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

[Sir Bastian]

Daniel Sabrak
Oak Town

As Ruby mentioned the swamp, Daniel gave a little shrug, scratching at his cheek idly. “Well, we…. We went with the class to the swamp because we had to try and find someone who had voluntarily get lost, some sort of survival training. And… well, a big… snake-Pokémon jumped down and swallowed me up. It was… disgusting, but the others managed to help me out before I was digested.” He smiled sheepishly and slightly embarrassedly, glancing to his own lap. “I’m fine, it was just pretty unpleasant. I’m glad the others were there. I don’t know what the Pokémon was called, I only know most of the ones from Kanto and Johto.”

He then turned his head to listen to her, brows raised a little to show that he was listening intently to what she had to say, making mental notes of all of what she said. “Hmh… that makes a lot of sense. I think I’ll give it a shot later on, once I get back to my room. Thanks, Ruby.” He said with a warm smile to her. “If, uh.. there’s anything you’d like to know from me in return, you can go ahead and ask!”

Alexis’ tail swiped gently through the air behind her as she lay on the warm sand, not paying much attention to the trainers while she listened to Hikari explain, nodding her head lightly in reply to it. “Daniel’s exactly the same, but I haven’t seen anyone judge him yet. He just usually sticks to himself… I guess this island’s just… helped him be a little more out there. I’m glad, because he’s a really nice guy. We’ve been together for years, and I wouldn’t want any other trainer.”

She smiled and looked up at Daniel who seemed focused on talking to Ruby. There was a sort of respectful adoration in her look as she glanced up at him.

[PinkSapphire]

Ruby Sapphire Fiona Destiny - Beach

Ruby listened to what he was saying about the swamp, big snake pokemon? Well he said he knew most pokemon from Kanto and Johto, so maybe... 'If it had black with red and golden colors then it was an serviper.' Ruby said to him smiling. 'I'm glad the other were able to help you out.' Ruby grinned. 'So far the only friends i've made are a girl called Kat, and a boy called Kilik.' Ruby said.

Ruby turned to him as he told her that she could ask him anything in return, actually... She wanted him to "teach" her something instead of "telling" her something. 'H-hey... Could you... Learn me one of these first aid stuff...?' Ruby asked embaressed, she started giggling embaressingly and cutely as she quickly stared back forward her while rubbing the back of her head. 'I-i... I train ninjutsu, but... I don't know about these first aid stuff... Just now i fell because i wanted to do one of my many tricks, but decided that would be the same as cheating...' Ruby explained to him. 'See? It wasn't your fault at all.' She calmed down a little and smiled. 'I was impressed in how quick you helped me...' She complimented him. 'So can you learn me those first aid stuff?' She asked again.

Hikari stopped paying attention to the trainers as she listened to her new Raichu friend. 'Ruby and i are together since Ruby was just 5 years old, we used to play with a Riolu in the forest, but he left...' Hikari looked in the sand as she remembered the Riolu. 'Does your trainer have bad habits?' Hikari asked her carefully, not wanting to make her mad. 'I'll tell you Ruby's bad habits too.' Hikari smiled as she was laying in the warm sand.

[Sir Bastian]

Daniel Sabrak
The Beach

”I... didn’t really get to see it. It kind of just fell down and swallowed me in one go. But it might be.” He glanced at her as she turned back to him, looking as if something was trouble her. After a little while, she asked him if he could help her out with learning some first aid stuff… and that she was training ninjutsu. Did that mean she was an amazing trainer –and- a ninja? Daniel just continued to be impressed by this girl. She didn’t look at –all- like a master Pokémon trainer combined with a ninja. Looks can be deceiving, he thought and smiled to her.

“Yeah, uh… sure, I guess.” He scratched his cheek lightly, glancing down at his satchel in thought. He wasn’t much of a tutor, but he could give it a shot. He didn’t have the most expansive knowledge of first aid, but…

“Well… first thing you need to remember is that if you get a wound, it needs to be cleaned and sterilized before you wrap it in bandages, or else you might get an infection. You need to use a bottle of sterilization liquid… or alternatively, alcohol. Dab some on some cloth and carefully brush the wound with it. After that you simply take some bandage and wrap it around the wound. Tight, but not so your blood won’t flow. Just… relatively firm, I suppose.”

He smiled sheepishly, turning a little to be able to face her better as he nodded towards her foot. “The reason I didn’t do anything to you, is that a sprained ankle isn’t all that serious. If you had broken it though, you’d need something to support it, so… put like a flat stick next to your leg and then wrap bandage around it. That makes sure the leg stays straightened out and doesn’t twist, so the bones can’t mend. And… uh, I don’t know if there’s much else to teach. Is there something specific you want to know?”

Alexis nodded a little at Hikari’s story about the Riolu, frowning faintly. She then blinked slightly at the question, glancing up at Daniel again. “Uhm… well, he can get pretty scatterbrained and forget stuff, I suppose… but other than that, I don’t think so. He’s not mean-spirited or anything. He tries to avoid conflict though.”

