Bidein recovered from the blast, flying shakily through the air as the Clauncher clicked angrily underneath him. ”Bidein,” Leisy started, only slightly relieved that her Pokemon was still able to fly. The girl was panicking, unsure of what to do again. She’d given commands that had ended up injuring her Pokemon, and she was too scared of repeating that. Bidein knew that much.

Taking initiative, Bidein swooped up to a tree branch and perched there, resting. Leisy felt a stab of betrayal when she saw the Fletchling choose to sit the fight out, but she couldn’t fault her Pokemon for that. She wasn’t the best trainer, and it might be best for him to just run away.

Leisy met the Clauncher’s angry eyes, slipping her Pokedex into a pocket. Preparations were made with facts, not fights. The girl was just about to take off running when the shivering bundle of blue behind her jumped forwards, launching a series of pecks at the the Clauncher.

Leisy’s eyes widened as she watched the blue bird Pokemon drive the Clauncher back with well-placed pecks. The blue lobster Pokemon continued to draw back, claws up in an attempt to shield himself from the onslaught. However, the Clauncher’s shock soon wore off, and he retaliated with another beam of bubbles. Bubblebeam, Leisy realized. An advanced form of the simple ‘bubble’ attack.

A chirp from the trees signalled Bidein’s reentrance, and the treetops revealed a fully-healed Fletchling. ”Bidein!” Leisy called, shocked that her Pokemon had somehow managed to heal itself. ”How—”

Bidein gave a twirl in the air—a wink, Leisy figured—before soaring back down and pecking the Clauncher. Roost, Leisy realized. She’d only ever seen that move once, and it was when her father’s Skarmory had come home a little scratched up after a friendly lab battle.

”Doesn’t he have to go to the Pokemon Center?” eight-year-old Leisy had asked, eyes wide and staring at the metallic bird Pokemon who had promptly fallen asleep next to the doorway, head tucked into his steel-grey feathers. While usually glossy in sheen, the feathers were currently a dull grey, many of them losing their glow due to the scratches they'd accumulated in battle.

“He’ll be fine after a roost, Leis,” her father had told her, walking over to his Pokemon and touching his daughter’s hand to the bird’s feathers gently. Young Leisy had watched with wide eyes as the scratches on the blades melded together to form their usual smooth, metallic sheen. “See, Leisy? It’s a flying-type move that allows bird Pokemon to heal with rest.”

The lessons Leisy learned that day when she was eight flooded back, and a roll of pride went over her as she realized that Bidein had not momentarily abandoned her but rather decided on his own accord to use roost so that he could continue battling. ”Bidein! Agility!” Leisy called, eyes bright once again. Bidein saw this and knew that his trainer once again had her head in the game, and he followed, speeding up again before delivering the final quick attack needed to knock the Clauncher unconscious.

---

Cillian was dreaming. In his dream, Cillian was sitting in a comfy armchair near a fireplace, a book on his lap and a cup of hot cocoa in the other. He was warm and lazy, relaxed as he pored over the text about spherical Pokemon capture capsules, also known as Pokeballs, when the room started getting warmer.

Jeez it’s warm in here, the boy thought, shedding his thin jacket and tugging at his shirt collar in an effort to cool himself, but the temperature inside his tent just kept warming up.

Wait, dream-Cillian thought, pausing. Tent?

Shocking awake, Cillian shot up and contorted his tent awkwardly as it was too small and stout for a person to stand in it, but the contorted tent wasn’t so important compared to the little ball of fire in the side of the tent. ”Holy!” Cillian shouted, tripping over his feet in surprise and pitching himself out the tent just as it caught ablaze. Cillian unfroze just soon enough to grab his backpack from the tent before the nylon structure was engulfed in flames.

A figure emerged from flames, around 2 feet tall and tailed—a Pokemon, but not just any Pokemon. No, this Pokemon Cillian knew very well, having seen its second evolution’s form stuck to every Pokemon contest advertisement he’d ever seen due to the awe the dragon-like pokemon’s presence inspired.

“Char?” the Charmander asked, the tent now but a smoldering circle around it.

Damian ran towards Central City from his home town ecstatic to start his adventure. As he came over the mountains a wild Growlithe jumped out of the bushes. Damian jumped back and got ready to catch the large dog like Pokémon. Damian threw the pokeball and with that Growlithe was inside. Damian watched as the ball shook twice, but he stood there scared the pokemon would eescape. The growlithe was caught and Damian jumped for joy.

Yes!" He shouted in excitement as he grabbed the ball with his new found Pokémon. Excited to start his travels with his new friend he rushed into town. "I can't wait" he said excitedly as he hit the city limits. He entered the large area and looked around in awe. "So this is central huh?" He said aloud to his self. "I'm glad I'm here"

”Bidein, you did it!” Leisy said, grinning ear-to-ear. The Fletchling did a loop-di-loop of joy in the air, chirping as the blue bird Pokemon on the ground chirped in agreement.

Leisy spun around with wide eyes to look at the blue-and-white bird Pokemon. The bird Pokemon was mostly white and light blue with a dark blue coat-like layer of down draped over its head and back. Leisy reached for her Pokedex and used it to scan the Pokemon.



”Piplup,” Leisy said, testing the name of the Pokemon on her tongue. Looking up, she looked on with surprise at the Pokemon as it didn’t run but rather walked over to her and chirped politely. ’Thank you?’ Leisy thought, eyes widening. I didn’t think Pokemon could be polite.

Smiling, Leisy knelt down to the Pokemon. ”Piplup, how would you like to join my team?” Leisy asked, retrieving her other Pokeball from her bag and holding it out to the penguin. Piplup looked up at Bidein, and the Robin flew down to perch on his trainer’s shoulder, warbling his answer to the other bird Pokemon.

