[PKMN FULL] BEYOND ic

[FireSnow]

Martin Lovett

Martin woke up the next morning ready to traverse the watery Route 12 and make his way into Lavender Town. He had read a lot about the town and and its rich history back when he was younger and ever since he had always wanted to visit and learn more. Though he wouldn't get to meet the famous Mr. Fuji, his daughter had taken up what her father started and kept the community going.

After small breakfast, Martin and Ali entered Route 12 and made their way across the man-made bridges that connected the route. Martin marveled at the amazing pieces of construction these bridges were and how they had managed to last so long without a sign of wear and tear. Getting closer to the other side, Martin was almost feeling a little sad as it meant he'd be leaving behind an amazing structure. As Lavender town came into view, so did something else, or rather, someone else. In the distance was some man with what looked like tens of sticks. What were those?

Getting closer, Martin realized they were fishing rods. It might be nice to get one, there are some cool water types I've heard. Stopping by the little stand, Martin learned he would get one of these Old Rods, so they were called, simply by listening the old man teach about the basics of fishing. There was no reason not to take the deal so Martin agreed to take the lesson.

Sitting there in silence as the man taught, Martin was finding himself enjoying the lesson. That is until there was a very abrupt interruption. Out of nowhere a kid, about Martin's age with a buzz-cut and bright blue jacket, sped towards the pair, yelling something about that being his Old Rod. Once standing in front of the two, he babbled on about needing that Old Rod and how there was no way Martin was going to get it. Not really liking his attitude, Martin stood his ground and pointed out the 50 other Old Rods five feet away from them. This didn't seem to register with the kid, instead inciting him to challenge Martin to a battle.

Taken aback, Martin wasn't really sure how to respond and stood there frozen in place. He hadn't been in an actual battle yet and had imagined his first time going a bit differently than this one. Before he had a chance to even think of a response though, the kid had sent out his a Pokemon. From his studies, Martin recognized them as Grimer and Sentret. Figuring he had no choice now, Martin sent out Jolou and Mickey and hoped for the best.

As the kid sped off once again, this time with the Old Rod in hand, Martin tended to his Pokemon. It didn't go as poorly as he thought it would, with the two Pokemon getting in their shots. In the end though, that other trainer's experience ended up being the x-factor as Martin was incredibly unsure of what to do and command his Pokemon to do. Not one to be a gracious winner, the kid left a message with Martin before leaving,

"Pshhh, you might be the worst trainer I've ever seen. My little sister can command her Pokemon better than you."

Martin tried to be mad but he wasn't exactly wrong. Martin had no idea what he was doing. Receiving some help from the old man, his Pokemon recovered enough strength to not be in danger anymore and Martin received his own Old Rod and continued his walk into Lavender Town.

As the sun began setting, Martin entered the Lavender Pokemon Center. Handing his injured Pokemon to Nurse Joy, he took a seat in the waiting room, taking a chance to relax for the first time since the morning. Taking a seat, he thought back to his earlier encounter. That had hit the one chord that made Martin doubt himself the most. He knew he wasn't good as a a trainer but he figured he was at least improving. After that battle though, he clearly wasn't.

Figuring it would be better if he wasn't sitting cooped up in the Pokemon Center, Martin and Ali went for a walk around the town. Not 20 seconds after leaving though, more excitement entered Martin's life. As he turned the corner, what came barreling down on him but a Houndour! Instinctively, Martin tensed up and turned away from the hit, waiting for the attack that never came. Opening his slowly, he noticed the Houndour about fifteen away, struggling to its feet. At Martin's feet was Ali, its claw fading from a bright light back to its normal colors. Putting 2 and 2 together, he realized what happened, Ali had protected him!

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Rucker doesn't mean any harm!"

A girl yelled from down the road, an Electabuzz beside. Was that who Martin thought she was? As the girl got closer, Martin saw his thoughts were correct.

"Holy Arceus! Is that Marty!?!"

Genevieve's eyes widened as she realized it was her little brother that her Houndour had almost barreled into.

"How the heck are ya!? When did you get into town? How's the journey been? Catch any Pokemon?"

This was more than Martin was expecting but he did have to agree with Genevieve's excitement. He had been missing his sister and was wondering if he was going to see her anytime soon.

"Here, why don't we head back to the Center and I'll fill you in"

With a smile, he lead the pair back and filled her in with everything he had experienced so far.

"Wow! Two Pokemon already? Impressive! Sounds like that Bellsprout is real tough competitor. It'd be a good addition to any team that has serious aspirations for the league. Where is it and your Rufflet?"

About to acknowledge their injuries, Nurse Joy walked over to Martin and handed him his Pokeballs.

"Thank you Nurse"

Looking back at his sister.

"Right here actually, you wanna see them?"

"Uhhhhh YEAH!!!!"

"Okay, okay dont have a Miltank! Come on out Jolou and Mickey!"

In a bright flash, the pair of Pokemon popped out.

"Wow! Those two look great! You have done a great job raising them so far."

"R-really?"

"Yeah! Why do you doubt that? Because of what that jerk kid said?"

Martin was silent.

"Listen to me Martin, you have done an amazing job. Most people would never have even made it this far. You did. Even better, you have caught 3 Pokemon who are all looking healthy and have bright futures, especially that right hook of Ali"

Martin smiled but remembered the recipient of that right hook

"Hey sorry about that by the way. If I had known..."

"Don't even think twice about it! Your Pokemon did the right thing protecting, even more impressively without receiving a command. That's a good Pokemon right there."

Genevieve looked down at her Houndour and pet its head.

"I love this thing but it can sometimes lose control and dash off. Wouldn't hurt a Ledyba unless provoked, but its a bit much too handle sometimes. You're lucky to have such disciplined Pokemon, who care about you."

Martin looked at the Houndour as his sister spoke and met its eyes. Martin couldn't explain it but there seemed to be a hint of sadness, like it wasn't truly happy being with Genevieve.

"Hey Gen, you're a pretty serious trainer right? Like you wanna challenge the League and stuff."

"Yeah that's right. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I can't explain it but I don't think that's what Rucker, here, wants. I think that's why he loses control. He just wants to have fun and live life."

"Hmmm maybe you're right. Would explain a lot...what do you propose I do?"

Thinking, Martin looked down at Jolou. Suddenly an idea popped into his head.

"What if I trade you Jolou, here? You said it yourself, he's a competitor and would be a great addition. What do you think Jolou?"

Martin didn't exactly want to trade Jolou, but he knew in the long run, this was the right thing to do for both Rucker and Jolou. Looking down, the Bellsprout looked to be pondering before giving Martin a nod.

"See? Jolou is on-board. How bout you and Rucker?"

Genevieve, shocked by the offer, was speechless for moment before looking down at Houndour and immediately looking back at Martin.

"I think you're right. This is the best for both of them. Let's head over to the trade machine."

Standing in front of the machine now, the Pokemon in the balls, Martin thought about his time with Jolou. The Bellsprout had, in a short time, grown a lot, thanks in large part to Martin. Maybe Genevieve was right. He was a good trainer. He had developed Jolou into a fine battler, according to Genevieve, who was one of the best trainers Martin knew.

"You okay Marty?"

Looking up and realizing how long he had been standing there, he put the ball in the machine. Enjoy your new home Jolou. You're gonna do great

"Yeah I'm good. Let's do this."

The machine whirred to life as it transferred the two Pokemon. In seconds a new Pokeball appeared on Martin's side.

"Come on out Rucker and meet your new partners!"

"You too Jolou!"

In bright flashes the Pokemon appeared next to their new trainers and partner Pokemon. Rucker seemed to make quick friends with Mickey while Ali seemed to show its apologies for their earlier encounter. Meanwhile, Jolou, Genevieve and her Electabuzz got acquainted quickly. His former Bellsprout seemed to be acclimating quickly as well. Martin smiled.

"Well I think it's time I head out. Gonna explore the the town a bit, there's said to be some cool ghost Pokemon here! Promise me next time we meet, we'll have a battle. I'd love to show you how Jolou is doing and see how well Rucker is doing."

"Absolutely Gen, we'll definitely do that. Better bring your A-game though. It's not going to be easy"

"I would hope not, wouldn't be much fun then! Alright, well I'm off. See ya Marty!"

With a wave and a wink, Genevieve left the Pokemon Center and disappeared into the night in search of her next Pokemon. Martin meanwhile also decided to leave but not to find Pokemon but rather dinner. He was starving.

"GRROOOOOAAAAHHHH"

And as far as he could tell, so were his Pokemon. With a laugh and a wave, Martin and his Pokemon headed further into town in search of delectable meals.

