~*~*~ Accepting OCs. See AN at the bottom ~*~*~
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"You sure you don't want to come with us, Ken?" Priya asked to be friendly, but we all knew the answer.
"Nah, my place is hear until Sora's all better and we can take Bugsy down," Ken replied.
We were making our farewells just outside Azalea. The mouth of the Ilex forest was decently silent with the odd Bug-type scurrying this way or that. Even with the overcast sky it was still warm in this area of Johto. I hoped that would carry through as we entered the wood.
Our Pokémon were saying their goodbyes as well. Toxin appeared to be giving Albus some last minute advice concerning his slithering. Nyx seemed to be teasing Sora about her broken wing while Atria told her off. Deimos and Spyne were having some sort of stand-off with Ken's still unnamed Geodude. Artemis, Vulcan and O'Rilley were busy chasing each other around Ferno who was taking a short nap. Cyril, who was saddled up with our belongings packed tight, was off stretching his wings high above us before we entered the forest.
"And you're sure you don't want to fly to the next city?" Ken asked as he observed my Tropius' flight. "Especially after what happened in the caves? I'm surprised you're not traumatized yet."
I laughed. "Nah, we take the hard routes. Always. Besides, a good friend once told me you miss too much by flying around." I then pondered whether Kilik deserved that title.
"And of all the trainers, we definitely have the teams best suited for these woods," Priya added brightly.
"Yeah, but you know what Bugsy warned," Ken said. "He said the Bugs of Ilex don't stand for certain types, like Flying and Fire, in their home. You'll be attacked regularly, even along the main path."
My Gym battle had been three days ago. After the fight we'd talked with Bugsy for a while. He remembered Priya and was curious about our adventures in Union Cave. He, in turn, had told us about Ilex. It was a frightfully dangerous place these days. The Bugs had taken it for themselves and only permitted their own kind and a few Grass-types to live undisturbed within. There was a path that went to Route 34 along which fewer Bugs would bother you, but if you strayed from it you were considered intruders/prey. Bugsy also told us that if we kept our team members out we would be getting very little sleep for several days.
"Don't worry about us," Priya said as she gave Ken a hug. "Just keep yourself safe. I do hope we might meet again."
"There's always the Tournament," Ken replied as he clasped my hand. "Though, maybe I'll try to catch one of your Contests some time."
We might have stayed and trained with Ken. He was a good guy and we both enjoyed his company. Unfortunately there was a Contest fast approaching up in Goldenrod City that Priya didn't want to miss. Apparently once you had three of the five Ribbons you moved up in class and started participating in tougher double matches. Priya was eager to participate in the double matches but she had only won a single ribbon thus far. Still, I think she also wanted to move up in class for the bragging rights.
"Good luck at the Gym," I said to Ken. "Don't let those Bugs walk all over you."
There was an indignant grunt uttered from both Sora and O'Rilley.
And thus we were off. I whistled for Cyril to follow and Atria nudged Ferno awake before we set off into the dark woods.
I finally understood why this forest had an identity, unlike all the other wooded Routes we'd travelled through. At first it was normal enough; trees were just like any other. But soon they started growing farther apart (much to Cyril's happiness), thicker, and much taller. The canopy closed above us except for random open patches in which rays of light streamed down to us.
Still, it wasn't gloomy like a caves. The forest was dark, yet very much alive. The air felt brilliantly fresh and streams were beautifully clear.
We stuck to the path as if our lives depended on it. As predicted we got attacked fairly regularly but after the first hour the Bugs seemed to take a hint and backed off for the most part.
We talked about Azalea, the events of Union and Ken. Priya said she'd have loved to one day live in that town if it weren't for the rule of the Bug-types. The day after my Gym battle we'd let our Pokémon have the day off while Priya, Ken, and I explored the town. We had bought our needed supplies and replaced our worn out clothes before checking out some shops. Azalea had a number of famous craftsmen such as a man that could make Charcoal and another who made Pokéballs from apricot shells.
