[IC] Pokemon: Luminous Dawn- Chapter 2- New Places, New Faces!

[Jory]

Route 2, Main Path- "The Top Percentage!"

Jason led the trio around the bend in the path where they were faced with a perfectly normal scene during the summer in Unova. Several local boys were playing with their Pokemon in the middle of the path, ever-vigilant to find new challengers to train against. These were obviously Pokemon Trainers. The three Youngsters, around the ages of eleven to thirteen, wore different-colored t-shirts with various kinds of hats and sneakers. However, they all seemed to have one thing in common. Suddenly, one of them looked up and pointed. "Hey Joey, look!" he shouted. The other two boys turned around and began snickering, forming a line across the path.

"Hey, look at these chumps!" another said eagerly, his Patrat bouncing excitedly by his side. This was probably the one who had just battled; however, he stood off the right. He obviously was not the leader, though he seemed to have a mean streak to match his big mouth. "They're such losers! They're not even wearing shorts!" he said mockingly, sticking his tongue out at the Amateur Trainers.

The one in the middle laughed, his white t-shirt fluttering in the breeze. His blue jean shorts and blue baseball cap (worn backwards, of course- he's no loser!) "Well lookie here, Allen! You're right! Not a single one of 'em's wearing shorts!"

The one on the left, Allen, who was wearing a yellow t-shirt with green shorts and a green beanie, laughed. "Man, how could you not wear shorts in the summer! They're comfortable and easy to wear!" he said firmly, his eyes narrowing.

"Alright, that's it!" the middle one said, suddenly sounding more imposing. The Youngster on the right merely continued to snicker, his brown shirt and red shorts along with his red propeller hat making him seem comparatively strange. "My name is Joey! And over there is Calvin! And if you're not wearing shorts, then you're definitely not one of our friends!"

He grinned, pointing to the Amateurs' belts. "You're all Pokemon Trainers. If another Trainer locks eyes with you, that's an invitation to battle that you can't decline! Get ready to taste what kind of punishment a top percentage Rattata can really deal out!" he said, locking eyes with Mio. With that, he threw his first Poke Ball, releasing a Slugma onto the path.

Allen looked at Brendan and grabbed a Poke Ball off his belt, throwing it through the air to release his Starly. Calvin continued snickering as he stared down Jason, reaching to his belt. He too tossed a Poke Ball, sending out a Kricketot. If the Amateur trio wanted to pass, it looked like they were going to have to teach these kids a lesson!

Youngster Joey has challenged Mio to a Singles battle!

Youngster Allen has challenged Brendan to a Singles battle!

Youngster Calvin has challenged Jason to a Singles battle!

[starkidcosmo]

Route 2, Main Path - "The Top Percentage!" - Mio

Mio regretted his decision to keep on the main path as soon as the first Youngster spoke up. Bianca hadn't been exaggerating; these kids were really aggressive. And the most aggressive of the trio was targeting him. Mio felt like he was right back in middle school. It wasn't a good feeling.

He took an awkward step forward in response to Youngster Joey's challenge, although he couldn't lock eyes for more than a few seconds before having to look away. Were all kids this intense? This was ridiculous.

"Um... let's have fun, okay?" He ignored Meena's obvious begging and released Loam, the adorable little mudfish emerging in a shower of bubbles to face the opposing Slugma. She shook herself like a dog and pranced happily in place, excited and happy to be out and about again.

Mio didn't know much about Slugma, but it was definitely a fire type, and it looked slow. "Loam, let's start off with a water gun!" he called. Loam gave a short affirmative bark and spat out a single shot straight for the Slugma's face.

[Chim]

Route 2, Main Path - "The Top Percentage!" – Brendan

The amateur pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He was glad it would be a more or less fair battle, but these kids were ridiculously annoying. And it as just his luck the most annoying one challenged him with a Starly.

Brendan decided to ignore their behavior. Trash talking was never his style even when he still played competitive baseball. Some of his teammates did it frequently, but Brendan was never tempted to join them. Besides, he didn’t really understood this entire short-fetish the kids seemed to have.

In the meantime Titan had hopped over to the battlefield. His attention was already on the Starly. “Don’t let him make any speed, Rock Blast!”

Multiple rocks were sent flying towards the little bird in a way to make it harder for the Starly to fly in a straight line and gain extra speed.

[Shadow Sketches]

Route 2, Forest - Alecks and Alice

Alecks liked to think that the moment they stepped into the forest they also stepped into a whole new world. Forests have always been one of his favorite places to explore, he never knew what could be hiding behind all the pretty foliage. Leaves crunched underneath the twin's boots, the two walking side by side and looking around with awe. Even Apollo couldn't help but be absorbed in the twins' interest in the forest and found himself looking around as much as they did.

"What do you think we'll find out here?" Alice said softly, almost as if she didn't want to disturb the quiet noises of the forest and the pokemon that lived in it.

"Can't be completely sure. Besides, we don't want to ruin the surprise now do we?" Alecks responded as he bent down and picked up a pretty flower that he had seen near him. It's white petals completely unblemished, the sweet scent easily overwhelming his nostrils. With a mocking a bow he offered the flower to his sister, a teasing smile on his face. "M'lady, may I offer a present."

