Tohoko Region: 2-1

[Charisma Thief]

[Enter Michael]
[Enter Clementine]
[Enter Shane]

[Springcliff Town]
{2:30pm, Monday}

With the graduation ceremony officially over, and with little interest in staying afterwards to socialize for the party, Michael and his new Charmander, Alexanderia slip out and start their way out towards the northern route of Springcliff, with Clementine and her new Fennekin, Rosemary, and Shane and his new Cyndaquil, Spark quickly catching up.

http://i.imgur.com/YVEBYiz.png

[Pallid]

Micheal flipped through the features in his pokedex as he waited for Clementime to show up so they could start their adventure. It had a bundle of features he was curious about like the map feature, and he spent a few moments testing the route planning and the location finder. He still had a really good feeling about heading north first then any other direction, mainly because the sooner they got done the colder regions the better. He didn't want to spent his winter stuck up north because they had opted to take a longer circuit.

“Hopefully we won't need to stay cold for too long.” He said looking down at the small lizard next to his knee that currently had a claw full of his pants leg. He had taken her out when he reached the meeting point so they could go over their particulars, like introductions and expectations of the future. Alexanderia seemed to take it all in stride, giving him a happy nod to signal that she was ready to take on the world. Or a very small portion of it at least. Naming her had been a bit of a chore, he knew simple names weren't ever going to be his style at least not for his first pokemon. That pokemon was suppose to be the pokemon that the rest of your team used as a measuring stick, and he wanted a grand name to fit that kind of responsibility. He returned to his fiddling for a few moments before he felt the tugging of his leg as Alexanderia signaled him to something, which brought his attention to the two people coming up on him.

“Decided to come along with us Shane?” Micheal said smiling at person that Clementine had managed to snap up before others got their fangs into them. A third person would certainly help them when they were just getting started, things would be rough going for a while at the beginning. Another person to help share some of that burden wasn't a bad thing. Or so Clementine reasoned him to death with while they were going over the battle plan. He felt they needed to keep their numbers small to avoid too much attention, but eventually relented to three. “Glad to have you aboard.”

“Alexanderia say hello to Shane and Clementine.” He instructed to his pokemon who peaked her head out from around his leg and gave a big wave to the indicated people.

[lilpuppy91]

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodneeeeess!" gushed Clementine as she advanced on the pair standing alone, and smiled down at the shy looking charmander, who Michael introduced as Alexandria. It wasn't that cute of a name for a cute little pokemon, however she was sure to grow pretty big, and a lot less cute over time. "What a precious little charmander! It's so nice to meet you little one, this is Rosemary!" she indicated the little fennekin with her plate, even as the fennekin had already zeroed in on this new friend, and bounded over to her. It seemed that she was very quickly absorbing Clementine's outgoing and friendly nature when it came to meeting new friends. She mewed cheerfully at Alex and sniffed at her for a minute, before closing the gap between them, and rubbing the top of her head against the bottom of the bipedal pokemon's chin, purring happily by way of greeting. Clem smiled approvingly down at the two- she and Michael were great friends, so of course their pokemon had to get along famously as well, no if, ands, or buts about it!

Speaking of the devil, Clem turned her attention back to Michael, and pulled one plate apart from the other, placing a napkin underneath it, before attempting to force it into Michael's hands. "We're going to be surviving on our own for right now, free food is too great a luxury to pass on anymore, don't you know?! You walked right past that buffet without taking anything." she scolded, her brow furrowing as she fussed over Michael like he was one of the many pokemon on her family farm she had to look after. "I made you and your pokemon a plate, I tried to get as much on there as I could, just in case you didn't like anything. If there's something on there you don't like, then just fork it over, this stuff is delicious- right Rosemary?" the fennekin's large ears perked at hearing her name, and she looked over at Clem just in time to see Clem remove a sausage from her plate, break it in half, and toss it to her. Agilely, she leapt up and caught the thick, meaty meal in her tiny mouth. Once she touched the ground, she set to work devouring it, as her human partner chewed on the other half. When she'd gulped it down, and her mouth was no longer full, she spoke up again.

"Sorry we're late, I tried to get Selene to come, but she passed, so I recruited Shane here instead!" she declared, despite the fact that Shane had basically recruited himself. That's when she stopped, seeming to suddenly realize something. "Oh wait, your starter's a fire too Michael! Isn't that funny? All three of us have fire starters. We should call ourselves The Blaze or something!" quickly, though, she realized how dumb she sounded by suggesting a team name, and quickly sought to save face by coughing out a fake laugh. "Or- we would if we were lame enough to need a team name." Smooth, nice save. They'll never suspect a thing...

[gmoyes]

Shane followed behind the young bundle of energy that was Clementine out of the school. He had gave a short wave of goodbye to his former classmates, he figured that the girl had said a farewell loud enough for the two of them. "I hope to Arceus that I wasn't too hasty with this decision," the young researcher muttered to himself. At least Micheal would be a good companion.

As the two reached the northern gate of town, sure enough Micheal was there waiting for them with his Charmander. The photographer extended a welcome to Shane and introduced his Charmander, Alexandria. Before Shane could get a word in, Clementine was all over the fire lizard. Shane raised an eyebrow and wondered why these two of all people would pair up. Opposites attract maybe? Anyways, he should explain himself. "I'm just planning on sticking around until we get to the next city over. My family lives there. I can't promise that I'll stay with you after that. By the way, this is Spark," the researcher said introducing the Cyndaquil in his arms. In response, the fire mouse gave a little squeak and shot a small plume of smoke into the air.

Shane just chuckled to himself as Clementine fussed with Micheal about the food she brought him. These two certainly made an odd couple. Then the girl spouted something about giving themselves a team name. "Woah there Clementine. I don't even know if we can call ourselves a group. We're all just traveling together. Speaking of which," the researcher gestured down the road, "Shall we be going? We have a head start in front of everyone else, it would be nice to keep it."

[Pallid]

Micheal took a moment and slipped out a sasuage himself so he could snack on it before pulling out Alexanderia's pokeball and returning her. The food was pretty tastey he had to admit, and Clementine was right with them being on their own now they really couldn't pass up meals like this. His head had been in the game and he hadn't really thought about that, a trait he was still working out. He smiled at Clementine and shrugged as he usually did when she went on a tangent about something.

“We can workshop it a bit, how's that?” He said to his friend giving her a nudge before looking at Shane over the edge of his glasses. He had encountered the boy's direct nature a lot during their times in school and he saw no reason that would change so swiftly now that they were on the road.

“No reason to be so stand-offish Shane. That's just going to make the trip unpleasant ya know?” He commented before he placed the rest of the snack in his mouth and began chewing on it before nodding north and starting his trek. Shane was right about the head start though, there was no reason to let that go to waste because they wanted to socialize standing there.


Heading north, staying in the same lane I guess. No reason to change up the formation right now. Time to go hunt down some pokemon to tackle.

[Charisma Thief]

The cool afternoon breeze picks up along with the early summer sun, ruffling your shirts back behind you as the breeze slips past, making an almost epic pose as you take your first steps on your Pokemon journey. Step one complete. Countless more to go, but it only gets easier from here.

http://i.imgur.com/i7dI2Br.png

[gmoyes]

Shane just gave a shrug when Micheal accused him of being stand offish. He already felt like a third wheel. It was actually rather par for the course. He never felt particularly close to any of his classmates, except for maybe Djaq who shared similar interests as him. Then again, the Medic would serve as a good rival if the encountered each other on the road.

As the trio of trainers traveled northward with their respective fire Pokemon, Shane paused for a moment to drop his Cyndaquil onto the ground. "You get heavy after a while Spark," he said quietly to his partner. Also it would probably be a bad idea to hold the fire type if a fight came up, as fire often flares from their backs. He definitely didn't want to get brunt.

