Jory

So glad to hear you're enjoying it! I'll try to vary my vocabulary a bit more in character descriptions as we move on. And I'm glad you liked Juniper. I tried to make her have a similar relationship with her Cinccino as Jason does with his Minccino. I figured since she's the only female professor so far, she might feel as though she has to act extra professional in order to be taken seriously. Don't worry. The Pokemon Professors will appear throughout the story, especially when you begin to get to areas inhabited by more dangerous and rare Pokemon. Also, I have no idea what you're talking about >_>'

For the mental health of myself and my much-beloved co-host, I'll be waiting until Sunday, May 8 to begin posting Chapter 2. I have my final exams this week ending on Saturday, so I hope you all have a great week. But this leaves many questions unanswered. Who is this mysterious man with the Electivire? And who is this woman claiming he's her brother? And is Alecks a boy, or a girl? TUNE IN NEXT WEEK TO FIND OUT ON POKE-BALL Z!

Alright! That shocking revelation concludes Chapter 1. Just a few questions for y'all, but feel free to give me a free-form response that includes whichever questions you have an answer for. - How's my writing style? Are there any words or phrases that you feel I use too often? Am I descriptive enough of the settings? How can I fix any issues you have? - Am I making sure everybody gets a fair amount of participation? If you feel as though I've been ignoring you, speak up because that's definitely not my intention. - As the story begins to unfold, which characters that have already appeared do you hope to see more of? Which do you anticipate seeing more of? - And finally, are you enjoying yourself?

End of Chapter 1! To be continued...

End of the chapter is the next post. Feel free to not write anything for now.

Accumula Town- Pokemon Center The Trainer got up slowly, shaking the tweeting little Pidgeys out of his head before looking around. The Electivire's attack had left dark scoring all over the walls and destroyed any and all electronic equipment in the room, leaving the couple of unplugged Healing Machines and Rejuvenation Chambers that had been in storage smoldering and smoking. All of the Amateur group's Pokemon save for Mio's as well as the Nurse's Audino were sprawled on the floor, having been knocked out by the powerful AoE attack launched by the Electric ape. He thought back to everything that he'd heard the man say as he'd lay prone on the floor, hoping that the mysterious man who'd vastly outclassed any of them would just leave. Jason didn't know what to feel. He was nervous, for sure. He hadn't stopped shaking since the man left. More than anything else, though, he was afraid. Afraid of losing like that again and afraid of dying. He reached out to the wall, supporting himself as he looked up at Mio's question. "I think I'm alright. Can't speak for anyone else, though," he said, pushing off the wall and making his way slowly toward Rascal and Gomez. The room spun as he walked and he put his hand to his head, closing his eyes briefly. Take it easy, Jason,he told himself. He knelt near his Pokemon, shaking his head. "I'm sorry I let this happen, guys," he said softly, his eyes glistening. "I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough to protect you. But I promise I'll get stronger. And I promise I'll help you get stronger too." Jason looked up at Mio, pain written across his face. "He was so strong, Mio. You saw him." Jason looked at his Pokemon, lost in thought for a moment. "We have to be stronger. We have to train harder," he said in a low voice. Despite his decreased volume, his tone became more resolute. He then looked up at Mio. "I promise I'm going to train as hard as I can. We're not going to lose again! Not to someone like him!" Jason vowed solemnly. He then reached to his belt and returned Rascal and Gomez in a flash of light. Suddenly, the dramatic