[IC] XD

[Carlyle]

---

Battle SIM
Battle Arena

---

Over the last few weeks, Professor Krane had soon found himself with new assistants by his side. The seven applicants had come from all over the Pokémon world, having brought their own experiences and memories with them. To each other, they were strangers, but together, they served a common purpose in helping brighten the future of Orre—to study the Shadow Pokémon phenomenon that had taken place within the region roughly five years ago.

Whilst Shadow Pokémon hadn't been seen for quite some time, the event was still fresh in the minds and hearts of Orre's populace. In truth, it was hard to forget such creatures as they wrecked havoc upon the region. Orre had been used to the common thug or crook using his Pokémon for evil, but these Shadow Pokémon were vile, leaving a trail of pain and sorrow wherever they were seen. People were viciously hurt by these twisted monstrosities that had been created by Team Cipher and their Snagem mooks, and while they were eventually defeated, their mark had already been established throughout Orre.

Still, with the defeat of Team Cipher at the Realgam Colosseum and the disappearance of Team Snagem, many considered the Shadow Pokémon epidemic to be over, yet Professor Krane thought differently. Perhaps it was gut feeling or his research, but Professor Krane wanted to ensure his new assistants had been at least somewhat battle ready for whenever Shadow Pokémon were to return, which led to him allowing them use of the laboratory's battle simulator whenever they had free time.

Incidentally, today had been one of those days. Perhaps at urging of a short, ashen gray-haired girl, the seven of them had gathered within the battle simulator. With the aid of a couple coin flips, a double battle between the guys—Harvey and Colton versus Judas and Mushirou—had been decided, while the remaining three—Wiebke, Dahlia, and Erza—would spectate the battle.

Placing VR visors over their eyes, the seven stepped within the simulation chamber, with their forms digitizing into zeroes and ones as they stepped foot into a virtual world that seemed too real. From the very air they breathed to the sunlight shining down upon them, it was almost impossible to tell that they were in a virtual setting, but hopefully it wouldn't distract them from the battle that was about to take place before their very eyes.

[HokumPocus]

Harvey felt at ease with the enormous magnezone in front of him. It had the strength of a pickup truck and the sleekness of a fighter jet, with all of the mechanical components of the machines that he´d spent so much time surrounded by. The other pokemon on the field were certainly nothing to scoff at as well, but he definitely felt protected by the silver behemoth. That and, well, it was all virtual.

And speaking of cold and heartless machines, battling alongside him was Colton.

Joking aside, in the short amount of time that the two had been acquainted with one another Harvey had grown to see him as a particularly interesting character. He was the total opposite of the bold and brash personalities at the motorcycle shop yet still managed to make Harvey feel uneasy with his scientific way of analyzing things. It made the harsh voice in his head that criticized all of his actions amplify whenever Colton´s gaze rested on him. Did I do something wrong? was a common thought for Harvey to have in his presence. But then again, it was a common thought to have in front of any of his coworkers presence. Young people were on a separate wavelength for the poor sap.

On the opposite side were two of the team´s most explosive personalities, and for a moment Harvey felt overwhelmed by all of the possible turns that this battle could take. He cleared his throat to speak, a habit formed out of working around loud noises and having to get someone´s attention. "I´m not the best at fighting, but I think I´ve learned a little so far!"

He hoped to use his strengths in machinery to cover his weaknesses in cooperation with other living things, an alright strategy. Magnezone hovered menacingly like a machine on standby.

[Quote5]

Colton

Colton looked upon the battlefield. He wondered why he was chosen for this battle, since he wasn't good at fighting yet. Ultimately, it didn't concern him though. This was just a VR battle, nothing to lose. His eyes then turned to his teammate. Colton didn't really like Harvey, he seemed week and terrified. This seemed to clash with his choice of Pokemon. Colton had no idea why his teammate seemed anxious, this is a simulated battle; there is nothing to lose, only information to gain.

Then, Colton looked to his own choice, the massive Glalie. Glalie was chosen mostly at random. And now it seemed like a bad choice, mostly do to lack of foresight. Both of the pokemon here were large, heavy, and probably very slow. He should have talked to Harvey more beforehand.

Colton took a deep breath. Whatever his opponents were going to send, he was ready.

[Lord Orgasmo]

---

As Judas look on in the virtual setting, it was scarily realistic, and a little bright, if anything. "Man, is there any way to turn the Gamma down on this? Or can I get some virtual sunglasses?" The steaks of sunlight began to annoy him, and he looked down at his opponents and partner.

