Type:Water Moves: Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic Ability: Water Veil. Prevents burns Level: 5 Held Item: None Status: 60% health.
2555 P Antidote X1 Pokeball X4 Great Ball Repel X2 Potion X2 Awakening Paralyze Heal Escape Rope
It looked like the situation was already calming down again. The fight was over, both sides backing off. Martin relaxed the tension he was holding onto, putting a hand back in his pocket. No need to go after them, especially when the Pokemon went flying free already. It might be stolen, it might not be. It wasn't theirs, and now no one was holding it. This was good enough for Martin's conscience. He looked towards both of his Pokemon, getting a Pokeball out. "We're done here as well, guys. Nice work taking a few hits. I'll have to make it up to you two later. Time to take a rest, Goldeen." With a glow of red light, he called back Goldeen, the beam retreating back and put back on his belt. "I figured you would prefer being out in a cave, Nincada." Nincada looked with a blank expression across the groups of people. Does Nincada even understand what emotions are, Martin kept wondering. He then directed his attention to the group that fell in the water.
"Wouldn't dream of working with Team amethyst or Virtue. Might as well enjoy a swim while you're there." He looked back to Dawkin and Lucien again, "Anyways, we should try and catch up with those guys. So which way was it?" Martin was done with the group in the water now, they could handle themselves out here. With a deep breath, he was ready again. Dawkin seemed pretty sure of where he was going, so it shouldn't be too much work. Nincada walked back over to Martin, staring at the ground along the way. He was fine with Dawkin taking the lead.
Erika gleamed as the group were making a good team with Ewan on the navigation while Sno and Joshua's Pikachu made even shorter work of the Zubats. Erika made a mental note that Joshua did have the right idea when he caught one of the Zubats, thinking that she could also use a Flying type for her team... But Zubats were almost just as creepy as a Bug, and the thought of one made her shiver.. or maybe that was the water. Speaking of which, when they had scared the Zubats away and convinced them to leave the party alone, Erika bent down and picked up Sno to lift her companion out of the water. It took Erika a bit of exertion to heave the roughly thirty-five pound Pokemon up "The water is pretty deep here, huh, bud." Seeing as Sno was barely tall enough to keep her head out of the water. Sno looked around a bit hesitantly as she was lifted up into her owner's arms, unsure of what was happening.
Erika shuffled her hands to carry Sno in a slightly more favorable position. "You did good though!" Sno gleamed with satsifaction from her Erika's praise. "Sno-Runt!" Offering a cheer for a job well done. In hindsight, it was a bit silly to subconsciously replicate what Joshua did with his Pokemon but Erika didn't notice as she set Sno down. "Whew..." Erika breathed, hoping that the water wouldn't get too much deeper as Sno would be quite tough to carry the whole way!
At the mention of carrying, it couldn't have been more convenient timing as Joshua piped in. Erika shot a glare, squinting her eyes at her travel companion, exaggerating the expression to appear more light-hearted about it. "Yea, Joshua, listen to your friend. You couldn't carry me! But you could carry Sno for me! I'm sure she'd love that..." Erika gave her Pokemon a wink as it glanced back.
"...Anyway. How are we-uh.." Erika began her inquiry to ask how their progress was before a new voice chimed in from behind them. Erika turned and saw three people charging forward. Erika instinctively moved to brace against the wall to let them pass, pulling Sno along narrowly avoiding the storming group. Erika wanted to call them out on it, but shyly avoided the confrontation instead, focusing on what their mission could be. "They aren't heading towards the exit?" Erika asked rhetorically. She glanced at Ewan before turning her gaze down the dry tunnel. "I kind of want to see where they are going..."
Dorian listened to her reply, and nodded to her decision. ‘So it isn’t. I would not enjoy such a battle, either.’ He replied, as he sat down again by his vase-in-progress. As he sat down, the Snorlax seemed to take that as permission to slack off, and fell over with a loud crash against the wall, falling asleep. That wall was apparently sturdier than it looked, and no works of art was occupying that particular space.
‘Good luck on your journey, Amelia. When the time comes, I will accept your challenge.’ So he said, looking to her, before continuing to work on his vase. And so, Amelia was free to move out and get going.
‘Aaaah! You! New trainer!’ Right outside the Gym, this young man (who’s still almost twice the age of Amelia) came running up to her.
‘I’m supposed to be here to warn new trainers that this is a Major League Gym! I am so sorry for being late on the job today!’ He clasped his hands together as praying for forgiveness from the young girl. The following is only information if she wants to hear it.
‘So, uh. I’m supposed to tell you that, this is a Major League Gym! There are eighteen badges of Isson, one for each type, and they’re each sorted into Major and Minor League Gyms! If you have collected eight badges of any League, you’ll be able to compete in that League at the Pokémon League! The winner of the Pokémon League then gets to challenge the Elite Four for the chance to become the Pokémon Champion! … Though, that’s mainly for Major League. The Minor League Champion is expected to proceed to the Major League after, but ranking high in Minor League still comes with quite the rewards! But, the Elite Four and the Pokémon Champion have the right to set up an official battle for the title on their own, it’s just that the League winner is entitled one!’
‘So, this is the gym of Dorian, Master of Normal. The Normal-type is a powerful type with few weaknesses or strengths, but you can play that to your advantage! No Pokémon are weak to Normal, so just bring your best! So, technically, Normal’s weak to Fighting and unable to harm Ghosts, but thinking that Dorian doesn’t have means to counter such is foolhardy. There is a reason he’s called “The Master”. It’s a tough battle ahead that few can overcome! …’
‘But, uh, seems like there was no battle.’ The man says, breathing out and looking over Amelia and then inwards. He sighed in relief. ‘Thank Arceus, that would have been terrible.’ He then smiled at Amelia. ‘Heading on to another Gym, then? I’ll see you there!’ He smiled, happily, letting her on her way.
So, fastest route to Highhill Town is through Route 1. No caverns along that route, just a straight line. It’s the main path in or out of Pureplain City. So, following the main roads Amelia would eventually find her way…
Route 1
Route 1 is a long, flat and grassy route where most trainers get their first taste of the world. From Pureplain you can see the hills of Highhill in the distance, from Highhill the scrapers of Pureplain looms in the distance, the start of the Silent Forest surrounding the Silent Shrine on the side. There is a larger road, a main road used for travelling in and out of Pureplain City, there are plenty of more mature travellers taking that road to get from point A to point B. But, young Pokémon Trainers usually much rather use the smaller path going out into the grassland. This is some remnants of the plain which Pureplain City was named after, although most of that plain is now swallowed up by buildings of people living around here. Small roads branch out, leading to different places where some individuals have made their houses.
There are many safe roads, yet take one step out of it and you’re immediately in tall grass, where you can already see many first-time Pokémon Trainers are challenging their first Pokémon. One could expect Pokémon Trainers to be searching for Pokémon either in the tall grass or the forest on the side, and also battling one another as they can. From the looks of it, there are plenty of young trainers sporting freshly caught Pidgeys and Rattatas. As one approaches Highhill Town, the forest becomes more plentiful, as beyond the town lies a forest.
Through the route also runs an indent, a drain surrounded by walls, seemingly made for the water to gather up inside it. It’s currently dry, whatever cause of that might be. Some trainers appear to be having fun battling inside it, and they’re running around challenging one another inside it. But, the drain also raised interesting questions about what kind of Pokémon or things one might find should one explore it further.
So, now she’s on Route 1, with patches of tall grass, the woods to the left, the roads on the right, the drain in the middle and gentle roads that ensure one would safely be able to get to Highhill Town with no complications of one so chose to. What would Amelia do?
1. Find Pokémon. There’s searching in the tall grass, and there’s the forest in the left, then there’s the drain… 2. Train Pokémon. With this command, we can jump ahead in time and skip posting about grinding. 3. Seek trainers. There should be some here and there. Note, some may challenge you, regardless. 4. Talk. There’s plenty of young trainers around. There are also houses and travellers. Maybe seek answers to any burning questions you have. 5. Move along. Move along normally, letting any events that may come happen naturally. 6. Hurry along. Intentionally avoid confrontations and try to get safely to the next destination. 7. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 8. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 9. Area Specific: Descend. There’s a drain. The kids are having a little tournament in it, challenging themselves to fight in a tight area. Perhaps you’d like to try becoming king of the drain? Or maybe you’d just like to explore it.
Connected areas: Pureplain City. Right behind you. Highhill Town. Requires crossing the route.
‘Ah.’ Anise blinked a little in surprise at being offered a number. ‘Um, okay. And here’s mine.’ A somewhat surprised Anise offered to exchange numbers both ways. She nodded at Claire’s statement. ‘Alright. I’ll call you if I need help. Okay.’ Seems like she understood things well enough.
