[PKMN OPEN] The Pokémon Trainer Academy (T) [Best Veteran 4Q '11]

Ellie snorted. "Was not joking. Get out here!" she raised her claws and yowled.

Rama shrugged. "Ever hear of manners? I have a name." he calmly turned into a Rapidash and easily nudged his Trainer onto his back.

"I wouldn't do that," droned a voice. "Only I can break his curse." it came from the wall.

Ellie snarled. "stop hiding! Knocking you out will break it just fine." Rama snorted, wanting her to hurry.

Pala blew gentle puffs of snow at Bouncy. She paused to send one at Bri. "Wake!" playing was fun!

"What are manners? Kidding. And you! You think it's funny to mess about with us? Why don't you start making some sense? What curse?" Nova said.
"You're both Meanies! Let someone that isn't a Meany talk! Please!" Misdreavus said. She floated around looking urgently at the pokemon gathered there. Duster turned to Snype.
"Sorry, but I don't think you'll get anything useful out of her in the state she's in. We should be careful around here," Duster said. She then perked her ears up.
"Wait, you said you could break his curse? What curse? And will you break it? Please?" Duster asked as sweetly as she could.

Drizzle wandered around the kitchen before sitting on the counter next to the sink and watching Pala and Bouncy 'playing'. Bouncy had a lot of potential. He smiled as he watched them. It reminded him of rough-housing he used to do. Being five years old, he was still a young Buisel, but he wasn't a pup/kit/cub, or whatever term the humans used for the young. He leapt down off the counter and walked over when he saw Bri trying to stand again.
"Kid, where do you think you're going?" Drizzle said as he gently pushed Bri back into a sitting position.
"Kid? I'm older than you are... I have to do something. I can't just sit here!" Bri said quietly. Drizzle shook his head.
"Of the two of us, who is fully grown? Me! You don't have to do anything, just sit here and wait," Drizzle said patiently. If Thyme had this to deal with, he had a lot more respect for her now. Bri was a handful sometimes. Always trying to do so much. But he didn't seem to know his limits. Drizzle hoped that this nature wouldn't lead him into a grave one day. After all, look at the stupid things he's already done. Running off after Vince yesterday, not to mention climbing up that bug infested tree. Drizzle was just glad he hadn't been afraid of heights on top of everything else. Bri interupted his thoughts.
"But... What if they need me down there?" he protested.
"Then they'll come and get you. Sit tight, and wait!" Drizzle said.

"Mark, you are not making any sense at all. You say you want to take me. I want to go. You say you don't want me to be alone. If you take me, then I won't be alone. God, are most humans this dumb!? Really! Agh... That hurts," Thyme said. She stopped trying to stand up and lay flat on the bed, glaring at Mark as though this was his fault. She really needed to learn when to shut up. It was going to get her into trouble one day. Like today...

Snype sighed, still not sure what was going on... seemed that it would be a long story so he decided to play along with it. Then he heard a voice, mentioning a curse... again, he was stumped but went with it. "Curse? Geez how much have a missed exactly?" Snype said.

Mark scratched his head. "That's just it... your hurt. If I take you there I'm afraid you'll..." Mark paused. He realized he's just as guilty. He sent Snype there by himself. While trained to act independently, he didn't know how dangerous it was in there... "...Thyme, do you want me to take you to Bri? Despite you injuries?" Mark asked seriously. He understood why Thyme wanted to be with her trainer... even in her state.

Selene
Biting her lip, Sel looked over towards the Abandoned Lugia Dorm...hadn't Mark mentioned something about Bri and Skye being trapped in there? With a gasp, she looked around at Vince with wide eyes, it finally made sense!

"Vince! That noise...the shouts I heard in the Lugia dorm, it wasn't those two trainers who followed us at all...it was Bri and Skye!! We need to go help them..." she paused, looking over in the direction of the Icy Plains and hesitating slightly...she really didn't want to go into that Lugia Dorm again, and at this moment all she wanted to do was train up her Pokemon to get on that evil guy...but she just couldn't leave Bri and Skye in there. It went against everything that she believed in - leaving friends in trouble when you knew they needed you was just wrong. With an irritated scowl, she turned to Vince and Valorie, hands on her hips.

"Right, we are still going training...but we need to go and help Bri and Skye first, if they're stuck in that Lugia dorm then...well, who knows what has happened to them," she began walking off in the direction of the dorm, glancing behind her to check that Vince and Valorie were following. She wondered if Mark had gone along already...

