The Tale of the Hero Begins! [F]

[Noerd]

Marshall stepped out of the Pokémon Centre with a new look, summer clothes for the hot weather, and a pensive look on his face. While he had just deposited the Azurill he got in his box, he was still trying to work out if he should keep it with him for now. After all, he only had three Pokémon in his party and he knew he could carry up to six. Was it worth carrying something he wasn’t ever really going to use? He debated this for some time as he wandered out in the open. He looked down at his new Running Shoes and smirked. He’d forgotten he was wearing these while dealing with those Houndour. Perhaps it was time to take them for a real test drive. He took a deep breath before running out towards Route 30. He hadn’t gotten far, however, before his phone buzzed again. He came to a quick stop and sighed, pulling out the small device and prodding it with his thumbs. Another text from his mother asking if he liked the gift. He sent back a quick reply.

Yeah mom hes awesome. Already real strong thanks to my training.

There hadn’t been any explanation of where the gift had come from, yet again, but Marshall didn’t care at all. As far as he was concerned, that little episode was over. If Heracross Guy, as Marshall decided to call him, never showed his face again, Marshall wouldn’t care. Putting his phone back in one of his pockets, which were surprisingly deep for shorts, he ran off into Route 30. The Running Shoes were amazing; they were incredibly comfy and easy to wear, just like the rest of Marshall’s preferred attire. However, the weather was much less forgiving of the young trainer’s choice of transportation. “Ugh, this heat… where’d it come from? Wasn’t it hailing just like two days ago?” He asked before moving his sweatband to mop his brow in a rather unconventional manner. “Jeez, talk about unpredictable weather… but anyway… gotta keep going, right?” He pulled out Hercule’s Pokéball, throwing it out into the path in front of him. The Bulbasaur landed on the ground comfortably and smiled up at his trainer, happy to seemingly already be forgiven for his poor display earlier. "C'mon, you, we've got some training to do! After all, you're miles away from being strong enough to call yourself Darius and Beowulf's teammate!" The Bulbasaur looked a little upset by this, but quickly shrugged it off. Master Marshall always knew best, after all. The twosome took a dash into the nearby grass in a hope to find something good. He had heard there was a certain Pokémon in Route 30 he could raise into his next Fighting teammate too, which boosted his morale a little. Even if he didn’t find what he was after, he could always train Hercule with it.

Searching in Route 30. First Pokémon that challenges Marshall will be met with Hercule and two Tackles courtesy of the Running Shoes.

[Hunter]

How things could change oh so easily! The seemingly never ending wild weather of the Johto continued, however this time it wasn't in the form of Thunderstorms and Hail and instead in the form of an immense heat outdoors! The much improved weather had enticed many pokemon trainers to venture onwards with their journeys, commonly training their own pokemon against wild pokemon at any chance they got, one wild pokemon in particular wasn't having a bar of what the humans and their slaves were dishing out!

A wild Bidoof had been peacefully enjoying the shelter of the tall grass so as to shade itself from the immense heat that was radiating from the sun. The plump mouse pokemon's peace was soon disrupted as a male human and his Bulbasaur ventured into the tall grass.

"Leave this place, you have no right to be here intruders!"

Bidoof wasn't happy that its peaceful time relaxing had been disturbed, this land was property of the wild pokemon that inhabited it, and Bidoof was determined to fight in honor of defending the land. Suddenly a green blur that seemingly matched the colour of the tall grass appeared and slammed its body into that of the plump mouse pokemon and knocked it off its feet. Bidoof rose to its feet and opened its mouth and let out a loud, piercing shriek that seemingly distorted the nearby surrounding air.

"That was your first and only warning, now it's time to teach you some manners!"

The plump mouse pokemon and the seed pokemon both stood staring each other offer before the trainer's Bulbasaur charged towards its opponent and once again crash tackled its body into the plump mouse pokemon. After completing its attack the wild Bidoof displayed a disgruntled facial expression before charging towards the trainer's Bulbasaur, the impact of the normal type pokemon slamming its body into that of the seed pokemon knocked the grass, poison type pokemon down. Bidoof stared down its opponent with a determined look in its eyes, he wasn't going down without a good, proper fight

---

Wild Pokemon Battle

Wild Bidoof | Level 6 |
Health: 58% (14/24 HP)
Status: This is my domain!
Uses Growl and Tackle!

VS

Marshall's Hercule | Level 7 |
Health: 76% (19/25 HP)
Status: Bring it on! (-1 ATK)
Uses Tackle twice!

