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The Whirl Cup (T)

chapter one - The Road To Johto (part II)
Simon Silvester, Olivine City

When Simon walked down the hill, he saw some people closing in on the lab. But they didn't look like kids wanting to get their first pokémon... some were already holding pokémon in their arms or walking alongside them. He recognized some kids... oh... they were people from downtown who had come to see the new trainers set off. Figures.

He realized that he'd have to walk through the forming crowd to get back to Olivine. "Come here, Cinder," he said and took up the little pokémon in his arms to not let it be scared of the other people. Not that it was unused to people... thinking about it, he didn't really know why he did such a thing. That wasn't really gangster-like, to carry a tiny pokémon in his arms... but he wasn't a gangster no more. Right.

"Hey, look!" someone shouted when he reached the crowd of people. "It's a new trainer with... a Cyndaquil!"

People came closer while Simon, looking quite bothered, only tried to get past them. Suddenly, a little guy stood right in his way with a bitter look. He didn't seem to want to move. Simon sighed and turned to walk around the guy, but the boy moved!

"What?" Simon said, annoyed.

"You shall battle me!" the boy said.

Simon blinked and looked down on Cinder. Battle? He was completely new to this... he knew how trainers gave commands to pokémon since he had seen it before, but he didn't know the pokémon's moves or anything... maybe that pokédex trinket knew that though?

"Look, kid... I don't have time for that," he said, to make things simple.

"I am Luka! The best bug catcher in town!" the boy shouted so the whole crowd turned to look. "I am a better trainer than you weak noobs from the professor's lab! Bugs are the best and she doesn't give out bug pokémon, I know that! You are too weak to handle bugs! I will show that!"

'I can't believe this guy,' Simon thought. 'Are all trainers like this?'

"Right..." he said, looking down on Cinder in the morning light. Cinder yawned a little and blinked up at him. "Think you can work with me and win our first battle?" its trainer asked.

"Cynda!" the pokémon said. Simon had no clue of what that meant. "I'll just take it as a yes," he said and let the pokémon down onto the ground.

"You have never battled before? You shall then fail your first attempt!" the bug catcher Luka said and took a few steps back.

"I just got my pokémon..." Simon mumbled. Stupid boy.

"Watch... this! Come out, Weedle!" Luka said a threw forth a pokéball. The ball bounced on the ground and then let out an energy beam that quickly transformed into a worm pokémon with a horn on its head. The pokéball automatically bounced back up into Luka's hand. Cool.

"Huh," Simon said and took up his pokédex. Might as well try to use it. He pressed some buttons and stood there reading for a few seconds...

"HEY!" Luka shouted. "What are you doing? Battle!"

"I'm reading up. I'm ready now," Simon said and let out a smug smile. "Cinder, use Smokescreen."

"Wait!" Luka said, but Cinder performed the attack. It lighted up the fire on its back and blew out a black cloud of smoke that covered the crowd, making everyone cough and no one see anything.

"Weedle, spray String Shot until you find him!" Luka's voice came.

Weedle started firing its String Shot, but the only ones it hit were people in the crowd. They started shouting bad things to Luka and he blushed a little. "Ok, bad tactics, I admit. Weedle, stop! Use Poison Sting instead!"

Weedle turned into a tiny question mark. Use it on what? It didn't see anything. Suddenly though, someone was standing right beside him. Weedle was startled.

"As I thought," Simon said, still smiling. "Cyndaquil can see through its own smoke." He was standing next to Cinder, who had found his way up to Weedle in the dark cloud. But the cloud was quickly blowing away now, making the air less dense for every second.

"Cinder, Tackle!" Simon said, and Cinder rammed into the bug pokémon before it had the chance to react. It tumbled around on the ground.

"No!" Luka said, seeing it as the battlefield was clear from smoke by now. But Weedle got up again, looking angry. "That's it! Use String Shot again now!"

Weedle sprayed its String Shot onto Cinder, who squealed as it got covered by the icky strings. Its movement was greatly restricted now, as the bug had bound its feet and arms.

"Hahahha!" Luka laughed meanly. "Now you can't go anywhere! Weedle, POISON STING!"

The crowd gasped as the bug quickly moved in on the fire mouse pokémon, and Simon clenched his teeth at Cinder's side. He couldn't help the pokémon by trying to grab the String Shots and pull them off him... fire mouse... but Cinder could get them off by himself!

"Lighten the fire on your back, Cinder!" Simon shouted, taking a few steps back. "Now!"

Cinder blinked in his usual way and then fired up his back, just as Weedle's sting was about to make impact. The fire burned away the String Shot, releasing the mouse pokémon, and as a double effect it also burned the bug pokémon, making it miss its target.

The crowd let out a breath and cheered at the new trainer as Cinder decided to use a final Tackle on his own accord. It knocked out the Weedle. Simon started smiling again, feeling smug indeed.

Angered, Luka returned the pokémon to its pokéball. "How did you know its attacks? How did you know about the fire on its back? You're a rookie!"

"This," Simon said and waved the pokédex in front of Luka. "I just read up a little on our pokémon."

"That's cheating!"

"No... that's knowledge, stupid."

Luka's face was turning red, for several reasons. "It's not over yet!" he said, the crowd raising their eyebrows. "You don't think a veteran trainer would have only one pokémon, did you?"

Simon wrinkled his nose. 'I wouldn't call him "veteran", really...' he thought. The boy sent out another worm looking pokémon that Simon's pokédex identified as Caterpie.

"You're in for a real battle now, rookie," Luka said, smiling.

"With another worm? Sure."

"Caterpie, String Shot!" Luka called, and the Caterpie obeyed.

"Don't try the same trick twice," Simon said. "Keep your back fired up, Cinder!"

Cinder nodded and intensed the fire sprouting from his back. The String Shots melted when they tried to twist around the pokémon's body. But all of a sudden, Cinder was hit by a Tackle! Simon was surprised.

"You can't even keep your eyes on several things at a time!" Luka laughed. "What a rookie!"

Cinder got up again, not hurt badly. "Tackle it back!" Simon said.

But just then, Caterpie started glowing. It seemed like it transformed into a state of energy... and then it took another shape and materialized. It had evolved into another pokémon!

Luka cheered, and the crowd applauded. "I knew you would evolve soon, Caterpie!... I mean, Metapod!"

Simon took up the pokédex again. Metapod... very difficult to hit because of its great defense. Dang.

"Metapod, use String Shot!"

"You're trying to use the second tactics again?" Simon said. "Cinder, Tackle! Charge and let the String Shots burn out on the way!"

Luka's smile faded a little as Cinder ran past the String Shots and tackled Metapod. But the bug pokémon didn't budge yet. "Again!" Simon called out. And Cinder attacked again. And again. And again...

Eventually, Cinder was tired. Simon could see it clearly, and Luka could as well. "Haha! Metapod's defense is so great that it has barely moved from its spot while your Cyndaquil has run all over the place tiring itself!"

Simon thought hard. Even if Metapod's defense was great, it had to had taken some damage, hadn't it? And Cyndaquil had one more attack up its sleeve...

"Cinder, now you'll have to be fast..." he said, making sure that Cinder listened even though it was tired. "Leer!"

Cinder sent an intense glance at Metapod that made it gasp and become nervous for a short moment. "What's the matter with you now?" Luka asked it. "You've nearly won!"

"Leer again!" Simon said, and Cinder made another even worse glance at the bug cocoon, who became even more nervous.

"Metapod?" Luka said, and then seemed to realize that Cinder was attacking it in a strange way.

"Now, Tackle!" Simon shouted and Cinder shot forward, trying to be as fast as it could.

"No! Harden!" Luka shouted desperately... but too late. Cinder made impact and Metapod had apparently lowered its defenses, because it was visibly hurt by this last Tackle. It fell over and didn't try to stand up again. It was over.

The crowd cheered even more than before and Luka, teeth clenched, moved up to Metapod and took it into his arms. He didn't look at Simon.

Simon was a bit overwhelmed. What had just happened? Had he been fighting a trainer? And... won? The crowd around him and the proud looking pokémon at his feet seemed to implicate so, anyways. He smiled a little. Cool.

"Hey, kid..." Simon said before Luka could turn away. "Thanks for battling me. I learned a lot, I think."

Luka met his eyes, rather bitter. "Sure," he just said and walked away. No wonder. That proud little kid had just been defeated after boasting a lot. That must have hurt. Simon shrugged and went down to Cinder's level. "You're quite good," he said to it. "Looks like you got a few bruises. Let's go to the pokémon center. I've heard they can heal you there."

He took Cinder in his arms again and carried it away from the hill and the people, who were still chatting about the intense battle they had just witnessed.
 
Chapter One, Part 2: The Battle

Ryan happily walked out of the Pokemon Lab, in one hand his pokedex, in the other his Pokeball.

"Come on out Totodile!" Ryan said, as a beam of red light cascaded from the ball. The Totodile blinked a little bit, scratched its head, and then waddled over by Ryan's feet.

"Come on" Ryan said, as they walked down the path further.

"Now, what does the handbook say about you?" He said whipping out the trusty black machine.

Ryan took the book out of his bag and began to read. "A Big Jaw Pokémon. This alligator-like Pokémon stands on two legs. It has a small body but an impressive jaw that boasts potent bite power. It can do serious damage to someone even if it's just playing. Its tendency to chomp down on anything that moves in front of it means Trainers have to be extra cautious around it. When it levels up, it evolves into Croconaw."

"Wow, that's sure informative. One day we'll put that jaw to use." Ryan said smiling, and the Totodile crawled up Ryan and into his arms. Good thing he did too, because not too far ahead there was a group of trainers standing around.

"HEY YOU. YOU'RE MINE" A squeaky voice rang through the silence. A young girl ran forward. She had pink swirly pigtails and a red velvet dress. "I'm going to battle you, and I will wail against your little Totodile.

"Psh In your dreams" He retorted. "Totodile may look tiny, but shes incredibly strong!"

"We'll see about that" She grabbed a pokeball off of her belt. "Go Vulpix!" She threw the pokeball, and out of it appeared a little fox like pokemon. The pokeball flew back into the girls hand.

"I am Luana, and this is Vulpix. Prepare to lose." She said smirking.

Ryan whipped out his handbook once again and flipped through to find Vulpix.

"Vulpix, a Fire Type Fox Pokémon. Its six tails are extremely beautiful. As it evolves, it grows even more tails."

"Hahaha Fire Type, see thats what you're downfall is going to be Luana." Ryan said.

"Alright Totodile, start this off with----" Ryan began to say but Luana cut him off.

"VULPIX USE EMBER" Little bits of bright burning embers shot straight at Totodile, but Ryan saw them coming.

"Totodile use Watergun on the embers to create steam!" A burst of controlled water burst from Totodiles mouth and at the embers. Then Totodile disappeared within the steam.

"But, but, where did you go!" Luana shrieked.

"Totodile use scratch repeatedly!" Ryan screamed

"Oh no you dont." Luana smiled "Vulpix, use Tail Whip. The smoke quickly was blown away, but Totodile had gotten a few hits in.

"Totodile, use Leer!" Totodile glared at Vulpix, and Vulpix had no chance.

