Fascinated by Rocks. (Paps)

[Nimbostratus]

As the Lab finally disappeared beyond the horizon, Jolene exhaled a slow sigh. This was more like it. Scientist or not, she was no fan of stuffy laboratories - she'd much rather be out doing fieldwork. And this little volcanic island - what was it called? Ah, yes, "Pumice Rock" - seemed like the perfect place to begin.

For a moment she glanced at the Pokeball she'd been given, considering whether to release the Pokemon within. It was a Dedenne, that much she knew - a creature from Kalos, a region she didn't know much about... though she'd often heard comparisons of Dedenne and Pikachu, hmm...

But as she was considering the Pokeball, her finger must have wandered over to the button - for a burst of light shot out, and the creature materialized before her.

Dedenne | Level 5 Met: Lab @ Level 5 Nickname: Friendship: 5 Gender: Male Ability: Pickup Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip Nature:

"...So you're a Dedenne, hmm?... Hello."

"Hello!" the creature answered back.

"Gah! You can speak!?" Jolene reeled back. She'd never met a Pokemon who knew English before! Well, there were various Psychic-types with telepathy, but none of them really spoke...

"Yep!" answered the Dedenne - but then he lapsed into a string of incomprehensible Pokespeech.

"...hmm. You lived much of your life in the Lab, didn't you?"

"Yep!" the Pokemon answered again.

"Then you must have learned 'hello' and 'yep' from the lab attendants... do you know any other words?" The creature shook its head. "I see... and do you have a name?" Another head-shake. "Hmm, well... does 'Denny' sound good to you? Denny the Dedenne..." she chuckled.

But the electric-type nodded cheerfully, accepting its new name with another "Yep!"

"Well then, Denny... I'm a researcher, here to study this region and its history... and I think a good first step would be to see what sort of Pokemon live on this island... what do you think?"

Denny's answer, quite predictably, was yet another "Yep!" And as Jolene slowly made her way around the island, the little Pokemon followed right on her heels.

[Deleted]

SPOILER: Click to show

Species: Meowth
Level: 5
Gender: Female
Ability: Pickup
Moves: Growl, Scratch

As Pokemon and Trainer met for the very first time, ears and tail twitched unhappily a short distance away. Their voices were pulling her from her restful slumber. Since she was just a kitten, she had liked to nestle into dips in the old lava because the sun always kept it very warm, even with the current chill in the air. Now, however, she was being disturbed, and she didn't like it at all.

Heaving a sigh, she stood and stretched, arching her back and mewling pitifully, before turning and approaching the source of the sound. Keeping her body low to the rock, as there was virtually little foliage to hide under, she slunk towards the dumb human and Dedenne. Before she was spotted, the young Meowth leaped forward an astounding length and landed on all fours behind the Dedenne. +Hey! Shut up! Sound carries here!+ She gave it one good smack in the back of the head with a big, soft paw.

[Nimbostratus]

At the moment the feline Pokemon appeared, Jolene had dipped down to inspect a rock formation. Her Dedenne, however, was much more observant, ears twitching as faint footsteps shuffled through the grass. He turned to face the Meowth just in time for its descending paw to swat him right in the face.

"Den! Dedenne!" he yelped in alarm. Jolene sighed and turned to see what had happened, and her bespectacled eyes fell upon the Meowth. She couldn't tell what it was saying but, judging by its body language, it was not hostile, just irritated. They had probably disturbed its rest.

At this point Denny had readied himself to attack, but with a firm hand gesture, Jolene stopped him. "Wait. It's not attacking you - didn't use its claws. Let's not provoke it." She stooped down to bring herself closer to the Pokemon's eye level. "I'm guessing I interrupted your nap. Sorry for that. But I'm conducting important research, and I don't exactly have a pair of-- hmm." She thoughtfully tapped her chin. Her first thought had turned to earplugs, but in the absence of soundproof items, she thought instead of a soundproof environment.

