The Long Overdue Beginning [Fin]

[Tyger]

(Lamont unlocked special event!)

Sentret studied Damien for a few seconds before crossing it's arms. Who didn't want to play with Sentret? Sentret was fantastic, and fun. Poking fun didn't seem to entice the two, but Damien;s words were enough to entice Sentret... again. Hopping up on it's tail, as if it were actively looking, it kept a little paw over it's eyes as though it were scouting. It darted off in the direction it came from without so much as another squeak, leaving Damien, Turret, and the injured Pidgey alone for a few moments. Pidgey studied Damien, blinking in confusion. Another Pokemon had approached Damien, and yet a battle hadn't commenced? What kind of trainer was he?

Sentret returned with a few things in it's hand. Although Damien didn't want to play with him (which still irked the Sentret, but at least it had found some friends, yes?) it did want to gift the boy and assist with finding the strange Weedle-laden lad. Chirping happily, Sentret rolled an Oran berry to the injured Pidgey and then danced up to Damien, handing another one to him in it's little paws. It would help the Pidgey friend, as well as big hooman friend, yes? Sentret raised itself up on it's tail happily before falling back down to the ground with a splat. The mud and water flew from it's impact and Sentret giggled uncontrollably.


(Sentret has given you an Oran Berry for being nice!)

However, it still had a job to do! Sentret moved it's tail to hoist it on it's little shoulder, as if carrying a Pokemon. It began to walk, as though it were travelling down a path, and then began to rapidly point to one of the side paths heading deeper into a bit of forest where Sentret had bounded from. It seemed to be hinting that a boy travelled into there, with some kind of Pokemon on it's shoulder. With Sentret's new gift, and the healthy Pidgey, perhaps chasing after the Weedle boy wasn't such a Farfetch'd idea? If Damien chose to follow the main path, Cherrygrove City couldn't be too far ahead.

Pidgey blinked and watched Damienand Sentret before beginning to nibble on the berry. Pidgey hadn't realized how hungry and tired it was, and boy did that berry hit the spot! Ruffling it's feathers it began to wolf down the rest of the berry before clicking it's beak and chirping happily. With a quick ruffle of it's feathers, Pidgey looked up at Damien before taking a step forward. It chirped with determination.

---

Pidgey wants to accompany you and your team! Should you accept, please fill out the form below.


[img src=http://pldh.net/media/pokemon/gen5/blackwhite/016.png]
[b]Pidgey[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 3
Moves: Tackle
Ability: Keen Eye or Tangled Feet
Nature/Personality: [choose]

---

Follow the path Sentret suggested to find the Weedle boy? Or continue down the path towards Cherrygrove?


(special plot over, enjoy the berry~)

[Lamont]

The young lad was relieved the sentret didn't become huffy and cause a commotion or try to start anything; also just that for the first time today he'd encountered a pokémon that wasn't a bird. The silent sigh that escaped his lips trailed out a faint wisp of visible air, of which quickly dispersed with the drips of rain sliding down through the treeline. Damien's eyes dropped down to the little bird next to him, returning momentarily to what he wanted to do with the pidgey. Though he had pretty much already decided.

Before he could get his words out though the scout pokémon returned; bearing gifts even! A broad smile swept across his face as the berry was offered to the wounded pidgey.
"Thank you, Sentret." To his surprise though the gifts weren't done, the furry pokémon bouncing over to give one to Damien as well. Of course the ranger accepted, Turret shuffling over to inspect the fruity offering. Though first he got a bit splattered by the results of Sentret's joyous descent. He shielded his face and laughed, not bothering to brush himself clean. The squirtle then lightly grabbed his trainer's hand and adjusted the human's palm in order for it to see the item a bit better. "Go ahead, you can have it," he spoke, stifling a chuckle. The inexperienced trainer returned his attention to the two wild pocket monsters next to him while Turret happily snatched up the berry and tucked it away in his shell for safe keeping.

It appeared the cheery sentret was going to join in their search for the young bug trainer that had disappeared into the forest. Things could only get better if the rain subsided; though Damien wouldn't hope for that as rain was better than snow with how soaked everything was. And snow was more likely considering the season than the clouds breaking into a nice warm sunny day.

