The First Test

A young girl stretched, exiting at the eastern edge of Union Cave. Her bright pink hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail, a bit hanging out to frame her face. She was very small and slender, looking younger than she actually was. She had on her normal attire, though that didn't mean it was normal to anyone else.  She had on torn off jean shorts, sneakers, and a tank top. Over the tank top she wears a black torn up overshirt, that hangs off her shoulders and goes no lower than her belly button. In the back it's been cut up to appear as strips, showing off the blue undershirt. On the front is a magikarp, along with some text making a joking reference to its evolution. In addition, she had on a small black choker, a small indistinguishable pendant hanging from it.

Lexi at the age of fifteen was now at the start of her journey. She'd had some experience so far, but knew she was still no match for Bugsy. So, to test her strength she decided to head toward Violet City, where Falkner was. However, she wasn't foolish enough to believe she was ready to take on a Gym Leader yet. She made her way back through Union Cave, and north toward the city.

It didn't take long, since she wasn't exactly new to the area and was only one town over. However, before she reached Violet, she stopped by a nearby route for some training. Of course, she had ulterior motives knowing that Mareep were known to appear in the area. She wouldn't mind capturing one while she was out there, should she find one while training.

Her striking pink eyes looked down beside her, where her two loyal companions walked. To her right was a small brown and tan bear with a crescent moon on her head, and a red bow on her neck. To her left, a powder blue elephant Pokémon with a golden ribbon tied to her neck. Hidden within each was an everstone, preventing their evolutions. The two species were known as Teddiursa and Phanpy respectively, though this Phanpy seemed to be a lighter shade of blue than normal ones.

"Alright Aysel, Sutara...let's get searching. We'll train here to get stronger, and capture some cute Pokémon to join our team!" Lexi said, addressing her partners. The two cheered in response, Aysel jumping up with an "Ursa!" and Sutara trumpeting her name.

There were obviously many wild Pokemon in the area, as their cries could be heard both near and far. Some didn't notice the girl traveling with her own Pokemon, others spotted her and scurried deeper into the grass. However, there were some who were brave enough to approach out of curiosity...

One in particular, a purple snake-like Pokemon, slithered closer and jumped towards the traveling trio. It hissed threateningly as if to challenge the girl and her Pokemon.

A wild Ekans (female, level 5) appeared!

Lexi was walking along, spotting a wooper or two and pointing to them. "Maybe I'll catch one some day. They're pretty cute too, after all," she said, before halting in her tracks. She saw the snake slither out in front of her, hissing unpleasantly. She scrunched her nose at the creature. 

"Not my idea of cute..." she said, turning to her Phanpy. "Sutara, you're up. Let's see what you got!" Lexi was excited to see her Pokémon in action. It was her first real battle, after all.

Sutara stepped in front of Lexi, pawing at the ground and kicking up some dirt. "Phaaan!" she trumpeted, rearing her head back triumphantly. She was sure she could handle the snake, and was already declaring her victory.

"Right then," Lexi said with a laugh. "How about we start? Sutara, use Ice Shard!" The pink haired girl said, shifting her weight and pointing to the Ekans. Sutara trumpeted once more, a chilling wind seeming to come from nowhere. A light blue orb formed in front of Sutara's snout, flash freezing chunks of ice and sending them hurling at the foe surprisingly quick!

The Ekans was not in the least bit intimidated by the Phanpy's display. It hissed some more, preparing itself to attack just before it was hit with Ice Shard. The attack seemed to come out of nowhere for the Poison type, and it took a good deal of damage for that.

It shivered and tried to steady itself, then opened its mouth wide to spit out a poisonous attack! Ekans used Poison Sting!

Sutara didn't see the attack coming, but quickly got a good heft of poison injected into her. Still, being ground type she took minuscule damage at only half what it might've done to Aysel. It didn't even manage to poison the thick skinned elephant.

"That's alright Sutara, this time go for a Bulldoze!" Lexi commanded, hopping a bit. She was excited, the adrenaline pumping. She'd always wanted to battle, ever since seeing her first Gym match in Azalea.

