Here Begins the Journey [F]

[Noerd]

Marshall stepped out of New Bark Town's Pokémon Laboratory and took one sniff of the cold air before a smile broke out on his face. "Finally," he thought to himself, "My first Pokémon... I can finally start training!" He pulled out a lone Pokéball from his belt and threw it up into the air. In a flash of white light, his new companion appeared in front of him. The turquoise dinosaur-like Pokémon sat on the floor and tilted his head up at his new owner, seemingly confused as to why he had been summoned. "OK, little guy... er... I'm gonna name you Hercule, I guess..." Marshall quickly blurted out, realising he hadn't even named his Bulbasaur yet. "So, Hercule, our journey begins now. We're gonna beat the Elite Four in record time, you hear me?" The Bulbasaur looked up at his trainer, having no idea what an 'Elite Four' was. "DO YOU HEAR ME?" Marshall repeated loudly. Startled, Hercule rose to his feet and gave an excited yet slightly scared "BULBA!" "Alright then, follow me, troop!" Marshall cried, and he walked off toward Route 29 with his confused yet enthused partner.

As the twosome stepped out onto Route 29, it finally seemed to dawn on Marshall just how bad the weather was. "God, it's cold... OW!" A hailstone struck the young man square on the top of his head, and he looked up at the sky. "Jeez, it's gonna hail is it? That sucks..." he muttered, unimpressed with his first few steps into the wilderness. Hercule followed behind, thoroughly disapproving of the conditions. He gave a tired sigh and looked up at his trainer with the best puppy-dog eyes he could muster. Marshall looked down at his Bulbasaur and shook his head. "Come on, dude... if I can brave this, so can you. It's just a little cold, that's a- OW! OK, so there's a bit of hail, too... but if you're gonna be my first Pokémon, you have to be every bit as brave as I am. So come on, Hercule, let's go catch some new Pokémon!" Amazingly, the Bulbasaur seemed to respond to this and ran off toward the nearest patch of tall grass, not letting the occasional hailstone bother it. Marshall screamed with delight at his partner's newfound enthusiasm and chased after him. That's it, Hercule, let's go!" he cried as the pair searched for their first wild encounter.

[Tyger]

The frosty mornings meant slim pickings for the wild Pokemon on the routes surrounding New Bark. Despite the season of Summer, the morning was proving to be a chilly one, riddled with hail. It was still nippy enough to bite at the skin and send a shiver down a spine or two. As the seasons neared fall, it became clearer and clearer that it would be quite the cold one indeed, if this strange Summer had any indication. Hail balls had been littered across the ground with each wave of the storm, making quite the crunch when stepped on. Crunching through the frosty grasses held no stealth; it was almost impossible to trample through this quietly. Which, of course, is why Spearow was so irate.

It was hard enough scrounging about for food in the early mornings without having to endure the loud, crunching footsteps of those passing through the route from the little town. It was almost unbearable. At this point, Spearow had given up on sleep. The nightlife was dominated by the occasional straggling trainer, and the nocturnal Pokemon. And, of course, during the day, trainers shouting and trekking through the route such as Marshall kept it up as well. Completely fed up with it, Spearow poked it's head out of the tree it resided in and peered down angrily at the passing trainer.

"Spear! Row!"

It shrieked, ruffling it's feathers before spreading it's wings to glide down to the ground in front of Marshall. As soon as it's claws hit the grass, a shudder went through the Pokemon, and it preened a cold wing for a moment before shooting a toxic glare at the trainer. It appeared as though nothing would change this Pokemon's mind; it wanted a battle, and now. Winner take all, despite the impending hail storm.




Wild Spearow (Level 4) is angry!
[Fight] or [Flee]

[Noerd]

As Marshall and his partner Pokémon wandered through the grass of Route 29, the young Trainer could've sworn he heard movement. He looked around a little nervously before pulling the hood of his jacket up over his head and continuing his search. "Come on out... here little Pokémon..." he called out, trying every technique he could think of to shorten his search. Hercule looked back at his Trainer and sighed, shaking his head. "No luck yet, huh? I thought this place was supposed to be filled with wild Pokémon," Marshall whined, yet to realise that the weather was playing its part in sabotaging his search.

