A Journey Spurred by Indignance

[Andrew]

OOC:

- Dean (Heracross) was bought from Marchbaby.
- Using Rare Candy x3 (taken from Terri) on Dean.
- This thread takes place at night.
- For modding, you don't need to read it all. Just the last paragraph is sufficient. Searching for a wild Pokémon on Route 29.

He'd given his best years to Cianwood City – a place he'd never dreamed of leaving. If he'd been asked a year ago about travelling, Pearse would have laughed at the idea. Everything he'd ever wanted was back at Cianwood City. His mother, the quiet secluded spaces to train and the most prestigious fighting-type gym in all of Johto. It was odd to think that something as simple as a falling out could prompt him to leave behind the life he knew. Of course, this decision wasn't permanent. Pearse did plan to return to Cianwood, but not before he had put together a solid team of fighting-type Pokémon.

His attire still vaguely resembled that of a battle judge, a duty he'd performed for many years. He had been extremely devoted to his job, often working from the early hours until the dark of night. There never really had been an opportunity for him to discover his own fashion sense; not since a very young age, at least. Almost 30 years old now, trying a new style felt a bit silly to him. Too much change at one time wasn't viable. He was usually very organised and found structure to be a huge comfort. Impulsively running away like this was a little out of character for him, despite his undeniable stubbornness.

The night was setting in as his bus arrived at New Bark Town. He'd spend the whole day travelling but had managed to nap most of the way. Because of this, he felt very restless now and knew there was no point in trying to sleep anymore.
"Thanks," he nodded courteously at the bus driver, stepping out of the vehicle. He adjusted his gym bag on his shoulder and absorbed the view of the small town. It felt very homely to him, despite having never been here. Being winter, it was pretty chilly and foggy outdoors but he'd trained in worse conditions.

Pearse had decided to follow the traditional route of a Pokémon trainer travelling through Johto. He'd taken a map of the region from his bedroom wall. The linear structure gave solace to him and allowed him to plan out his journey properly. Unlike the typical newbie trainer, Pearse wasn't going to stop by the Pokémon lab. He didn't care for fire, grass or water-type Pokémon, or at least not the ones in this region. He planned to train a team of fighting-type champions, so it seemed unethical to take a Pokémon he didn't really want. Besides, he'd made a quick pitstop on the way to purchase a partially fighting-type Pokémon. The baby Heracross had only just hatched from its egg. The original trainer had even allowed him to give it a nickname.

He was eager to begin training, but it seemed like a waste not to have a look around. New Bark Town was peaceful at this hour. New trainers would probably wait until morning to start their journeys. As he explored the quaint town, he was immediately drawn to the body of water on the far side. It wasn't very big, yet still reminded him of home. He smiled to himself, thinking of his mother back in Cianwood and how she would have taken an amazing photograph of the view, despite the fog that enveloped it. Unfortunately, he possessed no such skills and could never do the scenic view justice.
"I really should make a list for mom," he decided aloud. The woman had a natural talent for photography and she'd rarely had the chance to travel while he was young. He almost wished he'd brought her along with him.

The remainder of the town was pretty but a little bland. There didn't even seem to be Pokémon Center here. To call this a town was a stretch. He passed by a few houses, most with the lights on indoors and smoke coming from the chimneys. He was jealous of how warm the residents must have been. Maybe starting out in winter hadn't been his brightest idea.

Pearse took his first steps onto Route 29. The tall grass urged him to call on his new Heracross for protection. "Dean, come on out!" The blue beetle-like creature appeared in front, his uncertainty clear from his claw pressed up against his mouth. "Here we go, my friend," Pearse announced, ruffling the young Pokémon's head, lightly. He placed a hand into a side pocket of his bag, pulling out some sweets. He knelt down a presented the candy to Dean.
"Eat these. They'll make you stronger." Dean gently reached out a took the treats, engulfing them all at once. He shyly smiled back at Pearse, slowly warming up to his new trainer. "That should do it. Let's make our way to Cherrygrove City then!"

[Lamont]

The start of the winter season so far wasn't bringing much good weather the way of New Bark, but it could always be worse. A haze of chilly cloud hung low on the ground and obscured things in the distance, making it rather difficult to see anything bustling about in the wilderness. Feeling stronger than ever, Dean kept his senses sharp as he and Pearse continued along the lightly snowed path. Each crunch of their steps made it easy for any wild pokémon nearby to creep closer if they wanted to be sneaky about it. A slippery sentret lightly pattering along the crust of snow between trees could easily sweep up from out of nowhere through this fog. Or even a dive bombing spearow cutting through the air to protect its territory would be a sudden surprise.

