Let the Game Begin

[Ray Jafari]

After all this time, it was finally happening. Ray was about to get his first Pokemon. It had been a long and arduous journey from Lavender Town and the freezing storm that raged on wasn't a big help to his stamina. Not to mention the fact that it was about midnight. However, he managed to make it to the Pokemon Lab of this little town without too much trouble.

As Ray walked up to the door, he thought of all the things he planned on accomplishing out there with his Pokemon. After a quick knock, the door slowly creaked open and Ray took a quick peek inside to see if anyone was home.

"Hello?" he said, unable to see much since the lights were off, "The name's Ray Jafari. I heard you were giving out starter Pokemon."

Ray looked around a bit and finally turned the lights on.

"Anyone home?" he asked out to the empty room, hoping anyone in a lab coat would answer.

[Morrigan]

Although he enjoyed his work, it was unlikely that Professor Elm would be in the lab at midnight and the fact that the lights were off only confirmed this. Still, the door was strangely unlocked and with it, Ray was able to slip inside. The lab was practically silent, with the only primary sounds being the harsh weather outside and occasional rumble of the lab equipment. But oddly, the temperature was very low, almost bone chilling. As he stepped inside and fumbled about for a moment, he successfully found the light switch which lit up the room. Clearly no one was around, meaning that he would likely have to come back the following morning but it wouldn't hurt to look a bit further inside, just in case. After all, there was always the off chance that there was a late night lab worker.

As his voice called out once more, all of a sudden, there was an incredibly loud clatter from an office on the other side of the room. It sounded as if an entire bookcase had fallen over but Ray didn't have to venture too far inside as the culprit was about to make himself known. Emerging from the doorway was a boy no older than Ray himself. Clad in a dark navy and red jacket with worn jeans, the more striking parts of the boy were his vivid red hair and flustered expression. Whoever he was, it was painfully obvious that he wasn't supposed to be there and was up to something sinister. His expression being that of someone caught in the act.

"You there! What the heck are you doing here?!" Shouting out vehemently, the boy began to shove a trio of Pokeballs into his pockets. "Answer me, damn it!!" As soon as he was certain his prize was secured, he stomped forward in an intimidating manner. His appearance becoming much more clearer for Ray, his silver eyes were piercing enough to crush any weak soul. "You a trainer? Well, forget it! These are my Pokemon now so get the heck out of my way!" It soon became obvious that the person opposite Ray was likely a thief. It would easily explain why the door was open in the dead of the night. But since being found, the boy was on a short fuse and quickly became more violent. "If you don't get out of my way in the next 3 seconds, who'll be damn sorry!"

Reaching back into his pocket, the boy pulled out a single Pokeball, tossing it forward to reveal a Chikorita. Stomping her paw against the ground, the Pokemon had acknowledged the red head as her trainer and was more than willing to fight the innocent Ray. But what could he do when he was Pokemon-less? At this point, the only thing Ray could do to avoid confrontation was to flee. But on a table close by sat 3 Pokeballs and they were just in reach if he wanted to give this thief a battle.

Pokemon Thief sends out Chikorita (Level 5) to battle!
Select your own Pokeball and fight back!

OOC: The Pokeball you choose will be your starter, Squirtle.

[Ray Jafari]

Normally, Ray would be able to talk his way out of this situation but he knew somebody had to teach this punk a lesson. He grabbed a Poke-ball labeled "Squirtle" and prepared to release whatever Pokemon was inside.

"If it's a fight you want," he said before unleashing Squirtle, "It's a fight you'll get."

The little blue turtle-like Pokemon came tumbling out and looked confused for a bit before realizing he was about to get into a battle. He got into a battle stance and nodded to Ray, acknowledging him as his trainer for the moment.

"Alright, thief boy," Ray said, glaring at his opponent, "Let's see how Little Miss Leaf Head likes this. Squirtle use Tackle!!!"

[Deleted]

The thief was far from worried about battling Ray as he did not expect someone who picked up their first Pokeball to put up much of a fight. He chuckled at the very thought of Ray even trying to stop him as he began to speak again. " You really think you will last more than mere moments against me? This town must be fully of morons who think they can be heroes. It takes more than guts to stop me and I do not think you have what it takes." Not wanting to waste time in a long battle when the police would likely arrive soon the thief decided to try and use intimidation to end the battle quickly and make his escape. " Chikorita get off your lazy butt and use Growl to scare these wimps off so we can get out of dodge before those pesky cops ruin everything."[/color]

Although she had not known the teen-ager for long the tone in his voice was quite serious and she was not about to anger him. Taking a deep breath she let out a loud Growl towards Ray and his Squirtle. The young water type tried not to shake in fear of the noise but ultimately he shook in fear of the grass type however he was still brave enough to stay in the fight and not run off even though this was his first real battle. Trying his best to regain a brave face he charged towards the grass type and tackled her with all of his remaining might. To him it was an amazing achievement but to the thief it looked like a carnival display. He was a bit shocked that Squirtle had not ran for the hills but he was sure it was only a matter of time before the turtle would break.

