[PKMN OPEN] Pokémon Spear [M] [IC]

Sonata · Aug 17, 2021

[PokeCommunity.com] Pokémon Spear [M] [IC]

Poké:

2220 ♦ Pokemon: 6

CHAPTER 10.2 - FIRE AND BRIMSTONE

Rosa sat on her knees, staring at the burning building as various people rushed in and out past her. She felt Simon's hands wrap around her own as she stared on in disbelief, watching the flames dance against the night sky.

"Finally, we can be together."

The girl tilted her head, watching as the flames formed into a sinister smirk as they flickered closer to her. The face began to pull free from the rest of the inferno, followed closely behind by the charred corpse of her mother as it twitched unnaturally, leaving a trail of charred grass behind it.

"Finally, I don't have to make excuses anymore."

The corpse continued to walk towards Rosa. While everyone else seemed to be ignoring the figure, Rosa couldn't keep her eyes off of it.

"No more. No more. It should have been you. But now we can be together. You can't hurt us anymore.

The girl shot up in her bed, startling awake the Toxel which had found itself comfortable in the crook of her leg. Rosa's eyes lazily scanned the room as she held her hand against her chest, searching for the sight of Darkrai.

"No, of course not… that was just a normal nightmare." The girl sighed, shaking her head. "Sorry, Ozzy. You can go back to sleep."

"Tox." The Pokemon replied before inching its way beneath the sheets.

Rosa pulled the sheets off gently before swinging her legs off the edge of the bed. She looked around the room at the rest of her Pokemon, taking a moment to reassure herself of her own safety.

"I need a drink," the girl whispered as she walked over to the bathroom. Rosa looked at herself in the mirror for a second before turning on the faucet and cupping her hands beneath the stream. The girl took a few big handfuls of water up to her lips before turning the water back off, taking another moment to stare at her now drenched face. "What a mess."

"Miss Valdes?" A familiar voice came from behind the door to her room, followed by a couple of knocks.

"Y-Yes?" The girl replied, wiping her face with a towel as she looked around for a clock of any sort. 'What time is it? Why do they sound familiar, and why are they here so late at-' she looked through the peephole, finding herself peering out at the last mafia boss she'd had the pleasure of meeting. "...Tavi?" The girl unlocked the door and pulled it open, getting a better look at the man as she did. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, sorry if I woke you. But, you see," he started, giving himself a quick once-over before brushing a stray hair off his shoulder and placing his fedora back on his gelled hair, "I came to pick you up."

Rosa squinted at the man before looking behind her at the Pokemon which were starting to come awake at the commotion. She wasn't sure why exactly he was there instead of Damien, but she wasn't going to argue. "Alright, just give me a few seconds to get ready. I'm glad it's you instead of Damien this time - at least you have the decency to come in through the front door. That man just comes through the window like he owns the place whenever he pleases."

Tavi laughed uncomfortably, tilting his hat to cover his paleing face as the girl slowly turned to close the door on him. "Well, probably not anymore at least…"

- - - - -

Rosa walked through the dark city streets with Tauvionne just a few paces ahead. She'd thought before that he was well-dressed, despite apparently having just thrown something on after meeting some 'business partners'. But seeing him again tonight, defined sharply against the street lamps and light of the moon, it was undeniable that he put a fair bit of care into his appearance.

Tavi turned his head slightly towards the girl, breaking the silence which had hung over them since he'd picked Rosa up from her room. "So, Miss Rosa, what have you been up to since we last met?"

Rosa shrugged lightly, quickening her pace slightly to catch up with the mafia leader as her eyes moved around the streets. They'd been walking for nearly an hour, and had definitely left the more busier part of the city behind them. She'd had no idea where the Family's headquarters would be located, but given the choices made by the two branches, she couldn't help but feel a little out of place as they walked. "I got a library card. That's about it." The girl shrugged again, holding onto the fact that she'd run into some fancily dressed members of the mafia in the mines as a bargaining chip for Damien.

"Oh, very nice. Knowledge is power, after all." Tavi laughed quietly as he continued to walk. The man hung his head for a moment, and then began to slow his pace. "I want to apologize to you, before we go any further."

"Apologize?" The girl replied, mostly confused at what there was to apologize for. She didn't recall their initial meeting to be all that bad compared to how she'd run into the other two mafia heads. "What for?"

Tavi took in a deep breath and quickly looked to either side of him. "Look, I… we, wanted to stop Damien for a while. Whatever it was he was pursuing on your behalf, he should have not been. This underground world we live in is exceedingly dangerous, and when you start to look into things that you shouldn't have your nose in… it doesn't matter who you are or who you think you are." The man continued to walk, shaking his head as he rubbed his hands against his suit jacket. "We - me and Priscilla - just wanted to give him a little scare. Make an attempt on his life, discourage him from going down this path any further. You know how it is, right?"

Rosa's eyes widened as her pace slowed. Her gaze was fixated on the man in front of her, finally seeing him as imposing a figure as he had always been. "W-what do you mean? Where exactly are we going?"

"We're going to the Family's headquarters, obviously." Tavi continued, shaking his head. "We had no intention of killing him, but… things weren't supposed to turn out this way. We were supposed to stop it before it did. That's what we were set in place for. But alas," the man stopped, then gestured towards the branching street he'd just come to. "We failed."

Rosa cautiously made her way back to Tavi's side, peeking around the building that he'd stopped at. "Oh… what… is this?"

Tavi kneeled down and looked over at the smouldering rubble which made up the entirety of the street. "Welcome to what remains of the Family's district of Motostoke. Behind us are the personal homes of its members, made vacant in anticipation of this event. And ahead of us… Damien's personal lodgings - his headquarters."

Rosa took a few steps forward, staring in disbelief at the rubble which surrounded her. "No… then everything I did was… was for nothing." She choked out a laugh, shaking her head before pursing her lips as she continued to take everything in. "You killed him… Tavi, why?"

Tavi shook his head. "No, not us - not me. We did have a plan in place to fake an assassination attempt, but… we were too late. Our would be assassin arrived yesterday morning and called me in late last night. This is… recent. And not at all by our hands. We only wanted to scare him, but whoever he was looking into had other plans."

Rosa took a few steps back, shaking her head in disbelief. "They just… they just came to see me less than a week ago. Sure, that man had said things had gotten difficult, but… I never would have…"

"Miss Valdes, you have to understand - whatever Damien was looking into led to this. I don't want to tell you how to live your life, but I implore you to reconsider your current path." Tavi walked up to the girl, taking her by the shoulders before kneeling in front of her. "The people that we work for only allow us to exist. Damien was the first to bend his knee and kiss their boots. He was the first to beg acceptance into the world they were creating while the other heads at the time were hostile towards it from the start. But now, Damien has betrayed them… and he's gone."

Rosa pursed her lips, not sure what she should do now. If what Tavi said was true, then there was no reason for her to have done any of this. Once again, she was the cause of someone else's death, and she had nothing to show for it. Everything she'd kept bottled up to bargain with… everything she'd been thinking about with her future…

"What about the third branch?" the young trainer mumbled.

"Third branch? No, there's only two." Tavi shook his head, unsure of what she meant. "The Family was the head not a branch."

"No, not them… those people in suits. They used the same balls that I delivered to you and I would guess the same as what I delivered to Priscilla as well."

"Rosa." Tavi tightened his grip on the girl's shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Stop. Do not get involved with them any further. They're not like us. They're… they're part of them, the ones that did this. If you want to keep existing, then-"

Rosa shook her head. "I don't have a reason to exist, Tavi. All of this had become my reason to live. And now to find out that those suits are responsible for this… they could be the ones responsible for my father's death as well. Nine… Nine wasn't the one that I remembered from back then, but there should be others, right? You know something, don't you? That's why you're so scared - why you were so desperate to stop Damien. Please… don't… don't let all of this be for nothing. I need to know."

Tavi hesitated for a moment as he scanned the girl's face. "I don't… you're too precious to risk losing like…"

"Tavi. If you know something, then please, please tell me." Rosa started tearing up as she took both of the man's hands and cupped them with her own. "It feels like what little control of my life I have left will slip through my fingers if I can't even do this. Please, help me. Please… I'll do anything, won't ever ask you for anything else, I'll do whatever. Just please..."

Tavi shook his head, pulling his hands free from hers before taking a moment to chew down one of his nails as seemed to get lost in thought. "You're too interesting… too special… present..." the man looked back up at the girl, still shaking his head as he looked into her eyes. "But, if you're already in this deep, I don't want you to leave empty handed." The man pulled a flip phone from his pocket before placing it into the girl's hand.

"What's this for?" The girl asked, opening the flip phone to reveal a single phone number on the screen.

"What I'm about to tell you is dangerous for you to even know about. This is a secure line that can only call me. If you ever find yourself in a position where you need help and can't think of anyone else to call on - don't hesitate to use it. I had hoped that knife would do you some good, but after this... "

Rosa nodded her head before pocketing the device. "If I feel like I'm in too deep, I won't hesitate."

Tavi let out a sigh. "Alright. Good. Then, in that case… all I know is that Damien was searching around for some information on someone called 'Twelve'. All that I know personally about the man is that he's extremely dangerous and kills a lot of people for his masters. I don't know what exactly Damien managed to dig up or why you need this information so badly, but he was causing quite a stir with it and it seems that someone who didn't want that information to be available found him first."

"Twelve…" the girl repeated the name as she tried to dig up the memory which had returned to her in her nightmares - matching as best as she could the face of the man who'd met with her mom to a name.

"Listen, I don't care if you're in the North, South, or all the way back in Johto. Now that I've told you this little bit, I don't want you to hesitate calling on me. You're my responsibility now that Damien's gone, you understand? If anything happens to you, it'll be from my own shortcomings."

"Why? Why are you doing all of this for me?"

"I protect my girls." Tavi stated with a smile before rising to his feet. "That, and… Damien had a lot of hope for you. I don't know what all he knew. He was always so secretive with the things that he got up to and what he knew - doing his best to separate as many people as he could from his own shady dealings to protect them. He cared more for this Family that he'd built up than he did for his own blood. Before he started digging into the suits, he sent a number of his people off to both me and Priscilla. I don't know how many he kept behind for his own protection, but either way… this news will make a lot of people very upset. For many, the Family was their family. This is going to take a lot of time for us all to recover from."

Rosa nodded, unsure of what she should say or do. "Thank you…"

Tavi smiled at her and then held out his hand. "I'm sure there's other things you'd like to be doing, so I'll walk you back to your room. This is something the branches will have to deal with for a while to come."

Rosa nodded knowingly. If her current path was such a dangerous one, there were several things she would have to spend some time considering going forward as well. The young trainer reached for the necklace she'd received only a few months prior and started to twist it between her fingers.

Rosa's Party

Memories

CHAPTER 1 - WEDGEHURST & ROUTE 2
GOODBYES, AND HELLO TO A NEW JOURNEY
TROUBLE'S ON THE TRACKS
NAMES AND NIGHTMARES!

CHAPTER 2 - THE SOUTHERN WILD AREA
ENTER THE WILD AREA!
NEW BIKING BIKERS!
THE MYSTERIOUS SHINY POKEMON!
RANGER DANGER! PT.1
RANGER DANGER! PT.2
RANGER DANGER! FINALE!
RED-EYES BLACK-HAT!

CHAPTER 3 - MOTOSTOKE
INN FOR A PENNY, INN FOR A POUND
INN FOR A PENNY, INN FOR A POUND PT.2
SHADY SHOPPING
THE OPENING CEREMONY
THE OPENING CEREMONY PT.2
THE OPENING CEREMONY PT.3
INN WITH THE FAMILY
ALL BETS ON BLACK
LATE NIGHT LULLABIES
SNACK ATTACK!

CHAPTER 4 - ROUTE 3
VS SIMON
VS SIMON PT.2
MYSTERY OF MEW
MYSTERY OF MEW PT.2
WINTER FESTIVAL
A TWO HEADED REFLECTION

CHAPTER 5 - GALAR MINE AND ROUTE 4
DAYDREAM OF MINE
DEVELOPMENT AND MISSED CONNECTIONS
BUGGIN' THE COSMOS

CHAPTER 6 - TURFFIELD
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE PT.2
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE PT.3
IS IT TOO LATE TO APOLOGIZE?
TURRFIELD CONTEST PERFORMANCE
PLANNING AND CHALLENGE
VS MILO
GIRL'S NIGHT OUT
FEAR THE BEGINNING

CHAPTER 7 - ROUTE 5
WORK FOR A PROMISE
WORK FOR A PROMISE PT.2
BUDDING YOUTH
BUDDING YOUTH PT.2
FEAR THE BEGINNING PT.2

CHAPTER 8 - HULBURY
FEAR THE BEGINNING PT.3
VS NESS
VS NESSA PT.2
THE HYPOCRITES' WALTZ
THE HYPOCRITES' WALTZ PT.2
DUPLICITY
DUPLICITY PT.2
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS
FEAR THE BEGINNING PT.4

CHAPTER 9 - GALAR MINES NO.2
CIRCLING THE ANSWER
NINE
NINE PT.2
XAN WAS HERE

CHAPTER 10 - MOTOSTOKE
OUT OF THE FRYING PAN
TURN THE PAGE

Rosa's Journal

Simon Dansen

My childhood friend. Absolute idiot. Can't ever get a read on him anymore. Buttface. Always there when I need him. Always there when I least expect him. JERK. Showed me up in battle and evolved his Pokemon before me.

He came to "rescue" me after I coerced Ruben into protecting me in the underground casino. I told him off... and then didn't apologize until much later. He came to wish me a late merry christmas after Ruben gave me his spare room. He reminded me of our promise from before our journey started, and gave me my christmas gift which was a traditional Johtoan kimono and fan - all to prepare me for the upcoming contests. He also told me I should call his mom and dad since they're so worried about us both now that we're gone, but... I'll figure it out later.

Jasper

An ex-classmate. He took my bait and threw me for a loop when we were fighting a group of Munchlax together. Not as bad a guy as I thought. Because of him, I have to re-evaluate my notes on everyone else just in case. I'm interested in trying a different approach with him when next we meet.

Helped out a wrongfully arrested girl. Really smart. Observant. Kind, but doesn't like to show it. Isn't a terrible cook.

Charles the Biker

An eccentric, but strong man. Indulges in bad puns. Love for bikes. We left on good terms.

Nat the Ranger

A doting older brother to several sisters. A strong trainer who follows their duty. Only spent a day with them. Not sure if I want to meet again or not since I stole a broken styler from his scene of investigation. We left on good terms, I think? Unless he notices that something's missing.

Budew Girl

Never got her name. Apparently she's a challenger like the rest of my classmates. Comes from a family of Budew fanatics. They breed Budew in their hometown and journey around with all three forms of it. She seems endearing. It might be interesting to meet her again in the future. As long as she's not being accused of theft, that is.

Achille Béringer

Rich kid. Pays his debts. Is keen on rich kid things. Doesn't seem much different from how he was in school, but still need to reevaluate.

Melody Argent

Cute and kind. She keeps to herself kind of like I do. Loves music. Feels similar to Simon. Still need to reevaluate because of interactions with Jasper. Kind of maybe, possibly, a small amount of a badass. Finger guns - super corny. Don't harp on the idea of being in contests. If that culty stuff doesn't get figured out by the time we come back to Motostoke, I'll have to remember to find her around town. She's much more attuned to pop culture than I am.

AAAAAHHH! We did so much in Turffield, and even more just after! I still can't believe that she wont that contest and made it look so... so easy! She's just, like, wow. I still don't know what to do with all of my thoughts, but after that delivery we did together especially I just. Wowee. Jeez.

The Family // Damien(?)

Not the family himself, I don't think. I still haven't got his name or what role he really plays in all this. He's a shady motherfucker - pardon my Kalos. I still don't know how much of the stuff I've gone through in Motostoke has been orchestrated by him, but for the moment I'm not planning to try anything. I still don't know enough about him to make any real guesses. The longer that I stay around this town, the further behind the veil that I see. I'm scared even to go to sleep at night so long as I'm here. They have eyes... everywhere.

Buggy Simon

Some kind of freak of nature. I guess he understands Pokemon in some way that I can't; like, he understands what they're actually trying to say when they speak? Kind of cool, but also weird. Him and Simon used to hang out every once in a while at school. He knows about my "secret styler".

Valerie

An absolute ray of sunshine and happiness. She's also a streamer, and earns enough money from it to show it off. Not put off by literal ghosts. Has some kind of dream of meeting Mew.

Aeliana Kekoa

Alolan dance girl. She's supposed to teach me sometime. Pretty much just how I remembered her in school. I didn't get to spend much time with her when we all hung out. Didn't seem too bothered by the ghosts.

Pia McGuire

Pia... definitely is afraid of literal ghosts. I had a few choice words for her, but... after we saw Jirachi, it just felt like the time had passed, so I gave up. She's seen me without my mask, so next time we meet up is probably going to be awkward.

Haleigh Windsor

A friend of Melody's. I intentionally ran into her after failing to catch up with Melody, due to the addition of Haleigh. We had a short battle, and then made a promise for drinks with Melody after I urged her to drag the girl along with her to the contest in Turffield. She seems quite naive, so I may be able to get some more use out of her as long as I stay true to her persona. She's battle hungry, the same as Simon, but her Pokemon are still a little lacking - that coming from someone who still has no idea what she's doing here herself. She might end up being a good sparring partner in the future since she knows a little of what I've got and we're on relatively equal footing.

Mother Priscilla

The leader of the Turffield Sisterhood. I thought at first she was just an escort, but once we got to their hideout, I slowly started to realize what she really was. She's an incredibly dangerous woman who has no trouble pulling a gun on important people or those that she may need. There's still too much I don't know about what's going on to get a good grasp on what her and Damien's goals are, but given what I've already seen I really could do without finding out.

Ruben Sancho

Truth be told, I hadn't cared for Ruben when we went to school together. I thought he was your average rich celebrity who was forced into something he didn't really want to be a part of. After getting involved with the family and finding myself in that gambling hall, and then finding Ruben there as well, I felt that my suspicions were true. I had no second thoughts about what I was going to drag him in to. But as time went on, I found myself feeling more and more regretful with each time that he said Pia's name. And then because of me, news about him and Pia got out before either of them were likely ready to go public. And after all that, Simon attacked him out of the blue... but even after all that, he still offered me a free room at the local hotel. I already apologized to him about Simon, and about lying to get him to go with me. But, I should apologize again. He's not as bad of a guy as I thought he was.

Outfits

Spoiler: Here be a number of large images

Inventory

Spoiler:

Orx of Twinleaf · Aug 17, 2021

Team:

Rij

Henj

Pelj

Tim T
Rij the Rhyhorn took the field, eyes serious, as Kabu's Centiskorch coiled upon itself, sizing him up. Tim's little Rolycoly, Pelj, stood at Tim's foot, ready to see how Tim and Rij would perform.

Tim wasn't nervous. Why would he be? There was no pressure, if he lost it would hardly affect him in any meaningful way. And he had the upper hand: Kabu's matches and fighting style had been shown plainly to Tim in the matches he'd seen. Tim even knew going in that Centiskorch had White Smoke, such that Rij's Scary Face wouldn't work on it. That would be that much less time wasted then. Once Kabu got the momentum, he tended to run it through, and Centiskorch could be a slippery mon.

"Let's start with a Fire Lash!" Kabu commanded.

"Keep back from it and Rock Polish, Rhyhorn!"

Centiskorch zigzagged forward, swinging a lash of bright crimson through the air. The distance was great enough though for Rij to turn himself sidelong and run, shaking himself with white flashes as he went, picking up speed. Centiskorch stopped instead of pursuing, lashing the air a few moments before letting the lash dissipate. Though it might have seemed cowardly, Tim held this to be one of his most important tools: for the first time in a long time, Rij had willfully avoided a head-on clash that he might have otherwise charged into. Rij was showing off for Pelj, or else was trying to make clear he was better a partner than her for Tim. All the better Tim had brought Pelj to spectate, then.

Centiskorch coiled in on itself a little and then raised its front off the ground, turning to follow Rij's path. "Another Rock Polish," Tim ordered. He felt that was all he'd get for free though because Kabu answered with a call for Sunny Day. Rij limbered up, gaining yet more speed as his body gave off more flashes of light. Centiskorch formed a ball of light and flung it upwards, where it hung high in the air and shined bright light on the field. Centiskorch flapped its fiery tendrils as the temperature rose a few degrees.

There was no more time for boosting: Kabu went on the offensive. "Solar Beam, lead it!" Centiskorch contorted itself as it tracked Rij like a turret and then shot a shining green beam of energy into the Rhyhorn's path. Pelj squeaked in alarm.

"Tumble-Turn for the Bug, charge it!" Rij kicked his own bottom out, rolling like a bottle and turning his head toward Cenitskorch, coming up on his feet. Rij pinched one eye shut as the Solar Beam missed him by inches to the side and ran full-tilt for Centiskorch, horn down. Centiskorch lifted its front, tendrils undulating in anticipation as its legs worked the air. Its eyes were wide with intensity, waiting for Kabu's word as the Rhyhorn barreled towards it.

"Scald!"

"Tumble-Turn behind!"

Centiskorch sprayed a stream of steaming blue water that missed as Rij rolled like a stake, his back end rolling faster than his front, rolling in an arc around the centipede. Rij came up on his feet behind Centiskorch, who was already turning to face him. "Smack Down!" Tim called. Rij clapped his jaws and launched a golden stone at Centiskorch, but even at such close range and with Rij's double Rock Polish, Centiskorch twisted on itself and let the projectile past it as if passing through the hole in a donut.

"Fire Lash!"

"Horn Attack, drag it!"

Centiskorch was too busy conjuring its lash to dodge this time, and Rij clapped it by the midsection with his gleaming horn, pinning it to the ground as the lash struck the Rhyhorn along the side. Rij bore the hit even though it hissed out like a brand and left a glowing mark on him. He ran again, driving a furrow in the ground with Centiskorch. Centiskorch screeched, its ends flailing as it lost its lash, and then it curled up, clinging to Rij's face, looking the Rhyhorn angrily in the eye. Pelj chattered, hopping up and down, eye wide.

"Scald!"

"Tumble-Turn, get away!"

Rij tucked into another roll, steaming water flying in ribbons in all directions. Rij got his feet back under him and ran to put distance between himself and the Centiskorch left laying in the dirt. Centiskorch righted itself quickly and went back to its turret stance as Rij began circling again.

Kabu had a hand on his chin. "I wonder … Thunder Fang!"

That was absurd, Rij was a Rhyhorn, a Ground mon. What could Kabu hope to accomplish? Centiskorch wasn't even close enough for Thunder Fang to work. Unless—Tim's eyes sprang open. He hadn't even considered this as a possibility.

Centiskorch's mandibles crackled with yellow sparks and a note like a tuning fork rang through the air. Centiskorch was yanked impossibly quickly, like a red blur whizzing across the ground. Centiskorch's Move petered out as its mandibles closed uselessly on Rij's horn. Rij halted in surprise and Centiskorch's momentum was completely arrested as the Rhyhorn's Lightning Rod siphoned the Electric Move to empower all the Special Moves Rij didn't have. Centiskorch quickly wrapped itself around Rij's head as the Rhyhorn regarded it, completely aghast.

"That's bad luck, Nigel," Kabu said with satisfaction. "So much for that speed advantage."

"Rhyhorn, throw it off!" Rij did so quickly, running away from the centipede. "Turn off your Lightning Rod!" Rij snorted in confusion and looked at Tim incredulously. If it were possible to voluntarily deactivate Lightning Rod—and Tim was almost certain it was—Rij had apparently never learned how to do so. Tim could feel himself sweating, and not just from the Sunny Day orb. Pelj looked up at him expectantly. "Run along the wall then, we can—"

"Thunder Fang!" Kabu yelled, cutting Tim off. The tuning fork note sounded again as Centiskorch's mandibles crackled. Rij had placed himself along the perimeter barrier this time, and Centiskorch reared up, about to be pulled.

"Smack Down as it comes!"

"Drop Thunder Fang, dodge it!"

Centiskorch canceled its own Move just as Lightning Rod pulled it forward. Without the Move active, it came on slower, sailing through the air. Rij lobbed his Smack Down stone but Centiskorch looped in the air like a ribbon dancer's twirl, the stone missing. Rij had already put on more distance by the time Centiskorch landed along the wall.

"Alright, enough of that," Kabu said bemusedly. "Solar Beam to end it. Hold it!"

"Get out of the way, Rhyhorn!"

Rij ran to the side, out of Centiskorch's firing line, but the Solar Beam didn't come. Centiskorch's eyes were shut as it contorted, the rings on its body turning brilliant white. Its eyes bugged open as its tendrils flailed with increasing fervor. A humming sound was growing increasingly apparent as Centiskorch's body gave off light. Rij had stopped running to watch the display curiously. He and Pelj both looked at Tim.

Tim was openly staring. He was glad to have the handkerchief on so no one could see his mouth hanging open. Solar Beam usually required an inconvenient charge time, although was able to fire nearly as quickly as other Moves in direct strong light, as was provided by a Sunny Day orb. Back when Tim had first learned of the Move, he'd wondered if it were possible to overcharge the Move, but, on looking into it, had decided the maneuver was both impractically difficult and effectively unnecessary. Tim had dismissed it as something that just didn't happen.

But here was Kabu and his Centiskorch doing something that, supposedly, just didn't happen. Tim knew Kabu had been around a while but he hadn't expected something so unorthodox. Between this and the Lightning Rod shenanigans, Tim felt that, in another life, he and Kabu might have had a lot to talk to each other about.

"Fire!" Kabu said, chopping the air with finality.

Centiskorch let it rip, a huge beam of energy shrieking across the battlefield to burst into roiling smoke up against the far wall with a cacophony of noise. It had of course missed because Rij had moved out of the way but … But Centiskorch was turning slowly, the beam still coming strong. Centiskorch was against one wall of the arena, and the beam cut the field in half like a shining, screaming wall. Now it swept across the field, leaving smoking black stains along the perimeter as Rij was locked in. Tim figured he could throw himself flat to get under it, and it was too high to hit Pelj, but Rij wouldn't be able to get under the beam and it was too big to jump. Rij looked between Tim and the beam, eyes saucer-plate wide. Pelj was rolling in tight circles in open panic.

"It was a good show, Nigel," Tim heard Kabu shout over the noise, "but you shouldn't have come to my Gym just to play tag."

The beam crept closer. Tim had to be ready for anything. But he hadn't been ready for this. If he couldn't be prepared, then he would just have to be quick on his feet. He couldn't afford to hesitate. He had to be the rock for his mons, as they were his. Steady. Steady. "Horn Lob, quick!" Rij blinked, pawing the ground. "You can do it! Go!" Rij snapped to attention, snorting, and charged for Centiskorch. The beam was closing more and more as the Rhyhorn barreled onward.

Rij caught Centiskorch on the gleaming horn of his Horn Attack and launched the Bug skyward. Tim went to a knee, bending himself over Pelj as he saw Kabu duck down, arms up. Centiskorch rolled in the air as it went up and the screeching beam carved black swathes across the field, crackling as it swept along the audience barriers. Tim saw a couple of the camera drones burst into shrapnel. Rij stood his ground, looking up as Centiskorch's beam finally ceased, the Bug turning in the air beside the Sunny Day orb up high.

Tim was the first to straighten back up. "Smack Down!" Rij lobbed a golden stone but this time Centiskorch was too winded from its attack to dodge it properly. It twisted in the air in an attempt, but the stone burst in a flash of light on its midsection. The centipede began to plummet unnaturally fast as Smack Down's effect took hold.

"Solar Beam!"

"Catch it with a Drill Dive!"

Despite everything, Centiskorch wasn't as disoriented as Tim felt it should have been. It oriented in the air to face Rij as it fell, but its Solar Beam was a little slow to charge after its earlier exertion. Rij backed up a little, lining himself up, and then energy whirled along his horn and off his shoulders as he hopped up with Drill Run to catch the Bug and ram it into the ground.

Rij caught Centiskorch and landed horn-first on top of it as a screaming green beam tore upward into the sky along the Rhyhorn's face. The force of the landing and the clashing Moves produced a large sparkling dust cloud, the green beam like a beacon ripping straight up from it before dissipating. Kabu and Tim watched the cloud expectantly. Pelj was trembling in anticipation. The field grew a bit dimmer as the Sunny Day orb finally burned itself out and disappeared.

The cloud cleared to show Centiskorch and Rij both still upright, backing slowly away from one another.

"Fire Lash!"

"Drill Run!"

Neither mon reacted to their orders. Centiskorch was sagging lopsidedly, its tendrils drooping. Rij's legs were quivering, and he drooled copiously, panting. Centiskorch looked at Rij. Rij looked at Centiskorch. The mons narrowed their eyes at each other. And then, suddenly, both of them crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Tim's ears were ringing, both from the earlier noisiness and from the intensity. He slowly approached the two downed mons as Kabu did so from his side. Tim couldn't hear the crowd or the announcers, and he didn't care to. Pelj rolled up to look closely at the downed mons, awestruck.

"Well, Sonia certainly knows how to teach kids to make a mess," Kabu said good-naturedly, looking around the field. "Well I suppose most of it was on me this time." He recalled his Centiskorch.

Tim recalled Rij. Pelj bobbed on her wheel, looking around the field. Tim felt like he and Kabu were in their own little world, the camera drones alien eyes peering in from far away. "In the event of a tie," Tim said, reciting the standard rules, "the Leader decides if the challenger won." He was still looking at where the two battling mons had fallen, and wasn't looking at Kabu.

Kabu nodded. "That is right. And in this case, I think you deserve this." He pulled a badge from his pocket. "And now that you've won, you said you had a question? I admit I was wondering about what it could be while we battled," he added wryly.

Truthfully, after seeing Centiskorch's performance, Tim had a dozen questions. But he would only ask the one he'd had when the battle had started. "As a Gym Leader, you, in a lot of ways, are expected to lose relatively often. After all, if you beat every challenger it wouldn't be much of a challenge at all and no one would ever do it. I know you and other Leaders often hold back to some degree to facilitate that."

Kabu crossed his arms. "So what is your question?"

"I'm sorry if I'm slow to get to it," Tim said, "but I want to make sure you get what I'm asking. I imagine you and most Leaders are happy to lose, as it proves a Trainer is on their way to greatness."

