Ask to Join Pokémon: Role Play Thread

[IDKWhatUserNameToDo]

Kaden Miller - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel, Sinnoh
Burgh, that name was surprisingly familiar. Compared to most of the other gym leaders at least, though he didn't follow the Unovan bug type specialist for his gym leader related escapades. More so for his art and exhibitions.

"Oh Castelia city sounds quite intriguing. I know of Burgh as well, fan of his work. It would be amazing if I got the opportunity to meet him," Kaden said with a smile, but Etna nudged his hand some to get him to give her more scratches.

Lara Brook - 10th of June - Route 3, Galar
Lara moved her hand to scratch the Mudbray behind the ear which caused it to lean more into her hand and let out a happy, "Brayy," which made the reporter chuckle, "Aww, aren't you cute," she said in a giddy voice.

"Nicole are you seeing this?-" the red haired woman said turning around to look at the bird keeper, but then saw that the camera was pointed at her. She was a bit surprised and it showed by her cheeks turning a bit red since she was more used to being behind the camera rather than in front of it. She looked away and didn't say anything. After all Nicole was supposed to practice filming, so why should she say anything.

Gwen Tucker - 16th of June - Eterna Forest, Sinnoh
"Alright!" Gwen said with enthusiasm, but quickly turned to Naka and saw her working together with her pokemon to ensure that the Galactic grunt wouldn't escape.

"Whooa! That's so cool!" she said, bouncing up and down in place, her blue hair going up and down with her. She then calmed down some as Naka told her some tips in regards to this new pokemon she would get, "Hmm, well I don't have anything to worry about if that's the next evolution right?" Gwen said pursing her lips a bit to think. When Naka turned to Ron to ask about his name, the young trainer decided to chime in, "He didn't even tell me his name. So that's why I call him Mr. Punk," she explained, seeming to be proud of the nickname that she gave him.

 

[Ridge]

Rick
Tuesday, June 14th - Relic Castle, Unova

After a brief staring contest, Rick called for a Hydro Pump from Pearl. As she was charging up the water, however, the Onix darted at the dragon in a sudden burst of speed, forcing Pearl to cancel the attack to move out of the way. The giant rock pokémon slammed head first against the wall, causing debries to fall off. Pearl turned around to try again, but once again, she had to cancel it to avoid the rock-type's Dragonbreath.

"Damn, this thing is fast, even for an Onix." Rick commented. The rock snake then let out a roar as multiple loose rocks surrounded by a purple aura started floating around it, before they were hurled at Pearl. Most of these missed the dragon, but one of them was more than enough to knock Pearl out from the air. The Onix stared at the cloud of dust for a few moments. Then, a huge collumn of water blasted from the dust cloud, hitting the giant snake right below its neck, knocking it back. "Aha! Nice one!" Rick praised. Pearl raised out of the dust and back to the air.

After recovering from a direct hit from Hydro Pump, the Onix roared again as some more boulders around the room started being lift. But rather than firing towards Pearl as Rick was expecting, they simply vanished. Rick frowned, before calling out the next move. "Water Pulse!" A water sphere formed in front of Pearl's orb on her neck before being fired at the Onix, hitting it on its head and making it flinch a bit. The rock-type then opened its mouth wide and started firing boulders at Pearl. The dragon dodged the first no problem, but as she dodged the second one, she slammed against a floating rock that was invisible until she hit it. Stunned from the collision, she got hit by the third projectile.

Rick started gritting his teeth. "Damn, I hate Stealth Rocks..." He muttered, before looking over his shoulder for Zephir. "How are thing going there? I could use your help here for a bit." He told him. Zephir looked at Rick, before Iris nudged the grass-type. The grass-type nodded, then stoped the healing to step forward. "Alright! Bullet Seed! Get rid of those Stealth Rocks!" He commanded. Zephir leaped onto Rick's shoulder before he started sweeping the room with a barrage of round seeds. The Stealth Rocks flashed briefly as they got hit and destroyed. Rick grinned at the success, but Onix didn't seem so amused by the trainer's plan.

"Oh oh..."

The Onix raised its tail high above Rick before slaming it into the ground. Rick dodged out of the way, whereas Zephir leaped out of his shoulder in the opposite direction. Pearl sweeped by soon after, firing off an Ice Beam in an attempt to freeze the Onix's tail to the ground, however, the giant pokemon broke the ice with ease. Pearl then made another pass by to pick up both Rick and Zephir. "Alright! Helping Hand and Dragon Pulse!" Rick commanded. An aura moved from Zephir to Pearl's body, as the dragon-type pointed her horn at the Onix and fired a beam of draconic energy at the rock-type. The Onix responded with a Dragon Breath of its own. To much of Rick's surprise, the two moves clashed into what seemed to be a tie.

"Are you kidding me? Dragon Pulse is already stronger than Dragon Breath!" Rick angrily stated. Fortunately for the group, the tie would eventualy be broken, as the Onix got hit on the back by a Solar Beam. Without an opposing force stoping it, Pearl's Dragon Pulse also hit its target, causing the Onix to collapse. Rick tilted a little to see Iris standing with her horn pointed at the Onix. "How did you do that?" Rick asked, surprised that she had recovered so quickly. However, he wouldn't have much time to think about it, as the Onix recovered once again. Rick gritted his teeth, before he and his pokémon regrouped. Then, the Onix started gathering energy into his mouth. Rick frowned, as his pokémon took on fighting stances. "Alright, guys. We're going all out! Together, Leaf Storm, Solar Beam, and Hydro Pump!" Rick shouted.

The trio fired off their attacks, to which Onix responded with a Meteor Beam. Despite its empowered state, the combined attacks proved to be too much for the Meteor Beam to contend with. Slowly but surely, the three moves eventualy reached the Onix and exploded, causing the giant pokémon to collapse, and the aura that was surrounding its body to dissipate.

"Is it over?" Asked Chris from the headset. Rick stood there, staring at the fallen Onix, waiting for any reaction from the snake. "I think... yes. Nice work everyone!" He said, unwinding his posture and petting each of his pokémon. "Now... that room with the vases and such... it looked promising." He muttered, still trying to catch his breath. "Lets just hope we don't have to deal with another one of these." He added, as they walked back to the previous room and went through the ornated doorway.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers - 16th of June - Old Chateau, Eterna Forest, Sinnoh

Ron pressed his lips together and nodded, taking a look at Naka and then at Gwen, before he finally spoke up. "My name is Bob." he said in a calm tone, while trying to ignore the judgmental look his Espeon was giving a tree that was probably meant for him. "Now let's head over to the Pokemon Center, The last thing I want is the police asking us questions." In reality, he was in parole, so getting picked up by the cops was not a good idea.

On the way, Ron decided it was the best time to try and get answers from Naka, just to avoid having her turn out to be someone undercover. He just needed to ask question indirectly and Gwen was his key to unlocking those answers. "So, Gwen and Naka, why were you two in Eterna Forest? Unless you're a bug or psychic enthusiast, not much to do there. Probably why those grunts chose it as a hideout, besides the local gym leader, not many people pay attention to those woods."

 

[Godjacob]

Blue Point Isle, Whirl Islands, Johto (July 18 )​

Desmond blinked as one of the guys, someone who seemed to be spamming status effect moves, had the gull to sass him back as Desmond had been "informed" that others seemed as confused with this whole Chinchou mess as Desmond had been. Regardless, Politoed and Kricketune seemed to continue the fight; the signing working to relax the Chinchou a bit while the Water Gun would get their attention and allow Kricketune to focus on transferring its notes as needed.

A fog would suddenly appear, and out of this smoke Desmond observed and noted a familiar face who seemed to dash from it towards the town, and Desmond only had the energy to grown internally.

"Course Esther would be involved with this. It would've either been that or Reina, where the hell is Reina anyway!?"

 

[DarkHydraT]

Ezio Farello - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel, Sinnoh

"I should be able to get something going. Burgh is close friends with Lenora, and she essentially raised me when I was young. I'm sure that Burgh would be happy to help another artistic soul find their calling. Besides, maybe Nacrene itself is a way for you to get inspiration. After all, Burgh himself goes to Nacrene whenever he has art block, so it might even help you." Ezio said, offering to help Kaden. After all, it was the least he could do for informing him about past variations of Pokémon that live today.

------------

Nicole Newman - June 10th - Route 3, Galar

Nicole felt the corners of her mouth tug upwards as she recorded Lara playing with the Mudbray. Maybe there were some gentle Pokémon out there as well, as long as they had a calm environment. An active volcano probably wasn't the best place for a positive encounter with Pokémon.

"Cute." She simply stated, making sure the camera was working.

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Aldon...~

Aldon looked around as people casually began to walk away. Luckily for Aldon, his pokémon never took a center stage in the battle, so they didn't gain much attention from the chinchou so they didn't need immediate attention at the pokécenter. Though they could obviously use a nice rest.

Zippy rested on Skol's back, and the walked over to his trainer. Relatively unaware of the magnetite on his back.

"I guess we did a good job! Not bad if I say so myself. This chinchou didn't know what hit em" Aldon said before deciding to head to town as well.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 16
Location: Eterna Forest Outskirts, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Tochi the Parasect, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Brute Tooth the Barraskewda

Interactions: Gwen Tucker (IDKWhatUserNameToDo), Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

Her work with her Pokemon really looked that cool to the girl, didn't it? The outward excitement had Naka wondering if she should say 'thanks' or continue on as if it didn't even happen out of embarrassment. But then the whole thing with the Deino came up, so that's what she led with instead. However, it seemed that Gwen had misunderstood. Ah, oh well, Gwen will realize later that Deino also have a bit of a blind problem. Though, hearing how this mystery man hadn't said his name yet and she was forced to call him Mr. Punk had her chuckling. She watched the guy, wondering if he'd introduce himself. She narrowed her eyes at him though when he said it was Bob.

"No, it's not. I'll just call you Rocker Man until we get an actual name." She rolled her eyes, having caught the Espeon's look that... was a little off on the mark. Was his Espeon blind? She looked at her for a bit longer before catching "Bob's" eyes again as he spoke of not wanting to stay here. It wasn't uncommon for people to get out of the cop's way, but something about it just seemed off. His word choice was just odd. At least to Naka.

