[PKMN FULL] Hoenn: Square One [IC]

Groc · Sep 12, 2020

Natsuko Soyokaze
Saturday, September 19th, afternoon
Dewford Town

Tsu stops to stretch after getting off the ferry. This one was considerably smaller than the one she'd come to Hoenn on, with no room to walk around or take pictures. It had been a sort of snap decision, boarding the ferry so early, but standing here in Dewford, she's glad she made it. Leaving Slateport feels right, like actually starting her journey.

She pulls out her PokéNav as she and a dozen other people leave the dock, giving Aunt Nyamo a call. She picks up on the first ring, as though she'd been waiting for Tsu's call. Or just playing on her phone, no need to be dramatic...

"Hi Aunt Nyamo! I made it to Dewford! The trip was long, slow, and boring, just like you said."

"That's great to hear, Tsu! I wish you would have stayed for longer, though. We barely got to spend any time together!"

"That sounds fun, but it's not much of a journey if I don't go anywhere, you know? Besides, I had to leave before I got too comfortable. Like a bandage, right? Just rip it off and get it over with."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that leaving us was so painful." Nyamo laughs, and it makes Tsu smile to hear. "We'll have plenty of chances to talk. I know you'll keep me posted. Any idea what you'll do first?"

Tsu had to think about that. "Probably get more information. It's a small town, but there's plenty to do here. There's a Gym and a Contest Hall, so I'll probably check those out at some point. But I should probably check in at the Pokémon Center first."

"That's my girl! Remember to use your head. If you want to see the country, you need to be smart about it."

Speaking of Pokémon... "Oh, how's Sandygast doing? He's not a hassle, is he?"

"At first, but I think he's settling down. I think meeting Rena was good for him. He probably just needed a friend." She sounds slightly smug about that. Rena is Aunt Carrie's Mightyena, and Natsuko can only imagine how that meeting went.

"Well, that's good. Sorry to just leave him like that, but I don't think he'd like going traveling with me." And, to be honest, she doesn't want to travel with him, either. "And if he's too much, you can always release him back into his home."

"Sure, but with my help, he could learn to behave, and I might take him to class with me. I think the kids would love playing in a sandbox that can play back."

"What? Aren't you afraid he'll try to eat them or something?"

"Not at all! He'll probably just absorb a little bit of energy from them, and if he spreads it out, they'll barely notice! Maybe they'll actually go down for nap time this way..."

Tsu stares at her screen, shocked and amused at the same time. "Aunt Nyamo, that's horrible!"

Nyamo laughs at Tsu's expression. "I'm just kidding! Hey... how'd it go at the Contest Hall? Did you get signed up?"

"Yeah, but I didn't compete. I was going to, but... I think I just got nervous. That's why I got on the ferry. Just needed to move forward, I guess."

Nyamo frowns, but her expression softens. "Natsuko... you have nothing to be nervous about. These Contests are supposed to be fun! Just get up there and be yourself! Show how wonderful you are and how skilled your Pokémon are. I'm sure you'll do great. Especially with how much the Contest Pass costs."

"No need to worry about that! It was only ₽2000. You know how Dad is, I probably have more money than you do right now."

Again, the humor went out of Nyamo's face. "That's not fair, Natsuko. And you shouldn't be so cavalier with your money. It's all fun and games until your check bounces, and then where are you?"

Tsu winces, making a mental note not to joke about money with a teacher. "Sorry, Nyamo. I'll be more careful, I promise."

Nyamo sighs, taking a second to compose herself and give Natsuko a smile. "Take care of yourself, Tsu. I'll let you get back to your journey now, but give me a call later. I'm sure Carrie would like to see you, too. And maybe call your parents, if they're not too busy. I love you."

"You too, Aunt Nyamo. Bye!" Tsu hangs up, wandering aimlessly while she collects her thoughts. She heads south along the pier, stopping at a small shack to get directions. She notices a sign, offering rental gear for fishing at a local Fishing Spot for only ₽500. Despite the conversation she'd literally just had, she eagerly takes the man up on his offer.

Embyr · Sep 13, 2020

Name: Kira Wolf || Day: Saturday, September 19 || Time: 9:30AM
Location: Slateport City

A New Dawn's Battle!

Kira took a deep breath as she took a step onto the gym floor. She's battled in front of a crowd before however it was far different from back at school, at least she knew the people there. Her heartbeat was rising, nerves getting to her. She'd been on a losing streak since leaving school, what if it continues in front of all these people?

From the other side of the stadium Benji enters, casually waving at the audience as they applauded. As he got into position he turned to Kira and addressed her with a smile "Welcome to Slateport Gym, Kira! The crowd isn't making you too nervous are they?"

Kira stood stiffly, shaking her head in response "Not at all, just feels a bit strange is all." she lied in an attempt to conquer her nerves.

"Well don't let it distract you, they're just here to watch a good battle is all." He said confidently as well as reassuringly. "I figured this time, since we have such an enthusiastic crowd this morning, I might use one of my favorite combinations, I hope you don't mind." With that, the crowd cheered loudly as Benji sent out his two pokemon. One being a large, blue mouse-like pokemon with large icicles acting as a shell, and the other being a large green pine cone with eyes.

Kira sent out her two pokemon without any hesitation, knowing for certain who she would be using well before Benji revealed his hand. From one ball Azure the spheal happily barked as he appeared, his rocky helmet barely fitting on his head. From the other, a snowy white Vulpix struck a battle ready stance, holding an oran berry.

"Nice Vulpix, reminds me of the clubhouse's mascot." Benji complimented. "In any case though, we'll start on your call."

"Right, then let's not waste any time." Kira said, wasting time. "Azure, Aqua Ring! Kit, Hone Claws!"

The two pokemon bide their time, Azure creating several rings of healing water while Kit sharpened her claws against each other, staring down the other two pokemon across the battlefield.

From the other side of the battlefield the sandslash let out a roar, as it did so a dark cloud formed over the indoor battlefield, chunks of ice crashing down from them a moment later. The Pineco, with a quick spin, scattered rocks all across the battlefield.

"Hail against two ice types… He must be planning something weird. Kit! Get prepared to interfere! Azure, lay on some pressure with Brine on the sandslash!"

Azure happily barked in affirmation as he breathed in for his attack. Kit, somewhat discomforted by the hail falling on her, took a point in front of the spheal.

With a command from Benji, the sandslash began to perform a dance, several spectral swords joining it shortly after. As he began however, Kit sprang into action, sprinting forward towards the mouselike pokemon. With a combination of Azure's attack and a body blow from Nyx, the sandslash stumbled back as Kit took his place just as the spectral swords finished their dance, pointing directly at Kit. With a surge of energy, kit let out a cry as she gained a bright red aura around her.

Benji blinked rapidly, somewhat taken off guard by Kit's move. "Nice! That's not a vulpix, is it?" He asked with a knowing smile.

"Not one bit." Kira called back with her own smile, hers however being much more sly. "Nyx! Go in with fury swipes, keep the pressure up! Azure! You too!"

As Nyx charged in, a sharp layer of ice formed around the sandslash's claws. Quickly thrusting forward, the sandslash managed to land several blows on Nyx, ending her illusion. However, while the sandslash trumped Nyx on speed, she made up for it in spades with power. With every strike of sandslash's Nyx struck back with her claws, staggering him a bit with each blow. Their scuffle took a brief pause though as a blast of water struck the sandslash in the gut, the pineco spinning frantically around striking Nyx in the opposite direction. Nyx, chewing on a berry, shook off the unexpected strike.

"Keep pushing! Take down the sandslash and it's two vs one!" On her call, Nyx charged forward one more. As she took a blow from Sandslash's claw she disappeared with a black puff of smoke. As he looked around for where she disappeared to, Nyx reappeared in the air, right behind the sandslash. Before he got the chance to properly react, Nyx pounced on him with a fierce swipe of her claws, sending him tumbling to the ground, disappearing in a bright flash of red light shortly after.

As Nyx celebrated with a victory cry, she was struck in the side of the head by a stone flying across the battlefield. The pineco, its source, spinning frantically around, knocking rocks every which direction in a frantic scatter.

"Alright, It can't take both of you! End it!" Kira cheered. As the both of them shifted their attention however, the pineco's spinning slowed down for just a moment before drastically picking up in the opposite direction, spewing out large, billowing clouds of sand as it did so. While Nyx recoiled against the sand and spraying rocks Azure, still unscratched, shot a salty stream of water at the Pineco, knocking it back.

Kira gritted her teeth as she evaluated the battle, she knew Nyx already ate her berry and likely didn't have much stamina left, if she could get a strike in while juiced up though the battle was as good as over. Azure on the other hand was completely fine, but could he handle it on his own? "Nyx, take cover behind one of the rocks and wait for an opening! Azure! Keep applying pressure!"

Nyx scurried out of view, hiding in the shelter of a nearby rock as Azure and the Pineco duked it out. The pineco span all over the battlefield, Bobbing and weaving around rocks as Azure struggled to land a shot. Charging forward, pineco ramped forward from one of the rocks and struck at Azure, taking some recoil from Azure's Helmet as well as a direct, salty stream of water from the spheal.

Giving up on the direct approach the pineco took cover behind one of the rocks once more. Its spinning slowed down for just a moment before picking up in the opposite direction once more, spewing more rocks across the battlefield. However, as it did so, Nyx pounced from her hiding spot nearby, slashing at the pineco with her claws as it was distracted. Finally, despite it's valiant attempt to fight back, the pineco fell, the sandstorm petering out shortly after.

A sharp whistle rang across the battlefield as the referee raised his hand into the air. "Final pokemon knocked out! The winner is the challenger, Kira Wolf!"

As the crowd cheered Kira pumped both her arms and screamed at the top of her lungs, thrilled that her losing streak ended in the best way possible. Unable to contain herself, Kira rushed onto the battlefield and picked up Nyx. Hugging her close as she knelt down to pet Azure across what little of his head was exposed.

After giving her a moment to celebrate, Benji walked over to where Kira was settling down, a large smile across his face. "You really showed my sandslash a taste of his own medicine today." Benji complemented, reaching out to shake Kira's hand. "I never go easy, but I'm always happy to see the challenger win, well done!"

Letting Nyx down, Kira stood up properly again and accepted Benji's handshake. As he released, he left a badge in Kira's hand. "Congratulations on your first major step to the League.

Kira, crying as she looked at the badge in her hand, merely choked out "Thank you" in response.

Spoiler:

Eleanor · Sep 16, 2020

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

Written with Evily as Shuna Kamado and WizardOfOdd as Katrina Purcell & Jack Tenenbaum. Group messages written with the help of Cubism as Jordie Hughes.

Pokémon / Inventory:

AVRIL'S MONEY: $4 500 (-2 000)

AVRIL'S TEAM:
🌼 Poppy (Flabebe) - ♀ - lv. 19
Flower Veil
Synthesis, Fairy Wind, Razor Leaf, Lucky Chant

🌼 Hydrangea (Shellos) - ♀ - lv. 15
Storm Drain
Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Recover, Mud Slap, Mud Sport, Harden

KATRINA'S TEAM:
❄️ Aurora (Alolan Vulpix)

JACK'S TEAM:
☄️ Braveheart (Metang)
☄️ Muchorin (Darumaka)
☄️ Kaplan (Wingull)

SHUNA'S TEAM:
🌺 Finn (Marshtomp)
🌺 Pidge (Pidgeotto)

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

AVRIL'S CONTACTS:
Jordie, Shuna, Natsuko

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

Have we met before? You seem familiar.

Friday, September 18^th - about 4:30 pm - Slateport Contest Hall

Shuna, 2:00 pm:
Hello! How are you guys doing today?
I managed to help a lifeguard with moving the Stunfisk today, although he left panicked for some reason… It was weird…
Anyways, I was thinking of trying out the contest and wanted to ask if either or both of you guys wanted to join and meet up for it?

Jo, 2:01 pm:
i… have to train gabby and neon for the gym so honestly don't think i will go
neon is the stunfisk i caught 2day btw
and he is sooo stubborn omg :(
maybe @Avril would like to??
re: contests
she said she would like to try them at some point iirc

Avril, 2:15 pm:
Yes! Up for it once license is ready :)
What time, Shuna?

Shuna, 18/9 2:20 pm:
I think around 4-4:30 pm.
Does that sound good?

