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Pokémon: Jaded Champion

The Shinx let out one more growl towards the larger Pokemon, but did indeed back off. It seemed like a good fit for Ema, the more Leo watched them interact. He was a little harder to rein in, but was up for a challenge, it seemed. Shinx shrunk back before Ema, returning to its comfortable spot alongside Tyr.

Leo shook his head at the explanation, accepting the plan with no questions to add. His friend slung an arm over his shoulders, grinning a bit. "A secret technique, huh? We seem to be doing pretty well for ourselves so far," she stated. Despite her overconfidence, she couldn't deny her curiosity at what the Champion could show them. She was confident she would one day be standing against him and Kick, but...he had years on them. He was sure to know something interesting.

The meeker boy was quick to reply. "I appreciate your help, sir," he said, shooting a look towards Ema, silently asking her to behave. She was confident, but headstrong. He was sure she'd rise up to challenge the League someday, but they shouldn't deny help where it was given. They were already behind their age range. They could use the help here.

Pokémon: Jaded Champion

It wasn't long into that when the two would arrive back. Hoothoot was resting happily on Leo's head, Terra laying on his shoulder, while the Shinx was bounding around Ema's legs with Tyr. The two had made quick work of getting their new additions to warm up to them in their own ways. Leo glanced around the area, noticing the remnants of the crowd that had been pooling around here, still drawing some eyes. Now, the two of them were also drawing those eyes. He knew that was a possibility, being the two trainers that the Champion himself was mentoring, but...that didn't make it any more comfortable.

Ema, on the other hand, was oblivious to it. Ignoring the Champion himself, she walked right up to Kick, a wide smile on her face. "Hey, buddy. You having a nice day out too?" she asked. She had easily warmed up to the Blaziken, much more than the gruff Isaac. Her Pokemon had different ideas. Shinx let out a sharp cry, bristling slightly in challenge at the much stronger Pokemon. This only made Ema grin a bit more. He definitely had a fighting spirit. That would be good for the gym challenge. She couldn't have asked for a better second teammate.

Leo nervously moved up to Isaac, scratching the back of his head. "I hope we didn't make you wait long, sir."

Pokémon: Jaded Champion

The two greenhorns in question had taken to relaxing at the beach, not far from town. They had visited a few of the local stores, Leo taking the time to find something tasty for not just them but their Pokemon. He had found some pastries and snacks for them to enjoy while they relaxed. He was also the first to release his Pokemon out into the opening. Terra chirped happily as she was able to stretch and enjoy the outdoors. Hoothoot was...less excitable, hesitant as it looked over its new trainer and the Pokemon.

Leo plopped himself down in front of the two, smiling widely at his new friends. He laid out a cloth to place an assortment of berries in front of Terra. She chirped happily again, immediately digging in. In front of Hoothoot, he placed down two options. It was more berries that he had given Terra, but also small pieces of jerky he had bought. He was pretty sure he remembered Hoothoots largely being carnivores, eating small rodents as their main diet. Still, he didn't want to assume what this one would prefer. "Don't worry, buddy. You're safe. Enjoy the snack. Play with Terra for a bit," he said softly, trying to help relax his new friend.

Hoothoot cooed apprehensively, eyeing the food suspiciously. Terra seemed to pick up on this. Sidling closer to it, she looked over the options before timidly taking one of the berries. She made a muffled cry to the owl-like Pokemon before devouring the berry happily. The Hoothoot watched her for a moment before hopping forward. Lowering its head, it nipped at one of the piece of jerky. There was a pause as it took in the taste before it dug in, happily accepting the snack.

Ema had also released her Pokemon, though her bonding session was much different. The Shinx came out and immediately bristled in annoyance, letting out a growl. This elicited a warning chirp from Tyr. "Oh, relax, Tyr. He's gonna be our partner now," she stated confidently, striding forward. "You're with us now, Sparky. Time to get used to it." She stooped down to lift him up, a quick burst of electricity coursed out from the Shinx, causing Ema to let out a yelp as she let go.