The trainer stood, taking a brief second to brush the knees of his pants. Not that it did much thanks to the water sucked into the fabric. Despite the weather taking its toll Damien fought against the beginning of cold shivers and set his mind back on the reason he was out here.
"Alright Turret, let's get going." He reached for his squirtle's pokéball as the rejuvenated pidgey stepped forward and chirped. Damien looked down to the bird with but a flicker of uneasiness amidst his grin. "You're all better now, and safe. Go find a warm, dry shelter," he replied and made to return Turret to his pokéball. His shin then received a wet slap from the tiny turtle preceding a defiant call of 'Squirtle!'.

"Ow, hey!" he voiced with a slight wince, snapping his attention onto the water pokémon at his feet. Turret gave a brief indication to the pidgey before crossing his arms. Damien gave the pidgey a second look, of who proceeded to stiffen into a regal posture and puff out its feathers. "You really want to come with us?" The small bird chirped once again, his head bobbing up and wings partially unfurling for a second. Damien lightly bit his lip for a moment and clenched his free hand into a fist. "Al-alright," he agreed, "Welcome to our team." He stated with more composure.

"Can I call you Cyrus?" Damien questioned as he quickly dug out an unused pokéball from his pack; didn't want to keep the helpful sentret waiting too long. The young pidgey cocked its head to the side in thought, switching sides after a couple seconds, then released a pleased chirp. Lips curling into another smile, the rookie trainer let the pokéball do it's thing and then returned Turret to his own ball as well. Now it was time to find that young boy.

"Sorry for the wait!" he called to the waiting sentret before setting off to follow the indicated path into the woods. "Let's go win our hide'n seek."

---

Welcome Cyrus the Pidgey to the Team!

[div align="center"][table][tbody][tr][td colspan="2" style="border-bottom:2px dotted #F6EFC1;text-align:center;"][font size="4"]Cyrus[/font] [img src="http://images.proboards.com/v5/images/icons/male.png"] [span style="float:right;"]Lv. 3[/span]
[/td][/tr][tr][td colspan="2"][b]Characteristic:[/b] Highly Persistent
[b]Nature[/b]: Lonely
[/td][/tr][tr][td style="width:175px;"][b]Ability[/b]: Keen Eye

[b]Attacks[/b]:
Tackle



[/td][td style="text-align:center;width:100px;"][img src="http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/thumb/5/55/016Pidgey.png/96px-016Pidgey.png"]
[/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Tyger]

(Cyrus the Pidgey has been placed in your party.)


The cold weather combined with the chilly rain was doing nothing to settle any of the Pokemon in the area. Trainers that were foolish enough to continue training were learning very quickly just how long their bodies wanted to hold out against the elements. With the newest information gathered from the friendly Sentret, Damien now knew of the direction the young bugcatcher went. However, 'weather' he chose to follow was up to the young lad. Unfortunately, the chill was beginning to get to him, but determination drove him forward, into the (thankfully tree-laden) path, which sheltered him a bit from the frozen rain. His Pokemon were safe in their pokeballs, so at least he was the only one braving the cold.

The path wound like the roots of a crooked tree, and after a while, Damien found himself in a large clearing. In the center of the clearing was a giant Oak tree, with giant, twisting roots coming in and out of the ground with the trees age. It was very much alive and sturdy, and probably home to quite a few Pokemon living inside the fortress. A lightning bolt streaked across the sky, immediately illuminating some of the holes in the tree. Pairs of eyes stared back outside, and managed to illuminate a boy walking to the other side of the tree. A heavy, thunderous 'boom' resounded in the sky, indicating the heavier storm that Professor Oak had warned about was slowly rolling in. It was only a few miles out, so time was of the essence, it seemed.

The young boy was on the other side of the tree, Weedle still on his shoulder. "Come out!" The boy yelled, hands cupped around his mouth to make himself louder. "I need to get stronger, and catch some of you! That's how this thing works, right? It's just a little rain!" The boy hollared, letting his arms fall to the side in disbelief. The Pokemon didn't want to come out? Why? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Damien in the clearing and pointed a finger at him accusingly. "You! I saw you in New Bark! I bet my mom sent you, didn't she? She just doesn't get that I am strong enough to be a trainer, and these Pokemon don't get it either!" Angrily, the bugcatcher clenched his fists and fought back tears. "I bet you don't even believe me either..."

