Ask to Join New Beginnings

[Red Gallade]

Sterling smiled as he looked at the beach ahead before he turned to Axew. "Come on Axew, let's go." He said as he made his way to one of the exits on the ship, he collected his brown backpack on the way and opened it to check if he had everything. "Let's see... Food: check, Poke balls: check, Medical stuff: check, Phone: Check-" Axew peered into the bag as if there was something he was looing for. Sterling smiled "Don't worry Axew, they put your treats in there as well, but wait until after our battle and I'll give you one, okay?" Axew nodded as Sterling closed his bag and put it on his back. When the ship finally arrived, he got off and took a deep breath through his nose. "I love the smell of nature in the morning, don't you, buddy?" Axew cried cheerfully as he ran across the beach; clearly he was more excited than Sterling was.

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

Lisa took off her shoes and socks to walk down the beach, letting her feet get wet up to her ankles. Inkay, glad for some freedom, was gliding around just above the water and dipping his tentacles. Soon they arrived at the rock formation, a huge chunk of soild rock rising from the sand at least fifteen feet tall and twice as wide.
Lisa leaned against the rough surface and waited, watching the flow of trainers exit the ship.

 

[Red Gallade]

Sterling looked around at everyone as they got off the boat and on to the new land. He started to head to the rock formation that Lisa pointed at earlier and beckoned Axew to follow. "Come on Axew, let's have our first battle on here before we get too excited here and forget." He chuckled lightly as he kept walking, Axew followed right behind him. Once he made his way to the rocks, he gave Lisa a little wave. "Hello again Lisa! Ready for our battle?" He asked with a look of confidence in his eyes.

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

As she saw Sterling approach, Lisa walked up the beach and placed her shoes and other belongings out of the waters reach. Inkay twirled and dove, warming up for the battle.
"You bet we're ready!" Said Lisa, rolling up her sleeves and doning black sunglasses. "Let's do this, Inkay! Our first battle in the Lasran region!" Inkay flexed his tentacles like a body builder and took his position across from Axew.

 

[Red Gallade]

Sterling moved across from Lisa and fluffed is fur hood a bit and clicked his neckbones, his Axew assumed a battle stance and let out a growl. "You ready, buddy?" Sterling said, Axew responded with a confident nod and hopped side to side a few times. "Ladies first." He said with a cleverly hidden smirk.

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

Lisa didn't wait for him to ask twice, "Okay Inkay! Let's go, use Constrict!" Inkay rushed forward and wrapped his tentacles around Axews feet in an attempt to get him off balance and slow him down.

"That's it! Good job!"Lisa encouraged her partner with her best coaching voice.

 

[Red Gallade]

Sterling watched as Axew was caught within Inkay's tentacles and fell backward. "Axew, hang in there and use Assurance!" he commanded. Axew responded with a strong Assurance attack, given how close Inkay that held him was, the attack was much harder to miss.

"Nice hit!" Sterling commended.

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

Inkay tumbled back and regained his composure, the assurance attack wasn't super effective but still a hard hit at close range.
"Sneaky giving us the first move and going with an Assurance attack, some might call it...Foul Play!" Inkay rushed Axew and seemed to speed right by to catch his attention but dangling behind were his tentacles. Taking a loop around each of his opponent's feet, Inkay sung Axew through the air and smashed him into a palm tree before letting go.

 

[Red Gallade]

Sterling was surprised at how quick Inkay's counterattack was, he flinched as his partner was whacked against a palm tree. Axew struggled to stand up. "Axew! Are you okay?! Hang in there." Sterling said. Once Axew stood up, he let out a roar and pounded his chest a few times, both he and his trainer had a look of determination in their eyes. "I don't plan on losing this battle, not while me and Axew still stand strong! Use dual chop!" Axew rushed toward Inkay as his tusks began to glow lightly, once in range he let out a couple of hard slashes at Inkay. Afterward, he jumped back instantly to prepare for Inkay's next attack.

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

"Few people plan on losing! Alright, Inkay, you good?" Lisa gave a thumbs up to her pokemon who responded through a wince with a few blinks of his lights, he wanted to keep going. "Alright let's pick up the defense, use Reflect!" Inkay lost no time in generating pink discs at the end of his tentacles to use as shields against any physical attacks, he was prepared to soften the blows.

