Zaki Halithersis - Day One

Zaki sat inside the hidden cave that he was calling his home listening intently to the noises outside. A person had spotted him when he was outside of the cave that morning and had chased him through the thick forest of the island that Zaki was, more or less, being held captive on. He wasn't impressed by the aggressive tactics of the man, who probably wasn't too much older than himself. They weren't going to get him anywhere and he would never win a battle in his emotional and panic stricken state. Not that Zaki was exactly emotionless, he was terrified by the thought of losing his pokemon and by the possibility of never being able to see Sprout again but he was smart enough to know that getting emotional wouldn't benefit him, more likely it would result in him quickly being eliminated from the hellish "Ultimate Challenge".

"I know you're around here somewhere!" shouted the panicking trainer "I'm not leaving until I have found you and beaten you!" Zaki sighed inwardly
This guy is going to attract more and more people over here, soon enough someone will notice me... I'm going to have to take out at least one of his pokemon, after that he'll probably run.
It was in that moment of realisation that Zaki started to formulate his plan. Shuffling forward to the hidden mouth of the small cave he was hiding in, and living in, Zaki peered through the branches of the large bush concealing his hideout. The trainer in front of him had two pokemon with him a Hitmonchan and a Hitmonlee.
He's travelling with two fighting types that are both an evolution of Tyrogue, which means that he is probably very experienced with fighting-types and may very well also have a Hitmontop on his team. If that is the case then I could confirm that he specialises in fighting types, but I'd prefer not to have him release a third pokemon on his terms.
Making his decision quickly Zaki slipped out from behind the bush whilst the opposing trainer had his back turned. The older trainer looked to be a man in his early twenties and wore worn jeans and a simple blue tank top. He wasn't a trainer that Zaki had seen on the boat, but there were several of them.
"Bello, Ryuu" Zaki called upon Bello, his Roserade and Ryuu his Flygon, releasing them from within their pokeballs and attracting the attention of the other trainer and his pokemon.

"Done hiding are we?" he taunted, trying to psych Zaki out, and, unfortunately for him, failing.
"Bello use Toxic Spikes!" In a brief purple flash several sharp, poisonous spurs had been launched into the ground
"What the..." Zaki smirked
"Ryuu, Dragon tail. It doesn't matter which you hit. Cottoning onto Zaki's plan the other man yelled for his pokemon to get out the way but it was far too late. The Hitmonlee avoided the attack but the boxing pokemon he was working alongside was hit hard by Ryuu's glowing blue tail being forced back into his own pokeball and drawing out a Hitmontop.

"Hit...mon?" the confused pokemon had little time to assess what had happened as a purple glow raced up its body – the effect of Toxic Spikes activating and poisoning the spinning top-like pokemon.
Well, now I know that you train fighting types and what three of your team members are. This shouldn't take long.

Jenna ran through the woods, faster and faster. She was quite the runner, it often calmed her down once in a state of panic. However, this panic was worse. Way worse. There was no way for her to calm down anytime soon. Her Pokémon were safely in their respective Pokéballs. They were safe, for now, that was. As Jenna tried to run herself into tranquility, she stumbled across a cave and decided to seek refuge. However, she heard sounds of battle inside, and afraid to lose her precious friends, she ran away again. It was no time to battle. If one of her Pokémon would get hurt... Who knew what Concello would do to them.

Jenna decided her panic wasn't going to end anytime soon, and she sat down on a small hill covered in grass. She tried to think of a reasonable strategy but couldn't think of anything useful. Maybe one of the people she heard in the cave could help her. Agh, what was she thinking?! What if a battle would unfold? However, her curiosity eventually got the better of her and she approached the cave again, then went inside. Her assumption was proven right: two trainers were battling.
"Stop!" she yelled. "Don't you realize battling won't do good now?! If either of your Pokémon faints, they're lost forever!"

"The early bird catches the worm" could easily be considered one of Caroline's life mottos. She was far from peppy in the mornings, of course, but she always rose at dawn. Today was no exception to the trend. After a good day of surveying the island she'd settled down early - in the mountains, since there'd probably be fewer trainers there right away - and with a solid eight hours of sleep she was up and at it, rising with the sun. There was no time to waste. Fresh out of her sleeping bag and with Zebstrika still snoozing beside her, Caroline pulled a shabby spiral notebook from her backpack. This was her trusty travel guide. Though probably illegible to anyone other than her, it was full of useful notes, hand-sketched topography maps, and hefty supply lists. She began taking a quick inventory of her current supplies, making note of what she'd used during her travels the previous day. She was most concerned with food for the time being. She had enough to last her about two weeks with meager rations, but she didn't know how long she'd be stuck on this island, and she hadn't found any relaiable source of naturally-growing food yet. Fortunately there was at least fresh water...

"Rise n' shine, Zebstrika," she called, her voice thick and a little clumsy after the night's rest. The beast groaned with effort getting up, yawned once he accomplished the feat, and shook himself promptly, his fur shimmering with sparks. "We're gonna skip breakfast for now, but once we've gone a little ways I suppose we can stop for a bit and have a snack. I hope ye' ain't too hungry." Zebstrika snorted impatiently and tossed his head, urging Caroline to hurry up. He was even more of a morning person than she was. Really; he was ready to go as soon as he was on his feet. Caroline got her things together as quickly as possible and climbed atop her noble steed.

She decided to do some survey review on this fine morning. After all, known the island would give her a huge advantage over her competitors. She figured most of them weren't yet nearly as familiar with the place as she was. However, a second do-over would keep her advantage intact. The area was familiar to her now, yes, but in a day or two it'd be a hazy mess of vaguely recalled landmarks in her mind. Though she mentally absorbed a landscape's features quickly, it was necessary for her to travel back and forth a few times before it all really stuck. This would also help her flesh out her map of the island a little better. As they worked their way down the mountain, Caroline, clutching her notebook and mechanical pencil, marked down all the caves she noticed, and drew in a couple new streams. Within about half an hour the sun had cleared the mountaintops, and Caroline and Zebstrika were darting into the cover of the woods. They began working around in a circle, so as to get a full review of the dense wooded area surrounding the mountains. She jotted down a header: Deep Woods, and some bullet points with information. Things like, dense foliage may make it difficult for large Pokemon to navigate, and, plenty of excellent campsites - easy to keep hidden. She marked all of these "excellent campsites" with an X, naturally.

