At the sight and sound of Joshua's excessive energy, Erika found a timid smile at the boy's bow. Erika opened her mouth to address the knightly offer but Ewan chimed in just before, drawing Erika's attention away from what she was going to say. "Ooh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply you were not capable.. I just.. never mind..." Erika hurried to apologize, believing that Ewan took offense to her earlier wording.
Moving on, Erika would only continue to be placed off guard as Joshua called her adorable. Erika found her gaze dropping and her cheeks becoming hot in a flush. It wasn't like she was never complimented, but getting called that by boys your age was, in a way, disarming. Not saying it was a bad thing, though. It was just that made Erika feel a lot younger than these two.
Erika began to feel slightly easier when the attention was brought off of her herself and Joshua's praises were hailed about his companion but she only got a moment respite before Joshua's knightly chivalry came back. Fair maiden? Less than perfect? Erika had to admit, Joshua was a dork... Not that Erika was shallow or anything! It was just hard not to find the whole act silly. Even though that line of thinking was harmless, Erika couldn't help but feel a tiny bit mean. So as Ewan began to dig through his pack, Erika decided to just let loose because it sounded like these two were overly nice to start with. ".. Well you are most kind, uh.. sir knight! And I'm sure this fair lady would like the company of such noble men as we find our way through this perilous cavern!"
... And Erika felt like a dork. Especially as Erika returned to reality, with Ewan offering her potions... "Oh! Yes! I mean, I don't want to be a bother but my two Pokemon aren't a hundred percent right now.."[/color] Erika took a glance down at her bag where her two occupied Pokeballs rested, clipped to the outside of her bag. "I'll find a way to pay you back. Both of you! I promise!"
Froakie tried to get free of the web to then charge to attack again, but it was difficult to do so with the constant focus of a Ralts giving it Confusions, and eventually it had to just roll over and faint with a cry of panic.
Ritz was finding that the Mienfoo was adapting its tactics, outmaneuvering him. He was going to make a strike, which would likely faint him… when the martial arts Pokémon stumbled in surprise because its leg was just caught in Del’s String Shot. After that, Ralia and Ritz could simply turn and focus down the caught Fighting-type, and with the Super Effectiveness it only took two shots of Confusion and one tackle from Ritz, Mienfoo merely floundering on the ground in-between the first and second Confusion.
The battle was won.
Claire was victorious! Claire gained 963 P for winning!
Wasn’t exactly a proper battle with the ambush and all, but apparently this counted as a legal 3v3 battle.
Ralia grew to Level 9! Ralia learned Teleport!
(oh, god)
Ritz grew to Level 8!
Del grew to Level 8!
…
Oh?
A light would take place, shimmering over Del. He could decide for himself if he wanted to or not, it was his choice, though his trainer could influence his decision. But…
Del is evolving.
The light encompassed Del as a cocoon grew out around him. He’d grow in height as his new senses coupled with the cocoon itself, and a transformation took place. The others would see it as a shining light which for some reason accompany evolution, and finally… a new Pokémon could be recorded into the Pokédex.
Del evolved into Kakuna!
Pokédex Entry #14 – Kakuna, the Cocoon Pokémon. It sits on a tree, almost immobile while it prepares for evolution. So much activity is being done creating a new body inside that a Kakuna feels hot to the touch. If endangered, it hardens its shell or extends its venomous stinger.
Del learned Harden!
Del got a new Ability! Shield Dust was replaced with Shed Skin! Can remove Status Conditions by shedding its skin!
New Pokémon evolved! Claire earned 1250 P!
Meanwhile.
Without assistance, Lure wouldn’t be able to keep the trainer from recovering the nugget from her, despite angry buzzing.
‘That’s that. Now, how about we-’ The trainer smirked, and then turned back to the field of battle, either because there was a very noticeable shining light of evolution or just because. Then she remained there, staring a bit in surprise, until she had taken in everything. ‘Wait, what’s going on!? I was winning! Froakie was gonna finish off the Ralts, Mienfoo was taking out the Ledyba, then they shouldn’t have had any problem with the remaining Weedle…’ She was clearly having trouble imagining how the situation had gone so terribly just as she had looked away.
‘… Gah!’ She let go of Lure and leapt onto a railing before jumping upwards, gripping the side of the shrine roof and pulling herself up with remarkable body-strength before spinning around and returning her Pokémon to her Pokéballs. Assuming she hadn’t been pursued by Claire or perhaps an angry Lure or other Pokémon, she’d look down at Claire and ask with a little stutter.
‘J-just for reference, you don’t actually see anything unusual in the mirror below me if you look, right?’ She asked, referring to the mirror on the podium below her, her confidence sounding a bit shaken. It stood there on display, with varying colors adorning the frame on left, right, top and bottom, it looked really important. Though, if Claire actually did look into it, nothing but herself would be looking back.
Also, she’s been on Route 11 for a little long with no rain. A light rain is starting to fall upon the Abandoned Shrine, clouds overhead growing darker.
She got a couple of glances as she got into the line, as she was clearly the youngest and shortest in it, but as fellow Pokémon Trainers they respected that anyone could be strong and nothing more was said about it.
The inside of the building was bigger than one could have thought. But, it felt a bit more like entering into an art-gallery than anything else. The place was clean, all the walls excruciatingly white and with a nice carpet leading inwards, there were fine paintings lining the walls and there were small tables with vases of varying sizes, colors and widths all over. It all looked exceedingly expensive. Yet, in the middle, there was this vast area with clearly marked rectangular borders by the beige carpet, which was marred with signs of numerous heavy impacts and elements affecting it quite recently.
