[IC] Pokemon: Luminous Dawn- Chapter 1- A Bright Future!

[K_H]

Jack

As soon as Jack heard Mio say the G in Growl, he spoke to Leonidas.

"Cover your ears."

As a result of the Shinx doing so, the Growl had no effect on Leonidas. Then, Loam laid down. Jack was unsure of what was going on, so he decided to do a bit more setting up.

"Leonidas, Charge again, and use Leer if it looks at you with its' eyes open."

Leonidas, unsure of what was going on himself, did so, a third layer of Electricity surrounding the Shinx's body. He then prepared to glare at the Mudkip if it looked at him with eyes open, keeping his distance for now in order to be able to have fair warning if the mudkip tried to use Water Gun again.

[starkidcosmo]

Mio

Mio smiled ever so slightly on hearing Jack's command. It wasn't was he was hoping for, but it never hurt to have the opponent on guard. Even better, Loam still hadn't taken a single hit.

"Loam, keep your eyes closed and use water gun. Five shots, but don't aim them all at the same spot." Mio said. If he was being completely honest, at this point he was just bullshitting to try and trick Jack into thinking he had something special up his sleeve. He had calmed down considerably though; he felt confident he and Loam could respond well to whatever Jack sent their way.

Loam obeyed, firing one shot at where Leonidas had been before she'd closed her eyes, one to the right, another to the left, and two more a little further down on either side.

[K_H]

Jack

Leonidas saw the Water Gun shots inbound, and dodged first to the right, then to the left, and then stayed still as the other three shots missed completely. Jack saw Leonidas dodge on his own, and complimented the Shinx.

"Nice footwork, boy. Continue to do the things you did previously."

Leonidas nodded, and then a fourth shell of electricity surrounded the electrical lion cub, increasing his resistance to Water Gun even further.

Edited February 3, 2016 by K_H

[starkidcosmo]

Mio

"Same spot, Loam." Mio called. "Give it to him faster; don't give him any time to think. Don't worry too much about aiming or damage; just get the shots off and pay attention."

Loam fired off six small bullets of water in quick succession; first at his feet, then over his head, two to the left and right, and two more right back at the start. As Mio had told her, she wasn't concerned with whether or not her attacks hit or how much damage they did. As a result, all of her focus was on what she could sense around her. The fin on the top of her head twitched ever-so-slightly, feeding Loam as much information as it could get.

Mio was honestly surprised by how focused his little Mudkip was. She was obviously adapting well to the situation, and understood even his vague commands. He puffed up a little, glowing with pride.

[K_H]

((I thought I might add in a bit of mood music for this fight.))

Jack

Jack saw the fin on top of Loam's head twitch, and understood what was going on. He grinned to himself, and then spoke to Leonidas.

"Confuse it."

Leonidas dodged to the right twice, and then looked back at his Trainer like the guy had sprouted a second head or something. Jack repeated the command, this time pointing at the Mudkip's headfin, and then the shinx understood. Then, the electric type started to run in a spiral towards Loam, and then sped around the water type in a circle, trying to create turbulent air currents in order to make the Mudkip unsure of the electric type's location without opening its' eyes. As he ran, he watched the Mudkip, ready to come to a stop at any moment.

Edited February 3, 2016 by K_H

[Shadow Sketches]

Outside- ??? and Alecks

Alecks shook his head a last time to clear it before uncrossing his arms and putting his head up. He gave the old timer a smile and shook his hand "The world's always changing, but isn't that what makes things so interesting? You never know what can happen next!" He laughed with him a little, out of politeness and a little embarrassment. "What's your name?"

Edited February 3, 2016 by Shadow Sketches

[Jory]

Outside- Professor Oak and Alecks

Professor Oak cocked his head to the side. "Dear me, did I forget to introduce myself? Why, I was sure I had!" he chuckled, once again raising his hand to his head in embarrassment. "I'm Professor Oak, a Pokemon Professor just like your own Professor Juniper! I do my research in the Kanto Region. Do you happen to have a Pokedex?" he asked the young Trainer.

