the sound of the name. "You like that name? I was thinking about it. So how about it? Torrent?" He asked it, kneeling down onto the grass to get to eye level.

Kevin thought he was going to get dosed by more water straight to the face, but instead the Totodile seemed to dance around in place, hopping off each foot and flailing his arms. It gave the human a smile, in which he smiled back in understanding. Kevin nodded.

"Alright, then. Torrent it is."

It had all seemed to happen so fast. Once she had entered the lab, others her age had began to enter. Each of them seeming to be a mix of nervous and excited about what was about to happen. Much as Alicia had expected, Professor Cedar had given an explanation about what was going on, as well as the various tools that would be used along the journey. Alicia herself was so nervous that she had almost tripped over her own feet in the process of receiving her Pokedex and Poke Tab.

However, the most unnerving part came with the moment she had truly been waiting for... the moment in which she finally got to choose her Pokemon partner. Slowly, the girl had walked up to the tables where the Pokemon were being kept. Several of the creatures had already been chosen. Thankfully, none of the ones that had been taken were ones she was truly interested in. While many who had gathered at the lab were probably more interested in beginning their journeys with a fire type or a water type, Alicia had long since decided that she would begin her journey with a grass type instead.

The blonde girl had glanced at the various tables, until she finally found the one she was looking for. Shakily, her hand reached out and took hold of the ball firmly before she pulled it off the table. A small smile graced her lips as she held it close to her chest.

"This one... I pick Snivy," she told the Professor with a warm smile.

Soon all the new trainers were dismissed from the lab, most of them exiting to the nearby park to take a chance to meet their new friends. Alicia decided that this was a good idea herself, and she quickly made her way to the park as well. Finding a rather shady spot near a large oak tree in the park, Alicia took hold of the Pokeball and smiled as she tossed it in the air.

"Come on out, Snivy!" the new trainer called out.

A red beam of light shot out from the ball. Alicia's eyes widened in wonder as the little, grass, snake-like Pokemon took form, looking around with a slightly confused look. The blonde girl felt her heart melt almost immediately as she locked eyes with the Pokemon... HER Pokemon.

"H-Hey there... Like, I'm Alicia... It's nice to meet you!" the trainer greeted.

Snivy simply stared at Alicia. The Pokemon moved its head up and down, slowly walking around her as if it was examining her every detail. A small blush worked its way to Alicia's cheeks as she watched Snivy, before the Pokemon returned to face her. The creature crossed its arms. A small sigh escaped its lips as it closed its eyes.

"Snivy...? Is somethin' wrong?" the blonde girl asked. The grass Pokemon crossed its arms and slowly began to walk away. "S-Snivy?"

Still, it did not give her an answer. Alicia rose to her feet and slowly followed after the Snivy. It glanced over its shoulder at the girl, noticing that Alicia was following behind it. A small, mischievous grin stretched across the Pokemon's mouth, before it suddenly began to run, darting into the nearby bushes. Alicia's eyes widened in shock and worry.

"H-Hey, Snivy! Snivy, c-come back!" the new trainer called out.

Alicia quickly ran to the bushes, getting on her hands and knees. She began to look under and around the bushes, her heart filling with dread. Snivy was no where to be seen.

"Snivy...? Snivy?! Where'd you go?!" the blonde girl cried out.

Sean just waited as the other trainers began to nose about. While they chatted about, he was calculating in his mind. He already had a good idea of what pokemon to get and he took the package when one was given to him. As the professor went through his Spheal of letting everyone know what they were getting Sean just half listened to him. He made his way around in the room, glancing about here and there as others grabbed pokeballs eagerly, not for once considering the pokemon inside. He supposed everyone was bound to have favorites, but something bigger had to be considered. Not just the mon, but the personality it had.

Sure he had heard tales of a trainer getting a rather aggressive mon and in a few days reducing it to a happy mon who would like to cuddle against humans, but that itself was rare enough to see. He needed to choose a mon that was like him. A being that could understand his reasons for acting in case he or she ever got smart enough to understand what he truly was doing. He grabbed the pokeball of a Squirtle and opened it up. Judging by the look on the water-type's face he could instantly tell that he would not work well with this one.

He sucked the turtle back into the ball and set it down. He figured if he was looking for a pokemon that would be compatible with him he would have to choose a fire type. Grass types and water types could be so... empathetic. It was simply in their natures. He knew if there was a dark type being offered up he would eagerly sweep it off its feet, but there were none here sadly. It was a shame and slightly confusing to him to boot. Why not simply offer different types? This wasn't a conventional starting journey in any other region so why not hand out all sorts of types?

Sean sighed to himself and made his way to the Torchic's ball. He could already see that the Charmander and Cynaquil had been taken, so he would have to quickly check these fire types to see if they had the personality that he wanted. Once he opened the ball the orange chicken appeared and wasted no time in head butting his leg. He almost fell down due to that and the Torchic began to run at another trainer. Sean held out the ball and recalled him as a smile began to appear on his face.

