Journey To Saffron City

Theodosius charged merrily ahead of Alexander, the tips of his nails rapping gently on the smoothly paved surface of route eight. "Slow down buddy, There's no rush." Alexander called out towards him, amused at his Nidoran's excitement. It made sense, after all he had never really travelled outside of the breeding centre that had helped Alexander raise him from the weak and weary runt he was into the tough little scrapper he was today. Ignoring his trainer's request, however, Theodosius charged on, forcing Alexander to Jog to keep him in his field of view.

Suddenly, the Nidoran stopped sharply, his ears perking up for a moment as he sniffed the air. "What is it?" Alexander spluttered out as he caught up at last, taking a moment to catch his breath. Suddenly, Theodosius bolted off the road into the tall trees to their right. Startled, Alexander gave chase, following the small pokemon through a winding series of trees before they both arrived in a small clearing, his Nidoran's stance changed to one of hostility, his horn aimed directly towards the trees a few feet away from them on the other side of the clearing. Alexander could hear rustling, it was clear something was there. He had expected to run into a wild pokemon or two, after all, he just hadn't expected Theodosius to be so desperate to seek out conflict. Standing a few feet behind his pokemon, Alexander took a knee, staring intently into the bushes as he waited for the beast to reveal itself at last...

(I have claimed you with my Slippery fins. You are now at the mercy of me and my fishiness, for complementary pepper spray go talk to Fenn.)
The bushes continued to rustle violently, what was inside of the shrubbery must have been something incredibly large trying to hide itself, maybe even sneak up on an unsuspecting Nidoran. The thick greenery began to spread itself open, much like the large red drapes in an old style theater would open up to show the cast. The crunching of leaves and sticks echoed through the forest as a sign of warning, whatever was in the shrubbery was making its move. One more step of the mysterious creature, a foot was visible, smaller than one would think for such a large creature. another step, Pokemon was no longer hidden by the bush, the entirety of its body was looking at Nidoran with vicious eyes. However, the eyes were on level with Nidoran, the dark green Pokemon was no taller than the Nidoran, and not nearly as wide, it was however, having a blast with stomping its feet up and down on the twigs and dead leaves scattering the forest around him.
---
A wild Larvitar has appeared!
Level: 9
Gender: Male
Moves: Bite, Leer, Sandstorm. Stealth Rock. (EM)
Ability: Guts
Personality: Larvitar dislikes battling other Pokemon. However thats not to say that he wont defend himself or fight when given the order. In the wild he tends to make loud noises to scare other Pokemon away.
---

Alexander balled his fists as the shrub shook violently, preparing himself for combat as well. Theodosius was not intimidated in the least, having fought many larger pokemon in his days in the breeding centre. Occasionally a Nidorino would have a go at him for being so weak and he would fight back without fear, so this didn't scare him one bit. Still, Alexander knew better, this could be something far too big for him to handle, and if it was, he had no problem with getting involved himself. He felt the survival knife resting on the back of his belt and knew that if it came to it, he'd use it to defend them. Finally, the beast decided to reveal itself, and what stepped through... was not what he expected.

As soon as he saw the Larvitar, Alexander immediately relaxed. It was tiny, and as such it shouldn't have been a difficult thing for Theodosius to deal with. Certainly nothing he'd have to intervene with, anyway. Still, it certainly was something he'd have to catch; Larvitar was a rare beast, and a Tyranitar would make for not only a brilliant pokemon for combat, but a brilliant breeding pokemon too.

As excited as Theodosius was, he made no move on his target, not yet. He might be headstrong, but he knew better than to act without instruction from Alexander. Finally, the instruction came, much to his delight. "Don't bother using Thunderbolt; he's lightning proof... Hit him with a confusion!" Alexander ordered confidently, his mind racing with thoughts of the countless books he had poured over. It felt unreal, he was here, commanding his Nidoran in combat against a pokemon for the first time. He only hoped he would be good enough to lead him to victory...

Theodosius stalked to his left, keeping his horn aimed at the Larvitar that was thrashing about merrily. Suddenly, Theodosius spun his head counter clockwise once, a purple trail coming from his horn forming a perfect circle as he did so, before the horn returned to the centre of the circle it had just created. As the horn returned, Nidoran locked his eyes onto the target as two purple rings matching the one he had drawn in the air expelled from the tip of his horn towards the target, the ring he had drawn in the air floating there for another moment before fading into nothingness, it's drawer standing there, braced to dodge an incoming attack.

