The Lonesome Crowded West

[Yeezy]

SPOILER: Click to show {Team Declaration}*NOTE: Kinge has evolved into a Crawdaunt but in this topic he is yet to evolve Charmeleon Obtained at Level 5 Evolved at Level 16 #005 Obtained at: Oraclair Town Intro Topic: Wake Up, Thomas SPOILER: Click to show {Personality} Charlie is the closest thing Thomas has to a friend. The two had a rocky beginning and neither liked each other. They fought a lot, which led to the long scar on the right side of Thomas' face. As the two grew closer and closer through their journey, the scar has always haunted Charlie. He sees it as a constant reminder of the horrible thing he did to his trainer. He can never look at Thomas without seeing the scar, and it honestly hurts him to see. Charlie would protect Thomas at whatever cost, and knows that Thomas would do the same for him. The two have gone through a lot together, and now can safely say that they are on the same side. Since evolving, Charlie has become even more protective of his trainer and closest friend. He has become so protective that the level head he had when he was a Charmander has somewhat gone out the window. Thomas hopes to set the Pokemon straight once again. Nickname: Charlie Gender: Male Type: Ability: Blaze Height: 3'7" Weight: 41.9 lbs Health: Low EXP Rate: Medium Slow EXP Gauge: (98/104) EXP Gained: 92 [86+2+4] Level: 22 Division: D6 Total Stats: 286 Attack: 61 Defense: 45 Sp. Attack: 69 (24%) Sp. Defense: 48 Speed: 63 (22%) Vitamins Used: - Moveset: 1. Scratch 4. Growl 9. Smokescreen 13. Ember 18. Fury Swipes 19. Scary Face 22. Dragon Rage Unique Moves: Flamethrower (TM Move) Submission (TM Move) Item: - Luck Incense Raichu Caught at Level 5 Evolved at Level 13 #026 Obtained at: Skytouch Forest Intro Topic: Wake Up, Thomas SPOILER: Click to show {Personality} Ohm isn't exactly aggressive, but he does love to battle. However, he does get on quite well with other Pokémon, such as Charlie. Ohm is one of the most confident Pokémon you'll ever meet. He wouldn't be arrogant, but Ohm would back himself to win most battles. He always respects his opponent, but would disappointed in himself if he lost. Thomas and Ohm first met in Skytouch when Thomas was on a year break before going into University. He was impressed with the then Pikachu's determination and decided he would like for the Pikachu to stick around. Ohm, however, has not been happy for the past few years as he felt he was not being used for what he really loved; battling. When Thomas finally decided to travel Godai with the two Pokémon, Ohm was absolutely delighted. Nickname: Ohm Gender: Male Type: Ability: Static Height: 2'7" Weight: 66.7 lbs Health: Intermediate EXP Rate: Medium Fast EXP Gauge: (108/121) EXP Gained: 101 Level: 21 Division: D5 Total Stats: 300 (294+6) Attack: 62 (21%) Defense: 48 Sp. Attack: 62 (56 (19%) + 6 (10%)) Sp. Defense: 52 Speed: 76 (26%) Vitamins Used: 1x Calcium (10%) Moveset: 1. ThunderShock 1. Growl 3. Tail Whip 6. Quick Attack 7. Play Nice 9. Double Kick 12. Double Team 13. Electro Ball 15. Thunder Wave 18. Light Screen 21. Feint 21.Thunderbolt Unique Moves: Dig (TM Move)

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Corphish Received at Level 26

