A New Land, A New Adventure

[NonAnalogue]

Okay, I thought I might get into the RP thing as well.

This takes place in Eagleland and the surrounding areas. This is technically from the game EarthBound, but I am modifying it for Pokemon purposes. There are several locations for, um, starting points and adventures, I guess. Also, all hotels/inns have the added effect of a Pokemon Center.

Onett: A smallish town with a rural area towards the north. It has an arcade, a burger shop, police, etc. and a meteorite recently crashed there. It is rumored that the cave to the north holds the legendary Giant Step. Going south from Onett, you hit...

Twoson: Smaller than Onett, but is has a department store as well as Burglin Park. This park is a bazaar, ruled by the crime boss Everdred. There is also a preschool - Polestar's Preschool. The Chaos Theater is also a main attraction. Going west from here, you hit...

The Peaceful Rest Valley: This is a valley with a river running through it. Several wild Pokemon live here, such as ones you might find in a forest and plains. Also, there are combusting trees everywhere. Going through the valley puts you in...

Happy-Happy Village: This village was until recently under the spell of the blue-toned religion Happy-Happyism. It was freed and now it is a normal, tiny village, with only a meetinghouse, a store, and an inn. The cave to the east of here may hide the Lilliput Steps.

Going southeast from Twoson puts you in Threed. This town is about the same size as Twoson, with some stores, etc. It has two cemetaries, so Ghost Pokemon can be found there. If you head east from here, you end up in...

Dusty Dunes Desert: This desert has a road through it, but if you brave the heat and go through the sand, you could find the Monkey Caves or even find the miners and help them with their task. Going through the desert yields...

Fourside: This bustling metropolis brings to mind images of New York. The Topolla Theater has hot music, and the department store has cool supplies. The town's mayor is Monotoli, a greed-driven man, but he really doesn't affect you, unless you infiltrate his building and take out the Clumsy Robot guard. Also of note is the Dinosaur Museum, which has a path into the sewer. Taxis abound here, but watch out - the drivers are psycho and may try to run you down! Fourside is said to be the home of the fabled Magnet Hill, at the far end of the sewers.

Saturn Valley: This unusual village, home to the enigmatic Mr. Saturns, is found at the far end of a tunnel under the cemetary in Threed. The Mr. Saturns are very helpful, and they have a shop, a free inn, and even luxurious hot springs. This is said to be the home of the Milky Well, after a series of grueling caves.

Summers: Summers can only be reached by a train in Twoson or Fourside. The sun is high and the sky is blue. The prices are so high, they'll make your face turn blue! That's Summers! A beach resort town, everything is expensive, from the stores to the Club Stoic. It also has a History Museum. Going east from Summers, you end up in...

Toto: This is the port town that borders Summers. Here you can hitch a boat ride (at only 20$ per Pokemon you have) to another town, but you may have to fight a sea monster along the way...

Scaraba: A desert town that can only be accessed by the boat in Toto. There is not much of interest here, but the shop is worth taking a look at, if only for the Multi-Bottle Rockets. Going south from here, you find the...

Desert: This desert has UFOs in it for no apparent reason. There is a Sphinx that you have to dance for, but if you do, you could be party to an amazing treasure. Brave the heat to find an ocean, but who knows, you may find the enigmatic Dungeon Man as well...

Deep Darkness: This is on the other side of the Desert's ocean. It is entirely run by monkeys. But hey, a free hotel. If you go through here, you will find the...

Deep Darkness Swamp: Pitch-black, with swamp water that can actually hurt you. Fierce fish, exploding trees, and a... well, I don't want to spoil it all. Going through here yields...

Tenda Tribe: This cave is the home of the enigmatic Tenda Tribe. Diminutive, green people, they will trade items with you, let you root through their trash, and let you spend the night for free. There is also a hot spring. Going through the cave here lands you in the Lumine Cave, which may or may not lead to the mysterious Lumine Hall. Navigating the cave leads to...

Lost Underworld: A place where you seem small, and there are huge dinosaurs everywhere. Hot springs can restore your Pokemon's health. There are also lost treasures here. This place might lead to the mysterious Fire Spring.

Winters: This can only be accessed by the train in Twoson or Fourside. Winters is small. It is a cold place, up north, and it has a boarding school, a store, and a place where Tessie-watchers come to look for the Lake Tess Monster. If you are lucky enough to see Tessie, she might take you to Brick Road's Dungeon, Dr. Andonuts' laboratory, and maybe the unusual Rainy Circle. Stonehenge is also here, and there is rumoured to be a secret base below it.

Dalaam: Dalaam can only be accessed by a Pokemon using Fly above Summers. Floating high above the rest of the world, Dalaam is a very Oriental place, with statues of elephants everywhere, and the like. Other than that and the good food, the only thing of interest is the palace. There may be a place here called Pink Cloud.

___________________

Rules: No scripts, please. You may start out with four, count'em, four, Pokemon. Please don't kill anyone, this is not supposed to be heavy - at least not yet.
___________________

Jeff glanced back at the village behind him. "Well, Happy-Happy, it's time to say goodbye." He turned toward his trusty Mr. Mime, Mercandos, and smiled.

"It should be no problem getting through the valley, right, Mercandos?"

"Mime, mister mime!"

"Right, we trained here! Just be on the lookout for any combusting trees!" Mercandos shuddered at the very thought. The pair set off, leaving the peaceful village behind.

Several hours later, Jeff was still in the valley. "Wow, they don't call this the Peaceful Rest Valley for nothing... I need to rest..." Mercandos nodded in assent. Since departing, Jeff had run into two exploding trees, a UFO, seventeen Bellsprouts, and a Shroomish, which had planted a mushroom on Mercandos' head. It did not look very comfortable, and Mercandos was having trouble walking. Suddenly, though, Jeff heard a voice. "Hum de hum de hum..." He walked toward the source of the voice and found a little girl.

"Excuse me, miss, but what are you doing here?" he asked.

She looked up, a black-haired cute little girl maybe around 9, and replied, "I'm collecting mushrooms! Oh! On your Mr. Mime's head! May I have it?"

"Sure, I guess-" Before Jeff could finish his sentence, the girl ripped the mushroom off of Mercandos' head. The Mr. Mime recoiled in pain as the girl slapped fifty dollars into Jeff's hand.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you," said the girl to a very bewildered Jeff. He shrugged and continued walking, but before long, he got the feeling someone was following him...

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: Totally sweet concept! It makes me want to play EB over just to get used to the world again ^^
Anyways, I'm not 100% up with the happenings in EB anymore so if I write something incorrect, humor me. I'm also hoping this doesn't mess up any of your plans either...
One more thing. Expect my character's team to be kinda cliche. It's based on my current FR team, which in turn is based on my first ever team from Red.

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

"I don't know about you, Sirius, but this heat is killing me... Give me Winter's weather anyday," Maria grumbled to her Growlithe as they treked alone through Peaceful Rest Valley. They'd been searching for hours now to find a single Pokemon but hadn't had any luck. "You don't think the report about wild Bulbasaur's being seen in this area was false, do ya? I know they said they were rare, but this is ridiculous!"

"Growl!" Sirius barked in reply, looking just as tired as his trainer.

"Maybe we should head back to town. This isn't getting us-"

Suddenly Sirius' halted, his eyes darting towards a bush a short ways off. He sniffed the air, narrowing his eyes and howling. Before Maria could even ask what was up she saw it. The tip of a green bulb sticking out through the top branches.

"Could it be?" she whispered as she stared harder. The bulb twitched. "Now or never - Sirius, Flamethrower!"

The fire pup immediately jumped into action, rushing towards the bush and leaping high into the sky. At the peak of his jump the Growlithe opened his mouth wide and let loose a stream of flames, totally scorching the bush and leaving the Pokemon within screeching in pain.

"SAAUR!" it cried, tumbling out of the fire. It appeared pretty hurt and charred but quickly got to its feet, staring ferociously at Sirius as he landed close by.

"Feisty, eh? A Pokemon like that is a keeper!" Maria grinned, "Flamethrower again!"

Just as the Growlithe prepared to launch another attack, though, the Bulbasaur whipped out its wines and slapped him hard across the face. Again and again it struck, completely blinding Sirius from attacking. All he could do was stand his ground.

"This is turning bad. The power of those attacks are really doing damage. Gotta think..." Maria pondered as she watched her poor Pokemon take one hit after another. Then it hit her. "Sirius, bite onto the vines when I say!" As the Bulbasaur's vines reared back once more to strike, Maria clenched her fists and watched. The vines curved like elastics, firing forward with incredible speed, inches away from the Growlithe, until, "NOW!"

