Whale Island - The Hydro-Electric Zone

[Pengyzu]

Raine’s Wildlife Park

Pengyzu: Praying Keiko hasn’t been made a meal out of by the hungry predators that lurked in the Sharpedo Tanks, you nervously set course for the Polar Exhibit. You prod Kara on the head with him Pokéball for a midday siesta – substituting him with Allon who orbits around you leaving a few sparkles in his wake. With no time to waste you amble toward the snowy enclosure, unable to shake the feelings of worry and guilt as you catch word of youngsters talking about the debut of Shamu’s son at today’s show. You finally stop at a large warehouse with the words ‘Polar Exhibit’ scrawled above, with detailed illustrations of Beartic and Delibird on either side. There were a lot of kids shivering as they left the warehouse, the reason quickly becoming apparent as you break through the threshold which felt like walking into a refrigerator. The chill was more than worth it though as you look around in awe, the sound of barking Seel and cheering children enough to ease your troubled mind. Whilst you scan the crowd for any huge beach balls Allon hovers above, monitoring analytically like a security camera.

Spotting nothing in the crowd, you stroll toward the gates of the enclosure, nothing but icy cold water ahead and a huge cluster of ice bergs. If you needed cheering up this would just about cut it – rookeries of baby Piplup were waddling cutely around in the snow. There feathers were incredibly fluffy and downy suggesting most of them were still chicks. Almost forgetting why you were here, you read a small caption on the gate you were stood at: “Piplup (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are a group of aquatic, flightless bird Pokémon living almost exclusively in the Glacier Islands, especially in the Southern Ocean. A skilled swimmer, it dives for over 10 minutes to hunt” beaming with excitement, you read what is scrawled below the caption in red letters “These specimen are still in their incubation period and are NOT to be captured”. Almost forgetting your rescue mission, you watch the waddle of baby penguins eagerly, a few of them now throwing snowballs at each other. Any enthusiasm slides away again though as a fluffy white Piplup slips off the edge of the ice berg! The baby tweets desperately as it attempts to flap its tiny wings, it looked like it’d sink if you didn’t get involved. What will you do?

The lad shrugs as he tries to distract his immature mind from the idea of having poor Keiko get eaten by Sharpedos. He sets his course to the Polar Exhibit with a troubled look on his face. He overhears some youngsters like himself talking about the debut of Shamu's son. Rey lowers his face and tries to make himself as invisible as he can. The idea of losing... or even... is just overwhelming. He gulps at the thought of it before arriving in front of a warehouse clearly marked as the Polar Exhibit, complete with cute Beartics and Delibirds on the sign.

"Okay... he we are... I can't believe... I failed mr. Raine... I-I failed him... and Keiko! Oh poor Keiko, that baby... I cannot imagine him in danger... without anyone to protect him. Oh please... let him be here..." he whispers as he walks into the frigid area. A gust of chilled air greets him, as if it gave him a glimpse of relaxation from the hectic day so far. Some kids were shivering, here and there, but the cold was worth it as sounds of enjoyable Seels, entertaining their young audience fills his ears.

"WOW! This place is better than I could have dreamed off! Are those Seels?! So adorable! Eeeeeeeek! The cold is just perfect! Don't you agree Allon?" he asked. The Magnemite is busy searching the place for any signs of Keiko while Rey was shouting like the little kid he was. "Right... we were looking for Keiko... He's still in trouble... This can wait..." he sighs right before setting his sight on another part of the exhibit. His pupils dilate, his heart beat grew faster, his thoughts were cleared... one thing flooded his mind. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEK! BABY PIPLUPS!!!" he shouted, hopefully no one would pay attention to this fan boy. He hurries over to the enclosure before reading the sign posted on the gate: “Piplup (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are a group of aquatic, flightless bird Pokémon living almost exclusively in the Glacier Islands, especially in the Southern Ocean. A skilled swimmer, it dives for over 10 minutes to hunt.” Rey jumped with joy as the idea of being able to watch and play with these cute penguins came to mind. He continues reading the sign to see if there's anything else to know. Printed in red letters, it says, “These specimen are still in their incubation period and are NOT to be captured”. "Darn... Oh well! Watching them is still an opportunity! He rushes into the habitat, squeeing at the sight of so many adorable Pokemon. Some of them are throwing snowballs at each other while the others do their own thing. All thoughts of Keiko now lay in the back of his head as he claps at the performing penguins. The enthusiasm dies almost immediately as Rey notices a white baby Piplup slipping off an iceberg, attempting to fly its way back up by flapping its wings at a high frequency. "Noooooooooooo! Someone! Anyone! Help! No! Allon! Please, oh please, hover over there as fast as you can to try and save it! I'll run my way to the nearest platform over there! I won't let you drown Piplup!"

[Trainer Andy]

Ampere Beach

Trainer Andy and Dark Searchman: With your rods and tackle cast aside you were both focused on the slippery deck with both catches struggling against any capture attempts. The two Pokémon had taken your bait hook, line and sinker but being so high levelled they were proving too much to handle. On Andy’s side, Tsar’s field advantage wouldn’t hold up against the fully evolved Gorebyss, and it’d take a lot more than attacking to manoeuvre the swift snipe eel into the empty pail - Andy being one of the only trainers not to have caught anything. Hyrem’s catch however was as hostile as Andy’s was slippery. The basculin gnarled, its bloodshot eyes fixated on the fisherman’s foot that was that was running red. He’d sooner go in for another nip than make a break for the open water, making for an unconventional twist in the fishing games. Both trainers brows furrowed in determination as they volleyed another set of orders in unison, their fishing partners quick into action.

Andy lobs a Rare Candy toward the ancient mirror who intercepts, absorbing the confectionary into his shiny hide. The Bronzor looks vaguely stronger as the bright sun glitters on his varnished face, orbiting around the Gorebyss who was looking more sluggish by the second. The snipe eel seemed to have devised one last ditch attempt to return to its watery home, spewing off another Water Gun and swishing its tail to propel itself off the starboard side of the boat. The mirror rolls skyward again, water dripping off his back as it hovers methodically back into place with a slight falter in its flight path. Tsar then shoots another ray of Confusion toward the bottom railing of the boat, catching the Gorebyss in the face and spurring it back into the centre. Dumbstruck by the attack the fish flops helplessly against the planked deck, no longer giving any fight. The ancient mirror compasses inches from Gorebyss with its eyes suddenly flickering like a pair of blue flashlights. The confused snipe eel catches sight of Hypnosis and suddenly tuckers into a midday siesta – giving Andy the perfect opportunity to sling it into his bucket.

Meanwhile Hyrem was clenching his fists, digging his nails into his palms to distract him from the hot pain at the ebbs of his toes. It had been a close call, by the looks of the fish’s toothy grimace one more attack like that could leave you with one less limb. Your Pokémon’s fraternal instincts kick in, Sera giving all sorts of wild emotions off whilst Daphne barked passionately. With fury coursing through her stem the acorn suddenly flickers a blinding white. Her silhouette sprouts a pair of arms as her stubby feet stretch giving her at least another head of height. Finally a sharp nose extends from her face as she shakes off the light - reveal an intimidating new form. The heat of the moment had triggered her evolution, and as Basculin went in for another Crunch the Nuzleaf sprang into action. With a few flicks of her head-leaf a flurry of Razor Leaf rip down the cruiser, slashing against the predator like a storm of shuriken. The bass reels in pain, flopping on its side before pushing back to his front with his pectoral fin. Eyes set on a new target, the fish flaps open its jaw before releasing a piercing Uproar. Daphne winces as she attempts to cover her ears before retaliating with a return-fire of Bullet Seeds. The attack sprays against Basculin again for another solid hit, the foe stubbornly clinging on by the skin of its teeth. It doesn’t take much now to finish it off though, Daphne somersaulting over her foe shooting off a kernel in mid-air. The Seed hits the red-striped bass on the dorsal fin, suddenly snaring it in netting and Leeching away any fight he had left in him. With a glint of success in your eyes you limp over to the fish, now faced with the difficult decision of which of your catches to keep. Basculin was much stronger and sure to fare better in the contest, but you couldn’t deny that Chinchou was a cool Pokémon.

30 Minutes Remaining. Since you’ve both met the minimum requirement of catching a fish each, I’ll give you the opportunity from this point onwards to skip to the judging part of the fishing contest. However you’ll have to decide this together. Hyrem, since you’ve caught two fish you will have to decide which one to keep and which one to release. After the contest is over you’re free to keep either Basculin or Chinchou (or another fish if you continue playing). Andy, since you caught an evolved Pokémon you won’t be able to keep it after the contest is over.

Hyrem's second catch, a Red Striped Basculin, was fixing to switch the roles and angle itself a human, but Sera and Daphne weren't going to have any of it. Daphne, in particular, wanted to prove her worth and show Hyrem's faith in her was well-placed, and she evolved as a result. The large fish wasn't just going to wait for her, though; she had finished evolving just in time to see Basculin lunge at Hyrem again in an attempt to rip his leg into pieces in one sickening Crunch. But Daphne acted fast and flung a barrage of Leaves straight at the Basculin. They flew through the air with Razor-sharp precision and collided into the aggressive Water-type for some good damage. She successfully caught her quarry's attention, but she'd pay for it as Basculin shrieked in a violent Uproar, forcing her to cover her ears. She muddled through the pain and spit her Bullet Seeds at the Basculin for more damage. Now that the fish was almost worn out, she needed only to finish it off with a Leech Seed on the dorsal fin and drain the rest of its energy away.

That's how to teach a Pokemon not to mess with your trainer.

With a half an hour still to go, he remembered he was only allowed to take one fish into the contest with him. Basculin would definitely be a top fish for the contest, but the Chinchou he'd caught earlier had some unique qualities that may give it an edge too. Eventually, it boiled down to one thing: if he was allowed to keep the Pokemon he entered into the contest, he'd pick Chinchou over Basculin any day. Sarkhan and Amethyst were trouble enough, and he'd rather not have another Pokemon that would be even worse by the fact that it'd love to rip him apart at the first chance it got.

So, satisfied with just the victory over a whopper of a fish, Hyrem limps over to where Basculin was, takes it by the tail fin and says a few words, still wincing in pain from the injury he got from it: "Good fight, Basculin, you really took me by surprise! I thought I'd be your "prize catch" for a second! I'm gonna let you back into the water now... I guess you'll be able to tell your friends about the big one that got away from you, huh?" he said, forcing a smile through the pain. And with that, he released the Basculin back into the water, likely a questionable decision in many others' opinions, but a decision Hyrem was happy with nonetheless. A fighter like that deserved to stay in the water and make another angler squirm trying to get it.

He turned over to Andy and saw him lower the Gorebyss into his bucket. "Nice job! That one must've been tough too!" he complemented. Now, there was still time to go fishing for one more Pokemon, but the injury on Hyrem's foot changed his priorities. He limped over to Andy with the Chinchou still in his bucket, sat down, and said, "Hey, I think I'm just going to enter the Chinchou I caught for the contest, but if you still want to keep fishing, there's one more combination that I think should work: the Short-Length Line and the Insect Lure. If you want to try that out, I'd like to watch you, but I also think that Gorebyss looks like a winner too." Sera and Daphne also take their seats on either side of Hyrem, nursing his wound. It was all up to Andy now; what would be his decision?

As the battle between fish and fisherman came to a close, Andy breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the Gorebyss fall under the influence of Tsar's Hypnosis. Walking over to his catch, Andy scooped it up from the deck and carried it over to his bucket.

"That was a tough one." He said to Tsar, who had floated back to hover over his master's shoulder. "I was sure for a second there we were going to lose it. You deserve a good rest for that." With thatm Andy recalled the little mirror Pokemon back into his ball.

"Nice job! That one must've been tough too!" Andy heard the now familiar voice of Hyrem behind him. Andy turned to look as his fellow trainer limped over and took a seat nearby, wound still fresh from his struggle with the Basculin. Andy tried not to pay too much attention to it, for fear of feeling nauseous again.
"Hey, I think I'm just going to enter the Chinchou I caught for the contest, but if you still want to keep fishing, there's one more combination that I think should work: the Short-Length Line and the Insect Lure," Hyrem said helpfully, as he set about tending to his injury, "If you want to try that out, I'd like to watch you, but I also think that Gorebyss looks like a winner too."

Andy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, i'd be surprised if I managed to catch anything that would top this. Hell, just getting this one took me long enough." He looked back at his bucket and the still snoozing Gorebyss. A slight shudder ran through him at the though of having to do all that again. "I don't want to push my luck, so I'll just stick to what i've got"

Taking a seat next to Hyrem and his Pokemon, Andy let out another exhausted sigh. "I've got to say though, what you caught is pretty cool too. May the best man win."

[jolteonjak]

::Crater Lake::

jolteonjak: Things didn't go quite as planned at all just now, but you could be certain this was almost over as you go all out with your new set of orders. Getting into action, Cyndaquil seeks to strike down the weaker Wooper with his Extrasensory, pulling out every bit of Psychic-energy left in the process, while Heracross hovers forward to get up close and personal with the other one. As Cyndaquil's psychedelic beam makes impact against its intended target, so too does Heracross's Drain Punch which smashes against the other's face while simultaneously restoring the Bug-type's health and honor. As the Wooper gets back to its feet, wincing from the pain induced by its throbbing cheek, it gasps as it sees its partner wavering to and fro before collapsing into unconsciousness. With its partner now down for the count, the Wooper is now at a loss of action as it finds itself alone fighting two opponents, all confidence going down the drain in the process. Capitalizing on its moment of weakness and hesitation, your Pokémon take action once again. Cyndaquil is first to move, Mimicking Heracross's Drain Punch before punching the Wooper right across its other cheek with his small forearm. Staggering back a few steps, Wooper has little time to react as it notices Heracross's claws gather Dark-energy; the horned-neetle stepping past Wooper in an instant and slicing through as if unsheathing a sword with his Night Slash. The Wooper is sent skyward from the attack, falling to the ground a second afterwards with a loud thump behind Heracross; its expression revealing that it too could no longer continue to battle. Level Up for Cyndaquil and Heracross!

It was a hard fought battle, and you could feel sympathy for the Wooper who saw through it to the end. What would they gain from attacking you like that eluded you, but you figure the least you could do was to try and help them out a little bit for the sake of good sportsmanship (and to avoid the possible wrath of an overgrown Quagsire). Pulling out your last few Potions, you nurse the Wooper back to health; the medical spray healing their wounds just enough to allow them to recover their consciousness and slowly get back up to their feet. They seemed pleasantly surprised by your kind gesture, and as they turn to face each other, they both nod in agreement, as if confirming some inside deal between them that you weren't quite aware of. As Cyndaquil curiously asks them about it, one of the Wooper happily explains, blabbering on hiperactively to the Fire-type. Cyndaquil seems to have gotten most of it, and in turn tries to translate to you as best as he could. It would seems they were testing you as one of the Wooper was eagerly looking forward for adventure outside the edge of the volcano, and from what they could now gather, you stroke them as just the right kind of human for the job. As for the other one, well, it was just helping out a friend as it could. Looking back at them, you're met with the adorable, bruised-up face of Wooper, who looked at you with a charming smile and wagged its tail around like a puppy. It looks like someone wants to be friends with you, though there's still fishing to be had tomorrow.