Yes... this one wasn't quite perfect. He was too brazen in his attempts, too far from subtly, but he had the passion that Sean had. He pocketed the ball and made his exit as he tore up the package. He knew well enough what a pokedex was, but he had never held one before. He opened it up and scanned through the buttons on it, making sure to familiarize himself with the layout in case he ever got into an emergency. He next opened his wallet up and slipped his trainer card inside and then grabbed the spare pokeballs and placed them on his belt.

With the poketab he was far more ignorant. He walked along the path until he finally found a bench on the sidewalk to sit down on. He could see the options on the tab all covered forms of communication, and as the professor said he could see where the tournament itself was listed. That was what he was here for, so really there was no need to delay any longer. He clicked on the message asking if he wished to join the tournament and typed out the short message of YES. He sent that message off and reached into his pocket to pull out the Torchic's pokeball. He knew how to get off right with this one. The bird wanted a good battle, but first he would have to get more acquainted with it.

He pulled out his pokedex and scanned the ball. A second later a information page popped up that was mostly lore on the Torchic. He skipped that and went for the biographical information. So... the Torchic was male and knew Scratch and Growl, not the best moveset but that would come with time of course. He pocketed the pokedex and took his his tab, this time going to the map function and glanced it over.

The path he would have to travel along would lead first off to Faywheat Village and from there he could see the path split and that it continued to split every so often. He didn't need to worry right now about which path to take up there, his primary concern was getting his Torchic ready to do battle. He cocked his head in though there. He simply couldn't call the little thing Torchic anymore, no he needed a name. He thought for a bit more and got up as he headed to the route that would lead out of town. He would figure out a name once he saw how the creature acted in battle. Hopefully, it would impress him.

Marcus wasn't quite sure how long he had been standing there, entranced by the pokeball he held in his hand. He'd never actually held one before and it felt oddly warm and heavy, though both made sense when he actually thought about it.

All around him in his peripheral vision Marc could see flashes of light as the other new trainers let out their pokemon and he knew that he should probably do the same, but thinking about doing so made hs mouth go dry. Cyndaquil looked small and cute, but so did the Sneasel that had attacked him and holding the pokemon so close like this was proving that old fears weren't as stale as he had thought.

He was distracted by someone calling loudly off to the side, a girl who was scrabbling about in some bushes and calling for something. Concerned he jogged over, forgetting for a second about the pokeball in his hand as he crouched down besides her. "Are you alright? What's wrong." he asked.

Alicia glanced up from the bushes, a clearly worried expression on her face. "Snivy! I let it out to meet it and... and it just took off! I've been like, lookin' everywhere for it, but I can't find it anywhere! What if somethin' happens to it?!"

Alicia looked back down, and began calling for the Pokemon once again. Her voice already on the edge of breaking from this less than pleasant start. Things were certainly not looking bright with things kicking off like this.

Will was nearby, and he, too, heard the girl in distress. PokeBall still in hand, he got closer, also noticing Marcus. After a brief moment of choosing his words, he said kindly, "don't worry. I'll help you find your Snivy. But next time make sure it doesn't run away, alright?" Marcus nodded as the other boy spoke, thinking over how he could actually do such a thing.

"Really? You mean it, right?" Alicia asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"Of course!" Marcus said, smiling. This was the sort of thing that trainers were supposed to do right? Helping people and all that. His gaze dropped down to his pokeball and an idea popped into his head, "Hey, maybe one of our pokemon will be able to help. They could track your Snivy by scent or something."

Will was reluctant to let his Charmander out of the PokeBall, though. He would rather spend time with it when the two were alone, away from the distractions that were the other trainers. He had no idea what his Pokemon was like, so he had to be cautious; maybe his Charmander would attack others, or run away like that girl's Snivy. "I'm Will, by the way," he introduced himself.

"Alicia... My name's Alicia," the blonde girl replied, rising to her feet. She gave both of the boys a bright smile, wiping her eye to stop a tear from falling already. "Y-You two are like, totally awesome..."

"I'm Marcus, or Marc, whichever you prefer. Don't worry, we'll find your Snivy Alicia" Marc said, smiling encouragingly as he absently looked at his pokeball. Having a purpose to it made Marc less nervous about releasing the pokemon within, and with a gulp he squeezed his pokeball and pointed it towards the ground. The light was brighter than he expected, dazing him long enough that by the time he could see again there was already a Cyndaquil sitting infront of him.

The little pokemon looked around the assembled humans with an odd look on it's face, eventually resting it's gaze on the pokeball in Marc's hand. Marc bent down to look at the pokemon, smiling nervously at it. "Uh, h-hey Tycho. I'm Marc, your trainer" he said, getting it's attention. The Cyndaquil seemed to recognise the name already which was odd, though Marc remembered something his dad had said about pokemon having some sense of the world outside their balls; perhaps it had heard him name it earlier.

The Cyndaquil approached Marc slowly, sniffing at an outstretched hand briefly before matching his stare. The Cyndaquil had a challenging look in it's eye and as Marc opened his mouth to speak it let out a loud squeak, the flames on it's back flaring up wildly.