He looked up and glared over at Damien. "Well i'm going to show you." He hissed.


Sickly Bugcatcher Rio wants to battle!
He sends out Weedle (Lv. 4)!

... it appears as though he has another Pokeball tucked in his pocket...


(Thread hijacked by Tyger)

[Lamont]

He hurried down the path, feet producing a wet slap as he moved along the lightly trodden path. Weeds and thin stretching branches of bush whipped against his boots, sending further splatters of water flicking into the air. Thankfully the sentret wasn't right on his heels. Damien continued along the trial with his eyes frantically scanning the area and his ears focused on trying to pick up any familiar sounds beyond the patter of rain... and roll of thunder now.

Things weren't looking too good. His hands were freezing, Damien stuffing them into his jacket pockets. His nose was beginning to run, so he sniffled loudly. His cheeks and thighs burned with the cold, and in turn his toes started to feel the chill. Pretty soon all that would be warm was his core and that was just asking for trouble. Still he couldn't give up. What if the boy was injured? Tripped on a root or met another aggressive spearow? Damien's 'big brother' side couldn't stand the thought of leaving the young boy out here alone in such bad weather.

Finally, with a thematic clap from the heavens, the new trainer found the bug catcher boy. A weight in his chest was released in a quiet sigh as he slowed from his jog and circled around the tree to lay eyes on his target. There he was. Calling out to the specks of watching eyes. Before Damien could make himself known with a simple word the bug catcher spun around and pointed an accusatory finger at him.

It couldn't be helped. The boy was filled with anger and humiliation, the weedle supporting its trainer as it emerged into the clearing. He was going to have to battle this kid.
"There's more to being a trainer than strength," commented Damien as he reached for Turret's pokéball and sent it into the air; his new friend emerging onto the rainy field once again. The squirtle pounded his chest with a determined look, eyeing the weedle. "Water gun!"

[Tyger]

"My mother doesn't believe in me! None of my family do! They just think i'm-" Rio stopped to let out a little cough. "They just think i'm sick and can't do anything. But Weedle believes in me. And I had to prove myself to Weedle, otherwise Pokemon don't want to be with you. You don't hear about the stories of Pokemon that follow you, just because you're nice. Those stories are just feel good fairy tales people put on the internet to get attention. So by standing up to you, i'll show all these Pokemon here that i'm worth believing in!" Rio certainly had a different way of thinking on the topic of respect, and it tinted his own little reality. Weedle probably just wanted to be with Rio because of the company, but it couldn't be helped. There was no way Damien was getting out without a battle.

Noting the determination in the Squirtle, Rio crossed his arms to keep them from shivering in the cold. "What did you have to do to make your Squirtle respect you? Did you save it from drowning? Weedle was about to get eaten by a Pidgey, but I saved it." At the mention of it's name, Weedle turned to face it's trainer for a moment before turning back towards the water turtle. "Since Weedle wanted to stay with me, I put Weedle through special tutoring to learn a special move, so now we're going to show you just how strong we are. You, mom, and everyone. Weedle, Bug Bite!" Such a simple attack on a Pokemon that would have eventually learned the move anyway... Rio had many things to prove.

Weedle readied itself for the onslaught (er, even more onslaught) of water that Turret was bound to perform. After beating against it's shell, Turret took a deep breath in, completely non-bothered by the rain. When the turtle exhaled, a torrent of water poured from it's mouth with such force that it made the worm Pokemon roll back a few feet. However, Weedle used the rolling to it's advantage, turning and using it's momentum to rocket towards the Squirtle. When the rolling bug reached Squirtle, it unraveled and opened it's mouth to bite the arm of the turtle. Startled, Turret began to shake it's arm rapidly to rid itself of Weedle. "Great hit, Weedle! I'm proud of you!" Rio's head turned to the tree. "Did you see that? *sneeze* Weedle and I make a great team, and any of you inside there would be more than welcome to join!"

Rio's Weedle- Level |4|

Health: 9/18

Current Status: Never tasted turtle...
Successful Bug Bite!

Damien's Turret - Level |7|

Health: 19/25

Current Status: Gurglhurgblugh
Successful Water Gun!

