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

[Sutoratosu]

Rodent in the woodline

The captain... had seen enough. What the hell had Ringo been thinking, going up against human trainers like this, with mere footmen? This was easily a task for the Lieutenants and the boss himself... and yet, like a fool... Ringo pressed on with the operation without batting an eye, and of course Lingo hadn't tried to speak any reason into him either; that idiot has just gone right along with it.

This... this was grounds for demotion. It was ambitious... and rash... and stupid. But then again, could he really be so surprised? Knowing the one responsible for this mess? The one about to get wrecked by that blonde haired kid with the Treecko and mouse?

No... no, he really couldn't be.

Well... he might as well give the order himself. And who better to help carry it out... then the one trying to go for the food all by herself, when everyone else was busy in this virtual bar fight?

*************************

Jason

Rango released his iron bite as the slaps collided with his face, raising his hands to try to protect against the assault the best he could. If jason paid attention he could've seen the sweat breaking on the rodent's brow as he gritted his fangs, arms turning an angry, raw red as he used them to stave off the remaining four strikes.

The Lieutenant had the disadvantage of going against not one, but two human assisted fighters on his own however... He didn't even see the treecko dropping in over head, preparing to bash him...

until it was too late. The attack made solid contact with the back of the commander's skull. A whack rang through the air. There was a croak. His eyes rolled back into their sockets. His arms fell to his side. He swayed... and then fell to the earth.

The patrat who had tried to put Gomez to sleep tried to rush into the fray to aid his CO... only to be yanked back and vanish into the tall grass behind him before he'd even moved a muscle.

Alecks

Lingo did nothing. He simply stared at the incoming torrent of embers. Of course these dicks were gonna go and overkill it, blast him with some more fire- oh no... not like a simple scratch would do it. Damn showoffs...

"Paaaaaaat" He sighed, holding his arms out spread eagle. Whatever... so long as he went down fighting, Boss Hog might not kill him. Plus he honestly felt like Bird Jesus in a way, given the situation... alone, weakened, facing inevitable odds.

Eh, who knows? Maybe his fainting here would mean something. Maybe not paying for the countless sins committed by others, but... who knows? Or maybe it all really meant nothing and this fiery wave of pain wracking his entire being was just because humans and anyone who sides with them just suck?

Yeah... Lingo felt more comfortable going with that one as he fell face first to the scorched grass, small fires still smoldering around his defeated form.

Katie

Savage. Absolutely, positively, savage. Those were the only thoughts that ran through Mango's mind as she was slammed into the dirt and punted like a football. Clear across the road, she flew... no air left in her lungs to manifest the squeal of terror waiting in her throat. She crashed into the grass and rolled... disappearing into the rustle of tall blades before long.

She did not bother getting up afterwards.

These humans... were crazy.

Figures loomed over her in the dark reaches of the grass and undergrowth. Figures that grabbed her. Figures that hoisted her up and carried her.

they all smelled... familiar.

Mio

Their anticipated target never arrived. Instead the cat and mudfish were kept waiting as the battle raged on around them... where had the rodent gone? A quick check around the truck would reveal no one was there...

Had it run away? Who knew... who cared. The truck was safe for now. That was all that mattered... right?

Brendan

And hurt it did. A mouth filled with stones blasted at high velocity. Honestly, how the hell could it not hurt? Just like his brother, the patrat was sent flying like a rag doll, landing in the grass not too far from the other rodent. The blades rustled. Two heads popped up, one of them clutching a paw to a bleeding mouth. They glared at the rock type for a moment... then glanced at each other.

And as if by common consensus, they both sunk down into the grass... tell tale rustles moving away from the trainer and his weird stone thing...

If Titan or brendan looked down, they might notice the patrat tooth gleaming on the road. A pearly white, tapered fang... surface marred with chips and cracks in the enamel, coated with with spittle and blood.

A damn shame indeed...

Jack

Contrary to popular belief, the hypnosis fired off by Dingo did not head for Singo. Infact, the attack had stopped the moment the other patrat had started chuckling darkly and wandering off after the fleeing pooch... just as Hypnosis tends to fade when the user stops focusing.

Singo didn't even bother sidestepping as the blinded lion cub passed by... though he wondered... that Bramble bush the electric type was charging right towards... how much would a full on bodily collision with all those thorns hurt? Just thinking about it, throwing every ounce of one's weight into the barbs... well, he estimated it would probably be quite unpleasant to say the least. Though in all honesty... Dingo was the true expert on throwing oneself into brambles, not him... someone had to get the berries off somehow while they were still in season... or at least, back when they were in season. The branches were more or less barren of fruit at this point... had been so for months infact.

