As Rudy's Pokéball wiggled, the black haired boy watched in anticipation. When it finally stopped with a satisfying 'click', Rudy let out a sigh of relief. Grabbing the Pokéball, it shrunk in his hands as he stood, hearing the Professor speaking to someone on his P.D.A. Before Rudy could begin to follow the conversation, however, all hell broke loose, a pair of explosions rocking the building, engulfing the Daycare, and no doubt whatever room lay on the other side of the building, with smoke. It was followed by the chaos of panicked people and Pokémon. One would've assumed that Elizabeth would've simply turned and fled at the first sign of danger. When the explosion occurred her pitch black hair fluttered wildly behind her and she held her arm over her eyes, wincing at the dust and the smoke. Her Misdreavus slid closer to her, calling out fearfully, unsure of what to do.
Surrounded by smoke, panicked Pokémon and people, Elizabeth sought out helplessly for the exit. Misdreavus called out again in worry as Elizabeth's hand gripped her scarf tail, keeping her close. Her other hand reached out into the gloom, grabbing the nearest person she could find - which was, incidentally, Rudy - and trying to drag them both towards the exit of the Daycare. She was yelling something but it was lost in the noise - the only thing to show where she was standing happened to be Misdreavus' red orbs around her neck, which glowed brightly in all of the fear, absorbing it and using it as food. Rudy couldn't make out what Elizabeth was saying as she dragged him along, but as the smoke began to clear, and noise lower as some of the panicked Pokémon fled outside, he could spot a number of things. One was Elizabeth's Misdreavus, the illuminated orbs around its neck helping immensely, and the others being the barely visible silhouettes of everyone else: breeders, the Professor, Desmond, Jason, Velis, and three in bizarre white outfits.
As the two whom ganged up on Desmond were intercepted by Jason and Velis, the Professor had exited into the hallway, but seemed distracted by something out of sight. Rudy had a strange feeling they couldn't easily go that was. As Rudy looked around, the only other way out was also blocked, by the third grunt, whom was distracted as he attempted to rip a Pokémon out of the arms of one of the breeders; a distressed Swirlix. Only a few steps from panicking himself, Rudy looked around, trying to figure out what to do. However, the more level-headed Elizabeth acted first, waving her hand. Misdreavus, acting on the girl's orders, attacked, barraging the grunt with a Psywave. Stunned, the grunt let go of the fairy type Pokémon, letting the blonde breeder escape.
The grunt clutched at his helmet in shock, before turning to the two younger kids and the floating Misdreavus. "You..." he grumbled, before waving his hand, ordering, "Get them!" At his command, his two Pokémon snapped to attention, changing their course to Rudy and Elizabeth. In moments, the two were flanked, a vicious looking Venipede on one side and Gligar one the other, its tail poised to strike. Crossing his arms over his chest cockily, he demanded, "Alright, brats, cough up that Misdreavus. And whatever you've got in that Pokéball!" Swallowing anxiously, Rudy looked down at the capsule in his hands. Glancing between the two Pokémon, he knew Elizabeth was outnumbered, but Velis and Jason were still distracted, as was the Professor. The breeders were trying to get a handle on things, and Rudy himself had never battled in his life. He'd seen them, certainly, but he hadn't envisioned himself participating in one for years, let alone just after getting his first Pokémon. Gritting his teeth, he let out a frustrated grunt, throwing his Pokéball to the ground. It enlarged in midair, and Mime Jr burst out, as happily as every, despite the chaos. Rudy had no idea what he was doing, but in spite of that, he knew he simply couldn't just do nothing.
Elizabeth gave the grunt the same, blank, unimpressed look that she always gave. It was seemingly the default expression, as she had yet to show any other during her time in the lab. Inside, however, Elizabeth was undoubtedly frightened; Misdreavus wouldn't be able to hold off two Pokémon at once, and Rudy was...admittedly, this was his first Pokémon. Whilst Elizabeth herself had managed to reach a level of friendship where some actions need not to be yelled out so crudely, Rudy would need lessons.
Unfortunately, these lessons would be rather hard to give whilst surrounded and under threat of having her Pokémon kidnapped.
