Private/Closed Pokemon: A Journey Through Hoenn

[Salted_Apples]

Discussion/Signup: pokemon-a-journey-through-hoenn-discussion.19863

The morning dew still lingered between the rows of houses positioned in Littleroot Town, as a light breeze was loftily carried through the crisp, warm air. A quiet excitement was brewing, however, as several young trainers prepared themselves to embark on a journey across the great region of Hoenn...

Ernest Waniczek sat on his warm, comfortable spring bed as he was vigorously and tediously packing his bag. This is the day, this is it! He thought excitedly, fantasizing about the undeniably awe inspiring journey that lay ahead of him. Finally ending the humdrum task of packing his red travel pack, he zipped it up - quickly jogging down to his breakfast and acquiring a mouth watering plate of sausage and stuffed cabbage from his mother, digging in before the journey.

After about 15 minutes of mirthful consumption, Ernest said goodbye to his loving ma', and walked down the sidewalk that protruded from his house, getting hit with a swift wave of calmly drifting wind.

 

[StandardRunner]

The morning sun started to gaze into his window, Micheal shot up realizing what day it was and started to quickly change out of his pajamas and back his bags, finally about to go on a journey he has always dreamed of, exploring the Hoenn region. He quickly grabbed a Pokeball and then got the last look of his room and then shut the door and sprinted downstairs hoping to see his mom cooking lunch but unfortunately, no one was there, he should have known it was too early so grabbed some oatmeal packets and started to make that own his family's stove.

A couple minutes later after he finished the meal he raced outside with Pokeball in hand he ran outside to see the fresh grass and the tiny bits of dew on the grass.

He looked in front of him to see route 1, the start of this journey and the slim chance of becoming a champion but he knew he would all the gym badges no matter what. And then he took his first step in route one the sun being covered by the trees, walking past a lot of other people walking by.

 

[Salted_Apples]

Ernest gazed across the perfectly kept lawns where children and Pokemon frolicked, as they laughed and giggled in the golden warmth that the sun provided, as it caressed the earth like a mother would to their new born child. The elated teenager walked down the sidewalk, scanning across the town for possible companions. A journey wasn't a journey without friends, was it? There were certainly other kids around, he remembers them during school hours vividly - then he spotted Micheal, and his eyes lit up with excitement. At least it was somebody he knew.

"Hey, Micheal!" Ernest called out along the town, before striding jovially over to the other boy's position, a grin stretched across his pale face. "You setting out today, too? I've never been outside of Littleroot, so I was wondering if you wanted to..." He thought about his next statement for a few moments, before the boy finished his sentence. "Come with me? After all, it's not exactly much fun by yourself." It was clear that the pure excitement was utterly fueling his extraverted capabilities, and so he waited for a response - after all, he didn't exactly say anything very light.

"Oh, right, come on out Pestov!" And with that, the Sandshrew was released from it's poke ball - rolling around in a jovial adrenaline surge, which did happen to draw a few 'Aww's' from the younger kids around.

 

[NDB]

Val stepped off the ship onto route 104, the sea breeze making her hair dance in the wind. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and readjusted her bag before heading to the Petalburg City Pokecenter. She needed to stop by Littleroot Town to talk to Professor Birch, but didn't know the entire layout of the Hoenn Region. The Pokecenter would be a great place to find a map and ask for directions. Readjusting her bag, Val headed into Petalburg. With Petalburg being a somewhat smaller city, it wasn’t too hard for her to find the Pokémon Center. She stepped inside and found a map of Hoenn on the back wall by some video phones. Val studied the map for a few minutes, finding where Littleroot was located and getting a good read of the region.

Val went over to a video phone and called Professor Burnet in Alola. She told her that she successfully arrived in Hoenn and was on her way to Professor Birch. Burnet wished her luck, to have fun and be safe before ending the call. Val left the center and headed towards Littleroot Town. As she was walking through Route 102, she was able to hitch a ride from a delivery truck. In only a half an hour, she reached Littleroot Town. After thanking the driver, Val found her way to Professor Birch’s lab.

“Professor Birch?” Val called out as she entered the lab. There was a crash somewhere in the back of the lab before a hefty man in a lab coat appeared from behind a shelf.

“Sorry about that,” the man said. “Didn’t expect anyone to come in at this time. How can I help you?”

“I’m Valentina Bianchi,” Val told the professor. “I’m in the Hoenn region to do some research on behalf of Professor Burnet. Professor Kukui told me to stop by.”

“Ah, you’re Val!” Professor Birch exclaimed. “I wasn’t expecting you until later, but I do have everything ready for you.” The Professor went to one of his shelves and grabbed a package from it. He returned to Val and handed it to her. “Kukui asked me to put together a beginning trainer’s kit. Inside you’ll find a Pokédex, PokéNav, and some Pokéballs. Plus, you can choose one of the starter Pokémon I offer to new trainer if you’d like.”

“Thank you, Professor.” Val took the package and put it in her bag to open later. “I actually brought a couple Pokémon from the Alola region with me. I’ll let another trainer have their chance to pick from all three.”

Birch smiled and nodded. “Of course. Well then, good luck with your research and enjoy your time in Hoenn.”

Val thanked the professor and left the lab, ready to take on the region.

 

[Red Gallade]

Russel stepped off of a ship and smiled as he walked down the stairs, he took a big sniff of the air and exhaled. "Ah there's nothing better than that new region smell." He said to himself and pondered. "Now, where's the best place for trainers to start training?" He thought before he noticed a Pokémon center, hoping that there was a map or a Nurse Joy kind enough to give directions. Once inside, he had a look around at the map. "Can I help you?" Nurse Joy asked. "Hm? Ah yeah, I just arrived into this region and I'm interested in knowing the best place for beginners to train." Russel stated.

