Pokémon: The Zeta Emergence (IC Thread)

[king_nick72]

King and Hugh were walking on a pathway. King stopped for a minute, squatted don for a couple of minutes, and then he jumped up, slapping both sides of his faces gently.
"OK Hugh," King said to Hugh.
"We are almost at Cherrygrove City, I know it."
King and Hugh began to walk again until they began to see some fences. They were still a pale white and looked like the fences you would usually put around your house. King tried to look ahead and saw soething faint. It looked like a house. King turned to Hugh and said,
"Hugh, you want to race to the end of this road?"
"RI RI!!" Hugh called out ready to go.
"OK Hugh on the count of 3, 1.... 2... 3 GO!!!" King yelled as he took off running with Hugh right behind him. King looked like he was going to win, and then Hugh came out of nowhere with a burst of speed, passing King and making it to the end of the road.
"RI RIRIRIRIRI!" Hugh cried, laughing at King who began to walk the rest of the way.
"You know Hugh... you're a showboat..." King said out of breath.

King caught up with Hugh and they began to walk toward the house. Soon after, King saw a sign saying: WELCOME TO CHERRYGROVE CITY, YOUR FIRST STOP AS A POKEON TRAINER!
King smiled and said out loud,
"We are finally here Hugh, we made it to Cherryrove City!"
King took his first steps into the new city. King began to look around for a pokemon center since he needed to heal up his pokemon. An elderly man walked up to King and asked him
"Excuse me young man..."
King turned to see who was talking to him, he was a pale-colored man who looked like he was in his 60s or 70s. He was short, about 5'5'', with a bold chin that stood out. He also had a pointed nose, just like King. He appeared to be kind and very helpful.
"Maybe, he will know where the pokecenter is..."
"Are you a new trainer to the Johto region?"
"Yes sir, I am a new trainer to the Johto region, can you show me where the pokecenter is, I need to heal up my pokemon.
The old man shook his head and pointed to a building with a pokeball on the roof that was colored orange.
"That is the pokemon center, if you have anything else to ask me, just let me know."
The old man said with a smile.
King bowed, thanked the man and began to walk to the pokecenter. When King approached the doors, they slid open automaticaly. King approached the counter to a smiling woman with a pink pokemon next to her. It was round, and had an egg on its chest.
"Hello young man, and welcome to Cherrygrove City's pokemon center, I am nurse Joy how can I help you?"
"Yes Nurse Joy, my name is King can you heal up my pokemon?"
"Of course King, give me your pokemon, and they will be fully healed in a matter of seconds.
"OK Hugh, you have to get in your pokeball or a few minutes OK?"
"RI, RI" Hugh said as he shook his head.
King held out Hugh's pokeball and a red beam shot out of the center of the pokeball, hitting Hugh and sending Hugh into the pokeball and handed that pokeball, along with Hoothoot's pokeball to Nurse Joy.
"Thank you King, now please go sit down and I will call you when your pokemon are ready to pick up."

King walked over to the couch where other people were sitting and sat down. King looked at the other people here. There were a few other trainers here, but they didn't look interesting enough to talk to. A few minutes later, a noise came from the counter.
"DING-DONG! Can King please to the counter, your pokemon are ready to be picked up."
King stood up and began to walk over to the counter. He took the pokeballs, and threw them both out. The pokeballs opened up and Hoothoot and Hugh came out, looking refreshed and flowing with energy.
"HOOTHOOT!!!"
"RIOLU!!!!"
Both pokemon cried out with energy.
"Awsome, you guys look refreshed, OK Hoothoot ruturn for now, the next time we battle, you will battle first."
King placed Hugh's pokeball back into his bag, and then Returned Hoohoot to his pokeball with a red beam from the pokeball. King walked out of the pokecenter to find the old man that pointed King toward the pokecenter greet him once again.
"Did you find the pokecenter acceptable?"
"Yes sir, the Nurse was kind and healed my pokemon quick. Sir can I ask you something?"
"Yes what is it?"
"Can you show me where the mart is? I would like to buy a pair of sunglasses, the sun is really bright here"
"Of course young man."
The old man once again pointed out a building that has a blue roof on it. King once again, King thanked the old man and began to walk toward the pokemart.

Like the pokecenter, the doors slid open greeting King with shelfs upon shelfs of pokemon accesories, and things that trainers could use during their journey. The clerk that stood behind the counter greeted King with a smile
"Hello good sir, welcome to Cherrygrove City's pokemart. What are you looking for?"
"Ah.... yes. I am looking for a nice pair of sunglasses that will help sheild my eyes nicely and look nice."
"Well, there are a nice selection of sunglasses to choose from in aisle 5."
King thanked the clerk and began to walk toward aisle 5. Upon entering aisle 5, King was surrounded by shelf's of sunglasses. There were so many types of them, big ones, long ones, black ones, blue ones, the list goes on and on. After a little while of searching, King found the pair that he belivd was absolutely perfect. They were a medium size pair, shaded black lens, and a gold-like color frame. King picked them off of the aisle and walked back to the clerk.
''I would like these pair please.''
"Ok sir, that will be.... $15."

