[PKMN OPEN] Stars of Destiny [T] [IC]

[forg]

Wherein Prudence Needs Some Training​

"…Thank you, Prue!"

Prudence took great delight in the fact that she had made an acquaintance in Robin, face demonstrating her enthusiasm as she took one last good look at the pair. The new nickname also hung in the air, instilling a new sense of wonder in the young woman.

"Prue sounds… amazing!" she chirped, eyes twinkling with wonder. "Now that I definitely have to tell my parents! They'll love this new nickname. Right, Toto?"

The quadruped refused to budge, catching up on lost slumber.

But it was a short one at best, Lusamine's voice soon breaking his nap.

"The time has come to depart, yes? Take a look at your Pokedexes! There's a town map, detailing each of the routes." Out of curiosity, Prudence peeked at her Pokedex, confirming Lusamine's claims. "Let's start with Route 2, yes?"

"Y-yes!"

Her Mudkip made an appearance, head popping out of her string bag in response to the ruckus around. "Kip."

Prudence cocked her head to the side upon his small voice, an endearing smile escaping her lips. "Are you excited? Ready to meet new friends and maaaaaaybe train and stuff? Because I am!" But all she succeeded to do was vex the poor creature, who simply didn't carry a single care in the world. He simply wanted to sleep the rest of his life away.

"Iiiiiiiiiiip," he complained, voice husky.

"Well, that didn't sound too cheery now… are you still tired? Oh! Hahaha, here I am again interrupting your nap, right?" she sheepishly replied, face reddening from shame. "Eh, how about I snatch you up a companion? You can choose? Like-Oh, um." Toto had retreated to the lair, refusing to cooperate with his trainer any longer. "Well… that works too, haha. Well! You can sleep away, go ahead, can't let anything bother me juuuust yet! Journey just started after all-Ow ow ow," she yelped upon her partner's sudden kick to the side, emanating from the string bag. "Okay okay, I'll be quiet nooooow."

Trainers began to make their way onto the route, their partners in hand, Robin amongst them. However, before following the crowd, Prudence collected her new batch of empty Pokeballs from the staff.

"Thank you! Have a good day sir!" she would greet the staff, only to giggle upon realizing her mistake. "Oh, uh, I mean, I say thank you for the Pokeballs I'm about to get because, you know, I didn't get them yet? Hahaha… um. Yep! Again, good day!"

Her trip into the route was short and uneventful, filled with ideas as to how to coax her new partner out of the bag without annoying him. Nothing came up, though.

The city gave way into the route, the swaying grass, smell of the glistening sea, and refreshing wind a good start to Prudence's journey. If anything, it only encouraged her more. Its scenery reminded her of her childhood trips her family would embark on to discover more of Hoenn. Whether it was getting stuck in brown muck, experiencing stomach cramps in response to horrid fast-food goodies, car sickness, or simply the whistling of the trees, the company of many within the outskirts of cities were where her best memories formed.

Knots formed as she began to feel skittish, not knowing how to go about training her Toto as her eyes gazed upon the entrance of the route. "So… is it okay if I ask you to train with me? Gotta start somewhere, right?"

"…iiiiiiip."

"How about you help me catch a Pokémon?" Prudence insisted, sliding her bag off her back and on to her sight. "Then I can let you sleep as long as you want?" The idea was tempting to the creature, who began to rustle inside the bag. "As looooong as your heart desires-"

Without hesitation, he sprung out, yet his eyes appear to conflict with his show of enthusiasm. "Kip," he forced out, determined to get his desired rest with eyes half open.

"Awesome! Alright, let's go… oh? I mean," she paused, watching as her partner began to jump into the route's grasslands, impatient to get the mission finished. "…I can work with that, let's get it done quick!"

Toto leaped and bounded, his sudden burst of energy surprising his trainer. This made her realize he carried the potential to succeed quickly, yet… he seems to prefer his slumber. There's nothing wrong with that, nothing at all! But how will she go about befriending him?

A pang of guilt surged inside of her, seeing as how she found herself bribing Mudkip out into the open instead of letting him do it when he wanted to. "Actually, how about I just let you rest a bit and-"

"BUN?!" Oh shoot, it was a Buneary!

Her Mudkip had been rummaging through the grass, its plants tall enough to engulf the blue quadruped out of sight. The rabbit's lone ear gave it away, twitching upon the sound of an approaching opponent.

