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 Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:37 pm
Kasiya smiled back at the redhead, more than certain that he was talking about Hiro. She knew better than most just how awesome and reliable and tough Arcanine were. "That's great, Keegan," she said, nodding, and also in agreement with the Flareon comment. Perhaps it was because she had three Eeveelutions in her possession already, but the thought of adding a Flareon to the group just seemed so perfect, but a part of her felt as though she owed the redhead for Nova somehow. The wheels had begun to turn in her head, and she chuckled at Keegan's little dig at them. Admittedly she was quite surprised at how... well-behaved he was being.
Watching the two Lavaridge boys interact, however, gave the blonde a bit of insight as to how they used to be such good friends. They must have had loads and loads of stories of their adventures, and she was dying to hear them. She somehow knew they'd only be complete if both Mike and Keegan were there to tell it together, and it wasn't until Mike made the comment about her shorts and she looked down at them, pursing her lips a little. "Of course you couldn't rock these, they're girls shorts," she retorted somewhat haughtily while comically missing the point. She did smile at the mention of the recently-won badge, however, and she wondered if the redhead planned to continue winning badges of his own. "Mount Pyre?" she repeated, giving Mike a quizzical look. The Mossdeep twins had mentioned something about it, but Mike's sudden snatching up of Keegan's newly acquired Fire Stone in an attempt to evolve himself caused almost all coherent thoughts to leak out her ears. She thought about mentioning that she had Shocker back, but it didn't really seem like the time or place to bring it up.
"Who are those for?" she asked, attempting to change the subject on herself, even if she was the only one on it at the time. The cashier had noticed the stack of TMs the girl had and had started ringing them through. "Oh, can I please sell this, too?" she asked cutely, prompting a grin from the teen, who nodded. "And do you happen to carry Shiny Stones?" Another dopey grin from the boy as he retrieved the girl's requested, and Kasiya thanked him politely as she dished out a rather large sum of money to pay for everything before she began to tuck everything into her bag. All in all, it had been a very productive day so far.
=-=-=-=-=
Jake let out a small groan as he opened his eyes, slowly forcing himself into a sitting position. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but he remembered falling. The boy looked up, his eyes widening when he saw the gaping holes in the ceilings above him. He had fallen through two floors? "Wow," he muttered, looking around the room he was in now. It appeared to be some sort of storage area, as he'd landed on a bunch of old boxes, luckily enough. Magnemite and Sigilyph had found him as well, both looking fairly worried. "Hey guys, don't worry about me, I'm fine," he chuckled somewhat Mareep-ishly, but oddly enough, neither Pokemon so much as looked at him. "Guys?"
Magnemite and Sigilyph were exchanging words now, at least in PokeSpeak, and finally Magnemite drifted over to him, buzzing about something. After a bit of explanation, the two odd Pokemon had released Grotle and Bibarel as well, and now the four Pokemon had gathered around their trainer in a circle. "What's the matter?" Jake asked, studying each Pokemon in turn. "Really, I'm all right-" he reached out his hand to pat Grotle on the head and he let out a startled yelp as it passed right through the Pokemon. "What is this?" the boy asked, trying again and again. Try as he might though, he could not make physical contact with his Pokemon. Concern began to well up within Jake as he stood up, brushing the dust and debris from his clothing, and as he took a step forward, between Bibarel and Grotle, he started to get the feeling that something was really wrong.
He turned to look back at the Pokemon and let out a strangled sort of squeak: he was still lying on the floor, under a large pile of debris from the ceiling, eyes closed. He wasn't moving, either. "Oh, no," Jake murmured, holding his head in his hands. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I can't be... this isn't..." He began to pace back and forth, mind racing. Was this it? Was he really dead? He tried talking to his Pokemon again, but none of them seemed able to see him, though trying to touch them seemed to make them all squirm a little. Sigilyph, on the other hand, seemed to sense something around him, but Jake still couldn't communicate with him. Every second that passed caused more panic to build up in the boy. "I'm dead," he sighed finally, staring down at his hands, which were now somewhat see-through. "I'm actually dead! I'm a ghost!" he shouted, running out of the room. "I'm a ghost! I'm a ghost! I'm a ghost! I'm a ghost!"
=-=-=-=-=
Karrigan looked over at the dark-haired boy in surprise as he complimented Ikouma's speed, and for a moment, her opinion of him started to change for the better, at least until his follow-up comment. She narrowed her eyes, not at all liking the way he was looking at her. "My name?" she repeated, still glaring at him. "I never gave it, but if you care, it's Karrigan."
Ikouma wasn't overly fond of this boy either, and he jumped back as the Drowzee rushed him again, trying to smash him with a Headbutt. His speed was probably his greatest asset, and as Karrigan glared at the glasses-wearing boy, Ikouma decided to take matters into his own claws. He wasn't generally a team player to begin with, but he felt something new click into place in his brain as he launched his attack - his newly learned Beat Up. As he did, silhouettes of his teammates seemed to join him, adding their power to his and the Sneasel let out a sharp cry as he slashed at Drowzee with his sharp claws.
=-=-=-=-=
While it was true that Vileplume didn't recover a massive amount of health from her Moonlight, it was enough to keep her going as she watched the Froslass' movements. She didn't even realize that she'd temporarily lost the ability to even use Moonlight, but luckily her trainer did. Erika's little smile was probably the last thing most trainers would expect in response to a tactic like that, but the Gym Leader believed in showing respect when it was due. Crenu was smart, and she admired that. Despite losing Moonlight, however, she still wasn't worried. "Sweet Scent, again," she called, and the flower once again unleashed the irresistibly sweet aroma into the battlefield.
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 10:42 pm
After a little while of wandering the streets of Violet City, Ben decides to go for one last round of training with Pichu before the sun sets. Looking up in the sky, he figured he had maybe an hour left. Smiling, he pets Pichu's head affectionately. "Alright buddy, one more round. Let's polish up those moves, and then we can have a nice big dinner!" Pichu looks happy about the food part, clinging to Ben's shoulder as he makes his way back toward Route 31.
Time to look for some Pokemon...
