[Josh Devlin]

At last, Spring had come - most of the mountain snows had melted except at high elevations. A dreary morning sky gave way to abundant sunshine around the noon hour. While it wasn't exactly warm, it was warm enough that Grass-types started popping their heads out of the ground around Ash City's north gate.

Josh reached for Twilight's Poké Ball and was about to send her out, but a thought crossed his mind - if he was going to hunt for a Skarmory again, he would need his best fighters. Otherwise, if he had to call for help again, it would make him look like a fool and possibly get his Trainers' license suspended. Instead, he reached for Nitro's and let the Skiddo out of his Poké Ball to stretch.

He wouldn't even need riding gear for Nitro - the green, leafy fur cresting a Skiddo's back served as a natural cushion, and they even had steering horns to grab onto. After mounting up, he released Twilight to run alongside the grass-type up the mountain. "Hey, Twilight," he addressed the white Pokémon, who was quick to turn her head toward her trainer, "I know you've been itching to get your claws on some fresh prey all winter. Well, now that it's warm enough for Nitro here to be out, it's open season!" A subtle smile appeared on her face as she rolled her eyes, which Josh could only interpret as "It's about damn time."

Before heading up the mountain, Josh sprayed parts of his jacket with a cologne that caused it to reflect light as though it were metal. With Aslan and Twilight stronger now, he would be much better equipped to deal with Steel-types en masse.

---

//------------||------------||---||---||---\\
||NAME        ||SPECIES     ||LV ||HP ||EP ||
||Saber       ||Electrike   || 24|| 11||  5||
||Aslan       ||Litleo      || 20|| 10||  5||
||Nitro       ||Skiddo      || 13|| 10||  5||
||Illumina    ||Chinchou    || 14|| 10||  5||
||Blitz       ||Luxio       || 17|| 10||  5||
||Twilight    ||Absol       || 20|| 10||  5||
\\------------||------------||---||---||---//

Mod note: Using Steel Incense. Team levels are pending a Customer Service post.



{WC: 285}
{PC: 1}

[Jenesis]

Beauty Neo would like to battle!

Litleo Lv14 5 Energy Average Rash Rivalry MOVES Leer, Ember, Work Up, Headbutt Gorebyss Lv14 5 Energy Small Mild Swift Swim MOVES Confusion, Agility, Draining Kiss, Water Pulse

[Josh Devlin]

Nitro was a bit smaller than Twilight - with his hands on the grass-type's horns, it almost felt like Josh was driving a motorcycle. He had the Skiddo weave from one side of the trail to the other, back and forth, while it was wide enough to do so. Twilight subtly decreased her speed every time Josh and Nitro crossed her path, the Absol rolling her eyes after a few passes. The boy--though he was an adult physically, he still was a boy to her--was going to get himself or someone else hurt by doing that.

Three-quarters of a mile up the trail, a young, suggestive-looking woman in high heels and what had to be barely minimum-legal clothing greeted Josh with a "Howdy, hun" that grabbed his attention. She was grooming a Litleo while watching her Gorebyss float on a small column of water, apparently in search of something.

Josh scowled for a split second before putting his normal smile back on. "Hi, just passing through while Skarmory hunting." At that comment, she suddenly recalled her Litleo and chased after her Gorebyss, giving the rider ample space. He thought about it while passing the girl - Skarmory were very dangerous Pokémon, known for turning on their trainers even after capture if not satiated.

That wasn't how he intended on chasing the intrusive lady away, but it worked, and that's what mattered. Getting warm in his jacket, Josh brought Nitro to a stop long enough to unzip the top third of it before taking off again.

---

Steel Incense: 4/5 posts remaining.

{WC: 254}
{PC: 2}

[Jae]

A wild Honedge has appeared!

What will you do?

	Honedge Lv24
		5 Energy
	Average	Brave
	No Guard
MOVES
Wide Guard, Slash, Metal Sound, Aerial Ace
NOTES
N/A

[Josh Devlin]

The wind against Josh's shirt felt good, quickly evaporating his sweatiness away. He unzipped his jacket a little more before grabbing both of Nitro's horns again. "Alright, let's pick up the pace!" With the trail starting to flatten out a bit, it was easy for the Skiddo to do so - running up a higher-grade slope was a great way to tire a Pokémon out. Skiddo and Gogoat were known for their ability to run for a long time, though - another reason he made this choice over Twilight for his second attempt to climb the mountain trail.