As they approached the wilds, Shane was bringing up the rear. Looking around he remembered the some of the lessons from Prof. Siar about Pokemon habitats. Wild Pokemon could be hiding anywhere, maybe ready to ambush unsuspecting trainers. "Keep your eyes peeled for Pokemon guys. We don't want to be caught by surprise." He looked down at his own Pokemon. "You keep a look out as well Spark." The fire type gave a little nod and the two of them scanned the area.

Woo, first rolls of the game!

Shane's Perception: [roll0]

Spark's Perception: [roll1]

Edit: Rolls didn't work, rerolls here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18324590&postcount=154).

[lilpuppy91]

Clementine was a little saddened by the idea of Shane just hanging with them until the next city. It totally marred her idealized vision of the three becoming best pals that were thicker than thieves, and would do anything for one another, growing towards their respective futures like young trees whose branches grew and intertwined together. It was true that Shane had told her he wasn't too keen on staying together forever, but she had sort of tuned that part out in her excitement at just being able to grab someone to join them. There was still time to change his mind, and make him see that traveling with them wouldn't be too bad an idea. They were both good, loyal people, the kind you definitely wanted on your team- there were a lot of people out there that might be a little more cold and less likely to stick out their necks. Before she knew it, they'd decided it was time to go, and she had no arguments with that! She was excited to see what today would bring- if they were lucky, they would be able to catch their first pokemon today!

That was the real benefit of being the first group hitting the road: all the pokemon, if any, that were nearby the roads, had yet to be grabbed or chased off. Right now, they were blissfully unaware of all of the trainers heading their way- and that was good, because there were a lot of cute pokemon that were shy around people. "Keep your ears open Rosemary, we don't want to miss anyone that could be a great asset to the team!" The fennekin gave a determined and dutiful mew, whistle waving her tail slowly from side to side. In the meantime, while they were walking, there was no reason not to get to know Shane better. She and Michael were already friends, and Shane didn't talk much in their classes. He was more withdrawn and serious- a man of little words!

"So Shane, what are your goals for your future? I want to be a world class pokemon breeder, and a cute superstar, hopefully with my own show someday. Michael wants to rule the world by being the best at everything. Are you more interested in contests or gym battles, or maybe something else?" she asked conversationally. She took a bite of a biscuit as she waited for his answer. Both she, and the fennekin by her side keeping her eyes and ears peeled as they followed after Michael's lead.


Clementine: [roll0]
Rosemary: [roll1]

[Pallid]

"Roger that Shane." Micheal commented back as he rummaged through his pockets to pull out a small digital camera. It simply wouldn't do for any real pictures he wanted to take, but for quick snaps that he could review and go over later it would serve just fine. He for a moment considered having his partner Alexanderia out like the other two had their pokemon, but opted against for now. He wanted her fresh on the chance that something did come up. If after the battle she felt she was up for a little walking he'd let her out for a while.

"Not exactly trying to take over the world Clementine." He said rolling his eyes, he knew she was joking of course having made that joke a few times before. But he didn't need Shane thinking he was traveling with some psycho bent on world domination. "I just have a lot of goals I need to take care of. You throw world domination in there and I'll get even less sleep. Unless I get an adviser to pawn the lion's share of the work off on." He paused for a moment as if he was considering it as he cast his gaze out to the fields that surrounded them during his continual trek northwards. "Hey Shane, how do you feel about conquest, seeing your enemies driven before you and the lamentations of their women?"

[roll0]

[gmoyes]

Shane gave a nod of acknowledgement to Clementine and her dreams. "Good luck with that then. I'll be sure to contact you if I want any breeding done." The researcher paused for a moment to think before he responded to her question. "You want to know my goals huh? No offence or anything, but I am definitely going with gyms over contests. Much more strategic and I'm admittedly not that artistic. But my overall goal, I guess, is to get stronger as a trainer and to explore the region. Tohoko's a big region, who knows what secrets it may hold?" Shane neglected to mention the particular secrets he was searching for: those concerning Team Rocket. He had a personal score to settle with those criminals and the quicker they could be taken down, the better. He was certain that he could help. But not once has he brought these dreams up to anyone. This was his mission, and he didn't know who to trust for reinforcements. But he was certain his skills would be of some use.

When Micheal pipped in to respond to Clementine about world domination, Shane frowned confused about just how serious the photographer was being. And then he asked Shane about conquest. "Uh..." the researcher stammered. Was this guy reading his mind or something? Even though it was rather drastic, it sounded similar to his own thoughts on how to take down the criminal organization. He struggled to find a response. "Uh, I'll just say I'm certainly glad I'm not your enemy then."

Trying to keep his thoughts on the task at hand, he looked around at the trees and tall grass around him. He had been through this route a few times traveling between home and the academy. He was certain that he had seen some Pokemon during those trips, as well as his studying Pokemon habitats should let him guess what sort of Pokemon lived in the area.


Rolling to figure out what sort of Pokemon we may encounter on the trip: [roll0]

[Charisma Thief]

As Shane combs through his memories, trying to remember the species seen along this route, a sudden rustling in the grass catches all three of the trainer's attention. Sitting in the middle of the patch of grass, sits two little birds, barely able to see over the grass. They both lock eyes on the trainer, then return to their meal on the ground, clearly not bothered by passing traffic.

Before any trainer can make a move though, Rosemary taps gently on Clementine's leg, getting her attention, and pointing over, showing a little brown puppy bouncing playfull through the grass, and a little brown and tan critter scurrying across the road towards the trees.

Zigzagoon takes his turn and scurries out from J-16 to F-14
The rest of the Pokemon see you, but are not immediately threatened, and return to their task at hand.

For the purpose of your Pokemon, I'm placing Rosemary and Spark on the same tile as Clem and Shane, as they're standing at you feet or in your arms.
Alexanderia: 13 (still in her Pokeball)
Rosemary: 11
Michael: 10
Spark: 10
Shane: 7
Clementine: 7

Since Alexanderia's turn would have passed by the time Michael summons her, Alexanderia can take her turn immediately. On the following turn, her original initiative order will be played, having her move first.

For initiatives in combat, I run it a certain way to avoid it from taking so long. For those that have a tied speed, their turns are not set. This means that if Michael gets to the forums first, he can post first. If Spark does, then he can post first. The same goes for Shane and Clementine, but both of them can not go until both Michael and Spark have.

Once the Pokemon begin attacking, I will be able to post almost immediately. I have the notices set up to my phone, so as long as I'm not at work, the opponents will move almost immediately.

http://i.imgur.com/YnpmGmn.png

[Pallid]

This will need to be addressed when we next get some down time. There was a cluster of pokemon in front of them, and they hadn't gone over proper procedure in how they were targeting pokemon. He had been awake during the explanation about attempting to befriend pokemon as an alternative means of capturing potential partners. A more softer option for the people that only wanted to be friends with pokemon and abhorred the idea of attacking random pokemon on the streets. Micheal however wasn't one of those people, the only question he was dealing with right now was who was he going to target.

“Heading off those birds.” Micheal said quickly to the other to before dashing up to cut them off before they could make it over the edge looming in the distance. They could still make a break for the tree line, but hopefully the move he was planning would make that less preferable for them. Skidding to a stop he tossed out Alexanderia, feeling a little bad that she wouldn't have long to catch her bearing before he was dishing out orders.

“Alright Alexanderia, get up there and cut off their other route by using scratch!” He said pointing at the two birds. With a chirp the little lizard darted forward, her small claws out attempting to rake them across their bodies and provoke them.


Micheal moving diagonal to D-5 before moving up one to C-5 (Turning standard action into a shift-movement). Releasing Alexanderia to D-4 (Shift action.)