Walking silently through the tall grass, Ben's eyes are searching high and low for a good target. He knew that he didn't have long before dark, and he wanted to be back in the city by then -- he had no idea what sort of Pokemon came out at night. But he didn't have to wait for long. There in front of him, beak pecking into the dirt, was a Pidgey. A Flying type, and an easy target for his Pichu's Thundershock. Grinning, he glances at Pichu with a finger to his lips, pointing down at it. Pichu's ears twitch as he looks down and sees the bird Pokemon, hopping down and bouncing, ready to go. "Pii pii!" At his cry, the Pidgey becomes startled and starts to flap its wings ferociously, kicking up a wall of sand. Ben knew what to do. "Pichu, cover your eyes! It's Pidgey's Sand Attack!"
Pichu quickly covers his eyes against the blast of sand, looking up to see Pidgey start to run away. Ben wasn't about to let that happen. "Pichu, chase after it! Hit it with your Tail Whip while it's still on the ground!" Pichu quickly hops into action, running as fast as it can to catch up to the bird and delivering a spinning Tail Whip, knocking the Pidgey down. At this point, the Pidgey decides that it's not just going to run. Now it was war. Chuckling quietly, Ben watches the Pidgey turn around and leap into a Tackle, knocking Pichu on his butt, the Pidgey's claws scratching the dirt as it prepares to Tackle again. "Pidgii!" it calls out angrily. Ben quickly took action. "Pichu, Thundershock!" Pichu nods, electricity already sparking out of his cheeks from being hit and startled. Standing to his feet, Pichu's eyes enter deadlock at the Pidgey, his little fists clenching as he releases his electric attack. "Pipiiii!" The jolt shot out of him, but the Pidgey saw it coming and started running away to dodge it. Ben clenched his jaw. "Give it another one!" Pichu looks to where the Pidgey is running, aiming carefully and letting loose another jolt. "PIII!!" The Pidgey could not escape, this time. The electricity hits, the Pidgey letting out a squawk and laying helpless on the ground, its body weak with paralysis. Ben wiped his brow. This Pokemon had given up a good fight. Which gave him an idea..
Quickly, Ben grabbed a Pokeball from his belt, taking careful aim and throwing it at the downed Pidgey. He watched as the ball popped open, the Pidgey disappearing inside of it.. and then the ball began to shake. Ben bit his lip, his eyes watching the ball's movements carefully. 'Come on.... Come on...' he thought, his fists clenching. And finally, he heard it. A sudden, gratifying click, and the ball ceased to move. Ben couldn't stop the grin spreading across his face as he jumped up. "Yyyes! Yes, yes, YES! I caught a Pidgey!" Laughing, he runs to his Pichu and picks him up, nuzzling his belly deeply, the static making his hair stand on end, but he didn't care. "You did such a great job, buddy! Thank you so much!" The grin still stuck firmly in place, Ben carries his Pichu to where the Pokeball lays on the ground, stopping and picking it up with a satisfied smile. "Welcome to the team.. Pidgey.."
Holding his Pichu snugly in one hand and the Pokeball with his new Pokemon in the other, he walks tall with pride in his steps as he makes his way back toward the Violet City PokeCenter to heal his new friend.
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 8:25 am
Keegan smirked in reply at the mention of the Growlithe's moves. He hadn't trained with her all that much but she was already fairly strong to begin with. "Nah, she's good. She already knows Flamethrower and I also taught her Overheat," he said, giving a casual shrug. The mention of those dishes, however, made him chuckle, and he shook his head. "The ones with the ugly purple flowers on them? Nah, she really did hate them. They were a wedding present from one of my great aunts on my Dad's side whom apparently has godawful taste. After you went home that night, she literally went and smashed every last one of them." He remembered that night rather well, actually, as Maggie had asked him to join her in her dishes-smashing rampage and only then did Keegan understand just how deep his mother's hatred for that particular dish set truly ran. Come to think of it, he wasn't entirely convinced that his mother had any love for the aunt in question, as even he didn't have any really pleasant memories of her. From what he recalled of her, she was like some horrifying hybrid combination of Miss Trunchbull, Miss Minchin and Professor Snape.
He nodded in agreement at Mike's choice in clothing as it was far better than the charred scraps of fabric he'd been wearing previously and the redhead was reminded of the large chunk of jacket he was currently missing, thanks to young Hades. It was impossible to stay angry with the adorable little Axew, however. He smirked at the comment about Kasiya and her shorts, and actually laughed out loud as the blonde completely missed the point of Mike's statement. He wasn't at all surprised to hear that they'd trashed Tate and Liza in a gym match and the fact that they'd won another badge caused a surge of jealousy to shoot through him. He exhaled slowly as he looked back at Kasiya. He wasn't at all subtle about giving her a good once-over, deciding that even a swift kick in the head wouldn't stop him from looking even as Mike made a vague comment about Mount Pyre and returning something. "Okay..." he said, deciding to just agree with his old friend. It was often easier that way.
The redhead stared in awe at the mountain of discs Kasiya had chosen, almost missing her question in the process. "What could you possibly need a Shiny Stone for? Oh, and Aerial Ace is for Hades, and Energy Ball is for Pan," he said, also stuffing the discs into his bag, but as he reached for the Fire Stone, Mike snatched it up first and shoved it against his forehead. The redhead's perplexed expression didn't waver even as he took back the stone from Mike. "Yeah, you're lucky it didn't work," he said, managing a smirk. "Otherwise you'd owe me a Fire Stone." He added it to his collection of items, easily able to remember the last time he had a Fire Stone in his possession. "Me?" he replied finally, as Mike's attempt at evolution had temporarily distracted him, "I'm going to evolve Eithne and then I'm heading down to Petalburg City to take on Norman. It seems that I have some... catching up to do," he added slowly. The battle he'd had with his father yesterday sprang to mind, and he brightened up a bit. "Oh yeah, Mike, do you remember how we were never sure if my Dad was actually a trainer in his younger days? Well, apparently he was, because yesterday he challenged me. To an actual battle! And I won!" Saying it out loud felt good, and he smiled, genuinely. "I won."
=====
"Who is she?"
"Where did she come from?"
"How did she get here?"
