Eight and Beyond!

[Stella]

"Yeah. Are you sure you don't want to rest out here for the night? I know we're not that far, but I know you're exhausted." Claire put a hand to his shoulder. "I'm fine with whatever you're fine with."

Like him, she too was suffering from the weariness of travel. Although the road wasn't that far, it was still exhausting seeing as they had already been up many hours for the day and had not rested before travel. It was easy to travel that path with a high amount of energy, but that was they lacked from the excitement of the day.

 

[JayJay]

JayJay wanted to make it there and sleep at the Pokemon center, but he knew he couldn't make it. He looked around for a place to make camp, then took Claire's hand and lead her there. It was a small clearing, but it was big enough for the two of them and a fire.

"We should rest for the night" JayJay said, and leaned up against a tree

"Cyndaquil, Growlithe, can you two make use a fire if I go find some fire wood?" He asked his Pokemon. They both nodded, still full of energy.

 

[Stella]

Claire placed her bag down in front of a bush. "I'll go. You need to get your energy. If you check in the front pocket of my bag, I have some food wrapped up. Some rice cakes and other stuff. Get something out of it. I had a feeling we wouldn't be able to finish the trip to Cerulean, so I packed it up for us."

Claire headed off to gain some wood. There were several loose tree branches she was able to get right away after a couple of minutes of walking.

 

[JayJay]

He nodded and sat down. He pulled three bottles out of his bag, one was a bottle of Pokemon vitamins, the other two were water. He got a rice cake for himself and his Pokemon to share. He fed his Pokemon their vitamins and most of the rice cake, and about half of his water. he recalled Growlithe to his Pokeball and leaned up against the tree to sleep. Cyndaquil stayedf awake to light a fire when Claire got back, the fire on his back serving as a beacon for her

 

[Stella]

She observed the scenery of the large set of trees. They were too dense for the moonlight to shine through, but she could see enough to grab what she needed and leave. Many Rattatas scurried along the grassy floor. She could see Spearows nesting in low branches. Grabbing a few more pieces of wood for the fire, she returned back to base.

"Light 'em up, Cyndaquil."

 

[JayJay]

JayJay was passed out by the time Claire got back, but Cyndaquil was wide awake and happily obliged her. After she arranged them in a fire pile, Cyndaquil used Ember to light them up. In no time the area became warm and cozy

JayJay had his usual nightmares. Not being able to stop falling, not feeling in control of anything, not being strong enough to get up, but these were old news. They happened so often he expected them to come each night

 

[Stella]

Claire had noticed that JayJay was already out cold from exhaustion. She laid down next to the fire and called out her Growlithe. Reaching over to her bag and egg, she pulled it her way. She used her bag as a pillow of some sort and wrapped the egg up in her scarf. The three Pokemon gathered together near the fire. Claire was stargazing.

"Y'know, gang? I've always wondered just how many Pokemon are truly out in this world. Sure, there's a lot. But there's bound to be a species we haven't discovered. It's our jobs as trainers to try to discover all of the Pokemon. Or, at least, as many as we possibly can. With as many regions as there are, I doubt one trainer alone and conquer them all. Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova all are fairly large and have their own advantages and disadvantages. Sure, I want to be the one to pass the Indigo's test but I know I can't do it alone. Heck. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for JayJay. Two random people on a cruise happened to meet each other at the right place and at the right time. And those two people were both intrigued by the Elite. If we're truly meant to be a team and get to the final challenge, then I believe we won't find out until we face our first gym. Whether we win or lose, I know JayJay will keep training until he wins. If he's there, then I surely will be." Claire yawned. And turned to face the blazing red fire. "This fire burns strong in every trainer. Maybe it'll burn in ours."

 

[JayJay]

(OOC: FF to 8:00 AM)


JayJay awoke with a start, sweat on his brow and a chill in his spine. He always awoke in such a manner, so it wasn't a big deal for him. He looked around in the morning air. The fire had long since gone out and his Cyndaquil rested by his bag. He got up and stretched, then knelt by his bag to get the vitamins and a bottle of water.

 

[Stella]

Claire awoke to the bright sun shining on her, refusing to let her sleep any longer. She relaxed to the warmth of it on her skin and then sat up. Her Growlithe was curled up next to her and its body began to warm like a fire as it awakened to its master's movement. The Growlithe stretched out and walked on top of Claire's lap, putting its paws on her chest to lick her face. She giggled and rubbed her face.

