Starting Small [Mod, Route 30, Finished]

[Tarlar]

The bidoof had had an idea it might had a chance but Charmander's visible hesitation made it taste blood. Not literally of course, it knew how to use those bucktooth it had, so it would never bite its own tongue.
Half of the battle was mentally and if you believed you were the losing part, you most certainly would! If not because you really hadn't stood a chance then because you didn't fight back with all you got by that gave your opponent and advantage.
All this had bidoof been told once although it hadn't really understood it, and this was the first time it had experienced it, so perhaps it was beginning to understand it as well.
It grinned at the look of Charmander, who stood meekly holding her tail, looking like she had already lost. It charged as it felt certain it had overcome her and had won over her with its clever mind, so now it just needed to finish her off.
"Biii!" "Food, here I come!" It shouted as it warcry and charged at her, only to disappear in a red light when it was halfway.



The pokeball rocked once, and then confirmed the capture!
Either the bidoof had been really weakened by hunger, or perhaps it had a subconscious wish of being a part of a group and use the strength for the better of all.
Who knows?

As the silence fell over the area, a pleasing smell wafted through the air. It was mouthwatering! Especially for the ones who was hungry! It smelled like porridge and something sweet being roasted, apples perhaps?

Charmander showed her great courage and grew 3 levels!
She is now [lvl 10] and learns Smokescreen!


Sentret did all he could and earned 1 level.
He is now [lvl 5] and doesn't learn any new moves.


Scatterbug made a difference and also gains 1 level.
She is now [lvl 6] and learns Stun Spore

Congratulations, you have caught bidoof. Please fill out the code below.
[img src="https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/ani/bidoof.gif"]
[b]Bidoof[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 7
OT: Faith Doherty
Attacks: Tackle, Growl, Defense Curl
Ability: Simple or Unaware
Nature/Personality: Jolly
1 pokeball deducted

(ooc: that was a clever move, as you had 80% chance of capturing it And technically it was Charmander who was pushed back into a puddle by the bidoof )

[alyssaimagine]

When the Pokeball swallowed the new Pokemon, Faith felt nervous. She wondered if this feeling would ever pass, or if she would always feel like her life was held on the balance by a wriggling pokeball. It was a little unsettling to think about, but it was true that it felt like her life was hanging on this pokeball. Just as it did with the last one. After all, if she wasn't able to capture this Pokemon, well it might just beat her Pokemon up, and that was something Faith wanted to avoid at all costs. Unfortunately, all she could is throw the pokeball and hope it captured the Pokemon. There were no guarantees with Pokemon catching, even if she did everything right. A weakened Pokemon was easier to catch, but there was still a chance a Pokemon could get away.

There was always a chance. Faith had never considered herself a gambler before: she had never even had the opportunity to try her hand at it! However, she was aware of the fact that what she was doing was exactly that. If that Pokemon broke lose from the ball, well then there'd be trouble. The Bidoof would be angry, and quick to react. Probably quicker than she could order her Charmander, and her Charmander - unused to this process - wouldn't even realize what was happening before it was too late. Faith could easily lose out on this gamble and lose it all, and that was not something she wanted to think too much on. After all, if she failed and let her Pokemon be hurt, could she really call herself a Pokemon Trainer then?

Would she have to pack up everything and go back home if she failed? What did failure mean to a Pokemon Trainer? Wouldn't her Pokemon hate her, because she allowed them to be hurt without a chance for victory? How could she live with herself then? Contemplating all this made her nibble at her bottom lip in nervousness. How could she fail only the second day out? Did she really have what it took to be a Pokemon Trainer, let alone the best Pokemon Trainer? Faith couldn't stop these thoughts from entering brain, tormenting her, making her feel like she was losing her grip on reality. She had to keep herself together, she had to be the leader to these Pokemon, even when she felt weak. Even when she felt like nothing more than a simple child.

She needed to be strong, but strong was a whole lot harder than she'd ever imagine it being. Her Charmander wandered over to her, still holding her tail, and looking up at her, as if concerned with her trainer. It brought a small bit of relief to Faith to see this Pokemon. Maybe, just maybe, at least this Charmander would never hate her. Which, Faith considered, would make losing and hurting it all the worse. How could she hurt someone who looked at her with such concern? Didn't that mean she needed to be even stronger in order to protect her from any harm? Faith wasn't certain what was right, and what was wrong. What was expected of a Trainer, and what wasn't. She was realizing all of those years of dreaming in her bedroom were nothing more than a child's dreams.

It wasn't that she wanted to give up or anything. She still wanted to try, it's just that she had realized that everything she had dreamed was wrong, because in the end she still knew nothing. She hadn't known enough of the real world to dream about it. She didn't really know Pokemon, she didn't really know cities, she didn't really know what it was to be free, and she really didn't know anything at all. For just a moment, she felt a wave of anger directed at her mother. If she hadn't been locked up due to her mother's fear, well she would have known more about the world than she currently did! She wouldn't be as confused! It was obviously her mother's fault, Faith knew. Most kids got to interact with Pokemon, most kids got to wander the cities and towns they lived in. Some people, she heard, even got to travel with their parents. She couldn't even imagine what that would be like. And travel where? To Pokemon Gyms? Faith didn't know. This traveling with parents thing sounded more like a myth than reality.

Just thing, the ding that signaled a captured Pokemon rang out and chased those thoughts away. This time had been shorter, despite it feeling like forever. Slowly, on wobbly legs, she walked over to the newly acquired Pokemon and picked up the Pokeball.

