Pokétropolis VR

[Son_of_Shadows]

George Anderson: Basement of Pokémon Company HQ

Before long, the group of beta-testers had assembled in the hall, and the tutorial would begin soon. George kept quiet, only answering his name to those who asked it. He didn't ask back, out of shyness. The excited chatter of some of them was giving him a slight headache. Still, he ignored it, as a blonde woman in a lab coat entered. “Hello everyone, I’m Ann and I’ll be walking you through the basics of virtual reality in Pokétropolis. We’re very glad you all could make it and we’re proud to present our newest technology to the younger generation," she said. Good Lord, her voice sounded like it could give you diabetes if you heard it too much. The sparkling teeth weren't a nice touch. He briefly wondered if this was her genuine appearance, or her virtual one. “Now if you could all follow me…”

She led them into a large room, that seemed almost like a storehouse. And indeed, it was a storehouse, for hundreds upon hundreds of Pokéballs on the left wall, and various shelves lined with technology and clutter. He couldn't help but let out a whistle at the sight. It all seemed so real. This VR was clearly extremely advanced. Ann explained that each of the beta-testers would now choose one Pokémon, in its basic form, from any of the 649 available. He pondered what to pick. Maybe something new from Unova, like a Larvesta, or Klink. In the end, he settled on an old favourite, a member of his current team in Pokétropolis. He sidled to the back of the pack, allowing the other testers to choose first. Just as Ann said, ladies first. And really, he was sure the other testers were much more competent than he was. George was nothing special.

The wall, he could see, was actually a system of conveyor belts, with a keypad at the side, to allow easy access to whichever Pokémon was chosen. As the testers received their partners, George finally approached the front. "So, who will it be for you?" asked Ann.

"A Nidoran F, please." George's ears burned a little as he heard some s******ing from some of the male testers.

"Are you completely sure?"

"Positive." Ann flashed her blinding teeth once more, and punched in a few numbers on the keypad. One of the conveyor belts slid round towards Ann, and a mechanical arm extended towards her, a Pokéball in hand. She passed it to George. He clicked the button in the centre to enlarge it, and squeezed it, releasing the tiny, light blue Pokémon. Seeing the people around her, she instinctively ducked behind her new trainer's legs.

"This Pokémon seems to be rather shy," commented Ann. Stating the obvious much?

"Oh, then we'll get along just fine..." George bent down to the Nidoran, and offered her his index finger. She sniffed it experimentally, and nibbled it. George chuckled at the ticklish sensation, before picking her up, and gently stroking her. "May I name her?"

"Of course! We at Pokétropolis encourage naming Pokémon, to foster bonds between you." George rolled his eyes at the automated response. That was how it sounded to him.

"Alright, Amélie, I guess we're partners now." The Nidoran looked at him. She seemed to smile, and her bright eyes were positively adorable. She liked the name. George grinned, and moved to the side, with everyone else who had already received a Pokémon, out of the way. He stroked Amélie gently, easing her in to the situation.

 

[Pyroli]

OOC: Urgh sorry I've been playing White for like the last 3 days.

Alexandra Slender - Home
Alex sat at home her stomach still felt iffy. She hadn't gone to school today because she hadn't felt all that great. She was bored, she bunt over her bed and pulled out the sketchbook under her bed. She was distressed; she felt better and really wanted to play on her computer. Her mother had told her to get some rest; Ugh but I want to play on Poketropolis so bad! She totally felt better and decided it was best, she put her IPod and her cell phone in her bag and sat it on the bed.

"I'm so happy to be playing again! Hmm it's quiet in this house, too quiet." She said going into her itunes.

"I bet some System Of A Down could liven this place up!" She quickly selected Solider Side and began listening to it. She then quickly opened up Poketropolis, It was the same old thing. She was walking into Blaine's gym with her Pokemon; except this time a guy walked towards her. She was confused she seemed pretty ready to face the gym leader and she was sure she had done everything needed. Did I forget something? She thought as she turned down her music.

“Hello Player Alexandra. We would like to offer you a chance to test the new virtual reality aspect of Pokétropolis. For no extra cost, you can experience what our staff has been working on for the past few years. Accept Y / N?" Said a speech bubble appearing.

Alex couldn't believe it, she was happy her face flushed red. She quickly moved her mouse over the 'Yes' and clicked. She felt like a kid in a candy store, she was so happy. She stepped into a beam of light and she was granted acccess into the virtual world.


(Pokémon Company Headquarters: Kanto and Johto Branch)

Alex got there in a mess, she felt dizzy and blissful.

"Ugh, Where am I?" She spoke with confusion.

Someone she didn't know began to speak.

"You are here in Poketropolis dear, you agreed. Now what was your username again Bio- Bios-" Said the woman confused about her username.

"It was Bioshocky." Said Alex smiling.

"But my real name is Alexandra, but you can call me Alex." Alex said happily. The woman talking to her began to lead her into a room. Alex saw a ton of other kids there.

"Wow! So many other people!" Said Alex grinning from ear to ear. She looked at them all and blushed. Great she had been struck with shyness.

"My name is um... Alex, nice to meet you all..."

"Anyways Miss. Alex I believe you should pick your Pokemon; Any of the original 649 Pokemon will do." Said The woman.

Alex scanned her memory.

"Oh I know! How about a Female Skorupi?" Skorupi was Alex's favorite Pokemon.

"Alright here you are." Said the woman handing Alex a Skorupi.

Alex looked at it and pet it's head. She decided to call it Lavender.

"I'll call her Lavender." said Alex happily, she now had a Pokemon and was ready to get the ball rolling.

 

[Ditto123]