It leaped out of Mudkip's sneak attack, briskly landing behind its new opponent. Toto remained in place, its head swiveling towards Prudence, awaiting a command with a stern look.

"O-oh! You're waiting for me?!" she blurted out, surprised by Toto's sudden change of heart. He was no longer taking charge, now giving the control over to his trainer. However, her reaction was slow, and the rabbit swiftly fled the area, causing Toto to groan in displeasure. "W-wait! No! Sorry, come back!" she panicked, nearly tripping over her own feet.

After a few hurried steps, she halted, not wanting to abandon her partner, who was stuck in place. Prudence turned awkwardly, bashful as her teeth sucked in air upon seeing her partner's unsympathetic gaze.

"No problem," she began, swaying back and forth with hands that clapped every second to prevent the silence from taking over. "We have… that one!" Her hand pointed at an unsuspecting Drowzee. It grew curious upon her signaling, courageously approaching the two.

Toto leaped, turning itself around and facing his second victim. His front body lowered, adorable back limbs and fin sticking up like a dog ready to pounce.

"Okay okay, um… what moves do you know? Ooooo I should have asked or something, right? Ah, uh!" Distressed, she began to scour her mind for any possible move her water-type Mudkip could know right off the bat.

"…kiiiiiip?!"

She blurted out the first move that popped in her mind. "Water Gun!"

Finally given a command, Toto straightened his pose and allowed his cheeks to pop out as they filled with water. The Drowzee continued to approach, hands pushing aside the tall strands of grass blocking its way. When it took its next step, Toto released a stream of water, catching it off guard.

Unprepared, it was propelled feet away, startled by the show of aggression. Aware of Prudence's intentions, its body posture dramatically changes, no longer open for communication.

"Er, what's another move?" she mumbled, eyes shifting between Toto and the Drowzee. Toto remained in place, showing his impatience through the wag of his tailfin as the enemy closed their eyes. This worried the Mudkip. "Oh! Tackle! Go!" And Mudkip sprinted off his position, but mere moments before impact, his body stopped in its tracks.

Both Drowzee and Mudkip were outlined by a purple aura, sending Toto slamming to the ground beneath with a single swipe of its hand.

Prudence panicked, mind blank as she tried to think of how to counterattack. "W-wait, no-Ack, that looked like it hurt… how about-wait, there he goes again… tackle with-Ouch." The Drowzee continued with its onslaught, ramming the Mudkip against the ground in rage.

"Okay okay that's enough! I think you won, we get it!" Prudence shrieked, dashing into the battle. The Drowzee flinched, halting its assault upon her approach. While she dropped to her knees and tended to her wounded partner, the wild Drowzee fled the scene.

Shit, she didn't go to the PokeMart. The very thought didn't cross her mind, and here she is holding a friend who needs a potion. "Don't worry, I'll take you to heal veeery quick, just watch," she reassured, holding her partner close. However, he thought otherwise despite the bruises and hobbling.

Disgruntled, Toto slipped away from Prudence and into the grass, unwilling to heal himself. She followed him, worried as to what other foe he may encounter.

It didn't take long for him to come across another wild creature, worrying Prudence. Aware of his condition, she advanced towards him, attempting to convince him towards safety. "Forget about the deal thing I said a while back. You can rest for now, okay? I know you got a big beating just now and… well, it really looked like it hurt, and I don't want you to-Oh why do you do this," she moaned near the end, seeing him initiate a battle with… a Pikipek. It was feasting on a berry, hungrily devouring its contents.

"It didn't see you, let's go now!" Prudence whispered out, legs wanting to buckle.

"Kip," he protested, refusing to budge from its fighting stance. Prudence gave an anxious glance towards the bird, who glimpsed at them in return. "Mud?" Toto questioned, awaiting a command.

The Pikipek was soon joined by a flock of its kind, who began to hover around them, alert. Within that second, both Prudence and Toto gaped at the scene.

While Prudence froze in astonishment, Toto quickly gave up and leaped back into his trainer's bag. He wasn't going to deal with an unfair match, aware that fighting more than one was impossible.

"Y-yeah, let's um… yeah let's go," she mumbled, slowly leaving the vicinity. The Pikipek tilted its head, hopping closer to Prudence. "Hey there! Sorry to bother you, hahaha… I was about to actually heal up my partner here." The small chat only enticed the bird to come closer, yet Prudence equally distanced herself away whenever it would.

