[PKMN FULL] Hoenn: Square One [IC]

WizardOfOdd · Nov 1, 2022

Arthur Weissmann
Location: Route 102
Saturday, September 26th
Evening

Chapter 4 - 2
A Deal with the Devil

"H-how!? This meat… How is it so…"

"Why? Are you impressed? Then please give a loud applause for your wonderful chef, ME! MWAHAHAHA!" Vincent laughed boisterously while clapping for himself seeing my reaction.

I was left speechless, I kid you not. And I wasn't the type to be easily impressed with food either.

The fact that he managed to prepare such a mouth-watering dish despite the limitations of cooking outdoors was astounding. The sweet and succulent meat of the dish melted so easily in my mouth that it was very hard to believe Vincent's claim that the meat was dirt cheap. No wonder he grinned ear-to-ear while peeking inside the cooler box earlier that day.

As I wolfed down the dish he prepared, the one question I had about who Vincent was started to branch off to all sorts of thoughts. Yet the more energy I tried to pour into analyzing this Alolan shirt-wearing enigma sitting in front of me, the more the answer seemed to elude me even further.

If I was allowed to be frank at the moment, I had a strong hunch that Vincent was more than just a manager to the Scarlet Nova. I knew that a client with a stellar result and reputation in the circuit as Roland Geiger would fit someone with Vincent's level of competency. But, If I was allowed to be honest with my intuition Vincent seemed to be over-competent to stay put as a manager, so why did he stay as a manager? He seemed to have everything to be moderately famous at the very least. With the skills, knowledge, and boisterous personality he had? Vincent could've made it somewhere if he had the will to.

But on second thoughts, perhaps I was just thinking too far. Maybe I just missed the news about this weirdo over here. I mean there are a ton of competition circuits worldwide, so maybe… He was famous in some sort of fringe league? Seemed unlikely but it was a possibility I couldn't ignore outright. Or perhaps I was still overthinking about that and he just stayed put as a manager because he just wanted to.

Ah well, I'll think about it after I finish eating, I thought to myself. The food was just too good to be eaten cold and so I continued to eat Vincent's meat stew with gusto while putting aside my attempt at deducing whether Vincent was more than a manager for one of the biggest stars of the competitive circuit.

"Haha..."

Vincent's giggle suddenly alerted me. My eyes widened only to see him leaning on a tree nearby with a gleeful expression.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked while wiping the stain from the meat juice with my handkerchief.

"No~thing," He spoke with a playful tone.

The wide yet gentle smile he exuded never faded while he watched over me and our Pokemon. I couldn't lie, but how he always seemed so happy in everyday life even at the simplest of things made me curious, so much so that I couldn't help but wonder if he was faking it at times to give me comfort.

Our dinner session alongside our Pokemon went normally, in my opinion. There was nothing major happening other than Braveheart who was eating away from the rest because of obvious reasons, there was also Percival who seemed to be staring daggers at me for some reason.

Thankfully a loud clap reverberated around our campsite just as I finished eating, cutting the awkwardness I felt just like a hot knife through butter. It seemed that Vincent was itching to do something.

"Well, since you've finished your food. Perhaps it is the right time for a chit-chat session, maybe the new member of your team would like to introduce themselves?"

"Ah, right. Tempest!"

I almost forgot to introduce my Pokemon. While I'd briefly shown him my Seedot, but I hadn't gone too far explaining about the newest member of my team since Vincent seemed busy prepping the food for our lunch at the time.

Tempest waddled slowly towards the bonfire in the middle. The process of catching him was pleasant, surprisingly easy even. For some unknown reason, he didn't give a fuss at all about me catching him. It was good that I was able to catch him quickly, but thanks to the rapid sequence of events, I didn't have a proper grasp of his personality.

After bowing slightly, Tempest swiftly went back to his initial sitting spot without caring about anything else, as if doing an introduction was just a formality he had to breeze through.

"Not very social, eh? Well, honestly I would like to hear more about why you choose a Seedot in the first place."

"Well, the main reason was that I know well that Shiftry works as a pivot in a weather team. So you know, considering how flexible a Shiftry can be used in Rain and Sun teams depending on the situation, I thought it might be worth taking a shot at catching one. You know, just like Yui Tsutsuji. Do you know that at Celadon Masters, she once managed to reverse a…"

Embarrassingly I didn't even realize that I was getting carried away as a rambled away about Yui Tsutsuji. I would never admit it towards Vincent, but the Hoenn Hall of Famer was my first crush the first time I saw her on a Pokeblock commercial, however silly that was.

While I continued to profess my admiration toward my idol. Vincent didn't say anything until a while, at that point, I was able to see him smirking from ear to ear like a sly Thievul catching a glimpse of vulnerable prey.

Knowing him, he would've teased me to death, so I crossed my fingers hoping that he would not bring up Yui in the conversation.

"Are you a big fan of hers?" Vincent asked nonchalantly before taking a sip of his drink."

OF FUCKING COURSE! I screamed internally. Why did I even expect him to be wrong in the first place, he wouldn't grin so widely if he didn't manage to understand what was happening.

"W-who?" I said as I tried my best to play coy.

"Who else?"

"I-I mean she is a strong trainer, right? You can see that from how she—

Vincent's grin was getting wider and wider. At this point, you had to be as dense as molasses to not notice the implications. He knew, he fucking knew that I had a crush on Yui.

"Okay, I don't know what you are thinking about. But it's definitely not that," I tried my best to put up my best defense against Vincent's teasing, no matter how flimsy it was due to my nervousness at the time.

"Are you sure it's not because she's hot?" Vincent bluntly stated his opinion without much care.

"W-w-w-what?" My face turned as red as a tomato as I heard Vincent's question. It was so blunt, it felt like I was getting a door slammed hard to my face.

"Ahhh… I see, so your type of girl is the neat and soft-spoken ones, eh… " Vincent continued his attempt at analyzing me.

"A… Vincent stop it!" I reached out to Vincent to shut his mouth with my hands, but unfortunately, not only he had more reach than me, he was much, much stronger physically than me, so much so that it didn't take much effort for him to hold my wrists immobile despite my best effort.

"Why? It's normal to have a crush. I mean Yui is a beautiful girl, her personality wasn't that far off from her mesmerizing beauty to boot. Although, if I have to point out her flaw, sometimes she's too quiet for her own good, at worse she can even blend in with the background so seamlessly, that's how quiet she was."

Vincent's words were delivered nonchalantly, but I was stumped due to the wording of his explanation. An opportunity that he used to let go of my hands.

I just couldn't help but think, but it was almost like

"You know her personally?"

"Yeah. Do you want her autograph? I can get you one if you really want." Vincent spoke, maintaining his teasing tone.

"R-Really?"

I was shocked. Yes, I knew Vincent have friends in higher places, After all, he was the manager of one of the best trainers of his generation, it would be weird if he didn't have any connections in the biz. But to hear one of them was Yui, I couldn't believe my luck.

"Of course, let's seal the deal right here right now." Vincent reached out his hand for a handshake, but the wide grin plastered on his face made me slightly reluctant to reciprocate his gesture. But I could no longer keep the charade. I wanted her autograph badly, and by that, I mean BADLY.

Why? Well, while the chance of it being true was so goddamn slim, I had to take the chance. Especially since Yui herself rarely had meet & greet sessions, which made the tickets for them so goddamn pricey if ever available. If Vincent's offer was true, this was once in a lifetime chance.

And so, like a Magikarp rushing to a shiny hook, I decided to nibble on the shiny hook that Vincent cunningly dangled in front of me.

I reluctantly reached for the hand of the devil who was very eager to seal the deal—

"Hehe, gotcha!"

—Only for him to slap my hand away in a gleeful manner.

After the long walk we had, I was less than amused by his antics. I looked at him with eyes squinted in annoyance, I decided to run toward him to give him a piece of my mind. I chased Vincent who was running away while laughing his ass off as he tried to escape my clenched fist. I was pretty peeved, but I couldn't lie that I had a blast trying to catch Vincent.

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Party

Braveheart (Metang) (-) | Ability: Clear Body | Zen Headbutt, Miracle Eye, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Pursuit

Hunter (Hoothoot) (Male) | Ability: Insomnia | Hypnosis, Defog, Reflect, Confusion, Psycho Shift, Peck

Muchorin (Darumaka) (Male) | Ability: Hustle | Rollout, Incinerate, Fire Fang, Work Up, Facade, Fire Punch

Kaplan (Wingull) (Male) | Ability: Hydration | Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Icy Wind, Supersonic, Mist, Water Pulse

Nero (Inkay) (Male) | Ability: Contrary | Hypnosis, Topsy-Turvy, Psybeam, Swagger, Night Slash, Destiny Bond

NEW!
Tempest (Seedot) (Male) | Ability: Chloropyll | Harden, Rollout, Absorb, Astonish, Bide, Growth

Inventory

Money: ₽15.400

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Balance Badge

Evo Items

Water Stone x 1

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

Safety Goggles x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

Twisted Spoon x 1

TM/TR

Taunt

Bulk Up

Consumables

Ability Capsule

Other Items

Dome Fossil

WizardOfOdd · Nov 1, 2022

Arthur Weissmann
Location: Route 102
Saturday, September 27th
Early Morning

Chapter 4 - 3
A Fleeting Tranquility
Part 1

"Why… Why did this happen to me—Ack... "

I desperately gasped for air while raising my trembling right palm upward.

Is this it for me? I thought to myself.

Never once I thought that I would be in the situation I was in.

My sight grew dimmer and dimmer as I struggled to even keep myself conscious.

It seemed that I didn't have much time left.

And so, I closed my eyes hoping that—

"Wow, I didn't realize it's the soap opera timeslot already. Pretty sure it's still really early in the morning for this kind of shit," said Vincent, unimpressed at my acting.

I proceeded to slam my fist to the ground in annoyance as my attempt to retaliate for the audacity he pulled yesterday failed. Dang it, maybe if I didn't sync the view of the heart-rate monitor on my Holotch with his, I would've stood a better chance of hoodwinking him.

"So, what's next? Do you need medical assistance, old man?" Said Vincent, while mockingly reaching out his arm towards me.

"Funny hearing that from you—*Cough*"

"Geez Louise… I've told you not to force yourself," spoke Vincent as he checked my health condition.

While it's true that the almost-dying stuff was all acting, the fatigue I felt from the exercise that Vincent had just put me through was 100% real.

I did a lot of running to hell and back at the academy… Mostly courtesy of Uncle Kirk, including the time when he made me run for my life as a swarm of angry Combee tried to sting us all the way to our early grave when we picked up flowers for his now-wife. Knowing that, wasn't it surprising that I was terrible at running long distances? Well, in normal cases, it would be, but 'long' was an understatement for how much distance I'd just covered with Vincent.

Vincent was just too much of a freak. My declaration towards Vincent that he would eat his word for underestimating me quickly turned into nothing but words of the stupid as he ran without even breaking a sweat while I was left gasping for air after quite a while. And boy what an annoying experience it was, watching him slowing down and even running backward with his face turned towards me to taunt me all the way.

"Heh… how could I? Maybe if someone would stop being such a pompous jerk, I would." I threw a friendly jab at his sides while he checked on my health.

"Ungrateful much? Guess that someone's still salty after yesterday," Vincent quipped.

"Of course I am… How could I— *Cough* *Cough*

"Alright, alright, let's not get carried away… I'm sorry I teased you too much, Artie. Let's take a proper rest."

With help from Vincent, I eventually managed to catch my breath once more.

The exercise was grueling, but as I sat down on a rock nearby our jogging track, I couldn't but enjoy the fresh air coming into my lungs after the exercise that left my t-shirt completely drenched in sweat. It would've been unthinkable to say this six years ago, but perhaps I was really enjoying my time outdoors.

With a bottle of water in my hand, and the breeze sweeping over my wet frizzled hair. I asked Vincent about our next course of action.

"Hmm?? Eager to continue, eh? Well, let's see…" Vincent gazed upward while tapping his chin. "Well since we've already emptied the gas in our tanks, and by our I mean yours." He spoke before smirking in a joking manner.

"...Just get to the point, Vincent," I rolled my eyes despite laughing at his joke.

"Wanna ride our Pokemon the rest of the way?"

My laugh would halt almost immediately as I realized what his suggestion would entail.

Of course, in true Vincent fashion, he quickly realized what was wrong with his suggestion as he remembered that I only had one rideable Pokemon and at the moment it was very clear that they wouldn't allow me to ride them.

"...You haven't managed to patch things up with Braveheart?" He scratched the back of his head, visibly looking awkward,

"...Yeah, it's you know… Not easy…"

He sighed. "Well, I never said it was, Artie. While giving it some time between two individuals is usually how you can solve a problem easily, however…" He put his rugged hand on my shoulder.

"It's been a while since you both fought right? Why don't you give it a shot at apologizing now?"

"I know! But I'm just… Afraid… You know, I… Braveheart's my friend, my best friend. If our friendship went even Souther than this, I don't think I can…"

Both of us were stubborn like rocks. If we did clash once more, I was afraid that that would be it for the friendship we had all these years.

Vincent smiled softly as if he understood my plight, before putting his hands on my shoulders.

"I've had my fair share of arguments, Artie. A lot of them end in laughter and handshakes, but there are a few of them that burned bridges entirely. Do you know what's the most common similarity I had on the latter type of argument?"

I shook my head, not even having the slightest idea of what Vincent was trying to imply.

"Most of them were problems that I let fester for too long or snowballed out of control because I wasn't fast enough to handle them. Some I had with people I really hold dear too, and yet I'm sure they and I would never talk anymore."

Vincent took a deep breath, perhaps as he was remembering the memories he wished to bury away.

"Artie, I don't want you to end up like me. I had a lot of regrets in my life, and despite the lessons I learned from them, I would've undid them in a heartbeat if I could. But life isn't a game you can repeat all you want, you live with the consequences of your actions whether you like it or not. That's why I want you to set things straight with Braveheart. Tell him how you really feel, before the grudge between you two roots so deeply in their heart, if it comes to that there's no way of telling what would happen. And as I said, the last thing I want from you is to suffer the same regrets as I did. Of course, in the end, you can do whatever you feel is right, but please consider my words, Arthur." Vincent tapped me lightly on the shoulder before walking away slightly towards the empty meadow to bring out his Skarmory to carry us back to our camp.

Despite the screeching roar that the Skarmory let out, at the time I didn't even notice Vincent had let his Pokemon out in the open. My mind was occupied with the issue of Braveheart.

All this time I was trying my best to run away from the issue that had weighed my mind, but now that I had some time for myself to think. There was no question that I want to help Braveheart as soon as I could and so I gathered my resolve.

Braveheart was my best friend, and I had no intention of letting them suffer any further because of my idiocy.

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

Party

Braveheart (Metang) (-) | Ability: Clear Body | Zen Headbutt, Miracle Eye, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Pursuit

Hunter (Hoothoot) (Male) | Ability: Insomnia | Hypnosis, Defog, Reflect, Confusion, Psycho Shift, Peck

Muchorin (Darumaka) (Male) | Ability: Hustle | Rollout, Incinerate, Fire Fang, Work Up, Facade, Fire Punch

Kaplan (Wingull) (Male) | Ability: Hydration | Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Icy Wind, Supersonic, Mist, Water Pulse

Nero (Inkay) (Male) | Ability: Contrary | Hypnosis, Topsy-Turvy, Psybeam, Swagger, Night Slash, Destiny Bond

Tempest (Seedot) (Male) | Ability: Chlorophyll | Harden, Rollout, Absorb, Astonish, Bide, Growth

Inventory

Money: ₽15.400

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Balance Badge

Evo Items

Water Stone x 1

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

Safety Goggles x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

Twisted Spoon x 1

TM/TR

Taunt

Bulk Up

Consumables

Ability Capsule

Other Items

Dome Fossil

QueenNothing · Nov 1, 2022

Junko "June" Enomoto

Friday, October 9th
Morning
Mauville City

"Of course Junko! Akira and I would be delighted to watch you in this tournament! We'd need someone to take care of the farm for us while we're away, but we're sure Merry could lend us a hand! See you then!"

That was what Giorgia said over the phone last night when June had called her aunts to see if they could make it out to Mauville for the Winstrate Cup. Since Tetsuo couldn't make it and Akira had come to accept June's career path, she figured it was worth a shot. Plus, it's an opportunity to see her family! How exciting!

This will be her first time entering a tournament of any kind, so having support from her aunts is greatly appreciated. It's been awhile since she left Littledale too, and there's a lot she could tell her aunts, such as the badge she won from Benji, or how she caught Diya.. by trespassing in an extremely dangerous off-limits area and earning herself an unreasonable amount of debt. Yeah, maybe she shouldn't bring that part up. Hopefully they don't notice her arms- they've mostly healed by this point, but she still keeps them wrapped in bandages to be safe. It's good she had the foresight to wear something with long sleeves.

June paces around the lobby with her hands behind her back. It feels almost like an eternity before her family arrives, but soon enough they show up. Though it's not exactly the family she was expecting.

"Oi, Junko!"

There they are!… or, wait, that's not what Giorgia sounds like at all. And Akira's accent, while recent, is distinguishable enough that she can tell whoever is calling her name definitely isn't Akira. But who else would greet her so casually while also calling her by her first name? She has a guess, but it wouldn't make sense. So, unsure what to expect, she turns around to see her uncle waving as he strolls forth.

"Long time no see, eh?" Tetsuo grins in a rather suave manner.

"U-Uncle Tetsuo!? What are you doing here? I thought you said-"

"Surprised?" He chuckles. "C'mon, I couldn't miss my niece's first big tournament!"

"But what about the conservatory? Oh gosh, who's watching over it!? Who's going to feed all the Pokemon!? Oh, this is awful! All my bugs will starve and they have noone to make sure they-"

"Hey hey, relax Junko. Pete is takin' care of that, and he's doing a great job."

That earns a great big sigh from June. What a relief. Tetsuo may not be the most attentive to the conservatory, but it's good to know he's not so neglectful that he'd just leave it completely unattended for a day. "That's good to hear, then. I was really worried for a moment."

"No need to be." Tetsuo says. "But now that we got that outta the way, what have ya been up to? It's been a bit!"

"Quite a lot has happened since I left Petalburg! I've caught two new Pokemon, a Heracross and a Joltik! And when I was in Littledale I-"

June abruptly pauses mid sentence, remembering how troubled Tetsuo and Akira's relationship is. And that becomes even more tricky when she realizes she invited Akira to come over and see her in this exact lobby.

Oh no.

June holds her stomach to comfort the sudden pains she's feeling in that area. What is she supposed to do about this? She can't just tell Tetsuo to leave, not after he put in all the trouble to get here all the way from Petalburg. And she absolutely wouldn't do the same to Akira! There has to be something, anything she can do to avoid the explosive reunion that is about to take place!

"Uhh, you good?" Tetsuo raises a brow. "You're lookin' awfully pale all of a sudden."

