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[Pokémon] Voltage SPECIAL: The Indigo League
Posts
Voltage: 3/3 - [Djinn]
~Pallet Town: Oak Lab~ :whistle:
"Sounds like a plan! Let's Roggenrola!" He lifts Djinn off the ground and holds him aloft. "Djinn, we're movin' out! Try not to spew!" Greg takes off at a run down the path, backpack flopping around wildly behind him, Trapinch above his head.
"Phil! Phil! It's the C Team! C Team needs your help for justice and training and stuff!" He shouts as he tears down the road, oblivious to the fact that his shouting and the tacos spilling out of his backpack might draw unwelcome attention from wild Pokemon.
Team C confirmed as Team R.
Voltage: 1/3 - [ P K M N ]
[Shillelagh]
~Route 1~
Greg's 'dex beeps, having just received a Local Area Text/Image Announcement System message tagged with his name:
:whistle:
Concealed in the tall grass, Phil puts his pokedex back in his pocket. The few minutes he spent fiddling with the settings and options seem to have been well spent, since he's fairly sure it ought to alert him if it detects something other than a Pidgey or Rattata nearby (by vibrating, obviously. He's got it set on silent mode for the time being).
That'll run the battery down pretty fast, but Phil isn't planning on scouting out Route 1 very thoroughly. If he can get an early Mankey, Pikachu, or Spearow he'll take it, but he's more confident that the routes around Viridian City will be much more likely to offer up an acceptable second for Shillelagh (who is currently stowed in her Pokeball for reasons of stealth and speed).
He feels a small twinge of guilt for leaving the other two in his "group" behind, but that's what you get for trying to hit up the festival first. Can't have it both ways without losing some time. Plus the youngster is a Scout, for however much that counts, and their Pokemon seem tough enough to bail them out if they... stumble into a Pidgey nest or something.
It's Route 1, how much trouble could they honestly get into?
Throwing down a Knowledge Token to try and get Phil's Pokedex set up to his liking (or to trigger an "Awareness" Exploit if that isn't possible), and exchanged for the Mobility "Stealthy Approach" exploit. Plan is to bushwhack a path to Viridian City, keeping an eye out for any Pokemon that look particularly strong or unusual.
A vendor notices the hungry look Mulch is giving her and her ilk, and shouts at him. "Hey, hey there, son! Come over here!"
Meanwhile, not too far away, someone notices Jeremy. A kindly looking, rotund gentleman ambles toward him. Does he recognize him?
Another of the townsfolk engages Clark. She's a lady in the latter years of middle age, with calm eyes and brown hair.
"Having some trouble?"
~Route One~
After about fifteen minutes of cutting into the less traveled parts of Route One (as untraveled as Route One ever gets, anyway), Phil's Pokedex starts to vibrate. Following the signal, the trainer eventually finds a clearing in the woods bordering the route, and in the clearing is a small, reptilian Pokemon with a flower bud on its back. It is surrounded by even smaller purple rodents, five in all. The largest of the Ratatta is chittering at the little lizard, who guiltily moves backward, at least until it finds its back up against a thicket of thorny bushes.
None of the Pokemon have noticed you.
Greg and Micah have a lovely walk down the route, with the sun shining. They can see Pidgy and Ratatta going about their normal business. They can see the tallest towers in Viridian poking up above the treeline.
Micah can sense a change in the Mouse Pokemon as the pass by. A couple of them have started to follow the trainers.
Steam
Voltage: 1/3 - [ P K M N ]
[Shillelagh]
~Route 1~
Did someone lose track of their Pokemon, or is Phil just lucky enough to spot a Bulbasaur in the wild not 15 minutes into his journey?
Either way... :whistle:
One of the Ace Trainer's Pokeballs drops into the clearing, discharging its contents in a cloud of swirling dust and red light.
"Shill?" Phil calls from the edge of the clearing, receiving a grunt of acknowledgement from the Cubone. "Take 'em out."
