Pokemon: Aschen Adventures (IC)

[Ajadea]

Adela glances at Gavin as he leaves, then turns back to the overexcited Riolu in her lap. She could make Vichi actually give a damn about her. She could make him loyal and devoted just like that. She took another look at Vichi. His tail thumped against the ground and his paws dug into her legs fiercely. Yeah. Ow. Definitely not getting up right now. He glanced at her pocket constantly, as if he wanted to rush ahead without even thinking and take the experimental medicine. It was adorable. Which was a weird thought. The Riolu had been many things-headstrong, immature, greedy, annoying, and once even quite violent.

Adorable? Not really. Vichi...almost looked like he cared.

Adela scratches his head a bit, just thinking. Right then. I'll find a way to make you like me, no strings or drugs attached. She swallows and licks her lips. Her throat felt as dry as bone, and her mouth tasted like something had rolled over and died in it. Besides her.

"Psychic and Flying are Vichi's two biggest weaknesses. Psychic especially," Adela says after a while. "He has to be able to deal with them." She grabs her Pokedex with her free hand and flicks it open. "So...I'd like to teach Vichi here either a Ghost or Dark-type move then."

[Gorgondantess]

The professor muses for a moment. "Well... I don't really know if it could teach a pokemon a move it couldn't normally learn. I suppose it could... yes, I'm sure it could! ...I'm pretty sure it could.
...But it might have some... Interesting results..."
She's grinning slightly, eyes pointed upwards, thinking.
"Well, anyways, it's only received two tests so far, as I've told you. I doubt the ambipom could handle any more in its system, at least for another few months. Much like TMs, there's a limit to what you can do without the new... forcing out the old.
But, well, your Riolu, while immature, seems, ah, forceful enough that it won't be too long until it evolves, and you'll not have to worry about psychic nor moves anymore. Go ahead and think it over- if you rush into things, it might be somewhat damaging. This medicine has untold potential."

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I was so close to adding there, "I'm glad it's in good hands." Go-go heavyhanded dramatic irony!

To Nathan: The Professor nods. "Right, then, I'll see what I can do."
She turns on a machine in the corner, and goes to fetch Ender's pokeball from the restorative machine. She releases it, and as it floats there she picks up a metal rod attached by a long cord to the machine, tapping it against Ender. Ender immediately begins to fall, and she catches it.
"That should keep it unconscious while I administer the compound."
She goes back to the lockbox and pulls out a complex looking syringe, taking fluids from various containers. She then opens Ender's eye, and resting the syringe against it, pulls a trigger. There is a crack, like a gunshot but softer, and taking a cotton swab dressed with alcohol slips away the syringe, sweeps it against where she pressed the syringe, and then returns it to its pokeball.
"That should do it. Don't release it for another 6 hours, and no strenuous battling for at least another 24."

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Speed base stat increased by 1, Sky capability increased by 1. These will carry over into evolutions.

[Ajadea]

Evolving? Well, he certainly is forceful, and stubborn as anything I've every seen before. Adela begins to nod then decides against it. "I'll think about it. If Vichi's going to be evolving soon, I'd want to teach him a different move." If it's even possible. Water type would be best to shore up a Lucario's weaknesses...I really need to catch myself one of those.

[Bad Situation]

Nathan nodded absentmindedly and clipped the ball to his belt. The knowledge that he would not be able to use Ender in the coming day was worrisome, but not altogether distressing. It was getting dark anyway, and roaming the streets at night would be foolhardy at best. He would sleep away the requisite 6 hours and try not to fight for the remainder of the day.

"There are rooms available for us I take it? I would rather not set out on the road in the dead of night." Really, the only thing worse than travel, was traveling at night. That's when the thieves and murderers came out to play came out in greater numbers.

"If you will excuse me." With all said and done, Nathan exited the room.

[Ajadea]

Adela remains seated for a minute or so after Nathan leaves, before not-so-gently shoving Vichi off her lap and slowly getting up. She walks back to her room, using the walls to support her. Sleep sounded very good right about now. There was a lot to think about. And a concussion. That too.

