[PKMN FULL] TRAINERS (IC)

[Stinging Bea]

Melody Hughes
Route 24

Chapter 1-2 | A Chance Encounter

"Of course, I didn't know he was dead when I made the comment... And I didn't mean anything bad by it... Still, I guess Mom was a little sensitive to the whole thing at the time. You get where I'm coming from though, right?"

Melody glanced over her shoulder at the Pikachu who was currently hitching a ride on her shoulder. The electric-type merely tilted his head in confusion at Melody's question, his small ears twitching all the while. It was obvious that Alph was listening intently to whatever story that his trainer had been rambling off to him. That said, the brunette suddenly found herself questioning just how much the Pikachu was actually understanding in this conversation... In fact, she found herself starting to wonder just how much Pokémon understood in regard to the human language.

Without warning, Melody suddenly reached back and picked Alph off of her shoulder. The Pikachu let out a surprised squeak as she started to look him over, her eyes narrowing as they eventually met the Pikachu's own. "...Do you understand what I'm saying? Can you tell that my name is Melody?"

"P...Pika...?" Alph replied in response, his ears drooping slightly.

The whole situation suddenly became very uncomfortable for him. Of course, Melody had no idea if her own question was actually registering with the Pikachu or not. A sigh escaped her lips as she placed the electric mouse back onto her shoulders. This whole situation would have been a lot easier if they could just talk normally like her. Regardless, this whole situation was something that she could work on later. For right now, it was time to get this journey started properly. There was a lot more important things to focus on completing compared to the thought process of whether or not Pokémon could understand the human language.

Getting badges... Fighting trainers and getting stronger... Most importantly, putting together a strong team... Now that she had the time to think about it all, Melody had started to realize just what a long and winding process that this was all going to be. That said, the long road it was bound to be did little to deter the brown-haired girl. If anything, it only seemed to fire her up even more. She would put together a strong team. She would complete the Kanto League challenge. She would become a champion! And when all that was said and done...

Melody closed her eyes, picturing a tall and imposing looking man in her mind. She could see his sneer... She could see the his cocky stance... She could hear his gruff voice... She could even see that smelly cigar he had a habit of smoking. It had been so long since they had actually been face to face, but Melody still remembered everything about that man. Just the thought about him made the young girl's blood boil and a fire burn in the pit of her belly. Unfortunately, it also caused the girl to become quite distracted.

Suddenly, Melody found herself somehow managing to trip over her own two feet. Her olive-green eyes suddenly snapped open. The Pikachu on her shoulder squealing in surprise as his trainer started to topple over. Alph quickly hopped off of his perch as his trainer quickly stumbled forward, losing her balance and starting to roll down a nearby hill. A loud scream of panic slipped past her lips as Melody picked up speed, followed by a string of "oofs" and "woahs" and "craps" echoing out and across the immediate area of Route 24. Eventually, Melody managed to come to a stop as she found herself hitting something a bit more solid... Something that also seemed to speak as a loud "H-Hey!" cried out before a sudden weight fell upon her as well.

Melody winced in pain as she started to pick herself off the ground, coming to sit up properly. She shook her head, looking around slowly started to regain her composure. "What in the world...?"

The girl's eyes widened, the sight of another girl laying on the ground a few inches away came into view. She had short, bluish hair and dark sapphire-blue eyes. She was wearing a blue and black jacket, with a pair of fingerless gloves on her hands and a pair of black shorts and sneakers as well. A pair of Poké Ball-shaped earnings dangled from her ears. The girl in question was looking around in confusion herself, a rather angry glare coming to grace her features as her eyes laid eyes on Melody.

"Geeze? What was that all about? Can't ya at least watch where you're goin'?" the unknown girl spat in annoyance.

Melody laughed sheepishly. "Sorry about that... I guess I got distracted and I sort of lost my balance... Um, are you okay?"

The blue-haired girl huffed. "I'm fine, forget about it..."

Melody felt a small blush come to her cheeks as the girl's glare never seemed to leave her features. Thankfully, the gaze shifted as the sound of Alph running down the hill caught the attention of the stranger. The Pikachu quickly made his way towards Melody, giving the brunette a concerned look as he circled around the clumsy girl. Melody seemed to notice that the look on the blue-haired girl softened, before she slowly picked herself off the ground and started to walk away from the scene.

"H-Hey, wait a minute!" Melody cried out. She hopped back onto her feet and began to dash forward with Alph following close behind. A soft smile graced her lips as she quickly caught up to the girl. Her eyes quickly spotted a black backpack hanging off the blue-eyed girl's left shoulder and a ball dangling off of her belt. "You're a trainer, right? You totally are, I can tell. I... I wanna apologize again. I really didn't mean to hurt you or anything. So... How about we have a battle to clear the air?"

A huff of annoyance. "A battle? With ya? Ya look like ya can hardly walk straight. What kinda challenge would that be? I ain't in the mood, kid."

Melody seemed to completely ignore this dig at her clumsiness. "Come on, please! It'll be fun~"

"Why do I get the feelin' ya ain't gonna leave me alone unless I agree?" she sighed. "If I say yes, will ya piss off?"

"Yeah, yeah! Sure!" Melody responded. Her heart was really in the right place. She wanted to use the battle as an apology for what had happened just a few moments ago. Besides, it would be a good way for to get an idea on Alph's battling capability.

"Fine, fine... How many...?" the girl sighed, her eyes once again drifting down to the Pikachu by Melody's side. "Never mind, one on one. I can tell ya just have the one."

"Right! Sounds like a plan then!" Melody replied. The girl eagerly made her way towards her Pikachu. Her eyes were shining with excitement. "We're ready whenever you are! Let's go, Alph!"

The Pikachu quickly made his way forward, a small spark of electricity shining in his cheeks as he got ready for a battle. The other trainer sighed as she watched this, before slowly reaching down to the Poké Ball hanging off her belt. Melody noticed that the look on the other girl's face seemed to soften, if only for a moment, before an annoyed sigh slipped past her lips.

"Alright, Titan... Let's get this over with..."

Melody could feel her excitement building up. With a name like Titan, she was sure she and Alph were going to be squaring up against an impressive opponent. Her mind instantly began to race with what her opponent's Pokémon was going to be. Perhaps it was going to be a scrappy Machop! Maybe she had a towering Onix! There was a chance it could be a rampaging Rhyhorn, even! The brunette was practically bouncing on her heels as the ball left the opposing trainer's grasp, bouncing out onto the field before snapping open and shooting out a beam of white light. The light quickly took shape to reveal... a small... purple... twitchy... nervous-looking... male Nidoran.

Melody felt her excitement drop, just a very tiny bit, as she glanced between the Pokémon and his trainer. "T-Titan...?"

A faint blush graced the other girl's cheeks. "Ya got a problem...?"

"W-What, no! Of course not! It's a cute name!" Melody quickly spat out.

"Whatever..." the opposing trainer muttered. "Let's just get this over with. Titan, use Scratch!"

"Alph, go with a Thunder Shock!" Melody countered.

Alph let out an intimidating, at least as intimidating as a Pikachu can be, battle cry as he dashed forward. Sparks of electricity began to glow from his cheeks as he hopped up into the air, before a small burst of electricity sparked forward in the direction of the male Nidoran. Titan's eyes suddenly went wide in shock as his little legs began to scramble... in the opposite direction. A panicked cry escaped the purple Pokémon's mouth as it made an attempt to dodge the electric attack. However in it's frightened state there was little he could do to avoid it. A pain-filled wail echoed out from Titan, which in turn caused his trainer to groan in anger before immediately calling him back into his Poké Ball.

Needless to say, Alph was more than just a bit confused over the speed at which the battle proceeded... and Melody was quite disappointed indeed.

"That's... that's it...?" the brunette fumbled out, after staring in silence for what felt like at least an hour.

"What? Ya got your battle, right? Go sod off," the short-haired girl replied.

Without missing a beat, the girl turned and began to walk away from the scene. Melody honestly didn't know just how to feel about it all. The girl tried her best to process just what was going on, but the gears in her brain were definitely not turning for this one. She didn't have too long to think about it however, as she was suddenly gifted with a sight that absolutely made her cringe. She watched as the other girl gave an annoyed glare at the ball containing her Pokémon... before simply tossing off to the side and starting to trudge off away from it.

"Are... you serious...?" Melody questioned, the girl suddenly feeling a burst of anger welling up inside of her. "Oh, hell no! Get back here!"

 

[Stinging Bea]

Melody Hughes
Route 24

Chapter 1-3 | A Trainer In Need

The unknown girl paused, rolling her eyes at the sound of Melody's voice. She was honestly hoping that she had seen the last of the brunette. After all, she had given her exactly what she wanted when she gave her that battle she demanded (as embarrassing as it was). The blue-haired girl turned, watching as Melody ran up to her. She spotted the discarded Poké Ball holding her Nidoran was grasped tightly in her hand. Her Pikachu was quick to follow behind as quickly as he could.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?!" Melody snapped. A sharp glare graced the shorter girl's features as she pressed the Poké Ball into the blue-haired girl's chest. "You can't just throw your Pokémon away like that! Are you insane?!"

"Look, I don't really care what ya think about me tossin' that useless thing away," the blue-haired girl retorted. She crossed her arms in annoyance. "All that thing has done is hold me back since I started off. I just lost my third battle because of him. All he does is sniffle and whimper. Why the hell should I even bother with it anymore?"

"So... It was just scared or something!" Melody protested. "You can't just abandon him, still!"

"Then what would ya suggest I do? If he ain't even got the nerve to look me in the eyes, then how the hell am I..." the girl started. She sighed, shaking her head in defeat. The blue-haired girl could tell that she wasn't going to get anywhere with someone like Melody. "Look if you're so worried about the dumb thing, then ya can take it. It ain't got anythin' to do with me... Just forget it, alright?"

Melody's gaze softened. She was starting to get the feeling that there was something deeper going on here. The brunette couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could definitely tell. She watched as the other girl began to walk away again, before snapping back to reality and quickly running forward. Melody did not waste a single moment as she reached out and grabbed the taller girl's wrist as tightly as she could.

"Hey..." Melody began, causing the other girl to stop again. "Is there something bugging you? Look, I know your Nidoran didn't exactly give a stellar performance back there, but... I mean, talking could help...?"

"Are ya kiddin' me...?" the unknown girl questioned. "I don't even know who the hell ya are. Why would ya think that talkin' will just magically make it better?"

"Could it really hurt...?" Melody asked back.

The girl sighed. "...Fine..." She led Melody away from the main road, the duo coming to take a seat atop a log just a few feet away from where they had been standing. Alph climbed up onto the log as well, taking a spot on Melody's lap as the blue-haired girl began to speak. "...I'm sure ya already figured it out, but... I just graduated from Cape College too... Truth is, I never really... well, that ain't true. I ain't exactly sure what I want to be real with ya..."

Melody raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Trainin' Pokémon is just somethin' that always ran in the family. It's like some kinda right of passage, ya know? It's been somethin' we've done ever since my Great Grandpa was a kid," the blue-haired girl explained. "So after about three generations, my old man just up and decides that it's my destiny to follow in all their footsteps and become some world-class trainer myself. I was never really all that interested in Pokémon, but... well, ya know how parents can be. Once they set their mind on somethin', that's it and there's no changin' it."

Melody's eyes dropped to the ground for a moment. This girl... had a point she figured. She began to wonder if he was the same way.

"Anyways, next thing I know I'm off to Cape College and... well, I graduated and here I am," the girl summarized rather briskly. "After that, I get stuck with this coward of a Pokémon that acts like he's scared of his own shadow. We can't even get through the simplest of battles before the thing freezes up. I guess it just goes to show I ain't up to snuff to be a trainer."

"Well... I mean, that's always a possibility, but..." Melody began, wincing slightly as she realized how tactless her initial response sounded. "I mean, don't you think it's too early to call it quits. Even if you don't wanna be some big-shot trainer, I think you're missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime here!"

Now it was the taller girl's turn to raise an eyebrow. "How do ya figure that?"

"It's simple," Melody began. "Not just anyone go around with a Pokémon partner of their own. With this little guy around, you have the chance to go around Kanto and find out exactly what you wanna do! So what if things don't always work out right from the start? It's at least better to give it a shot, right?"

"...And just what do ya suggest I do?" the taller girl questioned. "It ain't gonna do me much good if I can't even get off this route."

Melody beamed. She hopped to her feet and shoved the Poké Ball back into the girl's hands. "That's why I'm gonna help you two out! By the time I'm done, you two are gonna be in fighting shape and you'll be able to go out there and chase... or well, figure out your dreams! It'll just be the two of you, Titan and um..."

"...Snow. My name's Snow," she answered.

"Right, Titan and Snow!" Melody continued. "Just leave it to good ol' Melody!"

Snow closed her eyes for a moment, her grip tightening on the Poké Ball holding her Nidoran. This short girl was... loud and had way too much energy. She wasn't even sure what made her so sure that she could help her or Titan. Then again, it's not like she had anything else better to do. She figured she could at least waste a little time with the runt.

"...Alright then, let's just get this over with."

 

[Aureliano]

Aubrey Joad - Route 25 pt. 1

The sunlight filtered through the trees as Aubrey sat leaning her back against one of the many wide tree trunks around her. Charlie lay beside her, soaking in the sun's rays and napping to his little heart's content. The freshly met pair had traversed through the hills of Route 25 for the first few hours of their trek, so it seemed now was the perfect time for a short break. While excited for the beginning of her very own pokemon journey, the novice trainer knew how important it was for her new partner to take breaks if he wanted to travel on foot beside her as he did. It didn't seem very practical to do in the long term, but from the extensive number of studies that she had read on the topic, it did seem that traveling side by side with one's partner boosted the longstanding relationship between trainer and pokemon.

When she first discovered that her starter would be a Bulbasaur, she also read as thoroughly as she could about the species and from everything that she had seen, one of the more important aspects to caring for them was to make sure that they get as much time to sleep in the sunlight as possible. Its rays help to cultivate growth in the seed carried on their backs, creating a healthier, happier pokemon overall. Charlie also seemed to have the type of personality to appreciate this extra naptime. By no means lazy, the Bulbasaur certainly seemed to be quite a relaxed and carefree individual. While Aubrey was busy soaking in the sights and taking notes on every wild pokemon and berry she could find, her partner sauntered alongside her, casually enjoying the brisk walk.

As Aubrey's nose was buried in a book about the flora surrounding Cerulean City, a familiar face entered into the periphery of her vision. Out on the well kept path of Route 25, a boy about the age of 15, strode through. His jet black hair, backwards hat, and torn jeans induced a wide array of negative emotions inside the young girl, prompting her to hide her bright red face behind the pages of the book in her hands, praying that she would go unnoticed.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't little Miss Country Bumpkin herself." The smug voice calling out to her, confirmed her fears otherwise. Breathing in and out slowly in order to regain her composure, Aubrey slowly lowered her book, finding that the boy was now faced towards her about five feet away. Her eyes glanced around, but she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes. "Wass' tha' mattuh' Meowth gotcha tongue?" His mocking voice brought a tightness to her chest, as the rush of old feelings continued to assault her.

Bradley Stevenson, 15 years of age, the heir of a thriving clothing company in Saffron City, and the bane of Aubrey's existence during her first year at Cape College. His constant torment on her accent, her clothes, her intelligence, her upbringing, her family, culminated in the young girl not wanting to return when visiting home on break. It was only the thought of the work her parents had put into sending her there, and a conversation with her eldest brother that convinced her to continue on. During her second year, she made real, solid friends that put Bradley's harassment to an end, for the most part. He still would sneak in a snicker or two when she'd speak up in class, but she hadn't had to deal with him much since then, because she wasn't alone. Alone, like she was now.

"H-hi there Bradley. Hope yer travels'r treatin' you well so far." Aubrey's voice was quiet, anxious in comparison to her counterpart's loud, brash way of speaking. She fumbled with the book in her hands, hoping that it would distract her from the anxiety closing itself around her throat. As his trainer endured the waves of panic continually washing over her, Charlie lay unpeturbed, continuing to enjoy his midday nap.

"They've been going just fine. Unlike apparently you have been, I've been proactive with my time and me and my Machop just beat down on some rookie trainers. We're well on our way to beating every gym leader in the region." He cocked his head to the side, as if in mock deep thought. "Say, now that I think about it, why don't we have a battle now? It looks like your Bulbasaur there could definitely use some training."

"W-well I'm not so sure 'bout that. Charlie's gotta get his rest'n all 'n I don' wanna trouble you none. Y'all go on head, thank you fer the offer though, Bradley." Aubrey's chest tightened even more than before. She wasn't much of an experienced battler and the thought of putting Charlie in the way of her bully's warpath didn't help much to relieve her of the overwhelming disquieting of her emotions.

