The World of Pokemon (IC)

[Acroticus]

OOC: viewtopic.php?ns=1&f=31&t=323204&p=22751500#p22751500

Welcome, to the wondrous world of Pokemon!

This RP will be a little different than my previous ones, so please read the rules carefully. Hopefully the new rules will be successful in making a fun and long lasting RP!

1) You may start with almost whatever pokemon you like, and as many as you like! If you want to be a previous champion of some pokemon league, with all fully evolved pokemon and 100 of them, then you may. If you would like to start with a single baby bidoof, you may as well!

2) You may NOT start with a Legendary Pokemon! That includes the legendary birds, the dogs, Celebi, Latios and Latias, Manaphy and all the others (no bending this rule).

3) You may play as any character you would like; please feel free to have your player not to be a trainer. If you want to be a pokemon breeder, go ahead. If you would like to be a nurse at one of the pokemon centers, feel free.

4) If you would like to be a gym leader you must ask me or a CO-Op!!!

5) You will be RPing your story in this RP; you will RP the pokemon you find, as well as whatever NPC trainers you like. If you would like to randomize the pokemon you find, here is a generator that I like: http://pyrotoz.com/

6) You may not RP encounters with Legendary Pokemon! Only me and the CO-Ops can do this

7) We are starting with only one character per person, for now at least. EDIT: This rule has been changed! If you would like to have an NPC(controlled by you) follow you, you may! Just post another app!

Let us make this as realistic as possible (according to the SHOW). What I mean is this: Not all pokemon who are able to evolve; this means that, for the purposes of this RP, a high level, low evolved pokemon could take on the higher evolved pokemon. Do not assume that because your pokemon are more fully evolved, they are stronger than your opponents.

9) Also, please take your time walking from city to city; remember, it takes a long time to move short distances on the map! Do not post an entire trip from one city to another in one post! It should probably be closer to three at least! I will enforce this rule if necessary.

10) Certain events will be controlled by me and the Co-Ops, and we have the power to screw with your character however we like (to a point, at least). This means team rocket attacks (or any other team for that matter), legendary pokemon sightings, and anything else that we feel like making happen.

11) Please be nice. We are all trying to have fun here, and any not so nice behavior will be called out by me!

12) No meta-gaming, no godmodding, no trolling, no spamming; this may become a bit more competitive if we can reach the Pokemon League, so please no unfair play.

13) We are RPing in a new region called the Harvor Region; this region contains pokemon from all the regions, and can be seen in a map below!

14) There will be no Mega-evolutions.... at least for now

If You are unsure about anything please ask me or a Co-Op!

That was many rules... I may add more if I forgot anything

Harvor Region


Amythyst City
Terror Forrest
Malachite Town
Hazel Fields
Grullo City
Arrite Forest
Harle Village
Chara Dessert
Oasis Town
Eucalypse City
Darkridge Mountain Range
Herracross Town
Bugfield Forest
Kani Town
Aqua Island (Must travel by water)
Sludge City

Cities that are colors have gyms corresponding to their types.

[Canis Rex]

Nature never ceased to amaze him. It was barely past morning and the sun still hadn't cleared the top of the Darkridge mountains, casting its rays in long streaks of pale light that made each peak stand out as a silhouette. It all seemed more etheral than real. More shadow than substance.
" It's beautiful, isn't it? Samael awed.
He stood at the base of the mountain range with his faithful Absol, running his fingers through her fur. She cooed and leaned to him in response. He got the idea and hugged her back. They had just arrived and were looking for the easiest path to start up. Absol nodded her head in a direction and Samael saw what she did. The dirt of the path looked a little loose but it wasn't steep and would probably offer the easiest travel without climbing. "Good eye girl" he praised and they started walking, both excited for what they could find here.

[Acroticus]

Just Outside of Seafrost Harbor, Harvor Region

Jacob and Kevin sat on the boat. It was very cold; the heavy wind bit their faces as it rocked their tiny boat back and forth. They were lucky to have found a boat going to Seafrost Harbor; there were not many that did. Still, Jacob wished it wasn’t so cold. He had little choice but to keep his pokemon inside their pokeballs. There was no need for them to suffer as well. Jacob looked over the bow of the tiny wooden boat at Seafrost Harbor. He could see the lights coming from the few buildings across the water. Jacob had never been to the Harvor region before, but he was very excited to begin.

“Well, I guess we’ll be starting again soon,” Kevin began to speak. “Not going to be many bug types around here; it’s too cold.”

“Yea, I know,” Jacob responded. “But I’ve got to get to Snowridge for the badge. Once we’re done there, we can head to the warmer regions for your bugs.” Kevin sighed as the boat began to pull in to the harbor.

“Let’s stay at the pokemon center tonight, shall we? Tomorrow we can head for Snowridge.” Jacob nodded, as the captain of the ship told them they had arrived.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kevin and Jacob sat in the pokemon center, relaxing. It was snowing outside, and they were content to stay where it was warm, inside. Beside them were several of their pokemon: Primeape sat with Mothim, talking; Forretress and Togekiss relaxed in another corner; Escavalier lay far away, sleeping alone. They all spoke around the fire that lay in the center of the room. There was no one else besides them in the room, as most trainers in Harvor had known about the storm and to avoid Seafrost at this time of year.

