The Grand Tournament

[Trainer Kat]

It felt as though she was dying. In the span of two days, Kozue had filled the role of the little brother she never had. Now, as she stood here, parting ways with someone who already meant so much to her, it was as though her heart was crumbling into pieces. For the first time, she felt the other blonde's arms embrace her. Once more, she pressed her lips against his temple, the best way she knew how to say goodbye without actually saying anything. And just as soon as it had begun, it was over. Kat watched as Kozue broke free from their hug to board the helicopter. Looking out the window, he waved one last time. Kat covered her mouth with one hand, gasping sadly as she raised her other hand to return the gesture. And then he was gone.

Turning, Kat began to make her way back to the large rock structure which was formerly behind her. It was then that the girl resolved not to let on. If the others wanted to think Kozue would be gone for just a few days, she would let them. After all, who was she to bring everyone's mood down just because she was sad? In this case, ignorance truly was bliss. Of course, even the least observant of the group (Kat reasoned that this was probably Roisin) would most likely be able to see that Kat was not at her best, at least, by her physical appearance, as the mascara streaked down her cheeks, as well as the missing butterfly clip, were both dead giveaways.

Once more, she threw her weight into the door, opening it with much difficulty. She barely managed to slip inside before she could hold the door no longer and allowed it to slam behind her. Kat knew she had to be strong, if not for herself, then for Noah. She wouldn't allow herself to bring him down, no matter how much she was hurting. Had it been just her versus Brock, well, it would have been a different story. Her blue hues locked on him.

"You ready?" she asked. Her voice cracked somewhat, and she was quick to place her hand over her pink lips. As she ascended the steps to her designated platform, her mind wandered to her hips. That is to say, she was attempting to select a Pokémon. None of hers had an advantage over Brock's rock Pokémon, and to her knowledge, Noah was limited to Chimchar. No matter what she picked, it would probably be a mediocre win at best...if they won at all.

"Heh, while you're trying to decide, I'll send out my Pokémon," Brock said with confidence. There was really no need, Kat had already made her decision, but she would humor him a bit longer. He removed two Pokéballs and sent them out, releasing their contents. As soon as she saw what emerged, she knew she had made the right decision.

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vs.
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[Jim]

"Mhmm...how do I say this?" Koazue started nervously, he smiled and continued. "Listen guys, I know it's kind of sudden and I'm truly very sorry about this, but my mum...well, she just called and...well, she told me that she's been called up for something urgent, with work, and needs me and my sister to come with her..." the blonde continued, a hint of un-confidence and regret in his voice. "but it's only for a little while and I'm sure it's nothing serious! S-So I'll be back really soon! Really..."

"I'm sure it'll only be a day or two, at most, so I won't be gone too long," he struggled to lie, his smile wavering as he did so.

"I...I'm really sorry," he said with his head hung. "But...thank you, everyone...for everything."

With that, he quickly pulled up while turning around to leave the gym, in an obvious attempt to hide his expression; followed soon after by a sprinting Kat.

"He'll be gone longer than a few days, he's not a very convincing liar." Roisin thought to herself as she scooped Totodile into her arms; coincidently -and unbeknownst to Roisin- she held him like Kozue did when he had Pocky in his arms. Tohe blue crocodile seemed much calmer, as if he could sense the regret of everyone in the room. Regret of losing Kozue. "Better not make it harder for him; it must be something serious and he already has Kat there with him," Roisin smiled, a small tear formed in her left eye. "He'll be back."

----

Kat had obviously been crying a little; her makeup had run slightly and her eyes were red and puffy. Her fringe was falling infront of her eyes; the absence of the butterfly clip wouldn't go unnoticed.

"You ready?" she asked Brock as she took the left ledge; the same one that Roisin stood on when she had battled with Brock only minutes ago. Brock threw two Pokéballs into the arena; one containing Kabutops and the other, a Geodude.

Kat's glum face broke into a confident, challenging grin. The battle was about to begin.

OOC: ↑ Unintentional Rhyming ^_^

 

[Yaziyo]

The first commands were ordered for Fenra and Roisin's battle against the Pewter leader as soon as Yaz entered the small group of spectators. The battle began fiercly, Roisin with her determined Totodile against the small snail Pokemon which she identified as Omastar and the Slakoth which had already proved it's worth against the Onix. It appeared that the strategy was to split the match into two simulatinious battles, forcing Brock to fight two battles at once. It seemed to be working.

Both trainers fighting brilliantly for so little experience, Brock's team received quite a beating, with the Slakoth, named Lefty, finishing Onix with a powerful Focus Punch, that made Yaz feel sorry for the blue haired boy who was in the receiving side last time. "That's a freaking strong monkey..." Yaz mumbled. At this, he remembered the realization he made in the Pokemon centre. The realization that the fight for Kat's affection and attention which was being fought by a growing number of teenaged males could be a source of much fun for him.

During the eruption of cheers following the victory, Yaz glanced over at the blue haired boy who was watching the conclusion of the battle. He obviously had balls, to hit a guy who was a few years older than him. But balls can also take control of guys, which, unfortunately, Yaz knew from personal experience. He approached him and whispered in his ear, "We haven't been introduced, I'm Yaz. Anyway, our friend Fen-Fen, over there, is using all the big guns, he's obviously trying to impress Kat. You're battling alongside her next aren't ya? You're gonna have to pull some crazy **** on Brock's Pokemon to impress that fine little thing after that."

Yaz pulled his head away from the boy's ear for a moment, before coming back in. "By the way, nice punch before. I dunno how you did it, but I liked how you turned it round so she'd nurse you afterwards, that was skill."

Yaz joined in the cheering, looking as unsuspicious as possible as Roisin and Fenra made their way down from the challenger's side of the arena. At this stage, he tuned out, blankly staring at Brock and wondering if his two Pokemon had the ability to beat a gym leader. He decided he probably wouldn't challenge this gym and train hard before the next so he could fight that one. He got the sickening image of Afro, his Mudkip being Body Slammed by the towering Onix while Oddish was smothered by Omastar.

He was forced out of his daze by the sound of a mobile ringtone. He looked up to see the blonde kid who Kat seemed to like in one way or another, pull a phone out of his pocket. He went outside to answer it. He thought nothing more of it and approached Roisin and Fenra. He made sure to keep eye contact with Roisin and said, "Hey congrats guys. Nice work.", grinning.

The second match was close to starting when the blonde boy who appeared to be more often that not, the subject of Kat's affection re-entered the gym, looking somewhat distressed. Yaz didn't know him that well, well really he didn't know him at all, I mean he didn't even know his name, but he knew there was something wrong. He gathered the group together and announced that he would be leaving for a day or two.

That can't be right? What's the big problem then? He must be lying. Yaz could tell. But he said nothing. He had no right to interfere, especially since he had just met the boy and didn't even know his name.

