Ask to Join Geminos: ~Threads of Uncertainty~ (Role Play Thread)

[kyuukestu]

Cordelia's jaws clamped shut over both ember and fire breather, subjected to Charmander to a dosage of fanged toxins. The ember prior, however, had found its target, burning the Mawile's throat with something fierce. Whipping her head aside she threw away the Charmander in her jaws, in favor of a wretch & choke method that assuaged the fiery irritant.

Although the Mawile bristled with hostility and a desire for vengeance, her trainer thought otherwise. Ellen knew that battle was not exactly her strong suit. Cordelia was her strongest pokemon, but she hadn't been much of an avid battler during her time in Sinnoh. Well-read as she was, she was familiar with the saying 'The man who moves mountains starts by moving rocks.' In other words, baby steps.

"Alright Cordelia, we're done. Good Job! You really held out against a type-advantage."

The Mawile turned to face her trainer; to say she looked unwilling would be a disservice to the intensity of her expression. The jewel of the sea seemed dead set on seeing her battle through to completion, but then her trainer continued.

"You look like a mess, let's go get you cleaned up. Maybe we can see about getting some more supplies in town."

This gave Cordelia pause. The deceiver pokemon looked down at her hakori, smudged and smeared by soot and ash. For a moment the Mawile appeared to struggle with a decision, but her actions soon revealed that her appearance was of greater value to her than actually winning the fight. Trotting over to her trainer, soon enough, Cordelia was held up in Ellen's arms.

"Alright, let's get you cleaned up and then we'll head back to Seafare. The Department Store was there and I think we've got some shopping to do. How does a new file sound~?"

The mentioned of a new file seemed to please the princess-pokemon greatly, as even her legs had begun to swing a happy tune through the air. At that, Ellen smiled. However, that smile quickly turned upside down. Now that she had time to consider it, the increase in party members meant an exponential increase in living costs. Ellen had never been one to skimp on the appearance of her pokemon, she went to great lengths to keep them looking like the magnificent collection of jewelry that they were, and that meant their care burned through money.

It wasn't an issue for now, but the Sinnoh-raised girl knew that she'd need to find a way of recouping her losses in the long run. She couldn't run her finances dry on aesthetics for her pokemon. They still needed to feel as pretty on the inside as they were on the outside. Long story short, she needed revenue.

Ellen released a sigh and pushed the problem to the back of her mind. Strolling across the field, she gave Magi a smile.

"Good Job little one. I'm sure your trainer is proud."

And speaking of that very trainer, Ellen shifted her focus to Ken.

"Good Battle." She complimented, "I think I'm going to backtrack for a while, I've got a few things to do and...figure out."

Her voice dropped with her final words, hinting at their rather personal nature. She would rather be alone for those things. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to bail out on Ken entirely. Switching through the apps on her poketch she pulled up the notepad.

"You have a Pokegear, right? Give me your number."

 

[Mystic Zander]

Levi quietly watched on with a stoic expression, not muttering a word during the start of the battle. His entire persona had taken a sudden shift.
While it was true the chestnut haired boy wanted to scream strategies, cheer on his comrade, and overall lose his mind...now just wasn’t the time.
His friend needed to learn, and he needed to observe.

——

As the battled waged on, Levi cringed at Newt’s lack of instinct as Dunsparce was throttled with Scald.

“Damn...Newt might crack from that.” The Trapinch trainer gripped the railing of the stands, about to jump up in objection, when he took note of Wynaut sauntering onto the field without a care in the world

“Hahaha...ah yeah, I forgot about him. This may get interesting.” The young adventurer pondered Wynaut’s abilities, surprised to hear Newt hadn’t even taken a moment to review his new Pokémon’s moves.

“What the hell? He was supposed to observe our battle and formulate at strategy. This was a train-wreck of pure luck and strong-willed pokemon.” Levi sat there, somewhat shocked that Corsola dropped after one attack, soon after realizing that the gym leader had likely taken pity on the boy.

But in the end, Newt had won. It wasn’t the...smoothest of battles, but it worked out.

As Newt wondered over to Levi, the older boy stood with an eyebrow raised, much like a parent would as they waited to scold a child.

“Newt...that was an absolute train wreck! I can’t believe you watched our entire battle and didn’t even come up with a single strategy! You’re lucky Wynaut knew what he was doing.” After Levi had finished letting his remarks fly, he looked down towards Dunsparce, spraying the little champ with a potion, before gently scratching underneath his chin.

“I am glad you won though...your Pokémon are really something...” Levi drifted out of reality for a moment, his gaze locked with Dunsparce’s. It was obvious this little guy wanted to battle. It was also obvious his trainer had no idea how to do so. Guess it was up to Levi.

“Come on. The potion should help, but we should still get our teams checked out at the Pokémon center. And after that, we’re gonna do some training.” A smile crept across the older boy’s lips. Finally...and excuse to train!

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“Newt...that was an absolute train wreck! I can’t believe you watched our entire battle and didn’t even come up with a single strategy! You’re lucky Wynaut knew what he was doing.”

“I know, I know okay!” Newt yelled back instinctively. “I suck! You knew this already! Battling isn’t my thing!”

Dunsparce moaned softly and twitched, it’s younger licking the moisture from the potion it was sprayed with. It practically purred as Levi scratched under its chin, it’s wings beating pleasantly.

“Spaaaaaaarce.”

“I don’t know...how can you stand your partner being hurt like this?” Newt said in a somber tone. “Would you want scalding water thrown at YOU?”