"That wasn't an offer." Bradley's expression became one of a smug grin as he brandished a shiny red poke-ball in his hand. "Get your redneck self, up and battle me.

With a sigh of deep regret, the young girl struggled to her feet. "I suppose I'ont got a choice in the matter then..." She looked to the still dozing pokemon to her right. "Charlie, wake up buddy. Iss time fer our ferst battle."

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

Among the hilly sea of trees of Route 25, the two trainers stood opposite of each other. One stood self-assured, his hat snuggly secured backwards upon his head and his Machop, eagerly awaiting the battle by his side. The other stood shaking in fear, the demons of her past she had thought she'd left behind, back to haunt her. Her Bulbasaur, stood beside her, a disengaged yet confident look in his eyes.

Aubrey looked to her partner, breathing in hard to steady herself. "You ready, Charlie?" He gave a curt nod in return, more ready for the battle than his trainer could have ever hoped to be. "Alright... les' get 'er done then." She turned her focus to the boy across from her, attempting to feed off her pokemon's boldness. "We ready 'never you are."

Bradley's cocky grin seemed to grow even wider as the rush of battle began to hit him. "I'll go ahead and call the ambulance for you, let's go Machop! Hit that little plant with a Low Kick!" In response to his trainer's command, the muscled up pokemon came charging towards the Bulbasaur ahead of it.

The words "Low Kick" threw Aubrey's mind into overdrive, making her thoughts race across her head. Machop was a strong physical attacker, making its Fighting type moves a potent force, yet Charlie wasn't among the heavier pokemon species so Low Kick wouldn't do too much damage quite yet. The best course of action seemed to be to lower the pokemon's attack so that it'd progressively do less damage. Making these connections in her mind, the young girl called out to her partner, "Charlie, hit 'im with Growl!"

However, before he could respond, the Machop came through, pummeling the Bulbasaur with a kick, sending him sprawling across the grass. "What's wrong? Your hillbilly mind thinking a little too slowly for battle?" Bradley snorted out a laugh, causing Aubrey to grit her teeth in frustration. "Sorry, Charlie, but keep et up! Get 'im now while we got time!"

The Bulbasaur grimaced, the Low Kick hadn't done too much damage, but it still definitely hurt. He nodded in response to his trainer, glad to have some direction as to what to do. He scrambled forward, sending an ear piercing growl towards the Machop, lowering its attack.

"You don't think, I'm that stupid do you?" The boy continued to chuckle at his opponent's inexperience. "Machop, use Leer to cancel out that garbage!" The fighting-type flexed back, replicating his trainer's confidence and glowered at the pokemon across from him, lowering its defense and making any stat changes null and void.

Aubrey grimaced, feeling out of her depth. She could read all she wanted to about battling strategies and tactics, yet it was quite clear to see that when it came to the actual thing she was being thoroughly outclassed by her opponent. Two steps 'head, girly, gotta be thinkin' two steps 'head. So far she had only seen Leer and Low Kick from the Machop, and considering the fact that they had only started their journeys that day, it couldn't have learned too many other moves already. There was no type advantage available either way, so she was going to have to think outside of the box.

"Machop hit it with another Low Kick!" Once again, the pokemon came charging towards Charlie, who glanced back at his trainer for directions. "Alrighty, get 'im with a Vine Whip, but go fer the legs!" Reacting instantly to his commands, two vines shot out of the Bulbasaur's sprout, cleanly sweeping his adversary off of his feet and onto the ground. "One more tahm! Vine Whip!" As if connected to the thoughts of his trainer, the vines whipped forward again, squarely striking Machop across its body.

With their first hit on the board, both Aubrey felt the confidence within her begin to grow. "Way t'go Charlie! Ya done did 'im right!"

The cocky smile across Bradley's face vanished as he realized what had just happened. A wave of anger crashing over him, he called out, "So you think you're so smart with your little strategies huh? Let's see how you like this one, Machop, use Bide!" The fighting-type nodded promptly, crouching down, awaiting the next attack.

Bide, a move that caused a pokemon to be unable to move again for quite some time. It takes in damage, only to return it twice-fold when the waiting period was over. The only thing was that if the pokemon were to not be damaged, Bide had no use, a fact Aubrey recalled from a Battle Tactics class. Recognizing the mistake that the boy had made in his fit of rage, she felt another wave of elation run through her body. This was the rush of the battle. "Thinkin' a lil' too far 'head I suppose. Charlie hit 'im with some Growls 'til he's out've it!"

The Bulbasaur, once again, shot a continuous roaring growl towards his opponent who was helpless against the attack-lowering move.

"God damn it!" Bradley shouted in anger, comprehending the oversight he had taken. He bit his lip, unable to do anything until Bide's waiting period had ended.

While her opponent, stirred restlessly, Aubrey went about thinking out her next move. He would most assuredly go for a Leer as Machop's attack would be lowered to the point that any physical moves were deemed useless. She could either go for the big home run and attempt to knock him out then and there, or take the safe route and whittle down his health. The choice might have seemed obvious for any sensible trainer, but this was about sending a message. She hadn't wanted to battle in the first place, but she was going to end it right then and there.

Finally, Machop was able to move again and Bradley immediately made the move that his opponent had predicted. "Machop, use Leer!" With the trace of a bold smile across her face, the girl nodded towards her partner. "Hit 'im with the special thing, Charlie." Confused at first, the Bulbasaur thought to himself, until it dawned upon him, prompting his own smile to form across his face.

As his defense was lowered, the Bulbasaur assumed his own waiting stance, with his head tucked in and resting upon the grass beneath him. "You think, I'm gonna fall for the same strategy that I just used? You're getting a little too cocky there, freakin' redneck! Machop, use another Leer!"

Aubrey's smile turned to a full on grin as Bradley walked straight into her trap. "Alright, Charlie, let 'er rip!" The moment the words left her mouth, the pokemon charged forward at lightning speed, smashing his skull straight into the Machop's jaw. The impact sent it sprawling off into a nearby tree, its body limp and knocked out.

Skull Bash, a two step move in which a pokemon takes some time to tuck their head him, vulnerable to damage in the process, but unleashing a devastatingly powerful attack upon the next turn. Bulbasaur generally only learn it through selective breeding, so it was peculiar that her starter pokemon would come with such a move, but the rookie trainer made an instant mental note about it when she saw it appear in her poke-dex, and it paid off.

"We did it, Charlie! We did it!" Filled with elation, Aubrey scooped up her partner and hugged him tightly. While feeling the same emotions, the pokemon was nice and tuckered out awaiting his next chance for a nap. He offered a content "Saur" in response and allowed his trainer to feel the rush of victory.

Bradley, on the other hand, silently returned his Machop to its pokeball. He paused for a moment, as if he were about to begin saying something to the girl he had tormented for so long, but just bit his lip in frustration, turning towards the beginning of the route to get his pokemon healed.

As the adrenaline finally started to wear off, Aubrey looked around only to find Bradley to have vanished off into thin air. "Well 'suppose he got what he deserved." She looked down towards her partner, satisfied with how well her first battle went. She had much to learn, but if she could take on the boy that had made her life miserable, she felt like she could take on the world. "Let's git goin' Charlie, we got a lotta ground t'cover by t'night."​

 

[Dragon]

-------Noel ⏩ North Maple​

Stage One: It's time for the fun to begin! -- part 2​

Rosie and Ted continued along the path with Noel steadily trailing behind them. Luna was perched right on top of Noel's head, perhaps on the stake out for suspicious trainers, or maybe she just wanted a free ride. Either way, Noel did not mind much at all. As Noel travelled, Noel couldn't help but to think. Her mind was remembering all of the previous times when she was a younger kid. When she was younger, she watched her parents and the crew perform all the time in Kanto. Not one person left the show without a smile on their face. Noel included.

Even before that, Noel was someone who did not have any friends. She was shy, quiet, and very sensitive. She always stumbled and faltered whenever she made a mistake, got embarrassed, or if someone made fun of her. She used to cry alone, while staring at the nearby park in Saffron. Her mother one day, saw her crying. "Noel…" she said. "Always remember. The best trainers are those who have the biggest smiles. No matter what."

Since then, Noel took that to heart. Even to this day. She continued on her way along the path, looked up on her Clefairy and smiled. Meanwhile, Ted glanced at the map he was carrying, then peered upon the road ahead. More and more buildings were in view, until the group found themselves in a vast area of farmland, that had all sorts of crops and plants. All sorts of buildings were in place, including a larger building that stood right in the front and center of them all. "This is…" Ted started, once more double checking the map. "Ah, we're in North Maple!"

"North Maple, huh," Rosie replied, observing the view. "I think the professor said loads of farmers come around here, cultivating crops and the like. All sorts of Pokémon who help them out are with them as well. It has some of the richest soils in the entire region."

"Waaaaa…" Noel beamed in delight, pointing at the centermost building. "Look at that! Think it's a lodge of some sort?"

"I believe it is," Ted replied. "The farmers here are really hospitable for trainers, so I think maybe we can set out here tonight."

"It's the perfect place to come up with a plan too," Rosie added. "Shall we?"

The Maple Lodge was seemingly busy today. It stood at the center of the North Maple as a hub for trainers, farmers, or travellers to stay and relax before continuing on their way once more. Right inside, they heard immediate yelling from a woman who was seemingly in charge. She directed each passerby where to stay, alongside a schedule for things to come. It took awhile for the party to get their turn, but at last, they did.

"Howdy! Reckon' y'all trainers?" the woman greeted. She was accompanied by a Miltank, who was carrying a bunch of paperwork and books right to the nearby desk. She quickly greeted the group with a wave before carrying on her task.

"I... reckon so!" Noel replied, with an attempt to mimic her seemingly thick accent. It was amusing to her. The woman tilted her head slightly in confusion. "I'mma trainer, and these are my buds'. Nice to meet… y'all!"

Rosie sighed, and shook her head back in forth. "...I'm sorry about her," Rosie apologized. She then gave Noel an icy glance, and then promptly turned back to the woman. "My name is Rosie, and that's Ted. And this is… Noel."

"The amazing Noel, thank you very much!" Noel corrected with a bow. "Never on stage without her beloved partner, Luna the Clefairy!" Luna waved, and blew a kiss to her assumed audience.

"Right," the woman replied, followed with somewhat of an awkward giggle. "Name's Bryony. Nice to meet y'all! Gimme a sec while I get you your rooms… Mille! Oy! MILLIE!" she called out to her Miltank, who had recently finished her task, to be given another one: she got out a pouch from inside the desk drawer she was nearby, and headed to Bryony's way. She then opened it, taking out three keys from within, and giving one to each of the trainers. "Room number eleven, just right across number twelve. Dinner's at seven, an' if you have any questions, feel free to ask! By the by, if ya'll see a small Magikarp floppin' about anywhere, grab em', because a kid is lookin' for em', ya? Oh and, careful of any stains, cause a guy brought his Grimer and, ugh, I told him to not let that thing out here…"

"Thank you! We'll be careful," Ted happily agreed. The trio waved to the kind receptionist, as they made their way to their room, making sure to evade any suspicious materials on the floor. Finally they arrived at their room. It had one bed, window, dresser, and bathroom, but it was to be expected.

"Heeeey, maybe we can play cards for that bed later?" Noel suggested. "Or a comedy night competition? Maybe karaoke?"

"Just take it, I already got a sleeping bag," Rosie replied, with Ted nodding as he got out his. "Besides, I'm pretty sure just before you'd possibly lose, you'll go: Awwww shoot, I forgot my sleeping bag! You wouldn't want the best entertainer in the world to sleep on the cold floor, would you?! ...Did I get your impression right?"

Noel playfully stuck out her tongue and sofly bopped her head with her right knuckle. No other words, but that response just says it all. This is going to be an interesting night.

 

[Stinging Bea]

Melody Hughes
Route 24

Chapter 1-4 | Professor Melody

"So... How do we get this goin'...?" Snow questioned.

Melody bit her bottom lip. That was actually a good question. While she had decided to take it upon herself to help Snow out with her troubles, the brunette had not actually put any real thought into what that might incorporate. On top of that, she had only just recently graduated from Cape College like Snow. That didn't exactly make her an expert just yet on the ways of being a Pokémon trainer.

She glanced over her shoulder at Alph, as if asking the Pikachu if he had any advice. The Pokémon in question only twitched his ears in response, giving the girl a rather clueless look. Somehow though, it seemed to be enough. A bright smile of excitement quickly flashed across Melody's face as she turned her attention back towards Snow. The taller girl raised a curious eyebrow as she began to wonder just what got her new acquaintance so energized.

"The first thing we need to do is work on your relationship with Titan," Melody determined, pointing to the Nidoran's Poké Ball that was still in Snow's grip. "You two need to get to know each other! I mean... obviously you two already know each other, but you don't really know each other. In fact, you both seem to get along rather... well... crappily."

Snow shot a rather nasty looking glare at the shorter girl. At the same time however, she knew that Melody most likely had a point. That didn't mean she wouldn't have preferred for the brunette to possibly not so direct when it came to describing one of her issues.

"So... what do ya suggest?" Snow asked.

Melody beamed proudly. "Let Titan out of his ball. Take the time to reintroduce yourself and remember to be a bit more... friendly! A smile will go a long way, you know? Let him know you don't mean him any harm!"

Snow sighed in response. She looked a little uneasy at the suggestion, but she really didn't have any better ideas. The short-haired girl tossed the ball up into the air and called out the male Nidoran that was waiting inside. Titan looked around nervously, surveying the area in fear as if he was about to be dragged into another battle. For one brief moment, a look of relief seemed to grace the purple Pokémon's features... but it only lasted for that brief moment. The sounds of Snow's footsteps as well as the sight of her shadow was more than enough to grab the Nidoran's attention. He quickly spun around, turning to face his trainer with a look of absolute fear gracing his face.

Snow stared down at her Pokémon for a moment, before glancing over her shoulder back towards Melody. "...Are ya sure about this?"

"Just go on with it!" Melody called back. "And remember... a big smile!"

What followed next was a display that Melody... well, she really didn't know what to call it. A look of embarrassment graced Snow's cheeks as she turned her focus back to the Nidoran, before offering him a wide smile just as the brunette had suggested. That said, it reminded Melody of the look a serial killer would give its victim as they slipped into absolute insanity. The taller then girl dropped down to the ground without warning and grabbed hold of Titan, immediately causing the Pokémon in question to start having some form of a panic attack. Snow seemed to completely ignore his thrashing about however, intent on making this greeting work out... somehow.

"Hey there, Titan! It's sooooo nice to meet ya!" Snow exclaimed in an overly friendly voice, one Melody could easily tell was quite forced. "We're gonna be best friends, oh yeah! The absolute bestest!"

The short-haired girl immediately brought in the Nidoran to give it a tight... and frankly uncomfortable hug. This only served to increase his panic attack even more. Without warning, Titan managed to somehow squirm around and then outright scratched Snow's hand. A series of angry curses slipped out of the girl's lips as she instantly dropped the Nidoran to the ground, holding her hand in a mix of anger and pain.

"Son of a...! How the hell was that supposed to help out?!" Snow snapped, giving Melody a look that could kill.

"How was I supposed to know you were gonna greet him like that?!" Melody questioned back. "You looked like some sort of psycho! I'd be scared too if you came at me like that!"

Melody paused, a sudden thought rushing to her brain. The way that Snow had just greeted her Nidoran... It kind of reminded her of how she had first attempted to greet Alph. In fact, it was almost a step-by-step repeat, only a little bit less of a shocking experience.

"You're right... I guess I should have been more... direct about it," Melody concluded. She paused for a moment, going over to where Alph had still been seated. She offered her arm forward, to which her Pikachu sniffed at carefully before smiling happily and then scurrying his way up to the girl's shoulder. "I... kind of greeted Alph the same way... and kind of got the same results. I guess some Pokémon are just finicky to that sort of treatment, at least until they get to know or trust you a bit better."

"...Whatever," Snow sighed. "So, what now...?"

"Try to... approach him a bit more carefully. Don't be so aggressive and just be yourself," Melody suggested, speaking from her personal experience from when she gave Alph a more proper introduction. "Let Titan approach you. I think that'll probably work out a bit better."

Snow gave a small nod and turned back to face her Nidoran once more. The creature looked like he was about to have a heart attack, as if he knew that his trainer was about to snap and berate him. Much to his surprise, that verbal lashing never happened. Rather, Snow crouched down to his level and sighed. A stern, serious expression graced her facial features, but... no anger seemed to be present her tone as she began to speak.

"...I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't thinkin' straight," Snow said calmly, locking her eyes with that of Titan's. "...Are ya okay? You ain't hurt, are ya?"