Suddenly, the flock of birds began to dive down, beaks reflecting back the sun's strong rays. With a yelp, Prudence make a dash back to Hau'oli City, a trail of birds flocking behind her. Meanwhile, Toto hummed iiiIIIIiiiiiiiiIIIIiiip inside her bag, the sudden fluctuations in his voice created by the bag's rough movement.

"Wait a second," she murmured under her panting, suddenly recalling the events that just transpired. "I could... have used the Pokedex to search up your moves! And other stuff!"

"...IIIIIIIIIIP."

"Sorry!"

Prudence Flowers
Route 2​

 

[PastelPhoenix]

Name: Jordan, Haru, and Orpheus
Status: Cooperative (JP with PokeMagia and Godzi)
Location: Leaving the Festival
Team: ............... .........

​

​

Jordan looked around a little uncomfortably, many other groups seemed to be partnering, like it or not in the case of Will, up and any moment now they were likely to set off towards the route. Truth be told, she kind of imagined roughing it alone,with only her Pokemon as companions and maybe a rival or two when she first agreed to journeying. The idea of a team, and herself an active player in said team was still a little at odds with her original vision, but if she had to do it she was was going to sculpt her team into perfect trainers. The earlier she could start, the better. One more quick glance revealed several people already making their way out of the city, most importantly (to her at least) Riley trying to get a head start, not that Jordan wasn't planning the same.

"You know, traveling together doesn't sound half bad," Jordan started, "and with more of us we can probably track down more strong pokemon than if we were alone. And if we're going for the strong ones, it might be best to stock up. The crowd looks like it wants to linger here for a bit, the mart should be empty. Now is probably the best time to go."

"So the PokeMart is our first stop? Let's go." commented Haru as she looked between her companions, taking in their full appearance. "We're going to need a lot of potions and some pokeballs..." She looked at Zoey, who was resting on her left shoulder. 'Wait...do my parents know about this?' Haru tenses about the though, but relaxed a minute later. 'Nah, grandpa and grandma must have told them......right?' "Orph, you ready to go shopping?" asked Haru, looking at her newly made friends/companions, trying to forget about her past thoughts.

Orpheus shrugged, returning Drake to his Pokeball. "Sure. I think I saw a store on the way here, next to a malasada shop. Let's stock up and see what's waiting on Route 2, eh?" With their destination set, he took the lead, taking them around the crowd. He still felt like he was being watched, and Rags was hiding in his bag again.

Jordan took this opportunity to turn off her mind and just follow Orph''s lead. Based off of what Lusamine said, Route two wasn't exactly a hotspot of rare Pokemon. Yungoos were extremely common and although she found Rattata cute, they weren't exactly the powerhouse her team needed. Growlithe could become powerful in time, but another fire type would be infringing up Varanus' role. Peeking an eye over towards her little lizard companion, steady following her on all fours, she got the impression from his strut that he wasn't they type of Pokemon to easily accept being second fiddle. Unfortunately, from what she read, that trait would only get worse as he evolved. With a small sigh she continued her mental search. She's rather die than be a trainer who raises Drowzee, and that goes double for Hypno. Those pokemon gave her the creeps, and the trainers were usually just as bad. But, on the psychic path, Abra was a tough catch and raise, but Alakazams were frequently seen in other region's Pokemon League tournaments. Unconsciously shifting her face from a look of conflict to a slight smile, she made her decision. Abra would do nicely.

Haru followed quietly after the two, letting her mind wander. Route 2 had a lot of nice pokemon, but she knew that most would be taken in a flash. She remembered hearing about the kinds of pokemon there, Growlithe getting her attention. She liked how loyal it was towards its trainer, but that was also its weakness. Also, Growlithe evolved into Arcanine, which looked very majestic. 'Once in Route 2, I need to find a Growlithe!' A fire stone would be a good idea to get also for the future. She glanced at Orph, who was leading them, Rags having returned to the safety of his bag-pack. Next was Jordan, who looked to be thinking hard about something, Haru didn't know. She looked around them and tenses when she saw a Haunter a few feet away from her group, watching. She quickly rubbed here eyes and looked again, but the Haunter was gone.

"Zoey...did you see that...?" whimpered Haru, walking beside Jordan, trying not to gather attention.

"Yip..." Zoey slowly jumped into her arms and looked at the place her master was looking then at her, shaking her head. She saw it too, but pretended she didn't, waiting for it to appear again.

"Probably just me..." mumbled Haru as she stayed close to her friends, acting normal. The last thing she wanted was to get her friends into her problems, especially her overprotective parents.