Then, came the smell. What was that? Charmander was sniffing the air appreciatively, and followed it without checking on Faith. It wasn't because her Charmander didn't care about her trainer, it was just proof to how hungry her Pokemon was. Faith soon followed, though she had wanted to head back to town first. Food, however, appeared close by.


Bidoof
Name: Bidoof
Gender: Male
Level: 7
OT: Faith Doherty
Attacks: Tackle, Growl, Defense Curl
Ability: Simple

Nature/Personality: Annoyed Disgruntled Eager

[Lamont]

The breeze carried through the route like an invisible hand tugging gently at one's arm. Heavy with an earthy tone of grain the enticing aroma pulled Faith and her team closer and closer through the thin spattering of wood. After a few moments of chase, splishing through the lightly flooded plain, fresh footprints could be seen in the mud that had become of a trail. They were deep, wide, and made at a slow pace. But that was probably the least interesting trace to follow.

Continuing on the same route as the shoe prints the smell led. Stronger and stronger, definitely laced with the allure of sweet apples there was no doubt at this point. The faint crackle of a small fire clashed with the distant calls of morning birds. Someone's campfire?

A chime of metal against metal clanked through the wilderness followed by an excited hushing noise. A deep jolly laughter of an elderly man accompanied it.

"Ho ho, almost! Almost..." The voice was quiet. Still a ways off. Brush still blocked clear sight, however the occasional glimpse of flashing embers popped over the greens with a loud pop. The sound of cutlery rattling on the inside of a pot rang out as the man stirred his porridge. With a bit more distance closed things would become clearer.
"How are those slices doing?"
"Rew. Sshhh... sshrew!"
"Lovely! Take them off then, right there m'boy."

The dull clatter of a sturdy dish sounded shortly afterward. Once for being picked up off of a rack and another as it was set against wood.

"Noowww..." There was a pause as the individual shuffled a bit. "This feels done as well."

A stout man geared like someone prepared for an archeological dig stood up and reached over the fire to pull the pot hanging from the spit out of the lick of flames. He took a few steps to put it down beside the small platter of roasted apple slices then moved to large hiking bag full to bursting. Large rolled up pages stuck out of the side, weathered but well kept, and a thick magnifying glass displayed prominently in the side pocket. The grey-haired man picked up a little bowl and carried it back to his yellow-scaled company.

"Alright, breakfast time," he announced with a little chuckle, leaning down slightly to offer the small ball to his pokémon. The earthy mouse happily took it, holding it out expectantly as his trainer picked the pot back up and tipped some of its contents out.
"Sandshrew," the pokémon thanked, promptly dropping down onto his rump to scoop some of the porridge with its tongue.

Breakfast smells delightful!
It doesn't appear either have noticed Faith or her Charmander's approach yet

[alyssaimagine]

Rumble. Rumble. Rumble.

Faith's stomach was clearly unhappy about the current situation. While she may have been deprived of many things growing up, she had never been deprived of food. If it weren't for the adrenaline from the fight earlier, Faith would have had a much harder time. Despite how much she may have disliked the situation, the stress had really helped her keep on going. Now that she was just trudging through the route, well, she was having a much harder time. As time progressed, her steps wavered and her feet splashed in far more puddles than she should have. If she had paid more attention to her surroundings, the mud puddles were far fewer and easier to avoid. Unfortunately, she was far too hungry to pay any attention to her scenery. If she had bothered to look at her companion Pokemon, she would have noticed Charmander was in the same situation.

Charmander's little scaly legs were dirty with the wet mud that had managed to splash on her. Later on, Faith would feel really guilty about all of this. After all, it was her job as a Pokemon Trainer to take care of her Pokemon, and she hadn't been doing a very good job at it. Naturally, this was easily summed up as little experience, but that would never be enough to make Faith feel any better about this situation. Her Pokemon should never have to suffer simply because she didn't know what she was doing. Life was far from perfect, however, and so were people. In this situation, Faith was simply far too unprepared for the real world and there was hardly a thing she could do to make it better. It would be a slow learning process for her, but it was a necessary learning experience. People would never really learn if they faced no obstacles in their lives.

Eventually, she heard noises. At first, Faith couldn't make any of it out. As she neared the location, she could make out voices. Someone was obviously talking, though Faith didn't know what about. She continued closer. With people, she had no fear. Growing up, she had heard all about the dangers of Pokemon. After all, one of them had managed to kill her late uncle! Oh, she knew all about that. It had been drilled into her, probably before she could even speak, but she wouldn't be able to remember that. She knew Pokemon could kill a human being, but being isolated her entire life she'd never heard of people killing people. That's why she showed no caution when walking over to the old man and his Pokemon. She doubted a person could have bad intentions. Maybe they would even be helpful! Maybe they would share, or point her in the proper direction, or teach her something. Sure, people had Pokemon battles. Faith was aware of that. Pokemon battles were a great way to train Pokemon!

People wouldn't battle a girl who was so obviously new, now would they? Not when both she and her Pokemon looked so hungry and weak. Certainly, they would be good people. Faith believed in that. She saw no reason for anyone to be mean. Some Pokemon could be bad. They would attack and it could be dangerous. She knew that, and she also knew Pokemon could be companions. People were safe. Faith was so sure of that, but her Charmander wasn't as certain. She was certainly more cautious since hearing the voices, and would occasionally look questioningly in Faith's direction. Charmander didn't so easily accept strangers, but she liked her trainer and she wanted food just as badly as Faith did, so she also didn't protest. She was slower than Faith now, keeping behind her and hiding in Faith's shadow. Charmander wasn't sure about other people, she hadn't met that many in her short life and Charmander wasn't nearly so trusting.

