Brief Training In The Sand

Alistair sighed, watching as Angel scurried away. The Riolu was such a handful, and had already begun to hate his guts before they'd spent a week together. The fighting pokemon rarely went inside her pokeball, always running off on her own without his consent. She'd been getting in a lot of fights as well, and he had to take the blame and the insults of the trainers and rangers that had caught the blue pokemon in the middle of her fights. The pokemon was strong for her size and level, but she was so headstrong and stubborn that it made her difficult to work with. But at least here, in the desert, she could wander around and tire quicker. He knew this wasn't a very bright move, as Angel hadn't even learned any fighting moves yet, but he wanted to check out the area. He wasn't given the luxury of exploring any deserts in Johto, but surprisingly there was a desert route not too far from Titantro.

The blonde boy looked around, seeing the Riolu digging in the sand excitedly. He chuckled at the sight, walking over and sitting down a small distance away from the fighting pokemon. The hard ground covered with sand was not a comfortable seat, but after wandering for hours he just wanted to rest. Luckily, there didn't seem to be a sandstorm at the moment. The desert was peaceful, with sand stretching for miles upon miles, coating the land with a yellowish color. He took out a small camera from his backpack, taking a quick picture of the area. He wasn't aiming to be a photographer or anything like that, but he did enjoy recording his adventures.

Alistair aimed the camera at Angel, who was oblivious as she continued digging through the sand. He took a photo with a SNAP, causing the Riolu's ears to perk up in alarm. She turned around for a brief moment, giving her trainer a growl of irritation before continuing her digging. The boy chuckled, before putting away the camera. He continued watching the Riolu as she played, amused at her non-violent antics. It was a nice change.

Nocive carried out 3 launched of one Route Two :

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Alistair enjoyed the peaceful desert for a while, occasionally taking a sip from his water bottle. The desert was quiet, with not even a single breeze as it kept basking its harsh sunlight down at the resting duo. It was relaxing, save for the fact he was already sweating bullets from the heat. He wiped some sweat off his forehead, already deciding to prepare for their leave. It was getting much too hot for his liking, and he could just return another time. He stuffed his jacket in his backpack, taking his eyes off his pokemon for a few minutes. He gave an irritated huff, having trouble putting away the cloth as the bag was filled with random items he had brought along. Taking a mental note to fix his inventory, he got another water bottle for Angel. By now the riolu would be thirsty after playing in the sun for so long. He looked up from his backpack, about to call his pokemon over. The bottle slipped from his hands as he saw the blue pokemon nowhere in sight.

The blonde frantically searched around, trying to locate his missing partner. Looking around, there was no blue pokemon in sight among the large mounds of sand. He called out, trying to desperately find the rioolu. 'No, no, no, no! Where's Angel!?' He could feel panic and worry begin boiling inside as he thought of how far the Riolu could have wandered off. In the desert, she could end up separated from him for weeks or months, heck he may not ever find her again amongst all this sand! The 14-year old quickly stood up, grabbing his bag and beginning his search. Surely Angel couldn't have wandered that far in such little time!

(At this point there will be mainly pokemon speak. I'll be writing them in english in italic, but rest assured they are speaking in their languages.)

Meanwhile, the bipedal canine was having her own search. She had just recently wandered away from her trainer, and as much as she disliked him, she was aware that she wasn't supposed to leave on her own. But her curiosity got the better of her as she heard some sort of cry not too far from where she had been playing. She was confident that the cry wasn't any normal cry- it was a cry for help. A pokemon was in trouble, and she wasn't going to turn them down. Besides, there was probably a fight or something happening and she was definitely in the mood for giving a beatdown.

After a few more minutes of walking across the sand, Angel finally came upon the scene she had been looking for. Right in the middle of the flat, sandy grounds were a trio of pokemon. These three, however, didn't seem too friendly with each other. A Sandile laid on the ground, crying for its mother. A Cubone stood on the sidelines, shouting out commands to a Geodude. The legless rock pokemon laughed as it obeyed the orders, hitting and throwing the helpless reptile around.