But she wasn't about to say anything. She'll just ask a question, once she gave "Bob" an answer to his. She smiled wide, her Pichu squeaking happily at the question. "Ahh, Eterna Forest. There's lots of things to learn about the place, like how it all works and how the ecosystem is like. I'm a researcher, so naturally I follow Pokemon around and learn about them. Whenever I can, I tag them and take blood samples, and maybe catch them if I want to learn about their movesets and how they differ from others of the same species in other regions. Their behaviors are similar, but there's enough of a difference for me to want to explore it. You only know the surface of what Eterna has to offer." She gave "Bob" a wagging finger, the light in her eyes practically sparkling from this interest of hers.

"There aren't just Bug- and Psychic-Types here. In fact, there are no Psychic-Types here. Just Bug, Normal, Grass, Ghost, and Dark-Types. I was mainly here to see the differences between the Gastly who roam around Eterna Forest at night and those from the Old Chateau, but my research was interrupted by the Galactic Grunt getting lost." She chuckled. "Oh, there's also a special mossy rock in Eterna Forest Eevee can train around to evolve into Leafeon. I'm studying as to why the rock does that, as the explanation I found wasn't sufficient enough."

This entire time, she kind of forgot the girl was right there, and talking with such big words probably led to the girl not understanding half of what she said. Naka just smiled at the girl, hoping to clear up any confusions before a question was asked. "Basically, I'm here to research about two things because my study is on the Gastly line and the explanation with how the Mossy Rock works wasn't good enough, so I'm looking into it. Or, was, at least." She then shrugged.

"Anyway, there's quite a bit here if you look hard enough, it's just not a nice place to be. You commonly just get lost or get picked on by a Misdreavus or a flock of Murkrow. It's dangerous in Eterna Forest. That's why people don't want to come in here. It's got spooky vibes and more often than not people come out winded or scared because they became the victim of a Ghost-Type attacking them." Getting done with explaining that, she waited for Gwen to explain why she was in the forest before moving on with her own question.

She then looked at "Bob", a smirk on her face. "So, Bob, if that's really your name, but I just don't buy it. I've never seen anyone be so adamant about avoiding the cops. You okay or something?" Her eyebrow was raised and the smile was a teasing one, but the tone she held was concern. She then shrugged and shook her head. "Ah, that was a bit of a pointed question, wasn't it? Don't bother with that, either. I'm not exactly keen on police anyway. They either don't do the thing they're supposed to or they do it too much and innocents get punished. Plus, they bribe way too easily." She said that as if she had experience with it before.

Again, she forgot Gwen was with them, and she gave Gwen another smile, but this time it didn't hold the same kindness as before. "And by that, I mean please follow the law and don't bribe police officers." She chuckled, though nervously.

 

[Godjacob]

Blue Point Isle, Whirl Islands, Johto (July 18 )​

Well, given the situation it seemed things began to calm down as some trainers had began to leave and others seemed to call off the battle. Desmond sighed a bit as the situation had gotten nuts, but he supposed he should be thankful it failed to escalate into anything that had been too concerning.

"Well, guess we should head back to Reina..." Desmond mused, given that the Chinchou had been dealt with as Kricketune turned to follow its partner back but Politoed seemed to linger by the edge of the lagoon. It had not been sure of what, but it seemed to sense something. Desmond had taken noticed and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, we're leaving. We can admire the other end of the lagoon." Desmond said to its partner.

 

[IDKWhatUserNameToDo]

Kaden Miller - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel, Sinnoh
"Well, thank you still. I think it would be an enriching experience to talk to someone like Burgh," Kaden said leaning back in the chair, "Perhaps I'll take a visit to Nacrene as well if I decide to make the voyage to Unova," he continued. Perhaps he should do some research on the contest scene over there.

Lara Brook - 10th of June - Route 3, Galar
The Mudbray seemed to be happy with the pets and scratches he was receiving, but began to nudge at Lara, as if it was looking for something with it sniffing her again. She laughed again some as the ground type distracted her mind from the fact that she was being filmed. Mudbray was smelling some treats in her pocket, but instead his muzzle hit something else in her pocket. Namely an empty pokeball.

"Oh-" was all that Lara had time to say before the donkey-like pokemon had been sucked into the pokeball. Confused on what happened she took out the pokeball from her pocket as it shook. Preparing for the Mudbray to just hop out of the pokeball she placed it on the ground. It shook a second time. Lara had a couple of empty pokeballs on her incase she found pokemon she was interested in catching or such despite her not really being a trainer, but she didn't expect it to happen like this.

Then the pokeball shook a third time.. and then a small 'Ping!' sound emitted from it to signify that the Mudbray had been successfully caught.

"Uh.. Nicole?" Lara said quite confused and looked over to the bird keeper as if to get confirmation that this really just happened.

Gwen Tucker - 16th of June - Eterna Forest, Sinnoh
Gwen waited for Naka to finish up her explanation on why she was in the forest with most of it flying over her head as 'Boring adult stuff' but did more or less understand what the older trainer said as she put it into simpler terms, "Ooooh,"

"I just came here to train or to catch a pokemon and then I spotted those bad guys and well the rest you know," Gwen said with a shrug, unsure why Ron wanted to know what she was doing in the forest. She thought he already knew, but oh well.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Ezio Farello - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel - Sinnoh

"That would be fun. Maybe you can learn something whilst you are in Unova?" Ezio said, before looking outside. "Looks like the weather is clearing up. I might be able to move onto Solacean Town now."
---------

Nicole Newman - June 10th - Route 3 - Galar

"I can't change reality, Lara. You caught that Pokémon and it is on tape." Nicole said, zooming the camera in on the Pokéball. "Can't say it is the most orthodox way of catching a Pokémon, but clearly it liked you enough to stick around. Got a nickname in mind?" The birdkeeper asked, looking at Lara.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers - 16th of June - Old Chateau, Eterna Forest, Sinnoh

"Oh right." Ron nodded towards Gwen, "I remember when I started my journey, got a few badges, good times. Right Luz?"

The Espeon was busy looking at Gwen, chirping with joy, probably forgot Ron was next to her, but she gave her reply.

"Alright, well I need to hang out with Gwen for a bit, I think we're going to fight the next gym? I mean she is, I'm her cheerleader I guess." Ron placed his hands in his pockets and looked at Naka, "I could use tips on how to handle thugs and stuff if you want to stick around."

As Ron spoke they reached the Pokemon Center, he stopped just outside of it and looked at Gwen. "Be right back."

Ron walked inside the Pokemon Center, but stopped to talk with the girl working at Gift Shop. Outside Luz remained, looking in Gwen's direction, missing her face by a few inches... Like 30. But she wagged her tail swiftly, like if waiting for a conversation to start.

 

[~Patriot~]

Montagne Khastil - Unranked - June 10th - Lumiose City, Kalos

As he stomped down Hibernal Avenue in the early morning darkness, Monty reflected on his conversation with Jacques. He'd never known the old man to have much knowledge about Pokemon training, but at the very least it seemed like he knew his way around a battle. Training and strategizing, Monty thought, and Types?

Ever since he was a kid Monty thought Pokemon battles were just about throwing out your strongest monster and letting it do its thing. Sure trainers called out commands, but Monty never understood why the Pokemon bothered to listen. After all, any given Pokemon would be stronger than any given human, and he'd seen plenty of Pokemon disobey their trainers orders anyways.

And what was that shit about Monty being the ungrateful one? I'm the one with the broken shoulder, the Kalosian brooded, and she's the one who sat on her ass while that Tyrouge attacked me! And yet, maybe there was a clue to Jacques' words in the Tyrouge's attack. It listened to that Unovan asshole, when it just as easily could've killed its trainer instead of him.

Monty reached the end of Hibernal and looked up at Hotel Richissime, replaying his encounter with the bloodied-up punk the night before. Short black hair, black hi-tops, and a black wristband, the criminal remembered. After he trained a bit with Oracle, he'd have to come back to the hotel and stake it out. There weren't many houses along the outer ring of Lumiose City, and the punk had been practically making a beeline for the shining monolith in front of him. Chances were high the kid was staying there, and Monty still had questions for him.

He made a left toward the Route 14 gate as his thoughts returned back to earlier events. Evelynne had scolded him for not naming Oracle, and Jacques got annoyed when Monty said "Absol" instead of her name. Was there some clue there? Sure, knowing a person's name makes you more familiar with them. Was it familiarity with their trainers that makes Pokemon listen to them?

Then there was what the Madame said when she first met Oracle and the Absol used her Pressure on her when she grabbed Monty's ear. "I'll let it slide this once, since it's just doing its job." So a Pokemon's job was to protect its trainer, then. He had to admit that, in a sense, the Tyrouge was protecting its trainer, too.

"So a trainer's job is to get familiar with their Pokemon, and the Pokemon's job is to protect their trainer," Monty concluded aloud as he reached the Route 14 gate. "I guess that makes sense." But how could he get more familiar with Oracle? Spending more time with her? Or was it more about getting her to trust him more?

That ship's sailed, Monty thought in resingation as he entered the gate. It was empty save for a blatantly napping security guard behind a desk, feet up and hat over his eyes. Maybe Oracle could've joined the battle at the brothel sooner, but she did still bail Monty out when a tiny pink death was staring him in the face. In return, he yelled at her and recalled her to her ball, and now he noticed that she hadn't even bothered to rematerialize herself. I guess Jacques was right, the criminal thought. I am ungrateful.

 

[Ridge]

Rick
Tuesday, June 14th - Relic Castle, Unova

"Damn, it sure is getting hot, here." Rick commented, wiping the sweat out of his brow as he walked down a long stairway. "Good. That means you're closer." Chris stated from the headset. Rick raised an eyebrow. "Easy to talk when you're sitting on a desk, isn't it?" He replied. Chris was heard laughing. "You know I'm constantly at the edge of my seat on these things. In fact it gets kinda stressful sometimes, not being able to help much besides information." The man stated.

After walking through a lenghty corridor, Rick entered a long, albeit slightly narrower room, with two rows of pillars leading to a big square stone lodged at the wall, with a few vases arround it. The figure of a Volcarona was engraved in that stone, and the tracing was releasing a bright light. Aside from Iris, that seemed to be the only other light source in the room, and yet it was the most well lit room they've come across. Looking up, there was a big black hole on the ceiling, and that was the darkest bit of the room. Overall though, Rick wasn't really satisfied with what he saw. "Welp! I guess this is it. But I don't see anything here that fits the description." He said, looking all around.

