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 Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 3:35 pm
Korra's breathing was labored, her sight was starting to get blurred and it was hard to focus on the target. But she got back up off her hands and got ready to fight on. For all the good it would do anyway, she wasn't even sure she had another attack in her let alone to ability to avoid anything at this point, it was all up to her last move to buy her at least one more strike. She readied herself and watched, the orb of light finding it's mark. Vileplume's trainer didn't seemed phased though, and gave out her next command, Korra was sure this was it as she stood her ground and stared down the violet flower, the hail lightening up in force and turning into little more than flecks of ice as the cloud started to break up. This was it, her final edge was gone now and she could feel defeat start to creep into her heart. Crenu had been watching as well, and while Korra was starting to have doubts Crenu didn't show any signs of having similar feelings. He wasn't watching Korra, or the Vileplume, he was watching Erika. She was excited, pleased, she was moving in for the finish now and was nearly certain of her victory. She'd have had it too, but luckily the confusion took it's effect. The ground was slick, Vileplume's motions were hindered by the icy winds, and dizziness in her head, all those factors came together just right and Vileplume was down flailing helplessly. This was the opportunity he'd been working for, and he and Korra were ready to deliver their final attack putting it all on this one, but there was no use for it. Erika recalled her Vileplume, and the match was declared over. Crenu didn't quite like it, but the match was in fact over. Froslass's next attack would have most likely taken the last bit out of Vileplume. And had the confusion not bought them the chance then the Giga Drain would have taken Korra down, the poison would have done that on it's own anyway. It felt more like a tie than anything else, but Korra worked very hard to pull this off, honestly Crenu hadn't expected her to win. So even he had to let off a small smirk as he recalled her.
Tea actually sounded good. And Crenu wouldn't have minded a cup with Erika, she was rather pleasant company, mostly because she was very quiet and reserved most of the time. But the prospect of being joined by someone else simply wouldn't do, and without even looking at the other person Erika was addressing Crneu shook his head. "I have to get my pokemon to the center, and take care of some other things as well." With that Crenu pocketed the items presented to him, and turned to leave. He stopped though and half turned his head back to gym leader. "...Save some of that tea though. I'll come back for a cup tomorrow." He swung his coat around and slipped one arm into it in the same motion, slipping the other in on his way out the door. Once outside he looked up to see that the sun was starting to go down, it had been a while since they'd set out that morning. Taking his phone from his pocket he looked at it, feeling a bit of disappointment to see that there were no new messages. "..." He was actually hoping to see something from Riza. A text, a missed call, an e-mail, anything. An update to what she was up to, where she'd gone, where they'd meet up tonight. But nothing. It actually...made him feel bad. He sighed, shaking the thought from his head as he left the gym heading for the center. Wherever she was, she must have just been busy or something. He thought about giving her a call right now, but he didn't want to bother her in whatever she was doing. She's the one that suggested splitting up to not get in the way of each others training after all, she must have had some serious regimen in mind for today. She'd call him when she was ready, or he thought so anyway. Right now the center was the place to go.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 4:30 pm
As soon as Ben's Pidgey is restored, he takes it and sets out again, this time for Sprout Tower. If he managed to beat some of the trainers in there, then he'd be able to show the bug-catcher later how much stronger he'd gotten. Grinning at the thought of kicking Metapod's butt, he approaches the entraqnce to the building and steps inside, the ominous silence interrupted from time to time by the shaking of the giant pillar in the center.
Once again, he walks toward the tall ladder and greets the monk with a nod, who grants him entrance and steps aside. rasping the rungs, Ben starts climbing steadily, his Pichu clinging to him in silence as he anticipates what is to come.
At the top of the ladder, he takes a quiet look around.. the room seemingly empty, until he notices one monk standing silently in the back, beside a second ladder. Glancing to Pichu, he gives a reassuring nod and a smile, beginning his walk across creaking boards to greet the monk. "My name is Ben. I'm here to take the challenge." The monk simply smiles, holding up a beaded rosary that has a single Pokeball attached to it. "Very well. I will test the strength of your Pokemon. Come forth! Bellsprout!" Ben takes a step back, the light shining as the small plant Pokemon appears. Glancing at Pichu, he smiles slightly. "This looks like a job for Pidgey." Grabbing the Pokeball from his waist, Ben grins at the monk and releases his Pokemon. "I choose Pidgey. Let's go!"
The monk wasted no time in calling his first move. "Bellsprout. Vine Whip." The plant's vines curl and flex, snapping out like a whip as it moves forward.
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Ben watches as the vines strike his Pidgey, though it seems as if the soft cushion of its feathers is absorbing most of the impact. "Pidgey, tackle it!" Pidgey chirps and scratches the floor with its feet, running into a tackle and slamming the plant's head with its body.
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The Bellsprout staggers back, the monk speaking simply again, "Vine Whip." Bellsprout's vines curl and snap again, whipping Pidgey as ferociously as it can muster.
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Ben growl's slightly as Pidgey begins to show signs of pain at the onslaught. "Pidgey, flap your wings like a Sand Attack! Fend it off, then Tackle!" He watches as Pidgey flaps his wings wildly, making the Bellsprout topple over for a moment, its vines struggling to raise it back up. At that moment, Pidgey runs and tackles as hard as it can, causing the plant to roll across the floor in a tangled pile of vines, the monk suddenly holding up a hand to stop the battle. "Enough. You may proceed."
Looking up a bit surprised, Ben grins and nods, recalling his Pidgey and walking forward. "Thank you for the match," he told the monk as he passed him and started to climb the next ladder. He didn't know how many battles he would have to do to make it to the top, or how long his Pokemon would hold out - but he would try.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 5:05 pm
The center was the same as any other, Joy awaiting at the counter doing something or other on her computer. He was sure that even when she didn't look busy she was doing a hundred things at once. At least, the Joy from his home town always was. It didn't stop her from taking great care of...her. Crenu shook the thought from his mind again as he strode up to the counter, dropping off his pokeballs at the counter and leaving to wait outside while they were done. He put a cigarette to his lips and lit it, taking a deep drag from it as he leaned against the wall thinking about the day. Training was fruitful, Bubbles ended up being useful. Whether or not he would be better than Ariados would remain to be seen. Crenu held the cigarette in his mouth as he looked at the pokeballs on his belt, sighing as he tapped Carmen's ball to release her. The little Elgyem was happy to get out and floated around happily, hovering close to Crenu's head. As he blew out a plume of smoke however she created some distance, her fingers flashing rapidly in protest. "...You too huh?" He said as he shook his head, taking the cigarette from his lips and flicking it away. He was really looking forward to smoking it...but she was just a baby. Besides he could see Riza looking at him with a disapproving look, and it wasn't worth the hassle. He actually chuckled a little being effected by a person who wasn't here, with nothing left to smoke he went back inside with Carmen following close. A quick exchange of words with Joy and he had a key, it was getting a bit darker but it was still rather early. Much earlier than he normally would turn in. It'd been an eventful day however, and looking at his phone to see still no work from Riza only made things worse. It was effecting him a lot more than he thought it would. As he set things down and got into bed, Carmen continued to hover around until she finally settled down on the bed as well and fell asleep. Crenu wasn't so lucky though. He was back to sleeping alone, and his old habits were starting to come in. Hours went by, and he lay motionless in his bed, wide awake. The minuets ticked by very slowly, Crenu had been suffering from lack of sleep for years, and it'd gotten worse lately. It wasn't until Riza came around that he started to sleep better, but her not being there and worse, not hearing from her, it made him feel almost like he was alone again. Had she forgotten about it? It was very late at night now, surely she wasn't still training or whatever. But still nothing. "...." The night passed with no change, Crenu managed to get about three hours of sleep in total, waking up frequently mostly negating the whole thing. With the morning came still no word from Riza, and considering how early she liked to get up he was convinced she wasn't contacting him on purpose. He was filled now with mixed feelings, all bad, and simply let himself lay there. When Carmen awoke and poked him, uneasy by her trainer's demeanor, sensing some very negative thoughts from his mind, he simply recalled her and stayed in bed. Sheer exhaustion allowed him to fall sleep again for a while longer, but when late morning came Crenu just couldn't stay in bed. he got up and grabbed his phone, dialing Riza thinking of what he would say. It was a good thing that it went to voice mail, busy he supposed, cause he was able to calm himself down again as the tone beeped. "...It's me. I'm in Celedon. Call me back." He said simply before hanging up. He sighed, gathering his things and heading off for a shower.