About an hour and a half into their trip, still in the deep woods area, Zebstrika's ears suddenly perked up. He pulled himself to a halt as quietly as possible and glanced around urgently. Caroline, unalarmed, sat back and listened.

"... battling won't do good now?! If either of your Pokémon faints, they're lost forever!"

A slight toothy grin made its way onto her face. "Looks like we found ourselves a couple o' trainers," she told Zebstrika in a hushed yet excited tone, patting him on the shoulder. He was clearly frightened, but immediately resolved not to show it. He snorted and boldly trotted toward the sound of the voice.

Turns out, they were standing atop a bit of a cliff. Down below was a cave, more forest of course, and three trainers. Two of them were in the middle of a battle by the looks of it. Caroline dismounted and made her way closer to get a better view. The trees and bushes still covered up to the edge of the cliff, so she could - probably - spectate the scene without being spotted. Perfect! She pulled up her shirt's hood and sat down against a conveniently located tree trunk. From here she could see most of the action and still be covered by shade and leaves. Zebstrika followed carefully, laying himself down next to her so he'd be less noticeable. He was intrigued by the events down below, though, and kept his eyes and ears on the action. Meanwhile Caroline produced a strip of jerky from her pack and tore a hefty bite from it right away. "May as well get a look at the competition, eh?" she said aloud, holding a second jerkey strip out toward Zebstrika. "Oh, and here's breakfast, buddy." The supposedly herbivorous Pokemon chomped greedily at it.

"Finish him off with Focus Blast, Queenie!", Lena commanded, as Queenie, Lena's Gardevoir, launched a fully powered Focus Blast at the opposing trainer's Snorlax.

The attack hit Snorlax square in the middle of its stomach, Snorlax's weak spot. Being a Normal type, Snorlax would be severely damaged by the Focus Blast, which was a Fighting type attack. True enough, Snorlax became unable to battle, and the black Pokeball came out of the ground and swiftly captured Snorlax, the last of the trainer's Pokemon.

Lena had wiped another trainer out of the Pokemon Survival Challenge. When the announcement had been made, Lena had quickly made her way over to a small depression in the mountain range at the centre of the island. With a little work from Terrence and Alice, Lena had managed to fill up the depression with enough water such that it resembled that of a mini-lake. This was good for Lena because her Pokemon fought better in the presence of a water body.

Lena had theorized right from the start, as soon as the announcement was made, that there would definitely be no way out of the island. If the man could announce and guarantee that they would be hunted down if they left the island, Lens was fully sure that there really was no way off of the island. The next best thing to do would be to do what the man had wanted them to do: Survive. Lena had also come to the conclusion that if she could defeat and faint other trainers' Pokemon, she would be able to thin down the number of threats on the island and increase her odds of surviving and winning in the Challenge.

Thus, Lena had challenged trainer after trainer and perfectly defeated them without any casualties, as she was once renowned for. The trainer that Lena had just defeated was perhaps Lena's 10th trainer, and Lena was a little tired out with all of the battling that she had done. Lena knew, however, that all of this battling was inevitable, as even if Lena were to run and hide, trainers would eventually find her and Lena would eventually have to do battle anyway.

When the trainer had been escorted off of the island, Lena ordered her Pokemon to rest before she too sat on the lake's edge and took a moment to relax and rest her tired body.

Allan Schneider - Day One

"Maximo, use Dynamic Punch!" shouted Allan.

The Urasring was sent flying and crashed into a wall with the powerful impact of the Poliwrath's fists. Maximo walked up to the Urasring and when he saw the Urasring twitching around his fingers glowed purple all of a sudden and he then drove the Urasring straight down the ground. Then a a streak of black came out of the air and the Urasring disappeared.

The trainer knelt down crying. Giving a hate filled glance at Allan she ran away. Allan sighed and told himself, " I would have left her, but it's a question for battling for our survival."

Sighing, Allan made his way to a cave he had just discovered. It was well hidden by trees and that relieved Allan. He had fought over 15 trainers that day and it made him feel like a criminal to defeat them. He took some bread out of his pack and bit it, when all of a sudden a black streak leapt at him.

Zaki Halithersis

The man across from Zaki glared at him, hate filling his eyes as he realised that he had little chance of overcoming his opponent. He was becoming desperate which made him more dangerous simply because when people become desperate they become unpredictable. The intense gaze of his opponent never shifted from him though, so whilst not being certain of the outcome Zaki could guess what was coming.
"Hitmonlee! Hit the trainer with Blaze Kick!" screamed the fighting-type specialist. The hitmonlee was confused to say the least, he had never been ordered to attack a human before but he was loyal to his trainer, lunging after his target and launching a flaming kick at him. Zaki wasn't having any of that though
"Dragon Tail!" Ryuu who was still close to Zaki intercepted the hitmonlee and with a powerful Dragon Tail sent him back into his pokeball, drawing out the fourth of the other trainers pokemon, a young Timburr who was quickly overcome by the hazardous effect of Toxic Spikes.

"That leaves two of your pokemon poisoned, two who have taken damage from battle and two more fighting types that I haven't seen yet." stated Zaki, hoping to convince his opponent to just walk away "Whilst you only know two of my pokemon, both of whom are yet to take any damage from you at all. You don't have a snowballs chance in hell of winning against me right now. Take what pride you have left, leave and heal your pokemon so we can fight another day." Zaki really didn't want to have to beat this guy, but if that was what it would take for him to stay alive and to make it back home to Sprout he was prepared to do it to a million trainers if need be.