"Huh... do you think those hunters beat us at it?" Chris questioned. "Without us ever crossing each other? Nah. Someone who goes through all the trouble of seting traps to protect a rock should be too paranoid to just leave it on display for anyone to grab." Rick replied, before walking to the other side of the room. "Let's see. Certainly they wouldn't put vases here for nothing, right?" He muttered, peeking through each vase. Unfortunately, they had nothing but sand. Rick sighed. "Okay then, if I was over a thousand years old, where would I hide a rock." He muttered, rubbing his chin while staring at the engraving. He felt some heat protruding from the rock. He frowned and tilted his head, but wouldn't be given much time to think about it.

The brightness and temperature of the room suddenly increased as a white-hot Volcarona, with fiery and somewhat oversized wings, descended from the hole on the ceiling. Iris turned and started growling at it, while Pearl and Zephir each retreated to opposite corners of the room. Rick took a deep breath as he slowly turned to look over his shoulder, and his eyes narrowed at the amount of light the creature was producing. "This is what I was most afraid of." Rick stated, griting his teeth. The Volcarona let out a high pitch cry, then its body engulfed in flames before firing off a huge stream of flames in Rick's direction. Rick immediately dived for cover behind a pillar. While he avoided the flames, he still flinched from the heat "Tsk... and now what?" He muttered.

 

[Godjacob]

Blue Point Isle, Whirl Islands, Johto (July 18 )​

As his Politoed seemed to be lingering at the bank of his end of the lagoon, Desmond sighed. He decided to give a call to Reina before they set up, to least bring one of the group "heads" up to speed on current events.

He pulled out his Pokesketch and attempted to make a call to Reina, he had gotten some contacts on the ride over here as he figured they'd come in handy. Now he just had to wait for Reina to actually answer, this day had taken a wild turn and Desmond simply hoped that this had been the last of the weirdness.

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Aldon...~

Aldon stood there somewhat wondering on where to go next. What to do next. So far he had been traveling around. Occasionally stumbling across some interesting location. Occasionally meeting a person or two. But now was time to move, onward he went. A trusty Skol by his side, things could not go wrong.

He began making his way down the path. There wasn't too much out here to spot. He wondered if there were any fossils on the island. He spotted the politoad trainer. Using his razor sharp wit, he walked up to the lad, "Scuze me, there. You look like a native of this area. Have you by any chance spotted a fossil mon walking around? 'Bout yay big" Aldon said holding his hands out to display how big it was.

"It should have ran through this way" Aldon said. There was no fossil pokémon. Aldon wasn't following one, but he was kinda hoping the boy would know where one was. In truth, Aldon didn't even expect the boy to know, but he asked just in case the boy so happened to know a nearby area with fossils on the island. Feeling rather confident in his brilliant fossil finding strategy, he gave a friendly smile and a wave.

 

[~Patriot~]

Montagne Khastil - Unranked - June 10th - Route 14, Kalos

The early morning twilight crept through the tall trees of Route 14's swamp, illuminating the path ahead of Monty in all of its muddy, waterlogged glory. A large playground stood to the right of the path, stubbornly persisting in the face of what should have been a fate of rusted dilapidation, and Monty took a seat on one of the many benches lining it as he retrieved Oracle's Luxury Ball from his peacoat pocket.

He couldn't help thinking back to just the other night, when the Absol escaped the warehouse only to miraculously appear back in front of him as he sat dejected on a Route 5 bench. He'd made a promise to her that they'd face strong opponents if she came with him, but the single battle they got in ended with him scolding her for not acting fast enough.

Monty expanded the Ball from its dormant state before pressing the center button, intending to release Oracle and apologize. The Absol apparently had no intention of hearing his apology, as there was no response from the Ball. "Huh?" Monty muttered as he pressed the button a couple more times, still to no response.

"What, are you in their pouting?" Monty exclaimed in disbelief. "That's..." Annoying. "...probably warranted." The criminal set the Ball next to him on the bench and crossed his arms, sinking a little further into the rubber-coated metal. The criminal wasn't used to being ignored, and as he searched for words he grew increasingly irritated. "Listen, I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier. I was just-"

'KILL HIM! MACH PUNCH!'
IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!

"-a little shaken up. I shouldn't have taken it out on you." Monty eyed the Luxury Ball as though waiting for some sort of acknowledgement, but it sat unmoving on the bench. The criminal huffed in annoyance, and a few moments of silence passed before he threw his hands up in exasperation and exclaimed, "You probably can't even hear me in there. Fuck this apology shit! Cormier's so far up his ass, 'Throwing me to the Yena', yeah he threw me to the fucking Mightyena alright!"

Monty abruptly stood up and began pacing back and forth in front of the bench, ranting and raving to nobody. Oracle's Luxury Ball remained unwavering. "He doesn't know the first thing about being a fucking trainer, and he wants me to be one? I don't want to do this shit!"

Trainers were weaklings. They relied on their Pokemon because they had no strength of their own, and all Monty ever had to rely on was his strength. It was his pride, and he'd gotten through life by using it brazenly to take what he needed, whatever the hell that may have been. The encounter with the Tyrouge wasn't the only time that pride had been trampled, though, and his mind raced back to the raid on the warehouse, and to that night in the prison that was the source of his constant nightmares.

The criminal ran a hand through his hair as he paced, and he continued his rant with, "All these kids grow up inflated with tales of strong trainers and strong Pokemon...I didn't get that shit! I got, 'Monty stand on the corner and watch for pigs, Monty keep watch at the Estival warehouse tonight, Monty the coffee shop off Hibernal didn't pay protection this month go rough him up.' And Cormier wants me to be his little trainer?! Fuck that!"

The criminal kicked the bench out of frustration and dropped back down onto it, breath heavy from his rant. "Who does he think he is?!" Monty demanded. Since he was a kid he'd been following orders, and all it ever got him was into fights he won and some he lost badly. Nonetheless the orders always made sense to him. After all, Cormier was the boss. The older he got though, and especially since he'd gone to prison the first time, following the orders started making less sense.

Now here he was, practically fresh out of prison after serving the max sentence because he held his tongue during his interrogations, and how did Cormier reward his loyalty? With a goddamn Sisyphysian task! "This is such bullshit." Monty muttered aloud as he sulked. He looked back over to the Luxury Ball and picked it up, resigning himself to a final attempt to smooth things over with Oracle.

"Listen, I don't really want to do this, and I'm sure you don't either. You're probably a long way from home, and I haven't been accomodating in the slightest. But I need you, and if I don't get your help getting this Gym Badge I'm gonna wish I was far away from home, too." The Ball shook slightly, and Monty perked up at the movement. "I'm sorry I've been a shit trainer. We're both in a shitty situation, but if we get this badge, I might be able to get you back to wherever you came from, and we can both forget any of this ever happened. So let's start over."

Monty pressed the button again, and in a flash of white light Oracle materialized in front of him. Her bright red eyes were still fixed in a glare, and she turned her nose up at him with a huff. It's a step in the right direction, I guess, the criminal thought. So how do I start over with her?

"I know you liked the name Oracle, but I guess I never really told you mine." Monty leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I'm Montagne Khastil, but the guys all call me Monty. My family's called the Old Guard, and I need to earn a Gym Badge for my boss. Apparently it's going to be tough, and we'll have to face strong opponents along the way. I...I can't do it myself. I need a partner. Will you help me?"

After a small eternity, Oracle turned back towards him and dropped her venomous glare. She blinked slowly, and yawned as she scratched at the muddy path.

"I'll take that as a yes."

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 16
Location: Eterna City, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Tochi the Parasect, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Brute Tooth the Barraskewda

Interactions: Gwen Tucker (IDKWhatUserNameToDo), Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

Naka chuckled at Gwen's reason for being here. Huh, she couldn't have figured that by looking. Totally.

It was when Ron blew past everything she said that made her realize he was running from the law. Or at least not wanting to get into anymore trouble. She looked at his ankles, wondering if he was on parole. Mainly to determine if he was a criminal on the run, or if he was just trying to be extra cautious. If he was on parole, she could figure out from where. She'd just have to take a picture of him and see if he turns up on any news headlines by doing an image search. She looked at her Poketch, swiping through until there was the camera app. The camera lens - tiny as it was on a watch - opened up at the top and she waited for the right to take a picture.

Apparently they were going to the next gym? She raised an eyebrow, chuckling. "Okay, Bob. Sure, I can stick around. Poachers are all that I deal with nowadays, so the safety of people and Pokemon are my priorities, especially since I'm running around all of Sinnoh like some roaming rover doing my research for the prof."

It was when Ron said he'd be right back and walked into the Pokemon Center, talking to a girl at the Gift Shop. Raising an eyebrow, she waited for him to come back, where she would snap a photo with her Poketch, upload it to her smartphone, and then swipe it away before he could see that she took a photo of him.

She noticed the Espeon looking off in the distance, but was nearby Gwen. She chuckled, sighing sadly. "Aww. Poor thing is blind. I was wondering why she seemed to face the wrong way. Bet her ears are extremely sensitive now." She looked up at Gwen, smiling. "Pretty sure she wants to get your attention." She chuckled, waiting for the right chance to take that picture once he started coming back. She then mused to herself, wondering if she'll be needed if there was a greater issue with those Team Galactic grunts. "Hmm... Should probably get Hanu and Orochi... Put away Tochi and Brute Tooth for now..."

Her Pichu sat perched atop her head, feeling worried that her trainer was bothered about something. Meanwhile, Yuki went up to the window and began looking herself over in what little of the reflection she could get from the Professor Center's window, which probably looked comical to the people inside, seeing a Froslass preen herself staring at seemingly nothing.

 

[~Patriot~]

Montagne Khastil - Unranked - June 10th - Route 14, Kalos

Monty's boots squelched through Route 14's muddy path as he and Oracle searched for a wild Pokemon to battle. Phone in hand, the criminal searched for the kinds of Pokemon native to the Route, but after cross-referencing the list with a Type matchup chart he found that most of their likely encounters would be super-effective against his partner.