"Ah, then your best chance is Route 101 between Littleroot and Oldale Town." Nurse Joy replied. "Perfect, cheers!" Russel said with a smile and a small wave as he headed out of the Pokémon Center. He managed to hitch a ride in a taxi to get to Oldale Town, once there he made his way through, double checking his items as he walked. "Healing items: Check, Food: Check, Water: Check, Phone: Check, alright, time to Russel it up!" He said confidently as he began to enter Route 101 and got out his two Pokémon.

One was a Ralts who stretched as he was glad to be out of his Poké ball, the other was a Bounsweet who happily frolicked around yet close enough for Russel to see her in case of trouble. "Alright guys, this is a brand new place for us so let's do our best to train hard here!" Russel said as his Pokémon cheered with determination.

 

[Vaporeonn]

A lone boy was on the outskirts of Route 101, resting alongside his Pokemon. Which was what his Pokemon always did, as it was a Komala, a Pokemon who spent its entire life half asleep. The boy, Kai, was different – he was packed with energy and will for adventure, but one could rarely catch onto that, as Kai was a particularly quiet and reserved boy.

Regardless, Kai and his Komala were just wrapping up their training session. Kai had Komala train on trees, though, as training on wild Pokemon was against his policy – if they weren't looking for a fight, then Kai felt he had no right to disturb them. Instead, he rather battle Pokemon who wished to do so, such as ones who had a trainer. But, he hadn't found any on this Route, so trees were the only option besides Komala training on him, and that's a mistake he wasn't about to repeat. Komala packed a serious punch. The dents in the previously mentioned trees were proof.

Although Kai had energy to spend, he still liked silence, which was what Route 101 had to offer at this time of day. Or, to be more specific, what it usually offered, as Kai sensed the peace being disrupted as someone walked into Route 101 from Oldale. Kai was near, but he couldn't see what was happening, so he decided to inspect it closer. It led him to another boy, very eccentric looking with his spiky silver hair. He had two Pokemon with him, and although Kai was annoyed by the quiet being gone at first, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to train even better. The silver haired boy did seem eager to fight as well, although whether he was expecting it to he with another trainer was unknown to Kai.

How was he to do it? Kai thought for moment, before approaching the stranger. "Hello," he said, against his natural instinct of greeting someone with 'Alola'. He slipped up a few times before – only got weird looks. Not what he was currently aiming for. "Are you a fellow trainer? I'm Kai." He extended his arm (that's what he was supposed to do, right?), and waited for the boy to introduce himself back.

 

[Red Gallade]

Russel put his hands in his pockets and smiled as he let his Pokémon enjoy the surroundings of the Hoenn region. He raised an eyebrow as he heard a voice and turned to it's source, he smiled at the man who greeted him. "Hey, name's Russel and yeah, I'm looking to become a trainer." He paused as his attention turned to the Komala. "Oh nice, a Komala, looks like the ones from back home as well." He said with a smile.

 

[Sukoku]

The sun rays hit the window and the breeze of the summer broke through Filip's hotel room. The boy had just arrived in Hoenn, and he was ready for his trip to Littleroot. Filip was still in Slateport, and, he had to get to Littleroot in less than one day, so he quickly got up, went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth and took a bath, he got his blue t-shirt followed by blue shorts and his shoes, walking out of the bathroom, getting his backpack on and unlocking the hotel, walking out and taking a deep breath in, running to the port. During his walk, he saw many people looking around and talking, and he started to spin, looking at the people, and he could only think of how those people were so happy, in his region, the people didn't talk to each other that much, and crowds like the ones he was in weren't commonly formed.

After some minutes, he arrived at the port, standing behind someone in a single file line. It advanced, and his time came. "Hello, sir!" Filip said, cheerily smiling and looking at the attendant. "Okay, the ticket costs 500 PokéDollars," the attendant said, and Filip dug into his backpack, pulling out 500 PokéDollars and giving them to the attendant, who nodded and told Filip to get in, and that's what he did. Filip looked at the room that was written on the ticket, and he got inside it, and it had a clock, two beds, two PCs and a table with 4 chairs. Filip put his backpack on the bed, sitting down on the chair that was turned to the place where the clock was, and Filip started to say beep everytime the clock moved.

After some other minutes, a green-haired girl got in the room, and Filip stopped saying beep, getting up and turning back to the door, waving. "Hello!" Filip said, smiling. The girl glanced at Filip, walking towards the bed and laying down, turning herself to the opposite side where Filip was. "Uh, hello? Are you okay?" Filip said, and all he got in response was a groan. Filip raised his eyebrows, sitting back down and beeping. Suddenly, the girl screamed 'stop' with a strong accent, and Filip slowly turned his head to her, opening a nervous smile. "Ok..." Filip muttered, turning back to the clock and looking at it.

After around 4 hours of constant boredom, the ship finally arrived at Route 104, and Filip got up, walking towards his bed, and the girl got up, walking towards the door, and Filip turned his eye to the right, trying to avoid her, but she bumped into him, launching him to the left. "Oh, I'm sorry, I swear I tried to avoid you!" Filip said, getting up and sticking his hand out, going for a handshake, but she just walked out, leaving Filip back, and he looked at his hand, shaking his head and opening a smile, getting his backpack and walking out of his room, walking to the exit and stepping onto the wood of the docks, looking up to the clouds hovering around the sky, smiling and walking forwards. After all the process of getting out of the docks, Filip walked down the Route to Petalburg City, and he kept the smile on, getting to Petalburg.

"Uh, I will try to reach Oldale right now, Petalburg isn't my goal," Filip said, sprinting through the City, and then sprinting through the Route 102, getting to Oldale. "Alright, I'm here!" Filip said, taking a deep breath in, running through Oldale and getting out of it, going down through Route 101, arriving at Littleroot, running towards the Lab and stopping in front of it, taking a bottle of water out of his backpack, drinking some of the water and taking a deep breath in, opening the door and getting in. "Hello!" He said, and Birch looked at him, waving.

"Hello!" Prof. Birch said, and Filip slowly approached him.

