[PKMN FULL] Hoenn: Square One [IC]

Aquacorde · Oct 26, 2020

[PokeCommunity.com] Hoenn: Square One [IC]

Marie Rachelle Mocinno

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

Chapter 2 #07 - Mischief Maker

Marie has no intention of getting on that boat tonight.

Not because she's afraid, or because it's expensive. Or even because she's uninterested- she actually very much is! She'll probably go tomorrow night, in fact. She's actually inconvenienced herself by doing this. Which is something she probably should have foreseen. But what's done is done- tonight, Avril and June will show up to the docks and Marie will be asleep in her rented bed.

The true question Marie should be asking herself is: is the inconvenience worth the result?

Worth the anticipated result- yes. June is easy to read and easy to manipulate; she has predictable reactions to Marie's presence and some key exploitable features. Avril, however, is passive and oblivious to all but the most overt of comments. Marie can't fix the latter on her own, but the former? She can set things in motion.

Clearly, June and Avril aren't very invested in each other. With Avril being foriegn and June being from Johto- Marie recognizes her relative lack of accent, though it's tinged with Hoennian inflection- they must have met on their journey. Which can't have been more than a week, given how untrained Avril's Pokémon are. So if they've known each other, at maximum, for a week… it makes sense that a passive type like Avril doesn't have the guts to stand up to Marie.

So she's going to change that.

The tour promises to be spooky, and people will cling to each other when scared. It's a very cliché thing, of course, but it has undeniable effects. Theoretically, Avril and June will come out of this with a more solid bond. Avril specifically will come out of this with more investment in June, and that's what Marie wants. Because today has been boring and frustrating, trying to get Avril to show any kind of resistance to her. Marie wants to be entertained.

And sometimes, she just has to create that entertainment.

Spoiler: Team

Spoiler: Inventory

Eleanor · Oct 26, 2020

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

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]

Feelings I've missed feeling

Sunday, September 20^th - about 8:30 pm - Dewford Resort room

Sunday so far has been a rollercoaster of emotions, but really what they all have in common is… novelty, I'd say.

I've never felt so positive about a Pokémon battle, and yet I've given Poppy and Angie full permission to fight against each other this morning. It just felt right to try it out after being so protective of the both of them, and the smiles on their faces once they calmed down were really uplifting.

I've never battled a Gym leader, also! I don't really know what on Earth was going on in my head, jumping from my first battle against a random trainer to a Gym Leader fight, but I did it anyway. I feel like that is not even the same Avril as me, but the badge that Brawly gave me is still here. I can touch it and feel the metal on my hands.

And then, and then… Marie came back again, and it was all so weird. Not wanting to leave her be, despite how uneasy I seemed to get, and once again acting like I would've never acted before. Now that I think about it though… maybe it was because of the other girl. That's also new.

I'm… I'm just laying on the bed at the moment. I've done the usual chores, had dinner quite early, and then just came here to rest for a bit. But I'm just staying here for a short time, with all my clothes still on and the bedsheets still in their place. I can't sleep now, even if part of me really wants to: I have to go back to the docks and meet up, once again, with Marie and… J-June!

I just like her, I have feelings for her, and that is the only plausible explanation. Her blushing makes me blush just the same, her smiling makes me happy, and feeling like it's me who makes her blush and smile, well… that's just perfection. I wonder if this is how Lucas is feeling, too.

He met her girlfriend at school, but they confessed their feelings to each other just some weeks ago, so I don't really know that much about this girl and… in general, my brother hasn't told me that much about Vanessa. All that I know was that she was there when I boarded the train away from Laverre and… while I didn't pay much thought to her at first, I started to miss her slightly once I lost sight of the city. She was right up there with all of my friends, as if I wanted her to be my friend as well.

What I think about her? Lucas is just very lucky to have met her, and I'm happy for them both. I-I'm… alright, I'm fine. But maybe I should give him a call and ask him a few things. Or… hope Vanessa is there too? I feel like I need to understand how they've become so close. After all… isn't that what I should aim for, too?

Ironically, it's a phone call that interrupts my ramblings. I lift my head up, startling Poppy who was just resting beside me, and see that it's not just Lucas, but my parents as well. I happily answer the video call on my Holotch, as I finally have some very good news to share, and they get to the point right away.

"I see you're in a different room today, uh? It looks… amazing!" Dad points out.

"It really is! It's a resort in Dewford." I reply, a large smile on my face. "Oh, and the view… it's just as good. Hopefully it's not too late!"

I finally get back up, heading straight for the little piece of balcony that I have. From the last floor, the view is truly stunning, and I am so eager to share it with them…

This is not a brand new feeling, but it sure is one I've been missing for a while.

Juno · Oct 26, 2020

2-1: M.I.A.

The waves gently crashed against the tiny ferry, rocking it just a little, and making Bijou flinch each time they came up. It was a nice day, and the ride was pleasant enough - Marcella couldn't imagine these Breezy Seas boats sailing very smoothly on days with, well, any sort of turbulence, though the route did seem fairly calm here and they were mostly shielded from the actual sea by a lot of large rocks, so perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. She pulled out her phone to check the time. The lady at the terminal told her the trip from Slateport to Dewford is about two and a half hours long, so they should be arriving pretty soon here. The last text messages she sent her brother were still visible when she unlocked her phone.

She sighed. If she weren't so out of her depth here, she wouldn't be asking for his help. She really hoped Avery won't tell her dad she asked him for a whole Pokémon.

❃❃❃❃❃

Dewford was... quaint. The locals were friendly enough. She approached a young man to ask for directions to the Gym, who seemed either quite flustered or intimidated, possibly both - it's usually hard to tell, and she was standing quite a few inches above him in platform heels. Nevertheless, he pointed out where the Gym was for her and even offered to walk her there, but she politely declined and let him return to his volleyball game. He wasn't really her type.

With Bijou on her heels, Marcella followed the shoreline as instructed to the edge of the town, where a pretty unimpressive and worn-looking wooden dojo sat. The doors were wide open, but she couldn't see anyone inside and wasn't comfortable just inviting herself in.

She looked around, approaching it slowly. Have I been pranked? The guy really didn't seem like he would do that.

As she walked up to the open doors, she stuck her head in. "Hello?" she called out. "Mr. Brawly?" No response.

She stepped back and looked around the beach, seeing if anyone was coming her way. Just her luck, a pair of girls were wandering in her direction.

"Excuse me! Hi!" She waved them over this time instead of walking up to them. She was getting tired, and her shoes today were not made for walking on sand. The girls looked a little apprehensive, but made their way over to Marcella.

"Sorry to have called you over like this, I've just been travelling all day and I'm a little tired, so thank you so much for accommodating," She flashed a warm smile at the girls as they approached, and she could see the apprehension fade from their faces. "I just wanted to ask if this is the Gym Leader Brawly's dojo?"

"Oh... Oh, yes it is! Brawly's usually just..." The girl that responded turned around to scan the waters behind them, as if the man would materialize from the waves. "Well, not in his dojo, but I'm sure you'll run into him sooner or later if you hang out for a bit at the beach!"

"I see. Maybe I'll just come back later, then." What a waste of time. Marcella thought to herself as she turned away, almost leaving the girls without saying anything else. "Oh- thank you, dear." She added with another smile.

She pulled out her phone again as she stepped into the shade of the dojo's doorway, just enough to hide from the sun.

As she started typing up an accusation of sending her on a wild goose chase, her phone rang. It was Avery.

"What are you doing?"

Marcella was taken aback by his tone, and a little offended. "You told me to challenge Brawly first, no?"

A sigh. "Yes, I didn't mean right the second you step off the boat. When was the last time that thing was in a battle?"

"Bijou."

"Yes, when was the last time Bijou was in a battle?"

"I don't know, that time I was drunk at Hannah's party, probably."

"Oh, Christ. Okay, don't you think you should practice with her a little bit first?"

"Practice what? She's a Pokemon, they have natural instincts. She was born to do this."

"Not if you raise them to eat cookies and watch TV their whole life." She thought about protesting this, but looked down at the chubby Purrloin, who was indefensibly still panting from walking down the beach. "Just... You're in Dewford, right? There's a bunch of wild Pokemon just roaming the shores and stuff, even wandering right into the town area - for the most part, they're pretty tame so you should take the opportunity to battle some with th- Bijou."

"I'm rolling my eyes. I hope you can feel it."

"Bye. Good luck."

"Mm-hm."

As she hung up, something else caught her attention. Just behind the dojo, where she thought the beach ended, some multi-story buildings were jutting out. While she had never been to Dewford before, she had heard from her friends that the Fanclub has a location here as well, and it was in a little cove that matched the description of what she was currently looking at now. This must be the place. She hadn't really done anything today, but she wasn't lying to the girls - all this walking around, ferrying, carrying Bijou whenever she didn't want to walk, and looking for a Gym Leader that doesn't care enough to be in his Gym in the middle of the day had her pretty tired, especially in her heels. And staying at a beach resort sounded nice. It's gotta beat resting at the Pokemon center.

She dug around her purse and pulled out her wallet. "Membership card... Membership card... There it is. Alright! Come, Bijou, let's go check out this resort."

Party

Purrloin ♀ // Bijou

Scratch
Fake Out
Sand Attack
Play Rough

Dear Diary

CHAPTER 2

2-1: M.I.A.
2-2: Footwear Filchers
2-3: Cut Off
2-4: Bijou Bootcamp
2-5: Beached
2-6: Pearly
2-7: Showtime - ft. Avril, June, Tsu, Robynn, Shuna
2-8: Natsuko vs. Marcella - ft. Tsu
2-9: The Three C's
2-10: In/Dependent

Inventory

₱35,000

Medium-sized leather suitcase of clothes
Rotom Phone (Sky Blue)
Fanclub Membership Card (Annual)

Trainer Info

Badges will go here, too

Eleanor · Oct 27, 2020

Hikaru

18 - ✨ - Castelia City

With Avril

Pokémon:

⚡ Rei (Tynamo)
⚡ Hoshi (Staryu)

Cotton Candy Girl

Sunday, September 20^th - about 8:30 p.m. - Dewford Resort room

The breeze is just what I need to relax after spending so much time in the lower floors of this place. And I know it sounds weird, but I really need to take some time for myself and reboot the system. Or… clear my mind, in other words.

So far it's working out alright. I'm all alone on my room's balcony, so high up from ground level, just reading a few comments and encouragement messages with my headphones blaring Roxie's music into my ears. Good stuff, really lets you blow off steam. But it also prevents you from spotting other people…

I see… something undefined peek over the balcony screen. You know, the structure that keeps each room's balcony separated. It's definitely someone's hand and forearm, but the worst thing about this is that they're holding some sort of phone. A Holotch probably.

The first thing I think about is… oh, such a peasant, holding their little phone-like object instead of wearing it like the pros do. Except I'm kidding. The first thing I actually think about is… oh, I'm not alone here.

And the second thing is… well, I wonder what this person, who is almost surely the one who's staying in the room beside mine, is even doing with that device. I should probably just run inside and forget about that, but part of me just wants to take off the headphones and hear what is happening. Guess what I end up doing in the end?

⚡⚡⚡

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie!" I hear what sounds like a muffled female voice. "A badge already? You're already getting used to it, haha!" Someone else spoke, this time with a lower tone.

"T-thank you, thank you!" A much clearer and louder voice replied. Definitely, the person who talked was right there with them, and not over a call. "It was all the Gym Leader's choice though, he was winning and still let me have the badge…"

"Because he too saw your potential! Your way of bonding with Pokémon is just so special after all."

"Well, mom… I caught another Pokémon, you know? But I don't feel the same as with Poppy." The room neighbor laughed nervously. I peeked over the screen to notice a blonde girl, with an eye-catching red flower on her head. Pretty cute if you ask me.

"Just give it time, will you? You got this! And I know because I went through all of that when I was a trainer myself!" mom replied.

"Haha, those were good times…" That is probably her dad speaking, instead. "Oh, by the way, who was that… girl you are with, Avril?"

"Wasn't he a boy?" Someone else asks. That kind of confusion is music to my ears.

"Uhhh… what?" I hear, from who I can only assume is 'Avril', and I already start regretting my decisions. Just a blink of the eye later, and those two green eyes appear over the screen and lock me on.

"I-I'm sorry…" I mutter, as I run back inside my room as fast as I can, so ashamed for eavesdropping all of that family conversation and getting caught in the act. I take a couple heavy breaths and try to take it all in, trying not to give too much thought on how incredibly cute that conversation was, but focusing on the important information.

That would be, the Gym Leader in this town seems to be a piece of cake! A visit is due tomorrow morning, then - and it's definitely better to get money that way than through oddjobs, surely. I really need to try that out and…

⚡⚡⚡

Someone is knocking on my door. I open it up and guess what, it's Avril.

"Look, I-I'm very s-sorry for before, I didn't mean t-to disturb…" She starts talking, her voice way too unsteady for being just a few seconds in.

"Ok, ok, it's all good. Just come in a bit, will you?" I tell her. She nervously shakes her head, looking quite unsure, but I just grab her arm and pull her inside the room. "So, nice to meet you, room neighbor! I'm Hikaru, and you?"

Well, I already know. "A-Avril. Nice to meet you!" She replies, still looking a bit confused… I can't really blame her, she's probably much more careful than I am around new people. "Oh, and this is Poppy!"

"Who?" I mutter, as a weird whiff of air hits me right in the face. It comes from Avril's flower, specifically from - now I see it - the little smiling sprite on top of it. "Oh, uhm… that smells of Cotton Candy…"

"Cotton Candy?" The girl looks surprised. "But yes, she's my Flabébé. She's been with me for years."

"That's cool! What's brought you here then?" I ask her. "You're a trainer, right?"

"Well, yes, I'm just travelling around Hoenn. I'm still a beginner though."

"I'm one as well! That means…" I try to just follow the plan. "We can battle sometimes! I'd like to see what your Poppy can do."

I think I've made her a bit more uneasy because she really doesn't look too happy to battle. Why not, is beyond me though… didn't she just receive Brawly's badge? "Well, how did the Gym battle go then?" I ask.

"Oh, I wasn't doing too well, but… he said I was still a good trainer and had potential, so he ended the fight and gave me the badge." Avril explains. Looks like it's true that this Gym Leader gives away badges easily, unlike a certain other guy…

"Interesting! I should be able to get one as well then…" I think aloud, trying to put a convincing smile on my face. It's about now that Avril asks me about my bandages.

"Oh, uhm, just… a little accident, but I'm feeling better already." I reassure her, but that's not really enough to take her attention away from this topic. I roll my eyes as she just reminds me that I should get some rest, try out some berries, and be more careful. When she stands up and wishes me a good night, though, I ask her one more thing. "Isn't it pretty early for sleeping?"

She could say that I'm misunderstanding or that she really goes to sleep early. But all she does is roll her own eyes and sigh. "If only…" She mutters, before closing the door behind her and leaving me back to my own business.

Welp, guess it's comment reading time once again… inside.

Eleanor · Oct 28, 2020

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

Joint post with QueenNothing as Junko Enomoto

Pokémon / Inventory:

AVRIL'S MONEY: $7 000 (- 2 500)

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]

Night at the sea

Sunday, September 20^th - about 10 pm - Dewford Docks and Littleroot passage

The orange light of some old lamp posts was all that Avril could use to see where she was going, and what she was walking on - in this case, the pier where she was supposed to meet up with Marie and June. This time she tried her best to arrive earlier, and succeeded, at the cost of feeling already quite tired and panting. But…

Maybe it was too early. Marie and June were nowhere to be seen, and for the time being the only people on the docks were a few Pokémon, and some older people who were minding their own business. Definitely not a reassuring sight for Avril, who was already shuddering at the first Pokémon cry she didn't recognize and trembling as the gusts of wind coming from the sea blew on the pier. At least Poppy was safely tucked under her kerchief. Or, even better, at least Poppy was there in the first place. She wasn't completely alone after all.

Off in the distance, a tall girl with glasses could be spotted slowly approaching, no doubt it was June. As she got closer and noticed Avril, she waved at the blonde girl and walked slightly faster.

"J-June? You came!" Avril blushed as she walked closer to the taller girl. "Well… h-have you seen M-Marie around?" She asked, scanning the pier with her eyes but failing to find her. "It's about time to board the boat."

June's smile disappeared as she shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Is she not already here?"

"Haven't seen her anywhere since today afternoon." Avril shrugged. "What should we do? It was her who wanted us to meet up here."

