Pokémon Academy: Ch 2a: Dragons [IC]

[Tacos]

Ryan was excited to know they were almost at the destination. Now's my chance to prove I'm more than a careless student who's gonna skirt by with good grades. Professor Cadmus is going to learn I'm the superior trainer here. With the dragon I hope to catch here, I'll prove to him, that I can be the very best. Ryan looked down at Glacien and Feroces. My all-stars will always be these two, but I seriously don't have any combos to make them succeed aside from charged ice statue tactic. But even that isn't too strong considering Spheals aren't incredibly strong to begin with. Ryan leaned down and hugged his two pokemon. "Look guys, I know you may not be comfortable with this, but very soon we're gonna need to kick it into overdrive. You guys ready?" Feroces bared his fangs as he always did, to show his approval, and Glacien grinned, rolling around in the seat to show his excitement.

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

She raised an eyebrow when the dude mentioned their not expecting her Pokemon to tackle her, but Raiza decided to take up the new guy-- that is, Robert's offer, and sat on the seat. "Raiza. Or Kestrel. You've met Lucifer and Rogue, pon," she said, gesturing to the Litwick and Sneasel respectively.

After the intercom faded, she smiled as though the kerfuffle hadn't happened. "Looks like we'll be meeting our new pal soon enough, you two," she said to her Pokemon. Lucifer's little flame grew brighter and bigger, while Sneasel only smirked coolly.

[Tacos]

"Even though our new pal will be much better," Ryan said matter-of-factly as he held out one arm with the palm turned upwards and used the other to scoop his pokemon in closer. "No offense to you two, but maybe a little to Raiza." Ryan stuck out his tongue and gave a sharp wink.

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

The girl, in turn, said nothing, but glowered at Ryan. You could replace her with Giratina, and it wouldn't be any different in terms of how intimidating it looked.

... At the very least it was downplayed by Lucifer trying to look scary, but let's face it-- the only thing scary about him was his Pokedex entry.

[Azeria]

As he finished putting everything back into his bag,James called Shade over and started talking to him."Shade,up'till now we've mainly focused on having fun...but will that be enough"He asked his partner who merely turned his head and muttered"Dusk,Duskull!"It sounded like some kind of encouragement however it was vague and he couldn't really understand the voice of his pokemon.There couldn't be anyone in this world with that kind of power."Let's give it our all Buddy....."James muttered.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Can't Type

[Aurorix]

"I wonder what group I'm in..." Slade mumbled to himself, "I wouldn't mind being with Jacob or Danielle, though Ryan was fun to be with also. And Raiza seems to be fun to be around, eh I don't care as long as it's not a boring group." Slade said leaning back in his chair and putting his arms behind his head, while his DS is firmly in his pocket.

[Tacos]

"Oh don't give me that look you guys, it was just a joke." Maybe my sense of humor doesn't quite line up with theirs. Ryan leaned over to Lucifer and whispered. "I'll let you have a tiny nibble, as long as you don't take too big a bite, and we'll call it a day."

[TurboAura]

'Hmm, 5 minutes? Sounds good.' After thinking to himself, Robert let out a little laugh from watching Ryan and Raiza and their bit of bickering. In full truth, he didn't pick up on any real 'anger,' just some friendly rivalry. ...as well as offering a soul-nibble to Lucifer. Eh, if he's okay with it. Not like he would make the same offer as easily. "Well just don't focus on one upping eachother. Otherwise you two might not put the full effort in catching your new pokemon in the first place."

Edited October 29, 2014 by TurboAura

[K_H]

Kenny overheard Robert's remark, and spoke up.

"I, for one, am going to try to cover for my Weaknesses. I'd recommend you guys do the same."

[DarkLight]

Danielle turned her attention to Professor Redwood's two assistants as they announced their arrival at their destination. She checked her belongings and got herself together as quietly as she could, being careful not to wake up her sleeping Larvesta who is still sleeping on her lap. 'I guess we don't have a choice in who we get to be with for the trip then.' she thought as she pet her sleeping firebug. Danielle felt a little disappointed at the possibility of not having her best friends around; she gazed back outside before she felt Avis land on her shoulder. Her Murkrow gave her a friendly peck and tickled her with one of her wings. Danielle couldn't help but smile at her starter's antics. That bird always came in at the right time. "You're right, Avis; we still have each other no matter what. I wonder who we will be with then? Either way, it's not going to stop me from getting our next teammate!"

