@Balthazar007

May 12th CITY OF LOVE Circe

Circe was so thankful to be out of Russia, it was just so cold and bleak all the time despite it being summer. She was glad to hear that there would be no more forced running, although she still went out on a light run with a few of the other trainers. A lot of them still didn't have Pokemon and Circe was concerned that they might not pass boot camp if they didn't before the end.

Her and Honey had bonded over the last few days, though her Clefairy's appetite hadn't diminished in the slightest. Tonight they were out feasting their eyes on Paris, she had originally went with a group but wondered off after getting a bit distracted. The pokmeon and trainer wondered the streets for a bit, sampling some food until they noticed a bit of a commotion. The duo wondered over towards the noise and saw a Mr. Mime preforming tricks. Circe got excited at seeing the human like pokemon, and watched his show with glee. After he finished up Circe walked up and looked to Clefairy.

"Let's see if we can add an other to our roster yeah?? Use sing." Clefairy nodded to her trainer as her voice took on a beautiful Melody, enticing the preformer into falling asleep.

(He's level 9)

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

Liz Paris woods

Liz wondered around the forest until after the sun fell, she missed being in seclusion, just her and her Pokemon. Since coming to this world, it has been nothing but a Pidgeots whirlwind of a bustle, she was thankful for being able to explore the woods. Hades and Hephaestus traversed the trees with her, enjoying the crisp night air. As they wondered through they picked up on a presence following them, Circe had fallen for so many tricks and traps from pokemon in her early years that she almost developed a sixth sense for them. As they entered the heart of the forest the Pokemon made it's move. The group quickly dodged the sneak attack and made due to battle.

"Hephaestus good buddy, let's show this Pokemon why it's bad to sneak up on a champion, Flame Charge!!" Hephaestus covered himself in flames and began running towards the bug pokemon that had just turned around.

(??? Male level 20)

And so here they were, in the City of Lights of all places. As he wandered around, looking around for a place to eat with a decent looking hamburger, Forest remembered that his girlfriend back stateside had wanted to travel the world, starting in Paris and ending in Tuscany, a trip he only agreed with because at some point, they'd be going to Ireland. Still, as he finally found a place and placed his order for a bacon and ham cheeseburger, he decided he'd leave the week in Paris out and simply memorize the name of the place and say he found it on Google or something. While he waited, he pulled out the Pokeball containing the Paras he'd caught four days prior. After they'd gotten back to the Russian HQ, he'd begun working first on gaining it's trust, which he'd already started getting when the crab realized that he'd been released in a much warmer climate.

Now, as Obi-Wan appeared in a flash of red light, the little guy was happy and healthy, the food that the ex-Guardsman gave him having helped him get stronger. "Alright buddy, you ready to add another friend to the team?" The mushroom-toting crab chittered an affirmative. "Good. Soon as I'm done, we're heading off to the woods."

---

As the sun was setting, the pair found themselves out in the heart of a nearby forest. The groups' Pokemon assistant had authorized the two to search for the unknown bug type but with a reminder about when to be back. It was dark by the time they decided to rest, at around 8:36 pm local time. As they snacked on some sandwiches that Forest had bought before heading out, they saw it, the bug type that had yet to be ID'd. Paras was already carefully moving forward as Forest stood, a hand drifting towards another Pokeball, even as he scanned for local predators. We gotta be careful with this...

---

The news that they would be going to the place he had appeared, and admittedly decided to call his home away from home, was pleasantly surprising. He and his team spent the time before they left preparing, getting in contact with the appropriate authorities to make sure that Prankster could fly freely. Once they were there, aside from the Sycamore's announcement, he was in the streets, speaking with the locals about problem Pokemon. The first to deal with were the Togedemaru causing trouble in the industrial area.

When he came across the other trainer with the Duskull, she was confronting a group of factory workers who were asking for her help. He himself had dealt with several of the larger, more troublesome of the Pokemon, but from the way she was willing to simply leave it for the more than likely frustrated workers to deal with. And that didn't sit right with the bladesman, who approached with Slayer in tow. "Vous y! Où est votre contremaître?" The worker who'd just been speaking with the female trainer looked to him before pointing to a larger man who stepped forward.

"Je suis le contremaître. Qu'est-ce que tu veux?" Jason pointed to the unconscious Togedemaru.

"Qu'as-tu l'intention de faire avec ce Togedemaru?" The foreman looked at the unconscious creature then back at the sword-carrying man before grinning darkly.

"Nous avons l'intention d'y faire face à notre façon. Est-ce un problème, formateur?" The sword on his hip came free an inch, the sunlight glinting off the steel.

"C'est, en effet, un problème, mon ami." Gallade stepped between the slowly recovering electric type and the crowd of workers, who began to mutter amongst each other and back away from the trainer and their foreman. "Vous allez simplement le regarder jusqu'à ce que les assistants du professeur puissent le ramasser. Ou," the sword came free the rest of the way and Jason held it to his side, clearly practiced in using the blade, "vous allez vous trouver quelques chiffres." The anger that had been building on the Foreman's face vanished when he realized that the Pokemon World native wasn't joking around and, after a moment of sputtering and self argument, as well as discussion with some other workers, he relented.

"Très bien. Voulez-vous au moins laisser un Pokémon pour s'assurer qu'il ne s'échappe pas ou causer des problèmes?" Sheathing his sword, the swordsman nods before releasing Lucky from his Pokeball.

"Je vais. Heureusement, mon Lucario, restera jusqu'à ce que le Pokémon a été récupéré." Turning to Lucky, he points at the Togedemaru. Content, the group heads back inside and the sound of work resuming echoes out an open door and the windows as he explains to Lucky what was to happen. "Lucky, keep this guy here until Professor Sycamore can send someone to get it. I've already pinged our location to the retrieval team, they'll be here in ten minutes. All the same, watch the workers and don't hesitate to put any of them on their butts who get wise ideas. Stay safe buddy."

Grunting and nodding the Lucaria sits next to the Togedemaru while Jason approaches the female trainer, Slayer at his side. "And you. Did you even stop to think what those men and women would do after you walked away? Or are you too concerned with getting back up to your personal par to care?" Granted, Jason himself wasn't any kind of activist and wasn't going to make efforts like this often, but knowing how frustrated and desperate these workers were to make the outages stop from talking with one of the factory owners earlier in the day, he couldn't let them get ahold of one of them while they still held ill will.

---

^{France || Industrialized Sector || May 12th}
Dana watched the swordsman’s exchange with the workers silently, guessing the gist of their discussion by the words she understood—Pokemon names and terms. Supposing that the Professors failed to find a way to return to the Pokemon world, she might be tempted into learning another Earthen language, but only then. For now, English would serve her purposes just fine.

When the trainer—Jason, if her memory served—approached with his Gallade, Dana’s Duskull rose up beside her, but she shot it a glance that sent it back on its way.

“Have you been delivering all the wilds you’ve defeated to the Professors?” she asked, ignoring Jason’s gibe. “We should put in a request for more Pokeballs.”

