Johto's New League [PG-15]

Gary Stu - Great post, I'm really starting to like that little weirdo (:

Congratulations, Todd caught a lv. 7 male Onix!

Cooper did enjoy returning home, however it was different this time. Now he saw it as the beginning of his journey with Pigman Pete. Together they would be unstoppable. At least he hoped anyway, but he was up for the challenge.

What was particularly annoying was the fact that he was painted completely brown with mud. Luckily, his house was only a few minutes away so he decided to stop in there.

With haste, Cooper burst down the door and ran upstairs to the bathroom, blocking out the noise his mother was making,

"I thought you had left!" she shouted up to him,

"I have! Well, only to New Bark but-"

"Well then what are you doing back so early?"

"I'll tell you later!" Cooper yelled as he turned the shower on, "I've got stuff to do just now!"

Cooper tied his shoes once more as he finished getting changed. He walked downstairs as his mother handed him his now clean clothing. He had left his things in the hall, so she got a chance to see Pigman Pete for the first time,

"How on earth did you get so dirty anyway?" she asked,

Cooper pointed an accusing finger at his pokemon, "That guy. But you should have seen it! He took on two pokemon and won!"

"Wow," his mum said, holding the Swinub in her arm and petting it, "Does he have a name?"

"Pigman Pete."

Cooper's mum simply stared at him in a bemused way. Without a word, the young trainer retrieved Pete to his ball and headed for the front door.

"Okay, now I'm gone." Cooper said, "See you later!"

"Yea... yea goodbye Cooper. Take care honey..." his mum replied as he closed the door, "Pigman... Pete?"

The shortest way to Route 30 from Cooper's house was along the beach, so he decided to go that way.

About half way across it, however, he began to feel hungry. He decided to sit right where he was and open his bag, rumaging through it to find something edible. He pulled out a large bag of crisps and popped them open, stuffing them in his mouth. After a few mouthfuls, he decided to do some more bonding with Pete, and so released him from his pokeball.

"Alright Pete?" the trainer said.

"Nub."

He held out his hand, full of crisps, "Want some?"

For a moment, the two sat there, gazing out onto the water while eating their snack. Occasionally, Cooper would flick a crisp into the air and let Pigman Pete catch them in his mouth. However, this moment of bliss was interupted when a large splash came from right in front of the two. Cooper stood up in shock, looking down on the sand to see a large, red fish lie there splurting water.

"Karp, magi."

"Damn Magikarps," Cooper sighed as he lifted his bag from the ground, however Pigman Pete was much more defensive. He ran and Tackled the Magikarp, sending it skidding along the sand. No-one, but no-one, was getting near his food!

"Wow, slow down there cowboy!" Cooper said to his pokemon, but eventually decided to fight anyway. A little training can't be a bad idea, right?

"Okay, well then use Ancient Power again!" he said. Pete seemed to expel a lot of energy using that move, so if he began using it more often now, he'd get the hang of it, right? The Swinub, again, screwed its face up hard as large scoops of sand were lifted and quickly compacted to create solid rocks. These rocks shot directly for Magikarp, who suddenly began flipping up and down on the spot. Cooper laughed, Splash wouldn't help it in the slightest! The contrary happened, though, as each flying rock missed the red fish thanks to its swift, bendy movements in mid air.

"Damn..." Cooper uttered in awe.

Magikarp managed to splash its way to the water as well, eventually landing deep enough to swim away.

"Well that was quick enough," Cooper said before turning to Pete, "I didn't know you could turn sand into rocks dude!"

Cooper's flattery was rudely interrupted as the Magikarp returned, shooting out of the water like a rocket and recklessly throwing itself into the Swinub, who was thrown head over heels along the beach. On top of that, it began to hop (or flip) itself over to the bag of crisps lying on the sand. Cooper's eyes went wide. His heart skiped a beat. He desperately looked over to Pigman Pete, who was too far away to stop the fish.

There was no choice. He alone had to save his bag of sweet chilli flavour crisps.

"Oh no you don't!" yelled Cooper as the red fish managed to get its lips around the bag, "You're going down fool!!"

As Cooper ran for the spot, and Magikarp began its escape back to the water, Pigman Pete could be heard from behind,

"Swineswineswiiine!"

Cooper saw flakes of snow shoot past him, even feeling the chill from being close to it. He grinned - Pigman Pete had finally learned an Ice attack! Unfortunately, it just missed the flipping Magikarp and froze the sand in front of Cooper - who couldn't stop in time and ended up skidding once more due to one of Pete's attacks. He fell forward onto the red fish, whom he immidiately wrapped his arms around,

"Give me those back!" he growled, however Magikarp, still wet, slipped from Coopers grasp and landed right in front of the water. One more flop and the crisps were gone.

Cooper panicked, frantically thinking up and idea until one of his hands brushed the pocket of his bag where he kept his new pokeballs.

"You're going nowhere sucker!" he shouted as he threw an empty pokeball at the fish, smacking it in the side with the object. The ball opened in midair, and Magikarp turned into red, transparent energy as it was sucked into it.

The ball fell into the damp sand along with the bag of crisps with a plop, the front button glowing red as it nudged from side to side.

"No-one steals my food..."

[OOC: Can Magikarp be a male? I have a nickname in mind :3]

Celeste Ingerfield - Chapter 2​

After finally managing to figure out how to use her Poké Ball, Selly dashed into Cherrygrove. She looked around quickly for the building with the red roof. Once she spotted it, she hurried over to the building. After getting insides, she shoved Bubblegum's Poké Ball at the tall lady behind the counter. "Can you heal my Bubblegum, please?" She asked. She wanted to continue on with her travels as soon as possible, experiencing everything she could.

"Why sure, of course." The pink-haired nurse smiled at her. "It'll be a bit of a wait, so please be patient." She took the Poké Ball, and walked over to a large and complicated-looking device. "Feel free to do whatever you wish, while you wait."

"Okay!" Selly grinned and looked around at what was inside the Center. There were plenty of people hanging out with their Pokémon. Some were eating at the small cafe area inside of the Center, which was tempting, because she hadn't eaten anything since she left for New Bark. Walking over to the drink machine, she noticed a familiar face. It was the girl she had fought earlier. She was talking to other people, who looked older than her.

"Umm, hello?" Selly butted into their conversation.

"Hey!" The girl said in realization. She looked up at the older woman. "That's the one, Mommy! She's the one who beat up my poor Bun-Buns!" She glared at her with cold eyes.

"Is that true?" Her mother stared down at her. She was a large and intimidating woman. The two teenage boys looked down at Selly as well. "Why would you do that to Christina's Pokémon?"

"No, no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean too, really!" Selly quickly tried to explain herself. She was waving her arms around frantically with wild gestures. "You see I thought that her Buneary was a wild one, and I wanted to catch one for my own, you know? So I was all, like, telling my Bubblegum to attack it, so I could weaken it and catch. But when I tried to use the Poké Ball, it didn't work, because she wasn't a wild one, she was your kid's! And she was all, like, really angry and stuff! She started fighting Bubblegum before I could explain, so we ended up getting into a huge battle! And Bun-Buns was all, like, bam! And Bubblegum was, like, whoosh! And, yeah, that's pretty much it." She giggled nervously.

They had blank expressions on their faces, still trying to catch up with her story, since she had spoken so fast. Fortunately, Christina's mother managed to understand the situation. "Ah, I see now." She turned to her daughter. "Christina, apologize to her."

"But, Mommy!" She whined.

"No buts! Now tell her you're sorry for misunderstanding."

"I'm sorry." She mumbled, embarrassed.

"See, now that wasn't so hard was it?" Her mother smiled. "Come along now, let's go get some ice cream."

Her head perked up. "Oh goody, ice cream!" She looked a lot more cheerful as they walked off together, her brothers following along as well. They were teasing Christina, but it was just how they always acted. It wasn't uncommon for siblings to get into fights. Selly smiled, glad to have the misconception cleared up.

A musical chime could be heard. "Celeste Ingerfield, your Drifloon is ready to be picked up now." The nurse behind the counter said, holding out a tray carrying Bubblegum's Poké Ball. She thanked the lady, took her Poké Ball, and headed out the Center doors.

Now that she wasn't focused on finding the Pokémon Center, she finally managed to get a good look at the town. It was a nice, much livelier place compared to New Bark. There was a beautiful view of the water next to the city. There were quite a few people out and about. In the distance, she could see an older man fishing by the sea. Nearby, was an elderly man dragging around a young boy.