What will you do?

Chad realized it was time to end this battle. As such, he had Cyndaquil and Heracross put some extra spirit in their attacks. After one Extrasensory from Cyndaquil, one of the Wooper went down. Then combining efforts, Heracross and Cyndaquil were able to take out the second Wooper. Seeing the Wooper lying on the ground, Chad began to feel bad for them. He withdrew some potions from his bag and treated the two ailing Water Fish.

The Wooper both recovered a small amount of energy. Surprised at what Chad did, the two Wooper execute their next plot. They nodded at each other, as if they were agreeing on something. Cyndaquil, who was quite a distance away, dashed over quickly in a flash of light as if it were about to attack something really fast. "Wow Cyndaquil, did you just learn Quick Attack?" Chad asked surprised. "That's awesome! Way to go!" Cyndaquil joined the Wooper and asked what that was about. One of the Wooper responded, speaking super quickly but smiling the whole time. Cyndaquil had a hard time keeping up, but he may have gotten the idea.

Looking back at Chad, Cyndaquil began explaining what he was told. "Cynda cynda quil cyndaquil qui-quil cyndaquil," he began pointing at one of the Wooper. "Quil cynda cyndaquil cynda cynda quil cyn," he said pointing at the second Wooper.

"I see," Chad tried to understand, "I think. Are you saying this Wooper is looking for adventure," he looked at one of the Wooper, "so they attacked us to see if I was a good trainer for it? And that Wooper is its friend who wanted to help its buddy out?" Cyndaquil nodded.

Chad looked at the pair of Wooper, and he was met with a pair of puppy-dog-like eyes from one of the Water Fish. It's tail was also wagging fiercely. Unsure, still, of which language the Wooper understood, Chad spoke first in English, "Is that correct, Wooper? Do you want to travel with me? You're so adorable! How could I say no to you?" Next, he spoke in Spanish while poorly reading the translation, "¿Es eso correcto? ¿Quieres venir conmigo? Eres tan adorable! ¿Cómo podría rechazar su solicitud?" Either way, Chad took a Pokeball (1 of 9 or 2 of 10) out and held it in front of the Wooper, capture button facing it.

OOC: No fair, using the puppy-dog manuever! Nobody can resist that! hehe So I don't know how to do this, is it 1 of 9 or 2 of 10? I bought 10 Pokeballs, and I already used 1.

Stats
Um, claiming Cyndaquil's and Heracross' levels. Cyndaquil learns Quick Attack.

[King Ghidorah]

Crater Lake:

Thrain: “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?!” yelled the trainer who’s food Blaze helped himself to. “I’M ALEXANDER LEONARDI JR! I SHOULD HAVE YOU KICKED OUT OF THIS PLACE!”

You’re a bit taken aback by the trainer’s brash response. You don’t really know who he is, but taking a look at his stylish name brand hiking gear stretched to the max over his overfed, flabby belly, you realize he’s probably somebody who has too much money and not a lot to do.

“Sir, do you have any idea what happens to Pokemon who vandalize the Lodge Property?” the ranger asks sternly. “ You’re lucky you showed up when you did. Mr. Leonardi’s father is a very big benefactor to the Crater Lake Lodge and he would not be happy to hear that some stray Growlithe was eating his son’s food. So if I were you, I’d be a little bit more responsible and keep a closer eye on your little friend.


Or else.”

The crowd surrounding you, Alexander, and the ranger was abuzz with whispers. Blaze apparently chose the wrong person’s meal to snag. All this commotion seems a bit excessive.

“Alright, crew. Round up. I’ll be leading the next nature hike. We’ll be starting in the woodland directly south of the lodge and be heading toward one of the natural rock formations. Let’s go!” The ranger began to lead the crew out of the dining hall.

“You better watch your back, punk,” said Alexander, as he trailed the crowd.

What will you do?


Energos Quarry:

allishinca: Suddenly, you find yourself on the receiving end of a very angry Voltorb’s wrath. It appears that these may have been who you were disturbing with your excavation project, and this one seems ready to seek some revenge.

The Voltorb begins to power up an Electro Ball aimed straight for Pluto who stands his ground. At your command, Pluto uses Foresight which virtually does nothing. The Voltorb, on the other hand, fires off his energy build up. Pluto tries to dive out of the way, but the Electro Ball collides with his legs, sending him to the ground with a violent shock.

Not one to be deterred, Pluto angrily Leers at the Voltorb from the ground, causing the ball Pokemon to shudder with vulnerability. In retaliation, the Voltorb let’s out a loud Screech which to your delight leaves Pluto completely unaffected.

Pluto flashes a big toothy grin and and leaps at the Voltorb, landing a huge Scratch directly across the Voltorb’s…face? Body? Whatever. The Voltorb has taken a good bit of damage due to the lowered defense from the earlier Leer. Feeling the need to protect itself, however, the Voltorb puts up a Screen of Light to protect itself while it plans it’s next attack.

Both Pluto and the Voltorb have taken a bit of damage. It’s still up in the air.

What will you do next?


Suicune Effigy:

OkikuMew: Struggling to catch your breath, you finally reach your Poochyena who now has the much larger Dodrio backed into a corner, squawking and screeching and clawing at the ground. Max, though relatively unexperienced, shows little fear in the faces of the Triple Bird Pokemon, and nobody is really sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

On your command, Max tosses his head back and Howls loudly into the sky, building his confidence and his attack. He lunges at one of the Dodrio heads and nails it directly with a Tackle, causing significant damage. Unfortunately, the other two heads begin causing a great deal of commotion. In fact one could say that they’re Thrashing around.

The Dodrio goes off on a violent tangent, swinging it’s heads and beaks and legs around violently in all directions at Max. It hits once, and Max yelps in pain, but quickly rebounds by going for another Tackle, but one of the Thrashing Dodrio heads catches him in midair hard and sends him flying back a few dozen yards. You look on in horror as Max lays helplessly on the ground as the Dodrio continues Thrashing about uncontrollably, tossing Max around with feathers and loud shrieks filling the air.

Max has taken significant damage, while Dodrio’s remains at a minimum.

What will you do?


Coolz8: “Perhaps we acted to hastily,” said Cozbi. “In time, brother, you will see the truth and glory of Suicune.” His white hair and piercing blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight and seemed to match perfectly with his blue and purple religious garb.

“Allow me to explain,” he said. “We are the Church of Suicune. We speak the good word and truth of Suicune. We seek to protect the lost, confused, and downtrodden. We seek those who are searching. Searching for enlightenment. For as Suicune protects us, we seek to protect others. We gather here, at this glorious alter, to worship and sing Suicune’s praises.”

The man speaks with such vigor and fervor, and his followers seem to be hanging on his every word. However, by looking deeply into their eyes, you notice that something appears to be missing. As if they aren’t really all there. Something is very wrong with them, yet they all seem so happy.

“And we are always seeking new followers to help us spread the word of Suicune. And you, brother, seem to be searching for something. For someone. Why don’t you let us help y—“

But he’s interrupted.

“HOLD IT. DON’T LISTEN TO HIM!” a voice shouts from behind you. You turn and see a small crowd of people. Four young men approach the seen very swiftly. The apparent leader of the group has deep blue eyes almost identical to those of Cozbi.

“I thought we told you to stop coming around here spreading your deceitful lies. This poor kid doesn’t know you aren’t really what you say you are,” the young man says to the preacher.

“Come back to repent for your sinful ways, have you? Your pride and wrath will lead to your downfall. You may have fallen for the temptation and abandoned the church, for the love of Suicune, but you will NOT prevent us from spreading our cause,” Cozbi retorted. The group of followers crowded behind him and he clutched a Pokeball at his side, prepared to battle.

“Fine,” said the young man. “If that’s the way you want to handle things, so be it.” And he too seemed to get ready for a fight. “He spreads nothing but lies. Come help us get rid of him and his kind,” the young man suggests to you.

“BROTHER!” Cozbi beckons. “Join us and reap the benefits of Suicune’s glory!”

You seem to be caught in the middle of a gang war and have been given an ultimatum.

What will you do?

The Lighthouse:

extroph: See here.

[Balmund]

Kakatua Lagoon

Balmund: With your eyes glazed over in a lovesick daze you find your feet uncontrollably pacing away from the campsite and toward the wet bank. You maintain eye contact with the stunning lass as she draws you in with a Hypnotic stare, unfazed as your drenched clothes get weighty and uncomfortable. “Wow”, she whispers to herself, “that was easier than I thought”. You imagined she must have talked to herself quite a lot to not realise you were in earshot. Before any second thoughts can enter your mind she lunges toward you seductively, giggling as she entwines her fingers into yours. She bites her bottom lip, her gaze enough to send any man wild, before suddenly plunging underwater and pulling you with her! Gasping as bubbles of air stream from your nostrils, you find your suspicions quickly confirmed as she quickly dives down to the base of the lagoon with gentle swishes of a long sparkling blue and red tail with striations of black which didn’t look unlike a mosaic pattern - her tailfin glistening like a fan as it propelled you further into the depths. The icy water seemed to snap you out of your stupor and it quickly sinks in you were being taken captive by a siren. You attempt to struggle free but the mermaid’s aquatic prowess proves too much as you sink further down the deep lagoon until the glistening moon looks like nothing more than a dim fog light. With a desperate gasp a final draught of bubbles escape from your throat, water filling your lungs as you slip out of consciousness...

“Wake up sleepyhead!”

You’re suddenly jolted out of your coma, the shrill voice resonating barely inches from your face. For a split-second you felt as though you’d dreamt up the whole kidnapping. This hope quickly dies out as your eyes creep open, the stinging feeling from seeing underwater subsiding. You were in what looked like an underwater ruin over thousands of years old. Sharp stalagmites puncture though the cracked floor tiles and thickets of seaweed were strewn up the ancient pillars. The prison was lit by dazzling sapphires encrusted on the cave-walls, the gemstones giving off a strobe lighting that made the whole cavern a shade of blue. Your eyes focus back on the deceivingly beautiful girl who had dragged you down here against your will, staring at you with an enormous smile. There was a lot to take in at once, but you quickly realise that oxygen isn’t one of these things - you weren’t breathing. Instead a pair of slits on either side of your neck were flaring rhythmically. Gills weren’t the only thing you’d acquired in your coma either, a scaly blue tail flowed from your waist where your legs should be! With a beige underside the tail had several joints leading down to a whitewash caudal fin. Twisting your neck in horror you notice the rear of your magnificent tail brandished white dorsal fins which jutted out like sharp blades.

“I knew we were meant to be together when I first laid eyes on you”, she interrupts, her scarlet eyes sparkling like a lovesick puppy, “But I needed to be sure. I sent up my dear Mandragora to make sure you weren’t just a pretty face. I’m sure gunna miss her... But now that we’re together I guess I don’t need any pet monsters!” the siren breaks into a sort of twisted giggle, sending a shiver down your spine. If there was still any doubt in your mind that this girl was harmless, it was quickly wiped away by the fact she’d kept one of the deadliest Cradily you’d ever encountered as a pet. Mandragora had almost killed two of your dearest Pokémon under her orders, enough indication that you didn’t want her on your bad side. Deep trouble loomed ahead and escaping wouldn’t be easy. The siren was naïve enough not to tie you up, but swimming on your new appendage would be like learning to walk for the first time. She steals back your attention with a bat of her long eyelashes, desperate for you to say or do something and oblivious to any thoughts that might be trailing through your head. Whilst the hostage situation seemed hopeless, the mermaid would be sure to answer any burning questions in her mad infatuation. What will you do?

Finding himself uncontrollably lured towards the mysterious and impossibly gorgeous lass, a part of Balmund screamed in warning in the back of his mind. 'Run Away!, 'What are you doing?', It's a trap!, he thought to himself, but it was far too late. Even the most intellectual of men can be turned into stubborn apes when toyed with their emotions, and Balmund was no exception as he had fallen to her hypnotic gaze from the very instant he had layed eyes upon her; even she seemed surprised at how simple and easy it all played out. Seductively lunging forward towards him, she teases him further, giggling as she entwines her fingers with his', and bitng her lip with apparent desire; it was enough to send any man wild, and Balmund's breath was instantly taken away already before he's suddenly plunged underwater. Though in part he suspected it, he couldn't believe his eyes as he saw her lower half to be that of a long, sparkling blue and red tail! Truth was certainly stranger than fiction as Balmund found himself taken hostage by a siren. In desperate need for fresh air, his survival instinct finally kicks in as he struggles to break free, but it was all a futile endeavor. With water now filling his lungs, he could feel his strength fading away as he slowly drifted into unconciousness in the process...

...Balmund is suddenly woken up by a shrill voice resonating inches away from his face. How long has it been? His last few memories were all so confusing, and the new forming ones would be even more confusing as he now found himself surrounded by what looked like ancestral underwater ruins. Before him, stood the beautiful mermaid that had dragged him over moments ago, now bearing an enormous smile as she looked at him. Most shockingly however, was the awareness of his current state. He could breathe... water! And his legs, what the heck happened to them?! Instead, this scaly tail that looked so familiar, but so on the wrong body. Balmund honestly did not know how to even feel as he was barely accepting the fact that he was apparently still alive, yet not quite himself. He started thinking about what fate had in store for him up next, and he couldn't help feeling a bit horrified at how many of his dreams and goals would be left unfulfilled like this.

His thoughts are then interrupted however, as the siren started speaking to him once again, and by the way she looked at him and spoke, it would seem she was madly infatuated towards him; obessed, even - Balmund could hardly believe it. She had revealed the Cradily was hers, but she seems to easily accept the loss as she had gotten what she wanted in return, suddenly breaking into a twisted sort of giggle as she said that. Such way of thinking had sent a shiver down his spine in healthy fear, but at the same time his face denoted a bit of compassion. Balmund felt like he was dealing with a child at heart, blissfully naive and innocent - charming aspects, no doubt, but at the same time he knew children could be some of the cruelest creatures on earth while acting on their own innocence and naivité. When such a person has power on top of that, they become doubly dangerous and unpredictable, and he knew he would have to watch his words and actions carefully from now on.

His thoughts now turned to Cradily as he felt even more sympathy towards the now deceased behemoth. She did what she did all out of love for her mistress. 'Oh, the things one is capable of doing in the name of love.' Balmund thought. Still, the siren had paused when she mentioned she was gonna miss her pet monster and Balmund felt she wasn't lying when she did.

"I'm sorry about Mandragora..." He first said to the anxiously anticipating siren, sounding very sincere as he did. His thoughts then turned to his own Pokémon at that moment. He knew Sothe and Chris were happily sleeping together along with the hippies, but he could swear he had brought Ephraim, his Kingdra, along in his Pokéball. "Ephraim, my pet monster and friend, where is he?" He asked her. "Where are my things... my love?"

