It's A Start (Mod)

[Sol]

Holy Arceus he'd finally done it. Mateo got his starter and pokedex from Professor Elm, accepting his request to catalogue every pokemon he's seen. He talked to a boy who wanted nothing more than to see a bunch of Vivillon fly to the horizon. He even visited the town's adoption centre to add a new member to his party, as ready to see the world as he was. And now after all that, here he was, standing before Route 29.

Man. He didn't think he'd actually get here. It's almost as if he did the most he could do before his point, the only thing saved for later being the trials. He loved a good challenge sure, but not when he didn't have a shot at clearing it with where his team currently sat. They needed to get stronger. They needed to train.

Yet Mateo's feet remained rooted to the ground, despite the fact he'd been standing before the start of the road for the past ten minutes.

Why, one may ask. There were many possible reasons. He could be waiting on someone, being as patient as a gardener tending to their plants could be. He could be witnessing the scenery before him, taking in its beauty and imagining what else he could see in the region. Or maybe he was scared of the prospect of leaving the town because it meant he was truly moving forward from sitting alone in his home in Sinnoh for the past several months.

It obviously wasn't that though. Him? Afraid? Psshhh, he'd never heard of the word in his entire life.

Soft paws patted Mateo's right cheek. His eyes glanced to the newest member perched on his shoulder, chittering as soon as he got his attention. The man sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sure you think we've been here long enough." The squirrel squeaked some more. Mateo thought it was agreement. "I guess we should be going then."

He faced forward and breathed in deep. Blew air through his mouth. Raised a foot in the air. Pressed it down in the earth. Slowly he repeated the motions, until it satisfied the requirements to let it be labelled as walking.

One small step for man. One giant leap for a brighter future.

Even if that brighter future was only for him.

Skwovet code ready! Please remove the dash (-) from PTabbedContent. Sorry for the inconvenience, it was the only way to prevent the code from breaking