[Gorgondantess]

Gavin will be hard pressed to find throwing knives in Heartshome.
And with that said...
Dimensions intermingle. Dialga and Arceus get together and decide to screw around in the lives of four pokemon trainers. Suddenly, timelines start weaving around, warping and twisting. Actual time ceases to exist for these four trainers, taken over by circumstantial time. When things happen, and when they may meet, will not be governed by actual time, but by convenience.
In other words: As you're not all staying together, some of you may be fast-forwarded a week while others will, in the same RL time, pass only a day. But if you both end up in X location at the same RL time- posting-wise, that is- you may in fact meet. Just... try not to think about it too hard. It WILL create plotholes. Just push it under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist, and don't mention to each other how long it's been since you've seen each other IC.
Anyways. Those that so desire may now fastforward to the next day. What you do then is wholly up to you.

[Bad Situation]

Nathan entered his assigned room and locked the door firmly behind. After what had happened only hours hence, he figured he couldn't be too careful.

Sitting on the bed he heaved a heavy sigh. He had said his goodbyes on the pier back home, but only now did it feel as if he was leaving. His head would hit the pillow, and in only a couple of hours he would be out on his own. Truly on his own. There would be no cousins to catch him should he fall, no mothers to kiss his scratches, and no father to impart some words of wisdom. It was scary, knowing that there would not be a safety net.

And yet oddly exhilarating.

Only time would tell if he made something of himself, but luckily Nathaniel Frost never disappointed.

He smirked, as if to laugh at his own joke. Setting his Pokedex's alarm to 5 AM, he rest his head atop the impossibly lumpy pillow the Center had provided him and drifted off into oblivion. Customer service complaints could wait for another day it seemed.

----

The alarm screeched, and in a practiced movement he flicked his fingers at the alarm's off switch. School had prepared him to wake up on schedule, if nothing else.

He rose wearily, shuffling to the the washroom as if half dead and emerged moments later as impeccably dressed as usual. Grabbing his bag from the sauntered through the Center's wide double doors ready to face the day. Onward to Route 423.

[BluesEclipse]

Finding the small post office in Heartshome, Gavin quickly makes arrangements for the most secure shipping possible for the sample, answering any questions simply by saying that he's bound by a confidentiality agreement. After ensuring that the sample is sent off, and failing to find a decent set of throwing knives, he returns to the Pokemon Center, taking a room there himself. Sending a brief email to Markus, simply saying "SAMPLE IS EN ROUTE. DEPARTING FOR SANDBERG." he falls asleep, wondering what the next few days will hold.

---TIME SKIP TO MORNING---

Waking, and checking his Pokedex for any messages, Gavin gathers his things and heads out of the Center, thinking, If the girl wants to take me up on my offer, she'll contact me, I'm sure. Now, to Sandberg... I'll head along Route 423, I suppose. If I could handle exploring the desert alone, this entire endeavor would be much easier... but, there's not much I can do about that. Heading out of Heartshome via the eastern exit, Gavin begins heading off, following the winding route towards Axelo Town, and eventually Sandberg. As he travels, he keeps his eyes open for any potentially useful items, as well as signs that valuable stones might be found nearby.

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While travelling, I'll be using my daily uses of both of my item-finding features.
Trainer Feature: Stone Hunting: (1d20+6)[24], Chosen Number: 16, Success Range: 14-18.
Trainer Feature: Rare Item Hunting: [roll.]1d20[/roll], Chosen Number: 10, Success Range: 6-14.

[OrchestraHc]

As the alarm clock blared away on the nightstand, a hand reached out from under the blankets to silence it. After a few taps in a familiar place proved futile, a messy head came out to examine it. You aren't my clock. Who are you? An examination of the bottom revealed a label that designated the clock as property of the Heartshome Pokemon Center. Yesterday began to piece itself back together for him. Yesterday he had his first call as a trainer. It was a very mixed experience.