Marc flinched back a bit and the pokemon settled down, peaceful again except for a satisfied look on it's face.

Wondering what that was all about Marc spoke up once more to his - HIS, the thought was still weird - pokemon. "Uhh Tycho, we need your help-" that certainly got the Cyndaquil's attention, it's gaze sharp as it looked up again, "Alicia's Snivy has run away, could you uhh, track it or something by scent?". The little pokemon looked up at Alicia studyingly as it had done with Marc before squeaking something and wandering over to sniff about the grass at her feet.

Alicia gave the Cyndaquil a warm smile. She gently knelt down by the Pokemon and watched it closely.

"Please help us find it, Tycho..." she asked quietly. "I'm really worried about Snivy... It'd be so cool if you could help." The Cyndaquil looked up at her words, the annoyed grimace it had held since being released from the ball softening slightly as he squeaked some more before looking back at Marc, letting out a confident sounding "Quil!" and trotting off into the bushes.

"I think he's on to somethin'!" Alicia said happily. The girl quickly sprinted off behind the Cydaquil. "Please, please be Snivy..." Marcus and Will set off running as well, keeping pace with her as the Cyndaquil disappeared into the bushes ahead of them; only him stopping in the occasional clearing for them to catch up showing that he wasn't pulling the same trick as Snivy.

At some point Tycho disappeared ahead of them for half a minute, making a noise from ahead. "He must've found something!" Marc said, speeding up slightly. He broke through the scrub to find... a berry tree. Tycho had made a small pile of berries at the base of it and was happily munching through them. When he noticed Marc the Cyndaquil raised a juice stained muzzle to let out a mocking cry before curling up and going to sleep, his back facing the three trainers.

Alicia could only stare in silence as she watched the Cyndaquil. The last thing she had been expecting was the little creature to be enjoying breakfast and an early morning nap. The sense of dread and worry began to return, as the girl began to bite her bottom lip.

Marcus deflated slightly seeing his pokemon doing this, turning to Alicia with a sad sigh. "Sorry, guess you're not the only one having problems with your pokemon." He muttered dejectedly, raising an arm limply to recall Tycho to his pokeball. As he clipped the ball onto his bag Marc looked around where Tycho had lead them. "Maybe your Snivy is somewhere around here? This looks like the sorta place they might like." He said desparately, hoping that Tycho hadn't lead them in the wrong direction just for the heck of it.

Will chuckled, having seen the Pokemon act like this, then dashed off to the trees. He was pretty sure Snivys loved the forest, and in this city, the garden of the lab was the closest it could get to a forest. "It couldn't have gotten far," he shouted, rummaging through the leaves and trying to listen to sounds. He could hear the shuffling of leaves somewhere up ahead. Marcus' Cyndaquil hadn't entirely misled them. "Over here, I think."

Alicia followed behind Will, hearing a familar sound. The blonde girl looked over a set of bushes, her eyes widening as she saw something not pleasant at all. Her Snivy was curled up by a nearby tree, its tiny arms trying to cover its head as a Spearow was currently attempting to peck the poor grass Pokemon with everything it had. The bird Pokemon let out a rather loud screech as it dove down, slamming into the Snivy and sending it skidding across the grass with a small whine.

Alicia wasted no time in suddenly charging out to the bird, grabbing a nearby rock and chucking it at the Spearow as hard as she could. The rock graced the Spearow's head, not actually hitting it, but doing enough contact to gain the girl the bird's attention. Alicia seemed to just stand there for a moment. The bird eyeing the girl with a rather angry glare before screeching and taking flight towards the girl.

Alicia gasped and took a glance over at Snivy. Quickly, the blonde trainer took off running towards the grass Pokemon, scooping it up into her arms and holding the Snivy close as the Spearow dove down at her.

Marc's eyes widened and he quickly threw a handful of leaves and twigs at the bird, getting it's attention as he released Tycho once more. The Cyndaquil appeared with a dismissive snort that was quickly turned into a high pitched squeak as he took a Spearow to the face. Screeching in anger the mouse-like pokemon flailed the bird away from it and spat several small blobs of fire at it, making the situation even more confusing as the now burning bird began to screech.

Alicia scrambled back towards the two boys. Snivy was tucked carefully in her arms as she ran towards them. She glanced over at Marc's Cyndaquil, worried about the fire Pokemon as well.

"Is he okay?" she asked, holding Snivy close. Tycho looked at her and snorted before walking back over to Marc, pausing only to set the struggling Spearow on fire some more. "Yeah, I guess he's fine." Marc said weakly, eyes fixed on the pokemon as he returned Tycho to his pokeball once more. "How's Snivy, is it alright?"

Alicia looked down at the Pokemon, gently petting the top of its head. Snivy slowly looked up at the girl, a small whine escaping its lips before the Pokemon snuggled in closer to the trainer. Alicia sighed in relief, slowly catching her breath with a nod.

