[IC] Pokemon: Luminous Dawn- Chapter 1- A Bright Future!

[K_H]

Juniper's Lab - Jack

After Jack healed Leonidas in the Machine in the lab, he'd gone back outside, mainly to distance Lara and Meena from each other. When Bianca and the others came back out of the building, Jack joined them, Lara following him as the group headed to Route 1, receiving five pokeballs from one of the two professors in the process.

Route 1 Entrance - Jack

After the others had stated their readiness, Jack and Lara walked forwards into the line, and Jack then spoke.

"If you're all ready, so am I."

BAG Update:

Potion (x2)

Pokeball (x5)

XTransciever (Key item)

[Jory]

Route 1- Jason

Jason smiled broadly as he saw everyone line up. Suddenly, Rascal jumped down from his shoulder and stood beside his Trainer, one foot in front of the other as he boldly looked up at Jason. The Pokemon nodded excitedly, flashing a small smile. "Minccino!" he said resolutely, pumping his tiny fist toward himself. The small Normal-type thought back to all the time he'd spent with the young man and the adventures they'd gone on in their imaginations. This time was different, though. It was the real thing. He thumped his tail on the ground excitedly as he waited for Jason.

The new Trainer cleared his throat. "Alright guys, here we go! The first step toward adventure!" he shouted. "One..."

Everybody tensed.

"Two..."

They felt the sun on their faces as it climbed over the trees to their right, reflecting on the shimmering waters of the ocean. If there was any day to start a journey, this was the perfect one.

"Three!"

Everyone stepped forward. Jason cheered loudly, then looked toward Bianca for directions.

Bianca

The veteran Trainer snapped a picture with her XTransceiver and sent it to all the new Trainers, Juniper, and one of her old friends from her journey, one that had begun the very same way almost ten years ago as the Amateurs took the first step of their Pokemon journey. "Guys, that was soooo cute!" Bianca cried gleefully, approaching the group of new Trainers. "I'm really, really glad you all were able to share that moment. I even sent you all a copy of the picture!" Just as she said that, all of the Trainers' XTransceivers dinged simultaneously.

Everyone has received 'An Adventure Begins!' (Photo)! Added to Photo Library!

"Come on, guys! Let's not waste any more time!" With that said, Bianca led the group along the route for a little while. Suddenly, she turned around.

"I know you're all just soooo excited to start your adventure and run into some Pokemon, but we have a problem! With so many Trainers, the Pokemon might be scared to come out! That's why most of the time when you're looking for wild Pokemon, you should go in smaller groups!" she added, giving all the Trainers a hint as to how they might be most likely to run into uncommon Pokemon. The sound of a truck driving down the road behind her began to overshadow her voice slightly, but she was still audible. "Anyways, I think the younger group and I are going to go on ahead! Good luck!"

With that said, the Nuvema Trio and Bianca departed, leaving the older Trainers to decide how they were going to spend their time on Route 1.

Music:

Jason

Jason looked toward his new friends, ready to begin Training in earnest. "Alright, guys!" Jason said, deciding he'd speak up first. Jason didn't feel entirely comfortable as a leader, but he was willing to fill the role if other people weren't going to step up. "The way I see it, we have a couple of options-" he began. However, he was cut off midsentence by the sudden HONK of a pickup truck honking. Suddenly, Jason felt embarrassed for everyone! They were standing in the middle of the only road to Nuvema Town, a dirt two-laner that ran in a straight line between Nuvema and Accumula. It was used infrequently enough that some tall grass grew in the middle of it, as the walk between Nuvema and Accumula was so short and pleasant even in winter that few saw a need for anything faster than a bicycle.

Suddenly, the engine cut and the door to the pickup opened. The first thing out of the cab was a cowboy boot-clad foot. The spurs jingled as it hit the ground. Another identical foot followed with equally identical sound effects. The feet were connected to a pair of denim-clad overalls which, hopefully and of course, was attached to the rest of a human body. It was a woman who stood roughly six feet tall. Her straw-blonde hair was tied back in one long plait, and boy did she look pissed off.

"Arceus dangit!" she shouted, her accent obvious from the moment she opened her mouth. "Ah'm not sure just what the hell y'all think yer doin blockin' the road!" she continued screaming, her face turning red and veins popping out of her neck. She breathed heavily for a few moments, awaiting a response from the group. However, she looked from face to face, realizing she'd just gone postal on a bunch of teenagers, and probably new Trainers at that judging by their Bags! She sighed, her demeanor changing immediately. "Ah'm sorry y'all, I've just had the worst luck t'day. Ah was supposed ta deliver a shipment of Pokemon food to Professor Juniper's Lab, but wouldn't yew know it if a whole bunch of troublesome Patrat didn't steal it right out from under me!

