Our First Day [mod][fin!]

[Pixel]

Thief.

That was an easy label to place on him right now.

He did, after all, procure the pokemon in his possession by less than honest means. But the professor was just giving them away anyway, so what did it matter if he grabbed one of the pokeballs when the clueless featherbrain was on a tea break? What mattered in the end was strength and he would be the strongest trainer there ever was, which meant he needed the strongest possible starter. That also meant this cyndaquil would be the core to his future strategy. Choosing the fire starter was a calculated gamble on his part. Fire types were uncommon and that literal pest Bugsy was between him and the champion. These early routes were also littered with weak little insects and their bug type pokemon. They would make for easy fodder for the mole.

Thus, he spent his time demolishing anything that got in his way and making those bug catchers cry after daring to challenge him with their caterpies and weedles. 

He was making his way to Cherrygrove when he passed by a misshapen mound of snow (that he gave no heed). And he would have continued on without a second glance if not for someone throwing a snowball at the back of his head. Silver whirled and spotted the child and sneered, "Oh? Is that a challenge, kid? Maybe if I burn down your ugly little fort you'll learn not to pick fights with your betters." He sent out cyndaquil who blew a small flame.

---

Silver threatens to burn down your snow fort with his [LV 10] Cyndaquil!
Who will you send out to face him?

[Steph]

Daisy scratched her chin with her snow-encrusted mitten and frowned.

”Yeah, this kid’s suspicious, all right,” she whispered not-so-quietly to the motley crew of Pokémon sitting behind her.

”Oh, dear me. Should we run?” Wrigley asked. Daisy still couldn’t understand the bug Pokémon, but she heard his short, clipped chitterings and noticed him looking nervously down the path.

”Don’t sweat it, Wrigley—he’s just a bad guy, and bad guys always lose to the good guys,” she said.

The face on this redheaded dude looked like it belonged on a wanted poster—in fact, it reminded Daisy of someone she had seen on a wanted poster back in Saffron City on the way to the Magnet Train station. It was a faded sheet of copy paper, mostly hidden behind other, newer things on a community bulletin board, but it held a photo of the scowling mug of Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, promising a substantial reward to anyone who could aid in his arrest. Daisy couldn’t help but think of it now—this kid was a lot younger, but he had the same furrowed brow, the same creased mouth; the same look of unbridled greed glinting in his narrowed eyes.

And now he was threatening to use an innocent little Pokémon to burn down the very Ice Fortress that the wise and justice-loving Queen Daisy had built to keep watch over the area. Which was just the sort of thing an evil megalomaniac would do. Daisy bit her bottom lip angrily at the absolute audacity of this kid.

”You dare to threaten this hallowed ground?! You may look like a Team Rocket boss, but even Giovanni himself is no match for the mighty Queen Daisy,” she said. (This was, of course, a gross exaggeration of her skill as a Trainer, but it wasn’t like Giovanni was around to prove her wrong or anything.)

“And anyway, compared to him, you’re just a small fry,” she added, glancing at his Pokémon. ”I got Pokémon for miles and miles—you don’t scare me! Colonel Sandrew! I call upon you to prove your loyalty to the Queen! Use…uh…”

She fumbled around a little for her Pokédex—it might help if she knew what Sandrew’s attacks were. This one had a special move at its disposal; Daisy figured now was as good a time as any to make use of it.

”Use Mud Shot!”

All too happy to fight, Sandrew leapt into action, striking a heroic pose in mid-air as he leapt down from the fort to take on the challenger. He gathered up all the mud he could, then flung it at his enemy.

”And another thing—my fort is not ugly! It’s avant-garde!" Daisy yelled as the dirt took a majestic flight across the snowy landscape.

---

OOC: Sandrew used Mud Shot!

[Professor Oak]

Silver's air of confidence faltered at the mere mention of Giovanni, a name that reverberated through his past like a haunting echo, a reminder of abandonment and shattered dreams. The memory of a man who deserted him caste a poignant shadow over his childhood. The feeling of abandonment he experienced was not just one of physical absence; it was an emotional chasm fraught with unanswered questions and repressed longings.

