Willow Starts Anew

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow awoke to her mother's face. Her mother's face right in her face.
"Wake up, Willow! It's finally the day!" Her mother exclaimed. "Get ready now, I already have breakfast all ready for you!"

Willow groaned and got out of bed. She dressed quickly in a plain black shirt and a pair of jeans. Forgoing make-up, she forced herself to slow down on the stairs so her mother couldn't tell just how excited she was to be leaving. Her mom would misinterpret it, and she couldn't allow her to think she had the upper hand. Willow ignored the pancake breakfast on the table and grabbed an apple out of the fridge. She said a quick goodbye to her mother and stepped outside.

Starting off to the lab, Willow breathed a sigh of relief. She was finally free. Off to start her own adventure.

[teamplasma]

Outside Willow's Home:
Will walked out the door to a rainy day. It wasn't storming but it was icky. The sky was blanketed by the dark and gloomy clouds. There weren't many people or Pokemon in sight. Because rain wasn't normal in Oldoak Town, it might occasionally cloudy, but never really rainy. It was a good thing that the small awning protected Willow from the rain. Through the cascading water you could see the lab directly ahead of the house. But it was small from there because ti was ALL the way across town. So it would be a good 5 minute walk to the lab.


Willow's mom gave her an umbrella and pushed her on her way.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow almost didn't put up the umbrella at first, but she decided she wouldn't make the best first impression if she arrived at the lab soaking wet, so she sighed and put it up. The rain had dampened her spirits a bit, but she was still pleased to be free.

Willow carefully walked across town, walking around puddles so her shoes didn't get soaked. She looked around and observed the familiar sights.

[teamplasma]

Straight a head there was the Lab. There were the sounds of footsteps behind Willow. Right now, though, the source of the footsteps wasn't visual. It was too dark and the rain made it even worse to focus. But the doors to the Lab were 40 feet from her.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow paused when she heard the footsteps. She wondered briefly at what to do, then started hurrying off in the direction of the lab. Perturbed and curious all at once, she stopped abruptly and turned in all directions. "Who's there?" she called out to what seemed like thin air. She was nervous, but held her ground. "This isn't funny. Show yourself."

[teamplasma]

Nothing emerged from the rain at the sound of her voice. The footsteps had stopped. The only thing that you could here was the pounding rain. Not even the houses on both sides emitted light from their windows. The dirt path was now muddy from the rain, though it hadn't rained that long. It was just raining so hard that it mad everything soaked.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow shrugged and kept walking. Though she dismissed the sound as a figment of her imagination, she had a nagging suspicion it wasn't...

Finally arriving in front of the lab, Willow gasped it awe. She'd never really paid much attention to the lab before, since she lived so far away from it. She closed her umbrella and held it at her side. Keeping her nerves under control, Willow took one deep breath and approached the door, opening it.

[teamplasma]

A man from the building was walking from across the room. He just walked past the door when she opened it. But the sound of the door alerted the man. He turned around and saw her. "Oh, hello there. Do I know you?"

[Gamernamerjj]

Surprised at first, Willow quickly composed herself.
"Hello, sir, I'm Willow," she said without a quaver in her voice. "Are you Professor Storax? I'm here to get a starter Pokémon..."

[teamplasma]

The Pokemon Professor looked a little confused. "Hmm, no I dont think I know you... But yes! I am Professor Storax! Nice to meet you, Willow!" He said politely. "I am obligated to supply trainers who are going on a journey. Well I am enthused that you want a Pokemon!" Storax walked over to a cart of Pokeballs. It seemed to had perfectly indented sections for each ball. "There are 18 Pokemon here, they are all labeled. You may pick one of them."

[Gamernamerjj]

"Oh, sorry," Willow said in reply to his confusion. "I thought my mom had told you I was coming. Anyway... I guess I better get deciding."

Willow carefully considered each Pokémon. She knew she didn't want a fire type, but she wasn't sure if she should get a water type, a grass type, or what. Then there was also choosing which specific Pokémon out of that type, plus the other few Pokémon that weren't grass, water or fire type... Ugh. Willow's head hurt just trying to wrap her head around it. I know, she thought, I'll go on instinct. That might just be just as logical as, well, logic.

So, Willow put her hand over each Pokéball on the cart, trying desperately to catch any bit of intuition from her brain. It was useless. She just couldn't decide. Professor Storax standing there waiting for her was no help either. She started to feel embarrased when she had another thought. It was not logic or intuition that helped me decide that I should leave my mother's grasp, it was an impulsive decision! And so, Willow went to pick up the Pokéball of the Pokémon that had first caught her eye, Mareep. However, for some reason, her hand gravitated towards the ball of the Mudkip instead. Of course, now my intuition speaks up, she thought to herself.

Willow stood there with the ball in her hand, arm stretched up in the air. Then she realised what she was doing and put her arm down, blushing profusely. "I've chosen a Mudkip, Professor Storax," she announced proudly. "If you couldn't tell already," she mumbled, reddening once more.

[teamplasma]

(Wow, I really think this is well written.)

The smile on Professor's face grew. "I am proud of you." He said to her. "Take care of it, well. That Mudkip will be a life friend. Ah! That reminds me!" Storax walked over to the table that he was at before and took some items from it. He returned to Willow and said "Here is somethings you will need." He handed Willow 5 PokeBalls and 2 Potions.

