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Post by Mizumanta on Jan 22, 2018 9:47:28 GMT
 Chronicles of Manta: Johto JourneyThis is the independent RP made by RS user Mizumanta! What is an independent RP, you ask? Well, unlike a normal RP that completely relies on the participation of others and intervention from Mods, this story is completely dependent on my own personal preferences and ideas. I can however do a type of crossover to others who are making the same type of story, even trading and having battles! This is a slower story, so I encourage you all to stay with my story through to the end. Commentary is encouraged. Would you also like to make an independent rp? *You can make your own story. You have full control of the people you meet, the pokemon you encounter, and the items you acquire. * You can create your own events, NPCs, rivals, and overall situation. As such there are very few rules. *Stick with the same region as the others (Johto for now) * Make your own thread. this is your personal space. *Take it slow. This isnt like other RPs. You can spend days in one town if you want. It is encouraged that you really go into detail of your journey. *Please be realistic. Your character likely wont be catching a metagross or a legendary right off the bat (or maybe at all). Treat it sort of like the anime, where you catch pokemon closer to your trainer level. You probably arent going to acquire every TM right off the bat. *If you are going to do a crossover to another RP, please be consistent with their story for the time being. If they are in Olivine City, then you cannot meet them while you are still in goldenrod. If there is an event going on, please treat it as if it were happening in yours (within reason). *This isnt a competition. You don't need the strongest team to be better than other RPers or anything. Please choose your favorite pokemon or those that match your character well. Would you also like to make an independant rp? \ . *You can make your own story. You have full control of the people you meet, the pokemon you encounter, and the items you acquire. * You can create your own events, NPCs, rivals, and overall situation. As such there are very few rules. *Stick with the same region as the others (Johto for now)
*Take it slow. This isnt like other RPs. You can spend days in one town if you want. It is encouraged that you really go into detail of your journey.
*Please be realistic. Your character likely wont be catching a metagross or a legendary right off the bat (or maybe at all). Treat it sort of like the anime, where you catch pokemon closer to your trainer level. You probably arent going to acquire every TM right off the bat.
*If you are going to do a crossover to another RP, please be consistent with their story for the time being. If they are in Olivine City, then you cannot meet them while you are still in goldenrod. If there is an event going on, please treat it as if it were happening in yours (within reason).
*This isnt a competition. You don't need the strongest team to be better than other RPers or anything. Please choose your favorite pokemon or those that match your character well.
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Post by Mizumanta on Jan 22, 2018 9:47:41 GMT
Name: Christopher Manta Age: 16 Gender: male Personality: Manta is a calm and collected individual with timid tendencies. because he spent a lot of his life alone, he has trouble giving immediate responses when talking with people, but excels in observing and waiting for the right time to act. Because he has less experiences in social situations, he also tends to misinterpret the meaning of people's words if not given enough tome to think about them. He doesn't get along too well with people his own age, but does seem to understand adults and pokemon pretty well. He especially gets along with fairy type pokemon. Although he doesn't realize it, many of his actions and idiosyncrasies are indeed adorable. He has a sealed fairy gem that he keeps tied to his waist on a chain,and sometimes kept in his pocket. He holds it when he needs confidence or to think.
History: Christopher Manta (Manta) was born in Laverre City of the Kalos Region. He has few memories of the place, but noted his affinity with fairy type pokemon, which were common in that particular area. Due to a business opportunity and to get a fresh start, Manta's family moved to Goldenrod City. The hustle and bustle of this city was much more hectic than what he was use to, but he took comfort in spending time in his parent's Pokemon Daycare located just outside of the city. It was there that he learned different care techniques and different idiosyncrasies of various pokemon. Just like in Kalos, he grew especially close to fairy type pokemon more quickly. It was because of this, however, that lead to isolation from other kids his age. He was often mocked and bullied because of his association to the seemingly gentle type, which caused him to be a bit more reserved than other.
Just before his 16th birthday, a mysterious trainer left two of his pokemon at the daycare, leaving a note that his pokemon would stay for a bit and leave on their own, mentioning money for the service and stating that they family could keep any "gifts" left behind. In the end, the two pokemon left, leaving a pokemon egg, and a fairy gem. Manta took that as a sign to start his own journey, and prove that Fairy type pokemon were nothing to mock.
Journal:
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Post by Mizumanta on Jan 23, 2018 8:54:37 GMT
1 
The hard fast stomping of feet echoed throughout the route various small pokemon turned to find the source. "Almost there, Togepi!" Manta said atop his rental Dodrio. He was bouncing around a bit, but was relieved that the saddle was cushioning the ride. As he approached the town's border, dodrio slowed to a steady stop. He got off, keeping one hand on Togepi. A quick thank you was all he needed to give before the large flying type ran off to Cherrygrove and return to its post. "Thank goodness dad gave us that coupon for free one way ride. I don't think we could have gotten here without a battle on our own haha" He chuckled a bit before approaching the city limits.
"New Bark Town, The town where the wind blows and tells of impending change." The old wooden sign in front of the small town seemed to greet each traveler as they walked into town, and there a number of them. Just behind him, a large amount of children and teens were being guided to the town from nearby buses. It didnt take long before he noticed that the bus came from a trainer school. Manta sped up past the sign and into town determined to avoid the crowd. He didnt do well with younger people anyway.
After just a few minutes of searching, Manta stumbled upon the lab, a large building with numerous add ons just up a nearby hill. The outside was truly interesting. There was a space to raise baby pokemon, enough room for a small habitat for every pokemon he could think of in the form of a large field behind the building. A few children accompanied by adults occasionally exited the building, each one with their own pokemon and with excited looks on their face. Togepi got a little giddy with anticipation. "Oh, haha. You are wondering what partner pokemon we're going to get? I don;t know." He looked back up at the building. "Usually people do this when they're younger, so I don't know exactly how things will go. But a new friend sounds amazing!" He said aloud, just over his normal speaking voice. He didnt want to draw attention to himself of course.
The boy only took a few steps inside before encountering the professor. He was a tall slim man, likely in his early 30's. He seemed a bit timid himself, with starting signs of balding. Luckily Manta had beaten the rush. The only person in front of him was a small child who had received a magby as his partner. The child, no older than 10 or 11, thanked the professor and ran off. It was his turn. "Ah! H-hello sir." Manta began. I'm here for my partner pokemon please." The older man smiled at first, but soon changed into an expression of confusion as he loomed over the boy.
"I'm sorry?" Professor Elm asked.
"umm...my pokemon. I'm ready for it." Manta replied.
"young man, you have one in your hands, don't you?" He pointed to Togepi.