Orph was in the lead, so didn't see his new friends deep in thought, but he did notice how quiet they got. He used the time to try to remember where the store was, as he had already forgotten what kinds of Pokémon lived on Route 2. He wasn't too concerned about it, figuring he'd find out when he got there. It made the journey more of a mystery that way.

Finally, he found the store. "There it is. Let's grab what we need, and head out." He held open the door, leaning against it casually. "Ladies first." He smiled at his friends and gestured to the entrance, letting them go in before he did.

"Sounds like you need to let yourself in first then," Jordan replied with a slight smirk, "but I guess I can go first if you really want me to."

"Ha, ha, very funny." Orph muttered, but couldn't help but smile. Rags giggled from inside his bag.

Giving a slight bow of her head when passing him, Jordan made her way inside. Feeling a sense of familiarity from the layout despite being in a completely new city, she made her way towards the potion racks. Turns out every Pokemart was stocked exactly the same way, turns out that kid in class all those years ago was right. Picking up a few of the weaker potions, she made her way over to the Pokeball stands, if only to look. The small amount the assistants gave her should be good for catching her first few Pokemon, but knowing the designs available couldn't hurt. She wasn't one for overt fanciness, especially when it came to battling, but a good style was something else.

"Thank you." chirped Haru as she walked by Orph's form, looking at the interior of the shop. So many items, but so little time. She just needed the necessities, so it shouldn't take long. Haru immediately sprinted off towards the potions, after she grabbed a shopping basket. She stopped in front of the aisle with various kinds of medicine. She might as well as get different kinds, you never know what might happen. Haru grabbed three potions and super potions, two of each status healing medicines, and three revives. Haru then walked over to the food aisle and grabbed different kinds of foods and some drinks, mostly water. Next, she went to the pokeball aisle and grabbed about five normal pokeballs.

Haru was about to walk over to the register when she stopped. "Wait....do I even have money...." Haru quickly dug into her bag, looking, when she found a red envelope. "Where did this come from?" She placed the basket down as she took out the envelope, shredding the side as she took out the letter inside.

"To my dear granddaughter,
I hope you're doing well. I know sending you to Melemele Island was a rush, but when I read your acceptance letter, I knew the time has come. I know your parents would have prevented you from going, but this is your chance to thee the world you so much wanted to see. Don't let them stop you. Go and have fun! I'll tell them and try to hold them back as much as I can. By the time they look, you'll already be a strong trainer!
P.S.: I've got some pocket money for you in the envelope. It should be enough for awhile.
From, your grandpa"

Haru stared at the paper for a bit before looking inside the envelope, seeing some bills. "How much did he..." She grabbed what she believed to be a few bills, but it was three 1,000 bills. "Grandpa?! This much?!" Haru sighed at the amount before she placed the envelope and letter back in the bag, her pocket money into her pocket, and picked up the basket, heading for the register.

Orph took a stroll around the store, carrying an empty basket with him. He casually grabbed a 10-pack of Pokeballs, then headed for the vending machines. It took a little longer than buying potions, but Rags really liked Soda, so he bought a dozen bottles. Moving on, he noticed a sale on candy. If he bought 10 Rage Candy Bars, he'd get one free. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and glanced back to see Rags poking her "head" out of his bag. She pointed at the candy excitedly, and Orph shrugged. "Well, since you ask so nicely, I guess we can get some. How can I say no to a lady?"

He moved up to the register, paying for his purchases. He even got a free Premier Ball for buying 10 Pokeballs! With some snacks and some Pokeballs, he was feeling ready to go whenever Haru and Jordan were. He leaned up against the wall by the door to wait for them to finish.

Mentally marking a few designs for later purchase, Jordan paid for her meager supplies and made for the exit. A ittle surprised to spot Orph there with more items purchased than her, she realized she must have spent too long comparing designs.

"I'm going to go ahead to the border," she informed her companion, "see if I can spot anything worthwhile out there."

Checking her watch and realizing just how long it's actually been since the festival, she recalled Varanus and picked up the pace, almost jogging to the edge of town. Straightening out her clothes and pack, she picked a shady tree to stand under and let out her first companion, Thely. The tiny Skorupi immediately skittered to her side and looked cautiously around at his surroundings. Seemingly satisfied that he wasn't in imminent danger, he relaxed and faced his trainer.

Haru finished paying her supplies and moved away from the counter, placing them in her bag. "That's everything. Now to meet up." She walked over to where Orph was, but Jordan wasn't here yet. Unless..... Haru quickly stepped outside and looked over to see said person under a shaded tree. She stepped back into the Pokemart.