"I'll kill you". Was the only response Zaki got, and he felt he was forced to truly go on the offence at a serious threat like that. Sighing Zaki said to his aggressor
"You are really going to wish you hadn't said that" he then turned to the two poisoned fighting types in front of him "I'm sorry". Looking at the saddened pokemon in front of him Zaki could tell they knew they were done for.
"Bello, barrage them with Sludge Bomb". His Roserade, who also seemed saddened by the circumstances immediately sprung into action, using the element of surprise to make up for his lacking physical speed. Bello flung a barrage of condescend toxic sludge at the two pokemon in front of him
"Deflect it with rapid spin!" The sludge was knocked away by the Hitmontop who rotated at a high speed in front of the Timburr, protecting both of them.
So, you have got a brain in there somewhere. thought Zaki
"Ryuu, Arial Ace!"
The fighting type trainer had forgotten the flygon who sped through the two close together fighting types at high speed, hitting them hard and knocking them to the ground - a move complimented by the damage they took form being poisoned.
"Now Bello, Extrasensory!" the two grounded fighters were hit by a strong, but invisible psychic energy dealing another super-effective hit to the duo.
"Ryuu, finish the job with Earth Power!" A yellow energy seemed to emanate from the dragon-type before the ground below Ryuu's targets exploded in an eruption of energy and heat, knocking out the two pokemon. That was when the scariest thing Zaki had ever seen happened. Out of nowhere two dark coloured pokeballs flew at the defeated fighting types drawing them within them in streaks of a shadowy black light. The other trainer along with Zaki looked on in terror as both Hitmontop and Timburr were taken by Concello never to be seen again. Zaki's opponent didn't say another word, but just ran into the forest as fast as his legs would carry him.

"I'm sorry I have gotten you guys into this" Zaki said to Ryuu and Bello before returning the two of them to their pokeballs, collecting his things form the now compromised hideout and heading into the forest.
I'll need to find another safe location before the sun sets. I can't risk walking around like a target at night. Zaki was disgusted and terrified by Concello, but something he didn't know he possessed had been awakened deep within him; A strong survival instinct. He would do whatever it would take to protect himself and his friends. He would do absolutely anything if he had to.

The trainer running after Lee seemed a little too eager for a tournament that didn't even promise the survival of your Pokemon. He was running in circles trying to throw off the opposing trainer, following the same path over and over. Little did he know Lee was analyzing every possible stealth position in this path, keeping a steady pace just fast enough so the trainer could still see him in the distance. Sweat running down Lee's face, he knew he had to act fast, no one can run forever. After what seemed like a long time running, Lee then picked up his speed losing the other trainer. Quickly making way to the spot he scoped out and moving into the prone position.

"You know how great this will be? Knocking out a war hero from this tournament? Come on out, guys!" Just then, out of the trainers Pokeballs came the party he arrived with. Houndoom, Swampert, Drapion, Roserade, and a Haxorus. Although this Haxorus wasn't a normal color, it was slightly darker in tone and had more height than your average. "Search high and low boys, this will be my greatest achievement. You all should remember him after all."

Lee remembered this man, Dack Valentino. After the abandonment and the shut down of the operations of Team Magma and Aqua, a fuse was lit. Dack, formerly known as Bruce, was a man who was born into the crime world raised by criminals. The part that set him different from everyone else, he believed in both sides. Controlling the Land and the Sea equally would bring the most power to the teams, but no one listened. Years passed after the shut down, and Bruce adopted his middle name and was then known as Dack Valentino. This man became one of the well known crime lords of Hoenn. One of his master plans, he traveled to Kanto and stole one of the Masterballs from the Silph Co. Arrive at the Sky Pillar and awaken Rayquaza. Then he would use the Masterball to capture him and seize control of the weather. Thus, making Kyogre and Groudon easy captures from there. His plan was going on track, he always seemed to outsmart Lee, leaving him in his tracks. In the end, Lee led his troops and shut everything down to restored peace to Hoenn. Since then, Dack has been on a rampage to get his revenge.

Studying his newly acquired Pokemon, Lee came up with a solution and a game plan. As quietly as he could, he let out his entire team. The forest wasn't thick, the light still filled the ground but bushes and vines covered the floor. Making Lee almost impossible to spot. He hated the fact that this tournament meant trainers losing their Pokemon, but for Dack, he made an exception.

"Alright team here's the plan," Lee began to whisper, "Magmortar, on the signal, Smog the entire area around him. At that time, Staraptor you will fly high and charge a Sky Attack. The sun should be giving off enough energy to charge it fast, please make sure you Double Team BEFORE you charge. Once charged, slam his Roserade. If it doesn't make him faint, I'll be shocked. Stay out of his line of sight and make him aim for the decoys. Alakazam, create a barrier around Vina as she charges a Solarbeam which should take care of Swampert no problem. Crawdaunt, sneak in send that dog to the pound with a Crabhammer from hell. Alakazam, after your set up the Barrier, Psychic the Drapion and make him cringe. Wobbuffet, return in your Pokeball, I got a plan for Haxorus."

Lee then stood up from his position, only to be about 50 yards from Dack.

"Ah, the Soldier...I believe we have unfinished business, do we not?" Dack said with a smirk.

"Dack, I'm warning you. Call of this hunt. This tournament is a waste of time! There's nothing to gain from this!"

"Oh there isn't Crowell? He plans to seek a revolution on the population, with the winner able to join his ranks. People cringe at the sound of my name Lee! He didn't just send me a random invite. I am, as one might say, The Chosen One. Admit it, every time you soldiers had an operation that mentioned my name, you all had chills down your spine. I always out smarted you, and always will. You will be taken care of once and for all, and I will then lead this revolution and claim my rightful spot!"

Lee had enough, he couldn't wait longer. "GO!"

As he yelled at the top of his lungs, a huge cloud of a Smog came around Dack's team. A Barrier was shot around Vina for protection, Staraptor made his Double Team Sky Attack diversion, the fuse was lit.

Dack's Roserade sucked in all of the smog revealing the army of Staraptors above them. "Houndoom! Flamethrower! Everyone aim at the sky!"

But with every attempt, failure followed. No hits were made on Staraptor, and every copy that was take out a new one replaced it. Then the bomb exploded, Vina shot her Solarbeam smacking Swampert hard. Staraptor flew out of the swarm almost at the speed of sound swooping and nailing Roserade on the spot. All you seen from Drapion was the cringe from Alakazam's Psychic. Houndoom leaped as if it was going in for a Crunch on Alakazam. As he was diving down, Crawdaunt came from under with a Crabhammer right under the jaw.

