@Ninian

“Yeah. Well. Believe it. Take it from someone whose broken a bone or two in his time, willing it away isn’t an option.” Jinx’s voice was bright, as if he was discussing a good career prospect, a streak of good weather or the fact that someone he didn’t like had just been pushed down a flight of stairs. Really, the voice lent itself to many things.

But the cheery, chirpy tone being used to describe grievous bodily injury was roughly equivalent, in terms of logic, to the existence of the Kanto Atheist Choir. Who were evidently quite talented, if those posters he’d seen plastered around the region during his death-or-glory run were any indication.

Jinx kneeled down, tried to grab hold of the man and set him against his shoulder-and

Nopenopenopenopenope

That was not working he was going to slip and break something else and then he’d be on the hook for medical bills. He’d have to rob a bank. And not just for fun. For work.

Work was never fun.

“....Right. So.”

Bridal style then. With a grunt, a heft, and a glare at anyone watching, Jinx impelemented the only solution he could see.

“.....I know this is tragic and all, but watching him wake up is gonna be a treat.” He glanced at Houndoom. “.....I don’t suppose you could work a camera with your paws huh?”

Boom. Crash. Shouting.

“So uh right we shouldbegettingoutofhererightnowIhearthePokemonCenterisnice.” Security. Crap.

Jinx strode forwards, much faster than any man carrying another man, when said man’s form could be described, at it’s most manly as ‘lithe’ should.

Shinon the Lucario, Aenir the Froslass, Jill the Skarmory

[Viore International Airport]

@Ophidian
The jarring of being picked up, accompanied with the shouting, Pent's eyes shot open. The painkillers had numbed the pain quite a bit, but the pain still shot through his leg. Looking up at the man carrying him, a look of confusion, pain and worry crossed his features. Opening his mouth, he attempted to speak, but found himself unable for the moment.

As Jinx took off, the Lucario and Froslass followed behind at a quickened pace. The Aura Pokémon looked over to the Froslass, nodding at her, <Get inside your Pokéball, I'll take care of this.>

Nodding, Aenir chirped, <Got it!> Hastily floating after her Trainer, she finally closed the distance and tapped the ball strapped to her belt with her thin arms. A red light enveloped her form as she was returned to her ball.

A sigh escaped the Lucario's maw, <One less thing to worry about...>

Tears began streaming down Pent's cheek as the pain overwhelmed him. The shouts of security behind them caused further confusion. Looking up to Jinx, Pent finally spoke, "W-W...What happened...?" The only thing Pent was certain of at this point was that his leg would have broke had it not been for his rod. The pain informed him of that much.

@Ninian

“You slept through the wedding.”

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

“Nah. Just screwing with ya. You got run over by someone I’ve termed “ultra-jerk” and blacked from the pain, and your friends here press-ganged me into helping. And what can I say, I’m a sucker for damsels in distress.” That and the look on his face when he noticed the bandages. That was going to be gold.

“Anyway, right now we’re making a hasty exit because in the course of your treatment, good old Dr. Jinx might have ordered a few dozen minor, pesky, stupid little laws broken by his faithful, intelligent and downright brilliant really assistant, nurse Houndoom.”

Jinx tossed a casual glance at his canine partner in crime.

Houndoom was preening at the words.

More shouts. Music to his ears really, this was what it meant to be alive!

“And now we’re running even faster from security!” Jinx chirped happily.

Devon Lyton

Shock the Ampharos, Cyan the Marill, Quill the Monferno, Missy the Mismagius, Nasir the Zoroark
[Viore Route 701]

@Ninian@Shiny Keldeo
Finally given confirmation that they could help, Shock and Cyan cheered, Quill cracked a smile as his eyes stayed locked on the road, and Missy did a spin in the air. Shock then shot a wise grin at the guised mon. <See, now was that so hard? Now we can finally kick butt without you getting your ponytail in a tangle!>

Lily attempting to assure everyone that she was fine didn't convince Devon. He'd seen the routine too many times. Something was clearly bothering her. The brown haired teen pushed the bangs out of his eyes and backed off from the girl, yet still remaining with a frown beside her as they walked. "Alright, but if anything else is bugging you, tell us ok?"

Brent reminded everyone of the time, and it made the Sinnoh native stretch out his arms and sigh. "Aaaahhhcool. I didn't really eat much today besides crappy airplane food, so I'll at least be able to grab a bite at the Center."

Time passed as the group made their way along the rather quiet road. Staring up into the trees, Devon caught sight of a small Starly nestled into a small bundle of sticks and dirt. The sight bringing a smile to his face. I wonder how Flappers is doing....Wherever she is, I hope shes happy....

Suddenly a loud CRACK from the edge of the Route caused the small bird to panic and fly off. The crimson hooded Trainer's head immediately whipping towards the source of the noise as Brent commented on it. The teenager held up a cautionary hand as he put himself between the trees and the other kids. "Dunno, but be careful guys. Nasir, Quill, with me. Everyone else get ready too. Somethings coming this way."