Alexanderia doing a Scratch pass from D-4 going diagonal to end in G-1, catching both Pidgeys in the pass. Rolls are here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18331160&postcount=231)

[lilpuppy91]

Rosemary's ears were perked and alert as she spotted all the different pokemon, looking this way and that. Some were closer than others, and she wasn't sure which one should be approached first. She needed the direction of her trainer, who was currently looking about ready to die from having a huge squeal of happiness build up, and then swallow it down quickly so that she didn't scare off the gathered pokemon for her teammates and friends. Once Clementine had recovered, she looked between the two furry little pokemon, who had caught her attention immediately over the two birds, because cute contests judges loved little furry pokemon. Fuzzballs and cuteness just went hand in hand. Time was money though, and if they waited too long, they could risk losing one or both of these pokemon to fear or boredom, or loud noises, or really anything. It was better to try to focus on one, and while the little puppy was closer, there was something about the other pokemon that just screamed cuteness. "Rosemary, go get the further pokemon's attention, try to look friendly!" she whispered eagerly. Rosemary yipped in response, and bounded eagerly after the striped fuzzball, her ears perked, her tail up, and her mouth open in a friendly expression. She paused as she got nearer, and cocked her head to the side, mewing cheerfully at the zigzagoon.


Shift Action: Sprinting 6 spaces, from H6 to G12

[gmoyes]

Shane quickly surveyed the area and saw what Pokemon showed up. There were a pair of Pidgey in the grass to the left of the road, a Lillipup to the right and a Zigzagoon right ahead of them. All rather common Pokemon so this shouldn't be too difficult. However, due to his analyzing, his companions had reacted quicker than he had. Micheal sent out his Charmander to take on the pair of birds while Clementine sent Rosemary after the raccoon Pokemon. Judging the potential for each Pokemon, he made his choice. "Hey Micheal, let me help you with those Pidgey. Spark get over there and support Alexandria. Leer them!" While both the Zigzagoon and Lillipup would both grow into strong hitters in the forms of Linoone and Stoutland, having a Pokemon that would be able to fly him around the region would be useful. He chose to have his Cyndaquil Leer at them because he certainly didn't want to knock them out and he wasn't quite sure of his partner's strength.

Spark scurried towards towards the two birds and shot his most intimidating glare at the two birds. Which, despite being a mouse, seem to shaken the Pidgey.

Spark shifts from J7 to G4 and using Leer on the square F-E, 2-3.
Pidgeys gain -1 Def Combat Stage


Shane figured that these Pokemon weren't that powerful and he had plenty of pokeballs stocked up, so taking a step forward he lobbed one of his pokeballs at one of the Pidgeys. "Let's see if this works..."

I guess this is irregardless of if Alexandria's attack hit, but it would help.
Shifting from J7 to I6
Throwing a Pokeball at the Pidgey at E3.
Accuracy Roll (AC 6): [roll0]
Capture Check: [roll1]

[lilpuppy91]

Clementine smiled when she saw the two boys go after the pidgeys. They were certainly very excited. She hoped they were able to get their first pokemon, however she didn't have time to focus on them, she could always check up with them later! For right now, she had to focus on her own capture attempt! She hurried after Rosemary as best she could, a little nervous because this was her first time actually encountering wild pokemon. She had read in her textbooks that wild pokemon could be as unpredictable as they were dangerous. While the little zigzagoon looked adorable and harmless now, it could take offense to something she did, and be switched to attack mode in a second. She hoped she didn't mess this up... first impressions were every bit as important with pokemon as they were with people! As she huffed and puffed in Rosemary's dust, she seized one of the cookies from her plate of food, which was already reduced to just a few more items, and raised it over her head.

"Hey, little one! Would you mind slowing down for a minute please? My friend Rosemary and I would like to get to know you better. We even have a cookie for you! Do you like cookies?" she chirped hopefully, keeping her tone light, and her face bright and friendly. Pokemon get most, if not all, of their information of what you were saying from body language, voice, and facial expressions, so she over exaggerated her friendliness with her body, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. If she could get the little pokemon to slow down, maybe she could persuade them to try to get to know she and Rosemary, and join their team!


Shift Action: moved 5 squares, from H6 to H11!
Standard Action: Charm attempt, DC 12 (assuming that the pokemon isn't actively trying to flee, and was just simply scurrying away because he/she was going about their business. If they were actually fleeing, then the DC is 8). [roll0]

[Charisma Thief]

As Rosemary approaches the Zigzagoon, he quickly runs around in a little circle, ending where he started, but now facing Rosemary, before seeing Clem walk up behind her. As she does, the Zigzagoon looks questionably at the cookie she holds, but then lowers it's head, ruffling up it's fur slightly, preparing to either fight or flee as you have come too close to it.

In the other patch though, an echoing squawk from both the Pidgeys shreeks out as Alex dashes through them both, swinging her claws as she slashes at both of them, hitting both the small birds. As they turn to see the Charmander that hit them, the Pokeball flung from Shane's hand connects with one of them, quickly pulling it into the Pokeball in a red flash. The Pokeball starts slowly shuffling back and forth as the Pidgey tries to break free, then a sudden beep from the Pokeball sounds off, signalling the capture.

As the battle starts up though, the Lillipup near the entrance to Springcliff stops chasing it's tail, seeing something more interesting to watch in the battle.

The level up points are yours to spend on it.
063. Pidgey:
"Common in grassy areas and forests, it is very docile and will chase off enemies by flapping up sand."

Level: 3
Nature: Stark (+Def/-HP)
Gender: Female
Ability: Keen Eye
Stats:

HP: 3
Atk: 5
Def: 6
S.Atk: 4
S.Def: 4
Spd: 6

Moves:

Tackle



Clementine's Charm: You managed to grab the Zigzagoon's attention, but it is still fearful of your presence.
After the Pidgey get's caught by Spark's leer, he is hit my Alex's scratch, taking 15 points of damage. The captured Pidgey has also taken 11 points of damage.

Shane:

1 Trainer Experience for catching a new breed
1 Trainer Experience for catching your first Pokemon



Alexanderia: 13
Rosemary: 11
Michael: 10
Spark: 10
Zigzagoon: 8
Shane: 7
Clementine: 7
Pidgey: 6

http://i.imgur.com/7v4Wvnx.png

[Pallid]

It was a feeling of pride that swelled up in his chest seeing his pokemon preform neatly for him when ordered to get out there and put in some work. And he found himself harkening back to his Dad's boasting of taking on the world. Micheal senior had long since released most of his team when he began to settle down himself and only kept his starting pokemon Petals the bayleef with him. His dad often teased about going back out there and starting over whenever something went wrong with the house, and Petals would often just roll it's large eyes and return to slumbering. Though before Micheal could get too deep in his memories, the squawk of the second bird brought him out of it and back into the action.

“Good job Alexanderia and thanks for the back up Spark!” He praised before reaching in his back to unhook one of the uninhabited pokeballs there and expand it to full size. Then with a snap of the wrist he chucked the device and hoped it would have the same amount of success as Shane's had. “Get ready to hold them down if this doesn't work Alexanderia.” Better to error on the side of caution.

Alexanderia is just waiting for now.
Pokeball [roll0]

[lilpuppy91]

Rosemary's ears perked in alarm when the zigzagoon stopped it's scurrying, and instead stood it's ground, and gave them a not too friendly look. Despite the warm greeting and the offer of cookies, it looked like the pokemon's fight or flight instincts were in full swing. Rosemary's initial instinct was to protect her trainer from the possible threat of the wild pokemon, however it was her trainer's call as to what should or shouldn't be done in regards to the bristling creature. Clementine, for her part, had assumed an apprehensive expression. She'd never met a wild pokemon, and despite all the hard training she'd done to learn how to catch pokemon the traditional way, she'd hoped that she could take a different route, one mostly violence free unless the pokemon was unreasonable and dangerous. She guessed though that she was being a bit of an idealist. It wasn't the first time that dreams had fallen short of reality for her- she could reflect on that later, however. For now, it was time to try to catch the little cutey to add it to their team! She could feed it cookies after that!