When the smoke cleared, Lee stood strong with his Pokemon behind him, he had sent out Wobbuffet while the action was going on. Across from him stood Dack.

"Very well played Sergeant Major. I guess you earned me calling you that title, too bad you no longer carry it. But in the end, I will still remain victorious. You see, I'm always one step ahead of you. Your team is tired, and yet my Haxorus remains untouched all while setting up a Nasty Plot, multiple I should say. So now with him powered up, waiting to unleash a Draco Meteor, you all stand in a perfect spot to be eliminated altogether. Hax! Draco Meteor!"

Haxorus fired a blast from his mouth that let out a wind current so strong it flattened trees that weren't even touched by the blast.

"Wobbuffet! Mirror Coat! Magmortar! Protect us from the blast!"

Wobbuffet jumped in front of the blast and deflected it back at Dack and Haxorus. The impact flattened everything within a 50 Yard radius. The Protect thankfully saved them from the blast, although it took a lot from him. Every Pokemon Dack had was swooped by the Reverse balls, and Dack himself was no where to be found.

"He escaped...and with him only sending out 5 Pokemon, he more than likely isn't out. Team, let's call it a day. Start making our Foxhole and we move first thing at dawn."

As his team began to make a foxhole big enough to fit them in the ground for a hide-a-way, Lee sat on a boulder, recovering, not long before he set off to do a small perimeter check of the area.

The possibility of having one's Pokemon taken from them seemed to be alien to these young men and women who had stumbled onto the island of a madman alongside Mara Henning. They fought with feverish panic, often leading themselves to their own defeat with hastily made decisions and poor choices. More than just a few had fallen to Mara's own hand. Instead of cowering in her shelter, begging the others to leave her and her precious Pokemon alone, Mara was thriving. Back in Goldenrod her street gang had functioned much the same way. They battled for pink slips--for ownership. If a trainer lost, the opposing trainer could choose one of their Pokemon to keep. Granted, this time it was more than that. Any Pokemon who fainted at all was taken. Still, it was her practice in this method that had kept her from losing a single Pokemon so far. On the first day Mara had decided between what was important and what was not, and quickly headed deeper onto the island in search of a source of freshwater. It was obvious that there had to be some somewhere, or else the dense forest would not exist and would not be populated with wild Pokemon. Gravity was in effect here just as much as anywhere else, so heading toward the mountain range she could just see in the distance had been her plan. Water runs down mountains, and she knew it would often end up in ponds or streams at the foot of the great rock formations. She was right; not far from the edge of the mountain itself there had been a clear pool of water. There were some water Pokemon flitting about beneath the surface, but that was of no concern to her. They were no threat.

Once her canteen had been filled and all of her Pokemon had been given as much water as they wanted Mara had gone to work creating a shelter. It mostly consisted of hacking down branches from trees, spaced out quite a bit so that the barren trunks wouldn't give away her location, and putting them together in the densest part of the forest. The trees provided the skeleton for her structure, then leather ties she'd brought in her bag kept everything in place. At the end, it just looked like fallen branches and pine needles. An entrance concealed with moss she'd gathered from the pond hid the entrance.

Mara crawled out of this shelter now, yawning and stretching. It had been a while since she'd been out to stretch her legs, and she knew Alpha must be growing restless. She gave an inconspicuous whistle that could have been a bird and followed it with a hand signal. Alpha sauntered out of the shelter after her and stretched, yawning widely. The Ninetales had grown accustomed to Mara's ways in the time he'd been with her, and even assimilated to them. That meant that he was starting to grow bored and vicious. How long had it been since he'd been in a fight? Too long, at least. He looked up at Mara with chillingly intelligent eyes, and she motioned for him to follow her. They would find someone to ambush, and they would make them lose as many of their Pokemon as they could.

A distance must be crossed from the shelter so that, again, no one would find it. She followed a path worn between the trees by wild Pokemon and settled into the thick underbrush at the edge of a clearing, the same clearing that housed her water source. Alpha flattened himself to the ground next to her, and as they became still and watchful it was nearly impossible to see them except for from an overhead view. Most of these trainers hadn't the presence of mind to gain that advantage, however, and she knew that. So she watched and waited silently, her muscles vibrating from excitement.

It was impossible to tell how long they had been waiting when they had their first bite. A man crept into the clearing quietly, clearly having no idea that he was being watched. He thought he was invisible, so he knelt down at the edge of the pond and began to suck down the sweet water that was meant to be Mara's lifesource. Her lip twitched at the mere thought of his disgusting mouth on her water.

Once he'd had his fill he stood and released six Pokemon, who in turn began gulping down the water like they were dying of dehydration. All six of them were in contact with the water, some even submerging themselves in it. This was the perfect moment. Mara quickly plucked Beta's ball from the inside of her vest and pressed the button. The Raichu looked up at her for orders. Quick hand signals told the electric mouse of the plan, and she twitched a large ear to let her know she understood. Beta crouched down low, charging her small body with electricity, then shot forward. Before any of the other Pokemon had time to react she'd dipped her tail in the water and unleashed a vicious Thunder. The crackle and pop of electricity filled the air, causing fur and hair to stand on end. Screams of Pokemon followed shortly after. Four of the six fell, fainted and helpless. The foreboding structures of the Reverse Balls rose from the ground and took those Pokemon, never to return to their master again.

He was scared, but he was also furious. He stood in front of his remaining Pokemon quickly and whirled around, desperately searching for his attacker. Beta had already disappeared into the underbrush across from the clearing, where she waited for the perfect moment.

"Show yourself!" he screamed. "Coward! Are you afraid of losing your Pokemon? Get out here and fight!"

The noise had been a bad idea. His screaming had attracted another trainer. They hurried into the clearing, stomping on the bushes and almost stepping on Beta in the process.