I'm completely lost right now. What should I be posting?
~~~~~~~~~~
Chuck: Home

"Take that! And that! Die Pansear!" Chuck screeched. His hair came into his eyes as he was playing Pokemon Black. He was at the first gym. Chuck sighed. For some reason, Pokemon didn't have the same sort of zip that it used to. Oh well. He still had Call of Duty: Black Ops. Chuck went to play it on the Xbox. After turning it on, he found a new account in the neighborhood. Another person to beat. Chuck challenged him and a guy came up in front of his character. The guy was wearing a tux. Chuck used a machine gun to shoot him, but he was unaffected. The man shot some pedestrians and the camera tilted upwards. The blood spelled out something.

You have been chosen to test out a virtual reality Pokemon game. Meet us at the Hoenn branch. Chuck was stunned. A new view on Pokemon. He was in! The man motioned to him. Chuck followed, not realizing how stupid it was. But instead of hitting the TV, he passed through it. He gaped. Chuck was in a factory.

Chuck: Hoenn Branch

"Woah...This is amazing!" Chuck exclaimed. He had a tour of the headquarters. The man from the game was there in the flesh, too.

"Well, get situated and we will give you the game soon," he said. So Chuck did.

 

[Aura Wolfe]

Some people nearly leapt up into the room when a door appeared out of the wall. Mai just gave the blonde woman who walked out of the door/wall a cheery wave, which the perfect looking woman didn’t return. Mai’s smile turned into a death stare, which was also ignored.

“Hello everyone,” She said cheerfully, in a melodic tone with perfect teeth and perfect eyes and perfect everything. Mai’s death stare intensified. “I’m Ann and I’ll be walking you through the basics of virtual reality in Pokétropolis. We’re very glad you all could make it and we’re proud to present our newest technology to the younger generation. Now if you could all follow me…” She turned and walked away, leaving them all to follow her through the wall/door.

Ann lead them to a room that was completely white, so that it looked like it went on forever. Mai shivered in the… blankness of it all. All around, various pieces of technology sat on shelves, some of them she thought she had seen before, others not. There were packs of every size and colour there as well. But on the other wall was the main attraction; a wall that was covered from head to toe in Pokeballs to the point where it appeared to be striped red and white.

“Kawaii!” Mai exclaimed randomly.

“Alright,” Ann said with that horribly fake smile. “We will start by giving you your Pokémon. You can choose from any of the 649 in regular and shiny variety, so long as they are first stage. If you prefer a bit of a challenge, you can opt for a random choice instead. This Pokémon will be your first one, forever your closest partner, so be very sure of your decision. How about we start with you? Ladies first, right?”

And so it began. One by one, they each chose a Pokemon to be their partner – or as close to a real Pokemon as they were ever going to get. The people in front of her chose Growlithe, a Shiny Eevee, a normal Eevee, a Bulbasaur, a Houndoor, a Sewaddle, Pichu, an Absol, a Bagon, a female Nidoran and Skorupi.

And while the other people were meeting their data partners, Mai was trying to think of the best Pokemon to choose, but the problem was that there was so many different Pokemon to choose from, and she’d never decided on a definite favourite Pokemon!

Ann turned to face Mai. “And how about you?” She asked with that oh-so-fake smile of hers. Mai looked at her blankly for a moment, before remembering another option that she’d given. She smiled. It was perfect.

“I’ll take a random pick if that’s alright.” Mai smiled.

“Ah, someone who wants to take the challenge! Very well, a random pick it is.”

She turned and started to operate the machine, and a hand went down and picked a Pokeball of the massive wall. It dropped it into Ann’s hand, who gave it to Mai. “Here you go, your randomly picked Pokemon. You open the Pokeball by pressing the button in the centre. Once it expands squeeze the sides. This should trigger the red beam that will come out and form the Pokémon.”

“Okay, here goes…” Mai shut her eyes while she opened the Pokeball, releasing the Pokemon inside.

“…” The sound of steel scraping against the ground came to Mai’s ears, making her instantly run through her list of Steel Type Pokemon. She opened her eyes, and found that it was not a steel type at all, but a dark blue, almost black weasel looking Pokemon, with red eyes, a pink feature coming out of the left side of his head, and a small pointed ear coming out of the other. It had long silver claws, and two glowing yellow gems, one set in its chest and the other on its forehead.

The Sneasel looked at Mai silently, and she knelt down by him. She could tell it was a him because of the length of its feather.

“Hello there.” She said quietly to the Sneasel. He just looked back at her with an intense stare. She got the feeling that he was rather moody. “My names Mai… and you need a name too.” She already knew what she was going to call him. “Once I had a Sneasel in Pokemon Pearl. He was a brilliant battler, one of my best. And I’d named him Creed. Do you like that name? Do you want to be Creed?”

He looked at her for a moment, almost staring into her soul, before nodding. The two of them shook hands. “Creed it is.”

 

[Kiruria]

OOC: I'm starting late too... but my excuse is that I have exams next week and have had to study and stuff. (I don't even have Pokemon White yet.)
IC:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--Hiroshi "Gon" Tsukimaru--

--At home, around 5PM--

Gon was in his room, on his computer after a typical school day. It didn't matter how the school day went--now Gon was relaxed. Well, not really. As the time passed, he became more and more worried about his little sister Ari. That morning, Ari refused to come out of her room and go to school with him. Originally, Gon thought she was just addicted to Poketropolis as usual--but she had never locked herself in her room like this. Now, Gon occasionally brought up the IM window on the computer screen, sending another message to Ari--but none of them got answered so far. What was going on? Had Ari just disappeared from the world all of a sudden?

After a while, Gon decided to log into Poketropolis himself, though he kept the IM window in the background just in case Ari replied. He did manage a smile once the game started--immediately he took a look at his party Pokemon and looked over his team. His best Pokemon, a level 63 Dragonite named Benten, was right at the front of his party, similarly-leveled Pokemon of other types comprising the rest of the party. Except for the Delibird he used to fly from place to place. He flew to Blackthorn City and entered the Dragon's Den, mainly because he wanted to hear the game music there. Also, while there, he paused for a moment, walked to the water, and gave Benten a Rare Candy.

"Here we are, at the place where I captured you," Gon announced. "And now you are ready to learn your ultimate attack, Outrage!"

Cheering quietly as Benten learned the powerful dragon attack, Gon walked towards the exit of the cavern, wondering what to do next. But just then, a person walked up to him. At first Gon thought it was Clair, but it turned out to be one of the staff people. Confused, Gon started talking to this person--he announced a new virtual-reality version of the game, Poketropolis VR. Here Gon had to pause for a moment.

Hmm, I'm always up for trying something new, he thought, glancing at the clock to make sure it wasn't too late into the evening. Here he was glad he didn't have any homework that day.

Without thinking about it much, he clicked Yes. And that's when things started to get weird. To Gon, it seemed like he was doing a faceplant right onto the computer screen... and somehow flew right into it, like a Porygon could supposedly do. All Gon remembered at that point was freaking out the whole time, flailing his arms around and flying to who knew where...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--Basement of the Pokemon Company Headquarters--