Briefly nodding her understanding, Phil's Pokemon wastes no time dashing into the fray. Stepping lightly across the intervening distance, Shillelagh brings her bone club in a wide arc overhead, before crashing downward at the Rattata unlucky enough to be towards the rear of the group approaching the Bulbasaur.
Shillelagh used Bone Club!
Voltage: 3/3 - [Djinn]
~Route One~ :whistle:
Greg looks at the Rattata with mild disinterest. Everyone knows only scrubs go in for that sort of 'Mon. Meanwhile, nothing else interesting is happening, not since he got that depressing message back from Phil. Not even enough decency to speak to him in person!
Greg sighs. "This is totes boring, Micah. We need a change of plan." He sets Djinn down on the ground and thinks for a second.
"Got it! Djinn, dig underground and see if you can feel the rumble of water!" Djinn promptly backs into the dirt, feet pushing aside scoopfuls of fresh soil, until he is almost completely submerged. Only his eyes and beak remain above grade, ready to chirp out if he detects anything.
Gonna use [Burrow 1] and see if I can't find some flowing water or at least something a little more interesting than a Pidgey or Rattata.
Voltage: 3
Team: Flint
Clark looked up to see the lady, Keeping an eye on Flint, who was gleefully tearing into snacks, likely to the chagrin of the townsfolk.
"My um....my Nidoran....he smelled the food and....uh... I don't want either of us to get into trouble..." He sounds a bit sheepish. So much for his grand journey getting off to a good start.
Voltage: 3/3
Team: Jett
Food!
If there's one thing that can get a small town kid excited it's a carnival, and with the food stalls with their sweet wares all out on display, it wasn't long before Jeremy's hands, face and arms were covered in sticky deliciousness.
Now, some might say that the money in his backpack should have been spread out to last him a couple of weeks.
Others may have also pointed to his Mum's carefully packed sandwiches and travel food and asked why this indulgence was necessary.
These people sound boring and are probably actuaries or something.
Jett and the Nidoran were similarly gorging themselves.
Although Jett is now cheekily playing keepaway with the last of the Nidoran's food, as little birds can't really eat all that much.
Looking up from a sticky bun, Jeremy notes that the Nidoran's owner has managed to catch up.
Good... hopefully he can help pay for his Poke's lunch...
It's at this point that he notices the man heading towards him.
With everyone in town milling around the square today, Jeremy is not surprised that he doesn't recognise the man.
Moreover, so far he's managed to dodge the swarm of attention that has seemed to followed the first team of trainers since they entered the square.
Hoping to keep it this way, Jeremy buries his face back in his bun as the man approaches.
[P K M N] - [Poké Scouts Bidoof Badge]
Piro
~Route 1~ :whistle:
Piro takes a conspicuous step towards one of the rattata, Micah noticing and raising a hand to belay. The Camper turns to Greg: "You may be bored, but some of these mice have taken interest in us... or the food" Micah waves at rats in particular that are watching them.
"Bet more of them show up the longer we wait here. After you're done digging, maybe we can beeline straight to Viridian? There's a lot of cliffs and trees that divert the main road left and right and all around. But we could handle the obstacles no problem." Micah says, looking at the mouse that has caught Piro's attention. "We could beat Phil to Viridian... maybe even explore another route!"
Piro & Micah are watching a ratatta.
Reference for everyone on the non-moves you can perform:
These actions can be used instead of a Move, and are available to all Pokemon (and possibly Trainers).
Provoke - Functions like the Covering Move Style's first Target effect, but deals no damage.
Defend - Functions like the Covering Move Style's secondary Target effect, but deals no damage.
Watch - Functions like the Testing Move Style, but deals no damage.
Push - Functions like the Offensive Move Style, but deals no damage.
Throw - Functions like the Powerful Move Style, but deals no damage.
Disengage - The User shifts to a different Arena, even if threatened.
Refocus - Clears the User's Move Pool.