Maybe Route 5 would've been a better choice, the criminal thought, but they were already here; might as well see how it goes. He found a handy little app that could recognize moves by pointing the camera at a Pokemon while it battled, so he wanted to at least see what Oracle knew before they turned back.

A rustling from some nearby bushes dragged Monty's attention away from his phone, and he turned to face the disturbance as Oracle's fur began to bristle and her red eyes snapped wide open. A pair of vines snaked out from the underbrush, and a yellow bell-shaped Pokemon revealed itself. A sickly-sweet smell permeated the air as it approached, and Monty could see a purple liquid dripping from its wide mouth.

"Show me what you can do, Oracle," Monty said, quickly navigating to the MovCheckr app. The bell-Pokemon slapped the ground with its vines, and the fur along Oracle's spine stood on end as her back rounded and her claws fully extended. She let out a low growl, the first time Monty'd heard her make any noise, and when he pointed the camera at her the app reported a move: << Taunt >>.

The bell-Pokemon's eyes began to glow a dim-red, and it let out a strange cry before charging at Oracle. Its vines raised up and lashed out, and the app reported a << Vine Whip >>.

"Attack! Use that move from the Tyrouge fight!" Monty commanded, but Oracle didn't seem to listen. Instead of her horn glowing the same pink as it had earlier, her legs began to glow with a faint white light. In a blur of fur, she dashed past the bell-Pokemon, zig-zagging between the Vine Whips and placing herself right behind her opponent. Then her horn glowed with that pink light, and just as the bell-Pokemon turned to face her she crashed into it horn-first. The app reported a << Quick Attack >> and a << Zen Headbutt >>.

The bell-Pokemon flew backward with a cry, right toward Monty, and the criminal cursed and jumped out of the way of the incoming yellow projectile. It landed in front of him, but before it could haul itself back up a flash of black light caught Monty's eye. He looked over at Oracle and glimpsed a black light crackling around her legs, and in an instant she was a black flash which slammed into the bell-Pokemon, flinging it off the path.

That's the move she used in the warehouse, Monty recognized, and the app reported a << Sucker Punch >>.

The bell-Pokemon's vines retracted and it unsteadily lifted itself up from the rain-soaked grass. Monty had no way of knowing how much damage Oracle had managed to inflict, but it was already moving slower than it had at the start of the encounter. Should she keep up the attack, he wondered as the two Pokemon sized each other up, or should she wait for it to make the next move and counter?

The bell-Pokemon took the initiative as the leaves on its sides curled inward in tandem with its mouth puckering, and a spray of foul-looking purple ooze was shot toward Oracle; << Acid >>. "Dodge that!" Monty called, but his partner was one step ahead of him. Her eyes glowed a bright white, and just before the poisonous attack hit she stepped just out of its reach; << Detect >>.

The Acid hit the path and kicked up mud, covering Oracle with brown flecks. The Absol jumped at the contact and hissed, and Monty called out, "Oracle, counter or...something!" She ignored the command, however, and began shaking out her coat in an apparant attempt to rid herself of the intrusive grime. She didn't just ignore her trainer but her opponent, too, and the Pokemon took its chance to attack again.

A flurry of green tendrils shot out toward Oracle before Monty could call a warning, and her eyes glowed white with Detect again as her head snapped to the attack. Instead of side-stepping the attack this time the vines landed a direct hit, wrapping themselves around her and constricting whatever limbs they grabbed; << Wrap >>. Oracle was winning by doing her own thing, but her momentary distraction flipped the table.

She thrashed against the attack to no avail, and the bell-Pokemon twisted its body and slammed her down into the mud. Oracle cried out and her horn glowed with the pink of Zen Headbutt, and she sliced the vine wrapped around her head as she struggled against the constriction to rise back to her feet. The vines wrapped around her were pulled taught, and even though she'd managed to cut one it was clear she'd take at least as much damage as she'd already inflicted before she freed herself.

Shit, what do I do? Monty thought frantically. With his still-busted shoulder, Monty couldn't risk rushing in himself to try and free his partner. The criminal wracked his brain for a solution as Oracle continued to struggle, and a fight from a few years ago came to mind. He was up against some lanky bar owner with freakish grip strength, with a bar towel wrapped around the back of his neck as his opponent tried to pull him into punch range. Instead of trying to pull back against him, Monty took a quick step forward and headbutted the barkeep, bypassing his punch range entirely.

That's it, Monty realized, and he called out to Oracle, "Stop pulling back! Get in close and attack!" The Absol glanced his way and returned her glare to her opponent, still struggling against the Wrap. All of her mud-coated fur began to stand on end, and the vines sagged slightly against the Pressure. The black light of Sucker Punch began to crackle around her entire body, focusing in her feet and horn, and she shifted her weight forward before springing to her opponent.

The distance was closed in a flash, and Oracle thrust her horn into her opponent as it cried out in a clear mix of surprise and pain. It fell to the ground and the vines constricting Oracle went limp and retracted back into the bell-Pokemon, and she loomed over her opponent with a sinister look in her eye.

The early-morning light glinted off her horn, outligning the razor-sharp edge, and to Monty it looked like a guillotine's blade hovering over the neck of a tyrant. Before she could bring it down, however, the bell-Pokemon's mouth puckered again. "Watch out!" Monty called, and a cloud of yellowish spores POOFed out of the bell-Pokemon's mouth; << Stun Spore >>.

Oracle's muscles seemed to freeze up at the spores' contact, and the bell-Pokemon used the chance to shoot a pair of vines up into the trees, lifting itself up and retreating back into the forest. The Absol's muscles relaxed again and she glared into the treeline, watching for a moment before turning back to Monty with a superior look in her red eyes.

"Looks like you won," Monty said, crossing over to his partner and crouching down. Oracle examined her muddy coat in disgust, and shook out to the chagrin of her now-muddy trainer as he exclaimed, "Watch it, this is a ¥500 coat you know! It's not my fault you got distracted and got thrown in the mud!" Oracle pointedly disagreed, and she fixed her glare on him and exerted her Pressure to say that it was his fault she was dirty.

Through gritted teeth Monty said, "I'll take you to a groomer or something after the Pokemon Center, alright?" The suggestion seemed to placate his vain partner, and Oracle turned her nose up and lifted her Pressure. "I guess I owe you that much after that," the criminal said, and the Absol nodded her head in agreement.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers - 16th of June - Old Chateau, Eterna City, Sinnoh

Ron finally finished talking to the girl at the gift shop and walked out, giving a quick smirk at the Froslass before turning his attention to Gwen. "Here."

He handed over to her a Dusk Ball with a small black ribbon around it. Inside the Deino was curled up and sleeping. Even Luz was curious, trying to "see" what was inside the Pokeball, or at least sense it.

"It's all yours now, it will be a big challenge to train it, but if it grows up to be like its mother, you're gonna to have a really strong partner with you. Once I figure out where the mom is, we can try and visit her, just so she knows her offspring is doing well." Finally, Ron turned towards Naka, "Let's help Gwen get ready for her gym match and then we can talk about hunting down poachers, they might be linked to Team Rocket or Galactic, I wouldn't mind helping out, just to make sure trainers like Gwen don't get caught in their mess anymore." In reality, he saw an opportunity to hunt down any leads for Team Rocket and having a strong ally would help out a lot.

July 18, Monday - Blue Point Isle, Johto. Reina, current rank, 35,219.

"Desmundo! Hey!" Reina answered the call joyfully, sipping from her soda and sighing loudly, "Did you see the fireworks? They looked like thunder from over here, it was really amazing. I hope you saw them, anyways you coming back? People have scattered and I'm sure the show will start soon."

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 16
Location: Eterna City, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Tochi the Parasect, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Brute Tooth the Barraskewda

Interactions: Gwen Tucker (IDKWhatUserNameToDo), Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

When Ron came back, she snapped a clear photo of his face exiting the Pokemon Center, quickly pulling her watch up to send the picture to her phone. Closing her watch to the clock, she then went to her phone to search up Ron's picture, reverse image searching for any news outlets.

She found something in Galar.

Ron Towers... Helped a wanted criminal escape.

But given what he's doing with the Galactic Grunts, if his story was to be believed (and she trusted Gwen's word over Ron's), then Ron likely had a scandal and this headline didn't show everything that happened.

At least, that made sense.

She looked back up as Ron spoke to her. She nodded, smiling. "Of course. I'm a bit miffed that Galactic and Rocket are back at it again. I'll have to change up my team for that. I'll see you in a moment. I need to call the prof and tell him I'll need someone to take over my shift in Eterna Forest. This is far more important than what differences of Gastly there are between the Old Chateau and the forest." She hurried into the Pokemon Center, going to the PC and swapping out her Barraskewda and Parasect for her Infernape and Zweilous. She then called the professor, apologizing yet telling him that there's an issue regarding Team Galactic's and Rocket's possible resurgence and she was tasked to aid in dealing with them. As she walked back towards the entrance, she got the 'go ahead' and got someone to cover for her, sending him the information she gathered and all the tagged Pokemon she had before leaving the Pokemon Center.

"Alright, let's hope your Pokemon know a move that's good against Grass, kiddo. Otherwise, you'll have a bit of a hard time." She said, feeling almost free yet burdened with this responsibility of these damned crime syndicates again.

 

[~Patriot~]

Montagne Khastil - Unranked - June 10th - Lumiose City, Kalos

The North Pokemon Center, Monty thought as he looked up at the gleaming red building, its massive Poke Ball logo a beacon to passersby of the Pokemon trainer's safehaven. There weren't many trainers around since it was still early in the morning, which was perfectly fine with him. It was bad enough he had to go there in the first place, he preferred not to associate with other trainers at all.

The Center was just as shiny on the inside as it was outside, and Monty surveyed the room to see a sitting area on one wall, a row of computers across from it, and a Nurse Joy station toward the back between a shop and changing area. Who goes to a Pokemon Center to try on clothes? The criminal thought incredulously as he approached the counter.

"Good morning!" Nurse Joy greeted him with an attitude befitting her name. "How can we help you today?"

"I just need my Pokemon healed," Monty replied, Oracle's Luxury Ball in hand. "Am I supposed to release her or...?"

"We ask that you do," Nurse Joy answered. "Is it your first time here, sir?"

