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New Morning “In Scholery Town, a new gym leader has been appointed by the Sigia League administration. New leader, Melanie, comes from impressive stock being the granddaughter of veteran leader Maggie, who some suggest could have reached the Elite Four had she entered the Champion’s League,” a well dressed reporter on the dusty television screen reported from out the front of a stone building, that Eloy took to be the Scholery Gym. He bent down to tie the laces on his sneaker, pastel pink just like the dye job on his hair that his mother disapproved of. The face of the reporter disappeared from his view, but the sound of her voice continued on in the background. “This of course comes only a month after former gym leader, Blake, was involved in a scandal that rocked the entire Sigia region when it was discovered that he had been injecting several of his Pokemon with a strain of Pokerus. The Pokerus virus is known to enhance the abilities of its hosts but the majority of its strains are known to also cause health defects. At this stage it is still unknown where Blake obtained the vials containing the virus he had in his possession, but his Pokemon have been confiscated and he is now awaiting a formal trial. This after several other trainers throughout the region als-” Eloy switched off the TV. The whole business with Blake had left a bad taste in his mouth since he had first heard it and as interested as he was in hearing about this new gym leader, he had no intention of letting Blake’s wrongdoings sour the first day of his journey from halfway across the region. He’d spent the last five years doing remote study with the nearest trainer school to get his trainer’s license, nothing was ruining this moment for him. He got up and pulled his coat on, the fur collar of the garment soft in his hands as he adjusted it. He grinned, catching sight of himself in the old mirror standing in the corner of the living room. Almost entirely pink with only the blue of his jeans, black of his shoes and the red bandanna around his neck breaking up the otherwise monochrome colour scheme. There was rarely a reason to use the mirror but seeing himself decked out in his favourite colour ready to set off on his journey at last filled him with a sense of pride, he found himself oddly glad to have it there. “Alright Deacon, let’s go!” he said loudly, walking over to where the mirror was and nudging the small Pokemon bed that was sitting there with his toe. Deacon immediately bolted upright, the Nidoran as pink all over as Eloy was and full with twice the energy as his enormous ears perked up. The small Pokemon cried out happily as he leapt from the bed and started running around and between Eloy’s feet. Eloy looked back at the mirror and saw his smile widen as he saw them there, a matching pair. Truth be told, his parents had been trying to get him to choose a different starter for a while in the lead up to his graduation. Up in the mountains it was tradition for a village elder to bestow upon new trainers a Ground, Steel or Ice type to be their first official pokemon but Eloy wasn’t having a word of that. Deacon had been with him since he started his study, he wasn’t going to leave him behind and run off with some Pokemon he’d just met. Eloy grabbed his trainer’s license and pokegear off the dining room table with Deacon bounding happily around him and stuffed them in his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. “Eloy Chance, Pokemon trainer,” he said to his Nidoran “has a nice ring to it I think, let’s head off.” It was a short walk to the front door of their tiny house and as he stepped out he was greeted with a rush of icy mountain air. Citri Town wasn’t high enough up in the mountains to be perpetually covered in snow like some places but it was the opposite of warm because of the icy winds that carried down from above. By the time Eloy had shut the door and turned away from the tiny red brick house he shared with his parents, Deacon had already bounded some distance away and was waiting for his trainer to catch up, ears still standing at attention. He jogged forward to catch up with the little Poison type before slowing to a more reasonable pace as they trudged down the dirt path towards their front gate. It was a long walk compared to leaving your home in the city to say the least. When he reached the gate, he looked back behind him. In the distance, he could make out the figures of his parents herding their flock of Skiddo and Gogoat. They’d eaten as much of the grass in one area as could be allowed and were now being moved on to greener pastures. He’d been a bit concerned about leaving all the farm work to his mother and father at first, but he could see they were managing just fine. They weren’t that old after all. Turning around and walking out the gate, he was treated to a different view. Sprawled out below the hill they lived on was the majority of Citri Town. It was a small community composed of a few farms, a handful of other residences and the old town hall and that was about that. But it had a pretty location looking down on the mountainous landscape alone. You could call it picturesque and not be exaggerating. Still, aside from a handful of treks to the neighbouring Avent Town, it was pretty much all Eloy had ever known and he had bigger ambitions than spending his whole life in a tiny town wrangling Gogoat. He wanted to explore the rest of Sigia, experience the big cities and to one day find himself on the big stage in the Sigia Champion’s League. Of course, first he had to get through the base level of the Sigia League: collecting eight badges and winning in the Diamante Conference. These were simply the first steps of many. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png |
The Mountains Win Again Unlike some of the longer roads Eloy knew were on the horizon, the route from Citri Town to Avent Town wasn’t a long one, so there was still plenty of time left in the day when Eloy could finally get a clear view of the first stop on his list. Stopping up the road, Eloy reached into his bag to take a swig from his water bottle. The liquid was still cold against his throat, kept chilled by the frigid mountain climate. The land around him was growing steadily greener however, and unlike Citri Town which was a landscape of touch yellow grass and rocky outcrops, Avent Town sat on a rocky plateau surrounded by trees and with lush green grass peppered throughout the town. “Ni!” Deacon called out, the rodent having bounded a solid twenty feet ahead of Eloy before realising his trainer had stopped “Ni!” he called again, running around in a few tight circles as if to tell Eloy he should get a move on. Eloy smiled and relented, returning his water bottle to his backpack and moving to catch up with the Nidoran. It wasn’t much longer before he found himself walking past the first few outlying buildings. Avent Town was small, places up in the mountains needed to be as a matter of necessity with a lack of settleable space. It was several times the size of Citri Town however, serving as the gateway between the rest of the Sigia region and the mountains it acted as a trading post for people from smaller villagers and a rest stop for travellers looking to explore higher up. It was an old town, but few of the wooden buildings that once made up the town still stood there having long since given way to rot in the damp air. Instead small brick cottages like the one Eloy himself lived in made up most of the residencies there. The heart of Avent Town however was, naturally, in the centre where most of the local businesses stood. In recent years a fancy new PokeMart had opened in the town, although far smaller than its counterparts in the bigger locales in the region. Next door was an even smaller Pokemon Centre. Pokemon Centres were something of a hub for most trainers, offering free medical care for Pokemon, cheap lodgings, meals and in several instances training facilities. The Centre in Avent Town could only be given the title as a stretch. It was a small brick building that blended in with houses nearby and, Eloy new, it contained only the most essential medical equipment and had only three rooms to sleep in - one of which was occupied by the nurse on a permanent basis. This wasn’t a bad thing though, it meant that a pair of local inns were able to remain open. Eloy made his way towards the Pokemon centre, taking note of Avent Town’s pride and joy in the near background. A few minutes outside the town stood a large metal building from which a thick, taut metal cord emanated. Several enormous pylons helped further support the cable as it moved down the mountain, carrying large rectangular cable cars. The Avent Town Gondola served a dual purpose. It usually remained active to transport people up and down the mountain, but at certain times served instead as a more efficient means of moving goods from the route at the base of the mountain to Avent Town for sale. Eloy planned on catching the cable car down to the base of the mountain but had been advised by his father to have Deacon given a quick once over at the Pokemon centre first to ensure he was ready for battle. Eloy wasn’t concerned. One look at the happily bounding along Nidoran made it apparent he was in peak condition. Still, he figured he might as well do it to keep his folks happy. Eloy entered the small building to find himself in a simple reception area with pale pink walls. He’d always liked the colour of the walls. Unlike the more sterile looking Pokemon Centres Eloy had seen on TV, this one had a homey feel. The wooden floor was covered by a soft rug, old dusty painting hung on the walls and mismatched, worn armchairs rested empty against the front wall. At the back of the room stood the counter, in front of a doorway that lead to the medical area and in the back corner of the room a staircase lead to the accommodation upstairs. “Hello?” Eloy called out, noticing that there wasn’t a bell anywhere to get attention. He was pretty sure there had been one on the door the last time he’d been there. “Ni!” Deacon chimed in, apparently attempting to lend a hand. A thump and a clattering of metallic objects could be heard upstairs, followed by a door closing loudly and hurried footsteps. It wasn’t much longer before a short woman in her late twenties or early thirties sporting a black pixie cut rushed down the stairs. “Sorry!” she exclaimed, rubbing sleep out her eyes “I only just got back this morning from a house call and I must have dozed off at my table. How can I help you?” Much like how the Pokemon Centre itself didn’t look like big city ones seen on TV, neither did the nurse. Where city nurses sported pristine pink and white uniforms, she was dressed in wrinkled old ripped overalls and a checked shirt, dirty work boots still on her feet from the housecall. “It’s nothing major,” Eloy backpedaled, feeling guilty for waking her up for something he was pretty sure didn’t need doing. “I can come back later if you want.” “Not at all!” the woman insisted “You’re here now, so let’s see what we’ve got.” Eloy ran his hand through his hair sheepishly, the guilt still holding strong. “Are you sure, you look a mess.” “It’s fine, really,” the tired nurse continued, forcing Eloy to relent and explain why he’d woken the exhausted woman up. “I’m just looking to get Deacon here a check-up,” he explained apologetically “I just got my license and I’m going to be taking the gym challenge but he’s never really battled before. So my parents want me to get him checked over first.” “Responsible parents,” the nurse smiled “If you wait here I’ll take a look at him.” Without even waiting for Eloy’s go ahead, Deacon happily hopped off after the nurse, leaving his trainer to sink into one of the ancient chairs. He was pretty sure that comment had been a subtle jab that he shouldn’t have needed telling. Fifteen minutes passed and Eloy was soon reunited with Deacon, the Nidoran cheerily running laps around his legs once more as the nurse reported on the Pokemon’s condition. Unsurprisingly, Deacon was given a clean bill of health and was noted to be in exceptionally healthy condition. Eloy parted ways with the tired nurse as she trudged back upstairs. Unsure whether he should feel vindicated he had been right or ashamed for making the assumption he was, Eloy exited the little Pokemon Centre back into the town. He considered wandering around Avent Town for a while, but only a few minutes of aimless wandering made it pretty clear that there was little point in doing so. He was well stocked on supplies, having bought them well in advance of getting his license and Avent Town wasn’t exactly a hub for sightseeing. It didn’t even have the best views of the mountain towns. Besides, Eloy felt a bizarre desire to get as far away from the nurse as he possibly could. “Onwards then, yeah?” he said to Deacon, his Nidoran immediately taking off in the direction they had been walking. Thankfully, it was the correct one and Eloy wasn’t forced to chase the little Pokemon through the town. “We aren’t exactly in a rush, you know!” he called after Deacon. “Ni Ni!” came the reply. Some people might have said he was imagining it, but Eloy was positive he heard a cheeky tone in the cry. Shaking his head, Eloy walked briskly after him. It wasn’t like he had to conserve energy to descend the mountain, he could afford to walk a bit quicker. As it was, that meant a few minutes later he was reaching the cable car station. The area around the facility was largely devoid of people. Only three were visible. The slightly pudgy, balding proprietor sat on a rickety stool just outside the entry to the station itself, smoking a cigarette and stroking an ageing Growlithe as it slept with his spare hand. Closer to Eloy was a pair of girls closer in age to him. One was slightly taller and dressed in stylish skinny jeans and a bright yellow midriff top that was in no way appropriate for the weather below a simple white jacket that she hadn’t bothered to do up. Her blonder hair was worn in long pigtails. Eloy wondered how it was she didn’t seem to be cold at all. Her companion, a shorter girl with shoulder-length mousy brown hair hanging in a curtain around her head seemed to have more sense. She donned a heftier brown coat and black leggings. A red and red and white tunic hung out below the base of the coat. Eloy managed to hear a snippet of their conversation as he past them. “You’re the one that wanted to come here,” the more sensibly dressed of the two was saying to the other. “I did warn you there was nothing here.” “I know, I know. I didn’t realise nothing meant, like, this nothing!” the other responded “I just wanted to see where you were born, okay?” The first girl sighed in response, her tone exasperated. Eloy noted though that her expression didn’t look displeased at all. He didn’t hear the rest of the conversation however, as he had reached a large sign bearing the prices for making use of the cable car. If he’d been drinking, he may well have done a spit-take. “Six hundred Poke!” he couldn’t help but exclaim out loud, looking down at Deacon with shock and disbelief. Deacon in turn, cocked his head to the side and looked back at Eloy with a blank, confused stare. Eloy had never ridden the cable car and had not realised how expensive it was going to be to use. The cost was half the money he had with him, which was to say, half of all the money he had. Apparently he was going to have to do some battling and soon. Being a travelling trainer was essentially being a professional gambler. While gym leaders and professionals in the Champion’s League, like the Elite Four, were paid a sizeable wage by the Pokemon League Administration, most trainers had to win their lunch. That meant earning cash rewards from beating gyms or winning competitions, or more often, by putting money up for grabs in street battles and winning to make a profit. Needless to say, this was a rocky start. “Hey, you,” Eloy was shaken from his lamentations by the sound of a female voice. He turned around to see the blonde from before striding confidently towards him while the shorter girl hurried after her friend wearing an expression not unlike the one Eloy had just seen on Deacon. “You were pretty loud with your money woes there, you know? So we had an idea.” “We?” the other girl asked incredulously, clearly not having the faintest idea what was going on. “Okay, me,” the first said, her voice a touch louder than it needed to be “My brilliant idea. Since I’m bored and this place needs some livening up, desperately, and you’re poor and need to get down the mountain, let’s have a battle. If you win, I’ll pay for your ride down. If I win, no worries. You don’t have anything I need. As an added bonus, us lovely ladies will keep you company on the ride down.” Eloy wasn’t exactly thrilled about having his lack of wealth rubbed in his nose, and the girl’s exuberant personality was rather off-putting, but he had just said to himself he needed to get into some battles sooner rather than later. “Okay,” he said “You’re on.” Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png |
So it appears our little duo are getting into a bigger little world. I wonder how they'll fare this being their first time.
First off, I'd like to compliment your descriptive capabilities as I think it really helps visualize the mountainous area (an area I love by the way) and really does well in sorta sinking the reader into the atmosphere. Since right now this is the start, it makes sense that not too much character of Eloy has been shown save for his, seeming confident in his reads, a little bit independent, close to Deacon, ahead of the game in some areas while still able to be surprised, and assumptions galore. Plenty of room for his character to go through and all (though you've already hinted at some little things and all, which would be interesting if allowed to get some time). Now...while I did find a few typos, there seems to be certain phrases where it feels like a word is missing. Quote:
Elsewise some other things I've noticed in the typo range. Quote:
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Other than that, not much thoughts on the starting story, though I'll soon get to see your battle style writing which is a thing I happen to enjoy reading. Keep it going. |
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You're right that the first one was intentional but I'll get on fixing the ones that were typos soon. I tend to suck at editing so the catches are appreciated. I hope the battle in the next chapter lives up to your expectations. |
Tubthumping Eloy and the two girls moved a short way away from the cable car station to a small clear space, just big enough for two Pokemon to do battle. This coming after the shorter of the two girls suggested that starting a battle directly in the way of the cable car was probably not excellent etiquette. The spot they had moved to was just barely out the way, a grassy patch surrounded by hardy mountain trees that protruded from craggy ground. The taller of the two girls stopped at the edge of the clearing, affording Eloy the pleasure of traversing the extra distance. Turning to face his opponent he could see the cable car operator was still lazily stroking his Growlithe, but had now turned his attention to the battle that was about to take place. Eloy felt the pre-battle tension building, excitement bubbling up in his veins. This is what he’d set off on his journey for. He was about to undertake his first official trainer battle. This wasn’t one of the rare occasions he’d had to come to Avent Town for a trainer school exercise: this was the real deal. “Hope you’re ready!” the blonde taunted from the other side of the field as her companion sat on the grass behind her, pulling her knees up to her chest. There was no backing now, Eloy wasn’t about to let his first real battle end in failure. “Of course,” Eloy said, grinning back at his smug foe “Deacon, you’re up buddy.” The Nidoran immediately ceased his typical bounding around. He halted in front of Eloy, facing down the girl across from him with his ears pricked up, making himself look as big as he could. “Alright then, I’ll go with this one then,” the girl smiled, pulling out a white Pokeball that had been stuck to her belt below her jacket. Eloy wasn’t particularly surprised to see she kept her Pokemon in fancy Premier Balls at this point. She tossed the ball forward casually, and a flash of light exploded for the sphere. From within the light emerged a small brown Pokemon with a fluffy lower body and large ears. A Buneary. “This is my Florence.” “Nice to meet her,” Eloy smiled. Thankfully, it seemed like his opponent most likely wasn’t a veteran. He knew full well that Buneary were neither evolved Pokemon nor known for being particularly powerful. He felt confident that he could win. “This is my first time seeing a Buneary in person.” “It’s your lucky day then,” the reply came “This isn’t just any Buneary. Mine’s special.” Eloy wasn’t sure how to take that one, she looked much the same as any other he’d seen. He couldn’t help but think that this was just her obvious ego shining through again. “Now let’s get the show on the road! Florence, Quick Attack!” Eloy was taken aback by the sudden order. Florence was a blur of motion. One second she was in front of her trainer, the next she was right in front of Deacon, delivering a sharp kick to the side of his head. Deacon was knocked sprawling, rolling back to his feet a short distance away. “Ni!” Deacon snipped, posturing aggressively. Eloy was of the same mind. “Deacon, Double Kick!” The Nidoran literally leapt into action, crossing the distance between Florence and himself with a bound. As his front legs hit the ground, he threw his weight over them, rotating to back Florence and deliver the first kick with one of his powerful hind legs. Florence leapt over the top of the kick deftly, landing face-to-face with Deacon. Deacon planted his back legs as they hit the ground and flung his front legs up for the second kick. “Baby-Doll Eyes!” Florence’s trainer ordered suddenly. Her Buneary’s eyes flashed blue, a flash reflected in Deacon’s eyes as his attack connected and sent Florence tumbling. Florence stood back up and brushed the dirt from her fur. Eloy saw his opponent smirking at him from across their makeshift battlefield. She’d just effectively neutered Deacon’s physical offensive abilities. Had she predicted that was all he had, or was it dumb luck? Eloy’s pulse quickened. “There’s more where that came from. Poison Sting!” Deacon rushed Florence at close range, the tip of his horn glowing purple. The attack never connected. “Charge Beam!” At point blank range, a yellow beam that crackled with electricity burst out from the Buneary’s mouth. Deacon was too committed to the frontal charge to avoid the attack, taking the Charge Beam head-on. Deacon yelped as he was launched back, a residual charge still crackling over his skin. His Buneary foe looked back at him, her face almost as smug as her trainer’s as she looked down at Deacon. The Nidoran climbed back to his feet. “Is that the best you’ve got?” the girl said from across the clearing. The remark grated with Eloy, his fist clenching reflexively. He could feel his confidence plummeting but he refused to give in. “Not even close,” he defiantly replied. Her smirk didn’t falter. “Well in that case then, we better step it up a notch. Work Up, Florence!” the girl commanded. The Buneary bounced lightly on her feet, a faint red aura surrounding her body. Her expression shifted slightly as she felt her offensive power grow. Eloy didn’t like the look of that. “Ni!” Deacon cried out, alarmed. “Charge Beam!” Florence once again let loose with the sparking blast of electricity. Eloy shouted for Deacon to dodge and the Nidoran dived to the side, landing on coiled legs. He then rocketed forward towards his opponent. “Peck!” Eloy called. Without hesitation, Deacon lashed out with a quick jab of his horn. The incoming attack was obvious though, Florence pivoted deftly on her feet to avoid the attack. Eloy doubled down on the attack. “Fury Attack!” Deacon pressed his assault lashing out with several more rapid jabs in quick succession. Nimble on her feet, Florence avoid jab after jab, lightly bouncing from side to side. Determined and desperate, Deacon kept trying. His and Eloy’s frustration growing in synchronisation with each narrow miss until finally, deacon managed to clip the Buneary with an attack and send her stumbling. Eloy pressed the advantage. “Poison Sting!” The tip of Deacon’s horn lit up again as he dived for the Buneary, capitalising on her fumble. The attack connected and this time the Buneary let out a cry of her own and she knocked sprawling, tumbling back several feet. Eloy felt his confident grin return as a wave of elation ran through him. He still had this. One more attack was all he needed. “Once more!” he instructed. Deacon let loose with a battle cry as he rushed in, making his charge for victory at the downed Buneary. In moments, he was about to connect and finish the battle. “Pound!” the girl shouted. Florence rolled onto her back suddenly as Deacon reached her. Then, her ear shot up like a boxer’s fist, connecting hard with the underside of Deacon’s jaw. The Nidoran was lifted several feet into the air as he flew across the clearing. He landed heavily and the onslaught continued. “Charge Beam!” There was no chance of avoiding the attack. Deacon had barely returned to his feet when he was engulfed in the intense light of destructive electrical attack. Deacon flew back into a nearby tree like a missile and tumbled to the ground. The battle was over. “That went about as expected,” Eloy looked on stunned, not realising at first that the remark had actually come from the quieter girl, not his vocal opponent. The surprise of finding another person in the clearing shook him from his place as he hurried over to Deacon. The little Poison type looked worse for ware, in stark contrast to his energetic self only a short while ago. The Nidoran lay in a heap at the foot of the tree, emitting a low groan. Eloy picked him up, cradling him in his arms protectively like an infant. “Here,” again the second girl’s voice jolted Eloy from his thoughts a second time. She had crossed the clearing and was offering Eloy a small purple spray bottle. “It looks worse than it is. Spray this on him and give him some rest and he’ll be fine by the time we get to the bottom.” “Thanks,” Eloy said, gratefully taking the bottle from the short girl. “I’m Eloy by the way, your friend got us started before we ever introduced ourselves. She’s uh… enthusiastic.” A smile crept onto the brunette’s face at that comment. “Yeah, she’s like that,” she replied, her tone communicating something more akin to admiration than the exasperation Eloy was expecting. He wondered if it was because she seemed more reserved than her boisterous blonde companion. “I’m Guinevere, for the record, and she’s Layla. Don’t feel too bad for losing. Layla’s getting really good.” Without saying anything else, Guinevere turned around and walked back to where Layla had finished up with her Buneary and returned her to her ball. The two girls said a few words to each other that Eloy missed and started making their way back towards the cable car. “Yeah, you put up a good fight,” Eloy said to his fallen Nidoran, spraying him with the potion, taking care to apply extra to the areas that had taken the biggest beating. Once he was done tending to Deacon, Eloy returned him to his Pokeball to rest. Post-battle treatment done, Eloy began to trudge back towards the cable car himself. Soon coming to a halt with a look of surprise on his face when he found the pair of girls waiting for him out the front of the Avent Town Gondola. “Well hurry up!” Layla said, as loud as ever “I did say I’d reward you with our company whether you won or not. Get a move on!” Eloy couldn’t help the sinking sensation he felt in his stomach. Despite Guinevere’s earlier kindness, he didn’t get the impression this was going to the pleasant ride down he had initially imagined. “Don’t worry about a ticket, I bought you one already anyway since I’m such a nice person.” Layla added, waving a ticket in his general direction. He definitely wasn’t going to enjoy this cable car ride. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png |
Having a Blast The cable car moved down over the mountains at a comfortable pace. Too slow and there was a greater risk of it being scary for passengers, but the same was true of it being too fast. Eloy remembered learning that when it was being built a lot of careful thought was put into just how fast it would travel. It didn’t look like much, but the Avent Town Gondola was actually a technological marvel that had been meticulously designed over a long period of time. It wasn’t the biggest in the world, that title went to the cable car along Hoenn’s Mt. Chimney, but it was still a long way down and every effort had been made to make it safe and comfortable. It even adjusted itself to suit the incline as it went, dangling from two robotic arms instead of a single tether like most of its kind. At that moment though, that trivia was at the back of Eloy’s mind. He sat across from Layla and Guinevere in a comfortable velvet chair while the former of the two girls talked to the latter endlessly. It was peculiar to watch. Guinevere, or “Gwen” as Layla referred to her, remained silent for the most part, offering an answer only every now and then. Despite this, Layla spoke at her incessantly about any topic that crossed her mind. It was almost like watching his “conversations” with Deacon more than dialogue between two people. Somehow though, Gwen seemed to enjoy the other girl’s company and be quite content with the dynamic. It was utterly bizarre. Every moment he spent in Layla’s presence made him progressively more uncomfortable, building on top of the hollow feeling still remaining from his defeat. He’d tried to put it out of his mind and be positive about how he and Deacon had performed, but Layla’s overbearing aura was filling the cable car and making it impossible to forget. Suppressing a sigh, he looked out the window at the scenery below. Eloy had to admit, sour mood or not, it was a beautiful sight. A sea of different shades of deep green rising up out of the craggy brown of the mountains, parting to allow a crystal clear river of melted mountain ice and snow to flow down the mountainside. Much like the cable car, the river was named after the town they descended from: the River Avent. It branched off as it flowed along beneath them, splitting into a series of breathtaking waterfalls that sent up a spray of mist, light refracting through them to produce faint rainbows. Every so often, a flock of bird Pokemon would rise up from the trees in numbers Eloy could scarcely fathom. It was Natu and Xatu predominately, they were the most common birds to the area, but it wasn’t unusual to see something rarer like a small group of Chatot. It was picturesque, but Eloy found himself struggling to appreciate nature’s splendour. What happened? The thought had come up in Eloy’s mind more times than he could count at that point. He’d felt so confident, Deacon had been in peak condition and for a moment he’d felt victory seconds from their grasp. Looking back though, he obviously hadn’t been anywhere near as close as he’d thought. He’d gotten a few good hits in, but every one of them had been weakened by Florence’s Baby-Doll Eyes. If he’d been more observant, he’d have noticed that the Buneary hadn’t been that badly damaged after she’d taken those Poison Stings. On top of that, between Charge Beam’s boosting effect and Work Up, Florence had only grown more powerful as the match progressed. He’d been thoroughly trounced in reality, but he’d let himself believe it’d been a close battle. “Hey, Space Case, I asked you something,” Eloy looked back around from the window. The demanding tone had obviously come from Layla, he’d established pretty early on that he wasn’t going to hear anything of the sort from Gwen. She’d been blunt, but always polite. “Sorry,” Eloy said, more embarrassed than apologetic “Was lost in thought. What was it?” “Geez, I know I destroyed you but you don’t need to mope about it,” Layla teased. Eloy had to force himself not to wince at what felt like a gut punch. He knew she had no idea what was going on in his head, but in the extremely short time he’d known her, Eloy had come to realise that Layla had an uncanny ability to take a stab in the dark and manage to hit exactly the right nerve. “I said, where are you from anyway?” “Oh, I’m from Citri Town,” Eloy responded, surprised that the girl had asked a question about him. She didn’t seem the type to be that interested in other people. “It’s a little farming village a few hours out of Avent.” “I guess that makes sense,” Layla replied, sounding weirdly matter-of-fact. It almost seemed like she was still jibing him about the battle. He tried to push that idea back, it wasn’t like him to think so badly of a person he’d just met. It did make sense. “Gwen was born in Avent Town, you might even have met when you were younger if you ever went through there,” Layla added. “I guess it’s possible, I never really got to know the local kids in Avent that well,” Eloy replied, not bothering to mention that he’d overheard the bit about Gwen’s origins already. “We both live in Techniti City now though,” Layla continued as though he had never responded to her earlier point. “Well, more accurately, Gwen does. My family actually live in Erythie City, but I boarded in Techniti for trainer school.” That made an almost excruciating amount of sense to Eloy. Erythie City was a coastal resort city, only the very rich and tourists were really found there. Although, gym challengers would often pass through as Erythie was where the Sigia Region’s Fairy type gym could be found. Not only did the location suit her personality, but if she was wealthy enough to have grown up there and boarded in Techniti City for her trainer school, she’d probably attended one of the elite academies there. “Actually, how’d you get your trainer license living up in the mountainous middle of nowhere?” Layla asked. Eloy hoped he hadn’t missed any more of the, for want of a better word, conversation while he’d been pondering Layla’s place of origin. “I did most of my study over the internet from home,” Eloy replied “Every now and then though I’d have to go into Avent for exercises or tests.” Students from all the smaller villages congregated there for things like that and would fill up the inns for the duration if they weren’t going to be able to make it back home before dark, which pretty much nobody ever could. Eloy had always enjoyed those times because there wasn’t really anyone in his age bracket in Citri. It was hard to think back on his education fondly though with Layla sitting across from him. His answer sounded like an excuse. Am I really already thinking like this at the very beginning of my journey? Eloy thought to himself. This girl has an awful effect on me. “Maybe that’s why I’m so much stronger than you,” Layla chimed, obnoxiously happily “Well, that and Florence.” Eloy was about to question what she meant about that, she’d mentioned that the Buneary was “special” at the start of their battle too, but was cut off by Layla again. “If you think I’m good though, you should see Gwen in action. She probably taught me more than the school did.” That was something Eloy hadn’t been expecting on two counts, and he couldn’t decide what was more surprising, that the quiet and reserved Gwen, who had not said a word to him yet through the trip, was apparently the best battler in the cable car, or that the cocky and pompous Layla had just given someone what sounded like a genuine compliment. “You’re better than me,” Gwen said suddenly, not quite succeeding at hiding that she was pleased by the compliment. She didn’t elaborate any further, that part of the proceedings didn’t have quite the same shock value. Still, the discrepancy was interesting. If his limited experience was anything to go by, Gwen’s account of things was probably the more accurate. Her version certainly made more sense to Eloy. He recalled a few moments prior where he’d thought Layla and Gwen’s dynamic wasn’t unlike a pet and its owner. Maybe Layla was the sort who liked to brag about her pets. After that exchange, Layla went back to chatting away at Gwen and Eloy went back to trying to tune out the sound of her voice. Thankfully, it wasn’t too much longer before they reached the ground-level cable car station and, after turning in their tickets, exited down a flight of aluminium stairs onto the route beyond. The environment beyond the station was already quite different to what Eloy was used to. A wide dirt path extended out from the base of the mountain. On either side of the path, trees sprouted up, the bases of their trunks obscured by tall grasses. He couldn’t make it out through he progressively thickening woods, but off to one side he could faintly hear the sound of the River Avent flowing off to where it would eventually merge with a larger river and flow out to the ocean beyond. “Well, we’re going to head off towards Rosaste Town now,” Layla declared, apparently not needing to consult with Gwen before hand. “What about you?” Eloy was also going to be headed in that direction. Rosaste Town was not only the nearest large town, but it was also the location of the closest gym. That being said, he didn’t want to open himself up to a situation where he’d be travelling alongside the girls. He was perfectly comfortable with Gwen, but according to the maps he’d read, Rosaste was at least a day away on foot if not more. Eloy was of the opinion that if he spent even half of that time in the company of Layla, he’d lose his mind. He quickly settled on his response. “Yeah, I’m heading to Rosaste too. Don’t wait for me or anything though, I feel like exploring around here a bit first. Maybe I’ll see you there.” “I didn’t invite you,” Layla joked, poking her tongue out. “I guess we’ll see you around then.” She gave a wave and very suddenly turned and walked off along the path. “Bye,” Gwen said, much less exuberantly, before quickly heading off in pursuit of Layla. Eloy headed into the woodlands a way until he couldn’t see either of the girls anymore, then dropped to the ground, slumped against a tree. He let out an exasperated sigh. This hadn’t exactly been a good start to things, much of it had been downright annoying really. That being said, he was in uncharted territory now, he needed to keep a clear head going forward with his journey. After taking a brief moment to bask in the sudden quiet, Eloy climbed back to his feet and set off through the woodlands in the general direction the path had followed at a leisurely pace. He wasn’t in any hurry to catch up with Layla and Gwen, so he figured he’d go a short way before setting up camp for the night. The sun was starting to hang lower in the sky at that point and despite having spent the past while sitting down, he felt like he’d ran a marathon. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png |
Hey, so I'm reviewing the first 4 chapters here!
I do like some of the world building so far here. One mention I like is the difference between town Pokemon centers and nurses compare to the city ones. There's then the mention of how the richer trainers get their education versus the less privilege ones. I wonder if there's going to be a class privilege theme going around. One big pitfall I feel for Chapter One is a bit too much exposition. Take the mention of his parents wanting to give him a starter. At the end you have Eloy check his parents doing fine at the farm and leave. You could've taken the opportunity to have him speak with them and have that bit of information that way in their dialogue instead. Same thing with him mentioning to the nurse his parents wanted his Pokemon to have a check up. That would also give a chance to show off his parents' personalities more. The battle in Chapter 3 was good. I did thought Eloy might have the upper hand there, but nope. Does seem Layla is more a prideful one than Gwen, look forward to see Gwen's battle style if that were to occur. Hm, so far I feel like this is a bit more slice of life trainer story, and that's fine! Not all trainer stories have to have a grand adventure with legendaries and such. You mention in your summary/blurb that there's a darker side to Pokemon training and I'm curious how you'll showcase that. Part of me believe Layla's comment on her Buneary is one instance of that, but I'm still left wondering what she meant by that. Throughout reading, I noticed several mistakes in the dialogue puncutation, usually when you have a dialogue follow up with a dialogue tag (he said, she said), and missing periods. A couple examples. Spoiler:
Overall not a bad start, looking forward to more! |
Interlude One "Ah!" Melanie yelped, tripping over the leg leg of a coat rack jammed into the corner of the tiny entryway. A faded black fedora and coat falling to the ground as she stumbled over the inconveniently located furnishing. Feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment she hurriedly scooped the articles of clothing from the ground and returned them to the stand. She failed to suppress a sigh as she looked at sight in front of her, hastily covering her mouth as though she could force the disappointed sound back into her jaw. A grand manor this was not. It was startling to see how far someone could fall in such a short period time. The cabin, located on the outskirts of the forest by Scholery Town, was too small for all the clutter within. It's yellowed, peeling walls were scarcely visible behind all the ancient wooden furniture crammed into the structure. Melanie walked forward from the entryway into a tiny living and dining space, the equally small kitchen just beyond. To her left the door to the only bedroom in the home hung ajar and she could see the mess beyond. The owner of the home was slumped across a couch, asleep. On the coffee table in front of him, one too big for the little room, sat a bottle of gin now nearly gone. The denizen of the couch still clutched the glass in his hand. Unsurprisingly, he was a mess. Blake had always been a thin man, tall with prominent cheekbones and spindly limbs. He had always been healthy though, handsome even. His long black hair had always been carefully styled, slicked back over his head and held in a ponytail, his face clean shaven and his skin just barely dark enough to not be too pale. He'd dressed himself well in expensive clothes like his trademark coat and hat. Melanie could barely recognise him now. He'd lost a lot of weight, now looking more like a skeleton than a person and his cheekbones seemed like razors more than an attractive feature. His hair had fallen partially loose and was knotty and damaged, lacking its former lustre. Messy stubble now adorned his face and his skin was so pale it was nearing transparent. He still wore his old expensive clothes, but they were torn and stained. The scandal had taken its toll on him and now he seemed like a zombie, not even a ghostly memory of his former glory. He was in his early forties but looked so much older. "Mr Blake," Melanie gently shook the man, her voice soft, "Mr Blake, it's Melanie. Wake up, please." After much coaxing, Melanie's predecessor slowly roused himself from his alcohol induced slumber. "Melanie?" Blake groaned "I thought you were coming on Monday." "It is Monday." Melanie said, struggling to keep the pity and disappointment out of her tone. She'd grown up idolising this man. He was the reason she chose to focus her training on Dark types. "Oh." Blake forced himself into a sitting position with great difficulty, groaning loudly through the long process. Melanie had difficulty even imagining the kind of headache he had to have terrorising him. She made her way into his kitchen, trying not to look at the growing collection of empty bottles on the bench. Opening the fridge, she quickly found a pitcher of water and brought it over to the former gym-leader. She deftly grabbed the glass that was still in Blake's hand and pressed his fingers firmly around it, filling it. She stepped back, forgetting the too-large coffee table behind her. Losing her balance once again, she only barely managed to avoid shattering the glass pitched on the wooden floor. She was less successful at keeping its contents inside it. Water flew across the room, splashing the walls and furniture and forming a puddle on the floor. "Oh no! I'm so sorry. I just can't seem to help myself today," Melanie lamented, however Blake merely waved her off. "You haven't been able to help your klutziness since the day you were born," Blake corrected her "Don't worry about is so much though. It's not like a little water's going to make a shithole like this any worse." Melanie tried to protest, but was merely waved off again. She took a seat next to him, finally giving in. "How did you end up here anyway?" Melanie questioned, trying to hide how sad she found her former idol's new abode. "When mum and I visited you just before this mess started, you were still living in your old house. This is uh... quite a change." Blake laughed, a dead sound devoid of humour. "What happened was I fucked up and I got caught, kiddo," he explained "I was running low on cash beforehand anyway. Then when they found out the League Administration fined me and suspended me. So I had to pay them and I had no income coming in. Then the criminal charges hit and I paid for one hell of a lawyer - fat lot of good he's done - and they fired me so I wasn't making that back. I still owed money to my supplier too, so I sold the house to cover it." Melanie, officially confirmed as Blake's successor was well aware of how much money a registered gym leader earned from the Administration. She couldn't help but let her mouth fall open in shock at the revelation that despite his ample earnings, Blake had managed to get himself in debt. She felt the Butterfree in her stomach start going double time. They were getting to the crux of why she'd come faster than expected. "Who is it that you owed money to?" Melanie asked, a faint tremble in her hushed voice. Blake ran a hand through his hair and gave an exhausted sigh. He drained the glass of water before answering, it was obvious to Melanie he knew she wouldn't like the answer. He was procrastinating. She couldn't remember him ever being such a coward. It was like he was a totally different person. "You know I can't tell you that. Or anyone else." There it was. They had reached the first of the important points that Melanie had come to broach. "Why not?!" Melanie said, her voice quivering more as it rose in volume. "They offered you a plea deal, Mr Blake. It's all over the news, someone leaked it to a reporter. All you have to do is reveal how you got the Pokerus and there's no jail time. They gave you the offer a couple of days after the charges were laid. This could all be over and you could be shipped off to Alola in witness protection by now!" Blake just shook his head sadly. "These people? I could get rocketed to the moon and they could still get to me, and if they couldn't they'd be after you or your mum. Even Maggie might not be safe. We are all safer if it is made very public that I didn't give anyone any names and live out the rest of my life is a little cell." "Why did you even do it? You were already so good." Melanie couldn't help the tears now, her dark makeup smearing as the drops fell down her face. "You were already so good, but you injected a dangerous virus into your Pokemon. You had some of them with you for over twenty years and now who knows where they are?!" "Because I wasn't good enough," Blake said, refusing to look at his successor in the eye "I was starting to lose more and more. Trainers these days are stronger than ever before and it's a rare trainer like Maggie or Dragomir that can actually hold onto their positions. Every time we lose, the Administration has to pay out so the challenger can afford to eat on the way to the next gym. Then on top of that, they have to pay for new batches of badges more and more frequently. I was haemorrhaging money because I couldn't keep up. Why do you think you got brought in so quickly? They had already decided on having you replace me." Melanie could hardly believe what she was hearing. She felt herself shaking. It wasn't just from the crying now either, she realised. She was afraid. Was this how she'd end up too? She wasn't half the trainer that Blake had been. What was worse, she could tell there was an unspoken bit of information floating in the air between them. Why was it that such a skilled trainer had suddenly found himself unable to keep up a satisfactory win record? "H-how bad is it?" Melanie stammered. "You have no idea." |
Dawww, that was a neat little scuffle.
This was good, though there are some things I noticed (and some clarification I'd like) Quote:
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Now regarding the battle I wanna ask if your world mechanics well...isn't limited to 4 moves. Deacon had, Peck, Double Kick, Poison Sting (as a horn, nice touch) and Fury Attack Florence had Work Up, Baby Doll eyes (also liked the wording regarding the attack lower), Charge Beam, Quick Attack and Pound. Something that is a little bothersome to me in regards to unlimited moves is that it doesn't really level strategy as well as peeps would think. Having limited resources really in my opinion adds to the preparing aspects more than just not forgetting. So I just wanted to ask if this was intended. Other than that, this was a good fight scene. Simple, yes, but they are little and just starting. (Also, I can already tell Guiniverre is the quiet, but calculative and reading type. I hope we get more of her personality so these characters have more to go off of, heh.) Well done, for a concise fight. |
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I didn't give unlimited moves, but you're correct that I expanded from four moves. Pokemon in Stairway will be able to have up to six moves at a time. Four is perfect for the games but I find it leads to a lack of variety that makes combat a bit stagnant in writing. Six gives a bit more variety but still keeps a limit that requires strategy. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! |
Surprise Surprise Eloy found himself suddenly awake, curled up in his sleeping bag with a slumbering Deacon. He begrudgingly opened his eyes, peering down at his partner, whose head was poking out of the top of the bag, horn pointed in the opposite direction to Eloy’s throat thankfully. Eloy had released him from his ball after setting up camp for company and a little extra warmth. The nights weren’t nearly as cold as they were up in the mountains, but he wasn’t afforded the same protection from the elements as he was tucked up in his bed. All signs of the beating that Deacon had taken in his previous battle were long gone, potions tended to work quick on more superficial injuries like those sustained in the average battle. That was good news for Eloy. His companion was not only healthy but would be ready to jump back into any other battles that came up. Still, Eloy was loathe to disturb the Nidoran. Deacon was a surprisingly heavy sleeper given his energy when awake and he looked so peaceful. Eventually though, as the sun rose to a more prominent position in the sky and rays of warm light began to filter in through the canopy above him, Eloy decided that it was time to get a move on. He began to climb out of the sleeping bag and, as though he’d flipped a switch, Deacon’s eyes shot open and he immediately perked up, practically humming with energy. The sight brought a grin to Eloy’s face. “Ni!” Deacon cried out, flying out the sleeping bag and dashing over to where Eloy’s bag rested nearby. Moments later, the Pokemon was running tight laps around the bag. Eloy had seen similar enough behaviour around breakfast time to know what that meant. “Alright, alright. Breakfast first, then we get moving.” Eloy chuckled as he pulled on his coat. He bent down and pulled out supplies for breakfast from the bag. It wasn’t the most impressive meal, sandwiches with a nut spread for him and a travel bowl of pellet food for Deacon, but it was enough. Eloy hurriedly at his morning meal, watching Deacon devour his own with gusto as he did so, and soon enough, he was finished eating and packing anything he’d removed from his bag away. “Okay,” Eloy said, pulling the straps of his back over his shoulders, “There’s not really any more reason for us to dawdle around in the woods now. Let’s head back toward the road and then follow it the rest of the way to Rosaste.” “Ni!” Deacon replied enthusiastically, dashing past his trainer once he knew which direction they were heading in, only to halt before he got too far away and let Eloy catch up before dashing off again. Like that, the pair made their way towards the road that would lead them straight on to Rosaste Town. Rather than backtracking however, Eloy set them off in a route that moved diagonally forward through the woods. That way they would eventually meet back up with the beaten track without wasting time doubling back. As an added bonus, it also meant Eloy got to enjoy the walk through nature. He hadn’t been in a good enough mood to properly appreciate his surroundings the previous day, but now that he’d slept on it and woken up feeling rejuvenated, Eloy was able to bask in the pleasant atmosphere of the woodlands. Unlike further in, a thick forested area, the trees here weren’t too close together and plenty of light got in, causing the morning dew that clung to the area’s flora to sparkle. Occasionally, Eloy would catch a glimpse of a wild Pokemon that called the area home, but for the most part the only indication that Deacon wasn’t the only Pokemon present was a choir composed of the calls of a multitude of species. He wasn’t able to identify every call he heard, but amongst those he did recognise were the musical intonation of Kricketot and Kricketune, Pokemon famed for the beautiful melodies they could create. It wasn’t surprising to hear them in an area like the one they were moving through, but nonetheless, Eloy found himself enjoying the sounds. More surprising, was when one of said Kricketot wandered out from within a patch of shrubbery, directly into the path of Deacon who was hurtling forward in one of his periodical dashes ahead. The tiny bug screeched as the impact sent it tumbling, covering its orange and yellow carapace in dirt and wrinkling the collar around its neck. The Kricketot, struggling a little because of its stubby arms and legs, climbed back to its feet, looking to Deacon with a mix of fury and terror. “Toooooooooooooot!” the creature intoned frantically, glancing around it rapidly and waggling its arms. Strangely enough, it didn’t seem pleased about having a Nidoran barrelling into it. “Ni!” Deacon replied enthusiastically, coking his head to the side and wiggling his ears playfully. The two Pokemon were apparently on very different pages about the turn of events. Deacon took a step forward as the Kricketot waddled backward. Eloy found himself struck with inspiration. Deacon wanted to play and let off some steam, and he needed to catch another Pokemon at some point. He’d start things off with the Kricketot. Going by how it was trying to back away from Deacon, this wasn’t going to be anywhere near as difficult as battling Layla had been. “We’re going to catch your friend there, Deacon,” Eloy announced, then immediately giving the instruction to attack “Peck!” Deacon immediately switched from tentative steps towards the bug to a flat out charge, quickly catching up to the Kricketot as it tried to waddle out the way of the super-effective attack. Deacon was faster though, and with a sharp jab of his horn, his attack connected and sent the wild Pokemon tumbling across the ground again. The Kricketot apparently wasn’t quite as devoid of battling know-how as it appeared, though. Using the momentum of its roll across the woodland floor to its advantage, the Kricketot deftly returned to its feet. It looked around madly, its eyes eventually settling back on Deacon. “Tot!” it cried out, sounding almost accusatory, followed by a second cry. The second sound was different though, the sound had direction and Eloy could practically feel the change in the air as the vocalisation washed over Deacon. “Looks like I misjudged you a bit, didn’t I little guy?” Eloy realised that what he had just felt had been a Growl attack. He hadn’t expected it to come from a Pokemon that obviously wasn’t capable of producing an actual growl, but the move still carried the same attack lowering effect. Apparently impeding Deacon’s offensive capabilities was going to be a running theme. “Deacon, Peck again!” Deacon lunged for the Kricketot, striking it once more as it failed to get away. Yet again the small Bug type let out a cry and was sent sprawling as it took the extremely effective attack yet again. Once more, the Kricketot made use of the momentum inflicted upon it to roll its body back onto its feet. The wild Pokemon panted. Eloy grinned, he’d been right. The Kricketot had some good moves, but it wasn’t a fierce battler at all yet. With training though, those natural instincts that let it keep getting to its feet could be a big part of turning it into a powerful foe. Eloy was excited about the prospect of raising the Bug type. “One last time, Deacon. Peck!” Eloy instructed. Deacon rounded on the struggling Kricketot and shot forward like a bullet. He struck the Kricketot with his horn and set it hurtling backwards, churning up the ground as it landed hard and rolled back onto its feet. Once more, the Kricketot rolled back to its feet, swaying as the brief but severe beating it had taken began to take its toll. Then a brilliant, ferocious blast of white light erupted forward from the Kricketot in the direction of Deacon and Eloy. The blazing, vivid beam of energy a shot of destruction incarnate that sent both Deacon and Eloy’s eyes wide. The Kricketot swayed on it feet, the attack swinging up at an angle and shooting just past Eloy’s head. The attack collided with a tree and ripped a chunk out of its side. “Ni!?” Deacon shouted, confused and surprised by the sudden and vicious counter attack. Eloy felt similarly, his heart still located in the vicinity of his throat. Bide. An attack that turned all the damage a Pokemon sustained back on the enemy as a single concentrated blast of energy. That was why the Kricketot hadn't been fighting back. Eloy fell onto his backside, shaking with adrenaline. The tree could have been his head. “Woah,” Eloy breathed, the only thing he could managed to say for several minutes. He watched as the Kricketot continued to sway in place for several minutes before it fell over, inured and exhausted. Suffice to say, Eloy was impressed. “You’re full of surprises aren’t you? I can’t believe I didn’t think of Bide.” “Ni?!” Deacon cried out again, apparently still in shock from the sudden counterattack. Eloy reached into his bag and retrieved an empty Pokeball. He couldn’t say what would have happened if Deacon had took a hit from the Bide, that was even more reason to capture it. He lobbed the capsule at the Kricketot and the bug was drawn inside by a beam of red light. The ball hit the ground and wobble lightly for several moments. Then it was still. “Welcome to the team,” Eloy beamed, pushing himself back to his feet and retrieving the ball. “I think I’ll call you Maestro.” Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
All right the first interlude gives a better idea of where you’ll take one direction of the story. I remember the news of the pokerus mentioned but Eloy bushed it off and it wasn’t mentioned again. I do think the description of Blake was a bit long and repetitive, like the mention of him wearing expensive clothes twice. But yeah curious how pokerus will play a role here now.
