Pokemon Obsidian

[Silver]

Valerie knelt down as she looked at the trapinch, her two fluffy pokemon at her sides. "You're hurt." She replied, stating the obvious more than anything as she tilted her head a little. "Here." A faint smile crossed her face as she reached into her pack, pulling out some medicine her sister had left with her. While she tended to her new poplemone her gaze fell above then, watching the change in aura with a wide curiosity. It was amazing to her how quickly it changed from the wild fury it had only moments ago. "Oh, and here's a snack too." She laid a small block of food in front of trapinch's face, her smile growing a little more before she turned and sat down against a rock.

"That was tiring...." She remarked, looking up at the sky as she shielded her eyes from the sun.

[Geno XIII]

"Ehhh!? I won...!? I-I mean, yes! I won!" Geana cheered, hopping for joy while Tyrogue was so pumped, that it started to shadowbox for a while and threw a midair uppercut... before passing out midair and landing on its back, incredibly worn out.

[Mitsunami]

The Trapinch snapped its teeth in response to the sudden sting of the medicinal spray, but calmed as it started to feel better. It shuffled over to the bit of food afterward, snapping up one bite at a time as it grunted its own name in time with each bite.

The view around Valerie was just as serene as it was before the sudden attack from below, letting her take in the majestic sight of Mount Chimney with its cable-car heading up to the smoking summit, and the group of trainers all battling and chatting outside the entrance to the Fiery Path. If she wanted, she coudl always try to get in a few battles to raise her team's experience, or do a bit more exploring.

Speaking of exploring, she might notice that her Trapinch had managed to crack a rock off on the side of the path with one of its biting attacks, revealing that somebody had left an orange-colored spray bottle sitting there...and it still seemed to be full. It was a Super Potion, free for the taking.

---------------

Marie nodded to Nicola's assessment. "I can understand that...it really doesn't seem...that different from a normal battle, does it? Though I suppose the point would be to make sure you use as big of an attack as possible..."

Soon enough they would reach an area that was set up much like a locker room, though the floor was carpeted, and there was a table covered in a mix of Pokémon food and snacks suited more to human tastes set up in the middle, right before a massive TV screen, likely so the coordinators could watch each other's matches in comfort and try to formulate strategies. They could see several of the contestants from before- the woman with the Rapidash, who was still clutching her Pokémon's ball and silently fuming, apparently unable to fathom how she had lost. The young man with the Kecleon was there as well, patting its head and trying to reassure the sad-looking lizard that they'd win next time. Evidently, he'd made it to the finals of the Clever contest but not been able to pull off the final round.

However, there didn't seem to be any sign of the cloak-wearing trainer anywhere.

-------------------

DJ scratched his head as he called his Voltorb back, coughing into his fist. "Um...well, guess I'll just need to...train this one a little more. Work on his staying power, you know? Anyway, good match! Keep training that one and he'll be a much fiercer fighter before you know it!"

He left for a quick dash back to the Pokémon Center to get his Voltorb back in fighting condition, not wanting to stop his training just yet.

Meanwhile, Ed's Pokédex would be quick to put up the stat screens, starting with Riolu's-

Rioulu. Emanation Pokémon. Gender- Male. Ability- Inner Focus.
Known Attacks-

Endure
Quick Attack
Foresight
Counter
Feint
Force Palm

And next, the blue-feathered battler to whom he owed this victory-

Ducklett. Water Bird Pokémon. Gender- Female. Ability- Keen Eye.
Known Attacks-

Brine
Water Gun
Water Sport
Defog
Wing Attack

New Attack learned- Water Pulse.

[SoraWolf7]

Ed grinned. "This is great! Now I know what I've got to work with," he said as he looked to Ducklett. "And you learned Water Pulse, girl?"

Ducklett shrugged and quacked for a moment, then fired off a small orb of condensed water orb at a tree, making it shake a bit, but no harm done.