"And this building is the Poké Mart!" He said, with great enthusiasm.

"Pops, this is the fifth time you've taken me around town!" The kid looked rather annoyed. "Just give me my map, already!"

"And this road leads to Route 30!" He completely ignored the complaints.

"Great, now he's going to make the same lame sea pun."

Selly skipped down towards the ocean shore. She always loved to see the ocean, lakes, or rivers. They were always fun to play in. She took a deep breath. She could smell the salty aroma of the sea.

"Why, hello there, little miss." The fisherman smiled at her. "I don't think I've ever seen you around these parts before." He adjusted his hat and fishing rod. "In fact, I saw quite a few of new folks recently. There were plenty of kids coming too and fro back before the war, but that seemed to stop. Now, it was pretty upsetting, but I think it turned out for the better. It was about time we were freed from the oppression..."

The man began to ramble on, telling tales about what life was like, his time serving in the war, and how great of a man the president was. Selly listened intently to every word of it. She loved it when older folks rambled. They always gave the most interesting stories. Partway through his monologue, she had taken his fishing pole, though he seemed fine with it, and began to fish. Some time, in the middle of when he was describing his childhood, the fishing pole got a strong tug.

"Ah, looks like you've got a bite there!" He smiled.

"What do I do now?"

"Now you just reel it in! Wind that up, try not to let the fish escape!"

"Alright!" She began to reel the fish in. It was a real fighter, and took a while, as well as some assistance, before she finally managed to bring it up. The green Pokémon struggled on the hook. It had a bright red stripes, and tough looking jaws. "So cool! I want it!" She said with glee.

"Wow, that's a real beauty! You don't see those around these parts very often." He looked at it with awe. "Hurry up and catch it, before it gets away!"

"Okay!" She quickly tossed the Poké Ball at it. However, it was flailing around so much, that it knocked the ball away. "Wait, I should weaken it first." She grabbed Bubblegum's Poké Ball, and prepared to send her out. However, at that point, it managed to free itself, and splashed back into the water.

Determined to catch it, she cast the rod again. Whenever she felt a tug, she pulled it in, but all she kept finding was Magikarps. Try after try, the bright orange fish stared her in the face with the same blank expression every time. "Maybe you should rest for now." The man advised. "Don't give up though, I'll even let you have that old fishing rod."

"Really?"

"Of course, it's fine! I have plenty back at home, it's no trouble." He smiled. "Now didn't you say something about Gym Battles? You should better hurry up if you want to make it to Violet City before nightfall. That's where the first gym is located."

"Thanks a lot mister!" She took the fishing rod, and stuffed it into her bag. "See you later!" She waved goodbye, and headed onto Route 30. She didn't remember ever saying anything about Gym battles to him, but it was still good information. Now even more determined to find another teammate, she marched on forwards.

[OOC: Eh, nothing too exciting in this post. Oh well, hope it was still a good read!]

Zeph. - Of course it may, quite an enjoyable post, seems Cooper is very serious about his food!

Congratulations, Cooper caught a lv. 10 male Magikarp!

PsychoJigglypuff - Uneventful as it was, I still really enjoyed reading it, Selly is most definitely quite a character (:

Selly received an Old Rod!

Ping!
The sound the Pokeball made brought a smile to Cirruna's face. She had captured her first Pokemon, a Pidgey. She ran over to the Pokeball and picked it up. She then let the Pidgey inside it out. My new friend needs a nickname. But what nickname should he get? Maybe I should call it Pecker or Pidge? No, those names are too cliche. Maybe Soren, the name of one of the birds in a movie I watched? Yeah, that seems cool.
"Pidgey, how would you like being called Soren?" Cirruna asked her small Pidgey.
"Pidge! Pidgey!" he cried, trying to sound enthusiastic despite his battle injuries.
"Soren it is, then. Soren, Luntique, we've better get to Cherrygrove now," Cirruna smiled, before heading towards Cherrygrove City. Her Doduo followed her eagerly, but her Pidgey hopped along slower than usual. After a minute, Cirruna noticed Soren wasn't up to speed with her.
"Soren, I forgot that you were hurt from the battle. Well, you can have a rest in your Pokeball until we get to the next Pokemon center, which is in Cherrygrove City. Soren, return," Cirruna smiled, holding up her Pidgey's Pokeball. She pressed a button, and Soren was converted to energy, which went inside the red and white sphere.

Then, Cirruna continued her journey to Cherrygrove, with Luntique following her quite quickly. Luckily, no Pokemon attacked Cirruna or her Doduo. The only ones that could be seen were Pidgey flying overhead, and Sentret scampering to the left or right of them.

After a few minutes, Cirruna and Luntique noticed some houses on the horizon. Sure that they were Cherrygrove City, Cirruna rushed ahead. There would be a Pokemon Center there, one of the only places Soren could be healed.

When Cirruna arrived in Cherrygrove City, the first thing she did was look for a Pokemon Center. As she looked around, she was surprised at how intact it was.
House, no. Another house, no. Pokemart, no. Yet another house, no. Cafe, no. Pokemon center, no. Wait, Pokemon center? Oh yes, I found it!
Cirruna ran over to the entrance to the Pokemon Center. She returned Luntique to his Pokeball before walking inside. She walked up to the counter, to see Nurse Joy.
"Hi Nurse Joy, I'm Cirruna Kizan. Would you mind healing my Pokemon, a Pidgey and a Doduo?" Cirruna asked Nurse Joy.
"Hi. Of course I'll heal your Pokemon. Just give me the Pokeballs, and I'll heal the Pokemon. By the way, why don't you have one of the usual Johto Starters?" Nure Joy replied, smiling joyfully.
"Well, there wasn't any Chikoritas, Cyndaquils or Totodiles available, so I got a Doduo," Cirruna replied, giving Nurse Joy the Pokeballs of Soren and Luntique.
"Well, I'll heal your Pokemon now. You can pick them up in a few hours. Also, you can rest upstairs if you want," Nurse Joy smiled.
"OK, I'll rest upstairs for now. I'll continue looking around Cherrygrove City tomorrow," Cirruna replied, before walking towards the stairs and going up them. Once up the stairs, Cirruna looked for an empty room, and she found one. She walked inside it and layed down on the quilt of the bed. Cirruna dozed off, since the quilt was so comfy.
Ding ding!
Cirruna woke up from her snooze when she heard a dinging noise. It was the sound that announced her Pokemon were fully healed. Cirruna drowsily stood up and walked down to the main lobby of the Pokemon Center.
"Hello Nurse Joy. It's Cirruna again. I'm guessing that my Pokemon, a Doduo and a Pidgey, are fully healed? If so, please may I collect them?" Cirruna asked.
"Hello again, Cirruna. Yes, your Pokemon are fully healed. You may have them back now," Nurse Joy smiled, handing Cirruna her Pokeballs back.
"Thanks so much Nurse Joy! I'm going to stay here for the night. But first, I'll eat at the café," Cirruna smiled. The quite young girl walked over to the café, and ordered some supper. She only ordered toast and some Pokemon food, which she fed to Soren and Luntique.
Then she walked upstairs and entered her room again. Cirruna changed into her pyjamas. She let Soren out of his Pokeball for the night, but not Luntique. The Doduo was too big to sleep in a room like a pet. Cirruna got into her bed and she fell asleep. Soren lay down on a pillow, and he fell asleep too...



Ring! Ring!
The sound of the alarm clock rung through Cirruna's temporary room in the Pokemon Center. Upon hearing it, Soren hopped up off the pillow and onto Cirruna's bed. He softly pecked Cirruna, telling her it was time to wake up.
"Oh right, it's time to get up. Well, I better get up now," Cirruna muttered, getting out of bed. She changed into her normal clothes, putting her pyjamas back into her bag. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, as normal. Then she walked down the steps, Soren hopping behind her.
"I'm Cirruna Kizan, and I'm checking out of the Pokemon Center room," she said to Nurse Joy.
"That's fine; all trainers have to travel a lot. You can leave the Pokemon Center now. Your next stop should be Violet City, there's a gym there. The Gym Leaders specializes in Flying Types, so I recommend catching a Geodude or Onix," Nurse Joy smiled.
"Thanks for the advice!" Cirruna smiled, before running out. As always, Soren followed her outside. When Cirruna got outside, she let Luntique out of his Pokeball.

