Open Growing Up Early

[Captain Cardboard]

Robin looked down at Cairo before sitting down and taking off his backpack for a second. He needed a moment to get off his feet. He stretched as he sat down, leaning against a wall.
"So, Cairo. Remind me again why you're so keen to see a Professor?" Robin asked. That was what rather confused him. He couldn't really think of a reason the kid needed to go see a Professor. "And I assume you're talking about a Pokemon Professor? Not like a professor of history or something?"

 

[=Nightshade=]

“Yeah, a Pokémon Professor,” Cairo said. “And, um, I want to be a Trainer, but I’m not sure how to start. I thought a Professor might be able to start me off on my own Pokémon journey!” Absol growled, as if she could already imagine overcoming obstacles and winning battles.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Robin nodded, smiling at the girl's excitement. The kid kind of reminded Robin of himself, back when he was a little kid. Very excitable and ready for any type of adventure. The kid was already used to the outdoor lifestyle it seemed, so Robin was confident that if things didn't go great for the girl she would survive.
"Alright. Okay. You want to go on a Pokemon Journey." Robin said. He paused for a moment, thinking about what to say next. Finally figuring it out, he leaned forward. "So you want to go on a Pokemon Journey. What is it that you want to accomplish, on this Pokemon Journey?"

 

[=Nightshade=]

“I want to become stronger.” Cairo replied immediately, with no room for hesitation. “My parents died because they couldn’t protect themselves. I don’t want that to happen to me, Absol, or anyone else. I want to get stronger, and the best way I know how is to go on a journey, collect gym badges, and win battles. But I don’t know how to get started without help.”

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Robin nodded along with what Cairo was saying.
"Alright. Sounds good enough." Robin said. He scratched his head, taking a moment to think before deciding to speak up. "Tell you what. I don't exactly feel too keen with letting an 8 year old wander an entire region by herself, even if that 8 year old has pretty good experience with wilderness survival. And I'm already gonna just be wandering around Kanto. I've also already done the gym challenge in Kanto. So it seems to me like we're already heading the same direction."
Robin shrugged, leaning back against the wall once again.
"I don't suppose you'd be against sticking together?" Robin offered.

 

[=Nightshade=]

“N-no, I don’t have any problems with us sticking together.” Cairo was touched by the concern Robin obviously had for her, but also slightly offended at the age comment. “And, uh, I’m eleven. But if you’re willing to help me along, then I’m game!”

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Cairo's assurances that she was 11 helped calm Robin a little bit, but it really wasn't that big of a difference. At least, to Robin. But it sounded like the girl was okay with Robin traveling with her. Robin stood back up, putting his backpack back on.
"Alright, sounds good. So if you're looking to start the Gym Challenge, I would suggest we head to Pewter City first. The Pewter City Gym is usually the first place people go to start their Gym Challenge." Robin said. His Plusle jumped back onto Robin's shoulder, smiling happily. "Unless you wanted to do something else here in Viridian City? Are you still intent on seeing a Pokemon Professor or something?"

 

[=Nightshade=]

“I wouldn’t mind seeing a Professor,” Cairo admitted. “I’m still new to all this stuff. But I also really want to get going. I don’t— maybe— Argh, let’s go see a Professor.”
Absol nudged her leg in an expression of full-on support. Cairo smiles down at her. “Thanks, buddy,” she whispered.

 

[Comic Sans]

Skyle was running at top speed , he had already gotten his first two badges and was keen on getting another. "If I keep this up I'll be champion in no time" he whispered to himself. He nearly tripped over his shoelaces, so he took a moment to bend down and tie them. "That gym leader was tough though" he continued " I gotta get more training in before I continue"
Just as he finished that sentence, he spotted a girl probably around his age with an absol plus some other guy standing next to her. "Hey-Hey you! Wanna have a training battle?" He shouted

 

[Captain Cardboard]

"Let's go see a Professor." Robin echoed. From what he could remember, there was a lab not too far outside Viridian City that a Pokemon professor worked at. He was about to direct Cairo in that direction when a boy ran up. It was a kid, one with black messy hair and jeans. Robin was able to count 2 Pokeballs on the kid's belt. He seemed pretty excited, and challenged Cairo to a battle. Robin looked down at Cairo, a smile on his face.
"Well?" Robin asked. "Are you going to take him up on that?"