"Um, sir, I need a PokéDex update and a Pokémon!" Filip said, looking up at Birch.

"Oh, a PokéDex update? And a Pokémon? Alright, give me your PokéDex, and you can choose one of the Pokémon inside that box on the table," Birch said, and Filip nodded, pulling his PokéDex out of his backpack and giving it to him, walking towards the box and opening it, seeing three PokéBalls, and he picked up the fire one, clicking the button and watching a chicken jump out of it.

"OH, IT IS SO CUTE!!!!!!!" Filip thought, smiling and blushing, poking Torchic, who rubbed its head against Filip's finger, and Filip picked it up, kissing its forehead. "I chose mine!" Filip said, and Professor Birch looked back, giving Filip a thumbs up and looking back at the PokéDex, and, after some seconds of talking and cuddling, a sound could be heard, it sounded like something made of metal crumbling, and then another sound echoed through the lab, this time it sounded like a trumpet, and Filip looked at the Professor, and he was holding a red rectangle with a white PokéBall on the tip of it, and a blue display on the middle, nothing like the PokéDex he had just given him, and Filip walked towards the Professor, who handed it to Filip.

"You're ready to go!" The Professor said, looking down at Filip, who nodded.

"Thank you, Professor!" Filip said, waving and walking out, walking towards Route one with Torching on his left hand, and the PokéDex on his right hand. After some walking, he arrived at Route 101, and he noticed that two boys were standing there, and he didn't have noticed those boys before, Filip walked up to them, waving. "Hello, guys!" Filip said, smiling, and Torchic closed its eyes and blushed.

 

[Salted_Apples]

"Anyways, I'm going ahead, and I'll see you around. Catch me on route 101 if you need anything!" Ernest chirped towards Micheal, before motioning for the Sandshrew to follow him, of which the small creature happily obliged, with an innocent smile that stretched across Pestov's face.

With Pestov waddling behind him, the teenager continued through the entrance of the route, wild Pokemon frolicking through the brush that lined the dusty dirt path. The noon time sun had begun to set in, as Ernest wiped a few drips of sweat from his brow - recognizing the two trainers conversing together. Immediately spiked with curiosity, Ernest quickened his step, walking towards the duo. Maybe this could be his first battle! He frantically thought, before a wild Lillipup jumped in front of Pestov, barking rambunctiously.

Ernest flinched back, not expecting this. It turned out that the Sandshrew's appetite had gotten the better of it - and it had stolen some berries from the Pokemon. Big mistake for Pestov, but this could easily be turned into an opportunity, he thought with a grin. Taking a Pokeball out of the depths of his crimson red travel bag, Ernest changed his footing, before commanding Pestov: "Quick, use Rollout!"

The Pokemon gave a loyal nod towards Ernest, before yelling: "Sandshrew, Shrew!" and rolling towards the Lillipup. It attempted to bound out of the way, however it was too late, and Pestov charged into it. The wild dog stumbled back, as Ernest threw the Pokeball towards it. The teenager held his breath as the pup was encapsulated inside of the red and white device. . . would it stay?

Wobble

Wobble

Wobble

Ding!

Ernest smiled, before letting the Lillipup out. It wasn't too damaged, just a little bit wounded, so he decided it was best just to save the time and not go to a Pokemon center. The Pokemon would soon recognize him as it's trainer, and so he told them their name: "Nathaniel."

(Sorry if this post is a bit unorganized, just really had an itch to type something up.)

 

[Vaporeonn]

Back home? "You're from Alola?" Kai asked the boy, who he now knew was called Russel. He was surprised to meet someone who was from his home region. A bit struck, he stood silently for longer than he should have. He had no more lines ready, and as he wasn't one to do well in social interactions with strangers, he silently panicked. But then he remembered why he approached Russel in the first place.

"By the way," Kai said. "How about we test our strength in a battle? It's been a while since Komala and I fought another trainer." He looked over at his Pokemon, who was quetly drowsing. A small chuckle escaped Kai's lips at the sight. What did he expect her to do?

 

[Red Gallade]

Russel smirked. "By the look on your face, I can see you're another fellow Alolan, what are the odds; the first bloke I meet in Hoenn happens to be someone from Alola!" He said as he put is hands in his pockets. "Y'know, I'd love to have a battle with you, do you have any other Pokémon with you or is it just that adorable Komala over there eh?" He asked as he lightly gestured his Pokémon to come to him.

"Speaking of other Pokémon: I'd like you to meet mine, this Ralts here is my first Pokémon, Arthur and this beautiful little Bounsweet here is Heather." He said as the Pokémon gave a gesture in greeting to Kai and Komala. "Back to the battle, if you don't have any others, would you like me to use only one of mine?" He asked.

 

[Sukoku]

Filip approached Russel and Kai, he wasn't sure if they had heard him, so he put his PokéDex inside his backpack, forgetting to scan Torchic, and then looked at the boys. "Hello! My name is Filip!" He said, smiling, hoping that they'd respond. The Torchic tweeted, and it gently pecked Filip's left hand, and Filip held it with both hands. "Uhhh, what are you guys doing exactly?" He said, curving his body forwards.

Filip was searching for someone to guide him through the region, and those two people were perfectly fit for the position, so he had to try to develop a bond with them in order to know what to do and where to go. Filip knew that the next place he should go was Rustboro, but he still wasn't sure if the path was really the one he was told.

 

[NDB]

As Val left Birch's lab, she opened up the package she was given and found the items Birch had mentioned. She put the Pokedex in her right short pocket, clipped the PokeNav on her left belt loop and the Pokeballs on her right, next to her Drax's and Trix's. After tossing the empty box away, she headed towards Route 101. It was as simple route that she didn't see much of from the truck she rode in on. It was somewhat quiet except for a small commotion going on somewhere on the route. After some searching, she found a few other trainers, with their Pokemon out, conversing with each other. Interested, she walked over to the trainers. "Hey guys, what's going on over here?"

