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Posted by: knil1 Dec 1 2009, 11:12 PM

Koryu sat at his table alone, looking at all that Barley had to offer in the variety of brochures he had collected just from coming off the boat. The businesses had actually sent people to advertise their company for people visiting. One brochure had a coupon offering half off at a hotel, while another one offered 75% off. Koryu merely tossed them in the trash. He didn’t enjoy sleeping indoors; he liked watching the stars in sky and all of the nocturnal pokémon. Koryu put the last spoonful of lemon ice he had in his bowl and stood up. Being in the sun again, his eyes turned their bright blue. He saw some people staring at his them, which was strange because he never thought of them as something worth looking at, but apparently they did. He bent down and picked up Chiki’s food bowl. The Chikorita growled. She wasn’t done, but Koryu doesn’t over feed his pokémon.

As he threw away the bowls, he smiled, “I can’t have people confusing my Chikorita with a Miltank.” He chuckled, and his Bulbasaur grinned. Chiki was awestruck. She is very concerned about her physical appearance and hearing what her loving owner just said made her want to cry.
Koryu laughed again.

Koryu still had seven more brochures to look at, so he sat back at the shaded table, making his eyes turn back to their usual shining green. He quickly lost interest when a large wave crashed against the shoreline on the Beach next to the boardwalk. The kids ran screaming and laughing as the water consumed their feet. People placed too close to the shoreline were upset when their stuff got all wet. The sun shone down on the glistening white sand and the blue-green ocean. Trainers were out in the water with their water pokémon and Koryu saw a Seel splashing around antagonizing other pokémon to get them to play with her. Soon a Pidgey flew out to it and cawed. She responded by swimming back to shore. She waddled up the sand and sat next to Koryu.
“Great, you’re all sandy.” Mercury barked and smiled. Koryu smiled back at her and returned her to the poke ball in his backpack.

The three brochures that Koryu first looked at were advertising restaurants, but a nice little ice cream stop suited him fine. He had been too many expensive restaurants with his parents while living in Goldenrod. They weren’t exactly his kind of places to eat.

The rest didn’t seem like looking at, so he threw them away too.

Koryu stood up and walked along the boardwalk. There were many small businesses. Most were stores that contained trinkets for collections or just souvenirs. It was difficult for Koryu to avoid entering the shops and buying every shiny thing in the store, but with help from Kakyoku, he did fine. Actually, the little Bulbasaur’s way of keeping him out was by using his vines as a leash, which was embarrassing, but Koryu didn’t really care.

Soon, he came across a line protruding from a large building. The building was a light blue, but being so close to the ocean, the color was worn and the building itself looked very old, but it was pretty large. Koryu walked to the front of the line, which stopped at the front door, which was presumably locked. The faded sign read: “Trainer Training: A school for Trainers Old and New”

Below the sign was a laminated sheet of paper that looked extremely ordinary next to the elaborate sign.
"Classes Monday through Wednesday.
Classes are absolutely free!"

He walked to the person at the front of the line, who seemed to be around nine years old.
“What is this place?”
“You mean you don’t know about Trainer Training? Where are you from?”
“Well, I just got off a-“
“It’s only Barley’s best Trainer School. It’s basically a refresher course for older trainers and an introductory course for new ones.” Koryu was amazed at his vocabulary. “I’ve already been here four times this month. Even though the classes sound different, they really aren’t. It’s the same class for all ages, but they’re all equally great. It lasts for 3 days, but it teaches you the necessities of Trainer life." Koryu stood silent as the boy took another breath and looked at the clock. "It’s about to open. Stand here with me.” Koryu looked at all of the people behind him. He got some fierce glances thrown at him and Koryu could only respond by turning back around and play innocent. The boy looked back at him, “And the best thing about it, it’s absolutely free!”

Soon it was 2:30 and the bell rung. The boy and his friends all got excited. He thought they might just bust the door open when some women in uniform opened the door and welcomed everybody in. It was much larger on the inside, but it did have to accommodate all of the people outside. Chiki responded by running to what looked like a waiting area and jumped on the couches. Viera flew up and sat on the chandelier and Kyo just went and sat next to Chiki. Koryu was embarrassed and looked around. He saw many other pokémon doing the same and Koryu was instantly relieved. He pulled out his poke balls and returned the pokémon.

“You look new, so I guess this is where we part ways.” Koryu smiled when he figured out that the kid thought he was better than him. But he then thought that there was the chance he was.

Then seven people appeared before the mass of people and one man stood on a platform behind them.

“Welcome to Trainer Training! You will now be divided into groups!” People began talking and Koryu had no idea what anyone was saying until one of the seven people came up to him and tagged him with a sticker.
“Hello, I am Ms. Ferguson. You will be in class B.” She had long, red hair, probably midway down her back. She had put it in a pony tail and threw in over her shoulder so it dangled over her chest. To Koryu, she was actually very attractive and looked to be about 26. Koryu smiled and nodded, and with that, she ran off to tag other people.

Once it was almost quiet, the man, who Koryu suspected ran the business, on the pedestal spoke up again, “Alright! I see everyone has been tagged, now for classes. Your room number is on your sticker. In five minutes you will be allowed to go to your classrooms. Have a wonderful three days here at Trainer Training.” People began conversing again and soon enough a bell rang and people started heading to their classes. While walking to classroom 13, Koryu could only think,
“What have I gotten myself into?”

Posted by: Mechanical Lullaby Dec 1 2009, 11:57 PM

Waker was having an off day.


For one thing, the trip to MooMoo Land has been a disaster - after the fight with the baby Tauros everything seemed to have gone wrong. He had respected the group's wishes to split up after that, but it still hurt to watch Spencer and the girls walk off in different directions. Sure, he'd only known the three for close to four days; but they were like family to him now. He hoped he'd see them again someday.


Once he had returned to Barely, Waker set his new plan in motion. He made a beeline for the Pokemon Centre (where he was warmly welcomed by both the Joys and the little nurse Happiny), where he took a nice long shower to get all the dirt off of him. After he consumed another bowl of ice cream (somehow convincing Locke to try some without getting strangled in the process) he had wandered around the city until he found what he was looking for: a barbershop. He went in with his hair nearly down to his neck - his mother was rather erratic about cutting the tangled black mess - and left being able to see without having his bangs flopping in his face.


He went back to the Centre and called back home again, carefully typing out his new plan of action to his mother when she made it to the Ecruteak Pokemon Centre. With a worried look on her face, she sent the items he asked for - new, clean clothes in duller colours. He sent his old ones back home for a nice cleaning, typed his love to his mother, and logged off.

"- and would you look at that! A well-timed Quick Attack sends Harris' Goldeen straight into the wall! With Goldeen out, Gerry only has one usable Pokemon left! Can he turn this battle in his favour? Stay tuned to find out!"


Waker sighed soundlessly and fidgeted on the couch in the Centre's main hall. None of these battling programmes seemed any good - just Pokemon beating each other up. Unfortunately, the TV guide had no Contests listed for that day, and Waker was forced to sit there and watch. Beside him, Locke was fast asleep, tail rattling slightly as he breathed in. Scrunching up his nose, Waker glanced around the Centre before slumping back against the couch, returning his attention to the advert onscreen.


"…a great place for Trainers old and new to reconnect with their Pokemon! Our completely free classes start today in an hour at the Trainer School southwest of the Boardwalk. Register today and learn how to be a better Trainer! Trainer School - a school for Trainers old and new!"