moment was interrupted by the blaring of sirens. Police officers flooded in through the main entrance and the hole in the wall, quickly cordoning off the area with yellow tape that said: "POLICE LINE: DO NOT CROSS." A group of six people entered shortly after, two people in front seeming to be engaged in a shouting match. The group consisted of three men wearing blue windbreakers with yellow printing on the front that said "FIB." One of them, who was sporting a thick red mustache, a balded head, was in front conversing with the fourth member of the group. This was a woman in the regular blue of the local police, two Captain's bars adorning her collar as she spoke excitably to the FIB Agent. This woman was middle-aged with salt-and pepper hair tied in a tight ponytail behind her head. The last two seemed quieter than the others. One was a smaller man sporting glasses and wearing a blue windbreaker that said "FORENSICS" on the back. The other looked and carried himself vastly differently from the others. He was over six feet tall and well built. He had a strong chin and short, salt-and-pepper hair that was cut close to his head. He wore a long brown trenchcoat open over what appeared to be a regular white collared shirt and black tie. He wore black suspenders connected to black pants. Upon closer inspection, his black shoes were actually some kind of Running Shoes. As the others stopped walking and continued shouting at one another, probably over which of the two forces had proven more incompetent today, he continued into the room. As he looked at the scoring on the walls, he reached into his pocket and procured a cigar. He bit off the end and spit it on the floor, sticking the big brown roll of tobacco into his mouth. The man casually reached back into his pocket and grabbed a lighter, flipping it open and holding it to the end. He puffed on the cigar, several clouds of smoke coming off of it and out of his mouth as the end flared. Satisfied that it was lit, he stowed the lighter and breathed out. The smell of the sweetly bitter plant quickly pervaded through the room. Jason made a face, then looked away from the trenchcoat-clad men. The next group into the room were EMTs who ran directly to the teenagers, helping up those who had not already stood. They quickly ushered the group of Trainers back into the main area of the Pokemon Center after allowing them to return their Pokemon. They were led to a seating area near the front door that the police had repurposed into an area for witnesses and those involved to recover from the shock and hopefully provide them whatever information they could. A regular policewoman sat with them, doing her best to keep up a smile. She was in her mid-twenties with deep green hair and a friendly face. "Don't worry, everyone. The FIB are here. They're going to take over this case and make sure it gets solved." She then looked sadly at the ground, a lot on her mind. "A lot of Pokemon got stolen today. Hopefully we can find them and return them to their Trainers. Would you all mind answering a few questions for me?" she asked. The group, of course, agreed, and were quickly debriefed by the policewoman and the Captain, who came out to help. They finished in about a half hour. However, they were asked to stay. Officer Jenny, as they'd found out her name was (it was her last name, actually- the Jennys were famous worldwide for their broad-reaching influence and participation in law enforcement agencies), told her that there was someone who needed to speak to them about the incident, but not about the stolen Pokemon. About ten minutes later, the same brown-coated man that Jason had seen earlier strode quickly out from the back of the Pokemon Center, across the main reception area, and out the door. As he exited he held the door for a young woman. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, the recognition clear. "Good to see you, Marcella," he said in a deep, commanding voice.