"Hahaha! Hey Geodude, grab his tail and throw him onto the ground again! But harder, like this!" The Cubone barked between its laughter. The skull-wearing ground type waved its bone in the air, before slamming it hard onto the sand. Sand was sent flying about, a few of them getting into the Sandile's eyes. The reptile gave a squeak, shaking its head it attempts of getting the sand out of its eyes.

The Geodude laughed once more, before reaching out to the reptile's tail. It held on with a firm, possibly painful grip before raising the oddly small sandile. With its other arm planted firmly on the ground, the living rock lifted the reptile as high as it could, before suddenly throwing it onto the ground. The Sandile cried, not so much from pain as it was from fear.

The Riolu watched from a distance as the Sandile was beaten. Anger began to build as she saw the ground type get thrown and punched. How dare those two attack it! It wasn't even fighting back! This fight was not fair. Her paws curled into fists as she began to approach the three. From soft, quiet pacing her feet began picking up speed quickly.

"Hey Cubone watch thi-"

Before the Geodude could finish, it was met with a hard, abrupt hit that sent it a short distance away. The rock pokemon rolled like a ball, thrown off by the sudden attack. It took a few moments to process what had just happened, before picking itself off the sand. Its eyes glared with fury as it met the attacker. "The hell was that for!?" It growled, angry at the newcomer for suddenly ambushing it in the middle of their fun.

"For being an unfair jerk!" Angel retorted, her ruby eyes returning the glare with twice the intensity. Her foot hurt slightly from having to kick a rock surface, but she paid no mind to it. If she wanted to win, she had to have the upperhand, even in their game of intimidation. She wasn't going to let a talking stone best her, not after how cruel it had acted.

"Hey, get lost! We didn't do anything to you!" The Cubone called, still waiting in the sidelines. It was as irritated as the Geodude, impatiently tapping its bone on the sand. He sneered when he saw the Sandile attempt to scurry away, hitting it with his weapon as to warn it not to flee. The reptile cried once more, but no longer tried to escape in fear of being punished.

This only made the Riolu angrier. "Didn't do anything!? You kept beating up that sandile for no reason! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" She threatened, raising her paws up and punching her palm. It wasn't an uncommon scare tactic, but she found it very appealing. Sad to say, it didn't seem to have worked as efficiently as she expected. The Cubone and Geodude laughed near instantaneously, almost harder than they had while beating the Sandile. Their mocking chuckles made Angel all the more angrier. Her blue face now had a hint of red on them, caused by her building rage and humiliation. These idiots were LAUGHING. Laughing at the fact she was about to kick their butts.

"Sorry, but we don't fight girls." The Geodude finally said, gasping for air after laughing so much.

And that was when Angel snapped.

She roared, now at the boiling point of anger. She was going to throw a fit, and she was going to let it all out on this stupid duo. Seconds after her sudden outburst she had already turned into a blue blur, rushing towards the Geodude with speed that topped her ambush.

The Geodude cackled even more as it rolled away, stopping itself using its arms. "Are you retarded? Those moves aren't going to hurt me, ya know." The rock pokemon flexed its arms, confidence oozing as it showed how tough its stone shell was. Its arrogance only fueled Angel's hatred further.

The Riolu stood, her fists raised in preparation. Although her body language showed bravery, inside her head she was in a near-state of panic and blind anger. She had to think tactfully now that she was in a large disadvantage. Her only move, Quick Attack, would probably only be useful to knock back opponents or to give her a better sprint. Being a fighting type, her raw strength was much higher than most pokemon, but having to punch a rock type would cost her just as much damage as she could do. That idea was not charming to say the least.

