Chapter One: Time to go Adventuring~!

[xxninja]

Lee had thanked Professor Pine. She thanked him loudly, and she thanked him a lot. Still, no amount of thanks could express her eternal gratitude to him for her Houndour, which she had immediately deemed Snark. She was now a Pokemon trainer, and no one was going to tell her otherwise. She'd left the lab with her head held high, practically screaming her final thank you through the door before she headed out to Route 1.

Lee decided she liked Route 1. It reminded her of home, of the forests she used to explore endlessly. Iza liked it too. He became a Wingull again, soaring through and above the trees, both taking in the familiar fresh scent of a wooded area. Occasionally she would stray from the path to walk atop a fallen log, or sniff a pretty flower, but her daemon always reminded her not to wander too far, for the road would take them to the next town.

Snark had stayed out with them since their departure from the lab; Lee didn't see the need to return him to his Pokeball, for they couldn't get to know each other if he was cooked up inside. He seemed quite satisfied to be able to leave the stuffy, un-orderly lab and be able to stretch his legs. Though it had been his home since birth, he didn't seem to mind leaving-- after all, the Pokemon were bred there to be distributed to aspiring trainers. He would often run ahead, bark at some unsuspecting Starly or Pidgey or mark his... territory before slowing his pace for his new trainer to catch up. They hadn't gone far before something odd happened.

For no particular reason at all, an enormous monster burst from the trees! Despite herself, our young hero screamed in an un-heroic manner. Hearing the commotion and rush of strong emotion (heh heh, I can rhyme! x3) from his human, Izara automatically swooped down into her arms and became a Pikachu, snuggling close to comfort her but looking back to see what had provoked her. Looming over them was not a monster, but a Kangaskhan! There was a pained look on her face as she slowly approached Lee... Snark retreated back to the girl, snarling fiercely, but she just stood there, paralyzed with unmistakable fear. She thought for sure that the monster would attack her, or bite her head off in one powerful snap, but... She didn't. However, what she did do was quite a bit more strange. The lumbering beast began to weep, uttering miserable cries and hanging her great head. This made Lee forget all about being afraid-- what could make a Kangaskhan cry like that? It was Iza who realized the truth.

"Look at her pouch," he whispered in her ear, pointing with one yellow paw. The girl frowned. "So? What about it?"

"It's empty! Don't you get it?"

And then it hit her. Had she... Lost her child? She'd never seen a Kangaskhan without a baby in it's pouch, unless it was a baby itself. Then, without thinking, she approached the sobbing Pokemon.

"There, there, it's okay... Everything's gonna be okaaaaay...."

She stopped there, not quite knowing what to do now. Maybe she should hug her, or pet her or something... Instead she just smiled up at the creature, emerald eyes sparkling. It was then that she realized this wasn't your ordinary Kangaskhan. There was something different... She let out a small gasp, realizing she was shiny! That was really rare-- two shinies in one day! Imagine the odds? But that wasn't important now. What really mattered was helping out this poor mother.

[Birdybot]

ooc// You put this in the board for Route Two, so I'll move it. I think it was a mistake. Anyway...

ic// Watching the Kangaskhan weep was a pair of liquid brown eyes. The chocolate coloured orbs followed the Pokémon as she sobbed endlessly, mulling over a good time to make her move. The Pokémon wondered whether she should attack the threesome while their gaurd was down and one was distraught, but she also felt pity for the poor mother and her dead child. The Pokémon's dainty face frowned. She wasn't sure... what was right? Morally right? She really didn't want to hurt Kangahstan any more. She knew that horrible feeling of having a loved one torn from you heart, leaving an empty wound which clouded your mind and made life have no meaning. A tear trickled down her orange-red cheek as she thought about her own mother, and her descition was made.

Padding confidently out to the big shiny kangaroo Pokémon, the fiery fox looked up, tears still in her eyes. She wiped them away with one paw, not wanting the others to see them. ~Vulpix?~[/color] Vulpix said. ~Kangaskhan, I know your pain. You have lost your child; I have lost my parents. We were meant to meet! Kangakhan, we can help each other!~[/color] she pleaded, standing close to the Pokémon's leg. Yes, the Vulpix seemed young; her fur was still long and fluffy in places, and she was rather shorter than the average mature Vulpix.[/size]

[xxninja]

(( Whoops! That was my mistake. Thanks >> ))

Lee paused; was that... a Vulpix? Remembering the package she had received at the lab, she pulled out her Pokedex and flashed it in front of the red-brown fox.

'Vulpix,' the mini-computer read in a digitalized voice. 'The Fox Pokemon. It controls balls of fire. As it grows, six tails split from their tips to make more tails.'

It then proceeded to read off some stats, like ability, moveset, rarity and the like. "Huh..." she said thoughtfully, slipping it into her back pocket. "Iza, what're they saying?"

"I..." he began, swiveling his Pikachu ears to tune in on the conversation, "I think... The Vulpix says it lost it's parents too, like Kangaskhan lost it's child..."