"Oftentimes yes," Kabu agreed. But then he looked away for a moment. "Though there can be exceptions." Tim wondered what he meant by that. Was he implying there were some Trainers that could beat without deserving to? Why would Kabu bring that up? Had that happened lately? Tim wondered about it, but he couldn't waste Kabu's time for too long. It would be rude.

"With all that in mind," Tim said, looking Kabu in the eye finally, "How do you feel when you win?"

Kabu frowned thoughtfully. "I feel a lot of things, I suppose. But more than anything I feel hopeful. Hopeful that my opponent will grow and better themselves, hopeful that they will learn from the encounter, and hopeful that their fire burns ever brighter. I feel hopeful that next time I see them, their flame will have grown strong enough to defeat me." Kabu held out the badge. "Is that an adequate answer?"

Tim took the badge and shook the man's hand. It was what Tim had needed to hear. "Very much so. Thank you, Kabu." Hopeful. Tim knew more than ever exactly what he needed to do now. It would mean a small shift in his exercises, but it needed to be done. For the sake of the others.

Tim looked at the badge and saw Pelj staring up at him. Tim pocketed the badge and straightened up. "And that" he said to Pelj, "is how we do things here."

Turnip · Aug 17, 2021

There Is A Phone In This Post Also So It Is Therefore Unoriginal And Not Worth Reading Read It Anyway Though
Featuring Xan's Mum, Xan, Kass and Jerry

"That sounds like it could be serious..."

"I made an anonymous report to the police, so as far as I'm concerned it's sorted."

"Are you sure you're all right, though?"

"Peachy. I don't think it's anything to worry about."

"Didn't you say they knew who you were?"

"They claimed to know who we were - honestly I'm not convinced, seemed to me like posturing. Can't speak for the others but I'm pretty sure they had somehow mistaken me for someone else. Thought I was someone I'm not, at any rate."

"Mmm... I still worry about you, you know?"

"Me? Look, I understand but I really wouldn't be, at least for the sake of this. I'll put it this way - either they don't really know a thing about me, or they are aware of public knowledge and they're hyper-incompetent. I don't think either situation is cause for concern."

"You're sure?"

Xan exhaled as they took a moment to reorient themselves on the bed, sparing a momentary glance to the Abra across the room. "Mum, you've seen how capable we are in a gym battle. We get a lot more mileage in less restrictive environments. And our- these are people who deliberately and aggressively followed a publicly known psychokineticist into a confined space with an abundance of loose rock, without even bothering to call out any Pokémon; I'm not going to lose sleep over the threat of people who actively seek out concussions."

There was a laugh from the other end of the phone, "Well, when you put it like that, I'm sure Kass can keep you out of trouble. But what about your friends?"

"My classmates? They'd forfeit the Gym Challenge if they really tried to hurt us, but you're right, perhaps I should be more worried about them..."

"Oh, stop it! You know what I mean."

"Well I can't do much more than I've already done. They're their own people, I don't control them - hell I don't even talk to them-"

"Oh, but you should, dear! It could be good-"

"Mum, we've been over this..."

"- for you to get to know them a little better! You know there's that girl who was there with you, Valerie, she does the streams on Struggle! You could do a collaboration with her!"

"Mum... I love you very much. That is competition for the worst thing anyone has said to me."

"Dear, I'm sure it's not that bad - there has to be someone you can make friends with."

"I'm sure some would be fine with it, I'd just rather not. There are a couple so far I've roped into helping me with my research; they've exercised comfortable distance, which I can only hope continues."

An exhale sounded over the receiver - almost a laugh, but not quite. If what her child was saying was just an unfunny joke, then she wouldn't have to acknowledge that it was real.

"And of course there's Jerry, who certainly seems to understand," Xan continued. "They and Kass get along well, which I think helps."

"That's really nice, dear! I'm glad those two are happy- oh, it's getting up to lunch-time here, so I'd better get going. But I'll be sure to keep in touch!"

"Okay, Mum. Yeah, we should probably get back to training."

Kass' ears perked up, sensing the situation. They bid Jerry wait a moment and began to bounce over to Xan's side.

"There's that next gym now, isn't there? We'll all be wishing you the best of luck, dear!"

"Thanks."

"Okie dokie, buh bye! Bye Kass, love you! Love you dear!"

"Bye Mum, love you too. Bye."

"Abra abra!" A certain Abra joined in as the call came to a close. The Psychic Pokémon and human psychic turned to look at each other, the former passing over a telepathic question. A series of connected concepts that Xan had long since identified as Kass' understanding of 'training' - the kind of routine work that they did for training, at least.

"Well," Xan breathed out, running a hand through their hair. "It's true that I'm not fully comatose from that. We really should- give me about twenty minutes, then I'll make a snack and we can start after that."

The next fifteen minutes went by uneventfully and in near-silence. Xan took a little while to relax, Kass spotted something out the window and had gone over to investigate, and Jerry spent the time wondering if shoes were hungry. Following that, Xan remembered something as they sorted everyone out some toast and jam; a few people had already fought Kabu on their first trip to Motostoke, and much if not all of the Gym's challenge should have remained the same. At the very least it could be useful to compare and contrast with the challengers who would surely be taking Kabu on soon - and so, the training plan changed from odd incense trials to some light work on autokinesis. Psychokinetic propulsion of the self, which Jerry seemed to have been picking up on decently nowadays - it had taken a bit, but the Psyduck had realised now that being mostly round meant that he could usually just apply force to the opposite side of his body he wanted to go and wind up with reasonable success. He often ended up simply toppling over and rolling a fair distance, but at least there wasn't awkward twisting involved and movement was still a positive result. With their only frame of reference before Jerry being Kass and themselves, Xan wasn't sure how they felt about how much the Psyduck's attempts at agility reminded them of their own. Even now, they figured that the most important subject they had learned for the sake of psychic power was how to fall over without hurting themselves. Jerry seemed to be a natural at that - though to be fair, perhaps that was just body shape.

Partway through the little bit of training the three ended up doing, Xan had put on some popcorn for the group to snack on once they'd moved on to their next activity: watching the Gym Contenders. Jerry, a little dizzy from training, seemed reasonably revitalised by the idea of a tasty treat. That and Xan hooking up their laptop to the bigger screen in the hotel room meant that the Psyduck was much better set up for an intense and professional watch party than he often had been in the past. Xan was a little surprised, upon looking up a MewTube video they'd seen earlier, to see what appeared to be a similar video only slightly different. A sequel! That Raphael Allard sure was punctual. A little further digging revealed that Simon Pearburgh had made a second attempt too, much to Kass' excitement.

The group snacked and watched. Xan studied the screen intently, noting key points and strategic ideas on their low-tech phone. Kass was fully invested, celebrating every small victory of the contenders and quietly commending the gym leader and his Pokémon when they pushed the challengers back. Every now and then they would pass on an idea to their human research partner. Jerry stared at the events unfolding, trying to calculate a great many things. Like exactly how much hot was there in a fire, and shoes - how did they work? Did fire hunger for cold? Did shoe hunger for foot? Out of all the possible stances the humans could choose to stand in, in which reality was there maximum shoe satiation? If a shoe was fire, how much hot would shoe be?

Xan took a moment to cheekily ask their two companions if they happened to know any Rock moves. They sighed and, at Kass' request, reluctantly kept Raph's video playing until the end even after the battle had finished. Simon's battle brought Kass much excitement - or rather, the prospect of it did. The Abra quickly became confused and a little put off. The impression that was communicated to Xan was that of unfamiliarity and weariness, and Kass didn't complain when Xan stopped the video the moment the fight was over.

"So, what have we learned?" With the video silence, Xan turned the focus of the room to discussion. "Centiskorch is Fire/Bug, they have Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Fire Lash, Scald and Thunder Fang. There's for sure a sixth, which could be a number of things. It's a lot of raw power and coverage, and in spite of being a potent physical attacker their main strategy involves staying put and maintaining distance. What else have we got?"

Kass piped up, throwing into Xan's mind mental sunshine. Then mental rainfall, and then the collection of concepts that the human recognised as Jerry.

"Sun, rain, Jer- yep, Cloud Nine. Great point. Solarbeam is dangerous for Jerry, but without Sunny Day to boost it it becomes highly telegraphed. Thunder Fang is still an issue, but perhaps if Centiskorch likes keeping distance anyway and Jerry can keep it too, then that could be less trouble than it might seem."

"Psy-iy," Jerry uttered shakily, staring. Kass gave Xan a look, but even the psychic wasn't oblivious enough to miss the Psyduck's meaning.

"If you don't feel up to it, Jerry, I won't force you. It's always your choice and that's always on the table. In the event that you did hypothetically face Centiskorch or a similar opponent, however, the information is useful to keep in mind. Right?"

Though he didn't fully relax, Jerry nodded a little.

"Right, great. I would be worried about a Bug move being the last, Kass. If something comes out that isn't one of the five we know I'll point it out and we can get a little more comfortable. Hmm... the whole artillery mode it has going on is dangerous. Vito is fast indeed while rolling - overuse of psychoportation could well wear you out first, but if well-timed we could perhaps exploit a difficulty Centiskorch has with turning, if such a thing exists..."

The two Pokémon put hands to their chins in thought. Kass was considering the question in hand - Jerry was thinking about a Centiskorch with hot shoes.

"Ok, let's run through these again with that in mind. Say something if you see anything interesting, all right?"

With an affirmative from both research partners, Xan clicked back to the first video, rewound it to the beginning and hit play.

Mizumanta · Aug 18, 2021

Lennox sat quietly at the end of the waterway, his sitting calmly on the water. But he wasn't the one holding it, instead if was his Elekid. Lennox had figured out a way to catch more fish while also training Feedback. Feedback would let out a light jolt that would travel down the wooden rod and disperse in the water. Any pokemon swimming near would be surprised and jump a few feet out of the water in response. Of course, this became an easy target for the electric type Feedback to hit them with a charged shock wave attack. They would get one every minute or so with Lennox's help spotting them underwater. Elekid didn't mind since it was a form of training. First it was a few finneon, then a chewtle. He even found an alolomola, which took two shocks to take down. Each pokemon that fainted would float downstream. At that point, it would be difficult to swim back up past the cliffs and such. So they were gone, but still safe.

Meanwhile, both Grace, and the newly caught Naga were working on their speed. On land, Naga was slow and merely flopped around. But in water, she was the fastest pokemon on the team. Grace's job was to attempt to strike Naga as she came out of the water with a pound attack. And Naga's job was to jump out and hit Grace with a tackle attack. Each exchange raised their reaction time and honed their reflexes. Lennox was smart, but kind of lazy. So he could efficiently train his pokemon with minimal effort. And he could always find ways to utilize a pokemon's strength. That being said, the easy way out was also the boring way. They had been doing this for a few hours now and it was time for a rest. Lennox called his pokemon over for lunch, pulling out berry sandwiches he had made. Each one fit his pokemon's tastes, except for Feedback's. Feedback actually hated spicy foods, but because Stitch the Mimikyu loved them, he always tried to prove himself by eating as much spicy food as he could. Lennox would put a small amount if Cheri berry into the sandwich so that he could feel like he was getting better at handling it. The group sat next to the stream, enjoying their time off. The cooling air, the light wind, and the quiet really set the mood.

"Oi, oi!" A thick accented voice forced it's way through the air. "You lot fried these guppies, did ya?" Lennox turned around. A tall and scruffy man loomed over Lennox and his pokemon. It was odd that he couldnt tell the man had approached. "It takes a right strong fella to catch this many of them fishies. You a fisherman too, are ye?" Lennox was getting a little annoyed that his meal had been interrupted, but put on the same happy face to handle strangers that he always had. Lennox rose to his feet, turned around, and bowed with one hand to his waist.

"Good afternoon." He stated calmly. "Yes, my pokemon and I were asked to handle some invasive species. I hope it's alright, but we needed to fish here for a while. Is this your fishing spot?" He was fine with being kicked out if it came to that. It meant that he didn't have to deal with this dirty Old man.

"Whacha goin on about? Ahm joost given you a proper congratulations fer all ye work. It takes a might smart kid te catch all these fishes." He scratched his scruffy chin. Len almost showed his disgust as bits of skin flakes and dandruff fell put, some vatchingthe wind and finding their way to his pant leg.

"That's very kind of you, sir." Lennox responded.

"But this is man second home. Can't have a wee babe taking up all me fish." He sighed. "Tell you what, ah see that yer using that worn oot rod. If ya leave man spot, I ca sell you this nice new rod a bought todeh. And you can find anothah place to fish!" The old man chortled. Lennox looked at the rod. It was in its original packaging, so he wasn't lying about it being new. Though he didn't really trust the man. Lennox hesitated. "Ooh, don't give me thaht. Okay, I'll tell ya what. I'll give you a discount. Half off. But I dont want to see yer face around here for at least a month. Got it?" The old fisherman's face had gotten more serious. Honestly, he was planning on leaving anyway. Maybe the man thought that he lived in this town and would be frequenting the spot. But that wasn't the case. And it was a good deal. It wasnt like he would want to come back after knowing that knowing that this guy would be back.

"Umm...sure. I can buy that rod from you..." Lennox chirped. He could have just left without making a purchase, but he actually did like fishing. After a rushed transaction, Lennox cleaned up his spot and went back to town. That man's breath was rancid and Lennox could only be polite for so long. He was surprised that Feedback hadn't challenge the man to a fight, but he guessed food was more important to the baby pokemon. The group settled in the pokémon to rest. They were planning to challenge the gym today anyway.

Obtained: Good rod!

PastelPhoenix · Aug 18, 2021

Achille Béringer || 18 || ♂️
Location: Motostoke
History of Relativity

Joiuse - Shadow Sneak, Slash, Autotomize, Metal Sound, Block, Aerial Ace

Proudhon - Tackle, Splash, Thrash, Bite, Brine

Alizé - Absorb, Tackle, Air Cutter, Supersonic, Double Team, Wing Attack

Ignace - Powder Snow, Tackle, Taunt, Bite, Avalanche, Work Up

Aliénor - Tackle, Tail Whip, Roar, Ancient Power, Charm, Bite

Terrot - Tackle, Growth, Razor Leaf, Tail Whip, Leech Seed, Worry Seed

The streets of Motostoke were the same as they were months ago. They were loud and crowded, but the city itself was a marvel of engineering. Just seeing the lifts move in their timely manner was impressive, no matter how many times Achille saw the city.

Though, what he found in the sanctuary left a stain on the city in his mind. Discontent piled within him staring at the steam-power marvels, building without something to blame and release it. It wasn't the fault of the steamworks, or the residents of the city. Most of them, anyways.

If he was a smoker, then now would be the time to pull a deep drag in cool contemplation. Fortunately for him, he wasn't, so Achille just remained leaning against the cafe's patio railing. Sitting here mulling over events he was powerless to change was only going to make the feelings more clouded and ill-defined. His time was better spent getting ready against Kabu, he'd get his head on straight along the way.

The fledgling trainer set off from his lunch back into the heart of the city. For now he felt like taking the long way, delving through the sloped hills to the upper level of the city rather than taking the steam-lift like he normally would. He stepped into the side streets of the city alone, pokemon still in their pokeballs and attached to his bag's holster.

The streets here were much more narrow, restricted to foot travel largely. The sidewalks were filled with people, milling about the smaller stores and restaurants. The crowd diminished as Achille left the main streets behind, and more and more residential buildings filled the streets. Shoppers were replaced with workers coming home, fashion and other specialty stores becoming pubs and corner stores.

Above all, it was quiet outside of the commercial areas. He normally enjoyed the noise and bustle, but something about the silence had been tempting him more and more. Maybe it was maturity, if he was being charitable. That or becoming boring. Was boring good, though? Or was it just boring?

Merde, he stopped reading the signs a few streets ago, right at the start of this little aside. That was something that needed to be stopped before it became a habit. He considered turning around and finding the correct street, but he couldn't be that far off from the correct path. Motostoke was a well engineered city, finding his way back shouldn't be difficult.

He stepped down the closest alley, following a rough mental map back to the stadium. He hurried past the building back doors and dumpsters, slightly put off by the filth of the alley. He took a deep breath as he cleared the other side, realizing he was subconsciously holding his breath.

The street he emerged on was vastly different from the one he had his lunch on. There were several small pubs in either direction alongside some beaten up restaurants. The section of the city seemed like a hangout for the laborers and other industrial workers. Said workers already found their way to the pub, judging from some of the noise inside. The only people on the street seemed to be making their way to their preferred drinking hole, sometimes in large groups all wearing the same uniform.

How far off his path had he wandered? His planned shortcut was through a small upscale residential area. Just the way he was dressed screamed he was lost. How he had to look around to find the nearest street headed north again after this one abruptly ended didn't help either. To his frustration, the alley he chose led to a street that appeared to just go east-to-west for a while.

When in doubt, turn right, I guess. Achille continued down the path headed east. Most of the people seemed to be headed this direction, so he could reasonably deduct the majority of the businesses and industries were further west. A loud shout from several buildings rang out, it sounds like the crowd favorite scored in whatever sport was on tonight.

A door opened further down the road, and three men spilled out. Even from here Achille could tell they'd indulged themselves in a bit of day-drinking; the way they teetered about and slightly stumbled. He'd have paid them no further mind, except they seemed to notice him, pointing in his direction. A large, muscular guy leaned down, peering in Achille's direction. He said something to the other two, and the three began walking towards him.

Achille considered taking off in the other direction, but he would have only made himself more lost. He instead reached for Joiuse's Pokeball, snapping it off and holding it at the ready. He was a trainer with some scary looking Pokemon and they were drunks. He didn't hate his odds in this situation. If things really went to shit, then he had a Proudhon.

He sized the guys up as they approached. Up close it was easier to see they were all in their 40s, and only the big guy seemed intimidating. One was a short, dark haired man with something a little beyond a beer belly, while his blond, glasses wearing amie was starting to show his age. That just left the tall man with long, dark hair and stubble. Achille looked at the man's uniform, feeling his confidence slip a little when he recognized the symbol as that of a steel mill.

"Cool it trainer," the short one said. Achille was shocked to hear aspects of a Kalosian accent there. The man had either spent a considerable amount of time in Kalos, or had moved to Galar from there some good number of years back. "Ah, not tryna start a fight with ya'. Jus' came to say hi. Been watchin' ya on the telly."

Achille felt a weight lift off his chest. Of course. He's been on TV, and Galar's League was hugely popular. He'd heard yells of people watching sports earlier, too. Now that he thought about it, it was time for him to get recognized for it.

"Putain!" The one with glasses shouted. He slapped the large on the shoulder in disbelief of something. "You're right, Alain, a splitting fuckin' image of Sébastian! Give 'em six years, grow the hair out, and ditch the glasses."

And then Achille's heart skipped a beat. He heard that name right, right? How the fuck did they know that name.

"He is JB's kid." The large guy agreed, clearing his throat. His voice was raspy, and his uniform smelled more of cigarettes than the others. "At least he's suppose'ta be."

"How the hell do you know my dad?" Achille found his voice, though it came out as a scratchy growl. He shifted his weight to a more neutral position, realizing he'd been leaning too much on one leg. Subconsciously his grip tightened on the pokeball. He was sure his knuckles were starting to turn white.

The rotund one gave a drunken giggle. "Relax. Jus' fuckin' with you. Chier." He reached over and patted his glasses-wearing friend. "Tell 'em, Luc. You were always better with the words."

'Luc' muttered a tête de noeud at being thrown in the spotlight. "We…" He struggled for the right word, closing his eyes and swaying slightly from the effect of the alcohol. "Worked for your uncle."

Not at Béringer Transportation. He'd wager these guys had never even stepped foot in a Béringer building. "Nique te mére, say what you really were. I know you didn't work for him." He felt his heart starting to pound just being around these guys now. His jaw starting to clench as the bespectacled guy giggled again.

The short one didn't find it as funny though. "Yeah, we're Flare, couillon." He spoke in a low tone, nearly lost to a new roar from the pubs. "Old Uncle Sébastian was our admin."

"I guess that means he's not here to find us." 'Alain' added from the back. The large mass of man didn't move, and seemed less drunk that his companions. Or hid it better. He just stood in the back, arms crossed across his half-undone company coveralls.

"'Course not," the fat one without a name said. "JB? Pompe à chiasse. Un Torchic mouilleé. I'm guessin' he's pretendin' to have been above all that. No chance he gives a shit after twenty fuckin' years."

Achille forced a laugh. "Look for you? I don't even know who the hell you three are." He pointed at all three of them with his free hand, extending Joiuse's pokeball with the other. "What would we want with three drunk plouc, anyways?"

This set no-name off even more. The little guy muttered a series of swears before being grabbed by the collar by Alain. The man's hand was already clenched in a shaking fist, and he pulled forward for a punch before realizing he was being held back. "Little shit, I paid my dues to Flare. I had made it. It was sous-merde like your fuckin' father that held us back, and those sans-couilles Cinder burn-outs that fucked any chance of restoring Kalos to glory!"

Before the situation could deteriorate any further, the pub door opened once again. A tall, pale man stepped out. His hair was already significantly graying, and the dark stubble and light bags didn't help him seem young. The man glared at the three drunks, his sharp features giving him the appearance of a hawk watching prey.

"I left you alone for five minutes, and you started a very loud argument with a League challenger." The newcomer spoke coldly. The softness in his voice may have been comforting at some point, but right now it was downright chilling.

"Léo," the short guy stumbled over his words for a second, completely cowed by the new arrival to the scene. "He's JB's kid."

"I can see that." The man locked eyes with Achille for a moment, but did not otherwise acknowledge his presence.

"He was dismissing the Flare cause. Sébastian's nephew. Insulting what his uncle died for."

"And so you thought it fit to shout at him in a public street. Proclaiming your involvement with a criminal organization. You, a fourty-four year old man, resorted to yelling at a teenager over this." No-name clammed up at the piercing questions, avoiding eye contact with the stranger. The other two shifted nervously, trying to avoid the man's attention.

Achille wanted to say that he attempted to throw a punch, just to watch the idiot squirm some more. The stranger seemed to be on his side for now, no need to ruin that by opening his mouth.

"Go home, Théo," the newcomer said. He crossed his arms while staring down the group. "The three of you, go home. Is this worth getting arrested over? Even if you avoid the charges, do you want Jean-Baptiste to know you assaulted his son?"

"No, I fuckin' get it." 'Théo' said with a sigh. The tall guy released his collar, letting him slink off down the road. He muttered a loud casse couille as he passed, but didn't turn around to argue further. His two buddies trailed, the entire group now suddenly much quieter.

"And you," Léo turned towards the trainer, looking him over. "I can escort you back to the main roads. Should keep any drunken fans away."

Why not, there's people around and I already have a pokeball in my hand. Achille shrunk the pokeball back to its compact size and pocketed it. Léo looked over, noticing the pokeball didn't return to the holster, and didn't comment on it. The older man turned back around and set off down the street.

Sure enough, a group entering a restaurant pointed at the pair, but did not move to speak with them. One person was even grabbed by their shoulder for trying to cross the street to speak with him. "So, why are the people avoiding us? It's not because of the… business is it?"

Léo chuckled at the question. His face finally lightened a bit. "No, that bit of shameful business is locked away. For now." The tired man reached into his pocket and retrieved a pack of cigarettes, shaking one loose. It took a few times for his dying lighter to spark a flame, and Léo took a deep drag to ignite the stick.

The bags and stubble combined with the cigarette smoke reminded Achille of Jean. The content sigh following a hit of tobacco after a long day of (what Jean would call) bullshit matched his eldest brother's exactly. The scene of Jean hanging around the door for a smoke after college, and later work, was practically a daily occurrence.

"I'm a manager at the steel mill, and know a lot of the other managers with the other companies." Léo interrupted his reminiscing, taking him away from the Kalosian coast. Back to the dirty Galarian street filled with drunks. "People tend to avoid me regardless."

"But you were."

Léo's expression turned cold again, but he remained staring ahead. He looked a little unfocused; the one trapped in his memories this time. "I was probably your uncle's closest friend. Of course I followed him to Lysandre."

"What was he… like then?" Achille said, bringing Léo back to reality again. The streets around them were starting to become cleaner as they walked. The stores looked friendlier, fewer drinking holes and quick and cheap restaurants to feed the overflow.

The ex-Flare member thought for a moment, choosing his words. "Lively. Encouraging. Always seemed able to defuse a situation. Damn good sense of humor." The man's face lit up while he spoke, before falling back into place. "Un queutard. Someone desperate for approval from his father. Jealous of his brother's successes. The perfect puppet for someone to control with just a little affection. A sycophant who followed Lysandre to the very end, never doubting it even when it was all falling apart."

"Sorry, I've had many years to debate what exactly he meant to me," the man apologized. "It's a difficult question." Achille let the silence hang for a bit, processing this information. His father had never spoken much about his brother for obvious reasons. He'd been left to make his own conclusions on what drove a rich, young party boy to follow someone into a bunker, never to return. "I think we're close to the main road," Léo broke the silence. "Iif you have one last question."

Just one? Achille had many left. How deep was his father involved? Were there other ex-Flare here?

"How did you get here, anyways?" He settled on a single question. A short one, but one that had been bugging him. "Obviously they couldn't sweep Kalos thoroughly enough to catch everyone. Cinder happened after all. But, to be honest, none of you look like you exactly had fortunes to fall back on. And why Galar?"

The manager smiled slightly. "Jean-Baptiste."

"My father?" Achille said in disbelief.

"The same. I think he felt as guilty about what happened with Sébastian as I did. We never got along, but he practically threw four ship tickets at us. Not your company ships, don't worry." He shut down the question forming in Achille's mind. "But he wouldn't take no for an answer. I think he felt saving the grunts under his brother would alleviate the guilt of not stopping Séb earlier."

The silence returned as Achille began to recognize stores and street names. The main road was just ahead.

"I think I have it from here." Achille stopped and checked the time. Léo stopped beside him, crossing his arms silently. "I recognize that beat up accessory shop from last time I was here."

The Flare grunt nodded his head. "Well then. I wish you luck. I hope I am not being rude to say I would rather not see you again. I don't mean to cause distress, but it does feel like I am looking at a younger Sébastion."

He felt a slight stabbing pain in his chest at the comparison. He really could have done without that last comment. "No offense taken, but I don't think hanging out with a former member of a syndicate who is more than twice my age is in my plans for a while."

Léo scoffed, then turned around. "Good choice. Keep your head on your shoulders. Good luck in the league.

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

The next day, the receptionist for the hotel called Achille over when he arrived. A "Léo" had returned a lost item to him, some small ring box with a letter. Against his better judgement, Achille accepted the box and returned to his room to open it.

Inside the box was a simple ring. Whether it was steel or aluminium, Achille couldn't tell. It felt cheap though, and utterly nondescript. With no clues on the ring itself, Achille opened the letter.

Achille,

I apologize once again for the events that occurred the other day. The other three won't bother you, so please do not worry about any retaliation for childish hurt feelings.

I must also apologize for the letter and contents of this box. I've been stuck with a curse for some time now, and I am sad to say I have passed this curse onto you. Your uncle left me those items before his… untimely death. I was under instructions to return them to your grandfather, however he passed not long after your uncle. The stress of the events surrounding your uncle's demise too much for him, and myself too busy trying to piece together my next moves. I tried to offer them to your father when he helped me out, but he would not accept.

Melt them down. Throw them into the sea. Feed them to a Larvitar. It doesn't matter to me now. The curse is yours now. One of my regrets can be put to bed.

I am sorry.

No… This wasn't about the ring. Achille grabbed the box and held it up to his ear. Something clinked inside when he shook it. It was faint, but it was there. The ring was to get past the front desk.

He opened the box and grabbed the cushioned seat the ring rested on. It took a bit of pulling, but whatever glue held it down gave way without ripping the cushion itself.

Underneath lies a pair of suit cufflinks. A Flare symbol emblazoned on the size.

Inventory:

Spoiler:

Fen-Fen · Aug 18, 2021

Haleigh Windsor
18 | Female | From Circhester

Corey (Male, Blaze) - Flame Charge, Double Kick, Headbutt, Agility

Coraline (Female, Weak Armor) - Tackle, Harden, Astonish, Spite, Ancient Power

Cornelius (Male, Synchronize) - Disarming Voice, Confusion, Draining Kiss, Hypnosis

Orion (Male, Snow Cloak) - Powder Snow, Tail Whip

Cerise (Female, Adaptability) - Covet, Quick Attack, Baby Doll Eyes, Growl

Reyna (Female, Torrent) - Peck, Bubble Beam, Pound, Growl

Spoiler: Memories

Through the Fire

After the harrowing events of Galar Mine No. 2, Haleigh was finally glad to be back in a major city again with her next task laying ahead of her. She could scarcely believe how much had happened in the six or so months since she last set foot in Motostoke. All of the recurring encounters from her old schoolmates, all of the trials and tribulations that her Pokemon journey has had in store for her.

All of the times her life had been put at stake.

Haleigh frowned at that thought. She knew that there was going to be danger and excitement to be had throughout her journey, but the amount of times her very life was at stake was starting to become a bit more than she bargained for. That harrowing feeling alone was enough to stoke up the bits of doubt that challenged even Haleigh's fierce determination to see this thing through to the end. She was, at the end of the day, still only eighteen and still had so much to do before she even thought about the end.

Walking alongside Haleigh as she once again walked the streets of Motostoke were Corey and Cerise, with the former looking around at all of the sights that he could recall since the last time they were here while the latter looked around with an expression of awe. It was looking back down on them that drew her out of those thoughts and brought a smile back to her features.

As the three of them continued to walk, the crowds started getting thicker and the various noises louder. At a plaza, there were lots of stands selling food, knickknacks and memorabilia, most of it centering around Kabu and some of the more well known challengers. The most prominent colors to the spectacle was red and orange, with all of the stands and decorations having some degree of these colors with one common visual motif: flames.

"Would you all look at that? It looks like your kinda place, Corey! Ever thought of being a Flareon, Cerise?"

Haleigh grabbed the attention of a passerby, his figure looking vaguely familiar to her for some reason.

"'Scuse me, d'you happen to know what's going...on…here..." Her question trailed off as the man turned to face her with an irritated expression etched on his face. No, no no no. That couldn't be possible. Red hair, glasses, green eyes, a very smug, punchable face. It couldn't be...

However, Haleigh's sight was not playing tricks on her, for the person currently glowering at her was none other than Ian Pembroke, heir apparent to the illustrious Pembroke family.