Avril, 2:22 pm:
Yeah, I think… <3

~~~

"I don't know, Kat... This doesn't seem like a good idea." Jack grimaced as he hesitantly entered the hall following his friend that was already waiting for him.

"Don't worry, I understand that you're hesitant about this. But, it'll be a shame if we don't try it even once, no?" Katrina smiled widely as she looked back from her wheelchair.

Not wanting to argue against something that's actually true, Jack took a deep breath of resignation before he walked slowly towards what appeared to be the registration desk with Katrina.

After a bit of explanation, both of them confirmed all the details they needed. But when the time came to temporarily hand over their newly obtained license to the receptionist for registration, Jack hesitated to give his.

Realizing Jack's expression, Kat tried her best to be understanding of his situation. "Um… We can do it some other time if you don't feel good…"

"Oh… Oh, no… Um… Well, it's not like I can escape the topic of contest forever. Might as well try it once." Jack finally relented and gave his license.

For some reason, Jack felt a strong urge to walk away since he entered the hall. But he couldn't leave Katrina alone.

Well, what's the worst thing that could happen anyway?

"I wonder where Avril is…" Shuna sat at an empty table close to the receptionist's desk, leaning her hands on the table as she held her Holotch in one hand. She glanced down at the device, seeing the screen light up and show the current time. 4:20pm… There's still time… She glanced at her other hand and saw her new trainer card that she obtained about half an hour ago at the Pokemon Center.

She remembered going to the PC after finishing up the small job, being followed by Souei. Once she arrived, she asked if her trainer card was ready, but there was about a few hours left, so she decided to clean herself up from the sand first and then eat some food before coming again to check on her license. After a few hours of waiting, it paid off: her license was ready. Once she obtained it, she decided to try out the contest hall, Souei left afterwards.

"I wonder what the contests are like?"

Kat glanced over towards the pink-haired girl, she seemed really nice. Maybe it's time for her to make new friends, just like what she discussed with Jack previously.

"Hey, Jack! I know we're… Jack?" Her smile suddenly changed into a confused look as she realized that Jack was glancing towards the pink-haired girl with a wry smile.

"I'm fine… It's just that… Remember when I told you that I graduated from a trainer school?" Jack whispers toward Katrina while averting his gaze back to the receptionist.

"Your classmate?" Katrina followed suit by whispering.

Jack nodded. It was the worst possible scenario… Why did she have to appear now? Of all people, it had to be Momo… Well, at least it's not Kira or Alice, he'd be doomed instantly if that was the case. Now, if he can stay put somewhere…

"Okay, you both are registered now. Please wait for further announcement." The receptionist politely returned their trainers' license which both of them hastily take to hide their identity from each other.

Both of them sat nervously for different reasons. Kat suddenly remembered what happened last night while Jack was trying his best to not mix up Bonjour and Bonsoir and screw up his cover like he did back on the ferry.

"Huff… I'm still in time, right?" Avril muttered to herself once she made it inside. "S-Shuna?"

The Flabébé on her head quickly took off and started flying around the large entrance hall, soon spotting Shuna sitting at an empty table. She boldly introduced herself with an excited chirp, before flying away once again and directing Avril towards her friend. "Hello there! Sorry for making you wait, Shuna! License is ready and all, though." The blondie called out, nearly tripping as she walked closer.

Shuna looked up when she heard a familiar voice, smiling as she held up a hand and waved. "Avril! You made it!"

"Y-yay!" The girl exulted in between heavy breaths. "Ok, we should get registered for the lesson now, right?" She took another look at the time. "The next one should start very shortly…"

"Now that you mention it…" Shuna looked at her Holotch and noticed the time. "Let's go register now." She placed the device in her hip bag as she stood up, clutching her trainer license/card in her right hand. Grabbing Avril's free hand, she walked over to the registration desk, ready to register.

Once they were in front of the desk, she let go of Avril, giving her an apologetic smile. "Sorry about dragging you. I'm too excited… I've never been in a contest before."

"Me neither, so I understand!" Avril laughed before turning to the receptionist and handing over her newly printed license. "I do have a good feeling about this. And I hope Poppy will like it too!" She then admitted to her friend.

Once both trainers were registered for the lesson, the receptionist gave them back their licenses. "So! You can either wait for the lesson after this one, and it will be only the two of you, or join the current group alongside… those two trainers. What would you prefer?"

Poppy was ready to answer for her trainer, but soon realized there was no need to intervene. "Right now is perfect! We're both too excited to wait, right Shuna?" Avril grinned, taking one more look at the two trainers the receptionist seemed to point at. They were a boy and a girl in a wheelchair… and she looked at least slightly familiar.

Shuna looked over at the two trainers, taking in their appearances. She took a closer look at the male, sensing something familiar. However, she shook away the thought. It couldn't be him…

By the time she and Avril were walking towards the two trainers, Poppy was already there. With her usual antics, she made sure to get noticed, twirling and chirping to announce her trainer's arrival.

"Of course Poppy was already here… sorry if she bothered you." The blonde girl apologized, before officially greeting the boy and the girl. "We've been told that we'll be part of the same group lesson about contests. I'm Avril, nice to meet you!"

"I'm Shuna, nice to meet you. Sorry to interrupt, but is it ok if we sit with you guys?" For some reason, the male felt familiar to her, but again, she ignored the familiarity.

"Oui, it's fine. I'm Jacques Tenenbaum, you can call me Jack. Nice to meet you guys!" Jack spoke with a bit of exaggeration in his tone.

"And I'm Katrina, nice to meet you guys!" She smiled warmly.

"Thanks for having us." Shuna slowly walked over and sat beside Katrina, placing her hands on the table.

"Très bien!" Avril giggled, grabbing onto Jack's accent and recognizing it as her own. To tell the truth, she sounded more confident and fluent than the boy, but just ended up giving him the benefit of the doubt and not giving it too much thought. "Hm… I don't want to be insensitive but…" The girl continued as she took a seat as well. "What happened to you, Katrina?"

"Oh, this? I wasn't careful when I went sight-seeing at the beach and I stepped on a Stunfisk while wearing slippers so… Yeah, I sprained my ankle as I fell down. Don't worry it's just a minor injury, the nurse said I'll be fine soon enough." Kat politely smiled.

"Aw, I hope you will heal soon…" Avril replied. "I met a few Stunfisk this morning, too, and it was not fun…" She sighed as Poppy appeared to be chanting something for Katrina to hear.

"Those Stunfisks give a real shock, huh?" Shuna flinched at the memory of all the shocks she got while handling the Stunfisk hours before. Pushing the memory aside, she looked over at Jack, the familiarity returning.

"Um.. excuse me, Mr. Jack. Have we met before? For some reason, you seem familiar…" Shuna cocked her head to the side, trying to figure out where she's seen the male before. She knows she hasn't met him before, if she had, she'd remember. Did someone she knew change their appearance, could that be it? ... Nah, I doubt it. If they did, I would have heard something.

"Non, non, non." Jack wiggled his fingers. "Désolé, Mademoiselle but I think we never met beforehand. Also, you don't have to call me mister… It's a bit awkward." Darn it… Do I really look so old that she didn't even recognize me at all? I mean I'm happy I'm safe, but this feels a bit bittersweet. Jack tried to keep his composure as he secretly glanced towards Katrina to make sure he didn't misspeak. Thankfully she didn't show any signs that he messed up so the show could go on.

"Oh… I'm sorry about that. Also sorry for mistaking you for my friend." Shuna bowed her head a bit. Yeah, the familiarity wasn't true, with that assurance, hopefully she can ignore it now. For a second, she thought he was Arthur, but it wouldn't be that easy.

This made Avril look at Katrina more carefully, too. Just like Shuna with Jack, the girl really looked like the one on the ferry's deck. She also got hurt after the ferry trip, so there's no reason it could not be her! She still didn't talk, though. She wanted to take some more time in order to be completely sure it was her.

Lost in thoughts, the blonde girl yelped in surprise when Poppy chirped loudly at her, pointing at the large clock in the hall. "Oh, it's time! Shall we?" Avril asks as she stands up from her seat, offering to help Katrina get to the counter.

The girl in question looks towards Jack with an anxious expression. But his friend smirks seeing this before standing up.

"Merveilleux! It's great isn't it, Kat? I never imagine we're able to find new friends here. You must be so happy right?" Jack giggles as he pushes his sunglasses up to his forehead.

"Mmm." Katrina shyly nods at Jack's playful statement, however it isn't a lie to say she's feeling really happy.

~~~

Now inside the backstage, the four trainers are greeted by a young woman with blue eyes and red hair, semi-curling over her shoulders. She's wearing a blue sleeveless blouse, a yellow business suit over it, a blue and white pleated skirt, white leggings, brown boots, and a gray scarf around her neck. "Hi there darlings! Welcome to where the magic happens!"

The introductory video that she proceeds to show is actually further proof of that. It encompasses most of what contests are about: the different tiers, the different rounds and their objective, some common strategies for beginners… but also shows some behind the scene action, and the atmosphere that you can feel there. The instructor stops the video here and there to focus more on certain topics, never without a smile.

As the lesson moved, the small group of students learned about the different aspects of contests:
They can register at the Contest Hall's registration desk, but they need their primary ID's, or their Trainer License, and their contest pass, which people obtain after doing the Contest Tutorial they are in at the moment. Other ways are through a special invite, but that is rare, and is usually for exhibitions for top-level trainers. Next is the rounds.
The first round is a themed challenge. Coordinators will interpret the challenge however they choose and have a two-minute time slot to present the judges and audience with their take.
The second round is a five-minute timed battle. Coordinators are judged both on their battle skills and on their ability to create a performance while still furthering their goal of knocking out their opponent.
The final round is the individual performance. This is where a coordinator's creativity really gets to shine. This is their planned, choreographed, best work that they are presenting to the judges. The average performance is around five minute, but each coordinator has up to ten.
This is what determines the winners.

"-and that's about it." The female turned towards the group of trainers behind her, sending a small smile. "Any questions?" Her smile turned into a smirk as she clapped her hands once, eyeing the group. "Don't feel shy! I won't bite!~"

Avril eyed all of the other trainers, hoping that they'd buy her some time, but her expectations weren't quite met. She turned out to be the first to ask something, in fact. "E-excuse me, do we need to keep our Pokémon in a Pokéball as we make our entrance?"

"Oh no, it's not required. But I definitely recommend it!" the instructor laughed. "You can add seals and throw your Pokéball up high for a grand entrance. Now… anything else?" She grinned.

Shuna gulped before slowly raising her hand. "Um… Will the accessories and outfits we need for the contest be provided or do we need to buy them?" She knew that contest used up a lot of outfits, but she didn't remember how people got them.

"We will have outfits and accessories already here, but you can bring in your own if you prefer!" the instructor smiled. "I'd say it's better if you bring your own, however. Whatever outfits we have there might not be to your preference or fit your bill, so it's better to bring something that makes you shine!"

"Oh, alright. Thank you miss." Shuna nervously smiled, lowering her hand. So she might have to call her grandparents for some money after all...

"No problem dearie!~" The instructor laughed cheerily before turning to the other students, "Any other questions before we move on?"

The four trainers glanced at each other, soon realizing that no one had any more doubts. So, they agreed to continue with the lesson: "All clear, thanks!" they announced with a smile.

"Alright then, please come this way!" The young woman beckons the four trainers to follow her as she walks towards a large red curtain. On the other side is the grand entrance to the now empty arena, the focal point of the whole contest hall, the point where all the spectators' eyes are pointed when they see a new participant for the first time. "Excited yet? It's time to hit the stage!"

Eleanor · Sep 16, 2020

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

Pokémon / Inventory:

AVRIL'S MONEY: $4 500

AVRIL'S TEAM:
🌼 Poppy (Flabebe) - ♀ - lv. 19
Flower Veil
Synthesis, Fairy Wind, Razor Leaf, Lucky Chant

🌼 Hydrangea (Shellos) - ♀ - lv. 15
Storm Drain
Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Recover, Mud Slap, Mud Sport, Harden

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

AVRIL'S CONTACTS:
Jordie, Shuna, Natsuko

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

Floating Razors

Friday, September 18^th - about 5:00 pm - Slateport Contest Hall

I've just watched a video praising the elegance and battling prowess of many great Coordinators. It brought back some fond childhood memories of the Pokémon Showcases I used to watch and made me even more interested in trying out Contests while I'm here.

Now, however, I am walking right where those trainers walked, and it's all happening in a matter of minutes! No one but the instructor is watching and the lighting system is not turned on, which makes everything a bit easier, but my mind and heart are racing nonetheless, trying to imagine what an actual contest would feel like. I nervously walk towards the place that the instructor has assigned me, listen to her carefully, and take some long breaths.

This is a rather self-managed practice session, it turns out. We're all given no real limitations, but also no cues or prompts: just get your Pokémon out there and try some combinations by yourself. Poppy is, of course, very happy to comply with this: not even the lack of a Pokéball of her own, to come out of in a grandiose, seal-powered entrance, seems to bring her down.

I'm the one who doesn't quite know how to start here: I make a mental note of the moves that Poppy has learned, but still don't know which could make up for a good, dazzling combination in this environment. I saw Ice Beams, Magic Leaves, Karate Chops, but never Fairy Winds for example. Luckily, my Pokémon has my back, and starts using some of her other moves as she floats somewhere in front of my eyes.

And so I learn that both Synthesis and Lucky Chant make Poppy glow slightly, and of different colors too. Fairy Wind leaves some tiny sparkles behind, while Razor Leaf creates some very sharp and frail leaves that usually just shatter the first time they hit something… but until then, linger in the air. It's all "experimenting", as the instructor says.

The first thing that comes to mind at this point is using Fairy Wind and Razor Leaf together, and play around with those leaves. Poppy tries to launch the leaves upwards and keep them floating in the air with a gente blow of Fairy Wind (we notice how a strong Fairy Wind can make her plummet to the ground, and we laugh about it for well over a minute), and we finally get to a decent looking combination after a while. Although she looks more at ease with individual lessons, she still does a great job when it comes to helping out all four of us, and is very good at reassuring us when a combination doesn't quite come off the way we expect.

From the looks of it, this is a very nice and positive environment, even compared to the Pokémon Showcases in my home region. The battle round still scares me a bit, but it already feels better than most "normal" battles for some reasons. I might have actually found a nice compromise between me and Poppy's ambitions… I smile slightly as I watch her try that combination once again.

There will be an actual Contest here fairly soon, the instructor lets us all know, before asking us how prepared we're feeling after her lesson. I don't quite consider myself ready, though. It's not her fault, it's not Poppy's fault, it's just… I still need to try out more stuff. Scene props, new moves, new accessories - if I really wanna do this, shouldn't I be taking this a lot more seriously? Plus, I'm still somewhat missing that "coordination" between trainer and Pokémon that the instructor has mentioned a couple times - at least, that's how I feel.

The red haired woman comes closer to me with reassuring words. She says it's all perfectly fine for a Rank D contest, the one category where all new Coordinators start out, and that most of the images she showed were from higher ranking Contests anyways. Now my question becomes… "Can I really get up there?"

My first guess is actually no. Nearly all the girls were wearing high fashion dresses and some even heels - definitely not something I see myself trying out anytime soon - but also had some great, fully evolved Pokémon. Not to mention, a great chemistry with them… which is probably the only thing that I already have, with Poppy in this case. If I sign up for some Contests, it will be just for some fun times as I keep going forward with this journey.

Poppy brings me back to reality by chirping loudly at me and showing me another successful attempt at her Floating Razors combination (fitting name, isn't it?). It is about in that moment that I decide, I'll just figure out things later. With Poppy on my head, I happily thank everyone and wave goodbye as I leave the stage, before walking all the way back to the Pokémon Center.

It's not as late as I thought. I have all the time in the world for the usual chores, but also to once again process everything that I've learned just now. Not like I care too much about it, at the moment. Shuna was right to invite me to this lesson, it really was nice, but the Contest Pass I was given at the exit doesn't really feel that special. It's just the key to a door I still can't be bothered to walk through.

QueenNothing · Sep 16, 2020

Thursday, September 17th, 2:15 pm

Junko Enomoto, or June as she liked to be called, stepped through the glass door of the Pokemon Center, her arms being occupied by a Blipbug who was being held up to the girl's chest. She entered wearing a straw hat and a green sundress. First thing on her priority list was to register with the Hoenn league.

"Welcome to the Pokemon Center!" A woman at the receptionist desk smiled. "How may we help you today?"

June blushed slightly as the receptionist spoke to her, but was able to shake it off quickly. "Yes, I'd like to register with the Hoenn league. I already have a foreign license, I'm from Johto." She explained as she moved her left arm away from Blipbug to scramble through her purse to find her license.

"I see." The receptionist examined June's license as she typed information into a computer keyboard before handing it back. "Well, I've entered your license information. All you need to do is wait twenty-four hours for your information to process and you'll be all set."

"Twenty-four hours!?" June slightly raised her voice, trying to hide any shock in her voice. The receptionist nodded.

June gently sighed and exchanged glances with her Pokemon. "Well, I guess that isn't that long. We can find something to do to pass the time, right?" Blipbug nodded cheerfully while his eyes seemed to flash bright pink lights.

Now that June had finally arrived in Hoenn, she figured it was a good idea to call her parents.

The brown-haired girl, now sitting in the lounge area of the Pokemon Center, grabbed her PokeGear from her purse and dialed a number that picked up almost immediately.

"JUUUUUUUUNNNNKKKKKKOOOOOOOO!!!" A loud, heavy, weary cried emitted from the small electronic device. June's eyes widened at the sound which drew the attention of other people in the lounge.

"Dad, are you alright?" June worriedly asked.

"I was so worried about you Junko, you have no idea!" Sniffling could be heard from the other end. "I should be asking you if everything is alright! Do you still have Blipbug? Did you forget to pack anything? Do you need any other Pokemon with you? Where are you now?"

"Don't worry dad, I'm fine." June attempted to pacify her father. "I only recently arrived at Slateport. I'm at the Pokemon Center right now."