"Phaaan!!" Sutara trumpeted angrily. She stomped on the ground heavily, her tiny feet making rumbling thuds as she prepared to charge. Suddenly she rushed in, tilting her head and tiny tusks down to try and literally 'bulldoze' into the snake!

Now this was an attack that frightened the snake. Ekans hardly had a chance to move before it was plowed into by the strong little Phanpy, the force being enough to throw the Poison type back several yards.

It shook and trembled as it tried to lift its head and spit out another Poison Sting, but it merely let out a weak hiss before it closed its eyes and fell unconscious.

Wild Ekans has fainted! Sutara gained 5 exp!

Lexi's face had been very serious during the battle, but upon seeing the snake faint her brows raised. Slowly, a wide smile crept across her face as she began laughing excitedly. "Sutara you did it!" She cheered, jumping up and down a bit.

"Phaan!" Sutara replied triumphantly. The little elephant then barreled over, running to her trainer who somehow managed to lift the creature with ease. It was rather an odd sight since for Lexi's size, Sutara was not a light Pokémon.

"Ursa, urr!" Aysel said happily, tilting her head up at the two. She then turned, seeing something in the grass. "Urr?" she questioned, parting the grass to see what it was.

When the Teddiursa peeled back the bunches of grass to see what had been hiding, it found a fluffy-looking Pokemon quietly eating. It's cottony coat looked very soft, but if one were to touch it they would receive a static shock instantly, due to the Pokemon's typing. It didn't take notice of Aysel at first, but when it finally did look up it simply stared, blades of grass still in its mouth.

It tilted its head a bit and let out a soft sound, as if to inquire what the Teddiursa might be doing there.

Wild Mareep appeared! (Female, level 5)

"Ursa!" Aysel said excitedly, smiling at the Mareep. She then turned back to Lexi, calling at her. "Ursa, ursa, teddiursa!" She said rapidly, attempting to get her trainer's attention. However, Lexi was too busy pushing the snake Pokemon from earlier under a bush with her foot, a disturbed look on her face. Aysel was able to get Sutara's attention though, the elephant looking from the dancing bear to Lexi.

"Phaan!" The Pokemon trumpeted in her naturally coarse sounding voice. She butted her head lightly against the girl's leg, before pushing. Lexi's attention was finally grabbed as she felt the pressure, nearly collapsing on top of Sutara herself.

"What? What is it?" Lexi asked, to which Sutara trumpeted, looking over to Aysel. Lexi's view followed Sutara's gaze to the dancing bear. Consequently, the bear was also pointing with her little claws at a yellow and blue creature in the bushes. Lexi's face grew bright, her smile growing wide. "A Mareep! You found one!" Lexi exclaimed, rushing over and kneeling beside the bush to see the grazing sheep. "Hey there little Mareep! You're gonna be part of my team okay?!" The girl said presumptuously. It didn't really matter to Lexi though, since even if the Mareep resisted she was prepared to earn it through a battle.

Aysel's and Sutara's anxious cries didn't really frighten the Mareep, though they put it on-edge. It was a bit apprehensive by the time Lexi took notice of it, and when the Trainer excitedly rushed over and declared that the sheep would be joining her team, it was rather surprised.

Mareep did not like the sudden excitement, nor did it like the girl that was speaking so loudly. It let out a startled cry and hurried deeper into the bushes, hoping to hide from all of the commotion altogether.

"Hmph," Lexi grunted, watching the fluffy Pokémon burrow into the bush. "Oh no you don't! I'll help you grow big and strong, don't you want that?" She prodded, trying to follow the sheep into the brush. Aysel and Sutara attempted to help, trying to push back the branches for her. They were more help that one might think, since though they were both small, they were rather strong. "Come on Mareep, I need you on my team!"

Though Lexi's offer to help one grow big and strong might be rather appealing to other Pokemon, Mareep did not like the idea. It didn't want to deal with all of these new people, so it continued to run deeper into wooded area.

However, before too long, it found that it couldn't move anymore. This wasn't to say that it was tired-- not at all. It's woolly coat had been caught in a low branch, tangled up tight enough to keep the Mareep from going anywhere. It struggled to free itself, moving in all directions as it cried out in a panicked voice. "Maree-ee-eep! Eep-eep!" Sparks flew from its soft fur as it continued to fight for freedom.