Use context clues. If a super effective attack boosted by helping hand is an OHKO obviously they're similarly leveled.

Accumula Town- Pokemon Center- Interior Accumula Town- Pokemon Center- Brendan The little Rock-type’s aim was true and the Rock Blast attack struck Porygon hard three times in a row, sending it crashing into the wall. After taking so many attacks so rapidly all Porygon could do was slide down the wall and slump over, its pixelated form beginning to glitch as it laid still on the ground. “Gah! Useless!” shouted the snaggletoothed Grunt, reaching for one of the odd Poke Balls. He returned the Porygon, causing it to disappear into the Ball in a flash of light. “Klink, use Vice Grip on that brat’s lizard!” the Grunt commanded. The Klink shook itself from its reverie after crashing into the wall because it missed Gomez, then flew at the lizard with vicious intent. Accumula Town- Pokemon Center- Mio Meena darted quickly after the Voltorb, her superior Speed allowing her to take aim with a solid Scratch attack. However, the electrical aura generated by the Voltorb’s Spark attack took its toll and damaged the raggedy Meowth. Loam’s Water Gun went directly for the Whismur. The second Grunt clearly was no slouch, though. She chuckled and waved her hand in front of her, a lock of orange hair sticking out of her balaclava in front of a pair of gleeful brown eyes. “Whismur, vaporize that pathetic spitball! Use Shock Wave!” The Whismur closed its eye-holes and grimaced before opening its mouth, screaming a small, horizontal line of electricity. The attack homed in on the Water Gun and collided with it, causing the Water-type attack to be vaporized into a cloud of steam. The Grunt laughed again, mocking Mio. “We’ll see how cute that little mudfish is when it’s char-grilled! Whismur, use Howl!” The little pink blob beat its chest, letting out a surprisingly loud roar of challenge in the Mudkip’s direction. Accumula Town- Pokemon Center- Jason The Trainer smiled as his friends arrived on the scene in time to help him out. First, Brendan and Titan were able to take pressure off of Gomez by taking out Porygon. Then, Rascal got saved by Meena. Now it was time to return the favor. “Rascal, take advantage of the situation! Double Slap on that Voltorb one more time!” Jason ordered. Rascal bounded toward the Voltorb from behind. With the first hit, he hit the stunned Voltorb back a foot, then dashed after it, following it up with a second slap with its tail. With the third he flipped the disoriented Electric-type up in the air. He then jumped in the air and did a somersault, slapping the Voltorb down to the ground with his fourth slap. As Rascal fell he adjusted himself once more, bringing the last slap across and launching the Voltorb back across the room at the Grunt. The Voltorb fainted as it skidded along the ground, rolling to a halt at the Grunt’s feet. He looked angrily up at Jason as he returned his second Pokemon, fuming. Despite Rascal’s success, Gomez did not fare so well. He was caught before landing by the Klink as it flew toward him separately, then crushed his body between the two small gears. They released him, allowing the Grass-type the fall to the ground. He got up groggily, looking to Jason for orders. The snaggletoothed Grunt was all over the situation and tried to claim the upper hand, smirking. “Finish that runt! Use Vice Grip again!” Jason was ready, though. “Gomez, Absorb! Stop that thing in its tracks!” In reply, Gomez shot creepers upward toward the Klink, catching the gears in their straight-line attack and holding them in place. Hopefully, someone would be able to help him soon. Accumula Town- Pokemon Center- Audino The Audino grimaced, its wounds from fighting off the Grunt on its own clearly beginning to take their toll. But what kind of Nurse would she be if she stood idly by and allowed these Amateur Trainers to defend the Pokemon Center without her help? No, she wouldn’t allow that. Not in her place of work. Not in her home. The Audino began glowing with a rainbow aura, beginning a cheerleader dance not unlike Rascal’s and enveloping Apollo in rainbow-hued flames as he whirled toward Magnemite. Accumula Town- Pokemon Center- Alecks & Alice The Magnemite and its Trainer tried to defend themselves with a Thunder Shock. However, it was too late. The Helping Hand boosted Flame Wheel cleanly knocked out the Magnemite. The Klink was knocked back a few feet by the Confusion attack. Its Trainer, the third and unremarkable Grunt, grunted. He then grunted something unintelligible through his mask. Apparently, he was understood, as his Klink and Voltorb sped toward the Audino and Jack’s Pokemon. Accumula Town- Jack The Grunt’s Voltorb used Spark, rolling toward Leonidas and colliding with his Spark attack, creating a blinding flash of light and a small dust cloud. When it cleared, both Pokemon were still fit to fight. His Klink, however, used Gear Grind. As Lara bit down on the first gear, the second came in behind it, catching Lara between them. After colliding once the gears separated and did so again, dropping Lara to the floor after the attack.

