It's a short drive to the town. As you get closer, Compton points at colored forms going down the side of the mountain. "Mountain bikers. People loves to do that. I tried it a few times, but I just stuck to the beginner's trails. The experts look like they're riding down a sheer wall. It's not for those who're scared of heights!" He says with a grin.

The town itself looks like a peaceful collection of peak-roofed houses, like a ski resort, though without the snow. A few Starly fly lazily as the sun draws low. But as you drive closer, your eyes start to water, and you notice an ashey smoke coming from ahead.

Just before the town's main square, the road is blocked by a burning pile of tires. Compton stops the jeep a good distance away, and looks carefully at the buildings on each side. You hear a shout, but can't quite make out what was said.

Jake looked out the window with an impressed expression, especially when he saw the mountain bikers. He had learned to bike around town on a stolen bike for convenience, but that mountain biking looked FUN. Still, he kept quiet, letting the awed and eager look on his face do the talking. He glanced down to his lap where Skipper sat and wondered if Skipper would be interested in mountain biking.

Jake's nose scrunched up before he could see the tires. He had smelled tire fires before, even been a party to starting a tire on fire for the heck of it. He plugged his nose with one hand and patted Skipper with the other, returning it to the pokeball after comforting it. Despite the burning tires blocking their path, Jake still thought of the issue as someone else's problem. The fire fighters or military or whatever would probably show up soon and take care of it.

"What is going on?" Seymous asked Compton, concern in his voice. "It's not Team Gaia again is it? Or a wild fire type? Think anyone needs help?" He already had one hand on the door handle, which surprised Seymour once he realized it.

"Not sure... looks like a demonstration, or what's left of it. Meaning it's aimed at us soldiers." Compton puts the jeep in reverse, and drives away from the barrage. "Let's not take chances. I'll drive you to a more discret spot, where you can walk to the hotel without being noticed."

You get a bumpy ride as your driver goes off-road, but you soon reach the base of the mountain. There's a chairlift not far, but it doesn't seem active at this time. A few riders are finishing their descent, while their friends are waiting at the base.

The hotel itself looks like a trio of big chalets merged together. Though the walls are made of stone, there wooden beams and roof sidings gives the building a cozy feel. "Here's your stop. Take care kids!"

Kyren sat in the vehicle, watching the bikers and wondering how his blitzle would do on that terrain.  Then again, he might fall on his ass even if Sparky did fine with it.

The scent of the fumes was disgusting even from a distance and was surely worse up close.  "as long as its contained to the tires and road people should be safe from the fire.  Though the fumes are another matter." A small shrug as it seem they'd be leaving.  "People should be fine there as long as they don't get too close.  Question is are they trying to stop people from getting in, or getting out of the city.  Specific people, or anyone?" Those were Kyren's main thoughts at least, he could be totally wrong he imagined.  He didn't seem overly concerned more that it was a puzzle to think on.

Kyren hopped out of the car once the were there.  His poochy had been in the pokeball for the ride, mostly to make sure plenty of room for everyone.  Now that they were stopped it seemed second nature for Kyren to open up Snarl's pokeball right away.  The first thing it did was to start sniffing the wind.

A wave of uneasiness washed over Atticus when they stopped short of the blazing fire that caught everyone's attention in the middle of the road. The conflicts in this region were more frightening than he anticipated and he chewed on his lower lip as they drove away from the accident and towards a stealthier spot. He doesn't speak up as the others talk about what had occurred, hoping that nothing else dangerous came their way. However, there was a small spark of excitement in him -- this was an opportunity to train and get stronger too. When they arrived to the hotel, he got out of the vehicle as well and turned to his companions. "What was that all about? There's a lot of weird stuff going on in this region..." He turned to Seymour specifically, since Atticus had come to see him as the brainiac of the group who was good at coming up with solutions and answers. "They're definitely not telling us something big, right?"

Snarl growls, looking to the side of the hotel. It takes you a moment to realize what's bothering him, but once you smell it, you can't ignore it. A stench reminiscent of carrion.

You quickly discover the source. The hotel has a small fighting arena, where a Stunky is giving his Pancham opponent a taste of his toxic abilities.

Seymour waved goodbye to Compton, glad that the soldier had gotten them safely to their destination. He then turned to address Atticus's question. "I think this region definitely has its own issues, just like any other. It is difficult to tell just how widespread though. Definitely keep an eye out for dangers though."

It was then that Seymour began noticing the smell. "Should we head inside and get our rooms? Hopefully that smell will be gone by the time we are all settled in. I was hoping to find some time to get to know my pokemon a bit better tonight. I have a dunsparce that I have barely even met yet."

Jake seemed fully recharged after the truck ride and seeing the mountain biking. He hopped out of the jeep and trotted towards the hotel, waving the the soldier as he went. Jake didn't seem to mind the smell too much compared to the smell of burning tires. He didn't get involved with any talking about politics, but ardently agreed with Seymour's suggestion,
"Yeah, I am looking forward to staying here for the night. It looks great. I'd also like to see what Fetcher and my lacconey are capable of."

If nothing else gets in the way, Jake would proceed to check in and investigate the rooms before coming back down to watch any more spars happening in the arena.

The receptionist gives you a warm welcome, asking all sorts of questions about you home region. After you've done your best to satisfy his curiosity, you get the chance to head to your individual rooms. They're pretty standard, but far more comfortable than the barrack's bedroom you woke up in.

Though the sun has set, the half-day you spent sleeping leaves you with plenty of energy to do something in the evening.

After getting settled in, Seymour headed outside to find a nice open area to relax in. He let all of his pokemon out of their balls so that he could get to know them a bit better, and so that they could get to know each other as well. Locke the Laconney seemed content to relax on the grass, nibbling at tasty clover buds. Glumpy the Shroomish wandered around nearby, looking at things curiously, but didn't seem to have any real goal with her investigations. Lotad was somewhat shy at first, especially around the newest addition to their team, but he warmed up after a while. Farrah the Farfetch'd and Doom the Dunsparce were very different pokemon, but somehow seemed to have similar personalities. Crude, but in a nice way. Seymour also got the sense that they were the strongest of his crew, but that wasn't surprising. Neither Farfetch'd or Dunsparce were really known to evolve, so while they were strong now, that likely wouldn't remain the case once some of his other pokemon evolved. If or when they decided to do so.

After a while, Seymour sent a message to his travel buddies (and Kyren) to let them know he would be up for some sparing in any of them were in the mood. Or maybe even a short excursion into the nearby mountainous areas to search for new pokemon. He wouldn't want to stray far though. Not after what happened the previous night.