[starkidcosmo]

Mio

Mio chewed on his lip as Jack issued his command. He wasn't sure of Shinx's moveset, but he was fairly certain Leonidas shouldn't know anything like a confusion move. Even when Jack pointed out Loam's fin, he didn't understand. But, as Leonidas circled Loam at max speed, he got the gist of it. They were trying to force Loam into opening her eyes.

At this point, Mio was getting frustrated. Sure, Loam still hadn't taken any hits, but water gun was next to useless and Leonidas had only taken one, with two boosts from charge. It was time to change strategy. Loam was sturdy enough to take a tackle or two even with her defense dropped, and it wasn't like he could attack from range. Probably. It was yet another gamble, but one Mio was willing to make. Even if it failed and they lost, it's not like he'd have to give Loam back and crawl home with his tail between his legs.

"Loam, open your eyes and use tackle!"

Immediately, the Mudkip's eyes snapped open. She brought all her strength to the back of her legs and launched herself forwards as soon as she saw Leonidas in front of her, disregarding any threat to her defenses.

[K_H]

((I'm going to end this before it gets too long, so just roll with me on what happens.))

Jack

Jack and Leonidas were both caught off-guard when two things happened:

First, Loam moved unexpectedly fast, scoring a direct hit, as well as it being a critical hit.

Second, contact with Loam caused the Charge's built-up electricity to 'short out' Leonidas, so to speak, dealing a large amount of additional damage to the lion cub with a loud electrical-sounding zap, knocking out the shinx in the process. The smell of slightly singed fur and a much more spiky-looking shinx were left in the aftermath.

The action had happened so quickly that Jack's jaw dropped.

"What the heck?!"

Leonidas was too unconscious to care and Lara was too stunned at the sudden turn of events for either of them to know what had just happened. Jack quickly hurried over to the KO'd lion cub, and picked him up, a worried look on his face. he then turned to Mio, and spoke.

"I'm going to have to call it in here, let's just end this and say that you won."

Jack then hurriedly put Leonidas back into his Pokeball.

Edited February 3, 2016 by K_H

[starkidcosmo]

Mio

For half of a second, Mio thought they'd finally gotten the hit they needed. Loam's attack hit Leonidas dead-on, and even a rookie like Mio could tell it was a crit. But before he could even begin to celebrate, there was a flash of light followed by an audible zap.

"Oh no," Mio breathed. "Oh no no no no. No." He hurried over to Loam, Meena close behind.

Loam's body looked still as the grave as Mio and Meena rushed to her, but up close they could see she was breathing steadily. Relief washed over Mio, sapping him of all the fear and adrenaline that had built up. He sagged to his knees, tears welling in his eyes. Meena pressed against his side in a brief show of support before hurrying over to Loam, nudging her gently, but she didn't respond. Mio fumbled to pull out his Pokedex, opening it up to scan his little Mudkip. Sure enough, the status screen showed that she had fainted.

Mio couldn't help it. He sobbed, cradling Loam's unconscious form in his arms. It wasn't until Meena drew his attention that he realized Jack was speaking to him.

"Oh, uhm." He laughed awkwardly, scrubbing away his tears. "No, Loam is- Loam fainted so. I think we can call this your win?" He forced a weak smile in Jack's direction before turning away and pulling out Loam's pokeball, watching as it converted her into energy and closed shut. Trembling, Mio pushed himself to his feet and rubbed at his face again, feeling embarrassed. It doesn't matter if we lose, he'd thought. Clearly, he'd been wrong.

Meena glared daggers at Lara and her team before leaping up to sit on Mio's shoulder. He shot her a look, one that told her he knew exactly what she'd done and exactly was she was thinking.

"Don't," he said, a little hoarse. Meena pretended she didn't know what he meant, and Mio was too tired to push the issue.

