These next seconds were the most intense as he stared at the ball rock back and forth with such intensity that his eyes nearly went bloodshot. This catch was practically make-or break as King was on his last leg making it unlikely the exhausted bird could be knocked over by a moderate breeze. And then that wondrous ding signaling success and with it all the tension deflated from his body with a relieved deep sigh after having hold his breath followed with a weak happy chuckle.

Tristan was about to break out into a victorious cheer when Astrid suddenly chimed in, reminding him of the teacher's presence. Having to listen to the woman grade his performance and battle only to hit him with a C; those few words deflated any sense of satisfaction much like the tension in him had done moments ago as he fought the urge to glare and call her off for butting in as he never asked for her opinion. Refusing to let her ruin his very first victory and accomplishment and so chose to simply stare at her incredulously." Gee...thanks." The words came out stiff and forced with a hint of sarcasm as he stood up fixing his shirt and hair to recompose himself." I may admit this battle was not handled in the most graceful manner, but seeing that it was our first battle, I have to say that King did exceptionally well in following my orders as brilliantly and sudden as they were." He said with a short boastful laugh trying to save face by acting like it was all according to plan while King let out an almost uncertain happy chirp at the praising... compliment?

Ceasing his laughter upon seeing the teacher head off as he let his body relax looking exhausted." Ugh...no one told me pokemon battling could be so stressful." As well as keeping up that confident and strong image he worked meticulously to maintain but seeing the resting pokeball got him to perk back up; strolling over while holding up the pokedex to see showcasing the full intel on the riolu and money earned." That teacher's unwanted grading aside, I'd dare say this momentous occasion calls for a celebratory selfie!" Tristan exclaimed in a sing songy manner then turned and position himself a bit to the right of King with the Pokedex held up in an angle to get both him, the murkrow and pokeball." Come, King and pose like winners do!" Holding up his right-hand index finger to indicate number one with a dazzling smile while King lifted his left wing and head tilted in a cocky manner as a click of the photo was taken.

Tristan looked over the selfie with a pleased grin." Mhm, I knew you would be photogenic King though not at my level quite yet, but before long I will show everyone you are worthy to be considered royalty." Nodding to the bird who gave another happy, albeit tired chirp as his trainer pursed his lips thinking to himself." Hm, I think this could use something to give that bit more...oomph before I send it out." Clicking his tongue a few times as he pondered before a most wicked idea came to mind.

#Firstvictory #Firstcapture #suckitprofkaput

Snickering as he added these captions then hummed as he went to post and send to everything." There we are. I think that's a decent start for some good payback for that washed-up geezer's humiliation." The selfie and his first win did much to get Tristan back in a good mood that he found himself whistling as he moved and bent over to snatch up the pokeball." You may have been a stress inducing headache but I'm happy to introduce you to team Glory. I'll be sure to give you a proper introduction later..." Stopping to think of a name for the riolu with a curious tilting of the head before perking up with an idea." Princess! Soon you will attain the graceful title of Glory alongside King." Nodding his head in a smug manner as the bird gave a tired cawed cheer along with a weak flap of his wings. Being reminded once more of the murkrow's exhausted state, likely unable to fly all that well and so Tristan crouched down offering his hand which King looked at uncertain before hopping onto it who was then lifted up to be offered to hop onto his shoulder." You've done amazingly well standing up to this Riolu without backing down. Go ahead and rest, but I best not see a single tear or wrinkle." He warned with a raised index finger held up in front of his beak to which the bird let out another happy caw while nuzzling the finger.

Pleased to see the shiny murkrow in such a good mood as well though couldn't help but worried for the bird seeing how injured he looked, and Princess was hardly in any better shape and so figured his next plan of action was to visit a pokemon center. Hearing voices though got his attention having him turn his head to see Astrid now talking with a girl he vaguely recalled seeing back at the pokelab who seemed to be having some trouble with that scalie beast that was nothing but mouth and teeth. The sight of the tyrunt made him cringe; already having endured being popped on and tossed out of the lab by that horrid hydreigon that he simply did not want to risk any chance of getting bitten by that untamed beast." Hmph, let the teacher deal with that though I can't exactly deny her assessment. We will definitely need to work on our battling and timing." Looking to King who nodded his little head in agreement.

" Right, now then. Pokemon center it is. Course if we run into a pokemart first then might as well get the shopping done with...whichever we come across first." Placing his index and middle finger to his temple and gave a farewell salute followed with a dazzling toothy grin in Astrid's direction as his way of offering his thanks whether she saw it or not then turned to depart from the park.

From there, Tristan set off whether to a pokemon center or pokemart or if fate had other plans in store to some unknown destination as one could never tell where this rich teen's direction sense would lead him.

@Sanguine Rose

And Basil may have just broken Faye. Anyone walking by could tell that this girl's brain had just blue screened, and she was slowly recalibrating herself to bring herself back to reality though that look of disbelief was still there on her face. Was he like that when he first met an Elite Four member? No, he probably looked like an anxious Slowbro.

She definitely had more confidence than himself to raise an egg than he did when he first started. Well, that Eevee certainly did at least. What a confident little lad. "I'm glad that I am leaving it in very good hands then." With that, he handed the glass case with the egg in it to her.



Eggs count as items in this game, so they are stored in the bag instead of your team.

When asked about the egg, he could only shrug in response. "Honestly, I'm not sure. As embarrassing it is to admit, I don't really have much knowledge on identifying Pokemon by their egg patterns though perhaps a breeder would be able to tell you. Route 1 has a Daycare. I am willing to bet that they can tell you." He did say earlier that he caught Vex on Route 1, so he most likely saw it himself.

His phone began to buzz and pulled it out to see that he received some quite irked text messages to which Basil laughed nervously as he stuffed it in his pocket. "Well, I promised I'd meet a friend though it looks like I'm going to be a bit late. They'll probably bite my head off." Yup, he certainly wasn't going to get out of it, but he gave the girl a bright smile. He was happy to at least know that one of his future challengers was a good person. "It was nice meeting you Faye. I'll see you around!" Basil ran off with Vex running by his heel.

By the way, a few minutes later and Fate's Pokedex would make a notification chime. It was Basil who tagged her in the photo she posted. He responded with a compliment about how great the photo came out and that it was lovely to meet her. Basil also had a separate thing telling his followers if they want to see good photography from a traveling trainer, follow her.

She gained 100k followers... in five minutes.

What will she do now?

---

@Zarkun

So, after getting a new partner, Jason decided that it was time to head back to his campsite and sleep the night away in his cozy tent.

Morning would later come, and he could do whatever his morning routine is.

To save us time, we time skip to Jason having done what he needed to get done to continue on with his journey. The first order of business was to buy a new fishing rod and luckily, the store was open.

As soon as Jason entered the store, he was greeted by rows and rows of fishing rods of various qualities. Some looked like they cost an arm of the leg and some literally looked like a stick with a string. Walking through the store, he would see various jars containing bait from different brands. It would make anyone wonder what the difference between any of the stuff was.

At the counter was a very heavyset man with burly arms and a large gut that spilled over his pants. He had a big salt and peppered beard that was well maintained and wore a fishing cap over his head. Despite him being an absolute goliath of a man, he looked to be quite friendly.

"Bahahaha! Welcome to ol' Bo's Fishing Mart! Now how can I help you?"