Her eyes swept apathetically over the fainted Togedemaru. Sure it hadn’t taken much to imagine what fate might befall the Togedemaru, considering the cruelty most of Earth’s native species underwent on a day-to-day basis, but Dana didn’t feel the need to bring that up. In her view, retrieving the Pokemon transported to Earth was a minor concern; if it was important, the Professors would have rushed the Pokemon world trainers out to retrieve Pokemon instead of herding them off to waste time in boot camps. Besides, her greatest strength lay in her abilities as a trainer, and honing that strength had always been her priority, Earth or not. There was no use in pretending otherwise, especially not to a fellow trainer.

Her Duskull rose up beside her again, and Dana nodded.

“I’ll make sure to deliver the rest I find to the Professors,” she said to Jason. “Thanks for watching this one. I'll see you back at headquarters.”

With that, she turned to follow her Duskull, exchanging her Marshtomp for her Combusken.

“Flame Charge,” she said as she rounded the corner to where a group of Togedemaru were sitting, chewing on wires and pipes alike. Her Combusken rushed forwards, flames engulfing him as he charged the nearest Togedemaru. Behind him, Dana pulled out a Pokeball, watching as the Pokemon collided.

Not training this mess of a team would be an insult to my status as a trainer and champion, she thought, annoyance flashing through her mind as she noted how slow her Combusken had become, how short the distance he'd knocked his opponent. No, not prioritizing training right now was unthinkable. The Professors had given her no mission, and even if they did, she wouldn't be able to carry out any duties at her former level until she fixed the current state of her team. Training was, therefore, her one and only duty currently, and Dana was—if anything—efficient with her time.


@Balthazar007 Togedemaru — lvl 18, male. Dana will throw the Pokeball if she wins.
@Zarkun

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^{France || Park || May 12th}
The trainers in the area were having various levels of luck finding and battling Pokemon. Some had successfully caught a Pokemon like himself, while others seemed to have lost battles, by the downcast looks of defeat on their faces.

“Ruby, what do you think about fighting a wild Pokemon?” Camden asked, spotting a fleeing Rattata. The Cherubi gave him a blank look, and Camden let up on the idea.

“Alright then, let’s head back for today. There’s berries back at the Poke Headquarters, so I can find out what flavor you’re into,” Camden said, grinning. “From there, I’ll read up on your moveset and figure out how to train you for battles and contests, okay?”

Though the Cherubi didn’t seem to understand much of what he just said, Camden maintained a smile—without showing his teeth, of course—all the way back to the headquarters. Now that he had a Pokemon, the rest would be much easier.

Just grind and bond—how hard can it be? he thought as he picked the Cherubi up and set him on his lap, rubbing his leaf gently. It was funny that the mutant cherry would later evolve into a flower, since most plants flowered before they grew fruit, but the Pokemon version of things suited his purposes better in this case, so he wasn’t complaining.

---

..."Here, have some of these instead." Mililani placed some of the treats on the ground, watching the Jigglypuff edge forward. It dropped the paper containing cafe food, picking up a Poke snack instead, noticeably calming as it ate. "If you want," the trainer continued, pulling out a Pokeball, "you can come along, and we'll find a way to get back to our world."

As the Jigglypuff looked up, with curiosity this time rather than fear, Mililani threw the Pokeball and hoped for the best.

Jigglypuff, female, lv9

Jigglypuff was more than happy to accept Mililani's snacks. She listened to Mililani's words just before the Pokeball was thrown. "A way home... It would be nice to go home. And if this trainer could keep her fed, then..."

So the Pokeball snatched up Jigglypuff in a ray of red light before falling to the ground. It only shook once before clicking, signaling a catch. That was easy enough.

Now, Mililani simply had to get the ball back to HQ, since her charging belt was already full with 6 Pokemon. Because, according to Professor Rowan back in Russia... "It takes a lot of energy to break down and store the energy of a Pokemon. Pokebelts can keep up to 6 Pokeballs charged at a time, but without the belts, a ball can only hold a Pokemon for 24 hours. After that the Pokeballs will break open and do an emergency release of the Pokemon."

Result: Mililani Caught a Jigglypuff

---

...Even as he watched the Foongus jump back up, form a red energy ball between her stubby hands and shoot forth a beam of light, it did little to ease the tension taking over his assertiveness. He'd watched a few battles in the Russian headquarters, and could tell Pokemon were pretty tough. Commanding his living, breathing friend to fight, though, was nothing like commanding creatures of pixels and coding to fight.

They'll both be alright, he reminded himself, fists clenching as he called out moves for Gilkey to use. Even so, he made a mental note to ask Professor Sycamore about potions and other healing items at the next opportunity.

Castform, male, lv8

If it were snowing and Castform were in his Snowy form, this battle would have went a lot closer, but at it stood, that was not the case. Castform's strongest move water gun just wasn't working. So he spent most of his time trying to land a Tackle.

But it wouldn't be enough. The mischievous little weather Pokemon would eventually fall.

Result: Foongus wins!

---

---

...“Alright. I’ll just defeat any big ones I come across,” Dana said, looking to her Duskull, which sank down into the ground. “Where should I bring the ones I find?”

The worker that spoke English flinched when Dana asked about where to take the little rodents after catching them. 'What's she talking about?' He thought. 'Does she not plan on taking them away for us? But oh well...'

He then started to speak, "Well... if you do not want to take them with you..." But that was when the trainer with the Galade stepped into the conversation, Jason, as he was called.

[Quick Note: To be continued in my reply to Zarkun...

---

---

...The duo wondered over towards the noise and saw a Mr. Mime preforming tricks. Circe got excited at seeing the human like pokemon, and watched his show with glee. After he finished up Circe walked up and looked to Clefairy.

"Let's see if we can add an other to our roster yeah?? Use sing." Clefairy nodded to her trainer as her voice took on a beautiful Melody, enticing the preformer into falling asleep.

(He's level 9)

Mr. Mime's performances, they were sublime indeed, but not everyone was happy. The regular street performers, the near homeless individuals and the highly decorated performers alike, they couldn't stand Mr. Mime. These Pokemon had been stealing the spotlight ever since they arrived, thus cutting into their bottom line. So when Circe showed up to challenge this Mr. Mime to a battle, they were more than happy to cheer here on. "Oui, petite fille! Tu peux le faire! Sors ce type d'ici!"

It couldn't be helped really. The street performers were just too good at drawing a crowd. They were rooting for Circe, but by doing so, it would actually hurt her cause. Within seconds, everyone on the street had stopped to see what was happening, drowning out Clefairy's Sing. It was also apparent that Clefairy had never seen this many people before; she was starting to look nervous, a case of stage fright.

Mr. Mime, on the other hand, relished in the moment. He was in his element. So he took a deep breath in for a quick moment of Meditation, to plan his performance. When he breathed out and opened his eyes, the show began... Confusion, Misty Terrain, Magical Leaf. The combination was hauntingly beautiful, worthy of a Pokemon Contest, but also... very effective.

With his opponent defeated, he bowed to the crowd and ran away. They all clapped. But then the Misty Terrain faded, and the harsh reality set in. Clefairy wasn't in good shape. She could use a trip back to HQ for some rest.

