Pokemon Atlas [IC]

[BANZAI!!!!]

OOC Thread

 

 

 

 

Everyone has a dream that fills their heart; a journey they must take, a destiny to fulfill. As close as your imagination exists a magical place, where wondrous creatures with incredible powers help make dreams come true. This is the world of pokemon. Here, pokemon and humans live in harmony. Some keep pokemon as pets, while others, known as pokemon trainers, compete with them in amazing contests of skill and strategy. Whether they battle, perform, race, or compete, all trainers and their pokemon hope to one day be the best, and become pokemon masters.

 

This dream burns brighter than most in the hearts of six young men. Quentin Sparrow, Trey Joule, Samuel Cotter, Creedence Akeley, Chad Griffith, and Quinton Worth, all beginning their journeys as pokemon trainers at the same time. As they each make their way to Cherrygrove city, none of them realize that their destinies are intertwined, or that they're in for the adventure of a lifetime.

 

BGM

 

"Hey bro. You told me to call you when I got here, soooooo...." Trey Joule leaned in toward the vidphone's screen so that Volkner could hear him more clearly. The pokemon center was extra lively this morning, between the usual trainer traffic and all of the TIP participants who had arrived to pick up their GPS spikes from the MapCo representative. The background noise wasn't helping the already shaky reception from Sunnyshore City.

 

"Wow, I'm kinda surprised you actually remembered. The regional ferry ride wasn't too bad was it?"

 

"It was pretty smooth. We even got a good view of Alto Mare when we crossed the lagoon."

 

"You should stop by there when you get a chance. Its a really cool town. Oh, forgot to tell you! I told Jas you were coming and so she put together a little care package for you. Its in your PC box."

 

"What?! Duuuude you told her I was coming to Johto?" Trey groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

"Its not like I was gonna keep it a secret from her. Besides, she's gonna see you in Olivine eventually anyway."

 

"Ughhh duuude this is so lame. Its bad enough I have to battle your girlfriend for a gym badge in the first place. The least you could do is save me from the big sis act."

 

"Sorry, no can do pipsqueak. I'll tell her you said thanks for the gear though."

 

"Yeah, yeah. You do that."

 

"There's a little something from me in there too, by the way."

 

"That's not like you. Did she rope you in too?"

 

"Nahh, Its just a little present to commemorate your journey. You gotta promise me something though."

 

"What's that?"

 

"You can't open it until you've earned your first badge. Deal? It'll ruin it if you do."

 

"Sure, sure. I'll leave Jasmine's stuff in there with it to keep it some company."

 

"Trey come on get over it- oh crap the Gym's got a challenger. Hey I've gotta go."

 

"Don't sweat it Volk I'll make sure I thank her myself when I get to Olivine. Don't make it easy for 'em ok?"

 

"Not a chance. And hey you better not lose to Jasmine. It'll make us look bad."

 

"Yeah sure whatever. Catch you on the flip side." With that, Trey hung up, and turned back around to face his cyndaquil, who'd been sitting on the bench behind him, listening intently. "Well Ollie, we're officially on our own. You ready to go do Johto?"

 

"Quiiil!"

 

"That's the spirit bro. We've got our stakes, so all we needa do is get everything squared away and hit the road!" Trey paused, craning his neck to follow a cute girl with a skitty for a moment. "Couldn't hurt to get acquainted with the locals a bit first though. Maybe ask about the sights? Whaddya think?"

 

"Qui-Quiiiiil!" Ollie nodded in the affirmative, though really he was just eager to do something other than stand still. If he was lucky, they might even find themselves a battle before they left town.

[Dad]

Quentin and the Excellent, Awesome, Perfect, Super Special, Good Day

 

As dawn rose over Kanto, Quentin had already said his goodbyes to his mother and father.  "Don't go spending all of that money in one place," Mr. Sparrow warned.

 

Quentin nodded.  "I'll only purchase the necessities," he promised.

 

"You'll call us, won't you?" Mrs. Sparrow asked.

 

"Every time I think of you," Quentin replied with a smile.

 

"Hmm.  Now, how often will that be?" Mr. Sparrow joked.