"What the hell happened to her? Poor kid..."
The sound of voices from all around her caused Miharu to stir, and she slowly opened her eyes to find four unfamiliar faces staring down at her. She cried out and tried to scramble back, but one of the sailors put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey, relax, no one's going to hurt your," he said. "You're safe here." The other sailors gave murmurs of agreement, but Miharu wasn't convinced, for obvious reasons.
"What're we gonna do with her?" another sailor asked.
"Well, someone needs to tell the Skipper."
"What if she's a stowaway? We should toss her in the brig," the fourth sailor spoke up.
"This is a cruise ship, Jonah, there is no brig," the first sailor grumbled dryly.
"I don't think she's a stowaway. She's obviously hurt," said another. "If anything, we should get her to sickbay."
While the quartet of sailors discussed what to do with her, Miharu drifted in and out of consciousness, only vaguely aware of her surroundings as the young men decided she wasn't a threat and went about getting her some medical attention. They'd loaded her onto a stretcher, and she caught a glimpse of one of the sailors holding onto her bag. She weakly reached for it, but passed out again before any of them noticed.
=====
Damien gave a small chuckle, once again adjusting his glasses. "Karrigan," he repeated, testing out the name on his tongue. It seemed to suit her. "I care," he added, giving a nonchalant shrug. "Otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned it. If you care, I'm Damien."
The Sneasel's attack was rather impressive, and though it didn't leave Drowzee unable to battle just yet, with only Headbutt and Pound at her disposal, Damien knew it was futile. He held up the Hypnosis Pokemon's PokeBall and recalled her, bowing his head in an almost respectful manner at the girl. "I think that's enough. You win, Karrigan," he said, reattaching Drowzee's PokeBall to his belt and glancing around. He was certain that there had to be a place for them to heal their Pokemon, otherwise they likely wouldn't let the trainers battle in the first place.
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 11:10 am
"Oh wait, were they Evil Aunt Carla's?" Mike said, reeling at the mere remembrance of that creature's name. "Nevermind. I'm glad I broke them." He hadn't met this particular woman himself, but from all the horror stories he had heard from Keegan, he knew fate had made the right choice. She was the only person in existence that would cause Mrs. Summer's infallible smile to fade when brought up in conversation, and that was more of an indication of pure evil than anything in the world.
Mike joined in at laughing at the blonde's expense. It was a well-meaning, entirely affectionate gesture, and ended in a dreamy, dopey grin. The boy pondered just how one person could be so hyper aware of certain things, such as how Kasiya was able to entirely dissect the source and pattern of his mental degradation by just piecing random events together, but entirely miss him subtly remarking she had a nice butt. It boggled the mind, but it was so confusing and precious he wouldn't have it any other way. He caught Keegan's little glance (not like he was trying to hide it) but it didn't bother him too much. Continuing her confused state, Kasiya brought up the decision to go to Mt. Prye. "Oh I completely forgot to tell you, I'm sorry! Would you mind if we stopped there for a moment after we're done here? It's kind of really important and it won't take too long at all." He would tell both of them right then and there, but there were far too many people to basically shout out 'I have a device I could use to control the Legendary Pokemon that broke this place four years ago. Also I was the one that stole it, OOPS MY BAD.'
Moving on, Mike grinned at Keegan's matter-of-fact reply. "Yeah, yeah." he waved his hand dismissively. "Watch out, you're starting to sound like your dad, Mr. Businessman." At the mention of Keegan's upcoming Gym battle, Mike was about to offer some suggestions, but those all literally shot out of his brain (along with a good deal of smoke from his ears) when the redhead revealed the much more important battle he had just participated in. "No. Way." Mike's jaw dropped and he couldn't stop himself from grabbing Keegan's wrists and hopping up and down like a Spoink on a sugar rush. "Of course you won! Details! What did he use? Was he a fire trainer? Who did you use? Does Flannery know? Shut up and tell me!" Both him and Flannery had spent many, many hours worrying about their friend throughout their young lives, and to know that he was at a point where he could not only stand up to him, but defeat him, was such a relief to him as a lifelong friend. In a way, he felt a shared sense of accomplishment in his friend's victory. The weight that was lifted from him as a result only made him jump even higher and more excited.
Right now, if only for the briefest of moments, the last few days never happened and at least in his mind, they were best friends again.
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 5:48 pm
Kasiya would be lying if she said she didn't feel at least a tiny bit left out of the conversation between Keegan and Mike, but at the same time, it made her quite happy to see the two of them getting along and it definitely gave her hope that she and the redhead could continue to be friends, at the very least. She could only imagine what having an evil great aunt like that would be like, as the few extended family members she knew of were all very nice people. Her smile did falter some when the two boys laughed at her, but she knew they didn't mean anything bad by it and she laughed as well, if anything to be a part of the conversation. "It's fine, it's fine," she said, still giggling a bit as Mike explained the plan a little more. She wanted to add "I'd follow you anywhere" but she didn't want to risk saying something that could set off the redhead, as he was about as volatile as an Electrode (on a good day, at that) so she kept it to herself. Besides, she was sure that by now, Mike knew she'd follow him to hell and back, and entirely of her own volition, too.
A small wave of panic hit her as Keegan inquired about the Shiny Stone's use, and she forced a laugh. "You know, for that Minccino you gave me. The egg? Just like Mike's Litwick?" she said, the last part through slightly clenched teeth and she prayed the redhead understood her meaning. To be sure, she gave him a pleading look, one that said 'I'll explain later' as she looked back over the counter. The young cashier must have thought the three young trainers were nuts. How very accurate he was, to an extent. She smiled at the mention of Pan, however, as the Grovyle was Nova's self-appointed rival and nemesis and she wondered how the Grass-type was doing.