" So you did not give up yet do you think that impresses me? All you are doing is delaying the inevitable and you will regret making me waste my valuable time. Now what will you two try and do next?" He asked sarcastically.

---

Trainer Battle

's Chikorita|level 5|
HP: 17/21 (80%)
Status: Normal
Used Growl
Can you hear me now?

VS

Ray's Skull Kid|level 5|
HP: 20/20 (100%)
Status: Normal ( Attack -1)
Skull Kid used Tackle
Pipe down!

[Ray Jafari]

The thief's words only gave Ray more motivation to defeat him. However, Ray saw that Squirtle's courage was starting to waver. He need words of encouragement and fast.

"Don't give up, big guy," he said, "I believe in you."

Ray glared at his opponent once more before giving his next move order.

"Use Tail Whip and lower their defenses!!" Ray said.

[Morrigan]

vs ? ? ?
__________________________________

Giving the Squirtle words of encouragement, even though they had only just met and not even under the best of circumstances, Ray still wanted to support this Pokemon and guide it to victory. For this battle, at the very least. The whole scene baffled the mysterious red headed thief, who merely grunted in displeasure. "Why are you being nice to it? Pokemon are tools, nothing more. If that thing can't defeat me here and now, the only place it would deserve to be is in the trash." Folding his arms, the male took one look at Chikorita and added a blunt, "Same goes for you." Feeling the pressure, the grass type closed her eyes for a moment before looking over to the Squirtle.

Both of them had been randomly summoned by unknown people and pit against each other in a tense battle. One needed to win in order to put the other in it's place and for the Chikorita, she valued her own hide more than the Squirtle's. Breaking the silence, the boy hissed, "Why are you standing around? Do I have to spell EVERYTHING out to you?! Tackle it!" With Ray's order, the difference between the attack and defence of the two Pokemon would be balanced, so he needed to act fast to get a one up on his opponent. Shuddering on the spot, the Chikorita wasted no more time and rushed forward with an attack.

Tackling the side of her body against the Squirtle, his hard shell came in handy, even if he had previously eased his guard earlier from the growl attack. But at that very moment, Skull Kid placed a foot on the ground and pivoted on the spot, waving his tail in the Chikorita's face in a mesmerising motion. Her eyes following it, for the Chikorita, the tail looked so soft and comforting... But she couldn't be deceived! "Lame! How could you be distracted by something so dumb? Dumb Pokemon." Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she hurried back to the redheaded boy, awaiting the next round.

---

Chikorita: | Level 5 |
Health: 80% (17/21 HP)
Status: -1 Def
Chikorita used Tackle!

VS

Skull Kid: | Level 5 |
Health: 80% (16/20 HP)
Status: -1 Atk
Skull Kid used Tail Whip!

[Ray Jafari]

Ray was angered by the horrid view this thief had on Pokemon. He knew that they had to win this fight to prove him wrong. Not to mention his little comment about him being worthless just really got him peeved. Nobody calls him trash and gets let off without a fight.

"Start playing with tools and you're gonna get hurt," he exclaimed, "Come on, kid. Let's show him what trash can really do. Use tackle again."

[Morrigan]

vs ? ? ?
__________________________________

The mysterious boy curled his lip in amusement as Ray attempted to give him a sarcastic bit of trash talk. There was no way that his own tools would ever hurt him as the boy knew he would always be the one in control. His opponents were no different. The red head would and always will be on top, he had to be to achieve his goal. "Shut up. You can't do anything to me. If you give your Pokemon an ounce of respect they'll expect more... No. I'm going to keep mine in their place. Far, far below me." Hissing his words with leering eyes, he glared down to his stolen Chikorita. The grass type was putting up a fight but without an advantageous move, it was practically useless. The battle of the tackles would be ongoing now until the end, he just hoped that she wouldn't screw up.

Feeling his eyes burning into the back of her head, the Chikorita nervously moved forward, reacting on her gut instinct that he would want her to tackle again. Heading straight for Skull Kid, the grass type staggered for a mere moment at the sight of the Squirtle also moving in for a hit. With the two Pokemon charging towards each other, the Chikorita leapt into the air, propelling herself forward that bit quicker and tackling into the body of the Squirtle. His own eyes sparking, Skull ground his feet against the lab floor and raised his arms, grabbing hold of the grass type. With a mighty cry, he threw the Chikorita back, her body smashing and rolling against the cold floor. His eyes set alight with the intent to win, the Squirtle had unleashed his built up power and landed a critical hit, much to the surprise of the thief.