Rocky took the final punch like a man, but sometimes men lose and that was the case in this battle. The most Rocky could do was try to at least fall unto the Buneary and spare Jack the anger at being beat twice in a day. Jack clenched his fist and slammed it into a rock nearby, before looking over to Brogan and giving her a congratulatory smile for battling so well. Jack looked over and saw Blade in the distance staring at him, Disappointment? What was that look in his eyes?

Jack stared at his Onix who was sprawled out fainted, Jack was sure of what he had to do now there was going to be no joking, no more easy going, if friends like Brian or Selene or Mark slowed him down he would just stop with them. There was a reason he was at this school and it wasn't to lose like this.

Rama suddenly snorted. "He used the move Curse on Skye."

"That's not fun-" Ellie paused, then grinned. Actually, it was. "So that's why you won't come out. Curse takes some of a Ghost type's health to use. You're afraid that we'll be able to beat you!"

There was a quiet scoff. "Fools..."

Volca drawled out. "Dude, I ain't polite but I'm telling you to do what they're askin'. It will save you some pain." there was another scoff, another refusal. Volca shrugged and focused, using Psychic again, beginning to drag the voice out.

Brogan
Hearing Buneary's cry, Brogan felt a spark of hope...but no, that wasn't a happy cry...nor was it a cry of triumph...Buneary was in trouble! Brogan ran over to where Buneary and Rocky had been battling underground and knelt down, forgetting the dirt for a moment and not caring how mucky her knees got, sticking her head in and withdrawing immediately, coughing dirt out of her mouth.

"Eurgh...Buneary! Umm...return!" she said after her brainwave hit, sticking Buneary's pokeball into the hole towards where they were. Buneary had been struck by Rocky on his way down, and couldn't free her legs from under him to get back to Brogan on the surface...not that it would be so easy to anyway, that battle had really taken it out of her...hearing the Pokeball click, Brogan withdrew her hand and looked down at the ball with an unreadable expression...

She'd actually won. As in...by herself. She didn't have anybody behind her telling her what to do, neither had she paid a trainer to battle for her...it was all her and Buneary. Getting to her feet slowly, Brogan looked up at Jack in confusion, the silence spreading over the battlefield for a moment, her expression unchanging in response to his smile - she had seen that slamming of his fist into the rock near him. Of course he was angry...he lived for his training, it really...this just wasn't fair.

"I...I'm sorry, Jack," said Brogan quietly, turning away and crouching down to put Buneary's ball in her bag. She didn't feel like she thought she would...no pride, no elation of any sort...just guilt. Washing over her in sickening waves...sickening because she'd never cared before - she could watch employed trainers beat others on her behalf and feel completely smug about her own intelligence...but they were faceless people, not people that she'd grown to know.

This was ridiculous! She was Brogan Houghton-Taylor and she felt guilty about nothing. Setting her face, she stood up and turned around to Jack and Mackenzie, expression completely smooth and unreadable, "So, we going further up this mountain then or what?"

Selene
Nodding, Sel looked around at Valorie and smiled slightly when she noticed her friend looked...well, completely nervous about and petrified at the idea of going into the Lugia dorm! Surely Val wasn't afraid of Ghost pokemon..? Selene knew that she was jumpy around Bug Pokemon, but Valorie was a much much stronger person than she was...this just couldn't be right! But Selene couldn't think of any other reason...

"Yes, but...actually I won't say they're harmless, if it is Pokemon that have hurt Bri and Skye...but generally I don't think they do much harm. It's okay Valorie, I'll protect you!" she smiled and winked back at her, Ryan on her shoulder repeating the wink with a cheerful cry. Sel couldn't help but feel her respect for Valorie increase - she was visibly afraid of going in there, but to help her friends there she was, following Sel and Vince...that was cool, and one of the many reasons why Sel thought so highly of her.

A sudden movement out of the corner of Selene's eye made her turn her head, noting that Cat was floating along beside her, watching her curiously if not somewhat warily. But of course, the newest addition to the team...she would be anxious about this human who had captured her, wouldn't she!

"It's okay Cat...we aren't going to hurt you! You did wonderfully back there against that boy by the way, I'm really proud," she praised with a wide smile, reaching out towards Cat slightly. Cat began to teleport away, almost as though out of instinct, but re-appeared after a moment, moving slightly closer to Selene but still not going anywhere near her hand. 'Well,' thought Selene, withdrawing the hand to her body, 'we can work on that...'