---

Weather Status: It's a Heatwave out here, better get some SPF50+ ASAP!

---

[Noerd]

With the heat now picking up, the wildlife was much more plentiful in the Route. This pleased Marshall immensely after the disappointment that was Route 29. He and his Bulbasaur hadn’t searched for long before their first opponent came forth. Marshall heard a cry coming from nearby. “Biiidooooof” was the call, but it was a little muffled to the young trainer. He looked in its general direction to try and suss out what was calling out to him. Not seeing much of anything except a brown mass of some kind, he turned to Hercule and whispered to him. “OK, Hercule, you hear that right? Go over there and give it a Tackle, buddy. I’m sure it’s a Pokémon.” Hercule nodded happily and ran over to the brown thing with his head lowered. “FOR THE MASTER!” he cried, only in Bulbasaurish, and braced for impact as the brown thing drew close.

As it flew out of the protection of the grass, Marshall finally got a good look at the Bidoof. It wasn’t a familiar Pokémon to him, but he did notice one thing almost immediately. That vacant expression. The dopey face that Bidoof always carry rather upset the trainer. “Oh man… my first battle on this Route and it’s a stupid little runt?” He suddenly bit his lip as he realised what he had said. Was he turning into Silver? That was something the arrogant teen would’ve said. “But… it really is… so… stupid-looking. I can’t bear to catch this thing… I’ve got self-respect!” He sighed and watched as the Bidoof Growled furiously. Clamping his hands to his ears, he immediately assumed it was just mad at him. “WELL YOU ARE! IT’S TRUE!” He called back, not exactly liking being called out for being offensive when he was just being honest. Hercule groaned in discomfort, not having any real way to guard his own ears from the attack on them by this uncomfortable noise. Marshall looked down at him and frowned.

“Hercule, get yourself together quick! Give it another Tackle!” Marshall quickly ordered once the noise died down. Hercule shook its head vigorously to return to planet Earth before carrying out his Master’s orders once again. He rammed back into the Bidoof, looking a little less powerful after the addling Growl which disturbed Marshall just a little. “Come on, Hercule… it was just a bit of noise…” he said as Hercule finished and watched Bidoof fly off again. Hercule sighed. Master had hands, how could he understand? Hercule was getting a little irritated by Master… he’d let Hercule fight against those Houndour that ganged up on him, and then praised the other two alone. Didn’t Hercule’s bravery deserve recognition too? As the Bulbasaur pondered on this, the Bidoof slammed its full weight into him, but Hercule stood his ground well and refused to be pushed onto his rear end. “Alright, Hercule, now give this thing another Tackle!” cried Marshall, determined to end this battle quickly. The Bidoof was showing a little fight, but it was still a dopey thing. He was determined to beat this one.

[Morrigan]

Not all Pokemon were particularly beautiful, cool looking or strong. There were also a set few who fell into a different category altogether and to most trainers, Bidoof fell into that slot. It wasn't the worst looking creature out there but as soon as one met with the eyes of a Bidoof, disappointment was all that would follow. Bland and bulky, the beaver like Pokemon was not at all popular with Marshall and he very boldly voiced his opinion of the wild creature. Taking his words to heart, it was originally battling in order to guard it's territory but now, things had become much more personal. Forming an expression what looked like a frown, the Bidoof still didn't appear intimidating in the slightest but at the very least, it was clearly annoyed. Nattering its buck teeth, the mass of brown fur cursed at the human under it's breath. If he wanted a battle, then the Bidoof would be sure to give the pair one.

Needing to regain some lost respect himself, for Hercule, facing a bland Pokemon like Bidoof was supposed to work in his favour. If he could defeat the beaver, then just maybe it could mask his previous losses but already he had shuddered beneath the vicious growl of the Bidoof. Not holding back, Marshall continued to speak his thoughts, to the point that the Bulbasaur twitched with irritation. Still, he hadn't lost the battle yet, he could still redeem himself and score the team a victory. Dragging his chunky green leg back across the ground, the Bulbasaur propelled himself forward into a dash, hopping across the plain of grass as he approached the stern looking Bidoof. But the growl from earlier caused Hercule to fall into a moment of hesitation, his landed tackle not doing as much damage as it had done previously.