"Don't you dare compare me to Team Rocket!" Silver's retort was sharp, his voice cracking with an unexpected vulnerability. His eyes narrowed, betraying a hidden turmoil beneath the surface. "I'm nothing like them. I'll never be like them."

Daisy's innocent words had struck a nerve but Silver regained his composure once more, recognising he was confronting a mere child, lost in her own fantasy world, oblivious to the gravity of the criminal organisation. The sheer audacity of this child, this self-proclaimed Queen Daisy, to stand before him as if she were some royal guardian of the frozen realm. As he looked at the misshapen snow fort with its collapsed ramparts, he held back a laugh, amused by the child's whimsical and grandiose imaginings.

"Small fry, am I?" Silver smirked, crossing his arms. "Let me enlighten you, little queen, on the insignificance of your so-called reign." His voice dripped with a disdainful sarcasm. "As for your avant-garde creation," he continued, gesturing towards the mound of snow Daisy was perched upon, "it's an eyesore that rivals a pile of discarded dreams."

"Here comes a dragon to burn down your castle!" Silver's voice sliced through the tense air, "Cyndaquil, use Ember!"

The stolen Pokémon, swayed by fear more than loyalty, wavered in its allegiance. It remembered the lab it was taken from, the hands that seized it against its will. Despite the commands, a flicker of reluctance lingered in its eyes before it begrudgingly obeyed, albeit with a visible unease. Flaming embers shot towards the fort and Cyndaquil couldn't help but glance towards the child who dared challenge them. Guilt mingled with fear, a tangled mess of emotions brewed within the stolen creature.

Sandshrew, standing strong in defense of his trainer, retaliated with a Mud Shot aimed directly at Cyndaquil. The clumps of earth struck the fire-type Pokémon, causing it to stagger backward, the attack landing with a forceful impact.

Trainer Battle

---

Weather: Clear

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Cyndaquil LV 10
HP 53% [16/30]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Sandshrew LV 10
HP 70% [23/33]

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

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

Cyndaquil [Blaze]: Normal
Sandshrew [Sand Veil]: Normal

SP21 Cyndaquil used Ember! -10 dmg
SP16 Sandshrew used Mud Shot! -14 dmg

[Steph]

He was a bad guy, obviously, but not a Team Rocket bad guy—the redhead had made that abundantly clear. Even Daisy, whose common sense was obfuscated behind five layers of make-believe, could hear the note of anguish in his voice. So he was a lone wolf, then; someone who held a vendetta against Team Rocket and refused to play by their rules—which probably meant that working alone had toughened him up—but he was still a minor villain in the epic of Queen Daisy, who was destined to take down the Dark Lord of Johto someday.

Daisy mentally filed this new bit of backstory about Redheaded Bad Guy Number One away and doubled down on defending the fort. Sandrew stood tough with her, his eyes alert and his body tense. Ratticus, on the other hand, seemed to be agreeing with the scathing critique of the Ice Fortress.

”Hah! He’s right though. It is an ugly-looking fort,” Ratticus said.

”Oh…? I think it’s quite nice, actually,” Wrigley said in reply, tilting his head to the left to give his companion a quizzical look.

Daisy, mistaking her Pokémon’s chirpy side conversation for unbridled praise, straightened her back. ”Thank you for your support, loyal subjects! I promise to defend our lands. And as for you,” she said, refocusing her attention back to her opponent. She didn’t get his high-faulting talk about her ”so-called rain” and rivals with piles of broken dreams, but he was obviously trying to be mean.

”Don’t you know it’s bad manners to insult a Queen?!”

Cyndaquil was not much of a dragon to behold, but its fire attacks were decently strong, even against Sandrew’s tough hide. So as long as this bad guy was in the mood to play along…then maybe—

”Aha! Summoning a Dragon of Destruction…you might be a small fry, but you’re no ordinary small fry. Your true identity is…you’re the Dark Prince of Johto, aren’t you?! Yeah, you tried to trick me, but I figured it out. Nothing can fool these eyes!” Daisy said, gesturing dramatically towards said eyes with her mittens and accidentally flicking snow in her own face.”Bleh. Pleh,” she added accidentally, trying to get some of the dirty snow out of her mouth.

