Pokémon Academy: Ch 1a: A fresh start [IC]

[DarkLight]

'What?' Danielle turned to where Jacob was facing and found that they sat right next to a familiar man with the hat and Growlithe. The new face is a shiny, unamused Magnemite that is floating by his head. She was happy to see another familiar face, but also nervous at the thought of sharing one of her more private parts of her life. 'I didn't plan on sharing the story with Slade, of all people. Is he going to see me as a freak now? I don't know him too well to know how he thinks of me...' Nevertheless, Danielle managed a polite greeting, laughing at the mention of a date. "Hello to you too, Slade! Well, I leave that for you to figure it now." she winked. "Well, I obviously don't mind the company, but it's up to my, as you called it, date, to decide." She was on the fence about letting him in the conversation, but something told her that it may be okay...

Avis was pecking at his pickings of berries when she heard "Slade." She looked up from her place to find the said person sitting alone with his Growlithe and Magnemite. She froze for a second at the electric type; the bird then saw that the Magnemite was not interested and, so, she went back to observing Slade. This is a bad and a good thing. The good thing is now Danielle can get more feedback to solving her fear. The bad thing is now Jacob and Danielle doesn't get any alone time. However, Avis thought more thoroughly, the longer Danielle cannot confront her fear, the longer she cannot move on. That can be detrimental to her life, including her dating life. So, Avis sighed in her head, the matchmaking can wait, for now.

Corona, however, was more interested in her fellow fire type that Slade has. She chirped a greeting to them and waved.

Edited October 8, 2014 by DarkLight

[Jory]

Jacob blushed more deeply each time someone mentioned the word "date" until it became apparent both of the other students were waiting on him. Shoot, he said to himself. I guess there goes my exclusive dinner with Danielle. I'm sure there will be another time, and she doesn't seem to mind, so I guess it's okay with me, he told himself before smiling at Slade and opening his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Hey, I know that if I were sitting alone I'd want people to do the same thing for me. Come join us, Slade. I'm sure more people will be showing up for dinner soon regardless."

[DarkLight]

"Well, you heard the man. Come on over!" Danielle chimed. "I was going to tell Jacob what happened at our battle, so... I guess you're in for a treat," she shrugged at the last part. She fidgeted with her glove straps a little, waiting for Slade to slide over to join them. 'I hope my gut feeling is right about Slade.'

Her Murkrow suddenly hopped onto her shoulder and nuzzled her, crowing her approval of this decision. Danielle stroked her wing, feeling more confident now that she has Avis' support.

[Aurorix]

"You sure?" Slade asked with his eyebrow raised. "I don't to intrude so if you want me to leave I'll be happy to oblige." He then moved tables and sat next to Jacob. "Anyways, lets hear about this 'treat'." Slade said giving his full attention to Danielle.

~~~===~~~

Flare looked over at the bug greeting him and he replied with a few seconds of sniffing then a yip. He seemed to have some leftover fire-type pokefood left and he nudged them over to his newly made friend.

Edited October 8, 2014 by EXLink32

[Jory]

Jacob looked carefully at Danielle as Teo crawled over to him and up his legs, sitting in his Trainer's lap. The teenager stroked the Trapinch's huge jaw, smiling at Chalchi when he realized the Lapras had craned her neck to be a part of the conversation. I'm glad she's able to talk about it in front of more people than just me. She's making progress, he noted. Jacob put a hand on Danielle's shoulder and nodded encouragingly. "Hey, no matter what happened, we're all here to support you. Don't worry, Danielle," he said quietly, looking her in the eyes. He then sat back in his chair and put his hand back on Teo, who gurgled in appreciation, ready for Danielle to begin her story.

[DarkLight]

Corona chirped happily and sat with Flare and his food before she listened to Danielle. She was also eager to know why her master reacted so dramatically during that battle.

Avis crowed her approval to Slade and beamed at her master, trying to raise her confidence more. Danielle couldn't help but smile at her partner and gave a nod to Slade and Jacob. "Thank you, Jacob. That means a lot to me. And yeah, I'm sure. Just be warned, I haven't told anyone about this outside of my parents and Valerie, the gym leader of my hometown. So, I might sound... unprofessional," she scratched her head unsurely. "Well, let's see... I guess to know the full story, I'll have to tell you how I met Avis in the first place..."

