RPG Pokemon: Nazumi League (Group A) [E]

[Imp]

NOTE: Make sure you know which group you're in (if you're not sure, check the Underground thread) before posting here. This is for Group A only.
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--[b][i]In Professor Willow's lab--[/b][/i]

Professor Willow sat in her usual spot in her small laboratory--on an office chair which faced a shelf topped with keyboards and papers, and three large computer screens on the wall. At this point, the screen in the middle showed a Pokemon box, with all sorts of Pokemon icons in it. Willow was dragging these different Pokemon about, and occasionally moving one to a box on the right screen. As she clicked on each one of the Pokemon, the left screen popped up an info chart on the Pokemon, showing the species and level and such. The screen switched off and on a few times, displaying stats of a Turtwig, Sentret, Hoothoot, Diglett... and a little pink bunny Pokemon that was native to Nazumi. Then when an Altaria showed up, Willow dragged its icon over to the right screen--meaning she was going to take it with her when she exited the lab--which would be very soon.

So soon, in fact, that a few moments later the computer screens were switched off, and Professor Willow was putting Pokeballs in her pocket as she walked out the door. It would be a matter of time before the small group of trainers she got together online would meet here in person...

* * * * * * *

[color=royalblue]The words Mr. and Mrs. Yukimori said were still fresh in Orbie's mind as she sat there in the blimp.

[i]"Good luck on your journey," Dad said to her.

"Hey Orbie, maybe you'll get an ice Pokemon too," Mum commented.

"I don't have a clue what I'm getting!" Orbie answered. [/i]But it sort of would be cool if I got a Piplup... but would she give out the same Pokemon that Professor Rowan does?[i]

"And maybe you'll meet Crystal along the way," Dad continued.

"Unless she knows about Nazumi... I doubt it." Orbie mainly said this because she didn't really care much for her sister.[/i]

The blimp Orbie was riding in was shaped like a Drifloon--except it was sky blue in colour. It had departed from the Valley Windworks near Floaroma Town back in Sinnoh about forty minutes ago, and was due to land on the shores of Nazumi very soon. During the flight, Orbie kept imagining what Pokemon she could possily end up with. For a while she imagined herself with a Piplup--but quickly extinguished that hope. Then she pictured Bidoof--which was cute, furry, fun... Stunky, which would be ugly and smelly... Magikarp, which would be a pain to train... Machop, which would be, um, fun to practice martial arts with... But wait a minute, then there was the possibility that Orbie would get a Nazumi Pokemon, just like Crystal did. Orbie couldn't imagine what sorts of new Pokemon were found here in Nazumi, or varieties of existing ones... wouldn't it be neat to have a pre-evolved form of the Heracross she saw once in a tree? Orbie really didn't know too much about Pokemon training, but she did know about a large handful of Pokemon in general, because she saw many of them back in various parts of Sinnoh.

The beach was a warm welcome into this continent of Nazumi, and Orbie knew it the second she stepped out of the blimp. She saw a few people on the beach--swimming in the water, eating popsicles while lying on towels, and playing with their Pokemon. For a while, Orbie's eyes focused on a small grey dog Pokemon she had never seen before. She listened for what the boy it was playing with called it--but all she could make out was something like "moochy anna". Moochyanna was a weird name for a Pokemon... Anyways, past the beach were some buildings and sidewalks that signified a city.

"Well here you are," the pilot said to Orbie. "Welcome to Seaport City!"

"Thanks," Orbie greeted as she turned away from the blimp. When she did, the pilot saw her backpack.

"So you like Piplup?" the pilot asked. "I've never seen them in the wild here in Nazumi, but they're available as starter Pokemon in Sinnoh. Sure you don't want me to get you one from Professor Rowan? Nah, just kidding, kid."

As Orbie walked through the streets of Seaport City, she saw lots of shops, many of which were based on Pokemon. Also there were various kiosks which either held merchandise, games, or even Pokemon for sale. One booth was selling a bunch of Pokemon eggs which were painted white and had question marks on them. ("Mystery Eggs! You just never know which Pokemon you'll get!") There were other shops that sold various items for beginning trainers, such as Pokeballs, healing items, maps, and field guides. Every street held a new surprise, and Orbie just kept looking around, in awe at all that there was.