[div align="justify" style="width:400px;background-color:#eee;border-radius:15px;color:#000;padding:10px;font-size:0.9rem;line-height:150%;"][-PTabbedContent][PTab=Overview][div style="background: repeating-linear-gradient(0deg,#f8d0a8,#f8d0a8 2px,#f8a890 2px,#f8a890 4px);padding-bottom:5px;"][table style="width:100%"][tbody style="vertical-align:top;"]
[tr]
[td style="width:35%;padding:0"][div align="center" style="background-color:#c8a8e8;padding:5px"][table style="width:100%"][tbody]
[tr]
[td]Iggy[/td]
[td][div align="right"]♂[/div][/td]
[/tr]
[/tbody][/table][div style="background: repeating-linear-gradient(0deg,#e8e8e8,#e8e8e8 2px,#fff 2px,#fff 4px);"][img alt=" " src="https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/gen5/skwovet.png"]
[div align="right"][img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/msikma/pokesprite/master/items/ball/poke.png" alt=" "][/div][/div][/div][/td]
[td][div][table style="width:100%"][tbody]
[tr]
[td style="width:25%"][div align="center" style="background-color:#788090;color:#fff;border-radius:5px;"]Lv[/div][/td]
[td][div style="background-color:#f8f0e8;padding:0 5px;border-radius:5px"]1 [span style="float:right;font-size:0.7rem"](EXP 0/0)[/span][/div][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td][div align="center" style="background-color:#788090;color:#fff;border-radius:5px;"]Name[/div][/td]
[td][div style="background-color:#f8f0e8;padding-left:5px;border-radius:5px"]Skwovet[/div][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td][div align="center" style="background-color:#788090;color:#fff;border-radius:5px;"]Type[/div][/td]
[td][div style="background-color:#f8f0e8;border-radius:5px"][table style="width:100%"][tbody]
[tr]
[td style="width:50%"][span style="display:block;width:100%;font-size:0.9rem"][attr=class,zz-typeblock normal][/span][/td]
[td][/td]
[/tr]
[/tbody][/table][/div][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td][div align="center" style="background-color:#788090;color:#fff;border-radius:5px;"]OT[/div][/td]
[td][div style="background-color:#f8f0e8;padding-left:5px;border-radius:5px"]Adrian Hartt[/div][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td][div align="center" style="background-color:#788090;color:#fff;border-radius:5px;"]Item[/div][/td]
[td][div style="background-color:#f8f0e8;padding-left:5px;border-radius:5px"]None[/div][/td]
[/tr]
[/tbody][/table][/td]
[/tr]
[/tbody][/table][div style="background-color:#788090;color:#fff;padding:5px;border-radius:5px;margin:5px"]Trainer Memo[/div][div style="background-color:#f8f0e8;padding:5px;border-radius:5px;margin:0 5px"][b]Quirky[/b] nature
Met in [b]New Bark Town[/b] at [b]Lv 1[/b].[/div][/div][/PTab={min-height:0;tab-border-style: none;tab-border-width:0;tab-border-radius:5px;tab-color:#000;tab-hover-cursor:pointer;tab-hover-background-color:#ccc;tab-selected-background-color:#aaa;}][PTab=Battle][div style="background: repeating-linear-gradient(0deg,#a8f0d8,#a8f0d8 2px,#98e8d0 2px,#98e8d0 4px);padding-bottom:5px;"][table style="width:100%"][tbody style="vertical-align:top;"]
[tr]
[td style="width:35%;padding:0"][div align="center" style="background-color:#c8a8e8;padding:5px"][table style="width:100%"][tbody]
[tr]
[td]Iggy[/td]
[td][div align="right"]♂[/div][/td]
[/tr]
[/tbody][/table][div style="background: repeating-linear-gradient(0deg,#e8e8e8,#e8e8e8 2px,#fff 2px,#fff 4px);"][img alt=" " src="https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/gen5/skwovet.png"]
[div align="right"][img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/msikma/pokesprite/master/items/ball/poke.png" alt=" "][/div][/div][/div][/td]
[td][table style="width:100%"][tbody]
[tr]
[td style="width:30%"][span style="display:block;width:100%;font-size:0.9rem"][attr=class,zz-typeblock normal][/span][/td]
[td][div style="background-color:#f0f8f8;padding-left:5px;border-radius:5px"]Tackle[/div][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td][span style="display:block;width:100%;font-size:0.9rem"][attr=class,zz-typeblock normal][/span][/td]
[td][div style="background-color:#f0f8f8;padding-left:5px;border-radius:5px"]Tail Whip[/div][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td][span style="display:block;width:100%;font-size:0.9rem"][attr=class,zz-typeblock rock][/span][/td]
[td][div style="background-color:#f0f8f8;padding-left:5px;border-radius:5px"]Rollout[sup]EM[/sup][/div][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td][span style="display:block;width:100%;font-size:0.9rem"][attr=class,zz-typeblock normal][/span][/td]
[td][div style="background-color:#f0f8f8;padding-left:5px;border-radius:5px"]-[/div][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td][div align="center" style="margin-top:16px;background-color:#788090;color:#fff;border-radius:5px;"]Hap[/div][/td]
[td][div style="margin-top:16px;background-color:#f0f8f8;padding-left:5px;border-radius:5px"]0[/div][/td]
[/tr]
[/tbody][/table][/td]
[/tr]
[/tbody][/table][div style="background-color:#788090;color:#fff;padding:5px;border-radius:5px;margin:5px"]Ability[/div][div style="background-color:#f0f8f8;padding:5px;border-radius:5px;margin:0 5px"][b]Cheek Pouch[/b]
Restores HP as well when the Pokémon eats a Berry.[/div][/div][/PTab={min-height:0;tab-border-style: none;tab-border-width:0;tab-border-radius:5px;tab-color:#000;tab-hover-cursor:pointer;tab-hover-background-color:#ccc;tab-selected-background-color:#aaa;}][/PTabbedContent={border: 0;}][/div]

[AshenPhoenix]

It felt as though stepping into a whole different world with just a few strides. As New Bark Town faded into the distance, nature reclaimed what humans had not touched, creating an atmosphere akin to stepping through a portal into another realm. Dense woods adorned the edges of the route, with a distant mountain reaching towards the clouds. The well-trodden path bore witness to the journeys of countless generations of new trainers who had begun their adventures here.

