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 Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 10:16 pm
 Argyle stood for a moment, speechless at the scolding he had just received. For a moment, he considered saying something back, but the moment was dead. Besides, anything he said would probably just start an argument, and he was having a damn good day. Way too good to ruin with an argument with some kid he had just met.
Besides, he wasn't exactly wrong, just overreacting a bit. Argyle had insulted the Beedrilll. He had big dreams, that was for sure, and Argyle could respect that.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean anything by what I said, it was just in the moment. But what do you say? We're headed to the Center anyway. You should come with us." Wade huffed and looked at the two of them. He supposed he was going to the center anyway. He might as well accept some company on the trip.
Besides, he didn't dislike the guy. He wasn't unreasonable. Just... uppity, and his comments had hit a raw nerve. That Beedrill had been his first ever Pokemon, and he wouldn't stand for anyone talking bad about it. Buzz was his friend, and there was absolutely no reason that anyone should fear him... except his enemies. Yes, they should fear him. Because one day, he would be the strongest bug type in the world! ....Not that he had any enemies.
"Sure, I'll go with you. I was hoping to get back into town soon anyway." Victor let out a single, sarcastic laugh. "I'm not sure I believe that only two trainers have ever won. Even if it's not a popular gym to go to, it's still got to get a lot of traffic from trainers, and not all of those battles can be losses. I'm more of the opinion that they're probably just lazy and haven't engraved the other names."
The atmosphere of the gym was excellent, however. He certainly couldn't fault them for that. It was just like the interior of a cave. They had really pulled out all the stops on that part.
Now as for the leader, he couldn't say. He had never seen the guy or heard anything about him. The only reason he knew it was a rock type gym was because of the sign out front. And also that ridiculous statue. What kind of person built a statue of themselves in town? A conceited one, that much was obvious. He was just a gym leader... hm. Vic wanted to be a gym leader. Maybe he could get his own statue one day. That would be pretty cool.
"So, what do we have to do to get you signed up and ready to go?"
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 3:46 pm
 "Awesome," Grant said, then they began the short walk back to Pewter City's Pokemon Center, his mind on the other three. He wondered how their day was going. It had been about twenty minutes since the last time he'd checked his phone, so it was probably 8:20, giving him another three hours and forty minutes to train. It seemed like a lot, but he knew it would fly by. He laughed a bit. "You know, I've made more friends in the last two days than I've ever had in my life,"Grant joked. "It's amazing what this journey can do to you." Genesis shrugged. "Maybe they're just the most popular. I know that this Ash guy is a Pokemon master now. He had this adorable Pikachu that packs quite a punch. He also has been all over the world; I remember hearing about him taking on our Champion, Cynthea, and actually beating her. And he stopped the dreaded Team Galactic that was terrorizing our region. He seems like an awesome guy. I wonder where he disappeared to..." "I think she has to ask this man to make an appointment for her," Sorrel explained. "Yes, I've heard about him as well. He and Gary," she explained, pointing to the first name, "both came from Pallet Town. They really couldn't stand each other at first, but they became friends after a while. Now neither of them really have a home. Ash was rumored to have been seen near Mt. Silver, while Gary is somewhere in Johto, but comes back to Kanto if he ever has a challenge at the Viridian City gym." When she looked at them, they looked like they wondered how she knew all of this. "Oh, sorry," she giggled. "I come from Pallet, too, and there we actually hear from them. Also, Gary is Professor Oak's grandson. I've actually met him. He's pretty cool."
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 4:30 pm
Argyle laughed and nodded. He didn't know if he could call any of them his friends just yet. Genesis and Sorrel were nice enough, but he didn't know them well enough to call them friends. Grant was... something. Possibly more than a friend. Maybe. But "friend" wasn't the word to use. Wade was just and acquaintance at best, and Victor... no. Just, no.
"Y'know, at first I never expected this to actually become anything. I thought maybe we'd travel together for a few days before splitting up. But this group might actually stick together for a while. We seem to have the chemistry for it. Most of us, anyway."Wade threw a weird look from Grant to Argyle. What in the world were they talking about? Journey? Were they traveling together? That made sense, he had found them both in the woods at the same time. But they were talking like there were others in their group.