Orbie turned past a large building onto a street that was less crowded than the others. On the right side of the street were a bunch of office buildings, and there was a building on the left that looked empty. Between that building and the one past which she turned was a smaller building that as partially hidden by an overgrowth of trees. It was rather appropriate that one of those trees was a willow tree--this was because of the sign in front of the building (which was the exact same colour of the blimp Orbie arrived in) that said "Pokemon Laboratory" on it. Behind it, partially hidden by the eaves, was a smaller sign that read "Vi Willow: Pokemon Professor". This sign was next to a door--on the other side of the door was Professor Willow herself, sitting on a box.

"Hello," Willow greeted. "Were you by any chance looking for me?"

"...Oh, yes," Orbie replied. "I'm Orbie Yukimori--we, um, talked on Pokemon Virtual?"

"Ah, so you are. You do sound like her. Not that I would have known how your voice sounded online--but rather from your manner of speaking."

"...Does it really make that much of a difference..." Orbie muttered, pronouncing each word very carefully.

"I can presume you are excited about getting a Pokemon, then?"

"Oh, of course!" Orbie answered. "I keep wondering which Pokemon I'll get..."

"That's for me to know and you to find out soon. Though I assure that you won't get Snowbite like your sister did."

"Though I don't know... even that Moochyanna I saw on the beach a while ago would be neat."

Willow didn't respond.

"...Moochyanna? The gray... dog... thing?" Orbie couldn't believe a Pokemon Professor could not know about a Pokemon.

"Ha ha, you mean Poochyena. And no, you won't be getting it either. Poochyena's too plain for you--it's a pretty common Pokemon in its homeland of Hoenn. Anyways, once we have the other four here, we can start handing out Pokemon."

And so Willow and Orbie waited, right in front of the lab, precisely where the other trainers were supposed to meet.[/color]

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OOC: OK, the first thing you need to do is get to Professor Willow's lab in Seaport City, Okawa. It doesn't matter how you get there--you don't have to go in a Drifloon blimp like my character did. Just make sure that your character doesn't have any Pokemon yet. If you have time left over, you may look around Seaport City for a while. Seaport City is a popular and lively place, so there's lots to do...

*(You don't have to make posts as long as mine--I just got a little carried away this time...)

[Lionheart]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"] The walking path was plain. Nothing really special about it, besides the small rocks that lined up from side to side. A light breeze blow past him as parts of his red jacket gently flap along with the wind. Today was his day to recieve his pokemon and finally start his journey that he was destined to do since he was born. His parents encourage him to find a new light, in the darkness he had created in his heart. It was weird to not feel anything after watching them cry and cry over his leaving.

A twig snapped under his foot as he escaped from his trace. the wind blew harder as it made him turn to see a little pink house. Leaves fell from a nearby tree as they scattered across the lawn. It was Ceclia's house. The house that belonged to his true love. On his fifteenth birthday, he found out it wasn't true after all.

"Morning! You live here?" said a voice as it broke Ryan's stare from the house. It was the milkman preforming his daily routine. He seemed to always wear a bright, loving smile every morning.

"Um.. No I don't." Ryan replied as he stepped out of his way so he would able to put the milk down.

"Normally I go on 'bout my business, but it seems something is troubling you." He questioned as he slowly rose after setting the milk down.

"No sir, everything is fine." Ryan bowed his head as a saying of goodbye and began to walk away."

"mmm.... Poor kid."

Ryan entered the most populated part of Seaport city as the crowd seemed busier then ever. Ryan rarely came here as the noise can easily become hectic for anyone. He began his way through the ever so growing crowds of people. No one seemed to know what they were doing as ninety percent of them were on their cell phones, talking away.

[I]They should make a building for 'cell phone talkers'. That way, I wouldn't have to fight my way through hell.[/I]

Ryan managed to break away after almost getting vomit all over himself. Luckily, the baby happened to throw up on the guy behind him. Not long after getting away from the baby vomit, Ryan spotted two large trees nearby. A sign read, "Pokemon Laboratory". Ryan knew he had landed at the 'X'. He made his way to the door when he noticed two people standing by it. One seemed like a professor type, while the other was a girl, about his age.