"Totodile use Water Gun!" A spout of water slammed right into Vulpix, leaving her very weakened.

"Its ok Vulpix, we can get through this. Use Roar and then ember!" The little Vulpix now seemed much more fierce then it previously had been as its Roar rang through the air. Then, ember shot through the air so powerful and at such a speed that Totodile had no time to dodge and it was a direct hit. The smoke cleared, and Totodile was still alright. The Ember, although powerful, had not done much damage.

"Alright lets end this now Totodile! Use Water Gun!" The Spout of water flew through the air and hit Vulpix, a direct hit. The smoke cleared and Vulpix was down for the count.

"But, but How! I'm top of my class at Pokemon Tech!" Luana said , tears coming to her eyes.

"This is the real world honey, not some classroom. Now lets get that Vulpix to a Pokemon Center." he said as they walked down the path.
 
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Skarmory touched down on the sandy beach, allowing me to climb off his back with ease. A part of me wondered why Mother did not nickname her Pokemon; it seemed like her way of doing things normally. She nicknamed many things after all. Things, what a bizarre word that was. It seemed so vague. Putting the subject of words and their oddities out of my mind, I patted Skarmory's steely wings with a tiny smile. Skarmory made a coo like bells, the fierce look as adoring as ever. IT was hard to believe the Steel flier was so ferocious in battle.

"I may catch a Pokemon like you," I told her. She cooed again, nipping my ear as lightly as she dared. Skarmory was incredibly intelligent, not quite as smart as that odd one my father had from another region... Metagross? Was that what it was called? It certainly sounded right... regardless, the creature had the intelligence of four supercomputers. I stepped away from Skarmory now, letting her spread her wings and fly away from me. I bowed my head slightly and walked from the beach toward Olivine City. The salty air was strange yet gentle on my tongue. I passed a building not too far from the beach and paused. Perhaps this was the lab... it was the only actual building in the area.

I shook myself a bit nervously, hearing the sound of birds above my ears. "It will be all right Ryn," I said to myself. This was my only chance at receiving a Pokemon. So I had to stop worrying it and take a leap of faith as the stories say. I clutched the strap of my violin case for a moment and knocked on the door of the building, forcing a tight, wary smile onto my face. That was how it should be; friendly yet witholding judgment.

A woman dressed in white with brown pigtails opened the door. Something about her seemed rather regal and unbending, like a queen to battle. She smiled at me, trying to look me in the eyes despite my clear avoidance of the expression. I recognized her after a moment as Jasmine, the Olivine Gym Leader. "You're one of the new trainers," she began softly. "Aren't you?"

I nodded quietly. "Yes ma'am. My name is Coryn and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Jasmine."

The woman blinked for a moment before a slow smile passed over her face. "Nice to meet you too. Now the professor is waiting. Please come this way." I nodded obediently, nudging my backpack more. The professor was examining her Pokeballs carefully. She looked more toward a surfer stereotype than a professor, which made me relax a little more. Unfortunately I could not recall her name, causing me to hesitate in my speech. I am certain Father will be amused at that.

"I am sorry for interrupting you Miss..."

The woman looked up with a smile that if not kept in check would grow and brighten enough toe eclipse the sun. "Woods," she replied lightly, brushing her auburn hair away from her face. "Professor Woods. And you must be Coryn. Welcome to the world of Pokemon Training."

"Thank you," I replied quietly. She beckoned me forward and I went to the computer.

"This form is for your trainer card," she told me, stepping away. "I'll be back shortly with your Pokemon and essentials." The profesor left my vision and I focused on typing, making a few errors. I know the basics of a computer but I am not probably as efficient as I ought to be. She returned moments later with two small books, five shrunken spheres, and a small black handheld that had to be a Pokedex. She examined my form and nodded, printing my card for me to take.

"Now, here you are. You chose Cyndaquil, am I right?"

"Yes ma'am," I parroted and she chuckled a little, somehow amused by my formality instead of turned away.

"Then it's time for that wonderful moment: when trainer and Pokemon meet!" I could almost feel the contained excitement in her voice. She opened the ball and released the echidna, who shook itself, blue and cream-colored fur poofing with the movement. "Are you going to give this little guy a nickname?" I noted her looser emotions now and did smile.

"Yes, his name is Tory." The Cyndaquil looked around, evidently confused by who spoke. It settled its snout on me, sniffing a little, then trotted over, squealing curiously. "Hello there Tory," I greeted, letting him sniff my hand. He paused, squeaked and sniffed, then seemed to nod, trying to climb up my pant leg and failing. Almost chuckling, i picked him up with one arm, taking his POkeball from the professor. "Thank you so much," I told her sincerely.

She just beamed. "No problem! Everything's there for you. Good luck, have fun, and win it all!" I just shook my head and left the lab, nodding a farewell to Jasmine. I almost didn't want to leave the building. It was so peaceful...

(I AM NOT DEAD! Just busy! XD I'll add the battle to this post... unless Breezy beats me to it. :D)
 
The Road to Johto
Chapter 1, Part 1:​

Leon stepped outside the taxi amidst a large crowd that had gathered outside Professor Woods' lab. He had to shield his eyes form the coastal sun, and flared his nostrils upon recognizing the smell of salt in the air. It's incredible how much your reaction to things can change once your body gets used or unaccustomed to them.

Shouldering his way through the large horde of onlookers, Leon stepped up to the door only to double back and retrieve the backpack he'd left in the cab before walking into the lab. He noticed he had clammy hands even though the air felt fresh, and his clumsiness also gave away the level of his nervousness. Although he attempted to walk in solemn and dignified, it is hard to hide one's expectations after waiting a whole decade for this time.

Inside, Professor Woods and Jasmine cut short their conversation, looking up at the future Pokémon trainer.

"Umm… Hi." Leon started as he felt a knot of nerves forming in his throat. "My name is Leon; Leon Reed. I'm, uh, here because of the Whirl Cup?" He noticed that his final statement sounded more like question than, well, a statement, but at this point what could he do about that? If only he had the power to 'soft reset' life…

"Mr. Reed! Of course, we've been expecting you!" The lady with the white lab coat began as she got up. "Please, do follow me."

Leon nodded and did as he was bid, and he was led towards a garden, where a group of Pokémon were prancing about "These are the Pokémon starters that will be available for you to pick." She started to explain, "They're all rare Pokémon native to Johto. There's Chikorita, the leaf Pokémon and the big jaw Pokémon Totodile. Unfortunately, other trainers have already taken the two Cyndaquils I had, but please, pick whichever you prefer." At this point, Prof. Woods stepped to the side, allowing Leon to step up.

Leon was fascinated by the Pokémon, they all looked so… excited, and they'd come up trying to impress the trainer, probably to be picked next. Leon did notice that there was only one Totodile left, as opposed to the Chikoritas, but to be honest, he had never been good with Grass-types… allergies.

Swiftly, Leon pointed towards the blue reptile. "I'll take that one." He said convincingly. Prof. Woods only seemed to nod as she gave him the Poké Ball that belonged to the Water-type.

"Press that button in order to recall it. Have you thought of a nickname for him?"

Leon looked at the professor a bit puzzled. "We only just met." He stated, scratching his head.

"Of course, you'll want to get to know him. Please." She continued as she led him back into the lab. "You'll have to fill this form for your trainer I.D." She also brought out and gave him a pamphlet with details concerning the Whirl Cup and a guidebook of Pokémon, as well as five Poké Balls. But as soon as Leon thought he was finally ready to leave…

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Prof. Woods said as she bid halt to the new trainer. "This is Jasmine. You may be familiar with her, she's the Olivine City Gym Leader."

Leon turned around, facing the Gym Leader. Meeting women had always been sort of complicated for Leon, being shy as he was, but standing there, facing the Olivine Gym Leader eye-to-eye. Even her beauty couldn't faze him. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He said rather blandly.

"The pleasure's all mine." Jasmine retorted with a smile.

"I aim to become the first Whirl Cup Pokémon Champion. If I haven't obtained five badges by the time we meet, well, you'll have to forgive me then."

Leon turned and walked off. Somehow, he knew he wanted nothing to do conversing with a Gym Leader; they'd be his obstacles soon enough. Wherever the courage came to tell her off like that, however… that he didn't know.​
 
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@Red's Hawt Chibi Pelippers: Weak noobs from the professor's lab > I laughed so hard hahahahaaha. Good progress, great battle! Cinder learnt Ember!

@RyanRoksXD: Your battle with Luana was a bit on the short side but you made up for it by using Totodile's attacks effectively in battle, that was good to see. Totodile learnt Rage!

@Fuyu: I was wondering where you had got to :D Great post! Coryn received a Cyndaquil!

@Drunk: Yay! More posts! That was great, Leon received a Totodile!
 
Chapter 1 Part 1

I was inside the little cottage that sat on top of the beach. It was a lab. Many machines flashed their multicolor lights in my face as if they were trying to say: "Ha, we're machines! We are totally better than you!" This was assuming that computers and other machines could live, breathe, feel emotion, and communicate without all the zeroes and ones.

Prof. Wood was a short little girl. She was unnaturally thin and this coupled with her shortness made it hard to believe that she was an adult. Her large eyes tired eyes were covered by her thin glasses and her hair was in a messy bun. Her choice of clothes were a thin strapped top, shorts, nonslip water shoes, and over her top was a lab coat.

When she had first opened her door, she was studying me slightly. She opened her mouth and started, "And you are?", but then she stopped and looked at the box and the envelop I was holding and then ushered me inside. I walked in and she led me further into the cottage/lab. There were a lot of tables, machines, and computers. There was an array of clipboards hanging on the wall as well. One thing, no someone, had caught my eye and struck fear into my body.

It was Jasmine, the gym leader of Olivine.

She didn't remember me did she? She won't remind me of my failure? Would she call me out that it was my fault that all my pokemon died because of my stupidity and overconfidence?

She stayed silent, thank goodness.

"Here's your chocolate," I said trying to fill the silence and handing her the box of chocolate, "Oh and my uncle game me this envelope to give to you."

Prof. Wood had stared at the box and the envelope. She gave the box to Jasmine and then she opened the envelope. I turned around and planned to walk out of the lab, but I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Tristan, you can't leave yet," Prof. Wood said.

I turned around, "Why?"

There was silence that signaled in tension to fill the room, "You have to receive your pokemon for the World Cup."

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"You need to receive your pokemon for the Whirl Cup," She replied slowly, knowing she was treading on dangerous waters.

"No," I mumbled before I broke into a sprint towards the door. I grabbed the knob and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. Fear was running through my body as I tried to shake the door open, "Let me out!"

"Please let me out!" I screamed once more.

"Calm down Tristan," Prof. Wood told me.

"I never signed up for this," I muttered weakly, "Please let me out."

"I know you didn't," Prof. Wood revealed, "your parents and I arranged this."

The world froze.

"What?"

"Your fathers told me of your situation," Prof. Wood explained, "They were very worried and they thought this would be the best for you. I happen to agree."

Something hit me.

"That's how you know my name?"

Prof. Wood looked down in response.

"Then you know the gist of it. You know why you have to let me go," I responded to her silence, "If… if one of these pokemon are to be in my care then… they'll die."
Silence.

