As I left the cave I had called home for the last fourteen years of my life with my meagre belongings stuffed in one pocket my trusty Mudkip friend jumped onto my head. We walked along in this fashion for quite some time when Mudkip jumped down off my head and scurried off into some nearby bushes, his head-fin quivering. I was very scared as I ventured into the bushes calling for Mudkip. I was very relieved when he appeared in front of me, but then I noticeda figure approaching behind him. As it got closer I reaised it was a...

.....An Azurill! The pokemon were quite common in this area, so you weren't very surprised. The Azurill looked about LV. 4 and was already charging at your Mudkip with a tackle...

I was reluctant to make my lifelong friend do battle, but as the Azurill rushed closer I realised I had no choice. Thinking quickly I ordered a water gun from Mudkip, followed by a quick tackle.

The water gun had little effect on the Azurill's assault and Mudkip was sent back with a tackle. As Mudkip headed in for a tackle Azurill managed to dodge...

I yelled at Mudkip "Quick trap the Azurril in a whirlpool, then use your take-down attack on it". Crossing my fingers I hoped this would work.

The Azurill was sucessfully pulled into the whirlpool, but due to the type of attack whirlpool was, it had little effect on the water mouse. Azurill used a tackle attack, hitting Mudkip square-on...

(OoC No offence but Azurril is actually a normal type)

I was starting to get worrried by now, I felt guilty for making Mudkip take this battering but I knew I had to continue with the fight. Getting desperate I decided to pull out all the stops "Mudkip use your take-down" I shouted "and if that doesn't work use a hydro pump attack!!" Mudkip rushed in for the take-down...

The take-down hit, sending Azurill backwards. She had little time to react and landed on the ground shakily. Refusing to give up, she stood, only to be blasted back on the ground by a hydro pump...

Judging the Azurril to be weak enough to capture I rummaged in my pocket and pulled out a pokeball, I through the pokeball at Azurril and hoped I could make this my first catch.

1...
2...
3...
CAPTURED! Congratulations! You have captured an Azurill LV.4 Female. Would you like to nickname her?

Mudkip gained 1 level(s)

(no nickname)

I couldn't believe it, I had just caught a wild Pokemon all by myself. Then I realised I didn't do it all by myself, I couldn't have done this without my Mudkip. Suddenly all the happiness drained away as I felt really guilty about what I had done, I had forced Mudkip into a fight, Mudkip had taken some bad hits there and he owed me nothing, but he had done all that for me. I sat down to rest and decided to bring out both my Pokemon to have some rest with me and maybe a friendly chat. As I sat down I realised I wasn't sitting on the ground, I leapt up and realised it was a...

It was actually a person disguised as a Squirtle.

"Hey, watch where ya sit kid!" he muttered in defiance, standing up from his spot on the ground.

I step back a few paces, face glowing red with embarrasment. "Sorry I didn't see you there, anyway since you look like a trainer do you want to battle with me?"

"Why not?" the boy said. "I could use a little practice." He immediately jumped out of his Squirtle costume, and pulled out a pokéball. "Go Squirtle!""

I realised I could have made a big mistake here, my Azurill was in no shape to battle and Mudkip was also slightly weaker than he could have been. I decided on Mudkip for this particular fight because I knew trained Pokemon were stronger than wild ones. I thought the best strategy would be to hit hard to begin with and take them by surprise. "Go Mudkip! Use defense curl, then rollout on this Squirtle!!" As if Mudkip had sensed my intentions he was already rolling into a ball as he materialised in front of me.

(OOC: Umm Mudkip can't learn rollout or defense curl. Did you mean to use Azurill?)

Squirtle easily dodged the attacks that were sent at him, as a spout of water began to form in his mouth. Within a few seconds time, the water shot out in a water gun attack. This Squirtle had obviously been trained well...

(Mudkip can learn them from Move Tutors on Emerald, proof www.serebii.net/pokedex-rs/258)

OK Mudkip try the same thing again, only be a bit more accurate this time!!!

(OOC: My apologies, I forgot about Move Tutor ^^*)

"Ha!" the camouflage boy shouted triumphantly. "Rollout's only good if you can continuosly strike your opponent! My Squirtle hasn't even been hit yet!"

The rollout hit this time, but did little damage to Squirtle. He countered with a bubblebeam, which also did little damage to Mudkip...

"Keep going Mudkip, I know you can do this, just keep using rollout and try not to miss, I know you can do it!!"

Immediately, Squirtle used withdraw and sucked up into his shell. The storm of rollouts continued to hit, but the overall damage was being numbed by his shell...