Alice gave a small curtsy and grabbed the delicate flower in one hand. "My sincerest thanks, young Alecksander. We can make a gentleman out of you yet." She said with a wink as she carefully placed the flower in her short hair, white in a sea of black.

"I live to please, dear Alice." He bowed once more, his eyes to the ground so he never even saw the flying Bluk berry coming down in an arc straight for him. Alice herself barely had time for little more than a gasp before the purple berry hit her brother's head with a loud splat. Sticky berry juice dripped down his head as he stood straight back up, a wrathful look on his face.

The quiet of the forest was suddenly disrupted by loud laughter, the twins quickly looked in the direction of the noise. It didn't take long to spot the culprit. Slightly hidden by a bush, a wild Buneary was laughing wildly as she jumped up and down on one leg gleefully. She seemed to have been looking in the direction of the siblings, small tears of laughter were at the corners of her closed eyes. Alice and Apollo both had silly grins on their faces as they realized what had just happened, having a hard time muffling their laughter. Alecks though was not very happy with the surprise he had gotten.

"Looks like that Buneary got you, Alecks. Maybe you need to pay more attention next ti-" Alice interrupted herself mid-sentence to let out a yelp as she quickly crouched down. A flying Bluk berry whizzed past her head, having missed it's targets. Alice now finally stopped laughing and glared at the Buneary, who was still laughing maniacally. "Don't you dare throw another one.." Alice muttered, her glare trying to pierce through the wild bunny.

The Buneary didn't seem fazed at all by Alice's threat, instead she stuck her tongue out and made little taunting motions with one of her ears. Then she leaned down and grabbed another Bluk berry from the little pile she had made beside her and threw another one straight at the twins. This one was expected and the two didn't waste any time getting out of the way of the berry.

"You little..." Alice started walking towards the Buneary, muttering to the little trouble maker as she did. "Wait till I get my hands on you!" The wild bunny winked and stuck her tongue out at the twins once more before she turned tail and began running away from the two of them.

"Hey! Come back here you little brat!" Alecks yelled out and the twins wasted no time in chasing after their furry little devil.

Side Quest Added: "Troublesome Bunnies"

​-Follow the mischievous Buneary

[Jory]

Route 2- Main Path- "The Top Percentage!"

Joey sneered at Mio as the Water Gun was launched at his Slugma's head. "Is that the best you can do? Magoo, duck and use Smog!" The Slugma oozed its head into the rest of its body, easily dodging the accurately aimed Water Gun. As it came up from its slime pile, it opened its mouth and began to spout a cloud of noxious gas. It crept slowly toward Loam, the Mudkip facing a slow, wide wave of black smoke now that the Slugma had launched its counter-attack.

Allen grimaced as he saw the Roggenrola pop out of its ball, and was caught by surprise when it used Rock Blast. "Quick Attack! Dodge it, All-Star!" he cried. The Starly darted forward, maneuvering through the first two rocks with ease. However, the inexperienced Flying-type was hit squarely with the third and final rock, causing it to drop to the ground. However, it hadn't sustained enough damage to be removed from the battle. The Starly took to the skies once more, keeping a closer eye on the Rock-type this time. "Now we counter! Use Quick Attack!" the Youngster shouted. The small bird flew down and then along the ground, the same white trail as before snaking behind it as it flew serpentine to avoid the rocks. The Starly was getting ever closer to Titan, its attack gaining both Speed and momentum from the dive-bomb maneuver.

Jason

Jason decided to throw off the Youngster and remained silent, staring down Calvin as he reached slowly to his belt. He took Gomez's Ball off it and threw it, releasing the Grass-type in a swirl of leaves. The Youngster snickered, shaking his head.

"You're clearly a noob, so let me fill you in. Bug-types have an advantage against Grass-types like your little friend there," he said cockily.

Jason grinned his crooked grin, allowing the Youngster to become overconfident. Like Mio, he hadn't had a great time in middle school either. But he had figured out that if you looked like you knew something they didn't, either they'd just get it over with and hit him or get confused and leave. "Then I guess you have this one in the bag, Doogie Howser," he said evenly.

"Quit your yammering! Let's battle!" the Youngster said impatiently. "Krickelicious, use Bug Bite!" he shouted. His Kricketot lunged forward using its powerful hind legs and spread its mandibles. Its insectoid jaws opened wide and glowed a faint yellow-green, snapping furiously as the red Bug-type drew closer to Gomez.

"Counter with a Pound attack!" Jason shouted. Gomez leapt in the air much like earlier that day, avoiding the airborne cricket and swinging his tail to slam it into the ground. Both impacts could be heard from the sideline. If it had been a Contest battle, a Clean Hit would have been scored. "Combo-time, buddy. Lock him down with Absorb!" Jason continued. Gomez fired vines from both hands, tangling Krickelicious in a web of vines that latched onto its exoskeleton. The vines began to drain its energy, glowing a faint green as they dealt a small amount of damage. Gomez began looked even more vital, letting out a small cry as he received an energy boost from his attack.