The man who made Charcoal was a frightening man. When Priya first said she wanted to buy some Charcoal I'd misunderstood and was shocked when the man named his price. Ken enlightened me by letting me know it wasn't normal charcoal, but rather a specially treated kind that enhanced Fire-type power. He only sold one to each customer so Priya and I both bought one. It left a very noticeable dent in my earnings. Vulcan now wore it proudly on a thin, black chain around his neck. We didn't get any specialty Pokéballs as the only apricots in season were of the Blue and Yellow variety. They would make Lure Balls (for Pokémon hooked by a fishing rod) or Moon Balls (for Pokémon that evolve via Moon Stone) and neither of us really wanted either. Ken, on the other hand, had bought one of each.
As we continued through Ilex the trees continued to get larger. At one point we had to stop and hold our ribs as we laughed at the sight of Cyril perched on a massive branch like a common Pidgey.
We traveled and trained as usual, though Priya cut a lot of our sessions short, as she was eager to make the Contest. When we trained our teams mostly kept to themselves as Priya's was busy working on contest performances and displays.
To my horror I learned that Vulcan couldn't seem to summon the flames to his teeth like he'd previously done and Albus was having as much trouble as always. At least Nyx's new Night Shade was working out (though still in need of practice and perfection) and Cyril was dependable as always.
And we continued as such. We talked about Goldenrod, which was Johto's big city. In Kanto I'd grown up in the very metallic Saffron, which was close to the half-beautiful (rich downtown district), half-rundown (poor areas with Grimer-filled sewers) Celadon. Apparently Goldenrod put them both to shame.
And once again night came. The number of Bug attacks had increased as dusk had approached so we decided to take turns taking watch. Everyone would take a shift, even the youngsters, though they were pared up with someone responsible. First were Artemis and Deimos, Albus and Cyril, then Priya and Ferno, then myself and Vulcan, then Spyne (who wanted to do it alone), then Atria and Nyx. Our Pokédex were used as alarms.
I fell asleep uneasily. The most frightening thing we'd come across thus far was an unusually large Spinarak but I still imagine myself waking up to find out that Pinsir and Scyther were feasting upon my arms and legs. Still, having two Fire-types on guard with the addition of a sleeping Gyarados curled around the tent and an Arcanine beside him made me feel a lot better. I recalled the sight of Nyx snapping at a group of particularly small Ladyba and let a smile spread across my face as I fell asleep.
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I was in a forest made of black trunks and near black leaves with no moonlight to brighten my surroundings. My team stood around me defensively and faced our opponents. All around us were Caterpie and Weedle, each over thirty feet in height. The Bugs roared and attacked. I tried to command everyone at once but one by one they were taken out. Albus and Vulcan failed to use their new attacks while Nyx and Cyril were simply overpowered.
I tried to cry for help but my voice wouldn't come out. I made to try and pull an oversized Caterpie off my surely squished Murkrow but the thing just flicked its tail and sent me sailing into a tree trunk. The pain was immense but not enough to stop me from trying to protect me team.
I forced my aching body up to see that the Bugs were gathering together in a tight group. There was no sign of my team. Had they been eaten? I tried to run at the Bugs but slipped on a sore knee and fell.
"Dear human kit," a voice said from the group of Bugs.
I looked up in surprise. The Bugs themselves were shrinking and changing form and, especially in the cases of the Caterpie, colour. They moved in strange wriggles and seemed to dance with one another. It would be afterwards that their movements would make sense. In hindsight I would see how four pairs of Weedle came together to form legs, another four formed a body, another three formed a neck, one formed a head and snout, a Caterpie became a crest, and another eighteen of the Bugs became nine long tales.
As I watched the creatures merge, they grew a sleek, pale coat. The tail tips became golden and, when complete, two bright red eyes opened.