"Ah was drivin' down this here road from Nuvema Town when Ah saw when one o' them little critters dart out in front of me!" she shook her head, remembering the story. "Ah felt a *thump* kinda noise from under the wheel, so Ah stopped ta see if the lil' guy was alright! But wouldn't yew know it, once Ah got out the truck them little critters all came outta the grass and swarmed the truck! They took most of the boxes right outta the bed! Ah tried ta stop'em, but there were so many! There musta been at least ten of 'em!" The truck driver began to look visibly upset, putting her hand on her head. "And ta add insult ta injury, one of 'em jumped off the roof of mah truck and stole mah hat!"

The driver looked at all the Trainers, a pleading look in her eyes. "Y'all look like yer new Trainers! Ah'm sure y'all know Professor Juniper! Ah just know she'd appreciate it if yew helped me out in a jam!"

Quest added: "Routes of Hazzard!"

-Defeat the Patrat Gang

-Return the food shipment to the driver

-Retrieve the truck driver's hat (Optional)

Jason looked to all the other Trainers. "Guys, all of our Pokemon came from that Lab! Imagine if they were still there! We'd definitely want someone to help them out, right?" With that, he turned toward the truck driver, grinning crookedly. Wow! We just started our adventure and we already get a chance to help people! "Of course we'll help out! Just point us in the right direction!"

Suddenly, all the Trainers heard a rustling in the bushes. A pale look came over the truck driver's face. "Dangit! Ah stopped agin' because of y'all! Now the Patrats are back! Quick, help me fend 'em off!" Six Patrat leapt out of the bushes on all sides of the Trainers, chittering angrily and trying to scare them away from the truck.

Jason grinned. "Alright! A Pokemon Battle already!" He looked around them, confused. How were they supposed to fight so many. "Uh... Aren't Pokemon Battles usually one-on-one?" he asked the driver, a bit embarrassed.

The driver shook her head, amazed that the Trainer didn't know the answer to the question. "In the wild, Pokemon don't play by the rules! As many as there are, there are, and yew can't change a dang thing. Now I need all y'all to send out a Pokemon and fight them off before they git the rest of the food!"

Jason nodded. "Right!" Rascal went to move forward, but Jason stopped him. "Let's let Gomez handle this one! Come on out, buddy!" With that, he reached to his belt and pulled off the new Poke Ball, throwing it toward the truck. Gomez the Treecko burst out in a flash of light, ready for action. "Use Pound on any Patrat that get near that truck!" the new Trainer shouted.

The first Patrat that reached the truck got knocked away with a Pound attack. However, there was no way just one Treecko would be able to fight them all off!

[Shadow Sketches]

Route 1- Alecks

Hearing the distressed driver's story got both Aleck's and Apollo pumped up. They may have lost their first battle but they still got stronger because of it, now it was time to show their strength. And Alecks had to admit the woman's story moved him, after all, who on earth would steal someone else's hat!? His question was quickly answered as six Patrats jumped out of the nearby bushes to surround them. Alecks wasn't very surprise to hear that wild Pokemon don't always play fair, but that didn't stop Apollo from jumping down from his trainer's shoulders and land nimbly on the ground. "Chim!" He growled intimidatingly at the opposing Patrat in front of him.

Apollo looked back at Alecks, both of them looked at each other and nodded with a smirk on their faces. They both were ready for this, Apollo was more determined than ever to win. "All right Apollo, we won't let them anywhere near the truck, use Flame Wheel on the nearest Patrat!"

Apollo somersaulted forward into the air and opened his mouth to release flames from it, the flames covered his body as he somersaulted forward until it looked like a wheel of flame was speeding straight towards the nearest Patrat.

Edited February 11, 2016 by Shadow Sketches

[Sutoratosu]

The Patrat Brotherhood...

The patrat Gomez knocked away was back up in just moments. So was the one hit by Apollo's flame charge. It seemed thus far they were the only ones to arrive... but the rodents made no move as they stood there in the grass. Instead they only glared at the wood gecko and monkey with mild annoyance as one of them it brought it's fingers to it's lips. A Shrill whistle sounded as it blew with all it's might. Soon, all along the sea of green, eyes peered out at the group of young interlopers... stout, short Patrats emerging from the tall ferns and grasses. They seemed... far more organized than one might've assumed- so much so that they had the good sense to have surrounded the truck during their approach.

"Pa-hat-hat-hat-hat-hat" The one recently assaulted by Gomez cackled with near glee, giving the lizard a foul, intimidating sneer as his brethren sized up the others...

It was just as the driver had described. Ten patrats, staring them down from all sides... The young trainers had better get to it. Jacob and Aleck were most definitely gonna be outnumbered here otherwise.