Still, the Bidoof had been knocked slightly, the creature hobbling backward before shaking up its body of brown fur. Snorting out of it's tiny nostrils, the beaver made a sudden leap forward, crashing itself straight back into the nearby body of Hercule. Remaining on the same spot, the Bulbasaur managed to take the attack without being too forcefully pushed around. Crimson eyes looking over the current state of the Bidoof, judging from its sudden heavy breathing, Hercule hoped to have this battle finished with soon as well.

---

Bidoof: | Level 6 |
Health: 37% (9/24 HP)
Status: Normal
Bidoof used Tackle!

VS

Hercule: | Level 7 |
Health: 52% (13/25 HP)
Status: -1 Atk
Hercule used Tackle!

[Noerd]

Marshall watched confidently as his Bulbasaur continued to fight on bravely. The Bidoof was starting to look rather upset for some reason, not that Marshall would notice the Pokémon’s change in mood. He had also completely forgotten the insult he had thrown at it by the time Hercule launched his next attack. The dinosaur-like Pokémon charged forth once more, slamming his full weight into Bidoof to knock it further out into the open. “Alright, Hercule! Not long now!” called Marshall, though he truthfully had little idea how much fight the Normal type had left in it. Still, it couldn’t be far from beaten, could it? After all, Marshall still viewed it as a ‘stupid little runt’. However, the ‘runt’ fought back bravely with another Tackle and gave Hercule’s trainer something to think about. That is, if he was remotely aware of the situation.

“Hah, we’ve got ‘em on the ropes now, pal! Let’s see…” Marshall was starting to get tired of all the Tackles… but what else had he got? Growl? He knew that move well. It was a defensive move. He wasn’t about to get so defensive now. That other move… the one he hadn’t had a chance to use yet. What was its name? Marshall whipped out his Pokédex one move and scanned Hercule. “Leech Seed, huh?” It wasn’t a move the Cianwood-born lad recognised, in truth, but he’d hardly admit that. Still, now was as good a time as any to try it out. “OK, Hercule, let’s use that new move of yours. Show this thing what your Leech Seed is all about!” Marshall cried, completely unaware of the rather passive nature of his move of choice. Hercule had already begun to move forward, expecting the same order as before, but as Leech Seed was called he stopped in his tracks and considered what he’d just been told. After a couple of seconds or so, he reasoned that Leech Seed was the move his trainer was after, so he nodded and prepared to use his new move for the first time ever.

[Blazey]

Hercule began to shoot out seeds around the Wild Bidoof confusing it a bit  and Hercule seemed a bit disappointed that the attack seemed to do nothing. The Bidoof saw this as it's chance and began to charge at Hercule who was caught a bit off guard. Hercule could do nothing by this point but the take the hit and skid back a bit and steady himself while the Bidoof went back to where it was before. However at that moment the Bidoof seemed the cry out in a bit of pain before vines could be seen growing from the seeds while wrapped itself around the Bidoof. It seemed to be taking a small bit of damage while Hercule seemed to recover a little bit. "Bulba" Hercule called out feeling some energy return to him and looked at his trainer for the next order. The Bidoof would have a 'fun' time now it had vines around it which seemed to hurt the Bidoof while healing Hercule.

Battle

---

Wild Bidoof | Level | 6
Health : 6/24(25%)
Status : Leech Seed
Wild Bidoof used Tackle!

VS

Hercule | Level | 7
Health : 10/25(40%)
Status : Normal
Hercule used Leech Seed!

---

Weather Status:Sunny

---

(Leech Seed does 3 damage)

[Noerd]

Hercule moved quickly, popping seeds out of the large bulb on his back. Said seeds quickly planted themselves deep into Bidoof’s fur. Marshall looked on in mild horror as his attack seemed to do very little at all. He daren’t have spoken up at all, lest he let his true feelings show. He’d just ordered a dud of an attack? Bidoof’s retaliation was a real attack. Another Tackle. That’s how a battle tended to work. That’s how you win, right? Marshall regretted not having tried out that move in the past now. But, just as he was beginning to really curse himself, the Leech Seed took effect and bound the vacant-looking Normal type and causing it to cry in pain. Suddenly, Marshall’s expression changed significantly.

“Wait… is that the…” he muttered to himself before turning to Hercule. The Bulbasaur was smiling in what appeared to be relief. Incredible relief. Hercule sighed happily as the Leech Seed began healing his wounds. Marshall didn’t know exactly what was happening, but he was happy about it. “Yeah, that’s the way, Hercule! That’s how you Leech Seed!” He beamed as he learned what his attack did before thinking to himself for a moment. ‘But… it’s still kinda cheap… maybe I shouldn’t use it again…’ He couldn’t get over the idea that he’d somehow cheated Bidoof a little here. “OK, Hercule, I’m proud of you buddy! Now let’s wrap this up for good! One big Tackle! Make it count!” Hercule nodded and gave a loud “BULBA!” before carrying out his master’s order. Master had praised him again. Master loved him after all!

