The crunch of leaves punctuated the silence under the canopy of Viridian forest. An Aurorus, a creature this area had likely not seen since prehistory, lazily munched on the most tender leaves, stripping them off their branches with a single-minded lassitude. Occasionally, the soft munching would change to hard cracking, as the pokemon froze sticks and branches, swallowing them whole as gastroliths. At the base of the creature's neck, Viridian Gym leader, Quilo Kitamura heaved an annoyed sigh. For him, that was practically screaming to the unseen sky. He'd been in here for three hours trying to hunt down a carnivine that had been attacking children's bug types. He'd never seen the appeal of those types, but there was a devoted group of children who bragged incessantly about their weedles and caterpies. When some of their parents had shown up at his home, distraught children in tow, he'd had no choice but to go find this fearsome killer of the children's beloved worms.

Not their fault that their pokemon's natural predator had moved in, and their pokemon weren't smart enough to not wander into a sweet-smelling trap, but such were the duties of a gym leader.

"Austrum, try a frost breath around the trees again. Maybe we'll finally flush it out." The aurorus swallowed the last mouthful, then dutifully summoned elemental cold from somewhere deep within its long throat. Unlike the last twenty times he'd tried it, this attack was met by an odd chirrup of pain, and the canopy came alive with movement and unseasonable flashes of red as the hidden carnivine made a run for it. Austrum blasted it with frost breath again, but Quilo already had a different plan. "Haze, Katana!" he said, releasing the froslass and sandslash from their pokeballs. "Follow and stop it." Haze had already taken to the air, moving at a speed the landbound and competitive Katana did his best to match. "Come on, Austrum, we'll need you on the other side." With a low rumble of protest, Austrum nevertheless allowed himself to be returned.

Quilo took off at a run, using the glint off Katana's icicle-clad back to track the pair. He'd get that carnivine. Maybe get a ranger to relocate it further away from the Trainer Route, where the bug catching kids could play and train without worrying about their bugs. First of all, though, he needed to catch the damn thing.

Marie had slept through her alarm like she normally did, and was woken up by Ninetails licking her face.

"Mm...Ninetails, it's too early..." she murmured, pushing the Pokemon away gently. Ninetails however didn't relent, and eventually just pulled Marie out of bed. She fell with a thud.

"Ow! What was that about?" Marie said, rubbing her head. Ninetails barked, and pointed at the calendar with one of her tails, to which Marie rose and moved to look, wiping her eyes.

"Huh...it's the 21st...wait...todays the day!" it finally clicked, and Marie jumped and cheered. "Today's the day I get to go and be a pokemon trainer!"

The rest of the morning was a bit of a blur, as she went to shower, and packed her bags for the trip. She ensured that Seel and Ninetails were well fed, and only after a reminder from Ninetails did she remember to get food for herself. Once she was dressed, showered, fed and ready, she headed to the beach to see her parents. She ran the whole way, taking her sandals off so she could feel the sand.

"Mom! Dad! I'm off to catch pokemon!" she shouted as she ran into the beach hut, smiling happily. Even when her father frowned.

"Are you sure that's today? I'm sure that was next month..." he said thoughtfully. Marie pouted.

"No dad, it's today. The 21st, remember? I've got the pokeballs that mom left, and I've packed properly. Me, Ninetails and Seal are ready to see the world!"

Her father sighed. "Fine, fine. Your mother is away, but give her a phone call when you get to the first pokecenter ok?" He moved over to give his daughter a hug. "Please be careful dear. I love you, as does your mother, and...we'll worry."

"Daaaad! You're so embarrassing!" She said, going bright red as she hugged him back "I love you too. Now, time for adventure!"

She waved, and left the beach hut, heading for the bridge over to pallet town, and onto adventure!

(OOC - free for PC or GM interaction! Feel free to tag me or PM me)

Cassandra woke up a little after one in the afternoon. She grabbed the bottle from last night and took a swing to wake her up. Looking out the window she had a good view of Vermillion City's port. Her Haunter came floating over to her with a wide smile on it's face.