"Huh? O-oh, no, it's nothing! I just, um, well, I-"

"Junko! Ciao!" Another voice calls out from behind June. What would normally be a pleasant greeting from a family member has her frozen in fear.

Oh my. It seems I was too late.

"Um, Giorgia! It's, um, very nice to see you again!" June turns around, embracing the short blonde woman running in to give her a hug. Of course, this just creates questions for Tetsuo.

"Err, ehh sorry- who might you be?" He cautiously eyes Giorgia. When Giorgia releases June from her grip, she looks back to him as if she expected the confusion.

"Oh- why, hello there Tetsuo! I haven't seen you in a long time!" She giggles. "Though I'm sure you don't recognize me now."

"Uhhhh, yeah, I sure don't. Who the hell are ya and how do you know me?"

"It's quite the story, honestly. But I'm sure this will jog your memory." Giorgia steps out of the way to make way for the wall of a woman that is her wife, and June bites her lip.

"Shucks Giorgia, don't go runnin' in a big ol' city without me like that!" A third voice echoes through the stadium lobby. There it is. The approaching large frame moseys on over to the three, towering over them, though is seemingly unaware of Tetsuo's presence.

"Jeez, how are ya gonna make me drive all the way out to this city more crowded than a cave of Dugtrio only to leave me behind like that!" Akira sighs. "Anyways, howdy Junko! C'mere you!" WIth her large arms, she scoops up June and squeezes her with what's supposed to be a hug but feels more like a wrestling hold. Perhaps it's appropriate that this demonstration of strength is the first of Akira that her detested brother of hers has seen in years.

"Oh fuck." Struck with fear, Tetsuo looks up to Akira- and perhaps rightfully so. The words Tetsuo had muttered under his breath were enough to catch her attention, and when she opens her eyes to see who was standing in-front of her, she carefully set June down and stared him dead in the eye with a completely blank expression.

The calm has ended, and the storm has just rolled in.

"Uhhhh… long time no see?" Tetsuo grins nervously and his posture shrinks. He forces a few chuckles to try and lighten the mood, but Akira doesn't budge. She tightens her fist and twitches her eye as the rage of three years festers within her.

"Why lookit what we have here?" She says, starting calm before escalating the pre-existing tension.. "I reckoned takin' a day off meant I wouldn't be dealin' with no more rodents. But here I am, standin' in-front of a good-for-nothin', disrespectful, ungrateful, back-stabbin', mud-eatin', money-hungry, mother-hatin', Gogoat-slappin', piece of work VARMIN' of a brother I ever met!"

"Ah c'mon, that's no way to treat your little bro, huh? Ehehe…"

"An' usin' ma's legacy as a way to make a quick buck by turnin' it into a tourist attraction ain't no way to treat your dead mother, huh? Heck, maybe ya shouldn't have gone against her dyin' wish by lettin' lil' Junko know 'bout her past she wanted to keep a secret? Don't act like you got any moral high ground to stand on here when you're 'bout as wicked as a Mightyena playin' pranks on a buncha newly hatched Torchics! What ya did made me sick, heck, it made the whole family sick! Even Junichi ain't happy with ya for cyin' out loud! You oughta be ashamed of yerself! Why, if there weren't so many darn people 'round us I might just use those scrawny bones of yers to-"

"Akira, that's enough!"

Akira looks down to the only human who would ever dare to interrupt her and sees Giorgira standing firm with her arms crossed. "Please. Be considerate. I don't care how upset you are with Tetsuo. You're both here for the same reason- to cheer on your niece. Your troubled history can be talked about after the tournament. For now, you need to put your differences aside and come together to be the supportive family Junko needs right now."

Akira shifts her eyes back to Tetsuo, intimidating him with her presence alone. She hates the idea of sweeping their conflict under the rug, even if only temporarily, but Giorgia is right. Akira groans and crosses her arms. "Fine."

"...Um, thanks." June really isn't sure how to react after seeing such a display of anger. Maybe she should be upset with Akira for blowing up on Tetsuo, but if her family can support her in the tournament together, she can look past that. "You know, I didn't expect I'd ever see you two together like this again, and honestly I'm very glad to have you both here. It really means a lot to me."

Akira sighs and tips her hat from below the brim. "Shoot. I guess if lil' Junko wants us to, I can't complain."

"If there's one thing we can agree on it's that we're all rootin' for ya Junko." Tetsuo says, popping his head in. "Now go out there and show the Hoenn region how the Enomotos battle!"

🐞 June's Party 🐞

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WizardOfOdd · Nov 2, 2022

Sophie
Location: Bus towards Mauville City
Sunday, September 27th
Morning

Chapter 6 - 1
Old Friends, New Beginning
Part 1

'I may not know where the end of my journey lies, but nevertheless, I'll still give it my all.'

It was the final words said by Cassandra Leblanc in her episode of the documentary 'Rising Stars' which came out four years ago.

Callie wasn't lying in the slightest that her sister was a famous trainer. The fact that she got her own episode in a documentary made by Pokemon League Studios was a sheer testament to both her skills and fame in the circuit.

As the documentary prefaced before getting through her past, she was already an A-Rank when the documentary was aired. But I didn't need much time to surf the internet to understand that she was already an S-Rank coordinator not long after the documentary had come out. No wonder Callie said that her sister was much more famous than her. Not to say that Callie was not famous at all, she herself was an A-Rank coordinator in her own right.

Watching Cassandra's highlights from the documentary on my Holotch screen made my jaw drop. Seeing firsthand what was possible to be done in contests at the highest level, I wasn't even sure that I could even achieve a fraction of what I just saw.

"The bus has arrived at the final station, Mauville City."

Just as I was about to continue my pondering, the bus had just arrived at my destination. And so, I waited as everyone else stepped out from the bus with their belongings before I did the same.

Yes, this time I could step out from the bus instead of using the accessibility ramp available for those with injury and disability, as the doctor who had examined my injury back at Slateport had given me the green light to walk normally, once more. Sadly, she also told me that there was a high risk of reinjury should I force myself to walk long distances without re-acclimation. With that in mind, I had no choice but to use the bus instead of doing the scenic route of Mauport Bridge. It's quite saddening already that I had to turn back from Route 102 due to my limited mobility, and now I had to skip Mauport Bridge and whatever was there too.

Despite the disappointment deeply rooted in my heart, I knew at the same time that I should feel grateful instead. Especially since Vincent's friend saved me back in Granite Cave from dying a certain death, not to mention that Arthur almost suffered the same fate trying to save me. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself had something happened to Arthur because of my impulse of getting stronger quickly.

Not to mention the fact that I got a Key Stone and Arthur didn't… Thinking about it further only made me feel even guiltier, so I took a deep breath to calm myself down. As there was no use beating myself up over something that had already happened, I had to focus on what lay ahead.

As I looked up, the vertical metropolis dwarfed me so much that I was left in awe.

I lived in Wyndon all my life, and yet this engineering marvel was nothing like what I ever saw before. And the fact that there was a sophisticated method of transportation that exist to connect the floors of the city without even using the element of flying was mind-boggling to me, it was almost like it was a city out of a science-fiction novel of some sort.

Sadly I had no time to dawdle, there was a huge issue I needed to deal with before I could relax. And so I head over to the nearest tram station, luckily for me, the tram had just arrived not long after I stood in the waiting line.

As I sat down on the tram which thankfully was free of charge. I opened my wallet which barely had anything inside.

There were only two ₽2.000 bills in my wallet, other than that, well… the rest are chump change. While I couldn't say that I regretted my actions to dump the money that I had kept from the estate which was in hindsight extra dumb because I've spent most of my personal money on the yearly membership of Pokemon Fanclub, at the same time I should've done better about how did I discard it. I should've given it up for charity or left it for Callie to decide what to do with it, but no… I and my dumb brain had to just throw all of it in the bin back at the boat.

With blazing speed, the tram didn't take that long to reach the destination I was heading for. With my fingers crossed, I entered the building with a lot of hope that I could at least make my financial situation less dire.

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Party

Aurora (Alolan Vulpix) (Female) | Ability: Snow Warning | Freeze-Dry, Confuse Ray, Disable, Hex, Aurora Beam, Mist

Garnet (Staryu) (-) | Ability: Illuminate | Magic Coat, Rapid Spin, Camouflage, Recover, Psywave, Bubblebeam

Stolz (Aron) (Male) | Ability: Rock Head | Rock Tomb, Metal Claw, Protect, Roar, Harden, Headbutt

Joy (Lotad) (Male) | Ability: Swift Swim | Astonish, Mega Drain, Water Gun, Synthesis, Mist, Flail

Inventory

Money: ₽4.600

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Mega/Z Items

Key Stone x 1

Aggronite x 1

Evo Items
None

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

King's Rock x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

TM/TR

Detect

Consumables
None

Other Items
None

WizardOfOdd · Nov 2, 2022

Sophie
Location: Mauville Gym, Mauville City
Sunday, September 27th
Noon

Chapter 6 - 2
Old Friends, New Beginning
Part 2

"Joy is unable to battle anymore, and the winner is Micah!" The referee announced, much to the delight of the Tropius and his trainer who shared a hug in their victory.

The battle I had against the boy called Micah was not a close one in the slightest, at least not how the final match-up went. Joy was not able to handle the Tropius due to his short stature which didn't help at the slightest against Tropius's mobility and ability to fly. Not to mention that both Water Gun and Razor Leaf which was the only offensive move that Joy had barely left a dent due to how much resistance Tropius had against them.

That being said, it didn't mean that Joy was a slouch at battling, not in the slightest. Despite his cute look, it was able to knock out Micah's Slugma which was riding high on the momentum after decisively beating Aurora beforehand. If there was one regret I had, it was the fact that I could've just pulled Aurora out when I saw how bad things were in the beginning. I really need to learn more about battling properly and fast.

Both I and Micah shook hands after our battle concluded. And while it's true that I was happy with the knowledge I gained from battling, I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed in myself as I handed over the agreed prize money.

I should've known that what I had planned about how to earn money was so dumb that it was already doomed from the very beginning. My plan to earn money from battling in the gym fell flat very quickly. As after I won 1500 from winning a battle, it quickly disappeared as fast as it came as I lose to Micah.

With how thin my pocket was, I decided it was best for me to book a room in the Pokemon Center as soon as possible. All so I could properly think about a proper way to earn money that wasn't as dumb as having to win every single match I had at the gym. However, with the lack of skills I had, I couldn't help to lament the fact that I relied so much on my butlers and maids that I had fewer skills than a dead tree has leaves.

However, on my way to the tram station, my sight suddenly turned pitch-black as I felt someone's hands pressing on my eyes.

"Eh… Wait, what's happening!?" I tried to think about what just happened to me. Was it a kidnapper? Was someone hired by my mother finally found my whereabouts? The thought of it was so scary that I tried my all to break free from the clutches of whoever was behind me.

"Don't panic! Don't you remember this voice?"

The voice coming from the person blocking my eyesight halted my struggle to break free, It was a girl's voice. And I was able to calm myself down as I quickly pinpointed the girl who spoke just then. It was quite easy considering the fact that there weren't a lot of people that were acquaintances with me in the first place. It hadn't been that long since I met that person either.

"Alice!?" I asked the mysterious girl.

Alice released her hands that were holding my eyes closed and acted like a little girl getting caught red-handed stealing cookies in the middle of the night.

"Heya~ Sorry, it was a poor choice on my behalf to surprise you like that."

"No, no… I was also overreacting, sorry. Nice to meet you again! Also, it's nice to see that you're already out of your wheelchair." She smiled widely as she gazed at my recently healed legs.

"Yeah! I still have to be careful, though. I can't be reckless or else I would either reinjure my leg or make my injury even worse from what it was."

"Ah, I see. But still, the fact that you're able to walk now in some capacity is a blessing in itself."

I couldn't help but have my mouth arced upwards as Alice put out a sweet smile from hers. But then Alice asked me a question that I myself had some trouble answering.

"Hey instead of talking here, would you want to talk somewhere else? You know like a Coffee Shop or something?"

I couldn't stop my eyes from twitching as I imagined how much money I had to spend while I there without making Alice feel uncomfortable ordering alone. Going to a coffee shop at the time would probably cut what money I had left by half, and that's probably just the coffee and light snacks alone. Right there and then, I knew I had to find a way to change our place of conversation to somewhere I didn't have to spend any money at all.

"Ah… I…" "You know, why don't we talk about it in Pokemon Center instead? You know, I think it'll be cozy and nice there." I knew it was a lie when compared to a coffee shop, but I still had to try and avoid personal bankruptcy at all costs.

"I don't know, I just feel like it's cozier and with fewer people coming in and out, and then there's also the atmosphere, it just feels more comfortable, if you get what I mean," Alice explained her reasoning that I was secretly agreeing to.

This won't do, I thought to myself.

There was no point in hiding it anymore, circling around the same topic again and again was pointless in my opinion. And hiding about it just because I was too embarrassed was certainly not an option either, looking at the recent situations where I tried my best to hide my predicament from others and dealt with it by myself, it always ended up in disaster.

So, I swallowed my embarrassment and told her the truth straight up.

"I… I don't have that much money right now," I looked down at my shoes to avoid her gaze, however in a gleeful tone she held both of my hands.

"Ah, it's my treat then. You don't have to worry about anything!"

As I moved my gaze back to her face, I couldn't help but find her extremely bright smile contrasted a lot with what I knew of her back when we did our contest together. I knew she was slightly clumsy but friendly, but I didn't know her personality is THIS bright. It's almost as if she had a heavy burden lifted from her shoulders.

Not to mention, the fact that the more that I observe her the more I felt that my guess was justified, her cheeks were even rosier than it was when I first met her. I was almost 100% sure that she was having some problems back then despite acting cheerful, not to mention that I accidentally soured her mood with some sort of joke that I couldn't remember… What was it, again?

"Sophie? Are you really okay? Do I need to take you to the nearest hospital?" Alice woke me up from my stupor as she showed concern by trying to check the temperature of my forehead.

Oh no, I was spacing out for too long. I realized that perhaps I was too nosy about this. As long as Alice was currently happy, there was no reason for me to ask about her personal issues unless it was an important scenario or I was involved directly.

"Oh no, no, sorry I was just spacing out. Sure, I'll be in your care." I relented to accept Alice's offer.

Alice wasn't very convinced that I was fine as she couldn't hide her expression of concern for a good bit of our trip toward the coffee shop. Alice said that a friend of hers was a local and told her about a good coffee place that wasn't very far to reach from the gym with a tram ride.

On the tram, Alice told about herself and her reason for journeying the region as a trainer. How she came from the neighboring region of Kinyo which had its League abolished just recently due to poor attendance, how she graduated from a local academy there also recently, and how she wanted to be a trainer because of how she watched strong trainers on the TV back when she was younger.

Not only that, but she was also quite happy to show the content inside both her Badge and Ribbon case. Two badges from Benji and Brawly and Two D-Rank ribbons, one from the Dewford contest she entered with me, and another from a Slateport contest she entered before she met me. The ribbons in her possession signified that she was already a C-Rank coordinator after she won back at Dewford. I was envious that she already won that much while I was left with nothing but one badge, but then again she spent a few years at an academy that taught her about Pokemon instead of me who was stuck learning physics and math that I doubt would ever find any use in my current situation.

Thankfully it wasn't a crowded place at all, and we managed to secure a seat pretty easily.

After I ordered my jasmine tea, which despite Alice's attempt at introducing me to coffee I still ordered anyway due to my unfamiliarity with coffee drinks, I didn't waste any time telling her what was the problem I was facing right now,

"Ah… I see, so that's the problem you're going through, huh?" Alice rested her head between her thumb and forefinger as she started to mutter ideas that came to her head.

"Can you wash dishes? Or do general cleaning like sweeping and mopping?"

"Neither."

"Umm… Are you good at handling visitors?" Alice asked once more.

"Sorry."

"Cooking?"

"I can't."

"Okay, let's think of what else can you do..." Alice racked her brain with a radiant smile still plastered on her face.

The questions continued until Alice's pupils dilated as she looked at me with an expression full of disbelief. I shot down her ideas in rapid succession and it was very clear from her expression that she was starting to run out of ideas.

"Okay, surely you can be a part-time clerk, yeah?" Alice asked with an exasperated emotion clearly shown on her face.

"Sorry, I've said that I wasn't good at handling visitors."

Nothing stuck due to my incompetence at doing things. And with a big sigh, Alice leaned back on her chair while closing both of her eyes with her hands as she shook her head in disbelief or perhaps more accurately frustration.

"Sorry… I shouldn't have…"

"No… No… Don't be, I haven't given up and neither should you." Alice leaned forward to take a sip of her latte. "Alright, let's calm down and think, what skill do you have other than taking care of Pokemon? Wait… What? Of course! I'm so dumb!" Alice quickly projected her Holotch screen in front of me. What was shown on the screen was the search filters of a job-seeking portal. As she put in the indicators, jobs started to show up, all of them were about taking care of Pokemon.

"You're skilled at taking care of Pokemon, right? So I guess this would be up your alley." Said Alice, her face beaming with enthusiasm.

"I wouldn't call myself skilled, but…"

There was no other option better than this, and if there was, I had no idea about any of them. This was the only acceptable job with my sadly limited amount of competence.

I lamented the fact that I only spent a lot of time learning about battling and Pokemon care while neglecting basic knowledge. Heck, I had to learn how to do laundry on the fly from the internet. But I couldn't turn back the clock, I just have to use the knowledge from my mistakes to prevent myself from doing any more blunders.

"...I… Yeah, I think I'll be taking this one. Thanks for the help, Alice." I bowed slightly to express my gratitude.

"Haha, don't sweat it! If you wanna repay me, let's hang out again sometimes."

"Yeah!"

We had small talks afterward until Alice had to excuse herself. Although, before leaving she also invited me to train with her the next day after I finished my part-time job. It was an offer that I was more than happy to accept.

Hopefully, I could hold my ground as well as I did against Arthur.

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

Party

Aurora (Alolan Vulpix) (Female) | Ability: Snow Warning | Freeze-Dry, Confuse Ray, Disable, Hex, Aurora Beam, Mist

Garnet (Staryu) (-) | Ability: Illuminate | Magic Coat, Rapid Spin, Camouflage, Recover, Psywave, Bubblebeam

Stolz (Aron) (Male) | Ability: Rock Head | Rock Tomb, Metal Claw, Protect, Roar, Harden, Headbutt

Joy (Lotad) (Male) | Ability: Swift Swim | Astonish, Mega Drain, Water Gun, Synthesis, Mist, Flail

Inventory

Money: ₽4.600

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Mega/Z Items

Key Stone x 1

Aggronite x 1

Evo Items
None

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

King's Rock x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

TM/TR

Detect

Consumables
None

Other Items
None

WizardOfOdd · Nov 2, 2022

Arthur Weissmann
Location: Oldale - Littleroot Township
Sunday, September 27th
Late Afternoon

Chapter 4 - 4
A Fleeting Tranquility
Part 2

It wasn't that long ago that I and Vincent had arrived at our destination the rural area of Oldale - Littleroot Township, it was much more quaint than I remembered it. Although perhaps, the concept of vintage, rustic, and countryside wasn't much of an interest for me back then as I vaguely remembered the fact that I was more than eager to get the hell out of the area when I went there with my father a long while ago.