Result: Clefairy Looses

(Quick Note: Clefairy still gained a half level (as indicated by an asterisk) because Mr. Mime was of a higher level than her)

---

..."Hephaestus good buddy, let's show this Pokemon why it's bad to sneak up on a champion, Flame Charge!!" Hephaestus covered himself in flames and began running towards the bug pokemon that had just turned around.

(??? Male level 20)

The horns, the teeth, there was no mistaking it. This was a Pinsir, and a pretty aggressive one at that. Was it being territorial? Or worse, was it trying to eat them? The idea was horrifying, but with teeth like that, it was a legitimate concern.

Monferno's counter attack came on strong, and came inches away from landing, but Pinsir was able to dodge at the last moment, and launch a solid counter attack of his own, Vital Throw. Catching and throwing Monferno with his horns instead of hands, he wasn't harmed by the flames. But Monferno wouldn't go down that easily... Alas, in the end, Pinsir was able to best Monferno, perhaps due to a home field advantage, as he frequently retreated and reemerged from the bushes throughout their battle. At least one thing was accomplished though. When the battle was over, Pinsir was too exhausted to do anything else but run away. So they were safe at least.

Result: Despite the Type Advantage, No Luck.

---

---

...As the sun was setting, the pair found themselves out in the heart of a nearby forest. The groups' Pokemon assistant had authorized the two to search for the unknown bug type but with a reminder about when to be back. It was dark by the time they decided to rest, at around 8:36 pm local time. As they snacked on some sandwiches that Forest had bought before heading out, they saw it, the bug type that had yet to be ID'd. Paras was already carefully moving forward as Forest stood, a hand drifting towards another Pokeball, even as he scanned for local predators. We gotta be careful with this...

Very cautiously, the wild Pinsir stepped out of the forest. His appearance was intimidating, what with his horns and teeth, much scarier than in the anime. But there was also an air of something else. Sadness? Lonelyness? It was hard to tell by looking.

In reality though, the reason behind the Pinsir's somber mood... was another Pinsir, a bigger, stronger, territorial Pinsir that lived somewhere in these woods as well. The two had gotten into multiple scuffles since arriving here on Earth.

(Quick Note: This forest is huge, so it doesn't mean your characters have to be physically close to each other right now. But yes, the other Pinsir mentioned in this post is the one that just battled Liz's Monferno... So now, level and gender?)

---

...Grunting and nodding the Lucaria sits next to the Togedemaru while Jason approaches the female trainer, Slayer at his side. "And you. Did you even stop to think what those men and women would do after you walked away? Or are you too concerned with getting back up to your personal par to care?" Granted, Jason himself wasn't any kind of activist and wasn't going to make efforts like this often, but knowing how frustrated and desperate these workers were to make the outages stop from talking with one of the factory owners earlier in the day, he couldn't let them get ahold of one of them while they still held ill will.

The little Togedemaru woke up beside the Lucaria sitting next to him. He was startled at first, and almost ran away, but then Lucaria began to speak... in Pokemon talk of course. (Which to Earthlings sounds like gibberish, but to Pokemon world trainers, clearly sounds like a Pokemon saying it's name over and over in different ways.)

Whatever Lucaria said, it was successful. Togedemaru had calmed down, and even cuddled up next to her for protection and comfort.

---

---

...Not training this mess of a team would be an insult to my status as a trainer and champion, she thought, annoyance flashing through her mind as she noted how slow her Combusken had become, how short the distance he'd knocked his opponent. No, not prioritizing training right now was unthinkable. The Professors had given her no mission, and even if they did, she wouldn't be able to carry out any duties at her former level until she fixed the current state of her team. Training was, therefore, her one and only duty currently, and Dana was—if anything—efficient with her time.

Togedemaru — lvl 18, male. Dana will throw the Pokeball if she wins.

Dana's verbal command alerted most of the Togedemaru in the group, causing them to scatter away. All but one got away. He was in the middle of the group, chomping down on some yummy wires. He only looked up when all his friends had scattered and an intense heat was almost already upon him. He tried to dodge, but had no luck. He was sent rolling. But he didn't go down in one hit. He was a fighter, and his first move was an impressive Spark...

Still, their battle didn't last long. He stood no chance against the experienced Combusken and his trainer.

Result: Combusken Wins!

Dazed from their battle, Togedemaru didn't even see the Pokeball coming. He was sucked up in an instant. Once on the ground, the ball shook... Once... and only once.

Result: Dana caught a Togedemaru

As she picked up the Pokeball, Mililani's expression softened further, a small smile brightening her face. "Now, let's get you to headquarters." It would be a while yet before the Pokeball's battery ran out, but the trainer wanted to be sure to keep this little Pokemon safe and cared for.

Such safety, though, was something she couldn't promise, as much as she wished she could. Considering the way the last Pokemon sheltering organisation she'd worked for had turned out, who knew what would happen this time round?

Rain began to speckle the path, a sign that it was time to head back anyway. It only took a short bus ride to reach the headquarters, where she searched through the hallways for the professor or an assistant as she cradled the Pokeball. "We'll figure something out, Mahina," she whispered, caressing the capsule's surface, even though she didn't know if the Jigglypuff could hear her in there. "We'll find some way to get home."

---

It seemed the only move the Castform knew was Tackle, but the determined little creature put up quite a fight, charging again and again. The Absorb attacks boosted by Growth gradually wore it down, though, until it dropped to the ground with a squelch.

"Good work, Gilkey! Ryan said, stepping away from muddy water drops that flew up. "I knew this would be no trouble." With that, he took an unused Pokeball from his belt. He hoped the fight hadn't been too rough on the Weather Pokemon, but thankfully the headquarters had some remarkable healing technology, just like in the games' Pokemon centres. Of course, he still had to keep up his success streak and actually catch the Castform...

He flung the capsule at the wild Pokemon. He'd already managed to catch one, surely he'd be able to catch another.

---

^{France || Paris Proper || May 13th, Afternoon}
Having turned in the Togedemaru to the Professor’s assistants the night before, Dana set out for the city on her second afternoon, intent on tracking down some psychic-types for her Duskull and Scizor. Simply being fully-evolved made her Scizor one of the strongest on her team currently, but its reduction in strength was still apparent during inter-team sparring sessions.

Paris itself rivalled many Pokemon cities in beauty, which surprised Dana a bit. However, she’d come to train, not to admire scenery, and her Duskull was quickly able to locate its first target: a talented Mr. Mime folding dollar bills into animals without use of its hands. It’d gathered a decent crowd of admirers, but isolating a wild Pokemon was a simple matter of chasing it to a secluded area—something that her Duskull specialized in.

“Will-O-Wisp it over,” Dana said, turning to head to the empty lot she’d passed by earlier. Her Duskull disappeared into the ground, blue-white wisps of flame appearing in its wake as it moved towards its target. Dana hadn’t had to wait long before the Mr. Mime rounded into the lot, a spinning flurry of small flames on its tail.

“Shadow Sneak,” Dana called, pulling out a Pokeball. The flames vanished, and her Duskull’s red eyes appeared in the Mr. Mime’s shadow.

Challenging another trainer would be less of a hassle if I have to catch every wild I battle, Dana thought, tossing the Pokeball up and snatching it out of the air as it came down. Although I do miss the feeling of actually capturing Pokemon.


