Nyxx in all her charisma and grace of a Tauros in a glass shop bumbled her way through the forest as if she were completely blind, and only manage to make her way back to town when she tripped over a fallen branch and fell down a hill. Her mother’s Gengar who thought this little accident was funny decided to use its psychic powers to steer the ebony girl down more cliffs dodging trees and bushes or anything that could slow her down really all the while literally busting its gut with laughter if that were even possible. Eventually she came to a full stop as city concrete was harder to slide on than wet grass thus ending her ten-minute fall.

Raising her feet and stumbling back and shook her head clear or at least tried too looked up and noticed she was at the front door to the gym, the exact place she was looking for anyway. Having been training in the woods away from everyone else since leaving the caves she found moderate success in being able to command her team decently and decided she would have a go at the gym before she got lost to which it seemed Cheshire the Gengar helped in his own messed up way.

Never minding her ragged clothes, the fact that sticks jutted out from her lion’s mane of hair that seemed to explode from her head in desperate need of a trim and her unwashed face; Nyxx took the first step into the gym itself.

“I’d like… to challenge the gym!” she proclaimed after catching her breath

The man at the counter raised an eyebrow at the girl's unkempt state, but nodded and quickly paged the gym leader once he'd taken a look at Nyxx's trainer card. "Head to the arena when you're ready," he said, gesturing towards the doors to the main hall.

There, as he heard the announcement, Lan looked in the direction of the voice. He'd battled a few trainers earlier in the morning - some had lost, some had won, and hopefully, all had learned something - but nobody from the Aerodactyl incident had challenged him today. Given that Oscar wanted him to relay a message to Sophia, the psychic would probably rematch him before the day was out. The girl in the doorway, however, wasn't Sophia, but the redhead who'd kept an air of nonchalance throughout the ordeal.

Right now, she seemed a great deal more worked up, panting and bedraggled as if she'd run a woodland obstacle course. In contrast, Lan's only movement was a step forward as he kept his usual stoic expression. "You may start," he addressed the challenger.

Cheers filled the hall as the referee announced the terms, a three on three battle. Lan, calm amidst the excitement, reached for the capsule containing the Pokemon he'd begin this with, waiting for Nyxx to choose hers.

Nyxx took a few steps forward to come face to face with the gym leader of the normal type gym before bending over putting her hands on her knees and panting slightly, the sweat building up on her body made her ebony skin shine in the gym lights. Picking herself back up to her feet, she suddenly regretting not actually attempting ye-old nap before coming in here or at least a shower, but she was already here so might as well get it over with.

“Yeah, let get this started,” The slacker of a girl called out reaching her hand back and throwing out her few Pokemon the thieving Swablu named Lupin, the cotton winged bird Pokémon outstretched its wings giving it distinctive cry before settling into a neutral hover position just in front of its trainer.

The man at the front desk explained the battles would be fought in a three on three type of match rather than going in with all her Pokémon she had to choose which she would send in; Golett was a feisty fighter, but was also a ghost type Pokémon and its signature move would be useless here in a normal gym so that cut him out fast and Bounsweet’s habit of crying whenever it was hit would cause Nyxx a headache in a half so her three to choose were basically the most obvious choices.

“Lupin use sing!” she commanded once the battle started and Lan chose to throw out a Munchlax.

At first, the Munchlax looked ready to doze off, teetering in place. Then, despite being of a notoriously lazy species, he shook his head, resisting the song's sleep-inducing effect.

The spectators calmed considerably, some slumping in their seats and yawning, for all their previous enthusiasm. Lan's own eyelids felt heavy, but his voice remained commanding. "Chip Away."

Shaking off the last of the drowsiness, the Munchlax launched a series of punches at Lupin.

Somehow a Munchlax, a Pokémon that primarily slept most of the day away and had no wings to speak of managed to not only avoid its lazy nature and avoid the sing but it also counter-attacked with quick footwork and lighting punches. Swablu was struck and bounced back into flying position quickly countering with Feather dance to lower the Pokémon’s attack power just in time for another chip away to strike and quite literally bounce off the bird’s body even though it hit dead on a second time.

“Let’s try sing again!” Nyxx called out, pointing her finger outward, but it was entirely too little too late as the gym leader swapped out the hungry Pokémon with a Furfrou who was immediately hit by the sing attack sending the dog-like Pokémon directly to sleep. “Follow up with peck!” called out the dark-skinned trainer which landed but seemed to damage Swablu right back due to the rocky helmet item.

The jabbing beak jolted the Furfrou awake. "Try not to get too eager," Lan advised Nyxx, as serene as she was enthusiastic. "Presence of mind is essential to a Pokemon battle. His stoic gaze descended to the canine Pokemon. "Use Toxic."

The Furfrou shook, purple spores flying from his coat towards Lupin, who flitted out of their way. The bird's next move made good use of his agility as he twirled above Furfrou, a shower of glowing feathers scattering down. When they settled over him, the dog tried to shake them out of his fluffy fur, to no avail.

Lan's expression didn't change as he watched. This move, Feather Dance, was known to lower physical strength, but Furfrou didn't rely on brute force. It was a matter of outlasting opponents while wearing them down. "Again, Toxic." This time, the spores hit home, sticking in the Swablu's plumage.

After Furfrou woke up and landed its toxic the battle became a battle of attrition, who could wear down the others’ defenses the fastest and It didn’t take a genius to see who was winning. After taking down The dog Pokémon’s attack to a shadow of what it used to be, it seemed Lan favored making his Pokemon strengthen its physical defense, cotton guard to which Nyxx was counting on to be shown more of its move set, as it told her what she should do as soon as Lupin fainted. Swablu looked to be on a failing side of things as it started to lose some weight in its flying; the last thing the bird Pokémon manage to accomplish was putting Furfrou asleep one again before fainting and needing to be recalled.

“Sorry for putting you through that Lupin but you’ve sealed the entire battle for us,” she whispered to the poke ball before putting it out. “Alright Sloth time to earn that pay!” she called out releasing the Pokémon now known as Sloth revealing itself to be a Jolteon, who had curled up into a ball and attempted to take a quick nap as if to mimic the Furfrou.

“I know you’re not sleeping now use Thundershock!” Nyxx shouted which was returned with quite possibly the laziest thundershock in existence. Wobbly and slower than a normal, but it hit all the same somehow it didn’t wake Furfrou at the slightest neither the next three, but it had to be close to fainting and it seemed Lan thought the same as well as he recalled his Pokemon and replaced it with his Munchlax.

"You're doing well," Lan told Nyxx, "but it doesn't do to become overconfident early on." He turned his attention to the Pokemon he'd sent back into the fray, the Munchlax. "Chip Away."

Before the hit could land, Nyxx had already called a Sand Attack. With a kick from his hind leg as if twitching in his sleep, Sloth sent a cloud of dust flying at the Munchlax. The little bear stumbled, rubbing his eyes, then threw a punch - in the wrong direction. Missing his target, he fell flat on his face. He stood up only for a ThunderShock to send him jittering back. Pulling a slightly charred Sitrus Berry from his sparking fur, he gobbled it down and stomped towards the Jolteon, launching a blow that missed once again.

"Recycle this time," Lan commanded as Sloth sent forth another burst of electricity. Munchlax shook off the attack and picked up the berry stalk, which glowed, a fresh fruit growing from it. He wasted no time in chomping down the snack, but right as he restored his strength, a third electrical bolt sent him reeling. He sank to the ground, limbs convulsing.

Lan took in the scene with his usual solemnity. Paralysis wouldn't hinder Munchlax too much in terms of speed, since he didn't rely on that anyway, but his attacks would be even less likely to land. Nonetheless, the monk's Pokemon were trained in tenacity as well as strength. "Again, Chip Away."

Forcing himself upright, the chubby bear teetered forward, aiming a stiff yet powerful punch at his opponent. Against the odds, it connected. The retaliating ThunderShock was all it took for him to fall unconscious, but it seemed the Jolteon, no matter how strong a Pokemon for a beginner to have, may be easier to deal with.

Recalling the fainted battler, Lan sent out his third Pokemon. "Bunnelby." The rabbit hopped to his place in the arena, undeterred by the larger, fully evolved opponent.

Once Lan sent out Bunnelby the brown rabbit Pokémon Nyxx’s eyes squinted almost as if the sun was in them, she had never seen this Pokémon and due to its brown coloration she put the thought together that it was a ground type and thus immune to electric type moves. Not wanting to recall Sloth without doing something she didn’t know anything of this particular Pokémon other than its apparent typing and had no clue how tough it would be for Buneary to fight. And there was Sloth just laying there pretending to be sleeping in hopes of being left alone long enough to actually be able to go to sleep, offering little to no body language to help Nyxx gauge its status.