"Well hello there! May I help you?" asked Professor Willow, seeminly trying to study his facial expressions.

"My name is Ryan Spades. Im here to begin anew."

"...Oh, that right! How's your mother doing?" Ryan didn't show it, but it bugged him how everyone knew his mother. His mother was the over-talker around. Always wants to make conversation and let everyone know who she is.

"Doing great...." He wanted to get the pokemon and leave.

"Alright, well sit tight. We have to wait for three more!" Ryan did a small sigh. The girl saw him do this, but turned away quickly after making eye contact him. He slowly wlaked to the building and put his back against the wall.

[I]Just relax, Ryan. It was all begin soon.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Skye]

[size=1][color=blue][b]?Aja! AJA![/b]?

Aja turned around, maybe a little too quickly ? her head slammed into the ledge of the porch as she kneeled on the ground in the flowerbed outside the house she and her mom shared. With a groan, she fell on her face in the soft dirt. She lay there for a moment before realizing that maybe she should get up. Levered up on her elbows, she shook her head to clear it before standing up.

?[b]Ugh? my skirt is completely ruined.[/b]?

Aja glared down at said ruined garment and then winced when her mother called for her again.

?[b]Coming, Mama![/b]?

Dropping her spade, she darted up the steps and into the house. She nearly ran headlong into her mother with her arms full of a Growlithe that had a splint on its leg. Her mother gave an exasperated sigh.

?[b]Look at you. Go change into something clean and then you need to take this Growlithe back to Mr. Kinsey.[/b]?

Aja nodded and darted up the stairs to her room.

?[b]And don?t forget ? you?re supposed to go get your Pokemon today![/b]?

[center]~*~[/center]

The Growlithe had gone to sleep on her. It had drooled all over her shoulder, but she could fix that now that it was back with it?s trainer. Sitting at the train station waiting for her train, Aja proceeded to clean her jacket off. It felt rather gross. She wrinkled her nose. Her head swung around towards the platform as her train was called out and swung her bag over her shoulder. This was going to be so much fun.

[center]~*~[/center]

?[b]Ahhh! I love the sea![/b]? Aja stretched and sniffed the sea air with a joyous attitude. It was so pretty and smelled so wonderful. Then her stomach growled. Then again. With an embarrassed look, Aja looked around for a food stall. Her nose was filled with a wide variety of smells and she let it lead her to the best one.

?[b]Pork buns! Yum![/b]?

Aja purchased three from the vendor before continuing her walk. Professor Willow had said it was just this way, right past this street? ?[b]Ah![/b]?

Catching sight of two trainers and a professor sitting outside a building, Aja figured she must be there.

?[b]Hi! I?ve been looking everywhere! Are you Professor Willow?[/b]?[/color][/size]

OOC: Hope that?s good.

[Imp]

OOC:
~Your post was fine, Stephanie. It wasn't nearly as short and boring as some posts I saw when I started this RPG on another site.
~It's been a week since the last post, so I think we should just continue this RPG. Premonition and White still have time to catch up though. For now, I will just assume that Ethan and Junior somehow showed up at the lab.

IC:
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After a little while, which mostly consisted of chat amongst the trainers-to-be and with Professor Willow, there were five people plus the professor gathered around the front of the lab. One of them was a rather cute and peppy-looking teenage girl who wore mostly black and pink. The second was a boy roughly the same age as the first, and had blond hair that looked sort of similar to hers as well. Then there was a slightly younger boy with black hair, who didn't look nearly as peppy or excited as the three blondes. Yes, three--then there was a very young boy who happened to be dressed like a ninja. He was perhaps the peppiest of them all, and on top of that was his excitement about the journey. And the last trainer-to-be was a girl who was just a little older than the ninja boy, one who had blue hair and had a Piplup on her shirt. She wasn't that peppy either, but she was grinning and shaking with excitement about her first Pokemon.