 

"Every day," Quentin said with a chuckle.  "According to my Pokegear, I should reach Johto before sunset.  If that changes, I'll let you know."

 

"Good.  And you have everything you need?" Mrs. Sparrow inquired.

 

"I do."

 

"Food?"

 

"Rations.  Check."

 

"Spare clothes?"

 

"Gear.  Check."

 

"Undies?"

"Several backup pairs.  Check."

 

"I still feel like you're forgetting something," Mr. Sparrow chimed in.  "It's about three feet tall, a fighting-type, and he's really strong.  I just... can't quite place my finger on--oh?" Mr. Sparrow was silenced as he was suddenly but gently lifted into the air.  "Ah, there he is!"  Cappa gave Mr. Sparrow a few departing lifts as a show of good faith.  Mrs. Sparrow couldn't help but smile.

 

Placing Mr. Sparrow down, Cappa flexed its muscles.  "Machop!" he cried.

 

"Well.  With you around, Cappa, I know Quentin is in good hands," Mr. Sparrow said.

 

"You take good care of my Quentin, Cappa," Mrs. Sparrow requested.

 

Cappa nodded.

 

"Ready Cappa?  We've got a journey ahead of us," Quentin said excitedly.

 

"Machop!"  Cappa took off sprinting south out of Cerulean City, its own packed bags in its hands.  

 

"Wait!  Cappa!  Wrong way!"  Quentin snatched up his own bags and sprinted after Cappa.  "Bye mom!  Bye dad!  Love you!  CAPPA!  WAIT!"

[Mr. Hyde]

The hustle and bustle of the Pokemon Center was getting him all pent up.  The place felt so packed that if Quinton moved at all, he'd be sure to rub elbows with someone.  He didn't like to be around so many people, but this was what he signed up for!  It wasn't too long ago that he had just arrived from plane to Johto, but the rustic environment that he saw beneath the clouds was something else to behold.  The plane had an easy enough time landing in the small town of Cherrygrove as well.  That was all he could recant about his travels, because when he had stepped off the plane, things started to get extremely exciting.  

 

MapCo had given him his very first Pokemon, an Alolan Sandshrew...although he was a lot more icy than he was Sandy...as a researcher in-training, he wasn't sure why they hadn't renamed the subspecies entirely.  It wasn't as if Iceshrew would throw anyone off.  If anything, Sandshrew was the weirder name.  But perhaps he was being a nitpick.  Until now, Quinton hadn't released the Pokemon from it's ball, so he decided to try and leave the center to bond with him.  

 

"E-E-Excuse me...pardon me...."  Quinton timidly pushed his way through the crowded center, almost stepping on a cyndaquil.  Thankfully, he had made it out alive.  He took the Pokeball from his bag, and jabbed it straight out.  The flash of light let out his new partner, who was curled up in a ball on the ground.  It unfurled a bit, revealing the Pokemon's eyes.  When they met with Quinton's, and the Pokeball, the Pokemon popped upright immediately, making noises of joy.  "Ah!  You're quite the spirited one."  Quinton said, observing the movement's of the Sandshrew.  "I can't go calling you that name either...it would make my brain hurt more than you know.  So from this day fourth, your name shall be Iggie!"  The newly named Iggie tilted his head.  Quinton pointed to the Pokemon, and slowly enunciated.  "I-G-G-I-E!  Iggie."  And then Quinton pointed to himself.  "Quinton.  Quinton."  And then back to Iggie.  "Iggie."  For a moment, the Pokemon stood there, until it shot it's arms up into the air. 

 

"SHREW!"  It cried.

 

"Well...what else should I have expected?"  Quinton said, rubbing the small Pokemon's head.  

[radio414]

---

Samuel held the Poké Ball in one hand and his drink, a cool glass of iced tea and lemonade, in the other. It wasn’t that he was exhausted after a long, hard day of doing nothing but sitting on a boat gazing out at the formless ocean waiting for Johto to appear on the horizon, it was more that, after having spent years -- actual years! -- drilling himself into a routine of school, gardening, and thinking about botany, he suddenly found himself with the uncomfortable sense of having too little to do. It wasn’t a day-ruining feeling by any stretch of the imagination, just a little bit, you know, “off.” The only thing he could think to do in a situation like that was get a drink.