Next up Eloy catching a new Pokemon! Like the mention of Bide there, look forward to see what kind of personality it has! |
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Did I say that twice? Whoops. That's what I get for writing at like 4am sometimes lol. Might go back and tweak the description a bit later. |
Impressed Eloy collected his pokeballs from the nurse, noting that the staff in Rosaste Town’s Pokemon Centre were all dressed in immaculate white and pink uniforms, just like the big city nurses that he would see on the television from time to time. Compared to the worn out woman with the lively personality he’d talked to back in Avent Town, the people in this Centre were all well-rehearsed and professional, almost too pleasant and a little robotic. The facility itself also stood in stark contrast to the previous Pokemon Centre Eloy had visited. Where Avent Town’s had been a small, old building with ancient mismatched furnishings and little space for overnighters, the Rosaste Town equivalent was the definition of a modern day Pokemon Centre. It was a large building rendered in white with a bright red roof, the front covered with tall glass windows and an automated door. The interior was dominated primarily by a large lobby with peach coloured tiles on the floor and white on the walls. A desk blocked entry way into the back which housed the medical facilities. The remainder of the building was dedicated to housing trainers; a small cafe and the upstairs accommodations. There was also a training field behind the building itself. Eloy exited through the automated doors and out into Rosaste Town itself, the air outside noticeably warmer than the carefully maintained cool of the Pokemon Centre, although Eloy had experienced first hand that it was made pleasantly warm at night. Now Eloy made his way through Rosaste in the direction of the gym. He had arrived far too late into the night to challenge it the previous day, but he’d come past it on the way to find somewhere to stay. It wasn’t a particularly long way away, but it was far enough that Eloy had some time to take the town in. Rosaste Town was far bigger than either of the towns Eloy had been in before, the smallness of where he’d come from making it seem all the larger. It wasn’t quite sizeable enough to be called a city, but it was obvious that the population there was measured in the thousands, not in the hundreds like the mountain towns. In fact, it probably had several times the population of Citri and Avent combined. As he walked across the town, Eloy could see that Rosaste was more or less divided into districts. Where was seemed to be more of a community district and housed various businesses like a handful of restaurants and taverns, boutiques and a PokeMart. Several streets lead to the residential parts of Rosaste, Eloy didn’t venture down those though. His destination had come into view: a large park that seemed to be central in the town to Eloy. A brightly coloured playground and a large pond with a fountain could be made out, but they weren’t what drew Eloy’s attention. At the centre of the park stood a round building with a roof of panelled glass. Above the building’s automated door was a sign designating it the Rosaste Gym. “Alright,” Eloy said to himself, feeling his excitement building “Today’s the day. We had a rocky start, but I know we’ve got this.” Feeling his heart thudding in his chest, Eloy sped his pace up as he approached the gym and soon found himself stepping inside. Eloy found himself standing in a small lobby. At the back of the room a young man sat behind a stone desk, idly flipping through something on his PokeGear. To either side of the desk, two double-doors were closed to what was beyond, although Eloy could faintly hear something going on beyond. That was all pretty standard, what wasn’t standard was everything else. The floor of the lobby was covered entirely in very real grass, creeping vines covered the walls and to round everything off the room was surrounded by a ring of potted berry plants of different kinds. “Not what you were expecting?” the concierge at the desk asked, looking up from the device in his hand with a chuckle, “Don’t worry, everyone always reacts like that their first time here.” “I can believe that,” Eloy replied with a chuckle of his own, “I’m here to challenge the gym.” Eloy showed the man his trainer license. “Yeah, no problems with that.” The concierge replied casually, leaning back in his chair, “You’ll have to wait a bit for your shot though since Vinnie’s taking a challenge right now. Feel free to head through and watch while you wait.” Eloy thanked the man and decided to take him up on his offer. This was a great chance to see just what it was he’d be up against. He knew well-enough that Vinnie was a Grass type user, a fact made even more evident by his building’s decor, but that was about it. While gym leaders frequently appeared on TV or in internet interviews, Vinnie tended to be a bit more reclusive when it came to the press. Eloy passed through the doors on the left, finding himself standing on a metal platform overlooking what seemed to be a clearing in a forest. Tiered seating made of steel rose up in an amphitheatre style around a grassy battlefield that was dotted by small trees. At the centre of it all stood two trainers and their warring Pokemon. Eloy froze. The trainer furthest from Eloy was a man who looked to be in his thirties. His brown hair was long and messy, decorated with small green, pink and yellow beads and his face was covered in stubble. He was dressed casually in a white tank top with a green paint splotch pattern and hems and brown jeans. Eloy recognised the man from a handful of things he’d seen as Vinnie, the gym leader. He looked even scruffier in person, but that wasn’t why Eloy’s stomach lurched. Vinnie’s opponent was a girl about his own age, with long, straight blonde hair. She was dressed in dark cargo pants and a red T-shirt worn over a black and grey striped top with long sleeves. It took several minutes before Eloy could relaxe; it wasn’t Layla. As he rounded the arena and took a seat it became quickly apparent that although she was of a similar height and build, she looked quite different overall and her style was completely unlike Layla’s. Besides, Gwen was nowhere to be seen. Crisis averted, Eloy looked back over the battlefield. On Vinnie’s side of the battlefield a singed Hoppip was bouncing expectantly. On the other side of the field, the spectral form of a skull-faced Duskull floated serenely. A faint smile adorned Vinnie’s face while his opponent was all business. A glance at a large monitor on the wall behind Vinnie showed Eloy that both were on their first Pokemon. Vinnie seemed to be pondering his next move. “Alright,” he began “Dandy, give ‘em an Aerial Ace.” The Hoppip, Dandy’s, leafy propellor began to spin on the top of its head as it rose into the air. The small pink Pokemon performed a loop in the air, gravity increasing its momentum as a result, and flew towards the Duskull like a living projectile. “Mortimer, use Protect.” A glowing green barrier exploded into existence, encasing the Duskull at the girl’s confident command. The timing was perfect and it was too late for Dandy to abort, the Grass type crashed into Mortimer’s defense hard and floated back with a ringing head. “Follow that up with Dark Pulse.” Mortimer raised his small arms forward and a black and purple energy formed there, then the attack shot out, the colours swirling around each other in a helix as the blast raced forward and collided with the Hoppip. Dandy was launched across the room, hitting the ground and skidding to a halt near Vinnie. It climbed to its feet, seemingly ready for the counter attack when suddenly it dropped back to the ground. “Hoppip is unable to battle,” a third voice said, the sound coming from a referee Eloy had failed to notice leaning against one of the trees “The first round goes to Lauren.” “Good try, Dandy, my dude,” Vinnie said, his casual tone sounding more like he was out bowling than taking part in a legitimate gym battle. He returned his Hoppip to its ball before releasing his next combatant, a green Pokemon with long, gangly arms, a red bill and a large leaf on its head resembling a sombrero. He’d selected a Lombre. “Paco, you’re turn man, Rain Dance.” Vinnie punctuated his instruction with a thumbs up. “He’s kind of a weird one, this guy,” Eloy muttered to himself as Paco started swaying with his long arms above his head. Dark clouds formed above the battlefield, blocking out the sun from the glass ceiling. Rain began to fall across the battlefield. This was more like what Eloy expected from a gym leader. The rain would activate one of Lombre’s abilities and help it heal or make it twice as fast. He leaned forward expectantly to see what would happen next. “Bubblebeam, right up close, Paco.” The Lobre moved instantly, blitzing across the field with a kind of speed that an awkward frame like his shouldn’t have been able to possess. In an instant it was right up in the Duskull’s face. “Shadow Sneak.” Mortimer sunk into the ground, merging with his shadow as Paco unleashed its attack. A high-pressure spray of bubbles rushed past Lauren like a cannon and explode in a spray of water against the wall behind her, missing Mortimer entirely. Then, Mortimer shot up out of the ground behind Paco and collided with his back, knocking him into the ground. The Lombre immediately rolled onto its back, ready to let loose with another attack. “Disable,” Lauren instructed. Blue light shone from the eye sockets of Mortimer’s skull-like face, a similar glow briefly encompassing Paco’s body. The light faded and Paco found himself unable to create the attack he’d prepared. “Ah man, not that again,” Vinnie said, scratching the back of his head. He didn’t look nearly as perturbed as the sentence implied though. Eloy didn’t know what to make of the gym leader, he seemed far too lax, like he didn’t take his job seriously. Maybe that was why the battle didn’t seem to be going in his favour. Lauren on the other hand, was stoic and business like in her demeanour. Her eyes scanned the field intently, analysing every detail. If he had walked into this situation without already knowing who Vinnie was, Eloy might have thought she was the actual gym leader. “Will-o-Wisp, Mortimer,” Lauren replied to her opponent with another attack, taking advantage of the opportunity. Even with his increased speed, Paco couldn’t dodge the attack at such close range. Mortimer shot a small blue fireball at the Lombre, the attack steaming slightly in the rain. The Will-o-Wisp collided and for a moment, Paco was engulfed in blue flames before they suddenly disappeared, leaving the Grass and Water type charred. Apparently, that was what had happened to the Hoppip previously. “That too then,” Vinnie said with a shake of his head “You’re one serious opponent, huh?” “Thank you,” Lauren replied somberly “I wouldn’t be doing this right if I wasn’t.” “Well said!” Vinne commended “Don’t count us out yet though. Try an Energy Ball, Paco.” The Lombre leapt up, a glowing ball of different shades of green pulsing between his hands. Paco launched the sphere at Mortimer. “Protect,” Lauren said, the barrier once again erupting into existence. Green exploded against green, rain droplets blasting out in all directions from the force of the attack. The Protect shattered but Mortimer remained unharmed. That was, until Paco launched another Energy Ball immediately after. The second attack hit the Duskull hard, there was another explosion of green light and Mortimer careened across the battlefield. The Ghost type was hovering in front of Vinnie when he managed to right himself, his expressionless face giving little indication of how much damage he’d taken. “Come on now,” Vinnie said “I’m pretty chill but even I’m not gonna let you keep pulling the exact same stunts. Good going Paco, my man.” “Lom!” Paco replied cheerily. Eloy couldn’t help but get the impression that “pretty chill” was an understatement of Vinnie’s character. He looked and sounded like he didn’t have a care in the world. “Time to do something different then,” Lauren replied calmly “Mortimer, use Haze.” The Duskull complied, blowing a cloud of grey over the battlefield that billowed up from the ground. Soon a deep fog encompassed the battlefield, obscuring the onlookers visions. Eloy could just make out the trainers on the edges of the Haze where it wasn’t as thick, the pair looking like silhouettes as the heavy grey fog distorted their colour. Haze was a move that reset boosts or drops to a Pokemon power, but with the rain still falling it wouldn’t counteract Paco’s increased speed. “Now you’re just fighting dirty,” Vinnie joked, once again sounding far too relaxed for the words that had come out of his mouth. Tonal dissonance or not though, the statement clued Eloy in to what Lauren was doing. A side effect of the move Haze was, well, a haze. Neither Lauren, Vinnie or their Pokemon could see in the thick gas. Lauren and Mortimer didn’t need to fight though, with Paco having sustained a burn from Will-o-Wisp that would continue to sap his health, they just had to wait it out until the Lombre couldn’t keep going. Eloy had to admit, it wasn’t the nicest of strategies, but it was clever. It wasn’t exciting to watch either. “Energy Ball, Paco. Let’s try an indiscriminate attack and see if we can hit this little dude,” Vinnie said. “Use Shadow Sneak to keep out the way, Mortimer,” Lauren instructed in turn. Eloy couldn’t see any of it, only the faint flashes of green as Paco tried to hit a target he couldn’t see. Even without the Shadow Sneaking it would have been hard given Mortimer’s coloration. Eloy was forced to rely on sound, listening to explosion after explosion as the Energy Balls hit the ground. There was no indication of any of them meeting their mark. The onslaught continued as the thick haze slowly began to fade, the attacks continuing on so long that by the time the gas had mostly cleared, the rain had stopped falling and the clouds had parted to let the sun shine through the roof once more. The now clear field revealed a panting Paco and a serene Mortimer, the Ghost type behind the Lombre, where it couldn’t see it. “Ah, there you are.” Vinnie said, sounding like he’d just found a missing sock more than an enemy. That was all the reaction he was allowed. “Dark Pulse.” Mortimer once again fired off the blast of swirling, nefarious energies. The attack struck Paco in the back and launched him into the wall behind Vinnie, just below the monitor. “That means the winner is Lauren,” the referee announced. Mortimer sunk into the ground and emerged by Lauren, nuzzling against her happily. “You were great, Mortimer.” Lauren said, her demeanour suddenly relaxing as she hugged the Duskull. Eloy got up and made his way towards the battlefield so he could have his turn, tuning off to conversation as the two trainers met in the middle of the battlefield so Lauren could be presented with her badge. He had been excited before, now he was raring to go. If Lauren could so easily trounce Vinnie, there was no reason that he couldn’t. Besides, Vinnie didn’t exactly seem to be putting in a world of effort that day. “You can sort out your winnings with Rick at the counter.” Eloy heard Vinnie saying as he reached the edge of the battlefield. “Since none of your Pokemon fainted, you’ll receive a nice bonus.” Lauren turned from Vinnie and walked in Eloy’s direction to leave. “That was a really good battle, nice work,” Eloy said, grinning at her “You too, Mortimer.” “Oh, thank you,” Lauren replied “I didn’t realise I had an audience. That’s a bit embarrassing.” “Nah, no reason to be embarrassed about destroying a gym leader like that.” Eloy found the contrast between her cold and calculated demeanor in battle and how she carried herself now surprising. She didn’t seem meek like Gwen, but she gave the impression that she wasn’t the type to seek out a conversation from strangers either. “I wouldn’t say I destroyed him. He really knows what he’s doing,” Lauren said again, brushing off the compliment. “Trust me, you were great,” Eloy insisted “But it’s my turn now so I’ll let you get going. Maybe we’ll run into each other again.” To Eloy, it seemed almost as though she was uncomfortable being praised. He didn’t really get it, but he wasn’t going to let that drag on for her when he had his own victory to achieve. “Yo,” Vinnie interjected as Lauren and Eloy parted ways “Are you here to challenge me too or are you a friend of hers?” “I’m here to challenge you, yeah,” Eloy responded. “Here I was thinking I’d get to go back to gardening. That’s all good though, my man, let’s get this show on the road.” Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
Welcome to the Jungle Eloy stood on the same side of the field that Lauren had, looking across at Vinnie on the opposite side. He could just barely make out the patches where the grass had been damaged by Vinnie’s own indiscriminate energy ball attacks. The damage seemed surprisingly little though, as if the Grass attack struggled to destroy its namesake. It left Eloy with a surprisingly whole battlefield to work with. “Alright, Eloy, my dude,” Vinnie said, shaking Eloy from his ponderings and causing his blood to pump through his veins in double time. “I’m going to start with this girl, Chanterelle.” The gym leader released his Pokemon with a flash, revealing an orange insectoid whose body was dominated by a large mushroom. The Parasect clacked its pincers as though it was trying to remember how to use them, then fell as still as a statue. It was a little unnerving. “Now’s as good a time as any then.” Eloy tossed his own pokeball, the light fading away to reveal his own Bug type. Maestro looked around, rapidly shifting his whole body from side to side as he took in his new surroundings. Then his eyes fell on the somewhat disturbing Parasect, causing the little Kricketot to quite literally jump with surprise and begin looking around even more frantically, as if looking for an escape route. “Tot!” Maestro cried out, the alarm evident. “Relax, Maestro, you’ve got this,” Eloy said, just barely managing to hide his embarrassment. He could see Vinnie cock an eyebrow on the other side of the field. Eloy forced back the sigh that nearly escaped his lips, his Kricketot turning to him and looking at him a little accusingly. “We all good?” Vinnie queried. Eloy nodded. Maestro was a bit of a wimp, but he knew that there was some natural battling chops in there… deep down. Eloy just had to capitalise on Vinnie’s surprise when they finally showed. It was time to get started. “Maestro, use Bug Bite!” Eloy gave the instruction. Maestro jumped with a start again, but followed the command. He dashed forward, surprisingly quick for the waddling way he ran, and jumped for the Parasect. “Let’s give them a Substitute,” Vinnie said, sounding like he was suggesting showing off something he bought at the supermarket more than anything. Chanterelle’s expression didn’t shift, and the Parasect didn’t move, but she responded immediately. A blur rippled across her body as a clone stepped forward from the stationary Parasect, indistinguishable from the real one if not for a fuzziness to its composition. Maestro bit down on the clone Parasect, the substitute not showing any signs that it had even experienced an attack. “Next, try a Leech Life.” Came the next instruction. The substitute suddenly vanished and the real Chanterelle lunged forward, her face still a blank slate but her pincer cloaked in a faint red energy. The attack struck Maestro and as he tumbled back, streaks of light seemed to be pulled from him and into the claw. Maestro rolled back onto his feet, halting his backward trajectory, flinching slightly when he found himself staring right into the lifeless eyes of the Parasect. “Struggle Bug!” Eloy didn’t have time to worry about Maestro’s jitters, besides he could help with that by defeating the creepy Pokemon and having it returned to its ball. “Tot!” Maestro squeaked nervously, but the attack continued. Crimson light erupted up around Maestro in a daunting pillar, then rushed outwards in all directions. As the attack approached Chanterelle however, the clone Parasect appeared again and took the attack, the substitute had yet to break and faded away again. “Alright, Cross Poison,” Vinnie said casually. Chanterelle leapt forward, her pincers forming an “X” as a purple glow bubble around them. Her victim yelped as she slashed, separating the crossed claws and once again sending Maestro tumbling. “Bide, Maestro!” Eloy ordered. This was bad, he couldn’t seem to break through the Parasect’s defences and even if he did, it always had the ability to simply recover the health it lost with Leech Life. Even with Maestro being a Bug type and resisting the move, he had taken a decent amount of damage on account of his poor defences. A big devastating attack like from Bide was his best bet. “Uh oh, man, you didn’t think that through,” Vinnie said, almost sounding like a gym leader for a moment. Before Eloy could question what he meant, he gave the instruction, “Chanterelle, give ‘em a Spore.” Eloy winced as Vinnie’s meaning became clear. He hadn’t thought that through. Parasect was a Pokemon known for its liberal use of the dangerous status move and he’d just instructed Maestro to use a move that prevented him moving out the way. Powdery spores burst up from the mushroom on Chanterelle’s back and billowed in Maestro’s direction, engulfing the Kricketot in a glittering yellow-gold cloud and immediately sending him into a deep slumber. Not only did this cancel his Bide, but it rendered Maestro completely unable to defend himself. “Sorry about this,” Vinnie said, scratching his head sheepishly “Chanterelle, let’s wrap this round up with Fury Cutter.” The Parasect slowly walked towards Maestro as scimitar-like blades of violent red light grew over her pincers. Then, when she reached Maestro, the attack began. She slashed, knocking the Kricketot to the ground. Then she slashed again and again and again. Each attack seemed to grow in power and ferocity until with one final cut, Maestro was launched clear across the room and collided with the back wall where the main gym joined the lobby. There was no question he wasn’t getting back up to fight back. “That’s a win for Chanterelle, round one goes to Vinnie,” the referee announced. Eloy returned Maestro, congratulating him for a valiant effort and reached for Deacon’s ball. This wasn’t how the battle was supposed to go. Eloy couldn’t help but question if Vinnie had really been that formidable the whole time. He didn’t really seem to be putting any more effort in than he had with Lauren. Was she just that much better than him? It was Layla all over again. I can still turn this around though. “Deacon, your turn,” Eloy said, releasing his partner from his containment. Deacon appeared, ears pricked up, raring to go. He dug his feet into the ground in preparation of the charge. Eloy grinned, if any Pokemon was suited to the strategy he was going to try, it was Deacon. “Double Kick!” Deacon leapt into action, sprinting full pelt at Chanterelle, eager for the battle and with energy to burn. The clone Parasect blurred into being again, barring his way and Deacon went right for it. He pivoted on his front foot, rotating and delivering a kick with his powerful back legs. The clone Parasect exploded on impact, finally breaking after taking multiple attacks. The attack didn’t stop there though, Deacon landed on his back feet and pushed off hard, flipping backwards to bring his rear legs down hard on Chanterelle’s head, driving it into the grow. Then he darted forward to avoid a counter attack. The Parasect, climbed to its feet, her expressionless gaze not changing a bit. “Try Seed Bomb, Chanterelle,” Vinnie instructed. A yellow glow formed in front of the Parasects mouth before shooting forward in the form of an ovoid projectile. Eloy commanded Deacon to dodge, but the attack exploded on impact, catching the fleeing Nidoran on the edge of the blast and sending him skidding. “Fury Attack!” Eloy called as Deacon defiantly rose to his feet “Hit her from every angle you can.” Deacon wouldn’t be able to win a battle of attrition with Chanterelle, but Eloy had realised what he had to do from how Vinnie had defeated Maestro. Chanterelle was slow moving, he just had to bombard her with strong attacks faster than she could recover. “Chanterelle, use Substitute,” Vinnie gave the instruction as Deacon neared. Once again a blur seemed to envelop the Parasect as her clone stepped out from her. Deacon jabbed the Substitute with his horn, ramming the protrusion into it over and over, preventing it from dispersing so the real Chanterelle could make a counteract. Then, as the clone exploded once more he rushed in towards the Parasect. Vinnie had Chanterelle try and respond with a Leech Life counterattack, but Deacon was nimble. He ducked under the ominously glowing pincer and struck out with his horn to complete the Fury Attack. Chanterelle stumbled back silently. “Now Deacon, Peck!” Eloy pressed the attack. Deacon slashed upward with his horn, striking the underside of the Parasect and knocking it sprawling. Eloy smirked, being both Grass and Bug typed, Chanterelle was extremely weak to a Flying attack like Peck. “One more!” Deacon closed the distance fast, not giving Chanterelle the time to get back on her feet and defend herself. He lunged forward and rammed his horn against her carapace. Chanterelle was yet to make a sound, but as she skidded to a stop behind Vinnie, she didn’t try to stand back up. Now the match was tied up again. “That was smart of you,” Vinnie commended Eloy before returning Chanterelle “Let’s see what you think of Venus then.” Vinnie released his next combatant, and from the flash of the Pokeball a plant-like Pokemon with leafy arms, a tangle of vines in place of legs and an enormous dish-shaped head emerged. It looked like a venus fly-trap, hence the name, and was easily identified as a Carnivine on account of its distinctive appearance. “Interesting,” Eloy said “I didn’t expect that.” “Well, I suppose I’ll take the first move then,” Vinnie said with a shrug “Venus, use Bite.” The Carnivine, floating just above the ground, lunged forward, crossing a surprising amount of distance, with its enormous mouth opened wide. Deacon skittered out the way just in time to avoid being caught in the Grass types jaws, this time it was Vinnie’s turn to press the offensive though. At a command from its trainer, Venus lashed out with one of her leafy arms in a Vine Whip. The attack caught Deacon’s side and sent him to the ground. It wasn’t a particularly effective hit, but it was enough to give Venus a second shot at her Bite. “Go for another Bite,” the gym leader instructed. Venus whirled on Deacon as he got to his feet, slamming her jaws shut over the smaller Pokemon. Deacon cried out and Venus tossed him aside, skipping him across the grassy battlefield like a pebble over a lake. Eloy had gone from a surge of confidence back to concern. Deacon wasn’t built to sponge attacks and Venus was really powerful. He could see that his partner had already sustained heavy damage just from the two attacks he’d taken. “Poison Sting!” Eloy ordered, Deacon springing back into action, the tip of his horn aglow with a toxic purple. Faster than his opponent, Deacon got past the Carnivine’s defenses and jammed his horn into the Grass type, the super-effective hit causing her to recoil and crash into the ground. “Again!” The second attack failed to connect however, one of Venus’ vines shot out and wrapped around Deacon as she righted herself once more. She pulled the struggling Nidoran in, hungry for revenge. “Okay, how about Throat Chop?” Vinnie said, almost seeming like he was asking permission instead of giving a command. Whatever the case, Venus seemed to agree with her trainer. She slammed one of her leafy arms into Deacon’s neck and dropped the spluttering Poison type to the ground. “Let’s knock it away too.” Venus didn’t have a problem with that either, swatting Deacon back across the room with a Vine Whip. The Carnivine barely seemed to have sustained any real damage from the Poison Sting. Eloy thought back to Lauren’s battle with the gym leader, she’d won effortlessly by inflicting a Burn onto Dandy and Paco and then just having Mortimer stay out the way for the most part until the status condition finished them off. He didn’t have quite the same luxury, but if he took a page out of yet another trainer’s books, maybe he could make something happen. “Deacon, Leer!” Eloy ordered. Deacon’s eyes locked onto Venus’, glowing a bright red. The glow was reflected in the eyes of the Carnivine, before fading from both. Eloy grimaced, what he was going to try for was risky. At least this way though, he’d been able to put a dent in Venus’ defensive abilities so he could maximise his damage output. “Okay, Poison Sting!” Deacon rushed the Carnivine, dodging a vine that shot out to intercept him and continuing his mad dash forwards. He leapt for the plant-like Pokemon and once more the glowing tip of his horn collided with her and knocked her back onto the ground. “Poison Sting again, Deacon!” Eloy called, Deacon rushed in again. Much like before, a vine shot out to grab Deacon and halt his attack, but the Nidoran was getting used to this maneuver now. He ducked below the vine and then rammed up with his head, striking the vine itself with the Poison Sting. Venus hissed in pain and Deacon resumed his charge. This time no vines got in his way and he collided with the Carnivine just as she returned to her upright position, smacking her back along the ground once more. “Again!” “Go up and over, Venus,” Vinnie instructed. The Carnivine rolled over the top of Deacon, avoiding the attack and returning to her previous stance. She snared Deacon from behind with one of her vines and squeezing tightly, dragged him into her face. “Let’s give ‘em another Bite, now.” Venus clamped down hard on Deacon again with her monstrous jaws, causing the Nidoran to cry out in pain and alarm. She’d bitten harder this time it seemed. Eloy could almost feel the pain of the Bite himself hearing the sound, he was sure the Carnivine had clamped down harder this time. He’d have time to worry about Deacon later though, right now he had to use the opportunity he had. “Deacon, Poison Sting again!” Deacon lashed out, thrusting his horn up and back violently to stab at the side of Venus’ head with the glowing tip of his horn. The Carnivine screeched and dropped him, affording him the chance to strike her midsection as well before backing up out of the way. Venus floated back up again, but this time she was definitely feeling the effects of her attack. Where the second Poison Sting had hit her midsection, a discoloured patch had spread across her body and she seemed to sag slightly where she floated. Eloy breathed a sigh of relief. It had worked and he’d gotten lucky, Venus’ had finally been poisoned by the attack’s additional effect. Now between the damage the attack had done with her weakened defenses and the gradually worsening effect of the poison sapping her health, Deacon just had to avoid taking any more hits. “Looks like you were watching pretty closely, huh?” Vinnie asked rhetorically. Eloy nodded. It wasn’t the clean win he was hoping for, but he wasn’t above learning from his betters. He’d put his strategy together by piecing together what he’d learned from seeing both Lauren and Layla in action. He didn’t particularly like that he’d had to rely on inspiration from others to win, but right now victory was what was important. Here was no way he was losing that gym battle. “They want to keep out your reach now, Venus. We should Bind them.” Venus lashed out with not just one but several of her vines this time, intend on trapping and constricting Deacon to prevent Eloy from putting his plan into action properly. “Run, Deacon!” Eloy called. He knew Deacon couldn’t afford to be caught, one more hit from Bite or Throat Chop and the battle would be over for him. It was touch and go though, Deacon had taken a beating and he was exhausted. Eloy just had to hope for the best, that Deacon wasn’t too roughed up to avoid getting caught. Deacon dodged under several vines, then hopped back to avoid more. Next he had to roll sidewards to avoid getting caught by the vines he’d just avoided the first time. He picked up the pace, keeping to the edges of the battlefield as Venus floated after him, trying to keep herself in range. Over and over the entangling vines rocketed out, but Deacon just barely managed to slip away from them every time. He jumped over one vine only to suddenly duck below the next, or swatted one away with his horn only to immediately retreat to avoid the next one. It was tiring on Deacon though, he was battling his way through his second opponent and he’d taken some nasty hits. He just had to last long enough for the poison to do its job though. Suddenly a vine wrapped around Deacon’s leg, having swung to the side as he’d dodged. The Nidoran hadn’t quite been able to get away. The grip was just strong enough to prevent Deacon’s escape, the poisoning having taken a hefty toll on the Carnivine. Now though, she had managed to get Deacon in her grip. She pulled him in towards her, hard. “Poison Sting!” Eloy yelled in desperation. Deacon let himself be pulled in, using the momentum he’d been given to his advantage. Venus had pulled back hard enough that he was able to swing his head in and connect the attack. The Carnivine immediately let go of Deacon and was knocked rolling across the ground, coming to a stop at Vinnie’s feet. There were several tense seconds, Eloy’s heart pounding so hard it sounded like a Tyranitar was stomping across the inside of the trainer’s skull. She didn’t get up. Eloy let out a sigh of relief as Deacon hobbled back to him, looking triumphant. He’d managed to win. Just barely, but he’d done it. “That was great, Deacon. I don’t know how you did it, but it was great.” Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
Okay, commenting on the last two chapters!
So I noticed you often would describe what the characters are wearing, and I'm mixed on that. Sometimes what they wear shows off their personality and/or status, like Blake and Vinnie here. Others, like Lauren, not so much. So yeah, when it comes to describing clothing it's okay to not mention unless very important. Since you dedicated a chapter to Vinnie and Lauren's battle, I'm curious if Lauren will make another appearance. From Vinnie's battles with both Lauren and Eloy, he seems chill and calm there. Vinnie and Eloy's battle was a little more exciting mostly due to Eloy fumbling at some parts there but managed to pull through in the end. I feel Laruen and Vinnie's Pokemon should be given a bit more personality like you did with Eloy's Pokemon, like for instance I can see Paco dancing while it was raining in the gym. Now with Eloy having his first badge, wonder if he'll go to his second badge straight away (more or less), or something else that will happen. |
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Thank you for continuing to review this! |
So, I started reading this this week since it came up in a search for fics. Title was inviting and since it was suggested very relevant to the search I decided to take a look. Admittedly have read only three posts so far, I hope that's enough a start.
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Also: Male Nidoran wear pink all year and their evolutions are going to stab you if you suggest they should do otherwise. Quote:
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Good to see young people starting their journey with a top tier selection of Pokémon. Scratch off those Legendaries, Eevees and Eeveelutions and classical type triangle Starters. We need some novelty and it checks in in style. I'm gonna be very interested in reading sometime how exactly do you get a Nidoran starter. And I'm already interested in hearing some names and locations because this sounds like an original region and I'm interested in reading more of those. (Also, Pokerus. Nice to see it gets a mention and you already have a bit of a take on what it is and what it does) Quote:
2.- I'm going to say I like it how you hint here, via a very specific selection of words I've chosen to emphasize, at a style of construction and organization that is not only more "rural" but also that describes a building geared more towards multidisciplinary functions than merely a medical station. You see, there are practical reasons and studies behind why medical buildings like hospitals (and presumably Pokémon Centers) are themed in what I'll call "maternity white" or "maternity lime" for lack of a better description: not only it is a color of calmness and projects an illusion that the inside of the building is more roomy, but it also serves the practical function of highlighting clearly what areas are clean or dirty, or what parts of the walls are suffering potential damage from eg.: water leaks. Whereas a pinkish or in general more yellowish than greenish colour hints towards a permanent but not heightened state of activity: something like a lounge rather than a medical station (and conversely, red is for hazards and Danger™), fitting well with the idea that Pokécenters are also a place where Trainers come to seek rest and socialization. But I digress. Let's focus on the Nidos. 3.- It should be "accommodation" not "accomodation" (double m). Only glaring mistake I could find in this entire section but then again I'm not specifically looking for them. Grammar betareaders/reviewers are better for that. Anyway, the tangent from before serves to highlight a thing that I like so far: while this is an original region and the characters and locations are all brand new, I feel you choose wisely in these first chapters to describe things with terms that rely on evocation of emotion and association than terms that rely on categorization. Three examples that come to mind: "He jogged forward to catch up with the little Poison type before slowing to a more reasonable pace as they trudged down the dirt path towards their front gate." (Already gets you into "Heidi" or "Little House on the Prairie" flashback mode) "[...], and unlike Citri Town which was a landscape of touch yellow grass and rocky outcrops, Avent Town sat on a rocky plateau surrounded by trees and with lush green grass peppered throughout the town." (emphasizes a rough vs flat, fall vs spring comparison that already paints a mental image of a larger change in geography) "His [Deacon's] and Eloy’s frustration growing in synchronisation with each narrow miss until finally, deacon managed to clip the Buneary with an attack and send her stumbling." (focusing on the graduation of progress, or lack thereof, and succintly describe the climax, rather than trying to bore to the reader what they already know it's failing) (also note here you didn't capitalize Deacon's name, but I'm not complaining because a smol mon befits a smol name) Quote:
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BATTLE WOOSH Battle went as I expected to go as well, actually. Not many people really win their first fights when there can be Trainers from all over the country around. Considering the opponent though, Eloy did not did bad in the commanding part and it was nice to see mention of how both Pokémon tried to avoid each other attacks or made just enough motion to blunt or fend off a move that is already coming. This coupled with the shortness of descriptions overall gave the battle more a natural and consistent flow, if at the cost of making the climatic parts not really standing out in the narration compared to the beginning or the flatter parts of the encounter. Quote:
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Well, reading so far has been interesting and there's the battle that comes up (yay! first battle!). I could say and will have to say more with time, in particular as more worldbuilding is shown and we get to see the Nidoran (best character all the way I swear) in action, but down the line I find this is a story where as a reader I'm here to stay. In good part, to be fair, for the promise of Nidoran screentime. Keep going on! |
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Edit: Checked Eloy's artwork and unfortunately the socks appear to be white. Feel free to imagine them pink of you'd prefer :') |
Money, Money, Money Author's Note: Apologies in advance, this chapter is extremely short and not a lot happens in it. It's mainly just intended to close off Eloy's time in Rosaste Town and to shed a little more light on the Sigia region and the lifestyle of a travelling trainer. Up next is the second interlude chapter which I'm really looking forward to writing. With Deacon and Maestro recovering in the Pokemon Centre post gym battle, Eloy was left in Rosaste Town with time to spare. As much as Eloy would have preferred to just wander around exploring the town though, this was time that he had to use to prepare for the next leg of his journey. He was a league trainer after all, not a tourist. Eloy returned to the park where the Rosaste Gym stood, but this time he walked in the opposite direction to the gym and seated himself on the grass near the fountain, enjoying the warmth of the sun against his skin. The fountain itself was also something Eloy could appreciate, a marble structure depicting a Swanna and her Ducklett babies standing on a plinth in the centre of the pond, spraying water in all different directions. There weren’t really any parks up in the mountains and Eloy enjoyed the change of setting just as much as the change of climate. Once he was sufficiently comfortable, Eloy pulled out his Pokegear and set it to the map function. An image of a vaguely crescent-shaped landmass, sitting beneath a smaller tear-drop island appeared on the screen. Predominantly green, especially in the very centre, with more brown around the lower edges. Eloy’s eyes immediately located Citri town, a small blip to the south-east nestled in the brown of the mountains. A blinking light to the north-west of Citri, where it was greener, indicated his current location in Rosaste Town. “I could go from here to Jaspern, but that would involve a long trip through the middle of nowhere,” Eloy said to himself “Definitely better to head to Erythie Gym. It’s closer and there’s more civilisation in that general direction.” The selection of route meant that he would be continuing his north-westerly travel, passing through Topa Town before eventually reaching Erythie City. Eloy couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease about that particular location. It was a large city, although not nearly as large as Techniti, and a hotspot for celebrities, rich people and tourists. It wasn’t exactly the sort of place you’d find many mountain-dwelling farmboys. More concerning still, Layla was from there. The chances of running into her in such a large city weren’t particularly high, but anything that increased those odds was not something he was thrilled about. With a sigh, Eloy pushed himself to his feet; he’d only packed enough supplies for the trip to Rosaste originally, there was only so much room in his bag after all. That meant he’d need to stock up. Eloy set off, walking back in the direction of the Pokemon Centre. He’d seen both the Rosaste PokeMart and a general store both quite near the facility. He could stop by both shops and then head back to the Centre to have an early dinner, collect his Pokemon and rebook his room. It wasn’t nearly late enough that he couldn’t move on towards the next stop on his journey immediately, but there was little reason to rush either. Eloy soon enough found himself entering the general store. It was about what he expected, a small establishment with a wooden floor and green walls. Only a single teller sat at a counter near the front with a clear view of the rows of shelves and the small refrigerated area. Eloy looked at the small chalkboard signs in front of each isle, each displaying a handwritten list of its contents. He noted there was no section for meat, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. Very few people in Sigia still ate meat since Pokemon had grown to be regarded as more than just a resource. The closest Eloy himself got to meat was unfertilised eggs. Meat or not, even the tiny stores selection suddenly seemed overwhelming to Eloy. He hadn’t really put that much thought to the practicalities of his travels until that point and as he walked through the store he was quickly realising that the three thousand Poke in winnings he’d had transferred to his account by Rick after beating Vinnie wasn’t nearly as much as it sounded. Specially when he had to stock up on Potions and food for his team at the Pokemart as well. “Screw it,” Eloy sighed “I guess I’m eating sandwiches on the way to Topa too.” Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
Interlude Two Author's Note: So, in case it wasn't clear as there's only been the one until now, every fifth chapter posted will generally be an interlude. These will always give us a break from Eloy's journey to explore things from the perspectives of other characters, major or minor, and will often reveal little tidbits about the world or plot. This particular interlude is a flashback chapter taking place roughly three years before Eloy's journey begins. Gwen found herself seated at the back of the class, not by the window in the protagonist seat though, no she was lucky enough to have ended up at a desk right in the middle. Right in the middle not just in respect to the physical location of her desk, but in the middle of a friend group that she was very much not a part of. She was the new kid from the country and on either side of her and in front of her there was a boisterous rich girl, chatting obnoxiously loud across her. His wasn’t somewhere she belonged, it wasn’t even a class she wanted to participate in. She was still a year off of being able to just elect out of it though. It’s only three more years, I just have to stick it out for three years. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the laquered wood of her desk, repeating the refrain to herself as she tried to drown out the noise of her classmates. Gwen had known that her experiences at the school were bound to be different than at the two-classroom school she had attended back in Avent town, but she hadn’t counted on the sheer noise. She was two stories up in the immaculately rendered main building of the Nora West Academy, and she could hear not only the incessant chatter of her classmates but also that of the class behind her and of the students still moving through the tiled hallways. At times she could swear she was hearing noise from the rooms above and below her as well, but she was sure that she was at the very least imagining that. She had come to realise that everywhere in Techniti was like that. In the month since she and her parents had moved there, Gwen was yet to find anywhere she could escape the constant noise. “Hey you,” Gwen heard a girl say, her voice oozing a sense of entitlement. She’d have liked to have pretend that they weren’t addressing her, but it was pretty evident that both the girls to her left and ahead of her and the boy to her right all new each other well. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and lifted her head. “I don’t recognise you.” The girl speaking to Gwen was the one sitting in front of her, taller than she was, not that this was an achievement, with long blonde hair worn in a high ponytail, clear skin and dazzling amber eyes. Gwen found herself forced admit that this girl was pretty, but that didn’t excuse the fact she was obnoxious. She’d said “I don’t recognise you” in the tone of a queen expecting her subjects to present themselves to her. She lost extra marks for vividly yellow top she was wearing with a neckline that Gwen was confident was well outside the academy’s dress code. She wouldn’t have been totally shocked if the violently yellow colour choice was too. “I’m Guinevere,” she introduced herself, hoping to get the interaction over and done with as soon as possible, “I’m new this year.” “Guinevere’s hard, I’ll call you Gwen,” the girl announced, “I’m Layla. So, where are you from, newbie?” Gwen forced herself not to wince at the uncomfortable familiarity with which Layla spoke to her. Only her family called her Gwen. “Avent Town,” Gwen answered, painfully aware of the classmates on either side of her eyeing her like hungry predators. She wondered if they knew how overt they were being. It was obvious they were just waiting for something they could pounce on. “That town in buttfuck nowhere up in the mountains?” the boy on her right asked, or rather disguised the jab as a question. Gwen didn’t respond, instead making a note of the dyed blonde hair and gold earring dangling from his left ear, each standing in stark contrast to his dark skin. She was pretty sure his appearance was breaking about fifty rules too. “Ooo, she didn’t like that!” the gleeful explanation came from the red haired girl on her left. Her appearance was a lot more conservative than Layla or the boy, but she was doing the poorest job of the three at hiding her intentions. “I’m not wrong though,” the boy shrugged “True, true,” Redhead laughed. Apparently, Gwen was a novelty. She couldn’t say she was surprised by this, she had fully expected this was how things would go. She was the poor girl from the mountains in a class full of rich socialite’s kids. “How’d you end up here then?” This question was from Layla again. She sounded like she was demanding an explanation for why a peasant had set foot in her court. Already Gwen was lamenting that she couldn’t have just stayed in Avent Town. One day into the school year and already she was finding she would be perfectly okay with the entire academy mysteriously burning to the ground. “We moved here to be closer to family, my grandfather isn’t well.” Gwen replied, choosing not to address the more underlying question. The question of how someone from the middle of nowhere had ended up in the top-tiered school bearing the name of one of the Elite Four. They were already having a field day with her origins, there was no reason to tell them she was a scholarship kid too. Then again, they’d probably worked that one out on their own anyway. They were dressed in designer labels and she was sitting there in faded jeans and an oversized hoodie. “I guess that makes sense,” Layla replied, apparently not particularly concerned about the health of some commoner’s grandparents. This might have angered Gwen if she wasn’t already too tired from the continuing interaction. “Wait, you’re not even boarding here?” Red Hair asked with mock astonishment. Of course Gwen wasn’t. There was no reason for her to do that. She lived in the city and there was no way she could afford that anyway. “No,” she replied, knowing she was struggling to conceal her growing annoyance at this point, but also knowing she didn’t have it in her to actually act on it. Gwen simply resigned herself to an extremely unpleasant first day. A first day that was inevitably bound to get worse. The door flew open and a man in his thirties, carrying a heft bag hurried in. He unceremoniously dumped the bag behind the larger desk at the front of the room, effectively identifying himself as their teacher. “Sorry I’m so late,” he said apologetically “I got caught up with something at home. Over ten minutes late is not a great start, but I assure you things will pick up from here.” Gwen doubted that last part with how things were kicking off. She hadn’t even realised that it had been that long she was so overwhelmed by trying to ward off her classmates. “So, I’m Mister Hawthorn, here’s what we’re going to do. We’ll be heading down to the training fields to do some quick one-on-one battles so I can see where everyone is up to. Since we have four rows of five desks here, everyone in the first and third rows, you’ll be battling the person directly behind you. I’ll take the role call as you battle. If you don’t have a Pokemon of your own and need a rental, make sure you let me know before you’re up. Gwen failed to stop herself sighing as she got up, hand instinctively brushing the ball attached to her belt. Already the reason she hadn’t been looking forward to this class. If previous experience was anything to go by, this was only going to serve to widen the divide between herself and her peers. “Well, you’re screwed now, Mountain Girl,” the boy to her right said, not even trying to hide how much he seemed to enjoy the thought. “Layla’s Pokemon was specially m-” He stopped short suddenly, and Gwen didn’t miss that it probably had something to do with Layla smacking him. Someone less bright than she was might have thought it was on her behalf, but Gwen got the distinct impression that it was for something else entirely. What was that about? “My Buneary is special, she’s pedigree, you see,” Layla said, once again wearing an obnoxious “I’m-better-than-you” smile. As if that would erase what had just happened from Gwen's memory. “Yeah, you don’t have a chance,” Red Hair said from behind Gwen. Gwen simply sighed at that. She was definitely not going to win herself any friends with her performance in the upcoming battle, whatever the deal was with Layla's "special Buneary". “That’s fine with me, I’m here to become a breeder anyway.” With that out the way, Gwen made her way out of the confines of the classroom as quickly as she could, desperate to get out of the stifling atmosphere even if she wasn’t really looking forward to what was coming. |
Hey so got further in your story, awesome even if it's been a while since last time.
So two uncomfortable scenarios, each for a different reason it seems, eh. some things though, Quote:
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So 4 was rather, interesting. I liked the dynamics shown and how everyone has their own little things in regards to their guesses of each person, or in the two girl's cases affinity. Now, I can see Eloy surprised and is trying to make sense of it all, in a way I think fits his character well. Which makes it that much more annoy of a ride down with one girl stroking her proud boner while the other seems to be a reclusive toughie With regards to chapter 5, it’s an interesting turn of perspective. This definetly is a good set up with different characters and a seemingly much more stressful one than Eloy in the car after his loss. I don’t have much to say grammar wise, but honestly this isn’t just the tensest chapter so far, but probably the most mysterious one as well. Overall, both good chapters and hopefully, I will get to later ones as well. |
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Hm, Chapter Eight I think you could've have expand a bit with Vinnie congratulating Eloy (or maybe even have that in the end of Chapter Seven). And yeah, you're right not much happen except for Eloy deciding his next destination. It's fine to have that as a chapter itself, but I think you could take this opportunity for some character development/interactions. For instance, this downtime is a great way for Eloy to interact with his Pokemon, especially Maestro.
