<div align="center"><strong>Azalea Town</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>Lusa and Spinarak</strong></div><br/>"Hello, are you there? Hello...can you hear me? Ok, good. This is Prof. Elm. We have a bit of a situation at the Goldenrod City Radio Tower. I'd handle it myself, but I'm barricading the laboratory from newbie trainers who are trying to break down the door to get a new Pokemon. The supply of Pokemon plummeted and the demand rose exponentially and couldn't keep up.<br/><br/>Nobody has access to Pokemon Trainers everywhere are unable to FLY with their Pokemon. Flying Pokemon have been rendered useless. The wild bird Pokemon have become extremely aggressive and FLYing is not safe. In addition, hordes of Skarmory and Crowbat have been attacking the Radio Tower during the day. Hoothoot flocks have been defecating on the Radio Tower and flying into the glass windows and flying shrapnel is harming the radio station workers. Do you think you could check it out in my stead? I have a hunch Team Rocket might be behind this..."<br/><br/>Lusa listened intently to the call on her Pokegear, trying not to be happy about the unfortunate events that were the reason for the call. This was her chance; a reason to pack up and leave Azalea town, to travel and to see bigger, better things. She had never quite fit in there, except for the Gym; she got along reasonably well with Bugsy and the other trainers there, thanks to a shared interest in Bug Pokemon. She patted Spinarak affectionately, and began preparing her things.<br/><br/>"Ready for a trip, buddy?" she cooed at her Pokemon. She'd encountered her Spinarak in the Ilex Forest near her home, a little more than a year ago. It had taken so long for her to earn his trust, not having another Pokemon to weaken him with, but after weeks of leaving food for him, they had become friends.<br/><br/>There was little resistance from Lusa's parents when she expressed her desire to travel to Goldenrod, especially after she played them the recording of the call, and soon Lusa was walking her bike to the edge of Ilex Forest, Spinarak clinging to her back, looking like a spider-shaped backpack. She had made small forays into the forest her whole life, but it was still dangerous to travel deep inside, and she had never made the trip all the way through before.<br/><br/>"D-don't worry, Spinarak. I've done plenty of reading on forest-dwelling Pokemon. I'm sure we'll be fine as long as we're careful to keep out of dense vegetation!" She reassured both herself and her Pokemon, mounting her bike and entering the woods.