Another mile or so up the trail, there was an interesting oddity blocking his way - it appeared to be a shortsword, hilt, and tassel floating in the air in a figure eight pattern. Only one Pokémon fit that description: Honedge. Honedge, Doublade, and Aegislash were one of the only weapons younger Pokémon trainers were permitted to carry, because they were also Pokémon. While not a mountable Pokémon itself, having one on his team would allow him to defend himself directly, which he found a growing necessity with the number of close calls he already had wandering Arciel.

"You're on, Aslan!" Josh cried, releasing the Litleo from his number two Poké Ball. "Light 'em up - but from a distance this time!" Josh had to specify the "from a distance" part, otherwise Aslan probably would have charged right underneath the floating Pokémon. Strangely enough, the wild seemed to make no effort to dodge the Ember volley headed its way.

The ghost-type instead charged straight into the attack, not caring one bit about its tassel being ablaze. Honedge tumbled through the flames and pinwheeled into Aslan's vulnerable back, slashing into the fire-type both deep and cleanly. With the foe wheeling back around for another cut, Josh had to act quickly, tossing a Great Ball its way.

---

{WC: 315}
{PC: 3}

[Jae]

Go, PokeBall!

One... two... and...

JLMuhq4ap_


The Wild Pokemon was caught!
One Great ball has been removed from your inventory.

[Josh Devlin]

Josh smiled as the Great Ball clinked against the ground and came to a rest. Though he had taken some martial arts classes when he was younger, it had been far too long for him to even try to defend himself without any practice at all. "Yagyu, I'll be back for you when I get to town next," he remarked, the Ball disappearing, his Pokémon transmitted to storage with the rest of them. Even if Josh remembered all of his techniques, he would still need to get used to Yagyu's weight and feel.

"Hey, maybe I'll actually get to fight alongside you one of these days, Nitro!" The Skiddo couldn't help but laugh at the notion of being a jousting partner. That would be quite some time off, though - even if he could wield Yagyu, the Pokémon would be useless against what he was trying to hunt. He continued onward, still on the lookout for signs of the screeching bird he was after...

---

Steel Incense: 2/5 posts remaining

{WC: 165}
{PC: 4}

[Jenesis]

+1 level, - 1 energy to Aslan

Youngster Barak would like to battle!

Minccino Lv24 5 Energy Average Rash Technician MOVES Sing, Charm, Swift, Encore

[Josh Devlin]

After another couple miles of trail with a shallow but steady grade, the scrubby grasses completely gave way to a rocky landscape, a very distant Ash City still clearly visible due to how much Josh's elevation had increased. This part of the trail was roughly where he had run into the Tauros herd that ended his last attempt to climb the mountain.

Instead, Josh's eyes drifted toward a Pokémon battle between a young boy and girl, both with Minccino that appeared evenly matched. He stopped at the opposite side of the trail to watch the two and dismounted Nitro, letting the grass-type rest a bit.

After back and forth dodges and blows that went on for several minutes, the young boy's Minccino flattered the other over a great vocal performance, goading its opponent into continuing its song. That Encore was the time the boy needed to have his own Pokémon loose wave after wave of Swift shooting stars at the performer. Josh gave the two a round of applause before mounting back up and continuing along the trail, continuing his search.

---

Steel Incense: 1/5 posts remaining

{WC: 183}
{PC: 5}

[Jenesis]

(1 Steel Incense removed)

A wild Falinks has appeared!

What will you do?

	Falinks Lv18
		5 Energy
	Average	Bold
	Battle Armor
MOVES
Protect, Rock Smash, Focus Energy, Headbutt
NOTES
N/A

[Josh Devlin]

Mount Grumble's scale became apparent as Josh passed the plateau and started rising in elevation again, now on a more narrow mountain trail. He could feel a small amount of heat radiating from the ground, as well - a sign that the mountain was still active and home to many fire-type Pokémon. There were a few fire-types he wouldn't mind having, but that would be for another trip - one likely requiring some PPE if he ventured inside.

Three small Pokémon with spiked shields for arms stood in his way as the trail switched back. It was still plenty wide for a big Pokémon to navigate, but not as open as the plateau was. Pointing his Pokédex app at it, Josh was able to identify it as Falinks. Wait, didn't these Pokémon always show up in groups of six? He turned around...to see the other three behind him.

Great. A pincer attack.

There was no escaping this one. Nitro shook his back hard once - Josh taking the hint to dismount and stand behind his Pokémon. He also unleashed Blitz to cover his other side. "You focus on keeping me safe and let Blitz here take them on, okay?" The Skiddo nodded. "Focus on their alpha, Blitz!"