He left the gym and Kat ran after him, leaving an awkward gym full of people behind her. She soon came back, and while she tried to hide it, she had been crying. There was an unusual sadness in the air. Everyone had known each other for no more than a few days and already strong bonds and friendships had formed. Yaz remained silent out of respect and awaited the start of the next battle.

OOC: Whew, basically just summarised the gym's events so far from Yaz's point of view.

 

[Percy Thrillington]

Noah wasn't quite sure how to feel when Kozue broke the news to him. He was a bit irritated that their Pokèmon battle was being held up, but the boy seemed rather worried and depressed, so Noah decided not to be obnoxious for once and just listen to the boy.

"Mhmm...how do I say this?" Kozue felt out of place, it was obvious. His smile was so clearly faked that it wasn't funny. "Listen guys, I know it's kind of sudden and I'm truly very sorry about this, but my mum...well, she just called and...well, she told me that she's been called up for something urgent, with work, and needs me and my sister to come with her..." The blonde continued unconfidently, but kept his mood as perky as he could, "but it's only for a little while and I'm sure it's nothing serious! S-So I'll be back really soon! Really..."

Noah suppressed the urge to tell Kozue that he was a horrific liar. Instead the blue-haired boy nodded curtly, not sad, but not exactly happy either. "Come back as soon as possible, 'kay?" He faked a smile. What was with all the pretence? It was fairly obvious that Kozue was lying, for what reasons, Noah would probably never know, but it still hurt, the fact that Kozue wouldn't tell them to truth. Unless Noah was wrong and the blonde was just unable to tell people he was going away for a few days easily.

Noah hadn't really socialised with the kid that much, and he regretted it now. It made him think of Roisin. Had he ever talked to her? Other than just a few simple greetings? Noah acknowledged the fact that he felt guilty about not talking to Kozue all that much, and if Roisin had to go Noah knew he'd feel the same way. "New Year's resolution, talk to Roisin for the first time in your life." He muttered to himself.

He turned around, expecting to see Kat, but she was nowhere to be seen, she had probably gone to say a more emotional good bye to Kozue then the one Noah had displayed. He glanced at Brock and nodded, as if to tell the Gymleader to wait a few more minutes.

Kat returned, she had obviously been crying, as her eyes were stained red and her cheeks were puffy. She nodded at Noah and said, "You ready?" Whether this was aimed at Noah, the child would never know. His partner sent out a Shinx from her Pokè Ball. Brock threw two Pokè Balls into the air, a Geodude and a Kabutops emerged from the red light generated by the spheres.

This was decision time. Noah still hadn't figured out what Pokèmon he was going to use. He dived his hand into a random pocket and withdrew a ball. The boy didn't know whether Pichu or Chimchar was inside the ball in question, but he was going to find out. "Go, Pokèmon!" A red monkey landed on the ground beside Kat's Shinx.

The battle had begun.

 

[Trainer Kat]

Looking to her right, the blonde noted that her partner had selected his Chimchar. Silently, she congratulated him for making the right decision. They didn't need two Pokémon to handle the one Kabutops, and when he was defeated, what would they do about Geodude? Charm the thing to death? She didn't think so. At this point, she turned her attention to Shinx, who had sat down on the rocky surface and begun to lick his paw apathetically. Kat couldn't help but grin. Shinx was eager to battle, she knew, but it was obvious that he hadn't liked how long it had taken for Noah to select a Pokémon.

"Shinx!" The single word cut through the silence like a knife, snapping Shinx back into action. He stood, his back arched slightly. His hair had begun to stand on end, and he was emitting a soft growl, white teeth bared. Kat had to admit, despite his small size, she wouldn't like to be on the other end of him. Her eyes began to moisten, tears threatening to spill out at any moment. She was quick to wipe them away. It wasn't that the thought of fighting choked her up. She had only hoped that Kozue had been here to cheer her on. Submerging her sadness, she balled up her fists, pointing towards the Kabutops.

"Shinx, use a Thundershock attack!" Shinx's bristled fur began to spark, electricity coursing throughout his body. With a light roar, he sent a bolt towards the Kabutops. The shellfish Pokémon was prepared, however. Bringing a single sickled claw up to its face, Kabutops swatted the Thundershock away as if it had been a fly. Kat's face was smothered in pure shock. Kabutops was part water, that attack should have hit him hard. Looking into its eyes, it seemed as though her foe was laughing. Before Kat could react, the ancient Pokémon charged Shinx, slashing it with one claw. The lion cub squeaked softly as he flew to the side, his small body skidding along the rock surface. He wasn't out for the count, though. Not just yet. Slowly, he pushed himself back up. He was definitely injured. Kabutops had no intention of letting up on the vicious assault. Once more, it rushed towards Kat's Pokémon. Shinx's attempt to dodge was in vain. As he leapt to the side, Kabutops switched attacking hands and connected with Shinx's body. Getting up took a bit more effort, his body now more damaged. The slash came again the second Shinx stood. This time, Shinx hit the wall, a small whimper escaping his lips. He didn't even try to get up. His small body shook, small tremors rippling across his skin.

"Shinx!" Kat screamed. Not him too...I can't lose him too... Tears would not be held back. They ran freely down her cheeks. I lost Kozue...I can't lose Shinx too... Her body quaked as she clutched the bar atop the podium. She was a horrible trainer, this much was clear to her. First, her reckless behavior had almost cost Fearow his life, and now it threatened to doom Shinx as well. And Kozue...something had happened, and she had been powerless to stop it.

He'll be back, she told herself. He'll call me, and I'll go get him. He'll be back. If...no...when Kozue returned, was she going to show him an empty Pokéball and tell him how she lost her first real match? Or was she going to show him Shinx, the hero who had won her the Boulderbadge? To her side was Noah, whom she turned to look at. Was she going to explain how she failed Noah? How he had to fight two Pokémon at the same time because his partner was worthless? So much was resting on this. So much depended on her. Not her alone, but Shinx too. A small cry caught her attention. Looking down, she saw Shinx laying on his side, staring up at her, softly speaking his name. It was at that moment that she knew she needed to be strong. The blonde gave her Pokémon a smile, wiping her tears away. The lion cub responded by standing, weakly staring down Kabutops.

"Shinx, use everything you've got! Put all your energy into one supercharged Thundershock!" Once more, electricity coursed throughout his body. This time, though, the lights began to flicker. Shinx released his energy, a maneuver after which he collapsed to the floor. The lightning hit Kabutops straight in its chest, jolting every portion of its torso. It too, collapsed, light smoke trailing off of it. Instantly, Kat leapt off the podium, scooping Shinx up into her arms.

"Thank you...so much..." She smiled at her Pokémon, crying once more. "I'm so sorry...I'll never do anything like that again...I don't want to lose you..." As she buried her face in his fur, Shinx weakly licked her chin. "Y...you're right...I...I have to be strong..." At that, she wiped her tears away, petting the lion cub.

"Noah!" She shouted, looking up at him. "It's all up to you now!"