[Tyger]

With both Pokemon feeling the strain of the battle, it was no wonder that Marshall had decided to use the Leeching move. While Bidoof wasn't necessarily happy about it (nor about this situation in general) it was a fair move within this fight. It had to hand it to the hunk of lettuce, it was doing a fair job against it. Angrily gnashing it's teeth, Bidoof prepared itself for one last assault. One last charge to decide who would win this. As long as it dug down and believed, it could amass the strength to take down the great odds, yes? Red nose wriggling with anticipation, the Bidoof could wait no longer as it began to charge forward, screeching with determination. It's limbs didn't feel as heavy, nor it's body as weary as a few seconds before. The adrenaline was enough to keep it going, perhaps when it should have stopped.

Bidoof knew that Bulbasaur was faster, but perhaps if it just kept it up, it would take Hercule off guard. This was not the case, however. Given an order already, Hercule used the battle to his advantage. He couldn't stop Bidoof's charge, but he could use the sheer momentum of Bidoof to add more force to the tackle. As the little brown creature continued to barrel towards him, Hercule moved at a quick pace as well, waiting to meet the strange creature in the middle. Both Pokemon collided with a loud 'smack,' but it was only when Bidoof shuddered and groaned painfully that Hercule realized he had done it! Bidoof struggled to stand before crumpling to the ground with an unceremonious plop. It had no more energy before the attack, and now it definitely had none as it fainted. Feeling revitalized as Hercule continued to grow stronger, the Bulbasaur padded back over to his trainer, feeling a bit better about itself and the bond between the two. 

Wild Bidoof - Level |6|

Health: 0/24

Current Status: ...
No Attack!

Marshall's Hercule - Level |7|

Health: 10/45

Current Status: Victory!
-1 Atk
Successful Tackle!

---

Hercule defeated the Bidoof! Hercule gains +2 levels and +1 Happiness (Now at +0 Happiness)!

Hercule learned Vine Whip!

[Noerd]

Still rather preoccupied with his thoughts on Leech Seed as a move, Marshall almost completely missed the last round of the battle. Hercule’s battle cry was the only thing that snapped the young trainer back into reality, and he was rather glad that he did. Witnessing Hercule crash his body back into the Bidoof and send it flying across the ground, Marshall squealed with joy. “YES! TAKE THAT, YOU STUPID LITTLE-!” He then realised what he was saying and toned down his speech. “Awesome job, Hercule! You’ve totally redeemed yourself now, buddy!” Completely ignorant to the rather negative connotations there, Hercule just smiled proudly as the praise hit his eardrums. Marshall took one look at the Bidoof to check if it was going to get back to its feet. When it stayed motionless, he smirked and turned his back to it. “Come on, Hercule, that thing’s not worth our time.” He beckoned for his Bulbasaur to follow as he returned to Cherrygrove City.

Wandering back through the little of Route 30 he had currently explored, Marshall stared in wonderment at the sights. Just as he was about to hit Cherrygrove soil, he saw a flash of green and white. In less than a second, Marshall chased after this blur. “OH MY GOD A RALTS!” he called, running in the direction he’d seen it in. However, the blur was nowhere to be seen when he reached where he thought it was. “Wha- where…? Man… why me?” he muttered, and walked back to Cherrygrove in a rather foul mood.

Once he hit the city streets, Marshall marched straight to the Pokémon Centre. He handed Hercule over to the nurse at the counter and sat down to wait for the healing to happen. As he passed the time, his phone rang. Not taking any time to consider whether he should take his phone outside, he answered. Unknown number, the phone said. Still, Marshall took the call. A familiar voice was on the other end.

