Filthy Casual

Chapter 33: Sayonara We are finally getting into the meat of the chapter! We started off the day by receiving presents from this mysterious "Toy Box". When we opened the box, we happened to find some interesting gifts... Oh, god, not you again! ...what? That's right, it was Alice and Allen from the Hidden Library. She explained that she was sent by the Puppet Master to send us to a place called "Nightmare City". While we didn't know what she was talking about, Karen ran off, and the twins decided to stay with us. Unfortunately, Lavender also received that mysterious red letter. We went to bed for the night, and were treated to a cutscene. As soon as it was morning, we heard that more people were turned to stone! We ran down to see who it was, and... ...well... We went back to the Penthouse, feeling defeated. That is when Alice and Allen told us some interesting information... We ended up buying a Nightmare Medallion, allowing us to be transported to the city. That's where we met a familiar face... AELITA, IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU! But that's not all! We ran into another good character! Same here, Zetta! You're actually interesting! He explained to Aelita what she missed, as well as how he died and ended up here. However, this also lead to a really touching scene (and the best one in the game): After that brief cutscene, we ran into another familiar character... That's... unsettling... Either way, before we could see the Puppet Master, Zetta challenged us to a battle! This is it! Next time, it's the final episode! There is only one question left... It's up to you! Current Team

I'm ready!

Chapter 32: Who Are You People?! We have finally made it to the home stretch! We began this episode by finally arriving in the long-anticipated Grand Dream City. We decided to wander the city where... Oh, no... I thought we were done with this nonsense... Just why...? Why... Seriously, WHY?! How do you people have any significance whatsoever?! I may be in the minority here, but I personally detest going through Chapter 9. The characters introduced here are borderline irrelevant, and the story splits into way too many subplots. I'll just give a quick blurb about most of the characters in the spoilers below: With that out of the way, however, there are a few events I want to cover: Finally, we ran into Venam, who wanted to get a gift for Melia for her birthday. She wanted us to pick whether or not her bow would be red or blue. We picked blue, but Venam wanted red. As such, we fought to determine who would pick the bow... Next time, we will be continuing on with the events in Grand Dream City! Who should we catch? What should their names be? Who should we use/box on our existing team? It's up to you! Current Team

Journal 13: ...what have I done? I started off the day training Outback. He told me about how he was mocked for being a Klutz back home. He was the clumsy one in his pack, and wanted to prove to everyone that he could fight just as well as the others. So far, he had been doing really well! His Magnitude was fending off even the fiercest trainers. I told him that he could fight against Flannery, the fire type trainer. After all, he resisted her attacks. When we got to the Pokemon Center to rest up, Brendan realized he still had that Zubat on him. He asked if he wanted to join the team, and the Zubat only nodded. Brendan asked if he wanted to be nicknamed Stoker. Only a nod. Honestly, he's pretty strange. He's just kept to himself the whole time. That didn't stop Cherokee from giving him a welcome. She promised to train him after our gym battle. When we walked in the gym, we found Flannery nervously pacing back and forth around the gym. When Brendan asked her what she was doing, she snapped, acting as if she was an old man about to give a final exam to his students. She then sent out her Pokemon, asking us to send our "strongest beast" to battle. Of course, Brendan chose me to start. The first two were easy KOs: one Numel and one Slugma. She ended up sending in a Camerupt next. I used Water Gun, trying to take advantage of it's crippling water weakness. Instead, the Camerupt not only lived, but set up a Sunny Day. I knocked it out, but a Torkoal was up next. I wanted to try taking it down, but Outback stopped me. "I think I can take it down!" I remember him telling Brendan. "I'm strong enough! Rupert's been helping me out!" Brendan gave him the go ahead. I remember him going for a Magnitude, only getting a 5. "It's okay, Rupert! I can do it! She can't-" Right as he said that, Outback was engulfed in an Overheat. When the flames subsided, I remember Outback smiling. "See...? I told you I... I..." Thump. I remember feeling horrible. I had sent poor Outback to his death. I was ready to try and avenge him... ...but then the Torkoal had a White Herb. Outback was sent out to die for nothing, and it was all my fault. Jones took a bit of time to think, looking at Brendan and saying "Send me in." Brendan looked at him as if he had two heads, and Jones said "I can stall for time. You need Rupert to finish him off, and he can't do it as it is." Brendan just nodded with tears in his eyes, sending in Jones. I remember Brendan commanding him to go for Yawn. Jones just looked back at me, saying "Well, I guess I don't you anything anymore, huh?" All that was left was a pile of ash. I remember Hermie looking completely distraught, while Cherokee looked as if she wanted to murder Flannery. I remember Flannery just looking confused, as if she didn't know whether or not she was supposed to continue. "Rupert?" Brendan said to me with a somber tone. "Mud Shot". I remember how angry I became as I buried the Torkoal in piles of mud. Even its Attract wouldn't stop me from relieving my anger. I remember Flannery just looking helpless when her Torkoal was being subdued. "I... I didn't mean to-" That was enough for Brendan to hear. He called us back in our balls and ran out with what was left of Outback and Jones. He ran into May outside the gym, who berated him, saying that he was a terrible trainer for letting his Pokemon die. "You done?" he asked after she finished her rant. May was taken completely aback from that statement. Brendan just went to the Pokemon Center and locked himself in the room. I remember seeing Penny, asking us how the fight went. Cherokee just broke down and began to cry. I'm probably not going to write in this journal for a bit. I'm worn out... Current Lineup