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

**7 Years ago, at Route 15, Kalos**

"Where could that ball be?" an 8 year old Danielle asked out loud to herself. She wandered over into the tall grass, since she couldn't find it on the main road. "Here, little ball, little ba--- Ah!" Danielle suddenly tripped over something and landed face down on the ground. When she turned around to find out what it is, she immediately recoiled upon seeing what appears to be a Murkrow. The 8 year old knew Murkrows could be dangerous, especially at night when they are with their head boss, Honchkrow. However, upon closer examination, the black bird wasn't moving at all. Danielle decided to poke it a few times with a stick; no response came out of the bird. It was clearly unconscious. Danielle stood up and looked around her: Nobody seemed to be around, no trainer nor any adult was nearby for her to carry the Murkrow to Laverre City's Pokemon Center. "Murkrow?" she whispered, crawling closer to the bird. "Please don't hurt me... I just want to help you..." Danielle picked up the bird and ran to the Pokemon Center, afraid that it will attack her as soon as it woke up.

******************

"Nurse Joy said that the Murkrow seems to have suffered from a broken wing," Danielle's mom told her later that day. "Because of that, the poor Pokemon probably couldn't find any food and, thus, fell unconscious. Her flock must of forgotten about her and left her there. It's a good thing you found it, Danielle. You just saved her life!"

"That is correct, dear." Danielle's father agreed. "You did the right thing, Danielle. We are both so proud of you."

Danielle was happy that the bird was going to be alright. "Can we go visit her tomorrow, Mommy and Daddy? I want to see her fly again!"

Her parents laughed before her mother spoke once more. "Of course you can, sweetie. However, you will not see her fly just yet. She needs to take a good, long rest before her wing is okay again. You will also need to be careful while handling her."

"I will, mom! I will!" Danielle responded.

*******************

"Now, Danielle, hold her still while I redress her bandages. Remember, do not hold her too tightly or else you will end up with another cut on your eye again." her mother instructed. Danielle, obediently, held the black bird gently this time, as her mother took out the Murkrow's wing brace. The black bird glanced nervously at the little girl, wary about what happened the first time they changed her bandages. This time, however, the procedure went without much difficulty and the Murkrow was back to walking/hopping on the coach again. Her injured wing lie limply on her side.

"Alright, little Murkrow, just behave yourself. Danielle, you too. I'm going to go and make dinner." Danielle's mother announced. She then put the medical supplies back in the drawer and headed off into the kitchen. Danielle turned on the television and began watching the Hoenn Contest Semifinal round, her eyes glistening at the fantastic moves that were performed by various coordinators' Pokemon. The Murkrow, bored out her mind since she couldn't fly, also began watching the show, keeping her distance of the overly-cheerful daughter.

"What do you think, little Murkrow?" she asked the bird. "Isn't it beautiful? The way they can battle and also show off their Pokemon like that is just amazing to me." At that, the Murkrow turned her full attention to this strange human. "I know you are more about battling, since most trainers that went by Route 15 catch you and train you up to be Honchkrows to fight the Psychic gym, but it would be amazing if somebody can use your moves for contests too." The Murkrow cocked her head. Contests are definitely new to her, and she loved examining new things, being so curious as she is. She also gave Danielle credit for holding her again after she almost scratched the girl's eye out. Perhaps Danielle is more interesting than she thought...

**A few months later**

"Hey! What are you doing here, again?" Danielle asked the Murkrow that came through her kitchen window. The Murkrow was released back into the wild after her wing was declared fully healed by Nurse Joy. Yet, no matter how many times Danielle and her parents tell it go back, the bird will always come back to her. Murkrow crowed her greeting and settled on Danielle's shoulder, tickling her face with her wing.

"Danielle! Is it that Murkrow again?" her father called from the living room.

"Yes, dad. She seems to like me a lot," Danielle giggled.

"Honey, you know you are too young to have a Pokemon. And the town elders are not happy with it around. They keep on glaring at the poor thing when she follows you... We can't have the Murkrow here for her sake and your's," her mom answered. "What can we do?"

After a few seconds of silence, her father came up with a solution. "How about we ask Valerie what to do. She is a gym leader of Laverre, so she might be able to give more insights on this."