"Oh, my little girl has grown up so much! I can't believe you're already setting out on your own, and in the Hoenn region no less!"

"It's really not that big of a deal, I've been to Hoenn many times before. Grandma used to take me shopping at the Slateport market when I was little." June reminisced.

There was a bit more sniffling before June's dad was able to reply. "You're right. My mom showed you around Hoenn enough, you don't need to be babied around. You're all grown up." This was followed by a loud eruption into tears. "I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! MY LITTLE JUNKO IS ALL GROWN UP!! I MISS YOU SO MUCH, PLEASE BE SURE TO STAY SAFE AND CALL OFTEN!!"

"There's no need to worry about that, you know I'll call you frequently!" June assured, smiling.

More sniffling from the other end was audible. "I-I should take care of some things. Sorry your mother isn't here, but I'll tell her everything! Goodbye Junko!"

June chuckled to herself. "Goodbye dad. Love you!"

June hung up, focusing her attention to the bug-type that laid right next to her. Blipbug seemed slightly annoyed by the noise earlier.

"Sorry Blipbug." She smiled. "My dad can be a bit noisy at times, but please forgive him. He misses his only child."

Now that she accomplished her top priorities, this gave her time to reflect on her thoughts. She hoped that first thing she'd be able to do was sail directly to Petalburg to visit her family's conservatory, but with the registration process taking an entire day that'd have to wait.

As a matter of fact, there wasn't really anything she could do at the moment. Pokemon contests and gym battles were restricted without a license, and even then her only Pokemon only knew two moves. Theoretically she could retrieve Pokemon more suited for these tasks than Blipbug from her family's conservatory, but she was set on using Pokemon she could find in the Hoenn region, and she chose Blipbug because the larva Pokemon had an irresistible charm that she couldn't resist traveling with him as her partner Pokemon.

After musing on the thoughts, June decided that she'd stroll through Slateport, and absorb the atmosphere. She hadn't been to Hoenn since her grandmother's funeral, so she might as well enjoy every last moment of her adventure.

Groc · Sep 16, 2020

Natsuko Soyokaze
Saturday, September 19th, afternoon
Dewford Town, pier

"Well hi there! Lookin' to try yer hand at fishin'?" The man inside the fishing shack is large and loud, but friendly enough. The sign reads "Wrangler Ralph's Rental Rods".

Tsu hesitates before approaching, taken aback by the enthusiastic greeting. "Y-yeah! You sell fishing poles?"

"Well, I rent 'em! But I personally guarantee that you can catch something at the fishin' spot over here! This yer first time?"

"Kinda... I spent most of my time in the city growing up. Not really the outdoorsy type."

"Well hell, girl! That's nothin' to be 'shamed about! Just let ol' Ralph teach you a lesson!" He heaves himself off his chair, grabbing an old rod as Tsu approaches. "Just ₽500, an' you can fish fer an hour or until you catch somethin'. Thank you... now, take this fishin' pole and follow me."

He grabs a cooler and leads Tsu to the end of the pier. The water is dark and calm, with occasional motion under the surface. Ralph teaches Tsu the basics of fishing, leaving her the cooler full of odd pink chunks.

"What's all this?" Whatever it is, it doesn't smell good.

Ralph just laughs. "Bait! My own recipe, mostly bug meat. Fish love it!" He heads back to his shack, leaving Tsu to throw the lure in the water.

☆☆A little while later...☆☆

Fishing isn't as fun as Tsu thought it would be. It was kinda peaceful, maybe a little calming, but after twenty minutes she's wishing she had a chair or a soda or something. She'd had a few close calls where she almost caught something, but didn't quite reel them in.

Ralph comes over to check on her after thirty minutes have passed. "Any luck yet?"

"I don't think they like me." Tsu grumps, her cheeks puffing slightly in irritation. Naturally, as soon as she says that, there's a bite on the end, and it's almost pulled from her grip in her surprise.

Ralph immediately steps in to help her hold it, laughing excitedly. "Woo! Come on, reel it in! Git 'er done, girl!"

With his help, Tsu pulls sharply on the rod, pulling a small orange fish out of the water. It has large lips and a yellow dorsal fin, while the pectoral fins, tail fin, and barbels are all white.

"Hey! I caught something!" Tsu grins widely at Ralph, who is already backing away. The fish starts flopping around on the pier, drawing her attention back to it. "That's a Pokémon... I'm gonna capture it!"

She throws a Pokéball, pulling the fish inside immediately. It shakes weakly, but the Pokémon within doesn't put up much of a fight and the ball clicks shut. Her PokéNav chimes as she recovers her Poké Ball. "Magikarp has been registered to your PokéDex!"

Now that she's fulfilled her promise to herself, Natsuko feels a lot better. She happily returns to the little shack, giving Ralph back the rod and cooler. He asks to see the Magikarp she caught, which she allows.

"Thanks again fer fishing! Looks like yer Magikarp is about 30 inches long! That's a little small, as far as Magikarp go. But she seems pretty healthy! See the barbels, here? On a female, they're white like this, but they'd be yellow on a male."

"It was actually fun! And I made a new friend. Have a nice day!" Tsu collects her Magikarp, heading further into town to check in at the Pokémon Center.

Eleanor · Sep 17, 2020

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

Pokémon / Inventory:

AVRIL'S MONEY: $4 500

AVRIL'S TEAM:
🌼 Poppy (Flabebe) - ♀ - lv. 19
Flower Veil
Synthesis, Fairy Wind, Razor Leaf, Lucky Chant

🌼 Hydrangea (Shellos) - ♀ - lv. 15
Storm Drain
Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Recover, Mud Slap, Mud Sport, Harden

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

AVRIL'S CONTACTS:
Jordie, Shuna, Natsuko

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

Grinning and blushing

Friday, September 18^th - about 7:30 pm - North Slateport Pokémon Center, Cafeteria

I don't let Hydrangea out of her Pokéball until it's dinner time and she's completely healed up. I just decided to take care of the usual chores by myself instead, thinking about how to introduce myself to a Pokémon that I had just caught: but now, this looks like a good moment to try. After all, there's food everywhere!

I call her out right in front of an abundant portion of Pokémon Food, which she immediately starts to munch without even looking at me. I'm somewhat let down by this, especially after hearing Poppy's happy chirping as I give her some slices of her favorite berries, but I can't quite blame Angie for this. She's just hungry like usual, right?

I haven't even finished my own plate when I feel something squishy on my legs and hear Angie crying out loud. "Quiet!" I whisper angrily, as I turn around and notice with dread how her bowl of food is already empty. "I'll get you some more later, but now I need to finish my own dinner… just wait a bit!" I say, but that's definitely not enough. I have to call Angie inside her Pokéball to make sure she doesn't steal food from anyone else, be it Pokémon or Trainer.

"That's a very hungry Shellos…" The boy beside me chuckles, and I look back, red in embarrassment. "Be careful with her and don't give in so easily!"

He has ginger hair, brown eyes, and many freckles on his face.

"Y-yeah?"

His chuckle turns into laughter, probably because of the way I'm looking at him. "Ok, I should explain. Shellos here usually like to steal food from tourists and beach-goers: an almost infinite source of easy food! But…" He raises his index finger. "That's not really a good attitude to have if you're someone's Pokémon. You'll need to be firm with her."

"Wait, how do you know…" I gasp. He already knows I caught Angie today? "I caught her today, yes."

He watches me nod awkwardly. "Most new trainers get a Shellos since they're quite common at the beach and rather easy to catch. I've seen so many fledgling Shellos at the Gym, you know!"

So he works at the Gym or something, uh? I'd rather make sure and hear more about this. "So you work there?"

I'm meant to challenge the Gym, probably tomorrow or the day after that. That's what Jordie, Shuna and even Natsuko have tried to tell me. That's what my family wants, that's what Poppy herself wants, that's what I'm here for. And personally, if I really was dead set on not becoming a trainer myself, I probably would still be at home in Kalos right now: deep inside there's got to be a small part of me who wants to be a good trainer, buried beneath… everything else.
I have to ask him to repeat his answer twice because I was so lost in thought. So embarrassing, I know.

"Yes, I do! I either help with organizing battles or let trainers get some warm-up as well… Right Leo?" He turns to a little, yet still menacing orange Pokémon eating close by, who nods happily with its huge head in between bites.

I look at the Pokémon more carefully, and so does Poppy from on top of the table. "So the Gym leader uses Pokémon like this one?"

"Trapinch you mean? No, Benji has some much stronger Pokémon actually. I'm nowhere near his level… Weather moves, Double battle strategies, and his Sandslash… oh, his Sandslash is. Just. Amazing!" I am almost surely shivering or something because I notice him trying to act more reassuring. "Oh, but don't worry, he's a kind trainer and eager to help you out with anything you may need."

I smile, but it comes off a bit forced. Not to mention I'm still munching on some of my own food! "Oh, idea! We can just battle tomorrow morning, me and you, as a warm up!" He suggests afterwards. "And it can be a double battle, just like Benji does all the time!"

In front of him appears… what actually looks like two small gears meshing together, as he activates another Pokéball of his. "This is my Klink, Libra." I notice Poppy looking even more warily at the new Pokémon, so I start keeping a watchful eye on it myself. "Together, my Pokémon will give you a training battle you won't forget!"

"W-wait," I mutter. I don't even know his name and he's so fired up about battling me tomorrow morning. "What's… your name…?"

"Oh! You can call me Orion! But what about you?" He smiles, or rather smirks. "Oh, my name is Avril." I reply, out of habit. I may have been better off without telling, but I'm the one who brought that up.

"That's a great name, Avril! Alright…" He continues, as I look funny at him. "Let's meet up tomorrow at, say, 9:30 am, in front of the Gym! All good?"

"I-I…" Why is this so hard to say! "You will… go easy on me right? I'm… j-just starting out."

"Of course… not!" He smiles back at me, giving me an unexpected nudge on my nose. "We have to give it our all no matter what! That's the only way to get better, isn't it Avril?"

Once again I don't quite know what to say. I keep quiet for a bit too long, however, because he starts talking again. "Looks like it's settled then! We'll meet tomorrow! And… don't worry about not doing well. Your Pokémon look both strong and healthy, and you look so promising as a trainer!"

This stuff all over again? I feel like I need to get a break, as small as it can be, from him and his enthusiasm for battling recklessly. Having finally finished my food gives me the right excuse to just get up, get a dessert for myself and Angie from the counter, and take some nice, long breaths away from this guy. Still… I can't resist offering to pick up a dessert for him as well.

I hear some distant chuckling as me and Poppy come back to our table with a bunch of berries and the two ice cream cups I got for myself and Orion. But… I get close enough for him to notice my pendant.

"Hey, that looks very nice! And…" He grabs it himself as I put his ice cream on the table. "Sounds nice as well! That's fairly rare here. Where are you from then?"

"Y-yes, it's a sound that calms me down usually." And by the way, you were rude for rattling it without my permission. "Also… I-I'm from Kalos."

We both start eating our ice cream as I quickly pull out my only Pokéball and hope that's enough to change the topic.

Angie appears once again, ready to swallow all the berries I brought her. Just as quickly, though, I have to call her back in her Pokéball! I'm merely half way through my ice cream and she's already finished with her dessert. Once again though, Orion laughs. "I bet you could make it climb mountains with the right reward. Even beating Benji should be a walk in the park!"

"That's… a lot of berries…" I chuckle in response.

"You can just give her ice cream, I'm sure she'll love it! I mean… I love it too of course. Nice choice of flavor!"

"T-thanks! It's one of my favorites."

"You know what?" Orion puts on an even wider grin than usual. "After tomorrow's battles we can just go and have lunch together! One of my favorite places, right by the beach. And the ice cream is amazing too!"

He's blushing, isn't he? Why can't I really tell until it's this late? Too bad I suppose, since I don't even like him and his enthusiasm that much. He's going too fast. "I-I…" My tongue doesn't quite want to say it, but I have to. "I may be busy tomorrow at that time, sorry…"

"Oh, it's ok. You know where to find me, don't you?" He immediately replies, without a sign of disappointment in his voice. "I'm up for it anytime!"

"Alright, I'll… I'll keep that in mind. See you around, Orion." I wave goodbye as I leave the Cafeteria and walk back towards my room. He seems to be following me with his eyes until I stop looking back at him, while also waving in response.

Looks like I just can't understand boys like him.

Eleanor · Sep 17, 2020

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

Pokémon / Inventory:

AVRIL'S MONEY: $4 500

AVRIL'S TEAM:
🌼 Poppy (Flabebe) - ♀ - lv. 19
Flower Veil
Synthesis, Fairy Wind, Razor Leaf, Lucky Chant

🌼 Hydrangea (Shellos) - ♀ - lv. 15
Storm Drain
Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Recover, Mud Slap, Mud Sport, Harden

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

AVRIL'S CONTACTS:
Jordie, Shuna, Natsuko

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

Erase and Rewind

Saturday, September 19^th - 9:00 am to 2:00 pm - Various locations around Slateport City

"Ohohoh, I think he just likes you! If I were you I'd feel flattered." Layla laughs from the other side of the screen.

"But I don't like him one bit!" I pout, facing my Holotch. Am I supposed to like him now? And to revel in his attempts to get my attention? He seems too fiery and stubborn for me, and I'm still angry that he rattled my pendant without asking. I'd just rather spend time with Tsu, Kat, or even Jo, when they're not training their Pokémon… or just jump to the other side of the screen, where my friend is. I miss you already.

"So what, Avril? Just train your Pokémon and win! You can do this." She puts a smile on Poppy's face, though not as radiant as usual. Maybe my Pokémon is concerned about something else… she never gives up a fight, after all.

I smile dryly at the camera. "Not sure about… well, that's not the point. He even wants to take me out for lunch and all."

"Well? Well?" Layla smirks. "He's going for a full date already, uh?"

"I know… he's being so kind and yet I can't do it. Maybe people in Hoenn are used to this?" I'd love to just tell him "yes" and make him happy but sometimes, people just ask too much from me. Or maybe I'm just scared and I should trust them, instead. "Doesn't feel quite right to me."

"I mean… you're not going to stay there forever, right? You have to move on to the next City once you get the local badge, I suppose. Where are you again?"

"Oh, Slateport. Right outside of the Oceanic Museum." I explain, as I show Layla around as best as I can. I actually didn't know I would've come here this morning: even after having breakfast, I just ran back into my room and laid down some more, mindlessly rattling my pendant and… nothing else. I pondered what to do to keep myself busy, because in spite of my feelings for Orion (or lack thereof), I felt a bit conflicted about lying to him.

Just as mindlessly, I started skimming through the Slateport City guide. Maybe not the best place for me now that I've spent more time here and the novelty has worn off, but I found a place that caught my attention and decided to spend the morning there.

I point the Holotch front camera back towards my face. "It was a lot more interesting than I expected, and Poppy loved it too! Long visit, but worth it. I read every sign, haha!"

"I'm glad to hear! And now, what are you planning?" Layla smiles.

"Oh… not much. I was just reading this flyer I've found at the museum, enjoying the breeze out here… and then you called. It's about the next place I may have to visit, Dewford." What I know about this place is that it's a much more cozy town on a separate island, but still has a Contest Hall and a Gym, among other things. There are small boats that will take me there.