"Oh umm...well I was told that all trainers come here for a pokemon. This is what you're suppose to do to start your journey, right?" Manta seemed confused now. Professor Elm sat down in his nearby chair and smiled again.
"I believe there was a bit of confusion." He chuckled. "Most young trainers do not have the means to catch their first pokemon to start their journey. So I offer them one of the pokemon that I hatched and raised through my research." He looked back at togepi again. "But since you already have a pokemon to help you, that isnt really necessary for you. Actually-" He turned to his computer to check something, then turned back. "May I see the pokedex that you received in the mail?" He stuck his hand out. Manta quickly found a free hand and took the small blue handheld device out of his pocket.
"here you are, sir." The professor inserted a cable from part of the device into his computer. The screen changed instantly with the profile summary that he filled out when he first got his pokedex.
"Hmm... Manta...Hmm, no last name specified. Age 16 registered in Goldenrod, official start as a professional trainer is today. Oh! Here it is. See, you have already registered a pokemon under your name. Your togepi counts as your first pokemon." Elm calmly stated. He seemed to be trying his best not to upset the boy. "So it is a bit unfair to offer you a pokemon if you don;t truly need one but..." He got up again and searched his office, returning moments later with a few items in hand. "Since the pokedex did say to come here, and you did make the effort, please accept these to help ou on your journey!" He handed over four pokeballs. They were not the pokeballs that were normally sold in stores, as Manta noticed, and each had a light layer of dust on them. They must have been here for a while. One had a spider web like netting around it. Another with a crescent moon shape. One was green and black, with a curious ominous feel to it. the final pokeball was a pink one with a noticable heart chaped pattern on it. "These are the net ball, the moon ball, the dusk ball, and the love ball!" My friend Kurt in Azelea Town made two of these himself." He then brought out what looked like a disk. By holding onto the sides and pulling at the top, Elm showed that teh item was actually an expandable case of some kind. "this is an egg incubator. I use these in my studies, but I have dozens more than I know what to do with." His enthusiasm seemed to rise. "you see, this item is a protective case for pokemon eggs. It keeps a constant warm temperature, and will stay in place, regardless of how much the incubator is moved. Of course this item requires you to find a pokemon egg first."
"Oh...umm.." Manta began.
"Oh my, Is it not enough for your trouble?" Elm responded.
"Erm...no. It's just...I should have known and accepted togepi as my partner pokemon from the start. I didnt need one from you, and I should have seen that. Your gifts are too generous for me." Elm shook his head.
"the fact that you could even admit that about yourself and think critically means a lot. Here-" He handed over the pokeballs and incubator. "You keep these and tell me how you used them the next time we meet." After handing them over, Elm turned to retrieve the pokedex still attached to his computer. "and don't forget this haha. I put my contact information in there, so you can call me from the pokemon center if you would like." Manta finally cracked a smile. The trip was well worth it after all. Manta half bowed at the professor for his generosity. He normally could never afford the items offered back there. As Manta turned and left, he made a small comment about how he was glad the rush of kids hadnt arrived yet under his breath. Elm looked out of his office towards the now leaving child. "That boy...a togepi was what really expanded my research. And his attitude...I can't wait to see what he becomes."
___
Manta took his time in New Bark Town, taking in what he could. It was a bit difficult to enjoy this town, as it was simply a small community with a few houses and a lab. All of the homes were made of old material and unfinished wood. It was a nice break from the graffiti found in Goldenrod, but without a mall, businesses, or even a pokemon center; this town was relatively lackluster. The only good point that he could find was that he could tell that the town was usually quiet. Obviously with the many trainers around, it was far from his normal comfort level, but today was special. He could easily imagine that the town that he was in was just perfect for sitting down with a book or gazing at the water. In fact, he had wandered to what looked like a lakefront. It was a bit tough to see far from where he was, but if he squinted, the young boy could tell there was some sort of land, and even a small house far away. "They've got the right idea." He muttered.
As he took his time admiring what nature had to offer, He was surprised by a shrill shout from behind. "Hey, you got one, right?" the voice screeched. He turned, showing off an involuntary frown due to his serenity being interrupted. But his frown turned into a look of confusion. Before him was a small girl, no older than 10, and what looked like her group of followers behind her. She had long scruffy brown and tan hair, and what looked like a potato sack as a shirt, though it was just the texture, he was sure. She did seem familiar somehow. "You got a pokemon too, right?" she asked a second time. Manta finally understood.
"Oh, umm" he began.
"Cause everyone else is battling and you look pretty weak. C'mon, let's battle!" She interrupted. The girls inthe back snickered from the comment. Manta looked around. There were indeed a lot of people battling, eager to show off their first pokemon. He was actually surprised that he didnt recognize the true source of the sound earlier. "C'mon, C'mon! I don't have all day. Put down your egg guy and let's go!" She was getting visibly impatient now. In her demanding, she quickly released her own pokemon. It was then that Manta figured out why she seemed so familiar. She looked exactly like her pokemon a zigzagoon. The hair similarity was uncanny. Even the facial expressions matched up. Manta could not help but chuckle. "You got a problem, buddy?!" She shrieked.
"Ah, no. Sorry." The boy collected himself. "I shouldn't have laughed." He picked up his bag and took a few steps forward. "My apologies but...You are very rude." He sighed a bit. "I don't mind your age, but I want my first official trainer battle to be memorable, and not in a negative way." The girl's followers changed their facial expressions to disbelief.
"Hey! You can't refuse! It's the trainer's unspoken rule to take on any challenger, dude!" This time Manta frowned.
"If the rule is unspoken, then you can't expect me to blindly follow it." Manta began to walk past her. "Besides, it's an unspoken rule to be kind to your elders, and couldnt follow it." He finished, as he walked away. The girl blushed red and the girls behind her giggled. Just as Manta was getting out of earshot, he heard the leader yelling at her friends to be quiet.
____
Manta took his time again as he went back to the entrance of the town. He made sure to avoid all of the children running around with their pokemon. He wasnt the best at speaking with other minors. He much preferred quiet, or at least a nice conversation partner. Just as he reached the sign where he was dropped off, Manta put togepi down on the ground and smiled. "Okay Togepi, This is the start of our journey. Are you ready?" Togepi cheered loudly, apparently aware of what her trainer was planning. "Alright then, let's take our first steps into the wild for our adventure!" Both showed excitement, as they began to take steps in unison. "One Two, Three!" As the two took their third step, even if they knew it was only in their heads, they felt a wave of anticipation wash over them, somewhat cleansing them of their previous concerns. "Alright Togepi, Let's go!"