#341 Obtained at: Verdant Highlands Intro Topic: Lost In The World

SPOILER: Click to show {Personality} If Ohm is self determined and self confident, Kinge was on a whole other level before being caught. He liked to do things his way and didn't take advice from anyone or anything. It goes without saying, This guy was amazingly stubborn. Adapting well to the domesticated life, Kinge here has somewhat let loose and begun to calm down just a tad bit. He is learning to work as a team and to not be as much of a self centered Pokémon at all times as he was before. Kinge is adamant to battle any opponent that could come his way, and become stronger by doing so. He is always looking to prove himself to anyone around him and now that he's joined Thomas' team he has another chance to prove himself to someone. Despite his stubborn and independent nature, Kinge loves it when people are impressed by him and he does somewhat seek a sense of validation. Nickname: Kinge Gender: Male Type: Ability: Hyper Cutter Height: 2'0" Weight: 22 lbs Health: Scrawny EXP Rate: Fluctuating EXP Gauge: (157/177) EXP Gained: 0 Level: 26 Division: D8 Total Stats: 286 Attack: 77(27%) Defense: 64 Sp. Attack: 36 Sp. Defense: 65 Speed: 44 Vitamins Used: -

Moveset: 1. Bubble 5. Harden 7. ViceGrip 10. Leer 14. Bubblebeam 17. Protect 20. Double-Hit 23. Knock Off 26. Night Slash Unique Moves: Double Team (TM Move)

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Wayne Crowley loved his wife.

He always had and was adamant that he always would. He had loved her since they had met. Wayne was in a bar, which admittedly was never his thing, when he saw her. Lyanna, a struggling art student who was as beautiful as she was strong-willed. His friends forced him to go over to the other end of the bar where she sat and talk to her. He was nervous as she was with a friend but it turned out to be the greatest decision of his entire life. They had met when he was 26 and now, at the age of 43, he was married to Lyanna and they had a child together.

Between the time he would leave home for work at 7:30 AM and return home at 5:45 PM, there was always two exact times Wayne thought about his wife. Well, he frequently thought about his wife, but there was always two exact points in the day that never changed. The first was when he would look at the pictureframe on his desk. Within the frame was a photo of Lyanna playing with their son. The two were laughing in the photo as they played in the grass. It made Wayne smile whenever he looked upon it when he sat at his desk in the morning.

The second time he thought about his wife was when he would lie in bed with another woman.

At 4:30 PM Wayne left the offices where he worked. He moved briskly and glanced around at everything that surrounded him. He seemed paranoid and as if he was hiding something. He quickly pulled open the car door of his Mercedes and sat inside. Wayne didn't have sex with multiple women, that was never his style. It was always the same woman; Melissa. Melissa was a baker who worked in the centre of Sangproctor city. She was always filled with energy and found it hard to go more than 10 minutes without laughing hysterically. She was the purest and most positive person Wayne had ever met. Oh, and she was 24 Years old.

As he drove to her apartment, Wayne thought about what he was doing. Sometimes he did this, question every decision he had ever made. Why was he going to Melissa's? Why was he going to her? Why was he cheating on his wife? Did he love her? Did he love Melissa? Wayne loved his wife, he knew that, but he also loved Melissa. However, both were two very different loves. His wife was his soulmate and would love her forever. Melissa gave him a new lease for life. She made him feel re-energised and when he was with her he felt truly happy. At this point in a marriage there wasn't much left to be said, so he found it hard to communicate with Lyanna. They were just going through the motions by now and Wayne felt that if he didn't make a drastic change he was going to go insane. That drastic change happened to be Melissa.

As he pulled up outside the apartment block she lived in, he saw her standing outside. Melissa was leaning against the wall to the right of the main door, smoking a cigarette and looking off into the distance. As he looked at her Wayne felt his breathing pick up. She was so pretty, he couldn't get over it. Her eyes were so clear and bright that Wayne was sure he could see them from where he sat. Her black, curly hair stopped just past her jaw and Wayne thought about how much he wanted to touch it. Her nose was adorably small and her lips were thin but seemed thicker as she smoked the cigarette she held. He took one more deep breath before getting out of his car and approaching her.