 

[Mystic Zander]

As the boys exited the gym, Levi’s eyes washed over Newt’s expression. He let the boys words sink in as they continued, allowing him a moment to ponder his phrasing.

“Newt...I feel it every time my Pokémon are hurt. I feel it every time any Pokémon are hurt. Every blast, every hit, every knockout. You think when Dunsparce was knocked out I didn’t care? I almost called the battle off right there.” Levi could tell his voice was becoming elevated again, so he let out a slow sigh to calm his nerves before continuing.

“As a trainer, our goal is to make our Pokémon stronger, so they won’t get hurt in coming battles. But at the same time, we ourselves must also get stronger, because our friends will get hurt every once in awhile. We can’t afford to breakdown when they need us the most.” Levi gave his friend a pat on the back as the approached the Pokémon centers doors, muttering one last comment as they stepped inside.

“Your Pokémon want to battle. If you wanna make them happy, you’ll have to be stronger.”

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“They...want to?”

Newt looked to Dunsparce, who didn’t seem worried much over it’s condition, and seemed rather...joyful? He was doused in scorching water but was HAPPY? He didn’t understand it. What would send pokemon into battle for fun? They were getting food or water to survive, so fighting was unnecessary. But...this seemed to be the first thing Dunsparce actually wanted to do outside of his own interests. Would he be selfish to deny him? Or was he being a caring guardian?

“Well...i’ll See about continuing...” Newt huffed, before trying to clobber Levi on the shoulder. “But don’t rag on me! Makes me feel bad.”

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Magi let out a pained growl as the Steel/Fairy type's large jaw closed in on him, pushing toxic venoms into his body. When the Mawile threw the fire lizard away, Magi did a flip in the air and landed on his feet. Just like his opponent, Magi now had a fierce look full of vengeance in mind as he turned back towards Cordelia, until her trainer walked up onto the battlefield and stopped the battle.

Magi looked visibly disappointed as Ellen rather easily managed to talk Cordelia out of her battle mood with conversations about fashion of all things. As such, when Ellen turned to him to congratulate him, Magi simply looked away and gave her the cold shoulder.

Ken was now also standing on the battlefield and right beside Magi, he patted his pokemon on the back. "Come on, I know you mjst feel disappointed to not be able to finish the battle but you did great. For a first battle I believe you passed with high marks." Ken complimented. Magi glanced towards Ken briefly before turning away again. He scratched his head, slightly embarrassed by all the praises coming his way.

Ken then turned his attention towards Ellen about the same time she did to him. "Yeah, I had a lot of fun. It feels good to let loose and battle." Hearing Ellen ask for his number, Ken took out his Pokegear and typed in a few keys. "Alright, here you go." He turned the display towards Ellen, his number onscreen.

 

[Nukas]

Lizzy got really into her conversation with Adam and talking about pokemon. In fact, she got so into her conversation that she didn't even notice that her two companions had finished their battle and completely left the area. "OH CRAP! Ummm, it was nice talking to you Adam, but I really need to find out where I put my friends." She said this as she withdrew her pokemon and was already half sprinting out of the battle area and through the pokemon center, not even sure if Adam had heard her excuse for leaving so abruptly. She was a little upset at how she ended their conversation. Hopefully, she would see Adam again someday and apologize, but right now she had to find her friends. She knew both of them seemed to be adventurous and they wanted to go and battle the gyms. This hopefully meant that they would be on their way to the next town. She was thinking so hard about where her friends might be that she didn't even notice when she ran into them, quite literally. She ran straight into Ajax at full speed and fell on the ground.

"Owww, I'm so sorry, I'm looking for my fri– AJAX! Oh thank Arceus I found you, why did y'all leave me, how did the battle go, did you find any cute pokemon? She then noticed the tall man who was kicking a tiny bunny pokemon her pokedex revealed to be a Scorbunny. The poor bunny pokemon looked up longingly at the tall man. Without even taking a moment's hesitation, Lizzy screamed at the top of her lungs "STOP HURTING THAT POOR POKEMON!!!"

 

[kyuukestu]

Ellen's fingers blurred across the screen of her poketch, scribbling down Ken's number in her notepad app. Once she headed back to Seafare town, she would consider getting an X-transceiver or some similar software for her Poketch. That way, she would be able to make calls and keep in touch. Stepping back the girl waved good-bye, both to Ken and his pokemon. The cold, stand-offish expression Magi wore reminded her somewhat of Newt. The connection now made, Ellen felt that Newt Jr. was a much more appropriate name for the temperamental pokemon than Magi.

Now that the matter of communication had been dealt with, the bespectacled girl and her ribbon-toting pokemon departed. Ellen dropped Cordelia off at Nurse Joy's desk while she went to set the rest of her household in order. The ping of the front-desk buzzer and the call of her name over the intercom alerted Ellen just as she'd finished packing all her bags and gathering all her pokemon. Ellen returned to Nurse Joy, thanking the Nurse for looking after Cordelia once again and then led her troupe of Pokemon out of the Pokecenter.

Now that she was exploring on her own, with only her pokemon to accompany her, Ellen took the streets at her own pace —slowly. The change of pace allowed her to sink into the sights and sounds of the city; the smooth, cobblestone roads underfoot and the trickle of rivulets that ran alongside them. The city had a natural ambiance...which was unnatural for a city. Aquamarine city was surprisingly peaceful and although the wide canals and waterways reminded her of her hometown of Canalave, she could never connect the hubbub of that large port city to Aquamarine's tranquility.

After all that had happened, Ellen allowed herself to indulge in the catharsis of it all. She walked along the canals, her heels clicking against the stone and her pokemon tottering in her footsteps. After a few minutes of strolling the group arrived at the city's police station. Taking a deep breath for her nerves, Ellen placed her hand against the door and pushed her way inside.

