Upon being sucked into the Oracle Zone Book, Hiro slowly stood up and dusty himself off, coughing a bit," Man, what a ride." He scratched his head looking around the rocky wasteline," Eh, where the heck am I?'

The atmosphere was suitable, definately not Hiro's cup-o-tea, but he'd survive. At his side was his starter Pokèmon, just as confused, Sandshrew. The ground-dwelling rodent Pokèmon looked around, seemingly bored with the environment. It's skin was very dry at the moment.

Hiro knelt down to the mouse Pokèmon and said," Well, don't you think we should start walking right about now?" Sandshrew scoffed at its trainer and curled into a ball.

"Nice Defense Curl! Maybe you could learn Rollout someday?" Hiro said approvingly, giving his Pokèmon a thumbs up.

Sandshrew began to roll down the path quickly, leaving Hiro in the dust,"Hey wait up! Sandshrew! Sandshrew!!

Hiro had read up on Sandshrew once. He learned that with the help of a trainer can become bolder and more daring and can even be trained to swim despite the fact that they are weakened by water.

You heard the rolling sound the curled Sandshrew was making like a spinning wheel in a car. It was too dark for your eyes to see the Pokèmon and if ever you can catch a shadow or glimpse of Sandshrew, you would always end up seeing a rock instead. You followed with the best you can using your sense of hearing but you've been tripping over rocks as you try not to lose your only Pokèmon. Sandshrew was enjoying his time making you follow him blindly as if this was a game of Marco Polo. Inside, he was snickering at you, having too much fun.

As you chase Sandshrew, something was chasing you back, funnily enough. Behind you, there was a red glow suspended in mid-air like some sort of spirit. It looked a bit uncanny especially since the glow was so red, red like dirty blood, like a firefly too in the dark.

Sandshrew had finally decided to stop. He uncurled himself, shaking his head from the rolling good for five to eight minutes. With a slight, naughty smirk, he watched you run towards him. The game was not over yet. Sandshrew took out his claws and began digging with speed, leaving a castle of soil beside the hole he dug. Sandshrew had just used a Dig attack, disappearing again.

Hiro groaned out loud in the darkness, still unbeknownst that something was chasing him as he pursuited Sandshrew.

Unfortunate for Hiro...

"Whoa!!!" Hiro got his footstuck in the hole that Sandshrew had dug to get away from him. He fell into the ground, his face slammed into the pile of soil next to the hole.

"Argh...I had to pick a digger." Hiro said to himself as he struggled to get his foot out of the hole," Dammit, it's so dark. And this hole is so annoying." Not a perfect start to a journey.

But what beginning are perfect?

Sandshrew emereged from underground from another hole, snickering at Hiro and teasing him by pointing at him and laughing, falling on it's back.

Hiro snarled," We'll see how you like it. Just as soon as I can get the heck outta this hole!"

You pulled your foot but your foot wouldn't nudge. It was definitely stuck. Sandshrew laughed again. When it stopped, Sandshrew began moving. The Pokèmon approached you -- not a good sign -- and stood in front of you. With another smirk, the Pokèmon placed a claw on the ground. He looked at you as if waiting for a response. Sandshrew dug his claws on the ground until it was half-submerged. With one swipe of his arms, the soil went spattering on your face like paint. Sandshrew laughed but even with this hilarious scene, his laughter had stopped. From where he stood, he saw the approaching light. You saw Sandshrew starring at something from behind you with wide-eyes. Sandshrew looked at you. Something was getting close -- a red, glowing light. It could be dangerous and it might attack....

Sandshrew dug a hole with Dig. It was time to run, obviously leaving you behind with the approaching thing. Sandshrew didn't seem to care at all, leaving you as if you weren't his Trainer. Surely Sandshrew cared, but no, his face even looked satisfied that this was one excellent plan that went so unintentionally great. Things just keep on coming and Sandshrew would not want to get in the way.

Hiro shielded his eyes from the red light, grunting from the brightness of the light source," Argh, some Pokèmon, Sandshrew." He said, watching his Pokèmon retreat by digging. Well, it seemed as if his foot wasn't about to pop out of the hole, so Hiro decided to wait and see what this red energy source was.

He managed to get into a comfortable position, his eyes still squinted," Is it a Pokèmon? Or what?" Hiro began to think a Pokèmon with a red glowing light, but nothing came into mind.

Hiro was definately at a loss.

[ Three days have passed already? DX ]

It introduced itself in a brilliant glare of red light, now hovering practically above you. The thing had stopped then almost as if to look down on you. You weren't able to see what it really was due to its red light. It looked like it was the flashing siren of the police cars and you were caught right on the spot, framed by whatever crime Sandshrew has put up in less than twenty-four hours. Your retinas soon got used with the light and the light seemed to calm down. You saw then clearer the face of the creature. It really was a Pokèmon but it was a zombie Pokèmon. It had no melanin on its skin, no pupils in its eyes and no fluttering wings to make it more angelic. Instead it was colorless, pale and lifeless with a bloody horn on top of its head. It was hovering above you like the grime reaper. Was it game over already?