Old Rod: 500P
Good Rod: 5000P
Super Rod: 7500P
Bait: 250
Good Bait: 750
Superb Bait: 1000

---

@CitrusArms

Astrid could only sign and shake her head. "He probably did. I am not surprised that it is curious about its environment; it's a fossil Pokemon. The only occurrence we've heard of Fossil Pokemon roaming the wild are in Galar, but that was due to the release and escapes of specimens. They aren't supposed to exist in this time, so your Tyrunt is exploring and adapting to an environment that it completely foreign to it, Pokemon included."

"That also means that other Pokemon aren't used to their presence either though... " She glanced to the bush that the Blipbug was placed into to find that it was poking its out from the leaves to watch Stella and Kaebe. It was either curious too or was keeping an eye on the Tyrunt to make sure it doesn't snap it up in its jaws again.

The teacher turned her focus back to Stella and her dino-dragon friend. She had a look of concern about her. "I have to ask, not to be rude, but you look like a very new trainer? Who gave you the Tyrunt?"

---

@Lunarlord34

The girl just looked at Steph with that bright smile, but inside her head she was trying to figure out what in the fresh hell she just said.

Okay, based on her tone Steph seemed very happy to have someone help her so the girl didn't do anything wrong or unneeded. She actually may have said thanks. She then seemed to have said something else and then asked a question.

Thighnks aguyn mite, Oy'm Steph whaht's yoah nuyme?

The girl spent a hot second phonetically trying to unscramble this Bogan Eldritch speak and what she got was, Thanks again mate, I'm Steph what's your name?

"It's lovely to meet you Steph, I'm Freya. I'm a Pokemon Trainer, well, a new one." She said as Nurse Joy returned handing Steph her Pokemon as well as Freya's own "Have you been one for long?"

Meanwhile...
@samreaper

Tristan, despite there being many Pokemon Centers in this ungodly big city, somehow ended up in the same one as Steph and Freya. The Nurse Joy took his Pokemon and now he had to wait.

Do they notice each other? If they do, what happens next?

After what seemed like forever with some mishaps that found him at some restaurant, a gym (the excercise kind for you peons) and a toy store did Tristan finally arrive at a pokemon center." Ugh, finally! I swear whoever designed this city deserved to be lined up and shot!" The teen stated in a tired and exasperated tone while giving the still injured King a pat on the head, the bird having been resting on his shoulder had recovered a little though was still need of a proper healing." Well, we're here so whatever. I have half a mind to tell the nurse they owe an apology to my pokemon who had to wait so long." shaking his head with a tsk of the tongue.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Tristan made his way inside while adjusting the straps to his backpack where he strolled over to the counter to find nurse Joy waiting there with a bright smile as was typical of pokemon center." Good day and all that jazz. Got King here and one other in need of healing." He explained while setting the ball with Princess inside on the counter while trying to keep his annoyance from slipping into his tone." Want to get inside the pokeball, King?" He asked while holding up the bird's pokeball as he saw the shiny Murkrow shake his head with a low caw before gently flapping his wings to land on the counter showing he was ready and eager for treatment. Seeing this brought a proud smile to his face as he patted King on the head." Truly a champion in the making. Try not to cause the nurse any trouble." Nodding as he glanced the nurse over and while she seemed a tad plain, the nurse uniform added a cute allure to it and found himself approving of the pokemon center's clothing aesthetic.

With his pokemon handed over for treatment, Tristan then moved over to a vacant seat a good distance from everyone else preferring not to be bothered or mingling with the lesser rabble. Uncertain of how long it would take he got to taking out his pokedex thinking at first to just text Trevor and others among the rich crowd until he thought back to the battle and how poorly it went. If both he and Astrid saw how abysmal it was then he could only imagine what his father and siblings would think if they witnessed such a pathetic display. And so, he chose to spend this time reading up on the basic information regarding pokemon like types and typing advantages/weaknesses, albeit reluctantly.

Luckily for Freya while she took her time deciphering the mess that was her accent, the nurse joy had come over to return her partners. A brief thank you that only earned another blank look from the nurse as she walked over, having no clue what Steph had said, she turned back to Freya as the girl spoke. A fellow trainer? Stephs eyes seemed to light up, putting Dusk back on her shoulder.

"Lovely t' mayt yah oolsao Fraya! Just stahted tuh-die myself, gawt invoited boy thaht quack and Adriane huhself." The girl stated as she went to stroke the side of Dusks face. "And thiies heah is Dusk, moy pahtnah. sie hoi Dusk." But all she got in response was what seemed to be a huff as the litwick gave her the cold shoulder. Not that she seemed perturbed, just shrugging it off. Dusk couldn't stay mad forever right?

"Anywhao, me and dusk just stahted tuh-die. Caught oursaelves a friend as waell." As she said this, she spin the ball that Dennis was inside on the tip of her finger for a second before looking down at the ball. Maybe she should check out the cheeky little shitter in here later. As she was looking past the ball though, a certain visage caught her eye. The guy she saw over at the desk seemed familiar, some boujee pompous looking little shit-oh wait she remembered him now. This was the cheeky cunt who got kicked out by that Hydreigon!

"Waell lookoy thaht, imuygoine sayin thaht chayky drawngao heah eh dusk?" Now she didn't expect a response from the litwick on her shoulder, but she addressed him anyway as she stood up. "Oy'mma gao sie t' a friend if yah wahnna join, he's oolsao a new triner ya know." And with that said, she expected Freya to follow otherwise she would make her way over to where she saw Tristan go to sit down and was currently reading something on his pokedex...phone...thing. Honestly what it was exactly didn't matter.

"Look whaht the meowth drahgged in eh? Fahncy sayin yah sao soon aguyn huh mite? Haows loife traytin yah ya chayky mighnkey?"

Stella Lumite

"More than being out of place - or, perhaps, time - there's no one for him to learn from." He was an ancient Pokemon, she understood that much. Stella pet Kaebe softly on top of his nose, and belly rubs as he turned over in her lap. She giggled, "well, you're not so different from a Growlithe, or a Meowth, huh? You are a bit bigger, maybe..."

Stella looked up from her pet, looking at her questioner while her brain quickly picked up and processed that bit of audio. "Ah, yes. Professor Kapoc. I was surprised, too. I wasn't expecting a Tyrunt to pop out, but there he was."

"Kaebe, I suppose the point is that you need to respect others' space. That little Blipbug was just trying to get on peacefully, so we should leave him to his peace, right?" She looked over at the bush and spotted the bug, offering a wave before she turned her attention back to the trainer that had addressed her, "you asked if I was new? It isn't as though this is the first time I've met one, but I've never had my own. Well, until now." She still rubbed Kaebe's belly, grinning at him, "ooh, what a cute."

@Lunarlord34@samreaper

Well, at least its looked like she broke the code on how to understand this girl.

Quack...? Oh, she meant Kapoc. Freya smiled awkwardly and said a bit stiffly, "Oh, he's not that bad, really. He's just uh... very honest." That was a nice way of putting it. This sounded like this was not the first time she had to make excuses for him, but her expression lightened up when she saw the adorable though strangely unhappy Dusk. Seemed like they were having a bit of trouble getting along, but she was sure those two would patch it up somehow.

"Oh wow, he's a shiny Litwick. What a handsome little boy, yes you are." Freya cooed to the Litwick, giving the cutie a chin scratch and a pat on the head. Surely, he couldn't be too upset with that.