Accumula Town- Pokemon Center Main Reception Area- Jason Brendan followed Jason and Mio toward the counter, meeting up with them shortly after the twins and Jack arrived on the scene. Despite all the confusion, the entire group had made it safely to the counter. Jason nodded emphatically at Jack’s suggestion, gesturing for the whole group to move over the counters to safely. Once they had, Jason looked back at them. His expression was sincere, his confidence visibly shaken by Rascal’s rapid departure. The red light continued flashing as the alarm blared in the background “Thanks for coming, guys. It means a lot,” he said quickly, the background noises threatening to block out his voice. He then turned away from his friends, leading the group of new Trainers through the door and into the back of the Accumula Town Pokemon Center. Accumula Town Pokemon Center- Interior “AU… DIN… OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!” was the first thing the group heard, the bloodcurdling roar coming from their right. A Pokemon that appeared to be made of two gears as well as the more familiar Porygon were sent flying across the room. However, thanks to being able to hover slightly off the ground they were able to recover quickly and floated back into view. When all the Trainers turned to the right to see the source of the roar, they were surprised to see a beaten and bruised Audino cloaked in a rainbow aura with its back to a large rack of Poke Balls. Standing next to it was none other than Rascal, who was just finishing up his Helping Hand dance. “Gah! You annoying little nurse! You think you’re enough to stop us?” came a derisive sneer. A man stepped into view from the left side clad in all-black tactical gear. His face save for his mouth was covered by a ski mask and he had no distinguishable markings on his clothing. However, he had a slight snaggletooth that set him apart from his cohorts. “Having that little rat as an ally won’t help! We came prepared for the likes of you! Go, Voltorb!” he shouted, throwing a mysterious Poke Ball. At first glance it appeared to resemble a Timer Ball, but the white portions were colored black and the normally red and triangular lumps were silver-blue half spheres. The Voltorb joined the offensive line, sparks crackling off the freshly rested Electric-type. However, the intruders were not the only ones to receive reinforcements. In a flash of light and a burst of green leaves appeared Gomez, crouched in a fighting position and fully healed. Jason had already run out into the open, his rash action giving away everyone’s position. “Why don’t you bite off something those big Bidoof chompers can actually chew? Or are you afraid of getting stains on your fifty-off Hot Topic uniforms?” he taunted, trying to buy time for the rest of the group to take action. Jason has challenged Mysterious Grunts to a Team Battle! While he spoke he looked at his surroundings, able to see behind the black-clad offender for the first time. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so confident. The other five figures behind him rounded out their opposition to an even half-dozen. Even though they had similar numbers of people, half of the tactically-garbed intruders were busy sweeping the shelves on their side of the room clean of Poke Balls and loading them into their empty duffel bags. Just this one Trainer had at least three Pokemon, and there were two more that were ready to battle. If it came down to a full 6 on 6 match, they’d be outnumbered for sure. However, Jason remembered that Audino could use Heal Pulse. Maybe that would help even their chances if they could keep the Nurse Pokemon protected. “You want to play hero, tough guy?” said the grunt with the unfortunate dental problem. “I’ll show you tough!” However, before he could attack Jason took initiative. Mysterious Grunts have accepted Jason's challenge! Battle, start! “Gomez, use Quick Attack on that Voltorb! Rascal, Double Slap for a spike!” he shouted. His Pokemon obeyed quickly, catching their opponents off guard. Gomez dashed in and hit the Voltorb into the air with his tail while Rascal jumped in from above, hitting it four times before delivering a decisive final slap that sent the Voltorb flying into the Porygon. “Guys, backup!” shouted the grunt, unfazed by his Pokemon’s injuries. The Porygon and Voltorb recovered from the attacks, charging their opponent alongside Klink. “Voltorb, use Spark! Porygon and Klink, Tackle!” he shouted. The Voltorb blazed yellow as it rolled at high speeds toward Rascal, while the other two targeted Gomez. Rascal led the Voltorb around, darting side to side as he attempted to evade the lightning ball. However, it was slowly gaining on him and would catch him if no one helped Rascal out. “Gomez, dodge off the wall, then Pound!” Jason shouted. The gecko jumped onto the wall, evading the Klink’s Tackle before using his sticky-padded feet to stay there for a moment, then leaping off and using a Pound attack to knock Porygon away. However well he had avoided damage, he couldn’t do much to two opponents at once. The two other thieves sent out their Pokemon to join the all-out brawl that was developing. Taking the field were another Voltorb, a Magnemite, a second Klink, and a Whismur. Quest Updated: "Mysterious Explosion! Pokemon Center Panic!" -Follow Jason -Defeat the Mysterious Grunts -(Optional) Protect Audino and the additional Poke Balls

Riv The girl frowned. "I feel... floaty," she said plaintively, flexing her hands and her mind, thinking of ways to take on the toad without hurting Lexi. "I guess Light doesn't have too much weight behind it," she guessed. "Still, I'm an Adept, so let's see what I can do!" she said, feeling much more excited as her hands can glow. "I love your rifle, Sharp, but I'm a little more old-school!" she exclaimed. With that said the light began to take form between her hands, extending and joining to become a recurve bow nearly the same height as its wielder. Riv giggled lightly, testing its weight. "It doesn't feel like anything, but I know it's there! This is so cool!" As she looked at the bow, her glasses began to darken. It became apparent that unlike the other girl with glasses who had had them disappear when she transformed, Riv's had remained because they had a purpose. She grinned, looking at the toad. "Hey Bug-Eyes!" she shouted. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to stare at the sun?" She then pulled back on the string, firing it into the air. The arrow, which had a slender, curved tip and curved fletching, flew up above the toad. Once it reached its zenith, it burst into six rays of light that arced down in a circle toward the Toad's eyes.