[Gamernamerjj]

"Thank you, Professor," Willow said, happily accepting the items.
"Is that everything then?" she inquired. "Oh, wait. I thought I'd give my Mudkip a nickname first." She paused. "I think I'd need to see it first before deciding that, though." Willow released the little blue Pokémon from its Pokéball. It sat there, looking at her inquisitively.
"Mudkip!" it said.
"Aw, it's so cute!" Willow crooned. "I can see it has great potential, though," she continued. Suddenly the perfect name came to mind.
"I think I'll name it Kimmie!" she exclaimed. "Uh, is she a girl or a guy?" Willow was quiet for a moment. "No matter, I'll call him or her Kimmie anyway!" The Mudkip babbled happily from the ground.
"Kimmie it is then!" Willow declared as she picked the Mudkip up and cuddled it in her arms. "So, is that it before we leave here?" she asked.

[teamplasma]

The professor thought, then said, "Yes, am instructed to inform you of the dangers and the risks in this region. There are many things that could happen. And there are many Pokemon that are dangerous, and strong. So beware of what Pokemon maybe surrounding. Also there has been rumor of an evil clan brewing in the Traka region too. So again... beware. Now do you have any questions?"

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow became slightly frightened when she heard of the dangers on the road, but the only visible reaction to the news was the tightening of her arms around Kimmie. When the Professor asked if she had any questions, she tilted her head and thought for a moment.
"Can you tell me a bit about Kimmie, please?" she inquired. "Also, what's between here and Paradora city? I want to go there next, do you know if the route difficult?"

[teamplasma]

"Yes I can tell you a little about her. Well... More than a little!" He took Kimmie softly from Willow and brought he to one of the machines lining the wall. In the middle of it was a little box with a green, grid-like pattern. The professor placed her on it. "This will examine your new Pokemon and tell you all about her. Just watch." As the machine started scanning he continued to talk. "The route between here and Paradora is a long, but simple route. It is just a large pathway surrounded by forestry. There are small pokemon, usually with little skill, roam there. It is wonderful for a starting trainer." Then the machine stopped scanning. And on a screen above the box streamed info. A lot of it was useless, but the important things were in bold script.

Mudkip
Female - Poison Heal - Level 5
Growl - Tackle

"There you go!" He said picking up the Kimmie to return to Willow.

[Gamernamerjj]

"Wow, that machine is incredible!" Willow exclaimed as she saw it. She listened attentively to all the professor had to say and then decided it was time to be off.
"Well, if it's a long trip, I'd better get going now, I guess," Willow said. She returned Kimmie to her ball.
"So, uh, thanks Professor. This means a lot to me, I really appreciate it," she continued, her voice full of gratitude. She swallowed hard. "A lot."

Willow headed towards the door then turned and looked back at the professor. She waved a final farewell and called out, "Bye now!"
Then she left the whismical lab and walked out the door, bracing herself for rain.

[teamplasma]

"Goodbye! Contact me whenever you want!"

--

Outside the ran had let up a little. It was now lighter that the rain had smoothed out a little. Though it wasn't that much better than before it still made it lighter outside. And since it was lighter you could see more of the town, but it was all too familiar to Willow. The route was right by the Lab, to the left. And a row of houses was to the right, and they all were identical. But right in front of Willow was the source of the footsteps. It was a small, but angry looking Poliwag. It had distressed eyes and all.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow froze upon exiting the lab and spotting a Poliwag. She had absolutely no idea what to do in her panic. She stood there, just looking at it with a dumb look on her face.

Finally, her brain clicked and she decided on the best course of action: to let Kimmie out of her ball. Willow brought out the red and white Pokéball and released Kimmie in a flash of light. The little Mudkip stood there waiting for directions that Willow didn't have to give.
"Erm, tackle?" Willow said, unsure. "Wait, no! What if it's someone else's Pokémon?" If it was a lost Pokémon, it might not be a good idea to attack it. Then again, if it was a wild Pokémon she didn't want it to run away before she tried to catch it. Willow wasn't sure what to do and looked around for another trainer.

[teamplasma]

Ahead of willow, about a 5 houses away was a young boy, maybe 10, running towards them. It wasn't hard to spot him once you heard him yelling. The 10 year old finally reached them, out of breath. He wore a black shirt with light blue pants. His hair was a bit messy and out of control. "Hey! That is my Poliwag!" The Poliwag gave a sour face from hearing that. "What are you doing?" He said staring at Willow.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow replied with a question of her own.
"Why's your Poliwag running around by itself? Something bad could happen to it!" she exclaimed.

[teamplasma]

"He just runs away when it rans for some reason. I have been looking for him for a while!" And he never seems like he wants to come back. " He now semed upset. "I am Kyle and this is my Poliwag, Pyro." The Poliwag still seemed angry.

[Gamernamerjj]

Bewildered by the thought of a water type Pokémon disliking rain, Willow inquired forcefully,
"And you have no idea what causes this? Absolutely not a single clue?" She just didn't understand how this could be.
"Oh, I'm Willow by the way. This is Kimmie, my Mudkip," Willow hastily introduced herself and her Pokémon, bending to pick Kimmie up as she did so. A thought popped into her head as she recognised a key difference between her relationship with Kimmie already and the one that existed between Kyle and his Poliwag. She wasn't sure what it was, but something was wrong with their relationship.
"Um, Kyle, you said? How much attention do you give your Poliwag?" Willow probed gently.

[teamplasma]

"I spend a lot of my time with it, he just doesn't like me. Pyro, doesn't seem to trust me at all." He started getting sad. "But I dont know why, Pyro is my best friend."