King took out the $15 and gave it to the clerk. King began to walk out the door, and he began to look for the old man that helped him out. About 2 minutes of searching King found him and walkd up to him.
"Sir, thank you for helping me find the pokecenter and the pokemart."
"It was no problem young man.."
"King... my name is King."
"King... a very interesting name. my name is Craig, a pleasure to meet you King."
"A pleasure to meet you to Craig..."
"GRUMBLE... GRUMBLE..."
King grabbed his stomach and crouched down.
"Man... I was so excited about starting my pokemon adventure... I haven't eaten since I left Prof. Gold's lab. Craig, do you think you can show me a good place to eat?"
Craig chuckled a little bit and said.
"Sure King, follow me. I'll show you one of the best places to eat in the entire Johto region."

King stood up, and began to walk with Craig to get something to eat.

 

[Jake♫]

@king_nick:

Spoiler:

No idea what you have in store for your next post, but I'm excited for it!

 

[king_nick72]

King and Craig were walking towards the pier that overview the ocean. Before walking onto the pier, Craig turned right to a plain looking house.
"Here it is King." Craig said with a smile.
King pushed open the doors and the first thing King noticed was the smells. There were so many of them, a crisp citrus smell, to a smooth sweet smell, a spicy and bold smell, to a satisfying smell of the food. It made King's mouth water a little bit.
"What is this place?" King asked Craig.
"Its Cherrygroe City's Berry restaurant. The food that you are smelling are all made from berries. From their simple oran berry sou, to their sitrus berry shakes. Its all fresh to, look," Craig said as he pointed to a window on the right of the building, outside you can see trees and bushes of different berries, and people and pokemon alike were picking the berries, bringing them to the kitchen, where King and Craig seen the people bringing in the berries to the chefs, who were preparing the berries into various dishes.
"The owners here allow the people to see what they are picking, and what they are cooking. Come on lets grab something to eat, my treat." Craig said with a smile.

King and Craig sat down at a table near another window that had a beautiful view of the ocean.
The sight was simply beautiful. The sandy beach was overlapped by a blue endless-like ocean with a amazing view of the sky. King took out Hoothoot's pokeball and called him out to eat with him and Hugh. A waitress came up to King and Craig.
"Are you guys ready to order?"
"Yes I would like a Oran berry sandwhich"
"I would like 3 berry salads, and a sitrus berry shake"
"HOOtHOOT"
"RI RI"
"OK it will be ready in about 10-15 minutes."
The waitress left and then King and Craig began to talk.
"So Craig, how do you know so much about pokemon?"
"Well King, I as a pokemon trainer, just like you."
"Really?"
"Yea, it was amazing, the battles that I had, I could talk about them for hours on end, but I would like to know about you King. What made you become a pokemon trainer?"
"Well Craig, I'm not from the Johto region. I am actually from the Unova region. My parents sent me here cause they thought I would have a better life here then I did there. So for about 3 years, I stayed at my aunt's house. Then when I became 16, I was finally able to head out on a pokemon adventure. My very first pokemon was Riolu, who I decided to nickname Hugh. Then on Route 29 I met Hoothoot, my first pokemon that I captured, and now I'm here."
The waitress came back with the food after King finished his story. The 4 of them began to eat. The mixed berry salad had so many tastes to it. It started out crisp and refreshing, then became a nice sweet taste, followed by a small spicy kick, finally followed by a thirst making dry flavor, which was easily quenched by the sitrus berry shake. Hoothoot and Hugh also enjoyed the salad and expressed their gratitude with a large belch.