"Oh, she's over there! Let's go!" Haru seized Orph's hand and walked out of the Pokemart with him, going over to Jordan. Orph felt he should protest, but since they were both headed to the same place, he didn't put up much of a fight. "I'm coming, I'm coming! No need to drag me along..."

"Guess you want to know about the new guy, huh?" Jordan softly asked her friend, receiving a nod from the little bug. "Well, he's a charmander, little for me, big for you. Name's Varanus. Seems to be a little proud, but you're used to that, and he seems sincere in his desire to get strong."

Before she could explain more, a sudden noise to her left alerted her to the appearance of an Abra. Unfortunately, her reflexes told her to jump back, and not throw a Pokeball at the little intruder. Thely, on the other hand, seemed to nearly suffer a heart attack and reflexively shot several Pin Missiles at the Pokemon. And then just as it arrived, the Abra dissapeared again, leaving the golden needles to pierce the ground where it once was.

"Well, looks like this catch is going to be more interesting than I first thought." She muttered to herself.

"Sorry we're late!" called Haru as she stopped beside Jordan, forgetting her hold on Orph's hand. "I can't wait to get a Growlithe. Can you, Zoey?" "Yip!" chirped Zoey, jumping on her spot on Haru's shoulder.

Orpheus managed to slip his hand free of Haruhi's grip, taking a moment to admire the view. "I have no idea what I'll find in here. This is gonna be awesome." Rags chirped in agreement, poking her head out of the bag.


​

​

​

 

[moon]

Chira La'Lua

Route 2

The pokédex was given out, the teams were announced and Chira saw the other Moon members looking her over, with various levels of judgment in their eyes. She swallowed hard. The usual, then. The Totodile had finally let go of her bag, and now stood beside her with what hopefully was a happy, eager expression on his face. No judgment there. Being up on stage was starting to make her feel really uncomfortable at this point. So when Lusamine finally announced that it was alright to leave, and some of the others started socializing, Chira was one of the first ones to leave the stage. There, she finally felt like she could breathe properly again.

She saw their looks. Or, she imagined that she knew what they were thinking about her at least. She wouldn't let them form false opinions about her already, though! Or any at all, really. She had two pokémon now - one clever fire lizard and one toothy water gator who at least seemed loyal; he had followed her without question when she left the commotion behind. She had all the opportunity she needed to get out there and prove herself strong and make her team proud! Or at least professor Burnet.

Oh no! She was already out on Route 2 when she realized that she should have gone up and talked to her team leader and introduced herself... it could have given her advantages over teammates who didn't. What if everybody but her had done that now? She slammed a hand against her forehead as she had to count this as her first failure. Or second, perhaps. Her introduction had not exactly gone over swimmingly.

"At least I have you," she mumbled, looking down at the crocodile creature. He smiled back at her. Or maybe that was simply what he looked like. "We better check what you can do in battle..."
​

 

[Groc]

Name: Jordan, Haru, and Orpheus
Status: Cooperative (JP with PokeMagia and PastelPhoenix)
Location: Route 2
Team: ............... .........

​

​

"Of course it's going to be amazing," Jordan replied without even turning towards her companions, eyes flickering across the land for the Abra's return point, "I am here after all. If we're looking for a Growlithe and an Abra, we should probably spilt up for the time being. I don't think Abra is likely to enjoy the company of such an... excitable Pokemon."

Haru nodded softly. "Alright. Be careful. I heard Abra's tend to teleport a lot!"

Hauling her bag onto her shoulder once more with a slight huff, she faced the two behind her and gave a nod of acknowledgement. Truth be told, she didn't know the first thing about Abra temperament besides it's tendency to teleport, but she didn't want to risk losing the Abra. The little amount of time she spent with the two didn't make it seem like they would try to steal her catch, but they could always scare it off. She would catch this pokemon with minimal complications, and then she could always return and help them with their catch.

"Don't worry though, I'll be back an Abra stronger."

"Well.....I'll go get mine as well. I'm going to find a Growlithe and catch it for sure!" Haru adjusted her bag and made sure Zoey was on her shoulder before turning towards her friends. "Like Jordan said, we should split for now, so I'm off. See ya guys soon!" Right after, Haru waved before walking off towards Route 2.

Orpheus waved to the girls, heading off in a different direction. Rags popped her head out of his bag, watching as they headed into the grass. "Pika kyu?"