[Gamernamerjj]

"Do you battle much?" Willow inquired. "If your Pokémon faints in battle, it doesn't like that. Or maybe it's levelled up too high. Do you have gym badges? It won't listen to you if you don't have enough gym badges. I don't know for sure though. Maybe you should talk to Professor Storax," she suggested, gesturing to the lab behind her.
"He's an expert on Pokémon, I bet he'd know what's wrong." Willow patted Kimmie on the head with a smile on her face. "He told me a lot about my Kimmie, after all."

[teamplasma]

He had a puzzled face. "Well... We never battle... maybe that is the problem. Do you wanna battle me?" Kyle said excitedly.

[Gamernamerjj]

"I guess we may as well. It'd be the best way to find out," Willow said reluctantly. I guess it's a good way for us to get some experience, too. She set Willow down on the ground.
"Well then, I challenge you to a battle!" She announced to Kyle.

[teamplasma]

"You hear that Pyro?! We are going to battgle!" He jumped back so it was a good 40 feet between the Willow and Kyle. "Lets do this!"

Poliwag
Male - Damp - Level 9
Bubble - Hypnosis - Water Gun

VS


Mudkip
Female - Torrent - Level 5
Growl - Tackle

Kyle put his hand out. "You may go first."

[Gamernamerjj]

I suppose it'd be best use this opportunity to my advantage then!

Willow spoke to Kimmie quietly, "You ready?"

The Mudkip seemed to give a nod. In Kimmie's eyes, Willow could see her reflection. She looked nervous to herself, even. Taking a deep breath, she tried to erase the nervous look from her face. She stood and Kimmie moved closer to the space in the middle of the two trainers.

Willow called out to Kimmie strong and clearly,
"Kimmie, use tackle!"

[teamplasma]

Kimmie was a newborn Pokemon, so she didn't really have much skill right now. But Pyro wasn't skilled either so it was pretty leveled of a battle.

Kimmie took stance and crouched a little. Then she leaped and took a run, which was actually slow, but that was at least too fast for Pyro to dodge. Kimmie dashed at the Poliwag with a certain, determined, on look her face. She hit her forehead on Poliwags stomach. Which didn't really hurt him. Though Pyro was small he had a lot of bulk. Pyro fell o his back, though. He got right back up. Soon Kyle demanded a Bubble Beam attack. A slow stream of bubble flowed from his mouth. Though the bubbles only popped in Kimmie's face, it still hurt the baby pokemon. Kimmie, hurt, tried to shake it off.

Poliwag
Male - Damp - Level 9
Bubble - Hypnosis - Water Gun
HP: 32/40


Mudkip
Female - Torrent - Level 5
Growl - Tackle
HP: 30/35

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow didn't like to see her Pokémon get hurt. She cringed when Pyro's attack hit Kimmie, though she tried to quickly compose herself, so she would not show weakness.
"It's okay Kimmie, shake it off!" she called out to her Pokémon. "Let's try out your other move, I'm not sure what it does. So, Kimmie, use growl!"
Willow crossed her fingers behind her back and hoped for the best.

[teamplasma]

Kimmie shook the pain off like Willow said to, but the attack still tired her out a little. For Growl Kimmie went into a leopard-stalking-its-prey stance. She slowly walk towards Pyro and started emitting a high-pitched, angry sound. Pyro wasn't too intimidated by it, but he was a little confused. Pyro wasn't the type to get scared of other Pokemon, he thought of himself too highly for that. Pyro did eventually start walking away from her. It had worked.

Then Kyle blurted, "Pyro, Hypnosis!" Kimmie had retreated from her spot so she wouldn't be blasted. She ran the opposite direction of the beaming attack. She had out run it because the attack started to fade away pretty quickly after she had reached Willow. The attack missed.

Poliwag
Male - Damp - Level 9
Bubble - Hypnosis - Water Gun
HP: 32/40


Mudkip
Female - Torrent - Level 5
Growl - Tackle
HP: 30/35

(Ad no heath was deducted. XD)

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow clenched her fists tightly at her side. Battling was stressful and she hated seeing Kimmie get hurt, but the atmosphere was amazing. She felt super energized.
"Nice dodge, Kimmie!" Willow called out when Pyro's attack missed. Hm, since growl wasn't very effective...
"You can do this, Kimmie! Use tackle!"

[teamplasma]

Kimmie again attacked first. She seemed to be naturally good at regaining her stability. This time Poliwag was really close to her. He had failed to retreat before Willow had called out another command for Kimmie. Kimmie took the shot and hit Pyro in the side with a forceful tackle. It made contact! Upon such it made Pyro produce a distorted face. And to counter, he quickly blew another Bubble way. That also hit!

Poliwag
Male - Damp - Level 9
Bubble - Hypnosis - Water Gun
HP: 24/40


Mudkip
Female - Torrent - Level 5
Growl - Tackle
HP: 25/35

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow grew more optimistic after the attack. They did have a fighting chance after all, so long as nothing went horribly wrong.
"Nice work, Kimmie!" she called out proudly. "Now, I guess our only option is to for you to use tackle again. Give it your best shot!"

[teamplasma]

Again, quickly, Mudkip didn't haste on her attacks. She lunged at Pyro and hit him in the belly. It was slightly above the swirl on his stomach. Pyro seemed to go through that attack a little better. He seemed to be more tolerant of that attack. Pyro lunged at Mudkip to be quick at his attack too. "Pyro! Water Gun!" Kyle smiled at Willow. He hadn't used this one yet. And he was expecting some surprise in her face. A stream of water streamed from Pyro's mouth. It hit Kimmie right in the face. It Pushed her back a few feet, but she dug her feet into the dirt just so she would keep ground with the friction. The attack seem to really have taken it's toll on her.

