However there was little time to ponder for another rustling started. Indigo whirled around as another pokemon jumped out.

A wild Rattata scurried out of the underbrush. Indigo's quick reaction time put the two face to face. Like a Deerling in headlights, the Rattata waited, ready to run away at any moment. The surrounding Kricketot, while hidden in the trees, watched intently, their music becoming softer with anticipation.

Dan stayed in the area but he had ventured out much farther than he originally intended, He wasn't completely lost but it would take a while to get back to where they first separated. He Wasn't really too interested in catching a rattata, or a kricketot but his interest was in a bug pokemon, But he could also go for a water pokemon but he doubted he would get one for a while, at least not until he got to Muzin Beach.

If I could only find at least one stupid bug... I want to be able to prove to everyone that I can raise a bug pokemon.....Without getting it stuck in a tree at least. Dan thought to Himself

Dan was about to give up and call Indy to meet up again before night, but some movement to his left side caught his attention.

What the heck was that? Some stupid rat probably.

Dan was about to give up and call Indy to meet up again before night, but some movement to his left side caught his attention.

What the heck was that? Some stupid rat probably.

It was a strange sight, a living pile of leaves. The clumsy Burmy had been watching Daniel approach her hiding spot. Moments after he passed, Burmy decided to cross over the path that Daniel had just walked. She would have made it to the other side unnoticed, but a rock tripped her.

Eyes locked with Daniel's, Burmy began to slowly (and awkwardly) sidestep her way to the nearest bush.

Indy spotted the Rattata at the same as Hawka, who lunged. The Rattata looked timid, but Hawka chirped in earnest. What was she saying? The Rattata squeaked back. Unbeknownst to Indigo, Hawka was asking for a battle.

The Rattata's ruby eyes locking with Hawka's bright black ones. He growled. Hawka let out a hiss. Both Pokemon growled circled each other, glaring and thinking the same thing. Was the other a worthy opponent?

The Rattata was the first to lunge, claws swiping at Hawka who was unprepared and knocked back. Indy started. "Hawka!" She recovered well enough, however, and leapt back to her feet, looking to Indy.

That's right... I'm her trainer now. If she wants to battle then I have to show her that I can do it. And maybe this would FINALLY be the key to calming Hawka down. (Even though it wasn't. The downy, baby like bird may have looked unthreatening but she could surely hold a grudge).

"Jump and use Scratch!" Indigo said, trying to fend off the nervousness in his voice. They weren't in front of the lab anymore... If Hawka got super hurt... But his doubts dissolved momentarily as Hawka leapt forwards with her talons glowing. The Rattata hadn't expected the jump, and was knocked back. The scuffle continued but eventually the Rattata backed into the bushes, leaving a respectful glance back at his opponents. Hawka acknowledged him the same. Both left with experience gained.

"Feeling better now?" Indigo asked hopefully. Hawka stamped and shook her head, dodging away when Indy tried to pet her. He rolled his eyes. What was wrong with her honestly? She kept chasing away the friends she was supposed to be making!

"Okay so you're kind of picky... Wonder what other Pokemon we can find for this dream team," Indy muttered sarcastically. He continued his search with Hawka, who was still harrumphing. What other Pokemon would they find?

@Balthazar007

"Ummmm..."
Dan said as he watched the creature just awkwardly try to move away. He wasn't sure what pokemon it was at first, but after checking the Pokedex he realized it was a bug-type.

Oh! A bug type...I better catch it. Add to my team. I need that type anyways He thought.
He nudged twiggy to wake up

"Hey, Little buddy... Time to wake up, We got a battle to win"

It took a second for twiggy to get his bearings after getting set on the ground. But, after he was ready he adopted a sloppy fighting stance.

"Okay Twiggy, Quick flank around so he doesn't get away and use tackle!"
Whilethogh a little slow, it was just fast enough to corner Twiggy and hit him with a tackle which did a tiny bit of damage but gave Dan just enough time to throw one of his Pokeballs, It hit and absorbed the creature into the ball.

It rolled once

Yes! I got one!

It rolled twice

3rd time came around and it beeped indicating the Pokemon had been caught.