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:04 am
"It's no trouble at all," Daniel replied, already holding a poke ball of his own. "How about two on two?" He gave a flick of his wrist and his first Pokemon appeared in front of him, a Geodude.
Riza smiled. 'Perfect!' she thought, releasing Selena. The Snivy gave a cry and stared down her opponent. "Two on two sounds perfect to me," the dark haired girl answered, but she couldn't help but think and hope that Selena might be all she'd need. "You can make the first move if you want to."
The hiker frowned a little at the sight of the Snivy. He clearly didn't recognize what it was, but the little Pokemon's blatantly leaf shaped tail was enough to give away that she was a grass-type. "Okay Geodude, start off with a Rock Throw!" The Geodude gave a hearty cry and hefted up a rock from the ground before he flung it at Selena. It was hard not to be impressed at how effortlessly the rock-type could just pick up a stone and chuck it like that, for it crashed heavily to the ground in the spot Selena had just been standing. Riza had called out for her to dodge, and the Snivy didn't really feel like being smacked with a rock. "Again, Geodude! Keep it up!" hiker Daniel called out.
"Keep dodging, Selena!" Riza called as the Geodude began a relentless assault, rocks raining down on the ground around the agile Snivy. The grass-type was certainly showing off her speed as she moved, but Riza knew she couldn't keep it up forever. They had to go on the offensive eventually, as Riza was sure the Geodude wouldn't knock itself out.
It was at that moment that her phone started to ring and without even looking at the caller id she declined the call, immediately sending the caller to her voice mail. She was certain that whomever it was would understand as battles were important things.
* * * * *
The little Mime Jr. was definitely not a pushover as he once again gave a cry and raced toward Darla, both of its little arms raised as it attempted a doubleslap. The Solosis tried to drift back but the mime caught up with her, once again striking her several times. "Hit it with Astonish!" Katie called, excitement in her voice. It made her happy to see how fast the little psychic-type was growing.
Darla gave a cry and rushed forward, slamming her body sharply into the other psychic-type, causing it to cry out in pain. Having learned that the Mime Jr. was fond of hitting back with Doubleslap, Darla braced herself, but the attack didn't come as her Astonish attack had caused the Mime Jr. to flinch. Seeing this, Katie knew it was time to finish it! "Shadow Ball!" she cried.
Once again the little mime was bowled over by dark orb but this time the Mime decided it was time to cut his losses and retreat, and within a few seconds the little pink and blue psychic-type had disappeared back into the tall grass. Seeing her victory caused the Solosis to cry out with joy and she floated around, body puffed out like she was the queen of all Sinnoh. Katie giggled and pulled her into a hug, which made the Solosis squeal with delight.
It was about then that Katie decided to head back into Solaceon again, as she made the choice to send Seraphim back home in order to get some training in with her Buneary, and perhaps she'd visit the local poke mart to see if they had any TMs she could teach the Rabbit Pokemon.
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 12:50 pm
"Yeah, sure, thanks for that," Keegan had replied with a roll of his eyes, but he would be lying if he were to say that he hadn't learned a lot from battling Felsic that time, and he was absolutely certain that Helios would love a second chance at the hot-headed Typhlosion, as the fox had only been an itty-bitty Vulpix at the time. He hadn't missed Mike's eyes following the Fire Stone's movements and the redhead wondered if it was because he was just up to his old tricks again or because if he was inherently drawn to it. Regardless, he'd palmed it before he lost it for good as he headed for the stairs, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Mike seemed to be hit by a stroke of genius and turned around to stock up on PokeBalls. Keegan had opened his mouth to say something mocking but he stopped himself as he was forced to take a mental inventory of his own items to make sure he didn't need anything else. When he was certain he was good to go, he decided to go on ahead he stopped and looked back at the two again before heading down the stairs, unable to shake the stab of pain he felt when he saw the way the two looked at each other. He sighed to himself, clenching the Fire Stone tighter in his hand as he started down the stairs, doing his best to push his negative thoughts away, but unfortunately with limited success. He'd never stood a chance, had he?
It was still pretty nice outside but that didn't stop the redhead from polluting it as he'd immediately withdrawn a cigarette and lit it. Normally, he opted to be polite and not light up around people, Kasiya in particular, but it was at that moment that he decided he no longer cared what the blonde thought of his habit. Not that he really had in the first place, but now, at least, he could be openly defiant. He strayed a little ways from the large department store but not so much that Mike and Kass couldn't find him. He'd let his three newest Pokemon out of their respective spheres as they were the ones receiving use of the items he'd bought. He looked down at Hades as the little Axew had latched onto his leg and was decidedly not letting go. "Kids," he said with a shrug as his two friends joined him, completely ignoring the Grovyle as he attempted to impress everyone by flexing his arms. The energetic Growlithe had paced circles around the area but stopped once Mike and Kasiya drew near, her expression questioning as she wasn't sure she should welcome them or growl at them. Before she could make a choice, however, she was summoned to Keegan's side with a sharp whistle and he knelt down beside her, mindful of the baby dragon still hugging his leg. "This is it, girl," he told the pup, ruffling the tuft of hair on her head with his hand. "Are you sure you wanna do this?" Eithne tilted her head back, eyeing the two new humans again carefully, but she looked back at her trainer and licked his hand. She was ready!
