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

Bri saw Snype attacking again. This time he didn't freeze.

"Duster, dodge it and use Pound!" Bri said.Duster, however, had other things on her mind.
"That's really sweet of you to say that! OOF!" Duster said. She had been caught unaware by the attack. She jumped to her feet.
"What was that?" Bri asked.
"What? When someone gives you a compliment, you HAVE to acknowledge it! Everyone knows that! It would have been rude to ignore it! He won't get me next time!" Duster said. Bri smacked his forehead, and tried to keep himself from laughing. This was gettine absurd!
"Look. I'm not saying ignore any compliments. Just respond to them after the battle! Please!? Now, use Pound!" Bri said, still fighting down laughs. But, Dusters antics seemed to have done it. He wasn't nervous anymore! Maybe now he could get somewhere! Duster charged straight at Snype yet again.

Snype chuckled at Duster's response toward his compliment. She was nice at least. Soon, Duster moved in to use pound once more. This time, Snype moved out of the way and caught her arm. ["Kehe. Hey, just some advice, Try changing your movement patterns a little. Dealing with one attack is tough, I know, but try to put your own twist into it."] Snype adviced her, letting go of her arm. Mark couldn't tell what Snype was doing, being so calm in a battle. He was striking conversation with her somewhat... then again, Snype was a very unpredictable pokemon.

"Alright Snype, Lets change it up a little. Double Team!" Snype's eyes glimmered. He began to run around Duster at high speeds and made illusionary images of himself. ["Kehehehe."] All of the illusions said in unison.

[Outside Battle; Wallace v Ace]

"Its time to finish this Leafy!" Ace said. "Synthesis!" The lilypad on Lombre's head glows white and its whole body glows yellow and sparkles, healing a part of Lombre's injuries. Lombre stands up. "Good job, now..Fury Swipes!" Ace shouted. Lombre runs to the opponent and slashes her repeatedly with its fingers. (If Leafy hits of course)

Whilst waiting for Valorie, Selene noticed Mark and Brian start battling. She turned around to watch them, and raised an eyebrow when she saw the uneven match. "A...a normal type versus a ghost type? Would someone even go willingly into that match??" she said to herself, frowning slightly. As she was watching, she released Ri, Blu and Ryan and they all turned to watch the match, and it soon became apparent that Sableye wasn't using his immunities from normal-type attacks...WHAT?! How could Mark allow this??

Selene walked over to Mark, her pokemon not far behind her. "Umm...Mark, it seems like Snype is teaching rather than battling..?" she questioned, a slight smile on her face. What a strange pokemon Snype was...

"How bizarre..." said Swablu, perching herself atop Selene's shoulder, "this pokemon isn't using his type advantage. He'd be an interesting one to battle..." Ri scoffed loudly, looking up at Blu. "You mental?? In battle you use ALL tools at your disposal to win! you don't deliberately handicap yourself just so your opponent feels okay about themselves..." Ryan tilted his head to the side "Well it could prove a good experience for Sableye too...ultimately we're all learning here, so he'll learn more about the normal type and battling styles from allowing attacks to hit rather than just making himself immune from them!"

Looking round when she heard Valorie's voice, Selene noticed that she and Dratini were ready for battle. She grinned and strode back over to where she was stood before, looking behind her. "Blu! I choose you!" Swablu cried into the air and swooped upwards, nose-diving down between Selene and Dratini, unfurling her wings to their full width. "Alright Swablu, let's begin with your safeguard!" she instructed as a pearlescent amlost veil-like substance appeared in front of Swablu.

Ri and Ryan looked at Selene confused - it wasn't like her to even use a defensive move in a battle, let alone right at the beginning! It just wasn't her battling style - she was pure attack! Selene grinned at them and winked. "It's alright guys, just trying to mix it up a bit. We're at a trainer's school! It will do us good to learn new techniques and new styles of battling!" she turned back to Swablu, "keep on your guard Blu! Be prepared to fly out of the way sharpish, Dratini have some pretty intense special attacks." Blu chirped in response, never once taking his eyes off Dratini through his safeguard. 'This should be interesting...I can't imagine what he battling style is like...' thought Selene, her face impassive. She never gave away anything in battle.

"Hmm...double team, she's playing evasive...right. Well, I know one neat little trick that dragon pokemon really aren't fond of," she mumbled to herself, looking at Swablu, who was watching both dratinis closely, as though trying to figure out which one was which. It was quite obvious that he wasn't going to be able to work it out. Time to think outside the box..."Okay Blu, use fly on the right hand Dratini and ice beam on the left hand one when you're within range. Remember how we decided to blow the beam out - wide and thin!" Swablu flew high up into the air and swung round, turning into a steep nosedive towards the right hand Dratini. He then turned his head and sent an ice beam flying straight at the left hand Dratini just as he was about to impact. Selene grinned proudly, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Brian went pale. Now he was facing not one, but many Sableye! How was he supposed to deal with it? He considered giving up when he saw Duster doing something odd. She was sniffing tenatively at the air.


"Um... What are you doing?" Bri asked.
"These fake Sableye have no scent! I'm trying to smell the geal one! Ahah! There he is! I should know, my nose is never wrong!" Duster said. Bri wasn't to sure, but going after that one was as good as going after a different one. It couldn't be any worse. Bri smiled.

"Duster, use Pound again!" Bri said. Duster charged at the Sableye she had pointed at. But this time, she leapt to the left and swung her tail, trying to knock him off his feet.