A trainer school? Waker sat up straight. Next to the couch was an end table piled with brochures and magazines - Waker quickly rooted through them until he found one for the Trainer School. Skimming through the pages, he saw classes on battling, bonding with Pokemon - Waker shot a quick glance at his sleeping Ekans - a cooking class, and, most exciting to the mute boy, a Contest class.


"Oh, the Trainer School? That's a good place to go to," a cheery voice announced over Waker's shoulder. Turning, he saw one of the younger Joys leaning on the back of the couch. "They're having classes today, aren't they? You should sign up." She beamed at him and ruffled his newly-cut hair. "I know you're a little upset about Connie and Verity and the other boy, but I'm sure this will cheer you up. C'mon, I'll show you how to get there!"




Waker shifted from foot to foot, looking at the crowd of children milling about the Trainer School's front door. Most of the kids seemed ecstatic about being there, talking rapidly to friends and strangers alike. Waker coughed a little nervously and checked his Poketch - 2.28. Two more minutes and the doors would open, letting the group of children flood inside. Waker vaguely wondered if the building could hold that many people without turning into a major fire hazard.


The Joy gave him a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. "You'll love it," she chirped, watching as three of the kids started a game of impromptu tag near the door. "I have to get back to the Centre now - see you in three days, alright? Have fun!" Waker watched as the Joy waved and left, barely listening as the door opened and the children rushed inside. He was alone for the first time in Furoh now - except for Azzy, Pora, and Locke, of course. The Nidos, recently evolved, were resting in their Pokeballs. Locke was hanging in his usual place around Waker's neck, dead asleep. As Waker moved into the surge of kids entering the school, getting a small speech and a sticker that read Class B, he gently patted the Shadow Ekans' head.


Maybe this will help purify you, Locke. I want to see how you really are, with your heart wide open. The Ekans rattled his tail sleepily as Waker entered classroom 13.

Posted by: berry314 Dec 2 2009, 04:10 PM

"Obviously I didn't bring any money, I was in a rush to make sure I started my journey first..." It was Lizzie's second day in Furoh, and she just realized the existence of something important called "money" and her lack of it.

Without it, she had to camp at pokemon centers and survive off them as well.

"You should have planned before heading out," Nurse Joy told Lizzie as she handed her a bowl of blue berries that grew near the pokemon center. Lizzie said nothing. All she thought about when she left Floraoma was beating Carl when they met again. That required as much training time as possible. "What do you plan to do?"

"Uh..." Lizzie did not know how to answer. She never really gave it much thought. As long as she could beat Carl in a battle when they met again, she would be happy.

"If you are that lost you should try to go to Trainer Training. It's a pokemon school, I can give you directions. It's free, and you can learn some valuable lessons to help you on your journey."

"Sure."





The building was large. The crowd was larger. Lizzie could not help but feel a little intimidated.

"Too bad Riolu is still sleeping," she thought. Riolu preferred to be outside of its pokeball, which gave Lizzie some comfort, even though it was not always happy with her. as for now, she decided to just follow the crowd after she heard the bell.

"Lost, are we?" A lady's voice came from behind her. "I am Miss. Ferguson and you will be in class B." A sticker with a room number was slapped on Lizzie's arm. Lizzie nodded at the lady, who went away to put stickers on more people. Not like Lizzie noticed, anyway.

"Alright! I see everyone has been tagged, now for classes. Your room number is on your sticker. In five minutes you will be allowed to go to your classrooms. Have a wonderful three days here at Trainer Training.” Lizzie looked up to see a man talking. She was too nervous to notice that he had been there before.

"It's just a school. Why am I getting so nervous?" Lizzie wondered, heading into room 13. As she sat down at a random seat, there was the 'pop' of a pokeball opening, and Riolu, who had finally woken up, looked around the room, then at Lizzie.

"This is a school, Riolu. Isn't it exciting?" Her second sentence was filled with sarcasm. Riolu seemed to understand. It jumped on her shoulders, and made itself comfortable.

"It's a Trainer's school. What is the worst that could happen?"

Posted by: Gearbits Dec 2 2009, 07:01 PM

Living on the ocean gave a man a certain swagger to his step. Some men could pull it off, appearing dashing and exotic with their sailor charms. Sawyer was not one of these men. His first few steps on the solid dock were at best relatable to a newborn foal. But like a newborn foal he was walking easily soon after the first shock to his center of gravity, if a tad awkwardly. Were he not such a rake he may have looked like a “cool” guy with a strut. It didn’t help that he had a Zigzagoon with a large powder-blue bow on her tail lounging on his shoulders like furry scarf. He was never very good at “looking cool.”

At least not when he tried to anyway, let him give you a smile or catch him wearing his glasses and he actually looked sort of charming. Normally he was awkward to watch, given the off-kilter center of gravity, the messy white hair, and the heterochromia. Not exactly an eye-sore, but not a cold drink of water.

“Where to Zigs?” A simple question followed by a slight glance to the right, the Pokémon on his shoulder shifting, “So you have no idea either. Brilliant.”

It had been some time since the sailor had found himself on dry land. And it seemed it would be an extended trip. Maybe he’d finally earn those land legs he’d been waiting on. It was doubtful. Regardless, after walking from the docks and making his way to the Pokémon center to make sure Lola and Crono had a full check-up, he had absolutely nothing to do. The Nurse Joy offered him a guide book on his way out to grab some lunch. He soon found himself sitting at a little table at the outdoor portion of a café, nursing a glass of lemonade while his partner nibbled away at a biscuit. The little Pokémon had surprisingly good table manners, and got most of her crumbs onto the little paper plate instead of into Sawyer’s lap, which was an improvement. “Huh, Trainer Training.” The guide book pointed out a local three-day course given free of charge to trainers. A sort of refresher course for older trainers.

He fit that requirement at least. Most of the “kids” he’d met on the boat were in their early to mid teens. Any older trainers he’d happened across had been sailing in for business, only a couple for adventure, but they seemed like seasoned professionals. While adventure seeking, Sawyer was nowhere near professional when it came to the whole “training” part of being a trainer. Most of his days had been filled with sailing, early morning jogs, and attempting to keep the dirt out of Zigs’ fur, not battling.

“Think we need some reminding of what to do old friend?” He held the book down at her level to get his partner’s opinion. Her paw tapped at the book for an affirmative before she went back to her lunch, shoving the remainder of the biscuit in her mouth and chewing furiously. “You’re hopeless.” He caught the crumbs in her face with the sleeve of his jacket before she scampered back up his arm to his shoulder, little paws brushing off her face. It there was one thing Sawyer made sure if, it was that his little family of Pokémon were healthy and looking well. Which was often harder done than said considering how low to the ground Zigs was, and her tendency to dig out various object she found while they traveled. “Let’s get the children and head over, it says the class starts this afternoon.” He hoisted his backpack back onto his shoulders, Zigs shifting back into place before they were off to the Center again.







Nurse Joy had let him keep the guide book, which he was thankful for. It had a map far more legible than the one hidden in his backpack. Unfortunately he was a tad late getting to the course. The kids were already filing in, getting slapped with stickers by various teachers and assistants. “Oh hello, Class B, keep moving, thank you.” He’d nearly been tossed backwards as the blonde-woman slapped a sticker on his shoulder, or at least tried to, Zigs getting stickered instead. He just kept walking forward, reading the class number off of her forehead.

“Think I need that old friend,” he chuckled, trying to peel the sticker off without getting too much fur. It was almost a success. Zigs growled at it and snorted before settling back on his shoulders, only a tad more ruffled than she had been when they’d navigated through the churning crowd. Sawyer looked up at the man gathering everyone’s attention and made himself comfortable towards the back of the gathering, leaning near a water fountain as the man greeted everyone. His room number was indeed on his sticker. Not hard to miss, but at least they’d explained it anyway. Once he’d finished the group once again exploded into chatter before surging off like a school of fish towards their respective classrooms.