 

[sSoul]

Rowan took some time to think to himself. This Poliwag obviously had Swift Swim as an ability, given that Jacky mentioned speed at all. He knew well that Sulum is a fast Pokèmon, but if the Electric type could not catch the Water type before the speed boost, then some extra liberties would need to be taken. Fortunately, an idea began to spark in Rowan's mind.

"Sulum, Thundershock! Aim for the water," The electric type didn't take long to figure out what Rowan was planning, as he summoned a small lightning bolt to strike the pool of water that Jacky had in her gym. Now that he limited the Water-type's movement, he waited to see the Gym Leader's workaround to this problem.

 

[kyuukestu]

"Umm—"

"Are you Ms. Twdyr?"

As Ellen bumbled her greetings she was cut-off by the sharp-tongued woman seemed to man the Police desk. Her tone commanded such strictness that the Sinnoh-born girl had reflexively straight her back before she answered.

"Yes...ma'am."

"Good, head down the corridor to your left and knock on the third down on your right. The lieutenant is expecting you."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."

Though Ellen had wanted to keep her responses as short as possible and especially hadn't intended to incorporate such mannerisms into her speech, the no-nonsense look she'd gotten after her first line led her to decide that putting in those extra notes of cordiality was in her best interest. Eager to be out of the sights of those scrutinizing specs, Ellen hurried down the hall and off to the lieutenant's office. She rapped her fingers against the door nervously, trying to attract as little attention as possible from the other officers who mingled along the hallway. Her attempt failed miserably.

Already, she stuck out like a sore thumb. The trail of pokemon that followed behind her and the complete lack of a uniform immediately isolated her as someone who didn't fit in. Then, after seeing her knock at the door of the Captain's right-hand man it was clear she wasn't here for an average report. The officers all turned to look at the young girl, no older than 20, that had come to visit their lieutenant. Feeling their gazes on her back, Ellen felt herself shrink into a ball.

She was so relieved when she heard the gruff voice from the other side of the door beckoned her to come in, that she had darted into the room almost before the man could finish his sentence.

Once her pokemon were inside the room Ellen shut the door firmly behind her. She leaned back, against the door's handle, as if that would somehow shut the door even more securely. She slumped slightly as she breathed sweet relief. Her eyes were drawn to her Pokemon who seemed to mill about aimlessly, unconcerned with their trainer's sudden bout of social anxiety. Their carefreeness made her chuckle; she was supposed to be the confident and relaxed one, wasn't she?

Swallowing her anxiety, Ellen straightened herself. Her eyes swept over the room's polished tile and varnished furnishings; to the far end of it all lay a wide desk, and behind which sat lieutenant Archibald —by the admission of his nameplate. Adjusting her glasses Ellen began to inspect the man, just as he seemed to be doing to her.

 

[Hecotoro]

Jacky nodded. "Smart choice!" She called out to her opponent. "Okay Polo, Scald!"
The Poliwag took in some air, puffing itself up and the shooting steaming hot water at the Voltorb.

 

[sSoul]

A chuckle escaped from Rowan's lips: he was confident that he could take out the Poliwag with yet another clever maneuver of his. Now that he removed the water as an option of escape, the Gym Leader's Pokémon was backed into a corner; the opportune time to strike had arrived.

"Sulum: leap over the Scald and dive down into the Poliwag with Spark!" Without hesitation, the Voltorb rose to the air in order to avoid the burning hot water before cloaking themself in electricity and shooting downwards towards the Water type.

 

[Hecotoro]

Jacky nodded as she watched the Voltorb jump in the air, with nowhere to go now. "Polo, point up!" She called out.
The Poliwag didn't stop it's attack, instead it just aimed at the incoming Voltorb. The scald attack was now going directly at the enemy, who was coming down with a spark attack.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Levi allowed the light punch to hit his shoulder. He did kind of pop off on Newt at the gym after all.

“Don’t give me a reason to from now on.” He replied, playfully giving Newt a nudge with his elbow.

——

“You two look like you just took on Jacky. Let’s see the damage.” Nurse Joy hummed whilst lightly tapping her fingers against the desk. It was clear she was used to a sight such as this.

“We not only took her on, we both won. And this was my boy Newt here’s first ever battle!” Levi exclaimed proudly, giving Newt a pat on the back.

In truth, the young Trapinch trainer knew he’d be putting his friend on the spot, but he felt Newt needed to get used to social interaction.
Not saying another word, Levi slid his Poké-Balls across the table, over to Nurse Joy.

“And now you, badge winner.” Levi tacked on, giving Newt a cartoonish wink whilst patting the table.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“Uh...don’t have to put me in the spot. But I guess.”

He felt as if Levi announced it to the whole pokemon center, so he couldn’t help out give a quick look to the left and right to make sure nobody was staring. He then took out his poke balls and carefully placed them in front of joy.

 

[Godjacob]

Devin sat on a bench, Terra off having a just a passionate period of playing by a tree while Growlihe had been given some rest in its Pokeball. Though even if the atmosphere seemed serene, Devin's mood had been far from it as the trainer still milled over the recent battle he and his two Poekmon had gone through.

One thing was clear, in spite of his efforts, neither Terra or Growlithe seemed interested in working with the other. Either the two tried to one up each other, or the wild Pokemon forced a miscommunication that caused a rift. Devin sighed at such realization, if things had not changed soon he'd forget the prospect of so much as winning a battle much less conquering the Pokemon League and beyond, but what could he do?