 

Inside the Poké Ball, of course, was his brand new companion, a gift from MapCo for joining their program. Of the three they’d offered, he’d chosen Budew, of course. Like he was ever going to choose any other option. They’d even included a cute little personality profile with each Pokémon and even that had gone ignored in favor of mashing the “Choose” button. But now that he held her Poké Ball in between his middle finger, index, and thumb, Sam felt a little bit more trepidatious.

 

Like, sure, this was something he wanted. It hadn’t always been, and that was still something he struggled with occasionally (Was he really making the right decision or did he just get tricked into making the wrong one?), but at this point there wasn’t really any turning back, right?

 

Well…

 

He could always return her. He could walk right back into the Pokécenter, drop Honeydew off and leave. He hadn’t even released her from her Poké Ball. She was basically unused, ready to be handed out to the next eager MapCo inter- wait, had he named her already? That didn’t really fit the rest of the narrative, now did it? Even if the Budew never heard her new name, Sam would probably still remember his Budew. His Honeydew. “If you name it, you’re attached to it,” he mumbled to himself, then took a long, ponderous sip from his half-and-half.

 

Sam had never named any roses, that was for sure.

“This Budew is a joy to be around!” the personality profile read. “She’s always got a smile on her face and is constantly ready to make sure everyone else does too. Her favorite things to do are dancing and relaxing in the sun. She really likes bitter foods, so take that into consideration when going berry shopping!”

 

“Bitter, huh?” Samuel said. He held Honeydew’s Poké Ball up to the sun, trying to catch a glimpse of the ‘mon inside. “I think I might have…”

 

Of course he didn’t. To be fair, his bag was a mess of stuff hastily packed together, so maybe the Hondew berry he was looking for (because wouldn’t that have been a nice coincidence?) was just in some buried corner, but it was all the more likely that he just didn’t have one. This also wasn’t quite day-ruining, but it certainly was a disappointment. Though it was alleviated somewhat when he managed to pull a hard-skinned Aguav berry out instead. “Yeah, this should work,” Samuel said. “Alright, Honeydew, let’s actually meet each other.”

 

He tossed the Poké Ball and out came a- no, his shiny, happy Budew, who herself exclaimed “‘Dew!” as she emerged in a mass of sparkles that twinkled for a moment before vanishing almost as soon as they had appeared.

 

“Hullo, Honeydew,” Sam said as he crouched down to offer her the berry.

 

Honeydew, for her part, was a little cautious in her approach, but as soon as she had the berry in her mouth her eyes widened and she looked up at Samuel with a spark of joy in her eye. She wasn’t smiling just yet -- she was still working through the berry’s tough exterior, but Sam could tell she would have been if she could.

 

Yeah, doing this definitely wasn’t a mistake, Sam decided. At least, not yet. Future judgments, of course, had to be reserved for future events.

The other stuff jammed into his bag mostly were consisted of all the stuff MapCo had given everybody. Markers, map, it was all there. Sam walked around Cherrygrove trying to sort through it all, though as previously mentioned, the messy state of his bag made it difficult to do inventory. And the fact that he was walking around, looking down at his bag in front of him, meant that it was only a matter of time before…

 

...before the slightest bump sent the contents scattering everywhere. Sam almost instinctively let out a soft “Oh, beans,” but quickly got down trying to stuff everything back in. He also had to apologize to whoever it was who he’d hit (and it certainly was his fault the collision had happened in the first place!), which came out only slightly louder as “I’m really sorry. I should have been looking where I was going.”

 

He also added, “None of this is yours, right? Like, MapCo just gave me most of this stuff, so I’m not entirely sure what I’ve got yet.”

---

[Dad]

Cappa thought himself a champion.  He was sure he was miles ahead of Quentin!  Right?