The man pushed up his glasses, huffing as if her asking that question was the world's greatest inconvenience. "Who do I look like, one of the peasants that hand out the guidebooks, if you really must know ask-"

He stopped his rant and narrowed his eyes. "Wait a second, do I...know you from somewhere?"

Haleigh hastily responded, "Nope, not at all, never seen you before in my life so sorry for bothering you I'llbeonmywaynow!" She started to turn in an attempt to dash and lose him in the crowd.

"Hold it!" The shorter teen froze, looking back as he looked at her some more, until his face lit up in recognition, a smug smirk accompanying it. "Wow, look what the Meowth dragged in. Haleigh Windsor, it's been what, four, five years?"

Haleigh smacked her head into her hand, groaning as she mumbled, "Bloody hell, why me? Of all the fuckin' bellends in the world…"

Ian chuckled, replying with unbridled amusement, "Come now, is that any way to greet an old friend? It's a shame you didn't stick around at Exeter, you might have actually made something of yourself there."

In response, Haleigh scoffed, "Tch, I didn't need no stupid boarding school, and I certainly don't need it now. Ain't that right, you two?"

Corey puffed up his chest and Cerise followed suit, both seeming eager to show this jerk that they were worthy Pokemon for Haleigh.

"Well well, looks like you went and did it. You always went on and on about that silly little Pokemon adventure of yours. It'd be admirable, really."

He paused, pushing up his glasses again as he reached into the breast pocket of his blazer to grab something. It was...a Pokeball?

Ian twirled the ball on his finger, spinning it until it stopped balancing on his finger and caught it. "...If it weren't a feat won by cowardice and backing away from your family legacy."

Haleigh spat back with, "Cowardice? This coming from the spoiled twat who hides behind father dearest when it gets tough, please."

Ian's mouth twitched and he said, "You certainly don't waste time getting into the gutter, do you? It fits you, I suppose."

Haleigh looked at his Pokeball, changing the subject to ask about it. "What are you even doing with a Pokeball anyways, since when the hell did you care about battling?"

"What can I say, the thrill of the battle really speaks to me." He shrugged his shoulders, an insincere, smarmy smile creeping up on his face. "Or some such nonsense like that, still working on the angle I want to go for here."

An angle, of course. Now Haleigh could connect the dots as to why he'd possibly be interested in doing this. Five years might have passed, but he was still the same arrogant, clout chasing prick that she knew him as.

Though on one hand she might be tempted to call this reunion short and forget that she ran into this tosser, the fact that he was apparently doing the same challenge as her piqued her interest enough that an idea started forming in her head.

"Alright, tell you what Mr. Bigshot, why don't we settle this over a battle? Surely it wouldn't be a problem for such a lowly peasant such as myself?" Haleigh matched Ian's smug expression with one of her own.

"Very well, let's do it. Not that I'm going to lose to an idiot who didn't evolve her Eevee." He cast a condescending glance to Cerise, who growled back at him with her face clearly a mix of anger and offense.

"Easy, Cerise." Haleigh turned to give her Eevee a reassuring pat on the head before turning back to walk after him with her fist clenched. "You'll get your chance."

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

Once they found an open spot to battle, Ian and Haleigh talked to the referee and hashed out the rules and format. The three of them settled on a two versus two battle with the standard rules applying with a reward in it for the victor.

For how small the venue was, a considerable crowd had gathered overwhelmingly to get a glimpse of Haleigh in action . Even noting her recent success, it was still a surprise to witness any sizable amount of people showing up just for her. The punk trainer couldn't help but feel invigorated by that and walked into the field with her head held high.

Haleigh decided to start off the battle by releasing her two Pokemon - Reyna and Cerise. Ian responded in turn by revealing his two Pokemon, a Flareon and a Heracross.

"Alright, let's get this shit started! Cerise, let's kick up some dirt with Sand Attack on that Heracross, go for the Flareon, with a Bubble Beam, Reyna!"

Ian pointed at his Pokemon and responded, "Dodge it, get at her Eevee with a Focus Blast!"

"Focus Blast?!" Haleigh looked on in disbelief at the ridiculously overpowered move. "Cerise, get away!"

Luckily for Cerise, Focus Blast seemed to take considerable exertion on the part of the Heracross, giving her ample time to give the attack a wide berth until the attack - big and flashy as it was - passed very wide of the Eevee.

Meanwhile, Reyna had managed to pin the Flareon into a corner and got most of the Bubble Beam onto him, already putting a major dent into Ian's would-be ace. Even he could tell that he was already off to a rocky start.

Haleigh could sense her opponent's unease based on the irritated look he held on his face and clearly relished being able to get a one up on the smug prick. "This is lookin' to be a bit of a layup. C'mon mate, I thought you were gonna be some sort of ace battler with all that money you got." Some of the people in the crowd let out some "oooohs", chattering excitedly at the trash talk.

Ian chuckled, a mischievous look in his eyes as he retorted, "Oh don't count me out yet. We're just getting started here." He tapped his fingers, seeming to await Haleigh's moves.

"Cerise, get a Quick Attack on the Flareon and Reyna, Peck that Heracross!"

The other boy waited until the two Pokemon were close and commanded, "Smog, Flareon!"

Haleigh opened her mouth to intervene, but by the time she was going to get the words out, the poison cloud spread out around Reyna and Cerise. Reyna scrunched her beak and coughed a little from the attack but otherwise seemed unperturbed, puffed up her chest and prepared for more of Haleigh's commands. Cerise, however, seemed more affected by the poison attack and came out of the cloud with her face contorted in discomfort.

"Dagh, Cerise!" It certainly wasn't good news that her Pokemon was poisoned, but as long as she doesn't let the battle drag on for too long and let Reyna get hit by more Smog, it shouldn't be much of a problem.

Ian pushed up his glasses and shook his head. "What'd I tell you? Looks like someone's underestimating their opponent."

Haleigh growled, "Watch me, prick. Reyna, prepare yourself for that Flareon, Cerise get Heracross with a Swift!"

From all outward appearances, it appeared to be another straightforward confrontation with Reyna gunning for yet another super effective hit against Ian's Flareon - albeit with the Heracross unfortunately unable to not take damage on account of the homing stars Cerise sent out.

Ian said, "Heracross, shake those silly stars off and go at the Eevee with Brick Break. Flareon, let's get in close and hit her Piplup with Fire Fang."

Haleigh waited a bit longer than usual to give her response, trying to find that opportune window to switch things up on Ian. "Cerise, Quick Attack the Flareon and get him away from Reyna! Reyna, give that bug a good ol' Peck!"

With their attacks coordinating together, Cerise managed to dash into the Flareon and give Reyna a wide open chance to jump up and use her beak to attack the Heracross. Even with just that one attack, the Heracross was starting to look in just as much of a rough shape as Flareon did when Reyna took on Ian's Flareon.

Speaking of said Flareon, both it and Cerise were looking quite exhausted by the battle on account of the hits they were both taking. However, it seemed that the Smog was starting to take a real toll on Cerise with her still barely able to remain standing at this point let alone fight. Cerise glared at the Flareon in front of her. He looked just as conceited as his owner, preening himself while giving her a condescending glance. She needed to see him defeated.

Unfortunately, it was at that moment when the sickening poison seemed to weaken Cerise to the point where her legs would support her no more and she started to lose consciousness. Before she completely blacked out, all Cerise could feel was the shame of defeat.

This left Haleigh with one Pokemon versus two others - though both Heracross and Flareon were clearly on their last legs. She took a deep breath, trying to not let Cerise's defeat get her into that headspace of losing. "Reyna, let's finish this! Bubble Beam for the Flareon."

"Flareon, intercept it with Flame Charge and Heracross, get her with a Brick Break."

Just as Reyna was about to fire off the Bubble Beam, all she could see was a charging Flareon from her front and a charging Heracross from the back. Observing the trajectory of his two Pokemon gave Haleigh an idea for how to deal with the double threat.

"Forget about the Bubble Beam, dive left!" Haleigh's shout snapped Reyna back to her senses in her hesitation on how to deal with the two oncoming Pokemon and she did precisely as Haleigh commanded, diving left just as the two of them were sure to have hit her.

There'd be no way to warn his Pokemon. Ian simply had to watch in shock as his Pokemon collided with each other with their respective attacks.

The referee announced, "The winner is Haleigh Windsor! "

Haleigh pumped her fist in the air as the crowd cheered loudly and started to chant her name. She shouted, "HELL FUCKIN' YEAH! That's what a proper victory looks like. How's that for disrespecting a family legacy?"

As Haleigh started walking away to collect her reward from the referee, some fans decided to swarm her and start talking her ear off about the match, how much of a fan they've been since the very beginning, etc etc.

Meanwhile, the boy that Haleigh left in the dust clenched a fist as tight as he could, his expression darkening. That…couldn't be possible. That stupid, naive, silly girl dissapeared for five years and outshone him? Perhaps it was time he got serious about this whole battling thing.

Jay · Aug 18, 2021

Raphael Allard
> Motostoke Gym
> Bad Acoustics - Part 2

..

....

As Raphael adjusted to the situation playing out before him, the severity of his circumstance dawned on him a little too late. Exploud opened it's maw wide and screamed, a blast of powerful sound ripped towards the café, tearing up flagstones from the street below and colliding hard with the wall. Raphael was blown back and off his feet, into the room full of screaming people. The wall had crumbled now, leaving an open portal to the street beyond, where Exploud continued to slowly walk forward. Its eyes showed a mixture of fear, pain and rage.

The black suits… they had done this, unleashed another pokémon, altered and suffering. Raph's eyes slowly shifted about the room, scanning other occupants who were running for their lives, already injured or huddled behind counters in fear. These people were just trying to live their lives and now they were in danger. Among them were children and the elderly.

Why? Why did those bastards in the suits… insist on hurting everyone they came into contact with?!

Raph struggled to his feet, dragging himself up with the edge of a broken table until he was standing. "Himari…" He pulled the hair back out of his face and gave the girl a stern look. "Get these people out of here."

"What…? What are you saying?" She was still dazed, but understood him well enough to question him. She quickly pulled herself away from the open wall and struggled to stand near him, already looking like she was going to protest more. Raphael didn't give her the chance.

"I said do it!" His voice was stern and his brow was furrowed. "You have to. Nobody else here can fight like I can, you know that."

Her expression suddenly turned pained, annoyed he spoke to her with that tone, irritated at the words and self-sacrificial attitude he was exhibiting. However, she also found herself incapable of faulting his logic. "I'm going to get help, as soon as we're away I'll find someone okay?!" Another boomburst rushed forward, crashing into the ground near the forced entry point and sending shards of furniture cascading through the room. Raph grit his teeth and covered his face. "Do what you want, just get out of here first!"

With a quick nod she moved, taking an old woman by the hand at the back of the café and helping her as best she could to stand and move to safety.

Raph did just the opposite, stepping through the hole in the wall, right into the midst of danger.

The air was heavy with dust and smoke, remnants of broken pipes in the ground and shattered concrete in the air. Exploud stood, twitching with rage mere meters from Raphael now. It stared at him with a torrent of emotions, all echoing pain and suffering. Raph could… feel them. All of them. The rage, the sadness, the loneliness, they echoed in his heart. He could relate to all of them, that piercing, agonizing loneliness… the feeling that he couldn't rely on anyone.

The emotions hit him like a wave, like they were an energy exuded by the poor creature in front of him.

He struggled to understand, he had never felt this before, never experienced this with the other shadow pokémon. What was happening? Why was this one different?

Or was something in him changing instead?

"I-I know you're hurting alright!" Before he could even think of something else, he called out to Exploud. Before even throwing out a pokéball, something compelled him to try and reach the being suffering and struggling inside all of that darkness. "...but hurting other people, pushing people away won't make it stop! Let me help you!"

His words were met by a torrent of blazing energy. From its open max, a cross shaped burst of fire blazed towards Raphael, who threw himself aside only in the nick of time to save himself from being cooked. There was no response, whatever sense he was developing, he couldn't feel Exploud stir within its pain. It was like… Exploud's heart was locked away somewhere beyond his reach. He couldn't save Exploud.

Yet, as his memories returned, to the image of the red shadow pokémon he'd faced in the past… he realized he could at the very least set him free. In doing so, he would save many others.

Raph picks himself up once more and looks to his belt. Vito had yet to be healed after the battle with Kabu and without a source of water nearby Carmen would be at a serious disadvantage. Lumi's ghost type attacks would be useless against the normal type pokémon.

He had two options left. He had to buy enough time for help to arrive, so together, they might have a chance.

"Roe! Selene!" Raphael unclips two pokéballs from his belt and tosses them skywards. In a flash of light two pokémon burst forth into the field. An eevee whose silvery coat shimmered with the light of the recently shot fire blast and a small Mudkip… who immediately sat down and yawned tiredly.

Raphael winced, Roe had watched many training sessions and battles since he'd been captured, but the Mudkip was somehow even lazier than Raph was. He could only hope the severity of the situation would spur them to action.

At the very least, Roe's eyes widened with surprise as he saw what stood before them. Selene hunkered down into a pouncing pose in turn, baring her fangs and taking on a signature sinister aura. Her facial expression was terrifying as she glared daggers into her much larger opponent.

"I know this looks bad… but there are people in danger. We have to hold Exploud off until help arrives. You two are the only ones I can count on right now, we have to give it our all." His voice was as calm as it could be, but the nerves still leaked through. Selene simply looked back at her trainer and nodded fiercely, she had owed her life to her trainer from the start, she would not allow this shadow fueled freak to harm him.

Roa was a little less enthusiastic. He looked between Exploud, then to Raphael, then back to Exploud, then back at Raphael. Then, with a mixture of concern and exhaustion on his face, quickly returning to a neutral expression, Roe at the very least managed to stand up on all fours.

Exploud roared violently, before opening its maw once more to unleash an attack. The time for pep talks was clearly over.

"Selene use Quick Attack! Roe confuse it with Supersonic!"

Like a speeding bullet, Selene burst from her standing position, darting between piles of rubble and charging towards her opponent. Roe on the other hand opened his mouth wide without much haste, he seemed to yawn and Raph feared the worst, but eventually the sound of that yawn reverberated, getting louder and louder until it rushed towards Exploud as visible waves of confusion.

Selene collided before the supersonic hit its mark, striking hard into her opponents chest, she drilled her head hard into its stomach. The damage was clearly more than expected as even the shadow pokémon seemed to reel from the blow. Adaptability was Selene's ability, as Raph had learned, pokémon moves that matched their type were already powerful, but Adaptability took that increase in strength and compounded it further.

Yet speaking of abilities.

Raphael had expected a clean getaway from Selene as Exploud attempted to dodge the Supersonic or alternatively, was caught off guard by sudden confusion. Against Raphael's presumptions however, Exploud stayed resolute… and the supersonic bounced off of him as if it were nothing. How?! Raphael's eyes widened with frustration and surprise. This pokémon, the way it was attacking earlier, did it have some sort of resistance to sound based attacks as well?

"Selene you have to mo-!"

But his command came too late.

Opening its mouth wide, Exploud unleashed a massive shockwave point blank at Selene. The Eevee was overwhelmed and the ground beneath her cracked before the force shot her backwards, her unconscious body falling to a heap as she slammed into and dented a nearby street lamp.

"Selene!" Raphael cried out, the urge to rush to her side compounded, panic setting in and overtaking him, before he could pull himself together, Exploud moved again. For the first time since he had caught him, Raphael saw Roe attempt to hurry.

The small water type turned and tried to scurry towards its trainer as Exploud suddenly burst forward, its fist crackling with electricity. A sudden and violent punch of crackling lightning collided with Roe, sending him sprawling backwards, rolling and tossing along the ground until he landed beside Selene's unmoving form.

Miraculously staying conscious, Roe attempted to pull himself up from the ground to stand again, but sparks of electricity still clung to his body, indicating his paralysis after the super-effective attack.

Raphael felt panic set in. Despite all the training he had undergone, all the success he had found. He still got like this when the going got rough, his chest tight, his brow sweating and his breath heaving. This time it was so much worse. He should have realized Roe and Selene were too underleveled for this battle and now they were in serious trouble. Releasing another pokémon now was a no go, not only would he be unable to issue that many commands, he had to focus on protecting those that were already injured. He had to-

A loud roar from Exploud signified he had no intention of waiting. With an anger fueled stride, he opened his mouth again, aiming towards the two pokémon injured on the ground. The air began to chill, freezing into sub-zero energy that gathered in the shadow pokémons massive mouth. It charged up, more and more, until a beam was mere milliseconds away.

Yet still that wait felt like the longest thing in the world for Roe.

He was staring down an end to his life he realized. A relatively short life, but a fine one he supposed. There had been good food, cool sights, fun moments all around… he had lazed around through it all and that suited him just fine.

So… why was he still so scared?

His body couldn't move in that moment, paralyzed as he was, it would take a few seconds at least until he could force himself into motion and that was time he didn't have now. This was it. It was over. He… didn't want that. He'd be willing to work to change that… but he didn't have a choice. He couldn't do anything to change that.

…

That was all there was.

…

"NO!"

Like a movie in slow motion, Roe watched as Raphael slid in front of Selene and himself. Arms spread wide, eyes wild, desperate and loud. In the very last second he stood in front of them, a shield for them both. Saving his life. The beam struck Raphael dead on, sending him crashing backwards into the pole Selene had struck prior with a cry of pain. It snapped in two, sparks flying everywhere as Roe watched his trainer clatter to the ground a few inches behind Selene. Ice clung to his body and frozen breath visualised in the air.

A few moments more, Roe was alive for just a little longer. Exploud's fists crackled with electricity and it screamed in anger, frustrated that it's kill had been stolen from it.

Despite everything, Roe watched as Raphael slammed a fist down on the ground and exhaled sharply. The small pokémons eyes widened as he pressed down on the ground below and struggled to rise even a few inches up to rest on his arms. Roe could see his face now, angry and desperate, utterly exhausted, blood trickling from the side of his mouth and his nose.

"I won't let you… hurt them anymore…" He struggled to pull himself forward once more, inch by inch, crawling over Selene and shielding her with his body. "R-Run… Roe..!" He sputtered out soon after, specks of blood scattering across the stones. "You have… to run away! Go get help! Keep yourself safe!"

Roe was bewildered. He was the least used and newest member of Raphael's team. He barely knew Raphael, he had been saved by the trainer once already, from the raging demise of a roaring waterfall… and since then, he'd contributed little, always preferring to sit on the sidelines.

So why..? Why was Raphael doing this for him? Why was Raphael dying for him?

Was that really the kind of man his trainer was? Someone who insisted on being a shield for others?

"Please… you have to get… away…"

Exploud took a heavy step forward, then another, then another. The electricity on its fist grew stronger as it stared with pure spite and hate towards Raphael.

Vito was a sword that cut through his enemies. Carmen was a spear that decimated his foes. Lumi was the fire that burned away obstacles. Selene was a darkness that intimidated the ones in his way.

But who… was Raphael's shield?

Roe slowly pulled himself to his feet and Raphael sighed with relief, thinking the small Mudkip was finally going to run away.

He did not.

Mimicking his trainer, Roe took two steps towards Exploud. The larger pokémon paused for but a moment in confusion, then roared, screamed in agony and frustration. Then charged forward towards the Mudkip in a fury. Raphael's voice cut through the screech. "Roe, no! You have to go! He'll kill you!"

No, no more being useless. No more being saved by Raphael, no more holding him back. Roe, once again imitating Raphael's stance, rose onto his hind legs and spread his front legs wide, struggling to keep his balance, but making himself a wall. Making himself a shield.

"ROE!"

Exploud swung hard, the fist colliding with Roe's head.

The Mudkip braced itself as its hind legs dragged across the ground, forcing its body forward, leaning into the attack as it threatened to break him into pieces.

Hold together. Be stronger. Be his shield.

The thoughts raced through Roe's mind like the lightning did his body, forcing his eyes to stay awake, forcing his body to stay standing.

I will protect Raphael.

Roe grit his teeth as tears rolled down his face from the pain, then opened his mouth to screech in defiance. Raphael watched helplessly as somehow this tiny pokémon held the line.

And then… something incredible happened.

White light burst from Roe's body, blinding all those present. Exploud howled in surprise and staggered backwards as the light enveloped Roe entirely, suffusing his entire being and bursting out like a shimmering star.

When the light faded, Roe had changed, still banged up and injured, but somehow larger and more whole than ever before. His skin had taken a lighter shade of blue, he stood confidently now on two legs and his open mouth settled into a confident and serious expression.

The fight wasn't over yet.

Spoiler:

LinearAxel · Aug 18, 2021

Melody Argent

18 | Female | From Spikemuth

Inventory

Spoiler:

Team

Spoiler:

Don't Leave Me Blue

"I think that second shower finally got all the coal off," Melody proclaims as she walks out of the room's lavatory, mostly dressed sans her jacket. Her re-appearance earns a cold stare from the Gothita that is perched on top of the hotel room's dresser, using the blank television screen as a mirror so that she can apply her makeup. It would appear that someone still hasn't forgiven her trainer for calling her to battle in those filthy mines.

Melody shakes her head as her attention is drawn to a spindly claw reaching out from under the bed and snatching a piece of fabric from Melody's bag. The punk teen can't help but feel grateful that her side business as a Black Spear Carrier Pidove (or whatever they call someone who occasionally delivers food and sparkly rocks is called) has allowed her to fund her Pokemon's desire for makeup and sewing supplies. "How's it goin', 'belle?"

"Kyu!" An eager voice calls from underneath the bed.

"Dreee." Nightshot hisses from atop the bed. The small dragon was floating above the sleeping Toxel that he had just moments ago tucked into the bed. There will be no waking the baby on his watch.

"Sorry, dad. " Melody whispers with a short snicker. "We'll be quiet." The punk teen then sits on the very edge of the bed (careful not to disrupt the sleeping baby) and reaches for the black, half-heart pendant that lay on her dresser.

Rosa… She thinks to herself as she stares at the small object. Suddenly her mind attempts to tear off in two different directions. The first being the mines they had finally left behind. She can't imagine that she, Jasper, and Achille were the only ones to have a run in with those shady characters… and that plague doctor. Everyone taking the challenge would have been going through those mines around the same time. Is Rosa okay? Is Haleigh okay? What about Raph, Valerie, Simon (who still [/i] will not answer his damn phone!) Did they have to deal with all that junk too?

Well, those grunts were kind of a joke, and it's not like the crew aren't all capable in their own right. They're fine. Most likely. Absolutely, but another memory also begins to tug at Melody's mind: She and Rosa made a promise before they departed Motostoke for that first time. Those Dreepypasta kids… something didn't sit right about that whole thing. It felt like there was more to it, and the Yin-Yang pair made a vow then and there to get to the bottom of it if it was still going on upon their return to Motostoke.

Well… they're in Motostoke. Melody grips the pendant lightly in her hand before clasping the bands around her neck. "Ready to do some detective work, Doom Noodle?"

Large eyes peer up at Melody before looking down at the sleeping poison type. But… the baby.

"Spike can come too." Melody says with a small shrug. She doesn't mind leaving Annabelle in the room to finish her latest costume, and it might do Celeste some good to soak up the luxurious inn for a bit before Melody forces her to walk on the (Arceus forbid) streets where the common people walk. It's probably not responsible Poke-ownership to leave the baby unattended, though. The trainer grabs the belt that holds her Pokeballs and returns the sleeping Pokemon to his little home. "Ready to go?"

With a small nod, the ghostly dragon floats onto his trainer's shoulder.

"Don't destroy the place while we're gone." Melody says with a wave as she grabs her satchel and makes her way to the door, the eager cry of a Mimikyu and the less than enthusiastic mumble of a Gothita fill her ears as she shuts the door behind her.

~~***~~

It didn't take long at all. Melody had barely crossed the street after departing the inn before the first missing-person poster caught her eye. A block later, another hung on a stop sign. By the time the pair arrived at the gym, she had spotted at least five. Little bastards… the teen thinks to herself. Her thoughts and stride suddenly cut short when she sees the door of the gym swing open. A disheartened-looking trainer steps out before promptly falling to his knees and smashing his fist into the ground in frustration.

Melody awkwardly looks away before ducking down an alleyway before the guy notices her. So many challengers with dreams of grandeur get a rude awakening when facing Kabu. Will this be where her journey ends as well?

"Watch your step, girlie." A gruff voice warns and breaks Melody from her thoughts.

Huh? What? Where? Oh. She was about to walk straight into that bench. Her thoughts on Kabu took quite the existential turn and she barely realized she was still walking, much less where she was walking. Man, the confines of her mind are becoming quite the deep place. "Thanks for the save," she states as she turns towards the owner of the voice. He's an older man with a receding, greying hairline hidden underneath a trilby hat and a bit of stubble around his face. He's sitting in a foldable chair next to a wooden stand. There's a large paper bag clutched in his right hand. He takes a swig out of whatever alcohol is hidden in that bag before giving something of a dismissive wave.

"Don't mention it. Got a lot on your mind, huh?"

"That obvious, yeah?" Melody shoves her hands into her jean pockets and leans her hip against the bench she had nearly collided with.

"Ya don't look old and jaded enough to be hittin' the bottle this early. Can't think of any other reason why ya'd be so out of it." He says with a small, knowing grin.

"Thank… you?" There was a compliment hidden in there somewhere, maybe, if you squint. He said she didn't look like an alcoholic, at least. "What's with the registration table?"

"Tryin' to round up some volunteers for the adoption centre. Kid who was mannin' the stand was chompin' at the bit to go see some girl, so I said I'd sit in for 'em 'til he got back." The old man squints as his eyes fixate on the tiny dragon draped over Melody's shoulder. "You're a trainer, huh?"

"That's what my ID card says," Melody replies with a small shrug.

The old man snickers. "You're somethin' else kid. You got a name?"

"Melody."

"Flint." The old man grins. "Why don't you go see what they got down there?"

"At the adoption center?"

"Yeah. C'mon, I'll show ya." The man clutches onto his walking stick as he pushes himself from his chair, the brown bag remaining clutched in his other hand. "The stand can watch itself for five minutes."

Melody tilts her head ever so slightly before falling in-step with the old man. She finds herself having to severely slow her stride since the person showing her the way is walking with a cane (and probably drunk.) Geez. It's like trying to follow those slow-moving NPCs. At least the place he wanted to show her wasn't far.

Upon arrival, red eyes slowly take in the centre and the Pokemon within it. There's an Espurr, a Cleffa, and… asleep, curled up against the farthest corner from the door, is a Houndour wearing a spiked collar.

"Somethin's caught your eye already, huh?" The old man asks.

"Is that one the mascot?" Melody questions.

"Ya mean Blue? Nah, she's a stray. Been here awhile."

"She's got a collar," Melody defends. And has a name. A stupid name, but a name.

"Yeah. Won't let 'em take it off either," The old man sighs. "I don't believe in tellin' sad stories for pity's sake, but since ya asked," there's a pause as he takes another swig from that bag-bottle. "She used t' be a family pet… til a fire burned 'er house to the ground. Family didn't feel right havin' a fire type around after that."

"Did they think she started the fire? Is that why no one will take her?" Melody asks with just a small amount of edge to her voice.

"Not real sure."

"That's bull****," Melody snaps.

The fire type in question's ears twitch. She slowly lifts her head and opens her eyes, two vibrantly blue irises curiously watching Melody and Flint. Blue eyes? Oh. Okay, the name's a little less stupid now.

"Have a good nap there, Blue?" Flint asks as Melody makes her way over to the dark type. Her approach is slow, and once she's about a foot away from the dog Pokemon, the punk teen sinks to her knees. The blue-eyed Houndour studies her for a brief second before rising from her sleeping place and walking over the small gap between them, giving both Melody and Nightshot a curious sniff.

Nightshot trembles at the sudden closeness of the dark type. Said dark type gives the dragon's nubbed-hand a light tap with her nose before lowering her head. It seems she's doing her best not to appear any more intimidating than she comes across by… merely being a dark type. It was evident in a matter of seconds that she was no threat, and, slowly, Nightshot begins to wriggle down his trainer's arm to get a better look.
For a few minutes, the two Pokemon converse through tail wags and soft growls. Soon enough, large eyes look up to Melody and Nightshot slowly shakes his head.

"I knew it," Melody says, earning herself a raised eyebrow from Flint. The black-clad trainer turns to the old man with a determined expression. "Blue didn't start that fire," she explains in a determined tone.

"Dree-py!" Nightshout calls out in affirmation.

Melody turns back to the abandoned Pokemon, her eyes bright with a new-found determination. "What they did to you was bollocks. Because fire made life hard for them, they're going to blame you? Because you have fire inside of you? Sometimes wind makes life hard on us too. Are they gonna give up on breathing?"

Blue looks down at her paws before looking back up to Melody.

Melody slowly reaches out and places a hand over one of the dog Pokemon's paws. That song she sang outside the record store the night of the ceremony once more plays in her mind. "We all need a fire inside of us, and… if I'm going to keep going on this journey… I'm gonna need an inferno." Why do things always sound so much better inside her head? "... Can you help me make that inferno?"

Blue's eyes widen. Is this human asking her to go with her? Not only believes that she didn't destroy her home, but wants her as well? The stub of her tail begins to slowly wiggle, increasing in speed as she places her paw atop Melody's hand.

The punk teen smiles and nods before turning her attention back to Flint. "How does this work?"

"Eh, I don't believe in paperwork. You put 'er in a Pokeball and she's yours." Flint says. There's something of a knowing look in his eyes, almost as if he knew this was going to happen. Not that it would take a rocket scientist.

Melody grins as she reaches into her bag for one of her Pokeballs and presents it to Blue. "Ready to go?"

The dark type stands up slowly. She turns towards the old man and gives a very discrete, yet grateful nod before, with another wag of her stubby tail, taps her paw against the Pokeball.

♪ So if your light is fading
From the shadow of a doubt
We'll light the sky
With our
Inferno ♪

Melody caught a Houndour!

Nickname: Blue
Ability: Flashfire
Nature: Quiet ||
Moves:
Fire Fang
Roar
Beat Up
Howl
Bite
Smog

Mizumanta · Aug 18, 2021

"Paperwork, paperwork. Ah!" Lennox mumbled. He had been filling out paperwork for his gym challenge for a while now. Repeatedly writing the same information in every time was completely inefficient. almost an hour had gone by and he was contemplating just leaving and giving up. But he had already invested a lot of time into it. Including the hours he had spent watching previous gym challenges and formulating plans around them. He turned to the receptionist. "You know, you could easily just put my data into the system and just use that each time." he huffed. The receptionist looked up at him, barely aware of his frustration.

