Pokemon Evergreen

QM's Note: Little bit later than I meant it to be, sorry bout that.



Go, Lula! You sent out the squeaking Cosmouse, as she darted from side to side looking around at the otherwise unmoving stegosaurus.

"Okay Steglas, do your thing" Aeron gestured with one hand whilst his gaze was elsewhere. His Steglas briefly stopped chewing on a loose twig to slowly move forwards to battle.

Lula the Cosmouse was first to strike, as she unleashed her tiny claws and pawed frantically at her foe. The Steglas got knocked back a bit as his face got tiny marks all over it but steadied himself to lunge forward with a single tackle.

This was enough to send your Cosmouse hurtling onto her backside, her jetpack sputtering as it lay smothered by the dirt. Out of impulse, you quickly stepped forward to help your Starter up, but in the process almost got yourself stepped on by Steglas as he moved his foot forward.

"Ooh, sheesh" Aeron winced, before his apology came with "Sorry, guess I wasn't watching. Didn't mean to have Steglas almost step on you".

"I should say, Pokemon directly attacking a Trainer can happen" Redwood admitted, tugging on his collar "Much as the League doesn't like to talk about it. Mostly it's Wild Pokemon who'll do it, typically Dark types, though occasionally your Delinquent Trainer riffraff will do it out of frustration. Good thing here it was a simple mistake that got no one harmed, but still, do pay more attention in the future, young Aeron" Redwood concluded his lecture.

"Oh, I don't know about that" Raine suddenly spoke out, who this whole time spent had propped himself against an outcrop to watch from the sides "I'd say it's the most exciting thing to happen this whole match. I'll admit I've been a little disappointed so far, seems these rare Pokemon have barely any attacks that set them apart" he said, but immediately followed with "Yes yes, I'm well aware they're still like Level 5 or so" before anyone could respond to him.

Aeron and you both chose to act like you hadn't heard those words, since you did have your first battle each to be getting back to. With another frenzied scratching, your Cosmouse was able to hop her way up onto the Steglas' back, trying to sink her claws in even as the barely concerned Steglas was hardly the most bucking bronco. When the stegosaur did respond, he did so by doing a Tackle aimed straight upwards, which sent Lula the Cosmouse almost flying, as she barely kept herself anchored to Steglas with only a single little paw.

When Lula came falling back down, she did so by having her jetpack slam straight into the spot on Steglas' back in-between the two ferns he used as solar sails. Steglas then groaned and slumped over, already tired of his first battle.

"Wow, okay, guess Steggy's had enough. Hey there uh Tera, looks like you've won, good job," Aeron said maybe a bit too quickly, as he held out Steglas' Ball and clicked "Okay guy, back in you go".

"Oh, I reckon both Pokemon had more fight left in them," Redwood spoke up, jotting down a few notes on the tablet he carried "However you are now Steglas' Trainer, so backing out early would technically be your prerogative, Aeron".

"Still, not exactly up to the standards of what I came here to see," mumbled Raine, before he sighed and said "Well, we only have just begun. So, if you don't mind," he then called Squark straight back into his PokeBall while the squid was in the middle of doodling something on some rocks "I think I'll hold off on battling you two just for the time being, I'd like to see what this Squark is truly capable of first".

"I see then. Anyway, now that introductions have been made," Redwood said, clapping his hands together "I'll give all one last thing before I leave; I have some lectures that need preparing for the University of Lumberry". He then brout out three red tablets and handed them each to you "These are PokeDexes, constantly updating Pokemon encyclopedias indispensable for anyone who wants to truly understand our world of Pokemon, in fact you should already find the entries for your Starters fully filled out".

Panowe PokeDex said:

#004 Cosmouse, the Space Mouse Pokemon
Fire/Steel
Ability: Blaze, Hidden Ability: Levitate
Area Unknown
This Pokémon species acts like it just landed on an alien planet. The boosters on its rocket-like jetpack let the Pokémon maintain a higher speed than the jetpack's weight would otherwise let it.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

"Gee, thanks" Aeron said back, with not as much as energy as he could have. He did at least give his Dex something of a look over before stuffing it in his hoodie's front pocket.

"I actually already owned a copy" Raine spoke up, but smiled anyway and said "Still, my appreciation all the same".

"Hmm, alright then. I now suppose the both of you will be wanting to set out on your Panowe Gym Challenge, correct? In that case, you'll be wanting to head west to Daffodil Town or east to Triclover City to officially register, especially since the League, while generous, will only accept so many Trainers per season," Redwood said, before delivering his parting words "Well with that all in order, I bid you farewell. Good luck to all three of you" as he pulled out a PokeBall of his own and Teleported away.

"Eh, guess I'll be heading to west, since Starflower City's that way and it's what I know and all" Aeron said while shrugging.