Lara meanwhile, would find that the Brambles and undergrowth only got thicker as she ran... before long it became obvious that there was no escape to be had in this direction- not without paying the cost of freedom with a VERY bad time trying to force one's way through the thick patch of barbed branches of barbed branches. Dingo wasn't too far behind her. He was walking, strolling infact. Almost as if he knew she wouldn't be able to get out this way...

Because he did. And he also knew how much of a nightmare a bunch of bramble pricks could be... and oh what a nasty idea played in his mind. With a sneer, he took off for the pooch as fast as he could... tucking in his shoulder, intent on body checking her right into that entanglement of thorned branches. They wouldn't break apart, not even from such an impact as that, he knew from experience they wouldn't...

but they would do their job...

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!"- Jason

The new Trainer cheered as his Treecko knocked out the leader of the Patrats, causing the rest to retreat en masse. He looked around and surveyed the battlefield, paying close attention to whose Pokemon seemed injured. However, they all seemed to be doing quite alright. Jason's Pokemon ran back toward him, jubilant from their victory over their foe.

Battle complete! Rank B!

-Rascal and Gomez have gained 5 EXP! Rascal and Gomez have leveled up!

-Roy has gained 5 EXP! Roy has leveled up!

-Titan has gained 5 EXP! Titan has leveled up!

-Meena and Loam have gained 5 EXP! Meena and Loam have leveled up!

-Apollo has gained 5 EXP! Apollo has leveled up!\

Brendan has found Razor Fang (x1)!

"Hey, amazing job, guys!" he said encouragingly, giving each of his Pokemon a pet on the head. Both seemed to revel in their Trainer's praise and high-pawed each other, glad their teamwork had paid off.

As he looked around, however, Jason realized that Jack looked extremely distressed. Then, he noticed that Jack's Pokemon were missing. "Oh, no..." he breathed. He then looked back to the truck driver. "Excuse me, ma'am, did you see where a Poochyena and a Shinx might have run off to?" he asked.

"Well, Ah'll be!" the driver replied, clapping her hands excitedly. "Yer all gonna be great Pokemon Trainers one day, that's fer darn sure!" She seemed to think about the young Trainer's question, then looked toward the woods. "Ah'm pretty sure Ah saw them run off after one o' them Patrat toward the woods! Y'all best be careful if y'all are goin' over there, though. That's right near where they took the dang food!" The driver sighed. "Speakin' of, I'm real grateful to y'all for defending mah truck, but Ah still need that food back!"

Quest updated: "Routes of Hazzard!"

-Defeat the Patrat Gang

-Find Lara and Leonidas

-Return the food shipment to the driver

-Retrieve the truck driver's hat (Optional)

The truck driver reached into the cab of her truck and pulled out a small bag of Oran Berries. "These should heal y'all's Pokemon before y'all go lookin' near the woods. Feel free to take a couple!"

Jason nodded and reached into the pouch, pulling out two. He handed one to each of his Pokemon, who devoured the treats hungrily. Rascal's foot immediately became less swollen and the cuts and bruises on it began to heal.

[K_H]

Leonidas

When Leonidas saw the wall of brambles rising in front of him, it was too late to stop running. So, he did the only thing he could at that point: Jump in an attempt to vault over them. Unfortunately for him, his forwards momentum caused him to come up a bit short of the top, and he ended up landing in the prickles on the side of the bush, taking damage and getting his fur stuck on it like Velcro in the process. He was stuck up there, no doubt about it. Each time he moved voluntarily, the thorns pricked him, but his fur loosened from the thorns a bit as a result. When he tried not moving, the pain stopped, but he was a sitting duck up there.

Lara

Lara saw Dingo's Tackle incoming, and knew that it would be very much impossible to dodge. However, if she was going to be hit, then she'd try her darndest to make her attacker take some damage as well. So, she lunged at the onrushing patrat, teeth starting to glow a deep black as she prepared to bite her assailant at close range while the two hurtled towards each other.

Jack

Jack put on a determined face, then spoke up.

"I might've lost my Partners for now, but I'll get them back. However, I can't do it alone. How about we split up into pairs? They can't have gone that far, that's for sure."

[starkidcosmo]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Mio

Loam waited. And waited. And waited. It took a good minute for her to realize that her target wasn't going to show up. Meena dropped to the ground, wincing as she landed on her swollen paw, and confirmed. The Patrat that had been there before was gone.

The little mudfish let the water in her mouth dissipate with a disappointed sigh and clambered over the side of the truck bed to join her companion on the ground. She padded over to Mio, head hung and tail fin drooping. Meena limped after her; now that all the adrenaline from the fight was gone, her wound hurt. A lot.

Mio gathered his two Pokemon up into a careful hug. "Sorry guys!" he said, voice tinged with frustration. "I should've been more on top of things. I let you down, so it's not your fault, ok?"