 

[Red Gallade]

"Oh no you don't! Axew, Leer!" Sterling commanded. Axew gave Inkay a hard Leer in hope that he would lower Inkay's defence slightly as a means to make Reflect weaker. "Now brace for her next move." Axew responded with an assumed defensive stance, ready to block and/or evade her next move.

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

Hi?

"Get ready! Keep that Reflect up and go in for a Peck!" Lisa shouted. Although a bit shaken from that Leer, Inkay rushed forward, keeping his shields up like a proper boxer. At the last moment he hit full power with Peck, using all of his momentum behind the attack. The reflect shields were ready to lessen any damage from another physical attack. "Nice hit! Perfect!"

 

[Red Gallade]

"Grab it, hurry!" Sterling shouted. Axew took the Peck but hung in there and grabbed hold of Inkay with all his might before he had time to move back. "Nice catch. Now finish off with Assurance!" Sterling commanded with a snap of his fingers. Axew let out another Assurance attack, the fact he took damage from the Peck made Assurance stronger. "Sometimes one has to take a hit to return an even bigger one." Sterling added.

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

As soon as Axew made contact, Inkay gave a nasty sneer and revealed his bluff. The Leer attack that was meant to lower his defenses only made him stronger. The Assurance attack still did damage, but not quite enough.
"Inkay's ability is Contrary," Lisa smirked and folded her arms, "in this case, what you intended has had the opposite effect. Now Inkay, you know what to do!" Inkay generated a field of dark purple and black around his body with a corkscrew spin and once again hurdled toward Axew for another Foul Play attack.

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

"How selfless of you to offer candy," Lisa chimed through a plastic smile," Coming from a long line of Ace trainers must put a lot of pressure on you, I'll bet you're glad to have a pokemon with such a-uh a pedigree."

"Hmph! Of course I am!" Madison shut her eyes dismissively and raised her chin, looking down at Lisa and Sterling. "I was beginning to think that you were incapable of getting anything right."

She took her time getting off the boat, waiting for the girl and boy to get out of her sight. She carried Gible in her arms so her precious Pokémon wouldn't have to walk the same ground as those peasants.

"Honestly, Gible, I wish you didn't have to breathe the same air either. The region is new, the air is fresh, and the pristine landscape is untouched by humans, and yet... they're here to pollute it," Madison remarked, grimacing at the two trainers on the rock from where she was on the shore. The Land Shark Pokémon rejoiced when she felt the sand under her feet, which she preferred to the solid dock.

It baffled Madison that she was no longer the center of attention and their lame battle was. "Yaaaaaaawn! Your battle is boring! You're just forcing hits on each other!" she yelled, not quite loud enough to break glass but blunt enough to shatter the fourth wall.

Her eyes enjoyed the shade of her sun hat, but if she had to watch this snore-fest any longer, they'd sag all the way to the ground and she'd be as ragged as a castaway. So Madison instead checked her PokéNav Plus and read the latest news stories.

"Well, it seems that there are no stories about children having the honor of exploring a brand new Lasryn region. Sigh... my day just keeps getting worse and worse. First I realize that I'd have to share the glory with these third-rate trainers, and now I learn that there's no glory to even be shared..."

She scrolled down further, another headline catching her attention.

"So there are more and more reports of missing children all around the world. Well, none of that concerns me. I'm in an uninhabited region, safe from kidnappers, and can do whatever I please."

 

[Red Gallade]

Axew was launched back by the Foul Play attack and struggled to get up. "Axew! Please get up, I know you can do it!" Sterling pleaded. Axew managed to get up, but it was clear that one more hit would finish him... Sterling looked over at Lisa and smirked back "What about Axew's ability; Mold Breaker, hm? Use Dual Chop!" Sterling commanded as Axew rushed forward to let out a devastating Dual Chop. In their eyes, it was clear they didn't want to lose... but for other reasons than the fact it was 'just a battle.'