Tyr was quick to pick up on this and immediately charged, tackling the Shinx with a war cry. It was the Shinx's turn to let out a yelp as it fell back. Getting back to its feet, he growled at Tyr and brought the two to a standstill. "Enough of this!" Ema strode forward again, grabbing Shinx and holding him up. Another burst of electricity burst forth, but this time, the girl grit her teeth and locked eyes with the Shinx. "I said, enough." The authority in her voice made the Shinx pause, shrinking back from the trainer for a moment.

A smile split across her face at that. "Good. Glad we understand one another. Now, get to know your new friend." She put the Shinx down and the response was one of confusion, looking up at the trainer and then at Tyr. Tyr continued to eye it suspiciously, waiting for it to step out of line. It seemed to have accepted the order of things, though, shrinking away slightly.

It wasn't long for Shinx to get along with Tyr. Well, get along was a strong word. He tolerated the Nidoran. They weren't fighting anymore and that was a plus.

This was the situation they found themselves in as they returned to the Pokecenter. Hoothoot sat atop Leo's shoulder, Terra having resumed its rest on his head, exhausted from playing the past few hours. Tyr and Shinx were bounding around Ema's legs, nipping at each other. It was hard to tell if they were playing or just annoying each other, but they were staying with their trainer now, at least.

Pokémon: Jaded Champion

The two listened quietly, Ema's eyes already wandering over the town she hadn't seen since she was little. Leo's eyes were fixed to Isaac, listening intently to his instructions. He glanced over towards the red roofed building at the end of the explanation, considering his options before turning towards Ema. "I think I'm going to the Pokecenter first. I found a Hoothoot that I think ran into your Shinx," he explained. "Want me to meet you somewhere?"

Ema grinned a bit as she gave a shrug. "I'll tag along. Shinx could use rest too," she said. She didn't state it clearly, but she was worried to leave him alone in a new city. Neither of them had left New Bark Town often, but she knew he had been more of a homebody than she was. Leaving him alone in a new place like this was worrying to her, even if it's only a small town. "Maybe we can get them healed up and take a look around? You've never been to the beach before, right?"

Leo returned her grin at that, nodding a bit. "I like that idea. Okay, let's go." The two made their way to the Pokecenter without much more discussion, taking in the sights as they went. It was a nicer view than either were used to...it was a wonder that it was just a day's walk from New Bark Town itself. Not long after, they were in the center, handing over their Pokeballs to the attendant at the desk. It only took a few minutes for them to run through the machine. Ema wasn't quite sure how it worked, but they came out right as rain afterwards. It was probably a mixture of some healing items that brought them back up to peak condition. It was a wonder they didn't need to pay for that, but it was probably fronted by the Pokemon League to make this possible.

With their friends back in hand, the two set off again to journey through the town, taking in the sights and enjoying the short break before they would be hitting the road again.

Pokémon: Jaded Champion

Terra bristled a bit at the reprimand, bounding back around her Trainer. Leo simply gave a small nod, though he still seemed more focused on the Pokeball, not containing the injured Hoothoot that could rest. He reached over to scratch the back of the Nidoran's ear before standing up. "Okay. Let's head back." Terra gave another chirp, continuing after Leo as they moved back towards where Emilya had begun her battle.

Tyr was already beat up, but the Shinx wasn't doing much better. The first tackle had poisoned it and it was rapidly losing stamina, panting as it glared at the trainer and Pokemon. Ema smirked a bit as she watched it look for its way out. "Don't let it escape," she stated. The Nidoran charged forward just as the Shinx began to turn to bolt away. A quick tackle knocked it back down. This time, though, it was struggling to get up. Tyr was panting a bit, marks along its body from the electrical discharge, but still standing. Luckily, Shinx didn't have much to really rival Tyr. It was able to do some damage, but nothing that was overtly effective.

With her quarry on the ground, she brought out one of her Pokeballs, tossing it over to it. It impacted, the Shinx being enveloped in the red light as it was brought it. The ball jostled gently once...twice...three times...and then was still.

A wide smile spread across her face as she jogged over to pick it up. "Good job, Tyr. He's a fighter. He'll make a good addition." She picked up the ball, replacing it at her belt. "You did good too. Get some rest." Tyr let out a small sound as it relaxed a bit, but then bristled a bit, as if remembering its standoffish attitude that he had when first being captured. Still, he accepted being returned to his ball without a problem, earning himself his rest just as Leo and Isaac were returning.