The brunette tapped her lip with her index finger, unable to answer. June was unable to respond to Avril's question, as her thought process was interrupted by a megaphone announcement that the boat was about to set sail, and all passengers should take a seat.

"Ahoy maties!" A man in his mid twenties wearing a pirate hat, eye-patch, and a large, black beard- Likely a prop- stood on the ship entrance, speaking through a megaphone. "Any landlubbers wantin' to set sail on Moonlight tours better head on deck, unless ye have the collywobbles!"

"Oh my, it seems there won't be any more time to wait for Marie!" In a hurry, June quickly walked her way over to the admission, beckoning her friend to follow her.

"W-well…" Avril started feeling much more nervous. "Ok, I'm coming. Let's just get in there." She muttered, grabbing her wallet and getting ready to buy her ticket.

After the girls paid for their tickets and found two empty seats next to each other, the boat was beginning to take off, with a slight vibration that could be felt under the feet of the passengers.

The blonde girl was quite conflicted, actually. She really wasn't used to nightly adventures like this one especially looked pretty scary, so having one more person to cope with would have been helpful. And, weird to say, but Marie and her confidence really made her fit the role well. But… now it was just the two of them on the boat. No annoyances, no interference, just like at the beach. Avril breathed heavily a couple times, but in the end let out a sigh of relief.

***

The boat kept sailing through pointy rocks and narrow passages, with the sea getting slightly less and less calm as the trip continued. A slight fog was also rising, for an even more ominous effect. Avril had to clear her glasses because of that, in fact.

Most people, however, were too excited by what was right underneath them. A strong light cut through the water to reveal many shipwrecks of different sizes and ages, all there on the seafloor, as the announcer kept talking about how they sunk and why they were in that area to begin with. June half-heartedly gazed at the sight below her.

"Some say the ships here were crashed by the legendary Pokemon Kyogre itself, punishing the scallywags of the sea who destroy her beauty for loot." The man in the pirate get-up used an ominous tone, and most of the guests certainly found it amusing. Not so much June though. Usually her mind would be focused on bug Pokemon, but slowly realizing that her and Avril might end up alone made her increasingly flushed.

The blonde girl also didn't find that amusing. She was actually left wondering about how utterly powerful legendary Pokémon could get - that really sounded too much for her to even understand. "Kyogre?" She whispered into her friend's ear. "Have you ever heard of it?"

"I think I have from Mr. Yamiguch- Oh, I mean a family friend of mine. According to him, he's spotted Kyogre at sea once, although he has told tall tales before, so I'm not sure if I believe it. It sounds fascinating, but the records of it are so sporadic I'm unsure if it actually exists."

"That's… still interesting!" Avril mused, looking at the sea around her with renewed interest and awe. "Y-you sure know a lot of stuff about Pokémon…" She blushed.

June once again blushed in return. "O-Oh I don't know that much."

The peace between the girls was broken when a rumbling could be felt, and something very large and round began emerging from the ocean's surface. Gasps could be heard from the crowd.

Avril shuddered, instinctively leaning on June's shoulder, to which the brunette silently gasped and widened her eyes. Soon her fear changed into amazement, however, as a large Wailord emerged from the water near the boat. She blushed even more intensely as she pointed out the Water-type to June. "Look there!"

Still flushed from earlier, June stared at the large Pokemon in awe. "Wow, it's... it's beautiful."

"Er-Yo ho ho! Would ye look at that!" Even the captain seemed surprised by the Wailord's visit, but did his best to hide his reaction. "Looks like this scallywag decided to pay a surprise visit!"

Similarly to Avril, the gasps of the crowd morphed into whimsical amusement, with most of the passengers using their phones to snap pictures of the Pokemon before it was able to submerge.

"T-that's not Kyogre, right?" Avril whispered again. It definitely wasn't, or it probably would've already summoned a storm, it seemed. "It's much better than that." She smiled.

June shook her head, pulling out her PokeGear from her purse to scan it. "It's not Kyogre, but it is a Wailord, apparently the largest Pokemon known to exist. It's still an amazing sight, but if Kyogre really did create the ocean like the legends say, I wonder how much bigger it is."

"D-Do I want to know?" Avril replied, still amazed. "I feel safer with Wailord." She attempted a laugh, as she still kept her head on June's shoulder. The contact from the blonde girl made it near impossible for June's cheeks to not flash scarlet.

June thought it was a bit upsetting how Marie was absent, but maybe things wouldn't have been so bad with just her and Avril.

Juno · Oct 29, 2020

2-2: Footwear Filchers

Marcella's feet hurt. The resort didn't look very far away, but walking on a beach in heels that sunk into the sand every step of the way certainly made the trek feel a lot longer and more arduous than it should have. And it was hot. With a dramatic sigh to no one in particular, she made her way over to a large rock to sit down and take off her shoes. She didn't want to have to do this, but they are on the beach, and most people here are barefoot anyway, albeit not quite dressed like her. Bijou clambered up on her lap immediately and Marcella attempted to push her off, but she dug her claws into her Trainer's thighs every time she received a shove.

"Ow! Quit it." Marcella gave a few more gentle nudges and decided to let her be, lest the large Purrloin start drawing blood. It was a little awkward reaching around the Pokemon to unfasten the clasps on her shoes, but she managed to do so eventually. She relaxed her feet and buried her toes in the sand. Much better already. Her hair caught the light as she tipped her head forward, and she just sat there for a little bit, admiring the color and the way it gleamed in the sun. Ash brown was a good choice. Very vogue. And close enough to her natural hair color that it won't look awful even when her roots grow out a little.

After a few moments of resting, petting a purring Bijou and watching the beach activity around them, she stood back up, prompting the Pokemon to finally leap off with a grunt of disdain. Marcella dusted off any sand she got on her dress with one hand, and reached down to pick up her shoes with the other.

Correction: shoe. Singular.

"What- but it was just here...?" She mumbled to herself as she looked behind, around and over the rock. "Bijou, did y-"

As she glanced up, something in her periphery caught her attention. It disappeared behind a different rock when she had turned her head, but something had unmistakeably scuttled over there. She crept closer, motioning for her Pokémon to follow quietly.

"Look! Right here." She whispered. She counted three Dwebble who were pressed against the rock, backs facing them as the girls peered over their hiding spot. They burbled and made bubbling noises quietly with their mouths as they investigated the shoe, at one point taking turns trying to squeeze parts of themselves into it. Marcella winced, hoping the leather straps don't give. Those weren't cheap, and, more importantly, they look great on her.

Two thoughts were prominent in her head at this moment: one, she wanted her shoe back, and two, she was also remembering her call with Avery. Not that she was worried Bijou can't fight anymore, or anything silly like that, but...

"What do you think, quick battle, get my shoe back and get your head in the game? Bit of a warm-up before we find Brawly?"

"Maow." Bijou protested, lazily circling Marcella's long legs before sitting down in the sand, licking her paw.

She wasn't taking 'no' for an answer, though. "Come on, Bijou! Go!" She pointed at the rock, stepping away from the Purrloin to give her some space, in case she wanted to get a running leap on them.

More than just unwilling, Bijou looked at her like a Deerling in headlights with a who, me? expression on her face.

"...Get 'em, girl!"

Oh, no. This is terrible. He might actually be right. This realization annoyed her more than anything else in the moment. And then, as an afterthought, she also remembered: ...I guess this is going to be a problem when I find Brawly too, huh.

She stood there for a moment, looking at Bijou, who had just frozen up.

But the Dwebble certainly hadn't. Sensing the danger and ill intents on the other side of their rock, they suddenly scuttled out as a group with their claws snapping. Marcella made a grab for her shoe, but the Dwebble closest to it hissed at her, attempting to pinch her hand.

"Ah, fuck! Bijou, do something, please!"

As she retreated behind her Pokemon, the Purrloin looked around at the commotion around her, tail flicking. The Dwebble had now surrounded them.

"Bijou, Fake Out! ...Come on, we just need an opening to leave." She whispered quietly.

Bijou didn't move. She sat primly as the Dwebble circled them, waving their pincers around menacingly.

"Bijou... Do something..."

Bijou didn't move.

And then... As one of the Dwebble stepped within arms-length of her, she reached out faster than Marcella had ever seen her move before. Her claws met its shelled body with a soft tink, stunning the targeted Pokemon briefly. The other two flew into a rage, burbling and spitting as Marcella and Bijou took the opportunity to exit the circle, quickly stepping over the stunned Dwebble. The sand squished between her toes as she fled, making her stumble a few times. She looked back; the wild Pokemon were still right on Bijou's tail. The chunkier Purrloin wasn't the fastest runner on good terrain, but the sand was slowing her down more than usual. The one Dwebble hot on her heels managed to grab her tail, chomping down with a Bug Bite. She yowled, twisting to get free.

"Bijou!" Marcella cried out. Man, all this sand sucks! If only- wait... Sand? "Sand... Sand Attack!" The Purrloin calmed down a bit, hearing her trainer take charge. She stopped thrashing to free herself, and swiped her paw downward to hurl a chunk of sand over the attacking Dwebble. It spluttered and let go before its other friend caught up. Marcella couldn't help feeling a little proud in the moment. Did some problem solving, Pokemon Trainer-style. The problem wasn't over yet, but she did something helpful.

She couldn't be too pleased with herself, as it didn't take too long for the two briefly incapacitated Dwebble to join their friend, and all three were closing in on them again. "Oh- uh, Scratch," she blurted out the first attack she could remember, unable to think quickly. The Purrloin danced around to get a good angle on one, and swiped down on the nearest Dwebble. It didn't seem too hurt, but Withdrew into its shell all the same. Bijou swiped at the shell a few more times, batting the curled-up creature around like a toy. She even looked like she was having fun, but-

"Behind you!"

Marcella watched one of the Dwebble pick up a rock, hurling it in Bijou's direction. The other one was close enough to attack with Bug Bite again.

This was not going well anymore. This was going very badly, actually. Much as she hated to admit it, her brother was right - she was rusty, her Pokemon was rusty, and they were quite outnumbered here.

Suddenly, a flash of yellow and warm, caramel-orange careened into view, zipping between the Dwebble gang and Bijou. In motion, it was just a blur to Marcella, but when it stopped, she could see a cute Raichu hovering in the sunlight, balancing on its tail. She could also see that it had already neatly captured two of the Dwebble in an electric net.

The loose Dwebble used its Smack Down move again, hurling another chunk of rock at the levitating Pokemon, causing it to wobble on its board slightly, but it quickly regained its balance and zipped out of range. Oh- it's helping us. We should help, too. "Um- Scratch the Dwebble again!" Once again, it didn't do much, but it was something.

Not that it was needed - as the Raichu floated over the sandy battlefield, it hurled bright orbs of electricity towards the Dwebble, carefully avoiding Bijou.

Just then, a voice called out from behind them. "Surf's up!" Marcella whipped around to see a stocky, older man, maybe in his 40s or 50s, striding up to them with a surfboard under one arm. His messy blue hair was peppered with strands of grey. The man was not young, but he still looked very much in his element at this beach, under the blazing sun.

On his command, the Raichu raised a wave of water from the shoreline - it came in further than it normally would wash up, faster, but also more deliberately, as it was careful not to wash over more of the beach than it needed to.

Bijou made a beeline back towards Marcella and she scooped her up. "It's okay, you did good." She told her, as she doubled back towards where the Raichu's trainer was standing to watch the end of the battle.

They tried to run, but the Surf steadily overtook and crashed over the Dwebble. Soaked and defeated, they quickly scattered out of view.

As the waves retreated, the man walked over to where Marcella first found the pilfering gang.

"Ah, bummer. It got a little wet, but I believe this is yours," he pulled out her shoe and returned it to her, smiling.

"Oh, thank you, sir. How did you know...?"

"I was watching from over there," the man pointed to a beach chair with a towel draped over it, where he would have been able to see just about everything that went down with the Dwebble.

"And you didn't intervene sooner?"

He shrugged. "Wanted to see how you would handle it." He admitted bluntly and unabashedly.

She frowned slightly, but he did save them in the end, so she didn't press it. "Well, in any case, thank you, really. I don't know what we would've done back there without your help... And I definitely wouldn't have gotten this back." She swung the wet shoe in her hand by its leather straps, sighing. Hopefully she can airdry it and there won't be much permanent damage.

"No problem! Might want to brush up on your type advantages and all, though, and don't pick fights where you're outnumbered three to one. Not yet, at least," He let out a hearty laugh. "I'll be seeing you around!"

What's it to you? she thought as the man turned and walked back towards the direction he came from. "See you," she called back out half-heartedly.

Party

Purrloin ♀ // Bijou
Level 17

Scratch
Fake Out
Sand Attack
Play Rough

Dear Diary

CHAPTER 2

2-1: M.I.A.
2-2: Footwear Filchers
2-3: Cut Off
2-4: Bijou Bootcamp
2-5: Beached
2-6: Pearly
2-7: Showtime - ft. Avril, June, Tsu, Robynn, Shuna
2-8: Natsuko vs. Marcella - ft. Tsu
2-9: The Three C's
2-10: In/Dependent

Inventory

₱35,000

Medium-sized leather suitcase of clothes
Rotom Phone (Sky Blue)
Fanclub Membership Card (Annual)

Trainer Info

Badges will go here, too

Groc · Oct 30, 2020

Edison Kintobor
Sunday, September 20th, mid-afternoon
Dewford Island, Granite Cave

"So... do we turn back?" Ed leans forward, trying to see the bottom of the chasm he and Sunny have come up to. It's dark, and even with Sputter's light he can't see that far down.

"No way! It's only like, what? Fifteen feet across? I bet we could jump it." Sunny looks forward instead of down, and she can definitely see the other side, dimly lit though it may be.

"That's quite a jump..."

"Oh, come on! You told me you were always exploring when you were a kid. I bet you climbed trees and rocks and all kinds of things."

Ed shakes his head, trying to come up with a better idea. "Hardly. You did those things, but I kept my feet on the ground. And while you were on the track team, I was in the library, hitting the books."

Sunny huffs out an annoyed breath, stepping back from the chasm. "Fine, you were a nerd, you don't even lift. I'll go first, then, and I'll catch you."

"Lift... wait, that gives me an idea! What if I catch you?"

"Huh?"

Ed sends out Neo, who scans the area curiously while Ed explains his plan. "N.D. can hover over the pit, and even support my weight for a limited time. I may not be able to leap all the way across, but if I grab onto Neo, I can use them to swing across the rest of the way!"

"That sounds awesome! But... where does catching me come into it?"

"Oh. Well, uh... Neo wouldn't be to lift you. They can't... support your weight..."

"Sorry, what?" Sunny glares at Ed, and at Neo. "He can support you, but not me?"

"Well... look at me!" Ed gestures to himself. "I'm not as strong as you, Sunny. Muscle is dense, and heavy. That's just basic-"

"Neo, can you lift Ed?"

Neo scans Ed, beeping brightly and waving back and forth a little.

"...I don't know what that means. What'd he say, Eddie?"

Ed waves his hand in the same way Neo waved. "More or less. As I said, they can support me for a limited time."

"Fine. Can you lift me?"

Neo scans Sunny, buzzing a little as their magnets droop.

"Is that a no?" Sunny frowns.

"That's a no." Ed responds with a shrug.

Sunny grumbles grumpily, turning a little red in the face.

"Besides, I'll need you to toss the bags over! I'm not strong enough, and I want to cut down on my weight if I can." Ed shrugs off his satchel, smiling brightly at Sunny.

"Fine... but if this works it was my idea."

"And if I fall, I'll take the blame. Don't worry."

Neo floats out a little over halfway across the chasm, watching Ed expectantly. Ed takes a deep breath, letting it out nervously as he takes a step back.

"Farther." Sunny waves him back. "You want a good running start for this."

Ed nods, backing up until Sunny gives him a thumbs-up. He prepares to run, but stops and turns back the way they'd come. "Oh, this is crazy, I'm gonna get myself killed... no, it's fine, I'm fine. The science is sound, it'll work."

He turns back, taking another breath, psyching himself up.

"Breathe, Eddie. You got this." Sunny watches, both nervous and amused.

Ed nods, then starts running. When he reaches the edge, he leaps, throwing himself forward and almost immediately starting to lose altitude. Neo drops a bit, and Ed manages to grab onto their magnets. The added weight causes Neo to drop, and they strain to rise up. Ed's momentum causes him to swing, and he lets go of Neo, sailing forward and landing at the other side. His legs give out as he lands, and he rolls as he hits the ground, coming safely to a stop.

