CAPTURE 001: Humidity Bites [OPEN]

Lou couldn't help but feel excited to meet some Pokemon he had never seen before, but said creatures seemed to be camouflaging themselves well, or didn't want anything to do with a human. That was alright, he thought, since a Pokemon that was caught forcefully would be harder to train compared to a Pokemon that had some inkling of wanting to be part of a team. Unfortunately, the first Pokemon that popped out was already a familiar sight to him.

"Huh, a Bellsprout." he said aloud as the wiggly Pokemon emerged from the bushes, seemingly unthreatened by the group of three. Daisy immediately went into battle mode, which was mainly a ready stance with her leaf up in the air. "(Oh Arceus, a battle! Wait, I'm still dirty!)" Whatever aggressive aura around her quickly dissipated and she began to groom in the tropical heat. Lou sighed, "It's okay, Daisy, I'm gonna pass this one. Plenty of Bellsprouts back at home, honestly." while Victreebels were a force to be reckoned with, he wanted to try training a Pokemon that was completely new to him. Didn't that sound exciting?

The Bellsprout didn't seem too bothered by it and just walked past them, making chipper noises along the way. At least it wasn't extremely aggressive, Lou thought. "Alright, let's keep moving. There's bound to be another Pokemon here that I haven't seen before."

((Unfortunately pass! I'd like another shot at it ))

The trio of companions were wandering further into the forest, unsure of what they would find next, until a sharp purple barb came out of nowhere and hit the tree trunk near Lou. Immediately the trainer scanned the area for the possible perpetraitor, knowing full well that was a Poison Sting they just saw. Before he could even see the Pokemon though, a shadow dropped from above (probably from a branch) and landed in front of them, barbed tail raised. Daisy stumbled backwards and hid behind Lou while Al was also hovering behind its partner's back. Lou, on the other hand, fumbled through his belongings for his Pokedex to check this new Pokemon he didn't quite recognize.

"A Skorupi! Haven't seen one of these before." he said happily, quickly checking its typing. It was then his grin disappeared as he wondered how he was going to catch this Pokemon. Daisy would be in a huge type disadvantage against it, and it already proved that it could use Poison Sting, which was even more problematic. Al was still too afraid to fight though..."There's no choice. Al, you have to battle."

"(What?! No way! Why can't Daisy do it?)"

"Skorupi is a Bug/Poison type, Al. It's too risky."

"(Wait, are you saying I can't handle it?)" Daisy suddenly growled, leaving the shelter of her trainer's shadow and moving in front of him. "Daisy, hold on! You might--"

"(Hey stop talking and fight me!)" the Skorupi squeaked, impatient to get the battle started and cutting off Lou. Eager to oblige, the Chikorita rammed into her opponent without waiting for her trainer to command her. This pushed the scorpion Pokemon back a couple of paces, but it was clearly enjoying that there was finally something happening. With a determined cry, it launched a barrage of Poison Sting attacks from its tail, making Daisy freeze for a moment in fear.

"Daisy, use Razor Leaf to block it!" his voice snapped her out of it and she twirled her leaf, sending out little crescents towards the barbs. She was not able to stop all of them though, as one managed to hit the side of her chest. She cried out in pain, but besides the sting, it didn't seem like she was poisoned. "Daisy, are you--?"

"(I'm fine!)" she would definitely have to groom herself later, she thought.

"(Well not for long!)" the Skorupi announced as he rushed towards her with his fangs bared, ready to use Bite. The Chikorita wanted to dodge, but Lou was not saying anything. It was only up to the last few moments when Skorupi decided to jump in the air did her trainer command, "Aim for the stomach and use Tackle!" so she crouched and pushed as far as her little legs could carry her to meet with her opponent, knocking the wind out of him. He fell on the ground on his back; his legs flailing because he couldn't find a way to get himself back on his feet. It was then Lou saw the opportunity to try a capture, and so he quickly grabbed a spare Poke Ball from his bag and threw it effortlessly at the wild Pokemon. Now it was up to lady luck if it would be a successful catch...