"I'll kill them…" I muttered.

"You will not!" It was Jasmine, the first thing she said when I seen her here.
I shook my head.

"It was just a mistake and everyone learns from mistakes," Jasmine explained.

"I killed them how is that a mistake?!" I cried, falling to my knees, "Spare the others and let me leave!"

"I can't do that," Prof. Wood, "If you won't do it for yourself, do it for your fathers. They love and care about you. Do it for them."

"They shouldn't even…" I stopped before forcing out a different response, "Fine…"

"Good," Prof. Wood nodded. She reached into her coat pocket and held an id card and five pokeballs, "You'll need these."

She left them by my feet and then went to the back off the cottage. She came back and then said, "Your parents sent your back of supplies over."

She handed me my old messenger bag and then held out a guide book, "The rules of the cup force me to give this to you even if you're experienced."

She placed this on the floor, waiting for me to put everything in my bag. I didn't and she continued with a sigh.

"And here's your starter," She said. She plucked a pokeball from her pocket and pressed the tiny button in the middle. The ball expanded and then spat up a white light which unveiled to be a Chikorita, one of the known starter pokemon in Johto.

The Chikorita looked at me curiously at my defeated state. I didn't look back. The Chikorita got close to me and then nudge me with its head. I didn't look at it or get happier. The pokemon nudged again and again until it got me to look at her with my empty eyes.

"This is the only available starter I have left," Prof. Wood said and then handed me the letter I gave her, "This'll explain the rules you should read them."

I left hours later with a Chikorita by my side.
 
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To those who have posted already, I wasn't sure whether to address this or not since two of you have included it in your posts, but Professor Woods did not give you a Pokedex. She gave you a guidebook. A book. Non-electronic. A book to flick through that has information on the various Pokemon you may encounter. Please edit your posts and please read all the information that is given before sitting down to write your post.

@First Snow: A dramatic start, the poor guy. Good post! Tristan received Chikorita.
 
The Road to Johto
Chapter 1, Part 2:​

As Leon walked away from Prof. Woods' Lab, he began to feel a low rumbling and pain in his stomach; it was sort of like the Butterfrees, but he would have more likely called them Beedrills; angry Beedrills.

Why did he say that to Jasmine? Couldn't he have just complimented her hair, or her dress, or the way she smelled? Leon had to look down and think about something else to get rid of the sudden redness on his face.

As he turned around, he noticed that some of the people who'd gathered at the foot of the lab had begun to follow him. 'What do they want?' He thought to himself helplessly. But he decided to ignore them and continue walking straight, south, towards the beach. Why the beach? Oh yeah, Cianwood. He hadn't been home in over eight years. He hadn't even seen the island in that lapse of time.

Leon took off his shoes, walked toward the shoreline, took a deep breath of the salty breeze, and let the waves wash his feet. As he glimpsed off into the ocean, he could make out the outline of the Whirl Islands, and off to the west… Cianwood City. The nostalgia pushed a tear from his eye, which the wind kissed, moistening up his cheek. He thought of all the people he'd known, his friends, who were likely to be fishermen or Safari custodians by now… or was the Safari Zone even open still? Prof. Bowen, was he still living there, or had he moved elsewhere to continue his research? Leon seemed to remember him saying something along the lines of going to Kanto to the Pokémon Reserve. Leon also wondered if Chuck was even the Gym Leader anymore… eight years could be a long, long time. Finally however, the constant murmuring behind him got to his nerves, and he turned around. "What do y'all want?" He demanded.

Behind him, a group of kids had formed. Leon thought he recognized some from the lab, but he could tell more people had joined them on the way to the beach… and by people, he meant kids; he couldn't see anyone older than twelve in the group.

Nervously, one of the kids stepped forward from the group. Leon could hear the urging whispers behind him: "Go get him." "You got this." "Just do it."

The kid, who seemed to be the shortest of the group, was clutching a Poké Ball in his hands. "I ch-ch-challenge you!" He said as he managed to muster his words.

Leon could see the excitement of the crowd, but considering the nervousness of the kid, simply imagined they were bullying him into it. That, plus the fact that he had never actually battled Pokémon before, or even gotten to know his starter added up in his head for a rotund "No."

"What?" "Boo!" "What a joke!" "DO IT!!!" The kid was noticeably distraught at the answer, but it was all the jeering that was really pushing Leon's buttons. He tried to walk away, but the gang of children simply continued to follow him and insult him. SERIOUSLY. Leon didn't even know half of the insults they were using at their age. 'Freaking kids'.

…

"Okay!" Leon finally snapped, turning around similarly to how the jeering turned to cheering. "Let's do it." He said as he brought out his Poké Ball and released:

"Totodile!" His Pokémon seemed to be in high spirits, and kept jumping up and down while pedaling in the air and screaming his name.

Although by no means a physical specimen, even by Totodile standards, Leon's opponent seemed to lose even more of his battle confidence. "Come on Marrick!" the crowd started, "Battle!" "Yeah!" "Cool!" and "Ooh, you have no chance with your Pokémon."

…Honestly, the guiltless little goblins!

Finally, Marrick pressed the button in his Poké Ball, and pushed his hat back in an amazingly clichéd manner. "Go, Mr. Meow!"

"Meowth!" the Pokémon meowed upon coming out of the Poké Ball, looking to purr along his trainer's legs.

"Not now Mr. Meow," Marrick urged it. "It's battle time!"

Although the Pokémon didn't seem very excited at the prospect, it was neither Leon nor Marrick's place to stop the battle now… it had begun.

"Totodile, charge!"

"Tooo-to-to-to-to-to…" Totodile screamed, as he charged at the Meowth with an outheld hand, ready to scratch the ever-living snot out of him.

"You know what to do Mr. Meow…" Marrick yelled, and when Totodile had begun swinging at his Pokémon, the Meowth simply ducked under, and sweeped the legs from under Totodile, making the Water-type fall face forward and eat a handful of dirt. "Good Fake Out! Now Scratch him!" The Meowth did as he was bid, and dug his claws deep into Totodile's snout.

"To-to-to!" Leon's Pokémon screamed as he tried covering up.

"Get out of there Totodile!" Leon found himself screaming. Damn, he hadn't had time to ever train his Pokémon, and Marrick obviously knew how to handle his Meowth. However, Leon was knowledgeable about Water-types, and he did know the most basic of all Water-type attacks: "Keep your distance with a Water Gun!"

"To-toooo!" His Pokémon screamed as he lunged himself away, shooting several streams of water at his opponent. His aim was horrible, but he did hit the mark once or twice.

"Meowth!" Marrick's Pokémon screamed as it shook the water off and begun rolling in the beach sand.

The crowd's "oohs" and "aahs" kept becoming louder, but with every passing second, Leon became less and less aware of their presence. To him, the only people were Marrick and himself, and the only important thing in the world was the present battle.

"Come on Mr. Meow, close the distance and Bite him!" Meowth shot himself at the Water-type, but Leon would not allow that to happen…

"Don't let him Totodile! Use another Water Gun to keep him off!"

Totodile did as he was bid, and caught Meowth full-on in the mouth with a powerful stream of water, but the opposing Pokémon did not let up and caught Totodile with a couple of Scratches to the ribs.

"Good job, Mr. Meow, keep it up!"

"Don't let him Totodile…" and suddenly coming to a realization he said: "Buy me some time here!"

Totodile met Mr. Meow's claws mid-strike quickly with his own paws, and intertwining their fingers together, brought the battle to a sudden halt. Suddenly, the two Pokémon were trying to overpower the other with pure strength… a matchup that Totodile should've easily won.

"Don't let him get his way Mr. Meow! Use Growl!"

'Damn him!' Leon thought. Even though Marrick had looked extremely shy, and weak at first sight, this was quickly proving to be a too strong of a mismatch against a beginner like Leon. He had brought out his guidebook however, and right about now he was furiously flipping through the pages until he found what he'd been looking for… "Totodile! Use Leer!"

Totodile gave Mr. Meow a sort of glare with his eyes, but the Meowth's constant purring had somehow lowered his will to fight, and Mr. Meow easily overpowered him, shooting him backwards.

"Good job Mr. Meow! Now! Use Bite!"

The Meowth lunged himself at Totodile once more, mouth open and Leon knew that the time was now or never. "Totodile catch him with a Water Gun… NOW!"

Unfortunately, Marrick had been expecting that, and so had Mr. Meow. "Fall back Mr. Meow… and pounce again, NOW!"

Elegantly to a fault, Marrick's Meowth bent down avoiding the Water Gun just barely, and shot up once more at the Big Jaw Pokémon, catching the back of his neck in his jaws.

"Get him off of you Totodile, use Scratch!" Leon pleaded, but it was too late.

Totodile looked up towards his trainer helpless. "To… to…" and with a sigh drifted into unconsciousness. The match was over, Marrick had won.
​
 
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@drunk: I thoroughly enjoyed your post, great job! Totodile learnt Rage

@Fuyu & First Snow: I'm posting the second chapter but just be aware you still have a battle to complete :)

Chapter 2: It All Comes Down To One Pokeball​

Posts: 1-3

So, you've got your Pokemon huh? Congrats! You are now one step closer to becoming eligible to enter the Whirl Cup! Lets get things straight though, you've got a long road ahead of you. Firstly, badges are needed to enter the cup. The most logical choice is to head straight towards the closest gym - Ecruteak City! But hang on, you'll need to build up your team before you do anything else! It looks like a storm is covering this area of Johto too.. I hope you packed a rain jacket!

Location: Olivine City and Routes 37 & 38
With the storm coming in, Olivine City is brimming with light from the Glitter Lighthouse. The Routes however seem far more sinister than they truly are. Despite the majority of these routes being grassy fields, the significant tree line should be more than enough to help shelter you from the weather. At some point you may come across the MooMoo Farm, famous for the milk produced from their many herds of Miltank. Don't bother trying to shelter here however, the owners are having a hard time trying to keep all the Miltank safe from the weather! Maybe you could help them out?

To Do List:
Looks like you'll have to weigh up your options! There's the big storm heading in, other contestants may already be starting to catch Pokemon whilst you only have your starter and you need to make it to Ecruteak City. You have the option to either:
- Hang around Olivine City until the storm passes, surely there's gotta be something around here! (GM will let you know if and when the storm passes over).
- Head out onto the route despite gale force winds and belting rain. You need to locate some Pokemon, right?​

Main Event: Attempt to capture a Pokemon!
The rarer the Pokemon, the harder it is to capture. A great post will be needed to capture the Pokemon specified as 'rare' or 'very rare' in this area. If you miss the Pokemon the first time, you will get one more shot at it before it flees. There are two areas for you to search, depending on whether or not you stay or leave Olivine.