"Whoo! Good job, Eddie!" Sunny cheers loudly, which echoes weirdly in the cavern.

Ed lays still for a moment, breathing rapidly from the adrenaline. This is certainly more adventure than he thought he'd get today, and he can't help but laugh.

It takes him a moment to compose himself, but he stands back up. "Alright, throw me my bag!"

Sunny swings Ed's satchel, building a bit of momentum, then tosses it over the pit. Ed catches it, setting it aside.

"Alright, now mine!" Sunny underhand tosses her backpack to Ed next. Neo watches it soar past them and into Ed's waiting arms. "Neo, move aside, will you? I don't want to hit you or anything."

Neo floats back over to Sunny, lowering themself to hover beside Sputter. "Oh, good idea. Don't wanna leave her alone, right?"

Sunny backs up to where she'd advised Ed to start, taking only a moment to ser herself up, then running for the edge and jumping.

Unfortunately, she'd misjudged either the distance or her own athletic ability, and it doesn't look like she'll make it. "Oh, crap!"

"Sunny!" Ed watches in terror as Sunny hits the ledge he's standing on chest first, managing to get her arms above the edge and scrabbling for purchase. He drops to his knees, grabbing onto her arms before she can slip.

"I got you, Sunny, hold on!"

"Pull me up, pull me up!"

Ed tries to lift her, helping her walk up the side of the cliff until she is on solid ground again. Like he had, she falls once she makes it up, leaning on Ed for support as she shakes slightly. "I thought... I really thought!"

"It's okay, I got you..." Ed just holds her, unsure of what else to do. "I told you I'd catch you, didn't I?"

Sunny looks up at him, and Ed can see she's shaking with restrained laughter. "I thought I could make it! Guess it was farther than I thought!"

She lays her head back on his shoulder, and Ed awkwardly puts his arm around her. He points his Poké Ball back across the chasm, recalling Neo, then searches Sunny's belt for Sputter's ball. Once he finds it, he recalls her as well, plunging the cavern into darkness again. He immediately calls her back out, and Sputter latches herself onto Sunny in relief.

"Hey, I'm fine, Sputter! I'm fine..."

After a moment, Ed stands back up, gently removing himself from Sunny's grip. He recovers his satchel and her backpack, pulling a bottle of water out and offering it to her. "Do you need a moment? This seems like as good a place as any to stop."

Sunny accepts the water, standing up herself. She frowns at her pants, noticing a few new rips in them. "I'm good. Thanks, Eddie..." She sips from the bottle, watching as Ed gets one for himself, too.

Ed looks back at the chasm as he drinks his water. The ledge they'd come from is actually higher than this one, and he doesn't like their chances of trying to jump it again. "Hopefully we can find another way out of here."

Sunny drains the rest of her water, tossing the empty bottle to the ground. "Alright! Let's keep going! There's something big up ahead, I can feel it." She leads the way forward, going into another tunnel.

Ed grabs the empty bottle, tucking it back into his satchel as he follows Sunny even deeper into Granite Cave.

QueenNothing · Oct 30, 2020

Junko Enomoto AKA June + Avril Reese (Eleanor)
Sunday, September 20th, Evening

"Yarrrr, seems we've made it to our destination, maties. The shipwreck of Route 108!"

Right in-front of the crowd was a large, ominous cruise ship, one that June was able to tell was abandoned from the surrounding coral. Countless Binnacle were attached to the under-side of the ship.

"Some say there be ghosts living on this ship, the lost souls of the passengers on this ship long ago… Only one way to find out. Climb aboard, buckos!"

As she stepped onto the abandoned ship, June thought about how everything relating to ghosts here was obviously a hoax, yet she couldn't shake off the chills she felt crawling down her spine.

Avril quickly followed suit, never walking too far from the taller girl. On her head, Poppy was just looking all around her and shuddering, trying to get further under Avril's bandana and using it as a blanket. "Ghosts even?" The blonde girl whispered. "Did Marie even know about this?"

"The chance that there are any ghosts here is impossible. There's no such thing as ghosts... I'm pretty sure." The brunette did her best to appear confident around her friend, noticing the uncertainty Avril displayed, and a fearless demeanor might be able to recreate what happened on the sea with the Wailord, she thought.

The group continued down the dim hallway, being led by the man in the pirate get-up holding an electric lantern. He was going on about the history of the ship, but June found it secondary to the girl who had been standing next to her.

The tour guide led them further down through the increasingly dark halls of the ship, passing by what were presumed to be doors leading to passenger cabins. June could feel herself calm down, but a loud banging sound was heard from the other side of a door that June stood next too.

"GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! June could feel her confident demeanor slide off her face as the unidentified noise caused her to scream the loudest she had in awhile. Her cry was heard above the shrieking of the other tourists, getting a few judgemental looks.

Terrified, June fell to the ground on her rear, backing up to the opposite side of the hall she previously stood on, desperately panting, and clawing at the wall. Seems being a shoulder for Avril to lean on was out of the picture, not that she was worried about that at the moment.

"Hey lady!" June turned her head to see a little boy, probably six or so, wearing an Alolan shirt calling out to her. "It's not real y'know! You're being way too loud!"

Humiliated, the brunette quickly got on her feet. "R-r-right, I knew it obviously wasn't real!" June awkwardly laughed before shifting her gaze to Avril, hoping she didn't embarrass herself too much to the point even Avril judged her.

Avril, who was behind June, had actually jumped away from the door and yelped as well, just not as loud. She was the first to come towards the taller girl, however, and lend her a hand in order to help her get up… all while keeping one eye locked on the door from which the noise came from.

"Poppy, you'd better float around us and look out for more… ghosts or Pokémon, whatever that is… is that fine?" She whispered, as she let her Pokémon free to take off.

"Yohoho, looks like I was right! This ol' ship be haunted after all!" The tour guide let out a hearty laugh, and even though she had been reassured by a random kid, the guide's words made June shiver ever so slightly.

"There's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such thing as ghosts…" June repeated under her breath, doing her best to stay level-headed.

Her efforts proved futile when more banging sounds could be heard from every nearby door, leading her to shriek again.

"Yarrr, we best make our way out of here! These spirits might bust down the doors any second!" The guide led them further down, and June was the first to follow.

This time, Avril tried to stay even closer to her friend, and so walked just one or two steps behind. Over her head was Poppy, who was carefully looking all around her as she floated in the air. "J-June, let's just stay t-together and get s-s-scared together, alright?"

The brunette nodded. "I-I-I-I think that sounds rather pleasant."

The girls followed their guide, ending up in a large, open room. It was obvious this was formerly a dining area, an incredibly dingy one at that, tables and chairs had been coated in layers of dust. June felt mildly alleviated, not being in a cramped space surrounded by what she was convinced were ghosts was heaven for her.

"We've lost the ghosts, maties! We should be safe here, yarrr!" The captain began informing the group of the history of the dining room, which June was even less interested in than anything else. She was so overwhelmingly glad to be out of the hall it was all she could think about.

Suddenly, small purple fireballs began to form above the dusty tables. The crowd gasped, especially June, who impulsively roped her arms around Avril, barely thinking about her actions.

Avril was trembling in fear as well when June touched her, but soon stopped and just started blushing instead, her cheeks just as red as her friend's.

"Yohoho! What have we here?" On que, lamp-shapes that had yellow eyes formed around the fireballs. "Arrrghhh, why it be Lampent, the lamp Pokemon!"

"It's... It's just a Pokemon?" Panting heavily, the tall girl used her PokeGear to scan the Lampents, sighing in relief. "It really is just a Pokemon. There's no such thing as ghosts…" June began blushing when she realized that she had a grip on Avril, retracting her arms.

"Legend has it, Lampent reaps the souls of those who have yet to return to the underworld. Makes mighty fine sense why they be on this ship."

The brunette could feel her breath kicking up a notch. "I-i-i-it's just a rumor, right?" She asked the guide.

"Yarrrr, 'fraid not! Looks like the ghosts escaped, and Lampent has attracted 'em here! Look behind ye, bucko!"

As the guide instructed, June turned around and saw "ghosts" entering through the hallway they had exited from. It was very obvious the "ghosts" were people wearing worn-out Victorian clothing and makeup to make them look ghoulish, but June lacked the proper state of mind to recognize them as actors.

GAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! GHOSTS!!! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! She screamed at the top of her lungs, once again attracting the looks of everyone else onboard, even concerning the captain.

I NEED TO ESCAPE, I NEED TO ESCAPE, I NEED TO ESCAPE!!! Absolutely fearing for her life, June used her long legs to hightail her way down a different hall than the one she exited from. She'd be separated from everyone, but that was inconsequential to her at the moment.

"Wait! Come back matey! That part of the ship isn't safe!" The guide called out, still managing to stay in character. "Yarrrr, it be against the pirate's code, but I may have to call the Rangers to rescue that buckaroo."

"Noo!" Avril screamed shortly after, as in some sort of echo. "Poppy, help me find her!" She commanded, as everyone else looked around the hall in confusion, trying to find this "Poppy" person.

Luckily, Poppy had seen where June was running to, and quickly used Fairy Wind to propel herself forward. At that point, the little sparkles were the cue. Avril ran away from the group, following her Pokémon as fast as she could, until she lost sight of everyone else.

"June! June!" She called out, already struggling to keep up the pace.

Avril followed Poppy around the shipwreck for a bit, until the two reunited with the girl's friend. June was spotted hunched down against a corner, curled up into a ball, holding her knees against her chest. She could be heard breathing heavily.

"There's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such thing as ghosts…" She continued to panickedly repeat to herself, unaware that Avril had found her.

"June? June!" Avril tried calling her name again, before just kneeling down next to her. She lent out her hand again, offering to help her get back up. This seemed to cause June to return to her senses, and her eyes widened as she gazed at her friend.

"A-Avril?" She paused for a second before she tightly latched onto the blonde girl. "Oh Avril, I'm so glad to see you right now! I was so terrified!"

The blonde girl got back up on her feet, helping June do the same, and from there it didn't take long before that hand contact would turn into a tight hug. Avril was blushing heavily as she spoke once again, June doing the same. "I was just as scared to see you run away by yourself! Let's try to get back to the group, ok?" The brunette nodded in response. Her behavior that night was pretty embarrassing, but if Avril didn't seem to mind, that was all that really mattered at the moment.

🐞June's party🐞

Eleanor · Oct 31, 2020

Hikaru

18 - ✨ - Castelia City

Pokémon / Inventory:

HIKARU'S TEAM:
⚡ Rei (Tynamo), ♂, lv. 19
Levitate
Not much honestly

⚡ Hoshi (Staryu), lv. 17
Illuminate
Psywave, Rapid Spin, Water Gun, Minimize, Confuse Ray, Harden

That's all I have, you know?

Monday, September 21^st - about 10 a.m. - Dewford Gym

I couldn't really make much of the little exchange with Avril of the previous night, but as I tried to connect the dots I could only come to the conclusion that Brawly was easy. Easy enough?

Well no. This guy brought out the heavy artillery. Raichu and Poliwrath versus Staryu and Tynamo. Double battle. Oh, and that was only after he made me wait for a while outside of his gym.

It somewhat felt like battling against not one, but two of Benji's Sandslash. Do I bring out all of the frustration of these Gym Leaders maybe? Do I have such a "can't wait to get slapped in the face" attitude? Well, might as well give him what he wants.

Clearly the fastest on the field, Raichu started off with Electroweb, as Poliwrath behind it channeled Hypnosis. "Minimize and Thunder Wave!" I called out, and Rei quickly zoomed forward, his body crackling with small sparks. Hoshy stood still instead, slowly shrinking as Electroweb hit it for some fairly worrying amount of damage.

Tynamo, in the end, was put to sleep. Moving closer to Poliwrath surely wasn't a good idea, uh? But at least I got it paralyzed: its movements were surely slower now. As his eyes gave in to the tiredness, Rei still levitated over the field, moving here and there without any control.

"Ok, now it's time! Electric Terrain!" Brawly commanded, as Raichu's tail crackled with electricity. It jumped up and quickly thrusted its tail into the battlefield, before returning to its usual "surfing" stance: as it did that, jolts of electricity spread out all around the Gym floor, in a circle.

Rei was suddenly shot upwards by the electric field, his levitating abilities unable to adapt in time to the new environment, but my focus was on Hoshi to begin with. "Psywave!" I called out, as Hoshi quickly stood up and launched a multi-colored beam towards Poliwrath. It was too slow to dodge it.

I felt the adrenaline rush as Brawly looked at me with sparkling eyes, but it was very short lived. "Raichu, Surf!" He called out, as a wave of water crashed down the entire field, barely missing Tynamo but hitting Starmie and Poliwrath. "Rapid Spin!" I immediately shouted, the water giving Hoshi some more momentum to start spinning around the field. My Pokémon tried going after Raichu, who dodged with unprecedented speed, then Poliwrath, who shrugged off the hit like it was nothing, all while Brawly was trying to get my attention.

"You see what I did there?" He shouted, pointing at Poliwrath. Some electricity sparkles were still around, but the damage was all healed up thanks to Water Absorb. Or at least that's what my XT said. "Yeah." was all I said, as I started to shake.

No way I could win at this point, he really had a great strategy and I really didn't. My Pokémon were just not as good either, but that was obvious. And Avril… oh Avril, you just fooled me big time with your 'modesty and utter underestimation of your own abilities'. I'm writing that in the blog word per word… maybe.

"You should try and do the same. You have two Pokémon, right?" Brawly seemed to mock me. I could actually still feel through his tone that… he actually cared for me, but I wasn't too sure of that. "Think about the field also."

I looked up to the ceiling, noticed the relatively unharmed Rei still levitating over my head, and realized how I was focusing just on Hoshi the whole time that my other Pokémon was asleep. Where did the field come in, though, I wasn't sure. You think I know every move by memory and all that? I didn't even go to a proper school for trainers! Not to mention that even if I did, I wouldn't have been that great of a student.

The jolts of electricity coming from under me were definitely the reason why Rei was floating so high up. Yes, I'm ashamed that it took me so long to realize it, but it's better late than never… I think. "Well?" Brawly checked in as I thought. "I'll just.. Electro Ball!"

"Ok, Rapid spin up!" Hoshi executed, barely dodging the attack and spinning faster and faster all around the gym as its core flashed more and more intensely. "Bring Rei down! Water Gun!" Hoshi hit my own Pokémon after working its way up there, throwing it down to the ground. Usually Rei could react to this sort of turbulence, so to speak, but this time he just let himself fall, until the crackles coming up from the field made him open his eyes.

"Yes!" Both I and Brawly cheered, almost in unison, leaving me a bit baffled. "Psywave and Spark! All on Poliwrath!" I called out right after, now properly fired up, looking with delight as my Pokémon giving it their all. "Look at this now though!" My opponent said.

"Teleport and Electro Ball!" Brawly yelled right after, and that really didn't go well for me. Raichu teleported right to where Hoshi was and, even in spite of Minimize, hit it from point blank range. The Psywave still hit the paralyzed Poliwrath but in exchange for that, Hoshi was out. Not like it could do much else, especially with Raichu still around.

Teleport as well? That was terrible. I guess Brawly really wanted to show me all his tricks, so I would really start feeling defeated. Or maybe not, because crazily enough, he didn't give me the impression that he was such a sadist. "Spark on Poliwrath!" I continued, Rei quickly obeying and charging himself up with electricity as he impacted the opposing Water type. "Well, that's all I have, you know?" I remarked, a dry smile on my face.

"I know, I know." Brawly laughed. "That's why I'm forfeiting right now."

Eleanor · Oct 31, 2020

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

Joint post with QueenNothing as Junko Enomoto

Pokémon / Inventory:

AVRIL'S MONEY: $7 000

AVRIL'S TEAM:
🌼 Poppy (Flabebe) - ♀ - lv. 24 ↑
Flower Veil
Synthesis, Fairy Wind, Grassy Terrain, Lucky Chant, Wish, Magical Leaf

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

🌼 Wisteria (Inkay) - ♂ - lv. 15 - NEW!
Infiltrator
Swagger, Hypnosis, Wrap, Pluck, Reflect, Psybeam

JUNE'S TEAM:
🐞 Einstein (Dottler) - lv. 21 ↑
🐞 Chip (Wimpod) - lv. 15 ↑

AVRIL'S INVENTORY:
🌼 Holotch (phone version)
🌼 Fanclub Membership card
🌼 Eviolite
🌼 Silk Scarf
🌼 Various clothes and commodities

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

AVRIL'S BADGES:
🥊

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

Beckoning Light

Sunday, September 20^th - about 11 pm - Littleroot Passage, Shipwreck

"Oh no… was it here or…" Avril muttered as she wandered around the ship with June, trying to find the guide and his group once again. She probably could've been able to guess their path with a clearer mind, but she was too scared by everything else going on around her. "I'm s-sorry but I think I'm getting l-lost in here…" Avril grimaced.