Once they had all gotten comfortable at the resort, Atticus did the same as Seymour, letting his Pokemon roam free for a little while. They had been through quite a hectic experience so it was nice to finally relax for once. He contemplated on how much stronger he needed to get if he wanted to get anywhere in this region. It was going to take lots of hard work and determination but he was motivated to succeed now that he had a good group of buddies to help him through it. When he received a message from Seymour about sparring, that fire only spread wider and he was filled with newfound confidence. He rushed over to find his travel companion hanging out with his Pokemon too and he beamed brightly while standing across from him. "Seymour! Let's spar, I'm totally in the mood!" he enthused as his Pokemon gathered around him and agreed with his invigorated spirit. "Wasn't there like a set-up when we came in?" he pointed out as he stretched his limbs and tried to remember all the moves that his Pokemon had acquired since starting his journey.

After finishing making himself at home in his room, Jake trotted down the the arena, hands casually in his pockets. Walking through the door of the arena, Jake stretched his arms and greeted the people inside before releasing all his pokemon to get to know his Fetcher and Lacconey better. He was not rearing for a spar, but was not opposed to it,
"I'm feeling all at home now! I don't need to spar today, but if there is a partner I wouldn't mind. I think my pokemon need to work on their speed, so if you don't mind, I'll run around the edge of the arena while watching. I barely got to stretch my legs today!"

Jake was unsure how much his Fetcher and lacconey needed speed training, but seeing his mudkip utterly outclassed in speed in the forest inspired him to focus on speed.

The arena is pretty small, but it's well lit, and the trainers that were there previously have left for supper. You have the place all to yourselves, if you wish to train.

Seymour wasn't in an overly combative mood when he was just lounging around with his pokemon, but he could feel the competitive itch returning to him as they entered the arena area. "Alright, Atticus. Let's do this. Who are you going to send out against my Doom-sparce?" He sent out his newest pokemon, Dunsparce, in order to get a feel for how he managed in a combat setting. "Should we keep it to a one on one battle for our first match? Then maybe afterward we could do doubles, if Falkner and Kyren feel like joining in?"

When they walked towards the arena, Atticus felt a wave of excitement wash over him. This was why they all set out on their journey, after all! He thought about his choice for a moment before settling on his decision. "I'll use my new Pokemon too. Shelby, show me what you got!" he cried out as he launched his Pokeball to allow the Shellder to come out in front of him. "I think we can do just one on one for now, I think the others are probably busy..." he mused as he noticed that Jake had started to run laps around the area with his Pokemon in tow.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:13, Sun 19 Apr 2020.

The Dunsparce and Shelder appears on the field, ready to fight.

OOC: I already have Seymour's strategy for the start of the fight, just missing yours, Atticus. If Jake or Kyren want to join in, just call out your Pokémons and orders. If you decide not to fight, I'll just assume you're doing some training while watching.

Jake was not sure what a three-way fight would look like and Kyren didn't seem to have come down from his room yet, so Jake decided to do some public training with his pokemon that did not involve direct battling. Instead, he released all of his pokemon and organized them into doing a footrace. Of course, because Fetcher had wings, he had to specifically instruct it that only feet were allowed.

Being a boy of primarily physical characteristics, Jake joined in the foot race, blitzing from one end of the arena to the other, staying on the edge to not disturb the two trainers actively battling it out for supremacy.

Depending on who won the initial race, he started to handicap the racers based on ability, trying to find a way to get all his pokemon and himself to cross the finish line at the same time. He's push as long and hard as his and his pokemon's bodies could go. If a pokemon got tired, he'd egg it on to push just a bit harder. After all, they could get to a pokemon center to refresh their sore muscles -- Jake would need to suffer through the soreness tomorrow.

Both Pokémons starts on the defensive, covering their soft spots with their limited bodies. Doom starts the offensive, using his curled-up body to roll over Shelby... only to bounce over his closed shell, almost out of the arena. As Doom makes a turn for a second try, Shelby sprays a series of ice shard along his path. But Doom is too fast a target, not only dodging the attack, but getting in Shelby's blind-side.

As Doom makes another pass, the arena suddenly goes dark. The lack of light surprised the Dunsparce, causing just a bit of hesitation. Atticus quickly takes advantage of it, and applies his experience from the previous night to guide Shelby. The spike connects, but it fails to really penetrate Doom's thick skin.

From the hotel, you hear someone shout "Oh, sorry! I didn't know you were using the arena!" The lights come back on, letting you focus on the fight once more.

OOC: Short pause to adjust your strategy. Next turn, both sides will have +3 to hit and to wound, as a 'tie breaker'. Otherwise, you could keep circling each others till the cows come home.

Meanwhile, Jake goes through his focused training routine, encouraging his companions to do their best. His Pokémons have more endurance than him though, and he soon finds himself struggling to keep up with Fetcher and his Laconney.

OOC: The training does pay off for Skipper. His Speed is increased by 1 rank. If you want to push yourself, you can spend 5 Favors to have Laconney increase his Speed also.

Atticus felt the adrenaline rushing through his veins as the battle continued. He did not expect the lights to go out but thanks to the events of the last couple days, he was able to readjust easily! He noticed that Shelby was having a hard time hitting so he shouted words of praise and encouragement to the purple-shelled Pokemon, hoping that it helped with the battle. "Alright, we're going to try something a little different now..." he mused before adjusting his strategy accordingly to try and put an end to this battle quickly, although he was enjoying himself quite a bit and he hoped that Seymour was too.

Seymour was startled when the lights went off, but was glad to see it was just an employee and not a Team Gaia retribution attack or something else more serious. The slight distraction didn't hold his attention for long though, and his mind was soon focused entirely on the battle again. "Great job shrugging off that ice spike, Doom! Let's try a different strategy of our own." He called out his orders to the winged slug pokemon.

Doom braces himself, as Shelby fires once more. A shot of water, this time. The blow hits Doom, though it seems to anger him more than anything else. A dark aura appears over the Dunsparce, and spreads over Shelby, something Atticus recognize as the move Spite.

"Twenty on the Dunsparce!"
"You're on!"

It seems a few people have decided to watch the show, as Doom charges the Shellder, ignoring another Ice Shard, but slamming into the ground and dizzying himself for a moment.

"Go low! Flip him in the air!"

Hard to tell who the advice was meant for, but Shelby follows it. As Doom tries to right himself, he's hit by an Ice Shard right in his softer belly, knocking him out.

"Aw!"
"Yeah! Go Shellder!"