[Coolz8]

Suicune Effigy:




Coolz8: “Perhaps we acted to hastily,” said Cozbi. “In time, brother, you will see the truth and glory of Suicune.” His white hair and piercing blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight and seemed to match perfectly with his blue and purple religious garb.

“Allow me to explain,” he said. “We are the Church of Suicune. We speak the good word and truth of Suicune. We seek to protect the lost, confused, and downtrodden. We seek those who are searching. Searching for enlightenment. For as Suicune protects us, we seek to protect others. We gather here, at this glorious alter, to worship and sing Suicune’s praises.”

The man speaks with such vigor and fervor, and his followers seem to be hanging on his every word. However, by looking deeply into their eyes, you notice that something appears to be missing. As if they aren’t really all there. Something is very wrong with them, yet they all seem so happy.

“And we are always seeking new followers to help us spread the word of Suicune. And you, brother, seem to be searching for something. For someone. Why don’t you let us help y—“

But he’s interrupted.

“HOLD IT. DON’T LISTEN TO HIM!” a voice shouts from behind you. You turn and see a small crowd of people. Four young men approach the seen very swiftly. The apparent leader of the group has deep blue eyes almost identical to those of Cozbi.

“I thought we told you to stop coming around here spreading your deceitful lies. This poor kid doesn’t know you aren’t really what you say you are,” the young man says to the preacher.

“Come back to repent for your sinful ways, have you? Your pride and wrath will lead to your downfall. You may have fallen for the temptation and abandoned the church, for the love of Suicune, but you will NOT prevent us from spreading our cause,” Cozbi retorted. The group of followers crowded behind him and he clutched a Pokeball at his side, prepared to battle.

“Fine,” said the young man. “If that’s the way you want to handle things, so be it.” And he too seemed to get ready for a fight. “He spreads nothing but lies. Come help us get rid of him and his kind,” the young man suggests to you.

“BROTHER!” Cozbi beckons. “Join us and reap the benefits of Suicune’s glory!”

You seem to be caught in the middle of a gang war and have been given an ultimatum.

What will you do?

"This is just typical of humans..." Frinth shifts his head from side to side in a shaking manner.

Though there was this one noticeable feature in which they had some sort of similarity, or may be peculiarly...

Hereditary...

"So," He turned to both factions. Yet somehow directed his tone to both initiators. "Are, by any chance you guys related to each other?" He asked, their blue eyes letting off a dull glisten, and a certain look on their face cautiously reflected the simple truth between the two.

Frinth took out a box out of his bag, which opened another bow, which created a holographic doorway between them. "So, shall we discuss things in a civilised way with a picnic?" The door opened, and an entire picnic set blew out of its mouth, laying the ground with several different meals, each one having a particular scent emanating from all patches of the world. As he kept away the little cube, the peculiar door disappeared with it.

[myahoo]

Hydro-Electric Dam

Myahoo: With the idea that you’d seen this stranger before, you can’t help but approach him and introduce yourself. There’s an awkward pause as he turns his head over his shoulder, not looking too interested. His mood seems to have rubbed off on the Luxray too, who exchanges a glance with the echidna before turning back to the gushing reservoir. “Yes...” he replies drolly with one hand itching the lion’s ear, “If you’ve ever watched Sinnoh Now, you’ve probably seen one of my interviews. And if you haven’t guessed by now, I’m Volkner of the Sunnyshore Gym”. Whilst he sounded quite arrogant, you couldn’t help but think he must get this all the time. He flings a handful skimming stones into the water one by one, the pebbles lightly rippling against its surface. It feels like he’s testing your patience, most travellers would’ve snubbed the gym leader and his brash attitude. You feel like parting ways yourself until all of a sudden, something happens that even he wasn’t expecting.

A metal screech from the dam pierces through the salty air. Suddenly the surges of foamy water coming from the cylinders wane to a few weak spurts. The roaring turbines grind to a halt as the last trickles of fresh water dribble down to the reservoir that was getting shallower by the second. Volkner tests the water with his hand, rising to his feet with an uncontrolled smirk on his lips. It had only taken a minute for the river to become bone dry, the nearby herd of Blitzle neighing in bewilderment. The blond chap’s eyes were glistening, you couldn’t help but think he’d gone mad as he smiles at you, “This is just the type of chaos I’ve been looking for!”

“I might need backup if you’d like the experience”, Volkner nods, far friendlier than before. He runs his fingers through the Luxray’s mane before mounting it, kicking one of his legs into the cat’s stomach to get it moving. The lion sets off into a run en route to the dam, and you start to wonder how on earth you’re meant to keep up. Volkner seems to realise this at the same split second as he pulls on the Luxray’s mane to bring it to a halt. “I almost forgot! I like to move fast. But luckily for you there’s a nearby herd of Blitzle. You don’t even have to capture one, wild Blitzle can be ridden if they deem a trainer strong enough. Don’t worry I’ll wait here”. You turn on your heel to face the zebras; one of them had broken off from the zeal. Looks like you’d have to gain its respect. What will you do?

As he spoke, Melissa couldn’t help wracking her brain to try to remember where she’d seen him before, taking little notice of his tone of voice. When he said his name and gym, though, she finally remembered that her parents had, at one point, gone to the Sunnyshore Gym to challenge the gym leader and that she’d only seen him briefly before being taken down to the beach with her dad.

Satisfied that she’d finally remembered where she’d seen him before, she then realized exactly how he’d spoken to her. The teen felt a flash of annoyance at his tone of voice and at the way he almost didn’t seem to care that someone was talking to him, but she reasoned he probably had a lot of random people just go up to him and start conversations when he was trying to do other things, so she guessed she could understand; it didn’t mean she didn’t like it when he did that, but, well, what could she do? At least she had met Volkner, so that was something she could write her parents about.

She was just about to politely excuse herself from his presence when a loud metal screech washed over them. Immediately, she yelped in surprise, Wildfire simultaneously letting out a surprised squeal, and glanced over at the dam. It was the only thing she could think of that could make a sound that loud and gasped as she watched the white jets peter down to a trickle and then stop, all within a few moments. Nearby, she spotted Volkner testing the water and then standing up with a smirk. His eyes glistened as he commented, smiling, “This is just the type of chaos I’ve been looking for!” She replied with a weak smile. Melissa privately thought he must have been very bored to be excited by the fact that the dam had somehow broken down. That or he just liked looking for trouble.

“I might need backup if you’d like the experience,” he said, much friendlier compared to before, as he mounted his Luxray and dashed off. Melissa exchanged glances with Wildfire, before shrugging lightly, her weak smile turning into an excited one. She might have thought he was a little reckless, but it would definitely be something to remember one day. The only problem was, she didn’t have anything that could keep up with him. At least, he realized it quickly too, as he stopped and called back, “I almost forgot! I like to move fast. But, luckily for you, there’s a nearby herd of Blitzle. You don’t even have to capture one, wild Blitzle can be ridden if they deem a trainer strong enough. Don’t worry; I’ll wait here.”

Recalling the herd of zebra Pokemon nearby, Melissa turned towards them and spotted one that had broken off from the rest. Nodding in response to Volkner’s advice, she took a moment to try to plan out a strategy or something; it was her first battle alone, after all.

Taking a deep breath, she placed Wildfire on the ground, saying, “You ready for this, Wildfire?”

He nodded. “Quil!”

“Alright. Let’s start off with a Quick Attack to get close to the Blitzle, followed by a Smokescreen, and we’ll round it off with an Extrasensory.”

[OkikuMew]

Suicune Effigy:

OkikuMew: Struggling to catch your breath, you finally reach your Poochyena who now has the much larger Dodrio backed into a corner, squawking and screeching and clawing at the ground. Max, though relatively unexperienced, shows little fear in the faces of the Triple Bird Pokemon, and nobody is really sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

On your command, Max tosses his head back and Howls loudly into the sky, building his confidence and his attack. He lunges at one of the Dodrio heads and nails it directly with a Tackle, causing significant damage. Unfortunately, the other two heads begin causing a great deal of commotion. In fact one could say that they’re Thrashing around.

The Dodrio goes off on a violent tangent, swinging it’s heads and beaks and legs around violently in all directions at Max. It hits once, and Max yelps in pain, but quickly rebounds by going for another Tackle, but one of the Thrashing Dodrio heads catches him in midair hard and sends him flying back a few dozen yards. You look on in horror as Max lays helplessly on the ground as the Dodrio continues Thrashing about uncontrollably, tossing Max around with feathers and loud shrieks filling the air.

Max has taken significant damage, while Dodrio’s remains at a minimum.

What will you do?

"M-Max, are you ok?" I loudly mumble as I watch in horror my Poochyena yelping in pain.

This is not good; this is not good at all... Although I was proud of myself of my strategy with minimal moves, it didn't work out great... the bird is now into thrashing rage, and Max is badly damaged... What to do? I quickly think of my two options:

The first one, the most simple, was fleeing. If the Dodrio becomes confused enough from the thrashing and we run away at the right moment, we could very well have a chance of getting out of here without my dog getting knocked out. But knowing the Dodrio's personality and skills, confused or not, it would quickly run after us... and catch us from behind at some point.

The other option, more complicated and slightly more risky, was continuing the battle. Max is extremely fatigued, yes, but I know he is stubborn enough to continue. Not to mention the Dodrio's soon-to-be confused state, so at that point Max will have more chances to throw in some attacks. In other words, it would become our fastest way to victory, and safety against that fast Pokémon.

So it's decided: As much as it is a gamble, we won't go out without a fight.

"Max, try to Tackle under him, right on its legs! If it falls, keep Tackling! But," I pause a bit so he can take in the new strategy, "if it's still on its feet, hide yourself behind a rock or something! Then when I see him stop thrashing and start getting confused, I'll tell ya to move out of there, then hit 'im with the best Tackle ya got!" I pause for a moment. "...Darn, its annoying to say 'tackle' that often," I whisper to myself.

[allishinca]

allishinca: Suddenly, you find yourself on the receiving end of a very angry Voltorb’s wrath. It appears that these may have been who you were disturbing with your excavation project, and this one seems ready to seek some revenge.

The Voltorb begins to power up an Electro Ball aimed straight for Pluto who stands his ground. At your command, Pluto uses Foresight which virtually does nothing. The Voltorb, on the other hand, fires off his energy build up. Pluto tries to dive out of the way, but the Electro Ball collides with his legs, sending him to the ground with a violent shock.

Not one to be deterred, Pluto angrily Leers at the Voltorb from the ground, causing the ball Pokemon to shudder with vulnerability. In retaliation, the Voltorb let’s out a loud Screech which to your delight leaves Pluto completely unaffected.

Pluto flashes a big toothy grin and and leaps at the Voltorb, landing a huge Scratch directly across the Voltorb’s…face? Body? Whatever. The Voltorb has taken a good bit of damage due to the lowered defense from the earlier Leer. Feeling the need to protect itself, however, the Voltorb puts up a Screen of Light to protect itself while it plans it’s next attack.

Both Pluto and the Voltorb have taken a bit of damage. It’s still up in the air.

What will you do next?

Pluto fought with the confidence of one readily overdue for such a challenge. He had watched other trainers battle, and it seemed like an eternity until he and Alli had set out on their own adventure. Although he did feel over prepared, he still lacked any type of real time battle experience. Alli was not nearly as composed. She did not know many moves, and scanned her Pokedex painstakingly while trying to look up abilities. Pluto was out there battling, putting Alli under greater stress. What if he got hurt?

The angry Voltorb charged up and illuminated with light. Alli knew he was preparing an attack, and ordered Pluto to dodge. Pluto jumped into the air just as the Voltorb unleashed a glowing Electro Ball attack. The Ball collided with Pluto's legs, causing him to fall and hit the ground hard. Alli squealed in panic, Pluto glared angrily and let out a strong Leer attack. The Voltorb was momentarily distracted from its own rage as it shuttered uncomfortably.

"Oh, it didn't like that!" Shouted Alli excitably.
Pluto smirked with cockiness.

The Voltorb composed itself and gave out deafening screech. Alli plugged her ears at the shrill noise. Pluto stood directly in front of the Voltorb as it screeched. His goggles cracked slightly, but otherwise Pluto appeared to be unaffected. Grinning wildly, Pluto lunged at Voltorb and gave it a strong Scratch across it's butt something or other. Alli pumped her first up proudly at Pluto. The Voltorb responded by going on the defense, and pushed out a Light Screen to prevent further damage.

"Oh, what's that?" Alli flipped through her Pokedex:

Light Screen. A wondrous wall of light that is put up to suppress damage from special attacks.

Alli was under too much stress to comprehend this definition and it left her feeling utterly confused.

"I don't quiet get it... but I don't think that will have any affect on a physical move like scratch..."
Pluto stood readily, awaiting orders. Alli mustered the courage and shouted out her strategic plan:

"Try ramming that light wall and then use another leer to lower it's defenses again!
If you break through, then use another scratch attack!
That should give us the advantage!"

Pluto nodded, and dive forward towards the Voltorb.

Profile

[Thrain]

Crater Lake:

Thrain: “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?!” yelled the trainer who’s food Blaze helped himself to. “I’M ALEXANDER LEONARDI JR! I SHOULD HAVE YOU KICKED OUT OF THIS PLACE!”

You’re a bit taken aback by the trainer’s brash response. You don’t really know who he is, but taking a look at his stylish name brand hiking gear stretched to the max over his overfed, flabby belly, you realize he’s probably somebody who has too much money and not a lot to do.

“Sir, do you have any idea what happens to Pokemon who vandalize the Lodge Property?” the ranger asks sternly. “ You’re lucky you showed up when you did. Mr. Leonardi’s father is a very big benefactor to the Crater Lake Lodge and he would not be happy to hear that some stray Growlithe was eating his son’s food. So if I were you, I’d be a little bit more responsible and keep a closer eye on your little friend.

Or else.”

The crowd surrounding you, Alexander, and the ranger was abuzz with whispers. Blaze apparently chose the wrong person’s meal to snag. All this commotion seems a bit excessive.

“Alright, crew. Round up. I’ll be leading the next nature hike. We’ll be starting in the woodland directly south of the lodge and be heading toward one of the natural rock formations. Let’s go!” The ranger began to lead the crew out of the dining hall.

“You better watch your back, punk,” said Alexander, as he trailed the crowd.

What will you do?

Profile

Uttering an apology to the trainer whose food Blaze had eaten, Eric looked up to notice the crowd that surrounded the table: gossipers that talked among one another, pointing at Eric accusingly; regular trainers who looked concerned and afraid of... something. Here and there, some people's eyes had grown wide with fear, and Eric could not ponder why. Returning his eyes to the trainer he had spoken to, Eric's gaze swept over the man one more time: the formal two-piece hiking suit neatly tailored to his humongous girth, the rings that adorned his fingers, and the sense of power he radiated. I bet they're scared of him, Eric thought. This man is obviously very rich and prominent in society. Eric was interrupted from his thoughts by the man's response.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM!?" the man bellowed. "I'M ALEXANDER LEONARDI JR!" he continued, not waiting for any response. "I SHOULD KICK YOU OUT OF THIS PLACE FOR WHAT YOUR POKÉMON DID!"