Sirius' eyes shot open as he lunged for the vines, snapping his mouth shut tight over both of them. The Bulbasaur tried frantically to shake them loose but it only made the dog bite down harder.
"Bulba!" the Pokemon screamed with pure disgust. If it had been angry before it was really pissed off now.

"Woah! Better act before it goes kamikaze on us. Throw it with everything you've got!"

Digging his nails into the ground, Sirius used all his body strength to swing the whips around and send the Bulbasaur flying. But the Growlithe didn't stop there. As soon as he'd released the vines from his mouth Sirius let loose another powerful Flamethrower, catching the grass-type in midair and enveloping it completely in flames. It screamed in pain the whole way down, but as it crashed to the ground in a heap the Pokemon's cries ceased.

Maria took a Great Ball off her belt as she approached the fallen creature, staring down at its silent body. It'd finally fainted.
"That was awesome, Sirius!" she yelled over her shoulder, looking back to the Bulbasaur and chucking the ball towards it. It cracked open, a beam of energy consuming the Pokemon's body before zapping back inside. There the Great Ball fell to the ground, shaking a few times before making a distinct 'click' and becoming still. The deed was done.

"Finally, I got my Bulbasaur," Maria cheered as she reached down for the ball. Turning to face Sirius she added, "It's all thanks to you, bud."

"Growl! Growlithe!" he barked proudly.

"Well then, that's that. Let's get out of here and find a Pokemon Center." Placing the Great Ball back on her belt, Maria gazed off into the distance to see nothing but more valley. A sickning feeling settled in her stomach. "So... which way is out again?"

***

Maria and Sirius had been aimlessly walking for over an hour when the Growlithe stopped to stare curiously a head. He sniffed the air, his eyes going wide. "Growl!"

"What is it? Smell something? Possibly Civilization?"

"Growl-growl!" he nodded in response.

"Lead the way then!" Maria replied hopefully as she picked up her pace.

After another 5 minutes or so two figures came into view. "I can't really make them out, but since they're both walking upright I'll say human. Maybe they can give us some directions, eh?"


OOC: Hope this wasn't too long ^^;

 

[NonAnalogue]

OOC: Don't worry about keeping it in line with EB. It is, after all, a game. Also, don't worry about my plans. Eventually, the Eight Sanctuaries should be gotton to, but no hurry.
_______

Jeff turned around. In the distance, he could see a figure standing upright and another on all fours. He looked at Mercandos. "Hmm, what do you think, Mercandos? Should we go over and say hi?"

"Mister mime, mime..."

"You're right. We don't know who they are." With that, Jeff and Mercandos entered the cave behind the mushroom girl.

It was dimly lit, and Jeff could barely see. He called out another one of his Pokemon. "Argentina, come on out!" A very cheerful looking Weepinbell popped out of the Pokeball and smiled at Jeff. "Argey, I want you to use Flash, okay?" He and Mercandos both closed their eyes as Argentina lit up the entire cave with a brilliant burst of light. Several Pokemon scampered out of hiding places, disturbed by the light. One in particular interested Jeff. "Neat! A Gastly!" The gaseous Pokemon was floating just above face level, glaring at the Weepinbell. Jeff crept a little closer.

"Argentina, return!" A red beam of light shot from the Pokeball and consumed Argentina. The Gastly looked around, confused, as its intended target disappeared. "Now, go, 99!" A separate Pokeball opened to reveal a Porygon. It floated in front of Jeff and beeped.

The Gastly shot a brilliant beam of white light at 99. It surrounded the Porygon, rendering it confused. Jeff grit his teeth. "99, try a Lock-On!" The Porygon stove off its confusion for a moment and focused its eyes on Gastly. The Gastly rushed it and tried to Lick 99, but its gaseous body lacked the form to affect the Normal type. "Now, 99, try a Zap Cannon!" 99 permanently shook off the confusion and shot a crackling ball of electricity at Gastly. It landed square in the Gastly's face, and it sunk to the ground. "Now, for the final touch..." Jeff reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball. He hurled it at the exhausted Pokemon. It wriggled once, twice... and it stopped. Jeff picked up the ball. "YES! A Gastly!"

***

Jeff found his way out of the cave. He gazed out over the suburb of Twoson. A theater, a department store... this place looked great. He called out all of his Pokemon (except for Gastly, who needed some R&R), including Mircandos, Argentina, 99, and a Ditto named Xerox. "Well, guys, here we are!"

 

[Linkachu]

Maria had been busy watching a flock of Pidgey in the sky when Sirius gave a bark.

"Something up?" she asked, following his gaze to find the lack of people ahead, "Now where the heck did they go?"

Keeping along their path, it wasn't long before they found the opening to a deep, dark cave. Maria's eyebrows perked, "Wait a sec. This is the cave to the valley from Twoson! I can't believe we were so close and I didn't even realize it." When they made it to the cave entrance, though, Maria stopped, staring in at the thick blackness with dismay. "You weren't with me when I first went through, but I was lost in that cave for hours. It's so dark at times you can barely see your own feet..."

"Grrowl!" Sirius simply barked, taking a step past her into the darkness.

"You better hurry if you want to catch him!" a childish voice suddenly came from behind.

"What?" Maria yelped, looking back to find nothing. She scratched her head, "Pixies? Err... whatever. Wait for me!" And with that she tore in after him.

***

"Oh my... god... We're alive!" Maria gasped as she staggered out of the cave into the light, covered head to toe in scratches, dirt, and mud. When Sirius emerged beside her he didn't look much better, his white fur now an odd shade of brownish-grey. By her watch it'd taken them over 3 hours to navigate through the cave - a record compared to her last time. "That was fun... Let's never do it again."

"Lithe!"

"It looks like the sun's gonna set soon so we better head to the Pokemon Center. Any complaints?" Sirius didn't respond. "Good. Let's go then."

 

[NonAnalogue]

Jeff sat, snoring, on a luxurious couch in the Twoson Hotel. His Pokemon were being attended to in the Pokemon Center wing. He woke up as the manager of the hotel walked over to him.

"Excuse me, sir," said the manager, "If you want to sleep here, it will be fifty dollars. We normally don't allow customers to sleep on the couches..."

Jeff stretched. "I'm sorry, I don't have any money... I just spent the last of it on a bike from Punk-Sure."

The manager thought for a moment. "Well, you do look tired. Tell you what - I challenge you to a match. If you win, you can spend the night free of charge."

"Thanks, but my Pokemon are in recovery right now." Is if in response, a nurse walked over to Jeff, holding five Pokeballs.

"Here are your Pokemon, sir. They are completely healed."

Jeff took them and turned toward the manager. "You're on!"

***

Jeff and the manager stood on opposite sides of the hotel lobby. Other guests gathered around to watch. The manager spoke. "This will be a one-on-one, okay?" Jeff nodded. "Well, then, I choose... Hitmonlee!" The kicking Pokemon appeared in the center and threw a kick with its stretchy legs.

"Okay, go... Gastly!" The gaseous Pokemon also appeared and stuck its tongue out at Hitmonlee. Jeff took out his Pokedex. It beeped.

"Gastly, level 19. Gender, male. Ability, Levitate. Moves currently known: Lick, Confuse Ray, Hypnosis, Psywave."

"Hmm... not much of a movepool, but it'll do. Gastly! First try a Confuse Ray!" Gastly grinned. A brilliant blast of light shot from him and surrounded Hitmonlee, leaving the fighting-type severely confused.

"Hitmonlee! Try... um, Rolling Kick!" The Hitmonlee did a somersault and flew, foot first, at Gastly. The gas Pokemon yawned as Hitmonlee passed right through him and landed on an ATM. It began to spit money, attracting everyone near it.

"Gastly! Now, Hypnosis!" Gastly made contact with Hitmonlee's eyes and it fell asleep.

"Hah! I have you now! Hitmonlee, Sleep Talk!" The kicking Pokemon began to murmur in its sleep, but accidentally smacked itself in the face, a product of confusion. The manager grit his teeth.

"Now, Gastly, finish it! Psywave!" Gastly leered at his sleeping foe and shot a ring of Psychic energy at it. It landed square on Hitmonlee, and it collapsed. The manager recalled it.

"I admit defeat. That was a truly brilliant match. You may spend the night."

Jeff smiled and looked at Gastly. "Oh! That's right! I haven't named you yet!" He thought. "How about... Booster?" Gastly nodded. "Booster it is, then." Jeff walked into a hotel room, followed by Booster. "Well then, let's sleep!" He climbed into bed and recalled Booster.