Misdreavus lamented their state of affairs, burying herself into Elizabeth's arms with constant, frightened calls of "Miii! Miii!" as if she was pleading for the girl to keep her safe. Elizabeth merely stared down at Misdreavus, unflinching, cold, and emotionless. Her gaze slipped to Mime Jr. "Misdreavus? Show them what they are up against, please." ordered Elizabeth, releasing her frightened Misdreavus out towards the Venipede and the Gligar. At first, the little ghost Pokémon looked pathetic, cowering with her head covered by her stubby little arms, floating eye-level with the Gligar and making small, terrified whimpers. Then the whimpers stopped. One golden eye peered out towards the Gligar with a menace that could only really be achieved by something who deems itself highly superior above his or her foe, like a bear staring down a rabbit before bringing its paws down for the final blow. Despite the high-pitched, ethereal vocal chords Misdreavus managed to produce a very low, and very threatening Growl, laced with cold fury and the promise of excruciating pain for even thinking about trying to snatch her.
Elizabeth used Misdreavus as a slight distraction - as she performed her Growl attack, Elizabeth pressed herself against Rudy, keeping an eye on the grunt whilst she breathed the words "Order your Pokémon to attack the other one" into Rudy's ear. She managed to keep the fear out of her voice, but did emphasize the urgency of the matter. Rudy nodded in response, starting to get the hang of things. He was starting to realize that it wasn't a normal battle, but a 'double battle' that he recalled hearing once. He wasn't quite sure if it made much difference, but he had to try his hardest. Looking at his Mime Jr, which faced down the Venipede, he tried to think, before finally saying, his voice full of uncertainty as he copied Elizabeth, ordering, "Okay, Mime Jr, attack!"
Seemingly understanding, Mime Jr hopped into action, rushing at the Venipede, arms raised. The Venipede braced itself, coiling into a ball, but Mime Jr's fingerless hands found their way into the sides, and he began to gyrate them. The Venipede shuddered, before opening up, tears in its eyes as it's shell shook with...laughter? Rudy looked on, unimpressed, as Mime Jr continued to rub the Pokémon's sensitive spots with the less than dreaded Tickle. Sheepishly, Rudy turned to his partner, asking, "Er, what kind of attacks does a Mime Jr have?"
Unimpressed, the grunt snorted, "You kidding? Even two against one, you aren't going to win without attacking. Venipede, Gligar, get 'em! Poison Sting!" Both Pokémon got some distance from their foes, before raising their respective, pointed rears, which glowed white, before shooting off a barrage of toxic stingers. Mime Jr cowered as he was showered in them, taking moderate damage and shouting out in pain. Misdreavus howled as the toxic stingers pierced her skin, dropping out of the sky and landing with a crash. Rudy cringed as the two Pokémon took their licks, particularly Mime Jr, for a number of reasons. Looking to Elizabeth hopefully, he tried to push past his worry, hoping for an acceptable answer. Elizabeth's expression remained stony and passive.
Finally, she broke the silence, murmuring "I don't know." whilst glaring daggers at the grunt. Rudy let out a low groan. Their options were limited - Misdreavus was clearly badly wounded, and won't be able to fight for much longer. Mime Jr was better off, having not taken such critical damage, but was still at bit of a disadvantage. Those two were going to wipe the floor with their Pokémon and there was nothing they could do about it...Well, almost nothing.
Elizabeth released her vice-like grip on Rudy, straightening herself up to her fullest height, peering at the grunt as arrogantly as she possibly can. She walked briskly towards, and then in front of her Misdreavus which was wailing loudly in pain, purple welts on her body from each poison sting, and stood eye-level with the Gligar. Then, in a surprisingly sharp movement, she brought the back of her hand across the Gligar's face, causing it to bite on it's tongue painfully and to slip back a little. "How dare you hurt my Pokémon. Perhaps now you have learnt your lesson." she snapped, leaving the Gligar to look at her, momentarily stunned, whilst she bent over to scoop up her Misdreavus. Rudy watched on, his mouth hanging open as he wondered as to which was scarier: the grunt's Pokémon, or Elizabeth Blake...