Calvin appeared stunned, panicking as the vines continued to drain his Kricketot's health. Krickelicious is counting on me... he thought, a drop of sweat forming on his brow. I need to think of a plan, quick! He looked up and noticed that a cloud was beginning to cover the sun. This is totally irrelevant to the battle, he thought disappointedly, having been hoping for some kind of weather change that would actually do something to help him.

Route 2- The Woods- Jack

Jack and his Pokemon wandered for a little bit. They began to hear the sounds of battling in the distance, indicating that Bianca's intel had been correct. Those Trainers were challenging everyone today! Anyway, Jack and Lara and Leo were jus' chillin', having a very pleasant afternoon before they came to a clearing. Tall deciduous trees ringed the semi-circular area. The clearing was a hill covered in tall grass, at whose summit was a lone red maple tree. The tall grass was freshly cut around the tree, indicating that someone had been there. However, other than the tree and the lack of tall grass, Jack couldn't tell what else was up there. The wind blew in the distance, whistling through the grass and rustling the leaves in the trees. A sudden chill came over the area and a cloud covered the sun, causing the scenery to rapidly change from bright and shiny to bleak and gray. The cloud was enormous. It would be at least another hour before the sun came back out.

Suddenly, a branch snapped behind Jack and a bush quickly rustled. Lara began to growl and turned around, looking from side to side and sniffing. She barked loudly at the perceived threat, declaring her presence and attempting to intimidate whatever was there.

[starkidcosmo]

Route 2, Main Path - "The Top Percentage!" - Mio

"Oh, wow..." Mio gaped as Magoo shrunk in on itself. "But then, what are its organs like? Is the whole body goo, like a more complex slime mold, or is it more like a slu-- aaaand I'm in the middle of a battle."

He refocused, nervously watching the oncoming wave of noxious gas. It didn't look big, but he couldn't expect Loam to be able to hold her breath long enough for the gas to dissipate entirely. Plus, he wasn't entirely sure how it could hurt her... maybe even coming into contact with it would damage the Mudkip's health.

"Gust sure would be nifty here..." he grumbled, but the thought gave him an idea. "Loam, use water gun again! See if you can't blow a hole in that stuff!"

Loam, bravely standing her ground, charged up and shot off two more bullets of water, successfully pushing away some of the smoke.

"Great, now charge on through and use water gun one more time!" The mudfish obeyed, sprinting through the hole she'd made and fired off yet another water gun, this time aiming for the Slugma's body.

Edited May 26, 2016 by genderlesshawke

[K_H]

Route 2 Forest - Jack

Jack heard the branch snap, and then quickly turned his head and shoulders in the direction of the noise, trying to see what had made it. However, he was too slow, and whatever it was went into the bushes before he could even catch a glimpse of it. He would have thought that it was just him hearing things, but then Lara started barking, indicating that it wasn't just him. He then spoke to his two Partners, intrigued as to what they had just been near.

"C'mon, you two, let's see what that was."

Side Quest Added: "Forest Findings"

- Investigate the area to find out what caused the branch to snap

The trio then walked over to the snapped branch, and Jack knelt down to see if he could find any footprints that had been left behind other than their own. If he didn't find any, he'd go in the direction of the bush that he'd heard and seen rustling just after the branch had snapped.

[Jory]

Route 2- The Clearing- Jack

As Jack approached the snapped branch, a Purrloin jumped out of the bushes and ran into the clearing, disappearing into the tall grass. A Murkrow suddenly cawed overhead and another chill crept down Jack's spine. Even Lara and Leo seemed to get nervous as a light fog began to descend on the area. The only thing that could be seen above the fog and tall grass at this point was the hill, which seemed to beckon to him like an old friend across the way.

Side Quest Cleared: "Forest Findings!"

Side Quest Added: "Creepy Clearing!"

-Investigate the hilltop

[Chim]

Route 2- Main Path- "The Top Percentage!" – Brendan

The Starly’s counterattack came as a nice surprise for Brendan. He didn’t expect the small bird to fly like that after encountering Titan’s rocks just once. Or maybe it was acting on instinct? Either way Brendan finally started to enjoy a real trainer battle. This was how it was supposed to be.

However his facial expression didn’t change. Like usual when he was in a competitive environment, he kept his expression neutral with a slight frown and his attention completely focused on the battle. A habit he had ever since he started playing catcher. It was fine if his heart was racing and a storm blew through his abdomen and stomach, but his thoughts needed to be clear. No use in getting swept away by emotions and lose because of it. A feeling he was all too familiar with.

Since his original plan to keep the Starly from using his speed didn’t really work, Brendan was forced to try something else. A flying type’s maneuverability was only troublesome if it remained in the air. But if it willingly flew close to the ground…

“Use Harden and wait for impact! Then tackle it to the ground!”

Titan’s rocky exterior glanced in the small light the sun still provided as the Roggenrola waited eagerly to smack that Starly into the ground.

[Jory]

Route 2- Main Path- "The Top Percentage!"

Mio

Mio's strategy worked somewhat effectively, as Loam was able to make it through the cloud without sustaining much damage. However, Mio hadn't accounted for the fact that amphibians like Mudkip are able to breathe through their skin. The Mudkip shuddered as it came out on the other side of the cloud. It was not poisoned, but that hadn't exactly been a pleasant experience. Still, without Slugma being a Poison-type, the physical damage done to Loam was minimal. Thus, the mudfish was still able to fire off two Water Gun shots.

