The Long Overdue Beginning [Fin]

[Lamont]

Here it was, the final stretch. At least, to reach the beginning of his journey that is. Damien paused, staring down the lightly winding path before him as the autumn breeze carried pelting rain into him. The deepening chill was staved off with a waterproof layer, the trainer at least smart enough to wear a jacket appropriate for the weather. Of course he could have avoided it all together if he had just waited in Cherrygrove. But at this point that just wasn't an option. The clouds had no intention of breaking and staring out the window with his destination so close was too much of a tease. He had to go out.

Now he stood at the west end to route 29, thick grasses wavering off to the sides and disappearing beneath the trees bordering each side of the road. There were undoubtedly pokemon in there. On occasion he could almost hear the squeaks of rattata and shuffling of wings. Damien shivered. He rolled his shoulders, pushed his hands further into his pockets, and resumed moving along the trodden path. He made great care to void any of the tall grass, though that meant hopping down ledges and climbing stairs, it was something that would pay off. After all, he didn't have a pokemon just yet and it wouldn't look too good if he came scrambling into town drenched and running for safety form a flock of pidgey.

It took a little while but finally he made it to the sign. New Bark Town. His heart skipped a beat, a broad smile stretching across his face. Onward he walked though at a hastened pace. The lab was impossible to miss. Within the next few moments he was at the door, giving a polite knock before testing if it was open.

[Tarlar]

It was a rattata which Damian had heard within the grass, though it had done its best to be quiet and stay out of sight when it had seen the human. A human in this area almost certainly meant a trainer and a battle, which it wasn't interested in at the moment. It liked its freedom and its health and it knew how few trainers would keep a common and boring pokemon. Usually it was only annoying childrens who was just excited to have a pokemon and would battle everything in sight, and they too would only keep rattatas until they got something better or grew tired of pokemon entirely.
As Damian passed it, it dared to raise its head and look curiously as the young man continued towards New Bark Town, it couldn't see any pokeballs. It sneaked after him until he entered the town, then it shook its wet fur and returned to forage for food in the wet wilderness.

As Damian walked through New Bark Town, he would come across a small boy with a weedle on his shoulder. He was arguing with his mother, who was standing in the door to their house.
"No! I can't go in now, it is only a light rain and it is now they are all out!" He protested loudly.
"Don't use that tone, you are not going out in this rain, you are going to be sick again and I don't want you bedridden for another week, get back in here now!" The mother said furiously, but stayed in the door opening.
"No, you can't make me. I am a strong trainer and strong trainers must take advantage and risks to go far," he argued and the mother pulled her feet out of her boots, which were stucked to the ground by sticky thread.
The boy turned around and ran, and even though she tried, he was faster and long gone before she really got a chance.
"Stupid boy, he is going to catch a pneumonia or something worse," she mumbled to herself as she hurried inside and closed the door.

Damian barely got time to knock on the door, before it was opened wide and a hand grabbed his arm and dragged him inside and closing the door behind him.
"Hey there," a man in a labcoat said cheerfully and looked out the window at the rain.
"What are you doing out in a weather like this?" He asked and gestured Damian to follow him into the lab, where three pokemon were sitting and looking out through one of the big windows. An assistant came with a few cups of tea.
"Oh thank you, Simon," the professor said to the assitant and threw himself into a chair, before looking at Damian again.
"I am Professor Oak, by the way, what are you name and how can I help you?" He asked kindly.

When he had answered, Oak looked a bit surprised. "Oh we didn't expected anyone today, not in this weather at least. You know they are warning it to be even worse, right?" He asked and sounded a bit concerned.
"Well, no need to make your trip down here fruitless, go ahead and pick a pokemon. I have a Charmander, a bulbasaur and a squirtle ready, they are sitting over there. Go and say hi." He said and pointed towards the three pokemon looking out the window.

[Lamont]

While the rattata evaded Damien's attention as it scampered into town, the argument at a nearby house was loud enough the insistent hush of the rain pelting the ground didn't wash it out. The soon-to-be trainer paused his attempt to enter the lab, turning his head to see the woman and child exchange heated words. At first he stood frozen in curious surprise. He really hadn't expected anyone else to be out here. Damien listened and watched for another moment before deciding maybe there was something he could do to help.