Loam shoved her face into Mio's armpit. It really wasn't her trainer's fault, but she didn't know how to convey that to him. She glanced sidelong at Meena, who was licking their trainer's face. The Meowth caught the look and ceased her ministrations to stare Mio dead in the eye.

"Oh, but..." Meena shook her head at his protest. There was a moment of silence before Mio finally laughed and rubbed both Meena and Loam's heads.

"We'll all just have to get better then, won't we?" he chirped. He let go of his Pokemon and slid towards the truck driver, who was offering a bag of Oran berries to the group. Mio grabbed two and tossed them to Meena and Loam, both of whom began chowing down immediately. Mio watched absently as their wounds healed, listening to Jack's suggestion.

"First we should get the rest of the food delivered." he said. "And I think a couple of us should try and scout around to see where the Patrat den might be. Personally, I think my team is best suited for that, since Meena is so, ah, predatory... but we'll need back-up in case things go bad. Preferably Roy or Titan, since they do the best against normal types. Er... if that plan is okay with everyone, I mean?"

Edited February 17, 2016 by genderlesshawke

[Shadow Sketches]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Alecks

The two partners both pumped their fist in the air and cheered happily. "Nice job Apollo, that was an awesome fight!" The Chimchar looked back and jumped up onto his trainer's shoulder, a big smile on both of their faces. Alecks then pet his little monkey before heading back towards the truck driver to heal up. Apollo making sure to stick his tongue out behind him at Roy.

Alecks got an Oran berry from the truck driver and handed it to the eager Apollo. "Thanks for the berries, we'll go and reclaim the food there's no doubt about that! Me and Apollo are more pumped up than ever!" Apollo cried out in agreement with his trainer, the Oran berry he had been handed was in one of his hands and every bite he took of it healed the cuts and wounds all over his body.

"Teaming up sounds good to me, I'd like to team up with Jason if that's okay then. Apollo and Gomez will be able to look out for each other's weaknesses. And I don't know about you Jason, but Apollo seems like he's capable of jumping from tree to tree and Gomez is probably the most likely to be able to keep up with him." Apollo gave a thumbs up and a smirk towards the stony-eyed Treecko. Although he seems to have started a rivalry with Roy, Apollo definitely thought of the grass type as another challenge. He was impressed with what he's seen from the green reptile and wouldn't mind teaming up with him for now.

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!"- Jason

Jason grinned crookedly at Alecks, his eyes lighting up. Rascal climbed back up on his Trainer's shoulder, pumping his fist proudly at the invitation. Gomez looked keenly at the Chimchar, his eyes narrowing. Jason looked at his Treecko and noticed the mistrust in his eyes, shaking his head. "Sorry, Alecks. I think Gomez is just a little afraid of Fire-types. After all, Fire is one of his major weaknesses. The green reptile looked away, not wanting to engage any further with his Trainer. However, Jason walked around to the other side of his Grass-type. He knelt down and looked Gomez in the eyes, stopping his new partner in his tracks.

"Look, Gomez, I know you're a little scared of Fire-types. And that's fine!" He looked at the ground, sighing, then back up at his Treecko. "I know you want to be brave, and that's why you're pretending you're not afraid. But sometimes the bravest thing you can possibly do is to face your fears! That's how you get stronger, after all!" Gomez looked away for a moment, then back up at his Trainer. His expression softened slightly as he tilted his head to the side, not sure what to make of his Trainer's serious moment. After all, they were pretty rare.

"Tree?" the Grass-type asked. Jason grinned, having seen the same look on Rascal's face before.

"I'm your Trainer, Gomez. When you're feeling down, I'll pick you up! When you're afraid, I'll be right by your side believing in you!" the young man said, a spark of passion in his eye. The Treecko nodded enthusiastically, his Trainer's words reaching him.

"Tree-cko!" the green reptile cried excitedly, jumping in the air. When he landed, he looked toward Apollo and nodded, giving the Chimchar a thumbs-up.

Jason laughed and grinned at Alecks again. "I think Gomez wants to go with Apollo now. Rascal can stay with us and make sure we don't get caught without our Pokemon!"

[Felicity]

"Routes of Hazzard"- Katie & Co

Katie kinda had to giggle as Roy happily scarfed down the offered Oran berries despite the pretty petty fight that just went down. Katie liked happy go lucky people. Of course now there was more to do.

"Alright, well if we're pairing up, I'll go with Jack, if that's OK. You don't have your partners to defend you so having Roy along should even the playing field a bit more in case the patrats decide to come back and need a butt-whupping, until we find your pokemon again. Brendan and Titan can go with Mio, he's better suited for working with others, I think" Katie suggested this plan to the group with a note of confidence in her voice. It made sense to her and that meant it was the best possible course of action. Katie then whirled to face the truck driver, assuming the plan was fine with the others

"By the way, thank you for the food, I can't remember hearing your name and that would be nice to know, if we're going to go get your hat back. Mine's Katie" Katie spoke to the truck driver with a polite smile. Katie hadn't missed a beat before the fight, even if she had stalled at the start, and Katie remembered hearing the truck driver mention that little detail and Katie wanted some more of those Oran berries for the road.