Now for the second interlude. So we have how Gwen and Layla first met, heh. Seems their first interactions didn't go off well there. Layla bragging about her Buneary there makes me curious once more over it being special. Would've like to see that battle to get an idea of Gwen's battle style, but I assume we'll see that soon enough. |
Like Bay's review, starting with the first four chapters as that's what I've read so far!
I'm enjoying it thus far - it's a nice quiet story with some nice observations on both other characters the protagonist has met so far and the world he's travelling through. You're doing a good job there; yet to be confused about the new settings and each place feels distinct. For instance I liked the notes of how the Pokemon centre in the first town he reached was quite small and felt homely, and how the nurse was tired. Nice details and thought there. Alluding to other regions, e.g. comparing to the Mt Chimney cable car, is also a good idea. I wasn't surprised that he lost the first battle he had. Not a complaint, mind, more an observation, but the hints before the battle started (e.g. mentioning her Pokemon was special) did give it away. Does give it an extra sense of realism. Bay already mentioned dialogue and punctuation (don't forget to update old chapters to make simple fixes!), so here's a few other things I noticed. Quote:
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Nice start so far. I'll read other chapters soon! |
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Following your advice, I went back and edited those small things you guys all picked up on in chapters 1-4. New chapters will hopefully be posted up during the week. |
Brush With the Wild Eloy halted his forward trek and stretched his arms towards the clear sky above him. He had been walking along the main path between Rosaste and Topa Town for several hours already and the pleasant atmosphere was starting to take its toll. The physical activity wasn’t a problem for Eloy, he was lean but he had grown up working on a farm, but the warmth was pleasant and was starting to make him sleepy. His surroundings were doing little to help his situation. The road was clear, the glow of the sun flooding the open space while on either side of him thick woodlands rose up, parting to let Eloy through like a biblical sea. From within the depths of the trees the sounds of the wildlife filtered through, a choir and orchestra all in one. The only thing keeping the scenic landscape from putting Eloy to sleep as he walked was Deacon. Deacon was as always a little pink ball of energy, routinely sprinting well ahead of Eloy and then squeaking at him, nagging his trainer to hurry up and catch up to him. That was until the Nidoran’s forward momentum ceased and he instead put his energy into running laps in and around Eloy’s feat. That was a signal that Deacon had decided it was now lunch time. A low rumbling from Eloy’s own stomach and it was decided that Deacon was correct. “Well, can’t argue with that,” Eloy chuckled. He lead Deacon away from the road and into the trees to make sure he wouldn’t risk getting in anyone’s way. A little way off the beaten path he found himself in a small grassy gnoll, the main path just barely visible through the thick plant life. Eloy set down his bag and pulled out a tin bowl and a bag of Pokemon pellets. He filled the bowl for Deacon and then went to get his own food, stopping when he realised he had another Pokemon partner with him. He hoped Deacon hadn’t noticed that. “Maestro, lunch time.” Eloy released the Kricketot from its ball with a flash, the small Bug type immediately looking around the area, scanning for danger. “Relax, it’s time for food not fighting.” Eloy gave Maestro a gentle shove towards the food bowl, turning back to his bag to get his own meal as the bug waddled off. He withdrew a sandwich that was oozing something pink and sticky out the sides and unwrapped it. Truth be told, he had no idea what the pink goo was exactly but he’d seen it on the shelves at the store and there was no way he could go wrong with pink. A squeak of terror caused Eloy to lose track of his ponderings of the sandwich’s pinkness, he whirled around almost dropping his sticky sustenance in the process. Deacon had, miraculously, looked up from the food dish as Maestro got to it and the Kricketot, the source of the noise, was now rapidly backing up. Not exactly a promising sign to Eloy, who was now realising this was the first time the two had really been able to socialise with each other after their initial battle. That was an oversight on his part and he was going to have to work on that… and Maestro’s cowardice in general. “Come on, he’s a friend,” Eloy sighed, scooping up Maestro, who for his part screeched in surprise at suddenly being airborne, causing Eloy to wince. Ignoring the unpleasant ringing in his ears, Eloy walked over to the bowl and plopped Maestro back in front of it. Then, he took a seat on the ground in front of the bow, between Deacon and Maestro. “See, you’re fine. Eat up.” Maestro cautiously leaned toward the pellets, sniffing them before slowly allowing himself to enjoy the food. Frequently, he would glance up at Deacon who was once again unabashedly devouring the lunch he was sharing, for want of a better word, with Maestro. Eloy sighed again, it was better than it had been a moment ago, but the two were going to have to get used to each other. Deacon had to learn to share and Maestro had to simply get used to having Deacon around. This was another challenge he hadn’t exactly counted on, but he’d just have to deal with it. He got back to eating his own meal, biting into the bread. A powerfully sweet taste filled his mouth as the glue-like goo hit his taste buds, the sensation practically sucking his lips back into his face like some sort of vortex. The taste wasn’t bad at all but intensely sweet was an understatement. He recognised the flavour of watmel berry in the spread almost immediately. Some might have taken that as their queue to give in, watmel berries were infamous for being sickly sweet, Eloy was not most people. Valiantly, hungrily, he continued to power through the sandwich. The morsel was no match for his sweet tooth. So engrossed was he in the explosion of flavour overrunning his mouth, Eloy almost missed it when Maestro suddenly froze, staring off into the depths of the trees and Deacon’s ears pricked up curiously. It was a while later, after forcefully swallowing the sticky clump in his his mouth, that Eloy also began to hear the rustling. Several moments passed before the source of the sound became apparent. From the edge of the gnoll a pack of brown canid Pokemon were emerging. Predominantly they were small, similar in size to Deacon and covered almost entirely in light brown fur that became cream-colored and fluffy around their faces. Sprinkled throughout however were Pokemon twice the size of the smaller ones, similar in appearance but with longer bodies, an overcoat of shaggy dark blue fur and the cream fur on their faces was less widespread, resembling a moustache. Eloy recognised them almost immediately from their distinctive appearances. The smaller were Lillipup while the larger dogs were Herdier. He’d seen a few domesticated ones in Citri and Avent, but this was his first encounter with the wild variety as they didn’t live in the mountains naturally. Eloy smiled, these Pokemon had a reputation for being very sociable and friendly. “Hi there,” Eloy greeted the newly arrived Normal types. The pack started inching forward, teeth barred and a low rumbling growl filled the gnoll. Deacon bristled at the aggressive gesture as Maestro hurried backed away, bumping into Eloy’s leg and letting out a squeak. “Tot!” “Calm down,” Eloy said, although his own heart was beating at a million miles an hour and he was fighting to control his own desire to just turn tail and run. Something told him though, that turning his back here wasn’t a great idea. “Ni!” Deacon snarled, ears flaring up to make himself look as intimidating as possible. The pack didn’t falter, creeping in closer and closer. They weren’t going to be fooled by a threatening display when they had numbers on their side. Besides, several of them were evolved Pokemon. Deacon snarled at the oncoming threat again, but Eloy knew it wasn’ going to work. He felt the panic taking hold of him now. Several of the aggressive Pokemon had started to foam at the mouth, even the cute Lillipup now looked like vicious nightmare monsters. Then the first one attacked. A Lillipup lunged aimlessly in their direction with its mouth open wide, displaying its sharp teeth as it attempted a Bite. Deacon reacted before Eloy could even give a command, dashing forward and jabbing up into the lunging Pokemon’s underside with the now glowing tip of his horn. The Poison Sting deflected the attack and sent the Lillipup tumbling. One attack wasn’t going to be enough to take it out of the fight though and it climbed to its feet, now growling even harder than before. Aggressive barks joined the cacophony of growling. Two more Lillipup began moving forward ahead of the pack, preparing to launch themselves into the fray. Eloy could feel the sweat beading on his skin, hyper aware of his surroundings and his body as his mind finally raced into gear and produced a coherent thought. “Maestro, Struggle Bug!” he shouted “Tot?!” the Kricketot cried out in surprise and shock. “Quickly!” Eloy yelled, unable to keep the panic out of his voice. There wasn’t time to gently coax Maestro into things and unfortunately he was better equipped for deflecting multiple attacks than Deacon. Maestro rushed forward as the pair of canines made their move, pouncing after Eloy and his Pokemon. They didn’t manage to hit whichever of the three they were targeting however, as a pillar of blazing crimson light explode up from Maestro and intercepted their attack. The red light expanded outwards, pushing the two Normal types away before fading out the way just before reaching Eloy and Deacon. “Deacon, Double Kick!” Eloy had turned his head just in time to see the first Lillipup attempting to retaliate against his Nidoran with a tackle. Deacon responded just in time, spinning on his front legs to lash out with his hind legs. This attack held a type advantage and hit the Lillipup much harder, sending it careening past its fellows. A Herdier was already charging in again now, a terrified cry from Maestro alerting Eloy to the attack. Eloy gave the command for another Struggle Bug, hoping to force it back again. Once more, the crimson pillar burst into existence to block the path of the attacker. The Herdier was much stronger than it’s pre-evolved form however and even as it took the damage from the attack, it dived through the fierce light. The Herdier’s jaws locked around Maestro hard and the Bug type screamed out in the kind of pain you would never hear in a normal battle. The Herdier made no move to let go. Fueled by adrenaline, a herd of Mamoswine rampaging around in his chest cavity, Eloy rushed in without thinking. He kicked the Herdier hard in the head. The raging creature seemed to barely feel the impact, but it was enough to loosen his grip on Maestro, allowing Eloy and his Kricketot to scurry back. The Herdier hurtled towards Eloy and Maestro with lethal intent and would have mauled the pair of them if not for Deacon running interference. The Nidoran shot in like a bullet, ramming his horn into the Herdier’s side and sending it skidding. His back was open now though and two more Lillipup dived for him. Suddenly, Maestro, crying out with abject horror all the while, threw himself over the top of Deacon. The first of the duo latched onto the already wounded Kricketot with a vicious Bite as the other one leapt forward to join it. Maestro let loose with his Bide, an intense blast of pure white energy exploding forward from the tiny Bug type, weaponising all the damage he had taken. The Lillipups were blasted through a through a tree, the sound of cracking wood filling the tiny gnoll as it topped over, colliding with others of its kind with a loud bang before it could reach the ground. That was two Lillipup who wouldn’t be rejoining the battle, but Maestro wasn’t a tough Pokemon ad had taken a lot of damage to make that small dent in their numbers. Eloy was impressed and proud, but there were more pressing concerns that giving a much needed ego boost. The Normal types were attacking again, fewer staying back each time. More and more of them slipping through Eloy’s attempts at keeping them at bay. Eloy’s Pokemon were sustaining heavy damage and even he was falling victim to attacks. A Lillipup made it past both of his Pokemon and sunk its teeth into his leg. Eloy yelled in pain and before he could even react to the attack was blindsided by a second of the dogs flying at him seemingly out of nowhere and clamping down on his arm. Eloy could feel the blood spilling from his wounds. He didn’t have the thick skin of a Pokemon and wouldn’t survive if he he kept getting bitten like that. He wasn’t even sure his pokemon could make it out. Still screaming with uncontrollable fear, Maestro threw his body against the Lillipup biting into Eloy’s leg. It wasn’t a proper move, the sagging Bug type just blindly tossed his weight into the Lillipup. It loosened its grip and Eloy kicked at it to knock it away a bit. Struggling to cope with the blinding, burning pain in his limbs, Eloy threw his arm about to loosen the grip of the Lillipup still clinging to him. Feeling a slight relaxing of the pressure on his arm, he grabbed the Pokemon with his free hand and wrenched it off by the scruff of its neck, tossing it over to the other one. Both were back on their feet as Eloy’s shaking legs collapsed out from under him. “Ni!” a furious cry came, blocking out even the sound of ceaseless barking for a second. With a murderous glare plastered on his face and a Herdier literally still clinging to his back with his fangs, Deacon barreled into one of the Lillipup that had reached his trainer, impaling its flank with the tip of his horn and launching it into the other next to it. Both went flying across the gnoll. The less wounded of the two leapt back to its feet but the one with the more severe injury took the chance to hobble away. That was three Lillipup somehow out of the battle, and a few more Normal types looking a bit beaten up. The attacks kept coming though and it was clear to Eloy this wasn’t the kind of battle he could win. They just had to find a way to survive. He didn’t understand what was happening, these were Pokemon famed for their friendly demeanours but here they were brutally and maliciously attacking out of the blue. What’s more, some of them just seemed not only unnaturally bloodthirsty but able to dish out more punishment than normal. Eloy had no idea what was going on but he was bleeding pretty heavily from two of his limbs, Maestro was barely on his feet anymore and even Deacon was looking worse for ware. The next wave of the attack then began. Eloy forced himself to stagger back onto his feet, exhausted and suffering from an unbridled pain like none he’d ever experienced before. He backed up a bit, as did Maestro and Deacon, the Pokemon staying close by his side this time as three of them prepared to take the onslaught. As a collective, the pack charged for them with a single-minded bloodlust. They were like a single rampaging beast with twenty mouths and eighty sets of claws. One dangerous mass all racing towards the injured trio. Suddenly, a screech echoed over the gnoll from above. A yellow ray of light shot over the top of one of the Herdier and although it took no obvious damage, it stumbled and latched onto a nearby Lillipup with its teeth causing it to cry out with pain and alarm. Several more of the pack stumbled and fell over the top of their fallen brethren caught by surprise. Several more of the Normal types pressed the attack, but from the side of the gnoll came two more attacks. A dark purple blob that rocketed into their midst and exploded with surprisingly violent force and a swirling, helix shaped blast of black and purple that cut across their numbers and forced them back. Bewildered, amazed and thankful all at once, Eloy looked around the area rapidly. Above him he caught sight of a blue Pokemon with small, leathery wings. The first attack, which Eloy now realised was a Confuse Ray, had come from the Zubat. From the side, where the other attacks had come from, emerged a pair of Ghost types. A doll-like Shuppet, seemingly made of a cloth draped over empty space and a stoic Duskull with red light gleaming behind its eye sockets. Behind them came their trainer, she was covered in dirt and her clothes were torn and damaged, but Eloy recognised her instantly. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
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I liked how you have Eloy try to have Deacon and Maestro get to know one another but Maestro is still uncomfortable, which is expected given his personality. Hopefully Maestro will break out of his shell soon. Oh dear, didn't expect Lilipup to have that much anger there. Something tells me though this is caused by a certain virus, and if so yikes. And hey again, Lauren. Something tells me she's probably annoyed at saving Eloy there. |
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Might do that for the Melanie and Blake interlude as well since I was a touch too repetitive there. Not saying a word about the rest ;) |
In case anyone wanted a clearer idea of what Layla and Gwen look like, Kitty made something awesome as a gift for me.
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Dogs of War “Are you okay?” Lauren breathed, quickly making her way to Eloy with her Pokemon keeping between her and the wild canines as the rabid Lillipup and Herdier started to get a grip on themselves. “Oh yeah, having the time of my life,” Eloy joked, clutching his arm in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. He could see that Lauren had suffered bites and scratches of her own, although none nearly as severe as his own. “Don’t worry about this,” Lauren said suddenly, as if she’d read his thoughts “It’s mostly from running through the woodlands than from Pokemon attacks, and the worst of those I have are graze from near misses.” Eloy nodded, they didn’t have time for conversations. The pack was back together again, and although more cautious now, was closing in on the trainers and their teams. Eloy began running through scenarios in his mind. While they had increased their numbers, the pack still outnumbered them pretty significantly and they were all worse off than the canines. “We could escape under Haze cover,” Eloy suggested, not taking his eyes off of the slow approaching Normal types. “They’d just follow us by scent. They don’t need to pinpoint us, just follow the general direction until they’re on us.” Lauren shook her head, her attention also focused on the incoming threat. “I guess we have no choice but to fight.” “We might be able to beat them together,” Lauren said “Our Pokemon are properly trained after all… but there’s a problem.” “Problem?” Eloy did not like the sounds of that. “Yeah, we don’t have long before the Stoutland gets out from under the pile of logs I left him under. I’m an okay trainer, but Mort, Marion and Echo were losing three on one. It’s really, really powerful.” “Oh.” Eloy nearly dropped back to the ground hearing that. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of crushing defeat. He could maybe imagine beating the pack, but he couldn’t fathom then somehow defeating a monster Stoutland on top of that. He didn’t get more time to ponder his situation however as the pack took that moment to attack again. Ten of them attacked at once, three Herdier and seven Lillipup, all of them suddenly rushing forward to close the last small amount of distance. They didn’t bare their fangs this time though, instead they just charged forward with strong Tackles and Take Downs. Eloy could tell that they intended to barrel over them and then savage them when they were down. Lauren reacted first and Eloy rushed to provide support. “Echo, use Air Cutter!” Lauren instructed. “Maestro, Struggle Bug!” Eloy followed suit. A flurry of cutting blades of air halted the forward charge just before the mass of Normal types reached the kill zone. The the red glow of Maestro’s Struggle Bug pushed the weaker Lillipup’s back, although the Herdier could endure it. Both trainers followed up on the attacks immediately. “Mortimer, Dark Pulse!” “Deacon, hit one with Double Kick!” The Duskull unleashed the spiralling Dark Pulse, the swirling black and purple of the attack striking one of the three Herdier and rocketing it back into the pack behind it. The remaining two at the forefront turned to face the Ghost type, allowing Deacon to dash in unmolested and deliver to hard kicks to one closest to him with his rear legs. The Herdier tumbled across the grass, taking super-effective damage from the Fighting move. Deacon was left open now though, with his back turned to the third Herdier. Deacon wheeled around, but the Herdier was already diving for him, jaws open wide. A purple projectile intercepted though and in an explosion of purple sludge the third assailant was blasted back into one of its companions as it tried to regain its feat. Marion, the Shuppet, giggled at the sight, having been the one to let loose the Gunk Shot. A wave of Lillipup suddenly rushed forward, but Lauren gave the order to block their path. Mortimer shot out another nefarious-looking Dark Pulse as Echo attacked with another Air Cutter. The joint attacks blasted the smaller canines away with ease as a Herdier rushed in past them. “Poison Sting!” Eloy called. Deacon rushed the Herdier, striking it with the glowing tip of his horn and knocking it back. It wasn’t enough to down the Herdier though and it attacked again. “Wing Attack, Echo!” The Zubat dive bombed the Herdier, its wings glowing a vivid white as it struck the Normal type with one of them in the surprise attack. The Herdier was knocked back to the ground, but it was already moving to stand again, all the while growling and barking furiously. “Again!” Eloy shouted, and Deacon silenced the Herdier with another Poison Sting into its side. The Herdier fainted on impact and dropped like a heavy sack. For all that effort though, the Herdier and one of the Lillipup were the only enemies to go down and every passing moment meant they were closer to having to face down the Stoutland Lauren ad fought. As if it had heard Eloy’s thought, a howl rose up from the trees in the distance. Several of the assembled canines howled in response as the rest continued to bar and growl menacingly at Eloy, Lauren and their Pokemon. Eloy felt his body go into overdrive, pumping out the adrenaline like crazy as it prepared for the incoming threat. Time was running out. Another wave attacked, four Lillipup and one Herdier, the five Pokemon racing forward after Deacon who was separated from the ranged attacking Mortimer, Maestro and Marion and the flying Echo. He backed up as Lauren’s Pokemon provided cover, another Dark Pulse and Air Cutter blocking the way. Or so it seemed. A single Lillipup made its way through, bursting forth from the soil dust churned up by the attacks and ramming hard into Deacon. Deacon tumbled back and the Lillipup and the other Pokemon behind it all charged. “Protect him!” Lauren called. She didn’t give a specific attack instruction, but her Pokemon leapt into action as though they had rehearsed for that moment. A Dark Pulse and Gunk Shot flew into the four Pokemon further behind, exploding against the ground as the Normal types were forced to abandon their attack and scatter. Echo dived down from the sky again, purple glowing fangs clamping down on the remaining Lillipup. Echo kept flying, dragging the struggling Pokemon along the ground with the Poison Fang and only dropping it near the edge of the clearing. That one was knocked out. “That was the Stoutland!” Eloy shouted in desperation, as if he could drive it away with sheer force of voice and will. “Fighting retreat,” Lauren replied harriedly, not taking her eyes off the enemy Pokemon. “We have to run before it gets here.” Eloy nodded his reply, even without the Stoutland he needed to get away so he could bandage his arm before he passed out from blood loss. “Mort, Marion, use Dark Pulse and Gunk Shot again!” Lauren called, backing away towards the trees behind her as her Ghosts attacked again. Blast of dark energy and toxic projectile both shot into the midst of the Normal types as they advanced again. Several of the canines were sent reeling by the assault as others dived out the way. Taking the chance they had, Lauren and Eloy turned and ran, their Pokemon joining them in their attempted escape. Eloy returned Maestro as they sprinted, the injured Kricketot too hurt to keep up on its stumpy legs. Mortimer was slow too, but the Ghost type cleverly kept up by chaining Shadow Sneaks, his form sinking into the ground to rise up ahead of them, sinking once more as they caught up. “Air Cutter!” Lauren called out, and from above Echo let loose with the attack, felling some of the less stocky trees and using them to help slow the Normal types who were giving chase. Three Lillipup made it past the trees as they fell, barking like bloodthirsty hounds of hell. “Air Cutter again!” Echo once more flapped its wings hard, the shimmering blades of air intercepting the Lillipup and knocking them back into the mess of branches behind them. Despite the effort, one of them easily rejoined the chase and now was joined by a pair of Herdier that had managed to power through. “Gunk Shot, Marion!” Laughing maniacally, the Shuppet wheeled around and launched another purple globule at their pursuers like a missile as she floated backwards. One of the Herder avoided the attack, but the other and the Lillipup were struck by the powerful Poison move. The remaining Herdier hurtled after them, quickly closing the gap despite the distance between them. “How is it that fast?!” Eloy yelled “Deacon, Poison Sting!” As the Herdier reached them, Deacon whirled around as rammed it with the tip of his horn alight with its purple glow. The Herdier was slammed into a nearby tree hard enough to fill the air with the sound of cracking wood. “Dark Pulse!” Mortimer unleashed the attack again, the blast propelling the Herdier straight through the tree and causing the lumber to fall across the space behind them, another obstacle for the pursuing Normal types to deal with. Eloy and Lauren kept up their forward dash, soon exploding out of the trees and onto the road again. Panting the stopped for a second to catch their breath, they knew they didn’t have time to rest though. “What is going on?” Eloy puffed “I don’t know, but I can hear them coming,” Lauren replied, chest heaving. Without another word, the pair took off along the road at a sprint again with their Pokemon close at hand. They wouldn’t be safe until they reached Topa Town. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
Ei, so Eloy be catchin' his first Pokémon outside the Nidoran (male edition). This was a good chapter (the actual chapter five cue Vragon facepalming). I will say the beginning felt a little slow, but when you got the krikitot, I had a hunch things would get interesting and they did.
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Other than that, Eloy is still that overassuming well intentioned boy that surprisingly didn't get the "Growl" thing. I mean...yeah it's called "Growl" but it's a noise....I dunno it was one of those, "Wait you didn't know what?" moments. So now we have Eloy with a Deacon and a Maestro I'm sensing a pattern. Overall good chapter. |
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All right so this continues off from last time with Eloy and Lauren trying to get away. The action in this flows fine and easy to follow. There were a couple parts where it gets a bit mechanical though. Quote:
Here's to hoping the two will get to town safety. Looks like they're gonna need it. |
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Night Run The moon was now high in the sky and the warm daytime air had gone cold. A dark mass rose up on either side of the road unpierced by the light from above. The night was clear, unblemished by light pollution. A breathtaking veil of glittering stars covered the sky. Eloy would have stopped to stare at the beauty above him, but an ominous growling and howling pervaded the air. The chilling sound emanating from the shadowy mass of trees to his left. The pack seemed to be following slowly, not pursuing at their full speed. Neither he, Lauren or their Pokemon were prepared to stop for long though. So far they had stopped only twice, and one of those times had been for Lauren to bandage the wound on Eloy’s arm. “We should be able to see Topa Town soon,” Lauren said, breaking the silence that had befallen them. Eloy was pleased to hear that, his arm was throbbing and he needed to get it properly treated and his legs were on fire from lack of rest. They’d sprinted as long as they could at first before slowing to a jog and eventually a brisk walk. They didn’t dare take more than a few minutes when they had rested and tried to move as fast as they could without expending the energy they needed to keep in reserve in case the pack of Lillipup and Herdier returned. “Good,” Eloy replied “if I don’t get off my feet soon they might actually fall off.” “I’d be more worried about your arm. Besides we’ve only been on the run for about eleven hours.” Lauren smiled warmly. “Oh, is that all?” Eloy grinned back, chuckling. He wasn’t sure what to make of Lauren yet. She rarely spoke first, but when she did talk she seemed confident and friendly. He couldn’t tell how much of her demeanour was the cause of their circumstances and how much was her actual personality. Either way, he was glad for her company. As much as he loved Deacon, he had come to appreciate that human conversation was a calming exercise. “The town should come into view in about half an hour,” Lauren continued “It shouldn’t be too much longer to actually get to it from there.” “You hear that Deacon?” Eloy said to his Nidoran, the Pokemon moving uncharacteristically slow and close to Eloy with his constantly pricked up ears, listening to the calls of the pack in the distance. “We’re almost home free and you’ll be able to relax soon.” “Ni!” Deacon responded enthusiastically. Mortimer, on the other hand, remained silent, floating calmly by Lauren’s side. Eloy had to remind himself the Ghost type hadn’t been returned to his ball with Marion and Echo at times. It was hard to see his grey form in the darkness with only the glowing red from his eye sockets giving him away. Eloy got the impression he was always on the quiet side. “He’s like a sentinel,” Eloy said, surprised to find he’d voiced the thought out loud. “Uh… Mortimer I mean.” “You’d be surprised,” Lauren replied, smiling to herself “He’s the curious sort really. He likes to watch and take everything in. Sometimes though he’ll do something completely out of the blue just to see what will happen. That tends to catch people off guard because they assume he’s very solemn. People tend to have misconceptions about Ghost types. If they’re quiet like Mort, then they’re serious guardians of the dead or something. If they’re more energetic like Marion, they’re malevolent pranksters or worse. Although, malevolent prankster isn’t entirely off the mark with Marion.” “I guess that makes sense. It’s probably what we get for labelling them the Ghost type to begin with.” “Yeah, that’s pretty much it. Meanwhile, here we are getting attacked my murderous Lillipup and Herdier. Goes to show that you never really know what to expect. Some types of Pokemon have unnecessarily bad reputations and some can be surprisingly vicious.” Eloy listened intently. Lauren seemed to have a reverence for Ghost types that he found surprising. From what he knew, Ghost types were not very popular among trainers but here he was walking with someone who kept at least two in her company and who talked about them with the utmost respect. “I guess you’re right. Ghost types are a rarity where I’m from but even I’ve heard the superstitions.” The conversation went on like that as the pair of trainers continued their exhausted trek towards Topa Town. If not for the circumstances of their reunion, it would have been a pleasant evening. As it were though, the conversation merely served as a distraction from the potential attack the trainers were forced to live in fear of. As it was, Topa Town soon came into view in the distance. It was a small settlement, similar in size to Avent, that appeared suddenly in a wide clearing, the road running straight through the centre of the town. From what Eloy could tell from the lights shimmering from between the trees, the town actually extended into the woods with houses appearing in small clearings devoid of trees. It was like Topa was growing out of the forest instead of taking its place. It was unlike anything Eloy had expected. “That’s different,” he stated in his surprise. “Topa Town makes every effort to integrate with nature instead of overrunning it,” Lauren explained “While there’s hardly any forest left around Techniti, they’re making a point of living as green as they can.” “Impressive,” Eloy said. It sounded to him like Lauren was familiar with the town and he was about to ask if she had been there before when suddenly Deacon let out an alarmed cry. Eloy, Lauren and Mortimer all froze at the sound, looking at the Nidoran who was sniffing at the air and listening intently. As his partner did so, Eloy did his best to survey the area himself, shining torchlight into the trees. It occurred to him then that he could no longer hear the sound of the pack. “Is it just me, or is it eerily quiet?” he asked, straining his ears. “I have a really bad feeling about this,” Lauren said in reply. She too was looking around in search of a threat, but everything around them was still and silent. “Ni!” Deacon cried out at the top of his lungs. Eloy wasn’t waiting for clarification on his meaning. They couldn’t hear the Lillipup or Herdier anymore because the pack was stealthily stalking them. “Run!” Eloy shouted, taking off at a sprint for Topa Town. Lauren was right on his heels, grabbing a pokeball from her belt as she ran. The barking and growling started up the instant they started running, efforts at stealth forgotten once the pack knew they’d been made. The noises were alarmingly close. Eloy couldn’t make out any sign of the Normal types in the darkness but he could hear them hurtling through the brush. “Where are they?!” he shouted in his panic. “Close! Too close!” Lauren yelled in response, Eloy could hear the same fear in her voice as he did in his own. There was a flash of light as Lauren released Echo from her ball, the Zubat immediately flying up to loop around above them. Faint clicking sounds could be heard as she echolated, searching for the incoming threat. As Echo searched, Eloy continued to sprint for Topa Town alongside Lauren. His lungs were burning and his heart hammered in his chest. His limbs ached from the strain but he didn’t dare slow down. Echo screeched above them and as Eloy looked up he saw the faint distortion and shimmer of her Air Cutter flying into the depths of the forest. He heard the impact of the attack on the ground and splitting wood where it struck trees. From either side of the road, the pack emerged from the trees at full speed. Meeting in the middle on the road without slowing down as they continued their forward chase. The cacophony of their bloodthirsty barking reached its peak as they chased down Eloy and Lauren. “We’re not going to make it!” he yelled between breaths “We don’t have much of a choice,” Lauren panted. Despite that affirmation, the pack was steadily gaining on them. It wouldn’t be long now before they were at the mercy of twenty or more sets of ravenous fangs. “Echo, Air Cutter! Mort, Dark Pulse!” Lauren called. Mortimer turned and launched the attack, nearly invisible in the darkness, as he floated back while the shimmering Air Cutter came from above. Both the attacks hit the mass of mouths and claws that was the pack with an audible sound, sending dust from the road up upon the collision. The pack kept coming, those who had been struck by the attack simply climbing to their feet and rejoining the chase from its rear. “We don’t have that kind of range,” Eloy heaved, pushing his body to its limits “Closest alternative is Maestro’s Struggle Bug.” “Don’t worry about it, just run!” Lauren shouted, punctuating her response with another attack instruction. Once again Mortimer and Echo let loose with their attacks and once more they made little difference. Eloy was feeling the noose around his neck now. He was struggling to keep running and there was still several hundred metres between them and Topa Town. He knew logically that there was no way they’d make it. He could tell they were starting to slow down. The pack was not having the same problem and would soon reach them. Eloy felt his body began to betray him, his limbs felt heavy with exhaustion and he was barely moving faster than a jog. There was only seconds between him and imminent death. Something rocketed down from the sky, landing between Eloy, Lauren, their Pokemon and the pack of Lillipup and Herdier. It cooed calmly, reassuringly. Eloy felt himself stagger to a halt, surprised. At first he thought it had been Echo moving to intercept the pack, but this Pokemon was avian and larger. It took a few moments before he registered that he was looking at a Noctowl. The pack reached the bird, but stopped suddenly. The Noctowl didn’t budge. It simply continued to coo calmly even as the Lillipup and Herdier growled and menacingly bared their teeth. The Noctowl spread its wings wide and suddenly flapped them hard. A monumental gust of wind blasted the assembled pack, increasing in intensity with each flap of the bird’s wings. Soon the pack was propelled down the road by the force of the wind, colliding with trees and skidding along the dirt. The Noctowl folded its wings and the onslaught immediately ceased. The bird cokced its head to the side, watching and waiting. The pack barked and growled but did not attack again. Instead they slowly slunk back into the trees. Eloy and Lauren collapsed to ground, huffing and puffing. The Noctowl standing guard over them while they recuperated. “Thank you,” intoned Lauren, Eloy coughing out his own thanks along with her. The bird simply cooed serenely, apparently not perturbed. “I don’t suppose that’s your Noctowl?” Eloy asked Lauren, eventually finding the strength to climb to his feet. “I don’t have any Flying types aside from Echo.” Lauren shook her head and pushed herself to her own feet. “I wonder whose it is. It seems too powerful to be wild,” Eloy said. “Maybe we’ll find out in Topa Town,” Lauren said “Could be it was sent out to guard against the Lillipup and Herdier.” She returned Echo with a word of gratitude. Apparently deeming the pair of trainers safe, the Noctowl opened its wings and returned to the sky, flying in the direction of Topa Town. Eloy and Lauren followed along in its wake, eventually reaching their destination as the Noctowl turned back and made its way back in the direction they came from. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
Starting from mid-way through here and reading your most recent chapter (I'm not great at reading bug chunks and sticking to it) so sorry if I am missing anything in my review.
As far as characters and characterisations go, I was able to easily pick up who was who - which was great - and I could tell that Lauren and Eloy both had different distinctive characters through the way they interacted with each other. I particularly enjoyed their exchange regarding ghost types and their "reputation", which made me think quite a lot myself. All in all, the chase sequence felt quite authentic and was paced well - it wasn't too short or too long and had a nice flow to it. A few little grammar gremlins: I thought your use of vocabulary in places was lovely but there are a few places where some synonyms or rejigging could make it better as there's some repetition appearing. Quote:
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All in all, I liked it and and interested to see where things go :smile: Keep it up! |
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Catch a Bad One Eloy yawned and stretched as he entered the Pokemon Centre’s lobby. His arm was still throbbing beneath its fresh new bandage and he was stiff and sore all over from his and Lauren’s mad escape from the Lillipup and Herdier. For a moment, Eloy almost thought he was back in Rosaste Town. The building was outfitted almost identically to the Centre in the previous town, but closer inspection revealed that it was quite a bit smaller. It was like a miniature replica of Rosaste’s Pokemon Centre. Eloy located Lauren sitting in the small cafe area with a short stack of pancakes in front of her. She’d ditched her damaged clothes from before and donned a black pokeball print t-shirt and jeans. Mortimer floated by her side, silent but quizzically prodding the pancakes. “Morning,” Eloy greeted her, taking a seat opposite her. He smiled, noticing Mortimer wave at ihm before returning to his investigation. “I see what you mean about his curious personality.” “You haven’t seen anything yet, trust me. Sleep well?” “Like an extremely sore log.” Eloy punctuated the sentence with another stretch and yawn. The cafe’s lone waitress took that as her queue to approach their table. “Coffee?” the young woman asked. “I’m more of a hot chocolate kind of a guy,” Eloy responded. “That can be arranged too.” The waitress gave a forced smile and chuckle and headed back behind the counter to get the order. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to the fake smiles they all put on in these Pokemon Centres,” Eloy sighed. “I’ve never really thought much about it,” Lauren replied between bites of her breakfast. The waitress brought back Eloy’s hot drink. He paid her and began to gladly sip the sweet beverage. For a while he and Lauren just sat there enjoying the meal. It soon occurred to Eloy though, that it was unusual for the waitress to be the one to take his money. “Hang on, shouldn’t I have paid at the counter?” “It’s because it’s so quiet. She probably just wanted something to do,” Lauren answered “Most of the other patrons have gathered outside already. They’re taking volunteers to help round up that pack. Apparently they’ve been a problem for a solid week or so. I’m thinking I’ll probably help out but there’s still a while before the talk about it is meant to start.” “Makes sense,” Eloy said “I guess I’ll go too.” He hadn’t even wanted to think about the events of the previous day in truth, but if Lauren was prepared to face the pack again he couldn’t be the one to back down. They didn’t say much else, quietly finishing their breakfast - although that was a loose term for Eloy’s drink. Then, Lauren suggested it was about time to head outside to listen to the volunteer briefing. Eloy collected his pokeballs from the nurse’s desk and headed outside to join her. Including them, Eloy counted about ten volunteer trainers as well as a handful of trainers dressed in bright red-orange uniforms: pokemon rangers. The person who attracted the most attention for Eloy however, was a woman standing at the forefront of the group with one of the male rangers. She was unassuming in appearance, in her forties and dressed in plain jeans and a charcoal-colored long sleeved shirt. Her hair was shoulder length, brown and curly and held in place with a blue bandanna. A belt bearing six ordinary pokeballs hung loosely from the loops on her pants. Eloy recognised her immediately, Nora of the Elite Four. “Lauren, do you know who that is?” he asked excitedly “No idea, but everyone is staring at her like she’s the messiah.” “That’s Nora. She’s an Elite Four member that specialises in Normal types. I bet that was her Noctowl last night!” Eloy’s jaw practically hit the ground. He couldn’t believe Lauren didn’t recognise one of the five best trainers in Sigia. “Oh really? That would explain why it was so powerful.” To Eloy, the reply wasn’t exactly satisfactory. He couldn’t believe that Lauren was so nonplussed by the Nora West was standing in front of them. He was about to follow up on his thoughts on the matter when the ranger the Elite Four member had been talking to coughed to get their attention. “Okay, looks like this is everyone we can expect,” he began “I’m Captain Rhys Clarkson from the Sigia Ranger’s Guild. First of all, I’d like to thank those of you who are volunteering to help us out with this problem, especially to Nora of the Elite Four who took a detour to be here and whose Noctowl has been keeping guard of the town during the nights. Ordinarily we’d have dispatched a full ranger troup to deal with this, but we’re a bit short staffed right now.” Eloy barely even heard the introduction he was watching Nora so intensely. She had a perfectly calm, natural smile plastered on her face. It was like this was just an ordinary day out for her. She seemed totally oblivious to the numerous awed faces directed her way. Eloy wondered how many of the volunteers were staying just to work with her. “The way this will work is pretty simple,” Captain Clarkson continued “We’ll be splitting into teams. Each team will be lead by myself, one of the other rangers or by Nora. We have a bunch of green painted pokeballs here. The goal is to catch the entirety of the pack in these balls and then return them to us here. We’ll take them back to the guild HQ in Techniti City to be examined and once we work out why they’ve gotten so aggressive and fixed them up, if we can fix them up, we’ll release them back into their territory. Please don’t try to keep any of the pack, you’ll only cause trouble for yourself and others.” The next few moments consisted of safety protocols being detailed and the captain splitting everyone up into groups. Eloy couldn’t help the massive grin that spread on his face as Nora approached he and Lauren. “I’ll just take these two since they seem to know each other, Rhys,” she said, maintaining her pleasant smile as she spoke. Eloy felt his stomach turn flips at those words. “Pleased to meet you!” he greeted the woman enthusiastically, trying to ignore the amused smirk Lauren was failing to hide and Mortimer’s intensely curious stare. It wasn’t long after that Eloy found himself trekking through the forest with Lauren and one of the best trainers in the region. Things fell unusually silent as he realised that he had no idea what to say in the presence of such a legend. This naturally meant that Lauren was also quiet on account of her tendency to not start talking much unless spoken to first. “You two can relax you know,” Nora said with a pleasant laugh “I’m a trainer like you, not royalty.” Eloy looked across at Lauren, apparently Nora hadn’t noticed that it was only Eloy that was struggling not to explode in a blaze of pure excitement and worship like some sort of bizarre deferential star. “Sorry, I’ve never been the world’s most sociable. I’m comfortable though, don’t worry,” Lauren replied. “Right, we’re cool,” Eloy said and even he was aware that it sounded like he was trying to convince himself a lot more than he was trying to convince Nora. “Well, that’s good to know,” Nora said, once again giving that warm, motherly smile “You should probably let out one of your Pokemon now though. Being relaxed is good but I can hear the pack in the distance now.” Eloy stopped and listened, sure enough he could hear the faint sounds of the Lillipup and Herdier. He’d been so caught up with his hero worship he hadn’t even noticed, but now that he was paying attention he could tell the Pokemon were getting closer and closer. Eloy released Deacon from his ball, the Nidoran appearing in a flash. Noticing the sounds of the approaching Lillipup and Herdier, he immediately bristled with his ears perked up, ready for a fight. “A Nidoran! How cute,” Nora beamed. Deacon looked at Mortimer confusedly, apparently unsure how to react to this doting outburst when what he was expecting was imminent danger. The Duskull merely tilted his skeltonesque head and shrugged. Nora bent down and scratched between Deacons ears as Mort watched curiously. Deacon chittered, apparently pleased at the treatment. “Right,” Nora announced, straightening up “I think I’ll go with Khutulun.” The Elite Four member selected the third ball down along her belt, lightly tossing it up as it exploded open with a flare of white light. As she caught the now empty capsule, the light condensed into the solid form of her Pokemon. It was a hulking creature, well over two metres tall with thick skin covered in a layer of thin brown fur, a large and powerful tail and strong limbs ending in three sharp claws. Most unusual however was the pouch on its belly which seemed to contain a second Pokemon, purple but similar in appearance. It looked over Eloy, Lauren and their Pokemon before turning its attention to the sound of the pack, apparently dismissing the four of them as uninteresting. “Oh wow, your Kangaskhan,” Eloy grinned, gazing up at the large Normal type. He’d seen Nora use Khutulun on television before, he hadn’t really anticipated meeting her in person. “Any wild Pokemon will have a tough time with her,” Nora said proudly “Did you know that for ages Kangaskhan were a big mystery to people?” “Yes,” Lauren answered, leaving Eloy to look from her to Nora and back again several times with a confused expression plastered on his face. “Excellent!” Nora chimed “For the uninitiated though, it’s because the entire species is female and they always have a baby in their pouch. As it turns out they reproduce asexually. The little baby in the pouch is actually a part of the same organism but eventually will split off and become an adult with its own baby already emerging in its pouch. It’s not considered a pre-evolution of Kangaskhan though since it spends its entire life in the pouch before adulthood and doesn’t function separately.” This was a knowledge bomb for Eloy, but he couldn’t help but look at Nora with a maintained expression of confusion. He noticed a similar expression could be seen on Lauren. It took a moment, but Nora soon cottoned on. “Oh dear, I did it again,” she proclaimed, smacking her pal to her forehead “I used to be a teacher and sometimes slip back into giving lectures. Sorry about that.” “It’s fine!” Eloy replied a little too quickly. He didn’t get to say more on the matter because the pack had finally arrived. From the trees in front of him, a mass of Lillipup and Herdier appeared. There was fewer of them than when they had attacked him before, but still a sizeable enough number. Eloy counted nine of them. All of them started barking viciously and growling. “I really hate the way they go silent until they’re right on top of you,” Eloy sighed. “I suppose it’s time to get to work then,” Nora said casually, as though she wasn’t looking at a bunch of murderous canines but rather choosing her breakfast. The nine Pokemon, five of them Herdier and four Lillipup approached slowly at first but after a few steps they were all sprinting at full speed towards the trio of trainers and their team of Pokemon. Khutulun strolled forward a few steps with calm confidence as the pack neared them. Apparently ready and willing to teach them a much needed lesson if one were to guess what her irritated expression meant. “Drain Punch!” Nora instructed. Khutulun raised one of her powerful arms, her clawed hand clenched into a fist and radiating a bright green light. The first Herdier reached Khutulun and was immediately struck by a megaton blow, the Kangaskhan’s glowing green fist colliding with it and sending it flying on impact. The Herdier rocketed through several trees, leaving a trail of green sparkles behind it that floated towards Khutulun and were absorbed into her body. The rampaging Herdier was immediately knocked out. “Maybe hold back a little there Khutulun,” Nora said, keeping her casual tone “We don’t want to have to go looking for all the ones you faint.’ Impressed, Eloy would have offered an exclamation, but there was no time for that. The rest of the pack was on them now and a pair of Lillipup were rushing Deacon. Being attacked by them yesterday had been terrifying, but with Nora there, now Eloy was energised. This was a chance to prove himself to a member of the Sigia Elite Four. “Fury Attack, Deacon!” Deacon lunged forward, unleashing a flurry of quick jabs with his horn. He struck one Lillipup twice and the next three times. Both wild Pokemon tumbled before they could inflict an attack. Out the corner of his eye, he saw two more get knocked sprawling by Mortimer’s Dark Pulse and several Herdier hounding Khutulun unable to get near enough to really attack as they tried to avoid meeting the same fate as the first. One apparently wasn’t quick enough, a Drain Punch rocketing it away much like it’s predecessor. The two Lillipup recovered quickly and rushed Deacon again, this time moving in a straight line. Deacon attacked again with another Fury Attack, striking the first Lillipup twice and sending it tumbling along the ground. The second had learned from it’s first attempt however, it vaulted up and over the first as Deacon struck out with his horn and collided with him from above. Deacon was slammed into the ground, the Lillipup retreating back to its comrade as it got back to its feet. “Poison Sting, Deacon!” Eloy instructed. This time he would go on the offensive and catch the Lillipup pair off guard. Deacon obeyed, running forwards as the familiar purple glow appeared at the tip of his horn. The Lillipup backed up as one, avoiding the attack. Then, one darted forward and bit down on Eloy’s Nidoran with a Bite attack. Deacon screeched, shaking off the attacker only for the second to Tackle his side and send him tumbling along the ground. The pair of Lillipup rounded on Eloy himself then, but Deacon was quick to return to his feet. He charged them with another Poison Sting, colliding with the closest and knocking it into the second like he was playing a violent game of billiards. Eloy took the chance to survey the battlefield once more. Looking around just in time to see a Lillipup attempt to Tackle Mortimer. The Normal type ran straight through Mortimer as if he wasn’t there, the Ghost type being immune to that kind of attack. “Hit it with Dark Pulse!’ Lauren called. Mortimer whirled around on the spot where he floated and let loose with the attack. The swirling black and purple nexus struck the Lillipup in the back at close range and propelled it across the battlefield. It collapsed in a heap as its partner dove in with its mouth open wide. “Shadow Sneak to avoid it.” Mortimer phased into the ground, his second attacker running straight over him, allowing him to emerge behind it. As he did so, a Herdier flew right over top of him, showering glittering green sparkles over him. The lights made their way back to Khutulun, the Herdier another victim of her dangerous Drain Punch. Deacon’s opponents were back on him now, both charging him at once with single-minded bloodlust. “Duck down and use Poison Sting upward!” Eloy ordered. Deacon crouched low to the ground as the assault reached him, neither Lillipup properly landing the Tackle as their head ended up in the space above the Nidoran. Then, Deacon lunged up with his Poison Sting catapulting one of the Lillipup over his head and making the other stumble back. “Fury Attack!” Deacon followed up on his first attack with another series of sharp jabs with his horn, bombarding the Lillipup in front of him with strikes before it could regain its bearing. It went rolling along the ground as the last jab struck it. The first was back on its feet now though. It raced for Eloy, but he dove aside. The Lillipup ended up running passed he and Deacon, skidding to a halt by its partner as it returned to its feet yet again. The Lillipups readied themselves for another charge but suddenly a loud bark echoed out from the forest behind them. The Lillipup pair backed up in the direction of the sound, as did the remaining Lillipup facing Lauren and Mortimer and the two Herdier who had as of yet avoided being decimated by Khutulun and her Drain Punch. “Well this is an interesting turn of events,” Nora said pleasantly. From behind the assembled pack came another canine Pokemon. It looked much like the others. It’s body was dominated by thick dark blue fur that greyed as it got closer to its feet. From the mass of blue and grey, it’s brown furred legs and head protruded. From it’s face two long, majestic cream plumes of fur extended well past its body. The Stoutland barked viciously again. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
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Wow, Eloy and Lauren have been getting away from the pack for 12 hours? I thought the closest town/settlement might be a bit closer than that, but I guess a mountainous region like Sigia can have towns that far apart. Luckily at least that Noctowl saved them there. I appreciate Mortimer getting more personality this time, though I feel the adverb "curiously" has been overused. Mortimer's expressions and actions should be good enough to let readers know he's the curious type. Nora looks like to be a fun character already. Cute she's every excited to giving out that Kangaskhan trivia there. And oh boy that Stoutland. Good thing Eloy and Lauren are with an Elite Four now. |
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Will probably go back a bit later to make things less repetitive. |
Made some small edits. I haven't fixed the thing with Mortimer's descriptions yet because I couldn't find a way of doing so I was happy with. I'll probably focus on writing him better in future chapters instead.