Craig paid for the food and the two of them left the restaurant and Craig asked King,
"King... do want to have a battle?"
"Sure, Hugh can enjoy a battle after eating!"
King and Craig began to walk toward the beach to have their battle.
"OK King, this will be a simple 1-on-1 battle, Hugh V.S..."
Craig threw out a pokeball . The pokeball opened, with the white light turning into something that appeared to be a rat. King brought out his pokedex to see what the pokemon was.
Rattata: The Mouse Pokemon, It gnaws on hard objects to wear down its fangs, which will grow constantly during its lifespan.
"You're gonna use a normal type against a fighting type? You are at a huge disadvantage against Hugh"
"Hmhmhm... you might be mistaken about that. But we will see about that won't we? The first move is yours King."
"OK Hugh, use Sky Uppercut!"
Hugh began to charge at the Rattata with a blazing fast speed, readying his right hand ready to strike.
"Rattata, dodge and use tackle."
The Rattata didn't look like it moved, but even faster then Hugh was, Rattata dodged the Uppercut and then charged at Hugh at blazing speeds. Hugh was hit before he was even able to react.
"Hugh, use Counter now!"
Hugh stopped himself from falling on the floor completely and began to charge at Ratatta, aiming on dealing him the same damage that Hugh felt.
"Dodge, and use quick attack."
Rattata, once again out sped Hugh and hit Hugh with the quick attack. Hugh was sent back again, this time, it looked like hugh was down and out. King was begnning to be worried.
"Damn, how is his Rattata so fast, this shouldn't be happening right now..."
"Hugh, get up please!!!"
Hugh stood up, ready to fight again.
"OK Hugh, let try Sky uppercut again!"
Hugh charged at Rattata ready to strike. Once again though, Hugh missed his target.
"Rattata, use Super Fang!"
"Super Fang? Hugh, I don't know what that move is, but use Endure!!"
The Rattata charged at Hugh, who was getting ready to endure the hit. Rattata bared its fangs, and bit Hugh with full power.
"OK Hugh, use Counter!"
Hugh grabbed Rattata and slammed it into the ground with full force. King smiled, thinking he has won the match, but from the smoke, Rattata emerged, looking as if the Counter didn't even affect him. Hugh was exausted, he wouldn't be able to fight on longer. Then Craig returned Rattata to his pokeball.
"King... lets head to the pokecenter, Hugh needs to be healed."
"But our battle-"
"Can be finished at a later time, Hugh is exausted, he needs his rest."
King shook his head, and the two began to walk to the pokecenter one more time.

After a few minutes, King and Hugh emerged from the pokecenter.
"Craig, how is your Rattata able to beat a fighting type pokemon? Normal types shouldn't be able to win against a fighting type pokemon, they are at a huge disadvantage..."
"Type match ups are not everything King, think about some of the previous champions like Blue, Cynthia, and even Gold. They all had pokemon that were weak to some types, but they had to overcome them to become the chamipons that they are known to be now. Remember this King, Type match ups are not everything, I will be keeping a close eye on you King, and I am sure you will make it to the Pokeon League. Good Luck on your journey."
"Thank you Craig, I will be back to finish up our battle don't forget that!"
Craig chuckled a bit and then pointed King in the direction of the next route, Route 30. King thanked him and began to walk toward the route. King reached into his bookbag, and pulled out and put on his newly bought sunglasses.
"OK Hugh, onto Route 30!"

 

[Jake♫]

@king:

Spoiler:

MUCH better! Especially like the fact that you used a loss to give King a lesson.

Hugh grew to level 12 and wants to learn Feint! Do you want to forget a move and replace it with Feint? Reply in the OOC Thread.

 

[romdinner]

Catherine *Kat* Primrose
Chapter 2 - Part II
- Route 29 and the Abandoned House -

" A bit of a bug problem!"

​

"Hey that seems like a lodge!" Kat said noticing something in the distance. She and Pyro had been walking on the dirt path from some time now and apart from grass and trees, they hadn't seen anything new since their encounter with the two Pidgeys. Not a single soul lurked around them….the girl didn't really know why, it was an open route for Pete's sake. Seeing the house, Kat decided that the best thing to do for now was to go and ask for direction. Pyro followed his trainer as she averted from the main path towards the building in the distance. It didn't take long for the two to reach it, however, as they were getting closer they realized that their chance of getting any directions were zero.

" If it wasn't us I'd find this situation rather funny." She said not knowing if she should giggle or face palm herself. The thing was that what Kat saw from the distance as a lodge, from a closer view was actually rundown house, which was most likely abandoned. " Note to self, bring a pair of binoculars next time." Were Kat's words as she sat down on a rock. She could have leaned on the fence, but she wasn't sure if it would hold here. Indeed, the whole place needed a makeover.

"Pig..Tepig!" the fire pokemon said as he walked in front of Kat not knowing what to do now.

"Guess we'll go back to the dirt path!" but as soon as she ended her sentence she heard a loud scream coming from the house. Kat got up and took a few steps towards the house, not daring to enter it though. A few second after that out came a young girl, running as if she had seen a ghost. The young girl ran right towards where Kat was standing, then stopped just a few feet away from her to take her breath. Kat was looking at a girl about her age, more or less, who had her curly chestnut hair wrapped in a bun, that was fixed to her head with a green piece of material. She put her hand at her chest to try and calm her heartbeats, her movements drawing Kat's attention to her clothes. A white short-sleeved blouse that had small flower patterns all over, a pair of plain blue jeans and some trainers.

"What happened in there?" Kat asked as she got closer.

"It………was………horrible……bugs everywhere!" the girl said in between her gasps of air. The girl looked up at Kat after managing to calm herself.