Pokémon: Jaded Champion

Leo froze as he heard the older man's voice, turning to face him with a blank look for a second. Then, he shook his head. "I was...uh...there's another Pokemon here?" It was phrased as a question, worried it wouldn't be a good enough reason to the elite trainer. He wasn't blind. He could see the man was begrudgingly humoring them. He didn't want to be here. He would probably rather be facing down the best of the best that had already earned their badges. Instead, he got a girl who was eager to make a strong team and see the world along with a boy who couldn't keep up and really just wanted to observe every Pokemon they came across.

Thankfully, the response was saved as he heard Terra chirp up, bounding out from behind a tree. The concern forgotten and replaced with a new one, Leo turned back, watching her bound away again. "Ah, sorry," he muttered before following after her. She was sniffing at another figure, a small feathered one with drooped eyes. It let out a small, weak cry, one of the large eyes looking up to him weakly. It had some bruises, its brown feathers ruffled and singed from the electrical burns it suffered. He cursed quietly to himself as he crouched down beside the Hoothoot.

"Do I have any Potions on me?" he muttered to himself, pulling his bookbag around to start going through it. As he was, though, seeming to be of a similar line of thought, Terra had moved over, seeming to find something of interest on Leo's belt. Pulling away, she had one of his Pokeballs in her mouth. It grew to its normal size as she hit a mechanism and hopped back in surprise, chirping her irritation.

Leo glanced down and his eyes lit up. "Pokecenter. Right. That makes sense." He grabbed the ball and placed it in front of the Hoothoot. "Hey, little buddy. I can get you fixed up. Just need you to get in here for a little bit." Hoothoot looked at the trainer skeptically, clearly untrusting of this human, but not being able to move away.

Terra chimed in again, bounding around to his other side. She nudged the Pokeball a bit closer. The Hoothoot sagged a bit, but reached forward to tap the button on the center. Enveloped in red light, it let out another sad hoot before shifting away into the ball, the light going out almost immediately with no fight left in it.

Pokémon: Jaded Champion

Ema didn't seem to pay him any mind. At least, that's the way she seemed. Princess? He could screw right off with all that. She hadn't realized being a champion meant being a smug prick. Still, she couldn't back down now. Not after her previous statement. She moved away, walking out into the forest as she looked around for the small creature. "Huh...I wonder what it looks like..." she murmured, more to herself than anything. "I think Leo talked about these types before, but...agh. I should've paid more attention."

She paused as she made it past a few sets of trees, looking out at a small creature, nibbling on a berry it had found. It was light blue with black on its lower half and tail. Bright yellow speckled it with color around the ears and ankles and the end of its tail. Ema frowned for a moment, considering it. Was this it? It wasn't that strong looking...but it was different from the others she had seen so far.

Reaching down for a Pokeball at her waist, she gave a nod to Tyr. "Okay then. Tyr, let's get to it. We have the jump on it. Go get it," she ordered. Tyr let out a loud cry as it rushed out. The Shinx looked up, startled, just in time to be bashed to the side by a Tackle from the small Pokemon. It hit the ground, but got to its feet readily, growling in response before letting out its own cry.

As his friend stalked ahead with Kick close behind her, Leo stayed patiently by Isaac's side. He scanned the area for other types of Pokemon, but didn't find any initially. He did stop to inspect the burnt section of the tree a little more closely, though. He came to the same conclusion as Isaac as he looked over. Shinx didn't have a large amount of firepower. Not at their level. The evolved forms could do some damage, but...to make this much of a lasting impression, it had to have been a battle. Which meant another Pokemon might be injured nearby.

He paused as the group moved ahead without him, glancing over at Terra. She was sniffing the air curiously, seeming to already pick up on what Leo was interested in. Bounding away, Leo slipped away after her, following her into the forest for the moment, under cover of the starting battle.

Pokémon: Jaded Champion

Leo raised an eyebrow in response to the joke, taking in the information. It made sense. There were plenty of Pokemon that would make a gym that specialized in flying types a little easier. It wasn't like Mudkip was powerless either. Ground type moves would just be ineffective as a whole.