And the testing style:
User discovers the Target's Type(s), and may choose to also discover something specific about the target (their weaknesses, their resistances, what their highest defense stat is, current emotional state, whatever).
The lady laughs. "Oh, don't worry, don't worry. You should have seen my kid when he was first starting out." She digs around in her bag, before binging out a small, familiar red and white sphere. "I was just going to ask whether you needed one of these." She says, holding the Pokeball out to Clark.
Apparently the husky guy took the hint, because when Jeremy comes back up for air, he's gone.
~Ruta Uno~
Djinn doesn't find any water, but he does find a weird root that looks almost like famed Unovian naturalist John Muir.
GREGORY got [Big Root]!
Both Piro and Micah give the little mouse a good stare down. It's hiding in the grass, its eyes focused on Greg's overstuffed backpack, chest pumping with a wild mixture of fear and hunger.
RATATTA's highest stat is speed! Its speed stat is 2!
Elsewhere, another group of rats tries to mug a dinosaur. At least, until another dinosaur jumps out of the bushes and crushes one of them with a femur. Everyone in the clearing locks their eyes on the newcomer, before disengaging to around at the pillowy motes of light that used to be a mouse.
They all look horrified.
SHILLELAGH used Bone Club! RATATTA 4 takes 3 damage! RATATTA 4 fainted! SHILLELAGH's attack rose!
Micah and Greg hear a thump come from the woods.
Steam
Voltage: 1/3 - [ P K M N ]
~Route 1~ :whistle:
[Shillelagh] 7/7 +1 At
"Atta girl, Sheila!" Phil congratulates from the wayside. "Give 'em hell!"
Snuffling in reply, the Cubone drags the end of her club across the ground with newfound strength, throwing up bits of sod as she pivots on her feet. As the airborne dirt and grass settles around her, she reverses her grip, snapping her weapon beneath one arm while she extends her free hand outward, and beckons the assembled to try their luck, if they think they're hard enough.
Given the least sign of provocation or resistance:
Shillelagh uses Drain Punch!
Sensitive to his partner's current numeric disadvantage, Phil takes a moment to crouch down and wrench a conveniently sized rock from the ground.
Just in case. Old times, old crimes.
Voltage: 3/3 - [Djinn]
~Route One~ :whistle:
Greg examines the item closely. "Well... it's not nothing!" He pulls out his Pokedex to get the details on what this sort of rare commodity might do. DIVA replies:
"If only I had one of those Pokemon, that'd be the best! Oh well!" He opens his backpack to stash the root, and notices all the eyes following it.
"Guess these guys are hungry. Hey Micah, what's the rule on feeding the wildlife? Anyway, we can get going if you want. Maybe keep an eye open for anything else odd along the way, hey?"
[P K M N] - [Poké Scouts Bidoof Badge]
Piro
~Route 1~ :whistle:
Micah shakes his head. "Feeding them will make them bolder against the next group that comes by. Doesn't sound like a very "Traveling Hero Adventurer" thing to do to me."
The camper hears the thump, then listens intently to see if he can hear any yelling or other sounds of distress. He's about to pull himself up on a ledge viridanwards when he notices Piro staring with great intensity in the direction of the noise, inflated to about 125% of his standard size.
Micah shakes his head with a sort of half smile. "Alright, we're gonna go check out that sound, see what's going on. You can come with if you want? Viridian isn't very far either way."
Voltage: 3/3 - [Djinn]
~Route One~ :whistle:
"Well yeah, but letting innocents go hungry isn't exactly heroic either...." He considers for a second. "Eh, whatever, I'm sure there's ample food around here." He secures his satchel a bit tighter, ensuring his foodstuffs won't keep falling out. "Go on, you guys. Go look for berries or whatever." Greg gently shoos them away.
"Now then, a noise, you say? Hope nobody's in trouble! Let's check it out!"
Wasn't sure exactly how wild Pokemon get treated here. Are they basically wild animals or are they mostly domestic? From my memory of watching the anime, I feel like they'd have fed these Rattata.