 

[Salted_Apples]

Seeing no point in continuing to dawdle around, Ernest began making his way towards the group that had amassed a few people towards the center of the road. When he stopped, he looked towards the only girl among the people, who also seemed to be very confused on this sudden gathering. He walked towards her, Pestov trailing behind Ernest as always, and then tapping her on the shoulder, before asking: "Er, hello..." Damn it, stop looking like an idiot! Ernest internally screamed at himself.

"Well, I see there's a sort of congregation here. You know anything about this? I'm Ernest Wacnizek, by the way." The boy then held out his hand, in a gesture of good manners. He shifted his weight, anxiously waiting for a reply. These people are look about my age. He thought. This could be the forming of some kind of group. . . just play it cool, Ernest, they certainly don't look like they're around here. Alolan? The hell is up with this influx of Alolan people? Some kind of student exchange?

While he silently pondered this, his face stayed friendly yet plain, continuing the elongated stall for a response from this strangely accented girl.

 

[Sukoku]

Filip turned back to the girl, cheerily smiling, walking up to her. "Oh, hey! I think that those boys are talking to each other, so I just decided to join the party and start to talk to them!" Filip said, "oh, and sorry for my unpoliteness, my name is Filip Galdec, I am 13 years old!" The boy said, noticing another person coming by. "Oh, hey! Another person for the party?" Filip said, trying to sound as good as possible, he then picked up his Torchic, and it blushed, chirping to the sound of the wind.

Filip noticed the hand of the boy reaching for the girl's shoulder, and he grinned, thinking of many possible names for the ship, but he didn't even know their names, so he just tried to think of something really odd.

 

[Salted_Apples]

Ernest, startled by the relatively random appearance of the other individual, flinched slightly; tilting his head back and forth in a clearly passive aggressive manner. "What is this, a fucking party?" He looked between the two, before immediately noticing that he was much too confrontational in his reply, so he exhaled before adding back: "Sorry about that, it's just I'm a bit tense about leaving home and stuff, that was wrong of me to lash out like that. I hope we can get off on. . . more agreeable terms."

Ernest then temporarily turned his attention towards Filip - a good time to make introductions, anyways, and he would need everything he could get for assistance on his travels, especially if this group had been around the block a couple of times, for lack of a superior analogy. After a few seconds of debating his secondary rebound from his previous remarks, Ernest reasoned that it was the very best course of action to ask for an introductory conversation.

"Anyways, you may or may not have heard, but my name is Ernest. I come from Littleroot, and I very well intend to set off across the region - hell, that's why I'm here. Anyways, I would love if you could indulge me about yourself a bit, after all, really no point bumping into each other if we're not even going to speak or anything." Ernest chuckled, before once again, slipping into a wait for a social response once again.

 

[Red Gallade]

Russel noticed everyone gather around as he waited for Kai's response. "Hey there, you can call me Russel, me and this bloke named Kai over here were just about to have ourselves a battle." He said as his Pokémon went over to greet the other trainers' Pokémon. He was somewhat surprised by the sudden gathering of people, all he wanted was a battle... which he now realised isn't that surprising as many people loved to watch a good battle and wit more people around meant more chances to train. "And if you wanna know more about me, you gotta earn a bit more of my trust first; all you need to know about me is tat I come from Alola." He said.

 

[NDB]

"Nice to meet you, Filip," she responded. "I'm Val." She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around, spotting another trainer who introduced himself as Ernest. "Can't say I know exactly what is going on here. I just got here myself." She was a little thrown off by his sudden outburst but quickly composed herself. "Well Ernest. I'm Val. I'm from the Alola region on a research trip for Professor Burnet. I might challenge the gyms but my research comes first." Pulling out her PokeNav, Val opened up the map application. "I need to stop by the Devon Corp in Rustboro City. Burnet suggested I start my research there."

 

[Vaporeonn]

(ooc: y'all are fast, damn, I gotta catch up)
bic:

Just as Kai was getting ready to answer Russel's question, another boy made his way towards them. And before he got to introduce himself to him, a girl came by. And then another boy (the last one he knew was from Littleroot, as he saw him a few times while walking through the town). In no time, Kai was surrounded by a bunch of people, and he had no idea what to say anymore. Thankfully, Russel aided with the introduction, so he didn't even have to say anything. He should thank him later.

The girl's name was Val, and she was from the Alolan region as well. The Littleroot guy was called Ernest, and, who Kai assumed was the youngest one, was Filip. At least he hoped he remembered their names right. "Uh, yeah, so," Kai started. He forgot what he wanted to say, but quickly regained his train of thought. Crowds were exhausting. "Russel and I were about to battle, but... We weren't expecting much company, I guess."

Kai felt like what he said could be taken in a rude context, so he immediately covered that up. "You can all watch if you want! So..." He turned to Russel. "Komala is my only partner, but I have no problem with taking on two Pokemon. What do you say?" Komala got into its battle position, with Kai behind her.

 

[Red Gallade]

Russel smiled as Kai was about to get ready for the battle. He tilted his head to crack his neckbones, "Alright, which out of you too wants to battle?" He asked his Pokémon. Heather bounced a few times saying something that sounded like 'Me! Me!' but Arthur volunteered and explained to the Bounsweet why he should battle and not her in Pokémon language. Heather nodded and lightly blushed when the Ralts was done explaining. "Alright Arthur, let's do this." Russel said as he stood opposite to Kai and Komala whilst his Ralts did the same and moved a few of his limbs to crack his bones.

Russel put one hand in his pocket whilst his other hand gave Kai a thumbs up to indicate he was ready. "I'll be a nice guy and let you throw the first move." Russel said as he waited for Kai and Komala to make their move, as he waited, Russel's coat was blown lightly against the gentle breeze.

