Chim

That's not a bad idea... I can already see Titan as a full grown Gigalith wearing a necklace with all those teeth. And I have no idea what I want for Brendan.

“Routes of Hazzard” – Brendan “Nice one!” Brendan complimented Titan after the second Patrat got knocked into the tall grass. The young trainer stepped over to pet, or something similar, his rock Pokémon when his eye fell on a bloodied tooth laying on the battlefield. “What the? Did we knock that Patrat’s teeth out?” It wasn’t a real question, more like a whisper so only Titan could hear him. “Damn, I didn’t mean to hurt it like that. I figured its grip on you would’ve been released after that Harden…” The sudden voice of the truck driver offering berries snapped Brendan out of his thought. He quickly grabbed the tooth and put it in his pocket. “Thanks for the berries,” he said after grabbing two and listening to the conversation the others had. Apparently Jack had lost his Pokémon. “Katie’s plan sounds good to me. I’ll go with Mio. But let me give this berry to Titan first. If only I could figure out how exactly he eats without a mouth…”

I'll be moving Claude's group to lab 1 on friday. Same with Toshiro's group. I don't have much time now. And tomorrow I'm going to Nitro Circus after work so I don't expect much free time to write.

So knocking out teeth earns us Razor Fangs? Not a bad start of the journey. Now where are the Gligars?

Mayanna’s Group “No particular reason. I just wanted to know if the rumors are true,” Matt shrugged. “Because if she’s really that strong, I want to battle her. I’m pretty sure we can beat her easily,” he boasted while looking at his Sawk. The fighting type didn’t respond. It was still sitting on the ground, legs crossed and eyes closed. Matt’s gaze rested on the Sawk for a minute or so before he finally took a look at Mie, who was standing close. What the hell was with this chick’s hair and eyes? Toshiro’s Group Kay laughed at Wolt’s attempt to put up the tent. He could do it all by himself in less than five minutes, a skill he had learned during his time as a recruit, but it was far more amusing to see his fellow student rage. When Citrine also left he waved at their backs. “Have fun! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” His Purrloin wasn’t so interested in the humans. After hissing at Toshiro one more time, she had found something more interesting. She had wrestled herself out of Kay’s grip and was now staring at a weird looking specter and a large white cat. Claude’s group “Do we really have to?” Samantha complained, “Those labs sound like the boring part.” Her Chimchar and Darumaka nodded in confirmation. “Why don’t we go play with those wild Pokémon over there and ask some of the other groups about their results instead?” A mischievous grin showed on her face. Apparently she really meant what she said.

Not much time has passed yet since the groups started to form. Drake could've easily been far away from Maya at that time. And I'll update today after work. If Drake interrupts, Matt won't answer. If she isn't there yet he'll keep it vague so either way you won't get much out of him right now.

“Routes of Hazzard” – Brendan A small curse slipped from Brendan’s mouth when he realized his mistake. In his enthusiasm he had let his guard down, resulting in Titan taking extra damage. He had to play this smart considering the amount of enemies they were facing. “Calm down Brendan. This is just like a baseball game.” The amateur trainer took a deep breath and started observing the situation. As a catcher he was used to making calls during the game. All he had to do was look closely at his opponent’s habits and let the pitcher strike him out. Being a trainer was no different. He still had to make the calls and his partner would score the win. That’s how it used to go and what he should aim for with Titan. And the order came immediately. Titan obeyed. A faint blueish glow covered his entire body as he strengthened his defenses once more. He then proceeded to create a rock in front of his yellow hexagonal. The Patrat better was a fast one or this could really hurt. ((Harden followed by Rock Blast. I'm too lazy to work out those links.))

Let's test out this fizzling thing. And I never knew Patrat learns Crunch at level 16. Gyarados had to wait 6 generations to get it...