Maybe he'd get inspiration if he watched challengers at the Gym, might help whenever he decided to challenge himself. Besides, he needed to at least try and be "productive" even if it had not involved working with his Pokemon at the moment physically, so he called Terra over and made his way to the Gym to check out the action.

 

[sSoul]

Rowan nodded at the strategic play made by his opponent, for there was nothing else that he could do control the scenario further. Though he didn't want to get hit by the Scald, he was well aware that if the two Pokèmon were to trade moves, that Sulum would come out on top. Though their descent was slowed, Sulum eventually collided with Jacky's Poliwag, leaving Rowan to think of an important question.

What's my next move..?

 

[Hecotoro]

Jacky was surprised by the Voltorb going through the Scald. The Poliwag let out a cry as it was sent flying into the water. Jacky waited patiently to see if the Pokemon would come out. Polo finally surfaced, jumping back on to the platform, looking exhausted.
"Okay Polo let's try this again!" Jacky called out. "Mud shot!"
The water Pokemon, with a determined look, fired a mud shot at the Voltorb.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Beepbeep became annoyed, this Poliwag was lasting much longer than he'd like to see. "Brzzzt!" Finish them already, are you an Electric type or not? The Magnemite berated the Voltorb as sparks came from its magnets. It'd love to jump in itself, but its trainer would not allow it to.

"Relax Beepbeep, Rowan's got this under control. Finish them off, Rowan!" Sandra cheered as Beepbeep glared at Sulum.

 

[sSoul]

Rowan smiled as he heard Sandra's encouragement, then he commanded Sulum to dodge the Mud Shot attack. Even though Sulum had suffered a burn from being doused in scorching hot water, the Voltorb managed to avoid the Ground type attack.

"Let's move on to the next stage! Sulum: Thundershock!" Fighting through their injury, the Electric Type summoned a thunder cloud directly above their opponent. Not too long after, a lightning bolt went to crash down onto the Poliwag.

 

[Hecotoro]

The Poliwag was hit with the thunder shock. It sighed as it fell on it's back and passed out. Jacky sighed also and returned the Pokemon to it's Pokeball. "Good job, but we aren't done yet!" She called out as she sent out her next Pokemon. A Corsola came out. "Ready for round two?" She called out with a smirk.

 

[sSoul]

Rowan smirked in response: this was the battle he was waiting for. From what he gathered, this Corsola was the Gym Leader's Ace Pokémon, so taking it down would be a huge boon for his cause. However, there was an even more prominent reason why he was getting pumped up: he had the perfect Pokémon to take down his new opponent.

"If I were you, I'd focus on round 3. round 2 is out of your hands at this point," There was no real malice in his voice, just a healthy amount of playful confidence as he withdrew his Voltorb from battle. Shortly after this, he sent out his own ace in the hole: Mantì.

Chances are this Corsola knows an ice move or two given its extreme weakness to grass type moves.

"Mantì, be on your guard," The trainer warned his Pokémon, to which she nodded in response to her trainer's precautions.

 

[Hecotoro]

Jacky crossed her arms and sighed. "Talk about type disadvantage." She smiled. "Okay let's do our best Cora, start with scald!"
The Corsola jumped and when it landed, it shot a stream of hot burning water towards the opponent.

 

[Mango137]

“Get away from him you jerk!” Atticus lashed out with rage and ran up to the thug who appeared to be in his early thirties. With his right fist balled, the young boy swung it as hard as he could at the smug jaw of the older man.
Crack!
Atticus recoiled in pain as his wrist snapped after making contact with what felt like a metal plate.

“Gwahahaha. You think you could touch me? Don’t get cocky kid.” The thug sneered as the metang that had intercepted Atticus’s punch coated the boy with psychic powers and sent him flying towards a nearby tree.

“Alfyn! Cotton Guard!” A nearby powerful voice cut through the air and a Whimsicott dashed behind Atticus, intercepting him with a soft cushion of cotton.

“What’s going on here. Certainly you didn’t need to try to kill some kid.” A taller boy strode into the scene, exuding a laid back disposition that stemmed from his great confidence in his own Pokémon.

“Oh....” he whispered as he saw the injured Scorbunny that had limped over to check on the boy Alfyn had just saved. A burning hatred stirred inside the trainer as he locked eyes with the Pokémon abuser. He wanted to crush the man on the spot but he knew this wasn’t his fight. These beginning trainers needed to learn to stand by their values or they would never properly develop.

“We just saved your friend, now show me what you got. My Pokémon are a little tired from their last battle.” He commented looking at the two nearby trainers before running over to tend to Atticus’s arm.

 

[Godjacob]

As Devin moved to the Gym to observe with Terra in toe, he noticed that Rowan seemed to be up to the plate as it were and the battle seemed to have been an intense one. Instantly Devin had felt guilt only catching the match late but he moved to the specter's stands as Terra hopped onto his lap all the same as he figured he should make his presence known now.

"You got this Rowan! Just stay sharp, even a type advantage isn't a sure victory!" Devin called out in support.

"Ruff!" (Kick its ass Manti!)

The Gym Leader seemed to strike first as Devin and Terra watched to see how Rowan and Manti would respond.

 

[Nukas]

Lizzy wasn't much of a battler, she didn't like to see pokemon get hurt, but she wasn't going to stand for what that jerk did to Atticus and that poor pokemon. The new trainer gave her the confidence she needed to lash out. "GO TY, let's show this meanie who that we won't let him hurt our friends like that!" She sent out her new Tyrogue. She knew he liked to battle and she didn't want to wake Angel up at the moment. She got out her Pokedex so she could remember what moves Ty already knew.