Jacob and Kevin were reminiscing when they heard the voice of an older man behind them talking to Nurse Joy.

“Joy,” he man began. “Have you seen Erica? I haven’t seen her all day?” Jacob hard the shuffling of shoes.

“No, I’m sorry; I haven’t seen her since yesterday. Have you che-”

“I checked everywhere…” the old man responded out of breath. “I’m really worried about her.”

Jacob looked at Kevin, and Kevin rolled his, uttering a quiet “fine.” Jacob stood and began to speak.

“I’m sorry but I couldn’t help overhearing. You need some help? If someone is caught out in that storm…”

“No I couldn’t ask that of you,” the old man responded. The old man was still out of breath.

“Really, its no problem,” Kevin responded. “Now, who is it you’ve lost?”

“It’s my granddaughter, Erica. She’s always… running round with her pet Zigzagoon. But this time… I’m worried she got lost in the storm! She could be anywhere out there!”

“Don’t worry,” Jacob said as he put on his coat. “We’ll find her.”

“Yea,” Kevin responded, before quietly whispering to Jacob, “or we’ll die trying…”

As they recalled their pokemon and prepared for the trip, Nurse Joy walked over to them.

“Be careful out here. These mountains are dangerous. It’s not just snow and dark out there. I’ve heard more than a few stories of ghosts in those mountains.”

“Don’t worry,” Jacob responded. “We’ll be fine.” Jacob and Kevin headed for the door as the old man thanked them for their help. Immediately as he stepped out into the cold, Jacob immediately regretted the decision. The snow was coming down really heavy, and he could barely see two feet in front of him. Still, he had made a commitment, and he wasn’t going back on it; he could only imagine how scared the little girl must be.

As Kevin and Jacob left the town, they looked back; they couldn’t even see the light coming from the Pokemon Center. But they decided to push forward. A big gust of wind stopped them in their tracks. Jacob turned to shield his face before they pushed forward. He looked ahead; nothing but white snow. He sighed as they forged forward.

It felt like hours before they finally saw something besides snow. A snow covered mountain stood in the middle of the snow. The storm masked the mountain’s height, but Jacob was still happy to see it. Jacob and Kevin rushed to the mountain, which blocked the wind. As they did, they spotted a nearby cave. Together they rushed inside.

“Wow, it’s really horrible out there,” Jacob said as he wiped the snow off his coat.

“Yes, but there’s a good chance the girl we are looking for also took cover in here; hopefully we can find her soon.” Jacob and Kevin looked around, but it was pitch black in the cave. Kevin pulled two flashlights from his backpack and the two of them began their exploration. The cave was much larger than they had thought at first. It led to a narrow path, which Jacob and Kevin decided to follow. The two of them followed the path deeper into the mountain.

Jacob was walking ahead of Kevin when suddenly he fell. As he fell, he realized there was no ground beneath him. He should as he plummeted down further and further. Kevin reacted quickly.
“Go, Vespiquen!” Kevin shouted as he threw his pokeball down towards Jacob. Vespiquen caught Jacob, and flew him down to the bottom of the gorge. “What’s down there?” Kevin yelled.

“Uh… I can’t see anything! I dropped my flashlight!”

“Alright I’ll be down in a sec…” Vespiquen quickly carried Kevin down, and he used the flashlight to look around. They were in a narrow path between two high ledges. They both noticed that it was a bit warmer there, and Jacob even took off his jacket. As Kevin continued exploring with the flashlight, he noticed something: they were not alone. There were in fact three Kabutops starring at them from afar.

“Kabutops?” Kevin asked.

“No,” Jacob replied. “It can’t be…”

“It has to be, look!” The three Kabutops were moving closer and closer. In fact, they were running towards Jacob and Kevin. “What are they doing?” Kevin asked as the pokemon approached. As they did, one of them had a claw that began to glow, before swinging at Kevin with a slash attack. Kevin dived to the side to avoid being hit by the ancient pokemon. “Vespiquen,” Kevin responded. “Use power gem!” Vespiquen’s head began to glow as a beam was fired towards the Kabutops. The ancient pokemon easily dodged; they were very fast. One Kabutops raced forward and slashed at Vespiquen, hitting her and sending her falling backwards.

“Go, Togekiss!” Jacob’s pokemon appeared in front of him. “Togekiss, use flamethrower!” The pokemon fired a beam of flames towards the aggressive ancient pokemon, lighting up the cave for a momment. But they easily dodged again; the flashlight did not provide enough light for good aim.

A Kabutops flew forward, using night slash, and knocking Togekiss to the ground. Meanwhile, another Kabutops slashed at Vespiquen, knocking her into a nearby wall.

“Togekiss, use Aura Sphere!”

“Vespiquen use Confuse Ray!”

Togekiss’s attack missed, as the Kabutops continued dodging around. But Vespiquen’s confuse ray hit its mark, and one of the Kabutops began swinging around wildly and uncontrollably. The Kabutops began to run away as they saw their comrade going mad. As they did, the confused Kabutops snapped out of confusion and, realizing he was alone, followed his friends.

