A Familiar Face [F]

[The REAL Joey]

The matter of how best to support her parents still heavily weighing on her mind, Remi stopped in her tracks and let out a sigh as she realised she had no real conclusion to make at this point. "We'll think of something, won't we?" Looking to Gex as he came to a halt having caught up with her, the Pokemon nodded his head before adjusting his spectacles. Taking a swift look around, it appeared they were free from any intruding Pokemon wanting to start a scrap. Sighing with relief, Gex looked up as he opened his eyes and reacted with an electrifying shock that unsettled his shades. Having looked up as she pondered her ideas in the sky, Remi had actually seen a carefree floating Pokemon. The fact he had missed picking up on its proximity and Remi now being distracted, well. It was bit of a set back to the Groyvle. "GEX! LOOK! It's some sort of whimsical flying Pokemon. It certainly looks cute." Tip toeing as she waved her hand politely, there was no way Remi was going to let this one go. "Considering how sweet this Pokemon looks, it might be the perfect candidate to help Buffy... Yes." Nodding her head, she reached for a Pokeball and considered the choice.

As she did, it seemed the wind that had been helping the Hoppip sail along had died, ultimately betraying it when it counted and bought the Pokemon down within battling distance for Remi and her group of friends. "Okay, we'll give this a shot. Buffy! Give it your best shot!" Tossing the Pokeball forward, it span to the centre of the make do battlefield between her and the Hoppip and quickly erupted, letting out the painfully timid and traumatised water mouse. Appearing with a scared flourish, the Pokemon quaked as it looked around in terror. "Don't worry Remi, it's fine. You'll be completely fine. Remember, if anything happens we'll be here to help you. This is something we're going to help you overcome together." Smiling earnestly, the rookie novice hoped that such encouraging words would be what was needed in order to boost the Pokemon's confidence and self esteem. There was no doubt she had potential but it was the issue of coaxing out the Pokemon's abilities. The terrifying encounter with the Houndour had really undercut any semblance of a normal life for the poor Marill. "Try and do a...? Oh? Buffy!" Overcome with terror, the Pokemon doubled over and performed a defence curl to protect itself from the made up fears running through its mind.

[Deleted]

Hoppip had been hoping to avoid a battle if it could. All it wanted to do was float in the breeze on this nice day but fate had other plans. The lack of any wind at the moment Hoppip to fall onto the ground shortly after Remi sent out her Pokemon. As it landed Hoppip surveyed it's surroundings in hopes of finding a quick exit but instead all it found was the terrified expression on Buffy's face. Hoppip had seen a few Marill's in the area before but something seemed terribly wrong with this one. As the flying plant Pokemon examined it's foe it was rather surprised when Buffy suddenly curled up into a ball using defense curl.

The plant was not sure how to proceed after seeing the look on the poor Marill's face but since it did not really want to battle in the first place it realized this was the perfect opportunity to show that it had no evil intentions and hopefully the young girl would let it go after seeing a friendly act. Hoppip began to bounce up and down in a small pile of dirt trying to mimic a Magikarp and poorly at that with a splash attack. Believing that it had got the point across that it meant no harm Hoppip looked over at the traumatized Marill feeling quite bad for it. Something the Marill saw or experienced had done a number on the mouse and Hoppip was in disbelief that such a friendly species could be so horribly traumatized.

As the plant waited to see what the timid Marill might try next it remained on guard not sure what the mouse might do next. It had never encountered a Pokemon with such a timid nature before and the last thing it wanted to do was get harmed by a Pokemon that acted purely out of terror despite not meaning any harm.