By this time, they had approached the man and his Pokemon. Faith's eyes stared at the Sandshrew for a few moments, then took out her Pokedex to register the ground Pokemon. Faith thought it was kind of cute. It was then that she turned her attention to the older man. Now she was nervous, but not because she was afraid he would hurt her. It was far more simple. She had had such little interaction with people, she hardly knew what to say. Was it rude to ask for food? Her eyes darted over to their breakfast, and her stomach rumbled once more. Food, she needed something to eat.

"H-hello," Faith began, turning her attention to the man. "I'm hungry...uh, I mean I'm Faith." She swallowed, slightly embarrassed. "And this is Charmander." She added, waving in her Charmander's direction. Her Pokemon was now behind her, pulling slightly on her pants and pointing to the food.

[Tarlar]

"Haha, careful m'boy, it is how!" The man warned laughingly as he saw how eager his companion was, but they have shared many meals like this so it knew how to handle itself.
"Shreeew!" His sandshrew said pleased and sent him a big smile, which made him laugh as he produced another bigger bowl.
"Is it good?" He asked it kindly as he poured some to himself.
"Smamnd shmrew shmrew shmrew," it answered mumbling with its snout buried into the porridge, making the man laugh again.
He sat down on the ground beside his pokemon with the bowl in his lap and reached for a piece of apple. He then paused as he noticed Faith and Charmander walking towards them, and his expression darkened a bit, although he forced it into a polite smile when she got closer.

Hello Miss, can I help you? He asked and then smiled for real when she messed up the words.
He looked thoughtfully at Faith and Charmander for a bit and then gestured to the food.
"Would you care to join us? It's nothin' fancy but its a good thing to start the day with!" He declared and patted his belly, "Oi, the name is Tom by the way." He then dug his hand into his huge backpack and pulled out yet another small bowl.
He was about to offer it to her but then hesitated, "one little condition, you wont challenge me to a battle afterwards," he said with a wink and would hand over the bowl as soon as she agreed.
He seemed really pleased and relaxed now, perhaps he had been worried for a challenge? His sandshrew finally took time to look up, porridge all over its face, it grinned at Charmander and then buried itself into its porridge again.
Tom would fill Faith's bowl and apologize that he didn't have any more, but she was free to reuse it if she needed, there was more than enough porridge as it filled you up well.

Silence fell, only broken by the sound of bellies being filled.
When Tom finished his own bowl he watched Faith for a few moment.
"'Ey lass, are you busy today or would you be able to help an old man as gratitude for the breakfast?" He would ask bluntly and looked hopefully at her.
"See, I have a challenge in an area I'd really like to take a good look at, and I could use a extra pair of hands," he added hopefully.

[alyssaimagine]

The aroma of the food was overwhelming. It was just about all she could think about. It didn't matter that the porridge wasn't some grand feast - it sure smelled like it! Faith was fairly sure it would taste like it too. Her stomach rumbled once more and it was all she could do to make herself appear normal, rather than some half starved zombie who would take the food and shove it in her mouth as fast as she could. She licked in her lips in eager anticipation, but by this time the man had only just noticed her. He hadn't offered anything yet, so she couldn't rush off with the man's food. She wanted to, though. The desire was there, even though she'd hardly think of herself as a thief. She was just hungry.

Thankfully, things seemed to be working out just fine. The man had reached into his backpack and grabbed another bowl. He did hesitate before handing it over to her, which made her pause before reaching her hands out to grab onto the bowl. Food. Food. Food. It was a constant, maddening desire. She needed to fill her stomach up, and she needed to do it now. She had to hold herself back. It wasn't right to be mean, it wasn't right to demand. It wasn't hers. She had no claims to it, she hadn't made it. She was aware of all this, but the smell was overwhelming her senses, and she would swear it was driving her half mad. She would hold herself together, though.

It was fortunate for her that he was a decent sort. He only requested that she didn't battle him, which Faith was perfectly fine with. She'd had no such thoughts to begin with, all she'd wanted was the food. "I agree, I won't battle you." She agreed. It was an easy answer, she had no reason to attack the man and people wouldn't really do that, so why was he so concerned sounding? Once she'd agreed, though she was awarded with a bowl which was quickly filled with the delicious smelling porridge. It didn't take long before she'd finished her helping, and she'd released her other Pokemon from their Pokeballs and everyone eagerly ate their fill. By the end of it all, Faith was beaming and glad. Her Pokemon looked eager and refreshed, even the ones who had every reason to be annoyed with her at the moment. Even the newly added Beaver Pokemon was too pleased with a full stomach to think very badly. This wouldn't last long, of course. For now, however, there would be peace and she was glad of it.

Once everyone had finished up, the man had requested something else. Faith hadn't felt put off by his request. In fact, with stomachs full, she felt eager and she was aware her Pokemon felt much better than they had previously. No one appeared injured any longer, and everyone seemed ready to fight if needed. She glanced over at the man, and looked him over. She didn't know why he'd need her help, though. She would not refuse, not eager as she was. However, she was curious why he'd need the help of a rookie trainer. "I'll help!" she nodded in agreement and glanced over at her Pokemon. "We're grateful for the food and my Pokemon look fine." It was a good thing too. It had saved them from having to stop over at the city. Her Pokemon were completely refreshed.