Freya then realized that she was being rude; she should be congratulating Steph for such a major accomplishment! Out of all the applicants, she was picked so that could not go unsaid. "Oh, um, congratulations on getting accepted too! I was picked too though I've been getting things in order and prepare. Well, maybe overprepare as my brother keeps telling me. He's probably right." She said with a slightly embarrassed laugh. Most trainers would have left the moment they received their starter, but she was a bit overly cautious.

For some reason, she felt like Steph had a different feeling about her just now. It was like she had her focus on something, like a predator focusing in on its prey. "He's a new trainer too? What are the odds that he would appear in the same Pokemon Center?"

Too low, but life finds a way.

Of course, Freya would follow Steph to go meet this new trainer and possibly befriend him.

Meanwhile, a little time back with Tristan.

Tristan did, in fact, not do a very good job with keeping his annoyance from slipping into his tone. The Nurse Joy kept on smiling as she received his Pokemon"Of course, we'll bring your Pokemon to you as soon as you're done. Have a nice day..._{Little prick.}" The Nurse Joy said and thankfully, Tristan did not catch what she said under her breath.

While Tristan was sitting there, deciding to actually study what should be common knowledge for most people as to become a better trainer. It was actually admirable that he decided to learn about Pokemon, but that was cut short when a force of nature decided it was time to introduce herself to him. He would be assaulted verbally by strange tongues that would drive a normal person to madness and the cause for this was by this red-headed young woman that he should have recognized at Kapoc's lab if he was paying attention to literally anything.

There was also this black-haired, red-eyed beauty standing in front of him who stood at the insane height of 6'5. "Um, hello there. It's nice to meet you. Steph said that you're a new trainer too. Were you one of the ones that Adriane picked too?"

---

@CitrusArms
Menace, the instant Stella mentioned that it was Kapoc that gave her the Tyrunt she felt absolute menace radiating from Astrid beneath her calm, now eerily smiling expression. Even the Blipbug was shivering in the bush. "I see..." Of course it was Kapoc. Why wouldn't it be him? He was the only person in the world that would be reckless enough to give a burgeoning, inexperienced trainer one of the most vicious, ill-tempered Pokemon to have walked the face of the Earth. Of all the stupid, asinine... what in the world went through his head to give Stella that?!

"I think I am going to have a little chat with him later." She said, still with that smile.

Meanwhile, Kapoc felt a cold shiver run up his spine. Death was approaching.

Back to Stella!

"Well, now that you understand I will leave you to it then. If you have any questions, drop by the school. It is always open to trainers new and old." With that, Astrid made her leave to attend to... other business.

Now that the wrath of Astrid was now far enough away, the Blipbug crawled out of the bush and approached Stella, well, approached her, but maintained a bit of distance. The bug-type was curious about her now that its fear has been abated for now. She seemed like a nice enough girl who was eager to learn from her mistakes and that Tyrunt wasn't all that bad. It was still scary as hell, but it did not have any ill-will. It was like a puppy...a very scaly puppy. With a trainer like that, how would things turn out? How curious.

"Blip!" It chirped out. It seemed like it wanted to go with Stella though perhaps not with a battle. Just one attack would tear through the Blipbug's ever meager defense and Kaede has attack stats for days. Seriously, just tapping it with a finger would probably knock it out cold.

What does Stella do?

After rescuing the Totodile the night before, Jason had slept pretty hard, waking up almost an hour later than he had originally planned on. Rushing through his usual morning routine to make up for the one hour less he had, he proceeded to pack up camp and turned to look around, watching the Galarian Yamask float around and the Goletts he could see line their boulders. Well, this was were the journey really began, what with the catching of Murus and Sable. Now on to the next leg. Who knows, maybe someone at the fishing rod store has something for me on where to snag another harder to find Pokemon. Smiling and looking at the three Pokeballs on his belt, Jason turned and headed out of the ruins towards the fishing rod shop. After about an hour trek, as he didn't want to upset any Geodudes on his path, the aspiring trainer arrived at the store, which fortune would have that it was open.

As soon as he walked in, it was clear that there was quite the selection of both rods and baits, along with their prices. However, he approached the counter, where a very heavyset man with burly arms and a large gut that spilled over his pants stood. He had a large salt and peppered beard that was well maintained and wore a fishing cap over his head. Despite him being an absolute giant of a man, he looked to be quite friendly and he laughed out a greeting as the young man approached. "Bahahaha! Welcome to ol' Bo's Fishing Mart! Now how can I help you?" He perused the prices again behind the man before speaking.

"Well, I'm looking at getting a rod, but since I'm heading into Starbor Wood, I was wondering if you'd heard any rumors from that part of the route."

Indeed, Tristan finally bothered to do the responsible thing to actually learn the basics needed to be a competent trainer. Too bad it was one of the dullest things he could think of doing.... reading though there were a few exceptions like texting or reading up on fashion magazines and the like. And the more he read on the more bored he found himself, learning about types and their weaknesses but already wishing for something, anything to save him from this mundane activity.

A wish he would instantly come to regret and possibly one of his biggest regrets in life at that as unknown to him a most ominous force of nature had set its eyes on the bored prude.

Before long he noticed the presence of two strangers stepping over which made him sigh inwardly to himself as he readied himself to tell them to leave him as while he wanted this reading session to end, it was a topic he unfortunately needed to learn in full. And it was then that he was assaulted by the most abrasive accent imaginable followed by gibberish nonsense that lacked any semblance of proper language save but for maybe the first few words that he could get an inkling of, if you could consider such alien speak words. Tristan swore that it felt like he was just sucker punched which left him clinging to the chair stunned and blinking both in disbelief and uncertainty. His face showing the most confused what the fuck expression possible; words that sounded like ancient lost dialect too troublesome for him to even attempt deciphering and so opted instead to turn his attention to the other besides this.... girl? She-beast?

Turning his attention instead to Freya where he would once again be surprised though this time was a pleasant one as he couldn't help but mentally whoa at the sight of the miraculously tall girl. And upon a single glance he could see that she was quite the beauty on top of being freakishly tall for a woman; a most interesting rarity that had him immensely intrigued. How odd to have such a fascinating girl accompanied by what he mused to a tribal creature from some lost tribe. Of course, what the rich teen was feeling was nothing as silly or childish as a crush; like a certain frumpy fangirl was doing elsewhere no, his was more akin to admiration similar to an explorer discovering a new and rare specimen worthy of studying.

Requiring a few more moments to compose himself while fixing his shirt before he sat up into a relaxed pose leaning against the left armrest." Why, yes... yes, I am. It seems you have a good eye to notice my potential as a trainer much like miss Adriane." Nodding with a pleased smile; delighted to see someone recognizing his potential finally which is why the current champion who may be the ultimate goal to dfeat was one of the only few deserving of his respect. Coughing into his right fist to clear his throat." The name is Tristan... Tristan Glory. A name to keep an eye out for as it will soon be known all across the region as the one to end Adriane's reign." He chuckled after stating such a bold claim then he shifted by draping his left leg over his right leg and his chin against his left palm." And I can tell by a mere glance that you must be a chosen trainer as well? Though it would be amiss of me to not mention that a towering beauty like you have a staggering potential to be an idol that most could only dream of but before I go any further. I can't be so rude as to forget to ask for your name miss....?" He asked with a raised brow; actually, eager to know this person who was so unlike all the lesser rabble around them or the one besides her.