Before his brain could decide such a thing was more important than him entering the lab immediately the child bolted. Damien gasped and as he did so there was a light jolt through his body which unintentionally ran his knuckles against Prof. Oak's door. The threshold then opened and in a blur he found himself standing inside; dumbfounded. He had to blink a few times as his mind caught up.

The professor's initial hello and question met with a blank wall. The young man lightly shook his head and composed himself, following the gesture of his elder and walking further into the lab. The tea that was brought over looked heavenly with the vapor rising into air. Heat rippling upward from the cup. He could almost feel it on his hands, the lovely warmth soaking in through his wet gloves... But he didn't have time for that right now.

"My name's Damien sir, Damien Shay," he introduced politely, though refrained from taking a seat himself. "I came from Azalea town to meet you. I was hoping to get a pokémon so I could start a journey around the region." He was trying not to rush so as to avoid being rude but was inwardly itching to get back outside and find that child. He figured it'd be a lot safer for the both of them if he, too, had a pocket monster to keep them safe from the wild ones. Luckily the professor didn't take a lot of convincing.
"Yes," the young trainer replied to Oak's mention of the forecast, "But there's a really good reason I need one now." Damien added the truth. While his reasoning for coming to town was mere impatience, right now there was a small boy that could use some supervision.

"Thank you sir!" Damien gave the professor a light bow, smile broadly shining across his face. As his eyes tipped down to the floor during the appreciative gesture he noticed just how wet he was. A small pool collecting on the floor where he stood. "Oh uh... Sorry about the water." With that he turned and made some quick steps toward the pokémon sitting at the window.

As he approached he received a chuckle from the squirtle, likely due to being utterly drenched. The charmander tilted to the side with a wide smile and huffed, a bit of smoke trailing out of its nostrils. The bulbasaur joined in the infectious giggling of the squirtle, staring up at Damien with bright wide eyes. It was so hard to choose, almost feeling like he was about to tell three children which one was his favorite to the disappointment of the other two. So maybe a different approach.

"Alright guys," the Azalea boy began, "There's a young boy out there that could be surrounded by wild pokémon right now. I need one of you to come with me to help." All three cried their name and perked a little, though the charmander didn't seem as enthusiastic about going outside in the rain. The squirtle hopped up from his seat, the bulbasaur's short neck extending out for its throaty cry and twisting his head to its watery friend beside. The tiny turtle pokémon lifted a hand to the air and pointed upward in a heroic pose. Damien's smile grew wider, threatening to fall of his face by this point.

"Let's go then!" The squirtle hopped down from the sill and clapped its hands, pointed at itself and then to Damien before crossing its arms. The inexperienced trainer was a bit confused. "What is it?" he questioned the shelled pokémon, of who pointed at itself then a few seconds later slowly said 'squirtle'. It took a moment before the light bulb in his head flicked on. "A name?" he exclaimed with realization.

Damien pursed his lips in thought, "Shelldon..?" The squirtle stuck out its tongue. "Okay uhm, Squirt?" Damien chuckled and ended up with a light spray of water in his face. "Ah! Okay okay," he gurgled, taking a soggy glove to his face and wiping it free from the fresh drizzle.
"How about... Turret?" That was the one. The squirtle thought for a moment before giving a happy nod and waddling over to his side.

[Thirdie]

Professor Oak had seen and met his fair share of Trainers through the years and seemed completely nonplussed by Damien's dumbfounded expression. If anything he was patient, and waited for the young man to find his tongue. He didn't seem surprised either, that Damien was too busy to sit down and enjoy the tea, though his concern was palpable when Damien gave his reason to need his Pokemon right now. He wasn't quite as relaxed in his chair anymore, but nevertheless waved Damien's worry about the water away, sipped his tea and watched as Damien had a chat with the Pokemons in the window sill.

When the desicion had fallen, the tea cup behind them clicked against china, and Professor Oak rose from his seat pointing an arm towards something placed neatly on a desk to the side. "You seem like a resourceful young man, and though we didn't expect you today, a pokedex and some other useful items has been readied for you." He explained. He picked up one of three balls, that lay to themselves, and threw it towards Damien. Obviously, the Professor expected him to catch it. "That's the Squirtle's Pokeball. Though, I'm not fond of sending you out in this weather, I can guess what boy would be running about out there, so I'll let you go, before he gets himself into even more trouble. Do take care of yourself, both of you." He followed Damien to the door, when he was ready to go, and waved goodbye.

