Since the dawn of Dwarfkind, everyone got along with animals. Whether as pets, food, servants and tools of war, they were an integral part of the world of Dwarfs.
But we were a different story. We didn't have animals. We had Pokemon.
In the beginning ages of our world, we had noticed an abundance of creatures called Pokemon rather than regular animals. They were virtually the same thing, except much more useful. Though it was damned hard to get the right ones to cram into childcare; if there's one thing dogs had over them, it was that they just kept to the simple scratching and biting rather than just outright setting the dwarven babies on fire. Other than that, they're pretty much kickass. That's why we were sent on an expedition to discover more than the ones we already knew about.
I was put in charge of the expedition; from The Scholarly Rags, I, RedMageCole, and my trusted Bulbasaur who has been at my side for as long as I could remember. Not sure why they chose me; I'm a scholar at heart. I don't really do other things; if it weren't for my astronomy studying, I wouldn't even know what the sun would look like. I guess it was due to my knowledge that I was chosen to go discover new types of Pokemon. Either way, I know I'm making a library before another ruler comes in and neglects to make one.
I found comfort in having the Pokemon Professor FirePhoenix11 and his trusted Snivy join the party; he was the one to discover these things were Pokemon in the first place. I just called them 'fresh meat' before their official name was coined because god damn, it was like Russian Roulette trying to eat those things. For the record; the meat tastes better as they evolve, like Pidgeot meat tasting better than Pidgey. Tastes also could go with types; Water types were a bit soggy, Fire types are kinda spicy, Dragon types had an uncanny ability to get you drunk off your ass, and Poison types... well, rest in peace, Uncle Urist.
Dumbass.Oh, and don't taste Tepig meat.
Just don't.
Either way, the tradition of expeditions is a group of 7, so along with me and Phoenix, we also took;
Glass, an average blacksmith with their trusty Charmander. Appropriate choice for a blacksmith, I'd say.
Nopal, a military dwarf. I told him to leave his
goddamned cow at home, but we had to take the damn thing with us, otherwise he'd probably throw a fit.
Ryukan, a... not really sure what they do, so I'll be giving them the odd jobs, with their... well, I asked what Pokemon they'd be taking; didn't get a response, but hey, more embark points for me, I guess. Hopefully they'll get back to me before we set out.
Beirus, a mason who is good with a sword, partnered with their Gible that chewed my shoes up.
And Lord Lemonpie, a ranger who owns a Turtwig. Not sure what they're the lord of, but hey.
Why are none of them miners, I asked? We're dwarves for crying out loud; I usually recommend embarking with 5 miners and 2 woodcutters. They don't care; they said to work with it. Well, at least I know I can trust Ryukan to do mining, and I figure Glass won't mind, being a blacksmith and all. Lemonpie can probably also cut trees; they'll be outside all the time anyway. Nopal can join him; I figure Nopal can use an axe.
Our outpost was to be called Pocketball. No, I have no idea why we were calling it that, but I overheard Glass telling Phoenix about a more efficient way of capturing Pokemon without traps, some tiny little ball called a Pokeball that you cram the giant monsters into. Personally, I don't know what kind of stupid idea that is, but I guess we'll keep an open mind, I guess.
Oh, and I have a Pokedex. I know, like... 50 off of the top of my head. And people are theorizing that there are 700 of these things.
And a good handful of them are on par in power with the average megabeast.
Lovely.I'm a democrat at heart, so while I could just tell everyone to saddle up and go to the scorching hot forest rich with savages as I stay in a comfy, cool cave, I don't think everyone else would want to be so uncomfortable. Look on the bright side; I checked, neighbors do NOT include elves. Either way, I'll listen to opinions on where to embark.
There's also the matter of what we should take for supplies. The usual, plus cages for trapping Pokemon (forgot to add those in, stupid me), sword for Beirus, pig tail products with extra thread for my books, two picks, two axes, plump helmet seeds, meat, booze (hell yes), and an anvil. Again, thought this would be optimal, but I'll see what everyone else thinks.
I also need to see if there's any last minute changes anyone wanted on their jobs or Partner Pokemon... and if someone wants to eat a different Pokemeat, let me know. I heard Solosis meat is in season...