After washing up and getting extra food for his new pokemon, T.J. decided to pick up were he left off yesterday and head to route 423. When T.J. reached the entrance, he stopped and released Dancho. "Dancho," he started, "remember that Ursaring from yesterday. Well, I've agreed to take it on as a team member." Dancho stood up from his sitting position. "No, I don't need you to fight it. It's been caught in a friend ball and fed, so it probably won't be hostile." T.J. picked the friend ball from his belt to show Dancho. "It's just that the ursaring has pretty clearly been abused, so I need your help to show that won't happen with me. It probably won't believe me at my word." Dancho walked to T.J.'s side and sat down, looking up at T.J. "You are the absolute best, partner." He threw the friend ball foward and hoped for the best.

What came out of the ball was a big hulking furry mass curled up on the ground. The terrifying Ursaring from earlier was sleeping. It was probably the first real sleep it's had in a while. Likely woken up from being released, the pokemon lifted its head and surveyed its surroundings. T.J. figured that whatever the Center staff for the Ursaring worked. Its coat was clean, its eyes were clear, it still looks skinny for an ursaring, but that would take time to fix. "Umm. H-hello," T.J. called to the beast much less afraid than he thought he'd be. The ursaring stood up and approached his new trainer, and the fear T.J. thought was missing came rushing in. Even being "skinny for an ursaring," the bear was still humoungus compared to T.J. in height and girth. Putting on a smile to hide his fear he continued his welcome to the Pokemon. "H-hi, I'm- I'm T.J. I'm your new t-trainer," he stammered. "When you n-knocked yourself out, your old trainer abandoned you. So the nurses gave you to m-me." He took a step back so the Ursaring wouldn't seem as big. "Actually, I asked for you," he amended, "I thought I could... No that's wrong. I think I can help you." The fear in T.J.'s voice began to fade, replaced by confidence that only seems to come when pokemon were involved. "I promise, I won't ever overwork you, or abuse you, or abandon you. I just want you to know all of that." Dancho took a step forward towards the Ursaring. The bear leaned in to sniff at the slowpoke, only to be welcomed to the team by Dancho yawning in it's face. Laughing a little bit, T.J. recalled Dancho back to his ball. "That's all Dancho, thank you," he said before turning his attention to the Ursaring. "The professor said to take it easy at first, so I won't ask you to battle today, but will you at least walk with me. It'll be nice to have a pokemon I can walk with, no offense to Dancho." The ursaring turned around and waited for T.J. to walk along side it before moving itself, as the two began to walk the route. "So, what do you think of the name Big Dipper?" T.J. asked to keep the conversation going. The Ursaring replied with a soft grunt. "Umm. One Grunt: Yes; Two Grunts No?"

[Ajadea]

For once in her life, Adela slept late. Her alarm clock, for once, consisted of being body-slammed by a hyper-active Riolu rather than a series of high-pitched beeps. "Yes, we're going today. If you didn't break more of my ribs just then," she groans, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

She stumbles into the shower and turns it on cold, trying to wake herself up and succeeding rather well. Breathing deeply was painful, and a workout sounded like the last thing she wanted, but her head felt better. Still, painkillers sounded like an excellent idea right now. She'd have to get some off one of the nurses. And breakfast. She was starving.

After getting dressed and using liberal amounts of toothpaste and mouthwash to get the dead taste out of her mouth, she searched for a nurse. "I'm heading out later today, so I'd like to know where I could get some food for me and this little one. And painkillers." She frowns and remembers the waxy orb in her pocket. "And before I leave, I'd like to speak with the professor-the one who had the experimental medicine? I want to make sure I know how to use it."

If Vichi was really going to evolve, she'd need a Pokemon to deal with the Ground, Fire, and Fighting types. "And if I could rent a rod from the mart, that'd be great."

[Gorgondantess]

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Check out the map. I'll be updating it in real time. It takes about 3 hours to cross one square, under ideal conditions.