[Chim]

“Routes of Hazzard” – Brendan

“Nice one!” Brendan complimented Titan after the second Patrat got knocked into the tall grass. The young trainer stepped over to pet, or something similar, his rock Pokémon when his eye fell on a bloodied tooth laying on the battlefield. “What the? Did we knock that Patrat’s teeth out?” It wasn’t a real question, more like a whisper so only Titan could hear him. “Damn, I didn’t mean to hurt it like that. I figured its grip on you would’ve been released after that Harden…”

The sudden voice of the truck driver offering berries snapped Brendan out of his thought. He quickly grabbed the tooth and put it in his pocket. “Thanks for the berries,” he said after grabbing two and listening to the conversation the others had. Apparently Jack had lost his Pokémon.

“Katie’s plan sounds good to me. I’ll go with Mio. But let me give this berry to Titan first. If only I could figure out how exactly he eats without a mouth…”

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!"- Jason

The truck driver laughed off a light blush as she realized she hadn't even introduced herself to the people who were helping here. "Oh, dangit! I was so riled up by them Patrats that I didn't even give y'all my name!" She smiled broadly. "Mah name's Sherry, Sherry Silverado! It's a family name," she said proudly. "It's darn nice t'meet ya, Katie, even though these ain't exactly the best o' circumstances." She extended a hand to Katie. "Thanks agin fer helpin' me out."

Jason nodded at Katie's plan, admiring the girl's ability to think analytically. However, it had just one small problem. "Hey guys," he added slowly, making sure everyone heard him. "What happens if we're all split up but one pair of us finds the Patrat den?"

[Felicity]

"Routes of Hazzard" Katie

The new trainer shook Sherry's offered hand. "Nice to meet you too." Katie's polite smile turned into a genuine grin. Sherry was friendly, Katie would be happy to help her out.

Katie then blinked at Jason in confusion. "Did you forget your Xtransciever already Jason?" That did not bode well, seeing as they swapped numbers for situations like this.

[starkidcosmo]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Mio

Katie's confident tone had Mio feeling a little jealous. If he were that self-assured, he might have less trouble during fights... but there wasn't any sense brooding. He flicked off his rollerblades and stashed them in the BAG before leading Meena and Loam over to Brendan.

Meena, as always, feigned disinterest in Brendan's sturdy little rock-type, but Loam's natural curiosity had her right up in what seemed to be Titan's face. Mio watched with a hint of worry; Loam was nice enough, but Roggenrolas' weakness to water might lead to some tension. He made a mental note to double-check Loam's line of fire before he had her use any water guns.

Jason and Katie's exchange caught Mio's attention, and he turned to the pair.

"We'll have to be careful with the XTransceivers though. Patrat have great hearing and eyesight, so if we talk too loud or if the brightness is up too high we might accidentally alert them." He paused to adjust the settings on his XTransceiver, switching off the visual and audible notification pings. "Also, um, these Patrat seem unusually organized, so I think it's safe to assume they'll have a lot of look-outs and scouts and stuff so... let's all be really careful?" Mio shuffled, suddenly embarrassed and unsure of himself. Maybe he should just leave all the planning and talking to Katie...

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!"- Jason

The new Trainer laughed at his own stupidity, smacking himself on the forehead. "Right, right! Thanks for reminding me, Katie," he said with his usual grin. His Treecko simply shook his head, seriously doubting whether his Trainer's head was ever anywhere except the battlefield. Jason followed Mio's cue, reducing the volume and brightness on his XTransceiver before continuing. He then turned to Mio, flashing the Trainer a smile. "Hey man, that was some great insight! I think you're definitely right about the look-outs and scouts, but we shouldn't be too worried about an attack. After all we just showed them that even when they have numbers over us, we're still strong enough to defeat them!" He put his hand on his chin, looking lost in thought for a moment. "Hmm... That gives me an idea. The Patrat will probably be guarding the food and their den, right? So if anything, we should be looking for their scouts and guards!

"Still, our first priority needs to be finding Lara and Leonidas. Without Jack there to lead them, they'll have a tough time against those Patrat! So let's go!" he said enthusiastically, taking the group's first steps toward where Lara and Leonidas went.

"Good luck to ya!" Sherry called from behind the group. "An' remember, them Patrat are strong in groups! Be careful!" She sighed heavily and sat back in the driver's seat, looking off after the new Trainers.

[Felicity]

"Routes of Hazzard" Katie & co

"C'mon Jack, Roy!" Katie called out to her 2 companions as the group started mobilising themselves. Roy plodded along happily, docile for the time being. As Katie waited for Jack, she stopped by Mio.