(Thread Hijacked by Tyger)

[Lamont]

The poor kid. A pang of empathy beat in Damien's chest as he listened to the young lad spill out his thoughts and aches. The inexperienced ranger didn't want to say too much about how it was to be a trainer; it wouldn't be right. He himself had only been in this game for maybe an hour or so. When Rio asked what he had done to get Turret to follow him the thought crossed his mind that the tiny turtle merely wanted to go outside in the crazy weather and this was his best opportunity. Damien had no idea if the squirtle respected him at all; given all the hitting. They weren't aggressive slaps by any means but still. Now Cyrus on the other hand...

The mirror story of Damien's newly obtained pidgey wouldn't be something the boy would believe at this moment as there was no telling of the tale that wouldn't sound a bit pretentious, given Rio's spot-on jest of saving a pokémon from drowning mixed with the copy-cat story of saving it. Despite it was all true, the timing would devalue it. The bug catcher at least had a good bond with his weedle if there was something good to say of this first impression.

"You discredit those stories... but then don't listen to your own. You saved Weedle." Damien gestured toward the brave little bug pokémon Turret had just shaken off his arm. "Power wasn't what put you in harms way to help Weedle out in the first place. Weedle respects you because you're brave, you encourage them, and you don't let anything stop you." He paused to allow a shiver to pass. "But this, this isn't strong determination, this is just reckless! You could hurt yourself and your pokémon, and no wild pokémon wants a trainer that's a danger to them."

A small part of Damien was tempted to let the boy win, but it was overruled by the desire to get a point across. Such brash behavior needed to be nipped in the bud. He focused himself more on the tension and battle in order to get his mind off of the cold... but he couldn't bring himself to call out another order to Turret just yet. Only after [if] Rio had made his attack order would Damien give instruction to his squirtle, calling for another water gun when necessary. Turret looked back awaiting for his new trainer to say something; getting a bit uncomfortable with the delay but tried to quell the feeling.

[Tyger]

Rio fought back a sniffle, and wiped at his nose with his arm. "I listen to my own just fine. Power is taking every opportunity to better ones self, and gaining the respect of those around me! Weedle respects me, and these Pokemon will too." Completely enveloped in his own ideas of power, training, and respect, it was clear that talking with Rio wasn't going to get anywhere. The headstrong boy was currently fighting someone that he shouldn't be, in a storm he shouldn't be in, fighting a personal battle that he shouldn't be. Rio had his cards stacked up all wrong, but didn't have the experience or know-how to recognize it. 

"This is determination. I'm determined to defeat you and prove to everyone that I can do this, and that I will do this. Weedle, prepare another Bug Bite. Your special, secret move is the key to our success. I'll find you friends, I promise." Friends, as in, the other Pokemon in the tree, of course. "Wild Pokemon need someone to look up to, and that's gonna be me. They'll see you, fighting against me and trying to not battle, and they'll see me, enduring this storm despite the odds. Tell me, who is stronger?" Rio pounded a hand on his chest, but didn't say another word. The gesture was enough to him.

Turret, at this point, was even more uncomfortable with his trainer's silence and delay. Weedle was approaching, but true to nature, Damien had given the Water Gun attack in the nick of time. Inhaling, the Squirtle prepared and shot his attack at the shuffling Weedle. The bug's approach had been slow, and Weedle was unprepared for the quick retaliation. The silence gave the bug a bit of false confidence, but it should have expected Damien to rise to the occasion. Weedle fell back onto it's back, stunned and shocked by the blow. It tried to wriggle back up, but it lacked the strength to do anything but lay there in defeat. Rio's mouth opened and his shoulders sagged. Damien had won this round.

Rio's Weedle- Level |4|

Health: 0/18

Current Status: S... sorry
No attack!

Damien's Turret - Level |7|

Health: 19/25

Current Status: I'm sorry..
Successful Water Gun!

---

Turret fought bravely, and has gained +2 levels!
Turret is now level 9.

---

"NO!" Rio growled, running forward to cradle the fainted Weedle. The Pokemon was conscious, but too weak to sit up and attack anymore. "Weedle, I... I'm sorry, Weedle..." Rio murmured, hugging the bug before returning it into it's Pokeball. Now safe and secure from the storm, Weedle would be safe to rest up and gain strength back. What was a tender moment, however, was ruined as soon as Rio stood back up and faced Damien. "If I were stronger, we would have beaten you, and Weedle wouldn't be knocked out!" Faced with the judgement from all of the Pokemon in the lone Oak, Rio was beginning to crack under the pressure.