After basking in its pride, the rock pokemon finally lunged at the bipedal canine. But Angel was quick, and managed to dodge the tackle. She moved fast, but not fast enough to dodge the punch that came next. She winced, her leg being hit by the rocky fist. The blue pokemon jumped back, providing distance between her and her opponent. This pokemon played dirty, but even then she knew she had the upperhand in speed. She just had to keep on her toes.

This game of cat and mouse continued for a while, with Angel just barely dodging the geodude's attacks. Although she dominated in speed, she had trouble managing through the rock type's dirty tricks. From one rocky punch, to throwing sand in her face, to going as far as attempting to crush her tail- this living stone was far from playing by the rules. The Riolu stood her ground, numerous bruises evident. She was beginning to feel tired, but refused to acknowledge it. She'd only landed a few hits so far, but had managed to dodge at least most of the Geodude's attacks.

The Cubone was getting impatient. It had been watching the Sandile for most of the battle, making sure their toy wouldn't try to leave. Its bone club was pressed hard on the reptile's back, planting the pokemon to the ground. The skull-wearer observed the battle, getting more and more anxious as time wore on. This was getting so boring. "Geodude, finish her off already!"

The Geodude grunted in acknowledgement, before hurling itself towards the Riolu once more. It slammed its arms on the sandy ground, giving it a boost as it went flying towards the canine's face, fist ready to punch. Angel planted her feet on the ground as stable as she could, before putting her arms out. She grabbed the incoming fist, quickly spinning around and sending the rock pokemon towards the Cubone. By a stroke of luck, the Geodude collided with the Cubone head-on, sending both of them onto the sandy ground. The Sandile screeched in surprise, just barely having escaped from the incoming hit. The Cubone's weapon landed on the sand with a soft thump.

Angel strode to the bone, picking it up. She approached the duo, an unmerciful glare in her eyes. She raised the bone above her head, stopping as if she were about to hit them with it. "Get. Lost." She hissed.

The Geodude growled, pulling itself up. It stopped, seeing its companion next to it, writhing on the ground. The Cubone laid on the ground, its belly with a large bruise and a few cuts to the Geodude's rough exterior. But that didn't seem to be the issue. Its hand lay on its skull mask, right above a large crack. The Cubone's eyes conveyed its shock, not knowing how to react. Its hand continued to feel the crack, as if searching for a way to somehow make it disappear. It finally spoke, but its voice was that of a whisper. "...Mommy's skull..."

"Cubone?" The Geodude narrowed its eyes, reaching out toward the shocked ground type. It shook the pokemon for a little while. "Hey, Cub, snap out of it! We're in the middle of a battle!" It said, only to be met with no reaction. The skull-wearing pokemon remained silent, still feeling the mask's damage. It took mere moments before it burst out crying.

"YOU RUINED MOMMY! YOU RUINED HER!" It screamed, tears streaming. It began punching at the rock pokemon. The Geodude seemed taken back by this outburst, taking a leap back from his crying companion. The Cubone turned to Angel, causing the Riolu to take a step back. It gave a roar, before running towards the canine for an attack. It didn't get far, as it was immediately sent to the ground with a swift hit from the Riolu's bone club. It hit the sandy ground, coughing out sand. Specks of sand stuck to it as its tears continued to dribble from under its mask. The Riolu hesitated, a hint of guilt in her eyes as she watched the Cubone stagger back onto its feet.

"Alright, look. I don't fight crybabies. And you're not strong enough to take me on. So just leave already." Angel said, trying to convince the Cubone to back down. Fighting the Geodude was fine, since they seemed to be on the same level. But this Cubone... it seemed so weak. It wasn't right to fight it, especially when it was crying.

The Cubone shook its head. "NO! YOU'LL PAY FOR RUINING MOMMY!" It roared once more, about to lunge for another attack. It stopped mid way, falling onto the ground as it felt its tail be roughly tugged back. The Geodude held a firm grip on the ground type's tail, refusing to let go.

"Alright, that's enough, Cub! C'mon!" The Geodude refused to let go as the Cubone continued to struggle. The rock pokemon looked up to the Riolu, angry yet defeated. "We're leaving. But don't forget this, mutt. We'll come back. Now come on Cub, let's get your mask fixed..."