It took Jeff a long time to get to sleep, because of a creepy sensation he just couldn't shake...

 

[Linkachu]

"I'll take good care of them," the Pokemon Center nurse said as she took Maria's four occupied PokeBalls, including Sirius'.
"Thanks a lot. I'll come back to pick them up later," Maria replied with a smile. "Until then I might as well get a Hotel room before they all sell out." With a wave to the nurse she headed out of the wing and towards the main lobby of the hotel but was stopped halfway by a large crowd. They all seemed to be watching something head, something Maria couldn't see from her angle.
"What is it?" she murmured, standing on her tip-toes to see the top part of a Hitmonlee and a Gastly zipping overhead. The rest was blocked by the watchers. "A Pokemon Battle? Here? Guess I have to wait it out."

It was only another few until the crowd began to break and Maria pushed through to find that the battle was over. Both trainers were recalling their Pokemon. One happened to be the Hotel manager, whom she'd met the night before. The other was a boy who looked about her age.
She couldn't help but stare at the guy as he spoke to the manager. Something about him seemed oddly familiar, yet no matter how hard she tried she couldn't recall why. Was it just muddled memories?

"Must just be me," Maria whispered to herself, watching as he recalled his Gastly and left for the stairs. Shaking her head and pushing him out of her mind, she waited as the manager returned to the main desk then approached and asked for a room.
"I hope you're a paying customer," he said with a sigh.
"Uh... Yeah," Maria replied a bit puzzled, shoveling out the needed cash.
"Thank you. Enjoy your stay," the manager said as he handed her the room key.
"Thanks."

Looking around the lobby one last time she headed back to the Pokemon Center for the rest of her wait.

 

[NonAnalogue]

Jeff woke up to a symphony of chirping birds just outside his window. He still had a creepy feeling, but he decided to ignore it. He walked out of his room and left the room key on the front desk. On his way out, Jeff noticed a gril with small bronze glasses and black hair sitting on the couch. He waved, but she didn't notice him. Jeff shrugged and left the hotel.

***

Jeff left his new bike in the bike rack, and instead popped some wheels out of his silver, knee-length boots. They also functioned as rollar blades. He skated past the Topolla Theater and the department store before noticing Burglin Park.

"Hmm," Jeff though to himself. "Maybe there is some interesting merchandise here..." He skated into the park. People yelled at him from all sides.

"Ah! Good bananas, yes?"

"You will like these eggs!"

"Can I interest you in a rusty pipe?

"How about some ketchup, or maybe salt?"

Eventually, Jeff stopped in front of a man selling signs.

"You like? I can let this For Sale sign go for $100..." the man said.

"Sorry, man, I have no money," Jeff replied. "However, would you be interested in trading for..." Jeff rummaged around in his bookbag and pulled out a Leaf Stone, "...this?"

The man immediately swapped the two items. "Done and done." Jeff continued to walk on until he reached a small house. He opened the door.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Jeff called out. Suddenly, a cloth pushed itself against his mouth. The world spun beneath him, and Jeff fell to the floor...

 

[Linkachu]

The next morning as Maria sat on a couch in the hotel lobby she stared at her new Bulbasaur's PokeBall clutched in her hand. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't think of a nickname for it.
"I guess it'd be best if I spent time with it first before naming it," she thought, grabbing for her backpack with her free hand. Hopping to her feet, she held the PokeBall closer and said a loud, "It's about time we got properly acquainted."

***

A half hour passed as Maria walked around the city in search of the perfect location to release her Bulbasaur. She was starting to think she'd never find one until she noticed Burglin Park. It seemed to be filled with bargain-hungry venders but no doubt there was a nice open spot somewhere ‘round back. Or so she hoped.
"I'll take my chances," she muttered to herself, hopping down from the sidewalk and heading inside. The place was a complete zoo of people yelling from all angles, but since Maria had no extra cash to spend she merely waved them all away and continued forward. On she walked, passing by a peculiar small house, until at last finding a nice open patch of grass under a shady tree.
"Perfect," the said, throwing down her backpack and retrieving Bulbasaur's PokeBall from her belt. "C'mon out!"
In a burst of energy it materialized before her with a dark look on its face. Clearly it hadn't gotten over the events from the day before.
"Saauur…" it gave a low growl, staring the girl down.
"Hey now, I'm not here to fight again. Just take it easy, " Maria replied calmly, holding up her hands innocently, "I just want to talk with you a little."
"Bulba!" the grass-type grunted with disbelief.
"I know you're mad Bulbasaur, and I guess I deserve it. It's not like I asked you if you wanted to battle or anything," she grinned sheepishly, "I was just so eager to catch one of your kind I sort've forgot my manners. Please hear me out, okay?."
The Bulbasaur didn't respond, standing its ground yet gazing up at her with intrigue.
"All my life I wanted to be a Pokemon Trainer, catching and battling with every different kind of Pokemon I could find. When I graduated from my academy, though, my thoughts shifted a little." Maria paused to see if the Pokemon was still listening, and, to her luck, it was. Whoever said Pokemon couldn't understand human speech must not have tried talking to one. "I decided that I didn't care if I caught every type of Pokemon so long as I could become friends with just a few. And that's where you come in."
"Bul?" the Pokemon titled its head with curiosity.
"Yeah. I've wanted to train a Bulbasaur as long as I can remember, so once I graduated I started searching high and low for one. It took me almost three months to find one but thankfully I finally did. I found you." The Pokemon's eyes went wide, but only for a second. Maria could tell by the expression on its face that it was torn. "Enough of my rambling, though. What I want is to battle by your side, to grow and learn with you as time goes by. I know you don't trust me now, so all I ask is that you let me prove that I'm genuine. Will you at least give me the benefit of the doubt?"
The Bulbasaur stared hard at her for a few moments, going over everything it'd just heard; pondering what it all meant. At last it gave a nod, a hopeful look in its eyes. Maria felt overwhelmed with joy.
"Thank you. I won't prove you wrong. I promise."

OOC: *Coughcornycough* ^^

 

[NonAnalogue]

"Uggh..." Jeff sat up and groaned. His head felt like it had a herd of angry porcupines in it. He glanced around the room he was in. It was very plain, decorated in a light purple.

"Hello." Jeff jumped. Behind him, a short man in a loud Hawaiian shirt and a bowler hat sneered at him. "I am Everdred. Heh... you traded a Leaf Stone in the park out there."

"So? What of it?" Jeff replied.

"Boy, those Stones are very rare. I could sell them for a fortune... and you are going to hand them over."

Jeff shook his head.

"No, huh? Well, how do you like this?!" Everdred jumped at Jeff, fist outstretched.

"Xerox! Go!" The cheerful Ditto popped out of the Pokeball. "Now, Transform!" Xerox glowed and turned into a carbon copy of Everdred.

The two Everdreds hit each other in the face, then proceeded to kick each other in their respective groins. As they both doubled over in pain, Jeff recalled Xerox and sent out Argentina.

"Argentina! Try a Wrap attack!" The Weepinbell opened its mouth and a stream of vines flew at Everdred, wrapping around him. He gnawed at the vines, until they buckled and set him free. "Now, Sleep Powder!" A cloud of blue powder spewed from Argentina's mouth. Everdred ducked under it and jumped behind Jeff. He grabbed Jeff and moved him into the path of the cloud. Jeff struggled, but Everdred's diminutive stature belied a powerful strength.

As the cloud of spore insinuated itself into Jeff's lungs, his vision blurred. The last thing he saw was a fist coming at his face.

 

[Linkachu]

"So, I guess this is the start of a great friendship, eh?" Maria grinned as her and the Bulbasaur walked through the park.
"Saur!" the Pokemon replied smugly.
Suddenly it came to a halt, its nostrils flaring as its eyes locked on an object a short distance away.
"Eh? What's up?" Maria asked, following its gaze to the same white house she'd passed by earlier, "Heey? I don't see anything interesting. Just that funny house..."
"Bulba!" the Grass-type cried shrilly, breaking into a run towards the structure. Maria was left blinking blankly.
"He-hey! Wait for me!" she called at last, tearing off after it.
It wasn't until she'd neared the house that Maria noticed something odd about the air around it. It was sparkly, almost like... "Are those spores?" she yelped skidding to a stop.
"Saur!" the Bulbasaur nodded, taking a battle stance and growling angrily at the door. Maria still couldn't tell what, but something was definitely going on inside; no doubt something bad.