Both of them prepared for the incoming assault, the brass rallying its entire force as the Luxio stepped away from Josh as to not catch him in the sphere of a charged Spark attack. The three Falinks on Blitz's size lowered their heads and rammed their spiked heads into his soft belly, the feline rearing up and recoiling backward in pain. The wild relentless, the three followed up with another coordinated strike, just barely missing the previous wound. Meanwhile, Nitro was fending off strike after strike with his horns, but for every two he blocked, one slipped past.

Driven to his limits, the Luxio cried a desperate roar, flinging itself into the squadron's brass with extra force. Josh looked the other way, lest bright flashes of electricity blind him otherwise. When he turned around, the unit was still standing only by virtue of its plate armor. Josh replaced Blitz with Saber before the Luxio received another serious wound, the powerful but small Electric-type quickly dispatching the leader with a swift Electro Ball. Without their leader, the remainder of the Falinks disbanded. After examining Nitro to make sure he was okay, Josh noticed the sheen of his jacket had faded; he fixed that problem by applying a second vial of the cologne that attracted Steel-types.

---

Re-applying Steel Incense.

Blitz's level is now 18!

{WC: 425}
{PC: 6}

[Jae]

A wild Onix has appeared!

What will you do?

	Onix Lv24
		5 Energy
	Average	Impish
	Sturdy
MOVES
Smack Down, Dragon Breath, Curse, Rock Slide
NOTES
N/A

[Josh Devlin]

Nitro appeared to be for the most part okay - his thick, leafy hide softened the Falinks' blows. "Thank you so much - couldn't have done it without you." The Electrike barked back, smiling as Josh recalled him, bringing Blitz back out to examine his wounds. They looked much more serious, particularly the big one right in the middle of his chest.

These sorts of situations were why it was so important to keep medical supplies readily accessible. Digging into his supplies for a Potion, he asked, "Can you roll over so I can treat this?" The Luxio was quick to comply, though he did squint in a bit of pain doing so. Josh got to work spraying the wound. While a single Potion probably wouldn't be enough to treat it completely, it would be enough first aid until he either made it to Fuji Town or camped for the night.

Josh mounted back up, the Skiddo winding around another switchback and navigating some rocky terrain that wound upward and to the north. In the middle of the rocks, his Pokédex app beeped again. Apparently Nitro was running over a sleeping Onix! They were for the most part gentle giants unless provoked. and often rested in places that allowed other Pokémon and people to traverse them like bridges. Peeking to the east, Fuji Town was in sight, but it was a long trip down the side of the mountain. With the sun on the other side of the mountain, it was a little difficult to tell how much daylight he had left, but he figured he had enough to continue scaling the trail.

---

Steel Incense: 4/5
Potion is used on Blitz; not enough to restore to full health.

{WC: 273}
{PC: 7}

[Jae]

A wild Quilava has appeared!

What will you do?

	Quilava Lv15
		5 Energy
	Average	Careful
	Blaze
MOVES
Ember, Smokescreen, Quick Attack, Leer
NOTES
N/A

[Josh Devlin]

The trail got warmer and warmer the higher up Josh went - atypical of most mountains. This one was different - it was a volcano with some level of activity, though it had not erupted in quite some time. Bursts of heat made their way up fine holes in the rocky ground, one of them catching Nitro by surprise and eliciting a yelp from him. "You okay?" he asked as the grass-type swayed from one side of the trail to the other, dropping the normally steady rhythm of his running stroke.

Rounding a corner, Josh's peripheral vision caught the exploding fur of a Quilava. "Oh wow, to find one of these out here!" he exclaimed, the wild taking a step back into a small cave. A Cyndaquil was Josh's first Pokémon when he began the journey across his homeland - that was over fifteen years ago. From what he could see, this Quilava was male too; this could be a mate for the Typhlosion that Elm was taking care of around the lab. He had to try to catch it.

Josh waved Saber up, who had followed the Skiddo up the winding trail. "Nonlethal force, okay?" he stressed to the excited green runner, who dashed into the cave with powerful acceleration to cut off the wild's escape route with a Thunder Wave. Unlike Cyndaquil, though, Quilava were not afraid to fight back when cornered. It lowered its head and lit up the explosive fur on its head, the energy sending Saber flying upward into the cave's curved ceiling - thankfully there were no stalactites there, otherwise he'd have been skewered!