With her slip-up (hopefully) covered up for now, she looked back at the two Lavaridge boys as Keegan mentioned his intentions of challenging the Petalburg Gym Leader. "Norman? You'll destroy him," she said, meaning it entirely. She knew the redhead didn't think very much of his abilities as a trainer, but she knew firsthand that he had mad skills. Like that time he'd known his Sealeo was about to evolve, or when he'd predicted almost to the step when Nova hatched. The news about his father being a trainer wasn't as big of a shock to her, however, as she didn't know too much about Keegan's home life, other than that his father was a pretty strict (and scary) man. She brightened up at the mention of his win, and she hopped up and down, clapping her hands excitedly. "Of course you did!" she cheered, pumping a fist into the air. She could appreciate the feeling of taking down one's old man in a Pokemon battle, after all, and she was reminded that her own father owed her a rematch back in Vermilion City.
=-=-=-=-=
Jake continued screaming "I'm a ghost!" as he ran throughout the lower floors of the ruined mansion, stopping once he'd made a few laps and found himself back with his Pokemon. It was very unnerving, looking down at his physical body like that, and he knelt in close, examining his own features. "I really look like that?" he asked Grotle, but of course the Grass-type couldn't hear him. The Pokemon, however, all knew that something was terribly wrong, as Bibarel, in what Jake thought was probably her first display of actual emotion ever, shed a few tears when her obnoxious nuzzling failed to rouse the blonde. "Oh guys, I'm so sorry," Jake sighed, sitting down next to his body. Like most people, he'd always wondered what it'd be like to die, but he most certainly hadn't wanted it to happen so soon.
"Heeey, Jakey!" a voice called from above him, and Jake looked up through the hole in the ceiling. Madison was waving down at him, a wide smile plastered on her face.
"Maddie?" he replied, waving back at the girl. "You can see me? And hear me?"
The girl rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah," she said, shaking her head. "You're just like me now."
Jake chuckled, looking back at his lifeless form. "So you were a ghost all along, then." He looked up, but she was gone.
"Yep. Took you long enough." She'd reappeared beside him, causing him to jump a little.
"How did you do that?"
"I've had a lot of time to practice."
=-=-=-=-=
"Damien," Karrigan repeated in much the same tone as Damien had said her name, but she managed her small smile. It got a little bit wider when she saw that he'd admitted defeat, recalling his Drowzee. Karrigan couldn't blame him, though, as it was likely she would have done the same thing and her respect for him climbed a notch. He also seemed to take it well and she relaxed slightly as Ikouma returned to her side. The Sneasel continued to glare at the dark-haired boy, even going so far as to give a little growl. If Karrigan gave him the go-ahead, he wouldn't hesitate to rush over there and eviscerate the boy where he stood.
Seeing the murderous intent on her Pokemon's face caused Karrigan to recall him, and as she clipped the Sneasel's Pokeball onto her belt, noticing that Damien was looking around for something. She'd familiarized herself with the ship's layout when she'd first boarded. "They have a Pokemon infirmary this way," she suggested calmly, giving the boy's egg another lingering glance. "Do you know what it's going to be?" she asked, starting in the direction of the infirmary, not even sure he planned to follow her. He didn't seem like the overly-friendly type of person, but it wasn't like Karrigan was, either.
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 5:50 pm
Once Ben reached the PokeCenter again, he handed over his Pichu and his new Pokeball with a satisfied grin, letting the nurse take them in for some fixing up. "I just caught a Pidgey, it's so great," he told her as she finished transporting them. "I can't wait to train with it!" The nurse just smiled. "You might want to give it a rest for tonight, young man. Freshly caught Pokemon are put through quite an ordeal, after all. And I don't know if I could let you wander around at night with a clear conscience.. Young boys need their rest." Ben looked down and flushed slightly. He may be out on an adventure, which in his eyes meant that he could take care of himself, but it was obvious that he was still a child. Being such, he accepted the nurse's words and nodded before turning toward the lounge. "Sure.. Thanks, nurse." As excited as he was to try out his new Pokemon in battle, he knew that he'd better take the nurse's advice for the sake of his Pokemon. After all, he really wanted to be a good Trainer, and good Trainers think of their Pokemon first.
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 7:19 pm
As soon as Ben got his Pokemon back from the front desk, he sets the new Pokeball in his belt. It felt good, he had to admit. Smiling and letting Pichu hop up to his shoulder, he decided to call home. He knew that his mom and grandpa would be thrilled to hear from him.
Sitting down in the lounge, he pulls his PokeGear from his pocket and presses the button that dials the number for home that was pre-programmed in. After waiting for a few rings, he hears his mother's voice on the other end. "Hello? Ben? Ben, hi, how are you doing? Where are you?" Ben grins at the sound of his mom's voice. He knew that he missed her. "Hi, mom.. I've been in Violet City for the past couple of days, me and Pichu are doing great." He could hear his mother's sigh of relief. "That's good, honey.. Are you eating enough? Going to bed at a decent hour? Are you taking your baths?" Ben couldn't help blushing at all the interrogation. "Yeah, mom, I'm eating and sleeping okay... Hey, guess what? I caught a Pokemon all by myself! Well, Pichu helped out a lot, but we did it! It's a Pidgey, and it's a tough one. I can't wait to battle it," he grinned as he spoke. "Oh, honey, that's great! Good for you!" He could always count on his mom to be excited for him. "But make sure you don't push your Pokemon too hard, or they'll come to resent you. Okay?" Ben smiled a little. He had already thought of that. "Yeah, mom, I'll keep that in mind. Hey, is Grandpa around?" "Hm? Grandpa? No, he went out to pick up some more groceries. Want me to tell him you called?" Ben smiles, though he was a little disappointed. "Yeah, tell him I called. And tell him I miss him, okay? And tell him I'll call again soon and tell him all about my new Pokemon." His mom smiles and sighs. "Alright, Ben. You take care of yourself. I love you, honey!"
As Ben hung up the phone, he felt a little bit comforted. A conversation with his mother always left him feeling a little bit warmer inside. Smiling, he pulls the Pokeball from his belt and presses the button, releasing his Pidgey into his lap and watching while it flaps its wings in a quick ruffle and looks up at him uncertainly. "Hey, Pidgey," Ben says soothingly. "It's alright. You're gonna be my Pokemon, now, and I promise to take really good care of you. Okay?" Pichu looks down to the Pokemon curiously, hopping down into Ben's lap and sniffing at the bird... deciding that it wasn't a threat and hopping up and down happily, seeming to make the Pidgey loosen up a bit. Ben smiles a little and nods. "See? Pichu likes you, too. What do you think? Will you give me a chance, Pidgey?" The bird looks up into Ben's eyes for a moment, thinking it over before flapping it's wings with a bit of a chirp, nodding its head in affirmation, bringing a broader smile to Ben's face as he reaches and strokes the top of its head gently. "Thanks, Pidgey.. We're gonna be great friends, I can tell.. You, me, and Pichu are gonna make a great team." With that, Ben rests back with a soft sigh of relaxation, drifting the night away with his two best friends laying comfortably in his lap.