“Well, that was close,” Kevin said as he gave Jacob an angry look. “Let’s try not to find any more angry pokemon, shall we?”

[Canis Rex]

It wasn't quite dusk but the sun was low in the sky. Samael and Absol had hiked all day, finding themselves on a plateau with a small pond and some sparse trees.
"Looks like a good place to stop for the night." The trainer said as Absol helped herself to a drink from their water source. Samael filled his water bottle and after taking a sip reached for one of his poke balls. "Go Mightyena!"
The pokemon appeared in a flash and instantly pounced on its childhood companion, leaving him on the ground laughing among a flurry of face licks. "Hey! Come on boy, that tickles."
He soon regained his feet as Mightyena went to say hello to Absol. The two got along well, since they shared the same watchfulness and protectiveness of their longtime friend. Once greetings were done, Samael informed them that they needed to look for food. He still had a good supply of poke food, but was running low on his own reserves. A couple hours later, after the three finding some nuts and edible plants among the sparse vegetation Samael fed them gave them the rest of the day to explore and play. Come nightfall they huddled together into a familiar arrangement. With Samael laying against Mightyena, Absol curled to his side, and the wolfdog pokemon's tail wrapped around them all like a blanket. The trainer still marveled at his oldest friend's tail. It was longer than the pokemon itself and brought back memories. Even when they were little Samael and Mightyena, at the time still a Poochyena, would fall asleep like this. They had never grown out of it and this remained their nightly routine. They all soon drifted off, unaware of the pair of eyes on them.

[Acroticus]

The Northern Mountains, Harvor Region

Kevin sighed before looking up; his eyes had gotten used to the dark now, and he could see the boulders surrounding him. Vespiquen sat beside him, protecting the camp from any possible intruders. Jacob lay besides them sleeping, with Togekiss asleep on top of his torso. Kevin wasn’t sure on the exact time, but he guessed his friend had been sleeping for close to an hour. They would need to continue moving to find their way out of the cave in time to find the missing child. She was running out of time.

“Jacob, let’s move.” Kevin shook his friend awake, and the two of them marched forward, further into the cave. Togekiss flew not far behind them, and Vespiquen remained very close to Kevin. As they approached a turn in the cave, Jacob thought he heard something. He hushed his companions, and took several slow steps forward. Pressing his head against the wall, Jacob listened. He walked from side to side before stepping back.

“Togekiss, use aura sphere!” Togekiss nodded before flying into the air. Throwing his wings in the air, a blue orb appeared in between them. In one swift motion, the blue orb flew from Togekiss’s wings and slammed into the wall in front of Jacob. The cavern filled with smoke, and when it cleared there was a large hole in the wall.

Jacob and Kevin stepped inside and looked around. There, in the center of a small cavern sat a little girl hugging closely a small pokemon. The cavern was very small, with a small hole in the ceiling of the room, not 7 feet of the ground. Jacob looked the girl and her pokemon over; it appeared one had fallen through the hole, and the other jumped in after.

“Hello?” The young girl whispered….
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jacob, Kevin, and the child, Erica, rushed through the cave. Kevin held the injured Zigzagoon in his arms as the moved. They were trying to reach the end of the cave before they were found again by any other hostile pokemon. As Jacob was trying to remember which direction they had come from, he heard something from behind. He turned to see a wild Kabutops. Then another, and another. They were here again.

Jacob held out his arm and told Kevin to continue onward and get the child and her hurt pokemon out of the cave. Kevin nodded, and rushed away. Jacob reach in his pocket for one of his pokeballs. He threw it, and in a flash of blue, Blastoise appeared in front of him.

“Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!”

“Bla-” the pokemon replied before stomping to the side. Leaning over, the two cannon’s on Blastoise’s back flipped forward. Two powerful streams of water followed. They slammed into the Kabutops, who were all gathered together in the narrow pathway.

One of the Kabutops leapt forward, emerging from the group. Water surrounded the pokemon as he flew forward in an aqua jet attack.

“Blastoise, use protect!” Blastoise nodded. He looked forward as the Kabutops approached and threw out his arms. A blue-green shield surrounded his body, and the wild Kabutops was deflected. “Now, use Flash Cannon!” Blastiose aimed and fired. From the canons on his back came to beams of blue energy, which slammed into the wild Kabutops pushing it to the ground. Blastoise nodded, braggingly.

But then, the other two Kabutops leapt forward. One attacked with a night slash attack, swinging its glowing blade with great speed. Blastoise took one strike and then another. Meanwhile, the other Kabutops surrounded itself with water and flew forward, like its comrade had before. This time, the attack hit its mark. Blastoise was hit, and knocked to the ground.

“Blastoise!” Jacob shouted as Blastoise rose. Jacob was about to give the order for another attack when the third Kabutops, having recovered from the impact of the flash cannon, hit Blastoise with a slash attack, knocking the water pokemon to the ground again. Jacob turned to his side, where Togekiss sat watching anxiously. “Togekiss, help him out. Use Flamethrower!” Togekiss opened its mouth and a beam of fire knocked into one of the Kabutops, sending it flying backwards into a wall.