 

A Sparrow screech beside Cappa caused his face to fold into disbelief.  Quentin was right on his tail!  Cappa threw his arms back and forth and began to pick up the pace.  But it was no use; Quentin took the lead.  As Quentin and Cappa neared the docks of Vermillion City, Cappa stretched forth a hand of desperation, hoping only to touch the hem of Quentin's shorts.  Alas, Quentin was too far ahead.  Quentin had won their race.

 

Quentin celebrated with a victory protein shake.  "Better luck next time, Cappa," he teased.

 

"Machop!" Cappa exclaimed rather angrily.  He pouted and folded his arms.

 

"Hey, I gave you a head start.  The Sparrows do not know defeat," Quentin said proudly.  "And you're a Sparrow too.  So shake off that attitude and get it in gear.  We'll have a real race once we land in Johto."

 

Cappa raised a fist and accepted Quentin's challenge.  He proudly flexed his muscles and stretched to show his perfect physique.  "Ma.  Chop!"

 

"That's the spirit.  Now where's our boat?" Quentin wondered aloud.  Quentin was glad that his parents weren't here.  If they found out he cheaped out on the boat ride to Johto, they'd give him a scolding.  "Ah, there it is!"

 

A rinky-dink vessel that had likely seen many years of sailing and few years of repairs, sat idly at the end of the port.  An older gentleman and a Poliwhirl waved to Quentin and Cappa.  "That's our ride, buddy.  C'mon."  Cappa and Quentin hoisted up their bags and carried them over to meet their Captain: Captain Squabble and his Poliwhirl, Whirligo. 

 

Captain Squabble greeted Quentin with a firm handshake.  He was a tough old guy, with frayed white hair, a mean moustache, and a scar across his left eye.  "Ya must be Quentin," Squabble said with a raspy voice.  "Whirligo can take yer bags.  Let's get ya on board."

 

"No need, Whirligo.  We can hoist these ourselves," Quentin assured the Poliwhirl.  It merely rubbed its belly and stepped aboard the ship.

 

"So," Squabble said.  "Goin' to Johto, aye?  What fer?"

 

"I've got an opportunity with MapCo to explore the region.  It'll also help Cappa and I train for the Pokeathlon," Quentin said as he dropped his bags on the deck. 

 

"Well then," Squabble said as he paused on the deck.  "WHATTA WE WAITIN' FOR!?  HOIST THE MAIN SAIL!  RAISE THOSE ANCHORS!  WE'RE GOIN' TO JOHTO BOYS!"

 

The new crew cheered, and Cappa and Quentin went to work with Whirligo to get the ship ready to launch.  The excitement in Quentin was building, but the sun was already high in the sky.  He would be late on his first day.  "We'll catch up to everyone soon.  You ready Cappa?" Quentin asked as they both gripped a slimy anchor rope. 

 

"Chop!" Cappa said.

 

"Heave!"

 

"Chop!"

 

"Heave!"

 

"Chop!"

 

"Heave!"

 

"Chop!"

 

Their journey to Johto had begun.

[Otaku-sama]

Creedence counted the multicolored bills and coins placed upon the table in front of him. At his side was his floating companion, silently watching with an unblinking gaze as the Cherrygrove Pokemon Center become more and more crowded. Pokemon and their trainers filed into the Center to rest after a long day of travelling and battling, chattering and boasting about their daily deeds. 

 

“2650...2670...2700...It’ll have to do for now I guess.”

 

Creedence let out a long, tired sigh, attracting the attention of his Bronzor, who floated to him and gave him a supportive nudge on his shoulder. Creedence turned to it and gave him a little pat, making an effort to give a little smile.

 

“It’ll be alright friend. Just a little longer and we’ll be exploring the world!”

 

Howard bounced in happy affirmation before returning to their position as sentinel. Creedence turned back to his daily earnings and pocketed them, trying not to sigh out loud again, lest he worry Howard more than he had too. While he did not expect running away from home to be easy, he thought that he may have had a romantic notion in his head. 

 

Creedence expected to be swept away on adventure, finding strange new people and inspiring places. Instead, he was reduced to little more than a highwayman, battling children with their first Pokemon and relieving them of their allowances. To top it all off, the rigors of battling all day left him too tired to do any writing. Whenever he tried to squeeze out the scattered meters and phrases out of his mind, the words would shiver and blur as his eyes struggled to stay focused.