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 7:43 am
With both Pokemon obscured by the green haze, both trainers had to rely on their ears in order to understand what was going on, but it was safe to assume Jasper had the advantage at the moment, as Koffing was immune to toxins and therefore would not be affected. The Spearow, on the other hand, was not so lucky and soon the little sparrow was choking and hacking as the poison got into its system. Jasper wondered what Koffing's vision was like inside her own cloud of toxic doom, and he decided to chance it and test out the theory. "Give it a Tackle!" he called, gritting his teeth a bit. Who would have thought a gym leader had so many lackeys in the way?
Koffing gave a cry from within the cloud of smoke, and a squawk from the Spearow followed by it being knocked out of the cloud by the floating Pokemon's attack was enough to confirm Jasper's suspicions. He'd have to keep that in mind for future battles. Speaking of which, Koffing was handling this one much better than her last, as this time, when the little bird jumped back up and drilled its beak into her side with a Peck attack on Bridget's order, she didn't even cry! Okay, well, maybe just a little. Koffing's pitiful lack of moves was also a bit of an issue, but Jasper would work with what he had. With the Spearow being poisoned, he felt like he had the upper hand. "Smokescreen!" he called, feeling his confidence grow just a little more. Koffing seemed draw the good energy from her trainer and she drifted forward, giving a hearty laugh as thick, black smoke began to pour from every single pore in her body.
The last thing Jasper saw before everything was obscured by the smoke was Bridget, as her harsh expression faded in favor of a knowing smirk. Jasper was still relatively knew to this and she realized it was likely he didn't know about her Spearow's Keen Eye ability. Spearow would be able to seek out his opponent even in this haze. "Fury Attack," she demanded, and the little bird sped into action, easily tracking his target and once again driving his beak into the poison type's side.
* * * * * * * * * *
The streets of Pewter City were dull and grey in comparison to the lush greens of the Viridian Forest, but Hayley hadn't noticed as she made her way south again, her normally cheerful demeanor somewhat subdued as she mulled over the morning's events. She knew that the encounter with the Beedrill would have been much more difficult had the little mouse not intervened, and she smiled at the Pikachu that rode silently on her shoulder, reaching up to scratch her behind the ear. The mouse chirped in response and nuzzled the girl's hand with her cheek, giving her a bit of a static tickle in return. In all her time of dodging trainers and evading capture, she'd never thought she'd find a human that she actually liked. Sure, she was kind of flaky and more than a little bit over-excitable and sometimes not entirely there, but she genuinely cared for all the Pokemon in her care, including that snotty little Snivy. She didn't want to admit it, but she wouldn't mind going along with Hayley, and she made the choice right then and there. She wasn't going back into that stupid forest. After all, she spent just as much time fleeing from angry Beedrill as she did trainers.
They'd gotten about a block and a half from the Pokemon Center when the mouse suddenly jumped down from Hayley's shoulder and ran ahead of her, pivoting on a foot before taking up a battle stance. "Pikapi!" she cried, her cheeks crackling with electricity.
Hayley stared at the electric mouse in surprise. "Pikachu? What's going on? What's wrong?" she asked, kneeling down so she could be eye-level with the critter. "Are you angry with me?"
The mouse rolled her eyes and shook her head, darting over to the girl and poking at the Pokeballs on her belt. "Chu!" She raised her fists and threw a few punches at the air. "Pii!"
"You want to battle?" Hayley blinked, and the mouse nodded eagerly. "Oh, okay. Why didn't you just say so in the first place?" she giggled. The mouse sighed, and hung her head. What was she getting herself into?
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 8:34 am
Another sweet scent, the air was thick with it now and Crenu could definitely smell the aroma that was keeping his Froslass from getting to far from the Vileplume. It wasn't all that pleasant to him, but he wasn't a pokemon so it probably wasn't supposed to be. Froslass' next move would be important now as she wasn't going to be doing a whole lot of dodging anytime soon it seemed. Crenu would have liked to attack this turn, but he had a better plan up his sleeve. "Confuse Ray." Korra couldn't resist the sweet stench that the battlefield had taken, particularly the air around the Vileplume. It was irresistible, she simply didn't want to leave! It was so pleasant it nearly made her forget about the poison coursing through her body and the pain it was causing. But as much as she liked the smell, it didn't rob her of her wits. She was still the ice queen here, and she had a job to do. In a display of unheard of confidence for her she actually laughed as she spun about, firing off a strange glowing ball of light that danced around randomly as it flew at it's target, as if possessed with a will of it's own. Korra collapsed right after though as the poison had grown quite strong by this point, and she clung to the ground with an expression of agony as she tried to ride out this wave of pain.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The fog was thick like pea soup. Or it would have been had there been any fog, the tension was such that it would have fit perfectly. Here I am, sitting atop my Arcanine, and unable to move as we've wondered into something rather special. To our left, webs. Right, webs. Front and back, webs. I can see several Silcoon and Cascoon in the trees, this must be where a number of Wurmple evolved, probably within moments of each other, and have set up residence. We've disturbed them and they've encased us in their silk...but why? Waiting for something perhaps? Waiting to evolve and try an rub us out? No that shouldn't be it. They'd just as soon hide in the leaves if they felt we might be a threat, only coming out to attack us if they really had to. And the leaves around these trees...even the berries are undisturbed. If this was their evolution spot there would be signs of the Wurmple doing their usual feeding frenzy before encasing themselves in their silk shells to await their next stage in life. It's possible they all had their fill and wandered all the way over here to evolve, but that's highly unlikely. This pokemon came from somewhere else, to trap them in a web. But why?