This in turn reminded him of Freya's associate whom on closer look did have a tomboyish cute charm to her. Unfortunately, any potential she might have had were ruined by the intense vibe she gave off combined with that abrasive and foreign manner of speaking that would intimidate and scare off any possible fans save for the braver and more reckless crowd." And I suppose I should ask for your...friend? or associate's name? Though I admit I have no inkling of what she said." Keeping his attention mostly on Freya as he spoke hoping to get into her good graces; clearly Tristan didn't recognize Steph whatsoever as she was hardly one he would want to associate himself with and even looking at her made him feel anxious as if she might try to beat him up at any moment.

Compasses always spun a little before finding their way when one wasn't sure what direction to go. Now, it seemed Faye's had gotten on track. Route 1 was quite the good first step above Route 4 it seemed. While she already had a mind to go seek out her own Yamper for her fledgling team, being able to check out that Daycare was an excellent next destination. Aside from potentially being able to identify the egg, they could likely give her a better idea for what might be found on the route and more.

"Thanks so much. For everything." She blinked when his phone beeped and he apologized after checking it. Of course, you nit - you didn't even consider he might have other things to do. She caught the smile before it fell from her face. "Oh, I'm sorry. I - yeah - definitely head off.[/color]" She waved as Basil and Vex ran off. "Bye! It was awesome meeting you both!"

She let out a soft breath as she finally dropped her arm and looked back down at Sage. "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty stoked now." Her cheerful smile was back at full force. Kneeling down, she carefully put the egg case down and set her backpack on the ground in front of her. "And now that we have a better sense of direction, I know our next step. We'll head out to Route 1 and check out that Daycare. See if they can identify this egg. If not, we'll just wait and see what hatches. At the very least, we'll be able to find potential new teammates heading out that way." As she spoke, the purple haired trainer set about reorganizing her pack to fit the egg case securely inside. It was too bulky to carry with her otherwise, not comfortably anyways.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, notifying her of a new alert on her social. She pulled it out and checked it to see it was just Basil responding to her tag. Heat pooled in her cheeks as she tried to fight back a bigger smile. That was so nice he complimented the picture. It wasn't even with her professional camera and he thought it was good. Wait until he saw the one she got of Vex. Of course, within a few minutes of his response - she saw her follower count explode. From the few thousand she had to over 100 thousand. The smile fell from her face and her breath caught in her throat. She fell flat on her butt to just sit staring at her phone. A handful of the new followers were even going back and liking pictures she'd taken around King's Cross. If people started asking to commission her....That would be awesome and put a time restriction on her goal of becoming the Champ for Evig. But was that so bad? Maybe she couldn't manage to do both - be a famous photographer and Champ of Evig.

Sage nudged her and yipped. He seemed to realize she was getting into a feedback loop of her brain. Not a great start then.

A few blinks, and Faye focused on Sage. A smile crept back on as she scritched behind his ear. "Yeah, can't be sitting here getting side tracked. We have a team to build and gyms to prepare to beat." She stood, picking her backpack up as she did, and got her pack settled back on her back. "So let's head out. Route 1 here we come!"

@Zarkun

Bo arched his brow at Jason's request. Not exactly what people come here for, but it was not exactly an issue. "Rumors? I take it that you ain't from around here then.", said Bo. "Well, for starters these big slash marks have been appearing all over the trees in the forest. I don't know what it is, but it's got all them bug-catchers and bug-maniacs all worked up for some reason. You'd be better off asking them. I've also vaguely heard that there has been some increased activity in the Corrupted Marsh, but considering how dangerous that shithole is, I can't confirm it myself or even find out what's happening. Not like I'd go willingly." For someone like Jason who has never heard of the Corrupted Marsh, he probably got the idea that it was not exactly the most-safe place within the region so far.

"If you're interested in myth, however, then I've got a bit more for you. You've seen those trees, right?" He asked, referring the towering colossus that were the trees that made up Starbor Forest. To relate it to real world trees, they made Sequoias look like toothpicks by comparison. " You've probably never heard of this since you're not from here, but apparently Starbor Forest is home to what some folks call a 'Forest Deity.'" "Long ago in ancient times, there was a calamitous fire that razed forests and villages into simply ash. In the aftermath, when everything was already lost both people and Pokemon prayed for a miracle, anything to save 'em. Their prayers were answered by what we call The Forest Deity, who raised the forest that we see today from the ground and taught man how to live alongside with its creation, hence the village."

"There is apparently a shrine dedicated to the Deity, but the truth is that no one has ever seen it. Personally, until proven other it is just a myth. Now how about I help you find a-"

"You want a rumor?!" Jason heard this very loud, high-pitched voice from behind him. It sounded almost exactly like a creaky floorboard. To whom this strange voice belonged to, well, if Jason looked behind him, he would see this bone thin, hunched over man with one normal sized eye and then one bulging eye. He only had small tuffs of hair on the sides of his head and a long, mangey grey beard that curled upwards. He was dressed in oversized blue overalls with a stained white-T underneath and black boots. This man was balancing himself with a cane.

Bo sighed with great exasperation and palmed his face, sliding it down which pulled the skin down a bit."Oh for the love of... No one wants to hear your crackpot stories, Bary!"

Poor Bo was simply ignored by this lunatic.

"I saw it, I saw it I did! The sky cracked and a person fell out of it! That Adriane girl was on the scene! I'm tellin' ya the truth! I'm not crazy!"

Yes, he was.

"Don't listen to him kid. He hasn't been in his right mind ever since he's been Night Touched forty-years-ago."

---

@Sanguine Rose
Deciding to head to Route 1, Faye would head north of the city. She would see the city life of people and Pokemon going about their day, loud and ever bustling, but the closer she was to the city limits the activity lessened. The buildings also started to become smaller, and the air became cleaner over time. It was not long until reached the end of the city and stepped on a dirt path.

Faye had now arrived on...



(Ignore the mountains. This was the only picture that came close to my mental image.)

Those heading to Route 1 would be welcomed by the site of rolling green hills with wildflowers beginning their spring bloom strewn about, painting the route with vibrant, untamed color that ran along the entire route. The road itself was like any road; there was a paved path for cars, but for those walking around they would only have a dirt path to walk on though it was well maintained. It was a popular route for beginning trainers due to the lack of challenge that the terrain offered and the close proximity to Florasong Town compared to Route 4's challenges and length.

Aside from hills of greenery and flowers, there were a sizable number of farms on this route each with their own specialty. Some grew wheat, some grew berries, some grew vegetables, and so on. A large portion of the region's food is grown here on this route. Of course, this was common knowledge to anyone living in Evig would know that the only thing not produced here is meat, which is actually produced in places such as Nexus due to the region having advanced cultured meat to the point that it is now the mainstream.

There were also ranches in the area where it can be safely assumed that had Pokemon on them and plenty of Breeders who offered their expertise. One could get Moomoo Milk in some of them. There was even a Day Care Center where a nice elderly couple who were very much experienced Pokemon Breeders.

The route was decently well-trafficked with trainers and others coming down from Florasong or from Grand Glory. There were many trainers in the tall grass searching for Pokemon or on the edge of a forest that strangely wasn't marked on the map. What could be in it?

There were kids playing in the grass, well, actually it looked like they were holding a little tournament of some sort.