Orph patted her head, giving her a grin. "Don't worry, they'll be back. In the meantime, let's see what we can find." He idly checked his pockets as he walked, making sure his Pokeballs were within easy reach. "I wonder if I should use some kind of bait or something..." He wandered onto Route 2, looking around for Pokemon.

Jordan snaked her way through the trees, stalking her prey. She'd managed to catch sight of the Abra a few times, but it always teleported away as soon as she saw it. As she rounded a corner, she spotted its sleeping form and began the slow walk towards it, not wanting to risk it waking up. Finally sneaking up on it, she gave Thely a practiced hand signal to attack. A golden Pin Missile soared silently through the air, a picture perfect ambush. However, before making contact, the target teleported away once again.

Letting out an uncharacteristic scream of frustration, Jordan pulled out her Pokedex to see what she was missing. "What do you mean they can teleport while asleep?!"

Haru peeked out of a bush, looking both ways before looking foward, seeing a Growlithe, licking itself. Zoey popped up beside her and Robin, her Rowlet, above her.

"Alright. This time, we got it!" Haru encouraged her pokemon before trying to quietly step out of the bush, key word: trying. Her shirt got stuck on one of the branches of the bush. "Why now?!" She desperately pulled, trying to be quiet. Unfortunately, she fell due to the force and yelped, earning the Growlithe's attention.

"Aah! Robin, quick! Ta......" ordered Haru as she got to her knees with Zoey beside her, trying to get the tangled leaves out of her hair, before trailing off, seeing the Growlithe gone. "Again?!"

"Ro?" Robin jumped on her lap, cocking its head in confusion.

Zoey sighed at her trainer, another failed catch.

"I completely forgot about this thing!" Orph said, flipping through PokeDex pages. "It has all the information I could want, and even more that I didn't want. There are a bunch of different Pokemon here." Distracted as he was, he didn't even notice the Yungoos that scampered out of the grass. He accidentally tripped over it, dropping his PokeDex and sending Rags tumbling out of his bag as he hit the ground.

Yungoos growled in annoyance, baring its teeth at Orpheus. Rags ran in to protect him, the smile painted on her "face" a stark contrast to the glare in her real eyes. Orph sat up, dusting himself off as he looked at the fight about to take place.

Orpheus tried to talk the Yungoos down. "Whoa, sorry about that. I was looking at my Pokedex instead of watching the road."

It wasn't very effective. Yungoos charged forward, and Rags put herself between it and Orph. Unfortunately, as a Ghost type, Yungoos just rushed right through her. It landed on Orph's stomach, used him as a springboard, and vaulted over his head. It grabbed his PokeDex in its mouth, giving Orph a smug grin before running away.

"...what just happened?!" Orph stared in shock, while Rags shuffled over to him. "Mi mi kyu..."

Hearing what sounded like a small scuffle in the distance, Jordan picked up her pace and soon found herself next to a confused Orph. Seeing how he was on the ground and his Pokemon seemed a little worked up, she doubted he had just tripped on a root and fell over. Something was just here, maybe he got shocked by the Abra?

"See anything run by? It's small, human-like, and yellow." She asked. Remembering he was still on his back, she reached a hand out to help him up. "Also it may or may not be asleep. It's a little unfair."

"Doesn't ring a bell, sorry." Orph replied as she helped him to his feet. "Did you happen to see a little brown Pokemon run away from here? Four legs, yellow fur on its head, my Pokedex in its mouth?"

"Ka chu! Ka chu!" Rags hopped in place until Orph picked her up, pointing her tail down the path Yungoos had taken.

"Where did that Growlithe go?" Haru looked in a bush before standing up straight and looking at the trees around. Zoey stood on her head, turning her head from side to side. "I hope Robin has better luck than us..."

"Ro!" Robin flew out of the bush Haru just looked at, landing on Haru's outstretched arm. "Ro ro!"

"You found Growlithe?" asked Haru, hope filling her. Robin tilded its head with a nod before flying back the way it came. "Aah! Wait!"

Haru followed Robin to a clearing to see the Growlithe from before, facing off a small brown pokemon with a PokeDex in its mouth. "Is that a pokedex?"

The Growlithe gave a warning growl before walking off, the small pokemon going the opposite way.

"It's leaving! Let's go!" Haru quietly followed the Growlithe, forgetting about the unknown PokeDex. She hid in a bush with Zoey and Robin as Growlithe, in the clearing ahead, layed down. It yawned before slowly falling sleep.

