This capture would take a bit more effort; he couldn’t rely on Rocky to drag it out of the water, since his Lycanroc really didn’t like getting wet. And he wasn’t sure how far in the Xatu was.

Fortunately, he had just the Pokemon for this situation. He got his Bibarel’s Pokeball out quickly, letting him out in the water. The water-type didn’t even wait to start splashing through the water, enjoying what he assumed was a little time to have fun.

“Bibble, think you can drag that Xatu closer over here?” Hideo asked, pointing towards where he heard it splash. Bibble looked back at him for a moment, then towards where the boy pointed, finally noticing the unconscious (and thankfully not drowning) Xatu.

He took his time swimming over to the unconscious Pokemon. So much time that Hideo noticed something rustling through the bushes. So did Rocky, who immediately got in front of his trainer, ready to protect against whatever threat was approaching.

Their attackers came in fast and hard. Hideo stepped back, unsure where to take cover, opting for the tried-and-true “duck” tactic. The stream of seeds passed by, a good number narrowly missing the boy’s head.

Rocky, understandably, was not amused. He charged ahead, enveloped in bright energy, aiming straight for the preparing-to-explode-but-also-blinded Gourgeist. He made impact just as it was starting to released orange sparks from its body, a sure sign it was about to blow.

But that Accelerock was more than just to hurt it; the blinded Gourgeist lost its balance and was pushed back - right into the now-distressed Grumpig.

Rocky leaped back as quickly as he charged, getting out of range of the ensuing Explosion. Needless to say, neither of the wild Pokemon were standing by the time the smoke cleared. At least they were still alive.

By the time Rocky dragged the Grumpig over to Hideo, the boy also heard Bibble drag something out of the water; no doubt the Xatu. Well, nothing said he couldn’t capture both at once; he had the Pokeballs to spare.

He stood back up, ready for his two catches. “The Pokemon out here sure are aggressive. Guess they gotta be to survive out here, huh?”

Andy Blackadder

Hideo is attempting to capture the Grumpig

With the two fainted Pokemon within reach, Hideo had no difficulty capturing them.

“That...makes a lot of sense. Two fully-evolved Pokemon attacking them out of nowhere is definitely gonna draw attention. And get them to retaliate with something equal.” They did intrude on them. And they even went out of their way to try and ambush the bathing Xatu and Slowbro. If they were humans, this would get the League on them in a heartbeat.

“Wouldn’t think that wild Pokemon could make a community like that. They can be pretty smart sometimes.” Then again, this place was known for a lot of psychic and ghost Pokemon lurking around; no wonder they’d be smarter than average. Hideo nodded when it was suggested that they leave; they’d caught a decent number of Pokemon, and if the Pokemon here really were as smart as they thought, they’d eventually send something that could seriously hurt them.

He followed Andy, Rocky following on land while Bibble went along the water. But before they could get far, they encountered more Pokemon. Andy seemed familiar with what Pallosand were capable of, but Hideo was far more interested in the Exeggutor.

“I hear Exeggutors can get really tall. Like, bigger than a house.” The appeal of a Pokemon several stories high was too great for him to ignore. “Rocky, Bibble, try and surround it and take it down. I have to get one of those!”

His two Pokemon nodded, each approaching by their preferred paths. Bibble was the first to reach the Exeggutor, leaping out of the water and biting down hard. Predictably, the Exeggutor panicked, Stomping around and trying to shake him off. It left her open for Rocky’s claws, pushing the tree-like Pokemon onto her side.

She pleaded for her companion to help her, but the sandcastle didn’t respond, already entranced by Andy’s Gengar. They’d both be easy work for the two boys to capture.

Andy Blackadder

Hideo is attempting to capture the Exeggutor