OOC: Unless Seymour wants to send out another pokémon, the match is over.
Doom has taken a wound, but the hotel has a Pokécenter, so he'll be healed up before the next scene. Also, he can learn one of these two talent:
 - Run Away (Doom cannot be Slowed, Stuck, or Trapped, and get +2 to checks to flee combat or in races)
 - Spiteful Intervention (Doom can use Spite on moves targeting allies, instead of only those targeting him)
For his part, Shelby's Speed is increased to Below Average.

"Oh no!" Seymour exclaimed as his pokemon collapsed in defeat. With the match completed, the trainer rushed to his pokemon's side. "You did good, Doom. I thought we were going to win there for a while." He returned his pokemon to its pokeball.

"Good match, Atticus. Your Shelby has got some moves! We'll be better prepared the next time." Seymour walked over to give Atticus a congratulatory handshake. Then, calling over to the person who had bet on Dunsparce, he said, "Sorry you're down twenty."

---

I will have Doom learn the Run Away talent. It seems to fit with a winged slug with a drill for a tail. Do I need to give Atticus any prize money or anything?

Not really. You didn't make any bet before hand.

Atticus didn't expect other Trainers to watch them while they sparred but it exhilarated him a bit. This was what it was going to be like when he was facing off in the Gyms, right? Just him, his Pokemon, his opponent and a bunch of spectators? He could totally do that as long as he continued to apply himself and worked hard with his companions by his side. They even bet on the match but that only made the kid focus more on the battle at hand and yelled words of encouragement to his shelled Water-type. To his excitement, they won the match and he praised Shelby even more before grinning at Seymour. "Thanks! You guys put up a good fight too." He shook his friend's hand and trained a bit more with both his Pokemon out around the arena before putting them away in their Pokeballs.

With your evening training completed, you head back to your rooms to rest, mostly as an attempt to return a regular schedule.

You wake up mid-morning, to a breakfast of berries and cereals. Once you're done eating, you consider what to do next. You have the local badge, and the closest gym you can challenge is to the north, past the capital. You could reach it fairly easily by following the mountain, and possibly find some new pokémons along the way.

Of course, you're not in a rush. You could visit the town, maybe try out some mountain biking, or challenge local trainers to make some money.

"What is everyone's plans now?" Seymour asked the group after finishing his breakfast. He was feeling refreshed and ready to do... something. He had not figured out exactly what yet.

"I think I am going to eventually start heading toward Roarac, but might hang around town for a day or so. Do a bit of training, sightseeing, and recuperation. I want to make sure I am prepared for the next leg of my journey. Roarac is quite a distance from here." Seymour wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in traveling to the furthest beginner gym with him, but was not afraid to go it alone if necessary. After all, even when he was alone he would still have five pokemon friends to keep him company.

Jake liked having travelling companions but wanted to check out the mountain biking. There was less he wanted to do in town versus on the mountain,
"If you stick around for a day, I'll go at least part of the way with you. Maybe we can split up during the day and meet up for dinner. I am eager to hit the slopes with a bike, that looks super cool!"

After consulting the pokedex map, he mused for a bit. Roarac was really far away with lots of towns on the path. So long as they stuck to the road this time, they'd only give up on visiting Chairluire. He was not paying attention close enough when the professor did an overview of the gyms to remember what was notable of each place though.

After Atticus had finished his breakfast, he sat and talked with his companions about what they intended on doing next. However, he frowned when he realized that everyone had different goals. He personally did not want to go as far as Roarac just yet. He had some plans of his own that he wanted to stick to, so he spoke up about his intentions to the others. "Well, I think we'll be going our separate ways, for now. I remember they told us that Vinmur and Boonwagen are usually first, so I'm going to be going in that direction. I want to follow the river and see if I can find any cool Pokemon along the way," he explained his goals and motivations to the group excitedly, noticeably much more cheery than usual because of the recent adventures they had gone through together that had helped to build his confidence.

With your meal finished, you head out of the hotel, and pass a rack of flyers and newspapers. There's nothing major, other than an add for the mountain bikes trails, and an article on Chailuire. Something about an exorcist getting called in for ghost issues.

Seymour was a bit sad to see Atticus go, but was not too surprised. "It was nice traveling with you, Atticus. Hopefully our paths will cross again. Definitely keep in touch." He tapped his Pokedex, letting Atticus know he could message him at any time.

"Falkner, I will see you tonight. Have fun with the bikes. Stay safe. I myself am going to try and get more supplies for the next leg of the journey." Seymour then headed toward town to look for ways to earn some quick cash or track down some cheap items. Perhaps he could win some battles. Regardless, he hoped to have more cash, pokeballs, and outdoor gear before the day was through. He found the exorcist article to be intriguing, but it was happening in the next town over, so he didn't pay it much mind.

Jake chirped in with his own goodbye,
"Yeah, I hope we can meet in the final tournament or before and have a proper pokemon battle! I need to do a bunch more training before that though. That can wait for later today though."

To indicate his intent, Jake grabbed an ad for the mountain bike trails and counted through his money to see if he had enough for a rental.

"Keep in touch. Its really cool to have a pokedex where we can call each other! Just be sure to stick to the road to avoid any troubles with Team Gaia! We are weakest when we are alone."

And with that and a 'see you later' wave to Seymour, Jake started off in the direction of the mountain bikes. While he was heading that way primarily to get an adrenaline rush, he was also curious if he would see any cool pokemon while heading up and down the mountain.

Atticus grinned at the two boys as they said their mutual goodbyes, glad that he had been able to start his journey with them. "Oh, don't worry. We'll definitely catch up soon, and then we'll see how strong we've gotten!" he enthused, because he knew that this separation would probably not last long. They were a good group and they were bound to end up together again at some point. "Yeah, I'll stay alert and just to the main roads, probably. If anything comes up, I will let you know for sure, these Pokedexes are great for that!"

--

Atticus noticed the article on Chailure and something excited him, a little thrill that he got when it came to ghosts, spirits, and such. In his small town back in Hoenn, the villagers were all incredibly spiritual, especially his parents so they instilled that into Atticus growing up too. Because of this he knew he needed to have a ghost type on his team and so he figured his next destination was going to be Chailure to seek out either these ghosts or the exorcist in charge of handling them to see if he could catch one for himself.

OOC: Atticus wants to depart for Chailure as soon as possible in pursuit of spooky spirit shenanigans!

With your path chosen, Atticus heads out on Route 116, while Jake heads for Bluweil Mountain.