Actions:
1. Received Old Rod
2. Battled Trainer
- Bellsprout --> lvl 12
- Rufflet --> lvl 11 Learned Wing Attack!
3. Entered Lavender Town
4. Traded Bellsprout for Houndour (Rucker) Timid Nature

 

[Groc]

Elise Greene​

---

As they continued their walk along the side of the road, Elise brushed her hair back into shape. "Note to self: don't hug an electrically charged animal after it gathers static electricity. I looked like an anime protagonist, ready to challenge people to card games, not Pokemon battles!" She grinned at the thought, while Ray just looked at her cluelessly. "Oh, I guess you don't know what anime is. Or card games, probably. Um... I'll explain later..."

The guidebook had been correct when it said that no trainers came down this road. After what felt like an hour of walking, she hadn't seen anyone wanting to battle, or anyone at all, for that matter. Not even any wild Pokemon had shown up. She almost started to regret her decision, but the cool breeze coming from the ocean, and the presence of her ever faithful Pokemon by her side were a comfort to her. She found the walk peaceful, if a bit monotonous. Lost in thought as she was, she almost didn't notice when the road turned again, and she found herself walking along the wooden bridges of Route 12.

Ray meowed at her, looking a little forlorn after so much walking. "Yeah, I agree. We could use a rest. Why don't we stop over there?" She pointed to a clearing in the trees, just off the bridges. Ray purred as Elise picked him up and carried him, laying him down on a rock that had been warmed by the Sun's rays. Elise sat next to him, taking a wrapped sandwich from her bag to share with her Pokemon. She called out Pearl as well, who curled up in her lap. The three enjoyed their lunch in companionable silence, taking a break from the journey to just enjoy their day.

The silence was broken by the sounds of footsteps on the wooden bridge. An old man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and an old vest came into view, carrying a cooler and an old bag. "Oh, what's this? A young Pokemon trainer?" Rather than turn down a pier toward the water, like she expected him to, the old Fisherman approached Elise.

Elise watched him nervously, not sure why he had noticed her. "Oh, I'm... I'm not really a trainer. I don't want to battle you or anything."

The Fisherman chuckled, stopping at the edge of the bridge. He set down his cooler, sitting atop it like a stool. "I won't fight you. I just don't see many others in my favorite fishing spot. If you don't mind me asking, what are you looking at?"

"Oh... I was looking at the sea. The breeze felt nice, and I liked looking at the waves..." She felt a little embarrassed to say so, as she'd just been staring out into space, lost in thought.

The Fisherman took a collapsible fishing rod out of his bag, putting it together with practiced motions. "Ah, yes... the sea is always good. There is nothing I can look at for very long, except the sea. The shine, the grace, the power hiding just under the surface. It's a beautiful thing, wouldn't you agree?" He cast his line into the water, offering a kind smile to Elise.

"Um, yeah... I guess. Really, I just think it's peaceful. I like the gentle motion of the ocean, the serenity of the waves, the cool wind that carries the unmistakable scent of the sea. It's... nice." Pearl was hiding behind Elise, while Ray went over to sniff at the man's bag.

The Fisherman had a good laugh at that. "Well said! To each their own, I suppose. As a fellow enthusiast of the water and all it represents, how would you like to learn how to fish? There's nothing more relaxing than that!"

Elise looked to her Pokemon for advice. Pearl shrugged, deeming the old man harmless. Ray nodded enthusiastically, eager to try something new. "Okay, I'll do it. I'm game." She pumped her fist in determination, deciding to humor her new friend.

"Great! I happen to carry an extra fishing rod with me for just such an occasion. Take a seat here!" He pulled an older, less fancy fishing rod from his bag and handed it to Elise. It took her a few tries to extend the rod and thread the line, but the Fisherman helped her figure it out. Despite him advising her to sit, she didn't have a seat with her, and found it less awkward to fish standing up.

She spent some time learning to properly cast the line, even letting Pearl train her psychic abilities by teaching her to cast as well. The Fisherman was greatly amused by this, offering help if Elise needed it, even though neither of them manger to catch any fish. "You take to this like a Psyduck takes to water! Keep it up, and you'll be as skilled as me one day!"

"Oh, thank you! But I should be going now. Maybe I'll see you again some time?" Elise collapsed her Old Rod and tucked it into her bag, returning Pearl to her Pokeball.

The Fisherman smiled, getting up and taking a pair if Soda cans from his cooler and offering one to Elise. "That would be nice. I live in Lavender, if you're ever up that way."

Elise accepted the Soda with a smile. "I'm actually going there now. I'll stick around town, maybe you can show me around later!"

"I look forward to it." The old man smiled, waving as Elise and Ray headed North once more.

"Well, that was an entertaining use of our time. People out here are so friendly! I kind of regret hiding from so many people I've seen on the road now." Ray meowed at her, grinning. "Okay, fine. All Of the people I've seen on the road. But in my defense, my brother had me thinking that I'd have to battle every person I met on my journey. Can you blame me for being cautious?"

Ray meowed, rolling his eyes. "Of course you can. You'd happily battle everyone we met, wouldn't you?" Ray meowed proudly, grinning like a fool. Unfortunately for him, they didn't encounter anyone else, and no wild Pokemon showed up on the bridge. Within the hour, they found themselves stepping off the bridges and back onto solid ground. Lavender Town lay dead ahead, Pokemon Tower rising ominously overhead.
​

Actions Taken:
#3: Traveled to a new area (Route 13 -> Route 12)

#4: Took the time to learn how to fish.
Item get! (Old Rod)

#5: Trained a Pokemon by exercising, practicing skills, etc.
Pearl leveled up! (13+1=14)

#6: Traveled to a new area (Route 12 -> Lavender Town)

 

[moon]

PAIGE *bulbagarden.net image removed*

Lavender Town
In the evening of April 28, Paige reached Lavender Town. By then, she was so tired from traveling all day from Rose Village, so she hardly even bothered to glance up at the magnificent Pokémon Tower before she made her way to the pokémon center and found a room for the night. Her pokémon had battled and enjoyed a good rest at her feet in the bed, too. Well, Electrike at least. Trapinch apparently preferred to curl up underneath the bed instead, and Remoraid - disgusted by the lack of water in the bed - begged to stay inside of her pokéball.

In the morning, it was another story. Breakfast was brief, because Paige wasn't tired and drained anymore and had realized that they were in Lavender Town, a very cool location with a tower where the graves of pokémon lay! Keeping her pokémon inside of their balls politely, she entered the site and perhaps weren't too polite with the transparency of her reason for visiting. She only had her mind set for the floor where the tower staff let people meet and capture pokémon.

There were a lot of boxes and old furniture piled up in the large halls, probably to let the pokémon have places to play and sleep, Paige guessed as she walked around in what felt like a labyrinth. There weren't any other humans here yet, it seemed. She checked the time on her pokédex: 07:12 AM. Oh, that was much earlier than she usually even woke up. Perhaps she had just been so sore last night that she fell asleep like a rock. If rocks even slept. Rock pokémon, maybe?

Something moved in the corner of her eye, but when she turned to look, everything was still. Paige wasn't easily scared. Anything moving in here was probably a wild pokémon, which only made her feel happy and excited.


Actions taken:
#1 New Area
Route 12 -> Lavender Town[/b]
​

 

[Aquacorde]

Sorley's Journey Journal Day 3!​

It was thundering this morning and it woke me up really early. I put away the tent real quick and put a poncho on Golett and 1 on me and then it started POURING! And we had to walk a long time to get to Lavender Town. Lots of people were fishing, but Golett wouldn't let me try it. It doesn't like the rain at all. I don't mind rain, but I like it better when I can play outside for a little bit and then go dry off. I couldn't do that this morning. I had to walk for hours before I could dry off. At least the poncho helped. We got to the Pkmn Center and I took a nap. Walking in the rain made me so tired.

I had lunch at the Pkmn Center. It was stir fry. I don't like all those vegetables but Miss Samira says my taste buds will change and I will like them someday so I have to keep trying them. I ate lots of rice. I don't think Golett needs to eat. It tried my food though just to see. I couldn't tell if it liked it but it didn't ask for more. Maybe it doesn't like vegetables either.

We went window shopping by the Pkmn Tower. There's lots of stores but it's all kind of expensive. But they were fun to look at! A Mistr Misdreev Misdreavus tried to steal my hat. I told him that stealing is very bad. I told him if he promised not to steal anymore he could have my hat. And he promised! Then he left.

Me and Golett went into the Pkmn Tower and it was very peaceful until something attacked us. It was very scary and we didn't know it was. It was a bunch of Misdreavus and they were being very mean to us. But then the one with the hat came and protected us! I was so happy to see him again! But then more of them came back with some Gastly and they beat up Misdreavus. It was really scary and sad. I picked him up and Golett protected us so we could run back to the Pkmn Center. Misdreavus was really sad. I didn't think he could go live in the Tower anymore so I asked if he wanted to come with us and he said yes! Now we have another friend to travel with! I asked if I could call him Missy for short and he said yes to that too.

Me and Golett showed Missy how we train and Missy showed us what he can do. Then I ate dinner. I don't think Missy needs to eat either. Maybe it's because he's a ghost type? I'll ask someone tomorrow. If there's anybody who knows I bet they're in this town.