“Pip,” Piplup said, tapping the button on Leisy’s Pokeball. The classic red-and-white capture capsule didn’t move in Leisy’s hand as the Piplup flowed in, and it stayed just as still after.

”Welcome to the team, Naunet,” Leisy said, clutching the Pokeball to her. Bidein ruffled his feathers on her shoulder.

---

Cillian’s first instinct was to run from the fire Pokemon, but he swallowed that and fumbled in his backpack for his camera instead. Pulling it out and turning it on quickly, Cillian managed to snap a picture of the Charmander in the ring of burning nylon that was beginning to stink up the air just as the Charmander came charging towards him, arms outstretched.

”Gwah!” Cillian shouted, dodging the Pokemon and taking off running. Thank god I wore my shoes, Cillian thought as he ran. Now all I have to do is get a Poke—

Cillian slapped his head internally, cursing his stupidity. He was so used to snapping pictures of Pokemon and running that he’d forgotten that his goal now was to catch them. That Charmander better still be there! Cillian thought, sprinting back to his campsite. When he arrived, he found the Charmander looking forlornly at the still-glowing embers of the campsite, kicking a pile of ashes and scattering it about.

Cillian hesitated—what was he supposed to do? Waltz up to the Pokemon and declare his ownership? He didn’t have a Pokemon to weaken the Charmander, and in reality he was still just an unarmed, half-dressed human.

Deciding the best thing to do was probably to pitch the Pokeball over from afar, Cillian retrieved a ball from his bag and threw it at the Charmander. It bounced off the orange Pokemon, opening and sucking the Pokemon in with a red beam before closing and glowing red as it rocked back and forth on the floor. Cillian didn’t even have time to cross his fingers before the Charmander burst out of the Pokeball with a cry and came charging over.

”Wah!” Cillian cried, turning to run again. This time, however, he tripped over a rock behind him and plopped onto the floor as the Charmander ran towards him. Cillian put his hands up to shield his face—if anything was going to get mauled, it wasn’t going to be his face—but he needn’t have. The Charmander enveloped Cillian with a hug, cooing.

“Char, Char,” the Charmander said, and Cillian parted his arms to give the Pokemon a confused look.

”Are you… Not going to attack me?” he asked, brows scrunching. Other Pokemon that he’d snapped pictures off usually either ran for cover or came at him with the intention to kill. He’d almost suffered a minor heart attack when he taken a picture of a Nidoran and had a Nidoqueen come charging after him, and he wasn’t looking to reliving that experience with a Charmander that had a angry Charizard parent hiding out somewhere. ”No parents hiding in caves waiting to swallow me up?”

The Charmander shook his head, waving at the tent before cooing again. Cillian looked at the Pokemon in confusion before realization washed over him—the Charmander was apologizing for burning his tent down.

”'Sorry?'” Cillian asked, just to make sure that was what the orange fire Pokemon was saying. The Charmander nodded profusely, causing Cilian to chuckle. ”I can’t say it’s okay that you burned my tent to a crisp, but I’m alright with it,” Cillian said, looking up with a glint in his eyes. ”If you agree to be my Pokemon.”

The Charmander nodded profusely again, looking sorrier than ever. Cillian felt bad, but he settled for a head-pat and retrieved the fallen Pokeball, holding it out in front of the Charmander. ”Whenever you’re ready,” Cillian said. The Charmander didn’t hesitate as it punched the white button, opening the device. This time, the Pokeball glowed red only briefly before settling down.

”Yes!” Cillian cried, punching air in joy as he celebrated. First Pokemon down—really down, he thought, pocketing the Pokeball and collecting what supplies he could from the ruins. Not gonna complain though—I just got myself a fire-breathing dragon in the making, albeit a oddly apologetic and happy fella.

---

@balthazar007 Leisy caught a Piplup, Cillian caught a Charmander.

The clean shaven man behind the counter yawned as he watched Nick ponder over his first purchase. "You're a new trainer. Aren't you kid?"

Nick looked away from a strange item known as an Evolution Shard in order to answer the man, "Yeah, I am. Is it that easy to tell?"

"Yes, but don't sweat it. I've seen a lot of new trainers come through here today. May I make a suggestion?" As the man finished his sentence, he pulled out a Pokeball and set it on the counter. Nick stared at it blankly, his hand touching the outline of the Pokeball that he was still in his pocket. "I know. I know." continued the man, "You've probably already been given one of these, but you really can't have too many Pokeballs. You should focus on building up a nice party of Pokemon before anything else."

The man's logic wasn't unjust. You can't really call yourself a Pokemon trainer without some Pokemon to train. The thought was a bit deflating. Nick had spent the whole day walking around, passing up wild Pokemon, and he still hadn't decided on his first. With a weak smile, Nick agreed with the man and made the first purchase of his Pokemon adventure, another Pokeball.

Back on the street outside the Poke Mart, Nick took notice of how beautiful the city looked at night. Distant sounds of music and Pokemon calls filled the air. A part of him wanted to stand in that spot forever, but he knew that this moment would eventually pass. Plus he was starting to feel a pain in his stomach. He hadn't ate since he left his house. The scent of a nearby restaurant caught his attention. Without thinking, his feet began to carry him in the odor's direction.

Tired and weary from the day’s events, Leisy walked back to Central City slowly, blearily blinking sleep out of her eyes. Bidein was just as sleepy, dozing on Leisy’s shoulder as she walked.

Naunet and Bidein, Leisy thought, humming the two names internally. Bidein and Naunet. Two Pokemon—both mine. I wonder how that came to be? Owning Pokemon.

Leisy was too tired to even bother looking at the Noctowl and Raticate emerging from their nests and burrows now, not that she would have known what they were called anyway. No, Leisy was too wrapped up in what seemed like the debate of borderline slavery to notice the Pokemon beside her. She didn’t think twice before sidestepping a Caterpie in her path—most likely the same one she’d encountered earlier yesterday—and she went on like that until she arrived at the Pokemon Center.