The young heracross turned his eyes up to the white blur that hung above them. The tree tops faded gently into the mass just like everything on the horizon. It wasn't all boring however. Just as Dean was about to look back to watch where they were walking a shape began darkening a section of the haze. In no time at all a feathered fiend broke through the veil and cawed, swooping down close to their heads before pulling up and making to circle back around.

A Pidgey (LV 4) is attacking!

Weather = Fog

Shiny Check: qpcTQPb81-42
1-42

[Andrew]

OOC:

- Dean uses Horn Attack.

Years of training in isolation had done well for Pearse's hearing. He looked over his shoulder, spotting the mischievous Pidgey headed for them. "Yikes," he remarked, stepping out of the way. "Must be the last Pidgey still out at this hour. Anyway, what do you think, Dean? Ready for a battle?" He ruffled the beetle's head once again, hoping to strengthen their bond and tear down any initial barriers. A response didn't come, however. Dean gazed up at his trainer, his eyes bulging. Not the response Pearse had been hoping for, but thankfully it wasn't a flat out no. He'd just have to do his best to psyche the Pokémon up. "Sure you are! We'll work together on this, okay?"

He decided to keep his mouth shut about their type disadvantage. Poor Dean had a double weakness to flying-types and perhaps this was why the tiny bird had decided to target them. But at this early stage, this detail seemed futile. Pidgey was unlikely to even know any flying-type moves yet. "Don't be scared. I know you can do it. Let's start off with Horn Attack." The Heracross hesitantly took a step towards the avian. His gentle nature was acting as an obstacle right now but Pearse knew he just needed some encouragement.

"You've got this. Just lower your head and run for it!" Pearse reiterated, simulating the movements with his hands. It was a pity the fog so strong this evening. Clouded vision and a type-disadvantage really weren't great ways to sell the idea of battling to someone. Constant words of encouragement were the only route to go now. Following his trainer's hand movements, Dean ducked his head and attempted to mimic the action. "That's it! You've got it now!" Pearse exclaimed, the pitch of his voice raising with excitement. He was about to witness his new Pokémon's first ever attack.

[Calamity Ashe]

The bird hissed angerly as the bug type assulted it. It got hit by the horn attack, and got very very mad. It started chirping angerly, swearing obscenities at the trainer although they couldn't be understood by the boy, however if the boy's heracross were listening the pidgeys words could be translated as some very undesireable things. The pidgey fired back with a tackle, declairing war on the heracross. It then ruffled iT'S feathers, tending to the wounded area where the horn attack hit by pecking itself a couple times to get any twigs that may have been in it's feathers out. All out war- that was what this bird had declaired, and she had givn off it's war cry, and had launched it
s attack. Somehow, the heracross had gotten war declaired rather quickly.

Battle

---

Weather:

Pidgey | 4 | Hold Item
HP: 61% (11/18)
Status: Normal
Used TACKLE!

VS

Dean | 4 | Swarm| Hold Item
HP: 85% (18/21)
Status: Normal
Used HORN ATTACK!

[Andrew]

OOC:

- Dean uses Horn Attack.

Watching Dean's first move was something that Pearse would remember forever. Even though he had trained with other Pokémon previously and judged countless battles, they didn't give him the same level of satisfaction. This time, he was training a team of his own. Even though, another trainer had hatched the Heracross from an egg, Pearse had been the one to teach him to battle. At this moment, he was sure that he wanted to be a Pokémon trainer. The young Heracross turned to his trainer for feedback. "That was incredible, Dean! You're really good at this," Pearse cheered, applauding the beetle with a short clap. Dean smiled shyly and mimicked his trainer's clapping movement.

Their opponent didn't appear to share their enthusiasm. Pidgey was commonly the first Pokémon captured by a newbie trainer. They were cute, easy to raise, and evolved into powerful creatures. By nature, they were often naive and loveable. This one, however, was a different story. "What's the matter with this Pidgey? It has the temper of a Spearow," Pearse thought aloud. It looked absolutely rabid and had somehow lost the innocent exterior that all Pidgey shared. Before now, he wouldn't have thought that was even possible.