"...yes, I think that'll work. The inside of a Pokeball is soundproof, right? So... how about it?" She pulled a Pokeball from her pouch and peered at the Meowth. "But please understand, I don't mean to capture you-- I'll release you, if you wish, once my work is done."

Meanwhile, the Dedenne at her ankles stared at her incredulously. What the hell was she thinking?? Did she honestly believe that this pokemon would willingly hop into a Pokeball just to get some peace and quiet?? But with his inability to speak, there was only one thing he could do to show his exasperation: plant his face firmly in the palm of one paw.

[Deleted]

A very intense feeling of satisfaction coursed through the feline's body with the Dedenne actually turned around and her paw slapped it right in the face. Hah! What an idiot! Purr-like laughter seeped from her mouth, but when the woman began speaking, she sat back on her haunches and stared up at her with angry eyes.

Meowth were well-known when it came to understanding human talk. Some could even speak it, though she herself had never been able to. However, spending most of her time near the Research Facilities searching for scraps of food or ear rubs, she could understand human speech rather fluently, even complicated human speech. The longer the scientist spoke, the more horrified she became. By the time Jolene was done, she was arching her back and side-stepping away. +Do you think I'm stupid, human?! I'm not going to just let you capture me! I can't believe you would even think for a second I would listen to such nonsense!+ She hissed, ears pinned back. +If you want me that bad, you're gonna have to take me!+

Then, in the blink of an eye, she leaped at the Dedenne with outstretched claws, attempting to land a Scratch on the smaller Pokemon.

Meowth used Scratch on Denny!

[Nimbostratus]

Jolene frowned as she realized that the Meowth's opinion of her idea was clearly not a pleasant one. Of course, Denny had known that in the first place - if only she'd listened to him! - but alas, that was the life of a Pokemon. He'd known all along that the Meowth would likely attack, and so he was prepared when it did.

As the feline reached out with a paw - claws unsheathed this time - the Dedenne quickly ducked down to avoid the blow. Behind him, the frowning professor took a few steps back. She hadn't wanted this to escalate, but now it seemed that she had no choice.

"Denny, use..." She briefly glanced at her Pokedex, honestly unsure of his moves. "...Tail Whip and Tackle."

Dedenne rolled his eyes. Was she always going to order him around like that? She was an educated woman, but a naïve trainer. Eh. Maybe she'd learn over time.

Nevertheless, he followed her orders as he waggled his tail, using that motion to distract the Meowth and hopefully lower its guard before he made his attack.

_{Denny dodges Scratch
Denny uses Tail Whip and Tackle}

[Deleted]

The Meowth was indeed distracted by the Tail Whip, staring up at the Dedenne's tail and hissing angrily at it. When the smaller Pokemon hurled into her side, she was barreled over, yowling. She regained her footing quickly and turned, arching her back and hissing. The hiss deepened until it was a very obvious Growl attack.

She danced back and forth on all four, giving the growl all she had, before darting forward quickly. Keep her head even with her shoulders, she sped in for another Tackle attack. She had honestly never been apart of a real battle. She remembered fighting with the other kittens in her litter a very long time ago, and took what she could from that. At times, things got so rough their mother Persian had to break it up, so hopefully she had enough experience to take this rodent out.

Meowth used Growl on Denny!
Meowth used Tackle on Denny!

[Nimbostratus]

Despite having spent most of his life in the Lab, it seemed that Denny had learned a thing or two about fighting as well. This time he wasn't able to avoid the Meowth's attack, but he took the hit like a champ - and with the two now in close quarters, he pulled her into a grapple.

<We don't have to fight, y'know,> he said to the Meowth, almost whispering. <That human there is a good lady. Kinda silly, but still good. She wouldn't capture you against your will.>

But unfortunately, the Meowth did not look persuaded. Perhaps she had just been itching for a fight. Whatever the case, Denny countered her Growl with another Tail Whip, this time lightly smacking his tail against the side of her face. Then, knowing that the unexpected slap had probably opened her up to another Tackle, he charged in shoulder-first.