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Post by Mizumanta on Jan 25, 2018 14:06:53 GMT
"Route 29." Manta muttered. "The guidebook says that this place is pretty standard but..." Manta peered up ahead. "It didnt say anything about the small cliffs on every corner." The boy slowly changed his path to avoid falling. "The is ridiculous." It wasnt that the height was too high, in fact, he could probably jump down without worry had it been one in clear sight. But the entire terrain there was nothing hit small hills that lead to easily hidden drops if he wasnt careful. It was certainly bothersome. Even Togepi felt the stress, as she quickly warned her trainer whenever he was close to falling. The green grass and trees that seemed to have an aura of strength were only briefly appreciated between each step, as Manta couldnt afford to lose focus. After a bit of walking, and a few slip ups that led to the two needing to transverse back up a few hills, Manta and Togepi were in the halfway point of route 29. There was a large rest station, connecting route 29 to the bottom of route 46. He had read about it in the guide, but didn't have time to explore while riding the dodrio. Apparently a few of the pokemon from Dark Cave came out and would occasionally come into the area. It was worth investigating at least. The best part was that the entire area was ledge free. He could walk more freely! Upon entering the rest stop, Manta immediately took note of the receptionist, who was there to answer any questions travelers had and to offer water or light first aid if needed. They were actually pretty common in Johto, almost entirely funded by the surrounding towns. There were pamphlets in the surrounding areas, a small video phone area to make long distance calls, a restroom, and even a small area to sleep. This was mostly for trainers like him, as many trainers were children themselves.Manta walked the straight carpeted path from the entrance to the other side of the building, simply giving the receptionist a wave, as he wanted to avoid potentially awkward conversation. As he passed through the automated doors to route 46, Manta could immediately tell that the route was different. It was just a small area, but was surrounded by high cliffs too high to climb. He could just make out the entrance to Dark Cave in teh distance, and even some people way out of earshot. The small field that was accessible to him had just a few trees, some rocks and boulders that had fallen, and some obvious hiding spaces for pokemon. The young trainer was beginning to get excited. There wasnt anyone around, so he didnt have to worry about embarrassing himself or needless conversation. In fact, this was the perfect time for training. ____ The time seemed to fly by as Manta tried his best to even corner another pokemon. Togepi wasnt exactly large or fast, so getting a pokemon to come out and cornering it would be Manta's job. Unfortunately, most of the pokemon around were wella dept at running away. The flying types would flee before he could ever get close, and most of the bug and ground types would burrow underground before he ever got a chance. Honestly, this wasnt something they went over in trainer school... Manta sat down under the shade of a nearby tree. He wasnt necessarily exhausted, but his spirit could use some rest. Just as he was beginning to really relax, he Manta heard something in the distance. "...ov..." "w...what?" He looked around. No one had come out of the gate. Manta began to rest his eyes again. before being interupted a second time. "...you" There it was again. "Above you, idiot!" This time it was clear. It was as if it were in the distance, and in this closed off area, it could only have come from one place. Manta turned his head to see someone precariously standing on the edge of the ledge. "You're looking for a pokemon, right? Above you!" The figure a little hard to make out with the sun behind them, But Manta did happen to catch what they were talking about. Just a few branches above his head was a black and grey pokemon. Whatever it was, it was almost certainly a bug type. Manta hastily grabbed his pokedex and pointed upward. The handheld device make a few calculating sounds as it scanned the pokemon before lighting up. 
The small blue contraption chirped. Manta went through the rest of the summary. Apparently it was female, and in its immature stage. This was perfect. Actually, because of how its body hid in the shade so well, he wouldt have been able to see it without someone pointing it out. The pokedex also didnt say anything about it digging to flee. This was his chance. Manta turned to togepi, who glanced back. She was just as eager to start. Both got up and distanced themselved from their opponent. The scatterbug merely glanced down, unsure of their intentions. "Our first battle. Let's start." Manta took hold of the encased fairy gem hooked up on the side of his pants. "We can do this." He took in a deep breath and began. "Togepi, use growl!" Togepi took in a deep breath, visibly expanding a bit, only to expel the air in a decibel attack. This obviously unnerved the bug pokemon, as it probably didnt see the togepi as a predator, but this assumption being proven false was enough to cause the pokemon to lose balance and fall to the ground. its body was light and the damage from the fall was low. Manta was a bit relieved actually. As the scatterbug hadnt actually done anything wrong, he would feel guilty wishing it any real damage. Still, he was determined to try and catch it; his first pokemon. Scatterbug shook off the excess dirt and grass that clung to its body, looking around curiously for the attacker. Once spotted, it locked eyes with Togepi, the bug type closed its eyes and tossed its body around violently. Manta and togepi were confused at first, but the real goal soon became apparent. Around the scatterbug, a cloud of red dust released from its body. Neither Manta nor togepi could tell if it was intentional, but the wind was blowing from behind the bug type, pushing the powder towards his own pokemon. the red cloud seemed to attract itself to Togepi. Although most of the substance simply flew away, any bit that got within an inch of his pokemon seemed to intentionally move to cling to his togepi. His little pokemon tried for a few seconds to wipe it off, more disgusted than anything that it was basically assaulted with skin flakes, but this only lasted a second or two. Togepi's expression turned to one that Manta had not seen before. She appeared furious at the scatterbug. But this seemed different, almost forced. Manta hurried and whipped out his pokedex again. he aimed it at his pokemon and allowed the machine to do its work. It immediately evaluated the cause right then and there. "rage powder." Manta murmured. Like the attack Togepi had used, it didnt necessarily cause damage but it did have an alternative effect. Togepi's eyes grew red, and it became furious. She became completely fixated on the scatterbug, blinded by a fabricated rage. According to the pokedex, it made the victim of the attack focus only on the move user. Honestly, it seemed a bit moot. Wasnt scatterbug already the sole target? This would just make it easier then. "Togepi, Nasty Plot!" Togepi smiled wide, with uncharacteristic facial epressions as it exuded a brief purple aura. the fairy pokemon seemed to be scheming or something. That was usually how it was after attacking, but the result always made it worth it. "Now, stored power!" Togepi closed her eyes and allowed her excess energy to briefly leave her body. The purple aura seen earlier from the nasty plot attack appeared again, more visible than before, before being swiftly sucked back into togepi's body like a vacuum, quickly shifting to a symmetric wave of energy that burst outward in all directions. The force pushed back the grass and loose debris in the area, striking the scatterbug similarly. Dust from its body scatted around it before dissipating into the air. The blow was light, but