‘Wait.’ Anise said before they all left. ‘So, um. I feel a little bad about ambushing you, so… here, take this.’
Claire obtained Focus Band!
She handed over a headband with flames depicted on it, to be worn by a Pokémon.
‘A Pokémon wearing or holding this band will sometimes have the willpower to resist a move that would have finish them… assuming they can overcome the embarrassment of being seen with it.’ Anise said, nodding to Claire. ‘Good luck.’ She continued to say, as Claire left. Anise remained under the roof of the shrine, hiding from the rain and reflecting on things.
It rained quite heavily now, and without umbrella Claire would find herself soaked. Travelling back to Redcoast City, the clouds suddenly stopped, as if she crossed a line where the influence of the clouds no longer reached, and based on what she just had heard, that might very well be the case. So, back to the sunny city of Redcoast.
Redcoast City
Redcoast City. Named so for the beautiful twilights that this sea is said to provide on the nights by the sandy beaches to the immediate west. Perhaps it is due to the perpetual rain over Rainrock, but it almost never rains here, and what started out as simply a pathway between Worldedge and Pureplain grew into a small city in its own right. Here, people mainly gather for the outpost towards the sea and to spend a well-deserved vacation. The buildings here are a mix of old fancy styles rich people might appreciate and healthy modern buildings, many green trees and pools of water invite nature in here. But the city is also not big enough to intimidate the average visitor, many open spaces exist with fresh vacation-air going through town, a homely feeling. Redcoast is close enough to Pureplain to be able to partake in all sorts of worldly delicacies, and hotels as well as restaurants of the fanciest kinds exist along the streets. But these things isn’t the main reason why Pokémon Trainers would be coming to Redcoast City,
A Pokémon Gym exists, one which all Pokémon Trainers who wish to partake in the Pokémon League needs to enter eventually. It is said to be a run-down ware-house that emits an evil aura and cries of pain can be heard from within frightening those who’d wish to visit. For a Pokémon Coordinator, this is also the city where their adventure starts, with the Contest Hall allowing tryouts for the newest talents and Dreamer Studios allowing for training within the field for those wishing to take on the world. Closer to the water lies the Surfer’s Club, where one can partake in training and sports for those who wishes to ride their Pokémon across the waves along with other activities. And then, also closer to the sea, is a large building where Team Virtue resides in their West Base opposite their main base in Justroad City, reminding that this place us under their guard. They’re always accepting applicants.
And with that, she headed back to the Pokémon Center.
The Pokémon Center is filled with bunches of people who’re discussing Pokémon things, trading Pokémon across the world on the floor above, or just getting themselves healed. Here as well are people in fairly fancy clothes apparently using the Pokémon Center as a place to meet up and talk about things, perhaps pertaining to the vacations one often have in this city. Meanwhile, the nurse is happily healing people’s Pokémon.
… Thoooough, there was someone she knew in line in front of her before Claire could get her Pokémon healed. Yepp, that’s Yvonne, having three Pokémon healed.
… Except, she didn’t look as confident right now. In fact, she looked like she was in a complete daze. She hadn’t noticed Claire coming in. She was just having her Pokémon healed. One of her hands was held forward, palm upwards, and she was staring at what was in it.
… That’s a badge. A brown badge seemingly depicting a flame around a round something, who knows what.
Claire’s free to react as she pleases. Otherwise, here’s the usual list of things one can do in Redcoast City.
1. Find Pokémon. Can still search for Pokémon in towns~ 2. Talk. In cities, there are considerably more people one can talk to. Talking can give you info on local rumors and such. 3. Exit. Exit the town to any of the connected areas. 4. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 5. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 6. Notable Buildings. Visit any of the facilities of the city! 6.1. Pokémon Center. Heal all your Pokémon. 6.2. PokéMart. Go to a store and buy things. 6.3. Pokémon Gym. ??? 6.4. Normal Contest Hall. Rank 1 / 4. Where dreamers become hopefuls! 6.5. Dreamer Studios. Ready to catch any growing talent in their infancy. Offers training for wannabe coordinators. 6.6. Surfer’s Club. Vocal local presence who surfs the seas with their Pokémon. 6.7. Redcoast Hotels/Restaurants. You can’t afford them, but who knows? 6.8. Team Virtue, West Base. Taken residence here due to the former Team Amethyst presence here.
Connected areas: Route 11. A semi-populated road east under heavy rainfall, where it quickly reaches a steep climb towards Rainrock. Abandoned buildings on the south side facing Silent Forest. Route 15. A simple walk down to the beach, where the sea leads on towards the Sacred Grounds.
Joshua practically beamed as he was appointed for some form of duty. He had Pikachu jump up onto his shoulder to get his hands free.
‘Sure! Leave it to me! I’ll carry Sno for as long as you want to!’ He said, offering his hands. Assuming that Erika then handed Sno over, Joshua accepted with awaiting arms and-
‘Of.’ He clutched with a slightly surprised face. Apparently, she weighed more than he expected. Pikachu looked at him with mild surprise before Joshua manufactured a smile.
‘I can deal with this. Onwards!’ He declared. Ewan merely shook his head a little and then continued.
Then the three people with the ladder came through. And then Erika stated she wanted to see where they were going.
‘Then what are we waiting for? Let’s follow them!’ Joshua grinned at this and started moving after them, while Ewan folded the map because they clearly weren’t going to follow it for a little time ahead.
The three people carrying the ladder went up on dry land again following the right direction in the crossroad. Here, it led forward to another split. To the left was a slight descend, down to a shoreline of water and a light which appeared to come from the sun. Straight ahead was a shallow water-passage where Surskits were flashing back and forth across that led deeper. Then to the right was a dryer path into a rocky but darker tunnel, darker as a straight consequence of less water, and in there were noises of rocks crashing together, there was plenty of movement in there.
‘Left here!’ The man in purple called. ‘Left it is!’ The hiker confirmed. ‘We’re going left!’ The girl chimed in, happily.
And so, they turned left, and headed down. From here on out, everything will be in a hider just in case Erika feels like going elsewhere, but if she follows them down the slight hill to the water below, into the tunnels that seemed to be touched by the light of what appeared to be the outside…
There’s a lake. A round lake, surrounded by cavern walls. There’s a hole in the ceiling, allowing sunlight down, and there’s also a pretty little flow of water pouring down into the cavern. At the bottom, Erika and co found themselves standing at the base of a fairly deep lake which was completely surrounded by walls with the sun peeking down from on top. Those walls did not look scalable to actually reach the hole. If one could actually get up there, who knows where one would end up? What would one find?
Well. At the very least, someone here was intending on finding out.
‘LADDER UP!’ The man in purple pointed up to the hole and smiled with determination. ‘Ladder up!’ The hiker grinned as he took the huge ladder they were carrying and started folding it out, snapping all the little switches into place to direct it upwards. ‘We’re going up!’ The girl called out, trying to help the hiker but wasn’t really to any help. The ladder looked like it would be long enough to get up.
There was small ripples forming in the water of the lake as the switches of the ladder loudly snapped into place, extending the huge ladder which soon would be placed to allow the three to climb. Erika could let them do so and then follow, or… … … she could do whatever occurred to her to do. What would she do?
Lucian chuckled as the duo before him collapsed in a heap, allowing the ducklett to escape. He then turned to Dawkin and Martin and said "Well this certainly has been an interesting scenario, however I'm going to head back and have a more...thorough search of these caverns for anything that may be useful. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon enough." with that, Lucian turned to Venipede and returned the poison type to his pokeball before gesturing for houndour to follow him in the directories they had came from.
After several minutes of walking, and Lucian was sure he has put enough distance between himself and the others, he said to houndour "Try to pick up the scent of that ducklett so we can return him to our dear friends, if you can't I suppose we'll just find them and inform them that they're pet has at least been freed and should find them soon enough." After receiving his orders houndour dropped his head to the floor and began tracking while Lucian followed in silence.
"Thank you for your time Mr. Dorian." Amelia said as she turned and left the building. Once she was outside, she was immediately met by a slightly frazzled looking man, who then proceeded to explain everything Dorian had just explained to her, along with a bit of additional info he hadn't. She listened calmly and watched as the man walked away, probably to explain this to more trainers.
After she had made sure of her route and what was along it, she made her way to Route one. Keeping the route she had planed out in her mind, she set off down the main road and it wasn't long until she arrived in Highhill Town. She took some time to wonder the town and take in the sights, before heading for the gym. It was getting late but that wasn't an issue for her. She was used to these hours after all. After making sure she arrived at the Minor League Gym, with the help of some of the locals, she checked the building out. If there was a line, she would wait in it until it was her turn. If not, she would head inside and see what was what.