 

[Lash]

OOC: Kat and I talked it over.

OOC: And Marcus is back babeh!
Since some time has passed (though you people still being in Pewter), I am going to post sort of a Summary in Roleplay form on how Marcus got out of Viridian Forest, and into Pewter.

IC:

Viridian Forest:

After Marcus' Pokemon, Nidoran♂, evolved in the nick of time to score a win for him, he was slightly amazed. After the defeat of the bug trainer with the Butterfree and Beedrill, Marcus was up for more battles. He doesn't know how tough a gym might be, but he is in the mood for as much training as he can get beforehand.

"Pika, try a Thundershock in that tree to see if we might get anything. Nidorino, you try a Poison Sting as well."

Both Pokemon nodded in reply. Pika fired off an electric bolt into a tree, as Nidorino fired Poison Sting shots into nearby bushes. Nothing. Marcus put his hand up against his chin, the blonde haired boy wondered what his next plan of action would be. He pointed into the tree Pika used Thundershock on, signaling for his Pokemon to attack the tree. Pika and Nidorino once more fired off their attacks into the tree, wondering if anything will fall out. A scream coming from the tree showed that their was someone in the tree. A man with a black beret in a black suit fell out of the three. On the torso of his shirt, a big, red, "R" was visible.

"Ow.. You okay? Boy I sure to have a knack for hitting people with attacks. Hope nothing is broken."

Marcus said as he began walking over to the man.

"Time to crush your hopes! You will play for trifling with Team Rocket in this way! Raticate, I choose you!"

The man stood up quickly, quickly releasing a Pokeball before him. A rat of huge size was standing before him.

"A battle eh? Pika, Nido!"

vs

"Raticate, use Quick Attack!"

"Oh no you don't! Pika, Nido, mix attack! Thunder Shock and Poison Sting!"

The rat Pokemon rushed forward towards Marcus and his Pokemon, but Pika and Nido reacted in quick time. Pika released volts from its body towards the upcoming Raticate. Nido joined in on the attack with a Poison Sting. The Poison Shots charged with mass electricity hit the rat Pokemon dead on. It was sent flying towards its trainer, hitting him in the torso, which further caused him to fly back against the tree he was hiding in. He quickly returned Raticate to its Pokeball, quickly saying, "Useless Pokemon.."

"Useless? Ha. I have not been a trainer for long, but I know that no Pokemon is useless. Its just the trainer that is bad. What is such a strange individual doing here in Viridian Forest, and what his this Team Rocket that you speak of?" Marcus asked.

"If you must know, I was seeing if I could steal any Pokemon that were of worth. I can't find anything of the kind in this forest. And Team Rocket? A group of powerful Pokemon thieves who believes that Pokemon are merely tools of war. We steal Pokemon, and sell them on the black market, or use them as test subjects. Now, if you may excuse me." The grunt replied.

"Not so fast!" Marcus began running towards the grunt, stopping him from going anywhere. Holding him by the collar of his shirt, he yelled, "Pokemon as test subjects? Pokemon are living creatures! Not tools of war!" into the grunts face.

Marcus' right hand curled into a fist. His arm bended, he quickly launched it out at the grunt. The fist made contact with the mans face, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.

"So, Team Rocket, eh? Well, never know what may lie ahead now.. I better move on, I smell a storm coming.."

Marcus said, taking one more look at the grunt before continuing on.

Late on

"Woo! Theres the exit! I thought I would be in here forever! We got some good training guys!"

Marcus said, as he began to run out of the forest. He looked at his Pokemon, both running at his side. Upon exiting the forest, he stretched his arms out, with a big smile. His smile was replaced with curiosity, as he saw a bird surrounded with an icy blue energy. He watched it as it flew off, but quickly disregarded it, and kept walking.

He neared a sign that said, "Pewter City limits". Pewter City was now within Marcus' view.

"Alright guys! Lets go!"

Marcus began running happily with his Pokemon towards the city. Within minutes, they were there.

"So this is the city with the first gym? Better rest up beforehand,"

Marcus said, bending down onto one knee to make eye contact with his Pokemon.

"We do have a battle ahead, especially with all that we went through in the forest. Now lets go."

Due to Marcus being new to this city, he was lost at first. But, he quickly found his way to the Pokemon Center. He entered, and walked up to the front desk.

"Whoo! The Viridian Forest sure was tough! So can my Pokemon can be healed here right?" He asked Nurse Joy.

"Sure! Are you going to take on the Gym Leader?"

"Sure am! I might as well stay the night here."

The conversation ceased, as Marcus left Pika and Nido in the hands of Nurse Joy. He wandered over to a couch near a shelf with books and magazines. Marcus placed his hat near the floor at the couch, grabbing a Pokemon Magazine titled, "Pokemon Happening!" which was about the most recent happenings in the Pokemon world.

Marcus read a couple magazines till around midnight, but he still wasn't tired; Team Rocket was on his mind. He sighed, and grabbed a book titled, "Pokemon Special- Volume 1". The front cover showed a boy, whose clothes, and face were similar to Marcus. Why, the boy even had a Pikachu with him.

"Ha, this is going to keep me up through the night."

Marcus began reading the book, waiting for the night to pass by.

 

[Percy Thrillington]

As Chimchar landed on the ground, Noah saw his blonde partner glancing in his direction. He didn't care what she thought about his choice, anything was better than watching his Pichu get beaten up by a Geodude. He grinned a tiny but when he saw Kat's Shinx licking his paw, obviously bored to death by Noah taking too long to choose his Pokèmon.

"Shinx!" The single word cut through the silence like a knife, snapping Shinx back into action. He stood, his back arched slightly. His hair had begun to stand on end, and he was emitting a soft growl, white teeth bared. Noah found the fact that Shinx was nearly intimidating amusing. The blue-haired boy noticed that Kat's eyes were just a tiny bit red and prayed that her attachment to Kozue wasn't going to effect the ball.

"Shinx, use a Thundershock attack!" Shinx's bristled fur began to spark, electricity coursing throughout his body. With a light roar, he sent a bolt towards the Kabutops. The shellfish Pokémon was prepared, however. Bringing a single sickled claw up to its face, Kabutops swatted the Thundershock away as if it had been a fly. That move has startled Noah, he had been thinking of the games he played when he was younger, but this wasn't about stats, this was about imagination and strategy. Anything could happen in a Pokèmon world that wasn't virtual. The ancient Pokémon charged Shinx, slashing it with one claw. The lion cub squeaked softly as he flew to the side, his small body skidding along the rock surface. He wasn't out for the count, though. Not just yet. Slowly, he pushed himself back up. He was definitely injured. Kabutops had no intention of letting up on the vicious assault. Once more, it rushed towards Kat's Pokémon. Shinx's attempt to dodge was in vain. As he leapt to the side, Kabutops switched attacking hands and connected with Shinx's body. Getting up took a bit more effort, his body now more damaged. The slash came again the second Shinx stood. This time, Shinx hit the wall, a small whimper escaping his lips. He didn't even try to get up. His small body shook, small tremors rippling across his skin.

