The boy followed suit, sitting a distance besides the man, his arms hugging his knees. Amor, he repeated in his mind. ”It is nice meeting you too, Amor,” he replied with a gentle smile, though his eyes were still fixated at the Pokemon playing amongst themselves. 

     Mason giggled a few times watching the Pokemon playing with each other, amused by their adorable behaviours. Vesty and Twiggy had always been friendly and they love to play with other Pokemon. Contrast to their trainer, who found it a bit hard to engage in social situations, most of the times relying on others to start a conversation with him.

     The question asked by the older man made his cheeks flush. ”Err... I think it had been a couple days, but definitely not a week in.” he answered while intentionally avoiding eye contact with Amor. Mason tried to put the spotlight away from him by immediately asking the man, his body now turned to face the man he was questioning, ”How about you? How long have you been a trainer?”. The boy guessed that the man had definitely been a trainer for years, judging by how he and his Pokemon coordinated. 

    Mason was more than shocked when the Slowking and the trainer didn’t even bother about the Razor Leaf attack. Like his trainer, Twiggy was also shocked. He gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into a fist, he would not let his opponent belittle them just like that.

     When Mason saw the opening of the Slowking using raindance, he immediately made a move, ”Twiggy go in and use Crunch on its tail!”, he instructed with a finger pointing at the Slowking. He gritted his teeth, hoping that his opponent won’t pull off any weird moves to put him and Twiggy at a disadvantage. 

---

@gina

     Mason opened his eyes to see a big Machamp glancing at him before continuing to do its work. It seemed like he had hit the big Pokemon when he was not looking. A voice then appeared from his side, still rubbing his throbbing head, he turned a bit to see a man about a couple years older than him giving him a soft smile. Mason sensed something melancholic about the man’s demeanour. 

     ”Yeah I’m fine,” he replied with shy eyes. It was very natural for Mason to avoid eye contact with someone he barely knew. Plus the man seemed to be busy doing something with his Machamp and Mason couldn’t help but to feel guilty for coming out of nowhere and interrupting them. 

     Mason perked up when the man mentioned his Larvesta, and he was a bit surprised when the man fed Vesty. There was something about the blond’s kindness that attracted Mason’s attention, not to forget the plethora of questions that were running through his mind like, Who is this man, What is he doing here, Why is he so kind, Where is he from, and many more. 

     Mason couldn’t help but to let out a soft chuckle when the man apologised to the Turtwig, clearly amused by it. ”Don’t worry, Twiggy makes his own food by absorbing sunlight. Occasionally I feed him berries and leaves for snacks but otherwise he only needs some sunbathing and some water a few times a day.” Mason explained while rubbing his Turtwig’s head. He then glanced at his Larvesta, who was really enjoying the snacks, ”Thanks for feeding Vesty though,” Mason said with a gentle smile. 

     He might be a shy person but when it comes to Pokemon he’d do anything for them. He noticed a Chespin holding an acorn, which he found adorable. He looked at the Chespin with his same gentle smile and gave it a little wave of hand. 

---

Billi Marsh

Mason was very intrigued when he saw Ji-Hoon snapped his fingers. A plethora of questions grew in his head, like what was the purpose of the snapping and could trainers really instruct their Pokemon by only using such simple gesture? He wondered if he could one day pull something like that in the future with his Pokemon.

He clicked his tongue when the Snom avoided the attack by using a decoy. Though the Purrloin didn’t do anything towards the incoming charge from Twiggy. Though the Purrloin managed to scratch Twiggy in return, ”Twiggy retreat and use Razor Leaf from the distance! Vesty use Flame Charge on the doll!” Mason instructed. The Turtwig jumped back, creating a distance between him and the opponents. He lifted his front body up and began to swung his head downwards, whereas the Larvesta cloaked itself in flames and charged towards the Snom’s substitute. While the Larvesta was charging at the Snom plushie, he was accidentally hit by the Turtwig’s razor leaf. It seemed like the Turtwig was bad at aiming his razor leaf, and it scattered throughout the battlefield, spreading it towards half the arena, reducing the damage dealt to any that was hit by it.

”Vesty!” he shouted, worried about his Pokemon. But the Pokemon seemed to be less than scathed, and that was when Mason remembered that Vesty was both a bug-type and a fire-type. Grass-type moves won’t deal that much to him. A relief can be seen washed across his face. The Turtwig though looked back with guilty eyes, ”It’s okay Twiggy, we can train your aim!”

---

Chu-e Choi

     Mason had travelled halfway around the Hoenn region. He was too excited to explore the world and see new places, and when he heard about the nearby Mt. Pyre, he was excited to check it out. He heard stories from his late Mother, on how there were many graves of Pokemon there. She shared her story to him on how she used to go there to pay respects to her fallen companions. Now that he had heard the stories, he had aught to check it out himself, he really liked exploring new areas and discovering new things. It was a good experience for him and his Pokemon.