Just as he finished this sentence, however, Marshall heard the Spearow calling down at him and his heart seemed to skip a beat. Turning toward a nearby tree, he saw the brown bird-like Pokémon and his face broke out into a wide smile. "HERCULE! LOOK! WE FOUND ONE!" he cried, which only seemed to disturb the little bundle of fury even more. As it descended from its tree dwelling, Marshall's facial expression changed to one of mild concern. "Wow, what's up with it? It seems mad." the Trainer asked no-one in particular, finally catching on to the small critter's anger. Once it had glared at Marshall, that was that. Marshall was determined to catch this Pokémon. It seemed to have spirit.

Marshall turned to his Grass type companion, no worries entering his mind at all as he pondered his first move. Finally recalling the moves his Bulbasaur actually knew, he cried out his first command. "Hercule, let's show this thing what we're made of! Give 'em a Tackle!" The Bulbasaur gave an obliging nod and charged into combat.

[Tiki]

After seeing the Spearow, and finally figuring out that this was a battle, Marshall had sent forth his Bulbasuar to battle this opponent. Listening to the human's order, the courageous Bulbasaur charged forward, kicking up dirt as he ran forward. When he got close, he leaped and slammed the cawing Spearow hard, pushing the Spearow a little backward. The flying type, seizing this opportunity of the two Pokemon's proximity, hopped forward and returned with a peck attack. The sharp beaks poked the grass type Pokemon and made him yelped in pain, as it was quite an effective move. Hercules dashed away to keep his distance, until Marshall had ordered the next move or do whatever he wanted next. One thing was for sure, this brown feather opponent won't be playing nice.

---

Wild Spearow- Level 4
13/18
Used Peck!

Marshall's Hercules
13/21
Used Tackle!

[Noerd]

[Slight nitpick, but it's Hercule. Frenchy name rather than Greek. But ta, Tiki, looks good.]

Marshall looked on as his first battle got underway. He was still unsure exactly what he was facing off against, but it appeared to be a Flying type. He knew those would be useful in a battle to earn his beloved Fighting Pokémon, and the prospect of catching this foe pumped him up. What got him even more excited was seeing his new servant throwing his entire weight at the opponent on command. Hercule looked rather proud of his first attack for the new master, but this lasted all of five seconds as the mystery bird retaliated with a strong Peck to the Grass type's noggin. Hercule gave a disapproving grunt and shook his head, looking back at his trainer and waiting for a command. But Marshall seemed a little distracted by the events unfolding in front of him.

This battle was proving to be even more exciting than any Marshall had watched up until now. He cast his mind back to the days back in Cianwood City, watching trainers duke it out from the sidelines. He had been right up close to the action once or twice, and he always thought that the feeling he got there was the greatest thrill he'd ever get in his life. How wrong he was. Now that he was in the action himself and the result actually mattered to him, he was really getting into the match. His voice wavered a little as he started to call out an order. Marshall called out to Hercule, wondering what to do next even as he spoke. Just then, out of seemingly nowhere, the words of his idol started to ring in his ears. Marshall started to echo these words, trying to inspire himself with the genius of the Fighting leader he so admired.

"This is getting interesting! I like your spirit, young one! But we're stronger, of course!" With that, Marshall gave a hearty laugh before sighing contentedly. He paused for one moment and pulled out a Pokédex from his backpack, aiming it at the adversary in front of him. The 'Dex informed him that this one was a "Spearow". After giving one last thought to his next move, Marshall returned his attention to his Bulbasaur. "OK, Hercule, let's do this! Give that Spearow another Tackle!"