“Routes of Hazzard” – Brendan “Yes!” the young trainer cheered when Titan’s attack connected. Brendan’s focus was still on the sprawling Patrat to see if it was still able to fight, that he totally missed the incoming cavalry. Titan however was still his usual calm self. His hearing had picked up movement and the rock barely turned on time. What the Roggenrola did next caught his trainer completely off guard. Titan leaned backwards like he had done in the battle against Jason, but instead of jumping back, he launched forward after gathering all his power into a single point on what humans would consider his forehead. The Headbutt attack connected just as the Patrat’s teeth munched down on Titan’s rocky exterior. “What just happened? Are you a genius?” Brendan asked without even checking if the move had actually worked.

You mentioned it before and I can see where you're coming from. Last time it was all about Kage and Ryan and there was much more interaction and activity without it being host controlled. To be honest I don't know what I should be doing to get that part back. If it's even possible to create something like that considering a lot of people are busy with real life or their own projects.

Almost all the students had found their respective groups and soon the chaos died down. For the first time everyone could actually see the entire grounds without a bunch of people running past. Apparently they had used a side entrance which followed a narrow path between two buildings. The first on, on their right if they faced the building, was the one they saw earlier made out of grey brick stones. It looked far bigger now they could see the complete picture. On the far right side there appeared to be some sort of entrance hall judging by the shadow of the building. That was where the main gates led to. A sign above the door mentioned Lab 1. The second one was nearly identical. It was located right next to the first one. Only a small path, the one the students used earlier, separated the two from each other. The main difference was that this one had a wooden shack adjoined. The shack was covered with ivy and formed the second border of the path. This one also had a sign: Lab 2. The third one was quite a few meters away on the students left side. It was the smallest one out of the four but also the most fortified one. Heavy metal doors, solid brick walls and bars in front of the windows. The most unusual part about the bars was that they were placed on the in- and outside. The sign on this building read Egg House. There was also a big number 3 placed on a wooden board in front of the door. The fourth building was the furthest away and by far the biggest one of the four. It contained about the same space as both the Academy’s dorms together. And just like the Contest Hall, this building also had a giant dome on the roof. The dome itself had multiple windows but were closed at this particular time. Just outside of view, unless a student had the eyesight of a Luxray, was a sign with the number 4 on it. Above the door was another sign with Hatchlings printed on it. Both the third and fourth building were surrounded by trees and bushes. It was quite the opposite compared to the usual empty space were the students were right now. Behind them, on the very far end, was another building just visible. This one in particular was about 5 times the size of the Academy’s main building and seemed to have his private mini forest. In between the forbidden space and the open field was a ravaged grassy field. Multiple wild Pokémon had made their home there or in the bushes around the third and fourth building. All of them were catchable if the students desired. There were a lot of different species but not many of said species. They were obviously, like Redwood had announced, random victims that got caught in the fight against Pokémon Hunters. In the meantime the clock indicated it was 12:45 PM and a messaged showed on the Ipads. The treasure hunt would start at 1 PM and students were free to move between the four buildings. The facility’s members were stationed around all over the place to give them a challenge or riddle. Only on Toshiro’s Ipad showed a different message. He and his group had to report at Building 4 were professor Redwood would await them. Claude’s Group Samantha was still trying to catch her breath. She was in decent shape from chasing around her troublesome monkey-duo, but trying to catch a strange Cottonee carried by the wind was something else entirely. “So you just used it to lure people? Do you do that often?” A smirk showed on her face. “You can get in trouble for that you know? But I promise I won’t tell anything if you give me candy!” Mayanna’s Group Matt didn’t say a word. He didn’t even pay attention to Johnny. “The name’s Matt. That’s all you need to know.” His tone was rather harsh and hostile. “Aren’t you that redhead chick’s roommate? The annoying one that some people consider to be strong?” his eyes were solely focused on Mayanna, like Jonathan and Mie weren’t even there. Toshiro’s Group Unfortunately for Toshiro the researchers that were present had just received their latest instructions and moved to their assigned locations. Not a minute later a message showed on his Ipad telling him to collect his group and go to Building 4. Princess had calmed down as soon as Toshiro left and started purring in Kay’s arms. Her trainer scratched her behind her ear for a minute and just kept her in his arms. Not that he had any choice since she would start making trouble if he placed her down. And she adamantly refused to stay in her Pokéball. “I guess we better listen to the Captain,” he joked, not even reacting to the earlier jabs his Purrloin had received. “By the way, I didn’t catch your name, but can you lend me that Skitty? It looks like she trained you well in behaving so maybe she can lend me a paw when it comes to this troublemaker in my arms?”