Nodding at his Trainer's request, the Monferno walked out beside him and spread his legs apart and limbered up his arms. The Fire-Fighting type bringing them up in front of his chest and curling his callused fingers into iron fists. Gaze locked on the approaching forms. Shock, Cyan, and Missy also psyched themselves up and got ready for conflict as they stood behind Devon. <Alright! Finally some action!> Shock piped.

The flying white canine came from the trees and seemed to knock away it's attacker. Devon's party tensed up and prepared for the worst, that is before they all got a good look at the small thing and Lily brought out her Dex. Huh? A little dog?....I swear I've seen it somewhere before? Devon's eyes grew to the size of baseballs as the robotic voice confirmed his suspicions. Looking quickly to both Lily and the Shaymin, he gasped. "No way! That's a Shaymin!? I've only heard rumours about them!" Turning back to the Grass type his eye brows furrowed. "But this one doesn't look too good. Are you ok buddy? Why were you being chased?"

He never got an answer to that question. Fire blasted out from the trees and knocked the poor Mythic down into Lily's arms. Devon's crew responding to the blast by guarding their eyes. "Gah!"

Oh shit.

The Shaymin's assailants made themselves and their way of going about things pretty clear in the first few seconds. It triggered memories of years past in the scarred Trainer's mind, of the groups that had once assaulted his home regions that had been the center of the media when he was a younger child. The teen bit his lip and grinded his teeth as he stared down the duo and their tough looking mon. Who're these idiots supposed to be? Knights?....Whoever they are, I don't think I like their gig. Time to focus.

Stepping back behind his party of mon, Devon planted his feet firmly on the ground and barked out orders. "Shock, Thunder Wave to open! Cyan, Play Rough on the dragon! Missy, Phantom Force! Take shots when you can! Quill take the knights! And Nasir, bring up some distractions! Help them out and keep those guys off us!"

All of the mon jumped into action at the call for battle. Shock's rubbery body began to spark with electricity as he sprinted out into the midst of the enemy mon. [SHOCK used THUNDER WAVE!] Vibrate yellow rings of violent electricity fired out of the Ampharos' body and straight for the knights and their team.

Cyan sprinted towards the Haxorus, jumping into the air and flipping to slam her tail onto the ground and bounce clear over the plated reptile. [CYAN used PLAY ROUGH!] Spinning in the air like a curve ball, the Marill's mace-like tail began to glow with a soft pink energy as she fell towards the Dragon and attempted to smash it on the top of the head with her empowered weapon.

Quill fell to all fours and jumped around the dirt road turned battlefield as he drew close to the two odd armored humans. Hitting the ground right near the male, [QUILL used FIRE PUNCH!] The Monfero's right hand began to glow with a heated energy until it erupted into flames. Closing the flaming hand into a tight fist as he leapt towards the man to try to deliver the fiery punch to his right knee.

Missy however, was nowhere to be seen. All that remained of the area around the Mismagius was a large purple void that soon faded away into thin air. [MISSY used PHANTOM FORCE!] Appearing silently behind the Dragalge, the ghost's ribbon like arms clasped together and glowing with a haunting purple aura. The smokey energy forming into a sharp tip as she swung it at the Mock Kelp Pokémon's back.

Celes' Party - Ranulf the Dragonite, Mist the Dratini
Zoroark Illusion Status: Human

[Route 701]
The appearance of the Shaymin shocked Nasir, and its injured appearance did not bode well. Drawing his illusory blade, [NASIR used NIGHT SLASH!] The katana gave off a sinister red aura as he prepared himself for the worst. At his Trainer's command, Nasir put himself between the potential threat, and the two inexperienced Trainers.

Once the assailants were visible, Nasir's brows furrowed, looking over their collection of Pokémon. A Crobat, and two I've never seen before. My guess is... a Dragon-type and... perhaps Dark?

With furrowed brows, the guised Zoroark listened as the armored humans threatened them. Glancing over at the Shaymin, Nasir knew what he had to do. "I cannot allow you to further harm this Pokémon. To that end, I will fight you myself if I have to." Shifting into an offensive in no kamae stance, the dark swordsman would fix a burning gaze upon the two.

The order was given, and with that, the humanoid Zoroark would be overtaken by a bright pink aura, that would span out from its form. Illusory crystals would start for the knights and their Pokémon, threatening to bind them in place with its psychological impact. With the illusion in effect, Nasir would close the distance between himself and his assailants, brandishing his katana to either deflect an attack, or place one should he need to.

Hanging back with Lily and Brent cowered Celes. In a small, but shrill voice, she called out to her guardian, "Ranulf! Do something!"

Putting his fist into his paw, the Dragonite would bark back to his charge, <I'm already on it.> Parting his maw, Ranulf looked skyward. A sphere of orange energy formed in his mouth, which was then fired into the sky a few moments later. [RANULF used DRACO METEOR!] With the energy exploding in the sky, the fragments of energy then coalesced into comets, raining down on the battlefield below.

