Who Let the Dogs Out? (Who? Who? Who Who Who?) [F]

[Noerd]

As Marshall wandered around Cherrygrove, he tried to work out exactly how to find this person waiting for him. He eyed up every citizen carefully, earning himself a few strange looks. After about half an hour, a voice called out to him. “Hey, Marshall, is that you? Over here!” An adult who looked to be about 40 waved toward him. Marshall walked over cautiously, his hand hovering over Darius’s ball just in case. As he approached, the man smiled and offered a Pokéball to him. “Wow, you’ve grown so much. I guess you probably don’t recognise me all that well… but I’d know that face anywhere. Listen, your father told me you liked Fighting types… and it just so happens I’ve got this here Heracross. I can’t really use it myself, so I decided to give it to a man more worthy than I. What do you say?” Marshall thought for about half a second before snatching the Pokéball rather quickly. “Oh my god, are you serious? Of course I’m gonna take it!” He threw the ball in front of him, releasing the blue bug in a flash of light before realising he’d been rather rude. Once he’d seen the Heracross for himself, he turned back to the gift giver. “Oh, er, thanks.” The man chuckled. “No problem, little guy. Enjoy the present.” He left rather quickly, giving Marshall a chance to get to know his new Pokémon.

Marshall rushed over to a secluded area surrounded by trees. Once he was safely out of view, he quickly set about training his Heracross, whom he’d decided to name Beowulf after a legendary hero he just about remembered from school. As he was getting to grips with the Rock Blast move that the Fighting type already knew, he heard a voice in the distance. It sounded like a scream. He initially shrugged it off, then thought again. Sure, the guy was in trouble. Probably. And saving him would be a nuisance. Probably. But there might just be a handsome reward. And battles. Once he realised this, Marshall recalled Beowulf swiftly and made a beeline for where the noise seemed to be coming from.

The voice turned out to be coming from a young school kid, who was being attacked by a group of black canine Pokémon. Marshall pulled out his Pokédex to check out these dogs and see if they were worth catching. “Huh… Houndour… Dark/Fire… meh. I guess I could catch one. Maybe.” He pondered over this for a while, not even really paying attention to the ‘battle’ unfolding between the kid and the Houndour. It was only when a burst of flame zipped out of one of the Pokémon’s mouths that Marshall finally snapped back to reality. “Oh, right, of course… the DiD. Don’t worry, kid, Marshall Ritchie’s here to save the day!” He pulled out his three Pokéballs and threw them out onto the battlefield. “Hercule, Darius, Beowulf, role-call!” he cried as the three Pokémon emerged onto the ground in front of him. “Alright then, Tackle Hercule! Darius, Fury Attack! Beowulf, Rock Blast! Let’s go, guys!”

[I’d like to avoid making a short post and shoot straight to the battle with this OOC note giving my orders and reply to Jimmy, if at all possible. If not, ignore this and I’ll play nice. Just seems silly to wait when I know what I’m doing.

Declining Jimmy’s Pokémon offer. Releasing Pokémon in this order (from left to right):
Hercule-Darius-Beowulf.
Beowulf will use Rock Blast on the Houndour on the right. Darius will use Fury Attack on the Houndour on the left. Hercule will use Tackle on the same target as Darius.]

[The REAL Joey]

It was fortunate for the owner of the voice that Marshall had been out practising moves with his newly acquired fighting bug. All of his screams had not been in vain. Upon seeing the arrival of help, the studious young boy made a sigh of relief and seemed to stem the tears which had been swelling up in his eyes. At least now he wasn't all by his lonesome and from the looks of the surly trainer who had arrived he was saved. Gathering around the schoolboy, his Pokemon appeared to be of little comfort with how traumatised they appeared. However, despite his relief, it seemed the stranger was wrapped up in checking his Pokedex, ignoring him. Pulled back into reality as a stray spat of embers missed him, Jimmy panicked and decided to interact. Calling out to the martial artist, Jimmy made known how grateful he was for his presence. "O-Oh! I am so happy to see someone else... G-Good Sir! P-Please help! These Houndour don't look very friend-" Just before he could finish, the trio barked out in unison and sent a shock wave of a bark flying through at them. From their perspective, a runt like cur such as he had no right to speak out. He was nothing more than a walking bit of snack for them to enjoy. Pushing himself back up against a nearby tree once more, Jimmy trembled his bottom lip. The presence of Marshall was just enough to boost his confidence to speak. After all, perhaps with someone else present, the Houndour might spare him.