*********************

"So, why not just let her stay?" Valerie, the Fairy-type gym leader asked calmly.

"But how can she? The elders..." Danielle's mother began to speak before Valerie raised her hand. "The elders," Valerie continued, "Cannot harm any Pokemon without a lawful reason. Any hurtful behavior regarding a Pokemon's life outside of that is deemed unacceptable in Kalos, and that includes Laverre City, where I am in charge. You will not need to worry while I am here. Of course, if you don't want the Murkrow around, that is a different story," Valerie waited for Danielle's mother to reply.

"Valerie, unlike the elders, I never saw that kind of danger in the Murkrow line. I never believed in superstitious things like that; they are unreasonable and unfair to the Pokemon. If you are sure that they will not cause any harm, then I am willing to let the Murkrow stay if she wants to." Valerie nodded and kneeled down to be on eye level with Danielle and Murkrow. "Danielle, it's quite obvious that the Murkrow is attached to you. But, do you want the Murkrow to stay with you?"

Danielle hugged the bird close to her chest and nodded vigorously. How could she say no when the chance to get a Pokemon is right in front of her?

Valerie beamed. "Well, I'm sure that this matter is resolved. Please tell me if anything goes wrong."

**Two years later**

"How DARE you?! Valerie yelled at 4 elders, each with a Dedenne by their side. Her Mawile was standing by her side, shielding Danielle and Avis. "What gave you the right to KILL that Murkrow?"

"Valerie, Murkrow is a omen of death! We cannot---"

"Has it actually caused death? Has it?!" Valerie glared at each of the old men, who in turn, shuffled their feet. "There is just as much basis for that claim as there is for Absol being the bringer of destruction! NONE!"

"But, that bird was seen everywhere! It's almost as if it was following us, plotting out our every move..."

"So, if I decided to send out my Sylveon to take a look around the land, does that mean you need to kill my Pokemon too?" Valerie retorted.

"N-no, no! Of course not! That is not what we meant---"

"That is EXACTLY what you meant, and you know it!" Valerie interrupted them; she had heard enough of their excuses to hurt that bird. "I suggest that you leave now. I'll deal with you later."

The elders looked at one another before they went back outside of what appears to be a dark, clammy room. Valerie quickly knelt besides Danielle, who was holding an electrocuted, beaten up Avis. Avis was barely breathing. "Come, Danielle, let's get Avis to a Pokemon Center immediately. There is still a chance," Valerie said softly to the terrified girl.

*******************

Valerie put her hand on Danielle's shoulder as they waited by the emergency room. Danielle's parents were also waiting, patiently by their side. Danielle looked emotionless, with dry tears running down her face. As the door opened, Danielle raced to Avis' bedside, tubes upon tubes were laced around her frail body. "Avis...?"

"Don't worry, your Murkrow will make it. She just needs some rest and will be good to go." Nurse Joy reassured them.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Valerie gave a slight bow to show her appreciation. With that, Nurse Joy and the Audino wheeled Avis away into a visiting room.

********************

"Why would you do this!? What has Avis done to you people?!" Danielle screamed at the elders. "LOOK AT HER! SHE'S ALMOST DEAD! SHE'S ALMOST DEAD! You have NO right to visit her after that!"

"We really want to apologize, Danielle. We are clearly---"

"Get out." Danielle's father said, his voice threatening to explode. "This is unacceptable, no matter how you want to phrase it. How would I know that you are only apologizing so that YOU can get a more lenient sentence for your actions! Get out!"

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

"As you can see, Avis made a clean recovery without so much as a mental scar. It's also because of this that she isn't afraid of anything, because she has already experienced death." Danielle explained. "Valerie was able to punish the elders and took away their Dedenne for their horrific crime. Still, I was afraid, so my dad bought a Dusk Ball for Avis to hide herself. Since Avis likes to follow me only, I can carry her inside so that she wouldn't be seen by any other such people. It worked out but," Danielled sighed, "I am still tortured by the thought of Avis' almost dead body. At least, when I first found her, she was warm and breathing. But that day..." she shuddered, "It was like she was almost gone from my life. When Corona cried out on the field, I couldn't help but imagine what pain Avis went through. It became too much for me..."