 

[Salted_Apples]

Ernest saw them getting ready for a battle, so he naturally backed up more towards the brush that so thickly lined the winding path. He motioned for the others not participating to join him, as the boy assumed nobody would exactly like to be in the crossfire of two Pokemon passionately attacking each other. He then thought that after this, it would be reasonable to attempt to push onwards through the route, probably to Oldale Town, if this person had to go to Rustboro. That was several routes away, certainly not an immediate possibility, Ernest thought.

"Anyways, Val, you said you need to get to Rustboro? That's a bit of a ways from here, but I know my way around. This route leads up to Oldale Town, we can stock up on potions, Pokeballs, and all that there, and then we'll start making our ways towards Petalburg. It's a long trek, but I'm willing to make it." Ernest said to Val, as he intently spectated the two boys staring each other down in an internally burning fire of competition.

(sorry for the short post, just had to get this off before these two start battling lol)

 

[Sukoku]

Filip grinned over Ernest's manners and proceeded to talk. "Hah, don't worry about that, I don't really mind it, I just want to make some friends," Filip said, "oh, hey! Sure, Russel and Kai, and hey, Val! How are you all doing?" Filip said, before backing up a bit and sitting down, pulling out some food out of his backpack and giving it to his Torchic.

Filip analyzed the people surrounding him, and the more he got to know about them, the more he was afraid of eventually letting them go. After some time, Filip took a deep breath in, looking at the two boys who were about to battle. A light turned on inside his mind, and he remembered about Ernest and Val, he didn't know if they were already friends, so, he decided to open his mouth and see if they could really be a formed couple.

"Are you all friends? Or is this the first time you have ever met?" Filip said, turning his head to Ernest. He didn't expect a good response, he knew that the moment was good, but the question just came suddenly into his mind, and it could also be a bit weird for Ernest.

 

[NDB]

Val moved to the side, getting out of the way of the impending battle. She put her Nav back on her hip. “Well, my research isn’t time sensitive so I can take my time.” She looked over at Filip, spotting the Torchic with him. It dawned on her that this was the same Torchic that was at Birch’s lab. “This is the first time I’ve met any of them,” Val responded to Filip’s question. “I’m just here for research and once it’s finished or Burnet needs me back, I’m heading back to Alola.”

 

[Sukoku]

"Oh, Alola? That's cool!" Filip said, smiling, "Oh, this is also the first time I meet them! I think that we can talk more when we meet again, if we do!" Filip said, laughing, "I'm just kidding. I came here because my dad and my mom are here to work, and I have to come with them because there is no one to take care of me, and I'm now training Pokémon because they don't have time to give me all I need, so they decided to let me go out so I can get money by myself and at least try to get something cool for my family," Filip said, looking up at Val and then back at his Torchic, petting it.

 

[Vaporeonn]

(ooc: sorry for the wait, didn't have wifi )
bic:

Kai got the first move? His Sucker Punch tactic wasn't going to work, then. That was fine, though. He had plenty more. "You ready, Komala?" he asked. The Komala replied by stomping with its log. Kai took a moment before giving out an order. Battling Pokemon was different than training on trees, and both him and Komala needed to be swift, percise, and in sync with each other. "Alright then." A cold breeze ruffled the grass.

"Komala, use Stomp! The way we practiced!" Kai shouted out. Komala raised its log and threw it down with mighty force. Using it as support, it managed to fling itself from the ground, and was sent flying towards the Ralts. Kai was still baffled with the speed his Pokemon could reach. All it took was a split it second, and Kai's Komala successfully landed the hit.

Of course, such a tactic wasn't without risk, as Komala was now far from its log. But, Kai counted on his Pokemon taking a hit before making it back.

 

[Red Gallade]

Russel watched Kai make his first move and Komala fly towards Ralts, he smirked with the right side of his mouth faintly showing his teeth. "Double Team, now!" Russel commanded, Arthur quickly began to create duplicates of himself in order to attempt and confuse Komala. Of course Russel knew Pokémon battles were more than exchanging moves, they were about dealing blows as soon as possible in hopes to gain the upper hand as well as using moves for other tactics than to attack.

"Now use Confusion." Russel said more nonchalantly than before. Arthur then began to emit an odd wave of energy from his forehead and directed it toward Komala in his attempt of a counterattack. He knew the battle shouldn't last long whether it be by a quick victory or brief demonstration of each other's strength, but he had to make a good first impression on Hoenn somehow.

 

[Salted_Apples]

Ernest nodded towards Filip, acknowledging the question from the boy, though after it was answered by Val he decided there was really no point in continuing talking. He kept his gaze locked on the battle, the graceful moves of the Pokemon almost like a hypnotic ballerina of violence. Either way, he then turned his head towards Filip and Val once again, preparing himself to speak a bit more about his own personality and origin.

"Anyways, I'm from around here. Born and raised in Littleroot, just following after my father and going on a journey - no hard business stuff, just family tradition, to be honest." Ernest said, before letting out Nathaniel as well, due to the fact that the boy figured the rambunctious little Lillipup has ample time to rest. It turned out that the cute fellow did, and immediately began playing with Sandshrew and a couple of the other wild Pokemon that littered the environmentally lush route.

"Well, I'd say that once this battle finished up we push on towards the next town over as a group. We could cover more ground, and I know my way around this general area of the region - so I could definitely see you all around, especially with Val and all them being from Alola. Also, Val is actually here on business, so I'm assuming it should be a priority for more serious intentions to be recognized." Ernest said in his typically practical nature.

"Anyways, how is Alola, anyways? Different than here, I'm assuming." Ernest asked Val in a seemingly off hand, polite nature; though the teenager really was curious.

 

[NDB]

“Alola is a lot more sunny and tropical,” Val stared off as she watched the battle unfold. “There’s four different main islands that make up the region, each with different geography and weather. We don’t have gyms in Alola. Rather, we have trials that test trainers’ strength and growth. Instead of badges, trainers receive Z-crystals which power up a Pokémon’s move. It’s a way to unleash a Pokémon’s highest potential and power.”