"I guess the Pokémon world is full of surprises," the rookie remarked. Regardless of the bird's awful character, Dean was off to a good start. He even seemed to be enjoying himself. "You want to try that again, Dean?" Pearse knew there were still more attacks to try out. As exciting as that sounded, he wanted to play his first battle safe. This was just a warmup exercise. With a little more experience under their belt, they could add some strategy to their battle plan. "You can do it, Dean. Use Horn Attack again."

[Calamity Ashe]

The pidgey cntinued to chirp wildly. The constant attacks at it made it's demeanor even worse. Perhaps the pidgey had been raised by a flock of spearow. The Pidgey angerly went in for a tackle toward dean after getting hammered with another horn attack. "PID PIDGE!" Whatever the bird had said it had to be some sort of flavored insult. Knowing a pidgey like this, it wouldn't surprise anyone. The Pidgey definitely was raised amongst spearows.The pidgey chirped some more, as it launched the tackle toward dean.This ittle bird was goig to go down fighting as that is what it's spearow parents had taught it.

Battle

---

Weather:

Pidgey | 4 | Hold Item
HP: 11% (2/18)
Status: Normal
Used TACKLE!

VS

Dean | 4 | Swarm| Hold Item
HP: 66% (14/21)
Status: Normal
Used HORN ATTACK!

[Andrew]

OOC:

- Dean uses Horn Attack.

Despite Pidgey's aggressive behaviour, the tiny bird was no stronger than normal. Its attitude wasn't doing it any favours whatsoever. All it had achieved was making itself less likeable to anyone who crossed its path. Perhaps it was a good first opponent, Pearse thought. Dean was gentle and quite possibly would struggle to hurt a less vicious Pokémon.

"Nice hit!" he applauded again, noticing that Pidgey's balance was a lot less steady. Pearse could tell a lot from a Pokémon's stance. Though he wasn't usually one to get ahead of himself, he couldn't help but find a smile on his face. His Heracross seemed to be in much better shape, despite having never battled prior to this. It made him wonder if Pidgey's angry facade was being used to mask its inexperience. It seemed like a reasonable guess to him. Being aware of these subtle things was an important part of planning your strategy.

"You're doing really well. One more oughta do it," Pearse encouraged. He was breaking all of his own rules now. He knew it was bad to make promises, and he didn't want to train his Pokémon to become cocky. However, this was their first battle so he'd make an exception. The outcome was pretty clear in his mind anyway. "Use Horn Attack, Dean!" he repeated.

[Calamity Ashe]

More furious chirping as the attack hit. The pidgey was slammed against a wall, and chirped wildly as it passed out. The attack was too much for the little bird, and it was knocked out. A Couple of spearow came and picked up the pidgey, quickly carrying the poor Bird off, cawing at the trainer in anger as they flew off with their child on their back. What an ending to a battle to say the least. At elast andrews thoughts were confirmed? Either way, Dean had won his irst battle and gained two levels off it.

Battle

---

Weather:

Pidgey | 4 | Hold Item
HP:KOED
Status:KOED

VS

Dean | 4 | Swarm| Hold Item
HP: 66% (14/21)
Status: Normal
Used HORN ATTACK!

Deam grew to level 7!
You may now move on to cherrygrove, or continue hunting for betetr pokemon. due to this not being your first carecter, you cannot catch the pidgey.

[Andrew]

OOC:

- Searching for another wild Pokémon on Route 29 (at night).

The events played out just as expected and Dean was able to subdue his opponent. As the resentful Pidgey lost its will to fight, a pair of Spearow dashed to its rescue. Pearse cocked an eyebrow, intrigued by the ongoing situation. "I really hit the nail on the head with that one," he announced, referencing his earlier observation about Pidgey's temper. Now the dynamics finally made sense to him. Perhaps the tiny bird had been adopted by a flock of Spearow and thus developed similar characteristics. Nature was incredible. "Just goes to show that it's never safe to assume anything. Looks can be deceiving and whatnot." 