There was a silence as she entered, a serenity in the air. Like she had entered a world of calm, a place where you had to keep your back straight or somebody would lecture you. And it looked as if the person who would be giving said lecture was sitting right across the battle-carpet, though he was busy molding clay on a slightly spinning disk, creating a vase of sorts, and the sound of that spinning was the only sound which could be heard inside the room…
This man sat with utmost grace, yet the atmosphere around him felt charged to anyone who wasn’t him. He looked like the epitomé of calm, yet a pressure acted upon people in his presence. His experience shone despite him actually doing something, and the older man looked 100% in control of everything happening in the room. There was little doubt about it. This man was Dorian, “Master of Normal”.
’SNORE…’ … So, the absolute silence wasn’t entirely accurate. There was an unmistakable elephant in the room, or at least something very similar in size. To Dorian’s right, a huge Pokémon was taking up way too much space and snoring oh, so, peacefully, that gigantic belly rising and falling while the face was one of utmost content.
Pokédex Entry #143 – Snorlax, the Sleeping Pokémon. A very lazy Pokémon that typically only eats or sleeps. It is not satisfied unless it has eaten 900 pounds of food in a day, and after having consumed that it becomes lethargic and sleeps. Its stomach acids can dissolve any poison, so it doesn’t have to worry about what it eats.
'So.' The man spoke, his voice echoing through the room, his voice carrying some unseen power to it. 'I am Dorian, Gym Leader of Pureplain City.' He said, lifting his vase-in-the-making and speaking out to Amelia, though not looking at her.
'I believe in seeking towards perfection. I have long sought to perfect the art of vase-making. All the vases and paintings in this room are works of mine or my disciples. It’s my hobby, and I am content to say I believe I’ve become rather proficient over the years.' He said, placing down his vase and starting to slowly stand up.
'However, as soothing as I find the calmer arts, my true passion was always that of Pokémon Battling. That too, can be refined towards perfection. Take this Snorlax.' He gestured to the big Pokémon beside him. 'I molded him myself. He’s a better martial artist than many of the hundreds of Fighting-Pokémon that will ever challenge him. He has high resistance towards special attacks as well, and he has means to deal with all forms of dangers he’s presented with. I dare say he’s my finest work, and I’ve been in this business for a long, long time. Of course, this was only achievable using the weakness-less type of Normal.' Dorian nodded with content.
'What do you believe in, Pokémon Trainer?' He asked, turning to look at Amelia. It didn’t seem he had at all changed his tone just because his apparent opponent was a tiny young girl. 'Do you believe in striving for perfection? Do you believe in becoming the very best? Do you believe…' He snapped his fingers, the snap echoing decisively through the room, and the Snorlax almost immediately stirred. It quickly became apparent why they needed the Gym to be so big on the inside, as the Pokémon slowly rose it became apparent that the Pokémon was going to tower over everything else. The huge Pokémon got onto its feet, swinging its arms a little back and forth, looking forward at Amelia as well.
'… That you can overcome me?' He asked, looking towards Amelia, awaiting her next move, the atmosphere being somehow serene and charged at the same time as the Gym Leader presented his challenge.
____
Meanwhile, on the outside…
’I’m late, I’m so very late!’ A man in glasses came running, stopping right by the entrance of the Pokémon Gym, gasping out as he knelt a bit and breathed heavily, before quickly swinging up and smirking at the line of trainers.
’So then! Time for me to do my job and inform trainers what this Gym is all about!’ He smirked happily, ready to get to work.
’Wait…’ His eyes suddenly focused, and he looked over the line. ’My “New Trainer” sense is tingling! Time for me to be of use! I need to tell them all about-’ Then he blinked in realization. ’- oh-’ Then he looked into the gym, expression going from excitement to horror.
Goldeen jumped out, surrounded by the sphere of water generated by the Pokéball to let her swim like normal but on the ground and managed to get in the way of Poliwag’s Water Gun, dealing miniscule damage. Likewise, Nincada blocked Shieldon’s tackle, although that hurt considerably more being hit by the steel-face helmet in Shieldon’s mid-tackle. Though, with Shieldon having charged ahead it was a bit of a distance to the Poliwag that was taking cover behind, meaning Nincada had to go around Shieldon to get in to Leech Life it, which was a bit of a distance but could still do it if no other orders were issued.
Though, with both Dawkin and Lucian announcing to stop…
Karl glared at them a bit, before telling. ‘Shieldon, Poliwag, halt!’ Karl shouted out, making his Pokémon stop.
‘Klink, wait as well…’ Anabelle breathed out in relief, glad that they were stopping a bit. The Pokémon stopped, Shieldon glaring at them while Poliwag stood back a bit confused. Klink floated in the air above Karl and the Ducklett still in his grip, while Snover was still hiding behind Anabelle.
Up to Martin of course what he decided on doing.
To Martin’s question and Lucian’s statement…
‘Well, we did attack them, but…’ Anabelle stated, but she was cut from continuing by Karl, who looked pretty angry.
‘They’re Team Amethyst, they were planning something evil! They were in the middle of pursuing… YOU, weren’t they!?’ Karl called, glaring at Dawkin.
‘They fled into the cave, and we pursued them and fought them, but they created an opening to escape. We lost sight of them, but followed the splashing noise which we assumed to be them running…’ Anabelle explained.
‘But it turned out to be their Ducklett splashing about on its own!’ Karl gripped the Ducklett around his neck, the duck squirming. ‘You met them at the entrance, did you? Then they clearly left with no intention of coming back for their Pokémon! No attachment! Scoundrels!’ Karl glared angrily at Lucian.
‘DUCKLETT, DUCK…!’ The duck cried out in its grip. ”I OBJECT, I MADE A HEROIC AND EMOTIONAL SACRIFICE!”
‘… We were going to take it back to base to see if there were any reports of a stolen Ducklett that matches the description…’ Anabelle shuddered a little, looking a little scared as she tried to explain.
‘So, why were they pursuing YOU, of all people!?’ Karl called, glaring at Dawkin again, seeking answers he couldn’t have gotten earlier.