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Battle Log:
Daisy used Tackle! (Hit)
Skorupi used Poison Sting! (Hit)
Daisy used Razor Leaf! (Block Prev. Move)
Skorupi used Bite! (Miss)
Daisy used Tackle! (Hit)
Capture Attempt!

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Name - Hemlock
Level - 5
Species - Skorupi
Type - Bug/Poison
EGG GROUP — Bug and Water 3
ABILITY — Sniper
HELD ITEM — N/A
GENDER — Male
HEIGHT — 2'05"
WEIGHT — 25 lbs
MOVE LIST — Bite (1) / Poison Sting (1) / Leer (1) / Knock Off (5)
PERSONALITY — First of all, never call Hemlock small, that is his berserk button. He had been pushed around by other Skorupi for being a tiny smidge smaller than the rest, and because of that felt like he didn't belong in the jungle. It was by chance that he managed to observe a trainer catching another Pokemon in the jungle, and the way the Pokemon battled under them seemed like an interesting change from being talked down all the time. He's headstrong and always eager to battle, preferring brute strength over tactics. He won't hesitate to challenge other Pokemon that he deems equal to him--so yes, he does recognize that he is still leagues away from the much bigger Pokemon, but he'll get there eventually! Despite his always-ready personality, he's actually an inexperienced battler and is insecure when he loses. He only gets along well with other battling Pokemon though, and does not see much reason to converse with others that do not even fight on the field.

After successfully capturing Skorupi, Lou made sure to check if Daisy was alright. She wasn't feeling woozy or anything, so it appeared the Poison Sting didn't affect her. If anything, she was jumping around excitedly after realising she won the battle. "(I won, I won! Did you see that?)"

"Yes we did." he said, feeling proud of her. It reminded him of the first time he caught a Pokemon with his first starter, Razz. He kind of missed him now, but his battling days were over for the meantime, and his mother needed some assistance in the house. "Let's find some Oran or Sitrus berries before we head back. I'm sure our new friend here would know where to find some." Picking up the Poke Ball from the ground, he pressed the white button to release him back. Thankfully for the scorpion Pokemon, he was back upright and raring to go. Two Tackles weren't going to faze him! "(I'm part of a team now! Take that, mongrels!)" he beamed, pointing his claw at nowhere in particular. He then turned around to Lou, "(Nice to meet you! What do you need?)"

"Do you know where we can find any Oran or Sitrus berries, Skorupi?"

"(Oh yes, lots! There's a bush not too far from here, let's go!)"

"(He's rather excited, isn't he?)" Al commented, but only through telepathy so that it was just Lou who heard it.

"All the better for us. Now I don't have to force you to battle." the trainer replied with a small grin. He then flicked through his Pokedex for a possible nickname for their new companion. Usually he used flora as a base, and since he was a poison type..."Hey, Skorupi, can I call you Hemlock?"

His head peeked out from the bushes since it turned out he was way ahead of them. "(A nickname?! Oh Arceus, yes! Hemlock, that's me!)"

"(I hope we get to that berry bush soon, I really want to start grooming...)"

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slots: 2 characters may join in!
prompt: your character can bump into my character in the forest. originally i was planning that after they get to the bush, they wouldn't really know how to get back to Antares City, so your character might be able to help out, or join in their confusion :0

"(Hey, we're not alone.)" Al muttered, still hovering close to Lou as they were walking through the foliage. Hemlock continued to yammer on to make sure that his trainer could hear him, but he was probably a couple of steps ahead. "Pokemon?" he whispered back, ever so slightly turning his head towards his partner's direction.

"(Not just.)"

It was a few moments more before Lou got to see what Al was talking about. Lost, huh? He could immediately tell from his tone that he was trying to be high and mighty. "You mean you've met others, or are you lost too?" he replied nonchalantly, sizing him up. Al had hidden behind his back again while Daisy stopped in her tracks. "I haven't been here very long. Maybe a little under an hour, you? Also, name's Louis." he slipped his hands into his pockets, unsure of where this was going to go. It didn't look like he wanted a battle, but it was too early to say. At least he didn't appear to be a threat, though that Farfetch'd looked more seasoned than his own Pokemon.