Flinching from the man's words and the sheer volume of his voice, Eric tried his best to mutter another apology but was interrupted by the ranger that had taken hold of the situation. " Sir, do you have any idea what happens to Pokemon who vandalize the Lodge Property?" he asked. Yes, because eating someone else's food is considered vandalizing, Eric thought to himself dryly. Continuing, the ranger said that Alexander was in fact the son of a benefactor of the Crater Lake lodge and that this wealthy man would not like to find out what his son had been put through. Hearing this juicy piece of information, the people surrounding the scene burst about into a frenzy of whispers, no doubt planning how to spread the gossip the fastest.

"Alright, crew. Round up," the ranger said. "I’ll be leading the next nature hike. We’ll be starting in the woodland directly south of the lodge and be heading toward one of the natural rock formations. Let’s go!" The group began to walk toward the dining hall's exit, including Alexander Leonardi. It looks like he's also coming on the hike.

"Hey, Mr. Leonardi!" Eric called. "Once again, I'm very s--"

"You better watch your back, punk," the man interrupted, melting into the crowd.

Eric hesitated, then began to walk along behind the rest of the group, keeping a considerable distance between himself and the opulent Mr. Alexander.

[FlashFusion]

The Caverns

Celebii: With your boat caught in a current and swirling waywardly into the mysterious beyond, you quickly turn to survival instincts to avoid any sharp stalagmites. One of the sharp rocks pierced through the water like a deadly cutlass, the water spraying white as it collided with it. The wooden mine cart was showing no signs of manoeuvring from the rock, spurring you into action. Neptune is first off the bat as he scrambles out of the cart and clips his claws onto its two back wheels. Facing rearward the turtle then fires off a Water Gun, the pressurised blast propelling you ahead like a speedboat. Controlling his fire allows him to manoeuvre the cart westerly, although with the water getting more treacherous the cart starts to rock dangerously and would no doubt capsize any moment. This is when Boing lends his Psychic abilities, grabbing ahold of the cart and steadying it whenever you hit a rough patch of surf. With Wartortle now engineing the minecart you find yourself sailing at a much faster pace, and before you can see where you were headed it was too late...

CRASH

Suddenly the boat splinters against a sharp rock barely sticking out from under the water. The impact knocks you out in a matter of seconds, your vision fading as water starts filling your lungs... An unknown amount of time passes as you start to come to. You splutter up a mouthful of salty water with a rhythmic bounce resonating in your ears. As you weakly open your eyes the first thing you see is Spoink springing on your chest as though initiating CPR. Neptune was looming over your head in concern, his eyes glistening as you regained sat up weakly. Looking around, you find you’re still in the dark cavern, but on a beach somewhere inside. Foamy water washed against the shoaly sand, no doubt from the sea you’d almost drowned in. Dripping wet you weakly limp to your feet, what lay ahead was enough to wipe away the memories of your near-death experience: It was a huge wooden door crafted into the cave wall. A golden knocker which resembled a Duskull was framed in its centre. The second you laid eyes on it however its single eye suddenly lit up a lustrous scarlet. As if it’d just come to life, the knocker’s jaw drops as it starts to speak:

Like a Gastly in the wind
He comes from the sea,
And trembles the foe
Like a storm on the lee.

With swashbuckling swagger
And a Jolly Roger laugh,
He flies the black flag
On a Wailord bone staff.

He has a black-patched eye
And a ring in his ear,
And on his wind-burned face,
A crusty-grizzled beard.

With a bone-cold glare
And a sneer on his lip,
He has a Octillery by his side
And a cutlass in his grip.

With a thunderous blast
From his Octillery's might,
He shivers the strong
And cripples their fight.

He takes what he's lost
And turns it to gold,
For He's crafty and shrewd
And He's fearless and bold.

He's dashing and daring,
A fierce buccaneer,
For the sight of his plunder
Pales many with fear.

From Laguna Peninsula
in Pirate’s Cove,
lies the Spirit of the Pirate
And his Treasure Trove!

Dare ye proceed?

Cele was feeling a bit more confident with the situation at hand, though he was still terrified and feared for his life, as well as his hardworking Pokemon's. Before he knew what was happening, a particularly sharp stalagmite tore through the brittle mine cart, sending sprays of seawater everywhere and Cele's eyes burned with the salty tang of the ocean. The mine cart got caught on the rock, until a pressurised stream of water pushed them off. Neptune was now at the controls of the makeshift boat, using Water Gun to move it into safer waters, while Boing utilized Psychic to steady the shaky mine cart. Cele found himself, yelling at his Pokemon. "Good technique, Neptune and Boing. Keep it up! Don't forget to breathe!" However, this success was shortlived as the cart began to pick up speed. "This could end badly."Cele said. He quickly looked left and right, then forward again, and before his brain could register what was happening...

CRASH

"Ugh... Where am I?" Cele muttered as he came to. He coughed out some seawater and sand. His blurred vision cleared, and he looked up to see Neptune looking at him, with obvious concern in his eyes. He also saw Boing hopping on his chest, delivering CPR. "Neptune, Boing..." Cele managed to say. The rest of his senses came back. Smell? It still smelled like the ocean. Taste? His mouth still lingered with the taste of seawater. Hearing? He could hear water washing up against the shore. Touch? It felt like he was laying down on sand. He got up weakly, wondering how he had gotten here. The images started coming back to him. The mine cart they were in hit a sharp rock, destroying it, while Cele passed out from the impact, and the lack of air. As he got up, he had a look around. He was supposedly on an underground beach, as the water washed up against the shore. Something unusual was caught in the corner of his eye. There was a wooden door framed in the wall of the cave! There was a golden knocker that resembled a Duskull was placed in its center. Cele approached it cautiously, and the Duskull's single eye lit up bright red. A voice emanated:

Like a Gastly in the wind
He comes from the sea,
And trembles the foe
Like a storm on the lee.

With swashbuckling swagger
And a Jolly Roger laugh,
He flies the black flag
On a Wailord bone staff.

He has a black-patched eye
And a ring in his ear,
And on his wind-burned face,
A crusty-grizzled beard.

With a bone-cold glare
And a sneer on his lip,
He has a Octillery by his side
And a cutlass in his grip.

With a thunderous blast
From his Octillery's might,
He shivers the strong
And cripples their fight.

He takes what he's lost
And turns it to gold,
For He's crafty and shrewd
And He's fearless and bold.

He's dashing and daring,
A fierce buccaneer,
For the sight of his plunder
Pales many with fear.

From Laguna Peninsula
in Pirate’s Cove,
lies the Spirit of the Pirate
And his Treasure Trove!

"Sounds like a ballad of a famous pirate or something." Cele observed. "What a lucky break, the treasure must be deeper inside the cave, and this door looks like the entrance!" Cele said. "I think you're right." Boing agrees. "Neptune, do you think we should go?" Cele asks. Neptune's eyes sparkle once again with the thought of treasure. "Well, it's settled. Let's go find some treasure!"

[Emp]

Raine’s Wildlife Park

Pengyzu: Hanging over the barrier of the heavily air conditioned Polar Exhibit, the lost Wailmer calf was the last thing on your mind as you gaze in awe at the waddle of Piplup. Your enthusiasm is quickly cut short however as one of the smallest of the crèche strays too far to the edge of the glacier, splashing into the icy cold water and struggling to stay afloat. The chick flails frantically as you yell for a park trainer, your heart sinking as no one comes to the rescue. The Piplup starts to chirp for help, spurring you into action. You decide to take things into your own hands – Allon now reeling to your side with a smooth hum. With orders volleyed the Magnemite sparks with animation, drifting over the barrier and toward the ice berg. The baby penguin’s tweets become slightly muffled now as it splutters icy cold water, the rest of the rookery assembling at the coast of the glacier in alarm. The magnet breaks to a halt as he reaches his coordinates, who twin magnets sliding down his body as he descends. Like a claw crane in an arcade, Allon successfully latches onto the penguin’s crown, ascending and drifting over the ice berg. Whilst the alien abduction seems to frighten the bubba more than drowning, it quickly gets over the ordeal as the Magnemite plops it down in the snow. Allon beams proudly as you sigh in relief, until a large shadow casts over the magnet...

“MWAP!”

A piercing squawk resonates across the warehouse as you almost bowl over the barrier in surprise. Allon gyrates to the source of the racket, a towering penguin clipping its trident-like beak aggressively. Its armour was sleek and black in comparison to the rookery’s downy white feathers, blue metal blades extending from its wings and collar. Its sapphire eyes were bloodshot in frenzy, shuffling its webbed toes and easily cornering the electric type into a glacier wall where he couldn’t slip away. You notice a caption further down the barrier: “Empoleon (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to the Glacier Islands. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching 170 cm in height and weighing anywhere from 170 to 200 kg. The female lays a single egg, which is incubated by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed” Your reading is suddenly cut off as the Empoleon lunges into Allon with a Peck, the attack chinking his armour for a mild hit. The magnet tumbles rearward his back knocking against a wall in the glacier. Before you can communicate with the Magnemite you catch sight of another caption scrawled in red lettering “Warning! The male Empoleon is not to be interacted with whilst his young in its incubation period”. It was too late for that, the emperor penguin closing any of Allon’s escape routes with a stretch of his jagged flippers. There was no way Allon could match such a huge foe, but with a good plan you could aid his getaway. What will you do?


Ampere Beach

Trainer Andy and Dark Searchman: With the fishing trip having been a great success, you both decide to sit out the last half hour, legs dangling off of the side of the ferry as you make idle conversation about your catches. This also gives Hyrem a chance to wrap his foot in a swathe of bandages courtesy of the boat’s medikit – the punctures in his toes making a speedy recovery. There’s still a lot of hustle and bustle on the other side of the deck as a half a dozen trainers try squeezing in some last minute catches. A Magikarp over-hauled by a youngster lands on Andy’s head, flopping helplessly as Hyrem bowls over in laughter. Time seems to fly by as you each watch proudly over the buckets, sparks flying within Chinchou’s pail whilst Gorebyss twirls continuously with a sense of claustrophobia. At long last a sharp WHOOT from Captain Briney’s whistle signals the end of the contest, a few kids now desperately struggling to get their fish into the buckets by hand. Several minutes pass as everyone crowds around the front of the deck, Briney measuring the catches one by one with a keen eye – it seemed like one look was all it took for him to gauge its strength and rarity. He occasionally whispers to Slowpoke, who nods or shakes his head subtly. You feel like the suspense would kill you, until the captain finally announces the results of the amateur fishing contest.

“So without further ado, I present to you in third place – Hyrem and his Chinchou” the young sailor picks up the Pokémon by one of its anglers, prodding its bulb curiously only to receive a mild electric shock. Slowpoke laughs dimly. “This particular specimen of Chinchou weights in at a length of 0.5 meters, about average for its species. Its habitat is in the deep sea trenches where it’s fairly common. In spite of that, it’s a cool find and would make a shocking addition to any trainer’s team! Hyrem wins a Blue Shard for coming in third place!” Briney grins as he tosses it back into the bucket, prodding his index finger where he’d just been electrocuted. There's a mild spell of clapping as Briney dunks the fish back in its tank.

“Our runner up today in second place – Andy and his Gorebyss” the sailor has more trouble snagging hold of the snipe eel’s shell-tail as he hoists it out of its bucket, standing on his tiptoes in order to show it at full height. There are oohs and aahs resonating through the crowd of tourists as the Gorebyss bats its eyes elegantly. “It pains me not to give this beautiful creature first place. This specimen is a whopping 1.6 meters in length, albeit smaller than your average Gorebyss. It’s a much rarer inhabitant of the deep sea trenches. Andy wins a Heart Scale for coming in second place!” The crowd applauds much louder as Briney lowers it back into the pail in which it instantly starts circling within, his eyes now fixated on the final bucket with a glint of excitement.

“And now for our winner, a veteran of the fishing circuit – Mary Sue and her Feebas” a few of the trainers frown in confusion as water runs off the ugly bass’s muddy scales as it attempts to feebly flounder back into its bucket. “Don’t let your eyes deceive you, this Feebas is the rarest fish you’ll find in these waters. Standing at 1 meter tall it’s exceptionally large for its species. Mary Sue wins a Water Stone for coming first place!” The beachgoers now break into rapturous cheering as Briney releases the final fish. You can’t help but join in on the applause, being first and second runner up was nothing to be ashamed of and you’d had a lot of fun.

“Now if I could get you to release you catches back into the ocean, we’ll be moving onto our Scuba expedition of Rainbow Reef!” The crowd scatters across the deck as you turn back to your buckets. Andy has some trouble getting a grip of the slippery snipe eel, but with a firm grasp of its tail-lure, he chucks it off the side of the boat. The pink fish flutters its eyelashes as if to say thanks for letting it go before rapidly plummeting down the ocean and out of sight. Hyrem has other plans as he seizes the Chinchou by its anglers, a look of bewilderment in its plus-eyes. Prodding it with a Pokéball, the trainer punches the salty air with a woop as the angler fish puts up no fight Congratulations! Level Seven Chinchou ♀ was caught! With a new Pokémon joining your ranks you quickly don the jet black scuba gear, complete with flippers, a snorkelling mask and a heavy oxygen tank. Briney fixes himself at the hem of the boat were there was a small waterslide. “Okay trainers, you’ll need to partner up before we start, and you’ll also need to be accompanied by a Water Pokémon. Got it?” Briney then fixes his snorkel over his mouth, nosediving into the sea and signalling you to follow his lead. What will you do?

Dark Searchman, with your first capture you’ve unlocked rights to the Egg House. Be sure to link to your response to this update when picking up your egg.

The Caverns

Celebii: With the bard of the cutthroat pirate still fresh in your mind you boldly press forward, Neptune’s eyes flashing into dollar signs as he rubs his hands greedily at the fast unfurrowing fable of a pirate’s trove. Taking a deep breath and preying this isn’t a trap, you clutch onto the now-inanimate Duskull knocker and attempt to pry the door open. The rusty hinges make it difficult to budge, but with the Wartortle’s combined effort it’s not long until you hear a noisy creek. As the towering oak door cracks open a yellow light is cast down on the shoaly beach from the room ahead. It can’t be? Can it? As you push further your speculation is confirmed as mountains of gold lay glistening ahead!