"Thanks for that tip about the Patrat senses. Arceus knows I would have alerted every rat in the area if I tried to signal everyone before you said that." Katie then looked expectantly back at Jack, tapping her foot as she waited. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-34, again and again.

[Shadow Sketches]

"Routes of Hazzard" - Alecks

Apollo nodded back at Gomez once he'd agreed to partner with him. He could understand why the Treecko was so worried about him at first, after all the fire monkey had a major advantage over the grass type. But he was still glad it hadn't kept the green reptile from joining forces with him for now, they could both learn something from fighting alongside each other.

Alecks followed some of the others' lead and lowered the brightness and volume of his XTrainceiver. After that was done, he listened in to the others as they planned how they should go about this search and rescue. "Well whether we're looking for Jack's pokemon or the Patrats, I'm sure Apollo can help us out by scouting ahead slightly from the tree tops. Isn't that ride buddy?" Alecks looked at the fire monkey on his shoulder as he said the last part.

"Chim!" The Chimchar cried out confidently and nodded his head at his trainer. His agility will definitely shine as he jumped from tree to tree.

"All right then, let's go!" Alecks walked beside Jason as they headed in the direction the lost pokemon had gone. Once they reached the treeline, Apollo jumped off of his trainer's shoulder and onto a nearby tree, quickly climbing up until he reached a branch to stand comfortably on, then he looked back at the others with a smile on his face.

[starkidcosmo]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Mio

Jason's praise and acknowledgement, along with that trademark grin, set Mio's face ablaze yet again. Suddenly he felt grateful his dark skin didn't make his frequent blushing too obvious; he wouldn't be able to handle it if he turned bright red every time someone was nice to him. Or smiled at him.

Just as Mio thought he couldn't get any more embarrassed or pleased, Katie thanked him. At this point there was probably steam coming out of his ears. If even the confident, stalwart, super-cool Katie was thanking him, he must be doing something right. Not to mention the rush of being on the receiving end of Jason's smooth grin.

Meena, who'd finished her oran berry, sighed and pulled her trainer out of his haze of happiness with a quick slap to the back of his knee. She loved Mio, but he was kind of a flighty little airhead sometimes. Honestly, sometimes she thought the kid would fall for anyone who gave him a second glance, and Mio being Mio... Well, she just hoped he didn't get too distracted.

Mio caught the look Meena was giving him and cleared his throat, flustered.

"Um, Meena, since you're so much faster than the rest of us, I want you to scout ahead a little bit. Don't get so far you can't get back quickly, but try to find a lead on the Patrat." Meena nodded, satisfied that her trainer's head was back on earth. She slunk off into the forest as fast as she could without sacrificing stealth, all senses focused on finding traces of the Patrat gang.

"Oh, and Ma'am..." Mio said, turning to Sherry. "It'd probably be best if you got the food to Juniper's lab before the Patrat have time to regroup and come back. Someone'll come get you once we've got all the stuff they took." With that, Mio turned to Brendan and gave him an awkward, shy smile.

"Uh, I'm ready whenever you are... but I'm not trying to rush you or anything! Take your time."

Edited February 18, 2016 by genderlesshawke

[Chim]

“Routes of Hazzard” – Brendan

Brendan was still trying to figure out how to give the Oran Berry to Titan when Loam came over. “Hey buddy.” He put his berry-free hand out so the water type could catch his scent. “Do you happen to know how Roggenrola’s eat?” he joked.

Titan let it all happen. There was no reaction when Loam came really close aside from a small nod. It didn’t bother the Rock type at all. He was just being the calm gentleman he always was. An intelligent one if not for that weird sizzling sound. Unfortunately his trainer wasn’t on his level yet. Titan could hear him scratch his head trying to figure out how to deal with the Berry problem. Humans could be incredibly simple minded.

Eventually Mio made a move and Brendan had no choice but to follow the group. “I’m ready. I just hope this works.” He squeezed the Oran berry tight in his hand and let the juice drip all over Titan. The bite marks quickly disappeared as the fluid started to work its magic and was absorbed by Titan’s rocky exterior. “I did it!” Brendan cheered, throwing his hands in the air and smiling at Mio. “Titan’s healed so lead the way!”

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!"- Jason

Gomez quickly followed Apollo up to his branch, flashing a sly grin to his Trainer. The green reptile was finally in his environment. Today, he was the hunter and the Patrat were his prey. The Sceptile line owned the forests, and Gomez was going to make sure that all the Patrats knew who was boss when it came to fighting in the trees.

Jason and Alecks walked off into the forest, their Pokemon scouting ahead in the tree branches as they began the search for Lana and Leonidas in earnest.

"So, Alecks, what made you pick Chimchar?" the new Trainer asked his companion curiously. Rascal listened intently from his Trainer's shoulder as he gazed vigilantly around, making sure no Patrats snuck up on them.