[Shadow Sketches]

Outside- Professor Oak and Alecks

"Professor...Oak?" Alecks thought for a minute, he was sure he had hear the name before. He wasn't very good at remembering things at times but perhaps this was a person that his sister has mentioned to him at one point or another? Or perhaps he's heard about him from school somewhere? Either way, the Professor seemed nice enough so perhaps he'd get to know more about him later on.

"Huh? A pokedex? Yea I have one right here..." he took out his black pokedex from his bag and showed it to the Professor. "It's supposed to be an older model, but it seems cool enough to me." He replied as he was turning the pokedex around in his hand, inspecting it almost as much as the Professor was.

Edited February 3, 2016 by Shadow Sketches

[Jory]

Outside- Professor Oak and Alecks

"Ah, I see. What an interesting little device," Oak said with a knowing smile. "You know, I'm glad they've stopped trying to improve on the aesthetic design. After all, everyone knows the first generation model is the best," he joked. He then sighed turning it over in his hands and giving it back to Alecks. "You see, I actually invented the very first Pokedex. My research used to be to catalog data on every Pokemon in the world. He looked off into the distance, a proud expression on his face. "I never dreamed it would be the beginning of so much. With the help of two very talented young Trainers about the age of those children over there and the Researchers that analyzed the specimens they captured, I was able to create an electronic encyclopedia. My very own grandson collected every single specimen in the Sinnoh Region all on his own before becoming the Viridian City Gym Leader and eventually the reigning Champion in Kanto," he said with a hint of pride. "But the other Trainer... He climbed to heights no one had ever imagined. At only ten years old he became the Champion of Indigo Plateau. By two years later, he'd conquered the Johto League and reached the summit of Mt. Silver. He was a true prodigy. No one has heard from him in over a decade, but I'd like to believe he's still out there. At least for his Mother's sake." The old Professor sighed once more, smiling at Alecks.

"Thank you for indulging an old man's tale. I'd like to give you a parting gift, if you don't mind." The Professor extended his hand to Alecks, giving him a small fabric pouch. It was fastened shut by a drawstring with two tiny bells on them. If Alecks held the bag up to his head, he could hear a light jingling from them. While the burgundy fabric was opaque, whatever was inside it was perfectly spherical.

Alecks has acquired a Mysterious Pouch (Key Item)!

"Don't open it just yet. Take this as a lesson: 'Sometimes, you have to trust your instincts.' When the time is right, you'll know to open it. I promise," the Professor said, grinning with a gleam in his eye. "I do hope you enjoy your journey, Alecks. Great things await you." With that, Professor Oak turned and walked back into the Lab.

Jason

The new Trainer waited with his Pokemon near Titan for Brendan to be done speaking with Juniper. Once the Professor walked away, Jason approached Brendan with a smile. "Don't sweat the loss, Brendan. I'm glad my first battle was with you, though. That was a great strategy to pull Gomez back toward Titan! I can tell we're going to have some awesome fights in the future!" Jason added. Rascal pumped his fist enthusiastically, giving a cry of approval at his Trainer's declaration.

Bianca

Mio felt a hand gently rest on his shoulder. Bianca stood next to the new Trainer, a reassuring smile on her face. "Hey, don't worry! Loam is going to be just fine! We have a healing machine inside! You and your Mudkip did an amazing job in your first battle. It was a draw, so you didn't even lose!" She giggled and put her hand on her mouth. "At least you weren't Brendan! His Roggenrola didn't last very long at all against that other Trainer's Treecko," she commented. "And look, Meena is still okay!" Bianca gushed, trying desperately to cheer up the disconsolate young man.

[K_H]

Jack, Mio, and Bianca

Jack walked over to Mio and Bianca, Lara following him. He then spoke to Mio, congratulating the other Trainer.