Danielle then thought for a moment to see whether or not she missed anything. "And, well... That's all. Feel free to judge." She leaned back and took the last sips of her water. Surprisingly, she actually felt a little better than she ever felt before over the past 7 years.

((EDIT: Fixed up my math... 8+5 doesn't make 15.))

Edited October 8, 2014 by DarkLight

[Commander]

"Thanks, Shiro but..." Henry hesitated a minute before continuing, "I'm sure we're all aware I'm not welcomed here. Zuko and I are getting pretty sick of being playthings so I think it's best I take action and just leave." He opened the door and watched his pokemon walk out in front of him. "Kenny, I once was in a battle with someone who battled very similar to you. That man is now in prison." With that, Henry walked out the door struggling to control his anger. It's people like him that disgust me the most. I wouldn't even call them trainers.

"Vulpix!" Zuko was sharing feelings of anger just like its master did. The two had been together for a long while so they often shared the same feelings.

Henry suddenly stopped and grasped the side of his right rib. His Pokemon suddenly became quite alarmed. "It's alright, I'm fine. We really can't go back into our room anyways as I'm sick of seeing him. Let's just find a nice place to sit down. Err...how about soon?"

((I meant for my other post to be my last post, but seems you guys like surprising me. Technically, I could have Henry head to the cafeteria, but I'm just going to leave him trying to avoid people for now)).

[Aurorix]

Slade listened as Danielle told her story. The bias against pokemon always despised him, whether it be the pokemon's type or species. The thought of people trying to kill a pokemon just because of a pokedex entry disgusted him. He could level with Danielle to a point, and he was going to make sure that this won't haunt his friend longer then it has to. "Danielle, I can completely level with you being traumatized by this experience. Actually I have a similar case when I was with Flare in Celadon City in Kanto. I want you to hear my story, it is somewhat like yours so would you mind listening to mine? I believe that this is relevant to what you are dealing with." Slade said with a serious tone in his voice. Flare let out a whimper as to what Slade's story entailed.

[Jory]

Jacob sat still, unable to respond appropriately to the weight of what Danielle had just revealed about herself. Sweet Arceus... I couldn't imagine what would happen if anything happened to Teo.... he thought to himself, holding his Trapinch tighter. Chalchi leaned her head in and wrapped her neck around her Trainer's shoulders. "Thanks, guys," he said quietly, allowing himself to be comforted by his Pokemon's presence. Then, he looked up at Danielle, who seemed to be casually sipping her water. That couldn't have been easy for her. Jacob sat still for a few more moments, gathering his thoughts.

"I can't believe they did that to Avis. That's not right at all and they got what they deserved. And most of all, I'm sorry that our battle brought up memories like that. I know it couldn't have been easy to see Avis like that. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to Teo or Chalchi." He shuddered at the thought. He immediately tried to think of something else, as the thought upset him.

Then, he turned his attention to Slade, hoping the other boy's story would get his mind off of bad things happening to his friends. He leaned over to Danielle. "You did an amazing thing by saving Avis and got rewarded for it. I for one am glad that little troublemaker made it out okay."

Edited October 8, 2014 by Jory

[Aurorix]

"Back when I lived in Celadon, this was a Bias going around the city. Since the gym was a grass type gym and what most people use to counter grass is fire, some of the more influential people started a bias against fire types. Any fire type would do whether it be a mono or multi type pokemon if it was a fire type people hated them. Then when I was around six I found Flare here in an alleyway beaten up and hungary and he wasn't too keen to me. He was beaten up and abused by a trainer who caught him then released him on the streets and before that beat him up, so he really didn't like humans. Luckily a teacher gave us oran berries to make poffins with durring school and I took some. So I gave them to Flare here and over time we bonded and became ho we are today. Now when I asked my parents if I could keep Flare in a pokeball."

Slade slammed his hand on the table in anger. "They said these words, 'Son why a fire type, out of the pokemon in the world it had to be a fire type. Do you want to know what the neighbors would think if they saw you with that thing, they'd laugh at you or just flat out ignore you. I forbid you from having that growlithe, how about we get you a nice Bellsprout or Oddish instead?' Obviously I said 'no' and I hung out with growlithe after school since. But the kids in school knew I was hanging with him so like my parents said they mocked me, treated me like dirt, they even called me 'Burnt Boy' or any assortment of insults, but I didn't care, if they couldn't accept me then I knew Flare would. Then one day I though, why not put Flare in a pokeball, though I was too young to buy one so I persuade a wandering trainer to give me one."