Olivine City Areas (Beachfront/Warf)

"image removed"
Tentacool
Poison Sting, Super Sonic, Constrict
Very Common
*pokemonelite2000 image removed*
Krabby
Mud Sport, Bubble, Vicegrip
Common
"image removed"
Voltorb
Tackle, Charge, Sonic Boom
Rare
*pokemonelite2000 image removed*
Corsola
Tackle, Harden, Bubble
Rare​

Route 38 & 39

*pokemonelite2000 image removed*
Pidgey
Tackle, Sand Attack
Very Common
"image removed"
Spearow
Peck, Sand Attack
Common
*pokemonelite2000 image removed*
Shinx
Tackle, Leer,
Rare
*pokemonelite2000 image removed*
Growlithe
Bite, Roar, Ember
Rare
"image removed"
Plusle
Thunderwave, Growl, Quick Attack
Very Rare
"image removed"
Stantler
Tackle, Leer, Astonish
Very Rare​

Special Optional Side Quest:
1. Leon (Drunk's character) and Simon (Red's character) must end up at the MooMoo Farm and attempt to help the owners round up the Miltank that have gone astray in the storm. If you include this in your attempt to reach Ecruteak City, you will be handsomely rewarded for your efforts! (Both these characters may want to team up for this challenge? You don't have to however.)
2. Due to the harsh circumstances regarding the storm, you may very well not be able to catch any Pokemon at all. Whilst your character may be behind upon arriving to Ecruteak, you will have made it safely, instead of going out of your way to try and find a Pokemon hiding away. You will ofcourse be rewarded for your patience when you get to Ecruteak.

Outcome: End up finally reaching Ecruteak City! You can take shelter in the Pokemon Center if you wish.
 
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Chapter 2: It All Comes Down To One Pokeball

Part One: The Storm

Ryan walked side by side with Luana down the road towards the town of Olivine. Ryan hadn't realized how far away he truly was from town, when he was arriving the lab seemed like it was right around the corner from the town center. Now after a half an hour of walking he knew his excitement had skewed his judgement of time.

"So.........." Ryan said attempting to start a conversation. "What's Pokemon Tech like?" The road seemed to be getting more and more trodden on, hopefully that meant they were close,

"Difficult, I don't even really want to be there. But my mom used to be a trainer and she said its a "fulfilling and fun experience" " She said air quoting unenthusiastically.

"Well if you don't want to be a Pokemon trainer what do you want to be?" Ryan asked. He had always thought that everyone wanted to be a pokemon trainer. He was mistaken.

"Well, I wanna be a beautician. You know. Work in a salon, cut peoples hair, maybe even paint their nails. I've always wanted to do it, but I've just never been able to. Not with my mom nagging me anyway." Luana said, becoming suddenly quiet. Ryan thought about his dreams and goals, and he contemplated on how lucky he was. How lucky he was to not be stuck on that farm for the rest of his life. Sure he loved the lifestyle, but his calling was to be a Pokemon trainer.

"Is your Vulpix going to be okay until we get to the Pokemon Center?" Ryan asked, looking at the Pokemon in her arms, deep in slumber.

"Yeah I think she'll be fine" Luana said quietly. The two trainers quietly walked down the road, and nature began to work. The winds began to pick up, blowing nasty clouds towards them. The sky began to turn black, and trees were swaying almost like they were under a spell. It was hard to walk in a straight line anymore

"Luana! We need to find shelter! We can hide in that dead tree ahead!" Ryan shouted. The two grabbed onto each other and trekked on to the stump, where the wind couldn't affect them. The two huddled together for warmth, but it was no use.

"Well at least it isn't raining, that would be a----" And almost like clockwork, it began to rain. This was no normal rain, it pounded against the hollow tree trunk, and sounded like a drum. Ryan looked around his dark, cold, and almost cave like surroundings. It was slightly damp, but he found a patch of ground that could serve as decent kindling. He also grabbed to stones that looked like they could be used to make a spark. He looked around, hoping to find some twigs, SOMETHING that he could make a fire with. He finally decided that Totodile would have to help him.

"Totodile, come on out!" Ryan exclaimed as red light cascaded from the Pokeball, like it always did.

"Im gonna need you to scratch the walls of this tree and get some wood for a fire!" Ryan said, and Totodile began to scratch away.

"Luana, do you have potions, oran berries, anything? Were gonna need to bring Vulpix back to health by ourselves, and if shes healthy enough maybe she can use ember." Ryan said, peaking a look outside of the trunk. It didn't look any better than it had when they hid. It actually looked worse. The storm waged on.

"No, I used my last potions in a battle I had right before I battled you, is Vulpix going to be okay?" Luana asked, suddenly worried.

"She won't be if shes fainted any longer, are you sure you don't have anything that could be used to heal her? Ryan asked

"Well I might have one Oran berry in my bag, but I doubt it would work, its quite old." Luana said, trying to bring up her strength.

"That might do, try to find it. I'll be right back, I'm going to see if I can find anything that we can use to heal her. When I worked on the farm you could usually find some herbs to give to Tauros to raise their strength when they were plowing" Ryan said as he grabbed his coat and ran outside of the trunk. Immediately he knew he was not dressed properly for the onslaught of rain and wind.

"TOTODILE!" And his faithful companion came running to his side, and she was ready to fight if need be. They scavenged all throughout the miniature line of trees, hoping to find some kind of herb or berry that could save Vulpix, but there was nothing to be seen. He trekked on, and so did Totodile. Finally, a bush came into sight, covered with bright blue oran berries. As they approached it, a small growling sound was heard. Ryan quickly turned around to find a small orange pokemon. He grabbed his book from his coat pocket and began to read.

"Growlithe the puppy pokemon. It has bright orange fur with black stripes. Its belly, tail, and fluff on top of its head are a cream color. Unlike its evolution, Growlithe has two claws on its forefeet, and its paw pads are brown. It has a brave and trustworthy nature. It fearlessly stands up to bigger and stronger foes."

"Well obviously, its standing up to me, and I'm huge." Ryan thought, taking a good look at the pokemon. He was shaking, becase he was most obviously cold. He was also suspending one of his legs into the air, and was limping.

"Oh come here boy, let me fix that leg for you" Ryan said as he moved closer to the tiny Pokemon. Growlithe barked and tried to bite Ryan's hand, but then he whimpered in pain at his leg, and Ryan saw blood. Ryan then devised a plan. He would battle Growlithe, who was already in a weak state, and catch it. He would then use it to set fire the to fireplace he had set up before, and Vulpix would be healed by the fire as well. This plan would work.

"Alright, do you want a battle? I'll give you a battle. Come on Totodile, lets show this Growlithe how to do it." Totodile waddled out in front of Ryan, and Ryan instantly noticed that Totodile was powered up from the rain that was falling.

"Alright lets get this thing rolling, Totodile use water gun!" The spout of water flew from Totodiles mouth, but Ryan had underestimated Growlithes abilities. Even if his leg was hurt, Growlithe was incredibly fast. The puppy Pokemon dodged it with ease.

Growlithe had some moves of it own. Its mouth suddenly became a ball of flames. Ryan could almost feel the heat. It shot an ember at Totodile, and she was ready to dodge it, but by the time it reached her the once scary flames had turned into steam. Growlithe was angered by this, but did not let it affect him. He used his ultra speed to sink his teeth into Totodile. She screamed, this attack had beem a direct hit. He kept biting and dwindled down Toti's HP.

"Come on Totodile, just a few more hits" Ryan thought, He knew she would last, as she was a strong pokemon. Ryan had waited long enough, Growlithe was now comfortable and thought Totodile couldn't do anything. He was mistaken.

"Totodile use watergun!" It was a direct hit, and Growlithe yelped, skidding across the wet, muddy ground.

"Totodile keep on using watergun!" But this did nothing, Growlithes second of vulnerability was over. He was too fast. Totodile had to speed up her attacks...

"Alright then, that isn't going to work. Well......... Totodile, run up the trees and keep shooting Water Gun until it hits him!" Totodile jumped up and began to shoot Water Gun as if she was a machine, she almost resembled a machine gun. It looked like no use, but on the last shot, it shot straight at his bad lag. Growlithe cried out in anguish, and he doubled over on the ground. Ryan smirked.

"Totodile, now jump down and use rage!" The small blue pokemon became a flash, hitting the Growlithe over and over again, each hit becoming stronger and stronger.

But suddenly, Growlithe felt a sudden strength, and a Roar emitted from his mouth. He bit Totodile and threw her from his side. This battle was not over yet. Growlithe ran at Totodile, and in close contact, used Ember. Making it a direct hit. But luckily, although it was powerful, it didn't do much damage to the water type. But they still had that mean bite to look out for, especially now that Growlithe was powered up. Growlithe lunged for Totodile but Ryan was quick to counterattack.

"Totodile, use Rage and keep it coming until I say stop!" Totodile flew through the air, and Growlithe and Totodile collided, making a huge blast in the small forest. When the smoke cleared, Totodile received the upperhand. He kept attacking and attacking, the move rising in power every time it was used, and Growlithe became weaker and weaker. It was time.

"Totodile stop attacking! Go Pokeball!" The small ball flew threw the air and swallowed the Growlithe whole. It began to shake, now let the waiting begin.
 
@Ryan: I loved your post! Bringing Luana into it was an innovative idea! I didn't plan for those characters to remain in the RP but I'm so glad you used her! Ryan caught a Growlithe! (Male)
 
chapter two - It All Comes Down To One Pokéball (part I)
Simon Silvester, Olivine City​

Simon took his pokémon to the pokémon center and healed him. After that, he went back out and thought about finally leaving Olivine. But he overheard people in the pokémon center speaking about a storm that was coming. Maybe it wouldn't be good to leave town before it had blown over... Somehow, he longed for more interesting things than hanging around Olivine City though. Storms were interesting, even though he knew they were rather dangerous.

He went down to the beach to see the storm come. That was a beautiful sight. It moved in from the sea, the dark clouds crackling with lightning now and then. The wind was getting stronger as well. Simon smiled darkly. Soon it would be here. He silently hoped that his old gang would be out doing mischief and get caught in the heavy rain.

As he stood there in the sand, he noticed that pokémon were moving around restlessly on the beach some ways away. There were Voltorbs who had come out from the harbor storage halls where they usually lived, to gather on the pier and enjoy the electrical air. There were Tentacools that popped their big heads out of the water to scout for what was making the sea so uncalm. And closer to Simon on the sand, crabs were running around, seemingly quarreling. The weather didn't just make humans nervous, apparently.

Simon got an idea. These were pokémon and he was becoming a pokémon trainer, wasn't he? He should catch one. There was just one problem... he looked down at the pokéball in his hand. Cinder was a fire pokémon and something told him that the little mouse wouldn't like moving out onto the pier above the water to battle Voltorbs or swim out into the water to battle Tentacools. So he would try to capture a Krabby, since they were on the beach close to him. He let Cinder out.

"Hi there," he said to the pokémon as it materialized. It looked up at him. "You feeling better?" Cinder nodded. "Good. I was thinking we'd get you a buddy. What do you say about these Krabbys? See anyone you'd like to be friends with?"

He realized all of a sudden that he was speaking to Cinder as if to a little child, and shook his head. Why was he acting like this around the cute mouse pokémon?

Cinder watched the warring Krabbys for a while and soon pointed at one of them. It was pretty small and didn't run around as much as the others. "You sure?" Simon said, raising an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we try to take one that looks a bit stronger?" Cinder simply shook his head. "Oh, fine. Well, let's challenge it!"