“Marshall? Is this the right number?” “Um, yeah, it is. Who’s-” Marshall started, before it hit him. “HERACROSS GUY! Of course. Hi.” “Y-yes, it is.” the man replied, chuckling softly. “I have a name, you know… It’s Pete.” The man named Pete didn’t sound offended though, just amused. “Sorry for going so soon before, I had to get back to work as soon as I could.” Marshall hadn’t really cared, in all honesty. He just wanted to train his new Pokémon, and would’ve left if Pete hadn’t. “I just called to ask how my Heracross is getting on.” Marshall beamed as Beowulf was mentioned. “Well, of course, he’s doing awesome. You should see what I’ve taught him already, Heracross G- Er… Pete!” As he finished, Marshall noticed that the nurse was waving furiously in his direction. “Oh, er, gotta go! Talk sometime later!” Marshall quickly said, trying to sign off so he could get his Bulbasaur back. “Already?” Pete sounded a little upset by this. “Well, I’m in Violet right now, so come visit and show me that Heracross!” he continued, resigned to the knowledge that Marshall probably wouldn’t be calling him back any time soon. “Yeah, sure, Violet, got it. Bye!” Marshall quickly finished, hanging up in almost no time. He then shot up to the nurse, who wasn’t entirely impressed with the time Marshall had taken to pick up his partner, and left as soon as Hercule’s Pokéball was in his grasp.

Marshall ran through the city as quickly as he could, his mood brightened a little by the glimpse of what he was sure was a Ralts earlier. He rushed back to Route 30 as quickly as he could and threw out Hercule’s Pokéball once more. “Hercule, let’s go find what we’re here for already!” Hercule nodded and started sniffing around the grass nearby. It wasn’t the ideal method for finding a Pokémon, but whatever suited the little Grass type was fine by Marshall at this point. All he cared about was results.

[This is what happens when I change my idea for a post not once, but twice. Searching in Route 30 again. Hercule will be battling whatever Pokémon he sees first, hitting it with two Tackles due to Running Shoes.]

[Midnightive]

A blue blob was minding it's own business when the sound of talking, drew him out of the grass. Quagsire noticed the trainer was on the phone and walked up to him. He wasn't noticed for a long time, as the call seemed somewhat important. After a few good minutes he was done on the phone and Quagsire let out a happy cheer "Quagsire!" and rushed in front of him.

Quagsire handed over!

The blueish Pokemon seemed might proud of it's self before running away. Trampling the grass as it ran away, a Ralts stood confused as it's cover from the blistering hot sun. But that didn't bother Hercule no, if anything to made him stronger. Charging full speed at the Ralts, and hitting it straight on. Ralts growled hoping it would scare the trainer and it's Pokemon away.

Which came quicker then the little Pokemon had thought, thinking that Pokemon that had trainers only followed orders like some dog. But Hercule ran again ramming his head into Ralts is side. It wasn't going to stand for this no! Ralts raised up it's arms and purple circles pushed out hitting hercule.

Battle

---

Ralts | Level 8 |
Health : 20% ( 5/24 HP)
Status : Normal
Ralts used Growl and Confusion!

VS

Marshell's Hercule | Level 9 |
Health : 58%(17/29 HP)
Status : -1 ATK
DOUBLE TACKLE

---

Weather Status: Sunny!

---

[Noerd]

What Quagsire had mistaken for a phonecall was, in fact, just Marshall registering a new number on his phone, as he’d long finished with the call that had taken place in the Pokémon Centre. When Marshall finally had finished working out how to add Heracross Guy’s number, for that was the only name the trainer remembered, he looked up to notice the dopey Pokémon smiling at him. “Oh man, another one of these?” he moaned, turning to Hercule. He remembered the Bidoof from earlier; this Pokémon had a similar vibe to it. “Ah well, a battle’s a b-” he started, before turning back to the Quagsire. He’d seen this thing before somewhere. He knew it. The Quagsire bounded over to him happily, taking Marshall rather by surprise. In its arm was an assortment of gifts, which further confused the young man. “Um… are those… for me?” he stumbled, unable to fathom why a random wild Pokémon would be showing goodwill to a Pokémon trainer. Hercule tensed his leg muscles, prepared for a fight, while Marshall quickly snatched away the gifts and stuffed them into his bag.

“OK, Hercule, let’s get this thing good wi- huh?” Once Marshall raised his head from his bag, he couldn’t see the large blue thing anymore. “Wow, that guy’s quicker than he looks…” Marshall sighed, wishing he’d had a chance to battle it. Just as he started to move on, Marshall saw a rogue flyer flapping about on the floor. He picked it up and grimaced as he read it. ‘Cherrygrove operates a Quagsire Protection Scheme…’ ‘…Those who harm our wild Quagsire will be punished severly.’ That was all Marshall needed to read. The Pokémon pictured on this flyer was none other than the dopey thing he had almost tried to battle. This must've been where Marshall had seen it before. Relieved that he’d not managed to initiate a battle now, he looked around eagerly for a Pokémon to fight. “Let’s get going, Her- OH COME ON!” He said as he suddenly realised that his Bulbasaur was no longer at his side. The Cianwood-born was getting quite irritated by all of the unnecessary hold-ups. A quick scan of the area revealed that Hercule had run off into a nearby patch of grass. And he seemed to be in battle with a familiar face.