Judas looked to see that his partner was Mushirou. Judas didn't know a whole lot about them, but judging by the fact they're in armor, they likely had some idea of what they were doing. Although perhaps they were more used to human on human combat rather than trainer battles. Or maybe they were way too into safety. Guess there was only one way find out.

Squinting to see his opponents, he saw that they had chosen a Glalie and a Magnezone. The two trainers were home other than Colton and Harvey. Judas never had a chance to talk to the two during the short time they had been together. He got the impression however, that Harvey probably didn't want to talk.

Picking his pokemon in advance, Judas pulled the pokeball from his belt and pressed the button. The ball enlarged to fit in his palm, then he tossed it in front of him.

"Let's see what you've got, Scizor!"

Appearing from the pokeball in a flash of white stood a tall, all-too-real Scizor, clad in a shining red chitin, who immediately took a fighting stance. Judas did the same in anticipation, and waited for the battle to commence.

[Stern Algorithm]

Tokugawa Mushirou

Though Mushirou had been at the lab for a while now, his familiarity with his fellow assistants was surface-level at best. And though he felt confident in his understanding of Pokemon battle theory from his upbringing and training, his theory was untested. Still, he felt he had picked a sufficiently powerful Pokemon with sufficiently capable skills for this little mock battle. Although winning over one's allies was pointless, he did want to demonstrate to them that he could be depended on. He looked over at his 'partner' for this battle, smiled, and nodded. "Scizor? Delightful! A bug Pokemon! I see that you too, are a man of culture." Then he turned to his 'opponents' and declared, melodramatically, "You will be like moths to a flame. Volcarona will be your opponent!" And with that, he threw his pokeball out, revealing his choice. He noticed that the enemy Pokemon were steel-type and ice-type, so his Volcarona fortunately had an advantage.

[Carlyle]

---

Battle SIM
Battle Arena

---

Wiebke looked towards the battlefield with glee.

Her fellow colleagues had made their choices—a Magnezone and a Glalie versus a Scizor and a Volcarona—and though they weren't exactly the choices Wiebke would have made, she had figuratively been sitting at the edge of her seat. Pokémon battles were always exciting, especially whne it was clear that one side had a large advantage over the other. Whilst Colton and Harvey had picked out powerful Pokémon, Mushirou's Volcarona could potentially wipe the field completely with any sort of fire move. It was certainly either going to be a hard fought battle or an easy victory, and Wiebke couldn't wait to see which it would be.

"My bet is on Volcarona winning for their side. Fiery Dance can be a real burner, or so my grandpa says." Wiebke exclaimed, making idle chat with the two girls that were waiting their turn to battle. "What do you think, Erza? Dahlia?"

Once the four had finished finalizing their preparations for the battle, Wiebke broke off from the spectator group and stepped forward. Any Pokémon battle needed someone to go first, and since Wiebke had rather insistent on the group battling today, she bestowed the choice upon herself. Counting in her head to the tune of "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe," Wiebke had been quick to decide who would start first.

"Harvey, Colton!" Wiebke announced with excitement in her voice. "You're up first!"

[Dio]

The experience with Professor Krane so far had been thrilling and innovative. Ezra was learning a lot of different things as she studied and read, along with the hands on experiences she was receiving. Today was a special day as they were having battling simulations, something that Ezra was fond of. The excitement and adrenaline that battling brought on to both trainer and Pokemon was a feeling that was hard to describe.

"I'm always for rooting for the underdog!" Ezra said, fist-pumping the air. If it was her on the battlefield, Ezra would have went for something with a bit more cuteness for her choice of Pokemon, but not that looks were too important for her. The pink-haired trainer's preferred style of battling often relied on the strengths of her partners, like her Ivysuar, Baz, who had a very gentle soul, but was dependable in a stitch. He was more of a shield than a sword when it came to fighting, but she learned to adapt when needed.

The girl was just so pumped to watch the battles. The free time they were given in the battle simulator were always a good time, especially when the trainers came up with unique solutions to disadvantages they had. "Let's go, boys!" Ezra cheered loudly as she waved her hands wildly into the air.

[Quote5]

Colton

---

Colton looked up Wiebke, and nodded. Then he glanced back at Harvey. "I hope you are ready." he says quietly to his partner. Harvey might not have heard him, but Colton, in his typical fashion, did not care.

