Jory

Route 2- Russet Ridge- "Onward to Striation City!" When Jack looked over the side of the ridge, he could easily see the main path lazily curving toward the Ridge from the Gate building. Although he could spy several clearings from where he stood, he was unable to find the clearing with the red maple tree on a hill. Brendan went up the ridge in front of Jason, who took up the rear position in the group. The group made it up the steep incline toward the first corner without any surprises. The second section of the narrow mountain road was dotted with boulders, the path winding its way between them as it made its way up the ridge. After the group of Amateurs made the hairpin turn to continue up the slope, they heard a squawking noise. They all looked up, noticing for the first time that there were several nests on the tops of the boulders. They saw orange beaks opening and closing over the tops of the nests. The bird Pokemon hadn't seemed to notice them yet, but it didn't seem to be a good idea to disturb the hungry flock of Pokemon.

Route 2- Main Path- "Onward to Striation City!" Just as Jack emerged from the brush Jason, Brendan, and Mio arrived at the foot of the ridge. It was made of rust-colored, craggy stone. As it moved onto the rock the path became simply a more well-worn section of stone with stairs cut into it. Trees spread around the entire ridge like the sea around an island, the russet ridge a stark contrast against the deep greens of the forest. After more than half a day of traveling, the whole party was beginning to flag. However, they still had a long journey ahead that would take well into the night to complete. Upon seeing the rest of the group, Jason broke out into a brisk jog. He approached them with a huge grin on his face, taking a quick head count. Seeing all were now present, he looked up at the ridge and then back to the group. "Well, everyone's here! When we're ready we should head up the ridge single file. The traverses can be pretty steep from what my dad told me, so the best strategy is to make sure we don't all pile up. Any volunteers to go first?"

Route 2- Jack As Jack exited the clearing, he found himself at the base of the ridge despite having been nowhere near it to begin with. When he looked back to see the clearing again, he found that all he could see was the dense forest of Route 2. The clearing had totally disappeared. In front of him on the path, he could see Alecks and Alice. Just as Mio had said, they'd arrived earlier than everyone else after their shortcut through the forest. Surely the others would be arriving soon; for now, he could rest and decompress.

Amateurs Alecks and Alice have won their battle! Rank C! -Apollo gained 5 EXP! Apollo leveled up! -Raven gained 5 EXP! Raven leveled up! Quest complete: "Troublesome Bunnies" -Alecks and Alice's Pokemon have each gained 5 EXP! Titan has gained 1 Move Token! Route 2- Halted House- "Creepy Clearing!"- Jack The moment Jack stepped into the room, he saw a noose hanging from the rafters. He did not even have a moment to process this before he felt an incredibly strong wind pick him up and fling him into the wall. However, instead of hitting the wall he felt himself pass through it and into a strange tunnel. Images flashed along the walls as he looked around, changing every half second and not going away as he passed them. He moved quickly, still carried by the mysterious gust and racing through the gallery so quickly he could barely process what he saw. An ambulance. A hospital. A long, loud beep. A funeral with three graves. The interior of an empty car. A dark house, no lights in the windows. A bed too large for one. A desk. The interior of a car. A bed. A desk. A car. A computer. A desk. A car. A computer. For what seemed like hours, Jack careened through a tunnel with those three images repeating over and over. Just before Jack was sure he would never leave the tunnel, the images began changing again. This time, after the desk, there was a cardboard box. Inside the box was a Lillipup. Hands reached out to it, lifting it up. Jack felt as though he himself was eyeing the dog, inspecting it. It seemed young, and looked at him curiously. The arms held it close. The Lillipup seemed to look back at Jack curiously. Then, the arms moved the puppy away. The next image was a wet shirt. A car with a Lillipup in the passenger seat. A bowl for food and a bowl for water. A leash. A park. The images continued to change again and again, beginning to fill with the Lillipup, new people, and new places. Eventually, the Lillipup was replaced with a Herdier, and the Herdier with a Stoutland. Then, two graves. The tunnel turned to darkness, and suddenly a blinding light. Jack found himself back on the hill under the maple. However, the mist had cleared, and the sun was still in the sky. The gray clouds began to roll away from the Route. Then, Jack felt the same hand on his shoulder. When he turned to look at it, he finally saw something. Not the eyeless man from earlier, but an ethereal blue one with a smile on his face and a Stoutland at his side. He stepped toward Jack and embraced, him, giving the Amateur Trainer goosebumps. He then stepped back and waved to Jack as his Stoutland barked. The two dissipated, leaving Jack looking at where he'd been standing earlier. And for some reason, he couldn't find himself surprised at all at what he saw. Two graves under a red maple tree. Quest completed: "Creepy Clearing!" -Leonidas and Lara each gained 8 EXP! Leonidas and Lara leveled up! -Lara has gained a Move Token! Jack's XTransceiver dinged in his pocket. When he checked it, it had one missed call from Mio.