“Colonel Sandrew, stand strong against the Dark Prince’s invading forces! Use Rollout!” she said.

Sandrew was pleased at the chance to show off how buff he was when he curled up into a ball to attack. It was a technique he’d perfected over several months, rolling into rugged boulders to toughen his skin. He propelled himself forward like a wheel of pure muscle, crying out fiercely in pride.

”But don’t kick their butts too hard,”Daisy added as an afterthought, examining the reluctant Cyndaquil’s pained expression with a twinge of sympathy in her tummy. It didn’t look like it wanted to take orders from a bad guy. ”That dragon’s having kind of a rough day already. I think it’s not feeling very good.”

---

OOC: Sandrew used Rollout!

[Pixel]

Dark Prince?

This child...

Silver scoffed at the imaginary play she persisted in indulging in, as if it would shelter her from the uncomfortable truth of the world. She pointed fingers and called out bad guys and hid behind her ugly little snow fort like it would protect her from real villains. Well, it wouldn't.

"Why should I care about bad manners?" he sneered. "I'm the evil prince here to destroy your ugly castle, according to you. Cyndaquil, finish melting that monstrosity she insists on defending. Prove that it won't protect her from the real world." Silver was aching inside from the earlier cut. From the reminder of his lineage and the reasons he was abandoned by his father. Team Rocket...they could go to hell for all he cared. Maybe they'd find their precious leader while there.

His 'dragon' glanced warily over his shoulder but obediently obeyed, breathing more fire towards the sandshrew, who had balled up and raced towards him at tremendous speed. Despite cooking the little shrew good...cyndaquil was bowled over and left steaming in the snow, trying to catch his breath.

"GET UP!"

The little mole shivered and did just that, bracing himself, breathing in deep...and the flames on its back shooting a little higher.

Trainer Battle

---

Weather: Clear

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Cyndaquil LV 10
HP 9% [3/30]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Sandshrew LV 10
HP 39% [13/33]

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

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

Cyndaquil [Blaze]: Normal; Blaze now active
Sandshrew [Sand Veil]: Normal; Rollout [1]

SP21 Cyndaquil used Ember! -10 dmg
SP16 Sandshrew used Rollout! -12 dmg
Cyndaquil's blaze is now active!



Rollout hit? D2UqlnSfp_1-100
Burn? p_1-1001-100·1-100

[Steph]

”I thought even the worst bad guys could have manners if they wanted. You know, like Dracula, he has some manners, anyway,” Daisy mused, more to herself and the Pokémon standing around behind her than the surly kid she was duking it out with. ”But I guess the Dark Prince over here was probably raised by fanged demons or something. Uh-huh, that must be why he’s not nice to girls. That still doesn’t give him a pass from me, though!”

Ratticus sniffed and looked away. ”You’re not paying enough attention to the battle, there, your highness. This isn’t going to end well for us, is it?”

"Oh, I do hope that Colonel Sandrew bloke’s going to be all right," Wrigley said, peeking his head over the side of the fort. He seemed concerned for his new brother-in-arms. ”Erm, your Majesty? I think you’d best take a look at—”

Daisy turned around just in time to see that Cyndaquil’s blaze had swelled from an ember to a bonfire. She gasped a dramatic gasp.

”Oh no! It’s a multi-stage boss battle! The dragon is assuming its true form! The Dark Prince of Johto is a medium fry now!”

But here was where the difference between bad guys and good guys kicked in, Daisy thought: the Dark Prince of Johto yelled at his Pokémon when it was struggling, while the benevolent Queen Daisy shouted words of encouragement to hers.

”You’ll be okay, Colonel Sandrew! Hang tough and keep rolling!”

Truthfully, Daisy wasn’t sure if Sandrew was going to be okay, but there was no way to stop him in the middle of a Rollout—so she might as well try to look heroic in the interim. And if heroism failed…

Well, there was still a small mountain of snowballs behind her.