[K_H]

Quest added: "Routes of Hazzard!"

-Defeat the Patrat Gang

-Return the food shipment to the driver

-Retrieve the truck driver's hat (Optional)

Jack flinched a little when he heard the truck honk so close to the group, especially since he was on the end that was closest to it, but he wasn't too fazed. Once the rest of the things happened after that, he grabbed Leonidas' Pokeball, tossing it into the air, sending out the electrical Lion Cub. He then gave them their orders.

"Leonidas, Lara, help out with truck defense!"

In response, Leonidas let off a Leer of his own, sparks appearing all around his body as he glared at five of the Patrat. Meanwhile, Lara let off a bone-chilling howl, increasing her resolve to fight as a result.

Edited February 11, 2016 by K_H

[Jory]

Route 1- Jason

Jason winced as he watched Gomez take the Leer. Since he was so outnumbered, he was in real danger of getting knocked out! "Alright, Rascal," Jason said, nodding to his partner. "You're going in as well! Help out Gomez with a Double Slap!" The Minccino darted into the fray, leaping to the Treecko's side. "Gomez, use Quick Attack to hit that Patrat again, then retreat quickly! Rascal, cover his escape!" The Treecko glowed in a white aura, then sped off toward the Patrat that had just used Leer on him. Meanwhile Rascal hovered halfway between the truck and the Patrats, ready to fire a Double Slap at any Patrat that came too close to Gomez.

[starkidcosmo]

Route 1- Mio

Mio stepped forwards with the rest of the group, although his skates made him a little off-balance. He wobbled slightly, arms out for balance, when he heard the tell-tale click of the XTransceiver's camera app. He whipped around on one foot, eyes wide in disbelief. There was no way Bianca had just--

Mio has received 'An Adventure Begins!' (Photo)! Added to Photo Library!

She had. Wincing, he opened the photo library and chanced a look at the picture. Sure enough, he looked like an idiot. His face burned in embarrassed horror for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

Shaking off his shame, Mio turned his attention back to Bianca, who was in the middle of giving some much-needed advice. Relief washed over him as she mentioned "smaller groups;" this way he could keep Meena as far away from Jack's team as possible.

Seemingly taking her own advice, Bianca led the three younger kids off, leaving behind a disconcerted Mio. He hadn't actually considered how much autonomy he was going to have in this journey, and as someone used to having a teacher breathing down his neck, he was a little nervous at how much power he was being given. Jason spoke up, however, apparently taking the leader role. Mio tried not to feel relieved.

Jason was cut off by the sound of an obnoxious honk, and Mio stumbled backwards in surprise. He slipped around on the smooth dirt for a good half a minute before he regained his balance, just in time to hear a woman with a strong accent explain her issue to the group.

A gang of Patrat? Mio supposed that wasn't particularly unusual; Patrat were a social species and tended to form large packs. But raiding a truck like that seemed a little bold, even for a such a large group.

Mio hardly had time to ruminate on the issue before six Patrat popped out of the bushes. Jason and Alecks were the fastest to bring out their Pokemon and send them into the fray, but even as their attacks landed, one Patrat let out a shrill whistle. Mio caught on fast, tossing Loam's pokeball in front of him just as four more patrat popped out from all sides. Loam stood ready for orders, and Meena dislodged herself from her scarf pose and dropped to the ground, looking at her trainer expectantly. He'd said she wouldn't fight until they'd had a talk, but this wasn't a situation to hold back in.

"Meena, help Loam get up into the truck bed. Loam, once you get up there, stand at the very back and use water gun to support everyone and keep the Patrat away from the food. Meena, you go help Apollo and Gomez; use scratch on that one near Gomez as soon as you're done!" Mio grimaced. He really didn't want to use Meena, but with a group as large as this, he didn't have much of a choice.

Immediately, Loam and Meena took off for the truck bed. Loam stepped on Meena's head for extra height, then scrambled to the position she'd been ordered to. As soon as Meena saw she was up, she took off towards Gomez, leaping at the leering Patrat with claws outstretched.

Edited February 12, 2016 by genderlesshawke

[Shadow Sketches]

Route 1- Alecks

Alecks watched as the Patrat Apollo hit got back up. Apollo sneered at their foe, obviously liking an opponent that got back up and proved a challenge. Though they had both heard the shrill whistle, neither of them knew for sure what it meant until the Patrats received their backup. Instead of being intimidated though, the two partners looked ready for their challenge. This was going to be a tough battle, but luckily he wasn't alone.