Ewan raised his eyebrows a little at Erika’s apology. ‘You didn’t. Don’t worry. He just didn’t teach us very much, just set us off on a mission. We’re all okay.’ He picked up on her tone and input a tone that he attempted to make comforting, looking to her as he did.
Then there was the part where Erika replied to Joshua and called him a knight. Joshua blinked at her in surprise and fumbled back a step, bringing up his hands as if in self-defense against nothing as she addressed him. He looked really stunned. Then he turned and looked at Ewan.
‘Am I contagious?’ He asked his friend and then looked at Erika again without actually expecting an answer. ‘Did you change your speaking-patterns to account for me? Because you really don’t have to. You’re cute enough exactly as you are. I didn’t, um.’ He scratched a bit of the back of his hair, smirking at Erika. ‘Didn’t actually intend on appearing as a knight, haha. Just, well… escort? Escort.’ He says, actually seeming to have felt a bit awkward addressed like that by Erika.
Ewan used his potions and healed up Erika’s Pokémon. ‘It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.’ He simply said about paying back, before they were ready to move again.
‘Alright, into the Wet Caverns!’ Joshua pointed forward, moving forth to take point, into the cave. So, Ewan also got up to follow, and assuming Erika did, too…
Wet Caverns
Above is an accurate representation of the average traveller trying to go through Wet Caverns, assuming the bats are Zubats
The Wet Caverns, known so for the sheer amount of water drenching the contents. It’s a large series of tunnels with no real large open rooms, dividing itself up into a fairly simple maze going from one side to the other. The water inside the tunnels thankfully lit up the contents due to some shining mineral in the liquid, giving rise to a mildly lit set of tunnels. Many people prefer not to travel through the Wet Caverns due to them being long and easy to get lost in, in addition to the large amounts of hostile Pokémon which might attack at any time. Yet, here you are…
Still. There are those who travel through it on a regular basis. Those who have learned the trick finds it a fairly easy shortcut between Lakewatch Town and Pureplain City. For enthusiasts there are always the options of delving deeper into the caverns, fishing or surfing to find out what kind of Pokémon might inhabit the depths and the shallow rivers that flow along the underground corridors. It is known to be fairly diverse when it comes to the Pokémon inhabiting it, giving trainers both water- and cave Pokémon to pick from when they want to catch something.
… The cave has a damp smell to it, due to the water further in. It’s a rocky corridor, with rocks and creatures, but up ahead the road splits into three. To the left, there’s a tunnel into a rocky tunnel which is dry but still lit somehow, if he wished to avoid getting wet. To the right was a wet, partly drowned tunnel which a person would have to wade to get through. Straight ahead starts a fairly sharply inclining tunnel descending downwards, into darkness.
But wait, hold on? DID SOMEONE JUST ENTER WET CAVERNS!? Well, you know what that means! Small flapping noises filled the cave as the Zubats came descending rapidly towards them.
Pokédex Entry #41 – Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. It lives in colonies in dark places. It has no eyes, but when flying it is constantly emitting ultrasonic sounds which it uses to navigate through echolocation. As sunlight burns it, it’s usually only found in caves or at night.
‘Heh, no chance.’ Joshua stated, bringing out a Pokéball and letting his out. A small yellow Pokémon jumped straight out of the Pokéball and right out into the air to meet the Zubats. ‘Thundershock!’
Pokédex Entry #25 – Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon. It stores electricity in sacks inside its cheeks, which it unleashes if threatened. They live in forests, and use their electricity to roast berries. It monitors its surroundings by raising it tail and sensing electricity. If multiple Pikachu gather up, their power increases.
So, Joshua was quite content to clear the area of Zubats for Erika. So that’s what he’d be doing.
‘Did you want to follow the map, or explore it with your own eyes?’ Ewan asked, just basically because Joshua seemed intent on making sure this was all on Erika’s terms and by now Ewan was just rolling with it.
1. Find Pokémon. Can be specified what kind of Pokémon is being searched for, and how you search. 2. Train Pokémon. With this command, we can jump ahead in time and skip posting about grinding. 3. Move Back. Retreat back to the previous crossroad. Specify further if you know where you’re going. 4. Delve Deeper. Attempt getting deeper inside the caverns. Specify further if you know where you’re going. 2.1. Dry. At the split ahead, you take the rocky, dry tunnel with lots of cover. 2.2. Wet. At the split ahead, you wade through the flooded, soaked tunnel. 2.3. Deep. At the split ahead, you descend into the very dark, inclining tunnel. 5. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 6. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you.
Connected areas: Route 2. Right behind you. Lakewatch Town.You don’t know the way, yet!
Type:Water Moves: Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic Ability: Water Veil. Prevents burns Level: 5 Held Item: None Status: 60% health.
2555 P Antidote X1 Pokeball X4 Great Ball Repel X2 Potion X2 Awakening Paralyze Heal Escape Rope
The movement was quick, as Nincada and Goldeen were doing great. What Martin almost missed was the lack of retaliation and talking. Wait, he missed something. Everyone except him were pulling back to talk about this. Since they weren't attacking, he had a few seconds to listen to their story. "Nincada, pull back for a few seconds. Goldeen, take a swim real quick. We might have to attack, so be ready, I guess." Nincada gave a blank stare at Poliwag and turned around to retreat. Nothing ever bothered him, even getting hit and being told to walk it off. Goldeen gracefully dove back to the water to enjoy a quick swim again, already fine with slacking off.
Now that they were back, he could listen better to what story they were going on about. Team Amethyst was here, and they left Ducklett behind as a distraction. So the Ducklett wasn't theirs as he thought. They weren't trying to keep it, but looking to return it. The accusatory finger at Dawkin that they were after him also matched up. Even if he didn't like Team Virtue, they had a good alibi. The worst kind of situation, he had no reason to attack them. "So you both lost track of Team Amethyst? Guess this was a large misunderstanding. It did look really bad on you two with a struggling Pokemon and talk of not owning it. Anyone think this lines up as true?
