Dawkin exhaled in disappointment at seeing the attack had been too powerful and directly knocked the Pichu out. He hadn't expected it to be that effective. Regardless the rest of the electric Pokémon in the area had ran except for the two that had tried to attack Wooper, ineffectively at that. Hm, they might just run about seeing their attacks not work. Did Dawkin think he could convince them to join him? Not likely after he had drawn first blood so to speak. If he didn't catch a Pichu here it was more likely that he would run into a stronger Sawsbuck. Battle was a tried and true method and he would use it as such. "Wooper, use water gun on the right Pichu." Wooper gave a little hop in acknowledgment and puckered her lips, sending out a blast of water at one of the Pichus. Releasing Atlas at this point would probably just scare them off more and not help much in capturing them, if they ran Atlas probably wasn't nimble enough to help stop them much.
Atlas Gender: Male Type: Steel/Rock Species: Aron Level: 11 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, Metal Claw Ability: Sturdy. Allows the pokemon to survive an attack that would otherwise knock it out. Held Item:
Gender: Female Type: Water/Ground Personality: Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Level: 9 Moves: Water Gun, Tail Whip, Mud Sport, Mud Shot Ability: Water Absorb, will regain health upon being hit with a water-type move. Held Item: None.
As one can perhaps tell from the name, Slowpoke is slow. Meaning, as long as Sprout was seriously intending to stay away from the opposing Pokémon, Slowpoke would never be able to catch up. Sprout could jump about in the little area the battle was taking place in, and Slowpoke could but turn and attempt to catch up, but was too slow. Slowpoke, belatedly, noticed this and decided to change tactics as it felt its health being drained.
‘Sloooooooooooow…!’ The Slowpoke stopped, faced Sprout, and yawned. Sprout actually felt the air being taken in from the yawn, and in the same moment a deep drowsiness took shape within him, lying heavy on his mind. Sprout is feeling drowsy!
This was, however, around the time when Martin felt the time was right to throw the Pokéball he held. It flew, and Slowpoke wasn’t mobile in any way so the ball easily hit the pink Pokémon.
‘… poke.’ Slowpoke commented before being transferred into the Pokéball, which bounced on the cavern floor before coming to a stop.
It shook once. It shook twice…
… It shook thrice.
click
Martin captured Slowpoke!
Gender: ♀ Type: Water/Psychic Personality: (Up to player.) Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: (Up to player.) Level: 5 Moves: Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl Ability: Oblivious. Cannot become infatuated. Held Item: King’s Rock
Around 39% health at this moment.
New Pokémon caught! Martin earned 1250 P!
Would you like to give a nickname to Slowpoke?
… And with that then done with, Martin’s still in the little room with Slowpokes fishing in the dark water-hole leading to who knows where. They hadn’t even noticed a small battle had taken place, it seemed like. Sprout was a number of seconds from falling asleep due to Slowpoke’s Yawn.
Jacques inspected the ghosts that had come out for a bit as they ate, though noted Pumpkaboo coming up to inspect his hat. With what almost seemed like supernatural reflexes, a hand came up and grabbed the hat as it was knocked, lifting it off his head in the direction away from the ghost’s knock to protect it from damage. From there, though, Jacques simply held the hat extended in that direction, like a magician that just finished his trick. So it was as he held it that Pumpkaboo then could then explore inside it. After a couple of the surprised cries, Jacques turned the hat upside down and lowered it to give the ghost his freedom, after which he just smiled with Amelia’s amusement and placed the hat on the table, upside-down.
‘Ha-ha. The hardships of managing a bunch of Pokémon. I know them all. But they’re so worth it~!’ Charl commented happily on Amelia’s efforts to keep Phantump from drifting off and scaring people, as well as Pumpkaboo’s exploration.
Meanwhile, Jacques was considering Amelia’s answer.
‘Truly.’ He commented, looking at her. ‘Very well. Then I’ve learned what I want to know for this time. Perhaps you’d like to visit the Known Ruins, on an island south of your home, one day? I’m curious to what you’d feel there…’ Jacques mused as he finished his meal. He was… actually pretty quick. ‘I have a few things that I may be looking into, a few people I want to ask questions. Charl, I’ll be coming back for you later. Consider what I’ve asked of you.’ Jacques said, looking to Charl, who nodded back. Then Jacques turned to Amelia again.
‘So. Other than that, Amelia of Witchpeak. Is there anything you’d wish to ask of me?’ He smirked as he asked, while keeping part of his attention on his vulnerable hat.
Alberto laughed silently in happiness while attempting to pick up Ralias, meanwhile Lucia was noticing the clones attempting to climb on her and took a very determined step away from them, staring down at them with an unappreciating stare of “don’t”. Her passive expression didn’t entirely show it, but it was clear she didn’t appreciate it.
‘Oh, okay.’ Alberto simply said when Claire said she had to go. He smiled happily at being hugged by Ralia, before the clones vanished. That’s when he suddenly got an alarmed expression. ‘Wait, I don’t think I caught your… name…’ He asked, his voice trailing as Claire bolted, not allowed to entirely finish before she was away. ‘W-we’ll see you later!’ He yelled after, before being left with Lucia. … It’s around now that he started considering the later words of Claire, and he and Lucia exchanged a glance, but any words they said now was out of any even extended hearing range of Claire’s.
‘Hmpf. If we practiced in Dreamer Studios, they’d probably spy on us and then tell their sponsored coordinators behind the scenes! Nope! We practice somewhere secure!’ Yvonne declared with chin raised as she walked quickly when Claire caught up. ‘But, aiming to become the new and true Queen of Contests? Dethrone Valerie, become greater than she ever was?’ Yvonne gave a short, silent laugh. ‘Ho-ho-ho. Good luck with that. But, good that you’re not trying to make an All-Star. There are fundamental problems with trying to have a Pokémon win both Cute and Tough categories at the same time.’ She nods, as if agreeing with herself, as she continues.
‘Very well. Let’s have a Clever Contest.’ Yvonne smirked as she said.
‘Where Tough matches are simply about feats of strength, Beautiful is all about the pure visual appeal, Cool are about making the Pokémon themselves as awe-inspiring as possible, and Cute…’ Yvonne shuddered in her step. ‘… I’m still working on that one.’ There was a bit of bitterness in her voice there.
‘BUT, a Clever Contest is much more like a Pokémon Battle. The goal is to limit the opponent’s ability to make moves, use your resourcefulness to break out of traps made by your enemy and stun the public with strategies they wouldn’t be able to think of. All moves can qualify as “Clever” moves if used appropriately. But don’t, actually, hit. Prove you’re superior without actually hurting the opponent’s Pokémon. The Clever audiences does not appreciate shows of destruction. Show that you CAN end the battle instantly, that you’re in full control, but don’t actually do it. The smarter you look while doing it and the dumber you make your enemies look, the better.’ Yvonne smirked. ‘Of course, in an actual contest there’ll be four competitors. That’ll be fun.’
As she was describing, they wandered out of Redcoast City and onto Route 11.
Route 11
Those heading to Route 11 by any other route than from Rainrock may receive a warning of the weather conditions by the clouds gathering overhead to release before climbing over Mt. Strength. Route 11 is comprised mainly of one big road leading in-between Rainrock City and Redcoast City, two cities with very close ties and bonds due to many reasons. Aside from the main road there are farmlands below as well as plenty of small patches of forests and plains around, all under the spotty clouds that sometimes shower the area in a blanket of light rain, sometimes shine down with a hopeful sun through the cracks in the sky but mostly both at the same time.
Route 11 is somewhat of a crossroad. To the east lies Rainrock City, and the path there leads on an incline to the high altitude of the mountain-laid city from the coastal Redcoast City in the west. Should one decide that one does not wish to head in either direction, the path north to Route 12 exists and is considered the main road to bigger places like Bigfjord or Worldedge City or perhaps out over the seas of Route 27. Route 11 is also fairly known for a high amount of abandoned buildings, as those who lived in them moved to neighboring cities in recent times. They stand, looming, free to explore for those who rejoices in emptiness. But, one famous building that perhaps isn’t as abandoned is the Pokéball Factory in the north-east, just off-road in the direction of Route 12.
The route is decently well-trafficked, with trainers and others coming down from Route 12 to Rainrock or Redcoast or onwards, and as such trainers might want to stay off the main road. Plenty of side-roads, though. Due to the rains many hurry past these terrains… but perhaps they’re missing out on a few rare Pokémon in the process?
Connected areas: Redcoast City. Right behind you. Rainrock City. Requires crossing Route 11, but it’s a pretty well-travelled and safe road. Route 12. Requires crossing Route 11 on the way north, also pretty well-travelled. Pokéball Factory. A turn east on the path north should bring you there.