Along the grass there were very familiar puppy Pokemon going about their day, mainly just lying in the now midday sun or playing amongst themselves. There were also these creatures with zigzagging markings all over their body scavenging for food.

Pokédex Entry #835 – Yamper, the Puppy Pokémon. This Pokémon is very popular as a herding dog in the Galar region. As it runs, it generates electricity from the base of its tail. It only assists people with their work because it wants treats. As it runs, it crackles with electricity.

Pokédex Entry #263 – Zigzagoon, the Tiny Raccoon Pokémon. It marks its territory by rubbing its bristly fur on trees. This variety of Zigzagoon is friendlier and calmer than the kind native to Galar. If you've lost something, this Pokémon can likely find it.

However, slithering in the grass were these purple, poisonous snakes with yellow rattles at the end of their tails hunting the near endless supply of Zigzagoons.

Pokédex Entry #023 – Ekans, the Snake Pokémon. By dislocating its jaw, it can swallow prey larger than itself. After a meal, it curls up and rests. The eggs of bird Pokémon are its favorite food. It swallows eggs whole, so sometimes an egg gets stuck, and Ekans faints.

Connected Areas:

Grand Glory City
Florasong City
Unmarked Woods

Dusk seemed quite happy by the attention that Faye was giving it, seeming quite fond of the chin do litwick even have chins? scratch in particular.

....huh? Was he ignoring her and just talking to Freya? Nah must've just been her imagination, surely this little prick wasn't that rude right? Obviously, he was just intimidated by Steph. She had noticed a lot of people had been taken aback by her, maybe she had been a little too over the top? She had been told by her aunt that she could be a little...overzealous. Suppose someone as scrawny as him couldn't help but be intimidated by it, so maybe she should try dialling it down a bit? Though she couldn't stop the exasperated sigh that escaped her as she gave him a look like he was one book short of a library. God, he was a real wally wasn't he?

Though once he was done boot licking with Freya and finally turned some form of attention back to Steph she just looked at him blankly. Why was he asking Freya for her name? Like sure they didn't talk at the lab, but wouldn't he have her name in his contacts thank to the quack and Adriane? And at any rate, shouldn't he be asking for Steph for it, not Freya? Why was he speaking like he hadn't met her before?

"Oy cahn introduce myself just foine yah yahbberin cruymohahnt, jayz." An eye-roll followed as she pulled out her pokedex and shook it around as if to jog Tristans memory. "The nyme is Staeph. yah knaow, one of the ones alawng weeth yoahsself thaht quack gyve thaese two loiterohly loike an aewah agao?" Oh yeah, speaking of the nutjob professor, it seemed like Freya was acquainted with him as well? Eh she could ask the relation later. For now, she was more focusing on trying to get this massive stick out of Tristans ass. How pompous could one person be? Honestly.

@Lunarlord34@samreaper

Oh, dear god this guy was a blowhard. She maintained that smile though if it was anymore forced her facial muscles would be the hardest working muscles on her body. "Uh, actually Steph told me that you were there with her that you got your starter today." While it was to clarify what she meant, it was to also knock him down a peg. There was confidence, but this prick had no respect for the champion or anyone within the league. He was only about himself and that's it. She did not like him at all, and Tristan was giving her less and less reason to.

Freya was visibly uncomfortable with Tristan and honestly, she was not wrong to be. Tristan was essentially objectifying her the moment that he met her, but rather than risk of making this somehow more awkward than this already was, she just smiled albeit very stiffly. "Um, yes I am one of the trainers that Adriane picked. My name is Freya, and my friend is very much capable of introducing herself." Freya was not exactly appreciative that Tristan had straight up ignored her and yes, she understood that Steph's accent was as understandable as a can of alphabet soup, but he could at least make the effort to try and understand the Bogan girl.

Steph was especially pissed off for being ignored, but honestly, she was handling it a lot better than anticipated. However, was it necessary to keep insulting the professor?

"Can we please not call the professor a 'quack?'" Was it just them or was she starting to sound annoyed? She maintained that smile, but there was a certain forcefulness in the way she said it.

Here he was trying to be pleasant and yet he could feel hostility, mostly from Steph who seemed agitated over the fact he seemed to be ignoring her. This was in fact not the case as a girl giving off such intensity was difficult to ignore, but he had no response towards her gibberish manner of speaking; simply finding it easier to instead address her through Freya. Next thing he knew the girl was shaking her pokedex in his face looking all kinds of pissed off as if it was his fault he couldn't understand her when she hasn't even bothered to attempt to speak an actual language or at the very least brought a translator along.

At least Freya knew how to control herself though her face looked quite strained which he worried might tarnish her beauty. After listening to the pair did Tristan raise his right hand and used his right index finger to nudge Steph's pokedex out of his face." Is that so? Well then, I must apologize as I was not given the opportunity to interact with the others of the group back at the lab in part due to the professor's childish behavior in having that heinous beast throwing me from the lab." Shaking his head; still annoyed at the way he was treated by that washed-up grump. He found himself chuckling at the mention of him being called a quack; apparently said by Steph in that mess of demonic speak and thought there was at least one tiny thing the two shared in common that being their lack of respect to professor Kapock. Shifting with that slight smug grin made more noticeable with his head propped up by the chin resting on his palm and still chuckling as he did so.

" I'd have to agree though that the man isn't a quack. He must have some notable knowledge to get such a position. Not to mention the fact he did give us quite the interesting pokemon like that shiny litwick there who sparkles like a star." His kind words were genuine towards Dusk as he gave him a small wave from the tip of his fingers." Though I dare say the age is definitely getting to him and might to start thinking of retirement and get someone who knows how to properly treat the new trainers." Shaking his head once more with a tsk of the tongue.

Tristan shifted to move his right leg over the right know to keep them from getting sore or stiff before turning his attention to Steph once more with a raised brow." And considering that...Staph was it? Seeing that you are one of my direct rivals I have no obligation to be friendly towards you. Especially when it is impossible to even get a coherent understanding of what she says without some advanced translator which I have no intention of wasting my time with." Moving to pull out his own pokedex as he let out a sigh." Seeing that I have your contact, I might as well follow your deeds and exploits. Prove yourself worthy as my rival and I might bother to at least see you as a proper rival." Nodding his head, hoping this cleared things up.

Turning his attention back to Freya as that forced annoyed smile turn to a warm smile." And I would greatly enjoy getting your contact as well, miss Freya. I really do see great potential in you as an idol and perhaps with my tips and advice could very well make you the number one idol of the region...that is if that is the route you wish to go on. Either way, I'd enjoy keeping in touch hopefully to become good acquaintances." How bothersome that he even needed to explain himself to this pair of strangers; maybe if Steph actually bothered to learn how to actually speak...like a person, then he would at least acknowledge her, to a very minor degree. As it seemed most rookie trainers tended to forget that everyone was their enemy.

As such, becoming friends or all buddy-buddy would simply lead one to defeat. Trust no one, not even yourself, the motto of his family that he lived by. So far it has kept him from being betrayed among the rich community and shall do the same for him amongst the rabble clambering for that number one spot unknown that it was already claimed by him. It had to be his...this was his last chance as the brief image of his father flashed in his mind sending a chilling shiver down his spine and a glint of fear in his eyes.