Professor Willow smiled too--for she was beginning to be overwhelmed by all the excitement that was going on. In fact, she could hardly bear it much longer... so she made an announcement.

"Um... attention?"

It took a little while for all five trainers-to-be to exit their dream worlds and focus their attention.

"Well, I know you probably know it already, but for those who just arrived a few seconds ago, I am Professor Willow."
Willow nearly blushed when she said the word "professor".
"...And as you can probably tell, I spend far more time working on a computer than talking to people in person."

By that time, there was silence. Even the noise from the people on the main street seemed far away.

"Well, let's get started, then," Willow continued, sounding a little more confident this time. "Now, as you all know, I have invited you to go on a journey--a Pokemon journey. I must say this would be a great opportunity to see all sorts of places and Pokemon as well. Nazumi has been a home of almost every kind of Pokemon in existence, plus a few that are not even known in other regions yet. You may think of this as a sort of vacation as well as an adventure. And, it gives you an opportunity to experience what it truly means to be a Pokemon Trainer. You will get to keep Pokemon, catch Pokemon, battle Pokemon... and make your way up to the newly restarted Nazumi League! ...But I suppose I already said that on Pokemon Virtual...?"

Willow was beginning to see a few impatient faces in the group.

"...Anyways, before I say too much more, I will now give you something you are all excited about--am I right? Seven letters, starts with a P?"

"...Pokemon?" the youngest boy in the group asked.

"Well, aren't you the clever one..." Willow replied with a sheepish giggle. "...Junior Calypso, is that right? All the way from Hoenn. Nice place, with all the Contest Halls..."

Willow's voice trailed off as she turned around to pick up a small box. Soon enough, the group of trainers-to-be saw it: a black box with a Pokeball design on it. Willow opened this box and took a Pokeball out of it. This she handed to Junior.

"Why does he have to be first..." one of the other boys muttered under his breath.

"This Pokeball contains, of course, your first Pokemon," Willow continued. "Well, Junior, I heard you're a big fan of Fighting Pokemon. Fighting is a very interesting type indeed--plain, yet interesting. And not to mention powerful. I can only hope you'll become an expert with fighting Pokemon. ...But anyhow, let's see how you do with this Pokemon as a starter."

Junior had a half-excited, half-confused look on his face as he took the Pokeball from the professor.

"Who will be next..." Willow muttered as she scanned the row of trainers-to-be. She stopped at the girl with pink streaks in her blond hair.
"Ah, Aja Lumni, the lovely lady from Goldenrod City. Well, it so happens that your first Pokemon is the same type as Junior's, but it is a very different Pokemon indeed. I think you'll have fun with it--provided you don't try to pet it after it runs."

Aja took the Pokeball, smiling and blushing because of the comment Willow made about her appearance and her Pokemon.

"Well," Willow continued, "I suppose I will be doing this in a boy-girl-boy-girl-boy fashion. That having been said..."
Willow turned to the confident-looking young man with the green jacket.
"Ethan Hurley. You're from Cerulean City and love Fire Pokemon. Interesting... Anyways, I will give you a huge hint on your starter Pokemon: it's Fire-type."

Ethan's face lit up when Willow mentioned his Pokemon being Fire-type. However, although he knew the type, he didn't know [i]which[/i] Fire-type. Growlithe? Slugma? Houndoom? Or even Cyndaquil, his favourite Pokemon? Whatever it was, Ethan was rather eager to open the Pokeball that was now in his hands...

"Fourth on our list is a girl by the name of Orbie Yukimori," Willow announced, turning to the girl with the blue hair and the Piplup on her shirt. "Well, Orbie is an interesting name, as is Yukimori..."

"Well of course you would remember," Orbie mentioned, "because you gave my sister her first Pokemon as well."

"Yes, well... anyways, I've already told you that your starter will not be a Snowbite or a Poochyena," Willow said as she handed Orbie a Pokeball. "I will also tell you that it won't be a Piplup either."
[i]Pssh... if I give out Piplup as well, I might as well change my name to Rowan.[/i]

"Not a Piplup...?" Orbie muttered somberly as she looked at her Pokeball. However, she wasn't devastated by the fact that she didn't get a Piplup--there was room left to wonder what the starter might be after all!