 

[=Nightshade=]

A adrenaline-soaked grin greeted the boy’s battle request. “Bring it!” Cairo called excitedly. Absol jumped in front of her as she leaped into a battle stance. “Wait for an opening,” the girl muttered to her partner. “Then Dark Pulse.” She noticed that the kid hadn’t yet taken out a Pokémon. “Well?” she asked impatiently. “We gonna battle or not?”

 

[Comic Sans]

"OH-oh yeah sorry, alot of people say that battling me would be a waste of time, so this is a nice change of pace" Skyle replied

He fumbled around with his pokeballs for a minuet before deciding on one. "Ok if absol is dark type then I'll want to use my fighting riolu" Skyle mumbled as he grabbed Riolu's pokeball

"Ok Riolu lets open this battle with a bang!" Skyle yelled as he released Riolu from his pokeball

When Riolu landed he stared down the absol with confidence and let out a (pretty darn adorable) war cry

"We can start whenever your ready" He told the girl

 

[=Nightshade=]

A barely noticeable smirk pulled at the edges of Cairo’s mouth. Finally, a Trainer to battle! “You’re on!”

Her eyes narrowed as she took in the battle scene. A Riolu. That was bad news for Absol; they were already at a type disadvantage. Of course, Cairo had a few tricks up her sleeves, and Absol knew it. A soft growl from Absol pointed out a flaw in the girl’s previous command.

“Yeah, I know, Absol,” Cairo said softly. “Forget the Dark Pulse.” Her mouth quirked again, and she leaped into motion, feeling the battle groove starting in her bloodstream. “Use Play Rough!”

Absol darted forward with surprising speed, boosted by the knowledge that a Fairy-type move would have the advantage. Cairo felt the rush of adrenaline that preceded an epic battle and knew that this would pay off in experience, whether she won or lost.

As Absol sprang into the attack, Cairo cried out in pure exhilaration. “Go!”

 

[EmoKitty21]

It had been a couple of minutes after he had stopped playing that he heard the sound of a battle. He know that battles were comman, so he decided to see who was battling. After packing up his guitar, and he had counted the change from tips, he came across a girl with an absol in a battle. It seemed that the girl was a little young, but he could tell the bond she had with the pokemon.

Sass sat by her trainer's side. She loved the look of battles and hoped to be in on soon. She was a bit more on the wild side compared to her trainer as she loves to run and play.

 

[Comic Sans]

"Ok Riolu this is a physical attack so let's do what we've been practicing!" Skyle cheered.

The Riolu stood patiently waiting for the blow to come

"Riolu as soon as it's close enough get em with counter!" Skyle commanded

Riolu shifted into a stance where he could take the hit while having enough time to strike back and waited for the Absol's impending attack

 

[=Nightshade=]

Cairo narrowed her eyes, calculating. Absol hesitated in her attack. “Keep going, Absol,” the girl decided. Absol continued to press forward in full force. Cairo knew the Riolu had probably prepared a Counter, but with any luck, it wouldn’t be too tough of a blow.

Absol reached the Riolu, slashing out with its horn. The Counter Cairo had predicted knocked Absol back, doing quite a bit of damage, but the Riolu had hopefully taken some too.

Cairo chewed her tongue. “Okay, Absol. You want to keep going?” Absol snarled, as if trying to communicate the vibe of I’d like to see you try and stop me! “All right, then. Use Psycho Cut!”

By attacking with moves that had a type advantage over Riolu, Cairo hoped to turn the tides in her favor. But this was a battle; she had to expect Absol to get hit and take damage. She would have to expect the unexpected.

Psychic energy gathered around Absol’s horn, then was expelled at rapid intervals, aimed straight at the Riolu.

 

[Comic Sans]

Skyle did not expect the absol to know this move, but he still mentally scolded himself for not thinking about it

He knew Riolu probably wouldn't be able to take the attack if it landed a critical hit, so he had to avoid it at all cost's

Riolu do your best to avoid it, then get as close to the absol as you can!" Skyle commanded

Riolu followed Skyle's command and did his best to avoid the incoming psychic blade but it caught riolu's right side making it grunt in pain.

"Riolu are you ok!?" Skyle shouted, worried for riolu's health

It gave an affirmitive grunt which eased some of Skyle's worries "Ok in that case, hit the absol with a strong cross chop!" He finished

 

[=Nightshade=]

“Dodge it, Absol!” Cairo called. She realized a moment later that Absol hadn’t had enough time to recover from the counter, and she took it head-on, unable to dodge in time. It pranced backwards, out of range, as it shook its head to clear it of the attack’s debilitating effects, growling in frustration.