Martin looked back towards Dawkin and Lucien. It sounded like they knew the situation a lot better. He still had a third Pokemon if this escalated again. On the other hand, it might be possible to track the other group down. The options from here is a bit much. Goldeen jumped out of the water to do a flourish of a twirl. She was content to just swim around aimlessly. Yeah, calm down. He gave a laugh at Goldeen, good time to take a step back and breath calmly. He should be more laid back like his Pokemon. Yeah, this would be fine either way.
Amelia looked around the Gym in wonder. While he didn't care for the wall color since it hurt her eyes to look at so she focused on the various vases that lines the walls, admiring the work. When Snorlax let out a snore, she turned to and stared at the massive Pokémon in shock. She knew some of them got big, bit it was still a bit jarring to see one that actually got so big. Her attention then turned towards the man who was making another vase, but also speaking to her. She listened to his speech and when he finished, she was quiet for several minutes as she thought over her answer. "I... I believe in freedom. I believe in ones right to make their own choices and to live life their way, not the way others think they should. I believe that one should not be restricted by their limitations but strive to try and overcome them. I also believe... that perfection is a lie and something that should never be achieved." She said, looking at Dorian. "Perfection leads to stagnation. If we become stagnant, we can't progress. If we can't progress, we'll never accomplish anything, since we see no need for improvement. If we don't improve, then we'll never be able to overcome those who are better then us.
As for it I think I can overcome you... I'm not so certain. I've never taken on a gym leader before. But, if I don't test myself, I won't know where my limits are and therefore I won't be able to overcome them. So even if I think I can't, I must try."
Honestly, Claire was holding her breath the entire final moments of the battle. Froakie went down, and Ralia turned to focus on Mienfoo. Del caught him with a string shot, easily tripping the other pokemon up and likely saving Ritz. Ralia hit him with a confusion, just as he recovered and caused him to stumble once again, a well-timed tackle from Ritz once again ensured he had very little chance to respond. One final confusion, the Mienfoo went down. A massive grin spread across the redheads face.
Victory fanfare plays
"Wahahaah!~" Claire laughed loudly as Ralia and her clones posed victoriously. Immediately after the Ralts simply vanished in an instant before teleporting right in front of Claire's face - the redhead easily catching the small pokemon and wrapping her in a tight hug. "You guys did so great!" Ritz fluttered over, clearly tired but the shy bug type seemed to be wearing a tired grin. Del was. "Ah! Del!" The redhead walked over to where her other bug type was evolving. "You did really good too, Del." She said, picking up the cocoon pokemon carefully. He didn't seem to be able to emote all that well, but he gave a happy little cry at least. He was slightly warm to the touch. "Man, that was a great workout though, heh-oh right." Claire had seemed to once again, completely ignore the other redhead in the wake of her victory. Now what was she doing? Claire turned her head up towards where the other girl was speaking from. Damn, how'd she get up there? She must have had quite a bit of upper body strength.
"Heeey, making request of the girl who just gave you a royal Gank-Spanking?" She smugly grinned. "But y'know, I like to think I'm a nice person sooooo, I'll humor you." It was likely becoming increasingly clear this little victory had put Claire in a good mood. She walked over to the mirror, Ralia sitting on her shoulder and Del having being picked up by Ritz. She placed her hands on the mirror, picking it up and looking at the totally awesome and 100% adorable person in the mirror.
"Hmm, aside from the smoking hot person in the mirror? Nope, everything looks normal." She placed the mirror back on the podium, looking back up at the other girl. "And heeey, you ain't gotta be all the way up there. I'm not gonna bite or something. Or are ya just looking to ambush unsuspecting trainers like moi?" Now that she wasn't under threat of death by ambush, Claire didn't really see much of a reason to hold a grudge or something. "Might wanna start paying more attention in battle then." She didn't seem all that interested in trying to retrieve the nugget, either.
For the most part, Lure simply glared up at the other girl.
"You can ignore the bug by the way. She's a meanie pants."
"B-bee!" She cried in a very displeased sounding manner. "Combee com-com bee!" "It was a fair trade! The zigzagoon traded it for the honey!" Her cries seemed to more or less fall on deaf ears though.
The sound of rain caught Claire's attention, but she didn't seem to worried about it. Because once again, Claire is smart.
"You have to sit through my long-winded explanation of what these are~!" Professor Kalmia told the two boys, and handed them their Pokédexes. After listening to her explanation, Rory slid his light blue trainer card into it, and turned it on. It was empty, at the moment, but Rory decided to try it out, and pointed it at the Snorlax on the table,
Pokédex Entry #79 – Slowpoke, the Dopey Pokémon. Extremely slow and sluggish, it doesn’t feel pain until 5 seconds after the blow. It fishes by dipping its tail in water and then doing nothing all day waiting for something to bite. To assist, a Slowpoke’s tail is flavorful, and can break off with no pain and grows back after a while.
"Nice," Rory muttered to himself, before looking back at Professor Kalmia, who had two pokéballs in her hand, one of which she handed to Rory,
- You've obtained Spheal! -
Pokédex Entry #280 – Spheal, the Clap Pokémon. Known to be bad at both walking and swimming, a Spheal’s preferred method of travel is rolling. Its thick fur shields it from all cold, and they’re known to drift to new locations on icebergs. When they’re happy or eating, they tend to clap their tiny limbs to show appreciation.
- Would you like to give Spheal a nickname? -
Rory decided that he wasn't going to give his Spheal a nickname - it was a nice name already. He pressed the button on his pokéball, and the pokéball grew, and Spheal beamed out,
"Spheal! Spheal!" Spheal called out, smiling at Rory, and clapping its arms together. Rory's knelt down to stroke its fur, and smiled too.
From next to him, Rory heard Ezra call out to him, "So! Me and you both got our first pokémon and I'm sure you're excited as ever to check our pokémon out. Let's have a pokémon battle! I'm sure this will strengthen the bond between me and Eev- AUUUCH!"