Josh heard an explosion, he and Nitro quickly peeking around the corner into the cave. There was a lot of smoke and dust, the Quilava racing out of the cave. In a split second reflex, Josh tossed a Nest Ball in the Quilava's direction, thinking with the kind of speed the fire-type was fleeing, he would only have one chance.

---

NAME          SPECIES       LV     EP
Saber         Electrike      28      5
Aslan         Litleo         21      5
Nitro         Skiddo         13      5
Illumina      Chinchou       14      5
Blitz         Luxio          18      5
Twilight      Absol          20      5

{WC: 327}
{PC: 8}

[Jenesis]

Go, PokeBall!

One... two... and...

x5o_jbttp_


The Wild Pokemon was caught!
One Nest Ball has been removed from your inventory.

No level gained to Saber - Quilava's level too low.

A wild Helioptile has appeared!

What will you do?

	Helioptile Lv18
		5 Energy
	Large	Sassy
	Sand Veil
MOVES
Thunder Shock, Charge, Mud-Slap, Quick Attack
NOTES
N/A

[Josh Devlin]

Josh's capture successful, he scooped up the now-occupied Nest Ball, having to dismount to get to it without hitting his head from the Ball having rolled back into the cave entrance. "Welcome to the team, Flint," he said to himself, the new capture disappearing in a flash of white, ready for retrieval when he arrived at Fuji Town.

After turning another corner up the trail, Josh was about to jump back onto Nitro, but decided against it when he saw how narrow it was becoming. "Of course," he muttered, having to take perhaps the most difficult part of the trail on foot. Racing every week and preferring to ride everywhere instead of walk didn't leave him out of shape like intuition would lead one to believe, but he certainly was not used to walking such a steep trail.

At this point, the trail split in three, with a sign indicating the destination of each split - the Moonrise Ruins to the west, Mount Grumble straight ahead, and Fuji Town to the east. A lone Helioptile was on the other side of the elevated platform the sign stood on, trying to absorb what little sunlight remained. If he went up the Mount Grumble trail too far before turning around, he might be pushing sunset by the time he reached Fuji Town - and it was going to be dark early because of where the mountain was located at. Against better judgment, he pressed on, the Skiddo and Electrike leading the way.

---

Steel Incense: 2/5 posts remaining

NAME          SPECIES       LV     EP
Saber         Electrike      28      3
Aslan         Litleo         21      3
Nitro         Skiddo         13      4
Illumina      Chinchou       14      5
Blitz         Luxio          18      4
Twilight      Absol          20      5

{WC: 248}
{PC: 9}

[whimsae]

Josh Devlin

A wild Graveler has appeared!

What will you do?

	Graveler Lv31
		5 Energy
	Large	Hardy
	Magnet pull
MOVES
Stealth Rock, Self-destruct, Thunder Punch, Smack Down
NOTES
N/A

[Josh Devlin]

The trail up Mount Grumble wrapped around its conal rock formations, Josh barely able to see a cave mouth a few levels above him. "I'm surprised the government doesn't close off the inside of a volcano to the public for being so dangerous," Josh mumbled, seeing other, smaller caves peppered throughout the upper levels the entire way around. "If you wanted a fire Pokémon, that's a great place to go for one, though."


He very nearly kicked Saber's right hind leg, not noticing that both of his Pokémon had stopped. "I'm so sorry," he apologized to the Electrike, "didn't mean to bum--" he looked down briefly, then forward - the reason his two Pokémon had stopped was before him. There was a menacing-looking Graveler ahead, pointed yellow and black stones poking out of its top rock layer, sparks occasionally flying between them. That was enough convincing for him to turn around and cut his trip up the mountain short. Making his way back to the fork, he instead headed east toward Fuji Town's gate, Saber and Nitro still running ahead of him.

---

Steel Incense: 1/5 posts left

NAME          SPECIES       LV     EP
Saber         Electrike      28      3
Aslan         Litleo         21      3
Nitro         Skiddo         13      4
Illumina      Chinchou       14      5
Blitz         Luxio          18      4
Twilight      Absol          20      5

{WC: 184}
{PC: 10}

[Jae]

Scout Kayden would like to battle!

Buneary Lv28 5 Energy Large Gentle Run Away MOVES Baton Pass, Jump Kick, Quick Attack, Defense Curl  Deerling Lv26 5 Energy Average Bold Chlorophyll MOVES Double Kick, Leech Seed, Feint Attack, Take DOwn  Vulpix Lv25 5 Energy Small Hasty Snow Cloak MOVES Confuse Ray, Aurora Beam, Disable, Ice Shard