Cairo grit her teeth. This kid was good! “We’re not done yet!” she proclaimed. “Absol, Swords Dance!”

Absol’s eyes gleamed cerulean, and azure swords sprang out of the ground, raising Absol’s already soaring attack stats sharply. The Disaster Pokémon let out a deep growl. If there was one thing this Absol hated most, it was losing.

“Now!” Cairo cried, “Zen Headbutt!” The Psychic-type move, boosted by the Swords Dance, would hopefully give her an edge. For the first time in her life, she knew true competition; this was exhilaration.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Robin sat back down, leaning against the wall and putting his hands behind his head as he watched the battle unfold. This would be a good way to get a gauge on how much Cairo knew about battling, and how tight the bond between her and her Absol were. And, well, Robin was a little surprised. That Absol of Cairo's knew some pretty advanced moves. Then again, Cairo had been pretty close to the mountain range that separated Kanto and Johto. The Pokemon there were very tough. He supposed it would only make sense for Cairo to figure that out. It appeared she already had a handle on a couple type advantages, like how psychic and fairy moves were supereffective against fighting-types. Still, he was pretty surprised by the sheer toughness of Cairo's Absol. Taking both a Counter that had been used on a supereffective type and a Cross Chop. Then there was this kid's Riolu. Talk about tough, being able to withstand that Play Rough and nearly completely dodging the Psycho Cut. Impressive. Robin watched the battle with a large smile on his face.

Energized by the battle, Cherry ran to the sideline of the fight. Keeping a good distance from the fighters, the Plusle focused. Two balls of sparks appeared, one in each of the electric-types' hands. With a large smile on her face, Cherry began to jump and wave them about like a cheerleader.
"Plu, plu! Plu, plu! Pluuuu, Plusle!" Cherry chanted, cheering on Cairo's Absol.

 

[EmoKitty21]

Alex noticed that there was another person who was watching the battle as well. He wanted to know what he knew about the two battlers. Walking around the field, Alex found himself near the man with a sword. He hoped the man was not planning on using it on others, so with a quiet voice, he began to speak. "I am sorry to bother you, but do you know the ones battling? They seem to be very well versed for how young the two seem to be."

Jacks was inside his pokeball, but as he heard the battle going on, he jumped out. He looked out to the battle, and then to the small yellow pokemon cheering the battlers on. Not one to want to be left out, Jacks ran over to the right side of Cheery. He began to dance to the beat of their cheers. He loved to be happy for others. "Ee, ee, eeveuh." He began to cheer along with the small electric pokemon.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Robin looked over to the teen approaching him and offered the young man a smile.
"They're not too bad, huh? I don't know anything about the other kid, but I'm surprised on how tough both of their Pokemon are." Robin said to Alex. "The girl's name is Cairo. I only met her a little more than an hour ago, but I figured she had some experience battling. As for the boy, well, I have no clue. He just ran up and challenged Cairo to a battle, and the two went at it. No introductions, no hesitations, nothing. Kids, huh?"
Robin grinned at Alex.
"I'm pretty sure Cairo's aiming to try the Gym Challenge here, but like I said I don't know anything about the other kid." Robin said.

 

[EmoKitty21]

Alex relaxed with the smile. He was glad to know that the man was not someone who was as rude as his attire looked. "No they are not bad at all. When I was their age I was much more clueless with battles. Though now a days, I prefer to perform on stage. I am glad that contests have come to Kanto, as it shows more of a variety to this region. Is that your pokemon that Jacks is cheering with? My name is Alex by the way."

 

[Captain Cardboard]

"Nice to meet you, my name's Robin. Yeah, that's my Plusle, Cherry. She loves cheering on people." Robin said. He watched the battle for a few moments before continuing. "So, you're a coordinator? That's pretty cool. I had no idea that contests had made it to Kanto. I mean, I guess it just shows how long it's been since I've been here."
It was true. Robin hadn't been back in Kanto since he was a teenager. It left him to wonder how much had changed since he had last been here. Well, he supposed that was something he was going to find out, now wasn't it?
"So, do you compete in any particular category?" Robin asked Alex.

 

[EmoKitty21]

"Well I mainly try and do any that I can. I mainly just try and have fun, though I do not just do pokemon contests, as I have done some open mike nights. Yeah they are new here in the region. Well new as people actually start to publicize them more for everyone." Alex was very happy to talk about contests, and other hobbies that he had. He was also glad that Sass was not running around in a frenzy. It was something that he had to deal with since he had gotten the mightyena as a pup.

