[ORP] Mixup, joke, or just lucky?

[Kadota-banchou]

(( I haven't had a chance to really meet anyone yet, so this is my excuse to. Please come play with me! Very willing to bump into anyone and everyone, if you've got any reason at all to be at the Eastern Trainers' Center. ))

Picture, if you will, one tall, solidly built young man, in his mid-to-late twenties. He's leaning on the wall next to the Pokécenter desk at the east trainers' facility, a completely puzzled expression on his face. He's got a cell phone cradled against his ear, and one very content — almost purring! — Bulbasaur cozied up against his foot. A delivery girl is walking out the door away from him, satisfied with a job well-done.

------

"Could you put me through to ... ah ... " Kadota glanced at the object in his other hand — a shiny new Pokédex, barely out of its wrapper and booted up to its startup screen for the first time. "Professor Samuel Oak, please?" There was a pause, and whatever answer he got from the voice on the other end of the line, apparently it wasn't what he wanted. "There's been some sort of mixup. I don't even live in Kanto, and I'm certainly not ten years old and on a Pokémon journey. I think I received someone else's Pokédex and Pokémon."

The Bulbasaur made a snorting noise, and settled itself further across Kadota's shoes, as if to say nope, you're my trainer now. Kadota glanced down at it in mild dismay as the voice seemed to answer him again. "But — " He was cut off by the voice on the other end.

"But if it went to the wrong pers—" He was cut off again. "But I don't even know Professor O—" Clearly the voice on the other end was an assistant of the good Professor's, chirpily informing him that yes, she had all of his information right here, and no, there was no mistake as far as she could tell. He slid the Pokédex into his sweatshirt pocket, an inadvertent acquiescence as he rubbed a hand over his face in obvious disbelief.

"This has got to be someone's idea of a joke ... " he murmured softly. "What? No ... no, he's fine. Seems to have settled in right away," he told the voice, with another wry glance down at the Pokémon. The voice chirped something in return, which got a "Hey! Wait!" out of Kadota, before the dial tone sounded in his ear.

"Well, buddy, I guess it's you and me," he said, somewhat resignedly.

"Saur." The Bulbasaur smirked up at him as if to say, Took you long enough to figure that out. Its satisfaction was maybe a touch short-lived when Kadota informed him, "You'll have to meet your other partners in a minute or two. Let's head for the training area." Clearly, the Pokémon had thought he had the big guy all to himself ...  

[Gwennythe]

Henrietta did love coming to the training center; there was always something new to see, some new pokémon and trainers to meet (and battle, of course), and the whole atmosphere just suited her happily.

"HEY! A Bulbasaur!" She exclaimed, excitedly, almost as though she'd never seen one before... when, in fact, she'd probably seen two or three just that morning.
But this was /another/ Bulbasaur, that she hadn't met yet! So it was exciting anyway.

"Awesome!" The teen skipped over toward Kadota and his new partner with a big grin; a green, rather 'spaced-out'-looking Totodile clasped in a hug against her chest.
"Hi!" She exclaimed to both man and plant-mon, keeping the big grin on her face. "Are you going to the training rooms! D'ya wanna battle?!"  

[Kadota-banchou]

Gwennythe

Kadota's head snapped around at the teen's shout — reflexes were hard to control — but he met her enthusiasm with a cheerful smile. "Sure, why not? Just met this little guy, might as well see what he can do, right?" His newest partner seemed pretty confident in its own right, with a little swagger in its step and a soft murmur of "saur saur saur" as the two trainers fell into step with each other.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kadota." He offered her a warm handshake, and a nod at her Totodile as well. "And my new buddy is — " He paused for a moment, face falling in mild embarrassment. "I don't know if he has a nickname already." Actually, Kadota wasn't even sure if the Pokémon was a he. He pulled out the Pokédex he'd thrust into his pocket, and scanned it quickly. Oh good, at least I was right about that. "Rex," he said, making a snap decision. Bulbasaurus Rex. Given his attitude, it seems to fit pretty well.

If anything, the nickname made the Bulbasaur puff up even a little bit more, with an emphatic "Bulba~saur," and a cocky little grin at the Totodile. Kadota had the sinking feeling that his newest addition was going to cause all kinds of trouble, not just with other trainers, but with the Hawlucha still at rest in one of his Pokéballs.

"How long have you been battling?" he wondered, as they made their way towards the battle field.  

[Gwennythe]

"Oh wow! You two just met! That's freaking awesome! Is he your starter?" Pokéballs or not, who knew if they were empty, or the guy had just received, or caught, some really quickly; besides, that pokédex kind of looked rather new.

Henrietta thrust her hand out to meet the shake with the same kind of energy she spoke with, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Awesome names! This is Gummy! He was my starter, and he's totally strong! I'm Henrietta but a lotta people just call me 'Hen'!"
She continued to have a bit of bounce in her step as they walked along.
"Oh! Uh!" She screwed her face up as she tried to think how long ago she'd gotten Gummy, and when her first battle after that had been. "Ages!" She settled on, with a firm nod and a grin.