Meanwhile, Seymour looks around town for some easy money. Despite the first impression as you arrived, Bluweil seems quite peaceful. In fact, the only sign of trouble around seems to be a smell of wet fur, and a grumbling old man. "Irrespectuous brats. Always pranking pokémons... One of these days..." Looking closer, the old man seems to be trying to wash away some pink paint from a sad looking Poochyena. "It's alright, I've got you..."

"Do you need any help?" Seymour asked, automatically kneeling down next to the old man and the Poochyena. "I have a pokemon that can make bubbles, if that would help get your pokemon clean," he offered. Whoever would paint a pokemon as a "prank" probably deserved to be taught a lesson. He didn't imagine paint came out of fire very easily.

The old man shakes his head. "I'll manage. Nothing a bit of patience won't take care of. It's those teenagers I'm worried about. They keep jumping at every chances to cause trouble, ganging up on young trainers and lone pokémons. Anyone they think they can overwhelm.
It's been a problem for a while, but it got worse lately. Yesterday, they decided to block a road with burning tires. I worry what else they may be planning."

Seymour didn't really feel like it was his place to do anything about the resident delinquents of Bluweil. Still, he didn't want to become an unwitting victim of their antics either. "Do you know what they look like? Or where they hang out? I'm new in town and would rather not be caught off guard by them if I can help it. I do have a few pokemon that could help protect me, but, well, I saw the burning tires yesterday, so I have some idea of what they are capable of."

"A good idea. They tend to hang out near the warehouse, west of town. Although..." He looks at your belt, noting the number of pokéballs there. "You're a trainer? I suppose you'll be leaving town soon? Maybe you could teach them a lesson before you leave. You can't take the entire group at once, of course, but if you challenge their leader, it may cool them down somewhat."

"Are you sure they wouldn't all gang up on me if their leader lost?" Seymour asked, still unsure if he should get involved. "Regardless, do you know what sorts of pokemon their leader uses? Knowing that piece of info could make all the difference whether I challenge him directly or run into him on accident." He pulled out his Pokedex to look up any pokemon the old man might mention. "My name is Seymour by the way. Seymour Mons."

"Logan. And you're right, they would gang up on you... unless they're too embarrassed by having a crowd laughing at them." The old man says with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "They may try something afterward, but it will take them a day or two to gather their wits. Time enough for you to head out to the next gym, and there's no way a bunch on lazy kids like them would chase you that far.

Truth is, they're not trainers. Their leader's the only one with two pokémons: a Gligar, and a Pumpkaboo. He usually uses both at once, to give himself an edge. If you keep your pokéballs hidden, he won't realize you can match him in doubles. That would make it a fair fight... well, an even one, at least."

"Hmm," Seymour said as he mulled over the new information. He studied the pokedex data on both Gligar and Pumpkaboo, formulating a potential battle strategy in his mind. "I think I may have a team that could give me a distinct edge. I think I will try teaching them a lesson, as you requested, as long as you really think it is the right course of action. But only on one condition." Seymour held up his pointer finger to emphasize.

"My one condition, Logan, is that you share with me the locations of any great deals on trainer supplies you may know of." Seymour couldn't help but grin. "My main goal in town today was to track down some new supplies, and earn money to buy them. So if you know where I could get cheap pokeballs, healing items, and survival gear, I would be happy to hear about it!"

"Considering the trouble they've caused? I'm sure I can convince my friends to pack you some useful stuff!" With a smile, he digs through his pocket for a moment, until he finds a pen and papers. He makes a quick sketch on the first sheet, marking a spot at the east end of the town. "There a quarry right there. It's been abandonned for years, and the perfect place for young hot-heads to challenge one another. All you have to do, is challenge their leader. I've heard a kid did just that by tossing a rock with a message attached.

I'll gather a few witness, and we'll hide on the edge of the quarry. If the teenagers know we're there to watch, they may realize it's a trap. We'll only come out when you're winning, to catch them with their pants down." He hands you the papers and pen, leaving you to come up with an appropriate challenge.

Seymour nodded confidently as he took what was offered to him, although his sweaty palms may have betrayed his nervousness. "I'll try my best to show him some humility. And I suppose I will use the same rock-message tactic to issue my challenge. What is their leader's name?" He wrote, "Battle me, [Leader's Name]. Unless you're a Feebas," on his message that he would throw into the quarry as a challenge. He then left Logan in order to make his way toward the quarry.

Along the way, he removed all but one of his pokeballs from its position on his vest lapel, so it would look like he only owned a single pokemon. He put Farrah and Locke's pokeballs in one pocket, then let out Lotad, Doom, and Glumpy. He instructed Doom and Lotad to stay out of sight as they neared the quarry, and to only reveal themselves before the battle was finished if he was in danger. In which case, they were to help him get to safety or come to his defense.

Glumpy was to stay at Seymour's side. She would be the pokemon the leader thought they would be battling. A shroomish was not at any particular advantage against either a Pumpkaboo or a Gligar, so her presence would likely instill even more overconfidence in his foe. But Farrah and Locke would be the real combatants.

With the challenge laid down, you wait for the arrival of the gang. After an hour, five teenager swagger into the quarry. Logan's description makes it easy to recognize the leader, Joseph, with his blue eyes and amber-blond hair.

Each of the teen has a pokémon next to them (a pidgey, a litleo, a smeargle, and a lillipup), except for Joseph and his gligar and pumpkaboo. The boy, only slightly older than you, sneers as he sees you. "So, you're the wanna be who wants to challenge me? Ya think your little mushroom makes you hot stuff? Ya won't stand a chance against me. Better run back home before I give you the slapping you deserve!"

As he talks, you see Logan wave at you discreetly, before hiding once more.

Seymour gulped, but tried not to let his nervousness show too much. Although it would probably only help his goal if he did look nervous. His mind was already doing calculations and type-match ups against the other hoodlums' pokemon in the event that he was jumped unexpectedly by the group. But hopefully that wouldn't happen.

Seymour took one defiant step forward, fist clenched. "Did you come here to diss my mushroom, or did you come here to battle? Because right now it's starting to sound like you're grasping for excuses to avoid facing me."

"Ha! Trying to be intimidating? How about Pumpkaboo show you how it's done?" He shouts at his ghostly to attack.

OOC: Give me your first orders for the fight.

As the ghost pokemon approached, Seymour stepped defiantly in front of his Shroomish to make it clear she wasn't participating in the battle, then pulled a pokeballs from his pocket and released his Farfetch'd. In tongue-twister fashion he yelled, "Farrah, place a powerful peck upon the plump Pumpkaboo opponent!" Even as his pokemon entered the battle, Seymour kept a close eye on Joseph in case he tried to gang up on his beautiful bird with two versus one.