Outside, the rain hadn't gotten any better. It really wasn't something for anyone to be out in. If Damien chose to follow the direction he had seen the boy take, he would soon enter route 29 once more. Here, trees offered some shelder, but everything was still soaking wet. One tiny path of taller grass showed signs of being downtrodded recently, not by water, but something bigger and very human. On the same path a little further in between the trees, a half drowned bird shivered on the ground, twittering every now and then in a lost voice.

---

Encounter
Weather: Rain

A Pidgey (level 3) is drenched and blocking the path ahead.
How will Damien approach it?

[Lamont]

Turning his head round back to the professor he saw the man pointing to neatly laid out items on the nearby table. Its general white surface made it rather easy to scan over the prepared bundle from a distance. Damien walked back to the professor while he spoke, stopping abruptly when the pokeball was tossed to him. Thankfully he was able to catch the round object without bumbling and making an embarrassing scene for himself. His fingers wrapped around the red and white ball as he brought it to eye level and gave it a quick inspection. He always wondered how you could tell what pokémon a ball was imprinted to.

With a quick nod Damien thanked Professor Oak as he gathered up the items on the table and placed them in an organized fashion into his pack. After securing all of that he outstretched his hand with Turret's pokeball and recalled the pocket monster. The little turtle wasn't as ecstatic about the prospect but he went in without a fuss.

Having finished collecting all his new things Damien made to leave. "I'll find the boy and make sure he gets home safe. Though, it'd be easier to find him if I knew his name," Damien hinted. Professor Oak gave a twitch of a grin before replying with the bug catcher's name. "Got it." With that he returned a quick wave to the pokémon researcher and exited the lab.

Sadly the rain hadn't kindly relented its cold wash of the area in Damien's time inside. A chill hit him a bit harder since he had just come from the comforts of a heated room, now realizing just how soaked he had been. Even his hat felt a bit soggy on his head. The new trainer popped up the collar on his jacket and staved off any shivers as he turned away from civilization to follow the path back into the wilds in pursuit of the child.

He moved at a hastened pace in order to keep his core warm despite the pelting weather. Luckily for him the young bug catcher had left a rather obvious trail. As Damien had feared his quarry had decided to go headlong into the thicker parts of the route. There was no hesitation as the inexperienced ranger followed in after, steps sloshing in the moshy buildup of water unable to be soaked into the ground. Passing under the thicker cover of trees unfortunately didn't prove much better terrain wise. The waters were beginning to win over even the trees, large puddles littering the area.

Damien began calling out to Don in hopes the boy give any kind of response and allow this search and rescue to go a bit faster. Not that the boy would perceive this as a rescue. In the first few moments of weaving through the forest though the only being he ended up finding was a little bird; a Pidgey. Damien froze on the spot, uncertainty mixed with a tinge of fear as he stared at the brown tail feathers poking out from light bush cover. It wasn't moving either, which prompted Damien to edge forward carefully. Then the sodden chirp whistled hoarsely through the dribbles of rain.

His gut clenched. The poor thing sounded in bad shape but a part of his mind kept thinking it was some trap. Biting his lip the trainer approached with excessive care, attempting to be as stealthy as possible despite the inevitable splashes with every step. He knew the effort was wasted in this environment but he just couldn't overcome the thoughts in the back of his mind and stop from doing it. Soon he could see the Pidgey fully, laying in a pool of water shivering away its consciousness.

Damien's first thoughts were inward sighs asking why it had to be a bird. He gave a quick glance around the area hoping not to find a flock of them in the branches above. His entire body was tingling, whether from his light fear of avian creatures or the rain was unknown. The trainer knelt next to the Pidgey. He removed his hat and attempted to slide it under the small bird in order to lift it from the water.

[Rane]

The Pidgey felt the cold beginning to creep up through its nerves, numbing its entire body along with its mind. However, though the Pidgey could normally fly out of this situation, its single lame wing prevented it from flying to freedom. Loud footsteps made it blink its eyes open, and it looked up weakly to see a humanoid shadow before it. The avian's heart began to hammer and it let out a weak squawk, thinking the human was here to hurt it. However, its weakened state only made its struggle feeble. The Pidgey's eyes shut tight, almost expecting the inevitable death when the soft fabric of Damien's hat envelope its body and lifted it out of the cold water.