Misdreavus floated around nervously. This was not good. She didn't want this to happen. But she didn't know how to stop it. Duster grinned, and readied a Thundershock. She absolutely loved this new move! It was amazing! She had never known shocking stuff could be so much fun! She glanced over at Nova, who was pacing around Rama and Skye. He was very protective of them for some reason. Then Duster thought why that could be. She grinned as she realized the reason. Growlithe were very loyal by nature. Bri had sent Nova here with Ellie back when this had started to find and protect Skye. Even though Nova loved fighting a little too much, he hadn't forgotten what Bri had asked him to do. He was listening to Bri, even when Bri wasn't there. She jumped onto Nova's back as he passed her, promting him to give her an annoyed look.
"Get ready Nova, it's almost out!" Duster said.

Thyme stopped and looked at Mark. She rolled her eyes. And here she had been thinking he understood what she was saying. But, if he had understood her, he wouldn't have needed to ask that.
"Finally. Have I been speaking another lanuage or something? Of course I want to go you bloody moron! Gah, that hurts!" Thyme shouted. This was getting old, really fast. She had had it with this too hurt to yell at people crap! She tried, and failed, to get to her feet. She looked at Mark.
"Well, hurry it up!" she said, keeping her voice down so she didn't hurt from yelling.

Volca finished pulling out the voice, revealing a Haunter. Ellie hissed. She had glimpsed this guy for an instant before she had to bolt. It was glaring at her, oh well. In fury it turned to Volca and fired a Night Shade, who rolled coolly out of the way. "Look man, I only did that so you would come out? Wil ya drop the curse already?

"Hmm... no..."

Volca shrugged. "Suit yourself then." He blasted it with Psychc, knocking it through the wall. It came back out injured and annoyed, throwing a Night Shade at Nova.

Nova leapt back, nearly uprooting Duster, who had still been on his back. He growled savagely and charged at the Haunter, only to be knocked away by Night Shade. Duster leapt into the air and blasted the Haunter with Thundershock. Misdreavus floated around anxiously. She wanted to help, but this guy was way too strong for her.

Drizzle wandered through the kitchen, picking up random bits of junk and tossing them aside.
"Hey! I said stay awake!" Frost said as he smacked Bri again.
"Hey! I wasn't going to sleep!" Bri said quietly. Drizzle snickered. Frost seemed to be having fun. He looked over at Bouncy and Pala. Bouncy seemed to be wearing herself out with this. Drizzle got an idea. He walked over to Bri, who was still pretty out of it.
"Hey, tell Bouncy to use Sing," Drizzle whispered. This would be a pretty good test of whether Bouncy would listen to Bri. Bri nodded, not quite grasping what was going on.
"Bouncy... Use Sing," he said. Bouncy hit with another Faint Attack, then rolled away.
"Buff?" she asked. Her eyes lit up after a minute.
"Igglybuff!" she said happily. She began singing a very soothing song, and glowing musical notes flew out at Pala. Drizzle grinned.

Pala shook her head, eyes drooping. "Bad..." she mumbled before blearily looking up at Drizzle and pointing at Bri. "He sleep too? No sleep!" She blearily released a Powder Snow, forgetting to hold back a little, and passed out.

Haunter winced and threw a Sucker Punch at Duster, knowing the Dark-type move could hurt if it hit.Ellie crept up behind it and fired a Shadow Ball, causing it to howl and throw a punch at her. She went flying back and hit the wall, finally out cold.

Rama yowled in fury. "Ellie!" HE glared at the Haunter. "You're going to regret that! Volca, help me out!" Thankfully, he could still use his moves. Volca nodded and trapped the enemy in Psychic again.

"Get him," Volca told the other two. "Rama will finish him off." The Pokemon was charging another Dark Pulse. With all the negative thought he was pouring into it, it would take a couple minutes to attack.

Duster was slammed with the Sucker Punch and hit a wall. Unfortunately it was a critical and she was knocked out. Nova growled deeply and leapt on the Haunter and Bit down on his head as hard as he could, holding him still.
"You're not going anywhere!" he said angrily. He glanced at the rest of them. Misdreavus was floating around being useless. He wasn't exactly sure what Snype was doing. He had a feeling Snype had helped out in the fighting, but hadn't payed any attention to the little ghost. Ghosts were not high on Nova's list of favorite pokemon right now. Rama was still charging his attack, and Volca was helping him hold Haunter still. And of course, Duster and Ellie were knocked out.