"Oh..." was all Lee said. She could begin to feel tears prick at her eyes; that was really, truly sad. Like in the movies, only this was real. She was a witness to the horrible truth of the world-- sometimes your loved ones die. Sometimes there's nothing you can do about it.

Suddenly Izara became a Furret and slinked down Lee's leg, approaching the duo. His human was about to call out to him, but bit her tongue; he could probably help.
~Excuse me, Kangaskhan... I couldn't help but overhear your.. Predicament. If it helps at all, I offer my sympathy to you both.~ he said sincerely, turning to the Vulpix as well. The little fox seemed to be a child itself, petite in proportion with soft, baby fur hanging from her tails. ~Please, if there's anything we can do, let me know.~

[Birdybot]

Kangaskhan looked at Lee, then at Vulpix, then Lee again. Her expression showed she was in thought, and when she looked at both Lee and Vulpix there was motherly love in her eyes. ~I don't want to part with you. You comforted me. I don't want to leave Vulpix, either; she needs me to be her foster mother.~[/color] Kangaskhan said, tapping her forehead in frustration and thought.

Vulpix stepped forwards, excitement on her face. ~I know! I don't want to leave Kangaskhan, but I think it would be cool if I could go on a real live adventure with a trainer! Can I have a battle? If I win, we'll go our separate ways. If you win, you get to catch us!~[/color] she grinned. She was only little, and this would be her first battle. Ever. She was so excited! She had seen her parents fight really bravely against the humans, and she felt she could take a lesson from them. Of course, if she lost, she would learn from her mistakes and be trained by this trainer! It was a win-win situation![/size]

[xxninja]

(( I'm not quite sure how this is gonna work out. Vulpix's ability is Flash Fire, so Snark's only attack, Ember, will be useless. And wasn't he supposed to get an egg move from the lab? ..... It would be so adorable if Vulpix rode around in Kangaskhan's pouch! ^^ ))

[Birdybot]

((Yup, you get to choose the Egg Move.))

[xxninja]

(( Okay, kewl! Then I choose Thunder Fang. Now he has a fighting chance against even Water-types.. xP ))

Izara bowed his head and slipped back to Lee's waiting arms. They nuzzled their heads together before the daemon whispered, "I think it would be wise to battle the Vulpix. It'd be the best solution for everyone." The girl nodded, beginning to feel butterflies in her stomach. Back home she'd often watch her Pokemon friends play-battle, but it was never serious; she thought she had learned enough from her parents to do reasonably well, but... What if Snark got hurt so early on? A shudder danced up her spine at the thought of having to return to Professor Pine's lab, saying her starter got roughed up already...

But she quickly forced such morbid thoughts away. This was definitely not time to lose confidence in herself. She had to be brave now. Iza became a Plusle, clambering up her shoulders ready to cheer on the Houndour. Without being asked he trotted up to the Vulpix, glaring down at the poor little thing to make himself more intimidating. Lee sweatdropped, hoping he'd wait for her command in the future.

"Okay, Snark, you ready for our first battle?" she called to him, an excited smile spreading across her face. He gave an enthusiastic howl, muscles rippling under his midnight blue fur. "All right! Uurmm..." She quickly racked her brain, trying to remember the moveset of young Houndour. "Er... Let's start with Howl, then... Thunder Fang!" From his perch the daemon had a nice view of the battlefield and gave a few pepped up cheers to Snark, little sparks bursting from his cheeks.

[Birdybot]

Vulpix felt a shiver of excitement as Snark began an eiree howl, piercing the silence with it's spooky beauty. The fox Pokémon did not know what the move did, at least not yet; all she knew was that this battle, her first ever battle, was officially begun. After another little shiver of excitement coursed through her, she watched Snark. Howl had to do something; she had felt no pain, none of her stats had weakened, so it must have effected the shiny Houndour. But in what way?

Vulpix was partially curious as to what being in a battle, the pain, the victory, the pride, the experience, would feel like. She did not try to dodge in any way as the rich blue dog moved closer towards her. He seemed no faster than before; Howl must affect his Attack or Defense, then. She was about to find out, as his maw opened wide, electricity crackling along each long, pale fang.

Vulpix felt an intense shock course through her body as the teeth clamped down on her. It raised his attack, then. She got to her feet, finding sparks in her mouth. She spat them out, a thin trickle of flame spilling out and trying to find Snark; Vulpix had used Ember! She was so pleased.

[xxninja]

"Yeah-ha!" Lee cheered, punching a fist in the air. "Great hit, Snark!" But her enthusiasm was quickly doused as a wisp of flames escaped the Vulpix's mouth. Suddenly she felt alarm clouding her thoughts again-- what should she do?! Iza, however, always seemed to keep his cool in situations like this.
"Lee," he whispered to her, "remember all Pokemon have an ability!"

'That's right... Houndour has Flash Fire!' she realized, restoring calm to her flustered thoughts. "Snark, it's okay! Fire-type moves won't harm you. Let's try using Leer this time before Thunder Fang."