The wild Larvitar was not expecting the almost spontaneous ranged attack. The small frame of Larvitar twitched as the Ground/ Dark type Pokemon grimaced in at the Mental pain. The Male Pokemon regained itself before running at Nidoran, his mouth opened as wide as he could trying to snap at the Nidoran.

As the Larvitar charged at Theodosius he telegraphed his attack; his clearly prepared jaw told Alexander and Theodosius he was going to bite him. Thinking fast, Alexander barked "Take the hit! Let him bite the spines on your neck, then peck his exposed abdomen with your horn!" Theodosius was bold and confident, he didn't fear the Larvitar's bite whatsoever. he'd grown up being bitten by his fellow Nidorans in fights constantly, and their fangs were poisonous. This was nothing. Still, as the Larvitar's fangs sunk into his neck he let out a yelp, surprised by the force in his jaw. His neck jerked up violently in response, the tip lunging directly for the exposed abdomen of the Larvitar in a sweep almost certain to hit. As he did so, Alexander lunged forward, pokeball in hand, swinging it like a fist towards the side of the pokemon's head, the two pronged attack hopefully enough to take the beast by surprise and capture it.

[sorry for short post, going out]

The needles jabbed into Larvitar's squishy stomach. He flinched in pain again, biting down harder to keep himself from yelping out. With all of his attention tunnel visioned onto the Nidorina he was less than expecting the Pokeball to hit him on the head. With one last flinch Larvitar was sucked into the small capsule, turning into a wisp like red beam. The ball shook once, twice. It stopped, in a sense of expected suspense the ball shook one last time. A satisfying click signalling the capture was complete.
---
Would you like to nick name your Larvitar?
---

The Larvitar was absorbed in a flash of red light, and the ball in Alexander's hand shook silently. It twitched several times, then stopped, before releasing a single white flash of light and a satisfying, crisp click, signifying his capture. Alexander laid the ball on the grass and knelled, taking a moment to examine the bite damage on Theodosius's neck. The fangs hadn't pierced deep, only barely managing to pierce the thick spines on the Nidoran's back. Walking over to the very bush the Larvitar came from, Alexander picked a few leaves and ground them into a paste in his hands, the moisture inside quickly expelling to form a gel. A natural salve made from common plants, useful to avoid infection. Thankfully silverleaf shrubs grew everywhere in this region and as such making such a salve was simple.

"You fought well, buddy!" Alexander said with a grin, picking up the excited pokemon and giving him a big hug, taking advantage of the embrace to rub the ointment into the puncture wounds. The little guy winced slightly as it entered, but quickly settled down and nuzzled him happily. Placing Theodosius back down, he nudged the pokeball with his horn. "We need to name him first buddy... how about... Chandra?" "Nido!" Theodosius replied happily, before tapping the button with his horn.

The Larvitar materialized by the pair, clutching his belly wound with a grumble "Lar..." "Now now Chandra, you're going to be okay. Let me give you some medicine." Chandra pulled back slightly, but eventually moved his hands aside, allowing Alexander to rub the last of the silverleaf salve into his wounds. "You're going to be travelling with Theodosius and I, alright? We're going to be best buddies!" he said with a smile, before scratching the top of the Pokemon's head. "Now, let's get back onto the road, shall w-" Alexander was cut off by a deep growling sound coming from behind the group. Chandra and Theodosius turned around in shock, followed quickly by Alexander. What could it be this time?!

Standing behind Alexander was a rather ugly looking Snubbull. Standing on two feet like a human, its floppy pink skin, hanging down its body like a dress. The dog like Pokemon stood fairly close to the boy and his Pokemon, its back hunched ever so slightly as the Pokemon shook angrily. A deep almost demonic sounding growl came from deep in the Pokemons gut, yet its mouth remained mostly closed, aside from the corner's of its lips which both hung open in an o shape as the guttural growl echoed outward. the Snubbul began to scratch its left foot on the ground, again and again, the repetitive cycle made it look as if it wanted to charge at Alexander, possibly protecting something? Or maybe it felt as if you had invaded its privacy.