"If you can see off these horrible dogs I can reward you somehow! I... Er... Know a lot of knowledgeable subjects on Pokemon! I'm top of my class!" Blundering aimlessly without being able to think properly, everything Jimmy was saying came out as awkward. Nevertheless, wasting no time in enjoying the fight and subsequently averting tragedy, Marshall was quick to send out some Pokemon to defend them. As Marshall's three Pokemon came to their aid, the Houndour pack seemed a lot less aggressive, having not anticipated any resistance and certainly not in the form of a Pokemon battle. It seemed the leader who was standing in the centre had sniffed the scent of a dangerous foe in the form of Beowulf and was concerned as it saw the incredibly hulking bug. The pack looked up in both terror and awe at how monstrous he looked, it wasn't everyday you saw a Heracross out and about. The leader howled out and the two Pokemon also picked out on this as if understanding the howl as a direct order. It seemed that they were going to be focusing on taking out the main threat first, no matter how intimidating he seemed.

Before an example could be set to the rest of the pack, Marhsall's orders came in fast, cutting the pack from getting the first hit. Clearly a fan of a good scrap and boasting immense pride in itself, Beowulf was first to act. Jamming his mighty horn into the ground, the Pokemon used its peerless strength to tear out a good chunk of the ground before lobbing it into the air. The fact such a creature could bully around such impressive weight was a true feat of its strength. As it came hurtling downwards, the beetle was well prepared. Jamming both of its forwards furiously, it began to beat the hunk of ground into small chunks. With each chunk broken off, it volleyed the rocky debris forwards with a blasting punch. Sending over not one, not two but THREE whole pieces, it obliterated the dopey looking Houndour on the end, completely knocking it out cold with a high pitch yelp. In absolute dismay at a member of their pack being so easily taken care of, the two remaining hounds looked to one another in a cold sweat. This was not something they had bargained for.

The retaliation wouldn't end just there. Irritable as it was anyway, seeing Beowulf handle the foe with such ease meant Darius wasn't willing for the beetle to hog all the limelight. Letting out a shrill coo which snapped the Houndour of their panic, the Pokemon made an aerial dive bomb forward as it began to peck, scratch, flap and bump into its chosen target to the left in a blind fury. Stringing together a four hit combo, the hellish canine was looking a lot worse for wear as the barrage came to a halt. Not quite finishing off the pooch, it meant the Pokemon had a chance for some much needed revenge. Having been shown up by not just this battling beetle but also this raging bird, it meant they were made to look like fools. The leader letting out an indignant howl, it appeared to rally the beaten up comrade. Deciding there was a definite chink in the armour of Marshall's team, the Houndour conspired to pick upon that very same weakness. Setting an example, the leader of the pack sped forward with its mouth ablaze. It skidded to a halt after reaching the centre of the make shift battlefield and began coughing up a fiery round of coal like embers that flew straight towards Hercule. Hitting the Bulbasaur as the searing burst of coal like embers impacted towards him, it seemed like the pack's female, was soon to follow off from its leader's attack. With another scorching shot of embers being flung at the now ablaze Hercule, the Houndour howled in what sounded like laughter at the Pokemon's misfortune.

As the embers began to die down, so too did the usually enthusiastic Bulbasaur. Slumping forwards and fainting into unconsciousness, it seems the pack had at least avenged the knock out of their own. Snarling viciously as they looked at Darius and Beowulf, there was a definite sense they would struggle to overcome them but they weren't going to go down with a whimper but a bang. "Nooooo!" Cried Jimmy. Having observed the entirety of the battle thus far, it seemed like the brutal skirmish and fainting of two of the Pokemon had been too much for the young kid to bear. "I didn't know Pokemon fighting was so cruel!" Scooping up all three of his infant Pokemon, he held them close as he pondered what Marshall would do. "Mr. Ritchie Sir, I am sorry about your poor Bulbasaur!" His eyes welled with tears, it was obvious Jimmy didn't really take in much battling. Did he seem to think both Pokemon were dead? Did he know nothing about Pokemon being knocked out to live to fight another day? "*sniff*... It... Was a brave soul... *sniff*"



Triple Pack Battle

---

Helena♀	Havoc♂	Abyss♂
Level: 10	Level: 10	Level: 10
Health: 25% (8/32)	Health: 100% (32/32)	Health: 0% (0/32)
Status: Normal	Status: Normal	Status: KO'd

Versus

Hercule♂	Darius♂	Beowulf♂
Level: 7	Level: 10	Level: 10
Health: 0% (0/25)	Health: 100% (31/31)	Health: 100% (39/39)
Status: KO'd	Status: Normal	Status: Normal

---

Weather status: Normal

---

[Noerd]