The Totodile gave a slow blink as the Bulbasaur addressed him, and turned his head to stare at the grass type. Simply stare. A moment later, he slowly blinked again.  

[Kadota-banchou]

Gwennythe

Kadota had never really thought in terms of Pokémon battling as a professional sport. It wasn't that the term "starter" was new to him, but he'd just never run into it used that way towards him. He mostly trained his little guys so they'd be able to take care of themselves and each other; he rode the edges of the law just enough that he figured someday they'd need to be able to. This is going to take some getting used to.

"No, not exactly. Though someone thought he should be, I guess," he explained, once he'd managed to wrap his brain around the concept, trying to answer it in her terms rather than his own. He'd never really thought of Georgia as a starter, just as an unexpected and gradually more-and-more valued partner. "Actually, I found my — starter — " the word was obviously awkward for him, "abandoned in a dumpster, about six months ago. It took a while to get her healthy again."

They'd reached the battle field, and he offered her a broad smile before stepping into one of the trainer boxes. "Well, if you've been battling for ages, I guess I'll have to learn from the pro." Rex vaulted into the space reserved for him as if he'd been born to do this, though he seemed a little unsure about the strangely-silent Totodile.  

[Gwennythe]

"Aaw! Man! Who would do that to a pokémon?! What kinda 'mon is she? Is she here?! Can I meet her too?!"

Henrietta set Gummy down before taking her own place, giving two thumbs up and huge grin to Kadota.
Apparently, type disadvantage or not, she was going to use her little water type right now.

The Totodile waddled to his space, the same, slightly blank, stare, now -unblinking- for far too long, remained settled across his features.

"Yeah! We're total pros! But don't worry, you'll probably be awesome, and you already look super tough! We're certainly not gonna go easy on you, though!"  

[Kadota-banchou]

"I don't know who would do such a thing." There was a small steely glint in Kadota's eyes that indicated that if he ever found out who it was, that person was due for a beating at the hands of an expert. But his expression softened at Hen's enthusiasm. "She's a Togetic. Yes, she's with me, and you can meet her. But she's nervous around new people, so don't be upset if she's shy and doesn't warm up to you right away," he warned her. "She gets along pretty well with other Pokémon, though."

That Totodile was weird, he decided. Not the coloration, but the behavior. Almost as if it were part — oh, what was it? Slowpoke? Psyduck? One of the two. "You better not go easy. No fun that way, right?" he shot back with a smile. He grabbed his Pokédex and confirmed the moves that his newest buddy knew. "You ready?" The question was addressed to both of the Pokémon, and Henrietta. Rex growled a loud though absurdly cute "SAUR!" and pawed at the ground — no question he was raring to go.

When she confirmed she was ready, he'd start with the basics, just to get the feel for how this new friend of his liked to battle. "Tackle attack, Rex!"  

[Gwennythe]

"Aw! That's okay! We'll totally befriend her! We've met shy 'mon before!" Henrietta grinned happily, excited at the prospect of meeting a Togetic.

When asked if ready, as the Bulbasaur let out his affirmation, Henrietta bounced up, and threw two thumbs up again.
"Totally ready! Let's go!"

So, 'Tackle' attack; Henrietta nodded to herself, then called directions.
"Gummy! You can take that, just hit him with a Leer, then try and use Scratch!"

Surprisingly, the Totodile moved.
He took the tackle attack without a sound, taking the damage, then directed a Leer toward the Bulbasaur.  

[Kadota-banchou]

Leer and Scratch, huh? Kadota was no expert, but those seemed like pretty basic moves for a Pokémon that got regular practice. On the other hand, maybe that was just a warmup and Rex would get bit with an Ice Fang any time now. No time to weigh his options in the heat of battle, though — the Bulbasaur had visibly wilted under the effects of the Leer.

"Shake it off, buddy!" he encouraged him, making a snap decision. This was supposed to be a training battle; so training it would be. "Evade, and try a Leech Seed." Sure, Kadota wasn't expecting wonders from that move — the Pokédex had shown that it was one Rex was still learning. Might as well get him practice using it, and see what it could do.

"Saur ...?" For the first time, cocky little Rex looked uncertain. But he arched his back, and his bulb pulsed once, twice, and fired a tiny little seed that plopped in front of the Totodile.

"Good job! Now get out of the way!" Whether it worked or not didn't matter to Kadota at this point — what mattered is that he'd listened and tried.  

[Gwennythe]

The Totodile didn't change his expression, even as the Bulbasaur evaded his 'scratch'. He gave no reaction as the seed seemed to roll and then embed itself inside of him.

A moment later, a weird green glow pulsed and some kind of energy transferred from Gummy to Rex, apparently weakening the water type.

"Hold in there Gummy! Try Rage!"
The Totodile's eyes suddenly seemed to narrow, and his mouth curled in a kind of a snarl, before he aimed his claws at the plant 'mon.  