Not that Terra would fare any better. She could hold them at bay with poison and normal moves, but any fighting moves would be difficult to pull off. Then again, he didn't need to dominate. He wasn't very interested in all of that anyway. This was just a means to an end. He needed the badge to keep moving forward. "I'll be sure to stay close then," he stated softly.

Following the more experienced trainer, he paused as he noticed something a moment before Isaac himself pointed it out. It stood out among the greenery that filled this route and, to his knowledge, only one Pokemon in the area would be capable of that type of damage. His thoughts were confirmed when he was given that warning. He gave a quick nod, glancing around for other signs of the Shinx in question. It would do them better to get the jump on this one quickly. Shinx would definitely be a welcomed addition to their crew as they take on the gym challenge.

However, Ema didn't seem to hear the warning. Or she didn't care. It was probably the latter.

She marched out with Tyr at her side, not even making an attempt to hide or sneak around the area. "Okay, buddy. Let's fine him. It'll be good training for our next match." The Nidoran gave a confident chirp in response, bristling slightly before casting its eyes around the area, looking for its opponent.

Pokémon: Jaded Champion

Ema didn't seem to hear Isaac, or, at the very least, opted to not respond. She continued forward, looking around, wanting to find this elusive Pokemon that would garner a challenge. She was sure Tyr would be up for the challenge. The purple form bound along beside her, wandering off every so often to attempt scaring off other Pokemon with cry. At one point, he even looked to challenge Kick, but it likely wouldn't go anywhere. Let him have his fun until it was time for a real fight.

In the meantime, she observed the Pokemon around her. Rattatas and Pidgeys and Sentrets were abundant. None of it was entirely interesting to her, but she did want to build up her team. She considered her options before ultimately deciding not to. She didn't want to fill up her team only to replace them later on. Shinx would be a good option for her first Pokemon. The thought brought a smile to her lips.

Leo gave a nod to the explanation. "That's what I thought...will we be stopping to rest at Cherrygrove? Before we push on to Violet City?" he asked. "It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to catch an electric type. Or at least another flying type. Our Nidorans and your Mudkip won't be entirely effective at the-" He cut himself off, realizing how much he had been talking and who exactly he was explaining it too. His face flushed for a moment before he glanced away. "Sorry, sir. I'm sure you already know all that."

Pokémon: Jaded Champion

The comments barely received a response from Leo, currently crouched near some of the taller bits of grass to observe one of the Hoppips. He was jotting down notes in his notebook, having already scanned it into the Pokedex. Well, he knew he could get more information from catching them. He had been hesitant before, intimidated by the older trainer who just seemed to want to push on. This was the first time he had really been able to explore and observe, though...it was starting to get the better of him.

Ema glanced over at his offer, looking at the odd Pokeballs in his hand. She had been fine with keeping pace with Leo, not minding the slow movement as she got to battle a bit more. She found ways to entertain herself and Tyrant was getting the experience he needed in battle. "Appreciate it, but I don't know a hand out," she replied with a smirk. That sounded interesting at least. Maybe Shinx would be her first Pokemon after Tyrant.

Despite her words, she did take one of the balls, though. Without missing a beat, she tossed it over towards Leo lazily. "Leo, think fast!" she called out.

The other trainer jerked up quickly at hearing his name. His hand reached up quickly, blocking his face, but entirely missing the Pokeball as it hit his arm and fell down in front of him. He looked at it for a moment before picking it up and looking it over. "A...Quick Ball?" he questioned before glancing back over at the Hoppip he had been studying. It was beginning to bounce away, deeper down the path.

"Don't waste it. Our gracious guide offered it to us," she commented, waving it off as she was already heading forward. "Let's go, Tyr. We're gonna find this Shinx."

"Uh...ah...thank you, sir," Leo said, bowing his head slightly. He pressed the button to let it shrink in his hand before slipping it into his pocket. He'd hold on to this one for the moment. He looked back only to see his most recent interest gone. With a small sigh, he got back to his feet, moving to follow along the rest of the group. "Er...sir...is it true that some of the Pokemon here only show up at night?" He had been quiet and too himself for most of the journey, but the thought had occurred to him.

With their pace, he might have to double back if he wanted to study all the Pokemon here.