"Great! I think with a little more training, we'll be all set to take on the gym here!"

Riolu gave an affirming "Rio!", Squirtle gave a "Squirt!", and Ducklett chimed in with another quack and wing-salute as well.

[panahinuva]

Nicola looked around. "Hmph. Looks like none of the winners are here. They must have a...lounge of some kind for the winners." She tapped her foot on the floor, looking around. She walked up to the man with the Kecleon. "Do you know where Cloak is?" She asked him. "We wanted to meet him. Such an impressive performance." She said, raising her voice slightly as she did so. Was she trying to antagonize the Rapidash trainer nearby?

[Silver]

After a while Valerie finally pulled herself back to her feet. "Alright everyone, that's enough resting for now. Back in the pokeballs." She smiled, red lights absorbing all three of her pokemon leaving just her again. "That was something else...." She turned as she put the pokeballs away, noticing a glimmer of orange from the distance. Moving over to check on it she picked up the super potion, flipping it over in her hand.

"Medicine? Left out here..... That doesn't seem wise.... I hope whoever lost this didn't need it." Stowing the potion away she looked around again, enjoying the sights as she tried to figure out what to do next. She could just battle and train, there were plenty of trainers here. Though a part of her just wanted to explore, though with the desert and it's blinding sand not too far away she found herself wandering closer to Fiery path.

[Mitsunami]

The young man with the Kecleon looked up, patting the jagged crest on its head to continue offering comfort while nodding to Nicola. "Um, if you mean Shroud, they left about ten minutes ago...they never stay long after the contest. If what I've heard about the beauty portion is true, I think that all they do is train between contests. They're a newcomer on the contest scene this year, but they've swept every contest they've entered so far. This was their third ribbon!"

Marie gave an impressed whistle while Celine, the woman with the Rapidash, became even more clouded in the face, crushing her styrofoam water cup in her hands as she got up and began packing up her traveling bag, clearly planning to leave in a hurry, mumbling something about evasion strategies being cheap and annoying.

--------------

DJ was back soon enough, his Voltorb and other Pokémon completely healed up as he glanced around at the other two. "So...where to next? Want to press on to Verdanturf, or should we keep on training? ...Though I don't know if any gym leader would face us all in the same day; their Pokémon need a rest, too..."

--------------

As Valerie approached the the entrance to the Fiery Path cave, some of the other trainers would look up, two of them recalling their Pokémon just after a battle.

"Hey!" one of them greeted her, a teenaged boy dressed in an outfit that appeared to be some sort of uniform- a red hat, vest, and boots, over a black outfit that seemed made for traveling the outdoors, lots of pockets on the sturdy fabric. On the belt, he wore a coiled length of strong rope. He replaced the ball on the other side of his belt before pulling out a different one. "New around here, huh? Looking for a battle, or just traveling?"

[SoraWolf7]

Ed grinned. "Well, I'm planning on fighting the gym leader tomorrow, so if anyone here wants to take a crack at him today, by all means!" he announced proudly.

"As for going to Verdanturf, I think I'm gonna hold off until after my gym battle. I think I heard that the tunnel there has a Pokemon called Whismur while back home. I think I might wanna look into that, maybe do some research on what's on that route normally."

[Geno XIII]

"I don't know." Geana said as she patched up her Pokemon and put him back in his ball. "You're the veteran here... Which I beat~" a cheeky grin grew on her face.

[panahinuva]

Nicola stroked her chin. "Hmmm...Mysterious..." She mused, tapping the balls on her hip. "Darn, I was hoping I could meet them. Weird that no one's ever heard of them before now." She continued.

She tilted her head as Celine grumbled. "Well, she's not wrong." She added with a shrug. "Evasion strategies are bullshit."

[Silver]

"Oh umm." Valerie held her arm close to her chest as she realized he was speaking to her, her gaze quickly moving to meet his after her little sightseeing trip. "Well... I was just wandering around... I don't really have much of a goal in mind.... I could battle you... I think."