"Hey Luntique, sorry I've not been able to have you out of your Pokeball. But you were too big to walk inside the Pokémon Center, OK? Also, can I call you Lunti for short, since Luntique is a long name?" she asked.
"Duo!" Luntique smiled. Soren seemed to not care, instead hopping towards the beach.
"Kay Lunti, let's go ahead to route 30. But first, let's check out the beach, like Soren wants," Cirruna replied, looking towards the beach. Getting her vibe, Luntique started to sprint in the direction of the beach, overtaking Soren, who started before him. Cirruna walked ahead, catching up to Soren in a short time. Meanwhile, Luntique was sprinting towards the sand, already quite a lot of the way there. Cirruna decided to let Soren ride on her shoulder, as he wasn't as fast as any of his companions.

With Soren on her shoulder, she arrived at the beach. She saw that Luntique was already with someone, waiting for Cirruna. The person Luntique was standing next to was muttering to the Doduo.
"Why can't I find any Krabby? I saw a trainer who managed to catch one, and another trainer that battled one, but I can't find any. Maybe your trainer is lucky enough to find a Krabby? Anyway, I better be happy that the war is over. Boy, the war was one tough time,"
Cirruna walked over to him, with Soren still on her shoulder.
"Eer... Well, I'm Cirruna Kizan, and I see you've found my Doduo, Luntique. Say, what were you muttering about back then?" Cirruna said unsurely. She wasn't good with introductions.
"I'm Luke, a fisherman. I was just talking about how all the new trainers seem to have luck with finding Krabbys. All I seem to find is Magikarp. Anyway, don't you think that it's good now the war is over? We don't have to deal with the fighting anymore. Also, the new league was a good additition," he rambled.
"Yeah, it's good now the war is over. The league was a good additition, it allows young traners to train Pokemon, aiming for something. It might also attract more people to Johto.

Anyway, I might be able to fish up a Krabby for you, if you let me use a fishing rod. Anyway, I know the basics of fishing. I've seen trainers fishing near the pond in Blackthorn City," Cirruna smiled, not caring about the war part of Luke's speech.
"Oh, you think it is good the war is over too? Not many trainers listen to me when I speak about the war. Also, I have a spare fishing rod. You can use it to fish up a Krabby for me, if you would be so kind as to do so," Luke cheerfully said, handing Cirruna a spare fishing rod.

"Thanks for the fishing rod, Luke. Anyway, I'll cast in now. Hopefully I'll get a Krabby for you," Cirruna replied, attaching some Pokemon food to the rod, and casting it in to the sea. Eventually, she got a bite. She reeled it in, revealing an orange fish like Pokemon to be on the end of the rod. It flailed off the rod, and onto the sand.
"Karp karp," the Magikarp cried impishly, flopping on the sand.
"Oh man, not another Magikarp. Anyway, you can battle it, young trainer," Luke smiled.
"OK then. Soren, Sand Attack on that Magikarp!" Cirruna commanded. Her Pidgey hopped down from her shoulder, and kicked some sand at Magikarp. It got in the Magikarp's eye, lowering its accuracy. It just flopped about on the sand.
"Try a Tackle, Soren!" Cirruna exclaimed. Her Pidgey ran at the Magikarp, and rammed into it. Knowing that the Magikarp was too weak to even damage Soren, Cirruna commanded one last Tackle. Soren easily managed to hit Magikarp, and damaged it quite a bit.
"Ah, the trainers of today are so energized about battling even weak Pokemon. That's good," Luke smiled, watching Cirruna battle.
"One last Tackle!" Cirruna shouted. Her Pidgey rammed into Magikarp one last time, knocking it back. She nodded to Soren, telling him to beat the Magikarp. And Soren did just that. He sped forward with Tackle, and knocked out the Magikarp. The fish just slowly slid across the sand back into the sea. Soren jumped up and cheered.

"That was a great battle, Cirruna. I'm pretty sure you'll be a great trainer when you catch more Pokemon," Luke smiled.
"Thanks for the compliment. Anyway, I have to go now, so bye!" Cirruna said, starting to walk towards the exit of Cherrygrove City. Soren and Luntique followed her.

Soon, Cirruna reached the exit of Cherrygrove City. She looked ahead onto route 30, thinking about the Pokemon that could be living there. And the Pokemon she could catch. Excited, Soren hopped into the tall grass, rustling it. Luntique stayed behind with Cirruna, though. Then Cirruna decided to start the journey across route 30. Her Doduo followed her as she stepped through the trees of route 30.

Suddenly, a Pokemon scampered out of the trees. It was a brown Pokemon, with a white ring on its chest. It also had a stripy tail. Cirruna pulled out her Pokedex and scanned the Pokemon. It was revealed to be a Sentret. Cirruna commanded Luntique to use Peck on it. Her Doduo rushed at the Sentret with its beak outstretched. It hit, and the Sentret was knocked back.

"Hey! Don't you hurt Retro!" came a masculine shout. The speaker ran over to Cirruna from up ahead. He looked to be about ten years old.
"I'm sorry I hurt your Sentret. I thought it was wild. But don't you know Pokemon are supposed to get hurt?" Cirruna replied.
"Pokemon are supposed to get hurt?"
"Yeah, in things called Pokemon battles. Tell you what; do you want to have a Pokemon battle with me?" Cirruna asked.
"Yeah! I'd love to have a Pokemon battle! By the way, I'm Jack," the boy replied.
"Okay then. The battle will be right here right now. Luntique, you ready to battle?" Cirruna stated. Her Doduo hopped onto the sandy path.
"Retro, you ready?" Jack enthusiasctically asked. His Sentret hopped onto the path too, and looked at Luntique.

OOC: I hope that wasn't too long.

Dragonite194 - It's quite alright, to me there's not such thing as a post too long.

Congratulations, Pidgey (Soren) grew to lv. 5!
Congratulations, Luntique grew to lv. 7!
Cirruna received an Old Rod!

Alex and Duster both looked at the sign, trying to make out what it said in the pre-dawm light that was filtering in through the clouds. After a few minutes of effort, Alex had ascertained that it said something about a cave and Duster had given up, choosing to sit down and relax, letting Alex think.

A Dark Cave, huh? It sounded dangerous, but it might also have some good pokemon inside of it. It certainly couldn't hurt to take a quick peek around, right? Duster was still at full capacity, and it was early morning, so surely there wouldn't be any pokemon awake yet... right? Well, he'd find out. Besides, he had already seen a Bellsprout nearby, and the concept of fighting grass types with Duster didn't appeal. Maybe the cave would have something that did.

Another few minutes of walking, and they found the entrance of the cave. The sun was still low in the sky, but it was now visible, casting an orange tinge across the landscape. The cave seemed to suck up all the light cast by the sun, a dark pit that might have led to the bowels of hell. Alex grinned nervously; clearly he had an overactive imagination! He took a breath and steeled himself for heading inside. Next to him Duster was squinting, trying to see into the deep darkness. Alex pulled out his pokedex for a light source, and stepped in.

The cave was rocky, with many pits and ledges. Alex's eyes darted back and forth, the light from his pokedex casting strange shadows. Duster stuck by him, his claws up and out, ready for combat and feeling for solid matter at the same time. With every passing step Alex's heart beat faster, and he started to curse himself for coming into this cave. What was he thinking?! He knew what lived in here! And he wanted to avoid a Bellsprout?! And with that thought he stopped walking, only capable of standing still, on the spot. Duster walked forward a few more feet before realizing his trainer had stopped. And once they had both stopped moving, they heard it. A soft sound, as if ground was being shifted...

And then, suddenly, something fell from the ceiling, at first falling but then floating, and then heading deeper into the cave. Alex blinked, and ran after it, without thinking. Duster followed cautiously, occasionally looking backwards. They had hardly ran far it all, when they stopped, at what appeared to be a large boulder blocking the way. Alex held up his light to see what it was, and the pokedex sounded.

"Dunsparce, the Land-Snake pokemon. Normally incredibly rare, this pokemon will also attempt to run away by drilling holes in the ground with it's tail. This pokemon is known to also known to swarm."

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't really known what he was chasing, but this kind of pokemon would be easy enough, and Duster could get some good practice. May as well take it out quickly.

