So It Begins [Journey Thread]

[arkayne]

It was an odd thing to see Bishop mused to himself. Sort of like a slow motion battle being played out right before his eyes. As a rule he tended not to be the over confident sort but in this case it was hard not to be. The deck was badly stacked against the odd little Sentret but still it fought on. He had to admire that sort of determination.

Of course it could also be a sign that there was something not quite right with the little critter. It had picked this fight after all. It didn't seem malicious though. More like some good natured teasing of whomever it encountered on the road. It was in that moment that Bishop was even more sure he wanted to capture the little scout pokemon. He felt the two of them could do great things together. They just had to finish this encounter first.

He winced a bit as the two hit each other again. Slow though it was there was still force behind the blows. It always bothered him a bit when pokemon were hurt during a battle but deep down he knew that was how they grew. The same was true for humans of course. Only through adversity did they find new strength and grow ever more capable. After the fight there would be time to tend to their wounds and pamper them a bit.

Reaching into his bag Bishop selected one from his shrinking supply of pokeballs. Soon he was going to need to go into town to get some more. For today though he would have enough.

"Blossom...use your tackle attack!" he called out. That should be enough to take the rest of the fight out of their new friend here. And even as he gave the order he readied the ball and prepared to throw. Just a little bit more now.

"Come on...you can do it!"

(Sableye hatching 4051/6000)

[Venominon]

With all the mud all over it's body, and all over it's face, Sentret was having a hard time even seeing Bishop and Blossom clearly. And all the damage it had taken up to his point was definitely not helping, but still, the scout Pokémon simply refused to surrender. Brushing as much of the mud out of it's fur as it could, Sentret got back on it's feet, and shot a glare at the blur of yellow it could manage to make out. The wild Normal type Pokémon was on thin ice, and just when things didn't seem like they could get any worse, Blossom came rushing in with a Tackle attack, striking Sentret dead center. Sentret let out a yelp when Blossom's attack made contact, and Sentret rolled backwards after the impact, having a very hard time stopping itself. But once the scout Pokémon finally did stop, it got right back up, gathered it's strength, and charged right for Blossom.

As it ran, Sentret bared it's claws, and upon reaching Blossom, slashed them across her body in the form of a Scratch attack. It wasn't much, but it was the best Sentret could do right now. However, things once again took a turn for the worse, as Sentret's fur began to stand on end, and sparks could be seen coming off of it's body. It seemed as though Blossom's Static ability had finally kicked in, leaving Sentret with a paralyzing status that made the wild Normal type's whole body shiver. This was without a doubt some very shocking feedback from what would very likely be Sentret's final strike of this battle. Sentret had held on by the skin of it's teeth after Blossom's Tackle, but with the effects of the Mud Shot attacks, and now the paralyze effect, Sentret fell to it's knees once more, having all but given up the fight by this point.


Battle

---

Weather: Clear

Sentret | LV 4

HP: 5% (1/18)

Status: Paralyzed, Speed -2

Used Scratch!

VS

Blossom | LV 7 | Static

HP: 54% (13/24)

Status: Normal

Used Tackle!


OOC: Just for the record, March, a wild, level 4 Sentret shouldn't know Tackle. Its not a big deal, but you probably got it mixed up with Scratch.

[arkayne]

Bishop had to restrain himself to keep from letting out a cheer when Blossom's tackle attack hit the poor Sentret. Not that he wasn't proud of her because he was. He just didn't want to demoralize the scout pokemon too much. He had high hopes that he would be able to capture it now and it just didn't seem like the right start to their relationship to cheer for him getting his butt kicked.

"Good job Blossom," he said in a matter of fact tone, sparing a broad smile for his eccentric little dirt loving Pikachu. "That should be good enough."

For a moment he regarded the Sentret. The poor thing could barely hold it's head up now and was quite clearly paralyzed. Capturing it now should be a piece of cake. He was a beginning trainer though and still had much to learn. There was always a way for things to go wrong. It would never do to become over confident.