Thanks to the help of Vincent's Skarmory, we cut the time needed to reach the township by more than half.

And after a while, I was standing in front of a building that I was hesitating to enter. It wasn't because it looked shabby and decrepit as the Akurnai City Gym. No, even I wasn't deterred from entering such a building that definitely had a lot of health and safety regulations violations. This one was different, and with a good reason too.

I was standing in front of Birch Research Institute.

"You sure you won't change your mind? It might be worth a look."

"Oh please, I can just visit them again down the line if I want to. Besides, I don't think seeing them now would do me any good in my current state of mind."

No, Brendan wasn't really my idol to the extent Wally was, and neither did May, despite their renown, I couldn't relate as much with them compared to Wally who shared my pain of growing sickly. But if I had to visit them at that point, I couldn't promise myself that I wouldn't have any negative thoughts lingering in my head. Not after what had just happened at Petalburg. That would be a huge distraction that I didn't want any, especially not right now.

After all, distraction is the last thing I need for what I and Vincent had already planned for the night.

"If that's the case, wouldn't it be best to postpone the plan?" Vincent carefully spoke up his mind.

Vincent's suggestion didn't go unnoticed by me, and while I'm grateful for that. There was no chance I was going to be able to relax, not after how I was determined to do something about Braveheart.

"No, I'm not going to. As much as I love to kick back and relax, I can't, you know that already.." I smiled as best as I could, but it was clear as day from the face that Vincent showed me, he knew that I was mustering all the positivity I had into that forced smile.

"...Just… Don't force yourself too much, alright? I know this would sound contradictory, but… It's better if you can do it with a clear head instead of forcing yourself to do it when you're not 100%."

"Whether I got some rest or not, no chance I'm gonna be in a great state of mind unless we've done with that, so… Better sooner than later, I guess."

Despite my attempt at reassuring him, Vincent could only sigh before finally agreeing with my decision.

I was feeling really sorry for Vincent, but the whirlpool of emotions I was feeling would only swallow me alive if I didn't deal with it as soon as possible.

We soon parted ways. I proceeded back to my room to attempt a shut eye for just a moment before our promised time. Yet no matter how hard I tried to do so, the moment of respite I yearned for never came to fruition. The fear and anxiety I had inside just gripped me too hard for me to relax.

With no real solution to my issue, I quickly went to the Cafe and grabbed a cup of coffee, the plain and bitter one without any cream or sugar. I couldn't say that I like it, but I didn't necessarily hate it either, it just had the caffeine needed for me to focus and push through with the situation at hand just like how it used to help me study Pokemon until late at night back at the Mahono Trainer School.

I couldn't afford to lose focus, not at such a critical moment for me and my partner.

As I gazed through the sole window in my room the orange-hued-sky had slowly turned dark indicating that the time is paramount for me to act. As I grabbed my black coat out of my backpack, thoughts started to pour into my head. I didn't have a lot of time to be deep in my musings like usual, but I just couldn't help it. Despite the fatigue that was mounting on me, I was frozen in fear thinking about what would happen if things went wrong.

While I did have a plan on how to confront Braveheart, there was no guarantee that it would succeed.

Growing up with him, I knew that it was much easier to nick him with my bare hands than to change his ways. And so the plan that I formulated carefully with Vincent's approval was definitely not a soft one, but as long as the assumptions I held are true, there should be no problem.

However.

What if all this time I had never truly understood Braveheart? What if what I had in mind only fuels our argument even further? If the rift between us got even larger, what then?

I tried the best I could to convince myself that everything would be alright, but the fear of losing my best friend gripped me so hard that I was unable to stop sighing.

As time went by, the alarm I set had finally rung signaling that I had to go as soon as possible. Whether I like it or not I had to confront Braveheart about the issue plaguing the both of us. And so, grabbing my sling bag, I lifted myself from the wooden chair and started to walk outside my room towards the agreed place to meet, it was an empty plot West of the Pokemon Center.

A single glance was enough for me to tell that it was an abandoned construction site, why? I didn't know, and honestly, I didn't care about that at that point. There were bigger things to be worried about than that.

When I got to the agreed empty lot, I saw Vincent interacting with both Cody and Percival as the three of them sat down on what appeared to be a large concrete pipe.

"Shall we begin, then?"

We didn't waste any time before we got down to business.

The 'main' agenda for the day was to address the issue he had against Wally, mainly about how we couldn't finish the job quickly enough even when Wally was already down one Pokemon early on.

I was extremely lucky that day that he didn't manage to flip the tables on me. I blew a gasket despite being able to ensure my victory in the end, but if I had lost? I didn't want to even imagine what kind of things I would do with my emotional state back then.

It was truly an eye-opener for me to see what was lacking from my team. While I could not discount the gap in knowledge and experience between me and Wally, I fully believed that the main reason why I almost end up losing against him was the lack of options I had while battling him. Deedee only had Terrain Pulse at one point and I couldn't seal the deal without sacrificing one of my Pokemon.

And so, adding more moves to the repertoire of my Pokemon would be the 'main' agenda for the moment. However, that was actually the prelude to the real main agenda of the night, which according to my hypothesis it wouldn't take long until—

"TANGGGGGGG!!!!!"

—Speak of the devil. Braveheart's ear-piercing screech had cut through the tranquility of the night. Finally, the time had finally come to confront Braveheart.

The metallic screech was a signal that the first step of the plan is a resounding success. After all, unlike every other of my partner Pokemon who was more than eager to add a new repertoire to their arsenal whatever it was. The fact that Braveheart was stuck with learning Magnet Rise, a non-attacking move was so easy to make him lose his temper, like throwing gasoline into the fire.

Clinching my fist hard, I decided to spring to action.

"Oh dear, giving up so soon? Predictable from someone so weak," I pretended to yawn in order to incite him even further.

Nobody would've taken that kind of provocation nonchalantly, especially not from Braveheart who had absolute confidence in their capability. So it wasn't surprising that the prideful Iron Claw Pokemon was glaring at me with the intensity of a scorching sun.

I didn't want to resort to this, really I don't. But If it meant that this would save him in the long term—

"Want me to prove my point?" I asked my partner with a smug grin on my face.

—I was ready to act like I was the devil itself.

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

Party

Braveheart (Metang) (-) | Ability: Clear Body | Zen Headbutt, Miracle Eye, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Pursuit

Hunter (Hoothoot) (Male) | Ability: Insomnia | Hypnosis, Defog, Reflect, Confusion, Psycho Shift, Peck

Muchorin (Darumaka) (Male) | Ability: Hustle | Rollout, Incinerate, Fire Fang, Work Up, Facade, Fire Punch

Kaplan (Wingull) (Male) | Ability: Hydration | Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Icy Wind, Supersonic, Mist, Water Pulse

Nero (Inkay) (Male) | Ability: Contrary | Hypnosis, Topsy-Turvy, Psybeam, Swagger, Night Slash, Destiny Bond

Tempest (Seedot) (Male) | Ability: Chlorophyll | Harden, Rollout, Absorb, Astonish, Bide, Growth

Inventory

Money: ₽15.400

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Balance Badge

Evo Items

Water Stone x 1

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

Safety Goggles x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

Twisted Spoon x 1

TM/TR

Taunt

Bulk Up

Consumables

Ability Capsule

Other Items

Dome Fossil

WizardOfOdd · Nov 2, 2022

Arthur Weissmann
Location: Empty Field, Oldale - Littleroot Township
Sunday, September 27th
Evening

Chapter 4 - 5
How to Dent an Iron Heart
Part 1

"This is really awkward, huh? Ready to get your head kicked in?" I tried to joke around despite the tense atmosphere to taunt the Iron Claw Pokemon even further.

Obviously, the recipient of the joke wasn't very happy with it, as he proceeded to hit both of his arms with each other creating a huge clanging noise as if it was declaring that it was ready to fight.

"Grumpy much? Can't believe you're really eager to get the ass-kicking of your life." I scoffed at Braveheart. "Nero!"

Every single one of my Pokemon reacted with shock, everyone, except Hunter. Perhaps he too knew that eventually that I had to confront Braveheart and his mindset. Yet despite his calmness, he wasn't the right guy for the job, this time it was Nero who I needed, and looking at the pure contempt Braveheart showed as soon as I called Nero's name it was clear as day that it was the right decision.

Despite clearly showing reluctance at my call, Nero floated in front of me.

In a completely neutral situation, Hunter would've been a better pick in this situation with his nerves of steel. However, considering Braveheart was pissed about Nero being chosen to fight against Wally, it's the best pick if I want to stoke his anger even further.

"Let's show this hunk of metal how a winner is supposed to conduct themselves," I spoke while reaching my fist out to Nero for a fist bump.

My taunt seemed to further fuel their rage as Braveheart glared at me while letting out a wild screeching noise. Nero who stood in between me and the raging hunk of metal looked at me with eyes full of confusion as if he was in utter disbelief at the brazenness of my actions.

"TANGG!!!"

The Iron Claw Pokemon roared loudly as it launched itself towards us with a ferocity of a raging storm, yet despite its effort—

"Night Slash."

—It was so easy to counter. Regardless of how powerful it was, there was nothing to fear about an attack so easy to predict. And so Braveheart was on the end of powerful dark energy blades, destabilizing its trajectory and leaving it prone on the nearby bush.

Obviously, it wasn't enough to dampen the spirit of Braveheart. And just like its namesake, it quickly recovered before rushing towards Nero once more with a right arm enveloped by a silver hue.

"Duck." I calmly instructed Nero.

With nothing to hit but air, Braveheart was unable to control its own momentum and spun wildly. Even then, it frantically sent a swift chop downward despite being unable to properly assess the situation it was in only to sputter uncontrollably toward the ground in an embarrassing fashion.

"Really? Really? That's all you got? Even children's picture book is harder to read than your actions." I goaded Braveheart even further.

The cold tone of the words I used to pierce his heart only seemed to fan the flames inside Braveheart even further. It started to screech louder with anger as it attempted another attack, this time with a dual whirling jab with its sturdy metal claws. Even with the devastating repercussions on the opponent if it hits, it was too naive to think that kind of maneuver would work without any sort of planning beforehand. And as a purple-hued beam of energy from Nero lulled it to sleep, my point was proved without flaw.

With the relentless attacks stopping temporarily, Nero stared at me with shifty eyes, as if he was unsure of how far I was willing to go against Braveheart. With Braveheart unable to know what was going on, I dropped the act and smiled at Nero.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing, so please bear with me for a little bit," I said while patting Nero on his head.

Despite the cruelty I showed, this was the very last thing that I wanted to do. Braveheart had suffered through so much ridicule and hardship due to its inability to learn moves for quite some time, the fact that it managed to defeat Sol, Alice's Larvesta several times was nothing short of a miracle that was made possible by the sheer tenacity and willpower it had. But I couldn't let them go down their path any longer, not when I already knew the pain and despair it would have to bear walking down the path. Even if it crushed my heart to do such a cruel act against the Pokemon I cherished the most, I had the responsibility to make Braveheart realize the errors of its way.

As I tried my best to halt the tears from flowing down my cheeks, I shifted my gaze slightly toward the crowd, I could see Vincent and Percival sitting with solemn looks while Hunter seemed to help calm my other Pokemon. After the brief respite, the Iron Claw Pokemon awakened from their slumber and so the play continued without much delay.

"So you're finally waking up, huh?" I stretched my body and pretended that I'd been waiting for a long time. "Do you realize that I can finish you countless times while you're lying flat on the dirt? I only let you woke up because it wouldn't even change the result."

With Braveheart having no way to know that my actions were all a charade, they took a defensive stance while trying to calm down their nerves. But their expression changed once more into frustration as I mockingly grinned at the Iron Claw Pokemon.
I had no way to know for sure, but if I had to guess this was the moment his fighting spirit started to waver.

"Do you see the futility of your endeavor? Why don't you just give up and admit that you're a weak Pokemon? Hmm…"

Despite what seemed to be a moment of hesitation from Braveheart, they let out a growl to signal that it wasn't ready to give up just yet. And so they lunged once more towards Nero, only to eat another Night Slash for its troubles.

It took Braveheart a while until it could levitate once more. Both their body and mind was clearly unable to hold for much longer.

I couldn't lie, looking at the one I held dear for more than half of my life trying their best to keep themselves together was hard for me to watch. But I had to do this to the very end, it was the least I could do as his partner.

As I opened my eyes, I gazed upon my friend and his forlorn expression as I steeled my resolve to deliver the final blow.

"Now you see? You couldn't do things alone, huh? Now accept your fate, that you are not a strong Pokemon. You are weak."

As I walked away with my back turned, I could faintly feel Braveheart's resolve to do a last-ditch attempt.

I turned my head to see purple-hued energy surrounding its body, with its eyes solely focused on me.

It was almost like seeing the final stand of a battered knight. They knew they couldn't win, they tried until their very last for their conviction despite the bitter truth.

Yet I stood resolute in what I believed in. If crushing their conviction to bits was what it takes to save them from the pain and suffering they would've had to endure in the future then so be it.

Propelled by their rapidly spinning arms, they lunged with all the might it got left in the tank, the psychic energy enveloping them swirled like a cyclone around their body. The way it launched itself was akin to a lance that was ready to impale any opponent that was brave enough to impede its path, and yet—

"Dodge."

With one single command, all that effort was for naught as Nero managed to levitate away from Braveheart's aim. There was nothing it could do during the attack, so it only managed to create a huge shockwave and formed a huge crater with only itself in the middle of the crater.

It was an absolute defeat, and Braveheart fully knew it. Despite being seemingly defiant at first, the Iron Claw Pokemon decided to lay down its arms and despondently lay down on the crater it made upon impact earlier.

As they lay weakly on that very crater, I trudged through the field toward my dear friend.

Despite realizing I was standing in front of him, Braveheart didn't raise their arm nor let out a screech, the only thing they did was look into my eyes with a weak gaze as it succumbed to the reality of the situation.

With its belief shattered to pieces, there was no better time to talk. Slowly I approached my partner's battered body which was enveloped by so much dirt that it looked haggardly and embraced him tightly.

"You are a weak Pokemon, that's a fact that you have to accept. But so do I, I am a weak trainer and that's a fact I have to accept."

It was the time to convey the feelings inside my heart for the friend who carried me this far.

"However, accepting that you're weak is not a sin, but it's a strength in itself."

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

Party

Braveheart (Metang) (-) | Ability: Clear Body | Zen Headbutt, Miracle Eye, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Pursuit

Hunter (Hoothoot) (Male) | Ability: Insomnia | Hypnosis, Defog, Reflect, Confusion, Psycho Shift, Peck

Muchorin (Darumaka) (Male) | Ability: Hustle | Rollout, Incinerate, Fire Fang, Work Up, Facade, Fire Punch

Kaplan (Wingull) (Male) | Ability: Hydration | Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Icy Wind, Supersonic, Mist, Water Pulse

Nero (Inkay) (Male) | Ability: Contrary | Hypnosis, Topsy-Turvy, Psybeam, Swagger, Night Slash, Destiny Bond

Tempest (Seedot) (Male) | Ability: Chlorophyll | Harden, Rollout, Absorb, Astonish, Bide, Growth

Inventory

Money: ₽15.400

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Balance Badge

Evo Items

Water Stone x 1

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

Safety Goggles x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

Twisted Spoon x 1

TM/TR

Taunt

Bulk Up

Consumables

Ability Capsule

Other Items

Dome Fossil

WizardOfOdd · Nov 2, 2022

Arthur Weissmann
Location: Empty Field, Oldale - Littleroot Township
Sunday, September 27th
Evening

Chapter 4 - 6
How to Dent an Iron Heart
Part 2

It wasn't easy to get Braveheart to accept others' opinions, after all, I knew full well that they were as stubborn as me. I didn't want to destroy their reality as hard as I just did, but sometimes you have to learn things the hard way. It was certainly the case with me.

If I didn't hit rock bottom just a few days ago, I wouldn't realize how wrong my mindset was.

"It's fine to be weak, I'm weak too. That's why we're here together, no? Remember what I told you back then? The day we've made a promise under the heavy downpour?"

I couldn't forget that day, it was such an important day that it was as if it was etched inside my head.

I was merely a young lad, and it wasn't even a year yet since Braveheart hatched out of its egg. It was a cold Tuesday evening, I ran from home because a routine argument that I had with my dad about my dreams got too toxic for both of us. It ended up in a screaming match which eventually led to me running away when dad was distracted by a call from work. That day the forecast already told us that a heavy downpour would be the weather for the late afternoon, but I didn't bother to check it before I went out. My health was so bad at the time that I couldn't make it past three blocks away from my home. I remembered that the rain was pouring so hard that there was nobody else around the shelter near the playground. There was only me bawling my eyes due to the excruciating pain I felt while coughing badly.

A kid wasn't supposed to wait under such a heavy downpour by himself, let alone one that had severe health issues like myself. I was burning up badly and was losing consciousness rapidly, so much so that I thought I was a goner.

But there it was, Braveheart was rushing to find me under the downpour. Under the circumstances I was in, the moment when we met eye-to-eye was one of the happiest moments in my life. But my consciousness was only hanging by a thread and almost in an instant after I tried to express my joy my body went limp and would've fallen hard into the asphalt if it wasn't for Braveheart who immediately supported my body.

When I woke up, it was already morning. I found myself lying in my room, barely able to move my body. It wasn't as bad as yesterday, but I wasn't able to think straight much that day either. But I do remember the moment Braveheart rushed towards my side as soon as I tried to rise up from my bed.

At that moment, I realized that perhaps you don't need to share blood to make someone your family. Because at that moment, I do feel that the Pokemon in front of me wasn't just a simple friend to me, they were someone dear to me, a part of my family.

With the ounce of strength, I had left, I embraced my dear friend. The coldness of their exterior body gave me chills, yet I didn't let go as my heart was filled with unimaginable warmth. There we made a promise to each other.

We will be there watching each others' back. No matter what. And that promise would never change, ever.

"Buddy… You were afraid, didn't you? Of being abandoned and replaced by others? As they started to start more and more battles, your thought that the worse moment of your life was inching closer and closer. But if I did intend to abandon you, why would I tell you to learn Magnet Rise? Shouldn't be easier for me to just ditch you on the side of the road right here right now?" I patted the head of my partner who was audibly perplexed at my admission.

Despite my attempt to talk with them eye-to-eye, Braveheart averted my gaze and chose to stare downward instead, akin to a child who was being scolded by their parent.