"Shinx!" Kat screamed. Noah was too immersed in the action to realise that his Chimchar and Brock's Geodude were standing opposite each other, waiting for orders. The teenager wanted to see how well Kat managed to control her emotions under peer pressure. He willed her on silently. Her eyes were getting more red and he feared a mental breakdown, but in his short time with Kat, Noah had more or less realised that his partner was stronger than that. Sinx cried his name out, hoping to grab Kat's attention and bring her back down to earth. The blonde smiled at her Pokèmon and wiped her tears away. The lion cub responded by standing, weakly staring down Kabutops.

"Shinx, use everything you've got! Put all your energy into one supercharged Thundershock!" Once more, electricity coursed throughout his body. This time, though, the lights began to flicker. Shinx released his energy, a maneuver after which he collapsed to the floor. The lightning hit Kabutops straight in its chest, jolting every portion of its torso. It too, collapsed, light smoke trailing off of it. Instantly, Kat leapt off the podium, scooping Shinx up into her arms.

"Thank you...so much..." She smiled at her Pokémon, crying once more. "I'm so sorry...I'll never do anything like that again...I don't want to lose you..." As she buried her face in his fur, Shinx weakly licked her chin. "Y...you're right...I...I have to be strong..." At that, she wiped her tears away, petting the lion cub.

"Noah!" She shouted, looking up at him. "It's all up to you now!"

It's amazing how you can lose track of something so big because something even bigger was happening in front of your eyes, but that didn't help Noah feel any better when he realised that his Pokèmon was meant to be battling alongside Shinx, not in some turn-based fight. Noah knew Kat wrongly thought that Chimchar was part fighting, but he wasn't going to purposely make her lose faith in him. He'd keep up the act as long as he could, so long as Kat had support for him. It's the little things that help, after all. Noah began to feel heartless, there was Kat, nearly crying during her battle because of the loss of Kozue, and here was Noah, cracking jokes to himself.

"Chimchar!" The red monkey snapped his head in Noah's direction. What do I do now? Play it crazy like I did against Fenra? May as well, it worked for me that time. "Use Focus Punch!"

As Noah had issued his orders, Brock had done the same thing, unheard by the spectators and the opponent. The rock with eyes and two arms lunged at Noah's chimp. Ah, a tackle attack. Noah knew full well that Chimchar didn't know the move Focus Punch, so he decided to try instant improvisation as a technique. "Alright, Chimchar, dodge that attack!" By the time the syllables had left Noah's mouth in the correct order to form a sentence, Geodude had rammed himself into Chimchar and Noah's pocket monster was hurled against the ground where he skidded until he came to a halt a couple of metres away from Noah himself. Damn it. Noah cursed silently to himself. "Alright, Espa, we're still in this!" He shouted at his Pokèmon.

Think, think. What did all those Anime Style Battling competitions on various forums tell you? That impossible was nothing. Cut that out, this isn't some random Adidas ad. But it was true, impossible was nothing, Noah could still win with the type advantage and strength Geodude had over Espa, he just had to play the few things he could to turn the battle his way. So what did he have to figure out first? He asked himself as he saw his Chimchar stand up. Brock had oviously decided this battle would be a walk in the park and was having a casual pep talk with his fighter. Noah looked around the stadium and the realisation he came to was amazing.

Brock's gym was like a warehouse, and on the inside of every warehouse you have hangers running up the sides of the building and joining just under the roof. It was true that Chimchar wasn't a fighting Pokèmon, but a fighting move would still be a critical hit against the Geodude. "Okay, Espa!" The Chimchar was alert and waiting for his master to give him instructions. "Climb up that huge pole on the side of the gym!" There's no way this is going to work. This is crazy. Chimchar might fall and the battle will be over before it even began. It was obvious Brock and his Geodude had discussed a game plan because the Geodude came flying at the Chimchar with rocks in his hands.

This is going to be interesting. Geodude and his rock throwing commenced as Chimchar raced up the metal banister. "Dodge those rocks, Espa!" Noah screamed. The banister was a rectangle in shape, with one side buried deep into the wall, and the other three facing out. Noah's Pokèmon didn't need to be told that if he didn't want to fall to an early death, he's have to jump from side to side as well as climb up it. The third rock that Geodude sent flying at the red monkey collided with his hand and Espa shrieked in pain but didn't let go. "Keep going, Espa!" Noah shouted. How the Hell can a Geodude fly, anyways?

Espa's nails digged into the metal he was climbing and after five minutes or so of dodging rocks, he reached the top. Noah knew that this was a win-lose situation, either Chimchar would fall off the top to his early death or Geodude would end up face down in the ground. "Now hop onto the railing on the ceiling and walk to the very middle!" The determined blue-haired boy knew it was easier said than done but he had complete faith in his Chimchar. The monkey ran across the metal, obviously scared out of his wits as the Geodude continued throwing rocks at him.

"Now, Espa, jump on Brock's Pokèmon!" This is crazy, there's no way this is going to succeed. You've let Kat down, you've let the team down. Noah clenched his fists as he watched his Chimchar dangle from the railing, about seventy feet from the ground, before jumping onto the human rock. Surely the weight of the two Pokèmon combined is going to be too heavy for Geodude's levitation trick. Surely. It became quite apparent that Chimchar was too much of a load for Geodude and they began falling through the air, not as fast as normal, as Geodude was still trying to stay in the air and get Espa off him at the same time, but fast enough for Chimchar to be knocked out if he hit the ground.

As the two Pokèmon neared the rubble on the ground, about twenty feet up, Noah screamed, "Now, Espa, punch Geodude downwards and push off him as you do so." Noah knew nothing about physics, but he prayed his calculations were right this time. The monkey hit the rock between the eyes and jumped off him. Geodude his the ground first, dust filled the air around him and it was impossible to tell what was going on. Noah heard his partner cry his name, but he couldn't see what had happened seeing as the dust was in the way. It took a few seconds for the dust to clear away, but when it did, Noah didn't know what to think. Chimchar was standing upright, looking a bit tipsy, but other than that, fine. Brock's Geodude, on the other hand, was lying face down in rubble.

"And victory goes to the visitors!" An official shouted out from the sidelines.

"You did good, Espa, we'll get you to a Pokèmon Center right away." Noah returned his Pokèmon to his red and white sphere and turned to his blonde partner. "We did it."

 

[Trainer Kat]

"And victory goes to the visitors!" An official shouted out from the sidelines. Kat could feel the excitement well up in her stomach. She and Noah had won their first double battle. Their first gym battle. During Noah's portion of the battle, Shinx had fallen asleep, at which point Kat returned him to his Pokéball.