They approached the Krabby, feeling the wind power up around them and making dry sand rise and swirl here and there. The Krabby, who was standing a few meter away from another pair that was arguing about something, didn't notice them until they were pretty close.

"Hello," Simon said with a sneaky smile. "This is your lucky day, Krabby. We challenge you to a battle."

Krabby blinked at them. It seemed to be the rather oblivious type. "Uh... well, not the reaction I'd hoped for, but... let's battle, Cinder. Use Ember!"

The Cyndaquil blew out shots of embers at the crab and burned it. It ducked under its claws and finally seemed to get pumped up. It retaliated with a Bubble attack that prickled Cinder and made him squeal.

"Uh, water maybe isn't nice for you..." Simon said, Cinder giving him a look that confirmed that. "Well, use Smokescreen and make a sneak attack!"

Cinder blew out a smokescreen... but it faded quickly in the strong wind. "No use," Simon sighed. "Well, simply use Tackle then!" Cinder obliged and crashed into Krabby hard. "Again!" Cinder turned around, but had to duck from Krabby's huge claw that was swung towards him. "Watch out for those Vicegrips! You don't want to get caught," Simon said. The Cyndaquil jumped to avoid them and Tackled Krabby again. Then he got hit by a claw and was pushed away, rolling in the sand. Krabby closed in, thinking it should snap Cyndaquil in halves with his claws, but Simon thought otherwise. "Ember in its face, now!" Cinder surprised the Krabby and carried out the order. Krabby got badly struck and after a finishing Tackle from Cinder, it fell down into the sand, pumped out.

"Well done," Simon said, smiling to Cinder, who seemed really tired again. "I promise I'll let you rest for a little while now." He returned the tired pokémon into its pokéball and took out an empty one, facing the defeated Krabby. "Now... let's add you to my team."

He threw the pokéball towards Krabby, hoping to catch it...


((OOC: I made him know the names of the local pokémon... and the attacks. I can't have him flip through a guidebook every time he wants to look up an attack :/ I'll just assume that he understands what kind of attack it is and gives it a name. ))
 
It All Comes Down To One Poké Ball
Chapter 2, Part 1:​

Leon stood in disbelief for a good moment. The match was over, but… How could he have lost? Had it been his fault, or was his Totodile simply the weaker Pokémon? Leon had assumed that a quick match would appease the children, but he hadn't even considered the possibility that it might be him coming out as the loser. And losing… it felt horrible.

On his knees, he cradled his Pokémon in his arms before recalling him into his Poké Ball. How could he become the Whirl Cup champion after losing to a kid who was still a baby back when he was originally supposed to become a trainer? There were so many doubts in Leon's mind, that he didn't notice that most of the children had left or that his opponent was now standing before him.

"Good match." Marrick said extending a hand to Leon. Leon clutched it, but noticed that the younger kid wouldn't be able to pull him up, so the gesture only made it harder for him to rise to his feet, although he didn't complain.

"Yeah." He responded absent-mindedly once he was up. "You too." He was at a loss for words. "Your Meowth… Mr. Meow… he's strong."

Marrick chuckled. "Not nearly as strong as your Totodile, you had me in real trouble for a bit there…" Was Marrick right? Was Leon simply the worse trainer? "That was your Totodile's first battle, right?"

"Yeah." Leon answered, looking glum.

"Damn." Marrick started. "Soon enough Mr. Meow won't be a match for him… you're a really good trainer, man."

Marrick's statement visibly startled Leon. "Thanks Marrick," he said humbled by the younger kid. He also added, "My name is Leon, by the way" and outstretched his arm to shake Marrick's.

"Nice to meet you then Leon." Marrick responded with the beaming bliss that only prepubescent children seem to possess. "Should we walk to the Pokémon Center?"

Leon hadn't even thought about that, but Marrick had the right of it; their Pokémon needed medical attention. "Sure, let's go."

The Pokémon Center, like all Pokémon Centers, was easy to spot due to its bright red roof and decorations, and it wasn't a far-off walk from the beach, but throughout the walk Leon had learned a lot from Marrick, who despite his initially shy disposition was exceedingly talkative… or maybe he was just in high spirits for winning. Apparently, he was a student at the Pokémon Tech Academy and had a sister named Luana who owned a Vulpix and wanted to be a beautician. He also talked about his classes in the Academy, the girl he had a crush on, and how much she liked playing with Mr. Meow.

The conversation kept going and before long, they were waiting for Nurse Joy to bring their healed Pokémon back at the Pokémon Center. The small TV on the corner of the room was transmitting a special news coverage regarding the start of the Whirl Cup competition, and seemed to be transmitting from the outskirts of all the main departure points.

Although their conversation had been enjoyable, the boys gave their farewells upon receiving their Pokémon back. Had Nurse Joy taken one more minute, maybe Leon would've noticed the Storm Warning on the Weather Report…

By the time the storm began to pour however, Leon was well on his way to Ecruteak City.

At first, the rain had been almost alleviating. A couple raindrops here and there washed the sand, sweat and frustration from Leon's face, and Totodile, who had been walking alongside Leon throughout the route, was now jollily running in circles around his trainer, falling back and catching back up with him in every rotation. Thirty minutes later, however, spelled a completely different story… at least for Leon. The gale winds picked up quickly, and Leon had to put on his warmest jacket. Unfortunately, the jacket was made of Mareep wool, and to be blunt, Mareep wool isn't necessarily… impermeable.

Soaked from head to toe, with a drenching jacket, and about five pounds of extra water weight in his clothes, not even Totodile's bounciness could sweeten Leon's sour mood. He tried to shelter himself along the tree line, however, the trees did little to block the cold. 'No matter', Leon thought. 'Just gotta put one foot forward, and then the other one… and one step, and two step, and three step…' and before long, the young trainer had fallen into some sort of trance as he kept walking forward.

"To-toooo!" his Pokémon urged suddenly biting at his pants.

"Ouch, stop Totodile… what are you doing?" Leon snapped suddenly when the Totodile's bite nipped him on the leg. "Is everything okay?" he asked wondering what had bothered his Pokémon. Nothing seemed amiss… that is, until he got back up. They were surrounded by thick vegetation, and he noticed he'd been following a game trail rather than the main road… 'Weird' he thought as he began hacking towards the main route.

"Toto-dile!" his Pokémon gesticulated in a concerned manner, although Leon simply waved him off.

"I'm okay Totodile… it was probably just the cold", but upon looking back towards the thick of the trees, he heard a rustle. A cold wind gave him the chills, and he tried gulping, although it felt like he had swallowed a whole rock. Suddenly, his knees gave out from under him, and he found himself kneeling on wet, cold weeds. Looking up, he saw two eerie, glowing spheres of a color he couldn't quite put a name on disappear into the brush. "Totodile, stay with me." He said, almost in a whisper, but unbeknownst to him, his Pokémon was already giving chase.

"To-to-to-to-to-to-to…" he exclaimed with each step as his feet pattered against the wet ground.

"Argh!" Leon grunted as he willed himself up to give chase. Chasing after Totodile, he found himself back in the game trail he'd sleepwalked into, and here the vegetation grew so thick that the tree branches seemed to grab and scratch at Leon as the furious winds moved them. "Totodiiiile!" He screamed at his Pokémon before the airborne creature landed full on his stomach, knocking him down and his air out.

Both Pokémon and trainer got up quickly. One due to his fighting spirit, the other because the shallow puddle he'd landed on threatened to drown him. Looking up, not ten yards away, Leon finally identified the Pokémon they'd been chasing. 'Statler'. He didn't want to bring out his guidebook since the rain would surely destroy it, but he knew enough about Stantler to not need it. 'So that's why I couldn't tell I wasn't on the main road.'

"Totodile, be careful, Stantler can create illusions with its horns!" He screamed.

"Toto!" his Pokémon responded, probably aware of it by now. The Stantler, on the other hand, was quiet. Lowering its head, light began to refract in front of its horns, and it slowly began to vanish under the rain.

"Oh no you don't!" Leon screamed defiantly. "Totodile, use Water Gun, NOW!"

"Toooooo-to-to-to-to-to" his Pokémon grunted as he shot several squirts of water at his opponent. The Stantler, stunned, shook his head and jumped off to the side in an attempt to escape, but Totodile gave chase, shooting more Water Guns at the wild Pokémon.

However, the trees were thick, the visibility poor, Leon was slow, and Stantler was great at hiding. Totodile had completely lost sight of the Big Horn Pokémon when suddenly it appeared next to him, staring intently at the Water-type. Totodile jumped back, flinching, and just like that, the Stantler swung his head and sent Totodile flying off with another strong Tackle before disappearing again… or so it thought.

Totodile was at this point checking in-between every tree in the area, trying not to get caught unaware again, but just as that exactly was about to happen, it was his trainer who saved him from more punishment.

Leon, realizing he wouldn't be much help from ground level, had climbed a tree, and from this viewpoint, he had managed to obtain a better view of the battle. Noticing that Stantler would try to attack Totodile from the rear once more, he cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted: "Behind yoouuu! Use Scratch!"

His Pokémon closed his eyes, and rotated on his own axis with an outstretched hand, catching Stantler square in the face with a powerful Scratch that pierced its muzzle. The wild Pokémon reared, and Totodile then followed it up with a powerful Water Gun on its underbelly before yet another powerful swing of the Stantler's horns made him go airborne once more.

Leon, who was nowhere near the battle now, realized that he wouldn't be able to follow the battle by ground, and although the trees caressed each other closely… well, if Totodile was going to put his life on the line for him, he was going to put his life on the line for him too. And so, he jumped, landing firmly on another tree's branch and using his arms to hold on to higher branches to keep his balance and swing around the tree until he finally caught sight of the battle again.

This time, Stantler stood in a small clearing, and Totodile was lying against a tree trunk, breathing heavily. The Normal-type Pokémon charged at Leon's Pokémon, who was barely able to jump away, allowing Stantler to ram the tree with its powerful horns, which caused it to drop several acorns, leaves and water… so much water. Leon gulped and hoped it wouldn't try to ram the tree he was on.

"Alright Totodile, nod if you can hear me." He commanded as loudly as he dared. His Pokémon nodded, and he continued, "I need you to use Leer, and then Scratch him, but don't stay in the pocket too long… jump in and get out."

"Toto!" his Pokémon screamed, doing as his trainer had said. He approached the wild Pokémon and jumped in to Scratch the Stantler's face before jumping out, barely avoiding its horns. Doubling around he repeated this, until finally, he somehow fell over. Leon had forgotten about Stantler's Astonish!

Now, it was the wild Pokémon stalking Totodile once more. Backing away, Totodile came to rest at the base of the tree Leon was on.

"Wait, Totodile NOOOO!" Leon screamed as the Stantler charged once more, and it was precisely at this point, that Totodile emitted what Leon thought was a bright blue aura, and shot a powerful and far bigger Water Gun than any Leon had seen.

The wild Pokémon took the Torrent of water head on, and simply slipped and rolled, crashing hard against the ground.