Titan watched as Snow started to reach out towards him once more. At first, it looked as though the taller girl was going to reach out and grab him again. However she soon stopped, as if thinking better of it. Instead she merely reached out and extended her left hand towards the Nidoran, deciding it might be better if she let him approach her instead. Titan cautiously began to waddle forward, sniffing at Snow's hand as if he was inspecting it for some kind of trap. Much to Snow's surprise and delight (although she would never admit the latter), the Nidoran seemed to relax a bit... and even gently brushed up against the palm of her hand. A small smile crept up to her lips at the contact, one that Melody could tell was actually genuine for once.

"Well... I guess that's a start," the brunette thought with a smile of her own. "Maybe this won't be so hard after all."

 

[Groc]

Vera Hill
Chapter 1 - A Short Rest
Route 25, May 20th

---

Lunch, as it turned out, was essentially glorified trail rations and bottled water. Not being an "outdoorsy" type, Vera had whipped up some no-bake cookies with dried fruit, nuts, and candies. She was quite proud of her foresight, and her Pokemon devoured the food happily.

"You two have no manners, you know that?" Vera was both fascinated and slightly repulsed as she watched Bonnie shove an entire cookie into her mouth, while Leo ate his with the fastest yet tiniest bites she'd ever seen. "You're like children, or wild animals."

The two Pokemon shared a glance at that comment. Technically speaking, that's exactly what they were.

Vera didn't seem to notice the look, sipping elegantly from her bottled drink. "I suppose I'll have to train you both in more than just combat. After all, you must have a sense of decorum when we're famous."

Leo raised an eyebrow, chittering inquiringly. Bonnie just shrugged, packing another cookie into her mouth.

"...I take it by your tone that you're confused, Leo. I'm not on a journey to make new friends and see the world. Those are just fringe benefits to my true goal, which is to obtain the respect and admiration that I deserve, to show the world what I'm capable of!" She stood up during her spiel, looking up at the sky and, presumably, the future.

Bonnie looked inspired, if a bit concerned for her partner. Leo found his food more interesting, and kept eating.

Vera cleared her throat, realizing that speeches were not her strong suit. "Yes, *ahem*, well... finish your food, and we'll keep going. Route 24 is right down the road."

---

Right down the road was actually over an hour walk, and the shadows were starting to get longer as the afternoon went on. Vera held Leo in her arms, enjoying how warm and fuzzy he was, but keeping her hands away from his mouth. She still didn't trust those "teeth" (mandibles, but she didn't know that).

Route 24 offered much of the same as Route 25: a path were there were few Pokemon and more humans, and trees that were surely the opposite. Vera saw some trainers having a battle, a couple of teenagers engaged in conversation, and an older gentleman offering a friendly wave when he saw her.

"Ugh. I'll take the forest path." Turning away from the people on the road, she made her way down the hiking trail. There would be less human interaction this way, and a chance to train her Pokemon. As she walked, she got the feeling they were being watched, a suspicion that was proven correct when some nearby bushes rustled.

Vera stopped, and the bush rustler made their move! A small, dark-furred Pokemon leaped from cover, landing in front of Vera. It pulled a leaf from behind its ear and stuck one end in its mouth, running the other hand through its hair. It held that pose, one hand on head and the other near the leaf, smiling like a tough guy.

Vera merely pulled out her Pokedex, unimpressed with the pose. "Pancham, huh? Leo, show me what you can do." She opened her arms, letting Leo jump to the ground. He hissed at Pancham, eager to fight.

Pancham looked grumpy, but accepted the challenge, making a "bring it" motion with his hand.

"Leo, start with Tackle!" Leo charged in, but Pancham met him halfway with a Tackle of his own. They clashed, though Pancham was clearly the stronger of the two. Vera grinned, a dark gleam in her eye. "Now Disable him."

Leo's eyes glowed blue, rings of energy washing over Pancham. The little panda fighter faltered in his steps, suddenly unable to carry out his attack.

Vera laughed, mockingly brushing her hair back like Pancham had done, even posing like him. "Leo, use Supersonic to trip him up even more!" Leo pointed his antenna forward, sending out soundwaves to confuse Pancham. Pancham just Leered angrily.

"Take it home, Leo. Use Tackle." Leo slammed into Pancham, who could only glare and take it. Leo hit him again, and Pancham flailed around, tripping and hitting the ground face first.

"Haha! Pathetic." Vera was getting bored by this fight. "Finish him, Leo. Should only take two or three more Tackles." Leo hit Pancham, and Pancham Leered back. Vera checked the Pokedex idly, seeing their relative health, when a small icon pinged. "Hm? 'Tackle is no longer Disabled'. ...wait, what?!"

Leo rushed in recklessly, only to be stopped by Pancham straight up punching him in the face. The blow sent Leo tumbling tail over teakettle, coming to rest on his back at Vera's feet. Pancham was breathing heavily, hurt but angry.

"Leo! Get up! You've almost won, you just need to get up!" Leo slowly stood up, his already low defense crippled by all those Leers. "You can win, Leo! Just one more Tackle!" Vera's tone softened as a look of worry crossed her face. "Come on, buddy..."

Surprised to be called that, Leo looked back at Vera. Seeing her concern for him filled him with determination, and he looked back to Pancham with a glare. Pancham looked a little dazed, but repeated his "bring it" gesture.

Leo rushed in, Pancham running to meet him. Leo was quicker, and slammed into Pancham, who took the hit but didn't fall. Pancham got ready to Tackle Leo, but the confusion caused him to stumble, fall, and nearly knock himself out at the last moment. Rather than stick around to fight more or get captured, Pancham scurried off to the safety of the bushes.

Vera jumped for joy, pumping her fist in excitement. "Whoo-hoo, you did it! Oh!, Uh, I mean... excellent work, Leo. You fought very well." She quickly comported herself, offering Leo his Pokeball. "You look tired. Why don't you rest for a bit?" Leo grinned happily as Vera returned him to his ball, excited that he managed to defrost his trainer's cold exterior for even one moment.

Vera called Bonnie out, securing her onto her shoulder. "Let's keep going. It'll be dark soon, and I am not camping out in these woods."

 

[Dragon]

-------Noel & Casey ⏩ North Maple​

Stage One: It's time for the fun to begin! -- part 3​

North Maple's dining hall, in contrast to its haphazardly organized main hall, was a methodical arrangement of tables. Each table sat six people and was set perpendicular to either the north or south wall, creating a wide aisle down the middle of the room. Through the three entryways people wandered in to claim seats by the fireplace on the eastern wall or to head straight for dinner on the western. The counter that spanned almost the entire west side of the room was piled high with food; the remaining space taken by an open doorway to the kitchen. Cooks swiftly rotated plates and dishes as the farmhands set upon the buffet. With the clanking of utensils, scraping of chairs, and chatter of nearly a hundred voices- it was loud, yes, but nonetheless welcoming.

Rosie sat down next to Ted, her plate with a fair amount of food, but not as much as Ted's. "That's quite a plate you've got there," Rosie observed with a smile.

"I guess I was so frantic before that I kinda forgot to eat," Ted laughed, a bit ruefully. "It's quite busy in here… I guess there's not quite a feast to lift up spirits, huh?"

Rosie gave a sly chuckle. "I think Noel would argue otherwise," she said. She then searched around the area. There were plenty of people alright, but Noel was not in sight. "Where is she, anyway? Still getting food?"

Ted shrugged. "I'm not sure, but…" he then gave a stern look. "Why do I have this… foreboding feeling?"

"What do you mean--"

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF ALLLLLL AGES!" A general hush fell in the wake of the shout. The people looked around to where it was coming from, until they realized that it came from above. Ted and Rosie were astonished… in an awkward sort of way. Indeed, it could have been none other than Noel, garnering for attention. "Introducing, the star that shines as bright as the sun itself, Noel Yukino, here to descend, and dazzle you all!"

Noel was standing on a beam that supported the structure of the building above. She had both of her arms up in the air, as she carefully took both steps off the platform she was standing on. To the naked eye, it appeared as though she was… floating. A ripple of amazement rushed through the crowd. She slowly descended, keeping a confident and ready posture.

However, nearby, there stood Luna, holding up what seemed to be a thin rope. It was supporting Noel as she was slowly descending, with Luna holding Noel up in place. Luna was much stronger than she looked; she was able to lift Noel at will, so supporting her with a rope was a simple task for her.

Until her hands started to slip and she slowly started to lose her grip.

"Feast your eyes, everyone!" Noel meanwhile gloated. "Noel, the dazzling agent of the gods, now dances upon the evening sky an-- EEEEEEEK!" Luna eventually lost her grip completely. Noel fell face first on the floor with a somewhat large thud. Quizzical glances were exchanged along with a few concerned murmurs.

Luna walked on by, softly giving Noel a poke. "Wouna wai twuat wue refurfed fis…" Noel muttered, her voice muffled by the floor. Two women stepped forward from the crowd, ready to offer a hand to the prone girl. Noel took one of them, and stood right back up, and rubbed her nose. "Okay! Noel is okay, my friends! Let's forget that ever happened, ahahaha!" Luna showered Noel with another stream of confetti. Ta da…? Fortunately, Noel had a back up plan.

"Noel is just full of talents, my fellow trainers," she announced. "How about, I sing for you all instead?" Ted and Rosie exchanged looks. Singing? Now?

Luna borrowed a chair from a nearby table, and gently placed it in front of Noel, for her to stand on. Noel did so, clasping her hands together, with her eyes closed, and tilting her head forward slightly. The room was silent, yet anxious. Eventually, Noel looked up at her new audience. It took her awhile to realize, this is the first seated audience who Noel is about to perform. It was an odd feeling. She was nervous, yet… excited. She took a deep breath, and started to let it out, and started to sing.

The magic fee~ling… it's grown so strooong.
Always leads me to a place where I be~long.
Won't go away!
Never let me dooooown.
I've got the greatest friends
That ever could be found.

Across every river!
Behind every tree!
On top of every mountain
They're a part of you and meee!

They rush like waaater…
They soar like the wind…
They're always with me
Ev~ery day I begin!
They BURN like fiiii~re
They CHILL like ice…
They take on an-y challenge
Make any sacrifice…

Across every river!
Behind every tree!
On top of every mountain
They're a part of you and meee!

One world, One world! Now and forever!
Best friends, Best friends! Loyal and true!
One dream, One dr~eam... Put side by side
There's nothing we can't do!
One hand, one hand! Helping the other
Each heart, Each heart! Beating as one!
We live, We live... Always together!
Sharing the same bright suuuuun!

Whoaaah~whoa~hoa~hoah~
You and me!
And Po-ke-mon!

A smattering of applause broke out even as the audience began to disperse. A few people cheerfully patted Noel on the back as they resumed their evening. Noel lost herself in the applause and admiration. Luna cheerfully showered her with even more confetti (seriously where does she get all this confetti?), while Noel took bow after bow, until her hand was grabbed.

"Come on now," Rosie directed, getting Noel to sit down next to her and Ted. Rosie sighed. "You're something else."

A plate piled precariously high with mostly vegetables appeared across from Noel, its owner plopping down in the chair a second later. The sandy-haired boy greeted her enthusiastically.

"Noel! I thought that was you! Hey, that song was good, but how did you do that cool thing before? Floating, or whatever?"

Noel giggled, brushing her hair to the back of her shoulder. "Naughty boy, a performer never reveals her secrets," Noel explained with heightened arrogance. She then looked up at her new endearing fan. She stared at him, with curiosity. "You… wait, I recognize you!"

"Yeah, we had some classes together. Casey, remember?" He didn't seem bothered that she hadn't recognized him. "But come on, how'd you float? Was it a Pokémon move? Did you get a psychic-type?"

"No can do Casey," Noel replied. "I told you, a true performer never reveals her--"

"It was her Clefairy," Rosie interrupted. "Hoisted her up with a rope."

"Rosie!" Noel snapped. "How could you?!"

Casey's lips flung a blink-and-you'll-miss-it frown in Rosie's direction before returning to a more cheerful smile. "Ah, I won't tell, don't worry! Anyway, you got a Clefairy? That's great! I think it suits you- in aesthetic, anyway; are you working together okay? Like, for battles?"

"Of course, my dear Casey," Noel reassured. Luna climbed on top of the dinner table, to perch herself on top of Noel's head. "Luna is the lovable guardian of the stars… the perfect partner for Noel."

"But Noel," Rosie chimed in. "Don't you know what Luna actually does?"

Noel gave Rosie a puzzled look. "Whatever do you mean?" Noel could only ask. "She is the ever lovable guardian of the stars and--"

"No, no, no," Rosie corrected. "Have you ever talked with your pokemon? Do you ever look up a Clefairy on your Pokedex? Do you... even know Clefairy's moves?"

Luna and Noel exchanged looks. "O-Of course I do!" Noel slyly confirmed, but with somewhat of a hesitant tone. She made a 'V' for victory sign with two of her fingers, with Luna mimicking her shortly afterward. "As I already told you! Luna is the lovable guardian of the stars, and the perfect partner for me! That is a common fact! N-Now as I can see this is growing into a privileged Q' and A' session from my adoring public, are there any other questions?"

"Am I the adoring public?" Casey laughed, paused to take a large bite of his dinner, then continued. "I guess like-- I didn't see anyone from our class on the way here, so I don't know what anyone's been up to.

So did you guys do anything interesting today? Did y'all catch a Pokémon yet?"

"We all just started, so we didn't really have the chance yet," Ted explained, adjusting his glasses.

"Au contraire Ted," Noel corrected. "Noel had many opportunities, but she did not take one of them, and do you know why? Because Noel believes in destiny. For if life's a stage, we'd all be actors. Noel only looks for the best suited actors in the play only she is qualified to be in."

"Right," Rosie commented, with a sigh. "And I suppose any Pokemon you would catch would only be subjected to your whimsical acting."

Casey spoke up, slightly muffled by the rather revolting amount of food in his mouth. "She's right to look for Pokémon that will fit with her style. It'll make working with them easier. Can't force 'em to do anything they don't wanna do."

"Now there's a sensible lad," Noel beamed. "I humbly do agree! Wouldn't you agree, Rosie?"

Rosie sighed. "Well, whatever I guess. You do you," she said. "What Pokemon do you have, Casey?"

"I picked Charmander to start with! He's really fun and he's got a lot of energy- he walked almost the whole way with me. And he helped me catch a Buneary. She's really strong! It's… mostly because she hates me at the moment, but it'll work out!" Casey leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. "I almost caught a Pancham. But they can be trouble, and I have to focus on Buneary for a while so she feels better about being with me."

"Daw, well, keep at it! Buneary is sure to like you," Noel reassured. "If not sooner, give her a show! I'll gladly help you!"

"Thanks for the offer, but it's more of a bonding thing than an entertaining thing. Maybe I'll find somebody to battle tomorrow; she seems to like that. At least, she likes getting berries after."

"Hmm, speaking of battle…" Rosie said with a more dire tone. "We should talk about that now."

"Y-yeah," Ted agreed, in a hesitant tone. "Casey, have you heard? There are a group of thugs around the Nugget Bridge… they've been battling every single new trainer that tries to pass by, but no one can beat them, and no one can get through. They say their leader is unbeatable!"

"Well, that's definitely not true," was Casey's matter-of-fact response. He gestured pointedly with his fork. "They're picking on new trainers, right? That means they're not even that strong. Anyone who did a decent amount of training on the way down can probably take them out easy enough."

"I wouldn't make that assumption just yet," Rosie commented. "We don't actually know how strong they really are. That being said however, we're still going to try and defeat them. But to do that, we'll need as much trainers as we can recruit. Will you help us?"

"I mean…" Casey tipped back in his chair contemplatively. "I'll tag along. Be backup, or whatever. I gotta get to Cerulean at some point anyway."

Rosie nodded, then turned to Noel. "What about you?"

"O-Of course I'm going!" Noel reassured. "The.. the humble agent of the stars will not lose to those… those ruffians!"

"If you're not going to take this more seriously, don't bother," Rosie suggested. "Otherwise, you'll be nothing more than a burden. It's for everyone's safety, Noel. Yourself, and your Pokemon included!"

"O-Oh," Noel meekly nodded. She said nothing else, but drank a cup of water that rested nearby. Luna looked on, with a puzzled glance on her partner. Noel then stood up. "If you kind folks will.. .excuse me," she then grabbed Luna off of her head, and carried her away out from the dinning all.

What do I do?