“I wouldn’t call myself overconfident, more like the dark horse” Nyxx replied back to Gym leader, being the slacker of their group, no one actually expects her to do well and it's understandable honestly. “Sand-attack!” She called out loud enough to make Jolteon’s ears perk up even as it was trying its absolute best to sleep right now. The quadruped’s hind legs once again twitched and kicked up a massive cloud of sand, sure enough, sticking to the rabbet’s eyes blinding it partially.

The lowered accuracy didn’t stop the fact that the attack bulldoze was used completely knocking the electric Pokémon out instantly. “Well, at least I know it’s a ground type now…” she complained throwing out the star of her team Nellz the Buneary.

Lan watched as both rabbits faced each other. Bunnelby, in fact, would not be a Ground type until he evolved, but moves such as Bulldoze served to teach new trainers they couldn't guarantee victory by catching Rock and Steel types in Mesalon's caves. It had come in useful against the Electric Pokemon, but to counter this new opponent, moves of Bunnelby's own type would work best.

"Quick Attack." Before the Buneary could move, Bunnelby launched himself in a blur, swiping with a paw-like ear. As it turned out, Nelz had ways to counter the tunnelling Pokemon's strength, hunching into a little ball of fluff when Nyxx called for a Defense Curl. "Now, Bulk Up," Lan commanded. Bunnelby flexed his ears, trying to regain the physical advantage, but even as he braced himself, Nelz' Pound attack sent him flying.

His retaliating Quick Attack, despite the boost from his ability and bulked state, only did so much as Nelz kept her ears curled to block the blow. Another Pound, and he flopped to the floor.

There was only one thing for Lan to do. "Furfrou. Your turn again." At the press of a button, the dog appeared, still sleeping. "Secret Power."

It was Nyxx who decided the next move. Before Furfrou could wake and attack, the Buneary leapt up, delivering one more Pound in the form of a flying kick. The dog moaned, blinking and stirring as if waking up, only to slump back down. Nelz, sporting scrapes from the Rocky Helmet, tottered upon landing, but remained upright.

"It was a close one, but the winner is Nyxx Hollow!" the referee announced as applause filled the hall. On the wall screen, the monk's picture turned dark, leaving only the challenger's trainer card photo illuminated. Lan, serene as ever despite the loss, recalled Bunnelby and bowed before fetching several discs from a box. He presented it to Nyxx, along with a yin-and-yang patterned badge.

"I see enhancing your Pokemon's skills and lowering those of your opponents is your chosen strategy," he commented. "A wise decision, although be careful of the ways such techniques might be countered. And your Jolteon may be a formidable fighter, but needs to learn to be more alert at crucial moments, and that hard work pays off no matter how strong one may already be. Even so, this Simplicity Badge is a token of your potential. As for your second reward, you may choose the TM you think will best help with future battles."

He held out the discs, labeled Hidden Power, Double Team, Swagger, and Round, each with the effects written beneath the names.

Nyxx came out victorious against the normal type gym leader now her heart was racing even more so than her tumble down a mountain of a molehill nearly twenty minutes ago. Pinching the Simplicity batch between her index finger and her thumb, she held it up against the shining lights of the Pokémon gym. “Yeah Sloth listens to me, but doesn’t all at the same time, ” she complains looking down on the electric Pokemon’s ball, but her head snapped back up as her second rewards were brought out. “I have no idea what Round is, so I’ll take it, ” she said, giving probably the most under thought out decision of her Pokémon career so far.

The crowd cheered for Nyxx causing the young trainer to look around in awe, catching sight of even her mother, Mistress Hollow, giving a standing ovation to her little girl so proud she earned her first gym battle. Getting a double takedown at her own shadow she noticed she couldn’t feel Gengar hiding anymore, although her mind's eye could see an image of the ghost snickering somewhere at her expense of telling her mother of the gym challenge. With badge earned the bowed to the leader and turned to leave on a new quest to take a much-needed nap and locate her friends.

Ty Westgrove

Mesalon Pokecenter

"Hm?" Ty uttered, turning toward the trainer who sheepishly offered a napkin. Then he noticed the orange goo covering one of his jacket's sleeves. Well, that was impressive.

"Bro, those chunks flew really far that time!" the punk enthused, grinning at his Scyther. He mistakenly assumed Reaper's prowess was the culprit. "Lan's Pokémon better watch out!"

It seemed more trainers had gathered to watch the show. Ty smiled and agreed to let the trainers watch more fruit tricks. As if he and Reaper had more fruit tricks. Which they didn't.

"Uhh, I'm gonna help clean up the orange corpse first, though," the blond suggested, stalling for time. "I'd like to be let back into this Pokemon Center in the future."

A few minutes later, the table was clean and the trainer held some... grapes? Sure, grapes.

"Alright," Ty announced. "We're gonna try a new one, but we gotta go outside for this."

Once outside, Ty began a grandiose explanation of the fabulous new trick.

"In ring number one, we have... REAPER! In a daring feat of agility. Feast your eyes as I throw one, two, maybe even THREE grapes into the air. Gaze upon the sight as this strong Scyther catches them on his blades, holding as many at a time as possible. Watch with bated breath as there is less and less room on his killer blades. ARE. YOU. READAAAAY!"

Reaper let out a sharp buzz and hovered into the air a few yards away. He seemed more focused when presented with a brand new challenge to conquer.

Ty picked out a large grape and hurled it toward Reaper. The Scyther delivered an expert blow to the small moving target. Unfortunately, the slice was much too strong for the grape, which splattered into oblivion.

"Close one," Ty encouraged. "Go a little lighter this time."

Ty tossed another grape. The same thing happened. Reaper missed the fourth grape entirely. The Scyther was becoming visibly frustrated.

"Okay, time out," Ty called, walking toward his bug type. Reaper landed on the ground and turned away, just... done with this whole stupid thing.

"You're slashing like this," the trainer demonstrated with a sharp karate chop motion. "It's perfect for battling. But some things are gonna need less force. If you just go like this..." Ty rotated his left arm, thumb facing up. He placed a grape onto the bony part of his forearm. "Keep your blade still. Use your wings to get to the grape, not your arms." Ty carefully patted the bug's shoulder. "If that doesn't work, we can workshop it later."

Reaper grumbled. Then he flitted into the air, willing to try one more time. Ty backed up a little and tossed a grape. Reaper instinctually slashed toward it again, but he caught himself and steadied himself to focus on the new plan. The next grape, he kept his blade-arms mostly still and focused on his flight. The grape bounced off the side of his blade. A few more grapes were missed or splattered. Then, a grape landed right on the center of his blade and stuck there.

"YEAH!" Ty shouted, jumping and celebrating like his favorite team had won the championship game. "You got it!"

Reaper celebrated with equal enthusiasm, victoriously flailing his arms into the air. The grape flew off into the distance, eventually beaming some wild Ratatta just minding its own business. But that didn't matter. It stuck on the blade. Everyone saw it.

"Alright, behind the back!"

Ty did a fancy throw behind his back and over his shoulder. Reaper eagerly dived down to catch the flying fruit. SUCCESS! Two in a row!

The Scyther grinned at his trainer, surprised to see no grin in return. His left blade held a pierced grape near the tip. His right blade had gone two inches away from piercing his trainer's shoulder. Reaper's expression changed to match Ty's look of ashen shock and both stood frozen for a second.

"Heheheh, I'm not a grape," Ty anxiously chuckled, trying vainly to reassure his Pokémon. "Le-let's be more careful next time."

Reaper responded by clicking on his pokeball and immediately, wordlessly, vanishing inside. Ty gulped and took a deep breath before turning to his audience.

"So, we're going to the... uhhhh... the gym? Who wants to beat Lan first?"

@Typical@LuckyBlackCat@Noxx

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@Zanavy

Sophia raised an eyebrow. One the one hand, Ty wasn't mad at her, to her relief. On the other hand, was it just a matter of not acknowledging her abilities, or had he not even realised she was a psychic? Some people just didn't see what was right in front of them. At least in this case it wasn't an entirely bad thing, and she'd have better opportunities to showcase her skills later.

For now, though, the spotlight still just had to be on Ty's Pokemon and the mess they were making, thanks to the two hyped-up researchers. Rolling her eyes at Amber and Aedre, Sophia followed the group outside. "Alright, alright, just remember some of us don't have all day," she mumbled, keeping a safe distance from any more errant fruit pulp.

As if the Scyther hadn't already displayed his complete and utter lack of finesse, right after Ty made a grandiose speech and threw a grape, one swipe reduced it to a burst of goo. Sophia snickered. As she watched the second, third and fourth attempts, however, her smirk faded. This wasn't amusing. Instead, the growing frustration the Scyther expressed brought a pang of sympathy. He'd put his all into the training, and it still wasn't enough...