Yes!Awesome! He thought.
"Nice going Twig! I better call dan, Here, Rest in my bag while I call him" Dan said.
He picked out his Pokedex again to call Indy about his success.

Our two young heroes continued to explore the forest even after the sun finished setting...

"Okay so you're kind of picky... Wonder what other Pokemon we can find for this dream team," Indy muttered sarcastically. He continued his search with Hawka, who was still harrumphing. What other Pokemon would they find?
@Balthazar007

The forest was alive with the sounds of Kricketot, but otherwise, it felt fairly desolate. Had all the other Pokemon went to sleep, one had to wonder.

Little did Indigo know, just up ahead of his path, a wild Burmy watched him from above. The little guy was known as "the ninja" among his fellow Burmy family, seeing as his favorite past time was stalking after trainers. But "Why did he stalk trainers, only to never confront them?" no one in his family knew...

Meanwhile...

Yes!Awesome! He thought.
"Nice going Twig! I better call dan, Here, Rest in my bag while I call him" Dan said.
He picked out his Pokedex again to call Indy about his success.

Indigo wasn't the only one to attract a follower. As Daniel made his call to Indigo, unbeknownst to him, a wild Dark (Alolan) Rattata hid in nearby brush. Unlike the Burmy following Indigo however, this Dark Rattata had one clear goal, FOOD. Sure he could scour the forest for food like the other Pokemon, but stealing from trainers was much funner. So he followed behind closely, waiting for the young trainer to make camp. Surely the trainer would have to eat something before going to sleep.

Indigo was startled by his ringing pokedex. It was Dan, as to be expected.

"Hey-- woah, slow down, buddy. What's gotten into you? What? You got another Pokemon? No way! Send me a text with your GPS location." A few moments later, the pokedex screen produced a map with a glowing blip. "Okay, I've got you. Let's get back together soon."
Indy high-fived Dan as soon as they greeted each other. "Sup? Who's your new crew member?"

"Hey, meet Burmy" He throws the pokemon ball on the floor and the Pokemon pops out, Burmy stands there awkwardly, still confused about what happened to her.

"She's cute...And a bug type...So I at least have a rough idea on how to raise her. I still don't have my name for her though."

He tries to pick up the Burmy but she resists, backing up as quick as she can, which causes a couple of leaves to shake off.

"Okay, Okay I won't pick you up I guess grumpy..."

After dan stands back up and stores the Burmy back inside his Pokeball.

"So... What'ya think? Cute, right?"

Without a beat, Indigo replied, "yeah, super cute. Where'd you find her?" Keeping his thoughts to himself, he didn't want to hurt Dan's feelings. But the Bug type pokemon to Indy was rather underwhelming at best; it was strange and worm-like, covered in shoddy patches of leaves. It just looked... Weird. Ugh, I hope I get a cool looking pokemon on my team... I don't even know what Hawka evolves into. Wonder what she's gonna turn out like. And would her attitude still be difficult to please?
"Hey, come to think of it... Wonder if we can look up what our pokemon turn into," Indigo said thoughtfully. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it until now but it was the perfect way to vet his future pokemon team! Brilliant. He pulled out his pokedex to scan the Burmy. "Let's see what you turn into..."

Burmy, the Bagworm Pokemon. To shelter itself from cold, wintry winds, it covers itself with a cloak made of twigs and leaves. If its cloak is broken in battle, it quickly remakes the cloak with materials nearby.

"Hmm, let's see, evolution," Indigo said triumphantly with a grin. But to his surprise, nothing came up. His brow furrowed. "Huh, I don't get it... I wonder why we can't see Burmy's evo," he muttered. A video icon popped up on his screen and began to play, suddenly. It was Lukoo, sitting at his desk surrounded by the familiar site of the lab.