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

Inkay tried to raise his shields, but failed, not realizing how weak he'd become. Axew's glowing tusks made contact smack in the middle of Inkay's now fragile body and sent him flying back into the sand, skidding for a few feet. "No! Inkay!!" Lisa gasped running toward her pokemon. When the sandy dust settled it was clear Inkay was no longer able to fight. Lisa dropped to her knees and scooped up her partner, "You put up a good fight, Inkay. Now get some rest," She said, pulling a luxury ball out of her jacket pocket. In a flash of red, Inkay was safe inside his pokeball.

Lisa stood and walked up to Sterling and Axew, holding out her hand for a shake. "Thanks for the battle, you two sure are strong," She smiled, "Would you care to join us for lunch? I can heal everyone up before we explore Lasran." Lisa was sad to have lost but kept a happy face, grateful for the experience and to find a friend.

 

[Red Gallade]

Sterling smiled at his victory, but kept his cool as to not rub it in Lisa's face. Axew panted at his close victory and collapsed in exhaustion "Axew!" He ran to Axew and picked him up, Axew looked at his trainer with a smile as the latter pulled him in for a hug. "Great work on our battle, Axew. Well done. Now take a well earned rest... I'll give you one of your treats later..." he muttered the last part before he got out his Poké ball. Axew was returned to the latter in a red flash.

Sterling went to Lisa and accepted her handshake. "No, thank you for the offer, one more hit and Inkay would've had us beat. You're rather strong yourselves, I could see it in your eyes." He said with a warm smile "And I'd love to join you; it's also a chance for me to get to know you better as well, after I told you stuff about me." He added.

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

Lisa turned and walked back to her belongings. She decided to leave her shoes off for now, enjoying the feeling of the sand squishing underfoot. From her duffel, she pulled out a small, wicker picnic basket, a thin towel, the tiniest single-burner camping stove, and her medicine kit. The towel had a colorful print depicting the many forms of Vivillon. Lisa turned her back to the light breeze and let the towel unfurl neatly. She set the tiny stove up over the sand and got to cooking, waiting for Sterling to come sit down. Inkay needed at least a few minutes to rest in his pokeball.

 

[Red Gallade]

Sterling smiled, walked over and sat on the side of the rug that Lisa put down. He took another sniff of the fresh air. "Ah, can't get enough of that Lasran air today... wow, whatever you're making, it sure smells good." he said as he caught the scent of Lisa's cooking. "Man this is exciting; A new region to explore, new Pokémon to find and befriend and best of all, the friends I make along the way." He said as he shot Lisa a wink.

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

Lisa smiled shyly at the compliment, slowly stirring the contents of the pan, crisping the tofu with a couple spicy yet sweet liechi berries. "Back home in Kalos I would make this for my brother," she recounted as she looked listlessly into the distance. What a truly beautiful and pristine region this was. Lisa thought about why she was here and couldn't believe her luck. "This place is beautiful, I hope we can keep it like this for as long as possible," she looked up and down the beach, "Nature means a lot to me. I come from a family of Pokemon Rangers, you see. Growing up my mother would always take me with her to patrol Azure Bay. That's where we found Inkay, injured by pokemon poachers."

 

[Red Gallade]

Sterling smiled as he turned his gaze to the ocean. "Yeah, nature truly is a blessing of the world, why anyone would wanna make cities over it is beyond me, I'm just happy with my village back in Unova. You say you grew up with Pokémon Rangers for a family? That's awesome! I'll bet you guys helped a lot of Pokémon like that Inkay of yours. So what do you plan to do once you become the best trainer you can be? All I do is plan to beat my father and grandfather." He said as his eyes began to reflect the waves ahead.
"Also, I love having the opportunity to look at the ocean like this, it makes me feel at peace; Almost as if all my worries and doubts are just washed away by the waves..." he said as he almost got lost in thought.