“Blastoise, use Skull Bash!” Blastoise stood and smashed his head into one of the Kabutops which fell backwards into a boulder, crushing it with the force of impact. “Well done!” There was only one left now. “Blastoise, use Hydro Pump! Togekiss, use Thunder Wave!” Blastoise fired two beams of water from the cannons on his back as Togekiss infused them with electricity. The attack hit, sending the final Kabutops flying up, and then crashing to the ground paralyzed. As the Kabutops struggled to rise it let out a loud cry. Jacob could only watch as three and then four, and then five fresh Kabuto and Kabutops arrived to aid their fallen comrade.

Realizing he was outnumbered Jacob turned away. “Return, Blastoise,” he said as his water pokemon returned to his pokeball. Together, Jacob and Togekiss rushed down the cavern in the opposite direction, with the wild ancient pokemon close behind. The wild pokemon were faster, however, and Jacob could feel them inching their way closer and closer to him. Just then, Jacob felt himself lift off his feet. He soared up into the air out of the reach of the ancient pokemon. He looked up to see Kevin’s Mothim carrying him by his lapel. He breathed a sigh of relief as Mothim lead Togekiss and Jacob to a high ledge in the cavern. Mothim dropped Jacob to the ground beside Kevin and Erica. He was still breathing heavy, so the three of them decided to take a break before returning. Besides, the storm was still going pretty intense as well.

After a short pause, they made their way back into the storm. Kevin carried the injured Zigzagoon, and Jacob made sure they did not lose the young girl. Together, they forged through the heavy snow, heading back to Seafrost Harbor.

[The Seleucids (Ancient)]

For a day Aiko and Aika had been on the road, Starting at Malachite Town their journy had send them to the Hazel fields, an area filled with pokémon. Once they arrived they found themselves a lake to relax, "Come out boys!" Aiko said as she threw the pokéballs.
With some white flashes three pokémon appeard; Kangaskhan, Lairon and Tirtouga. This was the very first time that the three where outside of their home in Malachite Town and while they where a bit nervous about it they quickly felt the joy and started to play with one another. It was the exact view that Aiko hoped to see in this trip.

[Canis Rex]

Morning. Rested and ready to go, Samael( after a final hug and face lick from the pokemon) returned Mightyena to its poke ball and began the mountain trek again. Less than an hour later they found themselves on a slope that Absol easily traversed but that forced Samael to drop to all fours. Their path was intercepted by a object flying towards the trainer which Absol nimbly deflected with a night slash. Both followed the projectile back to its owner. Above them on a craggy outcropping of rock, stood a lone Cubone seeming to stare daggers at Samael. Absol quickly took a stance to defend her friend but he soon realized their terrain and knew their was someone better suited for this fight.
"It's alright girl. I've think I've got someone who can help us."
With that he tossed a poke ball and out came Gabite. The landshark was going to greet its trainer with a warm smile but then saw and analyzed the situation. Cubone had the high ground and could simply pick its shots with its bone weapon Gabite knew it could easily dig and close the distance. Samael stopped it though.
"Wait. That Cubone' obviously mad about something. If we can find out what you might not have to fight."
Gabite knew what he was trying to say. He never liked to see a pokemon hurt, even if it was trying to hurt him. Gabite did not have these qualms, but would stay its hand for now. Instead it tried talking to the assailant with several growls and snarls.
"Why do you attack my friend?
The Cubone responded with its own mutterings."The human trespasses. He will leave or be struck down."
Gabite repeated the question. "Why?"
Cubone glared."His kind has done enough damage here. But no more"
Gabite glared back. "Explain yourself. What have humans done to you?"
A single tear dropped from the bone mask."They took her. My mother. Greedy humans stole her from me! I will never forgive them! I will bring them all down, show them they are not as mighty as they so arrogantly believe! With that, the club was raised and thrown once again. Absol gave a quick mewl to Gabite to signal "Go! I've got this! Gabite followed, shooting underground while the dark pokemon psycho cut the weapon out of the air.
Gabite emerged behind the Cubone, who's club had not yet returned. It attempted to headbutt the dragon but was caught between its large teeth, tossed in the air, and hit with a dragon claw, knocking it from its perch and down the mountain. Samael saw this and dashed under the bone-wielder to catch it in his arms. Realizing its position the Cubone instantly lashed out, scratching at Samael, who held tight. "It's okay. It's okay. Whatever's wrong, It'll be okay." He had saw the tear earlier and though he didn't know the problem he wanted to help the sad pokemon with whatever could make it cry. Absol approached and try to diffuse Cubone. "It's okay. He won't hurt you. He cares. This shocked it to stillness. It had never met humans save for the ones that took its mother but this one seemed...different. He voice wasn't loud and angry. It was low. Calming. And his pokemon. They protected him, even without his orders. Samael noticed the absence of flailing and set Cubone down, gently asking "You okay?"
It retrieved its bone club and nodded, turning to the now present Gabite. "Tell your human he may pass. I will trouble him no further. Absol got this and nudged Samael's hip, indicating Cubone's intentions. Samael petted her but didn't budge.
"Cubone, I don't know what hurt you, but I don't want to see you life in misery like this. If you'd like you could come with us. You wouldn't be alone anymore. You'd have a family."
The pokemon looked up to the human and the to his companions, seeking answers from them. They both nodded "He's telling the truth. We are a family. We care for and watch out for each other and he's put himself on the line for each of us at least once.
Cubone still wasn't sure about trusting a human but his pokemon seemed to think highly of him and the promise of having the comfort of a family once again was too good to pass up. It nodded stood, consenting to a poke ball that Samael brought up. Seconds later the trio began walking, Samael now on Gabite's back to get over the ever rougher terrain and a smile on his face at bringing happiness to another pokemon.