[Felicity]

Claude heard the announcement and gave a small yelp, hurriedly prying Coronas string off of Lancelot. "C'mon you lazy Bug, get out of there..." He muttered, eventually freeing the small pokemon who immediately drew in a breath and screeched his protest at his imprisonment. Claude put a hand over Lances mouth, only to be bitten lightly.

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

That changed Lucifer's expression-- it seemed like he had the habit of imitating his Trainer for the most part. He hovered onto Raiza's head and patted her there, trying to convince her that Ryan was kidding. "So it worked, then, pon? Cool, I've been practicing this mean look of my own for a while now," she said, suddenly cheery as she held up her cute little Litwick in glee. "Sorry, pon, I've just been looking for a reason to try it out," she then explained to Ryan, grinning-- impishly, it looked, on a girl who chose to rarely smile, only when she felt like it-- "Our new partner's gonna be super awesome, and you can bet on it." Lucifer nodded to Ryan with his little, "Wick, wick". At least she didn't have the countenance of the Renegade Pokemon anymore... and Rogue looked on as if she had no idea what was going on.

[Chim]

The busses finally stopped at the destination. Devin thanked the driver and made sure the man would come pick them up 3 days from now. The old man just nodded and gave a quick tap on his cap. In the meantime every student tried to get out of the bus simultaneously. The first thing they saw after getting out of the bus was nothing more than nature. The busses were parked at the edge of a parking lot made out of sand and small stones. Ryan had to watch out were to put his crutches or he would lose balance.

The parking lot was big enough for 5 or 6 other busses, but was empty aside from a dark blue Land Rover that was parked in front of a hotel called The Hills. The hotel was made out of grey stone while the doors, window frames and roof were made out of wood. ‘The Hills’ was painted in black above the doors that opened as soon as Devin was halfway the parking lot. An older man, close to his sixties, walked out. His hair was grey and reached his shoulders, blue friendly eyes behind glasses. He was about 5’5” and still had something of a muscular build. He wore black pants and a sleeveless red shirt. His arms and hands revealed burn marks. He was fit for his age.

“Roman, it’s good to see you again,” Devin said, extending his hand.

The old man just looked with a smirk on his face. “Really? You’re family! Come here!” He gave Devin a firm hug and patted him on his back. “It’s been a long time…”

Devin, after returning the manly hug, smiled. “I know. I’ve been busy lately, but thanks for coming. Where is Alastair?”

“Of course I would be here. Those rookies behind you wouldn’t survive without my knowledge you know!” Roman laughed. “And my son went ahead. The owners told us there’s been a disturbance lately with the local Donphan herd. He didn’t know exactly what was going on, but apparently last time they were close to the accommodations.”

Devin frowned. He knew the local Donphan’s were a powerful group. Lana’s parents were the ones who bred the oldest members and released them in the wild according to the Wild Breeding Program. And it proved a success. The Donphan’s adapted quickly and were running around freely throughout the area. Of course they weren't dangerous but apparently something managed to spook them.

Both man returned to the students when they all gathered around Phoebe and a sleepy Tyron. Rebecca and Brendan were checking their luggage a bit further away from the group so the students wouldn’t see what they had with them. For now it had to stay a small surprise. “Students, this man here is Roman Connor. He and his son are famous Dragon type breeders and may even know more than I do when it comes to habitats and behavior. They certainly know these parts around here best as they also keep an eye out on the wild Dragon population. His son Alastair went ahead and is waiting for us at our accommodations. I already told everyone on the first bus we still have to walk for about an hour before we reach our destination so get your stuff and follow Roman’s lead.”

The old man bowed slightly and went ahead. “Follow me!” he yelled over his shoulder.

Devin walked over to Ryan. “We arranged a solution for you. It would be impossible to keep up on crutches so my Flygon will take care of you.” He released the friendly Dragon who already knew his assignment. He showed his back to Ryan, waiting for the boy to get on. “Leave your crutches and luggage with me.” Devin instructed. “I’ll take care of it.”

In the meantime students started to follow Roman. He followed a natural tricky path made out of sand and the some loose stones. “Watch your step!” he said laughing. “Oh and don’t be scared if a wild Pokémon suddenly crosses your path. A lot of them made their nests close by the paths because travelers might leave behind food!”