Poliwag
Male - Damp - Level 9
Bubble - Hypnosis - Water Gun
HP: 20/40


Mudkip
Female - Torrent - Level 5
Growl - Tackle
HP: 19/35

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow couldn't help but display the shock on her face when she saw Pyro's attack. It was far stronger than she had expected. Seeing Kyle smile at her in glee made her focus again and her expression hardened. She knew Kimmie could do it, but she was unfortunately left with only one option yet again. Gritting her teeth and grimacing slightly, Willow commanded,
"Kimmie, try tackle again!"

[teamplasma]

With that ranged attack Kimmie had been pushed back farther now. Poliwag had jumped back in the position that he was in when the battle started. When Kimmie was pushed back she was sent to her original spot too. With the command, Kimmie started to sprint towards Pyro. Pyro at this point was very confident with himself, and he felt that he could just Water Gun Kimmie and take the blows. So Pyro allowed Kimmie to tackle him, but Pyro didn't expect for Kimmie to hit the middle of the spiral with her head. That was a Poliwag's weak spot. It had knocked back Pro even farther. Kyle gasped, "Pyro, come back with a Water Gun attack!" And when he said that Pyro weakly lurched up and squirted on at Kimmie. It was from so far away that when it hit Kimmie it was almost a dead attack. Kimmie didn't seem to feel much of it either.

Poliwag
Male - Damp - Level 9
Bubble - Hypnosis - Water Gun
HP: 10/40


Mudkip
Female - Torrent - Level 5
Growl - Tackle
HP: 16/35

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow had to stop herself from cheering, since she knew the match wasn't over yet, but she was very proud of how Kimmie had handled that attack. Plus, now they knew Pyro's weak spot, though he would probably be guarding it more closely now.
"Nice work, Kimmie," Willow called out. "Try hitting that spot again with another tackle!"

[teamplasma]

Kyle looked worried, he knew that he couldn't take another blow like that. "Wait! Stop it. We surrender!" Kyle yelled. Pyro didn't seem too opposed to that either. It was really silent whenever he yelled that. The only thing that you could here was the weak pants that Pyro made and the wind in the trees. Pyro fell on his back to rest a little.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow paused, surprised that the little boy would be scared of her. Did she really seem so powerful? That was an interesting thought. Perhaps her and Kimmie were already becoming formidable partners.

"Alright, Kimmie, don't attack," Willow ordered. "Come 'ere you you little blue squirt!" Willow smiled teasingly at her little Mudkip. She crouched down and opened her arms for Kimmie to jump into. Calling, "Mudkip!" Kimmie obliged.

Willow stood again and looked at Kyle. "Good battle," she said. "Have you figured out your problem?" Looking down at Kimmie, she remembered that the Pokémon were both injured. "We should probably get our Pokémon healed," she suggested.

[teamplasma]

Kyle was relieved that Kimmie didn't attack his pokemon. Kyle kneeled down next to his resting Pokemon. "Good job, you did well!" Kyle petted his head, and Pyro gave a faint smile at him. Kyle pulled a PokeBall from his pocket and returned Pyro to it.

kyle then stood up and looked at Willow. "My Mother is a healer. She could fully heal your Pokemon. She does a better job than any potion could do!" Kyle offered.

[Gamernamerjj]

"That's very nice of you to offer. Lead the way!" Willow said. She was glad Kyle was being so kind. Before they started walking Willow patted Kimmie endearingly and returned her to her ball.

"Good job," she whispered before putting the ball away.

[teamplasma]

Kyle lead Willow across the town. During the battle the rain had completely gone away, it seemed to happen casually, like it just left without anyone realizing it. The dirt path that was recently mu was now starting to dry up.

On the walk to the house they had passed about 8 houses. They all had gardens and similar structure. Many had a panoramic windows and a stone walkway to the dirt one that Kyle and Willow were walking on. At the end of the series of houses Kyle stopped and turned to Willow. "This is my house." He opened the door and walked in. Inside was a tan-painted kitchen with a chrome stove, refrigerator, and dish washer. Kyle walked past the kitchen and into the similarly painted living-room. A blonde haired woman was sitting on the couch, she turned around when she heard the two of hem in the house. Kyle spoke first, "This is Willow. We just battled and I told her that you could heal her pokemon."

[Gamernamerjj]

"Hi there," Willow said a little softly. "Your son is so kind," she said a little more confidently. Complementing people was always a good thing, right? Beyond that though, she couldn't think of anything to say. She glanced at Kyle's mother and smiled.

[teamplasma]

"Hi Willow. It is nice to meat you. What Pokemon should I be healing?" Kyle's mom asked. She stood up and walked to Willow.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow grabbed the Pokéball that contained Kimmie.

"This is my Mudkip, Kimmie. I just got her today from Professor Storax," she said.

[teamplasma]

"That's amazing. I remember getting my first pokemon. But mine wasn't just handed to me." She chuckled a little. Then she asked, "May I see this Mudkip, I will get to healing as soon a s possible."

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow let Kimmie out of her ball and handed her to Kyle's mother. Trying to keep up the conversation, she asked,
"What was your first Pokémon then? And how did you get it if it wasn't given to you?" She was intrigued and wanted to hear hear the response.