"Bugs?!?" Kat asked looking at the house.

"Yeah. Tons of them. I was out in the field looking for something when a Spinarak came out of nowhere and snatched my notebook and dashed off into this place. I went after it and next thing I knew I was surrounded by a lot of Spinarak who chased me away."

"That's terrible. Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. I can't think of a motive for wanting it. But I have to get it back. Oh, where are my manners I'm Abby!"

"Don't worry I forgot to introduce myself as well. I am Kat!" she replied with a smile. " So what are you gonna do now?"

"Nothing I think. It's impossible to handle them alone." Abby said as she crossed her arms. Kat couldn't help but see the depressed look on her face. Abby had no clue what to do in this situation.

"Then why don't we help!" Kat said after exchanging some looks with Pyro. "You said it yourself, you can't do this alone, so let's work together to get back your notebook."

Abby looked at Kat still pondering the situation. " Just one problem, there's three of us, well four with my pokemon and a dozen of them. "

"We'll………think of something." Kat said and sat down next to the girl.

______________________________

Half an hour later the two girls entered the abandoned house through the front entrance, what was left of it of course. The place was in a really bad state. As Kat was walking she saw that all the walls had holes in them, not even one of them being in a good state. The same thing could be said about the ceiling, however, the holes in the ceiling made possible for light to break into this rundown place, lighting up the place a bit. The light fell down onto the wild plants that had grown in a variety of manners and shapes. The scene of flowers growing through a pile of fallen bits of ceiling or seeing the grass make its way from the outside into the building gave the place a unique sense of beauty. Nature is a great thing, it turned something left by humans to be forgotten under the grip of time into a little sanctuary.

"Their nest should be a little further." Said Abby as she moved a piece of wood from their path.

"Ok!" Kat replied as she was scanning the area in front of them. " So what's in that notebook that's making us go through this?"

"Umm it's my research. I'm aiming to become a pokemon professor and this year I have to present a thesis for my graduation, not very thrilling since I can't handle big crowds. But all my field data was there, so that's why I'm keen on getting it back." The girl started to explain.

"Well we could abandon this and you just say that you can't do it due to this misfortune." Kat said in a teasing manner.

"No no…no…no definitely no! That would mean losing the scholarship that the Primrose Corporation offered me." Kat couldn't help but stop in her tracks for a moment. Primrose?!? There's only one industry with that name and that was her father's.

"Is anything wrong?" Abby asked looking around for any movement.

"No, no, just felt a cold breeze." Kat brushed it off. She couldn't tell the girl that she was the daughter of the one who was supporting her fees. Things would get too awkward for both of them.

"They should be around here. Yes I'm sure of it. I recognize these dusted bookshelves.' Abby said pointing at the wall next to them. They reach what looked like a long corridor which had some pieces of furniture left like small tables or chairs all covered in dust and ravished all over the place. As the girls walked slowly along the corridor something was watching them from behind a rusted flower pot. The thing peaked at the girls as they were searching around. Kat couldn't shake the feeling as if she was being watched and turned in the direction of the thing and spotted it as it snuck back behind the pot.

" I think I saw someth…." but just as she was about to point out the place she spotted what looked like a greenish figure, a spider like pokemon came down in front of her and jumped on her face. " Get it oooooof!" she yelled being caught off guard. Abby took a cushion that was lying down on the floor from one of the chairs maybe and smacked that spider sending it flying into the wall to the left. However, they weren't done yet. As soon as Kat regained her vision she and Abby saw that dozens of Spinaraks were coming down from the ceiling, from the wholes that came from the attic, climbing down on their silky treads, all of them looking as fierce as they could be.

"Hope our plan works!" Abby said getting next to Kat.

"Yeah, cause we don't have a plan B!" Kat tried to joke a bit. "Wait for them until you see the one we came here for."

"THERE HE IS!!" Abby yelled pointing at the last Spinarak that came down from the ceiling. It was slightly larger than the others and from the looks of it, it was also their leader. However that didn't matter at the moment, Abby and Kat were looking at the notebook that the spider had wrapped on its back with a bit of silk.

The notebook had some drawing of some butterflies on it which might have confused the pokemon into thinking it was food. As soon as the big spider was among the others Abby pulled a pokeball from her belt and nodded at Kat. " Budew come out and use Sleep Powder!!!!" she shouted as she pushed the button on the pokeball. Out came a Budew just like the one Kat met earlier that day. Without wasting a second the Budew jumped up in the middle of the Spinarak swarm and started spreading a bright powder at their enemies that soon enveloped all of them. One by one their threads snapped as they fell down and fell asleep.

"Marvelous, I told you it would work!!!" were Kat's words as she saw a pile of spiders on top of each other in front of her that were sleeping like logs.