”Hello, would you mind healing my Pokemon?” Leisy said to the nurse at the register. The nurse took Leisy’s outstretched Pokeballs before looking at the Fletchling on Leisy’s shoulder.

“Would you like to heal your Fletchling as well?” the nurse asked, slightly amused at the tired girl. She’d seen many a trainer, and this girl fell into the category of people that were completely new to the trade. They were all too excited the first day, often winding up too tired to speak coherent sentences by the end.

”Oh, right,” Leisy said, eyes opening slightly in surprise as she took Bidein’s Pokeball from the nurse’s hand and returned him with a red beam before handing back the capture capsule. ”Sorry about that,” Leisy said with a yawn. ”Too… tired.”

“That’s alright,” the nurse said, popping the pokeballs into the machine behind her. The Pokeballs lit up a few times, causing Leisy to perk up in interest.

”How exactly do those work?” Leisy asked, eyes bright with curiosity. The nurse laughed, making a shooing motion after she handed back the Pokeballs.

“Go sleep, girly,” the lady said, turning off the machine. “Come back in the morning if you wanna know.”

”Will do,” Leisy said with another yawn. ”Thank you, by the way.”

“My pleasure,” the nurse said, waving goodbye to the girl.

Back at her designated room, Leisy released her Pokemon and collapsed onto the bed. ”Sleep,” she mumbled, already halfway there. Bidein and Naunet settled down beside their trainer and feel asleep as well, with Bidein being the last, keeping an lazy eye on his new teammate until the Piplup fell asleep.

Raven looked around excitedly, the city was so pretty in the moonlight. It was like some sort of intangible silver snow had fallen everywhere, broken up periodically by the city lights. It was cool, especially considering his shorts and unbuttoned shirt He'd planned on arriving in the city sooner but he'd gotten carried away and ended up taking longer than he'd thought he would. Ah well, it wasn't like he was on a timer. Raven was looking at the world in a whole new light now, looking at every Pokemon he saw and considering it as a potential new friend. He'd already decided he didn't want any of the numerous bird Pokemon that were common. Having a Pidgey or something wasn't interesting to him. Raven wasn't sure what Pokemon he wanted but he had decided that he'd know if he saw it. Raven vaulted over another rail and paused. He could've sworn he'd heard some sort of plaintive mewling.

Raven moved towards what he thought to be the source of the sound, interest piqued. After wandering down a dark alley way or two he found something small wandering around with a cup on its head. Ah the poor thing. Raven cautiously stepped closer to it and swiftly removed said cup from its head before it ran into the wall it was headed towards, and took two quick steps back and crouching down to look at it. The Eevee that he'd just freed looked around itself quizzically, eye's rapidly locking onto Raven, who gave it a friendly smile and help up the cup to indicate what he'd done. To his surprise the Eevee proceeded to charge at him and leapt head first into the cup once again. Somewhat bewildered Raven removed the Eevee once more, holding it by the scruff of its neck with one hand the cup in the other. Upon closer examination of both, he found the Eevee was rather scruffy looking and quite thin: while the cup had a lone Pokepuff at the bottom, just beyond the Eevee's reach. "Aw, you're just hungry." Raven said in that talking to your dog voice and retrieved the Pokepuff, placing the Eevee back on the ground and offering it the snack held in the palm of his hand. Rather than ravenously devouring it as he'd anticpaited the Eevee carefully grabbed it out his hand before consuming it entirely. At this point Raven remembered both that he had a Pokeball and Pokedex waiting to be used. He retrieved his Pokedex from his pants pocket and scanned the Eevee while it ate.

-Thanks to its unstable genetic makeup, this special Pokémon conceals many different possible evolutions.

Woah, that was super cool. Eevee was finished and stared up at Raven with obvious curiosity. Raven gave it a grin, "Wondering who I am? A Pokemon trainer of course!" He said confidently, retrieving his Pokeball as well and showing it to the Eevee proudly. The Eevee looked skeptical. "Alright so I don't have any Pokemon yet but still. If I did that I'm make to sure to feed them all the time and make sure they were really happy." Raven said with a cunning smile on his face, holding the Pokeball in front of the Eevee somewhat mockingly. At this the Eevee suddenly lunged forward pressing the button and capturing itself. "H-hey, you can't do that." Raved cried out in protest immediately releasing him. The Eevee reappeared in a flash of light, staring at him smugly as if to say, 'remember how you said you would feed me?' Raven glowered at it for a moment or two and then laughed, "Alright alright, I'll get you some food, not like I can catch anything else with this now can I?" Raven stood up and the Eevee jumped onto his shoulder in a startling bound, then slithered onto his head beneath his hat. "Fine pick the best seat and make me do all the work." Raven grumbled half heartedly. Now where to find somewhere with food...

Damian wish his new Growlithe by his side strolled into the city looking for a small place to settle for Something to eat. Noticing a small quaint place on the corner next to the city's Pokecenter he decided to sit down and find something to eat. A waiter came and asked him what he would like to eat. At this point he knew nothing of what the city had to offer so he just decided on something random that sounded good.

As he waited for his food to come he opened his pokedex realizing he had never logged his Pokemon into it. "Oh mg God I can't believe I forgot" he said aloud to himself as he opened the pokedex and pointed it towards growlithe

Growlithe. The fire type puppy Pokemon. Though friendly in nature a growlithe is protective of it's territory and will stand up to bigger and stronger foes than itself to protect it.

Wow that's cool!" he said extaticly. "So your names growlithe huh?" the Pokemon looked up and him panting happily. "Let's give you a nickname..... How does fireheart sound" growlithe perked up it's ears would you like that" Damian asked happily. Growlithe seemed satisfied with the name wagging his tail happily "than it's settled little buddy. I shall now call you fireheart" Damian smiled happily and pet his new friend while he waited for his food.