Rory chuckled a bit, as Ezra flailed his arm - and his Eevee - around, before his Eevee landed on his shoulder.
"Alright then! Let's see what we can do, Spheal!" Rory smiled stepping back, and Spheal hopped forward so that he was able to battle Eevee.
Kalmia looked on happily as both trainers appeared to be happy with their Pokémon, and then she blinked astounded as they were already gearing up, ready for battle.
‘Oooh, the excitement of newly born Pokémon Trainers!’ She said excitedly. ‘Sure, go ahead and battle! But don't do it in my lab!’ Kalmia grinned as she went over and opened the door to the way more fitting patch of garden grass or asphalt of the road outside rather than the fragile mess of Kalmia's lab.
Level: 5 Status:100% Moves: Tackle, Growl, Tail Whip, Sand-attack, Helping Hand Ability: Adaptability. Makes STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) more effective (2x instead of the average 1.5x)
"Alright then, Eevee! Let's g-" Erza was about ignite the battle intents of everyone in the room, however Kalmia interrupted them. Of course, a battle inside her lab was out of question for certain. So, Erza nodded at the professor and hastily made his way through the door, into the now newly found battlefield. Eevee was still on his shoulder - and as Erza walked, it moved it's head to glare angrily at the Spheal, it's brown fur standing up. Well, if it was possible for an Eevee to have intimidation as an ability, this one wouldn't have it. Despite it's efforts to look menacing, it still looked pretty... cute.
Erza waited outside for Rory and Spheal to come out, too. Once they did, he'd lean down for Eevee to leap from his shoulder and into the ground. Then, the trainer would stand back up, grinning broadly as he looked at Rory. The pokémon cried out confidently: "Vee! Eevee!"
And finally, things were legitimately starting! As soon as Rory gave a sign of being ready, Erza wouldn't waste a single second before gesturing - by drawing his right arm back slightly while pointing his left forward, his left hand's index finger pointing straight at the Spheal - the Eevee towards his opponent's pokémon. He smirked broadly, raising his voice as he began the battle with one simple command:
"Go, Eevee! Let's see what you're made of: Tackle!"
Level: 5 Status:100% Moves: Defence Curl, Powder Snow, Growl, Water Gun, Rollout Ability: Thick fat. Halves damage from ice and fire type moves.
As Ezra called out to his Eevee to tackle Spheal, Rory knew that Spheal wouldn't be able to dodge the move in time, being a very slow pokemon. Instead, he called out to his Spheal, "Spheal! Defence curl! Quickly!"
"Spheal! Rory's pokemon called out, before curling itself up, just before Eevee ran into it.
"Now! Push Eevee back with water gun!" Rory shouted again.
Suddenly, a small torrent of water flew towards Eevee from Spheal's mouth.
Level: 5 Status:87% Moves: Defence Curl, Powder Snow, Growl, Water Gun, Rollout Ability: Thick fat. Halves damage from ice and fire type moves.
Level: 5 Status:75% Moves: Tackle, Growl, Tail Whip, Sand-attack, Helping Hand Ability: Adaptability. Makes STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) more effective (2x instead of the average 1.5x)
"Veeeeee!" The evolution pokémon cried out as it was pushed back by the water gun - not before tackling the spheal, though. It was a somewhat fair trade. Erza mentally addressed the defense curl as a good call, though. Rory wasn't playing around! And neither would Erza. Confident, the boy was quick to decide for a change of tactics.
"Eevee, we got this! Use sand-attack as distraction, then follow up with another tackle!" Obeying the trainer's command, Eevee began sprinting in direction of the Spheal once again, however it didn't tackle him right ahead. The pokémon paused when in sufficient range, digging the ground and throwing a cloud of sand in direction of the Spheal. Immediately after, it would go through for another tackle attack. Erza watched with great attention, ready to give another command if necessary.
Dawkin smirked at Karl, "Oh they were chasing me for a good reason. I happen to have stumbled upon some... information that they wouldn't like getting. I could tell you, but you'd have to make it worth my while." His voice was just faintly mocking, such that you could barely even tell. Using a Ducklett to mask their escape? It was a pretty good plan if you could afford to throw away Pokémon like that. Anyway they seemed to want to bring the Ducklett back so there wasn't really a problem, though they could easily be lying about that, it looked like keeping the Pokémon would be more trouble to them than it was worth.
Dawkin returned his two Pokémon and stuck his hands in his pockets casually, "So what's next? I've got no problem letting you folks skedaddle or we can work something else out." In deal making Dawkin had the upper ground since they would be hard pressed to beat three trainers in a battle, but he was also curious if the Virtue member would actually offer him anything of interest. It was like he had any particular attachment to this information, he'd be planning on telling the next official he'd found since it was clear he couldn't do anything about it, for now at least. Once his Pokémon became stronger he'd be sure to be as much of a pain to Team Amethyst as possible.
Atlas Gender: Male Type: Steel/Rock Species: Aron Level: 7 Personality: A stubborn and sometimes disagreeable little fellow, he likes eating. A lot. He's smarter than he looks and can be quite devious in order to get what he wants. Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Fill in as we go. Probably Moves: Tackle, Harden, Mudslap, Headbutt Ability: Sturdy. Allows the pokemon to survive an attack that would otherwise knock it out. Held Item:
Gender: ♀ Type: Water/Ground Personality: Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Level: 6 Moves: Water Gun, Tail Whip, Mud Sport Ability: Water Absorb, will regain health upon being hit with a water-type move. Held Item: None.
Level: 5 Status:87% Moves: Defence Curl, Powder Snow, Growl, Water Gun, Rollout Ability: Thick fat. Halves damage from ice and fire type moves.
"Spheeeaa!" cried out Spheal as some sand went into its eyes.
"Try and freeze Eevee with powder snow!" Rory called out to Spheal, "Then use defence curl again, and go for a rollout!" Rory was hoping that he'd be able to get a combination going, and make Spheal's rollout stronger.