"You did good, Espa, we'll get you to a Pokèmon Center right away." Noah returned his Pokèmon to his red and white sphere and turned to his blonde partner. "We did it." Now that Kat's hands were free, she couldn't help but rush towards him and throw her arms around his neck, pulling the younger boy into a tight hug.

"You were great, Noah! I was worried I was going to let you down...let the whole team down...but you were fantastic!" She was talking so fast that she decided she wasn't making much sense...instead of continuing to bombard the boy with words, she merely planted a single kiss upon his cheek. With the excitement she was feeling, she wasn't sure what else she could do. As if the action hadn't even happened, Kat immediately turned back to the group.

"We did it!" she squealed, flashing the other three a peace sign. As if by command, Brock approached Kat and Noah, opening his fist to reveal two shiny...well, they weren't circles, but they were close. It was their reward, a sign of their victory.

"Congratulations, you two," he said with a grin. "That was a great battle. You've earned these." With those parting words, he handed each of them a badge. The Boulder Badge. Kat could barely contain her excitement. Truthfully, she had come prepared before she left. Before she even had her starter, Kat had purchased a badge box, in which she placed her newly acquired Boulder Badge. While the blonde rushed up the stairs to meet her group, Brock was clearly staring intently at Roisin.

"Well...we should probably go back to the Pokémon Center, don't you think?" The question was obviously directed at Fen for the most part, as she had slung her arm around his shoulders the second she reached the row in which the group was sitting. "After all, Shinx needs rest, and I'd assume that Slakoth...and Totodile would too."

 

[Percy Thrillington]

As Noah turned around, he noticed Kat's Shinx had fallen asleep and couldn't help but grin. That Pokèmon was one in a kind.

Now that Kat's hands were free, she couldn't help but rush towards him and throw her arms around his neck, pulling the younger boy into a tight hug. Noah felt rather crushed, but didn't bother telling his partner that.

"You were great, Noah! I was worried I was going to let you down...let the whole team down...but you were fantastic!" She was talking so fast that she decided she wasn't making much sense...instead of continuing to bombard the boy with words, she merely planted a single kiss upon his cheek. With the excitement she was feeling, she wasn't sure what else she could do. As if the action hadn't even happened, Kat immediately turned back to the group.

Noah rubbed his cheek and smiled to himself. Wonder when I'll slag Fenra about that.

"We did it!" she squealed, flashing the other three a peace sign. As if by command, Brock approached Kat and Noah, opening his fist to reveal two shiny...well, they weren't circles, but they were close. It was their reward, a sign of their victory.

"Congratulations, you two," he said with a grin. "That was a great battle. You've earned these." With those parting words, he handed each of them a badge. The Boulder Badge.

Noah held out his hand and retrieved the little piece of metal he had nearly killed his Chimchar to obtain. "Aw yeah." He said to no one in paticular before he thanked Brock for the great battle and turned back to the group.

"Well...we should probably go back to the Pokémon Center, don't you think?" Kat had her arms around Fenra as she asked the group the question. "After all, Shinx needs rest, and I'd assume that Slakoth...and Totodile would too."

"And Chimchar, don't forget Chimchar." Noah laughed as he bypassed the group and left the stadium he'd never forget.

OOC: Five minute posts for the win.

 

[Kansas]

so much had happened in such a small amount of time. The victory had gone to Fen and Roisin, and it was a spectacular feeling. Slakoth had performed wonderfully and would definitely be a wonderful addition to the team. Kozue congratulated the two eagerly, praising Lefty on his achievements. A normal type beating a rock type was no small task indeed. Kozue left just as quickly as he congratulated, saying he had to leave. Being as socially inept as he is, Fen believed every word Kozue fed him and waved good bye.

"See you in a bit, Kozue!" he called excitedly. But Kat returned sniffling quietly to herself after saying goodbye... something didn't sit right. But there was no time to be concerned, their battle was up now.

Kat and Noah's battle began quickly, sending out Shinx and Chimchar. Terrible matchups. It seemed that no one was adequately prepared for the match aside from Roisin and himself. Kat did receive and grace of luck though, when Kabutops emerged. An easy victory for an electric type, but a Geodude appeared for Chimchar, which would prove problematic.

Fen watched Noah's battle end with a massive leap from the ceiling, plowing the Geodude into the earth and finishing it. Another suicidal attack. What an idiot. The match was finished, and Chimchar was dazed, while Kat's Shinx had fallen asleep. An interesting end to a one sided battle. Kat immediately rushed to him and Roisin, celebrating and smiling at her recent victory. Fen greeted her happily, they had both won the first battle and he was overjoyed for her as well.

"That was good work, Kat. I was quite impressed" He said happily as she threw her arms around him. He shot a narrow glance to Noah who was digging himself a deeper grave with Fen as time progressed. The kid had no respect for his pokemon.

"That Chimchar is going to get itself killed before you even make it to the Pokemon League. You should give it to a more capable trainer before it really gets hurt." He said with a low, aggravated tone.

"Well...we should probably go back to the Pokémon Center, don't you think?" The question was obviously directed at Fen for the most part, as she had slung her arm around his shoulders the second she reached the row in which the group was sitting. "After all, Shinx needs rest, and I'd assume that Slakoth...and Totodile would too."

"Agreed" Fen replied happily, looking at the sleeping Slakoth whom Fen had neglected to return to his pokeball. Forest lay happily snoozing on top of Fen's ruffled hair. He looked at the two, starting to notice a pattern in the partners he was obtaining and smiled again, returning Lefty to his ball. He began to walk away towards the door, taking with him Kat who was still slung around his neck.

"Come on Roisin! We've got to get rested up so we can all head to Cerulean as fast as possible!" He called back to her.

Fen was definitely excited, he had plans for Cerulean, plans for challenging that gym too, and to claim another victory. And of course, Kat wanted him to challenge with her. It should prove interesting, and definitely Forest's chance to shine. He exited the gym with the group, arriving at the pokemon center and immediately heading to the front desk.

"Hiya Nurse Joy! I have to turn Lefty over to you for some care please!" Fen said happily as he handed her the pokeball.

"Oh? You seem quite chipper, did you win your battle with Brock?" She asked happily.

"See for yourself!" Fen replied, holding the dull gray badge up to eye level so she could see.

"Oh thats just wonderful! and you used your Slakoth? I'm very impressed... I'll have him back to you in a little bit, why don't you go take a rest somewhere. No treatment for Treecko? He looks tired..."

"Thanks Nurse Joy! No, Forest didn't fight, he's always like this..." Fen responded with a slightly irritated voice at his lazy partner atop his head. Forest looked back down to him, rolling his eyes and drifting back to sleep on his perch.

"Alright everyone, i'm gonna go grab some fresh air outside... I'll be back soon." Fen called to the others as he released himself from Kat's grip and headed through the automated doors to a familiar tree where he had sat before. It was afternoon now and the streets were much busier but it was a nice change of pace. Fen began to fall asleep under the tree, watching the pillowy clouds roll by

 

[Jim]

"And victory goes to the visitors!" called the Penguin man who had 'greeted' the gang into the Gym.