Tyrogue: Moves
Focus Energy
Tackle
Mach Punch
Helping Hand
Fake Out
High Jump Kick​

"Alright then let's start this off with a fake-out Ty!" The scuffle pokemon ran up close to the opponent's Metang and clapped it's hands together, producing a shockwave that would hopefully make the Metang flinch.

 

[kyuukestu]

Ellen stepped out of the Lieutenant's office, wondering how she'd gotten herself into her peculiar situation. Her focus was lost in the blurry, silver reflection of her Jr. Investigator's badge. She chewed tensely on her lip, unsure of if she'd really made a good choice.

On one hand, she wanted nothing to do with Zoom and his gruesome shenanigans but on the other hand, she didn't want to run away. Yes, the experience had been traumatizing, but she didn't want to let it dominate her life. Levi and Newt seem...quite chipper despite them going through the same situation as her, and that was something she wanted for herself as well. In addition to that, she didn't think Cordelia would've let her decline... The Mawile had always been more vocal and willing to argue on Ellen's behalf, even more so than the person herself, and at the mention of being any assistance to the capture of Zoom and his gang, Cordelia had almost leaped at the Lieutenant. Her other pokemon seemed to be in agreement, and Ellen's reluctance was eventually bowled over. The support of her Pokemon was reassuring; in perilous times, they would be her last lines of defense. If her Pokemon were so willing to stand for the right, for justice, and for her, then as their trainer it would be a bit disappointing not to respond to their wishes.

Ellen took a deep breath, recalling her last meeting with Levi and Newt.

"I should get stronger huh..."

"Mawile!"

As Cordelia echoed her agreement and her supposed, Ellen giggled, slipping her badge into her purse.

"Alright, Alright, I get it. I can try...battling is fun but...I don't really think it's my thing. I wouldn't want to do that forever..."

She'd lived in one of the largest cities in Sinnoh and unlike Jubilife, Canalave was honored to home its own gym. Ellen had always been privileged enough to see battles between trainers and the Canalave Gym Leader Byron. It was certainly exciting to watch but she didn't exactly want to do that forever. She was more interested in watching in the heat of battle, specifically, she loved to watch her own Pokemon shine with all that splendor.

She'd already left the police station while she mused over her option.

"Well...Sinnoh has contests, so maybe Geminos does as well?"

The question seemed a pointless one. Answers wouldn't just magically poof out of thin air, now would they? That wouldn't be a problem though, she could get her own answers. The Twydr shuffled through her bag, retrieving her copy of the Traveler's Guide to the Geminos Region.

"They do have contests! And the first one is in...Petrichor? That's just one city over from here."

She noted that the next contest to be held in Petrichor city wouldn't be this week, so she'd have plenty of time to backtrack to Seafare city. After she'd stopped at the Department store there and did some shopping then she'd travel to Petrichor and try her hand at being a Pokemon Coordinator. Though...the Geminos league challenge would, of course, be the best measure to test her strength against. While it wouldn't be her focus, it would still be a good idea to challenge it.

For any of those things though, the Sinnoh-born girl would need to start working on her team. She knew for certain that she wanted an Arcanine on her team —who wouldn't— but that still left one more slot to fill as she already had four pokemon.

"Let's see what's around town! The guide mentioned there were wild pokemon in the streams and canals throughout the city and that means...Nynyve."

The Clamperl replied with a few happy clicks of its shell, more than eager to take a dip. Before that though, Ellen made her way to the city hall and rented a small canoe; the waterways of Aquamarine were both one of the city's main attractions as well as an excellent way to follow her pokemon and train.

An hour later found Ellen leaning back in her bought, exhausted. The city officials had forgotten to mention how exhausting rowing was, and her arms now felt like jellified lead. She'd encountered a number of pokemon, but most of them were faaaar too fast for her little Clamperl to engage. The only fruitful encounters she'd had were with a Shellos and Drifloon. Both had gone in her favor albeit they were rather grueling, especially the shellos. With all her moves resisted by typing, Nynyve had a hard time really putting down the sea-slug-like pokemon, however, as Ellen learned, the Bivalve Pokemon excelled in battles of attrition, as the shellos was equally helpless after a few usages of « Iron Defense ». The drifloon had been a far easier conquest, and the battle had been a cake-walk after Nynyve had trapped the drifting pokemon within a « Whirlpool ».

Since then though, Ellen had yet to find another Pokemon as slow as the former two and she was considering just calling it a day. As she planned to do just that, calling Nynyve to rise to the surface so they could leave, she noticed something thin and translucent draping over the Clamperl's shell. Closer inspection revealed it to be some kind of skin? It was long and somewhat elastic and after a quick check of her pokedex the skin that once had her curiosity, now had her attention.

Revealed to the shed skin of a dratini, the rather rare Mirage Pokemon would prove an excellent addition to her team. She just needed to find it. If it was underwater, then her best bet was once again Nynyve. Turning to the Bivalve pokemon, Ellen posed.

"Do you think you can find the Pokemon that left this skin? You'll get some delicious Poffins if you do~"

Ellen made a mental note to restock her Poffin case, she was quite sure that she was running low. Her bribery was effective though, and Nynyve was soon scouring the waterways for the elusive mirage. The prospect of a new pokemon brought renewed vigor to the trainer, and she was soon rowing down the stream in hot pursuit.

==================

"Tiniiii!!"

Aggrieved, Dratini broke through the water's surface. Ellen could easily identify the source of its grievances as Nynyve, who had the poor serpentine pokemon in a « Clamp ». She lightly pumped her fist in the air, vowing to make the battle quick to alleviate the dratini's suffering.