"I think Snivy'll be okay..." Alicia replied, smiling softly. "T-Thanks, guys..."

Will nodded curtly, happy that everything had went better than expected. "Do you by any chance plan on going to Route 1? We could tag along. We're stronger in numbers."

"I think... I think that'd be a really cool idea, actually," Alicia replied with a nod. "Is it okay if I stop off and get Snivy treated at a Center though?"

Will shrugged. "Sure, it would be good if you checked on it. I'll head to o Route 1 and wait for you there."

Marc, who had been silent up till this point, finally managed to tear his eyes away from the defeated pokemon, sounding rather faint as he turned to the other two. "That sounds good to me." he said, his eyes drifting involuntarily back to the Spearow. He hadn't quite been prepared for the violence of two pokemon fighting like that and it was a startling reminder just how much damage the cute little pokemon in his pokeball could do to him if it turned. "Umm, what should we do about... that?" he asked, gesturing at the Spearow. It wasn't actually burning now at least, just twitching quietly on the ground.

Alicia glanced over at the bird and frowned. "Well... Normally trainers don't... heal or worry about wild Pokemon that they actually don't catch. I mean... I guess we can take it with us and see if the nurses at the center can fix it, but... I honestly don't wanna catch it... And I don't wanna carry it outside of a ball in case it goes all totally crazy again..."

As she spoke, her eyes gazed down to the Snivy in her arms. It had already been quite a day already and the trio had yet to actually leave the town. Alicia was honestly starting to hope they could just put this whole incident behind them soon.

It was all quite interesting. As professor Cedar made his speach, Trevor took notice of all the other trainers within the lab. It was exiting to see all the other trainers joining the competition. He wondered what type of trainers they would be, considering their origins. However come to think of it, Trevor was unsure of the kind of trainer he'd become as well. I guessed he'd find that out once he'd chosen a pokeball.

Though most of the trainers around him were a buzz of excitement and vigor, he remained mostly composed as he carefully considered his options. Those options however seemed to dwindle ever so slightly as some over the starter pokemon already were being claimed. All the while Trevor wondered if any of these pokemon would 'click' with his own personality. He'd imagine that a grass type would have a calm and friendly air about them.

Eventually Trevor did get around to the Unova section of the regional starters. Unfortunately the grass type Snivy was already taken. No matter. He outstretched his hand toward the pokeball of the fire type; Tepig. Cradling the ball in his hands, there was a comforting warmth that seemed to emanate from it. This alone seemed to make Trevor more comfortable opening the ball. The fire pig was at first both confused and interested with all the commotion of the many people within the lab. After a moment its curious eyes eventually met Trevor's gaze and was accompanied by a good natured smile.

Trevor returned a similar smile and outstretched a hand. "Hello, my name is Tevor. How are ya feelin'?" Rather than responding, the Tepig stepped forward and took a moment to thoroughly sniff the boys hand. Once finished, it made a jovial oinking sound burying its snout in his palm. Perfect, this is amazing!, Trevor thought overjoyed as he pet fire pig. "So, little guy," he picked the Tepig and brought him to eye level. "How about me and you be friends? Does an adventure sound good?" The young trainer wasn't sure if the pig understood him completely but he seemed happy nonetheless.

Everything was going smoothly thus far. The new trainer received his trainer package and headed out the lab and searched for an un-populated area to sit down. He set the Tepig down for a moment they sat in silence. The type of silence when both are relaxed and content, only stimulated by a nice breeze. It was especially nice out ever since the recent downpour had subsided. Looking down at his new partner, the Tepig's eyes were a mixture of both innocence and expectancy. It evoked a somewhat strange feeling. Eventually Trevor broke the stillness; "I think I've got a nice name for you. Does Dynamite sound cool?" The Tepig tilted his head with a thoughtful look, registering the new name it had been given. It then eventually gave a nod. It was a good feeling, that he and his partner had made some initial yet subtle progress.

Glancing at his pokedex, it seemed like a long journey awaited them. Fawheat town was the immediate destination ahead. Dynamite seemed to enjoy it, so Trevor carried him in his arms as he was about to start down the path. Before going far he spotted a rather imposing trainer studying his pokedex on a bench. After some thought, Trevor finally decided to greet the fellow trainer. He was excited to see what starter he'd chosen.

"Excuse me, Miss Mose?" a voice called out, gaining Alicia's attention.

The blonde in question looked up from the seat she had been sitting in. After it had been saved from the Spearow, Alicia had brought her Snivy straight to the Pokemon Center as she had told the others. Despite the fact that the nurse there had told the girl that the grass Pokemon's injuries were nothing serious, the new trainer had remained sitting close by the counter, anxiously and nervously waiting for the nurse to return her new Pokemon to her.

"Is it okay? Snivy's gonna be totally fine, right?" Alicia asked the nurse anxiously.

She quickly rose out of her seat and rushed to the counter. The blonde girl almost tripped over her own feet in her hurry, however she managed to grab on to the counter to keep herself from falling face first into the floor. This earned a small chuckle from the nurse as she held the pokeball holding Snivy inside out for Alicia.