“Classroom Thirteen huh? Not our lucky number is it?” Zigs frowned at his unaffected smile. “We’ll be fine, don’t get your tail in a knot.” The classroom wasn’t far and he moved in quickly, hoping to get a good seat to watch the rest file in, though it seemed as if he wasn’t the only one with the same idea. Wonderful.

Posted by: berry314 Dec 17 2009, 09:57 PM

Miss. Ferguson walked into the classroom.

"When I come by, write your name on the sticker I give you. Feel free to 'study' or eat the berries in this basket in the meantime." Miss. Ferguson gestured towards the basket filled with berries. "Don't expect to find uncommon berries in here. I should know, I picked them before class." Miss. Ferguson walked out of the classroom as a crowd started to gather around the large basket.

"I get the Orans!"

"My Squirtle likes Cheri berries."

"Cool! I have never seen berries like these before."

Lizzie approached the basket. The students were busy talking amongst themselves. Without joining any conversations, Lizzie took a few berries from the basket.

"Don't you think it's strange? We come to class to eat berries." Riolu looked at her pathetically. "I know, we would not be able to survive without the berries we were given to by Nurse Joy, but I think it is strange." Riolu looked at the berries and picked one up at random. It bit into it... and it spat the berry out.

"I see. If we don't like the berry, it would be ridiculous trying to survive off it." Riolu picked up another berry and seemed to like it. "I wonder what berry Charmander likes." Lizzie held Charmander's pokeball out. Not long after, Charmander was outside and looking hungrily at the berries.

"Try this one," Lizzie tossed a pinkish berry at Charmander. It did not seem to like nor dislike the berry. It did not take long before the supply of berries were gone.

"You want more, huh? Okay, lets go." Lizzie headed back towards the basket of berries but was stopped by Miss. Ferguson. She scribbled "Elizabeth" on her name sticker and carried on her epic journey to the berry basket.

Posted by: Luxembourg Dec 17 2009, 10:26 PM

The children in classroom 13 murmured excitedly amongst themselves, although Waker noticed a few others that were, like him, sitting alone. Locke hissed sleepily, not appearing too happy with the all the commotion. Waker patted his head gently, hoping the Ekans wouldn't start 'hugging' people again - Waker really didn't want to lose the Ekans from some silly accident. Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed when the young, red-haired teacher entered the room.


"When I come by, write your name on the sticker I give you. Feel free to 'study' or eat the berries in this basket in the meantime." she said, smiling at the the students. In what seemed to be a single mass, the group rose and descended upon the basket of berries, most of the fruits vanishing within seconds. Waker shuffled from foot to foot, finally setting his sidebag down on the table he had picked near one of the classroom's windows. Turning to go pick a berry before they all disappeared, Waker nearly ran into something rather solid blocking his path.


"Oh! I'm sorry," the red-haired teacher laughed, pressing a sticker into Waker's hand. "Here - write your name on this and stick it on your shirt; isn't that jacket a little warm, dear? Oh, and you don't have to put down your surname. We're all classmates, after all." Another laugh. Waker smiled at the teacher (her sticker read 'Ms Ferguson') and watched as she walked away, passing out stickers as she went. It was a little refreshing to see a smiling face that was genuine - the mute was tired of fake smiles that belied bad intents. He quickly pulled out a hot pink pen with a plush Snubble hanging on it (he carefully his this with the sleeve of his coat) and began to write 'Waker' on his card, scowling in frustration as the pen suddenly stopped working - a few good shakes quickly solved that. He slipped the pen back into his bag, making sure nobody saw it.


Squeezing past a gaggle of young girls (one of them cooed at Locke, getting only a small hiss in return), Waker made his way to the berry basket, picking out a rather tiny Razz berry from the bottom. Leaning on the table, he held up the berry to Locke.


Smell good? Waker thought, watching as the Ekans shifted around his neck, stretching his head to the offered treat. After a few experimental licks, the Snake Pokemon unhinged his jaw and swallowed the berry whole, causing Waker to gasp soundlessly in astonishment. Holding back a laugh, he waited for the inevitable.


It didn't take very long for the Ekans to begin to feel the heat - within seconds, Locke was shaking his head rapidly, mouth wide open, flicking the air with his tongue as he tried to get rid of the spiciness in his mouth. Waker collapsed to the floor in soundless laughter, Locke slithering off his neck and onto the floor in disgust.

Posted by: Gearbits Dec 18 2009, 05:03 AM

Sawyer smiled, as the kids milled around, a few were closer to his age, probably a refresher course before a gym battle or something. It seemed rare for someone to be starting from scratch, like he was. Well, almost scratch. He'd taken a seat near a window, he could almost see the ocean if he tilted slightly. Zigs was trotting across their table, little claws clicking along the table top. She never was good at holding in excitement. A couple of the female students had stopped to coo and stroke her ears once Sawyer nodded at them. Zigs was a hit with the ladies, not that Sawyer had ever taken any notice. Small furry creatures were just something he seemed to attract. When the teacher walked in both man and Pokemon stopped their fidgeting, Sawyer finished his retying of the new orange ribbon on Zigs' tail, she finished attempting to adjust it at the same time.

"Hello, I'm Ms. Furguson, write your name on the sticker I give you. And, feel free to "study," or eat, the berries in this basket." She seemed like a pleasant woman. The honest smile and the bright red hair sold it really. At the announcement of berries though Zigs whirled on her trainer, beady eyes wide and pleading.

"Go ahead Zigs, don't take the whole basket." The zizagoon skittered across the table, down to the floor around a girl's ankles, up the table leg and over to the basket. She pulled out a couple sweet berries she enjoyed, pausing to look up a girl that was staring at her. Zigs twitched her ears before shoving the berries in her mouth and making a dash back to Sawyer, who was chuckling softly the entire time. He frowned though when the berries were spit out onto his bag in order for his partner to inspect them, as she did with all her food. She was like a raccoon and a squirrel had a baby that had developed OCDs. But Sawyer just loved her all the more.

He was handed his sticker and he wrote his name with the remained of an old pencil lodged in the front pocket of his backpack. It was like high school all over again. The sticker was stuck to his chest, the jacket having already come off and packed, neatly folded, in his backpack. It sat on the desk like some veteran of war while Zigs leaned back against it to eat her berries, which sat on her belly. She did a wonderful interpretation of an otter. Brilliant at parties. Probably the only zigzagoon ever to know how to properly swim as well. But it came with the territory. Zigs could swim, Crono could fly, but Lola sank like a rock, zapping any nearby sea-life in the process. It's a wonder you're not fatter than you are old friend." Zigs thumped her thick tail on the table in a huff before she stuffed the last berry in her mouth, chewing as if to spite him. It was strange sitting in a class where he'd be "learning" to cook.

The guy had been cooking for himself since he was fifteen, it really wasn't a necessary course. But, he'd go along, maybe learn something new that Zigs enjoyed. Either way, maybe he'd make a nice little friend. It was strange to think of considering, as he looked around, everyone still seemed to be just kids. What did kids talk about these days? He was an adult, most of the time anyway, he talked about the job, and longitude and latitudes. What the hell do you talk about with a kid? Comic books? Pokemon. That was a solid choice. Everyone liked Pokemon. That is, if he ever started conversation. He was a horrible conversationalist. He started from his worries though as he caught sight of an ekans eating. Then promptly regretting what it had eaten. As trainer and Pokemon toppled to the floor, one laughing, the other not looking pleased, he leaned over his own table, Zigs following suit. They were a curious pair to be sure, and what a strange bunch they'd gotten themselves tossed in with. A lot to be curious about really.