"Duster, use a scratch attack!"

And... nothing. Aside from the echoes of battle in the cave, nothing. Where was Duster?

Wait, echoes of battle?!

Duster spun around, suddenly realizing the kind of danger he'd be in without Duster, only to see that things were much worse. And through his memory, that annoying electronic voice reminded him...

This pokemon is known to swarm. Right.

That explained the massive number of them that Duster was fighting. As he had looked over Duster had scratched one's face, directing it into the ground, while fending off two others with his other claw. Even as he dealt with three at once, a fourth leapt into the air, aiming a tackle at Duster. Without hesitation, Duster used the one he had scratched into the ground, lifting up with his claw and using him as a shield, chucking both Dunsparce back with gritted teeth. This was enough time for another Dunsparce to attack head on, and Duster brought his left claw back to swat it into a wall. Alex bit his lip; how many were there? It was too dark to tell. There was a rush of movement by his leg, and he realized that the first Dunsparce they had cornered was attacking from behind. Without thinking, Alex called out.

"Duster, Duck!" The mole pokemon immediately did so, and the attacking Dunsparce went straight over him, sliding across his back and hitting another Dunsparce, saving Duster the trouble of dealing with it. It was troublesome enough that there was one coming at each side of him, but he avoided them by jumping back, letting them hit each other again. Alex smiled. Duster was actually fighting them well! Their tackle attacks barely did anything. He had been hit by a number of them, though, and wasn't looking too hot. Alex took the break in attacks to pull out a potion.

"Here, Duster, potion. Their tackle isn't doing much, but you're still hurt. They're typically pokemon that run away, so if you can hurt enough of them, you might scare them off." Duster nodded, his face showing none of the previous bravado he had when he had fought the owl pokemon. He was serious now; he understood the gravity of the situation. Before they could get back into battle, Alex's pokedex sounded again.

"These pokemon do not know tackle; they attack they are using is rage. The power of the attack increases as they take damage."

Alex felt the temperature in the cavern drop. It wasn't a literal thing, just a sudden realization, that they were completely screwed. Alex swallowed knowing that no matter how valiant Duster was and how skilled, he couldn't deal with them if their attack suddenly became more powerful. He pulled out Duster's pokeball, only to realize Duster wasn't there again. And suddenly, he heard the Drilbur give a yell of battle, and he looked up to see it charging into the fray.

He hit the first Dunsparce out of the air before it could hit him, sending it straight up. The next Dunsparce got a direct hit. With a grunt of frustration Duster grabbed the thing's neck and hurled it at the oncoming one, sending them both flying. Alex swore, and turned away, immediately trying to climb up the wall. If he could just get up high enough he could return Duster from a distance, and then get out by using the ledges, avoiding the pokemon entirely. He barely made it up and distance before the boulder, shook, and his pokedex sounded once again.

"Onix: The Rock Snake pokemon. This pokemon is - " But Alex didn't hear any more of what it had to say, for the pokemon let out a legendary roar, causing Alex to fall off onto the ground, his back hitting the rock floor painfully. He looked up, the Rock Snake fully awake and angry at being woken up so early, dealt with things the easiest way it could; aiming a tackle and using it's head to take out the entire hallway. Alex rolled the side, narrowly avoiding it's massive head, and didn't really know what happened next.

When the dust cleared, Alex looked around. The Onix was rampaging about, smashing his head this way and that. There were a few Dunsparce trying tackle it repeatedly, which seemed to... well, not be doing anything. How did one fight pokemon made of rock? Duster was nowhere to be seen initially, but looking at where he had been only revealed a host of muddy, unconscious Dunsparce.

And then suddenly, like a dreaded spirit, a muddied figure arose from their bodies, holding two claws in the air. Duster was still in the game! He was covered in mud and looked badly wounded, but he could move. Onix landed his head next to him, but it was a bad miss. Alex blinked; it had been accurate enough the first time. What happened? He looked closer, trying to see as the Onix pulled away again, and it was obvious. He had some mud in his eyes.

Duster wasted no time, reaching into the ground and flinging another piece of mud at the pokemon, hitting it's midsection. It let out another roar of pain, and tried to move, only to slip on the mud, falling down. A few more Dunsparce got on, hitting their heads on it's hard body. The ones that left probably had a lot of power left in their rage attacks, maybe even enough to get through to such a rock pokemon. It was back on it's feet soon enough, so to speak, and tackling this way and that again. Duster, however, had wasted no time staying where he was, instead choosing to start climbing up the wall of the cave rapidly, Alex amazed at his climb speed. He got up quite a good distance, ignoring the rest of the battle below. Alex watched with interest, however.

While the Dunsparce had wounded the Rock Snake, it more or less could shake them off by thrashing violently, and they had already fought with Duster; most of them collapsed where they were. Now there were maybe six still fighting with it, although how much longer it could last was a good question. And suddenly, there was a terrible scraping sound...

Alex looked up and saw Duster, who had scratched through a massive stalactite, sending it falling down. With a massive crash, it landed on the Onix... and knocked it out, instantly. Alex grinned; now there were only a few pokemon left. Five Dunsparce, as one had been hit by the surrounding rubble. And with another savage yell, Duster jumped from the ceiling, screaming all the way down and landing on two of them, one on each claw. They both collapsed, out of the game. Three left, all huddled together in the way they needed to go. The way out. Alex rapidly thought of what commands he could say, but Duster didn't wait.

Duster got to his knees, and then to his feet, and looked straight at the three remaining pokemon. He took one step. Then another. And another. And they were inching away at the same time. And as he brought a claw up, with terrified shrieks the three of them all turned tail and ran, burrowing away at top speed. Duster smiled, satisfied, and fell to one knee again, too tired and hurt to stand. Alex ran over, picking up the mole pokemon in his arms and hugging it gingerly.

"You did wonderfully, Duster. Awesome job."

Duster just made some sort of noise, and motioned to be put back down. Alex did so, and as it turned away to march onward, Alex put it back in it's pokeball. It needed rest more than anything. Alex flicked the pokedex open again, and began to search for the exit to this damn cave. He had had enough of it.

Vemaar - Wow, talk about an epic battle, I thoroughly enjoyed reading that.

Duster grew to lv. 12 and learned Fury Swipes!

[I changed my mind for the nickname ^^' But still, male Magikarps are cooler than those white wiskered ones :3]

The ball clicked as it stopped moving in the sand. Cooper sighed in relief, picking up the bag of crisps that he and Pete managed to save. His nose screwed up, however, as he realised that some sand had got in the bag.

He gave the bag to Pigman Pete, "Here, they're too dirty for me." He watched as the hairy little pig squealed in delight, hoovering in the whole bag, chewing for a moment, then spitting the empty packet out before burping.

"Damn, man." Cooper said in bewilderment as he then picked up the pokeball. He originally caught the Magikarp to make sure it didn't get away, but he decided to keep it anyway. He wasn't completely stupid - he knew what Magikarp evolved into. It was just going to be a total drag...

Mind you, if he was going to prove to everyone that he was a decent trainer, testing himself by raising a Magikarp was one of the best ways to do so.

"Pete," Cooper said to the Swinub as he held out the fishes' pokeball, "This is our first teammate! Let's call him... Shark Bait!" Pigman Pete made some sort of approving noise before Cooper decided to recall him. Okay, it was time to press on.

As he entered Route 30, he couldn't help but smile. This were his first steps to glory. Johto was his to conquer [in a metaphorical sense of course - Johto had enough problems with being vitims of conquerours in the recent past.] He looked upwards: the trees were gorgeous, the sky was blue with only a few clouds hovering above, and best of all, it was sunny.

"Hey you!" a voice shouted, "Excuse me!" Cooper heard rapid footsteps in the grass until his eyes met a young boy, wearing a tank top, shorts, sandals, a straw hat and carrying a large net.

'Uh-oh,' Cooper thought, 'Bug Catcher!'

"I challenge you to a battle!" he said, thrusting a pokeball towards Cooper, "I'm the best Bug Catcher I know!"

"How many do you know?" Cooper asked, readying a pokeball feeling there was no way back from a battle with this kid,

"Three."

Cooper paused, "So you know three other bu-"

"No no," the kid said with a laugh, "Three including me."

"Wha?! So, you're saying you're the Best Bug catcher out of three?"

"Yea."