Melissa smiled as she watched him approach. She exhaled the smoke in her mouth and dropped the cigarette to the ground, squashing it under her shoe. She turned so she was facing Wayne and didn't break eye contact with him. Wayne reached her, nodding his head as he did so. "Hey-" He began before Melissa lept forward and pressed her lips against his. Wayne held her for a second before pushing her away. "Not out here" He hissed disapprovingly. "Let's go inside". Melissa looked annoyed and hurt by his reaction before turning around and walking into the building, followed quickly by Wayne.

Wayne Crowley was always afraid of getting caught cheating on his wife and so tried to keep his affair with Melissa as private as possible. They met every Thursday at 4.40 PM. Wayne could only meet her once a week as he was nervous that more than once would cause suspicion to set into his wife. He told his assistant that he had board meetings at the end of every Thursday in case his wife called wondering where he was. The two never met in public, they always met at Melissa's apartment though she had begun to become tired of this routine. Unfortunately, on this particular day, Wayne was not so lucky. As the two embraced outside the apartment block, they were being watched unbeknownst to them.

Thomas Odell dropped the camera from his eyes as he watched the two walk into the building. He was leaning against the corner of a bank down the street. He looked down at the camera and examined the photos he had taken. They clearly showed Wayne Crowley kissing Melissa the baker. Thomas shut the camera off and slipped it into his bag. He pushed his weight away from the wall and stood tall, strolling down the street with as much of a casual atmosphere that he could create.

After deciding to leave Vlostik Town when he had finished his work for Vanilla's family, Thomas was once again in the position of not knowing what to do next. He had no idea where he wanted to go or what type of place he wanted to go. He had chosen Vlostik Town in the first place because he was attracted by the calm and tranquil atmosphere that he had heard about before arriving. The claim definitely held up, the rolling hills of Vlostik had almost been therapeutic for Thomas. Unfortunately, it had to be spoiled by his encounter with his old "friend", Devan Riggs. Thomas opted not to think about Devan, although he had vowed that the next time they would bump into each other he would not be letting him get away so easily.

Sangproctor, however, was exactly the opposite to Vlostik Town. Excluding Metropolitan Avenue, Sangproctor was the busiest place in Godai. Thomas had to be vigilant as he walked or else he'd walk straight into someone in a three-piece suit staring at their holocastor or a tourist taking pictures of some of the surrounding buildings. The buildings were another contrast to Vlostik. Vlostik was mostly populated by ranch homes that were separated by acres of land and were rarely in close proximity to each other. Sangproctor, however, felt like standing in a cramped elevator at all times. The Skyscrapers stood tall, bunched together and certainly made Thomas feel incredibly minute.

The job had compelled Thomas to travel to Sangproctor. He had set up a profile online at the Pokémon Center in Vlostik so that people around Godai could contact him if they needed his PI services. Thomas thought it'd be a good way of getting his name out there and building up a bigger portfolio of clients. He also thought it was a good excuse to try out different places in Godai and to continue exploring the world of Pokémon. Thomas had enjoyed the serenity of Vlostik Town, so he would have preferred to travel to Weswell Town instead. Yet here he was, walking through the streets of Sangproctor, just one man in a group of thousands. He swerved left and right as he moved through the concrete jungle, doing his best to not collide with anyone. There were a couple of public parks within the city that acted as a relief from the skyscrapers and deafening traffic jams. He had planned to meet Lyanna Crowley in a park on the south side of the city the next day.

Lyanna Crowley had contacted Thomas a week prior. She was nervous over the phone, Thomas could immediately tell. When she spoke she seemed to be unsure of her words. "Um...I...well, I'm calling because...my husband, Wayne, I think..." She had stuttered.

Thomas could sense that she was unsure if she should even be calling him. "Is there something wrong with your husband, Mrs Crowley?" He had asked softly.

The line had gone silent for a few seconds before she spoke again. "I think my husband is cheating on me". They spoke for a little while longer before Thomas had agreed to her terms and was on his way to Sangproctor city.