"Alright Rosemary, guess we'll have to try a different approach." she sighed, before pointing a stern finger at the zigzagoon. "Let's not go with ember for this one, it might be a little too harsh. Let's give it a scratch, and see if we can wear it out that way!" she called out to her fennekin. Rosemary yipped in affirmation, then dashed into position so that she was right across from the pokemon, then right for it. At first glance, it looked as if she might pass right by the zigzagoon, however as she neared, she reached out a golden paw, and gave a mighty swipe at the zigzagoon, before bounding past, and skidding to a stop, turning around to face her opponent with a mighty yip.


Shifting to F15
AttacK: Scratch
Accuracy: [roll0] vs. 2
Damage (if a hit): [roll1]

[gmoyes]

Shane pumped his fist into the air as his pokeball clicked shut. "Yes!" He grinned. That was an easy first capture. And with the trio being the first to leave, he guess he had the very first capture of the entire class. All the more reason to celebrate. However, he couldn't quite reap the spoils of victory yet, as Micheal's pokeball sailed wide of its mark leaving the captured Pidgey too close to an ongoing skirmish to risk retrieving it. "I'll leave that to you then Micheal. Just remember which one is mine!"

Shane looked around to see what else he could do. It appeared that Clementine initiated a fight with the Zigzagoon and the wild Lillipup was watching the ongoing battles. Even though the puppy might make a good member of the team, he felt that Spark needed a real fight and he already captured a Pokemon. However, he shouldn't lead with a damaging attack because if one of his allies failed to capture their current targets, the Lillipup would make a good back up. "I'm going to battle the Lillipup unless either of you want to catch it. Spark, get over there and flush it out with a Smokescreen!"

The Cyndaquil rushed back across the road and shot a plume of smoke into the grass where the normal type was hiding.

Spark shifts from G4 to H9.
Uses Smokesceen on squares J-L, 12-14
No Accuracy Roll
-3 accuracy for all those attacking in the smoke

The researcher followed his partner towards the grass. "Don't worry Spark, I've got your back." Shane looked towards the smoke cloud, ready to glare at the Lillipup to put it off edge if it came to engage them.

Shane shifts from I6 to I8
If the Lillipup come out to attack Spark or himself, uses Intimidating Prowess to Leer at the Lillipup.
Accuracy (AC 2): [roll0]
If hit, Lillipup gains -1 defense CS

[lilpuppy91]

Clementine immediately grew worried as Rosemary attacked. She didn't look like she was heeding Clementine's words- she didn't want to hurt the zigzagoon badly, but Rosemary appeared to be too excited. Getting too excited could lead to mistakes. Whether or not this little pokemon would be added to her team, she didn't want it to hurt- it was a living creature after all, and she had no desire to see living creatures in pain. Unsure of whether or not the little pokemon would still be standing, she took the opportunity to take out her pokedex and scan the little pokemon.



Clementine took out her pokedex to scan the pokemon

[Charisma Thief]

The Zigzagoon lets out a loud gasp as Rosemary slashes her way past it, the blow clearly sent it's head for a spin as it barely manages to stay on its feet. It quickly shakes its head to regain it's senses, then spins around and tackles Rosemary, shoving her back away from it.

AC: [roll0] vs 5
Damage: [roll1] -4
If hit, Rosemary gets pushed back to F-17
Zigzaggon, the tiny raccoon Pokemon
Normal
"Zigzagoon restlessly wanders everywhere at all times. This Pokémon does so because it is very curious. It becomes interested in anything that it happens to see. The hair on Zigzagoon's back is bristly. It rubs the hard back hair against trees to leave its territorial markings. This Pokémon may play dead to fool foes in battle."

On the other side of the road, the Pidgey lets out a quick squawk as the Pokeball flies barely over it's head. It glares over it's shoulder at Michael, seeing the ball came from him, then turns back around and kicks himself forward with his wings, tackling Alexanderia.

AC: [roll2] vs 5
Damage: [roll3] -2
If hit, Alexanderia gets pushed back to H-1

Finally, the Lillipup yelps surprised as it turned towards Spark just in time to see the smokescreen fired at it. It coughs for a moment before bouncing up onto it's hind legs, preparing to enter the battle.

Alexanderia: 13
Rosemary: 11
Michael: 10
Spark: 10
Zigzagoon: 8
Shane: 7
Clementine: 7
Lillipup: 6
Pidgey: 6

http://i.imgur.com/qRdlN90.png

[Pallid]

Micheal sucked in his breath as his ball sailed over the pidgey's head, he missed that one chance but he was hoping his luck was better the second go around, and his pulled another ball from his belt as he directed Alexanderia away from that fight to go assist spark.

"Alright Alexanderia, nice moves head up and back up spark!" He said as he lobbed another ball at the wayward pidgey as Alexanderia broke away to chase after spark.


Alexanderia is going from G-1 to H-8 using a sprint action.

Pokeball [roll0]vs 6
Capture [roll1]

[lilpuppy91]

Rosemary yelped in surprise and protest, as the barely standing zigzagoon refused to take the scratch laying down, and rushed her, pushing her away. On Clementine's side of things however, she was just relieved to see that the zigzagoon was ok. In pain clearly, but ok. Rosemary's hit had looked way harder than the tap she'd been hoping Rosemary would deliver. Now it was all up to her: she had to make this capture before the zigzagoon fell over from exhaustion, and their effort was all for naught! "Rosemary, just stand your ground for now! I think we've weakened it enough!" Rosemary's ears twitched at the order, and she yipped and affirmation, her eyes trained on the zigzagoon. She kept her paws firmly planted on the ground, and simply menaced the pokemon bravely from afar.



Waiting for Clementine's turn in the init so she can throw a ball @_@

[gmoyes]

Shane wondered why the Lillipup hadn't come out of the smoke yet. Maybe it was preparing something? Or maybe it was taken by surprise? Either way, it still had cover as long as it remained in there. However, it would probably have to come out of the cloud anyway to fight them. Before he could issue orders to Spark, he noticed Micheal's Charmander by his side. Turning to look at the lizard's trainer, he saw the photographer miss the Pidgey with another pokeball. "I've got this Micheal! It looks like if anyone needed help, it would be you! With your partner over here, who do you think that bird is gonna attack next?" Shane gave a slight shake of his head. He probably should have stocked up more healing items. Well, he could always do that when they reached Mossley Point. But back to the battle at hand. "Spark, hit it with Ember!"

The fire mouse took a step forward and spat a few glowing embers at the shrouded Lillipup.

Spark shifts from H9 to I10
Attacking Lillipup with Ember.
Accuracy (AC 2): [roll0] (-3 due to attacking into Smokescreen, burns on 18-20)
Damage: [roll1]

Shane noticed that Clementine was right next to their battle area. "Excuse us Clementine, you may want to move. Don't want you to get hurt by our battling." With at warning, Shane stayed right behind his partner ready to support him when the Lillipup came out to attack.

Shane shifts from I8 to I9
If the Lillipup come out to attack, he's attacking it with Leer.
Accuracy (AC 2): [roll2]
-1 Def CS on hit

[Charisma Thief]

Zigzagoon:
The Zigzagoon shifts from F-14 to E-16 and tackles Rosemary once again with a cry, a mix between pain and anger.
Zigzagoon:
AC: [roll0] vs 5
Damage: [roll1] -4
If hit, Rosemary is pushed back to H-18.

*A very basic post just to allow Clementine to go. I'll fluff it up later once I get home from work.*

[lilpuppy91]

As the zigzagoon came for her, Rosemary's eye narrowed. The pokemon wasn't moving as fast as it was before. It was slowing down due to it's pain, and that left her plenty of time to hop to the side to dodge out of the way out the oncoming zigzagoon's attack. It was definitely Clementine's time to shine- she hoped the could calm down enough to stop her hands from shaking so that she could throw the ball straight! This was it, this was her first time catching a wild pokemon... she could barely contain herself! Then Shane spoke up, and she turned her head around slightly to see what he meant. Oh, she was pretty close to their battle, she guessed! "O-oh! I didn't notice! Roger that, Shane!"she piped up before she ran a bit closer to her own battle, before throwing a pokeball right at the little zigzagoon!