---

Chikorita: | Level 5 |
Health: 47% (10/21 HP)
Status: -1 Def
Chikorita used Tackle!

VS

Skull Kid: | Level 5 |
Health: 60% (12/20 HP)
Status: -1 Atk
Skull Kid used Tackle! Critical!

[Ray Jafari]

Ray's confidence peaked at the sight of the critical. He was only 10 HP away from his first victory.

"Woo-hoo!" he exclaimed, "That's my boy, Skull Kid!!!"

"That's a good name for him," he thought to himself, "I should keep that one."

"OK, Skull Kid," he said, getting back to the fight, "Use Tail Whip again so our next hit will be their last."

[Morrigan]

vs ? ? ?
__________________________________

The mysterious boy found himself staggering backwards in surprise at Ray's sudden outburst of great enthusiasm. Sure, he had just managed to land a decent hit but the battle was far from over. "Wipe that stupid smile off your face. You haven't won yet." Straightening himself back up, the red head leered at Ray, hoping that his stupidity wasn't going to rub off on him. He, too, was technically classed as a new trainer once he left this lab. How he acquired his Pokemon was simply a different way than most. But one thing was for sure, he wouldn't be getting excited over attacks hitting. As his tools, they were expected to give it their all from the very beginning. To him, anything less than critical damage was unforgivable.

Glaring down to his Chikorita, who had noticeably begun to breath a bit heavier, the boy randomly stomped his foot down onto the ground, which surprised her enough to almost fly ten feet into the air. "Do you think this is some game? Pull yourself together! If you lose here, I'll make sure you regret it later. You do what I say and I am telling you to hurry up and win!" His intimidating glare and tone of voice sending shivers down the Chikorita's spine, the grass type wearily turned back and faced Skull Kid. In a way, the grass type was jealous. Why did Skull Kid get to have a nice, friendly trainer? It just wasn't fair! Feeling her pent up anger being to bubble, her eyes became stern and she quickly moved in.

Running up to the Squirtle, who had braced himself for the impact, the Chikorita tackled into him head first with all her might. It wasn't a critical hit but it was enough to put the Squirtle below herself in terms of health. Staggering back up, Skull Kid gave a few twitches of his tail. It had been enough to distract her before, she he just hoped it would work again. Feeling a bead of sweat roll down the side of her faces as her eyes watched the cute and fluffy tail, she unintentionally dropped her guard a bit more.

---

Chikorita: | Level 5 |
Health: 47% (10/21 HP)
Status: -2 Def
Chikorita used Tackle!

VS

Skull Kid: | Level 5 |
Health: 40% (8/20 HP)
Status: -1 Atk
Skull Kid used Tail Whip!

[Ray Jafari]

Noticing that Skull Kid was starting to get tired, Ray looked around to see if there was any kind of healing item to give him the upper hand. Fortunately, he found potion laying on a nearby table.

"Skull Kid," he said, tossing the Squirtle the potion, "Take this and then tackle her again."

OOC Note: I got permission from Morrigan to use an item/move combo turn.

[Tyger]

"Heh, don't think you're winning this. Look at your pathetic Pokemon. It can hardly fight! After a few turns, this'll all be over." The mystery boy spat, a cruel grin rising to his face. Apparently pleased with Chikorita's last attack (granted it had been fueled with anger and hate for Silver and his horrible behavior) the red-head held onto his insults and watched the grass Pokemon. Another tail whip was executed by Skull Kid, but the boy merely crossed his arms and let his smile of glee fade to a smirk. "That's cute, but you realize we can just neutralize all of that, right?"

Fatigue pulled at Skull Kid's arms and body, and it was good and quick of Ray to think of a potion. However, did he know Pokemon didn't know how to use it? Pokemon could eat berries, but they couldn't operate the human items, like potions and antidotes. Thankfully, as Ray tossed it to his Pokemon, it burst open at the top, and shot all of the potion onto the Pokemon. A little spilled into the grass, but it wasn't an issue. Feeling revitalized and much, much better, Skull Kid flashed a glance at the mysterious boy and Chikorita. The boy, however, didn't seem phased. "Chikorita, let's stoop down to this loser's level and use Growl. Negate the tail whip he used."

While Ray had been healing, Chikorita was ready for the next round. Her growl was strong and strangely disproportionate to the size of the grass Pokemon. It was enough to unnerve the Squirtle, and lower his attack. "There you go. All that work you put in, for nothing. Chikorita, Tackle. Let's finish this, I have things to do." Huffing, Chikorita began her attack while Skull Kid had been ordered to Tackle as well. Both Pokemon charged at eachother, but Skull Kid seemed a bit quicker with his newly refreshed form. Both slammed into eachother, knocking each Pokemon back to their trainer. Skull Kid seemed fine, but Chikorita looked tired and ragged. "Tch. Useless leaf. Get up!"