"Great match, the battle style seemed somewhat familiar though," Roisin thought. She ran over to the two who had just been presented with their Boulder Badges. She dropped Totodile, gently, to the floor. She proceeded to lock her friends into a dual-headlock-hug. "Well done," she smiled. "You were great." With that she released them and scooped up Totodile around the waist and followed everyone out of the Gym. The gang had only been in the Gym for about fifty minutes, it felt more like fifty days with all that had happened.

On the way back to the Pokémon center she spent her time admiring the Boulder Badge she had received and fighting with Totodile; the Crocodile Pokémon wanted the badge.

"Ha, you can't have the badge," Roisin said as she set him down on the floor. "You'll lose it, you have nowhere to put it and... it's mine," she jeered, sticking her tongue out. "Anyway, you'll lose it." Totodile walked ahead for the rest of the walk. When the group actually made it back into the center everyone who had participated presented their battlers to Nurse Joy and went their separate ways. Roisin herself managed to scoop up Totodile, after a small scrap in the lobby, and presented him to the pink-haired Nurse. "We fought the Gym... and we won!" Roisin announced to her, waving the Boulder Badge at her.

"Congratulations," she said rather flatly as she took Totodile. "Totodile's fine, he'll only need a quick run through the machine, give it about three minutes." the Nurse forced a smile and Roisin sat down at a nearby table. She pulled out her Pokenav, checking the map for the gang's next destination. "There's a Pokémon Center just east of here, outside Mt Moon, we could get there in no time, stop there for the night and leave early in the morning," Roisin quickly arose from her seat and marched over to Kat. She thrust the Pokénav in her general direction and pointed at the Pokémon center icon.

"It's not far, we could get there by dusk, spend the night there and leave in the morning." she paused. "What do you think?" before Kat could respond, Roisin was flagged down by Nurse Joy. "Hold on, I'll be back in a sec."

"You, Totodile girl, you entered with the green-haired-kid-with-the-Treecko?"

"Mhmm," Roisin agreed.

"Take this to him," she handed Roisin a Pokéball. "And take this," she flatly requested. She pointed to the blue crocodile Pokémon who was about to soak a resident Chansey with Water Gun.

"Gah!" she grabbed Totodile's Pokéball from her bagstrap and returned him to his spherical home. "I'm, sorry... for Totodile, he's... young," she apologized. She then tried to exit the Pokémon center as fast as possible, before the Nurse could say anything. She beckoned Kat, to follow her. And the two gathered around Fenra's tree. "Fen! What do you think?" She asked. "Mt Moot Pokémon center by dusk?" she shifted her gaze between him and Kat and then tossed Fen his Pokéball. "Yay, or nay?"

OOC: Ev told me to fetch Lefty and blah blah.

 

[Kansas]

"Fen! What do you think?" She asked. "Mt Moot Pokémon center by dusk?" Roisin asked while tossing Fen his pokeball he had given to nurse joy moments ago. He snatched it from the air, immediately placing it inside his bag. Looking up to her and Kat he spoke.

"hm... that sounds clause able. We could probably even make it before then, I bet. What do you think, Forest?" He said, looking to the little green pokemon sleeping atop his head. The Treecko squinted one eye open, and turned his head away, showing that it didn't care either way.

"I guess theres my answer right there. I'm all for it!" He said while standing and dusting his pants. He stretched high into the air looking to Kat.

"What do you think, Assistant Kat? There would be plenty of new pokemon to catch along the way as well. The book i read on the environment of northern Kanto gives promise to some very unique pokemon that may live there." He said happily with his very unintentionally intellectual voice. His eyes quickly narrowed, looking into the pokemon center.

"You should probably get Mankey Boy for observation... And he would probably kill himself without us there to help him..." He said with a hint of obvious sarcastic bitterness.

 

[Trainer Kat]

"What do you think, Assistant Kat? There would be plenty of new pokemon to catch along the way as well. The book i read on the environment of northern Kanto gives promise to some very unique pokemon that may live there." Kat crossed her arms for a moment. The thought did seem like a good one...she wanted to get out of Pewter as fast as possible. There was no point lingering after they had already beaten Brock (unless Roisin wanted to go back and make his dreams come true, but Kat seriously doubted that).

"Alright then, it sounds good!" She grinned and nodded. "After seeing Brock's Geodude, I really want one! They're so cute!" She giggled, clasping her hands together. It was a perfect plan.

"You should probably get Mankey Boy for observation... And he would probably kill himself without us there to help him..." Fen's tone was clearly bitter. Kat knew he didn't like Noah much, it was obvious by the way he spoke to and about him. Still, she knew that some of his accusations about Noah were right, and she wasn't about to take sides in this barbaric battle of men.

"Yeah, hold on, I'll be right back." She trekked back to the Pokémon Center, where she found Noah in the lobby right where they'd left him. "Noah, we're going to try and make it to the Mt. Moon Pokémon Center by tonight. So hurry up! We'll be just outside." With that she stood, turning to leave. Before exiting through the doors, she turned her head to the side and winked, sticking her tongue out at the same time.

"Alright you guys," she called as she made her way back to them. "He's been told."

 

[Yaziyo]

Emotions were high and tense in the Pewter gym as Kat and Noah battled the leader, Brock. Kat called out her small and somewhat aggressive Shinx, which reminded Yaz of one of those little kids who would pick fights even though they were 3 feet tall and weighed 20 kilos, and Noah chose an equally small, red Monkey - Chimchar. Brock had selected what was possibly his trademark Pokèmon, Geodude, as well as a fierce ancient fighter known as Kabutops.

After part of the heated battle, both Shinx, and much to Yaz's surprise, Kabutops were down, leaving Chimchar and Geodude left on the field to battle it out. He watched in amazement as the small monkey climbed up a pole at the side of the gym, at its owner's command. What the hell is he doing? As an instinctual response, Geodude began pelting Chimchar with rocks, however it was too fast and was able to continue climbing upwards.

Finally, Chimchar reached the top and stood on a railing, almost at the ceiling of the gym. The Pokèmon kept moving across the railing, as per Noah's orders, all the while Geodude continued throwing its rocks.

"Now, Espa, jump on Brock's Pokèmon!" Noah called out. What the hell, is he freaking insane?! There's no way it will do... It did it. Chimchar landed successfully on Geodude and forced it into the ground. A large dust cloud emerged from the collision and after a few silent moments, the victor of the match was clear. Geodude was lying motionless on the ground while Chimchar managed to stay up, albeit weakly. Victory belonged to Kat and Noah.

Kat then released an orgy of words, emotion and affection at Noah, in much the same way as she did with that younger blonde kid who had just left. After her intangible string of words, she simply kissed him on the cheek.

"Noah... you pimp." Yaz muttered to himself, grinning.