Leon continued to clutch the tree branches tightly as he saw his Pokémon panting and the other drop to the floor. 'Oh, yeah' he thought suddenly remembering, and dropped a Poké Ball, which engulfed the wild Pokémon in light before it closed and began to shake. Now it was only a matter of time…​
Spoiler:
 
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I left the building, ignoring the crowds piling around me, eager to move forward or at least exit the city despite the storm that was heading toward the area. Tory was sniffing the air with a mixture of curiosity and possible trepidation. Cyndaquil were a timid sort but a part of me was pleased by his closeness to my person. As though reading my mind, he looked up at me and said, "Quil!" I had no idea what that meant but I assumed it was something nice. Or a question.

"Do you want to get down?"

"Quil!" The reply was incredibly vehement and caused me to laugh as he attempted to burrow into my arms. That little issue over and done with, I headed towards the center of town. As I passed by the Pokemon Center, I saw a group of girls outside talking in high, giggling tones. That was how my friend Warren, a proud believer in cooties, described their tones, or at least the tones of "normal" girls. I was not quite certain where the distinction was between girls like these and the ones who went to my school. They could be loud as well... and like this. But most were also less in your face... Except for Tania. She was a special case.

I passed them and heard sudden shushing and jostling. It was strange but I tried to ignore it despire Tory's snuffling of confusion. Whispers floated to my ears as I passed, causing me to frown a little.

"Come on girl! Luka went for it!"

"Yeah and look where he ended up! Lost like a wimp!"

"Hey that's my friend you're bashing..."

"Sorry Isis but come on! You've got a chance. He's probably all looks, no brains..." Tory heard that last one and disliked the tone, squealing angrily. I quieted him, not wanting my clothes to be burned of or covered in ash. Neither would please Mother when I called her. Mother liked an immaculate child. She loved me regardless but still useful clothes would reassure her more than my voice ever could. Mother is strange in that regard.

Finally one girl was pushed from the gaggle (I really must find who created that word) and walks toward me. Her head was held high but she was clearly nervous. This had to be Isis, red hair tied into a single ponytail and dressed in an outfit refined yet scruffy. Mother would understand it better than I, due to her fashion sense. Her trouser jeans were firmly pressed over her purple shirt and her youth struck me. She felt younger than me even though a part of me felt the similarities in age deeply.

Isis looked at me curiously as I paused in step, expecting this. Was I offended by her friends? Not particularly. Insults are an attempt to break a person and weaken them. There was no real reason to worry. I could also guess what she wanted, or what her fans wanted. They seemed like her fans. Cliques were something I was mostly unfamiliar with, at least in this sense. We were all relatively close at Serafina, even if we didn't like each other.

"May I help you?" I asked politely. She did not jump, looking me square in the eye.

"You may," the girl replied quietly but fiercely. "You're one of those trainers from Professor Woods right?" I nodded and she continued, blue eyes gaining an intense gleam. "My name is Isis and I'm from Mahogany. I am here to prove that you chosen trainers aren't all that! Even someone like me, a coordinator, can win against you."

"You challenge me then?" I asked stiffly, feeling a bit of worry. Tory was untrained.

She nodded and smiled now, the expression slightly menacing. "That's right! Let's show them Oddish!" She tossed out a Pokeball and a plant creature almost like a walking bulb appeared, growling adorably. I gently placed Tory down and his back flared. I was nervous. Tory liked me yes, but would he listen to me?

Isis seemed to smirk. "I've won before so don't underestimate me! Oddish Sweet Sce-"

"Smokescreen," I called and Tory obeyed, releasing a thick black smoke at Oddish. There was the sound of coughing and I paused, worried I choked the poor thing.

I needn't have worried as Isis took care of it. "Oddish find your way out!"

I almost sighed. Why do people think that will work the first time? "Tory, Tackle!" My Cyndaquil bolted forward, easily finding the plant in its own smoke and knocking it flat out of the cloud. Its eyes were watering and it rolled around to try and get up, having no arms to do it.

"Stop flailing and use Sweet Scent," Isis called. "You'll lose if you don't." The Oddish stiffened and obeyed, not wanting that over his head. A sickening smell, like rotten flower petals, filled the air. Tory let out a sad sort of wail and tried to cover his nose with his paws.He rolled on the ground, trying to get rid of it. The creature teared up and my gut twisted in sympathy. Isis smiled. She thought she had us. "Absorb!"

Nearly invisible red tendrils reached out and grabbed Tory and lifted him into the air, taking a bit of his health before dropping him. Tory shook himself out and growled, glaring hazily through red rimmed eyes at the Oddish, which had picked itself up... only for Tory to ram into him again. I blinked. He was an aggressive one.

"Hey control your Pokemon!" Isis barked. "He's hurting my Oddish!" I blinked in confusion as Tory kept throwing himself in his enemy's general direction, occassionally missing and being tripped by the Oddish's feet. She scowled. "Oh forget it! Oddish, keep up the Absorb!"

"Tackle!" The two attacks kept meeting despite the limited accuracy of having no eyes. Unfortunately, Absorb didn't heal enough to remove the damage Tory gave. Isis knew it too. Even thought Tory was likely lower on level and stamina, he was working with a type advantage and against a weaker attack.

"Absorb! Absorb!" She called out desperately, hearing her friends shouting encouragement, sneers, and jeers.

"You can do it Tory," i said quietly. He sat back on his haunches for a moment and "Quil!"ed at me, so I figured he knew what I said. Then he charged, his stride slower and weaker, but no less determined. Oddish, giving up on this Absorb, charged himself, leaping to jet forward. "Smokescreen!" I called, causing the run to be halted, except by Tory, who charged ahead.

Oddish, caught in another smoke cloud, looked around in confusion. He could hear his enemy but not much else. Sight was a better sense than smell or touch as he had no ears or arms. There was a steady padding of feet, then it was gone and Tory was nosediving into him, knocking him to the ground and kicking up dust.

As the cloud cleared, I glimpsed two unconscious Pokemon on the street. A tie. Of course.

(Meh I don't like this post. But I've rewritten it a lot and it's late. I'll edit tomorrow if I's not good enough.)
 
@Red: That's fine but having the guidebook doesn't mean you have to look in it every time for attacks or info! Simon could take some time whilst waiting for Cinder to heal up in the Pokemon Center to flick through it or something like that. :) Simon caught a female Krabby!

@drunk: I thoroughly enjoyed your battle! Smart use of Torrent :D Leon caught a male Stantler!

@Fuyu: That was an enjoyable post to read! Tory can now use Ember!
 
The storm was indeed coming, wind speeding up by every minute. Simon stayed indoors at the pokémon center and stared out of the window. Next to him, Cinder the Cyndaquil and now Kracker the the Krabby sat eating some pokémon food that Simon had bought at a store. He reckoned he'd need some for the journey... speaking of which, he should really be going away from Olivine soon. He didn't want to linger... his parents had for sure realized that he was gone now and maybe they went looking for him... He wondered what his sister would say to them.

He made up his mind. He couldn't stay. "Come on," he said to Cinder and Kracker. "We have to leave Olivine, or else I can't... really... do anything good." That was what he felt like. The streets of Olivine was his prison. He cursed himself for having gone down to the shore to look at the storm instead of leaving immediately... but then again, he wouldn't have had Kracker now if he had. And she was quite the amusing creature. The more clever part of Simon's mind found her anatomy and behavior interesting. Of course, Cinder was quite interesting as well, with his back-on-fire and non-flammable fur.

They took one step outside the pokémon center and Kracker turned around and ran indoors again. As a native Olivine pokémon she knew that during a storm like this, you'd better go into hiding. Simon sighed and returned her to her pokéball. "You'll be fine in here," he said and put it on his belt. Then he turned to Cinder and saw that he was shuddering in the wind and the rain. "Oh, whatever," Simon said and returned that pokémon to the pokéball as well. He'd have to go alone.

Finally, he set out onto route 39. He had a raincoat on, that his big sister (bless her) had packed for him. The wind was coming in from the sea so he was getting pushed north by it, but it was difficult to stay on a straight path. Wherever he went, he didn't see any pokémon at all. They must all have hidden from the storm somewhere. He blinked water out of his eyes, feeling his hair soaked wet on his head. This wasn't nice... but somehow, it was better than staying in Olivine.

As he reached a hill, he stood there, wind pulling his coat, and looked back on the city where he had lived his whole life. It glimmered in the rain. Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation spreading through his body... a weak smile reached his face. He was free. He wasn't a teen gangster in Olivine anymore. He wasn't judged by others, he wasn't forced to play stupid in school in order to seem cool... he could be himself. He could be childish, train pokémon, get happy for small things, study his pokémon just because they were interesting to him, no matter if his old gang would have thought he was nerdy or not. He was free!

Knowing that, he ran down the hill on the other side. Olivine disappeared from view. It felt immensely good. The rain didn't bother him anymore, even though he should be freezing, and the wind was only playful in his eyes, even though it pulled him here and there like a ragdoll. He felt incredibly adventurous.

Then, he spotted something by the side of the road. A pokémon? He stepped closer, carefully. Yes, it was a Shinx. Simon had spent some time flapping through the guide book he got from the professor, as his pokémon were healing up at the pokémon center just before this. The Shinx looked quite alone and scared, crouching by a rock by the side of the road. It must have gotten lost from its pride in this storm. Of course, Simon saw this as a golden opportunity to somehow capture the pokémon... but at the same time, that felt a bit harsh. It was alone and scared, after all. Battling it would only scar it mentally, wouldn't it?

He approached it carefully. It didn't move, but watched him closely. When he got too close, the Shinx let off a tiny spark of electricity. A warning. But when he kept moving closer, it didn't seem like it was able to do much more. Maybe it wasn't strong enough to know any real electrical attacks yet. Simon decided that he knew better than the Shinx what was best for it. Without further ado, he grabbed the pokémon and put it close to his chest under his raincoat, warming it and shielding it from the wind and the rain. Shinx gave Simon a tiny jolt again and for a moment, the boy was worried about keeping the electric pokémon so close to his heart - what if it really was dangerous? But it didn't hurt, and nothing more happened for several seconds. The tiny, wet creature kept still in his arms.

Simon thus got up and kept walking north. Maybe he could find somewhere to warm them both up, indoors. He walked for a while and finally found what looked like a farm. He could see some Miltanks walking around outside... they didn't seem to be inside fences though. He wondered if they were supposed to be there, as he walked up to the door of the main house and knocked.

A lady opened. "Yes?" she said worriedly.

"Hi... I'm Simon Silvester," Simon said. "I'm kind of wet and freezing... and I've got this fellow," he added and show her the creature under his raincoat. It seemed to be sleeping, actually. "I found him alone by the road. So..."

"Oh, come in! No need to ask or say anything!" the lady said, shining up. She motioned for him to enter and closed the door behind him. "Please make yourself at home!"

It was indeed a nice and cozy home, quite big, as was to be expected of a farmers house on the countryside... at least Simon thought that was to be expected. He had not really seen a farmers house before. A man was sitting at a table in the kitchen. "Hello there!" he said. "It's not the first time we've had visitors during bad weather," he said smiling.

Simon nodded and sat down by the table, unfolding the little Shinx from his raincoat. He put the pokémon down on the floor, next to a fire that was crackling in a fireplace. It curled itself up and enjoyed the warmth.