"You're thinking ahead already?" My friend replies. "I just hope you'll have a great time there, just like this!"

Just like this, uh? A realization hits me. I've visited most of the Trainer hotspots in Slateport already, except - of course - the Gym. And I don't want to go there anyways, do I? The Gym leader is too much for me, I'm sure of it by how Orion described his strategy - and the fact I'm still rusty on all the things I've learned at the trainer school makes things worse. And then there's Orion who I'd just rather avoid.

I'm starting to believe things would just be easier if I just travelled somewhere else and hoped for a better welcome, so why not do it now?

"It's gonna be even better, Layla! Just wait until I call back!" I grin, as I finally seem to have found a meaning for the rest of today. Poppy looks somewhat proud of me.

RIght now it's almost lunch time, so I'll just get back to the North Pokémon Center, eat something there, and get back into my room. There, I'll just pack everything up and walk all the way here once again with my entire backpack trailing behind me. I'll get to the docks just in time, as usual, and board that boat to Dewford.

"Alright Avril, see you soon! I can't wait to hear from you again!"

"Sure thing, it's been amazing talking to you! Bye Layla!"

I'm sure of it now. I'll sleep in Dewford tonight.

QueenNothing · Sep 17, 2020

Thursday, September 17th, 3:00 pm

The Slateport International Market was somewhere June had many fond memories of. During her summer visits to Hoenn, her grandmother would frequently visit to pick up exotic fruits that were imported from far away regions. Today, June had a specific booth in mind she wished to shop at.

Strolling through the outdoor marketplace, she looked out for a familiar face. Once she spotted someone who resembled the person she was looking for, June made her way over to a booth that had a vast array of Pokeballs on display behind a glass casing. The person at the booth was very wrinkly, frail, completely bald, and was leaning his head back as he napped in a rocking chair.

"Mr. Yamiguchi!" June raised her voice in hopes to wake the old man.

The old man jolted his head up and checked his surroundings. "Wh- Who- Where am-" He shook his head and leaned back into his chair. "Apologies there miss, I was just taking a nap. At my frail age, I find it too easy to doze off." He titled his head upward to get a look at his customer, and widened his eyes at the sight of her. "Why, I don't believe it- June? Is that you?"

June closed her eyes and smiled. "Mr. Yamiguchi, I haven't seen you in three years! How have you been?"

Mr. Yamiguchi seemed to be in awe. "Why, June, I don't believe it! Look how tall you've grown! I remember when you were shorter than me, now taller than a Haxorus!" He let out a wheezy laugh before he noticed Blipbug resting on the girl's hat. "And you have a Pokemon of your own! I suspect that might be why your grandma is nowhere to be seen. She must be so proud of you!"

June's expression mellowed. "Yes, I'm sure she would be."

"Say, speaking of ol' Sachiko, how has she been? I haven't seen her since I last saw you."

June's face grew a bit melancholic. "Grandma peacefully passed two years ago."

Mr. Yamiguchi paused for a moment. "Oh...June, I'm so sorry for you, I…" He couldn't seem to find the words he was looking for.

June shook her head. "You have no need to apologise. Grandma always said to look to the future, and not to dwell too much on the past. I may miss her, but that has yet to get the best of me."

The old man grinned. "That ol' Sachiko always had a good head screwed onto her, and I'm glad you do too. Say, now that you're a Pokemon trainer now, how about you take a look through my selection here!"

The tall girl excitedly clasped her hands together. "Oh, right! Just what I came here for!" She reached into her purse to grab enough bills to make up 16,000 Pokedollars. "I'll take two Net Balls, please!"

"I'd expect nothing less from little June." Mr. Yamiguchi chuckled. "You know, I can throw in a discount just for you, two won't be enough for your journey."

June used her hands to shield herself
"Oh no, I couldn't! It wouldn't feel right!"

Mr. Yamiguchi chuckled again. "Ah, just like your grandmother. But I'm serious, you'll need more than two Pokeballs to get through your journey as a trainer. I'll throw in a free Premier Ball as a bonus, I'd feel bad if I left my old friend's granddaughter with only two Pokeballs.

June sighed. "Oh, alright." She handed over her cash to the old man and reluctantly accepted the three unique Pokeballs. "I'd buy more, but I lack the money."

"Y'know, in every Pokemon Center there's a bulletin board with odd jobs you can take up if you wanna to pay me the old fashion way."

"Well, I suppose I'll take a look at that. I'm sure this will be helpful through my adventure." June stuffed the three Pokeballs in her purse. "Thank you so much for your help Mr. Yamiguchi! I really appreciate it."

Once more, Mr. Yamiguchi laughed. "Anything for an old friend." The young trainer walked away, frequently turning around to wave goodbye to the old man. Hopefully when she next saw him, she would be able to pay for more Pokeballs.

Aquacorde · Sep 18, 2020

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

Marie Rachelle Mocinno

AGE: 17 ⟡ PRONOUNS: she/her ⟡ HOME REGION: Johto ⟡ DEVICE: PokéGear
DATE: Saturday, September 19 ⟡ TIME: 4:30 PM
LOCATION: In Transit to Dewford via Breezy Seas Ferry

Chapter 2 #01 - Ferry Friends

Marie drapes herself over the railing to watch the boat skip across the waves. This ferry is much smaller than the one that had taken her into Slateport; she can almost touch the water! Well, no, she's not that tall. But the spray is definitely close enough to soak her hair and shirt, so she pops back up before her bandana falls off with the weight of it.

The ferry is tightly packed, so the water tossed from Marie's thick hair doesn't have to travel far to hit something else - in this case, the lenses of a blonde girl's glasses, who seems to be caught by surprise and can't help but sigh. Marie turns toward the sound as the girl takes off her glasses and tries to dry the lenses on her dress. "Oh. Sorry."

"Oh… don't worry!" The blonde girl replies. "I should've expected that. But…" She stops as she reaches for her large bag and pulls out a small cloth, which she cleans her glasses with. "There, it's fixed!" She smiles.

Marie glances over the girl's big suitcase and light, flowing dress. Not a trainer look, really. Then again, this ferry certainly isn't only used by trainers. "Are you staying in Dewford for a while?"

"Well, I don't have any real plan, but I'll probably stay a few days, sure! What about you?" The blondie replies, putting the cloth away in her bag.

Marie stretches her long legs out in mockery of the blonde guy across from her, glaring when he dares look offended. "Depends how long this gym business takes." Okay, maybe she's a little sullen about losing. She has rights. "I don't know what else is there, though."

"Me neither actually…" The girl pauses for a moment and Marie hears an enthusiastic chirp in the brief silence. Weird. But the girl speaks again before she can figure out what it was. "All I really know is, there's a Gym, a Contest Hall, and some nice beaches not unlike the one in Slateport. But… how rude of us, we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Avril, and…" She nods as a little sprite on her head waves. "This is Poppy!"

"Marie Rachelle Mocinno," Marie replies promptly, with as nice a bow as she can do while seated and an offer of a handshake. All as she's been taught. "What's Poppy?"

Avril accepts the handshake, before moving her hand close to the side of her head. "Come!" She whispers, and what is surely a Pokémon lifts off from her head and lands on it. "She is!" The blonde girl announces, bringing her hand back down with Poppy still on it. "Well… She's a Flabébé."

"What's she for? Just a pet? Neither of you look like you battle."

Poppy pouts, while Avril looks down at her with a somewhat sad expression. "I am a trainer actually, and she's my first Pokémon! But…" She laughs, now looking at her bag instead. "Yeah, I guess I'm not that well prepared."

"Then train more," Marie shrugs. Simple as that, isn't it? That's what trainers do. "Did you lose to Benji, too?"

"I… didn't even show up actually." Avril sighed and shook her head. "Too afraid…"

"Afraid of Benji? He's nice," Marie says grudgingly. He's very nice, and she can't say otherwise even though her loss is still sour on her tongue. "He said Brawly's nice too. And easier to beat, or something."

"He may be nice but from what I heard, he's just too strong. I don't really think Poppy and Angie deserve to go through that, you know?"

Marie hums. "Maybe not. But if you don't fight, you'll never get stronger, and you'll never beat a gym at all. Unless they just hand out badges like candy or something. Besides," she says, reclining further and ignoring the muttering from the red-haired girl across the way, "Most Pokémon want to fight. It's like playing. Or exercise. Or both. Whatever. And if they want to, then you should learn to help them. A Pokémon fighting on its own is way more likely to get hurt than one that fights with a trainer. Or so my dad says."

Poppy seems to gush at Marie's words, buffing her tiny chest and looking all proud in Avril's hands. "How do I…" The girl mutters instead, grimacing. "My family works at the local gym and I've seen some battles. Powerful trainers desperate to win… Pokémon getting hurt…" Avril rattles her little chime pendant. "I don't have the heart to do this, I don't want anyone to get hurt. Things can go bad in no time."

Marie considers this. And considers the little flower Pokémon, now looking upset. Well, as upset as a flower can look. There's a lot going on here, and most of it she doesn't have a stake in and therefore doesn't care about. But she kind of likes this little fiery Pokémon.

And so she says, "She looks hurt already."

"She… rea-" Avril is interrupted by her own Pokémon, who chirps loudly and turns at her with an encouraging smile. The girl looks at her, then at Marie, then at her again… "You know I love you, Poppy. But I just feel lost!"

"Better find yourself, or whatever junk people say. Or Poppy might just find someone else." Oh, that might've been callous. Oh well. Looks like she's got a different problem, anyway, because the girl across from her stretches over and aims a kick for her legs.

"Hey, lady, do you need to lay down or something?" She glares right back at Marie, ignoring the boy next to her and his half-hearted protest of: "It's fine, really."

"It's been a cramped hour or whatever. So sorry." Marie makes sure the girl knows she means none of it as she primly and deliberately folds her legs back under her own seat, maintaining cool eye contact. Avril, who's apparently stretching her legs too without causing too much trouble to anyone, just lets out a chuckle, followed by a little chirp from Poppy.

The girl glares back, but grins at her friend. "See, Eddie? You just had to speak up." He doesn't say anything, but quickly stretches his legs out before returning to his normal posture, the whole time avoiding Marie's eyes.

Marie laughs at the blonde boy's awkwardness. Not unkindly, but definitely at him, and that sets his friend off. "Hey, what's your problem?!"

She starts to stand, and the boy puts a hand on her arm. "Sunny, calm down. This ride is uncomfortable enough without-" But she shakes him off, pointing an accusatory finger at Marie. "No, this bitch is asking for it!"

"And what, exactly, am I asking for?" Marie says easily, a smirk and a defiant tilt of her chin more of a challenge than her tone. Poppy keeps laughing at the two girls, but Avril looks much more worried. "Aw, calm down please! You're exaggerating!" She mutters, but her words are largely ignored as Marie stares Sunny down.

"You're asking for a fight, you ask me. I think someone needs to adjust your attitude, because you've been nothing but rude, even to your friend there!" She actually gets up during this, looking down at Marie.

Her friend just sighs, glancing over at Avril. "I apologize, she's in a bit of a mood… Sunny, need I remind you that we'll be on this ferry for over an hour? You're making a scene, and I don't think the lady or myself are bothered by her."

The blonde girl rolls her eyes. "I-I second that…"

Marie smirks. "Yeah, you're making a scene. I'm just trying to find some comfort. It's harder for tall people. Isn't it?" She nods to the blonde boy, who looks increasingly uncomfortable with this.

Sunny looks between the three, struggling to find words. The other passengers are indeed looking at her, and she sighs dramatically as she sits back down, pouting. "Whose side are you on anyway, Eddie?"

"There are no sides, Sunny. We're all just sharing a ferry." He puts a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she throws a light jab into his arm for it. He flinches, shrugging and chuckling at Marie and Avril. "Sorry to interrupt your conversation. Although, if I may add my input, I doubt you're in any danger of Flabébé leaving you, miss. It seems to be rather fond of you. But I agree, you may wish to spend more time doing what it likes to do."

Avril looks down at Poppy, who nods happily to her. "We've been together for years now. It's like we can't live without each other." The blonde girl then explains to the boy in front of her. "But thanks for the advice… Eddie was it?"

"Edison, actually. Or Ed, if you prefer. I'd rather not be called 'Eddie'..."

"Oh, it's like that?" Marie arches an eyebrow, glancing between the two.

"What?" Ed looks over at Marie, confused for a second, but understands the look she's giving. "Oh, well… I can't really stop her from calling me that. I've tried." Sunny smirks at that.

"I see." She'd had a passing thought, sure, but that's clearly off the table. Still, riling up the girl was fun. May as well keep at it. "Well, Edison, what brings you to Dewford?"

"We're just passing through Slateport, actually. I'm studying Pokémon and their techniques, so I'm looking for more Pokémon to capture. And Sunny-"

"I'm going to challenge Brawly at the Dewford Gym! Not to brag, but I'm a decent battler."

"No way you beat Benji, though," Marie sniffs, forgetting her agenda as the sting of defeat comes back to haunt her. There's no way. Not that Marie is good at battles, but Sunny can't be that good either.

"Wanna bet?" Sunny opens her jacket, showing the badge pinned inside.

Marie narrows her eyes and Avril rolls her own. Ugh, she's lost to Benji and now lost to this random kid by proxy.

Avril puts a hand over Marie's shoulder. "At least you tried…"

Marie shrugs off the comfort and resigns herself to glaring at the badge. This is stupid. She's only doing this for something to do on her way, not because she wants to be one of the great Pokémon trainers or anything. But seeing this annoying redhead flaunt this badge in her face, flaunt proof of being better than her…

"I'm gonna get Brawly's," Marie snaps. "Watch me."

"Don't feel too bad, Eddie didn't get Benji's either. Maybe it could be a race!" Sunny puts on a large, obviously fake smile, while Edison can only facepalm. "Sunny, please…"

Marie seethes, but plasters on a smile of her own. It may have a slight edge to it. She can use this, though. "If it's to be a race, we should make sure it's a fair one. How about you and I do some training together, Edison? Just you and me, out on the beach this evening." That's not incentive. What did he say he liked again? "I'll show you my Pokémon's techniques if you show me yours."

"I… well, that sounds interesting…" Ed strokes his chin in thought, while Sunny reacts in offended surprise. "What? Why just the two of you?"

"Well, why not?" Marie gestures at Sunny, finding the groove of faux gracefulness. "You're already ahead of us, aren't you? With your hard-won badge and all. And I assume Edison has seen your techniques plenty of times. No need for him to see them again, hm? But mine, well. That's an interesting idea, he says."

Sunny, apparently at a loss for words, turns to Ed for help, but he's still thinking it over. "There's some logic in that, sure…"

In her peripheral, Marie catches Poppy looking at her with interest and chirping with excitement, though her trainer seems a bit more distant and lost in thought. Oh, actually… "I suppose it doesn't have to be just the two of us. Avril here has two Pokémon as well. Wouldn't that be good for your research? Four Pokémon, and two girls ready and willing to show you their techniques…"

"Well… I tried getting into contests, so that's something?" Avril chimes in, eyeing Marie.

