Here Comes Gary Oak, Pokemon Trainer of Pallet!

[Gary]

Victory Road was within sight--it was deafening. The excitement blinded Gary’s ears and smothered his mind, filled his nose with an adrenaline-rousing sting, and his mouth could already feel the metallic taste of blood boiling in his opponents. He was eager to slice through them. The sooner he caught some strong, adept pokemon, the better. With one trusty partner already in his arsenal, resting snug on his belt against his hip, it was only a matter of time before the other five slots were filled, and Gary would be unstoppable. He knew of all the theoretical strategy of battle and was ready for anything. His private lessons and experience in his grandfather’s lab had prepared him for this, prepared the confidence manifested in the ominous grin spread beneath his small, pointed nose and the fortitude so unbridled within his large, dark eyes.

“Gary! Gary! he’s our man! if he can’t do it, no one can! Gary! Gary!” The chirping fluttered around Gary as the girls waved their pompoms and flashed their glossed lips in the back of his convertible. They had been waiting for his entrance into the Pokemon Training world, right at the steps of his grandfather’s laboratory, along with an entire slew of other residents. There were probably some news casters and such, but Gary had been too busy with himself to notice. Well, himself, and--Ash Ketchum. His next-door neighbor and greatest rival; he hadn’t been at the lab when Gary had arrived, but then, not many people were at the crack of daylight. Gary enjoyed waking up early--especially when he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep the night previous, anyway--and his being the first to arrive at the lab wasn’t a surprise. He would have expected Ash to get there eventually, though, and, eventually, he did--but not before all the pokemon had been taken. After rubbing this in Ash’s face (how else would the kid learn?) Gary wasted no time in getting started on his Pokemon Journey. While driving his slick red car down the path from Pallet, he couldn’t help but think about how different things would be without his rival. Ever since the contest over that old pokeball, they had been sworn enemies, pitted against each other over every aspect of their lives. Of course, Gary had always greatly surpassed Ash in nearly everything--that pokeball was the exception. Now that Ash had missed his chance at getting a starter pokemon, though, it seemed Gary would have to wait a whole year before gaining the chance to redeem himself and his loss from long ago. And, even then, Gary would be much too strong for a trainer just getting started, and it would hardly be fair.

“Gary! Gary! he’s our man!”

Wind knocked into Gary’s rosy brown hair, despite the rectangle of glass in front of him specifically named for its purpose of shielding the wind, and his black, pointed shirt collar flapped around his neck, but his yellow and green pendant remained anchored below his chest. Nah, Gramps wouldn’t let Ash down like that, Gary assured himself and his ego, which was ravenous for satisfaction. He was also certain that Ash would never let the opportunity to start his pokemon journey escape him, and he most definitely wouldn’t let Gary to get too much of a head start. This thought made Gary mutter a chuckle. No matter how hard Ash tried, he would never amount to the standards Gary set. Gary was always one step ahead of the game, while Ash was always at least a few steps behind. There was only the matter of pokemon that needed doing before Gary could make up for that one loss.

“Gary! if he can’t do it, no one can!”

The newly appointed Pokemon Trainer turned onto a road of brown dirt and rock. The earth crackled beneath the heavy weight of the car, and the girls bounced, giggled, and gasped between their cheers. Gary’s attention was fixed ahead, though alert to any movement that might make itself known in the tall grass on each side of the path. No matter how lightly he pressed the accelerator, the car’s engine still rumbled a roar that would scare any pokemon nearby. He decided he wouldn’t have that, not now, when the time was for pokemon catching.

“Gary! oh! Gary! Hehehehahaha, he’s our--”

“Girls, shut up!” Gary had stopped the car, and his nasal voice brought the cheering to a screeching halt. They stared at him with big, bright, meticulously done-up eyes and curious mouths in anticipation for whatever his handsome face might say next.

“I want one of you to drive the car to the next city for me.” The car rattled off, and Gary pulled the keys from the ignition. He looked over his shoulder and brought his arm around the passenger seat to hold the key out for any volunteers.

“But, we wanna stay with you, Gary!” a blue-haired one whined, then hurriedly brought her pompoms to hide the bottom of her face. He knew harsh words wouldn’t convince the girls--hey, they came in useful once in a while--so Gary softened his pointed features and displayed a devilish grin he knew made the girls sigh.

“Don’t you wanna see me become the world’s greatest pokemon trainer?” His voice was soaped up with all kinds of cute.

“Yeeess…” they chimed in unison.

“Then do this for me, please?” Gary grabbed the nearest girl’s hands and placed the keys inside.

“Anything you want, Gary! Anything!” Gary smirked: mission accomplished. He grabbed his shoulder bag and climbed out of the car, then wandered into the tall grass without looking back. He tuned out any other noises that might be heard from his groupies, and hardened his senses onto the wildlife. Gary didn’t mind having the cheerleaders tag along--it was an unfortunate part of life that he was fated to live with, having such devoted fans, so he might as well make the best of it.