Leisy’s nap was interrupted by a hungry stomach—three, actually.

”Hm?” Leisy asked, sitting up and wiping her eyes blearily. Her Pokemon looked at her expectantly, Bidein hopping back and forth on the sheets and Naunet patting her stomach woefully. ”Oh,” the girl said as her own stomach made a gurgling protest as well. ”Well alright. Why don’t we get something to eat then?”

Leisy threw on some clothes and slipped on her shoes, walking over to the door before looking back at her Pokemon. Was it polite to have two Pokemon out and about in the halls at such a late hour?

”If we’re going to go outside, you two have to promise to be quiet, okay?” Leisy asked, putting a finger to her lips. Naunet nodded profusely, and Bidein fluffed his feathers out before jumping onto Leisy’s shoulder and settling down. Leisy looked to her Piplup as if to ask whether Naunet wanted equal treatment, but the Piplup just walked over and patted the door.

”Alright then,” Leisy said, turning the handle. ”Let’s go fill our stomachs—silently.”

---

Cillian was excited. The moon might be directly over his head and the sun nowhere to be seen, but the white-haired boy was ecstatic to have caught his first Pokemon.

Now to get acquainted, he thought, withdrawing the Charmander’s Pokeball and pressing the button in the middle. ”Charmander!” Cillian shouted as the Pokemon flowed out from its Pokeball, and Cillian felt stupid. So, shouting Pokemon names as you release them is a no, he thought, bending down to examine the Charmander.

At approximately two feet and twenty-or-so pounds, the orange lizard seemed to be healthy and happy, cocking its head at Cillian as he lifted the Pokemon to estimate its weight. ”around 15 pounds, probably more,” Cillian muttered to himself.

Straightening, Cillian set his hands on his hips and looked at the orange lizard Pokemon. ”So, now that we have nowhere to sleep, I guess we’d better head back to town.”

“Char,” the Charmander said, which Cillian took to be agreement.

”Well then, off we go,” Cillian said, turning towards the direction he came from. He hesitated. ”Er, would you happen to know the way back to town?”

“Char,” the Charmander said in agreement.

“See ya!”

“Have a good night! And come back soon!”

One wave to the greeter later, Olivie was out of Electrode Eatery and back in the blanket of night. The attitude of the man behind the counter of the energetic fast-foot place sparked instant camaraderie; after all, those who lived boisterously -wearing their hearts on their sleeves and placing great value on strength and fortitude- always understood one another and could get along easily. Without wet clothes, she discovered that the slight breeze actually felt quite nice. It ruffled both the brunette's hair and her Bidoof's fluffy fur, but even though it scoured some of the fatigue from their eyes, Olivie knew that the time had come to wrap up the eventful evening and return home with her partner. One final rest awaited her at the abode of her parents before her journey truly began, and the prospect of introducing her scrappy new buddy to her dad, knowing that he'd been a trainer in his heyday, excited her. What would someone with a thorough understanding of Pokemon have to say about her friend? Olivie endeavored to imagine what glowing praise might issue from his mouth. He's deceptively harmless-looking, but he's got a vital spirit, the true heart of a warrior. Secretly, Olivie was proud of the little guy already, though he'd neither won a battle or displayed any courage. The sight of him walking dutifully alongside her as she made her way back toward her family's condo confirmed in her heart that she'd picked the right partner.

Ten minutes later, she'd already passed into familiar territory and unconsciously picked up her pace, eager to lay her head down and sleep. Around her, the darkness had settled peacefully, neither too black thanks to the streetlights nor too quiet thanks to the chirping of insects tucked away in the trees that sprouted from squares of dirt along the sidewalks. In the yellow light of one lamp, Olivie spotted a flash of orange among one tree's branches. Her curiosity piqued, she slipped out her Pokedex to find out exactly what it was. Although she couldn't see the whole animal through the leaves and their shadows, her device displayed an image of a Pokemon called Kricketot. Silently she read over its entry, walking again before she finished. ”Huh. These things really are everywhere.”

The familiar outline of her family's condo lay only two buildings away now. Somehow, the Bidoof sensed that home was nearby and picked up its pace. ”Wanna sleep, Buck?” she asked absently, expecting to hear him chitter in reply. Instead, she received only silence. Caught off guard, Olivie stopped in her tracks to look around and spotted her Pokemon padding slowly over to a trash can on the opposite side of the street. Already rooting around in the overturned can was a little red and cream animal with a swirl of fur on its head. Dirty and disheveled, it looked a lot like a rat, but it stood upright like a person as it used its hands. Olivie watched it pick up a rotten berry and spew a steady stream of fire from its mouth, burning away the brown flesh to reveal a mostly-intact fruit beneath. At that moment Buck drew too near, and the Pansear hopped backward, whooping and shaking its free fist at the intruding Bidoof. It's dangerous flashed through Olivie's head, and she began to walk forward.

”Buck!” she called. The Bidoof craned its fat neck around as far as it could to glance her way. Wearing a cold look, Olivie continued, ”It might be late, but diamonds are forged under pressure. Your first Pokemon battle will be to get rid of that vermin!”

Almost imperceptibly, Buck's eyes widened. He refocused his attention on the Pansear, who clutched her fruit closely and slapped the trash can noisily with her free hand. Buck didn't flinch—in fact, he didn't do anything for a moment. Olivie figured that he was preparing himself to attack until he looked back at her with eyes that looked almost sad. ”What's the matter with you?” she demanded, eyes narrowed. ”I'm your trainer, so you do what I tell you!” Still, the Bidoof didn't move a muscle. Crossing her arms, Olivie began to walk forward, and her fighting gloves appeared out of her back pocket. ”I know you're not disobeying me on purpose. Guess you're just tired, or maybe haven't fought before. That's fine. I'll show you how it's done for next time.” In response, the Pansear leaped onto the overturned can to make itself seem taller, and jumped up and down to cause a racket that might drive these newcomers off.