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

Lisa slid the crispy tofu off onto a plate, then began cooking some rice noodles in the same pan. She didn't answer Sterling right away, not knowing what to say. She knew she would always carry on the work of a pokemon ranger wherever she was but as far as personal goals, she was still trying to find her true passion. "The ocean here reminds me of Azure Bay. If I'm by the sea, I'm never too far from home." She said, opting to avoid his question all together. "While we wait for the noodles let's see what I can do about the pokemon." Lisa opened the med kit and pulled out a revive and a few potions before releasing Inkay. Her pokemon was only slightly recovered, his usual transparent sheen seemed cloudy. Lisa gave him a revive to chew and a thorough coating of potion, then offered a potion to Sterling.

 

[Red Gallade]

Sterling smiled and nodded at Lisa as he took the potion. He then got out his poke ball and got Axew out once more. "Hold still Axew." Axew noticed the potion and nodded as he let Sterling spray it on to his wounds, he barely reacted to the sting from every spray. After Sterling healed Axew, he looked to the latter with a smile "Good job Axew, do you know what that means?" Axew's eyes widened as he did know what it meant. Sterling reached into is bag and got out a little tin filled with what appeared to be biscuits made to look like the heads of certain dragon type Pokémon. "Pick which one you want." Axew licked his lips at the sight of the biscuits before he picked up the one that looked like a Hydreigon and began to eat it like his life depended on it. "Thanks for the potion, Lisa." Sterling said with a smile. "Does your Inkay want a Dragon cookie?" He added.

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

Inkay, still chewing on the revive, perked up at the sound of "cookie" and turned toward Sterling with the most grateful yet pitiful "yes, please" eyes. Lisa chuckled, glad he was starting to feel better and nodded in response. Inkay floated over to Sterling and accepted a cookie in the shape of a Haxorus. Rather than eat it right away, he held it between his tentacles and blushed contentedly, showing off his treat to Lisa. "Yes, that's a very nice cookie, Inkay, you should say thank you," Lisa smiled. She lightly stirred the noodles and extinguished the flame of the stove. Inkay flashed a sequence of lights for Sterling, his way of saying "thank you."

With the food done, Lisa provided two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks, "Bon appetite!"

 

[Red Gallade]

Sterling smiled at Inkay "You're welcome, dig in lil' guy." He said before he took his bowl. "Yup, bon appetite." He said before he began to eat, despite the laid back and informal man people see him as, he at least has table manners. Axew was halfway done with his cookie and gave Inkay a smile. "They're called dragon cookies for more than just their looks by the way; sure many Pokémon love them, but no Dragon type could resist them." He said before he took another bite of his food. "I wonder what the others are up to..." He said as he looked over at the others.

 

[Zixal]

On the other end of the beach stood a boy, a small figure floating beside him. They had been quietly watching the battle from a distance, letting the other passengers familiarize themselves with the new region as the could see fit. He was standing just within the tide of the beach, only now taking the opportunity to approach the others. In fact, he was hardly registered on the boat at all, as though he didn't exist throughout the entire trip there, and only suddenly popped into existence now that they had arrived. He had, in fact, simply been waiting to show his face.

He paid no heed to the sea as his heavy boots glided through the soaking sand and splashing waves, towards Sterling and Lisa as they ate. The boy carried nothing but a small bag, wore a heavy brown trench coat, worn jeans, and a grey Trilby hat, and seemingly bore a grin on his face as he approached the rock formation. The figure that followed after him was a Phantump, but notably disproportionate. One branch was larger than the other, and only a bore a single leaf. Its pinkish eyes followed the boy, glowing through the holes in the tree stump that resembled eyes.

The boy approached the rock formation, looking up at Sterling and Lisa as they and their Pokemon ate. He raised a hand in greeting, but also for another reason. He called out to Sterling.

"Hey, buddy. Huck one of those cookies o're here, will ya?"

 

[Red Gallade]

Sterling noticed the newcomer and nodded silently, he waited to finish what he had in his mouth before he spoke. "Another Pokémon who wants one of my Dragon cookies eh?" He put his now half full bowl down next to him as he got out the tin of cookies and got one out that was shaped like a Dragonite's head. "Here." Sterling said with a smile as he handed the man the cookie. "What's your name?" He asked. When the man took the cookie, he put the tin back in his bag, went back to eating his food and looked curiously at the man; Sterling never noticed the man on the trip to the island and he would have definitely noticed his adorable Phantump who Axew waved at with a cheerful cry.