A nasty brawl ensued as the woman who had come to join the fray annihilated what Pokemon he had left. They were all low on health and paralyzed, so dispatching them had been simple enough. The man, grief stricken, turned and fled into the forest before she decided to turn on him as well.

The woman's Pokemon had been weakened by the fight as well, however. Seizing the opportunity, Mara stepped into the light and instructed Alpha to attack with a flick of her wrist. The Ninetales stood motionless for a second while the woman gaped at them, and that was all it took for a quick Psych Up.

By now she'd begun to regain her senses and she began to back away, but not before calling forth her Golduck for protection. Mara stifled a cocky snigger. Water versus fire--quite original of her to try and pick Alpha's elemental weakness.

The Golduck opened up with a Psychic attack. Alpha gritted his teeth and rode it out without moving, efficiently psyching out the opponent. Alpha followed with a Swagger, confusing the Golduck but irritating him and making him willing to attack harder. In its confusion it charged at Alpha and missed, ramming its head into a nearby tree. As it staggered back Alpha belched a column of blistering flame at the blue duck. It screeched as its skin began to burn and fell to its knees. Alpha ran at it, jumped up, and kicked hard with his back legs. The Golduck fell into the pond behind him where the flames were extinguished and he lay there, head completely submerged, unmoving. He was only fainted, but if someone didn't move him soon he would drown.

That was just fine. Predictably, the Reverse Ball snatched him up before his trainer had time to react. Tears started in her eyes and she knew she'd better retreat; he was her only Water type, and also her strongest Pokemon. She'd rather run off and return later for revenge than lose all of her Pokemon to this cruel trainer.

"I'll take everything you have," the girl sobbed before she turned and ran.

Mara was not bothered in the slightest. She motioned for Beta to come to her and allowed the mouse to climb onto her shoulders. "You both did well today," she commended them. "Let's keep this up. No one will be able to stop us. After we've taken out everyone else on the island, what's to stop us from going home with our heads held high? If we can do this there's nothing we can't conquer.

With Beta clinging to her shoulders, tail waving behind them, and Alpha next to her, she began the trek back to the shelter. This was enough winning for today.

Zaki Halithersis

Zaki had been walking close to a small lake when he had been forced to hide in a small grove of trees at the appearance of another trainer, who had released his entire team so that they along with him could drink from the water. Several of the trainer's pokemon were water-types who swam happily with the wild pokemon that inhabited the small pool of fresh water. He looked the team over
Floatzel, Medicham, Swanna, Graveller, Octillery and Masquerain. Looks like a trainer with a preference for water types with only one weakness laden pokemon that is supposed to tank through hits. It would be easy to wipe out his team if I had too... It was in the middle of this analysis that a Raichu darted out of a thicket of bushes, electrocuted all of the young man's pokemon save Masquerain and Graveller and darted off into a thicket opposite to the grove that contained Zaki.
I don't know who owns that Raichu but they're good, very good. Zaki didn't have long to ponder the situation because a female trainer with a Golduck appeared having noticed the commotion and made quick work of the male trainer's remaining pokemon, both of which seemed quite under-trained compared to the water-types on his team. As he ran off in tears, Reverse Balls appearing to take his fallen team away from him a third trainer emerged, a ferocious looking Ninetales in tow.
The Raichu's trainer... I don't see this ending well for that Golduck.

As Zaki had predicted the trainer with the unusually aggressive Ninetales made quick work of the Golduck using only said Ninetales despite the type disadvantage. Zaki, relying on his analytical mind, tried to work out as much as he could from the brief battle he had viewed. The trainer of the fire-type was an attractive young woman with seemingly soft or gentle features, but after that battle her true colours were very clear to Zaki.
She's brutal but she's also calculating, she's like an opportunistic hunter that will happily take an easy meal from scraps but is perfectly happy to hunt if need be. I'd guess she where's clothes like that and styles herself that way to trick people and lull them into a false sense of security, men especially. Hell, even I'm finding her attractive and I just saw that performance. Her pokemon seem blood thirsty but willing to obey her every command... does that mean she's an abusive trainer? His thoughts ran amok in his mind as he watched her treat her pokemon with what could easily be mistaken as affection by someone who didn't see the indifference to them in her face. Zaki decided that she was probably a large threat, but that he would likely need to see more of her battling skills or have some sort of conversation with her in order to learn more about her. Either way, she was not a trainer he could leave unchecked.

Zaki released Kanva, Circe and Ryuu from their pokeballs and began explaining the plan of action, he was loathe to take the offensive but he needed to learn more about her if he intended to survive the competition, she was a huge threat.
"Kanva, you take the trees but stay well back, stay quiet and watch that flame of yours. Circe, you're a stealthy ghost we're going to use that to get you close to her. Ryuu I need you to stay near me for protection at first". As his pokemon took their appropriate positions Zaki began to sneak along behind her, close enough not to lose sight but far enough away not to attract attention to himself. He needed to keep her two pokemon out of the picture long enough to try and learn something about her, but he wasn't going to stick around long enough for her to deal any serious damage to his pokemon. Once he could see Circe and Kanva in the best possible positions he was ready
"Circe, Psychic to throw that Raichu out of the way! Then hit it with a Will-O-Wisp! Kanva, Work Up and then, use Thunder Punch on the Ninetales!" Being secretive wasn't important now, he had taken his opportunity and was going to watch her response very carefully. That being said, Zaki was glad Ryuu was by him for protection.

When the trainers below had left, Zebstrika was eager to follow them. He stood up and gave an impatient snort, nodding his head toward the direction the sketchy blackhaired kid had gone.

"Nah," said Caroline, taking a swig from a water bottle. Zebstrika shot a glare at her and trotted stiffly forward. "Nah," his master repeated in the same unhurried tone. The Pokemon huffed, clearly upset, then laid back down abruptly. His gaze was pointed away from her. He wanted to maintain the advantage they had. From where they were now, they could track along behind that trainer and ambush him later. If they lost him now, he could sneak up on Caroline some other time. It was clear Zebstrika had a sense of aggression alongside his paranoia: he was concerned about when or how a competitor might take them by surprise, but more than willing to do the same to an unsuspecting victim. Not to mention - watching battles always got him fired up to fight.