With pokeball in hand he paused, took aim and threw. The ball struck the scout square on and Bishop held his breath, fingers crossed, while he watched and waited. At this point in his career pokeballs were in short supply so he had to make every one count!

(Sableye hatching 4261/6000)

[Lamont]

Twigs and mud still sticking to its fur from its self-made camouflage, and the several additional layers helpfully applied by Blossom, the spirited Sentret tried to battle the electric shocks clamping down its muscles as it lay on the ground. It knew there was little chance it could actually defeat the yellow mouse, but the true defeat would be giving up. The wild pokémon hummed a solid note as it attempted to muster its strength and push away from the muddy ground. Amusingly the fresh application of mud almost sucked the rotund furry body back to the ground just as hard as it was trying to get away.

This made for a perfect target. Basically stationary Bishop would be hard pressed not to land a pokéball on the sentret. The device landed right in the middle of Sentret's back and popped open. The red light enveloped the being and slurped it up inside, closing shut with the sound of a latch clicking and then plopped to the ground to begin the process. Oddly, the ball was just still when it hit the ground. No resistance, no wobbling. Was the ball defective?

In the next second the red glow behind the main button disappeared and the familiar click of success sounded.

---

SUCCESS!

---

Sentret was captured and sent to Bishop's PC:
[img src="https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/bw/sentret.png"]
[b]Sentret[/b]
Name: [Choose]
Gender: [Choose]
Level: 4
OT: [a href="http://zapdoszulu.proboards.com/post/148695/thread"]Bishop Creed[/a]
Attacks: Foresight, Scratch, Defense Curl
Ability: Run Away OR Keen Eye
Nature/Personality: [Choose]




Blossom grew to LV 9!

[arkayne]

He stood in place watching the pokeball and keeping his fingers crossed. When the deed was done and the Sentret captured Bishop let out a little cheer, pumped his fist and then trotted over to Blossom's side.

"I knew you could do it! Now when we get into town I'll have to let him out so you two can meet under better circumstances."

Bishop chuckled a bit at the look on the Pikachu's face. She seemed to echo his sentiment and that just struck him as amusing. Now with the fight over it seemed as good a time as any to let everyone out to stretch their legs a bit while he tended to Blossom. Doing so he took a few minutes to clean her up a bit and see to her bruises. Then he set out some food for everyone and turned the radio on to listen while he continued to rummage in his bag.

For a moment he looked at the thunder stone he was carrying and considered going ahead to evolve his dirt loving electric mouse. But no, he would save that for the time being. Maybe do that as a celebration when they beat their first gym. For now though he did have a few things to give out for the benefit of his team.

"Here Ember, this is for you," he said, giving the Charmander the charcoal he had previously obtained. "That will make your fire attacks stronger."

While she examined that with keen interest he took one of his two Shock Wave TM's from the bag. Blossom didn't need to evolve now but a stronger electric attack would definitely make her stronger....and provide one heck of a jolt in that gym when they got there. Studying the directions on the TM for a moment he called Blossom over and then activated the device.

"There now, you know Shock Wave. Had to give up Tail Whip but we weren't going to keep that for long anyway."

Blossom seemed to agree, or at least didn't object. After that the little group listened to the radio and ate in relative peace. As they were cleaning up and getting ready to hit the road again an announcement on the radio program drew his attention.

"A swarm of Mankey? Here on this road?"

Bishop looked up the road and down it but didn't see any Mankey from here. It would appear he would have to go out looking for them.

"Come on guys. That's a good pokemon to have. Let's see if we can go catch one for the party.

With that the little crew set out to find some Mankey or whatever else fate might throw in their way.

(Sableye hatching: 4451/6000)



Sentret
Name: Critter
Gender: Male
Level: 4
OT: Bishop Creed
Attacks: Foresight, Scratch, Defense Curl
Ability: Keen Eye
Nature/Personality: Quirky

Ooc: 

Used one of my TM 34's to teach Shock Wave to Blossom. Tail Whip was sacrificed to make room for that.

Also, gave Ember the charcoal to carry.