After taking the focus band with a quick thanks, Claire booked it back to Redcoast. A small reminder in the back of her head told her to once again, fix her hair which she had still forgotten to do so once she had got back to the pokemon center. She also took a mental note of the rain stopping rather abruptly once she had gotten back to Redcoast. Now, she wasn't saying that it couldn't just be a coincidence, but in her years of experience in playing video games and generally being all around the smartest person told her a few things - coincidences didn't exist, especially with what Anise told her.
Regardless...
Claire walked into the pokemon center, soaked with rain, but from the grin she was wearing she didn't seem to mind so much.
"Whew..." She sighed. "I should by an umbrella...or get a pokemon with drought, heh." She probably was quite the interesting sight, and most could probably tell where she recently came from. Alright, well, time to use the pokemon center...wait, was that Yvonne? A grin spread across her face as she decided to give her 'rival' a typical patented Claire 'surprise greeting'.
Wait...what was she holding? Was...that a badge?!
"Hey, what'cha got there?" Claire snatched the badge from Yvonne's outstretched hand, mouth slightly open in surprise.
*Gasp*
She was behind! THE HORROR!
"T-this is a gym badge!" She replied, seemingly in shock herself. "Gah, I'm behind now! Yvonne you sneaky little sneaker sneak!" She grinned, obviously not actually upset with the other girl. "I see how it is, beat me while I'm out training! And here I thought you weren't gonna be a suitable rival." She clenched Yvonne's badge in her hand, pointing at her with a confident grin. "I won't be outdone though, nope! Our contest debut can wait! Where's this gym at? I'll go give 'em a thorough pounding with my fabulously newly evolved pokemon, heh!~"
She made a point of emphasizing 'Evolved' and 'Pokemon'. She was probably being a little over the top here, but she didn't really seem to care.
Nobody stopped Ducklett, so he flew back through the cave out of sight.
Karl and Anabelle were left flailing as they came crawling out of the river. Eventually, Karl got up enough to glare at Dawkin as he told them the information which he had heard. He was left frowning angrily, then looking down into the water.
‘… Pteh. I could have figured that.’ He spit into the water as he grabbed his Pokéballs and returned Shieldon and Poliwag to them. Didn’t seem like he was going to thank him.
‘I-I’m sorry for this…’ Anabelle said, looking worried. ‘W-we’ll call in and redouble the security of Wet Caverns. We didn’t know there were dragons in here… We’ll make sure their plans don’t come into fruition!’ Anabelle nodded, and took her Pokéballs to return Klink and Snover to their balls. ‘Thank you for your help. Here, please take these.’
Dawkin obtained 3 Super Potions!
Martin obtained 3 Super Potions!
Lucian obtained 3 Super Potions!
… Unless they declined for whatever reason.
‘… How many of those do you have?’ Karl asked, glaring at Anabelle.
‘Um. Another…’ Anabelle checked inside her (soaked) bag. ‘Fourteen. I stocked up well.’
‘… Geesh.’ Karl then glanced away in annoyance.
‘And these?’ Anabelle offered what appeared to be copies of her working cards to the three of them. It had her phone number. ‘If you ever want to report something to us, for any reason.’ She offered.
Then, Dawkin and Martin headed on, while Lucian turned back.
So, the two of them pressed on. There was water running which they had to wade through, probably needing to wave off more Zubats on the way, but soon enough… well, what do you know. Another three-way split, the water splitting two ways.
The majority of the river continued to the left, where it was just a turn of the water flowing down, but if they listened well enough, it sounded like the current got more violent down that direction. What could await there?
Straight ahead was a basically straight line on solid ground, allowing them to get out of the water, though there was yellow light in the end of it. They couldn’t see from here, but the light looked artificial.
Then to the right, there was a fairly nice pathway where there was dry land for walking on to the left side of the gentle stream of water. That particular tunnel grew wider, leading who knows where when it curved out of sight.
Nincada, though, would sense something.
In the water in the right cavern… there was definitely sunlight being reflected on the surface of that water. While the humans wouldn’t be able to notice it, Nincada (for better or worse, seeing the Nincada natural dislike of sunlight) would sense it. So, if he wanted to tell his trainer this… Yupp.
Lucian sought back through the cavern. Houndour was able to fairly easily track down the Ducklett, once again. He headed back through the river, past the two-way split, and back towards the entrance. Seemed like the Ducklett had actually known the way. So, tracking down the Ducklett…
Entrance of Wet Caverns
Back outside again, coming out of the Wet Caverns. No worries, Lucian could easily find the way back if he wanted to. But right now, he simply saw the duck having collapsed after its daring flight away from his captors. He was lying on the ground just outside the cave, turning his head to look back and forth to the left and right. There was no trainer in sight. Seemed like he was looking for his trainer, but couldn’t find her, and had no idea where she might have gone.
‘Ducklett…’ The duck gave a complaining sound, before suddenly flinching as he heard the sounds of Lucian approaching from behind. ‘Ducklett!’ The duck spun around, frowning as hard as a duck could, raising his wings in a fighting-pose as if the duck could defend himself with karate or something. Obviously he couldn’t, but he definitely looked like he thought he’d be attacked or something. Now it was up to Lucian how to approach this.
Erika had to admit, it was a little surprising that Joshua took Erika up on her joking offer to carry Sno, but judging from the impression Erika had of him, it wasn't that surprising. "Oh! Okay... just be careful, she is a bit heavier than I-..." Erika stopped short as she saw Sno turn around with a squinted challenging glare. "Sorry..." Erika muttered to her Pokemon as she once again lifted and put her Pokemon in Joshua's hands.
The strain in Joshua's expression was a bit clear as Erika looked on hesitantly. Sno, in the meantime, snuggled into Joshua's arms and found it easy to relax. Leaning against his chest, it looked as if she was casually lounging. "Well... don't strain yourself too much." Erika offered.
Erika was glad that the other two were willing to investigate with her as those ladder-carrying trio definitely seemed up to something. Erika lead her own group, following the ladder carriers through the cave until the split, taking the left with the ladder trio. This eventually lead to a beautiful part of the cave that appeared, at least to Erika, to have a sort of mystery. Thus, Erika couldn't help but get more excited whatever it was they were getting into.
"Wow... I get the feeling something amazing is up there..." Erika said over her shoulder, taking a glance back at Joshua and Ewan and Sno who was still getting a lift from Joshua. "Oh! Here let me..." Erika fiddled with Sno's Pokeball before pointing it at her and returning the Snorunt back to its ball. "That should make it easier. Now shall we climb up?" Erika asked the two, turning around and approaching the ladder. It wasn't long before she began heading up, with or without her friends though she would prefer with.
Dawkin paused at the intersection and glanced down each of the pathways. "It seems following the water is unlikely to lead anywhere but deeper, the last time I tried following the light I met a dead-end and that light looks more like something from a flashlight anyway. That leaves the remaining dry path, presuming you have no objections." Dawkin said moving forward along the path he'd chosen. He wondered how Martin would have reacted if he'd chanced upon Dawkin when he'd asked to work with team Amethyst. Would he jump to conclusions and simply attack immediately? Hold a grudge and strike whenever he was off guard? Dawkin wasn't sure but Martin didn't seem very reasonable when it came to Team Amythest. He would've asked a prodding question, but it wasn't really his place to do so.
Atlas Gender: Male Type: Steel/Rock Species: Aron Level: 7 Personality: A stubborn and sometimes disagreeable little fellow, he likes eating. A lot. He's smarter than he looks and can be quite devious in order to get what he wants. Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Fill in as we go. Probably Moves: Tackle, Harden, Mudslap, Headbutt Ability: Sturdy. Allows the pokemon to survive an attack that would otherwise knock it out. Held Item:
Gender: ♀ Type: Water/Ground Personality: Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Level: 6 Moves: Water Gun, Tail Whip, Mud Sport Ability: Water Absorb, will regain health upon being hit with a water-type move. Held Item: None.
Type:Water Moves: Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic Ability: Water Veil. Prevents burns Level: 5 Held Item: None Status: 50% health.
2555 P Antidote X1 Pokeball X4 Great Ball Repel X2 Potion X2 Super potions X3 Awakening Paralyze Heal Escape Rope
Martin followed behind Dawkin giving a bit of thought about the Team left in the water. They got what was coming to them. No, that wasn't fair to wish bad fortune on people who had a series of bad coincidences. They weren't doing anything wrong, and the Ducklett got away. Odds are it was going off to find it's owner. It looked like it ran back out of the cave, which begged the question of are they even here still? "Going right sounds like a pretty good idea. Sorry if I'm a bit distracted. So many people going in these caves, and it just doesn't sit well with what might be happening. Poaching Dragons? It's bad enough to trap a Pokemon, and they then are looking to sell for profit. Can you believe that someone would do these kinds of things?" Martin was working himself up again, and had to stop to take a deep breath and close his eyes. yelling at the world wasn't going to help anyone.