((OOC: I'm planning on catching Shinx after or during the Moo-moo adventure, since it wouldn't make sense to capture it right now I think. ))
 
Chapter Two: It All Comes Down To One Poke Ball

Part Two: The Makeshift Pokemon Center

Ryan held the Poke Ball in his hand. He could practically feel the essence of the Growlithe he had just caught. But Ryan's happiness would be continued later, right now he had a job to do. Ryan clipped the two Poke Balls to his belt and got to work. He took off his jacket and began to fill it with Oran berries from the bush, hoping that he could make some type of potion with them to raise his Pokemon's HP. Ryan was now being pelted with rain, and soaked beyond belief as he ran back to the abandoned tree stump.

As Ryan ran back the path he was sure was the one he took to get to the little grove, he didn't see anything that looked familiar, but stubborn as he was he kept walking. He trekked on, and the road got smaller and smaller, and finally stopped at a dead end.

"Are you kidding me?" Ryan shouted, looking around. He was freezing cold, and this wasn't going to end well in the direction it was going. He turned around and ran back, warming up a little bit when he got his blood pumping. After about 10 minutes of running he reached a point that looked similar to a place he had been shortly before. He kept running in the same direction.

"Luana! Luana!" He yelled, hoping she would hear him. He needed to find her quickly, or her Vulpix could be lost. He kept running, and his hope and his energy were both being drained by the rain, and he almost stopped when he heard something. It was so quite, it was practically a whisper. But he hoped it was something more. He sprinted towards the sound, and without fail it was getting louder. He couldn't understand what it meant. But then he could hear it.

"Ryan! Ryan! Help!" He heard Luana say. He saw the stump and sprinted inside.

"Alright I'll be done in a second Luana" He said reassuringly.

"Her heart rate has gone down, I don't know if she'll make it." Luana said, gulping down her tears. Ryan had to act fast. He let out Growlithe. He was in bad shape.

"I'll fix up your leg later Buddy, right now I just need you to eat these Oran berries to get better, alright?" Growlithe nodded. He ate the berries, feeling replenished.

"Okay Growlithe use Ember on the logs!" Ryan said, and the logs ignited and the abandoned tree stump practically burst with warmth. Growlithe then curled up next to Luana and fell asleep.

"Okay Luana, put Vulpix on top of the fire, and I'll start making the potion." Ryan pulled out the berries and looked around for some sort of mallet. He grabbed Totodile's Poke Ball and a bowl out of his bag.

"Sorry Totodile" He said as he began to mash the Oran berries in the bowl with Totodile's Poke Ball.

"You're amazing" Luana said, watching Ryan in awe. "You really do deserve to be in the Whirl Cup, you know. I know you have doubts but I don't think any of the other contestants could go out into the forest find some oran berries during an insane storm, make a potion, and catch a pokemon while doing that" Luana said, staring at Ryan.

"Well you're really cool too. Your Vulpix is crazy strong, and no ordinary person could train their pokemon to be that skilled. I think you should tell your mom what you want to do. You never know, she might say yes." He said laughing. The berries were done being crushed.

"Alright Luana, we need to take Vulpix off of the fire so I can boil the potion, and dont worry, we'll sit her next to Growlithe. He'll keep her warm, right?" Ryan said, directing the question at Growlithe. "Growl-Growlithe" He growled, nodding. She took her pokemon off reluctantly. Ryan put the bowl on for about 10 minutes. The mix began to boil and he knew it was done. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around his hands, so he could take it off without burning himself. He put the bowl on the ground next to him, and then grabbed a bottle out of his bag. He poured the mixture in the bottle, shook the bottle, and handed it to Luana.

"Make sure she drinks this, and I'm pretty sure she'll be okay." Luana nodded. She put the straw of the bottle into the little Pokemon's mouth, and began to pour it into Vulpix's mouth.

"Her heart rate is rising!" Luana shrieked of happiness. The little Vulpix opened her eyes, and soon she was back to normal. Ryan took the bottle and did the same with Totodile, and she was soon healed.

"Well I'm done playing Pokemon Doctor for today, I think we should get some shut eye and wait until tomorrow to see if the rain is gone, don't you?"

"I think that's a good idea..........." Luana said falling asleep as soon as her sentence was finished. Ryan closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
 
Chapter 1: The Road to Johto!​



Charlie was pedaling her bike like a maniac up the rocky short-cut roads toward Olivine City. It didn't help that the wind seemed to be acting up again. The goodbyes had much longer than they should have been. Charlie had never really been separated from her parents for long periods of time. The longest was when she'd stayed with her auntie Agatha for a week, and that was it. So before she'd left for Olivine there'd been lots of crying, hugging, promises for calls and letters and packing and repacking involved. By the time it was all done it was late in the afternoon.


She skidded from the bumpy little farm road onto the nicely paved main road, and soon arrived at Olivine. It was a good thing she'd been there quite often and roughly knew where the lab was located or it would have cost even more time to find the place. When she got to the lab she didn't even waste time to gaze at the wonderful view, she just threw her bike down and rushed inside, out of breath.


"A-am I," pant. "Still- on time?" She asked shakily, bending over to catch her breath.


"Oh my, that was quite an entrance," Professor Woods replied. Charlie looked up to see a woman a little shorter than she was, with dark hair in an untidy bun and an amused smile on her face. Next to her was a woman with long brown hair and a light dress. She had this fragile look about her, but wore a warm smile. "I'm Professor Woods. And who might you be?" the Professor continued.


"Charlie- ehm, Charlotte Brown, pleased to meat you," Charlie responded. She straightened out and approached the two women. "I'm so, so sorry I'm late."


"Oh, it's quite alright to us," The other woman responded. "Regretfully you don't have much choice in starters anymore, there's only one left. I'm Jasmine by the way, Olivine's gym leader."


Charlie's mouth opened and closed a few times before she was able to sputter an. "Oh my, i-it's such an honor to meet you!" A gym leader! Charlie had never met one in her life, but she'd always heard stories of how amazingly strong they were, and that they were the legends of their towns. She'd heard quite a bit of Jasmine too, with her Steel-type Pokémon. This made Charlie wonder why such a fragile-looking woman would choose to train such a hardy and, if Charlie had to admit, frightening type of Pokémon. Still, somehow it also fit.


Jasmine laughed. "Pleased to meet you too Charlie, I'll look forward to facing you someday."


"But," Professor Woods interjected. "That will have to wait, Jasmine is far too strong for you right now." Charlie's smile dropped a little, but Professor Woods smiled at her warmly. "Don't worry, I have a feeling you'll definitely become strong enough to challenge Jasmine. But shall we get to business now?"


Charlie nodded and followed the Professor toward a table with one Pokéball on it, though the holder had 5 empty spots showing there were once 6 of them. "As you can see you were the last one to pick up your Pokémon. The only one we have left is this Chikorita." She handed Charlie the ball, who took it as if it would shatter it in her hands. "Oh loosen up dear, it's not made of glass!" The Professor said with a laugh. "The Ball is made so that you can drop it and it won't break or hurt the creature inside."


"Now we'll need to register your information, though I've already done most of the work, just need to record your starter," The last part the Professor mostly muttered to herself as she started typing things on a computer. Charlie blinked, staring at the Pokéball in her hands. She could almost imagine it beating in her hand, a life stored inside a ball. She still held it carefully with two hands, but was forced to take it in one when Professor Woods held out a little plastic card to her. "Your Trained ID, you'll need it for all official business, so don't lose it!"


"No ma'am, thank you" Charlie responded taking the card and sticking it in the pocked of her jeans. She then finally inflated her Chikorita's Pokéball and stuck it on a Pokéball slot on her belt. "Was that it?" She asked, eager to get on and meet her brand new started.


"Oh no, there's more," The Professor beamed and handed her 5 Pokéball at once, which Charlie almost dropped, fumbling to stuff them in her backpack.


"You also receive a free copy of the Pokémon Guidebook." Jasmine told her, a thick paperback book in her hand. "It contains helpful information about each Pokémon you'll find, as well as a map of the Johto region in the beck of it," she opened the book to the map so Charlie could see. "Also, if you're not sure what Pokémon you're facing, there's some guidelines in the back that could help you indentify the species."


Charlie accepted the book, stuffing it in her backpack as well. "Wow, thank you so much," she was slightly overwhelmed by everything. First she got to meet a gym leader, then receive a Pokémon, and then get bombarded with presents as well! She waited, big smile on her face and feeling like a strung arrow. "Ehm, and I've got a bike outside, is it okay if I stall it here until my brother can pick it up tomorrow?"


"That's completely fine. And yes, you may go now," the Professor said with a laugh and Charlie nearly jumped up and ran just then.


"Thank you again!" She said, half-running out the door. This was it! Her journey was about to start! She quickly picked the bike up where it has still been discarded on the ground and carefully propped it against the wall of the lab. She then turned to the ocean, lost for a second to what to do. "Oh, right, the Pokémon," she remembered, hitting herself on the forehead and releasing the Chikorita. It looked up at her in expectation.


"Hey little one," Charlie squatted in front of the small creature. "I'm your trainer from now on." The Chikorita looked at her, huffed, and looked away again. "O-okay… that went well…" Charlie muttered. "I guess you need a name. Are you a boy?" Another huff paired with a glare this time. "Ah, girl I see. How about Marie?" Huff. " Isabelle?" Huff. "Louisa" Double huff. "you're a difficult one aren't you?"


"Well, then, do you have any better ideas?" Charlie challenged, and Chikorita cocked her head, thinking. Then she nosed Charlie's bag, right at the label. "Sheva? You want to be called Sheva?" Chikorita thought for another moment, and then nodded as if the name was just barely up to standard. "Fine, Sheva it is then. Grumpy-pants." Which got Charlie another huff. "Do you ever breathe in?" Huff. "Well I'll guess you'll just have to make do… Grumpy-pants."


"Are you seriously just sitting there, talking to your Pokémon?" A snide voice said behind Charlie. She turned around to face a stocky young boy, maybe ten or eleven years old, with bushy brown hair and a glare on his face. She said the smartest thing she could come up with.


"Are you really sitting there not talking to your Pokémon?"


"I'm not sitting."


"Same difference."


The boy shook his head, as if he had to shake the lame comeback off of himself. "Judging by your Chikorita, you're one of the Whirl cup contestants. I thought you were supposed to get your Pokémon at noon?" He should know, he'd been there, watching the others. His friends had all gotten to battle one of the Whirl Cup pricks, but he'd been left out.


"Yeah well, things don't always go to plan I guess." Charlie did not like this guy. For one his eyes looked way too glare-y and he just reeked of negativity. In fact, he smelled a bit like a bully. "So if you don't mind, me and Sheva here are going to go now."


"I do mind, I want a battle. And Sheva? What kind of a name is Sheva?" The boy sneered.


"Her choice," Charlie muttered. "Wait, you want to battle? Do you even have a Pokémon?"


"Yes, I do," the kid said, jutting out his chin defiantly. "I'll have you know that I go to the Tech School."


"How about a name, d'you have that too?" Charlie asked as Sheva moved forward. She sensed a battle coming if any, and there was a weird mood in the air making her edgy. In fact Sheva was quite in the mood to hand out some ass whupping.