"Oh, we could do that.. You just have to ask." She replied with a smile. Lennox's face produced a frown so deep that it actually kind of hurt to make.

"So this was...just a waste of time?" He muttered.

"Well it's whatever form of registration you prefer. You merely need to ask us beforehand." She smiled back. Lennox was tempted to snap at the woman, but caught himself and held back, not wanting to make a bad impression. He put on his best fake smile.

"Okay then, please use my past registration information for my current registration. Please." Lennox chirped. If it wasnt for his eagerness to continue, the woman's every click of the keyboard would have frustrated him further. But after only about 30 seconds, she was finished.

"There. Your gym challenge is scheduled in 30 minutes. Please change into your appropriate attire and make your way to the designated waiting." She chimed.

30 seconds. An hour of work could be done in thirty seconds and she really had him doing all of that clearly useless work. It was sort of a waste off his time. But complaining wouldnt get him anywhere... Instead, Lennox rushed to the changing room to get his uniform. And after only a few minutes of rushed clothing exchange, he reappeared in the same generic uniform, with the number 21 stitched on the back. He wasnt a fan of the uniform. It wasnt cute or comfortable. It wasnt something you would wear when on camera. It felt more like a school uniform than anything. But whatever. This was just something that needed to be done.

Len sat in the waiting room as they readied the field. He knew what the challenge was. He had prepared a strategy long ago for what he considered a bit of an annoyance of a challenge. his pokeball in hand, Lennox heard his name being called and walked through the doors to the field. A bright light shone in his face, revealing a small stadium with an equally small crowd. He had been in the stands before, watching other challengers. Before him was a medium sized field with three small fields of grass. each grass patch had a trainer standing by it. The announcer took a few steps next to Lennox to reveal himself.

"And now, we have the 4th challenger of the day! This time, it's #21, Lennox Glass!" The announcer's words led the crowd to cheer once again. "For the Motostoke Gym Challenge, Lennox will have to try his best to catch one of the pokemon available in this field. But it wont be that easy, as there is a a surprise to make it even tougher!" He shouted with glee. Len sighed. The gym challenge was always the same, so why would challengers be surprised? He knew what to expect, and had an easy way wound it. "So without further Ado, 3-2-1...Start!" A loud whistle echoed through the stadium. The young trainer walked onto the field with the gym trainers keeping a close eye to him. Len picked the closest patch of grass. Which one really didnt matter to be honest. The result would be the same. In this one, a single red pokemon excitedly hopped around, seemingly unaware of what was going on.

"Guess youre the first." Lennox commented. A woman in a Motostoke gym uniform stepped forward.

"Hey, I'm Leona." She chimed, "As per the rules, I will be joining this battle. But dont worry, you'll be the only one to catch the pokemon." She smirked. Lennox smiled fakely. How could she keep up this same act each time for such public event? he commended her for her commitment. He greeted her briefly before tossing out his pokeball. In a flash of blue and yellow light, His bright yellow ball of joy, Feedback the elekid appeared. He whirled his arms around in anticipation, immediately seeing the opportunity to battle. Leona tossed out a pokeball too, specifically a growlithe. As it entered the battlefield, it leered sharply at the vulpix, getting its attention, and causing it to shirk back in a bit of fear. The intimidate ability. It would make this battle a little bit easier. "Let's begin, shall we?" Leona led.

"Of course!" Lennox replied with a fake smile. "Elekid, take advantage of vulpix's hesitation with thunder wave." Len pointed forward to initiate the command. Feedback was a little dissapointed that it couldnt just start the battle pounding away at the opponent. Still, he complied by rubbing his fists together and releasing a small wave of weak electricity at the opponent. The electricity caused sparks to dance across the vulpix's body, causing it to freeze up a bit as its muscles contracted. "And now-"

"Bite!" Leona shouted, commanding her growlithe. Growlithe howled into the air briefly before rushing towards not the vulpix, but elekid! Lennox, however, was unsurprised.

"Shock wave." He muttered. Elekid spun its arms again, this time with glee, firing a controlled electric wave at both vulpix and growlithe. Caught off gaurd, growlithe's attack was stopped short, and it was sent back. Vulpix also fell to the attack, falling to one leg. "Sorry to disappoint you..." Len said nonchalantly. "But I already anticipated your interference." He smirked. "These gym challenge pokemon arent particular tough to catch. It's that the gym trainers will interfere and make it tougher. So it's better to see this as a 2 vs. 1 battle instead, right?" Lennox was proud of himself for sounding cool. at least in his head. he normally would have clammed up in such a public setting. "Feedback, growlithe cant get to close to you thanks to shock wave. Use this opportunity to land a thunderpunch on vulpix." Elekid gleefully complied, charging up his electricity, and directing it towards the weakened fox pokemon.

"Very good. Most trainers just rush to do the challenge and dont realize." She smiled. "But you actually noticed, huh?" Leona's hand raised in the direction of the vulpix. "Well then, use will o wisp!" Growlithe shook its fur, releasing small purple glowing orbs in the direction of the vulpix. The were faster than elekid, surprisingly, and hit the vulpix in a flash of light. Lennox was caught off gaurd a bit. but not because of the attack on vulpix, but instead due to what happened next. The small red fox pokemon glowed bright red. Its body not burned by the whispy attack, but instead, powered up by it. Vulpix, now burning with newfound power in its weakened state, fired off a slew of ember attacks, larger than they normally would be, to engulf the elekid. The flames slowed elekid down quite a bit, causing its thunderpunch to do minimal damage to elekid. Additionally, Elekid's body burst into temporary flames. The burn status. Now, Elekid would be weakened with time, and its phyisical attacks would do less damage. Lennox had anticipated this, but had simply forgotten the possibility while he was giving off what he now saw as a kind of cringey line. The original plan was to intercept the attack if needed with swift, causing the orbs to dissipate. But it was too late now.

"You got us." Lennox shrugged. "I completely forgot about flash fire being activated by one of you. But while this battle is basically 2 vs. 1, the solution isnt to beat both pokemon." He pulled out a pokeball. "Elekid, quick attack!" Still suffering from the stings of the burn, Elekid rushed forward with surprising speed, appearing just behind vulpix. It rammed itself into the small fox pokemon, pushing it to the ground. As quickly as the attack had been called, Lennox had tossed a pokeball in the direction of where he knew Elekid would push the vulpix, surprising Leona. The fire pokemon was swept up into the ball in a flash of light, wobbling twice before clicking, confirming the capture. The crowd cheered once again.

"He's done it! And in surprising speed as well! Lennox has evaded the surprise traitorous tactics of the gym trainers and captured the vulpix!" Lennox picked up the pokeball, knowing that he was allowed to keep it if he wanted, and thanked Leona for her part int he challenge. After a brief interview for the recordings, Lennox went back through the doors that he had appeared. It was time to heal his pokemon and head to the gym leader this time. He had won this gym challenge with strength, but the next battle would be one with grace.

Mizumanta · Aug 20, 2021

He could hear it. The cheering of the crowd. The booming of their voices literally shook the door in front
If him. He didn't like people as much. They tended to throw him off. He often changed how he behaved for the approval of others, and just doing that one on one was draining to him. Hundreds of people in the stands would be a little much. He would just have to ignore them.

Lennox had prepared for this battle as well. He had trained his pokemon's reaction times, and even gotten them to alter moves as if they were appeals in a contest. He had considered many countermeasures to defeat his opponent. But the looming issue that he had been pushing In the back of his mind still remained. His opponent, Kabu, was a much more experienced trainer. His Centiscorch was undoubtedly stronger, so it would take some skill to pass this test. He was as ready as he could be.

Lennox opened the doors. The shouting of the crowd was like a heat that washed over him it was a bit overwhelming, but he could feel himself adjusting. The cheering
Wasnt even for him Kabu, the gym leader of Motostoke, was already waiting
For him on the field. His aura was intimidating, far fiercer than the fire type gym leader of Hoenn that he had seen. "Another challenger. Let us have a good battle.". Kabu's voice was firm and commanding. It was actually a bit intimidating, but exciting at the same time.

"Yes, let's." Lennox bowed and shook Kabu's hand. The two shared a brief look before turning back to their starting points. Len grabbed a moon ball. He had a plan to win this match with one pokemon alone.

Kabu sent his pokemon out first. "Centiscorch, come." He tossed his pokeball into the air to reveal a very large bug type, his centiscorch. It had tendrils that were covered in flames, and a long body that, while not to fast, was certainly defensive. he had used It in every battle, and Len had studied its movements and characteristics, though he purposely didn't go overboard, as he liked a surprise.

Len tossed out his moon ball in response and to the anticipating crowd. In a burst of blue light, his togetic took the field, bowing just like her trainer as she came out. The announcer this time didn't say anything like he did in the gym challenge, and instead merely blew a whistle. It was time to start.

"Hmph. Start with a fire lash!" Kabu was direct with his order, instructing his pokemon to send its flaming tendrils forward. Though he had seen it before, Lennox was surprised at how far they extended in person. Still, Grace had trained for this. Grace dodged skillfully, allowing the attacks to hit the ground behind her. Her ability to change her speed and move with such agility came from her training with Nami, the feebas. An attack that simple wouldn't work so easily. And now Kabu knew it too. Kabu looked over at Lennox, as if to signal that it was his turn to show what he had.

"Grace, Ancientpower!" Lennox called. Kabu's eyes lit up as Grace gathered energy around her. It took roughly two seconds to do so, however Grace was able form 5 solid chunks of rock, each the size of togetic herself, embued with odd energy in that time. Each rock floated eerily around togetic before launching simultaneously at the bug pokemon. Togetic pulled off a delightful spin to look as of she were dancing with them.

"So you know that centiscorch has a major weakness to rock type attacks? Very interesting. However...." His voice trailed off. Centiscorch moved its tendrils again, using them as whips to knock down each rock. Clearly it was a struggle for
The pokemon to move such masses with just its tendrils, and this caused slight fatigue, bit not anywhere near as effective as if it had hit its body. "Now then, scald!" Centiscorch took 3 seconds to gather water into its mouth, the water clearly getting hot as steam crept from its gaping jaws. The bug pokemon fired an intimidating stream of water forward. Grace attempted to dodge, missing the initial stream of water, but the steam from the attack had reached her back and wings, causing her to flutter to the ground to recover. "It seems that your pokemon is grounded. What will you do?" Kabu eerily called.

Lennox hadn't thought that the attack was so dangerous up close. Was it because the scald attack was coming from a fire type? Was it hotter than normal? He hadn't anticipated his pokemon being unable
To fly so soon into the battle. But it wasnt as if his strategy couldn't be used on the ground. "Grace, Yawn." Togetic opened its mouth for a big Yawn, allowing 6 different floating blue orbs to come out, each getting bigger as the floated, until they matched togetic's size. However, they crept very slowly into the air, and the two poke.in were actually about 20 feet from each other.

"Is this your counter to my pokemon?" Kabu seemed disappointed. He didn't even bother asking his pokemon to dodge. "While I commend you for not just going
For brute force, the alternative cannot be something so undisciplined." He scoffed. "These are no threat."

"It wasnt meant to be used alone." Lennox replied. "Sweet Kiss!" The young trainer called. Togetic spun around cutesy on one leg, holding its arm to its mouth and blowing a kiss. About a dozen heart shaped bubbles quickly emerged, some harmlessly bouncing off of the Yawn bubbles as they pushed forward.

"I can see that I underestimated you. This barrage is more sufficient. But still not enough." He turned to his pokemon. "Fire lash!" The centiscorch struck at the barrage of balloon-like attacks, popping almost half of them before they could reach him. "This is nothing!" He mocked.

"It's nothing yet, but..."togekiss took in a deep breath, and fired off a pink wind towards the balloons and centiscorch. Normally the attack would be very weak against a fire type. But it's purpose wasn't to do direct damage. That was just an extra. It's real purpose was...

"Ah! The sweet kiss and Yawn attacks are-" Kabu began. But it was too late. The calming blast of fairy wind pushed the sweet kiss and Yawn attacks forward much faster than before, catching the centiscorch off guard. The remaining bubbles that weren't destroyed from the fire lash attack popped all over the bug types body. Each attack held a mist of its respective color, covering the opponent.

"Sweet Kiss and Yawn are attacks-" Lennox began, "that hold special vapors inside of them. Get those vapors on you, and weird stuff happens." Centiscorch began to get drowsy, dizzily trying to stay up.

"What?" Kabu began to panic. "Centiscorch, wake yourself up with Thunder fang!" Centiscorch's jaws covered themselves in electricity, as it quickly chomped on its own tail. The electricity pulsed through its body, causing It to twitch and convulse. However, it's drowsiness disappeared, leaving only it's unbalanced steps. "How is it still affected?" The gym leader questioned.

"You stopped the sleep from settling in, " Lennox smiled. "But the confusion is a different matter." He gave the thumbs up to togetic to heal herself. With a life dew move. It put its hands into the air, forming a very small blue ball of liquid. A single
Drop fell onto togetic's back, healing the steam burn damage she had received.

"Centiscorch, quickly, sunny day!" Kabu called. But his pokemon would not listen. Instead, it struck its own tail into the ground, causing itself pain.

"This is where things get a little risky." Lennox chimed. "You see, I have no idea when your pokemon will snap out of it, or when it can attack, but confusion from sweet kiss will certainly disrupt your rhythm. "Now, ancientpower!" Lennox called. This time, Grace got back into the air and moved closer to the large bug pokemon, firing another set of 5 rocks at the snake-like bug. It went back and forth from attempting to dodge some attacks to harming itself. Kabu was clearly getting frustrated, but Lennox knew that confusion was unpredictable. He had to try and finish this soon.

"Catch it with bug bite!" Kabu called. Centiscorch lunched towards the togetic, almost getting its leg as togetic dodged. Had it not been confused, it would have connected. In turn, togekiss was ordered to attack once again with ancientpower, hitting the fire type once again. Although the attack hit, the young trainer seemed disappointed.

"No...not this time either..." He mumbled.

"Sunny day!" Kabu called. This time, centiscorch complied, firing an orb of red light into the sky, forming into a mock-sun. It's heat beat down on the battlefield. The boost in power seemed to be enough to snap the pokemon put of confusion. "Now, solarbeam!" Kabu called. Lennox knew Kabu's pokemon didn't need to charge. Not in the sun. There wasn't any time, and Lennox couldn't stop what happened next. The togetic that had gotten so close to attack was now helpless as the opponent twisted its body around the flying type and gathered energy quickly. A second later, a burst of green and white energy fired forth, bathing the togetic. Lennox was troubled. It was a solid hit from up close. Despite the type advantage, togetic might not be able to hold out.

Lennox peered into the clearing dust to see a small white blur speed out. Togetic appeared before him, resting on the ground. She was clearly tired, and couldn't take an attack like that in her current state. "Let's do it again," Manta called. "Ancientpower!" Kabu seemed confused. From that far away? Centiscorch could easily knock down the attack like before without the confusion. What was the trainer thinking?

"Fine, it seems you have given up and are merely lunching forward. Fine. Use fire lash!" Centiscorch's tendrils flamed up even more harshly thanks to the sun, no longer merely knocking the rocks away, but outright crushing them as they came. "And now, finish it up," Kabu closed his eyes. There wasn't a need to see things to the end. "Solarbeam!"

As the beam of light both Lennox and Grace were familiar with shot forward, Grace's own actions were essential defined. However, she seemed to be shining in a dim rainbow of light herself. "Finally." Lennox sighed. "Now, go!" He called to his pokemon, as the beam covered where she stood.

"You've lost, boy." Kabu shouted eerily. However, as he finished his sentence, togetic appeared behind centiscorch, both changing expressions to surprise.

"You mocked the repeated use of this move, but it has a hidden ability." He called out once more "Ancient power!" This time, much faster than normal, togetic gathered energy above itself, forming rocks that were at least double in size.

"Speed? Extra power? It seems it's I who has assumed the conclusion of this battle." Kabu smiled.

"Go!" Togetic rained the 5 large rocks down at one range, burying the surprised centiscorch, leaving it unmoving among a cloud of smoke. Lennox and Togetic tried to catch their breath, waiting on a verdict. But Kabu interrupted the judge, who Len had not heard from the whole match.

"It is my loss." Kabu said calmly. "To think that I was the one to underestimate you." He looked over at the togetic. "Your pokemon raised its stats at the last second to avoid most of my final attack."

"Most?" Lennox asked. Kabu gestured to togetic's leg and lower half of its body, which was singed by the solarbeam. Len hadn't even considered that she wouldn't have dodged the attack completely. He was relying on the ability of ancient power to handle the rest of the battle. But for togetic to be harmed that much even after getting boosted...

"Had your pokemon been a little slower, or had missed that boost of energy at the end, you would have lost the battle." Kabu shrugged, uncharacteristically. "But luck is also part of battle." He lifted a colorful item up. "Here is my badge, and proof of your victory." He handed it over. "Don't underestimate your opponents again." He whispered.

With that, Kabu left the field, leaving Lennox alone with the crowd. He had mixed feelings about his win. He had thought his strategy was sound. With Serene Grace as an ability, multiple uses of ancientpower should have worked but... perhaps he would need to reevaluate his strategies. With that, he left the field, already filling his head with ways to improve.

Jay · Aug 20, 2021

Raphael Allard
> Motostoke Gym
> Bad Acoustics - Final

..

....

"Roe…" Raphael had managed to pull himself to his knees, the ice coating his body finally starting to melt away, he finally managed to take a pokéball from his belt and return the injured Selene to safety, before his eyes returned to the pokémon who now stood before him.

Roe was badly injured, having taken multiple super-effective strikes from a pokémon far beyond his level. It seemed impossible that he was able to stand, yet there he was. He adopted the same stance Raphael had but a few moments ago. Standing a safe distance in front of his trainer, arms spread wide, a steeled and furious expression echoing from his now larger eyes, staring down the Red Shadow Exploud who threatened them. Dust and smoke from recently broken cobblestone and recently set fires still stirring around their battlefield.

Help was coming. Raphael remembered, Himari was going to get help, he just had to hold on a little longer. Just a little longer.

Exploud charged forward again, taking no time to react to his opponent's change. With sparking electric fists he rushed in, swinging violently at Roe who remained stalwart, unmoving in his protective stance. Raphael panicked for a brief moment, but it seemed to no avail. The fist crashed into the side of Roe's head and the electricity immediately fizzled out. Roe stood, unflinching, the enemies fist pressed to the side of his head as the incoming attack had done nothing.

It had done absolutely nothing.

Realization dawned for the trainer. Row had evolved into Marshtomp, that means his typing had changed… and Roe's moveset may have changed along with it.

"Roe now! Use a move! A ground type move!"

A slick stream of mud suddenly appeared, flowing down Roe's right arm, with a violent swing he launched the concentrated muck at his enemy, spraying a heavy stream of gravel into Exploud's eyes and causing it to stagger backwards. It threw Exploud off balance, causing it to stagger in its steps. It was slower now, easier to react to.

Roe Learned Mud Shot!

Both Raphael and Roe knew the same trick wouldn't work twice however. Exploud knew electricity wasn't going to work anymore… and it was more than willing to swap to its preferred form of attack. Leaping backwards, it opened its maw wide, echoes rushed through the various holes on its body and it charged up an even more powerful sound based move than before.

"Roe! Protect!"

Both a move and a general command, Roe threw its arms out wider and focused. Crystalline energy gathered around him and a forcefield formed in an instant. A massive orb of protective force surrounded Roe and Raphael besides as the sound wave crashed forward, tearing stone from the nearby buildings walls and further impounding the destructive tracks rendered on the ground below.

With an almighty crash the energy collided, and the sound of shattering glass could be heard as windows either side of Roe exploded from the diffused energy. The marshtomp growled and dug its feet into the ground, its whole body grinding backwards as it held its hands forward, holding the barrier strong until the energy dispersed.

Exploud looked baffled as his attack was completely negated, with fury building to somehow even greater heights, it screamed again, launching a quick reprisal and follow up to the first attack. With the same intensity already it attacked again.

Protect was a move that required an intense amount of energy and concentration. It was difficult for a pokémon to maintain for even a few seconds more than the norm, especially in a weakened state. Even still, Roe stepped forward, moving closer to the source of the incoming damage and threw up his shield once more. The crystalline bubble of protection cracked and creaked and Roe was almost sent flying off his feet… but he held, crying out and shouting in defiance, he held. The ground around him was all but decimated now, only the space where he and Raphael held out was still solid, the cobblestone at their feet protected by Roe's vigilance.

Again the attack was tossed aside, again Exploud raged and settled into a turret like position. Its own screams of anguish echoed through its body, reverberating, growing in power, preparing to be launched outwards in the most powerful attack yet.

Roe couldn't hold out any longer, his arms shook gently as he held them aloft, his eyes struggled to stay open. He was battered, bruised and exhausted, but still he stood. He would protect Raphael no matter what it took. Together, they had saved the people in danger, Raphael had been willing to throw himself in the line of danger, to be the shield for all these people he didn't know. Roe's eyes snapped wide again.

Always Raphael tried to protect others, but so little did he try to save himself. So Roe would do it for him. If he broke, he'd put himself back together again. If protect shattered, he'd hold the line and make it again. Hold himself together. Don't budge an inch. Protect his trainer. Protect his family.

Raphael watched helplessly as Roe fought on valiantly. He shut his eyes and cursed himself, he could barely move, barely keep his eyes open. They were running out of time. Deep down in the depths of his damaged heart, Raphael cried out, he screamed to any who could hear him, somehow, someway. He needed help. His pokémon needed help. He grit his teeth and tears started streaming down his face. Someone had to help them, he had done all he could, but now he needed someone to help. Please. Someone. Anyone!

As Raph's expression contorted and his heart clenched, tears blurring his vision with the light of the flame… he didn't notice the small shards of blue light that had begun to flow off of his body.

The final attack struck hard and Roe, miraculously, threw his shield up one third and final time. The immense strength of the blow was unbelievable, most of protect shattered and broke away, but a single shield like fragment was held in front of Roe, holding back the majority of the force, the energy of the sound wave all but dispersing.

But it was not enough.

The last fragments of the shield broke away and with the remaining force, Roe was sent flying back, crashing into Raphael who desperately tried to catch him, only for both of them to clatter backwards beside the broken street lamp.

Roe was unconscious… unable to battle. With the last strength he could muster, Raphael returned him to his pokéball.

Exploud was fuming, overwhelmed by pure rage. Raph slowly clambered backwards, dragging himself along the ground, quickly pushing his pokéballs into his bag. He wanted to protect the capsules and the Pokémon inside from harm even now.

Exploud opened it's maw wide one more time, energy charging to point blank splatter Raphael against the pavement. This was it. It was over.

He smiled a little sadly and closed his eyes. In the end… at least… he had tried his best and gotten this far.

"KYAAAAA!"

At the last second a pokémon landed beside Raphael that emanated immense heat, it scooped Raphael up in its arms and with unbelievable, blinding speed leaped away, skating on talons to the side and out of the way of the blast that shattered the ground where he had been sitting a mere moment before.

As Raphael was placed quickly but carefully against a wall, he opened his eyes, vision blurry, ears ringing, he could still make out the pokémon before him. The proud and imposing form… of a Blaziken.

"A...Arri..?" He staggered out the question, but it was not she who had come to his aid.

"You have done well, Young Raphael. Do not fear, I will take things from here."

Standing confidently on the road where Raphael had once stood was the wizened and blazing man of fire. Kabu's gaze was focused and his fist clenched and held to his chest. He examined the enemy pokémon with a discerning eye, perhaps even asking the same questions Raph had at the beginning of the battle, but ultimately coming to the same conclusion.

"I am sorry, Exploud, but I will not allow you to harm this young man any further." Slamming one foot onto the ground, Kabu leaned in with a fierce expression, not unlike how he acted during gym battles. "Come! I will be the one to end your suffering!"

Exploud roared and raged, charging forward with fists once more streaking with lightning, he leaped skyward and aimed down towards Kabu, rushing towards him with immense force. "Blaziken!" Kabu issued a single command to his pokémon in response. With the same speed he had used to rescue Raphael, Blaziken rocketed skyward, cracking the ground beneath its feet as it moved.

It spun in the air, its leg like a guillotine as it took aim above the incoming Exploud.

"High Jump Kick!"

With a resounding crash that echoed with force through the ruined street, Blaziken brought its taloned leg downwards, smashing hard into Exploud who plummeted with the immense power exerted upon him. Like a falling star, Exploud smashed into the ground below and immediately crumbled to dust, its body dispersing and breaking into fragments of starlight. Mingling with the light of the flames, they caught the rising winds and began to flow upwards into the night sky.

Raphael looked onwards in awe, as if in that moment he was once more the boy in his family home watching unbelievable feats on TV.

The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the concerned face of Kabu rushing towards him, loyal Blaziken not far behind.

Foxrally · Aug 23, 2021

Simon Pearburgh

Spoiler: Inventory

Spoiler: Memories

Catherine Carlisle

Indra

Stampede

Holo

Vessel

Lancer

Spoiler: Inventory

Motostoke

"Bloody ridiculous!" Simon slammed his hands on the table, turning a few heads and nearly spilling the glass of sitrus juice he'd ordered. He'd gone straight to the Sunny Brew cafe after his battle, just like his last visit to Motostoke, and the place seemed emptier than usual for the time of day, especially considering the recent gym challenges. Something which may have been for the better, as Simon continued to wave around his sandwich in his angry rant.

"Coming at me all like, 'Did you really', who does the old coot thing he is?! I called the fucking shots that entire battle, and I did it better than him! He thinks he can get in my head, try to weaken me, right? It's what this league is all about, it's the mental game- well he can fuck off." Simon spat. "I got his badge, just like I got Nessa's, just like I got Milo's. Difference between 'em is, they know strength when they see it."

He took a bite of his sandwich. "-and then! Then, I walk out the stadium, expecting all the fucking fanfare and news crews that the others got- and nobody shows up cause some 'incident' is happening downtown. Some bullshit- they probably all came in with their 'underbug' stories prepped for me and had to toss them out, that's what. They can fuck off just like Kabu, right?" He looked at the listener sitting across.

"Spew." Spewpa squeaked in response, sitting on the other end of the table.

"Are you still bitter about that?" Simon replied, "I told you, if I'd let any of you lot out, it would've ruined the whole point of the battle. Plus, you know Snom would flip if she found out." he added, taking a sip of his drink.

Spewpa shook her head and let out another insulted squeak, this time bordering on a growl.

"No, that's not what I meant!" Simon sighed in exasperation. "You all obviously matter a lot- but if I want people to take me seriously, I need the focus to be on the strong Pokemon on my team, not-"

"SPEW!" the little bug suddenly screeched out, bristling her fur and hopping forward, letting out a series of high-pitched growls and snarls in a furious rant.

"You know what-" Simon growled as he pulled out her Pokeball and tapped it, "I don't have to deal with this right now." He watched the light encompassed Spewpa's body and absorbed her into the device, cutting her off mid-squeak.

As he shoved the ball back into his pocket, he crossed his arms and sighed. What was this gut-wrenching feeling he was experiencing? He'd won, he'd shown the world he was strong- but none of it felt rewarding. He was on top for once, and it felt… empty. Like he hadn't earned it.

Maybe it was the location. Last time he'd been at this café, it was with… Sachi.

Simon shook his head. No, he wasn't that same weak trainer anymore. It was Kabu's words getting inside his head again, obviously, with his stupid, cryptic advice and fire metaphors. Then, Simon realized something- he'd only only won one battle. Was that really enough to prove his strength? Maybe to the rest of the world, yes, but not to himself. Yes, that was the problem- he just needed to settle into this new role more, and this jarring feeling would go away.

He looked out of the cafe window absentmindedly. Who would be the best opponent to prove such a point to himself…?

Then, in the distance, he spotted someone. Walking at a brisk pace towards the gym, poliwag at her side, was Catherine. "Perfect." Simon mouthed as he paid his bill on the table he got up.

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

"Poli?" Indra asked - or seemed to.

"Yeah. I know what I said," Catherine replied.

She had made a point of telling her team she wanted to spend a few days just relaxing in Motostoke - a chance to decompress after what had happened in the mines. She'd spent the first day in Motostoke doing just that, but now she was en route to the gym.

It wasn't that she had been overtaken by a sudden desire to challenge Kabu. It was quite the opposite really. She had no real interest in battling the man of fire, but as long as she had that responsibility looming over her, she couldn't properly enjoy her relaxation. She had research to do and a battle to have. How was she supposed to enjoy a break when she had her brain constantly dancing back to the challenge?

So she had decided, irritably, that she would just have to get it out the way. She would go to the gym and return to her usual routine. She would sit there and spend most of the day researching Kabu's strategies, then she would defeat him and be able to enjoy a rest from all the trainer ridiculousness for a while.

"This way we can have a proper break after," Catherine said, "We can just sit in our hotel room catching up on episodes we've missed and enjoying ourselves without this stupidity looming over us."

Those plans, much like those before them, were not made to last though. As Catherine walked, she heard footsteps hurriedly moving her direction and the Indra sound she had long since learned was an exclamation of greeting.

She turned to see the source of the intrusive noise, coming face-to-face with none other that Simon Pearburgh. Something was off about him though. His army of Bugs was conspicuously absent and there was an anger to his expression of the likes Catherine usually reserved for particularly bothersome individuals… like Simon.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the Bug trainer. This looked like it was going to be a lot of drama that she did not want to bother with. Especially when Simon was specifically meant to be leaving her alone as per their agreement. Of course though, he would renege on that the moment he saw fit. Asshole.

She had a promise to herself and her team to keep though… at the very least she would hear him out. Briefly. "What do you want? Didn't we agree that you weren't going to bother me anymore after I beat you last time?"

Simon scowled- the memory of his defeat still fresh in his mind, along with Catherine's words at the time. "I'm demanding a rematch- right here, right now." he snapped, pulling out Scolipede's ball. "To prove a point."

"Pretty sure that's the opposite of leaving me alone," Catherine responded, "I don't see why I should accept. I have more important things to do than entertain you."

The young trainer tightened his grip around the pokeball- she still thought he was the weak, foolish trainer she'd met on Route 4. "This time, neither of us holds back," he said. "Bring out your strongest member."

"Are you deaf or just oblivious? I said no."