Route 2- Main Path- "Onward to Striation City!" Jason nodded. "Definitely Bunearys. You can tell by the fur coloration and tufting on the ears," he said, pantomiming a set of rabbit ears on Rascal's head. The Minccino shook his head rapidly, preventing his Trainer from keeping up the demonstration for long. "And I'm sure one of them caught one. After all, Buneary can be pretty rare. If I ran into one, I'm sure I'd catch it!" he said with a grin. "First, I'd use Rascal's Pound attack to get its HP low! Then," he said, pretending he had a ball in his hand. "I'd chuck a Poke Ball and hope for the best!" He looked off into the distance ahead of them, pointing his finger. Off in that direction, the rocky ridge in the middle of Route 2 loomed over the Main Path. Now that they were closer, they could see that the path to go up and over traversed multiple times back and forth across the face of the ridge before flattening out at the top. It was safe to assume that there was a similar arrangement on the other side. Although they couldn't see what lay on the other side of the ridge, the XTransceiver's map indicated that there were a few small bodies of water and a large forest. However, the ridge road was marked as the safest, most direct, and least time-consuming path. "Speaking of Alecks and Alice, we're going to meet them at the foot of the ridge. Hopefully they'll get there before us and we won't have to wait." Route 2- Halted House- "Creepy Clearing!"- Jack Upon closer inspection, the boxes were all taped shut. However, some appeared to have been opened, almost as though whoever packed them had wanted one last look at what was inside. Most of the boxes were two feet by two feet- large boxes meant for moving and storage, not just for sending knick-knacks in the mail. Jack peeked into one, gently lifting half of the lid to see what was inside. He was greeted by the sight of an old, beat-up teddy bear wearing a silver locket. Feeling as though he had seen something he was never meant to, Jack quickly closed the box. The moment the lid touched the rim, Jack felt a familiar force begin to guide him out of the room and into the hallway toward the final unexplored part of the house.

Update will be out by tomorrow night. I have PT after work for my shoulder, but I don't plan on going out tm night so I should have the time I need.

It's not.

Route 2- Main Path- "Onward to Striation City!" Jason nodded, scratching his head after the incident with the Buneary. "Alright. Sounds good. Take it easy, man. See you in a bit," he concluded, hanging up the call and continuing to walk with the rest of the group.

What do you think?

Route 2- Halted House- "Creepy Clearing!" As Jack approached the pictures on the wall, he noticed a map of Route 2 hanging between the pictures of the more common Pokemon such as Patrat and Pidove. Someone had drawn lines on the wall from the pictures to the map, indicating where they thought those Pokemon might be found. Underneath the Pokemon on the pictures was a child's handwriting describing the migratory patterns, eating habits, and sleeping patterns of each Pokemon. The words were written lovingly, sloppy as a kid's handwriting could be yet clearly neater than usual. Route 2- Main Path- "Onward to Striation City!" "Yeah, definitely!" Jason agreed, still ecstatic about his win over Youngster Calvin. "That move Meena did at the end of your battle was unbelievable! She's really something. I definitely won't be underestimating her again," he said, praising his companion's battling ability. Suddenly, his XTransceiver began to ring. He stopped and looked down at it, then smiled. "Hey, guys, Alecks is calling. I guess he's at the rendezvous already!" he said excitedly, happy to hear from the pair that had wandered off. He answered the call, raising the XTransceiver so the whole group could be seen. "Moshi-mosh~" he answered jokingly, his sunny disposition a distinct departure from the cloudy conditions. "Are you two already at the ridge, Alecks?"