Alecks looked back and saw the others already doing their best to hold the Patrats off. A confident smile appeared on Aleck's face as he noticed Jack's pokemon Leer the Patrats. "Nice job Jack, now time to finish the job!" Both Alecks and Apollo looked towards the Patrat that had gotten back up, already injured from Apollo's attack and now weakened by the Leer. "All right Apollo, time to finish him off, use Scratch!"

Apollo charged forward towards the Patrat, his hand extended as he ran. Once in range, Apollo swung and tried to rake at his foe.

[Sutoratosu]

BRAWL! The Patrat Brotherhood!

Jason and Mio

The Quick Attack landed solidly, once again knocking the cackling lieutenant to his back; the rodent had been too preoccupied gloating to notice the speeding Gecko surging towards him until it was too late. Meena however, had honestly been a bit less observant than she should've in launching her attack... the Treeko's attack just moments ago had been so fast, it had landed Gomez right where the Patrat had been when she aimed- right smack dab in the middle of Meena's leap path with his back to the cat... as fate would have it, instead of pouncing with outstretched claws for the lieutenant, she was now coming down towards her own ally...

The bed of the truck (Meena- Mudkip)

Meanwhile, a Patrat approached the back of the truck from the front as the fighting all around continued, coming up to the back where it saw Meena's back... it's eyes blaring with a deep, unsettling spiral pattern as teal waves emanated from it's peepers, heading right towards the unwitting mudkip as it stood guard over the food...

Today was the day... that she would finally overthrow that dang Ringo and take the title of Lieutenant; she would have his day, she'd put this mud fish to sleep and retrieve the rest of the goods herself.

Boss Hog would surely be made proud...

Alecks

This would not be a foe that went down so easily. That much was made clear as the Patrat's attention was instantly drawn to the Chimchar's charge, Keen Eyes instantly focusing in on the approaching threat... the instant the monkey drew close, the rodent's body blared with a bright white as, fast as lightning, his body contorted and flipped as he dodged swiftly to the side, placing himself right behind the chimp. The next moment, he was tucking in his shoulder and himself charging, heading right for Apollo's blindside, placed in a far more favorable offensive position thanks to his Detect.

Jack

The patrats cut off their own leers upon being meet with those of Lara and Leonidas. Touche, touche... it seemed two could play at this game. Or rather, twelve could play at this game. Talk about some online Multiplayer Functionality...

Two of them however, dashed towards the duo the next moment, one of them scooping up a thick handful of sand from the road as he charged, swinging his arm out in a wide arc and sending a cloud of the grainy, irritating particles heading straight for Leonidas' eyes, while the other did the same on Laura's end...

This... was a set up in the making... but would young Jack realize it in time?

[Chim]

Route 1 – Brendan

Brendan took a few steps back in surprise when the truck honked at them. He quickly regained his composure and brushed off like nothing happened, just like he used to do when playing baseball. During the entire one-sided conversation with the driver, Brendan tried his best to keep a straight face. A part of him found it quite amusing that the Patrats were cunning enough for these kind of tricks. The amusement didn’t last long when the group found themselves surrounded and dragged into a fight.

“Where is the damn thing?” Brendan mumbled as he searched his bag for Juniper’s gift. He had placed the Eviolite in a separate section, but of course forgot which one. It took him a good half a minute before he finally found it. He sighed in relief and released his Roggenrola, only to find out that actually tying the stone to his Pokémon was a tedious job. Thank Arceus there was already a small rope around the Eviolite.

Item equipped: Eviolite

“Alright Titan, the heroes always join the fight late! Use Rock Blast!”

This time things would be different. They didn’t had a disadvantage and Titan was equipped with his nice new Eviolite. The Roggenrola didn’t seem to react to Brendan’s new found enthusiasm. All the rock type did was shoot 4 rocks at the nearest Patrats. Just like he had done in the battle against Gomez.

[Felicity]

Route 1- Katie

Maybe I should have taken up Aleck's offer to battle Katie thought dimly as she realised she was the slowest to react to the threat at hand. Which was bad considering she and Roy should really have been one of the biggest damage dealers around. Right? Katie thought that was right, something about typing. Well, time to put it to the test by apologising to Alecks by helping him out.

"Roy, kick the Patrat who wants to be an acrobat over there!" Katie ordered, pointing at the Patrat that was attempting to get behind Apollo.

Roy did so with gusto! He had been somewhat scared, his trainer had been staring into space for way, way too long anfd he wasn't at all sure what she was thinking. Now he leapt forth towards his target, swinging his foot low to sweep the Patrat off of its feet as it closed in on the chimchar. Sure, the little monkey had been annoying to him before but that hardly mattered now.

IT WAS TIME FOR ROY TO FIGHT!!!