[PinkSapphire]

Ruby Sapphire Fiona Destiny - Beach

Ruby listened with widened eyes to Daniel, he knew alot about first aid. Ruby always cleaned her wounds with water, this is because her brother told her to do it like that, so it was wrong afterall? 'Wow... You really know alot, thanks.' Ruby smiled gratefully at him. But then he explained something about her ankle. 'A sprained ankle isn't serious, but the pain is.' Ruby rubbed the back of her head again while giggling embaressingly again. 'I'm not used to the pain of an sprained ankle...' She admitted.

Daniel then told her about how you should treat an broken ankle/leg. This would come in handy in the future, that's for sure. 'That's everything i wanted to know, thanks Daniel...' She thanked him with a smile. She took the last sip of her Soda, she then putted the can away in the plastic bag she was holding for the can. She looked at her lap as a awkward moment of silence had came.

Hikari listened to Alexis as she told her that Daniel didn't really had bad habits. Now it's Hikari's turn to tell Ruby's bad habits... But what are her bad habits? "Uhmm... Ruby is shy... And...' Hikari kept thinking. 'Uhm and... She can be hyper sometimes...? And...' Hikari sighed as she gave up. 'I'm sorry, Ruby is more like a kind-hearted girl... She doesn't have much of bad habits...' Hikari apologized. 'Oh wait! She can be really reckless sometimes! Like you saw just now.' Hikari said.

[Jrez]

John Carden

Rocks outta thin air?! What kind of attack was this?

Never before had John seen a pokémon manifest matter from seemingly nowhere as a form of attack, but there's a first time for everything, or so they say anyway.

He didn't have much time to think of how he should command Verno to react, those rocks were closing in by the second, and his Growlithe was sure to take a beating.

Dodge? No, they're too quick, and Verno will just be left wide open for a second barrage...

Take the hit and keep charging? 'Course not, those rocks will tear him Verno up.

"Verno!" John called out to his pokémon, deciding to go with the next idea that came to mind. "Hit 'em with another Ember attack! Blast those rocks outta the air!"

The Growlithe barked in acknowledgement before releasing another wave of fiery embers aimed at the encroaching stones...

[SelenaStar]

As careful feet walked through the once so familiar courtyard surrounded by imposing dorm buildings, Selene wasn't exactly sure what she should be feeling. Her eyes kept catching on people or things that seemed to stir some dormant memory from the base of her brain – a bench facing the main academy building she had seated herself on on her first day, gazing around at her surroundings feeling so small and insignificant. An Entei dorm kid she thought may live in a room a little further down the corridor from herself. His eyes seemed to flash with recognition as he passed, but nothing further. She didn't really expect anything further.

Selene had been gone for...a while. Since the death of her Father, Selene had suffered what some might term a breakdown. Or a mental spell. Or just a prolonged period of PMT, whatever you termed it the result was the same. One day Selene just up and left the Academy, not telling anyone that she was leaving, not bothering to leave a note for anyone...not even Valorie, whose face she could just about remember. In the dead of night she packed a bag, jumped on Blu's back and took off into the sky, flying until she thought she were about to pass over the edge of the Earth and out into the universe. The further away the better.

As much as something told her that staying in school would be what her Father wanted, Selene just didn't truly see that. Nor did she trust that part of her that said the noble thing would be to return home and support her family through this difficult time. Family and the Academy were two faces of the same beast – the very beast she was running, or flying, from.

On the side of a secluded mountain far away Selene found herself. It was cliché, it was perfect. Nature seemed to have been expecting her, as she found an uninhabited small cove in the side of the mountain, perfect for sheltering from hungry mountain Pokemon. For the first few days Selene just let her Pokemon wander freely as she stared at the landscape. It was truly a beautiful landscape. It was a shame that Selene didn't appreciate it. Time passed, Selene's skin grew tanned, her hair grew wild and bushy, her eyes took on that haunted, shadowed look adopted as a result of a lack of sleep, her once healthily proportioned body, starved of proper and regular nutrition, became nothing more than a bony frame for skin and organs. The girl that had abandoned the Academy, that girl was gone in appearance and in mind. Her pokemon had initially tried to snap her out of this grief induced state, of course they had. Ri had adapted his pre-evolution role as the fool somewhat poorly, trying to dance around and catch any attention Selene had left. Ryan misbehaved, insisting on thunderbolting everyone except for Selene, hoping for a scolding, anything that made Selene more...Selene-like. Blu had just sat patiently beside her, whereas Cat had attempted to soothe Selene's mind through her psychic powers. That was before she realised that Selene wasn't feeling any emotion to control...it was difficult.

Then one day, Selene stood up. She had that look on her face, that look of 'we are going to train our asses off and get stronger or so help me we are never leaving this place'. Her Pokemon, out of relief more than anything, fully complied. They were just happy that Selene's face was showing something other than complete disinterest and ambivalence to life.