"Alright, your best three then."

"Why would making it a three on three change my opinion?" Catherine scolded him. "Honestly, stop being a child and leave me be."

"Fuck it- your whole team!" Simon interjected. "Every member on your team versus my ace. At the same time. Same deal as before."

By then, a small crowd of league fans headed to the stadium had begun gathering around the pair, overhearing the exchange and whispering excitedly among themselves.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Catherine said stunned, "Even ignoring that you couldn't even beat me one on one before, that has to be the most tactically stupid thing you could possibly have suggested. Investing everything in a single Pokemon leaves the rest of your team vulnerable… and frankly it's just unfair to them."

Catherine looked at Simon's determined expression and sighed. Was it still fitting in with her philosophy to walk away now when he was clearly desperate for whatever reason? Especially when there were evidently some very important lessons he needed to learn.

"Fine," she conceded, "But not all at once. I'm not going to have some asshole in the audience recording a five Pokemon beatdown against one Snom or something and use it against me. If you really want it to be more than one against your lone Pokemon, I'll do two at a time."

Simon smirked and punched the pokeball into his fist. "Suits me- your funeral."

Joint post of gimmepie and Foxrally

Foxrally · Aug 23, 2021

Simon Pearburgh

Spoiler: Inventory

Spoiler: Memories

Catherine Carlisle

Indra

Stampede

Holo

Vessel

Lancer

Spoiler: Inventory

Motostoke

"Alright Indra, since you're out. You first." As Indra stepped up to bat, she selected her next Pokeball. "Let's pair you with Lancer."

She tossed the ball lightly in front of her, bringing her Croagunk into the fray with a flash. He crossed his arms smugly, confident he could overcome whatever was about to happen.

"Go, Scolipede!" Simon called out.

The crowd around them gasped as light spewed from the pokeball and coalesced into the figure of the giant bug- several times the size of both its opponents. It let out a low growl as it lowered its head to look at the two other Pokemon, eyes blank and unblinking.

Indra squeaked in surprise at the monstrosity that had spawned before it, but Catherine barely heard him or noticed the creature he was looking at. Her eyes were fixed on the ball it had come from.

"Where the hell did you get that ball?" Catherine said, glaring at Simon with an entirely new flavour of anger and disgust. "Do you even know what it does?"

"Hah, wouldn't you like to know." Simon smirked. "As far as you're concerned, it's the beginning of your downfall! Scolipede, High horsepower!"

Scolipede roared as it charged forward towards Catherine's two Pokemon, it's rings and hoofs glowing with energy.

There was no time for strategizing, or for interrogations it seemed. Catherine called for a counter-offensive. "Sucker Punch and Rain Dance!"

Lancer shot forward between Indra and the Bug, delivering a speedy punch to its head as rain started to fall.

The bug barely flinched as the blow struck the side of its face and it slid to a stop. "Wrong move!" Simon called out, "Now, Smart Strike the Croagunk!"

Wasting no time, Scolipede's horns shone with silver energy as it lowered its head to catch Lancer midair, striking the Pokemon square in the chest with a single thrust forward.

Lancer was catapulted across the battlefield, coming to a stop with a tumble and shakingly climbing to his feet. The rain was already starting to heal his wounds, but that single hit had done significant damage.

Catherine winced. Of course the Scolipede was monstrously strong. It had been captured with one of those twisted pokeballs.

"Indra, keep back from it and hit it with Bubblebeam!" Hopefully Indra could outspeed it long enough for Lancer to recover.

"Speed boost and high horsepower the croagunk again!" Simon ordered, ignoring the poliwag for now. The bubblebeam glanced off of Scolipede's body, weakening the earth energy gathering around it, but couldn't do much to stop it as it charged again and plowed through Lancer.

Lancer was trampled into the dirt by the attack, even as more bubbles bounced off the Scolipede's carapace. Ever the stubborn one though, he shoved the enormous Bug back off of him just enough to stagger back to his feet.

Shit. Catherine could already see the battle going downhill fast if just two attacks had put Lancer on his last legs. Just where did a little bastard like Simon get his hands on one of the criminal pokeballs? "Lancer, Revenge!"

The Croagunk looked up at the bigger Poison type as a blazing orange light flared around his clenched fist and drove it into its underbelly with a furious battle cry.

To everyone's shock, the hit actually managed to move the beast. Scolipede let out an involuntary groan as it staggered to the side, and was now looking at the source of the damage with what could have been described as rage if not for the empty eyes.

"That little-" Simon clutched the ball tighter, "Scolipede, stomp it down with-!"

Before he even finished his sentence, Scolipede had raised its front legs high above the exhausted Croagunk, and let out a cry as it brought them down on top of him.

"...yeah! That's what you get!" Simon blinked as he realized what had just happened. It wasn't unnatural for a normal Pokemon to act on its own volition - the other bugs did that all the time - but he hadn't expected Scolipede to actually respond to a blow like that; the thing was anything but normal. He just hoped the crowd hadn't thought much of it.

Adamantly refusing to go down like that, Lancer once again forced himself back to his feet and took a step forward in preparation of delivering another Revenge… only to slump into the Scolipede, bounce off of it and drop to the dirt.

From behind the Bug, Indra cried out with alarm. Catherine couldn't blame him, they had fought these brainwashed Pokemon before… but they never ceased to be alarming. She returned Lancer to his ball before the Bug… or Simon… had the chance to take things too far and retrieved her next combatant.

"Stampede, you're up."

The Seadra appeared next to Indra, sizing up the Scolipede with a defiant glare. He was quick to recognise something was wrong after his previous experiences. That was good, he'd know to be on his toes. Catherine wasn't taking chances either.
"Stampede, Icy Wind! Indra, Mud Shot!" She'd debuff Simon's beast of a Pokemon as much as she could so she could take full advantage of the rain.

In unison, an icy gale that froze droplets of rain as it passed and a torrent of mud flew towards the Scolipede.

The projectiles splashed and cracked as they hit Scoliepede's face and Simon looked to its next target. Reduced speed and visibility didn't matter to a beast of this power. "Use steamroller, straight ahead!" he called out, focusing on Indra. Scolipede curled its body into a spiral and revved on the spot for a moment before shooting off towards the unfortunate poliwag.

"Scatter, then pincer it with Water!" Catherine ordered even as Stampede and Indra were already diving in different directions. Even with the focus on him, it was Indra who got furthest out the way. Losing Swift Swim on evolution really was a disadvantage to Stampede she'd have to work on.

Power was something he still had in spades though. Stampede's Water Gun struck the Scolipede in the side first, the force of the attack making it stumble directly into Indra's own rain-boosted Bubble Beam.

"Cute." Simon said as Scolipede screeched to a stop and turned. He was reminded of the same attack that had done him in the first time- this wasn't going to happen again. "Get up close, then Smart Strike!"

Scolipede barrelled forward towards Indra through the bubble beam, its horns charging up and its target locked. "Try dodging this." Simon crossed his arms.

Indra didn't need to be told twice, he leapt to the side again, but even with the rain on his side and Scolipede being hampered by earlier drops to its mobility, Speed Boost was making up that ground fast and Indra was caught by a glancing blow.

A glancing blow from a creature as powerful as Simon's Scolipede was more than enough to take a huge chunk out of Indra's stamina. He was knocked out of mid air and dropped to the ground not far from the Bug type in prime position to be made target practice of.

Stampede started rushing forwards as fast as he could to help, but there was no way he could close that distance in time.

"Steamroller!"

Before the Seadra could reach his fellow water-type the massive bug had rolled through Indra, squashing the poor poliwag against the wet ground and knocking it out.
Catherine quickly returned Indra, then took a deep breath and released Vessel into the space in front of Stampede. She had to do something to kill its momentum and Vessel had the tools for the job… but would it be enough?

"Vessel jump up, Stampede use Water Gun on Vessel!"

Without hesitation, Catherine's Pokemon took action. Vessel was struck by the powered-up Water move and launched into Simon's Scollipede like a missile, taking no damage in the process.

"What?!" Simon's eyes grew wide as the Paras flew through the air towards his Pokemon. Any other time he would've even been impressed- but he wasn't going to be showed up by this girl again. "Knock it off path!"

Before it could move though, Vessel latched onto the Scolipede's head and Catherine smirked viciously, echoing Simon's words back at him. "Dodge this, asshole. Spore, Vessel!"

A cloud of yellow-gold particles erupted around the Scolipede's head.

The massive Pokemon let out a snort and a cough as the cloud was blasted in its face and it breathed in the dust, its body shaking as it visibly tried to resist the sleep effect. Yet, inevitably, its movements slowed, knees began to buckle and its blank eyes became droopier and droopier… Then, with a thundering crash, its body toppled to the side.

"Dammit, NO!" Simon gripped his hat in frustration, the thought of suffering the same fate he had last time now hitting him. "No, no, no! Get up, get up!"

"Last chance to give up," Catherine said, desperately hoping he would, but knowing that was unlikely. "Vessel, whilst you're up there, Scratch it! Stampede, Dragon Breath. We might be able to Paralyze it before it wakes up."

On the top of the Scolipede's head, Vessel began to lay into it with their claws. Over and over it scratched, gradually whittling away at the far larger Bug. Meanwhile, Stampede bathed the rest of its body in a blazing torrent of purple flames, quickening that process a great deal and throwing in the added threat of Paralysis.

The crowd around the two trainers chattered excitedly at the development, some even cheering as the underdog Pokemon got their comeback. Simon glanced at the onlookers anxiously- he couldn't show weakness now, not at this moment.

Besides, what was he thinking? Those weak attacks would do little but scrape off a sliver of Scolipede's health, and his Pokemon would be back awake in no time. Yes, Simon said to himself, he was still in control. "Try all you might," the young man said to Catherine, crossing his arms, "you're just prolonging the inevitable."

"Don't worry," Catherine said, focused on the Pokemon and not even looking at Simon. "I've got more Spores."
The attacks continued, whittling away at Scolipede bit by bit.

"So is that how you think you'll win? Sleeping me to death?" Simon taunted. "Wouldn't put it past you, given the underhanded way you won last time."

"I'm not going to feel bad about having better strategies than you do," Catherine replied, "I don't feel bad about being a better person either. Stop talking and suck it up."

Simon's brow furrowed, where was this vindication coming from? He'd never pinned Catherine as the righteous type, almost as if she saw him as the bad guy. Ridiculous.

A few more moments passed, then one claw slash from Vessel was met with a stir. Then another, with a more violent shake, followed by a growl.

As the Scolipede abruptly rose back up, Vessel was thrown off its head landing behind it and skipping across the ground a couple of times like a stone. Stampede upped the intensity of his Dragon Breath, putting everything he had into the violet blaze in the hopes of giving Vessel a chance to get back on top of Simon's Pokemon for another Spore.

"About time!" Simon exclaimed. "Let's do this, Scolipede- use Earthquake!"

Ignoring the flames being blasted at it, Scolipede roared as it raised its front legs again. After a brief moment, it came crashing down, cracking the earth beneath it as several fissures appeared under Vessel and Stampede. Before either Pokemon could react, the fissures exploded with energy.

Dust and debris flew up from the ground, chunks of gravel flew about and Vessel and Stampede both were sent flying across the ground as it trembled and quaked. When the dust cleared, neither was still standing.

"OH YEAH! DOUBLE KNOCKOUT!" Simon cheered as he threw his fist in the air, relishing in the excitement of the crowd (many of whom were questioning the legality of using Earthquake in a populated area).

Catherine returned both, disheartened but refusing to let Simon see it. She had one chance left. The rain was coming to a stop. Holo could use Flame Burst to its full potential… but could she do anything to avoid another Earthquake?

"Alright Holo, it's on you."

With a degree of trepidation, Catherine released her Electrike. The young creature looked up at the terrifying visage of Simon's Scolipede and immediately stepped backwards, quivering and whimpering.

"Holo?" Catherine asked.

Holo yipped weakly, backing up a little bit further. She continued to shake with fear and whimper.

"So that's your last Pokemon?" Simon smirked. "Shame, I was beginning to think you'd be a challenge."

Catherine felt her stomach twist in a knot. Before a single attack was called, the outcome was clear. She couldn't go through with it. She wouldn't have Holo suffer for her pride. Catherine lifted Holo's ball and returned her terrified Electrike.
She sighed, then looked over at Simon. "I'm not going to force Holo into a battle she doesn't want to be a part of for the sake of my own pride. My team isn't brainwashed and they won't ever be. I forfeit. Congratulations, you win. To think, you only had to sell your soul to do it."

Unfortunately, in the moment, 'you win' was all the boy cared to hear. Raising his arms in victory, Simon turned to the crowd, "This is your champ in the making- don't let anyone tell you otherwise!"

While several of the bystanders cheered with him, several more were whispering anxiously, still staring at the Scolipede. The beast was motionless, staring forward at Catherine silently- or rather, through her.

"Yeah," Catherine said, "Our honourable champ in the making. Consort of criminals. Do you know the kinds of people who use those balls? Do you know what they do? They brainwash Pokemon. They kill people. That's your new friends. You annoyed me before. You repulse me now. You're a disgrace to everything the league claims to stand for and it's disgusting that you're allowed to be a part of it. What a hero."

Catherine didn't wait for a response, she turned and left. She had an injured team she needed to attend to.

Both Simon and the fans around him faltered a little as they watched Catherine leave. Simon looked at the Pokeball in his hand, the engraved '86' gleaming in the sun. What was special about this one? Did Catherine have a bone to pick with Blackspear? The grunt in the mines had taken an interest in it, and now her. He'd seen that design somewhere before, but he just couldn't remember where…

He shook his head and shrugged as he turned back to the crowd. "Bah, sore losers- what can you do? Now who wants an autograph?"

Joint post of gimmepie and Foxrally

PastelPhoenix · Aug 24, 2021

Achille Béringer || 18 || ♂️
Location: Motostoke
Vs Kabu (pt 1)

Joiuse - Shadow Sneak, Slash, Autotomize, Metal Sound, Block, Aerial Ace

Proudhon - Tackle, Splash, Thrash, Bite, Brine

Alizé - Absorb, Tackle, Air Cutter, Supersonic, Double Team, Wing Attack

Ignace - Powder Snow, Tackle, Taunt, Bite, Avalanche, Work Up

Aliénor - Rock Tomb, Tail Whip, Roar, Ancient Power, Charm, Bite

Terrot - Tackle, Growth, Razor Leaf, Tail Whip, Leech Seed, Worry Seed

The moon began its climb outside of the hotel window as Achille sat at the small writing desk, his Pokedex in one hand and a pen in the other. Joiuse watched the trainer scroll a bit on the device before scrunching up his face. He would usually jot something on the page, then the cycle would continue. She peeked over his shoulder some time ago to try and decipher what occupied him, but had no luck making sense of it. The page was full of scribbles in the human writing, much of it crossed out.

So instead she would resort to her normal role. Standing back and making sure things were clear was comfortable, so she'd happily do so until other orders came through. Achille was usually so reckless that she did not want to risk interrupting the times he actually slowed down and thought things through. Lest she accidentally teach him the wrong lesson.

The trainer was an uncut gem. Joiuse wasn't going to let this one go unless he proved himself completely non-polishable. She tested the limits of compatibility assignment at the academy by rejecting year after year of graduates already. Not that she could help it, though. Everyone else was either too lacking in will, or too tauros-headed to listen to her input. The few that she did mesh before Achille were… off. They worked well together, but the Honedge just got the feeling they wouldn't go far, and she rejected them. Sure enough, they usually washed up around this stage without her.

A snore from the bed drew her attention. Speaking of uncut gems, the youngest members of the team slept calmly on the bed. Alizé hung from the bedframe, upside down and away from the other two. Aliénor and Ignace slept on the bed itself, the Darumaka sitting in a curled ball while the Tryunt sprawled across the entire mattress.

She was concerned with their addition, being a particularly inexperienced and rambunctious group. The Gyarados left a lot to be desired attitude-wise, but she could not deny his strength. The Skiddo was a little lacking in ability at the moment, but his prior training on the race-track would be helpful. The younger three were a larger gamble, but she would trust the trainer's judgement. He'll call the orders, and she'll execute them.

"Aha!" Achille slid the chair back, stretching with several audible bone cracks. "Oh, hey Joiuse," he said, looking back in her direction. "You didn't have to wait on me," a yawn interrupted his sentence, "you could've gone to bed at any time."

She wouldn't have gone to bed before him. That was not her nature. She did appreciate the consideration, though. She instead changed the subject by motioning towards the notebook with her sash-arm.

"Oh, what did I find?" The trainer was becoming pleasantly adept and deciphering her intention. He flipped open the book and looked over the page, too fast to actually be reviewing it. An action intended more for occupying his hands than recollection. "Well, I found out Kabu is a bit of a bastard."

He made his way to the bed, dropping the notepad on the end table. "Well, I actually should say that Centiskorch is. That Pokémon has a pretty wide array of moves, and it looks like all of them hurt."

The trainer pushed the Tyrunt towards a single side of the bed, clearing enough room for him to crawl underneath the sheet. "I'll explain more tomorrow. Going to get some sleep now." He lied back, pulling off his glasses and setting them atop the notebook.

"Actually," he muttered with his eyes still closed, "can you grab the lights, Joiuse?" She rolled her eye at the request, but floated towards the light switch and obliged him.

"Merci."

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

Achille sat in the waiting area of the stadium, feeling like he needed at least two more cups of coffee to feel even remotely ready for this challenge. The customary roar of the stadium crowd drilled into his head. He winced a bit at a specifically loud cheer, but found he could otherwise grit his teeth and bear it.

Whinging was only going to distract him. He just needed to win a simple one-on-one battle, then he could go back to sleep. And never have to do a late night, last-minute strategy session after ducking out of his initial plan. He gave himself a once over in the mirror again, trying to get some sense into his hair (and stop looking like that bastard again) before the humidity of the arena ruined it. The bags weren't too bad, he'd gotten some sleep after all. The sunglasses might give off more of a hung-over vibe, and going without any eye covering would just make him look more tired. The normal glasses would have to do.

"Hey, we're about ready for you on the field, Mr. Bérenger." Someone with the stadium staff came and retrieved him. Achille muttered a quiet "thanks", and followed the staff member to the entrance tunnel for the qualifying round.

He entered the ever-loud tunnel, closing his eyes and listening for his cue. Why did the tunnel have to physically vibrate with noise? Why did he decide to stay up and run through the strategy one last time?

It's finally time for the first challenger of the day! The announcer's voice came from a speaker to the side, though Achille could also hear the booming voice in the stadium too. Let's welcome to the stage Mr. Six-fifty himself, Achiiiiiiile Béringer!"

Oh well. It was show time.

The competitor strode out from the entrance tunnel, blinded momentarily by the stadium lights. His enthusiasm died as soon as he felt the sticky air hit his bare skin. All of the fire types in the area created a cloud of humidity around the artificial ecosystem of the qualifying room.

And we're back to the Motostoke Gym Challenge. The announcer continued while Achille observed his surroundings. He could already see several of the gym trainers lurking around the rocks and tall bushes. Not exactly hiding, but easy to overlook. ... When the challenger releases their Pokémon, we will begin the challenge!

Those trainers are going to be a pain, but he'll just have to avoid them entirely if he wants to get this done quickly. He snagged a lower Pokéball off of his holder, releasing Aliénor. The Tyrunt appeared in a flash of light, taking in her surroundings by raising her head and giving several long sniffs. Finding the area apparently to her liking, she ran a few laps around Achille.

"I'm glad someone slept well." The little devil had hogged the bed last night, partially leading to this very situation. "Come on, let's get this over with soon. I'm aiming for five minutes on this part." He received a snap of the jaw in response as the tiny dinosaur stopped in front of him and leaned down to the grown in anticipation.

"Let's cut out the looking," Achille said, unfolding his arms and getting ready to plug his ears. "Scare them out for me with a roar, please."

Aliénor wagged her tail and began a low growl. She wiggled in anticipation, then bolted her head straight up into the air and let loose a loud roar. The noise instantly overtook the ambient noise of the crowd. Several people in the crowd winced and plugged their ears, but the people in the back seemed spared. The lingering trainers, though, were thrown off guard and slightly stunned by the sudden Roar.

As planned, the area flooded with life. Litwick, Sizzlipede, and Vulpix popped out of their hiding places in a panic. The Pokemon began to scramble for a new hole to hide in, and Achille scanned for his target.

"No, not that one," he grabbed Aliénor's attention from a fleeing Litwick. He pointed her towards a Sizzlipede sprint-crawling across the pathway, only a few meters from them. The Pokémon's destination appeared to be a small outcropping of rocks. The cracks and crevices between the stones would be a perfect hiding place. It was also a perfect place for the next step of the plan.

"Cut the Sizzlipede off, and then Rock Tomb behind it."

Aliénor hopped into action, eager to start the fight. She sprinted towards the outcropping, her large strides putting her at a speed advantage. She reached the edge of the rocks before Sizzlipede, surprising the bug-type as she came into view. No longer a fan of that hiding spot, the centipede-pokemon turned to run towards a planter of tall grass opposite the road.

Aliénor didn't let her advantage go to waste, snagging one of the small boulders as she ran. She spun to a stop, hammer-throwing the rock over the head of Sizzlipede. The first stone impacted the ground and broke into large, torso-sized chunks. Some of the chunks impacted Sizzlipede, stopping his sprint for safety. Another rock soon followed, and a small field of large stone covered the path.

An explosive start! Sizzlipede is going to have to either climb, or maneuver around those rocks. I couldn't quite hear what the challenger said before the first command, but it looks like he wants this over A-S-A-P!

"Hell yeah I do! Five minutes!" Achille shouted towards the crowd. He could still give them a little show. "Soften them up with Ancient Power!"

The Tyrunt closed her eyes in concentration. Pebbles around her began to stand on their end, raised by some unknown force. Aliénor snorted in concentration before a rock the size of her head began to twitch. It lifted onto one end before floating and clearing the ground entirely. Aliénor opened her eyes and headbutted the rock. The rock flew effortlessly, empowered by the ancient energy, and collided with Sizzlipede.

The bug was knocked off of the rock it had been climbing, tossed onto its back. The Pokémon struggled to move back onto its feet, off balance from the impact. One more attack? It's about done.

Something moving from the back of the rock-field caught the trainer's eye. A human shape was rushing up to the field, followed by a Monferno. "Alié, a trainer is here. Ancient Power once the Pokémon is visible."

The Tyrunt turned her attention behind her with the trainer's head's up. The rock-type closed her eyes again, the pebbles lifting faster this time. The gym trainer, a small woman who had no trouble concealing herself behind the rocks, had finally emerged. Pokéball in hand. Monferno rushed out, chuckling to itself.

The chuckle disappeared when a basketball-sized rock impacted the ape's chest. Monferno was thrown back, but managed to duck into a roll and recover it's footing. "Bloody good shot, mate," the gym trainer said. "Too bad I'm going to have to break that five minute goal." Somehow she didn't look to be suffering in the heat like Achille was. The gym-emblem emblazoned bandana she wore probably helped.

"Rock Tomb them. Keep Monferno away." Achille gave his commands without much fanfare. Aliénor took off running again, eyeing a thick chunk of stone a few paces away. She snagged the end of the boulder with her mouth, the strength of her jaw causing several cracks down the side. She gave a massive spin and hurled the rock towards the charging Monferno. The stress-fractures in the stone split in mid air, creating a barrage of large stones.

"Not letting you get two off," the other trainer ducked behind a broken down stone-pillar for cover. "Protect it!" Monferno stopped his charge and took a defensive stance, low to the ground with his arms covering his face. The stones landed and kicked up a cloud of dust, obscuring Monferno. Achille looked over towards his capture target and saw the Sizzlipede was already at the top of the rocks, thanks to this distraction.

"You were supposed to be a cocky one, aren't you?" The gym trainer taunted. "Getting worried for your time?" Achille clenched and unclenched his fist. She wanted him to lose track of Sizzlipede. "Well, if he's going to be boring," she said in an exaggerated manner, dramatically rolling her eyes, "then go ahead and Flame Wheel him. Here I was, looking forward to this."

An orange glow began to emanate from the dust cloud, and a howling monkey with a burning foot cartwheeled out of the cloud. Monferno stopped the cartwheels after spotting Aliénor, and tucked into a ball, gaining speed. Aliénor tried to sidestep the attack, but the ape-Pokémon sprung out of the somersault at the last moment and delivered a burning axe-kick to the tyrannosaurus' back.

Aliénor fell to the ground after the attack, but wasn't sent rolling like Achille feared. She quickly scrambled back to her feet and Monferno did a backflip to showboat.

"Fine, if you want me to kick your ass in those five minutes too," Achille said, rising to the taunts, "Then you just had to ask. Soften him up with a Tail Whip."

"That's what I want to see," the gym trainer grinned a mischievous grin, "cut them off with a Mach-Punch!"

Aliénor crouched down, ready to knock the ape off balance once he closed the distance. Monferno was fast though, and the gap between the two disappeared in a second. The fighting-type lunged forward at the end of its charge, delivering a fierce blow to Aliénor's jaw.

The Tyrunt's attack changed, however. Her tail began to emanate a deep blue flame that seemed to darken at the edge of the flame. Aliénor swung the club-like limb, catching Monferno across the stomach and launching him across the stadium with a great force. The Pokémon's auto-safety feature clicked in. A thin red light shot from the Pokéball on the trainer's belt and recalled Monferno. The whole situation seemed to surprise the opposing trainer, who dropped the empty Pokéball.

I don't think that was a Tail Whip, people. I think Tyrunt just pulled out a Dragon Tail attack.

"Perfect," Achille said with a grin, "Now let's finish this before Sizzlipede gets away. Ancient Power one last time!"

The poor bug-type was nearly to the grass, but another large rock hit the side of the Pokémon, sending it rolling down the path. The gym-trainer had dropped to the floor, trying to find where the empty Pokéball had rolled to after she dropped it.

I think that's enough. Achille grabbed an empty Pokéball and primed it. Another trainer noticed Sizzlipede was weak enough for the capture, moving in from the wooded area with a Charmeleon. It was too late though, Achille tossed the Pokéball and it hit the target cleanly. Sizzlipede was trapped, and the capture confirmation audibly clicked after just a few wiggles.

"TIME!" Achille shouted. He waved over Aliénor and made his way towards the Pokéball.

AND IT IS OVER. The announcer barked from his box. Getting word from another member of the broadcast crew who was actually keeping time… and IT IS FOUR MINUTES FORTY-FIVE.

"Good job, Alié." He patted the tyrunt after releasing the confused Sizzlipede back into the grass. "Remind me to get you something. After this gym battle and after I've had a nap, that is."

Inventory:

Spoiler:

Jay · Aug 25, 2021

Raphael Allard
> Motostoke General Hospital
> Reaching Out, Reaching In

..

....

In the waiting room of a Motostoke hospital, two men stand outside of a patient's sickroom. Both are old, though one is significantly older than the other. They look in at the young man lying in the stretcher bed, his body recovering from oncoming symptoms of frostbite and severe iceburn. The dull beeping of a heart monitor is also heard. One of the old men had insisted on it, but blessedly his fears were unfounded.

Raphael was unconscious, but his heart rate was stable.

The taller man rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. Kabu was irritated, again a pokémon infused with shadow appeared out of nowhere to attack his city. Again he had been too late to stop someone from being hurt. Young Raphael had stepped up to the plate and battled desperately against odds that were stacked against him to pick up the slack. Now he was hurt and it was Kabu's fault.

His gaze turned towards his watch with a terse expression. Even now, he couldn't stay by the boys side, as more challengers would be lining up at the stadium's gates. He still had a job to do.

"Your concern is touching, hoho… but not entirely warranted my old friend." The second man, older still than the first and shorter, ran a hand through a short but spindly white beard. He wore a signature grin on his face and a comfortable green tracksuit besides. Mustard had been concerned upon hearing of Raphael's injury, but now seemed as calm and whimsical as he usually did.

"With all due respect, Master Mustard, the boy was hurt in my city, due to my lapse of judgment. I am responsible for his well being." Kabu spoke solemnly but Mustard gently struck the gym leader's shin with a walking stick. "Always so melodramatic Kabu…" He chuckled, before turning back to look at the sleeping young trainer. "It is the fault of the villains that the boy always chooses to face head on that he was hurt. That fire you lit in him is a wonderful thing, but dangerous too. He is more reckless than I expected."

Kabu sighed and ran a hand down his face, as if to reset his expression. "...indeed." They stand in silence a while longer, simply watching for signs of change. "Old Master, there is something I must ask you." Kabu broke this silence eventually and Mustard merely nodded with a smirk. "Young Raphael shows great promise. His spirit grows exponentially and from the smallest flicker he has born a blazing fire. He is passionate about his journey and overcomes a certain apathy to pursue his goal. It is an admirable sight, present in many a trainer in this competition, but-"

"But despite this, I seem to have taken a special interest in the boy and you wonder why that is?" Mustard smiles warmly up at the now slightly bewildered Kabu. "Yes… that's exactly right. I am not one to say he is not worthy of praise, but to catch your eye, there must be something more."

Mustard ponders for a moment in silence, both hands folding over the top of the staff in his hands. He shrugs a moment and opens his mouth, searching for the words to explain. "How did you know to come to his aid, Kabu?" He answered with a question and Kabu furrowed his brow. "I… heard him crying out." To which Mustard smirked. "As did I, crying for help… yet I was in the city outskirts."

Kabu's eyes widened in surprise, but Mustard continued apace. "Even more confusing, is that Raphael didn't cry for help at all. At least I assume he did not. He waited and held the line as the girl who fawned over him desperately sought aid. He will assume no doubt that that is how you found him." Mustard closed his eyes and gave a tired shake of his head. "Yet as you just attested she did not, you 'heard' Raphael crying out for help somehow. Despite the fact he was silent. Now I wonder why that is, hmm?"

Kabu looked even more confused than before, yet rather than interject, he remained silent, allowing Mustard to continue.

"Raphael is a special young man blessed with a powerful gift. A gift that only now manifests as his spirit draws closer to pokémon and the natural world." Mustard opens his eyes with a warm smile. "Humans came from Pokémon, so the old writings in Sinnoh say. We were once one and the same, but no more. Yet, rarely a human comes along who seems to struggle to remember that we aren't anymore. A human who can manipulate certain energy in small ways, due to an overabundance of spirit."