Now that Gary had rid himself of all distractions and interferences, he could listen to the ground and the sky. In his bag contained the six pokeballs his grandfather had given him, along with a few berries, and a pokedex. He was ready for anything that might come at him--no, more than ready. He felt an itch at his hip where his first pokemon lay in wait. ‘Not too much longer, buddy,’ Gary thought as he stepped carefully through the meadow. Pretty soon, he would come across the first pokemon he and his own pokemon would face as a team. It would also be his first catch as a Pokemon Trainer.

[Cassie]

The sun was shining high in the sky, the air was clear and Pidgey were chirping. It was the chirping that had caused the little Pokemon to open one eye and glare blearily at the world around her. That world consisting of her nest and her siblings snuggled around with her. The rat pokemon's first thoughts revolved around the desicion that she should sink her teeth into some of those Pidgey's to teach them a lesson. Did they not understand there was a nest underneath the tree they were perched in? Couldn't they find somewhere else to chirp? However, the dark thoughts were quickly overriden by the low growl of the Pokemon's stomach and the realisation that the critter was infact, very hungy.

A quick glance around the cozy nest informed the Pokemon that there was, in actual fact, no food in the nest. How irritating. With a annoyed sqea -pitched low so as not to disturb the others- the young Rattata began the task of climbing free of the pile of her family without waking any up. A difficult task to say the least, especially when you're located in the middle of said pile. Normally the purple rat took pride in being the center of the family but now she was hungry and the slumbering family members were just an obstacle to overcome. There were a few muffled squeaks, and even the odd growl, but she made it out without actually waking anyone. Which was just as well, as she would have certainly had her paws nipped at if she had. Quietly and carefully, the little Pokemon scuttled towards, the entrance of the burrow, delicate nose twitching as she went.

The sunlight was bright, and almost blinded the Pokemon as it emerged from the safety of the dark burrow. A slight squeak of suprise brought the Rattata to the attention of the bird flock above - some of them had a hungry glint in their eyes too. The mouse considered retreating, when a sudden breeze brought forth a new, interesting scent. The Pokemon froze, nose twitching furiously as she tried to place this new found smell. Her brain didn't supply her with anything other than the fact that it smelt rather delicious. The Pokemon didn't think twice; she began to run, short legs carrying her as fast as they could. Away from her family and safety and towards the unkown. Not that she really focused on that, she focused on the smell luring her in.

Soon her skittering brought her towards a trainer, towering over her with a feirce mane of spiked hair. Normally this feirce image would have sent the Rattata running to the hills, but not today. Today she was hungry, and that hunger had made her reckless. The aroma of berry's hung in the air, and without thinking twice the rat dived forward, intent on devouring the first thing she came into contact with. In this case.... Gary's shoe.

Event!

A wild Rattata is trying to eat your shoe!

[Gary]

The fluttering of wings sending chirps down to earth brought Gary’s attention from the grass to the sky; with his chin tilted up, he set his eyes onto a small flock of pidgey migrating their way across the meadow. He pondered perhaps attacking one of them, but if he did so, he would have to scavenge for a rock or something that would get one of the pidgey’s attentions. It seemed too much trouble at the moment, so Gary lowered his head redirected his eyes to crawl through the shadows in the tall grass. Soon, his quest for a pokemon was satisfied--a small, purple, curly-tailed thing jumped out from the underbrush and dug a sharp, thick set of teeth through his supposedly durable boot.

“Hey!” Gary growled in surprise, flinging himself backwards and immediately swinging his leg up. This initial reaction sent him flying to the ground, and with a heavy “oomph!” a dull pang shot through his ribs and constricted his lungs while the dust of dirt rose around him. His features contorted into the distaste he now felt towards himself: ’Should have been more prepared…’ he thought through harsh, gritted teeth. With a just as gritted grunt, Gary pushed his torso up and held his offended leg out in front of him, identifying the rattata. He quickly fumbled for the pokeball at his belt, in one smooth movement pulling it up and pressing the button with his thumb to enlarge it. “Go, Squirtle!” he gasped: he hadn’t allowed his lungs enough time to recover from the previous blow.

An explosion of intangible red light flashed from the open pokeball. It directed itself to the opposite side of Gary that the rattata was on, and as quickly as the light had appeared, it was gone. In its place stood a wind-colored, turtle-shelled pokemon. Sunlight reflected off his bald head in pools of bright yellow-blue, and caressed his brown shell and the tip of his curled tail. He stared at the rattata with large brown eyes that made Gary think fondly of his own eyes. The squirtle sported the same strong-minded eyebrows that Gary did as well. Deciding he wanted the rattata off his foot as soon as possible, Gary ignored the pokedex that called out to him from his pocket, and ordered, “Squirtle, tackle it!” Not as much to his surprise as to his pure glee, Squirtle obeyed.

“Squirtle!” the pokemon croaked, and simultaneously threw himself head-first at the rattata.

[Cassie]

The Rattata was no stranger to attacking things that moved, but normally they didn't move quite this much. The Pokemon's eyes widened in panic as they loud cry boomed through the air, and let out a muffled squeak as her 'meal' was suddenly lifted in to the air. She was nearly sent soaring through the air, but the Pokemon bit down sharply on the suprsingly sturdy material of the boot and managed to avoid an impromtu flight. Though the trip through the air and then tumbling back down to the ground in a rather violent pattern was a little shocking. Still, she was proud of herself for managing to keep a firm grip on the object throughout all this trauma. Her mother had always said she'd got 'good, strong teeth', and it looked like she was proving those words to be true. Despite the strange situation, the pokemon couldn't help but feel a little smug.