Yeah, I had assumed ₽3000 to be the standard amount. Sorry for not clarifying earlier. Let's chalk this one up to mistakes on both ends and all try to be more cognizent of things like this in the future.

Quest complete: "Rest and Relaxation!" Accumula Town- Pokemon Center The lights cut out just as suddenly as Mio stopped talking, not even flickering once before sending the entire interior of the Pokemon Center into darkness save for the light coming in through the windows and glass door at the front. The people inside began murmuring restlessly and moving toward the door, not entirely sure how to react to the sudden power outage. Jason looked toward Brendan and Mio, confusion spreading quickly through his expression. "I wonder what this is about," he muttered, dissatisfied with the sudden interruption. Rascal looked equally annoyed. However, his face changed quickly as his ears began twitching. He tugged lightly on his Trainer's hair, trying to get Jason's attention. However, the young Trainer was busy conversing with his friends. The Nurse stood up on the counter, a warm smile still spread across her face. Her Audino rushed to the back of the Pokemon Center and out of sight, clearly having more important things to do. "If everybody would please just remain calm and walk slowly toward the exit, we'll be out of here safely in no-" was all that she managed to get out before an explosion rocked the Pokemon Center, the deafening boom interrupting her speech. As people recovered from the shockwave they began to panic, yelling and looking around for any possible exit. A harsh, blaring alarm began to sound as a red light flashed inside the building. An automated voice replaced the nurse's, addressing the customers: "Please leave immediately. Please leave immediately. Please leave immediately," it repeated in its tinny monotone. Rather than an organized march toward the exit, this was a riotous exodus from the site of the explosion that threatened to break the doors off their hinges as people bottlenecked and pushed against each other in the entryway. Through all the confusion, Rascal was oddly quiet. Jason was thankful for that until his friend turned to him with an urgent, "Minccino! Mincc!" and leapt from his shoulder, zigzagging underfoot through the crowd as he made his way back to the counter. Jason watched in horror as his partner scrambled over it and through the door into the back of the Pokemon Center. He then turned to Mio and Brendan, panic in his eyes. "He's running right toward the explosion!" he shouted over the alarm, his eyes darting between the other two Trainers as he made his decision. "I'm going after him!" With that, Jason began pushing his way through the crowd toward the counter. Pushing against the tide of people surging for the door, it would not have been difficult for the other Trainers to catch up with their friend before he made it over the countertop and into the back of the Pokemon Center. Quest added: "Mysterious Explosion! Pokemon Center Panic!" -Follow Jason

I just woke up as a Roserade. Fuck, I'm less fabulous than usual

Pokemon Center- "Rest and Relaxation!" Seeing that Brendan was busy tightening the straps on his backpack, Jason meandered over to the Mart counter. He remembered all the countless books on Pokemon Training he'd read and all the shows he'd watched on TV and the Internet, and one thing was clear: statuses could cripple a team just as easily as a strong attack. Trainers, especially traveling ones like Jason, needed to have a variety of healing items- or the more expensive Full Heal that was only available to Trainers of a higher rank- handy in order to make sure their Pokemon were able to fight at full strength. "May I help you?" the Mart clerk asked, looking up from a doodle of what appeared to be an Aerodactyl. That's a cool sketch, Jason thought to himself. Aerodactyl is a super-rare Pokemon. After being revived from fossils for the first time twenty years ago, they're just being re-introduced to the wild. Sometimes they compete with other Pokemon for space, like Charizards or even Dragon-types! He shook himself out of his fanboy-induced thousand-yard stare, chuckling lightly. "I'll have two Paralyze Heals, two Antidotes, Two Burn Heals, and Two Potions please," Jason said, handing over all the money he'd budgeted for items. Even though he'd probably bought more than was necessary, it was better to have and not need than to need and not have. He thanked the clerk, then put them in his BAG and walked back over to Brendan, still awaiting the other Trainer's response. BAG: -Potion (x3) -Repel (x1) -Poke Ball (x5) -Antidote (x2) -Burn Heal (x2) -Paralyze Heal (x2)