Posted by: knil1 Dec 19 2009, 12:16 PM

Koryu watched as his other classmates piled toward the ususpecting berries. Trainers were feeding their pokemon berries and before Koryu knew it, there were berries all over the place. It looked as if Kindergardeners ate a bunch of crayons and regurgitated all over the hardwood floor. Koryu wasn't one to take messiness lightly and was pretty close to charging into the group and making them back up so he could clean the mess up himself.

Miss Ferguson walked over to Koryu and ahanded him a sticker. "Please write your name on it." She was clearly oblivious, or she'd been doing this long enough to learn to ignore it. Koryu smiled warmly and took the sticker. As she bounced off, Koryu found a bright Green pen lying on the desk next to him. He remembered he had pokemon that liked berries and released them. Chiki instatnly ran toward the depleting berry supply, attacking any pokemon that got in her way, while Mercury and Kyo sat back, waitng for Viera to returnwith their favorite flavors.

Viera was quite a convenient bird. She was pretty much the mother figure and knew how to take care of Koryu's pokemon when he didn't have the time or found it too complicated. Not to mention, fetching food for her poke friends
was much easier for her.

Koryu heard a bunch of coos and he looked to the crowd. A bunch of girls were swarming around a Zigzagoon lying on its back. A boy fell over and smiled as his ekans slithered about the ground as if it ate something absolutely horrid. It's trainer seemed pretty amused however.

Viera returned with a variety of barries and set them on the counter. Koryu's pokemon were about to eat it until they realized they had their trainer. Koryu sat sighing looking out the window, waiting impatiently for the lesson to start. His pokemon rolled their berries over to him and he quickly prepared a salad for them. They ate it graciously. Once Chiki found out that food was over next to her trainer, she ran over and knocked over the pokemon eating Koryu's berry salad. Koryu smiled and watched as Miss Ferguson approached the front of the room, ready to start the lesson.

Then, right before she spoke, she seemed to have an epiphany and went to get something. Koryu figured that if he was given an opportunity, he might as well try and get someone to talk to over the next three days. He scanned the room looking for optional partners.

Posted by: Luxembourg Dec 22 2009, 04:56 PM

Waker's laughter began to subside. I hope nobody thinks I was having a seizure, he thought suddenly, realising what his silent laughter might've looked like from a different point of view. He quickly lifted his back off the ground, his shoes smacking into the floor, nearly unbalancing him. Only a few days and I've already gotten used to carrying Locke, he mused, looking around for the Ekans in question. That'll be fun when he evolves - well, hopefully he'll stop trying to be a Snorlax by then. Carefully pushing himself off the floor with one hand, he scanned the room for his Ekans, but to no avail - it didn't look like he'd slithered up a table leg. Sighing, Waker bent down, looking underneath the tables and around the other trainer's feet. With a growing sense of dread, Waker straightened, [raying that the light, happy chatter wouldn't soon turn into screams.

In his hiding space between a trainer's bag and a wall, Locke rubbed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, trying to get rid of the burning numbness of the thing he ate. Rage was slowly beginning to creep through his dim mind - rage at the squishy thing for feeding that poison to him, rage at the squishy thing for laughing at his pain (although, in retrospect, it had been kinda funny) -


Wait. In between the swirling purple and red-black columns of anger in his mind, there was a glimmer of green. Laughter - yes, it had been funny when he had eaten that Razz Berry (the poison has a name?). Waker's mirth was completely justified (Waker? The squishy thing?) and now here Locke was, probably upsetting him by slithering off. There was something else in the green - vague, hissing laughter, a large purple shape with red and black markings, slim tongues licking him and his brothers and sisters -


Locke's head hurt, but the purple and red was gone.





There - a flash of a segmented tail near a bag close to the wall across the room. Quickly squeezing between children and Pokemon, he knelt before the bag when he arrived. Taking a deep breath, he slowly moved the bag away from the wall - the chances of Locke reverting from his lethargic, dull-eyed self to the monstrous...thing he had been in the Barely Contest hall were pretty high. Before he could move the bag closer to the nearest table, however, the Ekans came slithering out docilely - and, for once, there was something in his golden eyes that wasn't sleepiness or fury. The Shadow Ekans slithered up to Waker, his head raising until he was at Waker's eye level. He slowly began to loop himself around Waker's arm and neck, his tail rattling only slightly as Waker stood up, holding onto Locke carefully. A huge smile broke out on the boy's face - they were, finally, making progress.


Turning around with the full intent to get his own berries from his bag (he doubted there were any left in the basket), he stopped dead when he noticed an older trainer staring at him, a Zigzagoon on the table he was leaning on. Heart pounding, Waker quickly moved back to his seat, absentmindedly rubbing a pot under Locke's jaw.


...Okay, think. I can't let anyone know that you're a Shadow Pokemon, or things could get bad. Um, you're sick. Yeah, you're just a little sick right now, and...and, you're from my cousin's ranch! He sent you to me out here in the country so you could get better faster. Waker sighed, thanking Arceus for his quick thinking. Officer Jennifer had warned him in the helicopter ride to be exceedingly careful with who he let know about Locke's condition - after all, anyone could be working with the people who had sealed his heart in the first place. Looking around the classroom - full of children and their Pokemon, holding berries and waiting on tenterhooks for the lesson to begin - Waker doubted anyone around him at the moment qualified as 'evil'.


But his short week in Furoh had already taught him a lesson - be careful who you trust.

Posted by: berry314 Feb 11 2010, 09:51 PM

Lizzie waited for a bit, observing the conversations around her. She had only her pokemon to talk to, and she was perfectly fine with that. The fact that they could not speak like humans did was pretty interesting. They can also do things people can not, yet some of them choose to help humans. Why? That was interesting, too.

"Ah, silly me, I forgot to bring the equipment," Ms. Furguson declared as she stepped into the classroom pushing a cart of portable stoves and pots. "Right, let's start. Most of you have tasted the berries, I see?"

"Well, not really. But I know that my Orchid likes those pink berries" a girl spoke up. She was holding a Chikorita in her arms. It had a pink, sticky smile.

"Ah, Pecha berries. I like those, too. I guess I have a bit of a sweet tooth? But nevermind that. Knowing what kind of food your pokemon likes is useful too. It will be easier for you to make treats for them, for one thing. Which brings me to the first item on my list, poffins."

"What about pokeblock?" A boy asked.

" I personally find poffins harder to make than pokeblock, and also, the school does not have enough money for berry blenders," Ms. Furguson explained "but don't tell anyone I said that. Alright, now get into groups of," She paused to count the trainers in her class, "I think two or three. And, in case anyone asks, no, pokemon do not count as group members."

Lizzie sighed. She did not know anyone well. She did not want to be a victim of some big misunderstanding that will haunt her for the rest of her life. "Then again, I think I just don't want too many enemies. It will be a lot of trouble for me if that is the case..."
It took her a while to get out of her seat. By that time, it seemed like most of the trainers around her were in groups already.

"Too bad I can't put you in my group, right, Riolu?"

Posted by: Luxembourg Mar 3 2010, 08:44 PM

Quickly making his way back to his seat, Waker pulled his canvas bag toward him and fished through it, pulling out a rather squished-looking Pecha berry. He held it in front of his chest, holding his hand still as Locke tasted it with his tongue. Evidently pleased with the non-spicy berry, the Ekans gratefully swallowed it before resting his head on Waker's chest again. The mute boy could hear Ms Ferguson talking to the class, but he was busy thinking.