However that smugness soon faded as a distinct shade of red suddenly illuminated the area nearby. Eyes widened further at the distinct croak of another Pokemon. A Water Pokemon! The Rattata was no great fan of water, not since the time her brother had 'accidently' knocked her down that hill into a puddle. It wasn't exaclty deep, but it was still scary. Besides, a few inches was deep enough when you weren't big. It seemed to the rat, that she might have bitten off more than she could chew...

Deciding now might be an excellent time to run away, the Rattata released her teeth from the material but didn't have a chance to move before a very large, rock head skull collided with her form. A pain squeak errupted from her as she was thrown through the air, landing with a thump on the ground. The tiny mouse lay there for a moment, feeling a little dazed. Then she scrmabled back to her feet, and eyed the shell Pokemon who'd just attacked her. Now, she had intended to run away and hide with her mother but that had hurt. There was no need to be that violent, was there? Afterall, she'd only been trying to get something to eat, not a crime. A tiny spark of anger igniting within the Pokemon.

"Rat, Rattata!

She squeaked angrily, before darting through the grass again. Towards the Squirtle, rather than away from him as she had previously intended. She scuttled around him, and then burst out from the grass, her rather formidable teeth on clear display as she lunged forward with the intent of chowing down on the turtle curled tail.

[Gary]

Even though Squirtle was a young pokemon, he still possessed greater skill than many inexperienced wilds. As the small, warm body met his hardened skull, Squirtle expertly transferred as much of his weight into the attack as possible before rebounding in the other direction. Satisfied with his ability to land his first attack, Squirtle regained his footing. He didn’t need to look back at his trainer to know he had done a good job; he was fired up, and ready for his next instruction.

Once the scrawny rat had detached itself from the toe of Gary’s boot, he emitted a low gasp through his teeth, feeling the weight disappear. He jerked his foot back and watched as his pokemon turned the other into jelly. He couldn’t help but grin at the success: “Good job!” he praised, and the squirtle only stood in wait for his next order, eyes fixated on the rattata. ‘We’re gonna make a good team,’ Gary thought triumphantly as he examined Squirtle with hard, yet affectionate eyes. He shot to his feet as the battle commenced before him. Surrounded by tall, green blades of grass, Gary couldn’t get a lot of distance from the battle: he was practically pressing his chin against his chest to watch the small pokemon battle below.

Squirtle prepared himself as the rattata made for its rebuttal. He grounded his small feet firmly, the ground felt soft and damp against the pads on his soles, and tried to follow the rattata’s movement with his eyes. The tiny creature was fast, but he remained in his position, and could only look over his shoulder as the pokemon traveled behind him.

“Behind you!” Gary called from his birds-eye view, expecting his pokemon to dodge the attack. Squirtle’s mouth dropped just in time for the rattata to gain a secure hold on his tail.

“SQUIRT!” he cried, whirling around without his trainer’s guidance.

‘Damn,’ the boy anchored his teeth together, grimacing at his squirtle’s failure. He had meant to reach for his pokedex at this point, but there was no time for that now. “Squirtle, tail whip!” he decided--tail whip would not only make the rattata’s grip (hopefully) loosen, but deter its defenses, as well.

Slightly disoriented but by no means incapacitated, Squirtle did as he was told. He planted his feet sturdily into the earth once again, arched his back and waved his tail violently. The weight of the rattata made the movement slow at first, but then aided the aggressive movement as his tail dashed quickly from side to side.

[Cassie]

Triumph.

Despite the power behind the lunge as she sprung out form the shelter of the tall grass, there was a split moment in which the tiny Pokemon thought she'd misjudged it completley. The slight breeze could have easily knocked her off course as she glided through the air like a wingless pidgey, but by some miricle - it didn't. She arched gracefully though the air, angling it perfeclty so that her jaws closed firmly around the target. However, she had to fight the urge to gag and release the object as her jaws were suddenly filled with the fluffy apendenge. It tasted horrible! Her tiny face screwed up in disgust as she tried to ignore the fur in her mouth. Really, berries tasted so much better. Why couldn't they have just given her some berries instead of attacking her? It wasn't nice afterall, and now she'd been forced to retatliate. Maybe she should chew off the Squirtle's tail to teach them all a lesson...

However, even as she considered this very thought things began to take a turn for the worse. The command called so desicivley out into the air cause a frown to crease her brow, and she couldn't help but shoot a sidelong glance towards the spike-headed male towering above the scene. Her thoughts were suddenly consumed by the fact that her mouthful was beginging to twitch. She simply tightened her jaws at first, hoping to quall any such movements; nip them in the bud as some might say. She was sure she'd heard humans use that expression before, and maybe it applied here? She wasn't entirely sure but deciding it was fitting enough. However, her attempts merely failed as the tail began to move faster causing her to travel with it. As the pace increased, the Rattata's tiny claws scrabbled desperatley against the smooth shell to try and find some sort of a grip. Unfortunatley, the shell was too smooth for her sharp claws to gain any purchase, and she failed in her attempt to anchor herself to the solid frame of the water Pokemon.