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 8:36 am
Kressen gave the Rockets a final kick before walking over to the Professor. "Good job guys. We sure showed them. Take a nice break." He returned each of his triumphant pokemon back into their balls. "Yea, they'll go away for a good while. I feel bad for their pokemon though. Maybe a decent trainer will adopt them later. I'm just glad I arrived when I did."
He waved off the older man's worry. "No problem, I'm in no hurry really. The journey is the important thing, not the destination. I'll learn more in my travels than I will in the pokemon league if I make it there." Curious at what Oak was going to get he waited in silence, casting an occasional glance back at the wrapped up rockets.
At the appearance of the ball and the professor he smiled. "Thank you sir! I'll put this to good use for sure. He took the ball and placed it on his belt so he could use it down at the beach. "Thanks again for everything Professor. I'll be sure to drop by and show you what I've caught."
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 9:37 am
Ben wakes up bright and early the next morning as the sun begins to filter through the windows and hit his eyelids, warming Pidgey's feathers and making them ruffle softly. With a deep yawn and a stretch, he scoots Pichu and Pidgey onto the sofa while he goes and finds some food for all of them. He had some pellets for Pichu, but he'd need some food for Pidgey as well. Or could they both eat the same formula? Tilting his head a bit, he acquired some toast for himself and a seed cake for Pidgey. He was a bird, so this would do until he found out what sort of Pokemon food he ate.
Bringing it back, he smiles at his pair of Pokemon still sleeping quietly beside each other. They already looked like friends. Sitting down quietly, he stroked their heads gently and chuckled. "Hey guys, wake up! I got some food, are you ready for a big day?" Pichu opens his eyes slowly, rubbing an eye with a yawn. ".. Piiii...?" Grinning, Ben picks up his Pidgey and sets it in his lap, holding out the seed cake quietly. "I wasn't sure what you like, Pidgey, but will you try this?" The bird coos softly, pecking at the cake and nibbling it a little, seeming to enjoy it, which satisfied Ben. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a handful of food for Pichu and let him eat as well.
"Alright guys.. So, before we leave Violet City, we have to achieve three goals: first, we have to beat Wade's Metapod. Once we can do that, then I know that we'll be ready to tackle the Sprout Tower. And after that? After that we're taking on Falkner, and earning our first badge." He grins confidently, straightening the hat on his head. "So we'll be training every day until then. We're gonna show them our stuff!" Pichu looks up from finishing his meal, hopping on top of Ben's hat with a happy expression, Pidgey ruffling its feathers a bit uncertainly. Ben smiles. "Don't worry, Pidgey. We'll get to practice your moves, too. By the time we fight another Trainer, I know you'll be ready!" This seemed to make Pidgey a bit more confident as he chirps slightly and his body stands up a little straighter. Grinning, Ben nods and stands up. "Alright, let's go! We've got training to do. We'll go for a few hours and come back here for lunch." With that, he takes off out the doors, Pichu riding on his head and Pidgey walking along at his feet as they make their way back toward Route 31.
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:47 pm
For an almost hilarious moment or so, Keegan stared at the blonde, blinking. "The egg I gave you, Minccino," he repeated finally, nodding slowly. "Right, right, I gotcha." Just the opposite was true, however, as he was a little lost as to what Kasiya was going on about. The only egg he'd ever given her was Nova, but as he looked back at his old friend, everything clicked. Right, right, Mike thinks that somehow I gave him Pumpkin, he thought, giving the girl a slight glare, showing that he indeed did demand an explanation if ever they got out of earshot of Mike. And now he thinks I gave her a Minccino, whatever the hell that is. He made a mental note to look it up in his PokeDex later, for so long as he was a part of this ever-growing web of lies, he might as well be at least somewhat informed.
It was true, however, that for a few fleeting minutes, at the very least, everything felt entirely normal again, only this time the girl that was the object of both boys' affections wasn't a fiery redhead, but an almost-equally feisty little blonde. Regardless, seeing Mike and Kasiya's excitement was contagious, and very soon he was grinning along stupidly. "Yeah, he used all Fire-types," the redhead said, ticking them off on his fingers. "Houndoom, Typhlosion and Blaziken. And Flannery actually reffed the match, though she was definitely a bit biased all through it." He explained in vivid detail how well his Pokemon had battled, and specifically Artemis' incredible performance. He did leave out the verbal battle that had transpired afterward, however, as his father's words had left a sort of residual sting. Regardless, being able to share such a triumph with his friends made it seem that much more real, and he was actually grinning, and sincerely, at that. Perhaps someday things could return to normal, or as close to normal as possible, anyway.
He tossed the Fire Stone up and down a few times before catching it, able to feel the stone's heat emanating from its core. What curious items these evolutionary stones were, and he glanced at Mike and Kass again. "I'm gonna head outside and get this show underway," he said, unhooking Eithne's Great Ball from his belt and deftly rolling it around on fingertips. "Do you two lovebirds wanna come see the show?" he asked, already making his way towards the stairs. He'd never been a huge fan of elevators.
=====
The next time Miharu opened her eyes, she was in another unfamiliar place. She could hear a steady beeping, and for the most part, the throbbing in her head was gone. She still felt rather weak and disoriented, and panic was already starting to flare up. The frequency of the beeps increased rapidly, signaling a rise in the girl's heart rate and she began to move about, trying to free herself, quickly gaining the attention of the nurse that was attending to her.
"You don't want to do that, honey," she said, stopping Miharu as she'd tried to rip the IV from her arm. "You're all right, you're safe. No one is going to hurt you, okay?" she said softly, gently stroking the girl's head. "You're safe, Miharu, I promise." The nurse's voice was kind and reassuring, and Miharu nodded, not even bothering to ask how she knew her name. "Just lie back and rest, all right? The Captain wants to have a word with you, when you feel up to it."
The girl nodded again. "Captain?" she repeated weakly, glancing around the room again. "Where am I?"
"You're on a cruise ship that is currently headed for Unova," the nurse replied, checking the bandages on the girl's head.
"Uno-whatta?"
"Unova, dear. We should be arriving there sometime tomorrow. How are you feeling?"