[Tarlar]

Tom's eyes widened when Faith called a bunch of pokemon out, and they all acted well behaved and managed to share the food, so he thought they had to be well trained. His sandshrew paused its eating and glanced worried at its trainer when all the newcomers arrived.
"I dodged the bullet there," Tom mumbled to himself and patted his ground type reassuringly on the top of its head. There wasn't going to be any battling for them today, not against Faith and her many pokemon as they had worried, she was clearly a trainer and they often challenged everything they saw just for the sake of training.

Tom beamed when Faith agreed, "Wonderful!"
He pulled out one of the papers in his back and folded it out to show Faith, it was an old map.
"This is the area around Cherrygrove for 400 years ago, this is where the city will be when it is made, some think it was a tiny little village back then while others think it wasn't founded for more than 150 years ago, it is really an interesting discussion and... Oh, sorry I'm rambling again," he laughed sheepishly and then cleared his throat.
"Well, the area I'm interested in, is this part," he pointed at the map where nothing in particular was, "There are some old ruins of a house, no more than 100 or so years old, and I really want to take a look inside and have Sandan here to make some test digs and see what he can find," Tom explained and sighed.
"We have tried a couple of times but we're no fighters and a few pokemon has taken the ruin as their residence and didn't want to listen to Sandan's argumentations and let us in. I just need you to keep them distracted and off our back, it shouldn't take long and be a peace of cake for you with such a team!" Tom praised Faith's pokemon and smiled warmly to all of them before turning his attention back to Faith.
"What do you say?" He asked eagerly although she had already agreed before.

[alyssaimagine]

Since leaving her home, this was the best she'd felt yet. Both her and her Pokemon were taken care of, and the guilt from a little while ago slowly melted away. It still didn't make the past go away, but she hadn't completely failed. Her Pokemon were now full and happy! It's the least she should do as a Pokemon Trainer, and she needed to ensure they never went hungry again. Even if that meant nothing for her. She would have to be the leader, or she had absolutely no business being a Pokemon Trainer. Before, she'd thought being a Pokemon Trainer was just battling gym leaders and wild Pokemon. That's all she had been able to imagine before she'd actually become one.

Now that she was a Pokemon Trainer things were different. Everything was real now, and she realized that being a Trainer, especially the best, had far more to it than just battling wild Pokemon and challenging gym leaders. She had to be a leader herself, she had to be responsible, and she couldn't look to someone else to supply her food. She'd been lucky this time, but it was only luck. She needed to find a way to rely on herself to feed her Pokemon from now on. Still, she'd never forget the older man's kindness when he chose to feed her and her Pokemon.

That's why she listened to him intently, trying to really understand the situation at hand. He seemed eager to talk about, and had apologized for rambling, though it hadn't really bothered her. It was good to understand the entire situation, right? She nodded while he talked and considered the risk. They were wild Pokemon, and more than one. Faith had no idea how many, and she didn't have a full party yet of Pokemon yet. However, she'd promised and had no intentions of backing out. She needed to help and from what she understood, the man's sandshrew may help. May, she wasn't positive of that and couldn't completely count on it. She nibbled her bottom lip, contemplating it before realizing it made no difference. Without being there, she could hardly plan for it. She'd already accepted, so there wasn't much more she could. They would go.

"We'll go." Faith confirmed with a nod.

It was only then that her Charmander began tugging at her pants again. She grinned, leaned down, and pet his scaly head. Then her Charmander pointed at her pocket. The pocket the berry was in. Faith looked slightly confused, and took out the berry. Hadn't her Charmander eaten enough food? Then she realized: Pokemon could hold berries. She'd read about it. That must be what Charmander wanted! She handed the berry over to him and he held onto it, almost proudly.

((gave Charmander the Sitrus berry to hold.))

[Caramell 🍬]

The old digger was excited to hear that Faith and her team would help them and accompany them on their quest. He immediately stood up and patted the side of his khaki shorts, summoning the small yellow-and-white shrew. The Pokemon looked up and murmured something exciting. “Just follow me, and be careful.” He added and they led the way to the dig site. A blue sheep with fluffy creamy-white wool and a bipedal white Pokemon with green hair that covered its eyes and two heart-shaped pink horns. The digger would point to these two Pokemon with a general shrug. They were completely blocking the opening to his dig site. “There’s something down there we need to get to. Could you distract them for us so that we can get by?”

A wild Mareep [Level 5] and Ralts [Level 7] are guarding the entrance!

Will you help battle and distract the two Pokemon for the gentleman?

Shiny Check:
SGtkkFdy1-42 1-42
1-42·1-42

[alyssaimagine]

Ever since becoming a Pokemon Trainer, Faith's life had been very eventful. It was only her second day as a Trainer, and already she'd had to help one little boy get his stuffed toy back, got a Scatterbug and made a long-term promise to a dying boy, met a Pokemon that gave her things, and fought a Bidoof over a berry. Now she had just had her first meal of the day, and was off to help a man fend off the local Pokemon so he could do his work. Faith had never anticipated Pokemon Training to involve so much. Honestly, she figured it was a job where she'd be alone most of the time, save for Pokemon. However, she'd been forced to interact with so many people within such a short time frame. When she thought about it, sometimes she would wish to flee from it all. She was hardly used to talking to so many people, and it was overwhelming.