Quest updated: "Rest and Relaxation!" -(Optional) Check out the Brighter Future rally -Head to the Pokemon Center to get healed up -(Optional) Stock up at the Mart -Meet up at the Pokemon Center Pokemon Center- "Rest and Relaxation!"- Jason Jason sighed in relief as the group entered the Pokemon Center. Rascal hopped excitedly off Jason's shoulder and scurried down the straps of his backpack, pushing in the button on his Poke Ball. In a quick flash of light, the Minccino was returned to his Poke Ball for the first time since before Jason's journey had started. He got in line behind Alecks and Alice, thinking back to what Brendan and Mio had said about the Pokemon back in the forest. They seemed to be way more concerned about those Pokemon's well-being than any person's, he thought to himself. Maybe I should ask them about it sometime. He made a note to talk to them about it later. The rest of the group got in line after Jason. The line moved quickly as the Nurse and her Audino worked methodically and efficiently to make sure the Amateur Trainers were able to get back to their journeys as soon as possible. The Healing Machine flashed red over and over as each Trainer's party was healed until the line reached Jack. The Nurse smiled at the Amateur Trainer, reaching over the counter and tousling his hair. "Look at you, Jack. Nurse Helmenson must be so proud," she said sweetly. "I'll make sure to tell your mother you said hello. Her shift isn't on until later tonight, unfortunately. Good luck, Jack!" With that extra bit of fortune bid to him, she took his Pokemon to the Machine and healed them. Everyone's Pokemon were fully healed! Jason turned to the rest of the Pokemon Center, scanning the crowd for the missing member of their team. He broke out into a grin as he saw Brendan waiting idly nearby. "Hey, buddy!" he shouted, running over to his companion. He pressed the button on Rascal's Ball, releasing the Minccino. He quickly ran up to his usual place on Jason's shoulder, his wounds from the Revenge attack he took earlier having been fully healed. "Anything interesting happen on the way here? You should have seen that rally." Behind the Pokemon Center- ??? A tall black transport van pulled up behind the Pokemon Center, the lights shutting off as the engine cut out. An eerie silence filled the shady, fenced-in parking lot behind the orange-roofed building. It was a quiet, sunny day in this little hamlet. The rear doors of the van swung open, the heavy pieces of metal squeaking on their hinges as they were thrown from their normal resting place. From the back of the van poured a half-dozen figures clad in black. Each of them wore a black ski mask with a black turtleneck, a black tactical vest, black combat pants, and black combat boots. They wore black gloves and each had a large utility belt cinched around his or her waist. One carried a large, full duffel bag. Each member of the group carried one empty one as well. Once they all exited the vehicle, they moved to the back wall of the Pokemon Center. Once there was more space between them and they could be more easily seen, it was apparent that there were at least two women among the small group. One man, the one with the full duffel, and a woman approached the wall. They unzipped the bag and began uncoiling a wire that seemed to be covered in some kind of paste. They stuck it to the wall in a roughly door-shaped fashion and attached a fuse to it, running the fuse back to the truck. The group hid behind various nearby obstacles, waiting for their signal to begin their mission...

That's a good lad, right-o!

You're super right about that

After Shadow's response, the main group will have reached the Pokemon Center. Make sure to heal and stock up in the next few posts. Keep in mind that our Trainers have not won any money yet. They are still working off their basic allowance, so don't go overboard at the Mart. I expect you all to know what is reasonable. If you have to ask, it probably isn't. As always, feel free to send me any questions you have or even if you just feel like saying hi Also, this OOC doesn't have to be totally on topic. Feel free to share dank memes with your posts in here.

Riv "It doesn't seem like a good idea to fall behind here. Let's go!" she said rather cheerily for someone trapped in a demon-filled nightmare of a literal goddess. She grabbed Sion's hand and skipped forward quickly, doing her best to catch up with Lexi and Sharp and dragging her roommate with her. She looked back at Sion, offering the girl a big smile. "I just love your outfit, Sion! Its simplicity is perfectly matched with your tattoos!" she gushed, complimenting the green-clad Laylite. "By the way, I wonder what we can do. Should we ask?" she asked Sion. Despite their differing religions, Riv was beginning to feel as though she had a lot in common with Sion. While the other girl didn't seem as talkative as Riv, they were both going through a major reestablishment of their norms. It was nice to have someone to share her feelings with, and although Sharp was also going through the same things she had looked at Riv with distaste upon seeing her transformation. It's not my fault that my transformation has a little more flair than hers, she reasoned. Even if she's mad, I shouldn't let that affect how I treat her. After all, I can just as easily make her my friend by being nice as make her an enemy by being an asshole. Riv smiled to herself as she waited patiently for Sion's response while they gained on Lexi and Sharp, satisfied with her evaluation of the situation.