"I'm going to avoid asking how the Pokemon got your Pokedex," Jordan sighed, shaking her head in her hand. "Do you need to borrow mine? At least so we can see what exactly we're looking for besides 'brown and yellow?'"

Shifting her bag over her shoulder, she pulled out her own Pokedex and Varanus' Pokeball, just in case. After pocketing the pokeball, she offered the 'dex to Orph and hoped this wouldn't prove too big of a distraction. She still had her Pokemon to catch after all.

"Sorry to be such a bother..." Orph took the PokeDex, his face turning red with embarrassment. He quickly flipped through the digital pages until he found what he was looking for. "Yungoos, eh? It's kinda cute, for a thieving little weasel."

"It's asleep! Robin, can you sneak over?" asked Haru, looking at the owl beside her. Robin 'hooted' before swiftly, but quietly, flying over to the Growlithe. "Alright! Now, use-!"

Suddenly, a yellow and brown pokemon in a meditating pose teleported beside Haru and Zoey. The trainer, with the fox on her head, slowly turned towards the pokemon, staring blankly for a few seconds.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Haru jumped away from the pokemon, Zoey landing on the space between, ready to defend. Robin, hearing his trainer's shriek, turned towards the area, forgetting about his current goal. The Growlithe awoke to the shriek and saw the owl before growling, gaining its attention. Right as Robin turned back, the Growlithe tackled him, sending him into the same bush his trainer was in.

Haru turned to the commotion and saw Robin land beside her, a bit dazed. "Robin?!"

"Ggrrrrr...." Haru froze at the warning and saw the Growlithe they'd been chasing after, behind the meditating pokemon. Hearing the growl, said pokemon teleported away.

"Um....sorry?"

Hearing a loud scream deeper in the forest, Jordan reflexively took a step backwards and nearly trampled Thely, who apparently took the moment to hide behind his trainer.

"Was that just me, or did that sound a lot like Haru?" She asked, secretly not wanting to hear the answer.

"It did. We should see if she needs help, but hopefully she just tripped over something. Come on, let's go." Orph tossed Jordan her Pokedex, holding Rags tight as he headed for Haruhi. He'd been hoping she was having a better day than he was, but her scream had him worried. It was a strange sensation: concern for a person besides himself, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it...

Orph made it to the clearing, seeing Haru and Zoey facing off against a small dog. "A rookie trainer facing her first wild Pokémon. Nothing to worry about after all. Let's hope it goes better for her than it did for me." He relaxed a little, wanting to watch Haru fight, but not wanting to interfere. With his guard down, he didn't see Yungoos charge from the bushes and Tackle him, knocking him to the ground again.

Rags leapt from his arms to face off against Yungoos, who seemed to laugh as it held Orph's Pokedex in its mouth.

Haru immediately stood up with Zoey on her shoulder, Robin standing infront of her. "Alright. No more escaping!"

A flurry of activity flooded Jordan's vision when she finally broke through the trees and saw the clearing for the first time. Orph was on his back once more, but it looks like he found his Pokedex at least. Although he was now nil to two when it came to his dignity. Haru also seemed surprisingly fine for someone who just screamed bloody murder a few seconds ago, and in much better shape than the person who rushed to her support.

Taking the surroundings in one more time, she almost missed her target casually sleeping on a branch above the chaos. Pulling a Pokeball from her bag, she prepared to throw everything at the creature who got the best of her too often.

"I got you now!" Jordan shouted, tossing the Pokeball at her prey.

Orpheus got to his feet, dusting himself off "Seriously?" He sighed, looking at Yungoos with a frown. "Talking isn't gonna work with you, is it?" Yungoos seemed to chuckle, dropping the PokeDex at its feet. "Fine. You wanna do this the hard way, we'll do it the hard way." He grabbed Drake's Pokeball, but a sharp cry from Rags made him stop.

"Kyu! Mimi kyu!" Her smile may have been painted on, but there was no mistaking the cold gleam in her eyes. She wanted to fight this Yungoos. "You sure, Rags? You've never been in a battle before..." "Kyu." She nodded, glaring at Yungoos. "Okay. I don't know your moves, though... You've got claws, Scratch it, I guess."

Rags lashed out with her dark claw, scratching Yungoos across the face. It charged at her, but only succeeded in making her disguise flutter as it passed right through her. "That worked. Do that again!" Orph encouraged, and Rags scratched at Yungoos, who growled in anger. It sniffed at the ground, the air, and finally at Rags, grinning as it got her scent.