Spheal took a deep breath, before blowing a powder snow out of its mouth, and then curling back into a ball, "Spheaaal!"
Lucian raised his eyebrows as the duo explained themselves "Well that certainly explains things. However, it fails to explain how you know this Ducklett is stolen, he hardly seems happy to be rescued " he says, gesturing to the struggling Pokémon.
It was nice of Ewan to heal Erika's Pokemon up to full health, seeing as she was just thinking she'd have been woefully unprepared. It was a good feeling and something to distract her from the.. well.. overzealous interaction with Joshua. Even he admitted it was too much, or so Erika had interpreted it that way...
Anyway, it was time the trio head off into the cave, something Erika was beginning to feel nervous about but her concerns were put at ease with her helpful friends and that of her own Pokemon, of course. The fact that Erika was soon up to her knees in water proved to be a bit uncomfortable as her socks and feet inside her boots became soaked and it wasn't long before Erika heard what she had been nervous about... That fluttering flap could only mean one thing... Zubats. Thankfully, Joshua proved honest to his word and called forth his Pikachu, which made quick work of the seemingly endless flying menace. Considering the fact that Zubats were likely flying by Erika's guess, this would provide a fair opportunity for Sno to get a little more practice in while also making doubly sure that no Zubat could ever come into range of the trio. "Hey Joshua, you don't mind if I have Sno help out, do you? I'm sure an Ice Type will make quick work of those pests, too."
Assuming Joshua agreed, Erika drew Sno out who looked eager and refreshed. "Alright Sno, give any of those Zubats a good blast of snow for me!" Ideally, Erika wanted to Sno to take every other Zubat.
Now as for the trio's strategy, "Hmm... Um. I'm not entirely sure. Maybe we stick to the map for now but if we see anything interesting, we can go check it out? No sense in not having fun while we are here together, right?"
5. Specify: Follow Joshua's advice to follow the map but.... 6. Trigger a random even: to simulate some interesting thing in the cave that the trio investigate
Dorian patiently waited for Amelia’s answer (and thoroughly extending the wait-time for those behind her, but heck, Dorian is the Gym Leader and he chooses how he wants to spend his time), and then listened to what she said with his normal, seemingly serenely calm expression. And at the end of it… he smiled.
'Good answer.' He said, looking pleased. 'It is true what you say. After all, without freedom, I would not have been free to strive for perfection, would I? And indeed, perfection may be a myth that will never be achieved. No matter what, there will always be a fatal flaw, or someone who can make something better, and so it would make my endeavour seem futile.' He responded, while his Snorlax stood towering over all of them, just slowly looking back and forth between the two.
'Yet, never once did I call my goal to achieve perfection, did I? Merely strive for it. For perfection is an evolving thing, what might be perfect one day will need to adapt to the standards of tomorrow. And wherever it goes, I hunt for it. Perfection is my ever elusive prey, and I’m constantly tracking it.' He kept his smirk for a little longer, before the smile reverted to the calm that had preceded it. Then, it was onto the matter of trying herself against Gym Leaders to know her limits…
'Your reasoning is sound, but I still feel I should inform you, for it appears you haven’t been informed.' Dorian would then continue. 'There are two types of Gyms in Isson, the Minor League and the Major League. New trainers are supposed to start at the Minor League to grow stronger, to eventually challenge the Major League Gyms. You may find that, for instance, the Minor League Gym in Highhill Town to be a more suitable place to test yourself against the next obstacle to overcome, rather than my Major League Gym.' He said, nodding to her. Though…
'But I accept all challengers. If you wish to see just how far you have left to go, then I will show you. As a Gym Leader to a Pokémon Trainer.' He said, holding his eyes (he has eyes, right? they look constantly closed to Amelia) on the Pokémon Trainer. Then… he smiled a little again, before speaking with a certain little fondness to his tone.
'You are wise beyond your years, young one. What is your name?' Dorian asked, having taken an interest in the young trainer standing before him.
‘Nice person!? You were going to-!’ Then she seemingly started to rethink what actually had occurred, for long enough that Claire could invite her down again. ‘… You weren’t actually going to mind-flay my Zigzagoon, were you? So you’re not going to actually do terrible things to me for attacking you?’ She had actually jumped up here as a means of self-preservation. The girl sighed, and then pushed her hands to jump off the roof and fall down, bending her knees well to absorb the force of the fall.
‘I’m Anise. I’m a disciple of the Gym Leader of Redcoast City.’ She said, looking a little awkwardly between Lure and Claire for the moment. The Zigzagoon suddenly came dashing through the shrine, and Anise blinked at it before leaning down to pat it as it came snuggling to her, while also crying out in a sad tone. She breathed out a little sigh and handed it back the nugget. ‘Don’t drop it again, okay?’ The Zigzagoon looked momentarily overjoyed that it wasn’t punished more before she returned him to a Pokéball.
‘So, uh. Guess I should explain. This rain…’ She breathed out, and looked off into the skies, looking as the water started coming down with an increasing ferocity. She very intentionally moved to stand under the shrine’s roof. ‘… Is not entirely natural. Something makes its home around this area, here, Rainrock City and Route 3, in Northern Silent Forest. Something causing winds and storms, lightning…’ And just as she said that, a lightning strike stuck not too far from their location, among the abandoned houses just by the Abandoned Shrine. Anise shuddered a little, before continuing.
‘They say that once upon a time, the beast that caused rain went on a rampage, but it was calmed. I’m afraid it might be preparing to rampage, once again. There’s also a local legend that goes “When the Strong One is reflected in the shrine’s mirror, the beasts will revert to their true form, and nature will be calmed”… Or something along those lines. It may have changed over the decades of oral transition.’ She then shrugged. ‘… So, I have no idea what or who the “Strong One” is supposed to be, so I’ve been luring trainers here to show the mirror Pokémon Battles, hoping it’d feel someone it watched was “strong”, or something.’ She said. She looked a little awkward recounting this.