In awe and shock that it was still alive, the Pidgey looked up to see the gentle kindness, albeit a hint of fear, in the human's eyes. The Pidgey chirped tentatively, feeling a surge of gratefulness that the human had saved it from near death. If Damien inspected the Pidgey closely, the bird was clearly covered in bruises and scratches, with a particularly ugly gash on one of its wings. All the wounds it received seemed to be quite recent.

Suddenly, there was a menacing cry from the pouring skies above. A Spearow swoooped downwards, hovering before Damien and the wounded Pidgey. Its beady eyes leered straight at the Pidgey, hissing angrily. The Pidgey let out a fearful cry and cowered close to Damien. Clearly, this Spearow had been bullying the Pidgey, and it didn't seem to be done yet. The Spearow turned its attention to Damien, letting out a hostile caw. The message was clear. Either Damien could run away and leave the Pidgey with the Spearow, or he'd have to fight the Spearow.

Aggressive Spearow(Lvl 4) appeared!

[Lamont]

Now he had a bird in his hat, cradled at arms length with his hands supporting the fabric separating them and the pidgey. The poor thing was badly beaten but it didn't appear to be wounds one would expect from a weedle. Good to know the young bug catcher wasn't the one to leave the small bird suffering it also meant that he may be off track in his pursuit. Instead he stood, or rather crouched, soggy and lightly shaking holding this pitiful creature. It was in such a sad state he almost didn't want to remove it from the bowl of his hat. Not that it would be an easy thing to do anyway.

Before Damien could attempt to begin sliding the pidgey off of his headwear an all too familiar screech cut through the air. The brisk soak of rain biting at his skin was nothing compared to the chill that shot down his spine, spidering an electric charge through his limbs that caused him to freeze. His eyes locked onto the angered spearow, face draining of color. The trainer felt the injured bird nudge its way closer to him as it screamed out for the both of them.

His mind was racing and yet there were no legible thoughts. Any discomfort from the weather or his crouch were lost in a wash of his learned fear. He would just have to do what he's always done when faced with an intimidating avian; run. Before he could twitch to a stand however, a series of leaves above finally gave under the building pool of rain water collecting on their leaves. The thick drops splashed onto his head, splattering down his forehead. With a start Damien fell backward, likely setting off the enraged spearow, but also reminding him of an important fact. He was a trainer now.

Dropping his cap and pidgey into his lap Damien's hand shot to the pokéball at his side and in a smooth adrenaline fueled motion tossed it up to release his squirtle. Turret emerged with a happy jump into the air, having to take a moment to realize that he was in a battle.
"Tackle!" Damien shouted without a moment's hesitation or stutter, pointing a finger to the airborne attacker.

[Tarlar]

It hadn't been good for the pidgey to lay down in the puddle of water, but it had at least been hidden for the furious spearow. Now the other bird was determined not to let its target get away again and it glared hatefully at the weak, shaking pidgey.
The spearow made a movement like it was about to attack, but then Damein got a bucket full of water down on him, and the spearow dodge to one side to avoid being caught in it too.
The pidgey squawked fearfully and flapped with its good wing, in the attempt to get away. It just couldn't as it was too weak, and instead it wobbled a bit around in Damien's hat in it's fruitless attempts.

"ROOOOOW!" "Your time has come!" The spearow cried out as it tilted its wings backwards and skydived straight towards the poor pidgey, who made a fearful cry and once again closed its eyes, thinking its last time had arrived.
Both flying types were surprised when Damien called out a squirtle and shouted a command to it, though it resulted in two very different kinds of feelings in them.
The pidgey dared to open an eye and it glanced towards the spearow to see what was going on, and it almost cried with relief when it saw the tough looking squirtle standing in between it and its pursuer.
It stretched its nect and nuzzed gently Damians sleeve as a thank you, and looked gratefully at him. He had helped it out of the puddle and was now sawing it from the horrible spearow, and even though Damien didn't like birds very much, this bird now held him in high regard.
It could easily be changed though, since the pidgey wouldn't be able to survive in the state it was in, not left alone. It was soaked and fataly injured, if it did not get help at some point, it would never get a chance to heal up and fly again, as it would be long dead from catching some kind of severe cold.