Shift: To F11
Capture attempt:
Aim: vs. 6
Capture: [roll]1d100

[Charisma Thief]

Once again, the Pokeball flies just over the Pidgey's head. As the Pidgey sees Alex scurrying down to help Spark, the Pidgey then turns his attention to Michael. It quickly hops towards Michael, then dashes at him with a tackle, aiming for his chest.

Pidgey shifts from F-2 to E-4
AC: [roll0] vs 5
Damage: [roll1] -5
If hit, Michael is pushed back to C-6

Across the road, Lillipup finally regains it's feet from the sudden smokescreen and charges forward, dashing out of the smoke, and getting caught immediately by Shane's leer. While intimidated, the Lillipup finishes it's charge and rund head first into Spark.

Lillipup shifts from K-13 to J-11
AC: [roll2] vs 5
Damage: [roll3] -6
If hit, Spark get's pushed back to H-9

As the other two battles roll out, Rosemary sighs a quick breath of relief as Clementine's Pokeball chimes, signalling a successful capture.
The level up points are yours to spend on it.
223. Zigzagoon:
"Zigzagoon restlessly wanders everywhere at all times. This Pokémon does so because it is very curious. It becomes interested in anything that it happens to see."

Level: 3
Nature: Naughty (+Atk/-S.Def)
Gender: Female
Ability: Gluttony
Stats:

HP: 4
Atk: 5
Def: 4
S.Atk: 3
S.Def: 2
Spd: 6

Moves:

Tackle
Growl

[Pallid]

When he was eleven, Micheal once asked his dad what it felt like to be under attack by a Pokemon. His dad just winched in response and shook his head while giving Micheal a pat on the back. But as the speeding pidgey came at him with a plan gleaming in its eyes, he could understand his father's wince. Micheal managed to get his arms up in a defensive formation and it should have been feasible..but the little bird went right under it and slammed into his stomach sending him skidding backwards and into the ridge with a thud.

His head foggy and his breathing labored as he sucked in air, he tossed another pokeball. This one wasn't nearly as flourishing as the other ones, and just a reflective action to defend himself. His chest stomach hurt and his lungs were having a hard time getting their head around what their actual job was. They got the deflating bit down..but inflating needed to be work shopped a bit.

No attacks declared for Alexanderia on account of lack of air.
Pokeball [roll0] vs 6
Capture [roll1]

[lilpuppy91]

Rosemary let out a yip of celebration as the pokeball went ding. She hopped up and down a few times, then bounced over to the pokeball to sniff at it with interest. "Woooooooooohooooo! We did it Rosey!" cried Clementine exuberantly, jumping up and down along with her pokemon as she pumped both fists in the air. With her first pokemon caught, Clementine felt a wave of relief wash over her. She didn't know what she would have done if she'd missed, and Rosemary got hurt worse because of it. With the pressure off, she turned just in time to see Michael toss a ball at one pidgey, the other seeming to have mysteriously disappeared. She hadn't been paying much attention to the other battles, however she assumed that meant it had been caught. Sweet, the team was doing awesome for their first battles!

She could see Shane was still battling the lilipup, however she didn't have much interest in catching it herself, and he'd proved that he could handle it, so she just took the moment to let herself and Rosemary bask in their victory. As she was observing Michael's pokeball throwing form, she suddenly found her face connecting with the grass as she was tackled from behind by an exuberant pokemon. She rolled over to immediately be pounced on by Rosemary, who stood on her chest and waved her tail proudly, to the tune of Clementine's cheerful laughter.


Shift action: to F11

[gmoyes]

Shane's concentration was broken by a screech from Clementine and a cry of pain from Micheal. Glancing over to his companions, the researcher saw the younger girl celebrating over her capture while the Photographer was recovering from a nasty blow from the bird he was fighting. "Told you so," Shane muttered to himself. However it seemed that the closer proximity between the two allowed for Micheal to hit the Pidgey with a pokeabll. Good work for him.

Back to the battle at hand, the Lillipup came charging out of the smoke to ram into Spark. The blow knocked the Cyndaquil back some. Alex shot a glare back at the dog causing it to shrink back some. Shane knew that he had to finish this soon, he didn't want Clementine and Micheal to wait for him. "Let's finish this. Spark, Ember! Point blank!"

The fire mouse moved back in front of the normal type and spewed more glowing embers.

Spark shifts to I11
Attacking Lillipup with Ember.
Accuracy (AC 2): [roll0] (Burns 18-20)
Damage: [roll1]


(If Lillipup survives)

"How about a little bit of teamwork?" While the normal type was occupied by a spray of fire, Shane moved behind it and gave it a kick.

If the Lillipup isn't KOed:
Shane shifts from I9 to K10
Shane uses Struggle.
Accuracy (AC 4) [roll2](+2 for flanking)
Damage: [roll3]

(If Lillipup is KOed)

"Great job Spark!" Shane said with a grin. "You did great. Now let's take a look at our new ally..."


If Lillipup is KOed:
Shane takes a sprint action to move from I9 to E3 to pick up the pokeball containing his caught Pidgey

[lilpuppy91]

Clementine reached up and tickled the little fennekin for a bit, eliciting yips and squeals of protest. Clementine giggled evilly for a bit, but soon she let go of the little fox and set her down, hopping to her feet. "Alrighty Rosemary, let's get our pokeball, and then meet up with our friends!" she said to Rosemary, who nodded her head eagerly. Clementine jogged over to the little pokeball and picked it up happily, overjoyed to have made a new friend.



Shift to F14 to pick up pokeball

[Charisma Thief]

The Lillipup let's out a sharp gasp as it barely shrugs off the ember, then falls to it's side, fainted as the kick knocks it out. After Lillipup falls, the battle finally calms down.

*End of Combat*
Experience: 21/3 = 7 each
Trainer Experience:

Michael: 2 (New Capture / First Capture)
Shane: 2 (New Capture / First Capture)
Clementine: 2 (New Capture / First Capture)


Caught Pokemon:
Shane:
The level up points are yours to spend on it.
063. Pidgey:
"Common in grassy areas and forests, it is very docile and will chase off enemies by flapping up sand."

Level: 3
Nature: Stark (+Def/-HP)
Gender: Female
Ability: Keen Eye
Stats:

HP: 3
Atk: 5
Def: 6
S.Atk: 4
S.Def: 4
Spd: 6

Moves:

Tackle

Michael:
The level up points are yours to spend on it.
063. Pidgey:
"Common in grassy areas and forests, it is very docile and will chase off enemies by flapping up sand."

Level: 3
Nature: Stark (+Def/-HP)
Gender: Male
Ability: Keen Eye
Stats:

HP: 3
Atk: 5
Def: 6
S.Atk: 4
S.Def: 4
Spd: 6

Moves:

Tackle

Clementine:
The level up points are yours to spend on it.
223. Zigzagoon:
"Zigzagoon restlessly wanders everywhere at all times. This Pokémon does so because it is very curious. It becomes interested in anything that it happens to see."

Level: 3
Nature: Naughty (+Atk/-S.Def)
Gender: Female
Ability: Gluttony
Stats:

HP: 4
Atk: 5
Def: 4
S.Atk: 3
S.Def: 2
Spd: 6

Moves:

Tackle
Growl


Michael's Pidgey: HP: 10/25
Two Injuries
Clementine's Zigzagoon: HP: 1/25
Two Injuries


As you all pick up your Pokemon, you notice Matthias wandering up the route towards you as he leaves Springcliff.

http://i.imgur.com/V77rUoz.png

[gmoyes]

Shane gave a little smirk as his blow finished off the Lillipup. This is how you fight, trainer and Pokemon working together to defeat the enemy. Then he realized that his allies may have some troubles about the morality of people attacking Pokemon. "Hey, these wild Pokemon have no problems with attacking us, as Micheal can testify to. By the way, how are you doing? That was a nasty blow. Do you need a bandage or something?" Looking at the photographer, it seemed that he wasn't in that dire straits. Nothing some rest or a potion wouldn't fix.