     Before he explored the area, he first paid respect and tribute towards the fallen Pokemon. Praying that they will find peace in the afterlife. Mason ventured throughout the area with his two loyal companions, Vesty and Twiggy, a Larvesta and a Turtwig. They managed to fought a couple wild Pokemon along the way. Mason thought that it was good since essentially they were training. Until suddenly they ran across a pretty devilish looking Gengar. A chill ran down the bones of Mason and his Pokemon. The three of them were frozen, unable to move. The Gengar approached slowly and then started running towards them.

     Without any delay the three of them ran as fast as they could, screaming at the top of their lungs. They turned corners and corners, blindly running away, scared of being haunted by a Gengar. After a while of running they grew pretty tired, so Mason looked back to see if everything was clear and they were not being h(a)unted down anymore. But before he could properly register what was behind them, he collapsed onto something big and hard that made him stumble to the ground. ”Ouchh...” he groaned as he tried to stand up, his brain spinning from the impact. Vesty and Twiggy quickly came to his side to check on him, worried of his state.

---

Billi Marsh

     Mason was a bit taken aback when he was given that kind smile and introduction of a name, despite being extremely shy he mustered with a courage, though his voice was a little bit cracky at the start of his sentence, ”Y-Yes! I-Im Mason!”. He hoped he didn’t embarrass himself with that, though he didn’t have the time to think about that, he must focus on the battle.

     Being given the clearance to start first, Mason didn’t hesitate any further. ”Vesty use Ember on the Snom! Twiggy distract the Purrloin with a tackle!” the two Pokemon did as instructed. The Larvesta’s five red horns released a flame on each of its tips before he shot a flame from its mouth towards the Snom. Whereas the Turtwig were already charging at the Purrloin with his whole body.

     Mason clenched both of his fists as he eagerly watched his Pokemon and his opponent’s, observing what his opponent would do, he might learn a thing or two.

---

Chu-e Choi

     Mason was all ears when the man went through his plans again. His eyes sparkled when the man said that he and his Pokemon were counted on as well. He must do his best and not let anyone down! His Pokemon shared the same sentiment as well. The boy was amazed when he watched the taller man instructed his Pokemon with clear instructions and direct orders. He was aspired to be just like that one day. 

     It was all just so cool how the man’s Pokemon immediately went to do as instructed. He wondered if he could pull something like that one day with Vesty and Twiggy. Which when he looked at the two little guys, he saw that they already made a new friend. Twiggy was rustling his forehead against Adontis whereas Vesty waved his stubby front legs, the tip of his horn slightly igniting as a sign of excitement. 

     Mason noticed a gaze was on him, so he looked up to the pair of eyes. As before, Mason listened to the man, his attention was unhindered, nodding only when needed to convey that he understood what the other man was saying. When the man was done talking, Mason felt a little bit weird. He wondered why the man was suddenly so nice. ”Eh it is not like I know who he is, oh yeah I don’t know who he is!’, a sudden thought occurred to him. Mason followed him, walking towards the wooloos, ”Umm, what should I call you? I’m Mason,” he introduced himself.

     Vesty and Twiggy ran towards Adontis, and they started to playing chase with Adontis riding the wooloo, it was adorable. Mason hoped that his Larvesta won’t accidentally set any of the wooloos on fire.

---

Amor Rose

     

     His eyes widen a little when he saw the Slowking. He was very sure that Slowking is a water-type Pokemon. He might have a chance to win this since Twiggy is a grass-type Pokemon! He threw the pokeball from his hand next, coming out of it a pumped, excited and eager looking Turtwig. Mason chuckled softly, amused by the new side of his Turtwig he only recently discovered. His Turtwig seemed to like to battle.

     Having the permission from his opponent, he said softly under his breath, ”Alright then,”. He wanted to test the water first, to see what his opponent is capable of. So he began with a simple move, ”Twiggy use Razor Leaf!””. The little Pokemon let out a battle cry as he lifted his front legs and moved his head downwards in a diagonal, releasing a series of fast moving, crescent shaped leaves, towards the Slowking. Mason’s eyes were as sharp as an eagle to see what his opponent would do.

---

@gina

     It was as if he had been slapped so hard it momentarily separated his entire soul from his body. The tall man’s words were hurtful but it was the honest truth. And Mason was okay with the truth. Even though it hurts, he was used to the pain of it. Mason listened tentatively to the man, keeping note on how his plan were destined to fail. When the man said that he was half right, Mason felt appreciated by that and it lifted his spirits. 

     The man called out two more of his Pokemon, in which both left Mason with a look of wonder and awe. One was a really cool Gallade and the other was another big and cool-looking dragon-type Pokemon. ”Whoa...” was all that came out of his mouth as his eyes gleamed at the cool Pokemon.