Alright. Locke's started to open up. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. Locke shuffled a bit, trying to find a good position to sleep in. Once his heart opens up all the way…then what? What do I do after that? Waker frowned, tapping the table with his fingers. He badly wished that Spencer was there - he would know what to do - or that he'd gotten Officer Jennifer's number back in Barley. Everything seemed mashed up hopelessly in his head - the tumultuous arrival in Furoh, the invasion at the Contest Hall, what had happened at Moo Moo Land…


What Waker needed was a break.


Sighing, he broke himself out of his reverie and looked around, startled to see that all of the other kids in the class had gravitated into groups. Ms Ferguson was handing out portable Poffin makers to the groups, carefully explaining how to run them as she went. Waker immediately perked up - making Poffins was familiar territory to him. All he needed was a partner. Glancing around the room, he looked for anyone who seemed alone. Near one of the desks farthest away from him was a girl with shoulder-length brown hair and a Riolu. Putting on what was hopefully a friendly smile, Waker walked toward her, pausing to write a brief message in his notebook.

Posted by: Dragava Mar 3 2010, 10:10 PM

Lizzie looked at the words in the notebook. She was a little curious as to why Walker cannot talk, but she said nothing on the matter.

It would be impolite to turn Walker down, Lizzie thought. She replied to him with an "okay." She left to get some berries, ingredients, a portable cooker, and a pot from Miss Furguson.
After getting five berries of each flavor, she returned to the table where Walker was at and started setting the equipment up without asking for Walker's opinion.

Walker might ask about poffin flavors soon. I guess I will let him make them first, Lizzie thought. She had limited experience in making poffins. She knew how to prepare the batter and mix everything together, but she had never mastered the mixing skill. She knew that you had to start slow, but how slow? Then speed the stirring up, but by how much? She gave up on making poffins after a while and focused on taking care of Charmander instead. Now, however, she was the only one who could make poffins for her pokemon. She would know their tastes best, after all. A good trainer should also know that every pokemon needs a treat once in a while.


Riolu did not know too much about snake pokemon, but she thought that this one seemed odd. It seemed stiff, as if the Ekans was an important pokemon looking down on inferior one. Riolu came to the conclusion that it might be shy, and tried to converse with it.


"Hi," Riolu said in Pokemon, "I am Riolu, without a name. Elizabeth is my trainer," Riolu quickly glanced at her trainer, who was looking for an unused power outlet, "She treats me well, but is a bit strange sometimes. What about you?"

Posted by: knil1 Mar 7 2010, 04:27 PM

Koryu watched as the trainers slowly huddled into small groups. The room was full of the "umm's" and "he-hello's" of unsure people trying to find someone to join. It was entertaining to watch, but Koryu knew he would be the same way. Ms Ferguson was already handing out poffin makers andsome people had already started. He looked over the room frantically and found a pair that looked accessible. Koryu sucked in and slid between all of the pushed out chairs and people crowding him in every direction.

As he was trying to reach the other end of the classroom, Koryu had unawaredly been thinking of what his pokemon would like. "Ok, so Kakyoku wuld like a Jacoba berry, but other than bitter, he likes to have a little spice, so maybe something not as strong... Rindo sounds good. And Viera can't resist a good Rowap berry. With Mercury....."
His head prattled on and on about food until he finally reached his destination.

When he reached their table, he tried to put on a kind expressionthat said I would like to join, but it's okay if you decline me. "Um, hello, have room for one more?" The boy with the ekans that he saw earlier was there, and in front of him was a notepad with what looked like a conversation starter on it. The girl looked like she had everything set up, but it seemed as though they hadn't started.
Chiki jumped up on the table and looked at the poffin maker. She then stared up to the girl, wondering why in the world she wasn't making poffins yet with a look that screamed, "I'm hungry, feed me".

Koryu grabbed her and apologized. "Sorry, she's a bit of a pig."

Posted by: Dragava Mar 19 2010, 10:01 AM

Lizzie decided to wait and see what Waker would write. Riolu noticed her trainer's lack of response after a few moments had passed.

"Sorry, I think my Trainer needs me," Riolu explained to the Ekans. She jumped onto her Trainer then prodded Lizzie's head slightly.

"Hm? Yeah, you can join us," Lizzie responded after Riolu tapped her again. Lizzie knew that Riolu was the type who liked to meet new friends, and it was possible that she was interested in the chikorita because she had never seen one before.

"So..." Lizzie started, It did not seem like Walker was going to write something, and someone had to start a conversation to make things less awkward. Lizzie wished it didn't have to be her.

Posted by: Luxembourg Apr 5 2010, 02:54 PM

Waker gave the girl a weak smile at her quiet response. He guessed that she was shy - Nezzie, his best friend, had been like that for a few years before he caught his first Pokemon. Maybe she needs an outgoing Pokemon to talk for her, Waker thought. He watched as the girl's Riolu began talking to Locke, who simply sat there, unmoving. Either he was asleep or confused, because the Riolu moved away a few seconds later, tapping his trainer on the head. Waker shifted his shoulder, hoping to wake Locke up and make him more approachable. It took him a minute to realise that another trainer had arrived at the table.


Oh, whoops. Waker gave the new trainer a smile as he reigned in a Chikorita that probably belonged to him. Waker held up his notebook briefly before flipping to a new page, scribbling as quick as he could, uncomfortably aware of the awkward silence that had descended on the table. Ms Ferguson was walking around the room now, stopping to help the groups set up their Poffin makers, the dull roar of the students turning into soft murmurs and whirrs as the machines began to turn.


Waker finished writing and put his notebook in the centre of the table, picking up the Poffin machine as the others read the page.

Waker held up the three pieces of the machine, trying to remember how to set one up. Azzy and Pora could probably help him with this, but he shook his head firmly. This was Locke's time, now - Waker knew that he would do anything to help the Ekans unlock his heart. He remembered the dark Contest Hall and how Locke had towered over Pora and Candyfloss, yellow eyes gleaming with malice. Pora leaping up to attack and her lingering distrust towards Locke. Maria and her Magnemite, sending out jolts of lightning that paralyzed Spencer...


Waker slammed the heater and the bowl of the Poffin maker together in a sudden burst of anger, drawing a few strange looks from the tables nearby. Locke, startled and at full attention now, looked around before sliding into the table, curling up on top of Waker's notebook. The mute boy sighed deeply, setting down the machine and turning it on, watching as the little Charmader thermostat began to glow. He looked at his companions and gave a strained smile, picking up his bag and pulling a Pecha berry from it. He held it up questioningly, making sure Locke was well out of eating range.

Posted by: Dragava Apr 5 2010, 03:25 PM

Lizzie felt the attention of the group shift to Waker. He drew more attention as he slammed the heater and bowl together. Riolu looked at Lizzie, hoping that she might be curious enough to ask Waker why he slammed the equipment, or as to why he seemed upset. Riolu's hopes disappeared as Lizzie stayed silent. Not long after, Waker pulled a pecha berry from the bag. He looked like he wanted to know if everyone was okay with his berry selection.

"I'm fine with it," Lizzie said. She may not be used to meeting others, but she was not the type to stay silent when asked a question. Lizzie turned to the trainer who had just arrived and looked at the Chikorita. She wondered for a moment how it felt, looking at the berry dangling there. It was the one that looked disappointed since nothing was cooking.

"It looks like everybody is in their groups. Let me know if any of you need help," Ms. Furguson announced. There was some chattering, then a few groups raised their hands. Ms. Furguson headed off to the first group and started explaining. She must have done a good job, because she was at the next group in less than five minutes.

