[PKMN FULL] Hoenn: Square One [IC]

[QueenNothing]

JP w/Eleanor

Sunday, September 20th, 9:00 am

The previous night was another tiring odd job for June, and coincidentally enough also happened to find work at another local library. Unlike the Slateport library however, it wasn't as large, being about a third of the size of the one at Slateport. What truly made it less enjoyable than her evening Friday job however was how rude the librarian on-site was. She ended the day with a pay of 5,000 Pokedollars, less than she hoped, but any amount of money was still money nonetheless.

Today was a new day though. She wouldn't let her bitter experience get her down today, and what better way to get her started than having a nice breakfast? Might as well take advantage of these opportunities, something Mr. Yamiguchi said that June made sure to remember.

Her first meal of the day consisted of scrambled eggs and a large muffin, while Blipbug was given a bowl of non-specific Pokemon food that was crafted from the recommended nutrients for larva Pokemon. As she enjoyed her breakfast, June couldn't help but hear some very loud young men from a nearby table.

"Did you hear about the Pokemon you can find at the beach? I heard that you could find a Treecko here!"

"That's so cool! I saw this Pokemon at the beach, but I didn't get a good look at it because it ran away when I got close.

June's eyes widened slightly, as she heard the last detail.

No, it couldn't be." The girl thought as she scooped up a few forkfulls of eggs.

"What did it look like?"

"Well, I didn't get a good look at it, but it was flat, like, not exactly like a Stunfisk, but sort of round also…"

June's interest was peaked again. The description was starting to match up with her previous assumption.

"It was kind of, like, greyish blue? It had some purple on it, but it got away before I could get very close. That's a shame because it looked kind of cool…"

The conversation of the two young men diverged from there, but June knew exactly what they were talking about.

A Wimpod? In Dewford? How did I never know this? She tried to finish her meal in a rush, her Blipbug looking concerned at just how fast his trainer was eating. June was never a fast eater, but for a rare bug-type, she'd do anything.

By the time the girl was finished eating, June got out of her seat to purchase a bag of potato chips from a vending machine. Not something she'd usually eat, but it would come in handy for her planned catch. When she exited the Pokemon Center cafeteria she unprecedentedly shouted "Thank you kind boys!", just barely looking behind her. It did catch the attention of the two young men, but they were only left puzzled, looking at each other and shrugging.

--------------------------------

On the edge of a beach, near Dewford Island's southernmost point, Avril and her two Pokémon were enjoying a little snack. As usual, it was all fresh berries that she was able to get from the Fanclub Resort, good for both her and her Pokémon… and in this case, also well deserved, after their training. Poppy was, as expected, in seventh heaven - even after all that she went through. Angie, on the other hand, was still focused on her share of the food, even though she looked a bit more relaxed that day. Avril was just trying to process all of her feelings, with a mixture of surprise, happiness, relief, and pride.

She didn't notice the tall girl approaching her until she looked down to check on Angie, and saw a shadow moving closer. Slightly startled by that, Avril quickly turned around. "H-hello?"

June was grasping a PokeGear in her hands, almost exclusively focusing on it, while her Butterfree net was being carried between her arm and torso. Hearing the greeting of the blonde, she looked up from her device. "Oh, I didn't see you there, by any chance have you happened to sight any-"

When she registered the girl in-front of her, June's face immediately flashed bright red, and she could feel her heart beating like a drum.

"Oh! Um, h-hi, have you seen a-any w-w-w-w-" Forming a sentence right now was more difficult than usual for her. "Any Wimpod around here?" The Blipbug standing beside her giggled at her trainer being as flustered as she this encounter made her. "A-a-and by the way I- Um- I- I like your outfit." June blurted out, covering her mouth the moment it rolled off her tongue while the Blipbug to her side only laughed harder, rolling around in the sand.

"Oh, thanks! And y-yours is nice, too." The blonde girl replied with a slight smile. "I haven't seen any Wimpod around here but I believe you can scan for them… like I did for Angie, here." She then pointed down at her Shellos, who had just finished munching on her last berry… all while she was slightly blushing herself.

"Oh, um, is that a Shellos? I've never seen one in person before, they're very fascinating!" In reality, June didn't find them super interesting, but she tried her best at getting a conversation going.

"Yes! Apparently they're always hungry, but also pretty strong!" Avril chuckled, thinking back to how Angie battled just a few minutes prior. "That though… I've never seen your Pokémon before!"

She reached for her Holotch, trying to scan the other girl's Pokémon. Most likely a Bug type.

June's eyes lit up, and her hands clapped together, seeing this as an invitation to gush about her Pokemon. "Oh my, Blipbug are so adorable aren't they! They were discovered in Galar, but I caught mine in Johto, they start out frail but when they evolve they become very intelligent, and are durable in battle against ranged attacks! He's already pretty smart now, but I'm so excited for him to evolve and learn psychic attacks! Oh, bug types are so interesting, aren't they?" She finished her tangent with a pleased sigh, but remembering where she was she did a double-take. "I-I mean, bug types are so cute, um, right Blipbug?" Her partner Pokemon only chuckled a little more.

"Well…" Avril paused. Some Bug types really weren't either cute or interesting, but some others that she inevitably met while she spent her time in the countryside were just as cute and as interesting as that Blipbug. "Y-yes, you're right!"

By then, Poppy had finished her little berry slices as well, and quickly sprung up from the ground. She floated upwards until she met June's sight, and waved at her with a smile. "Oh right, this is my other Pokémon, Poppy!"

"Oh my, I've never seen this Pokemon before!" The tall girl giggled. "They're awfully adorable as well. They're so tiny, they remind me of a Joltik." She paused for a few seconds before trying to think of something else to say. "You said it's name is Poppy? I've never nicknamed a Pokemon before, but speaking of names, what's yours? My name is June."

"Oh right, I basically forgot! I'm Avril, nice to meet you!" The blondie grinned, a hand on her hair. "And yes, I named her Poppy when I met her for the first time, but she's a Flabébé." She was still blushing, just slightly.

At this point in the conversation, June felt confident in her ability to carry in the conversation. "Flabébé, I've never heard of it! I suppose you learn something new everyd-"

She was interrupted by her PokeGear's noisy ringtone. This couldn't have come at a worse time.

"Um, uh, just give me a second!" June awkwardly laughed, turned around, and put her PokeGear up to her ear.

"Hey Junko dear!" June's mother joyfully greeted. "I've been meaning to ask you about it, but I kept forgetting! I know we usually wait for you to call but I'm asking before I forget again, do you still want to receive an allowance or-"

"Mom!" June whispered as harshly as she was able to, hoping Avril was unable to hear a word she said. "This is the absolute worst time you could have called!"

"Oh? Junko what's wrong?"

The tall girl didn't have any desire to truthfully answer, but her lying capabilities were limited. Unsure of what to say, her stream of consciousness flowed from her mouth. "Well, I uh, there's uh, Blipbug here uh, I was talking to someone and uh-"

"Ooooohhh, I see." Her mother laughed. "Does that person happen to be a girl?"

June froze in place. "N-N-No, of course no-"

More laughing from the other line. "Well with that response, I know for sure it's a girl. Alright, I'll let you finish that before your father finds out! I'll be rooting for ya Ju-"

"JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNKOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" June's father could suddenly be heard from the line, loud enough to where June had to move her PokeGear away from her ear at the cost that everyone nearby, including Avril, was able to hear him.

"W-wait, what happened there? Is everything ok?" The blonde girl, who was just waiting for her to end the call, quickly was brought back to reality and turned towards her once again. "I-I'm sorry for that…"

"AHHH! I KNEW IT!" June's father said from the other end. "IT IS A GIRL! OHHHH I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, MY LITTLE JUNKO IS ALREADY MEETING OTHER GIRLS, SHE'S GROWING UP SO FAST!!!" Sobbing could be heard among the shouting. "LISTEN HERE LITTLE GIRL, IF YOU DON'T TREAT MY DEAR JUNKO LIKE AN ABSOLUTE PRINCESS AND SHE HAS ANY REGRET I SWEAR I'LL-"

June hung up before he was able to finish. If this wasn't the final nail in the coffin for her, she didn't know what was.

"A-A-Ahahaha!" The tall girl attempted to awkwardly laugh to shake it off. "Ahaha, you know how parents are! My dad is so hysterical!" She followed with more forced laughter.

"It's alright June…" Avril sighed, now thinking about her own parents and her relationship with them. "I guess they just want the best for you, it's understandable…"

Poppy chirped as well, agreeing with her trainer.

June, still thrown off by her parents calling her, felt the need to swing the pendulum back. "Um, you know, I um, was scanning around for a Wimpod and I um, was wondering if you wanted to go out with me?" She yelped as soon as she said that. "N-N-not in that way of course!! I mean do you want to um, go Wimpod hunting with me! Um, my Blipbug only knows two moves and he's my only Pokemon, your Pokemon seem like they'll be helpful!" The forced laughing returned.

Avril smiled happily. "Going out" was a totally new thing for her anyways, even though her older brother seemed to have tried that one or two times with a girl from Laverre: weird how her mind jumped right to that when June herself said this was not that kind of "going out". "Sure, I'd love to help out a bit!" She replied, blushing even more.

June couldn't help but return a smile of her own while blushing. This certainly wasn't a response she expected.

"Great! Just uh, follow me!" The tall girl opened her PokeScan app for it to resume back to what it had been doing prior to her mom calling her. When the app was fired up, June looked up at Avril in anticipation.

"Alright! Let's see where this Wimpod is." She announced, returning Angie to her Pokéball and gesturing Poppy to come and rest on her head. The Fairy type happily complied.

As the two girls followed the signal of June's PokeGear with their Pokemon by their side. They walked at a pace reasonable enough for Blipbug to keep up with them. The moment seemed right for June to try further engaging in conversation.

"So um…" The tall girl shook her head to re-center her thoughts. "Earlier I said that I never saw a Flabébé before, and I've never heard anyone with a name like Avril. Are you from Hoenn?"

"Oh, I'm actually from Kalos! Flabébé is fairly common there. And… I suppose you're from Johto instead?"

June nodded. "I am indeed, but I'm very familiar with Hoenn. I used to come here to visit my grandma every summer." She opened the locket around her necklace to view the picture she had of her grandmother. "She was my best friend." She reminisced before closing her locker, turning her gaze towards the radar.

"Aw…" Avril began, but didn't feel like saying anything more than that. June had just said 'was', didn't she… "Spending time in Hoenn… that must've been nice."

The tall girl was able to pick up the guilt in Avril's voice. "She passed away a few years ago, and she lived a long and happy life that she spent helping people and Pokemon alike, and ended with no regrets. Even if I do miss her, there is a part of her that still lives through me with the wisdom she endowed me as a little girl."

Avril rattled her chime pendant, collecting her thoughts and memories of all her family members. "I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm happy that you feel better about it by now, and still look up to her."

"Grandma always told me to look to the future and not dwell on the past." June said, glancing over to the blonde girl's pendant. "Your necklace is quite nice, you know."

"Aw, thanks! It just helps me calm down, especially when Poppy isn't around… it's a gift from my mom." Before she could go on any more, June's PokeGear began to beep rapidly.

A Wimpod was nearby, and June couldn't be happier.

"Oh!" June picked up her pace, and Blipbug struggled to keep up. Avril also somewhat struggled, maybe because of the other girl's height… but still managed not to lose her. She started panting way sooner than she'd have wanted, though.

It took about a minute of speed-walking on the sandy beach, and there were a few rocks of varying sizes in the sand as the beeping only increased. Another minute, and they noticed a stubby ledge that had a small burrow dug in it.

"Oh my! This is the perfect size for a Wimpod!" The tall girl excitedly cheered. She tip-toed her way over to the burrow, the closer she was the beeping increased alongside. June kneeled in the sand and stuck her PokeGear into the burrow, now just letting out a single elongated beep.

"Oh my gosh, there's definitely a Wimpod in here!" She jumped onto her feet, and rustled through her purse. "Of course, Wimpod are awfully shy Pokemon so they won't come out on their own." She pulled a bag of potato chips out of her purse, tore the top open, and grabbed a single chip. "Fortunately, I came prepared."

"Reminds me of how I tried to catch Angie… of course, it didn't quite work, but you'll definitely be more lucky! Get ready, June!" Avril giggled, noticing how their respective plans looked so similar. Poppy set off from her trainer's head in the meantime and floated closer to the burrow, trying to take a peek inside while still being as quiet as she could.

"Poppy, may you step away from the burrow?" June asked as she set the potato chip a few meters in-front of the burrow. "Now Avril, my plan was that as soon as a Wimpod grabs the chip, I'll have Blipbug use Super Sonic. Do you think Poppy can try using some attacks on it after that?"

"Oh, uhm… yeah, that could work!" Avril whispered as Poppy complied with June's directions. "Razor Leaf should do the trick." She smiled, happy to help out. This whole affair was looking much less aggravating than a full on battle anyways.

"Perfect!" The tall girl pulled her Butterfree net out from under her arm. "However, it should be noted that Wimpod are very skittish. Even in battle, if it takes too much damage it'll flee at a lightning speed, which is why I brought this Butterfree net." She looked around, stopping her eyes at a nearby rock that was big enough for both girls to hide behind. How convenient.

"We'll hide behind here!" June shared as she dashed behind the rock, beckoning for Avril to follow her. "And be very quiet, or else it'll never come out!"

"A-alright!" Avril lowered the volume of her voice even more before following the other girl to their new hiding spot. "So… now we just wait?" June nodded in response. "Have patience."

For what felt like about five minutes, June was bracing herself for any sudden movement from the burrow, indicating this is something she might be used to. Her face was completely stern as she continuously stated at the burrow. Avril's face really wasn't, on the other hand, but she still did her best to stand still and focused. Even her little chime seemed to be quieter than usual, but that's only because she had to hold it still with her hand, muffling the sound.

Suddenly, a faint noise could be heard from inside the burrow, and June's eyes widened. "Something is coming!" She whispered, tightening her grasp on her net.

Her assessment proved to be correct, as just a few seconds later, yellow eyes and what looked like a purple mouth were visible from the burrow. June faintly gasped. "Oh my gosh, there it is! It's so adorable!" She tried her absolute best to keep her volume down, further tightening her grip on her net.

The Pokemon slowly inched its way out of its burrow to scout if any danger was nearby, revealing a silver exoskeleton on the Pokemon's body. When the coast was clear, it darted out of its burrow, honing in on the potato chip, and began to quickly nibble on it.

"Blipbug, now!" June jumped out from behind the rock with Blipbug sitting on her head. The high ground advantage gave him a good aim, shooting a sound-wave from his mouth that was aimed at the Wimpod. Before Wimpod was able to flee, it had been caught in the sound wave. It tried to flee, but only dashed around in circles.

"Avril, now!"

Poppy quickly caught onto June's words and fired off a Razor Leaf, just as planned. The leaves hit the Pokémon right on the hardened exoskeleton, but still seemed to make it flinch. "Nice job! Try Fairy Wind now!"

As if some kind of magic, the Wimpod began to coat it's entire body in water, increasing it's speed.

"Oh my!" June gasped. "I thought Wimpod only knew three moves!? Fascinating!"

Wimpod's speed continued to increase, eventually dashing away from the circle it ran around in, targeting Poppy.

With Fairy Wind, however, the Flabébé was able to slow Wimpod's momentum down, the water around it slowly diminishing as it struggled to keep going. With no momentum left, the Turn Tail Pokemon's attack was reduced only to a simple tackle, falling on it's back after impact, likely due to its confusion status.

Despite this, Wimpod began jumping around while on it's back, kicking up sand that it managed to direct towards Poppy.

"Avril, look out! It's using Sand Attack, and it'll lower Poppy's accuracy!"

"Oh, uhm… Fairy Wind again!" The blondie called out again, not without some hesitation. She was a bit late with her command, but Poppy was still able to get the cloud of sand to dissolve. Some of it was still on her eyes, her body, or her flower, but she was able to shake most of it off. Without waiting for further orders, Flabébé retaliated with a Razor Leaf as well, hitting once again the Bug type somewhat effectively.

The impact of the attack knocked Wimpod back onto its feet. Instead of hitting back however, it turned around, about to flee from battle.

"Quick! It's getting away!" With all the speed she was able to muster, June ran towards the bug type, swinging the hoop of her net right onto the Pokemon's body. "I've got you know!" Wimpod made nervous noises as it was trapped in the net.

Seizing the opportunity, Blipbug crawled down to June's purse, stuck his head in, and stuck his head out with a Net Ball in his mouth. June reached over to grab it, and with all her might she tossed the Pokeball at Wimpod.

The worn-out net did not act as a very good barrier, and as the ball collided with the Pokemon's exoskeleton, it opened up and Wimpod transformed into a white light that was sucked into the Net Ball.

The Net Ball fell on the ground, lightly shaking around. June kept her guard up, prepared for it to escape at a moment's notice.

The ball shook three times and...

click

...Wimpod was successfully captured.

June loosened her body, her face glowing, shrieking with joy. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I caught a Wimpod! My first Pokemon in Hoenn!"

-------------------
June caught a Wimpod!
Level 10/Male/Wimp Out
Defense Curl/Sand Attack/Struggle Bug/Aqua Jet

Blipbug grew to level 16!

 

[Eleanor]

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

Written with QueenNothing as Junko Enomoto​

Pokémon / Inventory:

AVRIL'S MONEY: $4 500

AVRIL'S TEAM:
🌼 Poppy (Flabebe) - ♀ - lv. 21
Flower Veil
Synthesis, Fairy Wind, Razor Leaf, Lucky Chant, Wish

🌼 Hydrangea (Shellos) - ♀ - lv. 19
Storm Drain
Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Recover, Mud Slap, Mud Sport, Hidden Power (?)

AVRIL'S INVENTORY:
🌼 1x Pokéballs
🌼 Holotch (phone version)
🌼 Fanclub Membership card
🌼 Eviolite
🌼 Various clothes and commodities

AVRIL'S CONTACTS:
Jordie, Shuna, Natsuko

🌼 Character art made with [SPAN="color:rgb(40,180,40);"]https://picrew.me/image_maker/94097[/SPAN]

Friends after capture

Sunday, September 20^th - about 9:30 am - Southern Coast of Dewford

"Well, that was a great catch! I hope Wimpod and Blipbug will get along." Avril complimented her friend, as her mind went back to pondering how to improve her friendship with Angie: something she didn't bring up the day she caught her, but that June could probably help out with.

June held her Net Ball up to her cheek, almost as if she was nuzzling it, a bit too lost to hear the words from the blonde girl's mouth. "Oh my goodness, I'm so glad!" After a bit, she clicked the button on the ball to release a white light that morphed into Wimpod.

Wimpod appeared in front of June, nervously shaking in his place. He looked up and saw a mountain of a girl bending over to get close.

"Hello there Wimpod! My name is Ju-"

Before June could finish her sentence, the Turn Tail Pokemon ran towards her, and somehow, as he got close, transformed into a red beam of light that was sucked into the button of the Net Ball.

"Uhm… what? Wimpod is still too scared, perhaps?" The blonde girl asked hastily. "Maybe try that again while I'm further away from you?" She took some steps backwards, gesturing Poppy to stay on her head.

June stared at the Net Ball, blinking in disbelief. "Alright then, let's try again." Once more, she pressed the button to release Wimpod.

Wimpod again stood in front of the tall girl. June was careful not to startle her new Pokemon again, taking a few steps back.

"Hello Wimpod!" She said more calmly than before. "My name is June, I'm your new trainer, and this.." She paused to gesture towards Blipbug resting on her shoulder. "This is Blipbug." The larva Pokemon cheered as his eyes flashed a bright pink.

Unlike her previous attempt, Wimpod wasn't nearly as frightened as before. June saw this opportunity and from her purse she grabbed the bag of potato chips she used to bait him with, and set it in-front of her.

"Go on, it's yours." She beckoned. Wimpod were known to eat anything, and the one June caught was no different. After a bit of hesitation, Wimpod dashed towards the bag at a breakneck speed, sticking its head in the opening, nibbling on as many chips as he was able. June giggled at the sight.

"Wimpod will eat anything they can find on the ground." The tall girl informed Avril. "Not just food either, but shiny objects too. In regions such as Alola, they're valued as garbage cleaners on beaches, but because of that, they're hunted by Pokemon like Murkrow or Meowth."

As she slowly walked closer to June, Avril nodded and chuckled at the sight of Wimpod eating happily. "That definitely reminds me of Shellos. Guess you'll need to pack more food from now on, right?" He was just so much like Angie, wasn't he?

June tapped her lower lip with her index finger. "I'm not sure if they're always hungry or if they just like to eat." She giggled again.

"I guess it's both! Angie still cares about food more than anything else." Avril laughed, but soon seemed to turn more serious. "That's not really a good thing though… I mean. I feel like nothing more than a reward dispenser, you know?"

"And speaking of that… now that you caught a Pokémon, have you thought about how to make it your friend?" Avril scratched her chin. There it was, that topic she didn't bring up yesterday. She dived right into it almost effortlessly.

June, kneeling over to try petting her Pokemon, turned her head at Avril's question. "I'm not entirely sure, but my dad told me that traveling with Pokemon, taking care of them and such, is usually how you tighten your bond." She reached her hand out to Wimpod's exoskeleton. The bug-type paused for a moment, and then made what could really only be described as very timid purring. Once more, June giggled. "That includes feeding them, of course. Even if you feel reduced to a personal chef, your Pokemon will always appreciate the effort you put in as a trainer."

The tall girl continued to pet her Wimpod, who at this point had backed away from the bag of potato chips. "I've never battled, but my family owns a conservatory with lots of Pokemon, that's where Blipbug is from. Whenever I'd visit, I'd feed my Pokemon during meals, and they've grown at least slightly friendly towards me. Although my dad did say certain Pokemon take longer to grow friendly towards."

"That sounds very interesting! I'm not really keen on battles either so I'm happy to find more ways to get to know Angie. It's just…" Avril rolled her eyes. "When you catch a Pokémon, you have to take it away from home and friends so that it follows you, isn't that right? And you have to befriend it in spite of that."

Poppy chirped from Avril's head, trying to reassure her, but maybe her answer wasn't really what the Fairy type wanted to hear. "Yes, with Poppy it was different. I found her wounded and unwell, took care of her, and she never left since! Angie is just a Pokémon I've found, battled against, and caught with the help of some friends."