This new strategy took the Youngster by surprise. Usually his opponents tried to dissipate the Smog instead of charging into it. "Magoo, dodge!" he shouted. However, the lava slug was not fast enough to avoid the incoming attack. It was hit once, then twice by the incoming bolts of Water. The attacks caused its skin to sizzle and the magma slug to recoil from the water, falling back across the path and closer to its Trainer. "Alright, Magoo, it's time to regain our momentum!" he said loudly. This Amateur's a lot tougher than he looks! That charge through the Smog was a ballsy move! he thought to himself, trying not to let the rising feeling of anxiety escape into his expression. "Magoo, use Rock Throw!" he commanded. The Slug smashed its face into the ground causing a softball-sized chunk of earth to rise up. The Slug then swung its head once more, slamming the rock hard across the field toward the relatively close Mudkip.

Brendan

Meanwhile, Allen's Starly flew into the equivalent of a stone wall with enough force to deal recoil damage. Although it had been intended as an attack, really all the Starly was able to do was injure itself against the Roggenrola's rock hard defenses. Then came the counter that Allen never anticipated, especially given the fact that he'd counted on Titan being knocked back. As a result of his gross miscalculation, All-Star was perfectly positioned for Titan's counter attack. He used Tackle, hitting the vulnerable bird hard in its chest. The Starly was sent flying backward to its Trainer's feet, its eyes rolling around in their sockets. "Shoot!" the young boy muttered under his breath, disappointed that his prized Starly had been defeated so early. "All-Star, return!" he said bitterly, returning the Starly in a flash of light.

"Next up is a real competitor! Mittens, I choose you!" he shouted vigorously. Another flash of light went off and a Purrloin appeared on the field. She licked her lips greedily, eyeing her opponent. The Rock-type's armored body gleamed in the dim light of the cloudy afternoon, indicating that he had received a defensive boost. "Mittens, Sand Attack!" the Youngster shouted. When a direct attack fails, you gotta bring them to your level! Allen thought to himself, feeling suddenly outmatched by the solitary Rock-type. The Purrloin dashed toward Titan, then turned and kicked her hind legs toward the opponent. A cloud of sand showered the Rock-type, obscuring its vision.

Jason

Calvin was in a tough spot, but he wasn't done yet. "Krickelicious, use Bug Bite on the vines!" The Kricketot leaned its head down, chewing at the vines that encased it with glowing green mandibles. The creepers fell away from the Kricketot and it bounced backward, ready to fight once more. The cricket was breathing heavily, its body shuddering from the damage it had sustained. Clearly the Pound attack had taken its toll on the little Bug-type, and being hit with the Absorb attack hadn't helped either.

Jason took the opportunity to give an order of his own, pressing the attack. "Gomez, use Quick Attack!" the Amateur Trainer called. The Grass-type sprang forward, a trail of white blazing behind it as he rushed toward his opponent with his shoulder dropped.

I need to counter this attack or my Kricketot's finished! Calvin thought. "Krickelicious, Struggle Bug!" the Youngster shouted desperately. A red glow shrouded the Bug-type as he awaited his enemy's attack. Just as Gomez grew close enough to make even a veteran battler sweat, the red energy ballooned outward. Gomez was caught in the blast and sent backward. He rolled out of the fall and landed safely in a superhero pose, but his eyes narrowed. This battle wasn't over yet, and both Pokemon knew it. Suddenly he winced, shaking his head. A faint red aura surrounded his body for a moment, weakening his ability to use his Special attacks.

"Gomez, you good to keep going?" the Trainer asked his Treecko with concern. That was no slouch's attack. I guess there's a reason these kids were so cocky, he thought to himself before turning his attention back to the battle. His Treecko looked back at him and nodded resolutely, still totally able to battle. After all, the health he'd been able to sap from the Kricketot had provided a nice barrier against the damage he ended up being dealt.

[K_H]

Route 2 - Forest Clearing - "Creepy Clearing!" - Jack

The Purrloin jumping out so quickly startled Jack, causing him to jump back a bit, and the Murkrow's call put him even more on edge as the fog started to set in. However, after these fleeting occurrences happened, he tried calming down, looking back at Lara as he thought to himself, but was surprised at how even Lara was seemingly unsettled by something.

Calm down, Jack, it's okay. You've been around a dark-type your whole life. A few low-leveled dar- oh my...

He then breathed deeply once in an attempt at clearing his mind.

Alright, the best thing to do in this situation would be to get to a highly-visible area.

"Stay close to me, you two. I wouldn't want you to get separated from me in this fog, which could get worse at any time."

The trio then headed up the hill towards the tree, moving in tight formation to avoid getting separated.

[Jory]

Route 2- The Clearing- "Creepy Clearing!"

As Jack progressed through the tall grass, everything grew deafeningly silent save for the sound of him and his Pokemon's footsteps rustling through the brush as they made their way toward the summit in the center of the clearing. Just as Jack had predicted, the fog grew thicker as the trio trekked up the hillside. The trees surrounding the clearing were invisible now, the fog obscuring Jack's vision long before he would have ever seen them. The grass, growing well above his waist, provided some refuge for the small Pokemon at his side, breaking up the fog between the thick blades of green.