It currently wasn’t raining, thankfully enough, but the clouds above warned it could start anew at any moment. Yvonne headed in the direction of the abandoned buildings and then sought out one that was open, finding what appeared to be an office building that stood with doors open. There weren’t really any damage, people had just left. Meaning there was a bunch of furniture, no lit lights and no support for the lights, and overall just kinda dark. This didn’t seem to stop Yvonne, though, who started shoving tables and benches to the side so she could open up a wide enough space for Pokémon shenanigans in the middle.
‘So. With all the rules of a Clever Contest on the line, I’m going to show you my Cool and Clever champion.’ Yvonne grabbed a Pokéball and turned to smirk in Claire’s direction. She had utmost confidence in the contents of that Pokéball. ‘This should constitute for practice of that particular form of Contests, now, shouldn’t it? Do you accept?’ She asked, looking to Claire inside the unlit building, with the assumption she had followed and stayed that long.
Completely ignoring the two Pikachus, Wooper turned and sent out a Water Gun at one of the fleeing Pichus. The targeted Pichu was unable to retreat out of the way quickly enough, and was hit by the stream of water and sent into a tree. This time, though, the Pichu didn’t faint. It was considerably damaged, but was able to stand up on four limbs and start dashing again.
Now, Pichus and Pikachus are actually pretty fast. Meaning, by the time Wooper had hit, there was no more time before Pichu would vanish out of sight if Dawkin didn’t engage in pursuit. Wooper was too slow to actually catch up with the small yellow rodent, but Dawkin should be able to keep equal pace, but it might be difficult to hit the little critter with a Pokéball mid-run. And, there were still two Pikachus that were watching, though they had stopped bolting.
Goldeen Gender: Female Type:Water Moves: Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack. Ability: Water Veil. Prevents burns Level: 8 Held Item: None Status: Perfectly fine.
Gender:Female Type: Water/Psychic Moves: Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl Ability: Oblivious. Level: 5 Held Item: King's Rock Status: 39% health
5,078 Pokedollars Antidote X1 Awakening Endless Forest Map Escape Rope Great Ball King's Rock X2 Paralyze Heal Pokeball X4 Potion X2 Rare Candy Repel X2 Super potion X3 Water Stone
It was a fight. Martin wanted to say a serious fight, but as expected from a Slowpoke, it was a game of waiting. Sprout was falling alseep, and he caught one. The part that had him questioning was that this Slowpoke already had a King's Rock on it. Now he had two of them. Okay, so he could try and find the other one on the list that this was for, or consider for selling. Or, he could give that girl one back. "Sprout, you did a good job out there, take a nap and come back." Sprout didn't bother looking back, as his eyes were fighting to stay open as the flash of red light called him back.
That fight was easy, and there was no work to find the Pokemon. Was it due to good planning, or good luck? Checking his list of Pokemon, he still had the pond to look at. Nincada was to clear Zubats, while Sprout and Slowpoke were out. So he had one more to use for this choice. "Goldeen, come on out." With a flash of light, Goldeen appeared in the air, diving into the water. After a few seconds, she came back up. "Goldeen, I need you to check out the water below you. Check if there's any underwater areas with air to breath down there and come back. I'm feeling lucky for diving." With that command, Goldeen went down into the water. Martin took a few steps back and sat down. The Slowpokes here didn't even notice the fight. What a Pokemon to live life in the slow lane. The one he caught already had the King's Rock, maybe it was looking to evolve?
Action: Use Goldeen to check out the Underwater Caves.
"Actually, I was planning on making my way to the Known Ruins tomorrow. I don't know how long it'll take, but I want to explore them myself. A women named Laurinda directed me to them and I figured I'd follow through on her advice. I'm hoping to find Goletts and Yamask there. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll find a few other Ghost-types as well. It'll be fun to explore." Amelia said to Jacques, giving him a pleasant smile. She briefly considered asking if Jacques could take her but decided not to, figuring he had more important things to attend to rather then escorting one mere trainer to some ruins. Turning back to her meal, she finished it while thinking over of any questions she might want to ask the Elite Four member. None coming to mind, she finished her meal before getting all her partners back into their pokeballs and stood up. "I have nothing to ask at this time. I thank you for the meal though and hopefully I'll see you both again."
Dawkin shook his head and immediately ran forward after the Pichu. The watergun should have slowed it down enough that it probably couldn't escape. Now at this point one might question why Dawkin didn't go after the two stationary Pikachus in front of him. Well that was because Dawkin wanted to make a point and to do that he needed to catch a Pichu. In addition he'd set his sights on a goal; and when that happened he could be a little single minded. Of course he was aware that the two Pikachus might take it into their minds to attack him if he directly ignored him, but if he dealt with them he'd lose track of the Pichu. "If you don't mind, I'll be on my way." Dawkin said plainly to the two Pokémon observing him and tried to run after the Pichu, internally bracing to receive a sudden electric shock from behind. If not for the fact that he had two Repels on hand he would've dismissed this as utterly stupid, it still wasn't exactly a brilliant plan. He wanted that Pichu, even if he had to run it down!
Atlas Gender: Male Type: Steel/Rock Species: Aron Level: 11 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, Metal Claw Ability: Sturdy. Allows the pokemon to survive an attack that would otherwise knock it out. Held Item:
Gender: Female Type: Water/Ground Personality: Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Level: 9 Moves: Water Gun, Tail Whip, Mud Sport, Mud Shot Ability: Water Absorb, will regain health upon being hit with a water-type move. Held Item: None.
9213P Antidote x1 pokeball x1 Focus Band x1 Power-Up Punch
Badge Collection: Challenge Badge - Redcoast Town, Hector. Minor League.
"Awww, someone can be both cute and tough." Claire replied with a light giggle. "I like to think of myself as both, heh." Ralia giggled where she was sitting on Claire's head, patting her in a playful, almost cheeky seeming manner. Claire didn't seem to notice, and instead followed swiftly after Yvonne. "Buuut a clever contest? Yvonne, you're going to get rekt harder than a level 1 magikarp fighting a level 100 Raichu." She smirked confidently, Ralia giving the other girl a bright grin as she laid on top of Claire, propping her head up with her arms. "But hey, if you wanna see me at my best...then lets do it, yeah?"
This...actually posed a problem though. She had been considering which pokemon to use for what contest for awhile now. She had already decided Ralia was going to be Beauty. Ritz was likely going to be Cute, after all that little bug was absolutely adorable! No one could say no to his little face. That left Del and Lure. She wasn't likely to use Del in a contest because she already had the rest of her bases covered. And who was supposed to be covering the Clever contest?
....well.
She thumbed over the pokeball containing Lure in her pocket. She supposed she could switch Ralia with Clever and have her both own the Clever and Beauty titles, but that just didn't feel right. If anything, Ralia would be a good candidate for getting being the superstar contest in all of the categories...but one step at a time, Claire. Lets see if she could convince the little annoying bug.
"Hey, give me a second alright? Gotta appeal to a bugs ego and manipulate them into doing what I want. Wow that sounded bad." She said, pulling Ralia off of her head. The small pokemon protested only a little as its little red throne was taken from her, quickly finding someone else to play with. Ralia ran over to Yvonne, staring up at her with a grin and pulling on her pants leg, starting to follow the other girl around. "I'll be juuuust a second! Go find us a place to have a practice match." Claire ran a few steps away from the other girl, pulling Lure's pokeball from her pocket and releasing the little bug.
"Bee-!" Who immediately complained, as if someone had interrupted her beauty sleep.
"Hey there, Lure." Lure turned its six little eyes towards Claire, immediately narrowing them at the human.
"Bee." "Human."
"Sooo....you're a beautiful, clever little bug, aint'cha?" Lure's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Combee. Combee! Bee-!?" "I shall be the most beautiful and cleverest bug in the forest-"
"Right, so..." Claire threw an arm over the bugs head, holding her under her arm as she spoke and interrupted the bug. "You know what a contest is? Basically a thing that determines how officially cute, clever, tough, cool, or beautiful a pokemon is." Claire stated in a fairly nonchalant manner.
"....bee." It gave the redhead a long look, questioning where this was going.
"So, problem is, you gotta have a pokemon and a human team."
"..."
"Aaaannnnd you're in no shape to try and actually do those things."
"Combee."
"Yep, that's exactly what I'm suggesting. You want to be the queen bee, and I want to be the queen bee. Soooo...how's about for a bit you behave your little bug butt and we work towards this common goal of ours, hmm?~"
"...combee." "I hate you but your logic is impeccable."
"Great, glad you agree! So, for starters...lets have you watch a practice contest."
"Bee..."
"Greeeat, see! We'll be besties in no time." Claire said, patting Combee on the head, who immediately blasted a gust of air in her face. "You keep blasting me with air, but I can tell you like me you grumpy little bug."
"Combee."