---

OoC: Sandrew keeps using Rollout while I cringe violently LOL

[Tarlar]

If looks could kill, Silver glared hatefully at Daisy. "Manners are shown to those who demands respect! Strong trainers and the like, and when I have beaten you into your place you'll learn to show me some! You on the other hand deserve nothing, you are but a kid playing pretend and just a punching bag for my pokemon to grow stronger on," Silver sneered, not going into detail to fit him into Daisy's story, he was done playing along and would just get this over with as fast as possible.

"You can do better than that you doormat!" Silver snapped at his cyndaquil who ducked its head nervously. "Next time it comes rolling, you better dodge it, or else!" He warned it and a shiver went through the little echidna and it swallowed hard as it focused on Sandrew who was whirling up snow as he rolled around.
The fire type stood still with a pounding heart as it watched its terrifying opponent, although the thought of losing and what its trainer would do was much more frightening. Sandrew was currently rolling towards Daisy and the snowfort, which he bounced off and took off in the direction of his opponent. He had clearly picked up some speed and momentum now, and it looked pretty good for him actually, if just he could hit his opponent.

Cyndaquil tensed and then, in the last moment it jumped to the side so that the sandshrew dashed right past sending a flurry of snow over the fire type. "Ember!" The redhead more or less screamed and flames bursted from the fire mouse, who didn't even dare to take time to shake off the snow. The Embers slammed into Sandrew and sent him off course and back towards Daisy once more, he crashed into the side of the snowfort, uncurled and revealed he was not conscious. Now what would Daisy do?

Silver snorted and smirked, "What did I say? Now, send out your next pathetic pokemon so that I can burn that pity excuse of a fort down, just like your dreams," he taunted and crossed his arms while looking mockingly at Daisy.


Trainer Battle

---

Weather: Clear

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Cyndaquil LV 10
HP 9% [3/30]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Sanddrew LV 10
HP 0% [0/33]

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

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

Cyndaquil [Blaze]: Normal; Blaze now active (-1 SPD)
Sandshrew [Sand Veil]: fainted

SP16 Sandshrew used Rollout!
SP21 14 Cyndaquil used Ember!

Sandrew fainted but was so close. Choose your next pokemon.

Rollout hit: BwqyrS|Hp_1-100

(ooc: Blaze powered Ember is minimum 15 damage. Cyndaquil has minus in speed from Mud Shot, so it was all about whether the rollout hit or not ^^* You also have the option of "sacrificing" another if you want to revive Sandrew.)1-100

[Steph]

So, the Dark Prince thought Queen Daisy was just cannon fodder, did he? That she was unworthy of his respect?

Well.

He had another thing coming.

“Punching bag my royal foot! If you think you can underestimate me just ‘cause I’m shorter than you, you’re gonna live to regret it, you demon-faced punk—”

Daisy’s temper shot up like a solar flare. But in that moment, Cyndaquil’s flames—made all the more potent by its desperation and the fear of its trainer—managed to outshine even Queen Daisy and her retinue. Sandrew’s attack missed, and he fell victim amidst the blazing embers. He stopped mid-roll, unfurling like a streamer, and laid singed and panting in the snow.

”COLONEL SANDREW!” Daisy shrieked, rushing to the injured Pokémon’s side. She knelt beside him in the snowy bank, taking the little guy by the shoulders and shaking him fiercely. ”Speak to me, Colonel! Say something—anything!”

A weak puff of air escaped Sandrew’s lips with a wheeze, condensing and evaporating into the thin, wintry air around him. Then, it vanished into the sea of snowflakes, just like his will to fight. His eyes sought Daisy’s, brimming with a single, anguished question:

“Was I…cool?”

Then, he went limp.

”COLONEL SANDREEEEW! NOOOOOOOOO!”

Daisy cradled Sandrew in her arms like the Pietà and unleashed a high-pitched scream of sorrow that reached all the way to Cherrygrove City, where unbeknownst to her, a small squadron of police Growlithe began howling at the piercing noise. A flock of Pidgey in a nearby tree also flew away, frightened. It escalated the drama of the scene nicely, Daisy thought.