 

[Zixal]

The boy took the cookie, but instead of giving it directly to the Phantump that floated beside him, he broke it in half and handed one half to his Pokemon. The Phantump seemed perfectly fine with only receiving half, as it proceeded to devour the cookie it had. The boy held on to his half, lifting the edge of his hat to make eye contact with Sterling better. He has a slight grin on his face.
"Th' name's Edgerigo. Collax Edgerigo. This 'ere log is my closest buddy in the world, Barkley. Might's well be my own bro." Barkley waved one of his stubby arms back at the Axew, returning the giddy greeting. Collax lifted the half of the Dragonite cookie and chomped down on it without second thought after he introduced the two of them. One hand still sat within the pocket of his trench coat as he went about his first official meeting of the others quite casually.
"Ah'n what're all y'all's name?"

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

Madison kept scrolling through the headlines. Just a bunch of reports of property damage and stolen ships. Nothing else piqued her interest, but why should it? These were stories about the rest of the world, her boring Hoenn region and all the others.

"Lasryn, you better not disappoint me! I came all the way from Hoenn just to grace you with my presence! The dearth of news stories better mean that there's some mystery about your lands that's beyond journalism!" Madison pointed inland and shouted into the thick jungle. Everyone else seemed to relax in this uninhabited place, but she was never satisfied.

Tired of looking at her PokéNav and ranting at the region, Madison turned away suddenly and stormed off in the other direction, her dress sweeping the air behind her. She and Gible approached Ray, who wasn't doing anything important. At least nothing more important than Madison.

"You! Ray!" she pointed at the girl and her Squirtle. "I'm bored! Entertain me with a battle!"

 

[OracleLegends]

Ray was about to take out her swimsuit so she and Squritle can swim, but she dropped them when Madison came up and asked her for a battle whiched surprised her the most because she didn’t think she would challenge her of all people “ok I’ll accept your challenge, we have the advantage we’re we are standing” she pointed out to the sea, Squritle giving a cry of approval “I’ll let you move first” she said with delight.

Spoiler

[/url] Kiri Aquario


[/url] Ray Aquario

 

[StormingCobra]

Brandon saw that Ray had walked off to battle the stuck-up girl who called herself Madison. He rolled his eyes at the fact that anyone would associate with Madison before jumping off the boat and onto the sand, Chimchar following close behind. “We are here to explore, not to immediately battle someone,” he told Chimchar. “We will go into the forest. Maybe some people will rival us, but that will have to wait for now. I am doing what we came to do, that comes first.”

 

[Red Gallade]

Sterling smiled as he took another bite of his food. He spoke after he ate "The name's Sterling, this cute lil' reptile next to me is my closest Pokémon buddy in the world, Axew." He was about to take another bite of his food before he looked down and realise he had already finished. "Heh, guess I lost track on how much I had. Thanks for the food Lisa, it was delicious." He said to Lisa with a smile as he returned the bowl to her.

 

[Zixal]

The boy named Collax let loose a short, hearty laugh.
“Ahw, well. Hey, whaddya y’all think is down deep in that forest, eh? I wanna go check it out. Y’all coming with?” He asked them, unaware that Brandon was already preparing head off without him. “I dunno ‘bout you all, but I’m already loving the look of this place. I mean, jungle, endless sandy beaches... man. If I could live here, I’d already be.” The Phantump naked Barkley floated up to Collax’s hat and sat on top of it, waiting to go.

It was then that they both noticed Madison and Ray, who were preparing to battle each other. Collax hadn’t spent much time, if any, interacting with the others on the boat, but he had overheard plenty of conversation to know how Madison acted. And he had immediately disliked her, Barkley harboring the same emotion. They both sighed and looked away from the battle, focusing back on the jungle before them.

 

[The Quiet Zubat]

Lisa's mouth was full of noodles when Collax first approached. Inkay had settled into her lap, nibbling on his cookie and letting the potion do its work, slowly restoring him to full health. This new trainer and his pokemon seemed friendly enough. "Mm-name's Lisa," she said trying to swallow her food without choking, "I think we're about ready to check this place out. Wonder what kind of pokemon live in this forest.." Her voice trailed off as she turned to look into the trees. Although it was beautiful, Lisa knew she wouldn't want to go without other people.