As he wasn't meeting Lyanna until the next day, Thomas decided it was time to introduce himself to Kingsley. Kinge was the Corphish he had received in a trade back in Vlostik. His job had kept him too busy to try to get to know his Corphish but if he was being truly honest, Thomas was slightly nervous. He had been travelling with just Charlie and Ohm for so long he was used to it being just the three of them. He had come close to letting Kinge out of his capsule on a few different occasions but each time Thomas would just put it back on his belt and leave it for another day. That day was today, he had decided. Thomas moved through the streets of Sanproctor until he had come to a small park beside one of the city's Pokémon Centers. The park was designed to be used by Pokémon trainers to practise with their Pokémon. Naturally, Thomas felt this was the best place to test out his new Pokémon.

The park was surrounded by a waist-high metal fence. Thomas assumed this was to make sure no practice battles spilt out onto the congested city streets. The park, for the most part, was an open space, with only a couple of small clusters of trees here and there. Grass surrounded a large rectangle of dirt where most of the battling was taking place. When Thomas opened the gate to the park, he was confronted by a loud and electric atmosphere. The small area was littered with trainers yelling battles commands at their Pokémon, who in return were giving confident roars and cries of pain. Thomas didn't recognise all the Pokémon on display in front of him but he noticed some. A Ryhorn charged at a Zigzagoon, head down and horn guiding his way. A Taillow flew above Thomas' head, who had to quickly duck so that he didn't get slapped by one of its wings. Thomas watched as a clearly very experienced trainer commanded her Blastoise to a crushing victory over a Mienfoo. Thomas immediately felt uncomfortable being surrounded by all the people and the noise that came with them, yet he forced himself to walk over to a corner of the park that was emptier so that he could focus on his own Pokémon.

Once he felt he had enough room to go about his business, Thomas began detaching his Pokéballs from his belt. He tossed the first two forward and as they bounced on the ground both split open. Light flowed forth from them, forming two separate shapes individually. The first formed the shape of Thomas' Charmeleon, Charlie, who once the light had faded gave his trainer a slight nod and a puff of smoke from his nostrils. The other light formed into Ohm, Thomas' Raichu. Ohm immediately started looking around at the layout surrounding him and Thomas knew he was looking for an opponent. He had to let out a smirk at that.

"Good to see you two. I'll cut to the chase, we have a new member to our team" Thomas began. Charlie's expression gave nothing away, but Ohm was clearly curious as to what Thomas was saying. "Please be courteous to him as he may or may not be friendly". Thomas detached the only other occupied capsule on his belt, rolling it back an forth along the palm of his hand. Moment of truth. Please don't make my life any harder than it is.

"Well, let's see what he's like, shall we?".

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Edit Reasons: Coding, Proofreading + Pokémon Declaration

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[Yeezy]

SPOILER: Click to show {Trainer Encounter} Finnegan 'Finn' Schmidt

Thomas took a deep breath before tossing the ball into the air.

He watched the ball twirl through the air in what felt like slow motion. Arceus, why am I so nervous? Thomas asked himself. It's just a damn Pokémon. Yet he was nervous, Thomas had to admit that. Thomas was used to being alone and had grown to prefer it. He didn't mind the loner life, he could live with just Charlie and Ohm and no one else. When people did come into his life, however, Thomas felt he needed to impress them. Why? Did he need to feel validated? Thomas hated getting introspective like this, whenever he delved deep into the inner psyche he always ended up regretting it. The ball landed softly on the lush grass below their feet. Like the other two, it split open and light seeped out. The light quickly rose into the air and once it had faded away, Kingsley the Corphish stood before them.

The Pokémon made no sound. Kinge blinked a few times and the only sound he emitted was a soft snip whenever he opened and closed his claws. He seemed to be surveying the surrounding area, Thomas noticed, moving quickly on his pincer legs. Thomas watched as they rose and fell into the ground below whenever he moved. Kinge turned his attention to Charlie and Ohm, giving both Pokémon a cautious look and a few snip snips of his claws. Charlie returned the favour, giving Kinge a glare and a few puffs of smoke from his nostrils. Ohm, however, clearly had his interest peaked by the Corphish, mouth slightly opened as he looked the Pokémon up and down.