"Being weak is nothing to be ashamed of, but refusing to accept the fact that you are not perfect is a ridiculous idea. While I do understand your hesitation because we used to solely rely on our way of doing things, you've seen how far toughing it out alone could carry you, didn't you? You would only end up tiring and stressing yourself up without much to show for it." I expressed the sentiment that I just understood a long time ago. Brute force alone would never be able to win against those you used every ounce of their capability to overcome it.

"I want the same thing for you, Pal, you're a family to me. I know how badly you want to win, but seeing you hurt pointlessly without even remotely within a sniffing distance of obtaining glory is the last thing I ever want from you. I know you want to win, and want to see you do that too, but you have to understand that you can't be stubborn in the way you approach problems. I and the other guys aren't your opponents. We're here as a team, we help each other just like back then. I will never leave you, Braveheart, but you have to try and listen to me, it's all for your sake because I love you. I really do, you're a family to me, and that's why I'm here for you." I patted Braveheart who had started bawling its eyes out.

The reconciliation between us was long overdue, but the fact that both of us had fixed the bond between us. There was one more thing to address.

"Guys, gather 'round!" I called upon the members of my team who were watching from the sidelines.

Hunter, Muchorin, Kaplan, Nero, and Tempest all circled around both Braveheart and me.

"Have you all been listening to what I was saying?"

All of them nodded without exception.

"Great, that'll save a lot of time."

"I'm not perfect, never was, and never will be. That's why I keep making improvements. But no matter how much I train, I will never be able to dent steel with my fists, I'll never be able to breathe out fire from my mouth, and I will never be able to survive the attacks all of you are capable to take. Despite all the knowledge I got from learning, I will never be able to do those things, but that's fine. Everyone has their limits, but that's also why I need you all. The same goes for the rest of you. Hunter can't deal with Ice-type that well, but Muchorin can help him because he's strong against Ice-type, there are some things that we'll probably never be able to beat on our own but that's why we're here together. So let's support each other, yeah? If there's one who's falling, let's help them get up, if there's who's struggling, let's push them over the finish line, anyway... Well... I'll be in your care, and I hope you all don't mind being in my care." I tried to laugh off the embarrassing end of my passionate speech.

Despite my awkwardness, all of them shared a hug with me... Although in the process... They're more than eager to show their affection.

"Oh, dear! Hey! Hey! Ack, it's a bit too tight!" I struggled to breathe as my Pokemon all hugged me with all their effort which left me with no to little wiggle room.

Despite the overtly powerful hug, I was happy, very happy.

It was time for me to open the next chapter of my journey, this time with my loved partners all by my side.

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

Party

Braveheart (Metang) (-) | Ability: Clear Body | Zen Headbutt, Miracle Eye, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Pursuit

Hunter (Hoothoot) (Male) | Ability: Insomnia | Hypnosis, Defog, Reflect, Confusion, Psycho Shift, Peck

Muchorin (Darumaka) (Male) | Ability: Hustle | Rollout, Incinerate, Fire Fang, Work Up, Facade, Fire Punch

Kaplan (Wingull) (Male) | Ability: Hydration | Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Icy Wind, Supersonic, Mist, Water Pulse

Nero (Inkay) (Male) | Ability: Contrary | Hypnosis, Topsy-Turvy, Psybeam, Swagger, Night Slash, Destiny Bond

Tempest (Seedot) (Male) | Ability: Chlorophyll | Harden, Rollout, Absorb, Astonish, Bide, Growth

Inventory

Money: ₽15.400

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Balance Badge

Evo Items

Water Stone x 1

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

Safety Goggles x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

Twisted Spoon x 1

TM/TR

Taunt

Bulk Up

Consumables

Ability Capsule

Other Items

Dome Fossil

WizardOfOdd · Nov 2, 2022

Arthur Weissmann
Location: Empty Field, Oldale - Littleroot Township
Monday, September 28th
Late Morning

Chapter 4 - 7
A Long and Winding Road
Part 1

"How are things progressing on your end?"

"Great, honestly." I quickly opened the can Vincent tossed to me. The liquid inside was fizzy and the taste was a mixture of sour and sweet, if I had to guess it was Apple & Lime soda. Oh wait, silly me there was no need to guess, it was there written on the side of the green-colored can.

After the stupid realization, I rapidly shifted my gaze toward the abandoned field. I had my Pokemon train there due to the fact that it was spacious enough to accommodate the training of all 6.

Despite the blistering heat Hoenn was well known for, my Pokemon were more than eager to train themselves after yesterday. And new moves became the main agenda, for real this time. Obviously, there were problems here and there, but it wouldn't be a fun time if there were no challenges at all, and none of the problems until that point were really major, so I didn't pull my hair or anything while supervising their training session.

As Vincent finished gulping down his can of juice, he opened his mouth once more. "Well, you have a big day tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah, I'll try my best about it."

"You look unfazed about it."

Well, Vincent wasn't wrong in telling that. After facing Wally and what had transpired yesterday with Braveheart, I felt like dealing with the current gym leader wouldn't be such a stress-inducing affair as the last two events were. Not that I'd think it would be a cakewalk either, they were still a gym leader whether they were as strong as Wally or not.

"Well, what else can I do? Stressing about it until I vomit? I mean, yeah I'm nervous but I think I'll manage one way or another. I've learned my lesson the hard way, remember?"

"Heh, true." Vincent sipped his share of soda as he watched the members of my team give it their all to learn a new technique.

After a few minutes had passed, Vincent shared his thoughts about the regiment.

"As much as I want to see you train your new techniques all day. There's nothing better than to train your techniques by testing them against new opponents, you know?"

"Opponent? What opponents?"

"I mean the gym? Who knows there might be some trainer there willing to be your sparring partner."

"The gym? But I've heard most of the good trainers are gone already."

It's not like I haven't done my research already. Just before we started training, I had had small talks with the local populace about a few things. About how the Gym Leader used livestock Pokemon to battle, how the gym was, and about how most of the capable trainers went to bigger cities where the opportunities to grind and sharpen their skills are much more abundant.

"So? Even beginners are much better for simulation purposes than doing shadow battling."

I couldn't deny that Vincent had a point there. But man, it's been quite a while since I actually challenged other trainers at the gym. If my memory didn't fail me, that was slightly before my condition turned for the better. Back then, I only managed to be in the Saffron City gym for less than ten minutes before I got myself rushed to the hospital after spilling blood all over the floor. Memorable times indeed.

Anyhow, it was an interesting proposition, and seeing that all of my Pokemon were more than eager to prove themselves, I rushed the process of cleaning up the site, just like yesterday I didn't leave the field unattended. Despite the abandoned status, it just didn't feel right to leave it riddled with holes,

But as I was about to grab my sling bag and went towards the gym, Vincent's right hand grabbed me on the shoulder stopping me in my tracks.

"Hey before you go…"

"Yeah?" My eyebrows twitched as Vincent suddenly stopped his sentence, judging from how a smile bloomed on his face after my response, he was up to nothing good.

"Try to smile more, yeah? You might attract more girls that way." Vincent smirked at me.

With a flat face, I slapped away his hand from my shoulder before turning my back towards him.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, it was half a joke. The smiling part is kind of real. When you act like that, either people will underestimate you or they will be more accommodating to your request, either way, it's an easier time to get money. At the very least it worked for me, so… Maybe give it a try?"

"Past tense?" I asked to retaliate at his earlier tease.

"I mean one look at me and you'll understand why."

"Well yeah, you kinda look over the hill to pass as a rookie trainer." I covered my mouth as I snickered on purpose, leading the man in front of me to scratch his neck with a menacing smile on his face.

"Rude." Vincent flickered my forehead, at my rude but was 100% true remark.

"Haha, sorry. I'm just kidding, wish me luck!" I said before bolting off towards the gym.

"Yeah, take care, Artie!"

I had no idea what the trainers at the gym would have in store for me, but I was more than ready to beat whoever they sent in my way.

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

Party

Braveheart (Metang) (-) | Ability: Clear Body | Zen Headbutt, Miracle Eye, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Pursuit

Hunter (Hoothoot) (Male) | Ability: Insomnia | Hypnosis, Defog, Reflect, Confusion, Psycho Shift, Peck

Muchorin (Darumaka) (Male) | Ability: Hustle | Rollout, Incinerate, Fire Fang, Work Up, Facade, Fire Punch

Kaplan (Wingull) (Male) | Ability: Hydration | Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Icy Wind, Supersonic, Mist, Water Pulse

Nero (Inkay) (Male) | Ability: Contrary | Hypnosis, Topsy-Turvy, Psybeam, Swagger, Night Slash, Destiny Bond

Tempest (Seedot) (Male) | Ability: Chlorophyll | Harden, Rollout, Absorb, Astonish, Bide, Growth

Inventory

Money: ₽15.400

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Balance Badge

Evo Items

Water Stone x 1

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

Safety Goggles x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

Twisted Spoon x 1

TM/TR

Taunt

Bulk Up

Consumables

Ability Capsule

Other Items

Dome Fossil

WizardOfOdd · Nov 2, 2022

Sophie
Location: Lily Park Arena, 23rd Level, Mauville City
Monday, September 28th
Afternoon

Chapter 6 - 3
Old Friends, New Beginning
Part 3

"Let's go, Aurora! Freeze-Dry!" Aurora released a wave of chilling wind from its mouth towards Alice's Larvesta which was dodged by the Larvesta as it sped itself mid-air to avoid getting frozen by the freezing breath.

"You're reckless! Sol, Incinerate!"

As Sol manifested balls of orange and yellow flames, I knew that the battle I had against Alice was well over at that point. And as those orbs of blazing flames hit Aurora, my hunch was proven to be correct as Aurora couldn't handle the heat and was unable to continue the battle.

As I promised Alice, I did come to train with her as soon as I was finished with my job. The part-time job itself wasn't as hard as I expected as the Plusle that I had to look after while being pretty active and at times attention-seeking was also pretty friendly and generally was easy to be told what to do as long she was given rewards (headpats and chin rubs) for doing so. Not to mention that the pay I got was quite high which perhaps because of the fact that I had to come very early in the morning for the job.

That being said, I was so glad that I was able to finish the request asked of me well enough to get paid. It was quite a lot of money too for something I thought was just a basic job, definitely would do it again if I had the time.

Meanwhile, as for my training with Alice.

The result of the training I had with Alice proved that I wasn't that ready yet as a proper trainer as Alice caused my entire team to faint without showing much trouble doing so. Despite the sunny disposition she was seen with outside the battlefield, her cool and calm approach as she dismantled my strategy one by one reminded me of why she had beaten me in the contest back in Slateport in the first place.

I was feeling bad about how badly I lost in the battle that had just finished, but Alice's huge sigh just after the battle finished certainly didn't help with things.

"...May I give you a frank opinion?" Alice was trying her best to smile as she said the words to my face, but not even that could hide the tinge of disappointment audible in her voice. It seemed what she got from both her observation and the Holotch scan of my Pokemon she did while we were battling didn't paint the prettiest picture of my competence.

I nodded. And she started to explain everything that she thought in her opinion was either lacking or needed to be changed. The fact of how Aurora only had Ice-type offensive moves, how I was lacking the reaction speed to counter Alice's choice of moves, my decision-making in general, etc.

Despite my understanding of how all of her criticism was valid, I couldn't help but feel slightly dejected. And so I decided to joke around just to get my mood in a better condition even if it's just slightly.

"Ah, I see… I was so bad, didn't I? It feels like I don't belong here." I nonchalantly spoke just to joke around, I was expecting some sort of encouragement or denial about how bad I was, maybe even a joke about how bad I was then an actual encouragement. But what I got was none of them.

All I got was a harrowing view in front of me of how the girl that was once as bright as a sunflower turned into a nervous wreck as any semblance of her calm and calculating trainer exterior almost instantly turned into dust.

"Please! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

I was taken aback as she desperately grabbed my arm with both of her arms. As tears rapidly fell down her dilated eyes I couldn't even manage to form a sentence properly as the rapid turn of events was too sudden for me to comprehend. As I met the poor girl's gaze I couldn't comprehend the emotions shown on her dilated pupils as any other than pure fear.

"No, please calm down, Alice! It was just a joke!" I hugged her tightly to calm her down, but she kept breathing heavily as she cried herself out. The occasional 'I'm sorry' that kept coming out of her mouth didn't help at all with my composure either, I didn't know what to do at that moment other than to embrace the trembling dainty frame of Alice as hard as I could.

Unlike what I initially thought, she was never free from the baggage she had back when we first met, she just suppressed it enough so it wouldn't surface. And now I accidentally broke the dam of emotion I couldn't help but feel sorry for her as she clung to me so hard as if she was clinging for her dear life.

What happened? Why did she become this way? Those questions flooded my mind as I tried my best to prevent her mental state from spiraling down further.

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

Party

Aurora (Alolan Vulpix) (Female) | Ability: Snow Warning | Freeze-Dry, Confuse Ray, Disable, Hex, Aurora Beam, Mist

Garnet (Staryu) (-) | Ability: Illuminate | Magic Coat, Rapid Spin, Camouflage, Recover, Psywave, Bubblebeam

Stolz (Aron) (Male) | Ability: Rock Head | Rock Tomb, Metal Claw, Protect, Roar, Harden, Headbutt

Joy (Lotad) (Male) | Ability: Swift Swim | Astonish, Mega Drain, Water Gun, Synthesis, Mist, Flail

Inventory

Money: ₽16.600

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Mega/Z Items

Key Stone x 1

Aggronite x 1

Evo Items
None

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

King's Rock x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

TM/TR

Detect

Consumables
None

Other Items
None

WizardOfOdd · Nov 2, 2022

Arthur Weissmann
Location: Oldale - Littleroot Township
Monday, September 28th
Evening

Chapter 4 - 8
A Long and Winding Road
Part 2

The sky had already turned dark orange as I stood near the dirt road. As the sun started to disappear below the horizon most of the people around me were either coming home from their jobs or going out for dinner. Well almost all, except the one burly guy who was laughing his ass off hearing about the day I had.

"Ugh, can't you stop!?"

"Haa… Ha…. Ha… Pfft…*Cough* *Cough*" Vincent was already down to one knee while tears flowed down his face as he tried his best to stop laughing.

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW!? I THOUGHT SHE LITERALLY WANTED SOMEONE TO DRINK COFFEE WITH!" I yelled at Vincent who was almost choked as he was having trouble controlling his laughter.

While Vincent was clearly having the time of his life, meanwhile I was closing both of my eyes and ears from more slander coming from his mouth.

"Huff… I did realize that you're dense, but wow I'm still amazed," Said the flabbergasted man in front of me, he laughed so much that tears started to fall on his face. Even while wiping said tears, he couldn't stop cackling to my chagrin.

"Leave me alone! I barely had any friends… Let alone a female one, how should I know those kinds of lingos?"

"Sure, but you can't expect me not to laugh when I heard you reply to her invitation by saying 'sorry I already had too much coffee, yesterday.' In context it was so horrible, it is as if you told her that you had gone on too many dates to go to another one." Vincent wiped away the tears on his face before breaking down on another laughing spree.

It took him full five minutes to be able to hold himself from breaking into another laughter fit while I watched at a nearby bench, shaking my head as people passed through the Alolan-shirted enigma.

"Oh, Prince Charming, how can I be of service?" He suddenly bowed in front of me as if he was a butler.

"Eh, stop with the empty compliments, Vincent. It's just one case, if you don't suffer from Alzheimer's, surely you know why it's impossible for girls to like me." I said while reclining myself on the bench. I said it quite nonchalantly because it was so obvious, but Vincent raised his eyebrow listening to my tone, he had a different opinion from mine.

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?" Vincent genuinely sounded so surprised.

"Every day, every morning."

My answer led him to look at me with a flat expression before scratching the side of his head in disbelief. Sorry Vincent, but I had to get some payback for earlier.

"I'll be honest here, alright Artie? If I had to guess the reason why they don't flock to you when we're together is that... Well, I look so old that we look like father and son, it would be awkward to approach you. But when you're alone, I can see why they would ask you out on a date. I mean look at your fit, bro. Are you kidding me?" Said Vincent as he pulled my shirt to show the Androssi brand logo emblazoned on its pocket in disbelief.

"Well... I mean these are second-hand, no chance they're going to go for me because of that."

"How would they know that you got those second-hand, huh? Smart guy. Considering how well you've managed to refit them to a proper wearing condition, even if they didn't recognize one of the top brands in fashion, I wouldn't be surprised if they approach you because you look genuinely attractive." Vincent shook his head in disbelief.

"Maybe, maybe it's because—"

"Argh, if you don't believe me. Why don't you ask Sophie, then? She'll tell you how handsome you are." Vincent interjected without feeling any shame in the slightest.

"W-what do you mean? No, I'm not gonna do that are you insane!? No! Definitely not!" I shouted at the older man who was snickering in front of me.

In hindsight, I was overreacting at the moment, but I couldn't help but be nervous thinking about what kind of answer she would give me if I asked the question.

"Why not?" He flatly answered, which prompted me to shake my head,

"Okay let's stop this, you know what, I should've ditched the tags and emblems to identify these clothes too later at Mauville, then we'll see who's right."

"Sure, but for now, I'll gladly be your Max Repel." Vincent proudly thumped his chest as if being equated to a Max Repel was a compliment.

"Don't be that depreciating of yourself, Vincent. You might look like a substitute P.E. teacher but I think you're kinda passable." I sarcastically tapped him on his shoulder as if I was consoling him.

"...Are you trying to make me feel better or what?" Vincent glared at me.

"Nah, I'm trying to make you feel worse, happy?" I grinned as wide as I could.

For a bit, Vincent was visibly taken aback by my statement, but it didn't take long until a wide grin replaced his look of befuddlement.

"Cheeky brat," He said as he flicked my forehead with his middle finger.

Both of us shared a good laugh with each other, but neither of us discussed much anything else that was happening at the gym, mostly because nothing else was notable enough to be mentioned. While it was true that battling real people was much better than simulating using my own Pokemon, sadly it's not a big improvement considering the quality of trainers that were there. It was mostly children or people who hadn't started their journey yet, maybe because it was Sunday when I came there, but it was what it was.

Other than that, the result of the test was a mixed bag. Some managed to even implement their new move to the fight, some couldn't do it properly, and Tempest couldn't even battle properly yet. Chances are, it might take a week or more until he could fight properly with how ill-equipped he was. But still, I wasn't confident testing anyone's capability to use the new moves against the gym leader tomorrow.

After the short talk I had with Vincent about challenging the gym leader tomorrow, Vincent was more than happy to leave things at that and head over to his room to rest. However, I wasn't, as there was something that was still a thought nagging at me inside the depths of my head.

"Hey, Vincent."

"Yup? Anything wrong, Artie?"

"Can't you really tell who you are?" I politely asked.