"Fine, fine!" Claire chuckled, walking back over to Yvonne.
"Hey, ready when you are. Found us a place to practice yet? I'll let Ralia play with you and whoever your pokemon is. And don't mind the bug. She'll be observing the practice match. You can ignore any snarky remarks she makes."
Martin sent out Goldeen into the water, and she descended into the well-like water-hole. It was dark, but small flashes of light guided the way. Descending deeper, the pressure rose, and the area opened up. It was a large, underwater cavern, and it was probably a bit deeper than the average human would like to attempt diving. The small flashes of light which actually slightly lit the place up…
The angler Pokémon secure territories, and would become hostile to Goldeen should she draw too close, which would be terrible because they’d be attacking with Electro Balls. In any case. The underwater cavern itself is not very meaningful itself, it’s an underwater area with some Pokémon living in it and some seaweed in the bottom.
Now, as a water-Pokémon, Goldeen would have immediately noticed that the water here was seawater when other water in the cavern was freshwater from the lake. She could clearly sense a current where there was a passage out to the sea southwards. Said current brought with it food and fish that flowed into the cavern and, with nowhere else to go, floated up to the room where the Slowpokes were fishing. It was a trap built of natural(?) cavern formation that the Slowpokes were taking advantage of for maximum food for minimum effort. Fish zapped by the angler Pokémon would also be drifting up there, free for the Slowpokes to feed on.
Regardless, there was one more exit. A place in the opposite direction to the exit out to the sea, northwards. There was a cave. A pitch-black cave, leading out further than she could see if she stuck out her head. It was hot and dark, and Goldeen was unable to see further into the dark cave to tell what could possibly be awaiting in the depths. But, it didn’t FEEL like it was the Wet Caverns anymore.
In any case, it was somewhat optimistic for a human to attempt diving to these depths on their own. However, if holding onto Goldeen, perhaps she could guide him there. If she didn’t mind being held onto.
‘Laurinda, hm. Oh… oh, I see.’ Jacques nodded to Amelia, his eyes trailing her Pokémon a little. Then, soon enough, they were done with the meal and such. Jacques paid for all of it, and left a fairly generous tip, before standing up and retrieving his hat.
‘Very well. I have a few things I’m going to want to research a little about, if you don’t mind me possibly seeking you out in the future. I wish you luck on your journey. Until next time, young Amelia.’ He bowed to her, then cast a quick look at Charl. ‘I’ll be back for you.’
‘Yes, sir!’ Charl flinched at being addressed, and then Jacques would be wandering on his way.
So, now, besides Charl still being there, Amelia was free to do what she wanted again.
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.
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. 7. Jacques technically still here, if you forgot something.
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.
The two Pikachu hesitated and then retreated in two different directions as Dawkin started chasing the Pichu. Apparently, after electric shocks turned ineffective they lost the will to fight.
It should be noted that mice are naturally developed to get to safety in a forest. That said, Pichu is yellow for whatever indiscernible reason, probably to warn other Pokémon of their electric potential, but it was doing it a considerable disservice here as Dawkin could easily pursue it. Pichu was slowed from being damaged, but it seemed to have a destination as it dashed past a tree and another tree and-
The Pichu dashed up the leg of a Sawsbuck, who simply stood majestically and turned his head to the little parasite running up his leg and standing on his back. Pichu proceeded to turn towards Dawkin, and…
‘PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICH~!’ … Stuck out a tongue and pulled at the lower part of its right eyelid at him.
Sawsbuck, looking exceedingly disinterested, shook his body absently like if he had tried to dry himself after being wet.
‘P-pichu…!’ Pichu lost balance and fell down behind the two-meter-tall stag. Sawsbuck proceeded to slowly wander in the direction that was to Dawkin’s right, but the stag’s indifference didn’t prevent Pichu from giving Dawkin the evil eye and trying to hide behind the legs of the Pokémon.
Yvonne simply smirked at Claire’s claims. She nodded to Ralia and Claire as they smiled at one another, and then continued with what she was doing with opening a wide enough space inside this building to set the stage for this little show. She only paid the slightest attention as Claire engaged Lure in conversation, and then soon enough she had managed to move enough things to give themselves a room to play in. Leftover furniture, tables, chairs and the like had been moved to the sides, and now there was room to play. A light rainfall started outside, and it should be noted neither lights nor heating worked inside the building. It may be somewhat cold, the air a bit damp from the rain now and sunlight unable to reach the surface due to light clouds. That said, it could otherwise be interpreted as cozy.
‘Yeah, I figured you’d use her.’ Yvonne eventually settled, looking at Ralia. She did look to Lure, a little perplexed as to that relationship, but chose to dismiss it. There had been the chance she was wrong, after all, not that it would have mattered. Yvonne smirked, once again, lifting the Pokéball.
‘Alright. This one is my representative of Cool and Clever. Stefan! Let’s go!’ She lobbed the ball, and it hit the floor with a flash of light. Out treaded a white quadruped covered in fur, but its claws, tail and face notably dark, including an odd horn that curved like a blade on the right side of the head, a glare of red eyes forward at Claire and Ralia.
Pokédex Entry #359 – Absol, the Disaster Pokémon. It lives in mountainous regions and don’t often leave them. Its horn senses impending disasters, so it’s known to come down to warn people. In the past, it was misunderstood and thought to be an ill bringer of harm, and many still feel uncomfortable with it. It has a notably long lifespan.
‘Absol.’ The Pokémon stated, affirming his presence. Yvonne breathed out a breath she had been holding in since before she sent out the Pokémon, and she looked visibly proud.
‘Yeah. Sorry about this.’ Yvonne started off with.
‘In the appeal round of any contest, the Pokémon are to make moves in a specific order. Now, other Pokémon are allowed to make counter-moves if they’re being targeted, Clever’s a bit different since the Pokémon will actually be attempting to achieve superiority above one another, but still. The one to make the first move will be decided from the votes of the audience in the primary judging, the one with most votes gets to move first and so on. So…’ She then looked and smirked at Lure.
‘Who does our audience think seem the most clever?’ Yvonne asked the bug, gesturing between the two competitors, Ralia the Ralts and Stefan the Absol.
Stefan calmly turned his head to look with sharp eyes towards Lure… before making a brief Huff sound of breathing out in slightly scoffing manner, before turning to stare at Ralia, limbs in a stance showing he was ready to make a move.
Goldeen Gender: Female Type:Water Moves: Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack. Ability: Water Veil. Prevents burns Level: 8 Held Item: None Status: Perfectly fine.
Slowpoke Gender:Female Type: Water/Psychic Moves: Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl Ability: Oblivious. Level: 5 Held Item: King's Rock Status: 39% health
5,078 Pokedollars Antidote X1 Awakening Endless Forest Map Escape Rope Great Ball King's Rock X2 Paralyze Heal Pokeball X4 Potion X2 Rare Candy Repel X2 Super potion X3 Water Stone
Martin had nothing to do but wait while Goldeen was gone. So he looked around the area, leaving the Slowpoke alone. He was pretty sure he could put a rock on one of them and it would take a few moments to notice, but decided against it. He was up to four Pokemon now, and was hopeful to go diving through water, as he was already getting used to trudging through water in these caves. It took a few minutes before Goldeen had come back up from the water with martin standing up again. He walked over to Goldeen, taking a seat to talk to her.
"What do you think, is there anything worth diving for?" Goldeen gave a small jump in the air, looking quite pleased with herself. Hitting the water, she splashed Martin.
"I'll take that as a yes. Do you think you could take me?" Goldeen stood still for a few seconds, was she thinking about it? Eventually, she swam in circles, diving down and coming back up.
"Cool, I trust you won't drown me. At least at that point, splashing me won't matter anymore. I'm pretty sure I can do a minute at the most for holding my breath, you sure it's possible?" Goldeen looked pretty optimistic, almost beckoning him to try it. "This is gonna be a great story, even if it goes wrong. Alright, I'm treating for a good meal after this. Come on, Goldeen. We got a place to explore."
Martin was never one to back down from exploring, even when it was unknown what was waiting. All he needed was to hear it's possible, and the rest didn't matter. That's how he got to Pureplain, and that's how became a trainer. He climbed onto Goldeen, quite awkwardly. Slipping off her back, he went into the water. Goldeen dove under him and lifted him the surface, mocking him with feigned struggle to stay afloat. "Okay, laugh it up. This is my first time trying to ride a Pokemon. I'll just hold onto you, so take me down there."
Action: Use Goldeen to dive into the water and go down the underwater cave.
9213P Antidote x1 pokeball x1 Focus Band x1 Power-Up Punch
Badge Collection: Challenge Badge - Redcoast Town, Hector. Minor League.