"Yes, yes... Don't worry about a thing," the nurse replied, smiling warmly at the new trainer. Alicia had a small blush on her cheeks as she carefully took the ball from the nurse's hands, holding it close against her body. "Your Snivy's wounds have all been treated and she's back in fighting condition. Just be a bit more careful from now on, dear. I know you must be a new trainer, but remember that next time your Snivy may not be so lucky."

Alicia gave a quick nod to the nurse. "I understand ma'am... Thank you so much for the help..."

The nurse gave a quick nod back to the trainer before returning to her work. With a sigh, Alicia turned and made her exit from the Pokemon Center. With all the time she had spent hunting down Snivy after she had run off, fending off the Spearow with the two boys and their Pokemon, and then taking Snivy to have her wounds treated, it was already starting to reach late morning... And already, it had been quite the eventful day.

"I guess I should probably be gettin' to the city gate so I can meet up with the others... We did like, promise to go together and stuff..." Alicia mused. She began to walk towards her next destination. However, she only took a few steps before coming to a stop. Her gaze drifted down to the pokeball still being carried in her hands. "Although... we never really got the chance to be introduced and stuff properly..."

A feeling of nervousness and worry began to build up in the pit of the girl's stomach. Alicia felt her grip on the Snivy's pokeball tighten as she began to wrestle with the decision of letting the grass-type out of the ball once more. She worried that the Snivy may try to take off again if let out... However at the same time, Alicia knew she could not very well let the creature stay confined to a pokeball for the rest of its life. She did not set out from her home back in Kanto for that. With a nod and a deep breath, Alicia held the ball out and a familiar red laser shot out from inside of it. Time seemed to stand still for the blonde girl as she slowly looked down and felt Snivy's gaze lock with her own.

"W-Well... Hello, again," Alicia greeted, after what felt like several minutes of the two just standing there, staring at each other.

Snivy slowly walked up to the trainer. The grass Pokemon circled around Alicia much like it had done before. Only this time instead of running off like before, the Snivy gave the blonde girl a small nod before crossing its arms and walking towards her side. A smile crept across Alicia's lips as she watched this.

"It's nice to meet you too, Snivy," Alicia replied, kneeling down to the Pokemon's side. Slowly, the blonde girl reached out and began to slowly pet the Snivy's head. The grass Pokemon did not seem to dislike this, causing the smile on Alicia's lips to grow. "Alright then... I think we should get this started properly... My name's Alicia... But I think you could stand to like, have a name too, right?"

The Snivy nodded in response. Alicia looked thoughtful as she looked down at the creature. Suddenly, the trainer's eyes lit up as she nodded in approval of her idea.

"How about Rose?" she asked. "Do you think that would be a good one?"

The Snivy crossed her arms and closed her eyes as if deep in thought. Slowly, the creature opened her eyes once more, nodding in response. Alicia was happy that the Pokemon didn't seem to mind the name. She held out her arm, and slowly the Snivy moved over, before climbing on. Things were suddenly looking much brighter.

Marc stared off into he distance absent-mindedly as he leant against the tree, one hand twisting a piece of grass through and over his fingers while the other held Tycho's pokeball in an iron grip. His interaction with the pokemon earlier had been brief, but it was enough to have him worried. He had picked the cute looking pokemon in the hopes that it would be easy to deal with but that didn't seem to be the case.

Sighing Marc glanced downwards at his "peace offering", a pile of the round blue berries that Tycho had been eating earlier. Hopefully if nothing else the gift of food that he seemed to like would put Tycho in a good mood. With a somewhat grim sense of foreboding Marc squeezed the ball in his hand, a bright burst of light coming forth. He was prepared for it this time and managed to watch as it morphed into the shape of a Cyndaquil before fading, leaving the real thing behind.

Tycho looked annoyed but otherwise none the worse for his one-sided encounter with the Spearow earlier. The mouse-like pokemon's annoyance seemed to fade slightly as his twitching nose noticed the pile of food, though he made a point of sitting on the other side of the pile to Marc. The boy sighed as he watched the pokemon eat in silence for a minute before he tried to get his attention.

"Uh hey, Tycho. I-" he started, only to be interrupted as Tycho let out a loud, dismissive snort; glaring Marc into silence before chitterling something in his language and returning to eating. Marc frowned and looked at the pokemon sullenly, "So you don't like me. Why?" he muttered half to himself, reaching forwards slowly.

He wasn't quite sure what he had been planning to do, possibly take the food that he had gathered away if Tycho was going to be like that, but he was quickly forced to abort it and snatch his hand back as a small ball of fire flew past it. Marc scrambled backwards, eyes wide at the violent reaction as Tycho glared at him once more. The Cyndaquil began talking at him, a long speech in it's incomprehensible language. Marc couldn't understand any of it and could barely make out the tone, but the dismissive and scornful lilt to the words was unmistakable, as was the glob of fire spat at the ground in his direction. Even if Marc couldn't understand Tycho the little pokemon had made it clear how little regard he held for his trainer, though exactly why Tycho thought so poorly of him Marc had no idea.