So they trained. Day and night. Selene put together group and individual training programmes. The individual programmes she tailored to the pokemon's weak points. For Ryan it was a case of timing, waiting until a strategically strong point to leap in on the attack. This normally involved hours of waiting, Ryan avoiding attacks from Selene's other pokemon with only slight effort and physical exertion before making his move at the perfect time – when a weak point was exposed, he leapt in with a volt tackle, when a pokemon ran out of steam he thunderbolt-ed the crap out of them. Ryan's training also involved hours of fighting lightning storms – literally fighting lightning. He would wait for lightning, then hit back at it with his own Thunderbolt, almost as though attempting to force it back into the sky. Most of Selene's individual training, in fact, was with Ryan. He was always the wildcard, the loose cannon.

The rest of her pokemon appeared sated through battling each other. Some vicious battles ensued, that often culminated in pokemon fall-outs and tense silences for prolonged periods of time, most particularly between Cat and Ri. A particularly harsh loss for the stronger Fighting- and Steel-type pokemon was hard for him to understand and come to terms with, so Cat had been subjected to a fittingly Steely silence for a number of days. Not that she particularly cared. Whilst Ri went off and began picking fights with inanimate rock faces to train post-humiliation, Cat spent most of her time meditating, the most effective training for a Psychic type in many instances. Honing her powers, she found she had much greater control over them than she had initially suspected, and this meant she could unleash them that much more. Every now and again a rock that Ri was beating to a pulp would just vanish, and Ri would fall flat on his face. A death glare would be shot at Cat, but her closed meditating eyes never opened, though a small smile could at times be spotted lurking at the corners of her mouth.

As for Aitken, Sharpay and Blu they sorted their own training. Blu was looking to focus on her speed and agility in the air, practicing and perfecting the in-air evasion methods that Selene had taught her. Sharpay purposefully fought with Ryan and Blu when she wished to train, knowing she would be at a type-disadvantage with both Pokemon. Many fights were fought, and many were lost. It soon transpired that Sharpay was a much stronger fighter in the water, thus she worked on her movement on the land and her technique outside of water. Aitken, the newcomer to the group, would pit his psychic powers against Cat in training. They would both attempt to move the same rock in opposing directions using their powers. At the beginning, Aitken's powers were not as sensitive as Cat's, he couldn't sense when she were about to change direction. As she strained upwards and he downwards, all of a sudden her force would shift sideways and the rock would fly, smash into the side of the mountain. Aitken hadn't the subtlety of control to control his own power and keep his mind open to the powers and whims of others. At the end, though, he was holding his own against Cat and anticipating her movements much easier.

No-one knew exactly why, but one night Selene just stood up. She had been in a pensive mood all day, distracted from training, staring out at the horizon much more but with a determined frown on her face rather than the emptiness of weeks previous.

“We're going back,” she announced simply. Pokemon were returned to Pokeballs, her bag was re-packed and Blu set off back toward the Academy. Selene didn't know what direction the Academy was, exactly, but she trusted that Blu would guide them right. And she did. The journey back passed seemingly quicker than the journey there, much quicker. All the time Selene was feeling no emotion, despite knowing that she should feel at least anxious about returning to the school and friends that she had abandoned so suddenly.

“Miss Evans...where have you been?” asked the receptionist as Selene checked back in, her eyes scanning down the girl, taking in the matted hair, the dirt-smeared face, neck and arms, the ragged clothes and the tatty backpack slung over an impossibly bony shoulder.

“At home,” said Selene simply with an eyebrow raised slightly, almost in challenge. She could see the woman's brain wondering if Selene lived in a slum somewhere before the lady regained her composure and her fake smile, nodding and tapping self-importantly at her computer. Selene watched her with hawk-like eyes, developed as a result of living like a wild beast for months. She despised everything about the woman, from her plastic pearl necklace to her mumsy suit.

“I have reported your...extended leave, in light of the circumstances we can welcome you back today without any interview or examination...your key, your room was not taken so you're in the same dorm. I hope you'll come to us if you need any...assistance” she finished, and Selene had left before the woman even had chance to blink.

So there she was, wandering through the courtyard without knowing exactly where she was headed or where she needed to be. The timetable and papers in her hand crinkled as she clenched her fist, frowning. What had she done?! This was too much for her right now. Pulling out Blu's Pokeball, Selene set off for Oak Town. Not intending on leaving school again, Selene just knew she had to be somewhere else, and she was having an insane craving for one of those gorgeous chocolatey milkshakes from that smoothie store. Memories of she and her friends running to Oak Town flooded her mind. She felt nothing.

Upon landing however, she saw something that shocked emotion into her zombified body. A short, blonde girl was involved in a triple battle. Said blonde girl was wearing a cape...the kind that a certain idol of hers, Lance, wore. She was clutching a milkshake, and trash-talking with some kid who had been foolish enough to take her on.