This failure meant she was swung through the air like a Pokedoll, and the rapid movements was starting to make her head spin. Everything seemed to be going much too fast now... A muffled squeak of distress emmited from her, and she was forced to release her quarry, just to be able to touch solid ground again. Once more she was arcing through the air thanks to the Squirtle, but she was much more prepared for this one. She skidded across the dirt, claws digging in to try and keep her on all for paws. A plume of dust rose from the ground with her movements, concealing the creature and her landing. Now would be the perfect time to launch a sneak attack, but as the dust cleared and revealed the scene once again it became apparent that not such thing had happened.

Instead, the Rattata was simly stood there, staring forward with unfocused eyes. The tail-whip joyride had in fact made the Pokemon incrediably dizy, and now she was seeing double. The very ground was spinning beneath her feet... Quite unsettling really.

ooc: laaaame. sorry.

[Gary]

As the teeth lifted from their mark (leaving quite the nasty notch behind,) Squirtle grinned his triumph, spread straight across his bulbous blue head. The small pain air now hit at his backside was a small price to pay for the satisfaction of gaining the upper hand. He had felt his opponent scratching fruitlessly at his shell, and was quite pleased for the rattata’s struggle. Now that the creature was sprawled before him in a daze was enough to tell Squirtle the battle had been won.

Gary had watched his pokemon with firm belief that they would win. A rattata was just a rattata, after all, and Squirtle had the happy feature of being a trained pokemon. And, (this seemed almost unfair to any challenger,) Gary happened to be his trainer. The odds just added up significantly.

Once Gary’s certainty was confirmed, his features relaxed slightly--his abrasive eyebrows lightened above his brown eyes, from which faded the intense fire spurred from his first pokemon battle, even if it was with a scrawny wild thing. “Good job Squirtle,” he said only with faint enthusiasm--that one slip-up meant Squirtle and he had some working to do. He took a step and finally pulled his pokedex from its impatient slumber.

Ding. “Rattata. Mouse Pokemon. Bites anything when it attacks. Small and very quick, it is a common sight in many places.”

“Huh,” Gary muttered in reply to the electronic male voice. “I guess we could’ve used that info beforehand, huh?” He looked down at his partner, and Squirtle exchanged a glance with him in return. Gary’s eyes grazed over the pink wound on Squirtle’s tail, but he figured it wasn’t anything to fret about. “Okay then,” Gary returned a slanted grin to its rightful place beneath his nose, and lowered his pokedex while reaching into his shoulder bag. He retrieved a small pokeball, pressing the button casually, and the red and white contraption expanded. He tossed the pokeball forward just as casually, and pocketed both his hands in wait for the results.

[Cassie]

With great effort, the mouse Pokemon lifted her head and eyed the swaying figures before her. She wasn't aware that humans could even use the move 'Double Team' but now she was enlightened to this fact. What other explanation was there for the multiple and indeinticle figures, when before there had only been one? The Squirtle must have taught him, for he was displaying the same skill. How very confusing.

Squeezing her eyes shut, the Rattata tried to muster her thoughts again. Her head was still spinning, but it seemed easier to focus now there weren't multiple identies swaying before her. There was a 'ding' which seemed to cut right through her skull - what manner of attack was that? It was new to her, but it hurt, she knew that much. After she'd decided that it was safe to open her eyes again, she did just that. Her eyelid's were cracked open, and she was assulated with the image of a large red and white blur heading directly towards her. She froze in horror, her short life span flashing rapidly before her eyes. She didn't have time to run, before the ball split open like a giant jaw and she was englufed by the light.

The now full Pokeball hit the ground with a muffled thud. The button flashed as the ball rolled from left to right, displaying the struggle of the Pokemon within. After a few minutes though, the ball slowed to a stop. There was a flash of light, and the peircing ding that signified the trainers victory.

Event![

You have captured the female Rattata!

[Gary]

Anticipation was hardly holding Gary’s gaze; the way he looked at the moving pokeball appeared to just be an elongated glance. Although he had never captured a pokemon before, he was confident in his ability to judge when to throw a pokeball. The rattata had appeared to be in terrible condition just before it was zapped into the mysterious confines of the pocket-sized machine. And, much to his and his ego’s satisfaction, the ball emitted the amiable, tell-tale beep after just a few seconds.

“Hm.” Gary smirked and walked forward to retrieve the newly captured pokemon. “Rattata can be a powerful pokemon.” he said to himself, then looked over his shoulder at Squirtle. “Let’s hope this one doesn’t let us down.”

“Squirtle!” the water pokemon chimed in agreement.

Gary popped the now-occupied pokeball onto his belt; afterwards, his hand went to the hem of his black shirt. He moaned faintly, eyeing the dirt that had clung to the fabric. No doubt there was more located on his back, left over from the fall he had taken. “Damn…” he muttered, reaching his hands around and dusting off what he could. He eyed the new poke ball on his belt from the corner of his eye; “Dumb Rattata… At least you’re mine now,” Gary grumbled. He reached up to check that his hair was okay, and aside from a few disgruntled strands, all seemed to be in order. He glanced over at his squirtle, who was standing beside him in patience. The corner of his lips twitched: “Now,” he said in a cheery, though still nasal, voice; “we’ve got to work on your speed.”