He took a look back to notice Nincada slowed down. He didn't seem too keen on wanting to keep going along the right path, but wasn't stopping either. "Something wrong, Nincada? Just a cave, nothing to be afraid of." Usually he does that when there's sunlight, but that didn't seem right. The middle path had light, but it wasn't exactly sunlight. Maybe it was just any source of light. "Hey Dawkin, looks like there's some kind of light at the end of this path. Nincada usually tries to avoid sunlight. There might be a way out if we keep going that way. If someone was trying to find things, they probably would have gone deeper instead." Yeah, deeper meant more water. Deeper also meant more Pokemon, but would that be a place for a Dragon type? Either way, Dawkin probably had a better idea than him. Just tossing out an idea, and double guessing himself.
Nincada stayed silent through the whole conversation. If he had an opinion, it wasn't voiced. Just following behind Martin, knowing that light was ahead. It was not something he was looking forward to, but continued at a slower pace. He was once again going back to fresh air and sunlight. Martin didn't pick up these details though, Nincada looked normal to him.
Route 1 did not offer any challenge for being travelled through. Just staying out of the tall grass and don’t fall into the drain, and everything’s golden. Indeed, soon enough Amelia would be walking by fields being cultivated by humans and their Pokémon, Machops or whatever was the most suitable, but I’m just going to say Machops for right now.
Pokédex Entry #66 – Machop, the Superpower Pokémon. A Machop is built up by a special muscle, which despite its size makes it stronger than 100 humans and will never tire no matter how much it strains itself. This combined with their general availability makes them a common choice for helping humans with manual labours.
Highhill Town
(couldn’t decide what image I wanted to use)
Highhill Town is a small, lively place that has seemingly stood atop this hill from time immemorial and never really changed. The atmosphere in Highhill Town is much fresher than surrounding places, the buildings are older and the work as honest as ever. The old town is populated by elders and younglings aplenty, and the town has a culture of their own. Plenty of Pokémon assist with the work, either as work-force or the animals that work is being done on.
One usually only crosses Highhill Town on a trip to or from Pureplain City. Regardless, it is a place of beauty. The fields around it are cultivated by hard-working people and Pokémon while the lake to the east gleams in the sunshine as fishermen attend it. There are small roads of asphalt spiraling up the hill to lead to all the old buildings, and children playing around in stairs or nature is very common.
It is said that a trainer praying at the nearby Silent Shrine will be blessed on their journey, so many travel to Highhill Town just for that. There’s also a set of very ancient rocks spread about town, pointing out towards the lake on top of the hill with some engravings. What they mean? Nobody knows. Also, Highhill Town is the residence of a certain Move Changer, whose abilities are sought by some new trainers. What he can do? Visit him to find out.
Walking through town, Amelia would be treated to the views of Highhill Town. It’s an older settlement, many of the wooden buildings showing signs of being positively ancient, and there were kids playing around every here and there with elders looking out for them while the adults were working. That seemed to be how it worked here. She saw the house of the Move Changer. It was but a regular old wooden house with a sign that said “Move Changer”, and a line of excited kids in line to come in and a row of disappointed-looking kids coming out. Huh.
There were the ancient rocks, but unless she specifically investigated them, they were only exactly that, rocks. Rocks standing out like stalagmites from the top of the hill, gathered together in an unnatural-looking circle, pointing slightly in the direction of Dragon Lake. Hm. And, while she perhaps didn’t try to, she may have overheard a kid telling a story to his friends.
‘… nobody could match it! All seemed lost! But then, one hero went and prayed at the Silent Shrine, and he was valued worthy. So he was joined by the guardian Pokémon, and together they defeated the fell beast!’ There were noises of “oohs” and “aahs” from friends, despite them all having heard the story before. ‘And that’s why it became tradition to go pray at the Silent Shrine before embarking on the Pokémon journey around here! Dunno if it really does anything, but hey! It’s in our culture!’
… That aside. Amelia did have a goal in mind. Asking some locals she was pointed in the right direction for the Pokémon Gym, and she arrived. It was the same as the rest, an older wooden building, but it was bigger and had a pond built around it. Someone had dug out a ditch and the Gym stood on this little island in the middle, a wooden bridge going to the entrance. A sign stood in the front. Unlike at Dorian’s Gym, there was no queue.
Highhill Pokémon Gym - Minor League. Gym Leader: Lorette. “The Shrine’s Bug-Maiden”
Amelia then ventured for the door… … … and found it locked. The Gym doors were completely closed. And this was definitely a time of day it really should be open.
‘Oh, wow. You got here fast.’ Someone suddenly spoke to her, coming out walking from behind her on the bridge. It’s… a guy she saw quite recently.
He smiled at her, and then spoke his analysis. Amelia didn’t need to listen to that part if she didn’t want to.
‘So, Lorette is a user of the Bug-type. It’s a type filled with sneaky little tricks that can stop you good, and the Pokémon evolve quickly so you can expect them to be tough despite being low-leveled. I’d recommend leaving Grass or Psychic type Pokémon at home, Lorette will gnaw them up. But, with Fire or Flying type, you may be able to snatch her up pretty well! Lorette tends to go easy on new trainers, so use that to your advantage! Go for it!’
‘Thoooooooouuuuuuuugh…’ He said, looking over the obviously locked Gym. ‘It’s tradition that the Gym Leader of Highhill Town is also the Shrine Maiden at the Silent Shrine. If she’s not here right now, she’s probably there. OR…’ He smirked a little. ‘… She might be lost. She tends to get lost inside the Silent Forest a lot, for some reason. So if you want to battle her, you’re either going to have to wait until the Pokémon of the forest guide her back, as they do eventually, or… go find her, I suppose. Whichever one you want.’ And so, he finished his explanation. Now it was up to Amelia what she wanted to do.
1. Find Pokémon. Can still search for Pokémon in towns~ 2. Talk. In cities, there are considerably more people one can talk to. Talking can give you info on local rumors and such. 3. Exit. Exit the town to any of the connected areas. 4. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 5. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 6. Notable Buildings. Visit any of the facilities of the city! 6.1. Pokémon Center. Heal all your Pokémon. 6.2. PokéMart. Go to a store and buy things. 6.3. Pokémon Gym. ??? 6.4. Docks. For fishermen or perhaps a ticket across Route 14. 6.5. Ancient Rocks. Of completely unknown origin, ancient writing on them. 6.6. Ranch. There are ranches around Highhill, if you stand to gain from them. 6.7. Move Changer. We can guess from the name, but what can this man do? 6.8. Mayor’s House. If you see reason to visit, it’s right by the rocks.
Connected areas: Route 1. To the south, is the common route of first journeys. Green and straight. Route 3. To the north, the route to Rainrock or the Silent Shrine. A wet woodland. Route 14. To the east, the lake known as the Dragon Lake, potentially for crossing.
Yvonne flinched as the badge was gripped out of her hand, her eyes going wide as it left her hand and she spun around to face Claire as she realized her own position.
‘Wait, that’s n-’ Said in distress, when all of a sudden something clicked.
‘-NEXACTLY what it is!’ Yvonne crossed her arms and grinned, raising her chin and looking at Claire with utmost confidence. ‘Don’t you feel it? That’s the Redcoast City Gym Badge, the Challenge Badge! A dot on fire with willpower!’ She raised one hand to inspect it, all the while smirking. ‘I was going to just challenge those intending on challenging the Gym, but then the leader came out and challenged me for it. I must admit to having been a bit startled…’ She grinned and then made a peace-sign at Claire. ‘… But I handled it!’
‘Newly evolved Pokémon, eh?’ Yvonne chuckled. ‘Then fine! See if you too can handle the Redcoast City Gym! It lies in the south-west of town, just look for the multi-story building that looks like it’s going to topple over any second. There’s only one such in Redcoast. Good luck~! I’ll just be preparing for the Contests until then~!’ Yvonne laughed at Claire as she stood there…
‘… Also, give me my badge back.’ That, too.
And Claire hadn’t healed her Pokémon yet. They were just now handing Yvonne back her healed Pokémon.
When Erika handed over Sno to Joshua, just because, Pikachu randomly decided to jump from Joshua’s shoulder onto Erika’s. Because Joshua was already taking enough weight. Assuming she didn’t recoil or throw him off, he then raised a tiny hand in greeting to her.
‘Pika~!’ Like, “hello!”, kind of greeting. Joshua gave a grin at that, if that happened, and then they could be on their way.