It wasn't all bad, though, either. Faith was beginning to realize just how freeing it was too. It was difficult, sometimes, not to have her mother pull her away when things got difficult. That difficulty, however, was worth it. It was also what made her free, what made her have to think for herself. It's what made her feel like a real person, not some doll stuffed away in a house. It had been a lonely life, which almost sounded absurd to her. Faith's mother had always been there, always with her, so how could she have been so very lonely? She had dreamed of being like the kids outside she'd watch from her bedroom window, laughing, playing. Sometimes they'd have a Pokemon with them, often a parents. They usually didn't have parents to drag them away whenever things got bad.

Things were stressful and difficult at times. She was learning it took more than she had anticipated to be a Pokemon Trainer, but most of the time she realized that it was a good thing, even if she didn't always when things got hard. That's another reason she wouldn't turn this man down. She needed to face difficult situations in order to grow, and in order to be able to rely on herself from now on. Besides, she really did owe him! How else was she going to eat? She'd have to trudge back to town and before even getting there she may have encountered other Pokemon that wouldn't want to just let her leave. Her own Pokemon were too tired, too hungry, and couldn't go on back then. No, this man had definitely helped her in ways she could have hardly anticipated and she would do what she could to help him out.

Faith quietly walked behind me. She had summoned her Pokemon back in their Pokeballs; she figured it was better traveling that way for the moment. The flooding was getting better, but she didn't want to attract too much attention from the local Pokemon before they even reached their destination. If her Pokemon got worn out before they even made it, how would Faith be of any use to the man who had helped them out? It was one thing having her Pokemon outside of their balls when alone, another thing entirely when she was traveling with someone else. Right now, she had to be careful. Faith took in her surroundings. Sometimes she'd see a Pokemon up in the sky, and realized she could no longer be jealous of them like she had been in the past. Sure, she couldn't fly, but she was still free now.

Occasionally, she'd see another Bidoof, but thankfully none of them chose to fight her over anything. Most just paid attention to their own things, or flee in alarm when they saw her. Sometimes she'd spot a Mareep in the distance, but it would often run the moment she laid eyes on it. Everything was just brimming with life, and it made her feel even more energized than before. She was finally a part of this world. Honestly, she hadn't realized just how she used to feel before. She hadn't fully realized that she had felt so unreal, like a doll and nothing more. Like a character in a book. Someone who didn't really exist, because how could someone like her actually exist? A girl who couldn't step outside the door of her own house without her mother to accompany her? Now that she was free, she could tell she was real. The world she lived in was real, and everything was so very much alive.

That's when they arrived, and she was brought right back to reality. She glanced at the Pokemon who didn't want them to pass, then back over at the man. This looked to be a lot harder than she had thought, but she only nodded at the man. She would keep her promise! She brought out two Pokeballs and called out two Pokemon to help her.

"Sentret, use Scratch on that Mareep!" Faith said, pointing to the sheep Pokemon.

Her Sentret rolled its eyes, but with a full stomach the Sentret complied and did as it was told. It ran over to the sheep Pokemon, gave it a sly grin, then raised its paw. He flexed, and showed off his claws to the sheep Pokemon before raking them against the sheep's pretty face.

Faith turned to the other Pokemon and her eyes widened for just a moment. It was a Pokemon she'd had her eyes on, though she'd mistook it at first. She remembered the full evolution and had taken her a few seconds to process that this was one she wanted. That's when she grinned, and knew she had to capture this Ralts at all costs! She threw the other Pokeball in the air, and her Scatterbug plopped out. It glanced at her for only a moment before crawling to the free Pokemon to engage.

"Scatterbug, use Stun Spore on that Ralts!" Faith said.

((If I'm doing this wrong, please let me know. Sentret used Scratch on Mareep, and Scatterbug used Stun Spore on Ralts.))

((Also add 400 words to egg))

[Hunter]

The weather had taken an indefinite swing in the opposite direction, the ever-changing seasonal weather of the Johto region was something else to behold as the weather had turned into a harsh heat wave that was sapping up all the moisture left from previous seasons, areas were now left dry and cracking as strong winds followed into what could only be described as a horrible dirt storm. It had been the sheep-like Pokémon with fluffy cream-coloured wool covering its entire body that had noticed the approaching brigade of humans and their slave like pokemon partners. The electric type pokemon turned and nudged the humanoid Pokémon with a white body who had been resting to preserve energy. As the psychic/fairy type pokemon rose from its nap it looked confused towards its partner as if expecting a reason for so suddenly waking it, the sheep pokemon tilted its head in the direction of the approaching pair of humans and their pokemon, the feeling pokemon was none too pleased by the sight.

Mareep and Ralts had fought off many wild pokemon and trainers from before, their teamwork was a sight to behold as the pair seemingly appeared to be on the same wavelength when it came to battles and how best to approach them. The wild Ralts opened its mouth and let out a loud, piercing growl that distorted the air around them, a warning cry from the dual type pokemon to their new adversaries as Faith's Sentret and Scatterbug looked visibly irritated by the sound that had emanated from such a small pokemon. Scatterbug was the first of Faith's pokemon to make a move as she released a sparkling orange powder from her body towards the wild Ralts. The feeling pokemon was covered in the orange powder which hindered dual type pokemon's movement as it was now under the effects of paralysis.