"I wouldn't count my Torchics yet." Abby said showing Kat that the boss Spinarak was still standing there baffled by the sight of its comrades falling. "I just remembered that some Spinarak have the ability *Insomnia* which prevents them from falling asleep. " Abby said face palming herself.

"NOW YOU TELL ME!!!! Well no turning back now!!!" Kat said knowing that even if that one Spinarak was still standing, it would be pointless to just run away. "Pyro give us a hand!!!" she yelled and pulled out her pokeball as well. Out came the fire pig pokemon puffing ember from its snout. As soon as the Spinarak saw Pyro it turned around and shot a piece of silky thread swinging further along the corridor. Pyro, Kat and Abby started chasing the bug pokemon, trying to catch up to it before it gets away. "Pyro use Ember on its string!!!" shouted Kat as she notice Pyro gaining some speed. Pyro jumped in the air as its tail started to glow in and orange light and then shot a spiraling stream of ember from its snout directly at its target. The string quickly caught fire and spread along the line like wild fire. The Spinarak fell down crashing onto the ground.

"Grabbed it!" Abby said as she ran where the wild pokemon was and, while still in a haze, she snatched her notebook from the spider's back. She turned around and ran towards Kat. But the Spinarak wasn't going to let her get away that easily, and as the girl was running back it raised its head and fired multiple purple needles from its mouth towards Abby.

"Head down!" Kat yelled as she grabbed a piece of what might have been half of a door and jumped in front of Abby using the door as a shield from the Poison Sting attack.

"Thanks!" Abby said in a soft voice. But Kat just nodded as she was focused on the matter at hand. The Spinarak started climbing up the wall making its way onto the ceiling.

"Hmmm that's not quite fair!" Kat thought as she threw away the piece of wood that had multiple needles stuck, but the time it took her to get up and throw the door Spinarak was able to get out of reach and even worse, launch another Poison Sting attack. "Pyro use Ember once again!!!" she yelled. Pyro puffed its nose and out came another stream of fiery sparks that when made contact with the needles burnt them one by one. 'Perfect now use Magnitude!!!" were Kat's words as she quickly came up with an idea to get Spinarak down from its place. Pyro's body became outlined in a brown aura, then jumped in the air and came crush down on the ground. The impact caused a tremor that surged through everything. The whole abandoned house shook due to the move, piles of dust filling the air everywhere. Spinarak started to shake as well and soon enough it lost its grip on the ceiling and slipped, crashing into the wooden floor.

"Spinarak!" loud cry filled the hall as the bug pokemon jumped on its feet in anger, looking straight at Pyro. It clenched its fangs and shot a piece of silky thread and flew straight at Pyro's feet, sticking the poor pokemon to the floor. Then, just like how when a fly is caught in a spider's web, Spinarak dashed towards the fire pokemon as quick as possible.

"Kat get him out of there!" Abby said grabbing Kat arm. But Kat didn't respond at all, she was looking at Spinarak who was getting closer and closer with every second.

"Ember!" Kat yelled in the last second, just before Spinarak was about to make contact with her pokemon. Pyro fired another Ember attack sending Spinarak back from where it came, now all covered in burns. Kat knew that in its fit of anger, the bug pokemon forgot about Pyro's ember attack, thus giving Kat the chance to launch a finishing blow. "Nicely done!" Kat said as she removed the sticky silk around the piglet's feet. It gave Kat a confident wink as it shook the last piece of thread off his left foot.

"I really thought Pyro was a goner there!" Abby said relieved. " But nonetheless thank you very much for helping me retrieving my notebook. You helped me despite the danger and not being related to the problem." She said bowing before the two.

Kat couldn't help but remember her butler who always did this around her, despite she telling them not too. "Don't worry about it too much. Just work hard on your thesis and become a pokemon professor." Kat replied like a true lady. "Let's get going!" she said as Abby got up.

"Guess this place isn't really haunted!" Abby said after a few steps long the corridor. The two girl had to go through the main corridor to reach the exit.

"Wwwwhat?" Kat said, her voice squeaking a bit.

"Didn't you know this place is rumored to be a haunted house, where ghost wander scaring those who trespass their home. " Abby started telling with utmost calmness. " Seems it was just a praaa…." But Abby's words stopped in their track, unable to come out as she froze in her place pointing at a shadow that appeared on the left wall just in front of them, coming from the opened room on their right.

"What's wrooo…." Kat tried to ask but fell under the same effect as Abby at the sight of the shadow. It was getting bigger and bigger on the wall, under the form of a large two piece snowman. Kat didn't dare to look and just grabbed Pyro under her arm and with her other one grabbed Abby and ran past fast as she could past the room. She ran straight like a racing horse, looking only at the exit that now was visible. She ran and ran until the three got outside and started to run in the fresh grass, putting more and more distance between them and the abandoned house.