Selene made her way to the front of the crowd that the battle had drawn, watching with an impassive expression, hiding the stirrings of turmoil she felt within as she watched Valorie closely.

She was back.

[Meganium90]

Danielle Accola - Pokemon Center; Outside

Danielle decided to wait later to shop.

While the noise from outside distracted her a bit, making her wonder about Diana's battle, Mark was busy inserting TM moves in his Pokemon, including Snype, his Sableye. As he finished, he sat up and looked at Danielle, while looking at the entrance door. "Alright! I think I'm pretty set for battle now."

Mienfoo jumped up excitedly and rushed to the entrance door. “Mien, Mien!”
“What Mienfoo said.” Danielle replied, and laughed. “Both my Pokemon are ready. Let's go outside then!”

Outside now, Lucia's battle was still going on. It was worth watching, but she had to concentrate on her own. Danielle stood at the spot where she battled Megan before. Mienfoo was more than just ready. He stretched in his place. She looked up at Mark and faced him and Snype. “Two on two? Or One-on-one? Whichever, I am fine.”

“Pachi Pachiiii!” Ozzy was also ready to battle, though at the same time he didn't get a chance to rest a bit more, but he could use the practice and training.

“I'm ready when you are, Mark! Mienfoo, you ready?” Danielle shouted.

Mienfoo struck a fighting pose in the battlefield. “Fooooo!”

[Mr. Mammoth]

Maxwell Leggingsteele
Oak Town
------------------------------

Once again Genevieve had shown Maxwell a smile. This time however, the smile was genuine. Maxwell smiled as well, maybe those words had cheered her up? Whatever the case, he was glad to see that she wasn't as blue anymore.

At the mention of Shinobi, Maxwell lit up. He had completely forgotten about the Weedle! There was some complications in finding the bug, even if he was going to Oak Town it would be hard to track him down among all the alleys and houses and that stuff.

"Well," he said, "As much as I wanna' find out where Shinobi has gone to, I feel bad for just leaving Brian like that earlier. So I'm gonna' heal my Pokémon and then find a good birthday present for him! It can't be too hard in a place like this, right?"

Afterwards, Maxwell went up to the counter of the PokéCenter and asked for a full healing. The nurse happily obliged and by the time she came back, Slackey had crept out of Maxwell's hoodie and placed himself on his trainer's head.
"Thank you." the teen said as he recieved his fully healed Pokémon. He let out both Quillie and Katam.

[Bloooorrghh...] was the Tympole's response as he laid on his back, seemingly hesitant to get up.

Quillie on the other hand just stared into the ground with a stern look. Maxwell tried contacting him, but it was just like the Quilava had built a wall around him. Apparently they were still tired from the battle, so Maxwell returned them to their Pokéballs and walked over to Genevieve.

"So," he said with a smile, "Are you done?".

Wilson the Swinub
With Brian's Pokémon
------------------------------

Wilson paid no mind to the other's bickering, he was too busy trying to sniff out Bouncy. Eventually he smelt something, a scent that was sort of rubbery, or balloony if you will. It seemed quite energetic as well, seems like he had found a lead! Then the Swinub started sniffing around for that scent, and wouldn't you know it! He quickly found a trail that he deemed safe to follow.

[Erhm,] he said, [I believe that I've found where little Miss Bouncy is. Or at least her scent...]

Then Wilson started trotting on his small stubby legs along the scent-trail that would eventually lead to Bouncy, and maybe a bit unexpectedly to some, as well as Brian.

[PkMnTrainer Yellow]

Valorie Ryder - Oak Town

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Selene approached Valorie remained oblivious to the other's presence, tunnel visioned in on the battle. The Chinchou immediately finished off Frillish with a jolt of electricity, the jellyfish pokemon going limp in mid-air and proceeding to hang there, seemingly indefinitely suspended. both the gallade and the swanna attempted to take down Valorie's Mamoswine but it was no use. The mammoth pokemon had bolstered it's defenses and attacks seemed to have only a small effect. striking back Mamoswine hit the swanna with an ice shard attack, Valorie's uncannily commanding voice delivering orders left and right as she attempted to stay on top of the task of ordering three pokemon at once. At the same time, she sent out Haxorus to replace Frillish. Haxorus made her entrance by roaring in a primal manner and charging a startled Gallade with all the restraint of a child that had just been given free reign over a new toy. The gallade struck Haxorus with a powerfully glowing arm but Haxorus' armor shrugged off the attack. It then hit the gallade hard with a counter attack, sending it to the ground where Haxorus immediately /ended/ that pokemon with a night slash at Valorie's command. Valorie's dragons had been a bit overkill on the boy.

However, when Flygon moved in to attempt to similarly down the chinchou Cedrick ordered his Swanna to use wide guard. Huh... Apparently lots of people taught their pokemon moves that pokemon couldn't normally learn. The chinchou reacted by firing a water pulse at Mamoswine, though the attack once again failed to take the larger pokemon down.

Valorie: "...That's your ace?"

