Finding My Feet

[Joshua Mathers]

It was time. They had finally settled into their new home in Pallet Town. A rather small town albeit, but still a good start. Especially when Joshua's idol had started off in this very town. After closely examining his backpack and Pokéballs very closely, he slung it onto his back and walked out of the house, throwing a wave to his mother and she baked some cookies. "I'll be home later, ma!", he said as he shut the door behind him.

Breathing in the fresh air, he looked around excitedly as he tried to rack his brain on what to do first. He didn't even know how to battle or even catch a Pokémon! Maybe if his sister Indiana wasn't busy, he could ask her if she could teach him a few tricks of the trade. His father was too busy over at Professor Oak's lab, and he handed him over some starter Pokémon. "Indiana", he said bashfully, "Could you help me learn how to battle and catch a new Pokémon?", he said then smiling timidly.

[Anna Marine]

(Posting as Indiana Mathers :3)

Indiana hadn't had much planned for the day. Her Ivysaur, Nanie, had gotten injured in her last battle, just before coming home, and it was still recovering in the Pokecenter in Pallet Town. She had recently moved to Pallet Town with her family and was looking to start working at the Pokecenter nearby.

She had just finished her morning chores at the house, and the ones at the Pokecenter, when she went to check on Nanie. She looked a lot better than she did, and would be ready to leave the next morning, thank goodness! Nani was her starter, given to her by her father 5 years ago. She had grown up with Nani and the two were always seen together, so it's hard to be apart from her during the day.

She had just gone to give Nani's report to her dad, when her little brother, Joshua, came in. She was so proud of him! Today he was getting his starter! Little Josh was starting out as a Pokemon trainer! She knew that the famous Ash was his idol, and knew that hthe first thing Josh would ask is if someone would battle him with his new Pokemon. She never dreamed it would be her! She smiled down at her little brother and nodded. "I'd be glad to, little brother!" She walked out to the meadow beside the Professor's lab and turned to face her brother. "You ready?" She grinned over at him.

[Joshua Mathers]

Joshua smiled as Indiana as she accepted his request. That was one of the great things about the Mathers. They could always rely on each other and count on one another. He followed her to the small meadow by the Professor's lab. He was very excited and a little nervous, but they were good nerves. He knew that it was anticipation for great things to come.

"I'm ready!", he said as he reached into his pocket for one of his Pokémon. He watched Pokémon battles all the time growing up, but he didn't know the exact protocol. He thought it would be best if he let his sister show him the ropes of things and go first. "You go first, Indie", he said in a confident noise he had practiced all morning. It was something every great trainer had. Confidence.

[Anna Marine]

Indiana breathed deep as they reached the meadow. There was nothing like the outdoors, the soft grass beneath their feet, and the comforting forest surrounding the little town. She was glad they had moved here, at last. Indiana grinned as she nodded to Josh. She spotted a Rattata walking near the far end of the meadow. One real hit from one of her Pokemon, and it wouldn't stand a chance. She had recently caught a level 10 Oddish, but hadn't named it yet. She thought it would be fitting to pull him out now. "Alright, bud!" She pulled Oddish's Pokeball out of 4 that she had on her belt. "Oddish, come on out!"

Oddish danced around, waiting for something to do, waiting for a direction from his new master.

The Rattata turned to face Oddish and Indiana and hissed viciously at both.

According to her Pokedex, Indiana could see that this Rattata is a level 5, not a big challenge, but good for a demonstration.

Rattata's Stats: HP - 19 Attack - 12 Defense - 10 Sp. Atk - 9 Sp. Def - 10 Speed - 13

Oddish's Stats: HP - 29 Attack - 15 Defense - 16 Sp. Atk - 20 Sp. Def - 18 Speed - 11

[Joshua Mathers]

Joshua smiled excitedly when Indiana brought out her newly caught Oddish. He saw the Rattata and adjusted his stance so that he looked like he was ready for battle. He wasn't really concerned about what type either Pokémon were but he wanted to get started right away, even if his Pokémon got one hit in. He didn't really care if he won or lost either, the most important thing was to gain experience. Ash taught him that very important lesson.

As he gripped tightened on his Pokéball, it grew in his hand before he threw it in front of him, relishing in his first ever battle against a wild Pokémon. "Come on out, Bulbasaur!", he said as Bulbasaur appeared from a red light. His Bulbasaur shook his head a little but got into the correct stance for a battle. He saw the Rattata twitch a little in anticipation which made a small smirk appear on Joshua's face.

Bulbasaur's Stats: HP - 11 Attack - 6 Defense - 5 Sp. Atk - 6 Sp. Def - 6 Speed - 5

[Anna Marine]

Indiana smiled proudly as Josh cast out his new Bulbasaur. This was really it! Her younger brother had entered her world, her passion. He finally has Pokemon of his own! She took her stance behind Oddish, and gave out her first command. "Oddish, use Acid!"