Despite the passing years and changes, some things remained constant, such as basic conflicts. As Mateo ventured farther, he might have noticed that the further he went, the more Rattata and Sentret darted past him, paying little heed to his presence. The sounds of a struggle grew more distinct with each step – squeaks, cries, and growls emanating from beyond the shrubbery at the edge of the woods.

In a clearing, two gangs were locked in battle – Rattata and Sentret, possibly vying for territory or resources. It was no ordinary skirmish; it seemed more like a full-scale war, with many members lying defeated, others weary, and reinforcements arriving from all directions to support their allies, keeping the flames of conflict burning fiercely between the two species with no clear winner in sight.

In a moment of desperation, a Rattata dashed up to Mateo, standing upright on its hind legs and curling its front paws, emitting rapid squeaks as if pleading for assistance. "Please, help! Sentret are attempting to pilfer our stash of food! I have little ones to feed!" The Rattata then pointed its head toward a particular Sentret, which had just triumphed over another purple rodent, standing amidst several others it had defeated. With a glare directed at Mateo and the beseeching Rattata, the Sentret seemed poised to accept another challenge.

The gang leader Sentret [LV2] seeks to steal all of Rattata food!

SPOILER: Click to show

Rare? _aLB776|p_1-6 nope
Uncommon? p_1-3
Level? p_2-8
Shiny? p_1-42

1-6·1-3·2-8·1-42

[Sol]

As Mateo walked along the trail, he smiled at the greenery that surrounded him. The dense trees were familiar. Even the mountains in the distance reminded him of Arrowroot, as they stood as a backdrop to the nature-oriented town. It's like he never left home. The smile shrunk a little.

If he was supposed to move forward, why was he ending up in places that looked like what he was trying to move away from?

The thought left his head as soon as rustling leaves sounded in the air. It wasn't a one-time thing either, it was constant; a scratching sensation that made him alert. Iggy crouched on his perch, mimicking the man's wariness. When the pokemon ran past them the squirrel clung to his trainer's neck, causing the man to yelp as tiny claws dug in. "H-hey, easy! You're fine bud!" He placed what he hoped was a steadying hand against the Skwovet's form, who eased his grip at the touch, thank goodness.

Mateo picked up his pace until he reached the source of the commotion. Or what he thought was the source- it was hard to tell where the calm ended and the fight began, with the trainer frowning at the sight before him. "The heck's going on here?" He tried to draw all the fighters' attention with a loud whistle. "Yo! Come on guys, there's no need for this!" But his words seemed to fall on deaf ears, the pokemon too engrossed in their battles to notice his presence.

One came up to him though. A Rattata, squeaking in what Mateo sensed was desperation. He couldn't understand its plea but luckily, his pokemon could. Iggy chittered from his shoulder. "<That's horrible! Food is supposed to be shared, not fought over! I gotcha no problem!>" He hopped off and landed on the ground then, standing before the Sentret with no fear.

Mateo was surprised by this. Iggy was new to the world and already he was ready to take it on by the horns. Or whatever dangerous tool Sentrets had. "You sure about this buddy?" Iggy squeaked, stomping its paw down in surety. Mateo nodded before pointing at their opponent. "Okay! Let's take 'em down then, use Rollout!"

The squirrel was quick to curl into a ball and barrel towards the Sentret, hoping for a hit.

Iggy used Rollout!

[Caramell 🍬]

Mateo’s words would indeed fall on deaf ears. The skirmish that broke out between the Rattata and Sentret dated back several generations, with each more hostile than the last. The few warriors stopped for only a brief moment and turned beady eyes both in charcoal and in red hues towards the gardener with incredulous indignation. What would a human know about the welfare of wild Pokemon, in a dog-eat-dog world where many starved during the harsher seasons when food became scarce?

“They want our berries, we’ll never work with them!” Screamed one Rattata, whose ear had been half-torn and legs looked even worse for wear. “And you can never have what was rightfully ours to begin with!” A brave Sentret with large scars running the full length of its belly stood up on its tail and screamed furiously. “You’ve stolen every inch of land that belonged to Sentret kind since before I was even an egg! And when we try to take it back, you say we’re the thieves?!” It demanded in high pitched squeaks.