Steeling herself mentally and physically, Olivie went closer instead.

Thankfully Leisy’s two bird Pokemon had behaved themselves during their trip out of the Pokemon Center. There was one close call related to a table and vase, but luckily Leisy was able to scoop up Naunet before she smacked into said table, which is why Leisy was now carrying both Pokemon on her person.

”I’m fine,” Leisy said, panting slightly as she continued down the road. Her Pokemon looked at her dubiously, Naunet struggling and Bidein ready to take off from her shoulder, but Leisy shook her head. ”Really, I am. Just—hah—tell me where you want to go—hah.”

Naunet quickly pointed to the first store she saw, which happened to be a bar. ”I’m vetoing that, Naunet,” Leisy said, huffing as she continued dragging her feet forwards. When her stomach gurgled again, Leisy gave up and headed for the cafe she’d been to earlier that day. ”Hope they don’t mind repeat customers,” Leisy huffed.


Bellies now full, Leisy and her pair of Pokemon exited the Spinda-ful Berries Cafe. ”Alright, where to now?” Leisy asked, looking down at her Pokemon. ”Surely not back to bed already?”

Spotting the Pokemart she’d visited earlier, Leisy was reminded that she’d used her spare Pokeball.

”Alright, you two. How about a trip to the Pokemart? I can get you two some fresh berries?” Leisy said, adding a little extra incentive in. Bidein flapped his wings excitedly while Naunet chirped in agreement. ”To the Pokemart it is,” Leisy said, grinning at her Pokemon. Her journey would never be uneventful with these two at her side.

---

After a (quite) a bit of freaking out, Cillian finally remembered that he had a GPS-connected map on his Pokedex, slapping his forehead when he did. ”Oh my god,” the white-haired boy said, pulling out his blue-on-white device. ”I’m so stupid.”

“Char,” his Charmander said in agreement. Cillian shot the fiery lizard a glare.

”Is that all you know how to say?” he asked the Pokemon as he flipped open the Pokedex. He scrolled through the menu to the map function, looking around at his surroundings as he did. ”I think we need to go… This way. Yep, this way.”

So off the dysfunctional pair went, trooping through the forest. As they did, Cillian watched his surroundings carefully, noting the greater amount of life inside the trees. Am I somehow less dangerous now that I have a Pokemon? he thought, frowning. Well boy are they going to be surprised.

Spotting a dozing Caterpie among the bushes, Cillian swerved towards it, pointing it out to his Charmander. ”Training task number one, Charmander,” he said, looking at his Pokemon intensely, ”sneak over there and launch a surprise attack against that Caterpie.”

“Char!” the Charmander said, grinning as he ran towards the Caterpie. “Char, char!” Cillian didn’t even recover fast enough to shout at his Pokemon before the Caterpie had disappeared beneath the bushes.

”Looks like we have a lot to work on,” he said, walking over to his Pokemon who was currently looking under the bush, trying to find his playmate. ”C’mon, Charmander. Let’s go,” Cillian said, waving his Pokemon away from the bush. The Charmander launched itself at its trainer with a joyful cry.

“Char!”

Olivie watched her Bidoof out of the corner of her eye as she approached despite the display, noting that the Bidoof appeared to be panicking. At the last moment, before she wound back her leg to kick the little monkey across the sidewalk, Buck threw himself forward. The plump mouse Pokemon's body slammed into the Pansear in a full-body tackle, knocking the skinny creature down into the trash and sending its berry bouncing away. It did not get back up, and Olivie watched its eyes glaze over. A needle of alarm shot through her: was it dead? She didn't want to kill it, after all. The movement of the monkey's chest, however, revealed that it was just unconscious. A quiet exhalation of relief escaped through Olivie's nose. ”There you go. Slow starter, is all. Hopefully you'll get read a little quicker next time. We're gonna be fighting tougher stuff than scrawny alley pests before long.” She picked up her Bidoof, who seemed to be out of sorts. His eyes were dark and his body shaking slightly. Realizing this, Olivie pet his head. ”Aw, don't worry, tough guy. It can be a little shocking to realize how strong you are. I was surprised when I got my first K.O.” She stared at the Pansear, which had awoken and was dragging itself through the rubbish to get to the berry, which had been mushed into a paste when it rolled onto the street. ”Yeesh, what a gross little monkey. Pokemon like that must be a real hassle for the city to deal with.” The Pansear scooped up a handful of berry mush in a trembling paw to bring it to its mouth, looking up at Olivie as it did. Even conscious, its eyes were cloudy, and they beheld a deep frown on the brunette's face.

However, this frown wasn't from contempt. Something inside Olivie was hurting. Her eyes stung, and her breath caught in her throat, forcing her to swallow. ”Such...a pathetic...weakling. No wonder nobody loves....nobody loves....” When she looked into Buck's sad eyes, her vision was distorted by something. Olivie felt some kind of liquid running down her cheek, and a pressure building up behind her cruel facade. She tore her eyes away, glancing back down at the Pansear, who'd gone limp hanging off the side of the curb, one paw resting in the berry juice. At that moment something broke.

Explosively, Olivie burst into tears. Noisily and messily she bawled, throwing herself to her knees in front of the Pansear. She didn't put up any resistance when Buck squirmed out of her grasp, instead reaching out to gently lift the Pansear up beneath her arms. ”How could I do that!?” she sobbed. ”I'm not heartless, it's all an act, you poor thing everyone looks at you just like they look at me. Please, I'm sorry. I forced Buck to hurt you to keep me from doing it. I'm so sorry.” She cradled the monkey in her arms, standing up and rushing toward her house with Buck at her heels. Still weeping profusely, the tapped in the residents' code to the lockpad and opened the door before hurrying inside.