"Cordelia, « Fairy Wind »!"

That was the beginning of the end for the mirage Pokemon, as between the onslaught of Ellen's duo of pokemon, it soon fell. Moments later, and it was recovering at her waist, having occupied her last Pokeball.

==================

She hadn't the time to sit and ponder a name for her new capture or go to the Pokemon Center as she wanted to reach Seafare before nightfall. Returning her rented boat to city hall, Ellen set off down Route 1. She had brief stops along the way, battles with a Mienfoo, and Poochyena, who Cordelia held the advantage against, and for the last of her active battlers, Aveta, she'd found a doduo. The doduo proved to be the last of her delays before Seafare came into sight and in no mood for a detour, Ellen made her way straight to the department store.

 

[Mango137]

The metang didn’t lose any ground, though through the nature of the attack it was deemed immobile for a short amount of time and was unable to counterattack. However, this didn’t mean anything to the thug who wasn’t above using underhanded methods.
“Fire Fang!” He ordered the houndoom he had just sent out and it pounced towards the small fighting type.

——

The mall was packed with people of all sorts, each focused on their own personal business. However, it was hard not to notice the group of three strong looking Pokémon wandering through the stores without a trainer. They were not mean or bad Pokémon, but a crushing pressure seemed to exude from the weavile Therion and Windie, the arcanine, projected an intimidating aura that was the completely the opposite of his soft personality that mirrored his fur.

The large fluff dog carried plastic bags in its jaw as it trotted behind Therion who was counting the money in a wallet clutched tightly in its claws.

“Vile?” It grunted as it came up short $50. The cat’s eyes darted around and fixed on Nalu, the alolan raichu, who was giggling while indulging in a vanillish cone.

Knowing the electric mouse had used some of the hard earned money their trainer had entrusted them with on a snack filled the dark type with rage. Instantly it fired an ice shard that knocked the cone out of Nalu’s hand.

As the delicious mound of soft serve hit the ground, a small part of Nalu died inside and he filled with an unbearable sadness that soon turned to rage as he looked over at the Weavile. His sadness manifested in the form of a thunderbolt that Therion dodged and countered with an incoming night slash, bringing the battle between cat and mouse to a level that would bring down the store if left alone.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Ajax cursed under his breath. The thug's Pokemon were a bad match-up for his own; though Pyro could probably hold his own against the Metang, the Houndoom was bad for both him and Florian. Despite the type disadvantage, he simply couldn't stand idly, especially since Lizzie had already launched into battle. With his thought process concluded, Ajax sent Florian out without hesitation, giving a short command.

"Florian, use Pound and intercept that Houndoom!"

The Treecko nodded silently and leapt into action, his tail glowing brightly. The Houndoom's fangs were bared and laced with scarlet fire as it lunged at Lizzie’s Tyrogue, but if Florian’s Pound attack found its mark, the Houndoom would be struck at the neck and flung aside, its own attack abruptly cut off.

Though his mind was focused on the battle before him, Ajax couldn't help but feel a pang of irritation at the newcomer who had intervened a few minutes ago. The trainer seemed quite confident, and maybe he could back it up, but his laid-back demeanor seemed to give off a more prideful attitude. Despite the short moment of agitation, it was quickly disregarded as Ajax returned his attention to the battlefield.

 

[kyuukestu]

The Seafare Department Store, as the largest and best-stocked enterprise in the Geminos region, had in no way failed to live up to its reputation as such. With more stories than Ellen truly cared to count or even worse, walk through, it became apparent that planning and efficiency were crucial to her (legs’) ensured survival.

In the way of doing just that, Ellen took a seat outside the Department Store and pulled up the notepad on her Poketch. Her thoughts flowed from mind to screen.

Her primary goal was items for the aesthetic enhancement and maintenance of her Pokemon; with that in mind, she could work deductively, moving from general necessities to the specialized.

The first order of business was food. All her Pokemon needed to eat; this was an indisputable fact. Her preferred method of feeding her Pokemon was Poffins, for which she already had a case that housed her once respectable stock of Poffins. This stock had dwindled into a shadow of its former splendor, meaning she’d either need to cook more Poffins or purchase them. She settled on the former without a second thought. Purchasing Poffins in every town wasn’t going to be an option, in addition, she simply felt better knowing the Poffins were self-made. Berries could easily be scavenged on the various routes and that only left a need to create the Poffins.

"So I needed a Poffin making set." She concluded.

Within a few scribbles, Ellen had headed up her note-sheet and jotted down a list of things she’d need to complete this purchase.

Poffin Making Set​

• A set of paraphernalia with which to create the Poffin base, inclusive of pots, pans, whisks, etc.
• A portable stove to prepare the dough
• A set of tray molds to shape the Poffins
• A portable stove to bake the Poffins

It would be a sizeable and expensive purchase; furthermore, all of that wasn't going to fit in her purse. At the very least, she would need to purchase a larger bag with which to carry all that equipment and all that notwithstanding, she wasn't going to carry that load on her back.

Quirking her lips in annoyance, Ellen cleared the sheet. A full-on Poffin set was out of the question, but after some additional thought, she didn’t really need a stove. If she could catch a Growlithe, then she’d have a solid enough source of flames. Even without the Growlithe, Cordelia knew « Fire Fang »; so, she’d only need wood to serve as tinder.

With the mater of the fire settled, Ellen turned the thought machine towards the task of simplifying the baking process.

“Maybe I can just skimp with a custom mold-tray.”