‘That’s about it. Everyone else I tell this to tell me I’m worrying too much, because it has rained like this for decades and nothing has happened… but I’m still worried. So I’m… experimenting. Because I’d rather be able to do something before it’s a public menace rather than wait to see everyone freak out about doing something when it does, if it ever will. So… yeah.’ She said, looking a little awkward. ‘It’s, eh. Nothing you need to worry about. You can continue your adventure. Sorry for, uh, ambushing you.’ She said, looking a little apologetically at Claire. She then waved and turned, expecting Claire to get going. Her choice if she will.
Karl and Anabelle looked at the three, Karl with a frown and Anabelle with a worried look. Dawkin’s statement that he had information elicited a glare from Karl. Meanwhile, Anabelle turned to answer Lucian’s statement.
‘We don’t know. We’re going to check if it is stolen. All Pokémon owned by Team Amethyst are potentially stolen.’ Anabelle said, looking a bit uneasy, looking from Lucian to Martin to Dawkin. Then… Karl smirked under his frown.
‘Oh, now I see.’ Karl said, in a tone that suddenly elicited confidence and self-perceived cleverness, all while gripping a squirming Ducklett. Anabelle looked over at him, surprised. Karl dropped the smile and started talking. ‘Had a little internal dispute, didn’t you!? But it ended up in a situation where your friends had to leave their Ducklett, so you went to get it back! But now, you showed your true colors when you just had to try to go in for the extra cash-grab, to sweeten the deal… I WILL NOT BE TRICKED, AMETHYST SPIES!’ … It should be remembered by anyone who knows Team Virtue by reputation, that they’re slightly infamous for commonplace mistaken accusations making the roads more dangerous during the Team Wars.
‘Shieldon, use-!’ That was followed with the sound of a hand clasping hard over his mouth, Anabelle having slipped over behind him during his speech to strike her palm onto his mouth to shut him up, herself looking as pale as a sheet. Karl struggled himself a little, frowning angrily, while Shieldon kind of stumbled in place, looking back surprised at the trainers.
‘S-sorry. We, uh, best be going now. G-good luck on your trip…!’ Anabelle said with a forced smile before quickly whispering something into Karl’s ear, stepping backwards. Buuuuuuuuuuuut… she stepped right off the end of the shallow water-part onto the somewhat deeper part, and…
‘Wah-’ ‘IIP!’
… Both of them fell clumsily into the water, making a considerable splash as both of them started struggling to get their heads over the surface. And, then, from that, a small blue shape rapidly swung away from them, underwater first but then dived out to attempt flying past the three trainers towards the exit of the cave, as Karl’s grip had slipped.
W-w-what sort of half-cocked jumble. Dawkin pressed two fingers to his forehead and lowered his gaze. What an idiot. At least Anabelle seemed like she was more reasonable, holding her partner back before she too probed to be disappointing as she caused them both to collapse into the water, causing the Ducklett to eject out of the water and try to escape. Dawkin didn't care much for the Ducklett either way and he cared even less for the two trainers in front of him, but he felt a need to prove them wrong. He waited until they emerged from the water and said "Jeez Amethyst spies? Don't be stupid, those two jerks were planning on poaching dragons from the Wet Caverns to sell. Do with that what you will." Dawkin said dismissively before speaking to his two companions, "I should think we're done here." The Ducklett was trying to take care of itself and they had no quarrel with these two. All in all it was best for them to keep moving if they hoped to have a chance of catching the other two.
Atlas Gender: Male Type: Steel/Rock Species: Aron Level: 7 Personality: A stubborn and sometimes disagreeable little fellow, he likes eating. A lot. He's smarter than he looks and can be quite devious in order to get what he wants. Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Fill in as we go. Probably Moves: Tackle, Harden, Mudslap, Headbutt Ability: Sturdy. Allows the pokemon to survive an attack that would otherwise knock it out. Held Item:
Gender: ♀ Type: Water/Ground Personality: Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Level: 6 Moves: Water Gun, Tail Whip, Mud Sport Ability: Water Absorb, will regain health upon being hit with a water-type move. Held Item: None.
‘Why, of course! We can handle them together!’ Joshua smiled to Erika as Pikachu and Sno together froze and electrified the Zubats. They were promptly handled, and they started scurrying, but not before Joshua had thrown a Pokéball at one of the injured ones. The ball fell and started to shake, but the Zubat was unable to escape and got caught.
‘Yes! Got it! Poison and Flying type, covered! And I happen to know the second stage evolves by friendship, my speciality!’ He celebrated, quickly kneeling down to Pikachu and letting him jump into hug. ‘Way to go, little buddy! You handled them like a pro! You’re the best!’
‘Pi-pikachu~!’ Pikachu looked really happy with the praise, being petted by his trainer. Anyways.
‘Alright.’ Ewan nodded about that they were going to follow the map for now. ‘Then to start with, this way.’ He said, pointing right, into the flooded route among the first three options.
‘Heh, no getting through Wet Caverns without getting wet, eh?’ Joshua smirked, as that meant both dry routes wouldn’t lead to the exit. He then threw a look at Erika, specifically on what she was wearing, considering. ‘Would you like me to carry you above the water?’ He offered, a silly smile on his lips.
‘You’re not actually strong enough to carry her the whole way. Let her wander on her own two feet.’ Ewan stated without actually looking as he wandered towards the wet part of the cavern.
‘Haha.’ Joshua just smiled at that, scratching behind his head a little awkwardly.
So, the three then headed through the wet portion of the cavern, occasionally fighting off more Zubats. There were a lot of them, but they were weak. There were also some Goldeens in the water, which could get angry if they got in the way but they could keep out. They could then continue wade through the waters of the cavern, lit by the light from the water.