Well, that's what we did today! Tomorrow is supposed to be nicer so I'll go outside more!

April 29 Actions

1. Move to Lavender
2. Catch Misdreavus
3. Battle wild Misdreavus (M +1)
4. Battle Gasly (M +1)
5. Train (M +1; G -> lv 21; G learns Stomping Tantrum!)

 

[moon]

PAIGE *bulbagarden.net image removed*

Lavender Town
Suddenly, something leaped at her. She only managed to spin around in time to fall back on her back against a set of cardboard boxes, but not avoid the attack completely. Atop of her was what was unmistakably a Houndour, growling darkly. Paige wasn't easily intimidated, but even she had to feel slightly nervous, having sharp teeth and a mouth that could potentially breathe fire, so close to her own face.

"Please," she said, trying to sound calm. "I didn't mean to startle you. Do you want me to leave?"

Houndour growled and slowly stepped away from her, but it kept its eyes glaring at the girl through the dim light in the hall. She brushed some dust off her clothes and made sure nothing had fallen out of her bag, still trying to move slowly to not agitate the dog more than necessary.

"I can leave, if you really want to. But I was coming here to find strong wild pokémon to add to my battle team, I admit that."

The dog didn't look impressed. Behind it, Paige suddenly saw a Rattata peeking out from behind a broken armchair. It looked very innocent, even for being a small pokémon. Rattata usually looked dumb and mischievous, Paige had found in the past. This one... Did it have larger eyes than normal? Larger ears? There was just something about it.

"Is that your friend?" Paige asked the Houndour. It growled at her again, and the Rattata ran up to hide behind Houndour's legs, as if that was safer despite being closer to the human.

The dog stopped growling at that and shifted its attention to the little rat, who shivered at the moment. Something made a cardboard box behind them fall over, and new growling commenced, but this time not directed at Paige.

"Who's there?" she called out.

Floating up from behind the armchair were three large faces. Paige let her pokédex point towards them, and read them as Duskull, Shuppet and Gastly. The last one, she recognized from every scary movie ever. The former ones weren't quite as well known. Duskull looked downright deathly - even making the stout Paige shudder. But not as much as the Rattata. She understood, and felt admiration for the Houndour. It was trying to protect its tiny pal from the scary ghosts in the tower. Perhaps the two of them had found their way here to take shelter, but the ghosts hadn't been quite as welcoming as they'd hoped for.

"Don't worry," Paige told the dog as she straightened up and gave it a wink. "I'll give you a hand."

She sent out Electrike and Remoraid. The former merely blinked at the ghosts before he turned around to his trainer and begged for food. Typical. She tossed him a sweet Oran berry, which seemed to satisfy him for now. The Houndour seemed to huff at that. Maybe it was hungry as well?

The ghosts had been giggling and whispering among each other, and now Duskull and Shuppet both floated up higher in the air before they sent dark ominous rays of energy at Paige's pokémon. Remoraid, after making a panicky wobble on the floor, quickly countered the move with a Psybeam. Electrike fired off a Thunder Wave, and while it seemed to make the ghosts uncomfortable, it only dampened the Night Shade attacks slightly. The Psybeam also didn't seem quite strong enough, so both Remoraid and Electrike were hit by the creepy energy beams in the end.

"You alright?" Paige asked, darting forward to put a hand on each of her pokémon. They both reassured her that they wouldn't go down that easily, to which she was proud.

Meanwhile, Houndour and Rattata had been trying to sneak away. Unfortunately, Gastly noticed, and shot a really Mean Look in their direction. Houndour wasn't distracted, but the poor Rattata was locked down and too scared to move. Houndour put itself in front of it, protectively, instead of running away to save itself.

"At least Shuppet is paralyzed," Paige told her pokémon, and picked Remoraid up from the floor instinctively, as if to aim her shots manually. "Spray it with Water Gun!"

Remoraid obliged, with Paige assisting her aim. Still, it wasn't easy to hit the giggling Shuppet; mostly just the furniture and other junk laying around the hall got wet from the attempt. In the meantime, Duskull had faded into the shadows and now popped up right in front of Electrike in an Astonish move. Desperate, Electrike tried to tackle the opponent, only to run straight through it and hit the head on a pole behind it instead. All ghost pokémon were nearly crippled with laughter after that.

Paige tightened her grip on the Remoraid cannon and aimed in anger at Duskull. The next Water Gun hit it in the back, making it crash into the same pole, just above Electrike. The tiniest of giggles could be heard, and they all turned around to see that it came from Rattata!

​

The Gastly would have none of that, and started Hypnotizing the small rat. Paige had to keep firing at Shuppet to prevent it from coming too close, so she couldn't help them.

"Houndour! You've got to do something!" she called out. "Get Rattata away!"

The dog met her eyes for a brief moment, then it seemed to have mustered up enough courage. It leaped in front of its little friend and breathed out a purple cloud of gas, before it turned around to pick the rat up carefully in its mouth and scurry away. The purple cloud grew, and Paige felt uneasy seeing it approach. It could just be a smokescreen, but... What if it was a Smog attack? Those sure weren't healthy. She retreated the weakened Electrike to his pokéball and backed away with Remoraid in her arms. Shuppet and Duskull also seemed to retreat, not wanting to get too close to the awful Smog. But one ghost remained. Thrived, even.

Suddenly leaping out from the purple cloud was Gastly, and its Hypnosis this time was directed at Paige herself! It was a peculiar sensation. First dreadful, then increasingly relaxing. The gas creeping up around her didn't seem frightening anymore, just kind of fascinating. Slowly, she became less and less aware of that she was also holding something in her arms...

Splash! A weak Water Gun had been fired up straight at the trainer's face. Remoraid refused to be dropped and abandoned here. That woke Paige up, and she realized that Gastly was straight in front of her. Time to end this madness.

"Psybeam!" she called out, and Remoraid was happy to fire. The move hit Gastly between the eyes, completely baffling it and making it fade away into temporary unconsciousness. "Yes!" Paige called out in triumph. "That'll teach them."

She hugged Remoraid as thanks for the great battling, and returned her to the pokéball. The Smog was finally fading, too. But where had those other pokémon gone away to? Paige snooped around and noticed that more humans were starting to flood the halls now. The early morning pokémon might be retreating. But when she turned around a corner, almost ready to leave, she was suddenly face to face with the Houndour again.

"Hi! Did you come to thank me, huh?"

The dog scoffed. But it also didn't seem to want to budge. Spurred, on Paige took a chance. "Do you want to come with me? Become my pokémon? I'll make you strong through training and battling. And you'll get to see the world, get fed and all..."

Its expression in response was hard to read. Paige got the feeling that it actually did want to join her. But something was holding it back... Of course!

"You don't want to leave Rattata, do you?"

A squeak confirmed it, as the rat dashed forward from its new hiding place, nearly crashed into Houndours leg and proceeded to grasp it tightly with its tiny paws. It certainly didn't want its friend and protector to leave it.

"That's fine," Paige said with a smile and dared to reach out to pet Houndour on the head. It didn't pull back. "That's commendable of you. I hope the ghosts won't give you too much trouble in the future."

She turned to leave the Tower of Pokémon, but she wasn't all happy about it. She had been looking forward to the prospect of getting a Houndour on her team. An eventual Houndoom would be a powerful companion, a great battler for sure. But she really couldn't break that duo apart. Unless...

"Unless you want to bring Rattata along too, of course?" she stopped and asked over her shoulder.

A few seconds of nothing, then there were suddenly two pokémon by her side - one fiery and dark, and one tiny and nervous. She sat down and faced them both gingerly, presenting two empty pokéballs.

"I promise to care for you and protect you. If you promise to do the same for me!"

The pokémon looked at each other, and seemed to agree. Paige felt overjoyed as they both nudged one pokéball each and disappeared inside in flashes of red light. Two new friends on the same day. She was on her way to success! Or rather... Redemtion?


Actions taken:
# Remoraid did battle:
Gastly +1
Duskull +1
Shuppet +1
-> Lv 15, learned Aurora Beam!
Electrike did battle:
Duskull +1
Shuppet +1
-> Lv 12
Caught Houndour!
Lv 11, Female Gender, Bold Nature
Caught Rattata!
Lv 11, Male Gender, Lonely Nature

*bulbagarden.net image removed*

​

 

[FireSnow]

Martin Lovett Vs. Damien Lalune Part 1​

Damien continued his walked down Route 12, just about to enter Lavender Town. He remembered just how he felt when he first left Lavender Town, but with his father as he was escorted to the laboratory. Now, he was coming back with two Pokemon of his own.

His partner, Spinarak, just sat on his head and stared into... nothing in particular. His Vullaby, however, walked alongside him. It waddled on with a puffed out chest. She was being overly proud, having won two battles against a trio of Ducklett.