Cedrick: "Pretty nifty, isn't it?"

Valorie's expression was slightly less than amused.

Valorie: "...Kind of late, don't you think? Flygon, dragon claw on Swanna!"

Yet when Flygon came at the swanna Cedrick ordered it to use wide guard again... and it worked. This set Valorie back a bit. Exactly how long could he keep that shield up? Certainly not long enough to defeat all three of her pokemon. Cedrick's chinchou unleashed another water pulse at Mamoswine. Valorie could tell he was getting worn down by all the attacks. What happened next surprised her though. Cedrick began to speak...

Cedrick: "Let's see you try and get a hit--"

Abruptly Cedrick was startled to the point that he literally jumped a bit in his shoes by the sound of Haxorus letting out something of a growl-roar directly at him whilst approaching him directly. What happened next very nearly terrified Valorie, but wound up putting a smile on her face instead. haxorus abruptly lunged forward, causing Cedrick to scream like a girl and the crowd to erupt in astonishment. To Valorie's relief however Haxorus immediately diverted attention to Swanna, taking the pokemon by surprise as it leaped in front of Cedrick to defend him. A dragon claw attack assured the swan pokemon was down for the count. Flygon and Mamoswine finished Chinchou in a similar manner. Valorie had won.

Cedrick seemed disappointed, returning his pokemon. Valorie moved over, smile on her face, and took the money she'd won from his willing hands.

Valorie: "Triple battles are just like regular battles, only with three pokemon instead of one." She paused a moment. "That was pretty nifty though. By the way, I'm from Unova~"

With that the crowd had started to disperse some, and Valorie turned to get a feel for how many people had just saw her. It was a fair sized crowd for a random impromptu battle; she was pleased with it, anyway. Or at least until her eyes drifted across Selene.

Valorie's eyes stopped when they noticed a very... wild looking girl looking at her. The girl seemed somehow familiar, but with all the things combined, Valorie honestly didn't recognize Selene right away! She found herself staring, trying to figure out what exactly it was when the realization creeped up on her like a thawing ice cube. She just sort of froze up, becoming somewhat pale in the face as it dawned on her. Her eyes widened as the full truth hit her like a fly ball upside the head. Holy crap... that was Selene, and she looked awful! Or at least she thought it was. She couldn't imagine why Selene would ever look like that. She opened her mouth to speak but knew not what to say, leaving her looking slack jawed for a moment. Deciding she couldn't bear to let herself make a jerk out of herself by sitting there and staring Valorie dropped any previous plans she might have had and moved over to Selene at a rather normal pace. Very few if any of the original crowd remained.

Valorie: "...Selene? A-are you okay?"

She was clearly concerned for her friend. The sheer poor state Selene had showed up in had taken priority over the joy she felt from her... 'friends' presence. She had been thinking of Selene only just before the battle, and it was as if someone had smiled down at her and gifted her with a prize greater than any single victory she had ever won. If she didn't know any better she would've said that today was a great day right then and there. However, once again, concern for Selene had shoved it's way to top priority.

[Greiger]

Lucia Francisco Bernavard

Lucia smiled as Diana went on through with her attack and hit Uhuru. Lucia however saw that the Bagon didn't seem to react to the attack and Diana stood right in front of him, tensed up as Lucia looked over Uhuru. He apparently had a lot of training to be trained not to show pain from attacks, that was actually pretty inspiring to Lucia. Now, if only she could get Diana to that level, then the Aron could become as tough as nails!

She watched as Uhuru suddenly raised his claws and sliced right at Diana with a Dragon Claw. Diana cried out as the claws impacted with her metal skin and she shuffled back a bit, the claw marks having stung her a bit. The Aron glared right at the Bagon, "Think you're tough? Well, I'm tougher! I'll beat you and show them all how tough I am!" She proudly declared.

Lucia watched Diana's reaction and smiled, she was a very proud Aron. "Alright, Diana, use Iron Defense!" The Aron concentrated and her body shined with light as her armored hide became much stronger.

Lucia smirked at George, "Let's see Uhuru's attacks get through Diana's defense now!" She said as Diana eagerly awaited the Bagon's next attack.

[Arctos]

George Edmunds

The Aron was obviously preparing for his next attack and it would be hard to break through its heightened defence. Then again he knew that rock smash was effective and should be able to cause some damage at least. George smiled at Lucia's jibe. He was up for a game and decided that for this next move at least he wasnt going to be as silent with his commands.

"Come on Uhuru! Lets smash through her defense!" He showed the sign for rock smash and Uhuru leapt into action again.

"I must say I'm impressed with both of our pokemon!" He shouted to Lucia as he watched Uhuru charge towards Diana.

"Lets wrap this up Uhuru!" George shouted as his returned his full focus to the battle.