---

Seymour is having Farrah use peck repeatedly on the Pumpkaboo. If peck stops working for some reason, he will have Farrah switch to fury cutter. If Joseph sends out Gligar too, Seymour will send out Locke to use powder snow. Hopefully hitting both opponents at once, but definitely focusing on the Gligar first.

Farrah flies out as Pumpkaboo gives a scary look. She slows down, but not enough to save the pumpkin from a painful pecking. As a desperate defense, it tries to confuse Farrah with a ghostly ray. It works, but you're already moving.

Joseph panics as he realize you have a second pokémon, and he signals his Gligar to jump in... just in time for Locke to catch both it and Pumpkaboo with an amazing snow move. Both of Joseph's pokémon fall to the ground, frozen stiff. "No! What the..."

A great cheer comes from the edge of the quarry, as Logan leads a group of people toward you. The teenagers start to panic, hesitating between threatening you, and running off in embarrassment.

"Joseph Edison!" The cheers calm down as a new voice cut over them. A large man, sharing a strong resemblance to your opponent, walk ahead of everyone. "What did I tell you about wasting your time with those fights? You're not cut out to be a trainer, and you'll never be! So get back to the shop and do something useful instead of hanging out with those losers!"

With Farrah in a state of confusion, Seymour recalled his two battlers the moment the fight was over. He then scooped up his Glumpy in one arm and turned to look at the spectators. He didn't necessarily agree with Joseph's father's parenting style (or opinions), but he wasn't about to intervene on Joseph's behalf. Instead, Seymour remained silent and took a moment to finally pin his gym badge to his vest lapel opposite the one that held his pokeballs. He figured that action would speak louder than his words.

He decided it was probably best not to gloat to the teens at all, as it would probably only make himself that much more of a target of their revenge. Not to mention he kind of liked the idea of being the mysterious trainer who whooped their butts without saying very much. Instead, he walked toward Logan and said, "I hope that was satisfactory. A little bit of preparation went a long way, it seems. I was certainly not expecting the battle to be over so quickly..."

"It sure does. Something that kid never seemed to understand." Logan shakes his head, watching Joseph get dragged away by his father. On the opposite side, the rest of the teen grab their leader's chilled pokémons, and beat a hasty retreat under the teasing of the gathered folks, many of them senior citizens who fell victim the their pranks over the years.

Pretty soon, their attention turns to you, congratulating you on your victory, on beating the gym challenge, on how well you trained your team... At the same time, they push into your hand things to help you on your journey. An old Great Ball here, a potion there... and food. Lots of long lasting food. It seems no grand-mother can bear the though of a kid going hungry on the road, so when Logan ask for a few useful things, they ran to their kitchen.

OOC: You got enough Pokéballs and Healing items to increase both of those stats by a rank. The pile of food not only increase your Survival gear by one, you also get the perk Food Reserve: if you need to look for food in the wild, you succeed on any roll other than Ex No. If you do roll Ex No, it's still considered a success, but you lose the perk.

"Oh wow! Thank you!" Seymour said to all the people donating their items to his journey. "This gear will help immensely!" If he had known this little side mission was going to end this way, he wouldn't have been so apprehensive about the whole ordeal.

Now that the danger seemed to be past, Seymour put his pointer fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle, calling back Doom and Lotad from their hiding spots. "Just an extra layer of precaution," he explained, then returned all his pokemon to their balls. "Now that all that is taken care of, I suppose I need to find something else to do with the rest of my day. Which is a problem I am happy to have. Do any of you happen to know a good place to relax? Or a place where I could earn a bit of extra cash? Or a place where I might catch some interesting pokemon? Or heck, why not a place with all three?" The trainer was grinning from ear to ear as he talked. Today was a great day.

---

Boosted Pokeballs, Healing Items, and Survival gear by one rank each. Added Food Reserve perk.

Seymour is asking the elders if they know of a good place that is relaxing, where he can earn cash, can catch cool pokemon, or any combination of the above.

"Well, there's not much here in the way of jobs right now. But to relax and catch pokémons, there's a nice trail up the mountain, just east of town. If you don't mind the climb, the view is great, and there's plenty of rocks a ground pokémons running around. I used to go there back in the days, but my legs can't really take the walk anymore."

"Now that I have all of these great supplies, money is not an immediate concern any more. I'll go check out the spot you mentioned. It sounds lovely." After making sure he knew where he was going, and saying thank you to all of his supporters several more times, Seymour headed toward the location he had been told about.

Along the way, he let out his pokemon again so that they might get some exercise and see the view for themselves. Although if any felt like staying in their balls, he would let them do that too. The closer he got to his destination, the more vigilantly he kept an eye out for any wild pokemon that might want to cause trouble for himself and his team.

The trip is quite enjoyable, especially for Farrah. It seems she really appreciate a chance to stretch her wings.

While appreciating the view of the forest from above, you spot only a few wild pokémons. You assume it's due to how close you are from the town, the wild life learned to stay away from the ball-throwing travelers.

Still, as you take a small break, you spot a fresh set of footprints. Small, maybe 10 cm long, and diamond-shaped. They're pretty well defined too. Whatever left them must be close.

OOC: Meanwhile, Farrah leveled up her HP to Above Average, and Locke's Special Defense increased to Average.

As Seymour relaxed and enjoyed the view, he briefly wondered whether or not he should take the time to try following the footprints. But he soon shrugged and said, "What else do I got to do?" He called his Farfetch'd over. "Farrah, you have great eyes. Can you help me follow this trail? Let's see if we can't track down whoever left these footprints." He snapped a couple of pictures in case he needed to reference them later.

---

Does a pokedex work on pokemon footprints? If so, Seymour will definitely try and identify what he might be tracking.

Although the pokedex has a footprint sample for some of the pokémon, there doesn't seem to be a way to search for them. So you are left in the dark as to what made those tracks.

You do your best to follow the marks, but it's not easy, as the ground passes from dirt to stone and back. Farrah does her best to spot them from above, but it's hard for her too. After a short while, you find yourself waiting as she circles over you, trying to find more tracks. That's when Locke's ear start to twitch.

He scrambles on your head, swiveling his ears and seeking something. Focusing toward a large rock, he taps on your head and point in it's direction.

Seymour nodded to the pokemon atop his head, gently, so as not to dislodge it from its perch. He then began to creep toward the rock quietly to get a glimpse of whatever it was that Locke had noticed. He kept his pokedex handy so that he might be able to identify it quickly if it was a pokemon.