[teamplasma]

She took the ball to a little table with a white clothe wrapped on the top (for sanitation purposes). On the table sat a few jars of herbs, a basket of some white powder, a wooden bowl of translucent pink liquid and a smaller whipping cloth. As she walked to the table she continued talking. "When I was a little girl, I didn't live here. I lived in another region, that was back before this region was suitable for living. I was out on a walk in the forest that surrounded our house, and I thought I heard something. It was a cry of some sort." Kyle's Mom release Kimmie onto the table. She stroked her head, relaxing Willow's little Pokemon. Kimmie lied on the clothe, exposing the wounds. "It sounded like a distressed person, so I neared it. The closer I got to the sound, the more alien it sounded. It finally got to a new clearing. I peaked through the brush to find. A Buneary was on the ground whimpering." She then rubbed some of the pink liquid on Kimmie, applying it with the clothe. She then sprinkled some of a smashed herd onto the liquid. That made a pink, mud-like substance. She rubbed it on the red marks and on the scratches that Kimmie had. "I approached the poor little thing,but when it caught sight of me it retorted. I was suprised that it could suck up the pain so quickly and go into a fighting mode. It was a stubborn time, but I soon was able to allow me to touch it. I had brought a few berries with me that day, so I bated it with that. When I was able to get up close I started to do what I am doing to your pokemon to it. A that time I had some lessons on healing, and had always kept my materials in my bag. So after healing it, and gaining it trust to preform multiple task on it, we became friends. And let me tell you, this is the most mistrusting Pokemon I know. It must have had a terrible human past." She finished. Now she had let the mud sit, and was petting Kimmie.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow was surprised. She hadn't expected a tale like this.
"That's so sad," she said softly. "And that Bunneary is so lucky you found it."
She looked over at Kimmie. "You certainly seem to be a natural healer. Pokémon of kinds must like you so very much. You're so kind, how couldn't they?" She walked over to pet her Mudkip as well. "Thank you very much for healing my Kimmie," she said gratefully.

[teamplasma]

Kyle's mom smiled. "Thanks for the company, healing your beautiful Kimmie. It was a pleasure doing this for you. And before you leave you may have this." She handed a root like plant. It was rough and hairy for a food. "Have any of your Pokemon eat this when they are sick." She smiled warmly as she handed it to Willow.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow accepted the gift with a smile.
"Thank you," she repeated. "What is it called?" she asked as she put it away. She had never seen anything like it before. As she waited for the reply, Willow bent down to pick up her little blue friend.

[teamplasma]

She kind of smiled a little. "I dont really call it anything, but I have been using it for years. Maybe... Root Meal? Haha, I promise it works!" He swooped her head fixing her light-ish hair. She then turned to the coach that she was at before. "Kyle, I think your friend is leaving, do you want to say goodbye," She asked, "Then you better hurry." Kyle quickly got up and cam towards Willow. "Bye Willow. Thanks for the battle."

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow smiled at Kyle and stuck out her hand to shake his, holding her Mudkip under her other arm.
"Thank you for the battle as well. It was a good experience. Have fun with Pyro and try not to let him run off anymore." Willow stuck out her tongue, then became serious again. "I think you guys will be great friends."

[teamplasma]

Kyle laughed childishly. "Ha, yeah. Me too!" He shook her hand with an honest smile. "Good luck on whatever you may pursue." With that, Kyle's mom gave the final wave, signing off their encounter.

[Gamernamerjj]

"Bye now!" Willow called as she left the house. She really liked Kyle and his mother. They were good people and Kyle's mother was so incredibly passionate about Pokémon care. In the short time they were together, she felt like she'd learned quite a bit.

"Well," Willow said to Kimmie softly as she set the Mudkip down, "I guess it's time we leave this town." Willow thought of the unknown ahead uneasily, but she was determined that she would manage her anxieties just fine. She could do this. She knew she could.

Together the two returned to near the lab, where Willow was almost certain the path to Paradora began.

[teamplasma]

The dirt road leading the way to Paradora City. It was much wider than the small one that navigated the townsfolk of Oldoak. The route had large forestry surround it, mostly just the shrubs and thick trees. There were few people walking the road, most of them over 40. And the weather was completely sunny now, though that wouldn't last soon, it was going to be night time in an hour. Those people probably were trying to get home for the night.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow recognised the dimming light and her thoughts turned gloomy. I don't want to go home. I can't go home. I'm done with my mother, I will prove to her that I can do just fine without her. We'll walk for a bit, and then camp for the night. There won't be a scary thing about it.

Looking down at Kimmie, Willow smiled. She wouldn't be alone in the darkness. Kimmie would be there with her.

After a short time of walking, Willow realised Kimmie was slowing a little as they walked. Hm, maybe I should carry her for a bit. She's so small and I don't want to tucker her out in case... I just won't think of that. She picked her little blue friend up and kept walking.

[teamplasma]

Kimmie was pretty warn ouy, being a baby and all. So she almost emitiatly lightly feel asleep once she had picked her up. Kimmie didn't stur in her sleep, nope, she lied there like a pillow (A rock would be too heavy).

At this point, the sun was dancing on the horizon, emiting blue and pink rays before it had it final hurah of the night. And with it everything in the route went still, except for a slight rustling about 20 feet into the forrest. IT was barely even there, though, not much to be alerted about.

[Gamernamerjj]

The further the sun shrunk on the horizon, the more alert Willow became. More jumpy too. There's nothing to be worried about, nothing at all. At the sound of the rustle, she almost jumped out of her skin.
Willow spoke to herself aloud, "N-nothing t-to be w-w-worried about." She clutched Kimmie a little closer and carefully walked towards the area where she thought she heard the noise come from. Looking around the shadowy trees made her stomach hurt from apprehension.