Journal 12: Holy crap, today was horrifying! As soon as we had woken up, we were at the top of Mt. Chimney! Brendan had run all night to the top of the volcano, fearing that it would erupt on everyone. He explained to us that Team Magma was using a Meteorite to try an awaken a demon apparently trapped in the mountain. We had fought our way to the top of the volcano, where we found a man dressed in all red looking off into the distance. "You there, child," he asked. "Do you even know what we are doing?" Brendan of course replied no. "I thought so," the man said. "My name is Maxie, and I am the leader of Team Magma. What we want is to..." and to be honest, I zoned out. Apparently, the Magmas want to expand the land mass. What a load of nonsense! That's just going to make life worse for water types. Brendan tried to talk sense into him, but he wasn't hearing it. We went to battle. That Mightyena gave us a bit of problems. Luckily, Penny put it to sleep with Yawn, allowing me time to finish the beast off. Zubat was up next, and Cherokee was able to finish it off with a Wing Attack, all the while shouting "This is so cool!" Afterwards, Maxie sent out his Camerupt. I was brought out to deal with the threat. I remember the feeling of both fear and rage, remembering what Archie's Sharpedo did to my head. I think that helped me pull through, because the Camerupt went down without a fight. "What?! Was I, the great Maxie, caught off guard?!" he cried as Brendan began to take down the meteorite. The Magmas were forced to retreat, much to the amusement of Archie, who cried out "Well, looks like that Marshtomp of yours has been building some muscle since our last encounter! Who knows, maybe one day, it might actually be strong!" As the Aquas left, Brendan decided to set up camp. He ran all night, and understandably needed some rest. We decided to keep watch for any suspicious activity. As we were watching, I remember Outback coming up to me. "...that was pretty cool back there..." he muttered. "You know, I hope you can teach me a thing or two about fighting. I want to help, too." This took me by surprise. He hadn't said anything since he got here, and those are his first words? Don't get me wrong, I'm honored, but I didn't expect that! I agreed that I would help him. We're going to be doing some training down by the mountainside. It's going to be extremely productive! Current Lineup

Could anyone teach my Florges Toxic? The side quest for the TM doesn't appear to show up for me. I would love Toxic to be taught over Grass Knot if possible.

That's funny, because I'm like that, too! There's actually a quote I remember hearing from a basketball player named Michael Jordan that inspires me. The quote goes like this: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." All it would be is saying hello. No matter what happens, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of yourself other than you. As the old saying goes, you are your own worst enemy. Having said that, if you also want to get over him, try talking to other people. The hardest thing you can do is open up to others around you, as it may hurt them, as well. Try talking to family or friends. They can help you through the situation. However, at the end of the day, only you can make the best of it. Fortunately, however, you were brave enough to share your thoughts here. This means I know you have the inner strength to get past this emotional hurdle.