My question stumped Vincent. It was clear that he didn't expect me to ask that question after he reassured me that my sister knew about him.

"What's with the sudden curiosity?"

"I'm just curious, never once I ever thought that I would be meeting someone like you. " I smiled to convey the vibes that I wasn't pressuring him to answer.

"In a good way, or?"

"Of course, in a good way. I just think you're too good to be just a former manager of a famous trainer, that's all."

"I see, glad to hear that compliment from you. Well, unfortunately not, not now at the very least. Even if I do tell you, can you even promise me that you won't change your attitude toward me?"

I shook my head. There would be no guarantee that I would be able to keep the same dynamic as it was at the time if I had known who he was, and I didn't think that any of us would want that as much as I want to understand who he really was.

"I thought so. So if you want to ask who I really am, you should ask your sister after we're done. She knows everything you want to know, I had to do that at the very least to make her trust me. She was very stubborn in a good way, I can tell that she really cares about your wellbeing." Vincent genuinely smiled as he talked about my sister.

"Then at least can you tell me whether you were famous as a trainer at one point?"

"If I say no?"

"Then I wouldn't pursue it any further, I'm just curious that's all."

"...Well, since you've been such a good student. Yes, I was. Sadly, I'm just a washed-up trainer now." Vincent shrugged. "Now go and have some rest young man, you have a big day tomorrow waiting for you."

My enigmatic mentor waved towards me with his broad shoulders turned against me as he walked ahead toward his room.

I knew that I wasn't yet a great trainer, far from it even. I mean a great trainer wouldn't have a mental breakdown as bad as I did. But knowing that Vincent stuck around despite the meltdowns I had was enough for me to think that despite all of my shortcomings, there was at least some potential inside me that made everything worthwhile for him to stick around.

Now that I knew that despite being a nobody at the moment, Vincent who was once a famous trainer decided to gamble his time on me instead of doing something more productive, it pumped my blood even harder to prove that I could improve.

And tomorrow would not be any different, I'd do my best as I always did.

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

Party

Braveheart (Metang) (-) | Ability: Clear Body | Zen Headbutt, Miracle Eye, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Pursuit

Hunter (Hoothoot) (Male) | Ability: Insomnia | Hypnosis, Defog, Reflect, Confusion, Psycho Shift, Peck

Muchorin (Darumaka) (Male) | Ability: Hustle | Rollout, Incinerate, Fire Fang, Work Up, Facade, Fire Punch

Kaplan (Wingull) (Male) | Ability: Hydration | Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Icy Wind, Supersonic, Mist, Water Pulse

Nero (Inkay) (Male) | Ability: Contrary | Hypnosis, Topsy-Turvy, Psybeam, Swagger, Night Slash, Destiny Bond

Tempest (Seedot) (Male) | Ability: Chlorophyll | Harden, Rollout, Absorb, Astonish, Bide, Growth

Inventory

Money: ₽17.200

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Balance Badge

Evo Items

Water Stone x 1

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

Safety Goggles x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

Twisted Spoon x 1

TM/TR

Taunt

Bulk Up

Consumables

Ability Capsule

Other Items

Dome Fossil

WizardOfOdd · Nov 3, 2022

Arthur Weissmann
Location: Oldale - Littleroot Township
Tuesday, September 29th
Early Morning

Chapter 4 - 9
The Township Kerfluffle
Part 1

It was still early in the morning, yet for most farmers, it was already way over the hour they used to wake up for doing their job. Apparently, it was also the case for Merry Richtide, the gym leader of Oldale - Littleroot Township. And so, I was able to battle them early in the morning which was quite fortunate since I was more than eager to depart for Mauville as soon as possible.

"Y'ready mate?"

"Yeah, thanks for waiting."

"Anytime." Merry tipped their hat towards me.

With our preparation finished, the battle between me and Merry was about to begin.

Unlike my initial expectations, I had a feeling that the battle wasn't going to be as smooth sailing as I initially thought.

The fact that I couldn't even recognize their name at first glance gave me the confidence that it would be smoother sailing than fighting against Wally. But I'd be damned if their attitude didn't prop up red flags inside my head. The attitude they showed towards me was something that not a beginner gym leader would show, especially with how carefree they were when they introduced themselves and their pronoun, it was almost like they were just an ordinary farmer.

But I knew full well that looks could be deceiving, Vincent was the real deal despite looking like a random tourist who took the wrong ferry. So this… em… Merry, would be the same, I thought to myself. Besides, there was also a thing with their photograph. Why every single result I got from the internet was so horribly shot that I couldn't even know what they actually look like, it was so creepy that I initially thought it was a part of an elaborate April Fool's prank.

Yet here I was, in front of the Gym Leader who had an extremely normal face, battling them in somehow more favorable rule for the gym leader than the challenger which was too baffling for my poor head to fully comprehend. Considering it's a 4 vs 4, but with the odds stacked against me since I had to knock out 3 Pokemon while having to avoid getting 2 of my own knocked out, it would be paramount to pick a lead Pokemon that would give me an edge.

"Muchorin, help me!"

Muchorin didn't waste any time to get out of the ball and broke a dance that appeared to be Salsa almost instantly. Some of the crowds were squealing or laughing seeing the antics of Muchorin as he entered the field, and some others decided to boo and shout some stuff I couldn't really appreciate, not at Muchorin but at me. They didn't spout obscenities and such, no, but I would've fancied their silence instead of wishing me to lose even before I started the battle.

Ah yes the crowd, I forgot to mention that. It seemed that my beat down of all the trainers including the young ones in the gym was the worst decision I could make. Now I had to deal with a bunch of kids that were more than happy to shout and boo me so I could eat my share of humble pie.

That was despite them being the ones who kept me there for hours despite my insistence that I should leave as soon as possible. Not to mention the fact that it was them that had bet their money despite how meager they were against me. Urgh… There was just no winning situation there and I still had to deal with it today too? Give me a break...

The most annoying one was the one boy that was screaming out of their lung which if I did remember correctly was the boy who tried to impress the girl who asked me out for coffee yesterday. All while Vincent was laughing his ass off, with Cody on his lap closing his ears with his flippers due to the rowdiness of the crowd.

Despite how raucous the crowd was, well, in a bad way against me. But just didn't bother to care, I've been in much worse situations where kids my age have laughed at me for my sickness. This is tame in comparison, especially since, you know? They're little kids. And this was what little kids do, and it's not like they wish harm on me or anything like what soccer hooligans do, this was fine.

Back to the battle, the main reason I picked Muchorin was to test the waters. Because I knew of the fact that most of the livestock Pokemon I know such as Miltank, Tauros, Wooloo, Bouffalant, etc. Are mostly normal-type that Braveheart resisted, and so I thought to myself if I could get a KO or at least wear down the Pokemon in front of me, I could just put Braveheart out later to at least deal with Pokemon that everybody else had a problem dealing with.

"Aight, guess I gotta go with this, then. Yamper!"

For me, this pick was out of the left field. While I did consider Merry using an electric-type, my guess wasn't Yamper but Mareep. Guess I'd have to up my research game up a notch once more.

Seeing the cute Pokemon barking, the crowd instantly reacted positively and showered it with cheers and shows of adoration.

"Yamper, Dig!"

Yamper used its front legs to dig a small tunnel in the middle of the grass field we were battling in. With the Yamper deep inside, there was no method for Muchorin to retaliate.

Or was it?

"Incinerate!"

Muchorin inhaled a lot of air, before exhaling a powerful beam of orange and red flames which flooded the tunnel with the scorching fire. With only the entrance having just been made without a proper exit, being inside the tunnel was almost like being stuffed inside an oven. It was the same strategy I used against Benji, and despite my defeat, proved to be the bane of his Alolan Sandshrew.

Sadly, Yamper didn't share the same weakness Alolan Sandshrew did, and managed to open a pathway out of the living oven despite having its fur singed by the flames.

The Yamper then proceeded to gather air in its lungs and prepared a Howl, but unfortunately, I already foresaw that it would do something to tip the balance in its favor, and so before it could let out its empowering roar—

"Taunt!"

Muchorin wiggled its fingers with a smug face plastered on its face, enshrouding the Yamper in a red aura that prevented it from letting out the Howl.

There was a reason why I didn't waste any time taking the Technical Machine for the move as soon as I saw it back in the storage of Petalburg Gym. An oppressive move that could turn the tide of battle almost instantly as it shut down your opponent's option. Despite the fact that it would have much lower potency when used more than once against an opponent, the small timeframe of advantage it gave was enough to change the outcome of most battles in a heartbeat.

With it, Yamper had no choice but to fight head-on against Muchorin who literally was best in melee range with its Hustle ability.

Yamper was clearly not happy with what was going on and went for a Thunder Fang which was dodged by Muchorin who somersaulted to dodge the attack and proceeded to showboat by opening his arms wide while shaking his hips as if he was a world-famous rockstar. A move that amused a lot of the children in the crowd but infuriated Yamper.

Yamper went for another Thunder Fang on a high angle, but this move was dodged once more by Muchorin who this time decided to mount Yamper's back much to the surprise of everyone including me. While mounting Yamper Muchorin peppered the poor Puppy Pokemon with multiple Fire Punch toward the poor dog who was trying to bite the Pokemon but ended up like it was chasing its own tail without much success, all while Muchorin was laughing as if it was doing a rodeo on a fair.

Muchorin soon dismounted the poor Yamper by using its body as a stepping stone, as he somersaulted and landed near the tunnel that Yamper dug earlier.

As if it wasn't enough to throw gasoline to the fire that was Yamper's anger, Muchorin decided to throw a fuel truck also as he puts his hands next to his ear and wiggled the fingers before sticking out his tongue, all before diving inside the hole that the Yamper dug like an Olympic swimmer.

Yamper's anger was at its peak as it barked loudly without much care, and went inside the hole immediately to chase after Muchorin without much care despite Merry's warnings.

With both of the Pokemon inside the hole, every single one of us outside was waiting for one of the Pokemon to come out. Yet, the first thing that came out wasn't a Pokemon, it was flames spouting from inside the hole toward the sky which was quite telling about what had just happened inside the hole.

And as I thought, Muchorin strutted out of the hole while dusting off the dust sticking to its fur.

And just like that, Yamper was out cold. And Muchorin quickly latched on me despite just being

"You smell of burnt fur, you know that?" I jokingly asked him.

Muchorin quickly responded by smelling its own body before shrugging as if it was saying that it didn't understand what I was smelling.

It led me to laugh heartily despite the situation at hand as Muchorin latched on me even harder with a wide grin on his face.

Sadly I couldn't stay and pamper him longer as I had to put Muchorin back into his Pokeball so I could put out the next Pokemon to face Merry.

Now with the playing field even and morale on my way, it's time to capitalize and ride the momentum to my victory.

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

Party

Braveheart (Metang) (-) | Ability: Clear Body | Zen Headbutt, Miracle Eye, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Pursuit

Hunter (Hoothoot) (Male) | Ability: Insomnia | Hypnosis, Defog, Reflect, Confusion, Psycho Shift, Peck

Muchorin (Darumaka) (Male) | Ability: Hustle | Rollout, Incinerate, Taunt, Work Up, Facade, Fire Punch

Kaplan (Wingull) (Male) | Ability: Hydration | Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Icy Wind, Supersonic, Mist, Water Pulse

Nero (Inkay) (Male) | Ability: Contrary | Hypnosis, Topsy-Turvy, Psybeam, Swagger, Night Slash, Destiny Bond

Tempest (Seedot) (Male) | Ability: Chlorophyll | Harden, Rollout, Absorb, Astonish, Bide, Growth

Inventory

Money: ₽17.200

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Balance Badge

Evo Items

Water Stone x 1

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

Safety Goggles x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

Twisted Spoon x 1

TM/TR

Taunt

Bulk Up

Consumables

Ability Capsule

Other Items

Dome Fossil

WizardOfOdd · Nov 4, 2022

Arthur Weissmann
Location: Oldale - Littleroot Township
Tuesday, September 29th
Early Morning

Chapter 4 - 10
The Township Kerfluffle
Part 2

For the next battle, I had a brief thought of sending out Hunter, but with the threat of Mareep still looming in my mind. It wasn't the wisest choice to send him out.

Feeling the heat in the unknown waters, I decided to play it safe and picked the best Pokemon I had for the situation in my arsenal.

"Go, Nero!" I launched the white and red Pokeball into the air, manifesting one of the aces of my team. There were no doubts that if it was a battle of pure strength, Braveheart would be my chosen champion. But in a battle with heavy clouds of uncertainty looming above, I would pick Nero eight times out of ten.

"An Inkay, huh? Let's see if you can handle this!" Merry launched a Pokeball of their own, unleashing a pink blob of flesh that rolled at a high speed through the field towards Nero. I was barely able to order Nero to soften the speed enough for it to dodge using Psybeam. The worse part was that the Pokemon who revealed itself as a Miltank didn't seem to be affected by the psychic type damage, as she landed perfectly like a superhero posing with its arms and legs opened wide to the raunchy cheers of the crowd which proceeded to launch loud boos and taunts at me.

While I did not enjoy the rowdy company in the slightest, but the show had to go on. I couldn't keep wishing for something that wouldn't manifest itself no matter hard I wished it to happen.

"Nero, Psybeam!"

The wave of psychic energy that was launched against the Miltank was dodged in a swift manner. It was within my expectations that it happened, after all, despite knowing that Miltank was famous as a livestock Pokemon, it was also a monster capable of knocking out strong Pokemon. Just ask those who battled the previous Gym Leader of Goldenrod, the documentary they had on her Miltank was both hilarious and sobering about how dangerous a Miltank could be when they are properly trained, which I was trying to take a pragmatic approach and see what the Miltank had to offer before fully committing to something.

"Miltank, use Metronome!"

Oh great, now I have to deal with this, I clicked my tongue as I watched the pink Pokemon shaking her hoof as energy formed in the said hoof. Metronome was the move I hated the most because of how unpredictable the result of said move could be.

"Nero, use Night Slash!" Nero launched a pair of dark blades towards the Milk Pokemon while I watched carefully on what move came out from the Metronome, but as the energy enveloping the hoof turned rainbow-colored, my eyes turned wide at almost the same time as I opened my mouth to scream a warning at Nero.

"Nero! It's Dazzling Gleam, dodge!" Nero who fully understood that it was a devastating move tried to dodge in the short time that was available for him. Sadly as soon as he tried to dodge, the energy gathering on the hoof shoots out a rainbow-colored ray that instantly disintegrated the dark blades from Night Slash before it struck Nero at a high speed. The impact between Nero and the ground was powerful enough to create a hole in the grass court we were fighting at.

"Damn it!" I could only lament my utterly bad luck. From all the moves that could come out, it had to be the worst-case scenario that happened.

"Come on, y' can still do it!" Merry cheered me on.

I sighed heavily as I saw the prospect of winning in front of me. Initially playing it pragmatically was the way to go in my mind, but with the Dazzling Gleam hitting Nero. I decided that it was not the time to experiment with the approach considering the fact that a badge was on the line.

And so, I decided to go with the strategy I've already prepared but was hesitant in using due to the optics that it would give should I use it.

"Swagger."

Nero crossed their tentacles as a red aura emitted from his body which not only caused Miltank's eyes to turn red from its raised spirit but also caused it to wobble left and right due to its Confused state.

"Y'do realize that's just gonna put y' in a tighter spot after a bit?" Merry politely pointed out.

Yeah of course I knew, I already did my due diligence. Chances are that the Miltank would use their signature move Milk Drink to heal the damage that would've been dealt by Nero while it was struggling with confusion. Which would leave me with a Miltank in high spirits with almost little to no damage. Thankfully, I already knew what I was doing.

"Swagger!"

Nero repeated the same move without any real changes other than the Miltank started to let out a loud cry despite it stumbling around like a drunkard. Yet its ferocious eyes showed me that it was ready to throw hooves as soon as it recovered.

"A'int a good listener, aren't cha?"

I understood Merry's concern about how using Swagger twice wouldn't make the Miltank any more confused than it already was and instead would only raise its already devastating physical prowess even further with how pumped up the Miltank was. Even the kids who were watching from the stands were either confused or laughing at my perceived stupidity, except the one girl who was watching me with a worried look. Sadly for them, except the girl obviously, this was all according to my plan.

"I do, I really am. That's why I was doing it in the first place, Taunt!"

This time Nero waggled his tentacle to do the move he just learned yesterday through the Technical Machine I had in my possession. The result was that Miltank had all of its status moves temporarily blocked from being used, including the Milk Drink that I assumed the Miltank had.

There was a reason why I didn't waste any time taking the Technical Machine for the move as soon as I saw it back in the storage of Petalburg Gym. An oppressive move that could turn the tide of battle almost instantly as it shut down your opponent's option. Despite the fact that it would have much lower potency when used more than once against an opponent, the small timeframe of advantage it gave was enough to change the outcome of most battles in a heartbeat.

Everyone was confused at how I used the window of confusion that the Miltank was in by using Taunt, but my next move would change their expression in an instant.

"Topsy-Turvy!"

Nero turned upside-down unleashing a wave of aura that turned the initially wobbling but high-spirited Miltank into dropping to using four of its limbs as it struggled to even stay upright.

This was definitely not the prettiest way to win. The silence and shock from the crowd who were watching my match was a testament to this. However, in a battle with a high stake as this one, it would be disrespectful for me to not give my best.

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

Party

Braveheart (Metang) (-) | Ability: Clear Body | Zen Headbutt, Miracle Eye, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Pursuit

Hunter (Hoothoot) (Male) | Ability: Insomnia | Hypnosis, Defog, Reflect, Confusion, Psycho Shift, Peck

Muchorin (Darumaka) (Male) | Ability: Hustle | Rollout, Incinerate, Taunt, Work Up, Facade, Fire Punch

Kaplan (Wingull) (Male) | Ability: Hydration | Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Icy Wind, Supersonic, Mist, Water Pulse

Nero (Inkay) (Male) | Ability: Contrary | Hypnosis, Topsy-Turvy, ~~Psybeam~~, Swagger, Night Slash, Destiny Bond, Taunt

Tempest (Seedot) (Male) | Ability: Chlorophyll | Harden, Rollout, Absorb, Astonish, Bide, Growth

Inventory

Money: ₽17.200

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Balance Badge

Evo Items

Water Stone x 1

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

Safety Goggles x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

Twisted Spoon x 1

TM/TR

Taunt

Bulk Up

Consumables

Ability Capsule

Other Items

Dome Fossil

WizardOfOdd · Nov 5, 2022

Arthur Weissmann
Location: Oldale - Littleroot Township
Tuesday, September 29th
Early Morning

Chapter 4 - 11
The Township Kerfluffle
Part 3

As the battle roared on, the boos launched at me were growing louder and louder. Mostly because of the way I battled. I wouldn't even bother to lie, that for younger viewers such nuances like defensive and precaution measures would go over their heads. But not even their complaints could change the fact that the Miltank was absolutely dominated by Nero.