She hadn't expected such a feeling of warmth to spread through her at Ty's encouragements, and the following success. Could Pokemon and humans alike truly flourish if they applied themselves enough? Watching the Scyther flail his arms with pride, Sophia let a smile spread across her face. Then, hoping nobody had noticed - except maybe Reaper himself - she took on a neutral expression, even as Lacey clapped and cheered at her feet.

"Huh. Well, gotta say... That wasn't too shabby towards the end," the psychic commented. Right away, at Ty's command, Reaper dived for another grape in a blur of enthusiasm - only for one of his blades to swing dangerously close to his trainer. "Ehh, he didn't get you, did he?" Sophia asked, rushing forward. Ty bore no wound, but his shock-stricken face looked as if the Scyther had nearly sliced his throat, not grazed his shoulder. Had he had some kind of bad experience with a Pokemon? Sophia glanced at Reaper, shaking her head.

"There's such a thing as getting too hyped about success," she remarked. Then, after recalling Reaper's prior discouragement, she added, "Even though it was a success."

As the shame-faced bug returned to his Pokeball, Ty promptly changed the subject. Sophia perked up at the mention of the gym. "Ha! Silly question." She strode ahead of the group, grinning back at them to disguise the crawling sensation in her stomach. "Who d'ya think it's going to be?"

Of course she wanted to, she had to, but could she this time? With a deep breath, she started along the route, her Pokemon in tow. Think of Reaper, she told herself. Think of how time and practice paid off for him. Surely it can for others too.

---

Amber Pine

Mesalon Pokecentre

@Zanavy @Typical

Standing beside Aedre, Amber leaned forward, her stare occasionally turning to her notebook as she scribbled. "Well, the raw strength is certainly there!" she encouraged both Ty and Reaper, after the mantis' first few attempts turned out more forceful than intended. "It's just a matter of refining it."

Just as the Scyther looked ready to give up, Ty demonstrated what to do. A thought occurred to Amber. "Hey, Chalcedony, Larimar," she called, motioning for the two fossil Pokemon to advance, "this is something you'll want to watch." The Kabuto and Anorith scuttled in front of their trainer, all three studying the scene as Reaper managed to catch a grape on the tip of his blade.

Amber grinned. "Nice one! As Aedre's Pokemon proved earlier, sometimes precision moves are the most useful, like when targeting weak points or conserving energy... Ah!" Fascination turned to shock at the sight of the blade nearly jabbing into Ty's shoulder. She stepped forward, nearly tripping over Chalcedony, her notebook and pen flying from her hands. Steadying herself, she grimaced at Ty's look of horror. Scythers, although all the rage in Kanto, were notoriously difficult to train and could do considerable damage, sometimes by accident.

"Are you ok?" Sighing in relief when she saw Ty was, she gave a weak smile up at him as she retrieved the writing implements. "As impressive as a Scyther's moves are, some things are best not to experience personally." She petted Chalcedony's shell, that strained look still on her face. "And sorry about that, Chal."

Standing from her crouch, Amber put on a brighter smile as Ty suggested making their way to the gym. Naturally, the ever-headstrong Sophia set off right away, leaving the rest of the group to trail behind. "So, I was thinking," the researcher said, glancing from Ty to her two prehistoric Pokemon, then back at him. "That trick with the grapes. Something like that could be useful for Chal and Larimar here to learn when they evolve. I mean, similar techniques can be used while running or swimming, so I'm sure these two and Reaper will be able to learn things from each other. After all, Armaldos have plenty in common with Scythers, and it's even believed they're an ancestor of some Bug types..."

Hearing a groan of "Kabuuuu", she looked down and laughed. "I think Chal's saying I'm rambling." Even so, she turned her head in Aedre's direction. "But anyway, those skills could also be helpful ones for Decus to learn."

“Nice!” Aedre called, clapping as Reaper cut through the thrown grapes. Now that they were outside the Pokemon Center, she was more relaxed, the concern of dirtying the floor lifted off her mind.

When Reaper almost cut into Ty, though, Aedre gasped, raising a hand to cover her mouth as she watched, transfixed. Though Reaper recovered from the situation by returning himself, which allowed Ty the space he needed to do the same, the scene stayed with Aedre in her mind, the two’s sudden discoloration and horror replaying in her head. The ease at which she could command Thea and Little had caused her to forget that Pokemon were, in fact, wild at heart. They were capable of hurting humans as much as they were of other Pokemon, and they were arguably more dangerous to humans on account of their weaker natural defenses and healing properties. While Aedre wasn’t too concerned about Thea or Little injuring her since she trusted that they wouldn’t, Decus was a different story. He’d only made her acquaintance a few days ago, and while she trusted him, she couldn’t help but entertain the thought of the same happening with his as it did with Reaper. Would he look equally horrified, or would he—as a Pokemon who was used to sapping the energy of others—be comfortable with it?

Listening to Amber and Sophia’s reassurances to Ty, Aedre tried to take their words to heart and reassure herself as well. This was trainer life: mundane training, countless losses, and the possibility of injury all for the possibility of adventure and success. It was more exciting than lab life precisely because it held the thrill of the unknown and sometimes the unknown could hurt. She’d have to accept that as much as she’d have to accept the responsibility of being a trainer for her Pokemon, and for the moment, she could only think to set aside her worries to ponder over at a later date.

A ruffle of feathers from her shoulder reminded Aedre that Little was with her, and she raised a hand to smooth out the feathers on his neck as the conversation turned to the matter of the local gym. Sophia, for one, seemed rather confident in her victory even though Aedre seemed to recall her not getting the badge once before. While Aedre admired Sophia’s assuredness, she also wondered whether Sophia really was as confident as she let on. After all, it hadn’t been much time since her last loss, and if she failed to get the badge this time… Well, she needed all the support she could get.

When Amber brought up that Aedre could use the training exercise with the grapes for Decus, Aedre smiled, nodding.

“Yeah, I’ll definitely try some fruits or berries with him. I was thinking trees at first, but they don’t move, and cutting down trees isn’t the best idea anyway.”

Then, glancing at Sophia leading the way forwards, Aedre lowered her voice a bit. “I think Sophia’s got a fair shot this time, since she’s gone through the battle before, but should we watch? Do you think she’d mind?”

Personally, Aedre liked to deal with her failures alone, and—judging by Sophiai’s casual flippance—she thought maybe Sophia might be the same. After all, having people there to watch a possible failure meant more pressure and anxiety, and Aedre wouldn’t want to burden someone with that.

Then, turning to Ty, she grinned. “I don’t think we’ve properly met, have we? I’m Aedre, a research assistant. I'm, um, trying trainer life on for a bit, but my roots are still in research, like Amber. This is Little,” she said, indicating the Fletchling perched on her shoulder, “And Decus, or Dee, is my Honedge who could use some skills like Reaper. By the way, how did you get Reaper? Did you catch him here in Kosei, or?”

---

@luckyblackcat @Zanavy

Nyxx walked lazily along the road holding her badge up to the sunlight and letting it sparkle down upon her in a slightly more upbeat and gleeful fashion than most people were accustomed to seeing. She didn’t exactly expect to lose in the first place, but it came so much closer to swinging the other way than she would have liked or rather the exact way she liked. The challenge was the only reason she started on the road to be a trainer in the first place and from the way her heart was pounding from post-exertion she had chosen correctly. Still had to figure out what the T.M she chose actually did, but that could come later, it’s not like she didn’t have the internet to tell her; right now she had to heal up the Pokémon who did in fact battle and maybe later take a much well-deserved nap. Walking up to the Center she noticed Amber and Sophy watching another trainer practice for what she could only guess was the gym she just beat.

Stopping momentarily to look at the other two trainers and the third she’d yet to meet and exchanged greetings “What life-ending adventure are we going on tomorrow as per our group usual we have to get into some kinda trouble that honestly doesn’t involve us”

@LuckyBlackCat@Typical

Ty nodded in agreement as Amber discussed trying the grape trick for some of the other bladed Pokémon in the group.

"I think any of them could already start working with something still," the punk trainer added. "Something small and soft like strawberries. It's cool to find ways to train your Pokémon without any real bloodshed. Only juice-shed."

While the group began walking toward the gym, joined by a new trainer who seemed to know some of them, Ty envisioned epic blade-fighting scenes between their Pokémon. Armored warriors sword-fighting alongside their companions, the stark ring of clashing blades, a Mega Charizard spewing fire and smoke in the background. Ty relished the thought and the way it helped take his mind off his Scyther's near miss.

Ty snapped back to reality as he noticed Aedre begin speaking to him.

"Ty Westgrove," he responded to the greeting, extending a hand for a firm handshake. "Stunt Pokémon Trainer. Well... future."