"No he's not going to sleep too. Ow! What was that for?!" Drizzle replied before he was hit by the Pwder Snow. He brushed some of the snow out of his fur. Pala was asleep, and Bouncy had fainted. Great. Now what was he supposed to do? Frost walked next to him and brushed some snow off of his head. He looked at Drizzle with a grin.
"You make sure he doesn't sleep. I got stuff to do!" he said. He walked over to Pala with a marker he had pulled out of Bri's bag.
"Frost!" Drizzle warned. Frost turned around.
"What? It'll wash out! Eventually," Frost said with a laugh.
"No. Don't do that to her! She's just a kid. Not much older than Bouncy!" Drizzle said seriously.
"Whatever. None just attacks me and gets away with it!" Frost said with a laugh. He turned back to Pala and was hit with a Water Gun. He fell foward, tripping over the cubchoo.
"What was that for?! Freak!" Frost said. He advanced on Drizzle. Great, now Drizzle had to deal with an errant prankster too. His problems just kept growing. He checked to make sure Bri was still awake, smacking him with his paw to keep him up.
"Watch this. I'm going to teach Mr. Joker over there a lesson!" Drizzle said. He turned around and blasted Swift at Frost, and danced out of the way of his Scratch.

Volca saw Rama's eyes and snapped. "Hit the deck!" He dropped to the floor as the violet and black rings blasted Haunter through the walls. Rama huffed.

"Don't mess with my friends again" the Zorua muttered. "Skye okay?" Volca examined the trainer and nodded, seeing the flush had gone and his breathing had eased immensely. But he still looked bad.

"Curse is gone," he reported. "But he's still looking crappy. We'd better go before he runs out of blood."

"Great," Rama muttered, beginning to carefully canter up the steps. "Are you all coming?" Volca paused to get Ellie. Oh the critter was going to be ticked. Hah. "Just thought of something: who's telling Cam?" Volca rolled his eyes. That was the least of his problems.

Pala whimpered when something tripped over her. "Ow... meanie. Who did mean thing?" She looked around and saw Sneasel and Buizel going at it. She scrambled away, looking confused.

Was Jack upset with Brogan though or was it just losing in generally that infuriated him, when he lost a battle there's no one he could blame but himself. Couldn't blame his pokemon they were just following instructions and he couldn't blame the opponent, Jack slowly began filling his mind with self doubt and when he saw Blade turn and shake his head, a crazy though began running through his head Are my pokemon losing faith in me? Even his most loyal pokemon had a look of disgust, did Blade really think badly of Jack now or was it his imagination, the shock of losing two times in a row.

Jack returned Rocky to his pokeball and gave a big smile to Brogan, she won and he was happy for her she should have been happy as well despite what happened. "Yeah, the further up the stronger the pokemon" Jack turned and began walking up the mountain his pokemon following behind closely most at least, Blade was at the pack of the pack walking even behind Brogan and Mackenzie. Lack of trust between best friends? What had one battle really done to them? Jack continued walking though swallowing all his feelings and keeping a straight face.

Nova growled and held Haunter there. A split second before the attack hit, he let go. He and Haunter flew towards the wall. Nova put his paws on the wall and leapt off it, landing on the ground with a dull thud. Having a ghost pass through his body was not something he cared to repeat. He walked over and slung Duster on his back. He turned and walked up the steps. The sight he saw surprised him. Drizzle was fighting... with Frost? What the heck were they fighting about?

Drizzle caught Frost by his arms and tossed him into a cabnet.
"Hah! You can't beat me! Pala, would you keep an eye on Bri?" Drizzle said. Frost crawled out of the cabnet and did a back flip and landed on the counter. He then Screeched at Drizzle, who grimaced and covered his ears. That was overly loud. Frost then leapt at Drizzle and slammed into him with Quick Attack. Drizzle picked him up and threw him into the ground.
"Buddy, calm down! I don't want to have to knock you out just to prove a point!" Drizzle said.
"Hah! I'm winning! Look at how messed up you are!" Frost countered with a laugh. Drizzle rolled his eyes.
"As if," he sighed. He jumped up and waved his tails, blasting a Sonic Boom at Frost, knocking him intro the wall, knocking him out. He turned and saw that the others were back. Bri had noticed as well.
"Hey, you guys did it! What happened to Rama? Who's that Rapidash?" Bri said weakly. Drizzle sighed. Bri must have been hit really hard. He knew what a Zorua could do. He walked over and grabbed Duster's, Frost's, and Bouncy's pokeballs. He fumbled around with them a minute.
"Man, sometimes I hate having paws. Bri, here, return your pokemon," Drizzle said as he passed the balls to Bri. Bri pressed the button and returned the pokemon of his that had fainted. Misdreavus came floating through the floor. She looked like she wanted to say something, but decided against it and floated away through the ceiling.

Pala squealed at the sight of the others, but it was soft and half-hearted. She was tired. Could she go in a sphere-thingy? No, Skye had to do it and Skye was hurt. Rama sighed, shaking his mane. This was an annoying form. "Someone get the other kid on here please so I can go." Volca snorted.

"Bye bye," Pala called to the Misdreavus. Volca snorted again. He knew he hadn't been that weird as a baby.