"W-Well unfortunately I don't quite remember the way I came…" June said as she examined her PokeGear. "And it doesn't seem like the map is able to give us much direction…"

"Wait, is that…" Avril stopped in place, after some more aimless wandering, as she spotted some faint lights in the distance. It looked as if they were blinking and admittedly, they weren't the most pleasant thing to look at, but that was surely the best clue available to the two girls.

"Could it be the group? Should we go and check?" The blonde girl questioned, looking at June with anticipation.

"Possibly…" June had a bit of uneasiness in her voice. She didn't really want to be scolded by the five-year old again. "It's probably a good idea to follow it."

And so the girls kept walking, closer to a light that would just get farther from them everytime they checked. They followed it through an entire hall, then up some stairs, all while other ominous sounds, clacking and thudding, followed them in turn. Avril's chime could be heard above all that only very rarely, and yet… it still did its job, and helped the blonde girl from going completely crazy.

"There doesn't seem to be any ghosts in sight…That noise might just be the ship settling..." The brunette said to herself to stay sane, letting out a relieved sigh. "Good."

After countless corners turned, the girls found themselves in a dark and dusty bedroom, where some bunk beds and a desk resided. The noises from earlier seemed to fade away.

"I don't think this is where the group is…" June looked around the room, hoping to find some kind of indication of what was going on. "I don't like this…" Avril muttered right after.

Just then however, the clacking sound returned, louder and closer than before. June jumped, and hugged the wall behind her, while Avril took some quick steps back, yelping and moving around frantically as she tried to get back to the door.

"OH NO, THE GHOSTS ARE BACK, THE GHOSTS ARE BACK, THE GHOSTS ARE BACK, THE GHOSTS ARE BACK…" The brunette panicked once more, but the bright light quickly flashed across the top bunk of the bed, revealing two clam-shaped objects for a very short period.

"Wait a second...Avril, look!" June pointed to the top bunk, to which the light flashed on again. The tall girl used her PokeGear to scan the mysterious shapes, revealing them to be Pokemon.

"Those aren't ghosts! They're Pokemon, they're called Shellder, and they're water types!" A few inconsistent flashes of light showed the Pokemon clapping their shells together to make the clacking sound.

Avril looked at them warily, as she recovered from the jumpscare. She still didn't see them that clearly with all that flickering of lights, and so she trusted June's intuition. "I-if you say so…"

"I have an idea!" The brunette announced, tossing a Park Ball to send out her Dottler. Einstein's polka dots glew in the dark, creating a dim light source for the girls. "It's not as bright as I'd like, but it works!"

The weak light was still able to better expose the two Shellders, frustrating them. One of them hopped down from the top bunk onto the floor, and shot a Water Gun at Einstein.

Swiftly, Einstein set up a Light Screen, minimizing the damage of the water-type attack as the pressurized water seeped through the field.

Avril didn't even need to say anything… well, besides a well deserved "Thank you!" for Dottler. Poppy was already hitting back the Shellder who attacked with her new move, Magical Leaf. At least she seemed to be enthusiastic about the battle, unlike her trainer, who was just concerned with trying to get both she and June back to safety.

Seeing his friend cry out for help, the other Shellder jumped off the bunk to join the other water-type. The two Pokemon both shot Water Guns at Einstein and Poppy, fortunately the Light Screen was wide enough to minimize both attacks.

Einstein responded by using Super Sonic on one of the Shellders, ending with him spinning around in circles, and shooting a Water Gun at his friend.

Poppy took the chance to hit the Shellder who was confused with another Magical Leaf, but Avril's mind was elsewhere. The old, creaky door behind her had just closed with a thud, and that sent chills down her spine. "J-June, the d-door…" She whispered, still shuddering. "Look!"

June gasped, and rushed over to the door to try to open it. No luck. It was sealed tight. "It has to be a Pokemon! Try scanning the area with your device!" The brunette then turned her attention back toward the scuffle her Pokemon was in. "And Einstein, use Confusion again!" As ordered, the Dottler shot a confusion at the Shellder who wasn't confused, knocking it back a few feet.

"Uhm, ok!" Avril whispered, albeit with some urgency. A scan from her device would have definitely helped understanding what was going on around her… and which Pokémon were there! How could she not think about it? Well… she was too scared to, of course.

Back on the wall, she pulled up her Holotch and, with some hesitation, tried to find the screen that would let her scan for nearby Pokémon. The list was quite long actually, with the two Shellder right at the top of at least ten different entries.

Einstein used another Confusion to knock one Shellder into the other, leaving both of them with enough damage that they decided their best bet was to flee. The two Pokemon bounced away, escaping through a vent shaft above the bunk bed.

June sighed with relief. "Thankfully we got that out of the way. How has your scanning been going, Avril?"

"There is… no, there are so many Pokémon!" The blonde girl replied. "B-but first… shall we g-get out of this room?"

"Why, I'd love to, it's just…" June pushed against the door with all her body-weight behind her to no avail. "Seems this door won't open."

"WHAT?" Avril yelped, now getting very scared of being stuck in there. At that point, all she really wanted was to leave that place and get back to her much less frightening Resort room, not getting stuck in that room. June was there, yeah, but… oh no, why'd you think about that Avril! No use in being with June if you're both in danger! Be rational!

"O-ok, let's see…" Avril trembled, but eventually reached for Angie's Pokéball and let her out. "We need to break down this door, please… try Water Pulse, will you?"

Angie, a bit confused at first, looked around the place for a while, but as her eyes set on Avril's, quickly sprung to action, and let out a powerful Water Pulse, aimed right at the door handle.

The pressure of the water was enough to knock the door down, but to the surprise of both girls, a small floating squid-like Pokemon was spotted, looking just as surprised as June and Avril. He made short eye-contact with the two, before darting away somewhere else.

"W-What is that now?" Avril muttered, too slow to compute what that Pokémon exactly looked like.

June studied her PokeGear. "That was Inkay, a dark and psychic type… Surprisingly not a water type." The brunette pushed her glasses up. "It being a dark-type may be useful if he was on our side, as I've heard they, uh… I've heard they're effective against ghosts."

Avril stopped for a moment, touching her lips. "Dark uh? I'm not sure if we should go after it." She whispered, as the strobing lights appeared again in the distance. "Unless…" She tried to scan the area with her Holotch, trying to find the Inkay.

The blonde girl hadn't yet realized what was happening. All that her mind could do was keep thinking that the lights she was seeing were from the guided group. "Maybe it's… still b-better to follow the lights?" She doubtfully said, waiting for her friend's answer before actually running after them. June tailed after the blonde girl.

Another set of stairs, another hall, still following those weird lights. Avril was getting quite dizzy actually, her eyes more and more tired… one more reason to keep going and even fasten the pace, apparently. Her Holotch was actually still scanning however, and kept letting her know how Inkay was getting closer and closer. The two girls eventually reached the main deck of the ship and were back in the open, under the stars. And only then Avril realized one very, very important detail.

She saw lights, but didn't hear any voice. It was just her and June. "O-oh n-nooo…" She facepalmed, looking back towards June all guilty and defeated.

"Avril, what's the matter?" June asked before gently blushing. The realization that it was just the two of them was starting to sink into her mind as well, as she steadily approached the blonde girl.

"I thought the lights would bring us to safety b-but…" A strange, high pitched cry was heard not too far away. "Yeah…"

Her Holotch was now displaying some additional information about Inkay. It flashes the light-emitting spots on its body, which drains its opponent's will to fight. It takes the opportunity to scuttle away and hide.

"I-it was all I-I-Inkay!" Avril was on the brink of crying.

June was able to sense the sorrow in her friend's voice. She set her hand on her shoulder in attempts to cheer her up. "W-well, maybe if one of us catches Inkay, we can use his lights to guide us back to the group." She paused to remember how the only Pokeballs she had were Net Balls and a single Premier Ball, hardly enough to guarantee a catch. "...Although my Pokeballs are all specifically for bug types… I suppose I have a Premier Ball, but only one."

"L-look, I just have o-one Pokéball. B-but I'd rather use them than your more e-expensive ones if p-possible." Avril blushed heavily, before being brought back to reality by Poppy's adorable battle cry. She was already attacking the Inkay with Magical Leaf, as her opponent tried to dodge, but in vain.

"Oh my, what a coincidence." June remarked, observing the fight Poppy got herself into. Remembering when Avril helped her with Chip, the brunette decided to return the favor, sending her Wimpod out to battle.

June studied the screen of her PokeGear to guide her through the battle. "Chip! Help out Poppy and use Struggle Bug!" As he heavily trembled, Chip spat out a small, green energy blast at Inkay, dealing super effective damage. Inkay flew back from the damage, and the Wimpod honed in with an Aqua Jet.

Avril cheered, admittedly quite impressed by Chip. That combination proved to be very effective indeed! It looked like Inkay knew that as well, though, as it smirked towards Chip, its lights shining through for a Hypnosis attack.

Chip froze in-place, snoring softly. June had little choice other than to swap the Wimpod out for Einstein.

Einstein used Super Sonic at Inkay, causing him to spin around uncontrollably midair. Poppy took advantage of the situation to use Fairy Wind, dealing some consistent damage on Inkay.

"Uhm, h-how do I throw now?" Avril smiled, albeit very nervously, towards June. She still was such a beginner when it came to catching Pokémon…

June, while still a rookie trainer, was quite experienced with throwing Pokeballs from her bug catching contests days. "Throw the Pokeball while he's still dizzy! Arch your arms as such!" The brunette demonstrated a throwing motion towards her friend.

"Ok, so… like this?" Avril mimicked her friend, before eventually walking a bit closer and throwing the Pokéball at Inkay. Luckily, it didn't miss! "I-I hope it works…" the girl whispered, as the ball shook a couple times.

And then, it stood still. "It's caught, it's caught… we did it!" Avril finally cheered, letting go of all the tension. Her cheeks were red like strawberries as she turned around, Pokéball in hand.

"You did a wonderful job!" June softly smiled, her cheeks scarlet as well. With Inkay taken care of, the brunette could feel the tension in the atmosphere decreasing.

It was just her and Avril alone- For real this time.

QueenNothing · Oct 31, 2020

Junko Enomoto (June)
Dewford City, Monday, Night

June found herself shaking, but from nervousness as opposed to fear, the revelation of Avril and her being alone under the starry night sky seeping through her mind.

Well, that wasn't one-hundred percent true- June hadn't yet returned Einstein to his Pokeball, but given his almost hibernative-like state, he probably didn't even have the ability to interrupt. Maybe Einstein becoming less expressive as he evolved had some benefits.

Seemingly without thought, the brunette felt herself steadily approaching Avril, using the sudden courage spike she experienced to get close enough to the blonde, keeping her shivering under control to some degree.

Before she knew it, June nervously reached her long arms atop Avril's shoulders, gently wrapping her arms around the shorter girl, doing her best to not hold on too tightly. It was a mystery to her where this sudden motivation came from, but not questioning that, June looked down, gazing into her green eyes that hid behind round glasses. Avril simply let her do that without reacting.

They had only known each other for a day, yet somehow the brunette already felt as she had gotten close with Avril. While June had fallen for many other girls before, Avril was the first she suspected reciprocated any sort of feelings, as a matter of fact, the only bonds she had with anybody was with her family, but that was unlike what June was feeling for the girl right in front of her. These feelings may have been the driving force behind her moving her left hand over to shakily caress the blonde girl's deep red cheeks. Avril's eyes were sparkling at that point.

Calmy yet reluctantly, June leaned down to Avril, her face nearing in on the other girl's face, her eyelids gradually sealing as she could feel her lips about to make contact with the blonde girl. This wasn't on June's plans for the night, but the anticipation certainly was something she felt might pay off.

"SHIVER ME TIMBERS!" Before any contact could be made, the brunette yanked her head away from Avril, averting her vision to the tour guide who had the rest of the group from earlier behind him. "There ye are! Aye thought aye'd have to call the rangers on ye, but ye saved me from breaking the pirate's code!" The tour guide followed with a hearty laugh. "Seems ye got so scared ye had to hold onto yer pal there!"

June, intensively blushing, glanced over to Avril, then back to the tour guide, before laughing in a gentle, awkward manner. "Yeah, hehe… Pals…"

"Hey look! It's the scaredy-cat lady who ran away!" The very young boy from earlier yelled, smugly pointing at the tall girl. With all the attention drawn to her, June slipped her arms off her "pal", flushed with embarrassment.

Avril looked at the group in utter shock, then back at June, then back at the group, all without saying anything. Her arm, which was wrapped around June just a few seconds earlier, she just left hanging up in the air. "Uuuuuuuuuh?"

"Arrrghhh, why don't ye buckos join back with the tour? Ye paid for it with yer heard-earned doubloons, afterall!"

June anxiously nodded, speed-walking to join the group, beckoning Avril to follow her. The blonde girl followed suit, still looking quite puzzled by all that happened.

It was 11:55 pm. June and Avril had just set foot back on Dewford, taking in the experiences they had that night.

It was obvious to June the moment they set sail that something would have come out of the tour, but to the extent that she had attempted surprised even her. All that stood on her mind was what could have been.

"Grandma always said that mourning the missed opportunities takes time out of seeking out new ones, but… If ONLY he spotted us just a minute later…"

The two stood still at the beach, and the brunette gazed over at her friend who was lost in thought as she stared at her Holotch. Hoping things between them hadn't gotten too awkward, June tried to crack the silence that had been present since they regrouped with the tour.

"Um, Avril…" June called out to grab her attention, who in-turn blushed one more time, and looked back at her.

"I just wanted to say that, um, even though I got a little scared back there, I, um…" She took a deep breath before continuing. "I really enjoyed our time together!" Blurting out the last bit, she followed it up with an awkward, but genuine smile.

"I-I guess it was pretty scary… but it was good in the end…" Avril muttered nervously. "Yes, I enjoyed it as well!" She cheered.

June's grin grew larger and less shaky. Normally, she'd like to stick around Avril, but it was almost midnight, plus it had been a long day. Hypothetically, it was possible to try to kiss her again, but the moment for that had come and gone. Maybe some other time.

"I'm glad. But, um, I should say, it's late, and I'm pretty tired. I think it's time I make my way back to the Pokemon Center."

"A-and I should go back to my room at the Resort also…" Avril sighed. "W-we can just meet up another time, I g-guess?"

"Of course!" June gleefully assured. "You have my number, so call or message me whenever you'd like." She then softly yawned. "But I do need rest right now. Until then, I'll see you around!"

"Same…" Avril said as she yawned, a hand on her mouth. "Goodnight, and s-see you soon, June!"

Poppy waved at the brunette, before landing on Avril's head as her trainer started walking away, towards the south side of Dewford.

As she walked back to the Pokemon Center, June's mind was rushing with thoughts about Avril. Even if she had embarrassed herself in front of many strangers, the time she spent with the blonde girl more than made up for it. Hopefully the times they'd soon spend together in the future would bring as much joy.

🐞June's party🐞

17,492
🌼featuring Eleanor as Avril Reese🌼

Eleanor · Oct 31, 2020

Hikaru

18 - ✨ - Castelia City

Pokémon / Inventory:

HIKARU'S TEAM:
⚡ Rei (Tynamo), ♂, lv. 19
Levitate
Not much honestly

⚡ Hoshi (Staryu), lv. 17
Illuminate
Psywave, Rapid Spin, Water Gun, Minimize, Confuse Ray, Harden

⚡ Aruku! (Clobbopus), ♀. lv. 15
Technician
Rock Smash, Leer, Feint, Detect, Bind

Mega Stone Business

Monday, September 21^st - about 11 a.m. - around Dewford

I still couldn't believe I left the Gym with a Knuckle Badge and $5 000 in my hands, and I still couldn't believe that Brawly had actually praised me for my battle strategy, and for keeping a Tynamo in my party. It really felt surreal.

