Chapter One : Journey Start

[liepardwriting]

Jillian Smart never expected to find herself in Miner Memorial Cave. She and everyone in her hometown had been personally affected by the disaster that it was memorializing. Even now, at the entrance, she could almost feel ghosts of the lost lingering in the cavernous tunnel. However, her mentor, Dr. Georgia Smith, had recommended she start her journey there. According to her teacher the Pokemon there were not particularly tough, many would make great additions to Jill’s team and above all Jill would find some Isdan Pokemon that Dr. Smith hadn’t gotten a chance to study yet.

Jill couldn’t fail her mentor so she took a deep breath and crossed the threshold into the abandoned mine. Immediately, the cold of the place (or her own ghosts) froze her right to the bone and she was tempted to turn around and leave right there. Instead of running back outside though she simply reached into her bag and took out her leather jacket. Once the jacket was on her person, the cold inside the tunnel was far more tolerable and honestly a relief compared to the dry heat outside. To further comfort herself she also released her Rockruff, the way her little rock puppy sniffed the air and the dashed off towards the first interesting smell he detected warmed her more than any jacket could . She returned her satchel bag to her shoulder and followed after him.

For a rock type he was quite fast and it took her a good ten minutes to catch up to him. Once she did he immediately jogged over to her and dropped a random rock at her feet. She gave him an affectionate scratch under his chin. Just like when she first got him, it surprised her how soft most of his fur was.

“ You're such a good boy, Rocky. Yes you are,” she cooed as she pet him and the Rockruff’s tail wagged rapidly from side-to-side.

Jill continued to pet him at which point he rubbed the ring of rocks around his neck on Jill’s hand. A sharp pain, like being poked with a knife shot through her. She yanked her hand away from Rocky to check out the damage. A dot of blood bloomed on her palm only to stop shortly after, but boy did it sting, even on skin as tough as hers.

She heard a whimper and looked down at Rocky. His ears drooped and his big blue eyes were filled with guilt and sadness.

Jill scratched him behind the ears. “It’s okay Boy, neither one of us knew quite how sharp those rocks around your neck were. We’ll just have to be more aware of them.”

Rocky’s mood immediately perked and Jill added a quick note about the neck rocks to her pokedex. In the meantime, Rocky turned his attention back to the rock at Jill’s feet. She picked it up and threw it. Thanks to the arm she developed from sports, particularly baseball, the rock got quite a bit of distance. Trainer and Pokemon chased after it only to run into a dimly lit tunnel. Jill could only see a few feet ahead of her.

Footsteps from the back of the tunnel were heard followed by an irritated voice. “Are you responsible for throwing this stone?”

Jill tensed and for a moment wondered if the Miner Memorial Tunnels were haunted after all. Rocky stepped in front of her, but he was all tail wags and perked up ears. Jill hoped he was right, and whoever the voice belonged to was as friendly as her starter seemed to think. She somehow doubted it and braced herself for a battle.

Oddly enough the light grew closer and it was only when the other person came into view that she realized the light wasn’t actually man made, but came from a flame a Combusken held in its hand.

The voice belonged to a guy around her age. He wore a pair of dark, well-worn jeans, a red shirt, a bright orange vest and a red police officer’s cap. “Well, were you the one who threw this rock or not?” he asked.

Like most people the guy stood a good head taller than her and tried to use that size to intimidate her. Jill spread her feet a little further apart and looked him directly in the eye. “Yes. I was playing with my Rockruff. Is that a problem?” she asked.

The man backed of a little but not by much. “Yes. There are several colonies of bat Pokemon in this cave. You could easily hit one of them and then a swarm would be upon you in moments. Rock type or not, they’d quickly overwhelm you.”

Jill backed off immediately, he kind of had a point, especially since Rocky was still quite a low level and had yet to learn a rock-type attack.

Jill faked a cough. “Sorry about that, I should of thought that through a little more carefully.”

The guy’s face softened,but his voice still had a gruffness to it. “Just be more careful next time. Are you a new trainer?”

“Yes,I just started my journey today actually.” Jill said. “My name is Jillian Smart, I’m looking for new Pokemon from Isdan to complete my degree for Weswel Community College. Who are you?” Rocky barked a greeting of his own.

The man gave him a quick scratch behind his ears before he turned his attention back to Jill. “I’m Hercule Holmes,” he said. “As a ranger it’s part of my job to monitor areas like this in case trainers get lost.“ he pat his Combusken on the back. “Cheri here, helps me with that.”The Combusken didn’t say anything, but if Jill wasn’t mistaken she stood up a little taller at the praise. Hercule continued. “You aren’t gonna find too many Pokemon on the main path, but be careful stepping off it. These mines are still a little unstable since the accident. I can give you my holocaster number in case you get lost or get into any trouble.”

His word reminded Jill exactly where she was and she felt cold slip into her bones again, but she buried it just as quickly. “I’d like that,”

They exchanged numbers and Hercule pointed her towards a abandoned path just up the way where man made lights still flickered, but provided enough darkness for the Pokemon to be comfortable. Jill followed his instructions with Rocky at her ankles and admiration for the first real ranger she'd seen in her heart. 