"It is. I only caught my partner a couple days ago." Monty released Oracle in all of her mud-spattered glory, and the look of disgust on her face seemed to be a permanent fixture from the battle with the bell-Pokemon. "We had our first battle a little while ago." It wouldn't do any good to mention the Tyrouge battle.

"I see," Nurse Joy commented as she looked at Oracle. "An early morning battle, how fun! We'll need to get you cleaned off, sweetheart," she continued, "Then we'll fix up any damage. Nurse Audino!"

A rotund pink Pokemon in a uniform matching Nurse Joy's appeared in the doorway behind the counter, and Nurse Joy asked her to escort their friend Absol to a bathing station. The Audino gave a cheerful affirmation, and Monty nodded to Oracle to follow through the doorway. She eagerly followed, clearly ready to be clean after the hellish experience of being dirty for an agonizing twenty minutes.

"You'll need to fill out this form sir," Nurse Joy said, sliding him a piece of paper covered in boxes to be checked. A quick run through of the questions and the Nurse determined that Oracle's damage wouldn't be anything to worry about, but they'd have to treat her for paralysis from the (as she informed him) Weepinbell's Stun Spore.

"Since you're a new trainer, I assume you don't have a Trainer ID yet?" Nurse Joy asked pleasantly. Monty nodded a no, and the pink-haired nurse continued, "We'll heal any Pokemon here at the Center, but all new trainers are strongly encouraged to register with the Pokemon League and World Coronation Series. That way you'll have access to Gym Battles and you'll be able to rank up against other trainers." The Nurse closed her eyes and mused, "How fun to be able to start your journey after so long without a Pokemon of your own. A lot of people start as kids and stop training seriously by the time they're your age!"

Monty furrowed his brow at the comment. Is she making fun of me? Who cares when I start? "I'm really just here to get my partner healed," he replied in a short tone. The Nurse donned an apologetic expression and stammered, "O-Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. I just meant that it's nice that anyone can start their journey whenever they want. If you do wish to register, the computers on the left are already set up for it. Please excuse me."

Nurse Joy's face was almost as pink as her hair as she hurried to the back, satisfying Monty's urge to get back at her for the dig. Whenever they want, huh? The criminal thought as he crossed the room to the computers. She was wrong about that, too.

Monty navigated to the registration terminal, figuring that he may as well register while he was here if he'd need a Trainer ID to get a Gym Badge. He opted not to register for the World Coronation Series, though. From what he'd heard about it, it would draw too much attention to his day to day...activities and associates.

Oracle's treatment finished by the time his ID printed, and Nurse Joy called him back up to the counter to retrieve her. It may not have been a session at a five star groomer, but her coat was grime-free and brushed out.

"A few notes about-" She checked the patient sheet. "-Oracle here. She's underweight for her age, if you look here-" Nurse Joy pointed to the Absol's midsection. "-her ribs are clearly visible through her coat. Absol her age, we think she's about two years old, shouldn't have visible ribs. They're supposed to pack on a little weight to fuel their horn growth. Speaking of which-" She gestured to the jet-black scythe. "Her horn growth is within acceptable parameters, but its a little on the low side. She'll need a more iron rich diet, and judging by her weight she didn't get much meat in the wild."

"Where did you catch her?" The Nurse asked. "If the Absol in Kalos are underfeeding we'll need to let the Professor know and have someone sent to do a survey." Monty kept a poker face at the question, but he blanked on an answer. He caught her a street over, he didn't have the foggiest clue where she came from before that.

"I-uh...caught her outside Coumarine City. Some friends and I were visiting for the night when we met." It was a safe lie, practically the truth.

"I see..." Nurse Joy responded, deep in thought. "That explains it, you were a long way from home then!" She petted Oracle's head a couple times before opening the counter door. "Usually they're found up in the mountains, it's not surprising she was underfed. She was probably having a tough time hunting on the shores," she explained as Oracle joined her trainer.

"That makes sense," Monty said, feeding into the Nurse's innocent impression. "Anyway, thanks for fixing her up."

"Of course, thank you for bringing her in!" Nurse Joy beamed. "Please see us again!" Nurse Audino chimed in at her side, and Monty and Oracle stepped back out onto the Northern Boulevard.

 

[Godjacob]

Blue Point Isle, Whirl Islands, Johto (July 18 )​

"Did I see th...I was part of them! My Pokemon guilt-tripped me into lending a hand, battled with a bunch of trainers including Esther to control the situation. Where were you is my question!?" Desmond mused, his voice raised in a rare display of open frustration as he heard the oh so casual delivery of Reina who just seemed to enjoy the show from afar while he nearly had a panic attack at ground zero. However, he had quickly taken a deep breathe and calmed himself as he prepared to respond to Reina's question.

"Well, Esther..." Desmond had began to say, before a tug on his pants from his Kricketune noted him to someone who approached him. If he had not been mistaken, one of the trainers who aided in the chaos at this side of the lagoon who spammed status moves.

"...fossil man, wait. We just talked to each other. Do you seriously forget who I was?" Desmond asked, before he sighed. "Sorry juggling conversations, I'll call you in a minute." Desmond explained as he hung up on Reina to focus on Aldon.

"I am no native sadly. Nor have I seen any "fossil" mon around here." Desmond explained, though Politoed seemed to hop into the conversation and bounced, perhaps it had seen something Desmond missed while on his call?

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Aldon...~

"Huh...? Oh yeah! I remember you, now! You were that guy asking a bunch of questions. Stuff like, what's going on here?" Aldon said. Desmond didn't ask a bunch of questions, but in the back of Aldon's mind, it felt like a bunch of questions.

"We sure showed those pokémon, back there! Those poliwa- I mean, chinchou. Those chinchou didn't know what hit them! Partially due to the confused state of them of course. You did pretty good too" Aldon said.

"None? Not even a lil kabuto running around...? Oh well, worth a try. Cool hoppy buddy by the way" Aldon said pointing his pokédex at the politoad.

"Politoed! The frog pokémon! They gather on moonlit nights to form a large chorus! Their cries sound angry and not at all pleasant, but they are certainly distinctive!" The Pokédex stated

"Neat" Aldon said putting his dex away. He then patted Skol on the back, who seemed rather pleased with himself at the moment. Casually moving around a pebble with his psychic powers.

 

[~Patriot~]

Jean-Leu Cormier - June 10th - Lumiose City, Kalos

It was no Prism Tower view, but Jean-Leu's breath was taken away each and every morning when he watched the sun rise over Lumiose City's monolithic walls through his penthouse windows. The reflection of light off the innumerable rows of windows would dazzle any man, but when the head of the Old Guard witnessed the gleaming display he was more than dazzled; infatuated was the better term.

Lumiose was his city after all, and what man wouldn't be infatuated with a domain as marvelous as his? The most populous city in the world, a center of art, culture, and commerce, and all of it under his rule. Or at least, it should be.

Jean-Leu was a king with no throne, a commander with hardly an army behind him, and a word none but his own soldiers followed. By his birthrite, the last of the long Cormier bloodline, Lumiose should be his. Instead the Old Guard had been in hiding for ten years, reduced from their former glory as the Cormier Dynasty to rats picking at the scraps left behind by their competitors, and for ten years Jean-Leu seethed with rage and schemed toward the moment he'd be able to unleash it.

The lanky man turned from the window and crossed through his living room to the office, throwing open the door to reveal a cluttered workspace; a haphazard amalgamation of documents, maps, and photos that would propel the Guard back to the top of the food chain.

Jean-Leu was nothing if not a patient man, and every scrap of paper in the towering stacks would contribute to the plan he'd crafted for the better part of the last decade. Phase One was already in motion, thanks to Wabash's shipment the other night. It was a smart move to keep the geezer on the payroll when things went ass-up, even if he wasn't the most reliable.

The shipment was enough to secure Pokemon for most of the Guard's beaux voyous, a crucial first step toward regaining their strength. After all, an army without weapons was just a bunch of idiots shouting, and the cochons in blue proved time and time again that the Guard needed Pokemon to become an proper army.

Jean-Leu swiped a half-empty pack of cigarettes from the top of one stack of papers, nearly toppling the tower as he did, and tapped the bottom twice before pulling one out. One FLICK of a lighter later and the room slowly filled with smoke, and the smoker in question savored each puff as he mulled over his plans for the day.

A proper army would need rank-and-file, sure, a problem solved by Wabash's shipment. But it would need enforcers, too, lieutenants who could handle real threats when they emerged instead of keeping cops busy. His prime candidate was already chosen, but in the two days since Jean-Leu wondered if he'd chosen properly. The bastard had always been a useful idiot, but since he'd gotten out of prison it seemed like he lost his edge. Actually, "lost his edge" was far from it; "lost his fear of him" was more like it.

He had always followed orders without question, but when faced with the order to secure a Gym Badge he piped up for the first time. Jean-Leu exhaled sharply at the thought, nearly blowing his cigarette from between his lips with the force. He was dragging his feet, too, not even bothering to test out the Pokemon he'd so graciously allowed him first pick of from Wabash's shipment.

Still, the bastard was the best choice. He was still young enough that it wouldn't be unusual for him to suddenly take up Pokemon training, which would keep any alarm bells from going off with enemy informants in the Pokemon League. The Gyms would be the best way for Khastil to acquire strength quickly, instead of throwing his Pokemon against the nigh-endless hordes of wild Pokemon outside the walls like the other beaux voyous would have to.

One month would be more than enough time for the bastard to muster enough strength to challenge his first gym, and the others would fall like dominoes after the first. Jean-Leu was almost thankful that stupid girl in the brothel got pregnant all those years ago; her mistake would be the key to his victory.

The king took the final puff of his cigarette and cast the butt into an ashtray, replacing its spot in his hand with his cellphone. He may as well check in with Khastil, maybe give him some words of...encouragement.

RingRing...RingRing...RingRing

"Morning Mr. Cormier."
"Montagne, my boy! How goes the training?... ... ...What do you mean you're at the groomer?"

 

[Hecotoro]

July 18, Monday - Blue Point Isle, Johto. Reina, current rank, 35,219.

Reina raised an eyebrow at the weird reaction she got from Desmond. It seemed he and Esther had helped with the fireworks somehow? What an experience, wish she would've been there. Now it meant she had to wait for both Desmond and Esther to return, which she hoped wouldn't be long, since the light show seemed about to begin. Looking around at all the photographers getting ready, gave Reina the idea to record it and send it to her family back home.