Jason arched his own eyebrow at the mention of the large slash marks on the tree trunks. That's...interesting. I'm gonna have to go find one of the bug-catchers when I'm done here, which, the young man glanced out towards where he could see the large trees of the forest outside the window of the shop and chuckled, shouldn't be all that hard. Mention of the corrupted marsh made him grimace though, especially since it seemed there was increasing activity. Contrary to the shop owner's belief, not that it was unfounded, his dad had warned him several times about the Corrupted Marsh and what it was, so confirming it and informing Kapoc and Adrianne what was going on would probably be a good idea, though doing it alone...it probably wasn't a good idea, so he should probably ask if anyone else could head this way to back him up.

Then came the mention of the myth. "If you're interested in myth, however, then I've got a bit more for you. You've seen those trees, right?" The shopkeeper asked, referring the towering colossus that were the trees that made up Starbor Forest, which Jason realize he needed some climbing gear." You've probably never heard of this since you're not from here, but apparently Starbor Forest is home to what some folks call a 'Forest Deity.' Long ago in ancient times, there was a calamitous fire that razed forests and villages into simply ash. In the aftermath, when everything was already lost both people and Pokemon prayed for a miracle, anything to save 'em. Their prayers were answered by what we call The Forest Deity, who raised the forest that we see today from the ground and taught man how to live alongside with its creation, hence the village."

Not unlike the stories about Groudon and Kyogre, though definitely more...benevolent than either of them. And definitely Rayquaza. The young man returned his attention to the shopkeeper as he mentioned the shrine and the young man made a mental note to definitely chase that down when he reached the woods. Content with the information he got and the shopkeeper was happy to move on, he was about to look at the rods when another man spoke up, the high pitched creak coming from behind him and forcing him to turn around as Bo told him to be quiet. As is usually the case with old coots, the man spoke anyways.

"I saw it, I saw it I did! The sky cracked and a person fell out of it! That Adriane girl was on the scene! I'm tellin' ya the truth! I'm not crazy!" Bo said to ignore it, however, Jason's interest was piqued when he mentioned what happened to poor old Bary.

"I'm sorry, and I think I'll just take a red Good Rod, but what is the Night Touch?" He also pulled out his Pokedex and pulled up Adrianne's information to call her when he had a free moment. Something he'd learned from taking history for the Ren Faires back home was crazy people often had good points, if a bit embellished.

Wait why did Freya also seemed so annoyed? Like not just with this walking shit stain here, but with her it seemed as well. It took a moment, in fact several moments as she looked at Freya, down at her pokedex, back to Freya, back to the pokedex, back to Freya, back to-wait a goddamn minute! "Oh....Oooooh. OOOHHHHH." It suddenly clicked to her, as did her fingers at Freya. "Yaw hiies leettle seestah roigh'? sohry beow' daht, Oy deedn't mayn nawthin. It's just haow we oolwhys addraessed the professah neah wheah Oy leeved was ooll." Suppose she couldn't use that nickname for Kapoc anymore then, she would have to think of a new one if it was going to annoy Freya. Or at least not use it around the taller girl.

Ok now there was a difference between being a stuck up rich kid and whatever fucking shit this bloody deadset mongrel was trying to be. Even Dusk gave him an annoyed look when he wriggled his fingers at him, like the kind of look that said 'don't you rope me into this shit'. As he pushed her pokedex away, she took a deep breath while she put it back into her pocket while he continued prattling on and being a pretentious little shitter.

When he finished, she exhaled quite loudly and there was an eerie calmness about her. All the previous intensity seeming to suddenly die as she stared at him for a moment. Freya would probably be able to work out what was going to happen next, so unless she grabbed Steph in time then the fist she suddenly wound back would probably connect with that smug shiteating face of his. Now Steph was no slouch when it came to hitting things, as Dennis had come to find out she was reasonably strong thanks to her farming background, coupled with the fact that she was almost always roughhousing with her older male cousins, she most certainly knew how to land a strong right hook so he better pray to Arceus the taller girl could stop Steph from landing this.

"Yah knaow, the bah was oolraydy incredeebly laow and yaeh', heah we are, leembao dahncin weeth the devil yah absolutely praetentious bootleeckin payce of shiieh'. Oy'm one of yoah duyahct rivuls? Oy would rahthah be pushin up diseees thahn be the rivul t' a pawmpous reech twaht loike yoahsself. Yah wahnt t' fuckin foigh'? Oy'll bryke every gawddahmn bone in thaht praecious leettle bawdy of yours, sao come on puh' thaem up sao Oy cahn puh' yah wheah yah fuckin belawng; the fuckin duht." If Freya didn't stop the first one or grab her, she would go to give him a second one just for good measure, completely uncaring for the commotion this was causing as she yelled at him. And if she did, she would most certainly attempt to worm her way out.

@Zarkun

"To be honest kid, we have no idea. Some say it's an omen, some same it's a curse. It happens when people are asleep. They see visions of something in their sleep, but the one constant is that they all see the moon in their dream. The effects actually vary; some people don't experience anything afterwards, but then there are people who see strange things after their dreams and then there are those like Bary. Whatever Bary saw in that dream of his shattered his psyche. Hey Bary, lift your right hand up and show us the back."

The crazed old man lifted up his wrinkled left hand instead. It was skinny and veins were pushing against the skin as if they were trying to break free.

"No, I said your right hand you dim git."

This time, Bary lifted up his right hand and on the back of his hand was a black crescent shape. "That's the sign of the Night Touched. Everyone that wakes up from being Night Touched all have that mark. Sorry, but that's all that I've got to tell you and to be frank, you won't get anything useful from Bary. Now, let's get you that rod."

Bo walked around from his counter and went to the stands of fishing rods where he glanced around until he found a Good Rod, which he brought back to the counter and laid it out. Judging by the way it looks, it was a pretty sturdy, yet flexible rod that looked like it could definitely fish up some tough Pokemon. Not the strongest, but definitely better than those literal wooden sticks that were the Old Rods. For simplicity's sake, Jason was able to pay for it with his Trainer Card and was now down 5000P.

If he chose to leave the store, he would have heard Bary yell out, "The gators are a lie!"

What does he do now?

---

@samreaper@Lunarlord34

And Steph was right on the money! "Oh, um, yes that is correct. It's fine, he's difficult around most people." Freya said quite a bit awkwardly though perhaps a bit relieved that someone knows of their relation. Well, that was until Tristan kept talking and that river of crap flowed out of his mouth with as much ease as breathing. She simply could not believe that someone could possibly be this arrogant with nothing to show for it. That grin of his physically made her ill, like actually make her stomach tighten as if she was going to wretch. She eyed Steph to see how she was handling being directly insulted by this fool and for the most part she seemed calm, too calm. That's when she noticed the girl's body language and it was like...

Wait... Steph wasn't... Shit!

With a speed and strength that betrayed her figure, Freya hooked her arms under Steph's and pulled back the girl before she would do something to be charged with assault and battery. Try as Steph might, Freya was thankfully able to keep the wriggling girl out and then did a 180 degree turn and tossed her back. Freya was panting heavily having to hold back that wild Bronco of a woman. Her neat, wavy black hair was now frazzled though she ran her fingers through her hair and pushed it back.

Freya had a completely different feel about her, something that Steph should have picked up on immediately. This was not the same, warm, kind girl that patched up her wounds. Her eyes were sharper, far colder now and wore a scowl that would have looked far too familiar to anyone that had just seen it this morning. It was as if a switch was just flipped.