Chapter 31: Weeded Out This was it! We were ready to get our next gym badge, getting one step closer to taking on the league! We just had to find the place. As we were looking, however... AELITA?! I forgot to mention this last part, but as it turns out, Erin and Aelita are friends. Erin was in the Darclight Woods looking for her. Before we could catch up with Aelita, however, she ran away. Regardless, we ended up finding the battlefield. It was time to fight! After winning, we received the TM for Energy Ball! Finally, Dangerous (Sceptile) isn't stuck with Mega Drain! As we were heading back to the train, however, we noticed something troubling. After all this time, there is finally a trace of Saki, Valerie, and Adam! We knew they had to be in Grand Dream City, so we went back to the train, and discovered it was fixed! April Krystal even let Erin on the train after seeing an image of a Latios on the ground. Who knows, we may learn more about that soon enough... We are almost done with this LP! We are about to head into Grand Dream City! Who should we catch? Who should we box? What should our new member's names be? Also... It's up to you! Current Team

It sounds like there is one option you have: message him on Facebook and see if he wants to hang out with you (as friends only). I say that because if you don't, you sound like you're going to regret it. If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work. The sun will still rise the next day.

Chapter 30: Stand By Me: The Bladestar Chronicles After our escapades with those side missions, we were briefed on the happenings in Grand Dream City. All of the citizens were being turned to stone! As such, Melia and company decided to try and stop these mysterious happenings... ...but not before Amber tried to take her Mom's Charizard back from Venam. This made Melia pissed... and by pissed, I mean slightly annoyed. Honestly, though, whenever Melia gets angry, I consider it a victory. As we were riding on the train, we met yet another new character... Unfortunately, the train received an unfortunate delay. While traveling, there was a break in the tracks, causing the train to stop. It was clear that nobody wanted us in or out. We went out to look for someone who may be able to fix the tracks. Instead, we found these two characters. Meet Florin and Flora, the Grass Type Gym Leaders. Both were in charge of investigating "corruption of the land" by the mayor of Grand Dream City, Cassandra. However, as we were looking through the forest, we realized Flora was up to no good. Of course, we went to confront Flora about this suspicious activity. However, as we were walking, our egg hatched! Meet our newest member... We ended up following both Flora and Florin right onto a trap, falling into a cellar below. Luckily, we met an extremely sarcastic young individual: Indeed, this was Erin, yet another new character. She ended up freeing us all. However, we were given a choice: who do we team up with? We decided to go with... Of course, here are the results of this pairing... After those misadventures, we had a choice: either tell Florin and Erin about Flora's secret, or keep quiet. We decided to... Next time, we will be taking on the gym leader! Who should we use? Who should we catch? What should their names be? It's up to you! Current Team

Journal 11: Today was the day! We decided to head out to Meteor Falls, trying to find a way inside Lavaridge. Along the way, we got to fight a lot of strong and powerful trainers. Everything was going so well. Even our newest recruit, Outback, was getting good experience. Unfortunately for us, we ended up running into a ninja just as we were getting exhausted. This ninja was a sadist. He did nothing but have his Koffings use Self-Destruct. I was able to take two, but was not ready to take a third. We were out of healing items, and it looked like it was going to be the end for me... ...but then Jones jumped in front of the blast. I remember hearing his bloodcurdling scream in the blast. It was horrifying: bringing me back to the memories of Kailini's death. As the ninja was ready to pay Brendan money, I remember him getting ready to punch the kid in the face... ...but then we saw Jones twitch in the rubble. Without hesitation, we ran him to the hospital. Jones was able to recover from the blast, but he's got this huge scar over his left eye. I remember asking why he did that for me. "What can I say?" he began to chuckle. "I guess I wanted to be brave, too." That hit me. It looks like I really am like a leader to these Pokemon. I've got to continue to be strong for the others. Either way, we continued onward towards Meteor Falls, where we found a poor Zubat injured and alone. Cherokee took to the Zubat immediately. She wanted to make sure that it stayed okay. Before that could happen, two men in weird red uniforms ran passed us. Behind them was none other than Archie. "You!" he yelled at Brendan. However, he started to pause to himself, saying "...never mind, there's no time. I've got to stop those Magma bastards before they blow up the damn mountain!" "What?!" yelled Brendan. Before he could say a word, however, Archie ran past him. Brendan quickly caught the Zubat, then recalling us all in our Poke Balls. He's been running as fast as he can towards Mt. Chimney's lift while we've been getting rest. I've been extremely fortunate to have a trainer as considerate as Brendan. Current Lineup