---
A wild Snubbul has appeared!
Level: 11
Gender: Female
Moves: Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Tackle, Scary Face, Tail Whip, charm, Bite. Ice Fang (EM)
Ability: Intimidate
Personality: This Snubbull rarely leaves the home that she has dug underneath a tree root. But when she does its usually to pick a fight with the weaker wild Pokemon in the area.
(Silly RNG gave you an Egg move and then made it Ice fang XD )
---

Standing before the posse was a small pink pokemon, growling like a vicious beast, it's left leg kicking back like a bull ready to charge. Snubbull, prized by certain collectors for it's "cuteness", but it held no interest to Alexander whatsoever. Hell, it was probably a good time to battle test Chandra, have him do a tag team with Theodosius. Granted he didn't know what Chandra could do beyond bite yet, so that limited his options. "Theodosius, use Thunderbolt on the Snubbull! Chandra, wait until the bolt hits then take the chance to bite it's neck!"

Alexander stood watching like a grand general as his legion of pokemon acted out his orders with military precision. Theodosius stood at his side, arching his body back before thrusting his horn directly towards the snubbull, a sudden crackle of lightning shooting from the tip of his horn towards the beast. As it shot off, Chandra stepped forward, Jaw hanging open wide, waiting to see if it connected before volleying himself towards the beast.

The snubbull dove to its right, with a loud snap it landed on all four's, a stick having been broken underneath the weight of the pink Pokemon. With a ferocious bark Snubbul charged at its attacker, Theodosius. As it ran full speed towards its opponent the Snubbull let its mouth drop to show its sickeningly sharp looking fangs, even if not very large they could obviously do some damage. As Snubbul neared Theodosius its fangs became tinted in a reddish sort of color, small flames began to spark off of the tooth as if it was having a chemical reaction on sorts. The Snubbull dove towards its opponents neck, its teeth bared. With a much closer view you could obviously see scars on the Snubbulls body, it was obviously a veteran of many past battles.
---
Snubbull used Fire fang!
---

As Snubbull dodged the thunderbolt, Alexander winced silently to himself. Clearly this Snubbull had seen far more combat than the Larvitar had. As the attack had missed, Chandra stood with his jaw wide at Alexander's feet, following orders by not attacking right away. For a recently captured pokemon, he was a fast learner. As the Snubbull began to charge at Theodosius in a clearly retaliatory nature, Alexander saw an opportunity. They had numbers the Snubbull didn't, and he clearly had tunnel vision, his focus locking solely on Theodosius once he was attacked by him. Chandra could exploit this. Scooping Chandra up into his hands, Alexander barked orders at his team. Theodosius, dash backwards and ready yourself to use double kick. Chandra, when I throw you, bite him!

Theodosius dashed backwards as the Snubbull charged blindly onwards, and as Theodosius crouched down, preparing himself to leap towards his enemy and sink both his hind legs into him, Alexander threw Chandra at the beast from behind, who widened his jaw as far as he could, preparing himself to sink it into the back of the beast's neck.

Snubbull was taken by surprise as Chandra came out of nowhere. The sheer force of the Larvitar ramming into Snubbull caused the Normal type Pokemon to be flung to the side. With Chandra latched onto him the Snubbull began skidding onto the ground. After a slight grimace the pink Pokemon rose to its feet again, this team its attention completely on Larvitar as of now. With a grunt of defiance Snubbull began to violently shake itself around, along with rolling on the floor continuously rolling around to try and get Chandra off of its back.
---
Snubbull was hit with a Critical strike!
---

Chandra landed on the Snubbull's back with a satisfying crunch, his teeth locking deep into his tender flesh. The Snubbull began to shriek and grunt as it rolled around violently, trying to free itself from the Larvitar's grasp. Theodosius took advantage of the moment and launched his double kick as he had been ordered, leaping off the ground with all four legs towards his opponent. As Theodosius was mid-air, he extended his two hind legs out, firing them straight towards the distracted Snubbull's stomach with a powerful thrust, careful not to hit Chandra by mistake.

Snubbull was thrown back even farther by the double kick. A moment or two passed, the Snubbull lay on the ground motionless. Finally it started to stir. Snubull began to sluggishly raise itself from the ground, a grunt of effort being exhausted as she did so. Once standing she looked back at Theodosius before charging him, her run was slow with a limb handicapping her even more. Her mouth hung open as she chased after the Nido-something.