[jackblaze]

Jack Jacobs
Fields
vs Tailow

This was how it was Jack and Shadow to one side and Whirlwind at the other side with the wild tailow dab in the middle of them. Blade stood and watched from a decent distance usually he would see this as unfair but maybe this tailow would actually put up a fight that Jack wouldn't expect. Something about his fighting spirit was fading though and Blade seemed to be the only one that was aware of the whole situation.

"Alright since this tailow doesn't want to move imma go first" Jack said as he watched the bird just hover in the air flapping its wings without a care. "Whirlwind Peck!!" The skarmory took off at full speed heading straight towards the tailow and like a little rocket the tailow started flying away but surprisingly at Shadow with what seemed to be quick attack. Shadow and Jack looked at each other before both setting off in laughter, both knowing Shadow wouldn't be affected by a normal type move.

The tailow sped right through the ghost type prompting a large laugh from both trainer and pokemon but the laughing was quickly stopped the second Whirlwind flew towards Shadow unexpectedly and accidently hitting the ghost type with peck. This time it was the wild tailow and Blade's turn to laugh as the watched the two pokemon on the ground trying to get back battle ready.

Jack let out a large sigh and watched as the tailow floated over unto the shoulder of Blade as the two pokemon laughed and talked together. Jack could only watch and stare in amazement until Blade began walking towards him with a smile "He wants to join our little gang" The sad look on Jacks face was gone after Blade said what he said. and quickly took out the pokeball and went about capturing the tailow.

The tailow was caught but Jack wasn't looking much happier at all "Back to Lucia and Danielle" he said as he began walking from the fields to the pokemon center where the two girls were.

Outside the Pokemon Center

Upon his return Jack sat and watched the two girls a little before staring up into the clouds thinking about his past and a weird feeling that he was having recently. Blade watched him with great concern, maybe Jack was losing his touch even if just slightly.

[Megaman765]

Mark Followed Daniele outside, but he couldn't help but feel something was missing from his Strategy... For commodore, he had a little something set for him since he was fairly defensive but for Len, he felt something was missing... especially now that he had Rest. It would heal him sure but he'd be vulnerable afterwards... At the moment he wasn't up for sending Len out into a battle. He had his share of action today anyways. He wanted to get Gligar out into a battle... and Commodore. It's been awhile since he's battled after all.

Of course.... he could be really mean and use Shedinja... but that might have been a bit too easy. After all, her Pokemon could have a counter that could actually hit him. Then again... Maybe using Commodore would be a bit mean in itself. Yet it'd seem a bit more fair at least depending on how she used her moves, not that he knew what her Pokemon were capable of.

Mark stood on the opposite end of the battlefield with a coy smirk. He was determined and had a good idea of how to deal with his opponent.

"Tell ya what, How about a Double Battle? I'm a bit new to the concept myself so it'll be fair. What do ya say? I'll send out Commodore and..." He thought for a moment. He suddenly came up with a nice nickname for his Gligar.

"...Kara. My Gligar. What do ya say?" He said as he threw both Commodore and Kara out of their Pokeballs as if he didn't want to take no for an answer or was seriously hoping she would say yes anyways. Mark had never done a real Double Battle before so this was all new to him.

[SelenaStar]

Valorie's approach caused Selene to tense up almost instinctively. As her friend drew closer, Selene's muscles were impossibly tight, she could almost feel them straining against the thinned, brittle bones of her skeleton to a point she was convinced they were about to snap. Eyes narrowed, not in open hostility, but more as an open indication of Selene's lose social skills. Every step Valorie took she was calculating, pre-empting what she might say, what she might ask, and how she, Selene, would answer.

Are you okay?

Alas, the first question Valorie asked was a difficult one. Okay. Was Selene okay? For an innocent question it wasn't half an impossible one to answer. It demanded some kind of knowledge of a normative state of mind, to know what being okay actually felt like as a standard to judge your current mind against. Selene didn't really know what feeling okay was like anymore. Some might suspect that she would make up an answer, reassure Valorie with a false smile, make small talk to try and get things back to how they were.

"I don't know," Selene chose to answer after a somewhat lengthy pause, her tone husky and measured, reflecting the careful thought in her mind. "I couldn't really say. But that's not really important. I enjoyed watching your battle, you and your Pokemon have certainly grown in strength and in ability..." she trailed off and paused, her brows knitting together thoughtfully, "except for Frilish," she qualified, somewhat abruptly. "You really need to evolve Frillish, she's fairly weak in her current state. I can help you train, if you'd like."

Her eyes drifted to the milkshake shop across the way. "I really want a milkshake," she blurted out, looking at Valorie slightly awkwardly as she felt the loose change in the back pocket of her jeans. Amazingly the coins hadn't slipped through the swiss cheese-esque holes in the bottom of the stitching. "I don't know if I'm supposed to wait for you to come with me or not, but you can follow me if you'd like," she finished with a slight shrug, turning and walking toward the shop. She wasn't being deliberately rude to Valorie. She just genuinely didn't know how she should act.