Journal 10: Today was pretty emotional for all of us. We started off the day with Midnight crying to herself early in the morning. I was going to ask her what was wrong, but Brendan found her before I did. I decided to listen in to their conversation: Midnight had grown tired of traveling with us, and felt as if she was baggage. Brendan decided to put her in the day care. Perhaps she would feel better if she trained in there without the risk of death outside. Indeed, Midnight decided to go there. It was weird for the team, but we eventually decided to move on. We even met some new team members: one in particular was extremely clumsy, tripping over any rock found. He was a Numel, and seemed to have a short attention span. Brendan decided to call him Outback. The other new member was a Torkoal, who seemed really happy to join us. She wanted Brendan to call her Sally. We even ran into some reporters! They were named Gabby and Ty, and wanted us to fight them for a television show! I was sent out alongside Hermie for the fight against a Whismur and a Magnemite. "Dude, this is so cool," Hermie said. "We're going to be on TV!" I didn't respond back, but I was also extremely excited. We got to show off to the world what we were made of! It was a quick battle, even taking the two reporters by surprise. However, what was even more awesome was that Penny evolved from the fight! She grabbed onto the EXP Share when Brendan wasn't looking, getting enough EXP to level up! "Hey, look at that," she said. "I feel like I can do a marathon now!" We were all extremely happy for her. We ended up stopping at an old woman's house for the night. Brendan said we need to get our rest tomorrow if we are going to get our fourth gym badge. Current Lineup

Agreed with this part. I also noticed you lack water types on your team. Because of this, I have two recommendations for a ground replacement: either a Gastrodon or a Flygon. If you get a Flygon, perhaps you could get a Walrein as your water type.

Journal 9: Today was really hard. I'm not quite sure what Brendan thinks of me today after my outburst, but I couldn't help myself. I felt too angry to control myself. We had decided to take on the gym. Along the way, we ran into Wally, that green-haired kid who took Torchic. I was really excited to see her again! Maybe she would even be a Combusken, and we would get to spar. Wally had wanted to prove to his uncle that he could be strong enough to defeat Wattson. He challenged Brendan to a battle, and he quickly accepted. I quickly took down the Ralts with a will placed Mud Shot. I was ready to take on my best friend... ...but she was never sent out. Wally then went on to explain that she died during his fight with Roxanne. Apparently, he sent her out without training her, just as Brendan did to Kailini. However, Roxanne had decided to stop Wally from continuing the fight, as she didn't want him to sacrifice any more of his Pokemon. All he had left was the Ralts. "Maybe if my Summer was strong enough, she would have survived," he was muttering to himself. "I've got to have stronger Pokemon. If I don't, I can never-" That did it. I grabbed the kid by the neck in anger, ready to pummel his face into the ground. I probably would have done so, too, if my trainer didn't stop me. I couldn't even manage to look at myself. I ran off. Funny enough, it was Penny who found me hiding down at Bicycle Road. She had asked if Summer and I were close. "What do you care? You don't say anything!" I replied. "...you know, I lost my friends, too," she replied. "Trainers took my brothers and sisters on their own teams, each trainer either getting them killed or boxed. Maybe I handle grief a bit differently than everyone, but I know Brendan needs you. He's been looking for you for hours. Even if you're sad, you can't do that to him." That got me thinking clearly. I ran back to Mauville, ready to take on the gym. Brendan just looked at me with this perplexed look and asked if I was really ready to fight after what I did to Wally. After a couple more hours of begging, Brendan agreed to let me have a chance. I'm glad that he did, too, because I got to solo Wattson's team! It felt really good! Brendan was even praised for having a "well-trained Marshtomp". Imagine that! Me, well trained! I know Brendan has done a better job keeping his emotions in check. Now, it's my turn to do the same for the others. Current Lineup