[Acroticus]

“What was that?” Jacob turned around. It was dark; he couldn’t see anything: not even the ground below him. But he could feel it, and he began to run. He had to escape. Faster and faster he ran until something caught his leg, and he dropped to the ground. He looked up, and caught two glowing red eyes staring at him. He froze; Jacob could feel his heart beating heavily. He tried to reach for his pokeballs in his pocket, but he couldn’t move. He could only watch as the red eyes descended on him. They flew towards him approaching closer and closer until…

Jacob woke with a start. Breathing heavily, he looked around. Now he remembered: he was at the pokemon center in Seafrost Harbor. Sunlight shined through the window, and Jacob looked at the time; it was nearly midday. He looked over at his friend Kevin who was still asleep. With a soft kick, and then one harder kick, he woke his friend. The two of them packed and, after saying their goodbyes to Nurse Joy, the young Erica and Zigzagoon, and he grandfather, the two of them headed out on the path to Snowridge.

The path was covered in a few feet of fresh snow from the storm the night before, but it was still easier to navigate then it was during the storm. The two of them made slow but steady progress, once again uphill into the mountains. Luckily, according to the map, the majority of the trip would be through valleys within the mountain range, and they could avoid any more large caves or caverns. Jacob wanted to stay in the open now.

After only about an hour and a half of walking, the two boys decided to sit and take a break. Marching uphill in three feet of snow was not an easy thing to do, and the both of them wanted to relax. Jacob found a nearby stone that jutted from the ground, and sat on it to prevent himself from falling deep into the snow. Kevin, meanwhile, climbed a nearby tree and sat on of the branches. He tried to get a good look of the path ahead, but the tree was nowhere near tall enough. The two of them pulled out their lunches and ate.

With lunch over the two of them prepared to move forward. Before they left, however, Jacob had an idea.

“Go, Togekiss,” He said as his pokemon appeared in a blue flash in front of him.

“What’re you doing?” Kevin asked.

“We don’t want to have to walk in this snow all the way to Snowridge do we?” Jacob replied before turning to Togekiss. “Togekiss, use flamethrower!” The pokeman scrunched up his face before releasing a beam of flames that melted a small path for the travelers. Together, they headed off, further into the mountains.



__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phew! Jacob took a deep breath. He looked behind him at the path they had carved. The sun was already beginning to set, and the sky was covered in pink and orange. Much of the snow had melted away, and walking was becoming much easier, which was good because Togekiss was looking very tired. He had been breathing flames all day in the coldest area of Harvor.

“Togekiss, why don’t you take a rest,” Jacob said as he returned Togekiss to his pokeball. As they reached the top of the mountain they had been climbing, they looked out over the valley. There, in the valley between two mountains, lay a heard of Pokemon. It was a heard mixed of Swinub, Piloswine, and Mamoswine. Jacob took a quick tally and reached a total of 54 pokemon; it was a massive heard. Jacob was watching the pokeon intensely when Kevin tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

“What’s that down there?” Kevin asked.

“What?”

“That… over there?” Kevin pointed at a black dot near the bottom of the mountain. Jacob squinted, looking closer.

“I think that’s… a person?” Jacob looked again, but something else caught his eye; there was another one, and another. “Look over there!” Jacob pointed to two other men. “That one has a gun.” Kevin looked quickly back and forth.

“Poachers…” he muttered to himself. “We have to stop them.” Just before Jacob was about to agree Kevin threw out a pokeball and Escavalier appeared. Kevin leapt onto his pokemon’s back and the two of them barreled down the incline towards the poachers. Jacob threw his own pokeball and Flygon appeared. Jacob jumped onto Flygon’s back and they followed Kevin. Jacob yelled on his way down to alert the ice pokemon. He watched as the pokemon looked up before turning, and stampeding in the opposite direction. As Jacob and Kevin reached the bottom of the hill, the three men were waiting for them.

“What did you do that for?” One of the poachers asked. “Jeeze, we’ve been out here all day! We finally find the jackpot and… who do you think you are anyway?” The two other men appeared equally angry.

“Well, we couldn’t very well let you poach these pokemon, eh?” Jacob said, slyly, and Kevin chuckled behind him.

“You dumb kids! We would have been rich! Go, Rhydon!” The big, rock pokemon appeared in front of the men. The other two also sent pokeballs flying, and a Shiftry and a Staraptor appeared next to the Rhydon.

“Alright then,” Kevin sniffed as he tapped Escavalier on the shoulder. “Escavalier, use Giga Impact!” Escavalier flew towards Rhydon, gathering up energy, and looking like a comet as he approached.

“Rhydon, use headbutt!” The pokemon jumped forwards preparing to slam its head into Escavalier. The two pokemon collided, making a small explosion.

Meanwhile, Staraptor flew towards Flygon with a quick attack.