Keegan exhaled slowly, taking a last, lingering look at the fiery stone before he pressed it up against the Growlithe's forehead, making the puppy go cross-eyed as she tried to look up at it. This wouldn't last long though, as that warm, white light had quickly enveloped the canine's body, and Keegan grabbed Hades and took a step back as Eithne's form steadily grew larger. Hades cooed and made grabby motions towards the evolving Pokemon, though he stopped when he felt just how much heat she was giving off. The redhead gave a low whistle as the light faded and a mature-looking Arcanine stood before them, though it was safe to say that Eithne had retained her playful nature as she barked loudly and licked her trainer across the face, much to Hades' delight. Pan, on the other hand, looked positively repulsed by the suddenly much-larger fire dog and distanced himself from her. He hadn't forgotten what her flames felt like. Wiping the Arcanine slobber from his cheeks, Keegan nodded approvingly at the Fire-type's new form. She wasn't as big as Hiro, but she was also much younger and less experienced than he was, but that would soon change. The redhead gave his wolfish grin as he patted Eithne's nose. Soon, everything is going to change, he thought.
=====
As the nurse turned to leave, Miharu grabbed her arm. "No," she pleaded, fighting another wave of panic. "Please... I don't want to be alone..." Her green eyes were wide with fear and she was on the verge of tears. One didn't need the monitors and machines to see that her heart rate had increased dramatically.
The nurse could only smile and nod knowingly, and she sat down on the edge of the bed. She took Miharu's hand in hers and held it tightly, knowing that the Captain would be in soon to find out how she had wound up on his ship in the first place. She remained by Miharu's side even as she calmed down again, nearly drifting off into what was likely much-needed sleep. She didn't know what the poor girl had been through, but it must have been terrible.
It wasn't long until the Captain arrived, making his way right to the small room where Miharu was currently being held. His presence almost immediately shifted the atmosphere of the room, causing Miharu to stir and look over at him. He wasn't as old as she'd expected, probably only just in his forties and his tan hair was only showing hints of grey. His hazel eyes were strict but they had a familiar kindness to them and overall he was a very handsome man. He placed his hands behind his back as he studied her, and Miharu found it somewhat unnerving that she had no idea what he was thinking.
"So, you're our stowaway, then," he said, picking up Miharu's ID from the counter nearby and studying it. "I have to admit, you're not quite what I expected. Tell me, Miss Winters," he continued, quickly reading over the information before setting it down again. "What is a young trainer from Cherrygrove City, such as yourself, doing on a ship heading for Castelia City in the Unova region?"
=====
Damien had raised an eyebrow at Karrigan's offer to take the egg from him, and he glanced down at it, shrugging. He didn't answer her, but he decided to keep that in mind. After all, he already had three Pokemon to raise and he didn't even know what was inside the egg yet.
"It's not rude to happen to overhear a conversation between people you happen to be standing near," he retorted calmly, completely missing the fact that she was even trying to be good-humored about it. "And it's not like they were trying to be discreet." He pushed some of the black hair out of his face as he turned in his own Pokemon for treatment. Neither of them had been seriously injured, so it didn't take long, and he looked back at the redhead. "I couldn't tell you," he said, looking down at the sphere in is hand. "But I know someone that possibly could. It depends on just how nosy we're feeling," he added as they walked away from the small crowd. As much as he disliked having ghosts following him around all the time, sometimes their company was much more pleasant (and quiet) than that of the living.
Once they'd secluded themselves from prying eyes, Damien released a refreshed-looking Gastly. The ghost yawned but managed a smile, making no effort to hide the fact that he was looking Karrigan up and down. "Oh, Damien! You've made a friend! I'm so proud of you!" he chortled. "And she's a cute one, too. Isn't she? By human standards, she's cute, right?"
Damien groaned slightly and rolled his eyes as he too looked back at the redhead. He wasn't generally the type to prioritize such things, but Gastly wouldn't let it go unless he answered. "Yeah, sure," he said, removing his glasses to polish the lenses. "But that's not important now. I need for you to go and play detective."
Gastly shook his head. "Cute girls are plenty important to normal teenage boys," he retorted, but Damien was clearly ignoring him now.
"They just brought a girl to sickbay. Go find out what happened to her."
"You didn't say please."
"And I'm not going to, either. Just go."
"Then can we further discuss your lack of interest in pretty girls?"
"Gastly."
"Okay, okay, I'm going," the ghost grumbled, drifting along until he disappeared through a wall, muttering something about idiot human boys with long, black hair. Being ethereal certainly had its perks, however, as it wasn't long before the Ghost-type had found what he'd been looking for. Let's see what all the fuss is about, Gastly thought to himself as he settled in to listen.
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 2:08 pm
Mike skipped down the stairs, his former grace slowly returning to him. Even the tightness in his chest had begun to lessen. He wasn't sure if it was because he healed faster than normal, or this was the usual rate at which ribs decided to stop feeling like an iron maiden in your chest. Whatever the reason, he was happy to be going back to his former strength, albeit slowly. However, the shot of pain that shot up his body when he landed after clearing the last few stairs with a small hop reminded him that he still had a ways to go. By complete random chance, he decided he would walk up and down the stairs for a few more days.
Mike had never been a fan of Keegan's smoking habit, but after a while he just sort of gave up trying to play surrogate mother and let it happen. Besides, at this point be smoked more than his friend, even if it was in a different manner. Feeling cheeky, Mike waited until the redhead glanced in his direction and put two fingers to his mouth, smoking an invisible cigarette of his own. He then proceeded to blow a huge plume of very visible smoke straight in the air, mimicking the way his friend would after a particularly stressful event by letting out a long-winded sigh. He added a dorky grin to show it was all in good fun, but wouldn't have been surprised if he got a bap to the shoulder for it.
A strange feeling welled up in the boy as he saw the Growlithe size him up, and his first reaction was to growl. Mike shook the thought from his head. "That was strange." he said, forgoing inner monologue entirely. He remembered that Hiro, back when he was just a little Growly, was similarly tempered, and he hoped that Keegan's wasn't nearly aggressive as the then Growlithe was. Snapping back to relative normalcy, he took a look at Keegan's little troupe of Pokemon. The little dragon that he had in the hospital was there, and Mike smiled at its timidness. It certainly wouldn't hold onto that for long. Oh, and he had a Grovyle, too. "Okay, I can see that. Totally fits." He nodded to himself. It was amusing seeing his friend surrounded by such little critters. While most who would look at his rough and tumble buddy would assume he would be the kind to swing Gyarados around like swords, Mike knew that he was plenty happy to be around the little ones. He always thought it was an absolutely adorable trait of his, and he found himself wearing that same knowing grin he would often wear when he visited the Summer's home and saw Keegan playing with a baby Pokemon. He giggled giddily, entirely amused by his friend's mostly hidden kindness. He could never hide anything from him.
And now for the main event. After making sure his Pokemon was ready (so cute!), Keegan gently pressed the stone to the puppy's head. Mike had seen plenty of evolutions by this point, but there was a bit of extra pride whenever it was a Fire Pokemon. Soon the pup was a pup no more, and now a healthy looking Arcanine. His color was a bit lighter than Hiro's, and his mane wasn't as spiky, but it was still a fine looking Pokemon. Very fine. Mike couldn't help but 'oo' at the metamorphosis, and clapped his hands together, making little sparks as he did. Keegan's expression did not go unnoticed, and Mike could only imagine that after all the battling he did the other day, defeating his father, and this new evolution, his old friend was bound for some great things in the near future.