[Blazey]

Hercule quickly responded after hearing a command from it's new trainer. It began to run at the Spearow who tried it's very best to get away but sadly Hercule was too quick. Hercule smiled as they hit the Spearow causing them to go back a bit. This didn't make the Spearow happy and used the opportunity of Hercule being close to get in some more pecks. Hercule tried to get away but it wasn't until they jumped back did the Spearow stop. Hercule slowly walked backwards towards it's trainer breathing heavily due to those last pecks doing a good amount of damage. However the Tackle was not in vein and the Spearow stood there breathing heavily as well. This was a close battle and would be a good place to either catch the pokemon or finish it off.

Battle

---

Wild Spearow | Level | 4
Health : 6/18 33%
Status : Normal
Spearow used Peck!

VS

Marshall's Hercule | Level | 5
Health : 3/21 14%
Status : Normal
Hercule used Tackle!
Critical Hit!

---

Weather Status:??

---

[Noerd]

Watching on as the battle started to reach a conclusion, Marshall's hand wavered over an empty Pokéball he was keeping on his belt. He knew that now was the time to keep a close eye on his opponent’s condition, but he was worried he’d misjudge it and try to catch too early. While he fretted over the best time to make his catch, his Bulbasaur was battling on and completely oblivious to his trainer’s problems. Hercule threw himself at the Spearow once more, which was the cue for the Flying type to retaliate with yet more pecking. Hercule’s cries of pain seemed to be the trigger for Marshall to snap back into reality.
“Ah, Hercule!” He called out, pulling out the empty Pokéball from his belt and taking an audible gulp. “Stand back, I’m gonna catch this guy now!” He took a deep breath, pulling his arm backward and eyeing up the Spearow. A second or so later, he let the ball fly at its target, clenching his fist tightly and watching. “Come on…” he muttered under his breath. He hadn’t really considered catching much outside of Fighting Pokémon until now, but the battle had got him so riled up that he was now rather determined to get his next Pokémon at the end of it.

[Marshall uses one Pokéball.]

[Tyger]

A trainer's first battle always stirred up a plethora of emotions, especially if it was a close match. Hercule was doing a fantastic job of keeping the Spearow at bay, even with the painful Peck attacks draining his HP. The Bulbasaur, paired with such an enthusiastic trainer like Marshall, seemed to be thriving in these battle conditions. The pep talk as they began on Route 29 probably seemed to help. Spearow had been a good opponent, and a tough one at that, but Marshall had plans to finish this battle with an alternative ending. Spearow had given them such a hard time and a good battle, it wouldn't be wise of him to pass up the opportunity to keep the hardy bird. 

Hercule had skidded to a stop, avoiding any more damage on the enemy Spearow, and in turn, avoid any retaliation being that close to the enemy. His trainer had an empty Pokeball in his hand, so the Bulbasaur stepped aside to let the trainer have his way. Although Hercule was ready to battle, the adrenaline was beginning to fade having sat still for a few moments. The battle was beginning to take it's toll and fatigue began to pull at his limbs. The Bulb on his back was so heavy... Hercule enjoyed the little rest. Although, if Spearow broke out of the ball... it would probably faint Hercule. The Bulbasaur put the rest of his faith in his trainer and watched the Pokeball soar towards the Spearow.

As irate as the Spearow had started with the battle, the bird had to give credit where credit was due. This battle had been fun for the bird in some ways, but all fun disappeared as soon as the battle was halted for the Pokeball. It soared through the air and plinked against it's feathered wing. In a flash of bright light, Spearow was sucked into the capsule without so much as a second squawk. Inside the Pokeball it began hitting the walls, flailing, and flapping it's wings. The ball began to shake with the bird's efforts. What happened if it couldn't escape? Would it be stuck with this trainer forever? Would this trainer give it good battles like this and take care of it? Spearow didn't know, all it could do was fight...

The ball shakes!



Once!


Twice!


Thrice!


....


*TING*

---

Congratulations! Wild Spearow has been captured! (-1 Pokeball, updated)
Please fill out the form for your new teammate.