the opposing pokemon wasnt particularly sturdy to be taking an attack like that. Scatterbug got up again, shaking off the dust as it had done before. With it so far away, Manta expected time to prepare for the next attack. Even with his pokemon in such an angry and obsessive state, she should have still had the energy and chance to dodge whatever the bug pokemon could throw at them. With that in mind, Manta observed the scatterbug fire a string shot at the tree above itself, lifting its body with the stretchy substance and flinging itself forward for a tackle attack. Manta jumped at the opportunity. "This is our chance! Dodge it and use extrasensory!" Manta was sure this would work. A close range hit from togepi's most reliable attack was sure to win it, especially when the opponent was far away enough to prepare. But his excitement was cut short. Togepi wasnt moving. Her eyes burned with fury that showed that she wouldnt dare voluntarily move away from her target. she attempted to instead attack the flying scatterbug with one of her small arms. This clearly wasnt enough, as Togepi instead felt the full force of the attack. This in turn sent Manta's pokemon flying back in the same fashion that scatterbug had earlier. Normally Togepi would never blatantly ignore an order, but the rage powder proved formidable as an attack to impede their teamwork so well. Still, he could use that. Manta was cheerful, but also calm and collected. Coming up with counter strategies was always his strong point. If Togepi was so adamant about attacking the scatterbug head on, then he would just have to work with her desires. Scatterbug used its momentum to rise up and strike the togepi hard with a tackle attack, pushing up from the ground with its lower body. "Togepi, Mirror move!" Manta called out. A transparent energy shield appeared between togepi and scatterbug. it looked like it was meant to cushion the attack, but the scatterbug effortlessly pushed passed it to strike the togepi and launch her into the air. The energy from the mirror move that had made contact with the tackle attack enveloped togepi and shined bright. While still in the air, Togepi flipped around and dived for a tackle attack of her own. With gravity on her side adn a raging fury boosting her efforts, Manta's togepi struck hard in retaliation towards the scatterbug, causing it to shoot back more than a few feet. It lie onthe ground, struggling to recuperate, no doubt having trouble getting up. "Alright." Manta exhaled. "Time for a pokeball!" Manta quickly took out one of the regular pokeballs he had stored in his pocket, pressing the button on the inside to activate teh mechanism. The ball expanded from teh size of a golf ball to a little bigger than a large orange. Manta tossed the pokeball towards teh scatterbug, aiming well so that the button in the middle would make contact with the scatterbug's body and activate. With a simple thud, the pokeball tapped the side of scatterbug's head before sucking the pokemon into itself and closing. The pokeball hit the ground, clearly a bit heavier than when it started by the sound of the thud. It tossed once, then again in the other direction. Manta held his breath, refusing to inhale until...the pokeball clicked shut and the middle butting flashed red. Scatterbug was caught! |
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Post by Mizumanta on Mar 6, 2018 11:34:59 GMT
"Hahaha, we did it!" Manta shouted before quickly covering his mouth. He was glad that he wasnt in a town yet, because he didnt like people hearing him raise his voice. Still under the influence of the rage powder, Grace, his togepi, ran over to the still pokeball lying in the grass and repeatedly struck it with her tiny arm, making a barely audible sound. It took just a few seconds of the scatterbug to not be there anymore for togepi to snap out of her fabricated rage. Togepi shook her head a bit to return her wits about her, and looked up innocently at her trainer. Manta walked up, slowly bending down to pick up the pokeball, holding it up to his face. "We did it, Grace." He smiled, prompting another smile from his pokemon.
"Took you long enough!" A familiar voice shouted at him. It was the person on the ledge that alerted him of the scatterbug from before. Manta was conflicted on whether to dislike him for his attitude, or thank him for his help. He was peering over Manta from above, with the sun to his back which made him a bit hard to see. The man walked precariously along the 6 foot drop from above. There was no railing of any sort and the rock beneath the man was crumbling a bit with every step. Upon closer look, it seemed as though the man was looking for a way down.
"Umm...do you need some he-" Manta began to offer, cut off by an almost foreseen slip up. The man's foot was the first to go, breaking through some loose footing. The rest of him soon followed down the small cliff. He quickly pulled out what Manta recognized as a pokeball, and called out a bird of some sort, too hard to make out in the escalation. The dark bird quickly flapped its wings and grabbed onto the man's hand with its talons so that it could start pulling, trying its best to reduce the impact of the fall. This was curious in itself, because the bird was so small in comparison. With a loud thud, the odd fellow and the bird fell to the dusty ground below.
"Crap..." The boy shouted. His hand was still raised in the air, with his pokemon still furiously trying to lift him with its feeble flaps. "No, It's okay Karas. I'm fine." Manta could hear him sighing through the smoke, as he watched it dissipate. Now that the boy was no longer blocked out by the sun, Manta could get a better look at him and what he saw came to a bit of a surprise. The person who had fell was actually pretty large. Almost 6 feet from the looks of it, and noticeably fit. No wonder he could fall from that height with only a few scratches. Though he was wearing a T-Shirt, bits of a tattoo could be seen on his left shoulder. He got up, brushing himself off. This only showed off their difference in height, which actually made Manta a bit self conscious. Now that he was standing, the broadness of his shoulders was a bit more visible. It was like if one and a half Mantas stood next to each other. The man's gaze slipped to Manta's. This made the already silent trainer avert his gaze and not be argumentative.
"uh...thank you for the help, sir. I probably wouldn't have found-"
"Yeah, whatever. Don't mention it." He said in a monotone voice. He was blushing just a bit, no doubt from the embarrassing tumble he had. Manta tried to think up something to extend the conversation. Social interactions were one of his shortcomings, especially when they were with strangers.
"Umm..." Manta began. "Well, I will be going now so-" He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. The boy had grabbed him, a subsititute, he supposed, to simply asking Manta to wait.
"You're going to Cherrywood, right?" He bent down to Manta's eye level, keeping his hand firmly on Manta's shoulder. Manta began to sweat. He was too close. Was he going to mug him? Is this a normal thing people do?
"Uh, Yeah." He spoke, his voice cracking a bit due to the pressure. "I was coming from New Bark Town, so Cherrywood is my next destination." Why did he reveal that information? What if this guy wanted to rob him or track him or steal his stuff while he was sleeping?
"Hey, take me with you, okay?" He murmured. Manta noticed again that the much larger boy was looking away as he said this, his face still light pink from blushing. Something about that left Manta to push aside his assumptions, at least for now.
"oh, are you going in the same direction, umm..." Manta trailed off, trying to remember if the boy had introduced himself. It would have been embarrassing he he had and it was forgotten so quickly.
"Tatsuo" He sighed. "That's my name." He looked over to Manta, meeting his eyes. Despite his demeanor, he appeared to be looking for Manta's approval on his name or...