Hoppip: | Level 9|
Health: 100% (28/28 HP)
Status: Normal,
Splash party!
Move: Splash

Remi's Buffy: | Level 15 |
Health: 100% (50/50 HP)
Status: Normal, Defense +1
They are coming after me!
Move: Defense Curl

---

[The REAL Joey]

Curiously observing Buffy's movements, Remi simply had no clue what the Marill was up to. Being very much limited still in her understanding of the way Pokemon battled, it appeared to her that Buffy was ultimately tucking herself up into a ball to try and shut out the world around her. "Oh... Poor thing. She seems so deathly afraid still. What is she even doing?" Remi pondered as she looked over to Gex for assistance. Being more of a offensive orientated battler, the Groyvle was no help at all and merely shrugged in Remi's direction. It was clear the water mouse had utilised some sort of move but it was hard to say what. Looking back over to the Marill, Remi wanted to try and understand the Pokemon's actions. "If only there... Ah! But there is." Realising not a moment later, she delved into her pocket and retrieved a certain trusty red encyclopaedia. Not only was this device useful in analysing unknown Pokemon, and in Remi's case, that was a great deal in number of, but it was also able to scrutinise a Pokemon's movements to try and offer an insight into what sort of moves they packed in their arsenal. "I suppose this is as good a time as any." Turning on the Pokedex, she allowed it a chance to scan and listened intently to the results. "--Marill. The Aquamouse Pokémon. Its body is covered with water-repellent fur. Because of the fur, it can swim through water at high speed without being slowed by the water's resistance. Move: DEFENCE CURL. The user curls up to conceal weak spots and raise its defences. Damage from ROLLOUT will be higher. --"

As the Pokedex entered into a power saving mode, Remi mulled over her options. "So it's curling up to try and defend itself? Oh, poor Buffy." Saddened her Pokemon felt so threatened, she looked over and sensed the Hoppip wasn't going to try and attack it all. If anything, the way it was splashing around so cavalierly meant it likely felt sorry for Buffy as well. "Hmm... We need to try and bolster her confidence." Looking down as the Marill continued to cower as it remained in its curled up form, Remi thought back to what else the Pokedex had advised. "Why not try a Rollout? Go on. You can do it, we believe in you Buffy." Not receiving any sort of response, Remi leaned forward a little and decided to raise the volume of her voice just in case she hadn't heard. "Buffy? How about a Roll-OH MY!" As if making the Marill jump, the Pokemon had begun to roll forward in shock by the sudden noise that scared it. It looked like an improvised Rollout had begun.

[Sacred Fire]

Ooc: The REAL Joey Updated again. So Hoppip would've fainted from Rollout. I saw what I did wrong this time and looked up what Huge Power could do so I got some knowledge on it.

The Hoppip was listening to the battle, as it seemed that there was another voice that came in. THe pokemon was confused as it wasn't entirely sure where the voice was coming from but maybe it had come from the machine that the girl was holding most of the time. The Hoppip twirled its helicopter like leaves on its forehead, to keep it aloft for as long as it could. THough it sounded like Remi was surprised, she wasn't the only one startled by the sudden move that had been performed. Buffy, her Marril was starting to create a makeshift rollout as the Marill tucked itself together, and began to spin kicking up dirt on occasions. Once Buffy got enough momentum going, the pokemon spun forward right at the Hoppip making it cry out in pain and practically knocked it out of the sky. That one really did hurt!

Once Buffy returned to its side of the battle field, it was still curled up in a ball ready for another roll out attack since it repeated itself a couple of times straight. As the Hoppip couldn't stand it anymore, the exhausted pokemon collapsed as it seemed that it couldn't stand a chance against the Marill and its strength. The Hoppip definitely found a worthy trainer that was for sure.

After a bit of a pause from the end of the battle, the Hoppip seemed to be rejunvinated. It stood up right despite being knocked out within seconds. The Hoppip seemed to want to join Remi and her pokemon in her journey with the look it was giving her and her pokemon.The hopefulness in its eyes seemed to be decent enough to tell. But of course, it was up to the trainer to determine that part.

Wild Pokemon Battle!

---

Hoppip: | Level 9|
Health: 0% (00/28 HP)
Status: Fainted!
No move was called!