Colton considered his options, not that he really had any. Both Volcarona and Scizor are resistant to ice, and the latter is effective against Glalie. Colton's best option is to keep Harvey's Magnezone alive, since it's slightly less week against the opposing Pokemon.. Scizor is probably the biggest threat, so Colton decided to focus what power he can on it.

"Glalie," he said, "Freeze-Dry the Scizor." A few moments after he finished, the virtual ice sphere opened its mouth, shooting out a cyan ray upon Judas's Pokemon. As the ray made contact with the simulated Scizor, ice crystals start forming around it. Come on.... give me a chance... Colton mumbles to himself, since freezing Scizor is really his only chance at winning this.

[HokumPocus]

Harvey was at a loss for words at all the pokemon that were right in front of him. I mean sure, they weren´t real, but there were four of them! And they were enormous! He was struggling with his mind that wanted to panic at the sight of all of their colors and teeth and pointy stabby bits. The scizor in particular looked like something he'd want twenty feet away and covered in bubble wrap at all times.

Colton had said something while performing the game's first move and Harvey had completely missed it during his habitual spiral into worry and doubt. He flashed an awkward and forced smile at his partner. "Yeah!" he answered, meekly, in the tone of someone who didn't want to appear rude because they didn't understand something but wasn't confident enough to ask the person to repeat themselves.

If he were to have any chance to truly win this battle, then Harvey would have to think strategically. And so he did, for a little bit.

"Magnezone! Use substitute!" he shouted. It sounded less like someone commanding an animal and more like someone desperately yelling at a voice-activated appliance to get it to work. He didn't know much about pokemon moves apart from the obvious ones, but this one had quickly become his favorite. It put distance between him and the opponent, made him feel safe, and gave him time to think things through. A comically oversized plush animal had taken magnezone's place in the simulation, leading him to guess where the "real" pokemon had gone. Any rational explanations of its pixels having momentarily disappeared would have gone over his head, as he was generally ignorant of the modern world and its quirks.

[Stern Algorithm]

Tokugawa Mushirou

Noticing that Colton chose to have Glalie attack Scizor, Mushirou ordered Volcarona to, "Use: Rage Powder!" making Volcarona the center of attention, forcing enemy pokemon into attacking it instead of Scizor. This combined with Volcarona's ability, Flame Body, meant that any attacks that made contact with Volcarona had a chance (30%) of causing the attacker to catch fire. "A Good ninja knows how to use misdirection, even if it is to draw attention to himself," Mushirou announced with satisfaction. Though he did not pick Volcarona knowing what his opponents would choose, he could see that they were at a type-disadvantage, and he kept his eyes trained on them to see how they would deal with it. If they persevered, he would praise them, if they broke, he would offer encouragement.

[Lord Orgasmo]

---

As Scizor recovered from Glalie's attack, Scizor looked mostly unharmed, thankfully. Luck had been on his side, and Scizor wasn't frozen solid. Now was the time to counterattack. But what to do? Would he have the time to pull off a Swords Dance? Would it even be worth it? Was damage more important right now? Perhaps a Bullet Punch was in order? With Scizor's Technician ability, Life Orb, and a type weakness, it would cause some serious damage.

Before he could issue a command, his Volcarona partner unleashed a burst of a red, powdery, substance. Rage Powder! This was the opening he needed!

"Now Scizor! Use Bullet Punch on Glalie!"

In an instant, Scizor had closed the gap between them, and delivered a lightning-fast punch directly into Glalie's face. There was a satisfying crunch as it made contact, and a sigh from Scizor as the Life Orb drained Scizor's energy.

[Quote5]

Colton

---

"Huh. That went even worse than expected. Fascinating." Colton mumbled as his Glalie got absolutely obliterated. The icy ball was thrown across the arena by Scizor's attack. It fell before back right in front of Colton, and reverted to it's virtual Pokeball.

"I thought you could have at least survived one attack." Colton says to his now unconscious string of data. "Perhaps that was my mistake, though. Still, I don't think I'll bother trying to catch a Glalie in the wild."

Colton has accepted his defeat. Perhaps his teammate will do better?

[HokumPocus]

The defeat of Colton's pokemon had cranked Harvey's worries to eleven. No longer would he able to lean on the aid of a teammate in the very likely case of struggling. And boy, was he struggling.