"Yeah I know buddy, it's early for me too. I'ma grab a shower and a bite to eat than we have to move on to the next gig." She said to the ghostly pokemon as she made her way to the shower. "And don't touch the bottle, last time you did we lost all our money."

Two hours later

Cassandra slung her small bag over her shoulder, she had to figure a way to land a record deal, and she was getting just desperate to try the gimmick that guy a few weeks ago suggested. But she didn't want to be a singing trainer, that was a last ditch effort. She left Vermillion City behind, it was time to visit home, in Saffron.

A ray of golden light, accompanied by the rattling of metal rings against the mantle of a nearby window's curtain, pierced the veil which was Clive's slumber. He stirred in his sheets for a moment, before realizing his mother had opened the window, allowing the radiance to pour over his room.

"Wakey Wakey, Clivey. You've got to eat a good breakfast if you want to be strong for your journey." she said with a smile as she tied the curtains open. "We must make sure your Pokemon are also ready for the trip ahead!"

Clive wouldn't see the smile, but rather hear the excitement in her voice as she said the words. She wouldn't say it out loud, but Clive knew that somewhere inside her she was a little disappointed that he had decided to not remain as a Pokemon Ranger. But she was supportive of him. She tried her hardest to provide for him the things he needed for his journey across the region.

He would be hiding his disoriented expression beneath his blankets to shield himself from the gleaming light.

His mother strolled back over to the door, briefly petting the head of the waking Golduck which lay at the foot of Clive's bed, earning a soft "coo" from the Pokemon. "Be dressed and downstairs in five minutes or less, for breakfast." she ordered before leaving the room, making her way downstairs. Still as bossy as she was when I was a kid... he thought with a smile.

He'd lay there for a moment before tossing the blankets from his face and sitting up. He had decided that he'd spend the the few days before his journey visiting his mother. They had talked about his plans, as well as what Pokemon he would be looking to catch first. But now it was time for him to depart.

He would remove himself from the bed, and dress before heading downstairs with Nove, his Golduck. He'd be dressed in his favorite coat, a orange-brownish, high-collar long coat which fell to his ankles. He also brought his satchel, which carried what supplies he could acquire for his journey, down with him.

He sat with his mother, after releasing his Pokemon from their vessels to get their own food, and ate the breakfast she had prepared for them. They reviewed his traveling plans once more before he departed. After returning his Pokemon, excluding Nove, and giving his mother a hug, he walked to the front door, his satchel at his hip.

"Thank you for helping me with this, mom." he said over his shoulder. She returned his words with a smile, which he couldn't see, but knew was there.

He opened the door, stepping out into the pre-noon sun, alongside Nove. It was time for his journey to begin.

Just as the long day had just started with the sun rising over the hills, the S.S. Anne II approached the Vermillion port. Luca leaned against the rails of the deck with a poorly crafted handmade pikachu hat on his head. ”Finally here,” he said in a sigh of relief. His hat suddenly started to shuffle around until a pair of glowing eyes appeared at under the pitchblack void inside, just on top of his hair. The little critter under the cloth let out a gleeful cry, quickly followed by another, much higher pitched cry. A Floette with blue and red patterns appeared from inside his bag and quickly flew a few rounds around him. The pokemon on his head growled at the Floette as she landed on top of the hat.

The ship settled in and the walkway was dropped down to the docks. ”You shouldn’t be in the open too much, Rosy,” he said, gesturing to his bag. After a moment of pouting, Rosy flew back into the bag, trying to close the zipper from the inside. He walked down to land with his luggage in tow. He shuffled his feet inside his shoes in celebration of their arrival on land. He looked around to see the denizens of the quaint city up and about. ”We have half a day to ourselves, so what shall we do?”

Sitting at the docks, legs hanging over the ocean, made Vermillion City feel a little more like home. Not that Graz missed Virbank too much, but the vibrant colors and lively energy was quite different than his grungy, muted, hometown. The ocean even smelled differently here; a little sweeter and hotter than in Unova. Under the clear blue waves, the researcher could see a school of small fish pokemon jubilantly flitting about, when they started to scatter in a panic as if plagued by an unseen force. Finalizing the coordinates of his next destination on his wristwatch, Graz stood up and patted his leg, to signal to Napoleon it was time to go.