"Cool it. There's no need dirtying your hands with shit." She said with a cool, yet somehow equally vicious tone. Yup, Kapoc and Freya were definitely siblings.

She turned to Tristan with that same, icy expression that expressed every variety from the rainbow of disdain towards the rich prick.

"You know what? You're awfully presumptuous, you tiny, arrogant, insignificant, single cell troglodyte. She walked over him and now her figure was far more intimidating as her shadow now loomed over him. "Do you just run your mouth and expect no consequences for the shit you say? Get a fucking grip."

There was now a decent crowd of people watching this, some worried about what was going to happen next and then some that were taping this disaster on their phones. The Nurse Joy had actually witnessed Steph trying to assault Tristan but was too afraid to step in until now.

"We cannot permit violence in the Pokemon center. I have to ask you three to-"

"Shut it." The Nurse Joy actually yelped from fear. The intensity that came from Freya was suffocating. "We are going to settle this like trainers. Get up." Ordered Freya as she stepped back.

"Grab your Pokemon and square up. I'm not letting you off that easily." She turned back and began to walk out of the Pokemon Center but turned back to look at Tristan. "Don't you dare run away." With that, she walked out of the Center and waited for him.

What do Tristan and Steph do?

Snapping a quick picture of the mark on the back of Bary's hand, Jason thanks Bo and heads for the door as he raises the Pokedex to his ear, already having pressed talk to call Adrianne. However, Bary's last line caught him a bit off guard and he glanced back just long enough to raise an eyebrow before looking forwards again and walking the rest of the way out. It rang until either Adrianne actually picked up or it sent him to voicemail. "Hey Adrianne, this is Jason Connor, the kid from Hoenn you recruited. Got a handful of things to talk to you about. One, last night I rescued an alternate colored Totodile from a poacher on Route 4, said something about a woman hiring him to get it for her. I informed the police as well, but figured I should tell you too. Two, I hear tell a person fell from a crack in the sky. I get you're not required to tell me anything, but knowing whether or not that's true would be nice. Three, I'm getting ready to head through Starbor and heard there's rumors that the Corrupted Marsh is more active, and I'm gonna confirm. Not sure going alone is smart, so I thought I'd ask if anyone else from my group was free to come help.

Lastly, and this one is...strange, is the Night Touched. The shop owner I talked to couldn't offer a whole lot on it and I hoped that you might be able to shed some light on it. The story he told me sounded SUPER similar to the old Darkrai tales I heard as a kid, but I don't remember this strange mark being a part of it." If she answered, he waited for her response to his barrage of topics as he walked. If it was her voicemail, he hung up and then continued off towards Starbor.

Tristan was waiting for Freya to offer her contact info or ask for his when he felt that ominous aura warning of danger. His attention turned to Steph where he saw the girl winding up her arm as if preparing to throw a punch at him. His eyes went wide with disbelief, surely this eldritch uttering beast wasn't crazy enough to go hitting him in a public place and over some simple but harsh criticism? Yet, the girl made no sign of stopping; it was clear she intended to follow through and this caused his face to pale then threw up his arms flinching." N-not the face!" He muttered out in panic waiting for the blow to come only to open his eyes to witness Freya stop and shove the enraged tomboy.

For a moment he was relieved and was preparing to thank Freya for stopping that wild she-beast's brutish attempt at assault. Only to hear the tall girl refer to him so cruelly and then in an instant she turned on a dime in his direction where he was struck by a dangerous intensity that completely dwarfed Steph's in call capacity. While Steph felt like a rampaging bull, Freya was more like a speeding train that struck him with those overtly harsh insults as each one felt like a dagger stabbing deep into his pride. What made them hurt even more was the fact it reminded him of the cruel things his brothers often referred to him and did so casually as if it was a normal thing only this time it was from someone of a lower status than him. Then she stamped over to tower over him like an intimidating giant causing him to feel as if his body shrank into the chair as he was left to stare at her in stunned silence and yet...even as he there staring up at her in stunned silence, Tristan could not help but be in awe. The pissed Freya looked like a most terrifying beauty the likes of which he never seen from any other girl.

His admiring did not last long as she followed up with more harsh statements that made him try to look away while gulping and in doing so saw that people had gathered taking pictures and videos of him looking pathetic and talked down to. His hands clenched and face flushed with embarrassment; unable to think of a retort though a voice in his mind warned him it best to keep his mouth shut. And then, as if being belittled wasn't enough she called him out with a challenging before stamping her way out as she stopped once to strike at his pride once more with a warning of not running.

Tristan could do nothing but tremble in the chair and take deep breath to try and ease the pain and shame but hearing the continued clicks of photos and mutterings from the crowd did little to help. All of this simply cause these two can't take harsh criticism as if it was his fault Steph spoke in such a way that was impossible to understand and expect others to just put in effort to understand her without any from her end.

And now he had been challenged in front of all these people. He could certainly slip out as he had no obligation to accept the challenge of such a foul-mouthed woman. If only were that he could. With all these peoples likely to posts this incident left a good chance his father or brothers could see this whole ordeal who had warned him not to do anything to embarrass the Glory name. With a huffing sniff of his nose, Tristan stood up and took a moment fixing his shirt and hair then made his way to the counter while trying to keep himself composed in front of the unwanted audience.

" I've come to gather my pokemon if they are healed. " He spoke in a low, stiff tone struggling to hide the hurt and humiliation in his voice. To make matters worse, his pokemon had just been healed and were going right into another battle which was especially unfortunate for Princess having yet gotten to even do proper introductions with the Riolu so now on top of humiliation he was feeling guilty towards them. Before long King and the pokeball holding Princess were set on the counter though King easily took notice that something was wrong with his trainer and hopped over giving his hand a worried gentle peck. Receiving this worried affection made him somewhat happy to know he had someone that cared about him as he pets the shiny Murkrow." There's nothing to worry about, King....though things happen so now we must battle again. I'll be sure to reward the two of you well later." Nodding with a small sigh as he received another gentle peck from King before flying up onto his shoulder.

Picking up the pokeball containing Princess and giving his thanks to nurse Joy, Tristan turned and made his way towards the front door to make his way outside. And waiting out there was Freya waiting who was still fuming though the sight of her looking so imposing made him for pause for a moment and gulp. Finding himself intimidated and in awe once more at her giant presence and might have thought her breathtaking were she not giving off that deadly aura. Shaking his head to shake off the jitters knowing he needed to get his composure and go all in if he wished to win this battle; a victory he must gain as it was the only way for him to save face, otherwise he was screwed regardless.

Exhaling slowly to regain his nerves, Tristan moved into position placing his right hand on his hip." I'm here....let's get this over with." Opening his mouth as if there was more he intended to say, but decided against it; at this point anything he'd say would likely only make this situation worse for himself." To clarify, I have two pokemon." He added in to let Freya know in case she might have more pokemon than him.

@Zarkun

The phone was indeed picked up and what he heard were a few grumbles and yawns before he heard someone tiredly say, "Uh, Adrianne speaking." It probably did not occur to Jason, but it was still relatively early in the morning and probably a day off.

In the background, Jason heard a very familiar voice that sleepily said "Who is it?"

"It's Jason. That older boy from Hoenn. Go back to sleep hon." He would hear rustling, as if Adrianne was beginning to sit up. "What's up? How can I help you?" Asked Adrianne, who definitely was not expecting a full-on report.