"Hey there! If you're seeing this, you probably tried to look up a pokemon you haven't seen with your pokedex yet!" The on-screen Lukoo said. "Well, if you don't mind me saying, I wanted trainers to get the full experience of truly going out into the world and embracing their journeys, so that they can develop into young adults that are well-prepared for that which they cannot predict! So, you may find yourself wondering, 'Where is the Professor going with this?'" Lukoo bent his head down while still looking at the camera, adjusting his glasses. "And by the way, that is Professor, to all of you, not Prof. I digress." He resumed, folding his hands on the desk pleasantly. "Whatever pokemon you have already seen, you will be able to get information on in your pokedex. However, if you haven't seen a pokemon, you won't be able to look it up or connect it to other species. This is so that you, as a trainer, are encouraged to explore all pokemon and locations. You may find it to be an inconvenience now, but meet other trainers, venture out into the wild! And the skills and practical knowledge that you will gain from being forced to do this will have you thanking me one day. Eventually." With that, Lukoo gave a wave before the video stopped playing.

Indigo stared at the blacked out screen. "What?" That's so stupid... No looking up their pokemon evolutions! Well they had the internet for that, didn't they? Then he would look up Hawka-- but he stopped himself, feeling uncertain. It was one thing to find out what someone else's pokemon would evolve into, and that wasn't a big deal. But suppose he found out Hawka turned into something hideous beyond belief? He wasn't sure what he would feel like or what he would do. He wasn't sure if he was prepared for the worst. Chronically avoidant of facing his challenges, Indigo decided he was too lazy to put in the effort. "Well, whatever. Surprises are fun I guess." His stomach rumbled and he fished around in his jacket, producing two protein bars. "Say, let's-" But he was cut off by a gigantic, dark Rattata that darted out from the bushes and stole the food directly from his hand!

"Say, let's-" But he was cut off by a gigantic, dark Rattata that darted out from the bushes and stole the food directly from his hand!

The Dark Rattata scurried a few feet away before turning around to face the two young men. He was taunting them, laughing at the ease by which his plan worked.

Then, out of the tree tops came the Burmy that had also been lurking in the shadows. The brave little creature dived toward the wild Rattata with all his might. Unfortunately, his mastery of the move "Tackle" was not complete, and he missed horribly. Still he managed to right himself almost immediately, and stared at the Rattata with harsh eyes. This Burmy was a hero (young and inexperienced, sure) but a true protector, nonetheless.

Dan stood a ways away...Stunned.

What the heck is going on?

His eyes darted side to side, as if he was looking for any more pokemon to come popping outta nowhere.

"Uh.....Indy..... this is weird..."

Twiggy was just as confused, Poking out of the backpack and staring at the display in awe.

"Hey, that's-- that's not yours!" Indy protested as the Rattata jeered at them. He leaped back in surprise as from out of nowhere, another Burmy attacked. "Ack, not another one!" But the Burmy appeared to be on their side. Huh, I didn't expect that... What's it doing? Trying to help? Indeed the Burmy stared at the Rattata unflinchingly.

Indigo didn't think it was worth the trouble to fight. Sure, the Rattata was annoying but he had more protein bars and Muzin beach was just an hour away and he wanted to camp there to avoid incidences like these. "Well, whatever, we gotta get going. Let's just-" But the Burmy once again went for the Rattata, intent on serving justice! He knew these types, picking on weaker pokemon and even weaker humans!

What the-? "Hey! You don't have to do that!" Indigo was taking issue with the whole scene. The Burmy was clearly weaker than the Rattata, and there was no need to battle on their behalf. Cripes, what if it gets hurt because of me? He didn't like the idea of that. Unfortunately, the Burmy was a little too headstrong and a little too idealistic because it charged towards the Rattata again, who swiped it back with a vengeance! "Ah! Hawka! We've got to help!"

Hawka gave a loud cry, jumping in front of the Rattata, not because she was following orders per se, but because she, too, didn't like the idea of the thief getting any kind of upper hand on them. However, without being able to use her Ember, she couldn't land a good hit on her opponent alone. Thoroughly confident, the pokemon headed straight for Indigo! He covered his head with his arms instinctively, bracing for the impact, but it never came. With a loud squeaky shrill, he jumped in front of Indigo, shielding him from the Rattata, sustaining considerable damage in the process but managing to keep the weaker human from harm. "W-Woah..." Indigo murmured, not quite able to register what had just happened. The Rattata took off, seemingly giggling, but the Burmy remained, valiant as ever. Why did it do that? It doesn't even know me... I can't just leave it there. Ugh, well... I can catch it for now, then just keep it until it gets better. Hmm, yeah, I mean it kinda sucks but I can't just leave it there.