[img]http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/emerald/spearow.png[/img]
[b]Spearow[/b]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 4
Attacks: Peck, Growl
Ability: Keen Eye
Nature/Personality: [choose]




Hercule put up a great first fight! Hercule gained +2 levels, and is now level 7!
Hercule learned Leech Seed!

(Good job! You can update your Spearow to your profile when you know what you wish to do with it. <3)

[Noerd]

As the ball wriggled back and forth, Marshall’s entire body stood completely still, his heart pounding faster still with each passing second. He wasn’t usually one for nerves, but recent events had really given him his first sense of self-doubt since back in primary school. He barely noticed the hail pelting down on him, watching with intent as he practically begged the Pokéball to stop moving. After a few painful seconds, the large orb stopped shivering and PING-ed. With that, Marshall’s concentrated expression slowly turned into a beaming smile, and he ran over to pick up his new companion.

“YES! OH MY GOD, I DID IT!” he yelled, before noticing Hercule. The Bulbasaur looked a little hurt at his Trainer’s comment, after the shift he’d put in himself. “Oh, er, I mean WE did it, right?” Marshall corrected, before quickly continuing, “Of course, it’s not like I was worried… you’ve got me as a Trainer, Hercule. Of course we were gonna catch this thing. Now… a name…” Marshall thought long and hard about this next decision, knowing it’d be an important one for his first catch as a Trainer. Once he’d decided, he threw the ball up into the air. The Spearow flew out, landing beside his new trainer. The bird scowled up at Marshall as he realised how cold it still was. “Hey there, pal. I’m gonna call you Darius. Welcome aboard!” The newly named Spearow scoffed at his trainer’s apparent refusal to acknowledge the uncomfortable conditions. After his sulking, though, he nodded in reply. Marshall quickly recalled Darius before proceeding with his search for yet more battles, his usual confidence returning rather quickly thanks to his very first capture.

[Spearow details to follow:]

[img]http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/emerald/spearow.png[/img]
[b]Spearow[/b]
Name: Darius
Gender: Male
Level: 4
Attacks: Peck, Growl
Ability: Keen Eye
Nature/Personality: Aggressive and irritable; to be fleshed out later.

[Trick]

With a new friend in tow the trainers journey continued without a hitch, the long grass was swaying in the breeze and with each step the sound of scurrying feet can be heard. It wasn't too long till yet another Pokemon decided to cross paths with Marshal. A small Wurmple was crawling down from a tree and into the long grass, it had just had a really bad day. First a Pidgey and a Spearow ganged up on it hopping to get an easy meal, next a sleepy Sentret thought they where some fruit and tried to bite right into them. Not to even mention the Rattata that tried to fight them over their nesting grounds. Like really it was as if the world was out to get them today. Heck if some Pokemon was to even look at him the wrong way today he would probably faint them without even a second thought.

Scuttering across the ground trying to cross the long grass to another tree across the way it realized what was by it. A stupid trainer and their equally stupid Pokemon in its way. This was their life after all no wonder something else had to come ruin its day for them. Jumping back a bit the Pokemon decided to stay true to its word, they were gonna faint the next Pokemon that looked at them the wrong way. This was close enough.

A wild Wurmple (Level 5) has appeared!
Please select a Pokemon and Attack or Flee

[Noerd]

Marshall continued to search through Route 29, gently kicking through the grass as he tried to find wild Pokémon to face off against with the newest addition to his squad. He even wandered up to random people, hoping one of them would battle him. None of them seemed to be Trainers so far. Once he’d been rejected for the third time, Marshall lost his cool. ”DANG IT! NO TRAINERS AROUND, AND NO POKÉMON? This… it’s all that hailstorm’s fault. It musta scared everyone off! Right, Hercule? HERCULE?!” The last exclamation came after the young Trainer realised his faithful companion was nowhere to be seen. After a moment’s panic, Marshall suddenly recalled that he’d put his Bulbasaur back in its ball. He sighed and shook his head before continuing. ”I’m gonna find me a battle, and nothin’s gonna stop me…” he muttered, and just as he finished it seemed that his luck had changed.