June froze, then tapping her lip with her index finger. "I suppose I never thought of it that way. Although like I said, my family has a conservatory. I've caught plenty of Pokemon in bug catching contests, including Blipbug, but because I didn't have a license and lived in a quaint apartment, that's where they were all transferred." June tried her best to come up with some kind of solution, feeling as if she would hate to have no answer for her new friend. "Although, um, with the help of a trainer they'll reach abilities never before seen! Wimpod seems like he's already getting over his shyness just with a few pets and a bag of potato chips, and it's possible he would stay scared forever if not for that.

Oh, I hope that's a good enough answer. June worried to herself. Beyond what she shared with Avril, what her dad had to say was usually too harsh for a conversation such as this.

That was the best answer that Poppy could have possibly hoped for. She chirped affirmatively as Avril pondered her friend's words. "You're right, definitely! And now that I think of it, I'm sure even Poppy had a reason to always come back and play with me. After all… she got her own Pokéball only a couple years after we met, and still hates staying in there."

June subtly sighed with relief, hoping the blonde wouldn't notice. "Um- Yes, exactly! It's almost as if people and Pokemon are meant to be friends." With genuine glee, her face lit up, glad her improvised answer was able to help her new friend.

"T-thank you June, I'll definitely remember that!" Avril smiled back at her, still quite red on her face. "So… you caught a lot of Pokémon even before this journey, uh? Were you able to spend a lot of time with them too?"

The brunette gently nodded. "My family's conservatory is in Hoenn, in Petalburg actually. Whenever I'd visit for the summer I'd be sure to play with my Pokemon." She noticed Blipbug approaching Wimpod, holding out a leg to greet Wimpod. The water-type Pokemon hesitantly stared at Blipbug's limb, moved closer, and began gently nibbling the larva Pokemon's leg. Blipbug yelped, and jumped back.

June couldn't help but giggle yet again. "You know, Wimpod will approach anything that doesn't move, including people or Pokemon."

Avril joined her and giggled as well. "Aw, they're so cute together! And Wimpod seems already at ease. Actually…" The blonde girl paused for a moment and fixed her glasses. "Have you thought of a nickname for him? That could make him feel even more welcome."

Once more, June put her index finger up to her lower lip. "I've never nicknamed a Pokemon, but you have a point." She looked over to Blipbug hiding behind her, shouting in pain at Wimpod. "I suppose I should nickname Blipbug while I'm at it, but what would work…"

She continued to examine Blipbug. "Well, Blipbug and it's evolutions are know to be very smart…" Just then, June's eyes lit up. "So maybe I could name him after someone really smart! Someone like...Albert Einstein maybe." The more she spoke about it, the more she liked the idea. "That's it! That's what I'll name you!"

Blipbug looked up at her trainer alarmed. "Blipbug, from now on, I'm going to call you Einstein! What do you think?"

Blipbug, now named Einstein, contemplated it for a bit, then nodded happily. He was as fond of the name as her trainer. "Now that's a special name…" Avril giggled in the meantime. "My Pokémon are simply named after flowers! They seem to like it, though."

"I think it fits, especially for Poppy." June remarked, then turning her attention to Wimpod, who was sticking his head back in the bag of chips. "Now what will I name you…"

Wimpod pulled his head out of the bag, holding a single potato chip in his mouth. He crawled closer to June, walking over the bag in his path. June noticed how the Wimpod's tracks didn't make any crushing noises from the bag.

"It seems you really enjoyed those potato chips, huh? You went through the entire bag!" The brunette chuckled to herself before petting her nervous Pokemon. "In fact, that's just what I'll name you; Chip!"

Chip didn't seem to mind, since at the moment he made another purring sound and nibbled his final potato chip.

"Quite fitting, if I do say so myself. What do you think?" She asked as she shifted her view towards Avril.

"Definitely!" She answered with a grin. "I guess… you'll always remember about how you caught him."

June smiled in response, not noticing Einstein behind her, slowly inching towards Chip with his brows furrowed. Einstein was ready to give his new traveling partner a piece of his mind for earlier. Once he got close enough, the larva Pokemon began shouting, catching Chip off guard. This startled the Wimpod, somehow morphing himself into a red light that was sucked into his Pokeball.

With Chip in his ball, June's attention was entirely focused on Avril. With no other topic on her mind, she could feel her heartbeat increase, and her face grew flushed again.

Oh gosh, there must be something I can ask to make this less awkward! Think June, there has to be something!

"Um, say Avril!" She awkwardly suggested. "I heard there was a gym here, and I, um, wanted to challenge it, and w-w-was wondering if you wanted to go with me! I saw how you took care of Chip, and you seem like you're good at battling!"

"The g-g-gym? I'm really still learning how to battle, and…" Avril replied with an unsteady voice. "I still have trouble giving it my all. I trained alone for the first time just this morning, before I met you."

Yes, seeing Poppy recover from fainting with no consequences was really a big help for the blonde girl. Things like that happen all the time and need to be overcome anyways. All of her past memories, however, still said otherwise: she needed to still be careful and avoid pushing herself too much.

June was able to detect the tone of the blonde girl's voice, seeing this as an opportunity to try encouraging her. "Like I said, I've never even battled before, but I still plan on challenging the gym. My grandma used to tell me how if you strive for perfection, you'll never get past the basics, but I understand if you don't want to. If however, you do change your mind, I'll be rooting for you in the audience."

"Oh, my problem is not perfection. I just struggle because I hate seeing pokemon get hurt. Both mine and my opponent's." Avril explained. "Yesterday, Poppy was knocked out and even though she got healed in a matter of minutes, it still hurt to see her in that state."

"I see." The brunette nodded, standing up while grabbing Einstein. "I'm going soon, but I should heal Chip up, shouldn't I? Do, um, you wanna come with me to the Pokemon Center?"

"Oh, sure thing! I could get my Pokémon some rest as well." Avril nodded happily… even if both her Pokémon knew some self-healing moves and had made good use of them already. In fact, her blushing was starting to get just a bit more noticeable.

 

[QueenNothing]

JP W/Eleanor

Sunday, September 20th, 10:30 am

"You're Pokemon are all rested up! We hope to see you again!"

The Pokemon Center receptionist slid a tray on the desk. The trey held two Pokeballs placed in it, one Park Ball and one Net Ball. June grabbed both, smiling.

"Thank you so much!" She smiled, happy to have her Pokemon rested up.

The receptionist then faced Avril. "Your Pokemon is next, just a second!" She assured, before turning around to grab something.

June then faced Avril, blushing, and smiling faintly. "So, um, I'm going to the gym now. Since we're probably going to part ways, can I um…" She summoned as much energy as she could to get her words across. "Can, I um, g-get your number?" Her blushing became more apparent, holding her cheeks with both hands.

"Oh, b-but I can come see your battle if you…" The blonde girl tried to answer, before being interrupted by a man almost hitting her as he made his way to the Nurse's counter.

"Oh Arceus, sorry little dude!" He apologized, before handing over six Pokeballs to the receptionist. On closer inspection, he appeared to be middle-aged, and had messy blue hair.

"D-dude!?" Avril looked at June, puzzled. The tall girl tapped her lip, signaling she shared her confusion.

"Brawly!" The nurse greeted, holding a tray Poppy sat in. "Nice to see you! You're in a rush today." She said, as the Fairy type quickly sprung up and flew up to her usual place on Avril's head.

The man, apparently named Brawly, scratched the back of his head, chuckling. "Yeah man, I had a tough training session today!" He then handed over his Pokeballs to the nurse.

The nurse shook her head. "You spend all this time training and surfing, I think you've overlooked your duties as a gym leader."

June's eyes widened, focusing on the blue-haired man in-front of them. "Wait, gym leader?"

Brawly turned away from the desk to the girls standing next to him, grinning. "Oh, you're still here little dudes!"

"...Dudes?" June was beginning to get flashbacks to Jessie. "But we're not…"

Brawly laughed, cutting her off. "Oh don't worry, I call everyone dude, it's a gender neutral thing. But yeah, I'm Brawly, the Dewford gym leader!"

The brunette's face gleamed. "Oh, what a coincidence! I was just about to head to the gym! I'm a Pokemon trainer, my name is June."

Brawly looked up, attempting to make eye-contact with her. "Nice to meet you June! Man, I haven't had any challengers in a hot minute, huh?"

"That's because you're almost never at the gym!" The nurse cried out from behind the desk.

Brawly faintly chuckled. "Hey, I gotta keep my Pokemon in top shape, and I don't want to miss any waves. Plus, I got two of my own little dudes I need to take care of, but since you're here, once my Pokemon are all healed up let's head right over there."

"Thank you for your time." June looked down to Avril. "Say Avril, were you about to say that you wanted to watch my battle? Because, um, you absolutely can if you want to."

"Uhm… yeah!" She yelped. "I'll root for you!" Her cheeks turned even more red, but… in hindsight, watching someone else battle might have been good for herself too.

The nurse slid a tray over to Brawly that held six Pokeballs. "Here you go Brawly. It was just some light scratches, as usual." The gym leader grinned, taking his Pokemon back.

"This'll be no sweat, little dude!" He said, completely ignoring June's height. "As a gym leader, it'll be my responsibility to show you the ropes!"

----------------------------

"Here we are little dudes!" Brawl exclaimed, standing in-front of a dojo that stood on a lonely beach. "Welcome to my gym!"

June stared at it in disbelief. Her mental image of a gym looked a bit more modern.

Regardless of what they thought, the group walked through the shoji doors someone had left open on the way out. June couldn't help but notice the tatami mat, something else she didn't expect from a gym. The sand that had blown in added to her impression.

"Alright little dude, let me just…" Brawly paused, again scratching the back of his head. "Shoot, it seems I forgot a referee. My bad!"

"What about the match?" The brunette asked.

"Hm, seems it'll have to wait." He shook his head. "Until we can find a referee, I'm heading out to the beach to catch some…"

"Not so fast, Brawly!" A familiar voice at the entrance grabbed everyone's attention. June looked over to see that the one calling out was the nurse from the Pokemon Center earlier. What would she be doing here?

"Oh, hey again Liz!" Brawly greeted the nurse, not questioning what she had been doing here.

The nurse, named Liz, had her eyebrows somewhat furrowed, crossing her arms. "I knew you'd forget a referee, and go off to catch some waves instead, so I'm here to make sure you do your job so this young girl here can get her badge." Brawly nervously chuckled in response. "Caught me red-handed."

With a referee to regulate the match, Brawly and June stood on opposite ends of the dojo. Avril, instead, sat on the edge of the battlefield, near where Liz was standing, with Poppy standing on her lap. She was definitely excited to see how that battle would go.

"Alright little dude." The gym leader cried out. "How many Pokemon do you have, and how many badges have you won?"

June, feeling somewhat nervous, answered. "Oh, well I have two Pokemon with me, and as for badges, well...I don't have any. As a matter of fact, I've never actually battled before."

"Don't sweat it little dude!" Brawly cheered. "We all start somewhere, and I'll use two of my Pokemon." He grabbed a Pokeball, getting ready to chuck it onto the ground.

"AHEM!" Liz let out. "But first, we need to start the formalities." She waved two flags up, a blue flag on Brawly's end, and a red flag on June's end.

"The battle between the Dewford Gym Leader, Brawly, and the challenger June...err, what's your full name dear?"

"Oh, well June is actually short for Junko Enomoto…"

"And the challenger Junko Enomoto is about to begin! Both sides may use two Pokemon in a singles format!" Liz then waved both flags downwards.

"BEGIN!"

"Come on June, you can do this!" Avril cheered, in sync with her Pokémon. June blushed in response, but was able to shake it off.

"Let's see who your first Pokemon will be!" Brawly shouted. June grabbed a Net Ball from her purse, thinking this would be her best bet.

"Go, Chip!" June tossed the Pokeball that let out a flash of light, quickly morphing into Chip the Wimpod. June noticed the white light looked like a fish net right before it escaped Chip's body.

"Wimpod, I see." Brawly noticed Chip shivering, able to detect how frightened it was. "You must have caught one from the beach, probably not too long ago."

"O-Oh, well I actually caught him this morning." June was taken aback by how accurate the gym leader's guess was. "How did you know?"

Avril couldn't help but think back at Orion's remarks, and grimaced. At least Brawly seemed to be much more laid-back.

"When you have as much experience as I do, you can infer these things through how Pokemon act." Brawly tossed a Pokeball of his own, releasing a short humanoid Pokemon that looked like it had an onion on it's head. On entrance, it sat in a meditating position with its eyes closed, then standing on two legs "So you said you've never battled, right?"

June nodded in response while examining his Pokemon.

"No biggie! Meditite here will teach Wimpod here to battle! Now then, what moves does Wimpod know?"

The brunette remembered the attack Chip used at the beach earlier, opening the 'Dex app on her PokeGear. "It says he knows Defense Curl, Sand Attack, Struggle Bug, and Aqua Jet. The last one is rare for Wimpod to learn."

"I see. Now then little dude, with those moves, how would you want to start a battle?"

June lightly tapped her lip while reading the entry for Aqua Jet. "I suppose I might want to start of by-"

"Not like that, little dude." Brawly interrupted, gently shaking his head. "Don't tell me. Show me!"

The tall girl appeared somewhat humiliated. "Oh, my bad. Um, Chip, use Aqua Jet!"

Chip was able to coat his body in water, dashing into Meditite's chest at a breakneck speed. Meditite was able to stand on its feet, only slightly sliding on the floor from the impact.

"Good job June!" Brawly praised. "Your PokeDex probably says this, but moves like Aqua Jet are so fast, they'll almost always hit first, but at the cost of not doing a lot of damage."

"Interesting…" June noted.

"Now let's see how you can react to this, Meditate, use Psycho Cut!"

Meditite summoned a long, sharp blade made up of psychic energy that was attached to it's right arm. It swiped it across Chip's body, knocking him back a bit.

June shrieked. "Chip, are you okay!?" Chip's shivering sped up a little, but still seemed alright.

"In battle, your opponent will have some deadly moves of their own, especially gym leaders. As a trainer, it's your job to figure out how to deal with this. Meditite, Psycho Cut again!"

"Defense Curl!" June ordered, glancing over at her PokeGear. Meditite swiped the blade again, but Chip managed to quickly roll up into a ball, his tough exoskeleton, which somehow seemed to grow thicker, was able to minimize the damage dealt by the slash. Meditite ran the blade across thrice more to no avail.

"Right on little dude!" Brawly gave a thumbs up. "You're getting the hang of it!"

"I-I am?" June, breathing heavily, reflected on the gym leader's praise. "That's right...I guess I am!"

"Yes!" Avril encouraged her once again. "Nicely done!"

"I think you're ready for the next level." As soon as he spoke, Meditite's blade disappeared. "Meditite, use Power Trick!"

On-command, Meditite sat down, crossing its legs, pinching it's fingers together, and closed its eyes. All June could do was watch, unsure of how to react. Meditite then jumped onto its feet, ready to fight again.

"Now, use Psycho Cut!" Doing as it's trainer commanded, Meditite summoned another psychic blade, this one larger and sharper than before. Meditite slashed at the rolled up Wimpod, dealing more damage than before, rolling Chip back about three feet.

June gasped. "How did…"

"Power Trick is a move that swaps the attack and defense stat of a Pokem." Brawly explained. "Always be on the lookout for these kinds of moves, they can make an opponent tricky to deal with!"

June worriedly gripped her PokeGear, thinking about which move to use next. Brawly took note of this, ordering another move from his Pokemon.

"High Jump Kick!"

The challenger looked up, seeing the Meditite use its strength to jump into the air. Meditite then began to fall from the air, arcing towards Chip while sticking it's leg out. Avril grimaced from the side of the field: it wasn't going that well for June, it seemed.

June gasped again, remembering a move that Chip knew that might be useful. "Chip, use Sand Attack!"

With his tiny legs, Chip kicked up as much sand on the tatami mat that was within his immediate range. Instead of kicking it towards Meditite, as the move was usually used, instead the Wimpod created a cloud of dust that made him basically invisible.

Medidite's eyes widened while it was on a crash course towards the dust cloud.

"Yes! Now what if we try this- Use Aqua Jet!" Chip launched out of the dust cloud, and into the air, targeting Meditite.

"From behind!..If you can at least!"

Chip was able to move behind the falling Pokemon, then crashing into it's back. The impact caused Meditite's falling speed to increase, knocking it unconscious.

Liz waved up the blue flag. "Meditite is unable to battle! This round goes to June's Wimpod!"

June's face lit up with joy. "Oh my gosh! I'm so proud of you Chip!" Chip opened his eyes to notice the fainted Meditite next to it, his shaking somewhat alleviated. "Uhm, congrats June!" Avril cheered, first timidly, but quickly gaining confidence. "That was a great move!"

"Way to go, little dude! But we're not done just yet!" Brawly tossed his second Pokeball onto the ground, releasing another bright light. The light morphed into something larger than Meditite, about the size of a small human. It was shaped like a human too, being very muscular, and...was it wearing briefs?

June thought this Pokemon looked familiar. "Is this a Machamp? I thought they had four arms."

"Nah little dude, this is Machoke, but he evolves into Machamp." Machoke continuously flexed as Brawly explained. "You wouldn't wanna fight a Machamp!"

Chip was scared nonetheless, as his shivering picked up. Avril took a closer look at Brawly's second Pokémon as well. "I wouldn't want to fight this, let alone a Machamp!"

"You can do it Chip! Use Aqua Jet!" June could feel her confidence rising.

Chip followed his orders, again covering his body, darting toward Machoke's torso.

"Machoke, use Vital Throw!"

Right before the Wimpod was able to hit his target, Machoke used both of his hands to grab Chip, stopping him in his tracks. The challenger couldn't help but gasp. The Machoke then began spinning around.

"Chip, no!"

After spinning around just twice, Machoke flung the Wimpod onto the ground a few feet away. Chip's hardened exoskeleton allowed him to resist the damage, but regardless, he turned around and scurried toward June. Before his trainer was able to process what was going on, he transformed into a small red laser that was sucked through the Net Ball. Without June's input, Einstein had been sent out of his Pokeball.

Einstein cheered on entrance, but slowly backed away when seeing his opponent.

"...Well, um, it looks like it's Einstein's turn to battle, I guess."

Brawly grinned at the larva Pokemon. "I think you have the hang of basic battling strategy that you could do this with a different Pokemon. Let's see what you can do!"

"Go Einstein! You got this!" Avril encouraged it in the meantime.

June nodded. "Okay Einstein, use Supersonic!" Einstein shot sound waves out of its mouth that were directed towards Machoke.

Unfortunately for the challenger, Einstein's nervousness made it difficult for him to successfully land the Supersonic.

"Always keep an eye out for openings like this!" Brawly shouted. "Machoke, Bullet Punch!"

Machoke seemed to disappear in the blink of an eye, and in less than a second, his fist was dug into the Blipbug's head.

"Einstein!"

The Blipbug was knocked into the wall from the impact, while Brawly seemed displeased with the performance of his Pokemon.

"Let's tone it down a bit. Machoke, Power Trick." Machoke sighed, flexing, as it's muscles glowed a bright orange. June didn't notice, as her head was turned away from the action.

"Einstein! Are you alright!?"

The Blipbug was able to stand, and inched away from the wall. He nodded in response to his trainer.

"Oh my goodness Einstein! I was so worried!" June held up Einstein's Park Ball. "Return, you've had enough for no-"

Einstein shook his head, and held one of his limbs out. Something about his expression and tone of voice indicated some level of sorrow.

"Einstein, are you sure you want to keep battling?" The larva Pokemon nodded, determined to overcome the challenge at hand.

"Well, alright." June reluctantly agreed. She'd switch out back to Chip, but she had never seen Einstein this determined.

"I appreciate the determination." Brawly nodded, noticing how the Blipbug's eyes flashed bright pink, more than usual for a Blipbug. "But your trainer is right, never hesitate to switch if needed. However, if you've made up your mind we can't change it, so then use another Bullet Punch, Machoke!"

June grimaced, expecting the worst. At the speed of sound, Machoke was about to swing another Bullet Punch at Einstein, and even with Power Trick, it's possible her Blipbug might still faint.

"Einstein, look out!"

Machoke's fist was three inches away from Einstein's face, likely going to end the battle. Despite this, Einstein completely braced itself, it's eyes continuously flashing an increasingly brighter pink. Right before Bullet Punch was able to land-

"Wh- Einstein!? Are you-" In-front of June, Machoke's fist collided with a bright light that held the same exact shape as a Blipbug that stood in Einstein's spot. Avril stood up from her seat, trying to see better, now holding Poppy in her hands.

"A-Are you evolving!?"

Machoke backed away, and the shape of the light became less worm-like, and more blob-like. Its size, however, stayed the same.

Eventually the bright light faded away, revealing the blob-like shape to be a yellow shell with blue polka dots, and under the shell rested an orange body with blue feelers, and cyan eyes. It stood on four stubby legs.

June gleamed at the Pokemon in an absolute state of awe. "Einstein I-I don't believe it! You evolved into a Dottler!" She quickly pulled out her PokeGear to see what new moves Einstein learned. "I knew it! Now that you evolved, that means you know-"

"Dual Chop!" June looked up, seeing Machoke charging towards the Dottler, crossing his arms in-front of his chest. She had to act fast.

"Oh! Um, Reflect!" At the command of his trainer, the blue dots on Einstein's shell flashed a bright pink, summoning a rectangular force-field in-front of him. Machoke ran up to the force-field, swiping his arms across the Dottler, but the field had rubber-like properties which halted the momentum of the attack. While it still landed, the damage dealt had lessened, and Machoke bounced back from the rubber-like shield.

Brawly grinned. "Nicely done, little dude! But let's see how you handle full-strength! Power Trick again!"

Machoke menacingly smirked, flexing his muscles which glowed orange. "Now use Bullet Punch!" In a split second, Machoke launched his knuckle into Einstein's face, but the field yet again slightly knocked the humanoid Pokemon back. June noticed this, and something Brawl said echoed through her mind.

"Always keep an eye out for openings like this!"

Something about this felt relevant for the short period of time Machoke bounced back from the attack.

"Dual Chop!"

She didn't have a lot of time to ponder on this. Even if Reflected halved the damage done by melee attacks, she could tell Einstein still took damage.

Machoke swiped it's arms across the field, and was pushed back from the recoil.

"Einstein! Supersonic!" While it wasn't clear where exactly the noise came from, Einstein shot a sound-wave at Machoke, however this attempt was successful. Machoke began stumbling around, indicating he was confused.

"Now Einstein, use Confusion!" The Einstein's dots flashed pink again, shooting psychic waves at the Machoke. Due to its super effective damage, Machoke was knocked back into a wall.