Nathan:
Nathan was smart to get up so early, in order to largely beat the aggressive Aschen sun. When he heads out before 6 a.m., it's a nice, balmy temperature, easy going through paved roads. All is quiet, his only company the occasional early morning jogger or early bird taillow. (If you want to try to catch one, hit me up over chat and we'll do that right quick).
As he travels east, though, it starts getting hotter. And hotter. By the time Route 423 turns north and he can smell salt, it gets uncomfortably hot. And he's only been on the road a few hours.
Nevertheless, he presses ever onwards, going north. And it gets hotter. Trees and grass by the road fades to hard dirt and shrubs. And it gets hotter. Soon enough the mirage dances across the road. And it gets hotter. He's far too far in his journey to turn back, though, and he just has to press onwards over flat, empty roads.
And it gets hotter.
Soon enough, though, there's something off in the distance. Very far off are the mountains... but before that, a crossroads. He's on the southern road. To the north the asphalt fades to dirt, and leads into the Garin desert. And to the east it continues, heading up to hug the mountain range and move onwards.
And to the west, no road, but a rest stop. Small, but serviceable. He finds it deserted aside from a long haired boy in simple clothes sitting against the wall in the shade, hat pulled over his face. He's snoring gently, skin slicked with sweat and flies buzzing around him.
On his opposite side, Nathan finds as he approaches an abra, wearing an identical but smaller hat (with holes for the ears, of course) and in an identical position, sleeping. It would almost be cute if it weren't so damn hot.

Gavin:
Gavin could be considered both lucky and unlucky, when he woke up (8:00). Unlucky in that he's beating far less heat than Nathan was. Lucky in that he'll be in the area to do something about it when it gets really bad.
It's already hot when he wakes up, but being a well traveled gentleman, Gavin just takes his time, searching for stones off the side of the road, and bears the heat rather well. After a while, nearing noon and with the ocean in view to the east, he finds a rock he believes is an Oval Stone, used to evolve Happiny into Chansey. Of course, it might just be an oval stone, not an Oval Stone. Without a Happiny around, there's no way to tell.
As he's standing off the side of the road examining it, he hears a car come by and stop. Turning around, he sees a blonde woman in sunglasses looking out of a jeep at him. There's an Eevee in the passenger seat.
"What are you doin' off the side of the road like that, hun'?"

[BluesEclipse]

"Ah..." Gavin says, caught somewhat off guard by the woman's cheerful demeanor. Perhaps I can convince her to give me a ride, if nothing else... it would save quite a bit of time. "I'm on my way to Axelo, and eventually Sandberg. However, I came across this stone, and decided to inspect it. I'm glad I did, since it's the kind of Oval Stone that acts as the catalyst for a Happiny's evolution - or at least a remarkable facsimilie of one." Holding the stone up as he says that, Gavin shrugs, before slipping it into his pocket. "Naturally, one can never be truly certain without the Pokemon in question available to test it." Approaching the woman, and looking at the Pokemon in the passenger seat, Gavin smiles, and says, "That's quite a handsome Eevee, there... I've always been fond of that family. I'm Gavin Walker, by the way... Pokemon researcher and petrologist.

[Gorgondantess]

TJ:
First of all, Ursarings (Ursari?) are bipedal. They don't have the body structure to walk on four legs.
...But if you want your Ursaring to be a freak, I suppose that's cool.
Anyways.

As TJ nears the Ursaring, it reaches out and... pushes him. It's really just brushing against his chest with the back of its hand, but the density of the creature alone knocks the wind out of him and knocks him on his ass.
It makes a deep, contented noise. "Uhrrrr..." It seems kindof tired, all in all, but otherwise happy, and follows along dopily. As TJ begins questioning it, it just makes one single more deep half-growl, but doesn't grunt, per se.

...Do note that most pokemon have animalistic intelligence.

Along the route, you have a similar experience to Gavin: it is hot. Within about 15 minutes the Ursaring's fur is shining with sweat, and it's stumbling across the ground.

Adela:
Do remember that pokemon marts only give very generic stuff. In game terms: the stuff that goes in the medicine pocket, and pokeballs. Everything else, you have to get somewhere else. But this is a resort town, so it shouldn't be too hard to find a fishing store.

The nurse nods. "Of course... we can provide all that. Here, I'll fetch the professor while I get all that."
She heads into the back room, and returns later with some dry food and a couple bottles of water, as well as a bottle of aspirin. She directs you to a fishing store and a good, mild fishing spot for beginners.
"That should be an excellent way for you to relax while you recover."
It takes a few minutes for the professor to come out, and you notice she has blotches under the eyes and is wearing the same shirt under her labcoat as yesterday.
"Yes, what do you need? I'm in the middle of something, so make it quick."