I finally had something interesting to write in my blog about this place and… I actually started to see things in a different light after that, too! Dewford really didn't look as bad as my mind depicted it yesterday. But the best still was yet to come…

Eventually, as I walked around Dewford, I saw it. It was that Clobbopus that destroyed my skateboard, definitely. Unless all Clobbopus really have that same behavior, size and confused stare…

I didn't wait any longer, sent out Rei, and quickly paralized it before it could run away from me. From there, it was relatively simple to go for a couple of Charge Beams and catch that pesky Pokémon. And that really was what it deserved for what it did…

A trip to the Pokémon Center was now obligatory! It still felt a bit weird to walk this much instead of just cruising, but Dewford made it easy… by hook or crook. By hook, because on that Monday morning it was just such a quaint, cozy town, with a pleasant atmosphere and beautiful scenery… by crook because of all the sand, the bumpy roads, and everything that I already learned the previous day.

I checked the Odd jobs board as my Pokémon healed up, trying to fully get back to my own plan and my own objective, and it was just in that moment that I heard someone else in the hall talking… about something quite interesting.

⚡⚡⚡

"There's gotta be a reason so many of 'em gather here, right? And we've seen so many holdin' their specific Mega Stones, the Key Stones should be here somewhere!"

"We have not yet found any evidence of a source. Look- this is how much we have mapped, and nothing points to these stones forming in Granite Cave."

"Which means someone's been bringin' 'em in! But who, and why here?"

A sigh. "I know you would like there to be evidence of ancients here, but-"

I keep listening to them. It didn't end well last time I did that, with Avril, but this time those two were asking for it. I could easily just look at the board and listen to their ramblings about… Granite Cave uh? I still didn't know enough about that location.

"Now, hang on…" Rustling of paper as a map is moved. "We found the first Stone here, in this big room. But we also found one in this little side room. I just know there's more down there, and we haven't even checked this side of the cave yet!"t!"

Stones? I don't know which stones they're talking about, but they might be valuable… right? I finally lift my eyes from the job board. "Excuse me?" I say, immediately regretting it because I don't have a surefire way to get involved. "M-may I… help you two?"

"No," is the curt answer from the man holding a map. His shaggy brown hair almost covers his stoic expression.

His shorter partner has to move the map to see who he's talking to. "We're not takin' any assistants this time, right?" She checks with him. "Sorry, kid. We're lookin' fer Mega Stones in Granite Cave, and the Rangers don't let rookie trainers down there."

"For w-what!?" I reply, flabbergasted. Now that's interesting… something that's basically non existent in Unova and that I still have some trouble believing it's entirely real. One more reason to hear more information.

"Y'know, Mega Stones? You give a Pokémon their specific Mega Stone, and then the Trainer holds a Key Stone, and if their bond is strong enough, the Pokémon can Mega Evolve! It's a temporary transformation that unlocks new powers and changes up how they operate."

"That does… that does sound pretty cool!" I grinned. "And you're telling me it's full of those in that cave uh?"

"Mega-Evolved Pokémon? No." The man traces part of his map. "The required stones, yes."

"And a surprisin' number of Pokémon that can Mega Evolve. But not without the Key Stone and a trainer bond."

"Ok, so…" I pause for a moment. "What will you do with those stones? And… well, is there anything else of note down there?"

"That's our business. And not for 'rookie trainers', as Emmeline said."

"Business you say?" By now, I think the 'can't wait to get slapped' mode is in full effect again. "I'm even more intrigued!"

The man shifts in place, bringing the map up to cover his face. "Emmeline," he mutters, exasperated. With me or with his partner? Me, probably.

"Hm? Oh!" The shorter woman looks back up. "Listen, kid… you can't come with us. You're not even allowed in the lower levels! So don't go to Granite Cave, don't look for the paths down to the lower levels, especially not near the western entrance, where there aren't as many Rangers posted, and have a nice day." She steps back behind the map and out of sight.

Understood, crystal clear. Yessir. Still very interesting. I might want to go there actually, but… if they don't want to help me out, I guess I'll have to find someone else. And I have someone in mind already.

QueenNothing · Oct 31, 2020

Junko Enomoto (June)
Dewford, Monday, morning

June woke up to hearing a racket being made in the floor below her. She grabbed her PokeGear off the nightstand next to her to check the time.

8:00 AM.

June moaned, realizing she got less sleep than she needed. Even though she was plenty tired last night, thoughts of Avril persisted on her mind, keeping her up until 3 AM. There was no point in trying to doze off with all the noise, so she thought it was best to change into her clothes for the day before heading out.

One trip downstairs later, the brunette entered the Pokemon Center lobby to pick up her Pokemon she left overnight, noticing lots of people waving phones and notepads crowded around a person June wasn't able to process at first glance. She adjusted her glasses to get a better look, seeing a woman, eight inches taller than June, standing in the middle of a crowd appearing calm as a Frosmoth.

She had olive skin, and long, curly, black hair that touched the middle of her black and yellow striped prom dress, which itself was just short enough to highlight her mismatched black and yellow high heels. To match her color scheme, her makeup consisted of yellow eyeshadow, black mascara, and black lipstick.

June couldn't help but gaze at the incredibly tall woman, not quite how she'd gaze at Avril or Marie, but was struck by her in the same way whenever she saw a wild bug-type.

"Wow…" The brunette gasped under her breath. "She's beautiful, like...like a Vespiquen, or a Ribombee…"

The crowd was full of people shouting for her attention, many begging for autographs or selfies.

"SILENCE!" The woman abruptly shouted, and the crowd quickly complied with her request. "One at a time please- I understand that the presence of Insecta Reine Papillon is a gift, but I'm afraid I'm unable to respond to you all at once."

"Insecta…" June repeated to herself, recognizing how silly the name sounded, but was entranced by it nonetheless.

"Queen Insecta!" A clearly overzealous fan in the audience asked. "What might someone as marvelous as yourself be doing in such a humble part of the world as Dewford Town?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Insecta responded rather condescendingly. "I'm staying at the Fanclub Resort here."

As soon as she answered, more and more questions were thrown her way, making it impossible to discern what anyone was saying.

"Excuse me!" A black haired nurse from the counter cried out, somehow able to raise her voice above the incoherent crowd noises. "Miss, you're Pokemon are all healed up!"

"Make way for me, would you?" Insecta asked, the crowd immediately responding by all sidestepping to make a path for her. June got the memo a little late, stepping aside after everyone else had, catching the attention of Insecta.

As she strolled down the walkway her fans had made, Insecta averted her pupils to June as she passed by her, focusing on the brunette, until she picked her Pokeballs up from the desk. She walked directly up to June, much to everyone's dismay.

"You there!" The tall woman called out, pointing directly to the brunette. "What's your name?"

"J-June!" She nervously responded.

Insecta further examined the girl, her eyes piercing directly at her. "Well June, I want to meet you at the contest hall in one hour. Don't be late!"

As Insecta made her way out the door, the entire crowd focused in on June, wondering why exactly she acknowledged someone who hadn't so much as heard of the flamboyant woman until today.

June wondered why herself, not that she was complaining. Based on the woman's appearance though, she thought the two might have at least one shared interests.

🐞June's party🐞

17,492

Juno · Nov 1, 2020

2-3: Cut Off

🏖️ Resort Cove 🕙 Sept. 20th, Midday

Oh, honey, that is not your color. An expression of pity crossed her face as she glanced over the receptionist's wavy, orangey-blonde hair. It's not anyone's color, really. Along with the hair damage, it looked like she had just bleached dark hair three times and left it like that. And speaking of grown-out roots...

Her thoughts were interrupted as she was caught staring. "Miss, is everything alright?"

No, you look like a party clown with your orange hair and too-light foundation. "Oh, yes, sorry! I was just looking at your hair color. Is it a box dye?"

"Mh-hm! Castelia Colors, OR-07, I believe. I usually get it done at a salon, but I saw this at the store and thought I'd try doing it myself this time. Turned out better than I thought it would!"

The corner of Marcella's mouth twitched. Oh, my, so she did this on purpose. "Interesting, I'll remember to check that out when I want a new look."

Feeling quite grateful she had a stylist who would not let her touch box dyes, she turned her attention to the rest of the house. The open space and large windows gave the place an airy feel. The décor was a bit dated, but still quite beautiful, and tied the whole place together. She expected nothing less of the Pokemon Fan Club, even out here on this tiny island.

"Alright, Miss MacMillan - everything looks good," The receptionist returned her membership card back to her with a smile. "We'll have you set up in room number 4. Do you need help with your luggage?"

"Yes, please." Marcella immediately abandoned her suitcase to look around. As she made her way to the staircase, a pair of glass double doors caught her attention. Or, rather, what was behind the glass doors did.

"Ooh, a fitness room, nice." She peeked in, taking a closer look at the sleek equipment and workout machines. There were a variety of weights on a rack against one wall, and strength-training machines against the other. Full mirrors were on both sides so one could check their form. The treadmill, elliptical and rowing machines were all facing a wide window overlooking the beach. Very nice. "And this is open for all members to use?"

"Yup! You can help yourself to any of the amenities in this house. Oh! Almost forgot-" The lady ducked down to retrieve something from behind the counter. She popped back up with a small, flat box. "This month's membership gift. I think it will look lovely on your Purrloin."

The Fan Club frequently offered little gifts and knick-knacks to their patrons as small perks for their membership, and Marcella had collected quite a few over the years. They are usually quality items and definitely worth opening, but she wanted to finish looking around first.

"Perfect, thank you! You can put it with my luggage when you bring it upstairs."

🏥 Dewford Pokémon Center 🕙 Sept. 20th, Midday

Having secured a decent place to leave her things and rest for the night, they took a short break in their new room before deciding to head back out and properly tour this small, peculiar city. Changing into more beach-friendly clothes, Marcella stepped out of her room in a flowy white blouse tucked into high-waisted shorts. And her workout shoes, the only footwear she had with her that were not platformed.

The short walk back into the town area was much more bearable in her light running shoes, and the first stop she made was to the local Pokemon Center. It probably wasn't all that necessary and she seemed fine, but Bijou did sustain a few injuries in the Dwebble scuffle, so she figured she'd bring her in for some peace of mind.

Past the glass sliding doors, Bijou was promptly plopped down in front of a kind, middle-aged nurse.

"Her injuries are minor - we should have her out of here in 10, 15 minutes, tops." The nurse informed her reassuringly as Bijou was gently inspected. "You can take a seat right over there, or grab something from the café if you're feeling hungry."

Marcella took her up on that, and ended up ordering a small cappuccino with a biscotti from the café, before settling near the pamphlets rack to see what Dewford had to offer.

Let's see, 'Moonlight Tours'... sounds campy and stupid, probably only ironically fun for like a date or something. 'Granite Cave is a wonder of Hoenn, a beautiful, sprawling cave system...' ...Rocks? Pass. Fishing... gross. Damn, is that really all there is to do in this town?

She spent a few more minutes going through the pamphlets rack, silently cursing Avery for sending her to this god-forsaken island, until something of interest finally caught her eye.

The Contest Hall... What's this?

Curiously, she opened the pamphlet. 'A competition of style and grace...' Oh, hell yeah, why did no one tell me about THIS sooner?

She vaguely remembered seeing portions of this on TV, but they didn't keep her attention past the first round. There was a battling portion to these contests, but that's only one of three rounds. She probably could...

As she contemplated all this, her phone rang. It was the first time she had spoken to her father since setting off for her trip.

"Hi, daddy." She answered the video call with a wave.

"Hello, sweetie. How's everything going over there? Avery says you've made it to Dewford already."

"Yup! Won my first battle already, sort of." She conveniently left out the part where some guy had to save her ass. "Just some wild Pokemon, but, you know, gotta warm up before my big debut and all. Aside from that, not much has gone on yet."

A pause. "Really?"

"Mm... Yes?" She sat up straighter. It was starting to feel like there was something specific he wanted to talk about.

"Well, I actually kind of wanted to ask... What have you already spent almost ₱90,000 on within the first 3 days of your journey?"

"Oh, was it that much?" There was just a tinge of genuine surprise in her voice, mostly because she had been handing out the credit card quite freely and did not keep track of exactly how much she spent, but she probably could have sounded a little more concerned. "I was at the Slateport Market earlier, you know how it is."

"I see."

"It was a journey expense," she added quickly, sensing the discontent on the other side of the phone. That's mostly true. "You said you would cover those. The bulk of my spending was probably on... those Luxury Balls, yeah - those really weren't cheap."

"...Dear, no one starts their journey with a bag full of Luxury Balls. That is not a necessity."

"I got five," She really thought she was being frugal. "I just wanted the rest to match the one Bijou has. Besides, you really want me using the cheap red and white ones like everyone else?"

"Well, they worked fine for Avery. Worked fine for me," He retorted. "And you can always re-assign Poke Balls later, if you really want to. When you've earned it."

She opened and closed her mouth searching for a rebuttal, but her dad continued speaking when she couldn't.

"You're 18. You need to start learning the value of money, and where it comes from. So... I've decided to cut the card for the rest of your journey. You can always call me if the situation is dire, but you will not have unrestricted spending anymore."

"No, no, wait a minute - you don't have to do that," She said with a chuckle. "We can talk about this, set a limit-"

"It's already done. I actually called the bank earlier before I called you, in case you talked me out of it. You do have a knack for that."

Couldn't talk you out of sending me on this journey in the first place. "But daddy, what am I supposed to do?"

"You have the cash I gave you before you left. Trust me, that is more than the average trainer starts with already, and more than enough for you to get started. And if you need more... Well, hey, what's that behind you?"

His tone was rather facetious, and she could see why when she turned around. "Odd jobs board?!"

"Yup, every city should have one in their Centers. You will have no issue finding extra pocket money. If the need arises."

He continued again after another beat of silence. "Well, that was all I wanted to bring up. And to check in on how you're doing, of course- don't give me that look, dear, I'm not going to leave you out there to dry. Like I said, if you really need something-"

"Yeah, yeah," She responded grumpily. "I understand."

They said their goodbyes - Marcella doing so as cordially as she could in the moment, and just sat there fuming for a few minutes after hanging up. She looked at the measly $35,000 in her wallet. No, he can't be serious. She thought, waving the waiter over for the bill.

"Miss, this card doesn't appear to be going through. Do you have another we could try, or...?"

Damn, he wasn't bluffing. "Here," she counted out the cash and pushed it rather forcefully towards the waiter, as if it was his fault her card wasn't working anymore.

Party

Purrloin ♀ // Bijou
Level 17

Scratch
Fake Out
Sand Attack
Play Rough

Dear Diary

CHAPTER 2: LIVE FOR FUN

2-1: M.I.A.
2-2: Footwear Filchers
2-3: Cut Off
2-4: Bijou Bootcamp
2-5: Beached
2-6: Pearly
2-7: Showtime - ft. Avril, June, Tsu, Robynn, Shuna
2-8: Natsuko vs. Marcella - ft. Tsu
2-9: The Three C's
2-10: In/Dependent

Inventory

₱35,000

Medium-sized leather suitcase of clothes
Rotom Phone (Sky Blue)
Fanclub Membership Card (Annual)
Luxury Balls x 5
Silk Scarf

Trainer Info

Badges will go here, too

QueenNothing · Nov 1, 2020

Junko Enomoto (June)
Dewford City, Monday, morning

Just as she had been told, June showed up to the Dewford Town Contest Hall at 9:15, exactly one hour after her brief encounter with Insecta. The tall woman was nowhere in sight, so June did the next best thing and asked the receptionist.

"Excuse me, do you…"

"By any chance, is your June?" The receptionist interrupted, to which the brunette nodded.

"Ah, well you have a Pokemon Contest class scheduled for right now."

Rather puzzled, June tapped her lip with her index finger. "I don't remember scheduling any classes."

"That's because someone scheduled it for you. It's still a fee of two-thousand Pokedollars."

The brunette reached through her purse, understanding why she had a class scheduled. "Oh, I see. It's because of…"

"Shhhhhhhh!" Once again, the receptionist cut her off. "Don't say her name in-front of… THESE people. They'll go bonkers!"

Sighing, June nodded and paid her class fee. She was then led to a room in the back, where June then reunited with Insecta, wearing the same outfit as before.

"Um… Hello there, um, M-M-Miss Insecta…"

The tall woman kneeled down to make eye-contact with June. "Honey, there's no need to be so formal. Insecta will do just fine."

June sighed with relief, having some pressure taken off. "But, um, as I was saying, um, hello Mi- I mean, Insecta. My full name is Junko Enomoto, but I go by June."

"And I shall call you as such, June." The flamboyant woman said, patting June on the head, to her surprise. "Do you know why I brought you here?"

"Well, it seems you scheduled a class for me…"

"Indeed, however I asked why I might have selected you for this. I can sense that, like me, you're a bug-type enthusiast, and any bug enthusiast, such as myself, is worth mentoring, even if for a bit."