[starkidcosmo]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Mio

Mio couldn't help but be fascinated by the sight of Titan absorbing the berry juice. He'd never gotten to see an actual Roggenrola up close, and now that he'd calmed down a little, he was intent on getting to know everything he possibly could.

"Oh, I wonder if it's got something to do with the core?" He said, mainly talking to himself. "Maybe they can use their core to absorb energy? I've never read anything about that though. I should ask Professor Juniper later..." He knelt over to study the little guy, staring intently at Titan's hexagonal ear. He took a second to register the rock-type in his Pokedex before springing to his feet again, a little embarrassed.

"Haha, sorry! Roggenrola are just so interesting... They're totally unlike most other rock-types; I mean, the Nosepass line is the only other species I can think of that doesn't have a mouth..." Realizing he was rambling, Mio flushed and avoided eye contact, instead looking towards the forest.

"A-anyways, let's go? Meena will find us if she spots anything." He moved off towards the woods, shooting sidelong glances at Brendan and Titan every few seconds.

"Uh, so, what made you ask for a Roggenrola?" Mio asked, although he was trying not to show his intense interest in Brendan's partner. Loam had no such qualms; she had already decided that Titan was right behind Meena in terms of coolness. She dropped her pace to match his, trotting alongside him happily.

Meena

In the short time it took for Mio and Brendan to get moving, Meena was already a good ways into the forest, although she was having trouble finding any clues to go off of. She could smell plenty of Patrat, but she had no way of knowing which were members of that weird gang, nor which would lead to their den. Frustrated, she simply picked the strongest Patrat scent and followed it; even if she ended up with an unrelated rodent, she could always bully it for information. Surely such a large and organized group would attract attention from other Pokemon.

[Shadow Sketches]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Alecks

As Alecks and Jason made their way through the forest, Alecks looked in awe as their two pokemon jumped from branch to branch with ease. Both seemed to be in their element as they seemed to moved naturally throughout the trees. And of course Apollo, being the show off that he was, kept trying to outshine Gomez with his own tree scaling skills.

As he watched their pokemon, he heard Jason's question and turned his head to look at him. "Honestly it was a tough choice, I almost picked a different pokemon. But I'm glad that I went with Chimchar, I've always been a fan of fighting and fire pokemon and the Infernape line in my opinion are the best. They're naturally agile and quick but can pack a mean punch whenever their attacks hit!" He said proudly, he couldn't wait for Apollo and him to grow stronger together so they can reach their full potential. Though a little part of his heart was sad he handn't gone with his second choice, a Ralts. Though he got a Chimchar for his starter, he would try his best to get a Ralts in his team as soon as possible. He was sure that with an Infernape and Gardevoir by his side, there was nothing he couldn't do! A hopeful smile appeared on his face, he'll just have to keep training hard and in time he'll get his Ralts.

"What about you? Rascal is completely adorable so I can understand why you had him tag along, but why did you choose Treecko as your starter?"

Edited February 18, 2016 by Shadow Sketches

[Chim]

“Routes of Hazzard” – Brendan

Brendan was flattered someone else showed so much interest in Titan. Especially since the rock type didn’t stand out against some of the other starters who had much flashier moves. He said nothing during Mio’s investigation and waited patiently until the boy was finished.

“Why I picked Titan? I guess he just fit,” Brendan said while following Mio. “I had a really hard time picking a starter. I didn’t have any preferences since I grew up without Pokémon. But my dream is to join an expedition team after my training is done to unravel some more ancient mysteries. I figured I had to explore a lot of caves and ruins so what’s better than having a rock type around in those environments? I simply followed those thoughts and researched the rock Pokémon that fit the starter description and had a weak spot for Gigalith when I first saw it. I looked a bit deeper into it and found some information about a Roggenrola’s hearing and everything just fell into place.”

Brendan scratched the back of his head and stared above the tree line. “I guess I really put too much thought into it, but I have no regrets. So what about you? Why did you pick Loam?”

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!"- Jason

Rascal looked steamed at Alecks's observation. He crossed his arms and looked away, pouting fiercely. Jason laughed at the display and pet Rascal's head affectionately, earning a derisive snort from the now-miffed Normal-type. "I actually was torn between a Trapinch, a Treecko, and a Charmander for my starter, so I just wrote all three down! I like fast Pokemon that can move around real quick, then deliver a powerful knock-out blow! Float like a Butterfree, sting like a Beedrill, right?" He chuckled. "I'm glad I got Gomez, though. Sceptile is a really cool Pokemon. I just can't wait until Gomez gets that strong!" he said excitedly. He then looked to Rascal.