Suddenly, Jack felt something wrap around his ankle. It did not pull, merely probed at him. It slowly snaked up his calf, sending a racking chill down the Amateur's spine before releasing its grip and allowing him to continue on his way. Not a sound was heard through the whole experience. Lana and Leo had not noticed that the threat had come and gone in complete and utter silence. It was impossible for Jack to tell what had grabbed him. All he could remember was that chilling touch. It began to feel as though something was out there watching him. Inwardly, his instincts screamed at him to make for the hilltop. Surely he would be safer once he reached higher ground, and hopefully he would get above the fog that was beginning to feel more and more suffocating by the minute.

[starkidcosmo]

Route 2, Main Path - "The Top Percentage!" - Mio

Mio facepalmed as he saw Loam's reaction to the smog. She was an amphibian, of course she'd absorb some of that attack through her skin! He cursed himself for not realizing, but there was still the battle to finish. As he watched the Slugma ram its face into the dirt, he called out to his water-type.

"Dodge to the side and hit him with another water gun! Just a few more hits!"

Loam hopped to the side, but realized too late that she hadn't hopped quite far enough. The clod of earth caught her squarely on the shoulder, and she went down on her knee.

"Loam!" Mio called, worried, but Loam pushed herself back up and let out a determined bark. "Alright girl, let's try that again. Water gun!"

Loam's cheeks swelled as she charged her attack. With an almost awesome, but mainly just adorable cry, she fired off a bullet of water straight for the Slugma's gooey body.

Edited May 27, 2016 by genderlesshawke

[K_H]

Route 2 Clearing - "Creepy Clearing!" - Jack, Leonidas, and Lara

When Jack had been grabbed, the boy had tensed up enough for both Leonidas and Lara to notice. Both of them looked up at their Trainer as the trio continued walking, wondering why he'd become so nervous. When the tentacle-like thing let go of him, he spoke a single word to his partners in a tone that conveyed how completely spooked he was.

"Run!"

The three of them then sprinted up the hill towards safety.

Edited May 27, 2016 by K_H

[Jory]

Route 2- The Clearing- "Creepy Clearing!"

Jack ran faster and faster, stumbling several times as he made his way hastily up the hill. His Pokemon followed hot on his heels, spooked by the fact that their Trainer was so nervous. As they crested the top of the hill and arrived under the red maple tree, there were two sudden changes to their surroundings. First was the circle of freshly manicured grass that they stepped into, the center of which was offset from the tree by roughly four meters. The second was that fog seemed lighter up here and was completely absent within the circle of shorter grass. Not even the rustle of grass could be heard now. There was absolutely no background noise, a rarity in Unova even in the countryside. As he caught his breath inside the circle, Jack noticed that he was not alone.

In the center of the circle was a single, rectangular gravestone. It was heavy-looking and sat on a small base. What drew Jack's attention, though, was the old man who was kneeling in front of the grave. The top of his bald head was spotted with age, and he seemed to slump along with the weight of the world. His shoulders hung loosely at his sides. He hadn't seemed to notice the Amateur enter the clearing, as he appeared to be wrapped up in whatever he was doing in front of the grave.

[Chim]

Route 2- Main Path- "The Top Percentage!" – Brendan

“Great job, Titan!” Brendan cheered when the Starly went down. He didn’t expect the plan to go this smooth. The quick victory slightly boosted the duo’s confidence and when Mittens appeared, Titan immediately had his focus on the dark cat.

“Careful buddy, this will be a whole other match,” Brendan warned. He bit his lip slightly, for just a second, and decided on a tactic. This was his first time facing a Purrloin and just like the Starly, it looked fast and agile. But this time there was no clear type advantage.

“Rock Blast, now!”

This time the attack was more of a test to see exactly how the Purrloin moved rather than restricting its movement and speed. But that didn’t change the speed the rocks flew at the dark type, hoping to catch it off guard.

[Jory]

Route 2- Main Path- "The Top Percentage!"

Mio

"Magoo, block with Rock Throw!" Joey shouted. However, the Slugma was unable to react quickly enough to block the more focused single Water Gun. It was hit cleanly, throwing up a cloud of steam that obscured the combatant from view. "Magoo, get up!" Joey cried. As the steam cleared, however, it became clear that Slugma was unable to battle. Joey sighed and returned his Pokemon, muttering a quick "thank you" before clipping its Ball back to his belt. He then grinned and reached for his second Ball.

"You're about to face the undisputed Champion of Route 2! Are you sure you want to keep using that Mudkip?" he asked.

Brendan

"You're right, this is a totally different ballgame!" Allen said confidently across the field as his Purrloin dodged all of the Rock Blast shots with ease, then proceeded to sit on the field and groom herself. He doesn't know that we can use Special attacks! He can use Harden all he wants, but we can still hit him, the Youngster thought to himself, grinning cockily.

"Mittens, what are you waiting for? Snarl!" he ordered. The Purrloin sighed and rolled her eyes before standing up on all fours. She raised her hackles and hissed at the enemy Roggenrola. As she did so, three black rings were fired from her mouth at Titan.