"Diva, get in the view!" Reina aimed her Rotom Phone at the lake, while Diva jumped into the shot, twirling and dancing. "Any minute the Chinchou should start, right?"

 

[Quantum Lila]

July 18, Monday - Blue Point Isle, Johto, Eveline

A lot had happened in a short amount of time, but all that Eveline knew was that she had to get out of there fast, along with her Pokémon. It seemed that Esther had gotten whatever was in trouble over there out of trouble, and so she quickly returned all of her Pokémon to their balls, Revengeance being put away just as he was going to make his first strike on one of the Chinchou. Seeing Esther run away so quickly, Eveline groaned as she broke into a sprint after her again, grumbling about her feet getting sore the entire way back. Eventually she would catch up with the impromptu guest to the fight that was Desmond, panting heavily before looking up at Reina. And who was this? She looked a bit familiar, but it was probably just her brain being frazzled from a lack of breath. Her aviators were falling off slightly, her left eye looking up at them. After recovering, they fixed their glasses, then crossed their arms and looked at Reina.

"...Do I know you from somewhere? You look... familiar. Probably just me... I've seen a lot of people on the way here. My guess is like Mr. Grumpy over there, you're with Esther? I'm Eveline... I'll be tagging along for a little while. At least until I get a callback from someone..."

July 18, Monday - Blue Point Isle, Johto, Genevieve

Genevieve had blanked out for a while, walking about mindlessly while Reina dragged her along everywhere. When she was met with a new face, she looked at her the best she could. She was pretty... but Gene saw something about her.

"...Your eye. Like mine. White. What happened?"

This would cause Eveline to recoil slightly... Gene would know it was kind of a touchy subject... but that's why she was so curious, she hadn't seen someone else with white eyes before.

 

[~Patriot~]

Montagne Khastil - Unranked - June 17th - Coumarine Port, Kalos

The salty air of Azure Bay clung to Monty's airways as he locked eyes with his opponent. Across from the young man was a set of Rookidee's feet sandwiched between a grey-streaked dirty-blonde beard and a dirty grey flatcap, with a black leather jacket straining to contain a bulky frame; the Old Guard's first lieutenant, Michel.

The old beaux voyou met Monty's gaze and seemed to peer into the young man's very soul, putting his few-decade head start in experience to use as he tried to read him. The sound of the lapping waves and occasional Wingull calls were the only breaks in the silence that permeated the squat cobblestone warehouse, and each of its occupants waited with bated breath for the first move to be made.

Antoine, the Guard's third lieutenant, spectated the match with unblinking eyes, arms crossed as he leaned just out of reach against the wall. Monty wasn't as familiar with the olive-skinned man as he was with Michel, but he knew he wouldn't interfere with the duel. Nor would their Pokemon, as each man kept his newly-acquired partner in its Poke Ball. This wasn't a Pokemon battle after all, it was a battle of wills. A contest of minds. A match between men, fought alone, with everything on the line.

"I never thought we'd end up against each other like this, kid," Michel commented. "You've got bigger balls than I thought."
"Guess you could say I've grown up, old man," Monty retorted. The weak jab wouldn't be enough to break his concentration. "Anything can change."
"You're right about that," Michel followed up, his gaze equally unwavering.

Would he make the first move? Monty knew the old man's patience had to be running thin, but his own patience was thin enough to split adams. He was a man of action. This waiting around didn't suit either of them in the slightest.

In near-perfect sync, each man's hands slammed forward. The moment of truth had arrived, and the victor would be decided by those single motions.

"FULL HOUSE!"
"HA! STRAIGHT FLUSH!"

Michel groaned in exasperation as Monty gloated, pointing down at the cards and jeering, "I win old man, must've used up all your luck when you were my age! See that Antoine?"

"I saw it," the beaux voyou confirmed with rolled eyes. He nodded to Michel and observed, "He looks like he wishes he didn't, though."

Their most senior comrade looked like the disbelief was sledgehammered into his face, and his jaw had gone slack at the loss. "A week's wages!" He lamented as Monty swiped up the cash they'd both set down, and the younger man made a big show of counting through it all.

"Don't worry, Miche, it's going to a good cause," Monty quipped with a chuckle, and Michel jabbed back with, "What, to the groomer bill?" Antoine gaffawed at the comment, and Michel joined him in having a laugh at their junior's expense. Said-junior turned beet-red, silently cursing Cormier. He'd already gotten enough shit for taking Oracle to the groomer during the half hour-long chewing out he got over the phone last week, so why the hell did he need to get it from these guys too? It wasn't any of their business what he spent his money on.

"I didn't think you had it in you kid," Michel said after a five second eternity of HA-HA-HA!s, "I figured you'd be running that Absol of yours into the ground outside the wall." Antoine nodded his agreement with a massive grin, and Monty rolled his eyes as he responded, "She hardly lets me. We'll be on a roll out on one of the Routes outside the city but the second she gets dirty, she refuses to do anything until she gets cleaned off."

"It's a real pain in my a-" The criminal was cut off by the sound of a Poke Ball opening, and in a flash of white light Oracle materialized at Monty's side with a glare the could scare a baby Pokemon into the next life. Her expression and subsequent activation of Pressure prompted an annoyed scowl from Monty and another round of hooting and hollering from his seniors.

Antoine exclaimed, "She heard you talking shit!" and doubled over with his hands on his knees. Apparently the sight was the only funny thing either beaux voyou had ever seen, but Monty wasn't laughing. "Since you two are in such a good mood," he growled, "How about another friendly game to pass the time until Wabash gets here, double or nothing?"

A notorious gambler, Michel perked up at the suggestion. "Double or nothing, eh? What do you have in mind, kid?" Monty had Antoine's attention, too, and the youngest criminal crossed his arms and stated, "A Pokemon battle, Oracle versus either of you. Unless you're scared to lose again."

Michel and Antoine exchanged a look, both grinning ear to ear. They were Old Guard lieutenants, the kind of men who wouldn't back down from such a tantalizing challenge.

"You're on kid," Michel said, standing up from the card-covered table and pulling out a blue and red Poke Ball. "Winner gets the pot from the poker game and what else?"

"What else is there?" Monty asked innocently with a shrug of his shoulders. They all knew what else there was, of course, as it was the greatest currency in the Old Guard beside cold-hard-PokeYen. "Except the bragging rights?"

Michel and Antoine exchanged a sinister grin and looked to Monty, their expressions giving a clear answer. "Time to teach you a little lesson in experience, kid," Antoine said with a crack of his knuckles, retrieving his own red and white Poke Ball. "Your luck won't hold out forever," Michel agreed, and the three men left the warehouse (wareshed was more accurate) to settle the score.

 

[IDKWhatUserNameToDo]

Kaden Miller - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel, Sinnoh
"That's certainly a possibility," Kaden remarked and looked over to Etna who was simply relaxing but then looked out at Ezio's remark at the weather, "Ah looks like it. I'll wish you good luck on your endeavors. I'll continue to stay here at the Grand Lake hotel if you wish to ask me any more questions about Etna,"

As if by mention the Arcanine lifted up her head and made a small friendly groan and waved her tail.

Lara Brook - 10th of June - Route 3, Galar
Lara went to pick up the pokeball, still in disbelief over what happened. Did this Mudbray really want to become her pokemon or was this just some dumb luck?

The photographer turned to Nicole, "You really think it liked me that much?" and then looked at the pokeball in her hand trying to think of what to do with her Rotom buzzing beside her, intrigued.

"I guess I have a nickname in mind, Toast." Lara said with a small smile, feeling embarrassed over the silly nickname she came up with. Perhaps it was good that she never named Rotom. Opening up the pokeball again to release the new ground type pokemon she caught. Immediately Toast returned to immediately nudging at Lara's side.

"Oh-" the red haired woman said, a bit surprised and chuckled, before realizing what her new pokemon was after. Taking out the treats, she then offered them to the Mudbray, "Was this what you were after buddy?"

"Bray!~" Toast cried happily before eating the treats right from Lara's hands, making the woman chuckle at the turn of events. Mudbray just wanted some treats.

Gwen Tucker - 16th of June - Eterna City, Sinnoh
"Yeah, but you said you lost your badges," Gwen pouted and crossed her arms, yet seemed to cheer up when the Espeon chirped at her.

"Hmm, yeah. I'm going to try and take on the Eterna Gym here," the young trainer said with a confident nod, but then flopped her arms back down when Ron said he was going inside of the shop and letting out an impatient groan and rolling her eyes. She looked back at Luz, confused at what she was looking at and turned her head to try and see what the Sun Pokemon was looking at.

"Wait really?" Gwen said surprised when Naka made the observation that the psychic type was indeed blind. The young girl looked at Luz with curiosity and extended her hand for the Espeon to smell before going to carefully stroke her back, "Aren't you cute," she said happily, not paying much attention to either Naka's Froslass or Pichu.

Gwen looked up with wonder in her eyes as Ron returned with a Dusk Ball, taking it into her hands with a giant smile and jumped up and down in excitement, "Aa! Thank you, thank you!" the girl said and went to hug the punk man with the new pokeball clutched in her hand. Letting go of Ron, the blue haired girl crouched down and grabbed Cobalt's pokeball from her belt.

"Cobalt, come check out your new team friend!" Gwen said, completely ecstatic for this new development. The Piplup popped out of his pokeball, posing proudly, before looking at the pokeball his trainer held in confusion and in some animosity.

"Oh come on. You haven't even met them yet. Deino your turn," Gwen then said and pulled the black ribbon of the Dusk Ball and opened it. From it emerged a small Deino who looked around in confusion, chirping.

"Hello there little buddy," the young trainer cooed and tried to reach out towards him. Piplup on the other hand seemed to eye the Irate Pokemon up and down and crossed his flippers, "Pip," he said firmly and turned his back to the dragon type.

"Dei!" Ozzy cried out and bit down on Gwen's fingers and then turned to the Piplup and rammed against his back.

"Ow! Hey!-" She exclaimed and watched her two pokemon squabble as Piplup tumbled over. He quickly got up, throwing out angry squawks as at the baby pokemon, who seemed to be charging another tackle at the water type. This time Cobolt was prepared enough to dodge the attack, "Pipluup~" he said as if to try and taunt the Deino.