Tycho turned away back towards the pile of barriers but Marc had a burst of pettiness, recalling him into the pokeball with a flash of red and an outrages squeak. Certain that he would pay for that next time he withdrew Tycho Marc sighed and clipped the ball securely to his bag before flopping back against the tree. He remained like this for several minutes before eventually forcing himself to his feet, eyes gazing over to the horizon where the tall buildings of Lynbury began to thin out. His pokemon might not like him but it hadn't been all bad today, and two of the good bits were waiting for him somewhere over there.

Marcus, Alicia & Willhelm​

Welcome to Route 1!

Terrain: The suburbs of Lynbury give way to a light, airy forest filled with all manner of pokemon; any particularly dangerous ones driven out of the area by local rangers. As the route progresses towards Faywheat village the trees begin to thin out, eventually giving way to rolling fields and farmland.

Current Weather: Sunny, scarce clouds on the sky

Native Pokemon: Pidgey, Rattata, Sentret, Hoothoot, Zigzagoon, Poochyena, Taillow, Starly, Bidoof, Shinx, Pidove, Patrat, Bunnelby, Fletchling

Trainers: This route is mostly occupied by begining trainers or those still attending trainer school in nearby Lynbury City.

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Will got up from the grass and dusted himself off, his eyes fixed on his peers who were approaching. Rhaegwynn was looking at them too; Will hadn't bothered getting him inside the PokeBall. "Hey, guys," he greeted, "shall we be off?"

Alicia smiled at Will, waving back at the boy. Rose was still currently seated on the blonde's shoulder. She looked up at Will and his Charmander with a small look of curiosity, before rolling her eyes and looking back down at the ground.

"Sorry for keepin' ya waitin'!" Alicia said as she reached the boy. "You weren't gettin' like, bored or anythin' were ya?"

"Bored, no... impatient, maybe."

"Hey guys." Marc called out, coming up the road not far behind Alicia. Unlike the others his pokemon was locked away in it's pokeball - he doubted Tycho would be very pleasant company right now - but he tried not to let it bother him and instead focused on the journey ahead; the whole pokemon thing might not be his cup of tea but he was quite looking forwards to exploring the lands ahead in a group like this.

"Snivy all healed up then?" Marc asked, directing his question as much to the pokemon as to the trainer as he smiled at the pair. He noticed that Will's starter was standing quietly by him; evidently the older boy was the only one of the trio not to have some sort of drama with his starter.

"Yep... The nurse said her wounds could've been totally worse... But we got lucky when we found Rose when we did," Alicia explained. She eyed the creature on her shoulder who gave a small smile, almost as if it was proud of its morning adventure. "A-Anyways, we ready to go? Once we go past the gate our adventure will totally be goin' strong!"

Marc smiled along with her, trying to force up some enthusiasm from slump he had been in. With the fresh, unknown wilderness of the route spread out before him he found it surprisingly easy. "Yeah.... There's a whole new region out there, places and people i've never even heard of before. It's only really hitting me now." The excitement was spreading through his body and drowning out the unhappy thoughts of earlier as he moved ahead a few steps, turning back around to face the others. "You ready to go Will?" he asked, grinning at the pair of them.

Will nodded, "I was ready a long time ago," he chuckled. With Rhaegwynn by his side, he walked towards Route 1, hoping to find out what awaited him forward.

Just as Sean was walking away from the bench he paused and saw another kid approaching him. Already due to the presence of the Tepig he concluded that this kid was one of the others chosen to partake in this tournament. Though why come over to him? He supposed that with all of them being new trainers there would be some who would naturally want to stick together. Made sense of course what with the wild pokemon on routes and the chance that some of them could very well be injured in battles. He smirked and turned to face the boy, "Hello there. I see you have a Tepig." He smiled sincerely at the both of them as his mind began to work. "I'm a trainer too. Just got my Torchic and I'm about to head out on the route. So, are we already pairing off eh?" He chuckled.

Trevor blinked, surprised that the other trainer anticipated his request to tag along. Maybe that just means we'd be great traveling together!, he thought excitedly. "I'd be glad to pair up with ya' if you don' mind. My name is Trevor and this is my Tepig, Dynamite." The fire pig gave a snort and a friendly smile to the boy. "Torchic is pretty neat choice as well."

Sean nodded a bit and glanced between the two slowly, "So, already getting a close bond are we?" He smiled a bit, "That is good to see. Most don't catch on that quickly from what I've seen." And with this bond beginning so early... it could be easy to manipulate as well... He looked over at the route and nodded, "Right, so then shall we head off? Or... we could have a battle here and now." He took out his Torchic's pokeball with a frown, "We can view how our pokemon battle and you can decide how to best raise your Tepig that way."