[Venominon]

All seemed peaceful and quiet for Bishop and his crew, as they walked across the now damp ground of route 29. The grass and dirt had become damp with the recent rainfall, and were now very slippery. Even the trees were soaked to a certain degree. While this did grant a speed boost to any Pokémon on the ground during battle, it was quite hazardous to any Pokémon that weren't used to it. Having lived on route 29 their whole lives, most of the wild Pokémon that lived in the area were used to it, and as such, didn't have any trouble keep their balance. However, not all Pokémon on route 29 were native to the area at this time. Just off to their left, Bishop and his Pokémon suddenly heard a "THUD" sound.

It seemed that something had fallen out of a tree while attempting to land on one of it's branches, and landed in the mud below said tree. The Pokémon in question didn't seem to be injured at all, as it quickly got back on it's feet, and now had mud all over it's face. This wasn't a good thing for Bishop and his team, as the Pokémon turned out to be the very one they'd just heard about. Mankey, the pig monkey Pokémon. And having just fallen out of a tree and into a puddle of mud, this Mankey was far from happy. "Man! Man! Mankey!" True to it's nature, the wild Mankey became enraged, and all other wild Pokémon in the area quickly fled in fear.

Since they were currently swarming, wild Mankey's weren't used to the new types of weather conditions of the Johto region, so this Mankey didn't expect the tree branches to be so slick. But there was something off about this particular Mankey, and it seemed Bishop's luck had reached an all time high, as this was no ordinary Mankey. Instead of the usual white fur Mankey's were known to have, this Mankey's fur was green in color. This was a true rarity of rarities. Standing before Bishop was a real live shiny Mankey! With no other people or Pokémon around, Mankey turned it's angry glare towards Bishop and his Pokémon, then charged right for the group with intent to release all of it's rage on them.

A wild Mankey (level 6) appeared!

Shiny check: oMxGqmPg1-42
1-42

[arkayne]

Bishop was, to be blunt about it, a bit dumb struck by what he saw. One moment he was walking along the path, trying not to slip on the wet ground and keeping his eyes open for the mankey who were swarming, and the next he was being charged by one! And boy did he look MAD.

It actually took him another second or two to register that the pokemon was an odd shade of green instead of the usual white. This excited him all the more about the prospect of catching it naturally. First things first though he had to gather his wits and keep from getting beat to death by the enraged fighting type.

Dodging at the last moment before being punched Bishop jumped to the side and narrowly avoided slipping on the wet leaves. This momentary reprieve was all he needed to get his act together and prepare himself for a proper battle. Luckily Ember was out of her pokeball already and walking with him. She was trying to get herself between him and the angry wild pokemon and was awaiting instructions.

"Ember, use your ember attack!"

Suddenly his idea of naming her for the one fire attack she currently had no longer seemed quite as clever as it once had. None the less it wouldn't affect how hard it would hit...especially now that she was carrying the charcoal.

As she moved to attack he began to reach into his pack and feel around among the loose pokeballs there. After a short moment of rummaging he found the one great ball he had. This should do the trick if Ember could just weaken it enough. He had always wanted a Mankey and now all he had to do was keep his focus enough to actually manage the capture!

(Sableye hatching: 4753/6000)

[Venominon]

After Bishop dodged the wild Mankey's first attack, the wild Pokémon slipped on some damp leaves, and fell down into the mud yet again. As one would expect, this only served to further enraged the pig monkey Pokémon. The shiny Mankey got back on its feet once more, and turned to face Bishop yet again. However, its attention was quickly diverted to Bishop's Charmander, as it challenged the Fighting type to a battle to defend its trainer. This new challenge made no difference to Mankey though, as it charged right for the Fire type, glaring at its opponent with burning rage in its eyes.