A lone magnezone surrounded by two enemy pokemon with nothing but a flimsy substitute to protect himself. It didn´t take a battling expert to know that he was in big trouble. He thought about the two offensive attacks at his disposal, and began to debate with himself in an intense mental discussion that was honestly not much better than just flipping a coin or something, seeing how inexperienced he was with these whole "pokemon" and "solving conflict" things. A thunderbolt towards volcarona? The large and alien looking moth pill creature was being kept airborne through some bizarre looking wings, and he knew for a fact that it meant it was probably a flying type. Probably. What about flash cannon? It was definitely a powerful attack for a steel type to use, but Harvey struggled to think whether or not it would be useful on either of the two.

Besides, he thought, even if I beat one of them, there´s still another I gotta take care of!

His eyes darted back and forth between the two pokemon, before a third option presented itself. Another attack. A staple move that had been featured in countless television programs and documentaries. If there was nothing that he could do to save himself, then all he´d have to do is dish out as much damage as possible. Readying his hands close to his ears, Harvey shouted.

"Magnezone! Use explosion!"

[Stern Algorithm]

Tokugawa Mushirou

Mushirou's eyes widened at the brazen explosion. As Volcarona fainted, Mushirou clapped slowly, "Marvelous...Harvey, was it? A magnificent display, doing whatever it takes to take down your opponent! Perhaps I should have attacked instead of use a support move?" Harvey had displayed what Mushirou liked to see in an ally: ruthlessness, and Mushirou's regard for Harvey increased considerably. Expecting the end of the battle, Mushirou looked over at Judas' Scizor to see if it had survived the blast or not.

[Lord Orgasmo]

---

"Ah, shit." was the first thing Judas could think of when he heard the word "explosion". "Scizor! Defend!" Was all Judas could get out before a deafening BOOM and blinding white light overtook the Arena.

After the noise and light had cleared, and Judas' senses readjusted, he looked over to his partner. Volcarona had been knocked out and was lying on the ground. With little defense, Volcarona didn't stand a whole lot of a chance against such a powerful attack. Speaking of surviving...

Judas quickly looked over to his Scizor. Its once brilliantly shining red chitin was now dull, dusty and covered in dents. It leaned on its left knee(?), Breathing heavily. Scizor had survived, but only barely.

"Yes! Woohoo! High five buddy! Judas ran over to his Scizor, which didnt seem to respond. "Oh, right. VR." Judas slowly lowered his hand in awkward silence.

[Carlyle]

---

Battle SIM
Battle Arena

---

And with the chorus of an echoing boom, the battle was over.

Wiebke had watched each moment carefully; her eyes nearly glued to the battlefield. Harvey and Colton clearly had a strong weakness to their opponents' Pokémon, and it showed within the short battle. Glalie had been smacked with Bullet Punch, being sent flying from the recoil of the super effective move after its Freeze Dry had been redirected to Volcarona. Perhaps there was a small chance that Glalie could've survived, but with the added power of Life Orb, it was clear that the Pokémon was down and out for the count.

On the other hand, Magnezone had escaped without a scratch, choosing to go for a Substitute instead. As useful as the move was in a competitive sense, Wiebke was hardly a fan of it. The spirit of battling, she thought, was not through playing defensively, but rather though having a strong offense. It seemed Harvey had some sort of an understanding of such matters at least, as he was quick to call for Magnezone to explode after his partner's Pokémon had fainted on the first turn.

However, despite Explosion being quite the powerful move, the battle had already been decided.

Volcarona had taken the brunt of the blow, being cast aside due to the power of the move. The previous Freeze Dry, while hardly effective against the bug-fire type, had given Magnezone the slight edge it needed, allowing the Pokémon to knockout the moth-like creature from play. Nevertheless, the true threat was Scizor, who had managed to tank the Explosion by an inch of their teeth. Their red chitin armor had been covered in dents and dust, yet even Explosion's power was at a disadvantage toward a Pokémon that was part steel type.

"Woah," Wiebke mumbled, staring with shocked, wide eyes. Despite the battle's shortness, the village girl still felt the intensity that stung from it. "You guys were awesome! Glalie wanted to freeze Scizor, but Scizor went hiyaah and Magnezone went kaboom moments later!" She continuted, adding in silly sound effects whenever necessary.

Once Wiebke had a chance to calm herself, however, she made a motion to address the winners of the battle. "Anyhow, I suppose we should announce those who won, right?" Wiebke asked, raising an arm in Judas and Mushirou's direction. "Judas, Mushirou! Congratulations!" She announced, adding in a short, yet excited applause. "I just hope we don't overshadow you four with our battle!" Wiebke jested, a stupid grin expressed across her face.