It took Hemlock a little while until he realized that no one was following him and quickly backtracked to another stranger. "(Who's this?)" the Skorupi asked quizzically and without careful thought. Daisy was the one who responded to the bird Pokemon, "(This guy here is supposed to lead us to a berry bush, and then we'll head home.)" she then turned to her new teammate, "(You do know where we're going, right?)"

Hemlock had an exaggerated, offended expression, "(Of course I do! The berry bush is not far, and I know at least where the main path is. We've always been told to avoid it.)" he answered matter-of-factly.

"(So how come you and your trainer are here? Are you also trying to find new Pokemon to join your team?)" Daisy asked, curious. The new trainer kind of looks like a prick though, she thought. She hoped that this guy was just passing by and they could continue looking for the berry bush.

Lou squinted a little, looking rather annoyed at the other man's presumptuousness, "I never said that I was lost. We're following Hemlock here, who will lead us to a berry bush before we go back home." he responded coolly, fully trusting his recently acquired Skorupi. "If you want we can invite you to join us, unless you had other business in mind." he was pretty sure that he was going to tag along--that was...if he were smart. If he were too prideful though, he might just reject the offer. He found himself fine with it either way. His Farfetch'd looked more than capable of fending off dangers while he tried to find his way back.

"(Champion, huh?)" Daisy mused, remembering that her old trainer wanted to become a champion too. It seemed like the default dream for trainers, she noticed.

"(Maybe the other Pokemon here didn't want to get involved with an overdressed trainer.)" Hemlock commented with a sneer, implying that Calem looked pretty ridiculous. Whatever those clothes were meant to be, they were clearly impractical in the heat of the jungle. If he were wearing a cape, man, that looked like it would complete the whole get up, but by then Hemlock would really question this human on his life choices. "(But yeah, hardly any trainers around here, especially because we're pretty far off the main path. You're more likely to encounter strong Pokemon than strong trainers. You're lucky that Drapion isn't here.)"

"(Anyway, can we go now?)" Daisy whined.

"(The humans are still talking.)" Hemlock answered, though he was feeling a little impatient as well. He kind of wanted to leave the jungle soon before the other Skorupi notice he was gone.

"(Pff. Him, look good? More like gaudy if you ask me.)" Hemlock snorted, suppressing a laugh. Skill, on the other hand, was another matter, and he had no idea how good Calem (or Lou) was. He felt like he wanted to show this Farfetch'd that clothes didn't make the man, but that would mean beating a bird, and birds were strong against bugs. Eesh. He wished that he was a Drapion, then he'd be able to tower over this guy easily and smack him with his claw.

On the trainers' side of the conversation, Lou showed a small smile, "Well then, let's go, shall we?" he then turned his attention to his small band of Pokemon, but it turned out that they were busy talking amongst themselves. He had only known them for a short amount of time, so he had no idea what they were saying, "Al?" he called, asking for a brief translation.

Hemlock insulted Calem and now the Farfetch'd looks annoyed. he answered telepathically. The Unown decided it would be best not to butt in since he didn't want to get slapped by a Wing Attack or something.

"Ah, I guess that's to be expected." he mumbled. Lou then approached the small gathering of Pokemon while making a few sweeping gestures, "Alright, break it up, you two. Hemlock, care to show us where the berry bush is?"

"(Sure sure. I guess His Highness is coming with us, huh?)" he snickered, "(Follow me!)" and so the awkward group of Pokemon and trainers moved through the bramble, and it only took perhaps around ten more minutes of walking until they reached the berry bush. Lou could actually hear the sounds of civilization not far from where they were. The berry bush turned out to be fairly close to the main path that led them out of the jungle. "(See, here it is!)" he pointed with a proud look.

"Thanks, Hemlock, good job!" Lou praised before walking towards the bush and picking a few Oran berries. He then gave two to Daisy and gave one to the others, including Farfetch'd. "We seem to be pretty close to the pathway, so at least we're not absolutely lost anymore. It seems like it's coming from the left side."