Jason

The Amateur Trainer grinned at Calvin. Now that he knew what the Kricketot would try to do if he attacked, he could beat it. He looked down at Gomez, determination shining through in his eyes. Gomez nodded to his Trainer, indicating he was ready to launch their next attack. If he couldn't even defeat this little Kricketot, how would he be able to defeat Dragons and Fire-types? This was his moment to establish momentum going forward. "Gomez, Absorb!" he shouted. The Treecko leapt forward with a burst of speed, firing vines at the Kricketot. "Up, now!" Jason ordered. Gomez leapt up into the air, the vines still heading for Kricketot.

"You've tried this before! Krickelicious, Bug Bite!" the Youngster shouted. The vines began to be cut on impact as the Bug-type went to work, slicing up the Absorb vines. In fact, he was so busy doing that that he totally forgot about the Treecko bearing down on him from above. "Pound!" Jason cried.

"No, Krikelicious, Struggle Bug!" Calvin yelled out desperately. However, he was too late. Just as Krickelicious began glowing, Gomez came down from above in a front flip swinging his tail down with the assistance of gravity onto the Kricketot's head and back. The cricket Pokemon hit the ground again, but this time he did not get up.

Calvin returned his Pokemon, looking rather upset by this turn of events. "Alright, fine! You want to play the hard way, we can play the hard way!" he said angrily. "Patrick, I choose you!" he said quickly. The Patrat, which had been standing near his Trainer for the duration of the battle, jumped forward and took the field.

"Since I knocked out your last Pokemon, I get to make a switch of my own!" Jason declared. "Gomez, take a break. Rascal, you can take this one." The Normal-type and the Grass-type switched places, tagging Rascal in as they passed each other. Rascal gave Gomez a smile, which the Treecko answered with a smooth grin. He took his place next to Jason, intently watching what was going to happen in this battle.

"Rascal, let's lead off with a Double Slap!" Jason began. Rascal darted forward in a zig-zag pattern, quickly making his way toward his enemy. As he took his last pivot, he turned around and launched himself backward at the Patrat, looking over his shoulder and swinging his tail viciously.

[starkidcosmo]

Route 2, Main Path - "The Top Percentage!"

"Way to go, Loam!" Mio called as Joey withdrew Magoo. It was nice to know his opponent would be safe after their battle, much better than fretting over whether a fainted wild Pokemon would be okay. He was a little disappointed it had ended so quickly though; he had wanted to study the Slugma more!

As the Youngster reached for his second Pokeball, Mio looked to Meena, who'd been sulking in between his feet. Loam hadn't taken a whole lot of damage, but there was still a lot of Route 2 left to go.

"I guess you're right..." he responded to Joey's bragging taunt without a hint of irony. "Meena, you're up! But remember," he leaned down to look the cat in the eye as she perked up. "This is a friendly match, got it? Friendly. So let's keep the bloodlust to a minimum."

The Meowth nodded enthusiastically and bounded up to Loam's side. The Mudkip gave Meena an affectionate shoulder bump before skipping back to Mio and plopping down at his feet, tired but satisfied.

[Chim]

Route 2, Main Path - "The Top Percentage!" – Brendan

When the Snarl hit its mark Brendan knew this battle was going to be annoying to deal with. Titan was too slow to dodge most attacks and that cat could keep attacking from a distance. But if he could lure it in…

“Close the distance and keep using Rock Blast! Make sure that Purrloin can’t keep running.”

The Roggenrola nodded once before hopping in place and shooting a rock every time he was in the air. By doing this the duo tried to keep the Purrloin within boundaries as Titan kept jumping higher until he reached his unimpressive maximum height.

[Jory]

Route 2- Main Path- "The Top Percentage!"

Mio

"A Meowth, huh? Jeez, it looks like someone tried to tape fur to a Shellos!" he taunted, mocking the Meowth's ragged appearance. Joey and his Rattata faced down their opposition, sizing up the mangy Meowth and her Trainer. This guy... He looks like a total weakling, but he's a good Trainer. Joey sneered at Mio once more, attempting to maintain his cocky exterior while analyzing how he could best bring down the Meowth. It was stronger and faster than his Rattata; however, he had an ace up his sleeve. Confidence restored, the Youngster pointed to Meena and resumed the battle in earnest.

"Rattata, Quick Attack!" the Trainer shouted. His Rattata bounded forward, quickly closing the distance between himself and Meena for a shoulder charge.

Brendan

Allen didn't issue any commands, confident that Sand Attack had done its job. As a result, Mittens calmly licked her forelegs as Titan launched his attack. However, she was shocked into taking a leap back to narrowly avoid it, and then take another leap as the rocks continually found their target and forced her to dodge. The third, fourth, and fifth rocks collided cleanly, sending Mittens skidding along the ground toward her Trainer. "What?" Allen shouted, totally surprised by the Roggenrola's accuracy. "How could that be possible?" he raged. "Mittens, use Assist!" he ordered, his back against the ropes.

The Purrloin stood up on her hind legs and began waving her paws in an intricate pattern, leaving afterimages behind them. Slowly but surely she began to become blurry as afterimages of Mittens began appearing in a small crowd around the original. By the time her attack was finished, there appeared to be four Purrloins in a semicircle beginning to close in on the Roggenrola.