"Great job little dude!" Brawly praised, and withdrew his Pokemon. "Seems my work here is done." Avril looked at Brawly with surprise, not sure what to expect.

June blinked rapidly, confused about the gym leader's decision. "Wait, but why did you send your Pokemon back? Wasn't he your last Pokemon."

Brawly nodded. "You're right. I'm forfeiting." Avril blushed at those words, as she looked happily towards June.

"BRAWLY, THE GYM LEADER, HAS FORFEITED THE MATCH! JUNE IS THE WINNER!" Liz waved up the red flag.

"Forfeiting? But why?" June seemed both received and disappointed.

"I did my job as a gym leader, and that was to teach little dudes such as yourself. I think you've picked up on my lesson well."

"Lesson?" The brunette tapped her lip. "What lesson?"

"When you battled against my Meditite, you were able to intentionally get her to miss High Jump Kick, and that always hurts the user if they miss. And you picked up on how to look for openings in battle when Machoke kept bouncing back from Reflect! I've taught you well!" Brawly walked over to the challenger, holding a Knuckle Badge in one hand, and 5,000 Pokedollars in the other. "Little dude, it is my honor to bestow upon you the Knuckle Badge, and 5,000 Pokedollars as your prize money."

June simply smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate it." She grabbed both, and kneeled over to make eye contact with the newly-evolved Einstein.

"But especially thank you! The pokedex said you were able to evolve for a long-time now, so it's nice to finally see you evolve!"

June paused, waiting for a response. The Dottler stood completely silent.

"Oh right, now that you're a Dottler I guess you don't move much at all, heh…I guess if you want me to carry you again, I'll have to pick you up without you jumping into my arms." She attempted to lift Einstein off the ground, but his new weight caused June to quickly drop him. Einstein was completely unphased.

June sighed. "I guess you're too heavy to do that now, huh?" She withdrew Einstein to his Park Ball. "Thanks for helping me get my first badge, at least."

Avril walked closer to the other girl, now that the coast was clear. "Y-you did amazing! That battle was very intense."

"O-Oh it wasn't that impressive." June blushed.

Avril then turned to Brawly and looked at him for a moment. He was just handing out his two Pokémon who had already battled to the care of Liz, seemingly getting ready to leave the Gym again… it felt like a "now or never" moment.

If she was really feeling that good, she had to try and do something that on normal days, she wouldn't have even attempted. Poppy herself was eager to battle, and perhaps Angie was too, from inside her Pokéball.

"Uhm, B-Brawly," Avril said, a scared expression soon giving its way to a smile. "I'd like to challenge you as well!"

--------------------------------

Chip grew to level 12!
Einstein grew to level level 18!
Einstein evolved into Dottler
Einstein learned Confusion!
Einstein learned Reflect!
Einstein learned Light Screen!

 

[Groc]

Edison Kintobor
Sunday, September 20th, morning
Dewford Island, Granite Cave

---

"I'm surprised you wanted to come here, Sunny." Edison looks around at the preserved art and the natural walls of the cave. They look nice, but the Pokémon outside had been more interesting.

"Why? You don't think I'd like rocks?" Sunny climbs onto a small ledge to better inspect the wall.

"Well, yes, but also I'm surprised you made any sort of plan at all."

"Well, maybe we could have planned something together, but you were busy yesterday. Besides, this is just the appetizer."

As if on cue, one of the Rangers shouts out to the assembled visitors. "Group 10, please gather 'round, your cave tour is about to begin! Group 10!"

Sunny hops down, grabbing Ed's arm and leading him toward the Ranger station. "That's us, we're in group 10!"

Ed follows, only a little skeptical. "A guided tour? Don't tell me you're suddenly a speleologist, Sunny. What are you up to?"

She shushes him as they join the small group gathered around the Ranger station. An athletic Ranger with short black hair steps out to address them. "Good morning, everyone! My name's Ringo, and I'll be guiding you through the lower level today. We'll be taking the scenic route, so please enjoy the natural beauty of Granite Cave, and don't worry about wild Pokémon! I'll be leading us around their habitats, so there won't be any attacks. And at the end, you'll each be allowed to take one special Stone as a souvenir!"

☆☆About one hour later...☆☆

Ringo seemed to know what they were doing, because after letting everyone look for Stones, they lead the group back down a smaller, less interesting tunnel. But there was more conversation between the members as they discussed their new souvenirs.

"Isn't it great? Feel how warm it is!" Sunny hands Ed the amber stone she'd acquired, the bright orange interior glowing slightly even in the artificial light.

"A Fire Stone. Of course. It's perfect for you." He takes the stone, surprised that it's actually warm like she said. But wait... "It's only warm because you've been holding it so close, isn't it?"

"Haha! Aw, I thought I'd get you with that. Now give it back." Sunny grabs for it, but for once Ed is faster, holding it up out of her reach.

"Hang on, let me examine it first." Ed looks it over, making sure to take a step back before Sunny hits him or something.

"Eddie, give it here!" Sunny jumps for it, grabbing onto his shoulder as he turns.

He holds the Stone next to her head, comparing it to her hair. "Not quite the same shade. It probably would match better if you didn't have all the red d-"

She grabs the Fire Stone from him, quickly changing the subject. "What about you? I bet you got a Thunder Stone, right? Save it for when Neo evolves?"

Ed retrieves his stone, a dark blue one with lighter blue splotches inside that look like bubbles. "Not quite. There are other ways of evolving a Magneton, and other places to get a Thunder Stone, come to think of it. Instead, I chose a Water Stone for Aster. I don't intend to evolve them just yet, but-"

"Hey, you two! Keep up with the others, okay?" Ringo interrupts their conversation, and they point out the rest of the group waiting up ahead. "Let's stay on the path, alright? We don't want anyone getting lost in these side tunnels."

Ed apologizes, and he and Sunny rejoin the group. Ringo heads back to the front, and the group moves forward again. After a moment, Sunny grabs Ed's arm to stop him. "Wait... did you hear that?"

Ed listens, but doesn't hear anything. "Let's go, Sunny. We don't want to make..." he trails off as he notices a faint flicker of light from one of the side paths. "There's something there?"

"Come on, let's check it out!" Sunny heads down the tunnel, grabbing Sputter's Poké Ball from her belt, but not opening it yet.

"Wait, shouldn't we tell a Ranger?" Ed tries to protest, but they're already out of sight of the group. He doesn't like the idea of Sunny going alone, so he quickly follows her.

 

[Groc]

Natsuko Soyokaze
Sunday, September 20th, morning
Dewford Town, Resort Cove

---

A soft yet insistent knocking rouses Nstsuko from her sleep. She groans in protest as she sits up, not even bothering to open her eyes. "Whozere?" is the most coherent question she can muster.

"Miss Tsu? It's Sir William." The voice from the other side replies. "...Bill?"

Tsu reaches for her glasses as she gets out of bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she heads to the door. She's leaning against the door probably more than is necessary as she opens it. "What's going on? What time is it?"

Bill isn't wearing a suit, but instead green shorts and a white t-shirt, with black socks and green running shoes. He still has both the cane and bowler hat, though. "It's 6 o'clock, or quarter after, now. Ready for that morning exercise we discussed? I'm no fashion expert, but I imagine you want pants, at least."

It takes Tsu a moment to remember the conversation from last night, and she glances down at herself. Her oversized Eevee shirt reaches mid thigh, but it's still just pajamas. She turns a little red, hiding it by faking a yawn as she moves to close the door. "Something like that... be out in a minute."

She heads to the bathroom, splashing some water on her face to help herself wake up. She hadn't anticipated doing any exercise, so she didn't pack workout clothes, but she's able to put together a black tank top and shorts, white socks and her blue running shoes. She tucks her phone and Poké Balls into the same case she wore around her leg at the beach, grabbing her black flat cap before leaving.

Bill stands further down the hall, waiting patiently for Tsu. "Ah, excellent! You look more alert now. A light jog before breakfast is just the thing to wake you up, for humans and Pokémon alike! Follow me!"

☆☆One casual stroll later...☆☆

"So... when you said exercise session, you meant a Pokémon battle?"

Bill had led Tsu down to the beach, then opened the Dusk Ball on his cane to reveal a Galarian Rapidash. Tsu had let Shiny out, and the Fire type was fascinated by the older mare.

"Yes and no. I was serious about exercise being good first thing, but I'm afraid it's a little beyond my capabilities. And Titania despises combat, so I just let her out to run."

"Funny, Shiny's the same way. Maybe they can run together!"

"A splendid idea, my dear! But more to the point, I think you should familiarize yourself with the Grand Duchess and her capabilities."

"Magik... uh, Anastasia?" She fishes the ball out of her pouch, holding it uncertainly. "Should I send her out into the water?"

"You could, but it will make it difficult to spar or see her abilities. Don't worry, she'll be just fine on land."

Tsu opens the Poké Ball, sending Anastasia out into the sand. The fish Pokémon seems to be asleep, but soon rights herself and looks around. "Good morning, Stacy! Looks like you wanted to sleep in too, huh?"

She hops in place a couple times before settling back down.

"She's extraordinarily sedate for a Magikarp. Most of them flop around constantly, to build up their muscles, yet she seems perfectly at ease here..." Bill looks her over, pulling a Poké Ball from his pocket. "If you're willing, I'd like to battle with you, Miss Tsu."

"Sure, I guess..." Tsu checks her PokéNav for details, having mixed feelings about what she finds out. "Only two moves? ...at least that'll be easy to remember."

"Indeed. Let's start with Diglett." Bill opens his ball, summoning the stubby mole Pokémon to the field. "This should be an even match, show me how you battle. Diglett, Scratch!"

"Oh, we're starting? Uh, Tackle!" Diglett glides through the sand, but Anastasia leaps up and slaps it with her tail. It scratches at her with its claws, but barely scuffs her thick scales.

"Something to keep in mind: Magikarp are fast and durable. The Grand Duchess may not hit very hard, but she can get in there quickly, especially in the water or rain. Diglett, Dig!"

Diglett ducks into its tunnel, disappearing from sight. Tsu and Anastasia look around, trying to find it under the sand.

"If it's underground, how am I supposed to fight it? Stacy only knows how to hit things!"

"Wrong! She knows two moves, remember! How would you use her other technique?"

"I don't know, it's just Splash. We're not even in the water!"

Bill taps his cane lightly against the sand, keeping a steady rhythm as he talks. "In the water, it just looks like splashing, but think about it. She'll be throwing herself in and out of the water to do so. On land, it just looks like flailing, but guide her, refine her movements, and notice how mobile it makes her."

"Really? Okay...Stacy, use Splash!" Anastasia flops around a bit, to no effect.

Bill stops tapping at the ground, and Diglett bursts from the sand underneath Anastasia. Tsu calls for a Tackle, and Stacy slaps Diglett with her tail again.

"Not bad, Miss Tsu. You seem to have a good grasp of timing, at least. But a battle isn't just an exchange of blows. Think of it as a dance. Try to hear the music, follow the rhythm. Dig again, Diglett!" Diglett burrows into the sand again, and Bill starts tapping his cane again.

Tsu switches off the PokéDex on her phone, putting on some music instead. Something with a beat, that Anastasia can dance to. "Okay, Stacy. If a fight is a dance, then let's dance. Use Splash, get some hops in. Left, right, one two, one two..."

Bill stops tapping, watching what Tsu will do.

"Splash! Jump as high as you can!"

Diglett bursts from the ground just as Anastasia leaps, and the Ground type misses. "Use Tackle! You're in the air, just land on it!"

Stacy flips in midair, rolling and slamming her entire body into Diglett instead of just her tail fin. The impact drives Diglett back underground, and Stacy warily hops away from the hole. Diglett slowly rises back up, slumping in exhaustion.

Bill recalls Diglett to its ball, rewarding both sides with hearty applause. "You say you're not good at battling, but you learn very quickly!"

Tsu picks up Anastasia, giving her a hug and hiding her blush at the same time. "I've seen a lot of battles online, that's all. I'm just mimicking the pros."

"Well, we'll work on that, then. Help you develop your own style. Quick thinking like that will be useful in Contests, too. Give it some thought. But first, I believe some breakfast is in order!"

 

[Evily]

Shuna Kamado

​

Friday, September 18 {5: oopm}​

Prologue - Epoch 1.6: Slateport
Double T's! Thoughts and Transformations​

She always wanted to try contests, ever since she saw the showcases and contests on tv back at home. She would awe as the contestants show off their pokemon's moves and the creatures themselves; what got her was the strong bond and trust between the trainer and pokemon. She wanted that same bond and trust as well, and for that, she needed to train herself alongside her pokemon to achieve it! She couldn't let them do all the work, she had to at least put her own effort into it as well. That's what the dancing and gymnastics lessons were for!

However, seeing it on tv and being on the same stage as her idols is different. She didn't know how the others felt, but she was nervous as hell! Now that she was here, she was on her way to completing one of her sub-goals: compete in contests and win with the best effort possible!

Shuna walked over to where the instructor told her and began brainstorming different ways to make combos with Finn and Pidge. Finn would match the "Toughness" contest and Pidge, probably between "Coolness" or "Cleverness". Pidge seems unlikely to compete in contests though, Finn would love the chance though! She also learned that Pidge was strong, but he didn't care much about how it made him look, and since contests were about appearance- in a way -it wouldn't matter to him.

Luckily, she got to test out her pokemon's moves and see what kinds of combo's she could make. She could have Finn use Ice Ball five times in a row, juggling the balls of ice; then he uses Water Gun to throw one of the ice balls high up in the air, then use the Mystic Water to help power up the move, allowing him to use enough pressure to break the ice, causing the piece to break into small enough pieces to cause no harm and use their reflection property to help sparkle in the light. She had so much more in though, but first, she needed to help Finn with his juggling skill.

So from the looks of it, Finn is the one she would register as her contest pokemon for now, until she can find another pokemon to help. He would fit the battle round, for the judging… she and Finn would have to practice a lot if she wanted to have a chance at even passing the first round.

"Is everything alright over here dearie?~" a familiar woman voiced, causing Shuna to glance at the instructor, deciding if she should voice out her thoughts. After debating for a few seconds, she decided to keep her problems to herself. She shouldn't burden others with her problems; they are hers and hers alone.

"Oh, it's alright, miss! I was just wondering what moves Finn could combine for the contest." Shuna explained. She did look troubled, so she told the instructor one of her thoughts instead of her true problems.

"I see~" The instructor glanced at Finn, taking in the mudfish pokemon before turning to Shuna. "Anything is possible, just use your imagination. It's the one thing a contestant always needs~"

"Imagination?"

"Being creative! Use your mind to create all kinds of combos and masterpieces, and from what i see…" The instructor looked at the other students, glancing back at Shuna. "All of you have the right creativity to sweep through the contests. I have no doubt one of you is going to be the true winner."

After hearing her words, Shuna looked at Finn, slowly thinking up as many combinations as she can with his current moveset. If what the instructor said was true, then she was gonna need to brainstorm much more than she thought.

*Timeskip - 7:oo pm*

Shuna sat at one of the free tables inside the P.C., glaring at the smug male across from her, gripping her cup of coffee with unfurled rage.
"Remind me why you changed it again?" seethed Shuna, trying to not blow up in the middle of the Pokemon Center. Beside her was Finn, who was hugging her side, as if sensing her mood.
"To keep you out of their eyes, of course." was all Souei said. Shuna's right eyebrow twitched, remembering what occurred hours ago, after leaving the Contest Hall.

*Flashback*

Shuna was standing across from the Contest Hall, taking a picture of the Contest Hall Pass to send a picture to her grandparents. She was about to, but Souei came up behind her and grabbed her shoulders, directing her focus elsewhere.

"What the-" Shuna's voice halted when she noticed where the male directed her feet towards, confusion toned in her voice. "Why am i here?"

"I'll tell you later. Right now… change up!" Souei pushed her inside the building, catching the attention of the receptionist.

"Hello! How can we help you?~"

Souei smirked, giving Shuna a bad vibe. "Give her hair and clothes a makeover, if you will. I'll pay."

"Coming right up!~"

"W-Woah! Hold on-- W-wait!"

Mini-Timeskip*

After she was released from the clutches of the scary receptionist, she saw herself in one of the spare mirrors on the counter. She managed to place her hand over her mouth before she could shriek; she was shocked at what she saw.

Her hair was dyed midnight black, if put in the right lighting it could give a blue tint, somehow matching her eyes. Her hair was loose behind and over her shoulder as the receptionist brushed through her hair. All of her hair was dyed, not a single hint of any pink(either shade) was shown; even her roots were dyed.

At the thought, she slowly paled, realizing something. "Is this permanent?!"

Souei, who was sitting on a waiting chair while reading a magazine, simply flipped the page, "Pretty much."

"W-What-" Shuna was interrupted, the receptionist tugged her hair lightly, getting the girl's attention.

"Alright sweetie!~ Time to style up your hair!" Minutes later, her hair was in pigtails, like before, but it was in a unique hairstyle she never thought of: a twist wrap-around pigtails! Her bangs were straightened and cut a bit, reaching her ears; her fringes had the same treatment, they were now reaching right above her eyes and swept to the right.

The receptionist gave her a hand-held mirror, allowing her to see her new hairstyle. She was shocked, but also awed; she loved it, even though it was forced upon her and swore to have a few words with Souei about it!

"Time to change your outfit now!~" Before she could protest, Souei coughed loudly as he flipped another page of his magazine, giving her a look. She pouted, but allowed the lady to change her wardrobe.

As the changes were being made, Souei stared at the page for a few minutes, pondering. "It feels like I forgot something…"

What felt like hours, but was 30 minutes, she had a couple bags of many different outfits: dresses, skirts, shorts, pants, shirts, with all kinds of ideas already in mind. Her outfit was upgraded to a pink short dress with a v-collar that reaches her lower thighs, yoga shorts reaching her lower thighs with pockets big enough for small objects, a floral white sleeveless-shoulderless jacket with inside pockets, a brown belt around her waist, ankle-length white socks, and brown below-knee boots. She still had her bracelet, but around her neck was a black choker with a blue tear drop attached. It looks very similar to the Mystic Water she gave Finn… wouldn't be surprised if it's a replica…

"Is it to your liking?~" Shuna turned to Souei, the person being addressed by the receptionist.

Said male took a glance and smirked, nodding. "Perfect." He will remember later what he forgot; right now, his plan was in motion.

Shuna pouted, but reluctantly followed the male to the counter, holding the shopping bags as he bought using a card…

"Hold on! Let me pay for it-"

"Nah. I'm the one who insisted anyways."

"But it was forced!"

"So?"

Flashback Ends*

"So you remember?"

"You never told me why?" Shuna rebuked, slowly letting her anger go. She barely knew him, but for some reason, it felt like a familial bond existed for years.

Souei stared at her for a bit before raising his eyebrows, "Oh… so that's what I was forgetting…"

Shuna growled, but kept her angery in, leaning with just glaring; she didn't want to jump to conclusions, so she decided to wait for his reasonings before deciding if she should kick him or not.

"Anyways, the reason I needed you to change was this." Souei brought out a picture, placing it in between the two with the front facing Shuna. The girl leaned forward a bit to see, but paled instantly. It was a picture of her and her grandparents; the one they took on the day she started her journey and graduated!

"H-how did…" Shuna was terrified. How did he get that picture?! Mr. Kusoprinted only enough for herself, her grandparents, and himself. That man had a picture of all his students as a memoir, but that's beside the point… How did Souei get this picture?!

"Remember what I told you yesterday?" Souei reminded, glancing as the girl paled further. "It seems they reached Kinyo and know how you look, which is why I had you change your looks."

"Couldn't you have warned me sooner?" grumbled Shuna, taking a sip of her cup. She didn't want to dye her hair, she liked the color, but if it kept her safe from them, then it's probably for the best.

"Nah. Your expressions through the chaos were worthwhile." Souei smirked, earning a glare and pout. Ah, so this is the perk of a friendship... He loved it already~

Current Team:

Spoiler:

{Male}Mudfish Pokemon - Finn (Marshtomp)[Torrent] - Bide, Water Gun, Ice Ball, Mud Shot {Lvl.21}

{Male}Tiny Bird Pokemon - Pidge (Pidgey -> Pidgeotto)[Keen Eye] - Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Sand Attack, Gust, Whirlwind {Lvl. 16 -> 18}

Inventory:

Spoiler:

Pokedollars ($3,000 + $1,500 = $4,500)
Camping Kit
First Aid
Snacks & Water
Extra Clothes
Mystic Water
Potions
Pokeballs
Berries - Cheri x1, Chesto x1, Pecha x1, Oran x1, Persim x1
Cover Fossil
Plume Fossil
Quick Balls
Honey x2

 

[Groc]

Sunny Dey
Sunday, September 20th, late morning
Dewford Island, Granite Cave

---

Sunny moves deeper into the tunnel, trying to find the source of the light they'd seen just a moment ago. She hears Eddie coming up behind her, but the tunnel ahead is dark and quiet. No skylights or hanging lanterns here.

"Sunny, don't just go-" Eddie starts to reprimand her, like he usually does, but she shushes him. Whatever had made that light couldn't be far, and was probably hiding from them.

"You're right, it's too dark. We should head back." She lightly pushes Eddie back the way he'd come, without moving herself. He frowns at her in the dim light, but his eyes quickly light up when he realizes her plan. If you approve, it must be a good idea. Thanks, Eddie.

"Come on, then. We're not far." He moves back down the tunnel a step, deliberately kicking a loose rock in front of him. Sunny holds her breath until the clattering stops. After a moment, she hears a sigh of relief from up ahead.

She jumps forward, barely able to make out a side passage in the darkness. She reaches into the passage, grabbing hold of someone's arm. The owner of the arm yelps in surprise as Sunny drags them into the main tunnel. Sunny pops open Sputter's ball, and the tunnel is illuminated with purple fire.

She'd been hoping for a Pokémon, but instead finds a dark-haired girl in a green jacket. "Hi there! What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" Eddie hurries back into the tunnel now that he can see.

"Wait, I can explain!" The girl flinches under Sunny's grip, but can't break free. An orange light joins Sputter's purple as flames spring up from the mane and tail of a Ponyta, who charges at Sunny.

"Whoa, what?!" Sunny is surprised by the Fire Horse, and nearly gets Tackled for her hesitation, but Eddie manages to pull her back in time. "It's so majestic!"

The Ponyta puts itself between Sunny and the girl, who managed to break free and put her back to a wall. "Please, just listen to me! I don't want any trouble, she just gets nervous in small spaces!"