There was little Miltank could do as most of it options were getting shut down by Nero who rained down dark-energy blades against the Miltank who was forced to do the entire battle wobbled and having its spirit severely reduced due to the Topsy-Turvy.

And now, for the main event. Despite my feelings about it, the rules were the rules. And I threw out the Pokeball I held in my right hand to put out Braveheart to the field once more.

As Braveheart let out a deafening screech while banging its arms to amp itself up for his share of the fight, the audience brightened up significantly as they didn't have to suffer through another 'snoozefest' despite me disagreeing hard on that front, it's just a good old methodical way in gaining your way to victory, but I could see why the younger audience would not like those kinds of fights, not that I was old or anything.

"That's more like it, one more battle comin' up!" Merry pulled out their last Pokemon with enthusiasm.

The final Pokemon Merry had chosen against me was a Tauros. While Braveheart had resistance against normal types, even I knew that they wouldn't pick a Pokemon like that without having a plan in hand. Which was proven to be right almost immediately as the battle began.

"Bulldoze!"

A powerful shockwave was sent towards Braveheart who immediately used its psychic power to push itself upward to dodge the shockwave The shockwave was so strong enough that it carried over grass and dirt that was part of the field. It certainly wasn't a good move to get hit with.

When Braveheart reached the ground again, Tauros quickly followed up by enveloping its body in electricity as it rushed over toward Braveheart with the intention to ram it as hard as it could. But once again, I ordered Braveheart to push itself upward to dodge the charging Bull Pokemon, a move that angered the Tauros. Exactly what I wanted, angering the Tauros while finding an opportunity to punish it without getting too close. Yet Merry already had something else in mind.

"Spite!"

"Oh dear…" I said as a reaction to the move that Merry just ordered. It's already hard enough for Braveheart to propel its heavy body upward with Confusion, but this is overkill, I didn't need Tauros to also spend the energy Braveheart had to use Confusion, more of this and I wouldn't be able to do anything about the Bulldoze which might be fatal in the long run.

Not wanting to cut off one of my few methods of escape, I reluctantly had to play defensive on the ground.

This time Tauros jumped upward to gain a height advantage and prevent its attack from getting dodged as it dropped in hot with another Wild Charge but it forgot that sidestepping existed. Braveheart sidestepped the attack, and with Tauros still recovering from the descent, it was a golden opportunity I wasn't willing to waste.

"Metal Claw, uppercut the Tauros!"

Braveheart was more than willing to deliver a retaliation for the aggressiveness of the Tauros and as the Tauros flew due to the metal arm of Braveheart delivered a devastating hit straight to its jaw.

As Braveheart started to screech proudly at its progress while the Tauros lay prone which made the crowd elated, I couldn't help but smile at how it managed to improve its way of approaching a battle.

I was almost sure that a victory would be in our grasp if we managed to keep playing smart and punish the Tauros' attempt at playing aggressively instead of being reckless, surely the battle was done and dusted already.

Well, it would be the case if my luck wasn't utter garbage, well kinda.

As Tauros rose from the ground, it bellowed so loud that it shocked me and the rest of the crowd while Merry shook their head as if they already knew that this would happen. Tauros stood with its eyes bloodshot and its breath heavy, an easy tell that it had its ability activated.

Anger Point.

An ability that gave Tauros a boost in fighting spirit in exchange for its lucidity.

Tauros was already a strong physical attacker before the Anger Point activated, but despite losing the mental edge, I was now facing a behemoth of a Pokemon that could defeat Braveheart quickly if I wasn't being careful. If Nero was here, a Destiny Bond would've been all it took to beat Tauros. But it wasn't like it was hard to beat Tauros now with Braveheart, especially with Anger Point activated.

While it's true that Anger Point adds to Tauros' already ridiculous physical might, but it also opened my window of opportunity even wider.

As Tauros charged at Braveheart with all it got, it was clear that despite the erraticness of its movement, the ferocity it showed was too much for Braveheart to handle with brute strength.

It would've been it for my partner if they were here two days ago, but this time… It's different.

"I'm counting on you, Pal!" I shouted loudly at my partner who was fending off the enraged Tauros with everything it got.

I knew it was time to go back to my roots… And the grass' roots.

"Braveheart, obscure Tauros's sight!"

Using Confusion, Braveheart launched the debris that the Bulldoze had caused, resulting in dirt and plucked grass launched toward Tauros' eyes, blinding it long enough for Braveheart to throw a sucker punch square in its face.

Tauros who didn't like it in the slightest, enveloped itself in electricity once more as it galloped forward with the intent to injure Braveheart.

"Trip 'em."

Braveheart used Confusion to raise a small part of the ground that Tauros was going to step into causing it to lose balance and tumbled through the field because of the momentum it was going in.

As the crowd of kids looked at each other in disbelief as Tauros get handled pretty easily despite it having Anger Point, I couldn't help but smile at their misconception. The battle with Braveheart was proof that despite some Pokemon having overwhelming strength, all of it would be for naught if they could not think of a way to capitalize on their strength.

All things that I had to be afraid of all disappeared as soon Anger Point activated, there was no chance that Tauros would even use Spite in the state it was in. Just brute force without purpose.

As Tauros rose once more with a mighty roar following it, Braveheart and I exchanged looks with each other and both of us couldn't help but laugh at the situation at hand, much to the befuddlement of the crowd. How Ironic it was that the Pokemon that had lost the clarity of its mind had to battle a Pokemon in the same state it was two days ago.

It made me feel really thankful that I did decide to risk our relationship for my partner's sake. However, there was one thing we had to deal with before we could enjoy a relaxing time together.

"Sorry, Merry. But this is it." I said confidently before telling Braveheart to levitate using its Confusion once more.

There was not much left in the tank to use Confusion to float, especially considering the hefty weight that needed a lift and the Spite that had been used beforehand. But a moment was all I need.

Seeing its opponent rising above the ground, Tauros jumped an incredible height as it even managed to even tower over Braveheart mid-air to attempt a stomp, if I could be honest it seemed that it was trying to knock out Braveheart with a point-blank Bulldoze which was an impressive feat considering the height it got… But it was exactly what was in my plan.

"The higher you are, the harder you fall, Confusion!"

Braveheart let go of the psychic energy that was holding its body floating high and redirected it to Tauros' head. As it was in mid-air, it was unable to leverage its physical prowess to resist the psychic energy, sending it plummeting head-first toward the ground and creating a giant shockwave that could be felt by everyone in attendance.

As I looked toward the crater in the middle of the field that grew even larger thanks to the falling Bull Pokemon, there was Tauros laying prone as it was unable to hold on to its consciousness after experiencing a powerful blow straight to its head.

As the crowd cheered and clapped at my victory, my eyes met with Braveheart and without sharing a single beforehand, both of us shared a hug.

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

Party

Braveheart (Metang) (-) | Ability: Clear Body | Zen Headbutt, Miracle Eye, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Pursuit

Hunter (Hoothoot) (Male) | Ability: Insomnia | Hypnosis, Defog, Reflect, Confusion, Psycho Shift, Peck

Muchorin (Darumaka) (Male) | Ability: Hustle | Rollout, Incinerate, Taunt, Work Up, Facade, Fire Punch

Kaplan (Wingull) (Male) | Ability: Hydration | Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Icy Wind, Supersonic, Mist, Water Pulse

Nero (Inkay) (Male) | Ability: Contrary | Hypnosis, Topsy-Turvy, Psybeam, Swagger, Night Slash, Destiny Bond, Taunt

Tempest (Seedot) (Male) | Ability: Chlorophyll | Harden, Rollout, Absorb, Astonish, Bide, Growth

Inventory

Money: ₽22.200

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Balance Badge
Dell Badge

Evo Items

Water Stone x 1

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

Safety Goggles x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

Twisted Spoon x 1

TM/TR

Taunt

Bulk Up

Sand Tomb

Consumables

Ability Capsule

Other Items

Dome Fossil

Groc · Nov 6, 2022

Edison Kintobor
Saturday, October 10th
Mauville City

The Up-and-Coming Tournament, known colloquially as the Winstrate Cup, is a tournament reserved for Trainers of a particular level of skill. A level that Edison happens to fall into, which makes this the perfect opportunity to see what his peers are doing, to compare himself to their progress, and to witness the fruits of their labors in an early state.

Truly, winning or losing doesn't matter to him. He'd made an argument to Marie that the tournament would be a second chance at a first impression, but those concerns had fallen to the wayside as soon as he entered the first round. He had taken notes on the other competitors while watching them, but he'd had little time to do so during his own matches, and they warranted a review.

His opponent was a slightly older boy with an impeccable fashion sense, similar to his own but with a cape the boy simply loved to flourish dramatically as he swapped his Pokémon. And swap them he did, despite the typical restriction on such an action.

His opening Pokémon was a Staravia, which managed to use its Intimidate ability on Automoton, as well as catching Ed with it. Tom used Defense Curl to cover his weak points, and the bird growled to further intimidate him. Ed had to give credit to the boy, as Tom's strength usually made short work of more fragile Pokémon, so lowering his offensive power would allow Ed more time to observe.

Tom started rolling, and the Rock element attack would soon prove Ed's theory correct. However, Staravia used a quick Bug move known as U-Turn, which allowed it to attack then immediately replace itself with an ally. Edison was delighted to see the boy call out a Mienfoo, as he rarely gets a chance to observe them.

It was not to last, as the Pokémon took Tom's continued attack before switching out with U-Turn itself. Ed was dismayed to see Staravia return, and not just because it Intimidated Tom and himself again. The battle went on like this for a short while: Tom rolling into Staravia, it striking and switching with Mienfoo (looking no worse for wear), Tom rolling over Mienfoo, then back to Staravia, then Mienfoo, et cetera.

Before long Staravia was knocked out, and Ed realized the secret of the Mienfoo: the boy had two of them! Each time they swapped, they regenerated from their injuries, the same Ability as Aster. With Staravia to lower Tom's attack power, the two could effectively swap places indefinitely and keep themselves in top form. It would be a brilliant strategy, but Tom's Rollout growing exponentially faster and stronger put a damper on it. Even when they managed to whittle him down, Ed sent out Neo to see if the boy changed tactics. Slightly put out when he didn't, Ed had Switch come in with Psybeam, making short work of the Fighting type ferrets.

After the match, he had a chance to discuss the strategy with the boy, commending him for the effective combo, but advising him to have a reliable backup plan. He suggested the boy look into Fake Out as well, although it would be of limited use against Ghost and Steel types. The boy mentioned looking for similar strategies, bringing up Shinx with Volt Switch as an option, and Ed endorsed replacing Staravia with one, mentioning that it'd be a useful counter against Flying types.

Unfortunately for him, his second match was much less interesting. His opponent was an obnoxiously loud girl named Justine, from Phenac City ("And don't you forget it!", she'd warned him). Her first Pokémon was Sandshrew, which quickly used Sandstorm to take advantage of its Sand Veil Ability. Coupled with Double Team and Dig, it seemed to favor an evasion-based strategy that was effective, if frustrating to combat.

Or it would have been, except Tom's clamp hands made it impossible for Sandshrew to avoid him, even underground. Justine was clearly annoyed by this, and her second Pokémon, Cacnea, would have probably defeated him, so Ed swapped out for Neo. Their Steel armor would resist Cacnea's Grass attacks, and Shock Wave didn't miss, which turned the fight into a battle of attrition that Neo had the advantage in. To Ed's disappointment, her final Pokémon was Gligar, again using Double Team, so Tom came back out to finish her off.

She was civil after the battle, saying it was "really something" and that she "would never forget this", but Edison didn't pay it much mind. Her strategy was rather basic and easy enough to counter, nothing interesting or worth exploring.

Of more interest is his next opponent. Even as he goes over his notes in the Pokémon Center, he keeps coming back to that thought. There's something familiar about the face, though he didn't recognize the name. Jack Tenenbaum... Ed looks over the notes he'd taken on Jack's battles, wracking his brain to figure out why the boy looked so familiar...

"I'll simply have to ask him tomorrow." He says with a sigh as he puts away his notebooks. "Maybe he's related to Arthur."

Caesar · Nov 6, 2022

Tuesday, October 6th @ 2300 - Mauville

Before Grovyle could even move in for her first attack, Mawile lunged forward and punched Grovyle clean across the jaw. The sucker punch knocked Grovyle back, who was able to regain her footing instead of falling to the ground. Grovyle retaliated with Double Kick, connecting twice against Mawile, who was attempting to retreat into her side of the ring, where her trainer, Jordan was watching intensely.

Jordan didn't know anything about the gruff out of towner they were battling tonight, other than he was brought to the battles by Zoe, a good friend of hers from the city. While Jordan wanted to leave the Mauville underground scene, it was Zoe who convinced them to come back. Jordan appreciated the practice they got from the battles that go on here, but the skill level left something to be desired, eventually they would have to leave this for good. The first place prize in this month's Winstrate Cup would more than cover her expenses to set off from Mauville for good. For now, Jordan was content to pick up a few bucks off of this Littledale redneck.

The battle so far was close, neither side being able to land a major hit. The crowd watched as Mawile landed a Bite than Grovyle was able to wriggle out of, then Grovyle returned fire with Leaf-age, firing a barrage of leaves that Mawile was able to withstand rather easily. Grovyle continued on the offensive, firing a set of Bullet Seed aimed at Mawile. Mawile was able to evade the first two shots, the third skimmed Mawile's jaws, placing her slightly off balance, just for the fourth bullet to be a direct hit. Mawile was knocked back by the impact, but was able to return to action.

The match raged on, with the two combatants trading blows, yet neither Grovyle or Mawile were able to gain the upper hand on each other. The Pokemon, and their trainers were both fairly evenly matched, and without a type advantage to tilt the battle in anyone's favour, the stalemate continued on in front of the viewers of this battle, who were packed like Wishiwashi in the warehouse where this battle was taking place. Clint was so into the battle, he was able to somewhat block out the feeling that he was surrounded. The battle started off with a lot of jeers in Clint's direction, but seemed to subside as the fight continued.

Grovyle went in for a Double Kick, the first attack was landed succesfully, but as Grovyle swung for the second kick, Mawile was able to Bite on Grovyle's leg, putting the gecko Pokemon in a difficult predicament. Clint thought for a second, while his Pokemon was being held captive by Jordan's Mawile, and cooked up a plan. Clint had Grovyle use the move Bullet Seed, with Grovyle attempting to fire her projectiles at Mawile, unable to land a clear shot due to the awkward position she was in. Clint pointed up to a light fixture on the ceiling, that looked to be old, and barely hanging on to where it was bolted to the ceiling.

"Hit the light up there," Clint suggested to Grovyle. Grovyle heeded Clint's instruction, and aimed her last shot at the light fixture. A direct hit, hard enough to knock the glass out of the light, and snapped the fixture off of its support, with the light fixture on its way down to the floor, right around where Grovyle and Mawile were dueling. Mawile stood firm, unwilling to break her grip on Grovyle's leg. Mawile then threw Grovyle at the falling fixture, with Grovyle smacking into the light, and bouncing off to the side. Grovyle fell face down, clearly struggling. While Mawile was impressed with her throw, she too was hit by the light fixture, hitting her in the jaw on top of her head, knocking Mawile down to the ground as well. Both Pokemon laid on the ground struggling, and their Trainers waited to see if their Pokemon could battle again.

"That idea played out better in my head," Clint confessed.

"Some stunt you pulled there, if my Mawile isn't ready for the Cup because of you, you're getting all the blame," Jordan said.

"Your Mawile's pretty tough, I imagine she'll be fine," Clint added.

"Who wins this one?" Jordan asked the obvious question. Both Pokemon looked in pretty rough shape after the whole light fixture manuever. Seemed to be a draw as neither Pokemon looked able to battle. It all happened in a blur as well, both Pokemon were knocked down around the same time. Sure in an official matchup one could look at the replay, but there were no replays here. Just as Clint, Jordan and Zoe were trying to figure out what to do, an audience member came bursting into the circle.

"Looks like security's coming," the audience member yelled.

With that, everyone scurried like Rattata out of the building, through whatever exit they could find. Clint looked around for a second, very lost in the shuffle of things, and returned Grovyle to her Pokeball. He felt a hand grab him, and drag him in the direction of an emergency exit. It was Zoe, who was with Jordan as well, led Clint out into a back alley, and started running away from the wearhouse, weaving through obstacles for a couple city blocks before turning down a busy street, and tried to blend into the crowd. Zoe and Jordan blended just fine, but Clint stuck out like a sore thumb.

Clint was then pushed into a small pizza restaurant, and the people inside there gave Clint a confused look. Clint's cheeks turned red as he nervously rubbed his neck, before sheepishly grabbing a table in the back corner, removing his hat and slouching into the booth. Clint took his chance to grab his breath, and soon Zoe and Jordan joined him in the booth.

"Think we dodged 'em, doesn't sound like everyone did," Zoe stated.

"Any mind telling me what that was about," Clint questioned.

"Turns out the people who owns the buildings we battle in aren't like minded enthusiasts," Jordan gave a quick answer.

"Exactly, they always chase us out, city police let's these security companies act however they like down here, which is why everyone was out of here so fast," Zoe added on to the explanation.

"Hmm, fair enough, guess that's enough excitement for me for one night," Clint said,

"Well have to wait till later for a rematch Jordan."

"Looking forward to it," Jordan replied.

Clint got up, and made his way out of the restaurant, with the owner of the restaurant shooting him a dirty look for not buying anything.

Friday, October 9th @ 0600 - Mauville

No more waiting, today was the big day, or at least the first day. Winstrate Cup action. Clint was a mind-addling combonation of nervous and excited, a situation that left him tossing and turning all night in bed as opposed to sleeping. Clint had spent the previous two days preparing, keeping the training lighter as to make sure the team was fully rested before the tourney. He himself had kept things lowkey since his interesting evening in the lower levels, choosing earlier bed times this time around. Clint hopped out of bed, and made his way towards the communal showers.

Clint quickly showered, hoping be around as few people as possible in that scenario. It was earlier than most teenagers liked to wake up, so Clint didn't have too many problems there. After the shower was done he headed over to a sink to shave. Clint had been growing a "mustache" and a "beard" during his travels, that didn't amount to much more than peach fuzz, but he felt it necessary to clean up for this event. So there he went, with the razor he purchased yesterday, shaving for the third time in his life. He managed, with only a couple of nicks on his chin, better then squirting blood all over the bathroom. The nicks bled slightly, hopefully they would scar up on their own. With Clint all cleaned up, he returned to his room to get changed for the festivities. He threw some freshly washed clothes on, rare for Clint to do since he started travelling, and looked into the mirror as he clipped his Pokeball holster on to his hip, tipped his hat towards the mirror and walked out, with the feeling of Butterfree in his stomach...