Neptune’s jaw drops to the floor in disbelief. Endless hills of gold, precious gemstones and treasure chests filled the dome-like cavern ahead – all unspoilt and yours for the taking. Neptune doesn’t need telling twice as he clambers on one of the gold mounds, shoving handfuls of coins into the gaps of his shell. Boing springs over to a chest brimming with pearls like the one on his crown with great interest, looking to see if they had any that could augment his psychic abilities. Not so quick to fill your pockets with gold, you apprehensively stroll around the trove searching for booby traps. After the knocker’s warning about the pirate’s spirit you can’t help but feel like there’s more to this pirate’s booty than meets the eye. Whilst you spot plenty of treasures from across the world, such as lamps and goblets and even a sarcophagus that looked like it’d been hauled from one of Talas’s pyramids, about a half a dozen stout suits of armour strike you as eerie. You can’t help getting the feeling you’re being watched as you finish your inspection of the cove. It looked safe to touch...

TRRRRRRR

A racket similar to six jumbo jets starting up breaks through the air, coins spilling out of Neptune’s carapace as he bowls over in surprise. Turning on your heel you watch in horror as the suits of armour’s eyes all light up like yellow flashlights. They weren’t armoury at all, they were Pokémon. The bluish coloured golems all had spiral like insignias strapped to their round bellies by brown belts. In a matter of seconds the half a dozen Pokémon started marching forward as though programmed to exterminate any unwanted trespassers and swindlers. What will you do?

Kakatua Lagoon

Balmund: Rather than head for the exit and walk out on your newfangled soul mate, you decide that to your better judgement the siren might have had her reasons for taking you prisoner. Determined to find some good underneath her velvety smooth skin you apologise earnestly for slaying her pet and start to probe her about the fate of your own monsters. She avoids your question, swooning at the sound of that four letter word at the tail-end of your sentence. The mermaid’s tail coils as she glides through the crystal clear blue lost in her own world - “Ahh, he really does love me”. Opening her eyes that she’d squeezed tight wishfully, she faces you again with an embarrassed giggle.

“Your friends?” she pauses for a second, her finger on her lip as she stares into space, “I remember! I let out your Kingdra and we had a little chat while you were sleeping...” The siren’s face suddenly grows pale and worried, trying her best to avoid your attentive glare. This becomes impossible however as she seems to suspect an air of suspicion “He kept telling me you didn’t love me. He tried to stop me from changing you... so I locked him away... Don’t worry, I’ll set him free as soon as he stops telling those vicious lies! I can take you to him right now if you don’t believe me” You catch a glint of malice in her eyes for the first time, she actually looked a bit frightening. With tensions high the siren quickly changes to subject back to you. The mermaid had a knack for manipulating conversation; one bat of her eyelashes was spellbinding, enough to steer your mind away from the growing warning signs.

“So Bal... Tell me some more about yourself”, she says casually “I want to know every- last- naughty- detail.” With each word the maid takes a lunge forward until your noses are almost touching. Her seductive glare from a hair’s distance was enough to send any merman weak at the tailfin, and you were no exception. What will you say?

Hydro-Electric Dam

Myahoo: Looking to cover ground much faster than on foot, Volkner escorts you to the zeal of Blitzle that’d been drinking from the now waning river. One of them breaks off from the crowd as the gym leader gazes on intently – it was time to pull out all the stops to gain both of their respect. Wildfire shares your enthusiasm, spouting off a burst of flames as he hops off your shoulder and onto the battlefield. Stringing a set of orders together you watch anxiously as the match gets underway. The Blitzle bows as it neighs aggressively, sparks flying up and down its body and Charging in lighning-bolt mane. Its aggression quickly subsides however as its opponent disappears from view! Wildfire was bounding down the riverbank at breakneck speed, ramming the zebra in the flank with a Quick Attack. The equine tumbles off balance. Regaining its footing, the Blitzle quickly lets off a Shock Wave of lightning from its mane before the echidna can get away. Wildfire squeals as he’s fried by electricity, mostly owing to the zebra’s charging tactics. The Blitzle looks to let off another Shock Wave but as its ready to discharge the Pokémon loses sight of its target. Wildfire had let off a plume of Smoke that had Screened his side of the field, sending the lightning bolt off in a complete misfire. Tailing off the round Cyndaquil channels his Extrasensory powers into a multicoloured beam, smacking Blitzle in the muzzle for a solid hit. Whilst you’d managed to gain an early lead, you couldn’t afford to let your guard down. What will you do?

Crater Lake

Itzatrap: Eavesdropping in on the conversation you quickly get the impression that the shady man was up to no good, and without a second thought your trainer instincts spur you into action. Fingering a Pokéball on your belt, you gently pitch it a few meters ahead. Cracking open on the ashy terra, the ball releases a hardy Sandile that snaps his strong jaws animatedly – happily in his element in the searing savannah. Judis gets a quick sense of the situation and gnarls menacingly as you approach the felon, plucking up every morsel of courage in your body. Fighting fire with fire, you swear that you’d have no troubles in setting Sandile on him if he didn’t leave the poor farmers alone. This works like a charm as the businessman’s eyes widen spotting a dozen fangs zigzagging down his long snout.

“Woahoho”, the criminal reaches to the sky, laughing uneasily as he backs away, “There’ll be no need for us to act like Primape. Like I said, without a deed to the land we start drilling at noon and there’s nothing you can do about it...” Judis snaps angrily, the man releasing an uncharacteristic squeal and scrambling a rearward. Looking red with embarrassment, the man tips his fedora and storms away from the ranch – bumping shoulders with you as he does so. Flannery was biting her lip in concentration, neither of you having introduced yourself to the elderly couple. The wife looked furrowed and gentle, a pair of round spectacles slipping halfway down her nose with her grey hair knotted in a tight bun. The husband looked like an aged cowboy, his ten gallon hat shadowing his wrinkled face which branded with several scars. You’d imagined he’d been quite the roughneck in his prime, but with a cane supporting his weight you could only imagine those days were long gone. Whilst the elderly woman was smiling tearfully the male rancher looked as though he was weighing you up sternly.

“Thank you so much stranger”, the farmer smiles weakly, “I’m Betsy and this is my husband Amos”. Amos shrugs courtly as Betsy grabs your hand with a grubby gardening glove and shakes it warmly. She waits for your reply, Flannery quickly interjecting.

“I’m Malorie, and this is my friend Bob”, she says elbowing you to play along, “We heard you need a hand on the farm and Bob was hoping you could help with his Squirtle’s broken leg”. The redhead elbows you again, coaxing you into a mousy nod. You gather this mission required you to work incognito, but wish she’d picked a more creative alias. Betsy grins as Amos invites you into the cabin. The interior was decorated with several fur pelts pinned against the walls and floors, one of which you identify as an Electabuzz and another as Arcanine. There were dozens of black and white photos on cabernets depicting cowboys Buffoulant riding and square dancing, some of which you recognised as the ranch owners in their youth. As the couple amble off into the kitchen for fresh lemonade, Flannery tugs you into a quiet huddle.

“This is perfect”, she whispers, “Under law those felons are free to drill wherever they want if we can’t provide proof of ownership. We can help out on the farm whilst we look for that deed, and then we can put a stop to those criminals once and for all”

“Bob – Malorie”, Amos announces as you each grab a glass of icy lemonade, “If yer lookin’ for work, the Mareep could sure use shavin’ and a few of the Blitzle are ready for breakin’” Flannery nods enthusiastically, giving you the honours of choosing where to head first. What will you do?

Cascade Waterfall

Kaisap: If you had known being at one with nature meant this, you might have ventured to the urban metropolis of Seaside City instead – your heart racing in panic as the gargantuan tire veered into the tree trunk with tremendous force. Bark splintered off in all directions, the branch Kitty was desperately fastened to bending on her weight as she mews in distress. Still not liking your odds of a brawl with the big momma, you try one last time to win her over and show her you have no bad intentions. You frantically wave your arms to grab its attention, plucking a clove of berries from your backpack. It’s only when the eldest of the Phanpy brood joins in trumpeting and stamping its feet that the mother decelerates. The elephant untucks from its Rollout, eyeing you warily and furrowing its trunk to catch a scent of the berries. The Donphan grunts, ramming one of the Phanpy toward you signalling its trust. The calves start pawing at your legs eagerly as you offer out the berries. A feeling of deep relief washes over you, until you realise you’d forgotten someone.

“Wrowwwww” Kitty cries in despair. The feline had managed to hoist herself onto the branch that she was now hugging for her life. It looked like she was too far up to climb down and needed a helping hand. The Donphan seems to have caught sight of this dilemma and grunts again to catch your attention. She’d lowered her trunk for you to stand on - it looked as though she wanted to crane you up with it. Before you could make a decision, another sound starts racketing from above. Inside a tree hollow a small Hoothoot’s amber eyes flickered on like a pair of flashlights. It hops onto the Skitty’s branch, bags under its eye markings as it clips its beak grouchily. It looked as though the Donphan’s ramming had woken it up, and it was looking for a scrap with Kitty! You quickly have a lot more on your plate than a cat stuck up a tree, but at least this fight was evenly matched. What will you do?

[Balmund]

::Ancient Ruins::

Arc_Angel: You thoroughly enjoy yourself standing at the border edge of the northern shores and bathing yourself with the warm sunlight while the cool, foamy waves washed over your feet. You had to let this moment last for where you intended to go was deep down into the icee cold ocean depths, looking to further explore the long forgotten and ancient underwater ruins. You decide its time to go, and you look inside your waterproof bag for the proper equipment, making sure no peeping toms were present before stripping and changing into the tight wetsuit. Taking a Dive Ball out, you release the monster within, the Tentacruel emerging into the water and growling as he takes a look at his surroundings. Noticing the way you were dressed, he knew you were going for a swim. How wonderful!

You swim towards the jelly fish Pokémon before explaining your intentions. You needed a Pokémon that could help you dive deep down where the ruins now rested, and who better for the job than Oblivion himself? Besides, that the ruins hadn't been fully mapped yet reeked of danger, and you needed a strong beast to fend off whatever threats layed ahead. Oblivion seemed all too happy about the idea of literally dragging some unsuspecting creatures into oblivion. This was turning out to be one of those great surprise adventures for him already! Wrapping his tentacles around you a bit too tightly as you held on to him, he then proceeds to Surf at top speed towards the designated spot. It must've been almost an entire mile off shore before you decided to stop. Luckily, no annoying and random Tentacools had popped up along the way to ruin the pleasant conversation you had with your Pokémon, though Oblivion perhaps would've very gladly disposed of them in a split second if they did. You equip yourself with the appropriate goggles and breathing apparatus, and Oblivion takes this as a cue to suddenly Dive underwater, dragging you along in the process. You could only claw unto his jelly flesh tightly as if your life depended on it, wishing for the deceptively calm Tentacruel to eventually behave. His partners were such a bad influence...

He does seem to slow down the deeper you both got however. It was only necessary lest the sudden pressure increase completely destroyed your lungs. This was going to be a long dive afterall, and the further and further you went, the colder and darker it got. Reaching deep into the bottom, you wondered if you were at the right place as you saw nothing but naked underwater ground. The lost city of Atlantis was reported to be found in remarkably fine conditions - it wouldn't be hard to recognize once found. They just had to be around here somewhere... one would just have to explore further and look for hints that revealed the presence of man-made constructions. Down at the bottom of the ocean, it is hard to figure where to even start without a concrete clue to follow. Following the ocean current might lead someplace useful. Looking for some sort of trail on the ground could also do the trick. Back then, there must've been some sort fo road leading into the city, and perhaps there still is, though you might end up following false trails leading into territory unknown. Asking other resident Pokémon would probably be the smartest thing to do, if Oblivion could in fact be civilized towards them, though your immediate surroundings looked remarkably deserted. Looking off into the distance you see small but bright flickers of light; perhaps a sign of life that you shouldn't overlook.

What will you do?

::Pieli Harbour::

MarbleZone: Carefully thinking about your next orders, you command your Minccino to make use of hit-and-run tactics, exploiting the most of her overwhelming speed advantage over the slow, living blob of sludge. Being such a technical fighter, Min seemed more than happy with this plan. It was your intention to conserve energy while you gauged the Grimer's strength, which you figured would probably not be much considering its likely low intelligence and limited movepool. This was a serious battle however, and it was better to be safe than sorry, you thought.

Springing into action, Min practically dances around the Poison-type, dazzling the poor thing with her quick movements as she looked for the perfect opening. The Grimer tries in vain to protect all flanks, and then, in a moment of confusion, it finds itself being Pounded hard accross its slimy face; the chinchilla Pokémon nimbly stepping back in time to avoid a widely slugged hook from her opponent as the Grimer tried to Pound in retaliation. Grimer looks really annoyed now, and it seems to take the offensive, intent on getting up close and personal with the Normal-type as he slowly sled towards her. Min on the other hand looks slightly grossed out as she tries to wipe a bit of the residue slime off her paw; for a Pokémon almost obsessed with being clean and tidy by nature, facing a Grimer was probably the worst of the worst. She still looks motivated for battle however, having only just warmed up.

Meanwhile, over at the barricade, you notice sludge oozing out from the extremely narrow creavace underneath the metallic door. Whatever this means, it may be that you don't have enough time to be overly careful and methodic.

What will you do?

::Seaside City::

Charminions: With Apollo in a bit of a bind, you quickly issue your orders in an attempt to turn around the situation. Bubbah roars and pounds his chest euphorically before throwing himself against the downed Combusken with a Body Slam. Apollo wasn't having any of that however, as he thrusts himself upwards with a rapid but strong kick-up, latching unto Bubbah mid-air and rotating sideways, using gravity to his advanatage to faceplant the Vigoroth hard against the matt; the sloth's legs painfully bending over his back upon impact like a scorpion's tail. The crowd was certainly wowed by Apollo's amazing Reversal, and you figured your opponent wouldn't recover from that easily. You're soon proved wrong however, as you see Bubbah get back to his feet just as Apollo did. Unbelievable! What was that thing made of anyways?

Following up on the offensive, Apollo seeks to bring in some more pain as both of his fists now start bursting with lightning. Quickly stepping in a flash, Apollo hooks a Thunder Punch right into Bubbah's ribcage; the Vigoroth letting out some spit from his mouth as he bends over from the liver blow, right before being slammed overhead with a second electrifying dose of Thunder Punch. It was an attack combination that would be enough to knock out anyone, and indeed the Vigoroth seemed to be falling into unconsciousness; the fight was pretty much already over. Being suddenly staurated with vitality out of nowhere however, Bubbah quickly stretches his arm to get hold of Apollo's face before viciously Scartching across his vulnerable eyes. How dirty! The Fire-type shrieks in pain as his vision is so brutally impaired, and can nary do a thing as Bubbah gets ahold of him, launching Apollo with ridiculous Strength against your very own corner.

Bubbah's face seems to fade out for just a second as his body is now aware of the damage it has sustained, but he then shakes it off vigorously, slamming the matt with both arms to regain focus before thrusting himself full on towards your cornered companion. He seems to be putting all of his spirit on this attack, and Apollo certainly won't want to be victim of it.

What will you do?