 

[budube]

Bruno Dillinger
May 21, Tuesday​

It was 9:20 in the morning already. Bruno woke up somewhere around 8 am, but he still got out of his room later than expected. He calmly walked through the halls of the second floor of Maple Lodge, thinking his friend was still getting ready or even just waking up. She was a heavy sleeper, after all. However, Bruno's calm morning was suddenly interrupted by a loud fuss going on in the entrance hall of the lodge and the responsible for it was none other than his loud sailor friend who was up early, surprisingly enough.

"What do you mean you don't know him? He's the boy that came here with me last night!"

"I already told ya mah' turn is in the mornin', gal."

"Yeah, but you can look for him in that big book over there, can't you? His name is Bruno Dillinger. His last name is written like... uh… D-I-L… I guess another L-I… or maybe it was only one L and two Ns? No that doesn't sound right, it's-- "

"Good morning, Deborah" he interrupted, standing still on the second floor
.
"Oh, there you are, sleepy head! What happened to you?" the girl exclaimed with her arms crossed and an acted up angry expression which quickly turned into a smile. "Well, it doesn't matter. Come with me, we're late for breakfast!"

"Why didn't you have breakfast already?"

"We're leaving together, aren't we? And I prefer annoying the lady here so I can call your room and wake you up over eating and then waiting for you to do so." she replied, giving a small laugh "Oh, oh! They have buffet here, by the way… or well, they had, I guess. We're late, after all!"

"Only for twenty minutes…"

"And they'll be thirty if you keep standing in the middle of the staircase like that! Now come down quick and follow me!"

Bruno followed Debbie to the dining room maintaining his slow pace, while she rushed to it instead, completely ignoring the receptionist's instructions of not running in the hall.

The dining room was not different from the rest of the lodge aesthetically speaking, it maintained the wooden walls and furniture, and it had comfortable chairs. The food was in large tables that leaned against western wall. The tables were arranged perpendicular to the northern and southern walls with a espace in the middle of the room, wide enough so people could walk along and get their food. There was also a fireplace in the eastern wall. According to Deborah, a girl made some weird performance last night during the dinner. "She said her name was... Nola Yakumo or something like that, I don't remember. She made her entrance levitating, she fell and started singing shortly after" she said in her intent of summarizing what had happened that night. "Yeah I know it sounds ridiculous, but I'm not kidding this time, really. The entrance was… haha, a disaster… but I liked her singing. It did seem as if she knew what she was doing, though… or well, kinda."

"Was she from here?"

"No, I don't think so. She looked like a rookie trainer like us… a very weird one, that is, and had a big city air on her. I was thinking maybe she was from Saffron just like you."

Judging by the obviously misspelled name and the description Deborah gave him, Bruno thought the girl could be related to the Yukino group, a popular group of entertainers from Saffron, he had seen them once or twice before his dad's incident but never met any of them personally. He didn't knew there was a kid in the group, and he obviously wouldn't have thought she was studying at Cape College, either.

Their breakfast conversation continued pretty much the same as any other conversation they had: Deborah talking too much and changing to different subjects and Bruno just agreeing with her, giving short answers or simply not answering at all. He still laughed with her and tried to pay her attention even if his small talk didn't seem to say so. It had been this way since they were kids and it didn't seem as if it were to change anytime soon, but both were absolutely okay with it.

---

The two kids walked away from North Maple and made their way to Nugget Bridge. It was a nice weather in Route 24, mostly cloudy sky with not much heat nor wind; it was perfect for a casual walk or a battle and that's what both of them were there for. It was a calm road, the kids were avoiding wild pokemon as they could, although not that many wild pokemon would engage two trainers at the same time.

The road was turning stale and boring, Debbie was the first one to feel that and would obviously try to liven things a little, so in an attempt to break the silence she started whistling… or at least tired to, her whistling was faint; Bruno couldn't help it and started laughing at such miserable whistling attempt.

"What are you laughing at, uh? Someday I'm going to master this and I'll break a worldwide whistling record, I tell ya'."

"You can't do that if you don't know how to whistle, though." Bruno looked at her smiling and Debbie glared back at him and started running on her own to an upcoming hill in the middle of the route.

"You're mean, Bruno! I thought we were friends! I don't want to team up with you anym-- Oh my god! Bruno, look! Come here! We were closer than we thought!"

Bruno tried to quickly run to the hill in which his friend was standing. One could see Route 24 in its entirety from here. At the edge of the route there wasn't that much tall grass, but a lot of sand and rocks, having not that much wild pokemon around. Nugget Bridge was a long wooden bridge that extended all the way from Route 24 to Cerulean City, it was situated over a large water body that according to their map followed all the way to Route 4; it was reinforced with iron parts at the edges so the bridge wouldn't fall, Bruno thought that maybe a lot of battles took place on the bridge.

There were two guys at the bridge, they both looked like average teen thugs, a male and a female. The male one was wearing a black tee, torn jeans and black sneakers; he had a red bandana tied on the top of his head and a black mask covering his mouth and nose. The female one had an undercut and her hair dyed purple, she wore a white top, and the rest of her outfit were military clothes; she also had a red bandana but it was tied around her neck instead.
The purple-haired girl was guarding the bridge while the other guy was in front of her, battling along with a bipedal purple pokemon against an already fainted Poliwag. The Poliwag trainer returned his fallen friend to its pokeball and walked away from the bridge in defeat, while the thug with the mask returned to his guarding spot doing a little dance.

"It should be illegal dancing in such awful way! Bruno, let's go and kick his ass!"

"I guess we can't get to Cerulean if we don't beat them unless we distract them somehow, anyways."

"That last thing will be difficult. You're really slow for that."

"Correct. I don't see many ways to make an opening either, and that purple haired girl doesn't seem as if she's letting a single thing go through her. The other guy looks like an idiot, though, he should be easy to deceive."

"Woah, calm down there, detective Bruno! In case you missed it, he just beat that kid over there. He must be a strong one."

"Maybe… not. That doesn't mean anything, actually. We don't know how heatened that battle was, after all. But I do think our best chance is to battle them. What about you?"

"I told you I wanted to beat them and show them who's boss! Even if you wanted to deceive them, I would've dragged you into a battle!"

"Good, that's what I expected to hear. Let's go for it, then."

 

[Groc]

Vera Hill
Chapter 1 - A Long Rest
Route 24, May 20th

---

Vera watched the sunset from the road, enjoying the calm of the moment. She had always preferred the night to the day, not least because of how easily she burned. Without the oppressive heat of the sun on her, she took the time to remove her flannel shirt and enjoy the cool breeze on her arms. Tying the shirt around her waist, she kept following the path in the early twilight.

With the sun going down, there were fewer people on the main road, so Vera took a detour off the forest path. She didn't feel like stumbling through the trees in the dark, or dealing with nocturnal Pokemon with her team as tired as they were. Besides, she'd need to find a place to rest for the night, and those would be on the main road.

---

Vera had been prepared to travel at night, but she hadn't been prepared for it to be this dark. Clouds had rolled in, blocking out the light of moon and stars, and making it colder than she had expected.

"It's official, Bonnie." Vera muttered as she put her flannel back on. "I don't like being outside. I prefer being inside. Inside has books, and tea, fewer bugs, a roof..."

Bonnie patted Vera's cheek to get her attention, pointing to a light in the distance. Based on the shape of the light, it was one of the promised farmhouses in which trainers could bed down for the night. "Oh, sweet salvation! Let's go get a room!" Vera cautiously made her way through the darkness toward the house.

Approaching the door, Vera became annoyed at this particular farm's lack of hospitality. The source of the light was merely a single light in one room, though a smaller light could be seen from a room upstairs. The scent of something grilled lingered in the air, making Vera aware of how hungry she was. She wasted no more time, knocking on the door. "Hello? I know you're home, answer the door!"

A tall and buff farmer opened the door, looking rather annoyed himself. "Jeez, alright. What do you want, already?"

Vera showed her trainer's liscense, not intimidated by the large man. "I'm Vera Hill, from Cape College. I was told that the local farmsteads-"

"Whatever it is, I ain't buyin' any." The farmer interrupted, pulling a cigarette from his pocket. "Seen plenty of you college kids pass by on the roads. Why're you stopping at my place?"

Vera huffed out a breath in frustration. "As I was explaining, I was told Trainers could secure food and lodging at local farms. So let me in already!"

The farmer scowled, pulling the door against himself to block Vera from entering. "No. As I said, why here and not the actual lodge you passed to get here?"

"Actual lodge? That I passed?" Vera didn't have a good answer, but admitting that felt like weakness. "I already passed it before the sun went down. I did the best I could in the dark. Won't you let me in?'

"No." He didn't raise his voice, he just sounded tired and grumpy as he lit his cigarette. "And before you ask 'why not?', it's because I don't like your attitude. Who do you think you are, barging into people's homes and asking for stuff? I thought you college kids would know better."

Oh, Vera did not like this man. But she could either make nice with him, or go back into the dark of night. "You're right. I apologize for my behavior. My name is Vera, may I please come inside? It's very dark out here."

"That's better. Name's Cardamon. And the answer's still no." He took a slow pull of his cig as Vera fumed and struggled not to scream. "But, I can't turn away someone who needs my help just because they're rude. Come with me." He shut the door behind him, motioning for Vera to follow him.

Cardamon led Vera to his stable, which housed three Miltank, a Tauros, and a Ponyta. "You can sleep here tonight. Last stall on the right is vacant. I just finished making some dinner, so I'll bring you some food and an extra blanket."

Vera looked at the stable in disgust. "You want me to sleep out here? In the stable?" ('Like a peasant?' She didn't say.) "Why can't I sleep in the house?"

Cardamon scowled again, an expression he was apparently used to wearing. "Because I only have two bedrooms inside. My wife wouldn't like it if I let some strange girl sleep with us, and I'm not letting you take my daughter's room."

Vera looked away from Cardamon, backing down but not happy about it. "Okay, fine. It's better than sleeping in the woods..."

"You're damn right it is. Welcome to the real world, Princess. I'll get you that food. Make yourself comfortable." He went back to the house, and Vera went to the empty stall.

It smelled like fresh straw, which bothered her nose, but at least it was soft and clean. The Ponyta's flames provided a gentle light, and it seemed a comfortable enough place to sleep. Cardamon soon came back with a blanket for her, tossing her both a thick blanket to lay on and a softer one to lay under.

"That one's so the straw doesn't bother you so much, and this one's one of my daughter's. Should be plenty warm for you. And here's some food." He set up a folding table, putting a thermos and a sandwich on a plate on it.

Vera looked at the food, disappointed it was just a cold sandwich. "Hey, I smelled you cooking on the way up here. Don't I get a warm meal?'

"Hey, that was expensive food. I only got enough for me and my family. What you're eating was going to be my lunch tomorrow, so be grateful!" Cardamon set out two bowls of Pokemon food as well. "Besides, that thermos is full of warm cider. Made it myself, from the trees I grow. Now, if there's nothing else, I'll leave you be."

Vera just nodded, letting her Pokemon out to eat. "That suits me just fine. I prefer to be alone anyway."

"Hmph." Cardamon rolled his eyes, but was glad to see Vera get her Pokemon fed before getting her own food.

Vera seemed to remember her manners, bowing her head respectfully. "Thank you for the food, and for letting me stay here. Good night, Mr. Cardamon."

"Yeah. Good night." With that, he went back to his house.

Vera waited until she heard the door shut before starting to eat. The sandwich was a little dry, but the cider was excellent. She even shared a little with Bonnie and Leo. It certainly made her feel warm inside, and after finishing the thermos, she lay down on her makeshift bed and snuggled under the soft blanket. The last thing she remembered was Bonnie curling up by her side, and Leo letting her pet his soft fur as she fell asleep.

 

[Cid]

David Alexander

Chapter 1: Route 24
Day 1, Part 3: Early Evening

May 20th, Monday

David realized that he hadn't gotten a good look at Julia because of the Venonat swarm. The incident certainly took a chunk of their day. The light from the sun was at its final rays, for its descent below the horizon was near. It will be a few more hours before they see the sun again. As the two were walking, David seized the opportunity and took a few glances at his new companion.

Julia was wearing a light blue sweater and jeans. She was around the same height as him, maybe shorter, with long, wavy black hair. She had olive skin and cute white slippers. All in all, David liked her appearance. He was surprised he hadn't noticed her before. But he was glad that he has now. She was the first person he met on this journey, after all. That to David makes her pretty special.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Julia asked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to remember this. Today's an important day for me," replied David.

"Oh, the Pokémon journey, right? That makes sense."

This puzzled David a bit. He glanced at Growlithe and Oddish, then at Julia's Bulbasaur, Lily.

"Wait, aren't you starting yours today as well?"

"I am!" clarified Julia, cheerfully. "I guess I just prefer taking in the scenery of momentous occasions over people," she continued.

"I see. Well I hope you know, you can gaze at me all you want!"

This elicited a laugh from Julia. "Noted, David." Julia took a few glances at him, face filled with intrigue and near-laughter, but before she can burst out laughing again, she instead focused her attention to their destination. David followed suit with a smile.

The road at the tail end of Route 25 was filled with greenery. A rickety bridge can be seen connecting two cliffs, with a river in between them hundreds of kilometers below. It seemed they had to cross this before getting to the farm. David and Julia put their Pokémon inside their Poké Balls before crossing the bridge, with both taking hesitant and careful steps on each wooden plank. The river below did not have a visibly strong current, but they weren't sure how deep the water levels were, and neither of them wanted to fall. To their relief, they were able to cross it safely. They were now on Route 24.

It took a few more minutes of walking before they reached the small farm that they both saw earlier. This didn't seem to be the first choice by people; a lot of teenagers set out on their journeys today, but they only saw three trainer-looking adolescents in the small enclosure of the farm-- two girls, and one boy. Each of the three looked familiar to David, but he put the thought aside, scanning the area some more. A middle-aged man who looked like the owner of the farm was also visible from where David and Julia were. He seemed to be carrying sacks of produce inside the farm's storage shed. A woman about the same age as the man, presumably his wife, was tending to the Miltank, taking them inside their barns.

Lights from inside the small farm building dimly illuminated the area. The sky was a deep blue, with the side of the sky near the setting sun only being of a slightly lighter shade. Clouds were beginning to look harder to see because of this. It was the early evening.

"Well, shall we go? It's getting dark out here," stated Julia.

"Let's go. I'll ask if we can stay for the night."

David approached the woman who was tending the Miltank.

"Good evening, Ma'am. My name's David. My friend Julia and I just started our Pokémon journey, and we were wondering if we could stay in your farm for the night. Would that be okay?"

The woman smiled as David finished his introduction. "Of course it is, dear. Tell your friend to come inside, too."

David was beaming with joy upon hearing her reply. He was so glad that they had a place to stay that night. Julia saw David beckoning him with a happy expression, which made Julia happy as well. She walked through the farm gate that David opened to where David was and thanked the nice lady. David echoed her gratitude as well.

"My name's Pam Woolrow, but you can call me Pam. My husband's name is Mark. We don't get a lot of trainers staying the night because of the bigger farms nearby, but we hope you two have a good time here."

The three looked at Pam's husband carrying another sack of produce, and he greeted them with a wave. Julia then redirected her gaze to the three kids about the same age as her and David, and asked Pam about them.

"Miss Pam, are those three Pokémon trainers, too?"

Pam followed her gaze and quickly responded, "Why, yes they are. I believe they were named Heather, Bill, and Violet. They arrived here a few hours before you two, each arriving on their own. They just started their journeys today, too."

"That's why they looked a bit familiar," David stated in realization.

"Well, you two should make yourself at home! We'll have spicy sausage curry tonight for the occasion. But it's still a few hours before dinner."

"Alright Miss Pam, thank you! I'll check out our room," said Julia.

"Okay! I'll introduce myself to everyone else," chimed David. "See you later?"

"See you," Julia replied.

David waved Julia and Pam goodbye before walking towards one of the trainers their age. In particular, he approached the boy with dark skin and curly, dark brown hair, which was cut very short to keep it neat. This boy, Bill, was sitting on a log. In front of him was a Vulpix, trying to start a small campfire. Their backs were turned against David, which meant he could sneak up on them if he wanted to. The two other girls, Violet and Heather, were napping under a nearby tree. Neither of them seem to have their starters out.

With a quick tap on Bill's shoulder, David made his presence known. "Hey there! You trying to start a fire?"

"Wh-" fumbled Bill. "What the heck? Don't scare me like that!"

The small commotion wasn't enough to wake the two girls. David had to fight hard not to laugh at Bill.

"Oh man, your reaction was priceless," whispered David, following Bill's shushing gesture with his finger. "Right, they seem tired. Long day, huh?"

"Yeah. We hung out for a bit and then they fell asleep. They both had a lot to say," explained Bill.

David nodded, able to relate with the sleeping girls. Bill quickly brought the conversation to what was bothering him.

"Still man, not cool. You could have at least approached me properly," frowned Bill.