"Ooh, an Absol!" Claire had never actually seen one before. Not in person at least. She gave the pokemon and Yvonne a bright grin. "Well, I'll give you credit for that lovely coat of his." She gave a smug smirk. "But clever? Well, we'll see just how clever this little Absol is...but uh," she glanced over to Combee. "I guess I don't have much of a choice if she's the audience." Claire rubbed the back of her neck nervously.
"...combee?" Lure seemed incredulous that she was being called upon to determine who was the most clever. Obviously out of all people in the room, she was the most cleverest and beautifullest. Saying that to another pokemon? Preposterous! Hmm, but if she had to choose....she glanced over to Ralia. Weeelll, the small psychic type still owed her a jar of honey...maybe she could bribe more out of her if she gave her a headstart? "Bee." It gave a jerk of its head towards Ralia.
"...pfft!" Claire let out a relieved chuckle. "Wooow, alright I guess she means me then!"
"RRrralts!~" Ralia grinned over at Stefan.
"So I guess that means I get the first move, then?~" Claire grinned. "Alright then...Ralia, double team."
Immediately, Ralia complied, splitting herself into several illusory clones.
"I wouldn't mind if you decided to pay me a visit, though I'm not sure I'm worthy of the honor Sir. It was a pleasure to talk to you and thank you for the meal." Amelia said, giving Jacques a kind smile. Once the man had left, Pumpkaboo letting out a sad cry now that his new toy was gone, Amelia returned her pokemon to their pokeballs and stood up, turning to face Charl. "It was a pleasure talk to you as well Mr. Charl. Take care."
With that, Amelia left the restaurant and headed to the pokemon center. She would get herself a room for the night and once she had it, she let her pokemon out of their pokeballs before preparing for bed. She was mentally exhausted and a bit tired physically as well. Once she was ready, she climbed into bed, her partners joining her, with Shuppet, Phantump, Litwick, and Pumpkaboo nestling in her arms while Driffloon seemed content to just float right above her.
When she finally woke up closer to noon, she got up and got ready for the day, grabbing a light meal at the pokemon center before heading to Highhill Town's docks. She planned on taking a ferry down to Lakewatch Town before heading to Route 5 for the first part of her trip to Old Tombs. She also planned on visiting the Known Ruins but one thing at a time. So for now, she was sitting on the dock, wearing a dark red shirt to go with her jeans today, his bare feet hovering over the water as she waited for the boat, her pokemon also watching it with some manner of curiosity around her.
A growl slipped out of Dawkin as he saw the Pichu mock him in the relative safety of the Sawsbuck. Dawkin spent a moment considering what to do. A grin filled with resolve crossed his face. "Fine, you want to play hardball? Let's play." Dawkin released both his Pokémon and gave them orders. "Whooper, water gun Pichu; Atlas, Headbutt Sawsbuck away from Pichu." The two Pokémon immediately leapt into action, Atlas aiming to shove the Sawsbuck away and Whooper aiming to weaken the Pichu more. As soon as the water gun landed, or if it did, Dawkin would immediately follow up by throwing a Pokeball. Maybe he'd catch a Sawsbuck too while he was at it. That being said... Dawkin made sure he had his repel at the ready. He might be confident but he wasn't stupid, if it looked like the fight wasn't going his way he was more than ready to break out the repel and book it. But for right now, he had already committed to going this far. All in.
Atlas Gender: Male Type: Steel/Rock Species: Aron Level: 11 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, Metal Claw Ability: Sturdy. Allows the pokemon to survive an attack that would otherwise knock it out. Held Item:
Gender: Female Type: Water/Ground Personality: Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Level: 9 Moves: Water Gun, Tail Whip, Mud Sport, Mud Shot Ability: Water Absorb, will regain health upon being hit with a water-type move. Held Item: None.
Grabbing onto Goldeen, they dove underwater. They descended into the darker area, lit only by the small lights of Pokémon down there among the depths. Not that Martin could see very clearly, without the proper tools to see underwater combined with this general darkness, but nevertheless, should he aim a Pokédex at the creature he would find the device pretty waterproof and more than willing to provide him with information.
Pokédex Entry #170 – Chinchou, the Angler Pokémon. It is known to live on dark ocean floors where sunlight doesn’t reach. It is capable of discharging electricity from the antenna tips to shock prey or attackers, but it also uses the flashes of electricity to communicate to others of its kind, usually in order to claim their respective turfs.
Now, regardless of if he was actually interested in them or not, it wasn’t like he could take a moment’s pause given his limited air-supply. They swam by, and as they came deeper it could be asked just how deep they were actually going. There was somewhat of a current going on here… but anyways. Martin eventually could meet the water-surface once again, and get up on dryer land.
And here… he reached… … … …
Vast Underground
This is not the end of the road. This is a beginning of a road. Beyond this point, the caverns are dark, potentially threatening, who knows what lurks beyond? In the distance, you hear echoing. It’s hot, how deep are you? The way these caverns stretch, they must be going underneath Dragon Lake. And they stretch on and on, giving no form of hints as to what sort of life-forms might be lurking within. This is not a venture to get to a destination anymore, it’s a journey into the unknown. There is nobody who can tell you what might await deeper in these caves. Now, then.
It’ll be dark if you keep going without some form of light to guide the way. But, aside from that. What does Martin want to do now?
Yvonne smirked proudly at Claire’s first note of amazement, clearly proud of her Pokémon. She received a raised eyebrow at the questioning of how clever he could be, though. Anyways, the attention was on Lure… who gestured at Ralia.
‘Ooo.’ Yvonne made a pretending noise of being hurt by the decision, while Stefan stood resolute, showing no particular reaction. ‘Yeah, that’s what I figured you’d do. Now, then. Stefan, Taunt, then prepare.’
The Absol leaned back to stretch its legs, before looking towards Ralia’s copies with a confident smirk. ‘Ab-sol.’ He claimed, which somehow translates to the worst possible insult potentially imaginable as uttered by a Pokémon to another.
The move is basically an emotional manipulation, drawing towards anger. It’ll make logical reasoning harder. No problem if you’re aiming for destructive effects, but…
Of course, a reasonably intelligent Pokémon will know they’re under the influence of Taunt, and can fight it.
Yvonne and Stefan both looked intently to Claire and Ralia after that. That… was round one out of four, since there’s only two of them.
Jacques gave her a final nod with a hand on his hat before he left, throwing down a Pokéball on the street right outside, and suddenly a dinosaur with huge wings was standing outside as Jacques was stepping up on its back.
Pokédex Entry #142 – Aerodactyl, the Fossil Pokémon. A Pokémon who roamed the skies in the age of dinosaurs, it has today been regenerated from genetic material found in amber. It’s a savage creature that is known to go for the throats of opponents with its sharp claws.
Soon enough, the creature waved its wings and Jacques was on his way.
‘Well, there he goes…’ Charl said, somewhat in awe. Then Amelia gave her goodbyes to him as well, and he smiled back. ‘Oh, yes. If you ever want my help, you’ll know where to find me! Have a good trip!’ Charl told her with a wide smile and waved to her. ‘Charmander!’ His little fire-Pokémon called out from the side, waving to her as well.
Then she slept for the night, and onto the next day.
She headed down to the docks, where she could look out over the Dragon Lake. And… well…
Route 14
It is most certainly a lake. A vast lake, that’d no doubt take quite a long time to walk around. The cliffs of Mt. Strength and Mt. Chill rises beyond the lake, and to the south are the cliffs that houses the Wet Caverns. Everywhere around the Dragon Lake lies forests, to the west and north and south, at the bases of the mountains and past. The surface of the water looks so peaceful, but way out there you know are the islands and creeks where dragons are known to roam. The places which the lake gets its name. Rain clouds are gathered in the north-west, over Route 3, as usual.
Also at the docks are numerous fishermen, fishing at the docks. While Amelia sits there, dangling her feet over the waters while waiting for the ferry, she may suddenly notice one of the fishermen approaching her.
‘Hey, yer just gonna sit there? I figure yer waiting for ther ferry, but there’s gotta be more to do than just sittin’ there. Here, take this.’
Amelia was offered the Old Rod!
If she wanted it, that is. The rod is collapsable so it can take way less room than it would extended, but the quality is a little lacking. Still a fine and, by the looks of it, experienced fishing rod, however.
‘Ye can have her. I’ve got better ones. Enjoy yer trip.’ Apparently with his job considered done, the fisherman turned and walked back to his buddies.
So that happened. Now, eventually the ferry would appear, offering a ride to either Lakewatch Town or Stillwood Village.
Pichu, noticing the attack coming for it, hid behind Sawsbuck’s legs. … The Sawsbuck moved his legs, not really feeling like getting wet.
‘Chu-!’ Pichu had time for a short, panicked cry before being struck back by another Water Gun, hitting a tree again, and then Dawkin threw his Pokéball. It flew in and struck the pained Pichu on the head, and then the ball fell onto the forest floor and stopped.