Eddie steps up beside Sunny, sending out Neo. "I assure you, miss, we don't want any trouble either. Just have your Ponyta stand down and we can talk about this."

"Speak for yourself, Eddie. I kinda wanna see this beauty in action!" Sunny mutters to Eddie under her breath, but he shushes her.

The girl moves up to Ponyta's head, gently stroking her neck and talking to her gently. "It's okay, Shiny. I'm okay. She didn't hurt me, and she won't hurt you. Do you want back in your ball? Take a little rest?"

Ponyta pushes her head against the girl's chest, huffing out a short breath. The girl scratches behind Ponyta's ears, moving down to stroke her cheek and plant a gentle kiss on her forehead. The light from the flames dims, leaving just a faint glowing from the orange and red hair. "Okay. Good girl. We'll go for a walk later." She returns Ponyta to her ball, and once again the tunnel is lit solely by Sputter.

"Fascinating!" Eddie watches in awe, taking a step toward the girl. "So the light was from Ponyta's flames. But you were able to suppress the fire and hide, and even when she stepped up to defend you, you interacted with her without getting burned! I thought Ponyta's mane was made of fire?"

"Oh..." The girl looks away from Eddie, pulling the brim of her hat down a bit. "Not always. It's normal hair, it just looks like fire, and it can be ignited at will. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called her out in here. Like I said, she gets nervous in small spaces. I just... needed the light... am I in trouble?"

"Only if the Rangers find us here." Sunny steps forward, offering a more human interaction than Eddie's questions. "Technically, none of us should be in here. But where's the fun in that?"

The girl looks back and forth between Sunny and Eddie. "Wait, aren't you Rangers?"

"Do we look like Rangers?"

"I... guess not. You look kinda overdressed for cave travel." She gestures to Eddie, who looks surprised at that, making Sunny laugh.

"Seriously, what is wrong with how I dress?"

The dark-haired girl tilts her head as she looks Eddie over. "Well, a waistcoat isn't exactly in style, especially without the suit jacket to go over it. And most people wear a t-shirt these days, not a button-up. Especially if you're going to roll up your sleeves. Are you from Galar? You might like my friend Bill... That's a fancy bracer, though, never seen one of those. Oh, you both have one!"

"It's a Holotch." Sunny proudly shows hers off. "They're really popular in Kinyo. It's like having a smart phone on your wrist, so you can do things hands-free! And it looks awesome."

The girl tilts her head again. "Kinyo? Is that where you're from?"

Eddie slaps his forehead, a thing he does when he's forgotten something. "Of course, where are our manners? I'm Edison, but you can call me Ed if you'd like."

"And I'm Sunny. We're from Kinyo, but we came to Hoenn for our Pokémon journey."

The girl bows her head to the pair. "I'm Natsuko. Natsuko Soyokaze. My friends call me Tsu. I live in Kanto, but I'm here on a Pokémon journey, too!"

Sunny grins at that. "Small world, huh? What brings you to Granite Cave?"

"And why didn't we see you with the tour group?" Eddie asks, putting his hand on his chin. "Did you get separated from a different group?"

"Well..." Tsu nervously adjusts her hat. "I didn't come here with a tour group. I kinda snuck past the Rangers. See, I was in town with my friend Bill, and there were these scientists, I think? They were talking about the cave, and something about a Key Stone? Bill said that one of those could be useful to me, and suggested I come looking for one. 'If nothing else, my dear, you could find more Pokémon or get some proper experience!' he said."

Sunny nudges Eddie with her elbow. "Well, imagine that! Sneaking into someplace she shouldn't be, hiding from authority, just to further her Pokémon career? Who would do such a thing?"

Eddie sighs, but otherwise ignores the jab. "As interesting as it sounds, do remember that we're not supposed to be here. It could be unsafe."

Sunny grabs Eddie's arm and Tsu's. "Oh, come on! The natural beauty of Granite Cave, Pokémon in their natural habitat, rare artifacts and a chance to get stronger? What's not to love about this?" She has to drag them the first few steps, but Eddie soon gives in like he always does, and Tsu follows his lead.

"I like the sound of natural beauty..." she offers, trying to shake Sunny off her arm. "Did I mention I'm making a photo blog of my journey?"

"Really? That sounds interesting." Eddie also shakes Sunny's hand off him, and the trio move forward together. "Perhaps I'll do a scan of the area, look for some of these rare Pokémon..."

"Ooh, show me how to do that!" Tsu pulls out a PokéNav, trying to find the apps that Eddie uses. Eddie walks her through some steps, to Sunny's annoyance.

"Guys, there's Pokémon all around us. How about looking with your eyes instead of relying on technology, huh?"

Tsu puts her phone away as she takes a step back, but Ed keeps his eyes on his Holotch. "Now Sunny, there's nothing wrong with implementing a little mechanical advantage. The scan has led me to some wonderful encounters so far."

"Uh... Ed? Sunny? Has the scan ever led something to you before?" Tsu looks around, noticing that they've entered into a larger cavern while she wasn't looking.

Ed glances up at her. "Not exactly, why do you ask?"

Sunny looks around, noticing the same thing Tsu had. "First time for everything, Eddie..."

Ed looks up, confused at first, but sees them, too.

All around the three, just out of the little circle of light Sputter sheds, are eyes in the darkness. If they were looking for Pokémon, they'd found their territory. And the Pokémon have found them, too.

"Kihihihihihi..." a wheezing laugh echoes through the cave, and several Pokémon step forward to challenge the intruders...

 

[Royalty_The_Queen]

Connor Bleu
Saturday, September 19th, late morning
Dewford Island, Granite Cave
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the late morning, Connor was lagging behind on his tour of Granite Cave. 'This place is kinda cool!' he said in his head. The Pokemon ranger that he was following, talked about the different evolutionary stones that could be found deeper inside of the cave. They had planned on going no further than the fifteenth floor, for now. As they walked, Sheldon - Connor's Squirtle - had popped out of his Pokeball.

"Sheldon? What are you doing outside of your Pokeball?" Connor asked. "Squirtle, squirt, squirt, Squirtle" Sheldon replied, as he ran up ahead to catch back up to the group. "H-hey! Don't run off! You could get lost in the cave system!" Connor yelled after them as they caught up to the group. The Pokemon ranger was talking about a stone that he had brought along with him, "This is a Water stone. I only brought this one to tell you a few facts about it and to show you what stones to look out for while we're in the caves." Connor listened attentively, before another conversation had grabbed his attention. To his left, Connor saw a couple, a woman and a man. They seemed to be talking about some stones that they had found a while ago. "Hmm... I wonder what they mean by these Key Stones" Connor said to himself, and as he turned to approach them, the couple had also turned away and made their way off somewhere. Connor glanced back at the Pokemon ranger, who was finishing up talking about the water stone and was preparing to move on with the tour.

As the group continued with the tour, Connor had followed the couple and ventured down the same way they went. Sheldon followed, albeit worried about getting lost in the dark. Especially when Connor knows that he's already afraid of the dark. Sheldon stayed close to Connor, practically stepping on his heels. "I wonder which way those two went. Maybe they could take us to the stone, huh?" he said to Sheldon.

As they continued down the pathway, Connor noticed that it started to get darker. Connor stopped and thought for a moment, 'Hmm... I don't wanna get lost down here. But, at the same time, I really want to find out what stone those two were talking about. What to do, what to do?' As he thought, Sheldon had felt a tap on his shoulder, prompting him to look behind him, but he saw nothing there. "Squirtle, squirt!" he said, trying to get Connor's attention. "Huh? What is it Sheldon?" Connor asked, looking behind him. "Sheldon, it's not nice of you to break my concentration. I'm trying to decide something here" he said, returning to his thoughts. Sheldon, meanwhile, kept his guard up and was looking out for anything strange.

Finally, Connor had made his decision, and ventured deeper into the dark. "What do you think we'll find down here, Sheldon?" Connor asked, "Squirt, squirtle, squirt" Sheldon replied, lowering his guard just a little. Suddenly, they could hear the sounds of metal clanging together. "What's that noise?" Connor asked out loud, before heading off to go find out what was going on. As he rounded a corner, Connor saw only flashes of light from two Aron, battling each other. "OK" Connor said, as he pulled out his Pokedex and scanned over the Aron. "Aron, the Iron Armor Pokemon. This Pokemon has a body made of steel. To make this special armor, they eat the iron ore that they diug up in the mountains. Though, they can cause quite a lot of trouble by eating bridges and rails." The two Aron were really only using Headbutt against each other. "Sheldon, what do you think we should do?" Connor asked, looking at where he assumed his Squirtle was. "Squirt, squirtle, squirt" he replied. As they lingered by the corner, a new Pokemon had came onto the scene, and had planed to have some fun with Connor and his Pokemon. As Connor watched the battling, he felt the stinging pain of a pebble bouncing off of his head. "Ow!" he said, turning back and seeing the most beautiful pair of gemstones, floating in the air. "What's that?" he asked, pulling out his Pokedex again. "Sableye, the Darkness Pokemon. Sableye lead quiet lives deep inside caver- No Pokemon entry found" it had stopped scanning abruptly. Connor looked up from his Pokedex and saw the same gemstones, leaving. "Hey! Wait for us!" he said, returning Sheldon to his Pokeball and chasing after the Sableye. 'A Sableye, huh? Sounds interesting!' he said to himself as he ran after the Sableye.

Eventually, Connor found himself lost in the massive cave system. "I lost it. Dangit!" he said, as he sat down on a nearby rock and tried to catch his breath. "What now? I'm lost and in the dark." he said, pulling out his PokeGear for a little bit of light. Sheldon had popped out of his ball again and comforted Connor. "Thanks for the company Sheldon. But, now that we're lost... How are we going to find our way out of here?!" he shouted in frustration. Sheldon had hopped into his trainer's lap and started ranting at him "Squirtle! Squirt, squirtle, squirtle!" he shouted in his trainer's face. However, with all of the shouting, another Pokemon was being attracted to the scene. The thuding steps of something heavy was coming towards Connor and Sheldon, and they could feel it. "Wait, Sheldon... Do you feel that?" Connor asked, trying to shine some light in the area around them. The steps soon felt heavier and faster, as Connor saw the glint of steel charging right at him. "What is that?!" he asked, as he jumped out of the way. The cave shook as a large Pokemon headbutted into the wave. Connor had pulled his Pokedex out and scanned it; "Lairon, the Iron Armor Pokemon, and the evolved form of Aron. Lairon tempers its steel body by drinking highly nutritious mineral springwater until it is bloated. This Pokemon makes its nest close to springs of delicious water." "This one must NOT like having us in its territory. Let's get out of here" Connor said, as he made his escape, with the Lairon chasing after him for a while.

By this time, Connor was very tired and didn't want to be in the caves anymore. He was really starting to freak out. "OK. So, we're lost. In the dark. With no direction, or clear way of getting out... We're doomed" he said, dropping to his knees. Sheldon tried to comfort him again, but was failing. "I don't want comfort right now, Sheldon. I just want to get out of here!" he said. Suddenly, Connor saw the sparkling gemstones again. With a gasp, he ran after what he saw! "Get back here! I'm lost because of you!" he said, following the Sableye around a corner, with Sheldon chasing after his as well. The Sableye seemed to be leading them somewhere. "Sheldon, Water Pulse!" Connor shouted, as Sheldon formed an orb of pressurized water in his mouth, before firing it off at the Sableye. Of course, with them all running, Sheldon's aim was off and he missed. The Sableye, now ready for a battle, had turned around and used Leer. Connor held his PokeGear out for light, as they battled. Sheldon shuddered at Sableye's leer, but shook away the feeling. "Withdraw, then Bite!" Connor said, while Sheldon retreated into his shell for a minute, then charged at the Sableye. It seemed as though Sableye, shared the same idea as it charged at Sheldon, and they both met with a Bite and a Scratch. Sheldon, however, managed to catch the Sableye by the arm and toss it into the air. "Now, Water Pulse!" Sheldon, fired another sphere of pressurized water at Sableye, landing a direct hit. "Ha!" Connor cheered, as he threw a Pokeball at Sableye. A few seconds went by, before the Sableye popped out of the Pokeball. This battle wasn't going to be over that quickly.

Sableye had charged at Sheldon again, and landed a few good Scratches. "He's feisty. I like that. Withdraw and Bite!" Connor said, as Sheldon retreated into his shell. Sableye took this opportunity to attack, as three glowing orbs formed around it and fired off at Sheldon. As soon as Sheldon popped his head out of his shell, he was dazed. Everything look blurry and out of place to Sheldon. "Sheldon, are you alright?" Connor asked, and received a confused "Squirtle" from Sheldon. "Look out!" Connor shouted, as Sableye popped out of the shadows and hit Sheldon with Shadow Sneak! Sheldon rolled back a bit, but caught himself. "Water Pulse" Connor had said, while Sheldon fired another orb of water at the Sableye. However, thanks to the confusion, the Sableye managed to dodge and counter with another Scratch to Sheldon. "Try it one more time, Sheldon!" Connor instructed, worried about losing.

Finally, Sheldon's confusion wore off, as he delivered a successful Water Pulse to the Sableye. "Woohoo! Now, you're mine!" Connor said,m throwing another Pokeball at the Sableye. After a few minutes, the Pokeball stopped moving. "Yes! I caught it!" Connor cheered. Sheldon was laying on the ground, tired from the battle. "You did great, Sheldon. How about you get some rest, huh?" he said, returning Sheldon to his Pokeball, and went to pick up his new catch. "What to name you? ...How about, Rascal? I like that." Connor said to himself out loud, as he released Vale from his Pokeball. "Alright, Rascal. I ned your help getting out of here. You know this cave system way more than me or Sheldon. So, how about you get us out of here, huh?" he asked politely. Rascal sat there for a moment, before running past Connor, seemingly towards the exit. "Alright, slow down! I don't wanna get lost again!" he said, keeping up behind him.

After running for a little bit, Connor had emerged from Granite Cave's entrance. As he saw the light, Connor ran out of the cave's mouth and was back at its entrance, where the final group for the tour was waiting to go in. "Woah, there! Did you get lost in there?" the Pokemon ranger asked. Connor's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "Y-yeah." Connoir said with a nervous chuckle. "I did. But, I got a new Pokemon out of it, so it wasn't that bad!" he said confidently. "Even still, you shouldn't have left your tour group. Going into the cave system by yourself can be dangerous! Don't do that again, young man" they said, scolding Connor. "Y-yes, I won't get lost again, next time" Connor said. The Pokemon ranger sighed and dismissed him, as he turned back to his group to get them ready. "Let that be a reminder to you all. Stick with the group and you'll be fine. Now, let's go find us some stones!" he cheered, as the tour group left to go explore the cave.

Connor, meanwhile, had brought Sheldon out of his ball. "Sheldon, meet our newest member, Rascal!" he said, enthusiastically. Sheldon had acted friendly towards Rascal, who snickered to themself. Overhead, a flock of Taillow had flew through the sky. "Hmm... Well, let's head back to Dewford Town. I saw that they have Pokemon contests here and I wanna see one" Connor said, as he put Rascal back into his Pokeball and heading back to Dewford Town with Sheldon.

 

[Royalty_The_Queen]

Connor Bleu
Saturday, September 19th (5 P.M.)
Dewford Island, West Wilds
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the incident at Granie Cave, Connor had made his way back to Dewford Town.

"Well, we got ourselves a new teammate, Sheldon. what do you think about them?" he asked, releasing Rascal, his newly caught Sableye, from his Pokeball. heldon had walked over to Rascal and stretched his hand out to him, introducing himself. Rascal's impish nature, however, prompted him to push Sheldon onto his back and spin him around. "Squuuiirtle!! Squirt- Squirtlllee!" Connor laughed at Sheldon for a moment, before helping him back onto his feet. "I'm sorry for laughing, Sheldon" Connor apologized, as Sheldon dusted himself off and crossed his arms at Connor. "Rascal, play nice" Connor said, as he headed towards the Pokemon Center. "How about we get a quick bite to eat, huh?" he had suggested, walking inside of the Center.

Turning to the left, Connor had gone towards the PokeCafe and sat outside on the patio. Sheldon and Rascal had sat in their seats as well. While Connor looked over the menu, Rascal was trying his hardest to maintain his composure. His eyes darted around the cafe, landing on the waiter, who approached Connors table.

"Hi. Welcome to Dewford Towns PokeCafe. I'm Jackson, and I'll be your waiter the afternoon. Can I start you off with something to drink?" Connor looked over the menu one last time before turning to Jackson. I'll have a fresh water with a slice of Sitrus berry in it. These tw will have regular fresh water." Jackson nodded as he walked away to get Connor's drinks. Connor looked over the patio's railing, watching the clouds roll by slowly. "Alright. I want to catch one more Pokemon before we go see the Pokemon Contest tonight. We only have an hour before it starts, so let's eat quickly!" he said, just as Jackson returned with his drinks.

After their drinks and a bite to eat, Connor had headed for the West Wilds' entrance, before he was stopped by a Pokemon Ranger. "Stop! Do you know where you're going?" he asked. Connor gave a slightly confused look before answering, "The forest?" The Pokemon Ranger, Phil, simply sighed and shook his head, before leading Connor to the Ranger station. Once inside, the Ranger had brought Connor to the front desk, where another Ranger stood at a PC. "This one almost went into the West Wilds, without even knowing what he was heading into" Phil said. The Pokemon Ranger behind the desk, Dan, sighed and rested his elbows on the counter. "Can I see you Trainer ID, please?" he asked.

Connor fished his PokeGear from his pocket and gave it to the Dan. "Phil, tell him what he needs to know, while I check his ID" Dan said, as he started typing on the PC. Phil cleared his throat before speaking, "Alright. What you need to know is that Dewford Island is divided in half by a six-foot-deep, ten-foot-high rock wall. West of this wall is wilderness, left alone by tourists and residents alike. The only people who regularly visit the western half are us, Rangers. Licensed trainers are welcome to explore, though they must check in at the Rangers' Station beforehand as the number of humans allowed in at once is limited. Oh! And don't climb any trees while in the wilds, please."

"Alright, Connor. Everything's in order. Here's your PokeGear and you are now cleared to train in the West Wilds" Dan said from behind the counter, as Connor 'thanked' them both and left the station.

After heading inside of the West Wilds, Connor soon heard the sounds of heavy blows landing nearby. "What's that sound?" he asked aloud, as he went to investigate. "Maku! Hita!" the cries of a Pokemon were getting louder. Connor soon came upon the scene of two different Pokemon battling. One was yellow and fatter, while the other was green and skinnier. "Wow" Connor said as he scanned them both with his Pokedex.

"Makuhita, the Guts Pokemon. Makuhita is tenacious - and will keep getting up and attacking its foe however many times it is knocked down. Every time it gets back up, this Pokemon stores more energy in its body for evolving" it read as it scanned Makuhita, before Connor moved on to the other Pokemon. "Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokemon. Treecko have small hooks on the bottom of their feet that enable them to scale vertical walls. This Pokemon attacks by slamming foes with their thick tails."

The two Pokemon had clearly been battling for a while, as they were both panting heavily. "Alright, Rascal! Use Shadow Sneak on Treecko!" Connor shouted, as Rascal had jumped out of his Pokeball and turned into a shadowy form of itself, before lunging at Treecko.

Treecko had been hit with a critical attacks it skidded a few feet away, and stopped under direct light. "Now, Confuse Ray!" Connor said, as Rascal shot three glowing orbs at Treecko. However, Treecko had already managed to jump high above Rascal, and use Quick Attack, as it jumped off of a tree's trunk. "Treecko!" it cried, as it landed a direct hit on Rascal, sending him flying a ways away. "Rascal1 Are you OK?" Connor asked, receiving a confident response from Rascal. "Alright, use Scratch!"

Rascal had lunged at Treecko again, with his claws ready. However, Treecko easily dodged and countered with a swift uppercut Pound. Rascal flew through the air but caught himself and land on his feet. "Rascal, use the terrain to you advantage! Jump from the trees and get an opening!" Connor instructed, as Rascal climbed up a tree and started jumping in between the others surrounding the area. Treecko, meanwhile, struggled to keep up with Rascal's movements, and so it copied Connor's strategy. Now, blurs of green and black dashed from tree to tree. However, Rascal had his own strategy. As he felt Treecko gaining on him, Rascal had transformed his body into its shadowy form, and freefell towards the ground. Treecko had followed Rascal as well, just as he had planned. Rascal smirked at Treecko as he used Shadow Sneak to fade out of the way and make Treecko faceplant on the ground.

Trecko landed face first in the dirt, as Rascal had appeared out of its shadow, triumphant. Connor had walked over and picked Rascal up. "You did amazing, Rascal! Good job!" he said, as he looked at the Treecko, who struggled to get up. "Hey, Treecko? Why don't you come with me?" Connor offered, holding a Pokeball out to it. Treecko looked at the Pokeball, before smacking it away . "Treecko! Tree, tree, Treecko!" it cried defiantly, as it stood up and prepared to walk away. However, Sheldon had came out of his Pokeball and walked over to Treecko. "Squirtle, Squirtle. Squirt, squirt, Squirtle" he said, trying to convince Treecko to go with them. Treecko still acted defiant, until it saw Sheldon's face. Almost instantly, Treecko had ran over to get Connor's Pokeball and returned it to him. "Oh Thank you" Connor said, preparing to put his Pokeball away. "Treecko! Treecko, cko!" Treecko cried. Connor looked at Treecko, who held their hand out to accept the Pokeball.

Connor smiled and held the Pokeball out to Treecko, who pushed the small button and allowed itself to get captured. Connor smiled and stood up, thrusting the Pokeball into the air and cheered. "Yes! I caught a Treecko!" he said, while Rascal sat down and caught his breath. 'You battled great, Rascal. How about you get some rest?"

"Alright. Maybe if I hurry, I can get to the Contest Hall before it starts" he said, as he checked the time. "5:47?! Crap!"

Connor hurried back to Dewfo Town, sprinting fo the Contest Hall, before he crashed right into a pedestrian girl. "Ouch! ...Are you alright?" he asked.

The girl, who was underneath Connor, looked up at him and blushed. "Um... H-hi?"

 

[Royalty_The_Queen]

Connor Bleu
Saturday, September 19th (6 P.M.)
Dewford Island, Dewford Town
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Helping the young woman to her feet, Connor blushed and chuckled nervously. "Sorry about crashing into you. Are you alright?" he asked.