"Very great things." He didn't try to hide the nostalgic half-smile that crept up on his face.
------
Sasha, along with the other gym trainers that were watching, cheered as the match was decided. Erika, in her usual elegance, accepted the loss flawlessly. She had never seen her get genuinely mad, and she was quite positive she didn't want to. Sasha eagerly returned the wave, but hers was far less subtle.
It seemed like the challenger was not in the mood for niceties at the moment, and chose to leave with his winnings, not even paying her a customary glance. "Sa perte." she said with a shrug. "Jasmine tea sounds like a lovely idea, ma petite fleur." Sasha said cheerfully, making her was around the frozen battlefield and giving her friend a hug and friendly greeting kisses on her cheeks. "You were wonderful. I do not know how you can stay so composed under all z'hat pressure. I don't s'hink I could ever be a Gym Leader like you." Erika had a strange effect on Sasha. Whenever she spent time with her, all of her etiquette and training seemed to come so much more natural. With anyone else, Sasha felt like they were nothing more than a burden holding down her usually carefree and dramatic flare, but Erika's effortless civility was infectious. "Would you like any help gathering the settings?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:15 pm
Koffing's pained cries from within the smoke cloud were unsettling, and Jasper quickly started to wonder what it was that he was missing. He dug his Pokedex out of his pocket but that was all he did for now. 'Koffing can handle this,' he thought, glad that Bridget couldn't see him through the smokescreen. Despite beating that first trainer, he wasn't feeling like he was making a very good impression on the members of this gym. He grit his teeth, trying to remember Koffing's attacks - good trainers didn't have to look them up every three seconds, right? That was the plan, in theory, anyway, and Jasper decided to stick to what he knew. "Tackle!"
While Spearow could see just fine in the haze, so could Koffing and she was getting really tired of that annoying little bird constantly jabbing her with its sharp little beak. She gave a cry and vaulted forward, smashing all of her weight into the Spearow. It likely would have been more impressive if she weighed more than half a pound, but what she lacked in heft, she made up for in area. Spearow lived up to its classification as the Tiny Bird Pokemon, and being much smaller than Koffing was easily slammed to the ground. The poison was steadily taking its toll, and both Pokemon were starting to look a little winded. "You should have just let me pass," Jasper huffed, finding the air up here to be a little thin (and stale, thanks to Koffing).
"You should have just given up after Rod," Bridget smirked right back as her Spearow pulled itself to its feet. "It's our duty to keep you from getting to Falkner; it's the only way to prove to him that you're worth his time as a challenger. Spearow, Peck!"
"Gee, Bridget, tell me how you really feel," Jasper grumbled, raising his hand. "Koffing, Smog!"
* * * * * * * * * *
'Okay, okay, who to use,' Hayley thought, tapping her chin as she studied the impatient Pikachu in front of her. Cynder might be a bit too rough and the mouse's history with Ivy, so after a couple of moments of thought, she released her reluctant little Nidoran. Tisyphone's ears twitched as she eyed the Pikachu - wait, why were they battling her? Weren't they all friends after the Beedrill attack? The Pikachu, meanwhile, grinned cheekily upon seeing Tiss. This would be cake, she was sure of it.
"Don't wanna touch her," Hayley murmured to herself, touching her chin thoughtfully. "Static can paralyze so... Poison Sing!" she called out gleefully. Both Pokemon just stood there, staring at the girl, who stared back until she realized she'd misspoken. "Sting! Poison Sting!" Well that made a lot more sense, and the Nidoran planted her front feet, the barbs on her back quivering as she sent out a volley of tiny, poisoned spikes at the yellow mouse.
Pikachu gave a squeak, as she hadn't expected the Nidoran to actually fight back and she spent the next several moments dancing back and forth as she tried to avoid the deadly rain of needles. She was hit a few times but managed to avoid being poisoned, and she took a few steps forward, her cheeks flaring with sparks of electricity. She gave a cry and sent a narrow bolt streaking toward the Nidoran, and as the poison type jumped back, it fizzled out at her feet. Hayley clapped and cheered at Tiss' "deft" dodging skills, but anyone paying close enough attention would know that the electric rodent had missed on purpose.
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:38 pm
The third floor of the tower was much the same as the second -- empty, but for a single monk Trainer. Without hesitation, Ben made his way forward, the monk acknowledging his presence with a bow of his head. "Hello. My name is Ben. I have defeated the monk that came before you - now I am here to continue my challenge." Smiling, the monk nods, raising his Pokeball. A man of few words, was he? Without further ado, Ben watched as the trainer revealed yet another Bellsprout. 'Well, I guess it's called Sprout Tower for a reason,' he thought.
Nodding, Ben pulls the Pokeball from his belt and releases his Pokemon. "Pidgey!" Pidgey appears, ruffling its wings like it's ready to go. "Tackle!" Pidgey immediately charges into a Tackle attack, slamming into the foe Bellsprout and knocking it down, his chest puffing out proudly.
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"Vine Whip." Ben heard the monk speak the command, his Bellsprout whipping its vines out ferociously and snapping against his Pidgey's feathers.
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Pidgey winces against the onslaught, Ben clenching his fists hard. This Bellsprout was stronger than the last one. That just meant he had to act that much faster. "Pidgey, do what we did before! Flap your wings and Tackle!" Pidgey struggles to see from being whipped so many times, flapping his wings blindly until the vines start to recede, his eyes sharpening and honing in on the plant before running and tackling it, the plant's body flying several feet while Ben grins. "Awesome! What a strong hit!"
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The monk watches his plant roll across the floor, commanding it again. "Rise up, use your Vine Whip again." The Bellsprout struggles a bit before standing up, curling its vines menacingly and making way toward Pidgey again, snapping them sharply.
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Ben growls slightly. "Pidgey, don't let it hit you! Jump around and Tackle it from the side!" Pidgey responds quickly, flapping its wings and flying around, avoiding the snapping whips. When its path is clear, it lands and shoots into a Tackle, slamming into the plant again and causing it to collapse, out of energy.
With a nod, the monk raises his hand. "Very well. I concede. You have done well to defeat me. The Elder will be your next challenge. I hope that you are prepared." Looking up, Ben nods solemnly before smiling and calling his Pidgey back. "Thank you. I hope I do well." Smiling in return, the monk steps aside to reveal the path to the final ladder. "Good luck."
Straightening his hat once again, he turns to look at Pichu on his shoulder, who watches him with a confident gaze. "Piichu," it tells him as it nods. It seemed Pichu was ready. Grinning and rubbing Pichu's head affectionately, Ben turns to climb up to the Tower's final tier.