The wild Mareep copied its partners lead as it proceeded to open its mouth and let out a loud, piercing growl that distorted the air much like the wild Ralts had just done. The piercing sound was surely no better than the first dosage that Sentret and Scatterbug had received as they again looked visibly irked by how annoying the sound was to deal with, it clearly was affecting their senses. Faith's scout pokemon covered the distance between himself and the electric sheep pokemon, the effects of the dust storm making his approach less nimble than usual before he extended his claws and repeatedly scratched at the face of the wild Mareep. Both Ralts and Mareep looked at each other and nodded in agreement, they were going to stand and protect their home as they had done many times before and the pair were confident that this motley crew weren't going to find a different result than the many challengers previously.

---

VS WILD MAREEP & WILD RALTS

---

Weather: Dust Storm (1/16 HP Loss)
Turn Order: Ralts, Scatterbug, Mareep, Sentret

Wild Mareep  | LV 5
HP: 18/22 (82%)
Status: Normal
Growl on Scatterbug!


Wild Ralts  | LV 7
HP: 22/23 (95%)
Status: PAR
Growl on Sentret!

Faith's Sentret ♂ | LV 5 | Keen Eye
HP: 19/20 (95%)
Status: -2 ATK
Scratch on Mareep!

Faith's Scatterbug ♀ | LV 6 | Compound Eyes
HP: 21/22 (95%)
Status: -2 ATK
Stun Spore on Ralts!

---

[alyssaimagine]

One thing Faith and her Pokemon now had in common was their hate of growling. It was annoying, because it bothered their eyes and completely put them off guard. For some odd reason, these growls always made them weaker when attacking, and the Sentret hated it more than all the others. Well, unless it was him doing the growling that is. This wasn't him growling, however, it was two different Pokemon growling one after the other, and it was just about enough to make him grind his teeth in annoyance. He glared at both of the opponents. He wanted nothing more than to rush right over and begin scratching both of their faces. That would show them!

Unfortunately, now he was captured and his will wasn't his own. Now he had to obey, and that Charmander would burn him with that annoying ball of fire if she heard that Sentret stepped out of line. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the fire Pokemon, not when he was planning the day of his revenge. Until he was strong enough to get his revenge, Sentret had to be a good Pokemon so that Faith would come to rely on him. The more that the filthy human relied on him in battles, the stronger he would get and the less opportunity that annoying fire lizard would have to get stronger. If he was going to pull off his long term plan, then he needed to learn to hold himself back. Which wasn't easy when he was so annoyed with everything. He was furious with Faith, he was furious with growling Pokemon, he was just so furious! He wanted to show the world that he couldn't and wouldn't be someone's servant. That he would be free.

The little Scatterbug on his side, however, just looked glad. The bug wasn't the sort who interacted much with either him nor the fire lizard. Scatterbug really only seemed to like Faith, and preferred to spend her time on Faith's shoulder. She was no more than some dumb, obedient slave and it was really beginning to irk the Sentret. He couldn't see what joy she could get out of being owned by a human. No more than an object, that's how Sentret saw it. Of course, he knew the stupid bug had probably never really been free. She'd belonged to another human, a younger one than Faith, and hadn't been caught while enjoying themselves. Sentret, on the other hand, had been free. He had been happy, and it was one of the best joys to have found a treasure - the dumb kids stuffed toy - and claim it. Finders keepers. The treasure had been his and he had enjoyed the sweet sobbing of the silly kid. It wasn't Sentret's fault that the child was so foolish to let a Pokemon get close enough to him to steal his toy. It had been Sentret's the moment he'd stolen it, but he'd paid the price. Now he no longer had the treasure nor his freedom.

"Sentret, use Scratch!" The human's voice had almost made him jump.

He had been focused on the past and not the present, and he held back the desire to turn around and glare at Faith. How dare the human interrupt his thoughts?! However, he was aware that he couldn't. A good Pokemon who wanted to be stronger wouldn't do that, so he had to obey. Besides, he knew Faith was even right. The middle of a fight wasn't time to think about the past. If let the other Pokemon attack him because he wasn't paying attention it would be all the more humiliating. No, he had to pay more attention. He rushed toward the Sheep Pokemon. He paused right in front of it, and grinned at the Sheep, hoping to put it off guard. Then he swiped his claws against the sheep's side. He hoped it had hurt!

Faith winced when she saw the Sentret attack the poor Sheep Pokemon. Even though this was the life she had wanted, she was still finding it difficult to watch her Pokemon receive and give other Pokemon pain. A part of her desired to comfort everyone and hold them close, to mother them, to say sweet nothings to them. That wasn't what a Pokemon Trainer did, however, and she knew Pokemon could be dangerous. They fought each other even without a human's commands, and they attacked humans just as well as Pokemon. That's why humans - like Faith - needed a Pokemon to step foot outside the safety of their towns. If they wandered alone, without a Pokemon, they could die. They didn't have the tough skins that Pokemon had, and humans were inherently weaker. They relied on Pokemon to survive, using their knowledge and technology to tame the wilderness.

Being a Pokemon Trainer was also the only way Faith would be free. It was the only way she would be able to explore, adventure, and do everything she'd always dreamed of. Besides, her Pokemon and often the opposing Pokemon seemed to enjoy it. Or, if not enjoy it outright, they often initiated the fights. She nibbled her bottom lip, and forced herself to focus on the fight and not the pain of the other Pokemon. She glanced over at her Scatterbug, and wondered what she should do. Did the yellow spores have the effect they had hoped? The growl emanating from the other Pokemon made her doubtful, for if the spores paralyzed the other it would be unable to attack.

"Scatterbug, use Tackle!" Faith said, overlooking the fight.