Shinon the Lucario, Aenir the Froslass, Jill the Skarmory

[Viore International Airport]

@Ophidian
With wide-eyes, Pent whimpered in confusion at the man's first statement, "W-What...?"

Once the man named 'Jinx' clarified the situation, it actually confused Pent even more than the wedding jest. "S-So... someone... ran into me? And... leg... broke?" Looking down to his leg to confirm the damage, he saw that it was apparently... mended by rainbow-colored bandages? It appeared Eevee, Pikachu and other typically cute Pokémon were part of the design as well. Despite being already confused, somehow his expression displayed even more confusion, and a bit of worry. Hasty thoughts ran through his head, H-He didn't steal this from a child, did he!?

Looking up at his apparent savior, a few words came from his lips, "T-Thank... you for helping... I'm sorry to cause so much... trouble..." It didn't take a glance to hear that there were more security guards than before, and that they were in the process of catching up. Pent was wracked with guilt. How messed up was he for someone to go to such great lengths to save him. Feeling himself over, he could tell he was colder than usual. He must have been in shock. Also given his current state of mind, he must have been on something strong as well.

After a few more moments of contemplation, Pent looked up at Jinx once more, "If I'm... too heavy... can... put... down. Don't want you... in... trouble."

[Route 701]

@Ninian @Light Lord
The two armored individuals remained calm and kept their composure as the battle got underway. Immediately their eyes were drawn to the odd swordsman. "There's no way that guy's human." Said the male in a hushed voice to where only his counterpart could hear. "Yeah, check the illusion canceler." She replied, touching a button on the side of her goggles, the male soon doing the same. It was clear now the situation with him. "So, Zoroark, Leader made a good call having this feature put in, he likes to be ready for anything." The Male said out loud, looking forward as the enemy Pokemon charged them.

They quickly analyzed the situation, determining what took priority. Thunder Wave would be very detrimental to this battle, it had to be stopped. "Leave that to me! Rhydon!" Said the male, tossing a Pokeball up into the air, emerging from it a massive Rhydon. The electricity from the Ampharos' attack was quickly sucked into the Rhydon's drill. "Lightning Rod, good call." Said his partner, focusing back onto the battle.

The Marill would give Haxorus a hard time with Play Rough, and it seemed the Mismagius had snuck up behind Dragalge. "Let's trade off, then! Dragalge, Poison Tail!" She ordered. "Right, Haxorus, Shadow Claw!" Ordered the Male in response. The two focused on each other's targets, moving to intercept each.

The Monferno of the group was attacking THEM directly, the male quickly jumped out of the path, moving to deliver a swift kick to the fire monkey. "Little brat." He said, then noticing the barrage about to occur above them. "Rhydon, get Rock Blast ready!" He said, Rhydon looking upward towards the Draco Meteor, firing several chunks of rock in response.

All that was left was the currently disguised Zoroark, trying to use its illusions to confuse and deter their Pokemon. "We won't let that happen! Crobat, knock those things away with Air Slash!" She commanded, the Crobat quickly moving in and firing off its Air Slash, quickly cutting through the illusionary crystals.

As all this was happening, a faint glow was starting to eminate from Lily's right hand. However, in the heat of battle, no body seemed to notice, not even Lily.

[Route 701]

He was now running in full sprint, trying to cover the distance between him and them. From the sounds of it, even from that distance, there was some kind of heated battle occuring there. "Partner, I hope you're ready for a second inning, they won't be holding back, so neither will we!" He said, Feraligatr nodding and giving off a simple grunt in reply. Whoever was fighting those goons, they had no clue who they'd just got on the wrong side of, he had to hurry!

Libra the Ralts

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Sketcher@Shiny Keldeo
Taking a seat, Olivier pulled his laptop from his bag once more, opening the video taken just previously. While staring at the screen, the blonde replied to Michael, "If I remember correctly, getting to Riviera Town's quite the walk. And this is just a guess, but given it's near a river, Water Pokémon are likely the specialty. Well, regardless, I would be surprised if I'd be strong enough to challenge them anyway..." Taking his eyes off his screen, he gave Libra a glance, letting out a soft sigh before working on his project.

Libra, on the other hand was enjoying conversing with fellow Pokémon. At least up until Maya broke his heart. With lips parted, the small Ralts looked at the Flareon, deeply hurt. <S-Stuffy? I... I'm... not trying to be stuffy...> Hanging his head, the two others gathered that had scolded Maya hadn't made him feel any better about the situation in the least. A small whimper escaped his lips, <I'm... Libra. It's nice to meet all of you, and... I'm sorry I'm... stuffy, Maya.>

The dejected Ralts' gaze now fell to the floor, now wondering if approaching was the right idea after all. He only wished to compliment the Flareon, but was now afraid she'd bite his head off. Kicking at the ground, he spoke, <I just... don't get to talk to other Pokémon often. I... may have gotten a bit excited. I'm really sorry...>

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center]