 

However, despite none of his dreams coming to fruition, it was certainly better than what he left behind. Better than endless days of putting snacks on shelves and taking out trash. Better than the nightly lectures about not putting enough effort into the store and about his obligation to the family. While running away was harsh, it was better to be free than to let his talent rot away under his father’s yoke. 

 

With renewed conviction, Creedence got up from his seat. It was only a matter of time before MapCo would call upon him and hopefully give him enough money for more comfortable living. After all, they did promise all travel expenses paid and he could make a good case for many things to be considered “travel expenses”.

 

Lost in thought, Creedence walked directly into another person, scattering their possessions all over the floor.

 

“Oh! Excuse me!”

 

Creedence quickly went to help pick up all of the scattered berries, wrenching an Aspear out of Howard’s grasp before looking up to get a better look at him. The boy looked like a wholesome farmer type, but not like other farmers from Johto. He was wearing a necklace with a city crest on it, but before Creedence could get a better look, he was already face to face with him. Creedence cleared his throat before handing back the berries.

 

“Sorry about that. Here’s your stuff. Not a local either I suppose?”

 

[Hakima]

“Take care of yourself, sweetie!”

 

“I will Mom.”

 

“Sorry we couldn’t be there to see you off. You know we wanted to, but with the discovery of a new fossil so recently... “

 

“It’s fine Dad. I know you all are busy. Anyways the boat’s docked, so I’ve gotta get going. I’ll try to call if I have the time.”

 

“Alright. Have fun Cha--”

 

Chad slammed the Pokégear shut before they could finish what they were saying. “I dunno why they even bother to call,” he muttered to himself, snatching his bag up from the ground by his feet and slinging it up onto his shoulder. “You ready Rex?”

 

Rex stopped terrorizing someone’s Sentret to look at him. “Runt!” he growled, stomping over to Chad. Rex was an extremely rare Pokémon, a Tyrunt, a species that had only recently been reintroduced to the world. Though he wasn’t very tall for a Pokémon, the crown of his head reaching just above the average person’s knee, his Rock-typing made him extremely stout.

 

Chad reached down to scratch between his stubby horns. “You didn’t wanna catch that Sentret anyways. It looked like a stringbean.”

 

Rex snapped his jaws and stomped his agreement. “Ty! Tyrunt!”

 

“We’re about to go into town Rex. I’m gonna have to put you back in your Poké-Ball for now.” Chad reached for the collapsed Poké-Ball on his belt, but Rex snapped at his fingers.

 

“Runt, Runt!” Rex rumbled.

 

Chad grinned. “I know, I know, but you scare people. They think you’re going to hurt their precious little fur babies. Not everyone is as tough as we are, y’know.”

 

Rex raised his head and swelled with pride. “Tyrunt!”

 

“Alright. I’ll let you out as soon as I can,” Chad assured the Tyrunt, and then recalled the Royal Heir, who vanished into a red silhouette of light.

 

Chad rose back up to his full height and clipped the ball to his belt, then shouldered his bag and started off the ship. He was halfway down the ramp when he was stopped by a middle-aged lady cradling a shaking Sentret. “You! Boy! You owe my poor little Senny an apology! Your little heathen lizard chased him into a corner and stomped on his tail! Look at what he did!”

 

“Maybe you shouldn’t have such a wimpy Pokémon, lady. Rex wouldn’t pick on him if he was strong enough to defend himself.” Chad brushed past her. “Take it as a lesson: weak and meek end up meat.”

 

Now to find the PokéCenter. He had to get the rest of the equipment he needed from MapCo.

[radio414]

---

There was a moment in there where the two boys just stared at each other, sizing each other up. Samuel was definitely the younger of the two, and was almost a head shorter, too. And that came with a whole list of other observations as well, like that the other boy was probably more experienced than Samuel was. At the very least, he was confident enough to have his Bronzor out and about, going after berries that, you know, clearly weren’t theirs to go after.

“Oh, no, you can have it,” Sam said as the guy tried to hand the Aspear Berry back to him. “Just, uh, I dunno, plant a berry next time you find some good soil.”