After the two were presented with their badges, the group left the gym, interestingly with Kat apparently unknowing of the amount of potential conflict she was causing between Fenra and Noah. Yaz was silent as the others made their way back into the Pokèmon centre, to heal their injured battlers. He stayed outside though, his partners hadn't entered into any battles since the last time he took them to the centre. Walking to a shady spot at the side of the centre, he pulled out his two Pokèballs and released their inhabitants. Out came Afro the Mudkip and his Oddish which remained unnamed. They eagerly looked up at him.

"Alright guys, we aint gonna battle this first gym, we got hardly any experience battling so we gonna work hard on the way to the next one, which I'm pretty sure uses water types." He told them. After being given an enthusiastic reply by his party, he concluded, "Okie then let's head on guys!"

Just then Yaz heard a familiar voice "Should... get Mankey Boy... kill himself... help him..." He spun around to see Fenra, Roisin and Kat talking not too far from him. Kat then walked off into the Pokèmon centre.

Yaz looked down at Afro and Oddish, "Wait, did he just tell Kat to help Noah kill himself?" He nervously asked them. He then proceeded to pick them up, put one on each shoulder and make his way to the group, which was now only Fen and Roisin.

"Wow Fenra, mate, seriously, you aint never heard of 'Bro's Before Ho's'? Damn..." He then looked at Roisin and smiled, "Hey Roisin", before leaving to walk towards the next route.

 

[Jim]

"...umm, hey, Yaz... wassup? fo'shizzle?!" she struggled. "Gotta keep it real... in da hood..." "Check it, we iz headed to ze Mount Moon, yo!" she explained, in what she thought was Yaz's way of speaking. Just then Kat popped back out of the Pokémon Center.

"Alright you guys," Kat called as she made her way back to the gang. "He's been told."

"Okay, let's go!" Roisin announced before charging towards Route 3, becoking the others to follow. As she entered Route 3 she was stopped by a young boy.

"Hey there, I can't let you past unless you have the official badge of Pewt-" he started. He was Cut off by Roisin. She thrusted her arm out and placed her hand on his forehead, before pushing him to the side.

"Shut it, shrimp," she said flatly. She carried on walking, feeling eyes of her team mates on the back of her head. She wheeled around. "...what? That eight year old blocked our path!" she explained. "ANYWAY! We're nearly there now, just gotta pass through a road full of Trainers and a bit of grass..." she paused, nobody started walking. "...ONWARDS!" she announced as she pressed forwards.

 

[Phanima]

The four of them sat in silence for the majority of the trip, although every once in a while, he would hear Pocky and Go let out small growls of endearment as his mother familiarised herself with his two new Pokemon. He smiled as he watched on but didn't feel like saying anything, he was just too distracted. All the questions he had had seemed pointless now, all he wanted to know was if his sister was alright. His mother seemed to feel the same way too, at least she looked like she was. She attempted to ask him about his journey so far, which did manage to get a few answers out of him, but the mood just wasn't right to catch up, so out of respect, they spent the rest of the trip in silence. He didn't know how long it took, he was more focused on the destination rather than the ride, and by the time the familiar yet distinct landscape of his home country came into view, it was already late.

Passing over the ever impressive and breathtaking establishment of the Hoenn Pokemon League, Ever Grande City, he couldn't help but feel content in returning home, despite his reason for doing so. That aside, he had often invisioned that out of all the Pokemon Leagues in the world, being able to participate in Ever Grande would be the pinnacle of his journey as a Pokemon Trainer. Once the epitome of challenging Pokemon and trainer alike, Hoenn's Pokemon League, as well as the Indigo Plateau, Silver Conference and Elite Four Castle, were now all being used to establish region-wide participants for the Grand Tournament. It was a new and exciting event that would house trainers and Pokemon from around the world, altogether in one great competition. Getting there however, was the difficult part. Needing at least one badge from each of the four official regions and a total of eight just to qualify, many trainers find the trek to be much more trouble than its worth. For him personally, if he was to do it all again from the start, he wouldn't change a thing. Afterall, if it hadn't been for Professor Oak's competition, he would never have travelled to Kanto, received Pocky, caught Go, or met the people he now considered life long friends.

Thinking about it made his heart swell, but he was too tired to feel sad, he had cried enough for one day, besides, now wasn't the time for such self-involved thoughts, his sister was waiting for him and he had to be strong...for her.

No sooner had he finished reminiscing, he felt the carriage suddenly shake and quickly held onto his seat in surprise. His mother gave him a light smile, her casual seating position unchanged. Nothing fazed her. Then, after a second of tilting back and forth he felt the weight of the helicopter touch ground.

Rising from her place, his mother shouldered the carriage door and slid it open before stepping outside into the night, looking back to see him following suit after prompting his two sleeping partners to follow. Giving the pilot a sign of thanks, Makiko quickly proceeded to lead him and his Pokemon away from the landing site, up the hill and into the ever familiar surroundings of his hometown; Lilycove City.

OOC: Filler post. Whatever happened to good ol' character banter, we used to spam this thread like every 10 minutes. xP

 

[Trainer Kat]

"Uwah, Roisin, wait up!" Kat squealed as she scampered after the other girl. Pewter held too many bad memories for the blonde to want to stay any longer. She was all too ready to head to Cerulean. Momentarily, she turned, as if to beckon Fenra to follow them. After all, if they were going to catch up to Yaz, the group would have to leave...now. If Noah wasn't already coming, he would just have to catch up. By this time, Axel had been released, and was trailing Kat by a few steps.

"You heading to Cerulean?" A pitchy, feminine voice cut through the air. They had just begun to enter the next route, though their path seemed to be blocked by a rangy blonde in a pale blue miniskirt. Kat failed to utter any words, offering only a nod in response. "Well, I doubt your Pokémon are ready for Misty. You may have beaten Brock, but he's nothing compared to the Water Queen." Her mint green eyes darted down to Axel. "He's your Charmander? Yeah right, he's going to get K.O.'d in the blink of an eye, what a weakling!"

"What did you call him?" Kat snarled. The miniskirt girl lifted her chin, giving the other blonde a cocky smile. "If your Pokémon are so tough, why don't we have a battle? Right here, right now." Axel stood defiantly in front of his master, fists firmly clenched.

"image removed" vs. "image removed"​

"You're on. Go, Nidoran!" As the lanky girl threw a Pokéball, a tiny periwinkle rabbit emerged in a burst of evanescent light. A small poison point topped its small head. It was the female species of Nidoran. "My Nidoran's both cute and tough! Nidoran, use Poison Sting!" The Pokémon ran swiftly towards Axel, slamming roughly into him with the small horn atop her head. Axel stumbled backwards, bumping into Kat's legs. He slowly slumped against them. Initially, Kat had thought he'd been poisoned, though he quickly shook the attack off. Without waiting for a command to be issued, the Charmander released small bursts of flames, which singed the Nidoran's soft fur.