"Alright, here we go!" she said at last, pulling her white t-shirt up over her mouth and lunging for the doornob. She leaped back the second it'd been thrown open, for all you could see inside was a thick cloud of spores. "Anyone in there?!" she yelled through the doorway, but no answer came.
What to do now?
"I know!" Maria cried at last, ripping a PokeBall off her belt. "Altair, I choose you!"
Throwing the ball into the air it cracked open with a brilliant glittering light to reveal a beautiful Pidgeotto. The bird's long, golden head and tail feathers seemed to shimmer in the sunlight, unique from any of its kind Maria had ever encountered. Altair was the first Pokemon she'd ever caught and by far her most mysterious.
"Altair, blow those spores away!" Maria commanded.
"Pigee!" it cawed back, swooping down to align itself with the opening and pumping its wings as fast as it could.
"Crap! Bad idea!" the girl suddenly cried, both her and Bulbasaur diving for cover as the spores broke and swept like a wave out the door. Altair barely had enough time to fly up and avoid being consumed.

"Memo to self... THINK next time before acting..." she grumbled, picking herself off the ground brushing the dirt off her clothes. Her jeans had big grass stains on them now. "Argh! This better be worth it!" she roared, eyes blazing as they jerked back to the doorway. "Time to see what treasures I've found."

 

[NonAnalogue]

Jeff came to, once again with a headache. He noted with some dismay that his nose was bleeding. He could count the number of times on one finger that something good had ever come out of a nosebleed. Jeff looked around. He was still in the purple house but something was different. Everdred was gone, the spores seemed to have scattered, and... He reached in his bag. The stones were gone.

"Crap," he stated simply. Argetina bounced over to him and Jeff recalled her. He sent out Gastly instead.

"Well then, Mr. Everdred, let's sell how well you can do in round two..." Jeff muttered. He slowly got up and inched toward a door in the back of the room. He failed to be attacked, so he sped up a bit and peeked behind the door. There was a series of hallways behind it. Jeff slapped his forehead. He called out Porygon.

"99, can you scan these hallways? Find Everdred." Porygon shut its eyes and hummed softly. A moment later, it opened its eyes and beeped. Jeff opened his Pokedex. Porygon disappeared and reappeared inside the mechanical device. It created an image of the room in which Everdred was hiding. Jeff smiled. He recalled 99 and took off running.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: LOL... Are you trying to avoid me on purpose?
Btw - Happy B-day! For that I'll actually put the effort in and reply! XD

IC:

Maria almost choked when she looked through the doorway. The room was filled with purple decorations, but besides those the place was empty. No people, no Pokemon, no nothin'.

"You mean... we went through all that trouble... for nothing!?" she roared, stomping through the doorway to look around. As Altair fluttered outside the doorway the Bulbasaur followed Maria inside, again sniffing the air and looking eagerly up at its trainer. "Smell something again?"

"Bulba!" it replied.

"We probably just missed whoever was in here, eh? I didn't see them leave, though, so that means..." her eyes revolved around the room until falling on a closed door at the back wall, "bingo!" Upon throwing the door open, though, she still found nothing. Nothing but random hallways, that is.
"Just my luck. I'd probably get lost if I went in there. I give up already!"

Slamming the door shut, she looked down to the Bulbasaur, "Let's go grab a bite to eat and find somewhere to wash my jeans. I'm starving!"

Reluctantly it nodded, and with one last look at the door they turned and left for the Pokemon Center.

***

After Maria had eaten, washed her jeans down as best she could, and prepared everything she needed for her next destination, she was sitting on a bench looking at her map when two young, male trainers strode through the entrance.

"Yeah, I hear the Pokemon in the Onett caves have gone vicious," she overheard one say. "Attacking trainers and Pokemon relentlessly no matter how powerful the Pokemon are. It's nuts!"

"Nobody really knows what's causing it, right? Could it be another Pokemon?" said the other.

"Yeah, possibly," the first replied. "After that meteorite crash anything's possible..."

They moved out of hearing range after that, but Maria had heard all she needed.

"Heh... Wasn't sure where to go before, but now I know. I'm gonna check out what's up with those caves," she grinned to herself. Quickly folding her map and stuffing it into her backpack she straightened her glasses and got to her feet, heading out alone to Onett.


OOC: I've been wondering something. Have the Eight Sanctuaries been turned into Pokemon Gyms or do they still have special properties? If they're not the Gyms, where are they?
Oh, and I added a character profile. Whee!

 

[NonAnalogue]

OOC: The sanctuaries, in my vision, still have the same creatures (ie Titanic Ant) but they all have Pokemon under their control. So the Ant would have, say, Ariados and the like. Whoops! I did ant mean to spoil it for you.

IC: Jeff opened one of the garish purple doors. He glanced around the room, until his eyes locked onto a huddled mass in the corner. Jeff walked over to it and nudged it with his foor. As soon as he did, a cloud of dust burst out and Jeff dropped to the floor, completely paralyzed.

Everdred dropped from the ceiling, wearing a gas mask. "Ahahaha! Jeff! Did you think you could win?" He walked over to Jeff and kicked him in the side. Jeff groaned through clenched teeth. "Remember this, boy: Everdred... always... WINS!"

Jeff muttered something under his breath. Everdred leaned closer. "What, boy? A last request?"

Jeff muttered louder. "Meg... a... Kick..." Mercandos jumped into the room and landed a solid kick on the backside of Everdred's head. He collapsed, unconscious. Mercandos ran over to Jeff and stuffed a berry into his mouth. Jeff stood up.

"Thanks, Merc," he smiled, "That Lum Berry did the trick." Jeff kneeled over Everdred and peeled off the gas mask. He put it on. "Better to keep this until I know what else is around here..." Jeff proceeded to take the Stones Everdred was holding. "And I'll be taking these!"

***

Jeff walked into the fresh air and took the mask off. He sighed. An old woman called to him.

"Young man! Are you all right?" Jeff replied in the affirmative. "You just missed a young lady. She went inside as well, but when she came out, she mentioned that it was full of Sleep Powder."

"Oh? Where might I find this girl?"

"She went towards the Pokemon Center."

"Thanks." Jeff took off running.

OOC: See? Not avoiding you. ;P

 

[Linkachu]

As Maria walked out of the building she was about to head off towards Onnet when something caught her attention. Someone was bounding up the street towards her - someone awfully familiar. It wasn't until he'd gotten closer did she realize it was the trainer from the night before, the one who had battled with the Gastly.

"Hey!" she called out to him with a grin, "What's the big hurry?"

OOC: ;p

 

[NonAnalogue]

OOC: ;P... why are we winking?

BIC: Jeff skidded to a halt. A young woman stood in front of him, and it appeared to be the same one who was in the hotel lobby when he had left.

"Hi," he said, "Are you the girl who was at Everdred's place?"

"Yes, that'd be me," the girl replied.

"Oh, good," Jeff replied. "I'm glad I caught up with you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah... I wanted to make sure you were all right. I heard that you almost got Sleep Powdered." Jeff coughed. "That would, um, be my fault." He grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, that's okay." the girl replied. "No harm done. I'm Maria, by the way."

"I'm Jeff. Nice to meet you." Jeff and Maria shook hands. "So, where are you headed?" Jeff asked.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: Becausing winking's fun! XD
And yeah, short reply, but what can ya do?

BIC:

"I was on my way to the Onnet caves. From what I've heard the Pokemon inside it have gone nuts, attacking everything that moves. Call me crazy, but I'm curious to find out what's up. Can't ignore something interesting like that," Maria replied. She added with a smirk, "If you're not busy, wanna join me? Then you could pay me back for the sleep powder incident."

OOC: If you choose to come with me feel free to auto us to Onnet/the caves.

 

[NonAnalogue]

OOC: I'm not one to talk about short replies. ;D
BIC: "Sure! Sounds like a plan," Jeff replied. "I had been planning on heading to Onett anyway."

Maria nodded. "Cool. Shall we head off, then?"

Jeff replied in the affirmative. "Let's go." They walked off toward the north end of Twoson.

***

"So, what's your story?" Maria asked after a bit of walking. "I mean, you run around sporing buildings and battling hotel owners."

Jeff, who was gliding on his roller-boots, replied, "Well, I'm from Happy-Happy Village, and..." He paused after noticing Maria was staring at him funnily.

"So that's why you wear blue..." she trailed off.

Jeff laughed. "Don't worry," he said nonchalantly, "I never took part in that crazy blue religion deal a while back. I always though that Carpainter was a bit of a blowhard." He paused for a moment. "At any rate, would you believe that I'm the only person to actually train Pokemon from that village? The shop sells Pokeballs and the like, but they get all their business from me. So... what's up with you?"