“Squirt!” Squirtle nodded curtly; his brow had slightly furrowed, and his eyes burned for the improvement he sought.

“Okay,” Gary confirmed, glancing around for an idea for their next direction. Now that he and Squirtle had been properly introduced, abilities and otherwise configured, it was time to get serious. They would have to clear this meadow before they could get any real, focused training done. Without another word, he set off again, pushing through the grass, Squirtle close behind.

[Frenzy]

<sub>The breeze blew through the Legendary Beast's thick brown fur, the sun making the Pokemon seemmingly shine. Entei's mask seemed regal, like a king's crown as his crimson eyes darted back and forth. His silver paws touched the ground, kicking up small clouds of dust as the God landed gracefully. He and his siblings were known to sprint so majestically throughout the world, with unmatched speed. It didn't matter that the grass of the fields barely reached his stomach- he was quick enough to outrun any trainer or Pokemon, not that he needed to. He was called a "God" for a reason, after all.

He wondered where his siblings were at the moment- they could be on the other side of the world with their speed. They barely managed to run into each other anymore, but he knew that they were safe. All three of them shared an unbreakable bond and would automatically know when something was wrong. The Volcano Pokemon also wondered how the young human girl, Molly Hale, was faring ever since he had bid farewell to her. Even if he wasn't a real father, he felt very protective over Molly and treated her as if she were his biological daughter, doing anything to make her happy. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone besides himself, he missed her deeply.

Lifting up his front paws again, he took another leap forward, then another, and another. The grass seemed to bow in his wake, folding over by the slipstream he created by traveling so fast. That was how the Legendary Beast trio maintained their incredible power. Their energy and power was so great that they needed to constantly run and sprint for days. He reached a single tall tree, a small pond of collected rainwater resting in the cool shade of the tree. Though Entei didn't care for large bodies of water such as lakes and oceans, even a Fire type like him needed water every once and a while. Bending down, the Pokemon caught a glimpse of his reflection before he lapped at the water in a very "feline" way.

Entei's head perked up as he heard the sound of a human voice nearby, followed by a Pokemon's cry. A trainer traveling through the fields, no doubt. He remebered when there were nothing but small villages of around only ten houses, not large cities and towns scattered all throughout Kanto. The shade barely concealed the large Legendary Pokemon, not that he needed to hide. He could take this trainer and his Pokemon on- but wouldn't unless he was attacked first, of course. At the moment, he didn't see the trainer, but knew he was up ahead. Entei had been traveling north- feeling that somewhere in the northern hemisphere in the world that a volcano was about to erupt. Not in Kanto, of course- most of those volcanoes had been proclaimed "dormant" as they hadn't erupted in so long. Entei hadn't caused them to erupt because he knew human civilizations nearby and didn't feel that the humans had done anything to anger him. But if they had done something to infuriate him, all Hell would break loose.

Darting north, once more, Entei looked around for this trainer- not that he was really interested in a battle that was clearly unfair. Trainers would never catch him, anyway. After a few more leaps, he spotted the figure of a trainer and a small Squirtle following behind him. A stoic look on his face, he jumped over the trainer easily- landing only a short distance away from him. He glanced at the boy, seeing that he only had two of those red and white contraptions that imprisoned Pokemon on his belt. He was either a beggining trainer, or he had extreme confidence in just two Pokemon. Entei looked a bit amused, waiting for the trainer's reaction.</sub>

[Gary]

The sense of nature echoed around them: The grass against Gary’s hands felt like puckered lips, and the movement against his baggy-pant-clad legs were other legs manipulating themselves around him. Squirtle avoided most of the contact altogether by trailing close behind the trainer; his stubby blue legs waddled quickly to keep up, tail swaying behind. Occasionally, the young, stray blade would prick at Squirtle’s smooth skin, but the pokemon would just push it aside, much like his trainer. Although his immediate view was obscured by the large, teenage legs in front of him, Squirtle kept an eye out for any sort of animal life that might be present. He knew that he would seize whatever opportunity he had next to work on his skills and impress his trainer. Gary, on the other hand, was merely looking for Viridian City. They had already clambered quite far from the grassless path, but Gary had no qualms with wading through the meadow. Meeting another wild pokemon just meant more training and more collecting. He was indifferent about reaching Viridian City uninterrupted--either they got to focus on Squirtle’s weak points sooner, or they got to catch more pokemon. It was a win-win.

Quite suddenly, a disturbance swept through the area. Gary’s brown, barbed mane rustled on top of his head, and his clothes rippled around his thin frame. “Squirt,” his pokemon uttered a word of caution from the pit of his rumbling diaphragm and braced himself behind Gary. It was no ordinary bout of wind: there was something odd in the air, something… smoldering. Gary’s eyes quickly jumped to and fro, his head jerking right and left as he struggled to capture in his view whatever had caused the shift in atmosphere.