"NO! I'LL KILL HER! I'LL KILL HER I'LL KILL HER!" The Cubone yelled at the top of its lungs. It continued clawing at the sand, trying to get to the Riolu even as it was being dragged away.

Angel watched as the duo began leaving, with the Cubone being dragged by the tail. She felt conflicted; Not knowing whether to be happy she won, or ashamed that she had caused the Cubone such grief. She shook her head, deciding to just accept that she had emerged victorious. She looked at the club in her hands, seeing it as some sort of trophy. She basked in her glory for a while before having herself interrupted.

"Umm... Excuse me..." A meek voice called.

The Riolu turned around, being met with the Sandile from earlier. She raised a brow, confused at how the reptile hadn't left when it had the chance. "What? You want to battle too?"

"W-what? No! No, no, of course not!" The Sandile immediately replied, shaking its head in denial.

"Then what do you want?" The Riolu asked, crossing her arms.

"Um... well... I want to repay you for saving me."

"Pfft. As if you can. You couldn't even handle a fight with those two wimps."

"Well... uh... Oh, I know! I could help you out of this desert... You don't look like you live here..."

The Riolu stopped and contemplated it for a moment. Well, she was sort of lost. As much as she hated to admit it, she did have to head back to her trainer. This Sandile probably knew a better way around the desert than she did. "...Sure, alright. This heat's starting to get to me, anyways."

Nocive carried out 5 launched of one Route Two :

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The duo walked for hours through the desert, yet found nothing but sand. The vibrant rays of the sun basked down upon the wanderers, plaguing them with intense heat as time wore on. The Riolu couldn't believe how hot it became in such little time. When she had first arrived here, she thought it had been past mid afternoon already. Boy, was she wrong. The sun was at the top of the sky, mocking her with its unholy warmth. Her fur felt uncomfortable in such conditions, and sand clinging to it from the didn't help. She was now itchy, sweaty, and dying for a drink. The regret she felt for leaving her supplied trainer was bigger than any regret she ever had.

"Um. Miss Angel? Are you alright?" The meek voice of the Sandile rang through her ears, causing the numb thumping in her head to worsen. She put a paw up to her temples, rubbing them in attempts of dulling the pain. The heat and dehydration was starting to get to her head, and the growing headache was not helping with her mood. She looked forwards, seeing the reptile look back at her with a worried face. She growled, baring her fangs and causing the ground type to give an 'eep!' in surprise.

"Shut up! My head hurts and I HATE this HEAT. Can't we find somewhere to get a drink nearby?!" She complained, her voice raspy and dry from lack of water. Her hopes were crushed as she saw the Sandile shake its head.

"Sorry Miss Angel, but we're not close to the oasis yet." The Sandile said, lowering its head. It winced as it saw the riolu groan in annoyance. Poor, poor, miss Angel. She wasn't made for this desert. But that was okay. The Sandile raised its head, determined to hold its word. "But... how about we take shade? We shouldn't be that far from the ruins... You could rest under the stone pillars..."

Immediately the Riolu brightened. "Really? Great! Finally! I'm killing for a nap..." The blue canine raised her arms, taking a quick stretch. "Well, lead the way, kid." And with that, they continued their travel towards the ruins.

An hour or so of walking, they stopped upon a large pillar. The pillar was made out of stone, cracked and clearly ancient. It stuck out of the sand, tilting awkwardly. It was a surprise how it hadn't fallen yet, but it seemed very well on the verge. But Angel didn't seem to notice. She leaped at the opportunity, sitting under the pillar's shade. Noticing how the ground was less stiff and more sandy, she decided to lie down. She breathed a sight of relief, happy to finally be out of the harsh sun. She felt a bit irritated about the sand clinging to her fur, but being spared from most of the heat was worth it. She looked over, seeing the Sandile approach.