Thomas cleared his throat. "Hello, Kinge. I am your new trainer" He began. For the first time, Kinge took notice of Thomas. He moved quickly on his legs, shifting his body around to face the Detective. The wary look was now set on Thomas, who shifted slightly uncomfortably under the Corphish's gaze. "My name is Thomas. Detective Thomas Odell" He continued. Why did I give my full title? It's a damn Corphish! Thomas gestured towards his other Pokémon. "These are your new friends, Charlie and Ohm. We are all part of a team and I expect us to act as such". The Corphish didn't follow Thomas gesture, keeping his eyes on his apparent 'new trainer'.

Thomas decided to keep speaking as the silence made him even more uncomfortable. "Well, I think now is as good a time as any to have a training session". Ohm's eyes immediately lit up at those words. The Raichu always loved a battle, whether it be just training or a competition. "Ohm, you'll go first against Kinge, let's see what he's all about".

The Raichu quickly scampered away from the group, stopping and turning to face Kinge about 20 feet away. The Corphish finally took his eyes off Thomas, seemingly understanding what the man was asking of him. Despite not ever taking the Corphish out of his Great Ball until now, Thomas had been studying the information that had come with him. He was a strong Pokémon, that was for sure. The list of moves he knew that Thomas had been informed about was long and varied, which intrigued the Detective. Ohm was an eager and determined fighter and Thomas felt he would be a worthy first opponent for Kinge.

Thomas looked over at his Charmeleon. "Charlie, you can sit this one out, go for a walk and enjoy the weather if you'd like". As expected, the Charmeleon did not do that and instead stayed at Thomas' side. He was always looking to protect his trainer.

"Alright, I'll try to command both of you, but you will need to have some of your own initiatives as well" Thomas called out. Ohm dropped onto all four limbs, eager to begin. Kinge was standing completely still, the only movement was the snip snip of his claws. This will be interesting Thomas thought to himself. "Ohm, begin with a Quick Attack!".

Like a professional relay runner, Ohm leapt off his mark with blistering pace. He bounded towards the Corphish, all four limbs catapulting him forward. He swerved from left to right as he moved in an attempt to catch the Corphish off guard. Kinge watched Ohm come towards him before quickly jumping into action himself. The Corphish leapt high into the air, just above where Ohm was aiming his attack. Thomas was surprised Kinge could manage to push himself off the ground with the type of legs he had. As Ohm passed underneath him, Kinge swung at him with both claws. Ohm managed to twist his body away from one claw but the other connected with his shoulder. The Raichu yelped in shock but Thomas knew the strike wasn't very good. Ohm landed on all fours again, quickly turning to face Kinge.

Kinge just used Double Hit Thomas noted. "Now it's your turn, Kinge. Use Bubblebeam!". Thomas was unsure if the Corphish would heed his command, but once he gave the order Kinge responded immediately. Kinge firmly planted his legs on the ground and opened his mouth wide. When he did, a large cluster of bubbles sprayed from his mouth. They didn't float, however. The bubbles fired out of Kinge's mouth so fast they were onto Ohm in a flash. Ohm was alert to the situation and began to duck and weave his way away from the bubbles. Unfortunately for the Raichu the ferocity of the bubbles was too much for him and some of the bubbles managed to catch him.

Ohm was knocked back by the bubblebeam, causing him to collapse on his back. He quickly leapt to his feet again but Thomas could see he was disgruntled by Kinge's attack. "Ohm, try out Double Kick!".