Hercule plunged forward with a Tackle attack, slamming into a green-haired Pokémon who retaliated with a feeble Growl. The white body and red horn-like protrusion were quite familiar to Marshall, and his eyes lit up. “Hey, a Ralts! Good job, Hercule! Now go ahead and give that thing another Tackle before it has a chance to attack!” Marshall was well aware of this Pokémon’s typing. Psychic/Fairy. The Psychic part was the concern here, as it was strong against Hercule’s Poison type. As well as Fighting. This Pokémon would be incredibly helpful in building Marshall’s dream squad, and he had finally found it in this route. Hercule repeated its Tackle attack, knocking yet more colloquial stuffing out of Ralts. This battle was going so much smoother than the previous one, for sure. Ralts didn’t seem to have much fight in it, in truth, but Marshall hadn’t noticed. His rose-tinted glasses were in full effect now that he’d seen one of his prime targets. Ralts fought back better this time, a powerful Confusion attack striking Hercule and mentally disorienting him for a moment.

“This thing is so awesome! I’m gonna have to catch it!” Marshall shouted at the top of his voice. It was rather remarkable how keen he was on this Pokémon, whose typing was so very opposite to the Fighting types he desired so much. But he knew that one Dawn Stone would chance all of that. When it came to that one Pokémon type, Marshall had already memorised everything he needed to know. He pulled out a Pokéball, pushing the button in the centre to prime it for capture. “OK, Hercule, step back! We’re gonna get this guy right now!” With that, he launched his ball at the Ralts, muscles tensing in excitement as he waited to see what would happen next.

[Tossing a Pokéball at Ralts. And yes, Mid, I’m done being a smartarse now. I promise.]

[The REAL Joey]

As Marshall chucked the Pokeball forward, it soared through the air on with a swift curve and found itself dabbing against the diminutive Ralts' body. Absorbing it in a red light, the Pokemon was covered from head to toe as it was digitised and scooped into the centre of the spherical capture device. Falling to the floor with a plonk, the capture was now under way. Rocking back and forth, it was processing the newly acquired Pokemon.

Once...

Twice...

Thrice...

---

*CLICK*



Congratulations! The Wild Ralts was captured!


Please fill out the following information about your new Pokémon:

Ralts
Name: [choose]
Gender: Male OR Female
Level: 8
Moves: Growl, Confusion, Double Team
Ability: Synchronize OR Trace
Nature/Personality: [choose]

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

---

Victory!

---

Your Bulbasaur fought courageously and has levelled up!
He gained 2 levels and is now Level 11!
They also gained +1 Happiness!

---

[Noerd]

Marshall watched nervously as the ball rocked back and forth. The capture process wasn’t any easier the second time, it seemed. Still as emotional as ever for the young man. Once it finally beeped, Marshall cried out in delight. “ALRIGHT! Nice job, Hercule. We’re on our way to greatness now, buddy.” He ran up to collect his new prize, pocketing it in a hurry. “Right… Tyr it is, I think,” Marshall muttered under his breath as he named his Ralts. “OK then… back to Cherrygrove for a little R&R, then we can go-” Marshall was about to complete his sentence when he saw a Mankey swinging about in the trees. “Oh come ON! Now there are Mankey here? I’m never gonna get to face Violet's Leader, am I?” He was half kidding as he said this, as his insides were fit to burst with joy. Mankey was one evolution away from Primeape, a key Pokémon in Chuck’s line-up. Marshall had to get one of his own. He marched back to Cherrygrove City with a huge smile on his face, Ralts now firmly out of his mind. He was quite the fickle fan, to be sure.