She paused looking a little apprehensive at the idea. The only other trainer she battled was Lilith, and they were both fresh trainers. She had no idea how strong this person was.

[Mitsunami]

DJ grinned at Ed's apparent interest in the purple, noisy Pokémon. "Whismur, huh? Good choice...I caught one when I first started as a trainer. Though it evolved during my last journey..."

Sensing that Geana might not be familiar with it, he flipped open his Pokédex to punch in the creature for her to look at. Soon enough, a small purple monster with yellow, floppy ears and small X's for eyes appeared, looking apprehensively out from the screen.

Whismur- the Whisper Pokémon. This timid Pokémon normal speaks at a volume barely audible to the human ear. However, if startled, Whismur will cry loudly at decibels equal to those of a jet engine. Because a Whismur inhales through its ear canals, it can cry continuously without needing to stop for breath.

"That's about right...but if you close the ear flaps with your hands and comfort them, they calm down pretty quickly..." DJ explained. "Besides, they perk up a lot after evolving, look..."

Another push of a button and the image changed to a somewhat silly Pokémon with large, hippo-like canine teeth, a wide mouth that made up most of its middle, and enormous round ears like stereo speakers.

Loudred- the Big Voice Pokémon. When battling, Loudred stomps the ground hard to boost its power, followed by letting out a blasting shout. The full volume of a Loudred's bellowing can completely demolish a wood-frame house within seconds. However, moments after shouting, Loudred become completely incapable of hearing for a short time.

"Not much of a weak point, though...and you'd be amazed how much trouble an opponent can have with an attack made out of sound waves. Difficult to see it coming and even harder to avoid. Anyway...hmm...I dunno if I want to face this gym just yet...maybe a different one..."

He paused for a moment as Geana snickered over her victory before smirking back at her. "So what do you want, a medal? Or should I just buy lunch?"

-----------------

Marie paused for a moment, blinking, before turning to glance at Nicola, momentarily shocked. "Er...wait, did someone else say that, or..."

She glanced at her Tyrogue, who nodded in confirmation. "Uh...wow, Nicola, I...didn't think you spoke like that...you must be more passionate about contests than I thought!"

She looked around the room, then sighed, shaking her head. "Well, we could always see if anyone else is handing out signatures or free contest advice..."

------------------

The Pokémon Ranger smiled at the apparent acceptance of the challenge. "Great! You look a little nervous...so we can just make it a one on one...or two Pokémon each if you feel up to it. Tell you what, I'll give you a bit of a handicap and let you see my first pick so you can carefully decide on your own."

He took enough steps back to give them room to battle before pulling out a Pokéball. "Come out, Torkoal!"

The creature that appeared looked to be a large orange tortoise, with a shell made of cracked brown rock, containing what looked like glowing red coal. A small plume of white smoke steadily billowed out of the center of the shell. Gazing with squinty eyes over at Valerie, it gave a challenging snort, issuing a small black cloud from each nostril.

[panahinuva]

Nicola blushed, turning away from Marie for a moment before turning back, a big smile firmly back in place. "Sorry Marie, I am super passionate about contests." She replied, waving a hand, voice giggly and bubbly once again. "I once lost a final round to an evasion strategy and I have a very negative place in my heart for them." She pouted. "Aaaanyway we should probably do something. Do you want to get registered for a contest? Or maybe we should find the Gym for Kaylee so she can get her first badge." She seemed to be doing her best to draw attention away from her momentary lapse, for some reason.

[Geno XIII]

"I dunno" Geana shrugged "It's just not, I dunno, creative to get the same Pokemon other teammates have."

[SoraWolf7]

"Seems like it'd be a good 'mon if you're recommending it," Ed commented after DJ brought up Whismur and Loudred. "Also, lunch sounds good right about now, I'm still hungry."

Ed's Pokemon all chimed in, agreeing that they wanted to get full bellies. Riolu and Ducklett had certainly worked off what berries they ate with their battle.