The young girl dusted herself off and sighed, "Yeah, I'm fine. But, you should really watch where you're going!" she scolded. "What's your name anyway?"

Connor blushed at the girl's scolding, but still answered. "I'm Connor. Nice to meet you" he said, holding his hand out to her. The girl looked at Connor's hand before shaking it with her own. "I'm Donna."

"So, where are you heading off to in such a hurry?" Donna asked, as they both walked down the streets of Dewford Town, towards the Contest Hall. "Well, I was out training and catching Pokémon, when I realized that I was about to miss tonight's contest at the Contest Hall" Connor replied.

"Really? I was heading to the performance too!" Donna said happily.

Soon, the two had reached the Contest Hall, where a few other people were heading inside. "So, should we go in together?" Connor asked, looking at Donna, who was slightly taller than him. "Sure! I've never gone to a contest with someone else" she replied, grabbing Connor by the wrist and leading him inside of the Contest Hall.

Inside of the hall, the lobby was filled with people buying tickets to the performance, while performers were led through another door to the side that led to backstage.

"Let's go get our tickets to the show" Donna said, taking her place in the ticket line.

Eventually, after receiving their tickets, Donna and Connor had made their way to their seats in the auditorium. "I've never been to a contest performance before" Connor said, admiring the room. "Really? Well you're in for a nice evening! The performances are always nice to look at and enjoy" Donna replied, just as the show began.

"Hello everyone! Welcome to Dewford Town's Contest Hall, and to tonight's performance. Tonight will feature three rounds of wonderful performances. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy!" the announcer said, as lights slowly turned on and revealed the first contestant.

The first contestant was a young girl with her Inkay. Her yellow dress was short and wide below her waist with white lace at the bottom. Accompanying her on stage was her happy-looking Inkay. "Alright, Inkay! Use Psywave!" she ordered.

Inkay's transmitters, above its eyes flashed as it released a multi-colored wave of psychic over the crowd. Ooh's and ash's could be heard in the crowd around Connor and Donna.

Connor reached up to touch the brilliant colors above him, as it faded away. When he looked back at the contestant and their Inkay, he found that their performance was over.

"A brilliant performance from our first contestant!" the announcer said through the loud speakers. As another contestant appeared on stage. This one was male and dressed in a classy black tuxedo, along with his Torkoal who wore a black bow tie.

"Torkoal, use Smokescreen" he ordered, as a plume of thick black smoke billowed from the openings on his Torkoal's shell. "Now, use Fire Spin!" he said.

Torkoal had retreated its body into its shell and started to spin, as flames poured out from the openings in its shell.

On stage, a mix of fire and smoke had formed into a forex around Torkoal and its trainer. Connor and Donna watched as the flames danced in a spiral motion along with the smoke, before disappearing.

After many more performances, the contest was over and the winner was just about to be announced. "Now, we've been waiting all night for this moment" the announcer said, as the contestants lined up on stage.

"The most wonderful performer will get to move on to the next round. Now, let's see who got the best score from our judges!" the announcer said.

After the scores were assigned and the winner was chosen, Connor and Donna had left Dewford Town's Contest Hall and went to the Pokémon Center.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around, huh, Donna?" Connor asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Yeah, I guess. Maybe we could even go see another contest sometime?" Donna replied.

"Yeah. Good night, Donna" Connor said, as he went to go check in with the nurse and get his room key.

Donna headed home for the night, while Connor went to sleep in his room with all three of his Pokémon out of the balls.

 

[Royalty_The_Queen]

Donna Logan
Saturday, September 19th (8 P.M.)
Dewford Island, Littleroot Passage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donna was on her way home from a night at the Contest Hall with her new friend Connor. However, something caught her attention. There was a sign, right in front of her that read; 'Moonlight Tours! Come see the wonderful shipwrecks of the past and the Pokemon living around them.' Dona thought for a moment, "Hmm... The night is still young" she said, thinking it over carefully.

Finally, Donna made her decision. "Fine. We'll go on one ride, Donna" she said, making her way towards the docks where two tour boats waited.

The ticket line was a bit long, with even people in front of her. "Looks like everybody wants to go for a ride right now" she said, just as her Pokemon, Alita, appeared on Donna's shoulder, "Taillow!" she cheered in greeting. Oh! Hi, Alita. What are you doing outside of your Pokeball?" Donna asked, moving with the line.

Alita hopped onto her trainer's arm and waited for their turn to get a ticket.

After a few ore minutes, Donna made it to the cashier, "Good evening, miss. Here to enjoy an evening's boat ride?" the cashier asked jokingly. Yes, I am Donna replied, fishing out the $2,500 required fee for a ticket. After taking and counting her money, the cashier printed out a fresh ticket and gave it to Donna "Enjoy you ride!" the cashier said to her, as Donna stepped onto the tour boat.

Soon, they were on their way northeastward. "Good evening everyone! I'm Priscilla, your tour guide, and welcome to Moonlight Tours. We are going to check out some of the most wonderful sights tonight. With plenty of Pokemon for you to see and amazing shipwrecks to show you!" Priscilla said.

Donna was busy looking out to see at a few Wailmer that were breaching for air. "Majestic Pokemon. Don't you think so, Alita?" Donna asked, receiving a chirp in response.

Soon, the tour boat had made its way to a nice shipwreck with Remoraid and Chinchou swimming beneath its glassy underside. "Now, if you'll look beneath us, this shipwreck has been here for about sixteen whole years! The S.S. Rapidash, a luxury yacht that sank by an angry Tentacruel. The owner, managed to escape with his guests and crew unscathed, but the yacht was lost and destroyed. There are some rumors that say the Tentacruel still lives inside of it."

Donna wathed as the sunken yact left her view. "This is nice. Im glad we came on this boat ride, Alita" she said, before raising her hand. "Excuse me, will we be seeing any Wailmer or Wailord on this bat ride?" she asked. "Of course! Our next shipwreck actually has a few Wailmer hanging around it!" Priscilla said, directing the guests on the boat to look down, where two Wailmer swam below, revealing a small ship, half buried in the sand. "This ship was nicknamed the S.S. Wailmer, actually. After a runin with a Wailmer and Wailord migration, this boat was rocked and tipped over. Luckily, nobody was injured, and the Wailord that sunk the ship was caught! Though, were not sure why Wailer swim around it so much" she said, as the boat continued on.

Finally, they had reached their final stop. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are now approaching our final stop. This ship is our best sight on this tour and one of the most historical. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you; The Clampearl" Priscilla said, as the tour boat turnd and revealed a magnificent sight. A large ship, half submerged underwater, with the bow facing towards the sky.

Donna looked at it, enamored with this monument in the water. At the tip of the ship, a lone Pokemon sat, looking up at the moon. "What's that?" Donna asked herself out loud, pulling her Pokedex out to scan it. "Inkay, the Revolving Pokemon. Opponents who stare at the flashing of the light-emitting spots on its body become dazed and lose their will to fight."

"Alita, go try and make friends with it, quickly!" Dona said, as Alita flew off. Once at the tip of the ship's bow, Alita perched right next to the Inkay and chirped happily.

Startled, the wild Inkay jumped up and immediately used Psywave, landing a surprise hit on Alita!

From the water, Donna saw this and shouted, "Hey! Alita, use Quick Attack and strike back!"

With a beat of her wings, Alita flew right at the wild Inkay. But, was quickly countered with a well-timed Foul Play from Inkay!

"Focus Energy, then use Peck!" Donna ordered, as Alita flew in an arcing motion and came around the wild Inkay, with her beak glowing white. "Taillow!" Alita cheered.

The wild Inkay, however, returned Alita's Peck with its own and used Psywave again.

Luckily, Alita flew up and dodged both attacks. "Now, counter it with Quick Attack!" Donna said. Alita flew straight at the wild Inkay, and took it down with her wing, pushing it into the water.

"Alright. Now I'll catch it when it comes back up!' she said, holding a Pokeball in her hand, ready to throw it.

Eventually the wild Inkay had came back up from underwater, ready to keep battling.

"Alita, Fcus Energy, then Quick Attack from behind! Donna ordered, as golden particles of energy sank into Alita, empowering her. Then, Alita flew straight as an arrow, right into the Inkay from behind, landing a critical hit.

Now, you're mine!" Donna shouted, as she threw the Pokeball. Floating on the water's surface, Alita waited above, while Donna waited on the boat. Finally, after a few minutes, the ball sat still on the water. Donna had caught the Inkay!

"Alita, bring it here" Donna said, as Alita grabbed the Pokeball and brought it to her trainer.

After the battle, Priscilla spoke "What a way to conclude our tour, huh? Alright folks, strap yourselves back in as I tell you all about this shipwreck and e head back to Dewford Town."

Satisfied, Donna looked at the Pokeball in her hands. "I caugh a Pokemon. y first real catch!" she said, excitedly.

As they reached the dcks, Donna stepped off of the boat, satisfied with her night, when a voice called to her. "Hey! Hey, miss!"

Donna looked back and saw the cashier, smiling and waving at her. "Oh!" she said, as she walked over to him. "Hello, again" Donna greeted.

"You look like you enjoyed the boat ride. How was it?" he asked. Donna looked at her Pokeball before smiling at the cashier, "It was great! I caught a new Pokemon, too!"

"Really? Well, let's see it!" the cashier replied.

"Inkling, come say hello!" Donna said, tossing her Pokeball into the air, releasing her new Inkay; Inkling.

"An Inkay? Nice catch! the cahsier complimented, giving Donna a thumbs up.

After a small conversation, Donna walked back home with her Pokemon and went to bed happily. Who knew what tomorrow had in store.

 

[Groc]

Natsuko Soyokaze
Sunday, September 20th, late morning
Dewford Island, Granite Cave

---

This is not at all how Tsu pictured her day going. Exploring caves was one thing, but a hostile horde of wild Pokémon wasn't exactly her idea of fun.

Apparently her strange new companions thought otherwise.

"Looks like a horde battle, Eddie! You wanna go solo or team up?" Sunny grins ferociously, shining a light from her Holotch to better see the area as her Litwick prepares to fight. A trio of Pokémon emerge from the tunnels: a purple goblin with gems for eyes, a small metal dinosaur, and a small humanoid with a large mouth sprouting from the top of her head.

Ed scans the approaching Pokémon with his own Holotch, his Magnemite hovering by his side. "Hmmm... Sableye, Aron, and Mawile. I think we'd fare better as a team. I'll set them up..."

"And I'll knock them down! Hey, Tsu, right? Give me a hand with the Mawile, yeah?"

"Huh!? B-but..." Tsu looks between the two uncertainly. They both seem so confident, just like Jo back at the beach. Actually... this was just like back then. She just had to go for it...

She sends Shiny back out. The little Ponyta seems a little less skittish, ready to protect. "Alright! You think a Stomp will work?"

Sunny glances at Tsu, baffled, while Ed rapidly types on his watch. "Unlikely. Steel types are remarkably durable, but are susceptible to fire. Sunny, have Sputter target- Shiny, was it?- with an Ember. Trust me."

"You know I do, Eddie! Ready, new girl?" Sunny claps Tsu on the shoulder, making her wince.

"What? Wait, but why... oh, okay... Shiny, use Flame Charge!" And that's how the fight starts. Flames surround Shiny's hooves as she charges forward, leaving a trail of smoldering hoof prints as she tramples Mawile. Mawile responds by nipping at Shiny with its massive jaws, grazing her flank.

Sputter fires a purple fireball at Shiny, but it impacts harmlessly against her. In fact, her flames suddenly flare up, glowing brightly as the supernatural fire is added to her own. Sableye leaps forward, its eyes glowing red as it shouts at Shiny, the force of its voice driving her back a step. In response, Neo releases a Thunder Wave that causes it to freeze up as electricity surges through it. Aron rears up on its hind legs, then slams both front feet onto the ground. Rocks rises up from the impact, bouncing off Neo's armor.

It's a lot to take in all at once, and Tsu takes a step back. A displeased hiss echoes from one of the caverns, and Tsu looks around in confusion and concern. Ed and Sunny don't seem to notice it, exchanging a look and a nod. Sunny looks back at Tsu. "You still with us?"

"Y-yeah, I'm good..." Tsu forces herself to ignore the creepy cave sounds. Shiny needs her help! "You're charged up, I guess! Another Flame Charge!"

As the flames swirl around her hooves, the Sableye sinks into the ground... no, its own shadow! It suddenly leaps out of Shiny's shadow, striking her across the face with a fist. Shiny shakes it off, rushing over to Mawile again. Mawile snaps at Shiny, but she leaps over the jaws and lands in front of it. She swiftly bucks the small Fairy in the chest with her fiery hooves, sending it flying.

With Mawile down and out, Sputter turns to Sableye. The purple flame atop her head shifts and swirls, dark energy causing it to resemble an eye. The flaming eye shines a sinister light on Sableye, dropping it to its knees. Purple lightning crackles along its skin. Neo fires twin bolts of lightning from their magnets, striking Sableye and causing it to collapse. Aron slashes Shiny with its claws, distracting the trainers long enough for Sableye to slink away.

As the three turn to the remaining Aron, another Sableye steps up to join in, along with a small Rock type with a very large nose. "Hey, who's that Pokémon?" Tsu pulls out her PokéNav, scanning the creature.

"Apparently it's a Nosepass." Ed scans it himself. "You focus on Aron, Sunny and I will handle it."

"Got it! Flame Charge!" Shiny tramples Aron, but the little dino is tougher than it looks, and won't be taken down so easily. An Ember from Sputter does the trick, though. Sableye shines a light from its eyes at Neo, a light that Tsu recognizes as Confuse Ray. Despite that, Neo's Thunder Wave leaves the Ghost paralyzed. The newcomer, Nosepass, magnetically lifts and throws a rock at Shiny, causing her to stumble and fall.

"Shiny!" Tsu moves forward, but is stopped by Sunny grabbing her arm and making her flinch. "Hold up, kid! She's not out of the fight yet, and I can't fight these all by myself!"

"Sunny... you're hurting me..." Tsu tries to pry Sunny's hand off, but stops fighting when she sees Shiny get back up, legs shaking but still standing. "I wasn't going to quit, I promise!"

Sunny quickly lets go of her. "Sorry. It's the adrenaline, you know? This is exciting! ...heads up, another Aron just showed up."

"Where do they all keep coming from?" Tsu complains, giving Shiny a gentle pat on the cheek as the pony gingerly trots back over. "I have an idea. You guys keep doing what you're doing. Shiny, use Sunny Day!"

"Use what now?" Sunny looks over in surprise as a small bead of light forms in Shiny's mouth. It gently floats upwards, then bursts, leaving a glowing orb that hovers over the battlefield and lights up the whole cavern. Several of the Pokémon still hiding in the side caves and tunnels suddenly turn and flee.

"Just think of it as paying you back for the power up earlier!"

"Nice! Sputter, use Ember on the Aron!" Sunny watches with glee as the fake sun powers up Sputter's fire, and the purple flame knocks the Aron out instantly. "Oh, that's awesome! I gotta get me one of those!"

"Interesting as that is, did you forget about our strategy?" Ed chimes in on the conversation. "N.D., use Thunder Wave on Nosepass. To get more power out of Hex." Neo paralyzes Nosepass, but Sableye's eyes flash blue, surrounding Neo with a pale blue aura. "Disable! Not good..."

Nosepass throws another rock at Shiny, knocking her out. Tsu drops to her knees to check on her, and this time Sunny doesn't stop her. Shiny stirs at Tsu's touch, but is too weak to rise. "I'm sorry, Shiny. You did so good! We're gonna win, you rest now." She returns Shiny to her ball, not even bothering to stand.

"Kihihihihihi..." That same laugh from before echoes, but Tsu can't find the source.

Sunny looks around the cave, looking annoyed now. "Who's there? And what's so funny? ...come on, Tsu. Do you have any other Pokémon?"

"Just one. I'm not sure how helpful she'll be, though. She's not as good at fighting as Shiny..."

"Any help you can offer is appreciated, Miss Natsuko." Ed offers her a hand up. Sunny smiles softly, giving Tsu a thumbs-up.

"Alright... We'll do our best!" Tsu pulls herself back up, grabbing her other Poké Ball. "It's your turn, Duchess!" The Grand Duchess Magikarp flops around as she arrives, not as relaxed as she normally is.

Sunny covers her mouth with a hand, either in shock or to hide a laugh, Tsu can't tell which. "Okay, so we're on our own, Eddie."

"Sunny..."

"I'm kidding! Sputter, Hex!"

Not to be outdone, Tsu issues her own command. "Duchess, use Tackle!"

Sputter charges up her Hex, while the Duchess leaps into action, slapping Nosepass in the nose with her tail. Sunny actually looks surprised at that. "How'd she get over there so fast?"

Sputter's Hex hits Sableye, knocking it to one knee, while Neo launches a Magnet Bomb at Nosepass. Neither wild Pokémon can move, so the Duchess slaps Nosepass again, causing it to stumble into Sableye. A combined Magnet Bomb and Sunny Day-boosted Ember cause a small explosion, knocking the pair into the far wall.

There's a moment of calm as the dust settles, which is interrupted by Tsu cheering wildly. "That was so cool! You two worked really well together, and I even managed to do something! Those Pokémon won't be bothering us anymore because we're just so awesome, awesome, awesome!"

She grabs Ed and Sunny both, pulling them into a group hug. Sunny's too surprised to resist, while Ed just freezes up. "Whoa, what happened to you all of a sudden?"

"Adrenaline and elation mixed together?" Ed guesses. "She did say she's new to battles, and that one..."

"Don't say it..." Sunny glares at Ed.

Ed grins back at her. "...ended with a bang."

"Ugh!" Sunny effortlessly pushes free of Tsu, shaking her head. "Puns aren't funny, Eddie! That barely counts as clever! I expect better from you."

Tsu lets go of Ed, blushing a little. "Sorry, I got excited. You guys are really good at battles. That was more exciting, and fun, than any of the fights I've had!"

Ed bows slightly at the compliment. "Thank you, Miss Natsuko. We'd be happy to teach you some time."

Sunny is still looking grumpily at Ed, but shrugs. "Sure. Stick with us, kid. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two."

Now it's Tsu's turn to look grumpy. But all she can manage is a pout. "Why do you keep calling me 'kid'? I'm seventeen, you know."

Even Ed looks surprised at that, and Sunny can only stare as she tries to find the words. "Wait, hold on... you're older than us?"

Tsu is about to respond, but an angry screech grabs their attention. A Sableye leaps from a hole above them, landing a short distance away. This one is gold colored instead of purple, with green gems and eyes.

Tiny footsteps grow louder as an Aron charges from a side tunnel, coming to a stop next to Sableye. This Aron is a lighter color, with red eyes instead of blue.

From behind the two shiny Pokémon, a Nosepass steps out from behind a rock, leaning against it casually. It doesn't have a different color, but a horseshoe magnet is stuck partially inside one nostril, looking oddly similar to a nose ring.

"Guess the fight's not over, huh?" Tsu looks to Ed and Sunny, offering a small grin. "How do we feel about these ones?"

The Sunny Day orb fades away, and shadows fill the room once more. The last thing they see before being shrouded in darkness is Sableye's manic grin.

"Kihihihihihi..."

 

[budube]

Miranda Lockhart

Thursday, September 17th

Chapter 1: Part 4 - Some Red Crap

19:50 to 20:00 - Slateport Beach
"Okay, let's try something else." Maritza says in a far away part of the beach. They moved probably for the best after the show Miranda started. "Something you don't homerun away to the sea easily is a top priority now."

"It's not my fault! That bitch zapped me first!" the other girl protests, giving a cold glare to the white haired girl "If you ask me it had it well deserved."

"Well, that's true… But next time have your Pokémon hold the bat, instead. When people say trainers battle other Pokémon, they mean that we use our Pokémon to battle others, not that we wrestle with them… I think." Maritza stops to cough for a bit and clear her throat and takes a deep breath before continuing. "Sorry. A-anyways, I know what we are going to try: Scanning! Have you heard about it?"

"Sounds like some difficult nerd shit."

"It's actually pretty easy! Hand me your Pokémon Digital Assistant." says the girl, but then reconsiders it and takes out her pretty well maintained Holotch instead. "Never mind, I'll teach you how to do it."

Maritza has to stoop a bit so Miranda doesn't have trouble watching the screen of her device, even if the shortest girl doesn't really understand what is actually happening. First she opens the Ranger Data-whatever application and goes to the Pokémon List, something she already knows how to do. Then she selects one of the Pokémon from Slateport, a Staryu, species she had seen a bit of in Gateon and with some trainers in Phenac City.

"See this button here?" Maritza then says, pressing a red button on the screen with her thumb. The button has a single word in it, and it isn't even hard to read: 'Scan', it says. Miranda nods and the other girl releases the button. "Now watch and learn."

A red light starts glowing in Maritza's device and another word appears on the screen, 'Scanning…'. The Holotch finally reacts and an arrow pointing to the left appears.

"Now we run!" Maritza yells and starts walking in the same direction the arrow points. Miranda follows her but she actually runs until she remembers Maritza can't make too much effort.

---

They reach the shore again, but this time far away from all the people and stick dudes. They are near the lighthouse actually, and there's no one there. Miranda hits the sand with her bat and yells:

"We've been walking for like a whole fucking hour now, where the hell is that Staryu?"

Maritza looks at the time on her device and then keeps walking, this time in another direction towards some rocks. "It's only been seven minutes." She answers. "It should be around here, though. If you see a red light somewhere, tell me- There it is!"

"I'm not telling you shit! You are the one looking for that thing, not me! I already have enough following your ass everywhere to start looking for some red crap...! Hey, are you listening to me...?!"

Maritza isn't listening to her, instead she is on her knees a few meters away from her, looking at some red crap that glows on the ground.

Without even looking back at Miranda, the other girl takes out another device from her pocket. It's a PokéDex this time, and as soon as she turns it on it starts talking.

'Fish Pokémon nibble at it, but Staryu isn't bothered. Its body regenerates quickly, even if part of it is completely torn off.'

"Woah!" Miranda gets to mumble a short What the- before being interrupted by Maritza's PokéDex again.

'If you visit a beach at the end of summer, you'll be able to see groups of Staryu lighting up in a steady rhythm.'

"It's-"

"It's amazing, I know!" Maritza yells in excitement.

"It's dead." the other girl answers, as she pokes it with her bat. "See? It doesn't move."

"No, I think it's alive." Maritza points at the red crap. "Look, its core is glowing. The Ranger Database says that Staryu are thought to communicate with the stars using its core. They also use it to communicate with other Staryu and Starmie. Maybe this one got separated and is trying to communicate with the rest of its crew."