And again Lee began to feel the utter excitement of battle bubbling up somewhere deep inside her, making a grin spread across her face. This must be what those famous trainers on T.V. felt like! Iza, sharing her emotions, let out another cheer for the hound, jumping around across his humans shoulders.

[Birdybot]

Vulpix was excited herself, but the only attack it knew would have no effect at all on Snark. Snark, however, could use this painful thundery bite thing. Vulpix felt as though this battle would end up just being her making feeble attempts to stop against a Pokémon who was just hitting and hurting... sher neatly dodged over Snark, hating that electrical pain and not wanting it again.

Wait a moment... hadn't her parents known something their ex-trainer got from a 'move tutor'? And tried to teach it to Vulpix? Yes, it was.... Swift, right? Vulpix took a deep breath. She could hardly remember how to use this attack. She closed her eyes and leapt into the air, somersaulting quickly. The little stars came. She remembered! The stars were off-coloured, a little yellowy rather than gold, and some of them were the wrong shape, but she could use Swift! She aimed the stars at Snark, of course.

[xxninja]

Lee did a double-take, staring at the ray of stars with her jaw agape. Vulpix could use Swift?!

"Wow," she said despite herself. "That's a pretty talented Pokemon."

Snark, however, wasn't impressed. He snarled at the slightly disfigured stars, looking to his trainer for instruction. After a little prod from her daemon she quickly got back in the game.

"Uh, now let's see here..." she murmured, racking her brain. "Why don't you try out an Ember? See if you can counter it... Then when the stars are all gone, hit 'er with another Thunder Fang!"

Even if the attack wasn't the best (that could only be expected of a Pokemon so young), with practice Lee realized it could become a nice contest move! Swift in itself was quite pretty, and the way Vulpix had twirled in mid-air beforehand had added a little flair! She smiled to herself, admiring the little fire fox all the more.

[Birdybot]

The stars were burnt out with Ember, but a few managed to break free of the flames and went into Snark. They wouldn't be the most painful of attacks, but still enough to cause damage.

Vulpix watched the shut jaws glow yellow and crackle with electricity as the dog Pokémon neared her. She began to run swiftly out the way, with the grace of a Vulpix and the cuteness of a... well, a Vulpix. The Pokémon certainly was very pretty, and was certain to find it easy to get mates when she was old enough. As her six tails, bobbed out of harm's way, a sharp pain suddenly was felt in them. Snark's teeth, followed by a sharp jolt of electricity which coursed through her whole body in it's quest to reach the ground.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Vulpix reared onto her hind legs, her velvet front paws waving in the air as plenty of disfigured stars shot from them. Another Swift; of course, since it was the only offensive attack the fox knew that would actually affect the opponent.

[xxninja]

Lee couldn't help but grin as she watched the little fox dodge this way and that; she was just so adorable! Not to mention Snark was doing very well for his first battle. She was glad he was her choice as her first Pokemon. But when the Vulpix reared back to attack, she gasped; there was that Swift again! And it looked more powerful than the last one!

"Snark!" she called to the hound, who had released his grip once she had struck back, "get out of there! Don't take any chances, just see if you can dodge all those stars."

Izara nodded. That was a good strategy. "Smart move, Lee," he praised his human. "Snark can't win every battle with just brute force; he'll need to be agile enough to keep away from powerful or super-effective attacks. This way, he'll get practice on dodging too." Lee smiled, a glimmer of pride lighting up her face. Even though she was only starting, it felt good to know she wasn't failing.

[Birdybot]

Vulpix grinned. Snark couldn't dodge all the stars. He was dodging most, but only something that knew Teleport or something would be able to dodge them all! She grinned happily, pawing the earth. Snark was not attacking her, he was too busy dodging! Oh, she was so proud of herself! She was winning, and there was nothing Snark could do about it. Well, except get his own back with a pesky Thunder Fang. Those hurt, and were more powerful than a Swift.

Vulpix was so excited, she forgot about Snark's Flash Fire and used an Ember attack. The cub still had a lot to learn, but at least she realised once the little flames were out that she had just used up her move and that Snark would not be effected. She slapped her forehead, growling at herself in annoyance.

[xxninja]

Lee let out a little gasp. That wasn't just coincidence, was it...?

"Lee!" Izara hissed in her ear. "Swift is an attack that can't be dodged!"

... And the poor girl sweatdropped. 'Ugh! How could I be so stupid!' she mentally kicked herself, gritting her teeth. But when the Vulpix unleashed another attack, her attitude swung right around. Snark made no move to dodge this one; he absorbed the fire right into his body! Letting out a little battle howl, he turned back to his trainer, tongue rolling out of his mouth.

"Yeah! You rock, Snark!" she cheered, feeling much better. Just because she was a complete idiot didn't mean her Pokemon would let her down. "Use another Leer, then head in for your most powerful Thunder Fang yet!" She paused before adding, "Show no mercy!" Iza sighed. His human watched waaaay too much TV.