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:52 pm
"Will do Professor. I'll see you later and good luck with the repairs. Now armed with some more experience and knowledge of what water types where in the area he had a choice to make. Magickarp were truthfully pathetic until they evolved. Then they were terrifying giant sea monsters. He couldn't feed that, nor did he think he could handle a Gyrados.
Shellder was a solid pokemon, but he had to constantly be on the look out for Slowpoke. One bite and he'd lose his Shellder to Slowpoke's evolution. Not something he wanted to try and keep an eye on while watching all his other little trouble makers. That left Krabby to be the best choice. It could move about fairly easily on land, had a strong offense and seemed to be less aggressive than Gyrados and less troublesome than Shellder.
Now the only problem left was to find it. To that he had to make his way down to the beach and get lucky. "Alright, the beach guys. This should be fun." From inside his ball Gigas shivered. His trainer meant well, but he had forgotten fire types hated water.
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 9:49 pm
Kasiya had made her way down the stairs at a much more reserved pace, as it wasn't uncommon for her to lose her footing and slip, and she did not feel like making a return trip to the hospital so soon, even for something as minor as a sprained ankle. She was happy to see that the sun was still shining and the Hoenn weather was quite lovely as she stepped outside, her nose wrinkling when it caught the unmistakable odor of smoke, and without hesitation she cast a glare at the redhead. He knew very well how much she hated his gross habit and had given him a piece of her mind about it on more than one occasion, but Keegan had always stubbornly dug in his heels and refused to budge even an inch, such was his Tauros-headedness. She couldn't help but smirk at Mike's little display of mockery, even if he was just trying to be funny, though she did worry a little. One never could guess just how Keegan would react, however, though by now, Kasiya had conceded that Mike knew the redhead much better than she likely ever would.
"Hey there, Pan," she said to the Grovyle, humoring him by pretending to be impressed with his flexing and bending, and she couldn't help but think what a pity it was that Nova wasn't with her at the moment. She never had been quite sure if the rivalry between them was legitimate, or if it was something the Charmeleon had dreamed up in her own head. The little bandanna-wearing dragon clinging cutely to Keegan's leg hadn't gone unnoticed either, though seeing the Growlithe gave her pause as she was reminded of her first few uncomfortable days with Hiro, back when he was just a hotheaded young pup as well. Keegan didn't have any trouble getting her attention though as the Growlithe responded quickly to his whistles, and Kasiya stood back with Mike, also quite enjoying the redhead's softer side as he interacted with the Fire-type. Now that she thought of it, Pokemon always seemed to adore him and she wondered if that was because he'd been around them all his life.
"He really has a way with Pokemon, doesn't he?" she mused aloud, partially to Mike and partially to herself, and she felt a flutters of both excitement and jealousy as Keegan pressed the Fire Stone against Eithne's head. "Wow, it must be nice to actually get to use your stones," she grumbled a bit sarcastically, as despite the fact that she'd started her journey with the Fire, Thunder and Water Stones, she'd not gotten the chance to use any of them as her Pokemon had either made accidental contact with them or had decided that evolution would happen on their own terms. Seeing Pokemon evolve would never get old, however, and she watched with rapt attention as the little Growlithe underwent a severe growth spurt. The newly-evolved Arcanine didn't really look anything like Hiro, at least to Kasiya, but she was still beautiful nevertheless, and she clapped and hopped up and down excitedly, as though it had been her own Pokemon that just evolved. "She's amazing, Keegan! Congratulations!" she called out, wondering if it was safe to give the new Arcanine a congratulatory pat.
=-=-=-=-=
Karrigan wasn't generally a nosy person by nature, but even she had heard the group of trainers throwing around words like 'stowaway' and 'criminal' so she was more than a little bit intrigued. "And just how are you going to do that?" she asked, double-checking that all of her Pokemon were in their proper places. "Your wonderful people skills?" She definitely surprised herself with her comment, but she smirked anyway, instead following after the dark-haired boy as he moved away from the other trainers. She really was curious as to what he had in mind, perhaps he knew one of the crew members and could get some inside information?
She wasn't expecting for him to re-release his Gastly, however, and for the most part she just stood there with a bewildered look on her face. "I'm afraid I don't understand," she admitted as Damien spoke to the Ghost-type, though she was sure she was missing something. While it was true that a ghost would make a great spy, she wasn't sure how it would be able to relay what it had learned. That is, unless... "Wait a minute, you can understand it?" she asked, finding the one-sided conversation to be quite confusing as all she'd heard from the Gas Pokemon's end was it repeating its name over and over again, though it did look a little too pleased with itself at times. Finally, it did what Damien wanted it to and drifted through the walls, and she looked back at Damien again. "So we just wait?"
=-=-=-=-=
Admittedly, Erika was a little sad to see Crenu leave in such a hurry, as the last time he had been here, he had stayed for a cup of tea and they had chatted for quite some time. And that was when he'd been unsuccessful in his challenge, at that. Regardless, with the challenger gone, Erika handed the three Pokeballs over to one of her underlings so they could be healed after the harsh battle, and even though they had lost, she was still thrilled with Tangrowth, Exeggutor and Vileplume's performances.
As expected, Sasha hadn't waited too long before making her way over, and Erika happily returned the greeting. "Sometimes, it isn't easy," she admitted, giving a small laugh. "But then I think of my Pokemon, and my challenger's Pokemon, and how hard we've worked to get to where we are, and I am able to stay calm and focused." She adjusted her headband as more than a few hairs had come out of place from the hail, and she gave a slight nod at the offer of help. "Certainly," she said, gesturing towards the kitchen and adjacent tea room, though Sasha already knew her way around quite well. "You must tell me what you've been up to these past few weeks; it seems our weekly tea dates have become more... monthly. Or even less."
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 6:55 am
Riza continued to watch her Snivy dodge the onslaught of rocks being thrown at her and she knew they had to counter at some point. "See if you can get in close and use your Glare," the dark haired girl called. They might have to suck it up and take a hit, but the Glare would definitely slow the Geodude down if it was successful. Selena narrowed her eyes and made a move toward the rock-type, sidestepping several large rocks thrown her way. When she was close enough she cast her Glare at the Geodude and causing it to stop in its tracks. That didn't stop the last rock it had thrown from striking the Snivy and she cried out, staggering back.
"C'mon Geodude, keep up those Rock Throws!" the hiker called. He wasn't unfamiliar with Glare, not at all, but if he could he wanted to keep the pressure up. Geodude grabbed another rock and tried to throw it but the paralysis made him feel quite sluggish and his aim was off. Selena didn't have to work hard to dodge that one, which she was quite thankful for and for a moment the rock-type seemed unable to move. It was time to fight back!
"Now's your chance, smack it with your Vine Whip," Riza called, making a fist. She found herself liking the Snivy more and more, as even if she was snakelike in appearance, her movements were swift and graceful and Riza was certain that she'd be a natural for performing in contests. Selena gave a cry and let her slender green vines fly, her technique having already improved significantly since learning it and she struck the Geodude, causing the rock-type to cry out and tumble back. Riza smiled again. That next badge was in the bag, she knew it. Now it was just a matter of getting to Pewter City in peace.