“Wha-?” Darkness decided to fall just then--Squirtle and Gary were pitted in it, and they stepped towards each other, arching their backs and searching the sky--only, the sky wasn’t there. In its place was a looming, titanic monster. Burnt red fur drifted along its body and sent the smell of ash and crumbling charcoal up into the sensitive regions of Gary’s and Squirtle’s nostrils. The sting of such a close proximity with this enormous fire pokemon brought Gary’s eyes to a watery squint, and his pores gasped for breath. Both Squirtle and Gary followed the movement of the strange pokemon with their heads as it sailed over them and finally landed to face them. The emergence of the great creature left Gary unreservedly dumbfounded. Squirtle leaned out from behind his trainer, displaying the same gist of emotion.

The pokemon was massive. Just one paw was probably more than half of Gary’s sixteen-year-old size. It had cloud-like growths on its back, and the overall look of fire and magma, embodied in the form of a dog-like beast. Its smell was enough to tell its elemental prowess, and its mere presence brought the sound of bubbling lava and crackling cinders all around them. Gary had learned of this supposed pokemon before, but only in legends and religion--he knew enough to dub this pokemon Entei, the God of Volcanoes. He had never imagined he would see this pokemon in person (there was enough skepticism to substantiate the pokemon didn’t even exist,) much less be acknowledged. But here it seemed the pokemon was looking right at him, with those fiery red eyes.

“Squuiiiiirtlllleee…” Squirtle broke the silence with a guttural sound. He clutched Gary’s pant leg with his small, pointed fingers. Being a pokemon, he knew of Entei’s power. What he didn’t know was why the God was here in the first place. He was just a baby himself, after all; he most certainly couldn’t attack the beast, but he would do his best to protect Gary if it came to that. He eyed Entei warily. The sound of his own pokemon brought Gary halfway back to his senses: he wasn’t watching the scene from above, or from a third person perspective--he was in it, and would have to act accordingly. With such a presence before him, however, how was he supposed to act? He wasn’t about to treat Entei as a wild pokemon, be it a God or not--he was simply much too powerful, that much was evident. Still, he couldn’t let whatever opportunity this was get away from him. Mustering as much confidence as he could muster, Gary took a small, somewhat cautious step forward. He kept his hands by his side, trying as best he could to offer the fact that he was no threat. Squirtle stumbled behind him. By now, Gary had washed away his initial, startled expression. His face had calmed to a more serious, almost unreadable disposition. He wasn’t sure what this pokemon wanted of him, but he expected to find out. If Entei ran, well, Gary would do his best to chase him and keep his attentions. Because what sort of opportunity would he be passing up if he let this Legendary pokemon get away?

[Frenzy]

<sub>Hearing the Pokemmon's cautious and frightened cry, Entei's eyes slowly shifted from the brunette trainer to the blue turtle. It was obviously frightened- being much smaller than the lion-like God. After a few moments of scilence, he stepped forwards to the pair, glancing at the trainer before looking back to the Squirtle. Stopping a good distance away from the two, he decided to speak to the frightened Pokemon. In all truth he hadn't spoken to anyone in a while- he hadn't found the need to, let alone found anyone worthy of speaking to. Most trainers and Pokemon he had encountered were arrogant enough to think that they could defeat him. How rediculous that thought was.

"I will not harm you or your human counterpart, young one..."

Entei assured him, speaking through telepathy. It seemed that was how many Legendaries spoke, instead of actually using vocalizations. Of course, Entei occasionally roared with a volcanoe's eruption, or with an earthquake's rumble to feel empowered. Ah, there was nothing on Earth like that feeling of searing lava coursing through his veins. It was a sense of euphoria that nothing else could bring him. Another breeze rushed past, the cool wind blowing through his thick warm fur. The scent of ash, smoke, and embers once again surrounded the pair as the wind blew towards them, but the God didn't seem to notice at all. He, of course, loved that scent of burning and smoke that came from so many volcanic eruptions, and was even proud to wear it, even if it made others a bit uncomfortable by the lack of oxygen in the air. Entei looked back to the trainer with eyes that didn't seem to hold the same slight hint of kindness as when he had adressed the Pokemon.

"...That is, unless your trainer is foolish enough to engage in battle with me."

He said this mostly as a warning, noticing the trainer's almost trance-like gaze and startled look. Something that sounded both like a mix of a small "Hmph" and a rumble in the beast's throat escaped him- the closest thing to a chuckle of amusement Entei would most likely ever produce. He had recognized that look of sheer shock from many humans who had the chance to see him. Entei's eyes remained locked on the trainer- somehow he looked very familiar, though it could have been that he had spotted the trainer through his countless sprints around all the lands of the Pokemon world. It wasn't probable, but it was still possible. Disregarding his thoughts for a moment, he kept his eyes on the boy. Gaining courage, he stepped forward, his Pokemon loyally following him. Their bond was obviously quite strong, as he knew some Pokemon would dart away out of cowardice of the Legendary Beast. The boy had bravery, Entei would admit it- he could read it in his now stoic facial expression.