The spearow didn't waste anytime on surprises and after a short loop to see what it was the human had called forth to help him, it continued and slammed its beak into Turret, who barely got the time to withdraw his head into the safety of his shell.
"Spear!" "Coward!" It shouted after Turret, before making another loop, and aiming its next Peck at the pidgey.
It only got halfways before Turret tackled it with his shoulder and sent it off course into a bush.
It fought it's way out and shouted furiously at the squirtle, "Why are you helping that traitor?!"

---

Wild Pokemon battle.
Weather: Rain.

Wild Spearow |Lvl 4|
Health: 13/18
Status: Normal
Used: Peck

Damien's Turret |Lvl 5|
Health: 16/20
Status: Normal
Used: Tackle

[Lamont]

Despite the slight annoyance at not being given any indication or warning that he'd just been thrown into a fight there was little time to focus on that when the angry bird swooped in to attack. The tiny turtle pushed aside any thoughts other than winning the fight. It'd be quite embarrassing if the first battle he was in he lost... but part of that depended on how good his new trainer was.
"Squir-squirtle!" ("Just got here! And you attacked me!") the blue pokémon gave an aggravated roll of the shoulders as it shouted back at the tangled bird. Turret waited for his next instruction, impatiently twitching his curled tail as he watched the spearow free itself from the bush.

Damien on the other hand had been momentarily distracted by the nuzzling of feathers into his arm while his squirtle tackled the spearow. The boy flinched away, eyes darting down as if expecting to be pecked or scratched by a pidgey struggling to get away. Instead he got wide adoring eyes staring back into his. It settled him a little, after his brain unfroze, but not enough for him to overcome the desire to stay very still with the bird in his lap; the ground was very cold... and wet.

Angered screeches from the spearow and the scratchy retorts from his new partner was where he moved his attention to in order to push his discomfort to the back of his mind. His bright blue eyes quickly scanned over the scene and recalled what moves his squirtle would know. Ultimately though he decided to keep going with what worked. The tackle had been quite effective, though also appeared to have furthered the reddish bird's rage, so Damien gave another call to Turret.
"Keep at it Turret, another tackle."

Turret smiled, reveling a little in the abundance of water surrounding him. The soaked ground swelling up little puddles around his toes and making a satisfying squish as he moved. The squirtle slapped a fist to his chest with a smug grin as the next round began.

[Tarlar]

The spearow puffed out its surprisingly dry looking feathers as it stared offended on Turret.
"Spe-spearow," "I was going for that little pipsqueak when you decided to turn up and interfere," it said accusingly to the squirtle and shook its head free for the rain.
"That is an act of war!" It more or less screamed and it clacked its beak threateningly.
It looked like it was trying to get hold of itself and not lose its temper, but then Damien called out his order and Turret smile annoyingly smugly and started to run towards it. It clicked in the birds brain and with a furious scream it leaped forward and the two pokemon collided head on in a mess of mud and feathers. The spearow managed to get a few good pecks in on Turret's more soft spots, but the heavier squirtle didn't have any problems in pushing him away and back into the mud.

It looked like the spearow realized it had lost its temper again, and didn't want it to happen as it paused and took a deep breath, and straightening its back trying to look even bigger.
"You are new in the area, so you can be excused, but you interrupted the rightfully punishment of that feather duster, which is a bad thing to do," it said while trying to sound like one with authority.
"I'll give you one chance, leave this area and the pidgey to me, and you will go unharmed, if not you have chosen the wrong site in this..." It said impatiently but was interrupted by the pidgey who chirped, "Don't listen, it's all lies!"
"Silence! You have no right to talk," The spearow snapped.

The pidgey gibbed and tried to hide its face in Damien's hat. "I didn't do anything," it mumbled almost inaudibly.

---

Wild Pokemon battle.
Weather: Rain.

Wild Spearow |Lvl 4|
Health: 7/18
Status: Normal
Used: Peck

Damien's Turret |Lvl 5|
Health: 13/20
Status: Normal
Used: Tackle

[Lamont]

Spearows were undeniably fierce nasty birds. The thought ever present in Damien's mind as he watched his squirtle roll around with the bird, splashing as they went. They were making a huge amount of noise making the trainer worry there could be a flock of spearows incoming... but no that was just silly right? Surely a bird as territorial and mean as this couldn't possibly stand being gathered together. It was a hope. The not-so-good ranger, despite his fear of the avian pokémon, didn't actually really know much about them.