Bag:

Pokeball x 5

Potion x 2

Pokedoll

Xtransciever

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!"- Jason

Jason gasped as he saw Meena headed directly for his Treecko. "Gomez, no!" he cried. Luckily, Rascal was quicker on the draw than his Trainer. He bound toward Gomez from his defensive position and leaped into the air, whirling and swinging his tail to deflect the Meowth's paw from behind, hopefully dealing minimal damage. The Trainer grimaced. I have to be faster! My Pokemon are depending on me! he thought to himself, resolved to not make the same mistake twice. He shot a quick at the truck and saw that Loam seemed to be nodding off. "Hey, Mio!" Jason shouted. "Instead of hitting Gomez, pay attention to Loam! Your Mudkip is being overwhelmed!" He turned his attention back to the battle, not wanting to be distracted for too long.

Rascal, Gomez, and Meena were now in the midst of the Patrat circle. Jason grinned, an idea forming in his head. "Rascal, use Double Slap on that Patrat that Gomez hit! Gomez, give the ones near you another Leer!" The Treecko gave the Patrat gang a cool yet menacing stare, his eyes hard as he stared them down.

The truck driver cheered as Roy entered the fray, swinging her fist proudly. "Yeah, yew git'em lil' Timburr!"

[K_H]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Jack

As soon as he saw the two Patrat scoop up a bit of the ground with one paw each after having run towards Leonidas and Lara while being next to each other, Jack realized what was coming, and spoke quickly.

"Eyes closed, now!"

Lara and Leonidas responded by doing so, none of the dirt getting into their eyes as a result. Jack then made his move, both Lara and Leonidas having opened their eyes after they felt that the sand was no longer hitting them in the face.

"Lara, Bite! Leonidas, Spark!"

In response, Lara ran towards the Patrat that had thrown sand at her, preparing to bite it as a dark aura gathered around her teeth. Leonidas, though, ran at the one who had thrown sand at him, electricity crackling around him as he ran.

Edited February 12, 2016 by K_H

[Sutoratosu]

Brendan

An unfortunate Patrat took all four of the stones head on, sent flying back from the successive shots and sprawling in the grass, dazed by the sudden blows. Brendan's entrance did not go unnoticed. Another Patrat turned just in time to find his brother being blown back like a rag doll, eye's glaring with ferocity at his assailant before he sped off towards Titan, fangs elongating and glowing a sickly, sinister black as he closed in, jaw opened wide...

Jason

Not today. Today was not the day... Ringo would not stand for this, not at all. The Lieutenant's body flashed a pale white as he propped himself up from the ground, glaring at the approaching Minccino. Barely fast enough to even track, he sprang up into the air, somersaulting away with the grace of a blaziken as the mouse unleashed it's attack, hitting nothing but empty air as Ringo landed directly behind it. The next moment, fast as lightning, a snarl emanated from the rat's maw as he turned heel, jaw opened wide and his fangs elongating as sinister, black static began to crackle around their darkness infused form as he attempted to drive them down towards the Mouse's back, burning like black candles in the night as his ability kicked in and amplified the move...

He was the commander here. He would not be defeated as easily as some common newblood... he had earned this place, had fought for this place, had watched brothers fall to get this place.

He would not bring such dishonor as to be defeated by mere human brats...they would know the power of the Brotherhood... and they would regret this. He would make sure of it.

Gomez's leer was cancelled out as the others wised up and met it with their owns. Again, two could play at this game... and the patrats knew they knew the rules better than this little wood gecko. And one of them intended to prove it... given it's leer was laced with a spiralling, mesmerizing pattern, sending forth teal waves towards the Treecko...

Katie, Alecks

The dirty play from Roy worked... but not as they had hoped. They had managed to sweep Lingo's feet from under him, but they had failed to consider just where the rodent would fall if he tripped... Barreling forward as fast as he could, there was only one direction. Right towards Apollo. The rat let out a surprised yelp as his forward momentum sent him flying towards the fire monkey... this, would probably hurt for both of them...

Meanwhile, another Patrat came to the aid of her brother, with a savage screech, the female lashed out with an arm at the road, sending a thick stream of sand from the ground heading right for Roy's eyes as she closed the distance between them, tucking in her shoulder much like Lingo himself had, intending to take advantage of the distraction to try to drive her body weight into the fighting type...

Jack

Both patrats took the attacks head on, not expected their targets to be savvy enough to break through the distraction. They wouldn't make the same mistake again though. They backed away from the Lion cub and the pooch, whispering to each other in hushed voices as they glared at the two. The next moment, they both seemed to reach a consensus about something, nodding their heads... before promptly running off in two opposite directions, one yelling out jabs and taunts to Leonidas and the other doing the same to Lara as it fled...

Just what were they planning? How intelligent were these rats?