"Oh, nice job on that. Poachers are always an issue, but good for you for stepping up. I'm sure the authorities are looking into leads. I'm sure it won't amount to much, but if it leads to something I'll get involved." There was only so much that she could actually do. She was only one person so unless there was something solid, she needed to focus on matters too big to be ignored, such as this latest, slightly disturbing news.

Adriane made a confused, unintelligible sound before she said,"Increased activity? That's odd... I should have received a report if that were the case. It could just be the scientists from the village, but I'll contact the Starbor Village gym leader to see if she knows anything. If you're going to venture in there, be careful. It's volatile and some areas are covered with a miasma, so you won't get very far without a gas mask. Luckily, there's always someone by the entrance that sells some."

There as a slight pause after he asked the next question, but she soon responded tiredly, "Someone falling from the sky? Was the person who told you drinking?" It was hard to tell whether or not she was actually telling the truth or not and probably did not leave him with enough time to actually ask again since she went over to his next point.

"Oh, um, Night Touch is as old as the region itself, but honestly, I have not a clue what the hell causes it. If you want to find out more, you'd probably be better off going to New Valhane or King's Cross depending on what you're looking for." She said before she yawned very loudly.

"You know, you don't have to report to me about everything. I mean, I appreciate it, but unless it's something so important that I have to know you do not need to call me... But, uh, actually do call me back about the Marsh if you find anything out. That is actually concerning if it isn't just scientists... Though don't do anything to hurt yourself. If I find anything out, I'll let you know. Talk later."

And she hung up.

Well, that was that. Jason would walk down the rocky path that was Route 4 into the shadows of the colossal trees that made up the forest. The path begins to smooth out and the smell of fresh water was replaced with a fresh, woodsy sort of smell.




Before you lay a forest of impossibly large trees. Even when you craned your neck to look all the way up, you would soon realize that you cannot see the end of them. Where the sky should be was a thick canopy of leaves with beams of light piercing through that would act as the light source for the woods and that is not even acknowledging the sheer width of these trees. While varying in width, on average they looked like they could be buildings. It would take a few minutes to walk around even the thinnest of the trees. The roots were massive as well, some protruding the ground in towering arcs with large patches of moss growing on them.

You do see some trainers and others walk through, but you specifically were finding a lot of Bug-Catchers and Bug-Maniacs around and that is not without reason. There were small bug-type Pokemon crawling about the trees. On the ground were a variety of small grass-type Pokemon as well going about their own business as well. Not only that, but there were a number of people in harnesses climbing up the trees It would make anyone wonder what was up above in the trees.

There was, surprisingly, a road going through the forest and another dirt path that offered a safe path through the woods though whether or not you follow it is entirely up to you. While it may be a bit dangerous to get off the beaten path, perhaps there are things that people miss?

What could be seen right now were a couple of caterpillar-like creatures skittering around the ground and along the massive columns of trees.

Pokedex Entry #664-Scatterbug, the Scatterdust Pokemon. When under attack from bird Pokémon, it spews a poisonous black powder that causes paralysis on contact. The powder that covers its body regulates its temperature, so it can live in any region or climate.

Pokedex Entry #265-Wurple, the Worm Pokemon. Using the spikes on its rear end, Wurmple peels the bark off trees and feeds on the sap that oozes out. This Pokémon's feet are tipped with suction pads that allow it to cling to glass without slipping. Pearl. It spits a white silk thread that turns sticky when coming into contact with air. The silk is used to immobilize foes.

Scurrying around the ground were these grumpy looking mushroom Pokemon, watching those passing by curiously.

Pokedex Entry #285-Shroomish, the Mushroom Pokemon. Shroomish live in damp soil in the dark depths of forests. They are often found keeping still under fallen leaves. This Pokémon feeds on compost that is made up of fallen, rotted leaves. If Shroomish senses danger, it shakes its body and scatters spores from the top of its head. This Pokémon's spores are so toxic, they make trees and weeds wilt.

In Jason's case, he saw a very familiar Stetson hat moving about the place.

Connected Areas:

Route 4
Corrupted Marsh
Starbor City

---

@samreaper

Now that Freya had gone outside, the Nurse Joy had gotten a handle of the situation and was able to disperse the crowd as interest seemed fade from this show of teen drama though there were a few curious spectators that followed Tristan out.

Well, at least he had the balls to face a challenge presented to him. He would find Freya in what looked like an area that was conveniently designated as an area to battle. It was a really just a section of concrete where cars can't drive over that had white outlines designating the boundaries of the space as well as a spot to indicate where the trainers were supposed to stand. This was probably there for moments like these when there were trainers raring to go for a battle or settling some dispute.

Compared to the park, this seemed to be far more direct and simpler in terms of terrain. Hopefully that will make things easier for Tristan, hopefully.

"Huh, you actually came. I figured you'd turn tail.", said Freya, glaring at him with that same intensity. This was something that people passing by caught on to. There were some people stopping to watch the potential spectacle. Some murmured, some actually recognized the lass and were either laughing at whoever the poor schmuck was going to fight her or nervousness and pity for her opponent. It seemed like she already had quite the reputation already, which is odd considering that she only became a trainer recently.

"Two Pokemon is fine. Whoever runs out of Pokemon first loses. Now, let's see if you fight as well as you run your mouth."



Freya grabbed a Pokeball that was attached to the strap of her bag and tossed it out. What came out from that flash of white light was a Pokemon that Tristan had seen earlier today.

Pokédex Entry #058 – Growlithe, the Puppy Pokémon. It has a brave and trustworthy nature. It fearlessly stands up to bigger and stronger foes. Extremely loyal, it will fearlessly bark at any opponent to protect its own Trainer from harm.

"Now send out your Pokemon." She ordered Tristan with that usual disdain.

Sadly, whatever Pokemon Tristan tosses out onto the battlefield will immediately have their attack stat decreased by Intimidate. The Growlithe bore its fangs and growled at Tristan viciously.

Tristan was trying to wrap his head around this situation; confused as to how things got to this point but all the emotions whirling within made it difficult to collect his thoughts. It didn't help either that he had to listen to the onlooking crowd starting to cheer for Freya while laughing at him wounding his already raw pride all the more as it was through great effort that he kept himself from shouting at them to shut up and screw off as this had nothing to do with any of them.

And the source of all this humiliation and frustration stood a short distance across from him glaring at him with that icy gaze which he returned in kind. All of this cause these two girls can't handle some simple harsh truth; at least unlike Freya's insults he never directly called them foul words and just pointed out how ridiculously difficult it was to understand the she-beast, a nickname she more than deserved.

Freya was hardly done at kicking him in the gut either with the way she spoke to him so coldly to which he responded with a scoff." I've already been called plenty foul things...I refuse to add coward to that and give you that justification."

Saying nothing more as he watched Freya call out her pokemon revealed to be a growlithe. A pokemon he saw back at the school; one that he had been interested in and this time knew its type to be a fire type though unfortunately he had no pokemon it was weak to. He could tell this would be a difficult battle with his pokemon just freshly healed or the fact he didn't have the chance work out a training plan for both King and Princess.

No point in complaining. Only thing he could do now is to try save face and aim to win to show Freya and the crowd not to go looking down on him." Good with me. Go, King and show that we aren't ones to back down." A confident caw rang out from the shiny Murkrow who flew over to land on the field who felt an intimidating shudder go through his body but the bird endured through it and readied himself for battle.