Route 1 – Brendan Brendan took a few steps back in surprise when the truck honked at them. He quickly regained his composure and brushed off like nothing happened, just like he used to do when playing baseball. During the entire one-sided conversation with the driver, Brendan tried his best to keep a straight face. A part of him found it quite amusing that the Patrats were cunning enough for these kind of tricks. The amusement didn’t last long when the group found themselves surrounded and dragged into a fight. “Where is the damn thing?” Brendan mumbled as he searched his bag for Juniper’s gift. He had placed the Eviolite in a separate section, but of course forgot which one. It took him a good half a minute before he finally found it. He sighed in relief and released his Roggenrola, only to find out that actually tying the stone to his Pokémon was a tedious job. Thank Arceus there was already a small rope around the Eviolite. Item equipped: Eviolite “Alright Titan, the heroes always join the fight late! Use Rock Blast!” This time things would be different. They didn’t had a disadvantage and Titan was equipped with his nice new Eviolite. The Roggenrola didn’t seem to react to Brendan’s new found enthusiasm. All the rock type did was shoot 4 rocks at the nearest Patrats. Just like he had done in the battle against Gomez.

For a moment I thought Murdoc was talking to me xD Anyway update is coming -hopefully- tomorrow with a more detailed layout. I tried to do it today but lately some things came up. Planning holidays should not be this hard...

Toshiro’s Group “I’m here!” Kay yelled. He had heard his name a couple of times but moving in the crowd was really hard when you almost get tackled by each step you take. Of course Princess was responsible for that. The Purrloin was really possessive and liked being petted a little too much. She saw Kay as her human. And Herman, the Turtwig, was also her prey. Those other humans should realize that already. But no, they tried to force yet another Pokémon on her human. Not to mention the absurd attention all those dragons got. There was no way she would allow any other Pokémon in their party. So she did her very best to make Kay forget all about getting another Pokémon by rubbing against his legs every chance she got. Kay sighed. He had noticed the changes in Princess’s behavior. Sure she was spoiled and wanted all his attention but never to this extent. He would deal with that after the trip. Right now his group was waiting on him so the only option he had was to pick up his Purrloin and join them. “Hey there, neighbor! So were in the same group eh?” His tone was light and playful. A genuine smile played on his face while he struggled to keep Princess away from Toshiro. She hadn’t forgotten about Panzer. The dark type hissed in anger at Toshiro while trying to scratch his arms open. Mayanna’s Group “What?” Matt said, eyebrows raised in annoyance. His stare held the Spinda’s eyes firm. What did this idiotic normal type want from him? “Want me to train you?” Matt finally asked. ‘Sorry, I don’t train weaklings!” Next to the pair was a Sawk sitting on his knees. The fighting type seemed to be meditating or something, but was surprisingly alert. He opened one eye and listened to the Spinda. He gave a small nod in acknowledgment and tipped his trainer on the shoulder. Matt turned around and this time gave the Sawk an annoying glare. There was no reaction. Instead the Karate Pokémon pointed to a group nearby. They were gathered around an Ipad and discussion things. Sawk repeated his actions and then pointed at the Spinda. “You mean this annoying thing is in our group?” Matt grunted. A small confirmation nod made his sigh out even louder. “Guess I got no choice? I’ll play along for now. But this is a waste of time. They should just hand out those dragons already!” Matt was still in a pretty bad mood when he followed the Spinda and finally arrived at Mayanna. The RoG agent glared at her, saw the Ipad in her hand, but said nothing. Claude’s Group A commotion could be heard not far from Claude’s current location. Students jumped out of the way when Samantha, followed by her two fire monkeys, chased after Doux. “Come here, you!” she yelled playfully while trying to catch the grass type. Somehow after she saw Claude’s note, Samantha had turned the situation into a tag game. Unfortunately for her Doux managed to stay out of her reach. After another failed attempt to tag Doux, the redhead had her hands on her knees and started to pant. “What a crazy exercise… Why is that Cottonee so fast?” Louis and Caesar were standing next to her. Unlike their trainer they were still full of energy and were staring at Doux, excitement all over their faces.