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Interlude Three “Would you move your ass, Clancy?” Bronwyn said, her voice a low and vicious hiss. The pair of them were deep in the forest between Rosaste Town and Topa Town. They were sweaty and dirty and their limbs ached, but they had a job to do. A Dragonite was trudging along behind them with a hefty bag of equipment hefted over its back, covering the orange dragon’s stumpy wings. “I’m moving as fast as I can,” Clancy replied with a sigh “Some of us don’t have a Dragonite for a valet. The Dragonite snorted loudly, apparently taking offense at being labelled as such. Clancy ignored it. He was more concerned with his own hefty load. “Toughen up. We still need a blood sample from the Magby, Elekid and Lillipup lines to finish this shitty expedition off and that’s easier said than done when for some reason Strain Seven is sending everything we jabbed it with fucking mental.” Bronwyn’s long black hair had come loose of its ponytail and was now sticking to her face and both of them were covered in scrapes and bruises. She was never the nicest woman alive, strictly business at all times, bossy and not great at pleasantries but she was always at her worst out in the field. Especially when being out in the field meant several days in a forest with a rampaging pack of Lillipup, Herdier and Stoutland trying to eat you. “That and Magby and Elekid are extremely rare to begin with. Don’t forget that!” Clancy replied with mock enthusiasm. Bronwyn glared at him and for a moment he found himself wondering if she’d have her Dragonite kill him. Thankfully for him, she turned around and continued walking with the large Pokemon placidly following behind her. The pair continued walking in silence for some time from there on. Clancy had no desire to make his coworker any more angry than she already was and Bronwyn just wasn’t sociable at the best of times. That was fine though. Clancy hadn’t gotten involved with the program to make friends. He was in it for the sizeable paycheck. He figured Bronwyn was doing it for similar reasons. Eventually though, it was Bronwyn who broke the silence. “Fine, we can rest for a bit.” She made it sound like she was doing him a favour, but Clancy knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t stop for his sake. There was work to be done. More likely she was looking to rest her own aching limbs. Still, he wasn’t going to complain about a break. Clancy gladly shrugged off the heavy load on his back and sagged to the ground, slumping against the worn trunk of a tree. “Be careful, Idiot!” Bronwyn snarled. “Right, sorry.” Clancy sighed, raising his hands apologetically and rested his head against the wood. His bag contained the samples they had collected so far and while they were held securely in a case it was better safe than sorry. He reached into the bag and pulled out a plastic wrapper, peeling it aside to reveal the crispy, dry jerky within. He pulled out a strip of the Tauros jerky and with a degree of reluctance bit into the salty meat. It was tough and chewy in his mouth and he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Clancy supposed it was ironic given his line of work that he still preferred not to eat meat, but in the grand scheme of things he didn’t really like the idea of pokemon suffering when they didn’t have to. Still, when out on lengthy field assignments, the protein rich beef was a smart choice of supply. “Want some?” he wearily asked. Bronwyn gave a sharp nod and Clancy tossed her the plastic wrapped jerky. She took a strip and hungrily bit down without reservation. No shock there. Clancy had long since learned that Bronwyn did not share his reservations about meat. He’d made the mistake of mentioning his reluctance once and she’d laughed in his face and spent the next hour or so brutally deriding him and reminding him what he did for a living. A heavy fluttering of wings distracted Clancy from his reminiscing. A large red bird Pokemon with a grey underside had landed nearby. It was staring at the pair of scientists intently. A look that was becoming progressively more unnerving. “Am I the only one bothered by our new friend here,” Clacy said, eyeing the Talonflame suspiciously. “Stop being such a priss, it probably just smells the jerky or something,” Bronwyn replied dismissively “Flying types aren’t able to contract any of or strains right now, we engineered them that way to avoid over-spreading.” Clancy already knew this, but something wasn’t boding well with this situation. There was something about the look in the bird’s eyes that wasn’t right. If the Normal types were anything to go by, the safeguard in the strain was holding up. If the Talonflame was infected, it would have already tried to fry them. But something was off. The way it looked at them, it was like it was sizing them up. Clancy wasn’t sure how, but he knew that the only reason it hadn’t attacked already was because it was weighing up its chances with Bronwyn’s Dragonite being present. Apparently, it made up its mind quickly enough. The Talonflame screeched furiously and opened its wings wide. A torrent of fire erupted from its mouth before exploding out in a five-pronged cross. “Shit!” Clancy swore, scrambling to take cover behind the tree he had been leaning against, reaching out to drag his bag to cover. He saw Bronwyn dive behind her Dragonite, the powerful creature taking the hit for her with a grimace. That settled it for Clacy, somehow the Talonflame had contracted the Pokerus strain. The safeguard wasn’t working. Talonflame had a reputation for explosive tempers sure, but they wouldn’t risk starting a forest fire that would destroy their habitat. They generally reserved most of their Fire type moves for more open environments. “This shouldn’t be happening!” Bronwyn yelled as the flame spread across to the trees. In an instant, the woodlands around them were ablaze. The situation was already dire for any humans in the area and the blaze would only continue to expand if left unchecked. Clancy opened his bag to collect one of his pokeballs, he didn’t get a chance to use it though. A second Fire Blast streaked past him, forcing him to dive away from the bag. The ball slipped from his grip and dropped back into the bag as he did so. The bird didn’t stop there either, it was airborne again now and it unleashed another searing Fire Blast in Bronwyn’s direction. Once more her Dragonite stood strong, taking the attack in place of its master. “Maybe instead of hiding behind that monster Dragonite of yours, you could stop this thing turning us into piles of ash!” Clancy called out from where he had taken cover behind another tree. Heat was radiating up all around him now. He made a dash for his bag but was diverted by a streaming Flamethrower attack from the Talonflame, once again being forced to dive for cover. “Would it kill you to fend for yourself?” Bronwyn sneered, well aware that it probably would “Dragonite, Dragon Rush!” A bright blue, dragon-shaped aura exploded to life around the Dragonite as it suddenly soared for the Talonflame. The Talonflame was faster than the Dragonite, but the attack came as a surprise to it and the Dragon Rush aura around Bronwyn’s pokemon was far larger than normal. The Talonflame shot up, able to avoid the worst of the attack but being struck by the violent aura of the attack. That was enough to do the job, the bird was instantly knocked out and dropped to the ground. Bronwyn’s Dragonite snorted, apparently rather put out by this turn of events. Clancy scampered back to his bag and reached inside, quickly finding the Pokeball he was looking for. He released his Pokemon from its ball, the familiar white light soon forming into a small dark yellow rodent with a long tail adorned with a lightning bolt. “Storm, Rain Dance,” Clancy instructed. “Rai!” The Raichu responded the affirmative, twirling on the spot as its tail billowed behind like a ribbon. Directly above the blaze rain clouds formed in a dark disk and a torrential downpour began to fall on the area, dampening the flames and fighting their spread. Being drenched would only worsen Bronwyn’s mood and Clancy knew he’d cop it, but it was better than being burned alive. Probably. Clancy looked over to where the fallen Talonflame layed, Bronwyn was trudging through the rapidly muddying ground over to the defeated bird with a pokeball in hand. “Now we have to take this stupid fucking bird back with us so it can’t incinerate the forest and draw too much attention to us. It’s bad enough that we have a Stoutland and its pack running around savaging people. We have to find out how it got the virus too. Brilliant.” Ignoring that the fire wasn’t properly dealt with yet and that a heavy rain was pouring down on them, Clancy sunk back into mud and leaned back against the charred tree he had first used for the same purpose. Bronwyn was continuing to complain and snark and he was longing for the assignment to be over. |
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Also, naming the hoppip dandy is good in too many ways. Quote:
As for the battle, it was good. I liked the descriptions powers you put into it, and while it was simplistic and rather short you made it exciting, though a little predictable which actually fits a sorta one-sided fight that was. However, I await the interesting fight that I presume will be close, but having Eloy either lose do to presumption or him winning or for his presumption to catch up to him again, if none we can all laugh about this later over a HTML page of Mudkip line picks being cute. |
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Victorious Three Lillipup, three Herdier and one Stoutland. While the enemy numbers were down, Eloy wasn't technically sure that this was an improvement on the situation. Still, he knew he had little to fear with Nora and Khutulun on their side and it wasn't like he and Lauren were slouches. The canine Pokemon rushed forward, the Herdier and Lillipup in the lead with the Stoutland pacing himself behind them. The vanguard split off, moving either direction towards Deacon and Eloy or Lauren and Mortimer. The way was clear for the furious Stoutland to charge Khutulun. The Kangaskhan didn't waver, staring down the opposing Normal type with supreme confidence. Eloy felt for sure they had things covered. Then everything went wrong. "Watch out!" Nora yelled suddenly. The Herdier and Lillipup had at the last moment closed in on Khutulun instead of attacking the smaller Pokemon. Caught by surprise, the powerful Kangaskhan suddenly found herself with six sets of sharp teeth sinking into her body. The Kangaskhan cried out in pain and thrashed about, trying to shake them loose, and that was the lesser of two concerns. The Stoutland turned, changing targets. The leader of the pack was now bearing down upon Mortimer and Lauren, his teeth crackling with electricity as he prepared to launch a powerful Thunder Fang. "Protect, Mortimer!" Lauren instructed. Immediately, Mortimer was engulfed by the green glowing barrier that Eloy had come to be familiar with. The Stoutland collided with the Protect and stumbled back, growling viciously. The Protect disappeared and the Stoutland made to dive for Mortimer again, but Lauren was as on the ball as always and was already commanding a counter-attack. An eerie blue flame appeared before the Duskull and was fired at the Stoutland, forcing the larger Pokemon to abandon his attack and jump to the side to avoid a crippling burn. Eloy had watched the unfolding events in shock, but his mind finally caught up. Khutulun had thrown the Lillipup loose and had succeeded in knocking two of them out already. Nora was an Elite Four member and her Pokemon were monstrously strong. Lauren was good, but she was in more need of help. "Deacon, Poison Sting on the Stoutland!" Eloy instructed. Deacon shot past where Khutulun was still trying to shake off her attackers and ran at the Stoutland from behind as the tip of his horn began to glow purple. He caught the rampaging Stoutland by surprise as it prepared to lunge for Mortimer again. The Stoutland cried out but it did not falter or fall like its pre-evolved stages may have. Instead, it abandoned its attack on Mortimer and whirled on Deacon, lunging for the Nidoran with razor blade teeth. This time, Lauren and Mortimer came to Deacon's rescue instead. "Dark Pulse!" Lauren commanded and an instant later, the swirling Dark Pulse struck the Stoutland and knocked it off balance, causing it to miss the attack and stumble. "Peck!" Eloy called, capitalising on the advantage. Deacon lunged forwards and struck the unbalanced Stoutland with his horn, succeeding in knocking the larger creature over. The Stoutland rolled back to its feet and ran for Mortimer only for the green light of the Ghost type's Protect to explode into being around him again. The Stoutland skidded to a halt before he could collide with the shield again, giving Deacon an opening. "Deacon, Poison Sting!" Deacon shot forward and jabbed the glimmering tip of his horn into the Stoutland's undefended side. The Stoutland growled savagely as the attack hit, taking it and then lashing out with his head. Deacon scurried back but wasn't quick enough to avoid the strike and was sent rocketing along the ground with a squeal. "Will-o-Wisp!" Lauren gave the order before the Stoutland could follow up on the attack. Mortimer's ominous blue fireball struck the Stoutland from behind and for a brief moment its whole body was engulfed in blue fire. Then, the blaze faded, revealing a singed and very angry Stoutland, wincing in pain. The Stoutland rounded on Mortimer again, running hard for it, seemingly unaware of Deacon returning to his feet and giving chase. It opened its mouth wide, Thunder Fang crackling with dangerous voltage. "Protect!" For a third time, the shield sprang up around Mortimer, the Ghost type not even flinching as the murderous Stoutland rushed him. This time though, the Stoutland was ready. It skidded around and wheeled suddenly even as Eloy called for another Poison Sting. Eloy cried out for Deacon to retreat but it was too late, the electrified teeth closed down on the Nidoran. Deacon screamed out as the crushing force of the bite and the shock of the electricity hit him in unison. Eloy had learned that as far as the general power levels of attacks went, Thunder Fang was on the lower-middle part of the spectrum. Seeing it coming from such a powerhouse Pokemon made him inclined to disagree with such a generalisation. "Deacon!" he shouted, helpless to intervene. Thankfully, he didn't need to. Khutulun had succeeded in dislodging all of her attackers now and one of them was hurled into the Stoutland's side. The larger canine, was knocked sprawling, dropping Deacon to the ground so he could scamper away. The Herdier that had been used as a projectile shakily got back to its feet, ready to rush Nora's Kangaskhan again. Out of nowhere though, the Stoutland lunged up off the ground with a savage Take Down and knocked its subordinate flying across the battlefield where it struck the ground and didn't get back up. The Stoutland howled angrily, wincing from a combination of recoil from the attack and Mortimer's burn slowly sapping its stamina. "Dark Pulse!" Lauren took that as her queue. Mortimer attacked again, the churning black and purple blast striking the Stoutland hard. It skidded back several feet before breaking through the attack. "Fury Attack, Deacon!" Eloy called out and instantly regretted the choice to choose a move that would require his Nidoran to stay within range. That was why he'd been avoiding Double Kick even though the move was much more effective on a Normal type like Stoutland. It was too late to take it back though, Deacon had given a war cry and rushed in with a battle fervor. Deacon jabbed in with his horn twice in quick succession, each strike eliciting and angered response from the Stoutland. The Stoutland dived for Deacon as he went in for his next strike, but Deacon narrowly managed to dodge under the Stoutland before it could land and then struck again into its side. The Stoutland whirled around to attack Deacon again but suddenly pulled back, rearing up on its hind legs as a Dark Pulse from Mortimer struck the ground where the front half of his body had just been, spraying debris into the air. Deacon took this as his chance and shot forwards to strike with his horn again. He drove his head up to stab at the Stoutland's underbelly even as gravity began to bring the bigger creature back down. White light engulfed Deacon's horn, the natural weapon glowing brightly and seeming bigger for it was the attack landed and the Stoutland was smashed backward, hitting the ground on his back before tumbling onto his side. "That was new!" Eloy shouted, surprised by the development. "Horn Attack, very good!" Nora chimed. Despite the situation, her tone was warm and congratulatory. She seemed legitimately excited for Deacon's new move, like a teacher celebrating the success of a struggling student. Eloy noted that she was even still wearing the same pleasant smile, even as Khutlun dispatched the one of the Herdier with a Drain Punch during her outburst. Only one Herdier and the Stoutland remained now. The Stoutland was back on his feet now, and a look of absolute bloodlust distorted his features. It growled savagely, then ran for Deacon. "Dark Pulse!" Lauren instructed and Mortimer intercepted the attack with his own. The Stoutland whipped around, foaming at the mouth with his malice as bit down on the blast. The attack shatter and exploded in a cloud of dark smoke. The Stoutland didn't even flinch. "Horn Attack!" Eloy ordered. Deacon's horn glowed bright again and he ran at the Stoutland with newfound confidence, injuries forgotten in the thrill of developing this new skill. The Stoutland rounded on Deacon and swatted him aside with ease, sending him skidding along the ground. Then, it turned its attention back on Mortimer, rushing the Duskull again with single-minded rage. "Protect!" Lauren ordered as the Stoutland leapt for Mortimer, foamy mouth mouth wide open. The Stoutland collided hard with the shining defensive shield. The Protect halted the attempted Crunch but the sheer ferocity of the assault caused the barrier to explode into a shower of green glitter. The Stoutland's fangs glowed a vibrant pink and it struck again. This time, his attack was a success and Mortimer was caught in the vice of his mouth before being tossed aside like a ragdoll. "Mort!" Lauren gasped, shocked. The Stoutland paid her no mind, turning back to Deacon. The Stoutland barked loud and then started its run forward. As it did so, a blazing aura of purple exploded up around it, streaked with a vibrant orange emanating from the focal point in front of the Stoutlands head. "Out the way!" Eloy yelled, instantly recognising the attack as Giga Impact, one of the most destructive moves a Pokemon could learn. Deacon was just barely managing to stand back up, his beating finally catching up with him. The Stoutland closed in fast. In an instant, the Stoutland lunged to close the distance as a huge shadow fell across Deacon. Khutulun leapt forward, the struggling Herdier tucked unceremoniously under one arm and thrust her free hand forward, palm open wide. The Stoutland collided with the Kangaskhan's palm with an explosive force that Eloy not only saw and heard but felt as a shockwave radiated out from the impact. Khutulun skidded back several feet, stopping just before she'd have crushed Deacon underfoot. Her confident look was replaced by a strained grimace as her knees flexed against the force of the blow. Then, the onslaught was over and the Kangaskhan's confidence quickly returned. "Nicely done, Khutulun," Nora chirped, still donning her school teacher smile, "You can finish it up now. Dizzy Punch!" Khutulun pulled her hand back from the Stoutland, the canine seemingly frozen with shock at its most devastating attack being halted with such ease and not even trying to escape. The Kangaskhan's hand closed into a fist as several flickering orbs of yellow light appeared around it. Khutulun drove her fist down hard onto the Stoutland, smashing it into the ground beneath its feet and knocking it out instantly. Then, she grabbed the remaining Herdier out from under her other arm, and with casual ease, tossed into the trunk of a tree where it too felt to the ground and fainted. Eloy's mouth dropped like an anvil. Sure, the Stoutland had taken a fair few hits from Deacon and Mortimer, but it had demonstrated pretty easily how easily it could shake them off. He knew that the Pokemon of an Elite Four member were at an entirely different level, but seeing one in action up close was very different than watching from a distance. Khutulun's raw power was at an almost incomprehensible scale compared to the likes of Deacon or Mortimer. "Everyone okay?" Nora asked cheerfully, "You both did very well." "Mort and I are fine," Lauren responded. Mortimer was in her arms happily nuzzled against her chest. He was definitely hurt, but seemed content and not seriously injured. "You doing okay, Deacon?" Eloy asked his Nidoran. "Ni!" Deacon replied enthusiastically before promptly fainting on the spot, beaten up and exhausted. "Deacon!" Eloy started, alarmed, bending down to check his Pokemon over. From what he could tell, the Nidoran hadn't sustained any truly serious damage although there were small gashes on his back where the Stoutland had bitten down, spikes be damned. "Well, he did take quite a walloping." "I'm sure he'll be fine with some treatment and a bit of a rest. For now though, you can both have one of these." Nora produced a potion each for Deacon and Mortimer. Eloy and Lauren accepted them gratefully and proceeded to spray their partners and return them to the safety of their Pokeballs. "We should capture them all before any of them wake up," Lauren said, looking around at the defeated pack. None of them were stirring yet, and it was unlikely that any of them would be after taking hits from a powerhouse like Khutulun, but Nora nodded her agreement. "It's better to be safe than sorry, let's get to work." She still sounded every bit more like a teacher on a field trip than a fearsome member of the Elite Four. Eloy and Lauren set to work alongside her and soon the pack had been rounded up and the three of them were making their way back to Topa Town. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
Okay so for Interlude Three looks like another chapter showcasing the Pokerus going on, which makes me wonder that virus's role even more. Clancy and Bronwyn seemed to be typical co-workers who don't get along, wonder if they'll make more appearances soon.
Now onto Victorious. That Stoutland sure did put up a fight there. It felt to me Lauren was relying a bit too much on Protect there, so it was a matter of time until Protect's effectiveness gets lowered. Cute how Nora was excited Deacon learned a new attack, seems like she's probably one of the nicer Elite Four members Eloy will meet. |
A Fork in the Road Eloy and Lauren walked down the tree-lined route at a casual pace. By an unspoken agreement, it had been decided that there would be neither rushing nor battling on the way to their destination. Or rather, where they would part ways on route to their own separate destinations. They had both had enough rushing about and fighting tooth and nail for a while and were giving themselves and their Pokemon a reprieve. Not that you’d think Deacon was in much need of one. As per usual, he was cheerfully bounding ahead as far as he could get away with before stopping and calling after Eloy impatiently. This had prompted sighs and grin’s from the trainer in equal measure. At the least, Lauren seemed to find it amusing. “Ni!” the Nidoran called out, thumping his foot against the dirt path, causing Lauren to chuckle quietly. “You could be forgiven for not knowing he’d just been in a life-or-death situation,” Eloy said to her, shaking his head. “I have to admit, he could even give Marion a run for her money in the energy department. It’s good you keep him out of his ball mostly, since he likes running around so much,” Lauren replied. “Yeah, well, wouldn’t be right to try and squash his personality. It’s not that unusual to keep your Pokemon out and about though is it?” Eloy was surprised to hear her talking like it wasn’t particular common. Then again, her partners were all in their own balls at that time. “It’s not exactly uncommon,” Lauren said, “Although, it’s not as common as I’d like to be. I understand that sometimes it’s a Pokemon preference thing. All three of my Pokemon are more nocturnally oriented by nature so I don’t over-expose them to the sun, especially on warmer days like today. Then there’s matters of practicality; you can’t easily have your Onix or Wailord roaming freely most of the time. If you have a lot of Pokemon it can be hard to manage having them all out too. A lot of trainers though are just kind of slack or don’t pay enough attention to their team’s needs.” Eloy hadn’t really thought that much about it, to him it seemed pretty natural to have Deacon out of his ball and travelling alongside him. Afterall, Deacon spent most of his time outside of his ball back home so it would have been weird to confine him all the time while travelling. It was true that he didn’t have Maestro out of his ball quite as much, but that was largely due to Maestro’s shyness. He didn’t want to overwhelm the little Bug. “I’d never really thought that much into it,” admitted Eloy, “I suppose I probably should have though. You’re sound really knowledgeable about all of this though. Have you been travelling long?” “I’m far from being an expert or anything.” Lauren scratched at her arm and looked awkwardly off to the side. It was becoming steadily apparent that being bathed in praise wasn’t exactly her comfort zone. “I’ve not been travelling that long either, really. I’m from Kanto originally and started my journey there but some unfortunate stuff happened early on and I had to call it off. So, I resumed my journey here when my family moved soon after.” “Sorry to hear you had a rough start. I thought my first day was a tough one but nothing that would make me have to postpone starting my journey.” “It happens, I guess.” Lauren shrugged uncomfortably. Eloy decided it was a good time to change the subject. “Kanto though? That’s miles away and I’d never have picked it. Until you mentioned it, I didn’t even realise you had even a hint of an accent.” Lauren seemed to relax somewhat at that. “My parents are from Unova originally, which is much closer to here. They moved to Kanto when they were younger because the company my dad works for opened a branch over there and needed to move some people across. I wasn’t even born yet so it wasn’t much of a problem for them. Being around them is probably why I never developed much of a Kantonese accent.” “Makes sense to me,” Eloy said, the pair of them slipping into a comfortable silence again as they finally caught up to Deacon, who happily hopped about at their feet for a while before bounding of ahead again. The sun was starting to hang lower in the sky now, and Eloy realised that they’d soon enough be reaching the point where they’d have to split off. He was heading to Erythie City as planned, but it had turned out that Lauren had already obtained her badge there and was heading straight past to go to Techniti City instead. It was strange, given the short time they’d been in each others’ company, but he’d grown used to having Lauren as a travelling companion. It was kind of melancholic to realise that he wasn’t going to have her to talk to once they parted. It wasn’t like he was going to be lonely since he’d have Deacon and Maestro with him, but he was going to miss having someone around who spoke his language. He turned his head and was surprised to see that she was looking at him with an expression of concern. At least, he was pretty confident that was what it was. She hadn’t said anything about it though. He supposed that she wasn’t the type to go prodding into other people’s affairs anymore than she was comfortable with people poking their noses into hers. After all, she’d been visibly uncomfortable when he’d started talking about her journey prior to arriving in Sigia. “I’m all good,” Eloy ventured “Just lost in thought, pondering how I’ll battle Hansel. Don’t go giving me any tips though, it doesn’t count for anything if I don’t win on my own.” “Don’t worry, wouldn’t dream of it,” Lauren grinned “Try not to think too hard though, you’ll end up missing a curve in the road and walking into the forest and apparently that can get you in trouble in this neck of the woods. Nora’s not around to save our skin this time.” Eloy had to laugh at that one. It really was an absurd turn of events. Just days into his first ever journey as a trainer and he’d caught a new Pokemon, obtained his first badge, nearly got murdered by a pack of Pokemon known for being friendly, met a member of the Elite Four and then battled that same pack alongside her. If anyone had told him they’d had the same experience he might not have believed them. “That’s a fair call,” Eloy said, stifling his laughter, “It’s still crazy to think we met a member of the Elite Four.” “Is it really?” Lauren asked, and again Eloy was struck by a bolt of bemusement at the fact she was being completely serious. “How is that a trainer, such as yourself, could not even be a tiny little bit starstruck after meeting one of the five best trainers in Sigia? It boggles the mind.” “I suppose I’ve just never been one for celebrity culture,” Lauren said, her tone almost questioning. “You’re certainly unique, I have to give you that one,” Eloy said, his exasperation sending the pair of them into another bout of laughter. “Ni!” Deacon called from ahead, as though suggesting they stop giggling and put that energy into moving faster. “Alright, alright. Calm down before your ears fall off,” Eloy said, still chuckling. Their walk continued on much the same, alternating between peaceful silence and bouts of laughter while Deacon trotted along well ahead of them, not content to walk at their snails pace - which was in fact a pretty normal walking speed to most. By the time they reached the split in the road, the sky was painted in shades of vivid pinks and oranges by the sun beginning to set. Towards the east, Eloy could just barely make out Erythie and the sparkling ocean beyond, the coastal city at a slightly lower vantage point than where they were. To the north, a series of hills popped up around the Great Sigia River that the River Avent flowed into. Eloy knew from talking to Lauren that you could pass over the river and hills or below depending on if you wanted to explore Tunnel Pass or not. She would be taking the Tunnel Pass route since it was an environment she knew Echo would like being in. “I suppose this is it then,” Eloy said at last, after they had come to a halt. “Yeah, I guess so,” Lauren answered. “Well, it’s been nice travelling with you for this short time,” Eloy said “Honestly, I’m a bit disappointed we have to split up. It’s been fun.” “Ni ni!” Deacon agreed enthusiastically from where he was seated at Eloy’s feet. “Yeah, all things considered, it was good to have someone to have a person to travel with again for a while.” Lauren smiled at him. “All things considered,” Eloy echoed “I supposed almost dying is something we could have done without.” The pair found themselves laughing again at that one. “You heard Nora though, she’s heading to Techniti to help host a tournament,” Lauren said through her laughter, making herself stop, “So if I decide to stick around to watch or participate and you get there in time to join it, we can probably meet up again there.” “I’ll be looking forward to it then.” The two said their goodbyes and split off in their separate directions, Lauren releasing Mortimer for company as they did so. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
I don't have too much thoughts about this chapter since it's mostly just Eloy and Lauren talking but that's not a bad thing really. The first part of the conversation over tr the pros and cons of Pokemon in their pokeball is a nice one. Makes me wonder if Eloy gets more Pokemon how he'll be able to manage to take care of them fairly. Lauren's backstory is also interesting. Curious what happened in Kanto, maybe it'll be an interlude? = P
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O Fortuna “Cross!” “TOT!!!” Maestro dived out of the way as the hulking blue bug’s powerful forelimb drove into the ground were he had just been standing, leaving a crater in its place. The Heracross immediately whirled around to face Eloy’s Kricketot once more, the smaller Bug swiftly running out of stamina. “You’ve got this, Hercules,” the Heracross’ trainer, a young man a few years older than Eloy donning a blue cap over unkempt hair, encouraged, “The little squirt can’t run forever.” Eloy grimaced at that, his opponent was not wrong. They’d been battling for quite a while as it was, although battling didn’t seem the best descriptor at that time. Poor Maestro had spent the entire conflict on the defensive, completely overwhelmed by Hercules’ raw power. This was becoming a running trend in Eloy’s day. He’d arrived in Erythie City late the night before and had spent the night in the Pokemon Centre’s lobby unable to secure a room before heading out into the city in search of battles and seemed soon to be Maestro’s third defeat. “Hercules, Brick Break!” The big blue Bug’s clawed arm glowed white as it lunged after Maestro, delivering a powerhouse punch to its smaller foe. “Tot, tot!” Maestro repeated frantically, a look of horror etched into his face. “Struggle Bug!” Eloy instructed, hoping his frantic Kricketot could respond in time. A pillar of bright red light exploded up around Maestro and rushed outward, pushing Hercules back. The Heracross buzzed its wings to effortlessly stick the landing, in stark contrast to Maestro who had discovered quickly that the lush park grass did little to absorb a hard impact with the ground. “Follow up with Bug Bite,” Eloy gave the order. Maestro wheeled around, giving Eloy a questioning look before throwing himself forward into a charge at Hercules. The Pokemon’s trainer didn’t even give a command and the Heracross didn’t so much as flinch as Maestro’s mouth closed down on the larger Pokemon’s shiny cobalt carapace. Eloy stared flatley at Hercules’ trainer, his opponent smirking at him smugly from where he stood opposite. Eloy had gotten the first impression of a cocky rich kid - not unlike another Erythie native he had met on his journey thus far - and the attitude that had been displayed through the battle thus far had done little to change that. Eloy could tell something unpleasant was coming. “Brutal Swing, Hercules!” There it was. The Bug/Fighting Pokemon flailed the arm Maestro was attached to about, slamming Maestro into the ground with each motion. “Bide!” Eloy called out hurriedly, he hoped he didn’t do too much damage to the park. The onslaught continued for a few more moments as Maestro soaked up the damage, then Hercules gave one strong heave upwards and launched Maestro skywards. “Mega Horn!” The Erythie trainer instructed. Hercules’ wings shot open as he launched up after Maestro, a blazing white aura exploding into existence around his formidable horn. “Tot!” Maestro cried out, suddenly releasing the energy he had collected during his beating. The blinding light of the destructive blast caused Eloy and his foe both to wince as the catastrophic attack engulfed Hercules. Hercule’s kept going, his own powerful attack cutting through Maestro’s. The Kricketot’s assault ceased as Hercules slammed him towards the ground with the savage Mega Horn. Maestro hit the ground hard and it was instantly clear that Eloy had lost that round. Eloy failed to stifle a sigh as he walked over to where his Pokemon lay prone and began to administer a potion. He’d have to get both of his team members a proper check up at the Pokemon Centre before exploring the city more. “It was a good effort, Maestro, you’re getting there.” “Yo, pay up,” the victor said, gesturing towards Eloy. Eloy sighed and reached for his now dwindling funds. Eloy have the other trainer his winnings, returned Maestro to his ball and headed back towards the Pokemon Centre. The salty sea air was refreshing as Eloy made his way back towards the Pokemon Centre, and combined with the warm sun it was helping ease the tension after Eloy’s string of losses. It was plain to see why Erythie was a tourism hot spot in Sigia. He’d learned in school, although had forgotten the specifics, how weather patterns kept it somewhat warmer than other places in the region, it was right by the beach, close to the capital and it was beautiful to look at. The city was far larger than anywhere Eloy had ever been before, but was somehow also very clean. The skyscrapers were all designed in a way so as to not look strange next to one another and the height of the types of buildings present in an area grew smoothly as you went north with the southernmost part of the city being residential and the northernmost having the hotels and business district. Dotted all throughout were open squares, recreational battlefields and serene parks. There must have been some pretty strict building codes to result in such a picturesque cityscape. It wasn’t long before Eloy reached the Pokemon Centre, one of multiple in the city. This one was smaller than the others and saw less activity, so Eloy had been directed here from the first one he’d attempted to stay at when it turned out they were full. It was tucked away in a shopping area where there wasn’t much battling going on, it also lacked the trademark red roof most Centres had, instead opting for a large sign out the front instead. The building itself was interesting to look at. The front of the building was distinctly rounded, and comprised of triangular glass panels held together like triominoes in a metal framework. They gave a clear view of the interior which was much more familiar at this point. A combined lobby and lounge area and a small cafe sharing peach tiles and cream-coloured. Eloy entered the building and found he didn’t have to wait in line to approach the desk at the back. A male nurse with overly perfect teeth and meticulously styled blonde hair stood waiting there in the standard white and pink of the uniform. “Good afternoon to you, sir!” The nurse said over-exuberant, flashing his near-glowing smile, “How can I be of assistance to you today? I believe you’re currently occupying one of our rooms? “Uh, yeah,” Eloy said, scratching his arm awkwardly and trying to avoid the nurse’s penetrating, wide-eyed stare, “I booked it earlier this morning. Anyway, could you give my Pokemon a once over? They’ve been battling all morning and aren’t majorly hurt or anything, since I gave treatment with potions, but better to be safe and all.” “Of course, sir!” The nurse beamed, “I’ll take them off your hands then and have them read for you to collect within half an hour most likely. Feel free to make use of our wonderful cafe or to explore the city while you wait.” “Sure, thanks.” Eloy handed over his Pokeballs and got away from the desk as quickly as he could while the nurse passed them on to one of his coworkers. He had quickly decided that out of all the inhumanly enthusiastic nurses he’d now come across, that was by far the worst encounter. He was close to thinking he’d rather take on the murderous Stoutland again that have to talk to the man a second time. Not to mention, his suggestions had tweaked a nerve. Or, since I don’t have any money after that losing streak, I won’t spend any on overpriced coffee or explore the city since there’s nothing nearby except shops. I’ll go to the beach with my Pokemon when you’re done fixing them up though. Sill, that left Eloy with up to thirty minutes to consider what he was going to do about Maestro. The little Pokemon had good instincts for how to move in battle, but he was timid and not very powerful. His stamina needed work too. “There’s got to be someway I can focus on your strengths and still help you improve on your weaknesses,” Eloy sighed. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
Waves Changed into beachwear, dark pink board shorts and a lighter pink tank top (of course), Eloy collected his Pokemon from the uncomfortably perfect nurse and escaped the Pokemon centre as quickly as possible. From there it was only a short walk through a sprawl of boutiques and restaurants to reach the beach. The beach itself was stunning and Eloy stopped just short of actually moving onto it to appreciate it. This was his first time actually visiting a place of the sort, and it left an impression. The sky was clear, it’s reflection glistening over the top of the vibrantly blue sea, the sand was white and fine, a salty breeze kept the heat comfortably at bay and the sound of small waves breaking lightly against the shore was a constant, refusing to be overpowered by the chorus of joyous shout and laughter from the numerous people populating the area. It was as if Eloy had just stepped into a magazine cover. Reaching into his bag, Eloy quickly retrieved his occupied Pokeballs and released Deacon and Maestro by his feet. They materialised in a flash and immediately fell into old habits. Deacon was instantly hopping around excitedly, taking in the new scenery. Maestro, on the other hand, was looking around cautiously as if awaiting an attack any moment. “You two can both relax,” Eloy said, “We’re just at the beach for some fun, rest and relaxation since this is a first for all of us. Really, Maestro, no battling for you. Come on.” Eloy headed down a small set of concrete steps onto the soft sand with his team following behind him… well until Deacon, naturally, dashed off ahead towards the sea. He then immediately turned and rushed back as a wave came in, avoiding the breaking water as it lapped the coast. “Ni!” he cheered gleefully, turning around for another race with the waves. Maestro for his part continued to huddle close to Eloy’s leg. “Well, I don’t think he gets the rest and relaxation part but you can’t deny Deacon’s an expert on having fun,” Eloy said with a laugh, looking down at his timid Kricketot. The Bug type didn’t give much sign that he agreed. This made Eloy laugh again. “Well, look who it is!” Suddenly, all the mirth drained from Eloy’s body. He recognised the voice instantly, and sure enough, when he turned to the left, Layla was striding up to him, flaunting herself in an obnoxiously yellow bikini under the familiar white jakcetand radiating the same self-confidence as when he’d first met her. Seriously? What are the odds? I know she’s from here, but come on! Maestro huddled closer to Eloy as the blonde girl approached, and for once Eloy couldn’t say he blamed the little Bug. “Is it too late to go back to the Stoutland?” he muttered to Maestro as the Kricketot looked at him horrorstuck. “You say something?” Layla asked, finally reaching him. “Uh, yeah, hi, uh, Layla,” Eloy fumbled, still a little too in shock to formulate a good cover story, “I just said, it’s a surprise to see. What are you doing here?” Layla tilted her head, putting her hands on her hips and looking at Eloy like he was a moron. He couldn’t really fault her that one either. Nicely done, Eloy. Nothing suspicious there. “What?” Layla said flatly, still giving him the same expression, “This is my hometown, remember? Of course I’m going to spend more time here catching up with family and friends than I’ll spend somewhere dingy like Avent Town. Duh.” “Ah, right,” Eloy said, wondering if his discomfort was visible or not. “Anyway, come on!” Layla said suddenly, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him after her. “What?!” Eloy spluttered, stumbling after her with his arm stuck in her surprisingly vice-like grip. “Tot?!” Maestro yelped, apparently echoing Eloy’s sentiments as he hurriedly scrambled after his captive trainer. Deacon’s ears pricked up from where he was still playing with the waves, the Nidoran soon taking off after them as if they were forming a strange parade. Eventually, Layla dropped Eloy from her grasp as his Pokemon caught up with them, and he became aware of his surroundings again. They hadn’t actually gone very far from where he’d been standing really and were now before a large blue rug under an even larger blue and white umbrella. A girl in a brown top and dark shorts, quickly recognisable as Gwen, was sitting under the umbrella engrossed in a rather hefty looking book adorned with an image of a Teddiursa on the cover. Around her was a large grouping of Pokemon. Eloy’s eyes quickly spotted Florence, Layla’s Buneary but aside from the brown Normal type, there were five others present. A gloriously pink Snubbull and spiky, yellow Jolteon were playing around with Florence while nearby a bepetalled Roselia was standing in the sun soaking up its rays. A Munchlax was sleeping lazily on its back near the centre of their rug and nearby Gwen a tough-looking Lucario sat in quiet meditation, the black appendages that dangled from its head were all standing out to the sides. It was quite the eclectic mix of Pokemon, leaving Eloy to wonder if they all belonged to Layla or if some were Gwen’s. “Hey, Gwen!” Layla said far too loudly for their proximity, “Look who I found!” Gwen looked up from her book at Layla, as though she barely registered Eloy was there. Then, she shifted her gaze to him and gave a small wave. “It’s Pinky!” Layla said enthusiastically, “From Avent!” “I remember,” Gwen replied calmly, glancing wantingly back at her book. “My name’s Eloy.” “I know that, but what’s with all the pink?” Eloy wasn’t entirely sure if she actually did even half-remember his name. That was not important though. There was a much more important issue at hand. “Pink is the greatest colour in the world, that’s what’s with all the pink. The world needs more pink in it. What’s with all the yellow?” “Obviously, it’s the actual greatest colour!” “I severely beg to differ,” Eloy responded. “Ni!” Deacon affirmed adamantly. At that, the debate was interrupted by the sound of Gwen laughing. A sound that surprised Eloy so much he had to force his jaw not to fall open in shock. Granted, this was only his second encounter ever with the girl, but such a blatant display was not something Eloy had seen coming at all. He was dumbfounded. “And what’s so funny, huh?” Layla jabbed playfully, sticking out her tongue at her companion. “That was c-” Suddenly, Gwen’s mouth slammed shut and her eyes went wide. It was as though she’d suddenly realised she’d stepped out of her secretive, introverted shell for a moment and had dived for cover. “It was what, huh?” Layla prodded teasingly. “I just realised you’re colour coded. He’s always pink and you’re always yellow. It’s funny,” Gwen said, returning her attention to her book with almost an intensity. It looked like she was trying to burn a hole through the page with her eyes. The Lucario nearby her opened one of his eyes quizzically, eventually shutting it and returning to his meditation. “She says that like she’s not perpetually in brown,” Layla jabbed, poking her tongue out at Gwen again. Gwen, grinned and rolled her eyes but didn’t look away from the book. Eloy took this chance to begin slowly backing away, but backed straight into another person, stumbling back forward. “Careful man, don’t wanna hurt yourself,” the new arrival, a shirtless man that dwarfed Eloy said with a light-hearted grin. “Right, sorry,” Eloy apologised. “Nah, don’t worry bro,” the man replied, “I just came by to say we’re holding an even up the beach. For a small fee, two people enter and have a double battle against our two trainers. If you win, you get your cash back and a case of Protein. Interested?” “Sounds fun, let’s team up, Gwen!” Layla beamed, but her friend was already shaking her head. “I’ll pass. Doubly on the Protein.” With that, Layla turned to look at Eloy. “Then I guess you’ll have to do.” “Wait, what?” Eloy responded, feeling a distinct sense of impending doom. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
Interlude Four A howling roar echoed through the darkness of the cave, the group of trainers freezing in place. It was a lamenting, angry sound and it was exactly the sort of indicator they had warned about. They had figured that there was strength in numbers, especially with both of their groups travelling through the mountain caves together. That horrible, haunting sound however made every single one of them doubt that logic. “It didn’t sound too close right? Let’s keep moving,” the de facto leader of the group, the chief scientist of the more official half of the expedition said. Scientists and trainers alike followed suit as the balding man began walking along the dimly lit path once more. A light tremor shook and the far or roar reverberated through the caverns again. The tremors were deeply concerning to all those present, but to those who realised it meant that the source of the roaring was moving closer to them, that concern was at a whole other level. Another, stronger tremor shook them. “Is it just me, or are those tremors getting closer?” Someone whispered in the darkness. “I think you mean closer,” A second voice mumbled bitterly from further across. They made it only a few more steps before the strongest tremor yet hit, several of the assembled group stumbling and the cavern caravan coming to a halt, frozen with fear and anticipation as they waited, hoping the tremors would begin to shrink. For a long time, there was no sound at all. No tremors, nobody spoke and all seemed to hold their breath. Then the ground beneath their feet exploded with a roar. The metallic leviathan burst up from beneath them, leaving a gaping hole in the ground as it rose up, slamming into the cave and sending boulders and stalagmites raining down over the group. Lauren was thrown flying by the force of the Steelix emerging from below. For a split second she saw the scientists and her friends scrambling, those that hadn’t already plummeted through the chasm left by the massive Steel type. Then, she hit the ground and was sent tumbling, her eyes slamming shut. Lauren’s hand’s flew to her ears as she landed, and she curled into a ball as she tried to block out the thunderous sound of falling stone and the screams of her travelling companions. Then, there was only silence and blackness. It was over as quickly as it had happened. Lauren’s eyes shot open and she jolted upright in her sleeping bag. Her hair was plastered to her face and she was dripping with icy sweat. She breathed heavily, gripping the edges of the sleeping bag until she came to her senses. She wasn’t in Mount Moon, she wasn’t even in Kanto. She was in the Sigia region en route to Techniti City. “Skull?” Mortimer enquired after her. Lauren turned to see the red glow of his eyes in the darkness, not far from where she lay. A small distance away from him, she could see the dimmer yellow she knew to be Marion’s own eyes. Just as the pair of Ghost types lurked nearby, Lauren knew that Echo was fluttering around overhead. The trio of Pokemon were of species that thrived in the night so Lauren often let them out to roam nearby when she slept - partl for their benefit and partly for her protection. She reached for herbag and retrieved her Pokegear, the light from its screen illuminating the space around her a little more and revealing Mortimer’s form, hovering by her side with his head tilted. She looked at the screen, the wallpaper depicted her and three others, a boy and two girls close to her age. This was the only photo of their group all together, taken outside the Pewter City Pokemon Centre before they all set off. “A cave in occured in the caves within Mount Moon,” Lauren whispered to herself, citing a news story on the incident, “A Steelix that had contracted a severe strain of Pokerus attacked a group travelling to Cerulean City. There were only four survivors, one in critical condition.” The four survivors in question had been herself, her two female friends and the lead scientist. Everyone else had either died falling through the hole in the floor or been crushed by the rocks falling from above. “I don’t even know if Tabby ever woke up, you know that?” Lauren said, looking to Mortimer, “What am I doing here, Mort?” “Skull.” Mortimer floated over to her, nestling against his trainer. “All that and now here I’m attacked by rabid Stoutland? It’s like I have a target on my back. Maybe someone out there is just punishing me because my heart’s not in it.” “Shup!” Marion suddenly said, and with a mischievous giggle glided over to rest in Lauren’s lap. The Ghost type closed her eyes and the next moment, Lauren felt her negative feelings begin to ease as her Pokemon fed on them. Lauren reached out and patted the Shuppet, slipping back down into the bag and closing her eyes again. “I wish you hadn’t found that. Now I have to get rid of you.” Lauren looked at the man with horror, she was the last one conscious and now the scientist she had trekked through the caves with was turning on her? Was she seriously going to be another body on the pile of corpses this man had left in his wake? The scientist lazily tossed a Pokeball, in a flash of light a large Pokemon appeared. It was a huge Muk, bigger than normal, and where Kantonian Muk were usually purple, the slimey Pokemon before her was green, yellow and pink like the variant found in Alola. Lauren held on tightly to the injured zubat she cradled in her arms as Mortimer calmly placed himself between her and the Muk. “Sludge Bomb!’ The man ordered. “Protect!” Lauren didn’t have time to contemplate, she just reacted. A barrier of glowing green exploded into being around Mortimer, the Sludge Bomb striking it and falling to the ground as it faded. “Will-o-Wisp, Mortimer!” Mortimer retaliated, hurling a ghostly blue fireball at the Muk. The Poison type tried to doge but was far too slow and briefly, it was ablaze, the fading flames leaving it burned. “You dare to fight back against me!?” The Scientist raged. “Night Shade, Mort!” Lauren ignored him and attacked again. As the battle continued, the scene began to fade. Each exchange of attacks, more of the dream disappeared into a serene fog. Lauren thought she could here a ghostly giggle as she drifted deeper into her sleep. |
Poor Maestro, still not getting used to battles. He'll need to break out of his shell sooner or later. I liked that you have a very enthuastic male nurse since I don't see those very often in Pokemon fanfics. The nurse is only trying to give great customer service, Eloy.