Pokemon Center- "Rest and Relaxation!"- Brendan The Nurse nodded and took Brendan's PokeDex as well as the tray containing his Roggenrola's Poke Ball. She put the PokeDex face down on a glass panel on the counter. A red beam scanned it before a *ding* sounded. "Welcome, Brendan," a computerized voice said. On the counter were two monitors; one facing inward for the Nurse to use and one for the client to see. Once the voice welcomed him, his face appeared on the screen. "Well, Brendan, it says here this is your first visit to a Pokemon Center! Welcome! I guess you just got your Roggenrola today, huh?" she asked as she typed something into the computer. She then handed his PokeDex back with a smile. "I'll bet you're really excited. After all, you just started your journey!" she said as the turned around, the Ball tray in hand. She then walked over to the Healing Machine and placed the specially designed tray into the proper slot on top. After sliding the glass cover back into place, she pressed a few buttons. A light started flashing inside, then a soft red glow began emanating from the glass panel. "It'll just be a few moments," the Nurse said. After waiting patiently for a minute, she turned around and took the Ball tray off the Healing Machine. She slid the tray back across the counter, the Ball just where Brendan had placed it earlier. "Good luck on your journey! Your Pokemon are fighting fit! We hope to see you again!" she said cheerily, offering the new Trainer a smile. Brendan's party has been restored to full health!

Accumula Town- "Rest and Relaxation!"- Jason By this point, the group was nearly halfway up the hill to the Pokemon Center. Just a few more minutes and they'd be there, hopefully joining Brendan after he was finished healing his Pokemon. Jason looked to Rascal, who was busy watching the evolving confrontation between Apollo and Raven. His Trainer shook his head, then looked back to Alice, Mio, and Alecks. "We had a pretty rough battle ourselves back on Route 1. This group of Patrat had stolen food from a truck driver, so we had to get it back. But when we got to their den, there was this super strong Patrat with blue eyes! He was quick, like whoosh!" Jason said, making sound effects as he recounted the battle. "But Alecks and I managed to bring him down by working together. We had a few technical difficulties, but we did it! Then after that there was this huge Watchog that came out! He was even faster and stronger! He hit Brendan's Roggenrola so hard, like WHAM!" he continued excitedly. "We could have taken him down, but his friends stopped him. All of us did a combined attack that brought him down!"

Town Square- "Rest and Relaxation!" Bianca smiled broadly as she heard the description of the Amateurs' adventure down Route 1. Hearing about their first triumph seemed to have brought some lightness back into her expression. "Pokemon journeys are awesome, right? Don't expect that to be the last time something like that happens! It's a big world out there!" she said happily, glad to impart some advice onto the newbies. Once Alice had come over to the group, Bianca looked toward the Pokemon Center. "Since you guys just got finished with a big battle, you should make sure you heal and stock up at the Pokemon Center! We're about to head to Striation City, but it was great to see all of you! Tell Brendan I said 'Hi!'" she said cheerily. With that she lead the Nuvema group West toward the entrance to Route 2. Town Square- "Rest and Relaxation!"- Jason Jason looked over Alice, shaking his head. He remembered Alecks's twin from school. She was a troublemaker, through and through. Still, no reason not to be nice. He smiled at Alice and Alecks, then gestured toward the Pokemon Center. "Hey, we're all heading to the Pokemon Center to heal. Come with us?" he asked the newcomer, extending an invitation. That said, the group began walking to the Pokemon Center. It would be a few minutes until they got there; perhaps people wanted to give their thoughts on the events of the day. Quest added: "Rest and Relaxation!" -(Optional) Check out the Brighter Future rally -Head to the Pokemon Center to get healed up -Meet up at the Pokemon Center