"Sorry! I'll keep it in mind," David said with a wink. "I'm David. You're Bill, right?"

Bill sighed then shifted to a more neutral expression. "Yeah. Mrs. Woolrow told you?"

"Yup. Which one's Violet, and which one's Heather?" asked David, pointing at the girls.

"The girl with pink hair is Heather. Violet's the one with chestnut hair."

"Do you guys know each other?" David asked.

"No. We just met here. We all saw each other in Cape College, but never got acquainted until now," Bill clarified.

"Alright. But hey, don't make my presence distract you. I saw that you were trying to make a fire."

"I was. Nimbi hasn't been successful though," Bill admitted, referring to Vulpix.

"Mind if I help you? I have a Growlithe," the boy smirked.

"Oh. Sure, man."

David let out Growlithe, who seemed to have been napping as well. Being let outside the Poké Ball woke it up quickly, though, and it saw David gesture to the small pile of sticks that Nimbi was trying to ignite. With a couple of attempts at Ember from both Pokémon, signs of a flame flickered. After a few seconds, it became a small, but steady campfire.

"Alright, that was nice of you. Thanks," Bill told David.

"It's nothing. You forgive me for scaring you now?"

Bill gave David a look, as if to question how serious David was. With a shrug, Bill smiled and gave a nod.
​

 

[Aquacorde]

Casey Holt
Tuesday, May 21 • Day 2

06. on a mission / we're united as one

After the bustle of the night before, it's strange to wake up to calm. Those employed by North Maple have dispersed to their work long before Casey rises. He must have overdone it yesterday; normally he's up with the sun. Good thing the walk to Cerulean is short and easy. He stretches and winces. His shoulder is absolutely bruised to high hell, but the backpack straps won't put pressure on it. Should heal fine in a few days.

He wanders downstairs, freshly showered and fully packed. The buffet has mostly fruit and pastries left at this hour. Casey swipes some and finds an overstuffed armchair to sink into. He wonders if Rosie's group has left yet.

As if on cue, Rosie marches down the stairs, Ted trailing behind her. Casey waves lazily. The gesture is a bit ambiguous given that he has a piece of fruit in the same hand. They notice him, at least.

"Casey," Rosie says, by way of greeting.

"Mornin' Rosie, Ted. Did ya get breakfast yet?"

"Yes, and we're about to leave," Rosie replies. "Are you coming?"

"I wanna finish eating first." He punctuates this with a bite. "Is Noel already outside, then?"

Ted and Rosie exchange glances. "Actually… we don't know. She was already out of bed before we got up… we don't know where she is. Maybe she's already there, or..." Ted turns back to Rosie. "You don't think she…"

"Ran off?" Rosie guesses. "I don't know. But we still have to head on over there as soon as possible."

She turns to Casey. "We'll see you there; hopefully we can end this beforehand, though." They leave without anything more, leaving Casey to muse as he finishes off his first piece of fruit and starts on a second.

A person that gets up and performs an entire song after falling out of the rafters is not the kind of person to just run off, in his opinion. That person commits to things. So if she's gone, she's doing something. Training? She'd all but admitted Luna hadn't battled. That's probably it, he decides.

With nothing left to do inside after breakfast, he hands over his room key. In the name of taking it easy, he pokes around the operational farm buildings for a while. It's interesting to look around even if people are too busy to answer his questions. Boredom strikes eventually, though, and he's been told in no uncertain terms that he is not to let a fire-type out. So he makes his way to the road, Charmander scampering around his feet as soon as they cross the property line. Buneary joins them, looking healthy if not happy. She sets the pace; not quite as fast as Casey would like, but he's supposed to be slowing his roll today anyway. Charmander isn't bothered, mostly because Casey lets him run ahead. And behind. And to the other side of the road. Anywhere really, as long as Casey can see him.

The road here is much wider than the one through Route 25's forest. Casey can see a few people ahead when he officially turns onto Route 24, but they're distant and he doesn't feel like rushing to catch up. The three of them walk for nearly an hour before the famous Nugget Bridge comes into view, then another half before they're at the banks of the channel. Casey notes quite a few people hanging around, including Rosie and Ted- with some others? He meanders over to them.

Rosie is kneeling, slumped over and wide-eyed, with her Ducklett seemingly unconscious on the grass in front of her. Casey barely catches her murmur as he comes to stand next to a terrified Ted: "He's… too strong…"

Her opponent is a man slightly older than her, maybe late teens or early twenties, wearing a long red coat. His mop of red hair does nothing to hide the disgust twisting his features. Others flank him, jeering at the defeated girl. This must be the gang everyone is worried about, and maybe they are right to be. These people really do look mean.

The leader clicks his tongue, shaking his head. The Magby by his side spits flames from his mouth- maybe in celebration, maybe calling for another battle. The man tips his stylish orange shades up and struts over to Rosie. Ted cowers behind her. The leader's eyes flick over to the boys, then down to the Pokémon at Casey's feet. "You're not even worth the time it would take to battle you."

He leans down to look Rosie in the eye. She glares, even defeated as she is. He smirks. "Get out of here, kids. And don't come back."

Rosie's retaliation is cut off by her own cry when she catches Magby kicking her motionless Ducklett. The leader steps neatly out of the way as she springs forward to scoop up her defenseless Pokémon. The Magby spits embers in her direction and she flinches, retreating back to Ted and Casey.

"That's right, punks!" one of the gang howls. "Ain't no kid is gonna beat boss Kurogane! Go back to school! Ain't recess almost over?"

The rest of the thugs drown each other out as they mix cheers for their boss with taunts aimed at the kids. Kurogane spreads his arms.

"Can't anyone put up a decent fight these days? I'm still looking for a challenge!"

The bushes behind the collection of thugs rustle. A figure pops out.

Ted, bewildered, taps Rosie's shoulder to direct her attention to this oddity. The figure's a human, that's for sure, but they're dressed… strangely. Flashy, colorful, baggy clothing and a mask resembling a clown's painted face. A smile flits across Casey's face.

"Rosie," Ted begins, quietly and incredulously, "That can't be…?"

Rosie only shakes her head. "I don't believe this…"

One of the thugs finally cottons on. "B-Boss! Look behind ya!"

Kurogane turns and is greeted with a gleeful wave.

"And just who the hell are you?" he demands. The person in disguise gives a polite bow. At the lowest point in their bow, they slip off their mask to reveal a dazzling smile.

"Trainers of alllll ages! TA~DA! It is I!"

Of course it is. Who else could it ever have been?

"Now no longer the elegant agent of the stars, she now shines as the very moon itself--"

"Noel Yukino!"

 

[Dragon]

-------Noel ⏩ North Maple​

Stage One: It's time for the fun to begin! -- part 3​

Kurogane was unamused. "What are you supposed to be, some sort of damn clown?" he roared. "What do you want, kid?"

Noel chuckled. "What else?" she replied confidingly, pointing right at him. "To challenge you to a battle of wits and strength.. A Pokemon battle!"

Kurogane spat on the ground. "You want to fight me?" he asked. "Pretty ballsy for a clown, kid."

"I hail from the prestigious Cape College," Noel explained. "You will not turn down my challenge, yes?"

"Interesting," Kurogane said with a sly smirk. "But what makes you so sure you're any different than from the other brats from that damned college that I've already wiped the floor with? You kids aren't even worth my time."

Another thug approached. "You heard the boss!" he said. "Get the hell out of here, kid!"

"The number one entertainer, vs. the authority of of high intense street battles… wouldn't that make an exciting match?" Noel tried to coax. "Would you truly turn away from this opportunity?"

Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "I see," he said. "The number one entertainer, eh? That actually does sound interesting… Alright, kid. You got a battle. Try to entertain me then! In fact… let's make this interesting." Kurogane snapped his fingers another thug approached him. "Let's see you take on two of us. That should me mighty entertaining to see."

"How right you are!" Noel agreed. "In fact, I'll raise you one better! I have gotten the honor of meeting your assistant, allow me to have you meet mine! The star lad who's as bright as the cosmos… introducing, Casey!!"

Casey, who was looking for a Potion and hadn't expected to be addressed, jumped. "Wait- Noel, what-"

"Come now, Casey, don't be shy!" Noel encouraged. "This stage is for the two of us, and we mustn't keep the audience waiting!"

"Oh, are we battling?" Casey's expression shifted from mild panic to cheerful determination. "Count me in, then!"

"Heh, whatever," Kurogane shrugged, turning to the other thug. "Take care of him. I got the clown."

***

Noel was now face to face against Kurogane. She saw, meanwhile, Casey face to face against the other thuggish trainer, who had sent out an Elekid. Casey hesitated only a second before commanding his Buneary to step forward. This probably wasn't Casey's first battle, but this was Noel's first serious match. Kurogane stared down at Noel, as she got out a pokeball, with a sort of slight of hand trick that made it seem like it appeared right before the naked eye.

"Alright...introducing…" Noel threw her pokeball in the air. The capsule opened, with the energy showing a brilliant silver light, until it materialized to a familiar shaped friend. "Luna, my eternal partner of the stars!"

Kurogane snickered at her pokemon. It was just small potatoes for him. "Magby," he called out confidently. His Pokemon, Magby was already out, but leaped into the fray while shooting his fire breath wildly in the air, ready for battle. "Easy, boy!" Kurogane cried. His Magby was as battle thirsty as it was vicious. Only Kurogane could calm it down just enough for it to focus his strength onto his opponent. The Magby let loose one last flame breath to the air, until it faced his Fairy-type foe.

"Flamethrower!" Kurogane shouted. His Magby spewed a stream of flames right towards Luna. Noel clapped her hands.

"Allow me to show you, how Noel and Luna battles! For our first performance… twist and roll through the sky! Rolliiiing Luna!!" Noel commanded. Luna, with her trademark smile and grace, spun around like a spinning top, evading the flamethrower with ease, not a scratch on her. "You're going to have to catch us, if you wanna beat us!" Luna started running away from Magby, straight into the deepwood to the nearby forest.

"Tch! Running away?" Kurogane grumbled, spitting on the ground. "Go after her! Once you do, Fire Punch!" His Magby tried to follow suit. He then jumped once he gained a bit more distance, activating a storm of flames that formed on his small fist.

"It's time for our next performance! A Disarming Voice! Lunaaaa Howl!!" Luna let loose a charming cry, that blasted Magby in mid-air. Magby was hit, but managed to regain his footing. Luna then started running again, maneuvering past a couple of trees.

"What are you doing, Noel?!" Rosie shouted. "You can't just win by defense and running away, you've got to fight back!"

Noel simply turned back and smiled. "I am fighting," she stated, with a surprised look of a response from Rosie. "Noel realized something: Through this battle, she will reinvent herself!"

"What do you mean, reinvent yourself?" Ted asked.

"Noel-- er, I've been thinking," Noel started to say, in a more composed and straightforward tone. "I always thought that I needed to find my own way on helping to entertain people, no matter what form it took. I hid myself behind a mask of buffoonery, so that at the very least, I can get people to smile by laughing at me. But now I realized, I really just want to become like my parents, whom I've loved ever since I was a kid. That's why I'm going to change my approach, and level up!"

Kurogane meanwhile, looked on in a quiet anger. "Talkin' about dreams, huh?" he scoffed, gardening the trainers' attention. "Don't be stupid. What good are dreams if you're not strong enough? You're not living in the real world yet, kid. I'll show ya how." His Magby continued chase of Luna's Clefairy. "Widespread Flamethrower!" Magby spread his flame attack in a wide area, instead of a direct contact this time. It burned the grass and plantation life nearby, leaving no room for Luna to evade and hide.

"Next performance!" Noel cried out. "Luna! Downward face Disarming Voice, go!" Luna jumped, pointing her body towards the ground. It then released a slightly stronger Disarming Voice; the air pressure from the move allowed her to lift herself upward from the ground, allowing her to somersault up and above Magby's Flamethrower, and landing herself safely back on the ground. "Luna SummerSault!"

"Hmph, I see now," Kurogane remarked. "You're not just clowinin' around. You've been using your moves for maneuvering, and you've been trying to scout out the terrain to use as to your advantage. Smart." Kurogane then looked around. "But now, you've got nowhere to hide n' run to now, thanks to our last attack. What cha' gonna do now?"

Noel started to wince and sweat. It was indeed her battle plan; if she couldn't win by overpowering her opponent, she decided to try and be tricky about it… but now what? Kurogane however, left her with no more time to think. "Direct Flamethrower!" Kurogane commanded. His Magby inhaled, and spewed another vicious Flamethrower attack, this time making direct contact with Luna. Luna was blasted a few feet, landing on top of some burnt leaves and twigs from the earlier blast. "Now, Fire Punch!" Luna tried to get back up from that point, but Magby was fast -- he punched Luna with a direct contact with a fist of burning flames. It caused Luna to be blown away, hitting square against a nearby tree that still stood.

Noel started looking wryly at the situation. Kurogane simply chuckled. "Now do you get it?" he said. Noel ran over to her hurt Pokemon, who sat there, trying to recover, but was even struggling to get back up. "Dreams can't come true if you're weak. Kids your age have it so easy. You think you can just dream big, and it will instantly come true with a little faith. Peh, well, welcome to the real world, kids. And it ain't nice." Kurogane then pushed up his stylish orange glasses ."Giving up, now? Or do I have to get more rough?"

Noel had a grave expression. In an attempt of desperation, she covered her face with both her hands and turned away while kneeling down, seemingly in a defeatist state. At the very least, if she was going to cry, she didn't want anyone to see…

Maybe it was hopeless after all…
What was I thinking?
I'll never be like... Mom or dad…
What do I do? What do I do? What.. do I.. do…?


Remember to smile.

Noel widened her eyes. It was the first thought she remembered, that popped in her head. It was from her dad, who told her some advice while she was in her depressed state, long ago. Remember, Noel. The greatest performers are those who always smile. No matter what. Courage is the magic that turns your dreams into reality.

"Courage is… magic that turns dreams to reality…" Noel whispered to herself. She then felt something. A tiny hand that pressed on her cheek. It was Luna, who managed to stuck her hand out, to try and comfort her partner, and friend. She simply smiled, and cried. Noel couldn't understand what she was saying, but Noel could probably guess, I'm always here for you.

Noel wiped the small tears from her eyes, and stood back up. "Luna," she said. As if on cue, Luna managed to stand back up, ready to continue. "It's time to get back into the climax." Luna cheerfully agreed. As she leaped back over to face her opponent once more.

"Not giving up, huh?" Kurogane observed. "You're tough kid, I'll give you that… but stupid if you think this changes anything. I told you, what's the point of dreaming while you're weak? This world will swallow you whole."

"That's.. That's wrong!" Noel shouted, with an unfamiliar passionate tone. "It's dreams that drive people to their goals! If you don't put in the effort, perseverance, and most importantly, the courage to face obstacles as they come, anyone can follow whatever dreams they wish! You have no right to tell people to not follow what their heart wishes!"

Kurogane gritted his teeth, giving a more vicious look. "Stupid… And just what will you achieve? You kids all just pal around, and believe that your dreams can come true. Dreams don't exist for dumbasses like you!" he grumbled. It was almost as if… he was trying to confirm something within Noel.

"If you believe in your dreams, then they can come true!" Noel announced. "And to make my dreams come true, there's only one thing to do first." she then pointed straight at Kurogane. "Luna and I will defeat you!"

Kurogane spat on the ground once more. "Haaaah? You really think your dreams will come true, kid?"

"Why don't I show you!" Noel stated. Luna readied a battle stance, with Kurogane's Magby, doing the same. "It's time.. for the fun to begin!"

This kid… What's with her?" Kurogane could only think. She reminds me of… of… who I was before.

"Go Luna!" Noel shouted, with her Clefairy blazing forward. "Move in for another Disarming Voice!"

"Magby! Flamethrower!" Kurogane countered. Luna stepped even closer to Magby, right before the two attacks simultaneously went off. The two attacks collided, and appeared evenly matched until the result ended up in a mini explosion that sent the two Pokemon flying backwards.

"Time for our rising action!" Noel declared. "A resounding Encore! Luna's cheer for a dramatic counter strike!" Luna started clapping her hands, releasing a mysterious orange light that soon enveloped Magby. It didn't seem to damage him though. "Signalling the time for… Luna's Ray!"

"I don't give a damn what it's called!" Kurogane shouted. "Magby! Fire Punch!" However, Magby did not do as instructed. Instead, it released his Flamethrower attack once again. Luna was ready for it, making it easy for her to evade. "What?!"

"Encore isn't just for a resounding applause after a stellar performance," Noel explained. "It's a move that forces your Pokemon to repeat the same move it did before, for quite a while."