[K_H]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Jack

Leonidas was starting to chase the one that had taunted him when Lara barked at him once, halting him before he could get too far from her. There was a bit of dialog between two before both of them gave chase to the one that had taunted Lara.

Edited February 12, 2016 by K_H

[Shadow Sketches]

"Route of Hazzard!"- Alecks

Alecks cursed as he watched the Patrat evade Apollo's attack, the move had looked so cool too, it was a shame it didn't hit. But the Patrat managed to get himself in a good position and was now charging straight towards Apollo. Aleck's eyes widened as he watched the little rat head straight towards his partner."Apollo! Watch out!"

Apollo looked back towards the charging Patrat, his body bracing for the impact. But Roy seemed to come to the rescue and sweep the rat of it's feet....unfortunately Roy wasn't a very good knight in shining armor and the Patrat's momentum still kept it heading straight towards his target. Alecks winced as Apollo yelped and took the hit, the impact sending both him and the Patrat flying. Apollo landed on the ground with a thud and rolled a few times before being able to stop himself. "Uh...well, thanks for trying Katie!" Alecks called over to her, at least the Patrat seemed to have taken damage from the impact as well.

Though the annoyed Apollo quickly jumped back up on his feet and growled at Roy. He obviously still saw some sort of rivalry between them and still a little mad from when the Timburr refused to fight him. But this wasn't the time for him to fight with Roy, he would show him how much stronger he was than him. This fight will prove to everyone who was the best of the bunch, Apollo glared back at the Patrat. A new passion lit in his eyes, which Alecks quickly took notice of.

Alecks smirked and pumped his fist into the air, "That's right Apollo, we're not done yet! Finish off that rat and use Ember!" At the order of his trainer, Apollo let out bolts of flames from his mouth that sped straight towards the Patrat that had tackled him.

[starkidcosmo]

"Routes of Hazzard" - Mio

Mio gasped as Gomez landed directly in Meena's way, but before either he or his Meowth could react, Rascal had deflected Meena's attack into the ground. Meena winced as she landed; the paw rascal had hit had begun to bruise and swell.

"S-sorry!" Mio called, but when Jason warned him, all feelings of guilt were washed away by alarm. Sure enough, Loam was snoozing rather peacefully on top of a few crates of food.

"Meena-" Mio shouted, before looking over and realizing Meena was trapped inside a ring of Patrat. He swore, feeling stupid and useless, but he didn't have time to dwell.

"Meena, fake out that one in front of you and get to Loam!" Mio ordered. Meena's eyes gleamed as she pushed forwards on her hind legs, her front paws extended in an attempt to catch the Patrat by surprise. It didn't matter whether or not the attack landed; all Meena was focused on was getting past the enemy in front of her and helping Loam. Mio blinked at her movement; he expected her to fake to one side and sprint towards the other, but this worked too.

[Chim]

“Routes of Hazzard” – Brendan

“Yes!” the young trainer cheered when Titan’s attack connected. Brendan’s focus was still on the sprawling Patrat to see if it was still able to fight, that he totally missed the incoming cavalry. Titan however was still his usual calm self. His hearing had picked up movement and the rock barely turned on time. What the Roggenrola did next caught his trainer completely off guard.

Titan leaned backwards like he had done in the battle against Jason, but instead of jumping back, he launched forward after gathering all his power into a single point on what humans would consider his forehead. The Headbutt attack connected just as the Patrat’s teeth munched down on Titan’s rocky exterior.

“What just happened? Are you a genius?” Brendan asked without even checking if the move had actually worked.

[Sutoratosu]

Jack

A wide, wicked grin broke out on Dingo's face as he looked over his shoulder, seeing the two giving chase. He continued shouting insults and taunts as his legs seem to become even faster as his footfalls grew harder, kicking up dust and grass as he sped like a maniac... though just enough to stay out of the range of either of Jack's fighters, too fast for them to catch no matter how hard they exert themselves. It was like dangling a carrot over the mouth of a Rapidash... no matter how fast it gallops, it can never get the bait.

The chase led all three further and further away from the boy, the animals running faster than he could've ever hoped to keep up with. Before long, they passed the woodline at the edge of the route... and soon vanished.

---------

They had not make it incredibly far into the woods. But they had made it far enough that none of the others would be likely to easily find them or intervene without having to spend a while searching. Thick brambles dotted the forest scape, interspersed by twisted, gnarled trees of various species that neither Leonidas nor Lara recognized. The ground was covered in rich, dark soil, a few leaves scattered here and there.

Much to the duo's surprise, Dingo finally halted his fleeing under a Willow Tree... skitting to a stop before he turned and faced them, that same smile on his face. If they turned around to try to run, they would've noticed the other Patrat who had partnered with him emerging from one of the brambles.