"You!" was all I could say. There was no mistaking Arwa. She, unlike other Ninetales, had a ghostly white coat. And she, unlike other Ninetales, could count her age using centuries.
Arwa just looked at me as if I hadn't said anything. My brain spun with all the things I wanted to say to her, but for some reason I couldn't concentrate on any one long enough to get the words to my mouth.
"You are not ready," Arwa spoke. She definitely spoke, too. It wasn't like when she spoke in Pokémon and I could understand her, she was speaking English and her words echoed faintly in the distance.
"I'm not-" I started to ask.
"You all," Arwa barked. She didn't say it angrily, just firmly.
Then I realized I was crying. Tears fell down my face of their own accord. I clenched my fist as I tried to make them stop and realized there was something in my hand. I looked down to see I was grasping a black Murkrow feather, a Charmeleon talon, a fragment of a Tropius' wing, and the tip of a Gyarados' tooth.
I stared at them and they rapidly deteriorated in my palm. I flinched and dropped them to the ground.
"You need more time," Arwa said, drawing my attention back to her.
"How?" was all I seemed able to say. I couldn't process what she was saying properly.
Then Arwa stood and turned to the side. I heard her say "This way," but her mouth didn't move. I tried to follow but my feet were anchored to the ground. I tried to call to her but my voice and mouth would not obey.
With a single bound the Ninetales leapt deep into the forest and out of sight.
Then the surroundings started to darken. I tried to call out but still nothing came. I closed my eyes and pulled at my legs but they wouldn't budge. My movements seemed to slow.
But to my surprise there was a new, warm and scaled weight on my shoulder. I couldn't see but I heard a harsh yet familiar voice saying, "Master trainer, up time. Master trainer, our turn to guard."
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And then I jerked awake, my dream forgotten.
My quick movement startled Vulcan who'd been shaking my shoulder in an attempt to get me up. For a moment I was sure something had to be wrong but then I remembered our new sleeping schedule. Priya smiled at me and whispered a goodnight before tucking in to her sleeping bag.
I motioned for Vulcan to silently follow me out of the tent.
Outside the air was still decently warm. The sounds of Bugs in the distant seemed all the more prominent without the usual amount of noise our group made during the day. Beside our large tent Ferno was trying to make himself comfortable next to Cyril. I smiled at our giants as I walked with Vulcan to curl up by a lantern set a short distance away.
There was little to do. A few Bug-types approached but most backed off at Vulcan's warnings. There were a few small battles but nothing my Fire-type couldn't handle.
It wasn't until about twenty-five minutes later that the dream came back to me. I looked up at a tree and saw a Caterpie and a Weedle fighting. Then the memories hit me like a truck. I even uttered a small gasp that Vulcan mistook for a warning of an enemy.
"Vulcan, say something?" I asked, remembering the very last bit of my dream.
"Char?" Vulcan said, a note of worry in his voice.
"Never mind."
Outside of the dream world I could think more clearly. What had the Ninetales meant? I need more time. No, we need more time. My team and I need more time. To do what? I spent our nightshift thinking about Arwa's latest appearance. It didn't feel like long before the Pokédex gave a little buzz to tell us it was Spyne's turn.
I let Vulcan wake the Quilava, who I didn't want to deal with if grumpy, and went to my sleeping bag. With my decision made I fell into a dreamless sleep.
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I woke up early the next morning but chose to stay in my sleeping bag until Nyx released her wake up call. We all sluggishly got up (except Artemis who seemed to have an endless amount of energy) and got breakfast together. Atria had caught some particularly large Caterpie that Priya and I kindly passed up. Only Nyx and Artemis seemed to really enjoy the green creatures.
"So I guess we're off again," Priya said brightly as we finished packing up the tent. She directed it at me in an odd way. It made me realize I'd been lost in my head all breakfast.
"Yeah… Well, you are," I said distantly.
"…What!" Priya almost yelled. Now Everyone's attention was on me. Cyril made a sound of confusion in his throat.