Once in the safety of her own abode, she immediately set the filthy animal on a folded, soft towel atop a table, then grabbed a leftover peanut butter and jelly sandwich to set before it. The unique smell stirred the Pansear from her daze, and as she ate, Olivie washed and brushed its fur. This she did using the old Pokemon grooming kit of her father's that he showed her the evening of her birthday, when he revealed to her that he'd been a trainer in his younger ears. Once the Pansear finished eating, and she didn't look quite so ragged, she fell back into a daze, and Olivie took both her and Buck -who'd been watching the whole time- to her room. She set them in her bed among the pillows, changed quickly, and then plopped into bed. Perhaps out of instinct the Pansear clung to Olivie's stomach, while Buck settled himself closer to the foot of the bed. ”You've got fighting spirit,” she murmured softly to the Pansear, who'd fallen into a fitful sleep. Caught in a bad dream, maybe, she tossed and turned, and each time she whimpered in fear she pressed herself closer to the human she clung to. ”It takes guts to keep living when nobody cares about you. Even if you hate me, I can still care for you...” Unable to keep herself awake any longer, Olivie sank into slumber.

"Eevee!" His new partner cried impatentily, prompting Raven's response. "Jeez stop whining will ya? It's not my fault I haven't found anything yet. You're lucky I'm planning on feed you at al-" At last, a Pokemark. "See? Told you I would find something, I'm sure it has berries or something for you." The Eevee simply gave a satisfied purr and sat down on his head again, wearing the hat like some sort of oversized blanket through which only his tail popped out and his eyes glinted from beneath. Raven walked into the mart and looked around, somewhat surprsied by the stock. "Whoa there's some cool stuff in here." He said to himself. Such musing was interupted by Eevee's tail wagging in his face rudely. Raven pushed it out of the way, "Alright alright jeez, I'll you get some food just wait a gosh darned minute or two would ya?"

Raven snatched a Pokeball of the shelf as well as a bag of berries and plopped it on the counter. "Just these if you'd be so kind." Raven so with a friendly smile. It was super cool that they were open this late. The counter-person kindly informed Raven that he could buy the berries for cash but he'd need to spend trainer points for the Pokeball. Followed by a friendly explanation as Raven had no idea what those were. Raven forked over the cash as well as the trainer points readily, he didn't need to save them for anything really. Stuffing the Pokeball into a pocket Raven tossed the bag upwards, where it was quickly snatched by Eevee and whisked away under the hat. "There ya got your food, now stop bothering me." Raven sternly commanded, and was probally ignored by as Eevee was concerned with a far more important task. Eating, as indicated by the rapid purring that pratically made Raven's head vibrate. Shrugging dramatically to himself Raven continued looking around the shop, there was some cool stuff here, once he got some more trainer points he'd have to come back here and get some more stuff.

---

@Balthazar007 Bought 1 pokeball for 5 trainer points

♪♫♪ Cecilia "Cici" Taylor ♪♫♪

Location: Central City

@Zarkun

"Food's always welcome," Cici replied. "Especially as I didn't get to finish supper, thanks to a certain somebody." The Swablu, still perched on Cici's head, gave several melodious chirps. The new trainer laughed again. "Yes, I'm talking about you. If you insist on coming in, you'd better behave yourself. I can get you some food if you're hungry, just leave mine alone."

Fluttering down, the Swablu chirruped as if it wouldn't even dream of causing mischief. "C'mon then," Cici said, taking the Pokeball she'd recently bought from her bag. She had a feeling she might regret this, but there was something about this Pokemon she just couldn't resist. Besides, its evolved form, Altaria, certainly didn't seem like a bad one for a music lover to have.

The Swablu perched on the wall for a few seconds, studying the Pokeball, before spreading its fluffy wings and flying around Cici's outstretched hand. Forte squeaked, bouncing, as if urging the Swablu to come along. It looked as if he'd forgiven the other Pokemon, just as his trainer had.

Would the wild Pokemon change its mind at the last minute? It was worth at least trying. Cici threw the Pokeball and watched, waiting. It moved a few times, then lay still. "Yes!" Picking it up, she grinned. She had her second Pokemon. A possible troublemaker, but a new companion nonetheless. Humming a cheerful tune to herself, she headed inside.

"Hello, you," she said with a warm smile as soon as she spotted the Froakie. She couldn't see Tommy anywhere, but he'd probably be back up soon once he was ready to play the gig.

Entering the Pokemart, Leisy’s eyes were once again drawn towards the shelves stacked with colorful goodies. Purple and orange potions filled one end, and interesting bottles labelled “Elixirs” filled the other. Leisy couldn’t help but walk over and stare at the descriptions, hungrily lapping up the information about how much HP or PP each item recovered for a Pokemon.

HP is health points, but I wonder what PP is? Leisy thought, flipping open her Pokedex.



Leisy stared at the screen of her device, so absorbed that she didn’t notice the boy turning the corner of the aisle. “Look out!” the clerk shouted as the two collided.

---

Considering the fact that one of Cillian’s strides were easily two of the Charmander’s it wasn’t surprising that Cillian was leading the way. A fanatic for quiet walks to blow off steam and recuperate, Cillian was quite surprised when he discovered that he didn’t seem to mind the pitter-patter of his Pokemon behind him. Even if the orange lizard insisted on tripping over ever stick there was in his path.

”You’re just impossibly clumsy,” Cillian said, sighing as the Charmander picked itself off the floor again, whining. Stopping down, Cillian picked the Pokemon up as if it were a child. ”Everything in your path is a hazard,” the white-haired boy mumbled, eyes sharpening. ”Hazmat. That’s what I’m going to call you,” he said, placing the orange Pokemon back onto the ground and dusting it off lightly. ”Hazardous material.”

“Char! Char!” Hazmat said, clapping. Cillian shrugged and flipped his invisible hair like a diva.