Maria stopped in her tracks. "I'd tell you, but..." She pointed in front of her. "I think we met another one of Onett's famous roadblocks."

OOC: Yeh, I need to work on an essay, so feel free to auto me from here. If need be, my Mr. Mime knows Teleport. Heh.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: And here I was pestering you to reply

BIC:

As the duo approached the roadblock a couple of police officers blocked their path, the bigger, bulkier of the two barking, "Stop! No ones allowed to enter Onnet at this current time! Turn around and go home."

"Go home? But that's miles from here!" Maria snickered, continuing to say, "Why aren't we allowed past anyways?"

"None of your business!" the other cop snapped, pulling his baton off his belt and smacking it in his other hand, "Don't make us repeat ourselves. The only way you're getting through here is straight to jail."

"We get the point! Sorry for the trouble," Jeff cut in, backing away from the roadblock and giving a slight nod in Maria's direction.

She didn't understand what he meant but decided to go a long with it, shrugging her shoulders and saying to the cops, "Yeah, sorry officers." Turning away she followed Jeff back down the path, walking on until the cops were out of sight and then veering off into the trees. "What's this all about?" She asked, "You have a plan?"

Jeff grinned in reply, taking a PokeBall in hand and tossing it to the ground. To Maria's surprise a Mr. Mime appeared. "Merc, use teleport to get us past the road block, k?"

"Mime mime!" the Pokemon replied, closing its eyes for a brief moment before a strange white aura formed around its body. The aura reached out to Jeff and Maria, distorting time and space around them until suddenly there was a bright flash and all three blinked out of existence.

***

With another flash the group appeared in a small clearing, nothing but a run down shack to greet them.

"I guess this means we made it...?" Maria muttered, gazing around the area. There was a small mountain range a short distance away but she couldn't see any sort of entrance to it. With a shrug she looked down to Jeff's Mr. Mime, giving him a thumbs up, "Either way, it looks like we got past the cops. Great job, Mr. Mime!"

"Mister-mime!" it replied cheerfully.

"Wanna look around a bit?" she added, looking up to Jeff.

 

[NonAnalogue]

OOC: Gack! Forgot! Sorry!
And for good measure, :wink:

BIC: "Let's go!" replied Jeff. He walked over to the shack and jiggled the doorknob. He groaned. "Locked." Jeff stepped back.

"I could have Sirius burn down the door, but that might not go over well with the Onett police," Maria commented.

"Yeah, they might put up a roadblock in front of you," Jeff answered, rolling his eyes. "I have never heard of a city more devoted to roadblocks..." He thought for a moment and snapped his fingers. "I've got it! Xerox, come out!" The Ditto popped out of its Pokeball and grinned. Jeff bent down and whispered something to Xerox. It jumped into Jeff's hand and Transformed into something small. He stuck Xerox into the doorknob and twisted. To Maria's surprise, the door opened.

"What just happened?" Maria asked.

"Lockpicking," Jeff replied. "I learned that trick from a girl named Green. She happened across our village a few months ago."

"I've heard of her," Maria said. "Doesn't she have a theft problem?"

"We found that out the hard way, after our PokeMart was robbed. At any rate, she saw Xerox here and taught me some tricks." Jeff coughed. A beat passed. "Anyway, we can get through the shack now. After you."

Maria passed through the doorway. She glanced down and noticed a sheet of paper on the floor. She picked it up. "Hmm... demon baby, huh?"

"What did you say?" Jeff asked, following after her.

"Nothing," Maria replied nonchalantly, tossing the paper back on the ground.. They exited out the back door (not locked) and gazed at the mountain in front of them. They could hear feral growls coming from the entrance.

"So, who wants to go in first?" Jeff asked.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: Bah... I hate this time of year. University is killing all my RPs! Or maybe I've just hit a road block... I blame the Onnet Police! x.x

Oh, and

BIC:

"Uh... Hold that thought," Maria laughed nervously, reaching down to take a PokeBall off her belt. "Having Sirius around might've been a good idea after all. C'mon out!" Tossing the ball to the floor it burst open to release the Growlithe from inside.

"Growl!" he barked happily, but immediately his expression darkened as he turned towards the mountain.

"That bad, eh? Well... We've come this far. Can't turn back now..." Maria gave a gulp, bracing herself for what they were about to encounter. Slowly she stepped forward through the entrance, Sirius glued to her side. Jeff followed closely behind.

Inside opened up into a rocky, dimly lit cavern. Maria was glad it wasn't completely pitch black, yet the shadows cast behind rocks and in the corners kept her senses on alert. The worst was the noises, though: scratching and growling that seemed to echo throughout the cave. It made it impossible to determine where exactly the sounds were coming from.

"Growlithe!" Sirius suddenly barked, his eyes shooting up to the darkness above.

"Huh? What is..." Maria asked following his gaze. Her eyes went wide, "Holy-" she cried as a screeching mass of Zubat dived out of nowhere. Ducking down and covering her face with her arms she yelled above the chaos, "Sirius, Flamethrower!"

The fire pup let rip on the mass, aiming the flames for the center of the group. As some of the bat Pokemon attempted to retaliate he arched his head back and swept the stream through them, causing them to break up and retreat into the shadows. He continued to rapidly fire on the rest one by one until finally the last charred Zubat fled back into the darkness.

"Well... That was fun," Maria grunted, uncovering her face and standing tall again. She grinned over at Jeff and added, "And I bet there's lots more where that came from. Having fun yet?"

 

[NonAnalogue]

"Hm. 'Fun' would be a relative word." Jeff frowned and thought for a moment. "I've got it." He released Argentina the Weepinbell and she bounced up, cheerfully, in front of the pair. "Argey, light this place up with a Flash, hmm?"

The Weepinbell nodded and gave off a brilliant burst of light. Every nook and cranny of the cave was insinuated with the light. "Well!" Jeff started. "That makes things quite a bit-" A loud rumbling cut him off.

"What's that?" asked Maria.

Jeff did not reply. Instead, he merely pointed forward. A mass of Geodudes and Zubats were charging at them. He grabbed on to Weepinbell and Maria's arm, and Weepinbell shot a vine at the roof of the cave. They shot up to the ceiling, narrowly avoiding the stampeding Pokemon.

"Wow.. major Indiana Jones moment, huh?" Maria said. Jeff grinned.

"Argey, let us down." The vine slowly lowered until Jeff and Maria found themselves on the ground. Jeff brushed himself off. "That'll be the last of most of the wild Pokemon here; I forgot that they don't like light..."

"At least it's a clear path to the end of the cave, right?"

"Nope. I've heard that a giant, vicious bug lives here, too..."

"Well, thanks for ruining the surprise..." Maria joked.

"Sorry," Jeff began with a straight face, "I did ant mean to spoil it for you." They stared at each other for a beat, then burst into laughter. "Ah, I slay me," Jeff muttered before the two set onwards once more.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: Heh... we'll just assume Maria recalled Sirius before that last post, unless you planned for him to be trampled
Oii.. This ended up long (too long for me to bother to proof read) ^__^;

BIC:

The cave had seemed to have calmed down from the burst of light, but as the duo walked deeper and deeper inside an indescribable noise grew louder and louder. Maria had never heard anything like it before.

"I take it that's our ant?" she murmured as they trekked, straining her ears to hear more clearly. "Why do I get the feeling that thing's not a normal Pokemon at all? Sure doesn‘t sound like one… Hey, what‘s that up ahead?" Her eyes caught sight of something hanging down from an upper ledge.

"Looks like a rope," Jeff replied, picking up his pace to get a better look.

"A rope… Not even a rope ladder? Geeze, how convenient…" Maria grunted sarcastically as she hurried over to join him. They both stopped before the rope and followed it upwards with their eyes, "Guess that means we go up… I'm ready when you are."

"Ladies first," Jeff grinned.

"Since when was I am lady?" Maria chuckled in return. Before either of them could decided, though, a roar ripped through the cave - this one oddly familiar. Maria stepped back from the stone wall and followed the sound above, muttering to herself, "Is that what I think it is…?"

Suddenly a large boulder flew off the ledge, rocketing downward and slamming into the ground a few meters away. The impact caused loose rocks to crashed down around them, a few almost hitting Jeff and Maria.

"What the heck?" Maria cursed, regaining her composure and staring at the boulder. At first it looked like an ordinary hunk of rock, but when a pair of big black eyes blinked in her direction a grin crossed her face. "I knew I‘d heard that call before. A Graveler!"