"Is everybody ready? Yes? Good. You have one hour to make your poffins, and remember, when it comes to stirring, start slow, finish fast. Save some of your poffins, we will need them in our next class." Lizzie took a few moments to wonder how poffins could be used in a class, before turning her attention back to her group.

Posted by: knil1 Apr 17 2010, 02:04 PM

Koryu cringed as the silent trainer slammed the poffin machine together as Chiki let out a "Chika!" in, what koryu guessed, was a way of her saying, "Yes! Get excited about making it! I want you to be so pumped that you make the best poffin ever for me!!". Koryu stood for a while, giving questioning expressions for, hopefully, no one.

He grabbed the chair in front of him and sat down. He propped his head up with his hands and watched curiously as the trainer searched for something. Once he held up a Pecha berry, koryu smiled and nodded, naturally gabbing hold of his Chikorita's back legs, causing her to trip as she darted for the berry. Chiki clawed at the table trying to get free from her monster of a trainer. Koryu ran his fingers through his hair and spoke. "By the way, I'm Koryu Hiroki and this black hole is Chiki." Chiki gave a surprised look and buried her face in the table as she started a guilt trip. Koryu laughed as he pulled her into his lap and rubbed her back.

By that time, Kakyoku and Viera had returned. "This is my Pidgey Viera and Bulbasaur Kakyoku, or just Kyo." Viera glared at Chiki. Her maternal senses were screaming at her that Chiki needs to be punished more than she currently is, but she let it go soon enough. Kyo just sat on the ground and slowly dozed off.

Chiki soon became interested in the new pokemon at the table. She had seen a Riolu before, but the snake pokemon was new to her. She cautiously walked towards the two and slowly approached the snake. As the unbelievably immature pokemon she is, she whispered to the riolu that they should team up to find out what that is. Uncaring of anyhting else once again, she tried her best to sneak to the mystery pokemon. She crawled steadily as she got closer and closer, watching it's eyes following her movements. Once she was close enough, she tapped it and ran back to her trainers lap. She looked over the table to see if anything happened as her trainer just rubbed his head to relieve stress.

Posted by: Dragava Apr 18 2010, 08:26 PM

Riolu listened to the Chikorita's suggestion on teaming up.

"Well, maybe we should ask it what it is?" Riolu suggested. It looked curiously as Chiki poked the mystery pokemon. Riolu was sure that it would not like being poked if it was awake, but the Chikorita dashed to its trainer before Riolu could say anything.

Meanwhile, Lizzie was watching Waker. She was wondering if he would start cooking soon, it would be pretty embarrassing to move on to the next class without the poffins. She was sure that they had to make a lot to satisfy the "black hole". She did turn to look at the new trainer, who was introducing his pokemon. Lizzie recognized the bulbasaur, as Carl had one of those, and the pidgey, which she had seen in a book that her mom bought her. Having a flying pokemon trainer in one's family can be an advantage at times. She thought the names the two had were strange, and wondered what they meant. She chose to say nothing, however and returned to staring at the poffin maker, oblivious to the trouble Chiki was causing.

Posted by: Lux Cruxis Apr 21 2010, 06:57 PM

Waker dropped the berry into the machine, laughing a little at the Chikorita's enthusiasm. He flipped a switch at the base of the machine and watched as the Charmader thermometre began to glow. He quickly took a small, collapsible spoon out of a compartment in the base and began to smash the berry into a pulp.


If it's not mixed well enough it'll be lumpy and raw, he thought, remembering what his mother had told him. And if you stir too fast, the batter will fly out and that is definately not a good thing. He claned back over at Koryu's Chikorita and stifled a soundless yell at what he saw - she was poking Locke.


Forcing himself to keep his attention on the Poffin, he stirred smoothly, his mind whirring. If Locke flipped back into Shadow mode and attacked the other Pokemon...he didn't want to think about it. He just prayed that the little encounter earlier had warmed up his heart enough to withstand an inquisitive poke from a playful stranger.


'Hm?' Locke murmured, drowsy. The thing the squishy one had given him had filled up his empty stomach and the only thoughts in his mind were of sleep. He blinked at the green thing and the blue thing on the table, wondering why they would want to interrupt his nap. He slowly turned to look at Waker, noting with curiosity that he was smashing something pink in a large, clear box-thing. Just as slowly, he turned back to the blue and green things.


'Locke.' he said, sleepily. 'Squishy thing calls me this.' He uncoiled, raising his head up slightly. 'The mean thing calls me Ekans. I think is what I am.' He tilted his head to the side, yellow eyes unblinking. 'What are you? How does your squishy call you?'


The Poffin batter was smoother now, onto the second stage of cooking. Waker carefully stirred clockwise twice, then counter-clockwise before repeating. He wished very badly to have some sort of conversation with Koryu and Lizzie, but his hands were full with the Poffin machine and his notebook was still under Locke. The Ekans was conversing with Chiki and the Riolu now, hissing intermittently. His rattle lay flat on the table and he didn't seem tense - Waker thanked Arceus for small miracles and deftly moved the spoon to his left hand, giving his right arm a break. The Poffin was firm now, in the last stage of cooking. With no fear of spilling, he spun it around as fast as he could, getting an even heat on all sides.


'Alright, class!' Ms Ferguson's voice rang out above the clamour of students and clanging Poffin machines. 'You will have one minute for your Poffin to cool. After that, I'll come take a look, and then you can eat your Poffin.' A wave of cheers rose from the students. Ms Ferguson beamed.


Waker turned off the machine and set the spoon down on the table before changing his mind. There was still some pink batter residue left on the end - he held it out towards Chiki. His mother had always let Azzy lick the Poffin spoon (and then cleaned it very, very thoroughly), and judging from Chiki's title as the black hole, he though she might like that. He gently pried the Poffin out of the bowl and set it on the table in front of Lizzie and Koryu, nervous and happy at the same time.

Posted by: Dragava Apr 22 2010, 04:43 PM

"There are some things you need to keep in mind when it comes to poffins," Ms. Ferguson explained while the trainers and pokemon were letting their snack cool, "every pokemon has different tastes, so if your pokemon does not like the poffin you made today, you will have to try cooking again. You can get one of these at a Pokemart." Lizzie looked at her after observing Waker make the poffin. Sle took a few glances at her Riolu at times, noticing that it was talking to Waker's pokemon. From what she knew about Riolu, it was probably introducing itself again now that the snake pokemon was awake.

"I am Riolu, it is what I am and what I'm called, and... Squishy thing?" Riolu looked confused. it had no idea what the Ekans meant by "squishy thing".

"Another important thing," Ms. Ferguson continued, " is that feeding your pokemon treats is an easy way to keep them happy. Why do we want to keep them happy? Because if you were a pokemon who did not like your trainer, you would lot listen to him or her, would you? Some pokemon will listen to their trainer regardless, but best not take any chances." Lizie turned her attention from Riolu to Ms. Ferguson. Maybe this was the next class she was talking about, she would explain the benefits of poffins and keeping pokemon happy while the class enjoyed eating.

"Some pokemon evolve only when they are happy," She continued. That caught Lizzie's attention. Evolve? She looked at her Riolu, who was now explaining how Lizzie found it after it passed out. So my Riolu or charmander might not evolve if I don't treat them right? "Some examples are baby pokemon, like Igglybuff or Magby. Usually you can tell that a pokemon is a baby pokemon if it cannot breed." This caused Lizzie to wonder what kind of pokemon Riolu was. She decided to scan it later when she had the chance.