Val eyes wandered away from the battle and to the surrounding area. She noticed many different species of Pokémon, some that also made their home in Alola. She thought about maybe catching one to add to her team, but decided against at the moment as there was many more Pokémon that she had yet to see.

 

[Salted_Apples]

Ernest nodded, appreciative of the girls willingness to share information about herself and her background - clearly not exactly the shy type. What a social butterfly, maybe a part of the Alolan culture she was raised around? The boy wondered thoughtfully, as his gaze drifted between Val, the battle, and occasionally Filip. Really was interesting how this group of seemingly instantly compatible people happened to be congregated in such a happenstance manner. Maybe it was fate?

"Interesting. I vaguely remember learning of some of the geographical composure of Alola in school, but that was a while ago, inter - regional studies isn't exactly a main focus in education these days. Well, I see that you've come here on the terms of a more specific business, but do you really have any intention to take part in the more recreational activities? I'm sure it would be a pretty riveting experience, challenging the gyms and stuff, considering your background, of course." Ernest stated, continuing to drink in the almost profound beauty of the day. He lowered his voice, before adding towards Val: "Just kind of wishing this battle would get over with, probably got a long day ahead of us. I'm thinking of crashing in Petalburg or something later."

"Anyways, I might have mentioned this before, but, would you guys actually like to form a group?" He inquired while waiting for a response to the rest of the somewhat bomb of inquisitive information.

 

[Pjnm13]

As Pj woke up to see the beautiful sunrise of the Cinnabar Islands, he was thinking on the special day he had today. He would be leaving to the Hoenn region to visit his idol, who was Professor Birch in hopes of getting a starter pokemon. He prepared his bags and wore his favorite shirt and jeans with his jacket. His mom shouted "Pj you're gonna be late to the flight! Come down and eat some breakfast!"

Pj ate breakfast and said goodbye to his mom and sister, who told him to be safe and to have fun. As he got to the airplane, he thought about how much he wanted to start his journey, thinking on what pokemon he would get as a starter. As he saw through his airplane window all of Kanto, he told himself he would have fun on the journey, and that exciting adventures where waiting for him.

As the airplane landed, Pj called everyone in Kanto and said he had gotten safely, as he got off the plane. When he stepped outside the airplane he heard a loud shout from Professor Birch "Hey Pj! Welcome to Hoenn!" Pj and Professor Birch talked along the way to Littleroot Town about recent discoveries in Hoenn.

After stopping in the professor's house and eating a tasty lunch, the Professor gave Pj a tour around his lab when Professor Birch said to him "So which pokemon do you want?" And Pj saw a eevee running towards him and he said. "Does that pokemon have a trainer?" Professor Birch responded saying "No it doesn have a trainer, its usually is very shy to new trainers, maybe it senses something special in you" Pj told the Professor that he wanted to take this Eevee, that he knew it was his partner, and the Professor gladly gave Pj its pokeball and a pokedex, but Pj wanted to have the Eevee outside his pokeball and Eevee jumped into his shoulder happily. Pj said to the Professor that he was gonna get all of the Hoenn badges and be the champion, and Professor Birch said goodbye as Pj went fastly into Route 101.

Pj saw Hoenn's pokemon in his surroundings and said to himself "Wow this is so different to Kanto". Eevee suddenly started running, and Pj shouted "Eevee come back here! I cant run as fast as you!". Eevee suddenly stopped, Pj saw some travelers and he said "Im sorry if my Eevee here annoyed you, it just started running and it finally stopped. Sorry for not introducing myself but, im Pj from the Cinnabar Islands in Kanto!"

 

[Sukoku]

Filip heard the word "group" and instantly turned his head up to Ernest, he had never been in a group of kids, so he was really hyped, and he instantly got up, and the Torchic got up his head. "Oh, of course, I want to!" Filip said, "I know how to cook and I'm also good with communication, so you won't regret having me in your small group!" Filip said, already thinking of the many brave adventures they could have together, and how cool it would be to actually have a group of friends with him.

Filip looked up into the sky, then turning his head back to Ernest. "Well, we could start moving before the night, I don't like the night that much, it gives me some weird memories," Filip said. The Torchic sat down, and it started to poke its feet on Filip's head, turning its head down and falling from his head, letting out a scream, but Filip quickly caught it in the air, hugging it and then placing it back on his head, looking up at it. "Wow, that was close, uh?" Filip thought, grinning.

"Anyways, are you guys familiarized with Pokémon? I'm pretty good with them, and they are basically what I really like when it comes to hobbies, but some of them aren't really good to be kept as pets, like that red crocodile from Unova," Filip said, looking at Val and Ernest.

 

[Pjnm13]

Pj was talking to himself "Its the perfect time to make some friends from here! I could even travel with them! I better not mess up... lets bring up a topic". Eevee was looking at Pj, giving him a reassuring look. Then Pj started talking "Well I just got to Hoenn, and Eevee is my starter pokemon, my goal is to have a good journey with Eevee and friends and meet lots of pokemon! And im also hoping to collect all the badges and go to the pokemon league! I hope youll let me be with you guys, im good at technology but besides that I dont have lots of talents aside pokemon battles..."

 

[Vaporeonn]

(ooc So Sorry D: school started and I didn't have time to reply)
bic:

Kai frowned. He was tricked by a Double Team. It was a smart move, actually. He planned on writing it down somewhere, so the next time him and Russel fight (he hoped there would be one), he'd know what to expect. But for the time, the current battle was where his focus should be.
His Komala was hit with a Confusion, and was left dizzy, but Kai didn't worry that much. Komala resisted special attacks pretty well, and Ralts wasn't that powerful of a Pokemon – but Kai didn't want to rush and underestimate it, or Russel. The guy seemed to be clever enough to work with whatever Kai would throw at him.