The grunt looked highly offended. Seemingly not understanding or perhaps even not caring about who she is, he gave the Gligar a dismissive wave, signalling for it to attack. The Gligar hissed, clicking its violet carapace threateningly and then firing a near-black barb towards Elizabeth's shoulder. The attack hit true, piercing through the delicate dress and ripping through the pale flesh, jutting out of the back of her shoulder and sending her reeling forwards, almost letting go of Misdreavus and falling face-first onto the floor. She took a sharp, ragged intake of breath, eyes stinging with tears. Slowly and carefully, she walked back to Rudy's side, shutting her eyes and trying to stop the convulsive spasms of pain that caused her to shudder every so often. It was very hard, now, to keep the pain and the fear out of her voice, but she choked out a quiet "P-perhaps, you should order it to hurt one of them instead." The Misdreavus in her arms had gone quite still now.
Rudy, nearly frozen from shock, could only raise his arms, holding Elizabeth by the shoulders to keep her from falling. His mind had blanked, his focus on the scene that had played before him, and the general situation he'd never once expected to find himself in. He didn't even realize it was worse than he thought, due to his Fairy-type's natural weakness to poison: it was only sheer luck that had kept Mime Jr from getting to the same state as Misdreavus. But, trapped into a corner, Rudy could only think to take Elizabeth's advice, to give them even the slightest hopes of getting through. After helping Elizabeth to a sitting position, where she could rest, Rudy shot a glare at the grunt's Venipede, hissing, "Mime Jr, blow it away!"
The boy's Pokémon, clearly wounded, raised its two arms, its expression intense. It's eyes began to glow blue, quickly following the Venipede being surrounded by a matching colored aura. It seemed surprised as it floated in the air, and was suddenly spun about before being tossed away. It crashed into the blown apart wall, taking another small chunk off of the structure as it landed outside, bouncing, before landing in the grass, lying still. The hit was effective, and the Pokémon was knocked out. Rudy gave a sigh of relief, wishing he had remembered the basic Psychic type attack he'd just seen a bit earlier.
Gnashing his teeth, the grunt spat, "Little shit!" Ignoring him, Rudy crouched down next to Elizabeth, examining the wound, feeling nauseous as he did so. Swallowing his disgust, he asked, "Are you okay?" Looking down at the weakened Ghost Pokémon in her arms, he corrected himself, "Are you two okay?" Whilst Elizabeth's grip on Misdreavus did not falter, a disgusting purple welt was showing under the torn dress, veins of violet spreading from the wound like a mockery of a flower. Her chest rose and fell quietly with the pain of even breathing, and she didn't look too good. As for her Misdreavus...well, her head was buried in Elizabeth's arms and Elizabeth did not seem at all inclined to let go for anything.
Elizabeth turned her gaze onto Rudy after watching Mime Jr's impressive attack. Those eyes were still, at face value, as blank and as hollow as anything, but they shone with tears of pain. Her voice came out, tinged with fright, slightly stammering but with clear evidence of trying her best to hide the emotions with a "I am perfectly fine. You may want to order y-your Mime Jr to at-...to attack the other one." Rudy couldn't help but to bite his lip, feeling a bit of pressure: time was of the essence.
Elizabeth shut her eyes whilst she nodded to the Gligar, which was busy laughing at Venipede's defeat, clutching it's sides with its claws, wrapping itself in the thin stretches of skin under its arms. Gritting his teeth, the grunt snapped, "Stop laughing and get those runts!" At the order, the Gligar ceased its jovial chortles, it's expression becoming vicious and focused once again. Flailing its arms, it hopped into the air before gliding at Rudy and Elizabeth. Turning to his Pokémon, Rudy commanded, "Mime Jr, Confusion!" With a nod of compliance, Mime Jr rushed over, its eyes glowing blue once again. The Gligar was once against surrounded by the aura, and was spun in the air before being brought against the ground, slamming into it roughly. As the Gligar glared at its foes, Rudy flinched, surprised that it was still conscious. The two Pokémon seemed to be roughly the same strength, but Rudy failed to understand why the Poison type Venipede had gone down quicker than this Flying and Ground type, the subtleties of type advantage eluding the novice trainer.