Team & Inventory:

Spoiler:

Blaze|Brave| Moves: Ember|Dragon Breath|Bite|Smokescreen|Fire Fang|Slash

Overgrow|Sassy| Moves: Leaf-age|Detect|Quick Attack|Double Kick|Assurance|Bullet Seed

Water Absorb|Quiet| Moves: Hypnosis|Water Gun|Pound|Mud Shot

Synchronize|Gentle| Moves: Confusion|Double Team|Teleport|Growl|Draining Kiss
Inventory:

$28,500
2x Potions
1x Pokeballs
5x Iapapa Berries
10x Oran Berries
4x Normal Gem
Sceptilite
Gengarite
Thunder Stone
Water Stone
TM Protect
TM Bullet Seed
TM Rock Smash
TM Low Kick
TM Grass Knot
TR Sludge Bomb

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

WizardOfOdd · Nov 7, 2022

Arthur Weissmann
Location: Northern Pokemon Center, Slateport City
Wednesday, September 30th
Early Morning

Chapter 5 - 1
The Mansion of Mysteries
Part 1

It was still early in the morning, and the sun rays were touching my skin gently as I finished the cup of warm tea I held in my right hand. It was a tranquil atmosphere which I really appreciated as I was reading about the move Sand Tomb to make sure I could utilize the Technical Machine I just got to the best of my ability.

Sadly, the tranquility didn't last for very long after I sat on the bench outside as a flock of Wingull started to fly out of their nest in search of food. At that moment, I couldn't help but sigh as I leered towards the entrance door waiting for Vincent to come out. Thankfully, I didn't have to force myself with learning under such unruly conditions as Vincent came out not even a minute after I moved my sights toward the Pokemon Center with his trademark wide smile plastered on his face.

"Finally, you're done. I thought you'd fallen asleep inside or something."

"Hey, it's important to chew your food properly. Besides, coming out here with food visibly seen is just asking for Wingull to snatch it." Vincent answered while shrugging.

"Haha, sure. So, can we go now? I kinda want to go to Mauville as soon as possible so… Shall we?"

"You really are efficient, huh? Well, not even I could disagree with what you're thinking about."

As we each rode Braveheart and Scar respectfully, I couldn't help but think about what happened yesterday as we headed toward our destination.

Just after I finished my battle with Merry, I and Vincent didn't waste any time moving to our destination. Well, at least after we did part with the kids that watched our match. I did buy them candies as a peace offering since I did feel bad about taking their money in the first place.

Did I think I was in the wrong in doing so? Nah, the kids were the ones putting money in the line in the first place, and it was them too that made me stick around despite my request to let me leave the premise.

But could I do better? Yeah, definitely. I should've refused no matter what or just you know… Bullshit my way out of it.

I also had my first photo and signature signing, albeit it was to the only girl who cheered for me much to the chagrin of the boy who had a crush on her. It's funny to see him pouting from the distance as the girl happily took a picture with me. He even told me that one day, he'd be a champion before me. How cute.

I ended up giving him my signature and jokingly gloated that it was a signature of a future champion and goaded him that if he wanted to become a champion, then he should beat me first. I couldn't help but laugh seeing him being so fired up about it. At least he had the motivation to be a good trainer, but that's just the first requirement. Even getting close to a pro was hard, and I learned about it the hard way, so if the kid really went on a Pokemon journey, well, I wished him all the best.

Anyway, I did plan on reaching Mauville by dusk but Vincent convinced me to take a detour toward the Trick House first before getting to Mauville. Yet he did so without being willing to tell me what was inside the Trick House as he didn't want to ruin the 'surprise', he also forbid me from snooping around the trainer forums as he really wanted me to enter blindly.

And so I did steer away from them and went straight to watching the Brian Brooks Memorial Cup that was held in his hometown of Motostoke City with Vincent himself. It was a fun time discussing the strategy and mindset of trainers participating with someone who had the knowledge of an expert like Vincent, although, understandably it's much easier for Vincent to break down the strategy of the old guards like Jorge Urias or Brian Chang than newer trainers like Hugo Sarabia as they were there when Vincent was still involved deeply in the training world, although Vincent refused to elaborate more about the time period he was around as he flicked my forehead with a huge smile on his face as always.

Before my mind could go to another tangent, we reached our destination.

"So this is the Trick House, huh? Doesn't look that special to me." I said as I inspected the outside. Unlike my expectations, I wasn't dealing with some decrepit, old house of some sort, but with a giant mansion that's normally owned by rich people. There was literally not a single thing that aroused my suspicion, at least exterior-wise.

"Oh, you'd be surprised. Why don't you take a look inside?"

"Me? How about you then?"

"I'll be waiting right there. There's a reason I just rented this fishing rod you know? Besides, the experience inside would be much better if you entered alone since I already know about what's inside."

I was kind of hesitant that Vincent was telling me to enter the place alone because of the fact that it was literally named 'Trick House' while having no discernible difference, at least outer look-wise from an ordinary but giant-sized mansion. But then I decided, if Vincent had told me to take a detour when I outright told him that I wanted to focus on preparing for Winstrate, there must be something important inside.

I decided to enter the mansion while leaving Vincent back at the Fishing Spot. As I slowly pushed the oak door with intricate carvings that separated me and whatever was inside, I thought about what should I say to do attendant waiting inside, only to find out that… There was no one inside.

The interior of the place was as luxurious as I expected from seeing the exterior, there was even a luxurious aroma that was typical of a luxury mansion wafting inside. Yet somehow, not even a single soul inside? It made my spine shiver a bit, as the situation reminded me of mansions inside slasher films. It was just too jarring for me, to see such a properly kept mansion without anyone inside as if the inhabitants were spirited away.

But thankfully, the shivers quickly went away as I realized that there was a sign taped on the receptionist's desk.

'Solve the mystery of a room to obtain a passcode. Input codes into computer' was the message written on the sign.

So, the rooms… I have to ride that elevator there, huh? I thought to myself, as I stared toward the fancy-looking elevator in the back of the room.

Not wanting to stand around any longer without doing anything substantial, I decided to enter the elevator straight up only to see the various floors available to choose from. There was even a basement 2 available for selection which was quite shocking for me as I never thought the mansion was even bigger than the ginormous size it was looking from the outside.

I had no idea what kind of mysteries were waiting for me to solve in each room based on the floors. But the idea of a basement didn't seem that fun for me, so I decided to randomly pick a floor that wasn't a basement.

The floor I picked was the 5th Floor, and it didn't take long for the elevator to send me toward my destination. There was nothing but a single door there leading somewhere, so I quickly entered without much hesitation.

As the door opened, I was greeted with a sight that was so shocking, I had no other things to say, but—

"Holy shit!"

The sight that awaited me inside the 5th floor was nothing short of an engineering marvel.

It was a huge indoor flower field with honeycombs hanging out from the ceiling as Combee and Cutiefly flew around tending to the fields.

How did they do this? What kind of technology existed to allow this sort of ecosystem to exist? I thought to myself. Well, the answers to my question would quickly be answered as I head back out of the door as I felt that I was missing an instruction of some sort.

The plaque read:

Spoiler:

"Ah, so it was Grassy Terrain."

I couldn't help but feel awe at the brilliant engineering that this Trick Master II, whoever he was had employed towards the creation of the room. The fact that this flower bed could survive even without sunlight was a testament to the engineering ingenuity that he had.

Not wanting to spend a long time inside the room, I picked my Pokemon that was so good at hunting, he might as well be called—

"Hunter!"

Hunter swiftly come out of his Pokeball, and without wasting any time observed the surroundings as I briefed him on what was going on.

So we went with our plan that relied on stealth. And it went—

Very well. Too well even. We finished catching the grubs in around five minutes as Hunter stealthily approached the grubs before using Hypnosis to lull the grubs to sleep. With it, it was so easy to gently scoop the grubs before returning them to the wall of Vespiquen's grub.

I was slightly worried that they wouldn't want to return when they were awake from their slumber. But thankfully they were more than willing to return alongside their friends which allowed me to input the codes that were also available near the computer.

As I inputted them, a compartment opened next to the computer which took my interest almost immediately. Inside it was— a Technical Machine for Attract.

"So this is why Vincent told me to go here."

This was an amazing revelation for me, but as if that wasn't enough a Cutiefly approached me with an egg so small that it fits on my palm.

"Wait this is for me? Thank you."

I held my hand open as it handed the egg that clearly belonged to their species. As I cleared out a small compartment that I had brought on my journey just in case to make sure that the egg was safe, I couldn't believe what this place had to offer to me. Then a thought came out to my head.

"Wait, if this is the case… Then doesn't that mean I can get more than one egg and one Technical Machine if I cleared more rooms?"

My mouth arced upward with that realization and I quickly went back towards the elevator to choose another room.

High on adrenaline, I was feeling dangerous, a bit too much even, as I didn't even bother to change my destination despite accidentally pressing the button to the lowest level of the Trick House 'B2'.

So with high spirits, I didn't waste any time reading what was inscribed on the plaque next to the door.

'Pokemon from the Onix evolutionary—'

Even before I finished reading the first sentence, I broke out laughing.

And then, as expected of me, I turned my back and went straight back to the elevator without a single hesitation in my bone.

Nope, I wasn't going to deal with serpentine Pokemon like Onix. Not even if you get me a date with Miss Hoenn in return, I'd rather stay single than deal with the Onix.

"Let's see…" Deciding which floor to pick, I eventually decided on the 1st Floor, hoping that whatever was behind the door there wouldn't be as hard as having to be in the same room with Onix.

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

Party

Braveheart (Metang) (-) | Ability: Clear Body | Zen Headbutt, Miracle Eye, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Pursuit

Hunter (Hoothoot) (Male) | Ability: Insomnia | Hypnosis, Defog, Reflect, Confusion, Psycho Shift, Peck

Muchorin (Darumaka) (Male) | Ability: Hustle | Rollout, Incinerate, Taunt, Work Up, Facade, Fire Punch

Kaplan (Wingull) (Male) | Ability: Hydration | Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Icy Wind, Supersonic, Mist, Water Pulse

Nero (Inkay) (Male) | Ability: Contrary | Topsy-Turvy, Psybeam, Swagger, Night Slash, Destiny Bond, Taunt

Tempest (Seedot) (Male) | Ability: Chlorophyll | Harden, Rollout, Absorb, Astonish, Bide, Growth

Egg (Cutiefly) (???) | Ability: ??? | ???

Inventory

Money: ₽19.560

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Balance Badge
Dell Badge

Evo Items

Water Stone x 1

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

Safety Goggles x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

Twisted Spoon x 1

TM/TR

Taunt

Bulk Up

Sand Tomb

Attract

Consumables

Ability Capsule

Other Items

Dome Fossil

WizardOfOdd · Nov 7, 2022

Arthur Weissmann
Location: Trick House
Wednesday, September 30th
Morning

Chapter 5 - 2
The Mansion of Mysteries
Part 2

"So this is… Uh, interesting." I quipped seeing the Impidimp who was already set on a battling stance.

I've read the task, and while it's daunting there's nothing the power of my Pokemon couldn't overcome and I was sure of that. Now, for the way out… I decided to think of a surefire strategy that could overcome this task according to what was written on the plaque.

Spoiler:

Right, the Electric Terrain made this harder. Otherwise, a simple Hypnosis bait and switch would be all it took for me to complete this challenge. And despite knowing that the Rotom was living inside the lights, there was no guarantee that Taunt would work on it under the condition it was on. If it did, great. But if it didn't? Then the surprise element would be gone forever.

Which was why I decided to go with something I deemed safer than the 50-50 gambit.

"Go! Braveheart! Muchorin!"

This wasn't a surefire strategy either, but I was 100% sure that in this case, that kind of strategy didn't exist.

Braveheart quickly went for one of the buttons, but the Impidimp wasn't going to let it do its job so easily… Well not if it wasn't for Muchorin wiggling his fingers from Impidimp's blind spot. The guardian of the room was so preoccupied with the metal behemoth to notice that Muchorin was already preparing the move Taunt.

Still in shock yet unable to use its potentially tide-turning status moves that I knew well was a staple for Impidimp, it could barely do anything as Braveheart pinned its lower body with its weight. Allowing me and Muchorin to press the entire switches inside the room while Impidimp had no way of getting out of Braveheart's press which was reinforced by using Confusion to prevent it from getting loose in any way.

One Rotom inside the PC later, and I got the code printed and ready to insert as Braveheart let the Impidimp go from its clutches. The latter couldn't help but sigh, as I casually entered the codes to open the nearby compartment in less than five minutes.

And voila, the Technical Machine compartment was open just like that.

But just as I was about to take the Technical Machine, I had second thoughts. Why would someone make a puzzle escape room where you would get Pokemon Egg and Technical Machine? Also why this place wasn't bankrupt yet if we're allowed to go more than once?

Feeling unsure about me taking the second price, I told the Rotom who went out from the computer and was holding an egg that I already won both a Technical Machine and a Cutiefly egg in the previous room. The Rotom's face turned somber and retracted the egg back, which I already figured was too good to be true.

But as I turned back, the Impidimp grabbed the Technical Machine that I had left behind and proceeded to shove it into my hand.

Feeling confused, I proceeded to ask them a question. "Okay, so now that I know you're not supposed to get more than one egg, could you still obtain TMs?"

Both Rotom and Impidimp nodded their head.

"Ah, I see. Thank you for the gift, I wish you two a great day," I waved towards the two Pokemon who reciprocated my gesture.

It was quite sad for me to miss out on an egg from a Pokemon as strong as Rotom, but hey I couldn't complain about getting 2 Technical Machines and an egg of a Cutiefly to boot, I was quite grateful in fact. These things could be really expensive or hard to obtain for a trainer without proper connection, which made these free rewards from whoever the Trick Master II was.

Whoever they are, I thought they were a generous and kind person who wanted to help trainers with barely wanting anything in return.

I should tell Sophie about this later, I thought to myself. This would definitely help her in the long run. I then wondered what she was doing right at the moment, was she still consoling her friend as she told me yesterday? While I was glad that she made a friend other than me, I was also hoping that she didn't forget about taking care of herself. After all, she'd been through a lot on her own.

"Ah, fuck!" I said as I realized that I was contemplating for a few minutes inside the lift without pressing a single button. God damn, was I distracted.

I then pressed the button to the reception while trying to put aside thinking about Sophie for now, I might be worried, but considering me and Vincent were going to visit Mauville after this, I could just ask her directly later, or if we couldn't meet well, we could just have a call with each other as we usually did before we tuck ourselves in for the night.

I then stepped out of the elevator, but my eyebrows furrowed as I looked to my left and right.

Something was not right.

This wasn't the reception floor. It's a connecting corridor just like the ones I went to before entering the rooms with tasks inside them. Feeling confused, I went to the visible plaque to help me understand what was going on.

The plaque itself read:

Spoiler:

The plaque gave me the realization that wherever I was, I was so hasty that I had pressed the wrong button instead of the reception floor.

But with the door of the said challenge in front of me, it's hard to not go in knowing that I could still grab another Technical Machine. But even if I was strongly considering entering the room, it would still be my last though, as while it's nice to get a lot of Technical Machine, I still had shame. Three was more than enough, and I shouldn't hog all of it to myself.

"You know what? Fuck it." I decided to push the door and enter the room.

And as the plaque had described, I saw firsthand the 'Mirror Maze' that was created by the Mimes inside the room. I had a bad feeling about it, not to mention the fact that there was literally a spot that was written with 'put belongings here. And with many restrictions about status moves unlike the others I've done, it really did give me cold feet.

But you know what, it's nice to have a challenge once in a while. I bet even with this, it wouldn't even take me 15 minutes to find a solution.

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

(45 minutes later)

"AAAARGHHHH! MY EYES!" I screamed as I rolled on the ground with both of my hands protecting my eyes as I just felt a sensory overload beforehand. Not even Muchorin was free from the same fate as it rolled around while screaming as his trainer did.

What happened you might ask? Well, apparently after a genius level of designing rooms to solve, mistakes were bound to happen. A huge mistake too.

The fact that the room was purposefully made to reflect light and then using a powerful source of light like Dazzling Gleam instead of Flash was a fucking dumb decision. I really glad I didn't have Epilepsy, or else I might have a seizure instead. If I did, I might've gone straight to the Morgue.

I didn't mind getting walls pushed against me that I fell, no I didn't mind getting laughed at by the Mimes as I failed to chase the Poke Ball belonging to one of them, and no, there was no use warning us the consequences of using Taunt against the pair because it's impossible with them using Ally Switch and then the one with Mirror Coat reflecting it back.

I knew well I would fall as it was written on the plaque that the floor was slightly slippery, but there was never a single fucking warning written about exposure to very bright lights, someone's eyes might be damaged because of it, heck I didn't even have any ideas if my eyes were okay as I was at that point struggling to even see properly.

As the mimes bickered with each other, I heard a loud thud near me. I thought at that moment that the Poke Ball might accidentally get flung near me as they bickered. Did I know how the ball could get there? No. Did I know why the pair of Mr.Mime decided to bicker with each other? No, and I didn't give a shit about it.

All I cared about getting out of the room with the Technical Machine in hand, and if the Ball gets flung somewhere else again, I would just get the fuck out of there.

As I dragged myself on my belly like the main character in a thriller movie, I desperately grasped the ground around me to find the Pokeball. And as my right hand felt the said Pokeball, I didn't waste any time pressing the button on it and made the walls disappear as the Mr. Mime responsible for it went back inside its Pokeball.

My sight was still recovering, but I straight went to input the passcode without caring about the other Mr. Mime who was clapping for my achievement. As the compartment opened, I straight up grabbed the Technical Machine without seeing what it was.

And as I turned back there the Mr.Mime stood holding an egg, and was putting his arms forward as he was wanting to give it to me.

Gathering all the remnants of patience I had, I forced myself into a smile and said. "I'm sorry I already got an egg already," before bowing.

The Mr. Mime cast its eyes downward afterward as it stepped back letting me walk out of the room, if I had to guess not even the smile plastered on my face could hide the contempt I was holding for the pair at the time. All the while Muchorin who had hopped back to my shoulder, snarled aggressively at Mr.Mime.

As I grabbed my belongings, I couldn't help but hold the side of my head due to the dizziness I felt as a side effect. I'd put a review or make a forum post about this trainwreck of a design choice as soon as I got to Mauville, hopefully, the proprietor of this place would make some adjustments as while it's been a fun experience on most of the rooms, the last room was literally a death trap for people who couldn't handle such an intense light source. At least they should make some warning about it if they wouldn't adjust the room.

I didn't waste any more time, and despite feeling queasy I went straight for the Fishing Spot where Vincent told me that he would be waiting. After I spent almost one hour and a half inside the Trick House, I really wanted to go straight to Mauville and rest my head as soon as possible after what had just happened.

I was going to shout and surprise him who was probably still fishing. But the man I seek was not doing it anymore, instead there he was sitting on one of the benches with a longing face as he held a pendant that I never saw before. It was a golden sun-shaped pendant with a sun so small that it fits a girl rather than someone with Vincent's stature.