Miharu sighed, and leaned back on the bed, closing her eyes. "My heat hurts," she mumbled. "And I'm tired. And thirsty. And hungry."
The nurse smiled kindly and patted her shoulder. "It's to be expected. Rest up, and I'll see if I can get you something to eat."
=====
The Sneasel's growling did not go unnoticed by Damien, but he said nothing, instead returning the Pokemon's glare until Karrigan recalled him. "Your Pokemon have quite the attitudes about them," he remarked casually, though he did nod in agreement of finding the infirmary. "Lead the way." He'd also noticed her carefully scrutinizing the egg and had been expecting the question, and he shook his head. "Not a clue. I hope it hatches soon, though. It's becoming quite annoying to have to lug it around everywhere."
He followed along after the redheaded girl, as she seemed to know the layout of the ship better than he did. Before long they'd reached their destination, and Damien gestured for Karrigan to go ahead. "Ladies first," he said with a bit of a sneer, noticing quickly that they were not alone. A group of trainers stood near by, chattering among themselves. Damien wasn't really one to care about the affairs of others, but when they mentioned that an unconscious girl had been found down in the cargo hold. "That's interesting," he murmured, looking back to Karrigan as his turn came up to get his Pokemon healed.
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 2:47 pm
Now it was Mike's turn to be blissfully ignorant as Keegan stumbled around the conversation about Pepper and her stone. It didn't help that the one on point was a terrible liar, but Mike smiled dumbly throughout the entire thing, none the wiser.
What followed was the usual interaction whenever Keegan had a story that Mike was interested in. Keegan would start and finish, making no stops, while Mike made a comment or asked a question at nearly every possible junction, especially now because he was speaking for more than just himself lately. After years, the redhead had since planned out his narratives in a way that allowed him to reply to the crazy boy without actually having to stop. For those spectating, it seemed like the two were just trying to talk over eachother, but to them, it was business as usual. "I knew it! I knew he'd use fire Pokemon!" Mike squeaked. He'd always wanted to raise a Blaziken. "Oh, and you're welcome for giving you the experience of battling against a Typhlosion." he teased. "I basically won the fight for you, obviously." One thing Mike did notice just how real the smile on his friend's face was. Keegan, like Kasiya, was always an atrocious liar, and even his faked smiles could be seen from miles away. Seeing him this way was a surprise, but like, double soda from the vending machine surprise, not dive-bombing Zubat in a dark cave surprise.
The initial tension from the conversation had all but fizzled out, even as the story ended. Mike followed the stone with his eyes as his friend tossed it up and down, and visibly struggled against every voice that told him not to snatch it. He didn't even have a Pokemon that would use it, but he just wanted it. Something about it called to him. Mike narrowed his eyes in concentration and his hands slowly rose on their own, his fingers dancing. Keegan's invitation stopped his little subconscious attempt, and he replied simply with a light chirping noise; call a spade a spade, ya know?
As Keegan turned to leave, a thought struck Mike with enough force to knock him slightly off balance. "You're right. I should buy some Poke Balls. That is what trainers do." He pulled out his wallet again and quickly shelled out enough for two Great Balls and three Poke Balls. You never know, after all.
Mike grinned widely in Kasiya's direction, in quite the pleasant mood over the day's events. Judging from her shared excitement, she was doing pretty well herself. He walked over to her, electing to leave his hand empty for the sake of their present company despite its insistent twitching as it wondered why it was so lonely. Both his hand and Kasiya would no doubt understand; one more than the other, of course. "To evolution town!" he said, following Keegan to the staircase.
------
Pokemon battles were very often said to be more about the trainer's wits than the inherent skills of the Pokemon, and while Sasha usually felt the latter was more prevalent, this specific battle was a perfect counter to that argument. Both the blond kid and Erika were parrying each other's moves while the hail and poison slowly ate away at their Pokemon. This was an endurance match if she ever saw one, and very exciting to watch! The boy had better find a way to end it soon though, as his Pokemon was looking pretty worse for the wear as the poison spread throughout her body.
Sasha nervously clutched the ends of her scarf as she continued to spectate this even-sided match.
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 2:49 pm
The training was going well. The hot midday sun was shining down on them as he commanded his Pidgey into yet another Tackle against a rival Caterpie. He smiled. His Pidgey had a strong attack skill, stronger than his Pichu's was when he first started battling. 'But Pichu's Tail Whip is nothing to laugh at,' he thought.
Wiping his brow of sweat, he nodded. "Good job, Pidgey. Let's take a break, now." Pulling the Pokeball from his belt, he withdrew Pidgey inside of it and smiled to Pichu who had been waiting on the sidelines. "You ready to go, buddy? Let's go let Pidgey have some rest in the PokeCenter while we get a cool drink." Pepping up, Pichu gets up and runs to climb up onto Ben's shoulder while he turns to head back into the city.
In the PokeCenter, he drops off Pidgey's Pokeball and takes Pichu into the lounge, grabbing a bottle of water from the cooler and opening it, taking a long drink from it before holding it out to let Pichu take a drink. The little Pokemon laps at the cold water, letting out an excited and refreshed cry when Ben squirts some onto his head and watches him shake it off and bounce happily on the counter. "Pii, Pichu!" Chuckling, Ben caps the bottle and leans against the counter quietly. He was thinking about exploring some of the areas outside the city in the opposite direction, to see if there are any different types of Pokemon to battle against while he prepares for the city's challenges. But for now, he'd have to wait on his Pidgey to be rested. Meanwhile, he goes ahead and fixes himself and Pichu some lunch while they wait.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:16 am
It was a bit of a relief once that flicker of understanding crossed Keegan's face, and she nodded again at the tiny glare he shot her way in response. She didn't need to be reminded that sometimes, she too had foot-in-mouth disorder. She hadn't forgotten about what the redhead had said about a Flareon, either, and the wheels in her head were still slowly grinding over that thought.