But there would be time to cry later, because she wasn’t about to let the Dark Prince of Johto burn down her hopes, her dreams, or her carefully-crafted masterpiece of a snow fort. No; this was the part where the hero got revenge for her fallen comrade. But first—

”Dang it—you got a Poké Ball somewhere, don’t you, Sandrew…? I gotta put you back in there—oof, I think it got buried under all this snow, though,” Daisy remarked as her hands fished around in the snow bank. ”Oh, wait a second—“

She spotted something gleaming out of the corner of her eye—the Poké Ball Sandrew had brought along with the letter; the one he belonged in. She used it to recall him and stuffed it into her pocket, only fumbling slightly. It would be bad form to look flustered in front of her arch nemesis.

”What are you lookin’ at?! Eat snow, you evil fiend!” Daisy said, turning back to her nemesis as thoughts of her heroic revenge returned to her. She picked up a snowball in each hand and lobbed them towards the Dark Prince’s face, then jumped back into her fort hurriedly.

”You’re gonna wish you hadn’t challenged my next Pokémon, Dark Prince! Because Queen Daisy now summons her secret weapon! Lord Fireball the Ravenous, King of the Volcano!”

Fuecoco was called out, although far from making a grand and terrifying entrance, he laid down sideways in the snow, stomach growling.

”That’s weird. He should be at full health,” Daisy mumbled to herself. But then, Labcoat Guy’s wise words from earlier echoed in her memory: ’You can make a deal with it, by trading for food! You give it food for it doing what you are saying!’

”Oh yeah, that’s it! Hey, Fireball! If you help me beat the Dark Prince’s dragon, you can have the rest of these weird berries!” she told him, motioning to the mess of squished and frozen berries that cluttered the fort.

Fireball perked up, sniffing around for the aforementioned berries. Ratticus looked offended for some reason Daisy couldn’t quite put her finger on.

”Lord Fireball, use your Round attack! Make some noise and show the Dark Prince just who deserves some respect around here!” Daisy commanded in her most regal tone.

Drooling just slightly at the thought of berries, Fireball let out an intimidating yodel.

---

OoC: Fireball is sent out! Fireball used Round!

[Caramell 🍬]

The redhead rolled his eyes, nostrils flared in exhaustion and annoyance as he waited for Daisy to make her next selection. Kids were a dawdling group. Even though Silver wasn’t that much older in comparison, he already felt older and wiser, given by the years of tough training and near isolation shed upon him by his own parents. Daisy probably lacked such an upbringing and instead rejoiced in the warmth and comfort of a loving, caring home. “Can you hurry up and make your choice?” He asked, one eyebrow raised cartoonishly high in an inquisitive fashion. “It’s not getting any warmer out here, ya know.” Silver snapped annoyingly.

A fresh sixteen year old making his way in the world, collecting a partner by whatever means suited him best. The wails of sirens in the distance caused Silver’s sharp maroon eyes to dart about the whitened landscape of ice and snow nervously as he bit his lower lip. They were moving on expeditiously, just as soon as they wiped the slate clean of this girl’s weakling Pokemon. Ratticus caught Silver’s attention as the assumed next target, and one that the cocky and overconfident egoistic teen was sure he could handle easily enough along. “Unless you’re going to forfeit?” He scoffed, referring to her own commentary of not being able to find her Sandshrew’s Poke Ball.

The snowball lobbed against the side of Silver’s face caused him to growl low underneath his breath. Baited, the redheaded overgrown child clenched his hands into tight fists at his side before reaching down to pack a snowball – with a few sharp twigs mixed in – inside of his hands, which he tossed back in her direction. “You’re going to pay for that, you stupid girl!” Silver snapped firmly, with a nod towards his Cyndaquil as soon as Fireball appeared out of his ball onto the snow covered battlefield. Finally, the battle could move on at a proper pace, though admittedly with a surprised twist that Silver wasn’t expecting to see.