Ohm looked at Kinge and gave him a smirk, before leaping forward. Kinge raised his arms in defence, ready in for when Ohm advanced on him. The Raichu bounded through the air towards Kinge, whose eyes never left Ohm. He continued to summersault through the air until he was close enough to the Corphish. Then, Ohm unleashed a furious right kick, firing across Kinge's midriff. Fortunately for the Corphish he was able to block it, yet he wasn't prepared for the second kick. Ohm's left leg shot across just as quick as the right, giving Kinge no time to adjust himself. The leg crashed into Kinge's chest, knocking him backwards.

"Good work, Ohm! Kinge, use-" Thomas began, but Kinge was already responding. The Water type almost seemed unfazed by Ohm's previous attack and immediatly leapt towards Ohm. The Raichu clearly was expecting a momentary rest but no such moment came. Kinge swung his right claw with vicious speed, connecting with Ohm's face. Ohm was sent spinning through the air before hitting the grass hard. Blood seeped from the gash the swing had left.

Night Slash Thomas thought. But I didn't tell him to do that. Ohm was pulling himself to his feet, wanting to fight back. "Ohm, it's time for thundersh-" Thomas began, but once again Kinge was already on the move.

The Corphish was on Ohm before the Raichu had even stood up straight. The first hit with the left claw had Ohm stumbling, but the second sent him crashing down hard onto the ground once more. Why is he using Double Hit again? Why isn't he waiting for my command?. Thomas had to put a stop to it. "Kinge, stop!" He yelled as he marched towards the Corphish. Kinge didn't seem to hear him as he raised his claw for another attack. Thomas jumped in and grabbed the Corphish in an attempt to stop him. However, Thomas grabbed Kinge's raised claw, who he realised was about to use Vice Grip. The Claw tightened around Thomas wrist and began squeezing. The pain was instant and Thomas jerked back with a cry. Kinge was thrown back slightly by Thomas' jerk. Before Thomas could speak, Charlie dived onto the Corphish, grabbing the Pokémon and tackling him to the floor.

"Charlie! Step away, now!" Thomas ordered. Though clearly reluctant, Charlie stepped back from the Corphish, more smoke rising from his nostrils. "What the fuck are you doing?!" Thomas yelled at Kinge, nursing his left hand. The claw had broken the skin on his palm and the back of his hand and both cuts were welling up with blood. "I never told you to use any of those moves!".

The anger Kinge seemed to have during the fight had disappeared and instead, he just seemed confused by Thomas' words. He made a questioning croaking noise and Thomas assumed the Corphish didn't understand what he did wrong. Kinge walked beside Ohm and pulled the Raichu up and began croaking some more questions. Ohm gave the Corphish a few angry squeaks before shoving the Pokémon away from him. Despite being bloody and somewhat bruised, Ohm was a tough Pokémon and it seemed his pride was hurt more than his body.

"You only attack when I tell you to, alright? I am your trainer and this only works if you trust me and obey my commands. Do you understand?". Kinge gave his new trainer another annoyed and confused look, before slumping his shoulders and giving a snip of his claw as a sign of acceptance.

Thomas didn't say another word, instead immediately picking the Corphish's capsule up and returning him to his confides. Well, there's a lot to take away from that Thomas thought to himself, sighing as he did so. Kinge was stubborn, Thomas could see that plainly. However, this seemed like a different level of stubborn. Ohm was determined to the point of teetering into stubbornness but there was no other word for Kinge. On the bright side, however, Thomas could also clearly see that the Corphish was strong. Very strong. He hadn't tested him out against Charlie but Thomas was quite sure Charlie's capability was similar to Ohm and if Kinge could dispatch the Raicu like that it wouldn't surprise Thomas if he did the same with Charlie. He'd even have a type advantage over the Charmeleon. Thomas felt fortunate that there were some positives to take away from the training session. If there weren't, then Thomas would've been really regretting choosing to trade for Kinge.

He looked over to Ohm, who still looked extremely irritated by the whole event. "I apologise, Ohm. Kinge is new to the group, he'll calm down" Thomas said, trying to offer his sympathies. The Raichu was still annoyed, sitting down to rub at his wounds. "Let's get you into the Pokémon Center. Both of you, return".