When Erika recovered Sno, likewise, Pikachu jumped back to Joshua’s shoulder again, where he was immediately petted for being a good little buddy. Anyways. Ladder.
Obviously, the three that had come with the ladder went up first, all in one line. That said, they didn’t seem to mind that some kids were tagging along. So they came up, Erika following soon behind and Joshua + Ewan behind her, Joshua excited about this and Ewan also having his interest raised a bit. Erika could hear the collective gasps of the three above her as she climbed up…
‘This is the best…’ The man in purple said, swooning. ‘Beautiful…’ The girl said, sounding emotionally touched. ‘It’s quite something you’ve found here, eh.’ The hiker chuckled.
Then… Erika came up. And…
Dragon Roost
It’s on top of the mountain of the Wet Caverns, surrounded by somewhat taller peaks hiding away this place in a bowl of mountains, some trees standing around on the strange green grass covering the hill of ruins they just came out on. The hole they just came up from is surrounded by very old ruins, their origin unknown. However, neither the ruins, the mountains or even the view was the most eye-catching here. Because the surrounding mountains are covered with dragons.
Druddigons scoured the air like guardians, the occasional Salamence mixed in their midst as they flew. On the different peaks were small families of dragons, Bagons bashing their heads against various rocks accompanied by some Shelgons, Axews dragging their tusks on walls to mark territory and Fraxures here and there fairly far from one another maintaining theirs, occasionally Gibles crawling out of holes or Gabites placing them back into the holes, along with whatever shiny things they’ve recently recovered. There were many holes in the mountains, caverns for the dragons to venture out in, yet out here they all seemed to be at peace.
Pokédex Entry #371 – Bagon, the Rock Head Pokémon. It constantly dreams of being able to fly and hurls itself off cliffs to practice. It’s head and body is extremely tough, allowing it to survive this. It’s a big bundle of muscles, and its headbutts can shatter rocks. It’s known to headbutt mercilessly to relieve stress.
… Indeed, Erika can see a couple leaping off edges from way too high around the mountains…
Pokédex Entry #372 – Shelgon, the Endurance Pokémon. The shells of the Shelgon which extrude from their bodies behave much like bones, and is very hard and resistant to attacks. Inside, cells are formatting and preparing for the next evolution. During the wait, Shelgon will not eat much, and it becomes hardier by enduring hunger.
Pokédex Entry #373 – Salamence, the Dragon Pokémon. Bagon’s dream of flying finally comes true, and it celebrates by flying all over and sometimes spouting flames at random. While associated with the joy of flying, if enraged Salamence is known to go uncontrollably berserk, rampaging and scorching all in its way.
Pokédex Entry #443 – Gible, the Land Shark Pokémon. It lives in holes in caves warmed by geothermal heat. It awaits prey to stray too close to said holes, and then pounce out to bite them. While usually found underground for heat, they’ve been known to venture into colder climates while huddling together with others of its kind for warmth.
Pokédex Entry #444 – Gabite, the Cave Pokémon. It’s known to endlessly dig into caverns after jewels and other shining objects, which it loves. It is known to amass shiny objects into a hoards it in its nest. It’s known to sometimes shed its scales, and rumors say the scales of Gabites have powers to cure incurable illnesses, and they’re therefore sought for.
Pokédex Entry #610 – Axew, the Tusk Pokémon. They use their tusks to crush the berries they eat. They tend to mark their territory by leaving gashes in trees or cavern-walls, though the tusks often break. They grow back swiftly, and with repeated regrowth the tusks of an Axew grow strong and sharp.
Pokédex Entry #611 – Fraxure, the Axe Jaw Pokémon. Their tusks are hard and powerful enough to shatter rocks, but if it breaks it no longer grows back. Fraxures therefore carefully maintain their tusks, sharpening them on river-rocks after battles. If they meet another Fraxure, they’ll commonly battle intensely for territory.
Pokédex Entry #621 – Druddigon, the Cave Pokémon. It keeps its body warm by absorbing the light of the sun, without which it grows cold and cannot move. It relies on speed and sharp claws to hunt down its prey in narrow caves, before it returns outside to be heated by the sun. The red on its face is harder than rock.
‘Wow.’ Joshua stated, looking out over the scenery. He was honestly amazed.
‘… Well. This wasn’t on the map.’ Ewan said, also looking quite impressed as his eyes were a bit more open than usually.
‘SEE!?’ Joshua grinned and looked over at him. ‘If we just follow the map, we’d deprive ourselves of experiences like this! DON’T BUY MAPS NEXT TIME!’ Joshua said to him in a joking tone while grinning.
‘Point taken. … But they’re still good to have if we end up in an emergency.’ Ewan argued back with a calm voice, but Joshua was back to admiring the view.
‘Well, looks like you found what you wanted!’ The hiker stated to the man in purple. ‘All the dragons we could ever want!’ The girl grinned widely, looking around greedily. ‘Yes! And after we’ve captured them all, I’ll be first in line to becoming the greatest Drag-!’ The man in purple was stating loudly, raising a hand into the air…!
An attentive person would notice a small, orange dot suddenly descending from one of the Salamences, before a humanoid form smashed into the ground with flawless landing, the sound of armor klinking together echoing from the impact which sent the three ladder-users flinching.
‘Hi, there! Rare to see people here!’
So said a grinning, blonde woman in red and orange armor, standing up to look at them. The three before her all collectively swallowed and looked terrified.
‘The Major League Gym Leader of Lakewatch Town…’ The hiker started, murmuring out loud.
‘The Leader of the Lakewatchers, the hunter of dragon-hunters…’ The girl continued, wavering back in obvious fear. The man in purple then finished, eyes wide.
‘The “Dragon Watcher” of Lakewatch, Lesley…!’
(ignore the ears)
‘Oho. You know who I am? Then that makes it simpler.’ The woman grinned at them, before looking out over the dragon-filled mountain with a happy, yes slightly sad smile.
‘You see, Dragon Lake became too dangerous a while ago. It used to be an excellent place for dragons to raise their young, then poachers and Team Amethyst hunted them down. It became necessary to find a new place for the young dragons to live. So… I picked out this empty mountain-top for them. The young dragons live here, now, until they’re big enough to fend for themselves.’ So Lesley presented, smiling at the dragons where she stood.
… And then she turned and gave the three the most ruthlessly evil glare imaginable, which seemingly turned the atmosphere red and her voice as she spoke seethed with venom, her Salamence smashing down into the ground behind her as he joined in his glare with hers from behind.
‘So, what were you saying you were going to do?’
The three wannabe dragon-catchers all jumped in the spot, huddled together, before they all looked at one another, and…
‘W-we were leaving…?’ The man in purple asked, with an unsure smile. Lesley gave a small, excited nod that he had given the right answer while still maintaining the glare.
The three only needed one more second of looking at Lesley and her Salamence before they all turned and dashed, straight by Erika and co, and practically ran down the ladder. They left the ladder there, fortunately, so they’d be able to get down later. Lesley then relaxed, and the atmosphere returned to normal.
‘Phew. That takes care of that. Now, who are you all?’ Lesley asked, now looking over at the other three present, at Erika, Joshua and Ewan.
‘Beautiful…’ Joshua murmured with an amazed expression, looking over Lesley and the Salamence behind her. Ewan was standing next to him, looking a little cautious.
The two boys headed off towards the right, up on the dry ground which ran parallel to the smaller river on the side. They followed a slightly curving road, where… huh, there was a bunch of noise up ahead. So, there was a bunch of rocks fighting one another, striking one another with rocky fists, flying back and forth trying not to roll over and into the water…
Pokédex Entry #74 – Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Found in fields as well as mountains. They commonly rest, half-buried in the ground and indistinguishable from normal rocks. There are always way more Geodude around than a traveler will notice. Stepping on one by accident may trigger their rage.
… They were fighting for supremacy of this part of the cavern. Honestly, if any of you want one, I can permit a quick-catch. But, behind these fighting rocks, in the distance, was a shining light.
The light of the exit, far brighter than the luminous water inside the Wet Caverns, making the exit a literal light at the end of the tunnel. The smaller river actually ran out through the very same exit, and on the other side was the sky. An unknown road. The path to Lakewatch Town and with all likelihood a freshness which one would have missed when present in this damp cavern. It was just straight out, now. All other obstacles of the Wet Caverns had been overcome by now (albeit they had been lenient). It was just a couple of steps more…
… A figure walked out of the dark next to the entrance, blocking the way. She had two pony-tails in her blue hair, her outfit looked a bit expensive to have wandered in here with and her stockings were soaked from having gone through water with. Despite this, she looked confident. Martin and Dawkin would recognize her. It was one of Jacques’ trainers.