Cooper was a little confused. Either he was genuinely skilled, or he was one of those young types who thinks they're the best because they beat two people. Nonetheless, he was up for his first trainer battle,

"Okay then, let's see this all powerful bug type." He said to the Bug Catcher.

The kid smiled, "Okay then, show him how good you are Surskit!" He threw a Net Ball, which burst open to reveal a dainty blue thing with what appeared to be a yellow hat. Cooper stared at it,

"I know what you're thinking," the boy said, "watch this. Surskit, on the water!" The small blue insect found a pond a few meters away from the trainers and lightly jumped onto the surface. To Cooper's amazement, it didn't sink, instead it was light enough to float!

"It's a water skater pokemon," the bug catcher continued, "and the only bug type I'm aware of that can swim! Other bug types fail miserably when it comes to water!"

He did have a point. Now Cooper saw how he was able to beat his two fellow bug fanatics. As for him, well for a start, he was sure Pigman Pete couldn't swim. But his newest catch...

"Okay then kid, we'll fight in the water! Go Shark Bait!" Cooper threw his pokeball towards the pond, where the Magikarp fell into as it burst out of it. The Bug Catcher laughed as Shark Bait's upper half emerged from the pond - typical, Cooper thought.

"Magikarps don't do anything!" he said in amusement,

"Why the hell do you think I'm training it then?" Cooper replied. The boy quickly quietened down,

"Surskit, Quick Attack!" Like a dart, Surskit shot across the water, leaving only a gentle rippling stream behind as it smacked head first into Skark Bait, who moaned as he drifted backwards from the impact,

"Um," Cooper thought, "Try and do something Shark Bait!" The red fish paused, before splashing madly, accomplishing nothing except kicking up water. As Cooper performed something close to a facepalm, the Bug Catcher simply shook his head unimpressed, then issued another command,

"Hit it with Bubble!" Surskit inhled, before somehow firing bubbles as big as itself at Shark Bait, who took the blow head on, each bubble bursting violently as it made contact with his red scales.

"Now Quick Attack again!" the kid shouted, to which Surskit again shot off from its spot,

"Shark Bait, go underwater!" Cooper shouted. The Magikarp, this time, complied surprisingly quickly, diving down into the pond as Surskit zoomed harmlessly above the surface.

"Damn," the Big Catcher cursed as Cooper shouted his next command,

"Now jump up under it!" Shark Bait faced upwards, picking up speed in the water, before bursting out of it again, throwing Surskit into the air,

"Hit it back with Bubble!" the boy ordered. As Surskit began its fall back down, it blew out more fast bubbles wich struck Shark Bait,

"Quick, duck again!" Cooper said, before the red carp submerged once more,

"That won't save you!" the Bug Catcher said to Cooper, "Go for a Quick Attack powered dive!" Cooper watched as the blue pond skater used the attack, using the momentum to shoot down for the water like a missile [albeit a small missile]. If Shark Bait stayed where he was then he would feel the pain indeed,

"Shark Bait! Get out of the way!" Cooper yelled, so that the fish would hear him from underwater. From the ground, Cooper saw to his relief the red shape that was Shark Bait swiftly swim to a safe distance. Surskit plunged into the pond, creating a surprisingly big splash for something so light. Like a bubble, the small bug floated back up to the surface within mere seconds from being at the bottom - and Cooper noticed this.

"Shark Bait, go underneath Surskit!" he ordered. The Magikarp did so, stationing himself directly beneath the pondskater.

The Bug Catcher struggled at this point, and Cooper let out a laugh, "I knew it! It's too light to go underwater isn't it! It just floats!" He faced the pond again, "Come up from under it Shark Bait!"

"We won't fall for that again! Dodge it!" the kid shouted. Surskit expertly skated along the water as if it were ice, moving out of the way as the Magikarp burst out from the pond.

"Now shoot for it with Quick Attack!" the pondskater took a run up [well, skate up] along the pond before shooting into the air, catching Shark Bait in the side. The red fish fell through the air, splashing loudly into the water.

"Keep it up!" the Bug Catcher continued, "Quick Attack into the water again!"

"Not so fast there bub!" Cooper replied, "Shark Bait, jump up for it again!"

As Surskit plummeted down to the pond, Shark Bait simulaneously leapt out, it looked like it was going to be a head on collision,

"Now Splash about!" Cooper ordered. Shark bait pulled of some of its bendy, flippy-floppy moves in midair, causing it to move slightly off centre and Surskit to totally miss it. The blue bug splashed inot the water,

"Now fall on it while it's underwater!" Shark Bait fell once more, landing hard on top of Surskit just before it was able to surface,

"Grab its leg and leap out again!" Cooper continued. He had an idea that would hopefully end his first battle. Under the water, Shark Bait grabbed one of Surskits dainty legs with his mouth and shot up again. He felt like a sealion at a tacky zoo show with all these jumps. Nonetheless, he flew out of the water, pulling Surskit with him,

"Now do that funky Splash-y thing!" The Magkarp again waved about in midair, causing Surskit to be shook back and forth uncontrollably. Eventually it slipped from the fish's mouth, being thrown down to the grassy ground, landing near its trainer dazed and out of breath. The boy sighed as Cooper yelled in delight,

"Yeaheheaa!!" he faced the Magikarp as it splashed back into the pond, "You freakin' own! You're the most awesome Magikarp ever Shark Bait!"

"...Kaaar?" the red fish said as it wore the same blank stare.

Both trainers recalled their pokemon.

"Congratulations," the kid said, "you beat the top Bug Catcher!"

Oh for pete's sake. Did he still think all that? Oh well, "Thanks, that rocked man!"

Cooper continued walking along the road - Route 31 was next in sight.

Zeph. - Wow, that's quite some Magikarp battling, I'm loving the creativity!

Magikarp (Shark Bait) grew to lv. 14!

Cooper found himself in a small clearing as he continued towards Violet City. It was surrounded thickly by trees and tall clumps of grass, and sitting within it, handily, was a flat-ish looking rock. It was also approaching dusk, he had lost track of time and ended up exploring the route for most of the day, it seemed.

Swinging his bag off his shoulder and next to the rock, the trainer sat down,

"Man I'm hungry." He rumaged through his bag and found another sandwich. He liked sandwiches, and they were ideal for travelling. So naturally, he made a ton of them in preperation.

Quickly scoffing his food down, he thought he heard rustling in the trees above, and it gave him an idea for something to do. Reaching into a compartment of his bag, he pulled out two occupied pokeballs and held them outwards, clickiung the button and allowing his new team to come out.

Pigman Pete happily yawned as he appeared, while Shark Bait simply lay there, with what was litterally a ':O' face, occasionally flipping now and then.

"I think," Cooper said, standing up, "we should do some evening training! Then it's marshmallows over the campfire before bed." He paused - even the sound of it excited him, "How about it?"

The Pigman nodded with a smile, while Shark Bait managed to flip over onto his other side for some reason: probably to signify a yes.

"Okay then." Cooper said, looking up to where he heard the rustling noise, "Pete, ram into that tree! We might be able to make whatever's up there fall down!"

The pig pokemon faced the tree, kicking his legs off the ground as if about to rampage, and ran into the tree with a head on Tackle. Cooper waited in angst, and soon enough, a blue shape fell to the ground, rolling over a few times before coming face to face with him and Pigman Pete.

"Wow! It's a-"

"Pineco."

The small pinecone pokemon suddenly decided it wanted to explode, throwing the three onlookers back and onto the ground. Cooper coughed, and he could have sworn smoke came out, just like in the cartoons.

"Well," he said, still lying on the grass, face black with smoke, "how unfortunate. You okay guys?"

Pigman Pete groaned, standing up and shaking like a dog. On the whole though, he looked relatively fine.

"How 'bout you Shark- um... Shark Bait?"

"Karp."

"What are you doing in a tree?"

Cooper looked up the branches above him, and saw the red fish dangling on them. The force must have launched him up there - after all, he was lighter than Cooper and Pete.

"Karp."

Cooper sighed as he sat up, "Hold on, I'll get you down..."

The teenager stood at the base of the tree, still looking up. How exactly was he going to get his fish down from the tree?

"Pete, Tackle the tree again." Cooper said. The Swinub moaned, before hitting the trunk again, hard. To no effect, however. Pete lay out flat on the ground, head aching,

"Oh, wait..." Cooper said in slow realisation, "I can just use... his... pokeball."