Micah gave his opinion, he could certainly be wrong. Only Shock knows what these ratattas' deal are until someone drops a knowledge exploit to try to figure that out.
Voltage: 3/3
Team: Jett
Jeremy emerges from his bun, gasping for air.
The man is gone. Thankfully.
Jeremy briefly considers what the man had wanted as he finishes his bun.
Looking over at the first group, he probably just wanted to wish him well on his journey, but that tends to get tiresome after the first fifty handshakes...
Jeremy's train of thought is interrupted by a nearby burst of music:
<Insert Pokemon Random Encounter Music behind the :whistle: icon here>
Turning quickly, Jeremy finds he's been sitting close to one of the amusements in the square.
This one is a knock-down-the-milk-bottles game where the ball is of course painted to look like a Pokeball, and the pins have been set up with various different types of Pokemon on them.
Also, as is in keeping with the sending off theme of the event, the stall is awarding various items of Trainer equipment to the winners, rather than the usual stuffed Pokemon toys.
Getting up, Jeremy looks over at Jett.
Jett's currently circling the stuffed-torpid Nidoran, doing his best impression of a Mandibuzz cry.
It's not very convincing. It's more of a signal whistle than a vulture call.
Jett's still occupied though, so Jeremy figures he has some time to test his throwing arm.
Walking up to the stall, the spruiker turns to face Jeremy with a smile.
"Ah-ha! New Pokemon Master in training!
Do you have what it takes to catch them all?
Here today we only have the fiercest Pokemon for you to tackle!
Can you catch" - he points at the piles of bottles in turn - "Venasaur, Charizard or Blastoise?
3 Pokeballs for 5. Knock all the pins down to win!
Are you up for the challenge?"
At this point, Jeremy had already managed to take his backpack off and fished some of his remaining money out of his backpack.
This man must have been practicing his patter for who knows how long, and Jeremy wasn't willing to throw him off his rhythm just to play the game.
"I reckon I can give it a whack", he says, handing the money over to the smiling man.
"Alright. Three Pokeballs for you young man. Stand behind the line, pick your Pokemon and knock all the bottles down to win a prize!"
There being no contest, Jeremy lines himself up with the Charizard pile and readies his throwing arm.
[Jeremy expends a Power token to help him win this competition]
The largest of the Rattata screams at Shillelagh. The shout seems to chase the shock out of the others, and pretty soon they're all beginning to circle around the Lonely Pokemon. All of the rats but Big Boy, that is. He takes the opportunity to rush into the Cubone, the tackle savage enough to give her skull a rattle.
RATTATA A used Tackle! SHILLELAGH takes 3 damage!
Shillelagh's fist, though, returns the hit with interest. It cracks against Big Boy's ribs, little white motes rising from the impact site before wander back to the Cubone.
SHILLELAGH used Drain Punch! It's super effective! RATTATA A takes 4 damage! SHILLELAGH recovers 2 Stamina!
Two of the small boys try their best to imitate their friend, but their clumsy tackles are easily warded off by the better trained Cubone.
RATTATAS B and C used Tackle! SHILLELAGH takes 0 damage!
The Last Rat begins to charge forward, but thinks better of it. Instead, it hangs back, locking eyes with its foe, and despite everything, stares her down. If Shillelagh had sweat glands, a bead might be forming in her secret brow.
RATTATA D used Leer! SHILLELAGH's Defense fell by 2!
Deep within Big Boy's mind, a gear starts spinning. He chatters at his posse, deviously.
Off to the right, lead by a pink puff, those two trainers from the lab wander in through the trees. Less off to the right, the Bulbasaur begins to creep away from the scene.
~The Festival~
Jeremy chucks the ball, and it knocks the ever-loving crap out of those bottles. The vendor looks surprised, then annoyed, before quickly spackling everything over with a thick layer of fake cheer.
"Wow, kid! Heck've an arm you got there!" He lays out three items before you. "Which one strikes your fancy?"