Did Gon have an accident? Did the game cause some sort of seizure that caused him to pass out, then wake up in the hospital? That's what Gon thought, until the "doctor" spoke. When he mentioned getting used to virtual reality, Gon jumped in his seat.

"Y-y-you mean I'm really in virtual world?!" he exclaimed to the stranger. "Man that's trippy! It all feels so real--everything! I think I finally have faith in technology!"

The examner chuckled, then contnued on with the usual tests. When all was done, he led Gon into the main room, where the other player were. Wait--the other players? Suddenly an idea dawned on him.

Could this be what happened to Ari as well? If so, then is she there, in that room?

As he entered the "lobby", Gon saw a fair number of people there. There were ten or so of them, probably more, and they were mostly teens. First he scanned the room, looking for the dark blue hat Ari always wore when out and about. But he didn't find it. Looking around once more, this time more carefully, he came across one girl who looked like she could be Ari... nope, she wasn't wearing glasses, and Gon knew that Ari could not see well at all without them.

Just as he was looking away in disappointment, he spotted another girl, this one with straight black hair and glasses, wearing an outfit that looked just like what Ari sometimes wore to bed (minus the shoes of course). She was also wearing a headband--not too typical of Ari, but viable. Immediately Gon walked up to her, calling her name ("Hey! Ari!") when he got close. But when she looked at him, Gon's cheeks turned as red as a Pikachu's.

"Hehheh, whoops, my bad," Gon apologised to the girl, whose face looked nothing like Ari's. Plus she was too tall to be Ari, and her eyes were green. "For a second I thought you were my sister. She locked herself in her room for a long time, you see, so I thought she ended up here as well. Um, well, nice to meet you anyways--I'm Gon."

A pause..

"Um, no, no," Gon corrected, rubbing the back of his head, "I'm obviously still here. I meant my name is Gon. At least that's what people call me."

(OOC: Get it? Anyway, the girl I'm referring to is Phoenix, Wayjun's character.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gon's mouth fell open at the sight of all the Pokeballs. Was there really one for every species of Pokemon, as Ann explained? If that was true, then it was time for Gon to think of who to pick as his first Pokemon.

Wait a minute, so we're actually receiving a real Pokemon? Gon thought. Wow, this is awesome! It reminds me of that dream I had where I was playing frisbee with my Butterfree. Hmm, now I could choose a Caterpie... but I dunno if that would be a good starter, since it's not the strongest out there. Hmm, then there's Venonat, Oshawott--I wonder if Ari picked Piplup? Hmm, I wonder if it's a good idea to copy one of my teammates from the original game... If so, then...

It was really hard to decide. Gon first thought of Eevee... but then he saw one of the girls he mistook for Ari pick it before him. Then he thought of Venonat, but didn't know what one of those would be like in real life. The same was true for Magnemite, if it was true that Magneton caused harmful magnetic waves. Then he thought of other fun Pokemon... like Happiny, with its playful attitude. Or Drifloon, which he could carry around like a balloon? He thought it through some more, to the point where his head hurt from so much rushed thinking.

He clenched his teeth and grumbled softly, feeling suddenly pressured into making a very important decision. But then he got an idea: what if he picked a Pokemon that was the same species as one of his team members in the "old version" of Poketropolis? Raising Luffy the Hoppip would be fun indeed. But better yet, what about his favourite team member, the one he had just been training in-game?

"Can I have the Dratini then?" Gon asked, trying to avoid staring at the admittedly pretty Ann (or any of the girls for that matter). "...A female one, if possible?"

"Okey-dokey, if you think you can handle it."

Gon received the Pokeball before he could question what Ann meant. Sheepishly walking away, he turned to a relatively empty corner of the room, after admiring the other Pokemon that had appeared already. Two Eevees (one of which was shiny), Bulbasaur, Houndour, Sewaddle, Pichu, Absol, Bagon, Nidoran (the female one), Skorupi... With a warm smile on his face, Gon gazed at his Pokeball for a while, hardly believing what was about to happen. The Pokemon he had known and loved was about to become real... he could only imagine what it would really be like, how it would act...

Finally the Pokeball opened, and a Dratini appeared before Gon. She cocked her head to one side, apparently looking at the Dratini on Gon's shirt.

"Hello Benten!" Gon greeted, kneeling down and reaching out to pat the cute little dragon on the head.

"Tee?" she asked in a soft, high-pitched voice, pulling her winged head back an inch or so.

Gon shook his head in playful shame. "Ohh, right, I keep forgetting. You're not used to being called by that name. You're okay with that name, Benten, aren't you?"

The Dratini tilted her head to either side, which Gon had to interpret as a maybe yes. Then Gon finally got to pat her on the head--for a second he felt the soft blue scales covering her skin, and a silky wing brushed the side of his hand. It felt so odd yet so amazing to actually touch a Dratini like this--in the real world, Gon had a notion that a Dratini was a piece of computer data he could somehow bond with. So much for computer data and its monotonous binary functionality.

"Well, Benten," Gon continued, still kneeling, "my name is Gon (I won't make the mistake twice), and I believe we are about to go on an adventure together. Do you like exploring? Are you perhaps curious about what the world out there is like--at least the parts you have not yet seen?"

"Tee nee tee nee," Benten replied.

Great, she thinks I can understand every word she's saying, I bet, Gon thought. I wish I knew what "tee nee tee nee" meant.

"Okay then... yes..." and here Gon nodded a few times, "or no?" Gon shook his head.

Benten did the tilting motion with her head again. Gon dropped his head to his chest and sighed.

"You can't just say maybe to everything. Well, I'll take that as sort of a yes for now. Um, why don't we introduce ourselves to... some of the other people here?"

Gon turned his attention to the girl with the shiny Eevee--she seemed to be examining the silvery bunny-dog much in the same way he as he did for Benten.

"Ah, I see you managed to get the shiny," he commented. "Did you try petting it yet? It just feels so surreal to be interacting with these Pokemon on a realistic basis, doesn't it? Oh, and I'm G--I mean, my name is Gon. Whew. I almost said that I was gone."

He waved at her in the usual casual way--just holding his hand up briefly.

 

[Skillfulness]

OOC: NyuiGhAohivRabnot! Sorry I haven’t updated in days… I’ve been busy/procrastinating/lazy/hoping everyone would’ve posted by now. I hope at least a few people are still interested. GM FAIL -_-

Ditto, we’re all inside the game in the same place, basically their headquarters. Chuck should’ve been playing Pokétropolis when a staff member offered the Virtual Reality upgrade. Then he’d have been sucked into the game and popped out where everyone else is.

If your opponent is not posting, I’ll make the adjustment. I actually don’t except anyone to post >,< Also, if I missed you and you’ve posted at least once, let me know. Sorry I’ve been inactive guys DX

EDIT: The name that's listed first goes first, decide amoungst yourselves who will win. Happy battling!

Robin Barnes: Basement Level of Pokémon Company Headquarters