Route 2- Halted House- "Creepy Clearing!" As Jack looked over his shoulder, he caught a glimpse of a purple shadow in his peripheral vision. Other than that, nothing seemed off. Well, moreso than was already off. In any event, when he entered the room he was greeted by... boxes. Cardboard boxes stacked in a pile in the center of a bare room, with no one in it. The room had green carpeting. Its walls were papered with images of Pokemon in alphabetical order from Abra to Zubat. Nothing seemed out of place or out of the ordinary. Jack was forced to question why the hand had steered him here first instead of to the much creepier door that probably led somewhere more interesting.

Name: Poppy Species: Chikorita Gender: Female Ability: Overgrow Level: 20 Starting Moveset: Razor Leaf, Synthesis, Heal Pulse, Growl Appearance: Poppy is a rather large Chikorita, standing over three feet tall at the tip of her leaf. The only defining characteristic she has that sets her apart from other Chikoritas are three parallel green scars along the left side of her torso. Personality: The opposite of what you'd expect from a trained healer, Poppy is brash, bold, and loudmouthed. Despite this, she cares deeply for all Pokemon, not just her friends. This loud mouth often gets her into trouble; however, true to her doctorly nature she is more than willing to stand up and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. Personal History: The only daughter of Carnelian, a Slowking male, and Azalea, a female Meganium, Poppy was orphaned at a young age. While accompanying her parents on a foraging trip to find Berries, they came across a Lucario lying wounded in the road. Her parents, both known to the local populace as kind and gentle healers, immediately rushed to his aid. However, the very moment that Carnelian's hand touched the Lucario's skin, it rippled. Suddenly, the Illusion dissipated. The Shadow Zoroark leapt up from the ground and struck Carnelian down with a Night Slash before turning to her mother, badly wounding the Meganium with a powerful Flamethrower attack. Poppy trembled in the nearby brush as the Shadow Zoaroark sniffed the air. Without warning, the Zoroark turned to face her. She immediately fainted from fright as the Shadow leapt at her, a Shadow Claw outstretched. When she came to, it was covered in sweat and in an unfamiliar room. As the fretted about, she heard a "Shh!" from next to the bed. She turned, hoping beyond hope that it was her mother who had admonished her. Instead, it was an Audino. The pink Pokemon encouraged the young Chikorita to sit down, promising to tell her everything she'd seen. Poppy couldn't have known it as it happened, but fainting saved her life. She fell forward, causing the Zoaroark's attack to miss her center of mass and merely inflict flesh wounds. Because she was unconscious, she couldn't even shake from fright. This led the Zoroark to believe that his attack, though sloppy, had nonetheless been fatal. With his hunt finished, the Zoarark dragged the Slowking's limp, lifeless body away into the underbrush. After that, the Audino had approached the scene of the attack. Although she tried her best, she had been unable to stabilize the Meganium. The Grass-type whispered to her to forget her and save her daughter. Nodding gravely, the Audino, whose name Poppy had come to find out was Nona, had used Heal Pulse on the child and carried her away to safety, reluctantly leaving the dying Azalea behind. For months, Poppy cried all day and all night. She was distraught, unable to even begin to process the prospect of existing in a world without her parents. Through all of this Nona kept Poppy fed and safe, although she had been unable to heal the ugly wounds on Poppy's side, causing them to form scar tissue that would become a constant reminder of the tragedy that had befallen the Chikorita. After several months passed, Poppy began to eat regularly again. She was able to sleep through the night again, so long as Nona was around. The elderly Audino continued to nurture the child, hoping that one day Poppy might become strong enough to take over for her. She began to instruct the young Chikorita in the art of healing, something the pair quickly found Poppy had a natural affinity for. She progressed through her education, eventually becoming as competent a healer as Nona. One fateful day, Nona called Poppy to her bedside. She admitted to Poppy that she had been sick for a long time, and that her inability to save Azalea was a direct result of the disease sapping her strength. With sadness in her eyes, Nona begged for Poppy to do more good in the world than she had. She begged for her foster daughter to fight against the Shade, to make evil answer for what had happened to her parents and to help Nona to repent for her weakness. With that goal in mind, Poppy set out for the Sky Pillar to seek out the last pocket of resistance against the Shade.