Oh, hey Layla and Gwen again. It does seemed like everyone has that one favorite color, huh? Layla and Eloy battle partners, that's going to be fun. Onto the interlude, yup thought we'll get to Lauren's backstory sooner or later. Oof the mention of the Pokerus again, seems to be a worldwide thing. Hm, I think for Lauren's nightmare it could end on a more intense note. You have her battling the scientist and then the dream just fades. Maybe more Pokemon with Pokerus appeared, for instance Have fun with the nightmares! |
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Knuck if You Buck Eloy found himself standing alongside Layla a short way up the beach from where they had previously been. A sizeable space had been cordoned off to serve as a battlefield and a crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle. Near the front of the crowd, looking slightly uncomfortable in the throng of people, Gwen watched on with her gaze fixed in Layla and Eloy’s direction. Their opponent’s stood across from them, a pair of deeply tanned trainers in their mid-twenties dressed in brightly-coloured beachwear. In front of the first of the trainers, a woman with a brown bob cut, a Machoke stood proudly. In front of her companion, a tall man with a shaved head, a relaxed Golduck was standing with its webbed hands on its hips. Eloy and Layla had chosen Deacon and Florence. “Don’t go slowing us down now,” Layla jibed, winking at Eloy. Florence snickered at her trainer’s feet, prompting Deacon to bristle, his spiny ears pricking up defensively. “Wasn’t exactly high on my priority list,” Eloy replied with a sigh. He knew already that the two of them weren’t going to have the best team cohesiveness, but Deacon and Florence were already doing well to drive that point home. “Good your little rodent’s get along,” the woman with the Machoke tittered, “We good to go, ref?” “Whenever you’re ready,” the referee, the huge man Eloy had backed into before, gave the go ahead. “Kai, Karate Chop!” She wasted no time in giving her first command and her Machoke wasted no time in following it. The musclebound Pokemon ran forward like a charging gladiator with a faintly glowing hand ready to chop down on Florence. “Baby-Doll Eyes!” Layla instructed. Florence’s eyes flashed pink, but the Machoke’s eyes never met with the Buneary’s. “Duke, Aqua Jet!” The Golduck rocketed in between Kai and Florence, engulfed in a torrent of water. From within the rushing water, there was a flash of pink indicating that the Baby-Doll eyes had hit the Golduck instead. The Water type’s attack ceased and it landed in the sand by the edge of the battlefield. Kai was almost upon Florence. “Poison Sting on the Machoke!” Eloy called. The tip of Deacon’s horn shone purple as he dashed forward the short distance to meet his hulking opponent. He leapt up, his horn striking Kai’s side and throwing him off balance. The Machoke was spun, plating his hand into the hot sand and lashing out with a kick that hooked Deacon and shot him straight into Florence. The pair of small Pokemon tumbled over each other, coming to a halt in a spray of sand. Florence pushed Deacon off of her and climbed back to her feet, rolling her eyes at the Nidoran. “Ni!” Deacon snarled at his teammate, also getting back to his feet. “Oh dear, that’s not a good sign!” The obnoxious woman laughed. Eloy winced, it seemed like she wasn’t the only one to think so. He was pretty sure he’d just caught sight of Gwen shaking her head at him on the sidelines. Great, looks like if we lose I’m going to get blamed for it. “Poison Sting the Machoke again!” Eloy instructed, Deacon angrily rushed Kai, eliciting another laugh from the woman on the other side of the battlefield. “Duke, Confusion!” “No!” Layla exclaimed next to Eloy, but it was too late. Deacon shimmered with a faint blue light and was then blasted away from the Machoke, skipping over the surface of the sand like a pebble on a lake. “Florence, Charge Beam!” Florence comprised, shooting the yellow beam, crackling with electricity, from in front of her mouth to strike the Machoke. The bulky Fighting type was far too slow and far too close to avoid the attack, taking it head on and being shot back several metres, rolling back to his feet and looking annoyed. “Water Pulse!” A glowing, glimmering sphere of water suddenly struck Florence, exploding on impact and sending her careening across the battlefield to land next to where Deacon had just gotten back up again. “Ni,” Deacon taunted the Buneary. Eloy nearly face-palmed. “You two should really stop forgettin’ I’m here,” The Golduck’s trainer said with a smug grin. “Couldn’t agree more,” Eloy muttered. “Then stop doing it,” Layla chided from beside him, chuckling as though she hadn’t made the exact same mistake, “Run the Machoke again.” “Because that worked out so well the last time.” “Just do it,” Layla snipped. “Poison Sting the Machoke again!” Eloy instructed, relenting. Deacon instantly rushed forward again. “Confusion, Duke!” “Charge Beam the Golduck!” Layla suddenly yelled, Eloy realising at that moment exactly what Layla had just done. Deacon was blasted back by the Psychic attack again, taking a hard hit on account of his type disadvantage and hitting the dirt hard, sending a spray of it up like sea foam. At the same time though, Florence’s sparking beam attack shot past Deacon and Kai and hit its mark. Duke cried out with surprise and pain as the electrical charge raced over his body. Much like Deacon was to Psychic, Duke was weak to electric attacks and dropped to his hands and knees. “Really? Your using Deacon as bait now?” Eloy asked, Layla. “It worked didn’t it?” “It won’t keep working, Deacon can’t tank too many Psychic attacks.” “Well I guess that can’t be helped with him,” Layla replied. Eloy tried not to be too annoyed by the way she made it sound like Deacon was somehow at fault for being a Poison type. He wasn’t doing a great job. He glanced towards Gwen again and was shocked to see she was shaking her head again, slightly more frantically this time. Again, he got the distinct impression it was aimed at him. What did I do this time? It was a rude tactic, but Layla was right about it working. He didn’t get much more time to think. Their female opponent gave another command and suddenly the massive form of Kai was hurtling at Deacon and Florence like a sprinter. “I’ll get its legs, you get its head!” Eloy said frantically, hoping Layla got the idea, “Peck one of its legs Deacon!” Deacon ran to meet Kai, Florence following behind at a command from Layla. A blaze engulfed the Machoke’s fist as he struck down towards Deacon like a jackhammer, but the Nidoran was much more nimble. He hopped to the side, avoiding the Fire Punch and lunged forward, jabbing his horn into the side of the Machoke’s knee. Kai shouted as the Flying attack hit, his leg instantly buckling under him and sending him to his hands and knees, lining him up perfectly. “Charge Beam!” Layla ordered again. Florence skidded to a halt, right in front of the Machoke’s face, tilting back before rocking her weight forward and blasting Kai head on with the Electric attack. Kai was immersed in the crackling electric charge and crumpled to the ground as a second charge ran over Florence’s body, indicating Charge Beam’s secondary power enhancing effect had activated. Eloy stole another glance Gwen’s way. Apparently this time she approved of their tactic because she wasn’t shaking her head but smiling faintly. Eloy turned back just in time to once again be reminded they were in a double battle. “Mud bomb!” Duke was back on his feet now, and launched a sphere of compressed mud in Florence’s direction. “Pound!” Florence struck the ball of mud, her ear shooting forward like a piston and exploding it in an icky brown spray that splattered all four of the assembled Pokemon. “Kai, Low Sweep!” Eloy’s head whipped across to look at the Machoke, who had taken the moment of distraction to find purchase on the ground with his hands. With a malevolent smirk, the Fighting type whipped its leg around to strike Florence and sent her skidding along the sand. “Peck!” Eloy called. Deacon lunged for Kai, the Machoke not yet back on two feet. However he never got the chance to make contact as Duke intervened. At a snappy instruction from his trainer, the Golduck once more hammered Deacon with Confusion and set him flying across the battleground. Both Deacon and Florence lay prone for several moments, slowly climbing back to their feet as Duke casually strolled up to his teammate, Kai also now standing tall again. “That went well,” Eloy stated flatly. “Definitely not a shining moment,” Layla agreed. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
I expected that double battle to have some hippcups there. Their poor communication at one another in the beginning hurts them quite a bit. Near the end they're able to almost get in sync, but a little too late there.
I would've liked more reactions and body language from Duke and Kai's trainers. You had them call out commands and talked to Eloy and Layla a couple times, but other than that I don't get a sense of their personality an I feel they're just there. |
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Will try to capture personalities a bit better in the follow-up chapter. |
Well, I'm back giving more commentary and apologizing for being slow on the updates. Work is a killjoy. But hey! Good to know that Eloy continues his adventure with a Nido by his side. One thing I wanted to mention a lot after the beginning episodes is how Eloy dares have a bad time when he's accompanied by two girls. Like, really. :p
Now... I resume reading with Ch. 4 and Interlude one, and go up to right before Welcome to the Jungle; I was taken a bit aback by the change in perspective since I was getting admittedly used to the open spaces and how you work your detail with them, but that's a minor detail. Another minor detail is with "It's yellowed, peeling walls". As for the whole Melanie and Blake sideline thing, while I do recall it was mentioned early on about the Pokerus case, it didn't register me as a plot strand worth following when we had Eloy and Deacon around. I think the interlude would have benefited from putting it one episode later, right before (or after) the Gym Battle even, when the novelty of Deacon gives way to a more established and normal Trainer who, like, catches Pokémon, but that's just me. Quote:
As for the whole Pokérus thing? We have a deal, kid. Or, rather, apparently not. He ain't saying anything and I see this is the classic "these guys can get you anywhere" ploy we see in 2000s TV shows, from which I'll call it right now: either very high League Officers or the Champion are directly involved in the distribution. That or the whole thing is just a misdirection to annoy and sucker punch the *real* dealers. It's interesting to wonder what guns is this Blake guy sticking to if it is true what Melanie says that he would have access to tons of Pokémoney. Quote:
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But really, that off-on switch and how Deacon just up and starts running laps around the place and going all FEED ME was a prize little scene to read. He seems to be very pet-like in that behaviour, though I hope he grows out to become more independent about that. I just hope he doesn't get nommed by a bird also looking for breakfast in those escapades distance ahead of Eloy. Would certainly suck. Quote:
Ooooh and good thing about the battle woosh, many stories tend tot ry and skip the first few wild battles out of finding them boring, but these are formative experiences that tell a lot about how the characters start. One little concern about the battle that forced me to switch tabs, hence temporarily leaving the story, is that I could have sworn Bide is a physical category move, so I was a bit weirded out by having it be a concussive or "massful" beam of energy. But I'm sure Deacon is a good boy and would have been able to take it. Quote:
Also that marks the opening for now featuring a more proper town with Rosaste. A good work on quickly establishing the more hospital-ness experience including the immaculate white, building off the contrast with the depiction of the previous Center which I had also commented upon. I do find it weird that he's this early in his adventure and already going to tackle the first Gym, hinting that he didn't really learn his lesson from the first battle we watched him tackle. Not that I wish him any wrong but he has a long road to learn. It was nice to see the little surprise waiting him at the Gym and how he almost froze at the thought that Gwen and Layla were there tho! After watching one battle though it is going to be Eloy's turn and I'm off for the popcorns to come back and review that one another time, because it feels like a grander event and the usual corresponding "opening of the world". Nice story so far and always good to see Nidos having screentime! Also a good work on giving a Lombre both a good strategy to play and a decent run in your show so far. |
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Hazard “Any bright ideas?” Layla asked. From her tone, it sounded to Eloy like she was trying to place the blame on him. Not the most pleasant thing in the world, but at that moment he had bigger problems than Layla looking down on him. “I was thinking we’d hit them really hard,” he replied, only half-sarcastically. “Pure genius.” The pair of them surveyed the scene before them. Deacon was on one side of the battlefield, Florence was on the other and between them, standing side by side, were Kai and Duke, looking confident. Across the sandy arena, their opponents were not even trying to conceal their smug smirks. Thankfully, it seemed they were content to bask in their moment of glory and weren’t in any rush to attack again. “The have better teamwork than us. We should should isolate them, focus on taking one of them out and then we can easily beat the last one standing,” Eloy suggested, not looking away from the battlefield. “Now you’re talking sense,” Layla said with a grin, “Takeout the Golduck first, it’s got the range.” Eloy nodded. If Layla wanted to call that shot, he could live with that. She naturally gravitated towards that position anyway and he’d come to the same conclusion as it was. “Peck, Deacon!” Eloy instructed, “Go under!” “Ni!” Deacon sprinted forward, baring his horn. “Kai, Fire Punch!” One of the hulking Machamp’s four fists burst into flame as it lunged forward to intercept Deacon. The little Nidoran was too fast for it however, picking up the pace to narrowly avoid the blazing punch and rush through Kai’s legs. “Crap!” Their male opponent cursed, realising what Eloy was planning, “Duke, Ice Beam the Nidoran!” The Golduck whipped around as Deacon leapt for it, the frost white-blue energy beam starting for in its open beak. “Now!” Layla called. Florence unleashed a Charge Beam, the bright yellow blast sparking with electricity. The Electric attack struck Duke in the back and a violent shock overtook his body, the Ice Beam fading from existence as the highly effective attack took its toll. Then, Deacon’s horn struck the crippled Golduck and with a huff it toppled over in a heap. Eloy hadn’t expected a single run to do it, but he wasn’t about to complain. That was down, only Kai was left. “Nicely done, Duke.” Duke’s trainer returned his Golduck and took a seat in the sand to watch the rest of the battle. “Don’t get excited, this is far from over,” Kai’s trainer said, still looking every bit as confident as before. “I don’t know,” Layla smirked “You’re all alone now. “Oh please, don’t get so cocky. You don’t have a half a chance,” the woman scoffed “Kai, Karate chop the Buneary!” The muscled Fighting type leapt over the top of Deacon and dashed forward after Florence, bringing his arm up in preparation of a downward blow. Florence was far more agile than Kai however, leaping up and landing on his head before using it as a springboard to bound over to a place nearby Deacon, leaving the Machoke’s back to both Pokemon. Eloy saw his opportunity. “Deacon, Peck!” “Ni!” Deacon rushed forward and lunged up towards the open back of the Machoke, but at a sharp command from his trainer, Kai pivoted around on his left foot causing the attack to harmlessly sail past. Eloy pressed on the attack. “Poison Sting!” Deacon made a rapid turn and catapulted himself up towards Kai off of his hind legs to strike with his horn again, the appendage’s tip now glowing a toxic purple. “This is nothing, take it Kai!” Eloy’s eyes went wide at the unusual command, but Kai took it in his stride. The Machoke didn’t move and the Poison attack struck him in the chest. He doubled over but held his ground as Deacon bounced off of him. “Florence, Jump Kick!” Layla instructed, trying to catch Kai off-guard while he was focused on Deacon. “Dual Chop!” Kai’s trainer barked dismissively, a blue glow overtaking her Machoke’s hands. Kai swung back, swatting the leaping Buneary out the air with ease and sending her tumbling over the sand. Deacon jumped for him at that moment, but, with his other hand, Kai swung down and slammed him into the dirt. “I told you, I’m out of your league.” “I really don’t like her,” Layla breathed under her breath, leaving only Eloy to hear. “I have to admit, I’m not exactly a fan,” Eloy agreed before trying to regain the offensive “Poison Sting!” “Take it, Kai!” The unusual order came again as once more the Machoke simply allowed the Poison Sting to hit, doubling over but otherwise not budging as Deacon rebounded off his chest again. Eloy saw out of his eyes that Gwen was grimacing and shaking her head again. At that moment, something dawned on him. Every time he’d caught that expression on Gwen’s face, it had come directly after he had commanded a Poison Sting. Combining that with this strange instruction, Eloy had to question if there was a reason he shouldn’t use that attack. “Oh, that’s not good,” Layla suddenly said to Eloy’s side and he focused his attention on the battle to have his suspicions confirmed. The Machoke was showing the unmistakable signs of being afflicted by Deacon’s poison. He looked a bit peaky, he was sweating and swaying on his feet. However, Kai was also grinning viciously and his muscled seemed to have pumped up to a greater size. He practically radiated power even as he slumped slightly in his posture. The pieces of that puzzle immediately fell into place. “Florence, Charge Beam!” Layla yelled frantically. “Too late, kid!” The woman cried out victoriously “Kai, Dynamic Punch!” Florence unleashed the crackling yellow beam as Kai roared a battle cry, whirling around with a fist that glowed white and orange in a violent swirl over his skin. His punch struck the Electric beam and that swirling energy burt out like an explosion, completely nullifying the Charge Beam. “It’s got Guts,” Eloy winced. “Yeah, I noticed,” Layla replied sarcastically. “You think you have time for chatting with us on the loose?” The woman interjected, “Kai, Fire Punch the Nidoran!” “Deacon do-” The attack came around before Eloy could finish his sentence, he had been expecting her to follow up the attack on Florence not to turn her attention back to him. Kai’s fist erupted into a blaze as it struck Deacon and sent him rocketing across the battlefield, right past Eloy where he skidded to a halt in the sand. Eloy groaned. “Sorry guys, guess it’s on you,” he said to Layla before turning to Deacon and drawing him back into his Pokeball “Good effort, Deacon.” “We’ve got this, don’t worry,” Laya replied “Charge Beam, again!” “Dynamic Punch! Walk right up to it!” The woman instructed, her enthusiasm near manic now. Florence reared back before unleashing the bright burst of electric energy at her foe. Kai strode forward smugly raising his fist to intercept it as it began to glow with the combating orange and white swirls again. Florence’s attack met his fist as he continued to walk forward, pushing the beam back with his arm outstretched. Step by painstaking step, Kai closed in on Florence as the Buneary gave the attack her every effort. Soon enough though, he was upon her. Kai stepped forward, around the beam so he was ahead of his fist and then thrust his attack forward. The beam was immediately overpowered as he drove his clenched hand into Florence and the energy around it exploded outwards in a flash. Florence was slammed into the yellow sand, grains flying up in a cloud as she left a crater beneath her. Much like Deacon, she simply lay in the impression twitching. “See, you never had a chance,” the woman gloated, returning her Machoke. “That’s yet another win for us!” “You know, you could tone it down a little, they’re obviously new.” The man sitting beside her spoke up. In his silence during the second half of the battle, Eloy had forgotten he was even there. “No can do!” The woman chimed, Layla growling under her breath before moving in to collect her fallen Pokemon. “You did well, Florence,” she said “Come on.” In a beam of red light, Florence was called to the confines of her own Pokeball. Layla trudged back towards Eloy, looking rather displeased with the outcome as the woman behind her continued to gloat to her partner. Eloy thought he heard mention of Duke being knocked out a couple of times. “Unbelievable,” Layla seethed, as Gwen made her way towards them and they stepped away from the battlefield. “Absolutely unbelievable.” “Sorry you lost,” Gwen said as she neared them, sounding almost like she thought it was her fault. It was odd to say the least, and apparently Layla agreed. “What are sorry for? It’s not like it’s your fault the annoying wench snagged the win.” “Oh, right,” Gwen replied sheepishly, an odd expression on her face. That one was going to take a while to figure out. Still, Eloy had more pressing things to ask her. “You knew it had Guts?” Eloy queried, Gwen turning around and for a moment looking at him like she was surprised he was still there. “No, I didn’t know it had Guts.” “Then why did I catch you shaking your head after those Poison Stings?” Eloy asked. “Well, I didn’t know it had Guts, but I knew you were making a bad move.” When Eloy only looked at her perplexed, she continued her explanation. “Machoke can have one of three abilities; Guts, No Guard or Steadfast. It’s a one in three chance of Guts… well more than that actually because Steadfast is really rare. It didn’t make any sense to risk potentially poisoning Kai and activating Guts if had that ability when you had Peck at your disposal. You should have tried looking for signs of Steadfast or No Guard first and, well, after the first few rounds it was pretty obvious that it didn’t have No Guard and with Steadfast being so rare, Guts was the likely ability.” Eloy continued to stare at Gwen in surprise. Not only was that way more than he had ever heard her say, but it was an extremely impressive analysis. He hadn’t gone into the battle with a mindset like that at all and for the first time he had to wonder if maybe Layla’s claims about Gwen’s prowess were better founded than he had originally thought. “Wow,” he finally managed to say as Gwen visibly shrank back after giving her explanation. Evidently, knowledge was not a cure for shyness. “Alright, enough of that!” Layla suddenly and vigorously interjected “We can talk strategy later, but for now, we’re going back to my place to drown our sorrows in junk food!” A slight smile returned to Gwen’s face as Layla stormed off along the beach and she hurried off in tow, only to stop suddenly when Layla turned back around, still looking quite put out. “Well what are you still standing around for Pinky,” she said “Lets go, didn’t you hear me?” “Wait, what?” “My place. Copious amounts of junk food. Let’s go.” “Right,” Eloy said with a confused sigh and began trailing along behind their procession. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
Kinda glad Layla and Eloy were communicating better, but I wasn't surprised they didn't win because their opponents have stronger Pokemon. Gwen seems to be better at strategy than both of them when she realized what are Machamp's possible abilities.
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Hopefully for this delivery I have caught up to Ch. 6 to 8 + Interlude-2. Truth is, I haven't had the kind of time I would have liked this month to dedicate to stories. But! It's always welcome to return to a story like this, even more now that Deacon has a new friend! Besides, we open with a Gym Leader battle. Good thing I chose to stop where I did because it makes the return more exciting. Regarding all that, Vinnie is a bit off-putting as a character with his demeanor and the pace with which he carries the battle, and sending Parasect out as the first mon in battle reinforces that impression. Battle-wise... I really did not expect any different from a person whose first serious conference fight catches him both unprepared and understaffed. Sending out a recently acquired, untrained catch is not a smart move on Eloy's hand and... really, it had no right to go better than I did, noobiness showed in full force there. Maestro did not manage a good save near the end that could have offered any sort of recovery and we finish with the Pokémon knocked far away and into a wall, classic style. Does Deacon, our pointy star boi, fare any better? Well he starts off with a good combo and at least is smart to move away before a counterattack, but strategy-wise Eloy is not trying anything different than what got Maestro defeated. Still, managing to air juggle the opponent to ready a strike was a good moment and our lovable Nido secures a win! Then he has to fight a Carnivine and boy that one was rough and it came with some p a i n included, but still Eloy manages to secure a win. Undeserved in my opinion, since there's a lot to learn before a first important fight, but the rules are the rules, Vinnie has his set and he lost. And Deacon wins! o3o Quote:
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I feel that extra addition of a bit of time for himself does help Eloy a bit. Still feel he should take himself as a tourist just as well as as a Trainer, because he will have to explore and find his way through. I liked much that we got a description of the "Town Map" and I'm now hoping it gets defictionalized in the future~ Quote:
Characters actually evaluating their available paths instead of just following the One True Path™ (or in the case of game novelizations, the in-game sequence) is always a good thing to have and I liked how all of Layla, geographical structure and packing stuff for the trip all count as factors somehow. I'm wondering, actually, if Deacon would not be allowed to hunt his own food? Anyway, that's it on commentary so far. I know there's still quite a road to go but over time I *WILL* be catching up. Also, being Gwen in that interlude is suffering. Oh school, good times. Not. Anyway, see you next time with hopefully more commentary until the third Interlude. |
Fancy The gate clanged shut behind Eloy, and he felt his heart beat just that bit harder because of it. He had never felt more out of place in his life than he had at that particular moment. He was a farm boy from Citri, he’d grown up in a simple house on unkempt land. Yet here he was, standing outside a lavish two-story dwelling with immaculate stone cladding, manicured hedges and a wide pillared porch that stretched the length of the buildings. Concrete steps led up to the vast oaken font door and it was in that direction he was headed. Eloy wasn’t entirely sure how he had ended up there. He didn’t know Layla well, he didn’t even particular like her and he didn’t get the impression she thought that much of him either. Yet now he was stuck heading up towards her ridiculously fancy house with a locked gate behind him. “Well,” he said “That’s some house.” “Not surprising you’d have that reaction,” Layla said, grinning back at him “It’s a lot bigger than anything you’d be used to in the middle of nowhere.” “You’re not wrong,” Eloy admitted. There it was again, that gloating. He was uncomfortable enough without having the difference in their status lorded over him like that. He glanced over at Gwen, who had returned to her usual degree of silence and was surprised to see that she didn’t look particularly at ease either. He remembered that Layla had said she originally lived in Avent Town, perhaps she didn’t come from wealth either. Not for the first time, he found himself wondering how the two girls had ended up in each others company. They were as different as water and wine. “Honestly,” Layla continued suddenly “It’s a lot bigger than it needs to be. I don’t have any siblings, I’m travelling now and neither of my parents are home very often since they work. But, if you can afford luxury, you might as well embrace it I suppose.” “Right…” Eloy said with a sigh. He’d never really experienced being a fish out of water before, but he was rapidly coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t fond of the feeling. It was fine just wandering through the city, exciting even. But to be dragged directly into a world he didn’t belong in was something else entirely. Layla pointed something at the door and clicked. Eloy head a light clunking sound, then the heavy wood began to slowly swing open. He’d been wondering how they coped with shunting open the enormous doors every time they wanted to enter or exit the building, that answered that question. Beyond the oversized door was, pretty much exactly what Eloy had imagined. It was like stepping into the set of a high society drama. He was standing in a wide foyeur with a white marble floor that was occupied primarily by two sweeping, curved staircases that lead up to the exposed second floor of the building. An expensive red rug, trimmed with gold, sat in the middle of the floor. Beyond the staircase a series of glass windows and a set of Kalosian-styled doors opened out onto a patio much like the front veranda, leading out into the perfectly maintained sprawl of the back garden. Eloy exhaled audibly as the breath left his lungs. “You live in a cliche,” he spluttered, finally finding his words, “This looks like every rich person’s house in every movie I’ve ever seen.” The silence was broken by sudden laughter, catching Eloy off guard. He hadn’t managed to filter his words and was a bit worried he’d offend Layla, but instead she was giggling hysterically. Even Gwen was smiling cheerfully at that moment. It was quite confusing. “What’s so funny?” “It’s just, Gwe-” Layla couldn’t finish her sentence, she was once again taken over by a fit of uncontrollable laughter. “It’s because I said the exact same thing when I first saw this place the other day,” Gwen said, still smiling softly as she watched her friend struggling to control herself, “I’m told I had the exact same wide stare on my face too.” Layla continued laughing for several moments, her voice echoing through the expansive, apparently empty house. Finally however, she managed to catch her breath. “It’s funny,” she said “You’re nothing alike, but you both had the exact same reaction. It’s big sure, but it’s just a house.” “Pretty sure,” Eloy replied, “You’d call this a mansion.” Layla started laughing again, albeit exercising somewhat more restraint. “Who calls their own home a mansion? You’re such a dork. Come on, we’ll head up to my room.” “Sorry.” Eloy rolled his eyes, “The ways of high society are foreign to me, as you might have noticed.” Layla snorted, as she started making her way up the stairs, Gwen trailing along behind her and Eloy, somewhat reluctantly, joining the rear of their little procession. He followed the two girls down a wide hallway, passing a few doors until Layla turned and opened one, stepping inside with Gwen following close behind. Eloy took a deep breath before heading in after them, freezing just beyond the threshold. He hadn’t been entirely sure what he was going to see, but it hadn’t been what greeted his eyes. Never in a million year would he have anticipated walking into something so shockingly… normal. While the room was certainly quite a bit larger than his own, there was nothing particularly out there about it. The walls shared the same white as most of the house, bar one which was painted a bright yellow around a window. A wide bed occupied one side of the room, while a writing desk and several shelves and cupboards occupied much of the other side. A couple of purple bean bags sat squished into a corner. “What, never been in a girls room before? Stop gawking and sit down somewhere!” Layla jibed, from where she had flopped onto the bed, which Gwen was now sitting on the edge of rather rigidly. “I haven’t been in many rooms, period.” Eloy pulled out Laya’s desk chair and took a seat, finding it quite comfortable. The simple desk before it was empty, although it had several draws that probably contained her belongings. Behind the desk was a pinup board, to which were stuck a handful of images depicting various things: Pokemon battles, an image of the current Elite Four standing together and photo of her and Gwen at what seemed to be a park of some sort. “That’s pretty sad,” Layla commented. “Welcome to life in the country, there wasn’t many people around my age in Citri Town,” Eloy replied, trying not to be too defensive, “There was more in Avent Town, but I didn’t get to see any of them often enough to get overly close.” “That’s not making it less sad, but whatever.” Layla shrugged “Anyway, we should let Florence and your Nidoran out. They should be alright since it wasn’t that serious a batte, but Gwen should look them over anyway.” Without another word, she released her Buneary onto the bed next to Gwen. The Normal type appeared in a flash, flopping down next to the girl with her ears hanging dejectedly. Apparently, Florence was not a fan of losing. “Bun,” she huffed, Gwen taking that as permission to start looking her over. Eloy watched, curious. It seemed like Gwen knew quite a lot about Pokemon, and that this post-battle checkup was almost a ritual given how Florence seemed to have pretty much expected it. “You too,” Gwen prompted, pulling a potion out of her bag and beginning to administer it to Florence, who perked up slightly as the treatment continued. “Right, Deacon, come on,” Eloy said, reaching for his own pokeball and releasing Deacon into the room. The instant Deacon emerged, he began looking around wildly, forgetting his injuries and much more interested in this new environment. He bounded around the room several times, before finally his eyes locked onto Florence and he bristled. “Ni!” “Bun!” Florence leapt to her feat and scowled at the Nidoran. Eloy scooped Deacon up from behind, the little Poison type struggling for a moment before he realised what was happening and fell slack in his trainer’s arms. “He’s so very friendly,” Layla remarked, rolling her eyes. “He usually is,” Eloy responded, “No idea why, but it’s only your Buneary he doesn’t like. Give it a rest Deacon, we’re in their house.” “Ni,” Came the dejected response as Florence continued to glare daggers as Deacon and Eloy. Gwen moved on to treating Deacon then, taking him gently from Eloy’s arms and starting to examine him. “You know a lot,” Eloy commented “Were you hoping to find work with a Pokemon Centre once you’re done traveling?” “Who, me?” Gwen remarked, focusing on Deacon still, “No, that’s not for me.” “Almost seems a shame,” Eloy said offhandedly “It’s really impressive how much you know.” “Good luck convincing her of that one,” Layla said, grinning fiendishly “She adamantly refuses to admit how amazing she is. Says any breeder should know that much at least. She’s so modest it hurts.” Gwen blushed at that, Eloy turning to her with a raised eyebrow. “Looking to be a breeder, then? That makes sense too.” Gwen nodded, now looking at Deacon so hard she might have been trying to move him with her mind as she started to administer a second potion. There was an uncomfortable silence for a while before Layla broke the silence again then. “So, you’re challenging the gyms too right? Have you battled Hansel yet?” “Not yet, I was going to do that tomorrow. Have you?” “Of course,” Layla replied smugly “He was the first gym I challenged. I wanted to get that one over and done with as soon as I could.” Gwen, still red-faced, nodded in agreement and made an odd choking noise. Layla also seemed to grimace slightly. “Uh… I think I’m missing something here,” Eloy said, looking quizzically between the two of them. “Oh, I don’t think it’ll be a problem for you,” Layla giggled “Come on, surely you’ve seen the stories about him?” “We are staying far away from him,” Gwen interjected, suddenly very firm. Then, apparently realising her outburst, she hurriedly returned to pampering Deacon, much to Florence’s chagrin as she continued to glare at the pink Pokemon. “Guess I can’t count on you for an audience then,” Eloy said. He tried to keep the relief out of his voice. He had been starting to worry that they might try to tag along and he really didn’t need Laya heckling from the sides. “You couldn’t anyway,” Layla replied, poking her tongue out, “We’re leaving for Techniti tomorrow. We only stuck around here as long as we did because my parents insisted I visit for long enough for them to try and change my mind about the gym challenge.” “They don’t want you to take on the league?” “It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Layla replied with a sigh “Far too complicated for you, I’m afraid.” “I’m sure,” Eloy replied dryly seeing that the sky outside the window was slowly starting to darken, “Well, I’m going to head back to my room and have dinner since it’s getting later. I’ll see you around.” Layla let him out through the automated doors and gates shortly after that and he began making his way back towards the Pokemon Centre with Deacon happily prancing around around his heels after the extended pampering he got courtesy of Gwen. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
I would probably react the same if I were visiting a mansion. I've been in fairly large houses before, but not like multi million dollar ones heh.
Looks like Deacon still doesn't like Florence, especially what happened during the battle earlier. And hm, wonder what's deal with Gwen and Hansel and Layla with her parents. |
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Smile The Erythie Gym could almost have been mistaken for a fancy hotel or an art gallery. Outside the front of the building was a stone forecourt occupied at the centre by an ornate fountain depicting a togekiss, a gardevoir, an azumarill and a handful of marill and azurill frolicking together. Beyond that, the building itself rose up, a crescent shaped building with a large glass pyramid rising up in the centre of it. The front of the building was comprised almost entirely of glass with a double door in the middle and two long curved windows sweeping up along the rest of the building. It looked to Eloy as if the windows had been created by melting several smaller glass sheets together, as the glass seemed to merge and wrap around itself in intricate spirals. Upon seeing this, Eloy froze out the front of the structure for several moments, questioning if he had actually come to the right place despite knowing full well he had. “Seeing it in pictures doesn’t have quite the same feel,” Eloy said to himself. It felt surreal and weird walking into the building knowing it was to engage in battle. Nonetheless, that was why he was there, so he made his way through the heavy glass doors and into the gym’s lobby. Much like the exterior, it was discordantly fancy and formal for a gym. Several ovoid chairs made of comfortable velvet rested around the area, sitting on top of a hard, cream-coloured marble floor. A long desk made of the same material rested at the back of the room, to each side of it, what looked like elevator doors. Sitting at the desk was a lone, young brunette woman in a very business-like attire. Eloy approached her, still marvelling at how utterly unsuited to Pokemon battled the building was. It had an uncomfortably formal atmosphere. “Uh… excuse me,” he began, “I’m here to challenge the gym?” The woman looked up from whatever she had been reading on the desk, giving Eloy a once over. “Certainly,” she said, sounding quite worn and tired, “You came at a good time, for once, Hansel doesn’t have any pre-booked challenges until this evening. Frankly, he was starting to get antsy.” Her tone suggested that this was not a good thing. She sighed, seeming to procrastinate for a moment before reaching forward and pressing something. Eloy heard a faint buzzing sound before the woman leaned forward and spoke into a mic Eloy couldn’t see behind the desk. “You’ll be pleased to know that you have a challenger.” What followed was a rather anticlimactic silence. The moments ticked on before finally, the door to Eloy’s left slid open and a man, instantly recognisable to Eloy, stepped through. Hansel was a head taller than Eloy, with lithe, effeminate features. His blonde hair was slicked back tightly against himself and vivid blue eyes looked past long eyelashes. He was dressed in tight dress pants and a white dress shirt with the top several buttons left open to reveal a gold necklace bearing a floral pendant. Eloy had seen on internet discussion that Hansel had a lot of female admirers and he had to admit that he thought he could see why. While he was far from masculine looking, he was definitely very handsome. Eloy also noted, that he practically bounded out the door, he looked almost like an excited child and wore a radiant smile. That was, until he laid eyes on Eloy and his expression was replaced with a look of utmost disappointment as he walked up towards Eloy behind the desk. “Oh,” he said flatly. “Oh?” Eloy echoed, confused by the immediate shift upon seeing him. “Yes,” Hansel said, his tone pompous and yet still dejected, “I’m afraid you’ll have to forgive my disappointment, I had rather been hoping to find myself in the company of another lovely lady challenger. I get quite of pretty girls visiting my gym and I much prefer their company.” “What?” Eloy said, his tone remaining as flat as a busted tire, “I’m not here to hang out, I’m here to challenge you.” He was utterly bemused by the strange comment from the gym leader. “Yes, yes, I know,” Hansel snipped, quite literally handwaving Eloy. He moved up to his receptionist and leaned down over her, the chain with the flower-shaped pendant dangling in front of her face. Eloy watched on squeamishly as Hansel brought his face uncomfortably close to the receptionist’s, brushing his fingertips over her cheek. “I do wish you had warned me, my dear. I wouldn’t have got my hopes up. The pink hair didn’t help of course, but I’m afraid it’s not enough to improve the situation. Eloy’s had instinctively reached up to his hair, as he felt his mood shifting from confusion to annoyance. “What’s wrong with pink hair?” he questioned irritably, only to have Hansel completely ignore that he had said anything. “Sorry,” the receptionist sighed, looking some combination of angry, drained, queasy and weary at once. Hansel cupped her face for a moment, causing her eyes to suddenly widen. “Hey…” Eloy began, but Hansel cut him off, talking the woman still. “Well, as long as you know for next time. I’m afraid I’ll just have to make do today.” He finally turning to acknowledge Eloy again at that point, straightening up to his full height again. “Well, let’s get this over with.” Hansel immediately began walking back towards the door without another word, leaving Eloy to trail along behind him, looking apologetically back over his shoulder at the receptionist. He now had a distinct impression he understood why she had seemed to haggard when spoke to her, and also why Layla and Gwen had such an adamant dislike of the gym leader. He could scarcely imagine how their first interactions with him had gone. He couldn’t help but shudder at the thought as he stepped through the door. Once he was in though, and the door started to close behind him, he temporarily forgot his dislike of the gym leader in favour of being surprised by what was in front of him. He had been wondering what kind of battlefield he had to look forward to, this was not what he imagined. He had stepped through onto a carpeted walkway, with velvet-covered tiered seating rising up to his left. To his right, he could see that the other door had lead to a matching setup. What caught his attention though, was that a few steps down from the walkway lead out onto the battlefield: a stone slab in varying shades of dark grey that twisted and wrapped over itself in alien swirls as though it had been partially liquified and stirred. It reminded him of the glass at the front of the building. There were two platforms made of the same stone at the ends of the battlefield, with a set of steps leading up to them. Above them rose the great glass pyramid Eloy had seen from the outside, illuminating the battlefield in natural light. On the platform furthest from Eloy sat would could only be described as a throne. A hefty gold high-backed chair with intricate designs engraved across its exterior and a deep purple cushion on its seat and backrest. Hansel was already walking towards it. “A throne room, really?” Eloy breathed, still standing bewildered by the sight. “Are you going to stand there gawking all day?” Hansel called, now flopping down into the throne sulkily. Eloy was instantly brought back to reality, instantly remembering his dislike of this particular gym leader. He was now remembering that among all the adoring comments fawning over Hansel, there had alway been a handful describing unpleasant experiences. He had always taken them for sore losers spreading rumours… evidently that was not the case. It was deeply unnerving that one of the gym leaders he had been taught to idolise was so contemptible. Eloy was just as desperate to get things over and done with as Hansel was. Eloy descended the steps and found his place on the opposing platform, noting that Hansel didn’t move to stand up himself but continued to laze in his chair. “Finally,” the gym leader drawled, “This will be a two on two single battle. You can switch if you want, I can’t. If that’s all let’s get this over with.” “The battle between the challenger and Leader Hansel will now commence,” a female voice announced. Eloy’s head jerked to the side and he noticed that there was a dark haired girl in a similar outfit as the receptionist standing meekly,pressed into the wall. Though she spoke with confidence and clarity, she was so still and backed into the wall that Eloy had not even noticed her presence. “Gisele, you’re first,” Hansel declared matter-of-factly, pulling out a pokeball and releasing his first Pokemon. There was a flash and the rounded blue body of a Maril appeared, its orb-ended tail bobbing behind it as it bounced on its feet cheerily. “Marill!” She declared, almost seeming to be attempting to make up for Hansel’s lack of enthusiasm. “Let’s do this quickly,” Hansel instructed. Gisele cried out happily in response, seemingly giving the affirmative. “Alright, Deacon, you’re up,” Eloy announced, tossing his partner’s Pokeball up and releasing him from its confines. Deacon, much like Gisele, gave an enthusiastic cheer at his freedom and proceeded to run in circles before Eloy, eventually coming to stop facing his opponent. For the first time since meeting Hansel, Eloy grinned. He and the unpleasant gym leader both wanted the battle over with as soon as possible and he was determined to make that happen with a victory. He was going to blow through Hansel’s team of Fairies with Deacon’s type advantage without having to risk a poor performance from Maestro until he worked out how to battle better with him. “A Poison type. How original.” Hansel rolled his eyes, “Gisele, Rollout!” In that instant, the battle was on. The bubbly Marill hopped forward before jumping up into the air, curling into a ball as she did so. She hit the ground, still tightly bundled and then suddenly rocketed forward like a cannonball, rolling over the ground like she was being used to knock down pins. “Poison Sting!” Eloy countered, caught by surprise by the sudden attack. The tip of Deacon’s horn lit up just in time as Gisele closed in on him. Deacon thrust the shining purple point of his horn forward and the two Pokemon collided. For an instant, the two were equal, but then Deacon was sent careening into the side of Eloy’s platform with a winded gasp as Gisele giddily rolled backwards and onto her feet where she resumed her bouncing motion. Eloy grimaced, apparently he wasn’t going to be able to breeze through this as easily as he had hoped. “Surprise,” Hansel said snarkily, “Gisele’s got Huge Power.” Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
Yeah, I can already see why Gwen didn't like Hansel there. I don't mind too much of Casanova Wannabes, but Hansel is moreso like real life men thinking ladies owe them something with hints of a big ego, so reading Hansel's dialogue got really uncomfortable.