"I'm Chris, but I go by my last name, Manta." He felt that was a bit personal for someone that he had just met but...It wasn't like he would have wanted to be called anything else. Upon thinking about the boy's name, it seemed like a foreign one, or maybe an older one that people didn't use. He didnt want to get into it now. It might come off as offensive. There was an awkward silence. He hated those, but it was a good reason to get going. "Well I did what I came here to do, so we can leave if you're ready." Manta smiled, trying his best to break the awkward tension. He really didnt like social situations.
_____
The two walked for about half an hour, avoiding the denser parts of the forest and instead sticking to the beaten path. Manta ventured forward, with Tatsuo and his partner Karas, not far behind. Whenever Manta would look back, Tatsuo seemed to be having trouble moving around. While Manta walked, allowing the leaves and stems of bushes and trees to graze him, Tatsuo appeared to be purposely avoiding them, almost in disgust. "I-Is something wrong, Ta-...Umm...Tatsuo?" That momentary blank on his travel partner's name made Manta blush and turn away this time. He knew how easily other people's view of him could change, and was already beating himself up over the mistake.
"I don't-Ugh" He began, only getting cut off by the leaves of a nearby tree branch grazing his cheek, "I'm not the biggest fan of the outdoors..." He said with a sigh. Manta could tell. The way he avoided every bit of nature that passed him by made that very clear.
"But you're a trainer, right? Why wouldn't you like the outdoors?" Manta replied. In actuality, there was much about the outdoors that he didnt like, but his view was clearly less extreme from the looks of it.
" I don't want to talk about it but..." He swatted away a colony of gnats that flew into his face, causing him to cough. "I don't want to talk about it, but to make it simple, I was raised in a different environment." He coughed again. "Besides, I'm not just a pokemon trainer".
"Oh? do you have another job?" He got a little excited. Maybe he was a movie star, or a famous chef! The young trainer was surprsingly giddy with anticipation.
"I'm a pokemon move tutor." He calmly said. His face didnt show much enthusiasm. Manta however, was still excited.
"Wow! That's a hard job to come by. But arent you a little young? Usually move tutors are older experienced people." He wondered aloud. Tatsuo sighed again.
"Don't worry about it. I just worked hard." Manta could see in his eyes that he didnt really want to talk about it, but he did have a pressing question.
"Could you teach my pokemon a move?" He asked in an extra polite voice. THe other boy didnt seem to be in the best mood, but he had to give it a try.
"Yeah, yeah, sure. I can teach a move in a day for $100, or do an hour rush job and get it done for $500." Tatsuo shifted his weight as he spoke. "But by the look on your face, you can't afford me." Tatsuo was right. Those prices were practically criminal! He just stopped and stared in disbelief.
"Is that really how much it costs to do? is it hard?" Manta was now fully interested, walking backward as he spoke to keep up the pace.
"It isnt so hard for me. I'm good at my job." Tatsuo now followed Manta's path step by step, using the path he created to avoid plant life. "The older people do it for less because they usually have jobs on the side or want to do something for young people. Besides, I give better quality treatment."
"Quality treatment? Isn't the process the sa-" Manta was cut off, tripping over something while he was walking backward. While attempting to get up, he could see Tatsuo's face, whose eyes were directed at his feet. It seems that Manta had tripped over a short green pokemon, bits of powder flew around. Upon closer inspection, it was a shroomish!
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Post by Mizumanta on Apr 20, 2018 9:11:36 GMT
"Uh-" The young trainer was a bit overly cautious. Or perfectly cautious. It was hard to tell when it came to shroomish. Being that the daycare he worked on had plenty of damp places for pokemon, Shroomish tended to seek refuge there, and their spores were always a problem for him and his family. Spores that poisoned, spores that paralyzed, spores that caused sleep, it was always random, but equally dangerous. Thr young trainer whipped out his pokedex to get its data stored. He had to make it a habit after all. The device lit up, revealing a detailed profile of the pokemon. 
Manta shifted his weight to his buttocks, to his back, to his head, and finally flipped over. The boy quickly got to his feet now that he was a meter or so away from the other pokemon. The small mushroom pokemon was shifting its eyes between the two of them, Manta knew that they got angry fast and were typically irrational afterward. Typically his parents helped subdue them, but this time he had to do it himself. "Vivi, please assist!" The young brown haired boy tossed out the pokeball that he had used just an hour before, releasing the black bug type pokemon that he had caught before. Scatterbug appeared in a brief flash of light, a bit curious of its new surroundings. "S-scatterbug?" Tatsuo commented. The brief puff of spores from the mushroom pokemon already had him backing away. "Your other pokemon has a psychic attack. Stop wasting time and-" "Don't worry. Just umm...cover your nose and mouth with your sleeve and breath slowly." Manta replied, offering a demonstration before going back to the battle. "Vivi, use- oh! your name is Vivi, okay?" Scatterbug looked back in confusion, but calmly complied. "Use String shot to wrap it up please!" Scatterbug immediately shot off a thin line of silk, manipulating it enough to wrap around the short surprised opponent. The tightness of the wrap was relatively loose, but managed to tangle around the shroomish's tiny feet, keeping it from moving too easily. Manta walked up to scatterbug, bending down to speak to his Scatterbug. "Can I have the string please?" He asked in a calm tone. Vivi pinched off the thread, placing it on the ground as a struggling shroomish shouted in frustration. Manta picked the string up, tugging lightly on it and heading out towards the deeper part of the forest. "C'mon, all I have to do is lead you away and you should be-" Manta felt a snag on the thread. The string shot silk had begun wrapping tightly around the shroomish, thanks to the pulling. As Manta turned around, to check, a large cloud of natural spores was squeezed out of the shrromish, shooting quickly in his direction. As teh cloud enveloped him, Manta felt a familiar feeling washing over him, like when he was younger and dropped a cup of flour from the counter onto his face. The field around him got blurry and his eyes began to get heavy. "You idiot!" A seemingly far off voice called out. Just as his legs began to give and his eyes lost the struggle to stay open, Manta just barely made out Tatsuo calling out a bird pokemon and attacking the shroomish. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of pain and pressure to one side of his body, undoubtedly from falling over, before he completely passed out. _____ Manta awoke to the sound of a crackling fire. He listened to his surrounding, lying on the group. The chirping of bugs, the rustling of trees in the wind, and the sound of footsteps beside him. Manta completely opened his eyes, getting up slowly to look around. His ears did not deceive him. It was night now, almost pitch dark save for the fire and its surroundings. It took but a few seconds to find Tatsuo, bringing over something on a tray. His tray. "H-hey..." "Don't get your panties in a bunch. I just borrowed this from your backpack, sleeping beauty." Tatsuo huffed in a monotone voice. Manta's face grew red at the realization of what had happened. Shroomish must have used its spores to make him fall asleep. "You know if you had just taken a look at type advantage, you would have won easily." He pointed behind him wihout even looking. "Karas handled it in a few seconds." Manta looked over at the murkrow, it merely gazed below, the fire's reflection sparkling in its eye. "Believe me, I just wanted to move it without hurting it. Besides-" Manta stopped after getting a good look of what was on the tray. Tatsuo had simply pierced whole unwashed carrots with a stick, and planned to roast them over a fire. "What are you doing?!" "I'm cooking. What does it look like?" His eyebrows lowered. He looked a bit frustrated. "But... that's just..." He tried not to sound mean. "How about I cook for the both of us?" Manta got out from atop the sleeping bag he had been laid on. He was surprisingly refreshed. He walked back to his bag and picked out his knife, removing it from its sheath. The young boy walked over to Tatsuo, putting his hand out to grab the tray. "What the hell are you doing!? Are you gonna cut me!?" He seemed flustered. "What? No!" Manta pulled back a bit. "I was just going to chop up the carrots." Tatsuo exhaled a bit. "Yeah, yeah..." He sighed, handing over the tray and getting up. He seemed both unhappy and relieved by this change. Manta moved the tray over to a nearby flat rock next to his backpack, taking out a potato and two onions. He began finely dicing the onions, Cutting quickly and relatively silently. All that could be heard was the occasional clunk of the knife tapping the cutting board. He brought out a collapsible pot and a small bottle of oil, and began slowly frying the onions until soft. Meanwhile, He cut up 2 carrots and 2 potatoes into bite size pieces. Tatsuo stared attentively at the workings of the 'kitchen', seemingly watching an alien concept. After teh onions were fried, filling the area with a slightly sweet aroma, MAnta quickly added seasonings from his bag, measured precisely, and then the vegetables. Finally, after a few minutes of frying, he added the rest of the bottled water to the pot and placed a lid on top so that it could simmer. ___ It took only a little more than half an hour before the meal was complete. "Tada!" Manta held out a small bowl. "Have some vegetable curry stew!" Tatsuo grasped teh warm bowl in his hands, I definitely smelled like curry, and it had thickened up a but thanks to the potatoes, however it looked odd to him. "You made curry without rice?" Tatsuo questioned sternly. "Hey, I didn't have any, so I had to improvise." He was a little annoyed at the rude questioning. "It's a stew. The starch is the potatoes." There was a silence between them. "I only have one bowl, you know. I thought I would only be feeding myself, so hurry up and eat so that I can!" Manta snapped. He even surprised himself with his assertiveness, but Tatsuo had been kind of abrasive himself. Manta watched attentively as Tatsuo placed a spoonful of the stew into his mouth. Instantly, his eyes lit up. "This...This tastes just like curry!" He cracked a smile as he continued to shovel spoon after spoon of the stew into his gullet. "The potatoes, and the carrots go so well with this, and-" He stopped to get a better look into what he was eating. "There's rice dumplings in this!" Tatsuo had been uncharacteristically enthusiastic about his meal, though his initial expectations may have been low. nevertheless, Manta couldnt help hide his blushing face behind his hands, as he did when anyone complimented his food. Togepi always found this amusing, and was laughing at the exchange from the corner of camp. Manta's 'show' was interrupted by an odd silence. No clacking of spoons and dishes, no slurping. He turned back around to see the other boy handing him an empty bowl and spoon. "Oh, haha, thank you. Now I can have a serving and-" "More." Tatsuo interrupted. "What?" Manta pulled back in surprise. "There's only enough for one more portion, and I was thinking that we could share it." He said, in a half sarcastic tone. How dare he demand the whole pot, when Manta brought the ingredients and even cooked them all. The stew was way better than Tatsuo's carrot on a stick idea! "I...I've had a lot of nice meals in my life and I couldnt be satisfied with just this. It was truly a delight to dine on this meal." Tatsuo replied, showing a surprising amount of regal tone. Manta couldnt keep the blood from rushing to his face. He really was a sucker for anyone who said something good about his food. Manta quickly filled the bowl and handed it to Tatsuo, he promptly scarfed down the rest of teh stew in satisfaction. ___ Well into the night, after the dishes had been cleaned and they were both in their respective sleeping bags, Manta stared out into the stars, kept up by the howl of his empty stomach. "I've made a mistake." he muttered. |
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Post by Mizumanta on May 23, 2018 12:32:08 GMT
A loud howl echoed through the area, covering the sound of the crunching of leaves underfoot and the calls of the surrounding pokemon. It was Manta's stomach, and each painful howl reminded him of his previous blunder in giving away his dinner to his travelling companion. "We're almost there, I feel it!" Tatsuo called out. He was cheerfully marching forward, devoid of his previous issue with wildlife. His attitude change may have clouded his mind with uncharacteristic optimism, thanks to the food he ate. Manta sulked a bit, struggling to keep up until he heard yet another optimistic shout from his companion. "Hey, Look! we made it out!" Manta took a bit of time to find his way to the clearing, but the view made even him forget his hunger. The town was relatively small, the ocean and beach making up about a third of the area itself. There were a few small houses to the north and northeast, a farming area to the south, and a calm beach area to the west most part of the town. "Cherrygrove City, huh?" Manta murmured. He had actually passed through here to get to New Bark Town, and actually had a chance to explore now. To be honest, it looked a little underwhelming compared to Goldenrod, but he knew better than to write something off on appearances alone. Still, Manta prioritized the pokemon center. Registered trainers under the age of 18 received free food! Manta quickly grabbed Tatsuo's hand. "C'mon, we're going over here." He huffed, headed in the direction of the pokemon center. "What? I'm fine, dude. I want to go to the beach. I havent seen one in years!" Tatsuo replied. He pointed in the other direction. "I don;t wanna stay in this town forever but...i'll meet up with you before you leave, how about that?" He didnt wait on a reply, merely rushing off to the beach without a second thought. Manta sighed, but couldnt afford to get frustrated, as his stomach was still growling up a storm. Manta wobbled weakly down the hill to the pokemon center. The automatic doors opened slowly, revealing a very sterile looking pokemon center. Most were cleaned regularly and always had a personal touch reflecting the town. This pokemon center had straw farmers hats hanging on the wall as decoration as well as fishing equipment. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center" a calming voice sang. "How may I help you?" Manta turned his weary head to see a semi-familiar face. It was Nurse Joy, young, thin, pink haired pokemon nurse who ran almost every pokemon center in the region. Well she and her countless identical sisters did anyway. She had a very kind look on her face and soft features, making her appear incredibly approachable and caused an immediate dropping of his gaurd. "Oh...Yeah. I was just looking for breakfast, actually." Manta attempted to chuckle. His hunger made it difficult, and he stopped before he could hurt himself trying. "I have my trainer identification here. He pulled out his pokedex, opening it up to the standard trainer information. Each trainer had something on their person with this information wo help identify them. In fact, he could be found without it, so he always kept a few different types of copies on his person at any time. Joy gave a quick glance at the identification before offering a wide smile. "Of course. Thank you, Mr. Manta. You may have a seat in the waiting booth and I can offer you breakfast. She went back to her counter, picking up a phone and talking to someone from afar. Manta was now too far away to hear her anyway, but he could only assume it was to retrieve a breakfast set, as Joy herself was not leaving her counter. While he waited, manta sat in the booth and took out his pokeballs. Pressing