Gavin:
The woman makes a sharp intake of breath. She looks rather impressed "Weeeeell. A smart one. What's an intelligent gentleman such as yourself doing trekking it on foot like that? Come on in, hun' I'm just going to catch some rays myself, but I can take you just south of there."
As you get in on the passenger side, she picks up the Eevee and puts it in the back, and you get a better look at her. She seems about Gavin's age, and is wearing a yellow one-piece bathing suit, her dark hair pulled back in a bun.
The Eevee regards you indifferently, but she's positively glowing. "Why yes, doesn't she have just a luxurious coat? Her name is Ezelle." She turns from gesturing back to the Eevee, and with a fluid motion lays one hand on her chest, bringing the attention back to herself, "And I am Margaret. But you can call me Marge, hun'. So what brings you to sunny little Aschen?"
She begins driving, and takes them off the Route and on to a sandy beach road.

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No, Gavin is not in the water, they're just south of the Route.

[Ajadea]

"Just wanted to make sure, if I get some Pokemon to show Vichi the proper move while he's under the effects of that experiment thing, he might learn it? Cause I don't want to waste the medicine, and I don't want it to do anything bad to him." Adela blurts out. She almost immediately feels an urge to smack her hand into her forehead, but it seems like a horrendous idea under the circumstances.

[BluesEclipse]

A small smile crosses Gavin's face as he says, "I'm actually trying to gather assistants for a research expedition... there's rumored to be fossils of undiscovered Pokemon breeds somewhere in the desert, and I've decided to look into it. If it's true... well, I'm sure you would agree that it would be quite the discovery. I need to find other capable individuals, though, before I'd even be prepared to travel into the desert - especially as I'm not all that familiar with Aschen myself. But I certainly don't want to bore you with my life story." Looking at Marge, he asks, "What about yourself? I'm guessing you're from Heartshome?" As he says this, he thinks to himself, This certainly is a lucky break for me... and I can't complain about the company, either. Good looks, good taste in Pokemon, and someone that can respect intelligence... Waiting for Marge's reply, Gavin's smile widens slightly as he reflects on his good fortune.

[OrchestraHc]

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Sorry, I was going by regular bears and an overestimation of the number 4. I can fix that post easy, but I think I like T.J. slightly overestimating the intelligence of most pokemon. Makes his interactions a little more funny.

T.J. had been spending the walk in a one sided conversation with his Ursaring. As the walk continued Big Dipper began to pant heavily and stumble as he walked, though still attempting to press on. T.J. was a Heartshome native, so before the heat had seriously begun to affect him, Dipper was an absolute mess. T.J. couldn't have felt worse for causing his pokemon's ragged condition.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! That's enough. We don't have to walk anymore if your tired." T.J. Recalled the Dipper back to his ball. There's a reason he had never seen an Ursaring before, and he rather stupidly forgot it. A steppe isn't going to be healthy for more than a few minutes. He had exaushted the Ursaring simply walking. Placing the ball back onto his belt, he continued on alone like he initially planned. He let out a sigh, as he began kicking the occaisional stone.

[Gorgondantess]

Adela:

The professor muses for a moment. "Well... I don't really know if it could teach a pokemon a move it couldn't normally learn. I suppose it could... yes, I'm sure it could! ...I'm pretty sure it could.
...But it might have some... Interesting results..."

"Frankly, I don't know what damage it could do. It's only been tested twice- perhaps it only works on aipoms! We'll just have to see, won't we?"

Gavin:
"Well- smart AND brave! What a combination!"
She lowers her sunglasses a bit and flashes some perfect white, shining teeth at you, blinking a bit, and you can see that she is wearing copious amounts of makeup- eyeshadow, mascara, deep red lipstick.
She waves a hand at your question, shrugging a bit with a flippant air, though her tone is quite dramatic.
"Why, yes, ever since my late husband passed away back in Kanto oh so many years ago I sold the old estate and moved to Heartshome. I just couldn't bear to be back there with all those memories."
The jeep rolls on through the beach, a sweet, cool breeze blowing by, the smell of salt, the sound of wingull. There is a moment of silence as you enjoy those things, until Marge, somewhat uncomfortably, continues the conversation.
"Well then, Mr. Scientist Man- actually, I don't believe I got your name! How funny! Anyways, have you ever been to Axelo? Oh, of course not, you just said you'd never been to Aschen! Silly old me. I personally don't go through there very much, never had much a reason to, just a quaint little mining town. What are you heading there for? Hoping to check the mines for the next great pokemon breakthrough?"