Ty nodded politely at the Pokémon Aedre introduced. His expression turned contemplative as she asked about Reaper.

"Yeah, I caught him not too far from here," he began. "Weird to see one as close to civilization as he was. Didn't seem to be doing very well there, either. He was already hurt when I spotted him, and luckily, a Sing was able to put him over the edge."

Ty frowned down at Reaper's pokeball and sighed.

"I wish I had a more epic story," Ty admitted. "Reaper probably thinks I cheated. That I'm too weak to catch him fair and square. He can get cranky if I try to tell him to hold back. He has been getting better about that lately, but I'm worried this last incident might set him back..."

Ty walked quietly for a minute, gears turning to try to put an optimistic spin on this. Then he shrugged with a light smile.

"Or maybe, it means his behavior has gotten pretty good. He looked like he felt really bad about his mistake and walked away instead of arguing about it."

"But anyway, YOUR turn!" Ty addressed Aedre. "How did you get your sword Pokémon? And what kind of research do you do? I'm not much of a book smarts person, but researchers like you really help the rest of us out."

The leather-clad trainer expected the self-proclaimed researcher to babble ceaselessly about science stuff that sounded like it would be interesting if only he could hope to understand it. It was okay if he could only smile and nod, though. His fellow traveler might enjoy the chance to build up some camaraderie, and it would pass the time while they approached the gym.

Shaking Ty’s hand, Aedre listened as he described the origins of his Scyther. Hearing Ty’s own struggles with being a trainer reminded her that struggling with trainership was a universal thing, and this made her feel better about her own insecurities. Perhaps not knowing what path to pick and not having the background most trainers had was alright.

“I really hope I do,” she said, smiling. “And Dee, well, I actually got him from Eria, the Kraterdesh gym leader here in Kosei. I’m originally from Hoenn, and our lab studies Pokemon and the phenomenon around them to clarify popular beliefs around them. Pokemon like Absol, who were once believed to be harbingers of disaster, were proven to be nothing of the sort, so who’s to say what we know about Honedge is true?”

She paused to consider what she should say. Though she’d covered the factual, research-related of why she’d come to the region and taken in the Honedge, those reasons didn’t give a cohesive story. What she needed, then, was to put her thoughts about trainership—why she’d considered and chosen to pursue it—into the context of the story about Dee, whose presence taught her much more than just how Honedge tended behave.

“Technically, my job is to research Dee, to take notes on him and his usual behavior and motivations, but, well, I guess I took it a step forward and decided maybe I’d try being his trainer. After all, trainers are able to gain their Pokemon’s trust and coax out abilities they might not usually have in nature, and perhaps doing this will help dispell the negativity around Honedge, and even other ghost-types. The unknown has a way of drawing unease, after all, and…”

At this point, Aedre realized she was pretty much rambling about the same few points she’d already made. So, stopping, she opted for a final smile. “And that’s pretty much it.”

As the gym in the distance, Aedre turned to Ty and Amber. “Say, are either of you planning on challenging the gym as well?”

---

@luckyblackcat @Zanavy

Poison S.

Mesalon City -> Mesalon Gym

A woman walked through the streets. Actually she didn't just walk, she strutted. One hand was on her hip while her other was held up in an almost claw -like pose, her long lavender nails catching the sunlight just right to give them a particularly sharp appearance. He long purple ponytail swayed back and forth as she made her way to the gym, the brim of her hat bobbing up and down as her heels clicked across the street, each step made purposefully to accentuate all of her features like she was treating the street like a catwalk.

She could feel people's eyes on her. Men wanted her. Women wanted her. Yet everybody hated her. The jealousy in the air felt palpable to her, but she didn't care. If having this much swagger was a curse than so be it. She didn't have much. She wasn't born with much. But what she had she flaunted, and she was ready to show the world just what she was capable of. Her target was in sight. The Mesalon gym and its leader inside.

The woman made her way down to the gym, humming loudly to herself but only receiving a handful of looks her way as she through open the gym door.

"LAN YOU CHEEKY BUG HOW DARE YOU STAND IN MY WAY TO GLORY."

It is obvious she was unaware the leader was already challenging another trainer.

@Zanavy @Typical @Noxx @ItMeGritty

When Aedre asked about Sophia, Amber leaned in and whispered back. "Well she seems like she wants people to watch, but let's give her some space." Every battle was a learning curve, and the more experience Sophia had, the better her chances were. Still, bearing in mind the cracks in the other trainer's porcelain doll facade, Amber stayed behind, letting her walk ahead. Too much encouragement could be misread as pressure.

Looking over as Nyxx approached the group, Amber smiled, her expression turning strained as she tried to shrug off the morbid joke. "Hey again." Her eyes widened at the gleam of a badge. "Congratulations! Let's think about it this way, the more challenges we get through by choice like this, the more prepared we'll be for any unexpected ones." She could only hope this would be the case.

Sophia, to say the least, was rather less impressed. She stopped in her tracks, open-mouthed, staring in utter shock at the badge. "Wha...? But..." she sputtered when she could bring herself to speak. "How? Just freaking how? What happened to having to work for success?!" All her efforts, and a total slacker had somehow managed to get a badge first? It was some kind of fluke, it had to be. "Hmph... Well you've had your moment to shine. Now watch as I take my turn." Despite Lacey placing her hand on her leg, presumably urging her to calm down, Sophia marched forward, ponytails swishing as she sped up her pace.

"Sophia!" Amber called, but there was no getting through to her. Hopefully she wouldn't be too rash about this. Shaking her head, Amber turned to the others, engrossed in conversation about their Pokemon. "I agree, training Pokemon seems to be the best way to learn about them, especially their battle techniques." She smiled over at Ty. "I'm Amber, and yes I'm a researcher too. The geography and technological progress of Kosei means a lot of fossils to find and revive. When you think about it, fossil Pokemon and Ghost types have a lot in common. They're both relics of the past, and can provide insight into it."

She gave Chalcedony and Larimar a fond glance before continuing. "Although it isn't just fossil Pokemon I'm studying. It's Pokemon in general, and the many forms of potential that can be brought out. Like the skill you're helping your Scyther build."

The gym came into view, a place to put said potential to the test. Amber's stomach tightened with nerves, not just at the thought of the league challenge, but at the greater, more dangerous ones she'd mentioned earlier. It would be reassuring, she reminded herself, to track progress. To be able to prove to her family that she could cope with any further bumps in the road. "Well, I'm sticking to my original plan," she replied to Aedre, "and Ty, I take it you're going to go for it too?"

In any case, it was clear who'd try first.

The monastery may have been a haven of calm and humility, but Sophia strutted in like a celebrity down a red carpet. She raised an eyebrow at a woman in front of her, a trenchcoat-clad, purple-haired trainer who tried - and in her opinion, failed - to put on a flair for the dramatic. Clearly only one person here could pull that off. Rolling her eyes as the woman yelled about glory, Sophia strode in front of her, tilting her head and putting her hands on her hips.

"And just who the hell are you?"

Nyxx put her badge away as the energy of the general conversation just kind of swept her away from her original destination and for no reasons other than just conversation she was now heading back to the gym. Having put her badge into her trainer case, then put that in her pack she continued to walk with her peers everyone so fired up to challenge the gym. Sophie seemed to be the most adamant about it being that, from what she gathered already challenged and lost the first time and seeing the slacker just saunter on upholding the very badge she wanted must have miffed her to which, Nyxx understood.“I’ve been in the forest training for a while now before actually going to the gym, other than the usual unknowns that come from a battle it went mostly to plan, ” she commented scratching the back of her head and yawning, regretting her choice not to go to the center and get something to eat and take a nap but she was here already so no point in complaining now.

Nyxx audibly sighed as the gym came into view as she felt drained all over again, regardless of winning or not that match was way closer than she would have liked, and the exhaustion and exhaustion all came back to her with the memory. The group walked into the monastery prepared to see the leader a second time, but there was this woman who was also in front shouting about greatness, wearing a trenchcoat and purple hair. Even in her half-awake state she just had to crack a smile and snicker, the woman reminded her of her mother when she tried to act like a bad guy in her TV show when she was a kid. This woman looked and talked like a Saturday morning cartoon turned reality, all she was missing was a princess to kidnap.

“Oh, this should be good” Nyxx said with a snicker.

@LuckyBlackCat@ItMeGritty@Typical@Zanavy

Poison S.

Mesalon Gym

"Pff, please."

She rolled her eyes dismissively at Sophia. Putting a hand on her hip she glared back at the little girl who dared address her like she was a nobody.

"Um, excuse me, little girl. I am Poison and and I am not one you can just walk up to and ask questions about. I will deal with your insolence later, but for now I have much bigger fish to fry."