the button located in the center of the device, he released his two pokemon in a veil of light. His togepi and scatterbug yawned as they stretched out on the table. "Good Morning, you two." Manta smiled wide. He was so proud of his partner pokemon. The two of them would be great friends for the beginning of his journey. He couldnt wait for them to show signs of growth along with himself and make his parents proud. Manta turned his head to the side, only barely seeing his reflection in the window. his hair was way messier than he had originally thought. Sleeping in the woods was incomparable to sleeping in a bed with toiletries nearby, he thought to himself. Manta frantically tried to comb his hair with his fingers and make himself presentable for the waiter but found himself a bit too late, as footsteps could be heard nearby along with the clanging of metallic materials on a tray. He turn, a little embarrassed that he had not noticed his appearance sooner. A large round pink pokemon, Chansey came to his table with the breakfast set that trainers received in pokemon centers. The cheerful pokemon happily placed the tray in front of him. It was rare to see a Chansey unhappy after all. The young trainer politely thanked the pokemon before accepting the meal and watching her leave. Before him was a tray with two small containers of pokemon food, a carton of milk, a mini croissant, mago berry jam, grilled Tomato Berry slices, and, to Manta's surprise, a steamed crabrawler claw! He turned to Nurse Joy. "Umm...This seems a bit extravagant." He gave a nervous chuckle. "Does this cost extra?" "Oh my, absolutely not!" Nurse Joy politely stated. "Cruelty Free Crabrawler claws are a recent specialty to this town thanks to the crabrawler farms that have recently been built." She pointed through the window and towards the beach. "To attract tourists to our humble town, and to celebrate our good fortune, we offer Crabrawler claws with various meals here. So please, eat up!" She smiled again, gesturing to try the food. Manta was certainly surprised. In Alola, these were relatively affordable, but the second he moved to Johto, his family had practically cut him off due to the difference in price. In fact, He was surprised that they could even bring Alolan pokemon to Johto. There had always been discussion on the news about human led immigration of pokemon and their impact on the ecosystem. But at this point, the scent of the claws drew him in, and he began cracking the claw immediately, as his two pokemon widely snacked on their berry based meal. Manta rubbed his stomach as he left the building. the nostalgia he felt after eating such a meal was truly intoxicating. He didnt even notice the smile on his face or the increased energy he exerted. "Hey guys," Manta turned to his pokemon. "How about we check out the crabrawler farm?" He pointed to the enclosed area to the distance. Togepi cheered, but MAnta's new Scatterbug merely followed him without a word. Manta just assumed that it was her nature, or perhaps she needed some more time to get used to him. "Alright, off we go!" No more than 15 minutes of walking was all it took to get to the other side of the town and to the farm. It was relatively small actually, only taking up perhaps a fourth of the beach and the land of perhaps two houses. He walked up to the entrance, seeing at least two familiar faces, a few crabrawler over the gate, and a single mudbray. Manta already knew a bit about the two pokemon, since he had come from Alola before, but he still felt it necessary to check on the pokedex. He held up the device, pointing it at the two. The machine clicked and buzzed a few times before displaying the information and reading it aloud. 
Manta had seen plenty of mudbray during his vacation in Alola, but the most of crabrawler that he had seen were on a dinner plate. He took the time to stare at them intensely. It was only a small group of the purple pokemon near a fruit tree. Each one was rather small themsleves, not much bigger than his togepi. They each had large protrusion atop their heads. He wasnt sure if they were antenna or perhaps bits of hair, but didnt plan on getting too close to observe. Most notable, most crabrawler had at least one large claw. The sizes differed between each individual. He had read that they get bigger with age and use. They can regrow if knocked off, so mismatched pairs were common. He looked over the crowd, trying to count each one, however once their claws began to move during their challenges of power, the constant scuttling made it look as though there were dozens. Manta watched closely as one crabrawler's claw fell off during the scuffle. "It was just as the pokedex said." Manta murmured. "Y'all interested in mah Crabrawler farm?" A booming voice from behind almost caused Manta to leap out of his skin,. The boy spun around quickly to reveal the source. A large portly man stood looming over him. He was just about the best example of a farmer stereotype, complete with overalls, straw hat, dirty farming boots, and a scruffy face full of unkempt facial hair. "Umm...excuse me?" Manta squeaked out. Honestly, he had not really heard what the man had said before, only really taking note of how he said it. As the Farmer took in a deep breath, Manta knew he had made a mistake in prolonging this sound torture. "Well This is mah Crabrawler farm, boy. We ain't got tours 'r nothin', but you look trustworthy enough to go on in there fer a closer look!" The man took just one arm to grab the back of Manta's shirt and lift him over the fence. Manta was both amazed at his strength and mildly annoyed that this farmer had not asked permission before grabbing him so roughly, as he plopped down onto the other side. The farmer shot out a hand in greeting with a large toothy grin on his face. "Thah name's Anthony. I head this here crabrawler farm!" His voice was booming, and being so close to the source of the sound made Manta shake a little. "Now this ain't just mah farm. My wife, Tully, is the one who made this all possible, so the name of my farm is actually 'Tully's Farm'". But don't let that confuse ya." "umm..." Manta muttered. "An' don't let me stop yah. take a look around." With a heavy hand, Farmer Anthony slapped Manta's back repeatedly in encouragement. Anthony must not have been very aware of his strength, because each pat seemed to take more and more air out of the young trainer's lungs. "We ain't had visitors in a long long time!" With a final pat, Manta lost his balance and tumbled forward, seemingly what the farmer was going for. Manta brushed himself off and took a few cautious steps forward. While keeping his distance, the young trainer paid close attention to the group of crabrawler before. Each one had their own sparring partner, clashing claws with one another and occasionally using special attack moves. It was actually quite interesting. Just as he had hypothesized, a few claws fallen off in the scuffle. None of the combatants seemed bothered by it, nor did they seem in pain. Manta took a few seconds to look around to check on what should happen next, but his answer came quickly. The discarded claws glowed a bright pink color as they lifted into the air. He knew well enough that this was some type of psychic move. But from where? Manta merely needed to follow the claws to find out. It took but a few short turns to find the source of the floating crabrawler claws. Manta had followed them to the Farmer's house. On the porch was a Mr. Mime, handling the discarded limbs with care. It held the bunch of claws together, spinning them around with its confusion attack. With its other hand, Mr. Mime rotated his wrists a bit to charge a move. ushing its hand forward, it blasted the claws with a chilling attack. Icy wind, the only ice type attack of that nature that Mr. Mime could learn. The claws immediately chilled, and were placed beside the Fairy and Psychic type. At first it looked as though the prizes were simply placed on the ground, but they had in fact been placed in a premade barrier made by the mime pokemon. Manta took out his pokedex. He already knew about this pokemon first hand, but it was always nice to check for any additional facts about fairy types. 