You've got a choice between a funky looking Pokeball, a red gem that looks like a cartoon diamond, and a plastic vial of red powder.
Steam
Voltage: 1/3 - [ P K M N ]
~Route 1~ :whistle:
[Shillelagh] 6/7 +1 At -2 Df
While the purple rodent glares, Shill casually gathers the flickering sparks of its boss' energy hovering in front of her with a sweep of her hand, bruises fading as her fist clamps down and extinguishes them.
Suddenly, a conveniently sized rock bounces off the leering Rattata's head before she can truly meet its gaze in kind.
Phil used a Physique Token to injure Rattata!
"No staredowns, Shill, I mean it," Phil calls over harshly, brushing the dirt from his hands. "You're outnumbered. Buckle down, Bulk Up."
Puffing in irritation, the Cubone grasps her club in both tiny fists and focuses, muscles twitching as she restores her nerve, and disregards the lingering ache of top percentage's tackle.
Shillelagh used Bulk Up!
"Oy, vegetable," Phil calls sing-song sweetly to the retreating Bulbasaur. "Doing you a solid here and you're acting like a creeper vine. Least you could do is lend us a leaf."
[P K M N] - [Poké Scouts Bidoof Badge]
Piro
~Route 1~ :whistle:
"Yeah, sure, go for it." Micah doesn't even need to wait and see what his companion wants to do, waving and beaming as Piro rushes off to help the duo they met earlier.
A spinning rock twice the size of the stone Phil threw Rolls Out in front of the ace trainer's field of view, somehow sucking Ratatta C into it before colliding with a tree. As the mouse pokemon slams against the wood the igglybuff bounces off, his roll slowing down and coming to a stop near the melee as bits and pieces of conjured rock disappear. Coming down from the mania and pride about his rocking entrance, the puffball pokemon turns slightly to flash an exuberant smile at the cubone.
"Hi! What're you up to?" Micah takes a single step towards the bulbasaur, trying to gauge whether the seed pokemon means any harm and what exactly it wanted.
Uh, Micah does another watch action on the bulbasaur? I can spend a knowledge token if you'd like. Looking for its types and need.
Voltage: 3/3
Team: Jett
Jeremy scratches his head.
"Well I know what a pokeball is mister, but can you tell me what the other two are?"
Whilst he's speaking he flips open his Pokedex, snapping pictures of the two strange items.
Maybe it knows something also.
Voltage: 3/3 - [Djinn]
~Route One~ :whistle:
Greg rushes in alongside Micah, Djinn in his arms (poor little fella isn't so good at running). He immediately sees his chance to be a hero.
"All right, this is perfect! Time to save the day!" He shouts excitedly, the severity of the situation lost on him. His cape is on, his goggles too, and he lofts Djinn towards the enemies. "Go, Djinn! Use Rock Tomb on that Ratatta!"
He calls out to Phil. "Don't worry, fellow Ally of Justice! My identity may be secret, but my loyalty to Truth and Fairness is anything but! Today, you shall be rescued by...."
He stops. Never did think up that name, did he? Well, darn. Heroic moment: ruined. "Rescued by... Uh... Me!" He throws out a heroic smile to try and cover up his blunder. "Now then, let's see what these villains do when they're evenly matched!"
Only then does he notice the Grass-type. "Oh, snap, you found a Bulbasaur? Lucky!"
Djinn uses Rock Tomb on Ratatta A!
Voltage: 1/3 - [ P K M N ]
~Route 1~
[Shillelagh] 6/7 +1 At -2 Df
:whistle:
Seeing Greg waltz in and toss his Pokemon right at the real prize of this encounter - after it's been thoroughly weakened - Phil sighs and puts his hand to his face.
"Yeah, and how lucky of you to jump right in after I did," Phil replies unenthusiastically. "What part of 'I'll think about it. See you in Viridian City' did you take to mean 'follow me until I track down a good encounter, then whisk in and 'rescue' me?"