[That reply was scary until I realised just how much was simply describing the battle. I forgot how much I disliked clustery Triples, lol. I guess I don’t feel so bad for using the BROKEN!MON now. :P]

The nerves coming from the schoolboy were incredibly obvious in his tone of voice, which just encouraged Marshall further. He rather liked this feeling he was getting from playing the hero. Flexing his ‘muscles’, which were really just a bit of excess fat, he turned back to the kid and flashed a smirk at him. “Heh, they’ll be gone soon enough. You’re welcome!” His Heracross mimicked his actions, sharing in his pride, while Darius simply glared at his opponents in an attempt to ignore the idiocy going on. He liked Marshall’s nose for a fight and could at least respect his strength, but his arrogance was already starting to wear thin. Hercule just smiled; he was so glad that Master was calling on him again. He’d make Master proud, just like he had when he fought that scary bird. What joy Master would experience from his battles. Those dogs looked like nice opponents to battle against. What a fun battle this would be! He waited for his chance to strike and watched on as his teammates set the example.

Marshall cried out as Beowulf instantly slayed one of the Houndour, extremely proud of his new prospect. “That’s the way, Beowulf! Just like I taught you!” The Heracross glared back at his trainer, a little upset that Marshall was taking the plaudits for what was simply his own innate strength. Marshall recognised this glare and tried to reassure him. “Hey, I told you it was good. You’re really strong and you’re doing that attack just as I’d asked!” The lack of a u-turn didn’t exactly help Marshall’s case, but Beowulf smiled and nodded as there was more blood to be shed. Figuratively, of course. He could still prove his own power, if only to himself and the spectators. Getting rather annoyed by the show of arrogance now, Darius took his fury out on another of the Houndour. He didn’t quite have the same impact, however, but the pain from the Fire type was evident nonetheless. Marshall simply nodded in response to this, still a little surprised by his new Pokémon’s power. He’d have to keep this Heracross back a little, just to be fair on everyone else. But for now, he had heroics to perform.

The Houndour, however, had other ideas and showered their Embers on the one who hadn’t attacked yet. The one most eager to please. Hercule’s defeat dampened Marshall’s spirit just a little. “Gah, dang it Hercule… couldn’t you at least have got one attack in? No matter… two on one is a little unfair anyway.” Completely ignoring the fact that he’d planned on ganging up on one himself, the trainer recalled his Bulbasaur. The reaction from the damsel in distress was rather shocking to Marshall, and he turned around and stifled a chuckle. “Come on, kid… Pokémon faint all the time! Hercule’ll be back to normal in no time. I just need to get to a Pokémon Centre after we’re done. And besides… a hero doesn’t let something like this stop him!” He gave a thumbs up to the boy before returning to the battle. “Alright, Beowulf, let’s get that middle Houndour! He’s pretty loud, after all. Rock Blast again! And as for you, Darius, finish off that left Houndour with your strongest Peck!” These opening exchanges had just served to stroke Marshall’s ego, and confidence was positively oozing from his voice.

[The REAL Joey]

Still in the throes of his terrible sadness, the sheer nonchalance and what Marshall would say next appeared to cut through the young boy. It seems he had made a rather weighty assumption and had missed something so basic entirely. "*sniff*... Wait... You said fainted?" Going completely silent, he jammed his eyes shut as he realised his error. "Oh... Of course... Fainted." Shaking his head, he couldn't believe he had made such a stupid error. It was at least somewhat forgiveable given the fact he had nearly been the victim of these Houndour. "Well... As long as your Bulbasaur will be ok!" Confirmed Jimmy, now aware that Hercule was going to be alright. Marshall's assuredness and mention of the word hero appeared to calm down Jimmy quite some difference.

Nevertheless, until these Houndour were dealt with, things weren't going to be entirely concluded. Thankfully rallying his remaining fighters, the two of them sped into action. Rising up another block of ground with his mighty horn, Beowulf began punching into the huge chunk of debris and sent four whole rocky blasts forward which took care of the Houndour pack leader. All that remained was the female of the group and considering her injuries from earlier, was unlikely to see this through. Flapping forwards to avenge their comrade, Darius dive bombed forwards as the Houndour looked up in terror. Meeting with the Pokemon's beak as Darius pecked, it meant the pack had been well and truly stomped.



Triple Pack Battle

---

Helena♀	Havoc♂	Abyss♂
Level: 10	Level: 10	Level: 10
Health: 0% (0/32)	Health: 0% (0/32)	Health: 0% (0/32)
Status: KO'd	Status: KO'd	Status: KO'd

Versus

Hercule♂	Darius♂	Beowulf♂
Level: 7	Level: 10	Level: 10
Health: 0% (0/25)	Health: 100% (31/31)	Health: 100% (39/39)
Status: KO'd	Status: Normal	Status: Normal

---

Weather status: Normal

---

Victory!