Leaning to the side, Locke gets the first look behind the rock... and regrets it immediately. A stream of rocks burst from around the rock, one of them knocking Locke off of your head. As the bunny shakes off the surprise, you see the hidden pokémon is a Roggenrola.

"Roggenrola, the mantle pokémon. Its ear is hexagonal in shape. Compressed underground, its body is as hard as steel."

OOC: Both Locke and the Roggenrola are ready to throw down, though that first rock did cause a wound on Locke. Farrah is also very close, and ready to jump in if needed. The others are a bit farther, and will need a turn to get into the fight.

"Locke!" Seymour exclaimed as his pokemon was struck by rocks. He had to think fast. Maybe his Laconney could take advantage of Heat Mirage until one of his grass pokemon got close enough to tag in. "Locke, stall. Use ember and keep yourself safe. Lotad, Glumpy! I need one of you to switch in, pronto!"

If Lotad got there first, a bubble attack would be in order. If it was Glumpy, then Mega Drain was on the menu.

Unfortunately, Locke was too shaken to follow your command. Instead, he only just managed to dodge the rock pokémon's charge. You watch for one of your other companions to replace him... only to realize Lotad didn't follow you! He only just woke up when you called him!

Thankfully, Glumpy did follow, and quickly takes Locke's place. He starts draining your opponent, but it's a tough little stone. The Roggenrola charges Glumpy with a strong headbutt... only to discover how bouncy the Shroomish is! Instead of injuring him, the Roggenrola finds itself bouncing right off the side of the mountain...

"Uhhh..." Seymour was at a loss for words. He wasn't too worried about the hard-skinned pokemon getting hurt from the fall, but he certainly hadn't expected this outcome to the skirmish. He used the surprise moment of battle delay to return his Laconney to his pokeball, then went to peek over the edge of the mountain. He wanted to know how far the Roggenrola had fallen, if it looked injured, and if it meant the battle was indeed over.

Luckily, the mountain side is not too steep. You could climb up from there, though it could be rough. The Roggenrola skidded about thirty feet, before striking a larger boulder. He's still conscious, but he appears injured.

"You put up a good fight!" Seymour called down to the injured pokemon with sincerity in his voice. "But how about I bring you to a pokemon center and get you patched up?" Seymour lobbed a pokeball down toward the Roggenrola. He hoped to capture it from his safer perch up above and have Farrah bring the ball to him.

Then, if he caught the pokemon, it seemed his next stop would be a pokemon center before dinner with Jakey.

The Roggenrola seems just angry at your offer, screaming angrily... before kicking your pokéball. Which trigger it. And traps the stubborn rock. It may not be the sharpest rock on the slope...

After shaking her head at the display, Farrah bring the ball back to you, and you return to the town.

As Jake straddled back to town (his legs too sore from all the high impact biking) he slipped his pokedex out and hit up Seymour to see if it was just about time to grab dinner. Jake had a lot to talk about with all the crazy biking and geodudes everywhere. Most of all though, Jake was looking forward to sitting down and downing a ton of food. He had worked up quite an appetite when racing up and down the mountain. It took Jake a minute or two to punch out the following message,
"Kno any all u can eat places. I super hungry!"

Seymour replied to Jakey's message with a long and overly detailed one of his own. "I don't know if it is all you can eat, but I saw buffet-style place in town today. The restaurant's banner had a passed-out Munchlax, so I think that is a good sign. I'll send you the coordinates. Just let me finish up at the pokemon center first and I will meet you there. I had a couple of neat battles today that I would love to tell you about."

In his monstrous paragraph to Jakey, Seymour purposefully left out his capture of Basher, the Roggenrola. He wanted his new group member to be a surprise.

When Jake finally found the Dozing Munchlax, he saw Seymour already waiting inside. And the hostess confirmed that they are a buffet. It took all of Jake's patience to reach the table before raiding the Take Down steaks and Hoenn ramen.

Looking at Jake, Seymour can tell he spent a lot of time on the bike trails... more than he expected, actually. It seems you both had a busy day.

It did not even take looking at Jake to tell Jake had been pretty much all day at the bike trails, the mix of dirt and sweat scent gently wafted from Jake's body. It was not oppressive, but it definitely signaled that Jake was overdue for a shower. Jake's rudimentary table manners did not give a positive impression to those around either. It was a tour-de-force of sight, smell and sound as the dirty, smelly Jake loudly slurped and smacked his way through the meal. Between bites he was able to strike up a conversation,
"What have you been up to? Oh man, my day was so busy. Before I could do proper biking, I had to clear out the mountain of some 'dudes who crept in. I caught a bunch for the lady in charge and kept one for myself. After that, she released them all at once and they ran everywhere again! So I had to go bop them all on the head to make it all better. I also caught some kids stealing snacks from the place.  For all my hard work, they let me run the paths for the rest of the day! I'm so pooped, my legs are killing me, but boy was it fun.  I have a discount for tomorrow if you wanted to try out an easy trail before we leave town for cheap! I was thinking maybe I could see if she had a beater bike that is too busted for running the trails that I could use for the journey ahead."

Jake wished he had thought of asking Rebecca for a bike right after helping her with everything, but sometimes the best ideas come later.

Seymour listened to Jakey's story with genuine interest. "And here I thought for sure my day was going to be the more exciting one. Now I'm not so sure." The trainer launched into a summary of his own day's-worth of adventure.

"Remember those burning tires yesterday? I ran into a guy that asked me to show some humility to the delinquents who did that. I challenged their group leader to a battle in a quarry and completely decimated him. A bunch of people from the community watched the battle and were super nice and gave me a bunch of supplies afterward. Oh, and after that I went for a climb and relaxed on the mountain for a while. My pokemon and I followed some tracks we found and they led us to a Roggenrola! We battled, Glumpy belly-bounced him of the side of the mountain, then I caught the ornery little guy! Named him Basher."

Seymour was grinning widely. As they ate, he asked Jakey for more details about his day, and gladly shared further details about his own as well.

Jake also was not sure which person's day was more exciting. While Jake had an adventure catching pokemon and biking, Seymour battled and caught pokemon. As Jake did not truly consider himself a professional trainer, he didn't feel bad that Seymour did two trainer-y things and Jake only did one.

He was able to follow most of Seymour's story, but didn't really know what decimate or ornery meant,
"Wow, you beat him that bad? That's awesome! And it sounds like you got some proper winnings. That is a real trainer experience! I hope some time I will be able to make some money that way, that is the mark of a true trainer! Well, apart from training and catching. Trainers sure got a lot they need to do."