Filler Chapter 5: Personal Demons After that intense battle with Erick, we spent the day completing side missions. The first thing we did was attempt to enter the Odd House in Goldenleaf. As we entered the house, we noticed a mirror, smashed it, and witnessed the worst... After the beast fled, we took the time to catch two more members to the team! Meet the two newest recruits... With those out of the way, we began our side quests. Generator Problems: This one requires that you activate the Odd House event. Rotom sent by Dufaux have taken over the Power Plant, and it's up to you to confront the demon. This quest is difficult, but satisfying. It's ending is also quite disturbing. Fortunately, we received a great reward. We were given access to the generator room. This allowed us to evolve another member... House Sit: This is one of the most boring missions by far. It may seem interesting at first, but then you realize that the mission consists of one battle, and nothing else. I like to call it an interactive cutscene, because you don't even do anything major after the fight other than interact with Sakitron's diary. Fortunately, during the fight, we did get a cool new evolution! Hidden Library 3: ...oh, boy, where do I begin with this? I understand why this may be a cool mission, but when you start to look at it, you begin to notice some cracks (see spoilers below): Either way, we got an awesome payoff for this mission. First, we got a Mega Stone for Banette. Second, we even got a starter egg! Finally, we bred an Alolan Sandshrew in order to initiate a trade! Say hello to the newest member of the team... Next time, we will be taking the train to Grand Dream City! Who should we catch? What should their names be? Who should we box? Also, more importantly... It's up to you! Current Team

I believe they are Eevee, Ratls, Riolu, and Jangmo'o. They have a minuscule chance of appearing, however, so it's not a surprise that you haven't found one yet.

It looks like a fun team! I would consider replacing a Cherrim with a Heracross. You will need to look up how to do it, as it involves defeating a Pinsir. However, Heracross would do wonders for your team, especially since a Psychic leader is next.

I'm not sure Axew is a jackpot starter anymore. I think he was replaced by Jangmo'o.

Journal 8: What a productive day! Today was the gym battle, and Brendan came prepared! He had trained Cherokee and Hermie to really high levels! When Brendan met Brawly, I knew he wouldn't need my help. In fact, Hermie pretty much did all of the work while Cherokee took out the Meditite. "Woah, dude," he exclaimed. "You swamped me good! Roxanne told me you may not have been prepared, but it looks like you rocked my socks off! You deserve this." With that, Hermie had earned us a badge. He had the biggest grin on his face while Brendan received his reward. "I didn't want you to worry too much about us, Rupert", he told me after the battle. "Since you put your life on the line for us, I wanted to return the favor." I couldn't ask for better friends. Brawly told Brendan to head north to Mauville City, home of Watson, the gym leader. As we were heading up, however, May stopped us. She had the strangest look of concern on her face. She was telling Brendan that she was worried for his training, but I don't know... something seemed off about her. Either way, she started off the fight by bringing out her Wingull and Slugma. I easily KOd them with Rock Tomb and Mud Shot... ...but then Blade came back. He was ready for a fight. "Where's that fucking moth?! No one makes a fool of me and gets away with it!" "Oh, you mean me?" grinned Hermie. He was ready to fight the new and improved Grovyle. "Yeah, you, you little shit." jeered Blade. "You may have gotten me last time, but-" Brendan commanded Hermie to use Confusion. Grovyle became confused. "Man, you make this easy." Hermie laughed to himself as Blade began to charge at him at full force. As he did that, however, he missed, hitting the fence posts instead in his confusion. Blade eventually knocked himself out. Brendan was extending his hand to wish May a good game, but rather than accept the hand shake, May began to berate him about what a horrible trainer he was being... ...what? "You know, you may have won, but you could have won faster if you had just told your Dustox to poison with Poison Sting and then use Confusion," she said. Brendan looked extremely confused, and frankly, I don't blame him. She ended up riding off on her bike, her face red with anger. Before our day ended, we got a bit more training in, and what you know, Cherokee evolved! She's now a really fast Swellow! I think she's just thinking about the next fight, though. Either way, Brendan seems really happy for her. Tomorrow, he's thinking of taking on Wattson's gym. That probably means I'm going to play a huge role in the fight. Hopefully everything goes as planned. Current Lineup