::Rainbow Reef::

xXKratosAurionXx: Staring straight into the face of danger, you go all in on your instincts and decide to firmly hold your ground against the ferocious predator; a decision which you transmit to your partner as you try to calm her down. You knew that if something went wrong, either of you could come out with life-threathening injuries. Despite your heart bertraying your thoughts, you try your best to look fearless and assertive. You practically hold your breath as the enormous Sharpedo comes within your hand's reach until it suddenly sways off course, now slowly circling around you from up close as it carefully observed you. Surely, a thrilling experience to be so near such an umpredictable monster, and at the same time, quite an enthralling one as you locked eyes with it, both feeding off each other's energy as you engaged in what felt like several eternal seconds of silent conversation. Observing the massive shark, you notice a wide array of scars scattered all over its rough skin. It surely must've held a long life, and if anything, one could be certain it wasn't lacking any in life experiences. And then... it was gone; the Sharpedo finally swimming away and vanishing off into the deep blue as subtly as it had come.

Had it acknowledged you or did it left because of some other reason? You could only but wonder, but what mattered now was that you were safe from danger... or were you? You just couldn't be given a moments rest as once again it is Brunhilde that warns you of possible danger approaching. Turning to the opposite end from which Sharpedo had left, and looking beyond the rainbow field of coral and into the void of the horizon, you notice the undistinguishable silouette of what could be a very large Pokémon, if not something else altogether. Nothing that you could instantly identify. How mysterious... the question was, would you even want to find out?

What will you do?

::The Black Swan::

-Hayward-: You sure were astonished by the sudden sight of a lonely wisp bolting momentarily before your eyes. While a part of you felt the nearly unresistible urge to follow after it and investigate, you think better of it and decide to stay in and more carefully explore the cabin instead. You had the feeling that if you left you might forever lose the chance to come back, and missing out on whatever shinies the crew might've hoarded for themselves over the yearts simply wasn't an option for you. You ask your partners to get ahold of themselves and start helping out with the scavenge.

Ever wary of your surroundings, you carefully inspect the large room in sarch of long forgotten treasure. Dissapointingly, it seemed like pretty much nothing was left behind. Perhaps most was lost at sea when the ship stranded. Perhaps the surviving pirates took the loot themselves before hiding it somewhere on Pirate Isle. Perhaps other treasure hunters had already gotten ahead of you long ago. All theories seemed equally likely and neither was exclusivee to each other, but there just had to be something left of value, right? And then, as if by mystical coincidence, you struck gold; a rotten wooden plank suddenly lifting under your feet as you stepped on it, revealing 3 Golden Dubloons underneath, covered in a thick layer of dust and stained a dark brown with what could'vee been at one time someone else's blood. Your partners too seemed to have found something on their end; Medéo feeling drawn to a Crystal Eye of sorts, which gave you the impression that it stared straight into your soul, whereas Hynéo on the other hand picked up a strange scent coming from an out-of-place Black Feather, likely belonging to a rather large bird. The feather itself looked like it had fallen recently, and yet, one couldn't help shaking the feeling that it had been there for a long, long time. All in all, the collected items didn't seem all that valuable, save perhaps for the dubloons, but perhaps they might be of use somehow.

As you reflect on the fruits of your endeavor, the atmosphere around you now turns even heavier as you could almost feel the entire ship "breathe"; all walls expanding and contracting while strong gusts of wind blew in and out; the resulting sound resembling the deep, guttural growl of a diabolic beast. You hear a booming noise coming from the opposite far end of the ship, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps, at first coming at decently paced intervals but then exponentially accelerating more and more as they closed in on you. It sounds like danger is fast approaching, and though your Pokémon were certainly strong and nearly at the peak of their abilities, perhaps a valiant escape now was in order.

What will you do?

::Crater Lake::

jolteonjak: Listening to Cyndaquil's explanation, and looking at the Wooper's puppy-dog antics, you decide to gladly take him with you. Who could resist such an adorable Pokémon! And besides, it had proven its worth in battle too. As you respond to the Woopeer, it seems to tilt its head inquisitively, but after reading off your dictionary once again, it seemed overjoyed as he approached the Pokéball you held out for him. The Level 5, Male Wooper waves goodbye to his friend before tapping the Pokéball, which instantly swallows the mud fish in a burst of light and snaps shut without as much of a struggle. The other Wooper smiles bittersweetly before running off back to the lake. He seemed happy for his friend, though he was sure gonna miss him. Perhaps you would see him again during your stay in the volcano. For now, your Pokémon seemed tired and weary, and perhaps it would be best to go back for a rest. You're all startled however, as you listen to a sudden and thunderous roar coming far off into the lake. Whatever it was, it sounded very ominous... perhaps going fishing tomorrow wasn't the best of ideas.

What will you do?

::Wet'n'Wild Recreation Park::

Mon1010: Finding yourself forced into a battlee you didn't want to take part of by none other than your own Pokémon, you quickly issue orders, hoping to incapacitate your opponent before he could do any real damage to the property. The Timburr seems to take the initiative however, leaping towards the floating Munna before swinging his wooden plank, smacking her hard accross the face with a Pound. Though it certainly smarted, Shaana puts on a tough face and instead Yawns in return, looking unimpressed, and in the process, somehow making Timburr feel very, very drowzee. In an attempt to shake off his sleep, Timburr tries to Focus his Energy, increasing his concentration as he pumps himself up before once again Pounding Shaana, this time sending her flying into one of the nearby desks and forcing an entire family to get on on their feet as she sprawled all over their hamburgers. A small girl started crying unconsolably as a glass of soda was spilled all over her. Shaana wasn't just going to leave it at that however, and returns fire with a powerful Psybeam, nailing the fighting type where it hurts most and causing him to stagger back from the attack. You can see him growing weary and tired as the yawn kicks in, and he might just fall asleep at any second now, much to Tony's annoyance.

What will you do?

[Son_of_Shadows]

Raine’s Wildlife Park

Son of Shadows: All the colour washes away from your face as you make out the Team Aqua insignia scrawled across the glass tunnel. Their vandalism was becoming far more reckless and quickly escalating into terrorism - a small radio device flickering steadily sending the nearby fauna wild. It’s difficult to think with Billy wailing at the top of his voice, but you manage to hatch a plan to short out the device which you shrewdly link to the gam of Sharpedo’s ballistic behaviour. Wrestling to your Pokéballs past the metal barrier, you manage to finger one of them and hurl it off the coaster. With a crack the sphere cracks open, a muddy flatfish bounding into the air and flopping onto the side platform. Not long ago the Stunfisk had been your sworn enemy, but under your ranks he’d immediately tamed, chirping as you volley instructions. The low thud of Sharpedo hitting the windscreen was getting steadily louder, a few of the sharks using Take Down to form large cracks in the fortified glass. Livewire springs into action as Static electricity crackles up his body, some flying off toward the radio. The sparks pulse through the device for a few seconds... Suddenly! The radio starts beeping erratically, its frequency now audible as a sharp noise starts ringing in your ears.

You instinctively clap them, oblivious to the fact the Sharpedo were now going bezerk. One of the sharks bullets forward like a torpedo, its Skull capped with white energy as it Bashes into the tunnel. With a thunderous chink pressurised water starts pumping into the tunnel, the kid in the Pikachu costume screaming at the top of his lungs as one of the Sharpedo lands in a shallow pool of water which was steadily rising toward your feet. The shark snarls as it circles the coaster, snapping its jaws feverishly. The first thing it spots in its beady black eyes is Livewire, a Pokémon it’d love to prey on in the wild... If ever there was a silver lining it was that the radio was smoking with its circuits fried, courtesy of the sprays of water coming from the fissure in the wall. The Sharpedo looks less agitated now, but its killer instincts are enough to spur it into a hunt, and with the level of water rising it looked like you had more than one problem on your hands. What will you do?

This... This was a joke, right? Joshua could swear he'd suddenly been dropped into a Final Destination movie. How could he possibly escape death here? For God's sake, he wasn't Batman, he wasn't exactly ludicrously prepared with the perfect gadget to escape the situation that lay before him?

The horrible situation was divided into three parts:

1) The Sharpedo had broken the glass casing, and water was now gushing into the tunnel, with the patrons of the coaster still trapped on it.

2) One Sharpedo had followed the water, and was currently salivating over Livewire.

3) The constant, yet justified screaming of the other patrons. Because that was totally going to help. The radio's screech as the water cut it out hadn't helped matters, but at least it had stopped the Sharpedo's bloodlust. Most of it. Joshua's plan had backfired horribly, Static had supercharged the radio temporarily.

He was pinned in, but managed to quickly recall Livewire before the Sharpedo could act. The Reaper was closing in fast, and panic was setting in. However, though he wasn't thinking of it, there was one chance. Adrenaline had built up in his body both from the ride and the danger, and with nowhere to escape, it was coursing through him, giving the chance for flight or fight. In this case, fight - against the bar. He was already pushing against it, and with the extra shot of adrenaline, he should be able to push it enough to slip free, and then the hole in the tube could offer an escape route. But what of the passengers? Well, he'd have to hope for the best for the rest of them, but he could at least offer Billy a ride with Aegis... That was, if he somehow managed to wriggle free.

[jolteonjak]

::Crater Lake::

jolteonjak: Listening to Cyndaquil's explanation, and looking at the Wooper's puppy-dog antics, you decide to gladly take him with you. Who could resist such an adorable Pokémon! And besides, it had proven its worth in battle too. As you respond to the Woopeer, it seems to tilt its head inquisitively, but after reading off your dictionary once again, it seemed overjoyed as he approached the Pokéball you held out for him. The Level 5, Male Wooper waves goodbye to his friend before tapping the Pokéball, which instantly swallows the mud fish in a burst of light and snaps shut without as much of a struggle. The other Wooper smiles bittersweetly before running off back to the lake. He seemed happy for his friend, though he was sure gonna miss him. Perhaps you would see him again during your stay in the volcano. For now, your Pokémon seemed tired and weary, and perhaps it would be best to go back for a rest. You're all startled however, as you listen to a sudden and thunderous roar coming far off into the lake. Whatever it was, it sounded very ominous... perhaps going fishing tomorrow wasn't the best of ideas.

What will you do?

After hearing Chad's offer to accompany him in two languages, the Wooper understood his intent. He waved goodbye to his friend, and he touched the capture mechanism on the Pokeball Chad held out. The ball opened and engulfed Wooper in its light, and it absorbed the light. The Pokeball indicator flashed briefly before alerting Chad to the successful capture of the Wooper. Seeing this the second Wooper went back to the lake, a little saddened by the loss of its buddy.

"Aww Wooper, you're a good friend," Chad tried to console the Wooper. "Don't you worry. I'll take care of him." He had hoped this would make the Water Fish feel better. Chad suddenly remembered his Spanish guide. "Usted es un buen amigo. No se preocupe. Voy a tener mucho cuidado de él. Voy a ir mañana de pesca. ¿Por qué no vienes aquí? Puedes verlo a continuación."

Chad looked at Cyndaquil and Heracross, who were both happy for the addition to their family. "You two look tired," Chad began. "Why don't we return to the lodge to rest up? I bet dinner is almost -"

Chad was abruptly cut off by the loud rumbling sound of thunder but from the lake? Whatever the sound was, Cyndaquil ran over to Chad feeling a little nervous. Heracross assumed his best fighting stance, despite being tired from the battle. "Um, what was that? I hope the volcano isn't becoming active again. Maybe the elder at the lodge will know what that is. Ok you two, let's go."


Stats - Thank you Bal! Can't wait to see what happens next!

[myahoo]

Hydro-Electric Dam

Myahoo: Looking to cover ground much faster than on foot, Volkner escorts you to the zeal of Blitzle that’d been drinking from the now waning river. One of them breaks off from the crowd as the gym leader gazes on intently – it was time to pull out all the stops to gain both of their respect. Wildfire shares your enthusiasm, spouting off a burst of flames as he hops off your shoulder and onto the battlefield. Stringing a set of orders together you watch anxiously as the match gets underway. The Blitzle bows as it neighs aggressively, sparks flying up and down its body and Charging in lighning-bolt mane. Its aggression quickly subsides however as its opponent disappears from view! Wildfire was bounding down the riverbank at breakneck speed, ramming the zebra in the flank with a Quick Attack. The equine tumbles off balance. Regaining its footing, the Blitzle quickly lets off a Shock Wave of lightning from its mane before the echidna can get away. Wildfire squeals as he’s fried by electricity, mostly owing to the zebra’s charging tactics. The Blitzle looks to let off another Shock Wave but as its ready to discharge the Pokémon loses sight of its target. Wildfire had let off a plume of Smoke that had Screened his side of the field, sending the lightning bolt off in a complete misfire. Tailing off the round Cyndaquil channels his Extrasensory powers into a multicoloured beam, smacking Blitzle in the muzzle for a solid hit. Whilst you’d managed to gain an early lead, you couldn’t afford to let your guard down. What will you do?

The teen watched anxiously, as the fight began, inwardly cheering at getting the first hit in. She tensed as she caught Wildfire’s squeal and sighed in relief when he got the Smokescreen off quick enough to avoid another Shock Wave. As he fired off the Extrasensory, Melissa started planning their next moves. Alright, it’s Smokescreened for now, but it’s still got its Electric attacks, so we don’t want to physically touch it, if possible, she thought as she cast her eyes over the situation. Ranged, it is.

“Let’s turn up the heat, Wildfire,” she called out. “Use Ember at its feet, followed by another Smokescreen. Then Flame Burst its flank.” Orders given, she then muttered to herself in thought, “Let’s see if we can’t knock it over.”

[Dark Searchman]

Ampere Beach

Trainer Andy and Dark Searchman: With the fishing trip having been a great success, you both decide to sit out the last half hour, legs dangling off of the side of the ferry as you make idle conversation about your catches. This also gives Hyrem a chance to wrap his foot in a swathe of bandages courtesy of the boat’s medikit – the punctures in his toes making a speedy recovery. There’s still a lot of hustle and bustle on the other side of the deck as a half a dozen trainers try squeezing in some last minute catches. A Magikarp over-hauled by a youngster lands on Andy’s head, flopping helplessly as Hyrem bowls over in laughter. Time seems to fly by as you each watch proudly over the buckets, sparks flying within Chinchou’s pail whilst Gorebyss twirls continuously with a sense of claustrophobia. At long last a sharp WHOOT from Captain Briney’s whistle signals the end of the contest, a few kids now desperately struggling to get their fish into the buckets by hand. Several minutes pass as everyone crowds around the front of the deck, Briney measuring the catches one by one with a keen eye – it seemed like one look was all it took for him to gauge its strength and rarity. He occasionally whispers to Slowpoke, who nods or shakes his head subtly. You feel like the suspense would kill you, until the captain finally announces the results of the amateur fishing contest.