TJ: Yeah, that's cool. Intelligence 4 means intelligence along the lines of an ape, or pig, or something like that. Smart, very smart for an animal... but still just an animal.

You travel along for a mundane time, nothing much happening. However, as you move along, you see a group of black specks swarming in the air above a telephone pole...
As you move closer, there's an interesting sight: a pidgeot or pidgeotto- you're not sure which, but either way it looks quite strong sitting atop the telephone pole- surrounded by a swarm of murkrow. The murkrow are screeching and cawing, swooping in and darting at the nevertheless unflinching pidge, and soon enough you see why: it's carrying one of the murkrow, dead, in one claw, chomping on it and looking almost defiantly at the other murkrow, as if daring them to try to take it on.
One works up the bravery to do just that. It flies in, and the pidge drops its meal (the corpse landing not ten feet from TJ), flying forwards and snatches the other murkrow out of midair. It lands on another telephone pole, beginning its fresher meal, and the shrieks of the murkrow increase.

[OrchestraHc]

T.J. almost jumped out of his skin when the bird pokemon dropped it's prey. Seeing a predator in motion, nature shows didn't do it justice. A bird swiping another out of the sky is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it opportunity. Grace, power, and ferocity, all represented in a single... Pidgeotto? Pidgeot? Abnormally large and crested Pidgey? What the heck is that thing? The Pidge was an impressive pokemon, and any trainer would want it for his team, but what type it was could decide whether T.J. could catch it.

Finding out which type it was wouldn't be hard, though. T.J. pulled out his pokedex and checked his Seen Pokemon. The pokedex had a passive scanning mode so if the Pidge in question was a Pidgeot, it would have checked it off when it flew by and dropped it's earlier meal.

If it was a Pidgeotto, T.J. was fairly certain Dancho could take it. If it was a Pidgeot, he decided it might be best to let nature take it's course. At most, he could catch a Murkrow after this was all over.

[BluesEclipse]

"Kanto, you say? Hmm... I actually hail from Pewter, myself." Gavin says, offhandedly, as he thinks to himself, ...Perhaps I've given her too much credit, to begin with. One would think she'd have paid attention when I introduced myself... or, failing that, made sure she knew who I was before offering me a ride. Schooling his features, Gavin responds belatedly to her questions, "It's Gavin. And really, I'm just passing through Axelo, as I said... Sandberg is my ultimate destination. I felt it wise not to attempt travelling through the deserts myself, though." After a moment's thought, Gavin asks, "So, I'm curious... How is it that you came upon such a magnificent specimen as Ezelle? My understanding is that female Eevees are quite rare... one would expect the breeders to hold onto them, quite honestly."

[Bad Situation]

Nathan wanted to curse. To scream at anything, anyone but found himself unwilling to give a damn. It was too hot. He simply did not give any damns. Not altogether surprising though, he had never really bothered with emotion. Emotions made him feel uncomfortable, and anything he did feel, he kept to himself. And there lay his salvation, repressing emotions gave way to logic and right now the logical course of action was to reach Sandberg as quickly as possible. Finding himself without a means of self propelled flight (barring Ender carrying him across, an amusing image to say the least), that would mean traversing the Garin Desert. On foot. In this sort of heat. Right.

He could do this. If he kept telling himself that he was capable of this task he would realize how simple it would be to put one foot in front of the other. Any second now, he would stride magnificently through the barren desert, and emerge victorious. A Frost didn't let things like terrain and nature command his fears.

Closing his eyes, he began his desert adventure.

And with some hope he would be able make some distance before giving up and running back onto the Route.

[Ajadea]

"Gotcha. Sorry for bothering you." Adela heads off quickly as she can without making her breathing labored, popping one of the aspirins in her mouth as she walks. She grabs her stuff quickly and heads out to the store. Maybe she'd catch a Magikarp.