"My name's Grant, and get ready to be defeated!" the kid –Grant- ceremoniously threw up a Pokéball releasing a Krabby. "go Kingster! Let's teach this wannabe trainer how it's done! Use Mud Sport!"


"Hey, now wait a second!" Charlie protested, but Krabby was already shooting mud at the ground, creating a trail all around Sheva. "Hey, no fair, we weren't ready yet!"


"Well get ready," Grant responded. "We're not waiting on slowpokes are we Kingster? Use Vice Grip!" Krabby sped toward Sheva, using the mudd on the ground to travel faster. Sheva trotted in place, waiting for a command from her trainer like she'd been taught to do. Her trainer, however, was being rather useless.


"Wait… ehm….. what do I do?!" Charlie started panicking, she had no idea what moves Sheva had, or what she should do, she'd never done a battle before! She furiously tried to think of the few occasions she'd seen a battle taking place and remembered the trainers usually told their Pokémon to dodge. "Dodge it Sheva?" She asked rather than commanded. It had come too late for evasion however and Krabby took a hold of Sheva's paw between its pincers. Across the battlefield Grant cheered.


"Sheva, try to get away from it!" Charlie yelled, still feeling thoroughly lost. Sheva tried tugging her paw from between the pincers but the Krabby had an iron grip on it. "What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?!"


Grant sighed, as much as he loved gloating over his opponents uselessness, he couldn't stand it any longer. "Check Chikorita's attacks!" He yelled at her. Still he wasn't below taking advantage of it. "Kingster use Bubble now!"


"Attacks, right, yes," Charlie muttered and furiously opened her backpack, groping for the guidebook. Krabby, meanwhile, fired a Bubble right into Sheva's face. Chikorita being a grass type, the damage wasn't too bad, but the bubbles got into Sheva's eyes and she could hardly see. Charlie, meanwhile, just had the book out and was leafing through it at top speed.


"Kingster, continue the Vice Grip and use Leer," Grant casually commanded. He saw the battle as good as won. Krabby glared at his opponent, who was only just recovering from the bubbles to her eyes. Sheva shivered from the leer, letting her guard down. Krabby profited from it by seezing the opportunity to get an even tighter grip on her, which made Sheva cry out in pain.


"Aha!" Charlie had finally found Sheva's page in the guidebook. "Sheva use Growl!" The Chikorita growled loudly, but Krabby remained unfazed and Grant just laughed.


"Krabby has the ability of Hyper Cutter, he's impervious to your little Chikorita's growling!"


"Scheit," Charlie cursed. "Right, try Razor Leaf then!" Sheva's face lit up in almost a smile then, and fired several leaves from close distance at the Krabby. It was the latter's turn to cry out now, and the impact had him sliding backward on his own mud-path. "YES! It worked!" Charlie cheered and Sheva rolled her eyes. What had she done to deserve such an idiot of a trainer? Now that she was released from the Vice Grip Charlie could see just how beaten up the Chikorita already was.


"Don't cheer just yet," Grant warned. "Kingster, execute the Double Vicegrip!" The kid smiled wickedly, as if he had just launched his ultimate weapon. Charlie was duly scared.


"Quick, Shave, use…" A glance at the guidebook. "Tackle!" Sheva ran toward Kingster and the mud trail and very cleverly used it to slide as quickly as she could toward the Krabby, using her momentum to tackle it and throwing them both against a tree. Krabby shook itself, noticeably hurt by this, but he also took advantage of the proximity of Sheva to use both his pincers to grab her body and squeezing.


"Yes! Good job King! Now throw her against the tree!" Grant ordered, a big grin on his face. "That ought to do it." Krabby did as told, tossing Sheva head-first into the tree. And it did indeed almost do it. Sheva got up, shakily, and giving Kingster her ultimate death-glare.


"Awesome, Sheva!" Charlie yelled. "Use another of those leaf thingies!" Sheva theatrically sighed before sending another Razor Leaf at Krabby, who slid even farther back on the mud trail. It was visibly hurt now, panting itself, but it still looked laods better than Sheva.


"Right, Kingster, use Bubble," Grant said with a careless wave of his hand. The bubbles hit Sheva. Sheva collapsed. "Right, that was it then," Grant recalled Krabby and stepped toward Charlie, getting in her face as much as a ten-year-old boy could. "I don't understand why they picked you lot for the Cup, instead of properly educated trainers." He emphasized the words with venom. "You're a terrible trainer and shouldn't be allowed in the vicinity of you Pokémon. My only hope is that the officials see that too and pull. You. Out."


With that the kid turned around and stalked off, leaving Charlie flabbergasted. She stood frozen a second, staring at the back of the kid, before turning toward Sheva. "I'm so sorry!" She said sadly, suddenly feeling every bit the idiot. Sheva just stared at her as her trainer picked her up, still annoyed of having gotten beaten up for the sake of an incompetent trainer.


"Wait, what do I do now?"​
 
"Whaa..."

"That was crazy..."

"Rematch! Come on!"

I never would have thought that people took Pokemon battling so seriously out of the school. We did not really, as we never thought we could actually go out onto journeys like this. So I couldn't see where they were coming from right away until my eyes caught a glimpse of Isis' expression from where she stood. It was pure disappointment. I opened my mouth, wanting to say something, then closed it abruptly, realizing the foolishness of trying to. Instead I walked over to pick up Tory, smiling a little.

"You were..." My mind caught itself, looking for words to express the pride welling up in my chest. "Great," I finished lamely to the fainted mouse. I returned Tory to his Pokeball and glanced back at Isis, who was quietly taking Oddish and returning to him, going back to her friends, each glaring at me. Did they want me to let her win? Why would i do something like that?

Shaking my head at the oddities of the world, I went into the Center and got Tory healed. The nurse smiled at me gently. "Are you planning on heading out?"

"Yes miss," I replied politely and she frowned a bit.

"Well you may want to wait," she warned. "The reports say there's a storm on the way."

"I see," I said quietly. "Thank you. I shall most certainly keep that in mind. Good day." With that information, I left the center, pausing for a few moments to pull the plain white poncho over my head that my mother must have snuck in. It was likely best that Tory sleep in the Pokeball for now. Water was not his cup of tea.

I looked around, searching for the girls. They seemed to have disappeared for the time being. I hoped they weren't planning on stalking me. That would be an inconvenient issue to my journey that was for certain. Looking up at the sky, I weighed my options: wait the storm out and be left behind, or go on ahead and possibly get sick. Or catch a Pokemon. Hmm... my logical side said wait, but an unknown voice pressed me onward. Well, that settled that. Onward I would go.

The wind picked up as I walked, eventually beginning to rain. I wanted to hurry onward so I could find a shelter when the storm became too difficult to travel in. I relaxed a bit at the sight of a large tree that seemed to be blocking the rain. Fixing the place in my odd memory banks, I traveled further along the route as the storm began to rise all around me almost drenching me through the poncho. Shaking my head a little bit, I hurried back toward my safe area, grabbing what dry wood I could find and storing it in one tucked in arm. As I found the tree, I let out a grateful sigh that the grass below it was still dry.

Before I could reach it, there was a frenzied yowl behind me. Turning, I glimpsed an odd blue kitten. Its fur was drenched from what I could see and its yellow eyes flashed in the lightning behind it. The kit yowled again and leapt down, running to Tackle me. A white light flashed and Tory appeared and tackled the Pokemon, wincing at the rain but still growling angrily. The creature yowled and rolled off of Tory, still headed towards me. I scrambled backwards to avoid it, kitten hitting another tree.

What is this creature? Whatever it was, I must have entered its territory. Oops. I stepped back again as Tory charged forward, practically rolling toward it when he tripped in the grass. Dizzy from the blow, the two slammed into each other, rolling on the ground. Finally finding the page in the guidebook, I found it was a Shinx, a Pokemon originating from Sinnoh. Electric type. Judging by its fierce scratching, I surmised it couldn't use electricity yet. A relief considering the storm.

Now the issue was how to beat it. It kept hitting Tory and was much faster than my Cyndaquil. But it had more rain in its fur, which could slow it down. "Tory!" I shouted, causing both creatures to turn. "Over here!" Tory squeaked in confusion and trotted over, the Shinx running after him. Tory "quil'ed" and dodged, nose in the air. Apparently, trainer came first to the Fire-type. How heartwarming. Reaching my feet, Tory sniffed at me. "Stay in this are okay?" He nodded and moved to face the charging Shinx. "Now Ember!"

Tory tried but his wet fur only dried, making him cough out smoke in confusion. The Shinx growled with laughter, causing to Tory to perk up with his own look of irritation. "Cyndaquil..." He tried again, poofing up a small fire on his back. "Cyn..." Shinx snorted and stepped back a bit to have a full on charge. "Cynda..." Small fires burned on his back. Tory tensed up, focusing.

The kitten apparently lost its patience and ran forward. Tory opened his mouth wide and let out a yell. "QUIL!" His back burst into flames, fire roaring from his mouth. I could hear the mouse yelping his fury through the fire. The Shinx either didn't have the time to stop or didn't want to, growling turning to surprise as the Ember, slightly weakened by the rain, slammed into his body and made him skid backwards, almost hitting the tree again.

Tory panted for breath, still managing to glare at the Shinx. The Electric type glared back and rose to its paws weakly. Tory scowled and did the same. "Tory..." I mumbled, half-tempted to call back my abused Fire-type. Tory looked at me and squeaked in annoyance, turning back. He must have wanted a wing. Near victory or not, a tie must not have been satisfactory to the oddly proud starter. Cyndaquil were supposedly so timid but this one clearly was against any stereotype. That Shinx didn't want to give up either by the looks of it. So this would have to be it. The water wasn't doing any of us any favors. So I closed my mouth and silently pulled out a Pokeball. I set the wood down behind me, watching and waiting for my own moment in this battle dance.

I did not have to wait long as the two opponents charged at each other, the two blurring in the rain.Before they reached each other, Tory released a Smokescreen, causing strangled coughs and yips from inside the cloud. I smiled a little. Good thinking. The Shinx was likely scrambling around inside, confused. I was surprised when it met Tory in a Tackle. Shinx have more special qualities than I thought. Better look it up later.

Tory's back flared and he released a weaker Ember, charging in. Normally I would jump in and command but that same voice that had urged me onward said otherwise. I heeded it once more and the Shinx leaped again with a growl, glaring at me. Evidently I hadn't been forgotten. Oh dear. Shinx snarled and charged forward before freezing abruptly as a small red and orange light. Tory panted weakly from all-fours, back fire dying to nothing. The Shinx almost looked back to see but ended up collapsing.

I almost froze before recalling what had to be done now. With a quiet nod, I enlarged the Pokeball and threw it, watching as it wrapped the Shinx up and sucked it in. The ball started to shake...
 
@Red: The poor Shinx! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this post.

@RyanroksXD: Inventive post! Ryan will definitely be a interesting contender in the Whirl Cup!

@Swan: I love Charlie's personality and the way you have portrayed it in this post. Your battle with Grant was also a great read. Charlie received a Chikorita! (Female)

@Fuyu: Great battle! Coryn captured a Shinx! (Male)
 
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