Perhaps —and this was a big perhaps— if she purchased a molding tray with a cover, then she could set that over the fire, cover it, and hopefully, it would simply cook its contents by virtue of its containment.

The idea seemed sound enough and even better, meant that she’d only require a bowl, the various paraphernalia to mix the Poffin dough, and the molding tray.

Aside from food, her pokemon needed general hygiene. She’d simply get 6 sets of that for her eventually party of six.

Satisfied with that arrangement, Ellen moved on. The first order was…

Cordelia

​

• A new steel file

She, admittedly, couldn’t quite think of anything else the Mawile might need at the moment.

Nynyve

​

• A new Spray gun

Excellent for administering potions as well as a refreshing spray of water, it would hopefully be enough to keep the Bivalve Pokemon moist and comfortable while they were away from water sources.

Aveta

​

• A new set of clippers
• A set of gloves

The clippers were for Aveta herself, allowing Ellen to trim and curb her nails, spines, and barbs, while the gloves were for Ellen as she was less than eager to poison herself on her own Pokemon’s spines.

She couldn’t quite think of what Cubone might need, nor could she see much in the way of getting items for Dratini. She’d need to interact with the Pokemon in question for a bit longer before she made any purchases.

She estimated that the items, all together, couldn’t have costed more than a few hundred Poke. That left her a bit of extra cash to spend on herself. Recently she’d suffered rather greatly under her won heels, which certainly weren’t the best suited for traveling. Her entire ensemble was a bit too business-like for that matter, so she would consider purchasing two pairs of clothing. A more casual, but still semi-formal set for traveling as well as a full formal set for contest performances.

The idea of decking her own Pokemon out in clothing did occur to her, but her funds wouldn’t hold up for that.

Planned and prepped for action, Ellen’s shopping spree was terse and succinct. She spent only a few minutes at each store and most of it was spent on gathering her Pokemon’s opinions on their items. Cordelia seemed to disdain any cheap or wrought steel, and that had resulted in Ellen’s purchase of a rather pricy swiss-knife. She recouped her losses by ensuring that the knife also covered for Aveta’s need for a set of clippers.

All in all, Ellen spent approximately 2000 Poke, but she was rather satisfied in where she’d spent her money. However, despite having completed all her tasks inside the store, it was evident that her time to leave had not yet come. There, blocking her way to the exit, as well as being general nuisances to those around them and threatening the integrity of the department store’s merchandise, were a trio of seemingly trainer-less Pokemon.

Ellen needed no help recognizing the Arcanine, whom she briefly beamed at, but the other two weren’t pokemon she’d seen often. She didn’t know much about them, but her Pokedex most certainly did.

Raichu — The Mouse Pokemon

Alolan Variant

By collecting its psychic power in its tail, it is able to ride it like a surfboard and float in the air. While its cheek sacs are still used to store electricity, rubbing them releases a sweet aroma. This is also thought to be connected to its Psychic abilities.

It loves pancakes prepared with a secret Alolan recipe. Some wonder whether that recipe holds the key to this Pokémon's evolution.

Weavile — The Sharp Claw Pokemon

Weavile is devious and intelligent. It usually lives in cold, icy areas where it forms small packs of four or five members. Thanks to its increased intelligence, scrapping over food is a thing of the past. A scratch from its claws will give you a case of frostbite! Weavile is famed for its speed and agility; being a popular choice for Pokémon battles.

The pokemon released a crushing sense of pressure and intimidation. Ellen faintly recognized these as the results of their abilities, as she’d often see Cordelia channel her aura the same way with « Intimidate ». They were evidently rather strong, and Ellen, personally, wanted nothing to do with them. A few hours ago, she would’ve relegated herself to the sidelines and waited on the appropriate authorities, however, things were different now. She…was the appropriate authority?

Ellen pulled out her Investigator’s badge, wondering what powers and authority were imbued therein. This thoughtless act of her would carry unforeseen consequences, or perhaps it should’ve been called seen consequences. When her badge had been spotted by one of the Department Store’s workers, they rushed over with a look of wild joy on their face.

“Officer, you’ve got to do something!”

“Eh, but I’m not—”

“Please! They’ll bring the store down if they aren’t taken care of.”

A grimace came to Ellen’s lips as she considered her options.

“Fine…but I’ll need some pancakes from an Alolan Restaurant.”

“Wha— couldn’t you wait till after you deal with them to—”

“Ugh! I need those pancakes now! Hurry up!”

The worker flinched at her sudden intensity and thankfully complied rather than press his questions.

“Now I need to get you all to quiet down…”

Ellen’s fingers skated across the Pokeballs at her waist, releasing all her Pokemon. For now, she needed to break up the fight, or at least reduce the collateral damage. Ugh— which idiot trainer’s pokemon were these anyway?

“Nynyve, « Whirlpool »! Cordelia, « Fairy Wind »!”

 

[Nukas]

Lizzy was worried about the houndoom and was about to send in Angel to try and help Ty, but she was thankful Ajax stepped in when he did. She wasn't sure she would be able to focus long enough to give both of her pokemon direction, especially since she wasn't used to Ty yet and she didn't like battling. Luckily her friend was able to help her out.

"Thanks Ajax! Ok, Ty, while the meanie is recovering, use a Mach Punch!" Lizzy wanted to use High Jump kick, but remembered what had happened to Ty the last time he used that move, so she thought against it. Ty dashed toward the Metang with blinding speed. His fist surrounded in a white aura. He swung at the Metang with as much power as he could fit while maintaining that speed.