Damien merely chuckled, seeing his Vullaby's spirit raised. If only for the wrong reasons.


Meanwhile, Martin continued his mission of finding a place to eat. He hadn't eaten in hours and his stomach was sure to remind him every few seconds. By his side, Rucker and Ali kept up with their trainer, seemingly having their own little conversation Martin judged by Ali's claws clicking and Rucker's soft grunts. On his shoulder, Mickey was perched, helping Martin in their search. Martin had figured over the last couple of days that his little Rufflet had a large appetite and made sure everyone knew when he was hungry.

"RUFFFFF"

Martin covered his ears in shock

"Yes, yes! I know you're hungry, the whole town doesn't need to know though."

Just then, Martin caught a whiff of something. He didn't know what it was exactly, all he knew was that he wanted some. Mickey had the same thought it appeared as he flew off Martin's shoulder in search of the mystery scent.

"Hey! Mickey get back here!"

Martin began his pursuit of the hungry bird.


Strolling into Lavender Town, Damien took in all the familiar sights. Lavender Town... a true sight for Damien's sore eyes. Pokemon Tower, in particular. It always looked like home to him.

As Damien stopped and thought about his next action, Vullaby simply waddled on, catching a whiff of something delicious in the air.

"Pit-pat-pit-pat," could be heard from Vullaby's left. She continued to ignore everything around her.

Finally catching the sound, Damien perked his head and looked over to see a Rufflet running towards Vullaby. "Hey, Vullaby, lookout!"

"Mickey, SLOW DOWN!"

Martin was too late though as he could see the small bird's silhouette crashing into another small silhouette. Running up to the scene, Mickey and the other Pokemon both seemed a bit dazed from the crash but okay. Quickly he helped the pair up to their feet. Looking up, Martin saw what he presumed was the other Pokemon's trainer.

The Vullaby was dazed and dizzy, the impact of Mickey knocked her silly. Shaking it off, she looked at the Rufflet and glared hard, beginning to squawk angrily, without stop.

"I am so sorry! It was an accident, my Rufflet loses all sense of control when he catches a whiff of some good food."

Damien walked up, and saw the result of the incident. Vullaby had a bump on her head, and she was angry at the clumsy Rufflet. "Vullaby, you okay?" Vullaby spun around and tapped her foot, and held out her wings. "Heheheh, okay. I got something for you." He scooped her up, and pulled out a bit of Potion from a side pocket. After treating his upset Pokemon, he noticed the Rufflet's trainer.

Martin laughed nervously, picking up Mickey in his arms. He hoped the other guy wouldn't be too upset. It really was an accident though he didn't like the look that the other Pokemon was giving his Rufflet. Shaking it off, he looked at the Trainer. It was hard to see his features but he could make out a Spinarak that was giving Martin the major creeps with its stare.

"Hi there, my...uhhh...name is Martin and...umm...this is Mickey. You are?"

"Hey, it's okay. I'm Damien. My Vullaby, and my partner is Spinarak, here." The String Spit just eyed him silently. Vullaby huffed, and scoffed at the Rufflet.

"Nice to meet you Damien"

Martin nodded to the new person. His Pokemon may have seemed creepy and a bit angry but he seemed pretty alright.

"Are you from around here?"

"Yeah, I'm from Lavender Town." Damien answered back as Vullaby wriggled a bit in his arms, still angry with the Rufflet.

"Err, I think my Vullaby wants a battle. What do you say?"

Martin was surprised by the sudden challenge. It did explain the stink eye that Damien's Vullaby was giving Mickey though.

"Umm...I suppose we could have one. Any chance we can grab some dinner first. My Pokemon and I haven't eaten since breakfast and we're a bit low on energy"

Martin laughed sheepishly as his and Mickey's stomach took the cue and growled loudly.

"Sure, I'm about to head to the nearby cafe. I'll show you the way. Vullaby, return. I'll have you treated before we battle." Vullaby didn't respond, not breaking eye contact from Mickey as she was being returned to her Pokeball.

"She's really aggressive, and I recently caught her. Try not to mind it too much, eh?" He chuckled, and gestured Martin to follow him.

Martin felt much better once Vullaby went inside its ball. At least Damien seemed pretty nice, even offering to show them to the cafe that was housing the delicious smells.

"Sure, thanks!"

Martin returned Mickey and Rucker to their Pokeballs as Damien began walking and quickly joined him.

"So are you also a new trainer?"

Martin asked, trying to make some conversation while they walked.

Damien nodded. "Yeah, I'm new. Spinarak was the Pokemon I was given by the professor. I can see you came from the lab, too." The Spinarak did not move form it's spot. It seemed motionless as it sat on it's trainer's head.

Stepping up to the door of the cafe, they both entered, and took a seat at a booth.

Menus were already available at the table, and Damien picked his up. He looked through what was available.

Martin took a seat across from Damien, picking up a menu.

"Yeah, Ali here was the Pokemon given to me."

The little crab clicked its claws, looking up at the two trainers. Martin looked over the menu and found what he knew to be the delicious smell.

"That's... a Crabrawler? Never thought I'd see one so soon." Damien flipped through, but decided that he'd just eat something simple. A cheeseburger.

Spinarak shifted his eyes over to the Crabrawler. Sizing him up. Silently.

"How many Pokemon do you have? I just have Spinarak, and my Vullaby.

Martin ordered the soup of the day when the waitress came over.

Damien simply ordered a cheeseburger and fries.

"Yeah this is my main partner, a bit of a rascal but we're getting along."

Ali, clicked its claws together in agreement before staring back at the bug type on top of Damien.

As for my other Pokemon, I've got Mickey, the Rufflet you met and Rucker, a Houndour I traded my sister for right before I ran into you."

Just then, Damien and Martin's meals arrived at the table.

"Oh boy! It smells even better in person. Come on out Mickey and enjoy this!"

Mickey popped out of its Pokeball and propped itself on Martin's shoulder, taking a small spoonful of the soup from Martin.

"Rufflet!"

Mickey ruffled its feathers in excitement.

"So what are you going on a journey for?"

Damien's eyes flitted to the side, not looking at anything in particular. He didn't really know what he was going on a journey for, except to be strong enough to protect Pokemon Tower.

"Well... I'm already bound to take over the protection and care for Pokemon Tower. My father, his father, and HIS father have looked over as Pokemon Tower's caretakers. And so, I will become strong enough to ensure the safety of my heritage."

Damien looked back, and began to chow down on the burger, his hunger overtaking him. Spinarak shot a string onto one of the fries, and swiftly nibbled on the french fry.

Martin continued his meal in silence, eating happily and hungrily with his two partners. Across the table, his new friend, or whatever Damien now was, seemed to be just as happy eating his food. Finally done with his soup, Martin wiped his mouth with a napkin before paying for his meal.

"Hey, thanks for showing me this place. Its really quite good. Right guys?"

He looked over to his Pokemon who both happily agreed.

"Well I suppose I should be on my way. Unless you still...uh...wanted to do that battle you spoke about?"

Martin didn't really want to battle, especially after such a delicious meal, but knew it was the polite thing to do. Not to mention it was the only way his Pokemon would grow and gain valuable experience.

Damien, finishing his burger, and eating half of the fries that were once presented to him earlier. Spinarak nibbled the last fry that was poking out between his mandibles.

"Yeah, it's nice. I'd come here with my family before I left. But anyway...."

He looked up at his Spinarak, who looked back down at him.

"We're ready for a battle. How about a two on two match?" He looked back at Martin, his eyes gleamed with competition.

Martin felt his heart sink a bit as Damien mentioned his desire to still do the battle. He looked away for a moment, making eye contact with his two Pokemon. He couldn't explain it but it was like he could hear little voices in his head telling him to go for it, as if his Pokemon were talking to him. That didn't make much sense, since Pokemon couldn't talk but he figured the voices were a sign all the same.

"Well we did agree to one so...yeah let's have a battle, there was a battlefield by the Pokemon Center, I saw. Let's head on over there, I suppose?"

Martin followed Damien out the door. Martin was only moments away from his second ever battle and he couldn't decipher exactly how he was feeling about it.

Actions:
1. Nothing to report though we did have some delicious food

 

[moon]

PAIGE

Lavender Town, April 30

There wasn't a gym in Lavender Town. For some reason, Paige had believed there was, and was slightly disappointed. She figured they might as well be on their way then, since she had already explored the interesting parts of the Pok?mon Tower and wasn't overly keen on listening to annoying humans crying over their fallen partners in the higher levels.

But first, nutrition! It was a lovely, sunny day, and Paige let her pok?mon out from their pok?balls to join her on a big green lawn on the outskirts of the town. They were an odd collection already, and she was proud of them. Houndour was still a bit overprotective of Rattata, who seemed a bit worried in general about trusting the others to come close. Trapinch was as friendly and aloof as ever. And hungry. After eating, he and Remoraid fell asleep leaning into each other in the grass. Electrike seemed really interested in Houndour and tried to get her attention whenever he could. Something she did all she could to avoid, of course. Paige was amused, and found herself hoping that Electrike and Rattata would at least become friends soon enough.