“So without further ado, I present to you in third place – Hyrem and his Chinchou” the young sailor picks up the Pokémon by one of its anglers, prodding its bulb curiously only to receive a mild electric shock. Slowpoke laughs dimly. “This particular specimen of Chinchou weights in at a length of 0.5 meters, about average for its species. Its habitat is in the deep sea trenches where it’s fairly common. In spite of that, it’s a cool find and would make a shocking addition to any trainer’s team! Hyrem wins a Blue Shard for coming in third place!” Briney grins as he tosses it back into the bucket, prodding his index finger where he’d just been electrocuted. There's a mild spell of clapping as Briney dunks the fish back in its tank.

“Our runner up today in second place – Andy and his Gorebyss” the sailor has more trouble snagging hold of the snipe eel’s shell-tail as he hoists it out of its bucket, standing on his tiptoes in order to show it at full height. There are oohs and aahs resonating through the crowd of tourists as the Gorebyss bats its eyes elegantly. “It pains me not to give this beautiful creature first place. This specimen is a whopping 1.6 meters in length, albeit smaller than your average Gorebyss. It’s a much rarer inhabitant of the deep sea trenches. Andy wins a Heart Scale for coming in second place!” The crowd applauds much louder as Briney lowers it back into the pail in which it instantly starts circling within, his eyes now fixated on the final bucket with a glint of excitement.

“And now for our winner, a veteran of the fishing circuit – Mary Sue and her Feebas” a few of the trainers frown in confusion as water runs off the ugly bass’s muddy scales as it attempts to feebly flounder back into its bucket. “Don’t let your eyes deceive you, this Feebas is the rarest fish you’ll find in these waters. Standing at 1 meter tall it’s exceptionally large for its species. Mary Sue wins a Water Stone for coming first place!” The beachgoers now break into rapturous cheering as Briney releases the final fish. You can’t help but join in on the applause, being first and second runner up was nothing to be ashamed of and you’d had a lot of fun.

“Now if I could get you to release you catches back into the ocean, we’ll be moving onto our Scuba expedition of Rainbow Reef!” The crowd scatters across the deck as you turn back to your buckets. Andy has some trouble getting a grip of the slippery snipe eel, but with a firm grasp of its tail-lure, he chucks it off the side of the boat. The pink fish flutters its eyelashes as if to say thanks for letting it go before rapidly plummeting down the ocean and out of sight. Hyrem has other plans as he seizes the Chinchou by its anglers, a look of bewilderment in its plus-eyes. Prodding it with a Pokéball, the trainer punches the salty air with a woop as the angler fish puts up no fight Congratulations! Level Seven Chinchou ♀ was caught! With a new Pokémon joining your ranks you quickly don the jet black scuba gear, complete with flippers, a snorkelling mask and a heavy oxygen tank. Briney fixes himself at the hem of the boat were there was a small waterslide. “Okay trainers, you’ll need to partner up before we start, and you’ll also need to be accompanied by a Water Pokémon. Got it?” Briney then fixes his snorkel over his mouth, nosediving into the sea and signalling you to follow his lead. What will you do?

Dark Searchman, with your first capture you’ve unlocked rights to the Egg House. Be sure to link to your response to this update when picking up your egg.

Since Hyrem and Andy were satisfied with their catches, they sat on the edge of the boat making small talk, healing Hyrem's foot injury, and watching the rest of the competition unfold. One of the anglers still trying to catch a Pokemon overhauled his fish, and it landed on Andy's head, flopping all over the place. Hyrem could only laugh as his Pokedex auto-registered the red fish:

Magikarp, the Fish Pokemon. They are said to be the weakest Pokemon in the world, yet they can withstand bodies of water contaminated with heavy amounts of pollution. Most Magikarp use Splash to jump as high as seven feet in the air, but older specimens have been rumored to jump over entire mountains with Splash.

Daphne was even worse than Hyrem as she thought it absolutely hilarious, while Sera simply giggled.

As the trainers watch over the buckets holding their prize Pokemon, Hyrem notices Chinchou sparkling with electricity inside his pail. "Looks like you're getting your strength back, that's good!" Meanwhile, the Gorebyss in Andy's pail swims its entire body in circles, and he could see it wanted to get out of the bucket as soon as it could. "That really is a great fish, but supposed to be pretty dangerous too. The Pokedex said they drain all the blood and fluids from their prey... Don't get too close to it, guys!" he warned his Pokemon. "'Specially you, Daphne!" he added as Daphne stood up to approach Andy's bucket.

"Nuz..." she groaned as she reluctantly sat back down. Hyrem was glad his little Seedot evolved, but now that she was a Nuzleaf, he knew she'd be able to get herself into even more trouble than before. He and Sera would have to keep a closer eye on her from now on...

WHOOT!

That, my angler readers, was Capt. Briney's whistle signaling the contest was over as some trainers rushed to stuff their Pokemon into their buckets. After a few minutes, Hyrem, Andy, and all the other anglers were at the front of the deck where Capt. Briney and his Slowpoke judged each catch carefully, although it would usually only take one glance for them. Hyrem was on... well, one of his feet was on his tiptoes as the other foot was still in a little pain even though the cuts from the teeth marks had healed by then, leaving a few scars. Anyway, he was getting pretty excited and couldn't wait to hear the results. And then, the results came!

“So without further ado, I present to you in third place – Hyrem and his Chinchou” Hyrem pumped his fist into the air. Third place! He knew he caught something good when he reeled it in! As Briney picks up the Chinchou by one of its anglers, he must've been curious about the bulbs because he touched it and, as a result, got a little zap on his index finger. Hyrem sweatdropped at the captain's actions. I probably wouldn't have done that, he thought to himself. As Briney's Slowpoke gives an unenthusiastic laugh, he looked none the worse for the wear as he continued, “This particular specimen of Chinchou weights in at a length of 0.5 meters, about average for its species. Its habitat is in the deep sea trenches where it’s fairly common. In spite of that, it’s a cool find and would make a shocking addition to any trainer’s team! Hyrem wins a Blue Shard for coming in third place!” Briney then tosses it back into the bucket, looking at his finger to try and soothe it from the shock he got as a small amount of applause was given by the crowd.

“Our runner up today in second place – Andy and his Gorebyss” The Snipe Eel's body was pretty slippery as Briney had to hold it by the shell-shaped tail in order to hold it at all, and he had to stand on his tiptoes so he could show the entire fish outside of the bucket. Everyone was certainly impressed by the looks of such a beautiful fish, and Gorebyss appeared to turn on the charm by the way it winked at everyone. “It pains me not to give this beautiful creature first place. This specimen is a whopping 1.6 meters in length, albeit smaller than your average Gorebyss. It’s a much rarer inhabitant of the deep sea trenches. Andy wins a Heart Scale for coming in second place!” More applause was given for the Gorebyss while it was lowered back into the pail. Hyrem knew Andy's Gorebyss catch would be an even better one than his Chinchou, and he must've certainly been proud of himself for bucketing such a rare find.

“And now for our winner, a veteran of the fishing circuit – Mary Sue and her Feebas” Briney then pulls out an ugly looking fish, similar to what the Magikarp from earlier looked like. Hyrem knew the two fish were completely different, though, so he looked it up on the Pokedex to figure out more:

Feebas, the Fish Pokemon. A distant cousin of Magikarp, this Pokemon is largely ignored by trainers due to its ugly appearance. Just like Magikarp, it can live in most environments, even polluted waters or areas with little water. However, they are much rarer than Magikarp which is another reason few trainers raise them.

The crowd appeared confused by the raising of the ugly fish, but Hyrem knew better. Feebas supposedly evolved into a Pokemon called Milotic, whose beauty among Water Pokemon is said to be unrivaled, even by Gorebyss. “Don’t let your eyes deceive you, this Feebas is the rarest fish you’ll find in these waters. Standing at 1 meter tall it’s exceptionally large for its species. Mary Sue wins a Water Stone for coming first place!” Huge applause and cheering erupted from the crowd; even though the Feebas may not have necessarily been a Pokemon to celebrate about--although it certainly deserved that status--the prize was, at least. Hyrem joins in on the cheering as he celebrates his win, Andy's win, and Mary Sue's win. Not only did he have a lot of fun--despite getting bitten by a Basculin--he got into the Top 3, and that was certainly an achievement considering the number of participants.

“Now if I could get you to release your catches back into the ocean, we’ll be moving onto our Scuba expedition of Rainbow Reef!” Briney calls out. Andy is first to hold his catch- er, well, try to, at least, but he finally gets it by the tail, and Hyrem watches and waves farewell to it as it is thrown back into Rainbow Reef and winks at Andy before its slender body quickly sinks back into the depths of the trenches, no doubt wanting to hunt again after its experience.

And now it was Hyrem's turn, but he liked his catch so much, he wasn't willing to let it go that easily. He grabs Chinchou by its anglers and says, "Hey, Chinchou."

"Chou?" she asks, her plus-eyes looking bewildered.

"I want to ask you something, and if you say no, I'll be happy to release you, but... do you want to come with us?" Both Sera and Daphne call out to the Angler Pokemon, extending the same invitation.

"Chou! Chin chin chou!" she says happily as she accepts Hyrem as her trainer.

"All right then! Welcome to the team... Delilah!" he responds as he touches the Water/Electric Pokemon with his Pokeball. She offers no resistance as the Pokeball absorbs her into its mechanical shell, closes, and pings in a matter of seconds. He holds the Pokeball up in the classic anime pose and shouts, "Whoohoo! I just caught... a Chinchou!" Sera and Daphne join in the celebration with excitement for a new friend.

But this cruise wasn't over by a long shot. Now the trainers were getting ready for a scuba adventure in Rainbow Reef. Neither Sera nor Daphne were going to be compatible for this so he had to call them back. "All right you guys, I'll be going scuba diving! You'll be better off in your Pokeballs... I'm going to use our new friend for this one!" They both express their worry, with Sera using her usual purple color, but this time using two vertical ellipses to signal a Chinchou's lights. "I know you're worried, but we'll be fine! Sera, you first, return!" She goes back into her Pokeball as instructed, then Hyrem turns to Daphne and puts a hand on her shoulder. "I want to tell you something, Daphne," he whispered. "I'm proud of you for handling those Pokemon all by yourself. Sera wanted to join your battle with Basculin because she didn't trust you could handle it even when you evolved, but you did great. I'm proud to be your trainer... even if you get yourself into trouble sometimes!" he finished with a wink.

Daphne's face brightens up from hearing all of his complements. "Leeeeaf! Nuz nuzleaf!" she says with a big grin.

"I thought you'd like to know that!" Hyrem chuckled. "All right, in you go!" Still grinning, Daphne disappears back inside her Pokeball as well. Hyrem then puts on all of his scuba gear and finishes just as Capt. Briney situates himself at a waterslide on the hem of the boat. “Okay trainers, you’ll need to partner up before we start, and you’ll also need to be accompanied by a Water Pokémon. Got it?” As Briney sets his snorkel over his mouth and slides into the reef, there was no doubt in Hyrem's mind who would be his Water Pokemon and who would be his partner. "Okay, Delilah, come back out!" Delilah's Pokeball bursts open with the Chinchou landing on the surface of the water, close to where the slide met the sea.

"Chinchou!" she says softly.

"All right, I know you were just getting comfy in your new home, but I need you since you're the only Water Pokemon I have right now! So, you ready for your first adventure with me?"

"Chou chinchou!" she replies, her antennae shining brightly and crackling with electricity in excitement.

Hyrem just had to smile at her bright face. "Okay, I'll be with you in a sec!" He looks over to where Andy was. He was finished putting on his scuba gear as well, so Hyrem walked over to him and asked, "Hey, Andy, thinking about using your Corphish for this? I'm using my new Chinchou, so it'll be cool that we're using Pokemon we just caught here! So, wanna be diving buddies?" After Andy's answer {which is probably yes, but I know better than to godmod it}, Hyrem and Andy both took their turns sliding down the waterslide {unless Andy chooses to do something else instead, but again, I'm assuming he's coming with me} where Delilah was waiting, and they followed Capt. Briney into the diverse waters of Rainbow Reef where, especially with a scuba expedition, anything can happen.

Claim: 1 Blue Shard

Zone Capture!! A Lv. 7 Female Chinchou joins Hyrem's party!
Achievement Unlocked: Beginner Catcher (Perform at least one zone capture in Fizzy Bubbles)
Egg House Unlocked!! Hyrem is now allowed to hatch eggs!

{Thank you for the new Pokemon, Emp! I'll take good care of it! I ain't never tradin' it fer nuthin'! Okay, I'm done with the smileys now. Also, the "achievement" I gave myself is just to signify having... well, achieved something, and it has no real gameplay value other than making bragging rights tangible since Nintendo, and in effect Pokemon, has no achievement system like Xbox, PS, or Steam does. Is cool!}

[Trainer Andy]

Ampere Beach

Trainer Andy and Dark Searchman: With the fishing trip having been a great success, you both decide to sit out the last half hour, legs dangling off of the side of the ferry as you make idle conversation about your catches. This also gives Hyrem a chance to wrap his foot in a swathe of bandages courtesy of the boat’s medikit – the punctures in his toes making a speedy recovery. There’s still a lot of hustle and bustle on the other side of the deck as a half a dozen trainers try squeezing in some last minute catches. A Magikarp over-hauled by a youngster lands on Andy’s head, flopping helplessly as Hyrem bowls over in laughter. Time seems to fly by as you each watch proudly over the buckets, sparks flying within Chinchou’s pail whilst Gorebyss twirls continuously with a sense of claustrophobia. At long last a sharp WHOOT from Captain Briney’s whistle signals the end of the contest, a few kids now desperately struggling to get their fish into the buckets by hand. Several minutes pass as everyone crowds around the front of the deck, Briney measuring the catches one by one with a keen eye – it seemed like one look was all it took for him to gauge its strength and rarity. He occasionally whispers to Slowpoke, who nods or shakes his head subtly. You feel like the suspense would kill you, until the captain finally announces the results of the amateur fishing contest.

“So without further ado, I present to you in third place – Hyrem and his Chinchou” the young sailor picks up the Pokémon by one of its anglers, prodding its bulb curiously only to receive a mild electric shock. Slowpoke laughs dimly. “This particular specimen of Chinchou weights in at a length of 0.5 meters, about average for its species. Its habitat is in the deep sea trenches where it’s fairly common. In spite of that, it’s a cool find and would make a shocking addition to any trainer’s team! Hyrem wins a Blue Shard for coming in third place!” Briney grins as he tosses it back into the bucket, prodding his index finger where he’d just been electrocuted. There's a mild spell of clapping as Briney dunks the fish back in its tank.

“Our runner up today in second place – Andy and his Gorebyss” the sailor has more trouble snagging hold of the snipe eel’s shell-tail as he hoists it out of its bucket, standing on his tiptoes in order to show it at full height. There are oohs and aahs resonating through the crowd of tourists as the Gorebyss bats its eyes elegantly. “It pains me not to give this beautiful creature first place. This specimen is a whopping 1.6 meters in length, albeit smaller than your average Gorebyss. It’s a much rarer inhabitant of the deep sea trenches. Andy wins a Heart Scale for coming in second place!” The crowd applauds much louder as Briney lowers it back into the pail in which it instantly starts circling within, his eyes now fixated on the final bucket with a glint of excitement.