"So for the next ten or so years I kept Flare a secret from my family until on person ratted me out and then my parents forced me to release my pokemon. I was furious, they though their social status was more important then their own son's happiness so I ran from Celadon, I ran straight to Vermilion City and bought a ticket for the academy and signed up for the trainer program, because Flare is more important to me and more loving then my family ever was. Sorry if I got a little emotional there, It just really pisses me off when I think about it. Anyways I don't know if that helped or not but I told my story, Jacob your turn." Slade said smirking at Jacob finishing off his little story with a little humor to lighten the mood a little.

Edited October 8, 2014 by EXLink32

[K_H]

Kenny spoke to Henry, clearly trying to keep himself calm. The air was so tense you could cut it with a knife.

"Henry, let's just drop the subject right there."

Ryu noticed Kenny's tenseness, and told Zorro. Zorro then spoke.

"Henry, you'd best just drop the subject."

[Chim]

Notus

Evan looked up when his roommate arrived. “Hey.” He sounded a little tired. “Don’t mind if I do. I had to clean up all those laptops and take them all the way to the seventh floor.” He grabbed some fries and looked at the little Mudkip. “Luckily that damn elevator started to work when I was halfway.” He held a fry between his fingers and tried to lure Kyte.

In the meantime Cleffa walked over to Colin. She hadn’t officially met him yet and was rather curious. Her little hands grabbed his clothes and she started pulling to get some attention.

Stratos

Lana looked at the Scyther and chuckled a little. “She seems very smart and helpful.” She shifted again but a little less awkward this time. She was feeling less nervous now that she got to know Mareek a little. Meanwhile she hadn’t noticed that her Nidoran fell asleep and used her leg as a pillow. She patted the small Pokémon and recalled it to its Pokéball. “I’m sorry but I’m getting sleepy as well. That work out session for gym really tired me out…” She stood up and this time she made eye contact. “I guess I see you tomorrow?” she asked a little uncertain. She didn’t want to be rude and end the conversation immediately.

[Notus]

The mudkip broke free from his trainer and jumped towards the lure set by Evan, trying to catch it. Colin laughed loud at that. "Well, guess that workout left him even hungrier than usual. And ouch mate, you mean you had to take half of them by the stairs?! Holy hell, you must be hella tired."

The boy was about to take some fries himself, when he felt a little pull on his shirt. Looking down, he saw the reason for that was Evan´s Cleffa. "Oh hey little one! Nice to meet you!" The boy said, carefully picking the pink pokémon and putting her in over the table with Kyte. "Oh, by the way, congrats on the battle with Alvin, both of you! You totally rocked that!" When he finished saying that, Celestinine appeared from behind his head, where she had been hanging on his shirt. She looked at Evan and Cleffa in a shy manner and let out a "sea!", wanting to be presented as well. "Oh, and this is Celestinine, our new buddy!"

[Bfroger6]

"Henry, wait! Pancakes!" Shiro threw himself after Henry, dropping the mixer on the floor with a loud thud as the plastic fell out of its frame, revealing the elctronics inside. Shun jumped onto his hand and climbed her way up to his shoulder as he forcefully pushed the door open.

'What happened between those two?' He thought to himself as he glanced left and right in search for Henry. As he couldn't see him, Shiro assumed he went towards the exit, so he turned right and ran after him.

"Henry!" Shiro grabbed the other boy by his upper arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Atleast... atleast tell me what is wrong..."

[Chim]

“I’m totally beat,” Evan replied while patting Kyte. His expression changed a little when Colin mentioned his victory over Alvin. “I got lucky,” he frowned. “If that rock blast didn’t hit Combee I would’ve lost…”

He grabbed some more fries when Celestinine popped up. He didn’t really say anything and tried to lure the Horsea the same way he did with the Mudkip. “Oh I nicknamed Cleffa Faith. I figured I should’ve have some more in her since I thought she couldn’t battle at first.” The Cleffa responded by waving her little hands and grabbed on to Colin. “I’ve no idea where Eevee is since he sneaked away again after finishing his food. He always does that… maybe I should name him Ninja or something…”

((I had to retype that Horsea’s name like 5 times before I got it right xD))

[Notus]

(I´ll name my Tentacruel after the Wasteland only because of that XD)

Celestinine was still a little shy and didn´t go for the food at first, but when she saw Kyte slowly making his way to Evan´s hand she jumped like a bullet towards it.