He didn't have to look. He could feel the cold, unimpressed stare of of Pigman Pete burn him. He aimed the ball up to the fish in the tree, however he had a new, white aquaintance in the branches he balanced on,

"What's that?" Cooper said, replacing Shark Bait's ball with his pokedex.

All Cooper could gather from the machine was that it was evidently known as a 'Monmen'. And from the looks of it, he guessed it was maybe a grass type. The said creature began to nudge Shark Bait, teetering him over the edge.

"Hey, uhh..."

"Moh?" The white fluffy thing looked down to Cooper and Pigman Pete,

"You mind not doing that? Look, I'll just take him down with this," Cooper held up the pokeball again, "and everyhting will be cool..."

"..." The cotton pokemon seemed to disagree with that plan, instead nudging the red fish over the edge of the thick, leaf infested branch he was stuck on. Cooper went to recall him, but the red beam missed the falling Magikarp, who flopped off the ground hard. As soon as it landed, the Monmen let out a high pitched cry as it followed, fluttering down lightly using its leafy apendages. The grass type fired a small, green beam which hit Shark Bait, causing the fish significant distress.

"Uh-oh," Cooper said, finally recalling Shark Bait to his ball. Facing a grass type with him was just silly, "Okay Pete, your turn!" he said turning to his small brown accomplice. The Pigman grunted in agreement, waiting for his order,

"Try out that new ice move you learned!" Cooper ordered, looking to his pokedex for clarification, "Powder Snow!"

Pete oinked, before a powerful whisp of freezing cold air blew out of his nose. Monmen tryed to evade it, however was clipped by the ice attack and squealed in pain. Half of its fluffy body was coated thick with frost, as it it had been out in the cold for hours.

Far from happy, the floating cotton ball spat out two seeds from deep within it's fluffy white fur. The seeds landed it the ground next to Pigman Pete, who suddenly felt a small tremour.

With haste, the Swinub threw itself to the side just as an array of thick green vines shot out from the grass, swaying upwards and coiling. One vine just managed to wrap iself around one of Pete's stubby feet, and the ice/ground type was engulfed in a red, shocking energy. Glowing red particles quickly made their way to Monmen, causing the frost to quickly disperce.

"Holy-!" Cooper gasped, "Free yourself Pete!"

Pigman Pete tugged and pulled against the vine with all his might, eventually snapping it and thus freeing himself.

"Now smack it with another Powder Snow!"

Again, Pete fired the chilling attack, however Monmen, half expcting the move, elegantly fluttered its wing like leaves, weaving upwards and avoiding it. It then began to glow a faint green, and increased ever so slightly in size,

"Careful Pete," Cooper said, "I think it's preparing for something..."

Sure enough, the cotton pokemon fired an Absorb attack, however it was more powerful looking than the previous one. Pigman Pete was pushed back on impact as the attack hit him head on, replenishing Monmen's health,

"Try and get it with Mud Sport!" Cooper ordered. The Swinub spewed fresh mud at Monmen, who became soaked in the substance,

"Now while it's blinded - Powder Snow!" Pigman Pete's nose flared as the frosty wind blew out from it, this time hitting the temporarily blinded grass type. The cold combined with the mud, and created a frozen cold, hard shell, leaving Monmen trapped - as well as heavier. The cotton pokemon was forced to fall to the ground, rolling on the grass like a Metapod,

"Awesome!" Cooper shouted, however his cheers were short lived, as the vines from earlier shot out of the ground again, this time completely surrounding Pigman Pete. The brown, furry pig could barely move as the vines wraped around him, pinning him to the ground - and the worst was yet to come. Soon enough the Swinub was having its health sapped away from it, the energy transferring to Monmen If this kept up, it would break out of its cold shell and Pete would surely lose.

Not on Cooper's watch,

"Try and use Powder Snow on the vines!" he said. Pigman Pete moved his head as much as he could, trying to spray the green vines with the freezing move. The frost began to pile up on the ground beneath him, causing the blades of grass to become brittle, and eventually, the vines to shrivel a little and weaken. Pete tugged again, once more just managing to break his restraints. All that was before him now was the mud covered Monmen,

"Pigman Pete," Cooper said pointing, "Tackle it with all you've got!"

"Swiiiiiine!!" Pete bellowed as he charged for Monmen, smashing into it so hard that the frozen mud cracked on impact. The cotton ball flew head over heels along the grass, fluttering away into the evening woods as it finally decided to back down.

"Nice one Pete!" Cooper said, throwing his pokemon a berry. As the Swinub scoffed it, Shark Bait was released again now that Monmen was gone, "Now how about that campfire dudes!"

As the moon raised higher into the night sky, Cooper, Pigman Pete and Shark Bait sat in the small clearing around a small fire they had made. The ground was scattered with crumbs, leftovers and packets of several snacks. Cooper looked at his two pokemon - Pete was apparently trying to talk, while Shark Bait still wore his open mouthed expression, letting out the occasional, "Karp", now and then.

The trainer smiled as he stuffed a handful of marshmallows into his mouth. This was the start of his team. A Swinub and a Magikarp - not the average kick-ass squad, but that's what he loved about them. They were amazing pokemon in their own weird and wonderful ways. Cooper lay on his sleeping mat, freely letting the sensation of sleep take control.

[OOC: Woot! I've nearly caught up x3]

Zeph. - What is one to do when Magikarp fall from trees? Ah, great post as usual!

Pigman Pete grew to lv. 11!

Celeste Ingerfield - Chapter 3​

As the sun moved across the sky, it was clear that evening was fast approaching. The air was getting cooler, and the sky began to glow red. As Selly hiked through the route, a noticeable presence was building up. It was a deep feeling of emptiness in her stomach. It growled furiously, like a rabid beast.

"So hungry..." She moaned, clutching her tummy. She hadn't eaten anything since she left this morning, and that was all the way from Goldenrod. It was a long journey, especially on an empty stomach. "I should have gotten something back at Cherrygrove." The hunger pangs were gnawing at her insides.

She glanced at her Poké Ball. "I wonder if Bubblegum tastes like bubblegum?" She quickly erased that thought from her mind. She wasn't nearly that desperate. "No, I've got to hold on until we reach Violet City." Sh kept trying to convince herself that it wasn't that bad. It wasn't working.

Fortunately, she spotted something in the distance. It was a small cottage, surrounded by trees and bushes. Selly perked up. Whoever lived there probably had food. She rushed towards the front door, before skidding to a stop. The trees and bushes outside were covered in Berries.

They were of all shapes and sizes. It was an absolute smorgasbord. Thinking nothing of the one who lived there, she helped herself to a feast. Little did she know the creeping presence behind her. It was drawing closer and closer. Suddenly, she felt something land on her head.

"Woah, snap!" She spun around, freaking out by the sudden scare. Strangely enough there was no one behind her. "Weird..." She slowly turned back around to find herself face to face with a, well, face. Only it wasn't an actual face, it was the abdomen of a Spinarak.

"Ah!" She jumped back a bit. "Hah, you surprised me, little guy."

The Spinarak frowned at her angrily, or at least it's abdomen face did. It viciously guarded the Berries.

"Hey, I wanted to have those!" She grabbed her Poké Ball. "Maybe I can catch you!" The Poké Ball opened and Bubblegum was sent out.

The Spinarak glared at Bubblegum. "Spinarak!" The abdomen made a Scary Face.

"Driiif!" She cried and hid behind Selly in fear.

"Come on now, Bubblegum! You can do it!" She moved aside, making the Drifloon visible again. The pointed her finger dramatically at the Spinarak. "Now use Astonish!"

She shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and screamed at the Spinarak. It jumped and cringed in fear.

Selly grinned. "Good, it worked this time!" She thought for a moment. "What did I do last time? Oh yeah! Constrict!"

"Loon!" The Drifloon began to wrap up the Pokémon with her arms, but it sprayed it's String Shot in her face. "Dfloofuff!" Her voice was muffled by the attack, and she shook around trying to get it off. Spinarak managed to wriggle free of her grasp, then jumped on her face and hit her with a Poison Sting. "Loooo!"

"Bubblegum!" She tried to think of something to do, but was quickly interrupted by a large yell. Which just so happened to come from the one who lived in the house.

"What is going on out here?" He forced open his door, and looked around furiously. He was an older man, somewhat heavyset with a dark and bushy beard. Not to mention, he was absolutely steaming with rage. "Are those my berries?!"