Remi's Buffy: | Level 15 |
Health: 100% (50/50 HP)
Status: Normal, Defense +1
Move: Roll Out!

---

For fainting Hoppip, Buffy has gained +1 level and is now at level 16!
Buffy wants to learn the move Helping Hand, do you want to delete a move to make room for it?

Also Hoppip wants to join your team. If you do allow it, you can fill out this forum below for it!
[img]http://img.pokemondb.net/sprites/black-white/normal/hoppip.png[/img]
[b]Hoppip[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 9
Moves: Synthesis, Splash, Tail Whip
Ability: Chlorophyll or Leaf Guard
Nature/Personality: [choose]

[The REAL Joey]

Watching as Buffy went speeding off in an improvised Rollout from the jump start scare she received from Remi moving closer, it was hard to keep up with the Pokemon as the Marill became nothing more than a blue blur. Speeding onwards, Remi's eyes frantically looked over to the Hoppip. "Be careful! Watch out there Hoppip!" Knowing full well this wasn't going to end particularly well, she shut her eyes tight as the sudden impact blared noisily throughout the verdant route. With the chaos dying down, Remi cautiously opened an eye before fully assessing the situation. "Oh goodness. Buffy, Hoppip, are you both ok?" Moving over with a concerned expression etched to her face, she knelt down and helped Buffy up. The Pokemon was wobbling around as its eyes span endlessly in confusion from the rolling motions. "You seem a little dazed but i'm glad you're okay." Picking up the Pokemon, she embraced the deathly shy Pokemon with a warm hug and didn't let go. "You did wonderful Buffy. We all knew you had the ability to fight in battle. We just needed to overcome your trauma." Pulling her away, she looked to the aqua mouse and smiled proudly.

"You were so skilled you managed to outright beat the Hoppip in a battle. Trust in yourself. Things may seem scary but you have incredible strength to fall back on." Looking up at Remi in awe, it was perhaps the first time the Marill had viewed her head on properly. Noticing the gentle, kind features to her face, the Marill let out a nervous giggle as it wiggled its arms and legs about. The Pokemon was still in the process of getting over its trauma and as a result still deathly shy but the Pokemon now felt reinforced by the fact it had such a caring trainer watching over her. Placing Buffy back down, the Pokemon skidded to hide behind her boots but peered around at the Hoppip that had regained its senses. Smiling up to Remi, the blue haired trainer smiled back acceptingly. "For all your help I am more than happy for you to join us as friends." Seeing through with the capture, it appeared their circle of friends had grown that much bigger. Present with Gex and Buffy out, Remi looked over the hill they were on top of and let out a startled reaction. "Look! Over there... Down the hill! It's the entrance to Violet. We're in the home stretch. Let us get there!" Striding off cheerfully, Buffy went chasing after Remi, keeping close proximity whilst Gex eyed around the area before following after them at a leisurely pace.

OOC: Looking better. One or two other issues which I can get but just pointing out. Happiness should be obtained, Buffy is holding a Lucky egg meaning +2 levels and I also have an Exp Share on Salsa the Lotad.

Not learning Helping Hand and boxing Hoppip.

[Tyger]

With the main stretch of Route 30 behind Remi and her team, the only thing between her and Violet was the remaining path in front of her. As she progressed, her excitement and hustle and bustle of her team seemed to gather a bit of reaction from the Pokemon on the route. A few scurried to hide in their burrows, avoiding meeting eyes with the trainer or provoking a battle. Others spread their wings (or leaves) and took to the sky to avoid getting stepped on. Word had traveled that yet another trainer was progressing through, and those that didn't wish to be captured (or at least didn't want to battle) were heading for the hills.

One particular Pokemon, however, stood in the path. 

Waiting.