"S'not much use goin' after him now. His team's still mostly rarin' to go, and there's clearly quite a few trainers 'round here. Causin' a commotion'll just get us spotted." Caroline, on the other hand, was not especially antsy to get all caught up in the competition just yet. Sure, she'd battle if confronted, but she saw no reason to actively pursue and eliminate anybody this early on. That'd just be risking her own team members unnecessarily. Rather, she intended to keep out of the way for the first day or two, letting the more feisty and impetuous trainers weed eachother out. Once things had quieted down a little, only a handful of worthwhile opponents would remain. Then she'd be up for some real competition. Not to mention she'd have a spectator's advantage - right now Caroline was more concerned with mastering the land than mastering her foes, and if she could watch a few more battles she'd get to know her enemies a little better. "Right now I'd imagine there's just a bunch a' dumb kids runnin' 'round gettin' into fights they can't handle," she explained to Zebstrika, who, stubborn as ever, still would not look at her, "We're gonna let 'em eat each other up."

Just as she said that, some chick came crashing through the underbrush. She was in tears and muttering to herself. Of course, once she and Zebstrika caught sight of each other, she stumbled back in surprise. Zebstrika took an aggressive stance and stared her down. Upon noticing Caroline the woman's startled look turned into a snarl.

"You want a fight, do you?" came her cold growl, but the weight of her earlier sobbing was very obvious in her voice. She glared at Caroline with furious, broken eyes.

Caroline chuckled. "See, Zebstrika? Speak of the devil!"

"Are you mocking me?" the woman barked. She was clearly past her emotional limit. Probably just lost a team member or two. That probably explained her pugnacity - she'd just taken a hard loss, and needed a chance to prove her strength. She had to avenge Golduck, her fallen companion. "We'll show this cocky little... Come on, Ursaring..."

"Woah there, lady, keep your Pokeballs in your pants--"

An Ursaring emerged in front of her with a roar. It launched a Hammer Arm at Zebstrika immediately; Zebstrika darted aside without command and retaliated by smacking into it with a brutal Return.

"-- okay, never mind. Let's go, Zebstrika. Give 'im some space before he makes another move."

"What? Don't let it get away! Stone Edge!!"

As Zebstrika took a leap backwards, a pillar of rugged stones tore instantly from the ground beneath him. He responded accordingly. The Electric Pokemon deftly bounded off of them, absorbing their momentum to launch himself forwards.

Months of hard training at Mt. Silver had granted Caroline's team a particular affinity for Rock-Type moves. They resembled the mountain's terrain; not to mention the vicious attacks of the wild Tyranitars Caroline had hunted down specifically for battle. By this point, countering Stone Edge was natural to Zebstrika.

"Wild Charge," Caroline interjected calmly.

Zebstrika flew towards Ursaring in a flurry of sparks, and despite the lady trainer's frantic cry of "Dodge it!" Ursaring's lumbering weight could not make way before the speeding zebra bullet collided with him. He did, however, manage to bear it - no pun intended. Grimacing with the pain of the shock, Ursaring slid backwards, gripping Zebstrika in his massive arms. He'd taken the full brunt of the attack. Now the two of them were pressed tight against each other, as if they were wrestling, though it was clear Ursaring had a firm hold on his foe.

"Lift it up and smash it down hard," yelled Ursaring's trainer, in a desperate attempt to take advantage of the situation. "Break its back!"

"Overheat!"

Ursaring was not hesitant to obey his trainer's grisly order, but found to his surprise that his muscles weren't quite up to the task. Taking a full force close contact Electric attack had rendered him paralyzed. His arms shuddered with stinging static, unusable for the moment. Zebstrika, of course, was not about to wait for him to recover. His body erupted into flames, and when the blaze cleared his opponent was left in a smoking heap.

Needless to say, his trainer was devastated. "Ursaring... C-Come on. Get up..."

Miraculously the bear managed to open his eyes. He attempted to rise with a gasping shudder, but couldn't accomplish the meager feat. However, he was spared from Concello's capture, just barely. The lady fell to her knees, in tears again, reaching out to shake him. "It's okay... You're gonna be okay..."

"Let's get outta here, Zebstrika," Caroline said, unfazed, turning to leave. She knew their battle would attract more trainers. Zebstrika raised his nose, giving an arrogant puff and following his trainer.

"Hey, wait...!" Ursaring's trainer shouted, though she did not rise from her Pokemon's side. "I'm not finished yet...!"

"Naw, hon. You are," came Caroline's blunt response as she walked away.

Allan Schneider - Day One

Allan kicked of the pokemon from his body. It was a Nuzleaf much larger than usual. It was holding a shiny item in it's hand and Allan shouted, "Hey that's my gym badge." It was the first badge Allan received after beating Brock. He always kept it in his pocket.

'Give that back!" said Allan sending out Zero. The Aerodactyl spread it's wings and gave the Nuzleaf a smile with his sharp teeth. The Nuzleaf stumbled back shivering and fell on it's knees folding it's palms together begging Allan not to hurt it. "You'r a big drama king are you? Well just give my badge back." The Nuzleaf quickly threw the badge at him and ran away.

"Well,so much for that. Let's go, we need some fresh water." he said. Zero followed him for about 15 minutes when he saw a pool. Allan rushed towards the pool but stopped still when he saw who was there.

It was a pretty young kid with vibrant red hair. He may have looked like a typical teenager but Allan knew who he was. That kid was the same guy who had defeated him in a tournament near Opelucid City.

"Jason Drake!" muttered Allan.

Victory made her cocky. Mara was as always cautious to keep her footsteps as silent as possible, and she kept her eyes peeled for anything unusual. But for the most part she left alertness to her Pokemon. Beta had large ears to catch any sound, and Alpha with his good eyesight should pick up any movement that didn't seem quite right. Perhaps if Mara had been paying attention as well she would have caught on to the fact that something was wrong.

She heard the male voice a split second before Beta was thrown from her back and Alpha was blind sided. Adrenaline began coursing through her veins as she whirled around to face her assailant. Her two best Pokemon were at risk; he hadn't the slightest idea what he was getting himself into.