Once again the two battling pokémon separated after the exchange and faced off, the rusty colored bird puffing out its chest feathers and cawing in its screechy voice. Turret returning the verbal exchange beyond Damien's full understanding. Even the little pidgey was joining in. The trainer was the odd one out, observing a scene he could only glimpse the surface of. As it was he was making decisions to protect himself, and his squirtle, which in turn was helping the cowering bird in his lap. Turret didn't appear frightened or wanting to leave despite the wounds he's taken so yet another call for a tackle rang out.

("Looks to me like you've done enough 'punishing'.") Turret threw an arm out to the side, a quick glance back at the wounded pidgey. He heard his new trainer yell out another command, giving a bit of a hmph in reply. ("We'll be leaving, with that pidgey, and after you're taught some manners!") With another confident cry of 'Squirtle!' the tiny turtle pokémon readied for the next exchange with the spearow.

[Tarlar]

A somber expression appeared on the spearow's face, when Turret refused to listen and stayed on the traitor pidgey's side.
It ruffled its feathers and prepared for another round as the stubborn squirtle's trainer shouted out an attack order, and the squirtle obeyed by racing towards it.
It lifted its beak importantly. "You are going to regret that, you don't want to team up with a traitor and backstabber like that. Even if you win this battle, you will quickly see this liar and thief will not be the friend you need." The spearow said and did its best to sound wisely.
"Hey, it was you who made all those stupid rules! Did you want me to go hungry to bed?" The Pidgey protested but was silenced by a single glare from the spearow.

It became the spearow's downfall that it had taken its eyes off Turret, even for the short second and it was more or less unprepared. It managed to peck him a bit on the arm but was swiftly thrown to the ground with the heavier squirtle on top, pushing it down into the mud.
When Turret stood back on his feet, the spearow laid still knocked cold. It wouldn't bother them anymore or anyone else if they left it unconsious out in the cold rain.

Suddenly bells could be heard through the rain which turned into slowly falling snow, making it even more chill for everyone soaked by the rain, but also covering the ground with a pretty layer of white. If the spearow wasn't pulled up from the mud, it would soon be covered by the white stuff, expect the areas around the head where it would melt when touching its skin instead of its feathers.
The pidgey failed to try puff out its soaked feathers and soon started to shiver in the cold.
A cheerful voice called down from above and a delibird landed gracefully close to Damien and out of its tail-sack it pulled a nicely wrapped present, which it offered to him. As soon as he had taken it, it would wave cheerfully and take off again. A few moments later the snow stopped and instantly the snow started to melt.
Inside the present, Damien would find three Rare Candies.

Turret taught the spearow an important lesson, and grows to level 7
He learns Water Gun!

Due to New Player Protection, it is possible to capture the Spearow. If you wish so, plaese fill out the form below
[img src=http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/e/e6/Spr_4d_021.png]

[b]Spearow[/b]

Name: [choose]

Gender: [choose]