It shoo-
-k once, shook twice, shook thrice.
click
Dawkin captured Pichu!
Gender: ♂ Type: Electric Personality: (Up to player.) Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: (Up to player.) Level: 5 Moves: Thundershock, Charm, Tail Whip Ability: Static, may paralyze other Pokémon on contact. Held Item: None.
Around 4% health at this moment.
New Pokémon caught! Dawkin earned 2200 P!
Would you like to give a nickname to Pichu?
… Then something went flying inches past his face, and Dawkin might belatedly realize that was his other Pokémon that just flew into a tree in way too many miles per hour.
It’s Super Effective!
Atlas fainted!
… Ya, no. Did you know Sawsbuck happens to know Double Kick?
Sawsbuck slowly lowered the leg he had just used to kick Atlas across the meadow with, before he turned and glared angrily at Dawkin, feet in a fighting stance. A green ball of energy slowly started to take shape between the two great antlers, the Energy Ball swirling with grass-type energy as Sawsbuck clearly didn’t entirely appreciate being attacked, and was gathering for one of the more powerful moves it knew.
But the Pokéball with Pichu still lies over there beside him.
‘Zubat! Supersonic! Suuuuuuuupersooooooooniiiiiiic…!’ Joshua called, pointing at a Pidgeotto that was trying to blow a whirlwind down into their trench. Zubat was quick to turn and send the signals into the bird-Pokémon, confusing it. For a few tense moments it looked like Pidgeotto would still be able to get his Whirlwind off the direction he intended… until he tipped, but still managed to Whirlwind. It was just, instead of Whirlwinding them, he instead managed to Whirlwind one of his absent-minded companion-birds.
‘Pidgeo-!?’ The Pidgeotto exclaimed, looking towards the offending confused Pidgeotto, before sending his own Whirlwind back at him. The Pidgeotto wasn’t confused enough not to realize he was targeted, and dove off into the water to avoid being hit. That, however, mean the Pidgeotto behind HIM was hit with the next Whirlwind, who glared back angrily, and…
Before they knew the word of it, it was a whole war of the birds going on, with angry Pidgeottos flying all over the place sending Whirlwinds scouring through the room, while Erika, Joshua and Ewan could but crouch in their trench and hope Gibs could dig a bit faster. By the end of it, some idiot managed to hit Pidgeot with a Whirlwind, the adult Pokémon not taking too kindly to this and promptly ended the whole battle with a massive Whirlwind of his own, which sent all the other Pidgeottos scrambling into the wall on the other side while Pidgeot sat with a pleased smirk on his perch. This was roughly when Erika and co found their way to the exit.
It was locked, but there was a place to enter a password. Ewan just threw the scroll they had painstakingly collected a glance (while returning Duessel to his Pokéball) before he typed it in. ‘“The Trail Master is Amazing”,’ he recounted as he typed.
click
The door opened, and they could pass through.
In the end, they found a little cozy hole in a cave. There were mattresses all over the floor, there was a TV standing on a little desk over there, there was a fridge and judging by the contents of the nearby trash can it was shock-full of candy and soda. On a desk over there sat three Pokéballs, meanwhile the Trail Master sat wrapped in a warm blanket on a couch directed towards the TV… except he had turned in alarm towards the opening as the three of them came in.
‘What the… you got through already!?’ He asked, distressed as he discarded the blanket and stood up. ‘It… it took me so many hours to find and train all those Pidgeottos…’ He lifted a hand and scratched through his hair. ‘Gah! I guess you win. …’ He glared a bit in annoyance. ‘Geh, did it have to be three of you!? I was going to give the first three a Pokémon each… but that was assuming they cleared the trail separately! … But I can’t go not giving you all rewards…’ He was more rapidly clawing into his hair now, staring. ‘Gah! Fine! The three Pokéballs over there! Take one each! That is your reward!’ He grinned.
‘I welcome you to come and try again sometime later. Watch me! I'll come up with an even more challenging and adventurous trial, next time!’ He boosted, returning to his high spirits in moments. ‘With that! TRAIL MASTER, SIGNING OUT!’ And then, unless Erika did something to stop him, the Trail Master threw another Escape Rope into the air, and it pulled him into nothingness and away from the cave.
Left there, Joshua looked over the Pokéballs, and then at Erika and Ewan.
‘Weeeeeeeeeeeell. It was all thanks to Gibs digging us a trench there that we could get through at all, so I figure Erika gets the first pick!’ Joshua grinned, looking at her.
‘Hm. Very well.’ Ewan simply responded, looking to Erika. So, apparently, she had a choice between three Pokéballs?
Pokédex Entry #252 – Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon. A territorial Pokémon known to nest inside large trees in the forest, guarding it from anything near. It has small hooks under its feet, allowing it to scale vertical surfaces. It’s famously stubborn, known to not budge an inch no matter how outmatched the opponent has it.
Pokédex Entry #255 – Torchic, the Chick Pokémon. It has a flame that burns within its body, which it can take advantage of to spit fire at foes. It is famous for being one of the most comfortably warm Pokémon to hug, thanks to the warmth and fluffy coat. It’s known to struggle in darkness.
Pokédex Entry #252 – Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokémon. The fin on top of its head is highly sensitive to movements in water and air, allowing it to act like a radar and giving it impressive awareness. It’s known to rest by covering itself with mud at the bottom of a river. It’s known to be very strong for its size.
… So. What does Erika do?
Erika obtained Torchic!
Gender: ♀ Type: Fire Personality: (Up to player.) Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: (Up to player.) Level: 5 Moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember Ability: Blaze. Boosts power of Fire-type moves when heavily damaged. Held Item: None.
Goldeen Gender: Female Type:Water Moves: Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack. Ability: Water Veil. Prevents burns Level: 8 Held Item: None Status: Perfectly fine.
Slowpoke Gender:Female Type: Water/Psychic Moves: Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl Ability: Oblivious. Level: 5 Held Item: King's Rock Status: 39% health
5,078 Pokedollars Antidote X1 Awakening Endless Forest Map Escape Rope Great Ball King's Rock X2 Paralyze Heal Pokeball X4 Potion X2 Rare Candy Repel X2 Super potion X3 Water Stone
Martin's journey through the water was a lot of blurry shapes and lights. He was fully letting Goldeen lead the way, as he silently counted how long the trip was taking. His Pokedex helped him out with what the thing in front of him was. So there were Chinchous down here, good to note later. The rest of the water trip was a blur, until he got to the surface of water. A deep breath of fresh air, and he left the water, soaking from the long time spent in the water. After a small fit of coughing, he looked back at Goldeen.
"You were right, it was possible. Pretty dark here, so it looks like I'm not done asking for help. Take a rest, Goldeen. Gonna need you to get back out of here. If it gets bad enough, I have an Escape Rope." Digging around his pockets, he found his Pokeball for Goldeen and called her back. Goldeen gave a jump out of the water as she disappeared into the red light. He then looked around, and called out Nincada, a second flash of light, leaving the bug looking around.
"Alright, Nincada. So, we're in a cave deep underground, and it's dark. So, I'm gonna need your help getting around here. Can you handle that?" Nincada stood still, trying to figure out what was happening, then looked back. He gave a small nod. "Great, so let's see what's down here. I'll keep track of how to get back here." Exploring tip, always keep track of where you started, so you have something as a landmark. Low light/no light wasn't a problem for Nincada. Martin was hoping he could still see after adjusting to the low light around here. Looks like things are lining up quite well for Martin to keep up this exploration.
Action: Explore the Vast Underground with Nincada leading the way.
Ha! Caught the litt- huh? Dawkin reflexively stepped back as poor Atlas was rag-dolled across the forest and nearly into him. asdfk;ljads. He hadn't known the Sawsbuck was just gonna move out of the way! Dawkin's brain was kicked into overdrive at the sight of his KOed pokemon and the attack that was charging. Dawkin had always been a fast thinker though. It took him only a heart-beat to run towards the captured Pichu and more importantly to his survival throw a Pokeball at the Sawsbuck, the ball arcing over to land on the Pokémon's back. Did he think he could catch it? Of course not, Dawkin knew he wasn't that lucky.
"Wooper watergun!" He shouted, pointing at the Sawsbuck as he made a mad dash for the Pichu. Naturally Wooper, cheerful as ever, inhaled and launched a blast of water. If everything went according to plan, Sawsbuck would go into the Pokeball, even if just for a moment, and Wooper's watergun would send it flying away. If the Sawsbuck destroyed the pokeball the attack wouldn't be used on Dawkin and he would have time to adapt accordingly, plus the angry Pokémon might be more angry at Wooper than it was Dawkin given the watergun. There was no way the attack could hit Dawkin and the Pokeball either because of the angle he'd thrown in it. Finally, there was the chance that the Sawsbuck would ignore everything and screw his day royally and possibly kill him. A small chance. Hopefully. Dawkin zapped Atlas back into his own Pokeball, pulling out a Repel Can just in case. So much to do so little time. But there was no way in hell he was leaving without that Pichu.