Journal 7: Maybe Team Aqua isn't a joke after all. I almost lost my life today, and if it hadn't been for Brendan, I probably would be dead. Our day started with some training at the Slateport Beach. Mr. Stone had asked us to deliver a package to Mr. Stern, the captain of a submarine. While we were training, we even found a new friend: a mischievous Gulpin! He tried to steal and eat a Pokeball, but accidentally ended up trapping himself inside the ball. Brendan decided to call him Jones. While training, we noticed that a large amount of Aqua goons were swarming the museum. As we walked in, we found Mr. Stern being confronted by some Aqua grunts. I was sent out to take care of both of them. As they went down, I felt a sharp pain in my body. My legs felt as if they were going to contort to an unnatural position for me. As it turns out, that's exactly what happened, as I evolved! Brendan was extremely happy to see that. He rushed over and gave me the biggest hug. I remember him telling me how proud of me he was. Of course, our pleasantries were cut when the boss, Archie, decided to arrive. He warned Brendan to give him the Devon Goods, or there would be dire consequences. Of course, I quickly went to battle. I felt on top of the world, with new power surging through me... ...but then he sent out Sharpedo. After that, I don't quite remember what happened next. I only remember the Sharpedo biting down into my skull, and then just cold: nothing more than cold, dark nothingness. I woke up in the Slateport Pokemon Center. I had been out for two weeks! The team had caught up in level. Cherokee was so happy to see that I was alright. Hermie gave the biggest chuckle, saying "We missed you, buddy." Penny stayed in the corner, keeping to herself, while Jones just gave a thumbs stub? what does he have up. After our reunion, Brendan came in the room, tears of joy on his face. He had agreed to hand over the Devon Goods to Team Aqua in exchange for my life. While it's awful that they got the goods, I'm still grateful my trainer gave up so much for me. Yes, I'm petrified, my trainer is depending on my to be brave. I won't let him down. Tomorrow, the team is going to take on Brawly. Brendan wants me to sit out for this one. I just hope none of my teammates get carried away.

Journal Entry 6: I really hate that Treecko... It all started as usual. Brendan was taking us to Dewford to deliver that letter to Mr. Stone's son, when we were stopped by May. She was telling us that she was getting ready to take on Roxanne for her first badge. However, May wanted to get in some training in before she fought Roxanne, so she challenge Brendan to a battle. He was quick to accept, wanting to make us stronger. I was sent out first against her Wingull. It didn't take much to bring it down. It only took a couple of tackles... ...but then Blade came back. "Round two, asshole!" he cried out. Cherokee entered the battlefield, wanting an opportunity to fight. "Come on, cutie," I remember him sneering, "this isn't the place for you to fight. I'm only after your little friend in the back." "But it looks like so much fun!" she replied. "I just want to..." Blade goes for Quick Attack. Critical Hit. May looked on in horror. She didn't command him to go for Quick Attack. I was ready to kill that Treecko, but fortunately, Hermie stopped me. "Don't worry. I'll take him," he replied with the happiest smile on his face. I remember looking at him as if he had two heads. Blade had just severely hurt one of our friends. "Oh, look at you," Blade sneered. "What, you think you're going to stop me? You're only level ten! I'm level fifteen! I've fought longer than you can imagine, and if you think you can-" Brendan then told Hermie to go for Poison Sting, poisoning Blade. "Yeah, you really rambled on there, huh?" Hermie asked with the biggest grin on his face. "You're lucky Cherokee will live through that injury, or else I might have actually tried to kill you." "Why you little-" It was right there that May called Blade back. She apologized profusely for not being able to control her Treecko. Brendan handled the whole situation with class. I was really impressed at his ability to maneuver through that dangerous situation, especially after our gym battle. Kailini would have been proud. I remember Mr. Briney taking us on his boat to Dewford. Along the way, I asked a recovering Cherokee if she was all right. "All right?" she asked. "I'm more than alright! I've never felt more alive in my life! We should do this again soon!" That Taillow is really strange. I'm not quite sure what to think of her yet... We ended up arriving in Dewford, where we saw a man in silver hair getting assaulted by a Zubat. Brendan quickly caught the creature, naming her Provenance. The man introduced himself as Steven, son of Mr. Stone. He quickly handed the letter over to Steven, who appreciated his efforts. "Maybe when this is over, we will battle one day," he said. I'm not sure why he said that, but he rewarded our troubles with a TM for Steel Wing, as well as an EXP Share! That's going to make training go by much faster! Brendan said we will be training the majority of the day tomorrow at the beach. We're going to need plenty of rest if we want to build up our strength.