"Contests, you say?" The idea seems to intrigue Ed. "So you'd be using moves differently than you would in a battle. I think I might like to see that. Very well, Miss Marie, I think I'll take you up on your offer."

"Wonderful!" Marie claps her hands together, and looks Sunny straight in the eye. "It's a date."

featuring Loom as Avril Reese ⟡
and Groc as Edison Kintobor + Sunny Dey ⟡

Spoiler: Team

Spoiler: Inventory

Groc · Sep 18, 2020

Edison Kintobor, Marie Mocinno, Avril Reese
Saturday, September 19th, evening
Dewford Town, beach

"Alright, now that we're all here, let's begin." Edison sends out his Staryu, Aster. Avril had been a bit late, but Marie had been early, getting here even before Ed. "I'm curious to see what kind of Pokémon you both have."

Marie clicks the release on her two PokéBalls. A Natu settles on her shoulder and a Stunfisk gleefully and immediately burrows into the sand. "Stunnie, no!"

Avril backs away from Stunfisk, eyeing it warily while rummaging in her cloth bag and grabbing a Pokéball. Poppy lifts off from her head and starts to float around the beach, chirping and twirling around the girls and their Pokémon. "Alright, Poppy, it's time. Come on out, Angie!"

A Shellos appears in front of Avril and quickly turns towards her and… her bag. "N-no, this is for later!" The blonde girl complains as the Water type gets closer, following her with every step she takes.

"Quite the rowdy bunch… if we could focus, please!" Ed sharply admonishes Stunnie and Angie. "Let's start with something simple. If you Pokémon would kindly line up, we can start training!"

"She's still new…" Avril grimaces, before grabbing a small berry for her Pokémon. "Just focus and you'll have more, ok?" She then kneels down and offers it to Angie, who accepts happily and then… begs for more. Luckily, Poppy flies down to her and, with her continuous chirping, convinces her to obey Avril and Ed.

There's movement under the sand as Stunnie burrows to get at Marie's feet. The little jolt of electricity released is just enough for Marie to jump and shake out her foot. "No, stop that!"

Stunnie rises from the sand just enough for it to be very clear that he's laughing about his little prank. The Natu seems unaffected to the point of dozing.

"Ladies, please control your Pokémon." Ed strokes his chin as he observes. "Miss Marie, don't let Stunnie get away with that. If he doesn't respect you, he won't listen to you. Miss Avril, you need to be more assertive. Remember, you are partners, don't let Angie beg like that, or Poppy undermine you by stepping in for you."

Marie reaches down and picks Stunnie up by the tail, letting him dangle at her side, ignoring the little sparks skittering across her wrist. Stunnie doesn't seem bothered. "What do I do with him, then?"

"Be careful with it, I guess! I got zapped already once and hated every moment." Avril yelps out, looking worriedly at the taller girl but forgetting about Angie. Poppy is still trying to keep her busy, but the Shellos is more and more reluctant to listen to her, and is instead bothering Edison now. She chirps, desperate for attention, as she eyes his bag.

Marie shrugs. "It's not that bad when you're expecting it." Avril shakes her head, clearly in disagreement.

"Ahem!" Ed clears his throat, pushing Angie lightly with his foot. "Firstly, I don't have any food on me. You are being very rude. Miss Avril, come get your Pokémon. As for Stunfisk, it seems he's shocking you as a form of joke, or perhaps a display of dominance. If he's challenging you, then lay down the pecking order. Also, he probably needs an outlet for his electricity."

"I… uh…" Avril hesitates, but after looking right into Ed's eyes for a couple more seconds, she breaks. "Angie! Stop right there!" She shouts, as she walks closer to her and tries to pick her up. "I'm sorry Ed…"

Marie brings her Stunfisk up to eye level and glares at him. "Are you mocking me?"

They stare at each other.

"He thinks he's funny," she decides, and drops the flat fish to the ground. He doesn't burrow this time, just drapes himself across her shoe and sets to making the sand around her into mud.

"I promised you more berries and I'll give you more berries but now you better not be annoying, got it? You made him uncomfortable…" Avril whispers to her Pokémon, who at first looks unamused but eventually complies and crawls away from Edison. "Ok, let's get this done shall we? Try a Water Pulse on yourself, Angie! Show everyone what you can do."

Angie expels an orb of water from her mouth, shooting it straight up into the air. The orb bursts, and water showers down around the Shellos. Most of it is absorbed into her skin, leaving a shiny, slimy coat.

"Well, that's certainly something she can do! As an aquatic Pokémon, she probably needs to stay rather hydrated, but such rapid absorption is remarkable. If you don't mind, my dear, I'd like to try a water attack of my own. Aster?" Angie smirks at that.

The Staryu perks up, having practically dozed off waiting, and hops forward. "Aim a Water Gun for Angie, if you would." Aster points their top limb forward, drenching Angie with a steady stream of water. She doesn't dodge, and soaks up the water with glee. Ed consults his Holotch Pokedex. "She's not even bothered by it! In fact, such a deluge could even assist her in a fight! That's a useful ability. Have you trained with her much?"

"Not at all actually… I caught her yesterday morning, but kept her in the Pokéball most of the time." Avril explains. "But I saw her do this by herself."

"Well, this is an interesting variation on the technique. You say you're interested in Contests? I recommend learning her moves, and furthering your relationship with her. For now, she mostly seems hungry, and I doubt she sees you as more than a source of food. Perhaps work on that?"

He glances over to Marie, who is making her way out of the newly formed mud puddle. "And what's all this, then? Still acting up?"

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" Marie grumbles, nudging Stunnie towards Ed with her foot.

"Figure out why he's acting like this. The point of this exercise was to help make our Pokémon stronger, to forge stronger bonds between Pokémon and humans. And because I wanted to see what they could do." Ed crouches down to look at Stunnie. "Am I boring you? Is there something you'd rather be doing?"

The fish stares at him, glowing slightly yellow.

And a clap of thunder rings out as lightning zings into Ed's knee, eliciting a surprised grunt as he falls backwards. The Stunfisk laughs even as Marie scolds him.

"Owie! Are you alright Ed?" Avril gasps, trying to get closer to Ed, but still seems reluctant to get involved as she keeps her eyes fixed on Stunnie.

Ed shakes slightly, trying to contain his laughter. "Whoa, haha! You pack a bit of a kick, don't you?" He stands back up, dusting himself off as he pulls something from his vest pocket. "Try that again, I wasn't ready the first time!"

"What?!" Marie seems shocked, but not quite as much as Ed is when Stunnie hits him again. The electricity courses around him, making him tense up, but he doesn't seem hurt. "Did I mention my first Pokémon was a Magnemite? Sometimes they just had too much built up charge, and needed a release. So I started carrying around rechargeable batteries." He tosses the battery to Marie, flexing his fingers as he clears the static. Marie almost fumbles the catch.

"But, fair is fair. Perhaps Stunnie wants to take a shot at Aster?" Aster looks back at Ed, then back to Stunnie. They slump slightly, their expression readable even without a face. "Don't give me that, you agreed to this."

"Stunnie," Marie says, and her tone is such that Stunnie actually gives her his attention, "go… do Thundershock. On Aster. Not on anyone else!" Avril and Angie keep looking at the Ground type in the meantime.

Stunnie's gleeful expression takes a bit of an edge and he glows brighter than before, longer than before, and lets loose a shock more powerful than the playful zap he'd directed at Ed. Aster takes the hit, remaining still as they ride out the shock.

"I see…" Ed consults his Holotch, muttering to himself as he does. "Stunnie was just playing around before. He's mischievous, but he's not actually looking to hurt anyone. But in a battle…" Aster slowly leans back, fully paralyzed, and hits the ground with a soft *thud*. Their core gem flashes in distress, getting Ed's attention.

"Hm? Oh, one moment…" He recalls Aster, tossing the ball lightly in his hand. "This is actually really cool, look at this!" He sends the Staryu back out, and Aster happily twirls in midair, fully recovered from paralysis.

"Speak up, Edison! I can't hear what you're mumbling over here."

"Sorry, just thinking out loud. Perhaps I was wrong about Stunnie. I don't think he was actually disobeying you, he just has a rather twisted sense of humor. Did you notice the difference in his Thunder Shock when he hit Aster? Oh, use Recover, by the way…" Aster's core glows green as Edison continues to talk.

"His lightning was much more powerful in a fight, even a training battle like this. He's just playful! He might spit water or throw dirt around, too. As versatile as he is, I'm not quite certain what to expect!"

"Recover, huh?" Avril looks carefully at the exchange of moves happening between the two Pokémon. Beside her, Angie chirps excitedly, keeping her eyes on the other Water type.

"He mostly likes that Thundershock move and making mud. I don't know what else he does- oh!" Marie rifles through her bag and displays her find triumphantly. "That's what this is for, right? The PokéDex?"

"Absolutely, my dear! That PokéDex is a handheld encyclopedia, and it links itself to your Trainer account to automatically update with all the information on any Pokémon you capture! Give it a spin, see what your team can do." Ed turns to Avril, having overheard her comment.

"Yes, Recover. Staryu have a natural regenerative ability. Recover lets a Pokémon heal their own wounds and recover their stamina in the middle of a battle. Or afterwards, once things have calmed. It's why I allowed Aster to be our target. Between Recover and their Natural Cure Ability, they won't be harmed by the fights!"

"Oh uhm…" Avril mutters as she grabs her Pokédex and gathers data about Angie, Marie doing similarly with Stunnie. "She knows Recover too! And a few other things. Interesting!" She cheers, before turning a bit more serious. "But, what if the other Pokémon's attack is too strong and Aster is knocked out? Surely it can't use Recover then…"

"Well… I suppose that is a possibility, but not one I expect to happen often! Anything could happen, so it pays to be prepared for-" Ed is cut off by a deluge of mud, requiring him to stop and clean off his face before he can see.

Marie, also muddy, clicks her tongue and glances from him to Avril. Her Natu seems unperturbed as she wipes mud from them both. "Um. Sorry. Water Gun?"

The burst of water from Stunnie's beak is definitely aimed at Ed, but it gets pulled almost magnetically to Angie, who looks delighted, possibly about now being the only clean Pokémon around.

"I see… Not only does her ability make her immune to Water type attacks, but she can draw them into herself. That could be a useful ability in a double battle. By the way, Miss Marie, what technique created this mud?"

"The PokéDex said 'Mud Sport' and he did that. He's got a different mud thing too, um. Mud Shot?"

Stunnie takes this as a command, summoning balls of mud to hurl at Angie. The Slug Pokémon, now at the center of attention, quickly readies up a Water Pulse. The bubble in front of her mouth keeps growing bigger, bigger than even she is, blocking the Stunfisk's attack with ease. Without Avril saying anything, Angie releases her attack onto Stunnie. The bubble pops right in front of him, splashing everyone.

Stunnie's eyes narrow. Marie watches him burrow into the sand, her own expression unreadable as she says something under her breath.

The splash reaches Avril too, who has to dry her glasses on her dress again. "That was so powerful!" She remarks anyways, before inching closer to where Stunnie had been. "Maybe a bit too much, I fear…"

A motion in the sand catches Ed's attention but before he can say anything, electricity blasts the sand away from Angie as Stunnie lights up the beach.

"Avril, stay back!" Ed doesn't move from his spot, but gestures at Avril not to get closer. "Looks like your Pokémon want to fight. I didn't intend to pit you two against each other, but this will actually be good training for you both! Issue your commands, ladies, and as my battle teacher used to say… get it on!"

Marie flashes Ed a grin and takes a more ready stance, the Natu on her shoulder bobbing along just under her bouncy hair. "Okay then- Tackle!"

Stunnie slaps his tail against the sand to propel himself up and into Angie but before he makes contact a storm of sharp leaves knocks it back. Now, in front of the Shellos is standing none other than Poppy, with a determined look on her face.

Marie frowns. "That's against the rules."

"I… know, I'm sorry. I guess Poppy just wants to protect her friend." Avril mutters, red in her face, but she still can't convince her starter Pokémon to leave Angie be.

"She's right, Miss Avril, having Poppy jump in like that is against the rules in an official Pokémon battle." Ed lightly scolds her, but doesn't leave his spot or stop the match. "However, this is just training, and we didn't set any rules beforehand, so I'll allow you to use both Pokémon."

That little exchange allows Angie to use Recover for a bit, regaining some energies and some much needed concentration. "This is a double battle now, right? Careful, you two…" Avril mutters, looking carefully at Ed, then at Stunnie, then also at the Natu on Marie's shoulder.

Stunnie hides himself in the sand once more and Ed tracks his movements until he's in the perfect position to send a Mud Shot straight up and directly into Poppy. A Fairy Wind straight down, however, lets Poppy rise up where Mud Shot can't quite hit her with full power. Stunnie lets Poppy go and instead turns on Angie once more with a Thundershock, but Angie is prepared this time, as she's taken the chance to use Mud Sport all around her.

The electricity does little, dampened by the mud as it is, so Marie calls for another Tackle. The Shellos is able to take a hit well and hits back with a Mud Bomb, but it's not enough to stop the Trap Pokémon's assault. The retaliation seems to fuel the power of Stunnie's next hit, a resounding tail strike to Angie's neck. Ed sees Marie fumble for her PokéDex even as her Pokémon is hit once again by Poppy's Razor Leaf. The sharp leaves hurt quite a bit, and give Angie time to Recover once again. But this leaves both of them - and Avril - somewhat distracted.

"Stunnie, come back!"

And Stunnie burrows down into the sand, zipping along underneath to get back to Marie as the Natu vanishes from her shoulder and reappears in front of Poppy. A blinding purple beam flashes and Poppy is flung far away. She lands on the sand, somewhat graceful in her defeat, but doesn't get up.

"Incredible!" Ed rapidly types on his Holotch, a gleam in his eye as he observes the sudden turn of events.

"W-what…" Avril turns pale suddenly. "What have you done!" She shouts before running towards Poppy.

"Knocked her out?" Marie responds quizzically, and glances to Ed. "Are we done, then?"

When Avril turns back to look at her, she's crying. "Yes, you heartless monster!"

"Now, Miss Avril…" But Ed's words fall on deaf ears as she grabs her kerchief and wraps it around Poppy's body and her flower. Avril recalls Angie and scrambles away, with nothing else to say.

Marie watches her go, annoyance and confusion battling for dominance of her expression. "How pointlessly dramatic," she sniffs, picking up Stunnie to pat him absentmindedly. He crackles a bit when touched. Her Natu teleports back to her usual perch with impressive precision, considering Marie is walking toward Ed as she does so. "Well then, Edison! Other than that business, how was the battle?"

"Remarkable, I must say…" Ed looks out in the direction Avril fled, but she's out of sight so he returns his attention to Marie. "Avril needs to work on controlling her Pokémon... and her emotions, it seems… but you and Stunnie battled quite well together. And your Natu was wonderful! I've never seen such a powerful technique before! I simply assumed she was trying to defend herself while Stunnie kept everyone's attention.

"However…" Before she can pat herself on the back too much, a disapproving edge comes to Ed's voice. "Much like Poppy's unauthorized entry, you also broke a rule of fighting. Leaving your Pokémon on your shoulder while she's actively using techniques like that is cheating. No trainer would aim for another trainer, so you were shielding Natu from your opponent with your own body. That's grounds for disqualification in an official match."