‘… I’ve trained myself in the Wet Caverns, now. I’m growing, faster than I thought I would. I’ve ventured into the depths of this cavern, and I found the Pokémon I’m looking for. I’ve grown strong. I feel confident. Kalmia’s trainers…’ She thrust her hands into her pockets and brought up three Pokéballs caught in-between four fingers, and then another hand holding three more Pokéballs identically. Six Pokémon.
‘… Have you grown strong, too? Has these caverns tempered you? … I want to find out. I want to know how good I am.’ She declared, thinning her eyes into a glare that said one thing only.
Cathia wants to fight!
‘… How many Pokémon do you have? I can use only that many, to make things fair. Should I take on you both at once? I can use two Pokémon to deal with one from each of you in a Double Battle…’ She spoke, her eyes wandering from Dawkin to Martin, her eyes reflecting her conviction in this action.
Amelia admired the sights of Highhill town. It was a beautiful place and had a much different feel from Witchpeak. As she was climbing to the top of a particular hill, she stopped to admire the sunset and how it painted the world is nice soft orange color. After taking a moment to take in the view, she continued onward to the gym, wondering what would await her.
What awaited her was a vastly different sight from Dorian's gym. This one was set up a bit like a castle, being bigger and older then the rest of the buildings in town and complete with it's own moat. It also lacked a queue in front of it, which already told her one of two things: it was either closed or there simply weren't any other challengers. The former was quickly confirmed when she tried the door and found it locked. Sighing to herself she turned to leave only to be confronted by the same man who had explained the gym system to her at Dorian's gym. He explained about Bug-Types to her, something she was well aware of but paid attention to anyway, and then he brought up where the Gym Leader might be. This brought a smile to her face, as she had been planning on visiting the shrine anyway.
"Thank you for the advice. I think I'll pay her a visit." She said, shouldering her bag and moving to continue on her journey. Before she got far though, she turned back towards the man. "Also, I assume it's tradition for both gym leaders. Unless it's only for the Minor Gym."
With that, she set off, heading toward the Silent Shrine. She didn't plan on stopping unless she sensed a pokemon that might interest her along the way. If she did sense a Ghost-Type and it belonged to a trainer, she would ask where to find it. If it was wild, it meant it was time for more talking.
Erika has happy to take on the hitch-hiker, and shook Pikachu's little hand. "Hiya Pikachu! Aren't you just a little cutie~" Erika gleamed, letting Pikachu ride on her shoulder all the way to their destination. It was only a little sad to see her riding companion hop off, and Erika made a little mental note to catch a Pikachu.
For now, however, there was something else on her mind. Anxious to see what the murmurs of what the ladder trio was talking about, Erika finally climbed high enough to glance over the crest of the cave ceiling to see a magnificent sight.
"Wooaaah..." Erika gasped as she climbed up, dumbfounded with wonder in her eyes as she scanned up the mountain. The natural landmark was impressive, sure, but there were Dragons everywhere. Some flying, others squabbling on the cliff side. The whole thing was amazing to witness. In her amazement, Erika flipped open her Pokedex to get a few scans of everything here as that was her duty but also to get a bit of scouting done. A Dragon type is a perfect competitor but more to it than that, Erika fantasied about how majestic it would be to fly on something like a Salamence.
"To think I had wanted to just go straight through the caverns with you guys..." Erika offered her two pence in her friends' discussion. Erika turned back to look at the mountain, noticing that the ladder trio were talking, rather loudly as it was pretty easy to overhear them. Erika didn't know about capturing them all, thinking it to be a bit much but thought that they might have been exaggerating.
What wasn't exaggerated was the startling arrival of an armored woman, causing Erika to also jump from sudden surprise. Lesley the Major League Gym Leader of Lakewatch Town? Erika had never heard the name but the title was enough for Erika's eyes to go wide from being star stricken, forgetting she saw one of the Elite Four awhile ago.
But the thrill of everything soon faltered as Erika witness Lesley threaten the ladder trio for attempted poaching. Backed up by the sudden appearance of Salamence (whose arrival had startled Erika again), the ladder trio fled in a hurry nearly knocking Erika aside in their quick escape. Erika watched the caped man's face vanish before she heard Lesley address them.
Erika turned to face the Dragon Trainer biting her tongue initially, nervous that she had also done something wrong. Erika took a glance over at Joshua and Ewan who were lost in their own respective thoughts and didn't say much. Erika turned back to Lesley and cupped her hands nervously before replying. "I-I'm one of Professor Kalmia's new Trainers, Erika Olsen, and these are my friends." Erika gestured to Joshua and Ewan. Erika gulped, worried that Lesley was still expecting something despite not showing it. "I'm sorry if we are trespassing, too! We just followed those other people here because they seemed to be onto something."
"Wahaha!~" Claire laughed, before returning the badge to Yvonne. "Fine, I'll take you up on your challenge! I'll beat this Gym Leader with just a single pokemon so you go and practice your contests. Not like I need the practice anyways, heh!~" First things first though - spinning on her heels and facing the nurse she handed over all of her pokemon hurriedly. "Need I mention I already beat the Gym Leaders disciple out on Route 11, too? She was a tough little challenge since she ambushed me, but me being me, I beat her flawlessly." Claire continued as she waited for her pokemon to be healed - that said, she wasn't going to stick around longer to give Yvonne a chance to 1-up her in the pokemon contests either. She had to get moving.
As soon as her pokemon were healed, she grabbed them and bolted out the door.
However - a split second after leaving, the doors to the pokemon center opened again as Claire poked her head back in.
"The next time you'll see me, Yvonne, I'll be the owner of a shiny new badge!~" And then she was gone again. The redhead made her way towards the direction of the gym that Yvonne had mentioned. For now she kept her pokemon in their pokeballs - no need to advertise she had three pokemon that were weak to fire, heh.
She could have probably stopped by the mart and brought some healing items, but this was Claire. She didn't plan that far ahead.
He looked a little confused at her statement, but it did seem she was heading off for the Silent Shrine. ‘You’re welcome. And also, I’d recommend grabbing an umbrella if you’re heading out on Route 3, heh. They sell a few at the store.’ He then walked off to probably reappear somewhere else, fairly shortly.
Regardless of if she actually went to get an umbrella, they could probably be bought for, like, 50 P, Amelia would soon arrive on Route 3 as part of the trip to the Silent Shrine. Although the trip would take a left really soon… she was still greeted by the pouring rainstorm that so commonly plagued the route, water and wind showering down on just behind Highhill Town.
Route 3
Route 3 is partly covered by the Silent Forest, but a path has been made through the trees for people travelling by the northern path from Rainrock down to Highhill and onto Pureplain. It is a fairly decently travelled road, as it’s the main road from Pureplain to the other cities of Isson. But, that doesn’t change that it’s almost constantly under a heavy downpour from the many clouds known to gather in the routes around Rainrock City. The atmosphere is constantly damp, thanks to the rainy weather. Chances are large that Pokémon preferring a rainy day will be found in this route.
While there’s likely a road for vehicles, the route for travellers is much different. With the proximity to Highhill, there’s actually a fair amount of hills in the area, and the route goes up and down. The path itself is fenced in with wooden fences and stairs up and down the hills, following those would lead to a fairly easy traversal to Rainrock City. But, step outside, and you’re officially in Silent Forest. The path is mostly cobblestone and stairs. The trees are mostly green with leaves but some blossom in pink or stranger colors. And of course, plenty of Pokémon if you just stray slightly from the road.
Due to the high amounts of rain and vegetation, few people live on this route, and besides the route itself there’s little in the ways of civilization. Just a very long, very wet route, with two splits. One near Highhill Town going deeper into the forest to the Silent Shrine, and one close to Rainrock east for those heading to Route 4 and Mt. Strength or Stillwood Village. Regardless… the rain will feel like it ends very suddenly, in either of those directions. But it has been like that for so long, people have just accepted it. “It rains on Route 3”, “water is wet”. And so, reality continues.
Oddly enough, despite it was half a rainstorm, Amelia did not feel her usual apprehension for storms.
Additionally, the moment she strayed onto Route 3 to walk on to the Silent Shrine connected to the route, Amelia would feel the familiar sense. There are ghost-Pokémon on Route 3. Actually…
“DON’T LET YOUR CHILDREN HOLD DRIFLOONS!” - Sign at the entrance of Route 3. … There may be Drifloons on this route. So, it wouldn’t take too long to find one, with Amelia’s senses. They weren’t exactly as common as this sign made them seem. In fact, moving through Route 3 she’d undoubtedly see the two other most common Pokémon of Route 3 first. Some Bellsprouts just outside the fence just rooted there looking around, and some Shroomishes resting or preparing to get moving for the incoming night.