Maritza looks at the sky. The stars aren't saying shit, for sure, but looking back at the Staryu, she sees its 'core' is still glowing. It doesn't move at all, it's just the red crap glowing at the same rhythm as her heartbeat. It is creepy. If it was actually dead it would be less scary. And being alone with that thing and some nerd that just told her they can regenerate its body doesn't help at all.

"What do we do now? Do we just stand here looking at this shit?"

"I want to catch it." Maritza hums and thinks for a bit, before tapping the Staryu's core with her finger a few times.

The Pokémon jumps and flips backwards and looks at both of them before shooting a water projectile at Miranda.

"Hey, son of a-! Why me?!"

Miranda's instincts immediately have her raising her bat, but before she gets to swing it, Maritza stops her.

"No homerunning." she says with an enthusiastic smile. "Let Juggernaut take care of it!"

"Are you telling me that that thing can fight?"

"Any Pokémon can fight!" Maritza answers. "... I think. Juggernaut is still my only Pokémon, so I got to train it a bit, anyways. So umm… Juggernaut?"

The Wimpod comes out from behind her, trembling and with his antennae pointing backwards. 'He's dead' Miranda thinks.

"Do whatever you want, I don't give a damn." the girl says and walks away from the battlefield, but stays close enough to see what Maritza does.

---

Maritza… hasn't had a Pokémon battle. Ever. She doesn't even know which moves Juggernaut knows other than Defense Curl, and that one she learned about because he got scared of the wind coming from her window back in Galar and tried to protect himself with said move.

Of course she knows what to do, though. She takes out her PokéDex and scans Juggernaut who is hiding behind her again, obviously.

Aqua Jet, Sand Attack, Struggle Bug and Defense Curl.

Aqua Jet is like Quick Attack but with water, that she knows as much. Juggernaut isn't heavy but he is already pretty fast, so propelling himself with it and reaching certain acceleration would still cause some good damage to Staryu. However, there's also the type effectiveness to consider. Yes, Aqua Jet is a contact move, and it uses the Pokémon's overall physical strength and weight to tackle the opponent but it's still a Water-type move, which other Water-types like Staryu resist with no problem. In that sense, Struggle Bug may work better.

"Hey, are you going to fight that thing or what?" Miranda yells from far away.

"I'm fine! Just thinking." Maritza answers, giving her a thumbs up. Miranda rolls her eyes and goes back to lay on the sand. "Okay, Juggernaut. Use, uh… Aqua Jet!"

Juggernaut stays cowardly hidden behind her, lowering his antennae and trembling in fear while he looks at his trainer.

"Come on, we can't catch that Staryu if you don't fight." she gets down on her knees and picks him up, putting him down in front of her. "It's okay to be scared in your first battle. But look, the Staryu is just standing there! This is the best opportunity we have to learn the basics of battling."

Juggernaut stares at her. He seems to understand what's going on now.

"We have to get used to this if we want to survive this journey. It might be hard for you at first because of your species' nature, but things will get easier with time. Promise. I'm with you here."

Maritza pats Juggernaut as she tries to encourage him. It works. She can tell because his antennae went back to being straight.

Juggernaut stares at the Staryu that isn't doing much over there. In fact it's not doing anything at all, just moving very strangely like it's dancing. Maybe it's waiting for Maritza to make her move, but why would it wait? If they were distracted all this time, wouldn't it make sense for it to attack or flee?

It doesn't matter.

"Okay, then. Juggernaut, Aqua Jet!"

The Wimpod is shot with great force and speed, propelled by a huge stream of water. It shoots sand behind him, together with the water stream, dirtying Maritza's clothes with it, but she tries to pay no mind to that right now.

She can barely see which trail Juggernaut takes, but in the end she hears a strong tud, and sees her Pokémon standing in front of a rock without moving. The Staryu walks near him and drops a water bubble on him.

"You did great, Juggernaut!" Maritza cheers. It's a genuine congratulation. Both are still learning, so as long as Juggernaut tries hard, it's good enough for her.

She looks back at her floor now, and sees her clothes stained with sand and water. It's gross, and it makes it hard to concentrate. It's contamination. It should be dealt with as soon as possible, but she's busy…

Back to the battle.

Aqua Jet doesn't seem to work pretty well, so she decides to try another thing. Struggle Bug… How does that move even work? The description says the Pokémon resists and attacks... resists what, exactly?

"Um… try Struggle Bug now?"

Juggernaut drags himself deep into the sand, covering himself from Staryu's attacks. Of course, Staryu isn't attacking at all. It's just standing in front of the Wimpod waiting for him to attack first. They stand waiting for a whole minute to see who is the first Pokémon to make a move.

It's Staryu.

As soon as it moves one of its limbs, Juggernaut shoots a small ball of energy at his opponent, giving Maritza an opening for her next move.

"Um… try… Aqua- No, Sand Attack!"

Juggernaut is fast and once he jumps out of the sand, he directs it to the starfish Pokémon, making it trip and fall down. Once it gets up, the Staryu tries cleaning the sand from its core, but before it can do that, Juggernaut strikes it with a better aimed Aqua Jet, giving Maritza the opportunity to aim a LuxuryBall at it.

Maritza takes the time the Ball oscillates on the sand to try and clean her clothes from the sand Juggernaut shot at her. It's not much, but… it's still gross. It has to be clean before she gets a headache or, even worse, a panic attack.

She uses her handkerchief for that. It does the work, but it's dirty now. There's a trash bin nearby, thankfully. She can buy another one tomorrow.

She still has to change her clothes. Thankfully it's already late and she's likely to not run into anyone.

Juggernaut takes the LuxuryBall from the sand and takes it to her. It's clean. That's good, Wimpod are good cleaners. She might still decontaminate it a bit when she gets to the Pokémon Center, but it's not much of a big deal.

"Oh, you actually caught it!" Miranda yells. She jumps at her from behind and takes her Staryu's Ball. "Let me see!"

"What, no! Give it back!" Maritza snaps, trying to get her PokéBall back, but being blocked by the other girl. Miranda's hands are most likely dirty. She'll probably have to put her gloves in the trash too.

"I'm not doing anything to it. Chill." She looks at it closer, touching it with every single finger. She can feel her Ball getting contaminated for each time she touches it. "What kind of Ball is this even? It totally isn't a common PokéBall."

"It's a Luxury Ball. They function very similar but are more comfortable for the Pokémon inside them. They are also more expensive."

"Oh, I see. Take." Miranda tosses the Ball at her, but Maritza yelps and moves away, letting it fall on the sand for Juggernaut to take it and clean it again. "Really? You asked me to give it back and now you let that shit fall… Look your Pokémon is getting it all dirty trying to eat that thing."

"N-no… It's fine. Wimpod are natural cleaners. Juggernaut is cleaning it." Miranda shrugs. She doesn't answer. "Uh… can we see each other another day? Maybe tomorrow… I want to try the gym, so maybe we can train together after we get our license."

Miranda shrugs again. She is looking at her weird, though. She knows there's something up with her.

"... It's getting late." Maritza says. "I- I have to go. Are you coming?"

"Nah. I'll stay here for a bit. Still early."

"... If you say so." Maritza says. She feels alleviated. After what happened just now, she doesn't want to spend more time with Miranda. "It's getting too cold for me, so I have to keep going. I don't want to catch a cold."

"See ya."

"You are staying in the northern Pokémon Center right?" Miranda tilts her head, as if thinking for something. "The one near the harbor… Closer to the gym?" The brunette nods. "Okay. I'll see you in the entrance at 9:00 am. Breakfast is already ready by that time. We can do something else for an hour and train for the rest of the day, until… 19? We stayed up pretty late today but if we want to challenge the gym next day we should rest well."

"... Is it necessary to make a schedule? What the fuck!" Miranda scratches her head. "Uh… Never mind, whatever you say."

"S-sorry. I like to have things organized." Maritza answers. She totally wants to get out of there as soon as possible. "That's all, I think… See you tomorrow, then."

She waves from far away at her and leaves. Miranda just turns around the other way, bat in hand, and walks away.

---

Current Party:

Inventory

Spoiler:

- 5 PokéBalls
- 5 Potions
- P★DA (Pokémon Digital Assistant)
- ₽100[/COLOR]

 

[Groc]

Edison Kintobor
Sunday, September 20th, late morning
Dewford Island, Granite Cave

---

Without the glowing orb for light, and with Natsuko's Ponyta too weak to create another one, the three Trainers have to rely on Sputter and their phones for light. Ed would contribute his own, but he needs his Holotch's Pokédex app for battlefield analysis.

"Sunny, I suggest you target the Aron. I'll hit Sableye with a Thunder Wave. Miss Natsuko, that leaves Nosepass for you. Sorry to say, but your Magikarp has a distinct disadvantage here."

"Okay, I'll try!" Natsuko seems more confident, perhaps emboldened by their recent victory. Her enthusiasm matches Sunny's.

"Not a problem. Sputter, hit it with Ember!" Sputter's flame flares up, revealing Aron and Nosepass both charging forward.

Wait, where's the-

Sableye leaps from the shadows, directly at Ed. Neo turns to target it, but it lashes out with a leg, striking them in the eye. The Fake Out attack stuns Neo, preventing them from using Thunder Wave.

The purple Ember hits Aron, who keeps charging straight toward Neo. An orange aura flares up around it as it charges, but Nosepass reaches Neo first, having completely ignored Magikarp bouncing off of it. Electricity crackles along its large nose, but the Thunder Wave has no effect on Neo.

Sableye shoves Neo toward Ed, and there's a sudden crackling of sparks as two Thunder Waves from two magnetic Pokémon clash over Ed's Holotch. He flinches away from it as it pops and the screen goes dark.

"Nyahaha" Sableye cackles as Aron phases right through it, leaping into the air and slamming Neo to the ground, knocking them out with one hit.

Ed stumbles back from the wild Pokémon, who for some reason all converged on him, trying to get his Holotch working again. Sunny grabs his arm and pulls him back as she and Natsuko both step up. "Worry about that later! Send in another Pokémon and we'll finish this. Sputter, Ember!"

Sableye glares at Sunny before sinking into its own shadow. It reappears almost instantly from Sputter's shadow, grinning wickedly as it smacks a hand on her head, snuffing out her flame before it can heat up for an Ember. Sputter falls to the ground as Sableye darts away.

Ed tosses out Addie's Poké Ball while Sunny recalls Sputter. "Addie, use Metronome. These three seem stronger than the others, and I don't think we have any good options right now."

"Duchess, Tackle Nosepass again!" Magikarp bounces into the air, crashing into Nosepass. Its nose buzzes with electricity, which collects in its fist as it throws a Thunder Punch at the Duchess, knocking her back into Natsuko's arms.

Addie rocks his fingers back and forth, the white Metronome energy surrounding his hands as he hypnotizes himself. The energy gathers in his right hand and shifts to an orange glow as he runs toward Nosepass, spinning his arm to build momentum. Nosepass turns just as Addie swings his arm up in an uppercut, catching the Rock type in the nose and knocking it off its feet. It does a full flip in the air before landing on its back, dazed and confused from the Dynamic Punch.

Aron hits Addie with a Headbutt, pushing him back while Sableye helps Nosepass stand. Sunny calls out Flare, the little Darumaka hopping excitedly from one foot to the other.

"I have an idea, Eddie. That Aron looks pretty hurt, so I bet Addie can finish it off with Rock Smash. Flare can use Fire Fang on that Sableye, and once its down, we can take out Nosepass."

Ed nods, thinking it's a solid plan. "Miss Natsuko, how's your Magikarp?"

Natsuko looks up from her bag, while the Duchess sits nearby. "She's hurt, but she can still help. I was just going for a Potion, but I thought-"

Sableye growls at the Trainers, and Sunny takes the chance to attack. "No time! Flare, Fire Fang!" Ed orders a Rock Smash, and the two Pokémon charge forward. Addie raises his hands, bringing them down on Aron's head, but Aron's eyes glow white and a silver shield of force appears in front of it, blocking Addie's attack.

Fire from Flare's mouth forms into large teeth, but Sableye's eyes glow blue and it effortlessly dodges his attacks, as though it can see how Flare will attack and can move before he gets there.

"Protect?" Ed glances at Sunny, who frowns in annoyance. "And Detect. They're stalling!" The two glance over at Nosepass, and are surprised to see a quivering Poké Ball click shut. They look at Natsuko, who sighs in relief.

"I wasn't sure that would work... huh?" She notices Ed and Sunny looking at her and pulls the brim of her hat down to hide her eyes. "I was trying to say... I was going for a Potion, but figured I'd try to catch it instead. Duchess couldn't take another hit, and I don't have that many Potions."

Sunny grins at her, pulling out a Poké Ball of her own. "Now that's a good plan! Let's catch these bad boys!"

Sableye and Aron glance at each other, suddenly not liking the odds. Before they can turn and run, Ed and Sunny throw their Poké Balls, pulling the two shiny Pokémon inside. They shake a bit, but eventually click shut.

Natsuko recovers her Poké Ball first, after returning the Duchess to her ball. "Wow... that was intense! I'm kinda tired after that, anyone else tired?"

Sunny picks up the ball containing Aron, while Flare happily dances around her. "It was a tough battle, that's for sure. I'm calling this little lady Striker!"

Ed returns Addie as he grabs the ball containing Sableye. His Pokédex in his bag chimes as she is registered. He's had it synced to his Holotch for so long, he'd almost forgotten he still had the physical device. "They damaged my Holotch. I thought it was protected from electrical damage, but it looks like they shorted some circuits. I'll have to fix it when we get back to town."

"Sorry about your watch." Natsuko looks at the Poké Ball in her hand. "You think Sableye did that on purpose? She looked like she was in charge of things around here. Maybe the stories of gremlins sabotaging electronics are true."

Ed puts a hand to his chin. "Gremlins, you say... an apt description. I suppose I'll call her Gremlin."

"Ooh, but spell it like the name Lynn!" Natsuko seems excited. "Call her Gremlynn, or Lynn for short!"

Sunny scoffs at the idea. "That's ridiculous. Is that what you do?"

Natsuko just smiles and nods. "Sunshine is called Shiny, Grand Duchess Anastasia is Duchess Stacy, and Cyrano here will be called Cy!"

"Cyrano?"

"Oh, like the play!" Ed nods at Tsu. "I get it. It's fitting."

"Whatever. We should keep going, before someone finds us. We've only been gone..." Sunny checks her phone, "an hour?! Yeah, they're definitely looking for us. Let's find those Key Stones and get out of here."

"Wait!" Natsuko protests, "We should heal our Pokémon first!"

"We can't go back, there's no way we get back down here a second time!"

"But I have Potions!"

"Oh. Potions, right. If you're willing to share, then yes, thank you."

Tsu grins smugly at Sunny. "No problem, kid. It pays to be prepared for this kind of thing."

"Ha!" Ed can't help but laugh, earning a dirty look from Sunny. Tsu doles out a couple Potions, noting sadly that she's out of them. She takes a moment to check through her bag for any other useful items.

Ed tinkers with his Holotch while Tsu does that, but he'll need to actually sit down and access the interior to effect any sort of repairs. He might even need to get some replacement par-

Ed's foot catches on something, and he trips and falls forward, his first instinct being to lift his Holotch so it doesn't get damaged further. Unfortunately, this means he doesn't use his hands to catch himself, and hits the stone floor face first.

"PLAH!" is his eloquent response, and he feels his face heat up from shame as much as pain. He can hear Tsu gasp in alarm and Sunny laughing her ass off.

"Careful where you're going, Eddie! We don't have any more potions if you get hurt! What did you even trip on?"

He picks himself back up as Sunny walks over, noticing he'd caught his foot on the edge of a rock. A slight change in elevation, only an inch or two, but he'd landed directly on this slab of rock. Actually, he notices it shifting slightly under his weight...

"Wait, Sunny, stay back!"

But he's too late, and Sunny has already jumped over the treacherous lip, her added weight causing the rock to shift, and the ground gives out underneath the two. She grabs onto Ed, pulling him close to her as they fall. There's a moment where Ed feels his stomach drop out...

And then they hit the ground, rolling from the momentum. Ed holds Sunny close, afraid to let go, and they come to a stop with her on top of him.

"Eddie! *cough!* Are you okay?" Sunny pushes herself up, looking down at Ed in concern.

His body hurts from the impact, but for some reason he starts laughing. That hurts, which just makes him laugh harder. "I tripped on that loose rock..."

Sunny gets off of him, looking more concerned now. "Eddie, you're bleeding!"

It takes a moment for him to stop laughing, but Sunny's words certainly help sober him up. He slowly sits up, taking stock of himself, noticing the blood coming from his nose. "I'm fine, I think. Happened when I tripped. I didn't get any on you, did I?"

"No, I'm fine. A little sore, but fine. Oh, Eddie... your shirt is ruined! Blood and dust? Why did you wear white to a cave?"

Ed laughs as he stands, slightly favoring one leg. "You're one to talk, wearing white pants. Those aren't fashionable rips in them."

"Hey! Are you two alright?" Natsuko calls from above. Ed and Sunny look up at the hole they'd come from, a good 20 feet over their heads, seeing her peering down at them.

"We're good! Just little banged up!" Sunny gives her a thumbs-up, but Ed is more concerned. "Natsuko, stay back! We don't want you to fall in, too!"

Tsu draws back, shouting so they can hear her. "I'm going to go get help! Just stay put! I promise I'll be back before you know it!"

"Stay put? *psht* Yeah, right. Come on, Eddie. Let's see where this tunnel leads. Maybe we'll find our own way out."

Ed winces as he takes a step. "Right... Sunny, can I... would you please..."

"Oh, just ask, Eddie! Yes, you can lean on me. You'd do the same for me."

Ed smiles apologetically as he puts an arm around her shoulders. "Thanks, Sunny. Sorry..."

"Don't be. What are friends for, right?" And the two head deeper into the cave.

 

[Eleanor]

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

Written with QueenNothing as Junko Enomoto​

Pokémon / Inventory:

AVRIL'S MONEY: $9 500 (+ 5 000)

AVRIL'S TEAM:
🌼 Poppy (Flabebe) - ♀ - lv. 23 ↑
Flower Veil
Synthesis, Fairy Wind, Razor Leaf, Lucky Chant, Wish, Magical Leaf

🌼 Hydrangea (Shellos) - ♀ - lv. 22 ↑
Storm Drain
Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Recover, Rain Dance, Mud Sport, Hidden Power (?)

AVRIL'S INVENTORY:
🌼 1x Pokéballs
🌼 Holotch (phone version)
🌼 Fanclub Membership card
🌼 Eviolite
🌼 Various clothes and commodities

AVRIL'S CONTACTS:
Jordie, Shuna, Natsuko, June

🌼 Character art made with [SPAN="color:rgb(40,180,40);"]https://picrew.me/image_maker/94097[/SPAN]

Irrational

Sunday, September 20^th - about 11:30 am - Dewford Gym

June glanced over at Avril, shocked yet gleeful at the proposal of her friend. She didn't have the words for it, but she felt a sense of joy to see Avril so inspired.

"I have some more Pokémon here, so why not? I won't go as easy though, since you already watched my previous match. Get ready bro!" Brawly announced in the meantime, holding a Pokéball in his hand.

"Two gym battles in one day? Can't remember the last time you pushed yourself that much." Liz smirked, then holding up two flags. "The match between the Dewford Gym Leader, Brawly, and the challenger…." Liz paused to look over to Avril. "Errr, what's your name, hun?"

"A-Avril!" The blonde girl answered, still unsure of herself but looking at the nurse with hopeful eyes nonetheless. Her being there, ready to help, was nothing but a good sign.

"..And Avril is about to begin! Both sides may use two Pokemon in a singles format!" As with the previous match, Liz waved both flags downwards.

"BEGIN!"

Avril grabbed her only Pokéball as well, her hands almost shaking. Trying hard enough to focus on the battle, she didn't say a word as she let out Angie onto the battlefield. She only nodded at June after that, throwing in a little smile before Brawly's Pokémon would appear. The brunette responded with a blush of her own.

Opposite of Angie, a large, no… massive Pokémon appeared. "Alright, let's see what you can do, little dude!"

"Go Avril! You can do this!" June cheered, somewhat flushed.

The blonde girl stood still and stared at the large… Hariyama, at least that's what her Holotch said. Her mind wasn't quite working as well as it should've, not after seeing such a menacing Pokémon. It not attacking Angie didn't help either, and only made her shudder in anticipation of what it could've done. "So?" Brawly chuckled.

Angie took the ball and, without her trainer saying anything, sprayed some slippery Mud Sport all around her. She then let out a cry, probably for Avril, and waited for a command - which, this time, arrived rather quickly. "Mud Slap now!"

Hariyama just took the hit, a mix of sand and mud that didn't put even the slightest dent in it, and seemingly concentrated, a red aura surrounding it. It didn't seem interested in going for Angie with an attacking move, and the same was for Brawly.

"Water pulse on you…" Avril then said, her eyes still fixed on the Hariyama as Angie's inevitably had to lose contact with it. Shellos shot a Water pulse onto herself, gleefully letting the droplets fall onto her. "Bulk up!" Was the command that came from the other side of the field.

Avril wasn't really sure where she'd already heard the name "Bulk Up", but it certainly had to do with making the Pokémon stronger. Not the best news, but at least her Shellos was doing something similar. Might as well try again… she thought, as she repeated her last order.

"Force Palm!" Hariyama quickly executed, walking closer to Shellos and trying to land a hit on her. Angie easily dodged, sliding on the mud, but was still hit by a second Force Palm that Hariyama had prepared in advance. In a matter of seconds, she was knocked back, not far from where Avril was standing, as her opponent was still coming closer.

Now clearly panicking, the blondie just spouted "Hit it back, quick!", and her Pokémon was more than happy to comply. A Mud Bomb quickly reached Hariyama, spraying all around. It was in that moment that Avril realized what the Fighting type was standing on, and felt relieved. "Recover now!"

As Brawly commanded, Hariyama carefully walked away from the Mud Sport and backed out, trying to attack from a different direction. Even one of its moves really hurt at that point, Avril noticed with dread. "Keep it busy!" She then shouted, as Angie returned to her spot inside her Mud Sport and started using Mud Slap or Mud Bomb from there.

"You're doing well, little little dude!" Brawly had a satisfied smile on his face, which soon turned into a smirk. "But what will you do now? Use Surf, Hariyama!"