“Just because you have one useful Pokemon in a sea of useless ones means nothing.” Silver scoffed with a heavied shrug, turning his face to the side as though he was completely disinterested by the cool Paldean Pokemon he’d obviously snap up for himself in a heartbeat if offered the chance. “Cyndaquil, use Smokescreen so that he can’t hit you. Then we’ll prepare for our assault.” An overconfident smirk. Fuecoco’s powerful caterwauling caused Cyndaquil to cry loudly before collapsing in the frosty snow, unable to continue its onslaught of attacks. “What? You useless piece of- fine! Whatever. Return” Silver snapped, then turned to Daisy as he pranced over to her side.

“Don’t think this means you’re a good trainer or nothing.” Straight to the point, with sharp words meant to cut into her soul as was characterized by such a moody teenager of his age and colorful background. “You just got lucky this time. Mark my words. It won’t happen again squirt.” Silver would push his way past Daisy, not caring what might be in his path as he marched up the trail and disappeared along Route 29 on his journey to become the ‘greatest’ they’ve ever seen yet. He dropped a small lump sum of change at Daisy’s feet, too cold and callous to simply hand it to her like a decent human being.

Minimum damage for Round will KO Cyndaquil & 100% accuracy. You got it.

---

Fireball gains 2 levels.
Fireball increases to Level 13!
Fireball is trying to learn Bite!
Forget a move and learn Bite?

Daisy defeated Silver!

He pays her $300 for winning the fight.

[Steph]

”You’re the one who’s stupid, stupid! Daisy said, responding to the Dark Prince’s childish taunt with an equally childish taunt. Happily enough, she seemed to be better at Pokémon battling than she was as crafting verbal barbs 

…Not that the Dark Prince seemed to notice or care how exceptionally skilled she was. Even in defeat, he thought himself superior. Typical evil bad guy, Daisy thought. She rubbed her cheek where his pointy snowball had struck and left a mark—but she’d bandage it up later. Sticks and stones could break her bones, but the name-calling was probably worse. Daisy rose to the bait.

”Still a better trainer than you, butthead,” she smirked as Fireball came out on top, forgetting to act royal in her moment of triumph. The teenager responded by throwing Daisy’s hard-earned prize money on the cold, snow-covered ground. Daisy dove for the pocket change as though it were gold.

”Holy smokes, I’m rich!” she said to herself without so much as a shred of irony. Her excitement didn’t quite boil over the way she thought it would upon defeating a Dark Prince, though. There was something sort of bothering her a little bit.

The way his Pokémon worked so hard, and all he ever did was yell at it. Even Dark Princes should take care of their partners, shouldn’t they? It seemed wrong.

Still knee-deep in snow with cash in both fists, Daisy snapped her head up to give some queenly words of wisdom.

”By the way, you should be nicer to your dragon, or it’s probably gonna turn around and eat you some day,” she said.

…but by then, the boy was already gone. Her pockets lined with coins, Daisy then looked over to address her winning Pokémon. It was time to offer the King of the Volcano his sacrifice.

“Okay, Fireball, now that we’re all done, you can have the—oh, never mind, you ate them already,” she said, just as the last misshapen berry disappeared down Fireball’s bottomless gullet.

He burped.

“How dare you eat all of those, you glutton!” Ratticus said, gasping in indignation.

Fireball ignored him and laid down on the ground. Wrigley blinked, astounded anyone could sleep so soundly in this cold.

Ratticus seethed. “Stop snoring when I’m talking to you!”

Daisy looked down at the chittering rodent, stifling a yawn.

”Private Ratticus, you’re acting cranky. Go have a rest in your Poké Ball, okay?” she said, shuffling the rodent Pokémon into his portable home away from home.

Then, it was quiet. Too quiet.

Something terrible dawned on Daisy.

”Aw, crap! I was so busy winning the fight and picking up money that I forgot I wanted to help arrest that guy!”

Shaking both fists in the air and running at top speed towards Cherrygrove, Daisy screamed at the clouds. ”Come back here, you nincompoop! I was supposed to capture you!”

Her Pokémon scurried along after her, leaving the safety of the Ice Fortress behind—but a new adventure was yet ahead of them.

---

OoC: One, two, and…poof! Fireball forgot Tackle. And…Fireball learned Bite!

And now we close the thread and head off to the next adventure 🫡