June's eyes then lit up. "You're right, I love bugs so much! Oh my gosh, they're so fascinating, I just want to catch them all, I have a lot at my family's conservatory, but I only have two I'm journeying with, but the amount I have at the conservatory is only a quarter of what my goal is, and…"

Insecta smiled observing the young trainer as she continuously gushed. "I too have always had a fascination with bugs. Most people perceive them as repulsive or weak, but I see nothing but beauty in them. I suppose great minds think alike." The brunette gently blushed.

"I digress, however." Insecta continued. "I know the glamour of the bug-type is something constantly worth fawning over, but that's not why you're here. I asked the receptionists if anyone named June had a Contest Pass, and to my absolute shock, she answered no! Why is that, honey?"

"Well, um… I don't actually know anything about contests… In fact, I don't even really understand what they are."

"My goodness! Thankfully I'm here to teach you everything you need to know!"

The tall woman spent a short period of time explaining the contest basics to June, informing her about contest rounds, ranks, and the like.

"I see…" The young trainer expressed. "In some ways it reminds me of gym battles."

"I see why you'd think that, but there's a crucial difference in Pokemon Contests. Your job is to cooperate with your Pokemon so that they may SHINE. If you will, send out your Pokemon!"

"O-Oh, of course!" Listening to her teacher, June sent out Einstein and Chip. Chip found Insecta's height pretty intimidating, whereas Einstein didn't so much as blink.

"Oh my, they're GORGEOUS!!" The fashionable woman kneeled down to caress the Dottler's shell. "When a Blipbug evolves, they spend their time as a Dottler gathering information of their surrounding, and when they evolve again into Orbeetle, they're finally able to put the intel to use."

Insecta then turned her attention towards Chip, whose shivering increased the more the tall woman focused on her. "There there, no need to be afraid." Steadily, she began petting the Wimpod's exoskeleton, causing him to make a sound that resembled purring. June had never even seen Chip that relaxed before.

"Wimpod and Dottler usually don't learn much moves until they evolve, so you have even more of a responsibility that most coordinators to get creative with the few moves they have."

June gulped. "That sounds very challenging."

"It may seem like it, but fear not! Insecta Reine Papillon is here to guide young June through the trials being a coordinator requires!" Insecta then grabbed a Net Ball from her black purse, tossing it and sending out a Shuckle.

"Woooow, a Shuckle! I've always wanted to see one in person!" June's eyes sparkled as she fawned over the mold Pokemon.

"Now now, honey. I too would be lost in the beauty of just how Shuckle's shell is as tough as diamonds, but let's focus. In battle, what would you do against a Shuckle?"

June quickly checked her PokeGear to understand type advantages. "Shuckle is part rock type, and rock types are weak to many other types... including water, it says. I'd have Chip use Aqua Jet."

"Good, but how would you show more beauty through the attack?"

June tapped her lower lip, thinking about what extra details she could command her Pokemon to do, eventually remembering her initial encounter with Chip.

"Well, I've seen Chip do… Chip, Aqua Jet, but spin around in circles."

As her trainer ordered, the Wimpod covered his body in water, swiftly circling in place.

"BRAVO!" Insecta loudly clapped. "As I rightfully suspected, you have potential to be a top coordinator! But our training has just begun, we shall now extend upon it!"

June, gaining appraisal she had never experienced before, smiled and blushed. Something about showing off her Pokemon's moves gave her a satisfaction that was foreign to her.

🐞June's party🐞

15,492

Embyr · Nov 2, 2020

Name: Kira Wolf || Day: Saturday, September 19 || Time: 11:30AM
Location: Dewford Town

A well deserved break.

Kira stared wide eyed at the room in front of her. A single, large bed dominated the right wall as a large television resting on top of a dresser dominated the left. A futon and a table were featured to her immediate left and a desk was set up against a large window along the far wall.

"Is the room satisfactory?" The bellhop asked, breaking kira out of her stupor.

"Y-Yeah, it's just fine." Kira stammered out, unable to believe her measly ₱3,000 managed to pay for something like this.

"Well, the beach it open to you if you like, let us know if you need any help." The bellhop offered with a bow before departing.

Kira gave a dumbfounded nod in return. Closing the door behind her, Kira simply dropped her bag and collapsed on the bed. "This is great!" Kira exclaimed, soaking in the softness of the sheets.

After a moment, Kira sat up and let both Nyx and Azure out of their balls, both of them appearing on the bed. "Check this out! How do you two like the bed!?" Kira asked excitedly.

Azure seemed to share in Kira's excitement however Nyx paid her no mind, Instead trying to bite and chew at the new collar around her neck.

"Sorry, but I'm not risking you running off yet again without it." Kira apologized, taking a closer look at the collar for damage. It was rather thick, black and hanging from it was a tag with Nyx's name and Kira's Holotch number as well as a small purple stone, the eviolite from the club in Slateport. "Doesn't look like you managed to damage it yet, just like that guy said." Kira said satisfied.

Nyx, with a bit of a frustrated huff, hopped off the bed and ducked her way under the bed. Finding the darkest corner under it before curing up to sleep. Kira gave a small, dejected sigh. "I guess that's what you're doing then..."

Kira's attention turned to Azure who managed to make his way over to the large window on the eastern wall. Hopefully gazing out to the beach before turning back at Kira with a pleading look.

Kira smiled at Azure, rubbing his head as he pleaded. "Ya know, back on the ferry I heard that Hoenn is often criticized for having too much water, you must be in second heaven though."

Azure gave a happy bark before turning his attention back to the beach. "Yeah yeah, I know. We'll head out in just a bit, just let me get ready first." Kira explained, giving Azure one last pat on the head before turning to her bag. Digging through it for just a moment she pulled out a mesh bag with a pair of goggles, a blue one piece swimsuit and a set of colorful rubber sticks with sand in them. As she went to change, her attention was directed to a slate grey tail poking out from beneath the bed.

"I guess I can leave her out of her ball for a while, the doors got a lock so she shouldn't be able to get out." She thought to herself as she reached for the bathroom door. "Please Nyx, don't prove me wrong..."

*****

"Alright Azure, round five! Let's go!" Kira shouted, throwing the rubber sticks out into the ocean. Landing with a small splash both Azure and Kira charged forward towards the sea, Kira breaking into a freestyle stroke as the water got deeper while Azure quickly rolled along the top, leaving behind an icy wake as he did so.

Azure, making it to where the dive sticks landed first, halted in place for a moment before surface diving directly downwards. Kira, still a bit of a way out, took a deep breath and went ahead and dove towards the sticks. Flutter kicking her way about nine or so feet underwater she quickly found one of the sticks and pushed herself back up to the water's surface.

With a quick sprint back to the shore Kira started her pile just as Azure broke the surface of the water once again, one of the dive sticks in his mouth as he quickly rolled back towards the shore. Not leaving room for Azure to catch up, Kira quickly sprinted out towards the ocean again.

After a couple minutes all ten of the sticks were retrieved, Six for Kira, Four for Azure. Kira, exhausted, fell back on the beach as Azure gave her an annoyed look. "Sorry, guess I threw them a bit too hard, good diving practice for you though huh?" Kira said with a coy smile.

Azure, still frustrated, rolled over to one of the towels they set up and nested himself in it as he rested. "Still as sore of a loser as ever I see..." Kira thought to herself.

"Hey, that's your pokemon right!?" a female voice asked as she walked towards Kira.

"You mean Azure? Yeah, he's with me." Kira replied, looking up at this new woman as she walked towards her. She seemed a bit older than Kira, maybe by a year or two and was quite a bit taller as well. She had brown hair and eyes and was wearing a rather stylish two piece suit.

"You don't mind if I pet him a bit do you? I've never seen a pokemon like him!" She pleaded, looking down at Kira with a bit of a sparkle in her eyes.

"Sure, go for it." Kira replied, inviting her over with a wave.

The woman smiled as she took a seat next to Kira, petting Azure behind his ears. "My name is Clare by the way, yours?"

"Kira" she replied, offering her hand forward.

Clare smiled as she delicately shook Kira's hand, quickly turning her attention back to Azure afterwards. "I saw you two out in the water, were you playing, training or what?"

"A mixture of both." Kira started off, leaning back on her hands. "Azure gets rather homesick if he's away from the water too long, I figured I'd help him with his diving a bit as well. He's pretty fast on the surface but once you get him under the water he begins to struggle."

"Well of course he has trouble, his fins are so tiny!" Clair said, poking at Azure's fins a bit as he rested. "Are you training him for contests? He's really cute and seems to keep rather calm when given attention like this."

"Contests? No no no, not at all, that kind of stuff really isn't for me." Kira quickly answered. "I'm here to challenge the league myself, Azure is just used to the attention is all."

"Aw, it's a bit of a shame, with a bit of practice I'm sure he could do so well!" Clair responded, smiling down at the Spheal. "You must be here because of the rumor then!"

"Rumor?" Kira asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Yeah! I heard a couple people talking while I was out shopping the other day! Was just about the only thing I could hear in all honesty." Clair said offhandedly, rubbing her ears at the memory of it. "Apparently one of them found something really rare deep in Granite cave the other day. I'm not really a trainer so I didn't really catch what but they seemed really excited about it."

"Really? I guess it might be worth checking out... I need to buy a lantern or something anyway, might be a good excuse to try it."

"Do it! Let me know how it goes as well! Here I'll get you my number!" Clair said excitedly, digging through her pack.

"Sure thing!" Kira replied with a smile.

*****

With the mesh bag hung over her shoulder Kira entered her room, followed closely behind by Azure. "Hey Nyx! We're back!"

Rather than being greeted by the small fox however, a young girl in a tan jacket was resting on the bed. Short, redish hair, pale skin, It was almost like looking into a mirror, yet something seemed off. As she locked eyes with Kira, she quickly hopped up from the bed and greeted her with a smile.

"Hello, Who are y..." Kira began to ask, pausing just as common sense began to take hold. "Nyx really? This again?"

Nyx kept smiling as she stared on, ducking and retreating to the opposite side of the bed as Kira tried to grab at her. "Come on Nyx, Last time you did this you almost got me thrown in jail." Kira complained as she chased after the mischievous fox.

Nyx jumped a bit as Kira made her way over the bed rather than around, retreating towards the back of the room as with a gleeful skip in her step.

Kira quickly pursued Nyx, quickly managing to corner her in the space between the desk and the wall thanks to the small space. "Alright, got you!" Kira said, keeping a wide pose in an attempt to prevent Nyx from slipping past her. Nyx gave a fearful look, yet still seemed to be overjoyed in some way. Her form's soft dewy eyes looking up at Kira.

"Wait... Why am I this much taller than you?" Kira asked, looking Nyx over. Comparing heights, Nyx only seemed to come up to Kira's shoulder. Not only that, upon closer inspection she seemed much more youthful as well. As if she was simply a younger version of herself, just wearing the same clothes as earlier.

"We just met, a few days ago, how do you know what I looked like?" Kira asked, looking Nyx over one more time before shaking her head. "Whatever, I'll look into it more later." She resigned, swatting away at Nyx's illusion.

Fading away in a puff of black smoke, the now small fox looked up at kira with a bit of a disappointed look.

"Save it for tomorrow Nyx, I've got an idea."

Spoiler:

Evily · Nov 2, 2020

Shunana Kamado

Saturday, September 19 {12: 00pm}
Epoch 2: Dewford City
Quick Dewford Entry! Rush to Granite Cave!

After the small kidnapping by Souei and forced to change her hair, she left to her room and decided to stay for the rest of the day, not wanting to risk another kidnapping. She decided to save the new outfit for later use and replaced it with her everyday outfit, the same one she came to Hoenn in. The next day, she waited until it was almost time for the Ferry Terminal to leave for the next town to leave the PC, signing out of her room. She speed walked towards the terminal, looking around to see if Souei was nearby. Luckily, she reached her destination without the male popping up.

My pink hair… all gone! It was one of the few memento's I had of my parents, remembering how my mother had pink hair… but father did have midnight black hair like I do now… Shuna shook her head, clearing away the thoughts. That doesn't matter! He still didn't ask me for permission! And just because he paid for the treatment doesn't mean she'll forgive him! She wasn't a doll he could dress up whenever he wanted!
Now, she was on the ferry, on her way to Dewford!

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

Shuna walked out the docks, looking at Dewford in awe, "Amazing…" She looked around at the small, but lively town. It looked amazing and she couldn't wait to start exploring! But before she explores the town, there's one place she wants to check out first…

"Alright… time to see Granite Cave!" uttered Shuna with a determined expression, fist-pumping the air with her left arm. Beside her was Finn, who cried out in excitement at hearing his own trainers with his arms raised up, and Pidge, who was standing on her other side, lifted one of his wings, imitating Shuna.

- - - - -Granite Cave - 12:30pm - - - - -

Shuna walked through the caverns, the pathway illuminated by skylights and artificial lights placed on the cave walls. She passed a couple people every few steps, she wasn't surprised at the amount of tourists here. Granite Cave is very beautiful and doubted anyone would pass up the chance to see the wonders up close.

She stopped when she heard a faint, high pitched squeak from nearby, trying to listen closely with all the tourists talking and shutter of cameras. She slowly walked over to where the sound was coming from, but she couldn't see an opening to looking into. She placed her hand on the wall and felt around, then noticed a medium sized hole at the bottom of the wall, big enough for a small pokemon to fit.

She kneeled down and placed her head close to the hole, looking with the available light. She saw a glint of silver and two ruby red orbs, but it was too dark to see anything else. She got her last Oran Berry and placed it at the entrance of the hole after she sat up, waiting for whatever was inside to come out. After a few minutes, nothing came out, but Shuna continued to wait. When it reached the 30 minute mark, Pidge was beside her, leaning on her as he rested while Finn was sitting beside her, looking at the tourists walking by. He would wave once in a while, either earning strange looks or waves back.

Shuna was bored, but she was determined to wait. She heard a faint, high-pitched squeak and turned to the hole, seeing a young Aron poking it's head out, looking at the oran berry. It poked the berry with it's armored head, looking at Shuna, before moving backwards into the whole quickly.

"It's ok… I won't hurt you." Shuna assured the pokemon, she could see it's ruby red eyes and it's silver armor slightly. They hesitated before slowly poking out, grabbing the oran berry and moving back inside. She heard munching, guessing that the pokemon was eating the berry. She brought out her Holotch and held it in her left hand, waiting for the pokemon to appear again. It took about five more minutes before they poked their head out, looking at Shuna with slight fear and curiosity. "Hello there. My name is Shuna," Shuna then motioned to Pidge and Finn, who were both on each side of her, "and these two are my friends, Pidge and Finn." Finn waved at the pokemon while Pidge cooed.

Before she could say more, her Holotch lit up, showing the information on the pokemon. Shuna read and smiled, looking down at the pokemon, now Aron. "An Aron? But it's different from the color the pokedex shows…" She looked at the picture the Holotch provided, then at Aron. She was about to look back at the pokedex when she noticed something wrapped around Aron's upper left leg. She slowly lowered the Holotch back into her pouch, leaning a bit closer to Aron to get a better look. Aron noticed and started to walk backwards, but stopped, as if waiting. Shuna noticed a leather strap with a small device attached wrapped around Aron's leg, it looked awfully tight.

"Aron, is it ok if i take that device off? It looks awfully right and like it might hurt…" Shuna asked, not wanting to frighten the pokemon. Aron looked at Shuna, confused for a second before looking down at the device on it's leg. It flinched, looking up at Shuna with hope, nodding its head without hesitation.
Shuna turned to Finn, "Can you hold up Aron?" Finn chirped as he nodded, grabbing Aron and raising him up a bit. Said pokemon panicked for a sec, but stopped when he noticed Shuna grabbing the leather around his leg. The teen tried to unlatch the device, but she couldn't find the latch or how to take it off. If she just pulled it off, it could hurt Aron… if only she had some scissors...

"Is everything ok?" a voice asked. Shuna looked up and saw a woman with navy blue hair tied into a ponytail, blue eyes, and wearing a pokemon ranger outfit.

"Ah… Miss, I think Aron is hurt…" Shuna replied as she motioned her head towards Aron's leg. The ranger kneeled down and looked at the leather closely, but when she noticed the device attached to the leather, her eyes narrowed.

"I see... " She grabbed some scissors from her pocket and carefully cut the leather as Shuna brought out two potions. The ranger returned the scissors as Finn placed Aron down, allowing Shuna to spray the potions so help the pokemon heal. Once the potions were emptied, she placed them in her hip pocket to throw them away later, looking back at Aron.