 

[Mango137]

The houndoom was hit by the pound attack and thrown off course, however, the attack unfortunately did very little to stop the hellhound. The black paws of houndoom skidded across the ground, kicking up dust as it regained its footing, displaying almost no signs of damage.

Clang!
Meanwhile the loud ring that echoed from the speedy fist colliding with the metal plate of Metang pushed the levitating Pokémon back a fair distance before its eyes rose and took on an agitated appearance.

“You kids are pretty annoy’n. I’m gonna have to teach ya a lesson about respect.” The thug smugly taunted as a devious grin broke out on his face.

“Houndoom, Flame Burst! Metang, Bullet Punch!”

A blazing swirl of orange and red formed inside the canine’s open jaw before it was launched towards the small wooden gecko at a spectacular speed while the right claw of Metang glowed white and rocketed quickly towards the Tyrogue.

———

“Vile!” Therion roared, annoyed that someone dared to interrupt his quest for revenge. The sharp claw Pokémon focused it’s energy and projected a blizzard attack that negated the assault with ease. The two then continued to duel, disregarding the world around them.

 

[kyuukestu]

Ugh— what a pain in the arse. Though the Weavile's reaction had been within expectation, a part of Ellen wanted to have simply misread the pressure and aura of strength around them as mere illusion. Whoever their trainer was, they'd grown a powerful, if not problematic, set of Pokemon.

Ellen glanced at the clock, counting off the seconds. She was playing a game of attrition and time was on her side, the longer she could distract these pokemon, the more time she bought for the City's official police to make a response. She needed to stall.

"Nynyve, « Aqua Ring » and then repeated « Iron Defense »."

The Bivalve pokemon would be her wall, now she just needed to dull the claws of her foes.

"Cordelia, Aveta, wear 'em down with « Growl »!"

Working in tandem, Ellen's pokemon began to bugger the fighters. Cordelia seemed particularly enthusiastic as her expression grew ferocious. Her steel-trap jaws snapped together repeatedly with force that could shatter bone and sheer rock; her own Intimidate ability was being leveraged at the fighters to further deter them.

 

[Nukas]

Being so close already to the Metang, it was almost impossible for Ty to dodge the bullet punch. He ended up taking it with full force being knocked back quite a bit. Lizzy knew this attack hurt Ty, and got really worried about him before he got right back up again. He was still eager to fight, but she realized the thug had called for a flame burst against Florian. She didn't listen to her Brother much when it came to pokemon battling, but he had been jamming type matchups into her head since she was little. Grass did not do well against fire. Likewise, Fighting did not do well against psychic. There was only one solution to this problem. "AJAX, Switch dance partners with me! Ty, use Tackle on Houndoom!"

 

[sSoul]

Rowan furrowed his brow, it would seem as if Scald was this gym leader's go-to strategy, so if he consistently found ways around it, her confidence would definitely be shaken.

"Mantì dodge that attack!" Without hesitation, the bug-looking grass type rolled out of the way of the hot blast of water. The aspiring trainer was well aware that he could knock out this Corsola with just about any move that Mantì knew, but he needed to play smart if he were to secure the win.

"Mantì, Razor Leaf!" As Mantì lifted up her appendages, an assortment of sharp leaves appeared behind her. She thrusted her appendages forward as to force the leaves to come into contact with the Corsola.

 

[Godjacob]

Devin watched as the Gym Leader opened with Scald, which seemed sensible though he had no way to know if this was a new offensive or part of the greater strategy, either way as Manti dodged and went on the offensive Terra barked out her support from the stands on the edge of her paws while she rested on Devin's lap.

"Ruff!" (Yeah that's it show that water type who is boss!)

 

[Hecotoro]

Jacky smirked. "Gonna have to be careful with that! Spike cannon!"
The Corsola aimed it's back at the razor leaf attack and shot a rain of spikes at the attack.
"Then go underwater!" Jacky called out.
Cora jumped into the water quickly and sank to the bottom to avoid being seen as much as possible.

 

[sSoul]

The leaves and the spikes seemed to be equals in force since neither attack reached a Pokèmon, yet Rowan still found himself at a disadvantage with Corsola underwater yet again.

Hiding in the water seems to be another one of her favorite gimmicks. I think I should get a water type after this battle.

"We're gonna have to work for this one Mantì," The Alolan trainer told his partner with an encouraging tone, "Use Leafage to cover the water!" The Fomantis proceeded to direct a fleet of leaves onto the body of water that the Corsola hid in, obscuring the area.

Now, we wait.

 

[Hecotoro]

Jack nodded. "That is a very fine move!" She smiled. "We can figure this out, your space is pretty limited! Cora, same attack, to the same platform!"
From underwater a small glow showed as the Corsola shot her pin missiles again out of the water and towards the enemy's area.

 

[sSoul]

Though Pin Missile was a unexpected move choice, the leaves above the Corsola proved to serve their purpose in affecting her aim. Mantì managed to dodge most of the missiles, yet some managed to hit her all the same. Rowan cringed slightly, but he progressed with his plan all the same.

"I gotta say Jacky, you're a good opponent, but I believe this is where the battle ends," Rowan turned to check on his partner, who was thankfully still standing, "Let's finish this, Leaf Storm!"

At her trainer's command, the Grass type extended her appendages to commence the attack. In the area that Corsola was hiding in, the leaves above began to swirl violently. The leaves continued to spin until a miniature vortex was formed. To add to the attacking power, the Fomantis generated new leaves to add to the storm as well as the previously existing leaves from the Leafage. The result amounted to a harsh whirlwind of cutting leaves, with Jacky's Corsola caught within.