It took him a moment to think of a response. It was obvious this trainer knew what he was doing. Trevor then glanced down at Dynamite. His partner was always energetic from the get-go so a battle didn't seem to bad of an idea. "Well, alright sounds good. I'm somewhat..well very new to training pokemon so, this is could be experience." Trevor glanced around and spotted an open field several meters away. "How about over there? Seems like a good spot." Before waiting for a response he looked back to the trainer with a smile. "Oh, I forgot to ask you what your name was."

"Sean." He replied as he went over to the spot and nodded, "Right. My own is feisty a bit and I'm new too, so no worries." He held out Torchic's pokeball and frowned a bit. He looked over at the Tepig and his trainer, "Be ready, mine is a bit... aggressive. Though I'll see how aggressive it is with this." He opened the ball and out popped the Torchic who immediately keyed in right on the Tepig and cried out. Immediately the fire chicken ran at the Tepig aiming to hit into it with its body.

Both pokemon and trainer were surprised at the immediate charge of the battle-ready Torchic. "D-dodge that!" Dynamite, determination in his eyes, nimbly darts out of the way of the attack. "Good! Stay sharp!" Encouraging words came from his trainer. The pig then dashed at the Torchic in a similar fashion, preparing a full body tackle.

The Torchic cried out as he was hit and quickly staggered back, but in retaliation he raised a foot to try and scratch at the Tepig while letting out a shrill cry. All the while Sean just watched on, not letting out any commands and just wanting to see the state of mind his Torchic was in. Though from what he saw, the fire type was aggressive and seemed to want to be the center of attention.

Dynamite lets out a groan as he attempts and fails to avoid the counter-attack. Hopping a few paces back while holding his ground, his ear twitched towards Trevor. Just noticing his partner was seeking a command, Trevor hurriedly tried to remember the Tepig's moves. Tail Whip seemed like a nice option but he wasn't sure how effective it would be. Though it wouldn't hurt to try. "Tail Whip!" He called out the command more confidently this time. Almost immediately, the tepig wags its tail endearingly at his opponent. The Torchic seemed suddenly confused and hesitant at the act so Trevor guessed the move did its job.

The Torchic just cried out angrily yet again and attempted to ram into the pig, though this time it held its beak out and tried to bit into the pig as well, if but to grab a hold of it. Sean smirked a bit at the ruthlessness it showed and already he began to have an idea of how to train it. "You know, if you get a hold of it you can use your claws to scratch it up too." He called out to his mon.

The bite of the Torchic's beak connected with the pig's forearm. Squirming and jumping, Dynamite tries frantically to escape its grip, trying its best to move as erratically as possible to make the sub-subsequent scratching difficult. Trevor's face contorted with worry at the scene. However he quickly issued the Tepig to Ember at the Torchic. While the typing matchup itself wasn't very effective, being at such close range allowed Dynamite to fire off two consecutive embers with intensity that forced the fire chick to release and falter. Wasting no time, Dynamite took the initiative to run down the Torchic with tackle without waiting for a command.

Sean watched on as the battle raged with the fire chicken screaming angrily at the pig, but as the pig ran forward Sean smirked, "Jump... now." The Torchic jumped just as the pig ran underneath and the chicken flapped its wings a big as it landed back on the ground. "Now, ember." The bird shot out an Ember right at the pig's backside while Sean thought a bit more. Yeah... he could see what he would have to do.

The ember was landed, but the Tepig simply retorted with a low snort and retreated several paces. A slick maneuver..., Trevor thought assessing the situation. His partner didn't seem to be out of gas yet. Nonetheless, they'd have to be more tactical with their attacks. "Tackle and chase him down," was the next command issued. The Tepig using his speed to its fullest, rushed at the fire chick in a straggly zig-zag pattern, following his opponent's evasion and pinning him down under his weight. Trevor clenched his fist with satisfaction.

Sean watched and nodded, "Scratch at him, his belly is now wide open." The Torchic cried out as he was bared down on, but none the less he did his best to raise his claws and scratch at the flesh.

Trevor shook his head as the Tepig cried out from the scratching. "Retreat back and ember." Dynamite doing his best to get away, hops off the chick while simultaneously firing off an ember onto its belly from both nostrils.

The chicken snorted as the fire hit into his body. He slowly got up, panting now at this point and yet it still had a fire in its eyes. Sean had seen enough at this point and from here he would have to confirm his strategy. "Go right for him Torchic. Keep using those talons and don't let up." The panting fire bird cried out and rushed again, this time sweating and huffing as he ran to get the job done.

Trevor nodded. Coming straight at us? "Retreat and ember!" Trevor waiting until the torchic was within close proximity to issue the command. Dynamite then hops backward while blasting the rushing torchic with a well placed ember to the beak. "Finish it!" Trevor announced the last command without thinking. Nonetheless, the pig didn't hesitate to follow up on the ember and dash forward once more.