It didn't need any visual confirmation that Remi was approaching. No, it was a psychic Pokemon. Poised in the middle of the route like a statue, Ralts awaited the approach of the trainer. Violet wasn't far now, and Ralts prided itself on attempting to be the roadblock for trainers to pass as a final 'test' before they reached Violet. Whether Remi progressed further and into the city without battle deviations was up to her, but it seemed as though the stoic Ralts in the road wasn't going to be moved or passed. Psychic energy swirled around it's tiny body. Although it made no noise, it raised it's stubby arm to point at the approaching Remi. No one had to be a trainer long to recognize that as a silent challenge.




A Wild Ralts is being an inconvenient roadblock! (Level 8)

[The REAL Joey]

With how extensive their time on Route 30 had been, it was a welcome end to see Violet City in sight. They had battled trainers, both friendly and antagonistic. There were also a whole roster of wild Pokemon that had come across their return to Violet. Some of which had been completely blanked by the oblivious trainer, others which had inadvertently been bought into their training session and were now welcomed to the fold. And there were even some which had gone out of their way to pick a fight and put in their place. Remi may have been an amateur but she was learning the ropes fast. So considering there was one last hurdle acting as impedance to their return. Noticing the solitary figure off in the distance, Remi paused her steps to a halt as she pondered what to do. "Hm. I wonder if there is a problem?" Picking up their pace, the trio continued their way closer until the Pokemon came into view. Unaware of what it was, it was somewhat odd to see a humanoid like figure there. Forgetting to resort to her Pokedex, Remi leaned forward slightly as she greeted the Pokemon. "Hello there! We're on our way to Violet City. Do you want to come with us too?" Unsure as to why the Pokemon would put itself so in the way of her path, Remi had little other motive to guess for the bizarre little creature. Despite her friendly affirmations it appeared the Pokemon was going to be providing the final test of this route.

She was looking to develop herself as a trainer and the diminutive psychic fairy was more than willing to act as judge of this. Feeling the psychic talent of the Pokemon build up, Remi stood backwards with a slight start. Enticing the protection of Gex, the Pokemon pushed past Remi and assumed an offensive position worried that it was going to try and attempt some sort of sneak attack on her. "No! Gex... It's okay. I don't think the Pokemon wishes to hurt us. I think it wants to... Challenge us?" Having read subtly between the lines, Remi used her observational skills to properly determine the Pokemon's purpose. Lowering his blade arms, Gex gave the Pokemon a warning look not to follow through with any funny business it had in mind and allowed Remi to step forward in order to take the reigns on the matter. "This chance encounter may be perfect to give Buffy her final test as well." Looking to the Pokemon which had been quivering pathetically by her boots, Remi ushered her forward and positively spurred her on. "You can do this Buffy. Trust in us, we'll help you through this. You're a real power house and we're going to make this show." Timidly walking up with a traumatic look in her face, the Marill took in the appearance of the unknown creature. "Didn't the Pokedex state Marill knew a... Bubble beam? Yes! Go and try that. You can do it Buffy!" Shaking as it blinked its eyes nervously, Buffy understood the order. It would just require her body to cooperate.

[Deleted]

Ralts remained silent as Remi asked if it wanted to come along with her. The humanoid Pokemon did not wish to communicate with her in any verbal sense and as Gex assumed an offensive position the psychic fairy was just about ready to send a confusion attack his way before Remi called him off and mentioned that it wanted to challenge her. The small Pokemon nodded in confirmation that it was indeed looking to challenge her. Being part psychic type Ralts was trying to predict what the best option to use in the first round would be. As Remi called upon her Marill to battle Ratls nodded again as if it saw the mouse as a worthy adversary as the battle began.

Ralts were not very fast Pokemon thanks to their slow speed and this one was no exception. Buffy was far from a speed demon herself however she was still far faster than Ralts no thanks to it's short legs and large head. Buffy was as timid as ever as she launched her attack and despite her fears she managed to score a huge amount of damage with a direct hit nearly knocking out Ralts in a single blow. Fearing that Buffy was far stronger than it had anticipated Ralts started to create copies of itself using double team. With an army of illusions Ralts now believed that it could avoid all of Buffy's attacks while it safety hid behind it's illusions. Still worried about the amount of damage it had taken from the single blow and as the next round loomed overhead it was not sure how long it's illusion could protect it before Buffy got lucky.