"...Aura." Kabu dawned on his realization and finished the point, leading Mustard to nod approvingly. "Now you see why he is important. Since the incident in Shalour city more than a decade ago, this gift has been getting rarer and rarer. One who possessed it caused all of that pain and suffering, a purpose those people were never supposed to fulfil." Mustard grins widely at Kabu who still looks, now at the sleeping Raphael, in shock.

"I feel obligated, Kabu, to guide this young man. To ensure such a tragedy does not happen again."

Kabu turned to Mustard with a discerning eye, the shock waning to be replaced by a more serious consideration of what he had been told. "You think that Raphael could become one of them…?" Kabu pondered and Mustard gave an affirmative nod.

"What Raphael exhibited was the first manifestation of his power, power that grants him the potential to be an Aura Guardian." The line lingers between the two for a moment. "Raphael's aura surged in response to his energy and dedication to the pokémon that struggled so desperately to protect him. It burst off of him like a signal, carrying his thoughts and feelings. It sought out trainers powerful enough to save his life that he was personally connected to."

"You and I… Raphael was reaching out to us without even realizing. So that's why I heard him so clearly…" Kabu nodded in understanding, the riddle that Mustard posed now making sense. Mustard seemed pleased by the revelation.

"Raphael will come to realize his own powers soon enough. It is something I have been trying to prepare him for, the idea that such a power is something he earns through kindness and dedication to his pokémon." His smile widens. "Those blessed with aura such as his are such interesting folk, even if they don't become the strongest, or the wisest, they make a lasting impact on the lives of all they touch. In fact, already Raphael has met one with a power similar to his."

Kabu, once again, was rather understandably shocked. "There's another potential Guardian?!" To which Mustard laughed and slapped the younger elder back. "No no! Calm down would you, similar but not the same." Kabu seemed to relax, but still waited for further explanation. Mustard wasn't having it. "A story for another time perhaps, another student I'm watching closely. One with a power reminiscent of a story I once heard, about an interesting young man from distant Unova…"

"Unova..?" Kabu began to ponder, but Mustard slapped his shin once more. "It's already six you young fool! You've a new challenger to face have you not? Hahaha!" Kabu winced at the slap, but couldn't help but smile in resignation. "You are correct as ever, Old Master, so I will leave the rest to you." His smile is tinted with sadness for a moment, as he moves towards the door, then at the last second he turns to speak again.

"Though keep in mind, Raphael may have the potential to be what you say, but he is a young man first. Make sure his own wishes are taken into account."

Mustard gives no response as his old friend leaves the hospital ward.

As the sun pushed through folded blinds and fluttered against his resting eyes, Raphael slowly drew awake once more. He was sitting in a hospital bed stretcher, connected to a heart monitor. In a panic, he pushes upwards, looking around for doctors or anyone else, prepared to flee at the drop of a hat.

Yet he pauses when he sees the only one present in the room with him. The old man he met at the lake all those months ago. Former League Champion, Mustard.

"Relax my boy, they do not know, they did not check. By some chance, your heart played ball." The words struck Raphael like a bolt of lightning, the realization that Mustard knew sent fear into his very core. He stammered, searching for the words with which to respond. "T-The monitor, why is there-" He was silenced as Mustard smiled and raised a wrinkled hand in protest.

"I requested it, just in case the worst occurred. Somehow your heart rate remained stable in your unconscious state. They dismissed it as the unnecessary worries of an old man. Your secret is safe." Mustard spoke plainly with a hint of sadness despite his smile, Raphael remained tense. The monitor showed a small spike in his heart rate.

"How?" He asked, his brow furrowed with frustration. "How do you know?" Mustard maintained that same sad smile as he responded. "Your professor told me when I asked. I had my suspicions and it's hard to lie to a man in my position, hoho…"

Raphael… relaxed a little. Despite his irritation at this man he barely knew, knowing something so close to his chest, literally, it was plain as day that Mustard had endeavored to keep his condition a secret as he desired. Even as Raphael was in a dire condition. "Thank you." He eventually muttered, his heart rate returning to normal. Raphael stared at the beeping machine with a barely contained fury at that, before roughly ripping the sensors off of his chest and letting the machine's reading go dark. At which point Mustard gently turned it off, to avoid a sudden flatline reading from startling any monitoring professionals.

"It is no trouble at all Mr. Allard." Mustard smiled warmly and Raphael moved to sit at the edge of his bed. He was still clothed thankfully, only his jacket had been opened and his shirt pulled up to make room for the sensors. There was a heat lamp by his bed, presumably to defrost him, but now he felt fine. It was like nothing had happened, the only remnant of that attack striking him dead on was a minor dampness still in his shirt and jacket. He must have gotten very lucky. He began slipping into his boots wordlessly when Mustard spoke again.

"Eager to leave..?" He asked curiously, eliciting a tired sigh from Raphael.

"I don't like hospitals. Never have."

"I see…" Another sad smile, followed by a cheerier tone. "You don't think it's odd..? That you feel fine after taking such a blow head on?" The young man froze, not quite so literally this time, then shot a glare at Mustard. "I just got lucky."

"Quite the amount of luck…" Mustard mused. "...combined with the fact that Kabu happened to stumble across you, quite lucky indeed hm?"

Raphael gave another tired sigh, his apathetic expression seeping in as he sat up and gave Mustard a terse look. "That wasn't lucky, I asked Himari to-"

"Yet, even should you ask that doting girl yourself she will tell you this!" He interjected gleefully, eyes closing as he grinned widely. "Himari Sato did not find Kabu as she desperately sought others to aid you."

Raphael frowned and stood up at last, pulling on his jacket and moving to grab his bag. "...then sure, I guess I was just lucky."

Mustard… laughed. Slapping his knee with a wider smile he leaned in and opened his eyes, meeting Raph's frustrated glare with a warm expression. "...luck? Or potential? The potential for something great within you?" Raph looked further irritated and baffled besides, but Mustard continued. "I wonder have you felt it yourself already? The feelings and thoughts of those around you, echoing in your very core as if they were spoken clear as day? Yet still expressed as something deeper than words?"

"What are you talking about?" Raph's brow knotted as his expression shifted from bored and annoyed to serious. "How do you know about that?"

"Consider this Raphael." Mustard responded, ignoring the questions. "If others' emotions are so clear to you now, why couldn't it work the other way? Why couldn't you send your feelings outwards, seeking out the people who you knew could help you? Don't you agree such a thing should be possible?"

Raphael stood, staring at Mustard in stunned silence. His bag was hanging limply in his hand.

Mustard stood up with a slap of his thighs and with a walking stick in hand moved towards the door. "Kabu was generous enough to fund your treatment out of pocket. If you get the chance, you should give him a proper apology. Now that it seems you're fine and dandy, I should return to other business."

"Wait!" Raphael stepped forward, hand clutching his shirt as confusion set into every aspect of his being. "What were you even talking about? What sort of potential are you even rambling on for?" He adopted a stern expression once again. "I need some answers, this has been… I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Nothing, nothing at all." Mustard said, clearly pleased with himself. "But isn't there something, no, someone you have to deal with before turning introspective again?"

Raphael paused for a moment, confused, only for his eyes to widen with concern. "Simon…" Mustard only nodded in response, moved to leave again, but then paused. A tinge of guilt seeping in for his deliberately vague and mysterious explanation. "Ballonlea is said to be a place in Galar suffused with spiritual energy. Raphael, continue on your journey, reach this place and claim a badge from the gym therein. Do this, then seek me out in the glade nearest the stadium. There I will answer whatever questions you have."

"What? But, I-" But Mustard simply stepped out and shut the door behind him, leaving the young man standing with more questions than answers.

Glancing out the window, he looked over the cityscape before him, then saw the Wild Area beyond, the pathway to Hammerlocke.

"...Simon, hang on." Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Raphael too made for the door. His mind swirling with too many thoughts, but the most important ones devoted to the safety of his friend.

Dragon · Aug 26, 2021

LIVE ♡ CHAT

Sabylephyre: Why would someone use bug pokemon against Kabu
Maw-il: someone too stronk and has big brain 1000 IQ

ZevHera: Did anyone see that new forum for Hearto-san?
Yamega78: lmao, hearto-san
Yamega78: no matter how many times I hear it it's never not funny
XDColo: I wonder who would win, Val or Heart-o
LoomU10: battle of the hearts!!
masterjohto: i'm wondering about their fandom too

KrysGaming: I wanna see Val vs Rain Woman too!

KrysGaming: and Val vs. Pia
SpikyLombre: idk how Val would win
LoomU10: EZ, catch a Mr. Mime
FloralStarr: she's waifu material though, like an attract to the heart
FloralStarr: I'd insta-lose
FloralStarr: Aeliana and Rosa too

SailorPink: Don't forget that she's almost to Motostoke! Support her and her battle against Kabu! <33

2 Badge VALuant Pokemon Trainer -: ✧ :- (´∵｀) chill stream~
Poké:

1000 ♡ Friends: 20

@VAL-entine: MAN JOHNNY, you are NOT gonna believe this!
@TopPercent: what now?
@VAL-entine: there were these like, really, really, reaaaaally shady people
@VAL-entine: and they almost killed us!
@TopPercent: huh
@VAL-entine: i know, right?!?! and then, BOOM, there's the champ!
@VAL-entine: leon ftwwwww!
@TopPercent: wha
@TopPercent: er, look, I'm coming by to Motostoke later, so, maybe we can share in person?
@VAL-entine: coolio! drinks are on me!
@TopPercent: Just stay safe, alright? lots of crazy people, so, don't be too dumb out there
@VAL-entine: I'll try! thanx johnny! take care and see ya!
@TopPercent: you too. take it easy

---
@VAL-entine: alolaaaa~!
@Magcargo_dood: Hm? Alola?
@VAL-entine: teehee, it's just something my buddy Aeliana taught me! <33
@VAL-entine: so, what's up, Blazi-Ken??
@Magcargo_dood: meh, still on my way to Strugglecon... are you excited?
@VAL-entine: hellz yeah! gonna dominate in struggle rivals!
@VAL-entine: unless the rest of them are like, 10x of badass lmao!
@VAL-entine: wait no, then I'll just be 100x badass. boom!
@Magcargo_dood: There ARE a lot of strong streamers, though. Like... SnowArcanine, GoldHero, Sun_Chansey99...
@VAL-entine: keeee, we'll get to see em' in person! caaaaan't wait to battle em'!
@Magcargo_dood: I should do some training with Sandy and Diggy. But I hope to see you there!
@VAL-entine: aw, you too! lates, bro <33

---
@VAL-entine: omg, hihiii~! <33
@FairyCaroline: hiiii <33
@FairyCaroline: nice to see you! been a while since we've chatted!
@VAL-entine: ack, ik, and I wanted to contact you sooner but things happened here and there and uuugh!!
@VAL-entine: but yeayaz! how are things at the shop?? how's the old man?
@FairyCaroline: both are good, grandpa is chilling out for a bit
@FairyCaroline: so I'm running things for now
@FairyCaroline: but things are going great! hope they are for you too!
@VAL-entine: going good! headin' to motostoke! kabu daddy is up next!
@FairyCaroline: oooh, he's the guy who made a lot of challengers quit the league, I hear
@FairyCaroline: but don't give up! rooting for you <33 knock him dead >:3
@VAL-entine: thanks girl!! I'll chat with you more later, kay?!
@FairyCaroline: kay! bye bye! :D

--

Valerie had a sigh of relief. After the events of those mysterious black-wearing individuals, she was more than pleased to see that her other friends hadn't gotten hurt or anything. She was still in the mine, texting them over DiZcord seemed to be the right call, after all. Plus, it was nice to do a little bit of catch up with them, so, double points! Just one more to check up on...

But before she could, she was interrupted by the sounds of flapping that crept closer to her. Valerie was intrigued -- and surprised by the sight she witnessed, a cute winged Pokemon had curiously been observing her, and that strange little device she was carrying. "Heeeey, who are you, lil' guy?" Valerie inquired, before she opened up her Pokedex. "Looks like you're a... Noibat? Gosh you're a cutie!" The Noibat fluttered downwards, observing Valerie's Xtransiever in closer detail. It seemed like a curious little Pokemon, one that did not see much of the world outside this little cave that it was living under.

"Hehe, like it, don't cha'?" Valerie said with a wide grin. "It's my Xtransiver! It helps me stream, take pictures, aaaand lets me talk with friends! Oh! Ohhhhh! Lemme show you the pictures I took!" The Noibat's eye's lit up, as it rooted upon Valerie's shoulder, observing Valerie's different pictures, one by one. One was where she had a picture with a strange boy with a black attire and crazy-like hair, one was where it looked like Valerie with another girl, and another red Pokemon, seemingly going straight at her device? There were flowers, fields, and different people within this device. All that pleased the Pokemon enough for it to glow starry-eyed.

"Niiiice, isn't it?!" Valerie had asked, with the agreed response from the Noibat took form of it happily flying and circling around Valerie. Something welled-up inside Valerie, a feeling she knew all too well. She sensed a connection. "Heeeey, if you want! We can take some more pictures together!" she suggested. The Noibat fluttered down to her eye-level. "Yeaaah! I'm a trainer, who's going around the region, havin' memories and trying to make new friends! And memories have loooooads of pics! Whaddya' say, Noi-buddy?!"

An interesting proposition! The Noibat hadn't seen much of the world outside, but, he always wanted to go. Though, problem is with him, he never knew where to go next. Perhaps, with this human, he can start learning about new things he had never even dreamed about, such as this... strange, yet wonderous looking contraption this human was carrying! If that was the start, what else would be in store? Well, that sealed it.

The Noibat eventually nodded. "Woooooo!!" Valerie cheered, pumping her fists in the air. "Awesome-bellossom! Or, no, wait, I should say... We're bat to the bone!! Oh!" Valerie had opened her device once more. "How about our first pic together, buddy?!" The Noibat, in agreement, roosted on her shoulder again. Valerie pointed her camera right at the both of them.

"Ready?! 1... 2... Frieeeeeend... HYPE!" Picture get! A girl and the winged friend. When the picture appeared on her device, the Noibat was happy to see how it came out, and to see how it worked! "It came great! Maaan, we're gonna have so much fun together! Ah... how about I call you... Nora?!" Ah, the Noibat had seen this before -- the humans like to nickname their friend-Pokemon, and now, it's his turn. Still, he liked it, as evident by the assuring nod.

"Awesome! We'll be buddies from now on, Nora!" said Valerie, grin wider than ever. But then, she snapped into something she remembered. "Oh! Ah, I gotta contact LunaBeam, but... hm. Then again, she hasn't really been online lately. I hope she's okay..."

New friend!

"Nora" the Noibat!

Friends lvl up!
20 --> 21

♡ Hiii! I'm Valerie, a 21 year old streamer who streams all sorts of stuff!
♡ RN, I'm a Pokemon Trainer, participating in the League!

I would like this channel to be a positive space for everyone. I see no problem as long as you follow the general rules and are not mean to each other! You can be mean to me instead. :) ♡

♡ Most of the donations will go towards streaming, and to various LGBTQ+ friendly charities!
Don't feel obligated to donate, but every bit helps!

Turnip · Aug 26, 2021

The Fire Gym Just Describes The Pokémon Type In There The Gym Is Not On Fire There Is No Need For The Emergency Services At This Time
Featuring Xan, Kass and Jerry vs Some Gym Guy and a Litwick but then Kabu and Centiskorch
(Jerry does not feature in the Centiskorch fight along with Kass though that would be cheating)

Ah, Motostoke Gym. Not the most comfortable of places - and not just for the usual reasons Pokémon Gyms were uncomfortable for Xan. The psychic hoped that the temperature would be a little lower when it came to battling Kabu; here in the mission environment, the air was warm and humid. Was it because of a lack of air conditioning, or was it just a byproduct of the Fire-type Pokémon and heated pools? Perhaps both. Maybe the area was kept hot for the sake of the Fire-type Pokémon that were the focus of the challengers' assignment. All fair for the Pokémon, Xan supposed, though it didn't help their physical comfort any. It was a warm enough day already, and in this case being indoors wasn't the solace that would typically be expected. Though psychokinesis could help regulate air-flow, the inside of Xan's helmet was still decidedly stuffy. Unfortunately, even if they cared none for their privacy, they were certain the psychic focus their headgear provided would be necessary for doing well here.

Kass and Jerry both were at the human's side. Jerry was in a confident mood - confident for the Psyduck, at any rate. Kass was raring to go, but knew to hold back a little. Strategy had already been discussed, and the Abra was going to take it easy what with Centiskorch looming on the horizon and all. They'd be taking the high ground and spotting targets, while Jerry assisted Xan on the ground with his situationally appropriate Water-type moves. Xan, of course, would be who the plan all rested on; the Pokéballs were doled out to the trainer specifically, and capture would be what would win the day for the team.

"Your objective in this challenge is to capture one of the Fire-type Pokémon in this simulated wild area," the Gym employee in front of the bunch explained. Xan was well aware of the challenge and its little quirks, but couldn't be bothered to hurry the situation along - as if explaining the challenge wasn't compulsory protocol anyway. "Our trainers will be trying to stop you, and I'm sure the Pokémon in the area will make effort to avoid capture. You will have a time limit of thirty minutes to complete the challenge. Pokéballs are not limited within reason and will be provided - you may take as many as you like now and may return to this area during the challenge to take more. Do you have any questions or are you ready to proceed?"

"Ready," Xan murmured.

"Then the announcer will count you in shortly. Good luck in the challenge."

"Thank you."

The human and their two research partners made their way through the gate. The short wait for the challenge to begin was punctuated with focus - their strategy should mean quick success for them if they could put the plan into action fast enough, before the Gym trainers had much time to react to it. A few of the more recent attempts from other challengers that Xan had reviewed were particularly revealing; the restrictions on participants for this challenge were significantly looser than they usually were. And, unlike what they had tried in Hulbury, Xan had a feeling that precedent was on their side in allowing more unorthodox method.

Xan listened as the countdown began, and they stopped listening as soon as they heard the word 'begin' - it seemed rare that the commentator ever said anything of use to an informed viewer, and common indeed that they would say something brazen or irritating. The three psychics sprang into action - though for Xan it was more of a half-jog borne of incoming heat exhaustion and for Jerry it was more of a panicked waddle, though by all means still into action - and set about their tasks. Kass was the fastest of the lot, acrobatically springing about the place and over troublesome foliage with the aid of their psychic power. Xan kept an eye on the Abra's position as they ventured out into the potential danger-zone, Jerry following shortly behind on agitated look-out for anything that could try to stop them.

A telepathic warning reached the minds of the duo on foot, and a brief glimpse of Kass the scout revealed a pointing finger. Bad news in that direction, then. Around the opposite corner was an oval-shaped clearing. Rocks were strewn about, a few smaller plants had taken root near them and a steaming pool of water was just slightly off from the clearing's centre. Thick foliage framed the three easy entrances to the place. There was noise of rustling from the other side of the leaves and branches, too dense to see through properly - above most of the shrubbery, a quick wave from a golden hand. Xan and Jerry took cover, the former behind a rock and the latter happily swishing into the pool. Only a few seconds of waiting for whatever Kass had flushed out went by before Xan caught footsteps behind them; the Gym Trainers had evidently caught on to where the challengers were, and here was the one - a Litwick in tow - that Kass had warned them of earlier.

"Got you now!" The gym employee announced with fervour.

"Here come the staff," Xan muttered Jerry's way, though on inspection Jerry appeared more concerned with something else - he was pointing in the direction of one of the entrances to the clearing, where a Sizzlipede had scurried over. The challenger shrugged, caught between trainer and 'wild', and tossed a Pokéball.

The trainer's Litwick, prepared for this very occasion, gauged its trajectory and shot a bolt of embers at the flying capture device. The ball stopped mid-air, turning as if to watch the Fire attack pass it by, then abruptly resumed its journey toward the Sizzlipede. It sucked up the bug, rolled once, then the Pokémon broke free and continued high-tailing it toward the only safe exit from the clearing. The Litwick gasped, astounded at this act of trickery. The trainer, much less astounded and also less prone to gasping, decided it was time to go on the offensive.

"Let's go Litwick! Astonish!"

As Jerry, prepared with the expert knowledge of 'water good' leapt from the steaming pool, flapping his arms in a liquid-spraying display that was potentially intimidating and definitely funny-looking, the Litwick faced down the Psyduck with confidence inspired by their trainer. With a staccato shriek they leapt also, and Jerry's face blanched. The duck almost choked on the water he had been preparing to attack with. He was prepared for fire, but ghosts? That was scary!

Jerry's antics were distracting the trainer and Litwick, and those two seemed perfectly fine with that. The Sizzlipede had fled the clearing and Xan was still there, so they didn't have to give chase! Made sense, right? Wrong! The group had a scout, and lobs were a thing! Jumping up over the shrubbery again was the agile Abra, on the tail of the Sizzlipede once more. The signalling star-jump guided Xan's aim as the second Pokéball launched over foliage, accompanied by skittering noises, the telltale thrum of psychic exertion and lastly the satisfying sound of energy slurpage. In the moments following, Kass jumped up once again and unfamiliar-yet-familiar stream of consciousness ran across Xan's mind. First, negative. Failed capture again? Luck wasn't fantastic today. Second and third thoughts in quick succession: danger, retreat. The trainers were on to Kass, then. Xan had faith that the Abra could flee easily enough.

Jerry seemed to be having a similar idea - fleeing, that was. Poor Jerry. Not quite as adept as Kass, the Psyduck was running circles around the pool and the trainer's Litwick, to their credit not entirely sinister, seemed to be having a whale of a time giving chase. Before Xan could think of a way to rectify this situation the opportunity miraculously presented itself.

"Litwick, ready!" The gym trainer's stance went from lax to energetic, and Xan followed their gaze to the left and behind, where Kass had chased the Sizzlipede earlier. There, poking through the foliage, seemingly enticed at the prospect of being involved with whatever was going on here, was a Vulpix. The new arrival dashed out and toward the other two Pokémon, and Xan drew another couple of Pokéballs from their pockets.

"Jerry, I can stall the Litwick if you can prep the Vulpix!" Xan called out, and Jerry, eager to be away from the Ghost-type, began obliging. The candle Pokémon wasn't having it, though, and neither was their trainer.

"Litwick, get a- pblth- hey-!" Surges of uncomfortably warm water splashed out from the steaming pool as though kicked by a series of invisible legs. The gym trainer spluttered and spat - it probably didn't taste good - and the Litwick whined and dove for cover behind a rock. The Herculean Jerry, free from the shackles of spooky ghostfright, launched a Water Pulse at the intruding Vulpix that sent them sprawling back the way they came. Still, the Vulpix didn't flee - they took one look up at Xan, then Jerry, then let out a shrill bark. Jerry dribbled water. Xan was expecting evasive action that would make aiming harder, but apparently that wasn't going to happen.

"Some interest in us, I guess? Well, I'm not one to look a gift Rapidash in the mouth-"

The psychic pulled out a ball and threw it into the air. It twirled in the air in circles, as if caught in a tornado. From behind a rock, a fiery missile flew - like a heat-seeking missile, except the missile had already found the heat so it was just fire and had managed to learn to home in on whatever it felt like - it struck the Pokéball on its underside and sent it flying into the distance, behind foliage and out of sight.

"Aaah, you got one," praised the challenger, mildly impressed at Litwick's aim. With no fanfare the second Pokéball - Xan had kicked it across the ground with a foot while the other was in the air - hopped up to the Vulpix and drew them in, rolled three times and clicked.

"Challenger seven-seven-five has captured a Pokémon, completing the challenge!" Xan's selective hearing momentarily un-blocked the commentator. Confirmation that they had succeeded was nice. They could go back to being blocked now. They heard laughter from through the foliage and spotted hints of gold above the leaves - Kass must be engaged in some kind of expressive victory.

"Bleh. You know how gross that water tasted? Like wet fur and soot," the gym trainer complained. They made exaggerated face-motions and disgusted expressions but hid a hint of a smile beneath. "That was a dirty trick, you know."

"Sure was. A dirty trick that precedent supports as rules-legal, admittedly, but yeah." The challenger shrugged. "That's on me, sorry - hard not to splash, can't exactly get the laminar flow like a Psyduck mouth can. Though I don't expect Psyduck water tastes much better."

Kabu, the man of fire himself. A so-called roadblock for would-be challengers of the Pokémon League. Stern and unforgiving, so the legends said. Xan wasn't sure about their confidence on this one; Centiskorch was, by most any metric, an utter powerhouse. Just about any move they could throw out, if it landed, would be seriously damaging for Kass. The Abra was adept at dodging, but they couldn't be expected to dodge perfectly forever. The psychic could only hope that their research partner had enough focus and energy, and the strategies they had devised together would be enough. They had prepared as much as they reasonably could, and even if they hadn't it wasn't like they could do anything about it now - they walked out onto the field in front of them, meeting the Gym Leader on the other side.

"Challenger seven-seven-five... Xan," said Kabu, his tone measured. "A practitioner of the unorthodox, at Hulbury, and here in Motostoke, in my Gym Mission. Rest assured Centiskorch and I are well prepared for the unusual."

The challenger glanced to the side momentarily, "Yeah of course you are, you're a Gym Leader, you're supposed to be - can we get the battle started?"

"Oh?" The leader raised one eyebrow. "You have somewhere to be?"

"Not really, I just dislike the way these pre-battle conversations typically go."

"Hmph," Kabu gave a dry laugh. "In that case - show me what you've got, challenger."

"Wish I could- let's go, Kass," Xan backed off, releasing their Abra partner from a Pokéball as they did. "It's the Centiskorch, Bug/Fire, you know the drill. Remember unknown move six. I'll let you know." The Abra gave a double thumbs-up of understanding and twirled about into a crouch, ready to spring into action. With his typical call of 'Centiskorch!' Kabu threw up a ball and the Radiator Pokémon burst forth onto the field. Kass momentarily broke his ready pose to give a friendly wave. Centiskorch didn't respond - but that was fine! Battle focus and stage appearance, and all that.

The fight began, and Kass backed up. At Kabu's command, Centiskorch gladly took control of the centre of the space, raising up a miniature sun to radiate heat across the field. Xan scoffed and momentarily raised a hand to try to block it out, as though that would do any good. So much for cooling off.

"Fire Lash danger prio, Solarbeam relevant," called the challenger. Kass nodded. Patience.

"Danger, hm?" Kabu echoed. "Centiskorch, Fire Lash!"

A long tendril of flame whipped out from the leader's ace, and the Abra rolled to the side to avoid it. The lash didn't burn out, continuing to flare as it chased the Psychic type, following the movements of Centiskorch's head. Kass jumped acrobatically to the right, springing up and over the rope of fire as if skipping, making exaggerated sweating motions at the height of their leaps. The Psi Pokémon seemed fairly safe at this distance... but they weren't exactly a threat, either. And who was wearing out faster? Eventually they Teleported to the other side of the field and launched a psychokinetic bolt Centiskorch's way, but the ace Pokémon's body curled around itself and felt only a breeze from its nearby passing.

"Scald, Centiskorch," was Kabu's next command. "Short bursts. Hold."

Missiles of water were spewed one after the other Kass' way, and just like that they were on the evasive again. Attack after attack they vaulted away from as they dodged to one side, until eventually they Teleported once again.

"There!" The Gym Leader was more than prepared for the movement, and Centiskorch's head didn't hesitate to follow - the pressure was immediately back onto Kass, who yelped a little as a few droplets of boiling water got their legs. Another big jump to the side and they were out of trouble for now, but they'd have to do something quick.

"Looking good, Kass!"

A benign enough remark, but Xan's partner knew that was a signal. Caution or no, they couldn't play evasive forever; it was time to go on the offensive. Centiskorch was a powerful opponent, likely the most powerful they had ever faced so far. But they had the experience and the strategy, and if Xan believed that they had a reasonable chance at winning then Kass was inclined to believe them. Now was as good a time as any to prove them right. With a decisive hop, Kass glowed white and disappeared.

Kabu scanned the field for an Abra, but found none. Indeed, there was no Abra still on the Gym premises - high above Centiskorch, still wreathed in the gleaming energy of evolution, Kass the Kadabra carried a growing sphere of psychokinetic potential on rapid descent toward their foe. Glorious moustache rippling in the wind they swooped down, and by the time the Leader or his ace noticed it was already too late to avoid. Centiskorch had been curling and coiling as it turned, and now it rested in almost a perfect circle - a potent blast to its centre would strike a considerable part of the bug without doubt; there was no way to move all of their body away at the same time.

There was a burst of force and sound as the Confusion-bomb hit the ground and the explosion spread from the impact point. Like a side-on view of a popped balloon, Centiskorch was blasted away and their tail and head smacked into each other. A critical hit for sure - and now it was time for Kass to put the pressure on. But with what? The newly-Kadabra could feel all the new motes of potential tingling in their head and down their arms into their fingertips. Triumph gave way to pensiveness. Kabu didn't need time to make a decision.

"Push back," the Gym Leader called out. "Bug Bite!"

In spite of the heavy impact to the noggin, Centiskorch remained in a focused head-space. As the mandibles came in danger flared harshly in Kass' brain and they knew they had only a moment to teleport away. Oh wow, was that an increase in the potency of their precognitive ability? Oh, right- Teleport was really useful, how did they manage that again-? Searing pain assaulted their senses as insectoid chompers clamped around their forearm - hey, that bit of their arm looked new, and there were claws now? Freaky! - and then their shoulder and their other arm. After a little moment of panicked wrestling the Kadabra managed to wrest themselves free by means of psychoporting out and away. They breathed out in pain and raised their spoon - they had a spoon now! That was so cool - wanting to launch a counter-attack, but so much new power was at the ready they were finding it difficult to get a bead on a concrete plan of action.

"No time for indecision!" The psychic, Kass' partner called. While not typically empathic, Xan could recognise hesitation. "The old power's still there, just more potent! No need to branch out yet!"

Xan was right, in a sense, Kass could tell. They knew what their partner was saying to be true, and yet it was much easier said than done to fully act on that. The Kadabra was caught in a maze of additional branching roads of possibility, with no map to guide them. The old paths were still there, but tangled in a web of others that crossed in front and over and between. Arceus, this whole evolution business was a lot more confusing than everyone made it seem...

Caught in a reverie, Kass barely had time to teleport out of the path of a Fire Lash that petered out into smoke the moment they disappeared. Before they could formulate the next move in their head, they spotted a beam of condensed sunlight on collision course for their chest and the entire waking world went poof!