Pokédex Entry #69 – Bellsprout, the Flower Pokémon. A carnivorous plant, it traps and eats bugs to eat. It can root itself deep into the ground to drink, or uproot itself to move. It’s skinny body is extremely flexible to avoid attacks, and its speed with its Vine Whips at prey are said to be blindingly fast. It loves hot and humid places.
Pokédex Entry #285 – Shroomish, the Mushroom Pokémon. It lives deep in dark, damp forest where it eats the composted soil and fallen leaves. By day it remains still in the forest shade, by night it moves to eat. If it detects danger, it can spout highly toxic spores from the top of its head, strong enough to make trees wilt.
But… soon enough, if she just followed the road and avoided coming into contact with other trainers, she could see some… up there.
Pokédex Entry #425 – Drifloon, the Balloon Pokémon. They tend to float around aimlessly. It loves damp weather, and can express emotions by expanding or shrinking. If a child grabs one it looks harmless because they’re so light, but children that have held a Drifloon for too long sometimes vanish. Stories say these children are dragged to the afterlife.
They were drifting above just under the crowns of the trees, likely soaking in the (according to them) lovely dampness of Route 3. Drifting aimlessly, they hadn’t even noticed Amelia yet. But, if Amelia wanted to, she could probably do something to get their attention. If she wasn’t afraid of being dragged to the afterlife by one, that is.
Pikachu totally looked super-happy at being called cute and shaking hands with Erika. But, he looked very happy with Joshua too. So, yupp.
Later.
‘I’m Joshua of Justroad City! It’s an honor to meet a woman of your caliber, style, grace and beauty, ma’am!’ Joshua said, beaming to the woman after Erika’s introduction. She got a raised eyebrow from Lesley and a little chuckle, which he seemed to classify as a win.
‘And I’m Ewan, same city. We two are trainers entrusted Pokédexes by Jacques of the Elite Four, while Erika’s is from Kalmia.’ Ewan presented, nodding to her. ‘As Erika said, we were merely following.’
‘Yeah, that’s okay.’ Lesley smiled and nodded to them. ‘I was just that the intentions of those three was so blindingly obvious, I had to scare them off as quickly as possible to preserve my mood.’ Lesley grinned happily as she said so. Assumingly, said happy grin was what she was trying to preserve, don’t imagine her without it.
‘And don’t worry. You’re not trespassing, because this isn’t a recognized area you can trespass on.’ Lesley waved her hands a little to discard Erika’s worry. ‘Thing is, if I tried to officially lay a law of protection on this place, everyone would learn it exists. Then, illegal or no, hunters would flock to this place. So, I’m just hoping it remains unnoticed by as many as possible, okay?’ Lesley smirked at her. ‘I know it’s probably not going to work forever, but hey, I’ve got a pretty good number of competent guards watching it, don’t I?’ So she smirked, and gestured to the flying Druddigons circling the mountains, and the occasional Salamence mixed into the mix.
‘Erika Olsen…’ Lesley looked at her a little, inspecting her. Meanwhile, the Salamence next to her had lost interest in the three trainers and instead turned his head to look over a family of Bagons throwing themselves off the cliff over there, then climbing up again… ‘Related to Johanna Olsen, by any chance? Now that’s a fine trainer…’ Lesley smirked, analyzing Erika for potential connection. She chuckled a little.
‘Anyway, what are you gonna do now?’ She asked, looking at them.
‘…’ Yvonne stared with her confident glare at Claire after having gotten her badge back, but didn’t say anything while Claire made her announcement. Then she looked away, her expression a bit… nauseated. ‘Good luck with that…’ Claire was free to interpret that any way she wanted.
So, Claire got her Pokémon healed…
‘Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center. Would you like to rest your Pokémon?’
Assumingly, yes.
‘Okay. I’ll take your Pokémon for a few seconds, then.’
She’d then accept the Pokéballs and put them into the machine, and…
‘Thank you for waiting. We’ve restored your Pokémon to full health.’
She says as she hands the Pokéballs back. She then bows to her customer and gives a friendly smile.
‘We hope to see you again!’
… And then she was on her way!
So, heading through Redcoast City. It’s a fairly nice place. There’s an atmosphere of that people are supposed to enjoy the city, with plenty of restaurants or shops or various luxury things around calling for the attention of a passerby to spend their valuable time and money. Hotels by the side of the sea with excellent views and the like… yet… it was not for any of those Claire was heading right now.
She found the Gym quickly enough. It was… huh. While other buildings around all seemed homely and inviting, this was a grey warehouse. There were scaffolding covering the side of it, seemingly bent on repairing or maintaining parts of it that were falling apart, and multiple walls showed signs of previous maintenance or just had outright cracks in them. Also, there were loud sounds coming from within. They sounded like cries…? Their origin was unknown. But, on the outside, a sign stood that cleared up everything else.
Redcoast Pokémon Gym - Minor League Leader: Hector “The Fighting Challenge-Buster!”
‘Oh, hey! You’re a new face. Looks like I’m in time. You’re our newest Champion-to-be, correct?’ Suddenly, someone approached her from the side as she was heading for the Gym. Now, Claire could completely ignore him if she wanted, or head on in.
‘So, this is, as you no doubt understood already, a Pokémon Gym! The Gyms of Isson is divided into two categories, Minor and Major League Gyms. Each official town and-or city has a Gym waiting for you, which is one of the two! Defeating the challenge of the Gym earns you a Gym Badge, and there are nine Minor and nine Major League badges in Isson. You need eight badges of one kind to compete in the Pokémon League, against others of the same level! The winner of the Pokémon League then gets to challenge Elite Four and potentially the Champion!’
‘The Minor League is primarily for people to grow as trainers, compete in the League and learn more as they complete their Pokémon journeys, as well as for those who find they can’t beat the Major League Pokémon Gyms. The Major League is for those who wants to become the very best! It’s definitely recommended to start with the Minor League, and there’s plenty of rewards for competing in it, too! Good luck!’
‘Winning at the Pokémon League isn’t the only way to get to do the Champion Challenge, though. Any individual the Elite Four or the Champion judges worthy is allowed to fight the Elite Four and possibly the Champion for a chance to take the title! … But the normal way is most certainly to do well in the Pokémon League. Sometimes they even let multiple people who did well in the Pokémon League take the challenge, because the Elite Four aren’t immune to itching for a fight, too. Haha. But that’s for the future, back to the present!’
‘You’re here, at your first Minor League Gym! Hector is a user of Fighting-type Pokémon, a powerful type which smashes Rock, Steel, Dark or Normal types apart! But, they’re weak to Flying types, Psychic and Fairy types, so consider your team well! Also consider that Hector’s… well, he’s a bit of an oddball. He doesn’t typically just challenge people to normal Pokémon battles for his Gym challenge. Expect to be given a strange challenge he may or may not have made up on the spot! So, do you feel ready?’
So he explained, if given the chance to explain himself.
Now, was Claire just heading straight past him? Did she stop to listen to him? Did she have any further questions? Did she reconsider her approach after having heard this? Or has she stopped to listen and is now heading in with redoubled (or unchanged) determination? Of course, all up to Claire.
Level: 5 Status:87% Moves: Defence Curl, Powder Snow, Growl, Water Gun, Rollout Ability: Thick fat. Halves damage from ice and fire type moves.
Level: 5 Status:Fainted Moves: Tackle, Growl, Tail Whip, Sand-attack, Helping Hand Ability: Adaptability. Makes STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) more effective (2x instead of the average 1.5x)
Thanks to Eevee’s speed, it was able to dodge Spheal’s rollout. However, this meant that Spheal was a good distance away for its ranged attacks. Thankfully, Spheal’s focus on its rollout meant that it wasn’t affected by Eevee’s tail whip. Erza was good for a beginner, and Rory knew this. He’d have to try and get past Spheal’s low speed, and freeze Eevee, to make it vulnerable to Spheal. ”Spheal, use water gun, and then powder snow!” Rory called out, hoping that the cold water would make it easier to freeze Eevee.
Right, Eevee got a good distance away from the Spheal. It could easily move further back and avoid being hit at all, but that’d mean the battle would never get anywhere. The Spheal stopped it’s rollout, which gave Erza enough time to swiftly rush to brash tactics; ”Alright, Eevee! Tackle!” Of course, the brown evolution pokémon began sprinting quickly in direction of the Spheal. When his opponent decided to use a combination of water gun and powder snow, Erza smirked with a bit of sly confidence. Water gun is a straight jet attack - he expected it as much. ”Eevee, to the left! Now, move around until you’re behind Spheal and tackle it!” That easily got rid of the water gun attack. Unfortunately, the powder is still an area attack, so Eevee was caught and damaged in the midst of the snow powder. Frozen, however? Let’s see.