Sandshrew popped out in another hole in a good distance away from the two of you. He saw clearly from behind what it was and gasped. The thing was very scary and possibly it could kill his Trainer and all because it was his fault, all because he was so childish and immature, being mean even to this boy. Sandshrew stared at it but only smirked. Death? Not possible. A boy screaming like a girl on top of his lungs? Maybe and he couldn't wait to hear it, snickering again.

That naughty Sandshrew...

Hiro blinked as he looked at the creature, still unable to figure out exactly what it was. Hiro wasn't the type of guy who would get scared easily by such creature, but, right now, this thing was intimidating.

Eventually, he managed to squeeze his foot out of the hole. The foot fell numb," It's asleep." Hiro said, mentioning his foot. As the blood rushed back to his foot, Hiro sat on the gorund, looking up at the creature.

Time to talk perhaps.

"Okay. You don't like me and I don't like you." He looked over to Sandshrew," And right about now, I'm not liking Sandshrew." He smirked and said," In a way, he's similar to me. So I'm stuck with him."

He glanced back to the creature," So, let me introduce my self," he smiled friendly, trying to make amends," Hi, I'm Hiro Kazuma!" Hiro extended his hand, even if the creature had a hand/paw or not.

The creature did nothing but hover above you. Not once did it even glance at you, though it might have been best that way since those eyes were just so cold and blank that if it stared at you, it might be equal to Medusa's petrifying stare. Sandshrew yawned. The thing was not eating you and it no longer appeared to be a threat, though intimidating and scary. It looked excellent for Halloween props though. Sandshrew began approaching you as if nothing happen between the two of you. Not much authority bestowed on the starter it seemed. It might be hard in any case.

Sandshrew looked at the creature. Maybe he can ride on it? He was a Ground Pokèmon so he never really experienced flying but it looked a bit small and he might just crash the moment he would sit on it. "Shrew," he said. "Sandshrew!" he said to it but it did not reply again. Sandshrew frowned. What was wrong with this Pokèmon?

Hiro sighed and shook his head," It's no use, Sandshrew. It can be helped." He got to his feet, still staring at the alleged Pokèmon. Whatever it was, it wasn't the talking type. That red light sure was getting annoying.

Hiro began to become bored of this stalemate and said," Fine, if you won't attack first, then I will!" He looked down to Sandshrew and was about to order an attack, however, he came to believe that Sandshrew had no faith in him.

So...

Hiro smirked a bit and said," Normally I don't hurt Pokèmon, but you're an exception I'm afraid." He reared back his fists, swinging it in a counter-clockwise motion," Be prepared to eat....my knuckle sandwich!" He thrusted his fist forward.

Sandshrew covered its eyes, awaiting the booming sound of impact.

Talk about violent; you punched the odd Pokèmon straight in the face. Your knuckles hit its surface and the Pokèmon did not nudge again as if it felt nothing. Sandshrew peeked through his tiny fingers. There was no "boom" yet or at least a shrieking, painful, "aah!". Sandshrew brought down his arms, wondering what happened. He was wrong though. Everything occurred when least expected. You heard cracking noises and the face of the Pokèmon broke to pieces. It was only the face though but the wings and its body were no longer functional. The annoying light on its horn died until the Pokèmon had fallen on the ground.

Sandshrew faked a gasp and wagged a you're-in-trouble finger at you. The Pokèmon, or whatever it was, crashed on the ground with its face into pieces. The inside of the Pokèmon was made out of complicated wirings and machinery of sort though there was no sign of electricity or batteries in it. That wasn't very normal either.

Hiro blinked as he watched the contraption fall to the ground," Crud.." He said to himself as he knelt down and tried to put the pieces of wiring and metal back together," OK, so this thing wasn't actually a Pokèmon. My bad." He looked to Sandshrew," Don't wag your finger at me. This is all your fault! Hadn't you played those cruel and unusual jokes on me, I wouldn't have destroyed whatever this thing is!" He looked down at the pieces again," Eh. "

Sandshrew snickered. You weren't able to pull back the Pokèmon together at all and Sandshrew wasn't helping. He kicked the empty, broken face of the machine Pokèmon causing your work of an attempt to put it back together to burst into messy piles again. The Sandshrew was out of control but whether or not you were in trouble because of breaking the fake Pokèmon, you were already doomed to be in trouble with a Pokèmon like Sandshrew around.

Something dug out from the ground and a Sandshrew clawed its way back to the surface. It so happen that the Sandshrew popped beneath the contraption. "Shrew," it said, looking around and wondering what happened.

"Sandshrew!" Sandshrew called to the Pokèmon, grinning toothily at the wild Sandshrew.

"Shrew!" the wild Sandshrew greeted back, waving at your Sandshrew.

Okay, two Sandshrew, you can do this, or not.

Not.

Hiro thudded to the ground at the site of yet another Sandshrew," Great, not I've got two Sandshrew on my hands. Boy, can this day get any worse." He stood up and dusted himself off. No use in getting further dirt on his his clothes right? Hiro had to take his anger out on something. Someone. The wild Sandshrew was the number one candidate.

