Iron Sharpens Iron [Hold]

[Caramell 🍬]

The frail trash panda was very emaciated. It hadn’t seen a decent watering hole in days and managed to get by drinking from the colorful puddles found in the middle of paved roadways. Many strange people shooed it away from their trashcans whenever it tried to hop in them or chased it about, though a few kind strangers would occasionally toss it bits of small, tasty snacks that it could dine on. When Teddy pulled out the strange looking stale piece of cake, Zigzagoon cautiously pawed at the ground and sniffed it while eying the strange lad. “I can…have this? But it…doesn’t smell like food…”

It would turn its nose up at the offer and shake its head, pushing the piece of cake away from itself and back towards the strange lad. It definitely didn’t want that piece of rubbish. What if it was laced with those strange chemicals humans sometimes put on their discarded leftovers to trick animals into eating it just so they could get rid of the ones they didn’t like so much? “I want the cheesy puffs!” It didn’t know if there were better names for the strange orange-looking balls of cheesy goodness. They were so soft and sweet, like little treats you could pop in you mouth one at a time and eat. Its mouth watered at the thought.

When Wiggles soared up high in the air and created large gusts of wind to knock into the matted and disheveled raccoon, Zigzagoon cried loudly in pain. It whimpered, curling up into a small ball, and tilted its head towards the colorful bug that soared above its head. “Why’d you do that? What did I do to you? I’m just hungry, ok?!” A bright light surrounded the strange raccoon. Then it would unleash that energy of light as a beam, which would envelope Wiggles as soon as it made contact with the large butterfly. The strange psychic wave would change Wiggle’s original Ability to Simple for the duration of the battle.

Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Tailwind

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Zigzagoon LV 10
HP 57% [17/30]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Wiggles LV 10
HP 100% [35/35]

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

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

Wild Zigzagoon [??] : Normal
Teddy's Wiggles [Simple]: Normal [+1 Spd]

SP31 Wiggles used Gust!
SP20 Zigzagoon used Simple Beam! Wiggle's Ability changed to Simple!


Mod Notes: Birthday Cake cannot be used on wild Pokemon. Please check in our Exclusive Differences guide to see how you can use your Birthday Cake, though. It's very useful for level gaining.

Also as a note be aware of our Advanced rules in battles when it comes to Running Away under headline "Running from a battle" to understand why the fight must go on.

Zigzagoon Moves: Sand Attack, Tail Whip, Covet, Simple Beam ^EM

[rjpilot]

Teddy watched the Zigzagoon paw at the cake before shaking its head and backing away. Yeah, I guess I can't blame you, I wouldn't want that either, Teddy thought to himself. The racoon continued to eye them hungrily. “I'm sorry, I don't have anything else for you,” Teddy said. They would definitely need a trip to the store after this, Teddy had gotten some supplies from Crissy's father, but now he had 6 Pokemon, and that was a lot of mouths to feed. But the hungry Zigzagoon wouldn't go away. Teddy looked up the Pokemon in his Pokedex. The picture in the Pokedex was a bit plump, and had a shiny coat that looked soft. This creature in front of him did not match the picture. It was dirty, skinny, and looked sick. Part of Teddy wanted to help it, but part of him was also scared. He didn't want himself, Crissy, or any of their Pokemon to get some strange disease from this thing. What if it was rabid?

Teddy winced as Wiggles sent a gust of wind into the racoon. It looked like it was all it could do to keep its frail little body from blowing away. After the Zigzagoon attacked, Teddy was confused. It didn't look like it harmed Wiggles, so what had the move done? He wasn't quite sure.

“Wiggles, give it another gust!” Teddy called out to the butterfly. He still felt bad about it, but he didn't really have any option but to blow the racoon away, there didn't seem to be much he could do to help it.

Wiggles uses Gust!

[necroix]

The zigzagoon wasn't sure why this human didn't understand exactly what it was that it wanted. Was it that hard to tell that it was hungry? It was sure it had made that quite clear, though it guessed pushing away the food it had been offered gave the wrong impression. It didn't want to be infected with whatever could be in the food that it was being offered. Not to mention the fact that this bug had attacked it when it had just been looking for food. Using the beam had seemed to not do much at first glance, but in reality, it had changed the entire ability of the Pokemon before it.

No matter what it tried it seemed that this human did not understand it much like other humans that often shooed it away. There wasn't anywhere that it could go without someone interrupting it. Perhaps if it was lucky it would find another human with those cheesy puffs but it had to find those humans first. Yet the Pokemon seemed unwilling to listen to it when it asked why it was attacked as yet another strong gust of wind picked it up and sent it back again. This time it was a little more prepared seeing the pokemon do the same thing twice. It tried to throw its matted tail at the bug hoping that would be enough to distract it from going away. If this human didn't want to feed it then there was nothing else that needed to be done.