She also listened with rapt attention as Keegan then gave the details of his victory over his dad, and though she wished with all her might that she could have been there to see it, Keegan had the ability to explain things in such a way that it painted a pretty clear image in her head. It must have been a good battle, and if she understood properly, he'd won quite handily, as well. She could still remember when Loki was still a (relatively) little Ekans, and how he'd evolved during Keegan's gym match with Brawly. She'd helped the redhead evolve his Golem through means of a trade, much to Flannery's dismay, and she'd always loved just how speedy, strong and spirited his Swellow was. All this talk of battling had her fired up and she wanted nothing more than to throw down a challenge to the redhead right then and there, even if she'd just come from a gym battle.
When Keegan invited them along to witness Eithne's evolution she nodded eagerly. She always loved watching Pokemon evolve and she quietly wondered to herself when the right time to evolve Pepper would be. She hadn't actually looked up the Chinchilla Pokemon's next stage in the PokeDex as she wanted it to be a surprise, but at the same time, she feared that the Minccino's next stage wouldn't be nearly as adorable. As they moved to follow the redhead outside, a second thought had struck Mike and he'd turned around to purchase a few Pokeballs. The blonde had paused in mid-step, smiling at Mike's antics. Even if her boyfriend sometimes glowed hot orange and leaked smoke, he still managed to be pretty cute doing it, at least to her. It was hard for her not to smile as he took his place beside her and they made their way to the stairs to follow their eager friend, but really, who could blame him? Arcanine were awesome!
=-=-=-=-=
Jake looked toward Madison, a look of horror on his face. "Practice? Just how long do we stay like this?" he asked, gesturing between them. "How long have you been... a ghost?"
The pig-tailed girl shrugged. "I don't know. I really can't remember how long I've been a ghost. All I remember is playing with Sparky and then the next thing I knew, I was like this. I guess it's for... forever." The casual way in which she answered was very unnerving.
"I don't want to be dead," Jake protested, standing up again. "I don't want to be a ghost... I don't want to be this way forever!" He turned and attempted to slam his fist against the wall, but naturally, the ghostly appendage passed right through. "I don't want to be this way forever," he repeated, sadness overtaking his tone.
Madison had appeared at the boy's side again, looking quite sad as well. "I'm sorry Jakey," she said, hanging her head. "It's all my fault that this happened to you. I shouldn't have made you come and play with me. I'm sorry." She'd started sniffling, and when Jake looked back at her, tears were gliding down her cheeks. He hadn't known that ghosts could even cry.
"I didn't have to say yes," he said, kneeling down to reassure her. "But if I'm stuck this way forever, it's a good thing I have a friend with me." He wiped away her tears with a hand, smiling at her. "Don't cry, okay? Otherwise, you'll make me cry, too."
The little girl smiled back at him, her tears forgotten as she flung her arms around the older boy. "Oh Jaeshan, I'm so glad," she giggled, squeezing him as tight as her ghostly arms would allow. "I'm so happy! I've always wanted a big brother!"
=-=-=-=-=
Karrigan eyed the egg again as Damien mentioned it was becoming a burden. "If you don't want it, I'll gladly take it off your hands," she offered, more than halfway serious, but she didn't push it any further than that as they made their way to the infirmary. They were the only ones currently seeking treatment for their Pokemon at the time so Karrigan instantly gave the nurse (yet another Joy, at that) the Pokeballs that held her Vulpix and Sneasel. She uttered her thanks and looked back at Damien, having not missed his little sneer and she was about to say something until she saw as he was currently eavesdropping on the conversation between a group of nearby trainers.
"That's a bit rude, don't you think?" she asked, attempting to be funny but it came off as chiding. He was right, however, as she wondered what would have happened to put that girl there in the first place. Once her pair of Pokemon were returned to her, she decided to take a page out of Damien's book, she stepped a bit closer as the dark-haired boy took his turn to get his Pokemon healed. The trainers didn't know a whole lot about the situation, only that she'd been taken to sickbay as she was injured. Karrigan frowned, looking back at her new acquaintance once he was done with his own Pokemon. "That poor girl, I wonder what happened to her," she said, looking down at her bandaged hand. She'd hardly noticed it since getting on the ship and she hoped that it was a good sign that it was healing.
=-=-=-=-=
Erika's brow creased slightly when Crenu called out for a Confuse Ray, and even as Froslass was drawn closer to Vileplume, it wouldn't matter if confusion prevented the Pokemon from being able to attack. Korra looked like she was barely hanging on, but even with the weak Moonlight, the hail (which was starting to die down) had taken its toll. And now, Vileplume looked as though that Confuse Ray had done a real number on her. "Vileplume, finish it with Giga Drain," she called, the slightest hint of excitement in her usually calm voice. She may have been a gym leader, but even gym leaders liked to win, and she'd be lying if she said otherwise.
Poor Vileplume, however, was in no condition to be standing so much as complying with her trainer's commands. She lumbered forward, intent on giving it her best shot, but in her addled state she tripped over a small branch and fell. The fact that the numerous Icy Winds as well as the Hail had made the ground slippery didn't help Vileplume and she flailed about on the ground. Erika gave a small smile and called her back. Her Pokemon was in no condition to battle. Froslass was just about done too, but Erika was in full believe that Crenu had earned himself her Rainbow Badge. "I must say, that was one of the more exciting matches I've been in lately," she said, smiling over at the surly blonde boy. "Congratulations, victory is yours." She bowed respectfully to her challenger as one of her underlings delivered his winnings, and she looked over at Sasha and gave a little wave - she was quite happy to see the pink-haired girl. "Would either you care to join me for a cup of tea?" the gym leader asked, directing the question at both Crenu and Sasha. "I've just had some lovely jasmine tea imported from Hoenn."
=-=-=-=-=
Everything was well under control now and once again the professor studied the captive Rockets. He'd call the authorities once he set Kressen on his way, as he was sure the redhead was eager to get out and put that Net Ball to good use. He smiled at the trainer and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks again, m'boy," he said, grinning widely. "I look forward to hearing all about your adventures, and of the Pokemon you meet along the way. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to let me know."
He saw the tall redhead out, giving a heavy sigh as he thought of the two tied-up crooks in the storage room and he quietly wondered if he should invest in heavier security, or a squad of patrol Growlithe or something. People trying to break in and steal all of these trainers' precious Pokemon was starting to get old.
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