"On the other hand, this little guy wasn't technically my choice. I guess you could say he chose me," the Trainer recalled. "A couple of years back, my mom wanted a pet really badly. She knew I was going to be leaving soon and I guess she just wanted a Pokemon to take care of so she wouldn't miss me so much. I'll bet she never guessed a Minccino could be so troublesome! She just wanted a cute little pet Pokemon, but instead what she got was a quick little troublemaking furball." Rascal chittered in amusement, remembering the time Jason's mother had thought she was in charge. "The first thing this little guy did when he got home was to hide, and every time we found him he'd just run around more and break something else. That's why we named him Rascal." Jason grinned at the memory. "Minccino are normally supposed to be really neat and tidy, but Rascal isn't that way at all. He always wanted to battle the wild Pokemon outside. I remember one day I brought him to school on 'Bring Your Pet' day!

"This guy, Philip, brought in his dad's Growlithe and said it was the strongest Pokemon there. Rascal didn't take kindly to that and challenged him. At that point, I didn't really have a choice! I could either back down and get made fun of, or win. It was my first battle! We worked really well together from the beginning. Even though the Growlithe was stronger, Rascal managed to win the battle by going for a Double Slap attack after dodging the Growlithe's Bite. When we got home all dirty and bruised, my parents told me they wanted me to keep Rascal since he wasn't a very good housepet." Rascal nuzzled his Trainer affectionately, glad his story had been told well. "We've been best friends ever since. We go everywhere together!"

Gomez

As the Grass-type reptile jumped nimbly through the trees, he listened to the forest around him. He could hear his Trainer's conversation, the far-off chirping of a Kricketot, the buzzing of a hive of Beedrill, and even the rustling in the bushes from two Stunky playing tag. However, past all these sounds he was able to hear something. It was a battlecry and a loud rustling in the bushes off to his left! The Treecko stopped on the next branch, putting his hand out to signal Apollo to slow down.

"Tree?" he asked his companion, gesturing toward the sound he'd heard. "Tree-cko?" he asked again, wondering if the pair should go check it out.

Brendan, Mio, and Meena

Suddenly, a loud crash in the bushes was heard roughly a hundred feet in front of Meena! It sounded like a Pokemon Battle!

Katie and Jack

The pair heard the very same crash as both other groups from in front of them and to the right by roughly three hundred feet!

[K_H]

Jack jumped a little when he heard the loud noise, but he quickly turned in the direction of where it came from, and then ran towards it, speaking as he went speeding past Katie and Roy.

"I believe we might've just found 'em! Follow me!"

[Felicity]

Katie and Jack

"Hold up, it could be something dangerous, don't just go charging off like that!" Katie cried at Jacks back, getting further away. Dammit, Katie didn't like running. Katie followed at a slower jog, fast enough to hopefully keep Jack in her sight. Katie waved back at Sherry. "We're off, see you in a bit!" Roy waved back too with a simple smile as he followed his trainer.

[Sutoratosu]

Battle of the Bramble

Singo chuckled as he watched the cub struggle. Good, good, keep moving. Leonidas might well do all the work himself- Singo wouldn't have to lift a single finger. Infact, hell, the shinx probably wasn't getting down from there any time soon... and it didn't sound like Dingo needed any help. He probably had that wannabe hounddog in a similiar trap.

"Pat pat patraaaaaaaat" he cooed as he turned his back to the electric, still chuckling in conceited glee. The rodent began to walk away, back towards the way the pair had arrived in the clearing... only to stop halfway there.

Those sounded like... voices. Human voices. And that smell... "Paaaaaat..." The snarl was barely audible enough for Leonidas to pick up. The rat obviously had it's attention elsewhere...

perhaps if the cub was careful enough... quiet enough...

Dingo meanwhile uttered a vast torrent of curses as he sailed through the air right with Lara, the puppy digging her fangs deep into his shoulder and clinging like velcro. An crash resounded as they both tumbled into the tangle of barbs, each of them feeling the burning sting as brambles tore at their fur and sliced any exposed area on them. They seemed to become lost in the utter maze of undergrowth. In the tumbling, Lara lost sight of Dingo... until...

"PAAAAAAAAT!!!!" The rodent screeched from behind the pup, clawing at the branches and slicing them away, as he stormed towards dark type, eyes flaring as his breath seethed out in nigh rabid puffs, Fangs glowing with power most sinister and black as charged, aiming right for the hyena's throat...

This little bitch... she was a crafty one, he gave her that. But he would make her pay for this... dearly.

She could not stop him or try to get in an attack like her own like she had the first time, this much was obvious as dust clouded the air and his legs began to accelerate like a freight train as he closed more and more ground. At the speed he was going, with the rage flowing in his eyes... she'd likely get swatted away... or worse.

But if the pup looked behind her... she might've noticed a small opening in the thicket of brambles. A tiny, rough little semicircle of vacant space in between the bushes and the ground. It looked like... it went deep.