Shillelagh returns Piro's confident glance as though the Igglybuff were something else that was pink and inflatable, but stuck to the bottom of her foot.
Voltage: 3/3 - [Djinn]
~Route One~ :whistle:
Calamity! How could he have seen through this cunning disguise! He's got goggles and everything! Greg blanches, but is quick to recover... sort of.
"What are you talking about, strange person who I've never met before? How could we have spoken if you don't even know who I am? Haha! Perhaps the stress of battle has gone to your head and you've confused me with someone else!"
"Besides, nobody was following you, Phil. We heard a noise and came to investigate. Maybe if you weren't waking up the whole forest with your loud battle noises then we wouldn't be here to save your life!"
[P K M N] - [Poké Scouts Bidoof Badge]
Piro
~Route 1~
Micah stands silent as the two get off to a not-so-sprightly start. "You don't want us to help you catch this bulbasaur? They look like they're leaving."
Piro looks behind him, then turns back to the cubone. He tilts his head, seemingly slightly perturbed, and very confused.
"Well son, I would, but most of the fun of life is sur-" Jeremy's Pokedex chimes.
The huckster looks sad.
~Route One~
A lot of things start to happen in not that much time. Micah assesses the fleeing 'Saur, and is pretty sure it's a Grass type, but there's something strange in there, too. Something not poison. He also notices how warn out the little creature looks. It reminds him of that Rattata out in the route proper.
MICAH watches BULBASAUR! BULBASAUR is a Grass/??? type! BULBASAUR needs protection!
Then, Phil throws a rock. It finds its mark, smacking the Rattata right on the spine.
PHIL uses Human-Style Rock Throw! RATTATA D takes 1 damage!
Big Boy's eyes flick to the new humans, to the new Pokemon, to his prey. He's never been like other Rattata. He's always been able to think one step ahead, to lead. He's proud of this. Proud that he's the one the Boss comes to when he needs things done right. And he always did things right. Did things careful.
But today he's learned a lesson. Just because you're smart doesn't mean you won't get screwed over.
It does mean that your family doesn't have to pay for your bad luck, though.
He screeches at his companions, and they start to turn tail. Then, Big Boy charges the meanest 'Mon in the vicinity, crashing against the Cubone in an attempt to give his squad some cover.
RATTATA A used Tackle! Critical hit! SHILLELAGH takes 5 damage!
Just as soon as the Rattata disentangles himself from his foe, a pile of rocks falls on his head, courtesy of one Djinn the Trapinch. The forms less of a tomb and more of a thin blanket, though, and the rat shrugs them off without much difficulty. Still, the Normal-Type is looking a little woozy.
DJINN used Rock Tomb! RATTATA A took 1 damage!
The remaining Mouse Pokemon try and make a run for it. Two of them skip into the trees without much difficulty, but one takes a knock on the rump from Piro, the Brutal Basalt Balloon.
PIRO used Rollout! RATTTATA C takes 1 damage! RATTATAS B, C, & D ran away!
Shillelagh weathers Big Boy's tackle, managing to keep her feet where other, lesser warriors would fall. Taking full adavntage of the breathing room given to her by the guy that's mostly a mouth, she taps into her inner reserves of strength, her wearied muscles filling with renewed vigor.
SHILLELAGH used Bulk Up! SHILLELAGH recovers 2 Stamina! SHILLELAGH Recovers 2 Defense!
Steam
Voltage: 1/3 - [ P K M N ]
~Route 1~
[Shillelagh] 3/7 +1 At
"If I wanted help, I'd've asked," Phil remarks coolly, pulling a red and white sphere from the depths of his jacket. His expression tightens as Shillelagh laboriously recovers her footing, shakily pushing herself upright with the aid of her club.
They were a little over their head, true, but damned if he's going to admit it now.
"Let it leave if it wants, then," Phil continues, paying the shuffling Bulbasaur no mind. "If it won't fight, I want nothing to do with it." The sphere expands in his hand into a scuffed up Pokeball, and he draws it up over his shoulder.