Something felt odd, though, and the moment Komala started running back, Kai noticed what it was – its log was missing. Komala seemed just as confused as him, and the boy quickly looked around to see where it was. It wasn't on the battle field. Komala looked a bit distressed. Kai understood it, with the log being a gift from its parents. But... Where could it have been?

That's when he saw a small, black Pokemon chewing on something. Kai focused on it for a bit longer and ... Yes, it was Komala's log. "Wait!" Kai shouted out, signalizing for the battle to pause. He felt awkward, but it wasn't really a replaceable log. He thought it was important enough. "That Pokemon took Komala's log!" he pointed. After a shorter inspection, Kai concluded it was a Poochyena.

Kai ran as quickly as he could towards it, relying on the element of surprise, but the the Pokemon must've taken notice, and ran away, towards Oldale. "Arceus-" Kai choked out. He wasn't a runner. He couldn't lose track of the Poochyena, but Russel was waiting for the battle to continue back there... Kai decided to run back quickly, and explain everything.

"Russel!" Kai had his arms resting on his knees. He needed to catch his breath. "Can we continue this battle later? That log- It's important to Komala, and I can't let that Poochyena go that easily." He looked around, one of his eyes closed due to the sun shining in his eyes. That, paired with short breaths... He must've looked a mess. "I think it ran towards Oldale. If you don't mind, I need to chase after it before I lose track," he said. Then he remembered how they were all planning on going to Oldale as well – how convenient.

 

[Red Gallade]

Russel nodded, as an Alolan, he knew how important that log must be to Komala. "Mate, don't worry about the battle, and don't just stand there either! Your Pokémon needs it's prized log back and you're not gonna get it if you keep talking." Russel said. "If we go now, we'll have a better chance on catching up to it, plus me and my Pokémon here have dealt with a few 'scoundrels' in the past, this is no different." He added.

Arthur returned to Russel's side whilst Heather went over to comfort the Ralts, much to the latter's embarrassment. Russel looked over to the group and smiled. "Whoever's coming with us to Odale town, I'd say we go while it's still daylight." Russel recommended as he turned and slowly began to walk in said direction, he walked slow enough for people to catch up, as much as he wanted to introduce himself to anyone his didn't talk to already, it was better to talk as they walk, besides, a Pokémon is in need and that was always his number 1 priority.

 

[waluigipinball]

Saiorse had been trying, as usual, to keep herself out of sight- she didn't feel like inflicting her presence on any of the others and besides, they probably wouldn't even want to speak to her. There seemed to be some sort of... strange gathering going on, where many trainers who seemed to be just starting off were lingering in a group and conversing rather contently. Saiorse didn't particularly want to interrupt their conversations, though... she supposed she had to suck it up. In all honesty, despite having lived in Hoenn her whole life, Route 101 was a very unfamiliar place; her family were certainly not frequenters of the small Littleroot Town, often staying in their little holed-up corner of the region, Pacifidlog. A vacation for them would be travelling to Sootopolis for the day on her mother's Lapras.

So, she stepped forward, mainly to ask for directions. Her Mudkip, Snooch, who was following closely at Saiorse's ankles, had lead the way from where Lapras had dropped them off at the coast near Littleroot, but now, both of them were lost. "Um... hi..." murmured the girl in her quiet Irish voice, catching up to the Alolan boy who was beginning to walk- named Russel, though she didn't know that. "Do you... um, do you know the way t-t-to Oldale? I'm... uhh, lost..."

 

[Salted_Apples]

Ernest noticed the commotion, and naturally began to approach the group with the rest of his Pokemon. Pestov had always been an empathetic little Sandshrew, and so he immediately rolled over towards the Komala in an attempt to comfort them. Meanwhile, Ernest did feel bad for the Pokemon, but still saw the need to practically continue to Oldale before dusk. So, he jogged over to Russel, the now afternoon sun casting it's orange glow over the gaggle of young trainers. The boy caught up, before turning to Russel and asking: "So, are we finally gonna' head to Oldale? It seems that Poochyena took off in that direction, anyways. I'm happy to start heading off here, anyways - we gotta get there before night fall."

Ernest then began walking with Russel, taking in the seemingly mandatory beauty that was held by Hoenn - this region was certainly one of the most breathtaking products of mother natures, and he realized that all through out his childhood he barely had even noticed this. And so, the boy began metaphorically drinking in the beauty, reminiscing on the life that had led him up to this moment, this group, this journey.

(short post again xd)

 

[Vaporeonn]

(ooc: I hope this doesn't feel rushed I just wanted to move the story away from Route 101)
Bic

Kai ran as soon as he got the news to the rest of the group. He ran to the point where he last saw the Poochyena, and then chose a path he deemed the most logical for the Pokemon to take. So, he strayed away from the straight, clear path to Oldale, and continued on through the unevenly cut grass, while still keeping the road in his peripheral vision. Kai got a bad feeling of nervousness, felt it right in his stomach. But he couldn't lose hope now. He had to find that Poochyena. He held onto every sound he could hear. Grass ruffled. He ran quickly towards it to investigate and... Nope, just some Spearow. Kai cursed, and continued his search. He heard another noise, which sounded like a Pokemon's cry. Without a hint of hesitation, he ran towards that as well. It was a Poochyena, but it wasn't the one Kai was looking for – there was no log. But finding a Poochyena did spark up hope in the boy.

He was getting quite far from the rest of the group, and he could already see the entrance to Oldale. Kai sighed. The Poochyena couldn't have just disappeared. It had to be somewhere. Kai just didn't know where to look. He stopped moving for the first time and tried remembering the Poochyena. Visualising it would probably help in finding it, he hoped. He played the whole sequence again, and though he knew memory wasn't always reliable, it was still fresh. It had to have some validity.

It was a normal Poochyena, but Kai kept seeing a collar. A red one. He didn't know if it was actually on it, or if he made it up, but if what he remembered was true, then the Poochyena wasn't wild. It must live algonside humans. And, as Kai was near Oldale, it seemed like a good place to start. He felt bad for leaving the others so behind, but... He would be able to find them, at least.