"And lastly," Willow continued, "we have this young fellow."
Willow pointed to the black-haired boy that didn't seem as energetic as the others.
"You must be Ryan Spades. Had a bit of an interesting love affair quite a while back, I gather. Well, for your trouble I have reserved a special Pokemon for you. This Pokemon I am giving you is one that is rather uncommon, and was once considered legendary, even. Now, this Pokemon might be a bit tougher to raise than normal, but I'm sure you will be able to handle it in due time."

Ryan didn't smile nor say a word when Willow handed him the Pokeball. A part of him even thought Willow was being too nice.
[i]"Once considered legendary"? "Tougher to raise than normal"?[/i]

"All right, now before you open your Pokeballs..." Professor Willow announced, staring for a moment at Aja who was just about to toss her Pokeball into the air. "...if you open them now, you won't hear a thing I say afterward. Besides, I have more things to give you and more things to say about the Nazumi League."

Willow reached into the box once more and took out a few more Pokeballs. She handed two of them to everyone.

"Whoa, we get more than one Pokemon...?" Orbie wondered.

"No, these are empty," Willow corrected. "These are for you to capture other Pokemon with. Speaking of which, for those of you who don't know already, you have to weaken a Pokemon before capturing it. I will not go into all the boring details at this point... but anyways."

The next things Willow handed out were a bunch of square devices. They looked sort of like Pokedexes, except they were all different colours. They had a small Pokeball design on the front and seemed to be able to fold out and reveal other things.

"Heh, I'm sorry if there's a colour bias..." Willow apologised. "I made them different colours so they don't all look the same, so they can be told apart... Now, I suppose you're all wondering what these devices are. I know some of you may think they're Pokedexes. If you thought that, you're correct, but not completely. These devices are simply called Pokevices. ...Didn't know what else to call them. Anyways, a Pokevice can identify any Pokemon you see, but it also contains special information on any Pokemon you catch, keeps a record of which badges you earn, has a map of the region, and can even be used to contact other people, like a telephone. But enough about the Pokevices. Now a word--or rather several--about the Nazumi League. I suppose most of you are aware of Pokemon gyms in your home regions. There are eight gyms each in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. But Nazumi is a bigger region--so big that it is divided into the subregions of Okawa--that's the one we're in now--and Mire. Okawa has eight gyms while Mire has four--so Nazumi has twelve gyms in all.

Some of the group members' jaws dropped when Willow said this.

"Now don't worry... you don't have to earn all twelve badges in order to get into the Nazumi League. First of all, chances are that you won't be entering Mire until much later on in your journey. After all, another Pokemon professor--Professor Maple--sort of presides over that region. Secondly, you are in a group of five, so it doesn't make any sense for all of you to earn twelve badges. So I have officially lowered the badge requirement for the League down to four. You may earn more than four badges, of course, if you want--but four is the minimum requirement. However, for this group's purposes... as a group, you have to earn badges from at least eight different gyms. This means that if all five of you earn badges from the same four gyms, you are not yet ready to enter the League until somebody earns badges from another four gyms. So you get to choose at which level of training your Pokemon skills will be tested--to a certain extent."

"Well," Professor Willow concluded, "I don't want to drone on and on here. If you have questions at all about your Pokemon, the Pokevices, or the Nazumi League, you all have me registered in the phone feature of your Pokevices. Or, you may ask me now. But one last thing: a hint. There is a Pokemon gym in Pollen Village, which is due east of here. The route there is pretty easy--it consists of mostly grassland and a few tree clusters. The gym itself is run by a woman named Mary Elle, who specializes in baby Pokemon--and runs the local daycare. Other than that, that is all, and I will bid you farewell on your Pokemon Journey. This means that you are all officially Pokemon Trainers."

~ ~ ~

[color=royalblue]Although there was that one small nagging thought at the back of Orbie's head, constantly reminding her that she would not be getting Piplup as a starter, Orbie felt fairly enthusiastic about which Pokemon was inside the Pokeball she was now holding. But before she opened the Pokeball, she took a look at the little blue device in her hand. Curious, she pressed the button in the middle of the Pokeball design...