"Lucky? Mate, I call that strategy, and a very good one by the way. I never knew you were this good." Colin patted Kyte´s head, delaying the hungry mudkip a little so Cel could get some food. "You listened Kyte, we better watch out for Evan, Faith and Eevee if we want to keep an undefeated record! Right buddy?" Kyte gave him a decide "Kiep!" making the boy laugh. "Anyway, what do you think about the excursion Redwood said we´ll have? Are you looking forward to catch something?"

[Commander]

"You wanna know what's wrong." Henry began yelling quite loudly. Just when he thought it was over, someone just had to bother him. He could only stand so much. "What's bloody wrong is that you people don't know when to take a hint and stay the hell away from me. It was bad enough I had to spend time with my two most favorite people in the world in detention, and I was relieved I wouldn't have to see either of them the rest of the day. I simply went to bed, but was interrupted. Normally, I'd be fine with this, but I just couldn't take seeing him any more and decided to do you a favor and leave to not kill the mood. I already had enough stress when leaving Orre, but all of that is nothing compared to having you people up in my ass all day."

Henry started breathing in and out to calm himself down. He then began speaking in a much quieter tone. "Sorry. I didn't mean to go all out on you of all people. Just let me be and have fun with your friends, okay? I really just don't want to see anyone right now." Henry turned around and continued walking away from the dorm. He really wasn't in the mood to converse right now.

[TurboAura]

Just as Henry had stormed out, Shiro seemed to have ran out after him. "Oh great, more problems. Kiai, mind keeping track of Shiro in finding Henry. We don't want a repeat of yesterday." In a responsive 'Rio ru,' Kiai kept a 'sense' on Shiro just incase. It didn't seem like they all had to go after Henry, or even SHOULD without knowing why he just left, but Kiai would know what would happen if anything did. With that, Robert had went over to the mix that Shiro had left behind. He thought to himself, 'might as well work on the food while Shiro's out. Maybe stuffing their faces will keep them from using their mouths to annoy eachother.' With that, Robert began making the Pancakes where Shiro left off, doing his best to put the mixer back together. I mean, if he couldn't cook pancakes, then he'd have less cooking talent than any human should have. "Gez Kenny, I knew you two could get on eachother's nerves, but I would've thought the 'time together' would make you hate eachother LESS, not more."

Edited October 8, 2014 by TurboAura

[Bfroger6]

"I... I... Henry...." Shiro truned around the other way and ran back into the room. He slammed the door shut behind him and slid down to the floor. He could not calm himself. Henry hated him now... He wouldn't want to be his roommate anymore... And then... and then Shiro would be left all alone...

He looked towards Kenny. 'What happened bewteen the two?' He still had no idea, but maybe Kenny could reveal more about this incident.

Shiro sniffed, wiped away the tear in his eye, and went up to Kenny. He noticed Robert in the ktchen, trying his best to finish the pancakes, so he waved somberly to greet him. "Thanks..." He mumbled to him before turning to Kenny. "C- I mean..." He sniffed again, this time using his sleeve to wipe his nose. "Can you tell me what happened between you two... please..."

"Ruru!" Shun screeche at Kenny in a hostile way. He better tell Shiro everything he knows, or else...

[Chim]

Notus

Evan smiled a little. “It was my first battle so I wouldn’t consider me much of a threat at this point. I saw some people out there with more experience.” Suddenly Eevee jumped on the table. He went over to the Horsea to sniff it for a moment before lying down. Evan was used to Eevee popping up out of nowhere every now and then and didn’t really react. He scratched his partner behind the ears and thought for a moment. “You mean that dragon excursion? I don’t know. I never thought about it but a dragon might be nice… Maybe a Dragonite or something…” he wondered. “What about you? Are you going to make an exception or not?”