She took a step forward so that she was face to face with Sophia. She stared daggers into her eyes for a longer time than what was comfortable before bringing up her hand and flicking the poor Sophia in the forehead.

"That'll teach ya. Now, Lan you dumb nerd, come at me!"

She sends out Choke the Koffing.

@Noxx@LuckyBlackCat

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@ItMeGritty @Noxx



"Hey!" Sophia rubbed her forehead, returning the glare. How did someone so childish have the nerve to call HER a little girl? "You have no idea who you're talking to, do you?"

Stretching out her hands to either side and focusing her psychic power, she did her usual trick of spinning her Pokeballs through the air around her, making her huge curly ponytails billow for extra effect. Three of the Pokeballs opened, recalling Grimalkin, Arcturus and Lumas, before another unleashed Fantoccino.

With her three chosen battlers at her side - Lacey, Clarus and Fantoccino - Sophia returned the capsules to her ribbon belt. Despite her smirk, she resisted the urge to rub her head again, this time for a different reason. Controlling several items at once was tougher than she made it seem, and yesterday's overexertion didn't help. She'd have to make sure to avoid a repeat of that.

Her sneer widened at the sight of the Pokemon Poison sent out, a Koffing. "Oh please, Poison types? I mean the name made it just a tad obvious, but seriously, that means my Pokemon can wreck yours any day. Of course, they'd be able to do that even if not for your little disadvantage there."

At a disapproving squeak from Lacey, some of Sophia's haughtiness deflated as she remembered what had happened with Alexis. She huffed. No way would she let a situation get so out of control again. "But anyway, I'm here for the gym leader, not some nobody. And there's only one person here on the way to glory, so just sit back and watch." She made to stride past Poison, but the man at the counter motioned for her to stop.

"Both of you," he said, his tone as neutral as his face. If he was at all impressed by Sophia's trick just now, or annoyed at Poison's antics, he didn't show it. "You'll have to wait just a moment. Lan's healing his Pokemon right now, but I'll let him know he's got more battles coming up." He pressed a button, paging the gym leader.

Sophia marched over to the arena doors anyway. "And who else should the first one be against than Sophia the Spectacular?" she announced, hoping her dramatic pose hid her jittering - and that Lan wouldn't say anything about their previous battle.

"Clearly, you've never understood how to be fashionably late."

Alexis finally walked towards the others. Though by all accounts, she looked the same as ever, there was something different about her. An air of confidence mixed with smugness surrounded her. She had all her pokemon outside of their pokeballs moving alongside her. They too seemed different. They seemed stronger than before, more determined...and larger in number. Another pokemon had joined her team: A Meditite. Out of her entire team, it stood out personality-wise. Its eyes revealed that it sought something, and given the fact that it had joined Alexis, it seems to believe that it would find what it seeks as part of her team.

Alexis had been doing some training on her own. After the several losses, and the continuous interruptions to her plans, and the constant upstaging, she had finally decided to attempt a more simple approach. She had decided to catch another pokemon. One that was more appropriate for the battle. But it couldn't just be any pokemon. Alexis had standards, and any that couldn't fit her criteria were simply unacceptable. It was like that for a bit, they only found pokemon that did not deserve to be in their group. Too weak. Wrong color. Attacked them first...All of them were simply used to improve her team's moves and techniques. Her team had grown stronger as a consequence of not finding the right pokemon for a new member. Then Meditite appeared. It was training on its own, and its movements were beautiful. It was like a dance, but also not. It was rough, yet smooth. Fast and slow. They had found their new member.

In any case, Alexis walked up to Sophia with a smirk on her face.

"Going up first doesn't mean anything if you don't have the impact to make it worthwhile, and your little levitation trick isn't going to be enough to impress anyone important."

It took a moment for Alexis to see the girl with purple hair.

"Oh? Who's this? I didn't think you were one to ask for help in your attempts to look good, Sophia. Shame on you for using some goth girl to compare looks."

Ty Westgrove

- Mesalon Gym -

Ty looked around curiously as the group of trainers entered the monastery. There were a couple dated yet nice old benches, some quaint latticed windows, and some hot chick who seemed out of place yet welcome to the young man's eyes. Ty's smile morphed into a wide-eyed gaze as the purple-haired woman and Sophia immediately got into a catty argument. This was a situation the chill trainer both wanted to resolve ASAP, and had absolutely no idea how to do so.

Just as Sophia started to respond to that randomly rude flick, Ty heard a loud thump directly behind him, followed by a complaining grumble. He turned and looked down to see Hunk grunting urgently and gesturing toward a smaller hallway, where the gym trainers would be.

"Alright, alright buddy," Ty said to appease the Timburr. "I didn't forget. We just have to wait just a minute for everyone else to get ready."

Hunk sighed and sourly crossed his arms but accepted the terms, much like a small child in a grocery store.

The punk trainer returned to the larger conversation just in time to hear more about glory. The front desk dude explained how people were to enter the main gym, which seemed to be the destination of everyone but Ty, he presumed. Ty broke away from the group to ask the man about battling with a couple gym trainers. The front desk man pressed another pager and then immediately instructed Ty where to go.

"I gotta fight some gym trainers first," Ty explained generally toward the group, whoever cared to hear him. "Hunk needs a little more training. I'll try to go fast so I can watch as many of you as I can, though."

Ty peered over various heads to find Sophia, who was already forging ahead. He frowned a bit. A bunch of these random people were acting like jerks to her, for no good reason, on an important and stressful day, no less. Nobody needed that.

"'Ey, Sophia!" Ty shouted, pumping a fist into the air. "You got dis! ...Everyone got dis!"

With that, Ty and Hunk began to stroll toward the gym trainers' arena.

Aedre Charbonnet

---

^{Mesalon: Gym}
Seeing the woman storm up to Lan and shout at the gym leader was enough to cement Aedre’s shock and slight admiration for her. While shouting at people was undoubtedly rude, it proved the purple-haired woman’s confidence. However, instead of being deterred, it seemed the pomp of the new challenger only served to further incense Sophia, who readily leaped to the challenge.

Though Aedre listened to Amber’s addition to the conversation about Pokemon, waving at Nyxx when she arrived back, Aedre was distracted by the two trainers duking it out over a gym challenge. Sophia was proud, yes, but she had shown a sensitive side that proved her receptive to others’ opinions. Poison, as the purple-haired woman had introduced herself, seemed to have no such side, even going so far as to call Lan a ‘dumb nerd.’

“Oh my,” Aedre breathed, covering her mouth with a hand. Insulting the gym leader you were challenging—what a move.

Needless to say, Sophia wasn’t about to back down, quickly calling out her own Pokemon to match Poison’s challenge. The typing weakness would heavily skew the battle in her favor, but considering that both were looking to challenge the gym leader, Aedre couldn’t say participating in a trainer battle was a good idea right now.

It was at this point that Alexis decided to reenter, confronting both Sophia and Poison at once. Just as the situation couldn’t get any worse, Ty interrupted, cheering everyone on as they headed towards the arena doors. Aedre looked to Amber with wide eyes before breaking out a chuckle.

“Good luck, everyone” she called as well as they walked into the main arena. She herself quickly made her way to the spectator area, Little hopping onto the nearest ledge beside her. When Amber joined her, as well as whoever ended up being forced to wait for their match, she grinned, waving.

“Watching battles is pretty fun too,” she said. “Plus you can think of going later as a preview of Lan’s team and strategies—right? I think that’s how it works.”

---

@luckyblackcat@Zanavy@OtomostheCrazy@ItMeGritty@Noxx

Amber Pine

Mesalon Gym

@Zanavy @ItMeGritty @OtomostheCrazy @Noxx @Typical

Amber winced at the scene, which deteriorated by the second. "Please, everyone, try to rein it in," she called to Sophia, Alexis, and an equally loud purple-haired woman, stepping forward to intervene if necessary. It was Ty, however, who tried to defuse the situation with words of encouragement. As Aedre chuckled, Amber gave her own strained laugh.

"Yeah. Best of luck, and remember, whatever happens it's all a learning curve," she said over her shoulder, following Aedre. Larimar nodded at the three bickering girls before scuttling after her trainer.

Settling into a seat, Amber nodded at Aedre's comment. "Well, I'm sure a gym leader will have many different strategies," she replied, "but it'll give us an idea of what to expect, especially if we watch more than one battle." Part of her wanted to experience a gym match as soon as possible, excitement and nerves competing as fiercely as any Pokemon. Even so, patience was necessary when learning.

She leaned forward, looking out over the arena to see who the first challenger would be, although she had a good guess.