”THERE YOU ARE!” Marshall yelled, pointing at a small larval Pokémon. The Wurmple seemed to have noticed him first, however, and was already seemingly prepared for battle. Quite the courageous little Bug type, one would have to admit. But that one wouldn’t be Marshall, who already looked a little disappointed. ”But… it’s… it looks kinda weak. Ah well, a battle’s a battle! Time to see what ya’ve got, Darius!” With that last utterance, Marshall lofted a Pokéball into the air, which released his new Spearow in a brilliant flash of light. The Spearow looked back at his new owner, eager to discover just how strong this human was and whether he’d be willing to follow its orders. Marshall addressed Darius again, pointing at the Wurmple. ”OK, Darius, this is your first test. Go ahead and Peck that thing!” he called out, not even stopping to learn the Pokémon’s name.

[Tyger]

That hadn't taken long to find the newest opponent for Marshall and his duo of Pokemon. Even shorter for him to use Darius, the newest recruit to the Pokemon team. Having been bested in battle, Darius was prepared for another shot with the leadership of his trainer at the helm instead. Wurmple were easy pickings for the bird, and having been a native of the route for quite some time, the bird seemed rather confident in it's abilities. Marshall seemed rather eager as well, so the battle began without any awkward stare downs or stuttering. Some new trainers weren't sure who moved first, so Wurmple had to joy of beginning to inch forward without any metaphorical roadblocks. 

Despite the type advantage that the Spearow had, Wurmple still seemed ripped, roaring, and ready to go. Marshall had taken note of the bugs courage, but seemed a bit put off by the bug's power, specifically the lack of. Fuming, Wurmple used it to fuel it's attacks. After all, with many Bug Pokemon being feared aesthetically and looked down upon with every other aspect, Wurmple had a bit to prove. Launching itself towards Darius, Wurmple let out a squeaky battle cry, attempting to move first.

Darius had the sky to his advantage as he opened his wings and took to the air to avoid an attack. Wurmple was inching forward with decent speed, but the birds would always be faster. Ready to execute a well-aimed peck, Darius tucked his wings to his side and slammed his beak into the Wurmple's body. It hurt, gosh did it hurt Wurmple, but the bug didn't falter and instead used the close distance to tackle the bird back down to the ground. Shocked, Darius ruffled his feathers back into place and picked himself up off the dirt. Well, that wasn't exactly planned but at least both attacks hit, with Wurmple looking slightly more worse for wear.

Wild Wurmple - Level |5|

Health: 11/21

Current Status: Not quite what I had in mind...
Successful Tackle!

Marshall's Darius - Level |4|

Health: 11/18

Current Status: ZING
Successful Peck!

[Noerd]

Marshall beamed with pride as his new Spearow began the battle, already exhibiting the same traits that had encouraged the young trainer to make the capture in the first place. His second ever battle was already feeling much more relaxing, and the orders came a lot more naturally. It finally felt as if he was in control of the battle, which was a rather calming thought. Seeing the Wurmple reel in response to a ferocious Peck from Darius only served to further please Marshall and he squealed in delight. “Alright, nice job Darius! I knew you were gonna be strong!” the trainer called out, affording himself a small fist-pump just before Wurmple retaliated. The Tackle seemed a lot stronger than Marshall was anticipating, to be fair, but it didn’t seem to change his mind on the Pokémon all that much. “Huh, so it’s got a little bite to it after all…” he muttered, reaching to stroke his chin as he considered what to do next.