"Umm, hi there!" Selly was surprised by the man's appearance. She had forgotten there was even a house there. "Well, I was really hungry, so I thought, since you had so many-"

"I don't care! No one is allowed to touch them!"

"Sorry, sir!" She looked over at the two fighting Pokémon. "Let me just do something first, 'kay?" Sh turned to face them again. "Minimize!"

"Flmfph!" Bubblegum forced the air out of her mouth, getting rid of the String Shot around her face. Her smaller size made the Spinarak lose it's grip.

"Now for Weather Ball!" She shouted with enthusiasm.

"Driiiiif..." The energy from the air slowly condensed into a ball. "Loon!" She sent the ball flying at the Spinarak. It was blown back by the force, and hit the trunk of a tree. The Pokémon fell over, exhausted.

"Hey, stop messing up my berry trees!" The Weather Ball, had broken a few branches, and berries were everywhere. A few were smashed against the house.

"Sorry! Sorry! I'm almost done!" She looked in her bag and quickly grabbed a Poké Ball. "Here it goes!" She hit the Spinarak with it, and the Pokémon transformed into pure energy. It was absorbed by the ball, and shut. The ball was still wiggling.

"Yes, I've caught it!" She cheered.

"Not yet, kid! It ain't caught still it stops wrigglin'!" He seemed to have regained some of his composure, but was still rather annoyed.

They both stared at the Poké Ball, waiting to see if it will work.

[OOC: Gah, this isn't as good or long as I wanted it to be. I've been writing a little bit here and there for a while, but I only just managed to sit down and finish it. I hope it's alright! >.< ]

PsychoJugglypuff - Great post, I cringed a little at the thought of her trying out Bubblegum's flavour though D:

Congratulations Selly caught a lv. 8 male Spinarak!

OOC: Sorry about not posting in the OOC, I don't check OOC threads that much.

IC:
The battlefield was set. Cirruna and her opponent, Jack, were ready to battle. Cirruna gestured to Jack, telling him to call the first move.
"OK then! Retro, try a Scratch attack!" Jack called out. The Sentret charged at Luntique, claws ready to scratch the dodo Pokemon.
"Take the hit, then send it back with Mirror Move!" Cirruna shouted. Luntique let the Sentret scratch him, which hurt quite a bit. Then the Doduo formed a glowing energy ball, and hurled it at Retro. The Mirror Move, which was as powerful as Scratch, zoomed through the air quickly, and hit Retro at a fast speed. The little Sentret was knocked back from the impact, but it managed to stand up again.

"Luntique, try a... Umm..." Cirruna murmered, quickly whipping out her Pokedex and studying Luntique's moves. She could only remember Mirror Move right now.
"Alright, Quick Attack," she blushed, but she noticed that her opponent's Sentret was already speeding towards her Doduo, in a Scratch attack.
"Make that Quick Attack combined with Peck! Aim to hit Retro before it hits you!" Cirruna commanded.

Both of the Pokemon rushed at each other; Luntique had his left beak ready to peck Retro, and the Sentret was prepared to Scratch Luntique. However, Luntique, the faster Pokemon, managed to get his beak to hit Retro first, knocking the Sentret down. Five seconds passed, and Retro stayed down. Jack returned Retro to his Pokeball.
"I'm pretty sure that's a knockout," Jack said, handing Cirruna some money.
"Yeah, that's a knockout. But what's the money for?" Cirruna asked.
"The money? It's because you won. In trainer battles, the loser has to pay the winner some money," Jack answered.
"Oh, right. Well, I guess it's time for me to go. Bye now!" Cirruna smiled, waving while beginning to walk off towards Violet City. Soren and Luntique followed her eagerly.

As she neared Violet City, it was almost dusk. There was also a cave nearby. Cirruna flashed back to Nurse Joy's words, "I recommend catching a Geodude or Onix." Geodude and Onix were Rock Types, and Rock Types would probably live in caves like the one up ahead.

So Cirruna walked forward, and into the pitch-black cave. There were stalagmites and stalactites everywhere. Cirruna couldn't see anything at all, but she could hear rumbling. That rumbling must be coming from where the Pokemon is! Cirruna thought.
"Luntique, Soren, you can come in the cave. It's pretty dark, though," Cirruna said gently. Her Flying Types slowly stepped into the cave, trying to find Cirruna and get close to her, so they wouldn't get lost.

Dragonite194 - Nice battle post, I'm looking forward to what the next post will bring. As for the disappearance, it's quite alright I'm just glad to have you back, be sure to send me a message if you're going away for a long period of time. It may be a good idea to regularly check the OOC, there may often be a lot of silliness going on there, occasionally I do post something important and I don't like clogging the IC with such message. But anyway, moving on.

Luntique grew to lv. 10 and learned Rage!

Chapter 1 ~ When The President Is Presenthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NwqltJa0vY&feature=related

Rubbish. Rubbish everywhere. Maya wrinkled her nose as she was led through the corridors of the New Bark laboratory by a nervous man in a labcoat. Walls were broken, machines were on without anyone watching them and there were cardboard boxes and junk in every corner. Not only in the corners, Maya corrected herself as they had to wait for another labcoated man to pass by in a corridor cluttered with boxes.

"Newly moved in?" Maya asked with a tint of sarcasm.

"Oh, yes, actually," the lab assistant who was leading her replied. "Now, it's just in here."

He motioned for Maya to step inside a large room. There, she forgot all about him and dropped her jaws involuntarily at the sight of who was standing in front of her. Facing Maya, putting on the official smile she very much recognized from the television screens from her whole life, was no other than the president himself. She hadn't realized he would be coming here to give her the starter pokémon.

"Ahem," a noise was heard to the left. Maya tore her gaze from the president and saw a thin woman with her dark hair in a loose bun. She wore a labcoat as well. Maya found herself wondering if those were really necessary, or if they acted more like uniforms for people working in laboratories.

"Maya Hino?" the woman said and smiled warmly.

"Yes, that is me," Maya answered, trying not to look at the president when she spoke. She'd have to call home and tell her sisters she had been standing in the same room as the president! The whole family were fans of the president and his beliefs; her father had raised them to support Gray's actions.

"Glad you could make it," the woman said. "I am professor Acacia. I will be giving you your first pokémon, unless of course you have got one from before-"

"She hasn't," the president interrupted. He didn't even speak loudly, but his thick, deep voice seemed to be carried out by his charisma and put a stop to anyone else who could be talking at the same time as he did. "She is hard working and knows responsibility. She wouldn't have had time for pokémon. Isn't that right, miss Hino?" he said and put his mysteriously smile onto the young girl, as he stretched out his arm. His eyes were, strangely enough, not smiling.

"Y-yes," Maya said and shook his hand. "But how do you-"

"You were an easy pick, when I chose my trainers for the new Johto League," the president said, without elaborating further.

"Alright," Maya said, not really knowing what to think. She glanced over at Acacia and noticed a bit surprisingly that the professor was giving the president a quiet, dark glare. Maya wondered why, but Acacia then noticed the girl was looking at her, and released her face into a calmer look again.

"You have been notified of the available starters," she said. "Some are taken by trainers coming by earlier than you. We... we apologize for the unconventional species. If you have heard about pokémon trainers from the old days, you probably know there were very special pokémon given out as starters back then. Nowadays they are, sadly, pretty much extinct."

When saying the last part, it seemed like Acacia's eyes couldn't help wandering over to the president's back again. He was standing a little bit in front of her, closer to Maya, so he didn't see it.

"Well, let's begin," the professor suddenly said, having driven away any worried thoughts. "What pokémon is it that you would like to have?"

Maya walked up to the metal desk with the pokéball holder on top. Names of the pokémon were written on labels beneath the balls. She didn't remember what all of them looked like, but she had tried to look them up when she had gotten the list of species. One had especially stuck in her mind. A black, weasel looking creature with pink feathery features and big, sharp claws. It looked serious. And if Maya was going to be a pokémon trainer, she wanted someone serious and trustworthy on her side.

"Sneasel. I choose Sneasel."

"Ah, that one..." professor Acacia begain, sounding a bit embarrassed almost.

"... Is perfect for miss Hino!" the president said.

Both females stopped, to look at him. He smiled even broader, but only with his mouth. "I played a role in picking some of these pokémon," he said.