"Axel, don't wait for her to recover! Follow it up with a Scratch attack!" The lizard growled menacingly and rushed the rabbit, running his claws across her skin. That was all it took. Nidoran fell hard against the dirt floor. Axel hopped backwards and smiled up at Kat, eliciting a grin from the blonde. Her challenger said nothing, simply scooping up Nidoran and running off towards the Pokémon Center. If that was all it took to beat Misty, they had this in the bag. All that remained was a hike through Mt. Moon.

 

[Phanima]

"So...when did you arrive?" the red-head asked as she ran her fingers through her dozing brother's shaggy blonde hair.

"Oh, just around an hour ago," her mother replied with a calm smile, "you were still sleeping so we didn't want to disturb you."

"And how long has he been here?" she continued, lightly ruffling the boy's top as she watched him lying peacefully in her lap.

"The moment we arrived," Makiko explained, a hint of pride in her voice, "he didn't want to leave until you woke up but he has had a long day, so don't be too hard on him for falling asleep."

"I wouldn't do that mum...to be honest, he should be the one who's hard on me."

Her mother chuckled at her daughter's words. "I don't think Kozue's the type of person who'd be hard on anybody."

"No...I suppose he wouldn't," the red-head agreed, "but I guess you'll have a few words of wisdom for me, huh?"

"I think I'll save them for another day," Makiko smiled, "but I would like to meet the person who did this to you, Ai. Is he or she still here?"

"It was just an accident mum, it was my fault..."

"I just want to know what happened is all, I won't do anything."

It was then that their discussion was suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door, causing both of them to turn to see a rather dishelvelled looking boy standing by the entrance.

"S-Sorry," the boy started, taking a step inside the room, "I heard you were awake, so I came to check in on you, but if it's a bad time I can come back later..."

"Oh Kenji, it's fine, come in come in, we were just talking about you," the red-head piped before directing his attention to the other occupants around her bedside, "oh, and this is my mother and brother, Makiko and Kozue."

The intruder gave the three a nervous smile as he entered the room and took a seat at the foot of the hospital bed.

"Mum, this is Kenji, he's the one who put me here," she continued cheekily, causing him to explode in embarassment, "he's also the one who brought me here after the accident."

"Oh, so you're the one responsible for this," her mother suddenly spout as she turned to face the boy, a calm yet incredibly intimidating smile gracing her lips, "would you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"O-Of course!" he stammered in reply. "I'm really really sorry, I didn't mean to hurt her..."

At that, he glanced a look towards the red-head who merely stuck out her tongue and gave him a cheeky smile in return. With a swift nod acknowledging his response, the brown-haired government employee rose from her place and held out a hand towards the door. Slowly and rather shakily, the boy complied and lead the two out of the room, leaving Ai to continue playing with her brother's hair. It was then that something interesting caught her attention.

"Huh? What's this?" she asked as she felt something hard and plastic make contact with her hand.

Prying the object from the blonde's hair, she held it up to get a better look at it.

"How cute...a butterfly hairclip. I wonder where he got it from?"

Fondling the clip in her hand, something else suddenly caught her attention. Gracing the boy's delicate arm were what seemed to be digits making up a cell phone number. The red-head started to wonder about what the boy had been up to as she tried to discern the imprinted number.

"Honestly Kozue, are you still crying?" she asked as she held him in her arms. "You smudged it all out..."

Still fast asleep, the blonde stirred ever gently as he rested his head in his sister's lap. Quiet breaths could also be heard as his two Pokemon sat propped up against each other at the far end of the room. Seeing the penguin and blob sitting peacefully next to one another, the actuality of the situation sunk in. He had really become a Pokemon Trainer. Unbeknownst to him though, she also had something to announce to him as well, but it would have to wait until he woke up. For now, she was just content in messing up the blonde's hair and listening to Kenji's stutters from outside the room as he tried to explain what had happened to her to Makiko.

 

[Yaziyo]

Yaz then looked at Roisin and smiled, "Hey Roisin".

Rather awkwardly, she replied "...umm, hey, Yaz... wassup? fo'shizzle?!" she struggled. "Gotta keep it real... in da hood..." "Check it, we iz headed to ze Mount Moon, yo!" she explained, in what she thought was Yaz's way of speaking.

"Ah." Yaz responded, nodding slightly, before walking off towards the next route, leaving the rest of the group behind.

Soon enough, he had left the city of Pewter behind him and was strolling down a slightly grassy path, on his way to Mt. Moon. As he walked on, the grass thickened and the surroundings became rockier.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling in the grass around him. He paused. "You guys hear that?" he whispered to his two Pokèmon, one on each shoulder. Just then, something purple flashed under him in the corner of his eye.

Simultaneously, both Afro and Oddish jumped off Yaz's shoulders, ready for battle. The source of the disruption could now be easily seen, an Ekans, with its purple hide blending poorly with the grass around it. It opened it's mouth wide, revealing two menacing fangs, while making a sinister hissing noise, attempting to intimidate Yaz's party.

"Ignore it's intimidation, it's no tougher than you guys are!" Yaz fiercely commanded. "Afro, use your water gun! Oddish, give it your acid attack!"

Instantly following the command, the eager Mudkip shot a high pressured jet of water into the Ekans' face, stunning it, and Oddish violently shook its green leaves to spray the snake with a strong, bright purple acid. The acid successfully struck the wild snake Pokemon's skin and it hissed loudly, shaking violently. It reared its head up high, and lunged its fangs at Oddish; a vicious poison sting attack.

"No!" Yaz yelled as he watched it stick its face into the top side of Oddish's head, into its leaves. However, as the small onion look-a-like braced itself, it released a small puff of spores. Ekans fell back before it got a chance to complete the move, looking somewhat dazed. It paused for a few seconds before fleeing under some rocks.

"Hey great work guys, that was awesome! We're sure to kick Cerulean Gym's arse if you can do that again!" Yaz congratulated his battlers, and they seemed pretty damn happy about it too. He then added, "Oddish my man, we've really gotta find you a name though. What do you think?"

It looked back at him blankly. He grinned. "Well then why don't we let the Pokedex decide" He pulled the faulty red Pokèmon encyclopedia out of his pocket and pointed it towards Oddish. The small LCD display lit up, showing a slightly pixelated Ponyta. It stayed silent however. "Hmm..." He pressed a button at random and finally it announced.

"Ice Beam."

Having been through the wash, Yaz couldn't have asked for anything better. "Congrats bro, from now on, you're called Ice Beam." The newly named Oddish looked up at him in horror. "Nah don't look like that. It's a great name."

It didn't look convinced. And Yaz couldn't blame it, really. "Think of it this way, you can call yourself Ice. Think of all the leafy the chicks you could pick up with that! You're gonna be rolling in the foliage before you know it." Finally, it grinned.

"Alright guys, let's keep moving. We've still got quite a way to go." The trainer eagerly told his companions, and they continued walking down the path towards Mt Moon.