But no matter how angry this Mankey was, Ember was just a little bit faster. Her Ember attack shot through the air, and struck Mankey right in its face. Mankey really felt this attack, and the boost in power it got from the charcoal Ember was holding onto. Once the onslaught was finally over, some steam could be seen rising off Mankey's body. This may have been a result of Ember's attack, or the result of Mankey's once again increased level of rage. "Mankey! Mankey!" The Fighting type yelled out its name with a great amount of angry in its voice, as it once against charged at Ember. Once Mankey reached its opponent, it swiped its paws at Ember over and over again, releasing all of its rage at Ember in the form of a Fury Swipes attack.

Battle

---

Weather: Slippery

Mankey | Level 6
HP: 54% (12/22)

Status: +1 Speed
Used Fury Swipes!

VS

Ember | Level 8 | Blaze | Charcoal 
HP: 76% (20/26)

Status: +1 Speed
Used Ember!

[arkayne]

Oh but what a specimen this Mankey seemed to be! Bishop was amazed at the tenacity of the fighting type and how determined it seemed to be to win. Not so much with it's grace as the poor thing kept slipping and sliding on the wet leaves but you couldn't have everything. With some work the young trainer thought they could work out the kinks and become quite the formidable team.

First things first though he had to finish the deal and capture the pokemon. Not that he had any doubt. Ember had already taken most of the wind out of his sails with her first hit! Not that it broke the spirit of the fighting type any. Another fire attack like that and it should be weak enough to capture.

"Your doing great!" he called out to Ember in encouragement. "Use your Ember attack again. We almost have him."

A light seemed to glint in the Charmander's eyes. Bishop knew she loved to fight and was already getting pretty good at it. A few more battles like this and his team would be ready for their first gym battle. But he could ponder that later. He didn't want to get ahead of himself.

Ember squared off against the Mankey, watching for her opening and preparing to launch her next attack. Even as she did so Bishop readied the pokeball and prepared to throw. If she hit again like the last time he would be ready to make the capture at the first sign of weakness. He didn't after all want either pokemon to suffer any more than was necessary. That just wouldn't be sporting after all.

"One more hit and we should have him," he said under his breath, waiting and watching for his chance. "This Mankey is going home with us!"

(Sableye hatching: 5056/6000)

[Venominon]

While Bishop and Ember were fired up, Mankey was a different kind of fired up. The Fighting type's eyes continued to burn with pure rage, determined to give the Pokémon and trainer a good thrashing. Anyone who thought that the disadvantage the pig monkey Pokémon was currently facing would make it give up was dead wrong. No amount of pain was ever going to make this wild Pokémon give up or give in, but being captured in a poke ball just might. Be that as it may, Mankey was far too angry to notice, or even care about the round item in Bishop's grip. Mankey was totally focused on the battle, as it began its next charge towards the Charmander. "Man! Man! Mankey! Mankey!"

Having already suffered through one of Ember's Ember attacks, Mankey was more prepared to handle it this time around, as it kept on charging, not slowing down for even a second. Ember's second Ember attack had hit its mark yet again, the flames making contact with Mankey's face, causing some major damage. However, there wasn't a single hint of doubt or hesitation in Mankey's eyes just before the flames hit their mark, as the Fighting type powered straight through the enhanced Fire type attack. Mankey emerged from the flames on the other side, some more burn marks visible on its face, mixed in with the mud. But none of that mattered to this Mankey, as it delivered another Fury Swipes attack to Ember upon reaching her, giving this attack all the rage and power it had inside of its small body. This particular Fury Swipes lasted a bit longer then that last one did though, causing Ember even more damage then she'd suffered in the previous round. Once Mankey had finally stopped its attack, it was feeling a great amount of fatigue, feeling to one knee, as it continued to glare at Ember and her trainer.


Battle

---

Weather: Slippery

Mankey | Level 6
HP: 9% (2/22)

Status: +1 Speed
Used Fury Swipes!

VS

Ember | Level 8 | Blaze | Charcoal

HP: 30% (8/26)
Status: +1 Speed
Used Ember!