---
Snubbull used Bite!
---

As the double kick landed, Chandra detached his fangs, sparing himself from the brunt of the force as the hit landed. Still, between the kick and the Snubbull's thrashing, Chandra was knocked back several feet, landing awkwardly at Alexander's feet with a whimper. Alexander withdrew him with a sigh, he wasn't knocked out, but he'd had enough between Theodosius and now this, he needed rest.

The Snubbull found his feet and locked his gaze onto Theodosius. She immediately charged him, her teeth bared in preparation for a firm bite. Her pace was hindered by a sharp limp from her front left leg however, and as such the pace wasn't that threatening compared to her previous speed. "Theodosius, run to your right, stick to the Snubull's left side. His limp will stop him from biting you, and leave him vulnerable to your horn. Keep running around him til you see a chance and Peck him!" "Nido!" Theodosius replied with joy, last time he had seen a pokemon trying to bite him he'd been ordered to take it, after all. He immediately ran to his right, which was the left of the oncoming Snubbull. This strategy abused his limp, ensuring he couldn't turn quickly to keep up with him as Theodosius closed the gap, staying forever in his weak spot, before finally jumping the last few feet, seeking to land a sharp peck with his horn into the beast's left side.

The weakened Snubbull was unable to do anything to counteract Theodosius's peck attack. His handicapped leg left the dog like Pokemon completely vulnerable as it took the hit. This time the Snubbull did not go flying, instead it just sort of stood there as it was hit, for a moment it seemed steady as a stone, and then it let out a sigh and fell onto its side. The now unconscious body of the Snubbull sat motionless in the dirt, surely it would wake up in a few hours.

---
You have defeated a wild Snubbul!
Theodosius has gained 6 XP!
Chandra has gained 5 XP!

Theodosius is now level 18 with 1 XP left over!
---

Alexander scooped up the unconscious Snubbull, examining it with his right hand while he cradled him with his left. "Hmm... only sprained, not broken. He'll be fin- ah. She'll be fine, rather." Theodosius was standing there with a grin, clearly proud of his victory. "It's strange that an old pokemon like this would attack us like that. She started off growling and making a big show of it... Perhaps she was guarding something?"

Alexander and Theodosius marched off towards the tree the Snubbull had been guarding, and after having a closer look, they found a small hole leading to a clearing beneath the tree roots. Being skinny, Alexander was able to squeeze into the roots, but not while holding the Snubbull, so he patiently set to work scratching at the dirt. Theodosius chipped in, and after a few moments the had expanded the entranceway so that They could all fit in. Alexander still had to crawl on his stomach, but once they got inside it opened up to a sizeable cavern. Not enough for him to stand up in, but certainly big enough for the Snubbull to stand up in. Laying the Snubull down against a root, Alexander sighed. If he'd left it out in the open something would definitely have killed and eaten her.

"Come on Theodosius, let's g-" Alexander looked up to see the Nidoran scampering deeper into the cavern, clearly seeking something out. Maybe he smelled puppies? Alexander scampered after him on all fours, and after rounding a corner, they reached a larger cavern, enough for Alexander to stand up with a hunched back. Theodosius was sniffing a mount of leaves and hay intently, like something was inside it. Approaching his little buddy, Alexander brushed the stack to one side, curious as to what it hid...

Inside of the pile of leaves was a small vial. The thin tall glass vial, it held a red liquid that was seemingly glowing inside the glass. The outside of the vial looked like it had been sitting around for years, moss and dirt were wrapping and growing around it like a tree suffocating in its own vines. Yet liquid inside seemed fresh, untainted by nature. Yet there was more to the cave, off in a rather dark corner, there was a nest. It was much like the kind you would see a bird make, sticks covered up by leaves and grass. Inside was a small red and white Pokemon. As it woke it began to let out a very feeble and weak cry. In the nest was a baby Growlith, hardly large enough to be more than a month out of its egg. Maybe this is what the Snubbull was guarding? Is it really okay to just take a baby Pokemon that it was guarding? But at the same time, it seemed sick.
---
A wild Growlith has appeared!
However it is a baby and seems to be increadibly weak at the moment, possibly sick or diseased.
Level 1
Gender: female
Moves: Roar, Bite. Close Combat (EM)
Ability: Flash Fire
Personality: Not yet developed.
---

Spoiler:

Alexander scooped the pokemon into it's arms with concern, examining her for injuries as she whimpered weakly. "Good find Theodosius... she seems alright, no physical wounds. She's clearly sick though... reminds me of you..." Alexander thought aloud, speculating on the situation as his Nidoran listened intently. "I'm gunna capture you dear, the pokeball should help preserve you, slow down what's making you sick. I promise I'll get you medical attention" Alexander withdrew from his belt another empty pokeball and tapped her on the forehead. Being a weak newborn, she was unable to fight and was immediately captured. Dropping the ball into his right pocket, he turned to examine the liquid further.