@Balthazar007 turned in Togedemaru; Mr. Mime, lvl 16. Dana will throw the Pokeball if she wins.

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^{France || Paris Proper || May 12th, Sunset}
Ruby liked Chesto berries, as Camden discovered later with delight. Dry flavors corresponded with Beauty Contests—Camden’s favorite, despite the fact that he’d only had pixelated images to help picture most of the moves in the category. Future plans were running through Camden’s head, and though he was sure he was getting ahead of himself, he couldn’t wait for when he evolved the Cherubi. However, evolution required training, and training required battling wild Pokemon, which in turn provided a chance to catch another Pokemon.

So, while he was less irritated during his second day of lessons, he was equally distracted, but this time by the possibility of a second Pokemon. Sure he was wary of Gothitelle’s overused theme, but the black-and-white design was also rather elegant as well, and none of its three forms could be called outright ugly—hideous hairstyles aside. As such, he was equally quick in setting out the second day, excited by the prospect of another Pokemon.

Well I guess I shouldn’t get my hopes up too much, he thought, glancing at Ruby bouncing along beside him. He’d rehearsed a few mock battles with his Pokemon the previous night, but the Pokemon’s moveset was limited to begin with. Still, with a clever script of Leech Seed, Tackle, and Morning Sun, winning was a definite possibility.

Finding a Gothita, however, turned out to be more of a challenge than he’d previously thought. Despite searching through the afternoon, he’d seen nothing but a few Rattata and Mr. Mime. The only upside of the aimless wandering was that Ruby, rather than showing signs of tiredness like himself, became perkier through the day.

Photosynthesis? Camden wondered, dribbling some more water into Ruby’s mouth. I guess he can both consume and make his own food.

It wasn’t until the sun touched the skyline that Camden finally found his first Gothita: a timid little thing that fled as soon as it spotted him. He gave pursuit, scooping up Ruby and running after the small psychic-type, but just as he was about to catch it, a small pebble hit his leg.

“Ow!” Camden uttered, hopping back on one leg in alarm. Ruby jumped out of his arms, landing between his trainer and the attacking Pokemon: another Gothita.

This one’s stronger, Camden thought, glancing at the setting sun. The Morning Sun routine could still work.

“Alright, Ruby. Let’s do this,” he said. “Start off with a Leech Seed!”

Leech seed to set up, Tackle to wear it down, then Morning Sun to heal, Camden recited to himself, watching as Ruby spat out a series of small seeds.

---

@Balthazar007 Gothita lvl 11. Camden will throw a Pokeball if he wins.

Obi-Wan stopped as the Pinsir moved into the clearing and waited, though it was pretty clear that battling wasn't on it's mind, despite it's intimidating appearance. Never used a Pinsir before, so this should be interesting. Not spotting any indication of local Earth predators, he pushed the holster holding his customized .45 caliber Heckler and Koch semi-auto out of sight. He had originally intended to set out on this search without his pistol, but one of the French locals had recommended it as there had been wolf sightings in the forest, even before the arrival of the Pokemon.

Taking a deep breath, he held up both hands in a sign of peace, the pokeball kept small in his right hand so he could pull it quickly if needed. "Hey buddy. What's wrong? Lookin' awfully sad for bein' one of the toughest Pokemon around." Obi, meanwhile, prepared to unleash a stun spore if the need arose before launching into a Slash to weaken it some, as the pair had rehearsed before coming searching. But first, Forest would try and talk it down.

...Rain began to speckle the path, a sign that it was time to head back anyway. It only took a short bus ride to reach the headquarters, where she searched through the hallways for the professor or an assistant as she cradled the Pokeball. "We'll figure something out, Mahina," she whispered, caressing the capsule's surface, even though she didn't know if the Jigglypuff could hear her in there. "We'll find some way to get home."

Millilani found Professor Sycamore in his office just as he was turning off his computer with a yawn. He welcomed Millilani with a smile. "Why hello there!" She presented him with the Pokeball containing the Jigglypuff. "Ah, fantastic. You've done a great job. I will store this Pokemon for you. If ever you wish to retrieve her, just visit a "Pokemon HQ" or "Pokemon Outpost" to switch her out for a Pokemon in your party. She will be safe with us in the meantime."

---

..."Good work, Gilkey! Ryan said, stepping away from muddy water drops that flew up. "I knew this would be no trouble." With that, he took an unused Pokeball from his belt. He hoped the fight hadn't been too rough on the Weather Pokemon, but thankfully the headquarters had some remarkable healing technology, just like in the games' Pokemon centres. Of course, he still had to keep up his success streak and actually catch the Castform...

He flung the capsule at the wild Pokemon. He'd already managed to catch one, surely he'd be able to catch another.

Castform was exhausted. When the Pokeball sucked him up in its red light and hit the ground, there was no movement at all, only a soft *click*. One throw, one catch, Ryan was on a roll now.

Result: Ryan Caught a Castform

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---

...“Shadow Sneak,” Dana called, pulling out a Pokeball. The flames vanished, and her Duskull’s red eyes appeared in the Mr. Mime’s shadow.

Challenging another trainer would be less of a hassle if I have to catch every wild I battle, Dana thought, tossing the Pokeball up and snatching it out of the air as it came down. Although I do miss the feeling of actually capturing Pokemon.

Mr. Mime, lvl 16. Dana will throw the Pokeball if she wins.

Duskull's Shadow Sneak was a success, but Mr. Mime was still ready to go. He countered attacked with a Psywave which Duskull was unable to avoid. Unfortunately for him though, the power difference between them was too high; his attack didn't do much damage. This was the running theme throughout the rest of their battle, and by the end, Mr. Mime sat on the ground with his hands up, to signal defeat. Unwilling to continue, his next move would be to run away if Duskull tried to attack.

But Duskull didn't attack. Dana had recognized her opponent's surrender and quickly took the chance to throw a Pokeball...

On the ground, the Pokeball began to shake... Once... Twice..... *Click*... And that was all she wrote!

Result: Dana caught a Mr. Mime!

[Quick Note: Since Mr. Mime's level (16) was less than half of Duskull's (34), Duskull receives no level gains from this battle. But congrats on the catch!]

---

...“Alright, Ruby. Let’s do this,” he said. “Start off with a Leech Seed!”

Leech seed to set up, Tackle to wear it down, then Morning Sun to heal, Camden recited to himself, watching as Ruby spat out a series of small seeds.

Gothita lvl 11. Camden will throw a Pokeball if he wins.

Cherubi gave it his all, but alas, Gothita was no easy prey. Not that he didn't land multiple combinations, but so did Gothita, and her's seemed to hit just a little bit harder. Over time, it became clear... she was stronger. It was in one of the moments where Gothita stood up from a clash between the two and Cherubi did not that she decided, 'That's enough. I'm done here." And she ran away...

Result: Cherubi Looses

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---

...Taking a deep breath, he held up both hands in a sign of peace, the pokeball kept small in his right hand so he could pull it quickly if needed. "Hey buddy. What's wrong? Lookin' awfully sad for bein' one of the toughest Pokemon around." Obi, meanwhile, prepared to unleash a stun spore if the need arose before launching into a Slash to weaken it some, as the pair had rehearsed before coming searching. But first, Forest would try and talk it down.