[teamplasma]

The noise was very faint, so it was hard to hear. But it definatly got loud as Willow approached the general directon of it. But still the noise was still to far away, and that was noticable from just the sound of it. The only way to reach it would be to make it come to you or go to it.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow's curiosity was pulling her towards the forest, but her common sense was telling her to stay away.
It might be dangerous, whatever is making that noise... But I'm sure it's nothing! she tried convincing herself. Nothing I can't handle anyways. I can do it!
With her false bravado guiding her, Willow stepped into the edge of the forest and tried to push through the bushes.

[teamplasma]

The forest was thick, one couldn't see much with the opaque shrubs and trees. Many shades of brown and green blended together in the forest, creating a confusing picture that lead into nothing. Willow walking into the maze of green, and followed the noise (The the extent that you said). The noise, or voice, got clearer not that she was in the forest. It was a spasmodic voice that sounded more cheerful than in distress.

[Gamernamerjj]

At the realization that the voice sounded cheerful, Willow allowed herself to relax a little, but not too much.
"Hello?" she called. "Is someone there?" She scanned the area as best she could in the dim light.

[teamplasma]

The noise didn't seem to hear Willow, that or it didn't care about her concern. It kept the same tone quality the whole time so you could tell when you got closer since the volume of the voice never changed. Whenever she looked around she found a slight clearing. It was only a small chunk of it that was visible from her current position.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow figured that perhaps the sound was coming from the clearing. At least it'll be easier to manoeuvre there, she thought as she just about tripped over a branch. She stepped into the clearing without any caution, relieved to be able to move freely again. After putting Kimmie down to brush herself off, she looked around the clearing to see what was there.

[teamplasma]

As she walked in the clearing the noise became more clear. The clearing had extended a short way and was about the size of a short bus. In the center of the green clearing was a pair of Sentret dancing around each other genial manner. They were twirling and swirling around each others tails, squealing ad cheering with each spin.

[Gamernamerjj]

When Willow saw the pair of Pokémon twirling around she froze and stood silently in awe. She tried to be as quiet as she could so as to not disturb the two.

They're so adorable! I would love to have one of them, but I don't want to separate them... I suppose I'll just enjoy their cuteness while I can. Willow sighed and then looked down at her Mudkip. Kimmie's cute too though. Just as Willow looked down at Kimmie, the little Pokémon decided to scamper off and join the Sentrets.

"No, Kimmie, come back!" she hissed quietly to her blue friend.

[teamplasma]

The Sentrets heard Willow right when she spoke. Their ears pricked and they stared at her, but not alarmed. They then ran away, not being effected deeply by the encounter. This left Willow alone, and it was almost nighttime. Taking her time in the woods had its toll.

[Gamernamerjj]

Kimmie seemed disappointed that the Sentrets ran off. She sat down where they had been playing for a moment, then scurried off in the direction they had disappeared.

"No, Kimmie, come back!" Willow cried, but it seemed her little friend had not heard her. Running over to the bushes, she tripped a little, then as she searched the bushes she couldn't see anything. She sat down in the clearing and couldn't help but be frustrated. My first day is turning out just so wonderfully, she thought sarcastically. I thought I was ready to leave... But maybe I wasn't. A few stray tears slide silently down her pale cheek. She quickly brushed them away. I'm such an idiot. Suddenly her thoughts turned to her Mudkip. Thinking about myself, she scoffed. What about Kimmie? All alone in the forest... What if she runs into wild Pokémon? Willow started to panic. All she could think of was Kimmie being attacked and horrible things happening to her.

Her mind cleared, however, when she saw Kimmie step back into the clearing, unharmed.
"Kimmie, you're okay!" Willow yelled in surprise. She scooped the blue Pokémon into her arms and squeezed her into a big hug.
"Mudkip!" Kimmie exclaimed happily.
"Please don't do that again, Kimmie," Willow instructed sternly. "I was scared," she finished tenderly. Making up a make-shift bed in the clearing (since there was no way she was venturing into the forest when it was this dark), Willow said, "Come on, let's go to sleep, Kimmie."

So the two curled up together and fell asleep very quickly as they were both so tired from their very busy day.

(Is this too long? Sorry if it is.)

[teamplasma]

(I dont think it could ever be too long.)


The night went fast both Kimmie and Willow were tuckered out from the day. Soon the sun came up, but low in the sky, making the world a murky blue. Around Willow was unchanged scenery, in the still of the forest all was quiet. Now that it was bright you could see that there was a fruit baring trees all in this part in the forest, but there weren't back on the path.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow awoke to Kimmie bouncing on her and yelling "Mudkip!" over and over again. It was a pretty pleasant way to be woken up, if Kimmie hadn't been bouncing on her bladder. At least it was better than her mother's way of waking her up.

After packing up camp, Willow decided it might be nice to have some of the fruit off the trees, especially since she hadn't noticed any near the path. She decided to scale one of the trees.

"Stay right there, Kimmie," she ordered. "I don't want you to get hurt or lost. It won't take me long anyway," she laughed scampering over to the base of the tree. "I'm an expert at tree climbing!" Willow's thoughts soured at the thought of why she had so much practice climbing trees. They were the only place she could escape from her mom's overbearing presence.

Willow shook herself and looked for some nice branches to start her climb. Hopefully there were some lower down.