"Yeah, that's not weird or anything... Rags, tell him to get back." Rags scratched Yungoos, and Yungoos charged in, Tackling her and knocking her to the ground. There was a loud SNAP as her neck broke, much to Orph's surprise and concern. "Rags! Are you okay?!"

Meanwhile, Jordan's Pokeball was right on target to hit the Abra. Chanting under her breath for some kind of benevolent deity to let this little Pokemon finally get caught, she watched eagerly as the Pokeball soared to its target, seemingly in slow motion. Right before it would normally impact and suck the target into its enclosed space, the Abra once again teleported away.

"No, no, no, No, NO, NO" She shouted, frustration reaching a boiling point. Everything was perfect, all of her plans had contingency plans. This Pokemon was a force of raw chaos, smashing her preconceived notion of how the world works.

Rags picked herself up, her "head" dangling on its broken neck. Orph could see tears form at the corners of her eyes, and stepped forward to comfort her. He noticed his hair start standing on end as he approached. "Mi, mi KYU!" She cried, releasing waves of static electricity in a Thunder Wave that left Yungoos paralyzed.

"Whoa! I didn't know you could do that!" Orph looked at Rags, impressed with her power, but she was turned away, sulking about her disguise getting broken. Yungoos struggled to rise, not willing to give up yet. "No, that's enough out of you. You're going in the time-out ball." He tossed a Pokeball at Yungoos, hitting it in the head and sucking it inside.

"That's it!" Jordan shouted at Thely. "Just... Get it please..."

Obeying his master's commands, Thely launched several pin missiles at the Abra whenever it reappeared, only to have it teleport away again.

Haru watched as Orph managed to get the Yungoos into a Pokeball. "He's got it...." Beside her, Zoey layed down, yawning, and Robin slept, while standing. The Growlithe layed down in its spot, getting bored.

"I forgot what I was gonna do......" Haru glanced at the Growlithe and kept its stare for a few seconds. "AAhhh!!! I remember!" She sprung to her feet, jolting her pokemon awake and alarmed. "No more distractions!"

"Zo!" chirped Zoey, agreeing with her as Robin flapped beside Haru. The Growlithe saw them in a battle stance and jolted up, growling. Haru quickly grabbed Zoey's pokeball and returned her to her pokeball. 'I have a feeling she needs to be in there....'

"Robin! Razor Leaf!" commanded Haru, pointing at the Growlithe. Robin chirped, flying in front of his trainer, and flapping his wings, sending sharp leaves straight at the canine.

"Growl!" The Growlithe, having none of this, burned the leaves using its Ember, but some survived and scratched the canine. Right after, it charged straight at the owl for a Bite.

"Fly behind and use Peck!" Robin dodged the charging canine and flew behind it, charging a Peck attack and pecked its back, earning a pained 'yelp'. Right as Robin returned to its trainer's side, the Growlithe used Roar, a powerful roar resonating through the forest. Robin glowed red before returning to his pokeball and Zoey's automatically opened, releasing the fox.

"I didn't expect that! Zoey, charge straight at it!" The trickster snickered before running at the bigger canine, the Growlithe charging its own Bite and charged as well. "Jump!" Zoey sprung up, dodging the Bite and jumped on the canine's head and behind it. "Shadow Ball!"

A cloud of smoke covered the area, blinding the pokemon and trainer. A few seconds later, the cloud vanished, revealing Zoey standing with a weak Growlithe, barely standing.

"Please work! Pokeball!" Haru quickly took out a pokeball and threw it at the Growlithe, who didn't have enough strength to dodge it, got hit on the head. It glowed for a second before getting sucked inside the ball, beeping.

A final pin missile hit the tree that the Abra was just in front of; the dull thump a clear indication that the Pokemon managed to teleport away from Jordan's grasp once more. Both the Skorupi and his trainer were scanning the immediate area for any sign of the yellow, fox-like Pokemon. The scans didn't bring any hope, however, as it seems like the Pokemon managed to teleport a long distance yet again. Unfortunately, with the chaos of the massive battle, it was unlikely that there would be any Pokemon around anymore. To make matters worse, it seems that her two traveling companions at least had a Pokemon inside their pokeballs.

A deep desire to just throw something burned inside her, but she swallowed those bitter thoughts down. Instead of screaming like she wanted to, Jordan would just settle for chuckling right now.

​

​

​