Robin couldn’t respond for a moment as she simply stared at the digital creature before her. It was too realistic to be true! She slowly reached for the Growlithe, the back of her hand to the Pokémon. This caught her attention and it curiously moved forward to sniff Robin. In turn, Robin turned her hand over and allowed her to sniff the other side. Then she started to scratch under her chin. The dog closed her eyes in content while Robin moved closer.

“I’ll call you… Sear.” It was an old Wordmaster word she remembered from quite a while back and thought it suited the little dog Pokémon. She didn’t respond, but only because Robin was still scratching her. She sat down beside her new Pokémon who lay down to expose her belly. Robin gave it a vigorous rubdown, much to Sear’s enjoyment. When she stopped, the Pokémon stood on all fours and shook.

“Growwwwlithe!” she happily cried. Robin’s grin grew all the wider.

“Alright now,” Ann, the Pokétropolis worker said, “It looks as if everyone has their Pokémon. I need your attention for a quick minute. I noticed a few of you have a purse or bag and that’s great. If you don’t we’d like to give you one. For everyone, we have some starter items such as Pokéballs and potions, as well as your own Pokédex, which also functions as a Pokégear, and a map. If those without a bag could grab one and then get the rest of your supplies from me…”

People began to shuffle around. Robin, with Sear following, looked up at the wall of bags. She saw tons of styles in tons of colors and it all made her head spin. But, she one had caught her eye and she knew it was the one she wanted. It was a simple brown messenger bag, slug over the opposite shoulder. Upon further inspection, she discovered there were lots of pockets to organize what she’d be getting from Ann. Robin did that too, quickly finding the right places to store things.

“Ok,” Ann said with a smile. “Now we’ll move outside and practice more ‘physical techniques’ of Pokétropolis VR! Please follow me.” She walked through a door on the opposite side of the room where a set of stairs led directly outside.

“Com’on Sear, let’s go.” Robin started to walk forward, but looking back, realized her Growlithe had not moved. “Sear…” The dog looked at her trainer and casually scratched her ear. The other players were leaving and as soon as the last person was out, Sear stood up, stretched, and slowly joined Robin. We’ll have to work on that attitude of yours… she thought darkly. Outside the weather was nice; sunny with a spotting of clouds. They had walked into a large field, sectioned it smaller ones. Any Pokémon fan would recognize the insignia in the mild of the dirt fields.

“We’re gonna battle!?” Robin exclaimed excitedly. The others had similar reactions, not quite as loud as Robin’s. Ann smiled as mother would when her child was proud of something.

“Yes we will. This will not only test your physical ability, but your knowledge of leading a Pokémon in battle. Now, I’m not going to offer any advice except to have fun and remember this is only a game. The battles will be one on one and players may use one Pokémon, considering you only have one. Battle will be halted if any Pokémon should go out of bounds and restarted from the best estimate of where it stopped. The player with the last Pokémon standing wins.

“I’ll tell you who you’ll be battling. I suggest you have your Pokédex out to check which moves your Pokémon knows currently. Yes they will level up over time, and perhaps even after their first battle. I’ll talk more about the different mechanics of Pokétropolis on your second day, but for now, let’s have some battles!” Ann continued to list all the players who would be facing each other and are as follows; Light Min vs. Kari Kami (1), George Anderson vs. Hiroshi Tsukimaru (2), Neo Atwater vs. Diane Diamond (3), Evelyn Sommer-Night vs. Karma Tamaki (4), Azel Meldon vs. Robin Barnes (5), Mai Harper vs. Monika Kruiper (6), Alexander Slender vs. Riley Alexander (7) and Chuck Norris vs. Ann (8) (the worker lady, she owns a Shelder with Tackle, Supersonic, and Leer).

Robin was assigned to face Azel on field 5. Heh, my lucky number. She looked at Sear who sat beside her. I just hope this stubborn mutt will cooperate, she thought. Out of the five or so minutes she’d known her, Robin got the vibe that Sear was somewhat aloof and very independent. And a bit annoying.

“Alright girl, let’s do this!” Robin moved into position with Sear trailing her. Azel and her shiny Eevee had the first move, as determined by Ann. Both Pokémon were in position and the battle began.

 

[Kiruria]

OOC: Azel is a girl, just so you know. Also, how do we know which Pokemon attacks first?

@Son of Shadows: Hey, that's the same George from Three Days! Haha, nice to see him again.

IC:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hiroshi "Gon" Tsukimaru
Outside on the Field

Before the girl Gon was talking to could reply, Ann made another announcement--this one was for handing out supplies--Pokeballs, Potions, etc. Gon didn't need another bag, though--he already had some room in his laptop bag to store things. Speaking of laptops, although all the rest of the belongings he usually kept in the bag were present, one thing was missing: his laptop! This did make sense, since in order to get here he went right into his laptop screen, but he did still panic a bit when he realised it wasn't there. He also remembered that he forgot to put his DS in the bag, but that didn't matter since he was already in a game. Without his laptop, how would he be able to show Benten all the games he had on there? And what about his pictures, and music, and... wait, he did have his I-Phone in the bag--this would be a good substitute if it could receive service in this world.

As Gon walked, he admired the way Benten slithered her serpentine body back and forth alongside him. The Dratini kept glancing between Gon and Ann, confused as to what was going on. As Gon received the Pokeballs, he thought for a brief moment about which Pokemon he would try to capture next. Currently his plan was to have a party of three small Pokemon, so that he could get to know them better before proceeding much further. Trying to handle six at a time, especially with them seeming so real, would be too much of a hassle for him.

But what Gon really admired was the Pokedex he received, especially with its Pokegear functionality. As he walked away from the crowd with Benten trailing behind, he started to inspect the map, scrolling between the different regions. A large dot on the map specified his current location, sort of near Indigo Plateau, labeled "Pokemon Company HQ". Another feature on the Pokedex allowed him to see the stats of his Pokemon. Looking at this screen, he looked at Benten's attacks, pleased with her moveset. Wrap, to trap small opponents. Thunder Wave, to paralyze foes and make them easier to catch. And Twister, for those Pokemon who stand up well to physical attacks or have a contact-based ability (like Pikachu's Static).

"You really have some nice attacks," Gon told his Dratini. "Not that I'm obsessed with battling or anything, of course."

Benten blushed, as if overly flattered. Meanwhile, Ann made another announcement--this one was for everyone to go outside. This time it was Benten who led Gon toward the destination--she seemed to be anxious to get some fresh air, which made sense because Dratinis love isolated places in nature. As they neared the door, a spacious field emerged before them...

What?!? A battle? Already? Gon thought as he caught side of the battlefields set up outside. This is reminding me of Pokemon Black, where you start off immediately with a battle using your chosen starter.

Gon was clearly unsettled by the very thought of battling straightaway. But nevertheless, he decided he was prepared, finding Pokemon battles to be pretty straightforward and being knowledgeable about many kinds of Pokemon and their attacks and abilities. But battling would surely be different here than in the regular computer game--Gon imagined it being very much like how it happened in the anime. In that case, he would have to speak battle commands to Benten, which would sound rather authoritative... As he looked down at Benten, he saw her curl up a bit... she looked worried.