Indigo crouched down, plucking a pokeball off his belt while Hawka came over to investigate too. She and the Burmy seemed to be in discussion, though about what, Indigo wasn't sure. "Well, you look a little hurt. Why don't you stick around for awhile? Even if you are really weird..." With a sigh, Indigo tapped the pokeball against the pokeball and it vanished in a jagged flash of red.

At the end of this, Indigo had lost two protein bars and gotten a pokemon he didn't even want in return. "Guess we both have Burmy now..." He said, feeling less than enthused. Why couldn't the Burmy have just chilled out? It had all been so unnecessary. "Well, Muzin Beach, right? We're almost there." He glanced at Hawka. "Pretty crazy stuff back there, huh-" But Hawka pouted once more, refusing to acknowledge Indigo.

And his Torchic was still mad at him. Great.

Dan nods

"I don't know indy it's late and I'm sorta tired." Indy said, scratching the back of his heart, Still utterly stunned by what had just transpired.

"But if you think we'll get there before midnight then I guess we can keep going." This was one of the few times Indy Seemingly had more energy than dan, It was rare but it happened sometimes. Twiggy wanted to be carried pawing at the back of his neck until dan finally gave up and carried him, despite his relatively high weight for a starter. Indy shuffled next to Indy and Hawka ready to leave the forest.

Had Dan not been carrying his Turtwig for mostly the entire day, he would have probably had more energy than Indy. As it stood though, Indy hadn't spent the whole day carrying a heavy Turtwig, and the whole getting food stolen and nearly getting attacked had set off an adrenaline rush for Indigo. "I'm sorry, I promise, I've checked the GPS. We'll get there in under an hour. Trust me, we can't afford to get our food stolen here."

By the good graces the of the GPS and thankfully no further wild encounters, the duo was able to make it to Muzin Beach. The loamy ground of the forest transitioned into beach sand, and they set up for camp using their backpacks. They were able to find and abundance of fruit trees, feeding themselves and their pokemon with the nutritious flora they found.

Indigo unfurled his sleeping bag. Since the weather was clear and the night sky didn't show any clouds, the two had decided they didn't feel the need for a tent either.
As they lay, about to go to bed, he decided to speak up. "Hey, earlier, you were acting a little... Off. Is everything okay? Wanna let me know what's going on?"

Dan sat on his bed contemplated how to answer, he wanted to say something anything but he didn't, It would just be a bother and not worth saying.

"Uh...Nothing." Dan whispered. As he looked at his Turtwig sleeping with his head buried in the sand making him look like nothing more than just a pile of Dirt.

Dan blocked most of the thoughts from earlier, refusing to think about it any longer and instead of thinking of the times he spent with his family and friends at home and the good memories they shared. He wondered what his mom and dad did. How Celia was doing on her first day without her brother, And many others floating around until he was too tired to even have a rational thought in his head.

Morning came with a bright call. Or rather, afternoon as Indigo found himself waking up a little before noon. Stretching out and yawning, he rummaged for some toothpaste and got up to go to a nearby rest station. Muzin was still close to the city, and as such there were public restrooms with running water.

After having a breakfast of protein bars, he contemplated putting the tent up just so he could have a few more hours of sleep but that just seemed like too much effort. And...

Hawka was still irritated with him. She seemed softened by the arrival of the new Burmy Indigo had christened as Hero, more of a sarcastic quip than anything else, but the Pokemon had seemed to enjoy it. Indy could only hope that the gross looking creature wouldn't stick around for too long. Already the Burmy seemed to be better after a good night's rest and food, and Indy hoped to perhaps even release him on the way back.

And finally, the other chore to tackle on the agenda was Hawka. Indy had still not realized why Hawka was still upset. But he scooped her up and looked directly into her eyes. "Hey, whatever it is.. I'm sorry. I should have apologized sooner. Okay?" He held his breath in anticipation.

Hawka chirped, giving Indigo a warning nibble with her beak. It would have to do. Hero came hopping over, his once leafy cloak now a thick covering of sand. Indigo blinked. "Huh... You changed." Had Dan's changed as well?