But what was lurking in the abandoned house. The shadow on the wall got bigger and bigger swallowing the whole wall with its darkness just like when the moon covers the sun in an eclipse. Stepts could be hard as the shadow spread across the wall until finally something came out of the room.

"Budew?!?"
​

 

[Somniac]

Ffion Caera - Cherrygrove.

Ffion and Bella spent at least an hour relaxing by the water, and after Ffion had sunbathed herself dry after her swim, the two of them were feeling rather hungry. Ffion changed back into her vest and jacket, and the pair headed back into town in search of something to eat. Ffion didn't really mind where or what they ate, a small café or restaurant would be good, but even a store-bought sandwich would do nicely. She had bought the majority of her meager life-savings with her, but she couldn't afford to be fussy with food. Deciding that the best place to find someone to ask for directions would be the Pokécenter, Ffion and Bella made their way towards the Pokécenter.
As they approached, they noticed a crowd of people huddled outside the entrance to the Pokécenter. The crowd began to disperse as they approached, and they could see that the focal point of the crowds attention was a young boy, and the teenager in a straw hat that Ffion had encountered earlier. The boy with the hat said something to the other then turned and walked away. As Ffion approached she caught the tail end of what the boy was saying;

"...Be better of with me anyway, you can't train it properly. You're lucky that theres people around or I'd just take it." He muttered, adding the last bit in a quieter voice.

The straw-hat wearing boy turned and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey there, uh what was that all about?" Ffion asked, unable to control her curiosity.

The young boy looked at her after a moments staring after the straw-hat disappearing away. He looked slightly depressed and held a Pokéball in his hand, actually he looked more than slightly depressed, he looked as if he wanted to cry. Realizing that something was clearly wrong, Ffion took the initiative and steered the boy inside of the Pokécenter.

"Come on, lets go and sit down inside, and you can explain everything. If I can help I will." She said, feeling far more grown up and responsible than she ever thought she would.

Once they were sat down inside the Pokémon center, and after the boy had handed his Pokéball to the nurse he introduced himself as Tommy and began to explain what had happened. Ffion listened in silence as Tommy explained how the boy in the straw hat had offered to trade him a Pokémon for Tommy's Pokémon, which was according to the boy's words; 'Just the Pokémon he was looking for.' However, when Tommy declined saying that he could never part with his friend, the boy challenged him to a battle stating that whoever won would keep Machop, and if Tommy disagreed then he would simply have his Pokémon attack Tommy and take Machop afterwards.
It was evident that Tommy had lost, and the only reason the boy hadn't taken his Machop was because of the large number of witnesses that the battle had attracted. After the boy finished talking and had calmed down a bit, he looked a bit happier.

"I met him before, he was rude then but I never thought he'd try to steal a Pokémon. Hmm, well you should be thankful that you still have your Machop, and just try to stay away from people like him in the future." Ffion said, trying to comfort the boy.

Tommy walked Ffion to a local café in thanks, and him and his Machop waved happily as they departed. Now thoroughly hungry, Ffion ordered a large sandwich for herself and a bowl of Pokémon food for Bella. The two ate in silence, sitting outside the café in the warm sun. Once they had both eaten as much as they could, they strolled back down to the beach at a leisurely pace. A combination of the warm sun and good food had made Ffion feel uncharacteristically calm and sluggish, and she decided that it would be a good time to try out her fishing rod, as it would give her an excuse to sit down for a bit.

It turned out that Fishing wasn't as leisurely as she had anticipated, not five minutes after the float had hit the water with a small splashing sound was Ffion reeling in the tugging line, and Bella staring at the float intently. The float left the water as Ffion flicked her wrists to pull the rod up. Holding onto the float, was a small round blue Pokémon. It was not a Wooper, like last time and this time it was actually a Pokémon Ffion recognized.

"That's a Poliwag! I used to see them in the ponds in Azalea... Ok Bella watch out 'cause it might know hypnosis!"

Distant memories of the time when Ffion herself had fallen prey to a Poliwag's hypnosis attack whilst she tried to catch it with her bare hands wormed their way into Ffion's head, but she pushed them away. Right now she only had one thing to concentrate on and that was defeating this Poliwag.

"Alright Bella, Sand attack!" Ffion called.

The fact that they were on a sandy beach made this the perfect opportunity for this attack, and Bella happily obliged by kicking up a plume of sand into the surprised Poliwag's face. In retaliation the Poliwag began to spit water onto it's own body. Unsure as of what it was doing Ffion pointed her Pokédex at it.

"Water-spot. A water type move that lowers the effectiveness of fire type attacks" The Pokédex chimed helpfully.