Ralts: | Level 8|
Health: 20% (5/24 HP)
Status: Normal, Evasion +1
Try that again!
Move: Double Team

Remi's Buffy: | Level 17 |
Health: 100% (56/56 HP)
Status: Normal,
Fear my bubbles!
Move: Bubblebeam

---

[The REAL Joey]

Viewing the fight from her side of the battlefield, Remi raised a hand and held it close to her chest, close to her heart. She knew she was new to this whole Pokemon business and that something short of a miracle shouldn't be expected but with everything she was doing to try and help Buffy not just as a Pokemon but as a friend, it felt as if it should be enough. In some regards, the approach that Remi was taking with the timid, trauma stricken Marill was more advanced than trainers who had been practising for longer in their Pokemon careers. As opposed to seeing Buffy as a mere creature, or worse, a tool, she instead her viewed her like an equal. "Oh Buffy... Hang in there. You're being so very brave." His arms folded and his head nodding, even the suave Gex was inclined to agree. Somewhat brusque with most other Pokemon, even the Groyvle could appreciate the Marill had gone through an extremely unpleasant situation and was happy to extend to her a side of him he didn't usually present to most others. Remi's eyes fixated on Buffy's movements, she was pleased to see her able to fire off a steady beam like flurry of bubbles at the Pokemon. She had care taken this Pokemon since she was a diminutive Azurill so to see her able to attack with such vigour acted as a testament of progress. "Wow! You're doing incredible, keep it up Buffy!"

No sooner than she had commended her Pokemon's attack, the Ralts was pelted into dangerous levels of submission meaning the peculiar pixie like creature was no longer so perfect in its blocking of their progress. Visibly beaten, Remi's heart began to race. She was unsure of the Pokemon's overall personality as it seemed so odd it would just obstruct it out of the blue with no reason in particular but she hoped for her Pokemon's sake she wouldn't do anything terrifying to rescind all progress they had made in building up Buffy's courage. Thankfully, what would come next from the Ralts wasn't so much aggressive and painful in its retribution but it still delivered a panicked state to Buffy who visibly leapt into the air, feet aflutter, as she took in the sight of multiple Ralts now opposing her stand. Even Remi seemed shocked by this sudden turn of events. "W-W-When... When did it invite all of its friends?! There's so many!" Slightly unnerved herself, Remi looked down to Buffy who had raised her hands to the side of her head and was now cowering in a quiver like state. Gulping Remi tried to focus. "Keep strong for her sake... Keep strong!" Reaching into her bag, Remi pulled out the special Pokeball that had been thrown in at the Pokemart with her purchase. "Buffy, don't worry. Remember how I told you we'll back you up in whatever you do? We're always behind you!" Tossing the ball forward having primed it, Remi hoped the device would hone in on the real opponent and bring this to an end. Buffy had proven herself enough.

Item used:

x1 Premier Ball (Auto-updated).

[Morrigan]

Placing all her faith and trust in Buffy, she hoped this battle would help the Marill gain some well earned confidence. Nervous and timid, Buffy shuddered after landing back on the ground from her jump of fear, eyes batting nervously at the sight of several Ralts scattered before her. Using it's illusive powers, the Ralts remained as emotionless and blank as usual, taking in the reaction of it's opponent. If such a simple trick was enough to scare Buffy, then all the Ralts now had to do was pelt her with a number of confusions and walk off victorious, forever remembering that both Remi and Buffy were unworthy of passing this route. Still not being approached with any sort of attack, the Ralts could sense that even Remi was confused by the illusion. If a sound were to pass the lips of Ralts it would've sighed, however, it chose to remain silent.