"Miss Angel, you shouldn't rest there! That pillar looks dangerous!" The reptile warned, not wanting to see the Riolu get crushed under the old stone. It gave a small squeak when it saw the pillar suddenly move, but ever so slightly. "Look! It moved, see?"

Angel rolled her eyes, before taking quick look at the large stone formation. The pillar didn't seem to have moved at all. She shifted her focus back to the Sandile, looking mildly irritated at the reptile's behavior. She'd been traversing these ground for HOURS, the least she deserved was some peace under some shade. "You're hallucinating! It's fine, so let me rest!" She retorted, before returning to relaxing under the pillar's shade.

Before the Sandile could react, the pillar began to shake violently. The blue bipedal dog yelped, scrambling onto her feet and sprinting away from the moving stone. The sand under the pillar flew everywhere, forming a sort of pit under the stone formation and slowly swallowing it in its depths. The duo watched as the pillar descended into the darkness of the sudden hole, mouths open in shock. A few minutes after the stone column was swallowed by the ground, a loud buzzing noise was heard. Angel brought her paws to her ears, holding them down in attempts of drowning out the irritating noise. The Sandile was frozen in place, still shocked and now scared as it heard the buzzing grow louder and louder.

"Alright guyzzz! Tazzzk completed! Pillar izzz ready for tranzzzport!" A voice called from the pit, slowly getting louder as someone ascended. Out from the hole came Vibrava, furiously flapping its layered wings. It looked around the hole for a bit, before stopping in front of the Riolu and the Sandile. "Zzzandile! Hi! Oh, and a Riolu! I've never zzzeen a Riolu before! HI!" Its voice was dripping with energy and enthusiasm.

"H-hi miss Zazz! Oh thank goodness it was only you..." The Sandile sighed with relief. "Oh! Um... Allow me to introduce you! this is miss Angel. Miss Angel, this is Zazz."

"Uh, nice to meet you?" Angel raised a brow, taken back by the Vibrava's energy. And what kind of name was Zazz?

"Nize to meet you mizzz Angel! Zzzo, what are you doing here? On a date?" Zazz giggled, wings flapping even faster in excitement.

"N-no, of course not! I-I'm just leading her out of the desert!" The reptile immediately said, a tinge of red on its face.

"As if I'd ever date this wuss!" The Riolu crossed her arms, huffing.

Zazz laughed at their conjoined responses. "You two are zzzo cute! But anywayzz, you zzay Angel izzz lozzzt? I could help! My trainer izzz great with navigating through the dezzzert! That, and mizzz Angel probably needzzz a drink now, yezzz?"

At the mention of the drink, Angel immediately intervened. "Your trainer has WATER? WHERE?"

"Whoaaaa, hold your ponytazzz there, mizzzy! Yezzz, my trainer hazzz water and a ton of other human suppliezzz. Juzzzt follow me down the pit and we can head back to camp!"

"WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? LET'S GO!" The Riolu nearly rushed into the large hole if it weren't for the Sandile blocking her path.

"STOP! Down the pit?! Are you crazy? Y-you could break your bones!"

"It'zzz fine! I CAN FLY HER DOWN!"

"W-what?! That's still too dangerous! What if you drop her?!"

"MOVE OUTTA THE WAY, SHRIMP OR YOU'RE GOING FIRST!" The Riolu intervened, before beginning to corner the Sandile to the pit with her intimidating glare. A mischievous smirk accompanied her devilish eyes, followed by her paws being put forward in a 'I'm-gonna-push-youuu' way.

"Don't worry, Zzzandile! It'll be fun!" The Vibrava chimed, before rushing towards the Sandile.

"W-WAIT STOP NO WHAT ARE YOU- AAARRRRGHHHHHHH!!!"

[Brief Training In The Sand Part 2 will be in Inja Ruins. The pokemon used in the last roll are going to be the Inja Ruins' trainer's pokemon. They will make their appearance in the following thread.]