 

[Comic Sans]

Skyle knew this would probably be it, this girls absol was beyond strong and even though riolu was doing a fantastic job handling it, the absol's speed and strength were just too much. He racked his brain in the couple seconds he had for any ideas on how to pull off a strong finish, though the only idea he had was a massive gamble and would most likely fail, but it was his only option to win

"Riolu take that zen headbutt full on and retaliate with a counter!" Skyle commanded

Riolu gave him a look that clearly said 'Are you insane?!' but he did as was commanded and once again shifted into the all familiar stance of a counter. Skyle was hoping with everything he had that Riolu might be able to take the absol down with him, if not then he still would have had a great battle

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Robin nodded along with what Alex was saying.
"Pretty cool." Robin said. It was about then that he noticed the Mightyna that was accompanying the teen. Robin's smile grew, and his eyes seemed to light up. He always had an affection for furry Pokemon.
"Hey, that's your Mightyena, right? Is it okay if I can pet it?" Robin asked.

 

[=Nightshade=]

Absol crashed into the Riolu with full force, unleashing its full strength through the Zen Headbutt. The Riolu’s Counter knocked Absol back, and Cairo winced. Was this it? Was Absol done?

The Disaster Pokémon stumbled from side to side. The Counter has reflected the move’s damage back in double. Cairo wasn’t sure if Absol would be able to take it. But what she did know was that Absol hated to lose, and any suggestion to stop would result in bitterness. There was only one thing to do: press on and hope Absol pulled through.

The dark type fell heavily on her side. “Absol!” Cairo called worriedly. Absol’s head lifted towards its trainer, an expression, not of pain, but of irritated determination on its face. Struggling to lift itself, Absol slowly but steadily made it to her feet. She shook out her ruff and growled. Cairo turned back to the Riolu to see if the battle was over.

 

[EmoKitty21]

"Yeah this is Sass. She is usually very hyper, but today she is on her best behavior. If you want to pet her go ahead, she loves the attention." Alex smiled as he seen the reaction that his best friend had gotten. He knew that she loved to be around people, and he was glad to have gotten away from his ex, as he hated Sass.

 

[Comic Sans]

The absol had gotten up, Skyle knew he had lost even with Riolu's attempts to get up he knew this was over.
"You did a great job Riolu" he told his pokemon while he returned it back to it's ball

"And YOU" Skyle said while giving the most surprised face he could manage

"You were.....AWESOME, manididntexpectthatabsoltoknowthatmoveandheissooootoughhowdidyou-" Skyle ranted

"andthatpsychocut!holycrapthatwaspowerfulhowlonghavetheybeentraining?" he finished

 

[Eshrel]

Erel spent most of her childhood alone, with no one to care for her. It's mostly been herself and her knowledge on survival. Ever since she was young, she's been smart. Her one companion that she made was a luxio, which she named Ninji.
Today, she was out exploring the woods, looking for any other pokemon. Ninji was alongside her, keeping pace and watching out. "You think we'll find somebody out here?" She asked Ninji. "Lux!" The luxio said in reply, almost as if to say "Hopefully!"
After walking for a while, she finally reached a clearing. She looked around and saw a bunch of lights off in the distance, which she supposed was a city. "We found a city!" She exclaimed. Only then, she realized it meant more people. That was her fear, meeting more people.
"It wouldn't hurt, right?" She asked Ninji. Luxio dashed for the city in response to her question. "Wait for me!" She yelled, running as fast as she could. Eventually, they left the woods and reached the city. They saw a battle going on up ahead, which she was planning on avoiding. That's when Ninji bolted towards a trainer that looked to be around the same age. Ninji stopped next to her, and started looking back and forth from the trainer and Erel. Erel ran behind a tree, afraid of anyone seeing her.

 

[=Nightshade=]

Cairo blushed, somewhat overwhelmed by the bucketload of words dumped on her by this kid. “Um, yeah. Absol and I have been together for almost six years now, so we’ve, had a lot of... time to, ah, train...”

She bent down to Absol’s level. “You okay, buddy?” Absol tossed her head, snorting. “I think Absol took the power of your Riolu as a personal insult,” Cairo joked. “No, but really. Your Riolu is super powerful!”

The girl stood and held out her hand to the boy. “I’m Cairo. What’s your name?”