As he returned to Cherrygrove, he noticed a commotion in the distance. People were running around frantically for some reason, or that’s what it looked like. Turning to Hercule, whom he hadn’t bothered to recall, he asked the green blob for its input. “Should we go see what’s going on?” Hercule nodded happily, though he hadn’t a clue what he was agreeing to as he hadn’t seen anything himself. With that approval, Marshall led his Bulbasaur to the source of the disturbance. Getting closer, it soon became obvious what was going on. A series of small embers shot past Marshall’s head, almost scorching him. Hand trembling, he readjusted his sweatband before focusing his eyes on the middle distance. A small, orange bird that looked incredibly distressed was running away from a few Pokémon that Marshall recognised from the local area. A few feet or so away, humans were doing their utmost to stay within range of this chase.

“Get ‘em, Rattata!” one called, which hinted at the idea that these humans were trainers. It appeared that they were trying to catch this thing. A thing that Marshall had identified. “It’s a Torchic!” he called, and ran forward to talk to the trainers. “So, is this thing… wild?” “Oh no you don’t, man. We’ve got enough competition here. Hyper Fang, Rattata!” the Rattata trainer responded. His purple rodent sunk its teeth into a rival’s Bidoof, bringing a cry of disdain from its trainer. “No fair!” “All’s fair in love and war!” Marshall smirked, pulling out a Pokéball. “OK, Beowulf, let’s show ‘em how it’s done! Rock Blast!” He released his Heracross onto the field of battle, which prompted a couple of gasps from the gathered trainers. “A Heracross? This kid’s the real deal! Look out, guys!” Beowulf fired off his powerful Rock Blast attack, spraying it across all of the Pokémon. While failing to knock any of them out, the attack was more than enough to leave the Torchic open to capture. Marshall whipped out another Pokéball and tossed it at the Fire type. His rivals tried to do the same, but the Fighting enthusiast had been one step ahead for once. The ball wiggled a few times before settling down and beeping.

“And that, guys, is how you catch a Pokémon.” Marshall proudly boasted before going to collect his prize. He now had two new Pokémon, and all in the space of an hour or so. This had been a good day so far. Not stopping to chat, Marshall returned to the Pokémon Centre and handed his five Pokéballs to the nurse on duty. Five. Three of those would grow into strong Fighting types, to boot. Marshall’s face was glowing with pride as he absorbed this information. When the healing was complete, he took back his team and left as quickly as he could. Waiting outside for him was the Rattata trainer from earlier. “So… how’ve you got a Heracross already, dude?” were his opening words. Quite rude, really. The kid looked to be in his early teens, with a baseball cap placed sideways on his head. He wore a T-shirt and shorts, not unlike the clothes that Marshall preferred himself if one ignored the colouring. Red and orange, slightly garish if one was entirely truthful. “Well… I… was kinda given it by a friend.” Marshall hadn’t had time to invent a fanciful lie to sound impressive, so he could only tell the truth here. “Lucky… wish I had something that strong. Name’s Daniel. I live around here, actually. We should battle sometime!” The boy calling himself Daniel offered a handshake, which Marshall accepted quite eagerly. It'd been a while since he'd really spoken to a potential friend. “Marshall. And sure, I could use a practice dummy! But not right now. Gotta catch me a Mankey and get ready for the Violet Gym!” Daniel’s eyes widened. “Falkner? You’re gonna face him already? With that Heracross and Mankey?” “Er, maybe. Why not?” Daniel chuckled at this idea. “Oh, you’ll see.” Marshall had little idea what his new friend meant by that, but left undeterred by the discussion. Falkner, eh? That was the name of the first Leader he'd be beating. “See ya!” he called out, ready to continue with Operation Mankey Capture. Marshall needed to work on his naming procedure.

Before long, the grass of Route 30 was in Marshall’s sight, and the fresh air of the outdoors was smelling as good as it had ever smelled. It was the perfect time to battle. Marshall gripped his two newest additions to his belt, wondering who to use to catch his next Pokémon. Undecided, he stepped out into the longest grass he could find and threw out a Pokéball at random. The inhabitant was none other than his newest capture, the Torchic. “Alright then, Ves… let’s go and find ourselves a Pokémon to beat. I wanna see just how strong you really are. Then I’ll train you up into a champion, don’t worry! Let’s go!” Vesta chirped and followed her new master, taking in the scenery with interest.

[Yay long posts. Vesta the Torchic introduced, another NPC to keep track of for me (yay). Tyr’s details are below. Will send out Vesta for the first battle that occurs, giving whatever-it-is a couple of Embers due to Running Shoes.]