”Why thank you. It just comes naturally to me,” he said in a fake, airy voice before bursting out laughing. Wiping a tear from his eye, Cillian grinned down at the Charmander. ”Okay then, Haz. What do you say about some late-night training?”

---

@Eklispe

Raven's only warning to something odd occurring was a chirp from Eevee and the sudden removal of his hat, the clerk was far too late and vague to be of any use. Raven took a step and turned to see what the matter was run headlong into somebody. The resulting collision sent both of them to the ground, Eevee watched curiously from above, having landed safely on a half-filled shelf of potions, oversized hat and all. Raven did a kip up (that is to say flipped off the ground without the use of his hands) to regain his feet and looked at the other unfortunate partaker in the incident. A black-haired girl with matching modest clothes that appeared to be a bit shorter than he was, though it was hard to tell as she was on the ground. Raven was to quick lean forward to offer her a hand up with an apologetic grin on his face; the other hand flourished and came to a rest just in front of his stomach, as though he was bowing. "Hehe, sorry about that, people don't usually fall for me that hard." He said cheerily, his unbuttoned shirt rather obviously displaying the fit body beneath. She was kind of cute but the comment was made more out of reflex than anything else, jokes were always a good icebreaker. Well not always, but usually sometimes.

A blush colored Leisy’s features when the boy she collided into made suggestive joke while reaching out a hand to help her up. ”T—thanks,” Leisy stuttered, unable to fathom a reply. Taking his hand, Leisy hoisted herself off the ground and gave the boy with a wince. ”I’m really sorry about that—I wasn’t looking.”

Looking around, Leisy was relieved to find that no major mess had been made as a result of their collision. Bidein was safely perched on the shelf across from an adorably fluffy brown Pokemon, and Naunet had stopped just short of joining the collision. Now that their trainer was up and about, the Pokemon relaxed, Bidein fluttering over and taking his rightful seat on Leisy’s shoulder as the Piplup waddled closer to stand next to her trainer.

”Is that your Pokemon?” Leisy asked the boy, eyes wide as she stared at the brown-and-tan Pokemon perched on the shelves. ”He—she?—’s adorable! What’s his name?”

---

Cillian motioned the Charmander closer as he crouched behind a bush, a finger against his lips in indication for his Pokemon to be quiet. Hazmat looked at him blankly before breaking out a grin.

“Char!”

Immediately the Spearow previous pecking at the ground on the other side of the bush took off in a frenzy of fluttering feathers and squawks. Cillian swiveled his head to give his Pokemon a glare. ”That’s the third one today! If this is how sneaky you are at night, I’d hate to see you during the day. Or will I hear you first?”

Hazmat looked at his trainer with confused eyes. “Char?” the Charmander said, walking over. “Char! Char!” he said, performing an ember that promptly lit the bush in front of Cillian on fire.

”Okay! That’s it!” Cillian said, jumping away from the bush and dusting himself off. ”We’re going to get a water Pokemon.”

The Charmander looked at his trainer with a grin, seeming to register that he was going to get a playmate. Cillian shot him a glare. ”At the river.”

Hazmat paled slightly, but he wouldn’t be deterred. “Char!” he cried, forelimbs curling into tiny fists.

Cillian cracked a small smile, waving his Pokemon over. ”C’mon then, Haz.”

---

@eklispe

Ah the cute and innocent type eh? Well it was better than being punched in the face, something Raven couldn't say he was entirely inexperienced with. Raven noted the small bird she had with he as well as the Piplup that waddled up closer to her. He turned to look at his Eevee in response to Leisy's comment, who chirped "Eevee!" proudly, obviously enjoying her compliment. "Yeah the rascal is a little cute, more of a bully than anything else. Should've figured he'd get out unscathed." Raven patted the top of his head and Eevee jumped back on and examined Leisy and her pokemon from under the safety of the hat. "I've been thinking of calling him Oliver, I'm pretty sure he'd leave me if I didn't promise to feed him." As if to punctuate his statement Eevee happily chomped on another berry from its bag. Raven brought his attention back for Eevee to Leisy, "Ah- I've yet to introduce myself, I'm Raven Heartwood, a newly started Pokemon Trainer and street performer extrodinare!" To prove his point he flicked a coin, which had somehow gotten into his hands into the air. He snatched it with one hand and opened it to reveal the coin had vanished. "Hm, it seems my coin has vanished; guess it's true what they say about black cats!" Raven proclaimed with a playful grin and a wink.

After eating his food Damian turned to his growlithe. "you ready to go fire heart?" he asked the Pokemon with a chuckle. He knew it was a bit strange to talk to an animal, yet, for some reason he felt the small dog like Pokemon could understand him. It didn't help that when he talked the animal always responded. Fire heart panted with excitement ready to get moving. Damian gave a small smile and stood up after first leaving a small tip along side the bill.

Damian exited the restaurant and him and his small friend walking alongside him began looking for a nice place to settle in for the night. Soon he came across a small motel with a sign in the window that read Pokemon and trainers welcome. Damian looked happy as he pet Fire heart on the head. "looks like this is our stop buddy" He said happily. Fire heart rubbed against Damian's hand and barked signifying that he agreed with the notion. Than the two proceeded to walk in.

"Welcome to the central city motel where Pokemon trainers and their Pokemon are welcome to stay" said a happy clerk at the front desk . Shocked yet happy with the introduction Damian approached the desk with a smile. "I need a room for the night." Damian said happily as he pet his Growlithe. The man gave him a key and Damian payed for the one night, and like that the two we're off to bed. tomorrow I will need to buy more pokeballs Damian said to himself as he sat down his bag and got ready for bed. Fire heart looked up at damian and barked."yes I know little buddy" he said patting his head. "maybe we will meet some new people or pokemon tomorrow". Damian crawled into bed and Fire heart jumped up and curled up next to him and than they we're off to bed.