"keeping your pokemon happy is very important, but each pokemon is different. Some pokemon like to be petted, while others may like to play games. There is no one way to cheer up a moody pokemon, you just have to try different things until you find something that pokemon likes."

Lizzie understood the lesson pretty well. When it came to her own pokemon, Riolu was the kind who liked to help others, while Charmander was rather indifferent. It made sense that Riolu would enjoy helping another pokemon more than Charmander would.

"We have some free time until our next class. You might want to use this time to get to know your pokemon better. Our next lesson will take place outside; we will be battling our pokemon for the rest of the day."

Posted by: R3ignlasting Apr 24 2010, 12:43 PM

"Oh, so this is Barely Academy," Don exclaimed, while looking down at Spark's worried look. Don thought to himself, "I wonder how Spark feels..he looks nervous..".

Don and Spark walked into the Barely Academy, and looked all around. There, stood a big, tall man. He had a curious look on his face. Then, the man had walked over to Don and Spark, and asked him what his name was. Don nervously said, "D-Don, sir.". The man stood there for a moment, and thought. Then, Spark squealed out of fear. Don crouched down and asked Spark, "What's the matter, little guy?" and Spark just started sobbing. Don thought that Spark was nervous when they had walked in. He figured he'd better do something before it got too out of control.

Then, before Don could say anything else to Spark, Spark's cheeks lit up yellow, and he screamed, and a large blast of thunder struck the tall man. "Ahg-ohh-owww" the man said while lying on the floor.

"Uhmm, sorry, mister." Don said. Then, he picked Spark up and ran out, in a hurry. Don felt very embarrassed from what had just happened to him. "Spark! Why did you just do that?" Don exclaimed at Spark. Spark started to sob once again.

Don didn't know what to do. So, he did all he could. Wait it out, and hug Spark until he stopped crying.

When Spark stopped crying, Don and him walked back into the building, and saw two security guards. The man that they had spoken to before had yelled, "That's them, officers!".

Don yelled, "W-w-wait? W-what?"

The two officers had taken Don and Spark to the Police station.

Posted by: Dragava May 1 2010, 11:21 AM

Lizzie made her way outside, since that was the location where her next class would be held. She saw a boy being taken somewhere by two officers while she was finding her way out of the building. Lizzie wondered what was going on, and decided to watch for the moment. Riolu poked her, which was its way of encouraging Lizzie to help the boy. Lizzie did not do or say anything until the officers started to drag the boy away.

"Excuse me, could you tell me what this boy has done?"

"His Pichu shocked me!" The man complained.

"Maybe his Pichu could not help it," Lizzie thought. She was unaware that her thought had escaped through her lips.

"Well..." the man started, but Lizzie realized her outburst. She decided to run away before anything bad happened to her.

"Sorry, mister, but I have to go," Lizzie said, before darting off. She was mentally kicking herself for allowing such a small comment let slip. What if the man thought that she was taking the boy's side? Or worse, what if her suggestion would force the boy to lose his pokemon? Lizzie knew that as a trainer, she was responsible for protecting her pokemon. The idea of losing a pokemon was horrifying.

It was not long until Lizzie found her way outside. She sat down in the shade of a tree and waited for the next class to start. Riolu took the opportunity to jump off Lizzie's shoulders and explore the school grounds.

"Don't go too far," Lizzie reminded it. Riolu grunted in response and continued exploring.

Posted by: R3ignlasting May 18 2010, 10:34 PM

Don sat in a dark room with Spark for about 20 minutes, until the tall man from Barely Academy and a police officer came in. Her name tag read Jessica Chaplin. "Okay, okay, just play it cool." Don thought to himself.

Jessica quietly said, "So . . Let me get this straight. Apparently, your Pichu didn't mean to shock this man, is that right?"
"Yes, that's right." Don replied.
"Oh, alright. Well, why do you think Pichu shocked him?" She asked.
"I already said, I don't know." Don replied, sighing.
"Well, I guess no harm was done. I will allow you to go back to Barely Academy, but you will be on a tight watch, young man." She said.
"I guess there wasn't anything bad with happened. Either way, you're just a rookie trainer, right," The Man asked. "Oh, by the way, my name is Mr. Evans."
"Yes, Mr. Evans, sir, I am." Don replied.
"Alright, well, I'll tell you what. Come by the academy later, and I'll give you a free pass to Ms. Furgeson's classroom. She will be you're main room teacher. That is all. Good bye."

Later, Don went back to the Barely Academy, and looked for Mr. Evans. Eventually, he found him. He was just standing there. Such a strange man, with a glazed look in the eyes. "Ahh, Don. Your here." Mr. Evans said.

"Okay, so, about the free pass?" Don asked, and before he finished his sentence, Mr. Evans started walking down the hall slowly. Other trainers greeted him along the way. "Wow, seriously? Walk away like that?" Don thought. Then, he ran down the hall, and caught up with Mr. Evans. They just kept on walking and walking.

Finally, they came to a stop in front of a large door. Mr. Evans went through the door and talked to some lady. Then, she came out and greeted me, "Hello, young sir. My name is Ms. Furgeson. And you must be. . Don."

Ms. Furgeson showed him the rest of the classroom, and she made him sit down next to a girl named Lizzie. She had a cool looking Pokemon, too. Don whipped out his Pokedex, and recorded the data. It was a Riolu. Spark was playing with the Riolu for quite a long time, too. Then, Don asked Lizzie if she had any battle experience. He said, "Lizzie, I challenge you to a battle!"

Posted by: Dragava May 19 2010, 03:29 PM

It would not be a good idea to turn down the boy who she had seen earlier; Lizzie had no other choice but to accept. Her Riolu looked content enough, and calling on it to battle might not be fair to it. It was busy playing, after all.

"Alright, go, Charmander!" Charmander popped out, and faced the unfamiliar trainer. Much to Lizzie's disappointment, the trainer called Pichu. Riolu did not seem to mind, however. It jumped onto Lizzie's shoulders so that it could get a better view of the upcoming battle.

"Charmander, start with a Scratch!" Charmander ran towards the Pichu, but was hit by a thundershock in the middle of the attack. it regained itself quickly, however, and managed to complete the attack.

"Ember! Now!" Charmander composed itself for Ember, but it stumbled. Small sparks of electricity could be seen running across its body.

"As you can see, the Charmander is paralyzed," Ms. Furguston explained. She, and some of the others from the class had arrived and were now watching the battle. Lizzie ignored them; there was no time to concentrateon the battle if she was concerened about her self-image.

"Try again!" Lizzie yelled. This time Charmander was sucessful, but the slow embers were easily dodged. by Pichu. There had to be some way for Charmander to get closer to Pichu...

"Scratch!" Charmander charged in, and was thundershocked twice before it could catch up to Pichu. Pichu mamaged to dodge Scratch too, until Charmander's paralysis acted up, causing it to fall on top of Pichu. Lizzie knew that an Ember at this very moment would do a lot of damage.

"Spark, Thundershock!" The pichu was surprised because of the Charmander on top of it. Its thundershock was slightly more powerful because of this. The attack knocked Charmander off, causing it to crash into the ground.

"Charmander..." At that moment, Charmander started to have a faint red glow. Its tail also flared up slightly. Blaze had activated. Lizzie hoped that the boost was enough to give Charmander a win.

"Okay, Ember!" Charmander aimed more Embers at Pichu, who dodged it. It tried some more, but its paralysis was preventing it from moving. Pichu took this chance to shoot a thindershock at it.

"You can do it!" Riolu cried out.