Aron looked at it's foot, moving it for a bit before letting out a happy, high-pitched squeal, trundling in a circle. The ranger chuckled before standing up, holding the leather with the device, "Thanks for informing me, young lady."

"No problem. And thanks for helping Aron," Shuna bowed as she stood up, "I should get going though. I have to check in at the PC before I come back here for the tour." Shuna turned towards the direction of the entrance, followed by Finn and the ranger, telling the ranger of how she found Aron. She didn't notice someone else following them.

*Minutes later - Granite Cave Entrance*

"Thank you again, lady. Good thing you informed me." thanked the ranger, standing at the entrance with Shuna a foot behind her, watching as tourists came into the cave and some left. She turned around to Shuna, but chuckled when she looked behind the girl, "I see he took a liking to you."

Shuna was confused at the rangers' words. At first, she thought the ranger meant Finn, but the mudfish Pokemon was beside her, not behind her, and Pidge was returned to his Pokeball. She turned and saw Aron behind her, trundling as some tourists ignored him and others took pictures, pointing at the pokemon. "Aron?"

Said pokemon looked up and saw Shuna looking at him, letting out a high-pitched squeak. He hastened his walk until he was right beside the girl, rubbing his head on her leg.

"Do you plan on catching him?" Shuna turned to the ranger, surprised at the question. "The pokemon here are usually friendly, but Aron must have been a bit afraid of humans after that tracker was placed on him forcefully and hid away from others. I believe that you were the only human who actually took the time to wait for him and didn't try to force yourself on him. That got you some brownie points. And the big points were after taking off the tracker."

Aron made another squeak, nodding as he cuddled up. Shun kneeled down, causing Aron to move a bit as she placed her hand on his head. Aron pushed his head further into her hand, trying to grasp for more warmth. "Do you want to come with me?" Aron stared at Shuna for a bit before nodding as fast as he could.

She grabbed a pokeball from her pouch, placing it beside the Aron. "If you wish to come, you just have to touch the white button in the middle. I won't force you, it's your choice." Shuna watched as Aron stared between her and the pokeball, before turning and pressing his head to the white button. The pokeball opened and a red aura surrounded Aron, absorbing the pokemon inside before closing, the button beeped and flashed red three times, then stopped, letting out a 'ding'.

Welcome to the team, Agro the Aron. Shuna smiled as she grabbed the pokeball, standing back up.

"Shuna, right?" Said teen turned, seeing the ranger was standing behind her with a smile, holding the tracker in her palm. "Can I ask you a favor?"

*Outside Granite Cave*

Two males stood outside the cave, one was working on a computer while the other was looking at a phone. Computer man had long blonde hair tied into a high ponytail, steel-grey eyes behind black-rimmed glasses, had pale skin, and wore a white dress shirt with navy blue jeans. The other was a young male with brown hair, steel-blue eyes, tan skin, wore a blue artist hat, a brown dress shirt, a black vest, black fingerless gloves, blue jeans, and light brown scarf. The blonde looked to be in his early twenties while the other was a young teen.

"Sir," called the blonde male, looking at the teen at his side.

"It seems that the tracker has moved, Acier." commented the teen, looking down at the phone. "I want you to go and follow whoever has the tracker. I'll look in the cave for awhile."

"Yes sir." the blonde, Acier, bowed before standing straight, walking towards town with his own phone out. The teen watched as the blonde walked away, and once he was out of sight, he looked towards the cave.

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

Enter Agro the Aron!

Spoiler:

Current Team:

Spoiler:

Inventory:

Spoiler:

Aquacorde · Nov 3, 2020

Chapter 3: Your Brain Gets Smart

The southwest corner of the mainland is sheltered by rocky coasts and trees galore, quite unlike the urbanized peninsula of Slateport or the flattened shores of Dewford Island. The weather near the sea is primarily breezy, though occasional still fogs roll through some mornings. It's much warmer further inland, where the wind has trouble reaching- not quite the sticky heat famous in the tropics, but definitely cutting it close.

AREAS
Route 104 South & Petalburg City

POKEMON
Chewtle, Corphish, Dewpider, Meowth, Poliwag,
Skwovet, Slakoth, Slowpoke, Surskit, Teddiursa,
Totodile, Wurmple, Zigzagoon, Galarian Zigzagoon

Route 104 South

Trainer Route #104 South is also known as the Petalburg Coast. The route is undeveloped and left to nature, with three exceptions- the Ranger Station at the border of Petalburg Forest, the small collection of docks and homes on the southern peninsula, and the paved trucking road between that and Petalburg City. The coastline's rocky beaches are much less swimmer-friendly than those in Dewford or Slateport, but you're likely to find an abundance of hikers and fisherpeople in their place!

Briney Port
The southern peninsula is technically its own small town, known as Briney Port. It is the Petalburg area's only true port, something which has caused tension between the port village and the city in the past. The villagers are very adamant about their own identity, and any implication that they are citizens of Petalburg is taken with great offense. Otherwise, they are amicable- they have to be, as they are the faces of the area! Anything that isn't shipped directly to Littleroot makes its way through here, including travelling trainers.

Breezy Seas, therefore, operates ferries out of Briney Port. Service from Dewford to Briney Port runs at 12pm and 4pm and from Briney Port to Dewford at 11am and 3pm; a one-way trip is two hours long.

PROMPT: wily wooloo

IC: There's someone in Briney Port desperately asking everyone in sight if this meticulously groomed Wooloo with a little bell around its neck is their Pokémon. They're not sure where it climbed onto their ship, but they suspect it came from Littleroot. However, this ship isn't due to make a stop there for another week, and they simply don't have time for a detour. Or the capacity to care for a Wooloo aboard a ship. Will you walk it back to Littleroot and find its home? Will you? Please?
OOC: You now have a level 20 Wooloo that likes to wander. No PokéBall to put it in or anything. Otherwise, treat it as your own Pokémon- give it levels if you battle with it, feed it, love it. Littleroot isn't far away but it certainly isn't close. Only one person may do this prompt, so I will ask everyone to express interest or disinterest for their character. If more than one person expresses interest, I will roll a die to determine who will take the Wooloo.
Reward: A Wooloo, for now. Find out more when you get to Littleroot!

The Point (Fishing Spot)
IC: The Point, a collection of natural rock formations to the north and west of Briny Port, is open to fishing from September to December and March to May. Many fisherpeople are willing to lend a pole to a wandering trainer for the low cost of a few hours' company.
OOC: Roll once. 30% chance of Poliwag, 30% chance of Slowpoke, 10% chance of Totodile, 30% chance of an item. This roll does not count toward your 3 rolls for Route 104 South. You may catch what you pull regardless of if you've caught other Pokémon in Route 104 South. You may not SCAN here but you may use your guarantee.

Petalburg Forest Outskirts
Petalburg Forest is currently closed to humans and guarded by well-equipped Rangers. Shroomish hatching season creates spore clouds in massive quantities; you can see them blooming on the horizon. Other species that normally live in the forest are sheltering on the outskirts, many gathering around the Ranger Station itself. Yes, this is annual. Nature be like that. Does this sound familiar? Maybe. Regardless, trainers are currently barred from taking the forest path to Rustboro.

WURMPLE
"Extremely docile. There's always a lot of them." [Common - 40%]

SLAKOTH
"Lazy but numerous." [Uncommon - 25%]

SQWOVET
"We've been keeping an eye on their population since they made their way into the area and they're starting to get out of hand." [Uncommon - 25%]

TEDDIURSA
"It's been a good year for Ursaring and their cubs are thriving. However, it's very difficult to separate the cubs from the parents. Trainers, take note." [Rare - 10%]

Ranger Station
The local Ranger Station is a beautiful old house situated just south of the forest's treeline. Normally, only four rangers stay here at a time. However, beginning in mid to late September, they have to call in a lot more help.

PROMPT: census-taker

IC: While most of the rangers are patrolling the forest at this time of year, some have to stay behind and keep an eye on the displaced Pokémon, making sure they don't cause trouble outside of their usual area. While rangers would never ask for help doing something potentially dangerous, they do make it known that trainers can help in other ways. Specifically, by spending a few hours tallying Pokémon!
OOC: Characters will spend four to six hours tallying displaced forest Pokémon, accompanied by a single one of their own Pokémon. The chosen Pokémon will gain two levels and a pair of Safety Goggles fitted for them- as in, they can only be used by that Pokémon.

Petalburg City

Petalburg City is a fairly large settlement, though of course nowhere near the size of Slateport. Its southern edge is technically the somewhat cliffy seaside, but most buildings are further inland. The coastal winds cool the shady neighborhoods and the smell of the sea is evident even when it can't easily be seen. The city is home to the usual amenities- a Pokémon Center on the west side, a Contest Hall in the northwest near a large lake, a gym, and a wide variety of shops. It's a calm city, and most places are closed by 8pm.

ZIGZAGOON
"An accidental release of several illegally owned pets have caused a recent population boom." [Common - 40%]

MEOWTH
"Wild Meowth are often found working with Zigzagoon. Due to the increase in the latter's population and therefore an increase in their ability to accumulate resources, the former's population is also increasing, though not at quite the same rate." [Uncommon - 25%]

SURSKIT
"Found mostly on and around Lake Petalburg, though they can be seen playing anywhere in the city after rainstorms." [Uncommon - 25%]

GALARIAN ZIGZAGOON
"In early July, several illegally owned Galarian Zigzagoon were released into the city. They have since mingled with the native population. The Galarian breed is much more aggressive than its native counterpart." [Rare - 10%]

Petalburg Gym
Petalburg's gym is in the north central area. It is a rather nondescript building, more functional than fancy. The official gym leader is a down-to-earth older man by the name of Norman, but he hasn't fought his own battles in several months- he's been handing them off to his intended successor in an attempt to get the man used to the position.

Wally Greene, then, has been doing his best to find his footing. He may be an extremely strategic and flexible trainer- he'd have to be, to have his name in Hoenn's Hall of Fame!- but studying the way of a gym leader is a much different process than he's been used to. Right now, he is emulating Norman even to the point of having a normal-type team, but this seems to be causing him to trip up in various ways…

Wally accepts challengers from 8am to 11am and 2pm to 6pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Challengers may choose singles or doubles, and may use two to four Pokémon. Wally will use an equal amount. The first trainer to have all their Pokémon deemed unable to battle loses. Wally's preferred doubles team is Indeedee + Indeedee but will also use Vigoroth + Kecleon to accommodate 4v4 doubles.

To anyone that defeats him, Wally will hand out the Balance Badge, some prize money, and a nervous apology for being a poor gym leader. Norman dislikes the last offering, and will offer kind but firm criticism of both parties in its place. Victors will also receive a TM copy of any one status move that Wally's team members know.

DELCATTY - Female - "Berry"
Normal . Cute Charm
Foresight . Assist . Copycat . Covet . Sing . Wake-Up Slap

DUNSPARCE - Female - "Persephone"
Normal . Serene Grace
Magic Coat . Coil . Ancient Power . Baton Pass . Headbutt . Water Pulse

INDEEDEE - Female - "Deedee"
Psychic/Normal . Own Tempo
Psycho Shift . Heal Pulse . Terrain Pulse . Helping Hand . Ally Switch . Draining Kiss
Will heal herself by using Heal Pulse + Draining Kiss on her partner.

INDEEDEE - Male - "Indy"
Psychic/Normal . Psychic Surge
Ally Switch . Protect . Magical Leaf . Psybeam . Mystical Fire . Endure
Both Indeedee use Ally Switch frequently to place this guy in prime attacking position.

KECLEON - Male - "Leon"
Normal . Color Change
Skill Swap . Psybeam . Camouflage . Shadow Sneak . Lick . Shadow Ball
Skill Swap to force Color Change onto opponent. Camouflage to change its own type back. Psybeam in case opponent is Normal type. Ghost type damaging moves to ensure super effective hits.

VIGOROTH - Female - "Sloane"
Normal . Vital Spirit
Slash . Night Slash . Shadow Claw . Taunt . Focus Energy . Roar

Contest Hall
Lessons and stage practises can be done whenever contests are not actively in session.

Monday: C-Rank Doubles, 2pm
Tuesday: D-Rank Singles, 3pm
Wednesday: C-Rank Singles, 2pm
Thursday: D-Rank Doubles, 3pm
Friday: C-Rank Doubles, 2pm. B-Rank Doubles, 6pm.
Saturday: D-Rank Singles, 11am. B-Rank Singles, 3pm.
Sunday: D-Rank Doubles, 11am. A-Rank Singles [second Sunday] and A-Rank Doubles [fourth Sunday], 3pm.

Enomoto Pokémon Conservatory
The large, glass-domed conservatory lies in the south of Petalburg and is run by June's uncle, Tetsuo Enomoto. He's inherited the conservatory due to pressure from his family, being the only young adult with a license and no children or other responsibilities to take care of in the Enomoto family. Tetsuo has always been more interested in battling than conservatory work and he struggles to keep the place afloat. To that end, he has started charging an admission fee for visitors to the conservatory. Petalburg locals and the rest of the family were revolted by the decision, but the point stands that the conservatory has grown in popularity as a tourist destination, even to the point of hosting a small gift shop with rather basic merchandise. There is a large field behind the conservatory for those species that need to run, and a small, traditional home is attached to the building itself but is not open to visitors- Tetsuo lives here.

During weekdays, visitors may pay the small admission fee to walk a designated route through the conservatory, denoted by paved paths and fencing in certain areas. All kinds of Pokémon can be seen here, many not native to Hoenn. Catching Pokémon inside the conservatory is strictly forbidden, as many of the Pokémon belong to members of the Enomoto family personally.

OOC: Tetsuo is controlled by Kiki. Please talk to her if you have questions or would like to visit the conservatory! He also posts jobs on the board at the Pokémon Center.

Lake Petalburg (Fishing Spot)
IC: In the northeast corner of the city, a large freshwater lake and surrounding park grounds invite locals and visitors alike to enjoy its beauty. The sports center near the park entrance rents out things such as kayaks, life jackets, and fishing rods to those who don't own their own.
OOC: Roll once. 50% chance of Corphish, 20% chance of Chewtle, 10% chance of Dewpider, and 20% chance of nothing. This roll does not count toward your 3 rolls for Petalburg City. You may catch what you pull regardless of if you've caught other Pokémon in Petalburg City. You may not SCAN here but you may use your guarantee.

PROMPT: sailing away

IC: A group of local teens have been getting into boatbuilding, and their experiments have produced something that seems seaworthy. Or, at least, lakeworthy. However, these young engineers aren't quite the bravest in the world. They can be found loitering on the lakeshore, their sailing craft floating listlessly, while they argue about who should be first to get in. Hop in! Good luck...
OOC: A single character or a pair of characters together may do this once per day. The group is always working on their design, and needs test subjects frequently. Coordinate in the Discord if you would like to do this!
Reward: A few balls of this cool moss they found last week. (It's Luminous Moss.)

...but your head gets dumb?

Juno · Nov 4, 2020

2-4: Bijou Bootcamp

🏟️ Contest Hall 🕙 Sept. 20th, Evening

"Plié, plié, pirouette- I said pirouette!"

Marcella needed to do something to take her mind off of recent events. Unfortunately, she was kind of taking her frustrations out on poor Bijou. The harassed-looking Purrloin gave her an accusing glare as she raised her voice, before slinking away. "No—I'm sorry," Her trainer sighed, reaching out for a head scratch. She accepted, inching back a little closer. "That was a good try, I know you're doing your best."

Of the pamphlets she had gathered, only one had really stood out to her, so as soon as Bijou was released from the Pokémon Center's care, they'd set off to find the Contest Hall. And here they were now, completing their prerequisite class.

"You're a really good dancer," Her instructor commented, watching the elegant spins and turns from below the hall's stage as the pair went back to their practice routine.

"Thanks." She'd better be. Marcella had been taking ballet lessons since she was 5, though she quit when she turned 15 or so, and no longer had the lithe body type required to excel in the higher levels. Still, she never stopped dancing on her own terms, and her training as a ballerina allowed her to pick up other styles very easily. It's a good starting point for any prospective dancer, so she figured between her and the instructor's help, Bijou would pick up the basics pretty quickly. She was wrong.

"More importantly, though, she's really not." He continued, jutting his chin out at the less elegant Purrloin giving her best effort to keep up, but clumsily spun into a sprawl. Marcella sighed. He tilted his head to the side. "Could also do with losing a few pounds. But! Anyway, what I was going to say is: remember that the focus is on your Pokémon—you're just their coordinator. If you really want to participate in one of the upcoming contests this week, I suggest you play to any strengths she already has, rather than try to teach her your strengths, 'cause that could take a while."