* * * * *
As Katie made her way south along route 10, she was feeling pretty good despite the rough start to her morning. Her thoughts did stray back to the daycare center and the egg now and then and she sighed, stopping and looking back up the route. The fact that she hadn't just continued on to Veilstone City after obtaining the breeding data was enough to prove to her that she hadn't fully made up her mind yet, and she watched as a couple of Staravia swooped by, both crying loudly. She smiled to herself, thinking about how the two birds had nothing on her Noa when she realized that the area had gone quiet. Too quiet, as she couldn't even hear the cries of the distant Starly any more. She froze, suddenly feeling like she was being watched.
"Is somebody there?" she called out, looking around carefully. Of course no one answered and she felt a shiver of fear. She was surrounded by tall grass on either side and she looked forward again, wondering if she should just make a break for it. The grass to her left rustled loudly and she spun around quickly to look, but whatever it had been had already moved. 'What's that?' she thought, her hand reaching for Genki's poke ball. Whatever it was had to be a Pokemon as she didn't think humans could move that fast, but that didn't make her feel much better, even if she was equipped with a fairly good team of Pokemon herself.
Suddenly, from the grass in front of her, there was a flash of green and it rushed past her so fast that the orange haired girl was knocked down. "Ow," she grumbled, quickly getting back up again. Her eyes were narrowed and she was more angry than scared at the moment. "Okay, try that again," she growled, holding up the Monferno's poke ball. "I will set you on fire!"
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 12:10 pm
"This is it," Ben told Pichu as they reached the top floor of the Sprout Tower. There, as well, stood a monk, but this one was much older. Cautiously, Ben steps forward. Upon noticing him, the Elder Monk smiles. "Welcome, young Trainer. You have done well to make it this far. I stand before you as the final test. Let us see the strength of the bond between you and your Pokemon!" Without further ado, the Sage called forth his first Pokemon -- Bellsprout. 'Again?' Ben though to himself as he called out his Pidgey once more. He knew that the little bird would be getting tired. "It's alright, buddy, we've made it this far! Don't give up yet! Tackle!"
Just as he called his attack, the Sage called on his Bellsprout to evade, it's vines curling and extending swiftly to move it across the floor. Ben gritted his teeth. "Pidgey, bring it back around! Take to the air!" Quickly, Pidgey starts flapping his wings, rising up into the air at Ben's command. "Now Tackle!" Turning swiftly, Pidgey dives (or rather, falls) into a Tackle, dropping his whole weight onto the plant's head and squashing it to the floor. Ben grinned. "Yeah! That's how we do it!"
The Sage's lips twitch briefly. "Good. But the match isn't over. Bellsprout, Vine Whip." The Bellsprout crawls back up into action, snapping it vines at Pidgey. Ben knew he had to think fast, his Pidgey couldn't take much more whipping, especially from a stronger Bellsprout. He looked quickly around the room for ideas. And that's when he noticed it. 'The dust..' Looking back to his Pidgey, he shouts out. "Pidgey, do your Sand Attack! Dust style!" Pidgey lets out a chirp, starting to flap its wings fiercely, kicking up a cloud of dust from the wooden panels beneath them. It would have paid to clean up this floor, Ben thought as the Bellsprout got surrounded by the cloud, its vision reduced by a good measure. That was his chance. Pidgey could see right through any cloud. "Pidgey, Tackle it! As many times as you can, while it can't see!" Pidgey steps into action, running into Tackles that summon up the last of his strength, his movements obviously tired. "Don't give up!" Ben shouts as he counts off his Pidgey's Tackles.. One, two, three...
The Sage simply watched, powerless to stop it until the dust settled and his plant regained its focus. The plant was weakened. "Vine Whip," he called again, the vines following command and uncurling feebly from Bellsprout's body. Easily evaded. Ben took his shot. "Pidgey, I know you're tired! One more, give it your all! Tackle it!" Pidgey lifts its body from the floor.. taking a few panting breaths before his eyes sharpen and he locks on, letting out a cry to motivate himself as he charges into a full body tackle, slamming the plant's head to floor for a final time. His Bellsprout defeated, the Sage calls him back and nods. "Well done, my friend. Rest, now." Nodding, Ben also recalls Pidgey, placing the ball back in his belt. He couldn't be prouder at the way the bird held out till the end. "Awesome job, Pidgey" he said as he waited for the Sage's next Pokemon. Whatever it was, it was up to Pichu, now. Eyeing him, the Elder raises his second Pokeball, summoning his second Pokemon -- Hoothoot. It cocks its head, balancing on one foot as it locks its gaze into Ben and his Pichu.
'.. A bird..?' Ben thought, grinning. It was his luck day! "Pichu, go! Show this pigeon your Thundershock!" Pichu cries out as he runs forward, full of energy from standing on the sidelines for so long. "Pii, piipii!" Acting quickly, he zapped the Hoothoot with a strong bolt of electricity, the bird crying out feebly as it recovers from the hit, its eyes focused as the Elder speaks. "Hypnosis." Ben blinks. 'Huh?' He watched as the Hoothoot tilts its head back and forth, back and forth, its eyes lock onto Pichu as it starts to lull him, his body swaying like he was about to collapse. "Pichu, listen to me! Close your eyes and listen! Don't look at it, just try to hit it with another Thundershock!" Pichu's ear twitch as he hears Ben's command, shaking his head to try and snap out of it and closing his eyes.. this seeming to prove effective as he listens for the bird and shoots out electricity again, his aim a bit off as the jolt strikes the floor. Growling slightly, Ben stops to think. '.. How do we beat this thing... Just avoid its Hypnosis.. That's it.. I gotta wait for it to move to a different attack...'
Just then, the Sage spoke. "Tackle." He was obviously taking advantage of Pichu's eyes being closed, and unable to avoid a physical attack. Watching the bird, Ben shouted out to his Pichu, but he was too late as the owl pokemon's body slammed into his Pichu, tossing him across the floor a few feet. "Pichu, open your eyes now! Quick, hit it with a Thundershock!" Pichu recovers from the Tackle, locking his eyes on the bird and letting loose another jolt, the bird jumping to evade it. "Just keep going!" Ben called out, Pichu letting loose jolt after jolt, finally clipping the bird's side and sending the shock through its body. Grinning, Ben noticed the weak paralysis it was under. "Pichu, quick! It's not as fast, take aim and shock it again!" Pichu runs forward, leaping up and letting loose as strong a voltage as he can muster, shocking the bird head on and leaving it fried and weak, collapsing onto the floor. With a smile and bow of his head, the Elder withdrew his Pokemon. "Very well done. Your bond with your Pokemon is strong, and you control them fearlessly. You have earned this reward."