For even how bad it looked it was a fighter, it had to be for everything it had been through and there wasn't much that it wouldn't try to do at this point. Even if it was to fight this battle that it didn't feel like was needed.


Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Tailwind

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Zigzagoon LV 10
HP 13% [4/30]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Wiggles LV 10
HP 100% [35/35]

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

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

Wild Zigzagoon [??] : Normal
Teddy's Wiggles [Simple]: Normal [+1 Spd, -1 Def]

SP31 Wiggles used Gust!
SP20 Zigzagoon used Tail Whip!



Zigzagoon Moves: Sand Attack, Tail Whip, Covet, Simple Beam ^EM

[rjpilot]

Wiggles' initial caution and hostility was beginning to fade. Between the appearance of the Zigzagoon and it's pleas for food, she felt more sorry for the racoon than anything. The first gust she sent its way had been a warning shot; the second came because of her loyalty to her trainer. But the poor creature just wanted food, and she wasn't sure she could bring herself to attack again.

Luckily for Wiggles, her trainer was also having similar thoughts. Teddy didn't want to keep fighting the emaciated Pokémon, and the guilt of just trying to get rid of the Zigzagoon was beginning to weigh on him. He looked towards Crissy. He had come to see himself as a role model for the girl, to show her how a trainer should act. Considering he had only just started his journey not too long ago himself, that was no small task. But she clearly trusted him, and her father had trusted him too. They briefly made eye contact, and Teddy quickly diverted his gaze to the ground in shame. Here he was, supposed to be a good trainer, a good person, and instead he was fighting a Pokémon that needed his compassion.

Teddy rummaged in his bag for a Poké Ball. He didn't have food for the Pokémon, but he could at least take it to a Pokémon Center and maybe they could help it. And Professor Elm had wanted Teddy to collect data on Pokémon, so maybe the Zigzagoon could go stay there! Finding a ball, Teddy turned to the racoon.

“Look, I don't have food for you. But I know someone who can take care of you. Would you like that?” Teddy said, extending the Poké Ball towards the wild Pokémon. He then threw it at the creature. Wiggles let out a sigh of relief, glad that her trainer was no longer wanted to fight the racoon, but she still kept the Zigzagoon in the corner of her eye, not letting her guard down quite yet until the Pokémon had been captured.

Teddy throws a Poké Ball!

[Tarlar]

The striped normal type staggered, when you were as hungry and a bit malnourished from living of scraps, it was limited how much energy you had an how long you could battle. The zigzagoon had reached today's limit, it hadn't been very lucky with its fouraging today and with winter fast approaching it could end up in big trouble.
Not that it really had understood that, it must be a cub from this year as if it had lived through a winter already it should have been better fending for itself than what it looked like. It sniffed, "I just wanted some cheesy chuffs.." it whined and sent them some puppy eyes which would have worked great hadn't it looked so dirty and shaggy.
All humans of course had a big stash of the delicious calorie bombs on them, they were so tasty, the best in the world and since humans had access to everything and could get all they wanted, of course they had plenty of those crunchy orange snacks it craved so much, why wouldn't they?

It paused as it saw something which vaguely could look like a cheesy puff, a really huge gigantic one which flew through the air towards it. It's eyes grew wide and salvia dripped from its mouth as it saw it sail through the air, to it the 'cheesy puff' moved in slowmotion and was lit up from behind by a glorious light.
"Cheesy Puff!" It squealed excitedly as it bounded forward, "thank yoooouuu!" It jumped straight at the pokeball and grabbed it with its front paws. It got engulfed in a red light and sucked inside before it got a chance to open its mouth and taste it.

The pokeball dumped down on the ground and wiggled briefly but not much, before it confirmed the capture with a chime.
While the zigzagoon didn't look very cute with matted smelling fur, it could still be a wonderful pokemon if it got a bit of help. Nurse Joy certainly would be happy to see someone feeling pity for it and wanting to help it, and a bit of care from her and some good food and rest at Professor Elm would do wonders, if not Teddy decided to have it around and do the practical work himself

Gotcha! Zigzagoon has been moved to the box.


Wiggles did great and grows +3 levels to [Lv13]!
she can learn Absorb if she forgets another move!