He silently pondered the possibility of tagging along with them. He had just started his own Pokemon journey, and traveling alone wasn't fun. Maybe he could at least go with them to the next town. He didn't know if they had a closed group, or if it was just a ragtag group.
"So, you guys are on a journey? Do you think I can tag along for a while? I just started my own Pokemon journey, and traveling alone it beyond boring."Victor rolled his eyes a bit. Yes, he had heard about the pair of them before as well, Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak. He also knew that legends tend to be blown out of proportion. He might be more apt to believe them if he got proof.
He also remembered the stories about Team Galactic. They did some pretty nasty stuff, but there had been other teams as well. Rocket, Magma, Aqua, and he was sure he was missing a few. But the ones that stood out most prominently in his mind was Team Cipher, from his own home region. The other teams had done nasty things, to be sure, Cipher was the only one who actually found a way to corrupt the hearts of Pokemon.
"Let's get it done. I'm eager to get out and do some training."
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 4:50 pm
Grant shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "You don't seem like a bad person, so I wouldn't really have a problem is, including Grant and I, there's five of us. None of us are really leading this group, but I still wouldn't want to just say you could come and then have the others have a problem with it. We're meeting up with them at the gym around noon, hopefully, so just stick around, and we can probably answer your question better than." He turned and smiled at the younger man, then turned forward and continued walking.Genesis nodded, then turned to the man. "Hello, my name is Genesis, and I'm a novice trainer from Sinnoh," she said, pulling out her trainer ID and handing it to the man. "I'd like to make an appointment to fight the Pewter City gym leader tomorrow whenever he's available, please." Even though she didn't like it, she knew how to talk to officials to get what she wanted. It's how she got some jerks who used to be her friends out of trouble when they got caught with a fake ID and some cigarettes. She just told the officer that they were a bunch of idiots and she would make sure they never did it again. The officer believed her, but Genesis never really knew if they quit. After that incident, she stopped hanging out with them. She didn't hate smokers, she hated ignorant people who did things they know they're not allowed to do. The man told her to sign a paper and to put a time she was available for. Not knowing what circumstances could happen, she put two in the afternoon on there. "There," she said, turning to the others. "All set."Sorrel was fascinated at the way Genesis talked to the man. She seemed like a completely different person. Sorrel couldn't help but imagine her donning a suit and glasses and winning a court case. She laughed to herself a bit, then said, "Alright, so it's time to start training?"
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 5:10 pm
Argyle gave the younger boy an incredulous look. He had just lured them into a battle, freaked Grant out with a Beedrill, and then yelled at him, and now he was asking to tag along?
....Sure, why not? He wasn't any more odd than the rest of their ragtag group of misfits. He was exaggerating, of course. He didn't know the others well enough to call them misfits. Each had an odd quality about them though, that was for sure.
As they crossed the treeline and entered into the open land outside of the forest, Argyle silently pondered the boy. At least his personality would likely lead him to a fight with Victor, putting someone else on his side. Possibly.Victor cocked an eyebrow at Genesis. That had been unexpected. She seemed to have more acumen than he had given her credit for. That was a side of her he hadn't seen, not that he had really seen many sides of her. After all, they had only met the day before.
Ponderings aside, however, he was a bit relieved to have the official bits out of the way. He never understood the pull that paperwork seemed to have to the so-called "league" trainers. He'd always been just as happy with amateur tournaments and unofficial battling.
"Yep. So, where to? The Veridian Forest would be the most obvious choice, but actual setting is irrelevant."
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 5:21 pm
Genesis thought about it. The Viridian Forest would be the ideal place to battle, but that's also where Grant and Argyle were training. Actually, that's a good thing, she thought. I can see what kind of trainer Grant is, as well as try to get some more points with Argyle. Yeah, the Viridian Forest would be best. "Yeah, the Viridian Forest!" she cried as they left the gym."Wait!" Sorrel said, stopping them in their tracks. "Don't you think that maybe we should stock up on some supplies at least? The Viridian Forest is dangerous to novice trainers, after all, what with the high risk of our Pokemon getting poisoned. And who knows, we may end up running into a Pokemon we really want, so we should get some Pokeballs." I guess I'm the brainiac that thinks logically around here, she thought, shaking her head a bit.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 5:31 pm
Victor stopped, allowing the other two to take the lead as he pulled his backpack off and set it in front of him. He had five Pokeballs, given to him by some weird old man back in Veridian, and a whopping two antidotes. Also, no money.