Thomas clicked the buttons on both capsules, returning the Pokémon to their balls. He turned on his heels and began to stroll through the park towards the entrance. As he walked, Thomas took another watch of all the trainers and their Pokémon. As he walked, his eyes caught onto the trainer with the Zangoose from before. Now, he had all of his Pokémon team out of their capsules. To the left of the Zangoose stood a Hawlucha, arms out at both sides to show off their fine wingspan. An Electrike sat on their hind legs next to the trainer, looking up eagerly at him. The trainer was facing the final Pokémon he seemed to own, a Scyther, who stood apart from the rest. As he was walking past, Thomas stopped in his tracks when he heard the trainer speak.

"What a lousy excuse for a Pokémon you are" The man (Well, more of a boy) said. The look of disgust was plain on his face as he looked at the Scyther he owned, lips curled and eyes glaring. His face was pale and soft and didn't appear to have any scars or marks. The boy was tall and slender and if it wasn't for his youthful facial features Thomas could've easily thought him to be of a similar age to himself. He wore a large red overcoat over a pair of slim black pants. He wore a black beanie on top of his thick brown hair, which matched his pair of pants. Even his outfit made him seem like an adult. Thomas sensed that the boy was intentionally trying to appear older than he was, for whatever reason.

"I nearly lost that Rhythm badge because of you, if it wasn't for Vinny- " The boy gestured towards his Zangoose, apparently named Vinny. "-And, of course, my genius tactics". The boy began to pace as he spoke. "I really tried to give you a chance, Lotus. I told myself I'd show some compassion towards a declining Pokémon like you, and this is how you repay me?". The Scyther didn't look their trainer in his eyes, staring at the ground beneath them. Despite not looking hurt, Thomas thought there was no way the boy's words couldn't be painful to hear. "You're just too old, Lottie. That's all there is to it. Look at Vinny, look at Kami, look at Rodney. They're all much younger and much more agile than you". The boy sighed in a really exaggerated way that irked Thomas. "My patience is running thin with you, Lottie, I'm starting to expect you to disappoint me every time".

Thomas couldn't take anymore. "Hey!" He yelled, catching the boys attention. The boy jumped slightly when he yelled, looking over slightly startled. Thomas began walking towards him. "How can you talk to your Pokémon like that?" He asked, the annoyance evident in his voice. Thomas couldn't help but let the 10-year-old Thomas out slightly, the one whose entire life revolved around his love for Pokémon. "Do you have any respect for them?".

The boy looked Thomas up and down before scoffing. "What's it to you, posh boy?".

Posh boy? Thomas was extremely confused by the apparent insult but he didn't let it sidetrack him. "Answer my question, boy. Do you have any respect for your Pokémon?" .

The boy looked back at his Pokémon as if he needed to remind himself how many Pokémon he had. "Most of them of, yes. They usually impress me". He then pointed directly at the Scyther, Lottie. "But her? It's hard to respect someone who disrespects you in nearly every battle they partake in".

Thomas didn't understand. "Pokémon lose battles, it happens". Thomas pointed a finger at him. "If she's consistently losing battles then clearly you're not as tactical or as good a trainer as you think you are. You can't blame her solely".

The boy frowned. "Of course I can blame her. I've won 3 gym badges, how could I be anything but a good trainer?" He asked, and he seemed genuine about that question.

Thomas gritted his teeth at the boy's arrogance. How could he not see how ignorant and cruel he was being? Thomas closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. He looked back at the boy before him. "Unless you care for your Pokémon, you'll never be a 'good' Pokémon trainer" Thomas said plainly. He turned away from the boy and started to walk towards the entrance of the park without another word. It was time to bring his Pokémon to the Pokémon Center.

I may never be a famous Pokémon trainer or Champion, but I care for my Pokémon He thought as he walked. And no one can take that away from me.

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