"Funny, my set are sights on the exact opposite direction. Past Triclover lies the Great Panowe Wilderness, whose relative lack of humans word has it has allowed rare Pokemon to flourish" came Raine's reply, the light glinting off his glasses "besides, I've been around a city as big as Starflower many a time, it's basically old news to me".

[ ] Head northwest down the flowering valleys to Daffodil Town, from where the path splits to the big cities of Starflower in the north and Olivius in the west.
[ ] Head southeast, back through Sitka and the surrounding Reservation, to Triclover, right next to the top-security Hadron Complex. From Triclover you can head east into the Wilderness, or southwest through Discovery Gorge to Tudorose.
[ ] Head just southwest up Mt Wheedle, a site of immense importance to Native and Settler alike, as dangerous as the terrain and Pokemon there are.
[ ] Write-in.

Tera received x10 PokeBalls.
Tera received x10 Potions.
Tera received x10 PokeDolls.
Lula learned Withdraw.

QM's Note: I didn't run this update by IJW since it doesn't involve any of their created characters, and also because it's slightly shorter than usual.

"Woah, you wanna check out Mt Wheedle, seriously?" Aeron's eyes popped right out, before he steadied himself, breathed deep and said "Well, okay then. I mean hey, it's your Pokémon journey and I ain't your Mom, you call the shots. I'm just gonna go the easy hike down back home for now, thanks". That was his cue to wave goodbye "Hey, see you soon!".

"Oh, how unadventurous" Raine couldn't help but stifle a laugh as Aeron took his leave. He then turned to you, slightly lowered his glasses and said "I'm honestly impressed, Tera, Mt Wheedle is quite the challenge for a beginning trainer. In fact, I'd be tempted to join you up there, but… ahem," he paused "I'll admit, I did not come up here carrying any of the necessary hiking equipment, and ah I did plan in my schedule to be on track to Triclover City right about now, so it seems I'll have to pass on this" he stepped back, leaving you "Farewell for now, Tera, but I take we'll soon meet again".

With just you and Lula in her ball for now, you turned your gaze skyward. Heading up the dusty trail, you were soon treated with the pleasant sight of a blossoming field, the flowers and fellow plants springing up coloured not just shades of green but also vibrant reds, feathery whites and illusory purples. Beyond were much taller trees, standing in a barrier formation in front of the stony, snowy ascent up the great Mt Wheedle, tallest mountain in Panowe (save perhaps the far north). Mt Wheedle, ancestor of your people, could get quite smoke-strewn at times, if thankfully no actual eruption had occurred in years, but today the early morning skies were still the pastel purple and yellow shaded by the rising sun.

Just to your north lay the path, marked by makeshift wooden steps, that led down into Wildflora Valley, the route which would eventually take one to Daffodale Town. Despite being one of the two routes Redwood had recommended to the others and you, you decided not to go that way for now, as a mix of your tribe's respect and sheer unbridled curiosity (unaccompanied youths were rarely allowed up on Mt Wheedle) drew you in this direction instead. A peaceful-looking morning it may have been without any chill in the air, yet there was still a shiver down your spine that grew with each step you took towards the mountain.



The fields and forests this high up on the mountain were starting to teem with Pokémon just waking up. Most looked fairly harmless, you had your Hoppips swayed by the gentle way, Budews soaking in the morning sun, Kricketots chirping up, fuzzy plump Olymots scurrying around before any hungry Coyoteeth could spot them, as well as the likes of Magby and Salandit to remind you this was still a volcano you were standing on. However, there were also more than enough strong-looking, likely high-level Pokémon to remind you that Mt Wheedle was no beginner's climb; the thunderbirds Braviary and Xatu already prowling the skies were no strangers to you, but by squinting you could also make out a Gigalith roaming the slopes, an Abomasnow coming down from the heights, spinning Triotem watching over all, and…

Bzzrt! There came a loud buzzing noise in your area, so much that it spooked quite a few surrounding Pokémon, sending Olymots back into their burrows and making Budews try tucking themselves back into their flowerbeds. Twitching, you looked over your shoulder to see this noise came from an oversized bug hovering right overhead, a long, piercing proboscis jutting out of a bandit's mask around its eyes, and great leathery wings that looked more like they belonged to a bat. Your PokeDex with a beep listed the creature's name as Mosferatu, the Bug/Dark evolution of a Pokémon called Nosquito.

[ ] Just run away.
[ ] Try sneaking away before it notices you.
[ ] Use one of your PokeDolls to ensure a getaway.
[ ] Risk sending Lula out against it.
[ ] Try rallying the nearby weaker Pokémon to all team up against it.
[ ] Try running towards any equally strong Pokémon you may see, and hope the two will take each other out.
[ ] Write-in.

If you make it out:
[ ] Head north to Daffodale Town.
[ ] Head back through Sitka to Triclover.
[ ] Keep trying to go around Mt Wheedle through to Laurelheath in the west.
[ ] Attempt the journey south to Discovery Gorge and Tudorose.
[ ] Write-in.