Rio's hand wrapped around another pokeball in his pocket, and he pulled it out, prepping to throw it. His wild eyes glanced over at the tree and his heart sank when none of the Pokemon came out of it's stump. His fingers tightened, and his heart roared in his ears, even louder than the thunder outside. He was beginning to feel the rain sting against his skin. He was tired, and he was done. The tightening grip around his pokeball withered, and the capsule fell to the ground with a click. The Pokemon remained inside. "You're right." The tree went silent, and it seemed as though the air grew thick and tight. 

"The way Turret interacts with you... he respects you. And you respect him. And I... I wanted respect, and yet I... I didn't give it where it was due. And yet, Weedle gave everything for me even though he knew he probably wasn't going to beat your Squirtle. My pride... it got the better of me. It's not about being strong, you're right." He sunk down and picked up the lone Pokeball. "I know for a fact this Pokemon would have given you a hard time... but it's not what this was about. This was me being.. reckless." The words were definitely hard to say, and relatively painful ontop of the lovely storm they were having. "I can't take back the things I said earlier, and i'm sorry. Thank you for showing me what a real trainer should act like." Rio hung his head and closed his eyes.

"I don't have much, but I do have this." Digging into another Pocket, Rio produced a small pouch. "Don't open it here, it's powder. Use it for Bug Pokemon and it augments their strength. I need to augment mine the old fashioned way, with training and respect. You can have it." Rio passed the powder to Damien, careful to not get it wet. "And this. My Weedle found it. I was using it to help with his Poison Sting, but you can keep it." The barb seemed to shine purple in the quick illumination of a lightning bolt.

 

"We should get going now." The Pokemon in the tree watched him leave, although a few poked their heads out as he retreated. Perhaps, if Rio came back outside of the storm, he might've made a few friends... With Rio out of sight, it was probably best to get out of this storm, but Damien's course of action was his own. A quick glance at the sky gave no indication of when the storm would pass, but with the lightning and thunder claps getting closer and closer together, the storm was almost upon him. Hopefully his hide and seek was worth it. At least Rio would make it home before getting soaked (even more so).


Damien received:
1x Poison Barb
1x Silver Powder

(Thread UN-Hijacked by Tyger. Hopefully Hide and Seek was worth it!)

[Lamont]

((Should play again sometime ;D))

Turret was on a the carpet of victory, the squirtle proud of his quick reaction to the late call from his trainer. As much as he wanted to celebrate though the underlying atmosphere put a damper on the tiny turtle's victory 'squirtle'; instead keeping the pats on the back as proverbial. The other trainer looked rather exhausted but tried to continue playing up his fire, Damien lightly biting his lip in hope there wouldn't be anymore. And there wasn't.

Rio dropped the next pokéball he was prepping to send out to the field and admitted his folly. Turret relaxed, frowning, and turned to his trainer with a sad mumble rumbling from his lips.
"Good job, Turret," Damien practically whispered to his partner. The ranger recalled the squirtle and stepped closer to the bug catcher as the young boy spilled everything out with pained words. He listened quietly, the faintest of smiles on his face; a proud smile. It was tough but Rio was managing it and Damien hoped, no knew, the young lad would be a better trainer because of it.

"Can't become a great trainer without making a few mistakes, Rio. Don't worry too much about it," assured Damien after the bug catcher apologized. The boy then started digging through a pocket with mention of giving Damien something in return. He really didn't need anything for it, and was about to protest when the covered powder was revealed. With the rain pelting at the pair the act of refusing any sort of reward from the boy would be rather inconsiderate taking into account the danger of having the fine dry powder exposed.

After the poison point was carefully passed into Damien's hands he expressed his gratitude with a simple word of thanks while gingerly packing away the two items. Then it was time to depart to a warmer place, the sparking lightning in the background being an obnoxious reminder on top of the water falling from the sky. The big brother was about to offer an escort back to New Bark Town as Rio turned to leave but Damien stopped himself. Rio could take care of himself, this was his home turf, and with how he was might consider the offer an insult. So instead the soaked ranger bid the young trainer a safe return back home and set off in a near parallel to the boy enroute back out of the trees to the path he knew a bit better between Cherrygrove and New Bark.