@Ninian @Sketcher
He looked up from his PokeGear when Olivier mentioned that. "Hm... yeah, now that you mention it, it even sounds like it would be a water type specialist gym. It'll be a breeze for us, right Turtwig?" He said, looking down to his grass type companion. <Water Types? A few Razor Leafs and their team will be toast!> Glameow rolled her eyes. <You know there's a reason they're Gym Leaders, they won't be THAT easy to beat. We'll need to train a lot to beat any gym.>

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center]

@Ninian
Maya suddenly realized how badly the Ralts, named Libra, had taken her comment on being stuffy. <Oh, no no no no no! You don't have to be sorry, I don't think you took what I said the way I thought you would...> She replied, now looking quite down herself. Great first impression on a young Pokemon, huh? Striker quickly moved into the situation. <I agree with her, she isn't one for... being very formal, so to speak. You shouldn't be sorry for being who you are. Different Pokemon have different personalities, you know. Everyone is different, just like every Human is different.> He explained.

Moss moved off to the side somewhat, just adjusting her position. <What Striker said... he's the guy you talk to when you have problems like that, kinda like a Pokemon Shrink, you know?> She said, with Striker sighing. <Sadly, no matter what I say, it seems to never have an effect between you two...> He said, looking between Moss and the now downcast Maya.

Libra the Ralts

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Sketcher@Shiny Keldeo
Putting his chin on his right hand, Olivier continued awkwardly navigating his laptop's GUI with only his left hand. "Hmmm... Libra knows Magical Leaf, but I can't imagine it being that simple. Gym Leaders are formidable opponents, and are accustomed to countering type disadvantages. I wouldn't be surprised if they knew Ice-type moves, and were skilled at mitigating blows."

Gaze still downcast, the small Ralts let out a sad sigh. <...A-All right.> Awkwardly rubbing one of his arms with a small hand, he kept his gaze averted while he attempted to change the subject. <S-So to answer your question from earlier, yes the blonde Trainer is mine. I guess we're going to be here for a while, since he doesn't really want to walk around after dark. What about you...? Are you staying the night too?>

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center]

@Ninian @Sketcher
Michael leaned back in his seat, grabbing something out of his bag. Some kind of snack container. "Yeah, you've got a point there... I think. If the Gym Leaders here are even half as tough as they are in Sinnoh, we're in for a good workout." He said in response.

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center

@Ninian
Striker responded first. <Possibly. At this late hour, we might be continuing on, but most likely we'll be staying here.> He said. Then Moss noticed something. <Wait... your trainer... he's... a he?> He said, looking at Olivier. Striker now noticed this. <I have to say, your trainer looks very much like a girl, I would've never known...> Striker realized that Maya had not said anything for at least a minute, something was off. He looked down.

The Flareon was now laying down, head on the floor, eyes averted from the small psychic type she had upset. <Oh, now Maya, don't be like that...> Said Striker, turning back to Libra. <Maya... when she realizes she upset someone, she'll get really downcast and... depressed, I guess is the best word. She's like that for hours... It's no fault of your own, it's just a habit that Maya has yet to break.> He explained.

Libra the Ralts

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Sketcher@Shiny Keldeo
Taking a quick glance at Michael, Olivier raised a delicate brow, "...Have you battled any of the Gyms in Sinnoh? Despite myself living in Kalos, I haven't had a chance to attempt one there. Not even Lumiose's, unfortunately..." Trailing off, his brows furrowed with disappointment in himself.

The Ralts had already parted his lips in an attempt to response when the Swampert spoke up. Face flushing a deep red, Libra let out a sad sigh. <Y-Yes... Olivier's... a male. Mostly. Everyone assumes he's a girl, which is why...> Gesturing to his Trainer, Libra continued, <He makes it a point to wear his uniform. But, um... it's understandable... I'm pretty sure someone here's going to mistake him for being a girl, and... he'll go sulk somewhere....>

Now looking over at Maya, Libra contemplated for a moment before shuffling over to her, bending down to meet her eyes. <Please don't be upset. I'm fine... r-really.> Holding out his small hand he continued, <Let's be friends, all right...?> Flashing the best smile he could at the moment, he let out a soft giggle, <Besides, if we're all staying here for the night, we might as well get along, right?>

@Ninian

Jinx blinked rapidly, he basically had two settings as a human being-looking out for his own and doing his best to troll reality.

Pent’s (possibly drugged out) selfless altruism did not compute, for obvious reasons. “.....I uh. Uh.” His normal devil-may-care eloquence was also lost to him, as his mind struggled to assimilate the long forgotten concept.

He defaulted to unsubtle flirting after a few moments of the mental equivalent of a blue error screen. “Sorry. Thief. You know. Kinda used to be chased by the boys in blue. Don’t worry.” Aaaaand now the smirk. “Besides. I don’t like sharing shiny things I pick up. Least of all with a buncha rent-a-cops. Besides. We’ve got some experience with the whole thing.” He threw a wink at Houndoom, who was currently sizing up a promising exit.

Door. Look pretty well made but….

As if on cue, Houndoom threw his weight at one of the definitely-not-be-used-by-civilians-normally doors, the hinges held. Reinforced then. Lovely. The canine pokemon growled, evidently taking the sturdy construction of the door as a personal insult.