With a short sigh, he resigned himself to a set of poisoned Pokemon at the end of the day.
Closing his bag and jogging a bit to catch up, he spied the front of the PokeMart a short distance away.
"You guys go ahead and pick up whatever you need. I'll wait outside. I've got everything I need." He decided to avoid revealing his complete lack of money. He'd have to find some kind of paying job soon to restock on food. If he and his team ate lightly, they would have enough left for a few days, at least until they got to Cerulean city. He'd look for some kind of odd job there.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 6:36 pm
 "Hello, and welcome to the Pewter City Pokemon Center," Nurse Joy told the three boys, smiling sweetly. "Ah, I see two of you are returning. A good day of training, I assume? And you need us to heal your Pokemon? Oh, and who's this?""Hey, Nurse Joy," Grant said, a bit freaked that she remembered who they were, but didn't think any more of it. "Um, yeah, we need our Pokemon healed please. Oh, this is Wade. We met him in the Viridian Forest, and things got a bit crazy. Thus why we need the healing." He handed his three Pokeballs over to Nurse Joy, who took them and placed them on a tray, ready for healing. "Thank you," he said, then waited for the other two."Okay, we'll be right back," Genesis said, waving and grabbing Sorrel's arm. "Come on, it's time to do the one thing girls love best. Shopping!"Sorrel giggled. "Alright," she said, then turned to Victor. "See you in a bit." Inside, the girls poked around the wares, Genesis sighing in sadness that all she could get were novice items. "Well, at least your items will get better," Sorrel explained. "Victor, Argyle, and I will have to rely on you and Grant to get the better items if we need them. We're stuck with novice items if we don't become official League battlers. Apparently, the League thinks all the trainers who don't try to face them don't need better items, even if other trainers travel a lot." She sighed. "I think it's stupid, but it doesn't matter what I think."
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 9:19 pm
Victor yawned and leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down it into a sitting position. He reached over and pulled Abaddon closer, leaving his arm around the Pokemon. "So bud, you ready for some training?"
The Absol let out a droning noise that sounded quite bored. It was quite clearly sick of not doing anything. It wanted to be in the forest as much as Vic did, but the ladies wanted shopping time. It was his duty as a man of honor to sit outside and look bored while they did whatever it is that ladies do when shopping.
"Just so you know, we'll be eating light these next few days. The Center will feed you, but we'll only be there one more night before we leave town. After that, we'll be splitting what we have left between the four of us. There should be enough to last until we get to Cerulean if we ration. Got it?"
The Pokemon just gave him a look as if to say, "You eat more than I do. I'll be fine."Wade placed his Pokeballs on the counter in front of him and extended his hand in greeting. "Nurse Joy, was it? Nice to meet you. I'm Wade McAlistair, future bug type champion of the world." He raised one eyebrow in what he hoped was a charming gesture, but slowly let his hand drop as he realized she wasn't going to take it. Instead, she nodded once and went about healing the Pokemon. Obviously a woman of business before pleasure, then. Seemed befitting of someone as important as a Nurse. Still, Wade couldn't help but feel disappointed that he hadn't had the chance to make a move.Argyle snickered at Wade's ignored pass at Nurse Joy. This kid was something else. He introduced himself as the future bug champion, and if that wasn't enough, he also jumped straight to trying to hit on the nurse.
A steely glare from Wade was enough to kill the snickering, but not enough to wipe the smile off of his face. If he would get a show like this from the kid with every girl they met, it would be worth bringing him along just for the occasional laugh.