---

Your Spearow fought courageously and has levelled up.
It went up by 5 levels and is now Level 15!
They would like to learn the move Pursuit.
Delete a move so that he may learn it?
Darius also gained +1 Happiness.


Your Heracross fought courageously and has levelled up.
It went up by 5 levels and is now Level 15!
Beowulf also gained +1 Happiness.

Happiness unlocked!
Rescuing this young school boy from the clutches of a painful death have unlocked the wonders of Happiness for you and your Pokemon!
With each battle participated, your Pokemon will gain one happiness point per battle.

---

Astute as ever, the observant Jimmy perked his head up now that the worrying burden of the Houndour had been removed. Having watched fervently as Marshall stepped in to defend his safety, the young child adjusted his hefty spectacles and did nothing to stop his drooping jaw at the victory over the wild savages. Given how speechless he was, it would be forgiveable to misjudge him as a quiet schoolboy. This was, however, so far from the truth it was unbelievable. Slowly waning his silence, the schoolboy began to talk endlessly. "Wowohwowohwowohwowohwowohwow! THAT WAS AMAZING!" The boy's gratitude was almost overwhelming and it didn't stop there. "You were so cool! You came out of nowhere and went POW POW POW! Those Houndour didn't stand a chance... Wow! Amazing! Cool! Brilliant! I'm just sorry about your Bulbasaur. Silly me thought it was killed in the line of action." Bounding up and down with jubilation, it appeared Marshall had earnt himself an adoring fan.

"How did you do that?! You took on all three like it was nothing...!" His excitement overstepping his manners, he coughed abruptly upon realising his mistake. "Uh oh... I forgot my manners. My parents would scold me if they knew..." Shaking his head with a droop, the school kid got round to repaying his help. "I'll have to reward you! But wow... I thought i'd take a little detour home after school and... And... Yeah. I got attacked by those dogs! This doesn't usually happen so..." Perplexed as to their appearance, he sighed. "I'll have to find a new hangout. Maaaaan..." Looking at Marshall, he beamed happily. "My Pokemon are really grateful too!" Turning a little shy, the school trainer sighed. "I may be top of my class but i've never actually battled. All I know is from my textbooks." Looking to his side, he noted his Pokemon. "I bet these guys could be just as strong too if you raised them!" Getting over excitable again, an idea popped into the child's head. "I know! I KNOW! How about you take one of my friends and show them how fun battling is?!"

Schoolboy Jimmy is offering you one of his friends!
Please choose one:

[img]http://www.dragonflycave.com/hgsssprites/298azurill.png[/img]
[b]Azurill[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 10
OT: School Boy Jimmy
Attacks: Bubble, Charm, Tail Whip, Splash
Ability: [choose]
Nature/Personality: [choose]
Happiness: 0

[img]http://www.dragonflycave.com/hgsssprites/433chingling.png[/img]
[b]Chingling[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 10
OT: School Boy Jimmy
Attacks: Astonish, Wrap, Growl
Ability: Levitate
Nature/Personality: [choose]
Happiness: 0

[img]http://www.dragonflycave.com/hgsssprites/406budew.png[/img]
[b]Budew[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 10
OT: School Boy Jimmy
Attacks: Absorb, Stun Spore, Growth, Water Sport
Ability: [choose]
Nature/Personality: [choose]
Happiness: 0

Stuffing his hands into his pocket, Jimmy pulled out something else. A rather cheerful sounding bell rung as he thrust it under Marshall's nose. "Oh and take this! This can be a sign of our friendship. You do wanna be buddies now right? Right? Hehehe, just wait until the bullies at school see my new protection...!!"

Jimmy hands you a Soothe Bell!

Unfortunately, mostly thanks to Jimmy's overbearing enthusiasm, the Houndour pack had began to rouse from their unconscious states and were now making their mistake. Trying to make off discreetly, it was thanks to the Chingling by Jimmy's side who noticed their subtle retreat. Ringing its bell loudly to alert everyone's attention, the trio let out a surprised yelp as they unexpectedly bolted off in different directions. "Oh no! Looks like they escaped... I sure hope they don't terrorise anyone else." Looking a bit glum, Jimmy sighed. "I do wonder what was up with them though. For a wild Pokemon to attack like that... Something must have been bothering them." Letting out a hearty smile, Jimmy turned to Marshall with admiration. "Maybe you should follow them and see what was up! I gotta go run on home, thanks for the help again!"