He decided to wade around the water. Weren't there things like pearls and star pieces on beaches? Surely they were prizes to be sold. He saw a glint in the water. What was it...

@Balthazar007

He decided to wade around the water. Weren't there things like pearls and star pieces on beaches? Surely they were prizes to be sold. He saw a glint in the water. What was it...

The glint of a small pearl, that was what caught Indigo's eye. The waves would recede to the ocean to reveal the valuable item, then return to cover it. Each time the waves receded, the pearl was either a little further inland, or further to the ocean. If Indigo didn't act fast, the valuable stone might wash away.

"Gotta go check that out," Indy murmured, wading further to the glint. With some effort, he was able to locate it clearly. The opalescent, round orb finally met the palm of his hand. "Woah... A pearl?! I could get a ton of money for this!" Of course, that wasn't the case at all, but the idea of it was enough to energize him for the rest of the day. "Hawka! Hero!" He called, but his pokemon didn't wade in as far as he had. Hawka, understandably, wasn't a fan of water and the new sand cloak Burmy didn't want to have his hard work washed away. They did crow with delight seeing the new item in Indy's hand. It was so shiny! "You like it, guys? Let's try and find some more." After about 30 minutes of careful searching from him and his pokemon, they weren't able to find anymore but hey, they had gotten one, right?

Feeling great, Indigo decided to reward himself after putting the pearl away in his pack. "The weather's great and I've been working hard since I got up so..." The water had felt warm and it was crystal clear. There was definitely a ton of fun to be had. So he tossed on his pair of swimming trunks and dove in with a splash.

Hero joined him, even though his cloak kept getting washed off, the Burmy had never ventured this far to the beach and he was finding it was well worth coming into the water. Hawka pouted, feeling left out, cheeping and chirping from the shore and running around in frenzied circles.

This isn't so bad... Indigo thought, but wild pokemon were everywhere and their idea of fun was challenging humans.

He had seen the Luvdisc around, but this time a different pokemon came out from the water to challenge Hero and him!

@Balthazar007

He had seen the Luvdisc around, but this time a different pokemon came out from the water to challenge Hero and him!

Indigo's brave new challenger was a... boot!? Some poor tourist must have lost their boot to the waves of the shore.

From above, a small group of Wingulls flew down and landed on the shoreline (four Wingulls). They were close to Hawka, but they weren't paying her any attention, nor were they too interested in Indigo or Daniel. They were just taking a quick rest. Soon they would be off again.

(There are no more water Pokemon available at your current experience level, not till you get a fishing rod for that qwilfish at least. And it's not sunset or sunrise, so there are no luvdisc around. Wingull is the best I could do. Lol)

"Phew, guess that wasn't what I thought," Indigo coughed, thoroughly embarrassed at his overreaction. Hero chuckled, wriggling his body around in mirth. "Whatever, Hero, you were totally ready to fight too," Indigo replied dryly. Not long after, they finished their swim and Indigo came up to the shore. Hawka promptly went to peck at his toes. "Ow, woah, hey, calm down!" She quieted when Indigo fluffed the crest at the top of her head and Hero said a few reassuring squeaks of his own.

They still had the whole day ahead of them, and Dan seemed to be doing his own thing. "Alright, well, what do you guys want to do?" He asked the pokemon. Hawka squawked and took her favorite battle stance with Hero jumping by her side and also posing. They looked ridiculous. "Okay... So I guess you guys want to train. Well, whatever... I guess I can supervise." And so the pokemon eagerly went back into Breezy Forest. For they wanted to teach that bully Rattata a lesson! But they couldn't do it without some much needed hard work.

Hawka and Hero battled against each other, Hawka familiarizing herself with the terrain better and Hero practicing his Tackles. They gained experience for the next hour or so. Indigo watched them, feeling quite... Inadequate. His pokemon had the constant drive to work hard but he didn't. And it was a guilty, nagging feeling for sure. Well I'm training with them, aren't I? He tried to convince himself. Yet all of a sudden, his thoughts were interrupted by a pokemon Indigo hadn't seen before!

@Balthazar007