“....So I’m gonna guess none of your friends know teleport huh?”

Shinon the Lucario, Aenir the Froslass, Jill the Skarmory

[Viore International Airport]

@Ophidian
The blatant flirting caused the drugged professor to furrow his brows, a very obviously confused expression across his features. "A-Ah...?" Somewhere deep in his mind, it must have processed, as his cheeks began to flush a deep red.

When asked a question about his Pokémon, Pent looked confused, as if forgetting who his partners even were. After a brief few moments, the man spoke up, "Shinon... door?" A small sliver of lucidity washed over Pent in this dire situation. He began contemplating. This man is a thief, however he most definitely saved my life. Had no one noticed me laying unconscious, I'm almost certain I would have died of shock. That door is strong, but there's no other reasonable way out. We must take that door down... Wait! My staff... how am I supposed to—

A large wooden object being tossed at him drew Pent from his thoughts. Looking over his shoulder, the man saw Shinon beside him. More importantly, the Lucario had delivered to him his staff. Placing a weak hand over the stone dangling from the top, he spoke as firmly as he could muster, "Shinon, you must transcend the bounds of evolution..."

A brilliant light expelled from the keystone in his staff, connecting with Shinon's Lucarionite bracer. With Shinon's mega stone as the catalyst, a transformative light embraced him, evolving him into Mega-Lucario.

Now with a significant power, boost, Shinon was ready to take down anything that stood before him. That included the heavily reinforced door. "Aura Sphere... if that doesn't work, use... Bone Rush."

On command, Shinon made a small grunt before putting his hands together. A bright blue orb of energy formed between his hands, and after a few moments, [SHINON used AURA SPHERE!] The condensed aura impacted with the door, and instead of ripping it off its hinges, it simply blew a hole straight through it.

Devon Lyton

Shock the Ampharos, Cyan the Marill, Quill the Monferno, Missy the Mismagius, Nasir the Zoroark
[Viore Route 701]

@Ninian@Shiny Keldeo
Damn it....That Rhydon's gonna screw over Shock if I don't get rid of it...Shit they're switching targets!?....Fine, we can play that game too...They figured out Nasir's illusion too...The technology really does exist....He was right.....C'mon guys, we can do this..

Still focused on the battle at hand, the scarred Trainer called out more commands. "Missy! Phantom Psybeam the Dragalge! Cyan! Knock that tail away with your own and Ice Beam Haxorus! Shock! Volt Switch the other knight! Quill, retaliate with Close Combat! Nasir! Take down that Rhydon with Night Slash! Use anything you can to fake him out!"

Missy sprang into action. The ghost slipping into another portal below her, [PHANTOM FORCE], and disappearing out of sight just as the Shadow Claw clipped her head.

Cyan's still empowered flotation ball whipped upwards on the bungee cord-like tail to clash tails with the Dragalge's super effective Poison attack. The Fairy-type aura immediately breaking due to the bad type match up after the Marill had managed to deflect the Move. Leaving quite the mark on the bouncy blue floater. [CYAN used ICE BEAM!] Opening her mouth wide the Aqua Mouse then proceeded to try to blast the Haxorus far to her left with a stream of pure cold.

Directly beaneth the most likely agitated and flinching Dragalge seconds after Cyan's counter, another purple portal opened up. However instead of a witchy purple spirit shooting out, instead it was a rainbow colored beam that aimed right for the seaweed creatures bottom.[MISSY used PSYBEAM!]

Shock smirked, bringing his arms up in front of him as the sparked with vigorous lightning. Sprinting past the female knight on the way back to Devon, the Ampharos turned at winked at the woman before aiming his flippers at her and releasing the built up charge. [SHOCK used VOLT SWITCH!]

Quill instinctively brought his arms to his face to block the armored humans kick. Though it still hurt, the Monferno had certainty felt worse. Immediately the monkey sprinted back to the man's position and lept into the air with fists and feet glowing an intense white. [QUILL used CLOSE COMBAT!] Attempting to slam the top of the knights helm with his two glowing fists locked together by his fingers while also delivering a brutal two legged kick to the chest.

Celes' Party - Ranulf the Dragonite, Mist the Dratini
Zoroark Illusion Status: None

[Route 701]

@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord
Five rocks impacted the meteors threatening to destroy the terrain beneath them, but the remaining large molten rocks still fell through. One fell in the vicinity of the Mismagius and Dragalge. Another near Cyan and the Haxorus.

Watching his attack being partially neutralized, Ranulf let out an aggravated grumble, <All right. Fine.>

Lifting himself from the ground, the large Dragonite let out a battle cry before flying straight towards the Crobat, reading a [FIRE PUNCH] aimed straight towards the bat's face.

Narrowing his gaze, Nasir's focus was right on the two enemy Trainers. "So you figured out that quickly. Thank you for informing me." In a flash of pink light, the guised Zoroark came out of his illusion, a wicked grin playing across his visage.

Given his orders, the Zoroark's brows furrowed. ...Fake him out? They're already aware of my abilities, but... perhaps I can catch him by surprise.