His assistant leaped out of the water, instantly becoming visible as he came into contact with the air. In his mouth was the head of a magikarp, and an eye popped out as the vaporeon happily crunched away, making satisfied slurping and growling noises. His next destination would be a few miles out the coast of the city, to investigate some sea caves where the theorized pokemon had been spotted. Though he didn't want his hopes to be unreasonably high, he couldn't help the butterfree in his stomach or the smile spreading across his face. He technically hadn't found any evidence yet, but he was sure that Kanto, rich in history and myths, would take him steps closer to his goal.

But he was in no rush. The Institute had contacted him with a heads-up that a colleague would be in the area if he wanted some help with sorting through the leads and eyewitness accounts or even chartering passage to the purported location of the sightings. The university was cooperative for the most part, and while there was more competition between engineers and other inventors, the researchers usually were pretty good about playing nice. It was with a slight trepidation that Graz wondered if the other researcher would know what his declared specialty was. It was a bit of an embarrassment to his superiors, but he knew what he wanted to do. He reached into his bag reassuringly to make sure his camera was still there and intact. He was prepared.

The wind blew through his brown hair as he took in the misty smell of the day. Nove raised her snout to the sky and in the same scents, wriggling her head back and forth in comfort. They had always loved the smell of the nearby ocean, and the nearby body always sent waves of slight drizzle over the dock at the South-to-South-East corner of the town.

Much had changed over the decades, or at least that's what his mother had told him. The cities were much different than they used to be; much bigger, more vibrant. More populated. People strolled across the boardwalk in front of Clive. The town had been even more populated in recent days in preparation for the summer solstice. They hustled and bustled all across town in the days leading up to the twenty-first. Setting decorations, putting up stands that sold various ornaments, foods, toys, prizes. It was something celebrated by everyone.

Clive had seen it every year for twenty-one years. He wasn't missing much by starting his journey today, in his eyes at least. He had never liked large crowds of people, and today was definitely one of the days that called for them. But he Nove with him, and the soothing fragrance of the sea; both things that lessened his sour feelings about- anything, really.

He walked with Nove down the boardwalk at a stroll. He was going to take in the sights and smells of his hometown before departing from it; hopefully it would stave off any home-sickness. He'd never really left his hometown, besides the occasional call for a Pokemon Ranger needed for various tasks outside the town.

"Mr. Clive!" came an old voice. Wolf snapped out of his thoughts, looking around before he had realized how far he had walked. He had just come across the front of a fruit stand, owned by a friend of his, in Mr. Yaki.

"You weren't going to leave without telling an old friend good-bye, were you?" he said with a kind smile. Nove had took it upon herself to move over to the man, who was petting her with a liver-spotted hand.

"Sorry, Mr. Yuki. I was thinking about my plans for my journey and lost track of where I was." the young man said apologetically as he moved past the fruit stand to offer the older individual a hug. The gray-haired man was dressed in a light-green long-robe and sandals, a usually look for those who sat or stood for long periods on the boardwalk here in Fuchsia city. He was somewhere in his sixties, and was missing more than a few teeth, but his elderly charm was undeniable. Clive actually enjoyed talking to him.

Mr. Yuki accepted the hug with gusto, giving Wolf a hug that belied his age. "Ah, it's alright my boy. I remember when I was your age. I was already partaking in the adventure of my life. I was a trainer too, you know. I even made it all the way to the Elite Four once.." he said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, right." Wolf laughed. The geezer was infamous for making up tall tales, but everyone in town knew it was just so he could get a chuckle out of anyone who'd listen. "I've got to go catch my train, Mr. Yuki. Wish me luck on my journey!"

"You have all of my wishes boy! Remember to keep that badge safe, once you get more, they will get you far!" the man said as Wolf began a jog towards where his train would be arriving.

Wolf felt for the badge he had acquired some weeks before, which he found pinned to the inside of his coat. The Soul Badge. He had worked hard for it. It hadn't been easy with just four Pokemon...but his companions had good resistances to poison, which allowed him to win. Nove eyed the purple, heart-shaped badge, which was slightly visible from the outside of his coat, and let out a sound of pride. She had worked hard to earn it for Wolf.