[Lincoln West]

Lincoln West

Lincoln watched as the fiery embers collided with the pointed rocks. The fire wasn't hot enough to melt or burn the stone, but the impact did set them off course enough that they thudded deeply into the ground around Verno rather than striking him directly.

What was John's plan here? He opened up the battle with an attack that wouldn't be at all effective, then focused on neutralising Bixi's attack rather than countering. It made perfect sense to try and neutralise or avoid an attack that was going to be especially devestating to your pokemon, but if you didn't have some sort of long term plan you were just putting off the inevitable.

Did John have some sort of long term strategy at work here? You would have to, to go up against a pokemon you had a double weakness against, otherwise defeat was inevitable. Well if he wanted to play that game, Lincoln had a trick or two himself.

He took hold of the goggles around his neck and pulled them up, covering his eyes behind the protective lenses. "Bixi. Whip it up."

Bixi responded by lifting her front flippers and flapping them forward several times, pushing around the dust on the ground in front of her. After the third flap the dust seemed to begin moving itself, and not just in front of Bixi. All across the field a soft breeze began to blow, increasing until it was as strong as a gale. The dust seemed to multiply, increasing and somehow transforming into sand.

After just a short time Bixi had managed to whip up an entire Sandstorm across the field. Although not a move that directly attacked the enemy, it would damage any pokemon that weren't rock, ground or steel types for every round that the battle continued. Not only that, but as Bixi was a rock type, the sandstorm would bolster her resistance to 'special' attacks, making many of Verno's fire attacks even less effective.

From a trainers perspective, Sandstorm was a hell of a move to have to deal with. The sand got in your eyes and obscured your vision of the battlefield, and the sound of the storm could make it hard to communicate with your pokemon.

"Nice one Bixi!" Lincoln roared over the storm. Plenty of practice and his broad frame helped him project his voice. "Let's see how they deal with this!"

[Jrez]

John Carden

Sandstorm!

John flailed his arm, urging both Zovo and Caesa to get behind him as he racked his brain trying to think of his next move. The longer Verno was stuck in that sandstorm, the worse it would get to deal with.

Ah, heck with it! We had to close distance to begin with anyway!

"Verno, don't back down!," John called out over the roaring sands, "Charge right on through with your Flame Wheel attack!

The Growlithe pressed on through the vicious, whipping sands, continuing his headlong assault. Even larger embers poured from his snout, growing stronger and hotter as they engulfed Verno's frame.

John spotted the ball of fire that was his Growlithe through the storm. "That's it! Go!"

Verno roared as he pressed on with his blazing charge.

[Lincoln West]

Lincoln West

Lincoln was able to see reasonably clearly thanks to his goggles keeping his eyes free from the sand. So when he spotted Verno cloaked in flame, charging towards Bixi, he had plenty of time to react.

"Bixi, take the hit, then Aqua Tail!"

Following Lincoln's instructions Bixi took the attack from Verno, wincing from the impact and the flames. Flame Wheel was a physical attack, so Sandstorm didn't help with it, but her double resistance and defensive nature still helped to mitigate the attack. As she was reeling from the strike Bixi used the momentum to spin herself around, her small tail becoming surrounded with swirling water from her shell. Provided the attack stayed on course Bixi's hydro-empowered tail would strike Verno.

If John hadn't already guessed then it would become fairly obvious now that the turtle pokemon was not only a rock type, but also a water type.

[Jrez]

John Carden

Direct hit!

John knew that his Growlithe's attack didn't leave the foe much worse for wear, but barely catching Lincoln's command over the whipping sands gave him an idea that while risky, could possibly pay off. Big time. It was one that hopefully Verno could really sink his fangs into.

Here we go...

"Verno! Quickly, Bite attack! Grab hold of that tail and don't let go!"

The Growlithe watched as Bixi's tail closed in... bracing itself to take the full brunt of the watery attack, Verno leaped at the Tirtouga to do as John had commanded.

[Mick Fizz]

Alice Crenshaw
Pokémon Center -> Academy Grounds

Alice heard Roxas say that there was nothing wrong, but his cheeks were red, even more than before. And although she didn't know it, her cheeks were turning the same color as well! Obilivio then said something to Jello and Roxas, which made the boy glare at the Lucario and say "Let's begin the training!" with a face red as a tomato. Alice was trying not to giggle at this situation.

Then, all of a sudden, she felt Roxas grab her hand and get pulled along with him as he ran outside the building to a place full of grass. She giggled as her cheeks turned more red.

"Well, um, soo..." she said, "What do we do now?"

Jello frowned. "I hope so." he said to Obilivio before having to sprint, or float at a high speed, in order to keep up with Alice and Roxas. There was something that he didn't like about the kid. Maybe it was just him being protective, fearing that Alice would get hurt by that boy. But, for the time being, he decided to stay silent. Alice seemed to be happy and having fun, and the purple Solosis did not want to ruin that.

[Lincoln West]

Lincoln West

Bixi's Aqua Tail attack struck true, her tail striking Verno, the impact causing the water around her tail to 'burst' and wash over the Growlithe. It was a move that would be very effective, but Linc knew that by itself wouldn't be enough to end the battle.