“Flygon, use sand attack!” Sand flew from Flygon’s mouth, slamming into the Staraptor who fell momentarily to the ground.

“Shiftry, use razor leaf!” A group of razor sharp leaves flew towards Flygon from the side.

“Flygon, use Dragonbreath!” Flygon releast a blast of purple and yellow fire that sent burning leaves falling to the ground. “Now, use Earthquake!” Jacob commanded.

“No, don’t!” Kevin screamed, but it was too late. Flygon had slammed into the ground, sending ripples out and knocking Shiftry to the ground. But the shaking continued, and the snow from the surrounding mountains began to shift, before tumbling towards them in the center valley. The poachers immediately recalled their pokemon and ran. Kevin recalled Escavalier and Jacob and Kevin leapt onto Flygon’s back. The pokemon took off, flying as high as he could as fast as he could.

“Wait,” Jacob said. “What’s that?” Kevin looked down and saw a Swinub, slowly trying to make its way away from the approaching avalanche. “Let’s save ‘em!” Jacob said as Flygon shot downwards. The Pokemon flew alongside the slow Swinub, and Jacob grabbed it, pulling it safely onto Flygon’s back before the dragon pokemon flew upwards, dodging the barrage of snow and ice that filled the valley. Jacob held Swinub in his arms and looked the pokemon over. It had a bad leg, but otherwise the pokemon seemed fine.

“Swi, Nub, Swinub,” the pokemon said as the group flew onwards. It seemed as if Swinub had been separated from the rest of the herd because of its hurt leg; when the herd stampeded away, the poor pokemon couldn’t keep up. “Alright, well,” Jacob began, “Let’s take Swinub to the Pokemon Center in Snowridge; hopefully they can fix his leg up.”

“Sounds like a plan…”

[Canis Rex]

It was nightfall once again in the mountains. They had made good time today. Samael estimated that he'd be off the mountain in one or two days. He stopped, as did Absol,(Gabite being returned to his poke ball once the paths evened out) and looked around. It wasn't the best place to settle down. The ground was still rough and slightly sloped and there weren't any sources of water or food in sight, but it was probably the best they would get at this point. This was also the perfect opportunity to introduce Cubone to the rest of his group. He brought out all of his pokemon, immediately being pounced on and licked by Mightyena once more, and then Cubone. He clapped loudly to get everyone's attention before speaking.
"Everybody, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family here. This is Cubone." He announced motioning to the bone-wielder. He continued.
"I'd like everyone to welcome him try to be friends. I know things may not happen immediately but Cubone has given us a chance and I ask that you all do the same." All of his pokemon, save for Gabite and Absol having already met it, nodded and introduced themselves. Mightyena giving a short happy bark, Beedrill jabbing the air seeming to ask for a sparring match, Houndor simply sniffing the new arrival before finding a place to lay down, and Lairon giving it a nod of approval.
"Alright. If everyone's said hello you're all free to enjoy yourselves as you wish." Sameal knew it'd been a while since everyone was out at once like this and he intended to let them take advantage. Mightyena began sniffing around, combing the area before coming back to his trainer and bouncing around, indicating he wanted to play, to which Samael and Absol agreed. Cubone accepted Beedrill's sparring offer and found their own spot to battle. Gabite challenged Lairon to a competition of who could bite through the bigger rocks. Houndor walked around and watched everyone with amusement. Once sufficiently tired, the group all bundled together for the night. Samael was once again wrapped up in Mightyena's tail, Cubone felt it was actually loved again, and everyone felt a little closer.

[Acroticus]

Path to Snowridge

With a quick swoop they landed. Jacob, Kevin, and Swinub had been flying on the back of Flygon all night. It was a good chance for them to rest, but poor Flygon was exhausted. Breathing heavy and sweating, Jacob decided that Flygon had had enough.

“Take a rest, Flygon,” he said as Flygon returned to his pokeball. Jacob and Kevin turned to the path ahead. They had to climb over just one more incline, according to the map anyway. And they were not going to wait much longer. Carrying Swinub, Jacob lead the way. The snow was not too deep, and the group did not have difficulty walking forward. They continued their journey, heading towards Snowridge City.

[Canis Rex]

Afternoon. Samael and Absol stood on the edge of the mountain. They had woken up early, returned pokemon, and hiked all day knowing today would be decision time on where to go next. A scowl formed on Samael's face realizing that any way would pass them close by Kani town.
Accursed place
Seeming to read his thoughts, Absol let out a low growl. The trainer reached to stroke her head, calming her.
" Don't worry girl. I promised we wouldn't go back there."
He looked around, figuring which direction would put the most distance between them and the memories of Samael's hometown.
"We should head north. It's away from the town and provides plenty of food and water. Plus Beedrill could do some reminiscing where we first met." A smile curled his lips at the idea. Absol just nodded, still bitter at the people who had wanted to hurt her over some backwards assumptions.
Destination in mind, they started down the mountain.

[Acroticus]

Kevin sighed. They had been walking for several hours now, and still there was no end in sight. It appeared the trip might take one more day, and he would have to relax again. Kevin was no fan of the cold; being a master of bug types, he generally preferred tropical climates, or at least temperate zones. He knew his pokemon did not like the cold as well, and so he refused to release them, unlike Jacob who immediately released Primeape, Blastoise, and Togekiss upon sitting.