"Nicely done back in that Battle, Mio. You certainly were a tough opponent. Even though the typing advantage was in my favor, you still managed to fight for a long time. And on the bright side, it's as Bianca said: neither of us lost because it was a tie, which makes the fact that you lasted so long with a disadvantage that much more impressive."

Jack then turned to the Lab.

"Now, let's get our partners healed up."

[starkidcosmo]

Mio

Mio started as Bianca rested her hand on his shoulder. His whole face burned as he realized she'd seen him crying, and he looked away from her in embarrassment.

He coughed awkwardly, still unsure and upset despite Bianca's reassurances. Meena flicked her tail over to his other shoulder, resting it on Bianca's hand in a show of support. However, her gentle demeanor changed as Jack approached with Lara. Her tail thumped dangerously as she stared down the pair.

Mio gave a bitter half-smile at Jack's words. It was one thing hearing that from Bianca, who'd clearly been a trainer for a while, but it was another thing entirely to hear it from another Amateur. It honestly felt as though he was being spoken down to, although he knew that probably wasn't Jack's intention.

"Well, one of my Pokemon stopped listening to me and the other fainted so... In my books, this is a loss." He chuckled, but it was hollow-sounding even to himself. He stayed quiet for a moment, but when Jack turned to the lab, he spoke up again.

"Uh, Jack?" he called, sounding more like his usual self. "Uhm... Look, I don't... It was a battle, and you did what you had to, and that weird discharge or whatever it was obviously wasn't your fault so, I don't have any hard feelings or anything." He trailed off, unsure of how to continue. How could he tell someone his Pokemon probably hated them?

"But, Meena probably... Well, she probably doesn't see it that way." He gave Jack an apologetic look as Meena grumbled under her breath. "So, she'll probably be, uh..." Mio's gaze turned down and away, ashamed. "...pretty rude to you guys. She won't pick any fights-- I'll see to that, but... Well, if your water bottle falls open onto your head in the middle of the night, it was probably her, so let me know if any unfortunate coincidences happen to you, ok?" He grimaced. Meena gave Lara and Jack one last withering look before turning her nose up at them.

"But! Anyways," he laughed, feeling awkward. "You're right, I need to get Loam all healed up." He strode towards the lab, ears burning.

Edited February 3, 2016 by genderlesshawke

[Chim]

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.”

[Jory]

Outside- Jason

The Trainer chuckled and shot Brendan his trademark grin. "Yeah, I actually saw one while we were inside. Let's head there now. I'm sure Professor Juniper will catch up with everyone near the door." As Jason began to lead the other Trainer toward the healing machine, he smiled broadly. "I'm glad you thought that was a good strategy. It was kind of a spur of the moment decision." The pair stopped by the entrance to the lab, waiting for the rest of the group to finish up outside. At the door they ran into Mio and Jack, who had headed toward the lab after their battle was over.

[Shadow Sketches]

Outside- Aleks

Alecks watched as Professor Oak went back into the lab, he almost didn't want him to go, he would have liked to hear more of his stories and about the other trainer. The one he called a prodigy... he hoped Alecks would be able to meet that trainer one day. Alecks hoped that he and Apollo would grow strong enough to be remembered as prodigies as well. He wanted to leave a mark on the world, he wanted to climb his way up to the Elite Four and beyond, no matter the challenges that lay ahead of him. He knew that he and Apollo would overcome any challenge, they connected in a level above just trainer and pokemon, they connected as partners. He vowed then that they would both get stronger and make Professor Oak and everyone else think of them as legends as they were did with the other trainer, hopefully getting a chance of battling the trainer prodigy when the time was right.

Alecks looked down at the small, mysterious pouch the Professor had given him "When the time's right huh?". He closed his hand around it and held it determinedly. He put the small pouch carefully in his bag and started to walk back towards the lab where the others had gathered. This was only the start of his and Apollo's journey, and he looked forward to showing the world their true potential. But first, he needed to get his buddy healed up.