I probably would have liked the full battle in the same chapter so it's not just me complaining about Hansel. Still interested though how Elroy will figure out how to deal with Huge Power there. |
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Interlude Five Layla stood in the centre of her room with her hands on her hips, scowling at the man in the doorway as Gwen did her best to sink directly into the wall in the corner. This was not the first time such a scene had played out between Layla and her father, and she was certain it was far from the last. The two of them couldn’t have looked less alike. Although they were similar in height, they were otherwise different in nearly every other way. Where Layla was pale and slender, her father had a distinctive tan and broad shoulders, his body starting to show faint signs of a departure from his fitness routine although we was for the most part, clearly strong and fit. Dark hair and a well-cropped beard, both peppered with grey adorned his face and murky brown eyes - a stark contrast to the vivid amber of his daughter’s looked through stylish glasses. Even their demeanours were different, as Layla’s impudent posture was met by that of a man standing perfectly at east with his hands clasped behind his back. “I’m sorry,” Layla snapped, “What did you just say?” “I said,” her father began, his smooth voice confident and controlled in comparison to his daughter’s, “Perhaps it is high time that you abandon this charade of a trainer’s journey and focus on being where you are needed.” “Exactly what part of my journey is a charade?” Layla countered, “I’ve already gotten my hands on three badges and once you get out of our way, I’m heading back to Techniti to win the tournament there too.” “I don’t really care if you’ve already won eight badges,” Layla’s father continued, continuing to look directly into the furious gaze of his child, “Any time you and that failed experiment I let you keep with you lose publicly, it’s bad advertising.” “Florence has a name, first of all,” Layla growled, her temper steadily rising, “and you didn’t think she was such a failed experiment when you tested her. She’s the only one that survived and she’s got perfect IVs. You know damn well she’s already stronger than the average Lopunny and she hasn’t even evolved yet.” Her father raised an eyebrow for a moment at that, almost as if taken aback that his daughter had remembered the technical details of her Buneary’s birth. At this point in her life though, Layla had learned that her father was not the sort to be taken aback. This was just the start of his next attack. “Yet despite this, I hear from a colleague that he saw you lose a common street battle on the beach yesterday. Does that mean you’re the problem?” Layla’s eyes narrowed to slits as her fingers dug into her hips. She knew that Gwen was continuing to watch from the corner, probably scared out of her mind given how pleasant her other interactions with the man had been. A quick glance in her friend’s direction confirmed this. Gwen was looking uncomfortably between the argument and her feet, arms wrapped around herself as she tugged at her own sleeve nervously. “I lost on the beach because it was a tag battle and my partner was nowhere near as good as me.” Her father’s eyes shifted slightly towards Gwen and Layla felt her anger surge again. The disdain he’d showed her from the beginning was enough to irritate Layla, but she’d be damned if her friend was taking the wrap for her and Eloy’s loss. “Gwen is better than me, you idiot,” Layla snarled, “I was partnered with someone else. So if you think you’re going to bl-” “I’m really no-” Gwen began, softly in the corner. She was quickly silenced by a sharp look from Layla though, before the girl returned her glare to her father. “That was surprisingly selfless for someone more interested in her own vanity project that what’s good for her family,” Layla’s father said, his tone still eerily calm despite the venom in his words. “What did you say?!” Layla snapped, her raised voice now reaching a full blown yell. “That’s what it is, and you know it,” the man replied, paying the outburst no mind, “Meanwhile, you’re causing me and your mother trouble. Quite frankly, I don’t give a damn about your journey. I don’t care how many badges you earn. I don’t care how many times you lose even. Not until you decide to do in front of a horde of onlookers and potentially hurt our brand. How am I supposed to convince investors that this product is worth such a costly project if my own daughter is actively sabotaging my business on her own whims? Let alone how I’ll sell to prospective clients.” Layla gripped her hips ever tighter as Gwen tried to push herself even further back into the corner of the room, meeting with little success at that point. “You know,” Layla began, suddenly seeming to become unnervingly calm, “It’s pretty ironic that you attacked me for not caring about your ambitions in the same breath as telling me how little you care about mine. You’re not wrong though, I don’t give two shits about your company and I don’t much like what you do.” For the first time now, it was parent not child who visibly flushed with anger, his face growing ever so slightly redder as his hands moved from behind his back to be clenched tightly at his side. Much like he had ignored her displays of fury, Layla disregarded this entirely. Instead, she reached into her bag and removed a pokeball, expanded it and releasing the Pokemon within with a flash. The light took shape, fading to reveal a violently yellow Pokemon with spiky, prickly fur. It lowered itself into a pouncing position as its fur bristled up, crackling with electricity. It instantly picked up on the tense atmosphere and was ready to act. To his credit, Layla’s father did not back away. Layla herself however, took a step forward, vaguely aware of the sound of Gwen breathing heavily from where she hid behind her. “So here’s what’s going to happen” Layla said matter-of-factly, “I’m going to keep pursuing my own goals and I’ll leave you to yours. You’re not going to stop me. Now get out of our way or Edith here is going to shoot you full of lightning - and if you think that’s an empty threat, that’s just proof you spent too much time with your company and not enough raising me yourself. Move.” For several moments, it seemed that there would be no compliance. A bark from Layla’s Jolteon and an increase in the electricity sparking across her fur though made it apparent that the time to choose between moving aside and being electrocuted was now up. The once calm gaze of Layla’s father hardened into a murderous glare, but he stepped back out of the doorway to the other side of the hall. Layla strode out of the room and down the hall with her Jolteon at her side as Gwen scurried out the room behind her and hurried to catch up. “Are you okay?” She asked, her voice shaking. “Oh yeah,” Layla replied sarcastically, although a faint smile had returned to her face, “Just threatened to have my Pokemon murder my dad. Everything’s peachy. I’m absolutely sure that’s not going to have any repercussions.” Despite herself, Gwen couldn’t help but smile back at Layla as they made to exit the building. Although, her expression was soon to falter. She could still see the burning anger in the blonde’s eyes. “He called her a product,” she said. “My Dad’s a charming guy.” |
Don't You Just Hate Those People? “Rollout again, Gisele.” Hansel sounded like he didn’t even want to be there, which wasn’t exactly a shock at that point. Eloy was starting to feel the same way. Unfortunately though, Hansel’s Maril was plenty enthusiastic about continuing their battle. She jumped up, wrapping herself tightly into a ball and rocketed off towards Deacon, who was plodding back towards her, still shaking off the impact from the first Rollout. Having seen how easily Deacon had been overpowered by the first and knowing that the Rock move was ne that grew more powerful with each successive use, Eloy knew he had limited options. “Over the top and then Double Kick!” Eloy called. Gisele’s cannonball-like body reached Deacon just as he shook off the last of the grogginess from his body. “Ni!” The Poison type yelped in surprise, coming to just to see Gisele already upon him. Thankfully, he was quick enough on the uptake to follow Eloy’s instructions. He jumped over the top of the Marill, scrunching his body forward as his front legs touched down. Then, he thrust his back legs out, his body unclenching as he unleashed the attack. Deacon’s kick caught the spinning Marill just before she was out of range, throwing her off balance and knocking her sprawling. Deacon rounded on her, lashing out with a second kick than smacked her into the platform Eloy was standing on. “Fighting moves aren’t going to do anything to Gisele,” Hansel commented wryly, looking bored. “Wasn’t really the point,” Eloy retorted, “Poison Sting!” Deacon lunged forward as the tip of his horn began to emmenate its poisonous glow. The attack struck Gisele in the back as she climbed back to her feet, causing the Maril to shriek with surprise and pain. The Double Kick had just been to throw off her Rollout, this was the damage dealer. “Poison moves do plenty,” Eloy noted smugly. Hansel however, just shook his head with disappointment. “Sure, but with weak moves like yours? You’ll still need to do better. Bubblebeam.” Without even turning to face Deacon, Gisele opened her mouth wide and blasted out a torrent of shimmering, deep blue bubbles. The bubbles massing in size as they moved away from her and smashing into the stone platform like missiles. More and more of the bubble projectiles shot out as Newton’s laws took effect. Gisele shot backwards into Deacon, knocking the Nidoran off of his feet and sending him rolling across the hard ground. As her victim skid along the battlefield, Gisele whirled around, the Bubblebeam following her motion like a whip and bombing Deacon with watery bullets. Deacon was lifted off his feet again, this time slamming into the opposite platform. Hansel looked down on the Nidoran at his feet with something bordering on disgust. “Honestly,” he said, “What are you even trying to do? Bounce, Gisele.” Gisele rocked back onto her orbed tail, the appendage compressing like a spring before pistoning up, catapulting Gisele into the air. Gisele spun head over heels through the air across the battlefield, closing in over the top of Deacon and swinging her tail down overhead like a mace. “Horn Attack, Deacon!” Eloy yelled, his Nidoran’s horn glowing a bright white as he threw himself to his feet, swinging his head up from where he had slumped. The two attacks collided with a bang, the combatants struggling against each other for a moment before breaking apart. Gisele went flying back across the battlefield as Deacon slammed once again into the hard pillar that Hansel’s throne rested upon. “Leer!” From where he lay, Deacon looked up to meet Gisele’s gaze as she returned to her feet. His eyes flashed an angry read, the light briefly mirrored in those of his opponent. Eloy watched as the Maril seemed to deflate slightly, the status move draining her strength. “That’s not going to be enough,” Hansel taunted in a singsong voice. “Ni!” Deacon cried out defiantly, rising back to his feet again and charging the Marill. “Ice Punch it!” Hansel snapped as Deacon neared. Gisele’s tiny fist glowed a frosty blue-white as the water vapour in the air around it condescend, seeming to form a misty vapour around the attack as the Marill lashed out. “Back up and then Poison Sting!” Eloy shouted. Just in time, Deacon abandoned his charge, jumping backwards from his hind legs as the Ice Punch missed him and struck the ground, a thin frozen sheet coating a section of the battlefield around the impact. As this happened, the purple glow of the Poison Sting ignited at the tip of Deacon’s horn as he suddenly lunged forward, driving it into the Fairy type in front of him. Giselle howled as the advantageous attack hit her, smashing her back across the battlefield in Eloy’s direction, where she skidded to a halt. “Follow it up with another one!” Eloy shouted, intent on capitalising on his advantage and pressing the attack. Horn still alight with his attack, Deacon barrelled forward after his foe. “Yawn,” Hansel said, feigning the action he had described, “Bubblebeam!” The Gym Leader’s Marill whipped back around, unloading another barrage of the torrential bubble against Deacon. The Nidoran rushed through the attacks, his horn exploding bubble after bubble into a glistening spray as he ran, but the attack kept coming and his momentum was slowing. Soon, he was overcome by a veritable tsunami of enormous blue bubbles and the attack blasted him back once more, sending him shooting back in the direction he had come from. “Now, Rollout, Gisele,” Hansel ordered, his tone indicating his intent to finish Deacon off then and there as the Nidoran once again slammed into the leader’s platform. Gisele dove forward into the bubble spray, assuming her balled up position as she did so and launching herself at Deacon across the battlefield. As she did so, her forward momentum caught the remains of her Bubblebeam in a slip stream, drawing them to her and wrapping her form in shimmering blue bubbles and water in a wheel formation. Gisele reached Deacon, the combination attack exploding against him as he cried out from the impact, a wave of water rushing over him as the Rollout struck him, splashing the ground at the foot of Hansel’s throne. Gisele jumped back from the crumpled form of the Nidoran as, body shaking, Deacon stubbornly tried to regain his footing. “That’s one round over,” Hansel intoned dispassionately, “Ice Punch.” Gisele pushed back into her tail, using it as a spring to thrust herself forward as the misty, frosty glow of the Ice attack enveloped her fist again. A confident smirk was plastered on the Maril’s face, she was going in for the finishing move and she knew it. “Roll under her and use Poison Sting!” Eloy shouted desperately, his mind racing. With a groan, Deacon went into a roll, slipping below Gisele as he fist struck her trainer’s platform with a resounding thud that echoed throughout their arena. As her attack struck the structure, Deacon launched his. “Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!” he howled wildly as the glowing tip of his horn slammed into Gisele’s back with a frenzied strength. “Pin her there!” Eloy called, seizing his one chance. Deacons mad cry continued, growing louder as he pressed his weight into the attack, jamming Gisele into the hard surface of the platform as his toxic energy radiated across her body, painting a purple shine over her blue form. A wail rose up in harmony with Deacons battle cry as the attack continued, the cacophony rising in volume until suddenly it felt silent, Gisele slumping against the pillar unconscious as Deacon ended the attack. Deacon stumbled backwards away from his fallen foe, crying out with victorious joy before turning and bounding back across the field in Eloy’s direction. “Ni!” the haggered Nidoran cried out, before turning to face whatever was coming next. “Excellent work, Deacon!” Eloy cheered at his companion. Still, this was no time to be celebrating. Deacon was beaten, bruised and exhausted. The Nidoran was panting heavily, on his last legs and Eloy had to count on him to make it through the next battle too. Hansel was a terrible person, but he was a very good battler. Eloy knew Deacon had to win the next round, because Maestro wasn’t ready for this level of combat yet. “Don’t get so excited yet,” Hansel scoffed, rolling his eyes as he returned his defeated Marill, “Your Nidoran can barely stand and this battle is far from finished… or at least it would be if I wasn’t about to blow right through you. Marcel, go.” Hansel tossed his second pokeball, and with the familiar flash of a Pokemon emerging from one of the capsules, the Fairy leader’s next combatant entered the fray. The Pokemon Hansel chose was humanoid, standing at about four feet tall with thin gangly limbs and large glove-like hands. Its heavily rounded head was adorned with a set of protrusions that resembled a jester’s hat and a wide, disturbing smile was plastered onto its face. Eloy, as anyone would, recognised the distinctive form of a Mr. Mime immediately and grimaced. “What’s with the Gym Leaders in our region all using such creepy Pokemon,” Eloy said flatly, his mind frantically racing to try and work out how to counter the unusual Pokemon’s partial Psychic typing that was dangerously effective on Poison Pokemon like Deacon. He hadn’t counted on this particular turn of events. “Scared?” Hansel smirked, “That’s the appropriate reaction. Marcel, use Psybeam.” Still smiling broadly, the Mr. Mime drew back its glove-like hands behind it and then thrust them forward. From the space between them, a discordant blue beam shot forward, a mismatch of differently coloured strands running through it. “Deacon, move!” Eloy shouted, but the attack came too fast and too suddenly. Deacon was engulfed as the Psychic beam washed over him. Then, as soon as it had come, the attack was over and Eloy was looking on in horror as Hansel’s wide-eyed, perpetually smiling Mr. Mime stood before an unmoving Deacon. “The challenger’s Pokemon is unable to continue. This round goes to Hansel.” The referee called from where she stood like a statue, once again surprising Eloy with her existence. “Obviously,” Hansel said condescendingly, his smirk deepening. Eloy’s heart sunk. The only thing standing between him and a defeat at the hands of the malicious gym leader now was Maestro. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/401.png |
Stronger “Alright, Maestro, let’s go,” Eloy said, projecting a confidence he did not feel as he stood down the eternally smiling face of Marcel, the Mr. Mime. He tossed his pokeball lightly forward and with a flash, Maestro appeared. The Kricketot took several moment, looking about, until its eyes settle on Marcel and he physically recoiled, taking several steps back. “Really? That’s the best you’ve got?” Hansel said, cackling to himself, “Well at least I know my disappointment is almost over.” “You think so? Guess it won’t feel so great if you lose then,” Eloy retorted, “Get ready Maestro, we’re winning this.” Eloy knew that his chances of victory were slim at best, but he’d be damned if he was giving up now, against this particular gym leader. If he was going down, he and Maestro were going to make Marcel work for his win. “The fact you have to say ‘if’ says it all. Marcel, Psybeam!” Marcel ordered and the battle was on once again. The Mr. Mime thrust his hands forward and the blue beam awash with the abstract mash of colours was shooting forward towards Maestro, the little Bug type giving a little squeak as the attack neared. “Struggle Bug!” Eloy commanded. A red light overtook Maestro’s body, rising up in a glowing pillar before it expanded, pushing outwards in all directions. Psybeam met Struggle Bug, the attacks exploding into a glittering cloud of remnants upon their collision. “Aright, Bug Bite!” Eloy called. “Tot!” Maestro replied, breaking into his comical, ungainly run with his stumpy legs. He approached at his full speed, which was faster than one might have expected given his body. Despite this though, Hansel didn’t make a move to try and halt the Kricketot’s progress. Maestro reached melee distance from Marcel, leaping forward in an attempt to bite down on the smiling Mr. Mime. “Protect,” Hansel said, sighing dramatically. A sphere of green energy pulsed into existence around Marcel, Maestro slamming head first into the protective shield and falling onto the hard battlefield. The Kricketot rolled with the impact, quickly returning to his feet. “Dazzling Gleam!” Hansel instructed, switching to the offensive. A bright light flashed outwards from the Mr. Mime, forcing Maestro’s eyes shut from the brightness. The force of the attack blasted Maestro off his feet and sent him tumbling across the battlefield once more. Maestro was halfway back across the battlefield when he once more returned to his feet. This time though, Eloy could see he’d felt the attack. “Now, Hypnosis, Marcel,” Hanel pressed on, gleefully smirking at the look of dismay his command prompted to form on Eloy’s visage. There was nothing that Eloy could do before the attack set in. Marcel’s eyes glowed an eerie blue and he waved his hands around in front of him in a mesmerizing motion. Maestro couldn’t look away, flashing with a pale blue light before falling forward in a deep sleep. Laughing, Hansel gave the order for another Psybeam against the helpless Bug. Once more, the peculiar looking beam shot forward, striking Maestro and irradiating him in its light as it blasted him into the side of Eloy’s platform. Maestro slumped there, still asleep. “Maestro, wake up!” Eloy yelled, trying to snap his Kricketot out of Marcel’s spell, but it was to no avail. “See, it’s hopeless for you. You should just give up already,” Hansel sneered. “Not likely,” Eloy replied before continuing in his attempts to rouse Maestro. “Suit yourself,” Hansel said, “Nasty Plot and then Psybeam again.” For a brief moment, the perpetual, blank smile on Hansel’s Mr. Mime was replaced with a look of intense malevolent glee as a faint black shadow emmenated over his body. Then, as the shadow faded, the smile returned and the attack continued. Marcel thrust his hands forward in the now familiar gesture and with it came an explosive Psybeam, the scope of the attack seeming to have double in power after the boost from Nasty Plot. Eloy winced as the Psybeam struck home, pinning the still sleeping Maestro against the platform as it bathed him in the bizzare light of the attack, inflicting heaping amounts of damage on Maestro while he could do nothing about it. As the attack continued on, Maestro’s exoskeleton seemed to darken, grey and harden. Then it began to crack. Eloy was horror-stricken for a moment, before it dawned on him what was happening. The dead shell exploded outwards, revealing Maestro in a freshly grown exoskeleton, wide awake. His ability, Shed Skin, had taken affect and freed him from his induced slumber. Maestro immediately began to scream out in pain. “Struggle Bug, quick!” Eloy shouted. Even as Maestro screeched, a red glow could be seen through the colour-speckled blue of the Psybeam. Then, that red light burst outwards, dispersing the Psybeam and freeing Maestro from the onslaught, earning him a brief reprieve. Yet Maestro was huffing and puffing, he wasn’t standing as firm as he had before, he was on his last legs after having taken such a heavy assault and Marcel hadn’t taken a single hit. Eloy grimaced, he could hear the bells tolling on his chance at defeating Hansel. He almost found himself reaching for Maestro’s ball, but he couldn’t bring himself to give Hansel the satisfaction of seeing him quit. “Maestro…” Eloy began, unsure of what command he could even give. “Tot!” Maestro shouted suddenly, and in that moment a brilliant white light erupted from his body, blindingly bright and radiating a powerful feeling. Eloy watched on in awe as Maestro’s body grew within the light, thinning out as he became taller and his limbs extended. Then, instantly, the light was extinguished and Maestro was a changed Pokemon. He was twice as tall as before, with long antenna and even longed, bladed arms. His face was adorned with a fabulous moustache like appendage below wide, expressive eyes. Maestro had become the first of Eloy’s Pokemon to evolve. Now he was a Kricketune. Maestro turned to look at Eloy, then looked down at his new form, inspecting the blades on his arms. He gave a long,drawn out musical, joyous cry and then turned back to nce more face his opponent. “Woah,” Eloy breathed, feeling suddenly giddy with excitement. Every negative emotion he had, at least for that moment, seemed to evaporate and be replaced by the warmth of the pride he felt in his newly evolved Kricketune. He couldn’t believe he’d doubted him. “I hate to rain on your parade,” Hansel said, his voice cutting through the pleasant atmosphere like a knife and returning it to the cold stagnant feel he had been fostering. It was clear that in actuality, he very much enjoyed raining on Eloy’s parade, “That was quite the spectacle and all, but it doesn’t change the fact that you have a weak Pokemon that’s taken a severe beating, whilst Marcel hasn’t even been hit once.” Eloy frowned, he didn’t like it, but he had to admit that Hansel wasn’t entirely wrong. Maestro was still pretty badly beaten up, the battle was far from over. “We’ll just have to hit him a few times then,” Eloy said. “I long to see you try,” Hansel replied dryly. As if on queue, a cloud of small green light began to rise up off of Maestro’s body. The lights clustered around him, floating around his form. Then, the blades of Maestro’s arms glowed with a deep, violent red colour, similar to the glow of hs Struggle Bug. Now Eloy smirked a little himself, he was witnessing not only the activation of the Swarm ability, powering up Maestro’s Bug moves, but also a new move entirely. “Sounds like a plan, Maestro,” he said, “Fury Cutter!” Maestro’s black wings rose up, buzzing into action as, although low to the ground, they carried him forward at a far greater momentum than he had previously been capable of. He rapidly closed in and viciously slashed at the Mr. Mime. “Protect!” Hansel called, and Maestro’s Fury Cutter was intercepted by the green light of Marcel’s defense, “You never learn do you?” “Again!” Eloy called, taking advantage of the chance to take advantage of the new move’s special power. He knew that, like Gisele’s Rollout, each successive use would make Maestro’s Fury Cutter twice as powerful. Maestro’s blades glowed a deeper red, growing as the move powered up for a second slash. He lashed out again, his Fury Cutter colliding with Marcel’s Protect in a shower of red and green sparks. The blades grew again, becoming truly fearsome weapons as their vivid red grew deeper still. Maestro lashed out again, this time, Marcel’s Protect didn’t hold out, exploding into a trillion tiny glittering shards. “Hypnosis!” Hansel yelled, suddenly frantic as he realised his win wasn’t as assured as he’d thought. “Again!” Eloy shouted over the top of the gym leader. Marcel’s eyes began to glow with the same eerie light, but Maestro ripped his Fury Cutter across the Mr. Mime before the Psychic move could set in and put him to sleep. Now on it’s third use, Fury Cutter had become a very powerful move and Marcel was swatted across the width of the battlefield with the strong slashing attack. Marcel careened into the wall of the sunken arena, striking the hard structure with a loud thud and slumping down onto the stone slab of a battlefield. Maestro turned and started walking towards the Mr. Mine as it climbed to its feet. “Like hell we’re losing here Marcel! Psybeam!” Hansel practically roared. Staggering forward a few steps, Marcel raised its hands and fired off another enormous, powerful Psybeam. None of Maestro’s moves had the range to meet it part way, leaving Eloy and Maestro with few options. Eloy didn’t even think, he just reacted. “Bide!” Maestro slammed his blades down into the hard battlefield, bracing himself as the attack collided with him, sending him skidding back as he struggled to keep standing against its might. As the blue psychic beam surged across Maestro, he gradually began to glow a brighter and brighter white. Then, with another loud, musical cry, Maestro unleashed all the damage he had just withstood and then some back upon Marcel. “Tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuune!” Came the yell as Maestro’s white glow condensed into an orb before him, breaking up the Psybeam as it passed over it before erupting forward and out in an enormous blast of pure white energy. The blast from the Bide annihilated Marcel’s Psybeam and then immersed the Mr. Mime in a monstrous deluge. Eloy heard the cracking of the stone wall behind Marcel as the Fairy type was slammed against its surface with a hit like an atom bomb. When the blast finally fizzled out, it revealed the unconscious body of the Mr. Mime, nestled against a cracked crater in the wall. “Uh..,” The referrer stammered, gulping as she looked at the look of fury on her boss’ face, “Uh… Marcel is unable to battle. The challenger wins.” She sounded more apologetic than official. Hansel returned Marcel with a scoff and a sigh, turning to look at Eloy with disdain. “Alright, you got me,” he conceded. He opened a compartment in the arm of the throne and withdrew a pink and silver badge in the shape of a book. He tossed it into the middle of the battlefield where it clattered to a halt. Eloy rushed down the platform, past the inert Tale Badge on the ground and made his way right up to Maestro, dropping to his knees and embracing his Kricketune. “You sure showed him - and me too,” Eloy said brightly, “That was some battle, Maestro.” With that, Eloy returned Maestro to his ball and collected his badge before exiting the gym. On his way out, he made a point of suggesting looking for a new job to the receptionist. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/402.png |
Time to play catch up!
So, first Interlude Five. From Layla and her father's argument, sounds like the father's company are doing experiments related to Pokerus. Florence with perfect IVs, and her father still considered her a product geez. Now onto the gym battle. The first half Deacon put up a good fight, but was too exhausted to be able to deal with Marcel. The second half got way more interesting with Mastero showing off his full potential, and even an evolution to boot! That'll teach Hansel. |
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It would seem that Vinnie just couldn't abide at being defeated by bide, ahehehe.
But yeah, the fight for the most part highlighted a mix of Eloy's trait of observation as well as his inexperience (like seriously, I about screamed when he used bide while the substitute was still up). But the battle went better from then one with Deacen doing his little nido thing and pecking things to death, heh. Though I must admit, if that Parasect had the effect spore ability the battle might have taken a different turn. the fight was fine for a small one. The coordination was well described and didn't feel to hard to imagine it happening exactly as it was told. Before I get into summerizing I'd like to first draw some errors I noticed. Quote:
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Now, the thing I like the most about this chapter is Eloy actually. Not only did he get a bit of a shock from how things were going but his natural nature went out so well. Smart enough to take advise from his betters but at the expense of his enjoyment. He clearly doesn't like having to leech (heh) off of the prior battle but it is his nature to try and win so yeah. This was a nice battle for a good first gym conclusion. Also, gonna take a moment to say I totally called it being close HAH! I wonder what is up next for our little group. Since I'm so far behind. |
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Edit: Made most of the suggested fixes and caught a few more. |
Swordsman “Alright Maestro, Slash!” The Kricketune chimed rhythmically as he lashed out with his arm blade, Deacon deftly dodging under the attack and chortling fiendishly. Maestro tried several more times, but every time Deacon was easily able to evade. Eloy furrowed his brow. Whilst this was the first time he had tried to intentionally teach a Pokemon a new move and there was naturally going to be some difficulty there, he couldn’t help but find the experience frustrating. Slash was not a complicated move, but Maestro’s movements were clumsy and wild. It wasn’t refined enough to truly call the move learned yet. Slash was supposed to hit the enemy where it hurt for maximum damage output off the otherwise basic attack, but Maestro wasn’t even able to get the hitting the target part right. It was like the Bug was having trouble getting used to its wildly different proportions. “Once more, guys,” Eloy instructed, watching carefully in an attempt to pinpoint exactly where the refinement needed to come from. Maestro and Deacon sized each other up, the latter shifting about energetically on his feet, waiting for the chance to not only run about but to show up his comrade while he was at it. Maestro lunged forward suddenly. “Ni!” Deacon cheered, leaping directly over the attack and then dashing off to the side before Maestro could intercept him again. Maestro rounded on the Nidoran and lashed out again. As the Kricketune rushed forward, there was a rustling from the trees as a small figure shot out from the brush. Maestro’s bladed arm collided with some sort of weapon as his attack was intercepted and Maestro was knocked stumbling back. “Ni ni!” Deacon cried out in objection to having his game interrupted. Eloy was too stunned to react at first and it took him several moments to realise what exactly he was looking at. The weapon that had been used to deflect Maestro’s attack was round and green, a plant - on closer inspection a leek. It was wielded in the flexible wing of a pale brown bird with a bright yellow beak and webbed feet. The new arrival was instantly recognisable as a Farfetch’d. “You don’t see that every day, there’s not that many of you guys around in the wild,” Eloy commented. The bird ignored him, focusing its attention entirely on Maestro with a stern look on its face. It raised the leek like a sword and issued its challenge. “Fetch!” Eloy thought back to his studies for a moment, and sure enough, the memory came back to him quite easily. Farfetch’d had been hunted to near extinction back when meat was more widely eaten, however, the most interesting thing about them was by far their penchant for swordplay. It seemed likely that this Farfetch’d had taken an interest in Maestro because of his bladed arms, very much like swords. Eloy wasn’t about to waste an opportunity, if there was any way for Maestro to get the hang of his slashing moves, it was by battling a Farfetch’d. “Sorry Deacon, you’re sitting this one out. Ready, Maestro?” Maestro sung an affirmative as the grumbling Deacon settled down at Eloy’s feet to watch what was about to play out. “Okay, Slash!” Eloy called. Maestro swiped wildly in a wide, haymaker action, but this was no challenge for the Farfetch’d. It lazily raised the leek up, blocking the attack from the base of Maestro’s arm and leaving the Kricketune wide open. It then shot forward in a sudden Peck, hitting Maestro hard and causing the Bug type to tumble back. Using his blades for support, Maestro climbed back to his feet. “Fetch’d.” The Farfetch’d began gesturing with the leak, demonstrating a more refined, backhand slashing motion. It looked to Eloy like a much better action to make if your opponent was already up close, as opposed to leaving yourself open like Maestro had. It looked as if this Farfetch’d was offering pointers. “What a strange Pokemon,” Eloy commented, “Let it get close and then Slash just like it showed you.” Maestro waited at the ready. For several moments nothing happened, then the Farfetch’d lunged forwards. Maestro slashed out and up, the Farfetch’d just barely raising its leek in time to block the worst. It fluttered back, giving Maestro a grunt and a nod. It then proceeded to demonstrate another motion with its leek sword. Maestro nodded, readying himself for another attack. “This time, Fury Cutter,” Eloy ordered. Then, the Farfetch’d made its move. The Flying type dashed forward with a battle cry, its leek glowing with a vibrant green light as it did so. Eloy recognised the attack as a Leaf Blade, he hadn’t known Farfetch’d could learn that move. A savage red glow surrounded Maestro’s blades as the Farfetch’d closed in on him. The bird lunged to attack as it made the distance, Maestro swiped down diagonally to intercept. Fury Cutter met Leaf Blade in a flash or red and green spark, Maestro pushing the Flying type’s weapon down to the ground. “Now get it!” Eloy called, Maestro catching on quick. The Kricketune repeated the first movement it had learned, swiping out in a back hand motion and landing a hit against the Farfetch’d. The bird yelped as it stumbled backwards, but it quickly regained its composure. It nodded again, somehow twirling its leek with the ease of a baton act despite having no true hands. It caught hold of its weapon, taking on a fencer’s stance. With its head, it beckoned Maestro to press the attack. “Fury Cutter again then,” Eloy instructed, amazed at how quickly this Farfetch’d had Maestro improving. Maestro’s blades were once more overtaken by red as he rushed forward towards his avian tutour. As Maestro move in, the Farfetch’d moved forward as a slower pace, methodical in his movements. Maestro reached the bird and swiped down, but was caught off guard when the Farfetch’d struck the outside of his blade with the leek, causing it to overshoot dramatically and throw him off balance. Then, the leek began to glow again, this time a deep purple colour. The Farfetch’d swung up with a Poison Jab, slamming his weapon into the underside of Maestro’s head and sending him tumbling through the dirt. Unlike before, this time it pressed the attack. The Farfetch’d leapt into the air with its wings wide, catching the air for extra lift, snagging its leek in its beak. Then it shut its wings and dove in with a Peck as Maestro was slowly pulling himself back to his feet. “Growl!” Eloy shouted. Maestro looked up, releasing an odd musical noise that seemed to pulse through the air. It washed over the attacking Farfetch’d, weakening its attack, but it wasn’t by any means halted. The Peck knocked Maestro back off his feet and and sent him reeling. Once more the Bug was left to shakily stand back up as the Farfetch’d closed in on him again, once more wielding his leek like a sabre and going in for a Slash. “Struggle Bug!” Eloy countered. A pillar of red light rose up around Maestro and then exploded outwards, surprising the incoming Farfetch’d and blasting it back, causing it to stagger and lose its balance. Still, Eloy could tell that Maestro was outmatched in swordplay by a mile. But blades weren’t the only thing Maestro had up his sleeve. “Ni?!” Deacon queried, looking up at Eloy as if to ask why he was grinning. “Try not to fall asleep buddy,” Eloy told the Nidoran, much to its confusion. “Maestro, Sing!” Even as the Farfetch’d got back up, Maestro began to slide his blades across each other, creating a soft and lilting tune. Then, he began to hum along in a hypnotic, sleepy rhythm. Eloy could feel a strange sensation flowing from Maestro in waves, but apparently not nearly as strongly as Deacon and the Farfetch’d whose eyes were both suddenly looking very heavy as the lullaby took effect. The Farfetch’d gripped its weapon tightly and began trudging forwards towards Maestro, raising the leek to strike. Step by step it closed in, getting ever closer. The leek began to glow bright green again as a Leaf Blade was readied. Then, the Farfetch’d was upon Maestro and lashing out with the attack. The light stopped before the attack could be completed, and the leek fell from the bird’s grasp. The Farfetch’d flopped down at Maestro’s feet, asleep. “Ni!” Deacon cheered as Maestro’s music ceased, his energy quickly returning. Maestro, swaying slightly on his stubby legs, looked over towards the Nidoran and his trainer. He started to scratch himself slightly anxiously with his blade, apparently awaiting a verdict on his performance. Eloy guessed he might have clued in to his frustrations earlier and couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of guilt. “You were fantastic, Maestro,” Eloy said with a grin, “Looks like with the right teacher, you can pick things up pretty quick. Which makes me think, maybe we should bring the right teacher with us.” Deacon and Maestro looked at Eloy quizzically for a moment as he reached for an empty Pokeball. “Any objections?” Eloy asked. When no objections came, he tossed the ball lightly and a beam of red light drew the sleeping Farfetch’d within. The ball hit the ground, the Farfetch’d inside. It took three times and then chimed faintly, signalling that Eloy’s catch was a success. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/402.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/083.png |
That was a fun training session for Maestro there. That Farfetch'd seems like he has experienced many battles man. I wonder what Eloy will call him.
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Mother Like Mine “Are you paying attention?” “Huh? Sorry.” Eloy looked down to his Pokegear again to see his mother’s face looking up at him sternly. His attention had been caught by his Pokemon getting into an impromptu training lesson, Maestro and Deacon being drilled heavily by Eloy’s new Farfetch’d - now christened Ronin. “Sorry, my new Farfetch’d thinks he’s a drill sergeant and it caught my attention.” His mother raised an eyebrow at that and Eloy instantly regretted his choice in words. He knew full well that she was going to jump to the wrong conclusion. Eileen Chance was a smart woman and very nimble of the mind, but sometimes a little too nimble. “You’re not having trouble are you? I don’t want you biting off more than you can chew.” “You sound almost as much of a worrywort as Dad when you put it like that,” Eloy commented, “I’m fine, doing well really. Honestly, Ronin’s kind of an expert battler so having the little guy taking on a tutoring role comes in handy sometimes. I’m not about to slack off and let him do all my work of course, but it’s nice to know I have such a talented Pokemon to help me out.” Eileen’s expression softened slightly at that, but she waited several minutes before she spoke again, just in case she was able to catch Eloy out in a lie. He’d gotten used to as much, he wasn’t the sort to tell fibs often but somehow she always had an inkling when he was hiding something. He figured he’d given off some sort of hint when his mind had drifted to the Stoutland and its pack - he’d told her he’d met Nora, she didn’t need all the details. “Well, I’m pleased to hear that,” Eloy’s mother said after a while, still not sounding fully convinced that everything was going as smoothly as Eloy had made out. “Deacon’s keeping up well? I’m still not sure that using the household pet as your starter was the best idea.” “Deacon’s fine,” Eloy sighed, not really wanting to have that debate again. “He’s the reason I won my first badge and he played a big part in earning me my second too. I’m not sure he’s as tough as Ronin yet, but he’s taken to the battling lifestyle fine. Seems to like the exercise.” This at the least, Eloy’s unfortunately perceptive parent seemed to trust as the truth. For the time being, she dropped her interrogation and didn’t voice any more concerns. Her clueiness was a double-edge sword, but the positive side was that she knew her son well and knew he liked his independence. Still, to make sure her mind was at ease, he turned the PokeGear around so she could get a glimpse of the training as it occured. She got quite the view too, as a particularly interesting turn of events occured right at that moment. Deacon appeared to lunge forward, Ronin’s swiping at the Nidoran with his leek sword to counter, but the original lunge was a feint. Deacon pulled back before committing to the attack and the minute that there was an opening in Ronin’s guard he lunged in with a Poison Sting. Ronin’s whirled on the spot, wielding the leek more like a bat this time, The bird narrowly countered the Poison Sting, deflecting it and flinging Deacon away… right towards Maestro. The Kricketune jumped and scuttled back, raising his blades in defence as Deacon turned his momentum into a targeted Peck, just barely fending the Nidoran off. “See?” Eloy enquired, turning the device back around. “Well, your Kricketune is a bit timid, but I have to admit your team is looking pretty good. Keep up the good work you must be doing.” “Thanks, that’s the plan!” Eloy grinned. “Which reminds me,” his mum said, “Before you got sidetracked I was trying to ask you something. Are you planning on entering that tournament in Techniti? You’re on schedule to be there at the right time.” “I am actually,” Eloy replied, “You need at least three Pokemon to enter and I have enough. I figured I might as well try my luck.” “I’ll be watching then. They’ll be broadcasting it again this year, I was reminded when I saw an ad for it. We watched it together last year, right?” They had indeed, Eloy remembered the day fondly since neither of his parents had ever been overly interested in battling. It was one of the rare times he’d gotten both of them to watch such an event with him. In thinking about it, it was kind of surreal to think that now they’d be watching him participate. “That’s the one,” Eloy said, smiling to himself. “It’s exciting to think I’ll actually be able to compete. It’s a good practice run for eventually competing in the league too.” “I’ll bet,” came the reply. “Especially since there’s the special prize this year.” “Special prize?” Eloy questioned. “That Nora lady you mentioned, the one in the Elite Four, she’s apparently agreed to do an exhibition battle against the winner.” Eloy nearly dropped the Pokegear when he heard that. Nora had mentioned that she was going to be at the tournament and had encouraged both he and Lauren to participate, but she had not revealed that particular bit of information. “I think I should go and get involved in this impromptu practice session,” Eloy said, stunned. His mother chuckled and wished him well, hanging up as he set to work. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/402.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/083.png |
Nice to see Eloy interacting with one of his parents there. His mother seems to be the typical mother worried over their child. Maybe we'll get to know her more down the road?