“And now for our winner, a veteran of the fishing circuit – Mary Sue and her Feebas” a few of the trainers frown in confusion as water runs off the ugly bass’s muddy scales as it attempts to feebly flounder back into its bucket. “Don’t let your eyes deceive you, this Feebas is the rarest fish you’ll find in these waters. Standing at 1 meter tall it’s exceptionally large for its species. Mary Sue wins a Water Stone for coming first place!” The beachgoers now break into rapturous cheering as Briney releases the final fish. You can’t help but join in on the applause, being first and second runner up was nothing to be ashamed of and you’d had a lot of fun.

“Now if I could get you to release you catches back into the ocean, we’ll be moving onto our Scuba expedition of Rainbow Reef!” The crowd scatters across the deck as you turn back to your buckets. Andy has some trouble getting a grip of the slippery snipe eel, but with a firm grasp of its tail-lure, he chucks it off the side of the boat. The pink fish flutters its eyelashes as if to say thanks for letting it go before rapidly plummeting down the ocean and out of sight. Hyrem has other plans as he seizes the Chinchou by its anglers, a look of bewilderment in its plus-eyes. Prodding it with a Pokéball, the trainer punches the salty air with a woop as the angler fish puts up no fight Congratulations! Level Seven Chinchou ♀ was caught! With a new Pokémon joining your ranks you quickly don the jet black scuba gear, complete with flippers, a snorkelling mask and a heavy oxygen tank. Briney fixes himself at the hem of the boat were there was a small waterslide. “Okay trainers, you’ll need to partner up before we start, and you’ll also need to be accompanied by a Water Pokémon. Got it?” Briney then fixes his snorkel over his mouth, nosediving into the sea and signalling you to follow his lead. What will you do?

Pocketing his prize and wiping the wet fish smell from his hands (and head, thanks to a rather clumsy angler) off on his trousers Andy turned to Hyrem and gave a small smile, watching his interactions with his Pokemon.

"Oh well, neither of us won, but at least I get this nifty Heart Scale and you get a new Pokemon." He tried to make his applause for the winner sound as genuine and enthusiastic as possible, although his competative side gave a small pang of jealousy.

As the applause died down, Captain Briney turned and addressed the group again. As scuba gear was handed out, Andy listened intently as the Captain explained the next activity and gave a small demonstration of how to put on all the gear.

"Okay trainers, you’ll need to partner up before we start, and you’ll also need to be accompanied by a Water Pokémon. Got it?” With that, the Captain launched himself into the water, splashing under the waves gracefully, as if that was were he naturally belonged.

As Andy stood watching on the deck, he felt his heart sink like a stone. A Water Pokemon. That meant...

"This could go badly..." Andy said apprehensively, imagining the pipe to his oxygen tank being severed by a small red pincer, leaving him to sink to his watery grave.
"Then again, he could have calmed down by now." He said, almost managing to convince himself in his hopefulness.

Buying himself a little time before actually finding out, Andy took as much time as was acceptable to change into his scuba suit. He made the oxygen tank seem heavier than it was as an excuse to go a little slower. Once he was all set he finally grabbed the dreaded Pokeball, holding it at arms length, as if the ball itself was going to attack him.

"Here goes nothing..."

Pressing the small button in the centre the Pokeball popped open, emitting a beam of light that slowly formed the shape of Kray, Andy's short tempered Corphish. Kray stared at his Trainer for a moment, pincers slowly opening and then closing with an audible snap. Andy stared back, his stance defensive in case of a sudden lunge. Finally the red crustacean gave a snort of indifference and relaxed, obviously deciding that the fact that he had his Trainer so on edge made up for their earlier altercations.
Andy breathed a sigh of relief and knelt down in front of Kray.

"Listen, I know we didn't get off to the best start, but i'd like us to start working together now," Andy tried giving a small, reassuring smile, that Kray made no attempt to return, "Think of this as a bonding exercise, and hopefully we'll come out the other end of this a little closer. What do you say?"

Kray seemed to consider his Trainer's words for a moment, before scuttling forward and beckoning Andy to bring himself in closer. Andy saw this as a good sign and leaned in, only to find himself with a faceful of Bubbles and the sound of Kray clicking laughter in his ears.

"Feel better for that?" Andy said, with a thinly concealed grumble, "Does that make us even now?" Kray nodded with mischievous glee as he moved to Andy side and they both made their way towards the edge of the deck.
Fixing his mask and snorkel in place, Andy stared into the water. A mixture of excitement and a little fear swirling inside him as he took a deep breath and threw himself into the sea.

[Emp]

::Ampere Beach::

Emp: You couldn't believe what you just heard as Robbie issued his first order, and as you looked at him you wondered wether he had gone insane or if this was some sort of secret weapon -maybe both. You quickly instruct Guppy to Bounce over the attack, and he immediately responds, leaping high into the air like seldomly a Magikarp ever does, much to the amazement of the other beachgoers. Snookie wasn't having any of it however, as she taps into the draconic heritage hidden deep within the ancestral memory of her genes, summoning forth a twister with her Dragon Rage. Many jaws dropped to the ground in awe as Guppy found himself being swallowed and tossed around within the small but furious vortex before being launched back into the water.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Did you just see that?! I told ya my 'karp was the real deal!" Robbie celebrated, feeling like he had won already. Guppy still had a lot of fight left though, and a surprising amount of heart as he quickly readied himself to keep up the offensive. With both fish staring at each other for a fraction of a second, Guppy quickly rushes forward to meet his opponent head on, an action which Snookie too mimics like a mirror. Both carps lunge out of the water, clashing mid-air with a simultaneous Tackle before being likewise pushed back from the impact and against the water's surface.

"The hell ya doin'?!" Robbie exclaimed. "Dragon Rage is all ya need to do! Dragon Rage, now!" He roared the command to his Pokémon, and Snookie looks ready to let it rip once again, much to your dismay. Energy starts building up again within the deceptively weak-looking fish, and then... absolutely nothing; the Magikarp looking very confused as she wondered what just happened right before being bashed in the face by another of Guppy's Tackles.

"What?! Whaaaaat?! B-but, we practiced!" Robbie complained already throwing a small tantrum like a frustrated child. It would seem they didn't practice quite hard enough. It was said that once upon a time Magikarp were considerably stronger than their feeble modern counterparts, but that isn't the case anymore and there's a reason they're known for being the weakest of the weak. Perhaps this isn't going to be such a one-sided battle, but that one attack still hurt, and Guppy was now looking slightly worse than his opponent. Misfire or not, it was an attack to be wary of, and who knows what other secret weapon she had in store for you.

What will you do?

“We’ve got this in the bag”, Wes muffled to the yellow hoodlum dangling by the locks of his hair. He couldn’t keep his face straight any longer, Robbie had either lost his mind or was incredibly stupid. Both seemed likely scenarios as the female koi bobbed idly on the shallow waters, its pectoral fins splashing feebly against the white surf. With orders volleyed Wes watched on eagerly as Guppy’s tailfin flopped the surface of the water with a loud clap, sending him Bouncing skyward clearing the height of a full-grown Onix. ‘That’s a new record’, the kid mused – his concentration far from the battle now as the golden karp summersaulted feebly through the air. His daydream was quickly cut short as Sitch tugged on the tassels his shaggy hair, signalling forward frantically. Wes rubbed his eyes in disbelief as the enemy karp’s eyes glazed over with Draconic energy, whipping up an immense, Rage-infused twister. With Guppy still in midair he was left a sitting duck - the twister pulled him in and tossed him round along with a heap of maritime debris. Wes cursed wildly for forgetting that Dragon Rage worked differently in a body of water, before quickly realising he’d never expected the attack to work in the first place.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Did you just see that?! I told ya my 'karp was the real deal!" the body builder jeered with a cocky grin. He’d already written off the shiny Magikarp as any real threat, but Wes knew that Guppy wouldn’t give up without a fight. They both shared a stubborn enthusiasm to put this pinhead in his place, the koi springing back on the offense and Wes crossing his fingers. As the fish veered forward Snooki mimicked, the two meeting at the centre of the battlefield. Wes got the feeling this would look far more epic if they’d chosen different Pokémon, the cod rather comically bumping heads in a Tackle before splashing back into the sea. Wes noticed Robbie scold his Karp for breaking his orders, yelling for it to stick to Dragon Rage much to Wes’s unease. The twister had done a lot more damage to Guppy than anything he’d doled out.

Snooki was back on the prowl after a telling off, sending beads of sweat trickling down the kid’s forehead – although the blazing hot weather had some contribution. Energy starts to build up around the female koi as her eyes flicker purple until... Nothing happened. Nothing happened! Wes knew the attack had to be a stroke of luck and was determined to believe he still owned the strongest Magikarp on the block. Punching his fist in the air he let out an encouraging woot as Guppy slammed his opponent with another Tackle - Scraggy joining in by pulling down one of his eyelids as a means of taunting the ripped beachgoer.

“Looks like you shouldn’t count us out just yet!” Wes announced, Robbie now splashing about in a fit of temper. This put the trainer in high spirits, it looked as though the karp didn’t have enough juice for a constant barrage of draconic beatdown. Their uphill struggle seemed less backbreaking now with the battle anyone’s game. Wes wasn’t going to give the foe another chance at a surprise attack like that with Guppy’s scales already more grazed than Snookie’s. Wes furrowed his brow in concentration, his options fairly scarse until he could find out more about the opponent. “Don’t stop now Guppy! Keep on the offense with a pair of Tackles. If she manages to pull off another Dragon Rage, I want you to Flail out of it instead, got it? Then finish with another Flail”

FB

[Itzatrap]

Crater Lake

Itzatrap: Eavesdropping in on the conversation you quickly get the impression that the shady man was up to no good, and without a second thought your trainer instincts spur you into action. Fingering a Pokéball on your belt, you gently pitch it a few meters ahead. Cracking open on the ashy terra, the ball releases a hardy Sandile that snaps his strong jaws animatedly – happily in his element in the searing savannah. Judis gets a quick sense of the situation and gnarls menacingly as you approach the felon, plucking up every morsel of courage in your body. Fighting fire with fire, you swear that you’d have no troubles in setting Sandile on him if he didn’t leave the poor farmers alone. This works like a charm as the businessman’s eyes widen spotting a dozen fangs zigzagging down his long snout.

“Woahoho”, the criminal reaches to the sky, laughing uneasily as he backs away, “There’ll be no need for us to act like Primape. Like I said, without a deed to the land we start drilling at noon and there’s nothing you can do about it...” Judis snaps angrily, the man releasing an uncharacteristic squeal and scrambling a rearward. Looking red with embarrassment, the man tips his fedora and storms away from the ranch – bumping shoulders with you as he does so. Flannery was biting her lip in concentration, neither of you having introduced yourself to the elderly couple. The wife looked furrowed and gentle, a pair of round spectacles slipping halfway down her nose with her grey hair knotted in a tight bun. The husband looked like an aged cowboy, his ten gallon hat shadowing his wrinkled face which branded with several scars. You’d imagined he’d been quite the roughneck in his prime, but with a cane supporting his weight you could only imagine those days were long gone. Whilst the elderly woman was smiling tearfully the male rancher looked as though he was weighing you up sternly.

“Thank you so much stranger”, the farmer smiles weakly, “I’m Betsy and this is my husband Amos”. Amos shrugs courtly as Betsy grabs your hand with a grubby gardening glove and shakes it warmly. She waits for your reply, Flannery quickly interjecting.

“I’m Malorie, and this is my friend Bob”, she says elbowing you to play along, “We heard you need a hand on the farm and Bob was hoping you could help with his Squirtle’s broken leg”. The redhead elbows you again, coaxing you into a mousy nod. You gather this mission required you to work incognito, but wish she’d picked a more creative alias. Betsy grins as Amos invites you into the cabin. The interior was decorated with several fur pelts pinned against the walls and floors, one of which you identify as an Electabuzz and another as Arcanine. There were dozens of black and white photos on cabernets depicting cowboys Buffoulant riding and square dancing, some of which you recognised as the ranch owners in their youth. As the couple amble off into the kitchen for fresh lemonade, Flannery tugs you into a quiet huddle.

“This is perfect”, she whispers, “Under law those felons are free to drill wherever they want if we can’t provide proof of ownership. We can help out on the farm whilst we look for that deed, and then we can put a stop to those criminals once and for all”

“Bob – Malorie”, Amos announces as you each grab a glass of icy lemonade, “If yer lookin’ for work, the Mareep could sure use shavin’ and a few of the Blitzle are ready for breakin’” Flannery nods enthusiastically, giving you the honours of choosing where to head first. What will you do?

With the man gone for now, Rob felt a little less nervous, though what the man said about the deed of the land certainly left the trainer wondering where the deed could be. “Thank you so much stranger”, the farmer said, smiling weakly, “I’m Betsy and this is my husband Amos”. "They certainly seem friendly." Rob thought as the lady shook his hand with the glove, which easily showed how much it had been used.

Before he could properly introduce himself, Flannery seemed to have her own idea of how to introduce themselves to the pair of ranchers, “I’m Malorie, and this is my friend Bob”, she started, elbowing a signal. Slightly confused, it took a second for him to get his cue, What...? Oh!" “We heard you need a hand on the farm and Bob was hoping you could help with his Squirtle’s broken leg”. With another elbowing from the red headed girl Rob quickly responded with a nod, after which Amos invited both inside the cabin.

A slightly unsettling sight came as they walked in, fur pelts of Pokémon, "That's rather sad..." Having never seen these two Pokémon in person, who were now a shell of what they once were, Rob could not help but feel sorry for their fate, as he remembered seeing battles on TV with these two Pokémon, particularly the Arcanine. Battles which the young trainer aspired to someday match, or even surpass. They might have even been as strong as those Pokémon he once saw, or not if they became fur displays. Moving on and seeing many pictures, some of which could easily be the couple in their younger years, he could not help but smile as he saw the many old west activities depicted in the photos. The old couple exited to kitchen as Flannery pulled Rob in. “This is perfect”, she whispers, “Under law those felons are free to drill wherever they want if we can’t provide proof of ownership. We can help out on the farm whilst we look for that deed, and then we can put a stop to those criminals once and for all”

“Bob – Malorie”, the old man started as both the incognito trainer and gym leader grabbed the cold glass of lemonade, “If yer lookin’ for work, the Mareep could sure use shavin’ and a few of the Blitzle are ready for breakin’” With Flannery's consent of taking a pick, he happily replied, "I think we can help with Blitzle, always wanted to see one up close, and this is as good a time as any! It's my first time doing this, or any farm work for that matter, so I have no idea how to do this." Trying to be honest, he chuckled nervously as he finished saying that, but there was one thought still in the front of the trainers mind throughout this, "Wonder where the deed is hiding..."