Pinsir seemed very weary of the human before him, but listened to his words intently. Relaxing a bit, he began to talk, "Pin Pinsir. Sir. Sir. Pin." (Translation: I'm trying to hide. There is a bigger Pinsir around here. Attacks me. Beats me. So I'm laying low.)

(Quick Note: This transaction has lowered Pinsir's resistance to capture from 9 to 7.)

The past few days at the French HQ were moving along smoothly. In the morning, they would take world culture classes. At night, about 10% of people would return with a newly caught Pokemon. At this rate, by the end of their weak here, most people would have caught a Pokemon, if not two.

But today was special. The academic portion of their day had just finished, but they were instructed to gather in the training/battle room for an announcement, instead of being dismissed for the day as usual. When they arrived, they found approximately 50 chairs spread out to face an empty podium. The assistant that opened the door for them instructed them to sit wherever they liked.

It took about five minutes for everyone to get seated. Pokemon world trainers and Earth natives were all scattered about in no particular order. If anything dictated the sitting order, it was their own self imposed social circles and clicks. The room was chatty with people taking wild guesses at why they were being gathered.

When Professor Sycamore entered the room, the voices quieted quickly. He made is approach the podium and spoke into a microphone mounted on the stand. His voice came out speakers set up at four corners around the seated audience, "Today is an exciting day Pokemon trainers. And when I say trainers, I mean everyone, because even if you haven't caught a Pokemon yet, I'm sure you will... Now for why I called you here. You see, I have some announcements to make, and I would like to address some of your concerns as well."

With a polite clearing of his throat, he continued, "First, I regret to inform you that we still don't know how or why our realities have collided, the Pokemon world and Earth that is. But I assure you, this is still priority number one. Second, some of you have expressed concern over how our new Pokeballs work and what happens to Pokemon that are brought back here. It touches me deeply to hear your concerns, so I will be open and honest with you... In order for Pokeballs to work here, as they did on our world, we had to recreate the components according to the physics of this world. Without going into TOO much detail, this is how a Pokeball works..." A large monitor was lowered down from the ceiling and hovered just above Professor Sycamore's head. The monitor displayed a slide show that accompanied the Professor's explanation. The way it was described, Pokeballs would send out a red energy beam that would simultaneously disintegrate the Pokemon and record the way all its molecules were arranged, as well as draw all of these molecules into the ball to be stored in compact form. The ball would then need to retain a charge so that it could continue to contain these molecules. When a trainer released the Pokemon, it's molecules would be reassembled to the exact state they were in when it was captured, down to the synapses that were firing in the brain at that exact moment. In other words, from a Pokemon's point of view, zero time would pass from the moment they were brought into the ball to the moment of release. Professor Sycamore then explained that any Pokemon they stored would be kept in this state of suspended animation (inside their ball), and their ball would be given a constant charge... Apparently, they were also working on creating safari zones where Pokemon could live outside their Pokeballs, but theses were not yet ready.

This news seemed to effect everyone in the audience in a number of ways. Their minds were filled with questions. "Is this truly humane?" "How is this possible?" "Are Pokemon really better off in a Pokeball than out in the wild?"

Professor Sycamore then went on to explain that the reason why battling Pokemon is the most effective to make them easier to catch is that it causes a Pokemon to release energy and slow down its molecules, thus making it easier for the Pokeball to contain this energy. But he also stated that calming a Pokemon down through words or food could be beneficial... just not as effective. He also covered the healing technology found in "Pokemon HQs" and "Pokemon Outposts", technology that could examine a Pokemon's injured state and reorganize the information to produce a fully healed Pokemon the next time they were released.

"Any questions?" he finally asked, and the crowd did not disappoint. For the next fifteen minutes, he answered a plethora of concerning questions, mostly concerned with Pokemon safety. He did his best to assure them that this was the best solution. Not only had the technology proven to be practically 100% without error, but manually capturing a Pokemon and holding them in cages would actually be more inhumane than the Pokeball alternative, where time is irrelevant. Most accepted this logic, while others sat silently unconvinced.

"Now, I have one final announcement." Everyone listened intently. After all that, what else could there be? "As I have said, it is important to battle in order to catch Pokemon. So, to prepare you for battling, we are going to create a 'league' of sorts, in which all of you can compete. That is not to say that you MUST compete, but we feel that this could be very beneficial to you as trainers. This is how it will work..." His explanation could be boiled down to this: Everyone will be given League Points upon starting out. Trainers from Earth will receive 100 Points, while trainers from the Pokemon universe will start off with 120... Any time you defeat someone else in the league, they have to pay you 25% of their points (rounded to the nearest whole number), and vice versa. Furthermore, if you challenge someone that has more points than yourself, they must accept or take an automatic defeat, BUT if you challenge someone with less points than yourself, they may decline without any consequences... This was revealed as the reason for giving Pokemon universe trainers more points to begin with, so that they couldn't all target Earth trainers... As a final rule, no one can drop below four points; which means someone can gain one point from someone with four points, but that person's point total won't drop below 4.

The final slide was a picture of some of Pokemon's strongest champion trainers. "Again, no one is being forced to join this battle league, but for those that do wish to join, this is your opportunity to become Earth's first champion. This will be decided by a tournament, to be held six months from now in November, UNLESS we find a way to return home before then. In that case, we will push forward the tournament date. In either case, only the trainers with the most points will be allowed to compete in the tournament. So battle hard, and have fun!... Any questions?"

No time was wasted before Professor Sycamore had to answer some very tough questions like, "Is it really okay to battle each other with Pokemon?" and "Should this even be a priority?". The professor did his best to quell these concerns as well, reminding everyone that this battle league is completely optional. He even went on to say that trainers should not battle with Pokemon who show no interest, and that any trainer caught forcing a Pokemon into battle against their will would be stripped of their title as a Pokemon trainer, and stripped of all government support (AKA: No more Pokeballs and confiscated Pokemon)... But as far as general safety, he insisted that their healing technology was so advanced that it could heal ANY injury. Trainers would however be responsible for recalling their Pokemon if there were any major risks to their emotional well being.

Their meeting ended with assistants passing out paper forms and pens. The papers reviewed everything the Professor discussed regarding the new Pokemon League. The last page was a form where they would either sign up or decline to join at this time.

---

@Balthazar007 turned in Mr. Mime. Jigglypuff lvl 17, male. Dana will throw a Pokeball if she wins.

@Balthazar007

May 14th Paris Circe

It had been two days since she lost to Mr. Mime, Clefairy had plenty of rest and more than enough to eat. After hearing Professor Sycamores announcement she knew she had to go out and catch more pokemon. She wondered through the city looking for wild pokemon and came across an other Mr. Mime, setting up for a show. She knew Clefairy wouldnt be able to take on the wild pokemon so Circe decided to just straight catch it, after she caught three pokemon she would sign up for the tournament.