CLICK! The top half of the Pokeball design flipped upward to reveal a screen. The bottom half flipped sideways to reveal another screen. Beneath the design was a very tiny screen that looked as if it could only display a line of text, and a set of buttons. Orbie also noticed a little stylus sitting in a slot on the side of the Pokevice. It was a cute little stylus--it looked like a miniature pen with a tiny Piplup on the top.

[i]I guess she knows I like Piplup![/i] Orbie thought. [i]Oh, speaking of Pokemon...[/i]

Orbie still had yet to find out what her starter Pokemon was. So she looked at the Pokeball in her hand for a while, excited yet not quite sure what to do...
[i]How do I open this thing anyways?[/i]
Orbie remembered other trainers opening Pokeballs--they did so by either tossing them into the air or pressing some button Orbie couldn't find.
[i]I suppose I should try tossing it...[/i]

Orbie tossed the Pokeball about a foot into the air. Not quite sure she had done it right, she expected to catch the ball in the hand she just threw with. But, before that happened, the ball stopped midair, flipped around, and opened. The red, laser-like energy inside of it formed a sort of shape, which materialized into a black and white creature. This creature--this Pokemon--landed in Orbie's arms.

"Ohh--it's soft!"
The furry lump Orbie was holding looked like a little cat that had black and white fur, little black and white paws, and a fluffy white tail.

"Patta," the cat Pokemon said as it looked at Orbie with its adorable green eyes.

"Aww..." Orbie couldn't help but say. "...But what kind of Pokemon is it? What's its name?"

Orbie glimpsed one of the other trainers pointing their Pokevice at a Pokemon, so she figured she could do the same. So Orbie pointed her own Pokevice at her new Pokemon. When it did, the screen on the left side of the device remained blank, but the top screen showed a picture of the Pokemon. The tiny screen in the middle showed the Pokemon's name: Patacata. Seconds later, the Pokevice began to speak:

[i]"Patacata, the black kitten Pokemon. Patacata can make good pets, but are often known to cause bad luck and misfortune to strangers or people they don't like. Aside from this mysterious ability, Patacata hasn't been recognised for any other mysterious powers... and is thus classified as a Normal-type."[/i]

A while later, the screen on the left finally came on. When it did, it showed a list of information on Orbie's new Patacata.

"Patacata
Species: Patacata
Gender: Female
Type: Normal
Level: 5
Location: Party
Ability: Bad Luck
Attacks: Tackle, Sharpen, Fury Swipes"

Orbie looked puzzled when she saw some of the information--and then remembered that she could ask Professor Willow about it. Well, of course she would know everything about a device she designed herself...

"Um..." Orbie muttered while looking at Willow. She did not know whether to address her as Willow, Professor, Vi, or...

"Yes, a question, perhaps?" Willow inquired.

"Oh, yes, um..."
Orbie showed Willow the screen on her Pokevice.
"What does this mean? It doesn't look like Patacata is currently at a party..."

"Ha ha ha, 'Party' just means you are carrying the Pokemon with you. It's not that important at this point, but it doesn't mean she's out partying. Though she may be celebrating the arrival of her new trainer in her mind."

"Ehheh... oh, oopsie. Oh, and another thing. What does this 'bad luck' ability mean?"

"Oh, that ability doesn't do that much--at least not enough to a point where you will notice anything. But it doesn't mean your Patacata has bad luck--though her opponents might."

Orbie was deeply embarrassed to be asking all these questions--it really was hard being the member of the group that knew the least about Pokemon. Indeed, she was definitely a newbie in the Pokemon world, and had apparently received a Pokemon that reflected that...
[i]But at least it's cute,[/i] Orbie concluded.[/color]
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OOC: All right, now is the time to get to know your Pokemon, check out your Pokevice... By the way, you can be a little creative on how exactly your Pokevice works--they don't have to all look the same as Orbie's. Yes, you can even have a stylus on yours that has your favourite Pokemon on it--though that is optional.

...I am hoping to post again within the next few days in order to start traveling. I also hope Premonition and White will get their posts in before I do, but no pressure.