Oddish used Acid on Rattata, sneering at the Pokemon that had turned out to be his foe. Acid lowered Rattata's defense by 6, so it was less likely that it would be able to block any moves that Josh commanded Bulbasaur to do. Even though they were the same level, Rattata was faster, and more aggressive than Josh's Bulbasaur, evident in its Speed and Attack stats. This gave Josh a bigger edge over the Pokemon.

Rattata hissed as the attack hit him, and countered with Tackle, but somehow missed Oddish, so the Oddish went unharmed.


She glanced over at Josh after the command, wondering what his first move would be.

Rattata's Stats: HP - 19 Attack - 12 Defense - 10-4= 6 Sp. Atk - 9 Sp. Def - 10 Speed - 13

Oddish's Stats: HP - 29 Attack - 15 Defense - 16 Sp. Atk - 20 Sp. Def - 18 Speed - 11

[Joshua Mathers]

Joshua was a little hesitant to attack his new foe. Bulbasaur wasn't very strong but he knew he was determined. He watched as Indiana confidently commanded her Oddish to cast acid, lowering Rattata's defense. Joshua nodded at his older sister and readied his strategy.

"Bulbasaur, use tackle!", Joshua said sternly as he pointed at the Rattata and Bulbasaur charged forward, hitting his enemy. Bulbasaur's attack wasn't very high, so his foe's health wasn't lowered very much, but it was still a hit. He smiled and looked at Indiana for what to do next.

Rattata's Stats: HP - 19-2= 17 Attack - 12 Defense - 6 Sp. Atk - 9 Sp. Def - 10 Speed - 13

Bulbasaur's Stats: HP - 11 Attack - 6 Defense - 5 Sp. Atk - 6 Sp. Def - 6 Speed - 5

[Anna Marine]

Oh yes, this is a proud sister! She straightened up to watch the Bulbasaur's technique, and found it pleasing to the eye. She grinned and nodded. Rattata's attention was still focused on Oddish when Bulbasaur's attack hit head-on. She smiled back at Josh and turned to Oddish, who hadn't even had a chance to hit the opponent yet with physical attacks. She smirked at Rattata, who looked shaken from the blow.

Rattata chose to attack Bulbasaur with Tackle, scoring 2 points on the attack. Indiana frowned and commanded Oddish, "Use Absorb!" A glow appeared around Oddish for a split second, and Rattata looked shattered, as if it had lost something. Oddish had taken 10 HP. Ratata staggered to one side and shook itself, standing tall and twitching its tail.

Indiana looked over at Josh and grinned. "Try using a Pokeball! It's below 1/2 HP!", she encouraged.

Rattata's Stats: HP - 17-10=7 Attack - 12 Defense - 6 Sp. Atk - 9 Sp. Def - 10 Speed - 13

Oddish's Stats: HP - 29 Attack - 15 Defense - 16 Sp. Atk - 20 Sp. Def - 18 Speed - 11

Bulbasaur's Stats: HP - 11-2=9 Attack - 6 Defense - 5 Sp. Atk - 6 Sp. Def - 6 Speed - 5

[Joshua Mathers]

Joshua flinched a little when Rattat attacked Bulbasaur, but he quickly adjusted himself to accomodate his next turn. He wasn't going to let the hit falter his confidence or his performance. His sister really helped him out when her Oddish used Absorb, significantly lowering their opponents HP to well below half. When Indiana called to him to throw a Pokéball, Joshua nodded and fetched one out of his backpack.

Focusing his aim at the disorientated Pokémon, he threw his Pokéball at the Rattata, momentarily capturing it and waiting for the result. The Pokémon escaped which Joshua gave a sigh of disappointment. He looked over to Indiana but shrugged it off. Again, he couldn't let this get him down. "Let's take him down, Indie", he said and nodded at his sister.

(OOC: Rolled a three. I didn't want Rattata anyway Lol)

[Anna Marine]

Indiana could barely contain her excitement! Josh was going to catch his first Pokemon! As she waited, she bounced on the balls of her feet, and kept a hand on Josh's shoulder. Geez! He was getting too tall. Almost to her shoulder! She'd have to put him in a box to stop the growing, and playfully threatened with that often if he didn't stop. She let out a sigh as Rattata burst out of the Pokeball and glared at them, its eyes practically glowing. It lunged for Bulbasaur again, but Oddish stepped inbetween them, instinctively knowing what Indiana's next command would be.