So next part comes a tournament, it seems. Looking forward to that! |
Interlude Six “Leonidas, Flame Burst!” Niall watched on as his Growlithe barked aggressively, rearing back on his hind legs before crashing down to all fours and spitting a blazing fireball from his maw. The flame sizzled and steamed as it streaked through the indoor rainstorm towards their opponent, a supremely calm Toxicroak. “Real, Poison Jab!” Daphne commanded confidently from where she stood opposite Niall on the rusty, industrial battlefield. The Toxicroak made not a sound as it counter-attacked, the elongated red claw on its hand glowed a toxic purple as it struck forward, blasting the fireball apart in a cloud of steam and sparks with the force of the attack. Niall grimaced, his frustration growing. The earlier Rain Dance wasn’t doing anything to enhance the power of Real’s attacks - it was Bulk Up that had done that. No, it was doing something even more frustrating. Dramatically reducing the power of Leonidas’ Fire attacks while recovering the Toxicroak’s lost health. Normally Dry Skin would be a hindrance against a Fire type but Daphne had that covered. “As expected of a Gym Leader I suppose,” Niall grunted, “I thought I had this when I got through your first two Pokemon so easily but this is getting tricky now.” “Well,” Daphne replied, “I wouldn’t be doing my job if it went as easy as you were expecting, would I?” “I guess not.” Niall clenched his fists, eyeing the Gym Leader and her seemingly impervious Toxicroak. Even when he’d been winning earlier she had been the vision of calmness and now that she was in the lead she looked no different. Her angular features not showing a single crease and her heavy-lidded eyes attentive but not frantic at all. It had been off-putting when he was in the lead, it was infuriating when he wasn’t. She didn’t seem to be even remotely perturbed by the lead he had. Had she been toying with him beforehand? “Not going to attack? I guess I will then,” she suddenly spoke up, shaking Niall from his ruminations. “Real, Stone Edge!” The Toxicroak stamped his foot down on the metallic surface of the battlefield as jagged stoned exploded out of it, sending tinny shrapnel flying off as each stalactite emerged. Second by second, the Stone Edge was closing in on Niall’s Growlithe. “Crap, dodge it!” Niall shouted, gritting his teeth as Leonidas went into action. The Fire type dashed to the side and then back again in a zig zag as more and more of the monoliths shot up through the floor. The seconds felt far longer as the onslaught went on, with the Growlithe narrowly avoiding stone after a stone until suddenly the attack came to an end. Niall let out his breath, it would have been over if he’d been hit there. “Don’t relax yet, Brick Break!” Niall looked around, suddenly realising he’d been so focused on his Growlithe’s dodges that he’d lost track of Real. His eyes swept the battlefield, his vision partially obscured by the still-present rocks that now dotted it. Then, he caught a flicker of motion and his gaze shot upwards. Real came flying off of one of the stones, springboarding off of its side. The Toxicroak struck out with a heavy chop, catching Leonidas off-guard as the attack collided with his upper body. The Growlithe crumpled with a yelp of surprise and didn’t get back up. “The challenger’s Growlithe has been defeated. That leaves both Daphne and the challenger on their third and final Pokemon,” a computer generated voice. Niall returned his fallen Pokemon, feeling his irritation flare. He bore the Growlithe no ill-will for his loss, but he did not enjoy the feeling of defeat and from where he stood he could feel the jaws of that beast snipping at his heels. I am not going to lose here. “Saladin, let’s go!” He tossed his final ball and from it exploded the familiar white glow, the light quickly taking the shape of a sleek blue dragon with a red underside, finned arms ending in a single razor sharp claw and a large dorsal fin protruding from its back. “A Gabite then, smart choice,” Daphne acknowledged. Despite her praise, her Toxicroak remained still as slate, completely unperturbed by its supposed disadvantage. If anything, it almost looked bored. Saladin gave a throaty roar, Real staring fixedly at the Dragon and Ground type unperturbed. Niall resolved to shake up the unflappable Toxicroak. “Dual Chop!” Niall growled as his ace leapt into action. Saladin’s arms glowed a powerful blue as he rushed forward at Real. The Toxicroak didn’t so much as flinch, awaiting instructions from his trainer. “Poison Jab to counter the first, take the second!” Daphne instructed, surprising Niall with the unusual command. Saladin swiped sidewards in a backhand, the blue glow of his chop being met halfway by the venomous purple of Real’s Poison Jab. The two combatant struggled against each other for a moment, neither getting any headway when, suddenly, Saladin struck a second time with his other hand, chopping down against Real’s head. The Toxicroak’s knees flexed under the strength of the attack, his head being forced down as he braced against the impact, not letting himself be downed. Through pure physical strength, the Toxicroak managed to hold firm against the attack. “Revenge!” Daphne called and suddenly it was clear what she why she’d let the second half of the Dual Chop make contact. Real’s clenched fist glowed with a furious orange, almost like flame. Then, he swung upwards in an uppercut his powerful attack colliding with the underside of Saladin’s jaw. There was no resistance there, Saladin didn’t even manage to make a sound of surprise as the wind was knocked from his breath and he was sent flying in an upward arc. The Gabite became a projectile as he slammed through one of the stone pillars, sending fragments hailing to the ground along with the persistent rain that was now healing up some of the damage done by Saladin’s earlier attack. Niall grit his teeth ever tighter as Saladin slammed back down into the ground in a shower of debris and tumbled along the battlefield. His Pokemon lay still for a moment, then shakily climbed back to his feet as a low gutteral grumble rose up from his chest. As was often the case, Pokemon and trainer were of a like mind there. “Sand Tomb!” Niall instructed. Saladin hisses as sand particles and shrapnel stirred up around the battlefield and swirled up, condensing around Real and biting into his skin. More importantly though, the attack obscured the Toxicroak’s vision. “Dragon Claw!” “Get ready!” Daphne commanded in response. Saladin darted forward as a churning green aura overtook his claws, extending outward into a shimmering blade over each. The Gabite reached Real, suddenly ducking low and swiping up through the Sand Tomb to take advantage of the Toxicroak’s obscured vision. Real shot out of the cloud of sand as his rain finally came to an abrupt halt, slamming into one of his own stone pillars. Niall wasn’t going to leave it there without capitalising though. “Iron Head!” A silver, metallic glow now formed over the dome of Saladin’s head and he rushed at Real as the Toxicroak tried to get his bearings. As the distance closed, Saladin doe forward, putting his full body into the headbutt. Before Real could react, the Iron Head made contact. The remnant of the Stone Edge broke apart and came tumbling down as Real was pushed through the structure and sent tumbling along the ground. The Toxicroak, jabbed his elongated finger-claws into the metal ground, skidding to a halt in a spray of sparks. For the first time, there was a slight shift in the Toxicroak’s expression. Almost an acknowledgement that the Gabite was a worthy opponent. Niall felt his confidence starting to flow back in like warmth in the middle of a freezing cold. It was time to press the attack. “Shadow Claw, Saladin! Let’s finish this.” Saladin growled his agreement as he ran forward through the pile of rubble that used to be a giant stone pillar. Similarly to the Dragon Claw earlier, a shadow aura flowed up his claw and extended into the shape of a blade. He leapt up, adding momentum to the attack and slashed down. “Not this time, Sucker Punch,” Daphne retaliated, every bit as unshaken as before. Saladin closed in, but suddenly in a dizzying blur, Real had twisted to the side and swung a haymaker into the side of Saladin’s head. Yet another stalactite was blasted apart as Saladin careened along the ground and blew through its base, littering the arena with more rubble still. Much as Real had done, the Gabite slowed himself to a sparky halt using his claws against the iron battlefield to break his momentum. The two opposing Pokemon locked yes, ready to dive back into the fray. “Dual Chop!” Niall ordered. “Brick Break!” Daphne countered. With two glowing blue claws, Saladin charged into battle as Real awaited him, a faint white glow emanating from one of his own claws. The two combatants clashed as Saladin struck out with his first strike, the attack being met by Real’s Brick Break, once again not making any ground. Saladin’s other claw came down like a swing of a greatsword, striking Real hard. The Toxicroak didn’t move, taking the hit on his head and straining against it with all his might, fighting to remain upright. As he did so, a faint smirk seemed to flicker across Real’s face. Niall realised what was about to happen too late, just opening his mouth to order a retreat when he was cut off by a clear and composed instruction from across the battlefield. “Real, use Revenge,” Daphne said, a slight smirk forming on her own features much like on Real. A blazing orange uppercut slammed into the underside of Saladin’s jaw and the Gabite was catapulted up and across the room, hurtling across the battlefield until he slammed into the side wall with an audible, echoing clang. Saladin slid down the wall, sagging onto his feet. Niall felt his heart in his throat as now it was Real’s turn to charge. Daphne gave the order and suddenly the Toxicroak was bearing down on Saladin with a savage Poison Jab. “Quick, Dragon Claw!” Niall yelled, panicked by the sudden hard offensive. Real quickly reached Saladin, his purple-glowing claw shooting forwards like a bullet as Saladin swung the shimmering green blade of his Dragon Claw up in a loose, heavy arc. Time almost seemed to stand still for Niall in the next moment. The Poison Jab struck, Saladin crying out from the brutal attack. Then, Saladin’s Dragon Claw followed through and Real was smashed off his feet, by the surprising strength of the lazy-looking swipe. Real bounced and tumbled along the ground, coming to a halt near his trainers feet even as Saladin collapsed on the spot. Neither got up. “Both Pokemon cannot continue, the match is a draw.” The referee’s voice chimed in over the intercom once more. The battle was over and Niall had no idea what was to happen next or how he felt about it. He raised Saladin’s ball and recalled his fallen Gabite. “Good effort,” he said, unable to keep a hint of bitterness out of his tone. They’d come close, but failed to secure the win. “Now then,” Daphne’s voice came across to him. She had returned Real and was now crossing the battle-scarred floor to where he was standing. “This is quite an interesting situation we have here,” she said. Niall looked at her, unsure of what to expect but having at least a faint idea of where she was going. “As I’m sure you know, in the event of a tie, it is entirely up to me as the leader whether or not you leave here with the Industry Badge or not. Being frank with you, I generally don’t give out my badge for a tie.” Niall felt his heart sink at that. He did not like the idea of having to go up against Daphne a second time after the gruelling last bout of the battle he’d just had. “Under some rare circumstances though, I do feel like it’s appropriate,” the Gym Leader continued, “This is one of those occasions, luckily for you. You displayed good battle skills overall and managed to fight to a draw with, honestly, one of my stronger Pokemon. I wouldn’t say this was a test you passed with flying colours, but I think you did well enough to call it a pass. So I’m going to present you with this.” Daphne raised her open palm, revealing the shape of the Techniti Gym’s badge; an orange gear with a purple outline and a spherical purple gem in the centre. “Thank you,” Niall said, taking the badge as relief washed over him. At the very least, he wasn’t going to have to repeat the challenge. “Your Toxicroak is incredible you know. Saladin’s ability is Rough Skin, he never even showed a sign of feeling it.” “Real’s quite the tough stoic, you did a good job fighting him to a draw,” Daphne responded. Niall thanked Daphne again and exited the arena room, walking down a narrow hallway and into a simple, white-tiled lobby with a grey, wooden reception desk. He collected his so-called winnings from the receptionist and turned to exit the building, unable to shake the empty bitterness stabbing at his gut. As he started forward to make his way out the building, the glass of the automatic door parted as a boy about his own age, with alarmingly pink hair, stepped into the building. |
Inner City Blues Eloy walked on in awe at what he saw around him. Erythie had been breathtaking, bigger than anywhere he had been before, but Techniti City was on a whole other level. Erythie had been enormous but there was plenty of open space. This was nothing like that. Everywhere Eloy looked was occupied by a person, an object or a place. Towering buildings rose up as far as the eye could see, obscuring the horizon and casting shadows on the people below, each individual insignificant against the sheer scope of the monstrous, grey superorganism that was the city. For a farm boy from Citri Town, being in the middle of a suffocating throng of people in the sprawling urban metropolis was equal parts exhilarating, humbling and nerve-wracking. The densely packed pathways, busy roads and labyrinths of side streets and alleyways were overwhelming, as difficult to comprehend to Eloy’s mind as the scale of the stars. “Ni!” An excited screech sounded out, unusually faint against the clamour of the crowded cityscape. Eloy looked around, suddenly frantic. He couldn’t see Deacon anywhere, the Nidoran was totally obscured by the ever-moving masses. “Deacon?!” Eloy called out, a sudden sense of urgency rising up, verging on panic. The Nidoran had been running excitedly around his feet a moment prior, he’d lost track of his partner when his thoughts had been engulfed by the endless Techniti landscape. “Ni!” A sudden thump against his calf gave Eloy a jolt, his heart already in his throat at the thought of separation from Deacon. He looked down to find the Poison type looking up at him, happily oblivious to the trauma he had just inflicted. Deacon exclaimed again, his pricked up ears twitching up and down with his eagerness. “And where did you disappear to, huh?” Eloy said with a sigh, not entirely sure if he wanted to hug his Pokemon or strangle it more. “Ni?” Deacon queried, looking up at his trainer innocently, as if asking what he was so worried about. Eloy sighed again. He was rapidly getting a sense of what Lauren had been talking about when it came to the practicalities of moving about with your team free to roam. It was hard enough to move through the city with just Deacon running amok, he couldn’t imagine what it would be like to attempt it with all three of his Pokemon out of their balls. Ronin was too independent not to keep an eye on, Deacon too energetic and Maestro’s timidity could pose a whole different suite of problems. “Sorry buddy, but if we want to actually get to the gym today then you’re going to need to go back in your ball for now,” Eloy said. He pulled out the ball and drew Deacon within through the familiar red beam before the Nidoran could protest. “I’ll make it up to the three of you somehow later, but there’s just no way that I’m going to get anywhere while I worry about you.” With a deep breath, Eloy proceeded to push deeper into the city. From the information he had read online, it was located in a fairly central location. He pulled out his Pokegear and selected the map app, bringing up the familiar wide crescent shape of the Sigia Region and the blinking light indicating his location in Techniti. He zoomed in until he was looking at a city map instead. “Hmm,” he mused. He was definitely heading in the right direction, the expansive port was behind him to the east and he was slowly making his way west. He selected the directions options and realised to his astoundment that travelling to the gym on foot was absolutely not going to be an option if he planned to actually make it before nightfall. “This place really is obscenely large.” Resigned to his first ever experience with public transport, Eloy made his way towards the nearest underground entrance according to his map’s directions. A few minutes later, he was descending a ramp through a grimy concrete tunnel into the subway station and walking up to a rotating barrier, joining the back of a blessedly small queue. He reached the barrier quickly enough, suddenly smacked with the realisation that he was going to have to pay for access. He flashed his card across a scanner, and five hundred Poke later he had gained access to the subway station. The station itself didn’t look too much different than the access stairway. It was essentially a long, concrete tunnel, lit by painfully bright, rectangular panels fitted above. People swarmed the platform, waiting for the next train on either side of a pair of tracks - one for each direction. Most of the surfaces were dirty or smeared with graffiti tags. One wall broke the mould, instead covered in a wide, beautiful mural depicting the Techniti Harbour at sunset, a beautiful vision of oranges and pinks made more stunning by its contrast to the surroundings. It was, much like everything in the city so far, quite surreal. Entrancing as the artwork was, Eloy nearly missed the sudden faint sound of the train approaching. It wasn’t until the noise was echoing loudly through the subway that Eloy was alerted to its presence. Turning around to see the long, slender form of the train screeching to a halt and its doors sliding open smoothly. The seats were already filled by the time Eloy made it through the doors, so he found himself crammed between a bunch of strangers in the tightly enclosed space. A mechanical voice informed the passengers that the doors were to close. Then, as the portals shut, announced the next station. Eloy had never known himself to be claustrophobic, but the soft hiss of the doors shutting him into the compression of the train’s interior filled him with a surprising sense of uneasiness. His palms began to sweat slightly and he felt his stomach twist. He had been within the confines of Techniti City for only a little more than an hour but it was already becoming abundantly clear that he was not built for big city life. This was a place that was going to take a lot of getting used to. As such, it was a tidal wave of relief when Eloy was able to escape the subway and hurriedly scramble back up to the surface where he could, at the very least, breathe fresh air. Directly across from him there, finally, stood the Techniti Gym. Each gym seemed to have a different character, representative of where they were situated. The Rosaste Gym was a giant greenhouse in the middle of a park and Erythie’s was a work of modern art inside and out. The Techniti Gym was one of a pair, the shorter of two towering structures. The building was famous: a skyscraper full of different arenas, built by the owner of its twin several years before she earned the right to become its leader. Eloy steeled himself and then made a B-line for the building. The journey through the city to get to the towers had been more gruelling than almost everything prior, he was ready for that battle. Eloy passed through a pair of automatic glass doors into a surprisingly sparse lobby. There were a handful of faux-leather chairs around the edges of the white-tiled room but otherwise it was only occupied by a single grey, wooden desk. Eloy walked forward, passing a handsome young man with dark skin and close-cropped hair as he made his way towards the desk. Suddenly, a smooth voice broke the silence of the room behind him. Eloy turned to see that same person standing there, a slight grimace on his face. “Are you planning to challenge the gym?” he asked. “Uh, yeah,” Eloy replied, wondering if the grumpy look on the speaker’s face was because of a recent loss. “Don’t bother,” he said, “I managed to snag the last slot for the day. Didn’t you know this gym is by appointment only?” “Wait, what?!” Eloy barked, unable to believe that he’d gone through the hell of getting to the gym only to find out it was the one gym in Sigia that refused to take walk-ins. “Really?” The other trainer asked incredulously. “They call Daphne the busiest gym leader alive for a reason. She’s got the bigass company of hers to run next door and is involved in organising for the tournament. In fact, the gym is closed for official challenges until after the tournament. Access to practice arenas only. You should do your research before trying to take on a gym like this one.” “I did, I must have just missed that,” Eloy snipped, rubbed the wrong way by the grouchy know-it-all and irritable from the pointless effort he’d made to get there. “Right.” “Urgh,” Eloy grumbled to himself. “Well if you’re that desperate to battle,” the other trainer said, “You could always enter the tournament.” “I already did that at the Pokemon Centre,” Eloy sighed. “Huh? Well good luck with that.” With that, the irritating trainer turned and headed back out the door without another word. I hope he runs into Layla. Try that attitude then, buddy. Author's note: So, a head's up that for the Techniti City arc of the story, I will be breaking my usual pattern of four chapters and then an interlude. This is for two reasons. Firstly, because I want to keep it all together and, with the tournament in the midst of it, it will definitely take up more than four chapters. Secondly, because an interlude isn't going to be particularly relevant during this segment as several chapters during the tournament arc will be written from the perspectives of the other four major characters. Consider this your warning about a pretty dramatic change of place being incoming for the next several chapters until I return to the norm following that. I'll leave you with this little bit of trivia: all of the towns and cities in Sigia are named after minerals. Maybe you can pick up on some of them. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/402.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/083.png |
We Shall Assemble Eloy squeezed through the rapidly expanding crowd of people outside of the stadium, an impressive modern day amphitheatre by the coast. It was a warm day, made warmer by the close proximity of thousands of people waiting for the tournament to begin. He sighed with relief as he finally spotted what - or rather who - he was looking for. In one of the few unoccupied spaces off to the side of the throng of expectant spectators was Lauren, her Pokegear pressed close to her face as she talked into it. To Eloy’s surprise, she looked uncharacteristically agitated. He waved as he approached, unable to stop himself from trying to catch some of the conversation. “Yes, I’m just waiting for a friend and then we’re going in to sign in. Don’t worry, I’m not about to dip out now that I’m here and registered for it,” she said as she looked up and waved back at Eloy. “Yeah, I know you’ll be watching, thanks. Love you too.” She ended the call and let out a deep breath, letting the tension drop from her neck and shoulders. She stayed in a half-slump for a while before straightening up slightly and giving Eloy a faint smile. “My dad,” she gave in explanation to Eloy’s questioning expression. “Everything alright?” he asked, eliciting a slight chuckle from the girl. “Yeah, I’m fine. He was just concerned that I might end up bailing after the registration fee since I wasn’t that set on competing. I decided to go for it though and I’m going to put my fullest effort in. He should know me better, you know?” “Honestly, no,” Eloy admitted, “I have the opposite problem with my parents, they know me too well sometimes. My mum in particular. I swear, either she’s a demon or she was a great detective in a past life.” “Sounds problematic,” Lauren grinned. “Frequently, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate the interest.” “Yeah,” Lauren replied, her expression shifting slightly in a way that Eloy couldn’t quite identify. “Shall we then?” The two trainers moved around the arena and found themselves at an open set of doors marked with a sign proclaiming it the staff and competitor entrance. A beefy bouncer and his equally beefy Machop partner guarded the entrance. Eloy and Lauren flashed their registration notices, passing by without a hindrance as they entered a small room. The walls were a faded grey colour, the thinly carpeted floor a deep but also fading purple. At the back of the rear of the room a narrow hallway opened up, extending both directions and dotted with hefty white doors. In the centre of the room a simple temporary desk had been set up, manned by a homely woman with frizzy grey hair. She smiled pleasantly at Eloy and Lauren as the approached, but her eyes were sunken and tired. The event must have been keeping her busy. “Good morning,” Eloy offered. “I appreciate the effort,” the woman chortled before slipping into a yawn. “Alright, here’s how this is going to work kids. The first round is divided into four battle royales. You draw lots to determine which one you’re in, which we’ll do once I’m done explaining. You only get one Pokemon for this stage and you have to have it selected and out of its ball before I send you through to the trainer’s area - unless you’re planning on being a pain and entering with an Onix or something similarly ridiculous. Unfortunately, under those circumstances, I have to take your other Pokeballs until the next round.” The woman indicated a small, clear plastic receptacle next to the desk. A handful of Pokeballs, sticky-labelled with competitor names was resting in the base of the bin. “No Onix or similar here,” Eloy commented, looking to Lauren. “None here either,” she replied quickly. “Excellent, less work for me then,” the woman said, launching back into her explanation. “The top two from each royale move on to the tourney rounds. Any specific rules for those will be mentioned before you go on to them. For the royales, once your Pokemon faints, you are to return it and step away from the battlefield. From there you head back down this corridor and can either go back to the trainer’s room to socialise and watch the rest on the TVs there, or you can head up into the stands if you’ve purchased a ticket. Any questions?” “Nope, I’m set,” Eloy answered, “I used to watch this every year before my journey and the format hasn’t really changed.” “It’s been on TV every year then?” Lauren asked, surprising Eloy. “I had no idea it was that big of an event.” “You know, for everything you know about Pokemon, it amazes me how disconnected you are from trainer culture,” Eloy said, astounded. “You might have mentioned that before.” Lauren winked back at him. “Anyway,” the woman interjected, prompting apologies from the pair of young trainers. “I’m going to give you your numbers now if I can get your names. Make sure they’re visible on your back somewhere to make life easier for the commentators. Then we’ll draw your lots.” The woman handed each of them a black plastic square, printed with a large number. Eloy took his number, seeing that he had earned himself the number forty whilst Lauren’s number was sixty-two. That meant that there were at least sixty-two competitors that year. He knew he could expect a tough battle ahead. Next, the woman produces a bucket full of tiny envelopes from beneath the desk and gestured to it. One after the other, Eloy and Lauren reached into the bucket and withdrew an envelope. Eloy opened his envelope to find a green rubber band within. He withdrew it and slid the band over his wrist, dropping the envelope into a recycling bin beneath the desk. He turned to Lauren, she had a blue band worn similar around her own wrist. “Well, the green clashes with my aesthetic a bit but I’ll live,” he joked. “An usher will call you to compete by colour groups,” the woman explained, “Now if you select your Pokemon for the first round and then head into the room directly behind me, you’ll find it won’t be long until you’re called.” Eloy thought for a moment before settling on which of his three Pokemon he would be using for the first round of the tournament. He retrieved the ball and released the Pokemon with. Light flashed out of the ball, quickly taking on the insectoid shape of Maestro. The Kricketune looked around cautiously, taking his surroundings and assessing the situation he’d found himself in. For a moment, Eloy wondered if the timid Kricketune was the correct choice for a battle royale, but he quickly reminded himself of Maestro’s impressive win over Marcel and the usefulness of his moveset for what was ahead. A moment later there was another flash, a moment later, a Golbat materialised. Echo spread her wings and mouth wide and stretched out before shrouding herself in the wings and standing at the ready before her trainer. “Echo evolved, congrats!” Eloy said, taking a moment to register that this was the same Pokemon as the Zubat he had previously met. “Maestro too,” Lauren noted. “Looks like it’s going to be an interesting event.” “Fine choices.” The staff woman gave them another tired smile and waved them on to the trainers room. Passing through the heavy melamine door was like stepping into another world. Suddenly Eloy and Lauren were in a large open room with fold out chairs spread throughout at random intervals, shelves alongside one wall and TVs along the other. Most startling though, the room was absolutely packed with people, each of them wearing a black plastic number on their back and a coloured rubber band around their wrist. Eloy found himself slammed with a sudden cacophony as the voices of the assorted trainers and their Pokemon merged into a single din. Maestro immediately moved behind Eloy’s leg to shield himself from the crowd while Echo made an audible hissing sound at the clamorous racket. “Oh no,” Lauren groaned, “Sorry Echo, I was thinking of the battle when I picked you not the waiting room.” Eloy, closed the door to spare the exhausted staffer at the desk from the same sound. Looking quizzically at Lauren and her Golbat. “Her evolutionary line use echolocation,” Lauren explained, “They’re sensitive to sounds. It was a bit of a shock going from near silence to an explosion of sound.” Even as Lauren said it, Echo seemed to adjust herself to her new environment. The Golbat quite literally shook off her shock and fixed a steely determination into a gaze, prompting a warm smile from her trainer. “Maestro doesn’t have such an excuse, he’s just a bit of a sook. He’ll surprise anyone who doubts him though.” “I’m sure he will,” Lauren commented. “Well, we’ll see,” a third voice suddenly interjected. Eloy turned to see a second blonde girl approaching, dressed in a painfully bright yellow and with an equally yellow Jolteon at her side. A few steps behind her, a shorter brunette girl was close at hand, a serious-faced Lucario in tow. Eloy suppressed a sigh at Layla’s very Laylaish entrance. Focusing more on his surprise to see Gwen was with her in the trainer’s room. That meant that the reclusive girl had elected to enter the tournament. Eloy wondered if she’d done so willingly or if Layla had pushed her into it, he was pretty sure he knew the answer to that question though. He was surprised to find that the Lucario was Gwen’s though, it was a Pokemon with a reputation for loving battle and that seemed like an odd partner for Gwen who wanted to be a breeder. “You’re girlfriend?” Layla inquired, looking at Lauren with an intense curiosity. “I hope not, she’s way too pretty for you.” Gwen flushed, looking slightly alarmed at the question and letting out a near inaudible, but clearly exasperated sigh. “No she’s not my girlfriend,” Eloy sighed at the juvenile comment, “and what’s this about her being too pretty for me? Uh… not that you’re not…” “All good,” Lauren laughed lightly. “We’re recent friends, we met in Rosaste and again on the way to Topa Town.” “Bonded by a near death experience,” Eloy commented wryly, watching as Echo and Layla’s Jolteon sized each other up. Maestro remained partially hidden behind Eloy and the Lucario maintained its stoic indifference. “You’ll have to tell me all about that later.” Layla interrupted Eloy’s observations, giving he and Lauren a conspiratorial look. “More importantly though, what group are you in?” She raised her arm, displaying a red band dangling around her wrist. It seemed that she wouldn’t be in the same pool of competitors as either Eloy or Lauren were. Both Eloy and Lauren displayed their own identifying bands. “Looks like we won’t have to look out for each other at all during the battle royale round then,” Eloy commented. Disconcertingly, Layla’s characteristic smirk deepened at the sight of Eloy’s band. “Well, not all of us,” Layla remarked. To Eloy’s surprise, Gwen shyly raised her own arm, displaying a green band. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/402.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/083.png |
Straight Out the Gate With his number now pinned to his back, Eloy found himself standing with his hand resting reassuringly on Maestro’s head. Around him with Lauren, Layla and Gwen along with their chosen partners for the first round. Echo and Layla’s Jolteon had taken to alternating between intense stares and playful jostling while Gwen’s Lucario stared off into the room. Eloy couldn’t help but wonder what the solemn Pokemon was thinking. The four of them chatted amongst themselves to varying degrees. Layla was by far the most talkative and animated of the bunch while Lauren and Eloy were happy to wait for their turns to contribute to any discussion. Gwen, true to form, spoke rarely and when she did it was usually only in response to something someone else said. Eventually though, a new and loud voice echoed throughout the room, amplified by a megaphone set low. “Okay, listen up please! Those of you in the green group, I need you to assemble here by the door. If the rest of you could make room for them to pass, that would be excellent.” “I guess we’re up first then.” Eloy looked to Gwen. She made an attempt at smiling back at him, but looked altogether quite uncomfortable with the idea of being in the tournament. Not for the first time, Eloy found himself wondering about her capabilities. She clearly knew a lot about Pokemon and Layla had spoken very highly of her ability, yet everything about the way she carried herself and her tendency to avoid battles contradicted Layla’s assurances. A fact that in and of itself was contradicted by the confident Lucario walking alongside her. “Tuuuune!” Maestro called, realising a moment too late that the other three had started moving and hurrying to catch up to them. Eloy grinned at the Bug type, resettling his hand on his head as they came to a halt in front of the usher with the megaphone hanging at their side. “Okay, we’re going to head over to the waiting point now,” he said loudly, thankfully abandoning the megaphone now that the group were all close together. “We’ll get there as the opening remarks are starting. Once the speakers have finished, then I’ll send you guys all out and you’ll position yourselves around the edges of the battlefield. From there on, listen to the instructions of the chief referee. Alright? Let’s go!” Without waiting for a reply, the spritely man turn and walked out the door leaving the assembled trainers to cram through it after him and follow him down the dingy grey corridor towards the entrance to the battlefield. Eloy, careful to keep his contact with Maestro, took the chance to survey the group. Including himself and Gwen, who was number seventy-nine, there were twenty-one of them present. It didn’t matter overly much at that point, but that told Eloy that there was likely around eighty or so competitors if all the fields were of a similar size. More pressing, everyone in their field had a Pokemon at their side. That meant that there wasn’t going to be anything gigantic in the battle. He wondered if that meant there was going to be a decent number of unevolved mon or if it just meant the whole field had chosen smaller fully-evolved Pokemon like Maestro. As they walked, a few of the trainers struck up conversation with each other. Eloy took that to mean it was fine for him to talk to Gwen who was keeping pace next to him. “You know, I wasn’t expecting you to be competing. You never showed that much interest in battling and you mentioned a while back that your goal was to be a breeder.” “I wasn’t really planning on entering,” Gwen answered, “I joined at the last opportunity, hence the high number.” “Why the sudden motivation?” Eloy asked, Gwen’s expression finally shifting into a more genuine smile in response. “Do you really have to ask?” “Layla?” Eloy offered, without a doubt in his mind that he was about to have that suspicion confirmed. “Naturally,” Gwen giggled, “Apparently I’m wasting my talent if I don’t take part in something like this every now and then. She was quite insistent. Not that this is much of a surprise. It’s hard to say no to Layla once her heart is set on something. She’s very determined.” “Yeah, I figured as much,” Eloy said. “I’m not sure if determined is the word I’d use though as much as stubborn.” “That’s because you don’t know her like I do.” Before the conversation had a chance to go any further, Eloy found himself stopping suddenly, feeling Maestro bump into the edge of his leg. The chatter of the assembled trainers also dwindled down and eventually stopped. They were now gathered before an open archway, beyond it an expanse of green grass that gave way to a pair of compacted dirt battlefields. Further past those, a small stage was set up below a vast screen. On the stage stood a small group of people, their visages projected on the screen behind them at several times life size. A tall woman in a purple pantsuit with sharp cheekbones, penetrating eyes and an immaculate red pixie cut was standing at the forefront of the group holding a microphone. Eloy recognised her instantly. That was Daphne, the busiest gym leader in the world and CEO of the technology company that co-sponsored the event. “Good morning to you all and welcome to the Techniti Cup Tournament,” she spoke in a sharp, strong and confident voice. “Today, eighty-two competitors will battle it out for your entertainment and for the chance to prove themselves to the battling world at large. We have four impressive battle-royale rounds to start the event off. Following that, the final two of each will participate in the main tourney. In addition to the three thousand Poke grand prize, the victor of that tournament will have the honour of earning an exhibition battle with our very own Nora West, former headmaster of the Nora West Academy here in Techniti City and current member of the Elite Four. Now, to open the event, I will turn you over to the very same. Welcome, Nora!” As Daphne stepped back, another familiar face stepped forward and took the microphone. Nora was a total contrast to Daphne, dressed casually in a similar outfit to before with her curly hair held in place by a pink bandanna. Her expression was warm and motherly, something Eloy was beginning to assume was just the default for the woman. “I’m sure everyone is raring to go, so I’ll keep this nice and short! This isn’t just a spectacle, this is a moment for a group of very talented young trainers to shine and stand with confidence on the national stage. This tournament has, in the past, given rise to famed professional battlers, Gym Leaders and even our current champion made their television debut here. Today we aren’t just entertaining you, we are showcasing the future. Now it’s the futures turn, I think I’ve said more than enough.” As Nora stepped back from the edge of the stage, the image on the screen shifted to focus on the other side of the archway Eloy was standing on. He could see the usher and the first group of competitors. Then, suddenly they were moving, surging forward as the usher gave the signal. Eloy found himself separated from Gwen as they both instinctively moved in different directions around the edge of the nearest battlefield. Instead, he ended up standing between a girl with a Vibrava and a boy with an Aron. Neither were great matchups for Maestro, who was looking about the field nervously. Eloy had a hunch though, that they would attack straight not sidewards. “I hope you’re ready Maestro, it’s about to start.” “Tuuune!” Maestro reply, his musical voice a mixture of determination and foreboding. Even as that exchange passed, an announcer went over the rules. Then, a referee blew their whistle as two more started shouting to start the battle. Then, all hell broke loose. In an instant, the tense peace between combatants was broken as instructions were yelled from all directions and Pokemon began surging onto the field. “Darner, Dragon Breath!” Eloy heard the girl to his right instruct, her Vibrava diving into the fray. Sure enough, as predicted, both of the nearest trainers went forwards instead of turning their attention towards him. That was an opportunity. “Maestro, Sing!” Eloy called and finally, Maestro lurched into action. Instead of diving head-first into the fray, Maestro hung back. He slid his blades across each other like and instrument and began humming his song, the beautiful lullaby cutting through the harsher chorus of the battle, each note reverberating with power. Around Maestro, the Vibrava dropped from the sky and lay prone on the ground. The Aron staggered forward and slumped into the dirt. Across from them, a Sawk and a Simisage swayed in place before dropping to the ground. “Oh come on!” Eloy heard the Aron’s trainer growl at his left as the Vibrava girl just groaned on his other side. He didn’t have any time to even consider saying anything to the pair of them though, a Tailow suddenly dive bombed the group, making a B-line for Maestro. “On top and use Slash!” Eloy yelled as the Tailow swooped in. With clumsy wings, Maestro just barely got high enough to slice down against the Flying-types back. It crashed into the dirt between the group of sleeping Pokemon. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that a lot of other nearby trainers were noticing the easy targets. Suddenly, almost in unison, several orders were given. A torrent of fire, a crackling electrical blast and a chilling Ice Beam struck out towards the group. There was no where to run. “Bide!” Eloy called in desperation. Maestro dropped the short way back to the ground and braces himself behind his blades as the attacks closed in, with eyes bulging with terror at what he was about to endure. The next second, there was a near-deafening boom as the attacks all struck the same general area, exploding against each other and their victims and blasting a cloud of dirt into the air. Eloy winced, calling after Maestro but not hearing a response. He squinted against the dirt in his eyes and strained his ears, but could neither see nor hear any sign of his Kricketune. He was quickly starting to dread that the rash Bide he had called might have caused him to be an early knockout. As the dust thinned, Eloy could see a faint source of light. Maestro was still on his feet, already radiating with the immense energy he had just absorbed with his Bide. The Vibrava, Aron and Simisear were all laying fainted around him. The Sawk and Tailow however, had mysteriously vanished. That didn’t matter at that moment, he had to focus on retaliation. “Maestro, blast that Tepig, that’s where the fire came from!” Struggling to contain the insane amount of attack energy he was holding within himself, Maestro frantically scanned the battlefield for the offending Fire type, getting progressively more agitated as he held the attack longer and longer. It was with great relief to he and Eloy both that he finally managed to locate the Tepig. It was locked in battle with an Aipom and a Clefairy. “Tune?!” “If you get all three all the better, but focus on getting rid of problem Pokemon like Fire types!” Eloy instructed. “Tuuuuuune!” Maestro didn’t wait another second, no longer able to contain the power he was holding. He unleashed the Bide, digging his blades into the ground to keep himself from being blown back by the force of his own attack. An immense, pure white blast shot across the battlefield, ripping a shallow canyon into the ground below it. The Tepig and its two opponents turned to see the incoming attack, wide eyed at the monstrous blast. The Aipom dove off the side, it’s natural agility a huge boon in the chaos of the battle royale. The Tepig and the Clefairy weren’t as lucky. Both were engulfed in double the power of the three colliding attacks from before. As the dazzling glow of the attack subsided, it revealed both lying still on the ground, immediately knocked out by the force of the blow. Eloy’s gaze returned to his own Pokemon. Maestro was flagging already, worn down from holding so much energy right after taking three powerful attacks head on. It wouldn’t pay for the Kricketune to take many more hits if Eloy planned on making it to the next round. He swept the battlefield in search of his next target, his eyes eventually finding Gwen, her own gaze focused intently ahead of her. He followed her line of sight, then he froze, his jaw dropped open. Gwen’s Lucario was standing in the middle of four enemies. A Fraxure, a Hitmontop and the Aipom and Sawk he had seen earlier. The Fighting type’s eyes were shut tightly, the protrusions on the side of its head jutting out horizontally and a fierce, but joyous, snarl on his face. One after another, the four other Pokemon attacked. Gwen’s Lucario dodged them all. “Of course,” Eloy said to himself, suddenly realising the genius of Gwen’s Pokemon choice. “Aura. He can sense exactly where every single Pokemon on this battlefield is and knows what they’re doing. Incredible.” “You should focus on your own Pokemon, pal!” Someone off to the otherside shouted, Eloy instinctually recognising the taunt was directed at him. His head shot around just in time to see the glowing wing of the Tailow from before slamming into Maestro’s back and sending him tumbling through the dirt. The bird wasn’t done though, it was coming back in for a second round. “Growl and then Struggle Bug!” Eloy called. A pulse of sound emanated from Maestro, carrying with a strange sensation. It washed over the Tailow, and the Flying type visibly weakened, faltering slightly on its path. A moment later, a pillar of glowing red exploded up around Maestro and rushed outwards. The Tailow slammed into a wall of red light, it’s attack ceasing in that instant. The Tailow wasn’t knocked out the sky by the disadvantageous attack, but its momentum was completely nullified. There was no need to follow up though, the Tailow was a sitting duck in that moment as it was blindsided by the sparking, yellow-white glow of a Charge Beam and jettisoned from the battlefield. Eloy looked back at the trainer who had called out to him before, the boy now wearing a shocked and dismayed expression. Unable to help himself, Eloy called out to his former adversary. “Maybe you should have spent a little more time looking at everyone else’s Pokemon!” He didn’t hear the grumbled response, turning his attention back to the battlefield just in time to catch the outcome of Gwen’s impressive clash. The Aipom leapt for her Lucario, swinging the glowing fist at the end of its tail for the back of his head. The Lucario whirled round, pivoting around the attack to catch the tail between his hands. Keep up the pivoting momentum, he swung the Aipom like a flail, striking the incoming Fraxure with it. “Anubis, Psychic!” Gwen instructed, the command faint in Eloy’s ears over the sounds of battle. Both the Fraxure and the Aipom were engulfed in an outline of glowing blue. Then, with a wave of power that Eloy himself could feel from across the staging ground, both Pokemon were rocketed past a set of trainers, skimming across the grass between battlefields. The Sawk rushed in next, ducking low and lashing out with its leg to deliver a Low Sweep. The attack never even came close to hitting. In a movement so fast that it was almost as though Anubis had teleported, the Lucario was past the reach of the Sawk’s leg and delivering a sharp kick of its own to the Sawk’s head. As Eloy’s mind raced, quickly coming to the conclusion he had just witnessed Extreme Speed, Gwen gave her follow-up command. Eloy missed the actual words, but it was clear what she’d said. A blue light surrounded the Sawk and a split-second later it was ejected from the battle. Anubis, eyes still firmly closed, then turned in Maestro’s direction. Eloy felt his heart jump into his throat. From afar, he was able to admire the power of Gwen’s Pokemon and had quickly come to the realisation that her meek demeanour belied a terrifyingly skilled opponent. He had no desire to go toe to toe with her while Maestro was already barely hanging in there. Anubis started forward towards Maestro and in that moment, Eloy could swear he saw an expression that was more apologetic than anything on Gwen’s face. Even as he saw the look she gave him though, the ground suddenly exploded upwards in a cloud of shrapnel and his vision was partially obscured. A Krokorok had clearly been using Dig, leaping forth from the ground with a spin and slamming its tail into Maestro. Maestro staggered backwards, reeling from the sneak attack. The onslaught continued though. “Bite!” Eloy heard from somewhere on the opposite side of the battlefield. The Krokorok shot forward with surprising speed and clamped its jaws down over Maestro’s side. “Tuuuuuuune!” Maestro cried out in an agonised lament. The attack wasn’t that effective against a Bug like Maestro, but he’d already taken a lot of damage. Maestro wiggled and struggled against the attack but was unable to break free. “Fine, if you want to stay so close, so be it. Fury Cutter!” A crimson light extended over Maestro’s blades. In quick succession, he rained several blows down upon the Krokorok. The Ground and Dark type staggered back, vulnerable to power of the sequentially strengthening strikes. “Oh, now you want to run away?” Eloy taunted, “Nope! Struggle Bug!” The column of red light shot up around Maestro and then expanded outwards in a rush. As though hit by a train, the Krokorok was smashed backwards by the force of the Bug attack and skipped along the dirt like a pebble on a lake. It came to a rest by Anubis’feet, but it wasn’t getting up to face down the Lucario, it had fainted the moment the Struggle Bug had made contact. The fainted Pokemon was quickly removed from between Maestro and Anubis, no longer an obstacle between them. The Lucario was looking at Maestro as the Kricketune swayed in place, standing casually with his eyes now open. Eloy steeled himself for what was to come. Then, he realised that the Lucario had opened his eyes and no attack was incoming. A whistle blew a moment later a horn sounded over the stadium PA system as Eloy looked about the battlefield, gradually coming to the realisation that Maestro and Gwen’s Lucario were the only two Pokemon left and that the only other trainer standing at the now severely disfigured battlefield was Gwen. They were the last two and would be moving on to the tourney rounds. Without another moment of thought, Eloy rushed Maestro, wrapping his arms around the exhausted insect. “Nicely done! I told them you’d surprise them!” Eloy beamed. “Tuuuune” Maestro replied weakly in a lilting, singsong voice. “Congratulations,” an equally soft voice said from behind Eloy as he freed Maestro from his embrace. Gwen was standing there, her calm and confident Lucario by her side with a slight, but smug, smirk on his face. The Fighting type gave a nod of acknowledgement to Maestro, who was too tired to offer much of a response. “Congratulations to you two as well!” Eloy exclaimed. “Moreso to you two, if I’m going to be honest. You’re terrifying,” he admitted. “Thank you… I think.” Gwen replied meekly, scratching nervously at her arm and staring fixedly at the ground. “That’s high praise,” Eloy grinned as the voice of the announcer reached his ears. “The winners of the first battle royale qualifier, and your first entrants into the tourney rounds, are Eloy Chance and Guinevere Wayne!” Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/402.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/083.png |
Oh boy, four chapters posted back to back within a few chapters together haha. All right, time for catchup!
Hm the interlude with Niall and Daphne I'm kinda mixed with. While I thought the battle between the two was well choreographed, not sure about a gym battle featuring a character we're meeting for the first time. I'm going to assume Niall will make more appearances? Eloy is still trying to get used to the city life, huh? We already know Eloy will face Daphne eventually after his last-second appearance in the interlude. Hah, kinda amusing you're posting a Battle Royale chapter as the anime is going to have that in the shows' Pokemon League arc, though it'll be a huge 151 Pokemon brawl one haha. I lost track a bit on which Pokemon appeared, but since this is supposed to be chaotic it's not a huge problem. We get a bit of a closer look at Gwen, who is a very skilled trainer but rather hold back. I wonder if Layla and Lauren will be moving to the next phase of the tournament with Eloy and Gwen. |
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Go To War Layla watched from the archway as Eloy and Gwen, with their Pokemon now returned, made their way across the open grounds of the stadium back towards where she stood. Many of the other trainers around her were chattering quietly about the first battle while Edith remained at her feet, her spiky fur bristled and her weight shifting anxiously between her feet. Layla flashed a grin at the Jolteon. They were both ready to show the world what they could do. The chattering soon turned to congratulatory murmurs, signalling that Gwen and Eloy had made it to the entrance and were passing the first of her group. She looked up from Edith, barely suppressing laughter at the sight of her friends’ expressions. Layla wasn’t sure which was funnier, the immeasurable discomfort Gwen was completely failing to hide at the praise being showered upon her by the audience and the assembled combatants or the look of shock and awe that seemed to be permanently etched onto Eloy’s face. As the two got closer, she quickly decided Eloy looked much funnier. She had warned him several times that Gwen was a skilled battler. As the pair reached her, she pushed between a couple of the other trainers to meet them. Immediately she threw her arms around Gwen, letting out a whoop as she embraced the shorter girl. “A flawless victory as expected, very cool.” She released her friend, pleased to see that while Gwen’s blush had only intensified with the praise, her uneasy expression had slipped into a faint, reluctant smile. Satisfied with that reaction, Layla turned to Eloy, whose expression still seemed marred by disbelief. She couldn’t contain her laughter anymore at that. “You on the other hand, got very lucky in those final moments. I warned you she’s good didn’t I? You did alright, but you should have seen the look of terror you had when you thought you’d have to battle Gwen!” The furrowing of Eloy’s brows only furthered her amusement, causing her laughter to continue for several moments. She supposed she should probably show a bit more restraint, but it was just so easy to get under Eloy’s skin and provoke an entertaining reaction. “Okay, red group, off you go!” The usher interrupted, Layla’s pool suddenly surging forward and starting to enter the arena. “Alright, I’m off! I’d say wish me luck, but you know I don’t need it.” Layla winked at Eloy and Gwen, moving back to join the rest of the group. “Jolt!” Edith barked with anticipation, a faint crackling sound heard through the sounds of footsteps and the roar of the crowd as a small charge of electricity ran through her fur. “Don’t get too cocky, now!” She heard Eloy call after her, “You make the best pouty face when you lose.” Layla was about to fire off a retort about the only loss of hers he’d ever seen being largely his fault, but suddenly she felt the warmth of the afternoon skin as she stepped out onto the grass. She decided it would be best to leave those words unspoken when she was now front and centre for a cheering crowd of spectators. She’d have to get him back later. Layla strode confidently towards the now somewhat damaged first battlefield, having been informed that the second was for the tourney rounds. She found herself a spot between two other trainers, the young man to her right nodding at her politely as he tossed a Pokeball forward. The sphere exploded into a light that steadily grew in size, materialising into a tall, tree like Pokemon with an enormous neck atop which rested several egg-like heads. “A tourist from Alola then?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Sure am,” he replied with a noticeable accent and an attractive smile, “Although if I win I suppose I’m more of a conqueror.” “Ha!” Layla scoughed dramatically, “I like the spirit, but good luck with that.” “Jolt!” Edith barked out, her fur bristling further as she issued her challenge to the enormous Alolan Exeggutor besides her. The Grass and Dragon type peered down at her, uttering a low gutteral chuckle. The announcer spoke his last few words, then suddenly a whistle was blown and a horn sounded. Shouts began echoing across the battlefield. “Edith, Work Up!” Layla called. A red aura outlined her Jolteon’s body as her spiky fur sparked with further electricity. “No easy starts for you, Cutie!” The young man to Layla’s right teased. “Dragon Hammer!” A shadow suddenly grew over Edith as the Exeggutor swung its neck down like a whip, a swirling violet glow surrounding the upper portion and its heads. “Jump and run up!” Layla yelled. Edith leapt into the air, the attack narrowly missing her as the Grass and Dragon type’s upper body slammed into the ground, leaving a sizeable dent in the compacted dirt. Edith landed on top of its bent neck and started running. “Shake it off!” The Alolan ordered, causing Layla to smirk. The Exeggutor straightened rapidly, turning into a living catapult and flinging Edith diagonally to the right, straight into the fray. Edith went with the movement, moving through the air with surprising grace to land suddenly in the middle of a three way battle between a Jigglypuff, Panpour and Herdier. All three combatants so surprised by the sudden entrance that they stopped in their tracks. “Discharge!” Layla yelled. Edith looked smugly at the Jigglypuff and Herdier, the two Pokemon in her line of sight. Then, wild torrents of lightning burst out from her body in all directions, striking the three Pokemon before they had a chance to react. “Charge Beam on the Panpour behind you!” Layla followed through, Edith jumping up, whirling to face the Water type and unleashing the electrified beam from her open mouth. The attack hit the stunned Panpour hard, taking it out of the battle before the glow from the attack had even left its body. Edith landed with a confident bark, the electricity arcing over her body growing with intensity as the boosting effect of the Charge Beam too hold. That confident sound was quickly followed by a welp of surprise as the Herdier slammed hard into her from behind and sent her tumbling across the battlefield, skidding between a battle between a Growlithe and Teddiursa. “Careful now,” the Alolan trainer goaded her, focusing back on his own ongoing battle as the Teddiursa on the other side of the battlefield lunged for the Growlithe with a pink-glowing paw. The Fire type side-stepped the attack, then slammed its jaws shut over the Teddiursa’s arm. The Normal type cried out in pain only to find itself suddenly released as the Growlith swung its head to the side and hurled it. The Teddiursa collided with the Herdier from earlier, the canine Pokemon having been rushing in to take a follow-up shot at Edith. “Flame Burst!” She heard someone yell as the Growlithe reared back, slamming its front paws down again as it spat a roaring fireball at the small pile of Normal types, the pair in the process of detangling themselves. The attack hit its mark, exploding into a rain of embers and knocking out both of its victims. Seeing a threat with its back turned, Layla decided it was the Growlithe’s turn to take a hit. “Charge Beam!” “Crap! Flamethrower, behind you!” Layla heard growled in response, this response loud enough that she could now identify the Growlithe’s trainer. He was located a ways down from her on the opposite end of the battlefield, a tall and good-looking young man with black skin, dressed in jeans a purple jacket. At the other trainer’s command, the Growlithe whirled, narrowly managing to unleash a torrent of burning flames as Edith’s own attack reached it. Lightning met fire, the attacks colliding and cancelling each other in a cloud of smoke, peppering the area around them with orange and yellow sparks. The Growlithe was forced back, not going down but skidding back along the dirt until it landed besides the Jigglypuff Layla had seen previously, the Balloon Pokemon having just defeated a Mienfoo that lay at its stubby feet. “Follow up with a Swift, Edith!” Layla instructed, pressing the attack. “Leonidas, counter with Reversal!” Layla faintly heard her opponent respond from further down the battlefield. “Jolt!” Edith snapped as a volley of golden stars spun around her, each flying off towards her targets in rapid succession. The Growlithe, Leonidas, bared his teeth and emitted a low growl and a ring of small orange lights spun around him in a ring. The stars struck, catching the Jigglypuff by surprise and blasting it away, fainting it as it hit the ground. Leonidas’ however was able to stave off the attack. The ring of lights countered the first several stars, orange orbs and golden stars bursting into sparkling fireworks as they struck each other. Then, the ring rapidly shrunk back onto Leonidas, forming an orange aura over his body as he headbutted the next projectile, deflecting it back towards the other stars and starting a chain reaction of rebunds that ended the onslaught. “He’s pretty good,” Layla muttered begrudgingly. “I agree,” the Alolan suddenly said from next to her, causing Layla to remember his presence for the first time in several moments. “We’ve gotta get in on this. Earthquake!” “What?!” Layla shouted, watching horror struck as the towering Alolan Exeggutor bounded forward to where Edith and the Growlithe faced off. Suddenly, it slammed its tail down onto the ground and immediately the dirt began to shake. The battlefield rumbled as cracks formed in its surface and it broke in place causing a ring of broken earth to extend out from the epicentre of the powerful Ground attack. Edith and Leonidas, as well as several other nearby Pokemon were all knocked off their feet and thrown about by the warping and breaking ground beneath them, rolling and tumbling off in different directions until the quake came to an end. Edith, shakily forced herself back to her feet, nearly falling back down in the process. She wasn’t built for taking hits, and Ground moves were particularly hazardous for her. Across the battlefield, Layla saw Leonidas and a handful of other Pokemon also in the process of returning to their feet. Most of them, the Growlithe included, had fared similarly to Edith, a handful hadn’t been far less affected and several more were now being recalled in beams of red light having been knocked out by the Earthquake. “How’d you like that?” the Alolan chuckled. “Unfortunately, I think you’re going to have to go.” Layla responded, rolling her eyes and smirking at the man. “Looks like some others agree!” he suddenly exclaimed. Leonidas had just unleashed a roaring Flamethrower across the field at the Exeggutor and he wasn’t the only one as several more attacks streaked in from different directions. Layla almost joined them, but she decided against it, she could hear Gwen reminding her to seize opportunities in the back of her mind, some of the earliest advice her friend had given her. “Edith, Work Up!” Layla shouted over the sound of the barrage of attacks all triking the slow and clumsy Alolan Pokemon. Layla staggered back under the force of the pressure wave, nearly falling over as she did so. She watched as the Alola Exeggutor slowly, comically fell forward like a tree during logging season, seeing a handful of smaller Pokemon now trying to scrabble out the way. Out the corner of her eye, she was careful to keep track of Edith, the familiar red glow now receding from the Jolteon. “Aw man, that’s a shame,” the Alolan said from next to her, recalling his defeated Pokemon. “Well, I’ll be seeing you later I hope.” He gave her a smile and a wink and cheerily began making his way out the arena. There was now only five Pokemon left. Edith, Leonidas, a Frosslass and, weirdly, a pair of Mankey. All of them were looking worse for wear, although the Frosslass noticeably less so. That made it pretty clear to Layla what was about to happen. The pair of Mankey rushed the Ice and Ghost type, one with a fist cloaked in flame and the other with its tail glowing a metallic silver. The Froslass waited for the last moment, suddenly levitating up as the twin Fighting types closed in. The Fire Punch and Iron Tail collided and the Mankey were knocked back from each other, scrabbling. The next second, the space above them was a roaring blaze as Leonidas unleashed a powerful Flamethrower, engulfing the Froslass until the defeated Pokemon dropped from the sky and was absorbed back into its pokeball with the quiet sound of a resigned sigh from her trainer. Layla looked between the three remaining opponents she and Edith had to face. Leonidas was more threatening, but the two Mankey were on their last legs, lined up perfectly and vulnerable to one of Edith’s attacks. She felt the urge to ignore all reason and take the fight to the Growlithe so she could finish what she started, but in the end, her desire to secure access to the next round won out. “Edith, Stored Power!” “Jolt!” Several strands of pink and purple energy swirled around Edith, moving forward to condense into a perfect glowing sphere in front of her mouth. With another assertive bark, she let loose with the attack, firing off an enormous blast of purple, pink and white, the attack exploding forth from the sphere. The Mankey twins shouted furiously as they tried to dive out the way only to be swept up in the attack. Both fighting types were hurled out of the battlefield, coming to a stop side by side. Neither stood back up. As one the crowd began to roar and cheer, the second battle royale clearly having come to a dramatic close. The announcer soon spoke up to confirm this and identify the winners. “That ends the second royale round!” the voice rebounded out over the stadium. “Moving on from the red group we have Layla Sylvan and Niall Parker!” |
Athena Gwen hardly breathed as the last few minutes of the second battle royale played out. She wrapped her fingers around the edges of her tunic in an iron grip, watching the television screen with an intensity that looked as though it might shatter the glass. She had watched Layla’s steady improvement and seen first hand how hard she had worked for this moment and it was finally within her grasp. It was just like Nora had said, as much as Layla had nagged her into competing, this was Layla’s time to shine and she was merely intruding in a world that she had no place in. “She’s doing really well,” Lauren commented from off to Gwen’s left. She was standing on the other side of Eloy, who was between them also with his eyes fixed on the screen. The girl’s Golbat was nearby, hanging upside-down from a bar on the wall and looking rather bored. Gwen nodded, not even looking away from the screen as the Alolan Exeggutor unleashed its surprise Earthquake. She felt her nails digging into the palm of her hand now she was gripping her clothes so tightly. Layla was so close, it would be so unfair for her to be knocked out there when progress was only a hair’s breadth away. Edith was standing on shaky limbs though, it would be a close call if anyone went after her instead of the Grass type. “Relax,” Eloy suddenly said from next to her, “You can’t offer much moral support if you give yourself an aneurysm.” “Yeah,” Gwen replied noncommittally, neither breaking off her staring contest with the TV nor releasing her vice-like grip. At that moment, nothing mattered but what was unfolding on the screen. She felt her heartbeat accelerating, her head ringing with the adrenaline-saturated blood now pulsing through her body. She held her breath, watching as the Froslass was immersed in billowing flames and then, finally, Layla had Edith let loose with the final attack of the match, sending the pair of Mankey rocketing away from the battlefield. “That ends the second royale round!” the commentator’s voice spoke through the TV. “Moving on from the red group we have Layla Sylvan and Niall Parker!” A few people around the room clapped as the chatter began to pick up quite significantly, people discussing the next two to make it passed the battle royales, their tactics and how they may fare against them. Gwen, however, remained silent still. Unabashedly smiling at the screen and finally feeling the tension release from her body as she allowed herself to properly take another breath at last. “I thought she was a goner when that Alolan Exeggutor hit them all with that Earthquake,” Eloy commented, “Her Jolteon is almost as stubborn as she is. Or, determined, I suppose.” Gwen finally looked up at the pink haired boy hearing that, it was warming to hear his acknowledgment of her earlier correction. “Very determined,” Gwen agreed, speaking for the first time since Layla’s battle had commenced. “Powerful too,” Lauren said, “She’s done a really good job raising that Jolteon.” Gwen didn’t get a chance to reply, another round of applause had started up around the room as the door had swung open once more. This was a familiar occurrence since Gwen had been smacked with a similar greeting when she and Eloy had returned to the trainer’s room after their own royale round. She watched with amusement as Layla took a bow to the assembled trainers, hardly even noticing Niall standing behind her as he moved past Layla and further into the room. The wide, entrancing smile on her friend’s face was just about enough to make Gwen melt with happiness. Finally, she was getting the chance to prove herself and she was making good use of it. Finally, Layla took a break from her showboating and practically bounded across to where their group was assembled. Gwen felt the blood rush to her head as Layla half-dived into a hug, squeezing Gwen into her for what felt like a much longer time that it was. “So, how was I?” Layla asked, a hint of gloating in her tone as she broke away from Gwen. “You did really well. I was impressed,” Gwen managed to say, smiling back at her beaming, smirking friend. “Now there’s some high praise,” Layla joked, causing Gwen to flush with embarrassment. She then turned to Eloy, her smirk deepening in a way that was a little discomforting. “What about you, aren’t you going to shower me with praise?” “Personally, I was rooting for the Alolan guy,” Eloy jibed back, “You managed to not make a fool of yourself though. Nicely done.” “Just imagine if you’d done that well, maybe you wouldn’t have nearly cried when you saw Anubis coming for that Kricketune of yours.” Layla laughed at her own retort. “It was really smart to use that breather whilst they were ganging up on the Exeggutor to power up further for Stored Power,” Lauren commented, interrupting the verbal sparring match. “Thanks,” Layla remarked, “I was taught early on to make sure I seized opportunities both aggressive and passive and made good use of them.” Layla glanced back at Gwen briefly as she said it, causing her embarrassed blush to reawaken before it ever had a chance to properly disperse. The four of them continued to discuss Layla’s performance in the battle for a few more minutes before turning their attention back to the screen. The yellow group had just made their way out onto the battlefield and the next round was commencing. It was at this point that the now weary-looking usher returned into the room with his megaphone held aloft. “Okay then, the yellow group is starting up now so if those of you in the blue group could come with me to wait for the last round, please.” “I guess that’s me then,” Lauren said. “Echo, come on, time to stretch your wings.” The Golbat made a half-screeching and half-chirping noise, dropping from where she was hanging and lazily flapping over to Lauren where she could hobble along at her feet. With a wave, Lauren made her way out into the hall with the rest of the blue group, Echo in tow. |
Bomber Lauren was among the last to reach the battlefield, taking a spot at one of the front corners as Echo landed at her feet. The Golbat looked fixedly at the other Pokemon, determinedly, taking in the competition. She’d been like that ever since Kanto, ready to walk through fire for Lauren after she saved her at Mt. Moon. In some ways, it was a little disconcerting. How can she be so dedicated to something so uncertain? Those thoughts would have to wait though, they could be addressed and fed to Marion at a later date. Right then, there was a job to do and expectations to meet. She steadied herself, taking in the opposition much like Echo was. She counted a Beedrill, Swanna, Togetic and Pidove. That meant that there were four other airborne Pokemon for Echo to contend with. It was a good strategy for flying Pokemon to rain attacks down on those that were stuck on the ground. Those fliers were the best suited for pinning down Echo though, that made them a priority. Once the fliers were out the way, Echo could ride out the rest for the most part. There were two competitors holding pokeballs, she’d see what they were soon enough. The only guarantee was that they’d be large. Lauren too a deep breath and centred herself, she had her battle plan. All that was left was to put it into action and that was a moment rapidly approaching. The signal for the battle to begin went off and Lauren found herself squinting against a nearby flash of light as Echo extended her leathery wings and took to the air. Surprisingly, that nearby flash materialised into elegant, scaled form of a Milotic. The second flash, that was more problematic. Lauren froze with shock as she saw the light take the shape of a gigantic, metallic beast with a wide head and protrusions jutting from its sides. Of course, there was a Steelix in her pool. She felt the breath hitch in her throat, the distant sounds of twenty or so screams faint in the back of her mind. She forced herself to exhale and inhale slowly, regularly. Willing her body to relax. Get it together Lauren, that Steelix is back in Kanto. You do this every time you see one and nothing bad ever happens. Focus on the plan. She looked up to the air, Echo was flapping in place, ready and waiting for her instructions. There was a job to do. The Steelix didn’t matter. Echo wasn’t well suited to battling Steel types and she had more important things to deal with. There was a plan. “Confuse Ray on the Swanna, Poison Fang on the Togetic!” Lauren instructed, raising her voice enough to be heard over the sounds of the battle beginning. Echo screeched her affirmative, taking off into the battle. As she flew, she released a flickering yellow-white beam, hitting the Swanna. The bird was irradiated by the attack, not taking any damage, but the effects were immediately apparent. The Swanna’s trainer face-palmed as the Pokemon started frantically flailing about in the sky, forgetting to flap its wings and plummeting down. Echo pressed on though, her fangs glowing a toxic purple as she closed in on the Togetic as it rained attacks down on the land-based combatants below. The Togetic wailed as Echo snapped her fangs down on its long neck. “Ice Beam on the Golbat!” She heard from nearby her, turning slightly to see the instruction had come from the Milotic’s trainer. Sure enough, the serpentine Pokemon was firing off the chilling blue beam a moment later, planning to strike Echo from behind. “Echo, turn!” Lauren instructed. Echo did just that, keeping the flailing Togetic locked in her jaws. The Ice Beam struck the Togetic, Echo’s improvised meat shield. Both Flying types were blasted back by the powerful attack, the Togetic falling from Echo’s jaws and dropping to the ground in a heap as Echo tumbled backwards, eventually managing to right herself. “Air Cutter,” Lauren called. She didn’t want to get into a long battle with the Milotic at that moment, her priority was dealing with the other fliers. That being said, she had to hit it to give her an opening to break away. “Protect!” Echo flapped her wings harder, a strong wind billowing out from her, carrying with small, shimmering blades of silver-white. The Milotic’s trainer had been quick on the response though, a green sphere of light burst into being around the Milotic, shielding it from the attack. Meanwhile though, the Swanna was shakily rising up between them, returning to the air. It was still a bit dazed from its confusion and subsequent impact, so Lauren focused in on it, disregarding the Milotic. “Echo, Wing-” The command was cut off by a sudden, thunderous roar from across the battlefield. Lauren immediately froze, her spine turning rigid and the command turning to stone in her mouth. She glanced in the direction of the sound to watch as the Steelix smashed six other Pokemon with a single enormous Iron Tail. It looked like half of them fainted due to the blow. Focus! She berrated herself, returning her attention to Echo just in time to see the Swanna attack. With a wing cloaked in a blue, watery energy it slammed into Echo and sent the Golbat reeling. “Poison Fang!” Lauren called out, still kicking herself for the lapse in concentration. She needed to keep Echo out of constant skirmishes and make decisive attacks, not get distracted and let opponents come to her. Thankfully, Echo was quick to respond, latching onto the Swanna’s wing with her Poison Fang on the follow through from its Liquidation. The Swanna tried to shake it off, but Echo held firm, digging her teeth in harder to its wing as a result, inflicting greater damage. It wasn’t the ideal situation though, Swanna had long necks and Lauren was not about to have Echo take a Water Gun to the face. She scanned the battlefield quickly as Echo and the Swanna scuffled through the air, soon finding what she was looking for. “Let go, then Toxic on that Pikachu down there!” Lauren ordered. Without a moment of hesitation, Echo let go of the Swanna and dropped several feet into a glide. She swooped over the Electric type as it took out a Buizel with a well-timed Thunderbolt and spat a bullet of poison goo over the unsuspecting Pokemon as the Swanna dove after her. Somewhere down the line from her, Lauren heard someone swear loudly and order a Thunderbolt. Echo pulled up as the electric rodent let loose with a torrent of crackling yellow lightning… right as the Swanna crossed between it and Echo. The Swanna let out an awful scream as it was suddenly overcome by a bolt of electricity. The attack broke and the Swanna dropped from the sky like a stone. “Confuse Ray and then get out of there, Echo.” Echo turned on the Pikachu, the small electric type looking quite surprised to have taken out the wrong Pokemon from the running. In fact, it was so surprised that it didn’t even try to avoid the flickering light that suddenly shone over it. Without waiting, Echo turned and flew off, leaving the Pikachu to be slowly sapped at by its poisoning as it staggered around in a daze. Lauren looked around for the remaining two fliers. She couldn’t see any sign of the Pidove, reasoning it had likely already been knocked out. The Beedrill however she had an easier time finding as it was frantically trying to dodge repeated Flamethrowers from a Simsear below that seemed intent on frying the Bug. The Steelix roared again, and once more Lauren felt her body reflexively stiffen. She pushed the thought of the Steel type out of her mind though, she couldn’t miss this chance. “Air Cutter on the Beedrill!” Echo obeyed immediately, unleashing the cutting attack on the unsuspecting Beedrill. The Bug type buzzed with alarm as it suddenly found itself caught in a strong wind and nicked at by a hundred invisible blades. A moment later, the distracted Bug was finally engulfed in flames and like the Swanna before, plummeted to the ground. Now the air was Lauren’s. A bolt of electricity flew past Echo, missing by miles. Its source was quickly apparent, the Pikachu from before was sagging as it slowly stumbled its way in Echo’s direction in a loose zig-zag. Lauren ignored it, it would soon faint from the effects of the Toxic. Her job was now to make sure as many of the other grounded Pokemon as possible found themselves similarly afflicted. “Okay, Echo, hit-and-run Toxic.” Echo screeched joyously at the order, immediately dive-bombing a Watchog below and coating the creature in the venomous ooze. It tried to retaliate with a Thunder Wave, but the sparking wave of electricity missed its mark, Echo already having moved on to the Simisear from before, catching it distracted as it locked Flamethrowers with a Litwick. Much to the dismay of several of the other combatants, Lauren and Echo spent the next several moments rinsing and repeating. Echo would sweep in from above, Poison a distracted Pokemon and then fly off before it could respond. Several times, the second distraction she caused immediately resulted in the fainting of a Pokemon that tried to retaliate only to be knocked out by the Pokemon it was already battling. “That is incredibly irritating,” the Milotic’s trainer said with a laugh as Echo poisoned the Water type for the second time, the distraction causing it to take an ineffective Icy Wind from a nearby Vanillish. The Milotic finished of the Vanilite with a sizzling Scald attack before a faint, bubbling green glow overtook its body, getting progressively brighter until it faded away. This was the second time now it had been forced to Refresh away a Poisoning from Echo. “Sorry,” Lauren said, offering back a faint smile before having Echo dive down on the Watchog from previously. She bit down on its shoulder with a Leech Life, red light surging from its body into hers. It struggled against her but between that and its prior Poisoning, it quickly ran out of fight and dropped to the ground. The field was very quickly now, many of the Pokemon present going down that much easier thanks to the Poison inflicted on them. Not all of the Pokemon present were vulnerable to the tactic though. The Milotic with Refresh was one of them. The shaking of the earth as the Steelix exploded out from the ground, taking out the earlier Litwick along with a Carnivine was a reminder that it was also. The Steelix quickly saw to it that the number of competitors continued to shrink, quickly dispatching a Marowak and Duosion in the moments earlier. In fact, Lauren was fairly sure that while she had certainly assisted in the fainting of many Pokemon with her strategy, the Steelix was directly responsible for fainting at least a quarter of the combatants through its sheer, raw power. She had been hoping that someone else would deal with it, but it was becoming more and more apparent that there was a fairly good chance of Echo being required to engage it. With a sigh of resignation, Lauren resolved to make a move before she potentially lost her best shot of defeating the titanic creature. “Wing Attack the Steelix’s eyes!” Lauren instructed. Without hesitation, Echo went on the offensive against the monstrous Steel type. She circled round. Then, from its blind spot, she shot down with glowing wings. She quickly reached its head, her wing dragging against its ocular region, forcing it to shut its eyes as it roared out angrily. The Steelix swung its head like a gigantic club, trying to smack Echo away. She flittered back at the spontaneous attack narrowly missed her and then immediately lashed out against the Steelix’s second exposed eye. It jerked back, causing her to narrowly miss herself, but Lauren was ready for that. “Toxic!” She heard a confused exclamation from the nearby Milotic trainer, but it wasn’t the Poison effect that Lauren was going for. It was true that Steel types were immune to Poison under most circumstances, but that didn’t do a thing about the sticky substance physically obscuring the Steelix’s vision. Echo spat the attack into the Steelix’s face, causing it to howl again with a furious rage that made Lauren shiver. It swung its head again, missing entirely and earning it a second blind eye as Echo shot a retaliation Toxic into it. Now the Steelix was furious, rampaging wildly in Echo’s general direction as its frantic trainer yelled after it, trying to calm it down. Lauren turned to the Milotic trainer, not having missed them taking out the last two other Pokemon. “Aww, you bought me a present!” They joked. “Hydro Pump!” Echo shot up suddenly as the Milotic attacked, unleashing a surge of powerful water like a cannon from its open mouth. Unable to see the attack incoming, too caught up in its fury to even attempt to dodge, the Steelix was stuck square on by an attack that didn’t cease until it crashed to the ground and fainted as the ground shook under the weight of the impact. Lauren forced herself to stay perfectly upright, despite feeling like her legs wanted to give out. She had gotten a lot better at dealing with Steelix sightings for the most part but sometimes they caught her off guard and she wasn’t quite recovered enough to deal with that. “You’re quite the strategic one,” The Milotic trainer said. It was the first time Lauren had really looked at them. They were short and quite androgynous in appearance, with almost feline features, strawberry blond hair that reached their neck and swept across their forhead and an azure off-the-shoulder top worn with jeans. “Thank you,” Lauren replied, pleased to note that there was no shake in her voice. “You are too, I noticed that you didn’t move around much and stayed under the radar. It was an interesting move.” “Thank you too,” the other trainer grinned. “I’m Roland Wright, pleased to meet you.” “I’m Lauren Ipsum,” Lauren introduced herself, shaking Roland’s hand. “Your parents did not think when they picked your name,” Roland replied, “It’s nice to not be the only one with a dorky name being called over the speakers.” “I can relate to that,” Lauren replied as, sure enough, the commentator announced their progression to the next round. |
I love that someone brought an Alolan Exeggutor and then after it used Earthquake all the Pokemon gang up on it haha. And oh, hi Niall.