"Wow, I.. didn't know that," Rosie muttered, looking on in the battle. But something more curious has her intrigued. What happened to her? Is that really… the same goofball, Noel?

Kurogane grunted in frustration. Damn... she got in close on purpose to force me to use Flamethrower! She had this planned all along! But then, all of a sudden… there was a flash. Kurogane was.. Smiling. Heh… haha. Ahaha! I wonder, when was the last time I've really felt anything during a battle? This exhilarating feeling… yeah, I remember… this was back when I became a trainer too…

"Now, our climax!" Noel declared. "A performance for all ages! Now Luna, Another Disarming Voice, while a head over heels roll to your foe! Now go!" Luna tucked herself into a ball, and rolled herself over to Magby.

"Let's see what you've got, then!" Kurogane boasted. "Can't use anythin' else at the moment, so.. Flamethrower! Make it a strong one!" Magby inhaled as much as he could, spewing another Flamethrower attack.

"Go, Luna! Luna's cosmic hurricane!" Noel cried. On cue, Luna used her Disarming Voice. The air pressure from it made it bounce right up, as it kept soaring to evade Magby's flames. Magby redirected his Flamethrower, striking Luna while she was in mid-air. Kurogane looked on, seemingly triumphant, only to then release the pressure from the Disarming Voice was so great that it repealed the flames completely, leaving Magby staggered as Luna soared in the air above it, released from its ball position.

Kurogane started to sweat. "No way…" he whispered. "This… this is…"

"Now, for the finale!" Noel shouted.



"Luna! Attack Magby with your most valiant Pound attack!" Luna readied a first, as it dropped straight down towards the Magby.

"Lunaaaa's… Star Crush attack!!"

Luna hit Magby square on the head with her Pound attack, bashing Magby straight down to the ground. The impact caused dust to swarm, leaving the two combatants to look on and hope for their Pokemon's success. When the dust cleared, it was settled. Luna was breathing heavily, but was standing tall over Magby, was crushed on the ground, seemingly fainted, and defeated.

"I..." Kurogane looked in disbelief. "I... lost?"

 

[Aquacorde]

Casey Holt
Tuesday, May 21 • Day 2

08. give it all you've got

A flash of light reveals an Elekid, already spinning its arms to generate power. Casey balks. Electric attacks, Static ability, oh no- paralysis- can't touch it- Charmander's got range but only Ember, Buneary's not strong yet- what could- she's got Limber! The panic fades into Casey's usual easy grin, but the glint in his eyes speaks of something a little more vicious.

He directs Buneary forward. She takes her time getting there- enough time that the impatient Elekid fires a warning shock, too close to Casey for comfort.

And just like that it's rushing her as its trainer calls for Quick Attack; Casey's command of Defense Curl coming too late for her to do more than duck her head behind her forearms as the punch connects, pushing her back toward her trainer. Quick Attack again, from a different angle this time, but Buneary knows to defend now. She stays low to the ground to keep her balance and Elekid's attacks do less with each attempt. The frustrated trainer opposite calls for a change- a Low Kick sweeps Buneary's ankles. She goes face down into the grass, but springs back immediately by way of her powerful ears and distances herself from Elekid. Her opponent rushes again, but the extra distance allows Casey to time his next choice perfectly. Buneary sidesteps. Elekid is the one to faceplant now, helped by a smack of Frustration to the back on the way past. Two Pounds in quick succession before the Elekid can get back up, then Defense Curl even as it punches down at her. Elekid's fist makes contact with Buneary's ears and is immediately swept aside, creating a perfect opening for Buneary to hit it square in the chin with Frustration.

The Elekid flies backward, skidding over the ground to land nearly at its trainer's feet. It pops back up at a command, spinning its arms but not moving otherwise, electricity crackling between its horns. Casey takes a risk.

Buneary starts in a forward roll but, at its midpoint, springs both ears out to launch herself. She arcs across the field and comes down foot-first into Elekid's forehead, the incredible power of Frustration backed by that of momentum. The built-up electricity discharges wildly as she makes contact; Buneary takes the brunt of it but powers through with a final Pound.

The Elekid drops.

So does Buneary.

Both trainers rush to their Pokémon. The other teen growls as Casey scoops Buneary up and away. He can see a Revive already in hand- a confirmation that Elekid has fainted. He looks down at Buneary in his arms. She has one eye cracked open and a level glare seems to be all she can manage, but- against all odds, really- she's conscious.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

His bright grin is unrelenting even in the face of her annoyed huff.

 

[budube]

Bruno Dillinger
May 21, Tuesday​

Battle at Nugget Bridge: Part 1​

"Did you see that battle!?" the thug loudly asked to his partner, so sure of himself it sounded as if he was expecting to be praised "I was great there, wasn't I!?"

"You could've done better." She was looking forward with her arms crossed, probably not even paying attention to him.

"Really!?" the guy snapped, quite angry about his partner saying he didn't do well enough "But you saw it! 2-0! A perfect win! And you're telling me I could've done better!? Honestly, girl!?"

"You got distracted and almost lose Tyrogue. If you'll keep acting fool, at least stop doing it when you battle." she said, still checking if any of the nearby trainers tried to do anything funny. "And can you PLEASE stop being so loud? I'm already doing the whole guarding job by myself, the thing I need the LEAST is having you disturbing me, so shut up!"

"Okay! Okay, I'll be quiet. I just wanted to know what you thought about the battle."

"You did well. Just keep in mind being more se..." the woman frowned as if she saw something she didn't like. "... more kids."

"Well, we didn't see that battle, but I can assure you you're not as great as us!" Debbie interrupted. Both kids were walking in a slow pace, Debbie in the front holding the strap of her bag and Bruno in the back with his hands inside his pockets. By the time they got there the thugs were already discussing, Debbie prefered to hide behind nearby trees and wait for an entrance and insisted Bruno to agree in doing so.

"Another reason why you have to stop being so loud: Everyone listens to what you say and you attract way more loud people."

"A-actually we were coming here anyways…" Bruno rectified. The uneasy calm of the purple haired woman intimidated him, and even if he was with one of the few people he was calm with, he still felt really nervous to talk in a strong tone. "E-excuse use b-but... we n-need to get to Cerulean."

"Can't do, kid!" The masked man replied "Bridge's closed, y'see? Piss off and go to another place!"

"We... won't." the boy stepped forward. He looked at his friend who was looking back at him as well. She nodded, encouraging him to continue, and Bruno took a deep breath. "As rookie trainers, we have… we need to get to Cerulean as soon as possible. If you don't let us get through, we'll stay here. We won't move."

"And I can be really annoying if I'm bored!" Debbie completed with a big smile, looking specifically at the purple haired girl.

The man with the mask kept quiet and turned back to his partner with happy eyes, one could easily tell he was smiling out of joy of what could be coming now. The purple haired woman sighed and nodded and the other guy turned back at the kids.

"I'll tell you what! If you can beat us both in a battle we'll let you get through! If you lose, then we'll stop losing time with you and you'll have to find another way to the city! It'll be a 2 vs 2 battle, one pokemon each one of us! Any problem with that?" The two kids nodded without hesitation.

"I have no problem at all, you?" Bruno look back at his friend. She was still smiling already holding one of the pokeballs on her belt.

"We won't lose! I'll show you the strength of the daughter of the greatest sailor of Vermilion!"

"Good. Let us not lose any more time, then." the woman walked a few steps forward with a pokeball in hand. "Go, Sableye!"

"Tyrogue! Let's go for another perfect one, buddy!"

The two pokeballs flashed. A dark purple, imp-like pokemon with diamond eyes, and a lighter purple humanoid pokemon with bandages all around its body appeared on the battle arena. Sableye bowed and stayed in that position, with its sharp claws opened in front. Tyrogue on the other hand, adopted a boxing stance and started bouncing in the same spot. Both kids could easily tell Tyrogue had been in a lot of battles and it would be a tough opponent, but they were unsure about Sableye, it looked menacing but mysterious.

"Our turn, Bruno!" Debbie shouted excited and threw her pokeball. "Go for it, Pancho!" A Pancham shouted an aggressive but cute growl the moment it came out of its pokeball, bumped his fists and adopted a battle position just as Tyrogue, grinning and showing of the leaf in his teeth.

Bruno took another deep breath and grabbed his pokeball. He wasn't sure about what he was about to do now. He hadn't trained her at all, but he felt like this was a perfect chance to show what she was made of. "Go, Artemis! Show me what you got!" The white light flashed as the pokeball opened. Outside of it, the silhouette of the Fomantis appeared with her blade arms opened.

"Let's go! Pancho use--"

"No time for that! Tyrogue use Fake Out!" Tyrogue quickly disappeared from his spot once he heard his trainer's order and appeared in front of Debbie's Pancham, landing a strong punch in Pancho's jaw, leaving the pokemon unable to move after the surprise attack.

"Sableye, use Astonish on that Pancham!" The pokemon moved forward, jumping alternately between the bridge's rails and when it was close enough it jumped against Pancham face, pushing it and making it fall. "Now Scratch!" The woman kept ordering her pokemon the same move as her pokemon kept attacking Pancho on the floor. The best thing the little fighting type could do now was defend himself from the scratches, putting his arms in front of him and trying to maintain his tough look by keeping the leaf in his mouth.

"Artemis, go for Sableye's legs! Use Fury Cutter!" Bruno ordered, seeing how his friend's pokemon was defenseless resisting Sableye's attacks. The Fomantis ran across the bridge, opening her green arms and slid, slashing Sableye's ankle, making the pokemon fall down.

"Get up, Pancho! You can do it!" Debbie's Pancham slowly got up, ran his hand over his face and spit the leaf in his mouth, adopting his battling position again and giving an angry look to Tyrogue. "Let's give that Tyrogue what he deserves! Use Tackle!"

"Tyrogue, attack with Tackle as well!" Both fighting types charged into each other giving a war cry, delivering both a right hook into each other's face throwing them on the ground.

"I'll take care of Tyrogue. You take care of Sableye, okay?" The brunette girl said. "Pancho use Leer!"

Bruno nodded, he had no time to answer right now. He was more concentrated in the Sableye that had just gotten up, shaking its hurt ankle, showing its big and sharp teeth in an intimidating grin. "Artemis, use another Fury Cutter!" Artemis ran towards Sableye and jumped, landing another hit in its head. Sableye's grin turned into a frown, but it endured, keeping its feet in the ground. "Another one!"

"Astonish!" The woman ordered almost at the same time Bruno shouted his next move. As Artemis jumped to land her third attack, Sableye turned her way and smiled, swinging its arm and slapping the attacking pokemon, sending her towards the bridge's rail.

"Artemis!"

The grass type was weaker than Sableye by a lot. A single hit from it was enough to send her flying away, and Astonish wasn't the strongest move either. Bruno had to come up with another strategy, but he still didn't knew how her moves worked at all, in the battle against Eterna she just used Fury Cutter after all. That's when he realized how much of a mistake taking Artemis to battle without prior training was, but it was too late for regrets.

Without much hope, but knowing nothing could be worse than it already was, Bruno checked his pokemon's entry in the Pokedex. There was just one more move: Leafage. The user attacks by pelting the target with leaves, the description said. It was a weak move but it didn't appear to make any contact, maybe he could make it work. "Artemis, come here! Keep your distance!" The pokemon jumped backwards to her trainer maintaining eye contact with Sableye. "Now, use Leafage!" Artemis started spinning rapidly, releasing multiple leaves from her body; the leaves started spiraling in the air, creating a whirl that started moving forward towards Sableye. The dark-ghost pokemon backed off over the leaf blizzard hitting it, covering itself with its arms in front and its big, white grin turned upside down in an expression of pain.

"Too weak. Sableye, go closer to Fomantis and use Astonish!"

"Not gonna happen. Artemis use Leafage again!" The whirl of leaves hit Sableye again, and it was sent back once more to its trainer, making it impossible for the pokemon to get close enough to attack. "Attack with Leafage again!"

"To the rail." Artemis started spinning, but Sableye quickly jumped to the bridge's rail, dodging the attack. "Night Shade!" Sableye's diamond eyes glowed red, everything went dark for a moment for the battlers, and Route 24 as a whole seemed to have changed in its entirety. The weather was really cold, but there was no wind at all; the bridge appeared broken, with rusty iron and worm eaten wood, looking as if it would fall apart any time soon; the water was black and gave the impression of everything deep down being dead. Sableye's shadow grew behind him and coasted down to the dark waters of the bridge, where a black silhouette of the imp-like pokemon grew, showing nothing more than its long arms and big grin. The silhouette swiftly extended its arm towards Artemis who was too scared to move, but it went through her as if she wasn't its objective. The black claw opened, grabbing Debbie's Pancham, crushing him and throwing him against the floor.

"What!?" Bruno said shocked as the mirage created by the opposing pokemon ended and everything was going back to normal, with Artemis covering herself with her small blade arms and Pancho on the floor, trying to recover from the previous shock. "What was that!? I'm supposed to be your opponent!"

"Really? I don't remember agreeing to that." the woman said, showing absolutely no care in Bruno's complaint. "This is a double battle, kid. I'm free to attack my own partner if I want to and that Pancham is problematic, didn't they teach you that in the so acclaimed "Cape College"?" She added, giving a long silent pause expecting Bruno's answer. "Of course they didn't. It's an strategy thing, something rookie trainers such as yourselves don't know a thing about. Speaking of which… Sableye, use Will-o-Wisp on Tyrogue." Sableye's mouth opened, letting loose a breath of blue fire that flew towards its partner. Tyrogue was engulfed in flames, he started crying in pain and wallowing on the floor, but the pokemon calmed down soon. Tyrogue got up slowly and furiously landed a punch on the right rail of the bridge, cracking it and leaving a mark of his punch. He was stronger than before now.

 

[Groc]

Vera Hill
Chapter 1 - Early to Rise
Route 24, May 21st

---

(5:30 A.M.)

Vera woke up feeling sore and groggy. It was still dark outside, but the sun was coming up, giving the sky a pink hue. Vera looked at it for a moment before noticing someone else looking at her. She jumped in surprise, pulling the soft blanket close to her chest protectively before she realized it was just a little girl. An eerily familiar little girl at that...

"Oh no, not you again!" Vera groaned. "Didn't I leave you behind on Route 25?" Leo remembered the little girl who hit him with a rock, hissing angrily at her.

The girl was unfazed. "I left you behind, I suppose. You're using my blanket."

Vera scowled, looking at the blanket. The name "Coriander" was stitched into it. She turned away from the girl as she rose, doing her morning stretching. "Well, it was very soft. Thank your father for letting me use it."

The girl was quiet, so Vera tried to ignore her as she got changed. As she was changing her shirt, she felt Coriander reach up and touch her stomach, making her jump and flush in startled embarrassment.

"You're really skinny. You should eat more." The girl was as emotionally blank as ever, but seemed a little concerned.

"D-don't you have somewhere else to be?!" Vera shouted, angry that her voice was an octave higher than it should have been.

"Cori! Get out here, leave our guest alone!" Cardamon shouted from outside the barn, making Vera blush even redder. This was not a dignified start to the day. "Hey, girl! Come on out when you're done, I got chores that need done."

"Can I just have five minutes?!" Vera shouted, hiding under the blanket. Leo and Bonnie nestled up to her sympathetically.

"Fine, jeez... I'll bring you some breakfast and you can be on your way." Cardamon went back to the house, Coriander at his heels.

Vera forced herself to take a deep breath, quickly getting dressed and rolling Cori's blanket into a tight roll. She shoved it into her bag as a last act of defiance and petty revenge before she and Bonnie went to the house for breakfast. "Let's just grab something and go. Leo, behave yourself in there." Leo sulked, but relented, following behind Vera.

---

(6:00 A.M)

Vera sat very still at the table, while Cardamon scowled over his cup of coffee and Coriander ate silently. Cardamon's wife, Rosemary, was surprisingly cheerful and happy to have Vera over. A fully licensed Trainer herself, it turned out that all the Pokemon on the farm were Rosemary's, and she had basically forced Cardamon to offer assistance to trainers. Cardamon was stubborn, determined not to make it easy on trainers but not wanting to go against his wife.

It all made Vera very uncomfortable. She would have preferred tea, but according to Cardamon, "We don't have tea here. You can have coffee or juice, made 'em both myself." Her coffee was at least half milk, which annoyed Cardamon, but he put up with it quietly.

"Well..." Vera began, interrupting Rosemary before she could start up another story. "I hate to eat and run, but I have places to go, things to do today, you know how it goes."

"Don't let us keep ya." Cardamon grunted. "You probably should go. You need every advantage you can get." Coriander added.

Vera forced herself to smile, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Yes. I'll be going now. I can honestly say that I hope I never see any of you again. Thank you for the food." With that, she returned her Pokemon and left.