"Come on, Charmander, Ember." Charmander prepared to launch an Ember attack, but instead of the usual Embers, small flames raced towards Pichu. The Pichu was too shocked to dodge, and the flames ended up knocking it out. Charmander gave a happy sigh, then fainted as well.

"Charmander, you okay?" Charmander cried weakly. Lizzie knew what she had just seen; a flamethrower. Because of the small flames, it was about as powerful as Ember, but if Charmander had enough power to make those flames bigger, the results could be devastating to an opponent. The problem was, if Charmander could only use such an attack when it was under Blaze, and the energy needed to use that attack would make Charmande faint, flamethrower was hardly worth learning.

"Charmander, don't push yourself in the next battle. Return." Lizzie headed to a spot on the grass. She was too distracted with thoughts about Charmander to watch the next pair of trainers battle.

Posted by: R3ignlasting May 19 2010, 10:39 PM

"Well, I can't ignore it, Lizzie was a good trainer. Her charmander was incredible." Don said.
"Yes, she played a good battle." replied Ms. Furgeson.
"Well, at least we had a chance to become friends, however, I'm not sure what she thinks of me. Oh well. Some things are better to be left unsaid." Don said, sighing. "Hey Spark, you alright buddy?" Don asked Spark who was lying on the floor eating berries. "Nice job out there. You're a great pal. I'll be thrilled to always have you by my side."

Don couldn't think of what to do.
"Hey, Ms. Furgeson, are there any other classes?" Don asked.
"Yes, there are plenty of other classes. Are you interested in joining another one?" replied Ms. Furgeson.
"How about this, I'll just give you a list, okay?" Ms. Furgeson said.
"That would be great, Ms. Furgeson." Don stated.

Posted by: Dragava May 20 2010, 06:57 AM

Lizzie looked at the new boy curiously. She did not know that she has the liberty of picking and choosing her classes, nor did she want to ask about it. She thought nothing much of it and returned to the battling pair . The trainer's Mankey was up against a Krabby, and the battle seemed to be a stalemate. Mankey scratched the Krabby, which avoided taking a lot of damage with Harden. A low kick managed to trip Krabby, but a Crabhammer knocked the mankey on the ground. The Mankey's trainer decided that it was a perfect time to use Furry Swipes, and the Mankey managed to get a few hits in before Krabby hardened again. The battle was interesting, but Lizzie couldn't wait to have some free time. She wanted to try to perfect Charmander's new move as soon as possible. Hopefully class would be over soon. She glanced back at the trainers, who had finished battling. Lizzie did not even get to find out who won, but she didn't really care. She was wondering how long Charmander needed to regain its strength.

Posted by: R3ignlasting May 20 2010, 02:38 PM

Ms. Furgeson handed Don a note with words on it.
But, before he would read it, he had to go to the bathroom.
"Oh, god. Oh god. W-wh-where is the bathroom in this place. Arghhhh...." Don said, whimpering.
"T-the one time I..have to use the bathroom, and it's nowhere to be found. Urghhghhh-argghhhgh.." Don said, whimpering even more.

Finally, he found the bathroom, but, it was out of order.
"Oh..my...god...SERIOUSLY?!" Don shouted.

Finally, he went outside and relieved himself outside on a tree.
"Ahhhh...refreshed." Don stated.
"Now, it's time to read the list of classes I can join." Don said.

The note read, Basically, tonight, after lunch, you will camp. Your choice is either a sleeping bag or a tent. Choose either, it is not my concern. Then, the next day you will be renting Pokemon instead of using your own Pokemon, as we will be testing you on your friendship abilities with fellow Pokemon.

-Ms. Furgeston.

Posted by: Dragava May 21 2010, 06:50 AM

Lizzie noticed that it was getting dark after every trainer had a chance to battle. The other classes, which were on slightly different schedules, were also in the school grounds. Some of them, Lizzie noted, were finishing up with some contest battling. Another group looked like they were trying to use new pokemon as they were not very confident with battling. There was also a line-up; one of the classes had finished earlier than them and were going to get their food. from a Chansey that was running a stew pot.

"Looks like we are done for the day," Ms.furguston explained, "There is stew if anyone's hungry, the line-up is right there, so it should be hard to miss. If anyone does not want to wait, they can set up their sleeping bag or tent, just ask that Machoke over there and it will give you what you want. Only one sleeping bag or tent per student."

Most of the class headed to the line where stew was being served. Lizzie, who could not wait in such a long line, headed to the Machoke.

"I think I would like a tent." Lizzie thought that a tent would give her more privacy, at the cost to the comfort of her sleeping area. The Machoke nodded. It took a tent out of a box, and quickly set it up.

"Man?" Lizzie took that as a "where would you like the tent?".

"Oh, over there, I guess," Lizzie said, pointing to a spot close to to some berry bushes. Machoke nodded, and called out a Machop, who took the tent to Lizzie's desired spot.

"Thanks."

"Machoke!"


The line was a good deal shorter now, so Lizzie had no real reason to join in and wait. When she got to the front of the line, the Chansey handed her a paper bowl full of stew, and a paper bag of pokemon food. Lizzie stepped aside and finished her stew without much thought. She tossed the empty utensils into a nearby bin, then headed back to the tent. She knew that the Riolu on her shoulders was hungry, and so was Charmander.

When she was back in the tent, she let Charmander out of its pokeball. She ripped the bag in two, and put some of the food on the paper. It was too early o sleep, but it did not stop Lizzie from trying. The ground was not as comfortable as she would like, but it was bearable. The hard ground made her feel homesick, however. Besides her pokemon, there were none of the familiar soungs and smells from her home. Her mother's Murkrou was not sighing pleasantly after having the leftovers from dinner, her Scyther was not stretching noisily, and her Gligar was not sighing. The sound of a tired budew did help to ease her homesickness, though...

A tired Budew? Lizzie opened her eyes. Her two pokemon were looking at the 'intruder'. It was a Budew, tired, and wondering what Lizzie's tent was doing near it's favorite haunt. It had a shy streak, Lizzie noted, because when Riolu introduced herself, Budew darted out of the tent, then peeked in through the tent flaps. Lizzie smiled at it, it reminded her a little of herself.

"So, you hang around here often?" Budew hesitated, then gave a little nod. "You look tired. Want to rest in here for the night?" Budew looked at Lizzie, and nodded after some encouragement from Riolu.

"You know, Budew," Lizzie started, your kind are very common where I come from. It's not really much of a surprise, I guess; there are flowers everywhere."

"Bud."

"It's a peaceful place, if you don't count the people living there."

"Bud, budew."

"How about you, you like it here, don't you?"

"Bud, budew, bud bud dew bud."

"I liked it at home too, but now that I think about it, there is a lot to see, isn't there?

"Budew?"

"For one thing, there are so many pokemon I don't know about." To prove her point, Lizzie took her pokedex out and keyed in a random number. A Dragonite appeared on the screen.

"I have never seen this pokemon before, and I am sure you haven't either," Lizzie said over the pokedex description.

"Bud, bud."

"Do you want to see more? Okay, let's look up 'budew'."

"Budew, the bud pokemon. It is sensitive to temperature and is said to release spores when it feels the warm touch of the sun."

"bud." Budew gave another yawn, "budew."

"Alright then, good night."

"bud."

"Yes, what is it?" Riolu knew exactly what the budew wanted. It nabbed one of Lizzie's empty pokeballs and showed it to Budew. Budew hesitated, but after encouragement from Riolu, Budew pressed the Pokeball and activated the capture mechanism. Afterwards, Lizzie picked the pokeball up and looked at it. She really did not expect to catch Budew, but she felt relieved that she found a part of home in Furoh.