Atlas Gender: Male Type: Steel/Rock Species: Aron Level: 11 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, Metal Claw Ability: Sturdy. Allows the pokemon to survive an attack that would otherwise knock it out. Held Item:
Gender: Female Type: Water/Ground Personality: Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Level: 9 Moves: Water Gun, Tail Whip, Mud Sport, Mud Shot Ability: Water Absorb, will regain health upon being hit with a water-type move. Held Item: None.
6 Potion 6 Pokeballs 1 Guide to Mt. Strength 3400P
It was sheer bedlam in the small cavern with the catalyst of this craziness coming from Joshua's quick thinking, which in hindsight was certainly a clever and lucky maneuver. The guardians of this trial were so caught up with their squabbling that Erika and her friends were continuing their progress along the trail, albeit at a bit of a slow crawl. Still, the trench protected them from being swept up on the chaotic air currents and the flurry of activity had managed to convince Gibs to dig even faster, fearing the possibility of them all being swept off their feet in Pidgeot's windstorm.
Before they knew it, the door was within reach and the team charged the door. Erika attempted to open it but realizing it was locked she glanced around, not really sure what that meant. Taking the time to think, she returned both Sno and Gibs to their Pokeballs before Ewan stepped up to rescue them. Thank goodness they went out of their way to retrieve that scroll earlier!
Slipping into the next chamber, it was quite a relief that there were no obvious obstacles in this room. In fact, the sight of the Trail Master in his little man cave was rather delightful in a way, like witnessing a break of character but in a good way. It didn't take long for him to notice them though. Erika had to admit, the way the Trail Master sounded almost disappointed made her feel bad about completing his challenge so quickly. "It was a fun challenge! I think we just got lucky! ..." Erika offered her compliments to him.
Now a Pokemon was certainly something Erika had not expected as a reward for the challenge and again, the sound of backfiring in the Trail Master's voice made Erika feel guilty, but thankfully he seemed to cheer up. "Thank you Trial Master! I'll come back again!" Erika called as the man vanished with a similar mystifying exit like last time.
That left Erika and her friends alone to discuss their reward. Joshua and Ewan were both being very nice about Erika letting pick first, again making her feel quite indebted to her friends. She really hoped her tip about her mother would help them out, but maybe she'll get a gift for these two later? Especially now considering that she was quite satisfied with being given the first choice because upon discovering what was in each Pokeball, her eyes lit up when she saw a Fire-Type. Torchic would go a long way to help her build her team in addition, Torchic was certainly the most adorable little Pokemon ever... No offense to all Pokemon.
"Alright thank you guys! I'll be sure to pay you both back sometime soon, ok?" Erika thanked both of her friends before turning and grabbing the Torchic's Pokeball. "I am going to have Torchic join my team!" Erika glanced at it happily before tucking it into her belt holster.
Erika would give Joshua and Ewan plenty of time to debate and choose which ever Pokemon they wanted before she would try to lead them out of the place... However one would do that.
Assuming getting outside was simple enough, Erika would take a breath of fresh evening air. Now it was time to get to work! She needed to train her team up and that's exactly what she planned to do in the area around the Trail Master's House and nearby forest!
Amelia was definitely content with relaxing on the docks so she was pleasantly surprised when one of the fishermen came over and gave her a fishing rod. It looked old and like it had seen better days but she had no doubt she might be able to use it to fish up something when she decided to finally do so. For now though, she was happy to just dangle her feet over the water and watch whatever pokemon she could make out swimming under the surface. Her pokemon seemed content to wonder around, save for shy little Shuppet, and kept an eye on them and made sure they didn't wonder to far.
When the ferry finally arrived, she put her got up, put her pokemon in their pokeballs, and boarded the ship after putting on her sandals and paying for the post of a trip to Lakewatch Town. Once she had been cleared to get on, she looked for a place to sit down and wait for the journey to end, content to stick to herself unless someone decided to come and talk to her.
9213P Antidote x1 pokeball x1 Focus Band x1 Power-Up Punch
Badge Collection: Challenge Badge - Redcoast Town, Hector. Minor League.
Ralia exploded into at least a dozen different copies of itself, all coming to a settle not far from the original. Some of the copies seemed to greet each other and a few did a little twirl and waved hi to Yvonne and Absol. The little pokemon had been expecting a friendly little contest between the two of them, and was going to treat it as such. No foul playing and no brutally humiliating the opponent through the use of her wits.
And then he just had to go and say that
All at once the ralia's gave a gasp of surprise. A few covered their mouth with their hands, eyes wide with shock. One mock-fainted form the sheer profanity, but all turned to look at the actual pokemon. Ralia simply stood there, smiling sweetly at the Absol and giving him a light giggle as it held its hands in front of it.
"Oooh," Claire chuckled, giving Yvonne a sly grin. Combined with her normal attitude and her somewhat rash nature, Claire was 100% certain that Ralia was now planning a swift demise for Stefan. "I am quite frankly, shocked and appalled at your mouth." Claire replied with a chuckle. Now, lets see what should she do here. Ralia didn't have the largest move pool to draw from, not yet at least. Confusion wouldn't work so well on a dark-type either, which is probably why Yvonne chose Absol.
At least, as long as she was directly attacking him with confusion...but that would be saved for a later round. A finisher, so to speak.
"Heh, alright then. Ralia!" She snapped her finger and pointed towards Yvonne and gave her a grin. "Lets show that Absol what happens when he talks smack. Teleport!" Before executing the command though, Ralia and her clones swiftly began closing in on Absol, well, as swift as their little legs could carry them. It was easy to pick out Ralia, if the Absol had been watching her from the start - halfway through the little 'charge' though, she teleported.
The clones then began crowding around Absol, and peppering him with fake-punches.
Claire had been planning to use this as a two round assault on Absol, but Ralia had other plans it seemed. The Ralts dropped right on top of Absol, grabbing onto Absol's horn and holding tightly onto the top of his horn, hanging down just in his face.
And promptly stuck her tongue out at him.
Now, the question was, was this the real Ralia or was it one of her clones she was using to annoy him?
Into the darkness of the Vast Underground it was, Nincada leading on with Martin following after. The darkness became complete, but the warmth down here thankfully ensured the place was dry and therefore the rocks were dry. The path was wide, possibly describable as epic in scale, with large pillars of stalagmites and stalactites meeting mid-way as they made their way in. The dark rocky path was on an uneven decline, leading deeper than they already were. The path branched multiple times, but no matter what path they choose they’d always be heading in the same general direction, and they could always get back if things turned out unwell. The choice of path wasn’t as important here.
In fact, the paths seemed pretty chaotic. Small tunnels branched off to dead-ends, other small corridors branched out a little only to rejoin the main path, sometimes the main path broke up only to rejoin further down the line, and so far it was empty. One could question how such a vast expanse could exist down here underground, if the answer didn’t come to become evident fairly soon.
Nincada saw them first. They were there, on the walls, on the ceiling of the underground, turning their heads to look in the direction of the intruder. They made small sounds, cackling among themselves, the sounds of their insectoid movements along the cavern walls unnerving to someone who couldn’t see them. Now, Nincada had no way of telling Martin exactly what he was seeing… but fortunately, he didn’t have to. Because further down, a sudden loud blast of fire lit up the cave and the giant ants on the walls started fleeing en-masse.
Pokédex Entry #632 – Durant, the Iron Ant Pokémon. They build large, complicated maze-like tunnels in mountains or underground to make their home. They are extremely territorial and attack in groups if endangered, protected by their steel armor. All their strategies are to ensure their continued survival in the face of their natural predator, Heatmor.
And, as said, the blast of fire was taking down scores of giant ants further back. Numerous ants where seemingly throwing themselves on the predator, sacrificing themselves to allow the greater number of their companions to flee the scene, leaving the fire-Pokémon satisfied with the ants available to it while scores of the ants scurried past Martin and Nincada fleeing the beast.
Pokédex Entry #631 – Heatmor, the Anteater Pokémon. It breathes in fresh oxygen through its tail that it then uses to fuel the fire coming out its mouth. It uses this fire as a tongue to burn through the armor of Durant, its prefered prey. It is known to chase Durants endlessly through their complicated mazes to get their meals.
Indeed. Watching the scene, it was clear the corridors around where there in order for the Durants to always have a second or more options to flee the Heatmor should it come advancing down the main path. Incidentally, that meant Martin too had additional routes if he didn’t want to get too close to the large fire-breathing anteater. The Vast Underground stretches far further than this little encounter, after all.