(Mr. Mime level 9 male)

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

Liz

Liz snorted at the professors announcement, she didn't care for the league here, all she wanted was to return home. She stood and left right as the professor finished his speech. She sat outside soaking in the daylight as she watched the other trainers leave the city on their catching. She tried to access the catacombs she heard ran under the city, but was told by the military stationed here that not only was it strictly forbidden, but was illegal as well. She was sure she would find some rare ghost type pokemon done there but was stuck behind red tape, it was infuriating.

A Pokemon League of Earth's own, huh? He spun Aayla's pokeball in his hand while she and Obi munched on some Pokefood that one of the assistants had created, mulling over what he would do. Granted, when he played through all the Pokemon games growing up, and even when he was playing catch up, he always went through the League, beating out each Champion two or three times before moving on to the next game. But here, in real life..."What do you think you two? Think we should enter?" Pinsir nodded and pumped one of her fists.

"Pin Pin Pinsir." The ex-Guardsman smiled and looked at Obi, who seemed more thoughtful about the matter.

"What do you think, Obi-Wan? It would help us get stronger." After another moment of thought, the Paras nodded as well.

"Paras." Grinning in spite of himself, he wasted no time signing the papers when they were presented to him before returning the two and setting out into the city. He was now the owner of two bug types, but he needed to expand his typings. Jigglypuff, Cherubi, and Mr Mime were all fairly unappealing to him on a personal level, but Togedemaru...Yeah, that'll do. Gives me my Steel and Electric types in one Pokemon. The bus ride into the industrial was short and in no time, Forest had found a Togedemaru who was caught up munching on wires. Letting Aayla free of her Pokeball, he grinned.

"Alright, Aayla, let's start this off strong. Brick Break!" The Pinsir rushed the preoccupied Togedemaru, it's arms glowing as it moved to deliver the fighting type move.

(Male, Level 11)

---

When the assistant came to him with the papers for the league, just as he had always done, he declined, opting instead to head out and into the forest, which was a relatively short bus ride away. One of the other trainers had run into a rather troublesome Pinsir out there and had, despite having a type advantage, lost. As he wandered into the woods, he let Crunch out of his Pokeball, the pair moving through the woods, their ears listening intently. It was almost an hour in when Crunch heard it, the sound of a Pokemon rushing them from the right. Rather than dodge out of the way though, the Gabite rounded and slammed it's head against the Pinsir's. "Gabite!" Breaking away, Jason slid a short distance back with his partner, grinning.

This would be a good fight for the Gabite, he could already tell. [color=E37915]"Alright Crunch, let's get this rockin'! Dual Chop!" Crunch rushed the Bug Type and attacked, the move aimed for maximum effect.

(This is the same one Liz ran into. So Male, Level 20)

---

@Balthazar007 Gothita lvl 11, female.

...The Razor Leaf will stun it, allowing for Ivysaur to close in for a Poison Powder, Dana thought, glancing at her Ivysaur as she pulled out a Pokeball. It should have no problem with accuracy, being the most used to its devolved form.

@Balthazar007 Jigglypuff lvl 17, male. Dana will throw a Pokeball if she wins.

With surprising agility Jigglypuff managed to avoid almost every leaf from Ivysaur's attack, while at the same time charging in with a ferocious Double Slap. His attack landed clean knocking Ivysaur backward. On the bright side least this brought the Jigglypuff in closer to use Poison Powder. But Ivysaur was too slow; Jigglypuff read her attack before even one speck of powder could release. Jigglypuff jumped backward with eyes closed and breath held, while at the same time, using Disable. His maneuver worked; there would be no more Poison Powder for a while.

As it turned out, there would be no more Poison Powder at all. The battle only lasted another minute or two, with Jigglypuff taking little damage. Finally, the battle ended with Ivysaur on the ground breathing heavy. It was then that Dana noticed, Ivysaour was much more tired than she should have been. Something was off... As this thought occurred to her, a faint glow started emanating from Ivysaur's body. It grew brighter and brighter by the second. Jigglypuff was becoming entranced by it and thus, did not run away.

Result: Ivysaur Looses

(Quick Note: While Ivysaur lost this round, you have the opportunity to evolve her. Also, since Jigglypuff didn't run, you may battle him again, if you want. I'll even allow you to rematch him with a freshly evolved Venasaur... Again, only if you want. You're free to use another Pokemon or not rematch him at all.)

---

---

...It had been two days since she lost to Mr. Mime, Clefairy had plenty of rest and more than enough to eat. After hearing Professor Sycamores announcement she knew she had to go out and catch more pokemon. She wondered through the city looking for wild pokemon and came across an other Mr. Mime, setting up for a show. She knew Clefairy wouldnt be able to take on the wild pokemon so Circe decided to just straight catch it, after she caught three pokemon she would sign up for the tournament.

(Mr. Mime level 9 male)

Mr. Mime looked up as Circe approached. He was already drawing a crowd, and his show hadn't even begun yet! The thought pleased him greatly. Hopefully he would receive plenty of tips for his performance today. He needed that money to eat.

A little known fact: Mr. Mime have been disguising themselves as humans with psychic illusions and buying their food from stores. Unfortunately, most people think these Pokemon are only performing for the fun of it and don't think tipping is required since they're not "humans". But, with a little psychic persuasion, many Mr. Mime have started to increase their tips dramaticly, a trick that this proud Pokemon is firmly against.

When Circe pulled out a Pokeball, Mr. Mime immediately realized what was about to happen. He'd heard of other Mr. Mime being captured by those things. Those captured Mr. Mime were either never seen again, or seen happily alongside the human that captured them, presumably well fed and taken care of. As Circe threw her the Pokeball, Mr. Mime closed his eyes. In real time, it took all of 1 second for the ball to reach him. But Mr. Mime was actually using Meditate to try and decide, "Should I go with this trainer? Or continue living on my own?"

The red light took him inside, eyes still closed. Then began the shaking. Once.... Twice.... Three Times.......... Four Times.........Five Times...... Six Times.............. *Click*....... His decision was made. He would give this trainer a chance.

Result: Circe Caught a Mr. Mime

---

---

...The bus ride into the industrial was short and in no time, Forest had found a Togedemaru who was caught up munching on wires. Letting Aayla free of her Pokeball, he grinned.

"Alright, Aayla, let's start this off strong. Brick Break!" The Pinsir rushed the preoccupied Togedemaru, it's arms glowing as it moved to deliver the fighting type move.

(Male, Level 11)

The glow in Pinsir's arm faded away as quickly as it appeared, causing her to stop mid-run in confusion. "Wasn't that how it was done?" She thought to herself. She wasn't sure, as she had never actually done that move herself. She'd only seen it a couple times in her life.

This afforded the wild Togedemaru enough time to catch on to the situation. Quickly, he rolled into a ball and charged his opponent with Rollout. Snapping out of her momentary confusion, Pinsir was able to dodge the attack, just barely. Clumsily, Togedemaru kept rolling until he smacked straight into a wall. And like that, the battle was over; Togedemaru did not get up; he just sat there rubbing his head, with his back to Pinsir and Forest.

Looking back at Forest with a confused yet amused look, Aayla shrugged as if to say, "So... I win?"