The Zoroark's readied [Night Slash] remained in sword-form, being clutched in his claws. Launching towards the Rhydon, the Zoroark flashed a toothy smile as he approached the significantly slower Pokémon. Try to deflect me with brute force. I dare you.

Taking his opponent's powerful horn, hide and tail into consideration, the Zoroark felt it would be significantly safer to attack the Rhydon from the back. Stopping just before he was in melee range, Nasir launched himself into the air, performing a back flip over the Rhydon, his sword slashing at the base of the Pokémon's shoulder blade, skillfully avoiding the protective spikes. Once the slash followed through, Nasir kicked off the back of the Rhydon's head to propel himself out of range of a direct tail retaliation.

Once landing, more crystals expanded from Nasir's form, erecting an illusory barricade.

[Route 701]

@Ninian @Light Lord
So the little brat knew how to adapt to the situation... he had street smarts, though. They had experience and tactical thinking. "Haxorus, intercept with Dragon Rage!" He ordered, Haxorus quickly turning away from his failed attack and letting loose a breath of fire that met with the Ice Beam in midair. The two attacks seemed even, with the pure power of Dragon Rage countering the type advantage of Ice Beam. Soon, however, the two attacks finally cancelled each other out in a small explosion.

Seeing an opening, the Female made her move. "Crobat, Cross Poison now!" She ordered, Crobat zooming down to deliver a powerful blow to the small Water Fairy Type. When she noticed the Ampharos, she smirked as he touched her armor, and his attack seemed to fizzle out. "Rubber coating under here, comes in handy sometimes." She remarked. She then spun around the Electric Type, delivering a sharp blow to the Ampharos' neck. "Lights out, you walking lighthouse." She responded, returning focus to the battle.

She was surprised by the tactic used by the Mismagius, using Phantom Force to deliver a Psybeam Attack. Sadly it hit, but Dragalge quickly recovered. "Goes to show, type effectiveness only gets you so far kid! Now, Camouflage!" She ordered, Dragalge quickly fading into the background.

The little monkey of theirs was trying to get up close and personal with the male, who quickly met this oncoming attack. He blocked each move almost blow for blow, a feat that would surprise most. The training they had to go through to achieve this level of skill... it would give you nightmares. A few attacks struck him, but his light but durable armor absorbed most of the blow before it hit. "That'll hurt in the morning..." He muttered as he focused on the fight.

Now the Dragonite was back on the attack, aiming a Fire Punch towards Crobat. "Intercept with Acrobatics!" She ordered, her Crobat quickly moving towards the pseudo-legendary, moving past his flaming fist and beginning to barrage him with hits. She knew it wouldn't deal much damage, but it would most certainly distract him long enough to come up with a plan.

And then the Zoroark went on the full offensive, moving to attack Rhydon. The Night Slash landed its blow, but Rhydon simply shook it off, looking at the Dark Type. "An attack like that, against Rhydon's heavy armor? You must have a deathwish! Now, Rhydon, Fire Blast!" He commanded, Rhydon shooting off a five pronged burst of fire towards the Zoroark, coming into contact with the barricade. It broke through, but was greatly weakened. He didn't know how strong the shield was, so he wondered how much damage it would cause. Probably minimal...

Then the unexpected remains of the Draco Meteor hit the ground. A few dust clouds arose, but there didn't seem to be much damage. However, one managed to find its way right behind the trainers, causing some fear to quickly emerge. They soon recovered, but kept on alert for more debris.

Lily kept looking at the Shaymin in her arms. It was weak, hurt badly, and exhausted by what she could tell. "We have to get this Shaymin to the Pokemon Center, and soon..." Brent kept his eyes on the battle, upset he could do nothing to help. "With all this battling, we wouldn't get a chance..." He said in response. All the while, the glow on Lily's hand went unnoticed, and was slowly growing.

[Route 701]

He was moving as quickly as possible, and he finally made it over one more hill before they were in sight of the battle. "Hey, I remember those kids... they were in New Amber!" He said as he continued running. He looked to his partner one last time. "You ready?" He asked, Feraligatr nodding in response. It wouldn't be long now, almost there. Noivern continued to circle overhead to keep a visual on the raging battle.

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center]

@Ninian @Sketcher
When asked about the Sinnoh Gym Challenge, he replied with a shake of the head. "Nah, I decided to start my journey here in Viore. Every other trainer I know from Solaceon went on their first journey in Sinnoh, I didn't want to be part of the meta, so to speak." He replied, continuing. "I get the word from some of my friends there, though. One recently lost against the Veilstone City Gym Leader Maylene, said her Lucario was no joke." He continued to munch on the snack he had.

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center]

@Ninian
Striker gave a small smirk and looked back at Libra. <It's nothing personal, trust me. But... she won't really react to anyone when she's like this, except Bryce of course.> He said, looking back to Maya. <She's... a hard one to read, trust me. But she's a good friend I wouldn't replace for the world.>

Even Moss had to admit something similar to that. <Yeah, for all the arguing we do... It wouldn't be the same without our resident firecracker.> She said with a chuckle. Bryce continued to keep his attention on his PokeGear.