"Challenger seven-seven-five's Pokémon is unable to battle! Gym Leader Kabu is the victor!"

The moment the announcement was called over the speakers, Xan jogged out from their place on the field - sweltering though they were. They recalled their fallen partner and whispered into their ball.

"No worries, Kass. I suppose a lot of new options just opened up..." They turned to leave in urgency, but noticing Kabu's gaze on them coaxed them into remaining for a moment to quickly offer something approaching an explanation. "Sorry about that," they addressed the leader. "Maybe not the most opportune time for split attention, but there you go."

"Mm," Kabu agreed. "Mid-battle evolution won't always be the assured victory that the success stories might make it seem."

"Believe me, I'm well aware," the challenger murmured.

"You know what happened here, yes?"

"I couldn't tell you exactly what happened," the psychic answered with a waggle of one hand as they resumed their shuffle toward the exit. They hesitated for a moment, realising they'd forgotten to even call out that Bug Bite was Centiskorch's sixth move. In the end they doubt it would have made a difference, but it was still evidence of their own distraction. "Could be a number of things, I'll have to ask Kass later about their end. But I'm not surprised that it did happen, I can tell you that much - safe to say we have a lot of untested techniques to work on. We'll be back another time, for sure."

It was unusual to see a trainer so uninvested in a defeat at a Pokémon Gym, Kabu mused. There was something else there, though, a flicker of heat that the Leader detected in the psychic's words and actions. Their eagerness to leave wasn't a desire to escape, something had shifted since their talk at the beginning of the fight. It wasn't hard to guess what the difference was, and for some reason that meant that now, unlike before, the challenger most certainly did have somewhere else to be. Behind that visor there was something smouldering that wasn't for this battle, or one in the future, but for something else entirely. Something behind the things they explicitly spoke of.

"I'm glad. I can hear it, you know. In your voice," said Kabu, and Xan paused in their move to leave.

"Hm? Sorry, what is it?"

"Go chase it. I can tell that your fire is burning for something els-"

Xan scoffed, "Oh come on, fire? Fuck off." They shook their head, dismissive, and wasted no further time in exiting the Gym, muttering on their way out, "Sick and tired of these thematic metaphors. Subtlety is dead. Thought I was done with this shit after Nessa's Gym..."

Kabu frowned as he watched the challenger leave. Beneath his furrowed brow, a knowing smirk began to tug nigh-invisibly at the leader's face. Oh, there was a fire there, all right.

Kass evolved into Kadabra!
Kass learned Kinesis!
Kass learned Disable!
Kass learned Psybeam!
Kass learned Reflect!

Xan did not earn the Fire Badge but honestly has more important things to think about right now!

Sonata · Aug 27, 2021

Poké:

2220 ♦ Pokemon: 6

CHAPTER 10.3 -EACH VERSE TENFOLD
ft. Melody Argent

Rosa sat in the lobby of the Budew Drop Inn for the second day in a row since her meeting with Tavi. She'd seen a few familiar faces pass by, but as of yet, not the one she really wanted to. The young trainer twisted the necklace between her fingers as she thought about her - the only thing she felt she currently had any control over. They'd made a promise. The missing persons cases were still coming in, and it was up to them to get to the bottom of it.

"Miss Valdes, is there anyone in particular you're waiting for?" The clerk approached the young trainer, having watched her the past couple of days until the end of his shift. "I can leave a note for them down here if you'd like. Then you could wait more comfortably in your room."

Rosa looked up at the man and then back at the door, shaking her head. "No, I think I'll stay here. I don't want to miss her."

- - - - -

Another day, another Melody walking straight for Kabu's gym, staring at the doors… and turning around. She simply can't get psyched for this fight. Not when she sees a new missing person's poster each time she steps outside the Budew Drop Inn.

Those little shits. Can it really just be some obnoxious kids doing all this? Did they not think Melody and Rosa would make good on their threat when they came back? The punk teen huffs as she makes her way back to the inn, absent-mindedly clutching the black, half-heart pendant. Has Rosa made it here yet? One of the clerks might be able to tell her.

Melody forcefully pushes the door to the Inn open with her foot and begins to make her way to the counter-- well, that was the plan, anyway. She stops abruptly when a very familiar style of blonde hair catches her eyes. There's that damn sensation again-- that kind of… fluttery one in her chest. "Ro?" She asks and immediately mentally-cringes. What the hell was that? Of course it's Rosa. You know what Rosa looks like, you moron.

The shorter girl smiled as she gripped the pendant around her neck tighter, having finally caught the one she'd been looking for. "Melody!" She hopped up from her seat and walked over to the girl, grabbing her free hand with both of hers. "It's so nice to finally see you again."

That damn fluttery feeling went into overdrive when Rosa grabbed onto her hand, though Melody promptly stopped being bothered by it. Her expression shifted from her generic, resting-bitch face to a fairly easy going, genuine smile. The hand holding onto her pendant tightens as the fingers of her free-hand rest easily against Rosa's own. "It's been way too long." Two months(?) Okay, that's fair. She doesn't feel as pathetic for sounding so sappy. It's been long enough for some sap to be acceptable. "How've you been?" She asks, her mind suddenly flashing back to the battle against the Plague Doctor inside the mines. Those freaks were crawling all over the place, there's no way only she, Jasper, and Achielle were the only ones to run into them, and yet starting a conversation with long time no see. Hey, did you run into any cult members inside that mine? sounded… a little intrusive, to say the least.

Rosa nodded again, her smile widening. "Yes, waaaay too long. I've been good, good…" the girl's mind went to just about everything else she'd been through the past couple of months… the mafia, the mines, the news about the rest of the mafia... "What about you?"

Wait, really? Oh. Maybe it was just them then? Melody hadn't taken the time to talk to Haleigh about it, and since Simon's still not answering his phone… "I'm still alive." I ran into another burning building but it was fine. "Didn't think I was ever gonna get out'ta that bloody mine though." Ah, well, if Rosa didn't run into any trouble, there's really no reason to harp on it. Especially not when she really didn't want to say anything that would take that smile off Rosa's face. "Never thought I'd be so glad to see the sun." She adds, her own smile growing.

Rosa nodded, staring at the other half of her pendant around the girl's neck. She wondered if maybe Melody had somehow got wrapped up in these 'Suits' just the same as she had in the mines. It seemed like it had taken everyone a little extra time to get out of there this time around. "Yeah," she laughed, "felt like it was taking a lifetime. The sun was definitely a welcoming sight… but then, did you see the papers when you got into town?" She felt… off, about ruining whatever was building between them like this, but she needed this right now.

Despite the papers lining the streets being the initial reason she was looking for Rosa, now that the blonde has brought it up, sort of feels like a shame. "Yeah. They're everywhere," the punk teen responds with just the slightest hint of annoyance. It's like those kids thought Rosa and Melody would forget their promise to come back and look into this-- or they thought the pair would drop out of the challenge before they made it back. That one might be worse. "You ready to go hunt down some clowns?"

Rosa shrugged slightly, looking at Melody's hands. With everything else going on, and this city being what it was for her personally, she couldn't help but feel the desire to just ignore the issue and tell Melody as much. 'No, I just want to hang out with you for a while. It was as easy as that, right?' She repeated the line in her head over and over as her hands tightened around the girl's.

"Yeah. Let's go mess them up." Rosa grinned at Melody as she looked up into the girl's eyes.

Red eyes follow the other girl's as Rosa looks down to their hands. The black-clad trainer can't help but get the feeling that Rosa doesn't want to do this-- not that she can really blame her. Rosa has always come across as shy and… non-confrontational. Even if this particular situation wasn't likely going to involve them trailing through the sewers, it didn't feel like Rosa's cup of tea. A small wave of guilt washes over Melody. She could… handle this on her own. She could save Rosa the trouble. At least. She thinks she could… if it's just those two again. They hinted at someone pulling the strings, though. A bigger someone or someones. What if she can't handle it on her own? Then Rosa would have to come bail her out, and that's… really not something she wants to make the other do.

It seemed Rosa was coming to the same conclusion, or at least a similar one. When those hands tightened around Melody's, she returned the soft gesture and flashed a confident smile. "I bet this won't take long. Then we'll do somethin' fun." Well. Fun for Rosa. This could be fun for Melody if a brawl breaks out.

- - - - -

The two girls walked through the city streets as the sun continued to fall, their hands locked together as a Pokemon fell to either side of the duo to keep watch. It seemed like the best course of action was to go to the place where all the kidnappings seemed to be happening around and simply lay in wait, similarly to how they just stumbled upon their lead previously. They weren't really any smarter than the police that had likely been working this investigation since they last butted into it, but for these two trainers at least, it seemed like trouble had a way of finding its way to them.

"It's such a beautiful night," Rosa remarked, staring up at the cloudless sky. 'Shame that we have to be dealing with cults instead of whatever… this feeling is.' The girl kept thinking back on what Melody had said about maybe doing something fun after this was all said and done, and couldn't help to contain her excitement. "So, what did you have in mind after this?"

Melody peers up at the sky when Rosa draws attention to it. The lights of the city have made it near impossible to see the stars despite the cloudless night, though they failed to overpower the moon now shining over the horizon. It's… fine. She wouldn't say beautiful. Then again, Melody can only name a handful of things she's ever seen that she could call beautiful. The only thing that comes to mind off the top of her head is Rosa's contest performance.

Melody's eyes widen for a split second before she gives a very soft, embarrassed laugh. "Cards on the table here… that's as far as I got." Melody has always been impulsive. She wasn't great with the planning… nor with making plans to include other people's wants. Most of Melody's life has been spent with like-minded people that wanted to cause chaos as much as she did. Rosa… probably not as much. Melody lifts her free hand and nervously tucks her hair behind her ear. "What kinda things do you do for fun?"

Rosa smiled and thought for a moment about what she thought would make her the most interesting. She didn't really have any hobbies to speak of. She used to listen to vinyls with Simon, but even then it wasn't something she had a particular desire to do. Up until the time they departed on this adventure to conquer Galar… she'd just kind of existed, going through the motions from day to day while waiting for Simon's family to finally get tired of her hanging around.

"I like spending time with you," the girl muttered shyly, not really sure if she wanted the other girl to hear or not. "I like to bake. Listening to music, and… dancing."

Melody does her best to keep her expression mildly warm and interested while not looking like some kind of twitterpated prat at Rosa's mumble. Her eyes quickly glance across the street and then down to their conjoined hands-- she should be okay as long as she doesn't look at Rosa's face for a second. That seems to be when her brain short-circuits. "I like spending time with you too," she starts softly, suddenly quite interested in the ground beneath them. Yes, those sure are two nice pairs of shoes. Do not look up yet. "What kind of dancing? Like… hip-hop or ballroom?"

Rosa did her best not to seem too flustered at the reply, taking a second to wet her lips for what seemed like the dozenth time since the two had started walking together. "Most of what I know how to do is just with one person… but I wouldn't be against learning something that takes two."

Melody had yet to sit down and reflect on how or if this journey had changed her, and yet, in that moment, it became incredibly obvious that something was different. The Melody that stepped onto their graduation stage would have rolled her eyes at the thought of ballroom dancing. Now… "I've never danced before. I mean. Ever." Suddenly, their shoes aren't a good enough distraction, and Melody quickly casts her gaze back to the sky. "But I… kind of want to learn."

Rosa blushed, feeling her heart flutter as she thought about what Melody would look like if she was dolled up. Or, maybe she'd look better in a tuxedo? The girl couldn't make up her mind on which really looked better, but either way, she was certain that her friend would look very, very good.

"Then we can learn together," The blonde chimed in, letting her arm swing a little more as she walked.

'But do you really deserve it?' A voice echoed in the back of her mind, cutting through Rosa's simple smile and the happy moment that she was sharing. 'After everything you've done, everyone else that you've used and hurt to get to this point - do you really think you deserve to be happy?'

The girl let out a small cough, trying her best to ignore the thoughts that were pushing their way to the surface. "But we can figure out what song we want to practice to later. Right now… I think we might be lost."

Lost? Melody quickly looks ahead. The realization that she had been ambling forward and paying absolutely no attention to a real destination (shocking since she was so focused on the ground, the sky, and anything else that wasn't looking where she was going) began to sink in. Her footsteps come to a stop as she looks from left to right. This part of the city is completely unfamiliar to her. "Well, bollocks," She says with a soft snicker. It wasn't the end of the world (though it did put a prompt end to their pleasant conversation, and that in and of itself was a pain.) It shouldn't take much back-tracking for them to get back to a place that she recognized. She had (at least she thought she did) a fairly decent mental map of this place. Keeping her gentle hold on Rosa's hand, she looks over her shoulder to see where they had come from. "We took a left at the record store…"

Rosa also started looking around, knowing that she had no idea where they were. The place had a certain… feeling though. She couldn't say it was different from the emptiness she felt when she looked in on the Family's HQ, but there was definitely something else that felt like it was hanging in the air.

"Are we… being watched?" The girl questioned, her hand moving to her bag as she thought about all the possible people or Pokemon that could be out there. "Melody… I don't-" Rosa started before being sent tumbling backwards, loosening her grip on the other girl's hand.

"Kekekeke," a voice echoed from within the darkness, still not making itself seen but letting its presence be known.

"HEY!" Melody shouts as she raises her foot to take a threatening step forward. Said foot barely leaves the ground; however, before she quickly changes her mind and, rather than stomping forward, she takes a step back to be closer to Rosa. "Who the hell d--" before she can finish that sentence, something forceful collides into the punk teen's backside, sending her fumbling forward. Before she collides with the pavement, she manages to catch herself by shoving her arm into the nearby wall.

"Dree-py-py!" A frantic voice shouts as the ghostly dragon shoots out from Melody's satchel, latching onto his trainer's shoulder and letting out the most intimidating hiss he can muster-- at what… he's not sure.

"Did you think I wouldn't remember you?" The voice called out from the dark, seemingly coming at the girls from all sides. "That you could just walk around here, looking to ruin my plans without me ever finding out? I suppose though - I shouldn't expect too much out of children."

The figure stepped out of the shadows, or rather, multiple figures stepped out simultaneously, all dressed in the same clothes as those two kids from the sewers, each with those Unown painted across their skin.

"We will make sure that you see the error in your thinking. We who serve the Blackest of Pitch, we who have partaken of our master's blood shall guide you to that place."

Rosa glanced up at the figures, then back down at her bag. Dahlia and Zorro had already been out, floating around her and ready to strike. But, the thing that caught her eye in the bottom of her bag was not just a ball, but rather a stone. Yzma's ball rocked back and forth, responding to the sudden glow of the evolutionary item she had been so fond of. The girl launched her hand into the bag, pushing aside the knife that Tavi had given to her, releasing the ice type beside the reacting stone.

"Runt!" The Pokemon cried out as it cradled the stone, its body immediately beginning to resonate with that same glow.

Rosa flipped the bag close, wondering why now of all times the two would react to each other. Regardless of the time or place, she wasn't about to pass up this opportunity to see what would come from it. No doubt having another stronger Pokemon would help in this situation.

"We got this," the girl muttered, pulling the other balls from her pocket before releasing her full team onto the ground around her.

"Tch. That's a lot of talk for someone that needs a mob to take down two children." Melody snaps. Suddenly, she regrets leaving that steel rod Celeste had found in the mines tucked under her bed at the hotel. All the odd looks and questioning security guards she avoided by leaving it weren't going to amount to much if they die here. A squeeze on Melody's arm brings that stop to a halt and she shares a determined nod with her partner Pokemon. That's not gonna happen. She tells herself as she taps against the five Pokeballs strapped to her belt. Five more Pokemon join Rosa's lineup as Melody lowers herself just slightly into an offensive stance. They might be outnumbered human to human, but with their Pokemon in tow, they've evened those odds considerably. This guy wouldn't need so much man power if he had any decent Pokemon with him-- at least, that's the theory she's running with. "You bet we do."

Celeste looks up to her trainer for a brief second. Once more she appears utterly indignant that Melody had called her to deal with such a situation; however, she quickly changes her tune upon seeing the freakish mob staring them down. There are plenty of them. Perhaps her power is a necessity in this situation. Meanwhile, Blue takes one look at the group of humans and quickly bares her teeth, her body lowering into a very hostile position as her fur stands on end. Bishop stares at the group with a deep intensity, his wings flapping powerfully. He remembers them. He was such a tiny thing when he and Melody fought them off before. Now they'll get to see a taste of the power he's gained since evolving!

The figures move forward in unison, raising their arms up before locking their fingers together as they formed a massive circle around the two girls and their Pokemon.

"Foolish children," that voice called out from the dark once more, echoed by the circle of followers. "Your Pokemom can't do anything against his power. All fall before the might of his Dark Void!"

Dark Void? She's heard that before-- in Sonia's lecture about signature moves! It's the signature move of… Darkrai? These gits are trying to get Darkrai's attention? Or think they have Darkrai's attention? Just how delusional are these kids? "Bishop, find their leader."

The raven Pokemon takes to the sky and begins to fly in a circle around the encroaching group. They can hear that voice! It has to be close. It better be close. He's not leaving the fray to go find it!

Rosa looked around quickly, trying to find where the voice was originating from. It was odd, but for some reason, Dark Void sounded familiar. She shook her head, not wanting to get caught up on it when their lives could be in danger at the moment. "You're just a bunch of stupid kids!" The girl shouted, frustrated as she motioned towards the Loudred nearby. "Wyatt!"

The motion prompted the Pokemon to stomp forward before screaming as loud as it could. A few of the cultists dropped their arms, falling to the ground as they covered their ears from the scream. Rosa swung her arm in the opposite direction, sending Zorro and Dahlia flying over to knock down a few of the other cultists.

Melody catches Celeste's eyes and nods. The psychic type stares at the cultists that were yet to hit the ground from the brute's screaming. Her eyes begin to glow as she shoves her little arms forward, forcing them back with a Confusion attack.

"We're not the same as we were last time." Rosa stated as she slowly rose to her feet, the irritation she was feeling written across her face. "We won't let you get away this time. Your janky pokepasta 'Master' isn't going to come and help you - and you don't even have any Pokemon! What do you really think you can do?"

The cultists quickly reformed their ranks, having been assaulted by both Melody and Rosa's posse. That first voice called out again, laughing as each of the cultists reached into their robes before revealing orbs which also seemed strangely familiar to the young blonde.

"What can we do? A very interesting question. You see, there is no more for us to do. Our preparations are finished. Now that you're both here, all that's left… is to tie up these loose ends!"

Three balls flew out from behind the circle all from different directions. The pokeballs burst open, revealing three Pokemon, each of which was adorned with a wreath of orbs.

"With these Life Orbs we've toiled so hard to create these past months, even the likes of Kecleon, Absol, and Musharna will be able to wrap this up with ease!"

Life Orbs? Melody's mouth opens before she grits her teeth and slams her foot against the ground in frustration. "You sick fuck." She growls. That's the held item that siphons strength from the Pokemon in exchange for power, yeah? Even amongst trainers, it's something of a controversial item. These Pokemon are wearing multiple of them! How are they going to stay standing with that many orbs zapping their life force? That's-- beneficial for them, at least. They won't have to fight for long before the Pokemon knock themselves out. "Do you even know how those things work?

"All is right in the service of Him." The voices echoed in again. "I would sacrifice a hundred more people and a thousand Pokemon if it meant we could show off our power to that divine being. You have no idea just how powerful you can become with the aid of the occult. Allow us to demonstrate the power of those who've feasted on the Dark!"

Rosa's Party

Memories

CHAPTER 1 - WEDGEHURST & ROUTE 2
GOODBYES, AND HELLO TO A NEW JOURNEY
TROUBLE'S ON THE TRACKS
NAMES AND NIGHTMARES!

CHAPTER 2 - THE SOUTHERN WILD AREA
ENTER THE WILD AREA!
NEW BIKING BIKERS!
THE MYSTERIOUS SHINY POKEMON!
RANGER DANGER! PT.1
RANGER DANGER! PT.2
RANGER DANGER! FINALE!
RED-EYES BLACK-HAT!

CHAPTER 3 - MOTOSTOKE
INN FOR A PENNY, INN FOR A POUND
INN FOR A PENNY, INN FOR A POUND PT.2
SHADY SHOPPING
THE OPENING CEREMONY
THE OPENING CEREMONY PT.2
THE OPENING CEREMONY PT.3
INN WITH THE FAMILY
ALL BETS ON BLACK
LATE NIGHT LULLABIES
SNACK ATTACK!

CHAPTER 4 - ROUTE 3
VS SIMON
VS SIMON PT.2
MYSTERY OF MEW
MYSTERY OF MEW PT.2
WINTER FESTIVAL
A TWO HEADED REFLECTION

CHAPTER 5 - GALAR MINE AND ROUTE 4
DAYDREAM OF MINE
DEVELOPMENT AND MISSED CONNECTIONS
BUGGIN' THE COSMOS

CHAPTER 6 - TURFFIELD
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE PT.2
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE PT.3
IS IT TOO LATE TO APOLOGIZE?
TURRFIELD CONTEST PERFORMANCE
PLANNING AND CHALLENGE
VS MILO
GIRL'S NIGHT OUT
FEAR THE BEGINNING

CHAPTER 7 - ROUTE 5
WORK FOR A PROMISE
WORK FOR A PROMISE PT.2
BUDDING YOUTH
BUDDING YOUTH PT.2
FEAR THE BEGINNING PT.2

CHAPTER 8 - HULBURY
FEAR THE BEGINNING PT.3
VS NESS
VS NESSA PT.2
THE HYPOCRITES' WALTZ
THE HYPOCRITES' WALTZ PT.2
DUPLICITY
DUPLICITY PT.2
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS
FEAR THE BEGINNING PT.4

CHAPTER 9 - GALAR MINES NO.2
CIRCLING THE ANSWER
NINE
NINE PT.2
XAN WAS HERE

CHAPTER 10 - MOTOSTOKE
OUT OF THE FRYING PAN
TURN THE PAGE
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE

Rosa's Journal

Simon Dansen

My childhood friend. Absolute idiot. Can't ever get a read on him anymore. Buttface. Always there when I need him. Always there when I least expect him. JERK. Showed me up in battle and evolved his Pokemon before me.

He came to "rescue" me after I coerced Ruben into protecting me in the underground casino. I told him off... and then didn't apologize until much later. He came to wish me a late merry christmas after Ruben gave me his spare room. He reminded me of our promise from before our journey started, and gave me my christmas gift which was a traditional Johtoan kimono and fan - all to prepare me for the upcoming contests. He also told me I should call his mom and dad since they're so worried about us both now that we're gone, but... I'll figure it out later.

Jasper

An ex-classmate. He took my bait and threw me for a loop when we were fighting a group of Munchlax together. Not as bad a guy as I thought. Because of him, I have to re-evaluate my notes on everyone else just in case. I'm interested in trying a different approach with him when next we meet.

Helped out a wrongfully arrested girl. Really smart. Observant. Kind, but doesn't like to show it. Isn't a terrible cook.

Charles the Biker

An eccentric, but strong man. Indulges in bad puns. Love for bikes. We left on good terms.

Nat the Ranger

A doting older brother to several sisters. A strong trainer who follows their duty. Only spent a day with them. Not sure if I want to meet again or not since I stole a broken styler from his scene of investigation. We left on good terms, I think? Unless he notices that something's missing.

Budew Girl

Never got her name. Apparently she's a challenger like the rest of my classmates. Comes from a family of Budew fanatics. They breed Budew in their hometown and journey around with all three forms of it. She seems endearing. It might be interesting to meet her again in the future. As long as she's not being accused of theft, that is.

Achille Béringer

Rich kid. Pays his debts. Is keen on rich kid things. Doesn't seem much different from how he was in school, but still need to reevaluate.

Melody Argent

Cute and kind. She keeps to herself kind of like I do. Loves music. Feels similar to Simon. Still need to reevaluate because of interactions with Jasper. Kind of maybe, possibly, a small amount of a badass. Finger guns - super corny. Don't harp on the idea of being in contests. If that culty stuff doesn't get figured out by the time we come back to Motostoke, I'll have to remember to find her around town. She's much more attuned to pop culture than I am.

AAAAAHHH! We did so much in Turffield, and even more just after! I still can't believe that she wont that contest and made it look so... so easy! She's just, like, wow. I still don't know what to do with all of my thoughts, but after that delivery we did together especially I just. Wowee. Jeez.

The Family // Damien(?)

Not the family himself, I don't think. I still haven't got his name or what role he really plays in all this. He's a shady motherfucker - pardon my Kalos. I still don't know how much of the stuff I've gone through in Motostoke has been orchestrated by him, but for the moment I'm not planning to try anything. I still don't know enough about him to make any real guesses. The longer that I stay around this town, the further behind the veil that I see. I'm scared even to go to sleep at night so long as I'm here. They have eyes... everywhere.

Buggy Simon

Some kind of freak of nature. I guess he understands Pokemon in some way that I can't; like, he understands what they're actually trying to say when they speak? Kind of cool, but also weird. Him and Simon used to hang out every once in a while at school. He knows about my "secret styler".

Valerie

An absolute ray of sunshine and happiness. She's also a streamer, and earns enough money from it to show it off. Not put off by literal ghosts. Has some kind of dream of meeting Mew.

Aeliana Kekoa

Alolan dance girl. She's supposed to teach me sometime. Pretty much just how I remembered her in school. I didn't get to spend much time with her when we all hung out. Didn't seem too bothered by the ghosts.

Pia McGuire

Pia... definitely is afraid of literal ghosts. I had a few choice words for her, but... after we saw Jirachi, it just felt like the time had passed, so I gave up. She's seen me without my mask, so next time we meet up is probably going to be awkward.

Haleigh Windsor

A friend of Melody's. I intentionally ran into her after failing to catch up with Melody, due to the addition of Haleigh. We had a short battle, and then made a promise for drinks with Melody after I urged her to drag the girl along with her to the contest in Turffield. She seems quite naive, so I may be able to get some more use out of her as long as I stay true to her persona. She's battle hungry, the same as Simon, but her Pokemon are still a little lacking - that coming from someone who still has no idea what she's doing here herself. She might end up being a good sparring partner in the future since she knows a little of what I've got and we're on relatively equal footing.

Mother Priscilla

The leader of the Turffield Sisterhood. I thought at first she was just an escort, but once we got to their hideout, I slowly started to realize what she really was. She's an incredibly dangerous woman who has no trouble pulling a gun on important people or those that she may need. There's still too much I don't know about what's going on to get a good grasp on what her and Damien's goals are, but given what I've already seen I really could do without finding out.

Ruben Sancho

Truth be told, I hadn't cared for Ruben when we went to school together. I thought he was your average rich celebrity who was forced into something he didn't really want to be a part of. After getting involved with the family and finding myself in that gambling hall, and then finding Ruben there as well, I felt that my suspicions were true. I had no second thoughts about what I was going to drag him in to. But as time went on, I found myself feeling more and more regretful with each time that he said Pia's name. And then because of me, news about him and Pia got out before either of them were likely ready to go public. And after all that, Simon attacked him out of the blue... but even after all that, he still offered me a free room at the local hotel. I already apologized to him about Simon, and about lying to get him to go with me. But, I should apologize again. He's not as bad of a guy as I thought he was.

Outfits

Spoiler: Here be a number of large images

Inventory

Spoiler:

Sonata · Aug 27, 2021

Poké:

2220 ♦ Pokemon: 6

CHAPTER 10.4 -EACH VERSE TENFOLD PT.2
ft. Melody Argent

Rosa stumbled forward, as she listened to the voices all around her. Were they insane? Sure, she'd only just found out herself how Life Orbs were made, but… "No." The girl whispered, realization beginning to dawn on her. "No, you didn't. You wouldn't have gone that far. How could you even think of that? What is wrong with you?" Rosa covered her mouth, feeling her stomach beginning to turn as she thought about all of the missing persons posters and then at the abundance of orbs all around her.

"It is as He commanded us. Children such as you have no right to question his divine intent. Now, fall to the might of our righteous belief!"

Melody does everything in her power to keep the glare on her face even as it threatens to be overpowered by a look of mild confusion. Rosa doesn't seem as disturbed about the Pokemon holding the Life Orbs as she is that… the life orbs exist? The punk teen takes a step as Rosa fumbles forward, prepared to catch her if she falls (or throw a punch at any of these freaks if they try to step closer.) What is she missing? What does Rosa see that she doesn't? What's up with those orbs?

The Kecleon lumbered forward, its head twitching as it looked at Rosa, and then at each of her Pokemon. "Kekekekekek. Kekekekekek. Kekekekek." The Pokemon continued to inch closer, raising a hand towards Wyatt as the wreath of orbs around its neck began to light up. "Kek!" A nearby building began to shudder as a chunk of the wall was torn free from the rest of its form, breaking up further as it hurtled through the air towards the Loudred.

"Wyatt!" Rosa called out, unsure of what was happening until the building had already started to sag into its newly created exit.

"Lo-" the Pokemon started to respond before being pummeled by the debris.

The Kecleon started to cackle as it continued to inch forward, though now seemingly a little more labored in its movement. "Kekekekek."

Rosa grimaced, looking back down at her bag. Was anything she had on her going to be good enough to go against such a powerful attack? Sure, she had a Life Orb of her own, but good would it really do against a Pokemon with so much more?

"Zorro!" The girl called out, quickly plunging her hand into the bag, pushing aside the glowing Snorunt before tossing the orb over to the Grass-type. "Give it hell!"

"Rose!" The Pokemon cried out, catching the orb and letting it sink into the bed of flowers at the end of its arm. The Roselia quickly looked over at the Kecleon, letting a poisoned stinger protrude from its other arm before closing the distance with the normal type. "Roselia! Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose!" The Kecleon stepped backwards with each jab of the grass type's stinger, just barely dodging out of the way.

"Ezra!" Rosa called out, tilting her head towards the Roselia which had already started fighting. "Get in there!"

"Muuunch." The Munchlax sighed, slowly picking up speed as it waddled over towards the Kecleon to aid its friend. The Pokemon opened its mouth, readying for a Bite attack before having its maw filled with a sickle-like horn.

"Ab-sol." The Dark type whipped its head around, striking the Munchlax once more before sending it tumbling over. The Pokemon leaped over to the Kecleon, its horn beginning to glow with a pinkish energy as it struck at the Roselia, knocking it back and causing it to let go of the Life Orb that had been taken into its flowers.