Lexi was quick to follow the Mareep further, regardless of the scratches she sustained. It wasn't like she was a frail girly-girl, she just happened to love adorable Pokémon. However, once she came to the sight of Mareep crying and trapped, she felt herself sink a bit. She might be determined to capture her, but she was far from cruel enough to do it like that.

She got over, closing in. "Hold still, hold still!" Lexi said, trying to reach the branch without getting shocked. "Let me help you- YOW!" she yelped, accidentally brushing against the crackling fur and getting a good discharge of the electricity. "Come on..." she said, rubbing her hand which stung a bit. She reached back in again though, grabbing the branch. She grit her teeth, carefully grabbing Mareep's wool and freeing the sheep, suffering through the static shocks she received. She only hoped she wouldn't run to where she couldn't find her before recovering.

The Mareep continued to struggle as Lexi came forward to grab hold of it. The sheep knew what was coming. The Trainer would attempt to capture it while it was trapped, and it would be forced to do whatever this girl wanted. It had no choice. It was all over. It was... free?

It finally glanced up as it realized that it could move again. When it saw Lexi, its first instinct was to run once again, but it took notice of the Trainer's displeasure. Apparently the girl was hurt... because she'd helped free the little sheep Pokemon.

Mareep was a bit confused, but it felt bad for causing the Trainer such pain when she was only trying to help. It slowly moved closer, though it was still a bit intimidated by the girl, it wanted to be sure she was alright. It gently nudged her leg with its nose, then backed off a bit. "Mar-ee-eep?" it inquired curiously.

Lexi was looking down at her hands, which had sustained minor electrical burns. She rubbed them together, looking up to Mareep when she was nudged. Aysel and Sutara joined at Lexi's side, looking as her dirty clothes, then to the Mareep. 

"Heh, at least you're okay then...you've got some power in that spark," Lexi said, not nearly as loud and cocky as she had been before. She had just been overly excited, having just started her journey. "Sorry I scared you before..." she said, holding up her hand slowly to the Mareep.

Mareep took another step back when Lexi extended her hand towards it, but it slowly inched forward again. It sniffed her hand a bit, then nudged her again, moving a bit closer as if to allow her to pet it. This seemed to be the only way it could think of to make peace with the Trainer, as the Mareep had very little to offer.

The sheep Pokemon also looked towards Aysel and Sutara, and it lifted its head in an effort to greet the two.

Lexi smiled, letting her hand trail over the Mareep's snout, and back against her head and thick wool. The static wasn't so bad when she was calm, almost like a tingling now. She giggled a bit at it, as she stroked the Mareep gently. "You know, you really are cute..." she said, only a small hint of the desire for her to join in the girl's voice.

"Urr?" Aysel said, paw to her mouth as she tilted her head curiously. "Teddiursa!" she said cheerily with a smile to the sheep. Sutara merely trumpeted her name in a muffled voice, raising her trunk to Mareep in salute.

Mareep leaned in a bit closer, enjoying being petted. It'd never felt a Trainer's touch before, and it was surprisingly pleasant.

When the other two Pokemon responded, Mareep let out a happy cry. "Ree-Mareep!" It hopped a bit closer to them, its fur sparking just a bit as it tried to get closer to Sutara and Aysel. It seemed the little sheep was warming up to the team rather fast.

Lexi smiled warmly, seeing the Mareep enjoy herself...even if it did cause a shock or two here or there. It wasn't like Lexi wasn't used to taking damage. After all, she wrestled with Sutara rather often, and Phanpy aren't exactly pushovers. She withdrew her hand, so that she may meet the other Pokémon. She paused for a moment, thinking about how ridiculous she must look crouched down in the brush like this. Oh well, it didn't matter anyway. Since when did she care what other people thought, right?

Aysel and Sutara seemed to be more than happy to greet the electric sheep, especially since it gave them a chance to show off. Sutara trumpeted, "Phaaan," and gently touched Mareep, unfazed  by the electric shocks thanks to her typing. She then stepped back, turning to the side and posing. She was showing off her light powder blue coat, which really wasn't uncommon for the vain little creature. She even lifted her head, showing off the shiny golden ribbon and announcing it, "Phan, phan, phanpy!"