The Sage steps aside and shows Ben to a table which has a small box upon it. Stepping forward curiously, Ben opens the box and notices it is some kind of disc. "What is it?" The Sage smiled. "This is called a Hidden Move, or HM. It allows your Pokemon to learn a new technique. This HM contains a move known as Flash, which produces a blinding light. This light may cut your foe's accuracy in battle, and outside of battle it may also be used to illuminate dark spaces. Please, take it with you. But be warned, that once a Hidden Move has been learned, it is not easily forgotten." Tilting his head a bit, Ben grins and nods as he takes the disc out of the box and places it carefully inside of his bag. "Thank you, sir. It was a good match." The Elder chuckled and nodded. "Yes, a fine match indeed. Good luck on your journey, young Trainer. Please feel free to use the lift to take you back to the ground floor."
Smiling, Ben waves to the old Sage and takes the lift as instructed, wasting no time in taking his weakened Pokemon back to the PokeCenter. Both of them deserved a good rest.
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 8:39 pm
The newly-evolved Arcanine gave a whine and pushed her massive head against Keegan's hand, causing the redhead to stumble a bit. Her trainer had showed her a picture of what she would look like after they used the stone, but she really hadn't been aware of just how big she'd actually get. "Not bad," Keegan mumbled to himself, nodding in approval. "Not bad at all." He wasn't really famous for making good decisions in general, but capturing the little Growlithe back at Cinnabar the other day had been one of them. He glanced back at Mike and Kass, finding it oddly satisfying that they were both happy for him, and he smirked at the blonde. "Thanks. Say, how's that Muk treating you? Or should I say, how have you been treating it?" He certainly hadn't forgotten about the girl's capture of the sludgy Pokemon, and how its stench hadn't seemed to bother her in the slightest while just the thought of the smelly Pokemon made him wrinkle his nose.
In the meantime, Hades had crept along Keegan's shoulders, placing a tiny hand on Eithne's nose. The Arcanine gave a bark, her large, bushy tail wagging happily, and with a little hop, the Axew had made his way onto the Arcanine's back, quite pleased with the fact that he now had a big friend to ride around on. Eithne trotted around somewhat flamboyantly, proudly showing off her little rider as he'd burrowed in and made a nest out of her fluffy fur. Pan continued to show his utter disgust for the Fire-type and her rider, but more importantly, no one was currently paying attention to him! The Grovyle made an irritated noise, causing Keegan to look at him. "Oh, stop it," he sighed, taking the Energy Ball TM and practically smacking the Grass-type over the head with it. Pan's eyes widened as the new move was firmly planted into his brain and he blinked a few times before glaring up at his trainer. Keegan glared right back before recalling the gecko into his PokeBall. "I liked you better when you were a cute little Treecko," he muttered.
He motioned for Eithne to bring Hades over and the Arcanine obliged her trainer, dropping down to her belly so that Keegan could teach the little Axew his new move as well. The little dragon seemed startled by this, flailing his arms a bit as he too gained the knowledge of a new move. The redhead looked up as he remembered that Mike and Kasiya were still there and he frowned, figuring he'd probably wasted enough of their time already. He'd also noticed that they'd stayed somewhat distant of one another, not making physical contact even once and he couldn't help but wonder if they were doing on purpose, for his benefit. "So, I guess you two will want to be heading off to Mount Pyre now?" he asked, pulling Hades down from Eithne's back and recalling the Arcanine as she was starting to look somewhat bored. He figured he should probably be heading down to Petalburg before anything else could happen and delay him even further. The sound of tearing leather made his eye twitch and he glanced down to see Hades happily chewing off another button of his jacket.
=====
Miharu stared up at the man as he spoke, fearful of what would happen next. He called her a stowaway, something which she'd overheard the other sailors talking about and she knew that stowaways weren't something to be taken lightly, at least if the movies were to be believed. "I-I'm not a stowaway," she said shakily, pulling the thin blanket up around her as though it would protect her. "I... I'm not sure how I ended up on y-your sh-ship. I-I'm sorry. I don't r-remember." The throbbing in her head seemed to worsen as her panic escalated, even with the kind nurse still squeezing her hand.
Despite his stern expression, the Captain was fairly certain that this girl was relatively harmless. He had to be thorough, however, which is why he had his first mate running a background check on her, though he did not expect to find any red flags. Another officer had entered the infirmary, prepared to take notes. "What do you remember, then?" he asked, standing at ease.
Miharu exhaled slowly, her eyes fixed on the patterns of the fabric of the blanket she still clutched. She wasn't sure how far back he meant, but she decided to be thorough, as well. She began with how she'd met Leroy, as even though it seemed relatively off-topic, she knew the blonde-haired Rocket would soon become quite relevant. She told about how he had befriended her and earned her trust, and how they'd traveled all the way from Goldenrod City to Olivine for her gym battle with Jasmine. Her pulse had started to race and her voice became shaky when she revealed him to be a member of the nefarious Team Rocket, though judging by the looks from all the adults in the room, they needed no explanation there. His attack was difficult to describe, though she wasn't sure she should even call it that as he hadn't physically touched her. She did remember falling, however, and her dark little tale came to an end with her describing how she'd awoken inside the crate, alone, bleeding and missing all of her Pokemon.
=====
"Actually, my people skills can be pretty good when I want them to be," Damien had eventually answered in reply to Karrigan's somewhat cutting remark, as Gastly had long since gone off on his little mission, leaving the two humans alone for the time being. As soon as he'd seen the skeptical look on her face, however, he started to feel that familiar weight of dread pressing down on his chest. He could get along with people if he needed to, it was just that once said people found out about his ghostly affinity, most flat-out called him an attention-seeking liar (or just plain crazy, if he tried to explain in further depth) before leaving him to his misery.
"Yes," he said finally, polishing his glasses on the end of his shirt for the umpteenth time since meeting the redhead and he gave a defeated sigh. No sense beating about the bush. "I can communicate with Ghost Pokemon. I can also see and speak with dead people, like the creepy-a** guy standing behind you right now. No, I'm not making it up and no, I'm not crazy. Yes, there really is - err, was a ghost standing behind you, at least until I called him out." He put his glasses back on and slipped his left hand into his pockets, giving the redhead a hard look. "Any questions?" he asked sarcastically.
Elsewhere, Gastly listened in on the green-haired girl's entire story from beneath the bed, hovering just enough above the floorboards to eyeball the Captain's shiny black shoes. The girl's story was sad yet interesting, but the ghost decided to remain hidden a while longer so that he could get every bit of information possible.
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Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 2:27 pm
Mike shrugged at Keegan's comment. "It's not like it's going anywhere. Plus, with Maxie behind bars I don't need to worry about him having it, so it can wait just a little bit longer." At that point, part of him wondered if it was the best idea to leave the orb all by itself on the top of some haunted mountain. A powerful trainer, or sneaky enough kid, could just as easily steal it again. Then again, they did have two psychic gym leaders on the job now, and if he asked his mom she would no doubt be able to rig some type of security up, even if it was just a few cameras. "I mean, if you have other places to go, don't let us keep you! Not that I'm trying to rush you off or anything." Just like his inappropriate giddiness was rubbing off on Kasiya, her meekness was somehow finding its way into his speech. He shook his head and narrowed his eyes at the girl. "You did this to me." he said with a not-so-serious finger point.