The duo continued walking until they reached the train station, arriving at the same time as their transportation.

They boarded the locomotive, albeit reluctantly. Neither of them had been on one before. Not many people were getting on, but many got off, meaning the cabin was, for the most part, empty. Wolf decided to sit separate from anyone else, choosing to take an aisle seat, while Nove took the aisle seat on the other side. The seats were set in rows of two with an aisle big enough to allow a decent array of Pokemon sizes.

The young ranger leaned his seat back slightly, closing his eyes and letting the train rock him to sleep until the next stop. He planned to go where the accredited Professor Oak kept his laboratory: Pallet Town.

Marie had missed the previous train by about five minutes by getting distracted on the way there. She'd been watching the pokemon swimming around the island from the bridge, and by the time she'd realized the time she watched the train fly past.

"Damn..."

So, this time she made sure to sit and wait at the actual station. The wait dragged on longer and longer, she started kicking her feet in front of her. Eventually, she got bored enough to let Ninetails out of the ball, and started tossing a ball for Ninatails to play with and bring back. Finally, the train arrived, and they both cheered!

Then Ninetails ran onto one of the carriages.

"Hey Ninetails, wait!" Marie ran on after the pokemon, which had picked a long line of seats to lay across near a slightly older guy, her tails swishing from side to side. Marie bowed to the guy.

"Um...hi. Sorry if Ninetails has disrupted your ride! She's really excited like I am to see the world."

@Bartimaeus

Wolf stirred awake as the train quaked to a halt. He wiped the slight grogginess from his face, then looking down to check the digital watch on his arm. He'd not even slept for half an hour. No wonder people liked riding these things.

He looked around, seeing that Nove was also awake. They were on an elevated rail above the ocean now, and were drawing upon the island Wolf recognized as Cinnabar Island. The place was known for the natural scenery. Specifically, the volcano that stayed as a attraction for tourists. If he stood on the edge of the dock from his hometown, he could see the great magma geyser reaching into the sky, as if it aimed to erupt above the clouds.

The doors slid open to allow passengers on, and few people boarded. One especially excited Ninetales bounded into his car, jumping into the seats that were near him. Wolfenheim sized up the Pokemon.

Ninetales. The Fox Pokemon. He'd hadn't seen a lot of Ninetales, but he knew about them from reading.

The golden Pokemon was followed shortly after by a short girl who seemed slightly younger than Wolf himself. Upon seeing him, she bowed, which he stood to return.

"Um...hi. Sorry if Ninetails has disrupted your ride! She's really excited like I am to see the world." she said.

Clive examined her as he bowed. She was short, with light pink hair. Her clothes were...small, and she had two Pokeballs at her belt. One of which, Clive assumed belonged to the Ninetales.

"Oh, hello there. She's perfectly alright. I've never actually got to meet a Ninetales in person before. Very Beautiful." he responded while observing the Pokemon. He'd turn his eyes back to her, and take her statement to mean she was also a fresh trainer, just like him. "So you're a new trainer as well, then?" he asked as he sat down again. "I just left my hometown, Fuchsia City."

The train crew called throughout each car from a microphone stationed on the wall at the front of the cabin: "Passengers, please take your seats. We will be departing shortly."

@medalliah

"You're a trainer?" Maries eyes widened, and she looked at Ninetails. Did you know? Did you plan this? She thought to herself, smiling more.

"I'm Marie, nice to meet you!" She offered a hand to the man to shake "I'm a Cinnabar girl, been there all my life. This is my first time away from the Island since I was like two years old. Ninetales is beautiful isn't she? I brush her at least twice a day, and she's well spoilt. Seel is too though" she patted her pokeballs "what pokemon do you have?"

She took a few moments to look at the guy. He was kinda cute, certainly older than her though. He had a good sense of style, it reminded her of some of the tourists that frequented her parents shack.

Then the train call came for everyone to take their seats.