It was obvious what was happening here. This had been their plan all along, ever since the sand attack had failed. They had lured the Lion and Hyena cub here to get them away from their trainer... to get them away from the one giving them commands. Cut off the head, and the rest of the snake shall die...

The only question now was: how well would the two inexperienced Pokemon do without their owner's direction, against these foes who clearly had planning and training behind them? Without jack there to shout orders and give them guidance?

The question was one that would have to be answered quickly. Dingo's eyes flared up with a spiraling, mesmerizing pattern as he sneered at Lara, teal waves of hypnotic suggestion blasting forth and heading right for her... while the other Patrat scooped up dirt and sand in both paws and violently flung the stuff towards Leonidas's eyes, far harder than he had before...

Mio

The fake out caught the Patrat nearest the truck off gaurd. The attack hadn't done very much, but it had certainly been enough for Tango to stop her assent up the side and fall back to the ground, chattering wildly as she hopped to her feet, furious at whatever joker had thought that was funny...

Ironically enough though, in all ranting, she didn't even notice as the very Meowth who was the culprit attempted to sneak past and reach the mudkip.

Alecks

Lingo had barely gotten up again when he saw the Embers surging towards him. The rodent set his jaw in a thin line...this wasn't going well at all. At this rate, he would surely gotten beaten.

Without a sound, again the Patrats body glowed white as he initiated an acrobatic maneuver to try to get away. Unlike last time however... he had acted too late. The ember still grazed his left side as he leapt up and out of the way. He landed further from the Chimp, going down to one knee as he panted, pain rupturing throughout his ribs. When he looked down, he saw why. That blackened patch of fur... the scent of something searing...

The ember had only done about half the damage it would've had it hit him head on... but these lucky bastards had managed to score a burn. He looked around at the chaos ensuing all around the truck. Everyone else on the force seemed to already be engaged... and Mango was busy try to fight that wierd Fighting type that had tripped him...

there was no one who could help him fight this chimp. He couldn't use Detect again... not without running the risk of screwing up and failing. This little chimp had the obvious advantage now that he had revealed he knew a ranged move...

"Paaaaat trat trat trat..." He muttered indignantly as he rose to his feet, Glaring at the monkey one last time. This was it, he knew it... he couldn't win this, not in his condition. Why even bother trying to counter attack at this point?

Brendan

Eh... in theory, yes. Yes, Titan would be a genius. If it wasn't for the strange, oddly... fizzy sound that emanated just before his attack met with the Patrats. The two of them locked blows with the rodent's teeth still glowing their sinister black... though rather than pain or recoil from the collision, he looked more... confused than anything.

Had this rock type... just straight up offered his head to make it easier to chomp away? Well, alright... it was strange, but...Yango had seen stranger things before.

"PAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!" The rodent gave a war cry, proceeding to try to nom nom nom on titan like a frozen treat with his black fangs, trying to break through the rock types impressive defenses like a pachirisu trying to crack a nut...

It'd be a damn shame if he lost a tooth though...

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!"- Jason

The Trainer watched the Patrat closely, realizing that the rodent was in his Minccino's blind spot. "I'll be your eyes! When I say to, jump!" Rascal, you have to trust me on this one, he thought to himself. "Don't move yet! Closer... Closer..." Jason muttered as the Patrat charged forward. Just before the Patrat reached Rascal, Jason shouted. "Now, Rascal, now!" The Minccino jumped up in the air, narrowly avoiding being chomped on the back by the Patrats' commander. However, he didn't fully escape the blow! He winced and cried out in pain as the Patrat's teeth closed around his foot, trapping him near his opponent. "Rascal, show him what you're made of! Double Slap!" the Trainer shouted. With his foot now trapped in between the Patrat's teeth, Rascal was in the perfect position to deliver a crushing, Skill Link boosted Double Slap directly to that pesky Patrat's ugly mug!

Despite being upset that Rascal had ended up getting hit by the powerful Crunch attack, Jason wasn't even close to giving up. As he looked over to Gomez, he saw that without his instructions the Grass-type gecko had nearly fallen asleep from looking into the other Patrat's hypnotic eyes. "Gomez, snap out of it!" Jason shouted harshly. The Grass-type shook his head, momentarily able to clear the fog thanks to hearing his Trainer's voice. However, it was obvious he shouldn't be spending much longer near that group. "Use Quick Attack to get out of there, then Pound on their leader! Let's finish him off!" The Treecko sped away from the Patrat trying to use Hypnosis on him and leaped through the air, rotating to give his tail the maximum amount of force possible. If both attacks were successful, Gomez's Pound would hit just as the final Double Slap was coming in!