Taking Sterling's bowl and her own, she excused herself to rinse the dishes in the ocean. Having been evicted from his spot on Lisa's lap, Inkay floated up to greet Barkley with a face still covered in cookie crumbs.

Once everything was cleaned and cooled, Lisa stuffed her supplies back in her bag and swung it over her shoulder. "Ready when you are."

 

[Zixal]

Collax grinned as he took a heavy step into the sand towards the jungle. Barkley uttered a few giddy greetings to the Inkay before gesturing that they, along with Sterling, Lisa, and Axew hurry up. Collax was already approaching the wall of trees and green.

The boy seemed to have no restraint when it came to the wild, as he was quickly headed inward without so much as a hesitation to consider the dangers. He was already hiking his way in, disregarding any second thoughts, until he reached the first tree. Collax stopped at the tree and looked back at the others, and he leaned against its solid trunk as he awaited them.

 

[Red Gallade]

Sterling smiled as he got up and picked up his bag. His Axew crawled on to his shoulder whilst Sterling got out his flute. "How about a little song for the trip, eh?" He asked as he followed Collax and Lisa into the forest, already pumped and ready to see what Pokémon lie ahead of them.

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

Normally Madison would shout "Don't patronize me!" in response to "I'll let you move first." How dare her opponents underestimate her, thinking that she needed it! Or did they give her the first move because they were too lazy to think of a starting strategy and saddled her with that task?

But Madison had slightly more respect for Ray than everyone else, so she dismissed these thoughts.

"Hmph. You think you have the advantage here? Don't get cocky!" she smirked. The others would've thought her a hypocrite for calling Ray cocky, because that's what they considered her. But arrogant girls only think they're better than everyone. The difference? Madison actually was, and she'd prove it to the girl and her Squirtle.

"All right, my dear Gible! Let's show Ray why the advantage is ours! Twisters, NOW!"

One after the other, the dragon Pokémon whipped up three Twisters that enclosed Squirtle. But since they were on a beach, the swirling winds kicked up a sandstorm that provided the perfect cover. Gible melted into the dust and avoided attacks more easily thanks to her ability.

But even if Squirtle strained to see, it wouldn't spot the land shark on the surface. She'd burrowed underground in the disorienting haboob, bursting out under the tiny turtle to strike its chin with enough force to send its evolved form flying into the swirling Twisters that formed a tight circle around them.

"Wherever there is sand, we have the upper hand! This is how real trainers battle, Lisa and Sterling!" Madison boasted, unaware that she had no audience because everyone had left.

 

[OracleLegends]

As her Squritle was nocked into the sandstorm by Gible, Squritle started spinning in the same direction of the sandstorm “Ok Squirtle counter with rapid spin and spin in the same direction and use water gun as a cover shield” Squritle gave a shout of understanding and shot water from its mouth while in its shell, making the sand in the storm fall to deposit to the ground and turn the tornado into a water tornado which started heading towards Gible’s direction. “This really is how you have a Pokémon battle.”

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

"Gible, one more Twister to cancel that out!" Madison yelled after Squirtle reversed one of the previous dust devils with Rapid Spin.

The land shark managed to whip up another to meet Ray's water tornado, dissipating it and leaving behind a large heap of wet sand. The remaining two Twisters couldn't pick it up because it was heavy with water, so the sandstorm soon petered out.

"Whatever!" Madison stomped her foot and shouted. "I've still got two left! We'll use them to our advantage! Gible, Stealth Rock!"

Pointed stones now floated above the opposing team, and the two Twisters left circling Squirtle picked them up. They were too heavy to be sucked into the eyes of the little cyclones, so they merely spun them around a wider radius. The blue Pokémon was now trapped between two swirling columns with their own razor-sharp asteroid belts, wide, closing in, prepared to pelt it endlessly and rip it apart.

"That's solid rock! Try to deposit that!" Madison taunted, keeping her distance and relying on ranged attacks for now. This was no sandstorm anymore. It was a stone storm.