"Come on Ninetales, move a little" she said, moving to sit down. Ninetales yawned, sitting up to let Marie sit down, then flopped across her when she was sat down. Marie sighed, stroking the pokemons head gently. "You're gonna have to let me up in a few stops you know" she added quietly.

@Bartimaeus

Clive paused at the offered hand. He had never been comfortable with handshakes in general, and especially not from girls he'd just met, but he would always take the hand; it was the polite thing to do. He did so here. Her hand was surprisingly soft, which made him slightly more nervous. He handled the shake like he had a delicate flower in his grip. "Er, My name is Clive." he said slowly. "But people call me Wolfenheim; due to my last name. Pleasure to meet you." He lowered his arm again, his cheeks a minutely pinker tinge than before.

Clive listened to her as she spoke. Their stories sounded similar. Both raised in their hometowns until now, rarely having been outside of their respective towns.

Something else caught his ear. She seemed to genuinely care deeply for her Pokemon. As if they were her best friends. He smiled internally in approval. A Ninetales and a Seel. he noted. She'll be thrilled to see all the different Pokemon on her journey."

Nove had wandered over to his side as the girl talked. "What pokemon do you have?" she asked.

Clive grinned as he put his arm around the Golduck's neck, pulling her into a hug and earning an excited "Golllduck!" from the Pokemon. He removed his arm from her and pulled his coat back slightly to reveal the Pokeballs at his belt. "This here is Meistro." he said, tapping the first one. "A Toxicroak." he added. "Then we have Kita the Krokorok, and Breko, the Kecleon." he explained.

The train crew called for seats to be taken. Marie took her seat with Ninetales, and Clive did the same, as Nove accompanied him. The male trainer smirked as the Ninetales essentially trapped her partner in the seat. He would then pet Nove behind the crest on her head, which she loved, drawing a soft coo-ing sound from the Pokemon.

@medalliah

Luca strode down the city festivities, taking in the sights. After about half an hour of walking around, he noticed a large building with every flamboyant decoration that precedes a gym. In front of the obnoxiously yellow and orange entrance, there were a couple of kids wearing the same hat, one of them with a Pichu on his head, and the other with a Pikachu.

"Charger is so cool! Remember when his pikachu--when she--just jumped on the Snorlax and, and, and…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! She did Charger’s signature move, THE ELBOW DRIVER and knocked it out so hard! I think it went like… 500 meters in the air!"
"HE’S SO COOL!"

A growl escaped from under Luca’s hat, drawing the attention of the two wrestling fans. "Hah! That’s a lame Pikachu hat!" The younger kid with the Pichu said, laughing. "Haha! Lame! What, did your mommy make it for you?" The kids’ pokemon joined in on the mocking. A small whimpering could be heard from under the cloth, changing Luca’s visage. He glared at the kids, accentuating his relatively imposing build, towering over the children. ”Laugh it up, brats,” he sneered. The kids turned pale and quiet. Luca’s demeanor lightened up once again as he made his way toward the gym. ”Don’t mind them, Mimi,” he said. ”Since we have some time to kill, we could see if we can knock their hero down a peg.” He slid and pushed his way through the crowd and into the building.

Same Town: @Pandan
Gym Leader: @CaptainSully

With Quilo running through the forests just a little way behind his own Pokemon. He'd see a glimpse of orange and red as well as a flame that followed through it. It would seem that someone else was pursuing the Carnivine...

"...phox ...lame... thrower..." A whisper came from deeper within the Viridian forest with the Pokemon giving themselves a slightly sadistic grin, it had its sights on the Carnivine and without knowledge, the Frosslass and the Sandslash that pursued it.

Standing still, the gym leader could take a nice long look at it. It was a Delphox and it didn't look like it cared whether or not her cactus-sentient target was being chased... it was looking to kill.

With its hand raised and its blazing flame burning bright, she blew into it sending a raging burst of fire ahead of the Carnivine's escape path, aiming to catch it in its searing attack. Bonus if there are others caught into it.