The vial was sturdy, having withstood the ages with ease. Still, he had spent most of his formative years studying travelling, as well as being raised by a family of expert pokemon carers. He knew how to do field tests. Removing the glass cap from the vial, he sniffed it intently for a few seconds to analyse the smell, before gently placing it on the ground and reaching into his pocket. He withdrew a small coin and a piece of pokemon food. The nickel and copper in the coin, along with the easily broken down substances in the pokemon food would reveal intimate details about the nature of the vial, if it was acidic or toxic the food would be effected, while the reactions to the metals would change the colour when applied to the coin, revealing the composition to a degree.

He laid the food and coin down gently, and poured a single drop onto each object. Theodosius stood at his side, sniffing intently as a third judge of the object's nature. It'd be interesting to see what this revealed...

The liquid landed on both of the objects respectively, it didn't splosh around or anything of the sort as it did. It was thick, almost Yogurt like. However there was no reaction on either of the objects. The liquid did let off an aroma though. At first it was a bitter sort of smell, but as you inhaled it became sweet, almost an attractive scent just on its own.

Confused, Alexander recapped the bottle and dropped it into his pocket. He'd get his uncle to look at it later... For now he had to get this Growlithe to a Pokemon Centre. "Theodosius, lead us back to the road, and be quick about it" Alexander said with concern, and the pair crawled towards the entrance to the cavern with haste. Theodosius lead Alexander back through the winding trees and onto the path. They turned to the right and began to run down the paved road towards Saffron City.

After several hours, Theodosius and Alexander arrived at the gate to the city, and after explaining the situation to one of the officers at the border, the pair were lead straight to the pokemon centre by an officer. As soon as they arrived, Alexander released the Growlithe and carried him to the desk, where he was immediately rushed through. Another nurse took Theodosius and Chandra to treat them while most of the staff focused their attention on the critically ill Growlithe.

After several hours in the theatre, a nurse came out, a tray of three pokeballs in her hand. She shook Alexander gently on the shoulder to wake up from his dream, as he had fallen asleep on the couch. It had been a long day, and an even longer run. He had no idea his adventure would start out so... hectic. "Mr. Brennenburg? I have your pokemon for you. The growlithe was very weak, she had a severe infection and was malnourished, another day and she would have died. You need to take better care of your pokemon, you can't let them suffer like that. If they get sick, bring them here!" She said with a chastising tone. Alexander looked rightly angry and spat back "I found that growlithe on the road, I only captured her because it was easier to carry her here in a pokeball. I know how to take care of my pokemon, and I don't appreciate your tone." The nurse blushed a deep red and put the tray down on the table before covering her mouth with her right hand. "I'm so sorry sir! I had no idea... You wouldn't believe some of the people we deal with and the things they do... I'm so so sorry..." "It's fine. Thank you." Alexander said in a tone that made his frustration clear, collecting Theodosius and Chandra's pokeballs and putting them on his belt. He held the Growlithe's pokeball in his left hand, and once the nurse had left, he pressed the button.

A small, far less frail looking female Growlithe puppy appeared on the table. She sniffed the air cautiously for a moment before stepping forward confidently towards Alexander. Alexander remembered studying Growlithe at one point, and the notes stated that they could smell emotions. That probably explained her caution rapidly changing to confidence. She extended her head towards Alexander, who placed his hand on the head with a smile, giving her a scratch behind the ears. "So, I guess you need a name, huh? How about... Andiron?" Andiron let out a small bark of acknowledgement, her small tail wagging happily. It was amazing the things that had happened lately... he'd acquired a Larvitar and a growlithe in a single day; two very valuable pokemon for a breeder to have, let alone a trainer. Perhaps this trainer thing wasn't going to be that hard after all!