Remembering what she assumed Naka meant about Zweilous, she took the logical conclusion that it also seemed to apply to its previous stage, "H-hey, Cobalt. Calm down- He just can't see very well" she said trying to take control over the situation, but the piplup just glared at Gwen and turned to the Deino, who was aiming to ram again at the direction of the penguin pokemon's cries. Dodging out of the way once more, Ozzy then instead rammed against Gwen's ankles then.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers - 16th of June - Old Chateau, Eterna City, Sinnoh

"Look at it go." Ron smiled proudly, watching the Deino ram everything in "sight".

"I knew he was my type, attack first and ask later, right Luz?" Ron looked over at his Espeon, but she didn't seem to agree, looking back at Ron with a confused look, "Oh come on, you used to run into things all the time, still do." But again, Luz just looked confused, as if she had no idea what her trainer was talking about. "Ok ok, it never happened. Alright, let's see what that lil dragon can do, come on, let's go out to the battlefield next to the Pokemon Center. We could have the blind Pokemon fight."

Luz shook her head, but gave up on Ron's attempt to make bindless a light subject. She sniffed the Deino a bit and then chirped at it, trying to get its attention to follow her. Ron scratched the back of his head, a blind Pokemon leading another blind Pokemon was a funny scene for him, but he held it in.

"A little warm up before the gym battle, you in Naka?"

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 16
Location: Eterna City, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous

Interactions: Gwen Tucker (IDKWhatUserNameToDo), Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

Cobalt? Naka watched as she sent out a Piplup, and nodded in knowing that this introduction wasn't going to go as well as Gwen thought. The Deino, as expected, bit and rammed into everything it sensed and could hear. Not only was the Piplup prideful, but he barely listened. Sighing, she stood there with her arms crossed, a smile full of chagrin on her face. "Yeah, that's about as much as I expected would happen." She chuckled.

Naka looked back at Ron with a chuckle as he spoke about how the Deino was. Only to realize he was talking about Luz being blind. Rolling her eyes, Naka nodded at his question before going to the nearest battlefield, which is near the Pokemon Center. "This way, then."

The Froslass floated alongside Naka, before feeling tired and returning to her ball. Who came out instead was her Flareon, the fluffy red and yellow Eeveelution coming out in a blast of light as Naka stepped foot on the battle grounds. She chuckled at the Flareon, who stared up at her with a dull look. "We're going to be helping someone get ready for their gym battle. I was going to use Pichu, but she's got a type advantage. You in?"

Letting out a sigh, the Flareon nodded, almost sulking over to one side as Naka walked over to the other end. "Alrighty, do you want Bob or I to be your warm-up?" She asked Gwen when they arrived, hands intertwined behind her head as she leaned her head against them with a cocky smile.

 

[~Patriot~]

Montagne Khastil - Unranked - June 17th - Coumarine Port, Kalos

"The battle is about to commence!" Antoine announced in his best mock-commentator voice. The third lieutenant stood at the edge of their impromptu battlefield, a clearing they'd found after a few-minute's walk into the forest around Coumarine City, and he made sweeping gestures to either side as he continued, "In this corner we have the living relic, our resident Alley War vet...Michel!"

"I'm not that much older than you, fucker!" Michel called from his side of the clearing. His partner, a fiesty little Vulpix, paid little attention to her trainer as she danced around his feet absentminedly.

Oracle glared at the care-free little fox from across the clearing at Monty's side, and Antoine swept his gesture to them and called, "And in this corner we have the up-and-comer, our rumored soon-to-be fourth lieutenant...Montagne!"

"You're the only one spreading that rumor!" Monty barked at the ridiculous introduction. He'd been with the Old Guard his entire life. If Cormier was going to make him a lieutenant, it would've happened a long time ago.

The criminal crouched down next to Oracle, tracing her glare to their opponents. By Monty's estimation the duo had almost twenty wild Pokemon battles under their belt, most of them against the Grass and Bug Types of Laverre Nature Trail to the dismay of his wallet and the delight of the North Boulevard groomer. Now that Monty understood what Oracle could do already, the change of scenery and opponents would be beneficial for both of them.

"Ready?" Monty asked the Absol. She flexed her claws in response and the fur along her spine stood up, activating her Pressure, and her trainer stood back up and gave Antoine a thumbs up.

"Let's get started, then," Antoine said, and sharply dropped his raised hand. "Battle begin!"

Oracle shifted her weight back as her legs began glowing with a white light, and she sprung forward with her favorite battle opener: Quick Attack. Monty had mostly let Oracle do her own thing during their training the past week, only really chiming in when she needed an extra set of eyes or a point in the right direction, but judging by Michel's body language that wouldn't be enough for this battle.

The grizzled man kept the same poker face from their earlier game up as Oracle bounded towards him, and Monty spotted a grin on his face as she closed in. "We're battling, Tama," Michel said as he pointed to the incoming Absol. "Use Disable!" The Vulpix, Tama apparently, ceased her dancing, planted her feet, and snapped her eyes open as they glowed a bright white.

Monty muttered a curse as Oracle's energy dissipated, and in an instant she went from a sprinting white blur to tripping over herself and rolling in the grass. "You aren't the only one who's been training this week!" Michel called from his corner, and the younger man gritted his teeth as his partner stood back up. Michel showed no intention of giving the glowering Absol any respite, and he called for a Quick Attack at the same time as Monty called, "Detect! Catch your breath!"

The Vulpix's movements were a little sluggish from the Pressure, definitely slower than Oracle's Quick Attack was, but she was on the Absol in a moment. Still, Oracle's << Detect >> was faster. The Absol dodged at the last second, and she locked her venomous glare on her vulpine opponent as both of their eyes flashed a brief white; Oracle's << Leer >>.

"Disable again!" Michel commanded, and Tama cheerfully obliged as she sealed away Oracle's Leer. "Follow up, Incinerate!" The Vulpix braced against the Pressure weighing her down and took a deep breath, launching a blazing jet at her opponent. Oracle had no where to go as the column of fire surged her way, and the direct hit threw her a few feet.

Michel and Tama were completely dominating the battle's momentum, but how the hell was Monty supposed to deal with it when they had that "Disable" move available? Was it susceptible to failure in succession like Detect? How long did it disable a move for? There were too many unknowns for Monty to form a counter, but as Oracle popped back to her feet he knew he had to come up with something that would help her.

"Shake her off! Use Double Team!" Monty called, hoping to buy a little time. Quick Attack and Leer were disabled, but they still had two attacking moves at their dispos- That was it! Attacking moves...of course! The criminal cursed his oversight as Oracle began splitting off into mirror images, creating a wall of faux Absols for Tama to burn up.

"Keep up the pressure, Tama!" Michel called, and his partner happily obliged as the Vulpix sent flurry of Incinerates toward the jumble of Absol clones. One by one they were blasted away, and the first lieutenant cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, "You won't be able to run forever!"

"We don't have to!" Monty retorted. The Double Team bought him enough time to solidify a plan, and the younger trainer called for Oracle to up the Pressure and close in on her opponent. They'd need Tama's full attention on Oracle, and for that they'd need Michel to take the bait.

"Smoke her out, Tama! Disable again!"

Hook, line, and sinker! The true Oracle was revealed as the Double Team clones were expelled, and Monty grinned as he called, "Taunt!" Oracle rounded her back and hissed at Tama, and the little fox's eyes were overtaken by a red glow as Michel growled, "What the hell is that?"

It was the momentum shift they needed, and Oracle sprinted toward her opponent in their confusion. "Shit, use Disable one more time!" Michel commanded, but Tama didn't seem to hear her trainer, instead bracing against Oracle's rapidly increasing Pressure to use Incinerate.

The Absol was faster, though, and her horn radiated pink light as it slammed into Tama, throwing the Vulpix into the air and expelling a plume of smoke from her mouth as the Fire Type attack was cut off. Monty smiled as he watched the finale unfold, confident that Oracle would follow-up. She was unrelenting in every wild Pokemon battle they'd fought so far, preferring absolute victory with her attacks instead of mere damage dealing. This battle was over.

Tama flew through the air, and a crackle of black light lit up from her launch point. The black flash of << Sucker Punch >> shot forward, hitting the Vulpix while she was still mid-air, and she flew back twice as fast until a tree abruptly halted her flight. Oracle planted her feet as she watched her opponent slump to the ground, glowering at her and the old man who called himself her trainer. Her victory was decided the second she stepped on the battlefield, something her opponents had better have learned after failing to stop her with their tricks.

"The victor is Monty and Oracle!" Antoine called from the sidelines, and his own partner, an energetic Pikachu, chimed in a congulatory squeak as it jumped onto his shoulders. Michel returned Tama to her Great Ball and pocketed it, begrudingly crossing his arms and offering Monty congratulations. "We're battling again though, kid," he growled as they shook hands in the center of the clearing. "Triple or nothing!"

Monty grinned and return the handshake as Oracle returned to her side, still glowering at Michel but holding herself up high in pride. "Sure thing old man. Just make sure you get a little more experience before we do."

Michel scoffed and retorted, "Bah! Experience! I've got plenty of that! It's Tama here who needs some. I didn't think she'd go down so easy with Disable in her moveset." He shook his head and eyed Oracle. "You're a tricky little battler there, missy."

The Absol nodded in agreement at the compliment, and her fur smoothed over as Michel stroked her ego. Of course her prowess would be acknowledged by an opponent she'd beaten. Still, it wasn't lost on her that it would've been a harder victory if her trainer hadn't offered his consultation. Maybe he wasn't useless, after all.

 

[Godjacob]

Blue Point Isle, Whirl Islands, Johto (July 18 )​

Desmond blinked at this guy who, if nothing else seemed to be a...character, to say the very least. Though in honestly even with his quirks Desmond didn't have anything against the guy, and he kept the conversation engaging which after the stress of that lagoon madness had actually been appreciated.

"Thanks. You had a, effective if unconventional strategy. And least this Chinchou mess seems to be over." Desmond replied back as he seemed to take a scan of his Politoed who blinked curiously as its data was read aloud.

"Poli."