[teamplasma]

The tree had smaller, not as ripe,fruit at the bottom; That is logical, for less light shines under the tree top. Lush, plump fruits peaked mainly at the top of the tree. They glimmered and swelled up there, they were clearly better up there.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow was disappointed at the pitiful little fruit at the bottom of the tree. When she looked up, however, her mouth watered for the taste of fruit so perfectly ripe. Quickly deciding to climb up as far as she could to get the best fruit possible, Willow jumped up to the nearest branch and started to climb, surefooted. She liked the trees, but she was sad that her memories of them tainted the experience. Shaking herself to get off that train of thought, Willow looked down. She had not realised how far she had climbed. Wow, look at Kimmie! She looks even smaller than usual!
"Hi there, Kimmie!" she called down. "Look at me!"
Kimmie looked up and danced around with her regular call of "Mudkip, Mudkip!"
Willow looked at the fruit around her and was still disappointed. She looked further up the tree.

Mmm, the fruit up there looks very good. Let's see if I can get to it. With that thought, Willow began to scramble up to the top. When she reached there, she gathered up a few. Darn, I should have brought something to carry this with... I guess I'll just have to live with only having a few. Finally, Willow looked around to see what she could see from the treetop.

[teamplasma]

From the top of the tree:

Right where she first looked was forest. In that direction there was notion for a while. To the left was more forest, but at this angle it was hard to see but a straight line of trees was missing, it was safe to assume that is where the route is. It actually kind of seemed far away, but it didn't feel like she was that far into the forest. To Willow's right was again, forest. But farther in the distance, was a huge lake. It was small from the tree top, and the surface of the lake was covered in fog. It was extremely hard to see, but across the fog was the outline of a large city. Behind her, and easier to see than the rest of the sights, was Oldoak Town, the start of her journey.

[Gamernamerjj]

The sights surrounding her took Willow's breath away. Wow... After taking it all in, she wished Kimmie could see it too. Oh, Kimmie! I guess I should hurry back down and make sure she's alright. But first, let's make sure I know how to get back to the path first. She scanned the forest and strained herself to memorise the direction she should go in. Then she climbed down the tree quickly, pausing every once and a while to make sure she still knew what direction to go in.

At the bottom of the tree, Willow bent over to catch her breath. Climbing the tree had been surprisingly tiring. She looked over to see Kimmie sitting right where she'd told her to sit.
"Thank you for listening, Kimmie. Here, want some fruit?" she offered. Kimmie came over and sniffed the fruit and delicately took a little bite. Willow watched closely for Kimmie's reaction. Kimmie chewed thoughtfully, then dove at Willow's hand and devoured the rest.
"I see you like it!" Willow exclaimed, giggling. "Would you like some more?"
"Mudkip! Kip!" Kimmie replied enthusiastically.
"Okay, but only another half, or else you'll get a stomach ache!" Willow warned. She gave half of one to Kimmie, who devoured it again, and ate the other half herself, savouring every last bite. There were two pieces of fruit left, so she put them away for them to eat later.

"Time to go, Kimmie," Willow said, heading to the fringe of the clearing. "I'm pretty sure we can make it to Paradora today!"
"Kip!" Kimmie exclaimed, following her. The pair entered the forest and headed back to the path.

[teamplasma]

In the brisk morning air, everything was calm and pressuring. It was slightly chilling in the shade of the forest, but warmed by the heath of the earth around her. The trip wasn't that long because there were no road-blocks to delay her walk. A few birds chirped in the distance, singing a song that changed after every verse. From right where will stood after 12 minutes of walking was the path leading to Paradora, the one that she only traveled yesterday. the route was like the forest, calm. On a bench about 20 feet ahead was a young, blonde, man. He was maybe 15 and was reading through a guide of some sort. Ahead of him was a mist the shadowed the path to Paradora City.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow was a little surprised to see the boy ahead of her. It'd been awhile since she'd seen someone. She kept walking and debated at whether or not she should say something to him. Maybe I should just keep going, it seems like he's deep in thought... Well, then again, it might be rude not to stop. I don't know. Oh, what's that he's reading? Finally, her curiosity got the better of her and Willow approached him, Kimmie trailing behind her and sniffing at the ground.
"Um, hello," she said awkwardly. "Hi. I'm Willow. Um, I was just wondering... What are you reading?" Internally, she berated herself for being so awkward. Come on, act normally! She smiled, hoping the awkwardness would pass.

[teamplasma]

The boy looked up, he wasn't aware that she was there before so he has to look at her for a little before he registered what was happening. "Hello, I am reading a brief battling guide for beginner trainers. It really is nothing, just a little present I received, it has a lexicon in the back, which is what I was currently studying." He scanned the page a little more.

[Gamernamerjj]

"Well, uh. Are you a trainer?" Willow asked, unsure of what to say. She didn't really want to disturb him, but she was interested in what he was doing. "I am," she went on. "This is my Mudkip, Kimmie." She gestured to her little friend, who was still sniffing around. Kimmie softly said, "Mudkip!" before resuming her sniffing of the man's shoes with enthusiasm.

[teamplasma]

The boy smiled, "That is a nice Mudkip! But I am not a trainer yet. I a a school student, I a still in trainer school. But I am really ready to be a trainer, I have a plethora items and moves to use whenever I become one. I have been planning out my Pokemon and everything for a long time. That reminds me..." The boy stopped and ferreted in the satchel that lay beside him. He dug out something. "You may have this, I have too much of it and my bad is getting a little heavy." He handed a jar of a thick, translucent liquid to Willow. "It is called Honey, it attracts some cool pokemon!"

[Gamernamerjj]

"Why thank you!" Willow said as she accepted the jar. She was finding it easier to speak as the awkwardness dissipated. She lifted the honey jar up to the light to examine it and observed its light colour. It was very pretty in the early day's light, like a small jar of sunlight, a beacon of light all bottled up. As she brought her arm back down, Willow puzzled over how it could be used to attract Pokémon. Will the smell (presuming it is a pungent smell) attract them to me? She decided to put her thoughts to words.
"So, uh, actually what's your name? I don't believe you told me," she realized. "But anyways, how can you attract Pokémon with it?" she asked.