Jason

"Patrick, use Detect!" the Youngster ordered. The Patrat's eye gleamed and he dodged all five of Rascal's swings cleanly, ending in a back-handspring that left him on his feet, his back to the boundary line in front of his Trainer. "Now, Bite!" Calvin countered. The Patrat dove toward Rascal, his buck-teeth turning matte black in the cloudy afternoon light.

Jason was prepared, though. After all, what kind of Trainer would get hit on the second move of the battle? "Rascal, get under him and use Tickle!" he said, planning to use the Patrat's missile-like trajectory against him. Rascal lay flat, allowing the Patrat to pass over his head harmlessly. As the Patrat landed, Rascal darted in behind him and used his tail to tickle the rodent, leaving him with crippled defenses as he stifled his laughter and involuntarily moved his limbs to combat the unwelcome sensation.

"Follow up with Pound!" Jason continued, opting for the speed and accuracy of Pound over the less reliable but more powerful Double Slap. His Minccino spun quickly, dealing a sharp blow to the Patrat's abdomen and sending him rolling back out of striking distance. Calvin grunted in frustration, unused to anyone but Joey outmaneuvering him so easily.

"You can't dodge my attacks forever!" Calvin shouted angrily, shaking his fist. Jason simply smiled as Rascal took a wide stance and extended his paw toward Patrick, curling the end in in a challenging taunt. Meanwhile, Gomez shook his head at the obnoxious maneuver, hoping for the Youngster's sake that he wouldn't fall for the simple mental ploy.

[K_H]

Route 2 - Forest Clearing - Hilltop - "Creepy Clearing!" - Jack & his Team

Jack wanted to exercise an understandable amount of caution when he saw the old man, not knowing who the guy was, or why the man was here. He'd decided to just wait for the person to finish before approaching, but Lara had other plans. She actually felt a bit sympathetic for the guy, and began walk over to him in an attempt to comfort him, as he seemed to be going through a period of grieving. Jack sighed to himself in frustration at how brash she could be at times, and started walking after her, making sure to go into the man's peripheral vision before he stopped. Then, Jack spoke up, making sure to not startle the man by speaking gently and maintaining a reasonable distance.

"Excuse me, but I appear to have gotten a bit lost..."

Edited June 3, 2016 by K_H

[Jory]

Route 2- Hilltop- Creepy Clearing!

As Lara and Jack approached the old man, the temperature in the clearing dropped by twenty degrees. The fog, which had previously been kept at bay, seemed to appear at once in the clearing, obscuring everything but the man and the gravestone from sight. The old man slowly rose to his feet, his eyes remaining closed the whole time. Everything was crushed by an oppressive silence, not even the telltale rustle of grass sounding as the elderly fellow stood up. Immediately, Lara regretted her decision to bother the old man. She whimpered and returned to Jack's side, hiding behind his legs and watching the old man carefully. Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

There was nothing there but blackness, an abyssal void of neverending nothingness in each hollow socket on the old man's face. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Instead, Jack felt a heavy presence settle in his mind before the ear-splitting, blood-curdling screaming began from the back of his head, radiating through his skull like a lightning strike. It was clear from the immediate howling and mewling roars from his side that his Pokemon were also being exposed to the same treatment. The old man grabbed Jack by the shoulders, pulling his face closer to the infinite blackness. Suddenly, the Amateur Trainer and his Pokemon collapsed on the ground. The wind blew harshly across the hilltop and the old man dissipated with it, particles of dust flying away in the breeze and leaving Jack, Lara, and Leonidas unconscious in the relative safety of the clearing.

[Shadow Sketches]

Route 2 Forest - Troublesome Bunnies - Alecks and Alice

The twins chased after their tormentor at full pelt, Alecks leading them as Alice trailed slightly behind. Apollo had jumped off his trainer's shoulders and was jumping from branch to branch on trees beside them, keeping pace with the two siblings. But no matter how fast the two went, the Buneary still managed to stay ahead of them. Sometimes losing sight of her for a couple moments before they managed to catch glimpses of her chocolate pelt once again. It was obvious that the wild bunny was taunting them, she could have easily managed to lose her pursuers at any time if she so wished. The siblings boots loudly smashed leaves and twigs underneath them, making their presence very obvious to the other forest denizens. While the Buneary was at ease in her home territory and managed to muffle her steps throughout the chase, avoiding any twigs that could snap noisily underneath her.

The devilish Buneary led her pursuers on a wild chase for quite some time, gleefully enjoying tormenting the two trainers. But soon she caught glimpses of other chocolate pelts in the forest around her and realized the time for games was over. She slowed down and let the trainers catch up with her before finally halting the chase as she stopped and looked back at the twins. Their faces were blushed red with exertion as they stopped a couple feet from the bunny. They didn't speak at first as they tried to regain their breath, even Apollo seemed slightly winded as he climbed onto Alecks' shoulder.

