Pokemon Training Sure Is Hard...

[andypants1990]

Well, what else would you do after you lost everything? All of his money gone, the company he had started run out of business, employees and friends showing their true colors now that he didn't have pockets filled with cash. It was a sad day indeed now that Jack had nothing. For four years he had clawed and worked his little market shop into a distributor, now at the age of twenty six he had pretty much gotten vandalized, and while he was down got crushed under the boot of other distributors... His house foreclosed, car repoed. Little by little Jack was soon left with nothing more then the cloths on his body and a backpack filled with empty dreams. It was a low day indeed.

But really, what else could you do then once your life crumbled? There was always taming, going out as a trainer to be the very best! When really it was a ploy for scientists to send out people to collect research. Truth be told the pokemon life style was a hard one, only a good ten percent of people actually make it to the upper leagues, actually make enough money to get by. But what else could Jack do?

Everyone was sad to see Jack fail, he was a huge contributor to Goldenrod City and even then did more then just pump money into the Town. But when he told everyone he would move on the hearts of his neighbors would break. Coming together to give him provinces, be it some extra cash, food, potions, and supplies. It was heart warming to see everyone come together like this. The nearest lab however was over in New Bark Town, so saying his fond farewells Jack would go off, just like many before him going off to become a scientist's slave.

The treck to New Bark Town was definitely challenging, since he had no pokemon to fight with it was somewhat funny to see people keeping their eyes away from his. At the same time the understood rule of eye contact leading to pokemon challenges was well known.. But if you didn't have a pokemon then you were just out of luck! Keeping away from the tall grass Jack would continue on his way, walking from town to town definitely took longer then driving. What would have been a two hourdrive had turned into well over six hours of walking.

But Jack would finally make it! Sweating of course, but none the less he made it! Wearing dark green cargo shorts and a sleeveless white wife beater Jack was definitely dressed for the hot weather and burning sun. The man kept in pretty good shape, having too all these years since his ex-girlfriend wanted his money and the perfect boyfriend as well. So at least that was a good thing that came from that terrible relationship. Defined muscles framing his body nicely beneath his clothing. Jack had brownish blonde hair that was cut short, no more then an inch or so on his head, his dark blue eyes kept behind a pair of sunglasses at the moment. Other then the running shoes he had on his feet he had a large backpack on his back... everything that was Jack now was crammed into that backpack.

He was looking for a man named Professor Elm, New Bark not exactly being the biggest of places so it didn't take long at all for him to find the lab. Going in he saw all manners of computers and research going on, a little taken back even since everything was so new and exciting. Professor Elm was in the back of the lab, talking to what looked like another person trying to start their pokemon adventure. Jack came up as the two shook hands and went their own way, the Professor looking to Jack now with a smile. “Well hello there, here to start a new journey?” Elm asked, a smile on his face as he turned to the usual table that had pokemon at the ready.

Yet this time it was empty. Surprised Elm would turn back to Jack, frowning as he stood there. “Unfortunately that boy just left with my last pokemon. I can set you up with a pokedex and a few pokeballs... But other then that you are out of luck.” Elm stated, scratching the back of his head. James would sigh, six hours was not a fun thing to go through just to come up empty handed... None the less the pokedex was better then nothing. “Sorry again...” Elm said, handing the pokdex over to Jack before going back to his work.

“Don't worry about it.” Jack replied as he left, getting a few pokeballs from one of Elm's assistants. With that there was nothing more to do then try to catch his own pokemon... That was always a challenging seeing how he had nothing to weaken one with. None the less he had to try, going to the Pokemart Jack would buy a few treats, maybe he could bribe a pokemon or distract it enough before catching it. The man getting himself some food as well since he had pretty much gone through everything he was given back in Goldenrod. So heading out to the tall grass Jack would do his best to look for a pokemon to catch, treats varying from candy to bread in his hands.

 

[Asbel]

It had been almost a week since the girl had set foot outside of Goldenrod City, not in search of an adventure but to flee a life imprisoned by rangers and farmers out for precious Mareep wool. She had been part of a flock with her sister, but when she was the only one to narrowly escape a hunting spree that took her family away, she had no choice but to travel far, far away.

Eventually, her brave excursion led her miles and miles away from the endless pastures she once called home to unfamiliar places. She hid most of the time and only snooped in the dark to forage for scraps some tamers had left behind on picnics. One thing was for sure: she never approached the tamers herself, nor the unfamiliar Pokégirls that followed them. Still, there were a few Pokégirls that attacked her in the open when she was spotted by their tamers and Mareep had no choice but to tuck tail and run.

Unfortunately, when she fought against stronger and fitter Pokégirls, she never fled from a match without battle scars. She was covered in nicks, bruises, and burns, but she always managed to use her evasiveness as an advantage to barely get her out of the bad scrapes. Barely.

On top of being weak and exhausted, she was also very dehydrated and hungry after traveling across so many cities by herself. But, to her relief, the more she walked, the safer the areas seemed. Once she reached a route close to New Bark Town, there were less tamers and more Pokégirls that looked more frightened of her than she was of them. It made sense, since she was disheveled beyond belief; no one would believe she was a Mareep under all that dirt and filth.

Sighing, she decided to rest under the shade of a tree and search for berries. The waist-length wavy blonde hair that covered her rounded ears were still humming with static, and so was the soft wool that wrapped around the collar of her blue dress. A large pink ribbon was around her neck with a small bell attached to the end. The wool around the hem of her oversized sleeves and knee-highs were a little dirty and in need of a thorough brushing. But most of all, she needed food and water, and it was obvious she was horribly deprived by the way a pink fever rose to her cheeks from the heat and lack of nutrition.

At the end of her thirty minute search, she managed to find two Oran berries (even those were like needles in a haystack) and nibbled on them just before the girl noticed a lone tamer walking through the tall grass. She didn't let her guard down just because he had no Pokégirl walking beside him, since she knew what humans were capable of even without a sidekick.

However, with the tempting smell of food drifting her way, the Mareep's tail twitched, the giant glass orb smashing into the nearby berry bush and getting tangled in the branches. Even with her life clearly in danger, she didn't have the strength to struggle violently, but she tried, tearing at the branches with her bare hands to set herself free.

 

[andypants1990]

There was a sudden rustling of bushes off in the distance. Jack quick to make his way over to see what was making the commotion. Maybe a pokegirl! What he found was in fact a pokegirl, a Mareep with her tail stuck inside of a bush. The poor thing looked worse for where and far from well fed, but still it resisted, still it tried to get away obviously from Jack as he stood there. And for a moment the man really didn't know what he could do. Or should do for that matter. Just standing there the two would look to one another, Jack obviously being in the better position.

“Hey there. Don't worry you are fine.” Jack said, trying to be as calm as possible as he looked at her. The last thing he needed was to get shocked after all. So he slowly knelt down, not near her of course, but just close enough so when he put the food and treats down she could reach for them from her spot that she was bound to at the moment. “I am not going to hurt you. Here please eat.” Jack stated, stepping back from the food on the ground so it would be less intimidating to take it. Jack only smiling as he stood back up. This was perfect, all he would need to do was wait for her to start to eat. Since she was trapped he could easily throw the pokeball while she was distracted and hopefully catch her.

She definitely looked to have gone through a lot though. The dirt and grim on her clothing, the random twigs and dust in her wool. There was even a smudge or two on her face, was being a wild pokegirl really this tough? Was this Mareep somehow domesticated and got free? There would be no way a wild pokegirl would be in this kind of situation unless some other factor was involved. Well none the less Jack was going to capture her, already pulling a pokeball out behind his back, pressing the little button to expand the ball in his hand as he waited.