Tomorrow would most likely be fresh with adventure and excitement and he was more than ready to experience it with his new friend.

”Oliver,” Leisy echoed, staring up at the “Eevee.” Memories of such a name flashed through her mind—hadn’t that been some Pokemon featured in her biology textbook? ”I’m sure he wouldn’t.”

Leisy grinned as the boy introduced himself. ”Leisy Takigawa,” she said. ”First-day trainer. Second, if you count this late hour as the second day.” Watching the coin disappear with wide eyes, impressed. ”I certainly don’t have any magical properties, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“You two alright?” the Pokemart clerk called, waving. Leisy flashed him a bright smile.

”Fine!” she called back. ”Just a little bump!” Looking around, Leisy realized that she’d yet to buy her supplies. ”Oop, you don’t mind if I mosey over there and buy some Pokeballs, do you?” Leisy asked Raven.

---

Cillian walked towards the stream, eyes darting around the banks. The moon provided to be not the best light source, but it was enough for Cillian to make out the Pokemon there—Pokemon he’d seen back home.

Alright, if I’m going to lay down one rule about what Pokemon I’m going to catch, Cillian thought, it’s going to be that I can’t be catching Pokemon I can find back home. Or why’d I bother come out here?

Stalking over, Cillian motioned for Hazmat to follow. The Charmander gave his trainer a dubious look but complied, closing the distance between himself and the stream slowly and carefully. The Tentacool and Surskit in the stream looked at the dysfunctional duo with wide eyes as the white-haired boy waved insistently at the orange Pokemon that simply wouldn’t budge anymore.

”C’mon, Haz!” Cillian hissed, keeping an eye on the watchful Surskit. It wouldn’t do to have the Pokemon run off before Hazmat could get a move or two in. ”Get over here!”

Hazmat took another wary step forward, a toe touching damp sand. “Char!” he cried, jumping back in alarm as the Surskit and Tentacool in the stream all disappeared in a flash.

Cillian didn’t even groan this time. His Charmander had proven much too clumsy for his tastes. “Char!” And happy, Cillian thought, sighing. ”Alright Hazmat. Let’s keep moving. Nothing left around here.”

Just as the words left Cillian’s mouth, a cool spurt of water drenched his face.

---

@eklispe

The smell of food had led Nick a few short blocks away from the Poke Mart. "Trainer's Oasis" was the name of the building. Through the front windows, Nick could see a tired eyed waitress mindlessly cleaning a table while the cook, visible just behind the counter, made idle conversation with the young lady. There seemed to be only one customer at this late hour, a young man with a couple of Pokemon sitting in a booth with him. The boy and his Pokemon seemed to be very content, quietly eating their meals.

As Nick approached the building he noticed another Pokemon just outside. According to the Pokedex, it was a Munchlax. The little guy didn't seem as happy as his Pokedex picture though. He stood quietly with his forehead placed against the glass, eyes trained to the ground. The poor little guy was obviously hungry and tired, two feelings that Nick could identify with greatly.

Nick walked up to the front door and read a sign that stated some very specific rules: 'Discount prices to all trainers and three free Pokemon meals per trainer! Pokemon above 7 feet tall and their trainers must eat on the back patio. No wild Pokemon.' Now it made sense, the little guy didn't have a trainer and thus wasn't allowed to enter.

Looking over to his right, Nick called out to the somber blue Pokemon. "Hey, Munchlax." The Pokemon didn't bother with a verbal response but did turn his head ever so slightly to look at Nick, its forehead never really leaving the glass window. "I bet your hungry, aren't you?" The little Munchlax did not respond to this question in the slightest. Of course he was hungry! 'What a stupid question!', Nick told himself. "If you want, I can get you inside. That is, if you are willing to become my first Pokemon." Nick pulled out the two Pokeballs from his pocket to show the now curious Munchlax.

"Munchlax!?" 'Really!?' seemed to be a fair interpretation of what the little guy meant in his response. He seemed shocked. Nick started to wonder just how many trainers walked past the hungry Pokemon today. Not only was he hungry and tired, but he had felt the cold rejection of numerous by-standards for who knows how long.

Nick pushed the button on one of the Pokeballs to make it grow larger. He then set the ball on the ground before gently rolling it toward the Munchlax. The ball stopped right at Muchlax's left foot. The little blue Pokemon looked astonished, glancing from the Pokeball to Nick multiple times. Then, with a joyous "MUNCH MUNCH!!", the Pokemon tapped on the Pokeball with his foot, making it open and envelop the little critter in a ray of red light. The Pokeball then closed. Without any movement, the red light faded away from the the Pokeball's button, signalling a successful catch.

Nick was amazed. Had he really just captured his first Pokemon so easily? Why had he taken so long? 'That's right!', he started to remember; 'I wanted to catch a Flying type Pokemon first'. He had completely forgotten about that. The decision to save this little guy was much more important to him at the time than a silly type preference. This would mark the day that would change his whole philosophy on catching new Pokemon. From now on, he would dedicate his Pokemon journey to helping the less desirable Pokemon, the ones that felt under appreciated. He would show them the love and compassion that all Pokemon deserve!

A smile spread across Nick's face as he picked up the Pokeball. Pressing the button, he let out a single command, "Come on out, Munchlax!" The Munchlax appeared with a smile reflecting Nick's own. Just as it was about to speak, it's stomach growled out in protest causing it's smile to quickly fade as it grabbed at its belly. Nick's own stomach let out an audible roar, as if agreeing with Munchlax. "I think it's about time we go inside! Don't you, buddy!?"

"MUNCH!!" And with that, the two entered the diner. Together, they would eat all the food they could! Nick would find that he had nothing on Munchlax when it came to eating. Luckily for Nick's wallet, he only had the one Pokemon. This meant Munchlax was allowed to eat all three free Pokemon meals!