[liepardwriting]

SPOILER: Click to show

{"Pokemon Declaration”}Nickname: Rocky



Gender: Male



Type:Rock



Ability: Vital Spirit



Height:1'8"



Weight: 20.2



Health: Low



EXP Rate:Medium Fast



EXP Gauge: (7/9)



EXP Gained: 0



Level: 5



Division: D8



Total Stats: 55

• Attack: 15(28%)
• Defense: 10
• Sp. Attack:;7
• Sp. Defense:;11;
• Speed:12 (22%)

[/li][/ul][/spoiler]



Just as Hercule told her the light bulbs in the tunnel flickered on and off, casting the tunnel in a dark shade of gray. To make matters worse, There were only inches between her head and the stone ceiling above. Furthermore, The tunnel was quite narrow. Eventually it widened as she delved further, but the light remained dim. Terrifying images of the ceiling collapsing made it difficult to focus on watching for Pokemon.

Meanwhile, Rocky dashed around the tunnel barking at any stray shadow he came across. However his tail wagged the whole time, so Jill guessed he was just greeting the shadows on the off chance he could make a new friend. His antics eased the tension and fear building up inside her and Jill reminded herself that Dr. Smith recommended the Miner Memorial Caves precisely because they weren’t too dangerous She relaxed and found a smooth rock that provided an excellent view of the tunnel. She sat cross-legged, took out her scientific journal and turned her attention to Rocky. She doubted he’d do anything particularly new or interesting right now, he was still fun to watch. She spent the next few minutes sketching down some action shots of Rocky until he ran back over to her and climbed in her lap, belly up. Jill sat her journal aside and rubbed his belly. His bottom right leg started kicking and Jill couldn’t help but smile. She resolved to draw him in the same position a little later.

After awhile, Jill’s stomach started to growl. “I suppose we should break for lunch, shouldn’t we?”

Rocky turned back over and barked in what Jill assumed was agreement. The trainer reached into her bag and took out a sandwich she made for herself and some Pokemon food for Rocky. They were about halfway through their meal when a sudden flutter of wings was heard. Rocky’s ears perked and Jill stood up and scanned the area so she’d be ready to battle if it was necessary. Around the same time the light bulbs flickered out casting the tunnel in darkness. Jill prayed to Mew that the lights would flicker back on so her and Rocky could see the enemy Pokemon approaching them. Her starter yelped and the lights flickered back on to reveal a tiny, winged ball of gray fluff pressing its nose to Rocky’s head. He seemed unharmed, but shook his head is an attempt to detach the Pokemon. In response the bat-like creature removed it’s nose from Rocky’s head, flew around so she faced him and chittered what Jill assumed was a hello. Seconds later Rocky’s tail was wagging,excited at the prospect of a new friend.

Jill took her pokedex from her bag and aimed it at the Pokemon. According to the dex the Pokemon was called a Woobat. It was a psychic-flying type, smaller than average, female and quite young. After reading a little more about the creature, Jill immediately wanted to take the Pokemon home, even if she wasn’t one of the species she was supposed to be studying.

This desire only increased when the Woobat flew over to Jill and pressed her nose against the dex. She backed off almost immediately, but left a cute heart-shaped mark on the device. Since the Woobat was so young Jill wanted to avoid a battle if possible and took a pokeball out her bag, clicked the center and aimed it at the Woobat. The Pokemon immediately knocked the ball to the ground with a single swipe of a wing. She then let out a string of chirps that sounded quite a bit like curses.

“Rocky, I need your help,” Jill said and he immediately moved in front of her. “Use leer,” Jill said, still convinced she could catch the Woobat without physically hurting her.

Rocky looked the Woobat directly in the eyes with the most intimidating face he could manage. Without even a flinch her own eyes opened. They were pupilless and glowed with an eerie shade of pink. Despite that, her stance almost looked friendly. Rocky’s tail wagged a moment, but then the Woobat’’s fur bristled and her eyes flew open again.Their eyes locked and Rocky stumbled backwards. He regained his footing, but his friendly expression was replaced with one of determination and resolve.

Curious about what happened, Jill looked up the Woobat’s moveset and saw an egg-moved called flatter. Like sweet kiss, it was a move that appeared friendly but really wasn’t. The contrast often confused the opponent.

“Rocky use sand attack.” Jill said.

It took him a moment, but he managed to shake particles of sand from his fur towards the Woobat. The attack landed, but she shook it back out and aimed her pupiless stare at Rocky once more, as if nothing had happened. The attack knocked him to the ground, but he got back on his feet fairly quickly. He was panting a lot more than Jill expected him to since the Woobat was such a low level, if they didn’t finish the battle soon they could lose.

“Rocky,use tackle.” Jill commanded.

Rocky attempted to pounce on the Woobat, but tripped and face-planted into the dirt below.

“Come on you can fight that confusion, I know you can,” Jill said. “Try another tackle.”