"I saw Arwa..." I said.
I then recounted my dream, leaving out a few minor details.
"And it all means what?" Priya asked, a hint of pain in her voice.
"I think it means we're not strong enough," I replied. "I mean, you spent a year just training your team and not worrying about your journey, right? You're fine. But not us. We've been coasting on luck the last little while. And now… Well, Vulcan can't use all his moves and Albus can barely use any. And none of us even stand a chance against any of your team…"
"So what? We'll stay here and train," Priya said. To anyone else she'd have sounded confident but I knew her well enough to hear the slight disappointment in her voice.
"No, we will stay," I said with a forced smile. "You go and get that ribbon and Gym Badge. We'll catch up-"
"NO!" Priya near screamed, tears steadily filling her eyes. I was shocked. She'd always been so strong and now she was having trouble holding herself together. Weird.
"Oh relax," I said with a laugh as I pulled her into a hug. "Tell you what. As soon as you've got that ribbon and a new badge you come and find me in here." I then pushed her back a little to look her in the eye. "Alright?"
Her tears had vanished. "And you'll still be alive?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Advantage much?" I laughed as I gestured to my team.
All our Pokémon had mixed expressions on. Cyril had his leaves raised and his chest out as if to show me he was prepared for the worst. Nyx had her usual indifferent expression on as she preened herself. Vulcan didn't seem to understand and was opening and closing his mouth as if he wanted to say something. And giant Albus was crying pathetically, just like the Torchic he was nuzzling.
"Now go," I said as I lightly punched Priya. "Get out of this wood as fast as you can. Ferno will have you out in no time."
In truth, I was worried for her and if I couldn't be around to protect her I didn't want her anywhere near these woods.
"Just…" Priya started saying but she couldn't seem to think of anything she wanted to say. She settled for punching my arm.
Not wanting to drag it out I hopped onto Cyril's saddle. Priya likewise pulled herself up Ferno's back. Not sure what else to say I just smiled at Priya, and she smiled back. Cyril gave a bellow and Ferno gave a howl, and thus we were off. Priya and her team up the path, me and my team into the wood.
It was time for us to be on our own.
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Author's Note
Geesh, it's amazing how long I've had the first two thirds of this chapter done. I just forgot about it/have been busy.
I've been inspired by chaison to take original characters. When I add characters (minor as they are) I tend to need this whole background made up just to use them. So I figure why not you, who keep coming back have some FH input.
Now, I'm not on my home computer a lot, which means I rarely check my Fanfiction inbox. When I write it's usually form my bf's computer or school computers and then when I'm home (which is rarely these days) I upload my latest chapter. I say this because, if you want to make sure I get you character, put it in a review. I can check reviews anywhere but I only sign on to my account from my home computer and I always forget to check my inbox.
OC Guidelines (notice I don't say rules):
Now, I strongly suggest you not give me a whole fic to read and say you want this character from it. If you already have an established character you probably don't want me mucking around with them and possibly ruining them. When I say, OC, I prefer completely new ones, maybe with the teams you've created in one of the games.
Give me everything you got: full name, personality, likes/dislikes, where they're from, clothes, full team, Pokémon in storage, things they would say, badges/ribbons, who your character is travelling with, their team, the personalities of the team members, long term goals, etc.
Be creative: especially unique characters will make comebacks
As for teams: No Legenaries, No Shinys, No Extinct, No Pseudo Legendaries
Remember storing Pokémon is expensive so if your character has other Pokémon they will probably be with family. In other words, if your OC's family lives in the city, it doesn't make sense for them to be taking care of a Wailord.
In FH trainers licenses are given out at age 15 at youngest, NOT 10
Remember we are in the Johto/Kanto region. I say both b/c it's easy to get from one to the other. It makes sense for a character born in one to be travelling in the other.
Also, Kanto/Johto overlap as far as FH is concerned. Generation 1 and 2 Pokémon can be found in either.