Marie considers this. "That's fair. I initially had Tuie start charging in order to take out this brat," she indicates Stunnie by giving him a firm tap on the head, "if the need arose. I guess I didn't think about having her move when Poppy came in because she was already using moves."

"I suppose that makes sense… you think Stunnie would have gotten out of hand? Why prepare to knock out your own Pokémon?"

"He's trouble. Avril didn't want to fight and her Pokémon are hardly trained. If the situation escalates, you remove the problem, don't you?" Stunnie pouts, but doesn't seem to disagree.

"Once again, fair enough. I may have misjudged you, Miss Marie. You're a better trainer than you let on."

"Not good enough to beat Benji," Marie grumbles, kicking at the sand. "Or your friend."

"Well, to be fair, Benji is a far better Trainer than I. I wasn't able to defeat him either. Or Sunny, for that matter. She's defeated me more than I've defeated her…" Ed puzzles over that for a moment, recalling Sunny's accusation that he could have won if he hadn't held back. "And technically, I think she only won because of her sheer determination and blind luck, turning Benji's strategy against him."

"So she's not that much better, then…" Marie muses.

"I think you two are closer than you may realize." Ed tries to be diplomatic about it. "With that said, do you want to continue your training, even without Miss Avril?"

Marie checks the time, then flashes him a grin. "Another half hour wouldn't hurt anyone, would it?"

A joint post between Groc, Aquacorde, and Eleanor.

QueenNothing · Sep 19, 2020

Friday, September 18th, 12 pm

At the north of Slateport City near the outskirts stood a small shop with an equally small parking lot in front of it. The shop was visibly named "Crazy Carl's Mattresses", and June took up an odd job holding a cardboard sign that advertised an ongoing sale. She stood on the cracked sidewalk to catch the attention of any vehicles speeding by.

June was wearing a bright yellow tank top with denim shorts. She was wearing the same hat as yesterday, minus Blipbug; She wasn't allowed to have any Pokemon out.

"We have crazy deals at Crazy Carl's Mattresses! Everything in store is thirty to fifty percent off!" The tall teenager tried her absolute best to raise her voice at cars that drove by. About three or four cars stopped in the parking lot in the past three hours. Not a lot, but June was more concerned with being paid than bringing in customers.

She was about ready to head inside for her break, but heard a loud motorcycle incoming. Once more, she attempted to yell the words written in permanent marker on the back of the sign.

"End of Summer Sale! Don't miss it! Everything thirty to fifty percent off, deals you can't miss!"

As the motorcycle zoomed by, June could hear rockabilly music blasting from the radio of the vehicle. She was pretty sure this was the music that she had heard her grandfather was fond of. Initially it seems the music drowned her voice out, but evidently not as the motorcycle driver quickly turned around to enter the parking lot.

June sighed with relief, lowered the sign, and turned around to head inside. In the corner of her eye she noticed a young man hopping off of the motorcycle that just entered the parking lot, and the vehicle had a side-cart attached that seated a Litten. The get-up of the young man's outfit was pretty ridiculous in June's eyes.

Instead of entering the store like she anticipated, the young man approached June with the Pokemon pursuing it's trainer. He had a comically long, black pompadour with triangular sunglasses resting on his eyes, and wore blacks jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket to coat his upper body.

Oh brother. June thought to herself.

"Hey there!" The young man shot finger guns with both hands, speaking with swagger in his voice. As he made his way towards the burnett, it became apparent he was about 5 inches shorter than June. "What's cookin', good lookin'!"

June had to use every fiber in her body to not wince. Who even still says that in this day and age? She was taken aback at how confident the young man seemed about saying such corny pick-up lines. Regardless of how she felt, she put up an unconvincing smile. "Hello there, I was just about to-"

"I couldn't help myself but notice the angel here who fell from the stars!" June mustered all of her energy to prevent herself from cringing. "How about I take you to dinner tonight? The name's Jessie, Jessie Baron."

June tried her best to muster up a response. "Uh, wow, I really appreciate your offer, but…" It was important to her that she kept up the facade of not being bothered. "Uhh, I have plans later today." She knew she wasn't convincing anybody.

Jessie pulled a comb out of his jacket pocket to groom his hair and nodded. "I see, I see. Well that's a shame, I'd hate to miss out on a date with myself. How about lunch tomorrow?"

My goodness, this young man has an ego.

"Oh, I won't be here tomorrow." She responded as firmly as she could. "I'm a trainer, so I plan to leave Slateport pretty soon."

Jessie's attention was turned toward the Park Ball June had attached to her belt. "My my, a Pokemon trainer! In that case, how about a little battle? I happen to be a trainer myself, ain't that right Stray?" He looked down at his Litten who tried roaring, but it came out as a loud meow.

June shook her head. "I'm sorry, I really can't. I'm supposed to be working right now." She omitted the fact she was about to go on her break hoping it'd drive the greaser away. Fortunately, he didn't seem to pick up on it.

Jessie pushed his sunglasses up. "Well in that case, since we're both trainers I hope to see ya around soon."

I don't.

The greaser then pushed his sunglasses down to make his hazel eyes visible while flashing a smirk. "I've always liked older gals."

June had to double-take. "Uhm, how old are you?"

"Sixteen." Jessie stated. "You must be what, seventeen, eighteen?"

The tall girl froze for a second before mustering up her correction. "... I'm fourteen."

The young man also froze from embarrassment. His Litten, apparently named Stray, sternly shook his head in disapproval. Jessie stood in place for a solid thirty seconds before pushing his glasses up again. "Did I say older? Well, um, obviously I meant taller " He awkwardly laughed it off, turned around while both shooting off two more fingers guns and failing to maintain his balance, being lucky that he didn't fall, before heading back over to his motorcycle with Stray following suit.

As he turned the keys of his motorcycle, and was pulling out of his parking spot, he flashed a wide grin. "Hey angel, next time we meet, we're gonna battle, and if I win, we go to dinner together!"

When the young man drove off, June was finally able to wince, even if only slightly. She had a few questions, such as if sixteen year olds in Hoenn were allowed to operate motor vehicles, but she didn't ponder on it too long. It was time to get her break out of the way and then finish her shift.

QueenNothing · Sep 20, 2020

Friday, September 18th, 3:30 pm

June stepped outside the glass doors of the Slateport Pokemon Center with her brand new Trainer license in her hand. She gazed at it in awe for a minute before she put it in her wallet, which she stuffed in her purse. About a half-hour ago, she made ₽8,000 from some under-the-table work she did at a mattress store for about five hours of just standing on a sidewalk holding a cardboard sign. She wasn't complaining, but when added with the ₽4,000 she had left over, she'd still only have enough to buy one Net Ball from Mr. Yamiguchi.

She made her way over to the Slateport Market again, excited to see the old man. However, her hopes quickly morphed into concern as she arrived at the entrance to the marketplace and saw Mr. Yamiguchi discussing something with a police officer who was writing something down on a notepad. Out of worry, June dashed over to the two.

"Mr. Yamiguchi! Mr. Yamiguchi, are you alright!?" June shouted as she ran over to the old man. While he looked more stern than the previous day, he smiled a bit at the sight of June.

"Ahoy there June." He greeted, with only a hint of friendliness in his voice. "I was just discussing with this office here about a robbery that took place at my booth."

June gasped, covering her mouth with both of her hands. "Oh my gosh! What did they take? Are you gonna be alright?"

"I was just talking about that with the officer here. I saw a young man at my booth who seemed to engage me in conversation…" As Mr. Yamiguchi went on, the police officer started taking notes. "...But the moment he walked away, and I checked my stock I noticed about half of it was gone. Exactly sixty Ultra Balls, forty Dusk Balls, two Great Balls, thirty Dive Balls, ten Heavy Balls, and a singular Master Ball. I must admit, I'm impressed."

June gasped again. "That's awful! Who would do such a thing!"

"Oh I'll be fine." Mr. Yamiguchi began to stroke his chin. "Most of those weren't very valuable and ate easily replaceable... Except the Master Ball. That was a very expensive item, and even an old man like me needs to eat."

"You said you got a look at the guy?" The officer asked. "Can you describe to me what he looked like?"

"Of course. I remember, he had fair skin, and he had the most ridiculous hair you'd ever seen. His hair was black and it was in a very long pompadour, and he had these triangular sunglasses…" As the old man continued the description, June immediately knew who the perpetrator was.

"Jessie!" The tall girl shouted to the shock of Mr. Yamiguchi and the officer.

"Ah yes, he did actually tell me his name, and it was in fact Jessie Baron. Not a very smart thief." The old man wheezily laughed to himself.

The officer turned towards the attention of June. "Ma'am, have you met this person?"

June aggressively nodded. "I did! It was around noon, I was at the parking lot in Crazy Carl's Mattresses, and he was riding a motorcycle with a Litten. He was only there for a few minutes before driving away."

The officer nodded as he wrote down the details. There was a bit more interrogation before the police officer wrapped up his investigation and left the marketplace place entrance.

"Gosh, I can't believe...I can't believe someone would steal from a kind man such as yourself."

Mr. Yamiguchi chuckled gently to himself. "Like I said dear, I'll be fine."

"No!" June protested. "He stole from such a friendly, sweet old man who wouldn't even harm a Joltik, and a Master Ball of all things! I can't believe it, that...that…" For a brief moment, she struggled to come up with a fitting descriptor. "...that..that sick, rude, inconsiderate, disgusting, reprehensible CROOK!"

Compared to anything the teenage girl had said previously, this was very harsh. Mr. Yamiguchi widened his eyes and his jaw nearly dropped, only being stopped by Yamiguchi's realization the girl needed consoling. "Now June, I'm sure this young man was falling onto rough times. Nobody steals because times are good." The old man continued to stroke his chin. "And I'm not quite as perfect as you might think. I had a short period of time where things weren't going well myself when I was a young one, and I had to thieve around myself. It was actually Sachiko who pulled me out of that." The old man laughed to himself once more. "Ah, what a wonderful woman Sachiko was. But I digress."

June sighed, having returned to her senses. "You're right. Grandma used to say 'A kind trainer can make the most devious Hydreigon into a loving Pokemon'..." Yamiguchi nodded his head in agreement as June held her head in embarrassment, covering her face with her hands.

"I only called the police because it's the closest hope I have to get my Master Ball back, but honestly I can't say I expect much to come from that. I didn't really want to get them involved, but it is worth a few months of boat fuel which is necessary for my job."

June's face then lit up a bit. "I'll find him myself! I'm already going on a journey around Hoenn, and I'm positive I'll run into him again!"

In response, the old man widened his eyes slightly. "Are you sure about this? You have no idea where he is, and with a vehicle you never know where he'll be."

June nodded. "Absolutely. I'm doing this for you, Mr. Yamiguchi."

Once more, Mr. Yamiguchi stroked his chin. "I see. Well in that case, I'd like for you to part with these." It wasn't clear where exactly he stored them, but the old man held up his left hand, carrying three Net Balls in it. "I should have handed them to you yesterday."

The teenage girl blushed. "N-No, I couldn't! You're in no position to give me things for free."

My. Yamiguchi shook his head very sternly. "I need to make myself clear; You will need these for your journey. It's a scary world, and Hoenn is more than just Petalburg, Dewford, Slateport, and Rustboro, y'know. This is the absolute least I should be doing for someone as young as yourself."

June sighed gently. "I accept. But I should at least compensate you a little with enough money for a single Net Ball."

"Well, I suppose that wouldn't hurt. I appreciate the thought, but don't squander these opportunities dear."

The transaction was made, and June left the booth with a total of five Net balls and a single Premier Ball, more than what she'd need to catch enough for a full team.

On her way to the exit, June noticed a different booth, one that had a banner that had "Cheap Shit" written crudely in what looked like dry paint. A little vulgar, but she found herself drawn to the sloppy assortment of random items. Her eyes scanned the table, and she noticed a thin, long, wooden object buried underneath a few random objects. She fished it out, trying her best not to knock anything off the floor, and revealed the object to a Butterfree net that had a twelve inch hoop, with the net being twice the size in depth. There were a few scratches in the handle as well as a few small yet noticeable holes in the net itself, but this didn't phase June. She gazed at the object in awe, knowing she absolutely needed to buy it.

"How much is this Butterfree net?" June looked around the booth before settling her eyes on an overweight man sitting in a fold-up chair. He appeared very displeased with where he was at the moment.

"Ooh, da stoopid net? Yeah, uh, dats like eight pokehdallars misses."

At the drop of a hat, June handed over the exact amount of cash with the biggest smile on her face, and immediately grabbed the net which she held over her shoulder. Even if it was a little worn out, surely it'd come in handy for any upcoming bug types.

Now that her Hoenn Trainer License was in her hands, she just needed to wait for the next available boat to Dewford, one stop away from Petalburg. Hopefully somewhere along the way, she would run into Jessie and return Mr. Yamiguchi's valuable item.

Aquacorde · Sep 20, 2020

Marie Rachelle Mocinno

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

Chapter 2 #03 - Canoe Club

Another morning finds Marie working another job. At least this one is outside- in a little stall on the beach, just far enough from the shore to keep the bundles of canoes and kayaks from being picked up by the waves. The owner, a middle-aged man named Paulo, does most of the actual work and seems to be content to employ Marie to simply chat with him for a few hours. He seems to know everyone and everything and Marie is thrilled to take in the local gossip as entertainment. Paddle sports are less popular here than surfing, she learns, and most locals own their own equipment for whatever sports they prefer, but Paulo does great business anyway. Tourists to Dewford are plentiful, especially on weekends, and money steadily changes hands as Paulo chatters on.

"That blonde guy, he's been around a lot lately. He's already won against Brawly, of course. He's pretty strong! I think he's doing the gym circuit for fun. Or just to qualify for the tournament? I should ask. The twins there, Alexander and Alexandra, they're Brawly's youngest two. Twelve now, if memory serves. They both go by Alex and get a good kick out of it! Good for a double battle most any time, too, if you're interested in the format. Don't tell them that the blonde and his friend went easy on them the other day. Ooh, and that's Carla- she pilots for Breezy Seas these days, you might see her sometimes." Paulo watches her go, sucking in air through his teeth. "That's not a good wetsuit color on her. Should I say something?"

Marie shakes her head, which isn't conducive to re-tying her bandana. "Probably not."

Paulo ignores her. "HEY CARLA!"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT, PAULO?"

"THAT SHADE OF YELLOW ISN'T GOOD WITH YOUR SKIN TONE."

Carla stares at Paulo, who shrugs, and Marie ducks as a little Pokémon is thrown through the stall window. "SHUT THE HELL UP, PAULO!"

Marie picks the Pokémon up as Carla stomps away as best she can through the sand. "What's this thing?"

"Pyukumuku. It doesn't do much besides eat. Don't let it near the cooler." Marie nudges it back down the beach with her foot. "Aren't you a trainer? Thought trainers knew Pokémon."

"I'm from Johto, I don't know all these tropical things," Marie huffs. "I didn't go to school for this, either."

"Not even a little bit?"