Ffion, pleased that the attack posed no threat, gave a shot laugh and told Bella to hit it with a tackle. Bella had been expecting this command and charged instantly, crashing into the side of the Poliwag.

"Alright, another tackle, finish this up!" Ffion called.

Bella charged for another tackle, but the Poliwag shot a quick stream of bubbles which hit Bella directly in the face. Bella fell to her side and got up slowly, the attack had been a direct hit and she was already showing the strain of it.

"Bella are you alright? Uh... Use wish!" was the slightly panicked cry that came from Ffion.

Bella shut her eyes tightly and concentrated hard, tapping into the psychic energy which she had only done once before. It was an odd feeling, like waking up after a beautiful nights sleep. Bella felt rejuvenated as she felt her body recovering. The Poliwag saw it's chance and shot another stream of bubbles at Bella, but it didn't connect. Leaping high above the attack, and slamming down hard into the Poliwag, Bella sent the water-type Pokémon rolling along the sand with a finishing blow. The Poliwag landed and fell into unconsciousness on the sand.
Ffion pulled a Pokéball from her belt, but paused in internal debate. She let her hand fall back down lightly deciding that she wasn't ready for another Pokémon yet. Bella watched this in silent curiosity, happy in the knowledge of her victory.

After congratulating and fussing over Bella, Ffion gently lowered the Poliwag back into the water. The small Pokémon awoke slowly and happily swam off after it took a moment to realize it's situation.

"C'mon Bell' let's get going while it's still light." Ffion said, as Bella happily trotted alongside her.

 

[Jake♫]

Oh my god I suck. I already posted this but apparently PC derped and didn't post. I'm sorry guys!

@romdinner:

Spoiler:

Loving Abby's reliance on Kat's dad's company here, should definitely make an interesting relationship dynamic for the two of them! Great writing all together, and I loved the batle!

Pyro grew to level 10 and wants to learn Odor Sleuth! Would you like to delete a move for it? Comment in the OOC thread!

@Somniac:

Spoiler:

I do really like the fact that Ffion is so reluctant to catch another Pokémon. I like her being calculated and knowing what she can and can't handle.

Bella grew to level 13 and wants to learn Quick Attack! Would you like to forget a move to learn it? Respond in the OOC thread!

 

[lacoste]

[

]​

→ Chapter 1 - Gael Marcusson

Gael stood motionless, basking in the sight of New Bark Town's skyline before the sunrise. He clutched a Poké Ball with his right hand; it had only been yesterday that he'd received his starter Pokémon from Prof. Gold but with it came a big responsibility, one he couldn't leave unfulfilled.

+ + +
​

It is ten o'clock at night. Prof. Gold stares into a large cardboard box with twelve trays inside, each containing a starter Pokémon, five empty Poké Balls and a Pokédex. A sudden click from the door alerts him of someone's entrance into the room, where only one aide remains ready to go home.

"You're pretty late, are you one of the new trainers?"

These were the first words that Gael ever heard from the tall, lanky man who stood before him. Prof. Gold's question was fair, but completely off-target. The only reason Gael had come to his lab was to seek for some sort of job that paid more than helping his dad in the farm.

"To be truthful to you, I would usually hope to be able to say 'Sorry, but we have no Pokémon left' by this time. Unfortunately, it seems we have a surplus right now." Prof. Gold continued, not minding Gael's apparent confusion.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Prof. Gold suddenly retrieved a small, metallic tray with six Poké Balls and a Pokédex. "Anyways, here's all you need on your journey, umm, what was your name again?"

Gael cleared his throat. "I'm sorry Professor, my name is Gael Marcusson. I'm not one of the new trainers; I was actually here to ask if you required some sort of assistance around the lab. Some way for me to be useful?"

Gael's sudden declaration caught the professor by surprise, dropping his spirits considerably.

"I… see." He managed to say. Dismayed, the professor took a seat and sighed deeply. "I can't really blame you for not wanting to leave in a journey. With the recent incident at Violet City and the rise of Team Zeta, damn, maybe even I would never have started my journey."

"Team Zeta?" Gael repeated, and Prof. Gold went ahead and explained the current situation in Johto…

"Some members of Team Zeta are currently holed up in Violet City, but there's no signs of them. Catching these thugs soon may be our only chance to figure out Team Zeta's plans and save Johto from them."

Gael took in the information he'd just been given. If nothing else, he realized that this was the opportunity he had been hoping for since his childhood in Bloomingvale: to be of real help.

"Professor, I could help you. If the authorities aren't getting the job done, I'm sure that my training in Unova's Military Academy can help me infiltrate and destroy their organization. All I'd need is Intel…"

" That's Intel that we don't have." Gold interrupted.

Gael gulped. He realized he was completely out of line.

