TheSiberianExpress

    A general murmor of anticipation spread throughout the crowd surrounding the makeshift ring that had been set up in the street outside of the Avalodge. The ring itself was barely anything more than an assortment of wooden palettes with a chafed, faded canvas stretched over the top of it. A quartet of hefty wooden posts that had been erected on top of it with several lengths of worn, aging rope tied between them to signifiy the boundaries of the ring. There were no seats for the crowd, who jostled amongst each other for a favourable viewing spot. Thankfully, some of the Avaluggs from inside the lodge had decided to come out and stand on th

    "Party?" Whitaker asked quizzically, scratching at the top of his head. "What party?"     "Geeze, you guys are slow." Oscar the Trubbish pointed out. Right then, it was easy to see his point - it was well past midday and the dynamic duo had only just lumbered out of the entrance to their alley home, squinting at the unwelcome touch of the sunlight. "Maybe you guys should do less sleeping and pay attention more. I literally live in a garbage can and I hear more news than you."     Whitaker gave the Trubbish a long, foul stare through bleary eyes. "I'll cut you a deal. I won't roll that garbage can of yours into the nearest river if you

    Lance perused the line of young Pokémon arrayed in front of him. He crossed his arms, attempting to feign a scowl as if he were trying to mimic King's look of terrifying disdain. However, he wasn't managing to do a very convincing job of it, as instead it appeared as if he was barely able to contain his mirth at the prospect of what was to follow. Whitaker cringed visibly in his place in line. King was scary, but Lance's very presence was unsettling. However, the scariest thing of all was the ten-foot wide sand circle lurking ominously behind the Gallade. Whitaker didn't have to be a genius to know what was waiting for him in there.

    The Pit's creche had become a familiar setting to the young Whitaker. The hustle and bustle of the other young Pokémon filled his ears, and the brightly coloured toys that littered the floor caught his eyes. It was somewhat impressive that he managed to notice this, given that he was held under his armpits by a Mienfoo, his struggles to escape her grasp proving hilariously futile. Meanwhile, his hand was being gripped tightly by a familiar Tyrogue. Patterson smacked Whitaker in the face with his own hand repeatedly.    "Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!" He shouted again and again, grinning madly.    Yep. This was fam

    The newborn Croagunk cried out from the interior of the crate, squealing loudly to anybody within earshot. The muscular giant that he would later find out was called a Machamp, and the sly-looking white humanoid with the weird green decorations that he would later find out was called Gallade - neither of those were his mommy. His mommy wouldn't just cast him aside, leaving him in this scary dark box. His instincts were screaming to him, causing him to scream out to the world. He needed his mommy. Where was she? The only light that he could get was through the tiny, narrow gaps between the wooden boards making up the box.    "Not just us

    Whitaker prowled the streets, an irritated scowl tugging at either corner of his mouth. His eyes shot back and forth, searching the early-morning twilight, and to his irritation, not finding what he was looking for. Eventually, his orbit around town started to decay, finally dwindling down to a point, landing him right on the street where the dirty alley they called home was located. It was there that he found what he was looking for. Somehow, as he spotted the stupidly-grinning Hitmonchan lurching down the street towards him, his vest askew, this failed to make him any happier.    "What the hell, Pat?" Whitaker called out irately, comp

    Night-time in Andallust. Kara patrolled the streets boldly, knowing that despite her diminutive stature she towered over all the scum polluting the streets in authority - the lines were drawn simply at this hour - there was the trash, and she was the trash-lady.    Speaking of trash... she thought as she spied a pair of shady-looking individuals hanging by a street corner, glowering at all passers-by. The exact kind of suspicious layabouts that she was on the lookout for. She chewed on the end of her leaf fiercely, partly through anger, but mostly through anticipation of the potential opportunity to give the pair of them the pasting tha

    Patterson and Whitaker stood in front of Luke like a pair of scolded children before their headmaster. Luke tapped one foot impatiently – he was wearing an expression that neither Patterson or Whitaker had seen on his face before. He didn’t quite look angry as he crossed his gloved arms in front of his chest, as much as he seemd to just be intensely disappointed. Somehow, this was all the worse, and made the pair of them squirm uncomfortably. A little way back, Cassidy looked on, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Marcus the Skrelp curled his tail around the Floatzel’s shoulder, staring on in apparent amusement at the chast

    “So,” Whitaker asked, “What can we expect from this guy?”    “A tough fight, and some nasty tricks. I fought him once already, and I wish that I’d nailed him then and there. I don’t like the idea of having to do it all over again.” Gavina replied. The trio of her, Patterson and Whitaker stalked down the street, all three keeping a sharp lookout, just in case.    “That bad, huh?” Whitaker asked, a touch of apprehension apparent in his voice despite his attempt to conceal it. “Can you give us some more details than-“    “Wait!” Patterson suddenly inter

    While it promised to be a sunny Andallust morning, the sun was only just peeking over the top of the buildings on either side of the street. The dim light was only just barely able to illuminate the colourful plumage of the Hawlucha stalking down the street. An annoyed scowl crossed Gavina's face. She was told to look for a grimy-looking side alleyway - too bad that there was no shortage of those on this partciular avenue. Gavina hoped that she wouldn't have to check too many more, lest the stink of garbage ended up clinging to her feathers. She passed by another alleyway, but instantly dismissed it as not being what she was looking for.