[Kadota-banchou]

The plant Pokémon, both pleased and a little surprised at how well his attack had worked, had started a little boo yeah, look at me victory strut when the Totodile went after him, claws and teeth bared. "ss- -saur!" Between his lowered defenses and his inattention, he rolled backwards under the assault, staggered and decidedly embarrassed. He flopped to the ground, little green cheeks glowing pink and covered with scratches.

Kadota, in turn, just shook his head. Training this one was going to be an adventure, he decided. "Back up and at 'em, can't quit now," he reminded Rex encouragingly. Rage.... He tried to remember. It makes the Pokémon's attack stronger every time he uses it. Suddenly, he was glad the little plant Pokémon had managed to get off that Leech Seed; hopefully it would help him hold out. He supposed he could counter with Growl, but Kadota wasn't the type for a war of attrition. "Tackle him again!"

"Saur!" Rex hopped back up, determined not to be embarrassed like that a second time, and rammed toward the still-strangely-placid (especially for Raging) Totodile.  

[Gwennythe]

The Totodile wobbled as he was tackled again and then immediately lost more energy to another Leech Seed, however he stayed upright and... eerily calm, still, while his face was simply a mask of 'rage' compared to the very real attack.

"Hold on in there Gummy! You're doing -awesome-! Rage again!" Henrietta encouraged her little water type with a fist pump and a grin, before giving Kadota another thumbs up.
"You two are doing totally awesome too, but we're not gonna go down that easy!"  

[Magician Arcana]

"Ghaaaasssttt." Manny bobbed beside his trainer, clearly bored now. The channel on the television was changed from the comedy show to two people in a pokemon battle. Adam had been trying to read through the manual on caring for ghost pokemon. It was filled with jargon, graphs, and drawn comprisons that just made his head spin. Eventually, he had just given up, and the heavy manual laid across his lap as a forgotten burden.

Hunched forward, the rocket narrowed his eyes and toyed with his lip ring. That girl, with the Totodile... Her strategy was pretty sound. Letting it get nailed with damage so Rage would be stronger. Not at all a bad idea. The other fellow, with the nice hat, he was playing it smart too. In honesty, the battle was a little boring. That's why most of the trainers in the center were focused on other things than watching it play out. These were obviously relatively young and untrained pokemon in the hands of young trainers.

Adam's attention was stuck on the pokemon's nature. There was something seriously wrong with that Totodile. Abuse maybe? That Bulbasaur had a lot of spunk, though. "Manny, you think you're up to a fight today?" They had yet to participate in a real battle. The ghastly paused and chirped happy "LY!" before whirling in a tight circle. Adam grinned toothily and nodded, "Sweet. Let's kick some a**."

Standing, he stretched and popped his back and arms before heading towards the waiting area of the battle ring. When the two finished, he'd ambush them. Anxious energy filled him from head to toe until he was bouncing gently on the balls of his feet.  

[Kadota-banchou]

(( HAHAHA. A friend of mine took one look at the Totodile and pointed me at what it was based on. I would never have known, I'm not in that fandom! That's awesome. ))

Rex took another round of Totodile-slashes, falling back under the assault. He drew himself back up, tiredly this time, but still gamely fighting. He didn't want to look bad in front of his new trainer, but the jolt of energy from the Leech Seed was a welcome relief to the little plant Pokémon.

At about this time, Kadota started to get a little prickling feeling on the back of his neck. That usually meant that someone was watching. He wasn't accustomed to it during a Pokémon battle (heck, he wasn't that accustomed to Pokémon battles to begin with), and it took a moment to tamp down street-honed reflexes to turn and look. Better get used to that. Better not get too absorbed in a battle, either.

Still, it added to his decision to wrap the fight quickly, as he stole a glimpse out of the corner of his eye at the newcomer to the side of the battlefield. Rex was slowing down, and Gummy would only be getting stronger at this point. There was no sense making his new partner fight a lengthy, exhausting battle for his first time in battle at all. "Let's finish him off. Let's see your Vine Whip!" It was a gamble, but one way or another, it was likely the fight would end. If that meant he was patching up his new buddy, well, that was probably to be expected for his first fight — and at least the little guy would see some practice with that other new move of his, too.

"Bul!" was the determined, if tired, response from his Pokémon, and two wee vines snaked out from under Rex's bulb. The length of them was pathetically short. Or maybe small and cute, if you thought stubby little vines were cute. Perhaps he'd never even used them before, or even known he had them. He waved them at the Totodile threateningly, as much as he could for that small radius.  

[Gwennythe]

Henrietta, in contrast, was entirely absorbed in the battle; focused only on Kadota, Rex, and Gummy for the moment. Then again, she was somewhat used to battling, and even being watched.
"Oh man!" She was startled to see, even if not the strongest, Vine Whip being used, as it hadn't made an appearance until this late stage; it was a good strategy, even if unintentional, and with Leech Seed and Tackle already having weakened Gummy, it seemed like it was about to finish the battle.

"Gummy! Quick, get one more Rage in!" She called, realising the little water type was about to faint; she only hoped he'd be quick enough, as she watched the Vine Whip come down to steal the last of Gummy's energy.