Jolene watched the battle and sighed. At this point both she and Denny knew that it was all or nothing - this battle would not be over until one of them had fainted.

_{Denny is affected by Growl (-1 Attack)
Denny is hit by Tackle
Denny uses Tail Whip and Tackle}

[Deleted]

Every single thing the Dedenne and his owner did simply irritated the Meowth. As the Dedenne trapped her in a grapple, she snarled into his face. She didn't care how "nice" the woman was. She was honestly having fun. A part of her was simply toying with the human and Pokemon, and it thrilled her even more that they actually thought she was attacking them out of malevolence. She snickered when the Tail Whip smacked her in the face; as if that would hurt!  However, her snickering was short lived, for the Tackle the small Pokemon gave her knocked the breath out of her. She was rolled over herself, paws flying into the air. This time, she struggled to regain her footing, breathing heavily.

The feline came at the Dedenne one more time, lifting one padded paw to strike with another Scratch. The movement this time wasn't quite as fluid, it was much slower and more mechanical than the last few attacks, and the young Pokemon was obviously wearing down.

Meowth was hit by Tackle!
Meowth used Scratch!

[Nimbostratus]

It had become evident to Jolene and Denny at this point that this Meowth was quite a rowdy and violent sort. She defiantly ignored their attempts to make peace and just kept attacking, even after Denny had bowled her over with his attack. Her Scratch this time was a bit slow and clumsy - no doubt she was fatigued now. Denny, on the other hand, was still quite energetic, and easily dodged her attack. He then quickly performed another Tail Whip and Tackle, knowing that this time the Meowth would likely be knocked out.

As for Jolene, it was hard to tell what she was thinking - she simply looked confused. Denny was fighting for himself. He was a Pokemon, and she was his trainer - wasn't she supposed to give him orders? - but in their current situation, it almost seemed more like Denny was the one training her. She wasn't sure if that was his intention, but no matter what, there was one thing she did know: this was one very intelligent Dedenne.

_{Denny dodges Scratch
Denny uses Tail Whip and Tackle}

[Deleted]

Perhaps if she hadn't already been sluggish from being woken up, she might have one the battle. It really didn't make any sense that the Dedenne, a creature who fits in perfectly as her natural prey taking her down with such ease. However, she had no way of knowing that the Dedenne had carefully calculated each move, unlike herself, who had more or less been playing a petty little game. Now, it had caused her demise.

Neither Tail Whip nor Tackle was avoided, and the Meowth ended up being knocked out immediately. She was just tired. She was just done. She plopped onto the ground pitifully, open for capture if Jolene so chose it. She had never truly meant to harm anyone, she had just wanted to take her nap, and then it had turned into a funny little game. That game had very much been taken too far.

+1 level for Denny
+1 friendship for Denny

[img src="http://media.pldh.net/pokemon/gen5/blackwhite/052.png" style="max-width:100%;"]
[spoiler][b]Species: [/b]Meowth
[b]Gender:[/b] Female
[b]Level:[/b] 5
[b]Nature:[/b] Sassy and playful, she often causes trouble by taking her little games too far. She has a hard time gauging between playfullness and bullying when it comes to other Pokemon, and goes out of her way to spite others, simply because she finds it funny.
[b]Moveset:[/b] Growl, Scratch
[b]Ability:[/b] Pickup
[b]Met:[/b] Pumice Rock @ lvl 5


[Nimbostratus]

When the Meowth finally fainted, both trainer and Pokemon heaved a sigh, but for different reasons: his was of relief, hers of ... almost despair. She'd really hoped that this would not come to blows. But it had - and now that it was over, the least she could do was leave the Meowth to recover in peace.

<Not gonna capture her?> Denny asked as she turned away.

As usual, the woman could only take a guess at what he'd said, judging by tone and body language - but in this case, her interpretation was about the same as what he'd said. "No," she answered; "I doubt she would appreciate being caught. Let's leave her and go find other Pokemon."