Battle Result: Pinsir Wins
Pokeball Result: Forest Caught a Togedemaru

(Notes:You are officially the luckiest person in this RP right now. You tried to use a move that Pinsir wont learn until level 26 and failed. (Check out Pinsir's bulbapedia page) BUT despite that, you miraculously won the dice roll. And top it off, you catch Togedemaru by the skin of your nails. Congratulations, but be more careful. LOL. In your next post, you can mention the throwing of the Pokeball and capturing of Togedemaru.)

---

...It was almost an hour in when Crunch heard it, the sound of a Pokemon rushing them from the right. Rather than dodge out of the way though, the Gabite rounded and slammed it's head against the Pinsir's. "Gabite!" Breaking away, Jason slid a short distance back with his partner, grinning.

This would be a good fight for the Gabite, he could already tell. "Alright Crunch, let's get this rockin'! Dual Chop!" Crunch rushed the Bug Type and attacked, the move aimed for maximum effect.

(This is the same one Liz ran into. So Male, Level 20)

Pinsir was caught off guard by Crunch's ferocious attack. This was the most intimidating opponent he had faced yet. Still, this wouldn't cause him to give up. Instead, he let the Dual Chop connect, which dealt a good bit of damage. But now up close, he was able to grab Crunch and send him tumbling to the ground with a Vital Throw. That was the theme of this battle, a blow for blow, knock down, drag out, bonanza.... But in the end, Crunch was the winner. Pinsir was notably out classed.

Result: Crunch Wins

(Quick Note:: You never mentioned a desire to catch this Pinsir, so I didn't do a Pokeball throw.)

---

---

...Ruby nodded, spitting out a slew of Leech Seeds around the Gothita that sprouted as soon as they touched ground.

...

“Get him, Ruby!” Camden called when the Gothita prepared its first move. At Camden’s call, Ruby rushed forwards towards the Gothita in a quick Tackle.

Gothita lvl 11, female.

The sleepy Gothita did nothing to dodge the Leech Seed, a mistake that would be costly as time passed. Instead, she began to cry, Fake Tears actually, saying, "Gothita" in a very sad tone. Cherubi understood this to mean, "Why do you want to hurt me?" This threw Cherubi off balance; he slowed down to a hault before his Tackle could even land... Big mistake... Gothita took advantage of the situation and hit him hard with Pound.

Upset that he had been tricked, Cherubi continued the battle with a new vigor. It was neck and neck for a while, with Gothita frequently using Pound and attempting to hit Cherubi with Confusion. The psychic Pokemon held the advantage for a while, but then things started to change. The Leech Seed from before kept zapping her strength and giving it to Cherubi... Until finally, she fell flat on her butt, out of breath...

Battle Result: Cherubi Wins!
Pokeball Result: Camden caught a Gothita

(Quick Note: You can include the Pokemon capture in your next post if you want. The Pokeball didn't shake even once.)

---

@Balthazar007 Marshtomp (Rock Slide) > lvl 17 Jigglypuff, male. Dana will throw a Pokeball if she wins.

---

@Balthazar007 Camden challenged Lutz Heintschel. First Pokemon: Gothita.

After sending a message to let the rest of his group know he'd caught a Pokemon - his second in less than a week! - and he had to head off to get it healed, Ryan returned Gilkey and hurried back to headquarters. Despite his giddiness about how well his adventure was starting out, as he placed the Pokeballs in the healing machine, he couldn't help but wonder whether the Castform really would take the defeat well.

At the beep that meant the healing process was complete, he picked up the capsules, letting out both Pokemon. "Cast! Castform!" his newest one squealed, looking smaller and paler in his normal form, but no less energetic as he zoomed around. Gilkey hopped after him, the two Pokemon giggling while chasing each other. Ryan gave a little smile. There were no bitter feelings about the loss after all.

"I see you've made a new friend already," the trainer commented. "I'll call you Corentin - French name meaning tempest."

As if to prove he lived up to the name, Corentin instantly sped towards a stack of berry boxes, knocking them flying. "Hey, no, no! Please, calm it down a little," Ryan urged, rushing over and gathering up as much spilled food as he could. Once he'd placed the containers back on the shelf, he took his own box of berries from his bag and presented it to the Castform. "You can have these instead." Corentin finished gobbling down his Mago berry, eyes widening at the contents of this box, mostly Pecha berries which Gilkey had refused to touch.

"So, you like sweet things? I should have guessed," Ryan said, watching the Pokemon who seemed on a constant sugar high chow down on the pink fruit. "Convenient, seeing as Gilkey here hates them." He handed the Foongus one of her favourites, a Chesto berry. Thanking him with a soft "Foo!", Gilkey nibbled at its tough skin.

Once they'd finished eating, the trainer held out the Pokeballs. "You ok coming back for now? We can go out and train later." As both his Pokemon drew closer, nodding, he recalled them and headed upstairs, his jacket leaving a trail of drips. Now he'd done the most important thing, heal up his Foongus and Castform, he needed to change into some dry clothes, then ask the professor about getting potions and more Pokeballs. At this rate, he'd be the first in the group to have a full team.



Listening to Professor Sycamore's speech, Ryan leaned forward. The way neither Gilkey nor Corentin had reacted badly to the battle had mostly put his mind at ease, and the answers to questions about Pokemon's wellbeing settled the rest of his concerns.

Then came an announcement he'd hoped he'd hear ever since he'd signed up to be a trainer. A league. Becoming a champion wasn't just a simple game goal, but a real possibility. No way was he passing this up.

Taking a paper form as he and the others left, he wasted no time in heading to his room, reading through in depth, and filling it out. He held his head high, self-assured smile across his face, as he strode back down towards the professor's office. With the way things were going, he'd have no trouble at all with this.

---

Mililani nodded, muttering a "thanks" before turning and leaving her newest Pokemon with Professor Sycamore, her steps heavy with reluctance. All in all, her gratitude was genuine. This was the best option for these Pokemon, better than leaving them struggling to survive in an unfamiliar world. Besides, giving the professors the benefit of the doubt was the only way she could think of to get back home.

Even so, worry gnawed at her as she petted Ohanna. The Lucario didn't seem to have sensed any warning signs, but some people were particularly good at hiding things, as Mililani knew too well. Aether were the most likely culprits, she reminded herself. The truth was, though, none of the trainers had the answers they so desperately sought. One of the worst things about all this was not knowing for sure who or what had caused it.

"I hope Mahina's going to be alright," she whispered to Ohanna. "I hope we all are."



Once the speech was over, Mililani stood up with a bitter laugh, storming towards the exit. "A league," she muttered to Naia. "We've barely even started sheltering Pokemon, we're still no closer to getting back home, and now an Arceus-damn LEAGUE is suddenly our main priority."

One of the assistants approached, paper in hand. "You know, there's more to it than competition," he tried to reassure her. "It's a way to encourage Earth trainers to catch and train Pokemon. That and it'll make their job much easier. The stronger their Pokemon are, the more able they'll be to take on wild ones and bring them to safety, not to mention stay safe themselves."

Mililani sighed. She had to admit, the assistant had a point. Helping sick or distressed Pokemon was no easy task, as she knew from her Aether days. She glanced down at a scar on her hand from when she'd tried to calm an abandoned Persian. "I guess that's one way to think of it... but still..." she mumbled. The focus would end up being on the competition, she was sure of it. Even as she took the paper, she could in no way picture herself signing up.