Since Hukuna is forced to take a hiatus due to some technical problems, Mayanna will be in charge of the third group. I'll make the changes after work but just roll with that for now.

Entrance to Route 1 – Brendan Brendan snickered when he saw the enthusiastic Timburr. The small fighting type seemed like a handful, unlike his own quiet Roggenrola. The rock type didn’t really do anything besides standing around or following his trainer, but that was probably because Titan was already really heavy at first stage. “Well if this is how you guys want to do it, I’m ready.” Brendan declared. Things like these weren’t really his thing but it was better to just go along with it. Bag (update) Potion (x3) XTransceiver Flashlight Pokéball (x5) Eviolite

The rest of the day flew by in an instant. Every student was asked to pack their camping equipment as they would spent the night in tents. They gathered at the gates at 7.30 AM so the drivers could leave at exactly 8 AM. The drive would take 3 long hours and when the students arrived, they had exactly one hour to pick a tent before lunch was served. All that was explained by professor Redwood and Devin Cadmus on their respective busses. Tyron and Mr. Fisher were represent as well. The Gym teacher was his energetic self while Mr. Fisher didn’t say a word to any of the students during the entire trip. With 30 minutes left, Devin and Redwood started to explain the last part of information. “We will divide you all in groups of 5. I will now announce all the groups and when we arrive, the team leaders are to come to me personally,” Redwood said. He then started to announce the groups. Mayanna, Claude and Toshiro were some of the students mentioned to be in charge. “All the team leaders will receive an Ipad from the Academy. The first day will be like a treasure hunt and you have to find the answers with your team. Look for the researchers mentioned on the Ipad to receive the tasks. This hunt will start as soon as you’re all settled and had your lunch.” Redwood’s explanation ended at the exact same time the first bus, with Devin, arrived at the grounds. The first students were already leaving the bus when the second one with Redwood parked behind the first one. Two researchers, a man and a woman, greeted the Elite Four member, who walked over towards the fence. They started to chat a little and were soon joined by Redwood who had a box in his hands. The four adults were standing in front of a large black fence that was currently opened. They kept talking while the students gathered their stuff. It wasn’t until the first team leaders approached Redwood, they stopped talking. Toshiro, Claude and Mayanna all three received an Ipad. Redwood then instructed to follow the path towards the big open space. The large grounds had 4 giant buildings. They were placed in a half-circle with a fifth building at the far opposite. The first building was also made of grey, brick stones and was about 10 meters away from the students. The other three looked almost the same with only some slight color differences and different doors. The path led towards almost the middle point of the grounds where multiple large wooden tables were placed against one another. Not far from those tables were multiple tents divided in two sections; one for boys and one for girls. Each of them had a two smaller wooden shacks containing bathrooms and showers. Each tent was big enough for four people. The first students were already picking out tents while chatting with each other. The Team Leaders already received their first task: gathering their team members. For Mayanna this meant she had to find Jonathan, Emberly, Mie and Matt. Claude was tasked with finding Kage, Robert, Lucas and Samantha while Toshiro had to track down James, Citrine, Wolt and Kay. In the meantime some of the researchers working at the facility started to fill the large table with all kinds of sandwiches, free for the students to eat as much as they liked. Just for these three days they didn’t have to worry about BP. ((OOC: I’m going to let everyone meet up and after that you’re all free to wander around. I’ll update later with all the specifics of each building so just say where your group is going. This makes things easier for me.))