Cleaning up was easier now that there were two people working on it, though Samuel got the impression that the other boy was a still focused on sizing Sam up than helping organize things in just the particular way Sam liked it (that was to say, not at all (there was a system!)). He looked particularly interested in the necklace around Sam’s neck; he looked at it with a kind of blank unfamiliarity that implied he wanted to see even closer.

“Sorry about that. Here’s your stuff. Not a local either, I suppose?”

Or he could just ask, of course. That was also an option. “Oh, this?” Sam said. “It’s, yeah, it’s of Rustboro City, all the way over in Hoenn. So, uh, yeah not a local.” He almost left it at that, but a couple things still stuck out to him. The first was the distinct lack of names exchanged so far, and if this guy was interested in conversation, that needed changing as soon as possible. The second was the word “either,” as in “I’m not a local either,” which, while not unexpected, did leave Sam open for an “of course” question of his own.

Samuel stuck his hand out. “My name’s Sam,” he said. “Where are you from?”

---

[BANZAI!!!!]

"Jeez... she really went all out didn't she." Trey had spent the last few minutes going through the large cardboard box that had materialized out of his PC item storage. It was filled with various things from Jasmine: potions, full heals, an escape rope, even oran and tomato berries for Ollie (how thoughtful of her!), but what really stood out was the badge case: red-orange in color (Trey's favorite), but clearly made from some kind of high quality, durable metal. It contained foam cutouts for storing each of Johto's eight gym badges, and was emblazoned with the symbol of the Pokemon League on its hinged lid. Trey had never seen one like it before; the ones carried by Sunnyshore Gym challengers he'd met were usually blue plastic things with covers that slid off. Jasmine must have had it custom ordered from the Johto league, or Arceus-forbid made it herself with some of her Steelix's alloys. It was so nice he almost felt embarrassed about carrying it. Gym leaders certainly didn't do things by halves, did they?

 

"Guess we really do owe her big time, huh Ollie?" Trey said, looking down at his partner who was currently in the empty box, half eaten berry in his paw. "Well, we should get going. Finish up your snack and then lets book it." The Cyndaquil nodded, shoving what was left of the Tomato berry into his mouth and hopping up onto his trainer's shoulder, using the bench he'd been sitting on as a springboard. Trey picked up the box, tossed it in a bin, and made his way toward the door.

 

----

 

"SHREW!"

 

The loud cry caught Haro's attention, and without much warning the little Goomy leapt off of Angela's shoulder and darted toward the noise. "Ohh! Haro get back here would you!?" The pale haired girl called out as she sprinted after her new pokemon for what must have been the fifth time that day. It took her a few minutes and she was nearly out of breath when she finally caught up to him (how could he slither so freakin' fast anyway?), only to arrive too late to prevent her slimy new friend from joyously tackling what looked like a white sandshrew and covering it in goop. It was then that it dawned on Angela that she'd seen this particular kind of pokemon before: it was one of the other two starters she'd chosen between. Haro must have confused it for one of his old playmates. After she knelt down a moment to try and catch her breath, she turned to the Sandshrew's trainer, who was sure to be baffled by this turn of events, and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry! My Goomy can get a bit too excited sometimes.... I think he thinks your Sandshrew is one of his old friends...." She took another moment to huff, then continued. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

 

----

 

"oof!"

 

Not even two steps out the sliding doors of the pokemon center, and Trey had already bumped into someone. Or perhaps this guy had bumped into him? Either way, they'd smacked shoulders, (un)consciously trying to force the other person out of their way. It was a shorter blonde guy about his age, clearly a trainer, though he didn't appear to have any pokemon out with him. "Mah bad bro." Trey said, half-assing an apology so he could get going, though a quick appraisal of his smug look and blue sportswear told Trey that this probably wouldn;t be the end of their interaction.

[Otaku-sama]

“Oh, this? It’s, yeah, it’s of Rustboro City, all the way over in Hoenn. So, uh, yeah not a local.”

 

Creedence started sweating a little as the boy caught him staring as he is prone to do.