[Chris_B]

"Oh, we can get Marie registered before I try for the gym," Kaylee said with a grin. "Besides, I kinda wanted to train some more before taking on... umm, who was the gym leader for this town, again?" She looked up as she tried to think, Bianca tilting her head quizzically before pouting.

"<Hey! I'm ready to take on the gym~!>" she chirped, waving her arms about in irritation. "<I don't need more training!>"

[Silver]

"O-okay." Valerie said, aware that she'd gotten a battle regardless. "We can do two pokemon." She said as she fumbled for her pokeballs just in time to hear the challenging snort of the freshly released torkal. "Fire type..." She said almost as a question as she nodded to herself.

"Come out Trapinch." She called out as she released her freshly caught pokemon. The bug like pokemon landed on its feet, staring down the opposing torkal as she pulled out her pokedex, both to check out torkal as well as what moves Trapinch knows.

[Mitsunami]

DJ nodded to the other two. "Well, alright. I could always buy, since I offered...there's a good place back in Mauville...or we could see what we can find out here for food, more berries and such...unless Geana wants to cook again?" he asked, half-teasing the female trainer. However, if Geana did feel like adding some spice to her cooking, she'd find a helpful enough ingredient hanging off of a bush nearby the tall grass that Riolu had stepped out of. It was a round, reddish fruit that had several jagged spikes poking out of it all along the bottom curve and a sharp, spicy scent just beneath the skin. Any trainer that harvested berries for fun would be able to tell you that this was a Tamato berry...and it wasn't a good idea to eat one straight unless you happened to be a Fire Pokémon. These berries were notorious for their overwhelmingly spicy flavor, though it did make a nice spaghetti sauce with an impressive bite, if one knew how to prepare it properly.

----------

Marie nodded enthusiastically, turning to walk out of the locker room. "Oh yeah! I need my Coordinator's license...and then we can check out the gym if Kaylee wants to...I think the Center nurse said it was off to the northwest part of town...also wanna see about getting my contest costume figured out, but that's not going anywhere. The gym leader might be busy later. Anyway, come on, let's go register!"

Outside, back through the hallway of doors to the various stages, they'd be able to find the registration counter where one could apply for a coordinator license. There wasn't a long line, so it seemed it would be a quick mission.

"Nicola, do you need to register, too?" Marie asked, glancing up as she tried to get her trainer ID in order to show the desk clerk.

--------------

The Pokédex lit up, displaying a picture of the orange-colored turtle monster.

Torkoal- the Coal Pokémon. These cave-dwelling Pokémon will dig through mountains and abandoned mines tirelessly in search of coal. They fill the hollows of their shell with coal and burn it to gain energy for battle. If in danger, Torkoal will expel black soot from its nostrils in order to make a retreat.

Shortly after, it obliged the second request, displaying the desired stats for Trapinch.

Trapinch. Ant Pit Pokémon. Gender- Male. Ability- Hyper Cutter.
Known Attacks-

Bide
Feint Attack
Sand Attack
Bite
Mud-Slap
Bulldoze
Sand Tomb

"You seem a bit unsure..." the Ranger remarked. "But that's a good type choice against my Fire-type Torkoal...go ahead and take the first move!"

[SoraWolf7]

"So what's it gonna be?" Ed asked as he turned to Geana. "I'm good either way. If you wanna cook now, I can help do some foraging." He hadn't really considered that he might need to cook on his travels.

"Oh... that means I should probably get some cooking gear in town..." Ed mumbled as he realized how ill-prepared he was slowly becoming.

[panahinuva]

"Nah, I've been in a couple of contests before. Just small ones, but I still had to get my license." Nicola replied, showing the other two her license, which had a few marks on it indicating high placing finishes, two bronze and one silver. "Florette and I know how to put on a good show." SHe added modestly. "We can skip this contest if you'd rather attempt it without our interference, Marie." She offered.