[arkayne]

Bishop watched from the sidelines as it were, wincing a bit at each hit that landed on either pokemon. It was all part of the growth process he realized. They, much like people, grew stronger from the adversity. That didn't mean though that he enjoyed seeing them hurt. As a trainer he just had to learn to keep it in perspective. That and to try and manage their exposure so that none of them were every hurt any more than was necessary.

"Good shot Ember!" he cheered as her fire attack hit the oddly colored Mankey square in the face again. Her growth in particular had been coming along nicely. In fact he wouldn't be too surprised if he found her ready to evolve into a Charmeleon before too much longer.

This idea though quickly faded as he saw the Mankey's counter attack. This little one had the spirit of a champion but couldn't seem to see past his rage just yet. How much more effective would he be once he learned to fight with both his head and his fists? Bishop made a mental note then and there to teach this little guy how to dodge just as soon as was possible.

In the follow up to both their attacks he took quick stock of the situation. Neither would be able to take another attack without being knocked out. That was pretty impressive at their level and after only two rounds of battle. The time was now for him to make his own move.

"Hey Pug!" he yelled out towards the Mankey, deciding then and there that it was the name he was going to give the Pokemon after capture. His little face just seemed to fit the name. "Look at me!"

Drawing the Mankey's attention to himself Bishop hoped to confuse it. The fighting type had shown no tendencies to dodge or evade anything up to this point. With some luck he would react the same way to the great ball. Winding up he threw the ball as hard as he could and hoped for the best.

"I choose you Mankey!" he added just for a bit of emphasis.

(Sableye hatching: 5418/6000)

[Fallen]

The next move made by either side could prove to be very vital in the battle, as both Pokemon were on the edge of defeat, even if the trainer did have more Pokemon in his party. The Mankey was tired and full of overwhelming fatigue, and one more hit could likely be the end of the battle for it. It held its gaze of rage on the Charmander until Bishop called its attention towards him. It shifted its same furious stare towards Bishop, hardly taking notice of the blue-and-red Pokeball in his hand because of its tiredness.  

The Great Ball Bishop threw by Bishop would find its target without much issue, taking the shiny treasure by surprise. It tried to stand back up off of its knee, but it was too late. Hitting the angry fighting-type right in its forehead area, the Pokemon was then encapsulated by the ball.  The angry wild Mankey tried to put up its best fight once stuck in the Pokeball, but it would do no good. All it could muster was three small wiggles but then a very audible 'Ting!' would let Bishop know the rare and shiny find had been caught. It had put up a long fight against Bishop's Ember in the slippery weather, but the teamwork of the trainer-Pokemon combo had overpowered the Mankey. 

Wiggle.

Wiggle.

Wiggle.

....

Ting!





Bishop successfully caught the wild Mankey!

Ember grew two levels to level 10!
Ember learned Smokescreen!


Please fill out this code for your newly caught Mankey:
[img src="http://pokestadium.com/sprites/black-white/shiny/mankey.png"]
[b]Shiny Mankey[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 6
Moves: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Fury Swipes
Ability: Vital Spirit or Anger Point
Nature/Personality: [choose]


(egg status updated)

[arkayne]

He watched as the ball struck home and then began to shake on the ground. Bishop crossed his fingers, almost holding his breath, as he waited for the tell tale click to show the Mankey was his. When it came he couldn't help but let out a little cheer and a fist pump. Even Ember seemed to celebrate by jumping up and down making happy noises.

"You did it!" he said, kneeling to give his little fire type an affectionate hug. "You stood up to him and took him down! Now that little guy will be fighting on our side next time."

Ember looked rather pleased with herself and Bishop couldn't blame her. That was a tough fight and could have gone either way. Fortunately they had come out on top. He took a bit of time then to lavish praise on his Charmander and to see to her bruises. Then, in the interest of celebration, he let the others out of their pokeballs to stretch their legs a bit.

While his pokemon played and rested in the little clearing they found themselves in Bishop took stock of their current situation. He had a few pokemon from trades, gifts and recent captures in his pc box. Soon he would need to head on in to Cherrygrove, at least for more pokeballs. When he got there he would need to reorganize his traveling team a bit to get the proper group to take on the Flying gym.