...“Rock Slide,” she said as she called out her Marshtomp. With her Marshtomp keeping the wild Pokemon occupied, Dana walked over to her Ivysaur. She’d noticed a faint glow on the Ivysaur, and now that she recognized it, she took a step back to watch as the Ivysaur evolved...

...“Another day,” Dana said, returning the Venusaur before turning to watch the ongoing battle with a frown.

Marshtomp (Rock Slide) > lvl 17 Jigglypuff, male. Dana will throw a Pokeball if she wins.

Jigglypuff was stood in awe of the newly evolved Pokemon. He was so caught up in this sight in fact, that he didn't even notice the Rock Slide that Marshtomp had summoned forth. It wasn't until the rocks were right on him before he tried to dodge, and by then, it was too late. Every single rock was a direct hit. Just like that, the battle was over. Jigglypuff just sat there dazed, hardly understanding what just happened to him, on the very edge of passing out.

Dana then threw her Pokeball. It sucked Jigglypuff up and landed amidst the Rock Slide ruble. The ball only shook once before... *Click*!

Battle Result: Marshtomp Wins
Pokeball Result: Dana Caught a Jigglypuff

---

...“You’ll do great, Thea,” Camden said with a smile, patting his Gothita’s shoulder. “Win or lose, we’re just here to train.”

Thea nodded, jumping daintily onto the field as Lutz pulled out his own Pokeball.

Sure I’m not expecting to win, Camden conceded with a grin, but that doesn’t mean I’m not trying to.

Camden challenged Lutz Heintschel. First Pokemon: Gothita.

Lutz smiled as Camden sent out Gothita. Through his thick German accent he said, "A psychic type? That's good, but I have...!" And without finishing his sentence, Lutz threw his Pokeball. From the Pokeball's red light emerged... another Pokeball? No wait, it was Voltorb!

The air around him crackled with electricity. "You ready to battle, Voltorb!?"

Voltorb responded with a loud and proud mechanical screach, that IF the two could speak Pokemon world language would recognize as, "VOLTORB!"

(Quick Note: Voltorb is male and level 9.)

---

^{France || Headquarters || May 14th, Dusk}
After Dana returned to headquarters, she deposited the Jigglypuff and put in a request for more Pokeballs before heading off to dinner. The ranking boards seemed not to have changed much, and it seemed like many trainers from the Pokemon world had chosen to abstain, not that Dana minded. Competition was voluntary, of course, and she was never one to question another trainer’s priorities.

She signed up, Dana thought, spotting a trainer she recognized from the listings. Tiffany Bellomo—a fellow champion, though maybe not quite as accomplished as Dana herself, was still a champion nonetheless, and challenging a champion wasn’t something to be done easily.

Weak links right now would be Combusken, Duskull, and Marshtomp due to their devolutions, Dana thought. Of those, Combusken has the least expertise with its form, since it’s adapted to a different power level and isn’t used to its own softer blows. But, she thought, standing, her Pokemon would be similarly weakened, so it comes down to finding out who made better use of the last few months.

“Tiffany,” Dana said, walking over to the woman, who—spotting her—grinned.

“Dana! Dana Stamos, right?” Tiffany asked, her smile radiant.

Dana nodded. “You entered Earth’s Pokemon League,” she said.

“Oh, yes, that I did,” Tiffany said, smile curving at the edges. “Now, let me guess—you’re here to challenge me.”

Dana smiled politely. “What do you say about a battle, Tiffany?”

“Oh, I’d love to see how I measure up against the great Dana Stamos,” Tiffany said, grinning as the two walked over to the battle grounds.

Dana took up position on the far side of the field, calling out her Clefable.

“You know, you’re a bit smaller than you seem on TV,” Tiffany said, smile friendly as ever. “And your Dusknoir has seen better days.”

“Good luck, Tiffany,” Dana said flatly.

“I’m not sure I’ll need it,” Tiffany returned, smiling as she called out her first Pokemon.

---

@Balthazar007 Dana challenged Tiffany Bellomo. First Pokemon: Clefable.

---

---

^{France || Paris Proper || May 14th, Dusk}
Voltorb! Camden thought with alarm. He’d had a few too many explode on him in game, and being reminded of it wasn’t helping his pounding heart.

Okay, this is it, he thought, grinning. My first battle as a trainer. Gothita against Voltorb.

“Alright, Thea. Let’s do this,” Camden said. “Start off with the teary combo!”

Thea immediately burst into tears.

Alright. Then Confusion when the enemy lets its guard down, Camden thought, grinning. So far so good.

---

@Balthazar007 Gothita — Fake Tears then Confusion — on Voltorb.

As Aayla's attack fizzled out, Forest frowned. Huh, guess she can't use that move yet. Suppose that's what I get for being overeager. However, it didn't make any difference, as the Togedemaru's counter-attack, a Rollout, missed spectacularly and instead ended up knocking the steel and electric type on his butt, leaving Pinsir the winner and the mouse like Pokemon exposed. "Well, I suppose that works." He threw the Pokeball and watched, holding his breath in anticipation.

The ball wiggled once...twice...three times. What was likely only a couple of seconds felt like forever before the ball clicked and ceased to wiggle. A smile split his face and Aayla fist pumped in joy. They'd caught the Togedemaru, despite not technically battling it. After high-fiving the Pinsir, the ex-Guardsman recalled her and headed for the healing machine. Qui-Gon would be a fitting name for the little guy, or he hoped it would be.

---

After introducing all his Pokemon to each other, he had set back out to do some genuine training, this time intending to engage with a Jigglypuff or two if he could find them. Presuming it doesn't just Sing us to sleep.

---

Despite it seeming like a close battle, Crunch came out on top, just as he always did. However, there was the matter of he'd left his spare Pokeballs back in his room in the HQ. Sighing, he pulls out his phone and dials the HQ's recovery team. "Hello?"

"I've got a Pinsir here for recovery, pinging location now. How long til you get here?" Silence reigned except for the tapping of keys on a keyboard. After a couple of moments, an answer came.

"I just informed the team, they'll be there in fifteen minutes." Thanking the man, Jason hung up and settled in to wait. There were worse ways to spend his time after all as he unleashed the rest of his team to practice, which he joined them in.

@Balthazar007

May 14th Paris Circe

Circe picked up the pokeball containing her new Mr. Mime, she smiled to herself and went on her way. She thought long and hard as to what she would name her new friend, soon she found herself in the woods. She looked around confused as to how she wondered so far. She turned around and began heading back when suddenly a wild Pinsir approached. Now was as good a time as any to try her new friend.

"Alright Pissaro, show me what you can do!! Confusion!!" She said throwing out the ball.

(Pinsir female lvl 11)

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

Liz

Liz wondered town looking for anything fun to do, she had already watched a Mr. Mime show. Grabbed a bite to eat, and took a nap on Ades stomach. She decided to train some more and went hunting for a Pokemon. She turned a corner and spotted a Jigglypuff.

"Alright Ade, body slam!!"

(Jigglypuff male lvl 16