Level: 4

Moves: Peck, Growl
Ability: Keen Eye
Nature/Personality: [choose]

~~~


The Holiday Delibird has arrived to give you a gift!


x3

[Lamont]

It was done. The spearow went down pecking but in the end the tiny turtle pokémon stood triumphant, slapping his fists to his sides and spouting a victorious chortle before stretching his stubby arms to the sky. Damien felt his lungs releasing their tight hold on a bundle of air; his muscles relaxing into the cold. Of which turned rather sharp after a cheery chime sounded through the woods. The pelting rain had shifted into soft flakes that began layering themselves in the area.

"Oh great..." the trainer muttered just as the pidgey in his lap began shivering, which was just a second before the spirited red and white penguin pokémon broke through the cover of trees and landed near him. He stared in confusion at the happy bag bearing creature, watching it dig into the sack and offer the present it pulled out. The ranger was a bit slow but after a few blank moments Damien reached out to accept the gift.
"Th-thank you." Before he could get over his chilled stupor the Delibird was off just as quick as it came.

Turret ran over to his new trainer, still pumped from his success though showing a bit of wear with several scratches and bruises from the spearow. He bellowed at Damien, pointed to the pidgey and then the spearow, then looked up at the human expectantly for a few seconds before dropping its eyes down to the small bird.
('What was all this about?') asked Turret in a rather demanding tone.

Damien pocketed the gift while watching his squirtle's indicative actions. He thought for a moment, the cold of the ground and air being realized once again now that the heat of battle had subsided. While the squirtle and pidgey conversed Damien took the few moments to assess how to proceed. He still needed to find that boy and the weather wasn't getting any better.

"Turret," the trainer started his order, "Put that spearow safely in a bush so it's protected from the elements." The squirtle gave a light huff, frowning as he glared up in defiance as if Damien had just interrupted something important, but after a couple seconds turned around with a grumble and went to do as he was told. Next, the ranger moved both hands to his hat and stared down at the little pidgey, soaking wet, settled in the headwear.
"You're fine now right?" He began with a steady voice but a mild vibration of his hands betrayed that appearance for the slight fright of the avian. "I just need my hat back... so could you hop out?" As he asked he attempted to move the hat off his lap and to the ground so it was easier for the pidgey to find ground; as wet and sloshy as it was.

He had a feeling it wasn't going to work though. The pidgey was still badly injured. Surely it would have it's own nest or something though right? Some place it would be safe. Damien tried to rationalize the decision to leave the bird as quickly as he could.

[Rane]

The Pidgey breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that the Spearow no longer posed as a threat. The injured bird had been almost a slave to the merciless Spearow for almost a year. Forced to find food in exchange for protection, the Pidgey had only wished it was strong enough to defend itself. When the Pidgey had managed to muster up the courage to defy the Spearow...well the result was shown by the Pidgey's broken wing. The Pidgey felt fortunate that Damien was here to save it at least.

When the human requested it to remove itself from the hat, the Pidgey let out a pitiful, reluctant chirp. For a second, the Pidgey considered not to leave the safety of the hat, in fear the moment it hopped out the human would instantly abandon it. But the Pidgey pushed that thought away. If the human spent that much effort to fight off the Spearow for it, surely he wouldn't abandon it now. The Pidgey unsteadily got onto its feet, hopping down onto the muddy ground, stumbling slightly but managing to stay on its feet.

The pelting rain from above was relentless, but that didn't stop one particular critter from frolicking outside. The playful ferret Pokemon was darting about, giggling as it played a game of trying to catch every drop of water before it hit the ground. The Sentret's game, however, was growing old and the ferret Pokemon quickly became bored. Then, the sound of chirping distracted its attention. Pricking its ears, the Sentret scampered towards the source of the noise.

It spotted a human crouched above a chirping Pidgey. The Sentret let out an excited squeal. A new playmate!

The Sentret dashed forward, darting circles around the Pidgey and Damien. The Pidgey was literally jumped in fright at the arrival of the energetic Sentret.

"Play with meee!! Let's play a game! Tag you're it!"the Sentret giggled, darting towards the bird Pokemon and prodded it repetitively. With each poke, the Pidgey let out a cry of pain, but the Sentret only mistaken it for encouragement as it continued to poke at the Pidgey's broken wing.

Wild Sentret (Lvl 6) is poking at the injured Pidgey!
How are you going to proceed?

[Lamont]

To his surprise the little bird, reluctantly, hopped out of his now soaked hat. There was a moment of hesitation to return the headwear to its resting place after a quick shake to clean it off but he wasn't about to carry his hat around; especially in the rain.

Inwardly the trainer was still torn between caring for the defenseless bird and his uneasiness for its type; not to mention the bit of urgency for finding that young bug trainer in this deplorable weather. He clenched his fist, biting his lip in rushed thought with his eyes locked on the pitiful creature barely managing to stand on its own. Turret was just finishing up securing the unconscious spearow a few feet away, muttering quietly to himself, when their new friend skipped into their midst. The darting brown furball gave them a bit of a startle but its cheery squeaks were more than enough to know it wasn't about to headbutt them in attack. Instead it went to badger the pidgey with playful pokes.

Even Damien could tell this sentret didn't mean any actual harm, but the energetic pokémon was getting too rough with the injured bird.
"Alright hey," he began, kneeling down to try and block the sentret's prods. "You're going to have to find a different play partner, this little guy's hurt." He paused for a second, a light bulb going on in his head. "How about you join our hide and seek game instead? We have a friend already hiding and we need to find him."

He waited to see if the sentret got defensive or huffy, ready to retreat if that was the scout pokémon's reaction. But should the normal type show any interest in following along Damien would continue and give a simple description of the young boy he was trying to find, along with mention of the weedle seen on his shoulder. Turret scurried over curious of what was going on, cocking his head to the side and giving the sentret a look over.