"Enough, boy, enough," she said. It's soft tongue tickled her. She stood up and stretched out. "Morning," she told JayJay. She glanced down the road. It wouldn't be much longer until they reached Cerulean and then Pewter City.

 

[JayJay]

"Oh, good morning, Claire, did you sleep well?" JayJay asked as he saw his Cyndaquil stir into life. He called out his on Growlithe and gave both his Pokemone their Carbos and Calcium and half the bottle of water each. He then took out a brush and began the Pokemon's morning Pampering. He worked very skillfully with his brush and worked very hard to groom his beloved partners.

 

[Stella]

"Oh, good morning, Claire. Did you sleep well?" JayJay asked. She pulled out a hairbrush and brushed her hair.

"For the most part. Though, I've never slept outside before. It's not as relaxing as most people would think. Then again, I have to consider our circumstances for coming out here." She paused. "And how about yourself, JayJay? You looked pretty tense for part of the night."

Claire walked over to her egg to check on it, then glanced back up at the sky to estimate the time of day.

 

[JayJay]

"Yeah, I had some nightmares, but I always do, so I'm not worried about 'em. Hold still, Please, Growlithe, I don't want to hurt you" JayJay spoke to Claire and Growlithe respectivlly while brushing the Pokemon's hair. One hed finished he called back his Growlithe and started to go through his back. He noticed his Fire Stone was glowing more brightly than usual and that Growlithe was becoming much more powerful lately. He considered using it, but thought against it.

"So, we'll be ready to go soon, yeah?" JayJay asked Claire as his Cyndaquil climbed up his shoulder

 

[Stella]

"Yeah, I had some nightmares, but I always do, so I'm not worried about 'em. Hold still, please, Growlithe, I don't want to hurt you." Claire began to wonder what caused his constant nightmares. She thought at first it was because of his brother, but she couldn't say for sure. "So, we'll be ready to go soon, yeah?"

"We need to head on to Cerulean now. It won't take long. By the time we get there, we can find out if any trainer has a Pokemon that can get us to Cerulean. Officer Jenny of Cerulean might since she's pretty good with flying types." Claire picked up her bag and egg, getting ready to go.

 

[JayJay]

JayJay nodded and put his bag on and held out a hand to Claire. He had his normal kind smile, and the sunlight framed his dark brown hair in an odd way. His Cyndaquil seemed to hold himself up very proudly as the two made a picture perfect scene.

 

[Stella]

Claire led the way to Cerulean City and then jumped down a ledge. As the two entered Cerulean City, Claire said, "Cerulean City. Home of the gym leader Misty and the Cascade Badge. She's a water trainer. If we want to take her on, we'll be needing to train and catch a grass Pokemon or two in the Viridian Forest. It'll give us the upper hand. Here, in Cerulean, there are also multiple grass Pokemon north from here.

"About a month or so ago, there was actually a house here that was hijacked by Team Rocket. One of the leaders in the plan actually was a battler on the Trainer's Bridge. Since then, they've stopped trainers from battling on the bridge itself because of so many grunt gatherings here. He was out for recruits and the police was worried that more would try to pose as trainers to get others to join. It used to be just a spot for your average trainer to battle. Not anymore.

Also, east of Cerulean, there's Mount Moon. And we can't get there from here. The pathway is blocked off by high ledges. That's why I wanted to get a flight. We can't make that trip the long way. We can after beating Pewter, but we'd probably be faster to climb over. All you do is go up to the peak, and then it's straight down from there."

 

[JayJay]

JayJay listen well and nodded when Claire had finished. He looked around for trainers to battle against. He noticed a trainer with two Pidgeot doing coordinated moves and attacks while they flew through the air with amazing speed and grace. The two Pokemon worked together in harmony with each other and made a contained tornado. JayJay also noticed a trainer with a Riachu and a Slowbro, the former dashing back and forth cloaked in electricity and the later with a glowing ring of fire around it's head.

"Whoa, there are some good trainers here. I wanna go talk to that guy over there with the Riachu. would you mind?" JayJay asked Claire

 

[Stella]

Claire glanced around, trying to find both the Pokemon Center and the PokeMart. JayJay, catching her attention, said, "Whoa, there are some good trainers here. I wanna go talk to that guy over there with the Riachu. would you mind?"

"Not at all. Go ahead. I'm going to head down to the PokeMart while you're doing that. I need to pick us up some things." She walked away, heading on her way to the blue-roofed store. As she entered, the store clerk greeted her.

"Welcome to the PokeMart! A new face here, eh? Take a sample potion as a welcoming gift."