Rattata wasn't a strong pok?mon, she pondered. She had set out on this journey to find the strongest, toughest pok?mon she could for her team. Trapinch, Electrike and Houndour sure fit the bill, and Remoraid's cannon powers packed a punch. But a small rat? Well, she really didn't have the heart to split them up. And perhaps she could actually teach Rattata to fight and toughen up? Size wasn't everything...​

 

[moon]

Rock Tunnel

North of Lavender, reaching west towards Cerulean City, the Rock Tunnel is originally a naturally formed underground tunnel. In the past, the road through the mountain wasn't properly developed, and travelers had to rely on lanterns or pok?mon who knew Flash or another move to lighten up the cave for them. In 2021, however, a proper and straight enough route has been hammered out through the mountain, a tunnel basically, which is lit up all the way through. Wild pok?mon avoid this path though, so many trainers tend to stray away to find adventures and additions to their teams, and maybe even dropped items lying around... Be careful not to get lost!

What to do here?

- Get lost! Literally. It's more fun that way. Nah, you're welcome to stay on the lit up path if your character prefers that, of course. But get lost together, maybe?

- Capture wild pok?mon! Only if you stray from the main tunnel, will you find them.

- Encounter pok?mon thieves who try to steal your strongest pok?mon by fighting dirty? If you encounter them, it's likely to be further into the caves - only daring trainers with strong pok?mon head in that far, and these thieves are looking to snatch strong 'mons...

- JP! Or interact directly in the thread. Actions have consequences. If somebody accidentally clogs the tunnel, the next person can't get through without doing something about it. Oops.

- Hopefully it won't take you more than a day to get through the tunnel, but remember that for each ic day, you are allowed to either:
--- Teach a pok?mon a new move (this can be TMs if you have one, or Tutor moves if there are tutors available)
--- Evolve a pok?mon
--- or Capture a new pok?mon
Choose carefully between expanding your team and raising the ones you have! Keep track of what date you are on in your post, please.

- Remember to call professor Cypress if your pok?mon express any behavior that you suspect is due to Aura or that wouldn't be considered normal!

Wild pok?mon

Zubat // Supersonic - Astonish - Bite - Wing Attack

Geodude // Tackle - Rollout - Magnitude - Rock Throw

Machop // Low Kick - Karate Chop - Focus Energy - Seismic Toss

Onix // Tackle - Bind - Rock Throw - Stealth Rock

Dratini // Thunder Wave - Wrap - Twister - Slam

Roggenrola // Sand attack - Rock Blast - Headbutt - Iron Defense

Special pok?mon

Only possible to encounter if you are together with another player when it happens!

Kangaskhan // Comet Punch - Rage - Dizzy Punch - Bite
​

Spoiler:

 

[Groc]

Elise Greene​

---

Lavender Town was everything that Elise could have hoped for: peaceful, quiet, and charmingly rustic. She'd checked into the Pokemon Center as soon as she'd arrived, making sure her team was in good shape after their day-long hike. She herself was feeling a little tired, and she was certain that tomorrow, her legs would hate her. But that was a problem she'd deal with tomorrow. For now, she wanted to go see the town, even though it was getting dark. She decided to let Ray rest in his Pokeball, instead letting Pearl out for a while. The little Psychic kitten had no intention of walking, but Elise was perfectly fine with carrying her in her arms.

"Ooh, maybe we should be careful, Pearl." She teased, trying to sound spooky. "This town is famous for its ghosts. We wouldn't want to run into one of them out in the dark, would we? Ooh!" She giggled at her joke, but glanced around to make sure no one had heard her. Walking through the literal and metaphorical shadow of Pokemon Tower suddenly made her a little self-conscious, and she hoped her joke wasn't in bad taste.

In all honesty, she wasn't sure what she would do this late. She was mildly surprised by how many shops and stalls were still open, and there were still a lot of people around. She decided to avoid the Tower itself, as she found the prospect of a mass grace, sacred or not, a bit intimidating. Besides, it would be full of Ghost Pokemon, and the thought of fighting one was too spooky for her. Instead, she visited some of the stands, looking at merchandise and buying Pearl an ice cream sandwich shaped like a ghost. It was all good fun, and she was getting ready to go back to the Pokemon Center, when she felt drawn to a large building near the Tower. It was a large church, silent and only faintly lit, in sharp contrast to the festive tourist attractions behind her.

Despite also being a tourist attraction, the church was quiet and nearly empty. Elise found it soothing, taking a moment to admire the stained glass windows. She heard quiet footsteps approaching and looked around, not seeing anyone until she looked down. A little Cubone had walked up to her, staring at the floor as it offered her a flower. The stem was bent and the flower about to fall off, but the Cubone seemed so shy and nervous, Elise felt reminded of how she had been when she was younger. "Oh, why thank you! Flowers are my favorite!" She accepted the gift with a smile, which made Cubone apparently blush and scuff at the floor with a foot. Elise couldn't help but smile, crouching down and offering the shy Pokemon an orange-flavored candy. "That was very kind of you. Would the sweetie like a sweetie?"

Cubone accepted the candy, then turned and ran away. Elise giggled, finding the whole scenario adorable. She heard another laugh right behind her, and froze. If this was an anime, Elise suspected her eyes would have gone white and her face blue with shock. She slowly rose, turning to face the source of the laugh as she forced a nervous smile onto her face. She found herself facing a woman, perhaps only a few years older than her, who offered her a warm smile. Elise got the impression that this woman smiled a lot, it looked so natural on her. "Oh, um... hello..." was all Elise could muster.

The woman nodded, bowing her head in formal greeting. "Hello indeed, and welcome to our church. I hope we've made a good impression on you. My name is Kina." She looked young, but her voice had a smooth, motherly quality to it that belied age and experience. Something about her was reassuring, though, and Elise felt less nervous around her.

"Hello, Kina. I'm Elise, and this is Pearl." Pearl meowed softly, snuggling closer to Elise's chest. "If, um, if you don't mind me asking... why were you laughing?"

Kina looked over Elise's shoulder, drawing attention to Cubone, who was peering out from behind a chair. "That little Cubone has been here for months, and she's never approached anyone before now. The poor dear is so timid, I was concerned she'd never open up." Her smile faded, and she sounded sad. "We found her a few months back, hurting after a battle with a Trainer. Since then she's refused any contact with humans, except for me." Kina smiled again, the quiet joy in her voice making Elise blush. "And now, you! I think maybe she sees something of herself in you."

Elise nervously scuffed the floor with her foot, avoiding Kina's gaze. "Well, um... honestly, I'm kind of afraid of battles too..." Elise glanced back at Cubone, then back at Kina. Kina looked calm, but a particular sparkle in her eyes showed she was containing an amused grin. Elise frowned slightly, forcing herself to not be embarrassed. "But I'm working my way through it. I love Pokemon, and I'm going to conquer my fears! Even if I really don't want to..." She trailed off at the end, not wanting to make a scene.

Kina smiled and nodded, again sounding authoritative and motherly. "Then perhaps there's a reason you're here tonight. You have much in common with Cubone, and I think she senses that in you. But you're working to overcome what holds you back, which I think she also senses. Maybe she approached you tonight because she wants your help. She wants you to be her Trainer. Her protector, her mentor, her friend." Kina gently turned Elise around, and Cubone stood at her feet, looking up at her for the first time. Elise felt something, like a pressure behind her eyes, looking at Cubone. The timid Pokemon's expression was easy to read, as though she were a book. You're like me, but bigger. Stronger. Like Mommy.

"Do you want to come with me? Would you like that?" Cubone nodded shyly, gripping her bone club with both hands. Elise pulled out a Pokeball, offering it to Cubone. "If you want to, just hit the button, and you'll have your own little safe haven. It's like a secret base, just for you!" Cubone happily tapped the button, the ball clicking shut without even one shake. Elise immediately called her back out, picking her up in a hug. Pearl clambered up to Elise's shoulder to avoid getting squished. "Welcome to the team, little one. You need a name. You look like a Tiffany to me, but how about we shorten that. Can I call you Tibby?"

Tibby nodded, happy with her new name. Kina stepped away, giving the new friends some space, but happy the little Cubone had found a kindred spirit.
​

Actions Taken:
- Explored Lavender Town
- Caught Cubone (Timid nature)

 

[moon]

PAIGE

Rock Tunnel entrance, April 30

Deciding that there was not much of a point in lingering in the quiet town, Paige considered moving on. Hopefully Houndour and Rattata would feel alright with leaving their hometown. Keeping them out of their pok?balls as they walked north, they at least seemed happy enough. Houndour was a bit paranoid, constantly looking to the right and left and having her ears dart around in all directions to make sure that nobody snuck up on them.
Rattata was timid in the beginning, but after a while seemed to enjoy being able to walk freely in the great outdoors without worries of being bullied or assaulted. Paige was once again infinitely charmed by the little creature.