Going by the levels of his partners though some of the ones he would need to take needed some more training. Rex for example needed a bit more action to be strong enough to face that particular challenge. Also his Sableye egg was beginning to shake all the time. It would be ready to hatch soon and the little ghost type inside would need quite a bit of care to be up to speed.

"I think we will look for one, maybe two more encounters here on this road," he said to the assembled pokemon as they all took a light lunch. "Then on to Cherrygrove. Before you all know it we'll be ready to take on Falkner and get that first gym badge."

He wasn't sure if they all understood what he meant or not but they sure seemed to be enthused about it. Smiling at their enthusiasm Bishop finished his lunch, cleaned up the area and got everyone ready for the road. Another mile or two down the road and they would be able to see the lights of the next city. For the time being they would be staying here in the local area though. With that in mind he set off to explore the nearby tall grass to see what he could find.

(Sableye hatching: 5881/6000) *almost there!*



Shiny Mankey
Name: Pug
Gender: Male
Level: 6
Moves: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Fury Swipes
Ability: Anger Point
Nature/Personality: Adamant

[Marchbaby]

The slippery ground was great for the mobility of the Pokemon who relied on staying on the ground to get around but for Pokemon who primarily relied on the air as a means of getting around the weather was quite nasty. For one Pidgey who lived on route 29 the weather was only the most recent bit of bad news for the flying type Pokemon had already lost its stash of berries to a pack of swarming Mankey and a Spinda defeated it in a battle over an apple it had found while wandering around. It was not in a good mood by any means but the very second it stepped into a patch of tall grass and saw a trainer's legs it knew things might just get that much worse.

Pidgey did not have any patience for a trainer about now as it chirped at the young trainer while flapping its wings trying to look as tough as it could given its recent string of bad luck. The mud covering it;s wings and a patch of feathers missing from its head made it look anything but tough as it stared down the trainer. The lingering scent of the Mankey Bishop had captured only made the bird more angry as it tried to overcome its recent stroke of bad luck and finally get some good news for a change and if it could defeat Bishop it's luck might just turn around. Even so that would be a tall order for Pidgey as it was both outnumbered and out leveled by a Bishop's Pokemon and the weather would not help it out in any way either.

Pidgey still decided to try against to odds hoping its luck would pay out for a change as it waited for Bishop to select a Pokemon. The bird was absolutely desperate for some good news and it would resort to any sneaky tactic it could to try and win the upcoming battle.

A wild Pidgey (Level 4) would like to battle. Please select a Pokemon.
Weather= Slippery

[arkayne]

They had been walking for a little while now but the going was kind of slow. Not only was it slippery out but Bishop was a bit distracted by the Sableye egg that kept shaking at odd intervals. It was going to hatch any moment now he thought so he paused to put a hand on the egg and see if there were any cracks yet. That was when he heard the angry chirping and looked up.

The Pidgey was not a pretty sight. To be honest Bishop felt kind of sorry for it because the poor thing was obviously in need of some care. For the moment though he couldn't focus on that. The bird was obviously angry and seemed to be spoiling for a fight.

"What? What's your problem? I'm not going to bother you."

He spoke in what he hoped was a calming tone. It seemed though that Pidgey was having none of that. Knowing that a wild pokemon could cause a human, or more importantly a hatching egg, considerable damage he would have to act quickly. With his free hand he selected a pokeball and released the occupant.

"Rex, your turn. Bite the Pidgey!"

Bishop felt a bit bad about fighting the poor thing. Maybe he would capture it so that he could take care of the poor little bird. First things first though it needed to be subdued before doing any damage!

(Sableye hatching: 6118/6000) *OMG! Finally got to 6000!

Also requesting update for my pokedex.

New Pkmn Seen: Pidgey, Spinarak
New Pkmn Owned: Wurmple, Swinub, Sentret, Mankey, Swablu, Cacnea & Heracross.
Link to Encounter(s):  It's all been in this thread &/or Pokemon from my pc box at the moment.

Thanks!