---

(7:00 A.M.)

Once again on the Pokemon path, Vera was avoiding any human contact she could for the time being. She knew there would be people in Cerulean City to deal with, but she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. Also, an actual bridge, but that too would come later.

She got the feeling they were being followed, so she kept looking back over her shoulder. So far, there had been nothing, but the feeling persisted. "This is not at all what I pictured my journey would be like!" She pouted, hugging Leo close. "If my sister wants to life this life, she can have it!"

She looked back over her shoulder, seeing nothing but a Slakoth on the path. "Is it me? Do people just not like me? Did I do something wait a minute..." She stopped, doing a double take over her shoulder.

There was nothing on the path.

"...what." She backed up slowly, turning around again and stepping around a Slakoth. Again she had to double check, and sure enough there was a Slakoth there.

"Have you been following me this whole time?!" She shouted at the Pokemon. It merely smiled, looking her right in the eyes. "Oh, you wanna do this? We'll do this! Leo, let's take him down!" Leo jumped into the fray, ready for action. Slakoth just slowly tilted his head.

"Leo, use Tackle!" Leo charged forward, jumping on Slakoth's head before being shaken off. Slakoth smacked Leo away, apparently its version of Tackle. Vera didn't like the look of that, deciding to use tactics. "Leo, use Disable. See how well it fights back now!" Leo's eyes glowed blue, preventing Slakoth from fighting back. Slakoth didn't respond.

"Like I thought. Totally helpless now. Tackle!" Leo kicked Slakoth in the head, and Slakoth just Yawned. "Oh, I'm sorry, are we boring you?!" Leo yawned himself, which didn't help calm Vera.

"None of that! Get back here!" She pulled Leo back to his ball, sending out Bonnie in his place. Slakoth didn't respond.

"Bonnie, hit him with Bone Club!" Bonnie rushed in, smacking Slakoth with her club, nothing fancy. Slakoth Yawned. "Okay, that needs to stop." Vera muttered. Bonnie couldn't help but yawn herself.

"Okay, you guys are gonna set me off, so quit it!" She pulled Bonnie back, sending out Leo again. He bounced on his feet excitedly, apparently having shaken off his drowsiness. Slakoth didn't respond.

"Leo, use Tackle!" Vera had a sense of deja vu as Leo ran over Slakoth, then Slakoth Yawned again. Leo yawned, and Vera again pulled him back and sent out Bonnie. Slakoth didn't respond.

"Ugghh, I hate this guy... Use Leaf Blade!" Bonnie slashed with her glowing aura weapon, making Slakoth flinch.

...and Yawn. Which made Bonnie yawn. "Damn it! Switch!" Vera shuffled her Pokemon again, and Slakoth didn't respond.

"No, this time use Supersonic!" Leo sent out his soundwaves, and Slakoth Yawned. Leo yawned, and Vera was ready to pull out her hair. "SWITCH!" Leo came back, Bonnie came out, Slakoth didn't respond.

"Bone Club, Bonnie, and make it count!' Bonnie struck Slakoth, and Slakoth Yawned. "Noooo!" Vera cried, Bonnie yawned. Vera recalled Bonnie, Vera sent out Leo.

Slakoth...

Didn't...

Respond.

"Leo, can you knock this thing out with Tackle? Please say 'yes'." Leo slammed into Slakoth, and Slakoth smacked Leo back. Vera gasped in delight. "He hit you! Yes! We broke the curse! Hit him again!" Leo gave Vera a grumpy look, but did as told. Slakoth didn't respond.

"Please let this be the last one... Tackle?" Leo kicked Slakoth, and Slakoth scurried away surprisingly quickly. Vera sighed in relief, giving Leo a big hug. "Thank goodness that's over. Let's get to that bridge." She turned and started back on the path, Nugget Bridge just over the next hill.

 

[moon]

Chapter 2: Cerulean City
Starting date May 21th, Monday

​

Spoiler:

Cerulean City is a calm place, practically untouched by recent unrest in the region (so far at least). Probably much thanks to its strong gym trainers, caring for the citizens under the ever watchful eye of their wise gym leader. It is considered a pretty city, quite serene for being as large as it still is. It bordered in the north by a broad river coming down from Mt. Moon and trickling down towards the eastern sea through the wilderness.

To the south is a quite trafficked road leading to Saffron City, but professor Palm has recommended you to travel east and through Rock Tunnel for now, instead of trying to enter competitions in the big metropolis this early in your journey.

It is probably wise that you spend the night here before continuing onwards to the east.


WHAT TO FIND HERE
- A pokémon center where you can always heal your pokémon for free and use the computer at. You can also borrow a room for the night here.

- Quite friendly cityfolks. Everyone respects and even reveres the gym trainers and their dragon pokémon.

- A gym, which you won't be able to challenge, because the leader will refuse you this early in the journey.

- A pokémon rescue center. Read more about that below.

- Pokémarts and other useful shops for pokémon goods and food.


EVENTS

ADOPTABLES: Any day in May / OPTIONAL
- The pokémon rescue center is a place on the western outskirts of the city to which locals know to bring wild pokémon who seem hurt, or pokémon who seem to have been abandoned. Recently, some very peculiar pokémon were brought in and they seem to enjoy the companionship of humans so much after having been nursed back to health, that they refuse to go back into the wild. It would be a kind act if you adopted one of them!

- Reward? You acquire one pokémon you otherwise wouldn't be able to get! Note that there are several of each, so no need to fight over them.

- Alternative? Well, you don't, I guess?

DARK MORNING: May 22nd / MANDATORY
- On Wednesday morning, Cerulean awakes to discover that several of the pokémon residing at the famous Dragon type gym have gone missing. Leader Hoshi asks everyone in the city to spread the word that they are looking for lost dragon type pokémon and offers a reward to anyone who brings them back. Pokémon trained in the gym usually have a temporary tattoo with a stylized dragon somewhere on their body.

- Reward? If you choose to find a dragon pokémon somewhere in the city, be creative! They will be riled up and need to either be calmed down or knocked out (and in the latter case, perhaps you'd better call the gym or police to come fetch the knocked out pokémon). As a reward, gym leader Hoshi will offer you a TM of your choice.

- Alternative? You can instead choose to encounter a dragon pokémon who is in the process of being forced into a mysterious dark pokéball by a human dressed in dark unlabeled clothes and wearing a mask not resembling any known pokémon. There will be several of these humans, so several players can go this route. You will not be able to beat them nor save the dragon. But if you tell gym leader Hoshi or the police what you saw, they will save your name and number for future use.

POKÉMON AT THE RESCUE CENTER
Only available through the event. Hover for movesets. All are Lv 5. Note: You will not be able to trade later on with an NPC to get one of these pokémon!





CERULEAN CITY GYM: Dragon Type

The gym is a piece of art in itself. Majestic yet humble, it reminds you of an ancient temple, made of marble and wood, with artificial ponds, streams and waterfall decorating its large courtyard at the eastern edge of the city. The gym has several floors dedicating to training and meditating, with the main arena being in an open-air area at the center of the bottom; meaning you can look down on the arena from the surrounding balconies above.

However, this isn't very important at this point. Unless you feel like doing a bit of sightseeing, or have business with the gym trainers or leader Hoshi (see mission "DARK MORNING"), you will not be doing much here. Hoshi is a middle aged man of surprising grace and strength combined, who will refuse you with a smile and quiet calm words if you try to challenge him already. You need to have faced many, many more other gym leaders before you have a fair chance here.

 

[budube]

Bruno Dillinger
May 21, Tuesday

Battle at Nugget Bridge: Part 2​

"It's over for us, Bruno." Debbie said, as she took out the last Potion she had with her.

"We can still win… I think." Bruno opened his bag too. He had only one Potion left as well. "We need to think of a way to counter them."

"Do you have something in mind? Because this doesn't look good at all." she sprayed her Potion on Pancho, recovering most part of his health.

"Our first mistake was attacking separately. That's what they wanted in the first place."

"I can't attack that Sableye, duh. None of Pancho's moves are effective against it."

"Yeah you're right…" Bruno sighed and bit his lower lip in unease as he tried to figure out a way to… he suddenly smiled and turned back to his friend. He already figured it out. "Your Pancham. He knows Leer, doesn't it?" Debbie nodded "Good. I'll need him to stay back for now and reduce Sableye's defenses as much as possible, let Artemis do the punching."

"What about Tyrogue? Didn't you see what it did just now?"

"We'll think about it later. Sableye is our main priority now."

"Less talk and more battle, kids! Tyrogue use Mach Punch on Fomantis!" Tyrogue dashed towards Artemis in a blinding speed, leaving a burning trail in the bridge. The Mach Punch came clean into the grass-type's face, sending her back to the edge of the bridge. The flames in Tyrogue's body bursted for a second, hurting him.

"Pancho use Arm Thrust!" Pancham clenched his fists and rushed against Tyrogue howling another war cry. He hit one… two… three… four… punches. Tyrogue fell down.

"Sableye, Astonish!" Sableye jumped from the rail, opening its right claw and attacking Pancho making him fall down. "Scratch!" The woman started using the same strategy as before. Pancho glared at Sableye, the pokemon was intimidated, making it stop the attack and lowering its guard.

"Artemis use Leafage!" The whirl of leaves came from the edge of the bridge and extended through the rest of the arena. Sableye fell on its back and Pancham was hurt as well by the leaves, Tyrogue made his way out of the attack range just in time. "Sorry for that. I don't want to get to close to Sableye."

"It's fine. It was only a scratch." the girl turned back to her pokemon "Use Leer again!" Pancham glared at Sableye again, the dark-ghost frowned and slowly walked back to its trainer.

"Don't let it intimidate you, Sableye." The pokemon turned its head to the purple-haired woman. "Stay focused, they want you to let your guard down. Use Night Shade!"

"Leafage!" Sableye's eyes went red and the mirage started at the same time Artemis started spinning. The dark shade's arm extended this time towards Artemis, being unaffected by Leafage and forcefully hit the floor.

Artemis jumped as the mirage fade out and fell on her back. She got up slowly, she was weak and could barely move. In front of her, next to the opposing trainers, the fallen body of the foe Sableye was laying on the ground, shaking with fallen leaves around it, trying its best to get up, just to finally stay on the ground, defeated. Upon verifying Sableye had fainted the woman nodded to her partner. "I'll have to leave the rest to you." she said as she walked back to her guarding spot.

"Artemis, let's go for Tyrogue now! Use Leaf—!" A fiery Mach Punch struck Artemis, burning Tyrogue in the process. The grass-type rolled down the staircase leading to the ground path in Route 24 where she fainted. Bruno went down to check his pokemon, she was completely unconscious not even moving a leaf. "You were great there." The boy said as he returned his fallen pokemon to his pokeball. He now had to leave everything to Debbie, since Sableye was out of action as well she could take care of Tyrogue herself.

Tyrogue strongly rotated his arms as he walked towards Pancham slightly rising his offense once more. Both pokemon adopted a fighting position. Pancham hoped at medium speed while bumping his fists while Tyrogue just kept his position following his opponent with his eyes.

"Pancho use Tackle!" Pancho charged against Tyrogue, tackling him in an attempt of throwing him on the floor, but at the sound of a Counter attack order from the masked man Tyrogue grabbed and pushed Pancham to the rail and hit a jab against Pancham making the pokemon fall.

"Go, Pancho! Get up, you can do it! Get up and use Leer!" Debbie shouted trying to cheer him up. Pancho got up quickly and glared at Tyrogue. The opposing fighting type let his guard down by lowering his arms a bit, leaving an opening for Pancham to attack. "Now use Arm Thrust!" Pancham rushed, going for the body, hitting one… two… three… four… five times. Tyrogue grabbed Pancho in a clinch attempt to get less damage as he kept hitting.

"Counter with Mach Punch!" Tyrogue threw a counter kidney punch, it was not strong but fast and hard enough to force Pancho to stop his attack. "Another Mach Punch!" Tyrogue's right arm traveled swiftly through his body, landing a lead right on Pancham's face. Debbie's pokemon endured the hit, keeping his feet on the ground. Tyrogue's burning pain kept getting worse the more it moved.

"Keep it that way! Arm Thrust!" Pancham delivered two punches on Tyrogue's body and a third one in its face in a haymaker attempt. Tyrogue followed the punch direction, quickly maintaining his balance in a clean maneuver and counter attacking with another Mach Punch.

The masked man's eyes were shining bright. Even if she couldn't see his face, Debbie knew he was smiling in excitement over how this battle was turning out. The girl, on the other hand, was as excited as she was nervous since the entire battle was in her hands and she had no Potions left, but it didn't seem as the other guy had any Potion aside from the one he used when Tyrogue's ability was triggered either.

The two pokemon kept infighting, exchanging blows one-by-one. Despite the pain Tyrogue felt because of his burns, the pokemon kept fighting energetically as if it was nothing, and Pancham showed no signs of having enough either. However both of them were surely to fall any time soon if the battle took longer.

"Pancho use Tackle!"

"Tyrogue, strike with Mach Punch!" Pancham prepared his fist as Tyrogue started rushing towards him. He decides to just punch in front of him without moving… at nothing… or at least it seemed like it. The fist bumped with Tyrogue's, blocking the upcoming Mach Punch… the flames burst… but Tyrogue doesn't flinch. "Mach Punch!" A fast left hook came against Pancho's side of the head, throwing him on the ground leaving him no time to react. He struggles to get up, he had not much energy left… Pancham hits the ground, using his arm to get up, shaking a little bit. "Last one, buddy! Mach Punch!" Tyrogue sprints, with his fist prepared for the final blow; he appears in front of the defenseless Pancham, landing one final jab against him. Pancho falls upside down, knocked out… the flames burst… Tyrogue falls as well. It's a draw!

 

[Eleanor]

Arianne Chandler & Ralph Gonder
🍀🍀🍀
Route 25 - Day 1 - May 20^th
Joint post with Astronaut
​

---

It was already starting to get late in the afternoon. Ralph had stubbornly stuck to the well traveled road instead of following everybody else into the forest in search of adventures. Usually, she did kind of long for adventure, but currently it felt more pertinent that she put as much distance between herself and the school as quickly as she could. Besides, she didn't feel like competing with the others for most captures or most wins already.

According to her pokégear, she was approaching the western edge of Route 25 soon. Perhaps she could press on and reach Cerulean before it got too late? But the professor had not recommended that. It was well known that many of the journeying students camped at farms on Route 24. Ralph knew that was probably the easiest solution. There wasn't much point in her trying to be unique and camping out when she didn't need to. But… For some reason she didn't feel too eager heading up to a farm with all the others either…
Lost in her thoughts, Ralph didn't notice the girl ahead of her on the path before she almost walked into her. "Whoa, sorry," she blurted out and managed to stop her feet just in time.

Arianne, equally absorbed in her thoughts, moved aside with a noticeable yelp. "Sorry, I was in the middle of the path reading the signs…"
She glanced at the other girl: she was nearly as tall as her but slightly more robust, with curly hair and colorful clothes that contrasted with Arianne's straight hair and outfit. She was definitely a familiar face, most likely another Cape college trainer, but the two had never really interacted much before.
"By any chance, do you know of any good farm around here?" she asked afterwards. She still had not made up her mind about where to go and was admittedly a bit scared of missing out on the most comfortable places.

---

Ralph raised her head to look up at the other girl. She really was tall, and now Ralph recalled noticing her before, in school. Another journeying trainer, of course. She didn't know her age, but she had been here for only a couple of years. Made sense; she didn't look like the type to be held back a year, like Ralph.
"Sorry, I don't really know," Ralph admitted and shrugged. "I'm looking for one too," she continued before she could stop herself, and bit her own lip in annoyance after. "Or, you know, one can just camp out."
Now how do I explain this...
Arianne remained quiet for a while before replying. "I reckon a farm would be better, because for once I'd like to check my head thoroughly…" She pointed at the right side of her head, above her ears, where two cuts were being partially hidden by her long black hair. "I was only able to take care of the first aid while I was exploring the forest. Plus… yeah, I'm not really the kind of trainer that likes to camp out."

Ralph's brows furrowed when she was shown the injury. "What happened?" she asked immediately. "Want me to look at it?"
"Thanks! But no, or at least not now. Would you be up about finding a place to stay tonight with me first? Then I'll get it all fixed." She eagerly awaited for a response. If she was really that girl, then it meant she had one more year to explore Route 25 compared to her: and sticking with her was probably the best thing to do.
Ralph blinked and didn't at first know what to respond to that sudden suggestion of teaming up, but the other girl continued before she could speak anyways.
"We should also have dinner soon, do you agree? I admit, I didn't eat much today…"

"Calm down," Ralph said with a raised eyebrow. "You sure hit your head, didn't you?" She had a look up and down at the taller girl again. She didn't seem ready for this journey. And now Ralph couldn't exactly just leave her and walk away. She crossed her arms with a small sigh. "I guess… I guess I do need to find a place for the night. I'd rather camp out, honestly, but now I'm getting the feeling I'd better make sure you survive at least. I've seen you at Cape College, but I don't know your name. I'm Ralph."