"Oddish, quick! Use Absorb again!" The Pokemon stopped its lunge mid-air and hit the ground, just as Indiana got to it. She looked over at Josh to gauge his reaction to what had happened. Out of her backpack, she pulled a blanket out and wrapped the Rattata up in it, to take back to the Pokecenter for healing and release. They had special areas for such things.

"You okay, Josh?" She stood up with the fainted Rattata in her arms, completely limp, but still breathing.

Rattata's Stats: HP - 7-10= 0 (FAINT) Attack - 12 Defense - 6 Sp. Atk - 9 Sp. Def - 10 Speed - 13

[Joshua Mathers]

Joshue half smiled at Indiana when she grabbed the Rattata. He was sad that he didn't get to capture his first Pokémon, but all wasn't lost. He had helped defeat one, which gained some experience for Bulbasaur. The more experience he got, the more he would grow. The more he would grow, the more Pokémon he could catch. He smiled genuinely and nodded at Indiana.

"I'm fine, Indie. That was great!", he said changing his tune. He looked over to their Pokémon and made his way over to Bulbasaur! "Great work there, buddy", he said as he hugged his little Bulbasaur. He threw a smile at Oddish and Indiana, very grateful for their help. Especially from his big sister. "Thanks again. For showing me how battling works. Maybe when my Pokémon get stronger, we can battle it out again?", he said with confidence as he stood up next to her and pointed his empty Pokéball to Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, return!", he commanded and put the Pokéball with the rest. He would journey with Indiana to restore Bulbasaur to full health.

[Anna Marine]

She sighed with relief. She was worried that being a part of making a Pokemon actually faint might hurt her little brother. She remembered the first time she made a Pokemon faint. It was a wild Oddish on her way out of the village after getting her starter, at the time a Bulbasaur. It tore her up, and she ran back home with the little Oddish in her arms, begging her mom to heal it. It was then she started volunteering at Pokecenters in her spare time. Each time she would carry the poor Pokemon to the nearest Pokecenter and help heal it.

As she watch, Josh hugged his Bulbasaur and congratulated it. "Of course, Josh! I'd be glad to help, any time!" As he put Bulbasaur away, her Pokedex dinged in her pocket, and she used one hand to free it. She flipped it open and grinned. Bulbasaur had grown a level! "Look, Josh! He's a level 2 now!" She showed the little 2 on the screen to Josh and smiled at him, knowing that this would give him a little confidence. She hoped she would be there when he caught his first Pokemon.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She dug around in her backpack and pulled out a Pokeball. She tossed it to Joshua and said, "Since you're down one, you can have this one! Don't worry about pay back. Just make sure I'm there when you catch your first Pokemon." She winked and smiled at her little brother with pride.

[Joshua Mathers]

Joshua raised his eyebrows as his sister announced his level up. He smiled brightly and peered onto the screen, confirming that his little Bulbasaur was in fact getting stronger. "Hey, where can I get a Pokédex from? Does Ma still have a spare?", he asked inquisitively as he returned his gaze onto the contraption. It seemed some of Bulbasaur's stats had also heightened.

He looked up and grinned at Indiana, very thankful for the Pokéball. He didn't have much money yet, so he was thankful for anything he could get. "Thanks, sis! And don't worry, you'll definitely be there! Let's make our way over", he said as he looked over and forgetting which town had the closest Pokécentre. He stood back and shyly waited for her to lead the way.

[Anna Marine]

She closed her Pokedex and called out to Oddish, with her Pokeball extended in her hand, "Oddish, return!" She turned back to Joshua. "I think the spare Pokedex is in one of the drawers in Dad's study. If you can't find it there, there's always ones at the lab Dad works at." She thought for a moment. "I think Ma has hers in the office at the breeding center."

As she shifted Rattata in his little blanket to one arm as she put her backpack on her other arm and onto her back. She stroked the young Pokemon's little purple ear as she turned in the direction of Pallet Town's Pokecenter. As she reached it, she pushed the door open and stepped into the familiar atmosphere of the busy Center.

She reached the receptionist and filled out a simple form, so they would have information on the little Pokemon. She made sure to include that it was Wild and had been in a battle earlier, but that no special attacks with long-lasting effects were used. Indiana turned to Joshua. "Do you want to go see Ma or Dad about the Pokedex?"

[Joshua Mathers]

Joshua followed Indiana to the Pokécentre. He had been out these ways a couple times but with either of his parents or his older brother, Victor. This time it seemed more adventurous, soaking up the atmosphere and relishing the feeling of becoming a trainer. It was awesome!

As Indiana filled out a form for Rattata, Joshua did the same for Bulbasaur. Handing over his Pokéball, he turned to Indiana and nodded. "Yeah, maybe I should grab a new one from dad", he said thinking it was better to start fresh. He remember Indiana mentioning that their father was at Professor Oak's lab, so that would be their next destination.