And even better... it also looked like it would be just big enough for her to squeeze through- painfully, but doable nonetheless. Dingo though...

Either way, she'd have to act fast. or else... She was gonna have a BAD TIME.

Katie and Jack

The two could here a faint crash in the distance. Followed shortly thereafter with the resonating screech of a wild creature... it sounded.... quite pissed, from the guttural, rolling nature of it. Unfortunately, it seemed they would have less than a... nice little walk to get there. As they progressed further and further into the wooded lands the bushes they had passed by without so much of a thought until now seemed to be steadily increasing in number. And density.

So dense infact, that up ahead lay a thicket of the stuff- more like a virtual wall really... lucky for them, they were humans, they would probably have an easier time parting the stuff than a small and weak mon might...

but they probably would suffer a few scratches and pricks... unless of course, they had skin hard as stone or hands that were glorified scissor blades. But given that rock skin and bladed limbs weren't exactly features common in humans... eh well, that wouldn't be much help here.

The screeching continued...

****************************

The Den

Big Boss Hog rested his cheek on his knuckle as the trusty captain finished the report. The Watchdog's gaze drifted from the blue and gold eyed patrat kneeling before him to the one kneeling at the base of the small clearing. He rose from the throne of brambles, tipping the wide-brimmed hat as he ground the single strand of straw between his fangs. Ringo did not meet his eyes. Only shook. Shook and whimpered as the Bosses eyes lit with a terrifying light, feeling cold begin to take hold of his entire being. he couldn't have moved now even if he had thought it would've saved him. It was Terror. Pure and utter in form. Virgin as the fresh snow...

"Waaaaatch...." Boss Hog snarled as he neared the underling. Not only had the fool endangered his men out of ambition and foolish pride, he'd also brought back about half of them injured and in no condition to fight... one of them even with an injury that would definitely keep him out of the field until that fang regrew... if it ever did. Bird Jesus... the things Hog wanted to do right now... but he couldn't. And he knew it. He'd be no better than that bastard if he led like that...

No... he couldn't kill Ringo for this. But he could give him a fate that would feel almost worse than death, at least in the Patrat's mind... "Wat. Watchdog. DOG!!!!" He shouted. Ringo looked up in surprise, the terror in his gut barely even faded before something else took it's place. Dread.

"Pat-pat patrat!!!" He sunk his upright knee to the ground, hands trembling as he placated the bigger meerkat. Hog's eyes did not change.

"DOOOOG!!!" the brilliant, sterling radiance emanating from his body grew even brighter, almost blinding Ringo, standing like some ancient god bathed in light as he stared down the fool. He knew why boss was doing this; He knew this type of intimidation from when underlings had committed transgressions or hoarded food for themselves...

boss would not fight him...he knew that. but yet still he felt terror as he looked up into those burning eyes. And he would not challenge this god. Any god, Arceus, Bird Jesus, Lord Helix himself, any other god, fine... but not... not this one.

"P-p-pat..." Ringo whimpered, standing and turning heel in the same motion. Hog let his radiance die as he watched the former Lieutenant turned Exile leave. He turned his attention back to Bingo once the cast-out was gone.

"Watch." How far were the humans from here.

"Pat pat, rat trat..." Not far... but Ringo and Singo were both still missing. Chances were the humans would find them before-

They stopped. Something faint carried in on the wind. Muddled, but loud enough Hog to hear it clear as day. A war cry. The humans... had indeed found the Twins.

"Watch, Doggy Dog, Waaaaaat." Prepare the Lieutenants for battle. It was only a matter of time until those interlopers turned invaders would be here. And it wouldn't be pretty when they did...

"Pat." Bingo nodded, bowing as he rose. He looked back up at Hog as he noticed the evolved form leaving "Pat pat trat pat...?" Where was he going? What was he going to do.

Hog paused at the opening... turning for just the briefest of moments.

But he gave no answer. Only sighed and started walking again.

[Shadow Sketches]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Alecks

Alecks listened intently to Jason's story, he was amazed at how close he was with Rascal. But he guessed that's what happened over time with most trainers and there pokemon. "Woah that's pretty cool, I hope that me and Apollo can have that kind of friendship and trust with each other soon. But I think we're growing closer pretty fast, he seems to have a lot of trust in me and I count myself lucky to have him!"

Apollo

Apollo had heard the rustling of the bushes around the same time as Gomez, he looked over to the left where the sound seemed to come from then back at Gomez. Then he nodded determinedly "Chim." He looked back at their trainers and waved at them to get their attention. When Alecks looked at his partner to see what was up, Apollo pointed to the direction where he heard the sound to indicate what he was planning. Once his trainer got the message, Apollo signaled Gomez to follow him and jumped to a tree closer to the rustling bushes so he could get a view of what was causing the noise.