Edited October 30, 2014 by Chimchain

[Tacos]

Ryan hobbled out of the bus, carefully placing his crutches in places he deemed stable, as he watched the interaction between Professor Cadmus and the man supposedly named Roman. After the conversation, Ryan was surprised to have been confronted by Professor Cadmus. So, riding a Flygon eh? Not bad. Ryan dropped his crutches and luggage and carefully climbed onto the Flygon, careful where he placed himself. Ryan, to be polite, decided to start conversing with the Flygon. "Hey buddy. My names Ryan, and it looks like you're stuck carrying me around. I'll try not to be a burden to you if I can. You're a stunning dragon. Have a treat." Ryan held out a pokeblock for the Flygon to munch on before they set off on their voyage.

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

Climbing down the bus, Raiza looked around. Wow... this was a great change of scenery. The lodge in front of them really fit the "Boulder Hills" feel too. In all honesty she was raring to get going, taking a swig of water from her water jug as she waited for the rest of the students to come out. That and apparently the RNG smiled upon Ryan, who got to ride a cool Flygon... then again, he did have an injured leg. Guess everything came with a price.

Now, she'd been here for weeks, but she hadn't bumped into her neighbor... where was Lana?

[Azeria]

Stepping out of the bus,James simply admired his surroundings while listening to Devin's announcement."This is going to be SO much fun!"He thought as he started thinking of what Dragon type he wanted to catch.When he turned around he saw Ryan step on a flygon which seemed to be there to help him move along with the group,He was so lucky but then again Ryan broke his legs.

[Commander]

After Henry heard what the older man said, he glared at the four other coordinators. Which one of you four is going to get trapped in a pit of raging Donphan? I'm going to place my bet and say Claude, but all of them have the capabilities to cause a storm.

Henry then took his mind off the subject and enjoyed the sand. Ah, I feel a little bit more at home now. Maybe I should start a dessert theme team...nah, that'd be a little too ridiculous. As he followed the group he noticed most of the path was very hard for him to use his cane. He clipped it down onto a strap on his backpack and was careful of his movements. I'm not looking forward to the climb, but I think I'll survive.

Edited October 30, 2014 by commander218

[Bfroger6]

Shiro was thrown back to conciousness by a sudden thump as the bus stopped.

'Did we get there already?' He got up, yawning as people passed by his seat to exit the bus. He made sure he was the only one left in the bus before taking Shun along with his backpack and making his way outside.

The parking lot was located in what looked like a nature reservate. Lush forest was surrounding them in each direction and cold mountain air pierced his lungs and helped him wake up as he took a deep breath. There was also a hotel there which seemed a bit out of place, but Shiro didn't really bother himself with it. The other bus was close by, and people were still coming out of it. However, Shiro didn't feel like waiting for anybody, so he moved as close as he could to where professor Cadmus was standing with another old man. Once all the students were present, the duo informed them about their current schedule. Apparently, they had a long walk stil in front of them... Oh well, as long as nobody pays any attention to him, Shiro was fine with it. The walk would probably be fairly refreshing considering the scenery and the rich air.

[DarkLight]

"This looks a little like home, right Avis?" Danielle asked her Murkrow as she took in the scenery around her. She heard Avis give a cry of agreement before feeling her Larvesta wriggle in her arms. Apparently, the noise from the students and adults woke her up from her little nap. Corona yawned before looking up to Danielle and spit out a few flames. After the flames died down, Danielle nuzzled Corona with her nose. "Do you want to rest some more in your Pokeball? We still need to walk an hour or so and I'm afraid I might need my arms to keep my balance." Corona nodded lazily before closing her eyes again. Who knew flying around with flames would be so exhausting? Corona will definitely make sure not to do it as often as she did on the bus. Danielle unclipped Corona's red capsule with a free hand and allowed Corona to be absorbed into the Pokeball in a flash of red light. "There you go, now you won't be disturbed until we need you~" Danielle said, putting the ball back onto her belt. With Corona securely attached, Danielle looked around her for company; everyone seems to be here, even Ryan who is riding on Devin's Flygon except... Her roommate? 'Oh no, did she leave to find the Donphan? Or is she up ahead?' "Avis, can you see if you can locate Lana? I'm a little worried that she ran off to help out the Donphan since, you know, she knows them and all..." Avis crowed and flew up above the crowd. As Avis searched from above, Danielle continued searching down below, keeping up with the others all the while.

[Aurorix]

Slade got out of the bus with flare who had been sleeping under his chair the entire time unaware to anyone. As they got out of the bus they went towards the man showing the way towards the mountains. He followed not saying much and Flare walked right besides him.