Suddenly, Entei now had the look of shock on his face, rather than the trainer- which was something almost as rare as seeing the Legendary Pokemon himself. Now he knew where he had seen the boy before. In a photograph in Molly Hale's mansion that he had been summoned to when she found the small tiles of the Unown. The thought of the Unown angered him only slightly, though it was masked by his expression of surprise. He took a step closer to him with his "shackled" feet- as the charcoal-grey metal rings around his feet bore the resemblance of burnt shackles. This boy had been younger in the photograph, that was obvious- but he was still with Molly in the picture. That must have meant that he had known Molly, or at least had met her at one time. Little did he know, the brunette was actually Molly Hale's cousin, and that the picture was a family reunion photograph- not that he really cared how he had known Molly. It was just the fact that he knew her which filled him with a sense of excitement which he refused to show. He hadn't admitted to anyone besides the girl herself that he cared for her in a fatherly way, and wasn't about to let it show now.

"You know the young human girl Molly Hale, do you not?"

He asked in a tone that could have been mistaken for anger and annoyance, but was actually his supressed eagerness at the thought of seeing the girl again. Entei didn't know when the last time he had seen the girl was, but hoped it was recently. He couldn't simply just go and see the girl in Green Feilds- it was completely idiotic. Entei preffered to stay in the shadows, only showing himself when needed or very rarely. He wasn't going to simply break that tradition of him and his siblings to see the girl again.</sub>

[/sub][/color]

[Gary]

Squirtle’s immediate reaction towards the mind-infecting voice was reproachful. He jumped and his jaw dropped when his head was first filled with what sounded like an echo, and certainly something only he could hear for reasons he wasn’t sure of. He calmed himself, staring hard at the Entei, as he registered the message. The reassurance was something Squirtle was grateful for: his initial fear was now quelled, but he remained on his guard nonetheless.

His Squirtle’s shock of sudden fright brought Gary to glance at the pokemon: Squirtle had tugged onto his pants, and was now gripping them rather roughly. Gary didn’t want to think about what might’ve happened if it wasn’t for his belt. ’Huh…’ he thought, displaying the fact clearly on his face as he turned back to the Entei. Did Squirtle know something he didn’t? It seemed so. When Gary had set his sights back on the intimidating pokemon, he was startled to find Entei staring straight back at him without the hint of benevolence or peace he had seen earlier. This almost caused a hot bead of sweat to secrete from his forehead. Gary stood his ground, however, and waited out the thick look.

“Squuuiirrr…” Squirtle gurgled the word in his throat as Entei finished his thought. Of course his trainer wasn’t foolish, one look at his face was enough to determine that! Now that most of his fear had subsided, Squirtle replaced it with a defensive outlook on the situation: not only did he feel threatened because of the enormous disadvantage he would be at should anything escalate beyond peaceful negotiation, he felt jealous. This was his first day with his trainer, and already he was being shown up. He dug his fingers protectively into Gary’s pants, and made sure he displayed a look that clearly stated: Don’t you dare. Meanwhile, Gary’s eyes shivered from Entei to brief glances to the side, in Squirtle’s direction. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but had enough deductive skills to infer that something was happening between his pokemon and the one looming in front of him. Gary was at a loss for what to do next, other than wait, and it seemed that was all he could do. There was no telling what might anger the beast, or worse..? Perhaps if he had more powerful pokemon at his disposal, Gary would simply do as he wished, maybe even try to ensnare the supposed ‘God’ for his own use. He wasn’t about to underestimate the creature’s power, however. It was smarter to stay put for now. He watched curiously as Entei’s expression seemed to change, supposedly from some sort of exchange with his own squirtle. What were they talking about? What was Squirtle telling him? He chanced a look at the water-oriented pokemon: Squirtle appeared angry, frightened. Gary brought his hesitant gaze back to Entei. He was getting quite tired of being kept in the dark, but what else could he do?

“Eh--!” Gary started, staggered by the voice erupting in his head. He recovered quickly, then frowned his concentration. He knew immediately who the Entei was speaking of. Now, Gary lost all apprehension. Yes, he knew who Molly Hale was. It had been years since he had seen her, but he knew who she was. She was his cousin, one who lived Johto, too far for regular visits. What with his grandfather’s busy work, and his aunt’s and uncle’s similar occupations as well, there wasn’t a lot of time to get together, from what Gary had gathered. Why would Entei want to know about her? Gary stopped his thoughts, briefly wondering if Entei could read his thoughts. He felt anxiety at this intrusive consideration, but decided there wasn’t much that could be done, either way. Although he had lost a great deal of his initial concern with Entei’s appearance, Gary decided to choose his words carefully in reply. “Yeah.” Alright, maybe not so careful, but not risky, anyway.

[Star]

Tory Lund had a lot on his mind since he had left the safety of his warm home where his father greeted him every day with a new species of some sort in his grasp. Of course the whole reason for his leaving is the fact that he was 10 years old and eligible enough to set out on his journey. Of course one true reason for him not wanting to go is that truthfully, Tory wasn't a pokemon person. He would rather stay at his safe home and sleep in his warm blue covered bed than go out adventuring with not only one, but two pokemon that caused great nuisances. He was silent around the two bundles of joy duo that were so called Plusle and Minun. They proved that opposites really did attract whether people wished for them to or not. Tory pursed his lips and looked over his shoulder to see the two pokemon trailing behind him with happy smiles. Tory rolled his eyes unbelievably, how could it be that he got stuck with the two of them?