Libra the Ralts

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Sketcher@Shiny Keldeo
Michael's words caused a small smile to play across the blonde's lips. "...I see. Well, it'll certainly be an interesting story to tell your friends when you get home." Taking his hand from his chin, he began to furiously click things while using a few keybinds to get the desired effects from his video editing program. "Anyway, I've briefly looked into the Gyms in Sinnoh. Maylene does seem to be exceptionally strong, and Lucario are notorious for being rather powerful. Unfortunately, acquiring a Riolu is difficult..." Trailing off, Olivier glanced the snack Michael had been ingesting, contemplating his own hunger, as well as his partner's for a moment before going back to what he was doing.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Olivier made a proposition. "Given we're both inexperienced Trainers, it would be in our best interest to travel with a partner."

@Shiny Keldeo
Visibly wilting, the Ralts let out a small sigh. <O-Oh. Poor Maya...> Staring at the ground sadly for a moment, Libra contemplated for a few moments before coming up with a plan. <Bryce! You said he could help!>

Shuffling over to the occupied Trainer, Libra looked up at him before getting up on his toes so that he could pull at the bottom of Bryce's pantsleg. <Ummm... excuse me...>

Devon Lyton

Shock the Ampharos, Cyan the Marill, Quill the Monferno, Missy the Mismagius, Nasir the Zoroark
[Route 701]

@Ninian@Shiny Keldeo
The brave little Marill was up against the large Axe Jaw Pokémon, focusing all of the energy she could into her Ice Beam and being met with a fair amount of resistance. It was too much for the clashing energies, and they eventually exploded in a brilliant flash of light. Cyan guarded her face with her tail and rolled out of the range of the dangerous impact point. Getting back to her feet and panting a bit before suddenly feeling the sharp pain of the Crobat raking her stomach with it's Poison powered claws. A pained cry escaped the Aqua Mouse as she clutched her stomach and fell to the ground.

Shock stopped mid stride to view the light show that was to be the female knight after his Volt Switch hit home. The wide smirk on his face soon drooping down into an annoyed frown as she explained how it was possible she wasn't lit up like a Christmas tree. <OH COME ON! YOU GUYS ARE BS!> Taking off running again at his awkward pace, the Ampharos' vision went blurry as a blunt force knocked the wind out of him and sent his form crashing to the grass below him. Eyes spinning and neck stinging, the Light Pokémon coughed out a comment. <That....Joke sucked....And so do you....Bleh.>

Narrowing her ablaze red eyes out of the portal at the Dragalge, Missy let off an irritated sigh. <How annoying...If you think this makes you safe from me, I'm afraid you're mistaken.> The ghost whispered coldly as she faded back into the earth along with her portal.

Quill continued to spar with the male knight. Fist flying rapidly at the poachers legs and knees as a somewhat curious glare came over the primate. How is he even doing this?...Especially in that heavy armor....Even if there is protection underneath it, the impact of my hits should at least stagger him....Fine then, let's see how low he can block, and how much the joints of this armor can take...

Racing around behind the mystery man and crouching near to the ground on a single knee, [QUILL used MACH PUNCH!] The Monferno's fist became bathed in controlled white light as he tried to bring it down directly into the knight's left ankle.

Seeing two of his Pokémon going down in the field utterly horrified Devon. It comes with the lifestyle of a Trainer to see Pokémon take massive damage in battle and faint because of it, but this was different. It wasn't a League governed Battle that had many rules and precautions in place to minimize risk. It was a fight for self defense that had real consequences. Face lighting up in alarm, the hooded teen cried out. "Shock! Cyan! No!"

The teen's hands were a frenzy in his pockets as he located the two fallen mon's Poké balls. Returning the Ampharos and Marill in a flash of red light as he looked back towards Brent and Lily. A stone look of seriousness twisted his face in a wince. "Well I'm gonna get us a chance. My team hasn't even laid a scratch on these guys, somehow. We're not getting anywhere by just staying here fighting. Follow my lead. Keep running, and just try to ignore everything you see and hear got it?"

Turning back to the battle, the scarred Trainer's voice thundered out as he drew two more Poké balls and returned his Zoroark and Monferno. "Nasir! Quill! Get back! Missy, incantations! We need an exit! Don't hold back! We'll be fine!"

Hearing the command the ghost finally reappeared high in the sky above the battle torn Route. Missy looked down at Devon's party with a somewhat worried frown before hurriedly nodding. The Magical Pokémon went static as she gently closed her eyes. A low hum beginning to echo around the forest, the point of it's origin seemingly implacable. The low echo grew in volume rapidly, now sounding like a high pitched feminine screech that rattled the ear drums of anyone within hearing range, even protective equipment would do little to soften the awful noise. Soon enough the empowered chant would start to effect the vision of all present. Everyone's eyes going blurry as it seemed the foliage, the clouds, and the humans and Pokémon of the area split into foggy mirror images. All the while, a pounding headache washed over the inhabitants of the area.