Edited February 4, 2016 by Shadow Sketches

[Jory]

Professor Juniper's Lab- Everyone

Bianca led six new Trainers and the Nuvema Town trio back into the lab and toward the healing machines, which were set up in Professor Juniper's private lab. As they all began placing their Balls in the machine, they would have been surprised to hear a side door whoosh open automatically. Professor Juniper emerged with Professor Oak and another man about Oak's age. He was wearing a yellow Mr. Rogers sweater and khakis along with an olive messenger bag, his face much softer than his daughter's as he examined the new arrivals. He gave them a satisfied nod, then turned to his colleagues. "They're the future of the League, you know. This group. I've never felt anything quite like it before," he said pensively, stroking his chin with his thumb and forefinger. He then laughed lightly, offering a warm wave to the group.

"Hey, gang. I'm Cedric Juniper. I hear my daughter's gonna be sending you all on a wild goose chase!" he laughed again, shaking his head. "I'm just here to wish you guys the best of luck. You're about to embark on a journey that will change you forever, hopefully for the better. But before you go, I'd like to give something to each of you." With that said, he reached into his bag and took out Poke Balls. He began passing them out to each Trainer, stopping when he reached Bianca. "You're no newbie, Bianca. I'm sure you have your own."

Everyone has received Poke Ball (x5)!

Bianca smiled, tilting her head. "Of course I do, Cedric! Don't think that I've lost my skills just because I've been researching. After all, then you'd be one to talk." She then looked at her XTransceiver. "Oh, we're behind schedule!" she shouted, suddenly alarmed. "Alright guys, it's time to head out!" With that she boldly led the new Trainers back to the entrance to Route 1.

Route 1 Entrance- Nuvema Town

Bianca stopped the group of nine before they stepped onto Route 1. "Alright guys, this is it! The first step of your adventure! When you guys are all ready, you should all step forward together! After all, these are the friends you'll be with the whole time!"

Jason smiled, excited at the prospect of such a symbolic gesture. "Okay!" He lined up in front of the spot that marked where Route 1 began, waiting for the others to step forward. "Ready, guys? We'll do it on three once everybody is ready!"

[Ojama Yellow]

Tara- Route 1 entrance- Nuvema Town

Tara shook a little. Being one of the younger children, she felt a little unsure about being one of the first people to step forward. The age difference didn't exactly help either. On the other side, maybe being one of the first people to step forward would make a good impression on the others. After all, she needed to show them that she was just as good as a trainer as the others. Due to her small talk with Katie, she didn't get to battle, something Tara somewhat regretted.

In an attempt to show that she wasn't worth less, Tara quickly took in her place next to Jason. She still kept a fair distance from the older boy, though. "I'm ready!" she nodded.

[Azeria]

Alia- Route 1 entrance- Nuvema Town

Alia shook her head for a few seconds, trying to keep herself upright and awake. She was somewhat glad she didn't have to battle at all just yet, with how much difficulty she was having trying to stay awake, battling half decently was far beyond her. Well more than it would be, I'm just a beginner after all...just another newbie.. She sighed before putting up a smile. "Yeah, ready here, I guess. All for one and one for all, or something like that. Right?"

[Sutoratosu]

Hugh- Route 1 Entrance- Nuvema town

Hugh bore the weight of his pack on a single shoulder, staring at the lush seas of green out near the road. This was it. Right here, right now, this was where everything really begins... or rather, where it all really begins to end. But not for him...not for him at all. But he knew for whom the bell was going to toll.

He had to admit, even though he honestly had little interest competing against any of these older trainers, or even against Alia or Tara for that matter, the high schoolers seemed pretty good judging by the fights he'd seen a while ago, especially the guy with the Treeko. Any of them probably would have made interesting and decent rivals, but there still remained the simple fact... that none of them were the ones he had to defeat.

"Right," He answered Alia , stepping up beside the two Nuvema trainers and Jason. "It's either now or never, I guess."