Rocky stood up and charged towards the Woobat. This time the attack hit home and his opponent was knocked from the air. She managed to wriggle free, but paused to catch her breath before she climbed back into the air. Jill took out another pokeball and threw it at the crippled Woobat. The ball didn’t shake once before the Pokemon was sealed inside. Jill picked up the ball and released her to make a more proper introduction.

The Woobat popped out , perched on Jill’s shoulder and pressed her nose against her neck. It was a weird sensation, like being kissed by a moist sponge, but not unpleasant.

“Nice to meet you to, I’m guessing you wish to join us now?”

The Woobat chittered in agreement. Rocky walked over to them, tail wagging and barked at their new teammate. His actions were similar to the part at the end of Jill’s softball games where they’d shake hands with the opposing team and assure them that win or lose, they played a good game. It always amazed her her similar humans and their Pokemon companions really were.

She turned her attention back to the Woobat on her shoulder. “If you’re going to join us,you need a name. How about Woolo?”

The Pokemon indicated her acceptance of the name with another chirp.

_________________________________________________________

SPOILER: Click to show

{Battle Summery}

Rocky used leer.

Thanks to Unaware Woobat wasn’t affected, Woobat used flatter.

Rocky is confused.

Woobat used confusion.

Rocky used sand attack.

Woobat was unaffected and used confusion.

Rocky used tackle, but hurt himself in Confusion.

Rocky used tackle.

Woobat was caught.

Link to the encounter: godairegion.proboards.com/thread/445/team-building-ahoy-encounter-roll

[liepardwriting]

After Woolo became an official member of the team, the small group turned their attention back to lunch. Rocky was more than happy to share his bowl of Pokemon food with Woolo and Jill couldn’t help but sketch the two Pokemon eating together, it was cute. She managed to make it part of her research by making notes on Rocky’s friendliness, but that was just an excuse. She needed to go a little deeper into the tunnel to continue her search for Isdan Pokemon after everyone finished eating.

Jill finished her sandwich before Woolo and Rocky, so she drummed her fingers on the rock they were sitting on while she waited. Finally, their bowl was empty and Jill was just about ready delve deeper into the tunnel, but then Rocky stretched almost like a cat while Woolo yawned. Jill sighed, it was easy to forget that despite their power, both her Pokemon were still quite young and even a small battle could tire them out. Not to mention she’d been so excited to start her journey that she’d forgotten to buy potions before she headed towards the Miner Memorial Caves.

She took their balls from her bag. “I guess I should let the two of you rest, shouldn’t I?”

Rocky didn’t answer, but Woolo yawned again as if to agree with Jill. The trainer pressed the center button on each ball and tucked them away in her satchel bag along with her journal and the materials from lunch. The best thing she could do now was take them to the closest Pokemon center to rest. She’d also buy some supplies at the Pokemart so, she could spend a little longer in the caves when she came back.

If her own internal compass was correct, the closest Pokemon Center was in Vlostik Town. She took out her town map just to make sure and she was correct. After she confirmed that the next town was indeed Vlostik She returned the map to her bag and headed back the way she came. She was almost at entrance area of the cave when she was forced to stop. Two Pokemon she’d never seen before blocked her way, she leaned against the wall careful to remain out of their sights. The Pokemon were similar in shape, but one looked like a floating rock while the other looked like a tiny, green sun. The green one was on the ground with a terrified look on its face directly in the rocky one’s shadow. Jill reached into her bag and took out her pokedex. She aimed the machine at the Pokemon and within seconds she had data on them. Apparently, the Pokemon were called Minior and the reason they looked so different was because the Pokemon had two forms; a meteorite form and a core form. The green one was in core form, which meant it had lost at least fifty percent of its hit points. Jill had walked in on a wild Pokemon battle and she couldn’t just walk past them because the tunnel was so narrow. She would have to fight her way through and do it very carefully since Woolo would be useless against rock types and Rocky was still a little low on health. She needed assistance. Briefly, her thoughts drifted to the ranger she met earlier, but pride prevented her from calling him. The last thing she needed was for some stranger to lecture her when she already knew the exact mistakes she made. The only other option was to try and get the core-form Minior on her side. Its health may of been low, but he was still a level eight Pokemon with excellent defense, so maybe Rocky and it could at least convince the meteorite-form to move.

“Mew, please protect us all,” she whispered and released Rocky.

The Rockruff was a little bleary-eyed for a second before he grasped the entire situation and then growled.

Jill scratched him behind the ears and turned her attention to the wild Pokemon. “Hey Minior.” Just as she hoped the meteorite-form turned its attention to her and Rocky. “I don’t like bullies, so prepare to have your round butt handed to you.” Rocky growled in agreement with Jill. The trainer prayed to Mew again, hoping she wasn’t making a huge mistake.

Her prayers were answered when the core-form Minior got up and flew to Jill’s side, ready for another round with its healthier opponent.

“Thank You, Mew,” Jill whispered and prepared for battle.
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Link to encounter: godairegion.proboards.com/thread/445/team-building-ahoy-encounter-roll