"Don't you worry," Gon reassured her, squatting beside her (he didn't want to kneel, for fear of getting grass stains on his pants) and patting her on the head once more. Doing so seemed to calm her down a slight bit, though she did shrink away from him a little bit. "Remember what I said before. You know some good attacks, so I'm sure you'll do well."

"Teeneeee..." Benten mumbled, taking a glance at the battlefields. Almost immediately she turned around and looked down at the grass. She sighed, and then a moment later she looked right at Gon. "Tee nee tee nee dra," she said to him while shaking her head. It sounded like she was trying to talk him into--or out of--something. "Tee mee nee mee," she kept explaining.

Gon looked at the matchups for the battles at that point, quickly finding his name. Apparently he was to battle someone by the name of George Anderson.

"Okay, who's George?" Gon asked the group of people gathered outside. "This is Hiroshi speaking."

A few moments later, a boy who looked to be quite a bit older than him walked up to him. He had a very casual appearance, much like Gon--except he was taller and with a somewhat different style of dress. Following behind him was a female Nidoran.

"Hello George," Gon greeted, standing up and extending a hand. "I know Hiroshi is my real name, but most people call me Gon. And this here is Benten. That's an awesome shirt by the way--are you from DC or just visited there? And... yes, I'm pretty sure the number i is less than three," he added with a playful smile. "Hey there Nidoran--what's your name?"

Benten didn't seem too intimidated by the purple rabbit-like Pokemon, but was just as timid about battling as before. She hid behind Gon's leg when he spoke.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OOC: @Son of Shadows: I'll just let you move our characters to the battlefield. Remember that Benten will need some encouraging--I guess she really is the Reluctant Dragon.

 

[Slipomatic]

OOC: I just thought about how we were sucked into the world and it reminded me of the good ol digimon shows. Also, I don't really care about how the battle goes so make hay with it. I've given the first move and thats it.

Azel Meldon
Basement Level of Pokemon HQ

Azel eventually succeeded in getting her eevee to stop cowering away. From her observations so far, her eevee was fairly timid and she guessed that it was partly from her shiny fur. Still, she had to get it to like her and trust her if they were going to be successful at all. She slowly reached out with her hand, inching slowly closer to the top of her eevee’s head, checking to see if it tried to move back. Eventually she managed to place her hand on eevee, though without noticing it flinch at the contact. She softly began to scratch behind the ears, smiling slightly as eevee began smiling and purring. She softly said, “I think you will be called Umbra”

She paused from scratching her head to see if her eevee would like the name or not as she considered the name. She smiled inwardly as her eevee nodded in the name. Before she could resume petting her, the poketropolis worker interrupted their bonding time with an announcement asking everyone who didn’t have a bag to choose one. She looked around at the selection and saw a blue duffel bag and picked that one. She looked inside and saw various sections where she could store various items in each spot. She smirked as the interior looked bigger than it did outside. She followed Ann after she got her items from her.

Her jaws dropped slightly when she saw an unmistakable battlefield in front of her. Even the scenery, the gentle wind, and other things made it feel surreal. She listened to the rules of the battles and who she was up against. She almost gave a sigh as she was up against Robin. As she walked to battlefield five, she quietly said to Umbra, “Although we have just met, I need you to trust me on the battlefield when you battle. I will try my best to ensure that we are victorious, but for that to work I trust that you will do your best and that you will trust me to do my best. Think you can battle for me?”

She looked down at Umbra to see her eyes glistening slightly and unexpectedly, brushed against her leg, letting out a loud “vee”. She smiled softly, seeing that she had, for the most part, gained her pokemon’s trust in her. Still, she will do something about that shyness in Umbra so that it won’t affect her when she interacted with others, though she conceded that she herself was shy and was being a hypocrite. She moved out onto the trainer box and quickly checked the pokedex to see what moves Umbra knew. She smirked when she saw the moves wish and fake tears along with the tackle and tail whip. She motioned for Umbra to get in the battlefield and saw her nod, albeit the fear was slightly back in her eyes.

It was determined that her eevee was to get the first move so she had to make sure this worked. She waited for Robin to get her pokemon on the battlefield before giving an order. “Umbra, dash in a zigzag motion, towards growlithe and use tail whip.” She watched as Umbra took off in a zigzag motion towards growlithe, the tail poised and ready to strike when it was within range.

 

[lxdarknessxl]

Light's mouth opened. A battle? Already? He was a total newbie, while the others were most likely pros! Well, he always was commended for his creativity, especially in war/battle tactics, but still! It was then that he remembered two things, annd he closed his mouth. One, everyone else was new to this game version, and also, even if he did lose, he joined this game to hav fun, not to win. This would be his first time having fun in a while, and could also be the first time ever to get away with it without concequences. He smiled, and stepped onto the stage for his battle. He quickly ran up to the stage, and waited for Kari to get to her place. Light smiled softly, as always. "Hello, Kari. I am completely new to Pokemon, but please do not hold back, or I would never learn about the game."

Quickly, Light pulled out his pokedex, and looked at Abby, then Razor. Light was at a type advantage here since bug type was strong against Dark-types. However, he knew from researching Pokemon before, since he wanted to play one day, that Absol were much faster than Sewaddle. Most likely, the little bug had a bug-type move such as Bug Bite, yet if Abby could be fast enough to dodge any close-range attacks from the pokemon, all he had to worry about was Razor Leaf, which, while stronger than any of Abby's current moves, as well as being the same type as Razor, which gave the attack a boost, had a lower accuracy than most attacks due to it needing more focus. With Abby's speed, she could attack Razor from behind, not allowing the Pokemon to attack her with any attack other than Razor Leaf, and even if they did, Abby would dodge out of the way a bit at the last second, leading to lower amount of damage. Of course, non-damaging attacks would be a problem, if Razor had any. Either way, attacks like String Shot would be a pain, and should be avoided... He knew what he needed to do. Suddenly, a referee appeared at the side of the battlefield, and raised an arm. Finally, she brought the arm down, and yelled before disappearing. "Begin!"

"Abby, use Taunt! Then rush behind the enemy and Scratch!" Light yelled, still smiling softly. His strategy? Taunt will stop String Shot from making Abby slower, and Abby's speed would help her dodge any of the Seawaddle's close-range attacks. Razor Leaf would be the only option left, and Light's was Scratch, but Scratch was a faster to use, as well as an attack that was easy to hit with. Not only that, but Absol's stats were higher than Seawaddles' in every aspect. However, Razor Leaf, while it had lower accuracy, and had an opening left to the user when used, was a pain to dodge when used correctly, and had a higher chance of a Critical Hit, although not by much. Also, the damage was higher anyway. This battle would be decided upon one thing: Kari's Luck. Either way, all Light was hoping for was to have fun, and that was exactly what he was going to get, no doubt about it. As Abby rushed behind the Seawaddle and slashed, Light winked at Kari. "Let's make this battle as enjoyable as possible, Kari!"

 