[teamplasma]

"My name is Winston, I am a soon-to-be trainer. What you do is rub this honey on an object, like a tree or something. Then pokemon that like honey or are attracted to the smell wander near it. It is a popular method for finding pokemon." He said. He flipped the page in his guide, as if he was still reading. "It isn't usually for regular pokemon to eat, like your Mudkip, but it wouldn't hurt her."

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow let the information sink in a little, then pulled out her trusty notebook to make sure she got it all down before she forgot.
"Thanks, Winston! I'm sure I'll make good use of it," she said, smiling. "You are very knowledgeable," she complimented. Willow put the honey in her own bag, but instead of being unpleased with the weight like Winston, she was happy to get some more weight in there. The emptiness had made her uneasy, as though she was forgetting something. She put her backpack back on and stood there, unsure of what to do. I should really get going...
"Um, where are you headed, Winston? I'm off to Paradora and I should leave right away, but if you're headed there too I can wait," she said.

[teamplasma]

Winston go a warm feeling from being praised, but that was only fodder the perfectionist personality that he had. "You are very welcome. I am going back to Paradora City as well. I was going to go back home and study some more, but I could leave now if that is more convenient for you. I just like coming here for peace. What are you doing in Paradora City, Willow?" He closed his guide and collected his things.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow waited patiently for him, though she was excited to see the city.
"Oh, well, I'm aspiring to defeat all the gym leaders and the Elite Four some day, so it's not my final destination, but it's my first stop along the way!" she declared enthusiastically.
Kimmie bounced up and down. "Mudkip, Mudkip!" she chanted. Willow laughed at her Pokémon's energy and enthusiasm.

[teamplasma]

Winston stood up and the assortment of trainer items jingled from inside of his bag. "That is cool, I hope it you do very well. Wanna go?" He said. When he stood up you could see how amazingly tall he was, for a 15 year old he was really tall. Though he was tall, Willow wasn't that much shorter than him.

[Gamernamerjj]

"Sure thing!" Willow replied eagerly. She decided to return Kimmie to her Pokéball so she could rest up a bit. Holding up the ball, Willow was once again dazzled by the bright light that consumed her Pokémon. She put the ball away, hooking it on her belt.
"All ready to go," she declared. "Off to Paradora we go!" She started walking at a reasonable pace, to Winston's right side. Unwilling to have an awkward pause in the situation, Willow rushed to think of a question.
"So, you live in Paradora... What kind of family do you have there?" she asked. Such a generic question, she thought with disgust.

[teamplasma]

He was happy that she was social, because he really wasn't. "Yeah, I have my immediate family: mom, dad, and brother. But my mother is the manager of the Pokecener in the city, and my dad owns a book store. Yeah, I help out here sometimes, and occasionally hang at the center. So you are taking on the gym league? One of my friends did that once, he got his 4th badge and had to quit. I talked to him and he old me that the 5th one is insane. She wont hold back." He had a little concern in his tone.

[Gamernamerjj]

Willow couldn't help but be a little concerned. She put on a brave face though.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to train extra hard for that one!" she declared. "A book store, eh? What kind of books does he sell?" she asked. The path's unending monotony had reduced her questions to be predictable as well.

[teamplasma]

The skyline of the HUGE city peaked out of the treetops. The trees had been too tall from the view of Oldoak to see this, but he City and all of the skyscrapers were amazing. As the city peaked, the morning fog started to clear up. "He sells informational, fictional, biographical, you know, general books. If there were anything that sticks out is that he has a few books about myths of the region and such. He doesn't allow people to see them, those are very prized."

[Gamernamerjj]

The scenery caused Willow to pause for a moment in awe. She'd never seen anything like this before. She hurried along to catch up to Winston and managed to catch his last statement very clearly. It piqued Willow's curiosity, myths and history had always fascinated her.
"Oh wow," she said. "Has he let you see them before?" Willows face clearly showed her restrained curiosity, but her eyes scanned the horizon, taking in what she could see of the city.

[teamplasma]

"The city is great, isn't it?" He walked a little slower to allow her to catch up. "No, he doesn't want me to be exposed to such legends. Plus I wouldn't even know where to find them." Winston felt slightly uncomfortable talking about it. "So what does your family do?"

[Gamernamerjj]

"How much longer 'til we get to the city limits?" Willow asked. It seemed pretty close, but as she'd never seen buildings so tall, perhaps her sense of scale was off. She was unwilling to talk about her family, but sensing Winston's discomfort she decided to change to his new topic.
"Well, my dad's away a lot, we're not particularly close." She paused, unsure of how to tactfully describe her relationship with her mother. "My mother and I... We don't really get along. She pushes me around too much. That's why I got this," she said, stopping and pulling up her sleeve to reveal a colourful tattoo. "I know it's the typical rebel thing to do, but I kinda like it now." The tattoo was of quite a beautiful design, it was of a dark bird Pokémon flying into the distance on an intricate patterned background. Willow replaced her sleeve and started walking again.

[teamplasma]

Winston squinted, "Yeah, it is right there." He pointed at a large blue tunnel filled with light. Out side of it had a sign, but was unreadable from there. It was a metal and angular building that was the mark point, showing where the city started. "That is a really neat tattoo." And as he said that, out of the fog many many more buildings appeared.

(You may post a thread in he next city. You may start it caming into the city or the Route Building.)