Picking up his newly captured Pidgey, he scanned it with his Pokedex. Skipping over the trivia, he got down into the details of his first capture. "Female, Keen Eye... Stark." Shane frowned at seeing the less than ideal nature. It may be workable, but it would hinder the growth of the bird some. "Hey Micheal, can I see yours?" His idea of convincing Micheal to trade the birds was shot down after seeing that their Pidgey were identical to each other except for gender. Still, there was one good thing that came out of this. "Hey Clementine! We've got you some breeding stock." Maybe if the girl got into breeding Pidgeys, he could pick out a strong one for him to raise.

Just then he heard a shout to the south of them. Looking in that direction, he saw Mathias (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18348091&postcount=2) approach. "Oh hey there! Nice of you to show up." When the trainer looked over to the dissipating smoke cloud, Shane's eyes fell on the fallen Lillipup and he gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry, if I knew you were right behind us, I would have saved that Lillipup for you. Do you plan on joining us? We may be able to find more Pokemon down the road." He remembered that Matthias was challenged by Tyler earlier and backed down. The trainer owned a Tepig, a fire type just like himself, Micheal and Clementine. They would have to find more diverse Pokemon or they may run into trouble the first rock type the group will run into. Still, it would be interesting to see how far they make it together. If he did split off from Micheal and Clementine, maybe Matthias could go with him?

[Pallid]

He still had a few stars in his eyes when his charmander had come up to him and given him a few test licks. Absently he petted the creature as he pulled himself straight and collected his pokeball. Well, that was a lesson learned quite well if he did say so himself. He certainly wasn't at a hundred percent after that blow to the ribs, but he was serviceable at the very least. Which was more then he could say for his new pidgey.

“Been better I'll admit.” He said shaking his head and rattling off the information to the still unnamed pidgey once Shane asked to see them, while he headed over and re-collected his two failed attempts at catching the bird. “Well, learning mistakes are better figured out here instead of somewhere more dire. Nice kick by the way.” He said giving a pained chuckle, giving a wince as his ribs decided they wanted to protest. He'd be better in a few hours but for a while it was certainly going to smart.

“Sup Matt?” If his Aunt was near by he would receive a scalding for speaking so improperly, but he felt like he could be a little lax. It wasn't like he was in the middle of a run way or giving an interview just yet. Clipping his pokeballs back to his pocket, he took a few quick snap shots of the aftermath of the battle before placing the cheapy camera away and pulling out his actual lens enchanced beauty. Grinning like a mad man he took a few snaps of Alexanderia who seemed at first confused by the attention then jumped around a bit in excitement. Then he turned his camera towards his traveling companions. “Alright, we all new this was coming. Let me take a few shots and I'll take care of cooking duty for the next few nights. Deal?” He asked waving the camera around and putting on his best award winning smile.

[lilpuppy91]

After picking up the pokeball and adding it to her belt, she motioned for Rosemary to follow her as she walked eagerly over to rejoin her team and rejoice with them over their victories. As she grew closer to them, it was the first time she took notice of the fact that Michael had been injured. She hadn't noticed at all, because she was so enthralled in her own battle, and Michael hadn't called out for help or for anyone's attention. Her eyebrows furrowed with concern and her pace quickened. It was just like Michael to keep quiet and deal with things himself, even when he was in danger. These pokemon were small and relatively weak, but they could still knock a person out and kill them when they're unconscious if they really wanted to. He had to trust his teammates, and call for help more when he was in trouble!

As she got closer though, she saw that he seemed mostly alright. There wasn't any blood or cuts that could possibly become infected. From his wincing, there might be some bruising somewhere on his body, however he seemed to otherwise be unharmed. Because of this, her scolding him would probably only make matters worse. So, instead of launching into a lecture, she jogged the rest of the way up to everyone with a big smile on her face. "We did it guys! We got our first pokemon! This is huge, do you know how many people wash out every year and don't even make it this far?! We're so awesome!" she laughed, slapping on Shane's back, and then advancing on Michael as if to give him a celebratory hug. Then she thought better of it because of his injuries, and abruptly crouched down to grin hugely at the little charmander by his feet.

"Great job Alexandria! Up top!" she offered a hand out to the charmander to highfive, just high enough to make her jump for it, but not too high. It was then that Shane spoke to someone, and she looked to see a solitary figure making his way up the trail. Her smile widened even bigger than before, if that was possible, and she hopped to her feet, waving at the approaching fellow student with both hands high above her head. "Hey Matty! You caught up to us, that's great! Is anyone else coming this way?" she started to invite him to join their team, but stopped just short of that, and glanced at Michael and Shane. This wasn't "her team", it wasn't a monarchy, it was a democracy. If it was up to her, she'd have a team with 18 people in it, but maybe the others wouldn't feel the same way.

Then Michael pulled out his camera, and Clem's head snapped around like a bloodhound catching a scent. No one would ever accuse Clem of being shy in any circumstance, however when it came to cameras, she was on the other extreme. If Michael ever needed to test out his camera on anything, Clem was happy to model, and as a matter of fact, if he ever tried to take a picture when she was around, she was almost always in it in some capacity, whether just a hand or a foot or a finger, she was in there, unless Michael yelled and threw something to get her to move. "I thought you'd never ask!" She enthused, removing her glasses and tucking them into her pocket, before undoing the soft twisty bun she'd had her hair pinned up in. Her long, wavy blonde hair that brushed the small of her back was unleashed, and a second later, she backed up to a rather large rock.

Rosemary followed her, and as soon as she sat down, she patted her lap, and Rose jumped up into it. It took a bit of positioning Rose, but soon the two of them were facing Michael and his camera. Clem leaned down so that she was cuddled close to Rosemary, wrapping one arm around her and snuggling her face against the furry pokemon. The other hand went right beside her face, two fingers up in a V for victory as she smiled expectantly at Michael.

[Charisma Thief]

[Enter Matthias]
{Route 19}

http://i.imgur.com/lHleglg.png

[Vexing]

Matthias winces almost noticeably at the calls. (Matty? Really?) Still, they seemed friendly enough, and the one with the camera did just offer to take care of dinner. With no food in his pockets or pack and only the sniffing skills of Calydonis to rely on, that made up for it all.

"I can only hope we will", he called back in response to Shane. "It's a shame. I seem to have neglected my studies for this particular route; I'm afraid I don't know much about it at all." Changing tack, he carefully shrinks back the pokéball he'd produced and tucks it back into his vest. "How far north are you all going, in any case? Perhaps I could join you, however briefly?" (One thing you're going to change is how formal you sound, you know. It's a little much, for this place.) Hopefully they'd accept him briefly; he wasn't certain how long he could stand Clementine's squealing and hyper-activity, but perhaps it wouldn't be all that bad?

[gmoyes]

Shane rolled his eyes at Clementine's antics with posing for Micheal's camera. He was willing to give the photographer a smirk, but there were other things to discuss. He turned towards Matthias when the trainer asked about their traveling plans. He turned slightly away from Micheal and Clementine and spoke directly to the Kalos native. "The three of us were planning on heading straight to Mossley Point. After that, I'm not sure about everyone's plans. Why, were you planning on taking a boat from Woodbank?" Shane paused for a moment to think. "I'm tempted to join you Matthias, but my family lives in Mossley Point. I must visit them first. However I don't think it wise to go there right now by yourself. There isn't a Pokemon Center or Pokemart in Woodbank so you wouldn't be able to heal or stock up on items. Here is my proposition: come with us to Mossley Point and train for a bit there for a day or two, and I'll join you to go to Woodbank and probably beyond that. What do you say?" That was actually going to be his own plan before being dragged along by Clementine and Micheal. He hoped the trainer would agree. Clementine and Micheal had different goals than he did so it didn't seem to be a good idea to stick together for long. However, Matthias may prove to be a good ally and their goals were probably similar. Shane hoped that what he said made some sense to the trainer.