@Regitnui

Katana had long, painful experience with fire, and dug his hooked claws into the soil to stop before he was caught in it. The normally quiet pokemon let out an odd, buzzing bark, challenging whatever let off that flame. Quilo caught up to him a moment later, putting a hand on the blue fur of his head. "Wait, remember?" A higher, almost human scream came from somewhere in the canopy, and Quilo tensed. "Hello?!" He shouted, proceeding forward carefully, Katana keeping close to his right side. "Someone in the forest?" It wouldn't be the first time he'd encountered trainers unexpectedly. The deeper reaches of the forest were popular with fire-type and flying-type trainers looking for a challenge. "Haze!" He called for the froslass, walking into the clearing from where the flamethrower had come.

@Seirei No Hai

"Nice to meet you Clive" Marie nodded with a smile "Wolfenheim? That's a pretty unique last name! Do you prefer clive or Wolfenheim?"

She relaxed back against the seat, although she was soon sitting up as the large Golduck suddenly came over. "Oh wow, she's so pretty, and so big! You've got so many pokemon, that's really cool. You must be a pretty amazing trainer. I've never tried to catch a pokemon before, I found Ninetales here when she was a little vulpix hurt by the road and nursed her back to health. We've been together ever since! Seel started following me while I was surfing" she laughed "he tried to copy me, it was pretty funny, he clearly liked it though so we hung out ever since. Seel and Ninetales get along so well as well."

She turned to look out of the window with a small sigh.

"I'm...kinda nervous about this. The whole pokemon journey, seeing everything and facing so many strong trainers. I don't want Ninetales or Seel to get hurt" she looked back at Clive "I bet you must feel the same about all of yours. How do you put that behind you and face other people?"

She assumed he had more experience than her with so many powerful pokemon it seemed.

@Bartimaeus

Unknown of the fate of the Carnivine, Delphox was very satisfied with her self, giggling at the fires she caused before it became a beastly laughter in a haughty manner. She couldn't quite hear the barking of Quilo's Sandslash in the distance as everything around the fox-like Pokemon burned around her.

Instead, it walked back to its silhouette of a trainer deep in the woods. Quilo would have had a much clearer view of Delphox and the faint view of Ceres just walking in their general direction. "Oh? A trainer?" She eyed Quilo, a frown on her face. Delphox wasn't thrilled about the Frosslass that accompanied him.

Though this didn't bother her and just encouraged her to give him that shit-eating grin. "Awww, I'm sorry. Did I ruin your catch?"

@Regitnui

His eyes narrowing, Quill dug his fingers into the back of Katana's head, just behind his skull. It was one of the few vulnerable points on a sandshrew, and kept the furious Pokémon from attacking. "Wasn't a hunt," Quilo explained. "That carnivine you set the forest on fire for was bothering the local children. I was getting rid of it. Now I've got to come out here again tomorrow and make sure it's gone." He was too used to Haze's tricks to feel much anything but relief when she settled a cold arm on his left shoulder. He returned Katana, who left with a final cry of challenge, then examined Haze's half-solid body.

"You'll want to keep those blasts down to a minimum, though," he cautioned the woman. He was never a great judge of character, but she seemed positively pleased at the small fires around them. The forest would smother them soon; it was too thick and green to burn for long. Still. "Viridian City is about two hours that way, if you're needing accommodation. Less if you have a Pokémon to ride. Maybe come by my gym. You look like your delphox could learn some restraint."

"I prefer Wolfenheim, thank you." he said kindly. Nove shyly rubbed her head against Clive's shoulder as the girl complimented her. The Duck Pokemon seemed to like her so far; she was nice. The male trainer listened to the girl's story, and couldn't help but smile at it.

"I'm glad you have such a love for your Pokemon. And actually, I'm not far off from where you are now. I'm new to being a Pokemon Trainer." he said. "But I used to be a Pokemon Ranger until a few weeks ago...when I decided I wanted to travel the region."

The girl's next question was one he had never really asked himself. But he felt he knew the right answer anyway. "I put a lot of trust in my Pokemon. I trust that when they do get hurt in battle, they will forgive me. I trust that they know I'm doing it to make them stronger. And the risk is well worth the reward when it strengthens the bond between us." he finished.

Jeez, I sound like such a softie. he blushed. He checked his watch again. He'd be getting to his destination much sooner than he had predicted.