"Ursa!" Aysel said, trying to steal the show. She wasn't as vain as Sutara, but there was no question about her personality. She just wanted the attention because Sutara was getting it, spoiled thing. She pointed to the red bow around her neck, puffing her chest out proudly as though it were a badge in itself. "Teddiursa!"

Aysel and Sutara certainly were interesting to the Mareep. She hadn't met any Pokemon like them before, so she was happy to be near them in such a friendly manner.

When the two began showing off their accessories and Sutara's shiny coat, the Mareep could only stare in slight awe. It wasn't entirely sure what to make of the ribbon and bow, but it thought they looked lovely. "Mar, Maree-eep?" it inquired, asking if it might have an accessory to someday show off like them. It then looked up at Lexi, as if to ask her permission for one.

Sutara and Aysel simply smiled, looking up to Lexi and pointing to their bows and ribbons. It took her a moment, but Lexi caught on. "Oh! You like those? I have more-" Lexi started, taking off her pack carefully. It was cramped for her, being much larger than the Pokémon, but since she was still pretty small it wasn't too much a hassle. She then dug through her accessories, looking for the perfect one to decorate Mareep with.

"Here!" she shouted after a few minutes of rustling. She pulled out the accessory, it was a hair clip with a pink carnation on it. "May I?" she asked, holding the clip up to Mareep, gently clipping it behind her horn like ear in the mass of wool. "Voila!" she said, happy with her choice. She pulled out a small powder mirror, opening it and holding it carefully for Mareep to see her reflection.

Mareep waited anxiously as Lexi rummaged through her pack, searching for the perfect accessory for the little sheep. When she shouted out her eureka moment, it startled Mareep a bit, and it took her a second to move close enough for Lexi to clip on the hair clip.

It gazed at its reflection for a moment, then cheered excitedly as it danced around. "Maree-ee-eep! Mar, Mareep!" It looked towards Aysel and Sutara as if to show that it fit in with them now, obviously very pleased to be wearing an accessory now.

Mareep then looked back up at Lexi and let out a happy cry, thanking her for the little hair clip.

Lexi smiled brightly, giggling a bit. She was happy to see the sheep Pokémon so happy about the hair clip. "You're very welcome!" She said, laughing through it and petting her for a moment. She then looked over to Aysel and Sutara, who were examining the flower clip.

"Phaan!" Sutara trumpeted in approval. She raised and lowered her trunk a few times, along with her front foot for effect. She clearly thought it was pretty, and looked good on the Mareep.

"Ur-Sa!" Aysel exclaimed, resisting the temptation to steal the clip for herself. She knee it would make her trainer mad if she tried to take something that Lexi had specifically given away. So instead, she nodded in agreement with Sutara.

After celebrating a bit longer, showing off the lovely little accessory, Mareep turned back to Lexi and (no pun intended) sheepishly walked towards her. It put its head down and nuzzled up against Lexi's leg a few times, nudging it a bit and gazing upward.

If Lexi were to look about herself, she would realize the sheep Pokemon was looking towards her Pokeballs. It seemed Mareep had changed its mind and decided it wanted to accompany Lexi on her journey.

((ALL the pun intended :D ))

Lexi smiled down at the Mareep, glad that it had warmed up to her now. It was just so adorable! It took Lexi a few more moments (yet again) to realize what the sheep was staring at. She followed her gaze right to her waist, where she had her pokeballs clipped. Even while staring at the pokeballs, it didn't seem to be clicking. Aysel and Sutara stared at their trainer, swearing they could hear the cogs trying to break free of rust in her mind. Finally, they heard the ping, seeing it click in Lexi's eyes.

She turned quickly back to Mareep, "Really?! You want to join us?!" she asked excitedly. She felt her body buzzing from the sudden rush of adrenaline she'd gotten from the notion. She quickly unclipped an empty pokeball, holding it out to the Mareep. "Sure you can! Just touch that button there," she said, pointing to the small white circle on the front.