Hmmmmm OK time for a change in tactics. "Mudkip come over here" Mudkip roles over to me and I whisper in his ear. "Now be very quiet and sneak up to Squirtle and fire a hydro pump straight into its shell, this should do some major damage. Ignore the next thing I tell you." Mudkip gives a nod of understanding and begins creeping towards Squirtle. "Go Mudkip you can do it keep using rollout!!" I scream. What a fool I think to myself the trainer isn't even looking.

"Hmph. How many times do I have to tell you, rollout won't-WHA?!"

The hydro pump struck the inside of Squirtle's shell, as his trainer stood, shocked at the scene. Squirtle rolled out of his shell KO'ed.

Mudkip gains 2 level(s)

"Yes! Haha!! Well done Mudkip!!" Mudkip ran up to me and jumped onto my shoulders with a look of glee on his face. "Just a piece of friendly advice, keep your eyes on the battle and concentrate." I said to the tainer. He looked very angry at me, so I thought I'd better leave. I walked away and as the weather was so nice I decided to bring out Azurill to walk with me and Mudkip. Azurill bounced along the path beside me looking like a happy blue bouncy ball, then as Azurill landed after a paticularly high jump the ground under our feet caved in and we fell into a deep hole. Noticing a tunnel heading upwards, I decided to follow that hoping that it would lead me back up to floor level.

Suddenly, a figure appeared, blocking the path. "Hello there," said a friendly voice. "Did you get stuck in these caverns too?"

The figure emerged, and a girl cloaked in a deep purple appeared..

"Yes I did. Erm not wanting to sound rud but... who are you?" Azurill seemed to be afraid of this person and hid behind my legs, quivering in fright.

"Well I guess the least I could tell you is my name," the girl replied. "It's Snow." Apparently, that wasn't the most common of names, but then again, how common was it to find people in purple cloaks (which she had removed by now) in the middle of a secret cavern?

A small Snorunt crept out beside her. "So are you a pokemon trainer?"

"Of course I am, what else would I be doing with a Pokemon." I replied. "So how did you end up down here, did you fall down a hole, or is there a way out of here that you know of?"

"Well..." she stated. "There's plenty of ways to get out of here, that much I know... But where those places are, I have no clue..."

"Well seeing as how we are in a completely unknown place and safety in numbers and all that, I think we should travel together until we at least get out of here." Azurill seemed to be less scared now I was talking to this trainer and ventured out to greet the Snorunt.

Snorunt brushed azurill aside with an Powder Snow, and continued back up onto Snow's shoulder.

"Yeah I guess you're right....um, what's your name? You never introduced yourself..."

"Sorry, I'm not very good with people, my only friend I have ever had is this Mudkip. I never knew my parents. Anyway my name is Shelldrich, or at least that is what I decided to call myself."
"Nice to meet you, you seem pretty reasonable. I'll give you this."
She hands me a Pokeball, I release the Pokemon within and meet my shiny Torchic.
"WOW! Thanks alot, we've only just met and your giving me this! It looks quite strong."

(The shiny torchic is the one I got in the promo)

Snow merely shrugged it off. "I'm not that fond of fire pokemon anyway, and this one was becoming quite tiresome... Besides," she remarked in a whisper. "You'll definitely need it..."

"What do you meen I'll need it?" This strange girl I had met was making less andess sense to me for the longer we stood there talking. I was thoroughly confused and desperately wanted to leave. "Anyway, shouldn't we be leaving now, you know trying to find a ay out?"

"Oh yeah," Snow laughed. "I almost forgot about that." She turned about face and began walking in a completely new direction.

I follow her, but not from right behind her. I stay always a few paces behind her. I thought something seemed a bit suspicious about Snow, how she had given me a shniy Torchic and just randomly agreed to travelw tih me, at least for a while. I don't know why but I didn't entirely trust her. She may have been leading me into some kind of trap, as she seemed pretty confident in the way she was travelling.

"Man, this is getting so boring," Snow muttered, folding her arms behind her head. "These stupid caverns'll never end!" She laughed, and continued, speeding up her pace and dashing out of sight suddenly!

I dash around the corner, trying to catch up and come to a halt. I look ahead and notice, to my disappointment, that there is a fork in the path. I have no idea which way she could have gone. I sat down, defeated and suddenly it hit me. Mudkip's fin was sensitive to movement. I send Mudkip out and ask which way Snow went. He test the two passages anddecides upon the left fork, which slopes downwards. I trusted my friend and set off down the tunnel, with Mudkip by my side.

you get stopped by group of zubat attacking snow WDYD

"Go, Torchic!! Now it's time to see what you can do. Flamethrower these Zubatss off Snow!"

The Zubats fled, as Snow walked back over. "Thanks for that..." she muttered weakly. "I hate bats." She began to walk again.