 

[Comic Sans]

"My name is Skyle" He responded while shaking her hand "And about my Riolu, I've had him for about 2 or 3 years though so it's no surprise that he's stronger than the average baby pokemon"

"But thanks for battling, I needed that"

 

[Captain Cardboard]

The battle having ended, Cherry jumped up and down with celebration. She waved her spark pom-poms proudly, cheering happily at the Absol's success. Noticing a new cheer partner, the Plusle paused and smiled at the Eevee. Another friend? A new cheer partner perhaps?
"Plu plu!" Cherry said, introducing herself to the Eevee with a smile.

Robin nodded to Alex, making his way over to the Mightyena.
"Hello, Sass. You're just a big cutie, aren't you!" Robin said, beginning to pet the Mightyena behind the ears. He looked back to see that the boy had conceded the battle after his Riolu was defeated. A win for Cairo, and Robin guessed this was her first trainer battle victory as well. What a pair of tough kids.
"Hey! Good job, Cairo!" Robin said, waving to the girl. With his other hand, he moved his petting down Sass's neck and onto her back.

 

[Eshrel]

From behind the tree, Erel heard what was going on. After staying still, she realized that Ninji wasn't getting what she wanted. As she was thinking, Ninji let out a deep growl and was looking at the trainer who's name seems to be Cairo. Quickly, she darted around the tree and grabbed Ninji. "Don't do it!" She exclaimed over a furious Luxio. To calm her, Erel started petting and humming a tune. "I'm so sorry, she's a bit jumpy when she doesn't get her way."

 

[EmoKitty21]

Jacks happily cheered with the electric type. He was overjoyed when the battle was finished, and jumped into the air. He then turned to the plusle and gave an excited cheer. He then introduced himself to her.

Sass barked to show her excitement with being petted. She leaned into the man's hand and followed it as it moved to her neck. When he reached her back, she rolled over so that he could rub her stomach.

Alex laughed as he saw the joy that his pokemon had. It really sunk in that he was free. "You keep petting her like that and you will have a friend for life. Sass loves attention."

 

[=Nightshade=]

Cairo looked up from feeding Absol an Iapapa berry to restore its health. “Anytime,” she told Skyle distractedly. Something had caught her attention, though she wasn’t sure what. Absol gave a soft growl, and the girl realized what had startled her.

A girl near a tree was struggling to restrain a frantic Luxio. Cairo squinted to see better. “Hey!” she called out to the girl, waving. “Hey, what’s your name?”
@Eshrel

 

[Comic Sans]

Skyle looked at what Cairo was yelling at, it appeared to be a girl holding a Luxio. "There are a lot of people in this one spot today, but I guess that should be expected after a battle." He mumbled to himself

"Do you need any help?" He asked

 

[Captain Cardboard]

"Well I'm sure you just love attention! And you deserve it all, don't you?" Robin said, turning his whole attention back to the Mightyena and furiously rubbing it's belly. It's fur was very soft and comfortable, and just felt really good to pet. It was clear that Alex took very good care of his Pokemon. Which made sense, since he was into the Coordination scene. Most Coordinators Robin had met before had made extra sure to take care of their Pokemon's appearances.

Some movement caught Robin's eye, and the man looked up to see another girl not too far away, holding a Luxio. Whoever they were, Cairo and the boy seemed to take some interest in her.
"So!" Robin said to Alex, continuing to pet Sass. "Do you do any particular style, like Tough or Cute?"

 

[EmoKitty21]

"Not really no. I mainly just do what I think well be fun and new. I don't really care if I win contests as I just want to have fun with it. Sass is the same way she just wants to have fun and enjoy herself." Alex smiled down at his pokemon he loved that she was not affected by his ex and the way they were treated. He was also glad he was able to protect her from what his ex done to him.

Sass barked to show her appreciation for the petting. She loved to adored by others and Alex was glad to let them do it. She hoped that her trainer would be a bit more social then what he was in the past.

 

[Eshrel]

Finally, Erel managed to calm Ninji down. After that, she stood up and saw the group of people looking at her. "U-um my name is...Erel." She never was good with people, but since they saw here, she had to talk. She looked around and saw an absol and riolu. She ran straight to them. "They're so cute!" She yelled. She immediately started petting the absol.
Ninji stayed by Erel's side, as she didn't trust anyone yet. "it's alright," said Erel, "they seem nice." She got up from the absol, and walked over to the group. "Sorry about Ninji, she's a little over protective."