Apparently, Sawsbuck didn’t feel like engaging in the futile attempt to capture him, because he looked up at the Pokéball that had been lobbed for him and launched the Energy Ball straight up into it, the ball of pure energy positively vaporizing the Pokéball mid-air, the energy ball continuing upwards into the air. Straight after, though, came Wooper’s water-gun showering over the great stag.
Without even having flinched, Sawsbuck turned his dripping snout to make his angry glare fall onto Wooper.
It’s not very effective…
After but the briefest of pauses, Sawsbuck launched into a mighty fast gallop directly at Wooper while lowering his head and directing his horns forward, the horns starting to glow a dangerous green as Horn Leech was being charged for maximum damage. Wooper was not NEAR fast enough to get out of the way in time.
On the plus side, Sawsbuck had been distracted enough that Dawkin had managed to run up and gripped Pichu’s Pokéball while Sawsbuck dashed the other direction towards Wooper.
The Trail Master, while somewhat upset that his trial had been overcome quite quickly, did smile and look a bit proud as Erika complimented him before he swooshed away.
Joshua and Ewan, being left with Mudkip and Treecko to pick from, exchanged a glance.
‘I already have a Ground Pokémon and a Water Pokémon,’ Ewan blankly stated. In response, Joshua smiled widely, stepping forward and opening a Pokéball, lifting the Mudkip that came up high over his head.
‘Mudkiiiiipz~! Welcome to the team, my blue little buddy! We’ll be best friends~!’ Joshua called to the confused little mud fish before hugging him.
Meanwhile, Ewan walked forth and opened the remaining Pokéball, the bipedal green reptile coming out of it lifting his gaze to meet Ewan’s eyes, both looking at one another with a considerable lack of excitement.
‘Hello, Treecko. I’m seeking to become a Pokémon master. Will you join me?’ Ewan asked. Treecko took a moment, before nodding and making a little sound of acknowledgement. Ewan showed the slightest sign of a smile. ‘Great. I will call you Tr… tr… Trevor.’ Treecko frowned. Ewan looked the tiniest a bit confused before realizing.
‘Oh, you’re female. Then… Tr… tre… ther… Theresa. Yeah. That’s your name, should you accept it.’ Once again, a moment of silence passed between the two, before Theresa nodded and made another accepting sound. ‘Great.’ Ewan simply said, before lifting the Pokéball and letting Theresa return to it.
Joshua had by that point called out Pikachu and Zubat to say hi to the new member of their team, and that was that.
Sooooooooooo, outside again.
Route 5
Just as Stillwood Village is the least visited settlement in Isson, Route 5 is among the least travelled routes on Isson main landmass. The route is a steady incline from Lakewatch Town to Stillwood Village, with some elements of the base of Mt. Chill nearby, the waters of Dragon Lake next to it too, sporadic forest from that surrounding Stillwood Village and some of the plain elements from route 6 as well, along with a very traveller-friendly road makes Route 5 perhaps one of the most naturally stunning routes of Isson. There are no roads for asphalt here, only travellers are explorers seeking or exiting Lakewatch Town for some reason, as well as Pokémon trainers on their journeys.
A peaceful route without any real dangers, it still offers a lot of variation. Walk on the west side by the waters of Dragon Lake to potentially encounter some Pokémon of the lake. Walk by the mountains on the east and perhaps feel some of the radiating cold of the range of Mt. Chill to perhaps see some more mountainous Pokémon or maybe an ice Pokémon that stumbled out of their caves. The route is a bit cold, attributed perhaps best to the proximity to the Frozen Cavern, and it gets colder the closer the mountain you go. Multiple rivers run down from the mountains, part of Mt. Chill that melts, but efficient wooden bridges help passage over. And of course, patches of forest here and there.
The south of Route 5 opens up towards what people call the Vast Plains, or simply Route 6. There parts of the Endless Forest spread out to make things a bit more covered in trees, but as soon as you leave this forest, all you’ll see is plains as far as you can see, and that’d be Route 6. On the other side of the route is the forest that covers Stillwood Village, you need to enter the forest to get to the village. At the middle by the lake is Lakewatch Town, resting a bit above Dragon Lake. And, of course, the passage up to the Frozen Cavern lies up that hill, for those who want to brave the range that leads towards the enclosed and frozen Route 9 on the other side.
Pokédex Entry #585 – Deerling, the Season Pokémon. A Pokémon known to live in mountain grass, it changes it’s appearance based on current temperature and humidity, effectively giving it a new form for each season. People used them to foretell the current season. They live in herds and are very timid with other living beings, hiding quickly.
Pokédex Entry #43 – Oddish, the Weed Pokémon. During the day, Oddish finds nutrient-rich soil to sleep in and absorbs, specially preferring cold soil. When touched by the moonlight, it then pulls itself up and starts wandering, spreading its pollen and looking for a new place to sleep. If it is pulled up by an aggressor during the day, it shrieks out loudly.
Pokédex Entry #664 – Scatterbug, the Scatterdust Pokémon. Using a dust which covers its body and regulates its body-temperature, it can live in any region or climate. If attacked, it can release a poisonous black powder which paralyzes upon contact.
Pokédex Entry #10 – Caterpie, the Worm Pokémon. It has a great appetite and eats green leaves larger than itself. Its feet has suction cups allowing it to climb on any surface. If attacked, it can release a stench from its antenna to ward off attackers. It is known to grow fast, and will create a cocoon out of silk for itself to evolve.
And in the forest are way more Deerlings, but also the occasional
Pokédex Entry #587 – Emolga, the Sky Squirrel Pokémon. It lives in treetops and holes in trees made by other Pokémon. It stores electrical charge in its cheeks, and uses this energy to assist flight. It has a thin cape-like membrane between arms and body which helps it fly, and this membrane is capable of discharging the electricity it has stored.
Pokédex Entry #25 – Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon. It stores electricity in sacks inside its cheeks, which it unleashes if threatened. They live in forests, and use their electricity to roast berries. It monitors its surroundings by raising it tail and sensing electricity. If multiple Pikachu gather up, their power increases.
and the occasional
Pokédex Entry #586 – Sawsbuck, the Season Pokémon. They migrate according to the seasons. They’re therefore sometimes known as the “harbingers of spring”. Their horns carry different plants depending on the season, and the horns themselves grow to a size equivalent to its status in the herd. The leaders tend to have magnificently large horns.
… Hopefully, she did not attempt engaging any Sawsbucks.
Now, then. Torchic found this an excellent place to get started. With Deerlings, Oddishes and bugs, all things flammable, Torchic’s growth started with a boost.
Chic grew to Level 9!
Sno had similar ease, ice-moves turning quite effective against the local grass Pokémon.
Sno grew to level 10! Sno learned Icy Shard!
The rest could help Poli get up to a level where she (please write gender into the mini-sheets, just so I don’t have to go double-check XD) at least learned a damaging move, but beyond that this place was mostly grass and electric, not very good environment for a water-type.
Poli grew to level 5! Poli learned Water Gun!
Gibs did decently against the local Pokémon, taking less damage from both grass and electric moves. Went pretty well!
Gibs grew to Level 9! Gibs learned Dragon Rage!
Now, then. She had trained a bit. Ewan and Joshua took the que and trained a bit too, but now they’ve done that. What now?
1. Find Pokémon. Can be specified what kind of Pokémon is being searched for, and how you search. 2. Train Pokémon. With this command, we can jump ahead in time and skip posting about grinding. 3. Seek trainers. While not many, there are still trainers and explorers in the area, mostly trying to get to the next. 4. Talk. You could seek someone out to talk to them, if you want to. 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: Random House. Uh. There’s an excessively out-of-place red house in the middle of the route, the door standing wide-open. … Want to visit? 10. Familiar Faces: Dawkin. If you feel like it, you can walk right into Dawkin in his epic struggle with a local Sawsbuck way above his level. No idea if he’d appreciate it.
Connected areas: Lakewatch Town. On the south-west of the route, Lakewatch Town lies adjacent to the lake on the road to the Wet Caverns. Stillwood Village. In the north lies the forest which hides the village, Mt. Strength lying just behind it. Route 6. Vast plains start in the south-east, this route leads towards Raremine Town. Frozen Cavern. After an incline up to the ridge of Mt. Chill, a cavern of ice could guide the way to Route 9 and Cooldome City. Endless Forest. To the south, a dark forest looms. There are no indications as to why you’d ever want to go there.
While not fishing, Amelia could stay in place until the ferry arrived. It was a standard little boat, the kind that mostly looked like an on-water buss with an inside with enough room for around eighty or so seated people with the roof and all plus an outdoors area where people could stand around and look out over the water. The staff took her payment no questions asked, just another day at work for them, and as soon as they had waited long enough the ferry took off. The trip turned uneventful, other than saying hi to another ferry heading the other way and a large canoe with a number of Lakewatchers on, spying out over the waters and rowing around ever vigilant. They had a number of tourists in the back and a tour guide explaining things, probably heading in to potentially look at dragons. In any case.