Seeing opportunity, the grunt ordered, "Sand Attack!" Digging its claws into the floor, the Gligar scraped at the Daycare flooring, sending debris about, before hopping into the air, head going over its limbs as it did a backflip. As it finished the aerial maneuver, its barbed tail struck the ground, flicking a small, concentrated cloud of dust at Mime Jr. It splashed in his eyes, blinding the Pokémon, who fruitlessly began to wipe the dust out, making pitiful wails of discomfort. Grinning, the grunt laughed, "Finish it with one last Poison Sting!"
Feeling that his loss was imminent, Rudy could only blurt the first thing to come to mind, a last ditch, blind strike against a seemingly impassable foe. "Confusion!" Rudy shouted. To his surprise, Mime Jr became focused, enveloping the Gligar in blue aura once again, as its tail shone, attack imminent. The Gligar began to flip and spin in the air, but it didn't stop its attack: poison barbs began to fly with abandon, sticking into walls, floor, and ceiling alike as the Gligar spasmed in the air. The grunt lifted his foot just as one stinger nearly impaled it, the man grimacing as it quavered in the ground underneath him. Rudy and Elizabeth were in more dire straights, however, as the opposing Pokémon was closer to them. Natural instinct kicking in, Rudy did his best to push Elizabeth away from the attack, praying she didn't get struck again.
As the poison barbs flew through the air, only two found their mark. One dug into the back of Rudy's thigh, making him cry out in pain, and the other impacted Mime Jr in the chest. The Pokémon's legs gave out, and it collapsed, fainting as the blue aura around Gligar faded, and the Pokémon ceased its assault, recovering in midair, returning to its natural, fluttering position. Rudy looked on in horror between his fallen Mime Jr and the dreaded Gligar, which awaited its master's orders.
It was a relief, then, that the Gligar never lasted long enough to listen to the Grunt even issuing an order. In the moment that Mime Jr was attacked, and in the midst of the chaos of poison bolts flinging into the air carelessly, Misdreavus had raised her head and started to float on her own accord. The moment the Gligar recovered, she opened her mouth, and let loose some sort of attack.
It was like a shriek - a single, high pitched note that lasted no longer than half a second - but from Misdreavus issued forth a conical wave of odd, hot energy, shimmering with every known visible colour hue and seeming to cut through the air itself, leaving a wavy distortion to the surroundings which one would associate with heat. The attack was quite spectacular in appearance, but didn't seem to be as powerful as it looked; it was rebounded easily off of Gligar's carapace, but something odd happened to the wings. They caught the intense heat energy and sent the Gligar flying backwards, and it didn't matter how strong the attack was - colliding with a concrete wall head-first was bound to leave anyone unconscious. Therefore, the Gligar landed with a loud clacking noise, not even able to cry out in pain before fainting.
Elizabeth stared at the Gligar, then turned her unnerving gaze unto the grunt. She kept her tone of voice low, and it whistled with weariness and breathiness of a sick person, but the way she carried her voice coupled with her injured shoulder and her cold glare was more than enough to show that she meant business. "I suggest you gather your Pokémon and leave, before I take them from you." she threatened. Relieved by there sudden victory, Rudy looked at Elizabeth, simultaneously impressed, worried, and intimidated. Briefly remembering his fallen Pokémon, he raised his Pokéball, returning Mime Jr to its confines before clutching it to his chest in worry. His other hand grabbed at his wounded leg, which continued to pulse in pain. As it began to afflict him, he was starting to feel the edges of his vision fade, his breathing coming a bit harder.
Coupled with the shame of defeat to two twelve year olds and the anger of knowing that there was nothing else he could do, the grunt snorted as he raised up his Pokéballs, returning his fainted Pokémon to their resting place.
Elizabeth looked at Rudy with something akin to sympathy, in the sense that she just stared at him blankly whilst the corners of her mouth were drawn downwards. "I can see that it's starting to get to you too," she stated perfunctionally whilst Misdreavus hit the floor with an odd 'splat' noise. With an effort, Elizabeth scooped Misdreavus up into her arms, almost falling to the floor herself. Clearly, she's staying upright out of a mix of adrenaline, arrogance and sheer stubbornness. "We should probably...see the...Professor," she said finally.
Collab by Pacifista and Stiches!
TL;DR: Rudy and Elizabeth fought a Cipher grunt and pull through by the skin of their teeth.