Alright, that post shouldn't have taken so long to get up. I apologize for the delay, but I'm doing my best to increase posting frequency.

Route 2- Main Path- "The Top Percentage!" After Meena backed off, the Rattata stood up again, panting and weary but unwilling to give up. Joey gave a hard look to Meena's Trainer before sighing. "Rattata, they won. Stand down." The Rattata visibly relaxed and slumped over, exhausted from the intense battle. Joey took out its Poke Ball and returned Rattata in a flash of light. He looked to the rest of the group, seeing that all the Youngsters had been beaten. "Looks like you guys were way stronger than we gave you credit for. Here's your prize," he said irritably, taking a wad of cash out of his pocket and handing it to Mio. His friends did the same with their opponents, giving the Amateurs their first official winnings as Pokemon Trainers. Amateurs Jason and Mio won their battles! Rank C! Each received $200! -Rascal and Gomez earned 5 EXP! Rascal and Gomez leveled up! Rascal has gained 1 Move Token! -Loam and Meena earned 5 EXP! Loam and Meena leveled up! Meena has gained 1 Move Token! Amateur Brendan won his battle! Rank B! He received $200! -Titan earned 8 EXP! Titan leveled up! The Youngsters looked to each other. "We need to get home for dinner and go to the Pokemon Center, so we're all going to head out. Bye!" Joey shouted, turning and running off back toward Accumula Town with his friends in tow. Quest complete: "Top Percentage Trouble!" -Rascal and Gomez gained 5 EXP! Rascal and Gomez leveled up! -Loam and Meena gained 5 EXP! Loam and Meena leveled up! -Titan gained 5 EXP! Titan leveled up! Jason With the departure of the Youngsters, Jason turned to the other two Amateurs. He still wore a huge, silly grin on his face from his victory. "Wow! That sure was a rush, wasn't it?" he asked his friends. "But we got held up pretty badly. We should definitely get on our way to the rendezvous so we can meet up with the other three." That said, Brendan nodded in agreement. The two didn't wait for Mio to respond, planning to walk and talk at the same time. They began heading down the path toward the ridge, their destination in sight. Main Quest updated: "Onward to Striation City!" -Proceed to Route 2 -Rendezvous with the other Trainers at the ridge -Reach Striation City Route 2- Halted House- "Creepy Clearing!" As Jack went up the stairs, the began to disappear behind him. After barely making it up to the landing, they disappeared entirely, now replaced by a solid wall. On his left were two doors: the first, the entrance to a bedroom. the second was shrouded in shadow much like the rooms downstairs. However, he felt something grab his shoulder and gently turn his body toward the first door. Whatever was up with this house, it clearly wanted him to see something.

If you're not there to catch it, Brendan will not catch it. I don't want to bunny a moment where the Trainer's mentality and personality need to shine through and connect with what will become a constant player in this RP. Update coming within the next 2 days. Pokemon Go has ruined my life.

That's fine. You're gonna take a big XP hit from missing that much, so you may (read: 95% will) fail the first Gym, but otherwise it won't affect you too much. We'll be moving on from the Main Path tomorrow since the battles have all wrapped up. The Halted House will continue as planned. Shadow Sketches, please try to post tn/tomorrow to get Alice and Alecks to the meeting point.