Voltage Spent!
Flinging his second projectile of the encounter, Phil lobs the bargain bin Poke Ball at the Rattata still standing its ground, hoping its already weakened enough for the capture to stick, since he doubts Shillelagh can take another round of combat.
Edit: Happy Halloween and such.
Voltage: 3/3
Team: Jett
"Ummm.... sounds like good advice there mister", Jeremy starts, picking up the colourfull pokeball. "See you next time hey!"
Jeremy goes back to his pokemon, prize in hand, as the hawker starts up again with "Another big winner!".
Jett looks up from "rending" the snoring Nidoran.
Whispering, Jeremy explains "Mum told me not to take drugs from strangers".
Jett nods sagely in agreement.
Jeremy turns around, scanning the event for anything he's missed.
There are more games and food, but there's already been enough of that for now.
The media pack or at least mob of concerned mothers appears to be breaking up around the third group.
Everything seems to be settling down.
Idlying tossing his new pokeball, Jeremy wonders whether he shouldn't just join the Nidoran in his slumber.
Shaking his head, he calls to Jett.
"I think it's about time we headed off."
Jett trills and launches himself into the air happily, leaving the patterned Nidoran behind.
Among other things, a pair of glasses are now branded into the Nidoran's fur by the tiny bird's feet.
"Oh right"
Jeremy runs over to Clark.
"Bye guy, your Pokémon's asleep over there.
See you in the next town!"
Clark doesn't get a chance to react before Jeremy and Jett dash around a corner, heading for route 1.
[P K M N] - [Poké Scouts Bidoof Badge]
Piro Spd+1
~Route 1~
Seeing the cubone bulk up, Piro...puffs up. A jab here, a jab there, one jigglypuff-sized igglybuff continues the assault on the smart ratatta while generally taking up space and getting in the way of its attacks.
Piro used Block!
"Greg, I might just owe you an apology. Seems like it's not only a few ratatta that are having a hard time nourishing themselves on route one."
The already small camper sits down cross-legged on the ground near the bony bulbasaur. It'd be awfully hard to communicate to a wild pokemon they'd be safer with some random humans. He produces some premium pokemon chow, cupped in a bowl of hands in vision of the grass-type.
Voltage spent!
Better to give it a reason to tag along and so it can see for themself. Micah patiently keeps his hands perfectly still, letting the wild pokemon decide when it wants to venture a nibble.
"You think there could be an outsized occupier laying claim to the lion's share of the forage?" Micah asks Greg. "Maybe Phil and his bludgeoning buddy can slay it for us!"
Micah turns away, seemingly disinterested in seeing the reaction to his jape. ...This route is small enough, and iconic enough that Micah has glanced over a few maps of it in times past. If he were a pokemon claiming kingship of the kiddie pool of kanto routes, where would he place his throne?
Throwing down Micah's knowledge token for an awareness exploit.
Phil's grimy sphere hits its mark, sucking the Rattata up as a cloud of dots.
It falls to the ground, and shakes.
And shakes again.
And again.
And again.
The Pokeball clicks.
GOTCHA! RATTATA was caught! Would you like to give a nickname to the captured RATTATA?
The Bulbasaur looks at Micah's hand, over its shoulder, then back at the food. It takes a little time, but eventually the seed pokemon creeps up close enough to steal a nibble. Then another, and then the rest. When it's done, it looks back up at Micah, eyes full of a cocktail of expectation and confusion.
While he's waiting for the bulb to eat, Micah thinks about maps. He's pretty sure there's a gully to the northeast that'd be the perfect place for a perfidious Pokemon purloiner to put their plunder. Assuming they're small time enough not have a hideout in the Viridian Forest, of course.
Jeremy slips out of the party and into adventure. It's a lovely day, the Pidgey are singing, the Rattata are starving, and there's a pretty obvious hole in the brush. Looks like it was made recently, too.