     Mason listened tentatively again to the man’s plan. ’So this is how a plan sounds like in the real world...’ he said to himself in his mind. He also couldn’t get over the fact on how cool the man was, like how could anybody be that cool?? When the man was done explaining, Mason was eager to bring his Pokemon out, as they’ll get to have some action as well. ”Me and my Pokemon can do that! Come out Vesty! Twiggy,” he threw two pokeballs near the ground and out a Larvesta and a Turtwig came. Their size way smaller than the man’s Pokemon but that didn’t bother Mason. 

     ”I’m assuming that the Beheeyem is a psychic type right? With the teleport and all. If that’s the case then these two boys can handle them,” he said while bending down a little to scratch the head of his two little companions with that innocent and gentle smile of his. ”Right, Twiggy? Vesty?” the two Pokemon let out a cheerful cry at the mention of their name, whilst enjoying the head scratches of course. He then stood up straight to listen to the man again. 

     Mason gave the man a questioning look when the man chuckled. He didn’t find anything funny in the man’s sentence.

     ”Thank you! Thank you so much! I shall reward you bountifully,” the farmer said to the tall man specifically. When he was walking back towards his house, he gave a weird look at Mason, in which Mason found quite peculiar but didn’t think much about.

---

Amor Rose

     Mason jumped in surprise when a voice suddenly came out of nowhere. He turned to see a man with long white hair standing at a height above him. But what made his knees tremble even more is the Dragonite behind the man. He had never seen a dragon-type Pokemon with his own eyes, and he did not know that he will be meeting one so soon. The farmer turned away from Mason as if he wasn’t there at all, and stood in front of the other cooler trainer. ”Oh thank you so much! You actually look like someone I can rely on,” the farmer said. Mason took that as an offensive statement and suffered it internally.

     The farmer continued to answer the man’s questions. ”They come at midnight! Last night I tried to stay awake and fend those creatures off but I was so tired I fell asleep. Today I woke up late and boo-hoo my wooloos are gone! The remaining wooloos survived but I don’t think they can hold it much longer, they are scattered inside the field there,” he pointed with his thumb at the field just next to them, guarded by wooden fences.

     Despite the farmer ignoring his existence already, Mason listened to the information that was given to the taller man. Once the farmer had answered all the questions the man looked at Mason and oh boy did the gaze intimidated him so much he could feel a chill run down his spine. There was something about the man’s aura that made Mason feel so small and weak. But when the man asked the question and said those sentences, Mason felt challenged. ”Yes I will help him!” his eyes suddenly determined and his posture more serious.

     He coughed a little to clear his throat, it wasn’t always that he try to appear manly and serious, well perhaps he never did, ”I suggest we set up some decoys to trick the captors and kick their asses for good. We can use the wool from the wooloos to make the decoys. At midnight we can group the wooloos together and have your dragonite protect them while we ambush the captors when they least expect it.” he gulped when he finished that sentence and crossed his arms. His voice didn’t sound any manlier due to it being high-pitched. But nevertheless he wanted to show that he was serious. ”How does that sound?” he continued.

---

Amor Rose

    Twiggy was exhausted so Mason let him rest inside his Poke Ball. Though the day was not over yet and he still has one more battle to fight, and his Larvesta, Vesty, was really eager to fight. The little bug Pokemon really seemed to love fighting. Mason also noticed in recent battles on how Vesty was much more invested in the fights than Twiggy was.     

     He approached the arena with a calm demeanour. He had gotten used to the intense atmosphere of a battle and learned how to control his nervousness. With a Pokeball in one of his hand he nodded at the final opponent he was facing that day, with a small gentle smile of course. Mason had been on a losing streak, but that was okay. He was still learning, and still growing, and this won’t be any different.

---

mason’s pc
Laurence Anderson

    After his two Pokemons experienced what it was like to battle against a trainer’s Pokemon, they’ve been itching for another one. Mason was not going to lie, he was looking forward to another one as well, though all the other trainers on the beach seemed to be much more experienced than he was. But that didn’t bring his spirit down, he was looking for experience after all, and he might learn a thing or two by facing those who are far stronger than him.

     This particular battle is a double battle, something that excites Mason even more. A double battle requires the trainers to use two Pokemons at the same time and this can lead to very unique and interesting combos that the trainers can pull off. Walking towards the arena with Vesty and Twiggy by his side, Mason was already thinking about how his two Pokemons can work together to achieve victory. 

     When he arrived at the arena, he gave a gentle and genuine smile at his opponent, he had become less and less nervous than the battles before. 

---

mason’s pc
Chu-e Choi

    Mason loves both his starters, Vesty and Twiggy, equally. So this time he’ll be using Twiggy instead to battle! After the first round adrenaline filled every corner of his body. He was enjoying it and it seemed like Vesty did too, despite losing they had some serious fun. Unlike the round before, he wasn’t shaking when he stepped into the arena. 

     When he saw his opponent, he felt a bit more excited than nervous, still nervous, but even more excited. He nodded at his opponent in the spirit of sportsmanship. He took a deep breath in, and exhaled a shaky breath. With a pokeball clenched in his hand he was ready!

---

mason’s pc
@gina