"I mean, I did biology courses, but they were more… general. And Johto-oriented."

"No battling? No handling?"

"Not unless you count the licensing quiz."

"Huh." Paulo falls silent. Marie grits her teeth, already feeling judged- the man hasn't been quiet since she met him. "You're gonna be at a disadvantage," he muses.

"I know! I already got my ass kicked by Benji, and even the girl who's afraid of fighting almost beat Stunnie. All I have is one trick and a guy who will help me train if I can get him away from his girlfriend." Plus a troublemaking Stunfisk, a lazy Natu, and no real idea where to start.

"In fairness- Benji's not really a beginner's gym leader. Doubles is a difficult format."

"The twelve-year-olds can do it," Marie grumbles, flopping over the booth. Paulo gives her a gentle thwack with a stack of bills before tucking them into the safe.

"Weren't you listening? I said, those are Brawly's kids. He was gym leader long before they were born and hasn't quit yet. They grew up with first-hand, top-class training. And, when they do doubles, it's two trainers keeping track of two Pokémon. Not one keeping track of two like Benji does. There's differences. And the twins would still be hard-pressed to beat Benji anyway, good as they are."

Marie still sulks, but Paulo has a point. Probably. Really, she has to take his word for it, because she doesn't know much at all. And that irks her too. She watches him tally coins and considers double battles. One-on-one, two-on-one, two-on-two. Marie knows the middle option is considered atypical for official league matches, though it's not completely unused. The former is Benji's forte, and the latter apparently the twins'. "How're they so different?"

"Hmm?"

"One-on-one doubles and two-on-two doubles."

"Oh. Ooh, how do I… well, different pros and cons, you know? One-on-one means trainers can pull off difficult combos more easily, but also means that one person is keeping tabs on four Pokémon the entire time. Two-on-two gives you an extra set of eyes, in a way, but you have to work in sync with another trainer and their Pokémon. Of course, the Alexes can pull off combos with just as much confidence as a single trainer. They've been at it for years. But they wouldn't be able to do the same if they teamed up with someone they just met. Actually, they might do worse than a normal pairing of trainers, simply because they're so used to each other. That'd be interesting to see. I should tell them that!"

"Yeah, maybe." Marie says to the counter. "That all sounds complicated. Singles are fine, right?"

"Oh, of course. But Hoenn is the home of double battles! You'll miss out on a lot if you don't learn the format. Besides, it's good to know how your Pokémon work together in case you find yourself in a pinch out in the wilderness. Wild Pokémon don't play by League rules."

"Huh." She'd never thought of it like that, but that's definitely true. And her maps tell her she's going to be hiking a lot in the near future. Without much support from civilization.

She needs to prepare.

Spoiler: Team

Spoiler: Inventory

QueenNothing · Sep 20, 2020

Friday, September 18th, 9:00 pm

From 5 pm to 9 pm, June took up a quick job at the Slateport library organizing books. It was a very last minute decision for her, not deciding on it until ten minutes before her arrival. It was a pretty enjoyable job for her, examining the covers of the books she put up, making her a little nostalgic. Reading was a favorite pastime of hers, when she was bullied as a kid, books were something she could always reliably fall back on. A few times during her job, June would occasionally find a book about bug Pokemon, something she had to resist the temptation to read through while on the clock.

At the end of her shift, the head librarian handed June 6,000 Pokedollars. It was a shame she wasn't able to check any books out on her exit since she'd be leaving for Dewford soon. Also unfortunately for her, she'd have to wait until tomorrow for the next ship to Dewford, the last one set sail during her sign waving job.

The first thing she did as she received her compensation was head directly to the Pokemon Center. June was worn out, working a job can do that, and she walked upstairs to crash on the bed of her rented room.

After resting for a minute, she grabbed the Park Ball off her belt, and pressed the button in the center to release Blipbug right next to her. Blipbug was bouncing with glee, to which June smiled.

"Blipbug, you're so adorable." She giggled as the bug-type only continued to bounce in-place.

This did remind her, she should try calling her parents. She reached for her PokeGear that was resting on a desk next to her bed, and dialed her mother.

"Junko! How has your day been, I'm sorry I couldn't talk yesterday I was working."

"Hello mom!" June tiredly greeted. "Today was pretty long, I ended up working two jobs today."

"Oh my, my little girl is already working!" Her mother praised. "Where did you work?"

"Well, I waved a sign in-front of a mattress store, and then I was at the local library organizing books. I'm a little tired now."

"Oh the library! I'm sure that was quite enjoyable for yo-"

"JUUUUUUUUUUNKOOOOOOOOO!" June's mother was interrupted by the wailing of her father. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! MY OWN LITTLE GIRL, ALREADY MAKING AN INCOME! OH, SOON ENOUGH YOU'LL BE A GROWN WOMAN, WITH NO NEED TO TALK TO YOUR DAD!" He began sobbing even with the conversation going on.

June sheepishly laughed. "Don't worry mom and dad, I'd never stop talking to you."

There was a pause from the opposite end of the line from her mother. "Junko, is something wrong? You don't sound like your normal self, and it doesn't seem like you're just tired."

The tall girl sighed. She couldn't hide anything from her mother.

"Well, while I was sign waving, a trainer with poor manners today asked me on a date, despite how I very clearly wasn't interested, and he…"

"WHAAAAAT?!" The shift in tone June's dad had was astounding. "DID A NO GOOD SKIRT CHASER GO AFTER MY DEAR JUNKO!?! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!" While he was hyperventilating, June's mom used this as an opportunity to speak up.

"Your father may be a little hysterical right now, but he does have a point about skirt chasers. I expected I'd have to warn you of boys like that, but I imagine that you wouldn't be tempted by their looks. That's one less worry of parenting, I suppose, so I'm grateful for that."

"You're right, I suppose I did luck out there." June chuckled a little more joyfully this time. "Although that wasn't what bothered me. When I stopped by Mr. Yamiguchi, he said that same boy robbed his booth, and it makes me so mad. Who would do such a thing?"

Her mom lightly gasped. "Oh my, that's no good. Mr. Yamiguchi is such a kind man, I sure hope he's alright."

"I hope so too." June's dad joined in, being completely calm now. "Mr. Yamiguchi is like an uncle to me, and it pains me to hear something so unfortunate would happen."

"He told me he'll be alright, but he stole a really valuable item." The tall girl seemed a bit more level-headed about the subject now that she had a few hours to calm down.

"I still can't believe this!" June's dad snorted. "Not ONLY does he bother my dear Junko, but he steals from Mr. Yamiguchi too! What an awful boy!"

"Dad, you remember what grandma said," June attempted to channel the wisdom her grandma passed on. "Only one with pure actions may judge the actions of others." June herself found it difficult to truly practice the proverb of her late grandmother, but tried her best to follow her wise words in spite of that.

June's dad groaned. "That is something she would say, and she's probably right. Still, if I was in Hoenn I'd find the brat and…"

"Dad!" June raised her voice as if she was about to begin scolding, but it softened significantly with her next sentence. "It's okay, I'll handle this." This was followed by a very loud grumbling noise that originated from June's stomach.

"My my, seems you're hungry." Her mom pointed out. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Well, I had half a sandwich before I set out for my library job, but they didn't allow food in the library, so…"

"Junko, hang up and get something to eat right now. You need to take care of yourself now that you're on your own." June's mother firmly interrupted. The burnett sighed.

"I will mom. Thank you. Goodbye, and I love you both."

"Goodbye Ju-" Her mother wasn't able to finish, as she was cut off by June's dad.

"OHHHH JUNKO I MISS YOU SO MUCH, IT'S ONLY BEEN TWO DAYS YET IT FEELS LIKE IT'S BEEN SO MUCH LONGER! GOODBYE DEAR, I LOVE YOU TOO!"

After his sentence, June hung up and looked at her Blipbug, just as annoyed as the previous day. She didn't feel the need to explain it again, so all she did was pet the bug-types head before heading downstairs to grab a complete meal.

QueenNothing · Sep 21, 2020

Saturday, September 20, 11:00 am

June was waiting in line to board the Breezy Seas Ferry, finally sailing to Dewford Town. She stood in line wearing an orange, sleeveless, backless midi dress that was complemented by the light blue flip-flops she stood around in. She had her hair up in a ponytail with her staple straw hat plopped on her head, and carried her worn-out Butterfree net over her shoulder. For the first time since her arrival at Hoenn, she was carrying Blipbug with her free arm.

One by one, the passengers boarded the Breezy Seas. It was a rather small ferry, unlike the one that she boarded on Olivine City to get to Hoenn, and only twelve or so passengers were admitted, June included. Just before she could set foot on the ferry however, the ferrier stopped her.

"Hate to interrupt your trip misses, but you might want to return that Pokemon to it's ball. Bug Pokemon are an awfully tasty snack to any Wingulls flying overhead." The ferrier heartily laughed, but June wasn't nearly as amused as the man telling the joke. Quite the opposite in-fact, she was terrified, gasping in horror at the thought while Blipbug flinched and began to squirm in-place as a way to panic. She did as the ferrier suggested, and returned Blipbug to his Pokeball.

As the ferry set sail, June took in the atmosphere of the sea, much more appreciable with the smaller ferry. She used her left hand to hold her hat down so it wouldn't fly off her head, still gazing at the ocean in awe. She reflected on her rush to get to Petalburg, remembering a proverb her grandmother used to share, something about how the journey was more important than the destination. She couldn't quite remember the exact quote because of how in the moment she was.

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

The Breezy Seas Ferry docked at the Dewford Town pier after exactly an hour and a half, just as advertised. The passengers flooding out of the ferry were all very glad to be able to stretch their limbs now that they weren't packed together like Wishiwashis, and June was no exception. Taking in her surroundings was enjoyable for a bit, but two and a half hours on such a cramped boat was excessive.

Moments later, she found herself at the Dewford Pokemon Center, the interior was nearly identical to the one located at Slateport. This made it easier to navigate for June, as she grabbed room keys from the receptionist at the desk so she had somewhere to place her purse and Butterfree net. With those set aside, she found it a good idea to try finding more work to do. She had exactly ₽9,992 in her wallet, more than enough to get her through Dewford, but she figured it was smart to save more money before enjoying the beauty quaint island had to offer.

"The wise man pushes the boulder before the pebble." Echoed through her mind while she examined the bulletin board.

HELP WANTED, 3 PM TO 5 PM

This one in particular captured June's attention. Her eyes glanced over the sign, and she walked up stairs to change into yesterday's outfit as it would be more practical for the job than her current outfit.

Groc · Sep 22, 2020

Natsuko Soyokaze
Dewford Town
Saturday, September 19th, evening

"I caught a Magikarp!" Tsu points her camera at her new friend, who is lying on a cushion at the Pokémon Center.

"I can see that, dear. Why are you telling me?" Lucy's voice sounds skeptical over the phone. "And is it alright? I've never seen one so... still."

"She's fine! She's just relaxing!" Tsu flips the camera back to herself. "I'm thinking of entering her in Contests with Shiny, and I was wondering if you could make something for her."

Lucy hums in thought, stepping out of frame for a moment. She comes back with a sketchbook and pencils, putting on a pair of red-rimmed reading glasses. "I'll admit, I've never even considered making an outfit for an aquatic Pokémon before. It would have to be something simple..."

"Are you at your house right now? It's cute." Tsu looks a little closer, trying to make out the details of the room behind her.

"Oh, thank you, it's my bedroom..." Lucy is distracted with a sketch. "And where are you, a Pokémon Center?"

"Yeah, in Dewford! How'd you know?"

"I recognized the decor. Just stopping by after your capture?"

Tsu shrugs as she sips her cheap cocoa. "I'm a Trainer now, right? This is where I sleep on my journey, I guess."

"What? Natsuko, darling, why did you purchase a membership if you're not going to enjoy the perks?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's a lovely château on the south side of the island. Anyone with a Fan Club membership can stay there for free. Hadn't you heard?"

"I just got here! I haven't looked around too much. I guess I got excited thinking about my debut..."

"Well, that's understandable." Lucy chuckles as she picks up her phone. "I'll send you a list of all the Fan Club locations. You should take the chance to treat yourself, Natsuko. You deserve it."

"I don't know about that..." Tsu blushes as she returns Magikarp to her ball and quickly finishes her drink. "Okay, I'm gonna go!"

☆☆Later!☆☆

Natsuko had to show her I.D. at the door, but they let her in with only a little skepticism. Once inside, though, she's treated with respect and professional courtesy. The lady at the front desk isn't as open as Lucy, but her smile looks friendly enough. And she even gifts Tsu with a white silk scarf when she rents her room!

"Oh, thank you! It's so pretty! I know just what I'll do with this." She calls out Magikarp, who only flops around once or twice as she looks around before settling by Tsu's feet. She ties the scarf around her underbelly and the first "prong" of her dorsal fin. "That looks so good on you! You look like such a classy lady now."

There are a few murmurs and mutterings of disgust from some of the other patrons in the lobby, and even the receptionist looks like she's trying harder to keep smiling. "Oh. A Magikarp. What a... unique use for your gift..."

Tsu holds Magikarp closer to her chest as she notices the looks she's getting, and the people very deliberately not looking at her. "Uhhh... thank you? I think I'll just... go get some dinner, now."

"Of course, miss. Dinner was served promptly at six, but there may still be some left. Please enjoy your stay."

Tsu makes her way to the dining room, which is mostly cleared out by now. Shiny declines to come out, but Tsu is able to procure dinner for herself and Magikarp. To her disappointment, the meal itself is very fancy, but very small. It honestly reminds Tsu of the bait she'd used to catch Magikarp in the first place.

Tsu sighs, letting her head fall to the table. "What am I doing here? This isn't what I was expecting at all!"

"Well, the reality rarely lives up to the fantasy, I'm sorry to say."

"Huh?" Tsu bolts upright, surprised at the voice. She looks around, noticing an older gentleman at the next table looking at her. He wears a green suit and a black bowler hat, with an ornamental cane topped with a Dusk Ball leaning against his chair. What little hair he has, along with his perfectly trimmed eyebrows and handlebar mustache, is stark white. He'd been browsing on a large tablet when she'd entered, but her outburst had apparently caught his attention.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you!" Tsu bows her head in apology, but the man merely sets his device down and gestures to the chair across from him.

"Oh, it's too late for that, my dear. The emotions of youth can cause more turmoil to one's self than her neighbors, and you've already gotten my attention. Have a seat, and I'll lend an ear."

Natsuko is uncomfortable, and looks around the dining room, but other than a member of the staff cleaning some tables, the room is empty. She picks up Magikarp and sits at the other table. "Uh... I'm Natsuko. Natsuko Soyokaze."

The gentleman tips his hat to her. "Sir William Bertrand Reginald Chandler III, from Hammerlocke. A pleasure, Ms. Soyokaze."

"Wow. That's a mouthful. Can I just call you Bill?" She chuckles nervously, stopping when he quirks an eyebrow curiously. "I'm sorry. My friends call me Tsu, it's just a nickname..."

Sir William laughs at that. "A friendly nickname! I rather like that. You may call me Bill if you prefer, Miss Tsu. Now... what seems to be troubling you?"