[Delta Hunter]

Kari Kami(KK)

With Razor nested in her hair, Kari turned to Ann when she anouced the bags. Looking at the wall, Kari had to go with the fannypack. Small enough to be portable, big enough to hold large items, and more importantly, it was green with red stripes on the zippers. Taking the potions and the pokeballs and placing them into the correct pockets, she felt like she was finally a trainer. Looking at the Sewaddle, she knew she would have trouble with the little girl. Following the others, Kari gasped at the battle area. It was big, way bigger than the hologram arena at her mansion. Listening to the matches, she learned that her opponet was the semi-fancy boy. Feeling nervous, she stood at one end of the fleid, waiting for her opponet to show himself. Setting Razor down on the ground, she hopped beyond hope that she would listen to her at least once.

At the start of the battle, she noticed that the Absol was fast. Too fast. She knew that this could be bad...unless...."Razor, when Absol attacks, back flip and use bug bite." Razor did not back flip but did spin around and attempted a Bug Bite at the Absol.

 

[lxdarknessxl]

(just so you know, Light won't be battling as much as the other ppl, so he'll be relying on tactics instead of pokemon.)

Light Min

Light's smile widened, and he adjusted his glasses, and he threw off his overshirt, allowing all of his white T-shirt. He crossed his arms, and grinned. "Seawaddle's legs are too small for jumping, especially for backflipping... but turning around was a good choice. However... the Pokemon's body features can get in the way! Abby! Scratch down on the nose, and jump!"

Abby slashed her claw at the bug Pokemon's rather large nose, allowing her to escape the attack, attack back, as well as jump at the same time. The Absol expected to jump normally, but ended up flipping over and landing right on the bug Pokemon with her back. She had a surprised expression on, while Light smiled. "Just like how the spike on the center of a Lucario's chest can get in the way of a hug, the nose of a Seawaddle is rather large, and can get in the way of a biting attack. Of course, the body features of the Pokemon can help as well, such as using Razor Leaf to make the big leaf on the Seawaddle's head sharp, then using Tackle to not only raise in moving speed, but also to do extra da-oh crap! Still not used to talking normally!"

Light facepalmed with his right hand. Once he moved his hand, he looked over to Abby. "Sorry, Abby... anyway, don't move, and just keep whacking it with your tail! Just watch out for Razo-oh what the heck, a Jolteon couldn't dodge that attack when like that... Just use Scratch repetedly after the Razor Leaf's opening shows up, okay? Sorry, but you'll have to endure the pain of the leaves for the time being... jump out of the way when the leaves end, because that's when Bug Bite can be used again."

 

[Delta Hunter]

Kari

She flushed slightly when Light took off his shirt, but quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts. The fact that he gave her advice gave her a bit og rage, since she hates being babyed or something of the sort.

"HEY! I DO NOT NEED YOUR ADVICE, SO KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!!" Kari shouted angerly "Razor, kling to the Absol's leg and use bug bite!"

Razor twisted around, and using tackle it jumped onto the Absol's back, and started a barrage of bites to the unprotected back.

"Man, this is actually really fun! I can't believe this is happenin--" said Kari before a painful headache barraged her head. She staggered, clasping her head and shutting her right eye tightly.

 

[lxdarknessxl]

"Sorry! It just slipped out! I'm not used to talking like this!" Light yelled back, and wondered why she flushed. He was still wearing his white shirt, wasn't he? Either way, Light snapped, and Abby began to claw at the Bug pokemon, each losing health rapidly. It was neck-and-neck, due to the bug pokemon having lower HP than Abby. Smiling, Light looked over at Kari, who was also smiling... when she began to be in pain. Light's eyes widened, and he waited for Kari to act like it was all a joke... but he knew, that there was pain, true pain, for Light could see it in her left eye. Quickly, he rushed onto the stage, and went over to Kari. "Are you okay?"

"Sir, going on the stage is strictly forbidden, so-" began the referee, and Light growled at him.

"Do you think I care right now about some stupid game? Kari is in pain, and that means something is wrong! I forfit this battle, just help her already!" he yelled, and picked Kari up, piggy-back style. As he began to rush off the stage, he spoke again. "Come on, let's get you to somewhere you can rest. This may be a game, but you need rest either way."

The referee, also coming toward the two, looked frantic. Light, seeing this, looked at the referee, and shook his head. "Let us take care of the in-game situation, you hurry and inform the higher-ups about this, and get her medical attention and technical attention, stat!"

The referee nodded, and began to fade away. Light got to an open table, and set Kari down. He covered her torso with his overshirt, which he took off earlier, and the lady from before looked worried. "Will that do any good? This is inside a computer program, you know. Wouldn't it be better to force her out of the game?"

Light simply shook his head at this. "I read articals of people getting massive headaches in virtual reality before. This is quite common, although the reason may vary from computer viruses to diseases such as the common cold. However, just forcing her out of the game when she's like this may damage her mental health more, possibly irriversable. What's best is to take care of physical health outside of the system, and the mental health inside. Other way is to knock her out from both ends at the same time, then force her out, but this way is safer."

(No really, even though this is a game and the actual thing was a system. Normally, the shock could kill the victim, but since this IS pokemon, i decided to tone down the effect.)

 

[Delta Hunter]

Kari was in a world of pain. The headache was biggest in awhile, and she felt like if she moved, everything in her stomach would imeddiatly come up for round two. She could she the boy called Light quickly rush her to a table. Her headache was terrible, but she knew that it would pass with time.

"Hey Light, think for the lift, hehe" said Kari weakly "Look, all i need is a few minutes to let the pain go down, i've been having headaches all week, they all pass wih time." Trying to reach her pocket, she managed to take out some pills.

"Ann, can i have some water? these pills were perscribed to me, but i need a little water to take them."

Ann vanished, then came back with the water. Popping the pills in her mouth, she drank a little water and swalloded the pills. "Right now, i just need to lay down until th epills take effect"

 

[lxdarknessxl]

Light Min

Light sighed with relief, as he sat down on a bench that was just next to the table, which was now a makeshift bed. Atleast he knew Kari was going to be alright. Abby came over, and lied down on his lap, and Light began to pet the Absol, who purred in comfort. For sure, Light was surprised. He thought only cats purred, but he was just proven wrong, which made him chuckle. It was then that he saw the referee from before appearing. Light smiled. "Ah, so did your higher-ups get any help for Kari?"

"Well, yes. They called a doctor, and once they found out she had pills, they allowed the body to be effected by the actual person for a bit, so that miss Kari could swallow her medicine from both sides at the same time." the referee said, and once again, Light sighed in relief, but not for long.

"Wait, can you also mute the sound in here out for Kari, and change it to something more calm like, ocean waves, so she can sleep better without the noise of battling bothering her?" Light asked, and the referee nodded.