[starkidcosmo]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Mio

Mio watched carefully as Meena slipped past the Patrat trying to climb the truck. He wanted to call out to her, but she was in sneak mode now, and he didn't want to alert the Patrat to her movements. He trusted that Meena knew what to do.

Meena purred internally as the Patrat she had just hit fell off the truck and whipped around to look for its assaulter, chittering in rage but unaware of the Meowth moving past her. Meena used the opportunity to spring into the bed of the truck, though her injured paw flubbed her landing a bit. She hit the floor of the truck harder than she should have, a dull metal thwump sounding at her feet. If Meena knew any human curses, she'd have been spouting each and every one as she rushed over to Loam.

On Loam's part, not even the loud noise of Meena's landing disturbed her sleep. But Meena was desperate, and desperate times called for desperate measures. A swirl of dark energy surrounded her teeth as she bent down and chomped, hard, on Loam's tail. She was careful not to bite through the fin, but there was definitely blood, and Loam definitely felt it. She woke with a start, leaping to her feet with a yelp. She whipped around to see Meena staring at her rather pointedly, and immediately knew what had happened. To think, at the tender level of six, she already knew the true meaning of shame.

Meena smacked her compatriot with her curled tail and gestured around at the chaos ensuing around them, then at the Patrat who was probably already on her way up. Loam nodded, assured in her duties.

Mio saw Loam wake up and sighed in relief. "Loam, water gun the second you see that thing come up!" He called. The Mudkip didn't even bother to acknowledge the command before her cheeks swelled as she prepared to attack.

[Shadow Sketches]

"Routes of Hazzard"- Alecks

Alecks felt proud of his partner! Even though the Patrat had tried to evade the attack, Apollo still managed to land some blows on the little rat and left it with a burn. The duo saw the Patrat struggling now, they knew he wouldn't be able to last long and this surged both of them with confidence. "Alright Apollo, send this rat flying back home! Use Ember once more!"

Apollo's eyes locked on to the Patrat, this was it and he knew it. He'd show this rat he picked the wrong Chimchar to mess with! "Chiiiiiiiiiim!" with a loud shout, Apollo let out bolts of flames from his mouth that sped through the air to finish off his foe.

[Felicity]

Katie

Katie was about to yell her command to Roy but again found herself responding far too late. Instead, it was Roys own battle instincts that drove his movements.

First Roy covered his eyes with his paws to prevent the sand getting in his eyes. He knew what this would entail though and braced for impact. As the patrat slammed into him though, Roy grabbed hold of the Patrat, using his strength to take hold.

Katie saw this and it sparked something in her mind again. "Use your leverage to take it to the ground and then give it a good Kick again!" She cried. Katie had no qualms with fighting dirty, kicking a downed foe. Neither did Roy as he did just that, hurling the pokemon to the ground and beginning to swing his leg again in a vicious little kick.

[Chim]

“Routes of Hazzard” – Brendan

A small curse slipped from Brendan’s mouth when he realized his mistake. In his enthusiasm he had let his guard down, resulting in Titan taking extra damage. He had to play this smart considering the amount of enemies they were facing. “Calm down Brendan. This is just like a baseball game.” The amateur trainer took a deep breath and started observing the situation. As a catcher he was used to making calls during the game. All he had to do was look closely at his opponent’s habits and let the pitcher strike him out. Being a trainer was no different. He still had to make the calls and his partner would score the win. That’s how it used to go and what he should aim for with Titan. And the order came immediately.

Titan obeyed. A faint blueish glow covered his entire body as he strengthened his defenses once more. He then proceeded to create a rock in front of his yellow hexagonal. The Patrat better was a fast one or this could really hurt.

((Harden followed by Rock Blast. I'm too lazy to work out those links.))

[K_H]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Leonidas and Lara

Lara knew that she and Leonidas were outmatched, as did he. However, they weren't without a chance, as it was merely a two-on-two, and they were only partially surrounded. Lara ran to her left, completely evading the Hypnosis as she bolted for an escape route, but not attacking Dingo as a result of her choice. Leonidas, meanwhile, ran at his opponent, but got sand and dirt in his eyes in the process, lowering his accuracy as a result. As he careened towards his opponent, it became clear that he was no longer on a collision course with the Patrat. However, the same couldn't be said for the Hypnosis that Dingo had fired off, as it was still heading in the same direction, which now happened to be right at the Patrat that Dingo had teamed up with.

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Jack

Jack cursed under his breath as he saw Lara and Leonidas follow the Patrat into the bushes next to the road. He was about to head after them when he was suddenly struck with an idea, but wanted to verify something first. He then walked over to the Truck Driver, and spoke to her.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but I believe you said that this pokefood was headed to Juniper's Lab, if my memory is correct?"

Edited February 16, 2016 by K_H