[DarkLight]

Danielle listened on as Slade told them his version of Flare's past before she decided to comment. It hurts to know how this world could be filled with such ignorant people, but she is also comforted by the fact that she wasn't the only one facing it. Yet, in some ways, she felt that Slade had it worse than she and Avis. His parents never really cared for Slade and he and his Growlithe had the whole city against them whereas she and her Murkrow still had the loving support from her parents and a gym leader. By the end of his story, she couldn't help but wipe a few of her tears from her eyes from the sorrow and their kind words of encouragement. She also heard Corona crying down below and scrambled to pick up the Larvesta to hold her.

Corona snuggled against her master. She felt guilty about bringing up Danielle's past with her shameful crying on the battlefield. The last thing on her mind is to hurt this kind-hearted trainer who was willing to help this shy Larvesta.

"You and Jacob are so silly, feeling guilty over bringing up my past." Danielle finally said as she sat down in her seat once more. "Slade has it worse than me, you two should feel guilty about bringing up their life story." She paused to gather her thoughts before continuing. "Slade, I could tell this is also hard for you and Flare. You only brought it up to make me feel better. For that, I offer my sincerest thanks. You and Jacob have no idea how important it was for me to know that I have support from all sides while I stumbled through that monologue. I was afraid that you two would laugh and say I was weak; I'm glad to say that I was wrong. All I can say is that now that we are here, we can face those dark times and get through them together." With that, she gave a smile, not the one she usually uses when she teases people, not a fake one, but a genuine, warm smile. Avis, who was on her shoulder the whole time, tickled her master's face with her wing and crowed happily. Danielle giggled and stroked her wing, eliciting a soft cry from her troublemaking partner. "Well, enough of my cheesy fluff. Jacob, like Slade said, now it's your turn! Nothing like a light-hearted story to end off the night! But, if it's just as horrible as ours, well, it still works as long as it makes you feel better!"

[Jory]

Jacob paused awkwardly, not sure how to follow up the horrifically tragic stories that each of the Trainers at the table had told. If I tell a lighthearted one I guess that would be okay... he thought to himself, now feeling self-conscious about his lack of a depressing backstory. He then sighed and smiled at Danielle and Slade, realizing that neither of them would care what the content of the story was, just that he shared one. He looked down at Teo and smiled, eliciting a happy gurgle from the Trapinch. Jacob then nodded to the other two. "Well, I don't have any experience with the kind of stuff that you two dealt with. Since the whole Team Plasma incident in my town way back when, people have made an effort to be more socially conscious and aware of how their actions impact others. But the way I met Teo was pretty funny. I guess I'll tell that story." And with that he began to launch into the tale of how he caught his Trapinch.

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Jacob's hands and face pressed against the window, squishing his features as he excitedly looked at the terrain below. "Mom! Dad! Look, it's Mt. Pyre!" the preteen said enthusiastically, pointing a finger at the volcano in the distance. He looked back at his parents, who were both wearing their headphones. His father was typing furiously on his laptop, most likely sending some kind of work-related e-mail. His mother was simply reading a book, leafing lazily through the pages while she sipped her ginger ale. The child sighed in disappointment and slumped back into his seat. This is taking foreveeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrr! I'm 11 years old for Arceus's sake! I don't have this kind of time to waste! he thought to himself, looking anxiously forward and backward. The cabin of the airplane was filled to the brim with passengers, most of whom were wearing some variation on a classic Unovan tourist's outfit; that is to say, they were wearing Pacifidlog-style shirts. The child petulantly crossed his arms and pouted, waiting for the trip to be over. He quickly fell into a light sleep, his head resting on his mother's shoulder.

When he awoke, the plane had already landed and his mother's hand was on his shoulder. "Wake up, Jacob. We're here!" she said excitedly, grabbing her bag out of the overhead compartment and joining Mr. Robertson in the aisle. Jacob blearily stepped out of his row of seats and proceeded down the stairs from the plane. When he exited the door, his eyes lit up and he smiled brightly. "LAVARIDGE TOWN! YOU GUYS DIDN'T TELL ME WE WERE COMING HERE! YOU SAID WE WERE GOING TO GRAMMA'S!" he shouted excitedly bouncing up and down. His parents laughed and ushered him toward the airport, a small building with only a baggage claim, a check-in counter, and a security line.