 

[JayJay]

JayJay walked up to the young man training his Pokemon. He was really interested to see how other trainers worked with their Pokemon. The young man called out the attack Wild CHarge and his Riachu darted forward and hit his Slowbro, who shook it off and returned with a Fire Blast. JayJay and Cyndaquil watched, then JayJay walked up and tapped the trainer on the shoulder. The young man turned around.

"Huh, what? I'm kinda busy here" The trainer stated

"I was wondering where your Pokemon learned such powerful moves, it's a real spectacle to watch" JayJay replied

"Oh, hehehe, I won a few special TM's from the Sliph Co. and used them. Hmm, Here I have an idea, you and I will battle and if you win, I'll teach your Pokemon a few" The now eager young trainer replied

"Really? Wow! We accept!" JayJay exclaimed and started walking to the other end of the small park clearing. Cyndaquil jumped off his shoulder and was walking alongside him, ready for battle. Cyndaquil ignited his flame and let out a powerful battle cry before facing the trainer and his two suped up Pokemon

 

[Stella]

Claire walked over to the desk and picked up the potion from the clerk. He was obviously taller than her by an inch or two. He asked, "So, what can I do for you, Miss...?"

"Powell. Claire Powell."

"Well, Miss Powell. Anything I can get for you?"

"A friend of mind and I are heading off to Pewter to start off our journey. Can we get a bundle of potions and Pokeballs?"

"Sure thing! Say, since you're buying this a bundle, I'll give you a discount. 300 off your final price."

"Thanks!"

"No problem, kid. Hey, next time you're in town, stop on by. I'll put back a few items for you when our next order comes in." The clerk handed her a bag with potions and Pokeballs in it.

"Thanks, mister!" Claire bowed her head. She began to go out the door.

"Hey, wait!" The clerk said. "When you go to see Brock, be sure to ask him for a trainer card and badge case. You'll need it to get to the Indigo Plateau."

"Will do." Claire smiled and headed out the door.

 

[JayJay]

The young man looked ready to go and his Pokemon seemed eager to rumble. JayJay called out his Growlithe and looked at the young man on the other side of the park space. The two trainers nodded and grinned, and thus the battle began

"Cyndaquil, use Ember!! Growlithe, Flame Charge!!" JayJay called out, not specifying targets. The other trainer tried to anticipate where the attacks would go. Suddenly his Riachu was hit with Flame Charge and his Slowbro was about to take the Ember.

"Oh No! Riachu! Slowbro, Dodge!" The trainer called out and his pokemon just barely got out of the Ember. He looked back to JayJay and called out his attacks

"Slowbro, Ice Beam! Riachu, Wild Charge! Hit Growlithe!" The young man exclaimed. His Pokemon hurtled forward with great speed and both hit Growlithe dead on. Before JayJay could call out to Growlithe to get out of there, or for Cyndaquil to go help Growlithe, the young trainer called out the same attacks again. This time, though, JayJay was ready

"Growlithe, dodge and use Bite! Cyndaquil Hit 'em both with Extrasensory!" JayJay exclaimed. Growlithe side stepped both Pokemon's attacks and dashed bite Slowbro, then jumped back to avoid the Extrasensory wave which crashed into both Riachu and Slowbro. The two Pokemon seemed able to stand and the battle continued. The two Pokemon under the command of the young man attacked again and again, each move countered or countering an attack from JayJay's Pokemon, until suddenly JayJay called out to his Pokemon.

"Growlithe, use Flame Charge! Cyndaquil, back his up with Flamethrower!" The Pokemon looked at each other and nodded, then began the combo. Growlithe took the lead and cloaked itself in fire before charging the Slowbro. The Slowbro stood firm until a wave of fire engulfed Growlithe and more than tripled the fire sphere around him. Growlith hit Slowbro with just enough to KO it, and turned to face Riachu. Riachu charged Growlithe while cloaked in electricity and the two meet with devastating force. When the smoke cleared, both Pokemon where standing, backs facing the other and their chests heaving for air. Then, both Pokemon collapsed into the dirt. JayJay darted up to his Growlithe, his Cyndaquil in tow.

"Hey, buddy, are you okay? Growlithe, say something?" JayJay asked in a panicked tone. Growlithe shook his head looked up.