'Darn,' thought Selene, her right eye twitching. 'So close...well at least now we know to look for which Dratini gives the tell-tale sign when it is about to be attacked. We'll look out for that next time. Dratini won't be able to catch us out with that again'

Blu flew backwards, darting from side to side. When Dratini's thunder wave flew towards Swablu, Selene couldn't help but start slightly. This could be really, really bad if it caught her full-on, even with the safeguard that would reduce the effects of the paralysis, flight would be very difficult. She admired Valorie's style of battling, though, she always appreciated skill with non-hit point reducing attacks - she didn't have any!

"Blu, fly away as quickly as possible!!!" she cried, but it was too late. Blu had flown far enough that his wings were spared the thunder wave, but his entire back half was caught. This could prove difficult, Selene knew how much Blu relied on his tail to act as a rudder for him. "Right Blu, it's okay!! Use your Facade attack! And don't stop, hit one Dratini and if you pass through that one then go for the other! Make sure you hit!!" it was at times like this that Selene thanked the heavens above that she had been given this TM...Blu's attack would be twice as powerful now he was paralyzed. White electricity crackled around Swablu, which turned into a blue aura as he flew through the air towards Dratini. He was swaying slightly with his paralyzed back half, but he was on course for Dratini.

Snype kept speeding around Duster until eventually, she figured out which one was the right one. Duster used her tail and sweeped Snype off of his feet and straight to the ground face first. ["Kyah!"] He yelled out on impact. Snype quickly got up on his feet and spit out whatever dirt was in his mouth. His face was all covered in dirt. ["Sheesh... Nice going! Kehehe. Not alot of pokemon can catch me when I do that."] He complimented. He overheard Selene's pokemon comment on what Snype was doing. It did seem like he was teaching her about battling... it was actually pretty fun!

"Alright Snype! Use.... huh?" Snype made a gesture as if saying "One sec" Mark approved of Snype's request and scratched his head. What was he up to now?

Snype walked over to Duster and leaned against her shoulder. ["So, what other moves do ya know? Surely you know more then just pound..."] Snype asked wiping little bits of dirt off of his own face.

"Oh, nothing much useful. Just Growl and Helping Hand. Oh, and one more..." Duster said with a wicked grin on her face. Bri smiled at her. Snype had gotten to close to her. Now was the time.
"Duster! Tickle him without mercy!" Bri shouted.

"Tickle? Wha..." Mark's thoughts were immediately inturpted as Snype had been tickled on all sides by Duster. Great plan... Mark could tell he was going easy on her but if he was going to lose to something like tickle... "Snype! You alright over there?"

Snype couldn't stop laughing. ["Ke...Haha! ah! H..Hey! Ok! I.. I get... Hahahaha!"] He cryed out as he fell onto the floor laughing for mercy. ["If... If I could just... Kehe..."] Snype tried to catch a breather, but with all the tickling, he was left vulnerable... Looks like she was a quick learner.

Bri almost burst out laughing at the sight of Duster tickling the Sableye until he could barely breath. But that wouldn't last long. But he had an opening, and he knew it.
"All right! Use Pound a few times then put some distance bewtween the two of you before he recovers enough to get away!" Bri said. Duster did just that. She rained a few heavy blows on Snype, and took off up a tree as he was getting to his feet. Bri had knocked them around a bit, but Mark and Snype were still a strong team. This was far from over.

Snype gave off loud coughs of pain as Duster used pount on him several times. No more toying around... After catching his breath Snype slowly got up to his feet and noticed that duster took off to the top of a tree. Snype looked up to where she was and gave off a large menacing smile. ["Well I'm sure now you know... I won't go easy on you anymore. Kehehe!"]

"Snype! After her!" Mark called out. Snype got on all fours and quickly crawled up the same tree that Duster had jumped on. After reaching the same branch at hers he stood in his usual fighting stance.

"Snype! Use Scratch!" Mark called out.

["Kehehe. Best of luck."] Snype said before leaping toward Duster to scratch her once more.

Duster grinned back at Snype. When he leapt at her, she jumped on the branch. The two of them landed in unison, and the branch snapped. Duster got hit full force by the Scratch as the branch broke under their combined weight. She managed to catch onto another branch and pull herself up. She stood there breathing hard. Bri knew she wouldn't last much longer.
"I've spent most of my life in a tree!" Duster called to Snype as he fell. Bri smiled.
"All right, Duster! Use Growl!" Brian said.
"Um... Grr, grr?" Duster said. Brian smacked his forehead again.
"Duster, I swear to Arceus! This is serious!" Brian said.
"Alright! Sheesh," Duster said. Then she let out a low growl. It was more cute than fierce, but it would do.

As soon as Duster was hit, The branch beneath both of the pokemon snapped. Snype landed on the next branch below them thankfully. This branch was alot more sturdy then the other one so maybe this time it wouldn't break so easily. Duster then let off a low growl. Snype couldn't exactly take it seriously. It sounded more adorable then threatening.

["Kehehe. Well I've spent most of my life in a cave so this is new to me!"] Snype joked. Snype jumped up to the air and hopped on top of Duster's head with his feet over to the other end of the branch.

"Alright once more! Scratch!" Mark called out as Snype went for an overhead scratch attack.

Bri laughed at the pokemons exchange of taunts. He saw Snype leap to the branch Duster was on, and move in to Scratch her again.
"Duster! Get behind him and use Pound!" Bri shouted. Duster rolled under the branch and climbed, while upside down, behind Snype. Bri couldn't tell whether the attack hit her or not, but when she came up, she was holding her right foreleg like it hurt. She swung at Snype, trying her best to hit him.