Lowering it's head ever so slightly and raising it's arms to it's torso, the Ralts began to channel it's psychic powers. The many duplicates of itself copying the same action of the real Pokemon. Ready to fire off some confusion, finally, Remi was the one who took the opponent off guard. Flinching at the sight of a Pokeball of some kind, on Remi's throw it soared through the air, swirling in and out of the fake Ralts until it's approached the real one, hiding in the back. Lifting it's helmet like head to show a flash of it's startled crimson red eyes, the ball suddenly engulfed the Pokemon in a bright flash of light, all the copies disappearing at the ball hit in the floor. Rocking back and forth, only time would tell if Remi and Buffy were successful.

WIGGLE.

WIGGLE.

WIGGLE.

. . .

TING!

Congratulations!
Remi has successfully captured the Ralts!

------



Buffy gained 1 level and grew to Level 18!
+1 Happiness

Hmm?
Buffy is trying to evolve! Intervene?


Salsa gained 1 level for holding Experience Share and grew to Level 7!

------


[img]http://pldh.net/media/pokemon/gen5/blackwhite/280.png[/img]
[b]Ralts[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [ Female OR Male ]
Level: 8
Attacks: Growl, Confusion, Double Team
Ability: [ Synchronize OR Trace ]
Nature/Personality: [choose]

[The REAL Joey]

Even being such a terrified bag of nerves, Buffy actually gathered some resolve and looked up from her curled up position. It was tough to see a Pokemon in such a state of terror but moments such as this where the Pokemon found the hope and resolve to persevere on was inspiring. As the Premier Ball followed through with its designed purpose, Remi smiled confidently as already it had sussed out one of the fake illusory copies and began homing in to the real Ralts that had obstructed their progress. "It's going to be fine Buffy. Look, we've found the real one!" She pointed. Remi, given how much of a novice she was when she came to Pokemon, was still very much unsure how these wondrous testaments to modern technology worked but the fact they could pin point a Pokemon through all the smoke and mirrors was truly impressive. Eventually finding the Ralts, causing it to flinch back as it looked up, the Pokemon was eventually scooped up inside and the process began. "Come on... Please work. I want to show Buffy we can support her. And if it breaks out now...!" Holding both her hands in front of her chest, Remi was putting all her faith in this capture.

If the Pokemon broke out, there was no doubt it would set Buffy's confidence back a few notches, a reality Remi hoped not to see. Thankfully with the third and final roll and a momentous click sounding throughout the route, Remi smiled happily. Almost jumping up and down in joy, she realised any sudden movements or loud noises weren't a very good idea. She instead moved to Buffy, knelt down and patted her calmly. "You did wonderful. Go on, can you collect the Pokeball for me?" Looking up with a definite sense of wonder, Buffy nervously looked back and forth before scurrying over to collect the premier designed ball. Picking it up and dashing back, Buffy held up the newly acquired Pokemon to Remi who accepted it with gratitude. "Thank you so much Buffy. We did that as a team. Because we have each other we can over-Ooooooh my!" Nearly falling backwards, a sudden expulsion of blinding light gleamed from Buffy. Gradually building up in intensity, it wasn't long before the light climaxed, slowly revealing the new and evolved form of Buffy.

Although a little bruised from the sudden fall back, Remi put aside her discomfort and smiled positively at her Pokemon. "Bless. You evolved!" There was no doubt about it. Having experienced possibly her third or so evolution, this blinding light signified the ascension of a Pokemon into a greater form. Taking in Buffy's new appearance, she leaned forward and gave the Pokemon a hug, to which Buffy quivered sightly before reciprocating. "Don't ever be afraid, ever again." Sharing a tender moment, Remi stood up and looked over to the proximity of Violet. "It's been a long journey this second time around but we've made it." Smiling, she nodded her head and moved onwards, the two of her Pokemon following in suit. If it was a rematch she was looking for against Falkner, there was no doubt she had a lot more experience on her side this time around.

- Fin -

OOC: Boxing Ralts.