Was it a memento from someone precious to him? Most likely, otherwise, there should be no reason for him to look so sad.

I didn't know what his past was since he tried to keep the lid on it despite my questions. But seeing him like this reminded me that he wasn't always the perfect person he seemed in the surface as he mostly looked. He was also human just like me, and so—

"Huh, Arthur!? Why did you hug me so suddenly?" Asked the confused Vincent as I hugged him from behind.

"No reason, I just want to do so."

—I hope I could be someone for him to rely on even if ever so slightly in his tough times, as he already gave me so much despite the short time we've spent together.

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

Party

Braveheart (Metang) (-) | Ability: Clear Body | Zen Headbutt, Miracle Eye, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Pursuit

Hunter (Hoothoot) (Male) | Ability: Insomnia | Hypnosis, Defog, Reflect, Confusion, Psycho Shift, Peck

Muchorin (Darumaka) (Male) | Ability: Hustle | Rollout, Incinerate, Taunt, Work Up, Facade, Fire Punch

Kaplan (Wingull) (Male) | Ability: Hydration | Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Icy Wind, Supersonic, Mist, Water Pulse

Nero (Inkay) (Male) | Ability: Contrary | Topsy-Turvy, Psybeam, Swagger, Night Slash, Destiny Bond, Taunt

Tempest (Seedot) (Male) | Ability: Chlorophyll | Harden, Rollout, Absorb, Astonish, Bide, Growth

Egg (Cutiefly) (???) | Ability: ??? | ???

Inventory

Money: ₽19.560

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Balance Badge
Dell Badge

Evo Items

Water Stone x 1

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

Safety Goggles x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

Twisted Spoon x 1

TM/TR

Taunt

Bulk Up

Sand Tomb

Attract

??? (From Trick House)

??? (From Trick House)

Consumables

Ability Capsule

Other Items

Dome Fossil

WizardOfOdd · Nov 7, 2022

Sophie
Location: Pokemon Center, 24th Level, Mauville City
Wednesday, September 30th
Morning

Chapter 6 - 4
Old Friends, New Beginning
Part 4

After Alice's outburst yesterday, I decided to give her some time for herself while I decided to read more of Arthur's journal. For something that was written by a young child, it's apparent to me that he was already a detailed person when it comes to Pokemon back then. Some of his innocent opinions are really funny to read through, not to mention some doodles like the funny one with a kid raising a trophy while saying 'I'll be the Hoenn League Champion'.

The next day came, and Alice actually agreed to have brunch together after refusing my offer for breakfast. But sorry, truth be told, I wasn't much of a brunch person so I had eaten first while leaving some space for a light brunch. I needed to save face and I wasn't sure that I would be able to keep my stomach from rumbling if I didn't eat beforehand.

"Don't worry, Sophie, I'm fine," said Alice while taking another bite of her waffle.

"...You're a bad liar, you know that?"

"Haha… Am I?" She finally gave up forcing herself to make smile. "Sorry, I just…"

"No, you shouldn't be. I'm the one who was supposed to say sorry, if I didn't try to say a self-deprecating joke you wouldn't be here in this state."

"No… I… How would you know what joke to say or not!? It's my…" Alice vehemently tried to shift the blame to her.

"Let's just agree to forgive each other, shall we?" I shined a smile towards Alice. As there was no good way to make her believe that it was solely my fault, this was the next best thing in my mind.

Alice weakly nodded before taking a sip from her share of warm tea.

"Hey look, the cake here looks really nice. I didn't expect such a snack since we were getting them for free," I pointed out at the variety of cakes being displayed.

"...Hey, Sophie, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure!"

"Why did you decide to help me? I know that we're friends and all, but isn't it better for you to prepare for Winstrate rather than focusing on me?"

The Winstrate she was talking about was the tournament for up-and-coming trainers that would be held very soon, with the registration coming soon and limited spots available I had to make up my mind soon about whether I should compete or not. But for that moment, Sophie's matter took priority.

"Isn't the fact that we are friends enough for me to care about you?"

Alice was taken aback at my genuine answer to her question.

"Haha, honestly if I were in your shoes, I would be feeling the same. But I had a dear friend of mine who did the very same thing I just said in front of you, not just talk, but he even risked his life just for this troublesome girl who was hostile to him the first time we met. I used to think that kind of mindset is stupid since I've been taken advantage of by several people that I thought were my friends, but after meeting him, I'm fine with being stupid." I scratched my chin in embarrassment. I was glad that he wasn't here or my face would turn red as tomato when saying such a thing.

"Of course, I'm nowhere near as reliable as him, I didn't even know how part-time jobs work until I met you. But if there's anything I can help you with, you know… I'll do my best." I flashed a bright smile.

"...You're too kind, you know that?"

"Hehe… Thank you, I try my best to."

Both of us shared a warming hug, as she tried to hold back her tears.

"You know what… I think it's unfair for you to be the only one telling your stories."

"Eh… Are you sure? I—

"Don't worry I shouldn't bottle my emotions too much anyway. Do you mind hearing it?"

"No, not in the slightest."

Alice took a deep breath before she started to tell me her full story. She told me how she graduated from the Mahono Trainer School in Kinyo, how the league there went defunct due to the poor attendant, and how the early days of her journey were.

Now into the problem she had, apparently, she made a close friend back in the Trainer School, they bickered a lot and weren't pulling any punches about criticizing each other in Pokemon battling, but for Alice, he was the closest friend she ever had, the person she trusts the most, and she even admitted to having a little crush on the said friend.

Sadly a rift formed between them as Alice accidentally pushed her friend too far when she accidentally mentioned something that was a sensitive topic for her friend as he was at his lowest after losing a tough gym battle. She thought that it would motivate him after the loss, but despite her friend constantly saying that it wasn't as easy to rebound from his lows as Alice had said, and yet Alice still tried to push him until it was unbearable for him, and instead of gritting it out, his friend just gave up on training Pokemon entirely, despite Alice's attempt at clarifying the situation.

He wasn't even there during the League's arranged departure for Trainers who were challenging the defunct league by Ferry. She desperately called her friend moments before departure only to be responded to by her friend telling her that their separate ways were for her own good. In spite of the harsh truth that her friend gave, she didn't stop believing that her friend boarded the Ferry in secret despite what he said, but no matter how hard she tried to scour the ship her friend wasn't there.

And even as she tried to contact him once more, his Holotch went cold. Then a day passed, then two, then three… There were still no responses from her friend. Even though she contacted his family, his family didn't even know about his whereabouts. Then she feared the worst, the fact that he hadn't returned home yet was a huge red flag, and I would even feel the same way as her if I was in her shoes. She cried herself to sleep on most nights thinking about how she had not only shattered her best friend's dreams but also his will to live.

For her, it was a miracle that her friend was still alive let alone still continuing his journey. But despite her friend forgiving what she did, she still couldn't forgive herself. She wouldn't believe her friend's claim that he was fine. She knew that her outspoken friend would never suddenly cut off himself from the grid, especially when he didn't even tell his family about his plans.

She still held a lot of guilt, and despite it all in the past, the fear of doing the same thing was still gripping her mind. So the moment I did a self-deprecating joke just like her friend did, it only resurfaced her trauma of losing a friend because that was the same thing he did before he was gone.

After telling her story while trying to hold back tears, I couldn't help but hug the poor girl tightly while telling her everything would turn out alright and that she shouldn't blame herself as I was the one at fault for what happened yesterday. After a long while, we finally finished our brunch and Alice excused herself first as she felt that she needed another day to rest.

As I let her leave, I couldn't but sigh about what was happening to Alice. Maybe I should bring her somewhere to unwind tomorrow. I didn't even mind if I had to splurge some money to make her happy, I can just stay in the city for another week and work more part-time jobs to break even.

Minutes passed by as I thought about where should I bring Alice to cheer her up. Suddenly, a pair of hands cut off my vision. Huh, very funny Alice. But I was kind of happy that she was feeling better enough to joke around with me again, so much so that I started smiling.

"Oh come on, Alice, can you not?"

Then an audible gasp was heard. It was not Alice, not even close. The gasp I heard belonged to a man, and as the hands of the mysterious man went down, I didn't waste any time to turn my back and see who was the culprit. It was a familiar face, too familiar.

"S-Sophie, how did you… How did you know that name?" The man said, perplexed at my reaction.

The man was Arthur. Arthur was the one standing behind me.

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

Party

Aurora (Alolan Vulpix) (Female) | Ability: Snow Warning | Freeze-Dry, Confuse Ray, Disable, Hex, Aurora Beam, Mist

Garnet (Staryu) (-) | Ability: Illuminate | Magic Coat, Rapid Spin, Camouflage, Recover, Psywave, Bubblebeam

Stolz (Aron) (Male) | Ability: Rock Head | Rock Tomb, Metal Claw, Protect, Roar, Harden, Headbutt

Joy (Lotad) (Male) | Ability: Swift Swim | Astonish, Mega Drain, Water Gun, Synthesis, Mist, Flail

Inventory

Money: ₽16.600

Badges

Knuckle Badge

Evo Items
None

Held Item

Eviolite x 1

King's Rock x 1

Silk Scarf x 1

TM/TR

Detect

Consumables
None

Other Items
None

Juno · Nov 9, 2022

5-4: Loophole

🌲 Route 110 🕙 Oct. 4th, Late Noon

It's Sunday already, and there's no end in sight to this accursed land bridge.

The Petilil is still tagging along. It's fine. She's not really disruptive as a traveling companion. But sometimes, in her eagerness to impress, she does get a little annoying; she's shown off a few moves, making glowy leaves fly around and all that. Still, she seems to know the area well, and Marcella finds the apparent admiration the little Pokémon has for her rather endearing.

When they'd set out for the day, she was still hopeful they'd make it in time for the contest, but as late noon rolls around and it does not look like she's getting to the end of Route 110 fast, she has to come to terms with the fact that they might not be in Mauville City in time for the Monday theme they'd planned for. Even if she makes it there on Monday, what's she going to do—roll up to the venue immediately in her travel gear? Absolutely not. They have prep work to do in the city. This isn't going to cut it.

Marcella knows she shouldn't, with how much battery her phone has left—she's already been on her battery pack for a while and she knows she has to ration out its remaining life carefully in case she needs it for an emergency, but... this is kind of an emergency, isn't it?

"Right," She sighs, wiping the sweat from her brows. She turns her phone on. It's time to start shopping for a Plan B. Preparation is key, as Josie would say.

Quickly navigating to the official contest site her mentor had shown her, her eyes scan the screen as she scrolls through the prompts for the rest of the week. "Elves? What—" She shakes her head at some of the more nonsensical prompts. The Whimsical set for October 8th's Singles sounds quite lovely, but she's not really getting any inspiration for it. She's also wasting precious battery life staring at the prompt trying to think of something.

And she pays the price for it. Marcella got as far as reading the Thursday Doubles' theme, and her screen goes black. "Oh-! Come on," She pushes the power button and taps on the screen a few times, but aside from the 'clack clack clack' of her nails against the glass, nothing else happens.

Great. She exhales.

So, what do we have to work with here? She closes her eyes, trying to remember everything she just read.

She's not doing the crap with the elves, that's for sure. And as nice as the whimsical, pure, dreaming set sound on paper, she's not really sure how she would execute that with her Pokémon.

Solitude. Moon. Misty. I could do something with that, maybe. She'd get the 'mist' down with Pearly, perhaps, but what about the other two?

Musical. Chiming. Bouquet. That's an interesting one. A set that really goes together.

Musical and chiming seem to be pretty easy and flexible prompts. Marcella has some intermediate instrumental knowledge and is fairly certain she could pass on some of that to her Pokémon and pull together a short musical piece for the first round, especially since it needs to be no longer than two minutes.

Bouquet, though. It's not a difficult prompt, but with her current roster, they're not quite set to do something flowery without getting really creative.

If only she had a Pokémon that was Grass-type or something.

If only she had a Pokémon capable of, say, conjuring a lot of greenery out of thin air.

If only... Her gaze slides down to the Petilil circling her ankles. The Pokémon stops and glances back up curiously when she notices.

…It wasn't explicitly stated to her she can't catch Pokémon here, but since Dillon made a point to mention that there are "no Poke Balls on the land bridge, empty or otherwise", it's safe to assume they aren't allowed to use them here.

But maybe there's a way around that.

"So. Dear." Marcella sits down on a large rock and beckons the Petilil to her. She climbs up on her lap. Obedient, Marcella silently observes. That's good. "You guys aren't, like, trapped here, right? It's not like a zoo? The Pokémon living on this route?" Their whole thing here on the land bridge is the preservation of nature and all that, right? It's for their benefit. So if a Pokémon wants to leave...

The Petilil shakes her head, and Marcella smiles. As she thought.

"Hm! So in theory, if a Pokémon wanted to, one could accompany me to the Northern station, and then just... keep accompanying me?"

The Petilil nods, eyes smiling as she picks up on what the girl is hinting at.

"Wonderful!" She clasps her hands together, and the Pokémon mimics her. "Okay, and just so we're on the same page, by 'one', I mean you. You want to come with me, right?"

More vigorous nodding.

"Great, welcome to the team!" She gently shakes the Pokemon's tiny nub of a hand. "We'll, uh, make it official when we get out of here so I don't get any shit for stealing you. Now, we are aiming for the Wednesday contest- think we could get there in time?" She prattles on excitedly, and the Petilil looks like she is doing her best to keep up; she seems to share her enthusiasm, even though she doesn't know exactly what they are doing. Marcella should probably fix that. "Actually, I suppose I should brief you on what contests are first, huh? Then we can maybe practice making a bouquet with that leaf move of yours after."

She pulls out her notebook and fills in the Petilil quickly. She certainly could have done a better job of it, but hit all the basics; three rounds, themed challenge, a battle, so on and such. The Pokemon's enthusiasm does not seem to wane after hearing all that, nor the part where she would be doing all this in front of a crowd, so Marcella takes it as a good sign.

"Okay! So, let's see those leaves again." While her phone is dead, she does still have the clunky Pokedex on her, albeit buried under a few layers of clothes—but once she digs that out and does a little bit of research, she is able to deduce that the move is called Magical Leaf.

The green leaves shimmer spectacularly in the sunlight, emitting a pretty glow. She smiles brightly, watching as the Petilil just lets them hang in the air for a second—surely, this will win them some style points or something with the judges. Marcella almost reaches out to touch one, but the Petilil spins them in a loop with a flourish, before aiming them at a berry hanging off a fruit tree. The leaves slice it clean in half. Ah, right. Sharp.

But more importantly, the Petilil seems to have pretty great control of the leaves. Magical, as it were—the Pokedex does describe this move as having perfect accuracy every time. It will be useful in battle for sure, but she wonders if they can also use this to their advantage in the themed round.

She claps politely as she lets the Petilil continue to show off her move for a couple more minutes, before suggesting a new kind of practice. "That was marvelous, dear! Hey, you seem pretty good at directing the leaves where you want them to go, yes?" The Pokémon beams at her praise and nods. "Why don't we see if we can get you to direct those leaves into specific shapes?"

They get to work finetuning the directional control of her Magical Leaf—first into simple shapes like circles, then triangles, and eventually the more complex, floral shapes Marcella is really after. It's not perfect yet, but it's a start. And a pretty good one, given the time they've had to work on this.

Despite that though, a little voice in the back of her head nags her, since she's pretty sure she was also told there is no battling out here.

But it's not 'battling' if she's not technically my Pokémon, right? Not yet, at least. Just a wild Pokémon doing what she does in the wild. Nature. Yeah. Nothing to worry about, aside from preparing for the contest. She pushes it out of her mind and turns her full attention back to the Petilil.

"So! What else can you do?"

Party

BIJOU
Purrloin, F

Ability: Prankster

Sucker Punch
Fake Out
Sand Attack
Play Rough
Torment
Hone Claws

PEARLY
Clamperl, F

Ability: Rattled

Clamp
Water Gun
Whirlpool
Iron Defense
Scald
-----

MIDAS
Meowth, M

Ability: Technician

Pay Day
Scratch
Growl
Feint
Fake Out
-----

Dear Diary

CHAPTER 2: LIVE FOR FUN

2-1: M.I.A.
2-2: Footwear Filchers
2-3: Cut Off
2-4: Bijou Bootcamp
2-5: Beached
2-6: Pearly
2-7: Showtime - ft. Avril, June, Tsu, Robynn, Shuna
2-8: Natsuko vs. Marcella - ft. Tsu
2-9: The Three C's
2-10: In/Dependent
2-11: Connections - ft. Avril, Hikaru

CHAPTER 3: YOUR BRAIN GETS SMART

3-1: Fiancé
3-2: Promise
3-3: Roughing It
3-4: Feline Friends
3-5: For Tuna
3-6: The Bear and the Maiden Fair
3-7: Unruly
3-8: Tough Call
3-9: In Your Shadow
3-10: Renewed Resolve

CHAPTER 4: SO MUCH TO DO, SO MUCH TO SEE

4-1: Ranger's Regret
4-2: Creative Outlet
4-3: Homework
4-4: Ghosts of the Past
4-5: Direction
4-6: A Quiet Day
4-7: Long Road Ahead
4-8: Observations

CHAPTER 5: YOU'LL NEVER KNOW IF YOU DON'T GO

5-1: A Crossroads
5-2: Lurker
5-3: Peace Offering
5-4: Loophole

Inventory

WALLET: ₽6,200

KEY ITEMS

Fanclub Membership Card (Annual)

Contest Pass

HELD ITEMS

Silk Scarf (

)

Safety Goggles (

)

CONSUMABLES

Luxury Balls x 3 [Currently at Ranger Station]

Quick Balls x 2

Net Balls x 3

Poké Balls x 2

Lum Berry x 2

Razz Berry x 2

Sitrus Berry

Oran Berry x 8

Occa Berry x 6

Yache Berry x 10

Honey (¾ of jar left)

MISC. GEAR

Medium-sized leather suitcase of clothes
Rotom Phone (Sky Blue)
Family-sized tent
Inflatable mattress
Inflatable stools x 2
Electric air pump
Binoculars
Small lidded pot

Trainer Info

Badges

[PKMN FULL] Hoenn: Square One [IC]

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Tuesday, October 6th @ 2300 - Mauville

Friday, October 9th @ 0600 - Mauville

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

Kirbmeister

5-4: Loophole

Ability: Prankster

Ability: Rattled

Ability: Technician

CHAPTER 2: LIVE FOR FUN

CHAPTER 3: YOUR BRAIN GETS SMART

CHAPTER 4: SO MUCH TO DO, SO MUCH TO SEE

CHAPTER 5: YOU'LL NEVER KNOW IF YOU DON'T GO

WALLET: ₽6,200

KEY ITEMS

HELD ITEMS

CONSUMABLES

MISC. GEAR