Dean was puzzled by his trainer's ramblings. He shuffled back to Pearse and stared up at him. "Oh, sorry Dean! Pay no attention to me. Sometimes I just disconnect from what's happening around me." Pearse knelt down and patted the beetle's head delicately to reassure him. It took a moment for the victory to sink in. "Come to think of it, we should be celebrating! We won!" His smile grew wide and he began to laugh, hugging the bug tightly. His delayed reaction came as a surprise seeing as he had so many years of experience as a battle judge. He hadn't considered how different things could be at this side. "I'm really proud of you. We'll make a great team yet."

With the confirmation that he'd done well, Dean was finally excited. The happiness present on his trainer's face was contagious. The blue creature's hidden wings extended and began to buzz quietly in the zest of the moment. It was cute how comfortable his Heracross seemed after just one battle. Pearse had never felt such a strong bond. Even the gloomy surroundings and cold season couldn't make this moment any less spectacular.

"Okay, let's get a move on. We'll catch our deaths out here otherwise," Pearse advised, hoisting himself back to his feet. "Great job though," he repeated, winking at his new friend. Following that, he glanced around to check for any other challengers. With nothing in sight, he decided to continue moving forwards toward Cherrygrove City. He was already looking forward to their next encounter.

[Marchbaby]

As Pearse and Dean continued to make their way towards Cherrygrove City the slippery ground made the trip far less enjoyable than usual as there were few places to maintain a good footing. Though the dangers of tripping and falling were a constant problem the slippery ground also made the journey a bit faster than usual. Before they could reach the outskirts of the city however a Pokemon who had seen them coming from the top of a nearby tree decided it was going to pick a fight with the trainer as Dean looked like it would make a very tasty meal for quite some time. The Pokemon dove out of the tree and landed right in front of Pearse and Dean but the slippery ground caught it off guard as it flipped backwards and landed head first on the ground.

The impact caused a nasty headache as well as damaged the Pokemon's pride but it was still determined to fight the trainer and his tasty looking Pokemon no matter how much mother nature tried to intervene. The owl Pokemon did have one advantage going for it and that was its fantastic vision at night time allowing it a number of opportunities to try and strike Dean the moment it saw the chance to strike without the bug being able to react in time. The Hoothoot still had overlooked one major issue however as it was still too young to use a flying type move yet and it could not use its massive type advantage in any useful way in the coming fight but with how mad Hoothoot currently was that did not bother it at all.

The owl was ready to make its move the moment Pearse made his move not about to let the human get away after trying so hard even before the battle to score a tasty meal. Hoothoot was going to win this battle or it was going to go down fighting with all of its might trying to win.

A wild Hoothoot appeared (Level 4) Please select a Pokemon. The weather will be Slippery.
[/center[

[Andrew]

OOC:

- Dean uses Horn Attack.

Until now, it hadn't occurred to Pearse just how many flying-type creatures inhabited the surrounding area of New Bark Town. In hindsight, as a fighting-type trainer whose only Pokémon was partially bug-type, perhaps this wasn't the best place to introduce his new friend to battling. With Pidgey out of the picture, the route was a lot more silent. It was easier to notice little details such as the noise his shoes made on the slippery terrain. Luckily, he had no fear of falling. Balance was a skill he'd mastered over the years.

The peace was disturbed by a loud thud. Extending his arms at either side to stay balanced, Pearse scanned the area again – this time a bit more cautiously. He couldn't help but jump to the conclusion that they were being followed. Traveling at dark was always risky. It was possible there were thieves about, targeting innocent young trainers. The world could be disturbing sometimes. But that wasn't it. Pearse rolled his eyes and laughed as he saw a Hoothoot facedown on the ground.
"Looks like we've got some more company," he informed his partner. "Another flying-type. What are the chances?"

The avians obviously had no self-control around Dean. The young birds all seemed to be biting off more than they could chew. Of course, they had other options including the notably common Wurmple, but it didn't really have the same appeal. The owl hopped to its feet, unfazed by its fall and continued to approach them. Pearse could tell from a glance that it was an inexperienced but nevertheless it was blinded by its greed. "I don't see a choice but to battle. What do you think?" Dean nodded without hesitation this time. "Wonderful! This experience will stand to you, don't you worry. Let's kick off with Horn Attack!"

[Hunter]

Hoothoot's gaze was firmly fixated upon Pearse's Heracross named Dean, the hybrid fighting and bug type pokemon would make a most delicious meal,  after all, it wasn't every day that a Heracross was spotted on the outskirts of New Bark Town. Hoothoot could feel its stomach rumbling, it was particularly keen for a hearty meal after a long day of venturing the route. Not short on confidence the wild Hoothoot was prepared to take on a much larger, stronger looking pokemon than itself without access to a flying type move as of yet, a factor that had the potential to play a large role in the oncoming battle.