[starkidcosmo]

Juniper's Lab- Mio

Mio placed Loam's pokeball in the healing machine gently, giving it a small, reassuring rub. It was silly; he knew Loam couldn't actually feel him touching the pokeball, but it made him feel better all the same. He sighed, thinking of all the ways he could have stopped this from happening.

He was startled out of his reverie by the sound of a door whooshing open, and the sight of Professor Juniper's companions brought him out of his funk completely.

The Professor Oak, creator of the Pokedex, world-renowned Pokemon researcher, stood casually at Professor Juniper's side. Mio was only a few feet away from a legend among researchers. He had so many questions! He wanted to discuss everything he possibly could with his hero. Meena let out an audible sigh and Mio gave her a light flick on her forehead.

Next to Professor Oak was Professor Juniper Sr., whose work Mio was less familiar with, but still someone to be admired. His ears burned as the older Juniper introduced himself, and when the man pressed five pokeballs into his hands, he was pretty sure his whole body was going to burst into flame

Bianca pulled the group away from the group of Mio's heroes, leaving Mio somewhat regretful. He looked back five or six times, imagining the sorts of conversations he could have with three top-tier researchers, before the door to Professor Juniper's lab closed behind him and it was too late.

Entrance to Route 1- Mio

Mio was alarmed at the phrase 'friends you'll be with the whole time.' He'd assumed they'd all go their separate ways and do their own thing, at their own pace. More than that though, he wanted to get Meena away from Jack and Lara as quickly as possible. He'd said he'd keep her from picking fights, but honestly he'd rather just avoid any chance of confrontation. His mouth twisted at the thought of restraining Meena all the way across Unova.

Jason stepped forwards to the point just before Route 1 started, followed by the trio of younger kids. Although Mio was perturbed, he plastered on a happy face and rolled forwards on his skates, stopping next to Jason.

"I'm ready too." he said. Meena rolled her eyes and draped herself around Mio's shoulders like a scarf, digging her claws in tight. Loam's pokeball hung off of Mio's belt, but inside, her eyes were gleaming in excitement.

BAG:

-Potion (x2)

-Pokeball (x5)

-XTransceiver

-Rollerskates

[Shadow Sketches]

Alecks- Route 1 Entrance- Nuvema Town

After Alecks had been able to heal his fallen comrade, he let Apollo out of his ball just to make sure he was all right. Apollo responded by jumping on his trainer's head as he monkeyed around. Alecks sighed but was at least happy his friend was back to normal from their fight. After he managed to calm Apollo down, Apollo refused to back into the ball and instead stayed on his trainer's shoulder. Without arguing much, Alecks followed the others until they arrived at the Route 1 entrance.

Alecks looked around at the others for a moment, this seemed almost a bit too cheesy for his taste. But he didn't want to let down or upset Bianca and her bubbly personality. So he stepped up with the others, standing beside them as Apollo looked around at their surroundings. He couldn't seem to sit still, but Alecks didn't really mind. "Well, let's just get started then! I hate having to be patient." He smiled at the others, his excitement boiling as their journey stood in front of them.

Edited February 4, 2016 by Shadow Sketches

[Felicity]

Entrance to Route 1

Katie was ready, she stood with her arms crossed and facing the open road as though it was an opponent for her to confront rather than the calm countryside it was. She glanced down at Roy standing by her leg and lightly poked the small pokemon with the tip of her shoe. "Well, you ready? You got to slack off for a while but now we're really starting our journey. You better be ready." Roy responded with... a lot of enthusiasm. Scratch that, way too much enthusiasm. Birdjesus Christ, Katie would have to muzzle him if he kept this defiant screeching up! She poked him again ad put her finger to her lips to indicate he should shush. He clamped his mouth shut. Literally, he grabbed his lips with his hands and held them shut. Katie glanced around.

"We good. Ready whenever."

[Chim]

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