"A source of mine informs me that Team Zeta's goal is to capture a pair of legendary Pokémon; Ho-Oh and Lugia." Prof. Gold continued, his gaze suddenly stern. "I trust my source, and the only way to stop them if they manage to do that is with Pokémon."

With that, the Professor placed the Poké Ball in Gael's right hand…

"Gael, I just sent a battalion of trainers into the wild; to train and get stronger, and defeat Team Zeta. I know you're not on the list, but I can see something in your eyes; something that makes me want to put my trust in you. Please, join us in our fight."

+ + +
​

Turning around to face Route 29 was a lot harder than Gael could have anticipated. His only means of defense against the wild was a Pokémon; he'd never been good at handling Pokémon.

"I'll stop them." The kid thought to himself. "This is my duty."

And with that, he departed off towards Cherrygrove City.​

 

[lacoste]

Route 29 II

[

]​

→ Chapter 2 – The Bold Heroine

Ten o'clock in the morning. The sun shines brightly.

After walking down Route 29 for close to two hours, Gael decides to park under the shade of a large tree to rest and eat lunch; he'd packed a sandwich for himself in the morning, as well as an assortment of energy bars.

There is a slight breeze that feels good against his skin, so Gael pours some water on his head for refreshment. The day is peaceful, and Gael's mind is full of nothing but confusion and possible regret.

His chewing slows down as he dwells on his reality; "What did I get into? Why did I volunteer for this, to fight a Pokémon gang? I don't think I can do this."

It's too much. Gael shakes his head and tries to think of something else, anything else. Quickly, he retrieves his Pokédex.

"Okay, let's see what's up…" he whispers to himself.

Prof. Gold had explained the mechanics of the Pokédex's interface; opening it was easy, reaching the menu was easy, but for some reason… "Huh? There's no data."

"… then you point it at a Pokémon like so, and voilà. The Pokédex automatically retrieves and displays any data on the Pokémon, not to mention that this data is constantly revised and amended through the use of your Pokédex."

"Of course…" Gael shakes his head remembering the professor's instructions. He reaches for the lone Poké Ball on his holster belt and presses its button, releasing a burst of white light that materializes into a blue-skinned Pokémon.

~ Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon; it takes time for its shell to form and harden after hatching. It can spray foam powerfully from its mouth. ~

"Well that's works…" Gael states flatly as he continues to poke on the machine.

Meanwhile, the curious Water-type by his feet decides to wander around. "Squirtle?" she blurts upon noticing a slight movement in the peripheral region of her field of vision.

She walks towards Gael's backpack upon noticing what appears to be a small Bug-type Pokémon? No, it can't be. It's just a bug, a small stinkbug, too little to be considered a worthwhile distraction.

Unimpressed, the blue Pokémon proceeds to pick the bug up and chuck it into her mouth. Suddenly, a horrid taste overwhelms her, and she shivers and spits before frantically looking for something to soothe her displeasure.

"Squirtle squirtle, squirt!" she protests, startling her trainer before diving into his backpack.

"… so Squirtle's moveset is – whoa! What the heck? Watch out!" Gael yells as he pulls the Tiny Turtle Pokémon feet first out of the backpack. The Pokémon holds a red handkerchief, and seems intent on scrubbing a layer of skin off of her tongue with it, however.

Gael wrestles the handkerchief away from his Pokémon, but in turn, she resorts to geophagy; kneeling down and licking the dirt on the floor.

"Oh. Did you eat something nasty?" Gael asks, more as an affirmation to himself rather than expecting an answer, before handing an energy bar to his Pokémon.

The gratitude is evident on Squirtle's face, but not so much on Gael, who is now holding his handkerchief, now soaking wet and muddy.

Squirtle watches her trainer drop the handkerchief to the floor before retrieving his things and picking up his backpack. "You ready to go back to your Poké Ba– "

The very sight of Squirtle interrupts Gael. She has done her best (not very good) to try and dust off the handkerchief, and is holding it out for her trainer to take it back.

"That's fine, thank you very much though." Gael says with a slight smile and motioning for his Pokémon to drop the thing, but Squirtle isn't taking it.

"Squirtle." She blurts out and steps forward, still offering the handkerchief.

This draws a chuckle from Gael. "Here," he says as he squats down toward Squirtle. "How about you keep it?" He offers, patting his Pokémon on the head.

Squirtle takes it. "Squirt" she says affirming as she chucks the handkerchief onto her back.

Gael laughs once more and ties a knot on the handkerchief around his Pokémon's neck. "There. Now you look like a true superhero." He says beaming, which draws a longing look from the Squirtle.

Gael takes a closer look. "It also makes your eyes kind of pop out. Hey! How would you like that to be your name? Amber."

"Squirtle!" Amber agrees ecstatically.

However, unbeknownst to Pokémon and trainer, a pair of eyes observes their moment from the underbrush of the Route…​