[Vexing]

"I...I don't have any pocket money, actually. So the presence of a Pokémart is immaterial." Matthias shifted uncomfortably; it would have been wise to save some of his funds, but he'd eventually decided to go all out with his survival gear. Being a novice at outdoorsmanship, he figured that waterproofed flashlights and lighters might go a good ways, along with his rope and sleeping bag. "As for going to Woodbank alone, what trouble could possibly bother me? A town with one resident and a handful of abandoned houses hardly sounds taxing. Think of it as an especially quiet beachside resort. I personally don't intend to take the boat, but I would like to see the old hermit and wander the ghost town."

Racking his brains, Matthias did his best to dredge up any facts about Mossley Point or Woodbank that he'd picked up in his two years at the Academy. If he were to make a decision, it had better be an informed one.

Mossley Point
[roll0]
For Mossley Point, Matthias is just trying to get general information. Local history, resources, politics, all that good stuff. He'd like to know a little more about where the group is headed before committing to going himself.

Woodbank (Ghost Town!)
[roll1]
Woodbank isn't a city or even a real town anymore, so this check is more strictly about the history of the place. Why did everyone up and leave? Is there any official story, or is it as simple as economic factors? Is the land still owned by anyone? Are there any laws relating to exploration here? Has the town been scavenged before? (I'm going to have him make Pokémon Education rolls when he arrives, but I figure since he can't SEE the environment, he can't make the check now)

The Core Book seems to suggest that General Education be used for knowledge of the setting, history, politics, and as a grab-bag for a lot of other areas, but if there's a different skill required, just let me know! I thought I'd roll these now rather than ask and then roll, to save some time.

[gmoyes]

Shane raised an eyebrow when Matthias stated that he was flat out broke. "Even more reason to go to the larger town, more ways to make money. Such as battling other trainers. And if you were going to travel by boat, some ferry fare would be useful." The researcher gave a shrug. "But whatever floats your boat. Regardless, I'm going to Mossley Point. Call me if you'll be heading back into town or thinking of setting sail and I may be able to meet up with you." There was no point forcing it. He just wondered how Clementine and Micheal would take the news. But they needed to keep moving.

He now addressed the group at large. "Ok then guys, let's head out. How about Matthias and I take point? His Tepig is at full health and my Pokemon know some stronger moves and are still in rather good health. If we meet any other trainers on the road, follow our lead." It made sense to him. Both of the Pokemon Micheal and Clementine caught were in worse shape than his Pidgey, Rosemary was hurt as well as Micheal himself. Still, Spark could use a break. Pulling out the fire type's pokeball, he pointed it at his partner. "You've done good Spark. You deserve a rest." The Cyndaquil gave a little chirp and vanished into red light to be stored. While on the topic of Pokemon, he pulled out the pokeball containing his newest capture. While probably not the strongest, it would make a good addition to the team. He tried to think of a name for the bird. "...Talon." Shane gave a grin and spoke to the pokeball. "Welcome to the team Talon."

He blinked and then looked at his companions. "Shall we be going then?"

[Pallid]

Micheal still hadn't managed his uncle's technique of rapid fire picture taking that went so smoothly and efficiently it only looked like one flash had gone off. Nope, Micheal was still puttering along with four flashes. Still he was getting better, he managed to narrow it down to two pictures per flash, but speed was the name of the game when it came to faster moving targets. He'd have to get better if he wanted the moving shots he wanted in his future gallery. Still he thought he got a good snap of everyone, though his perfectionist in him would make him ask Matthias for another shot down the road. He'd look them over when they settled down for the evening, and decide then. For now it was the more pressing matter of heading along. Placing away his camera he removed his glasses from his face and gave them a good wipe down using his shirt.

There was four people in the group now, one more then he wanted and that person had come along broke no less. Which meant he would say broke unless someone spotted him the betting wager for a Pokemon battle, and trusted that he was going to be able to win. “Matthias up front is good but you should take rear guard with Clementine, Shane. If we come across another trainer they won't be attacking me, if it's league official. Plus Alexanderia is in better shape then Talon.” He placed his glasses back as he called Alexanderia to his side.

“Matthias, how were you going to eat? Were you planning on going native?” He asked as he passed the man heading northwards once again. Their so far discussed travel plan was a pretty sound one in terms of direction. Even if the trip to Woodbank did seem a little out of place, there wasn't much of a town there from what he could recall of school.

[Vexing]

"To a greater or lesser extent. The vast majority of Pokémon can find food for themselves in the wild--the must, or perish, after all. In what proved to be an interesting surprise, Calydonis," he continued as he tapped the pocket of his vest which contained the stored Tepig and its ball, "has a penchant for finding berries and tracking by scent. Or at least, its species does. For the long term, I had considered selling my time and my brainpower for passing jobs and wages. Arrive in a town, work up funds while exploring the area, then move along to the next Gy--the next town." He caught himself, but only just. It wouldn't do to seem too cocky, even if his personal belief in his forward thinking was rock solid. And it likely wouldn't be helpful to mention that Calydonis seemed to be a bit on the stranger side...

"There's nothing wrong with working an honest day and making an honest wage. I'll need to earn some seed money before facing other Trainers, at any rate. I suspect it would be considered...dishonest, to bet with no funds on the hope of winning rather than losing." (Still too formal. Shorten things.) Cracking a small, artifical smile, Matthias casually moved to the head of the group. He would have to become used to asserting himself or playing at leader if his goal was to be achieved. "I don't mind taking point until nightfall. Or for the morning after, so long as I'll be traveling with you three."

"I won't stay an hour longer than I'm wanted, if that's anyone's concern. You three did vanish quickly enough, and I suspect that was to keep late-comers like me from joining. Well? Am I to stay for a time, or no? I intend to head to Woodbank with or without a group; I'll determine a detour to Mossley Point tonight or this coming morning, unless it matters that I choose now."

[lilpuppy91]

After Michael had taken all of the pictures he was going to take, which in her opinion was far too few, especially for such a celebratory situation as this, but perhaps he was trying to save film for now, she got off of the rock, and let Rosemary go. Pulling the glasses out of her pocket and onto her face once more, she took a few minutes to recapture and imprison her hair, and then pulled the little pokeball off of her belt, clicking the button to release the little zigzagoon, who still looked a little wobbly on her feet, but at least alert. Clem approached and crouched down in front of her to pet the little fuzzball, who seemed to revive a little with the touch of a gentle hand.

"Hi baby girl, welcome to the team! Your name is going to be Ginger from now on- is that ok?" she asked, to which Ginger chittered happily in response. Rosemary made for her as if to pounce on her, but she expertly dodged like a speed demon, and soon the two were chasing each other around in a circle so fast that they were two blurs- one yellow, and one brown. Sheesh, these pokemon were so fast! What was it about cute pokemon and speed anyway? Were blurs in motion particularly cute to anyone? She giggled and laughed at their antics, until watching them started to make her head a little dizzy and she had to look away to focus on what the others were saying.

It seemed now that Shane didn't want to be in their group anymore, preferring instead to break off and join Matty once they went to the next town. It disappointed Clem greatly to find that the third person she'd snagged would be leaving so quickly. Her dreams of taking a group of two friends all through the countryside on all sorts of adventures instantly shattered. Ah well, it wasn't the first, and it wouldn't be the last. She wasn't one to hold anyone prisoner, life was too short to hang out with people that you didn't want to! She was also a little confused as to why Matthias had ignored the question she'd posed to him, in favor of just answering all of Shane's questions, but she guessed maybe being bombarded by a bunch of questions at once can be disorienting.