Pokemon Center- "Rest and Relaxation!" Just before Brendan entered the Pokemon Center, he had to cross the street. As he did so, a black van sped by just in front of him, nearly hitting the new Trainer as he made his way into the red-roofed building. Before Brendan could react, however, it disappeared around the corner and out of sight. The line moved quickly as the Nurse in charge and her Audino took Poke Balls, loaded them into the healing machine, and returned them to their owners in a quick and practiced manner that comes with years of practice. Soon enough, it was Brendan's turn. The Nurse cleared her throat. Up close, she looked much more tired than she had from a distance. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center. Would you like your Pokemon restored to full health?" she asked, sliding a Poke Ball tray across the counter toward the Amateur. "I'll also need to see your Trainer ID."

Riv As the girl finished her incantation, a white light began to glow at her feet. Suddenly, words began spiraling upward out of the light and coiled themselves about Riv like a ribbon. Riv began to glow brightly, orange light radiating off her like a small star. The mystical words glowed the same bright gold-orange as Riv's eyes. It became difficult to look at her as the intensity of the light grew. Her feet lifted gently off the ground and her arms were thrown behind her, her head tossed back to look up as though gazing at the vast starry expanse above. Once the words reached her head they began orbiting her with increasing speed, going faster and faster around the girl with each passing moment until they were completely blurred. Once they resembled comets leaving long, tangerine trails behind bright orange balls of luminescence. All at once the words-turned-meteors flew outward, forming a circle as they all curled upward toward the sky and inward, all of them flying at each other on a collision course. Finally, they collided directly above Riv. A brilliant explosion of light burst forth, nearly blinding all those in the vicinity before a beam of orange light crashed down from the heavens and engulfed Riv entirely. Once the dust cleared, Riv looked around. She felt different for sure, but she couldn't place it. It was as though she was filled with some kind of new energy that she had never felt before. When she looked down, however, she gasped. She looked completely different than she had just moments ago and her school uniform had been replaced by a totally new outfit. Her skirt had turned from a regular miniskirt into one that dropped down into more of an angular tip on the front. Immediately below the waist it was tangerine with the first verse of incantation that had just been surrounding her wrapping around the skirt in fine gold lettering. The tangerine section was bordered by another fine gold thread that gave way to a shiny peach-colored silk. Just along the edge of the skirt was a fine tangerine thread that spelled out the second verse of the incantation. Her legs were covered by deep russet leggings that ended at the knees at a pair of high tangerine leather boots. They folded over in a cuff at the top and were only slightly raised in the heel. The trim on the cuff and along the buckles was gold, while the ancient language trimmed into the leather was done in a peach color. The back of the skirt was much longer, going down all the way to her ankles. It was the same peach silk as the trim of the front of the skirt. It had a tangerine border. A tangerine leather strap hung off the back of either hip, going down just past the knee on the outside of the longer part of the skirt. Cinched around her waist was a russet leather belt with a large orange-gold sunburst design in the center buckle. This gave way to a sleeveless peach silken bodice that clung tightly to Riv's body all the way up to her neck. Fastened around her shoulders and upper torso was a golden breastplate that depicted the lower half of a sunburst. Her bare shoulders gave way to tangerine armbands that hung loosely from a gold broach fastened to the bodice. Below the armbands were loose peach sleeves that continued all the way down to her hands. Under the sleeves were sheer tangerine gloves covering her palms but cutting off before the digits and extending up Riv's forearm. On each of her knuckles was a tangerine gemstone bordered by an orange-gold ring. Riv's hair was no longer the dyed blue color. Instead, it was her natural raven color with navy undertones. It was longer than usual, out of her messy bun and draping down loosely until it hit her tailbone. There it became a small bun that ended only a few inches further down. On her head she wore a tangerine shroud that extended down like a cape or cloak. It had gold embroidery along the edges and in the front, where it rested just above Riv's forehead on top of her hair. Her eyes remained the same color, sparkling in sharp contrast to her fair skin and dark lashes. Despite her drastic change of outfit, her same glasses remained resting on her nose. Finally, her fingernails were all painted sunset orange. Her index fingernails each contained a painted-on golden sunburst not unlike the one on her breastplate. On top of all of this, she was glowing softly, a luminous orange corona of light surrounding her. "That was... Unexpected, to say the least," she said, the normally bubbly girl at a loss for words.