To answer your question in the IC: max 10 Pokémon during the 3 years. I only limited the first year to 6. After the third (aka the one you'll get now), I'm not doing any planned catches. You can decide for yourself what you want and when you want. At the start of the second year there's one more you get from the Academy.

I think I'll give Matt a Sawk as a second mon... And I just divided the groups for the excursion so I can move forward. Update will probably be tomorrow because I have to work really early. I doubt I can finish this update before I go to bed. Group 1: Jonathan, Emberly, Mayanna, Mie and Matt (aka Dragon Tamers) Group 2: Toshiro, James, Citrine, Wolt and Kay (Not so Dragon Tamers) Group 3: Claude, Kage, Robert, Lucas and Samantha (Idon'tevenknowbecausenoneofthemmadeachoicesoIputthemtogether)

Outside - Brendan Brendan couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed he wasn’t able to win. The feeling didn’t last long because professor Juniper approached him to give him an item. “Woah! Thanks professor! I’ll put it to good use,” he said when she was about to leave. The young amateur turned back to untangle his Roggenrola, when his opponent came over. “Thanks Jason. I would be lying if I said I didn’t hope to beat you even with all the disadvantages, but Titan did his best. And you know, I sure didn’t expect you to use my strategy against me like that. I was completely caught off guard.” While Brendan spoke he made his way towards the Roggenrola who was still wrestling with some of the vines. “By the way, did you see a healing machine? I need to heal this little guy here.”

So now that Titan leveled up, are the EXP points 0 again? Or do I count from 5 and need to reach 10 before hitting level 7? And I should be able to add Headbutt to his moveset right? Roggenrola learns it at level 10.

Outside – Brendan They were in trouble now. Not only did Brendan’s plan backfire, but Titan was in an even worse spot then before. The amateur trainer scratched his head and had to admit he saw no way out of this one. But before the battle Brendan did announce they weren’t going down without a fight. “Use Rock Blast one more time! It’s our only option left.” This time Titan hurled four rocks at Gomez. The rock type didn’t even wait for the results as it tried to shake off those pesky vines. And Brendan knew this attack was their last resort. Titan wasn’t able to take any more damage and if this attack didn’t knock down Gomez, they had to accept defeat.

How's that for a reaction? I totally wasn't hoping someone would actually poke Joey awake

Joey really didn’t want to wake up. He was in that all too familiar state where he balanced between waking up and snooze for a few more minutes. He always did that when he had to go to school. He refused to get out of bed, especially in the winter, and preferred snoozing under the warm blankets until his mother practically dragged his ass out of bed. The only difference was that he could hear some faint voices and everything felt sandy. Not to mention his entire body was hurting. It was probably better to rest it off. Just as the water type trainer decided to go back to sleep, he felt something poking him in the face. He mumbled something and added a few more sounds that didn’t make any sense. Why should he wake up? Couldn’t they just leave him alone? His entire body was hurting even though he didn’t know why. So why the hell were they poking him? He tried his best to ignore the situation and pretend he was in a deep sleeping state, an old favorite trick, when his thought trailed off. Why was he hurt in the first place? He remembered being on a ship with some interesting, yet shady, characters. He had just recalled Ishmael before his sea serpent could decide to track down the Gengar and go on a rampage. The next thing he knew he was drowning in the water while kicking and waving his arms in panic. He could see the heavy seawater gather around him and drag him down. He tasted the salt as he tried screaming for help while he panicked. At that moment he relieved a certain event from his childhood and forgot everything else. Even the fact that he had a mighty Gyarados that could easily save him. Instead he saw the water getting darker and darker as he drowned. “AAARRGGH!” Joey yelled as he suddenly shot up from his sandy bed. His limbs waving around dangerously as he almost punched Yuzuki square in the face. His own expression was all about fear as he looked around but failed to notice what was going on due to his panic attack.