Teams should reflect their home region, though one or two from outside regions is fine too. The more travelling the character has done, the wider variety they can have. Exceptions being if a Pokémon evolves in later generations.
As for evolution, remember it takes a lot of time in FH (with many exceptions). Stones and evolution items are rare, especially if from other regions.
5th generation changes allowed to Pokémon (abilities, even from dream world) but no new Pokémon until we know their names.
When think about teams remember some Pokémon are only allowed to higher ranked trainers. Furthermore, some types wouldn't be able to be handled by newbie trainers like Psychics, Dragons, etc.
Some Pokémon that are hard to find in the game should be easy to find in a more realistic world: Murkrow, Meowth, common bugs/birds, and Rattata would all adapt to city life. As such, they would make good starters.
Remember: region starters are extremely rare and extinct in the wild. The set is only given out twice a year, meaning every 6 months three trainers choose from the starters. Thus, very few young trainers would have them without special circumstances.
I'm also hesitant to have other extremely rare Pokémon on teams like Eevee, Riolu, Porygon, etc. Still, that doesn't mean no.
I'm especially looking for coordinator's for Playing With Fire and trainers with less then 4 badges.
Don't be picky. If you are the picky controlling type you probably don't want to hand over a character to someone else (that said, I will do my best to keep the characters your own)
I will give credit to the original creators.
Give me as many OCs as you like!
Don't expect your characters soon. Events will arise and lots of trainers will be needed, but that's misc chapters away.
And like I said, just b/c I said no in the rules doesn't mean absolutely no. If you have a creative back story to explain why so-and-so has a rare Pokémon at an early rank, it might get in.
Thanks to my amazing reviewers. You guys inspire me sooooo much!
Okay, so going through the 36 that I missed:
Define-o: Your imputs are great. You're much more helpful then you think! You should totally give me an OC (please *puppy face*)
Stolloss: (36) I always always always look forwards to what you have to say. Thanks for the Ice and hospital point out. Oh the things on misses. I also greatly enjoy hearing about your predictions and mussing as to what is going to happen. It both inspires me to write and gets me excited about doing so (don't know why, guess I'm a freak). You observations of new characters also help me establish them inside my own head.
(37) Thanks for the spelling point out. I'm terrible at editing my own work. Seriously. It's good to know where I need to focus. So you've noticed my play on the frightening "official" starter and the less frightening beast of the sea. You're Gym leader observation helped a lot too, though I'm not sure what I want to do with those upper ranked yet.
Nianque: Thanks! It's great to see what you find most interesting!
Fanficfan1037: Thanks for the reviews! Yah, I'm caught up with Pedestal. Thanks for the input, you are most helpful!
Alternate Lopunnu: (36)I'm glad I entertain. Priya's previous and next contest are in her own fan fic Playing With Fire for the time being.
And yes, hehehe to the evil cubone
Alolha123: Thanks for the help! Comments of all sorts are welcome! You're read through really gave me a lot of great pointers (sarcasm, intentions, etc). :D
Phooykazooi: thanks for all the input! You're awesome! And yeah, poor Tobius deserves your pity. lol
ShadowDragoon32: Thanks for being awesome! (hands over awesomeness awards) I'm glad you're enjoying the fic. Yeah, Priya and her team have very much been secondary. Only recently have I really started steadily giving them more juice (the Torchic who thinks it's a Houndour, and the only hinted at houdour jealousy of Arcanine and fondness of the Vulpix). The reason Priya has the team she's got is explained partically in one of the chapters when they are travelling on Cyril for the first time. Priya spent a year just searching for unique Pokémon. Plus, her Vulpix and Torchic are from breeders. In my other fic Playing With Fire she sort of takes Spyne from an abusive trainer. Yeah, I'm terrible at editing my own stuff ;P I won't even try to lie about that one. Hmm, I don't remember where I said his team was Flying types, I hope I find it as I know Vulcan's just fire for the time being. Thanks a bunch again!