Please fill out the form below:
[img src="https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/bwani/zigzagoon.gif"] [img src="https://pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/itemicons/potion.png" alt=" "]
[b]Zigzagoon[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 10
OT: Teddy Watson
Attacks: Sand Attack, Tail Whip, Covet, Simple Beam[sup]EM[/sup]
Ability: Pickup or Gluttony
Nature/Personality: [choose]
Item: Potion

(ooc: 1 pokeball deducted.
have you seen the Paldea Festival which is currently running? ^^ )

[rjpilot]

Teddy picked up the Poké Ball and examined it in his hand. This was now his seventh Pokémon, and he could only have 6 with him at a time, those were the rules. He started thinking about his team and how he had come to meet each one, and the adventures they had had thus far. He didn't want any of them to have to miss out on any of the travels.

Well, that's a problem for another time, Teddy thought to himself. This Zigzagoon needed to go to a Pokémon Center and get some help. And then while he was there, he could make his decision on which six Pokémon would continue journeying with him.

In the meantime, Wiggles had learned yet another move, and was twirling though the air testing it out. She accidentally hit Charlie, who began to wave his little arms and snort smoke in protest. But she felt so reinvigorated! She decided this was much better than her poison attack, as she could sense Teddy's strong aversion to poison type moves after the encounter with the Team Rocket grunt.

There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, and as the sun began to set, the previously warm breeze began to have a cold bite to it. All the Pokémon were huddled around Charlie and Vulcan for warmth. All except for Dizzy that is, who despite being visibly cold, was fighting off the shivering the best she could away from the group. Teddy felt a chill go down his spine, and he buttoned up his flannel shirt to try to keep in some extra warmth. He returned all of his team to their Poké Balls, he figured they would probably be warmer there. On second thought, he actually had no idea what went on inside the balls. But they probably had to be comfortable in there, right?

“Let's go find somewhere to warm up, okay?” Teddy asked Crissy, who nodded. She was hugging Anya tightly, taking advantage of the Eevee's thick warm fur. Teddy checked his map, finding the Pokémon Center. Luckily it was nearby, so the pair of trainers headed there.

It was fully dark by the time they arrived, and snowflakes were illuminated by the streetlights as they gently flurried to the ground. The Pokémon Center was warm and bright inside. Teddy approached the counter in the middle of the room while Crissy found a table nearby to sit down. After getting the rest of his team quickly checked out, Teddy then handed Nurse Joy the Zigzagoon's Pokéball while explaining the condition he had found the little racoon in. She thanked him for taking care of the Pokémon, and assured him that the Zigzagoon would be feeling better in no time. Teddy nodded, before heading over to Crissy's table to sit down his backpack.

There was a vending machine in the corner of the room, so Teddy got a bag of cheesy puffs and then returned to the table. He and Crissy munched on them in silence for a moment, both tired and hungry. Teddy thought about bringing up the IPF to Crissy; after all, that was why she came to Cherrygrove with him. It was nice to have company to travel with, and he was starting to see the girl as a little sister. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to his friend, even though he knew he had to. For now, he would just use this quiet as a time to think about his team.

Eventually, Crissy broke the silence. “Is the Zigzagoon going to be okay?” she asked. She was still clutching Anya for warmth, and Teddy could only see her from her eyes up as the rest of her face was buried in fur. “Yeah, Nurse Joy will take good care of it,” he replied. Just then, Nurse Joy appeared, followed closely by a Pokémon that much more resembled the picture in the Pokédex. The Zigzagoon was bright eyed and bushy tailed, with a shiny coat and a much fuller frame. “Amazing what a good meal can do,” Nurse Joy laughed. “... and some shots and medicine too,” she added on.

The little racoon suddenly sprinted forwards, leaping towards Teddy's table. Without even landing, it snagged the bag of cheesy puffs off of the table, before sprinting away again to hide behind Nurse Joy's legs. Once the shock had wore off, Teddy laughed, and then growled at the Pokémon playfully, before proceeding to chase it in circles all over the lobby. Crissy buried her face deeper into Anya's fur in embarrassment at her friend's behavior. Eventually, Teddy cornered the Zigzagoon, and wrestled the bag from its mouth. He then rewarded the Pokémon with a cheesy puff before returning to the table. He and Crissy thanked Nurse Joy for her help, before heading back out into the cold to find a place to camp for the night.

Wiggles forgets Poison Sting, and learns Absorb!




Zigzagoon
Name: Bandit
Gender: Male
Level: 10
OT: Teddy Watson
Attacks: Sand Attack, Tail Whip, Covet, Simple Beam^EM
Ability: Gluttony
Nature/Personality: Impish
Item: Potion

Bandit will join Teddy's party, Rattata will go to the box.

[OOC: will be putting this thread on pause to do the “Dig In!” quest.

Also, thanks for letting me know about the event, I hadn't seen that yet!]