With Togekiss’s help, they started a fire and began to cook their soup. Jacob watched as Primeape sat behind a tree with Togekiss while Blastoise took a nap nearby. Just then, he heard something.

He turned to the bushes behind him, and saw a young man, no older than he, stumble out of them. The young man was breathing heavy, but smiled and looked back, without noticing Jacob, Kevin and the pokemon. Another voice came from the bushes.

“Wait up!” It was a girl’s voice. And then, from the bushes appeared a young girl. She looked to be about the same age as the boy. The boy chuckled before turning towards Jacob and Kevin, and , surprised, took a step back.

“Hello,” Jacob said, smiling.

“Uh, hi…” The young boy said. “I’m Jason, and this is my… friend Sarah.”

“I’m Kevin, and he’s Jacob,” Kevin replied.

“Wait a second…” The young boy said. “Are you two pokemon trainers?” Jacob nodded and Kevin replied in the affirmative. “Really? We are to! Any chance we could have a battle?”

“Sure,” Jacob replied before Kevin could say a thing. The two of them stood to meet their challengers.

“Togekiss!” Jacob called out. The pokemon flew forward and plopped in front of his trained. Kevin meanwhile had grabbed his own pokeball.

“Go, Leavanny!” Kevin’s Leavanny appeared beside Togekiss.

“Go, Ludicolo!”

“I choose Jumpluff!” The two pokemon appeared side by side, ready for a fight.

“Ludicolo, use water gun!” The pokemon fired a beam of water towards Togekiss.

“Togekiss, dodge with extreme speed!”

“Leavanny, use Slash!” Togekiss flew out of the way before appearing behind Ludicolo.

“Ludicolo, watch out!” the young boy yelled! Ludicolo shifted to the side just in time, but from behind him, Leavanny’s slash attack knocked the pokemon to the ground.

“Jumpluff, use Mega Drain!” From Jumpluff’s head, a green light flashed, turning into an amorphous whip, and flew towards Togekiss.

“Togekiss, use Sky Attack!” Togekiss leapt up into the sky, dodging the Mega Drain attack.

“Leavanny, use razor leaf on Ludicolo!”

“Ludicolo, use water gun!” Both pokemon fired off their attacks, and Leavanny’s razor leaves were knocked to the ground by Ludicolo’s water gun.

“Jumpluff, attack Leavanny with a stun spore attack!”

“Togekiss, come down now!” Jumpleff began to release spores just before Togekiss slammed into the pokemon from behind. “Now, Togekiss, use flame thrower!”

“Ludicolo, use water gun!” Ludicolo jumped in front of Jumpluff and fired off another water gun attack, effectively negating Togekiss’s fire attack.

“Leavanny, use X-Scissor!” Leavanny crossed her arms and fired an X-shaped grass attack at Ludicolo. The attack hit, and again, Ludicolo was knocked aside.

“Jumpluff, use bounce!” The pokemon shot high up into the air.

“Togekiss, intercept with extreme speed!” Togekiss flew around in a circle, and, as Jumpluff fell to the ground, Togekiss slammed into the pokemon from the side, throwing Jumpluff into Ludicolo. “Now Togekiss, use flame thrower!”

“Leavanny, use X-Scissor!” Both attacks flew forwards and slammed into Jumpluff and Ludicolo, kicking up a good deal of smoke. When the smoke cleared, both Ludicolo and Jumpluff were lying on the ground unconscious.

“No! Jumpluff!” the girl shouted, rushing to her harmed pokemon.

“You!” The boy shouted angrily. Jacob and Kevin both decided, at that moment, that they should probably head out. They quickly packed up, and rushed out of the area towards Snowridge, leaving the two challengers to sulk with their injured pokemon.

[Canis Rex]