Now as much as ever, Mara was in the fray with her Pokemon, though in a less combative way. Her soft brown eyes widened and began to fill with panicked tears. "Ash! Sparky!"

She referred to her Pokemon with these false nicknames without a moment's thought and rushed after Beta. Alpha was shivering a little from the impact of the well-placed Thunder Punch, but she needed him on guard and ready. Mara swiftly picked Beta up and cradled her to her chest like a beloved pet.

Shamelessly she allowed her crocodile tears to spill forth. "Please no," she begged in a shaking voice. "Th-they're all I have. Let me go, just this once."

All the while Alpha was calculating an attack strategy. Careful to look downtrodden and in pain, he made eye contact with Beta, willing her to be ready. He was every bit an opportunist as his master and would wait for just the perfect moment.

Zaki Halithersis

Zaki was actually somewhat amused by the young woman's clever ploy, he had to give her credit for thinking quickly when put in a spot.
"That's not going to work miss, I'm very much aware that you are in no way as weak nor as connected to your pokemon as you are trying to appear. I can appreciate how clever this little ruse of yours is and how fast you put it together but I saw that opportunistic attack back at that lake and I know that few ninetales are as aggressive as yours, especially if treated right.

Zaki quickly took in the scene, preparing to make another move and lamenting that the Will-O-Wisp had missed
That nasty Ninetales is paralysed, but not badly. The Raichu didn't get hit by Will-O-Wisp so is probably in far better condition that it appears. I don't know what she is planning here but I want to keep those pokemon away so she can't whisper anything too them.

"Kanva, Brick Break. I don't want that Ninetales getting to its feet. Circe, Psychic again! Keep the Raichu as far away from her as possible!" Zaki was about to have Ryuu swoop in to take the woman hostage when he heard the distinctive sound of a trainer who was not very sneaky trying to be sneaky heading towards them quickly.
Not good, I don't want this to turn into a brawl this was only supposed to give a chance to analyse her more. I have attracted too much attention.
"Ryuu, keep on guard I don't like the idea of some idiot sneaking up behind me."

There was no point in continuing the ruse if he'd seen her game by the pond. Mara quickly dropped the act and wiped her eyes, her expression morphing into one of cool disinterest. "Alright then, what's your point?" She arched an eyebrow at him, all the while sizing him up. If it came down to it she could take him, she thought. It was wise of him to appoint one of his team to body guard, especially something as powerful as a Flygon. If it weren't for the beast she would have set Beta on him already.

In an instant another burst of Psychic energy sought to wrench Beta from her again. Mara held on with surprising strength, but it wasn't enough to keep her small body from being thrown to the side roughly. A blow from the Infernape caught Alpha in the chest, throwing him back a few feet. Though she could easily tell it hurt, he hadn't so much as made a sound. Extensive training in bearing pain well saw to that. He struggled to rise once more after he hit the ground, his teeth bared in a feral snarl. He wasn't used to being tossed around like this and he didn't like it. Though it hurt to stand and he could feel his muscles seizing up, he wasn't going to bow out. Instead he turned his full ferocity on his attacker and began to perform without orders. The entire team had been trained for situations such as this, Alpha the most extensively, and he was well prepared. He met the eyes of the other with a cocky vulpine grin and tossed his head, a practiced Swagger. At the same time, taking the hint to get it in gear, Beta jumped up and began a sloppy dance filled with flips and spins. Normally it was much prettier and cleaner, but she was favoring her left hind leg. In all likelihood it was sprained. Coupled with the bruises and cuts that littered her body, she looked quite worse for wear. Still, the dance had the desired effect and rain began to pour down on them. Mara narrowed her eyes at her aggressor without concern for the fact that the rain was soaking them all quickly.

"Run now, while you can. I haven't the patience to deal with you and it sounds like someone is coming along to join the party."

Allan Schneider

Allan was dead scared. He was always ready and up for the challenge but this was much worse. Jason's Dragonite was one of the most deadly pokemon he had ever faced an even Aaron was scared of the Dragonite.

Sensing something was wrong Jason sent out his Dragonite and said, "Whoever's there come out I can hear you."

Jason turned back and was astonished to see Allan staring at him. Coming back to his senses he said,"Well,well Dragonite look who we've got here." The Dragonite turned around and smiled menacingly.

"Come on, Jason you don't want to lose one of your pokemon donn't you?" said Allan. He was actually trying to make a plan to defeat Jason while he was talking. It took a long time for him to make a plan so he was just stalling time. "Enough of all that Allan let's just get on with the battle." said Jason sending out a Dragonite and an Infernape.

"Heck!" said Allan thinking of which pokemon to send out. After a few minutes of thinking he brought back Zero and sent out Aaron and Nancy. They came out all ready to fight when they saw who they were up against. Aaron looked at Allan doubtfully when he said whispered the game plan in their ears. They nodded in agreement when Jason shouted, "Infernape use Mach Punch on the Electivire!"

The Infernape's fists glowed white as it ran towards Nancy at a blinding speed. When Infernape came close towards Nancy then Nancy 'hugged' the Infernape with her hands. The Infernape tried to get out of her grasp but Nancy was too powerful and then Allan shouted, "Nancy, use Thunderpunch." An electric current passed through Nancy's hand shocking the Infernape. The Infernape fell down still conscious but tired. Allan now said, "Aaron use Aura Sphere now."

The Lucario concentrated on Infernape with a white sphere forming in it's hands."Dragonite block the Aura Sphere!" shouted Jason, but it was too late. A white ball of destruction hurtled towards the Infernape lying on the ground. A huge crater was formed in the earth by the blast and the Infernape lay unconscious. Quick as a flash the reverse balls caught the Infernape. Jason was close to tears and baring his teeth growled, " This ain't over yet Mr.Schneider." He then sent out a Machamp.

Zaki Halithersis

Rain Dance and a Raichu that I know for a fact has Thunder for a move. Not Good.