Seems not all was as it appeared at first glance. The pathetic Rattata who had begged for Mateo and Iggy’s help lit up with joy when it appeared the two would step into the center of the fray to straighten things out. “Yes, yes!” It screamed, leaping on its hind legs just long enough to clap its clawed front legs awkwardly together, only to fumble and fall in the tall grasses. So much for learning how to become bipedal. The confident Sentret who stood poised and ready to battle Iggy laughed, looking down at the small rodent with a shake of its head. “You’re going to stop me?! You don’t even know which team is right in this plight!” It scoffed with a loud cackle.

Sentret popped down on all fours and rushed at the rolling ball, immediately getting swept up in the fray. While Iggy sped across the ground like a high-speed train, Sentret bounced and bobbed against the ground with several loud thunks. It didn’t give up even through the relentless thrashing and scratched mercilessly at Iggy’s back and sides, before eventually being catapulted off. Sentret rolled through the grass and skidded to a quick stop against a decently sized boulder, before popping up with a firm glare. “Is that…all you…got…” It wheezed momentarily, regaining its senses.

Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Clear

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Sentret LV 2
HP 86% [12/14]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Iggy LV 1
HP 75% [9/12]

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

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

Sentret [??]: Healthy
Iggy [Cheek Pouch]: Healthy

SP6 Sentret used Scratch!
SP5 Iggy used Rollout!


Moves: Scratch

SPOILER: Click to show

Sentret's Scratch: (crit) rJDLQeWhp_1-16 (strength) p_1-16
Iggy's Rollout: (90% acc) p_1-100 (crit) p_1-16 (strength) p_1-16

1-16·1-16·1-100·1-16·1-16

[Sol]

Mateo frowned at the cries he heard from both sides, having no clue as to what they were saying but no less aware of the suffering the pokemon were experiencing. He still wished he could understand them. Maybe then he would know if there was any way he could help. As it stood though, it's become apparent he was way in over his head for someone who just stumbled into the fray. Seriously, he just wanted to get to the next town!

He raised his hands in an attempt to placate the battlers. "Look, I don't know what got you guys to start fighting, but it's obvious you're tearing each other apart here. There has to be a better way for both of you to get what you want."

Meanwhile Iggy crashed into the Sentret before unfurling from his ball-shaped form, hissing at the scratches he received. He stood firm regardless. "<I may not know who the berries belong to, but I know a lot of pokemon are hurt. That just isn't right you know!>" The squirrel was unfortunately too young to recognize the strife of those at war, believing that hurting others just wasn't the way to resolve any conflict, even if the group was taking back what was stolen.

Mateo pursed his lips. He had to at least try to bring the Sentret down a notch. "Okay Iggy, let's try that again! Rollout!" He knew the attack was going to take time to build up.

He hoped it wouldn't be too late.

Iggy used Rollout again!

[Pixel]

<You're an intruder. A trespasser. A merely onlooker onto an affair that you cannot understand>" The sentret pointed out, accusatory as it fluffed up and lunged again, claws raking down the skwovet's cheek. The wild pokemon was just a little stronger and clearly quite upset. However, the solid strike was not enough to stop the fluffy mammal from gaining speed, its rolled up form whirling at a greater velocity as it came in for a second pass, this time causing the sentret to stagger from the impact. <Bah! Interlopers like you just pass through, causing trouble and never bothering to understand. Those rattata are our foes and will remain such! They are scoundrels! If we must choose between feeding our young and not, we will do what we must to banish them from our territory.>

It pushed up onto its tail to sneer at the rat that pleaded with the sqwovet for aid. 

<Coward!>


Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Clear

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Sentret LV 2
HP 57% [8/14]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Iggy LV 1
HP 50% [6/12]

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

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

Sentret [??]: Healthy
Iggy [Cheek Pouch]: Healthy

SP6 Sentret used Scratch! [-3 HP]
SP5 Iggy used Rollout (RD 2)! [-4 HP]


Moves: Scratch

SPOILER: Click to show

Sentret's Scratch: (crit) bkhN8GpNp_1-16 (strength) p_1-16
Iggy's Rollout: (90% acc) p_1-100 (crit) p_1-16 (strength) p_1-16

1-16·1-16·1-100·1-16·1-16