He set his own Pokeballs on the counter and stretched slightly, checking the clock. 8:45. Almost 9. Only three hours left to train.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 9:29 pm
"Struck out, huh?" Grant said, ordering a large soda from a Chansey behind the counter. "It'll be fine. She's probably, like, twice your age anyway." He ruffled Wade's hair, then went to the soda fountain to fill it with Dr. Pepper. He sipped at his drink, sighing in relief, having not realized how thirsty he was. "Three hours left," he sighed, stretching. "And my only Pokemon to go up a level was Dino. He's got Bite, but I'd like them all to a bit useful for this battle." He frowned."Are those really the rules?" Genesis asked. "That's so lame! Well, if it's any consolation, I'm sure Grant and I would be glad to help y'all. You know," she added, trying really hard to not sound like a b***h in the process, "If y'all have the money to pay for it. No offense, but I'm pretty sure Grant and I are gonna need all the items we get for us. This is not an easy journey."Sorrel nodded, grinning as she put her newly bought items in her bag. "Of course," she agreed. "I wouldn't feel right asking you to pay for my items anyway." She put her bag back on her shoulders. "Anyway, we should probably get going. I'm gonna take a guess and say that Mr. Victor and Abbadon are bored outta there minds right now."
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 10:11 pm
Oooooooohhh no. That guy had just ruffled Wade's hair. That was not an okay thing. There were things that were okay. Lots of things. That was one of the things that was not okay. He smoothed his hair back into place as he glared daggers at Grant's back. He could get any woman he wanted! Just because Nurse Joy had other things to be doing right then didn't mean he struck out!
...whatever. He walked by without ordering a drink. He wasn't thirsty, and even if he was, he had a water bottle strapped around his waist.
"If you're taking on the Pewter gym leader, you'd better stock up on potions. I've heard he's a real bruiser."Argyle's snickering fit start up again as Wade glared at Grant. Oh yeah, this kid was a riot and a half. He definitely had his vote for letting him come with them.
He ordered a medium drink of his own and filled it up with a combination of several things. "I'm sure you'll do fine. He can't be too hard to beat. It's one of Kanto's first gyms. It's recommended as one of the gyms for Novice trainers to take on."
Argyle was fairly sure that his words of encouragement were working, and he was glad, too, because secretly he had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. He had never actually done any research on the league's gym system, he just watched the battles. But what he said stood. He was positive that Grant would do fine.Victor was actually finding himself quite content, sitting out in the sun enjoying the day. He was much more interested in going into the woods and doing some training, but he wasn't nearly as restless as the Absol pacing restlessly in front of him.
"C'mon bud, they'll be out in a minute, then we're heading to the forest. Chill out. At least we're outside."
Abaddon gave him a withering glare and went back to his pacing. He sure can be impatient when he wants to be.
Even so, it was taking longer than usual. He stood and entered the building, confident that Abaddon wasn't going anywhere. He quickly spied Genesis and Sorrel and approached them.
"You guys nearly done? Abaddon's about to start battling the Pidgey roosting on the roof of this place out of boredom. We should get a move on."
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 10:42 pm
"Yeah, you're right, Argyle," Grant said, but it was obvious that what Wade had said was still on his mind. Grant looked at his money. I do still have some money left, and I haven't used even one potion yet, he thought. If I buy some more, I should be fine, as long as I spam Bite attack. But...that's lame... Suddenly, Grant felt his bag shake a bit. "What the?!" he cried. Was something in his bag? He heard an odd, barely audible crack, then the bag went still. He looked at the others, who were looking at the bag as if it were dangerous. Grant inched toward it and opened it. He gasped when he saw a Pokemon sitting in there, turning it head left and right as if looking for something. The little thing must have heard Grant, because it looked up. It was a mostly blue Pokemon with markings around its eyes that looked like a mask. Its ears hung like water drop, but black, and its feet were also black. On the back of its hands were rounded silver bumps. Grant's smile had never been so big, and the little Pokemon had the same face. Both couldn't have been happier to see each other. "My egg hatched into a Riolu!!!!!!" he cried, lifting the Pokemon out of his bag and spinning around with it in his arms. The Pokemon giggled at all the fun it was suddenly having. "I'm gonna name you Duran," he said. "Like the artist of the song, 'Rio'. I think it's pretty clever, if I do say so myself." He looked at the others. "Guys, meet Duran, my new Riolu.""Yeah, we're done," Genesis said, grinning. "But I found out that you guys might have had it pretty rough if it weren't for Grant and me," she explained. "Tell him, Sorrel."Sorrel explained the system of items depending on your rank as a trainer. "I did forget to mention that licensed breeders, gym leaders, and coordinators have ranks as well, so they can get better items," she added. "And if I ever become a researcher, I'd be able to buy better items as well."