The Pokemon glared at that, four rocky arms emerging from the camouflage of its body. It slowly rose upon two feet, waving its arms dangerously in the air and crying its name.

"Jeff, leave this one to me!" Maria smirked over her shoulder, pulling a PokeBall off her belt. "It's time for one of my other Pokemon to strut her stuff. Bellatrix, you're up!"

In a flash of energy the watery-fox like Vaporeon appeared, crouching down and growling angrily at the foe. "Poreeeon!" she cried viciously.

"Graav-ler!" the foe roared in reply, shooting its arms out to pick up four nearby rocks.

"Quick Attack to dodge, then Water Gun!" Maria cried as she dove for cover just as the Graveler flung all four objects into the air. They sailed towards Bellatrix, but seconds before they could hit she shot forward and blurred from sight. As she zipped around it the Graveler's attempts to track her were futile, only catching sight of the Vaporeon when it skidded to a stop and let rip a powerful Water Gun attack.

"Gravelrrr!" the Pokemon roared in pain, pulling its four arms close for defense.

"Keep it up, Bellatrix!" Maria yelled joyfully… Until the boulder of a Pokemon began to spin on the spot. She couldn't understand what it was doing until a wall of mud shot up around it, momentarily blocking it from sight and direct contact with the water. The girl was struck by surprise, "What the heck…?"

At once the Graveler tumbled out from behind the mud, rolling so quickly rocks and dirt flew up around it. Maria's eyes went wide as it shot several meters away, making a sharp turn to zoom right back towards them.

"This isn't good…" she gulped. "Try Water Gun!"

"Va!" the Pokemon cried, whirling around to face the Graveler and letting loose another blast of water. All it did was tunnel off the sides, though, leaving the boulder virtually unharmed.

"Jump!" Maria yelled, to which Bellatrix ceased her attacked and leaped high into the air - barely enough clear the Graveler and land safely on the other side. The trainer choked as rock-type tore past her, pelting her and the nearby Jeff with debris as it made another sharp turn to head back towards the Vaporeon. At this rate nothing would stop it!

"That's it!" Maria growled, clenching her fists tightly. It was time to try something drastic. "Bellatrix, hurry and carve a path with Aurora beam towards the ledge!"

The water-fox quickly nodded, opening its mouth wide to fire out a multi-colored beam of energy. It immediately froze the wet ground, creating a shimmering path of ice which the Vaporeon carefully guided. She raced against the clock as the Graveler zoomed towards her, at last colliding with the ice and beginning to wobble on its path. It still plowed forward yet appeared to be less in control, moving a long the path as if it were railroad tracks.
Closer and closer it tumbled, gaining speed with each second, until less than a foot from Bellatrix. In a final desperate attempt she threw her head towards the wall and completed the path, leaping back just in time as the rock-type went out of control. A massive "BOOM!" shook the area as it smashed into the ledge, causing more loose rocks to tumble down on the kids and Vaporeon.

"Woaah!" Maria cried as one the size of her head almost took off her nose, stumbling back and losing her footing. She fell flat on her back, unable to see Bellatrix or the Graveler now. Even so she took no time to yell, "Bellatrix, finish it off with Water Gun!"

"Vaaaa!" the Pokemon cried, releasing one last blast at the stationary rock-type. Maria could hear its roars of pain, cries that finally ceased until nothing but the pulsing water could be heard.

"That's enough!" she called into space. It was over.
"Here," Jeff piped up, stepping over her and holding out his arm.

"Thanks," Maria replied, grabbing onto his and pulling herself up. Dusting off her jacket she gazed forward at the Pokemon, finding Bellatrix standing before the motionless Graveler. It'd driven almost a foot into the ledge. "Wow… That must've been some speed," the girl grinned. Taking an empty PokeBall off her belt she approached the rock-type, stopping next to Bellatrix and tossing the ball. It cracked open and released beam of energy, enveloping the Graveler to quickly zap it back inside.

As usual, the ball landed on the ground and began to wiggle. Once. Twice. "Click!"
"Vaaporeon!" Bellatrix cheered at the successful capture, nuzzling Maria in the ribs happily.

"Couldn't have done it without you," the girl grinned, reaching down to scoop up at ball. She could now see a clean imprint of the Graveler left in the wall.
Placing the PokeBall securely on her belt she recalled Bellatrix and turned to Jeff, "Heh. More fun to be had! Now... How about that rope?"

OOC: Yeah, a bit early to catch another Pokemon, but whatever! This was as good a place as any

 

[NonAnalogue]

Okay, I have exams tomorrow, then I'm out of town, then more exams. I won't be posting a, um, post until Tuesday/Wednesday. Sorry...

 

[NonAnalogue]

OOC: Took me long enough...

IC: Jeff took the rope in one hand and pulled to make sure it was secured. It was. "Argentina, lend some support, huh?" The Weepinbell bounced over to Jeff, happy as ever, and shot a vine to the top of the cliff. It pulled itself up and grinned at Jeff, who in turn grinned at Maria. "Race ya."

Maria smirked back and sent out her Bulbasaur. The Bulbasaur shot its vines up the cliff and soon joined Argentina. Both Pokemon shot their vines down and wrapped around their respective trainers. Jeff started counting.

"3." Bulbasaur and Argentina tightened their hold.
"2." Jeff and Maria glanced at each other.
"1." They braced themselves."
"Go...!" The two trainers shot up, leaving their stomachs on the ground beneath them.

Seconds later, they found themselves on the cliff, panting for breath. "Now... I see why I didn't think of that earlier..." Jeff muttered.

"It was possibly one of your less brilliant ideas..." Maria said.

"Hey, at least we're here, huh?" Jeff replied. "It could have-" A lound panting disrupted him. He glared at Maria. "Hey, I don't interrupt you." Maria didn't reply, instead choosing to point over in a corner of the cave. There was a hole in the wall, occupied by a brilliant spot of light. Jeff strained his eyes.

"I believe that that is our ant," he said, for from the light, a massive ant was stepping forward.

"Thissss wassss one of the Ssssanctariesss, but it'sss mine now..." it hissed. It gestured towards the hole with one claw. "Infantry, asssssault!"

Jeff and Maria glanced at each other. "What did that mean...?" Maria asked.

Jeff replied, "I'm not sure, but I'm bringing a Pokemon out. Mercandos!" The mimer appeared in a burst of light.

Maria responded in turn, "Good idea. Let's go, Sirius!" The Growlithe appeared as well.

"You hope to defeat me, the Titanic Ant, with sssssuch puny creaturessss?" the creature smirked. "To do sssso isss to invite failure... Let'ssss go, my army!" Rumbling reverberated from within the cave. It came to a head at the hole, revealing an Ariados, a Beedrill, a Dustox, a Venomoth, a Heracross, and a Forretress.

Jeff and Maria stepped back. "This is it!" Jeff murmured to Maria. She replied, "Yep! Let's get 'em!"

OOC: Hope I didn't overstep any boundaries with your Pokemon. Feel free to do some, all, or none of the battle, as you see fit.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: Heheh... This battle is gonna be big! Freakin' big! I can't wait XD

BIC:

This wasn't going to be easy. Four verses six Pokemon and a freaky giant ant. Looks like they'd have to even the odds a little.

"Start with weaknesses! Sirius, Flamethrower Forretress!" Maria cried, quickly crouching down to scoop up a rock and hurdle it at the Venomoth. As she did the Growlithe opened his mouth wide and released the stream of intense flames, knocking the Heracross and Ariados out of its path to land a direct hit on Forretress. With its metal and bug traits it'd only take a few strong fire-hits to take it down for good.

As the Forretess' deep voice roared in pain the three flying bugs zipped to its aid, only to be stopped dead in their tracks by Mercanchos' Psychic ability.

"Thanks!" Maria called over the chaos to Jeff, reaching down to take a PokeBall off her belt. "Help us out, Altair!" she yelled as she chucked it into the air, bursting open to reveal the sparkling golden Pidgeotto. "While they're held use Gust attack on the flyers!"

Altair let out a cry and flew in closer to the trio, arching back to beat his wings furiously and create powerful winds. They ripped into the struggling bugs like knives.

"Great! Keep it up!" Maria cheered up at the bird - only to be knocked off her feet seconds later when Sirius came barreling into her. Winded from the blow, she shook her head and looked up to find the Heracross looming over them, its eyes narrowed coldly. "Why you bugger!" the girl glared, to which the anthro stag-beetle flexed its muscles and growled in return.