"It shall be done. Also, while you did forfit, the battle technecally ended with a draw, since it was Raki being in a condition before this." said the referee before disappearing. Light then continued to pet Abby, while watching Kari carefully. He did not want to be serious, especially not on the first day, but he had to simply watch, for now.

"Looks like I'll need my overshirt back once she wakes up." Light said, still petting Abby.

 

[Aura Wolfe]

Mai suppressed a shiver, holding Creed's claws. Just by touching them lightly, she could feel how very sharp they were. She knew from personal experience that they felt exactly like a knife did, one sharpened so that it could cut through silk draped over it. But despite being slightly scared of how deadly her Pokemon was, she couldn't help but be amazed by what she felt. Creed's fur was like velvet, the gems as hard and strong as anything in real life. This virtual reality was stunning.

Alright now,” Ann said. “It looks as if everyone has their Pokémon. I need your attention for a quick minute. I noticed a few of you have a purse or bag and that’s great. If you don’t we’d like to give you one. For everyone, we have some starter items such as Pokéballs and potions, as well as your own Pokédex, which also functions as a Pokégear, and a map. If those without a bag could grab one and then get the rest of your supplies from me…”

Mai stood up and walked to the wall, searching for a bag that she could like. She didn't often carry one around - she found many of them annoying - but she knew she would be needing one. Eventually she spotted a shoulder bag, black with silver zips and sticking in red with musical notes covering it. It had been made for her. She picked it up and showed it to Creed.

"It's nice huh?" She asked the Sneasel.

His unfalteringly cold eyes just stared at her for a moment, seeing into her soul, before he nodded slightly, folding him arms across his chest. Mai made a soft sound of amusement, before turning to Ann to receive all the items she would need. It was pretty neat.

“Ok,” Ann smiled, and both Mai and Creed flinched at the same time. “Now we’ll move outside and practice more ‘physical techniques’ of Pokétropolis VR! Please follow me.”

She lead everyone outside to what appeared to be a battlefield, a Pokeball shape in the ground. Creed seemed to know what this meant, for suddenly a devious, almost evil smile appeared on his face, revealing razor sharp teeth, his eyes burning with a sudden desire which chilled Mai.

“Yes we will." Ann said to an unheard question. "This will not only test your physical ability, but your knowledge of leading a Pokémon in battle. Now, I’m not going to offer any advice except to have fun and remember this is only a game. The battles will be one on one and players may use one Pokémon, considering you only have one. Battle will be halted if any Pokémon should go out of bounds and restarted from the best estimate of where it stopped. The player with the last Pokémon standing wins." She pulled out a sheet, which she started to scan. "I’ll tell you who you’ll be battling. I suggest you have your Pokédex out to check which moves your Pokémon knows currently. Yes they will level up over time, and perhaps even after their first battle. I’ll talk more about the different mechanics of Pokétropolis on your second day, but for now, let’s have some battles!” She started to read off the list, naming the people who were to battle.

Mai quickly found out that she was up against somebody called Monika Kruiper, whoever that was. She searched around the people there, looking for Monika, till she eventually found her. She was a skinny looking girl, and she had to be at least three years younger than her. A small Eevee stood by her side, looking curiously at Creed, who growled menacingly.

"Hi there!" Mai said cheerfully. "I'm Mai Harper, but you probably know that already. Sorry about Creed, I don't think he's the friendliest of Pokemon..." She paused awkwardly. "Umm... should we go battle now?"

Monika seemed okay with that, so they moved out onto the field, ready to battle. They stood facing each other, their Pokemon in front of them. She could hear Creed who appeared to be hissing slightly, all wound up and ready to fight. She flicked out her Pokedex, and checked Creed’s moves…

Scratch, Leer and Taunt…

If she remembered correctly, they were exactly the moves that a Level 5 Sneasel would have, so that would be the level that Creed was on. They weren’t particularly powerful, but she could definitely use them to her best advantage.

“Creed, let’s start out with Taunt.” Mai commanded, thinking of all the dark type moves that hampered your opponent. “I’m not sure what moves this Eevee has, but we don’t want anything that could reduce our power, or possibly heal Eevee. And add a Leer on the end there, just for good measure.”

The Sneasel leapt forwards, moving fast enough to be mistaken for a blur. He landed right in front of Eevee, and made a few extremely rude jesters in the evolution Pokemon’s face, before back flipping and sticking his tongue out.

“Sne Sne Sneeeeasel!” He cried, which Mai could have sworn would have translated to “We are tormenting you!”, which gave her an instant flashback of Yu Gi Oh Abridged.

He sneered at her from where he was, clearly different to the way he was taunting her a moment ago. Mai swore she could almost see Eevee’s defence fall.

“Sneeeeasel!” Creed cried again.

“Torrrmeent…” Mai whispered with him, waiting for Monika to strike.

 

[Double-oh-Platypus]

[Monika Kruiper - Basement Level of Pokémon Company Headquarters]

As the others in the room began to unleash their Pokemon, Monika examined her Eevee carefully. The Pokemon seemed highly attentive and active, bouncing around between the skater's feet, making Monika twist and turn to keep an eye on her.

"I could give you a name," she said quietly to the dog-like Pokemon, causing the creature to stop for a moment and **** its head. "What suits you? I guess I also have to consider what I want to evolve you to as well."

"Vee," the Eevee chirped back, rubbing up against her legs. Her fur glowed pale in the harsh lights of the basement and it reminded Monika of the moon back home.

"I'll call you Artemis," she decided, choosing a name after the Greek goddess. "Arty for short. That's manageable."

Arty chirped in response, resuming her bouncing around as Ann, the lady in charge of everyone called out to them, explaining about bags and such. Monika's eyes were immediately drawn to the wall of sacks, her own coveted purse left at home. There were so many to choose from but the one that caught her eye was a grey, leather bag with a knotted shoulder strap. The glittering silver zippers were especially appealing for someone who would need the pockets for organization. She plucked it off the wall and clipped Arty's Poke Ball to the strap before slinging it over her shoulder, her ears picking up more of Ann's words.

“Ok,” she began. “Now we’ll move outside and practice more ‘physical techniques’ of Pokétropolis VR! Please follow me.” With the rest of the crowd, Monika trailed after Ann who led them outside onto what could only be -

"Battle fields," the skater whispered, clearly in awe. She grinned at Arty and listened as Ann recited a list of contestants who would be battling against each other. According to the lady, Monika was battling against a girl named Mai Harper.

Glancing around, Monika sighed. The only thing she had to go by was the fact that she was 99% sure that Mai was a girl, which ended up being half the population. Luckily, she didn't have to look that hard as Mai seemed to show up out of the blue, chirping happily about the battle.

"Should we go battle now?" Mai asked, looking a little awkward and Monika realized she hadn't really said anything through the older girl's entire spiel.