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 11:23 pm
Wade couldn't hide a smile at the newborn Riolu. It was just so cute! It gave even his bugs a run for their money, and he had based his entire career on bug type pokemon. Being as young as it was, he doubted it would be much help against Brock's rock types, but hey, it was something.
He turned and took his Pokeballs as Nurse Joy placed them on the counter. Strapping them back onto his belt and turning to the others, he scratched the back of his neck, hoping that he wasn't overstepping his boundaries with his next question.
"So, um, where should we go? Back to the forest, or somewhere else?"Argyle's smile matched Grant's as he lifted the Riolu. That had been unexpected, to say the least. Even Nurse Joy had paused what she was doing to look over at the newborn Pokemon.
Argyle stepped forward and patted the little creature. "It's very nice to meet you Duran."Victor said nothing as the younger girl explained the system to him. It didn't effect him as much as it had the others. It was unlikely that he'd have the money for the more advanced items anyway, and he had never needed them before, so what did it matter now? Besides, he'd be a gym leader one day, and when that happened, he could get any items he wanted.
"When I open my gym, I'll be able to get anything I need. But until then I don't see how it matters. As long as Pokemon Center visits are free, I'll be fine."
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 11:35 pm
Duran looked up at Argyle and smiled some more. It's nice to meet you as well, mister, the three of them heard. "Woah," Grant said, shocked. "He can talk. With his mind. What the heck did that old man feed your parents?" he joked. I can speak to you through my mind because of my aura abilities, Duran explained. Right now, all I can do is talk to you. But later, I might be able to read minds and do one of the strongest Fighting attacks, Aura Sphere. Grant's eyes widened. "That's right!" he cried. "You're a Fighting type!" Duran, after some training, would definitely help with the fight against Brock. "To the Forest!" he roared, agreeing with Wade. Hurray! Forest! cooed Duran.Genesis and Sorrel looked at each other. "You're gonna be a gym leader?" Genesis asked. She smiled. "That's so cool! That means one day, it'll be someone's responsibility to fight you to make their way to me! We'll never have to forget each other!" She beamed at Vic."Um, I hate to burst your bubble, Mr. Victor," Sorrel said. "But you say that once you open a gym, you'll be able to get all you need. Well, that's gonna be kinda hard if your Pokemon aren't strong. And it's hard to raise Pokemon without items. And the stronger your Pokemon get, the my health they have, so the better items you'll need. Whether you like it or not, you're gonna need better items. And besides, just because you're not going to try for the championship, it doesn't mean you can't battle trainers and get prize money for winning." She hoped she wasn't being too obvious about it, but she noticed that Victor didn't seem in the best situation when it came to monetary issues. She wouldn't tell anyone, but she wouldn't not try to help him either.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 11:57 pm
Victor winced visibly at Sorrel's observation. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He was going to need items at some point, no matter how much he told himself he'd just deal with not having them. Her other statement gave him a bit of hope however.
He was damn good at battling, and in his own opinion, above the level of any of the rookies running around in the Forest trying to catch their first couple of Pokemon. Maybe while they were out he'd find some poor kid who looked well off and ruin his day to make it through the week. It was the risk they all ran, taking on the league. Any trainer who wanted a battle couldn't be refused.
Yet another reason he wasn't interested in the league. Sometimes, he wasn't looking for a battle. Sometimes, he was just taking a stroll through the woods. It was incredibly satisfying to see the look on the face of some sap who was harassing him for a battle when he looked them in the face and said "No."
They, on the other hand, didn't have that option.Argyle was taken aback at the sudden voice in his head. A talking Pokemon? He had heard stories of Pokemon who had learned to talk, but he had never before heard of a Pokemon who could speak telepathically. That was seriously awesome.
"You need as much training as you can get if you're gonna be effective against Brock. Let's get out there and get to work."Wade jumped when the voice resounded through his head. To be completely honest, even after Duran had explained, it still freaked him out a little bit. Reading minds? That made him nervous. He didn't want anyone to read his mind. That's where he kept all the stuff that he thought about. And he certainly didn't want anyone knowing about some of the stuff he thought about.
But it had said that for now, it couldn't. So for now, it was no big deal. Either way, if he wasn't able to go with them, it wouldn't make a difference. And as they took the path back to the forest, he still wondered about whether or not he would be able to.
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