---

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Gym

@Zanavy @ItMeGritty @OtomostheCrazy @Noxx @Typical @fer1323
_{(Collab with fer1323)}

Sophia snickered. As if she wasn't faced with enough of an annoyance already, Alexis had to go and waltz in, doing her utmost to outrank this Poison girl on the insufferability scale. Clearly the wannabe gotten some training in, considering her fourth Pokemon, but that wasn't enough to catch up with her just yet - hopefully.

At Alexis' little comment, Sophia put her hands on her hips. "Ask for help? Please. This loser's gonna be the one begging me for battle advice after I take that stuffy old man down a peg or two." Turning to Ty, who recognised her potential to some extent, she grinned. "You said it! Not sure about everyone else, and not that I need a reminder, but finally someone who gets it!" Her tone rang bright and loud, as if by shouting enough, she'd fully convince everyone. Including herself.

Glimpsing a dark wisp, accompanied by a drifting chill, she spun round. "Uh, Fanto...." The Shuppet, in the process of sneaking up on Alexis, turned his head. "No need for that." Sophia wasn't going to risk another fiasco involving her and Alexis' Pokemon, especially not now. "Well, let's go show that old stick in the mud what we're capable of, I'm sure he can't take much longer." With that, she pranced into the arena, her team at her side.

She masked her worries with a smirk as, just a few moments later, Lan appeared through the opposite door. "Ready at last, huh?" she taunted, raising her head, trying to exude confidence. "'Cause I sure am!"

The monk, unfazed as ever, slowly approached and held out a sheet of paper. "Sophia. Your friend, Oscar, told me you'd be here shortly," he said. "He left a note for you."

A frown replaced Sophia's smirk. Just what did that idiot have to say, and where was he in any case? She grasped the paper, reading over the message. Her mouth hung open at the words.

"Dear Sophia

With a heavy heart, I won’t be able to see your gym battle and hopefully victory. Despite our prior agreement, I have left early alone to head to the next town. I need time alone to reflect on the past and future events as well as my role to play in the grand scheme of things.

Please don't get upset or worry about me. I am very capable on my own with my pokemon by my side. I will be safe and sound so we will be able to see each other again soon enough if you plan to do the contest in the next town like planned.

The next time we meet, don’t expect me to give you my ‘sagely’ advice or to help you in general. I feel that my advice should not be wasted on deaf ears. I will keep my wisdom until you feel inclined to be ready to receive it

Yours truly
Oscar Berg"

It took several seconds for Sophia to bring herself to speak, the hall silent save for the scrunch of fingers clenching paper. Her yell cut through the quiet.

"That... That JERK!!" The rant spilled out of her. "He promised! He promised he'd travel with us!" She crossed her arms, further crinkling the letter. "N-Not that I wanted to hang out with him! It's just... Urrrgh! If he'd stick around to watch my big moment, maybe he'd shut up about his so-called wisdom!"

Lan kept his stony look on her. "Sometimes plans change, but that means we must adapt with them. At least he had the courtesy to inform you."

Lacey backed up the calming attempt with a nod and a comforting hand on her trainer's ankle, but there was no getting through to Sophia. "Oh, so that makes being a complete flake of a fr-" She bit back the bizarre choice of word. "Of, uh, a spectator A-ok does it? Strutting off ahead, while all kinds of chaos keeps breaking loose, no less..." Her voice shook. The journey's events, and Amber's warning, played through her mind. If there was anyone all too likely to run headlong into danger, it was Oscar.

She took a deep breath, looking Lan in the eyes and sighing through gritted teeth, What she uttered was something the gym leader, and the spectators, would never have imagined she'd say. Hell, she'd never have imagined it. "This battle... It looks like it's gonna have to wait. I-I can't just let him outdo me like this! I've got to catch up, or I'll never hear the end of it!"

Catch up by missing out on a gym badge. Yes. Great way to go about it. Before anyone could point out flaws in her logic, she continued. "It's not that I'm worried about him! That guy just needs some damn sense drummed into him, and a reminder that he isn't gonna breeze ahead that easily! And make no mistake, I'll still wipe the floor with you some day!" She swept her glance around at the spectators. "As you'll all see. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a pompous bigmouth to find."

With her Pokemon in tow, she turned and hurried from the arena, from the monastery. After all that struggle and stress, she'd left the gym with no badge once again, but sticking by Oscar if he got in over his head was more important.

Sometimes plans really did change.

---

@Zanavy

In the meantime, a young, robed man approached Ty. Greeting him with a bow, he held up a Pokeball as he noted the companion at the boy's feet, a Timburr. Many eager trainers brought along Fighting types for their advantage against this particular gym. As a student who could benefit from learning how to counter this advantage, a sparring match would do both him and the other trainer good.

"A challenger?" he asked, the capsule expanding. "Looking to practice for the gym battle, I take it?"

Ty Westgrove

Mesalon Gym

"Yup!" Ty responded, imitating a return bow. He halted for just a moment on the way back up... was he supposed to do that? Or was it supposed to be like a special thing just for monks.... ahhhh well, too late to take it back now.

"I'm trying to get back quick to watch some other battles, though. Could we keep it to a one-on-one?"

Hunk gave a confident smile and bowed. He seemed to think it was cool.

"As you wish." With a nod, Nao let out his Pokemon of choice. A little beige, red-spotted bear swayed in place, lurching for balance merely trying to stand. "Are you ready, Spinda?" Nao asked. The panda grinned, spun around, and tottered forward in a zigzag pattern like she'd gotten off a fairground ride. While such a clumsy-seeming Pokemon wouldn't look like much of an opponent, especially to a Fighting type, her staggering steps weren't for nothing.

"Start this with Double Team." On command, the already difficult-to-hit Pokemon sped up her stumbling, the afterimages she left even more dizzying than her movements.

Hunk looked confused for a few seconds as his opponent appeared. Then he just shook his head and sighed. The Timburr felt a little bad about beating up a Pokémon who seems to have already taken a beating recently. But, a battle is a battle.

Hunk hefted up his thick plank to attack. In that short time, Spinda already made the first move. Hunk lifted up his log to crash it down on the skull of the wobbling Pokémon to his right, only to overcorrect and almost topple over himself to avoid leaving his left side open to attack from the Spinda on the left. A CRACK rang out as the log struck-- the cobblestone floor, and now somehow Spinda was behind him?? Hunk's brows furrowed with frustration, the Timburr already growing flustered.

"Remember not to look at their face while battling," Ty instructed. "Focus on their torso to see where their limbs are going."

Hunk still looked baffled but nodded. The beaver Pokemon took a second to close his eyes and take a bolstering breath. Maybe he could recover from his early mistakes with a little more focus. (Focus Energy)

As the Timburr took a deep breath, muscles tightening, Nao watched a slight red glow appear around him. Focus Energy. A smart choice, sharpening his concentration to counter Spinda's strategy of throwing it off. Which, of course, meant it was time to go on the offensive.

"Follow up with Tackle," he called. The Spinda seemed to veer completely off course, but arced towards Hunk at the last moment, launching herself with surprising accuracy.

"Wait 'til it hits you, then you can hit with Pound!"

Hunk still had trouble tracking Spinda. Rather that attempt to dodge her careening blows, the Timburr held his log to his back like a makeshift shield and dug in his heels, preparing to weather the hit. The Tackle came hard to the side of his leg, threatening to buckle his knee, but the fighting type managed to fight through the pain and stand strong. His hand whipped out to grab Spinda before she could get away. But the wobbling Pokémon ducked its head in a seemingly impossible Limbo move and slipped away from his grasp... this time. Hunk grunted angrily and steeled himself to deal a mighty blow next time she dared to get close.

The evasion strategy was still working, but despite the hit, the Timburr's fighting spirit showed no sign of wavering. The Spinda bounced and stumbled back from the blow she'd dealt, regaining her balance, or as much balance as she ever had. Her head tilted from side to side, yet those spiraling eyes remained fixed on the Timburr, showing focus beneath her ditzy exterior.

"That's it, keep dodging and wearing it down," Nao encouraged. "Again, Tackle." Whirling around like an overenthusiastic dancer, Spinda barreled towards her opponent again, the images from her earlier Double Team still accompanying her.

"You can hit it this time, I know it!" Ty encouraged. He wished there was something more useful he could say, something that would be the secret key to beating Spinda. But it was all up to Hunk's reflexes and quick thinking now. Any more distractions might only lower his chances.

As Spinda went in for another Tackle, Hunk lifted his plank to a more offensive stance. The Pokemon seemed to be going for the same weakened leg, only to weave around to slam into his back at the last second. Hunk grunted as the wind was knocked out of him. The Timburr allowed the attack to push him a step forward so he could pivot on the spot. Hunk used his turning momentum to swing his log in a broad arc, risking his balance to cover as much area as possible. (Pound)

The log swept through the decoys, slamming into the Spinda's torso and knocking her flying. She thudded to the floor with a strained, breathless squeal, rolling like a ragdoll. Nao leaned forward, a hint of a frown the only break in his composure, but the bear staggered to her feet. Although she wobbled more than ever, she remained standing.