Much to Avril's disbelief, the massive Fighting type was able to summon a large wave of water and even ride on it to quickly lunge at Angie, striking her with its palms and nearly knocking her out. "R-recover if you can!" She tried to shout, but it wasn't loud enough.

June covered her mouth, hiding the shock of what she was witnessing.

The blonde girl covered her eyes instead, too scared to look at the battlefield, and only waiting for Liz's inevitable announcement. Many things happened there: Angie shrieking in pain, the water soaking her shoes, the sounds of waves and droplets crashing down, and a much stronger, muffled almost, battle cry. After all that the nurse did speak, but what she said was quite unexpected. "Hariyama and Shellos are no longer able to fight! It's a draw!"

Hariyama got knocked out too? Avril quickly took her hands off her face and saw with her own eyes what her Water type was able to accomplish. Angie readied up her best Water Pulse, using all the water from Surf to get stronger herself, and engulfed her much bigger opponent with it as it readied up its own Force Palm. The collision of attacks that followed was too strong for both of them to handle.

June blinked in disbelief. It felt wrong to applaud Avril when Angie fainted, but was glad Hariyama had been taken care of.

"That was crazy, dude!" Brawly gushed. "But… it wasn't all you, was it?"

He's right… I didn't tell Angie to attack. Avril thought as she grimaced, looking to Brawly, then to Liz, then to Brawly again. She meekly nodded, but the Gym Leader was looking much more reassuring as she raised her head back up.

"It's alright! Your Pokémon is still very strong. You just need to know it better!" He said, smiling encouragingly. "Now, I want to see what that little flower can do."

Poppy, who had just been watching carefully, quickly sprung up towards Brawly as if to say she accepted the challenge. Not like Avril had any other Pokémon she could use.

Brawly smirked and released his second Pokémon, who was just as big as the first one but at least not as serious looking. And also not looking anything close to a Fighting-type.

Mantine, the Holotch read, confirming Avril's suspicion. Water and Flying: it would have been very hard for Poppy to do anything against such a big Pokémon, especially now that her Fairy Wind was no longer giving her the type advantage. And what else could she really do, besides trying to protect herself and dodge all the attacks?

She took a glance at June, this time much more worried. What's the point of this? She thought.

June confidently nodded to her friend, doing her best to encourage Avril.

"If you're not doing anything, then…" Brawly kept smiling, but this time it wasn't as reassuring. "Aqua Ring!"

Mantine casted a ring of water droplets all around it as Avril felt the victory slip away. Now that Mantine was going to heal a bit over time (or at least, that's what the Holotch said), how could Poppy's little chip damage bring it down? And why did she even challenge Brawly in the first place?

"Uhm, just… Lucky Chant…" Avril called out a move, but the sparkles of conviction in her voice had seemingly gone away now that Mantine was out on the field. Poppy happily complied with the command, though, hoping that her little song would have some effect on Avril as well - after all, it seemed to work on the ferry!

"So, that's the game you're playing?" Brawly smirked. "Supersonic!"

Poppy was still chanting when Mantine readied up its attack, making the Fairy type even more befuddled… and with her, Avril. She really didn't know what to do next: she just watched, speechless, as her Pokémon floated back and forth aimlessly, struggling to even keep altitude. The Tailwind that Mantine summoned right after added another layer of difficulty to the battle, too!

The blonde turned towards June, her eyes watery by now.

"You can do it Avril!" The brunette did her best to encourage her friend, as June thought she desperately needed it.

"Hey, uhm… it's not over yet, dude! Come on!" Brawly made himself heard from the other side of the field. But he still didn't give Avril any actual advice, did he? All the blonde girl could do was, in fact, to believe him.

"Poppy! Snap out of it! It's not over yet!" The Fairy type could hear, but in her head those were just some vaguely familiar, yet incoherent sounds. A Water Pulse from Mantine hit her head on, but still couldn't get Poppy back to her senses.

Avril's eyes were frantically looking for Brawly's at that point, but the Gym Leader just shrugged. "Look, I just wanna see you get out of this situation. Think you can manage, little dude?" He asked, maybe a bit more seriously than usual, but still sounding encouraging enough in Avril's mind.

Too bad she still had nothing to work with! Not a single clue of what to do. Trainers should be far more prepared than she was, and think of a strategy to overcome confusion, among other things, but all she was able to do was panic… until, after hearing a certain tingle, Poppy's mind was clear again.

The Fairy type chirped excitedly, and some of her positive energy quickly reached Avril as well. "Synthesis!" She called out as her Pokémon promptly dodged a second Water Pulse and recovered health, her flower drawing in sunlight.

The rest of the battle was somewhat… just like that. Poppy kept dodging various attacks and hitting Mantine back with her own, admittedly pretty weak, moves. Both Pokémon would then recover energy either with Aqua Ring, or with Synthesis and Wish. Avril's heart kept beating, quick and steady, as she just tried to get more and more concentrated on what was going on, whereas Brawly seemed to get more and more happy with her performance. It seemed that both of them forgot that… if Brawly really wanted to, he could've won in a matter of seconds with his Mantine.

When Poppy casted a swarm of sinisterly glowing leaves from her flower, the Gym Leader finally decided to call it a day. "Would you look at that!" He pointed out excitedly. "Looks like a new move to me, because you looked just as surprised as me!"

Avril, who just thought Poppy had just used a more powerful version of Razor Leaf, pointed her Holotch at her friend to find out that it was, in fact, Magical Leaf. "That's great, Poppy You did amazing!" She gushed, as her Pokémon landed on her head as always. She then walked closer to Brawly, who was waiting for her with the badge already in his hands.

"Your Pokémon seem to trust you and just… they like you a lot!" Brawly smiled. "And the same goes the other way around. You can accomplish amazing things with your Pokémon, I'm sure!"

Avril looked at the Gym Leader, happy but also perplexed at the same time. It sounded so much like what her parents and friends kept repeating for years, but it came from a Gym Leader this time… and it still sounded like genuine advice. "I know, you still have a lot of things to learn. But you still battled well, and managed to get out of a difficult situation by trusting in your Pokémon." He continued, picking up on the blonde girl's expression.

"That is why I really want to give you all the encouragement I can, and my best wishes for your Trainer Journey, you know?" He smiled. "And that's why, little dude, I'll give you the Knuckle Badge and the full $5 000 reward."

Poppy chirped happily, truly in seventh heaven, as Avril nodded and accepted the badge. "T-Thank you so much!" She whispered, and as she felt June's eyes on her, she blushed slightly. The tall girl smiled at Avril, yet still felt a sense of unease when watching the battle her friend just had.

 

[Aquacorde]

Marie Rachelle Mocinno

AGE: 17 ⟡ PRONOUNS: she/her ⟡ HOME REGION: Johto ⟡ DEVICE: PokéGear
DATE: Sunday, September 20 ⟡ TIME: afternoon
LOCATION: Dewford Town

Chapter 2 #04 - Dewford Drama

Dewford Town is a town of very specific architecture, which makes complete sense given its unideal placement on the island. Whoever settled the place could have built in the forested west, on fertile ground over solid stone. Or in the rocky north, naturally sheltered from the elements. But no, they chose the plains and dunes, and found themselves washed away over and over before developing the concept reflected across the town in the modern day- that of elevated, over-engineered constructions. Interesting though they are, they are a result of a poor initial choice of location.

Marie would have built in the north.

But the town had been built, and the buildings engineered according to necessity, and now it is just the way of things. And, of course, people had adapted. And people waste nothing. Not even the oft-flooded space underneath their gangly structures, no- they fill them with amenities that survive the frequent waters. Playgrounds and sports centers made of stone and metal, brick patios cordoned off with wrought iron to allow sand and waves easy passage, lounge chairs bolted to concrete pads hidden under blowing sand in the shady underbellies. These communal spaces are bustling, especially as the few clouds disperse and the blazing sun begins to properly scorch the unshaded town.

Marie would have planted more trees.

She sips her boba. Her bandana keeps the sweat from her brow and her sunglasses allow her to see without squinting, but the heat is still intense. It's September, why is it still so hot? She knows the answer, of course- Hoenn is nearer to the equator. Duh. But when all she has to compare the climate to is western Johto, it's hard to adapt.

The next building seems to host a small restaurant as well as some simple lounge space. It's as good a place as any for Marie to duck into. The temperature difference is immediately noticeable- the shirt sticking to her back is suddenly rather chilly. Her sunglasses find their way into her thick hair as she lets her eyes adjust to the new darkness. The lunch crowd has cleared out by now, but there's still a fair few patrons scattered across the patio. She accidentally makes eye contact with one of them as she glances around.

Ugh.

Well, it's too late to pretend she hadn't seen the blonde. And just walking away- no, that wouldn't do. One has to face things head-on, and not allow anyone else to control the situation.

So she strides forward with confidence, her somewhat startled expression molding into something friendly and allowing her tone to be somewhere in the "chipper" range. "Ah, Avril! Nice to see you again." Marie hooks her foot around an empty chair, swinging into place between Avril and her companion, and plops down with some amount of grace. "Do introduce me to your friend, will you?"

"Uhm… hello again, Marie." Avril looks at her with rather puzzled eyes, as Poppy waves at her cheerfully. "I… well, first… I'm sorry for yesterday. Oh, and that's June!" She attempts a smile.

All June is able to do is gaze at Marie, her face as red as a tomato, and her heart racing at the speed a Ninjask flaps its wings. Around Avril, it may not have been a great time to feel flustered, but the emotion overpowered any rational thought she had.

Marie sips her boba, nodding to June. The baby-faced girl seems taken with her, but that's fine. Unimportant. Avril's apology was unexpected. And she's not quite sure what it's for, either. She vaguely recalls being yelled at, but the words hadn't stuck with her. Just irritation at the dramatics. Who acts like that when a Pokémon faints, anyway? Crazy. The flowery thing is back, though, and seems fine. "Poppy seems happy today," she says.

"She really is!" Avril replies, a hand in her hair. "And I'm feeling better too. You know though… about yesterday…" She pauses. "I'm sorry for being so dramatic! I love Poppy, I hate seeing her in that state, but… she recovered quickly."

One more long breath. "It's not your fault, you… and I, didn't know!"

Well of course it's not Marie's fault. There is no fault to be had in the inevitable result of a Pokémon battle. "Pokémon are tough. Nature made them to handle all kinds of situations. They won't be permanently damaged so easily. Even small things like Poppy. Or squishy things like Bugs."

"Yeah… you were right about that!" Avril chimes in, as Poppy nods with a grin. "She recovered faster than I expected, that's for sure."

June's blush fades a bit, and the light catches her glasses as she finally speaks up. "Um, well actually not all bug-types are fragile, like many other Pokémon, they come in many varieties. It is true, many bug types, such as Beautifly, may not be able to handle much damage, but there are big Pokémon that are very defensive. For example, Scizor have a thick steel coating that protects them from melee attacks, and Crustle will find boulders to reside in, which also helps their defense. Shuckle also have rock shells they live in, and they're said to be the sturdiest shell of any Pokemon known to man! And not only are there bugs that can take physical attacks, but ranged ones too, such as my dear Einstein, a Dottler, and the same goes for his evolution, Orbeetle. But I do suppose you're correct, a rough majority of bugs may be fragile, however what I find to be fascinating is Shedninja, which are so incredibly fragile they can go down in a single hit, however have a mysterious guard that protects them from non-super effective attacks. It's really fascinating!"

Marie blinks at the girl, and Avril quickly does the same. Zero to a hundred, just like that. "Sounds like you're a Bug-type expert."

June, only slightly embarrassed, scratches her cheek with her index finger. "I suppose you could say that."

"That's really interesting!" Avril gushes. "I mean, you told me about the reservoir and all, but this is… a lot of knowledge!" She points out, slightly blushing as she speaks.

Marie glances between the other two and sips her tea. Interesting. Maybe she can entertain herself today, too. "Well, I'm very impressed! You know so much! Do you know as much about other Pokémon, too? Or do you prefer Bug-types?"

Inviting her to go on about Bug types seems to have been the right move. "Well, I do happen to be quite knowledgeable about bug-types. In fact I-" The brunette takes a second to finish her sentence. "I love Bug Pokémon! Gosh, they're so adorable! I'm traveling with two of my own, Dottler and Wimpod, but I have plenty more at my family's conservatory in Petalburg! I likely won't use them on my journey, but I look forward to catching many more bugs across Hoenn!"

Marie flashes a coy smile. "Dottler and Wimpod, huh?" She definitely doesn't know what they are, but June seems to think they're the best things in the world. "I bet they're just as cute as you are! Would you introduce me to them?" Avril just nods and grins at that sentence. Hmm, expected more of a reaction…

The brunette excitedly claps her hands together, displaying an enthusiastic smile. "Absolutely!" June moves out of her seat, revealing her full height to Marie, and grabs a Net Ball and a Park Ball from it. "Chip, Einstein, come out!"

She presses the white button on the balls simultaneously, releasing a flat bug who shivers at the sight of Marie, and an orb who stands in place, making absolutely no movements. "Go on, introduce yourselves!"

The bluish-grey Pokémon stares at Marie for a few seconds, then abruptly retreats to his PokéBall. The round one just continues to do nothing, and June sighs at the behavior of her Pokémon. "Sorry, Chip is very nervous, and Einstein used to be such a sweet Blipbug, but since he's evolved, he doesn't move much anymore."

Marie still doesn't know which is which. This one looks somewhat familiar, at least. Maybe there were some in Johto? It doesn't matter- not knowing isn't going to stop her from pushing her agenda. "Oh, when did he evolve?"

"Just today actually. I challenged the gym, and he evolved. It was a sight to behold, but sometimes I find myself missing his bickering." The brunette looks down at her Pokémon, expecting at least some kind of response, but is met with complete silence from Einstein. Weird. Do Pokémon really change so much upon evolution? She'll find out when Tuie evolves, she supposes. Or when Stunnie does. Wait, does Stunnie even evolve?

Whatever. That's something for later. For now, this girl's really not picking up anything Marie is putting down. Scientists. Marie glances at Avril and is met with a smile once again. Maybe a more confused one than last time. Wow, really no clue? This might be less entertaining than she thought. Oh well. She surveys the quiet… Dottler? Wimpod? Whatever- Einstein, and an idea tugs at her brain. "It hasn't been long at all, then! Maybe he just needs time to get used to this body." Not that she would know. She's just making things up, really. But it makes sense. "Maybe… I could help him do that?"

"The thing about Dottler is that they usually don't move very much." June responds, still refusing to be steered where Marie wants. "This is a pupa stage, gathering data, but once he evolves he'll be able to move freely again. Unfortunately, that won't be for a while."

Okay, this thing is the Dottler. "He can still battle in this form, though?" Avril nodded again, as if she wanted to answer in place of her friend. Fine. Going obvious, then.

"He did battle the gym leader's Pokémon, so I believe so." The brunette tapped her lower lip, still examining Einstein.

"We could... experiment, couldn't we?" Marie asks, leaning in toward June and her bug. "Take a walk together, find a nice, secluded place…"

June's blush returns, more intense than before, shivering from nervousness. There we go, that got her. Unable to form any words, she puts her hands up to her face, and her breathing kicks up a notch.

Marie sneaks a glance at Avril, who is also blushing heavily. She's definitely trying to avoid looking at Marie and June, but failing miserably. That's entertainment. But Avril still surprises her. "I suppose that is fine… but, uhm, is it ok if I tag along too?"

"O-O-Oh, of course! If, um, it's alright with Marie I suppose!"

"The more, the merrier, isn't that right?" As long as Avril doesn't get all dramatic again, that is. Well, unless Marie intends to throw her into hysterics. Then that's just entertainment. "Let's scout out somewhere shady, shall we? This island's horrifically hot."

featuring Loom as Avril Reese ⟡
and Kiki as Junko Enomoto ⟡

Spoiler: Team

Pokémon On Hand

Tuie ⟡ Natu ⟡ Female ⟡ LV 18 ⟡ Magic Bounce ⟡
Peck // Teleport // Stored Power // Cosmic Power
Stunnie ⟡ Stunfisk ⟡ Male ⟡ LV 18 ⟡ Static ⟡
Revenge // Mud Shot // Thundershock // Tackle // Water Gun // Mud Sport

Spoiler: Inventory

Trainers' License [registered in Johto and Hoenn] ⟡
$19,500 ⟡
Empty PokéBalls x 2 ⟡

Sunscreen ⟡
Berry-Print Bikini ⟡
Beach Towel ⟡
Oversized Sunglasses [not as ugly as the ones I drew] ⟡
Large But Lightweight Backpack ⟡
Rechargeable Battery ⟡
Variety Of Necessary But Uninteresting Things ⟡
Variety Of Interesting But Unnecessary Things ⟡

 

[Eleanor]

Hikaru

18 - ✨ - Castelia City


​

Pokémon:

⚡ Rei (Tynamo)
⚡ Hoshi (Staryu)

A smile and a fist

Sunday, September 20^th - between Slateport and Dewford

"N-nooo! Don't even…"

CRACK!

"Oh of course, you… dammit, dammit, dammit!"

The poor trainer stood there, sitting on the ground, the physical pain from the fall soon overwritten and overwhelmed by the emotional pain from seeing their skateboard in pieces.

Not too far from them, a small white and orange Pokémon still kept its puzzled eyes fixed on the two halves of the thing it destroyed, still giving them a not so gentle pat with its tentacles every now and then. Maybe, if that wasn't their board it was pounding on, it could've looked kinda cute. The Clobbopus - as their X-transceiver would confirm - seemed just as innocent and sweet as Benji looked that morning. That is, smiling and cheering as his own Pokémon mercilessly obliterated Hoshi and Rei.

In short, that day was just going… terribly, in that weird and almost grotesque way that makes you question your sanity and start believing that yes, some outer-world Deities are actually setting up a conspiracy against you. To better recap, Hikaru just woke up, had breakfast as usual, and headed straight to the Slateport Gym, thinking that it being in the first city they arrived to meant… it was actually easy.

Wrong, wrong, wrong! Weather shenanigans, fully evolved Pokémon, type disadvantages, and that Sandslash. All in the hands of a guy who tried to be helpful, but came off as annoying the more he tried to talk. Well, maybe he was a good actor, and he secretly hated Hikaru.

So, what next? Time to check the blog and prepare some more content! But not only the engagement seemed to be on the downswing already, after the peak of Thursday and Friday, now… uploading anything was proving harder than usual! No one likes telling everyone about their utter defeat, right? And so, right after lunch, Hikaru decided to just leave Slateport behind and hope for some better luck in Dewford. Surely a nice place to rest, clear their mind, and… well, do something productive.

The actual boat journey made Hikaru feel like theirs was the right choice. The calming waves, the pleasant breeze, the great photos and videos they were taking all seemed to prelude to something even better, and yet… Dewford's welcome was pretty rough.

As they arrived at the Pokémon Center to book a room, they were quickly directed elsewhere. Specifically, they were told that… since they had a Fanclub membership, they should really check the Resort and see if they have a room instead. They don't want to miss the opportunity, or something like that. It all sounded pretty enticing, actually.

It did because Hikaru still had their little penny board with them. Worked wonders back at home in Castelia, worked great in Slateport, and was just the right size not to become too annoying to carry around, strapped onto their backpack. But Dewford's roads were no Slateport roads! They were more crowded, bumpy, with the occasional sand piles here and there, and since they didn't know better, Hikaru could only get about half way before falling like a moron, the board slipping away from under their feet and flying right into a passerby Clobbopus.

Hikaru felt pain, then guilt, then straight up anger. They groaned and complained for a bit as they sat down on the ground, then lifted up their head only to realize that the Fighting type was probably just as hurt, and then lifted up their arm in a completely failed attempt to stop it. And then, of course, they just went back to complaining and feeling miserable, since there didn't seem to be much else they could do.

But no worries, for Hikaru eventually reached (on foot) the Fanclub Resort, and even got a room… up on the last floor, too! At least they were paying those monthly 3k for something: a large, fancy, if not a bit old-fashioned room that most Pokémon Centers would have only dreamed of. Now that they were without a skateboard, then sure… that room was suddenly further away from the town center, but they couldn't really afford to be so negative for the whole day. They ran a blog, after all.

If anything, now it was time to take a couple deep breaths, let the wounds heal (and thank goodness the Fanclub staff was able to help them out with that), and think of what else to do. Surely, if they wanted a new skateboard, they had to save a lot of money, all the while keeping enough to buy supplies such as Pokéballs and food. Oh, and possibly some more for the Fanclub subscription and other similar services.

Hikaru didn't really have that much time to carefully plan out financial decisions, though. Their plan was just slightly different, and it involved mostly one thing.

Guess I'll just take oddjobs, fight trainers, and get more money!

 

[Aquacorde]

Marie Rachelle Mocinno

AGE: 17 ⟡ PRONOUNS: she/her ⟡ HOME REGION: Johto ⟡ DEVICE: PokéGear
DATE: Sunday, September 20 ⟡ TIME: afternoon
LOCATION: Dewford Town

Chapter 2 #05 - Budding Battlers

It's not hard to find battle space in this town, but finding shade? A little more difficult. The three eventually come across a collection of palm trees that could almost be described as a grove. Marie and June release their Pokémon into the sandy grass, Chip and Einstein side-by-side in front of the latter with Stunnie facing off against them and Tuie hanging back closer to Marie.

Marie watches June examine her PokéDex, cautiously considering what attack to use. Should she be doing the same? Tuie knows what to do, of course, but Stunnie's more difficult. She hasn't figured out a technique with him yet- even after a whole evening of training with Edison, all she has to show for it is rote memorization of Stunnie's moveset. She doesn't need the PokéDex for that anymore, at least. But perhaps she should have looked up June's Pokémon, gotten some sort of handle on what they can do, before-

"Chip, Aqua Jet!" June cries. Her Wimpod coats himself in water, and within the blink of an eye, jams his body into Stunnie.

Oh, too late for any of that!

Chip's put himself in the perfect place for Stunnie to have his Revenge- the Stunfisk whips around to strike his opponent in the face with his tail. Chip slides back a bit, but is still close enough to kick up sand into the Stunfisk's face when Stunnie tries to strike again. Stunnie blinks rapidly, trying to get the sand out of his eyes, but while he's distracted, Einstein's eyes and spots glow a bright pink, and he shoots psychic waves Stunnie's direction. They hit dead-on, and Stunnie throws a Thundershock out in response. Chip catches the hit. A water type? He must be, to recoil from electricity like that. That makes things easier.