Rory wasn’t about to lose his first ever Pokémon battle, and called out his new tactic to Spheal, ”Qucikly Spheal, use water gun on Eevee when it’s right next to you!” Just as Eevee came in for the tackle, Spheal let out a water gun attack, ”Spheal!”
And neither would Erza! His opponent seemed a little careless, hardly ever commanding Spheal to dodge Eevee's attack. Eevee, who not only was faster but also had the advantage of having Spheal's lowered accuracy help him out, could easily move past the water gun attack because he was actually running around Spheal - not in a straight line. Once his opposing pokémon used once another water gun attack, Eevee moved to forcefully crash against the ice type for a tackle attack! Erza grinned wildly, only making his command when it was time;
"Great, Eevee! Now retreat and use sand attack, then tail whip! Let's distract Spheal until we have the upper hand!"
"Don't fall for it Spheal!" Rory called out to Spheal, "Growl at it, and use powder snow again!"
"Spheal!" Spheal growled at Eevee, following after with powder snow. This time, the wide-area attack was precise! It's a critical hit! Eevee fainted.
Erza's eyes widened as his mouth hanged open. The boy could barely believe that he lost his very first pokémon battle in such a terrible way. Immediately, he dashed all the way towards his Eevee, picking the brown-furred pokémon onto his arms and hugging the tiny creature gently. ""Oh boy, oh boy! I'm so sorry Eevee, I swear we'll do better next time, I promise you!" As the excitement of the battle dissipated and worry took over, Erza looked around searching professor Kalmia. She did mention something about healing their pokémon, yes? The boy quickly moved in direction of the laboratory and possibly to the healing machine - if there was indeed one, that is. Of course, he didn't greet the other trainer that emerged victorious today. It wasn't on purpose, though, he just became too worried about his pokémon.
Rory was victorious! Rory gained 1000 P for winning!
… Not from the pocket of his opponent, as described.
Spheal grew to Level 6!
‘And that’s it!’ Kalmia clasped her hands together after the battle. Some neighbors had actually leaned in to watch the battle from a slight distance, but otherwise were just minding their own business. Kalmia turned to Erza, talking to him after pointing to the machine. It was simply to place the Pokéball at the right place, for some reason, and it’d restore the Pokémon’s health. Makes one wonder what they put in those.
‘Don’t mind it, Erza! Just because of that the start of your journey’s been… a little unfortunate, it doesn’t mean the whole world’s against you! I think! Keep at it!’ She then turned and looked to Rory.
‘And well fought! That got kind of intense. You both got quite the futures ahead of you, I’m sure of it.’ Kalmia looked hopeful. She’d wait for Erza to heal Eevee and then come back, before she handed them both a handful of something each.
Erza obtained 5 Pokéballs!
Rory obtained 5 Pokéballs!
‘Alright, with these, you’re both set. You’re ready to start your own Pokémon journeys. Ask me if you want to find out about the surrounding areas, or you can go explore on your own. Either way…’ She smiled at them. ‘Good luck!’
For now, Erza and Rory are both in Pureplain City.
Pureplain City is placed on the south-west brink of Isson, with the town facing the water and spreading quite far. The further in-town you go, the higher the buildings become, but the suburbs spread quite far. In terms of sheer landmass, it might even compete with Worldedge City, although maybe not in height. Life passes normally within this city. Children grow up alongside their parents in houses in the long, friendly streets. Jobs come from the depths of the town in the taller buildings. Schools grow from the reasonably high amount of children in need of tuition. And of course, there are lots of Pokémon.
In Pureplain City, human and Pokémon work together. Be it for manual labour or just for company, Pureplain houses often contain at least one house-hold Pokémon and there are many Trainer's Schools around the city have always been plentifully attended, not counting the recent drop of embarking trainers due to the Team Wars. In addition, Pureplain Harbor is known as the “Gateway of Isson”, as that’s where all the ferries from outside the region dock, giving life to quite the marketplace. A common attraction of the city is the Super Contest stage, but other than that, Pureplain remains what it has always been. Pure and plain.
1. Find Pokémon. Can still search for Pokémon in towns~ 2. Talk. In cities, there are considerably more people one can talk to. Specify what kind you’re looking for. 3. Exit. Exit the town to any of the connected areas. 4. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 5. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 6. Notable Buildings. Visit any of the facilities of the city! 6.1. Pokémon Center. Heal all your Pokémon. 6.2. PokéMart. Go to a store and buy things. 6.3. Gym. ??? 6.4. Super Contests. Rank 2 / 4. Where hopefuls become idols! 6.5. Trainer’s School. Where young trainers study to become better. Has a little park of wild Pokémon. 6.6. Kalmia’s Lab. You know you’re always welcome. 6.7. Pureplain Harbor. Known as the Gateway of Isson, it has a marketplace and ferries to places. 7. Familiar Faces. Kalmia’s still in front of you, and then you have each other, of course, if you want to talk.
Connected areas: Route 1. Easier path, just follow the bigger road. Route 2. Walk through quite an amount of suburbs until you eventually reach the path. Sea. There’s water, alright. Can take you anywhere you want to go, assuming you have means to traverse it.
There was a delightful relief notable on Erza's face when the Eevee came out of it's pokéball - healthy and ready. The pokémon, however, didn't look quite content. It's cheeks filled with air as it puffed angrily. It made it cute if anything, but it certainly wasn't trying to look cute; anywho, Erza leaned down and the pokémon hoped on his shoulder. The boy moved over to Kalmia, who was handing Rory his pokéballs. Right after that, Erza also earned five pokéballs for him to use. The boy carefully placed them in a small compartment of his satchel, taking a deep breath. Professor Kalmia was right, losing here wasn't the end of the world! Erza thought...
But! It was time. With a respectful nod towards both Kalmia and Rory, Erza began making haste towards Pureplain City. There were some wild pokémon here, surprisingly or not, and Erza would catch at least one of each species he came across before making his way to Route 1. First things first - pokédex. Secondly, pokéballs - Erza kept three in his pocket for easier and quicker access - lastly, he glanced at the Eevee on his shoulder. It didn't seem taken down from their defeat - good! And so, the partners moved ahead to complete their first task; catching something.
And eventually, Erza noticed some movement out of the corner of his eyes. A wild pokémon! The very first encounter of a lifetime of dreaming and mentally living this moment, now flowing in reality much to Erza's delight. The boy crouched slightly down so the Eevee could leap from his shoulder and into the ground without harm. As wild as the pokémon a few meters ahead of Erza, was the smirk latching itself onto his lips. The boy quickly thought over the last battle - this time, he wasn't against a very heavily defensive pokémon, which meant... Eevee could go all out!
Alright, Eevee! We'll get it right this time, right? See that over there? Tackle!" @PlatinumSkink
So, given I was granted some quick-catching freedom, I will actually leave the encounter entirely in our beloved GM's capable hands. Basically, whatever it is, Erza will try to catch it and if he succeeds, he'll move on to search for more pokémon. If he encounters the same kind after catching, he'll battle it for experience - if it's different, he'll try to catch it. At least, that's how I think this will work - if theres anything I must change, just tell me so!
Amelia took the man's advice and bought a dark purple umbrella before heading out onto Route 3. When she found the sign warning others about the Drifloon, she smiled to herself before continuing on her way. It wasn't long before she could sense the Ghost-types and she made a beeline towards them, slowing down once they were in sight. She got under the tree and moved her umbrella so she could properly look at the group of Balloon Pokémon. She gave them a kind smile before speaking. "Hello there my friends. Might I have a word with you?" She asked them, hoping she wouldn't get dragged into another battle like she had with Pumpkaboo's older brother. But, pokemon came in many different temperaments, so one could never be too sure how conversations with them could go. Just had to hope and pray.
Lucian gave a short smirk at the rather ridiculous pose Ducklett had taken when the pokemon noticed his presence. In response Lucian very slowly put his left hand forwards and began to speak just as slowly "You're trainer asked me to come and get you. Now I'm going to call your trainer and find out where they are so I can return you to her. Okay?"
Assuming he wasn't attacked by Ducklett in a wild frenzy, Lucian slowly reached for his pokedex with his right hand and used it to contact Mia with the number she'd gave him "Hello? This is Lucian speaking, I've found your Ducklett after a run in with those trainers you spoke of. Tell me where you are and I'll return him, I also have a few questions about what those trainers said but that can wait." Lucian said, still holding the pokedex close to his ear like a phone and holding his hand out as if trying to keep Ducklett at a safe distance. Houndour was simply sitting behind Lucian and watching the entire scenario with amusement in his eyes.