Oh dear over Lauren almost having a relapse over Steelix, though she seemed to overcome that in the end. I liked that she used Toxic to make it go blind. Woo, two more Battle Royales complete! Just one more to go, though not sure if that will be showcased since I think you have all the POVs covered there. |
So What? “That’s it for the final battle royale round. Congratulations to Boris Gallant and Alice North. Standby for a few minutes folks whilst we randomise the matchups for the tourney and then we’ll take our intermission.” Niall watched with a frown, the yellow group hadn’t been particularly impressive he thought. The two that went through had been far more skilled than the rest of the pool and had easily breezed through without putting much effort in. Still, he’d watched carefully so he had an idea of what he was up against. The rest of the field is alright. The real threats though are the Lucario girl and the one with the Golbat. Milotic guy and Jolteon girl are maybe worth being careful of but I’m sure I can take the other three. His thoughts were interrupted by the announcer’s voice. The matchups for the first round of the tourney had been randomised. Guinevere Wayne vs Roland Wright, Layla Sylvan vs Alice North, Lauren Ipsum vs Boris Gallant and finally it would be him against Eloy Chance, the irritating pink-haired guy from the gym. Niall looked across the trainer’s room to where Eloy and a handful of other tourney competitors were gathered. He was joking with the blonde girl from his earlier battle royale, playfully snipping at her instead of thinking about his battle. The other two girls with him were quieter, at least they seemed to be taking things seriously. “That’s all for now, we’ll see you all back in thirty minutes after our intermission,” the commentator said. On the television screens, Niall could see the crowd beginning to file out of the stadium. Around him, the competitors were also heading out in search of sustenance. He figured it would be smart for him to do the same, there couldn’t be any distractions during the tourney. He joined the torrent of other people pouring out of the room, feeling the shoulders of the other trainers bumping into his sides. Ahead of him he noticed a man with sandy coloured hair in a lab coat, he was carrying a case and talking to a handful of the defeated trainers. “Wondering what that’s all about?” Niall looked to his side surprised by the sudden voice. He hadn’t noticed anyone coming up to him. The speaker was a woman in her late twenties or early thirties with a sharp face and long black hair tied up in a ponytail. Like the man Niall had noticed, she was dressed in a lab coat and carrying a metal case. “Maybe,” Niall answered, unsure of the sudden appearance. He couldn’t help but feel a sinister air coming from the woman that he companion clearly lacked. “They’re interested in what we have in these cases,” she said, smirking confidently. “Which is?” Niall asked, uninterested in playing games. “Vitamin solutions, very good ones.” She unlatched the case, showing Niall several bottles from within. “They’re of no use to peasants that can’t even make it through the battle royales, but for a real trainer like you, I’m sure you’ve got some use for them.” Niall narrowed his eyes. Really? This woman was going to insult his abilities by suggesting he would need to make use of cheap enhancers. He was beyond that sort of thing. “Real trainers like me don’t need help from suspicious chemicals sold by irritating saleswomen pretending to be scientists. Get out of my way.” Niall brushed past the woman, irritated at his time being wasted by such a request. Behind him he heard the woman sniping under her breath. “How does Clancy do this sales shit, urgh. Don’t these people have the faintest idea who they’re talking to?” |
Bounce Back As eager as he was to begin his own battle, Eloy wasn’t about to waste an opportunity to observe future opponents. He was in the last of the first round battles, providing him with ample opportunity to study up on his opponents. Gwen was first up, battling the androgynous trainer from Lauren’s royale, Roland. He had used a Milotic in the royale, Eloy remembered, but this time he used his other two entrants - a Scrafty and a Heatmor. Gwen also made use of a different Pokemon, choosing a Roselia. Unfortunately, Eloy wasn’t able to see what her third entered Pokemon was. She defeated both of Roland’s combatants with just the Roselia. Layla was up next. Unlike with Gwen, Eloy already had a pretty good sense of how Layla battled. She took on Alice, from the final royale, pitting a Salandit and Florence against a Drowzee and Ambipom. Alice took an early lead, her Drozee putting Layla’s Salandit to sleep and then bombarding it with Psychic attacks until it was knocked out. Florence quickly turned the tables though, blitzing through both of Alice’s Pokemon. Lauren followed, like Layla, Eloy had an idea of how she would battle. Sure enough, she was strategic and methodical, avoiding damage whilst making targeted strikes and stalling her opponent out with status afflictions. First, Echo defeated a Breloom. Then, she made a tactical switch to Mortimer who defeated a Beartic with casual ease. It wasn’t an explosive and thrilling battle style, but it was easy to appreciate its efficiency and effectiveness. That left only Eloy and his opponent, Niall. He looked over at the taller trainer, Niall was looking at him like a predator sizing up his prey. It was uncomfortable, almost dehumanizing. Eloy didn’t much like being looked at like fodder. The usher verbally nudged them forward and the two trainers stepped back out into the arena. The crowd began to cheer once more in earnest. Eloy couldn’t help but grin back at the smiling audience, the atmosphere was intoxicating. “Good luck,” he said as he reached his side of the battle field, turning to see that same predatory glare fixed on Niall’s visage. “Lucks got nothing to do with it,” Niall replied, striding past Eloy towards the opposite end of the field. Eloy thought he noted a slight shift in Niall’s expression, a small smirk on his lips. “No sure how I should feel about that,” Aloy muttered to himself. Once the two trainers were in position, the referee stepped forward. Keeping central to both competitors. He flipped a silver coin, catching it and slapping it down on his wrist. “Heads,” he declared, “Niall will be first.” With that the referee stepped back from the battle field, giving the trainers space. Niall didn’t hesitate, reaching for a pokeball at his belt. He tossed it, the ball exploding into a flash of light that soon materialised into a humanoid Pokemon with a stern expression, peanut shaped body and springy legs; a Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee weren’t super fast, but they were agile and acrobatic with a long reach for their powerful kicks. It made sense then to Eloy then, that the best choice would be the Pokemon that he knew could be quicker and even more agile than the Hitmonlee. “Deacon, you’re up first!” Eloy tossed his own ball and a moment later, Deacon was bursting forward from the flash of pure white. He landed in front of Eloy, bouncing energetically on his feet and hopping tight circles. Apparently, Deacon was eager for the exercise. This was one occasion that Eloy was more than happy to provide it. “Commence the battle,” the referee instructed from between them. Niall was quick to make the first move. “Pengju, Mega Kick!” The Hitmonlee dashed forward a few steps and then leapt for Deacon, his foot glowing with a ferocious red and white aura. “Duck under the attack and use Peck!” Eloy countered. “Ni!” Deacon ran forward, the Hitmonlee striking the ground where the Poison type had just been standing. Deacon whirled back then, lashing out with his horn and striking Pengju’s other leg. The Hitmonlee winced, stumbling forward a step and falling onto his hands and knees. “Now, Poison Sting!” Eloy commanded, seeking to capitalise on Deacon’s advantage. The tip of Deacon’s horn lit up with the poisonous purple of the attack as the smaller Pokemon shot forwards. Suddenly though, the Hitmonlee’s leg shot out behind it. Deacon screeched as his was caught by surprise and kicked hard in the face, tumbling back across the battlefield. Hitmonlee climbed back to his feet, rolling his shoulders and bouncing lightly. Eloy couldn’t see the Fighting type’s expression now, but the meaning of the gestures were pretty clear. He was just warming up. “You’ve got nothing on Pengju,” Niall commented from across the battlefield. “My team are powerhouses.” “We’ll just have to see about that one,” Eloy remarked. Deacon was up again now, his fur bristling with an implicit threat and Eloy was of the same mind: nobody was talking down to him or his team. “Deacon, Leer and then use Peck!” Deacon was running forward the second Eloy gave his instruction, determined to pay back the sucker shot he’d taken. His eyes flashed an angry red, the glow reflecting in the eyes of Pengju. Some of the tension seemed to visibly leave the Hitmonlee’s body as his resilience was cut by the effect of the visual attack. Once he was close enough, Deacon followed up on the strategic move, jumping up and forward with his powerful hind legs in an attempt to strike Pengju’s midsection. “Blaze Kick and then High Jump Kick!” Deacon’s momentum was reversed as he took a flaming kick head on, being deflected and flying back the way he came in a spiral of flickering flames. Then, Pengju stepped forward onto the foot he’d kicked with a pushed off it, leaping up to a mountainous height. The Fighting type arced downwards with a foot glowing a burning orange. As Deacon tumbled back along the ground, he was struck from above by the powerful attack, smashing a small crater into the battlefield as Pengju landed on top of him with the attack and then bounded back. “Niiiii” Deacon practically growled, staggering up and out of the indent. The battle hadn’t been going on too long, but Deacon was starting to look quite rough. “Look,” Niall called over to Eloy. “Your Nidoran isn't bad, but it’s clearly outmatched. Why don’t you just forfeit before it gets hurt unnecessarily and we can just move on with things?” “What?” Eloy responded flatly, barely able to believe what he had just heard. “Last offer,” Niall said, “Save yourself the embarrassment and just let it end.” “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Right, Deacon?” “Ni!” Deacon chimed in defiantly, returning to an aggressive posture. “Suit yourself, Stone Edge!” Pengu stomped a foot on the ground as jagged pillars of solid stone began exploding up and out of the battlefield, moving rapidly towards Deacon. Deacon didn’t need instructing on that one, he darted to the side as the Stone Edge closed in. Apparently, that was exactly what Niall was going for though. “High Jump Kick again!” Pengju leapt upwards, catching the side of one of the stalagmites he’d summoned and pressing his legs into it. From there, he launched himself off of the hard surface, shooting for Deacon like a living missile. “Deacon, look out!” Eloy called. It was too little, too late though. There was a resounding crash as yet another dent was pounded into the battlefield with Deacon at its epicentre. Once more, Pengju jumped back out the way of any possible counter attack. Deacon climbed back up again, swaying slightly, dazed by the force of the sudden aerial assault. He shook his head to focus himself, focusing his attention on Pengju. “Fine, let’s see how you like being on the defensive then! Fury Attack!” Eloy commanded. With a battle cry, Deacon launched himself forward, keeping his body low to the ground with his horn pointed forwards like a spear. He closed the distance fast, pushing himself to his absolute maximum pace and began to unleash a flurry of jabs with his horn the minute he was in range. Pengju deftly stepped back, avoiding the first few attacks, but Deacon pressed on and quickly reclaimed the ground he’d lost on the offensive. “Rolling Kick!” Niall growled, unwilling to allow Eloy and Deacon to take his momentum. Pengju bounced forward into a half-tumble, easily passing over Deacon to where he landed on his hands. Deacon made a hairpin turn, correcting his course and making a leaping dive for the upside-down Hitmonlee. This was a mistake. Moving on his hand, Pengju spun himself like a top, delivering two quick and sharp kicks, halting Deacon’s advance and knocking him down. The third kick came with a wider sweep as the fighting type simultaneously launched himself forward into a crouch. The attack caught Deacon square and sent him hurtling toward one of the stone pillars called forth earlier. “Mega Kick!” Niall called, all business, not giving Deacon the chance to recuperate. Pengju immediately flung his leg out with the glowing red and white attack. His leg extended reaching after Deacon at speed as the Poison type flew through the air. Deacon slammed into the rocky spire, sending cracks up through its surface as Pengju’s kick reached him. “On the leg!” Eloy shouted in a desperate flash of inspiration. Deacon dug into the stone and pushed forward, springboarding off as Pengju’s kick struck the pillar, breaking through it and raining debris down over the battlefield. He landed on the Hitmonlee’s extended leg and began sprinting along it like a tightrope. “Like hell!” Niall snarled, “Pull back, Pengju!” “Horn Attack!” Eloy yelled. Pengju whipped his leg back as Deacon pushed off it, inadvertently yanking Deacon towards him with increased velocity. Deacon’s horn glowed a vivid white as he shot forward and slammed into Pengju, sending him rocketing off of his feet. “Peck!” Eloy pressed the attack. Deacon lunged forward the minute he touched down, jamming his horn into the side of the still-downed Hitmonlee and sending him rolling again. Pengju skidded to a halt near the edge of the battlefield. This time it was the Fighting type who shakingly stood back up, struggling to cope with the abrupt turning of the tide. “We are not losing to this runt, Pengju!” Nial proclaimed, gritting his teeth. “High Jump Kick!” Pengju flexed his legs a few times, staring down Deacon. His eyes narrowed as he took off towards the Nidoran at his top speed. He leapt up high, his foot glowing the vivid burning orange as it had before. Then, he shot down like a tactical nuke. The move was off though, Eloy could tell. It was reckless, not the targeted and calculated risk that Niall had been employing before. “Forward, Deacon!” “Ni!” Deacon dashed forward as Pengju closed in on him. The end result being the Hitmonlee missing by a wide margin, slamming hard into the ground and leaving a gaping crater in the compacted dirt. The otherwise stoic Fighting type howled out with the pain of the impact and subsequent recoil damage. Eloy seized his opportunity. “Peck!” Deacon whirled on Pengju, rushing him before he could recover. His horn jammed into the injured Hitmonlee’s back, smashing him forward out the crater and sending him tumbling. Pengju lay still, unable to continue. “No!” Niall growled, as though he could will a different result into existence. “Ni ni!” Deacon cheered, jumping around in place excitedly. “Well done!” Eloy congratulated his Nidoran as Niall begrudgingly returned Pengju. “Ni!” Deacon intoned again, suddenly swaying in place and flopping onto his side. He’d taken a beating early on and while he’d defeated Pengju, it seemed like that kind of brutalisation was still beyond his ability to endure. Eloy returned his starter, looking up to face Niall once more. The other trainer took several slow deep breaths. “Fine,” he said to Eloy, “I can run with this. It’s not over yet and I’m still going to come out on top.” “Try me,” Eloy responded, reaching for his second pokeball. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/402.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/083.png |
Yeah I too would not accept that vitamin solutions offer. I have a suspicion those are bad news.
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Swords A pair of flashes signified the commencement of the next bout. In front of Eloy, the residual glow condensed, taking the shape of a small brown bird with a leek tucked under its. Ronin allowed the leek to slip forward, twirling it with one of his prehensile wings before sweeping it across himself and ducking forward in something of a bow. Across from the Farfetch’d, Niall’s Pokemon also took shape. Larger than Ronin, blue and read with bladed limbs and fin-like protrusions. The Gabite bared its teeth, growling at Ronin. The Farfetch’d, for his part, did not waver, raiding the leek into a fencing stance. “There is no way that we’re losing against a Farfetch’d,” Niall crowed, his expression hungry for victory, “Saladin, Dragon Claw!” The Gabite didn’t wait a second, he dashed forward as a glowing green blade extended from his clawed arm. He drew the weapon back, slashing outwards in a backhanded motion. “Parry it and use Peck!” Eloy responded, although he was pretty sure that first instruction wasn’t needed having seen the way his Farfetch’d took so naturally to battle. Sure enough, with practiced ease, Ronin slipped his leek under Saladin’s arm and thrust up, throwing the Dragon Claw off course and shaking the dragon’s balance. Then, he jabbed his head forward, striking his opponent in the chest with his beak and forcing him to stagger back. “Press the attack with Leaf Blade!” Eloy instructed, feeling his confidence swell up within him as he watched his newest Pokemon so easily take control of the battle. Ronin’s leek glowed a vibrant green as he lashed out in a slashing attack. With an audible thud, Saladin was slammed into the ground, sending up a thin spray of dirt as he collided with the battlefield. “Still think you’ll come out on top?” Eloy smirked. It was very satisfying to take the early lead against an opponent who had not long ago been telling him he should give up to avoid embarrassment. “Yes!” Niall snarled, his tone echoed by a growl from Saladin. The Gabite had already dug his arms and legs into the ground, ready to push off with a counter attack. “Iron Head!” Eloy caught sight of Saladin’s posture just before the attack came, his own command following not even a second after Niall’s. “Deflect it with Leaf Blade!” A silvery, metallic glow emanated from the dome of Saladin’s head as he very suddenly shot forward. Ronin swung up with his Leaf Blade and silver glow met green as the attacks collided only for the contact to instantly break as Ronin was slammed back with the force of the attack, his defences completely overwhelmed by Saladin’s raw strength. Ronin was knocked skidding and tumbling over the earth as Saladin continued the offensive. “Slash!” Niall called. Even as Ronin was recovering, Saladin caught him, lashing out with one of his bladed arms. Ronin instinctively raised his leek to defend himself, partially mitigating the blow. Even still, he was still sent careening across the battlefield, smashing straight through one of the remaining Stone Edge pillars and sending a hail of stones falling about them as he landed with another violent tumble. “Yeah,” Niall said, “I’m feeling pretty damn confident.” Now it was his turn to smirk with a vindictive confidence even as Eloy’s began to falter. Niall had made it abundantly clear that as skilled as Ronin was, he was dramatically outclassed in raw power. “Guess I’ll be trying a different tactic there then,” Eloy muttered to himself, watching as Ronin returned to his feet and shook himself off. “Try whatever you want, it’s not going to work,” Niall responded, overhearing the comment. “Saladin, Dual Chop!” The claws on the ends of Saladin’s arms glowed bright blue as the Gabite ran forward, chasing after Ronin. “Up!” Eloy instructed, Ronin immediately tossing its leek into the air and flapping his wings. The Farfetch’d caught the leek in his beak as he took to the sky, moving out of Saladin’s reach. Saladin growled from the ground beneath Ronin, evidently frustrated by the escape tactic. That emotion was mirrored by his trainer, who was staring daggers at the airborne Flying type. Eloy took that moment to think. He couldn’t overpower Saladin it seemed, but he had a whole extra dimension of movement over his opponent and Ronin’s skill on top of that. There had to be a way he could use that. Unfortunately, he didn’t get much more time to plan before Niall had an idea of his own. “Smash the pillars!” Niall called. Saladin roared the affirmative, a shadowy blade extending out from each of his claws. He lashed out at the nearest pillar, slamming his attack straight through the stone. The pilar broke, tumbling down over Saladin and Ronin both. Ronin took off, shooting past the rubble as Saladin gave chase, destroying the next pillar in the sequence in an attempt to catch Ronin beneath it. “Keep dodging!” Eloy called. Ronin tilted, angling left and moving just beyond the reach of the falling pillar as it toppled just behind him. Saladin continued to give chase, sprinting behind Ronin as he dashed for the next pillar. “Circle round and Peck!” Eloy instructed as Saladin annihilated yet another stone protrusion, toppling the jagged structure over the battlefield. Ronin looped back around as the pillar hit the ground with a thunderous crash, sending debris and dust flying in all directions. Saladin wheeled around at a call from his trainer, but he still had Shadow Claw going and it was too late to switch away from the attack allowing Ronin to make use of his Ghost immunity. Ronin’s beak struck Saladin like a spear, gravity-induced momentum increasing the force of the impact and knocking Saladin back into the wall of stone he’d inadvertently created behind himself. “Leaf Blade!” Eloy followed through. Ronin flapped back from Saladin as the Gabite reeled, letting the leek fall from his beak and catching it mid air with his finger-like wings. The Farfetch’d slashed with the green glowing weapon, slamming Saladin back into the rock once more. Then, barely touching down, he tossed the leek again and took flight, catching it in his beak again as flew over the fallen Stone Edge stalagmite putting the obstacle between himself and the Dragon. A wordless growl escaped Niall’s lips even as Saladin turned and slammed himself through the stone barricade, the obstruction doing little to halt him but granting Ronin time to move out of the Ground-type’s range. “Climb a pillar and the use Iron Head!” Niall ordered. Saladin made a B-line for the closest pillar, leaping up and digging his sharp blades and clawed feet into its surface and beginning to make his way up. “Slash it!” Eloy instructed as Saladin climbed. He didn’t intend to give the Dragon the chance to attempt the jump. Ronin silently turned, flying straight for the ascending Gabite from the side. As he closed in, he dropped the leek, catching it with his wing-grip and letting himself fall the next several feet, delivering a powerful Slash as he fell past the Gabite. Then, he dropped the weapon, switching it back to his beak and flapping hard to regain his altitude. Saladin howled, but managed to retain his grip on the pillar. Eloy instantly realised his misjudgement. “Look out!” Saladin pushed off, shooting for Ronin like a missile as he fought to climb out of reach. Ronin couldn’t ascend fast enough though and the Gabite’s Iron head slammed into the bird full force. For the second time that battle, Ronin was launched straight through a Stone Edge pillar, slamming to the ground with an involuntary shout of pain. Saladin pulled up mid air, falling back onto his feet only to realise an error of his own as Niall shouted after him. “Move!” It was too late though, the pillar toppled onto the Gabite as he brought his arms up to defend against the impact. There was a tremendous crash as the stone slammed into the ground, breaking over the top of the Gabite and delivering more damage than any of Ronin’s strikes had. There were several long moments where neither Ronin nor Saladin rose. Each laying prone. Then, as one, both the Farfetch’d and Gabite struggled to their feet, the remains of the pillar between them. Eloy looked over them both, neither were looking great at that point, but he could tell that Ronin was the worse off of the two. He’d gotten a few good hits in, but he’d taken more damage than he’d received by some margin. Meanwhile, the most significant damage done to the Gabite had come from Niall’s error with the pillar. “Time to finish this, Saladin,” Niall growled, “Dragon Claw!” “Fencing again, you know what to do, Ronin. Leaf Blade!” Eloy responded. The draconic blade of energy extended from Saladin’s claw as he rushed for Ronin, hopping over slabs of stone. Ronin didn’t back down, holding his ground as the Dragon type approached. With a savage roar, Saladin leapt for the smaller Pokemon, swinging his Dragon Claw for Ronin’s head in a downward arc as the leek the Farfetch’d held began to glow a vivid green. The attack came down, Ronin side-stepped, striking down on the top of Saladin’s arm and causing him to fall forwards. Then, before the Gabite could faceplant, Ronin struck out with a backhanded attack, striking the side of the Gabite’s head with his Leaf Blade and sending him staggering back in the opposite direction. “Slash!” Eloy yelled, seizing his chance as Niall yelled out. “Move!” Saladin didn’t have time to get his bearings, Ronin lashed out with the follow-up Slash, hitting the Gabite hard and knocking him from his feet. This time, the Dragon didn’t return to his feet. “Niall’s Gabite has been defeated. Eloy is the winner!” The referee announced, the judgement soon being echoed over the stadium PA system. Ronin staggered, but didn’t fall. Instead, he twirled his leek and swung his wing across from himself, taking a bow in a repeat of how he entered the battle. A red beam of light shot past the Farfetch’d as Eloy ran forward to congratulate him, drawing Saladin back into his ball. Eloy embraced his Farfetch’d, the pokemon looking up past his head awkwardly at the display of affection. Beyond the bird, Eloy caught a glimpse of Niall already well on his way out of the arena. He stood up, grinning at Ronin as he returned him to his own ball and headed off after his defeated adversary. As he did so, the announcer spoke again. “That wraps up the first tourney battles, we’ll be moving onto the second round in just a moment folks. The next battle will be Guinevere Wayne versus Layla Sylvan. Team Eloy https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/032.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/402.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/083.png |
Ronin is making full sure of his swordsmanship skills there, huh? The battle was much more energetic than last chapter's, my favorite part probably Ronin using Leaf Blade at Saladin near the end of the battle.
So Gwen and Layla will battle next huh? That should be an interesting match. |
Four Score and Seven Layla and Gwen stood next to each other in the passageway as Eloy headed back towards them, Niall have shoved his way through them moments prior. Layla wouldn’t admit it in front of either of them, but seeing Eloy and Niall’s battle had only further increased her hype levels for her battle with Gwen - and she was already looking forward to it. “You know,” Layla said, looking across to her fidgeting companion, “As much as you’ve taught me, we don’t really actually battle much. This will be a good measure of how much I’ve actually improved.” “You’ve improved a lot,” Gwen said, not looking back at Layla. Instead, she continued to fidget with her hands and stare fixedly out into the arena. “I suppose we’re about to find out,” Layla responded. Eloy had just reached them, which meant it would shortly be time for their battle. “Find out what?” He asked, having caught the tail end of the exchange. “How big of a fluke your win was,” Layla responded instantly, sticking her tongue out at the pink-haired trainer. She glanced across at Gwen out of the corner of her eye, she wasn’t sure what to make of the girl’s expression. Amusement at her verbal jousting with Eloy seemed to have coloured her visage, but there still a nervousness to her. “What you’re not impressed?” Eloy joked before Layla could think on matters further. She put her concerns aside, she knew that Gwen was perfectly capable of handling herself under pressure, even if her demeanour said otherwise. She had total faith that her friend could give her a battle worth remembering. “I suppose… it was impressive for you anyway. Maybe one day you’ll even get to my level.” Layla smirked at Eloy as the announcer called for she and Gwen. “Well I’ll leave you to it then, Grandmaster.” Eloy gestured out to the battlefield and gave a mock bow before turning and making his way back down the hall towards the trainer’s room. “Alright, let’s do this then,” Layla said, not needing to falsify the excitement in her voice. She strode forward out into the arena. “...right.” Layla heard a small voice utter behind her, turning to see Gwen moving forward with that same faint, nervous smile just a few spaces behind her. There was something disconcerting about the look on Gwen’s face, but once more Layla put her worries to the side. Instead she looked up at the cheering crowd, waving at the people in the stands. She knew she didn’t have to worry about Gwen. Her focus needed to be on how the hell she was going to beat her. Layla found her place on the far side of the arena, pivoting around on one foot to see Gwen in place, awaiting the referee’s instructions. She didn’t look comfortable in the spotlight, but that wasn’t exactly a surprise. Layla knew though, once the battle started, the crowd would disappear and it would only be the two of them. She affixed a confident smirk on her face, staring down her friend-turned-competition. No point in letting Gwen see that she was well aware of how hard it was going to be to actually come out on top of the battle. “When you’re ready, begin!” The referee announced and, just like that, it was time. “Edith, let’s go!” Layla called on her Jolteon, the yellow Pokemon emerging onto the battlefield from her ball with a crackle of electricity and a challenge barked to all comers. Across from her, Ceres, Gwen’s Roselia, had also taken shape. This time, Layla grinned for real. Of course, Gwen had anticipated her choice and chosen a Pokemon with a natural resistance to Electric moves. Not that a type disadvantage was likely to have mattered much to Gwen anyway, Layla thought belatedly. “Right,” Layla began, diving into the battle headfirst, “Edith, Swift!” “Jolt!” Edith barked the affirmative as an array of star-like projectiles flashed to life around her and shot towards Ceres. The Roselia didn’t even flinch, looking every bit as placid as her trainer had uncomfortable. “Toxic Spikes,” Gwen instructed. It was an odd move choice given the circumstances, but Layla had seen Gwen battle before, she’d learned from her; she had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen. Cere’s raised one rose-ended arm and fired a purple globule from it like a bullet. The slimey projectile collided with the first of the Swift stars exploding out into a shower of deep, purple caltrops. Each Toxic Spike flew outward and collided with an incoming projectile before dropping and seeping into the ground. “Work Up!” Layla was already giving the instruction before the sequence even concluded. With Toxic Spikes in play, she’d have to do as much damage as she could with Edith before even considering switching to her second Pokemon. “Sludge Bomb, Ceres,” Gwen called, her Roselia never even dropping her aim. A second, more compact purple bullet of poison sludge shot out from Ceres’ flower like a cannonball. The attack was perfectly timed, striking Edith hard and sending her rolling back even as the fierce orange glow of her boosting move overtook her. The Jolteon managed to maintain her focus and keep the move going, but that did nothing to mitigate the damage, nor the fact that she was on the ground and Gwen now had ample opportunity to set up her next move. “Sunny Day,” Gwen continued, Ceres casually changed her aim, raising her arm toward the sky without taking her sleepy gaze off of Edith. A vibrant ball of light shot up like a flare, soaring high into the sky above the arena until it aligned with the sun just right. Then it hung there, spreading out into a vivid and bright glow as though the sun itself had turned itself up a few degrees for their battle. Layla knew what would come next and had no intention of giving Gwen the chance to have Ceres’ use Growth. “Get up close and use Discharge!” Edith growled, rocketing to her feet and crossing the distance across the battlefield at a breakneck pace - much faster than most Pokemon could go without using an attack or a boosting move. The Jolteon reached Ceres as the Roselia stood at the ready, unleashing a wild omnidirectional blast of electricity at close range. Ceres was instantly engulfed by the deluge and was knocked off of her feet. As the Roselia rolled across the ground, Layla was about to press the offense. She knew that the Electric attack wouldn’t do that much damage overall, but after a single Work Up, it was still a better bet that Stored Power. That being said, she had to either press the attack and relentlessly chip away at Ceres or she had to take the opportunity to set up further that had been presented to her. She glanced at Gwen, the other girl quiet, watching the scene unfold as her Roselia began to slowly and calmly return to her feet. With time of the essence, the sight prompted a memory and Layla quickly chose her plan of action. “Seize passive opportunities too, right,” she muttered to herself before giving the command, “Work Up again!” “Jolt!” Edith answered, radiating the furious orange glow that was quickly becoming Layla’s trademark. Layla looked across at Gwen once more, noticing that while the nervous energy was still present, her expression was now displaying a small, but genuine smile. Layla found herself grinning too. It didn’t make much sense to her, but Gwen had always been weirdly pleased when Layla made good moves on the rare occasions they actually battled each other. As strange as it was to find her opponent encouraging, that small smile told her that she was making the right choices. Layla felt her confidence growing. This time she was in with a chance. “Charge Beam!” Layla instructed enthusiastically. “Giga Drain, Ceres,” Gwen retaliated. Edith opened her maw, unleashing a brilliant yellow beam that crackled with an electrical charge as a green glow rose up from Ceres, rushing forward in tendrils. The Charge Beam collided with several of the tendrils of green light, the two attacks struggling against each other. Some of the Giga Drain snaked past though. Even as the Charge Beam and Grass attack explode against each other in a flash of colour, Edith was struck and knocked off her feet. It was essentially a glancing blow and Edith wasn’t particularly hurt, but Ceres was still on her feet and hadn’t taken the Charge Beam hit. “Growth,” Gwen instructed, barely loud enough for Layla to hear from the other side of the battlefield. Ceres smiled as Layla looked up instinctively, squinting at the enhanced light that still radiated out from the earlier Sunny Day. Even as she felt a brief pang of dismay at that, a similar warm glow had overtaken Ceres’ body and was shining out from the Roselia. The Grass type literally grew within the light, a slight but noticeable physical change. Not nearly as concerning as the staggering boost to Ceres’ power that would come from using Growth under Sunny Day. Edith stood up, growling with determination as her fur bristled up further. A noticeable electrical charge washed over the pointed edges of the Jolteon’s fur. Layla grinned, feeling her confidence stabilize. There was no need to panic yet, Ceres wasn’t the only one who’d just gotten a stat boost and Edith was still packing the perfect weapon to use on a Poison type. “Edith, Stored Power!” Layla called, not wanting to give Gwen a chance to get ahead. “Sludge Bomb on the ground, Ceres.” Even as electricity continued to spark over her fur, ribbons of pink and purple light were swirling into existence, around Edith, condensing into a sphere in front of her mouth. Ceres, still smiling placidly, almost as though she was in a daze, aimed her flower at the ground between herself and Edith. She waited patiently, calm despite the devastating attack that was soon to be sent her direction. Edith barked and the Roselia took that as her queue. She fired her Sludge Bomb, simultaneously pushing off with her feet. She let herself be thrown further back and up into the air by the force of the projectile as it shot out and struck the ground, sending a splash of goo into Edith’s face. The Jolteon yelped with surprise, instinctively reeling back even as she unleashed her Psychic attack. The blast of yellow, purple and white energy went wide, shooting diagonally past Ceres and exploding like fireworks in the sky beyond, it’s light mingling with the fading light of the Sunny Day. Ceres landed gracefully a distance away as Edith continued to shake the ooze from her face. Layla winced. She’d learned Ceres’ moveset well enough and she knew that this was the optimal time to sure up any damage she had taken with a Synthesis. The healing move didn’t come, instead, Gwen went on the offensive. “Sludge Bomb, Ceres. Rapid fire.” Layla was so surprised she thought she imagined a moment of hesitation from the Grass type as she raised her flower like a gun, aiming at Edith as she started to shake off the last of the slime obscuring her view. Ceres fired off the first projectile, then immediately began to follow up. Again and again, the Roselia shot the toxic globules for Edith. The Jolteon though, had finally managed to extricate herself from her liquid blindfold. “Duck under the first one and use Stored Power!” Layla called, struggling to keep her excitement in check. She’d seen it, Gwen had finally made a mistake. This was her moment. Edith ducked low as the familiar strands of light spiraled and contorted, pulling into a perfect sphere by Edith’s open mouth. Ceres adjusted her aim as the first few Sludge Bombs soared over the crouching Jolteon. Edith fired her attack. Cere’s Sludge Bombs were eradicated within the ensuing enormous blast of multi-coloured light. An instant later, Ceres was also caught in the span of the attack. For the first time, a cry of shock was let out by the Grass type under the onslaught of the potent Psychic energy. The light faded and Ceres flopped face-first onto the battlefield, unmoving. “Guinevere’s Roselia is unable to continue!” The referee announced, reminding Layla of his presence. Gwen’s smile grew a fraction, as though she was almost happier to have lost. Layla shook her head, calling over to her friend. “You look almost pleased.” “I am,” Gwen replied, returning her fallen Roselia with a word of thanks. “You’re finally getting the chance to show the world what you’re made of and you’re showing me how much better you’ve become.” Layla suspected her expression at that was similar to that of her friend. She couldn’t help but feel a swell of joy. Gwen was right, this was the opportunity she had been waiting for and it was going unbelievably well. She wasn’t just putting on a good showing, she had just taken the lead against Gwen, who was unquestionably the most skilled trainer in the tournament. She couldn’t remember the last time she had actually fainted one of Gwen’s Pokemon. “I won’t let it be a walk in the park though,” Gwen added, releasing her next Pokemon. The ball opened, and the intimidating figure of Anubis soon materialised. The stoic Lucario analytically looked over the battlefield, noting Edith. He turned to look at his trainer. “You know what to do,” Gwen said softly, nodding her head. Anubis nodded to her in turn, returning his attention to the battle. Here it comes, Layla thought. |
Already in the first half of the battle you can tell Gwen and Layla's battle styles and how they gave out their commands. Layla is active and head on while Gwen is soft-spoken and calculated. Having seen Anbuis in the Battle Royale, it won't be a walk in the park indeed and Gwen will probably show a different side to her.
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