Jake chuckled as he pulled out his pokedex and tried to look up Roggenrola, but he was unable to get the spelling even remotely close to correct, but he nevertheless oozed enthusiasm,
"Wow, you made the Reganroller roll off the side of the mountain! Such a fitting name then! Want to show off our new Pokemon when we get back to the hotel? Your Basher versus my Duder? Or if you are pooped out from the adventures, we could just stroll around and look for some fun night life."

Jake was a bit curious to see what the city looked like at night, but also was a bit interested in battling. Despite his legs aching, he was still feeling ready for anything, especially now that he was refilling his stomach.

"Rock vs. rock?" Seymour said, refering to the battle. "I could probably be talked into it. As long as Basher feels up to it. I haven't really gotten to know his likes and dislikes yet." He shrugged. "At the very least, I'm sure we could do some sort of training."

Seymour ate a few more bites, then continued the conversation. "You know, before coming to this region, it was just me and Lotad for so long that I thought I would only ever catch a handful of pokemon at most. But I have discovered that I really like bringing new buddies under my wing. I don't foresee myself stopping at the six I have now. Maybe I should see if I can set it up so that my "extra" pokemon are sent back home where my family lives, near the Hoenn Safari Zone. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind letting my pals stretch their legs/wings/fins on their land."

He knew he hadn't really given Jakey much to respond to, so he followed up with a question. "So how about you? How many pokemon do you think you will end up catching? Do you have anywhere you would like to send them if you catch more than six?"

In reply to Seymour Mons (msg # 71):

Jake thought a bit about what he would do with his extra pokemon,
"Hmm, I'll probably get some more. We only beat one gym, and I hope to catch at least one pokemon for every gym I face... so that would be more pokemon. I have four now, so... how many more gyms are there? Anyway, it will be more than six. That's for sure!"

"I don't really know what I will do with the spares. I'm kinda on my own here. All my family don't really have a way to contact me, and I can't contact them either. I hope when I get back, I can pair up all of my friends with a pokemon that they connect with so I have a bunch of trainers to hang out with! Until then, I don't really know. Don't people do weird stuff with electronics to store the pokemon?"

Jake was also curious what other training Seymour may have in mind. Jake did some speed training with his pokemon the night before, but maybe Seymour had something more sophisticated in mind,
"What kind of other training is there besides battling? I did a bit of sprints with my pokemon yesterday and they seem to have gotten a bit quicker on the draw. Do you got anything in mind?"

"I know many people keep their pokemon in the pokemon center computers if they catch more than six. And I guess pokemon are perfectly happy in there. But I don't know," he made sour face, "it just never really sounded like the best option to me."

"As for the training, I didn't have anything specific in mind. I was thinking maybe something similar to the speed training you were doing before though. Maybe we could try some target practice to improve range and accuracy? Or come up with some teamwork exercises? You know, like combing Locke's ice with Lotad's bubbles or something. Or maybe some of our pokemon could work of strengthening defenses while the others work of breaking through defenses. The possibilities really are endless."

Jack shrugged and sighed having his pokemon stuck in a computer did seem weird, but he didn't really know what else to do with the spares. He still had a bit of room, so he didn't get too discouraged. Maybe he could contact the professor from the on the border and transfer extras to him.

Jake thought a bit more about the training,
"Team-work training can be tricky, I think I can start that after trying some doubles battles so I get the hang of it better. I think accuracy training could be cool though. Improving Skipper's water gun aim would be swell, and I think Duder needs to practice how to deal with water. He almost drowned in a puddle before I rescued him! I'm sure Lackey and Fetcher could work on stuff too. Or maybe we could have a mirror battle. We both have a Lacconey and a Fetcher. We can do that as the rest of our pokemon do some accuracy and defense training. That way we can see how teamwork could be useful in a doubles fight!"

"Oh, that could be a lot of fun. I've never done a mirror battle before. Let's try that!" Seymour's mind was already trying to figure out how the battle might play out and was coming up with strategies for different scenarios.

He patted his stomach and pushed his plate away. "Although you might have to wheel me back in a wheelbarrow. I feel like that Munchlax on the sign." Despite his words, Seymour was ready to leave at any time.

Jake's mind wasn't thinking about the mirror battle, it was preoccupied with how to most quickly polish off the last four plates of food. After polishing off the food, he flashed a thumbs up to the wait staff. Any food tasted good on an empty stomach. He also felt like he could barely walk back. Not only was his stomach bulging, but also he was on his last legs for the day. Maybe in the future he would catch a ride pokemon for moments like this.

Nevertheless, Jake decided he would power through the pain and march back to the hotel, he commiserated with Seymour succinctly,
"Word"

With that, Jake got up, scanned the room and prepared to head back to the hotel. He had to freshen his pokemon up at the pokecenter, but if they made it back to the hotel without occasion, it would not be long until he would be in the battling room, waiting for their turn to go at it.

As you reach the hotel, the familiar sound of an explosion comes from the arena, soon followed by a boy's complaint. "You can't just blow up your voltorb in every fight!"

"Can too! A win is a win!" replies another boy.

It seems the two young trainers are done with their fight, and no one is waiting to take their place.

OOC: If you want to face off, just tell me who you use, and what strategy you want to use. Feel free to get creative, we're not bound by the limits of a video game after all.

"Awesome! Looks like we can hop right in and take a turn to battle. Still want to do a tw on two battle? Farfetch'd and Laconney vs. Farfetch'd and Laconney?" Assuming the answer was yes, Seymour released all six of his pokemon. "Farrah and Locke, we're going to have a friendly battle with Jakey. Lotad, Glumpy, Doom, and Basher, I want the four of you to practice your tackles. See if you can give each other pointers for improvement. Who knows, maybe the practice could even inspire some new moves! I'll come help out when the match is finished. Try not to hurt yourselves."

---

Lotad, Shroomish, Dunsparce, and Roggenrola are going to practice Tackles nearby while Farfetch'd and Laconney battle Jakey.

Jake took a moment to release all of his pokemon and instruct Skipper to practice aiming its water gun on a moving target and Duder to be that moving target. To make things easier for Duder, he made the rule that only attacks that hit Duder's hands count as a point for Skipper, and every shot that misses is a point for Duder. He hoped Duder would get creative, but so long as they didn't knock each other out, he would consider the training a success.

More of his attention was focused on the mirror battle that was starting to heat up.
"Alright, mirror mode it is! Don't take it easy on me, and I won't take it easy on you! We don't want to get in the habit of battling at less than full power!"

Jake then prepared by directing Lackey to be slightly more forward than Fetcher so that Lackey is lightly screening the view of Fetcher.
"Alright, let's go! Lackey, use ember on Locke. Fetcher, stay back and use sand attack on Farrah!"