[Bad Situation]

About twenty minutes into the desert Nathan realizes that he's made a terrible mistake. He envies past Nathan, who only had to deal with heat. No no, Current Nathan has it much worse. Which is to say, HE has it much worse. Sand in his shoes. Dust in his eyes. The painful realization that he had probably swallowed about a mouthful of sand by now. Yes, past Nathan was beyond stupid, what kind of idiot went into a desert without food and water.

He would like to have a few words with Path Nathan.

...


Good lord, he was getting delirious. It was probably a good time to head back.

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PCHOOOOOO

[Bad Situation]

Nathan soon found himself back at the crossroad, and was pleased to see that nothing had changed since his departure.

The Garin Desert was simply not the place to be it seemed, fortunately he had not wasted too much time out in the sands. If he started now, Route 423 would easy enough to conquer but first he needed something to drink. Stupidity made one ever so thirsty.

The rest stop didn't seem to have any employees, but perhaps the boy outside could help. Waking people up was rude though, so he plopped down next to the boy and cleared his throat.

Several times.

And occasionally nudging the boy.

[Gorgondantess]

Adela:
The Fishing shop is a short walk from the pokemon center, located by the beach. It has all sorts of supplies for catching water pokemon: net balls, rods, nets, even items like water stones, king's rocks, mystic water, and a special on Surf & Dive TMs (for the discerning Deep-Sea fisher).
There's also a large tank with a massive Relicanth in it.
The man behind the counter is fiddling with a rod, and he turns around when you walk in. "Morni..."
Then he sees your bandages, and flinches horribly.
"Geez! What happened to you, girl? Are you alright?"

TJ:
Checking the pokedex, it takes about a minute to scan it from this distance, during which time a few murkrow dive bomb it at a time. It fights them all off rather quickly, but manages to accumulate some wounds from it.
It is, in fact, a pidgeotto- though the crest is very long for one.

[Ajadea]

Adela smiles, then abruptly shuts her mouth. Smiling is probably not the reaction the man wanted to see, damn it. "Got my head slammed into the Pokemon Center counter by a flea-bitten Ursaring," she says. No reason to hide or gloss over the truth. "'m fine now. Can I rent a rod? Figured fishing would be better than trying Route 423 with a concussion." It sounds idiotic, and she has to fight to keep another misplaced smile off her face.

[Gorgondantess]

Gavin:
"I bought Ezelle a few years ago, from a breeder. My late husband was quite a talented investor, and he's made sure I'll never want for anything."
She sighs, and lays a hand on her chest.
"Even in death."
She instantly changes from her dramatic tone to a more conversational one.
"Anyways, I figured if I was going to take my Ezelle to spas and stylists, a little boy simply wouldn't do, now, would it?"

She turns north, and stops at the end of a thin rocky road, impassable for a car. "Well, here's where you get off. I'm heading down the beach a bit more yet. Now, to get to Axelo... oh, why don't I just write you the directions!"
She pulls a slip of paper out of a pocket notebook and scribbles on it a bit before handing it to you.
"See you around, Mr. Scientist Man." She bats her eyes coquettishly, and drives off.
On the piece of paper are some very, very simple directions- she probably didn't even need to write them down at all- and her phone number.
The mountains are visible quite close off in the distance, and it's already cooler by a bit. You know that this is due to the natural fog barrier created by the mountains, though, and not actually the time of day. It's about noon by now.
The path is very rocky, but there's some relatively smooth dirt and gravel. As you walk along, it's relatively quiet- a geodude scampers off as you approach, but that's it. Until, as you're walking along, your foot sinks into the ground up to the ankle... and something bites you in the toes! You yank out your foot to find a nasty, grubby little Larvitar clamped down onto the end of your shoe, and it doesn't seem to want to let go. It's already pierced through the leather, and it hurts like hell.

Spoiler

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5 damage to Gavin.