"Oh, sure," Monika replied, following Mai towards their designated battle field. Her Sneasel looked like an imposing foe and as they both set up, Monika took the opportunity to pull out her PokeDex and examine Arty with it. According to the electronic device, the little Eevee knew Tackle, Wish and Helping Hand. The last attack wouldn't help her much here, but Wish would definitely be good.

"Creed, let’s start out with Taunt. I’m not sure what moves this Eevee has, but we don’t want anything that could reduce our power, or possibly heal Eevee. And add a Leer on the end there, just for good measure.” Mai's voice snapped Monika back to attention as her Sneasel stepped into action. If Monika remembered correctly, Taunt would only allow Arty to use physical moves for the next three or so turns whereas Leer would reduce the Eevee's defense.

Monika grit her teeth. It really only left Arty with Tackle, but she often went the physical route in a battle anyway. "Okay, Arty, let's start this battle off right! Tackle that Sneasel!" The hyper-active Eevee took off, zipping across the battle field and throwing itself at the Sneasel, sending the two tumbling backwards. As soon as the fox had gotten its bearings again it paused for a moment, awaiting its next command. "Tackle again," Monika ordered. The close range didn't allow for too much momentum, but the attack was still enough to make Mai's Creed yelp.

 

[Aura Wolfe]

From where Mai was standing, she could only just see Monika face, but it was enough to tell her that she was already frustrated. She'd obviously knocked out one, maybe two of her moves for a while. She felt sort of bad for it, but hey, she was trying to win at this.

Okay, Arty, let's start this battle off right! Tackle that Sneasel!" Mai's opponent called out over the battlefield.

Her Eevee - Arty - sped towards where Creed was with a happy-go-lucky expression on her face before crashing into Creed in a tangle of limbs and fur. Creed hissed angrily, and attempted to swipe the little fox Pokemon with his claws, but it darted out of the way.

"Tackle again." Monkia said.

Once again, Arty crashed into Creed, who was pulling himself off the ground, knocking him back down again. He flipped over and landed on his feet, pretending that he had not yelped in pain at all.

"Jump over the Eevee, Creed, and use Scratch. Try and push her over too; that might buy us some time." She knew Creed could do that. Sneasels were said to be rather agile.

Before Arty could launch another tackle, the Sneasel leapt up into the air and flipped over the Eevee's head, landing behind her. He launched a quickly fury of claws on Arty's exposed back, making the Eevee wince. Then, he tried to push her over, send her into the ground, but that didn't particually work too well, and Creed just ended up looking stupid.

I guess we're going to have to work on strength then. Mai thought as Creed jumped backwards, eyes intense and cold.

 

[Son_of_Shadows]

OOC @Kiruria: Why yes, yes he is. Once I come up with a character, I like to stick with them for a while. And are you planning on posting there any time soon? Hehe, kidding.

---

George Anderson --- Pokémon Company HQ

George took the next few minutes to get to know Amélie. Where she liked to be stroked, how she liked to be held, exactly how comfortable she was in public. It was just like owning your average rabbit. Except this one was poisonous, as he had to remind himself. He wasn't sure what would happen if he stupidly managed to infect himself. But his game would probably be over.

The next step in the Pokétropolis VR Tutorial was simply selecting a bag for items. George opted for a plain, simple, black leather satchel, which he slung over his shoulder, before filling it with supplies from Ann. Basic things: a couple of Potions, five Pokéballs, a Town Map (though George knew Kanto and Johto at least like the back of his hand), and the Pokédex/Gear combo, henceforth referred to as the Pokédear in George's mind. He slipped this into his jeans pocket for easy access.

Afterwards, they stepped outside, to a simple field, with chalk lines drawn into the ground, to make eight courts. Battle practice. Yeah, it made sense, presumably battling in real life would be much tougher than on a computer screen... He set Amélie on the ground, and she sniffed it, wondering whose territory she and her trainer were in. According to Ann, the pair were going to be facing Hiroshi and Benten the Dratini on field 2. Dratini. Gulp. Well, it was as inexperienced as Amélie was, so maybe they could pull it off. First things first, he extracted the Pokédear from his pocket, and scanned Amélie for her moveset. Scratch, Growl and Double Kick. Double Kick was a nice surprise, and he could already think of a few strategies involving it. Obviously, the little Nidoran would have decent leg strength, so maybe...

His train of thought was interrupted by the call of a slightly tanned boy, looking for him. "Hiroshi, I presume?" he asked, walking towards him. The boy, slightly shorter, answered in the affirmative, and extended a hand. He shook it politely. The two trainers seemed very similar looking, apart from their skin tones, heights, and he seemed to have a slightly slimmer shoulder than George.

"I know Hiroshi is my real name, but most people call me Gon. And this here is Benten. That's an awesome shirt by the way--are you from DC or just visited there? And... yes, I'm pretty sure the number i is less than 3."

"Gon it is then. Nice to meet you and Benten here. Thanks, I just went there a couple of years ago. Be nice to live there some day though," he smiled, "Math puns. We'll get along just fine, Gon." George folded his arms, still a little nervous about the upcoming battle, but hiding it well. Gon bent down towards Amélie, hands on his knees.

"Hey there Nidoran--what's your name?" Amélie recoiled a little from the stranger, but George knelt beside her, and placed a hand on her back.

"Don't worry. He won't hurt you," he whispered into her ear. At least, he didn't think so... But tentatively, she sniffed at Gon's hand, and accepted the young man as a non-threat. "Her name's Amélie. Go ahead and pet her, if you like." Gon nodded, and gently placed his hand on the little Nidoran, giving her a comforting stroke. The trainers and their Pokémon then headed for their chosen battlefield, with most fights already in full swing. Even Ann was involved in one. George took the far side, Gon the near. They wished each other luck, and ordered Benten and Amélie into the ring. Neither moved. Amélie had ducked behind George's legs, and Benten seemed very hesitant to do anything much.

"... Well, this is anticlimactic... And extremely awkward..." remarked George. Gon concurred. "Amélie... I know you're nervous... I am too. This is our first battle, after all. But we're going to be doing this a lot on the course of our beta-testing. So, we need to put the nervousness away for now. We can do this. I believe in you. You're a Pokémon, with incredible power and potential. You can do it. Now get in there, and let's kick some butt." Amélie, her morale boosted, gave a confident "Ni!" and trotted into the ring.

"Did you hear that, Benten? George is right. The nervousness needs to be put away for now. We have to be brave, and face him with valour, and decency. You're capable of that, right? Let's go for it!" Benten gave Gon a quick wrap of the arm, and slithered in to face Amélie.

"You have the first move, Gon."

 

[Delta Hunter]

Kari

Kari's eyes snapped open, and she sat up suddenly. The worst thing about sleeping in VR, is that your dreams have appsolutly no point and they are simply memeroies runnong over and over again. Looking over to Light, she smiled and throw his overcoat back at him with a friendly gesture.

"Thanks for the coat, but it wasn't nesscery. The pills knock me out for a solid hour no madder what is going on. This on time, i had to take them at the loudest rock concert ever, and i slept through the entire thing without even twiching." spoke Kari to Light. She smiled again and went to scrach the back of her head sheepishly. She didn't realise that her arm guard had fallen off, revealing the large ugly scar on her forearm of her right arm.