"WHOA! That was A GREAT BATTLE!!!" The young man called out

 

[Stella]

Claire was on her way back to JayJay when she saw smoke. At that moment, she dashed off running toward him. "JayJay!" she called out. Her first thought was Team Rocket attacking, trying to steal his Pokemon again. When the smoke cleared, she could faintly see JayJay and another trainer. He was leaning over his Growlithe. She picked up her pace and continued onward. "Oh no..." she thought. "Something's not right."

"Hey, buddy, are you okay? Growlithe, say something?" Claire heard him ask. The other trainer's words she didn't make out in her sudden race to get to JayJay.

"Hey, back off of him!" she said, blocking the trainer off. She knelt down to JayJay and his Pokemon, still carrying her bag from the PokeMart. "What happened?" she asked, trying to stay as calm as possible for JayJay.

 

[JayJay]

JayJay noticed Claire and nodded to her, a tear coming out of his right eye. He cradled Growlithe while Cyndaquil climbed up on his shoulder, looking worse for wear and concerned about Growlithe. Grolwithe shook his head again and tried to get up, but was too weak. JayJay got up and ran with blinding speed to the Pokemons Center he saw earlier, his Cyndaquil was doing it best to hold on.

 

[Stella]

"Hey, wait up!" Claire chased after JayJay, trying to find out what all had happened. She met up with him at the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy just now coming in from the upstairs floor. She kindly looked towards the two and asked. "What can I do for you two?"

 

[JayJay]

JayJay held up his wounded Growlithe and motioned with his head to his battered Cyndaquil.

"We just had a battle, b-but I pushed them t-too hard" JayJay said, close to tears "Please help them, Nurse Joy" He set his Growlithe on the counter and his Cynaquil hoped off his shoulder to wait for the Nurse.

 

[Stella]

"Hey, calm down, kiddo. We'll get him fixed up. In the meantime, you can head out if you want to take a breather. This little guy's going to be better real soon. Promise." She took the Growlithe into her arms and smiled. "That's what I'm here for."

Claire put a hand on JayJay's shoulder. "Don't worry, JayJay. If anyone can help Growlithe, she can."

 

[JayJay]

JayJay took some deep breaths and headed to a chair to sit down. He looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. He knew what he did wrong, he shouldn't have accepted that battle. Win or lose, it was a stupid choice and it got his Pokemon more hurt than they needed to get for a battle. He didn't realize he was talking to himself under his breath, and tapping his foot in an irritated manner. He opened his eyes and looked around a bit, then decided he needed to head outside. Once he left the Center, he took the Fire Stone from his bag and examined it. He often used the Stone as a focus for thought

 

[Stella]

Claire wanted to go help JayJay, but she knew she wouldn't be much help. In hoping to be of, at least, some help, she went outside to talk to him.

"What happened back there, JayJay?" she asked. She took a seat at a nearby bench and motioned for him to sit with her. Claire knew he was hurt inside, but she didn't know how to truly help. She sighed and walked up to him. "Growlithe will be alright." She hugged him gently, knowing he was hurt inside.

 

[JayJay]

JayJay hugged her back, then broke the hug and looked at her. He was having a hard time with words, but once he found them, he told her about his battle with the young man and how he was hoping to teach his Pokemeno a few moves, and that even though he won, he felt awful inside for pushing his Pokemon that hard.

"I was too hard on them, Claire . . . And for what? A few lousy TMs . . . I can't believe I did that . . ." He bit his tongue to hold back the tears. He started walking around the Pokemon Center, blowing off steam

 

[Stella]

As JayJay walked off, she put her hand to her chest. Her heartbeat raced in fear for her friend's sudden depression. She could sense his hurt and tension. Claire sighed. She sat back on the bench and called out her Growlithe.

"I don't know what to do, boy. I can't seem to cheer him up." Her Growlithe whimpered at its master being worried. "Yeah, I'm worried. But, what can I do?" Growlithe covered its eyes. "Guess that's all I can do."

 

[JayJay]

(OOC: FF one hour)


JayJay walked all over the town and decided to go check on his Pokemon. He didn't know what to say to them. He didn't know how they'd feel about him after that fight. He was so mad at himself, he felt like he was in a nightmare. He saw Claire sitting down when he walked in and walked up to her.

"I'm sorry i walked off while you were talking, Claire, That was really rude of me. Wanna come see if Growlithe and Cyndaquil are healed?" JayJay asked without his usual smile. He couldn't crack a smile to save his life right now. He was too worried.

 

[Stella]

Claire watched as JayJay walked up to her. She only hoped that he was feeling better. Though, when he didn't smile, she was sure that he was too broken down from the battle to do so. Claire nodded in response to his question. "Come on. I'm sure they won't be angry with you. Nurse Joy can fix them up easily. I'm positive they're okay."