Samael and Absol had made it to flat land. Daylight was dying but not quite gone, giving them a little time still to walk the grassy fields before finding their camping spot. They both looked up when they heard voices call. Samael saw two men a few years older than himself approaching. They were both clean-cut and brightly dressed. While not twins, their features seemed similar enough for them to be brothers. They each had a pokemon on their side, a graveler for one and machoke for the other.
"Hey." The smaller of the two greeted. "You traveling around these parts?"
"Um..yes." Samael answered, obviously confused at having two strangers approach him like this.
The bigger one now spoke. "I see you got an Absol there. Rare pokemon ain't it?"
"Yeah. We met years ago. Long story." Samael was nervous now. The two seemed to be eyeing Absol intently.
"Be nice to have." The smaller said and with a nod to his partner their pokemon surged forward. Samael was instantly caught by Graveler but Absol evade Machoke's grasp. Their frowns were instant. "Looks like this won't be as easy as the Marowak in the mountains" the bigger quipped. That got Samael's attention.
Marowak? Cubone cried about something when we met! Could they have...?
"You took a mother from her child!" He accused.
"Huh?" They asked simultaneously, surprised at their captive's outburst.
"That Marowak was a mother wasn't it?" Samael continued.
"Yeah." The small brother answered. "Some group was in the market for a Marowak, so we caught one. The Cubone wasn't of any value so we left it. Why"?
That boiled Samael's blood. "You'll pay." He growled. His hand wiggled its way to a pokeball and tossed it with what little force could be had. "Go Cubone!"
The pokemon appeared and immediately recognized its mother's captors. The pokemon raised its arm to hurl its weapon.
"Crap!" One of the brothers panicked.
"Graveler! Rollout!" The other shouted. The pokemon released Samael and obeyed, hurtling towards Cubone's back.
"Cubone, jump!" The bone-wielder jumped, avoiding the rolling rock pokemon.
"You want a battle, fine!" The big brother challenged. "Machoke, karate chop Absol!
"Absol, dodge it and use psycho cut!" The dark pokemon did so, parrying Machoke's arm with her blade and hitting in directly in the throat with the counter-attack. It dropped, hands clutching its neck.
"Graveler, rollout!
"Cubone, jump it and use bonemerang folleowed with skull bash!" Cubone leaped up and just as Graveler turned to follow it was met with a bone weapon. Cubone capitalized, propelling itself straight to its opponent with the skull bash. They smashed head to head and Graveler fell, severely hurt.
"That's it, Graveler expolosion!
"No, Cubone!" The skull pokemon had closed in, looking to finish the battle but looked up at Samael's voice. The trainer hurled himself to cover Cubone just as Graveler glowed for a split second and an explosion blasted them both. Absol paused in it's fight and saw this, becoming enraged. She let loose an ear--splitting cry. The pokemon hunters instantly feared for their lives and retreated, leaving their pokemon to their fate. Absol struck down Machoke with a night slash and rushed to where Cubone and Samael lay. The skull pokemon crawled from the trainer's arms but noticed it's new friend wasn't moving. Absol nudged him, fearing the worst. A groan and cough gave them both relief. Samael gave a weary smile. "Told you I'd watch out for you" His strained voice assured Cubone. His head turned to address Absol. "I don't think I'm going anywhere girl. That hit me almost point-blank. Guess we'll have to settle here." He tried joking but quickly groaned in pain again. He then passed out limp on the grass. Cubone tried nudging again, concerned. Absol shook her head. She knew what was needed. Her trainer had to have medical attention. He was lucky to survive the explosion but might not last without help. She leaned down and motioned for the skull pokemon to place the limp form on her back. Samael settled, Absol started walking, Cubone in tow. There was only one town close enough to have any hope of helping. Kani. Absol cringed at the very idea. She had never wanted to see that place again. She knew Samael didn't either. Her best friend was hurt though. Want had nothing to do with it. He needed help and she would bring him to it. She didn't know if he would forgive her for this but either way, at least he would live.

[Acroticus]

Jacob looked around. It was so dark he couldn’t see a thing. He bent to the ground and felt it… it was rough; a thin coat of dirt covered the stone floor. Jacob stood. He reached to his left, and, sooner than he thought, slammed his hand into the stone wall. Recoiling, he felt, softly to his right; another stone wall. Wherever he was, it was very narrow. He began to look around for an exit, and so he decided to walk forward. He began to move but before long, he saw something ahead. Squinting, he could make out two red glowing eyes. He froze. Unable to move, Jacob could only watch as the red eyes came closer and closer and closer…

oooof! Jacob woke with a start. He had apparently fallen off the couch during the night, and he quickly stood up. Rubbing his head, he looked around for Kevin, but he was nowhere to be found. Jacob looked outside. Snowridge City was beautiful; he looked at the skyscrapers touching the sky, covered in snow.

Just then, he heard the door open from behind him. It was Nurse Joy, holding Swinub. The Pokemon looked happy, and it easily bounded across the room towards Jacob before rubbing against his leg.

“Looks like your Swinub will be fine!” Nurse Joy declared happily.

“Oh…. No” Jacob replied. “He’s not my Swinub.” Nurse Joy looked at the two.

“Well,” she began. “It looks like he is now.” She winked before leaving the room. Jacob picked up the pokemon.

“Alright, Swinub. Let’s go wee the Snowridge City gym.”

[Canis Rex]

Samael awoke. His vision was blurry and all that could be made of his surroundings was a flurry of barks and growls. A shuffling beside him helped his senses. He could make out several shapes around him. A nudge to his leg brought clarity. He was in a sterile-looking white room. A hospital. Absol was sitting and staring out a window. Cubone was rested at the foot of the bed. Mightyena had a doctor backed into a corner and was the source of the feral noises, probably telling him he wasn't getting any further with the needle in his hand. The rest of his pokemon were scattered through the room, either sleeping or watching the comedic scene in the corner. Samael chuckled, sending a ripple of pain through his ribs, before getting his overprotective friend to heel.
"Down boy. It's okay."
Everyone's head snapped to the sound of his voice. They immediately rushed him with a chorus of happy barks, cries, and screeches. All except Absol. She looked away, gazing at the floor as soon as his eyes met hers. He wondered what was wrong. He remembered something. The last thing he knew he had passed out in a field somewhere outside Kani. He had to know.
"Hey doc, where am I?" He asked, fearing the answer.
The now recovered young man politely answered "Kani Town Hospital." Samael, Mightyena, and Absol all froze at the words.
I'm back. The trainer bitterly thought.