She bit her lip as she considered his advice. "Mm... Yeah, you're probably right." As soon as her trainer knelt down, Bijou flopped over completely, with an arm over her forehead, and started panting more heavily. Marcella smiled. "God, you are such a little drama queen."

...Drama, hm?

"Say, suppose I want to switch up the routine a little bit... do you have time for a quick acting lesson?"

🏖️ Resort Cove 🕙 Sept. 20th, Evening

It was nice of the instructor to let them practice a little more - it was getting late, and not too many people were needing the stage, so they stayed longer than the allotted time to refine their act. It still needed some work and polish, but Marcella was feeling a lot more confident about the new direction they were going for their routine already. She wouldn't be able to do tomorrow's contest, anyway - it was a doubles category contest, and she only had Bijou. But that meant they had more time to practice and come up with more ideas.

They returned to the resort in time for dinner, then decided to make use of the fitness room after a short rest. Usually, Bijou lounges around and naps on various machines while she does so, but Marcella had different plans in mind today.

"Okay, Bijou. Up," She pointed at the treadmill as she studied the controls. Not too different from the one at home. The Purrloin inspected the machine cautiously. It certainly didn't look as comfy as the seat of the leg press. "You heard the instructor. You need a bit of exercise."

With a surprisingly swift turn, Bijou made her way to the plushier seat of the adjacent machine, but—

"No, no! It's not nap time, come," Marcella hoisted her up before she could escape and unceremoniously set her down on the belt of the treadmill. "We'll start slow, it'll be fine."

Pushing a few buttons, the track started to move under a reluctant Bijou, but she was eventually coaxed into staying on. Very unwillingly, she padded along next to her trainer, who was jogging at her own pace on the next machine over. The treadmill was set to pick up the pace gradually, and 15 minutes in, Bijou looked absolutely miserable and ready to drop at any moment. If she hadn't been promised a cookie at the end of this, Marcella had a feeling she would have been off the machine long ago.

"Mraow," she finally called out meekly, when she had hit the next speed stage.

Marcella couldn't tell if she was in genuine pain or her acting had gotten that good, but she relented anyway and freed the Purrloin from her dynamic hell. "Alright, alright. 20 minutes, very good." she reported, checking the time. "You've earned your cookie for today! I'll grab it for you when I'm done here."

Party

Purrloin ♀ // Bijou
Level 18 (+1)

Scratch
Fake Out
Sand Attack
Play Rough

Dear Diary

CHAPTER 2: LIVE FOR FUN

2-1: M.I.A.
2-2: Footwear Filchers
2-3: Cut Off
2-4: Bijou Bootcamp
2-5: Beached
2-6: Pearly
2-7: Showtime - ft. Avril, June, Tsu, Robynn, Shuna
2-8: Natsuko vs. Marcella - ft. Tsu
2-9: The Three C's
2-10: In/Dependent

Inventory

₱33,000 (-₱2,000 for Contest Pass)

Medium-sized leather suitcase of clothes
Rotom Phone (Sky Blue)
Fanclub Membership Card (Annual)
Luxury Balls x 5
Silk Scarf
Contest Pass

Trainer Info

Badges will go here, too

Groc · Nov 4, 2020

Edison Kintobor
Sunday, September 20th, mid-afternoon
Dewford Island, Granite Cave

Traveling this far into the caves is starting to exhaust both trainers. The ever-present darkness makes them jump at every sound, the air is stale and unmoving, which makes it feel hot and stuffy despite the cool temperatures, and a general sense of uneasiness is settling in due to not being sure where or even when they are. They've been going through a particular tunnel for a few minutes now.

"How long have we been down here, Eddie?" Sunny had turned off her Holotch light to preserve her dwindling battery, so she and Ed both stick close to Sputter.

Ed again instinctively checks his wrist, before remembering he removed the broken device. "Why are you asking me?" He grumbles, grabbing her wrist to point her Holotch toward himself.

"Sorry, I'm just used to you having the answers. You're always the one with the ideas and information, I just figured you had a good internal clock or whatever..."

Ed scoffs humorlessly. "Well, as you can see, I'm as fallible as anyone else. I'm not as smart as you need me to be, I'm just quick on the draw with my tech. ...it's a little after 4. Our tour started at 10, so we've been in this cave for six hours, these lower tunnels for about four, and probably lost for the past hour."

Sunny frowns at Ed, pulling her arm away. "Don't get short with me, Eddie. And stop beating yourself up. That's my job."

Ed sighs in frustration, taking a moment to clear his head. "Sorry. I just... feel useless. I guess I've always been 'the smart one', and I've based a lot of my identity- and apparently worth- on my intelligence, and losing even a little of it is making me doubt myself."

"Wow. That's… a lot." Sunny leans against a wall, trying to catch her breath. "But, if it makes you feel better, you didn't lose anything. You just can't take shortcuts right now, so you have to work harder to show how smart you are. But you aren't smart just because you have or can easily find the answers. You're smart because you're willing to look for them in the first place."

Ed smiles at her. "Thank you. I needed that pep talk. You're a good friend, Sunny."

He takes the lead, stopping when they reach a branch in the tunnel. The two paths seem identical in size, implying they were formed by the same source. He checks both tunnels, deciding to take the left path. "Let's go this way. The air doesn't smell as stale. Maybe there's an exit this way, letting some air in."

Sunny grins as she pats his shoulder. "See? So smart."

After a while, the tunnel opens into a natural cave. The walls glitter as Sputter's light reflects off crystals embedded in the rock. A large stalagmite rising from the floor sits almost perfectly in the middle of the chamber, which is otherwise empty save for a massive pool on the left side. Ed is somewhat dismayed that the room appears to be a dead end, positive that they would find some way out.

Sunny turns her light back on to better see in the cave, and points to the ceiling over the pool. "Well, you were partially right. That's where the air is coming in." A narrow chimney leads through the ceiling and likely to the surface, possibly the source of the water.

Though disappointed, the fresh air in this cave is refreshing, and Ed sends out his Pokémon to look at the pool. He keeps an eye on Gremlin and Aster in particular, but they all happily approach and drink from the pool. Sunny sends her other two out as well, and they decide to take a short rest here.

Ed heads to the pool himself, looking it over and drinking some of the water. It's cold, and surprisingly crisp. "Fascinating… look here, the sandstone must act as a sort of natural filter…"

"Hey Eddie, check out these rocks!" Sunny waves him over to the stalagmite. Five feet in diameter at its base, the pillar is broken roughly four feet up, forming a sort of table in the center of the room, the top of which is slightly bowl shaped. Sitting in the center of the "table" are three round stones, which shimmer with many colors and possess a sort of marbled pattern in the center.

"₽500 says these are those Key Stones that Tsu heard about!" Sunny gleefully picks one up to see it better in the light, and it seems to shine as she holds it.

"Quite possibly. Probably, even." Ed picks up one for himself, noting how small it is. His also shines slightly, although he isn't close enough to the Holotch light to make it do so...

"Then this is perfect! We can give her the third one when we get out of here!" Sunny reaches for the third, but stops as a deafening roar echoes through the cave, along with a crashing of water.

Their Pokémon run away from the water's edge as a massive serpent rises from the depths. It glares at the humans with red eyes, it's mouth is full of large, flat teeth, and its skin shines like polished steel.

Ed fumbles with his satchel, retrieving his Pokédex. "It's a… Steelix?!" The Ranger database doesn't say anything about Steelix in this area. "Where did this come from?"

"And why was it underwater?" Sunny backs up a step in concern. "I thought Ground types hate the water!"

"Well, logically, Onix are doubly weak against Water attacks as they are both Rock and Ground type. But Steel types are neutral to the Water type, so Steelix aren't as weak to it as Onix are. Maybe after it evolved it relishes in its relative resistance?" Ed rambles as he backs up alongside Sunny, terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought so he defaults to logic and reason to try and cope.

Steelix roars again as it emerges fully from the water, as if trying to impress upon the young trainers that yes, they are being menaced by a 30-foot long iron snake and will you please take this seriously.

Sunny's Pokémon stand their ground between her and the Steelix. "Well if it's a Steel type, we can melt it down as easily as we do Neo! Sputter, hit it with Ember! Flare, use Fire Fang!"

Ed pulls Neo back, knowing there isn't much they can do against this foe. "Quickly, Gremlin, baffle it with Confuse Ray! Aster, aim a Water Gun at it!"

Gremlin shines an eerie light in its eyes, while Aster hits it with a stream of water. Sputter's purple flame impacts its metal body, while Flare leaps at it with a mouthful of fire.

Steelix seems unfazed by any of it, and waits until they're done to attack, smashing it's massive tail on top of Gremlin. After that one hit, she's knocked out cold.

"I don't think our attacks are doing anything to it…" Ed returns Gremlin, sending Addie in her place. "Try a Metronome, maybe we'll get lucky."

"I think we're just not hitting it hard enough! Keep it up, everyone! Striker, get in there with Reversal!"

Water Gun, Ember, Fire Fang, and Reversal all hit, without even slowing Steelix. It slams its tail into the ground, and a pillar of stone rises up to strike Flare, knocking him out. Addie's Metronome results in Ally Switch, and he teleports over to Flare, swapping places with the Darumaka and getting him out of the fight.

"I have an idea, Eddie. Aim your Water Gun at Striker. If we can weaken her, Reversal becomes stronger! It's a desperate tactic, but I think it will work."

"It's as good a plan as any… Aster, Water Gun on Striker! Addie, Metronome!"

Aster blasts Striker with water, and her orange aura flares up as she charges in. Steelix shrugs off another Ember, and its head starts spinning 360 degrees like a drill, crashing onto Addie with a Double Edge before he can complete his Metronome.

Striker crashes into Steelix, actually managing to push it back! Only by an inch or two, but it gets the Iron Snake's attention.

"Sunny, this isn't working! I think we need to leave. Now!" Ed tries to pull her away, but she resists.

"Just let me grab that Key Stone!"

Steelix turns to look at Sunny, eyes narrowing. It dives straight down into the rocky floor, somehow filling in the tunnel behind itself. It then bursts from the floor in the center of the room, coiling protectively around the stalagmite table.

"Sunny, please! It didn't come out until we found those Key Stones. It's protecting them! If we leave, it probably won't follow us!"

"Unless it wants the other ones back!"

Steelix glances at the table, then back at Sunny. It roars furiously, exhaling a stream of cobalt blue gas that washes over Striker and knocks her out.

"Why did you say that?! Return the Stones and let's get out of here!" Ed pulls out the Key Stone he'd taken, and Steelix turns to him. Neo and Aster put themselves between him and the Steelix.

"Rampardos, go! Hit 'em with Brick Break!" A new voice calls out, and Ed is startled when an actual dinosaur rushes past, running headfirst into the Steelix. Steelix recoils from the hit, cracking the stalagmite it's wrapped around.

"Howdy, kids! We doin' alright?" A short blonde woman in a cowboy hat, the owner of the Rampardos, stops to check on Ed and Sunny.

Two smaller Pokémon, both fluffy and glowing, bound ahead of the human arrivals to flank the Steelix and Rampardos, looking expectantly to the other adult making his way into the cave. The man's shaggy brown hair falls into his eyes as he nods to Edison and Sunny.

"Summarize," he says, stoic and clear even over the Steelix thrashing in the background.

"We fell in a hole and we followed a tunnel." Sunny offers, while Ed shows his Key Stone. "Steelix came out of the water after we took the Stones from the table."

"Hang on, lemme see that!" The woman tries to grab it from Ed, but he instinctively moves it out of her reach. "Dang it! Harper, he's too tall!"

"Ask him, then." A flash of light reveals a pink Jellicent who immediately sets to drawing water from the pool into a whirling vortex. The Steelix hisses as the whirlpool grabs at its tail.

"Oh, fine… will you please lemme see that Stone?" She holds her hand out expectantly.

Ed glances over to Sunny, who discreetly slips her hand into her jacket pocket and nods at him. "Of course." He offers it to her, but she becomes distracted by a low rumble coming from Steelix.

Sand starts swirling around Steelix, whipping up into a Sandstorm. But it hardly has time to get going before Harper says simply: "Sunny Day."

Sunny flinches at his words. "What? Wait… how do you know my name?"

It's Flareon that springs into action, summoning a ball of light that pushes through and disperses the vortex of sand.

"Oh, you meant… right."

The water drags at Steelix, inching further and further up its long tail and it turns on Jellicent, exhaling a blue beam that punches Jellicent back toward the wall of the cave. "Save!" Harper yells, and Umbreon jumps between Jellicent and the wall to let a summoned translucent shield take the impact and send Jellicent spinning back toward Steelix. Jellicent redoubles its efforts with Whirlpool while Harper snaps, "Emmeline! Collateral!"

"Huh? Oh, shoot, that's right!" Emmeline grabs another Poké Ball, sending out a Bronzong. "Put 'em to sleep with Hypnosis!" Bronzong floats over to Steelix, a steady gong sounding from within its body.

Steelix recoils from the sound, but it can't escape the whirlpool. Its eyelids sink low, and its head droops before crashing to the floor, snoring softly.

"Sorry, Harper… I forgot…" Emmeline lowers her hat, covering her eyes as she looks at the ground. "You know how I get around these Stones an' the like…"

Harper strides to her as Jellicent carefully puts all the water back into the pool. Stopping in front of her, he takes just his first two fingers and tilts her hat back up. "I know," he murmurs. She looks into his eyes and smiles.

"I'm going for the Stone!" Sunny whispers to Ed while the adults are distracted. She creeps forward, but Steelix snorts in its sleep, making her jump.

"Oh, hol' up…" Emmeline looks away from Harper, tossing a Heavy Ball at Steelix. The massive serpent is pulled inside, the ball clicking shut after a moment. "There we go, he won't be givin' us any trouble now. So, uh… about that Stone?"

"Right. The Stone." Ed looks over at Sunny. "It's right here." He offers Emmeline the Key Stone, casually standing between her and the stalagmite table. Sunny takes the opportunity to try and grab the other Stone.

Emmeline looks it over, pulling out a journal from her back pocket. "Looks like a Key Stone, alright! But this one's much deeper in… if y'don't mind, we'll be keepin' this."

"I… suppose that's fair… You did rescue us. Does that sound fair, Sunny?"

"Yep!" She casually leans against the stalagmite, grinning in faux innocence. "Sounds good to me! There's nothing left for us in this cave, so… we'll just be going!"

Ed shakes his head, trying to warn her not to oversell the bit. "Actually, we're just a bit lost…"

"Don't lean on that." Harper says to Sunny. "Go up the tunnel, take the other path."

"The… other path…" Ed sighs. "Of course… thank you. For all you've done."

Emmeline is busy sketching the room in her journal, so barely notices them leave. Harper nods once and watches them go- specifically, Sunny, as if making sure she doesn't lean on any more cave formations.

The two follow his directions, taking the tunnel back. Once the two adults are out of sight, Sunny proudly pulls both Key Stones from her pocket. "One for you, one for me! Shame we couldn't get one for Tsu, though."

Ed accepts the Stone, again noticing the faint shine it emits in his hand. "Yes… a shame. I hope she's alright."

Sunny shrugs, putting her Stone back in her pocket. "She's probably waiting for us at the Station. That's how those two Rangers found us. She told them what happened to us."

"Then let's hurry back. No need to make her worry any longer than she has to." Harper's directions are spot on, and soon the cave is lit by the late afternoon sun and a few strands of light. They emerge outside near a Ranger Station, where they get a guide to take them safely back to town.

[PKMN FULL] Hoenn: Square One [IC]

♫ following where my arrow goes ♫

Perish Song?

2-1: M.I.A.

CHAPTER 2

Perish Song?

Perish Song?

2-2: Footwear Filchers

CHAPTER 2

Perish Song?

Perish Song?

Perish Song?

2-3: Cut Off

CHAPTER 2: LIVE FOR FUN

Always follow your Dreams ~

Shunana Kamado

Saturday, September 19 {12: 00pm}​Epoch 2: Dewford City Quick Dewford Entry! Rush to Granite Cave!​

♫ following where my arrow goes ♫

2-4: Bijou Bootcamp

CHAPTER 2: LIVE FOR FUN

Saturday, September 19 {12: 00pm}
Epoch 2: Dewford City
Quick Dewford Entry! Rush to Granite Cave!