"Use Copycat this time," Nao commanded, straightening his own posture. Spinda careened at Hunk, lurching to the left as she aimed for an unguarded side. Swinging a paw at him, she used his attack against him just as he'd used hers to his advantage.

"Yeah!" Ty shouted as Hunk got a solid hit in. It would take more than that to take Spinda down, though, and part of Ty feared he wouldn't be able to get enough accurate Pounds in. The Timburr wobbled for a couple seconds to regain his balance after that wild swing. He looked a little weary already.

"Alright buddy," Ty commanded as Spinda headed back into the fray. "This is your big moment! Trip it up with Low Kick!"

A determined look flashed across Hunk's face as he took a solid stance. Then Spinda's punch to the jaw dazed the Timburr, and he fell to one knee. Well, looks like... this attempt at Low Kick would just have to be lower than ever before! Hunk fell back to support himself on one elbow and one knee, mustering what remained of his strength to attempt a sweeping kick with the other leg.

Spinda yelped and flailed as the kick struck her ankle, knocking her foot from under her. Unable to steady herself, she fell in a dazed heap. Nao's grip tightened around the Pokeball, but it turned out he didn't have to recall her just yet. Letting out a moan, Spinda clambered to her feet. That supereffective attack had left her looking the worse for wear, her movements even more erratic as she limped forward. Nonetheless, she kept that intent gaze on her opponent.

"You can win this is you keep at it," Nao called. "Use Tackle." Pushing off of her good leg, the Spinda leapt once more.

"Woooooah!" Ty enthused after the successful Low Kick. "You did it, Big Man! Whatever you did that time, remember that."

Hunk celebrated with a tired smile and casually pushed back up to his feet. But the battle was not over yet. The Timburr hastily crouched back down as Spinda headed back toward him.

"You gotta hit it first this time!" the punk trainer shouted. "Low Kick again."

Hunk needed no more encouragement to kick with powerful force the instant Spinda entered his range. But- he missed! It was an after-image! However, Hunk's near miss caused Spinda to also kilter off-balance and falter in the strength of her Tackle.

The Timburr ended up striking Spinda's leg in a move that could better be described as a flail than a kick, while Spinda hit Hunk's chest with more of a flop than a tackle. Both Pokémon tumbled to the floor. A slight shuffle of movement could be seen from the tangled pile of limbs. Then Hunk's heavy log, apparently tossed up in the commotion, crash landed on them. Two short yelps came from the Poké-pile, followed by silence and stillness.

"C'mon champ, you got this..." Ty murmured. Both trainers waited for several long, breathless seconds. Then Ty cautiously took a few steps forward to get a better look.

"Uhhh... I think they're both out?"

Nao approached the two unconscious Pokemon as Ty did, crouching down. As before, the only sign of emotion was a slight furrow in his brow. "This match does indeed seem to be a draw," he confirmed, holding out the Pokeball, his expression settling back into serenity. "You did well though, Spinda." She wouldn't hear him while out cold, but he'd praise her once she was healed.

Recalling her, he stood up, facing Ty and Hunk. "And so did the two of you. Let's think of it as a step forward on our journeys. I wish you luck for the gym battle, and for your travels."

"Thanks, man!" Ty responded, recalling his Timburr. "And good luck with your monk stuff! Tell Spinda she was awesome for me."

Ty pocketed Hunk's Pokeball and speed-walked back through the modest halls. He tried to focus on his feelings of pride- his well-deserved pride over his Pokémon learning a great new move. Pockets of doubt came unbidden into his thoughts, though. If Hunk tied against one gym trainer's Pokémon, would he be able to handle the gym leader's team?

The leather-clad man took a few steps outside and spotted some long dark pigtails swaying in the distance. Sophia, maybe? Maybe she already finished her battle and was also heading toward the Pokémon Center? But that would have to be a pretty fast battle... it must be somebody else.

Still, Ty hustled so that he might have a chance to see some of his companions' gym battles before his own turn. Another minute or two passed before a thought occurred to him. With a flash of light, Reaper appeared from his ball. The Scyther let out a chillingly ferocious hiss, blades flashing, blood boiling for a fight to release some energy after the stressful event earlier that morning.

"Reaper," Ty said with a slight chuckle. "We're not fighting yet."

Reaper froze for a second and then let out a different hiss, reminiscent of a balloon deflating.

"It's almost time, though," Ty assured as he held out Hunk's Pokeball. "For now, I need you to take Hunk to the Pokemon Center. It's the one with a big red roof, remember?" The blond pointed vaguely in the right direction.

"You can fly as fast as you can without hitting anything. Just take him to the counter. Come fast back to me when he's ready OR if there are any problems."

Reaper grabbed the Pokeball in his mouth and flew up, performing a few tight spins in the air before zooming off toward the main town. Boy, Ty hoped the bug came close to understanding and caring about his directions. This would be a bad time for two of his Pokemon to soar off to Galar or something.

As Reaper became a green speck in the sky, Ty went back inside and waited outside the doors to the main arena. If his battle was fast enough, he could slip in between the first and second challenges.

@LuckyBlackCat@OtomostheCrazy[@Dusksong]@Zanavy


Anyone who entered Vareena Forest would be greeted by a myriad of sounds. The song of Fletchlings flitting from branch to branch, Cutieflies buzzing around wildflowers, rustling leaves as Panpours, Pansears and Pansages climbed trees in search of berries. Over the backdrop of nature, a human voice rose.

"Ah! Sorry there little one! I didn't mean to step on you... Eheheheh..." Several Pokemon yells accompanied thumping footsteps. "Leavanny, hold them off! Lopunny, Gothorita, please help out!"

In a clearing, a strangely-dressed woman - her clothing mostly made of leaves and flowers - backed away from where a mushroom Pokemon shuddered on the ground, as several green-capped, lizardlike ones closed in. Next to her, a Leavanny dodged a punch and leapt forward, retaliating with sharp blades. The other two Pokemon followed, the Lopunny leaping into the air and knocking out one of the attackers with a kick, the Gothorita calmly unleashing a multicoloured beam from her eyes that sent another reeling.

The Brelooms who still stood snickered at their fainted comrades and rushed at the defending Pokemon, one kicking the little Shroomish out of the way before sending the Lopunny flying with a blow from its tail. It was clear this gang of thugs didn't so much want to protect their own as pick a fight.

Meanwhile, Oscar and his band of pokemon had their food and fun and packed up before heading into the forest that was in the distance. A short while after entering, Oscar hears screams and shouts of distress. Oscar gets a face that Roadrunner knows all too well and runs after him. As the pair gets closer to the source, they hear sounds of fighting, and soon as they get in sight, they see a damsel in distress and her Pokemon being overwhelmed by skoomish and breloom.

In a split moment of quick thinking, Oscar sends out Skòll and Nomia. "skòll and RR, concentrate on clearing a path. Nomia, be supportive and help the other Pokemon get a reprieve." Oscar also snaps off a nearby branch quickly and starts to join in on the fight by swatting any breloom in the head when they distracted or playing golf with skoomish.

The trainer gave a sigh of relief as reinforcements arrived. "Thanks, but... Careful!" One of the Brelooms released a cloud of orange dust - Stun Spore. The Lopunny staggered to his feet. He jumped in front of the trainers and their Pokemon, shaking his head so his ears wafted the powder away from them. His fur showed flecks of it, but oddly enough, they didn't seem to affect him.

"Whew, good move there Lopunny," the woman commented. "Ok, hit back with another Bounce! Gothorita, use Psyshock, and Leavanny, X-Scissor!" As her Pokemon launched once more into action, she joined the fray herself, taking off her backpack and using it to knock a Breloom aside.

Cos of the Fire type advantage, Skòll and Roadrunner cleave through the grass type numbers with East. With Oscar and Nomia helping keep from many to focus on Skòll, Roadrunner and others, the horde slowly gets culled to a lonely skoomish. Before it can be knocked out fully, Oscar takes out a pokeball and throws at the skoomish. With a flash of light, it disappears into the ball and with three wiggles, it locks in the ball. But as Oscar picks it up, it disappears as a ping comes from his pokedex. He takes out his pokedex and reads the notification.

Leavanny, who'd moved to protect the Shroomish from any more attackers, started in surprise as it disappeared. Looking up at Oscar, the bug gave a happy cry, face brightening with a smile. The trainer wore a similar, albeit more reserved look, contrasting with Oscar's disappointment as the Pokeball disappeared. "I see you've already got a full team. Don't worry, the Shroomish will be better off somewhere safe than around them." She glanced at the unconscious Brelooms while she bent down, taking a Super Potion from her backpack and spraying it on the bruised Lopunny.