The Houndour pack have bolted their separate ways!
Would Marshall like to follow the left, centre or right path or finish his adventure here?

[Noerd]

Finally seeing the young boy perk up a little, Marshall smiled. “Yeah, he’ll be good as new. Hercule’s always really energetic. Just gotta get him healed is all. And that’ll be soon enough…” With that, he turned back to the battlefield. The feeling of having someone look up to him was really boosting his mood as well as his ego. Coupling that with the fact that his Pokémon seemed to be completely dominant in the match before his eyes, it’s not hard to see why Marshall’s confidence levels were through the roof. Continuing that theme, Beowulf and Darius quickly despatched of the remaining two Houndour, which brought a quick congratulatory message from their trainer. “Awesome job, you two. Just wish Silver could’ve seen that… not special? Hah! I’m the one who recognises real talent after all!”

Marshall chuckled before turning back to the kid, eager to see his prize now. But the kid seemed to be preoccupied. As his silence quickly turned into a fervent rerun of what had just occurred, Marshall just stared in complete shock. Was this really the same kid from a moment ago? After a few seconds, however, he joined the conversation once again. “I know, right? Those two are my pride and joy; they really show what I can do as a trainer. And I only just got my Heracross too! He’s already this tough! See, you were always in good hands. Those things… er… what were they called?” Marshall stopped for a second to let his memory catch up with the rest of his mind. “Yeah, those Houndour never stood a chance once I stepped in here. Gotta admit though…” His expression turned to one of disappointment as he changed the topic ever so slightly, “I’m kinda bummed out. I was hoping they’d be a little tougher… might have even caught one if they had been.”

He let the kid finish praising him, loving every second of it, before the conversation finally turned to his reward. Marshall’s face brightened even more as he was once again reminded of why he actually came by in the first place. “Oh, um, yeah, the reward for the hero. So… I mean, I can take cash or items or Pokémon… whatever you got! I need it all!” He didn’t even try to sound unmercenary here, not seeing anything wrong with him expecting a handsome payment for his troubles. He waited rather impatiently as the kid thought through his options. He had to bite his tongue to keep himself from rushing the kid, even though he wasn’t waiting very long at all. He learned early on in his childhood that impatience would rarely be rewarded.

Eventually, the child offered a Pokémon as the reward. Marshall took one look at the offerings and sighed. “Huh… So… um…” He started, glad that he had at least got a good battle and a new fan out of all of this. “I guess… I can take you along with me…” He walked over to the Azurill and knelt down, gently patting its forehead. “Yeah, this guy’ll do I guess.” He rose back to his full height and accepted Azurill’s Pokéball from the schoolboy. Before he knew it, however, Marshall was also accepting another gift. A small bell of some kind. “Oh, um, OK then… yeah, I guess we can be friends! I mean, you’re gonna need a guy who can battle to give you proper training and advice, right? And who better than the Hero himself!” Marshall seemed to have given himself a rather crude nickname already. “Yeah, I’ll take this gift of friendship, thanks. I’m sure I can use it, after all!” He smiled and pocketed the bell.

The Houndour slowly rose from their comatose-like state and began to make their getaway. Marshall didn’t even try to stop the Fire types, having been rather unimpressed by their battling capabilities. “Eh, just let ‘em leave. They won’t be bothering anyone for a while now that they’ve got the fear of Marshall Ritchie in ‘em!” He smirked as he spoke, almost as if he believed what he was saying right now. The boy said something a little interesting about wondering if something had bothered the pack, but Marshall wasn’t all that keen to find out. He had what he came for, so he was gone. The kid made a quick exit, leaving Marshall a little bewildered. “Oh, er, OK, bye…” he stumbled before slowly wandering out of the area and back to Cherrygrove. He rushed to the Pokémon Centre and booted up the PC there as quickly as he could. Placing his new Pokémon into the transporter to the side, he watched as Azurill’s Pokéball disappeared in a flash of light. Saying nothing at all to the Azurill, unlike with the earlier Wurmple, he then quickly healed up his Pokémon courtesy of the nurse in charge before leaving the building and continuing on his journey. He had some thinking to do, as well as some training. Hercule needed to learn how to be more heroic, after all.

I’ll drop Growl for Pursuit on Darius, ta. Grabbing Azurill and throwing it blank into the box while I work out what to do with it right now, if that’s OK. Ending the quest here. Ta, Joey.

[img]http://www.dragonflycave.com/hgsssprites/298azurill.png[/img]
[b]Azurill[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 10
OT: School Boy Jimmy
Attacks: Bubble, Charm, Tail Whip, Splash
Ability: [choose]
Nature/Personality: [choose]
Happiness: 0