Finally the twins managed to regain themselves and they glared daggers at the Buneary, who just stood there with an innocent look on her face. Alecks was about to say something when he noticed movement to the right of him, he looked over and saw a pair of eyes watching him. When he inspected closer, he saw the face of another wild Buneary glaring at him. Soon, he saw that they seemed to have attracted company. He tapped Alice's arm and indicated to look around them, when she did her eyes widened in shock. They had been surrounded by Buneary's, and none of them seemed happy to find them chasing one of their friends. The two looked back at the Buneary they had been chasing, one of it's ears curled up as it looked at them with an amused smile on her face.

"We might have just walked into the wrong neighborhood..." Alecks whispered to his sister. He had just taken a small step back when a newcomer dropped from a tree and landed gracefully in a crouched position next to their mischievous Buneary. Once it stood up, the young twins gasped in awe as they saw it was a Lopunny. She was extremely pretty and the two could not take their eyes off her. At her full height she was almost as tall as Alice, being about 5'6 and dwarfing the Buneary's, who seemed to be about half her size. Although she looked very pretty, the Lopunny's pink eyes stared coldly at the two trainers as she let out a loud growl. Obviously it thought of them as threats in her home, this could get ugly fast.

Alecks instinctively put his hands out in front of him, as if to show her he was unarmed. "Woah, woah, woah! We're not here looking for a fight, we're very sorry if we're trespassing." Alice followed her brother's lead and the two tried to look as nonthreatening as possible, Apollo meanwhile just looked at the Lopunny with childish interest. The Lopunny did not seem to be buying it, the two had obviously been chasing after one of her herd and that was unacceptable.

Alecks realized it wasn't working and tried something different, he slowly reached into his messenger bag and began looking for something as he whispered quietly to Alice. "Give me the flower I gave you."

"What?" She replied in confusion, her voice as quiet as her brother's.

"Just give me it, hurry!" He said slightly harshly, before lowering his voice once again. "Sorry, but please just give me the flower."

Alice bit her lip but finally gave in and pulled the white flower from her hair and handed it over to him. She was slightly disappointed that she had to part with her gift, but she knew Alecks would have a good reason for it. He had managed to find what he had been looking for in his bag and pulled out a small object carefully, then he grabbed the white flower from Alice and slowly walked over to the Lopunny. The herd of Buneary's watched him with interest, wondering what exactly was he up to. The young trainer stopped a little bit away from the leader of their herd and nervously reached his hands out to give her what he had in his hands.

"Here, think of it as a peace offering." He said timidly as he revealed his gifts. In one hand he held a blue Oran berry and in the other hand he held out the white flower he had originally given Alice. The Lopunny inspected his offerings with an unsure look on her face. She still wasn't sure whether this was some kind of trick. She looked over to Apollo on Aleck's shoulder and decided to see what he had to say about all this.

"Lopunny!" She let out a small cry to get Apollo's attention, then tried to get him to tell her why his trainer was chasing after one of her herd.

"Chim!" Apollo immediately came to the defense of his partner, recalling how the Buneary had assaulted them with berries and even pointing out some of the dried berry juice in Alecks' hair. The Lopunny listened intently and once Apollo finished telling them their story, she looked back at the Buneary that started all this who was standing slightly behind her. Both her ears were folded and she was looking down at the ground, too embarrassed to make eye contact with her leader. She looked like a child that was waiting to be scolded for misbehaving. Finally, the Lopunny let out a sigh and looked back towards Alecks. She accepted his offerings with a smile and gave him a small nod.

Alecks immediately felt relief and pet Apollo on his head. "Thanks buddy." The fire type smiled and allowed himself to be petted, liking the praise he got. Lopunny took a bite out of the Oran berry and let out a small moan of content as she swallowed the sweet juices from the berry. She indicated to the twins to follow her and then turned around and began walking deeper into the forest, munching on the Oran berry as she went. The Buneary's followed close behind their leader.

Alecks looked back at Alice who shrugged at him, "Let's see where they want to take us." With that, the two siblings began waking alongside the herd of Buneary's and followed them to wherever they were being led to.

[starkidcosmo]

Route 2 Main Path - "The Top Percentage!" - Mio

"That's uncalled for!" Mio cried, both incredulous and offended. Meena was a shining example of Meowth! She was perfect! So what if she was kind of ragged? It just showed her character and experience!

Now thoroughly angry, Mio focused on the small, angry-looking rodent that the other boy had sent out. Normally he wouldn't consider a Rattata to be much of a threat, but Joey seemed confident, and the kid clearly had more battle experience than Mio did. He'd have to be careful.

The Rattata charged forwards with a quick attack, its shoulder tucked in for a hard hit.

"Meena, Fake-Out!" The exemplary and beautiful Meowth rose to her hind legs, waiting for the awful purple beast to get close enough. She'd show that brat a Shellos.

[Chim]

Route 2- Main Path- "The Top Percentage!" – Brendan

Brendan didn’t respond to Allen’s shouting. It was his mistake to let his guard down after assuming just one attack did the trick. ‘Always stay focused, never lose focus no matter how much of an advantage you have’. Wise words Brendan’s baseball coach used to repeat before every game. He never would’ve thought it also applied to a Pokémon battle.

“Keep up the pressure with Rock Blast. Once Mittens gets close, use Harden again.”

Titan gave a small nod before using their oldest trick in the book: shooting rocks at whatever moved to throw it off balance.