Soon enough, buildings were visible to the left of the southern mountain and the river heading out to the ocean beside it. Buildings that stood on water, and the craft headed in.
Lakewatch Town
As one looks upon Lakewatch, it is clear it was once built by the side of the water. Yet, over time, Dragon Lake has actually increased in volume, the water-level rising and swallowing the town. Then the natural conclusion would be to move the town back, follow the water-level, and rebuild at the new shore, right? That, does not appear to have been the thought that went through the minds of the designers of this Town, which is essentially placed out in the water on top of older buildings, the streets of the town flooded in water and to get around one has to make use of their many canoes or get on the back of a Pokémon.
The town of Lakewatch rises fairly high for its size, and vegetation grows pretty freely around the buildings. Most buildings and streets have white floating cobblestone to walk on either side of the streets, with a river of water flowing in the middle. People here are highly accustomed to this, and the streets are constantly bustling with people heading back and forth, as well as people actually gliding down from the higher buildings from the roofs above using strange little paragliders. It appears people live in the higher floors, while business takes place on ground/water-level. There are canoes basically everywhere that anyone’s free to borrow, townspeople commonly jumping down on a canoe, using the force of the jump to drift it to the other side and then simply jump off.
Now, anyone could hear from the name that Lakewatch Town is the town that basically rules the Dragon Lake. The Lakewatchers are a group of people that regularly patrol the waters, and become friends with the dragons that live there. Tours by the Lakewatchers are the primary tourist attraction of the place, along with the fish that is procured from the same lake, and guides are trained to show the way in any surrounding areas. Their boats are also those who trade with the western side through Highhill, keeping the place alive and busy. Plus, there’s always the rumors of treasure or otherwise hiding deep in Flooded Lakewatch, and Descent Tower looms in the middle of town for those hoping to explore… but who really knows? It’s a nice and different place, definitely.
Arriving at the dock, it was evident that the most popular nearby building was the Lakewatcher booth for taking orders of tours to look at nearby dragons on Dragon Lake, which was the chief attraction of coming here. The docks the ferry stopped at were completely on water, floating, linked to buildings that themselves stood in water. To get around here, you had to be on water. There are plenty of canoes or people crossing on Pokémon, a favorite for that appearíng to be Quagsires, for some reason. There are plenty of them, and their pre-evolution Wooper was also hanging around a bit of everywhere.
Pokédex Entry #194 – Wooper, the Water Fish Pokémon. It lives in cold water, sleeping on the bottom and seeking food by the shore when it's cold. When walking above water, wild Woopers cover their bodies with a slimy, poisonous film that keeps them from dehydrating. It's slightly dull-witted.
Pokédex Entry #195 – Quagsire, the Water Fish Pokémon. A very easy-going Pokémon, they swim about and don’t even mind if they bump their heads into things. When hunting, it simply opens its mouth and moves no muscles, waiting for prey to blunder in. When not moving, it expands very little energy and does not need food for a long time.
Anyways. What would Amelia do, now?
Note, one basically has to cross water to get through this town. It’s not going to be used to slow anyone down, but to be considered when writing a post about crossing it.
1. Find Pokémon. There’s plenty of water here. Could be any number of Water Pokémon in the different rivers through town. 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. Lakewatcher Base. From where Lakewatchers embark to patrol Dragon Lake. 6.5. Lakewatch Docks. For getting tours of Dragon Lake, just taking a ferry or fishing! 6.6. Explorer’s Guide Service. With all these strange places around, Lakewatch offers guides to the surrounding areas! 6.7. Descent Tower. A tower in the middle of town, with stairs down to Flooded Lakewatch. Come prepared for the underwater. 6.8. Back Alleys. … What? Lakewatch has a darker section? What are you talking about?
Connected areas: Wet Caverns. Water-filled caverns that are located to the west. There’s a small hill to climb to get to the entrance. Route 5. The main exit of Lakewatch, leading to a grassy incline connecting mountains, forests and plains. Route 14. The waters of Dragon Lake are also known as Route 14. It connects Lakewatch Town, Highhill Town and Stillwood Village.
Yvonne looked a little surprised at the varying reactions of the Ralia doubles, or something in that direction. Perhaps at that that they were each having their own slightly distinct reaction. At Claire’s quip, she flashed the slightest of a part confident smirk, though immediately turned back to the battle. Yvonne nodded.
‘Okay. Quick Attack! Don’t let yourself be cornered!’
‘Absol.’ Stefan confirmed, and with quick steps where he seemed to flash out of reach of the clones, the Absol used his quick-attack move to quick-get out of the way, flashing back and forth not allowing their tiny punches to connect, even should they be fake.
However, when teleporting, you really only need the enemy to be still for a matter of a second to get your accuracy down, and this teleport was totally offensive enough to work under Taunt.
As Stefan came to a stop, turning around to face the group of Ralias again, Ralia suddenly showed up gripping his horn. The Absol blinked, his expression looking appalled at Ralia’s gesture.
‘Abs-!’ -And then he was Quick Attacking again, without awaiting command, stepping side-to-side with considerable speed to attempt shaking her off. With that kind of speed, if it was the real Ralia, she’d probably have some trouble holding on and need to do whatever she was doing. If it was a clone then Stefan would notice the lack of weight fairly quickly at higher speeds, in which case he’d just stop and stare at the rest in annoyance.
Goldeen Gender: Female Type:Water Moves: Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack. Ability: Water Veil. Prevents burns Level: 8 Held Item: None Status: Perfectly fine.
Slowpoke Gender:Female Type: Water/Psychic Moves: Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl Ability: Oblivious. Level: 5 Held Item: King's Rock Status: 39% health
5,078 Pokedollars Antidote X1 Awakening Endless Forest Map Escape Rope Great Ball King's Rock X2 Paralyze Heal Pokeball X4 Potion X2 Rare Candy Repel X2 Super potion X3 Water Stone
Down into the darkness Martin kept going. He was wrong about being able to spot a thing along the way relying on his Pokedex at best to glimpse anything. The occasional noise of Nincada was what he had to focus on to avoid getting separated. Take a turn here, head downward, more rocks and silence. He was confident Nincada could lead the way, even if he hadn't a clue what was happening. Eventually, Martin heard something. It was coming from the walls, and sounded numerous. There wasn't much time to wonder what was happening, as a blast of fire illuminated the area.
Pulling out his Pokedex, Martin had to make use of the sudden burst of light. The Pokedex lit up, scanning the things in front of him. Okay, so it was Durant and Heatsmor... Two Pokemon who fight each other, a lot. The Durant were fleeing past him, and Heatsmor was busy with the few Durant staying behind to slow him down. A classic stalemate he could use to catch one of them. If he could catch that Heatsmor, then it would be a lot easier to navigate this area, and he'd have something to keep the Durant at bay. Time to swap out Pokemon and take down Heatsmor.
"Nincada, time to come back. Goldeen, I need you right now." With two flashes of light, Martin changed out his team. He figured he'd have time since both of them looked busy for a few seconds. "Start this off with Water Sport, then get ready for Horn Attack on Heatsmor." Martin's mind was going a bit fast, and he knew what he wanted.
Goldeen came out to the disappointment of dry rocks. She almost looked offended at not being in water. So her irritation was pointed at Heatsmor, an easy target to pick on. The sight of fleeing Durants didn't mean anything to her. She was sending water in the air to deal with any fire that would be used against her.
The plan is to use the Durants as a distraction while Martin has Goldeen set up the battle with Water Sport. When the fire threat is minimized, Goldeen can take on Heatsmor with Horn attack. Once the enemy is weak enough, catch it with a Pokeball. In the confusion, the Durants should be running away, leaving it just the two of them.
When the boat arrived, Amelia returned all her pokemon to their pokeballs before getting onboard and paying the fair. She was happy to be undisturbed throughout the trip, enjoying watching the water as the boat moved across the lake. When the trip was over and she was off the boat, she had to marvel at how this town was built over the water and took her time taking in the sight. It was nothing like Witchpeak City, a concept so foreign she needed to just take it all in.
Which only took her about two minutes. Once she was done, she quickly figured out the canoes going around would take her where she wanted so she quickly grabbed one to take her to Route 5. On the trip over, she would occasionally reach out to touch one of the local Woopers or Quagsires, laughing a bit at their derpy, happy-go-luck expressions. Luckily, since the Woopers were noon land, they would not be covered in the poisonous film they used while on land.
Once she reached Route 5, she would head out to begin her journey towards Route 6 then Raremine Town. She was betting on this one taking a day or two to complete. Fine by her.