Marshall was relatively familiar with Flying type Pokémon, having learned just how much of an advantage they tended to have over Fighting types. In the past, he’d spent a lot of time trying to learn as much about their strengths and weaknesses as he could in order to beat them. He was well aware of Darius’s type advantage here, and had finally realised what a risk it had been to try to catch it with his Bulbasaur instead of waiting a bit and finding something else to catch first. He sighed, reminding himself that Hercule had been more than strong enough to overcome that matchup anyway before returning his attention to the battle at hand. He ran his mind over Darius’s available moves. Peck and Growl: Not exactly the hardest choice for him to make, having seen the impact one Peck had made. Marshall called out to Darius once more, his voice now brimming with confidence. “Darius, go give that worm another Peck!”

[Morrigan]

The Wurmple was a bit of a fighter, even when faced with a frightening looking bird such as the Spearow. But it didn't really matter how much determination the little bug had if it didn't have the energy to show it. Darius was quick and had a sharp beak, one that was able to peck away at the soft body of the Wurmple with ease. The type disadvantage was a bit of a problem but after the tackle attack, the wriggling bug hoped it had put the rugged feather bird back in it's place. Yellow horns across it's body flowing with painful poisons, if Darius was not careful, he could fall victim to a poke or two of his own. Landing on the ground, the Spearow dug his talons into the earth, awaiting his next command. The irritable avian was ready to go with his next order and this time, he was certain that it would be enough to knock the Wurmple out. Wings rearing to go, upon Marshall's command, the Spearow took to the skies once again with a frantic flap.

Narrowing it's eyes, the Wurmple watched closely, this time. Following the path of the Spearow as he soared through the sky, the Wurmple prepared some poison, ready to fire at will once Darius became close enough. Yet as the bird began his descent, Darius proved that he was not only strong and determined but also speedy. The Wurmple had begun to fire poison stings but the Spearow dodged them effortlessly. Swooping in close enough to the lone bug, he pulled back his head before unleashing a flurry of pecking motions until the Wurmple slumped to one side. Utterly defeated, the Wurmple had tried it's best but now it had fainted, meaning that Marshall and Darius were the victors this time.

---

Wurmple: | Level 5 |
Health: 0% (0/21 HP)
Status: Normal
Wurmple fainted...

VS

Darius: | Level 4 |
Health: 61% (11/18 HP)
Status: Normal
Darius used Peck!

---

Congratulations!
The wild Wurmple was defeated!


Darius gained 3 levels and grew to Level 7!
Darius learnt Leer!

The wild Wurmple can be captured;

[img src="http://pldh.net/media/pokemon/gen5/blackwhite/265.png" alt=" "]
[b]Wurmple[/b]
Name:
Gender:
Level: 5
Attacks: Tackle, String Shot, Poison Sting
Ability: Shield Dust
Nature/Personality:

[Noerd]

As Darius’s ferocious Peck attack connected with the poor Wurmple, and it fell unconscious, a feeling of slight disappointment came across Marshall’s face. “Wow… is that all? I mean, I knew it was a bug… but still…” He sighed and pulled out Darius’s Pokéball. “Good job, Darius. You’re awesome, alright. Take a rest, pal.” He wandered over to the Wurmple and looked at it rather carefully, wondering whether he should take it with him. “Y’know, you DID have guts to come up and fight us… fight a Flying type, for that matter… I guess I can respect that. Good luck… er…” Marshall pulled out his trusted Pokédex to check the name of his newly defeated opponent. “Good luck, Wurmple. But you can’t come with us. You’re just not strong enough for me.” He sighed and left the Bug type for dead, walking across the Route and in the vague direction of Cherrygrove City.

As Marshall wandered toward the next real piece of civilisation, he looked down at his belt and smirked. He’d already come quite far, with two awesome Pokémon by his side. With these guys, he knew catching his first Fighting type would be easy. But for now, he just had to carry on with his journey. After all, he wasn’t going to find what he was after by fighting Wurmple and Rattata, was he? He continued his search for interesting battles, asking around for tough trainers and rooting through the tall grass. Though it was apparent that the recent weather conditions were still deterring potential opponents from coming out into the open, he was determined to get one last battle before Cherrygrove, which looked ever closer with each step.

[Requesting Silver encounter, please.]