Arianne stared at Ralph once again, a slight pout on her face, before responding.
"Right, I didn't introduce myself! I'm Arianne, nice to meet you. I… also remember you from the college" she said, her face now showing a slight smile.
"And don't worry too much! In fact, I feel quite alright now… but it's all thanks to him."
In that moment, she pointed at Squirtle, who was calmly standing beside her. The water type jumped forward and greeted the other trainer, before trying to climb over Arianne's shoulder as she kept speaking.

"You got me. I myself like the bells and whistles… meaning I'm still not used to camping out and eating berries all the time, especially when there are farms like these just around the corner! No need to join all those other trainers - too much chaos for us, I suppose - but what about finding a lesser known farm?"
In the meantime, Squirtle had finally reached Arianne's backpack and perched himself right on top of it, his eyes slightly glowing in a pink hue. Arianne couldn't see him but his weight was very noticeable… whereas Ralph could have easily seen the Turtle Pokemon in action.

---

Ralph felt a slight annoyance that this girl claimed her company just like that, but she couldn't hold back a small smile as she watched the Squirtle's antics. It was very cute. Almost as cute as the Sandshrew resting in a pokéball at her waist. Ah, whatever. She could probably not go through this whole journey alone - where would the fun in that be, after all? As reluctant to adhere to norms and compete as she was, Ralph wasn't unsocial though. "Arianne," she said with a nod. "Alright, let's find a quiet farm and make some dinner. Nice to meet you too, Squirtle," she added with a wider smile to the blue pokémon. "I'll let you meet my starter when we settle in later." Turning back to Arianne, she said: "Onto Route 24 then?" and started walking.

"Yes!"
Squirtle waved, greeting the other trainer, as the girl nodded and started following Ralph. She admittedly had the impression that this new found companion wasn't… that interested in staying with her. And Arianne had felt this way many times before - as thanks to her own personality she could easily let down people's expectations. Her parents, first and foremost, but also the other Cape College students, or her Cinnabar Island friends.
Now was not the time to let Ralph down, though. Arianne had to earn her company and her time, didn't she? The girl followed quietly, towards Route 24.

They walked, in silence for a few minutes, down the road. As Route 24 opened up in front of them after the foresty Route 25, more and more buildings in between the fields became visible in the light of the setting sun.
"How do we pick one?" Ralph wondered out loud. "I haven't traveled this far on the route before, I don't know them really," she added towards Arianne.
"I'm not a good person to ask that to, sorry!" the girl's voice echoed from behind. Arianne tried to think about Cinnabar Island's hotels, something she was a bit more familiar with, and had to remain quiet for a while.
"Let's see… maybe one with many lights? Or a big one that's well taken care of?"

Arianne took a better look at Route 24 and at the numerous farms in the surroundings. Eventually, one of them caught her attention. Well, actually it caught Squirtle's eye, who then eagerly informed his trainer. On closer inspection, the farm was quite large, but about half of the rooms were lit up: someone was there already - other trainers likely knew that was a nice place. Even better, it was slightly out of the main road, tucked away near a small forest area.
"What about… that one?" Arianne asked, attempting many times to point Ralph in the right direction. I really, really hope I'm not screwing this up.

---

Ralph considered the choice. It looked to be a bit out of the way, but not too small. It was possible that other trainers were there too, but perhaps they could provide some dinner or at the very least shelter for the night still. She didn't want to impose, really; that was another reason for feeling like camping out was the better idea. But as long as they got a roof, she could sleep in her sleeping bag…
"Looks good, let's try it!"
As they started walking towards their destination in the darkening light of day, Ralph glanced at the girl next to her again. She seemed like quite the positive soul. Ralph always appreciated people who were like that, as long as they didn't start expecting things of her and getting disappointed when she failed them. Like her sister.

"Hey Arianne," she started. "Where do you come from? And how long were you at the school?"
"Alright! I'm from Cinnabar Island, which is very far from here. I've only been able to join the College when I was already thirteen - that's the age of some of the trainers who are travelling with us!" After taking a deep breath, she continued… "I've been here for two years, and that makes me fifteen years old! Now what about you?"

Ralph observed how literal the older girl was, seemingly feeling a need to explain even simple things. Perhaps she was worried about others misunderstanding her quite often? Perhaps she was actually quite insecure. D'aw.
"I'm fourteen," Ralph responded. "And, well… I've been here for three years." She didn't smile when she said it, but didn't really show much of any other emotion either. Instead she shrugged. "No need to rush it. Living at that school was pretty fun, really. But it is nice to finally journey. To get to travel and see places…" Now she couldn't help a smile from forming on her lips, and she was aware but didn't particularly bother to try and stop it. "Places like Cinnabar. Is it true that you have an active volcano there?"

"First of all, yes. It's been quite active but, as far as I've lived there, it has never threatened the city. Second, I… actually feel the need to rush! I wanted to come here and start a journey of my own for so long, but as I said before, it hasn't been easy. I have time to take back, sort of." She paused.
"Yet, I actually admire those who can keep calm and methodical when chasing their dreams!" Arianne couldn't help but smile herself, memories of Cinnabar flowing back in her mind, as the two approached the farm.
"Doesn't look too bad from up close, does it?" she asked, eager to hear Ralph's response. She really hoped not to have let her down.
The place was quite quaint, looking like its owners really cared for it, but didn't have signs or anything really indicating that they were inviting travelers.
"Like I said, I don't mind whatever," Ralph said with a shrug as they entered the nameless gates to the farm. "A roof over our heads would be cool. We have our own dinner… Unless you didn't pack any food?"

Arianne was left… a bit puzzled by that response. "Don't worry, I have some food for dinner and even some leftovers from today's lunch!" she said, as she finally stopped in front of the farm's entrance.
"Here goes nothing…" she knocked on the wooden door, gesturing to Ralph to come and stay beside her.
Ralph did as she was motioned, ready to face whatever would come next. Even if it would turn out to be someone really unpleasant.You never knew with these farmer types.

---

Arianne's team:

•

Ralph's team:

•

 

[Groc]

Vera Hill
Chapter 1 - Nugget Abridged
Route 24, May 21st

---

Vera crested the hill, Leo at her heels. She could see the city up ahead, separated from Route 24 by a wide river, with the famous Nugget Bridge spanning it. Unfortunately for her, there was a young punk at the start of the bridge, wandering back and forth. "Oh great... more 'friendly' locals..."

One look at the boy on the bridge told Vera all she needed to know about him. He was shorter than her, wearing a green shirt with black stripes, faded black jeans, and black combat boots that had seen better days. His hair was brown and messy, with bleached tips and a streak of green in his ponytail, most of it contained under a red bandana. A completely superfluous secondary red bandana was tied around his neck.

All in all, he was trying way too hard, and just looked like a mess. Vera would almost feel sorry for him if he wasn't standing in the middle of the road and talking too loudly into a phone. As she got closer, she could (unfortunately) make out his part of the conversation.

"...so I show up, ready to do this, and both of them just up and leave! I asked 'What, you lose a fight or somethin'?' And he says 'No', you know, like a liar. Said they was on their lunch break, but I saw them go into the Pokemon Center." He noticed Vera approaching and grinned slyly. "I gotta go, another customer just came in. ...yeah, okay, I... I love you too, Grandma. Bye."

Vera tried to walk around him, but he stepped in front of her, earning himself a glare. "Ey, yo, what do we got here? You're a tall glass of water, and I just love... moisture." He raised his large eyebrows in what he surely thought was a seductive manner, but Vera covered her mouth, feeling like she was about to lose breakfast.

"I have no idea what you wanted to say, but what you actually said was utter nonsense. Now move." She tried to push past him, but he raised a hand to her chest to stop her. Vera took several steps back before he could make contact. Leo hissed at him as he backed up to join her.

"Ey, yo, what's the rush, baby? You and your bug friend can hang out with me for a while, watch the clouds..."

"No." Vera shook her head emphatically. "None of that. Shame on you. I need to go to Cerulean. I have things to do, other places to go, and you don't factor into my plans at all. You repulse me, and I will likely forget you even exist within an hour. Now MOVE!"

The thug didn't actually step back, but he did flinch a bit. "Ey, now you've gone and been rude to me. Rude people gotta pay the toll, and the toll is a battle!" He grabbed a Pokeball from his belt, sending out a Sandile. "Unless you'd rather try to swim across the river. I'd pay to see you in a swims-"

"Nope!" Vera interrupted quickly. "A battle is fine! I have no objections! Leo, show him what we can do!" Leo eagerly jumped forward, hissing at the little brown reptile. Sandile growled in response, and the fight was on.

"Yo, Sandile use Torment!" "Leo, Supersonic!" Sandile started making a repetitive whining noise that was kind of annoying, and a vein in Leo's forehead started to pulse with anger. He turned his antenna toward Sandile, emitting soundwaves to disorient the reptile, but it didn't seem to take effect.

"Leo, try again." Leo shook his head, refusing to be that predictable. His forehead vein throbbed as he hissed at Sandile. Vera pulled out her Pokedex, looking up the move. "...okay, that's just aggravating!" She was starting to feel an angry throb in her own head as the thug just laughed at her. "Yo, you're cute, but not too bright, aren't ya?"

Vera didn't dignify that with a response. "Sandile use Sand Attack!" "Leo, use Disable!" Sandile scooped up sand with its narrow jaws, spitting it into Leo's face. The white sand in his eyes gave the blue glow of his technique a beautiful look, like stars in the sky, while preventing Sandile from trying that again.

"Ey, that's fine. Just Bite the bug." The thug shrugged, not even a little concerned. "Leo, use your Supersonic!" Vera, on the other hand, was very concerned. Sandile nommed on Leo a bit, making the poor Bug flinch in surprise and pain.

"Come on, Leo, try again!" "Not if Sandile keeps it up, too!" Sandile kept chewing, but Leo managed to hit it with his soundwaves. He was looking pretty hurt, though, and Vera pulled out his Pokeball in frustration. "Okay, this isn't going to work." She recalled him to his ball, leaving Sandile perplexed and the thug crowing with laughter.

"Ey, yo, I guess I win! Gotta say, that was-" "Who said I'm done yet?" He flinched at the anger in her voice, looking concerned as she glared at him. "Uh, you pulled your Pokemon out of the fight. That means I win."

"Ha. Haha... is that what you think?" Vera's eye twitched slightly as she pulled Bonnie's Pokeball out. "I still have another Pokemon." "Ey, wait, I thought this was a one on one!" He pouted, pointing to Sandile.

"I never agreed to that!" Vera shouted back, sending Bonnie into the fight. "And I don't have to cater to some no-talent hack like you, who probably doesn't even have a license, and has nothing better to do with his life than hang around on bridges and cause grief for people!"

The thug winced at her words. "Ey, yo, no need to get personal! Sandile, Bite that fool Cubone!" Sandile snapped its jaws shut at Bonnie, but she blocked the attack with her club, barely feeling the powerful bite. "Yeah, keep it up!" "Bonnie, hit it with Leaf Blade!"

Sandile bit Bonnie some more, but the green blade erupted from her club like a lightsaber. She slashed into Sandile, who recoiled in confusion and fear. "What the? Sandile, Torment that thing! Don't let it hit you like that!"

"Ha!" Vera scoffed. "I'm wise to your tricks now. Use Bone Club!" Sandile taunted Bonnie, getting smacked in the face with the pommel of her club for its efforts. "Oh come on! Blind it with Sand Attack!" "Another Leaf Blade should finish it!"

Sandile flailed about, Leo's Supersonic finally having an effect. Bonnie charged in, striking Sandile with her blade as she ran past. The aura blade dissipated, and Bonnie twirled the club once before hefting it to her shoulder. Behind her, Sandile fell to the ground unconscious.

"And that, as they say, is that. Now step aside." Vera towered over the boy, looking very intimidating as her hard gray eyes stared into his blue ones. He took a step back, shutting his eyes and throwing his arms wide in defiance. "N-no way! No one gets past me, not no one, not no how! And I ain't lettin' you-" "BLANKET!"

The thug opened his eyes just in time to have a soft blanket thrown over his head, obscuring his vision. He flailed in surprise, getting his arms tangled as he tried to free himself. Vera pushed him over, picking up Bonnie and sprinting past the fallen thug and toward the city. By the time he managed to get loose, Vera was already out of sight.

The thug sighed in shame, pulling out his phone. "...hey, Grandma, it's me. Yeah, I'm calling after the battle like you asked. ...no, no we lost. I had to let her go. ...I know. I know, Gran- I know... Yeah, I'll talk to you later. ...yeah, I get it. I lo-" He sighed as she hung up on him, making his way back to the City.

 

[Aquacorde]

Casey Holt
Tuesday, May 21 • Day 2

09. so far so good so don't turn back

The sounds of sustained battle catch Casey's attention after he returns Buneary to her PokéBall. Noel isn't quite done, but it looks like she's got the upper hand. He and Charmander trot over to Rosie and Ted in time to hear Noel call out for a "Star Crush" attack, which… isn't a move that Casey knows to exist, but the Clefairy seems to know what to do. When the dust settles, it's Noel's victory. Casey cheers. The other two are more subdued in their congratulations.

Kurogane silently recalls his Magby. The rest of his crew look on in disbelief- their beloved boss… actually lost? How could that be? They nervously watch Kurogane as he grumbles. His reaction… they can't even begin to imagine what that might be.

They certainly aren't prepared for his full-bodied laugh.

"So, this is entertainment, eh? You're pretty good, kid!" he concedes. Murmurs of amazement ripple through the watching teens. While Noel seems cautious, Luna is openly bewildered. Kurogane's laughter subsides.

"...What's your name?"

"Did you forget?" Noel's indignant astonishment is clear. "The elegant warrior of the moon, Noel!"

"Right." Kurogane turns away. "Noel. Listen up. You better not lose, yeah? Cause' I'm going to be the one who takes ya' down."

With that he walks away, signalling the others to follow. He contemplates Magby's PokéBall as they go.

"I wonder..." Casey barely catches Kurogane's murmured words. "Maybe yours will come true someday, kid. I might just have to pick things up again…"

☆​

Noel breaths a sigh of relief and kneels to pick a delighted Luna up. "We… did it."

"Th-that was amazing, Noel!" Ted exclaimed as the little group circles around. Noel stands, clearly pleased.

"You did really good," Rosie agrees. "Noel, you… you're stronger than me right now. But soon, I'm going to catch up with you, just you wait!"

"I'm looking forward to sharing the stage with you again," came Noel's sincere response. She turns to gaze beyond the bridge- into Cerulean.

"For now, it's time for Noel and Luna to head to their next stage! But before I do…" she removes her stage cape with a flourish. It seems to vanish with the arrival of sparkling, glittery effects that completely envelope both Noel and Luna. Casey watches in awe as the effects fade and the two are nowhere to be seen.

"Hahahaha!" Noel's laugh echoes triumphantly. "This is Noel's greatest performance yet… the… No-well did you go, fuahaha! Behold! You are witnessing one of the many talents of Noel and Luna's entertain— EEEEEEEEK!"

Noel reappears, seemingly from the sky, hitting the ground face first with a thud. It's clear that she once again attempted last night's trick and found the same amount of success- Luna hoisting Noel from a tree branch, Luna losing her grip, Noel faceplanting, the works. Casey stifles a giggle as they watch Luna wander in and prod Noel. Flipping the girl to her back reveals she's knocked out cold, but with a pleased smile gracing her face. Luna grabs Noel by the cape and begins dragging her off, pausing only to wave and blow a kiss to the small audience.

That's all, folks.

☆​

After a moment's recovery from that performance, Casey hops up onto the vacated bridge. "Y'all coming to Cerulean?"

Rosie shakes her head. "I'm… going to train around here. You can go ahead."

"I'm going back." Ted's response makes the other two pause. He flushes under the sudden attention. "It's just- Watching you guys battle… I didn't really do anything, because I was too weak. I want to stay around school for a while. I don't think I'm ready to keep going yet."

"Ted-" Rosie begins. Ted smiles ruefully.

"It's okay, really! I just want to practise and learn a little bit more where it's safe."

"Alright," her mouth says. Her eyes say, We're going to talk more about this.

Casey clears his throat awkwardly. "Alright! Just me, then." He waves to Rosie and Ted. "Good luck!"

"You too!"