Mike turned to say something to Keegan, but his stomach decided to interject with a low rumble. "Seems like your Axew has the right idea." Some food did sound just what the doctor ordered. He'd gotten pretty worked up in the gym and probably burned off more than he should have. That was probably why he was feeling a bit lightheaded. He looked to Kasiya, who seemed to be doing okay in the presence of the redhead. If she wasn't comfortable with the idea they would be in the skies without a word in protest from him.
------
"I am so sorry for z'hat." Sasha said, bowing her head. She never had any intention of skipping her dates. "But I s'hink you'll understand when I tell you just what has been going on wi's me lately." Figuring she would wait until they had set up, Sasha followed Erika into the kitchen and grabbed the elegant looking tea set. It was white with golden yellow trim and had masterfully hand-painted vines spiraling up the base of the cups and forming the handle, slightly reminiscent of an upside down Weepinbell, at least to her. This was always her go-to set. By the time Sasha had placed them on the equally fine tray, the whistle of the kettle brought a smile to her face. Even though she had missed the last few dates, Erika had kept preparing just in case. No more misses. Sasha thought to herself.
Le goûter it was not, but soon the girls were sitting in the open-aired tea room waiting for the tea to cool. Sometimes it was hard to wait, especially since Erika followed the old-fashioned ways to make tea. Every drink had some assortment of colorful leaves and plants floating in it, never any store-bought bags. Jasmine was a particular favorite of the two, so that was done with the utmost care. "I do hope you weren't up too late preparing z'his!" Sasha said, knowing the flavor is absorbed when the flowers set in the tea overnight, and then there was the long process of preparing the flowers themselves. While Sasha loved the taste, she was admittedly short on the patience required to make it just right. Erika, however, did it frequently without complaint. Sasha sampled her tea first; she'd always preferred it slightly hotter than her friend. The scent tickled her nose before it even reached her lips. "Ohhh, black tea z'his time?" she said with a smile, all the more eager to taste it now. It did not disappoint. "Parfait, ma petite fleur." she waited for Erika to have a sip before continuing. "So, here's what has been going on."
Sasha started from the top, including running away from home, starting her journey, being kidnapped by Team Aqua, the Slateport Party, the Magma mission and finally how she was found by Bishop and their subsequent battle to determine her future. She spared her friend some of the more gruesome and sultry details of her exploits. After all, while Erika was nothing to scoff at on the battlefield, she had always been easily startled in other areas. Romance always flushed her cheeks. "I am sorry I have not written or called since our battle, s'hings have just been so hectic lately I have barely had time for anys'hing." She chuckled. "Even later today I have a shoot with Celeste. It never stops, as I know you know." she took another sip of her tea.
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Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 10:58 am
Both Spearow and Koffing cried out as they clashed within the cloud of smoke again, which had puffed out some as Koffing added even more smog to it. Jasper grit his teeth as he stared into the haze, wishing he was psychic so that he could see how this was going to play out. Perhaps he'd made a mistake in sending out Koffing? The poison type in question came spiraling out of the smog cloud, though Jasper wasn't sure if she looked upset or determined. A second or so later, the Spearow made an appearance as well, looking just as disheveled and annoyed as Koffing. The poison was definitely taking its toll, however, as it was having trouble staying aloft.
'I am not losing this battle,' Jasper thought with an angry frown, glancing back at the previous Bird Keeper he had defeated. The thought of having to retreat and regroup was humiliating enough on its own, and if he had to come back here and battle Rod and Bridget again, well, he'd rather jump off the platform than see their smug faces. "One more Tackle should do it!" the bandanna-clad youth called, eyes narrowed in concentration. Koffing puffed out a small cloud of smoke, her face set in grim determination. Jasper had given her a second chance and she was going to try her hardest not to blow it! The poison type sped through the air, giving a loud cry as her round body slammed into the tiny bird for what would be the final time, sending it crashing into the wooden floor, lets twitching slightly. Koffing huffed and drifted back over to Jasper, trying not to look as weak and tired as she felt.
Bridget gave a sigh and rolled her eyes, recalling her fallen bird. "Fine, go on," she said, dismissing Jasper with a wave of her hand. "Falkner's waiting. Just be warned, as he's a lot tougher than we are."
Jasper gave Koffing a tentative pat, unable to hide his goofy smile at the poison type's performance. He put her back into her Pokeball, obviously more than a little proud as he looked back at Bridget. "Yeah, yeah, I'd expect as much," he said, grinning as he walked past her to where the gym leader would be waiting. 'It's all gonna be up to Ditto and Toto-Croconaw now,' he thought, taking a deep breath as he reached the final area of the raised platform. "Uh... Falkner?" he called, somewhat uncertainly. "The name's Jasper Bennett and I'm here to, uh, challenge you to a gym battle." Okay, that wasn't so hard, but it would have been better if he'd sounded a trifle more confident.
* * * * * * * * * *
The Pikachu roller her eyes a bit at Hayley's enthusiasm, but at least she could say that she hadn't picked a bad human to go along with. Deciding to not let the Nidoran have a moment's rest, she unleashed another quick Thundershock, this one a lot weaker than her previous one had been. The electricity snaked through the air and struck Tisyphone, making the little poison type cry out. "Shake it off, Tiss!" Hayley cried, her hands balled into fists. "Um... Double Kick! Yeah, that sounds good!"
The little Nidoran wasn't too pleased with being shocked, and she gave herself a shake, giving the mouse a small glare. It seemed that her trainer had forgotten about their no-contact strategy, but regardless, Tiss charged forward, jumping up into the air and landing a solid kick right between the yellow mouse's eyes. Pikachu cried out from the contact, but Tiss' assault wasn't done yet as another foot came swinging around to sweep her legs out from under her. The mouse hit the ground hard, eyes wide open. Okay, so perhaps the little blue Nidoran was stronger than she looked. The mouse pulled herself to her feet, little paws drawn up in a fighting stance as sparks crackled at her cheeks. But then, she gave a little cry and toppled over - oh, that hit had done it! She was a goner!
"Oh, Pikachu!" Hayley cried, bringing her hands up to her mouth. "Tiss, I think you overdid it!" The mouse slowly raised her head, peering at the brunette, as she didn't seem to get the point. She waved a paw at the Nidoran while giving an overly dramatic moan. Any passersby at the time would have thought the Pikachu was dying. Tiss blinked a few times before she understood, and she looked up at Hayley before giving a cry. "Oh, right! Pokeball!" Hayley giggled as she withdrew an empty Pokeball, holding it up carefully as she took aim. "Go!" she cried, letting it fly, though the whole thing ended up being quite anticlimactic as she missed by a good foot or so. Pikachu opened one eye and looked over at the red and white sphere laying nearby, and she gave an exasperated sigh. She had to do everything, didn't she? She scooted over a bit and tapped the middle button with a tiny yellow paw before being sucked inside. The ball didn't even really rock before it clicked shut, signifying the mouse had been "captured."
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