"Yee-up." Farmer Anthony surprised Manta as he appeared right behind him, his hand on the young trainer's shoulder. "Mah Mr. Mime does some darn good work!" You could hear the pride in the man's voice. "He is responsible for gettin' those claws nice and ready to ship. The cold keeps 'em fresh, and them barriers save on storage." He waved to his pokemon. The mr. Mime cheerfully waved back, seeming to really enjoy the work. "See, mah wife Tully, believes only in getting food and services from happy pokemon. We don't harm the crabrawler in taking their claws. They don't even want 'em. And we only have pokemon help if they really want to. Cruelty Free, that's our game." Anthony's smile grew wider. He really had pride in his wife as well. "Oh... Where is your wife?" Manta asked cautiously. He didnt want the answer to be anything depressing and ruin the cheerful man's mood, but he was genuinely curious. "Tully's over in Goldenrod with our mudsdale, delivering a shipment." He answered. "although..." He turned to the mudbray that Manta had seen earlier. "This other guy that we brought in as a trainee doesnt seem too happy here. We can't get 'im to agree to do any work. No pullin' carts, no poundin' out land, nothin'." Manta took a closer look at the mudbray. It was certainly looking a bit mopey. "Actually, he's been that way ever since Tully left. He was so into his work before." He sighed. "I thought he was just sad cause mudsdale done left, but they only knew each other for a few days before that. That c'ain't be it." Manta could see the look of concern on the previously cheerful man's face. "Well..." Manta stared at the ground type for a bit. It was a little hard to read its expression thanks to its oddly shaped pupils. He honestly couldnt even tell which direction it was looking. He pondered for a few seconds before his pocket began to beep. It was just the occasional standard mechanical beeping that came out from his pokedex every once in a while, but it did remind him of something important. "I can check my pokedex!" His words came as a shock even to him. He normally didnt raise his voice, but was excited that he had thought of something that could be any help. The young trainer pulled the small device from his pocket and began searching through the information. It took less than a minute to find just what he needed. "Ya find somethin', son?" Farmer Anthony asked eagerly. "Umm...Yeah." Manta pointed forward. "See, you fensed off your mudbray from the water, right?" "That there's a ground type. I cain't just have him so close to somethin' that can hurt 'im." Again, Manta noticed genuine concern. "Well it looks like it needs access to water like that. Or something similar." MAnta replied. "How so?" Anthony was curious now. He peered over Manta's shoulder to read what was on his device, but couldnt focus due to the tiny text. "Well unlike mudsdale, mudbray is more individualistic. It likes to have fun and gets depressed when it can't" Manta replied. He tried to sound educated on teh matter despite only just reading it. "I an't never kept that little guy from havin' fun. What do you mean?" The farmer was getting less interested now. Without clear logic, this was starting to sound like the ramblings of a child. "Well...See, mudbray love to play in the mud and have fun by themselves. but since you secluded him from a water source, he can't really do that. The water you give him to drink is only enough to sustain him, but he needs enough to play in too." Manta tried to be thorough with his explanation. "So what yer tellin me is to open the gate and let him splash around in the ocean? I don't know..." "oh, no, no." Manta replied. "Umm... well as long as it's a source of water...or mud, it should be fine." Manta looked around, spotting a hose next to the man's house. He walked over and turned it on, causing water to gush from the hose and splatter on the ground. Mr. Mime halted his work for a second to see what was going on. Manta pointed the hose to a pile of dirt near mudbray. It looked like a mound that it had chosen to sleep in the night before. He really hoped that it wouldnt mind its temporary bed getting defiled, and hoped this would be worth it. After about a minute, the earth in the area was saturated with water. mud and small pools of water now surrounded mudbray, who had just taken notice. To everyone's surprise, including Manta's, who only had to trust the pokedex, the mudbray immediately perked up. It splashed a bit in the mud with its front hooves, while neighing loudly with each lunge. Just like a dog scratching its back mudbray dropped to the ground and turned on its back, flailing back and forth, covering itself in mud. "Well I'll be." Anthony shouted. He tossed his straw hat into the air, not the slightest bit concerned where it landed. "I ain't never seen him this happy!" He smiled and turned his back to mudray so that he could proudly face Manta. A solid hand lunged forward and met with the young man's shoulder, giving a loud smack. Manta flinched a little bit, not wanting to be struck. "Young man, it is so inspirin' to see young people put so much effort in the happiness of pokemon. I see young trainers come and go from over here in my ranch, and most of 'em could care less if their pokemon were really happy. But you-" He perked up. "I know!" He rushed inside his small farmhouse, each heavy footstep could be heard, revealing his urgency. It took less than a minute for the man to come out again, with something in his hand. "This here's a shell bell  . When we first moved here, my wife made a few from the ingredients from the beach. we can make a few every year, and we tend to entrust them to the young trainers who seem deservin'." He handed the bell to Manta, who had quickly stretched out his hands as to not appear rude. He had also gotten a gift yesterday from the professor. Gifts were so rare before he started his journey, but now that he was meeting new people, these became more frequent surprises. He briefly looked at it, admiring the sheen from teh shell, before bowing slightly, as he normally did. "Thank you very much, sir." He calmly stated. A familiar strike met his back, clearly the man's calloussed hand. "Y'all don't need to call me sir. Call me Anthony! You an' yer pokemon are welcome here anytime!" Anthony chuckled loudly. "I wouldnt mind if you met my wife someday. She's away now, but maybe you'll run into her." Manta left the ranch, waving goodbye to Farmer Anthony. Although the older man was loud and ostentatious, Manta truly did hope that they would meet again. ____ Walking along the beach, Manta heard a bit of splashing in the distant shore. A pokemon battle was going on between two dark figures, one flying and one grounded. both were agile and struck precise blows. Manta looked around for the trainers involved, but only saw one, a familiar face. It was Tatsuo. |
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