His choice of path back wasn't the fastest to get to the next town. He wanted to be at least somewhat in the vicinity should he hear anything from Rio. Luckily it was all quiet; save for mother nature of course. With the adrenaline leaving his system the bite of cold became more of a bother requiring Damien to pick up the pace a bit in order to keep his mind off of it and get his body working up some heat. Hopefully he'd hit the cleared route soon so he'd have an easier time of finding his way to Cheerygrove. Being lost in the woods would be rather silly, and he thought he had done well in keeping track of his headings as he searched through the forest... but when everything looked relatively the same and the sky was dark with angry clouds... and he didn't exactly have the best sense of direction to begin with...

No he would be fine. At worst he now had Cyrus, who he could ask to look above the tree tops for the direction to town or perhaps spot a cave or something to take shelter in. It wouldn't be ideal but would work. He wasn't a very good ranger compared to those who spent as much time as he did in the wilds but he knew how to make a fire. All these thoughts troubled his mind as he weaved his way presumably back to route 29.

[Tyger]

With all of the turmoil happening in the sky, it was sending the Pokemon of Route 29 (as evidence by the Pokemon all huddled in the Great Oak for a truce of sorts) into panic as well. The grass wasn't safe, so many creatures were sent searching for shelter in the forest, or at least to the forest for a bit more headcover with nothing else to do but wait for the storm to pass. Even with the high winds, the flying types were able to scrabble up to a safe treetop nook and hide there. Creatures of the ground managed to find old dens and warrens to hide in, while others took shelters in trees. Some Pokemon, however, were not so fortunate.

As Spinda attempted to find shelter, each step towards somewhere safe ended up stumbling back towards the Route path instead. Whenever Spinda attempted to concentrate, it managed to go in the complete opposite direction. But when Spinda tried to reverse it, and walk towards the path to try and stumble in reverse to make it to shelter, Spinda had no problem walking forwards towards the path. It's curse of drunkenly stumbling everywhere was going to be the death of it, it seemed. As time pressed on, it got harder and harder to walk and stumble around being as waterlogged and soaked as the stumbling bear was.

Spinda paused, and sat as still as possible as it tried to figure out this puzzle. If it took a step towards the route, it would take a step towards the route. But if it took a step towards the shelter, it would take a step towards the route. What about to the sides? As it sat still, a long figure in the middle of Route 29 amidst the thunder and lightning, it was far too focused on its thoughts to notice the trainer that had managed to find his way back to Route 29. 



Wild Spinda (Level 5) is struggling on Route 29's puzzle level!
Will you [Fight] or [Flee]?

[Lamont]

A wash of relief flooded through him as he breached the treeline and entered back into the relatively open route 29. A particularly hard breath flew from his mouth, a mix of a pant and a sigh as he continued hurrying along to Cherrygrove; albeit less frantically. It was nice, mentally, to be out from under the trees but it did leave him more open to the elements. The wind had gotten much worse making this simply a dreadful experience. The trainer stuck close to the trees to get what minor protection the natural behemoths would provide while pulling up his jacket and securing his hat in order to keep his face somewhat protected from the whipping rains.

There was a ledge up ahead blocking his way and forcing a turn, leading Damien near the middle of the route as he adjusted course to find a much nicer ascent to continue to town. With the spinda sitting relatively still in comparison to stumbling around in the tall grass Damien hadn't noticed the poor thing until it he was practically upon it. The slight rustling of the tall green flutes were disguised with the waves of wind brushing along the route, the small break where Spinda sat coming up seemingly out of nowhere. Damien gasped, bordering a yelp, when his foot came down right beside the little white and pink bear.

The startle threw off the trainer's gait and try as he might to recover the slick grasses took advantage of the misplaced weight and Damien found himself on the ground. For a few moments the boy was just as dizzy as the struggling wild pokémon a foot away; likely just as spooked as he had been. His heart was pounding in his chest. He coughed.