The next day, Jacob and his parents woke up early and went down to the hot springs. Upon seeing all the sand in front of them, Jacob ran off and began playing in the sand, running it through his fingers and digging small holes to excavate a big pile of sand. He continued digging around until he reached his hand into the dirt and felt something sharp. He cried out in pain, nursing his injured hand as the sand in front of him began to shift. Suddenly, a small Trapinch's head poked out of the sand and looked at Jacob. It gurgled at him, evidently a little confused as to why the child was digging. Excited by the prospect of catching a Pokemon, Jacob dove toward the Trapinch, trying to wrap his arms around it. The small Pokemon simply ducked into the sand and out of the way, popping up behind him and gurgling once more, this time sounding happier. Jacob dove for it again and missed again, as the Trapinch dove into the sand and came up behind him once more, gurgling in laughter.

Jacob smiled at the Pokemon and began laughing at its antics until his sides hurt and he was unable to breathe properly. For the next couple of hours he played in the sand with the Trapinch until his parents called him back to the hotel room. "I'll be back tomorrow!" Jacob said happily, patting the Pokemon on its large jaw. Sure enough, the next day Jacob showed up at the sand and played with the Trapinch for the rest of the day, eventually picking him up and carrying him over to his parents. "Mom, Dad, can I keep him?" he asked, making his biggest, roundest eyes at his mother. She relented quickly enough.

"Okay, sweetie, but he's your responsibility. You have to feed him and wash him and make sure he doesn't eat the furniture. Okay?" she asked the young Jacob, who nodded vigorously. Jacob's father sat back and smiled, happy that his son had found a friend.

Later that night, his father whispered to his mother, "I'm glad we brought him to Hoenn to find a Pokemon. The ones in Unova can be pretty hostile. Do you think he knows that's why we're here?"

The mother shook her head. "No. I just know that he's happy and he's found a new friend."

And so, when it came time for the Robertsons to leave Lavaridge Town, they brought a new family member with them.

=====================================================================================================================================================

Jacob took a long gulp of water, as his throat was dry from talking so much. "And that's how I met Teo," he finished, waiting for a response from Danielle or Slade.

Edited October 8, 2014 by Jory

[DarkLight]

Danielle couldn't help but laugh at the little game that Jacob had mentioned. It was so amusing, like a game of whack-a-Drilbur. "Like I said, nothing like a good, amusing story to finish off the night~ Thank you Jacob! Oh! And Teo's little game gave me an idea!" Danielle sat up and leaned across the table. "You know, that little game could help train up our Pokemon. Teo will have to try and evade the Pokemon's moves to avoid getting hit, and his opponents will have to try and be quick enough to hit Teo. It's a win-win situation for both sides! Also," Danielle turns to Slade, "Didn't you mention that Flare has an issue with controlling his fire? I'm sure Corona will gladly help you out when we have to spare, isn't that right, girl?" Corona, still snuggled in her master's embrace, chirped happily. She wouldn't mind helping out a fellow Fire-type. "So, what do you think?"

Edited October 8, 2014 by DarkLight

[K_H]

Kenny sighed.

"I was hoping to keep this between me and Henry, but it seems that there's no other option except to tell you guys."

Kenny then calmed himself.

"How should I put this? Let's just say that Henry and I get along poorly, and it all involves what happened since our Battle yesterday, when Shun had wandered off. At the time, I'd recently met up with Robert, and i'd just finished unpacking and gotten my Pokedex, when Ryu and Kiai sensed the fact that something was going on, and ran out of our Dorm. Robert and I followed them, and when they split up near the Forest, Kiai and Robert headed towards the Forest, while Ryu and I headed towards the Cafeteria, where we found Zuko in the process of kidnapping someone else's Ralts, because he mistook it for Shun. Before i could intervene, Ryu Attacked Zuko with a Quick Attack, causing the Vulpix to drop the Ralts and retaliate with a Roar. That particular situation was resolved just about then when the Trainer of the Ralts picked it up."

Kenny paused for a second to catch his breath.

[Bfroger6]

Shiro listened to Kenny carefully. If he wanted to fix the situation with Henry, he had to find out all the details.

"So... what happened during the battle that, uhm..." He paused, searching for a proper word. "I mean, what made Henry feel that way about you? He- He mentioned something about prison, didn't he? Where is he even from..."