"Run now, while you can. I haven't the patience to deal with you and it sounds like someone is coming along to join the party." Zaki considered his situation carefully, his piercing and vigilant eyes shifting rapidly from the brutal woman to the area the new arrival would surely appear and back again to his battle. Watching everything, taking everything in.

she has a point... and if the new trainer comes through where I think they will I'll be stuck in the middle, fighting them both off. The thought of being stuck in the open between two other trainers, especially in their current circumstances, unnerved Zaki due to his strange nature and hatred for having attention focused on himself.
I have probably got about five minutes at the most before this other trainer arrives and about five seconds before that thunder is sent straight towards one of my pokemon... no at me, with perfect accuracy. She'll aim for me because then they'll both try to protect me and both take the hit. I need to get rid of Raichu... or have Ryuu take the electrical attack... or maybe both. Then I need to get out of here because Ryuu won't be defending my back any more.

"Kanva return". Zaki returned the confused Infernape to his pokeball, it would appear as though he was going to retreat immediately but this was not the case.
"Ryuu! Dragon Tail on the Raichu!" Zaki's Flygon hurtled towards the Raichu at it's full speed obscuring its shot at Zaki and slamming a glowing blue tail into it, the effect of which would switch it with another pokemon averting the threat of a powerful Thunder and revealing another of the woman's pokemon before Zaki made his escape... although he'd still be close enough to watch her battle.

Now at least we know an even number of each others pokemon. But with the Ninetales paralysed and that Raichu taking those psychics I have come out of here a little better... now I just need to make use of what I have learned.

Allan Schneider - Day One

"Machaaaamp!" shouted the Machamp bathed in the sunlight. This thing was massive and really strong. It flexed the muscles on all it's four arms and looked at Allan surprised. Then it's master commanded it to use Bulk Up. The Machamp swelled up to twice it's normal size and then came down breathing a sigh of relief.

This was not good, thought Allan, trying to think of something to defeat that thing. Finally, he chanced upon a really good idea. He brought Nancy back into her pokeball and sent out Iris. The Volcarona came out and spread it's wings. It looked almost as fierce as the Machamp. "Okay, Aaron use Aura Sphere on Machamp." shouted Allan. The Lucario used Aura Sphere on the Machamp. The Dragonite rushed in front of the Machamp. Meanwhile, Allan whispered to Iris, " Now, use Quiver Dance."

The Volcarona fluttered it's wings around in a kind of dance with a white light coming out of it's body while the Dragonite took the Aura Sphere. "Okay, Iris Psychic on that Machamp." The Volcarona's eyes glowed white and the Machamp was pushed backwards by a strange force. Then Jason realized what was happening and said "Dragonite, use Dragon Claw on the Lucario." The Dragonite's arms glowed blue as it slapped Aaron. Aaron tried to block it, but was pushed back by the force of the blow. The Machamp by the way , was badly injured but ran towards Aaron and smashed Aaron to the ground with a Hammer Arm. The Machamp came out, but the Lucario was nowhere to be found. Allan was ridiculously sad, but all of a sudden the Machamp collapsed. There was a blur behind it, and Aaron came behind the figure of the collapsed Machamp. Out came a Reverse Ball and caught the Machamp. Jason Hardly had time to think when even Dragonite fainted. Aaron had used Extreme Speed while Iris had used Psychic. The Dragonite could not stand all these attacks together and so it fainted only to be caught by the Reverse Ball.

Jason looked aghast and shouted, " This isn't the last you've seen of Jason Drake ,Schneider." running away. Allan got the water he needed and headed back to the cave. He thought about what happened to Jason. He had been very different last time they had battled.

Lee was coming to the end of his perimeter check when he heard a loud bang followed by the ground shaking. "What was that..." Immediately falling to one knee and focusing on more sound.

How close am I?
Was it another trainer?
Do they know my location?
North east was the location of the sound
Is that a warning for me?

Slowly reaching for his vest, Lee pulls out a dog whistle and proceeds to blow on it. Within minutes his team arrives behind him.

"Listen up," He began to whisper, "we have a situation. We need to act now and act fast. Staraptor, take the skies and scan a 1 click radius. Start with the northeast, that's where the sound came from." Staraptor nodded his head and flew off. "Form up!"

Lee's pokemon scattered and placed themselves into a formation like group. "Group! Attention!" They all stood stiff waiting for the next command. "Don't you think it's a little out of the ordinary? A so called 'tournament' but I have yet to see a battlefield. And from the sounds of it ambushes are everywhere. This isn't a tournament team, this is survival!" He paced back and forth between each one as he was giving order. "We are not new to this, all of you are War Heroes and have been trained for this! And now, this is our final test! Just like before, some of you may fall...but I have faith in every single one of you to come through with this! First-"

He was interrupted by his Staraptor screeching and flying over head, he was signaling them to the north east. "Just as I expected, Team Moveout!" They all dashed inside the trees and seen they were coming up on an edge. "Slow.." Lee raised his hand signaling them to halt. As he crouches down, continuing to walk he peers over the edge.

Below he seen what seemed to be the end of a battle with a Dragonite being captured by a reverse ball. Out of the dust stood a Lucario and Volcarona. He seen the other individual rush away as if he had lost. Lee turned back to his team.

"To win this survival we must fight, at least until we can find a way to either get off this island or find the man behind this. And with the only mountain being in the middle of this island...it's either there or below us. Maybe we can get some answers from this civilian and get him to come with us." Lee looked back over the cliff as he seen the man walking away. "Let's go." Lee slid down the side of the cliff along with his team. From there they crept behind this man maybe about a half mile or so just enough to keep an eye on him. The last thing they seen was the man walking into the cave, from there Lee and his team dug foxholes for each member and sat.

Waiting for the next order...

Allan got back into the cave and sat down for a while. Then all of a sudden he heard rustling sounds outside the cave, He sighed, this was probably some other trainer who wanted to rush into battle. Allan sent out Aaron and Maximo, his two deadliest pokemon.

"If you mean no harm, then you can come in. But I'm warning you, I've taken down 15 trainers and won't hesitate to go to the offensive." shouted Allan just within the hearing range of the trainer.