"Alright, I don't mind taking the rear, just as long as you forfeit any super cute pokemon we bump into on the way!" she declared to Michael, recalling Ginger into her pokeball to get some much needed rest. The golden blur that was Rosemary slowed down without anyone to frolic with, and then she bounded over to Clementine with a cheerful yip a she got into position. As Matthias spoke up about not being wanted, she laughed and waved a hand. "Of course you can come with us! There's only one route this way anyway. What are you gunna do, stick to one side of the road and raise one hand to pretend like we're not walking beside you?" she teased, before smiling over at Michael. "Did you get my good side? If I find out you took a picture of me blinking or looking grotesque some other way, and you put that one in your album, I'm going to smack you!" she warned, her expression casual, but her words completely serious.

[Charisma Thief]

Matthias:
Mossley Point:
This small town has never been a point for major commotion. It has stood as a lighthouse town for many years, but the population is slowly diminishing.

Woodbank:
Much like Mossley Point, Woodbank was a small fishing town that had run its course and slowly dried up. The residence began slowly moving out and to other cities over the past 10 years, leaving only the hermit by himself for the past 3.

http://i.imgur.com/qcdYUa6.png

[Vexing]

The excitable Clementine's questions are answered with reasonably good grace; the Kalos native found himself already grating at the excessive noise and chatter, but did his best to keep it internal. "I could have always struck out ahead, I suppose. But you're right, there wouldn't be much of a point in traveling a lone road without company. Speaking of the route, does anyone know a good place to stop for the night? How far are we from Mossley Point? We could always just press on if we're close enough, depending on how important it is to see your family."

"If the route is long, or if there isn't a timetable...might I suggest taking the path slowly? Or at least wandering off the beaten trail a ways? I'm certain the more interesting Pokémon are to be found further from the road."

Matthias will bow to the will of the group, if everyone just wants to stick to the main road. I was hoping we might poke through the side of the path at 2-6 and D-J on the map, since (as players of the game know) that's how you usually find dropped things!

I kid. I doubt we're going to find a big red Pokéball item. But it might be neat to see if the percentage chances for rarer Pokémon, like the Lillipup, increase off the main path.

Perception
[roll0]
This'll be Matthias' roll to find Pokémon for the day as he walks with the party. If the area changes significantly, I may make another before night falls, but one seems fine for now.

[Charisma Thief]

As the group continues to walk along and talk, a small pink ball catches you attention, appearing to float around in the grass off of it's two large leaves on it's head.

http://i.imgur.com/69NiODJ.png

[Vexing]

Upon spotting the pink balloon-like creature, Matthias hand immediately goes for his Pokédex. Snapping it open, he scans without preamble. "Hoppip, the Cottonweed Pokémon. Hoppip's body is very light, and it is easily lifted off the ground by winds and will drift in the air. Hoppip can sense approaching strong winds. In order to avoid being blown away, it clusters and links leaves with other Hoppip or grips the ground firmly with its feet. However, it enjoys gentle breezes. Hoppip lives in grasslands, although some also drift through fields, mountains, and even urban environments."

"Silly looking thing. Although..." He paused, looking a little sheepishly to Clementine. "Might I take a piece of food from your plate? Something small, a vegetable, like a celery stalk? I'm going to endeavor to pique its interest." It would be just his luck that the wind might pick up before he'd finished making it curious, but it was a chance he had to take. "Hopefully I can persuade it into following us. It seems friendly enough."

With or without Clementine's tidbit to offer as food, Matthias would slowly walk forward to bouncing Hoppip and squat only a few feet from it in the tall grass. "Hey there. Having fun?" He knew how to take care of baby Pokémon well enough--in theory, at least. How much harder could charming such a cheerful looking wild Pokémon be? "Want to walk with me for a ways?"

Matthias is going to go for the Charm check! I'm not expecting it to work like Jedi Mind Tricks, necessarily, but hopefully he can convince it to follow them until nightfall. He has a sturdy rope on him; perhaps he can earn its trust by anchoring it to the ground if the night wind picks up?

I hope that an offering of food might make it more open to the idea of traveling with us for the afternoon, but we'll just have to see how badly he flubs his roll!

Edit: Forgot to mention his location. He's moving to K-16 to try and Charm the Hoppip.

Charm
[roll0]

[gmoyes]

I recalled Spark in my last post but he's still on the map. Maybe I should have been a little more clear about that. No problems though.

Shane gave a slight frown when Micheal said the that he will go ahead of him, but he didn't argue. As much as he wanted to strengthen his party, Alexandria was still in good shape. But if things came down to another battle, he had no problems taking part. When Clementine brought up the fact that seeing as they were traveling in the same direction, they might as well travel in a group, the researcher chuckled. "Yeah you know that awkward moment when you say 'see ya' to someone and you start walking in same direction? Probably the same sort of situation here."

On Matthias' question of timing, Shane gave a shrug. "I'm in no particular rush to get to Mossley Point as long as we get there. I'm more concerned about our Pokemon being badly injured from facing more Pokemon than we can handle. I'd rather not waste time back tracking to heal. I have a couple of potions of course, but it is best to save those for emergencies."

When the small pink seed Pokemon popped out of the grass, Shane gave a smirk. Both of his Pokemon could probably one shot the Hoppip. However, it was Matthias' to claim. "That one's all yours Matthias," he said continuing to stroll along with his hands in his pockets. While it seemed casual enough, he was read to pull out a pokeball out of his pocket to pop out his Pidgey. Alliteration aside, he was ready to support however he could.

[Pallid]

Micheal hummed to himself as he gave Alexandria's head a few pats, while pointing his pokedex at the newly found pokemon. He waited just long enough to get the chim of the information before continuing northwards. He had a thing against grass type pokemon and that wasn't going to be changing any time soon. He had a bad run in with an oddish that wandered into the garden one day while he was with his uncle. He never rightly forgave those armless jerks, and forever more grass pokemon would hold a stigma for him.

"Up to you, but you better make a choice quickly, no telling on how long it will wait there for you."

[lilpuppy91]

Clementine could barely hold in her excitement when she laid eyes on the hoppip. It was the most adorable pokemon she'd seen today, blowing about in the breeze with such a careless, cheerful expression. If Matthias hadn't been with them, she would have pounced on the little cutie like a squirrel pounced on a nut, but it would be unfair to take the pokemon when their classmate had yet to catch a pokemon, and only had his starter to defend himself. While it was true that he might choose to break away from their team later, and become competition, it was this vulnerable beginning time when they were only getting started, when having one pokemon or two could be the difference between life or death if a wild pokemon ambushed you out of the middle of nowhere!

She pulled out her pokedex to scan the Hoppip as well, and when it was done, she gave a disappointed sigh, hoping there might be another somewhere down the road. "I'm sorry Matthias, all I had left were cookies, and I need to use them for making my own friends." she said apologetically, in response to his wanting to borrow vegetables that she didn't have. "I'm all for going off of the path and looking for pokemon in the grass if everyone else wants to though, especially if we might meet another one of those!" she gushed, smiling at the pink floating little cutey. She then paused, and frowned at him. "I wouldn't get too close if I were you, though. I tried to be friendly with my zigzagoon back there, and she attacked Rosemary immediately, I think we're just too scary to them out here in the wild."

[Vexing]

"I'm not actually sure if it has the capacity to be scared. The Pokédex seemed to indicate that it wasn't terribly smart...I'm not sure if it's much more than self-aware, at this evolutionary stage. Hoppip reproduce by spores, right? Maybe the ones around here aren't very old..." Matthias whispered back to Clementine, maintaining eye-contact with the blank yellow stare of the floating seedling. Truth be told, he was counting on the Hoppip's distinct lack of executive functions. Any other wild Pokémon he'd be much more frightened of approaching this closely, without even distracting bait or the comfort of an actively trained Pokémon for defense. But the little floater seemed innocent enough, with its wide eyes and cheerful face.

"Come on, little drifter. It'll be more fun to float with us down the road than here." He kept his tone low and non-threatening, doing his very best to imitate the Grass-and-Flying type's carefree grin. In the back of his mind, Matthias couldn't help but feel that he looked rather stupid to his current traveling companions, but felt that this was still the superior option to having untried and untested Calydonis beat the poor thing into submission.