Hiro pointed forward," Sandshrew! Tackle!"

He awaited Sandshrew's response, hoping for the best, knowing he'd get the worst.

Oh what luck Hiro had in selecting Pokèmon, right?

Right.

Sandshrew stared at you then looked at his wild self. Why would he hurt his brethren? He looked at then enemy Sandshrew who pouted, eyes watery, looking ever so sad. Sandshrew looked sympathetic. Why would you order him to hurt such...

Ponk.

A pebble went flying to Sandshrew's head from the wild Sandshrew's kick. Sandshrew's eyes flashed red and horns seemed to grow out of his head.

Why that little...

"Shrew!" Sandshrew roared. Maybe he would have done an attack but he didn't exactly knew a Tackle attack. Sandshrew turned to you, fuming and flailing his arm. "Shew, shew, shrew!" he shouted to you angrily, his mood getting to you now.

"Shrew." Sandshrew heard and felt a claw tapped him on the shoulder. He looked and saw the wild Sandshrew, smirking and suddenly using a Scratch attack on his face. Sandshrew looked furious.

Hiro sneered a bit and facepalmed," Ah, you idiot! You know damn-well that a Sandshrew doesn't know Tackle! Scratch is it's first move! That's elementary! IDIOT!" He facepalmed once more before coming to," Alright, Sandshrew! Don't let that punk deter you! Scratch it back!"

Sandshrew leaped forward to attack. Whether it was listening to it's trainer or not, Sandshrew attacked.

"Shrew!" It extended it's claws and attempted a scratch across the face of the wild, rabid Sandshrew.

[ Haha, rabid sandshrew x3 ]

Sandshrew scratched Sandshrew. It fell back, its hands flying straight to its face, eyes twitching from the stinging pain. The Sandshrew used a Scratch attack back at Sandshrew, snarling like a rabid Growlithe. Sandshrew used a Scratch again in return until the two exchanged wild scratching. They both hit each other in the face, leaving marks and both pausing to squeeze their wounded faces.

It looked quite confusing. If you keep your eye on where Sandshrew is, you shouldn't get confused but then the two broke in a wild brawl so it was hard to tell already...

Whoever Sandshrew follows your command should be yours though. If Sandshrew would follow anyway.

[Ah, the book "Of Mice and Men" was on my mind. Some guy kept on talking about "rabbits". So rabid came to mind when thinking about the wild Sandshrew XD. Also, I didn't know Hiro's Sandshrew was level 50!! XD.]

Hiro looked from side to side as the two Sandshrews began to brawl. Then, his eyes shifted to the mechanism that he had destroyed earlier, almost forgetting that the thing was still there," It can't be helped," he said softly. His attention went back to the battle," Eh...Those two are really going at it. Hard to believe that they were getting along like five minutes ago. That can't be help either."

Hiro smirked a bit before saying again," Alright...Keep up the scatching, Sandshrew! Whichever one you are!"

Hiro's Sandshrew jumped up, it's face scarred severely," Sandshrew!" It did a backward flip in the air and landed on the ground," Shrew!" It dashed forward, slashing it's claws again at the wild Sandshrew.

[Also! Is it ok if Sandshrew knows how to backflip? I just re-read the rules again about flips, dodges. etc.]

[ Sandshrew gained 45 level from the last 5 minutes D: ]

The wild Sandshrew was caught off-guard by the sudden lunging tamed counterpart of his. The Sandshrew was scratched from the belly to the face. The wild Pokèmon screamed in pain, back landing on the ground. Sandshrew smirked, pointing rudely its claws at the wild Pokèmon. It glared at him, trying to stand up. Its face and body was hot from the recent Scratch attack which proved to be effective but he won't fall for the same trick again next time.

"Sandshrew!" it said, raising its claws in a battle cry. It jabbed the ground with it and began digging swiftly, a dune of soil castled on the side of a small, dark hole.



[ Yep ^,^ You might learn a TechTactics if you do it well but it requires some practice depending on your Pokèmon. Sandshrew is a bit reflexive so the chances of success and not hurting itself is high but if it's Slowpoke trying to do a back flip, GOOD LUCK XD ]

Hiro lookeed around the battle field for where the wild Sandshrew would pop up next," Where are you, you little runt." He looked over at his Sandshrew, which appeared to be somewhat lsitening to Hiro now. Hiro smiled to himself and thought," Finally. " Then, he thought of his next move.

If he and Sandshrew didn't know where the rabid Sandshrew was coming from, the least they could do was defend. And so," Sandshrew! Curl into Defense! Defense Curl!" Sandshrew nodded as it rolled into a tight ball, increasing it's defensive stat. It stayed in this position, playing it safe until the opposition showed itself.

"Shrew!" the wild Sandshrew cried out, coming back to the surface. Sandshrew was hit from below with the digging Pokèmon's claws but the only thing the wild Pokèmon scratched was the tough armor of the Pokèmon. Sandshrew went flying in the air before falling on the ground safely. Uncurling itself, Sandshrew smirked at its wild counterpart, obviously winning the round around.