[img src="http://pldh.net/media/pokemon/gen5/blackwhite/280.png"]
[b]Ralts[/b]
Name: Tyr
Gender: Male
Level: 8
Moves: Growl, Confusion, Double Team
Ability: Trace
Nature/Personality: [choose]

[Morrigan]

A wild Mankey (Level 5) appeared!
________________________________________________

Becoming acquainted with one of his newest additions, Vesta the Torchic, both Pokemon and trainer returned to the tall grass of the nearby route. In hopes of searching for a particular Pokemon that was swarming the area, for now, the two were prepared to battle anything and anyone that crossed their path first. Eyes and ears open, it was just a matter of time before their next target, or victim, made themselves known. Wading through the tall grass, the Torchic skipped on ahead, her beady eyes taking in all of the sights around her. As she moved, a light wave of leaves gently drifted down from overhead, landing on the ground before her. Looking up, the fiery bird caught sight of a Pokemon but it was more likely that the wild creature was more interested in making both Vesta and Marshall tremble before it. Lurking in the tree overhead was a Pokemon cloaked in a mass of thick, white fur, a pig like nose situated in the centre of it's body, just below it's vivid, red eyes. It was none other than a Mankey and it had the duo in it's sights.

Bounding between the branches, the agile ape shot out from the tree and landed on the ground, nostrils flaring as it pounded its fists angrily into the ground before it. Tail lashing from side to side, it was clear that something had annoyed the Pokemon but perhaps it was just always like this, anger seemed to run in their species. Without any other warning, other than a sudden shriek, the Mankey jumped forward and landed a scratch across the body of Vesta. Wincing, the Torchic staggered backward and for a moment, the Mankey appeared to be pleased with itself. That was, until Vesta attacked back. Feisty, the small fire type took in a deep breath, before aiming a scatter of embers which torched the fur of the Mankey. Releasing a number of eye piercing noises, the Mankey flailed as it extinguished the flames on the tips of its white fur, before leering ruefully at Vesta. Flinching for a brief moment, the Torchic fluffed up her feathers to try and shake the sudden uneasy feeling, before firing yet another burst of embers forth. It seemed that the Pokemon were evenly matched but Vesta managed to quickly take the lead.

---

Mankey: | Level 5 |
Health: 30% (6/20 HP)
Status: Normal
Mankey used Scratch!
Mankey used Leer!

VS

Vesta: | Level 5 |
Health: 76% (16/21 HP)
Status: -1 Def
Vesta used Ember, twice!

[Noerd]

The appearance of the first wild Fighting type that Marshall had ever come across was almost overwhelming to the boy. He was barely able to contain his excitement at the creature before him as he saw it manoeuvre through the trees. “Hey Ves… that’s what I’ve been looking for,” he whispered to his new Torchic, swallowing the screams and cheers that he’d really rather be using right now. This was serious business. That little pig monkey was going to be his no matter what. “That’s a Mankey, and we’re gonna catch it. Get ready…” Vesta locked eyes with the Fighting type, but quickly looked away again. She seemed rather nervous of the easily-angered simian for whatever reason. Marshall frowned at his newest companion. “Ves… what the heck? You think you’re gonna be able to fight well with this kinda attitude? Go out there and show this guy what you’re made of! Give him that Ember you showed off before!” The Torchic whimpered slightly but obeyed her new trainer all the same.

The Mankey displayed a reasonable amount of strength with its Scratch attack, giving the emotional Vesta a lot more to worry about. This only seemed to increase her resolve to fight though, desperate as she was to push that thing away from her. A series of Embers left Marshall cooing softly. “Nice job! And again, you can do it!” Vesta was hardly listening to her trainer, simply letting her instincts dictate her play. She shivered as Mankey Leered at her, Marhsall taking mental notes all the time. He knew Mankey’s moves well, having studied his hero’s Pokémon as much as he could. He thought back to witnessing Chuck’s Primeape in action, recalling the sublime agility it had shown along with its devastating power. The young man practically drooled as he imagined controlling something like that himself. Such incredible ability was not to be sniffed at, especially when one was viewing it through the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia and admiration. He completely missed the second Ember attack from his own Pokémon, and indeed took a while to remember that the battle was still going on. Already reaching for his backpack, Marshall called out his next demand from Vesta. “OK, Ves, let's see a Scratch now! We got this, pal!” The early nerves from his adventure had long since vanished, and he’d restored his 100% unshakeable confidence. This mini-Primeape was his for the taking. Vesta was still unable to hear him through her terror, however, and was doing what she felt would fight the Mankey off easiest.

[Despite that order, Vesta'll be using an Ember here. I kinda feel sorry for what I've created here.]