His throat felt strangely dry despite the abundance of liquid and the first attempts at words as he pushed himself into a crawling position were quiet and raspy. Damien cleared his throat and tried again.
"Are you okay? I didn't see you there..." Rain started streaming off of his hat in front of his face as he stared at the spinda trying to figure out if it was angered or hurt. He remained as motionless as possible, hoping this wasn't the kind of pokémon that took eye contact as a challenge. Though, with the looks of this one, he had his doubts.

[Tyger]

Spinda turned, shocked and startled at the sound of Damien's voice, and merely stared. It's eyes blinked a few times before they focused in on Damien and the pokeballs he had on him. He was a trainer, and trainers caught wild Pokemon, right? Although Spinda hadn't been caught yet, it had heard the stories from wild and caught Pokemon alike. They were merely minding their own business, some might have even been in the middle of a horrific storm such as this, and WHAM! Pokemon battle. Damien made no gestures or moves towards his Pokemon. In fact, Damien stood perfectly still.

Breathing a visible sigh of relief, Spinda slowly took a step towards the den. Fear put it's dizzy mind straight, and soon enough the dizzy bear was safe inside a little den. Spinda was safe from the rain, but now Damien was still stuck in it alone. Sharp eyes from a treetop watched Damien along the route, and it's pupils were thin slits of judgement. Water dripped down it's beak as it peered curiously before shaking it's head in anger.

What a weak trainer! Letting that scared, worthless Spinda go like that.... Pidgey watched with distaste as Damien let the bear go. Ruffling it's wings and catching a quick gust, Pidgey glided down to the ground, clicking it's beak and thrashing it's wings around angrily. Weak trainers like this made Pidgey sick to it's stomach. Most of these trainers ran around with their powerful Pokemon and curbstomped the Pokemon of the first route. But this one had a soft side, and Pidgey had to let the trainer know it was going to be his downfall eventually. It was fight or fainted in the Pokemon world, and Pidgey was gonna sit at the top of it one day.




Wild Pidgey (Level 5) thinks it's kill or be killed time for a battle!
Will you [Fight] or [Flee]?

[Lamont]

This was turning out to be quite the day. But he hadn't expected any less adventure when he made up his mind about becoming a trainer. The dizzy little bear overcame its worried feelings and stumbled its way out of sight. Damien took in a large breath of air, feeling the pressure in his lungs before slowly releasing it back into the water stricken atmosphere. He stood, arms a bit pained from the fall but otherwise fine. He was lucky he didn't sprain anything.

As he turned to resume his travel to Cherrygrove he caught the glimmer of tan feathers in a nearby tree reflecting the spark of distant lightning flashing across the sky. At first the ranger was going to ignore it and get along his way, but there was something harsh and dangerous in the bird's stare. It sent a shiver down his spine.

Out of a hunch he reached for his belt with the two active pokéballs nestled in place and gave a better look at his onlooker. Its feathers were rustled, the thick strands above its eyes giving the appearance of a dark glare from the wild pidgey. Damien grabbed Cyrus' pokéball and called for the new addition of his team, tossing the ball up to release his avian friend, of who shivered a little as it reentered the rain.

Perhaps the trainer hadn't thought his plan all the way through. Initially he was thinking it would be good to have a friendly keep the angry pidgey at bay. But in reality what he had probably just done was shown the wild pidgey a threat. Or rather, unknown to Damien, an easy and weaker target. Damien bit the inside of his lip as the battle launched.
"Cyrus!" he began, rapidly trying to think of what move his pidgey would have. "Tackle them!" The trainer indicated the angered pidgey bearing down on their position.

[Morrigan]

With leering, beady eyes, the Pidgey was shown that this trainer, or more rather Ranger, had some form of a back bone. Accepting the challenge of the wild bird, the avian fluffed up it's feathers, ready to intimidate whatever Pokemon he had chosen to throw at it. Thinking that if he had allowed the stupid looking Spinda to flee due to his lack of experience, that his Pokemon would be equally as poor in terms of quality, what Damien had actually chosen caused the bird to freeze for a moment. Feeling the droplets of rain run across it's body and down it's beak, the bird wasn't sure on how to react. Now standing right in front of the wild creature was yet another Pidgey. Was this the trainer's way of mocking his opponent? Was he really that certain that such a young and naive looking Pidgey could defeat itself? A bird with far more experience which had managed to defeat and chase the local, youngster trainers away?