The area north became very rocky and full of cliffs very soon. It was a good thing Paige stocked up on potions before they left, because at one point,
Rattata fell and bruised itself from being too curious on the cliffs, and at another point, they encountered a hiker who begged the pink haired girl for a quick battle.

"I traverse Rock Tunnel every month, so I know it well... But it gets boring! Now I'm soon in Lavender, where I can heal my pok?mon up. So please do me the favor of battling me, to chase my boredom away?" the bulky man asked with a hearty smile.

"I guess we'll simply rest and heal up for a bit if you get hurt," Paige told her pok?mon, and Houndour's nodding indicated that she agreed.

The hiker laughed and sent out a Geodude, who looked very grumpy. Paige didn't judge it though - that was probably just its natural facial expression.
In any case, a rock type wasn't great to take on with a fire pok?mon, so she apologized to Houndour for keeping her out of it for now, and instead sent out Trapinch. The ground pok?mon yawned hugely. Paige had noticed that he required a lot of sleep compared to her other pok?mon. He had also been even more quiet lately... She hoped that he was alright. At least he didn't seem sick - he sure ate enough still. Maybe a battle could cheer him up a bit though.

The Geodude's battling style consisted of throwing rocks and hitting the ground hard with its fists to create Magnitute waves that Paige, Houndour and Rattata had to run away from. Trapinch didn't seem much fazed though; he created a Sand Tomb that trapped Geodude, before he Bulldozed over the rock 'mon and finished it off with a determined Bite.

The hiker seemed disappointed. "That was over way too quickly to be fun," he commented as he retreated his fainted pok?mon. "Maybe I picked a fight with a too good trainer!"

"I do aim for efficiency rather than to show off," Paige shrugged.

"You would make a terrible contestant, haha! But indeed an effective battler."

"Contestant?"

"Yes. You know? The people who don't want to get their hands or pok?mon dirty, and focus on having them make beautiful and well timed moves rather than hitting hard."

"Oh..." Paige said, realizing what he meant now. Her mother had actually had a small career in that as a teenager, before she became a fashion designer. "Yeah. I don't think that's for me."

The hiker thanked her for the battle still, and continued on towards Lavender, while Paige made sure Trapinch was alright. He was merely bruised,
and a potion fixed him up easily. He didn't seem keen on walking around, so she brought him back inside his pok?ball and called Houndour and Rattata back to her side as they went on. Within minutes, they found themselves standing in front of the shadowy gate to Rock Tunnel.


(OOC: why yes i'm subtly foreshadowing Trapinch' evolution c: )​

 

[Groc]

Elise Greene​

---

April 30th - Lavender Town

After a good night's rest, Elise decided to leave Lavender Town behind. She was a little disappointed that she didn't get to stay and see it during the day, but her adventure required that she keep moving forward. Besides, it was too spooky for her during the night, and Ray didn't want to stay in one place for too long.

So she set off down the road, Ray leading the way and Pearl tucked safely in her Pokeball. Tibby wanted to be out and see the sights, but insisted on being carried, which was fine by Elise. "You won't have anything to worry about, Tibby. Ray will protect us from anything that comes our way. He loves to fight!"

Ray meowed proudly, striking a pose. Tibby frowned, snuggling up closer to Elise. Elise smiled softly, understanding how the little Cubone felt. "I don't get it either, but he's really good at it, and it makes him happy. You won't have to fight if you don't want to. I'd actually prefer it that way." Tibby hugged Elise while Ray just rolled his eyes, wondering if all girls were so hard to understand.

The road soon became rocky, the path winding as small cliffs began to appear. The road cut directly through a mountain, and the slight incline made walking more tiring. Elise was starting to breathe a little heavier, even if Ray was enjoying the hike. "This seems like a good place to rest!" She pointed to a clearing up ahead. "I think Tibby's starting to get tired!" Elise felt a little lightheaded as she conferred with her friends.

Ray looked at Tibby, quirking an eyebrow at Elise as if to say "She is not. You just don't want to admit that you're tired of walking." Tibby frowned and leaned against Elise's chest, her frown conveying "Mommy's tired, you meanie. We can rest for a bit if it helps." Ray shrugged, conceding the point and falling into step beside Elise. His shrug and subsequent tail flick seemed to say "Whatever. Maybe there'll be something cool waiting for us!"

Elise hurried to the clearing, her head rush fading as she leaned against a large rock by the side of the road. She was getting really good at interpreting her Pokemon, even imagining voices for them, but these recent headaches were starting to concern her. She chalked it up to all the excitement of her adventure, all the new sights and sensations just overstimulating her.

More annoyingly, there was a rock in her shoe. She set Tibby down to play with Ray while she dealt with it. She leaned back against the boulder as she took her shoe off, shaking the offending rock out. Slipping her foot back in, she kicked back against the boulder to secure the shoe, jumping in fright as she felt the entire rock shift. Ray and Tibby heard her yelp and turned to look at the rock as well.

A portion of the rock slid up, revealing an eye almost as large as Elise. The boulder lifted into the air, still connected to the rocks beside it. As the rock turned, Elise realized it was a massive stone head, attached to a long, serpentine body made of stone. Elise had been leaning on a massive rock snake, and had just woken it from a nap by kicking it in the face.

"Oh! I'm s-sorry, I didn't realize you were sleeping there! I thought you were just a bunch of rocks!" The Onix hissed at her, the sound like gravel sliding downhill. Elise normally found the sound of rocks soothing, but directed at her like that... "No, I meant, inanimate rocks! I didn't mean to wake you! I was just getting stupid rock out of my shoe!"

The Onix pulled back its head in surprise, narrowing its eyes in annoyance. It apparently didn't like hearing Elise call a rock "stupid". It hissed again, and Elise slowly pulled out Tibby's Pokeball, returning the frightened Cubone to safety. Ray looked ready to fight the massive serpent, but Elise didn't like those odds. Onix looked like he didn't want to fight, either, but just wanted Elise gone so he could resume his nap.

"I think we've rested enough for a bit. Let's go, Ray!" Elise grabbed the little lion and held him close, backing away from Onix as the snake kept glaring. It only stopped when Elise was back in the road, laying back down and closing its eyes. It blended in with the surrounding area remarkably well, but now that Elise knew it was there, she wondered how she could have missed it the first time. Ray squirmed in her grip, wanting down, but Elise merely adjusted her grip to make him more comfortable.

"Oh my gosh... that thing was huge!" Elise whispered, her voice strained. "And did you see how fast it moved?!" Ray tilted his head to the side, meowing confidently. "Oh, hush." Elise set him down, but kept hurrying forward. "You could not have 'taken him'. He would've swallowed you up in one bite. CHOMP!" She grabbed Ray with both hands as she said "chomp", startling him and giving them both a laugh. Tibby came back out, nestling up to her favorite spot on Elise's chest now that the danger was over.

Elise touched Pearl's Pokeball, grinning slightly. "You know, you miss out on all the excitement when you stay cooped up in your ball like this." She got the sudden feeling that Pearl was just fine with that, and couldn't help but smile.

Before she knew it, Elise found herself at the entrance to Rock Tunnel. It looked fairly well lit inside, and Ray could create light, so she wasn't too concerned about going inside. "Come on, guys. Let's go see what other adventure we can find today!"
​

Actions Taken:
* Moved Location (Lavender Town -> Rock Tunnel)
* Encountered wild Pokemon (Onix)
* Ran away like a coward

 

[moon]

PAIGE

Rock Tunnel - certainly not the main tunnel, April 30

It was pitch black dark in there. Paige kept Houndour and Electrike out of their pok?balls so that they could crackle up or blow out some light every once in a while. Of course, it was her own fault for having strayed off the beaten path. The main tunnel was just too lit up and every now and then, she met other trainers who wanted a battle. Not wanting to tire her pok?mon out before she knew that the exit wasn't far off, Paige had opted to head into the side caverns instead.

She wouldn't say that she was lost, but she also wasn't quite sure of where she was going, of course. Houndour seemed to start to grow increasingly annoyed with their current course, while Electrike seemed to grow even more eager to follow every word or command Paige gave. Their rivalry was apparent. Paige found it both endearing, and slightly worrisome. Of course she wanted her teammates to get along, after all.

Soon, they came to a crossroads.

"Hmm, right or left..." Paige mumbled.

Electrike and Houndour both jumped at the opportunity to choose the way - and of course they both chose differently. Growling started up when they saw that the other picked the different route.

"Okay, cut it out," Paige said and stepped in between them. "It's not a competition. You are teammates. Hmm. Oh, I know!"

She let out her starter. Trapinch blinked silently at her as he materialized in between the dogs. Paige crouched to his level.