"So this fossil mon. Where did you last see it?" Desmond asked, even if he had not seen one he figured that this question might least lead Aldon on the right path. Considered his third or so good deed of the day, that way nobody had the capacity to claim he never tried this sort of thing.

The Kricketune seemed to be more fascinated by Skol than anything, as its eyes widened a bit while it moved around a pebble with the psychic power, clearly impressed it released a happy little tune as if to show it enjoyed it.

 

[IDKWhatUserNameToDo]

Gwen Tucker - 16th of June - Eterna City, Sinnoh
Gwen grimaced slightly in pain as the Deino rammed into her ankles and decided it'd be best to recall the small Dark type pokemon to calm down the situation. With one last cry Ozzy had been drawn back into his pokeball and the young trainer let out a sigh. She did seem to perk up when Ron suggested they have a battle to practice for the upcoming gym fight, as did Cobalt surprisingly and the two followed the older trainers to the battle field behind the Pokecenter.

"Yeah sounds good! We can see what Deino here can do, oh-" Gwen was cut off by her Piplup who was poking at her leg and pointing at himself and puffing out his chest proudly, "You want to fight?" the young trainer said surprised and looked at the Dusk ball in her hand and then back at Cobalt. She did get an idea how to solve this predicament and turned to see Naka's Flareon, who had appeared conveniently.

"Okay, how about I use Cobalt against your Flareon and then Deino against you Mr. Punk?" Gwen suggested looking up at both Naka and then Ron. She knew that her Penguin pokemon would be super effective against the Flame pokemon so that left Ozzy to be fighting one of Ron's pokemon. Piplup let out a small huff and puffed out his chest. He'd just have to prove to his trainer that he was the better pokemon than that teething twerp of a Deino.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ron Towers - 16th of June - Old Chateau, Eterna City, Sinnoh

Ron scratched the side of his head, wondering how he could help the young trainer out, but most of his Pokemon were just ready to attack thugs and fight for their lives, not to have practice matches with newbies. "Uh, I think I'm going to sit this one out little lass. My team isn't really made for this kind of things." As he spoke, Luz came up to Ron and nudged her cheeks against his leg, causing Ron to look down and shake his head, "Sorry girl, but any of your moves could knock out the little guy." He crossed his arms, but the Espeon insisted.

"Okay, okay, we can help out some other way. Why don't you let the Deino loose, let him get a feeling of what a battle is. Luz can babysit him, since she's so eager to help." He walked over to the side of the field, Luz skipping behind him with her head held up high, "I'm sure once the battle gets going, he's going to be really motivated to try and pay attention. Could help him with his other senses." A slight purr came from Luz, her trainer wasn't being rude for once.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Ezio Farello - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel - Sinnoh

Ezio smiled at Etna, getting up to give the Rock/Fire type some pets. "I appreciate it, I do have one last question if you don't mind. I may be an old man, but I am still a trainer. I know you are not, but would you be so kind to battle me? I have a feeling I'll learn more from seeing Etna in action." The man asked.

-------------------

Nicole Newman - June 10th - Route 3 - Galar

"I'd say that is a safe bet." Nicole said with a small smile, watching Lara and Toast interact. "Toast is a nice name." She said, letting out a small chuckle as she recorded the whole interaction. Something about this whole scene made her feel warm inside. Maybe not all Pokémon were vicious animals, maybe there were genuinely some kind Pokémon out there...

"Do you like your new friend?" Nicole asked, still recording Lara and Toast.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 16
Location: Eterna City, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous

Interactions: Gwen Tucker (IDKWhatUserNameToDo), Ron Towers (Hecotoro)

Naka watched as she noticed Piplup wanted to fight her Flareon. She grinned knowingly, but didn't say anything. None of Flareon's battle-ready moves were super-effective against the Water-Type, but with how strong this Flareon was, using a non-battle-ready Tackle might knock it out with one or two hits. But she would see how strong or durable Piplup was.

The Flareon watched with uninterested eyes at the Piplup's pride. He should be more modest, but he wasn't going to teach him anything. That was Naka's decision, and teaching that pride should come about through knowing how to pick and choose one's fights wasn't something Fluffy needed to teach.

Naka stood on the other end of the battlefield, chuckling as Ron said he didn't have any Pokemon who could be used to train others. Only for his Espeon to stubbornly insist she help with the Deino. She watched Ron carefully, noticing that he seemed to be less mean and actually nice. Cracking her knuckles as her body got ready for the fight her Flareon would be in, her body loose to help with her mind's awareness, she stared at Gwen and her Piplup, grinning. "Alrighty. Since we're going to be training you, your Pokemon get the first move. Ready up, Fluffy."

Fluffy yowled from irritation, the Flareon shaking his fur before standing on his side of the field, then sitting with a disinterested stare. However, he did leave his PokeBall because he indeed wanted to help, even if this Piplup was woefully inexperienced. So he was being rather kind, he just obviously didn't want to show he cared.

 

[IDKWhatUserNameToDo]

Kaden Miller - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel, Sinnoh
Kaden and Etna looked at each other. While he wasn't a battler, this would be more so to show off and to teach something new to an archeologist. The Arcanine enjoyed the pets and got up with a big stretch and her tail wagging behind her, seemingly on board with Ezio's request.

"Well, I don't see why not. Etna seems to be onboard with it and it's more so an educational sparing than an all out battle," Kaden said and dusted himself off a bit. "There's a battling field here beside the hotel so we could take advantage of that,"

Lara Brook - 10th of June - Route 3, Galar
Lara looked over to Nicole and was once again reminded that the camera was on her. Instead of overthinking it, the reporter decided to focus on the bird keeper and her question, "W-well, it might be a bit early to say, but I'd say so. So far Toast seems very friendly and docile," the red haired woman said and turned her gaze towards her newly 'captured' Mudbray. Now with all the snacks consumed the ground type had a more... vacant state than before. Just staring at Lara as if waiting for her to say or do something.

Gwen Tucker - 16th of June - Eterna City, Sinnoh
Gwen smiled brightly as both Naka and Ron accepted to help her out. With a slight skip in her step, she made her way over to her side of the battle field with Cobalt also going to his position, hitting his stubby flippers together, ready to battle. The light-blue haired trainer took in a deep breath. They could do this. She's got two really cool and strong trainers helping her train her pokemon. She wanted to show them her potential. She just hoped that Cobalt would hopefully work with her as well.

"Alright! Cobalt, let's show them what we've got!" Gwen said pointing at Naka and her Flareon and the younger girl's Piplup cried out a determined 'Pip'. "Kick things off with a Bubble!" she called out and her pokemon listened as the Penguin pokemon launched a series of bubbles at the Flame pokemon.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Ezio Farello - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel - Sinnoh

Ezio smiled at Kaden, putting his hat back on. "Great! I'll try and hold back a bit, how many Pokémon do you want to use? I'm fine with any number ranging from 1 to 6." The man said, chuckling. "Of course, Etna is the Pokémon I am most curious about, but I'm not against shaking off some rust."

---------

Nicole Newman - June 10th - Route 3 - Galar

"Friendly and docile is one way yo refer to them. I'd think dopey also fits. They are not much of a genius, are they?" Nicole asked, not quite sure what to think about such a slow Pokémon. She heard about Slowpoke, but this......this was different. Cassidy seemed like a genius compared to them, and Cassidy was average at best.

 

[IDKWhatUserNameToDo]

Kaden Miller - June 14th - Grand Lake Hotel, Sinnoh
Kaden thought for a moment, cupping his chin into his hand, "Well, I do only have five pokemon, nor am I really a battler, but variety is the spice of life so I'd be fine with using my whole team," He said giving Etna some pats as he got up as well, "Not leaving anyone out, right girl?" and the Arcanine simply let out an agreeing huff with her tail still wagging.

"Shall we get to it then?"

Lara Brook - 10th of June - Route 3, Galar
"Yeah, dopey fits quite well also," Lara said and chuckled, scratching Toast behind his ear some, "Um- but how's filming going? Feel like you've got the hang of it?" she asked and looked over to Nicole again, deciding to switch the topic of conversation back to what they were originally here for.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nakano Saito​

Date: 1 Month Ago (26 years old); June 16
Location: Eterna City Pokemon Center Battlefield, Sinnoh
Pokemon Team: Chu the Pichu, Fluffy the Flareon, Hanu the Infernape, Yuki the Froslass, Aero the Aerodactyl, Orochi the Zweilous

Battling: Gwen Tucker and Cobalt the Piplup (IDKWhatUserNameToDo) vs Fluffy the Flareon
Watching: Ron Towers and Luz the Espeon (Hecotoro), Ozzy the Deino (IDKWhatUserNameToDo)

Naka and Fluffy died a little in cringe when Gwen pumped her and her Pokemon up. But that was how Gwen needed to do it, so Naka wasn't going to say anything about it. Kicking it off with Bubble though had her smiling gleefully. "Oooh, nice going starting off with a super-effective attack." As she spoke, the Flareon sighed, his ears drooping a bit before he stood up. This was going to hurt...

The Bubble attack wasn't the fastest thing on the planet and the Flareon could have dodged it - even with its wide range, but he allowed it to hit him, wanting to gauge how strong this Piplup was. The glowing blue and white bubbles popped and coated his body in a watery film that made him slower, and the water itself stung, making him growl in irritation. But he shook his head after bracing for impact. It didn't hurt as bad, but he was now slower due to the Bubble. She even let Gwen know of this. "Man, that must've hurt." Flareon died of cringe again. "Looks like your Bubble's chance of slowing your opponents down activated. Flareon is a bit slower now."

Grinning, Naka wondered how good Cobalt was at melee. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, her eyes lidded with an easy focus as she watched the Piplup for anything she could better help Gwen with. "Fluffy, get in close and use Tackle." The points of his fur glowed white, lending to giving him a small aura of white energy as he charged towards the Piplup. Even with the decreased speed, he was still rather fast and cleared the battleground in just several seconds, leaving barely any time for Gwen to reactively say a command if she didn't freeze up. Of course, Fluffy would give Cobalt ample time to dodge or make his own attack. He won't even try to defend himself. And if Cobalt did get hit by Fluffy's Tackle? He'd hold back as much as he could muster, but it was still going to sting with how fast Fluffy had moved to connect with Cobalt, even if the attack wasn't as strong or as accurate as it could be if it were a battle-ready move.