"HerRA!" it cried as it pulled back its right arm to strike. Just as it thrust its fist straight for Maria's head, though, Sirius' twisted around in her arms and let loose another Flamethrower, blasting the Heracross off its feet and into its own companions.

"Woah! Close one. Good job, boy," Maria yelped, still slightly dazed. The Growlithe revolved its head to look up at her face and smiled weakly. After the Zubat earlier and the blow from Heracross he looked about ready to collapse. "Why don't you take a rest?" Maria murmured, and fumbling to grab his PokeBall off her belt she quickly recalled him inside.

"I wonder how Jeff's doing?" she thought as she slowly climbed to her feet. Immediately she noticed something strange. Someone was missing. "…Where's Ariados?"

OOC: Oookay. So it wasn't THAT big
Slight auto of Merc but nothing major. Feel free to auto Altair and finish/not finish the battle.
... I use the word "as" a lot, don't I? ^^;

 

[NonAnalogue]

Meanwhile, Jeff wasn't having too good of a time himself. The massive spider Pokemon loomed over him and his Mr. Mime. "Mercandos! Try a Fire Punch, but launch yourself with Psychic!" Mercandos glowed blue and flew straight at the Ariados, fist aflame. The Ariados got a face full of fire, but seemed unfazed as it scurried backwards a few feet. It opened its mandibles and shot out a sticky substance, covering mercandos completely from head to toe.

"Crud... Merc, return..." The Mr. Mime, slightly perplexed as to his inability to move, was enveloped in a red light and quickly disappeared. Jeff frowned. "Hmm... the rest of my Pokemon aren't that powerful yet; I spent most of my time with Merc." He paused, pulled out two Pokeballs, and grinned.

Meanwhile, Maria stood back as her Altair zipped around the flying bugs. The Heracross had already fainted from the combined Flamethrower and subsequent launching across the cave, so she had decided to, excuse the pun, fight flyer with flyer. Suddenly, though, the three flying bug Pokemon halted and retreated to the back of the cave.

"I wonder what just happened...?" Maria muttered, while Altair looked perplexedly around. She stood for a moment before hearing a voice.

"Yessss, my bugssss, retreat!

Maria looked to the source of the voice and saw the Titanic Ant waving a claw to the cave. "Minionssss! Come back! They are too ssssssstrong!" Maria proceeded to look over to Jeff, who was grinning in a satisfied manner, with Booster floating in front of him. She walked over to him.

"Let me guess... Gastly Hypnotized Titanic Ant into retreating?"

"Yep."

"Cheap."

"Yep."

However, this enthralling conversation was interrupted as the Titanic Ant stomped back into the opening.

"However, that didn't work, so I had Xerox Transform into it instead." Jeff pointed a Pokeball at the ant. "Xerox, return!" A beam of red light shot at the Titanic Ant, but it failed to disappear. "Oh crap..."

"Yessss, foolish humanssss! We ssssssaw through your feeble plansssss!" Titanic Ant tossed the unTransformed Ditto back at Jeff, who sadly recalled it. The five remaining Bug Pokemon stormed back into view, looking as angry as ever.

"Maria! You take Venomoth and Ariados! I'll take care of the rest!" Maria nodded. Altair swooped through the croud of bugs, effectively cutting them into two groups. Maria and Altair herded the spider and the moth over to one side, where they became entwined in an aerial battle.

Jeff glared at the remaining bugs - a Beedrill and a Dustox. He sent Gastly forward. "Booster!" The Gastly floated toward Jeff, who proceeded to whisper in the area where its ear would be provided it had one. Booster nodded and floated back out into the fray. It opened its eyes wide and glared at the bugs, who recoiled in horror. "Excellent Mean Look! Now keep it up!" Gastly telekinetically lifted a sharp rock from the ground and glared at the foes. Slowly, it stabbed the rock further and further into itself. The bugs watched, mesmerized, at this seemingly idiotic act of stupidity. Booster finally stopped and glared at the bugs once more. They started laughing, amazed that their foe was trying to help them, until they felt the foreign effects of the Curse leeching their strength.

OOC: Wewt. Feel free to auto as you see fit.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: Much apologies for taking so long. Don't really have a good excuse why ^^;

BIC:

As the battle rage on in Jeff's corner, Altair was weaving around rapid String Shots from Ariados while trying to avoid Venomoth's haunting gaze. It'd already tried twice so far to confuse the Pidgeotto with Super Sonic but had failed due to well-timed Quick Attack's.

"Altair, Wing Attack Ariados!" Maria called, figuring it'd be easier to deal with Venomoth alone. The bird cawed in reply, its wings beginning to glow brightly as it dodged past the moth and dived. The spider hissed angrily and fired a barrage of purple needles, most shooting off into the darkness but a few scoring direct hits. Their poison tips burned Altair's face yet not enough to deter him - they simply succeeding in fueling his focus. Seconds before colliding with the bug he pulled back to briefly hover on the spot, carefully taking aim before whacking the spider in the side and tossing it up into the air. It flew out of range and into the darkness, cries of anguish echoing behind it until a distinct "thud" was heard in the distance.

"Piiige!" Altair cried triumphantly, beating hard pull back up and meet the remaining opponent. If the Venomoth could speak English Maria was sure it'd be cursing right about now.

"Veno!" it cried, its eyes blazing blue as a similar aura suddenly enveloped Altair's body. The golden bird looked stunned, struggling to move but unable to do anything.

"Disable!" Maria growled under her breath. She knew this could only lead to trouble and didn't feel like giving Venomoth the satisfaction, thus aimed Altair's PokeBall at his paralyzed form and yelled, "Return!" The red beam of the ball overpowered the blue energy and in a flash the Pidgeotto had vanished. "Let's try something different… See what you think of this!"

In a burst of energy a large shape appeared with a booming cry, its four rock-hard fists clenched menacingly at the Venomoth. It appeared a bit sluggish as it wobbled on its feet but was still raring to go. There was no way it'd lose two battles in one day.

"Graav!" the boulder Pokemon cried, reaching for two nearby rocks and chucking them at the foe. The Venomoth dodged one but wasn't so lucky with the second, tumbling through the air and smashing into the wall. It cried shrilly, stunned but not out.

"Now's my chance!" Maria grinned, whipping her backpack off and zipping it open. She dug through the contents to quickly pull out an odd spray bottle: a Hyper Potion. "I'd been saving this for a special occasion. It's the only one I've got, but it'll be worth it!"
Throwing her bag aside she quickly sprayed the liquid over the Graveler and watched as new life seemed to flow into it. The potion was so powerful that it worked immediately, and before she knew it was the Pokemon was roaring proudly the way it had when she'd first met it, smacking its fists together aggressively. It felt ready for anything.

"Awesome! Now, let's take out this bug!" the trainer grinned brightly, "Rock Throw again!" But instead of the usual attack it tried something different. Placing two of its arms firmly on the ground it leaned back and tensed up, launching itself off the ground so powerfully it was sent rocketing through the air. The Venomoth, which was in the process of shaking out its wings when it saw the flying boulder, was unable to do anything but shriek as Graveler collided dead on with a "BOOM!"

"Hook, line, and sink ‘er!" Maria laughed triumphantly as the cavern shook and rained loose stones down on them. Another "boom!" resounded as her new Graveler crashed to the ground, shaken but utterly fine. Beside it was the mangled and silent form of Venomoth. "Graveler, you've out done yourself!"

As it emerged from its protective ball she gave it a thumbs up, the Pokemon bellowing in reply.

"Now, time for the real match," Maria grinned, gazing over at Jeff to see how he had faired. She doubted the results were any different.

 

[NonAnalogue]

Jeff was not having a good time of it. Even though the massive bugs were being sapped by Booster's Curse, they barely seemed to be affected by it. Fortunately, Booster was Poison... if he wasn't, that would have made this battle considerably harder. He was zipping around the two flying bugs, avoiding Twineedle from Beedrill and Poison Sting and Toxic from Dustox. Then Jeff had a brilliant flash of inspiration.

"Booster! Keep them occupied! Psywave!" The Gastly nodded, shooting out mind-bending waves of psychic energy at the two bugs. Jeff slyly took a Pokeball and his Pokedex off of his belt. He tapped the Pokeball to the screen of the Pokedex and silently kicked it past the three fighting Pokemon. There was a bright flash...

And when the light subsided, Jeff was pleased to find that the Beedrill and the Dustox were sizzling. 99 flew past them to float by Jeff.

"Excellent work, 99! That was a great Thunderbolt!" Jeff said, grinning. The Porygon looked visibly pleased. "Now, 99, Booster, finish them off! Psychic Combination attack!"