Still here

Route 2- Halted House- "Creepy Clearing!"- Jack & Co. As Jack approached the map, he suddenly felt a strong force push him and his Pokemon back through the doorway he'd come through. Right before his eyes, it melted out of view and became yet another solid wall. Jack was now left with two options: the kitchen or the stairwell. Route 2- Main Path- "The Top Percentage!"- Mio The Rattata braced itself for the head-on attack, its Trainer smiling devilishly. "This is it! We've won!" he shouted. "Hyper Fang!" It lunged forward, its glowing teeth heading straight for Meena's midsection. Then, she jumped. This time, the Meowth's aerial attack was more skillfully executed. Time seemed to slow for all involved, the intensity of the battle releasing adrenaline and causing their senses to be heightened. The Hyper Fang missed by mere centimeters, throwing the top percentage Rattata off balance. With preternatural precision accessible only to powerful creatures like Pokemon, she moved through the air acrobatically, twisting her torso as she reached the apex of her jump so as to be facing downward. This left Meena with a perfect shot at the rodent's exposed neck. Her Bite connected, dealing heavy damage to Joey's Rattata. In addition, the Rattata was now in a totally vulnerable position. Try as he might, the purple rodent failed to shake his way out of his opponent's grasp. Meena was on top of Rattata, pinning him with her body weight with his scruff locked in her teeth. Joey stood off to the side, dumbstruck. He had yet to give the order to surrender or admit defeat, but it was clear the battle was over. Meena looked to her Trainer, wondering what to do next.

I'm in. I've been busy with work, but I'm resolved to get back to bidaily posts at their least frequent in my own RP. This sounds awesome.

Route 2- Main Path- "The Top Percentage!" Mio The Scratch attack connected, causing the Rattata to let go just as Mio had planned. Meena managed to spring backward to a safe distance, giving Mio a bit of breathing room. Joey's Rattata was breathing heavily, having already taken substantial damage from the Meowth's attacks. "I didn't raise a quitter, kid!" Joey said aggressively. "My Rattata's in the top percentage of Rattatas! There's no way we're losing this battle to an Amateur like you!" he continued. "Rattata, Tackle!" he commanded. The purple rodent charged forward brazenly, launching itself at Meena in a bid to catch her off guard as she sprang back. Jason Rascal closed with the glowing Patrat, thinking hard as he sprang in. He would be able to land five clean hits; however, after that he was going to be knocked out for sure if he couldn't manage to knock out Calvin's Normal-type. Rascal's eye gleamed as he ran in, a light grin on his face. "Mincc!" he cried as he reached his opponent. The gray Pokemon pivoted on his right foot, whirling his body around for the first blow. His tail flew threw the air, moving broadside toward Patrick. The shot connected with the Patrat's midsection, knocking the wind out of the Patrat. It grimaced heavily but stayed strong, its superior physical strength allowing it to take the hit. It began to glow a brighter red. Rascal continued spinning on his right foot, swinging through the initial impact and winding up another shot, whose momentum was even greater because it was carried through from the first. This second blow connected once again with the Patrat's midsection. However, this time the rodent was forced to double over, the wind knocked out of its lungs. Despite this, the red aura grew even stronger. "Uppercut, sweep, and finish!" Jason shouted as the second shot connected. That Bide is becoming super-powerful! I hope I made the right call, he thought grimly as he watched his partner battle. "Come on, Rascal! You can do it!" Rascal stopped on his left foot and cocked his tail back, swinging it up and jumping to hit Patrick for a third time on the jaw and causing the aura to grow yet stronger. The Patrat, who was doubled over, was hit hard. He was sent reeling backward, now leaning back instead of forward as he stumbled. The Minccino used its momentum to hop over his opponent, landing on the other side. He swung his tail in a low circle, sweeping the Patrat off his feet. The aura wasn't increased as much this time, but it was certainly still getting stronger. Finally, once the Patrat hit the ground, Rascal jumped up and brought his tail down on the Patrat's face. The aura grew large and angry, the glow enveloping even the Trainers. Jason prepared for the worst, immediately reaching into his bag. Suddenly, the aura popped like a bubble, dissipating harmlessly. As Rascal moved his tail, it was clear that the Patrat was unconscious. He did it! Jason thought, running onto the field. "Rascal, you did it!" he shouted jovially. The Minccino leapt into its Trainer's arms, both laughing madly. "I thought we were toast for sure!" Jason said with a grin. His Pokemon mirrored his expression, excited by the battle. Gomez walked calmly onto the field, shaking his head and wondering just what he'd gotten himself into with this Trainer. Route 2- Halted House- "Creepy Clearing!"- Jack As Jack tried to evaluate the scene before him, his surroundings began to warp and change. Everything seemed to blend into itself, the colors from the party becoming a vortex of poorly defined people and objects. Their faces seemed to remain for the most time, looking at Jack with a desolate longing. Suddenly, the changes stopped. The room was the same, but some of the wall hangings had changed. There was no longer a birthday party going on in the middle of the room. Instead, the sofa was now occupied by the mother from the party. She had her head in her hands, hunched forward as though Atlas's sky itself was perched upon her shoulders. Another woman, a stranger, sat next to her, one arm around the mother's back in the manner of someone offering consolation. If Jack looked closely enough, he would find three tears falling from the mother's face, suspended in time. At the table, the party was now replaced by a group of men. They all carried backpacks and flashlights and were huddled around a tabletop map. Some wore police uniforms, other wore those of firemen. Still others wore no uniform save for the solemn expression carried by each member of this gathering. On the TV, the news was frozen with a headline running across the ticker: "The Missing Children of Route 2."