"Hit 'em with another one!" Lincoln called out. But as Verno's fangs latched onto Bixi's tail the Tirtouga cried out in pain and visibly flinched, failing to launch any attack whatsoever.

This was bad news. Not only had John now used an attack that Bixi wasn't resistant to, but the attack had caught her so off guard she wasn't countering. That meant John was going to get the chance to attack again, and although the Sandstorm continued to whittle Verno's vitality down, it was still hard to be able to do nothing.

"It's okay girl, just focus! We'll get 'em on the next go!"

At least he hoped they would. If he were John's position now he would use Bite again. Verno was already in position, it was the most damaging move they'd used so far and Bixi might even flinch for a second time. It wasn't a particularly advanced strategy, but some of the best ones were the simplest.

[Sir Bastian]

Daniel Sabrak
The Beach

”Not alot of people are used to pain, so that’s understandable. And you’re welcome! If there’s anything else you want to know, just… you know, ask.” He said, smiling warmly at her. As she sipped her soda, he did the same, reaching over her as he tried not to look up into her eyes as he put the soda can in the bag. If he did, he was dead-certain that he’d blush again.

As he sat down on his spot again, he leaned back onto his hands, sighing softly. After a little while of silence, he spoke again. “This place is really great… so many happy, friendly people… and so many Pokémon. I saw a group of Digletts up in the mountains earlier. What’s your favourite Pokémon?” he asked, glancing towards her again.

Alexis giggled softly at Hikari’s inability to think of any bad habits of Ruby’s, though she eventually mentioned she was reckless. Alexis nodded her head quickly. “Yeah, Daniel can be the same. He’ll avoid confrontations with people, but… well, when he gets excited, he can do some pretty stupid stuff. It usually works out though, since he’s got me to take care of him.” She says, snickering softly.

[Jrez]

John Carden

John pumped a fist as a wide smile formed on his lips. Finally, they were in position to deal some damage! Now, it was a matter of capitalizing on this oppurtunity. But, how exactly?

Let's see... that Tirtouga's pretty darn tough, and it's almost fully resistant to any of Verno's fire-based attacks. Didn't seem to like having Verno's fangs sink into 'er tail, though. Wait...

His Growlithe's flames certainly haven't been much more than an inconvenience to Bixi, but now Verno had her by the tail and this limb seemed to be the only possible weak-point that John could figure out.

It's worth a shot!

"Verno! Bite down again and use Flame Wheel!"

As the already worn pup let out a small roar, it's frame was once again engulfed by red-hot flames. Opening it's mouth wide to expose his now searing fangs, Verno once again soared at the Tirtouga's tail.

[Lincoln West]

Lincoln West

Lincoln watched Verno carefully through the Sandstorm, waiting for any potential opening that may help Bixi. Capitolising on Bixi's hesitation he seemed to be going for some sort of combination attack between Bite and Flame Wheel, which certainly had the potential to be effective. Fortunately for Lincoln and Bixi, Verno released Bixi's tail when he opened his mouth to charge up.

"Bixi, Iron Defense quickly!"

The Tirtouga responded quickly, withdrawing herself into her shell again. The difference being this time her shell seemed to take on a metallic sheen for a moment. Both Bite and Flame Wheel were physical attacks, and Iron Defense dramatically boosted Bixi's defense, offering her greater protection for the rest of the battle - even should she be made to come out of her shell again.

It wouldn't bring Verno any closer to defeat, but it would help Bixi last longer as the Sandstorm continued to rage.

[Jrez]

John Carden

Aw, shoot!

John gripped his head in frustration. As long as Bixi was in her shell, none of Verno's attacks would be effective at all. And, to make the situation worse, Verno was still going to be buffeted by the sands.

C'mon, Johnny boy... think, think, think!

They needed action and quickly. Verno's Ember attack had made Bixi come out of her shell once, so maybe it'd work again. John and Verno didn't have many other options anyway.

"Verno," John called out to his pokémon, "Blow some more fire in 'er shell! Ember attack, don't let up!"

The Growlithe's fortitude was fading fast but he would not let his trainer down. Aiming at the hole in which Bixi's tail had receded, he let loose a steady stream of fiery embers.

[Lincoln West]

Lincoln West

"Bixi, take the hit then use Stone Edge again!"

Lincoln knew that although Verno's attacks weren't particularly effective, they had been consistent and were gradually taking their toll on Bixi. Sandstorm had gradually been doing damage to Verno, and Aqua Tail would have been very effective, but they needed to start going on the offensive if they wanted to wrap up this first round.

The flames struck Bixi's shell, damaging her. Although Iron Defense didn't help against Ember, the Sandstorm seemed to mitigate the damage somewhat, so this time she was able to stay inside.

For the second time during the battle she began to glow white, the light fading to reveal jagged stones that pelted themselves at Verno.