 

“Ahaha, sorry about that. I apologize for my staring, I just found the symbol very interesting. I’m a bit of a writer you see, and I’m always looking for inspiration,” Creedence said nervously as he continued to collect the remaining, undamaged berries and scattered supplies. Certainly, this traveler was much more prepared than he was. As he turned to return the rest of the boy’s belongings, he saw an extended hand in front of him.

 

“My name’s Sam. Where are you from?”

 

“Creedence. Creedence Akeley. I’m from Ecruteak, so maybe I am a bit of a local, so to say,” he replied, maneuvering the various berries around his arms to free his hand for a handshake, “I’ve come to Cherrygrove for the Trainer Internship Program, but I was woefully underprepared for the trip, unlike you as it would seem.”

 

Handing back the berries, Creedence turned back to Howard, who was continuing to eat the Aspear that was wrenched away from them. He let out a frustrated sigh.

 

“And this is my Bronzor, Howard. He isn’t normally a thief, but we’ve gone hungry for a day or two and it looks like he couldn’t help himself. I hope you understand.”

[radio414]

---

“It’s really not a problem,” Sam said. “It’s not like I’m hiding it or anything, I mean, I don’t go around shouting it, but I don’t, like, keep where I’m from a secret either. It’s nice to meet you, Creedence.”

He really did mean it. He was still kind of lost in a new region -- this was only his first day after all! -- so it was nice to meet someone who might know the area. And he was part of MapCo’s program too! It almost made Sam a little suspicious at the coincidence, but he didn’t remember mentioning MapCo first, so it was probably okay?

But he had to stop worrying for a moment. Creedence had implied that Sam might actually be prepared to travel! He almost laughed at that. “Nah,” he said. “I think, uh, what you’re holding is what I’ve got. I’m, uh, I’m in the Internship Program too. I thought they might be giving us more stuff is all.”

The berries went into his bag according to the “system” Samuel had set up for them. Not all of them, of course, the Bronzor was still going after that Aspear berry, for one, but enough that Sam felt comfortable zipping up his bag for the time being, just in time for Creedence to properly introduce his Pokémon. “Howard,” Creedence introduced it as. “He isn’t normally a thief, but we’ve gone hungry for a day or two and it looks like he couldn’t help himself. I hope you understand.”

“Again, it’s really not a problem,” Sam said. “Just pay it forward someday and it’s fine.” Then, to the Bronzong, he said, “It’s nice to meet you, Howard. Enjoy your berry.”

Sam looked back to Creedence. “Yeah, if I’d been preparing better, I would have read Honeydew’s personality- ah, Honeydew’s my Budew. She’s right here,” Sam said, taking out her Pokéball. “Uh, I would have done my homework more and thought to bring different berries. There’s a shop, like just outside of Rustboro that has all kinds, and I probably could have, yeah, I could have thought ahead better.”

It was only then that Sam realized what he was doing. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to, uh, try and out-humble you. Um, I guess do you want to meet Honeydew?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, he just tossed the Poké Ball out. He wanted Honeydew to speak for herself. “‘Dew!” she said as she popped out of her ball (Sam was starting to realize that was her “thing”).

“I’m still getting to know her myself,” Sam said, “but she’s been great so far.”

---

[Mr. Hyde]

Quinton took a deep breath of the Johto air.  It was very clean and relaxing, but different smells mixed in so it wasn't totally like home.  When he opened his eyes, a pokemon was making a break for Iggie, jumping on top of the pokemon and covering it in a thick slime.  Iggie struggled to get the Pokemon off him, and made weird sounds when he realized the slime was getting in all the cracks.  

 

"Ah!  Iggie!  Is this a Pokemon battle?!"  He exclaimed, with his knees almost buckling from shock.  

 

 "Sorry! My Goomy can get a bit too excited sometimes.... I think he thinks your Sandshrew is one of his old friends...." She took another moment to huff, then continued. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

 

A girl had come to explain the situation, but didn't introduce herself.  Was everyone in this region so casual?  With a sigh of relief, Quinton nodded.  