Pokédex Entry #118 – Goldeen, the Goldfish Pokémon. With its fins flowing elegantly in the water like an underwater dress, it has been called the Water Queen. However, take heed, as it’s known to ram its powerful horn into things in its way. It swims up rivers in schools when the weather grows warm.
They were approaching another crossroad. To the left was the continuation of the river. The Goldeens were swimming away from there. The tunnel made some kind of S-shape, curving first left and then right after a bit, making looking inside the wet tunnel a difficult venture.
The right went up on dry land again, and then led onwards until the road looked like it split again further in. There were some rocky sounds coming from that direction, silent cracking of rocks on rocks. That seemed to be it. Ewan was about to point out where they were to go, when… Loud splashing was approaching from behind?
‘Excuse us!’ Said by a rough voice of a middle-aged man with a jolly nature.
There were three people, dashing through the water. One was a bigger guy with a big backpack and green jacket, looking like a man used to traversing the mountains. The other two were much more fancily dressed, a girl with two long cyan curly twintails for hair and orange suit with skirt on her, while the last man was dressed in all purple with orange lines and a red cape, for whatever reason. They were looking excited, running at full speed, and they were pulling along a positively enormous metal ladder folded several times yet still had to be carried by all three.
‘Coming through!’ The girl called, focused only on what was in front.
‘Thanks for wiping the Zubats!’ The man in the cape called out to them. Joshua and Ewan got out of their way due to how weird this seemed, while Erika was free to do as she pleased. Assuming, however, that she didn’t block their way for any reason, they’d run by and to the right, running up onto ground and carrying on. Ewan looked after them and then looked down to the map.
‘That’s not the way through.’ He informed, though the three clearly had a destination in mind. This meant following the river to the left was the correct way. But… yeah, these three went to the right. Joshua and Ewan looked a bit confused now, by these people’s appearance. What would Erika do?
Level: 5 Status:75% Moves: Tackle, Growl, Tail Whip, Sand-attack, Helping Hand Ability: Adaptability. Makes STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) more effective (2x instead of the average 1.5x)
"Eevee, watch out! Dodge that!" So, Erza was expecting some kind of retaliation. Eevee could dodge only thanks to Erza's focus and the fact that it's sand-attack went through, meaning that Spheal's accuracy was not the same as before. Rory went for a combination there, defense curl and rollout. If Eevee didn't had to dodge, he'd manage to get another tackle in the meantime, but leaping out of position costed the time of the attack. Now, Erza's mind was trying to formulate a possibility of getting through his opponent's pokémon defenses.
"O-Okay! Eevee, don't get caught by the rollout! Use tail-whip and focus on dodging it!" With that, the Eevee swiftly moved from side to side on the field - avoiding the Spheal - all the while it wigged it's tail, distracting the opposing pokémon in hopes of lowering it's boosted defense. To win this match, Erza'd need to cut the offense slightly until he wore the Spheal down.
Once she gave her answer, Amelia waited for Dorian's response. She was scared he might get angry at her, given how she had more or less attacked his goal and, possibly, his beliefs. However, when he finally spoke he replied to her in a calm and positive manner, though he did correct her a bit. Still, overall, it seemed she had made a good impression on him. When he explained the way Gyms worked to her though and explained that she was in the wrong level gym, she just nodded before thinking about it a bit. "I think I will have the decline the offer sir. I'm sorry to have wasted your time but I don't want my pokemon to needlessly suffer for a battle I cannot win. It's not fair to them." She said, giving Dorian a slight bow. "As for my name, it's Amelia. Amelia Averyonna of Witchpeak City. Maybe, when I'm stronger I'll come back and challenge you."
With that said, Amelia waved good-bye before leaving the gym, unless stopped for some reason. Once outside, she gave all the other challengers a kind smile before heading on her way. She quickly looked up a map of Isson and determined the fastest route to Highhill Town before setting off. If there was a cave along the way, she would stop to grab an Escape Rope as a precaution, using some advice her teacher had given her. In the back of her mind, she wondered how long it would be until he challenged Dorian. Smiling to herself, she set off on her journey, keeping all her sense open for the possible presence of any Ghost-type pokemon she might be able to befriend.
"I might have had Ralia mess with him a little bit...but other than that no, no flaying involved!~" The Ralts gave a tired, but cheerful grin. As Anise introduced herself and returned the nugget to the zigzagoon, Lure simply hovered silently out of sight giving both humans a rather irritable death stare. Claire simply ignored her for now as the other pokemon was returned to its pokeball. As Anise went on to explain both the mirror and rain, Claire simply gave the other girl a curious stare as she rested a hand on Ritz's head as he hovered nearby.
"Wow, that sounds...pretty cool." She laughed. Some sort of really rare pokemon that had to do with the mirror? It was looking for something strong to boot as well, then. Well, she was obviously the strongest trainer in existence so it was unlikely that it was a trainer the mirror was looking for. "Hey, I have an idea," Claire said pulling out her pokedex. This was very curious indeed, and she wanted to know more about this herself. "Here's my number. If ya ever need help with this, gimme a call alright? I'll probably answer." With that done, she turned her her pokemon. "Alright you guys, Lets get going. We gotta get you all healed up and then meet up with Yvonne, hit the contest hall, and see the gym...all before I meet up with Erika and not try to be late!" She chuckled in a somewhat nervous fashion, realizing she may have been booked full.
Not that it mattered, Claire was never late for a meeting! She arrived exactly when she was supposed too!~
"Hey Ralia, think you can teleport us back to the city?" The Ralts laughed before making an x-shape with its arms. "Yeah, thought not. Welp," She quickly returned her pokemon to their pokeballs. "Looks like I'm gettin' wet a bit. That's what I get for forgetting an umbrella. I'll just run so fast the rain won't touch me, heh!~" With a final look over to Anise, Claire gave her a grin.
"See ya around, Anise!"
Unless stopped, hurry back to Redcoast and the pokemon center to heal her pokemon.