The little worm didn't hesitate in the least. The moment the words left Faith's mouth, the bug was crawling over to the other Pokemon. Once it was close enough, the Worm flung itself at the Ralts, hoping to make her Trainer proud, because that's all the bug wanted. The bug wanted to make the trainer proud and happy, because then it would never be forced to be another person's Pokemon again.

((Sentret used Scratch, Scatterbug used Tackle. Add 400 words to egg.))

[Hunter]

The dust storm continued to rage on, the weather was certainly doing no favours for anybody today as each of the pokemon competing within the battle were evidently being hindered by the wild weather. While Faith's Scatterbug looked like an innocent young bug type pokemon, it certainly displayed a level of courage and committment to her new trainers orders as she crawled towards the wild Ralts and tossed herself into the air, curling up into a ball like figure, essentially resembling a cannon ball before she crash tackled the feeling pokemon. The wild Ralts winced as a result of the attack, he liked to dish punishment out, not receive it.

Ralts could feel the effects of the bug type pokemon's stun spore attack radiating throughout its body, it was an unpleasant feeling to say the least. The feeling pokemon assessed the situation at hand and determined that making any unnecessary, overly physical movements would likely lead to the muscles within its small body ceasing upon and leaving it completely paralysed, a stationary dummy of sorts for their opponents to unleash their fury upon. Faith's Sentret appeared to be fighting both the physical battle in front of him and a mental battle within himself, this provided the electric sheep pokemon to make its move as it dashed towards the scout pokemon and tossed its body into that of the normal type pokemon and knocked him off his tail that he had been perched upon. Faith's Sentret took little time to retaliate to the attack as it's internal frustrations were unleashed externally upon the wild Mareep, the fluffy sheep pokemon could only stand and accept the attack given it was still within close quarters of the scout pokemon.

The wild Mareep looked towards its partner in the wild Ralts for guidance as to how to approach the battle moving forward. The relationship between the wild Mareep and Ralts was often guided by the dual psychic/fairy type pokemon as it had experienced more battles than the fluffy sheep pokemon had. Ralts' pinkish red eyes begun to glow a light blue colour from under the green hair that resembled a bowl cut, suddenly Faith's Scatterbug was surrounded by the same coloured light that was emanating from Ralts' eyes as the bug pokemon could be seen experiencing a great deal of pain, psychic powers were no doubt something unique to behold.

---

VS WILD MAREEP & WILD RALTS

---

Weather: Dust Storm (1/16 HP Loss)
Turn Order: Scatterbug, Mareep, Sentret, Ralts (PAR)

Wild Mareep  | LV 5
HP: 14/22 (64%)
Status: Normal
Tackle on Sentret!


Wild Ralts  | LV 7
HP: 19/23 (83%)
Status: PAR
Confusion on Scatterbug!

Faith's Sentret ♂ | LV 5 | Keen Eye
HP: 14/20 (70%)
Status: -2 ATK
Scratch on Mareep!

Faith's Scatterbug ♀ | LV 6 | Compound Eyes
HP: 11/22 (50%)
Status: -2 ATK
Tackle on Ralts!

---

[alyssaimagine]

How on earth could the weather change so quickly? Not that long ago, it had been flooded. Now the puddles were quickly drying and dust was in the air, making it harder to see. Faith wondered if the man was going to be able to complete his task with a dust storm like this, but she didn't have too much time to focus on that. Faith couldn't help but wince when the Mareep attacked her Sentret. Even if he was a naughty Pokemon, he was her naughty Pokemon now, and she hated to see him hurt. He was already captured against his will, after all. She didn't like the idea of making her Pokemon suffer. Faith was just glad that he always looked so determined, if not a little mean. He did seem to have a rather nasty habit of finding sensitive areas to scratch the opponents and she couldn't help but feel glad she wasn't at the receiving end of that.

"Sentret, use Scratch!" Faith said, sparing one more look at the Mareep.

Sentret wasn't one to give up, even though he was beginning to feel some pain now. It wasn't enough to stop him at all, and even if he didn't like nor respect Faith, he had his own goals that he needed to achieve. Therefore, he didn't hesitate at all and rushed toward the electric Sheep Pokemon and raked his claws against the other side of the Sheep's face. He grinned a nasty grin at the Sheep before stepping back and looking at his work. He was rather impressed with himself, if truth be told. He felt that he was getting better and better, and soon he would show that annoying fire lizard her place!

Faith glanced over at the worm Pokemon and smiled. Despite being a rather tiny Pokemon, it had some fight in it. She couldn't fathom how a tiny worm like her could cause so much damage against a much bigger Pokemon, but she was satisfied. Eventually, she knew, the worm Pokemon would grow bigger and stronger. It evolved quicker than many other Pokemon, if she remembered correctly. At least, that was the case for the majority of bug Pokemon. Of course, they also had many weaknesses which would eventually make the bug struggle. It was the reason Faith knew the worm preferred to stay at a distance from her Charmander, even if her Charmander didn't really understand it herself. She hoped the two would learn to get along, eventually. They both had good personalities, unlike the Sentret and new found Bidoof. Faith figured if they worked out their type differences, they could be good partners. For now, that was going to be out of question.

That was when the Ralts decided to attack. Due to the nature of the Pokemon's power, it was harder to notice than other attacks. She had to keep an eye on it, or she just may not see it. After all, Ralts was a Psychic type and many of those attacks were purely mental, rather than the physical she was used to. Faith frowned when she noticed the Pokemon's odd behavior, and turned to the Pokemon it had attacked. Faith felt bad for the Scatterbug, it really appeared to be suffering. The worm crawled back and looked as if it wanted nothing to do with the Ralts at all.