 

"What a coincidence.  You must be part of the test group too, huh?  I'm not particularly fond of messes...so that's why I chose Sandshrew instead.  My name's Quinton, by the way.  And my starter is Iggie."  Quinton motioned his hands to introduce the Pokemon, only to realize that it was still being clung to by the Goomy.  "Oh dear..."  He sighed, as Iggie had given into the Goomy's affection.  Although he seemed a bit agitated, it didn't seem like he wasn't excited to meet another Pokemon.  Although, now that the slime started freezing around his hard shell, he tried to detach the Goomy by force.  "Your Goomy's is a bit...clingy...hehe..."

[Hakima]

---

Chad hadn’t taken two steps into the Pokémon Center when someone bumped into him. He narrowed his eyes and glared (up) at the offender, a punk-looking beanpole wearing clothes so baggy he was drowning in them. The only thing separating him from any other lazy skater was the Cyndaquil that was perched on his shoulder, who was  still reeling from the impact.

 

"Mah bad bro,” Baggy Clothes mumbled.

 

Chad wasn’t sure what made him angrier; Baggy Clothes’ attitude, or his stupid accent. “Yeah it was your bad, ‘bro’. Better pull that dumb beanie up from over your eyes before you and that wimpy Cyndaquil get messed up.” Admittedly the Cyndaquil was notably less chubby than most he had seen, but that wouldn’t matter if it went a round with Rex. It would just be a Spicy Buffalo Rattata to his partner.

 

"Now why don’t you get outta my way? I’ve got an internship with MapCo to start, and you’re cutting into that time.” If his words weren't dismissive enough, he hoped his attitude made it abundantly clear he thought that Baggy Clothes was beneath him. 

---

[Otaku-sama]

Creedence felt a little relieved as Sam emphasized how he was not as prepared as he appeared, only packing berries. 

 

“Well, it is good to know that MapCo will be giving us some supplies then! I doubt we would get very far without travelling supplies, especially for a city boy such as I.”

 

Sam then went on to explain that he was also new to Pokemon training and had just received his starter Pokemon, which let itself out of its ball with a distinctive burst of light. Creedence could hardly resist fawning over the tiny Budew as it presented itself to the world with innocent enthusiasm. He caught himself and quickly gathered his composure.

 

“Ahem...So you’re also new to Pokemon training? Well, if we are going to be travelling together, I suppose I could show you the basics I’ve learned from my time with Howard. Both Howard and Honeydew appear to be free spirits, so perhaps we could learn together?”

---

Howard looked up at Sam as he bent over to address him. Howard gave Sam a curious look before finishing off the rest of the berry with slavering relish. Right now, eating was much more important than addressing any strange new people. While the machine in the Pokemon Centre closed his wounds, it didn’t help with the hunger.

 

Once finished, Howard looked up to be face to face with a bubbly Budew. Taken a little aback, Howard floated away and started circling the Bud Pokemon, staring it with a cold, analytical gaze.

 

“Don’t worry Howard, she’s a friend!”

 

With Creedence’s cheerful reassurance, Howard stopped circling the oblivious Honeydew from a distance and floated to eye level of the diminutive creature, giving her an expectant look, as if waiting for her to make the first move.

 

[Dad]

"And that, my boy, is the tale of how I wrestled with the Giant Tentacruel.  He gave me somethin' to remember 'im by too," old Captain Squabble said as he pointed to his scar.

 

Quentin ooh'd and ahh'd throughout the story, not realizing how much time had passed. He was simply impressed by Captain Squabble's tenacity and bravery!  "And what of your Feraligatr? How does it fare nowadays?" Quentin inquired.

 

"Bessie?  Oh, she's gettin' plenty of rest and relaxation at home. She's gettin' old like me, ya know? She watches over the fort with my wife. I was lent Whirligo here to help out. He's my wife's Pokemon, but I know 'im as well as she does."

 

"Poli," it chirped.  "Poli, Poli!" Whirligo said excitedly.

 

"Oho!  Land-ho!" shouted old man Squabble as he turned around. The sun was setting, but Quentin would be in Johto by nightfall. 

 

"Chop!" Cappa cheered.

 

"The home stretch, buddy," Quentin confirmed.