Sounds good to me!

Route 2- Main Path- "The Top Percentage!"- One down, Two to go! Brendan The Roggenrola Headbutted directly into the path of the Purrloin's attack, opting for a more direct approach. The two forces collided, the Roggenrola struggling mightily against the now-bunched rings pressing against him. Finally, the Dark rings shredded with a crack. Titan went flying into Mittens, scoring a mighty blow against his opponent. The Purrloin, for her part, was sent careening backward into her Trainer, knocking the Youngster over from the force of the critical Headbutt. Allen lifted himself off the ground, holding Mittens in his arms as he did so. Despite bumps, scrapes, and bruises, the Purrloin was fine. However, it was clear she was in no shape to battle. Allen sighed, the wind taken out of his sails. The once-cocky kid smiled softly at his Purrloin before returning her to her Poke Ball, then addressing his opponent. "That was a great battle!" he said with a smile. "That was really smart of you to rely on Roggenrola's hearing to get past our decoys." Mio The Scratch attack was successful, leaving the Rattata with several claw marks. However, they were not vicious enough to break the skin. "Counter with Hyper Fang!" Joey shouted. With adequate time to recover and charge during Meena's Scratch, the Rattata was able to take advantage of the lack of knockback from the attack. The Rattata's large incisors clamped down on Meena's foreleg, dealing heavy damage to the Normal-type. Jason The Amateur Trainer was locked in an internal debate. If I don't attack, the damage from the first attack will come right back onto Rascal! But if I attack and I can't knock him out, then we'll get knocked out for sure! Jason thought to himself. As he continued to think, Calvin began taunting him once again. The Youngster laughed, his hat spinning lazily in the afternoon breeze. "Make your decision, tough guy!" Calvin said. "Either way, you're toast!" He's right... Jason realized, a slight grin on his face. Even if we don't attack, Rascal will get knocked out! So that only leaves us one option! Jason looked to Rascal, catching the Minccino's eye. "You've got this, Rascal. I believe in you!" he said enthusiastically, pumping his fist. Rascal looked at the Patrat, no trace of his usual mischief in his eyes. This was a serious battle, after all. "Rascal, Double Slap!" Route 2- ???- "Creepy Clearing!" As Jack opened the door to the room, he was suddenly pulled inside by an invisible force. Where there once was a dark room suddenly illuminated. It was clear he was in some kind of playroom by the presence of toys and small furniture strewn about the floor. At a more regular-sized table sat a family. There were two children; boys, by the looks of it. The kids seemed to be roughly eight years old. They wore party hats and sat behind a birthday cake. Around the table sat an assortment of adults and other children. Behind the boys stood a man and a woman, looking on with the pride and love only a parent can feel for their child. The boys were poised to blow out the candles as the father held up a camera, capturing the moment to save for a day when his children would be old enough to appreciate it. The most noticeable thing about the father other than the camera was his smile. It shone on his face, seeming to illuminate the room. It was clear this was where he was happiest, and there was no place he would rather be at this time. The oddest thing about this ceremony was the stillness of it all. Despite how lifelike all the figures appeared, they were unmoving. They sat motionless around the table, even the flames at the ends of the birthday candles frozen in time as though left too long in the cold.

Next update will be tomorrow!