Scatterbug wasn't a huge fighter. She only liked to help her Trainer out, but that didn't mean she actually enjoyed the combat. After all, fighting other Pokemon meant that she could be hurt, and that was something that the little bug did not enjoy at all. "Scatter..." the little bug cried out, wincing. That was not an attack the bug liked at all. It was the sort of attack that she couldn't understand, that she couldn't see coming. Being tackled was different. She saw when a Pokemon was going to tackle her and she could try her very best to get out of the way. Even if it wouldn't work, it at least gave her the hope that she could avoid pain. This other Pokemon's attacks weren't so easy. She couldn't just run away from a Psychic attack. There was nothing she could do at all.

Luckily, Faith was aware her Scatterbug couldn't take much more. Her Scatterbug, not one to hide difficulty, made it plain by her reactions. She wasn't Sentret who would continue being a fierce brat no matter how much he got hurt. No, Scatterbug didn't like to be hurt at all.

"Scatterbug, come back and rest for a little while." Faith said. "You did very good!"

Faith meant that. Even if the worm hadn't actually done much in terms of damage, she had used Stun Spore and that would persist for the entire fight just like the string shot had with her last fight. Even if Scatterbug couldn't always stay in a fight, her abilities had useful, lasting effects and her presence in a fight would always be remembered. Faith took out Charmander's pokeball, and glanced at the Ralts one more time. Charmander was currently her strongest Pokemon and she would be lying if she said that she wasn't worried. Faith wanted to capture Ralts, but she worried that Charmander may be too strong for the Ralts to handle.

"Come on Charmander, use Ember!" Faith commanded.

((Sentret used Scratch. Switched Scatterbug. Charmander uses Ember, if she can. I don't remember if I can do an attack after a switch or not. Also another 400 words to add to the egg.))

[Tarlar]

The sandstorm came like called for Tom, he was used to work in harsh condition as ruins and other interesting digsites rarely lay in easy reachable areas. The ones that did had been found and explored long time ago, while the hard accessible ones were the ones who held new informations and mysteries to unravel.
This ruin was an exception when you didn't count the pokemon that had taken the ruin in as their home, and therefore didn't want him to sniff around and dig up their nests. The sandstorm provided the perfect cover along with Faith's distraction and they couldn't see that he had made his way to the house and had moved some of the bedding to let his sandshrew do some test digs deep into the underground.

While the mareep was fully focused on the battle the ralts kept turning its head slightly towards the ruin, which was barely visible in the dust storm, almost like it thought it could hear something from there.
It looked from Faith, to her pokemon, to its partner and back to Faith again in between the 'listening', it had a feeling something was off and it tried to figure out what it was.
While Sentret thought he was moving fast and was in the face of the mareep before it even got to blink, in reality the storm slowed him down quite a bit as it got in his eyes and mouth all the time with his grinning. Faith got to switch out Scatterbug for Charmander before he reached his target, and Mareep and Ralts got to exchange looks as it happened, and silently laid a new tactic. Either they were incredible in sync, or perhaps the ralts was capable of using its psychic abilitites to convey feelings and thoughts.
When Sentret reached where Mareep had been, he discovered it had moved and a quick glance told him it was charging a rather uncomfortable looking Charmander. Mareep stopped in a safe distance and bleated loudly as it shook its wool, sending out a weak electric wave which made fire type's muscle spasm, and made it impossible for her to concentrate on attack while she kept getting battered by sand that got in everywhere.

Sentret was quick to follow his target and got his mouth full of sand as he slashed his claws half over the sheep's face with a grin. It's upset bleating became a nervous chuckle as Sentret's paw briefly got stuck in the wool which was still full of electricity it had just. The electricity eagerly traveled through his body and took space in his muscles and tickled uncomfortably.

Ralts bowed its head and seemed to vibrate and then, there was two? They moved in sync as they raised their heads again and looked straight at Faith.
Why? Came the question inside her head, not a human word but a feeling of the confusion and curiosity of why Faith was here and wanted her pokemon to attack them and their home. It wasn't that skilled with its abilities yet so it might understand the human tongue should Faith try to answer it somehow.


Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Dust Storm (Sandstorm)

[attr="class","qkt-bkgd"]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]

[attr="class","qkt-clip"]Ralts

LV 7
HP 78% [18/23]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn2"]

[attr="class","qkt-clip"]Mareep

LV 5
HP 31% [7/22]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn2-1"]

[attr="class","qkt-clip"]Sentret

LV 5
HP 65% [13/20]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn2-2"]

[attr="class","qkt-clip"]Charmander

LV 10
HP 93% [28/30]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

Wild Mareep [Static](spd 10): Normal
Wild Ralts [Ability](spd12 6): Paralyzed (+1EVA)
Faith's Sentret [Keen Eye](spd 8 4): Paralyzed(-2 DEF)
Faith's Charmander [Blaze](spd 21 11): Paralyzed

<Charmander switched in, Mareep used Thunder Wave, Sentret used Scratch (Static activated), Ralts used Double Team, a sandstorm is raging (-1/16 hp loss)>

Note: Scatterbug has participated.

(ooc: I didn't let Charmander use Ember, since you hadn't told what Sentret should be doing in that round, it is rather messy if only some of the pokemon are moving Also be aware of writing that your attack hits, that is the mods job (and other things could affect the chance of hitting), I'll let it slide this time but you risk us letting the attack miss entirely ^^)