The Torchic cried out as those last attacks hit it and it fell to the ground, gasping and looking rather winded. Sean strolled up casually and picked up the bird. "Well, not bad." He recalled it into his pokeball, "I'm quite surprised that your Tepig managed to stay on its feet. Seems you got a good pokemon there. Barely even got tired." He looked down at his own and nodded, "I'll be off to the center then. If you want to come so be it. The route itself will be more treacherous which is no doubt why everyone will be pairing up soon enough." He turned and began to walk, "And I'm certain your Tepig will need some aid as well."

Trevor watched Sean walked of to the center and gave a sigh of relief. That was tougher than he expected. Though he was nervous, Trevor was glad Dynamite pulled through. He smiled brightly as he picked up Dynamite. "You did great buddy! You really know how to move." His partner merely smiled and sprawled about into his trainers arms. Trevor recalled his partner into the pokeball. "Lets head back to the center to get ya healed up. Wouldn't wanna keep Sean waiting." He then turned towards the Pokemon Center.

Alicia watched as Willhelm walked off with his Charmander. The boy certainly seemed to be the quiet type... Although part of that might have had to do with the fact that the trainers had not gotten to know each other too well yet. Regardless, he was right that it would probably do the trio well to poke about Route 1 on their own for a bit before regrouping further down the road. After all, this could prove to be a great bonding chance for Rose and Alicia.

The blonde turned to Marcus, giving the boy a warm smile as gestured further down the path. "I think I'm gonna go poke 'round a bit too, 'kay? I'll catch up to ya both further down the road."

Waving to the boy, Alicia began to make her way down the route. Rose, who had been sitting on the blonde's shoulder this entire time, decided to slip down and stretch her legs a bit. The Snivy followed her trainer, although a bit of space was between the duo. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she walked. The Pokemon would occasionally glance around as she walked, a somewhat bored expression on her face. Alicia on the other hand was far the opposite. The girl was feeling more than just a little excited. After all, this was her first time travelling down any road with a Pokemon by her side! And on a journey nonetheless!

Looking around, a rather bushy looking area caught the trainer's eye. A small smile graced Alicia's lips as she looked down at the Snivy by her side and pointed towards the bushes.

"I bet there's like, a ton of Pokemon in there, Rose!" the blonde said, excitement evident in her voice. "We totally should go and see what's in there! Come on!"

Alicia quickly made her way towards the bushes with glee. Rose watched her trainer for a moment, not really seeing or feeling the excitement that the blonde was. With a small sigh, the Snivy slowly began to follow behind her trainer, arms still crossed as she walked. Alicia quietly peered behind the bushes, her eyes widening as she spotted a lone Starly. The smile on the blonde's lips grew as she pointed the bird out to her Snivy.

With a single nod, the grass Pokemon jumped from the bushes. This caused the poor Starly to be quite startled, the bird twittering loudly before it suddenly began to flap off and away. Alicia stared helplessly at the retreating bird before slowly turning her attention back towards Rose. The Snivy seemed rather proud of her accomplishments. She even went as far as to give her trainer a rather smug looking smirk.

"Did... Did she just do that on purpose...?" Alicia thought, trying to analyze the whole situation.

Shaking her head at the thought, the trainer and her Snivy made their way a bit further into the bushes. The sound of rustling leaves caught Alicia's attention as she moved further in. Glancing up, the trainer spotted a Sentret hanging from a tree branch by its tail. The creature was currently munching away at an Oran Berry, a rather content smile plastered across its face.

"It's so totally cute..." Alicia whispered. She glanced over at her Snivy. The Pokemon in question was currently eyeing the Sentret with a bored look in her eyes. With a nod, Alicia pointed at the Sentret and grinned. "Alright, Rose... Let's catch us a Sentret!"

The Sentret snapped its attention to the trainer and her Pokemon. It glanced down at the berry in its paws, before suddenly holding the berry close, glaring at the Snivy as she ran foward towards the creature. Sentret dropped to the ground and ran towards Rose. The plant Pokemon attempted to try and charge into the Sentret, only to be greeted by the berry-loving Pokemon to slam its claws into her face. The Snivy winced in pain as it fell back, a rather annoyed glare in her eyes. Alicia gave her Pokemon a worried look, but Rose clearly was not ready to give up.

"Alright Rose, tackle it to the ground!" the blonde ordered.

Rose made a nod and dashed for the Sentret once more. The Sentret stood ready, raising up onto its tail and readying to take another swipe at the Snivy. However, Snivy did not fall for the same attack twice. The Pokemon quickly spun off to the side, dodging the Scratch attack before slamming her body into the wild Pokemon. Sentret fell to the ground, rolling a bit as its berry flew high into the air. With a smirk, Rose watched the berry fall to the ground. The plant Pokemon ran forward and caught the berry with glee, stuffing the entire thing into her mouth and smirking down at the Sentret.

Satisfied with her work, Rose turned her back on the Sentret and began to walk back the way she and Alicia had turned. Alicia simply stood there for a moment... She had wanted to catch the Sentret, but after the way Rose had just just acted in front of it, the girl decided that the two of them traveling together probably was not for the best. Quickly, the blonde spun around on her heel and followed her Pokemon out of the bushes.