Struggling and holding his head in pain, Devon stumbled over to the other three Trainer's and motioned for them to run with him down the road. "C-Come on guys! We need to go!"

Celes' Party - Ranulf the Dragonite, Mist the Dratini
Zoroark Illusion Status: None

[Route 701]

@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord
Ranulf let out an aggravated bark when the Crobat seemingly sped past him. The barrage of attacks was barely felt, but given the Bat Pokémon's speed, it was difficult to do anything about the situation. Glaring out the corner of his eye, he'd spin around in an attempt to knock the Crobat out of the sky with his tail, <Screw off!>

Preempting the Rhydon's ranged attack, Nasir had already started preparing a prismatic [Protect], however he wasn't able to fully form it before being licked by the flame's residue. Being pushed backward by the flame's force, Nasir glared at the Rhydon, letting out a growl, <It doesn't matter if it's not very effective, I'll keep widdling down your defenses until—> Red light enveloped the Zoroark's form, and his threat was never finished. While turned into energy inside the ball, Nasir grumbled to himself, Devon, what are you planning...?

Celes had been watching the battle scene with wide, terrified eyes. There's nothing I can do. Ranulf, I'm so sorry...

At Devon's words, and the recollection of his team, Ranulf realized they were on the path to retreat. Celes started running as soon as the Mismagius began her song, and the Dragonite realized that if he didn't follow soon, he'd be susceptible as well.

A few moments in, it was almost too late. It was difficult for him to determine which Celes was the correct one, but the Dragonite managed to grab her in his arms. Flying at full tilt, he headed in the safest-looking direction; towards the Pokémon Center.

Squirming in his arms, Celes cried out, "Nooo! We can't leave them! We have to go back!"

<You are my charge, I am not allowing harm to come to you. They'll catch up.>

[Route 701]

@Ninian @Light Lord
The male jumped away as the Monferno aimed for his feet, landing near his female companion. Then they grew confused by the sudden full retreat of the Pokemon he was using by their Trainer. "What's he up to..." Said the Female, looking around for any kind of trap or situation that could befall them. The Male had his eyes on the Mismagius, who had yet to be returned. When the kid told it to use its incantations, his eyes grew wide behind the green goggles. "Noise cancelers, now!" He said with haste, hitting a button on the side of his goggles. The female did the same.

Lily and Brent did what Devon did, calling their Pokemon back to their Pokeballs and taking off. They were almost out of earshot when the incantations started, and they had slightly sore heads after that. But they kept running. Celes and her Dragonite were quick to leave them in the dust, understandably of course, but it still left some emotional wounds.

[Route 701]

He finally approached, seeing the trainers fleeing from the battle with great haste. "Smart kids..." He said as he somewhat intercepted them. He saw the Shaymin in Lily's hands, confirming his fears. "Just like I thought..." He mumbled before continuing. "Get that Shaymin down to the Pokemon Center, it's just down the road!" He said, motioning on his Feraligatr that was with him as they ran past. His Noivern descended from above to assist as well.

The two were quite confused by this turn of events, but they didn't dare question it right now. "Be careful!" Yelled Lily as they continued to run. And they kept running, all they way until they could finally lay eyes on the Pokemon Center just ahead. Before they got close, however, something started happening to Lily. "Lily, look at your hand!" Said Brent, who had gone wide eyed at a bright green light eminating from Lily's hand.

Stunned, she stopped in her tracks, holding the Shaymin with her left hand, and looking at the glowing on her right. Something was emerging, fading in and out. It looked like a flower, or an outline of one. It finally grew to full brightness, and manifested for a good ten seconds before fading, and her hand looked completely normal. "W-what just h-happened? I'm really freaking out right now!" Said Lily, scared out of her mind. Her thoughts though returned to Shaymin, and focused back onto the Pokemon Center. Arms shaking, she started running again with Brent right behind her. Both were completely speechless on what had just happened...

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center]

@Ninian
Michael stopped for a moment and looked at Olivier. From what he had just asked... he wanted to travel together... he hadn't considered it before, but now thinking about it, he wasn't sure why. He smiled, holding out his hand. "If you wanna travel together, I'd love to. Might get a little lonely out there, ya know." He said.

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center]

@Ninian
Striker didn't realize what the small Ralts had in mind until it was too late. <Ah! I wouldn't bother him right no-> He had no time to finish his sentence before the young Psychic Type was pulling on Bryce's shorts leg. It was enough to rouse him from his thoughts as he looked down. "Oh, hello there. Where'd you come from?" He asked, somewhat emotionless. He looked around at his team, seeing Maya quite downcast. He quickly put the pieces together. He gave off a smile.

"I think I see what happened. It's okay, it happens all the time, so you're not the first one to get her like that. She'll come out of it, but the most I can do is get her to move." He said, looking over to the gold haired trainer. "Excuse me, this little guy is yours, isn't he? He seems like a really nice partner." He said before returning to his PokeGear, having gotten a message from one of his friends in Dewford.