Oldale was a small town, everyone knew everyone, just like in Littleroot, so asking around should've been easy. But Kai didn't know who to ask first. What if multiple people had a Poochyena, and he had to go ask each owner? He'd just bother them without reason. But, in the end, he had to at least try. So he settled for an old lady selling vegetables on the small market that was near the edge of the town.

"Excuse me?" he approached her, and he woman's head slowly turned towards him. "Uh," Kai bit his lip. "Are there any Poochyena from around here?" That was a dumb question, and Kai could see it on her face. Of course there were plenty of Poochyena – the Routes surrounding the town were full of them. He tried being more specific. "See, I'm looking for one, and uh, I think it has a red collar?"

At the mention of the collar, the woman's eyes lit up, and Kai couldn't help but smile. Finally, something. "There is one that fits that description," the woman started. "I think it wonders around the town a lot. If you look around, and ask some other people, I'm sure you will find it."
With a thank-you and a goodbye, Kai left the woman and proceeded with his search. He checked with a few other residents, and found out that the Poochyena was sort of a stray – it had a trainer, but they abandoned it. The Pokemon was around town sometimes, but usually kept to secluded places away from people. It was sad to hear, but that didn't mean Kai was just going to let the whole log-stealing thing go. He'd find it, and then take the log back.

After checking various roads, both huge and tiny, Kai finally got to the end of his search – he found the log, and the Poochyena that took it, in a slump between two houses. "There you are," Kai said, approaching the Poochyena carefully. He didn't want to scare it off again. It was too fast, and Kai didn't feel like chasing after it for the second time. The Pokemon kept the log behind it, and squealed with every step the boy made. He felt a bit sorry for scaring it. "I just want the log back, that'd all," he said, and tried to take the log. The Poochyena suddenly barked, and Kai flinched.

Then he thought of something. If he had the Poochyena trust him, maybe he'd get the log back. He wasn't sure if it was possible, since the townsfolk couldn't even approach it, but it was worth the shot. He kneeled down, and held his hand out. The Poochyena didn't seem convinced at first, but after staying still for a few moments, it cautiously walked over to Kai. After sniffing his hand, its tail started to wiggle, and Kai felt like he was on the right track. He slowly retracted his hand, and took something out of his backpack. Food, that he would feed Komala with. He wasn't sure if it worked on Poochyena as well, but after letting it have a sniff, he poured a bit on the ground and watched as the Pokemon devoured it. Kai smirked. "You're hungry," he stated, and then poured all of it out. He could always buy more.

While the Poochyena was eating, Kai successfully took the log away. It was heavy, but Kai thought he'd manage while he got out of Poochyena's sight. He got up, and walked out of the slump, but then the Poochyena started squealing again. Kai was confused. "Are you still hungry?" He asked, but that wasn't it. It just so happened that the Poochyena now felt attached to Kai, and wouldn't leave him alone as much as he tried to shrug it off. He sighed, then kneeled down again, petting the black Pokemon.

"I guess," Kai said, checking the red collar and seeing a name written on it. Laika. "You're not so bad, are you?" Maybe it was just lonely. Kai didn't know if he was allowed to take it with him, but it did seem like it needed company. Maybe Laika could tag along with him and Komala while he looked for a family to adopt it? It seemed like a good idea.

But for the time being, he had to find his way back to his new friends.

 

[Red Gallade]

Russel noticed Kai run off ahead in order to find the log thief, he didn't blame him in the slightest, if it made his Pokémon happy, he didn't care what happened... almost... "And I thought I was one who was all about helping Pokémon, that Kai bloke just legged it." He said before he heard his stomach rumble. "Oh great, well at least we're heading into Oldale so I might be able to get me and my Pokémon some grub." He added. As he walked, his two Pokémon walked side by side whilst they all looked around at the wild Pokémon running around or flying above them, to him, Pokémon were what brought out the best in this world so almost any place with Pokémon was beautiful to him.

 

[Sukoku]

Filip got up, walking up to Ernest. "Hey, can we like... go?" Filip said, looking up and noticing that it was getting darker, so he started to walk, getting past Ernest and getting himself into a small portion of trees, and he slowly got deeper into it, just before he saw something moving among the trees, just a few meters away from him, the silhouette was about the same size as his hand, but the animal had two big spikes on the back and one big spike on the forehead, and it looked like a small snake. "A snake?!?!" Filip exclaimed while trying to think of what it could be. "G-god!" He screamed, running out of it and walking back. "DON'T GET IN THAT!" Filip said, "There are snakes there, I'm not kidding!" he finished.

Filip's Torchic looked up at it, chirping and jumping down to his shoulder, then opening the backpack with its beak and grabbing the PokéDex, giving it to Filip, and Filip opened it, raising an eyebrow. The Torchic then pointed to the small group of trees with its beak, and Filip looked down at it, nodding and getting in it. Filip got deeper inside it, noticing another silhouette, pointing the PokéDex to it, and the PokéDex started to scan the Pokémon, and a flashlight turned on, and the Pokémon could be clearly seen. "Wait, it is just a worm?" Filip muttered, and the Torchic looked up, closing its eyes and chirping. The PokéDex then gave the full description of Wurmple, and Filip chuckled, getting out of the small group of trees and then putting his PokéDex back in his backpack, closing it. "It was just a worm, sorry," Filip said, still laughing.

 

[Pjnm13]

As Pj was rapidly walking towards Oldale Town, he saw lots of pokemon from all over the world, Eevee was a little hungry, since some hours had passed since Eevee ate, and Pj decided to make a stop to rest for a bit. His mom had packed him a oran berry salad, which he gladly gave to Eevee to eat. As Eevee ate, Pj have a close look to all the pokemon that surrounded him, he was thinking on all the pokemon he wanted to catch. After Pj took some photos of the pokemon, he decided to go moving to Oldale town, it was getting dark and he was hungry.