"Trapinch, you're a ground type pok?mon. Can you somehow sense what tunnel will lead us to the other side of the mountain?"

The brown pok?mon, only visible in the dim light thanks to Electrike's constantly crackling fur, seemed to think for a moment, before he started trodding away down the path Houndour had chosen. Smugly, Houndour blew out some embers that scattered along the wall to light up the path for them. Electrike's growling continued, but after Paige pet him on the head, he at least followed the troupe further in.

​

 

[MurkMire]

Damien VS Martin
​

As they walked out of the cafe, Damien led Martin to the Pokemon Center. To the side, there was a battlefield. "I'm actually kind of excited. I haven't battled many trainers so far." Damien said as a grin grew on his face.

"So, this will be a two on two match. Are you ready for this?" Damien turned to look Martin in the eye.

Martin gulped but found his courage.

"Yeah...uh...let's do this"

Martin met Damien's gaze before making his way to his side of the field.

"Alright Ali, I'm starting with you. Let's give it our best shot."

Damien watched as Martin sent out his Crabrawler. He didn't know what type it was, but he could guess it was a strange Fighting-type Pokemon. "Spinarak, I choose you." Spinarak hopped off of Damien's head, onto the battlefield. Now, his focus was on his opponent.

"I'll let you take the initial attack. Attack us with what you've got. Be ready, Spinarak." Spinarak nodded quietly. It's legs seemed to skitter in place, as if ready to battle.

Martin was more than a little nervous as he stood there mulling his options. This was about to be his first ever trainer with Ali and that spinarak seemed incredibly strong for its small size. Wondering the hold up of his trainer, Ali turned around and clicked its claws at Martin. Hearing the clicks, Martin looked down and met his partner's eyes. Martin just nodded in understanding.

"That Spinarak may be strong but so are we" Martin thought

"Well Ali and I appreciate it. Use Rock Smash!"

The little crab's claw glowed white as it charged the bug Pokemon.

Damien saw the incoming attack. He could see it was definitely a fighter. Spinarak, however, may be strong, but fragile as well. "Spinarak, try to dodge it, and use Poison Sting!"

Spinarak hopped backwards from the attack, but was still smacked and rolled to the side. Spinarak held itself up, and shot poisonous darts at the opponent.

Martin's eyes widened as he watched Spinarak's attack bear down on Ali. If that poison connected with the softer parts of Crabrawler, poison would set in, most likely. Reacting the best he could, Martin shouted.

"Get your claws up and protect yourself!"

It would still cause some damage but at least Ali's hard shell around its claws would protect it from poisoning. Ali instinctively obeyed and raised its claws just before the purple darts met its target.

"Counter back with Bubble!"

Having withstood the attack, Ali lowered its claws quickly as a barrage, albeit slow, of bubbles streamed towards its opponent.

"Spinarak, use Poison Sting again, and shoot down the Bubble attack!" Damien saw that Bubble was that strong of an attack, but he also didn't want to get in close. He realized the Crabrawler was more suited to close combat.

Spinarak, once again, spewed a barrage of poisonous darts, aimed at both Ali and the Bubble attack.

"Shield yourself again, then fire back a Leer!"

Martin called out, almost instinctively. Maybe he was starting to get the hang of this battling stuff. Ali, raised its claws once again, minimizing the damage before glaring menacingly back at the small bug type. With its defense having been lowered, Martin yelled out a final attack. At least he hoped itd be final.

"Now, use Earthquake!"

On command, the crab Pokemon raised its claws before bringnig them down with such force, tremors could be heard under the ground. And then the ground began rumbling as the battle field shook and the ground cracked and gave way as rocks and other debris were thrown in all directions.

Damien could only watch as Spinarak was heavily damaged by the quaking earth, the power of the Earthquake was too much after the Leer attack. Spinarak was overtaken. But... in the maelstrom of earth, rubble and dust, Spinarak began to glow a brilliant white.

"W-What is this? Spinarak!" Damien's eyes widened, seeing Spinarak take new form. His legs had altered, now taking a slender, but sharpened look. Two of them moved to his cephalothorax, the horn on his head became bigger, and sharper, and his very size grew twice it's original size.

As the Earthquake subsided, a worn and weakened Ariados appeared. It quietly scuttled to Damien, and looked up at him, before losing his balance. "Ariados... please, return." Damien, moved by this, held back his tears and returned his companion.

"So, I see I wasn't entirely ready. Now, Vullaby, let's go." Damien threw out his second Pokeball, the Vullaby cawed at the Crabrawler defiantly, flapping her wings with pride.

Martin stood quietly as a smile formed across his face. It was his first victory over a trainer, a strong one at that. Maybe his sister was right after all. Ali was clearly happy as well as it scuttled over, clicking its claws joyfully.

"You did great. Time to give you a rest, you've earned it"

Ali scuttled off the field and relaxed near Martin's foot. Meanwhile, Martin's next pokemon was just appearing in a flash of white.

"Rufflet!"

"Alright Mickey, your turn now. Give it your all!"

Looking over towards his opponent, Martin realized he should explain his decision.

"Hope this is okay. Ali is pretty tired and wouldn't be able to give much of a fight at this point. So i thought it'd be best to start fresh with two fully healthy Pokemon ready for battle!"

"I'm perfectly fine with that. Now, Vullaby, use Leer." Vullaby not only used Leer, but glared at the Rufflet, filled with determination to beat the clumsy Flying-type.

"Vull-Vulla!" She cawed, almost ready to "Snarl" at Rufflet."

Mickey shuddered before the piercing look of the Vullaby. Even Martin was a bit nervous. That Vullaby was an intimidating little flying type.

"Alright, Mickey shake it off and use Peck!"

The Rufflet ruffled its feathers to regain its composure and dove in towards its opponent, its beak a glowing white.

"Vullaby, retaliate with Fury Attack!" Vullaby dove towards Mickey, her beak glowing white as well. She began to lunge her head forward, just as Mickey did.

The two small birds collided as their attacks met. Unfortunately it seemed Mickey ended up on the losing side of that impact as it crashed to the ground. Martin looked to see if the Vullaby had at least taken damage but it didn't seem like it did as it stood there proudly.

"Mickey, stay strong and use Wing Attack!"

"Rufflet!"

Back on its feet, the bird flew high into the air before circling back down towards its opponent, both wings now glowing white.

"Vulla, Vulla-by!" She cawed at the incoming Rufflet. Damien hatched an idea, seeing Mickey descend. "Vullaby, use Gust, and knock Rufflet out of the air!"

She opened her little wings wide, and began to flap them vigorously, whipping up a Gust attack, great gusts of wind flew towards the small flying type.

"Dodge it Mickey!"

The Rufflet wasn't fast enough as the air currents clipped the bird Pokemon's wings sending it into a tailspin towards the ground.

"Come on Mickey, snap out of it!"

It was no use though as it crashed to the ground. It groggily stumbled to its feet as it tried to shake off its dizziness.

"Vullaby, attack, and finish this battle with another Fury Attack!" Vullaby began to run towards the shaken Rufflet, beak glowing white, and determination in her eyes.

She jumped, about to land on top of the Rufflet.

"Come on Mickey, dodge again!"

The Rufflet managed to come to its senses but it was too little too late as the opponent's attack landed. After the dust from the attack cleared, it was evident Mickey was down for the count. Martin sighed mournfully.

"Well, we tried our best and you battled well. Take a rest"

Martin returned his defeated Pokemon to its ball and walked over to the other side of the field.

"Nice battling out there. It was a lot of fun!"

"Vullaby, nicely done. Take a rest, too. I'll treat you well later." Vullaby cawed happily after turning to her pokeball. A mischevious grin creeped across her beak before she vanished into her ball.

"Yes, it was a good battle. My Spinarak even evolved from it."

"Yeah that was pretty cool! I'm happy I got to witness it"

Martin smiled and laughed as he thought how much he'd already grown since leaving home. He was scared to talk to anyone outside of his siter before leaving and now he was battling and chatting it up with a stranger.

"Well thanks for the battle Damien, it was lot of fun and you helped me learn a lot. Maybe we'll see each other again out on the road."

Martin turned around and began walking off before turning back slightly and giving Damien a wave goodbye.

Damien returned the gesture, and walked towards the local Pokemon Center to heal Ariados and Vullaby.

 

[FireSnow]

Martin Lovett

Journal Entry #1
April 30th

I just had my second ever battle yesterday. It was against another kid around my age. He was a little creepy/intimidating at first but he turned out to be pretty nice. Ali and Mickey battled really hard and I ended up going 1-1! I'm so proud of them and hope this is just the beginning of an amazing journey with my partners.

After staying the night outside of town, I got up early and made my way into rock tunnel. Boy is it spooky in there. Thankfully, its been developed over the past few years and there is a nice well-lit path through the tunnel. Of course that didn't stop Mickey from flying off down another, un-lit path. Only Arceus knows what made him go down that way. With the help of Rucker, I finally found Mickey and some of its new "friends". It looked like it had rustled awake some Zubat from a nice sleep. Thankfully, Rucker and I got there in time. Teamed up with Mickey, the pair were able to take out the Zubat with relative ease and chase them back to wherever their nests were.