Adela:
The guy nods. "Oh yeah... I heard about that. The Pokemon Center here gets hit about once a year- so few trainers in these parts, they all think it's an easy mark. And it sortof is. The fact that the professor there keeps ordering in expensive equipment doesn't help either." He wrinkles his nose in distaste, obviously preferring peace and quiet to scientific pursuits. "Ah, well."
"So you're one of the trainers who helped fight them off, then? Just a sec." He goes in the back room, and takes out a nice looking rod and a tackle box. "Here- it's on me. Just bring 'em back when you're done. You want a ride to a fishing spot, or are you good on your own?"

Nathan:
The sleeping figure shifts a bit, then stretches its arms, yawning widely. The hat falls off, and you see that it's not a boy but a relatively flat-chested, young looking woman.
She looks you in the eye a little blearily, brushing herself off and getting up, putting her hat back on. She puts on a little lazy-eyed smirk, speaking laconically.
"Hello, sir. What can I do for ya?"

[Ajadea]

"A ride. Thank you," Adela adds belatedly. She hangs around the store looking at stuff until she's sure the Pokedex picked up the Relicanth, and then heads out with the man.

[Gorgondantess]

Adela:
The man carries the stuff for you, and leads you to a small pickup. "Hop on in."
And you're off.
"Y'know, I used to be a trainer myself," He says. "When I was 15 I was deep-sea fishing with my dad, and I caught that Relicanth you see there. Well, I already had a Lanturn, thought I could make it. I got myself a Gyarados, a Sharpedo, even a Kingdra..." He sighs, and shakes his head.
"Those were the days. Good times. But, I donno, I suppose I just lost too many times and I kindof just petered out. Didn't have enough money to make ends meet, anyways, so I opened up the fishing shop. Had to sell all my pokemon... all but the Relicanth, that is, but it all worked out in the end."
He nods. "Y'know, regardless of whether or not you succeed, it sure is an experience. And while a lot of it's hard, and painful... That won't be the last of your wounds, I guarantee it- I don't think I'd go back and change anything, even if I could. Then again, I might've just been lucky. So how about you, then? You going to go for the Championships, or what?"

You drive to the end of town, until you come to a bridge that leads to a large pier. "You should be able to find the gamut here- saltwater magickarp, tentacool, chinchou, remoraid, mantyke... nothing too challenging, but still a good variety." He nods. "You need help using that thing, or can you manage on your own?"

[Ajadea]

"I'll manage," Adela says. She isn't quite sure if she is referring to the fishing or the training. The idea of being smacked around to the brink of death again didn't exactly appeal, but really, that was what things like gauze, doctors, and aspirin were for. She sets up on the end of the pier and baits the hook in silence. After a moment, she gets Vichi to sit down and behave, then throws out the hook.

It was a bit hard to believe...well, most of yesterday. The Pokemon Center got damaged and rebuilt a lot, yeah, but things like death, until this time, had always been someone elses problem. Now it wasn't. Which was what she signed up for.

Someone had to do it really. Better her than someone like that kid with the Slowpoke.

[Gorgondantess]

Adela has problems with the rod at first, being an inexperienced fisher, but quickly enough gets everything under control.
And she waits, casting here and there. Vichi fidgets.
Things start getting even hotter, and sweat breaks out on her skin. Vichi is too bored and hot to even fidget anymore.
She continues to cast her rod, to no avail. It's even hotter. Vichi decides to jump in the lagoon to cool of, and of course because he can't swim, Adela has to dive in and rescue him. At least that'd cool her down.
And more nothing.
Until, finally, when she's about to give up... a bite! And a strong one! In fact, Adela almost fell in the water from it. She pulls at the rod, Vichi grabbing her leg and pulling as well for dear life. She pulls... and pulls... the rod bends all the way around, and seems about to snap... until finally it gives! Adela falls on her bottom, and still attached to the rod, she sees a huge magickarp fly into the air. It arcs overhead, above her head... in fact, directly above her head...
And until now, she'd never really thought how much a fish landing on her face could hurt. Now, she knows: a lot. She feels like she has a black eye, and likely a broken nose as well. In fact, she's sure of the latter: blood is dripping down her chin.
She's sent flailing to the ground, and the magickarp is flopping around on the pier, heading back towards the water.

Spoiler

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23 damage to Adela.
Effects of concussion: -2 strength and dexterity. You DO have the jump on it.