99 and Booster shut their eyes and focused. Waves of Psychic energy shot from both of them, merged into one massive yellow Psychic ring, and shot towards the two bugs. There was a sickening thud, followed by another thud. Jeff looked to find the Beedrill launched into a wall and the Dustox unconscious on the ground, slightly smoking.

Jeff walked over to Maria and high-fived her. "That takes care of that, ey?" Jeff asked.

"Yep. Now all that's left..." Maria grinned, turning toward the Titanic Ant, "is this massive pest!" She looked toward her Graveler and pointed toward the ant. "Go! Rock Throw!" The Graveler dug into the ground, dislodging several good sized stones, and hurled them at the foe.

Jeff turned toward Booster and 99, but was surprisd to see Booster glowing. "Booster! Yeah!" The Ghost shifted shape, got a little pointier, and grew hands, which promptly separated from his body. When the aura faded, a Haunter was floating in front of Jeff. He high fived the Haunter and laughed. "Okay, guys, lets go squash us a bug!" Booster and 99 rushed into battle alongside Graveler.

"You will find me conssssiderably tougher than thossssse weaklingssss!" Titanic Ant hissed. "PSI Magnet!" Titanic Ant glowed blue and for a second, a blue aura enveloped the Pokemon. When it subsided, each of them looked considerably drained.

Jeff sighed. "99, Booster, return!" The two Pokemon disappeared. "Merc, come back out!" The Mr. Mime replaced the two others, still covered in webbing. Jeff pulled a Full Heal from his pack and sprayed it on him. The webbing cleared and Mercandos grinned. "Now, let's go!" Mercandos charged into battle.

OOC: Sorry it took so long...

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: I'm probably going to have to leave the majority of this battle up to you since I can't really remember the Titanic's Ant's attacks/stats and stuff.

BIC:

Maria's mouth hung open. So much power from one attack! That overgrown bug wasn't lying.

"Graveler! Are you okay!?" she cried, staring down on her Pokemon. It was leaning forward on one outstretched arm, its heavy breathing audible and harsh. As the rock-type finally pushed itself back to a standing position, though, it balled all four of its rock fists and gave an angrily bellow at the foe. Graveler was damaged, but not out yet.
"Great! Rock Throw!"

Graveler quickly obeyed and ripped up two large boulders from the ground, hurling them at the ant to strike it once in the head and again in the torso. The bug screeched shrilly, making Maria crower away and clamp her hands over her ears. Her Pokemon held its ground, though, as did Merc, who seemed immune to the noise althogether.

"Merc, use Light Screen before it can use that powerful attack again!" Jeff commanded, and with a nod the Mr.Mime brought its two hands together, concentrating hard for a few moments before quickly sweeping them out to the sides and creating a floating, transparent wall. It disappeared seconds later but Jeff knew it was still there. "Now, let's rip into it!"

"Your effortssss are futile! Prepare to be dessssstroyed!" the Titantic Ant retorted, and having regained its composure prepared to attack.

OOC: Feel free to finish the battle off. If you don't, I have a "bang" of an ending in mind ;D
Heh... All i've been using is Rock Throw lately ^^;

 

[NonAnalogue]

I'm terribly sorry, but the end of the quarter was murder. But spring break starts Monday, so I'll be able to post then.

 

[Linkachu]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!-Problem ^^

I've waited this long. Another week isn't going to kill me

 

[NonAnalogue]

Jeff knelt down to Merc and whispered something in his ear. Merc nodded, but immediately jumped out of the way as the Titanic Ant jammed its front claw straight into the ground where he had been standing. It hissed.

"You ssssshall not defeat me!" It pulled its claw out of the ground and whistled. A loud rumbling began to emanate from the floor, and both Jeff and Maria paused. Suddenly, a hole burst open in the ground in front of the ant, and a swarm of Black Antoids poured out.

"Jeff, now!" Maria yelled. She whispered something to Graveler as Jeff did the same to Mercandos. The Mr. Mime lifted itself into the air with psychic powers as Graveler began to jump up and down, shaking the very earth. The Magnitude turned out to be massive, and soon Merc had to lift Jeff and Maria into the air as well. The ground continued to shake, pummeling the horde of Antoids, causing them to flip into the air and land on each other. Needless to say, Titanic Ant was pissed beyond all belief.

"GraaaAAAAH!" it yelled, and charged at the Graveler when it was done. Graveler rolled out of the way and chucked a few more rocks at it. They landed square on. Mercandos took the opening and Teleported onto the back of the ant's head. He lit one fist on fire and encased the other in ice and began to wail on Titanic Ant's head. The ant tried to reach him, but failed as Graveler jumped onto it and held its arms down. Eventually, the ant fell. Merc and Graveler jumped off as Jeff and Maria headed for the exit.

"Foo... foolssss..." it hissed weakly, "I hope you don't... think you've... finished me..." The ant stood up slowly and a blue glow surrounded it. "PSSSSSI Lifeup!" The glow faded, and Titanic Ant stood there, looking as able as ever.

"Oh crap," muttered Jeff.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: TBA, I have a confession to make. At the moment my heart just really isn't into this story (hasn't been for awhile, actually). I still want to continue it, I just wish someone else would join. Even one more poster would spice things up =/

Know anyone who'd be interested?

Either way, I'm going to have to put myself on hiatus for a few weeks. Just felt that I should tell you instead of leaving you hanging. Sorry if its a big disappointment.

Well, until next time, thanks for yer time ^^

 

[NonAnalogue]

OOC: Well, thanks for letting me know. It was fun. And if I see anyone who'd be interested, I'll send 'em this way.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

OOC- I blame Katie for this post! She wanted me to join!

BIC-

Kunai stepped up confidently in between Marie and Jeff, a smirk on his face. In his hand, a red-and-white sphere was marked with a blue flame, painted on expertly. Kunai tossed the ball high into the air, releasing the pokemon inside.

Charmeleon appeared in a flash of white, his orange-red skin glowing for a second while he materialised, his tail flame lighting the area with a blue light. Kunai opened his mouth, and spoke a language that wasn't anything human. Amazingly, Charmeleon nodded, and started breathing in air.

Charmeleons were funny pokemon. Most fire types were. Inside their face, around their mouths, they have a thin gland that secretes a thick, highly flammable liquid that ignites when the pokemon breaths out with enough force. Charmeleon allowed enough of that liquid get into his mouth, and blasted out all the air he had just breathed in. A jet of highly concentrated fire shot at the giant ant, burning through the air. The ant flattened itself against the groung, the flames soaring above it.

"That was your warning shot," Kunai said, sounding as if he was struggling with the words. "Give up or face Charmeleon's power!"
Don't think a fire attack like that can beat me, the Titanic Ant sneered.
"I don't," Kunai said. Then, he said something in the foreign language again. Charmeleon nodded again, and launched himself high into the air. Once he had reached the top of his jump, he started spinning, and came shooting back down, foot first. The ant had barely stood up before Charmeleon's foot smacked right into it's head.

Again, Kunai said something foreign. Charmeleon didn't nod this time. He jumped into the air again, and spun a few times, a strange glow covering him. It was a Dragon Dance attack. Lining up for the next move. Charmeleon ran at the Titanic Ant again, and swung a claw at one of the ant's legs, leaving a deep gash and hopefully incapacitating that leg. Charmeleon jumped back, so that he was stood in front of Kunai.

 

[NonAnalogue]

OOC: Wow. Thanks! I didn't expect to see this again! I'll get a post up between now and Sunday.

 

[Doctor Oak]

OOC: Wow. Thanks! I didn't expect to see this again! I'll get a post up between now and Sunday.

Liar.

 

[NonAnalogue]

OOC: Yeah, yeah, I know. I think, when I started this, I make a dramatic overestimation of the amount of free time I'd have. I'm involved in a rather sizeable RP on a different forum (that I've been working with before I came here, I think) - that, and school, and just all sorts of other things... I apologize to the other people who tries to make this RP something. Hopefully this'll teach me something about time management. X_x

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: So... Is that your way of saying this RP is dead, or still placing it on the back burner?

I know exactly how you feel, TBA. A short while back I got myself into far too many RPs at one time and it pretty much ended up destroying them all and driving myself insane. Now, I've decided to only RP at one place in hopes of regaining the RP spirit I've lost /corny ^_^

But yeah. This was good while it lasted. Your call what happens to it.

 

[NonAnalogue]

OOC: I... don't know what it means. If I ever get more free time to do RPs here, I would like to come back to this one, but I don't know if that'll ever happen.