He has a sigh of defeat before he turns and addresses the female, but before he gets one word out, Nomia glows and Oscar's and his other pokemon's eyes are on her, especially Skòll's eyes. Her small glowing eevee form grows into a bigger form and as the glowing dims, Nomia blinks as she shakes her green-tipped ears and wags her leafy tail. Skòll looks to be in awe and yips happily before going to nuzzle her but found it hard due to their current difference in size and height. As Skôll whimpers, Nomia gives a loving smile and leans down to give some tender nuzzles to him.

The foliage-clad woman's smile widened. "Congratulations! This is a popular place for trainers to evolve their Eevees," she told Oscar, gesturing to a large, moss-covered rock in the clearing. "The energy from this rock turns them into Leafeons. What can I say, all's well that ends well."

Beside her, Leavanny wasted no time in cutting several leaves from a shrub, biting holes in them, and threading them together with silk from her mouth. "Leeee! Leeee!" She draped the necklace over the flats of her blades and presented it to Nomia.

The trainer gave a soft chuckle. "Looks like it's a mix of a thank you gift and a celebration one. It'll last a long time, Leavanny thread preserves the leaves they use for clothing and accessories."

Nomia looks appreciative of the flower necklace and walks around, flaunting her new form and piece of fashion while Skòll looks at her in awe with a weak smile. Oscar notices this and turns to the saved female. " well, introductions are in order. My name is Oscar. The combusken is Roadrunner, the growlithe is Skoll and the last one that evolved is Nomia. May I get an introductions in return?"

"Oh! Do excuse me," the woman replied. "I'm Ramie, nice to meet all of you. Leavanny and I were out here collecting materials. We make contest wear."

Her eyes flicked back towards the two dogs. "I think Skoll might need a Fire Stone to solve the height difference issue. Actually, now I think about it, that'd just create a new one," she joked. She'd only seen a few Arcanines, mostly in contests, but they were far from small.

"Hmmm. I may have one from helping out a spelunker or someone that works in caves." Oscar takes off his backpack before he rummages through it and takes out the red stone with a flame inside. "I assume this is one and it should make Skòll evolve if what you say is true. Skòll, catch!"

Oscar throws the stone towards Skòll and Skòll turns, runs, and jumps to catch in mid-air. As Skòll lands, he starts to glow and grows several times his size. As he stops glowing, a mountainous mass of floofy is his place, with now duller firestone in his maw.

Nomia lets out a cry of joy and runs to nuzzle him, only to be in the same place Skòll was moments ago. Skòll leans down and nuzzles her and Nomia murrs, not minding being smaller than him. Oscar seems to be taken aback a bit on how big Skòll is but seems to hold his composure quite well. For some aspiring trainers who has a keen ear and memory, would remember hearing stories of how radical some Pokemon go when they evolve.

Ramie stared up in awe, as did her Pokemon. "That Fire Stone was quite the lucky reward then! Although if I'd known you had one, I'd have said..." She paused, feet turning inwards. "When some Pokemon evolve by stone, their movepools become limited. That's just in terms of leveling up though, they can still learn plenty of moves through TMs and tutoring. I'm sure the gym leader in Fratmenson will be happy to help out!"

She looked at the huge Fire type again, then at Oscar. "Speaking of gym leaders, if you're a league challenger and you have yet to battle Saki in Vareena, an Arcanine will be a great help."

Oscar nods in acknowledgment to both statements. He looks at Skòll and looks deep in thought. [color=green]" I heard some rumors of arcanines and some passing jokes from my parents about how majestic they are and how fast they are. Do you want a lift back to town? That is if you think it a good idea to do so. I mean so soon after evolution. His size and the rumored speed has gotten me thinking for a contest routine."[color]

"That'd be great, thank you!" Ramie nodded as she hauled her backpack onto her shoulders. "As long as carrying two people isn't uncomfortable for him." Turning to her Pokemon, she took several Pokeballs from her belt. "You ok returning for now?"

Lopunny hopped into his Pokeball, the other two Pokemon followings and disappearing into theirs. "How familiar are you with Vareena Town?" Ramie asked Oscar, clipping the devices to her belt and approaching Skoll. "I can give you directions if you want - this forest's pretty big, and more like a jungle in places. If you like contests, though, you'll love Vareena."

"That will be a great help since I am new to the region. Let us climb on our steed before we head off." After Nomia in her ball and convincing Roadrunner to do so as well, for the time being, Oscar and Ramie mount Skòll and head towards Vareena town with a nice easy brisk pace.

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Town -> Route 2

Sophia headed straight to the Pokemon centre, fuming the whole time she gathered up her belongings. She hurriedly checked out, the nurse giving her a rather bemused look as she stormed from the building and down the path. "I should have known," she muttered to her Pokemon. "I should have known he'd pull something like this. Again."

When she reached the trail downwards, she glowered out at the view, at the sprawling fields leading to forest, town rooftops just visible on the horizon. Starting along the route, she channeled what energy she could into a mental yell. "Oscar, you jerk! So much for sticking together! Don't you dare land yourself in trouble!"

Despite the downhill walk, her posture sagged. With a groan, she held onto a rock. Dang, there was no way Oscar could have heard her message. How early had he set out? How far away was he? If only she'd gotten his phone number... Not that she had any reason to, of course! Right now, though, it'd certainly be convenient.

---

Amber Pine

Mesalon Gym

@Typical

Once again, the monastery was quiet as Amber watched, waiting for the next trainer to battle Lan. She shifted in her seat, unusually restless, before sighing and turning to Aedre. She didn't want to bring up the subject, but there was no avoiding it.

"Speaking of plans changing, do you think we should go with her?" she asked. "You know, considering everything, it seems like it's best to travel in groups." While Sophia and Oscar were capable trainers, between the strangely-behaved wild Pokemon and the criminal activity, that comment about chaos breaking loose hadn't been an exaggeration.

"We'll also have to tell Lan," she continued. "About yesterday." Aedre had wanted a distraction from the previous day's events, not a reminder, but they'd have to inform the gym leader - sooner rather than later, if her friend agreed on leaving early.

---

^{Mesalon City: Gym}
“Yeah,” Aedre said, eyes roaming over the floor of the gym below. Though she had no intention of challenging gyms, there was something to be said about battling other trainers. Pokemon thrived best when challenged—that was always abundantly clear no matter the species or personality of the Pokemon. The hard part was figuring out how best to challenge them.

But maybe Aedre needed to challenge herself in order to have the right to challenge her Pokemon. After all, she had no right to ask that her Pokemon be brave in battles if she couldn’t even muster up the bravery to attempt a gym battle. She’d let it slide, had been letting it slide for a while now as things happened around her, and to her credit she’d had enough to be distracted by. Still, somewhere down the line, the best challenge would be a gym battle, and Aedre knew she’d have to come to terms with that, for the Fletchling on her shoulder and for herself. Just not right now.

An outburst jerked her out of her daze, and she watched with wide eyes as Sophia continued her tirade, launching into a grandiose monologue before dashing out. “Pompous bigmouth”—who could that be?

“Do you have any clue what she was talking about?” Aedre asked, looking to Amber. “She didn’t sound very… happy about whatever ‘he’ did.”

At Amber’s suggestion of going with Sophia, Aedre was slightly surprised, then backpedaled. Of course they should go with her! She wasn’t in the right state of mind, hot off her emotions and likely prone to error. What if she found the guy and yelled something she didn’t mean in the heat of the moment?

“Yeah that sounds like a good idea,” she said, rising from her seat. Taking the cue, Little hopped onto her shoulder, giving his feathers a ruffle, and Aedre raised a hand to gently scratch at the back of his neck. “We should probably hurry. She seems like she walks pretty fast.”

Telling Lan was an option Aedre would’ve never thought of alone, but thankfully she wasn’t. Though the thought of detailing her mistake to a gym leader wasn’t fun, it was the sensible thing to do, especially if she ever wanted to find the package.

She nodded, resolving herself to the action. “Okay, let’s do it.”

Leading the way down the stairs, Aedre waved a brief hello to Ty before looking back to where Lan stood in the middle of the gym, looking both patient and not at once. Or maybe he was just patient. Either way, Aedre floundered for another second or so, glancing between the gym leader and Amber, before exhaling and steeling her nerves. Out onto the gym floor she walked, making a beeline for the gym leader.

“Um, Lan? Could I, um, talk to you about, um, something?” The spotlights were getting to her, and her words came out more hesitantly than she would’ve liked, but she was too caught up in the fact that she was now standing in the center of the gym, a spectacle for gymgoers to look at. Was this what being a trainer meant?

---

@luckyblackcat @Zanavy