[TurboAura]

As Robert got out of the bus, he took in all the smells and sights of the nature around them. What seemed a bit off was the 'resort' that the buses let them off at as a checkpoint, which Robert had just written of as a way for other groups that had wanted to enjoy this. He noticed Ryan getting on a Flygon after giving Devin his.. crutches? "Oh yeah, now I remember where I saw him before. He's the kid that had the mishap with the Haxoruses. Atleast he seems 'okay' about it." After Devin's description about the hike, he turned his head to Kiai, which the Riolu gave a simple reaction saying that it wanted to hike along with them. With a nod, Robert went ahead towards the trail with Kiai in tow.

Edited October 30, 2014 by TurboAura

[Felicity]

"Rrrrrright! Doux, to me!" Claude ordered, grabbing Doux and hlding him tightly. Lancelot was latched onto Claudes head. God help Claude when Lance evolved and couldn't use him as a climbing frame..

"Now, we take no chances men! As soon as we see a rock type come at us, we grind it down to a pebble! Is that understood?!" Claude ranted, using his best impersonation of a military leader. Both pokemon ave the affirmative, and Claude hopped along up to Roman.

"So, Mr Man Sir, I'l ask the obvious question, what kind of pokemon live around here? I assume rock and ground types, as well as the reasons most of them are here; Dragons."

[Chim]

Lucky Elf

Roman’s eyes widened when he heard Claude talk and burst into laughter. “Just call me Roman,” he said after calming down. “You’re a colorful guy, aren’t you? I bet Devin has his hands full with you and your friends…” he mused. “And yes, you guessed it right. Our accommodations are in a rocky part so the most common types are Ground, Steel and Rock. Of course you’ll find a lot of Flying, Bug and Grass types because we’re still in the forest part. I can sum most of them up but that would take too long. Do you have a specific Pokémon in mind? As long as they live in a forest or rocky area you should be able to find them.”

Zephyr and DarkLight

Lana’s face was buried in her Pokédex. She followed along without watching her step and bumped into Evan, who was keeping a distance from everyone. On the previous trip some reckless students got him almost killed and he hoped to avoid it this time.

“S-sorry!” Lana stuttered. She bowed her head in apology and didn’t see the face of the one she bumped into.

“It’s alright,” Evan replied. His eye fell on the open Pokédex in her hand. “That thing must be really interesting if you had your head buried into it.”

Lana’s face got red. She felt a little embarrassed. She looked back at her Pokédex and saw the entry was still on Turtwig. “I was just looking up where Turtwig lives. I want one and I know they live around here,” she said in a soft voice.

Evan frowned. “How do you know that?”

Lana finally looked him in the eye when he asked that. “My parents are breeders and told me about this place. Every now and then they breed Pokémon to release here. A few years ago they released an entire herd of Donphan here. And when I asked about it they told me which species I could find here.”

That last sentence caught Evan’s attention. He was thinking about catching a ground type. “And those species are…” he encouraged her.

“Oh, uhm, the ones that live in the mountains either have a second typing like Dragon, Steel or Rock. They also told me that there’s a lake close by our camping and that Torterra can be found there alongside those with dual Water/Ground Pokémon. Are you interested in catching a Ground type?” For the first time since she knew Evan she didn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable around him, but actually showed interest in something.

“Errr, I might,” the boy replied. Lana's sudden interest caught him off guard.

[Felicity]

Claude grinned "No, I don't think I do Roman. Dragons are all well and good, but their appeal to me is lessened. It's like using a Milotic, literally the most beautiful pokemon, in a contest; It's not original. Sure, they're powerful, but that isn't what I look for. If I spot a pokemon I like though, I'll be sure to introduce myself to them."

[Commander]

"An important thought came across my mind," Henry mumbled. Why he was walking, a tiny Venonat came running out of bus in a panic and quickly caught up to Henry. "Heh, I kind of forgot you weren't in your ball." Henry picked the Venonat up and place her on top of his backpack. Man, she's really gained some weight. I need to make sure she lays off those berries. "You don't happen to know where to find a Drilbur, do you?" The Venonat shook her head. "I guess we'll have to ask someone. Devin and Roman seem a bit busy so who else would know..."

Henry peered around a bit and noticed Lana talking to Evan. "Hey, isn't that the shy girl who wants a mono ground team? Well, I really don't think she can help us." Henry was about to look away when he realized what he just said. "I really need to get some sleep after this." Henry made his way over to Lana hoping she might be able to answer his question. His leg was hurting him no less than yesterday on the way, but he was used to the pain now and walked normally.