Steam
Voltage: 3/3 - [Djinn]
~Route One~ :whistle:
Greg cheers aloud, jumping into the air in evident elation. "Hoorah! Another innocent saved from the terrifying dangers of the wild! Congratulations all 'round!" He offers a hearty handshake to Micah. "However, I've no idea who this Greg fellow is. He sounds like a really cool guy, though, you should probably be his friend. I wish I had a friend like that. Might have kept me from turning to vigilante justice!"
Greg turns to the others. "Now then, let's see what we've got! DIVA, give me a spot check!" He whips out his Pokedex and scans both the Pokeball and the Bulbasaur.
Greg scowls. "Really? How is it a troublemaker? Ah, well." He walks over to the little green Pokemon. "Don't worry, you're safe now! It's my job to protect innocents like you from the scoundrels and scalawags that would hurt them! Just another day's work for... uhh..." Dagnabit, another classic opportunity to get some positive publicity, but nary a name on the tongue! "For Kanto's most dashing hero!" To emphasize the point, he puts his hands on his hips.
He kneels down to address the Bulbasaur more personally. "From the look of things, I'd say there's a serious forage shortage roundabout these parts. Got any clue who's responsible, Bulb-o?" He nudges Djinn. "You mind translating?"
Spending 1 Voltage to see if Greg can get the gist of who's the big man around town and where he or she gets down from Bulbasaur, translated by Djinn.
Voltage: 1/3 - [ P K M N]
~Route 1~ :whistle:
"Shill," Phil states while walking over to the unmoving Pokeball, receiving an equally terse grunt of acknowledgement from the Cubone.
"Take five," Phil continues, squatting to pick up the device. Popping open a tray on the side of his Pokedex, he feeds the diminished sphere into a circular indent and is rewarded with a few beeps.
Faced with a nickname prompt, the Ace Trainer slowly keys in "Bagheera".
Can the Pokedex tell Phil anything else about this Pokemon?
Is there anything stopping Shillelagh from Bulk Upping to max Stamina?
Voltage: 3/3
Team: Jett
Jeremy is all smiles as he continues up route 1.
Having reached the checkpoint on the outskirts of town, it had taken him no time to present his Pokedex and burst through into route 1 proper.
He had missed the guard sighing in relief and unpinning Jeremy's picture from the 'Do not allow past' board behind the counter in his haste however.
Now finally underway, Jeremy notices the track through the brush.
His eyes light up!
"Jett!", Jeremy tries to quietly signal as the bird circles around him, "Look!"
"You fly ahead and see whether there's anything interesting, and I'll try sneaking up the path!
We're going to see our first wild pokemon!"
[P K M N] - [Poké Scouts Bidoof Badge]
Piro
~Route 1~
Piro side-eye glances at the cubone as she catches her breath. When she notices Piro turns to face her and gives a proud smile and what the igglybuff intends to be a thumbs up, but is actually just sticking out his tiny arm appendage. Piro then hobbles over to his trainer and pats the bulbasaur on its head. Did you see that sweet entrance? Rest easy buddy, I gotcha covered. Believe in me who believes in believing he can be believed in!
"Is your trapinch good at communicating complex stuff to you? Piro and I haven't managed to work that out... yet. Human language is tricky for him." Micah seems at least mildly impressed in Greg and Djinn.
He looks over at Phil. "Seriously though, there's a gully nearby that is a prime position for a powerful pokemon. I think we should check it out; could be a good challenge for all three of us before we go to Viridian's gym."
Voltage: 1/3 - [ P K M N]
~Route 1~ :whistle:
Phil continues tapping at his pokedex for a few moments before briefly pausing.
"Sure," he replies to Micah without looking up. He goes back to his interrogating his device.
It takes Piro a few moments to get Shillelagh's attention, as she's gone straight to some sort of meditation, taking a knee and draping one arm over her club while she breathes slow and deeply.
Once he manages it, she just stares at him blankly until he goes away.