"Chip, use another Aqua Jet! Einstein, Supersonic!" Chip Aqua Jets into Stunnie, and as he recoils from the super effective move, Einstein produces some horrible sound waves that send him reeling.

"Thundershock again!"

The bolt of lightning chases after Chip, zinging through his little body, and instead of coming back in for another attack, the Wimpod dashes away from Stunnie and toward his trainer, transforming into a red light that makes its way into his Net Ball. Stunnie instead turns to Einstein, whose dots glow pink, and a rectangular force-field is placed in-front of him as his trainer commands. Marie may not have any idea what that is or does, but it doesn't matter- she has to press on regardless. Stunnie misses both the Dottler and his force field with an attempted Tackle anyway.

"Einstein, now use Confusion!" As Einstein shoots another psychic attack, June sends Chip back out onto the battlefield. Is that legal? Edison would know, and Marie wishes for a split second that he was here.

Then again, he'd probably yell at her for being sneaky with Tuie again.

Stunnie shakes with the force of psychic energy and then goes limp on the the ground. And that is an awful feeling, to watch a Pokémon that's entrusted its well-being to you faint on your watch, because of something you did or didn't do.

But Marie's not going to cry about it.

She recalls Stunnie, and now all of June's focus will be on Tuie. She's not at her fullest power but she's strong enough- she teleports herself directly in front of Chip and unleashes her Stored Power. Chip is thrown a good ten feet and crashes limply into the ground in a quick imitation of Stunnie. June worriedly returns the Wimpod to his Pokeball, and commands Einstein to shoot more sound waves at the Natu, who takes them directly in the face. They don't seem to hurt her, but...

Tuie knows what she should be doing; why is she using Cosmic Power? "Tuie, no, Stored Power-"

But the little bird doesn't seem to hear her- she dives attl the ground, pecking ferociously, and when Confusion hits her again she Teleports. "Where are you-?!"

Tuie reappears atop June's head. The girl's gasp is cut short by the Natu pecking the at her scalp, prompting June to clutch her head in pain. But her hand flying up startles Tuie, and the bird disappears again, reappearing quickly atop Einstein's shell. The Dottler seems to have no reaction to her pecking. Isn't Bug weak against Flying? Why doesn't it care?

June takes advantage of the opening, commanding another confusion. Einstein somehow shoots psychic waves upward from his shell, blowing Tuie up into the air. "Ooh!" Marie exclaims, involuntarily. Maybe Tuie can do something like that; direct her Stored Power differently to surprise opponents. That'll be something to figure out, but for now-

Tuie finally gets it together, dropping back down in front of Einstein to blast a Stored Power in his face. The reflective screen shatters under the assault but Einstein responds immediately with a final Confusion that sends Tuie tumbling backwards.

And that's it.

Marie recalls Tuie, leaving only the motionless Dottler between her and June. Shit. That's another loss for her record.

"I-I won?" The brunette says in disbelief. "I-I won!" As the realization seeps into her mind, her face lights up, and she runs over to Einstein to hug him. "Thank you so much! I couldn't have done it without you!" Einstein responds with his dots and eyes flashing pink, the most of a response he's given since he evolved.

Well, that takes some of the joy out of her afternoon. But she's not about to let it show, so she plasters on a grin as she strides forward. "Oh, June, that was a wonderful battle! You showed me so much- I just couldn't take my eyes off you!" She crouches down next to June and her bug, watching Avril out of the corner of her eye. "I just loved watching you take charge…"

June stops smothering her Dottler, and her face grows a very bright red, somehow topping the last time she blushed. She even finds herself shivering from anxiousness, and even if he makes no noises, she just knows Einstein is giggling right now. "Y-you r-really think so? Wh-why th-th-th-th-" June is completely flustered at this point, unable to even finish a sentence.

"Oh, of course," Marie murmurs, leaning closer. "I'd love to be your test subject again sometime…"

At this point, Avril comes closer as well. "You really did well, June! And you too, Marie…" She says, but her voice is already getting unsteady and her cheeks rosy. She's looking warily at Marie as she speaks, too.

June senses the emotion in Avril's voice, but is still barely able to keep her own reaction under control. "Th-thank you Avril, I r-r-really ap-p-p-p-p-preciate it." She was able to make it through that sentence at least, and for doing that she is rewarded with a big happy smile from the blondie.

Marie rolls her eyes to the heavens while the two are occupied with each other. This is much less entertaining than Edison's girlfriend had been. Maybe she'll go see what they're doing, if these two are so oblivious to her prodding. One last thing, then…

Marie reaches forward, gently taking a piece of June's long hair and letting it run through her fingertips. "Well. Thank you for this experience, sweetheart. I should be on my way now."

Unable to even keep her balance at this point, June falls on her rear into the sand, trembling the entire time. It's apparent she's desperately trying to say something, but she's clearly too nervous to respond.

Avril quickly kneels, and offers to help June get back up. But, her eyes are not just for the taller girl. She turns to Marie, baffled. "Marie… why? You didn't even blush a single time…"

"The benefits of being experienced," Marie smiles invitingly. "If I let two beautiful girls fluster me, I'd never be able to show them what I can offer, could I?" All lies, of course. She stands, smoothing out the wrinkles in pants and fixing the tuck of her blouse. "Unfortunately, I really must head to the Pokémon Center. Taking my leave of such lovely companions is heartbreaking, but alas…"

Is she laying it on too thick? Probably not.

"WAIT! June calls out to nab Marie's attention, struggling to get on her feet. "Um-um-um-my Pokemon need healing too, so I was wondering if I could go with you!"

Confidence, all of a sudden? Interesting. "Spending more time with such a lovely lady? How could I say no?" Marie offers her hand to June, who manages to hold back her shaking. Avril offers her just a few seconds after, as some not so well pronounced words escape her mouth. "I-if you don't mind, I c-could come as well! I-I'd love to spend more t-t-time with you two."

Oh, man. What has she gotten herself into? Not one but two tag-alongs, and no plan for any of it. Maybe she can ditch them later, after letting her Pokémon rest. "Lead the way, Avril! If we run into any wild Pokémon, it's going to have to be you that takes care of it."

"Oh, okay! Poppy is always ready!" Avril smiles back at the other two girls as she starts walking towards the main road, but it's clear that she prefers walking beside them, really.

"Wait, I didn't tell you! But…" Avril's eyes start to sparkle after a few steps. Somewhat out of the blue, she announces proudly: "Marie, I got Brawly's badge today!"

Marie freezes mid-step, for a fraction of a second, but drops smoothly back in stride. "Really! But I thought you disliked battling?"

Shit. Shit, fuck, shit. Another person ahead of her. And if Avril has the badge, June probably does too. Two people ahead of her. What the fuck?! Avril doesn't even battle! Why is Marie so behind? Why does she keep losing? Why-

"I told you before, Marie. After our battle, I… felt a bit less scared to try that again." The blonde girl continues. "June also helped me out, and got a badge herself! R-right?" She blushes as she takes a glance at the brunette.

"That's right.." June nervously averts her eyes from both girls. "Brawly will teach you what you need for your journey, so I suppose you could battle him and obtain your badge…"

"Well, of course! That's what gym leaders are meant to do, after all." Benji hadn't taught her much besides double battles being hard, but Paulo had said the man isn't recommended as a beginner's gym leader. But Brawly is.

But Edison's girlfriend, she has Benji's badge. If Marie gets Brawly's, then obviously she's going to get it too. And Marie is still behind.

Ugh.

"Even then, if I got the badge, then you'll probably get like… 5 badges in a single battle." Avril smiles at Marie.

Is she trying to… console me? Ugh. Marie laughs. "I don't think that's even possible. Unless I fight five gym leaders at once. Do you think they do that?"

"Maybe?" The blondie chuckles. "I've actually never heard of anything similar with Valerie, except of a few friendly matches with other leaders." She muses, as if thinking aloud. "Anyways, what I wanted to say is that you're still quite good at battles." June hesitantly nods in agreement.

"Oh, why, thank you!" She's not. She knows she's not. She knows she only has one trick, still, and it hadn't even worked on June. But Avril and June can think that for now, and by the time Marie has to prove it to them, well- she'll actually be good at battling.

She just has to find some way to… do that.

Ugh.

featuring Loom as Avril Reese ⟡
and Kiki as Junko Enomoto ⟡

Spoiler: Team

Pokémon On Hand

Tuie ⟡ Natu ⟡ Female ⟡ LV 18 - > 20 ⟡ Magic Bounce ⟡
Peck // Teleport // Stored Power // Cosmic Power
New: Ominous Wind // Night Shade
Stunnie ⟡ Stunfisk ⟡ Male ⟡ LV 18 -> 21 ⟡ Static ⟡
Revenge // Mud Shot // Thundershock // Tackle // Water Gun // Mud Sport
NEW: Charge

Spoiler: Inventory

Trainers' License [registered in Johto and Hoenn] ⟡
$19,500 ⟡
Empty PokéBalls x 2 ⟡

Sunscreen ⟡
Berry-Print Bikini ⟡
Beach Towel ⟡
Oversized Sunglasses [not as ugly as the ones I drew] ⟡
Large But Lightweight Backpack ⟡
Rechargeable Battery ⟡
Variety Of Necessary But Uninteresting Things ⟡
Variety Of Interesting But Unnecessary Things ⟡

 

[Groc]

Edison Kintobor
Sunday, September 20th, early afternoon
Dewford Island, Granite Cave

---

Sputter leads the way as they head further into the cave, Sunny also helping out with her Holotch. Between that, and Ed leaning on her for support, he can't help but wonder where he'd be if he'd come here alone. The thought makes him shudder.

"Don't tell me you're getting cold, Eddie." Sunny looks up at him, instructing Sputter to come closer.

"No, it's nothing. Just thinking that I'm glad I'm not alone down here." The cave is colder than Ed would like, certainly, but not to an uncomfortable degree. He notes a hint of sweat on Sunny's brow, no doubt from her working harder to support him.

She catches him looking at her, and lightly elbows him in the ribs. "Well, if not for me, you probably wouldn't be down here at all. It was my idea to come here, and to follow Tsu, and the ground collapsed when I stepped on it. The least I can do is try to fix my mistakes."

"All good points, but I appreciate it anyway." He takes his arm off her, and while she's reluctant to let go of him, she relents as he stands on his own. "Besides, I know how you love adventure."

She doesn't argue with that, and Ed turns his attention to himself. Walking seemed to help, as the pain had faded to a dull ache he could more easily ignore. That ruled out any broken bones or strained ligaments, so he was confident he'd recover just fine.

"I thought this place was supposed to be beautiful..." Sunny points her light around the tunnel, looking disappointed. "It's just a bunch of rocks."

"It depends on your definition, I suppose. I'll admit, this isn't my area of expertise, but just look at the tunnel we're standing in. What formed it? Water erosion, shifting plates? Perhaps it's an old lava tube, or it could have been dug by Pokémon. Possibly an Onix, or maybe Drilbur."

Sunny scoffs at the idea. "Have to be one very determined Drilbur."

Ed smiles and shrugs. "Fair enough. Maybe a whole group of them, then. My point is, beauty isn't just something that looks nice. There's beauty in simplicity, and in the mystery. And maybe we'll find something physically beautiful up ahead."

They start moving again, Ed setting the pace. "Yeah, like the stones we found higher up. You think we'll find more down here?"

"Come to think of it, Natsuko did mention coming here for a Key Stone."

"Cool! Let's go find one! ...what's a Key Stone?"

Ed looks at his Holotch, ready to pull up the information, then remembers it's broken. "I don't know."

Sunny tilts her head at that, frowning. "Did I just hear that? You don't know something? You don't have all the answers? Has that ever happened before, in the history of the planet?"

Ed notices her frown has become a smirk by the end of her spiel. "Sarcasm, how original... It happens often enough that I'm not surprised. I just can't look up more information right now."

"Oh, don't be grumpy, Eddie!" Sunny gets closer do he can see her Holotch display. "I can't look it up either, see? There's no signal down here."

"Should we be more concerned about that? We can't contact anyone if something happens to us."

"Then we'll make sure nothing happens to us. Now, come on! Let's keep moving." She puts Ed's arm back over her shoulders, keeping close even though she doesn't need to carry him.

They walk in silence for a bit, following the winding path through the rock. It's nice, but Ed soon finds the quiet uncomfortable. "Sunny... why did you come here?"

She shrugs, careful not to slip on some loose rocks. "Honestly, I just really wanted that Fire Stone. And I didn't have anything better to do today."

"Not here, the cave, but Hoenn. Why did you leave Kinyo, follow the League?"

She doesn't answer, even looking away from him, so he presses the question. "I want to be a Researcher, so I need a Trainer license to study Pokémon. What dream are you following?"

"I don't know..."

"You don't? Then... why? Why leave your home country? Why get on that ferry?"

"I didn't follow you, if that's what you're asking!" She snaps, her grip tightening on his arm.

The outburst takes Ed by surprise. "I wasn't... I didn't mean to imply... I never said..."

"No, just..." she sighs in frustration, trying to find the words. "It seems cool, you know? My dad was a Pokémon trainer, I think. Mom said he might have been a Gym Leader or something, I don't know. I never met him... but I'd see the Champion on TV, and the Gym Leaders always looked so cool, and people looked up to them, you know?

"I didn't... have friends, growing up. Mom worked, so she was barely around... I thought a Pokémon would be someone to talk to. That... didn't go as planned."

"What happened?" Ed asks quietly. Sunny rarely talked about her past, so he listens intently.

"Well..." Sunny steps back from Ed as she talks, taking off her jacket. "I was nine, I didn't know any better, and I tried to catch a Pokémon. No balls, no Pokémon of my own, just my own two hands. Finally managed to grab a Pansear, and..."

She takes her left arm out of her sleeve, lifting her shirt to expose the shoulder. The skin there and on part of her chest is red and rough, scarred from an old burn. Ed moves to get a closer look, reaching toward her, but he stops himself.

"Yeah, Pansear can breathe fire." She puts her shirt and jacket back on, both blushing and shivering a little. "But! I wasn't gonna let that stop me! So I convinced Mom to enroll me in the Mahono Academy when I was old enough. And there I met you, and you didn't have any friends either. And I couldn't leave you all by yourself all the time, it was just too sad."

"I was used to it." Ed says quietly, thinking back to his own childhood. "My father worked every day. Took the train from Goldenrod to Saffron, so I rarely got to see him. My mother worked at a boutique, so she'd bring me along, use me as a model. It was boring, but she couldn't just leave me alone."

"Is that why you dress like a fancy doll all the time?"

"I...!" Ed's hand shakes with frustration, but he forces himself to take a breath, replying through gritted teeth. "Basically, yes... my mother instilled a sense of fashion from a young age."

"She chose old-fashioned, you know that, right?" Sunny smiles sweetly at him.

"So I've been told. Several times. Today. When are you going to let it go?"

"When are you going to make decisions for yourself? Look at yourself, Eddie. You're always so stiff, and you look so uncomfortable. Even Tsu thinks so, and she just met you. You hold yourself back in a lot of ways, Eddie. And I hate to see you do that. As your rival, I-"

"Don't." Ed puts a hand on her arm, interrupting her. "Don't make light of this. What are you trying to say?"

She looks him in the eyes, looking away after a moment. "You're my friend, Eddie. I just think you're trying too hard to be someone you're not."

Ed puts a hand to his chin as he thinks. He doesn't know what she's talking about. Who else would he be, if not himself? But he gets the idea that some sort of gesture would be appropriate here, so he removes his broken Holotch, putting it in his bag. He rolls down his sleeves and unbuttons his waistcoat, letting it hang open like a vest. "How's this?"

Sunny shakes her head, but is smiling. "It's a start. But actually give it some thought, will you? When we get out of here?"

She goes in for a hug, but stops just short, grimacing. "Yeah, you still have blood on you. That's gross." She pats his arm instead, and Ed just starts walking again, not saying a word.

"Careful, Eddie. If you blush too hard you might start bleeding again." She follows beside him, practically cackling with amusement.

 

[Eleanor]

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

Written with QueenNothing as Junko Enomoto and Aquacorde as Marie Rachelle Mocinno​

Pokémon / Inventory:

AVRIL'S MONEY: $9 500

AVRIL'S TEAM:
🌼 Poppy (Flabebe) - ♀ - lv. 23
Flower Veil
Synthesis, Fairy Wind, Razor Leaf, Lucky Chant, Wish, Magical Leaf

🌼 Hydrangea (Shellos) - ♀ - lv. 22
Storm Drain
Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Recover, Rain Dance, Mud Sport, Hidden Power (?)

AVRIL'S INVENTORY:
🌼 1x Pokéballs
🌼 Holotch (phone version)
🌼 Fanclub Membership card
🌼 Eviolite
🌼 Various clothes and commodities

AVRIL'S CONTACTS:
Jordie, Shuna, Natsuko, June

🌼 Character art made with [SPAN="color:rgb(40,180,40);"]https://picrew.me/image_maker/94097[/SPAN]

Berry talk

Sunday, September 20^th - afternoon - Dewford Pokémon Center

Avril was now biting her nails, both literally, and especially figuratively, as she walked inside the Pokémon Center with June and Marie. Now that she spent more time with those two, she was starting to feel… somewhat like a ship at the mercy of the storm. There were many feelings that she still needed to process.

She was still trying to be friendly to Marie despite her behavior, because, well… after lashing out at her and finding out it was totally unnecessary, she wanted to make it up to her… but the other girl wasn't really being collaborative here. Her eyes, apparently, were all for June.

Avril was enjoying her time with June. She couldn't really explain why but she was really cute, and her blushing… yes, that blushing was the one thing the blondie liked the most! It was feeling surreal, almost, but it was a good feeling! That is, until Marie came in and gave Avril a proper lesson in getting people's attention. Ugh.

Logic would have it that, if June really liked Marie more than Avril, and vice versa, the Kalosian would just have to give up for the sake of everyone involved, but that didn't even seem to be the case! And that was not alright. She was already trying to bring attention back to herself at the beach, possibly even without realizing, but… now that she was thinking over it, that was probably the right thing to do. Show them what I can offer, right?

"S-so, wanna share some fruit?" She asked June and Marie with a grin, as she grabbed her berry pouch.

"Hm? What do you have?" Marie handed her PokéBalls to the attending nurse and leaned into Avril's personal space with far too much ease for her comfort. The blondie flinched, her eyes making it obvious that she wasn't that happy with Marie's behavior. Still, she tried her best to not complain and just continue as if nothing happened - as her little sketch of a plan entailed.

"U-uhm, there's some Oran, Pecha, Leppa berries… the usual." She pouted at Marie after that, though.

"Ah, no thanks, then. I prefer ones like Yache or Payapa. Sour stuff, but with other flavors to balance them! They're very good as juices and smoothies, too. My dad hates sour stuff, but he always had them for me anyway!"

"Oh, interesting!" Avril smiled, as Marie got far away enough. "I grew some special berries at home, but finding them here is way more difficult…"

"Grew them? Ugh, that's so hard to do. Every plant I ever had died."

"Well, not by myself. Those were my family's plants." Avril nodded. Marie was still too unpredictable but, that aside, she liked where the conversation was going.

"Is gardening a hobby for your family?"

"It's more of a job, haha! At least for my dad, that is."

June had been standing behind the two girls, still too nervous to speak. Marie gestured to her- "Come on, June, get a berry if you like!" - and finished her thought in Avril's direction. "So you're farmers, then? Fantastic, I've never met a farmer! What's your farm like? Is your house rustic and cute? Or is it more modern?"

"My dad's side of the family, yes! They have this rather old but big and cozy house in the countryside, with tons of space for fruit trees and the like." Avril started explaining, very enthusiastic about all the happy moments she had there - after all, that is also where she met Poppy. "It's not that big of a farm but it gets the job done! Most of the berries are sold to trainers, but we keep some for ourselves too!"

June stared down the berry pouch, darting her pupils around the available selection. She grabbed an Oran Berry, as it was the safest option in her mind. "I remember my grandma would plant berries every now and then, although I could never remember the specifics of it." She then took a bite out of the berry, appreciating the mouthful before speaking again. "They certainly are delicious though."

"Our groundskeepers planted berries one year. I'm not sure what they were, but I remember my mother being so angry about the mess they made and the Pokémon they attracted." Marie laughed. "She tried to fire the poor man that planted them, but my dad remembered just in time that the berries were her idea!"

"Oh, wow!" Avril laughed as well. "That's crazy, what did they even plant…"

"You mean it's possible to draw Pokemon to you by planting berries?" June tapped her lower lip. "I wonder if I can find specific Pokemon that way."

Marie shrugged, leading the three to the café. "That's probably something to ask a Ranger. Hm, I'll have a sparkling Aspear juice, thanks. And a sandwich. Ta." She took a number and claimed a table for the group. "Is there Pokémon you're thinking of in particular? Or do you just want any Bug?"

"Now that I think about it, I remember reading how in Kalos berry farmers will run into Burmies and Scatterbugs, although I'm not sure if they appear in Hoenn." The brunette focused on the half-eaten berry that rested in her palm. "Although I suppose there would be no harm in trying…"

"So, any Bug." Marie gave the server a nod in exchange for her drink. "Should look at the… the whatsitcalled," she snapped her fingers a few times as she tried to remember the name of the application. "Whatever. Database thing. See if there are any Bugs nearby."

"I already caught a Wimpod here, but given the environment here I don't think I'll have a lot of luck finding any more bugs…" June stopped as she realized she could potentially use this as more time to spend with Marie "But I suppose there's no harm in trying!"

"Better make sure they're legal to catch before you try." Marie actually sounded serious for a change. "Hoenn's very strict about that."

"Well, there should be more areas for us to find Pokémon… not just the beach, right?" Avril smiled as she grabbed her Holotch, trying to find the icon that Jordie showed her two days ago. "Hm… let's see here…"

"There are four places around here, but I haven't been out of town yet." The server delivered Marie's sandwich and the girl occupied herself with inspecting it. "The boat tour seems interesting."

"A boat tour… wait, is it the one that starts at night?" Avril asked. "Sounds a bit spooky if you ask me…"

"Oh, are you scared of the dark?" Marie asks between dainty bites of her sandwich. "That's okay. Maybe June will be interested, then." The brunette's face could not stop glowing red.

That again? That topic, that tone. "N-no, I'll be ok!" The blonde girl proudly replied… or at least that was the intent.

"Wonderful! Shall that be tonight's adventure, then?"

"Alright!" Avril nodded, trying to sound confident. She was heavily blushing as well by now, her mind still focused on June more than on how scared she truly was. June awkwardly nodded her agreement.