I've been seeing a lot of those pictures asking for people to talk about their favorite Pokemon of each type. Therefore, my question to you is simple: who are your favorite Pokemon of each individual type? Here are a couple of mine:

Journal Entry 5: After yesterday's tragedy, Brendan brought us out to Route 116 to give Kailini a proper burial. Poor Brendan couldn't keep it together, as he kept bawling throughout the ordeal. As we were getting ready to leave, however, we saw the same Aqua grunt from yesterday run through the grave site. Brendan quickly ran after the grunt, chasing him to an abandoned cave. As he was about to head in, however, a Taillow came down and snatched from papers from his hand! "Damn", I remember him saying. "I needed those!" He quickly looked over and saw an old man's Wingull. The grunt quickly snatched the Wingull and ran away into the cave. "No, not today," Brendan was saying to himself. "No one else gets hurt today!" Brendan quickly ran after the grunt, cornering him in a cave. The grunt tried to repel us with his Poochyena, but it was no use. Hermie poisoned the mut for an easy KO. Then, however, something really neat happened: Hermie evolved again! He's now a Dustox! I remember him the look of excitement on his face. Hermie was quick to explain, "This is so cool!" As we were celebrating, Roxanne entered through the cave, and quickly asked Brendan: "You! Did you stop that grunt?" "Yeah... why?" asked a confused Brendan? Roxanne explained to him that he was part of Team Aqua, a terrorist organization known for wishing to "expand the ocean". I have no idea where they would get that nonsense, but whatever, I guess that's a thing now. She stated that is was very reckless and stupid for him to chase the Aqua grunt into the cave. However, Brendan was quick to respond: "I don't care if it was stupid! And yeah, maybe I let my emotions get the better of me, but I'm not going to let someone else lose a Pokemon like I did! I can at least make sure no one has to go through what that old man did!" This took Roxanne by surprise. She paused for a bit, then reached in her bag to give Brendan a gym badge. "Maybe you aren't so bad, kid," she said, "but please make sure you exercise better judgement in the future. It's my job to make sure beginner trainers like you don't get your Pokemon killed." With the biggest grin on his face, Brendan told her "Yes, Ma'am," and quickly ran out the cave with excitement! As we were walking, we ran into the Taillow. "Wow, you guys were so cool!" she said. "Wait a minute, why did you stop him", asked Hermie? "It didn't look like you were that involved." "I saw that those papers he stole were from some scrawny guy at Devon Corp. I thought it would be really cool to stop the bad guys!" Noticing that she was getting along with Hermie, Brendan asked the young Taillow if she wanted to join the team. She quickly accepted, allowing herself to be captured! Brendan decided to name her Cherokee. Right as we were about to leave, however, we were stopped by an agent at Devon Corp. We were taken to their CEO, Mr. Stone! He asked us to give a letter to his son, Steven, over in Dewford town. He said that he would only trust a strong trainer to handle the job, so naturally, Brendan accepted. Brendan had told us that we would begin our quest tomorrow, but for now, we had earned a break. I'm really happy I didn't quit on Brendan just yet. Maybe he might not be so bad... Current Lineup

I'm ready when you are! Send me a PM!

Try training up Litleo to become a Pyroar. Make sure it knows Ember and Echoed Voice. In V9, Pyroar makes quick work of Marianette if you can build up enough Echoed Voices.