Tory turned and knelled down to stare directly at the two mice pokemon who still had the same grin as before. The same unbelievably happy and rather chipper grin that gave them the spark in their expression. "What am I supposed to do with two trouble making pokemon such as yourselves?", Tory asked as the two pokemon went over to hug his leg. "Oh brother", Tory mumbled as he looked down at the two. It was only just yesterday that Tory had saved them from some rather ravenous-looking Fearow and was presented with the suggestion from professor Oak that he should just take Plusle and Minun has his beginning pokemon. To Tory, this didn't mean much at the time, only that there was to be TWO worries instead of just one now. He actually wasn't planning on catching any more pokemon than the one he got. Perhaps he thought he could just wander aimlessly around with his pokemon avoiding those who wished to battle.

"Why ARE you two always in pairs?", Tory asked as the two pokemon emerged from where they were hugging Torie's knee. Plusle and Minun gave a smile and turned their tails together. Once the middle of the two tails touched sparks flew from their cheeks and sizzled into the ground below. "That explains a lot I guess", Tory finished as he grasped Minun in his hands and picked him up. Tory emerged from his spot on the ground with Minun still being grasped in his palms. Torie's fingers curled around the Pokemon's back as Minun simply squealed with joy and pleasure of being grasped. "Besides you guys always keep a good mood going so you can't be all that bad to have around"Tory said as a smile emerged in his expression. Plusle mounted Torie's shoulder and waved to his brother with a smile to his face. Minun managed to wriggle out of Torie's hands and onto the opposite shoulder Plusle was currently clinging onto.

"Wow, you guys are rather heavy, onward it is then"Tory said as he began to march on toward a large patch of rather unexpectedly tall grass. "You guys better stay on my shoulders, if you get down I will probably loose you among the grass below", Tory said patting the two Pokemon's heads. Truthfully deep down Tory had no idea how to battle another trainer, due to his shy outcome on life, he never really asked about battles or what a trainer was to do in the event someone might ask him to battle. Actually it was quite plain that Tory had NO IDEA what it was like to be a trainer, or how trainers should react to most situations. For example, Tory only kept Plusle and Minun out cause he wasn't quite sure just how to get them into the small space of a pokeball. In a rather far off distance, Tory could hear the chirping of some unsuspecting Tailow and other pokemon that were happily going about their unknown business.

Tory heaved a rather long and bored-sounding sigh as he pressed forward, his shoes clunking against small pebbles on the ground below. Suddenly Plusle's ears perked and he jumped from Torie's shoulder to the hidden ground below trailing off. The only sign of him moving was the grass as if it were swaying in the wind. "Wait!", Tory called with an upset tone as he chased after one of his two pokemon. In the meantime Minun was clinging on with a now worried face and a call bellowing out from his small throat.

[Frenzy]

_{The Squirtle was certaintly loyal to his trainer- he could see past the fear into the Pokemon's eyes and into the fierce look of jealously, anger, and determination. Huffing a small "laugh" (if you could tell that it wasn't a growl) he gave a nod to the blue turtle Pokemon- showing that he could see that it wasn't a normal foolish and bold Pokemon and that it had a strong connection with his trainer...even if that trainer happened to be a blockhead.}

[/i]'How informative.'[/i] Entei thought to himself in a sarcastic manner. Well, at least he was of some use to him. He found Gary's reaction to someone speaking to him telepathically somewhat amusing, though it did nothing to change his expression. Taking a few small steps forward, though he looked ready to sprint off at any moment, he looked as if he were staring straight through the trainer. Entei was probably one of the more "intense-looking" of the three Legendary Beasts, though it would be quite a shock to anyone's system to encounter either of them.

"Where is she?"

He questioned, though it most likely wouldn't do any good. She was most likely happily back at home with her real father, and perhaps even her mother- whom Entei had only seen pictures of. It was easy for Molly to have mistaken Ash Ketchum's mother for her own, as they did look slightly similar from what Entei had seen. Though, alot of humans looked alike to him as they aged. He didn't pay attention to alot of their faces and features unless they had specifically done something to stand out in his memories, which didn't happen very often.

Entei's stare briefly shifted away from Gary and his Squirtle as he heard a small rustling sound that wasn't merely caused by the light breeze swaying the tall grass back and forth- though could easily be overlooked by other Pokemon or humans. Looking down, he spotted the grass moving back and forth, the sign that a Pokemon was traveling through the weeds. From it's scent he could tell that it wasn't a Pokemon that would normally be found in this area- an electric type. That meant it most likely belonged to a trainer that was nearby. Sure enough, as he looked around once more he seen another human- this one a bit younger than the other trainer. He didn't seem to be very experienced, either from the looks of it. His Pokemon was running off and making the boy chase after it.

These trainers were no threats to him, just like most other trainers he had encountered. Still, he didn't like to be around too many humans at one time- as his nature was to be rarely seen. He would probably dart off once he had his answer from Gary, anyway- not that he even knew were Molly Hale was. It was a shot in the dark that Entei would even come across anyone with a connection to Molly ever again, after all.[/color][/sub][/center]