<...fine with me.> The Dedenne shrugged and followed his trainer as she continued her journey around Pumice Rock. Despite feeling bad for the Meowth, she wasn't about to be dissuaded from her exploration. Perhaps there were some Pokemon around here who actually wanted to be trained.

[Deleted]

Jolene and Denny hadn't even noticed the small Magby that had been observing the battle. She was practically sitting right beside Jolene's ankle, and finally moved close enough to tug on her pant leg and point at the fainted Meowth. +Why?+ She asked innocently, eyes huge. She turned to stare at the Dedenne, sucking on one fist childishly. Removing her fist, she spoke once more. +You're real strong. I like you.+ She was obviously very, very young. Probably too young to have wandered away from her mother all on her own.

She liked the volcanic rock because her momma had told her a lot of stories about how it came to be, and was always wandering away from the nest to come here and sit lazily all day. Some of the stories here momma told her even involved the big rock being created by Magmortar.

The little Fire-type plopped down on her bottom, sucking her fist in a very messy manner, staring up at Jolene in adoration. She had always wanted to meet a human but had never even seen one in real life. Now, she was completely and utterly obsessed with the pretty, strong lady and the... the... Pikachu? She wasn't sure what he was. He sort of looked what mommy had told her a Pikachu looked like, but she wasn't entirely sure. +You're a good Pikachu.+

[Nimbostratus]

Although the trainer-Pokemon pair had fully intended to move on and leave the Meowth alone, they didn't end up getting far - they only covered a few feet before Jolene noticed the strange weight on her leg. Then came a soft, squeaky voice: "Mag? Magby mag. Bee mag."

Jolene peered curiously down at the new arrival. A Magby. A small one - even smaller than the average Magby. Probably a child.

"Mag magby mag," she said to Denny, at which he seemed to take offense. Who was she calling a Pikachu!?

<I'm not a Pikachu, I'm a Dedenne!> he answered angrily. <De-denne! Get it right!>

Listening to their conversation, the woman behind him tilted her head. She had no idea what was going on. But she did know that this Magby seemed too young to be on its own.

"Are you lost?" she asked softly. "Where are your parents?" She knew that she would not understand the Magby's verbal answer, but perhaps its motions would give some hint.

[Deleted]

The Magby blinked big eyes at the Dedenne before simply inserting her small fist into her mouth once more. She sucked rhythmically, leaning into Jolene's leg in an affectionate manner. She calculated her response before she spoke. +No, you're a Pikachu, not a dedenedy.+ She giggled, jamming that fist right back to the spot it loved most.

She stared up at Jolene adoringly when she spoke to her, but shook her head in response. She wasn't gonna tell this lady where her momma was. Momma would make her go back to the nest. Besides, she hadn't seen her momma in a couple days now. The sun had come up and then hidden again behind the mountains at least three times. She had been just fine, really. She had been feasting on berries and hanging out amongst the lava rock. +Dunno where she is. Momma's gone.+

[Nimbostratus]

Denny groaned at the little Magby's words and almost seemed to shudder with anger. <I am NOT a PIKACHU!> he practically screamed, looking every bit like he wished to wring the Magby's neck. But no, no - he wasn't about to inflict violence upon a child. And Jolene wasn't about to let him.

"Denny," she scolded. "I don't know what's got you so worked up, but I think you need a rest." As the woman pulled out his Pokeball, Denny groaned and sighed - half in frustration, half in relief. He supposed he could use some peace and quiet.

Once the Electric-type had been returned to his pokeball, Jolene returned her attention to the young Magby. It didn't seem to know where its parents were - though Jolene had a strange feeling that she knew. They were probably captured by the Lab was the idea that somehow pervaded her mind.

"...well, you're doing very well for yourself." The woman managed a smile. "You're so young to be out on your own... yet you don't seem to be hungry or scared. You're very brave."

All the while, though, she just kept wondering what she ought do about this lonely child.