's Chikorita - Level |5|

Health: 5/21

Current Status: Double back, kiddo
Def -2
Successful Growl!
Successful Tackle!

Ray's Skull Kid - Level |5|

Health: 15/20

Current Status: Fresh and refueled!
Atk -2
Successful Tackle!

[Ray Jafari]

"Ya know something," Ray said, glaring at his new found enemy, "I'm getting really tired of you calling things smaller than you useless. When this is over, I'm going to have to scare some manners into you."

Ray hissed like a vampire, showing his fang like teeth.

"Skull Kid," he said, giving his Squirtle the final command, "use Tackle and end this son of a Houndour."

[Morrigan]

vs Rival Silver
__________________________________

This battle had gone on for far too long as far as the red haired boy was concerned. For a split moment, he was almost certain that he could spot a moving shadow outside of the door which stood behind Ray. It was so dark that it was hard to tell from the narrow window. They had been making so much noise, however, that it wouldn't be too surprising if someone else had finally picked up on it. Gritting his teeth together, the Potion had only longed things out and he hated to admit it but it put him at a disadvantage. Healing all the work he had achieved, he himself had zero healing items to aid him.

"Quiet you, I don't need lecturing by a weakling who has to rely on potions in order to win." Spitting back at Ray, it was almost as if the red head had a pair of sharp fangs of his own. It looked like Ray wasn't the only fanged human of the night. "Use Tackle and get this over with! No mercy this time you damn weed!" Hissing at his Pokemon, the Chikorita went in for her final tackle. She had the yearning of wanting to win but judging from the burst of energy Skullkid had received, it was unlikely that she was going to be victorious. The side of her body tackling into the hard shell of the Squirtle, this time, he barely even budged from his standing position.

Pulling back, he showed the Chikorita what a true tackle was, sending her body rolling back to the feet of the thief and this time, she wasn't getting up. His face growing as red as his hair, the boy's eyes glared as his voice roared, "DAMN IT! I can't lose here!!" Still, he withdrew the fainted Chikorita before hissing at Ray. "Listen you. My name is Silver. Be sure to damn remember it 'cause the next time we meet, you'll be sorry for EVER trying to cross me!!" Just as these words were spoken, the doors to the lab swung open unexpectedly.

---

Chikorita: | Level 5 |
Health: 0% (0/21 HP)
Status: -2 Def
Chikorita used Tackle!
Chikorita fainted!

VS

Skull Kid: | Level 5 |
Health: 60% (11/20 HP)
Status: -2 Atk
Skull Kid used Tackle!

---

Congratulations!
Ray successfully defeated Rival Silver!
Ray received £300 for winning! (Updated)


Skullkid gained 3 levels and grew to Level 8!
Skullkid learnt the move Water Gun!

---

"What is going on in here?!" A new voice bursting in, behind Ray stood a tall, slender man wearing a researchers outfit. It was the one and only Professor Elm! His eyes spotting Silver across the lab, the Professor lifted a clenched fist but it was apparent from the tone of his shaky voice that he was not good at confrontation. "N-N-Now just who are you?! Why are you in my lab?!" Huffing with a smirk, Silver lowered his head. He had been caught red handed but he wasn't going to be trapped. Turning on the spot, he ran into the back room and escaped the lab out of an open window, taking the stolen Pokemon with him.

"G-GET BACK HERE!" Not in any rush to actually chase after Silver, the Professor slumped his arms forward before turning to Ray. Unlike Silver, Ray seemed like a gentle boy. In fact, Elm had been watching the battle through the window in the front door so he understood the main gist of what had gone on. He was simply too cowardly to intervene earlier. "You are the new trainer, Ray Jafari, correct? I wasn't expecting you to come until morning but it is a good thing you arrived when you did. He escaped but we both saw that crooks face."

Looking down to Skullkid, Elm noticed that the Squirtle seemed to have already formed a bond with Ray and with a smile, he gave the trainer a proposition. "I saw you battling with Squirtle. Would you like to take him with you on your journey? Here, I will get your starter pack. In it are Pokeballs, Potions and even a Pokedex to help you on your journey. It would be better to give them to you now rather than asking you to wait until tomorrow. Here." Collecting the said items, Ray received gifts from the Professor and a small amount of money. "You can take this too, as thanks for trying your best."

"You are free to begin your journey now. Thank you again." Bidding Ray farewell, the professor turned on the spot and sighed out loud. "I'll get to work fixing the lab." As Elm began to sort out the flurry of paper work scattered across the floor, Ray was now free to travel to Route 29! There was no need to worry about Elm, he was more than capable of sorting things out in the lab.