The wild Hoothoot felt disrespected as it heard Pearse laughing at the fact that it had slipped over and fallen face first into the ground, Hoothoot was determined to showcase that it was definitely no laughing stock and not a pushover by any means. As Pearse ordered his pokemon partner into action, Dean moved swiftly to close the distance between he and his new opponent and his horn begun to glow a silver colour, the bug and fighting type pokemon then proceeded to slam its horn onto the head of the wild Hoothoot. The owl pokemon winced in pain as it's head throbbed violently, Dean's attack had dealt a substantial amount of pain to the flying type pokemon. In a blinded rage the wild Hoothoot glided towards Dean the Heracross and launched its small frame into the bug, fighting type pokemon's much larger frame. The mismatch between Dean and this wild Hoothoot was evident, though that was not going to deter Hoothoot from putting up a fight with whatever energy it had left.

---

V S  WILD HOOTHOOT 

---

Weather: Slippery

Wild Hoothoot  | LV 4 | 
HP: 5/20 (25%)
Status: Normal
Hoothoot used Tackle!

Pearse's Dean ♂ | LV 7 | Swarm
HP: 27/30 (90%)
Status: Normal
Dean used Horn Attack!

---

[Andrew]

OOC:

- Dean uses Horn Attack.

Pearse watched proudly as Dean acted with much more confidence this time. The fear and the uncertainty from just a few hours ago was nowhere to be seen. Granted, the beetle was still only battling naive young bird Pokémon but his progress couldn't be denied. His assault on Hoothoot left the little owl looking worse for wear. Regardless, it stubbornly insisted on continuing.

"You're really getting the knack of this. Way to go!"
It was very unlike Pearse to let his emotions take control but the inner child inside him just couldn't contain his excitement today. The 29-year-old was finally experiencing this path he'd missed out on all those years ago.

Dean hopped up and down, playfully upon receiving a compliment from his trainer. He was chuffed to know that Pearse was enjoying this as much as he was. Pearse laughed lightheartedly before taking a more serious tone once more.
"We're not finished yet though. I didn't mean to distract you. We must keep our guard up at all times. When we lose our focus, that's when they get us." Pearse reminded the Heracross.
"Horn Attack is our best option. One more direct hit should be enough. Keep your focus." The odds were very much in their favour but Dean was still impressionable and Pearse felt obligated not to allow the bug-type to pick up any bad habits.

[fylisfe]

The hoothoot's eyes widened as it once more saw the young heracross charging towards it. Dean seemed to be moving with even more of a sharp focus than before, likely due to his trainer's advice. This new determination in the heracross's eyes was enough to strike panic in the hoothoot's heart. Certainly, the hoothoot had been the one to pick this fight and it certainly wasn't about to back down, but it knew that if it took another hit like the last one, this fight was going to be over as fast as it had begun. The owl pokemon frantically flapped its wings, its goal was to dodge out of the heracross's way just before impact. The hoothoot gripped the ground with its clawed foot to gain traction and then as Dean was no more than a wurmple's length away, the hoothoot bent its little knee and attempted to launch into a huge leap.

But luck was not on the hoothoot's side this night. In an almost comical repeat of the hoothoot's embarrassing entrance into the fight, a slight misjudgement of balance by the hoothoot plus the slippery conditions sent the owl pokemon tumbling backwards the second it attempted to jump. And not only did the hoothoot fail to dodge, the trajectory of its fall actually placed it perfectly in Dean's way, for he had also begun to slightly slip off-course during his charge.

POW! Dean's horn hit the hoothoot just right and the owl pokemon was flung across the scene. The hoothoot lay face-first in the mud, giving no clue as to whether it was not getting back up because it fainted or because it had finally given up the fight.

---

V S  WILD HOOTHOOT 

---

Weather: Slippery

Wild Hoothoot  | LV 4 |
HP: KO

Pearse's Dean ♂ | LV 7 | Swarm
HP: 27/30 (90%)
Status: Normal
Dean used Horn Attack!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Congratulations!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean won the fight and the hoothoot fainted!



Dean gained 2 levels and is now level 9!