Making it back to the path, I began feeling a bit tired so the crew and I decided to take a quick nap, slightly off path before clearing the tunnel. I can't wait to see what else the tunnel has to offer!

Actions:
None - for now

 

[MurkMire]

Damien Lalune​

Spoiler:

Ariados ♂ (Jolly - Insomnia) // Shadow Sneak, Double Team, String Shot, Poison Sting, Constrict, Infestation

Vullaby ♀ (Impish - Big Pecks) // Gust - Leer - Fury Attack - Pluck​

---

It was after an hour after Damien battled Martin. Damien had taken his newly evolved Ariados and Vullaby to the Pokemon Center to heal, so that they're prepared for the next route on their journey, as he sat out on a bench. That was, until a lone Shuppet made itself known to Damien. "SHU—PPET!"
"… Huh?"
Damien didn't even so much as flinch. Looking to his left, he noticed a familiar face. A small smile grew, and he said, "Ohh, hello, little Shuppet. It's been a long time." Shuppet nodded eagerly, and circled around him. "Shup-Shuppet!" It danced around both Ariados, who remained still, and Vullaby, who tried to peck back at the eager Ghost-type. "Vulla-by!" She angrily cawed, already annoyed from it, she snapped at it. "Shuuuup-perererere!" It blew a raspberry with a long, pink tongue. Damien merely chuckled, and patted Shuppet's head. "Still as much of a troublemaker as your friends, huh?" "Pe-pe-pe-pe!" Shuppet laughed with glee.

"Hey there, sonny boy! You little miscreant!" Damien darted his eyes up, to see his grandfather. "Grandfather! Hello." He got up, and gave him a big hug. "My word, it's such a delight to see you, my boy. Your father would be here, but he's taking care of the tower today with some proper cleaning. Your mother is at the daycare, of course." Damien nodded, and asked, "Are you going to visit the tower?"
His grandfather looked Damien in the eye. "Yes, I was going to check in on an old friend of mine, but… luckily, I got to see my grandson off with an interesting array of Pokemon." He ruffled Damien's hair, and chuckled heartily. Looking closely, he spoke out, "An Ariados… a Vullaby… and a Shuppet?" He eyeballed the Ghost-type that merely floated next to Damien's side. "We always knew you loved the Ghost Pokemon of Lavender Town. Are you taking this one with you?"

Damien chuckled nervously. "Well… this one just seemed to find me. He was one of the Pokemon to first help me… but I wouldn't want to take him away from the tower." His grandfather merely tsk, tsk, tsked at Damien. "My boy, these Pokemon don't get a lot of excitement in Lavender Town. I'd bet they would all wanna come with you, if they could. But, everyone in this town knows you and that Shuppet were inseperable in your younger years. Why, the pranks you two pulled on me… they were kinda funny."
Both Damien and his grandfather laughed out loud, making some people look over in confusion.
"Eheh… what I'm saying, Damien, is that you should take Shuppet with you. He'd be a very trusted ally. I can tell your Ariados and Vullaby are good to you as well, and any trainer worth their salt knows that a close kinship is truly priceless."
Damien took those words to heart, as he looked down at his current Party. Ariados met Damien's gaze, and Vullaby cawed up at him. She flapped her feathers, and gave a wild crowing. Shuppet circled around Damien again, and nodded profusely.

His grandfather nodded again, and asked of Damien, "Don't you want to take Shuppet with you?" Damien couldn't think twice about it anymore. He unclipped a spare Pokeball, and clicked it on. "Shuppet, I know we'll make a good team." With a nod and a happy, "Shuppet, Shup," it happily allowed Damien to "catch" it, not making the least resistance. "Heh, nice catch. Good luck on your journey. May you find strength and wisdom within, my boy. I'll give your regards to your parents. You've got a lot to do." He winked, and walked off towards the tower.

Damien looked down at the Pokeball, and smiled happily. "Return, Vullaby. Come, Ariados. We have a tunnel to trek." Vullaby returned to her Pokeball, and the duo of Damien and Ariados made their way into Rock Tunnel.

"... Huh?"
*Whish*
"Shuppet!"

~

"Shuppet, I JUST caught you! Get back here!"

As Damien and Ariados entered the Rock Tunnel that was neatly and well routed, the mischevious Shuppet felt like playing. It popped out of it's Pokeball, and flew off to the nearest entry way to the darkness of the cave. "Ugh... here we go." Ariados followed after Shuppet, but Damien stopped him with a hand. "It's fine. Shuppet will let me find it. Eventually."

An echoed chuckle came from the left. "This was a game we played when I was a kid... kinda like hide 'n seek." Damien treaded through the cave with great caution. Wild Pokemon were never friendly after wild noise, and Shuppet was possibly gonna cause a serious problem, if Damien couldn't catch him quick.

Luckily, he's played this game a long time. He whispered out into the darkness, "Oh, Shuuupet... where are youuu?" It created an echo that hopefully wasn't too offensive.

Ariados twitched his eyes, from left to right, trying to pinpoint where Shuppet had hidden. "Shuuuuppet... Shuppet...."

"Ariados, do you see it?" Damien looked down, and met with Ariados' violet eyes. It nodded quietly. "Ariados, use Shadow Sneak."

Ariados seemed to vanish into the darkness of the cave, just like Shuppet did. But before long, he could hear a yelp from Shuppet, and a clutching sound. Reappearing in front of Damien, Ariados held Shuppet in it's mandibles.

"Excellent work, my friend. And you, Shu-"

*Screech, Screech, SCREECH*

Countless Zubat suddenly flew about, a gaggle of them began to attack Damien and his Pokemon. Shuppet flew up, and shot a Night Shade attack at the harrassing Zubat. "Come on, we need to get back to the route!"

Ariados snatched Shuppet out of the air, with Shuppet protesting. The Zubat kept up the chase, until the cave got brighter and brighter.

"Ugh... we lost them. Thank you, Ariados. Shuppet... return." Shuppet quietly returned to the Pokeball.

This time, the duo of Damien and Ariados quietly and peacefully trekked Rock Tunnel.
​

---

 

[Aquacorde]

Sorley + Golett + Misdreavus
APR 30 // When The Lights Go Out​

"Remember when I wrote my journal yesterday?"

Golett's nod was only discernible due to the glow of its eyes dipping momentarily.

"I wrote that I wanted to go outside more today. Do you think this counts as outside?"

Golett shrugged, probably, and kept its eyes on the narrow path. Sorley's flashlight wandered with their attention.

"I think Zubat live in here? They're really cute. Maybe we'll see one!"

Missy made a flat sound from behind them and Sorley pivoted to look him in the eyes. "What, you don't like them? I won't bring any with us, don't worry, I just want to see their cute little faces! I've seen lots of videos with baby Zubat and--"

Inevitably, they tripped. Crashed into Golett, skidded down the suddenly steep slope, shrieked as they dropped off a ledge- into something soft?

"Well, we're lucky, aren't we!"

Golett grumbled from a few feet away. Missy finally caught up to the pair, chattering anxiously.

"We're okay, we're okay. Where are we? What are we in?" Sorley scrambled for their flashlight, miraculously still on, and cast its beam around the chamber. Huge stalactites hung from the ceiling, trying to meet their counterparts on the ground, and Sorley felt a shiver run through them as they noticed a stalagmite very near their landing place. The formations were beautiful, though, and sparkled as the light roamed across. The soft mound they had landed in sloped upward from the edge where they lay, forming a gradual cone. The light slipped up to the tip and past and illuminated the ceiling for a brief second before Missy knocked it out of Sorley's hand.

"Missy!"

He chattered, low but fast, as Sorley once again retrieved the light. "What? What's up there-- oooh. Uh. Oh boy. Okay. Everybody stay quiet. We gotta- go to the walls? And try to find another tunnel?"

Golett led the way, plodding down the mound to find the cavern wall. Sorley slid after it, trying not to cover themselves in more guano than necessary. Dirt was one thing, but old, reeking waste was quite another. The light bobbed along the walls as Sorley scanned for an exit.

"Oh! There's one- do you see it? Up there? I think we could climb it."

It was surprisingly difficult to get everyone into a tunnel mere inches above Sorley's head. The smooth, damp surfaces of the walls were hardly a help to those that needed to climb. Eventually, they figured that Golett could bash handholds into the rock- Missy darted around nervously at each loud noise, but the sleeping Zubat colony hardly stirred. Golett dragged itself into the tunnel and Sorley followed quickly. Once in, they pulled the flashlight back out of their backpack and made to continue on but paused. Missy whined insistently.

"Just one look, okay, I have to see-"

The flashlight blinked on- Missy yelled- the colony rustled- and they were running.