"I don't know... I'm new at this whole Trainer business, and I've just been throwing myself at whatever comes my way. I'm terrible at fights, so I thought 'hey, maybe try Contests!' But I have no idea what I'm doing, and I saw the Fan Club, and I'm a fan of Pokémon, but apparently it's a bit ritzier than I thought! I mean, look at you! You're so fancy, and here I am with my dad's old hat and a Magikarp!"

Bill nods, taking a sip of his wine as he listens. "First of all, don't deride yourself or your Pokémon. She's a fine specimen, though there are more than a few knockers around here."

"Knockers?" Tsu is confused, but Bill waves it off.

"Nay-sayers. Do-badders. Haters, if you will. Many of them look down on you for your youth, or some absurd notion of quality they feel you and your friend lack. But Magikarp is not the weakling that the common misconceptions would have you believe. Just look at yours. She's the very picture of grace and contentment here at the table. Like the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, she appears a humble girl now, but is truly a royal!"

Tsu blinks, at a loss for words. She glances at Magikarp, relaxing in her lap. "I think that's your name now, 'Duchess Stacy'." She smiles, and Magikarp looks up at her with a small grin of her own.

Bill chuckles, tipping his hat again. "Grand Duchess. I think you'll do just fine, Miss Tsu. You are young, and youth is the time to go out and find yourself. This journey will be a wonderful opportunity for you. I'll admit, I'm not much for Contests myself, but I am quite knowledgeable about Pokémon training in general. If it would set you at ease, I'd be happy to give you a few pointers, perhaps even a friendly spar in the morning?"

"Oh. Uh... sure. That sounds fun..."

"Excellent! No more talk of it tonight, then. I shall welcome you to our Fan Club properly. Would you join me for dessert? Perhaps a nice spice cake and some... well, port for me, but tea?"

"Cake?!" Tsu grins eagerly. "I'd love some! And yes, tea. I'm from Kanto, of course I'll have some."

Eleanor · Sep 24, 2020

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

Pokémon / Inventory:

AVRIL'S MONEY: $4 500

AVRIL'S TEAM:
🌼 Poppy (Flabebe) - ♀ - lv. 20
Flower Veil
Synthesis, Fairy Wind, Razor Leaf, Lucky Chant, Wish

🌼 Hydrangea (Shellos) - ♀ - lv. 17
Storm Drain
Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Recover, Mud Slap, Mud Sport, Hidden Power (?)

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

AVRIL'S CONTACTS:
Jordie, Shuna, Natsuko

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

💧

Saturday, September 19^th - 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm - Dewford Beach and Pokémon Center

Faster, faster!

You run away from those figures on the beach. You stumble on the beach as your shoes gather sand and sink into it, making every step harder to take. Your breath is heavy, your eyes watery.

In your hand is your berry print kerchief, with your precious Pokémon tucked within. You can only see the head of that little sprite and the pistil of her flower. Her eyes are tightly shut, her mouth closed, her fragrance much less strong.

Your pendant is what you turn to in these situations. And yet, this time its sounds don't make you any calmer: every chime it lets out as it bounces on your chest sounds like a piercing scream, telling you to keep running.

Faster, faster!

Questions pop up in your head as you finally reach the main street and run towards the Pokémon Center. How bad is Poppy actually? What did she just go through? Can you even forgive those douchebags after this? These questions come up only to burst like bubbles, as your mind keeps focusing on your next task: get Poppy healed up.

The town becomes more lively and crowded as you run closer to your destination, and you almost bump into other people. You know it already, you are turning heads. Possibly even getting looked down on. And so you start doubting yourself.

You're just overreacting, panicking for something trivial, aren't you? Don't Pokémon faint all the time?

You shake your head. Poppy hasn't fainted like this in a very long time, so much so that you don't even remember how it's like. Not having her literally on your head, chirping or spreading her scent around, is such a dreadful feeling. So much so you can't even imagine yourself without her around anymore.

It is in that moment that she opens up her eyes slightly and looks straight into yours. She doesn't move or say anything, she just tilts her head sideways and gets back to… sleeping, it seems. She keeps her eyes closed even as you finally run into the Pokémon Center and run across the hall until you reach the counter, too much adrenaline in your body to stand still but not quite enough to push aside that one trainer who's in front of you, talking with the Nurse.

He eagerly gets his Pokéballs back and happily walks towards the cafeteria as the nurse calls you forward. "What happened here?" She asks you, and you can't tell if she's really that worried about Poppy or just trying to look concerned and reassuring despite having seen so many people acting just like you.

"O-oh well she fainted in just one hit after being hit with some purple energy and she looked really bad and I love her so much I can't take seeing her like that so I…" You spit out whatever words you can come up with to the nurse as you put Poppy on the counter and let her free of the kerchief.

You are told that your friend's condition isn't really worrying and is rather common. You are also told that getting knocked out in one attack is sometimes better than continuous, reckless fights and that it takes less time to recover this way. You're asked if you have her Pokéball, to which you can only shake your head as your tears slowly dry. You're told that it's gonna be alright regardless, and that it will just take an hour at most. You leave Angie to the nurse's care as well.

You also don't really have the heart to leave the Center without your flower friend. You sit on the lobby's seats for a bit, the thoughts of your first encounter with Poppy creeping up… she definitely looked in a bad shape that day, much worse than now to be honest, but every time she's not well it's very easy for your mind to make the association.

Sooner than you realize, you end up enjoying a hearty dinner in the nearby cafeteria. You were already a bit hungry, so why not do that as you wait for Poppy to heal? Twiddling your thumbs and nothing else is just a big waste of time, and especially it makes other trainers eager to approach you and offer to help - something that you don't really want, but that your expression and appearance is basically asking others in your place.

A good meal is a distraction, instead. It keeps sending your mind's way some perceptions to process - and in this case, they turn into nothing but appreciation for the great food. You're all alone in the corner of a room, but still keeping an eye on all the other trainers who come in and out: also something to keep your mind busy as you mindlessly compare other trainers' outfits and food choices.

Once dinner is done, you go back to the hall and sit once again where you were. You swap out the flyer you found at the Oceanic Museum in Slateport for a more comprehensive booklet and try to get more familiar with all that Dewford has to offer: the gym, contest hall, fan club place you've already seen… but also nice beaches all around, a large cave, a shipwreck somewhere off the coast, and more! You put one of them in your cloth bag and sigh, because you know that going to any of those places just by yourself is almost unthinkable at this point. And that is when you hear some familiar chirping from the nurse's counter.

Eleanor · Sep 26, 2020

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

Pokémon / Inventory:

AVRIL'S MONEY: $4 500

AVRIL'S TEAM:
🌼 Poppy (Flabebe) - ♀ - lv. 20
Flower Veil
Synthesis, Fairy Wind, Razor Leaf, Lucky Chant, Wish

🌼 Hydrangea (Shellos) - ♀ - lv. 17
Storm Drain
Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Recover, Mud Slap, Mud Sport, Hidden Power (?)

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

AVRIL'S CONTACTS:
Jordie, Shuna, Natsuko

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

🥀

Saturday, September 19^th - about 8 pm - Around Dewford

Hey, Avril, I'm good!

I saw your worried eyes, your pale face, your tears, as you ran all the way here. Those memories are vivid and defined, even with all of that destabilizing mental energy wreaking havoc in my mind.

I'm sorry that happened, really. Never before have I seen you in that state. I also didn't expect that attack… your friend's strategy was really amazing after all! But even then…

Everything is fine. Everything is alright. I'm still here, leaning my head on your cheek, singing you an inspiring chant, and rooting for you no matter what! I'm already starting to see the Avril I know in your eyes: so sensitive, kind, caring, and with the cutest smile ever! That's just like when you picked me up from the ground and noticed I was healing.

I'm not going to say that fighting is painless, because it's really not, no matter what Pokémon you are. But, it's something that you get used to and keep improving at. It awakens all the energy you keep inside, it gives it a purpose, it gives you control over it and makes you grow. And it makes you do amazing things! For example, I'm sure that there are Pokémon who would be more than happy to lift you up into the sky and take you anywhere you wish.

I'll be more than happy to take the risk if this is the reward I'm getting. And I feel like you're already changing and growing ever since you took that huge risk that was coming all the way here. You and I have met some amazing people too, and I'm already looking forward to finding out all of the other new friends you'll make along the way!

I'm sure that even the Fanclub resort, where we are going now, will help you meet more friends. I know, all we could do is run there, get a room in which we could put your stuff, and run back out, but now that everything is settled you should really take the rest of this evening for yourself, enjoy your new room, and have a good night's sleep.

I don't want to ruin your mood just now, but I have to confess you're really my only close friend. I thought about what that other boy said about how I'd leave you if you didn't change, but I have to disagree. I like you just too much to even think about separating myself from you. You're already giving me so much more than I could ever ask for.

You see. Before meeting you, I spent nearly all my life inside of a flower. I don't really know where that was, I just hatched right there and then and became friends with the flower, as every Flabébé does. The flower gives us the energy to keep living, healthy and strong, until we can cut it away from the rest of the plant and start floating around. When that happens, then it means we can provide enough energy to the flower itself so it doesn't die: it's just a continuous symbiosis.

You know me, don't you Avril? I had to try and set myself free as soon as I felt ready. I cut the flower on a warm summer day, and pushed myself up in the air with Fairy Wind, just like all the other Flabébé do. It all seemed to have gone as planned, until a storm arrived just a few hours later and I was already fighting for my life. The rest of the story, you know already.

Thinking back on it, I don't really regret my choice. I followed my heart even if it meant taking risks that I couldn't assess, and that led me right into your arms! There are always friends ready to help you in times of need, especially me!

With all of that considered, then… I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. What you're going through right now is normal, and very relatable. You're just cutting your flower, just like I did, but don't worry. Soon you'll start to fly, and feel awesome about it.

Chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp…

Eleanor · Sep 28, 2020

Avril Reese

16 - ♀ - Laverre City

Pokémon / Inventory:

AVRIL'S MONEY: $4 500

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

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

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

AVRIL'S CONTACTS:
Jordie, Shuna, Natsuko

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

A better start

Sunday, September 20^th - about 8:30 am - Around Dewford

My first night in Dewford has cleared my mind of all the negativity. It truly feels like a new, better start. The sun rays and Wingull cries woke me up from the best sleep I've had in days, the coziness and calm of Dewford very similar to the quiet Laverre countryside where I used to stay.

Even Poppy looked reinvigorated this morning, after she slept pressed right against my cheeks. I've never seen her so happy, which is strange after knowing what happened yesterday, but even more meaningful because of it. I'm so glad I saw her in this state.

After the hectic hours of yesterday, I finally took a good look at the room I was given, finally noticing all the little details that made it special. The paintings, the furniture, even the patterns on the bed sheets and curtains! The aesthetic of the room was far from minimalistic, but even then nothing looked out of place.

If anything, everything was meant to give off this high class vibe. That's the same thing I noticed in the large breakfast room, as well. The few guests and personnel were all trying to act very refined and look fancy. It's another thing that reminded me of home.

I was never really into fashion trends as much as some other people in Laverre, and I was more of a tomboy when I was younger, but I still remember that attention to looks and behavior that, in fact, is common amongst all of Kalos. Maybe that is why I didn't feel so out of place, even while wearing just a T-shirt and a pair of denim shorts.

Not quite knowing what to do next, I just headed for the beach once again. Maybe Marie or the others might have been around, maybe I could've tried to make it up to her? I actually wasn't quite ready to do that, but it was a possibility.

I walked around for a bit, trying to avoid the crowds of locals, tourists, and maybe even trainers all hanging out at the beach, but in the end settled for a little area near the southern coast, away from other people. There were some rocks and burrows, so I could just sit there and call out Angie as well.

I've just decided to grab some of my berries and enjoy a snack on the beach when Poppy just rams head first into the Oran Berry that I was trying to give Angie. Despite being so tiny, Flabébé knocked the berry away successfully, and… now I'm left with her just teasing Angie, as I pout back at her instead.

Shellos doesn't wait more than a couple seconds before firing off a Water Pulse, which misses Poppy and travels further, right above the sea. Still in disbelief, I watch them complain to each other some more, but then…

"Hey Angie, let's see how much you want that berry, uh?"

I decide to have them battle. I need to know more about them and what they can do if I want them to not just win battles, but be safer as well. After all, Poppy just seemed so happy today! "I need to see what you two can do."

That curiosity, if you could say so, is satisfied right away as Shellos uses Mud Sport all around her. The beach turns into something more resembling a swamp, which allows Angie to quickly slide and avoid the Razor Leaf that Poppy aimed at her. That's a very helpful thing to know, I realize: despite being usually slow, Shellos can improve on that if they fight where they want to.

What can Poppy do, then? I didn't give her any command and just tried to see how she would react to this situation. She does by just twirling around as she keeps singing her Lucky Chant, before finally getting close to Shellos and going for a Fairy Wind. It's by no means enough to lift Angie or anything, but it seems to throw her off enough to let Poppy land a Razor Leaf shortly after that.

Would I have gone for Fairy Wind in that situation? Probably not, because Razor Leaf is more effective. And yet, it was the right thing to do! Moves can be used in many different ways, even those who usually are meant to only deal damage. This is feeling like going back to Trainer school all over again, and yet I'm feeling much better about this. Poppy and Angie, despite their bickering from time to time, are probably going to become good friends.

I continue watching my two Pokémon as they battle it out, giving some commands here and there. But it's no longer just "dodge this", "careful there"... I actually tried to ask Angie to fire off Water Pulses faster, or ask Poppy to twirl around as she used Fairy Wind. The way those two moves interact is very interesting!

I soon learn that Fairy Wind, used as Poppy is twirling, acts as a decent defensive move in certain cases - even if it's too weak to properly block head on attacks. Angie's Mud Slap is a great way to defend herself as well, as it keeps enemies busy with all the sand that gets in their eyes. I try one more command just now, trying to put all of this observation to good use. "Get close, Poppy!"

Flabébé uses Fairy Wind to quickly close the distance between her and Angie, approaching her from the back. "Attack now!" I shout, eager to see how the plan I envisioned in my head will unfold. And yet, something unexpected happens.

Angie just slides on the Mud Sport she's created, twirling around in the blink of an eye to face Poppy and emitting a strange, greenish orb from her mouth. It hits the Flabébé from point blank range, as I stare in awe. I call a timeout and pull out my Holotch, as it should update with the information about that new move.

"Hidden Power," I read. A move that I probably heard about at the Trainer School, and that seemed interesting because, depending on who uses that move, you never know what type it will have. I try not to think about that though, and instead just walk closer to Angie. "You fought very well, and learned a new move too!"

Shellos just looks at me proud, if not a bit smug. She reminds me of Poppy already, in fact. "Have some food, you really deserved it."

In no time, we're all sitting on the same rock as before, eating berry slices and enjoying the breeze. The positive feelings of today still haven't left me, Poppy or Angie, and I can't think of a reason why they would. It's almost surreal to feel this good… no, it's definitely surreal. I still can't believe it when my mind realizes… I've just completed my first solo training session. My first friendly battle between two of my own Pokémon.

[PKMN FULL] Hoenn: Square One [IC]

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