With the starting play out of the way, Jake would have Lackey try to keep Locke locked-down with persistent embers until the next break in the fighting. The goal was to prevent Locke from having a good line on the duck. Meanwhile he would direct Fetcher to land a decisive cut on Farrah.

With the range advantage, though a bit hesitantly, Lackey fires an Ember at Farrah. The bird is engulfed in flames, but struggles through non-the-less. Locke replies with Powder Snow, but the heated air deviate the attack, causing it to miss both his opponents.

Fetcher moves in under the ice attack to Peck Locke, but the snow blinded him just long enough to miss the rabbit. Farrah replies with a Cut on her former companion, only to miss from the mirage Lackey created.

OOC: A few very unlucky attack rolls this round. Let's see if your next round's strategy will work better.

Jake grit his teeth in thought as the conflict didn't yield any progress for either participant. It seemed the mirror matchup may be influenced by each pair of pokemon being well acquainted with each other and not wanting to directly harm the other. In response to this concern, Jake waved his hands at Seymour,
"I call a time out! We should see if our pokemon want to continue. I think they are hesitating a bit because they don't want to hurt each other. I don't want to be forcing our pokemon to hurt their friends."

Jake then called his pokemon back for a moment to see if they were eager to spar or if their hearts were too soft for this kind of training.

Seymour was about to issue new orders based on how the battle was going, but he paused when Jakey spoke up. He was right. If even one of their pokemon was uncomfortable with this battle, they should stop. The battle was supposed to be just for fun, but fun for all of them. Not just fun for some.

"Farrah, Locke, let's paise for a bit." He waved them over, similar to what Jakey was doing. "Should we call the battle a draw and go join in the Tackle practice instead?"

As you both question your companions, Farrah and Fetcher seems to have no issue battling each other, as they point their leek at one another with a quacked challenge.

Your Laconney, on the other hand, seems more hesitant to face each other. Lackey especially. You assume it may have to how they got separated, and only recently reunited.

In response to the Laconneys being less into a fight, Jake shrugged and asked Seymour,
"Maybe lets just let the Laconneys catch up and just keep to a quack attack dual. Looks like they are both feeling into it."

If Seymour agrees, Jake would direct Fetcher to use Peck when they battle resumes, then switch into a cut if two turns pass.

Seymour nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a great plan. Locke, go ahead and hang out with Lackey for a while. Farrah, let's see if we can win this friendly competition one on one."

Once the battle recommenced, Seymour said, "Farrah, use a Leer attack. Then whack Fetcher with your stick. Show 'em what a great Cut attack looks like. Get into their blind spot if you can!"

---

Starting with Leer, then moving into Cut attacks as well. Sword fight!

Edit: fixed speech color
This message was last edited by the player at 17:58, Tue 19 May 2020.

Fletcher gets the first blow, charging Farrah directly. That earns him a nasty glare, before Farrah does an impressive imitation of an Iaijutsu draw, earning a blow of her own.

With both birds wounded, they stare at each other for a moment, weapons drawn. In a scene reminiscent of old samurai movies, they charge at each other, striking as they pass one another. Both stand there an instant... before Fletcher falls, unconscious.

When he say Fletcher fall, Seymour couldn't help but jump excitedly into the air with his fist raised in triumph. "Way to go Farrah!" He rushed over to give his pokemon a congratulatory hug, careful not to put pressure on her wounds. "Great job Farrah. That was quite an impressive match." The pokemon seemed fairly pleased with herself.

Still kneeling next to his pokemon, Seymour turned to face Jakey and Fetcher. "That battle was fast, but one of the cooler ones I have witnessed. Much less participated in. You guys put up a great challenge." He stood up. "What do you say we heal up our buddies and join in with the training our other pokemon are doing?"

---

Seymour plans to heal Farrah at the inn's pokemon center, then have all his pokemon continue their tackle training. He will even join in himself. Although Farrah doesn't have to join in unless she feels like it. She has earned a break.

Jake cheered on Fetcher throughout the fight, interspersed with words of encouragement and orders. When Fetcher fell, Jake didn't hesitate the call it back into the pokeball,
"Oi, Seymour, that was epic! Mirror matchups are cool because we get to see who does it better. Yeah, let's go heal them up and get them to give each other a high five."

Jake then trotted up to Seymour to offer a high five before heading to heal up Fetcher, release him and congratulate them on a battle well fought, then get back to seeing how the training between Duder and Skipper is going. While he was too tired to jump into training with them, he wasn't too tired to visit where the lacconeys were catching up and give them some pets while they socialized. He let his Fetcher do whatever, but hoped that it would congratulate Farrah on a battle well fought.

Reuniting Farrah and Fetcher after his revival leads to a short talk, ending with what seems to be a future challenge. The training though...

Doom-sparce didn't feel like training it seems, just curling into a ball for a nap. Basher just seems angry at everything, not helped by Skipper apparently teasing him any time he could. At least Lotad and Duder are showing some effort, though the Geodude seems to be holding back and taking hits rather than hitting back as hard as he can.

OOC: In the end, only Lotad shows improvement, increasing his Att to Low.

Seymour rolled his eyes when he saw Doom resting instead of training. But instead of berating the pokemon, he merely returned Doom to his pokeball. Perhaps this was an area Seymour needed to work on as a trainer.

Unsurprisingly, Lotad was doing exactly what Seymour hoped he would be doing, and doing it well. He gave the pokemon some nice scratches under the leaf, and let him continue on as he pleased.

Seymour then turned his attention to Basher, his newest pokemon. He had hoped that some tackle training would have helped to focus the disgruntled pokemon's frustrations constructively, but it seemed it had been wishful thinking. "Come here Basher. Sit with me." Once the pokemon came over, Seymour didn't criticize him or give Basher a lecture. He merely sat with him, calmly, ocasionally patting his rocky hide in a kind fashion. The two watched the rest continue training as they simply spent time next to eachother.

---

I'm ready to move to the next scene at any time. Did Glumpy do anything noteworthy?

You spend a bit longer training, then head to your rooms to rest.

Glumpy tries his best, but being so low to the ground, his tackles tend to end up short.

The next morning, after a light breakfast, you head back to the biking trails for a bit, before continuing your journey toward Windzaal.

The first leg of that trip, Route 116, passes without issue. Only a few pokémon crosses your sight, but they remain a healthy distance from you. Soon the mountain give way to a damp marsh, and the road leads you to a split. To the north, Route 216 leads to Chairluire. And to the south east, heading toward your destination, Route 115.

OOC: And that's where the story will continue!