Now it not only held distaste for the trainer but also felt insulted. Using a Pokemon of the same species as his opponent only spelt territory and show-of-strength wars and this Pidgey was certainly going to put Cyrus in his place. Prepared to use any trick in the book to prove that it was an avian not to be messed with, the bird parted it's wings and took off, aiming straight for Cyrus with superior speed. In a low swoop, the wild bird dug it's wing into the ground and in a circular motion, sent a wave of dirt and dust hurtling towards the unsuspecting Pidgey. Hit right in the face, Cyrus recoiled his body, flinched his eyes and for a moment looked incredibly uncomfortable.

During this time, the wild Pidgey had landed back onto the ground, a very slight smirk curling from the corner of it's beak. But Damien and his friends weren't completely weak and held a few surprises of their own. Soon enough, Cyrus lifted his head and stared forward with clean eyes. With the help of the rain and his Keen Eye ability, the bird was able to see clearly through the flicks of dust and dirt, regardless. Stammering back, the wild Pidgey glared venomously, once again it had been caught off guard. With the urge to fight back, Cyrus reacted upon his trainer's order and lunged forward through the dire weather, landing a tackle attack against the grounded Pidgey. Beak clicking angrily as it flew back after the impact, the wild avian felt the need to get a bit more physical itself and next round, might very well teach this chick a true tackle.

---

Pidgey: | Level 5 |
Health: 70% (14/20 HP)
Status: Normal
Pidgey used Sand Attack! Ineffective!

VS

Cyrus: | Level 3 |
Health: 100% (16/16 HP)
Status: Normal
Cyrus used Tackle!

[Lamont]

Something had this wild pidgey all fired up, and Damien wasn't helping it settle down. There wasn't anywhere else to go though, and this angered bird could just give chase if the trainer decided to try and get around it. Should that ever be his plan though the rain might actually be his saving grace; it would make flying hard for the bird. But these were not of any high priority in the trainer's mind. He watched Cyrus engulfed in the muddy sands thrown at him but come out unaffected, returning with the tackle as Damien had commanded.

"Good job Cyrus, keep that up!" he called out with a bit of a shiver in his voice. His young little feathered friend didn't have many other options than to continue with the tackle attacks. While there was definite hope that his new ally would come out on top of this all on his own, the wild one was without a doubt stronger and faster. Damien paid close attention to Cyrus so he'd know when to switch him out for Turret.

For now, though, Cyrus was holding his own. But once his opponent switched from ineffective status alterations to simple attacks this was likely going to turn table.

[Deleted]

Although Pidgey was still furious that Sand Attack had completely failed it was sure it was due to a fluke and nothing more. It had been a while since it had tried to pull off Sand Attack in the rain so it was hoping the lack of practicing the trick in such conditions was to blame. The wild Pidgey could try and tackle the bird but after giving it some thought that would make things way too easy and besides the insult of Damien using one of it's own kind deserved to suffer a prolonged punishment instead of a quick one. A Tackle would be far too kind in such a case as this and so Pidgey wanted to try Sand Attack again.

The wild flying type leaped into the air and flapped it's wings aiming for a pile of dirt to blind Cyrus but just like before the attack was worthless. He was able to leap out of the way avoiding every attempt by the wild Pidgey to blind him and after a few minutes the bird gave up in shame. Realizing the attack was never going to work it was going to make Cyrus pay the next round for sure but first it needed to rest it's weary wings. Cyrus was quick to notice this opening and he made every attempt to make his attack count as he could feel the angry vibes coming from his wild cousin. He charged ahead and tackled Pidgey to the best of his ability before walking back over to Damien.

With it's wings rested and only slightly shaken up by Cyrus the wild Pidgey gazed upon Cyrus with eagle eyes ready to strike. It had grown sick of wasting time and energy and this next round there would be nothing Cyrus could do to talk himself out of a real tackle.

---

Pokemon Battle

Pidgey|level 5|
HP: 10/20 (50%)
Status: Normal
Used Sand Attack ( No Effect)
Why does that not work?

VS

Damien's Cyrus|level 3|
HP: 16/16 (100%)
Status: Normal
Used Tackle
What did you just do?