 

[JayJay]

JayJay walked up to the counter timidly and rang the bell. Nurse Joy appeared from behind a door and smiled. Growlithe and Cyndaquil were rough housing behind the counter. They both saw JayJay and leapt to tackle glomp him. He didn't realize what they were doing and so he didn't brace himself. His eyes got wide and his mouth opened in surprise as his two Pokemon took him down and started hugging him and pushing their heads into his chest. JayJay began to cry tears of joy on the floor of the Pokemon center, apologizing profusely to his Pokemon for pushing them too hard. Nurse Joy giggled a bit at the sight of the 18 year old boy with a strong body crying like a baby. Joy looked at Claire

"Are you with him?" She asked with a smile

 

[Stella]

Like Nurse Joy, Claire also giggled. She was happy to see the three reunited. Even Claire was touched by the three together again. She only wished she would've given him the potion in time. He wouldn't have hurt as badly if she could've healed his Pokemon.

"Are you with him?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Yeah. We just met recently. Pleased to meet you, Nurse Joy."

 

[JayJay]

The three continued their reunion as Nurse Joy pulled a duffle bag out from behind the counter and gave it to Claire. It was rather heavy, and the sound of glass tapping glass came from inside.

"A young man came in here earlier and said that he had a wonderful battle with an extremely talented young trainer who ran off to the Center before he could give him his prize. He'd asked if I had seen someone like that, and described your friend. He figured such care for one's Pokemon demanded a better prize than a few tutors, and left that here. It has all kinds vitamins, some TMs and an odd set of items he called "Power Items"" Nurse Joy explained

 

[Stella]

"A young man came in here earlier and said that he had a wonderful battle with an extremely talented young trainer who ran off to the Center before he could give him his prize. He'd asked if I had seen someone like that, and described your friend. He figured such care for one's Pokemon demanded a better prize than a few tutors, and left that here. It has all kinds vitamins, some TMs and an odd set of items he called "Power Items"" Nurse Joy explained

"Hm.." Claire thought. "I think this would belong to you then, JayJay." She accepted the bag and handed if off to him. "You were the one that battled him. Take it. It's properly yours."

 

[JayJay]

JayJay finnaly got up, Growlithe at his ankles and Cyndaquil on his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow and took the bag from Claire before unzipping it and looking inside. He saw all the really neat items, and a note. He read it aloud.

"Dear Trainer

I had the best time battling you. You're very skilled, but still have a lot to learn. I hope you find these items useful in becoming even stronger. If we meet again, I hope we can battle once more.

-Joshua, nephew of Bill"

"Whoa . . ." JayJay said as he looked over all the new items for his Pokemon and read the letter

 

[Stella]

"Dang. You got pretty lucky." Claire was a bit shocked at such a large package.

"Actually," Nurse Joy put in. "Bill, himself, lives just north-east of here. However, he's out vising to Hoenn right now to do some work with Professor Birch. I would say give him a visit, but he's out of the region."

"Well, maybe we can catch him next time he's in town." Claire smiled.

"Say, are you both heading to Pewter."

"Sure are. Aiming to get all the badges."

"If you're looking for a flight, since Mount Moon is pretty hard to reach from here, why don't you go find Officer Jenny? She's currently at that hijacked house helping out with some last bit of damage. I'm sure she'll give you a hand."

"Thanks!"

 

[JayJay]

JayJay rearanged the contents of his new duffle bag and placed the contents of his regular bag inside it. JayJay looked to Claire.

"Yeah I would say so. Hey, before we leave, I should go get some new clothes and a guide on these items from the Mart. You wanna come along, or head to get Jenny and have me meet up with you later?" He asked, he normal kind smile back. He didn't seem even slightly affected by the weight of the bag

"You realize I'm gonna share these with you, right? I mean, Why wouldn't I, you've been nothing but nice to me" JayJay said

 

[Stella]

Claire smiled, happy to see the return of JayJay's happiness. "I'll meet up with you later. I'll get Jenny to give us some help. Now, you go to the Mart. Tell the owner you know me. He'll give you a discount." Claire winked and walked off to find Officer Jenny.

 

[JayJay]

"Will do, Later" JayJay said and left the building. He headed to the PokeMart, told the owner he knew Claire and started Shopping. He bought lots of food, plenty of drinks, guides, maps, more potions, more Pokeballs, and a few new outfits and started heading north to find Claire.