Of course he did, Maya thought. He was the most powerful man in Johto; he could do anything, right?

"And this one is a special case. You will be able to handle him very well though."

Professor Acacia actually sighed now. "Yes, I don't doubt that you will, Maya," she said. "Go ahead and take the pokéball. It's yours now."

Maya simply picked it up. It felt lighter in her hand than she had thought it would.

"This, you should also have," Acacia said, and seemed to be a little more cheerful again, as she handed Maya a black, rectangular machine that would fit in a pocket. "It is your pokédex. Keep it safe, but use it often. It will tell you a lot of things, and it has internet and a phone function."

"Really?" Maya said, not trying to hide her instant fascination. She had never been holding such a cool machine in her hands before.

"My number is programmed into it. Be sure to call now and then. And you should call home as well."

The president suddenly laughed a little, earning an annoyed look from the professor. "I am confident that she will," he said. "She cares about her family. Just as she will care about her career as a pokémon trainer." His eyes looked at Maya again.

She smiled back at him and held her pokédex and the pokéball firmly in each hand and waved them a little as to ask for permission to leave.

"Oh, one more thing," Acacia said. Maya was beginning to wonder if she would ever be finished with giving her stuff. "I hope you have room in that backpack of yours, because I have a lot of free pokéballs here for you, courtesy of the president..."

One minute later, Maya was exiting the lab with a backpack carrying a seemingly infinite number of pokéballs. Phew! So... now what? She looked up into the sky. Gloomy weather. Almost dark clouds and not a stray of blue in the sky. What a wonderful day to start off her adventure on. Well, at least she had gotten the pokémon she had been wishing for, she thought as she put her hand on top of the pokéball which was fastened onto her thick, white belt.

Well, that's what she thought...

((OOC: I hope I didn't overdo the president... o.o ))

RHCP - Oh no you didn't overdo it at all, it was perfect. The thought of the President handpicking Gaysel made me laugh too xD

Congratulations, Maya received a Sneasel, Pokeballs and a Pokedex!

"You want to go in the cave Pete?"

Cooper stood outside Dark Cave, with the Swinub next to him. The pokemon tilted his head in thought, before walking towards the gaping maw of the cavern at a leasurly pace,

"Fair enough," Cooper said quickly catching up. True to its name, the cave was indeed dark. If the two wandered any further in then they would be in pitch darkness. Cooper did the obligatory thing everybody must do when in a roomy cavern. He brought his hands to his motuh,

"HELLOOO!"

"HELLOOO!"

"Hellooo!"

"Cool," he said, "you try it!" he turned to face his companion - only to see a lack of him on the cave floor, "Uh... Pete?"

Cooper then heard a faint, "Nub" come from the deep darkness. Seriously, was Pete that fast? Sighing, he followed the noise,

"Just be careful in there bud..." he called over before ironically tripping up over something and falling into the dirt.

"Oh for Pete's sake!" the trainer cursed, sitting up and wiping dust from his brow and face. However there was another noise, making a similarly annoyed tone. Cooper squinted to try and see what it was, and could only see a faint shape before it flew into his chest, knocking him over again,

"God DAMMIT!" Cooper managed to blurt out while panting and holding his torso, "This cave sucks! Maybe the pokedex can help me get out..."

As Cooper flipped open the pokedex he grinned. The screen was giving a strong light, enough to substitute as a torch. Facing the device forward, he saw the culprit: a stubby little yellow snake... larvae thing. It's face was now even grumpier with the light in it.

Dunsparce: the land snake pokemon. When spotted, this Pokémon escapes backward by furiously boring into the ground with its tail.

"Oh..."

Sure enough, the Dunsparce slid down into a previously made hole. Cooper must have tripped on it when it was just poking its head out. He almost felt sorry for disturbing the creature. But then again,

The little punk had pummeled into his stomach.

"Pigman Pete!" Cooper said aloud, waiting for obedience. He saw the little brown pig pop up from another Dunsparce burrow.

"There you are... what are you doing in-" before the trainer finished, Pete was launched into the air and then shortly followed by Dunsparce. It looked like it was about to slam it again,

"Face down and meet it with a Tackle!" Cooper ordered. The Pigman began to fall, face concentrated and ready to hurt the land snake. The two attacks met with an audible thump, sending both Pigman Pete flying through the air again and Dunsparce falling into the ground. The yellow snake furiously burrowed into the hard ground, eventually dissapearing and Pete landed hard.

"Where is it..." Cooper said to himself. As if to answer his question, Dunsparce came booming out from the walls this time, flying through the air and smacking into Pete. The Swinub let out a wail as he was thrown to the opposite side of the cavern room.

"Damn!" Cooper said, "Try using Powder Snow!" Pigman Pete picked himself up and launched the cold attack at Dunsparce, who was briefly caught before again burrowing into the ground. Cooper cursed, at this rate they'd be here for hours.

"Try following it into the holes Pete!" he said. The Pigman ran for the hole, but just as he had taken off, he could feel a small rumble beneath him. The land snake pokemon launched itself out of one of the tunnels, tackling into Pigman Pete even harder this time. Cooper winced at the powerful impact and watched Pete roll head over heels for a few feet. Dunsparce dove into a previously dug tunnel again, presumably for another attack,

"Why is it so strong..." Cooper asked himself, however his pokedex beeped in response,

"Dunsparce is using Rage: an attack that gets more powerful each time the user is hit."

"Oooohhhhh..." Cooper uttered in realisation, "Pete, don't attack it!"

There was a pause as Pigman Pete gave his trainer an unimpressed look.

"Just come over here!"

The Swinub began making its way over to Cooper, it was moving slower now, having had a little beating just now. The rumbling began again, and Pete desperately threw himself forward, closer to Cooper as Dunsparce jumped out from the ground. Luckily, the land snake missed, however it dissapeared again, waiting for Pigman Pete's next move.

"Nice dodge," Cooper said, "You're like a freakin' ninja! But seriously. I guess it can hear us if we move. Good thing I have an idea!"

From withing the network of tunnels, Dunsparce waited in one spot, he waited for the vibratons of that pesky Swinub as it moved from above. Then it knew where to strike. He suddenly felt movement, coming from a different position now. With haste, the land snake took off - moving like a subway train along the tunnels. He leapt out into the cavern, and landed on top of something. But it wasn't a Swinub. It was weird... flat, and red.

"Karp."

"Awesome! It worked!" Cooper shouted. He sent out Shark Bait to flail on the ground and distract Dunsparce, now it was up to Pigman Pete.

"Powder Snow!" The Swinub jumped over a set of rocks it was hiding behind, bombarding Dunsparce with the chilling attack. Dunsparce began shivvering, and decided to go for Pete once more,

"Tackle it first!" Pigman Pete ran straight into Dunsparce, smashing into it head on and causing the land snake to collapse in a heap, then retreat.

"Good one guys!" Cooper said, before a frighteningly large rumble shook them,

"Oh my god we've made the cave collapse! The Dunsparce have activated the self-destruct command!"

With a loud crash, there came a booming noise,

"ROOOOAAAA!!"

Cooper concentrated as hard as he could to keep his bowels closed, before feebly shining the light from his pokedex in the direction of the sound. Facing the three was a giant boulder.

"Or... it could be an Onix."

...

Cooper calmy retrieved his two team members, before yelling like mad as he ran for the exit.

"It's gonna EAT MEE!!"

Cooper finally made it out of the cave, panting like mad as he collapsed on the grass. From the sounds of it, the Onix hadn't even followed him.

"That's right sucker! Can't touch this!" he shouted back into the cave before standing up on his weary legs.

"Screw this, I'm going to Violet City..."

"Karp."

"Yep, you'd better belie- Shark Bait?!" Cooper truend around and saw his Magikarp lying on the ground next to where he was.

"Karp."

"How did you even...?"

"Karp."

Cooper didn't know how to take that response,

"Well... you'd better not make a habit of it when you evolve. That would be majorly inconvenient."

"Karp Karp."

"You like saying that don't you?"

"... Karp."

Cooper's mouth formed a slight grin, "Okay then. Forget Shark Bait, your new nickname's gonna be Karp from now on!"

"Magi."

"See, now you ruined it."

[OOC: Yea, Shark Bait isn't working for me anymore :P Karp will be awesome, especially when he's... bigger, shall we say ;3]