One of the two remaining Pokeballs hooked to Melody's belt begins to shake violently. Spike's Pokeball is inactive, meaning the ball won't open unless Melody's Pokedex recognizes some kind of emergency and initiates some kind of override to allow more than six of her Pokeballs to be active. He seems all to aware of what's going on, though, and is infuriated that he can't get to Wyatt and Big bro Zorro. "Annabelle, Fairy Wind Ab--"

"Shaaarna!"

The cry calls out over Melody's command as the Life-orb clad psychic type levitates large hunks of concrete from the destroying wall Kecleon had created. The dream Pokemon shows not a hint of remorse as it heaves the slabs in Melody's direction.

"Celeste!" Melody calls out.

"IiiiiiiTA!" Celeste's entire body glows as she attempts to shove the stones back; however, her power is rather miniscule compared to a fully evolved Pokemon sporting so many power-enhancing items. Even with all her strength, she only manages to slow the impact by a few seconds. It is, at least, enough time for Melody to call out another instruction.

"Annabelle, Fairy Wind!"

The Mimikyu, debuting her new Flareon costume, swirls into action, conjuring the glistening pink wind she had become notorious for summoning. The wind crashes into the debris and slows them another degree. They won't be able to stop the assault, they have to cut off the source.

"Shadow Sneak!"

Without specification (and without any time to question) both Piper and Nightshot dart into the shadows of the ground. In an instant, they have surged under the killer-concrete and collided with the psychic type, the force of both ghost-type attacks enough to break her focus and cause the levitating bludgeoning devices to fall to the ground. The dream Pokemon steadies herself just in time to let out a meek shudder, the life orbs slowly claiming chunks of her precious life.

Sorry. Melody thinks to herself before turning her gaze towards her newest teammate. "Blue, Bite!"

The Houndour lunges forward and opens her mouth as wide as she can, sharp fangs clamping down on the Pokemon and dragging it down to the ground, where the psychic type is violently shaken.

"Squuuuire!" Bishop calls as he descends from the sky above. Blue lifts her head and nods in understanding before tossing the psychic type back into the air-- only for it to be impaled by the raven Pokemon's Drill Peck.

Rosa, feeling the pressure of having to face two Pokemon grimaced as she glanced over at the Musharna which had been so quickly dealt with. 'I'm weak. Useless. But look at her. No hesitation, no questions. Her Pokemon so willing to fight before she even asks them to. What am… what am I doing here? What did I do to deserve someone like her by my side… what did I do to deserve anyone that calls me their friend? I don't even deserve to be alive/i] right now, but… am I allowed to be happy? Am I allowed to be here?'

Blue stands above the psychic type, teeth bared and snarling for a good few seconds, just in case it considered trying to float back up. It didn't, and Melody couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. That was-- lucky. She was lucy that the Pokemon they decided to sick on her was a type of Pokemon that the majority of her team has an advantage against. She was lucky Annabelle had so much experience deflecting and dodging moves that were being thrown her way and that's how their enemy decided to attack. She was lucky. That's why that battle ended as quickly as it did.

"Did you find their leader?" Melody asks as Bishop flies towards her. The raven Pokemon narrows his eyes and makes the most unimpressed expression he can muster. No, no he did not. Did she want him to continue flying and searching while that purple blob smashed her under a wall?

Melody can't argue with that face-- she doesn't have time to. Her attention is quickly brought back to the problem at hand: Rosa is still facing down two Pokemon. Two. Neither of which she has a huge advantage against, and she's still holding her own so strongly. Luck has nothing to do with Rosa's skill.

"Dahlia, use Stun Spore!" Rosa called out, trying to busy herself and push the thoughts to the back of her mind.

The Bug-type flew over the other two Pokemon, letting the spores fall off of her wings as she did. "Cu! Cu! Cu!"

Zorro looked up at the Cutiefly, smiling and nodding as it raised an arm to the sky. "Rose!" The Pokemon called out, before pushing itself up off the ground and rushing the Kecleon just ahead of it.

'I get let off too easily.' Rosa thought, watching as the two Orbed up Pokemon ahead of her began to shudder from the effects of the Stun Spore and their own weakening constitution. 'All of the people I've used to get to where I am… all of the people that I've hurt just by existing… I treat them all the same, but Arceus knows that it's never in a good light. The only one that might be different is…'

"Yzma, what are you doing in there?" Rosa whispered, flipping her bag open as she watched the Absol pacing around Ezra and the struggling form of Wyatt. "They need you." The girl bit her lip as she watched the Pokemon inside wrestling with the stone, its form changing and forming with her own.

"R-Runt," the Pokemon replied as it stumbled out of the bag and started to make its way forward. "Runt… ru-runt."

'I'm so weak… emotionally, physically - mentally. I deserve to be admonished for it all - I know that. But I can't handle it at all. I'm so afraid of being left alone here… as much as I know that that karma will find me in the end. But I can't run forever. The pit inside of me continues to grow with each passing day as I reflect more and more on the choices I've made to take me down this road that I'm on. I hurt, and I'm afraid, but I know the pain I've inflicted on others far outweighs anything I could put onto myself. I want to scream, to lash out and weep at my constant inability to change, to rid myself of this shadow of the person I once was.'

"I'm sorry, Yzma." the girl whispered, having been locked back inside of her own head. "I didn't mean to-"

"Runt." the Pokemon replied, raising its nub up towards the Absol as the glow in its body subsided, revealing that no change had occurred. "Snorunt."

'If it would mean anything, I would sacrifice myself beneath the boots of someone else. I'd make myself useful, even as a scapegoat.' The girl looked over at Melody, taking in her features as best as she could in the moonlight. 'But even then I'm too afraid to offer myself up to someone or something else because I know that even if I take that action it'll still be disingenuous. I'll just keep on being me - continuing to consider in what way I can turn it around and earn something for myself in return.'

"Alright, Yzma. Use Ice Shard!" The girl pointed towards the Absol, prompting the Ice-type to rush forward with two sickles of ice in its tiny hands.

"Runt!" The Pokemon cried out, swinging the icy blades at the Pokemon's horn.

"Melody! How are you holding up?" Rosa called out, inching closer to the beaten form of Wyatt who'd been caught completely unaware from the Kecleon's first attack.

"We're good!" Melody calls back as she reaches into her satchel and begins frantically digging. "Belle, give this to Wyatt," she instructs, holding out a yellow berry to the disguised Pokemon.

"Kew!" Annabelle reaches out with her shadowy tendril to take the fruit. She tucks it under her costume before vanishing into the shadows, only to pop up beside the exhausted normal type a split second later. "Mimi!" She cries before presenting the Sitrus berry to the significantly larger Pokemon.

It's not much, but it will help a bit. Melody almost regrets making Lyric's Pokeball inactive, he might be able to find another berry or a potion that could give them an edge-- the no items in battle rule kind of falls flat when their enemies basically armed their own team with super-roids. "You need some back up?" No. No she does not.

"That'd be great!" Rosa smiled, again trying to force her thoughts down into that growing pit within her. She'd had so many years of practice with it, but for whatever reason it seemed like all of that 'training' meant nothing in this moment. "With your help, I think… I could do any-"

"Where did you get this?" The voice cut through the ongoing battle - alone, without the echo of its followers as it had before - just before Melody turned to start helping out Rosa's Pokemon. "Where… how did you get this?"

Rosa looked over at Melody with a confused look before glancing around for the voice, no longer worried about the battle in front of them with the addition of her friend's Pokemon. "Where did we find what?"

The voice called out again, hanging a little on every word as spite began to grow on the speaker's tongue. "Jeanne. How did you get Jeanne?"

'Jeanne?' Rosa shook her head, unsure of what the voice meant. She looked over at Melody and raised her eyebrow. "Who is Jeanne?"

"Jeanne was the first… the first that He brought to us. The first success that we had with His guidance. Without Jeanne… none of this would have been possible. But, Jeanne belongs to Him. How dare you take such a precious artifact from our Master!"

Rosa shook her head. "I don't have any fucking idea what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me!" The voice shouted back, still not echoed by its followers, who as of now were starting to look around just as confused as the two girls who'd come to stop them. "I know that He wouldn't just let someone take this Orb from him!"

Rosa quickly looked over at Zorro, who looked back at her and shrugged while pointing to the flowers which had housed the orb just a short while before. "You mean… that orb… it really is what I thought then…"

Murmurs started to spread through the followers as they looked between each other and Rosa. "She's met Him. We haven't even met Him. Who did she have to sacrifice to get an audience you think? Do you think she could show us to Him? When was the last time our leader even saw Him?"

"Who is He," Rosa finally shouted, irritated by the murmurs surrounding her.

"Darkrai." The voice cut through the dying whispers like a knife. "Our Master, is Darkrai. The one who first brought me the boy known as Jeanne. He was my first orb, and after that… Darkrai left, and I had no choice but to follow what he'd taught me. And so I taught it to everyone else so that we might make more tools for him to come back to. But you… why you? What have you ever done for him?"

Rosa stopped in her tracks, the irritation fading from her face before quickly being replaced with fear. "Darkrai… that was… that was because of you?" The girl slowly looked around, unsure of whether the Pokemon was anywhere nearby or not.

"I know what happened… you stole this from Him, didn't you?" The voice started to laugh as the circle surrounding the two girls began to break. "What, did you think He wouldn't come back for it? Did you really think He would be so scared of you to just leave something so precious behind?"

Rosa's gaze slowly drifted over to Melody as her thoughts drifted to that night where Simon, Elena, and herself had struggled to fight off the Pokemon. "Give me back my orb," the girl muttered beneath her breath. She knew full well that the Pokemon wouldn't just leave the orb with her after it had dragged her off like that. The girl slowly moved to cover her mouth as she shook her head. "No, I didn't think that at all."

'I am shit.' The girl thought to herself as she stared at Melody, her own eyes beginning to sting. 'I hate myself for every little thing that I do. I hate the impact that I have on others lives no matter how minute. All I do is cause trouble for those closest to me... I just want to disappear, to leave nothing behind and fade into the shadows of what's unseen and forgotten. But, I'm afraid…' The girl looked over at the orbs which hung around the Pokemons' bodies. 'Afraid of having left nothing behind that should I be able to return to this place I could reclaim and give to myself in a friendly gesture while mouthing the words 'this is who you are. I'm afraid of… of having meant nothing - to you, and to me.'

Rosa's lips quivered as she began to shake. "Of course, I knew exactly what would happen if I took that orb." The girl took slow steps towards the edge of the circle, looking back over at Melody with a smile. "Would you have my back? Protect me, even if I did something so stupid and reckless?" She mouthed the words to her with only the smallest of sounds while they were still close together - her mind bouncing in a flash to everything that had happened over the past months.

What the actual fuck. Melody thinks to herself as this conversation goes on around her. Darkrai, the legendary Pokemon-- are they implying that it made Rosa's life orb… out of a person? Are all of those orbs made out of… people? Is that why people have gone missing-- is that why Rosa was so freaked out? Melody's eyes widen as the reality of this all begins to crash down. These aren't just stupid kids acting out a stupid story they read on the internet. They genuinely believe that Darkrai has sent them on a quest to claim souls in its name… and they're doing it.

… And now they're setting their sights on Rosa. Melody's chest tightens as the adrenaline pouring into her veins increases along with an influx of emotions: Near-blinding anger, which was hardly unfamiliar, and… fear, that… sort of was. Melody rarely felt fear in her life. She lived for danger. She thrived in situations where others would back away. She ran into burning buildings and had to resist the urge to laugh like a giddy child while outrunning the flames. She lived to fight, to punch at things until the skin on her knuckles tore from being smashed into person after person. She didn't fear getting hurt, she didn't fear death. She challenged those things at every opportunity: Fighting harder, climbing higher…

This isn't about her though. This isn't a situation where, if she fails, it's only her that pays. If she falls now, these people (she's using that term rather loosely) will hurt Rosa-- kill Rosa.

And that's… terrifying.

Melody's fist begins to tremble as shake as a gentle pain pricks at her eyes-- if only for an instant. Everything stops when Rosa takes a step forward. Her trembling hand, the tears forming in her eyes-- her heart (at least that's what it feels like.) Before she can call out to her, Rosa turns to look at Melody. The smile on her face is enough to cause the punk-teen to let out a soft, almost inaudible gasp. The strength that Rosa shows-- to smile in the face of this freak show-- well, it's infectious. Melody can't help but return it as she boldly steps forward to teeter at the edge of the circle beside Rosa.

A light unto my darkening.

Melody reaches out to grasp the other girl's hand, red eyes locked, unshaking, onto blue ones. "I will always have your back."

Rosa felt her heart flutter for a second, washing away everything else that had been plaguing her. But, at the same time, she felt the smile on her face waver. 'I can't keep doing this. I can't stay this same person… I need to change.' The girl locked her fingers into Melody's reaching her off hand into her bag before producing a pokeball. "If you want to meet your Master so badly, then why don't I show him to you?" The girl cried out, dragging Melody with her as they rushed towards the edge of the circle.

The followers of Darkrai parted as Rosa cried out, gasping as they watched her pass. "Does she? Is He with her? Should we?" The voices whispered among themselves as a few others simply pointed towards a building a few houses back. "If she knows Him, are we wrong to stop her?"

Melody doesn't hesitate to charge into the fray alongside Rosa. Her heart is pumping so wildly in her chest that she can feel it in her throat, and that stinging has returned to her eyes-- not from fear, not from pain-- simply because… in her eighteen years of walking this earth, she has never felt anything as strongly as she's feeling it now. So much of her existence has been grey. A dull, slow moving, barely noticeable grey. The only times she ever really felt alive at all have been when she dove head-first into danger, and those times were always so fleeting: A few minutes and they were done. A quick thrill and then everything settled back down to that dull, lifeless, mundane grey. She barely registers that Rosa's holding a Pokeball, much less that the cult members are suddenly being very cooperative because of whatever she has in that Pokeball.

The two girls followed the pointing followers, finding after only a dozen or so seconds, a figure fleeing into the dark. "Dahlia!" Rosa cried out to the Pokemon who was already flying ahead while dropping Stun Spores all over the leader of the cult.

"Aaah!" The voice cried out as the man started to swat at the bug flying over it. "Fuck off! You don't know how much I've sacrificed for this! You can't stop me!"

"This is wrong!" Rosa cried out, her eyes fixed on the orb darting through the air as the man swung at the Cutiefly. "You're going to answer for your crimes!" Rosa stumbled forward, trying her best to put as much strength behind her fist as she could. She'd never hit anyone before in anything more than a playful manner. But right now… 'All of this is your fault.' With that frustration behind her, and all of the anger she felt at remembering all of the bones which had littered the sewers, all of the orbs which the cultists had prepared - everything compounded together - she swung on him.

Right after Rosa's punch makes contact, Melody follows suit. She releases Rosa's hand and lunges forward, her right fist colliding with the leader's jaw. Whatever sound of pain the leader attempted to emit was cut-short as her left fist smashes into his throat. As their enemy reaches up to grasp his throat, Melody quickly pivots on to one foot and propels a roundhouse kick to his chest. The combination of the strikes is more than enough to send the cult leader backwards, hitting the ground with a loud (and painful) sounding thud. It appears as though the back of his skull smashing into the pavement was enough to knock him out.

"Looks like that's that," she sneers as she looks down at the unconscious figure, still tempted to smash her foot down on his ribcage-- just to make sure.

Rosa looked down at the man, shaking her head as she grabbed the orb which started to roll away now that it was free from his grasp. He looked… normal, like he was just any other guy you'd see on the street. She hastily dug around in one of his pockets, finding a wallet with a couple different business cards and some weird looking tag within. The girl didn't know if she should feel bad for him or not, but, she didn't. She didn't know if he was a normal guy before he ran into Darkrai or not - all that mattered was what he'd done since then. And everything that he had done… that she had done was unforgivable.

The blonde girl looked over at the cultists who were all starting to remove their hoods, bowing down in front of the girl with looks of remorse. The girl listened intently, hearing the sound of sirens from the direction they'd come. 'The police,' the girl thought while looking at the destruction around them. They'd undoubtedly made a commotion… something that she was not a stranger to. She chuckled lightly, letting her gaze rise back to Melody's.

"Melody?" The girl said softly, inching closer to her.

Sirens, really? Now? Now that two teenage girls have done their job for them. Melody lets out a soft snicker. Now might be a good time to bow out. "Yeah?" She answers softly, shuffling her feet ever so slightly to seal the small gap between them.

"I'm sorry, but…" Rosa reached up, feeling the skin of the girl's cheek as she pulled her face in closer to her own. "I think I… I-" the girl pressed her lips against Melody's. Tears started to fall from the corner of the blonde's eyes as she pulled back, looking up into the crimson eyes of the other girl. "I can't hurt you too."

Melody reaches out to brush her fingers against Rosa's cheek as their lips pressed together, intent to wipe away the tears that had collected in the smaller girl's eyes. The movement is; however, halted mid-reach when Rosa finishes her sentence. "You w--"

Rosa let her hands drop to her side, quickly motioning for her Pokemon to come along as she slowly stepped back, her fingers pressed against her lips as she recalled the texture that had been against them just seconds before. "I'm sorry," she whispered, turning her back before rushing off into the dark.

The encroaching sirens fall on deaf ears as Melody watches, her arm still partially extended, as Rosa's figure vanishes into the darkness. Every cell in her body shouts for her to run after, and yet, she remains frozen, her eyes wide and distant.

Several seconds tick by before the soft cries from her Pokemon tear Melody's eyes away from the darkness. She turns slowly, her eyes narrowing on the cultists. Her fingers slowly tighten back into a fist as she walks across the line they created, staring each one in the eye as she passes. She stops at the collapsed Absol and bends down, plucking one of the Life Orbs from its collar. Now knowing that it is, she has absolutely no intention of hooking it to her Pokemon; however… it might not hurt to learn from. She is the Death Princess after all.

"Let's go," she murmurs as she slides the orb into her satchel. Nightshot hesitantly meets his trainer's distant gaze before looking back to where Rosa had vanished. Melody shakes her head, her hand slowly raising and her fingertips brushing against her lips. There's… clearly a lot to figure out. For both of them. The black-clad trainer breathes out a sharp, pained sigh and brushes the back of her hand against her eye before darting into the shadows of the night.

Rosa's Party

Memories

CHAPTER 1 - WEDGEHURST & ROUTE 2
GOODBYES, AND HELLO TO A NEW JOURNEY
TROUBLE'S ON THE TRACKS
NAMES AND NIGHTMARES!

CHAPTER 2 - THE SOUTHERN WILD AREA
ENTER THE WILD AREA!
NEW BIKING BIKERS!
THE MYSTERIOUS SHINY POKEMON!
RANGER DANGER! PT.1
RANGER DANGER! PT.2
RANGER DANGER! FINALE!
RED-EYES BLACK-HAT!

CHAPTER 3 - MOTOSTOKE
INN FOR A PENNY, INN FOR A POUND
INN FOR A PENNY, INN FOR A POUND PT.2
SHADY SHOPPING
THE OPENING CEREMONY
THE OPENING CEREMONY PT.2
THE OPENING CEREMONY PT.3
INN WITH THE FAMILY
ALL BETS ON BLACK
LATE NIGHT LULLABIES
SNACK ATTACK!

CHAPTER 4 - ROUTE 3
VS SIMON
VS SIMON PT.2
MYSTERY OF MEW
MYSTERY OF MEW PT.2
WINTER FESTIVAL
A TWO HEADED REFLECTION

CHAPTER 5 - GALAR MINE AND ROUTE 4
DAYDREAM OF MINE
DEVELOPMENT AND MISSED CONNECTIONS
BUGGIN' THE COSMOS

CHAPTER 6 - TURFFIELD
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE PT.2
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE PT.3
IS IT TOO LATE TO APOLOGIZE?
TURRFIELD CONTEST PERFORMANCE
PLANNING AND CHALLENGE
VS MILO
GIRL'S NIGHT OUT
FEAR THE BEGINNING

CHAPTER 7 - ROUTE 5
WORK FOR A PROMISE
WORK FOR A PROMISE PT.2
BUDDING YOUTH
BUDDING YOUTH PT.2
FEAR THE BEGINNING PT.2

CHAPTER 8 - HULBURY
FEAR THE BEGINNING PT.3
VS NESS
VS NESSA PT.2
THE HYPOCRITES' WALTZ
THE HYPOCRITES' WALTZ PT.2
DUPLICITY
DUPLICITY PT.2
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS
FEAR THE BEGINNING PT.4

CHAPTER 9 - GALAR MINES NO.2
CIRCLING THE ANSWER
NINE
NINE PT.2
XAN WAS HERE

CHAPTER 10 - MOTOSTOKE
OUT OF THE FRYING PAN
TURN THE PAGE
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE

Rosa's Journal

Simon Dansen

My childhood friend. Absolute idiot. Can't ever get a read on him anymore. Buttface. Always there when I need him. Always there when I least expect him. JERK. Showed me up in battle and evolved his Pokemon before me.

He came to "rescue" me after I coerced Ruben into protecting me in the underground casino. I told him off... and then didn't apologize until much later. He came to wish me a late merry christmas after Ruben gave me his spare room. He reminded me of our promise from before our journey started, and gave me my christmas gift which was a traditional Johtoan kimono and fan - all to prepare me for the upcoming contests. He also told me I should call his mom and dad since they're so worried about us both now that we're gone, but... I'll figure it out later.

Jasper

An ex-classmate. He took my bait and threw me for a loop when we were fighting a group of Munchlax together. Not as bad a guy as I thought. Because of him, I have to re-evaluate my notes on everyone else just in case. I'm interested in trying a different approach with him when next we meet.

Helped out a wrongfully arrested girl. Really smart. Observant. Kind, but doesn't like to show it. Isn't a terrible cook.

Charles the Biker

An eccentric, but strong man. Indulges in bad puns. Love for bikes. We left on good terms.

Nat the Ranger

A doting older brother to several sisters. A strong trainer who follows their duty. Only spent a day with them. Not sure if I want to meet again or not since I stole a broken styler from his scene of investigation. We left on good terms, I think? Unless he notices that something's missing.

Budew Girl

Never got her name. Apparently she's a challenger like the rest of my classmates. Comes from a family of Budew fanatics. They breed Budew in their hometown and journey around with all three forms of it. She seems endearing. It might be interesting to meet her again in the future. As long as she's not being accused of theft, that is.

Achille Béringer

Rich kid. Pays his debts. Is keen on rich kid things. Doesn't seem much different from how he was in school, but still need to reevaluate.

Melody Argent

Cute and kind. She keeps to herself kind of like I do. Loves music. Feels similar to Simon. Still need to reevaluate because of interactions with Jasper. Kind of maybe, possibly, a small amount of a badass. Finger guns - super corny. Don't harp on the idea of being in contests. If that culty stuff doesn't get figured out by the time we come back to Motostoke, I'll have to remember to find her around town. She's much more attuned to pop culture than I am.

AAAAAHHH! We did so much in Turffield, and even more just after! I still can't believe that she wont that contest and made it look so... so easy! She's just, like, wow. I still don't know what to do with all of my thoughts, but after that delivery we did together especially I just. Wowee. Jeez.

The Family // Damien(?)

Not the family himself, I don't think. I still haven't got his name or what role he really plays in all this. He's a shady motherfucker - pardon my Kalos. I still don't know how much of the stuff I've gone through in Motostoke has been orchestrated by him, but for the moment I'm not planning to try anything. I still don't know enough about him to make any real guesses. The longer that I stay around this town, the further behind the veil that I see. I'm scared even to go to sleep at night so long as I'm here. They have eyes... everywhere.

Buggy Simon

Some kind of freak of nature. I guess he understands Pokemon in some way that I can't; like, he understands what they're actually trying to say when they speak? Kind of cool, but also weird. Him and Simon used to hang out every once in a while at school. He knows about my "secret styler".

Valerie

An absolute ray of sunshine and happiness. She's also a streamer, and earns enough money from it to show it off. Not put off by literal ghosts. Has some kind of dream of meeting Mew.

Aeliana Kekoa

Alolan dance girl. She's supposed to teach me sometime. Pretty much just how I remembered her in school. I didn't get to spend much time with her when we all hung out. Didn't seem too bothered by the ghosts.

Pia McGuire

Pia... definitely is afraid of literal ghosts. I had a few choice words for her, but... after we saw Jirachi, it just felt like the time had passed, so I gave up. She's seen me without my mask, so next time we meet up is probably going to be awkward.

Haleigh Windsor

A friend of Melody's. I intentionally ran into her after failing to catch up with Melody, due to the addition of Haleigh. We had a short battle, and then made a promise for drinks with Melody after I urged her to drag the girl along with her to the contest in Turffield. She seems quite naive, so I may be able to get some more use out of her as long as I stay true to her persona. She's battle hungry, the same as Simon, but her Pokemon are still a little lacking - that coming from someone who still has no idea what she's doing here herself. She might end up being a good sparring partner in the future since she knows a little of what I've got and we're on relatively equal footing.

Mother Priscilla

The leader of the Turffield Sisterhood. I thought at first she was just an escort, but once we got to their hideout, I slowly started to realize what she really was. She's an incredibly dangerous woman who has no trouble pulling a gun on important people or those that she may need. There's still too much I don't know about what's going on to get a good grasp on what her and Damien's goals are, but given what I've already seen I really could do without finding out.

Ruben Sancho

Truth be told, I hadn't cared for Ruben when we went to school together. I thought he was your average rich celebrity who was forced into something he didn't really want to be a part of. After getting involved with the family and finding myself in that gambling hall, and then finding Ruben there as well, I felt that my suspicions were true. I had no second thoughts about what I was going to drag him in to. But as time went on, I found myself feeling more and more regretful with each time that he said Pia's name. And then because of me, news about him and Pia got out before either of them were likely ready to go public. And after all that, Simon attacked him out of the blue... but even after all that, he still offered me a free room at the local hotel. I already apologized to him about Simon, and about lying to get him to go with me. But, I should apologize again. He's not as bad of a guy as I thought he was.

Outfits

Spoiler: Here be a number of large images

Inventory

Spoiler:

Turffield Badge
Hulbury Badge
5 pokeballs
3 great balls
Notebook and Pen
Galarian Pokédex V. 8
Rosa's ATC
Old Rod
Simon's Knit Wooloo Sweater
Rotom Brand Electric Bike
Dawn Stone
Wishing Piece
Fancy Metal Flower Crown - Gift for Jasper
Pokemon Styler
Mysterious Package B
Blackspear Industries Job License
Odd Incense
Lagging Tail
Revival Herb
Priscilla's Package and Letter
Kimono and Fan
Turffield Ribbon
TR Curse
Peculiar Pinwheel
Matching Promise Pendant
Life Orb
Knife
Souvenir eeveelution cups
Wishing star
Note from Xan
Books
Tavi hotline
Spell Tag

Fen-Fen · Aug 28, 2021

Haleigh Windsor
18 | Female | From Circhester

Corey (Male, Blaze) - Flame Charge, Double Kick, Headbutt, Agility

Coraline (Female, Weak Armor) - Tackle, Harden, Astonish, Spite, Ancient Power

Cornelius (Male, Synchronize) - Disarming Voice, Confusion, Draining Kiss, Hypnosis

Orion (Male, Snow Cloak) - Powder Snow, Tail Whip

Cerise (Female, Adaptability) - Covet, Quick Attack, Baby Doll Eyes, Growl

Reyna (Female, Torrent) - Peck, Bubble Beam, Pound, Growl

Spoiler: Memories

VS Kabu

Haleigh looked up to the stadium, her faithful Raboot at her side. One of the many things she did before even stepping foot in the stadium was watching other battles to see what her game plan should be. Raph's was one that she didn't dare miss due to how he fared the first time around and the amazing improvements she has seen in him since. It was striking to see not only how much his battling had improved since the first match, but there was also just the way that he carried himself that screamed vitality and confidence that was inspiring to see.

Haleigh sighed. She also caught Simon's match. She wanted to be happy for him and his victory, but even discounting the suspiciously strong and unnerving Scolipede Simon had somehow acquired, the way that he had ended the match there hit a really uneasy note for Haleigh. He was so...angry and spiteful, two adjectives that couldn't be further from the Simon that she had come to know and love.

Come to think of it, it wasn't just his post victory speech that had rubbed her the wrong way. It was a bit hard to recall given the chaos that was her encounter with the black suited goons, but Haleigh remembered how Simon had been acting a bit off there too in places. There was definitely something going on with him - and Haleigh hoped she got the chance to check in on the lad sooner rather than later.

For now though, her mind was going to have to focus on the challenge that lay ahead of her. While planning for the battle she learned some valuable tips from watching Raph and how he conducted his battle. Her initial thoughts, naturally, were to pit Reyna against Kabu's Centiskorch given the type advantage. However, while her feisty Piplup could move quick enough for an average battle, she was nowhere near fast enough to keep up with the instantaneous Solar Beam that would come with a Sunny Day. On top of all that, Sunny Day would drain Reyna of the power of her water moves.

For this match, the best thing may very well be to fight fire with fire. And given the recent acquisition of a certain TM from the Fire Festival, it was going to make it all the more interesting.

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

After Haleigh got herself all prepared for the match by suiting up in her trademark challenger outfit sans jacket, it was on to the gym challenge. For it, she decided to go with Reyna to let Corey save his energy for the big match. The goal was fairly straightforward: catch a Pokemon while trying to fend off the gym trainers at the same time. She got a fairly standard sounding rundown of the rules: thirty minute time limit, you must use a Poke Ball to register the catch, etc etc.

The referee called out to her. "Challenger 41, are you ready?"

With a fist pumped in the air, she replied, "You can bet your arse I am!"

"Then begin!"

And with that, the race was on to find a Pokemon to capture. Haleigh and Reyna walked around the area while keeping their heads on swivels to look out for other incoming gym trainers. Before long, a Sizzlipede had appeared in their sights - and right behind it was a gym trainer with a Salandit.

The other trainer barked to his Salandit, "Oi, get in there and get that Piplup with a proper Poison Fang!"

"Reyna, on your six, Bubble Beam!"

The Piplup wheeled around just in time to blast the lizard Pokemon with a face full of bubbles.

In the time it took to deal with the man's Salandit, however, the Sizzlipede had started to scurry away. "Oh no you don't! Reyna, jump up and charge ahead with a Peck!"

Reyna went as fast as she could go with her beak prominently jutting out of her rushing profile and pursued the little bug while Haleigh kept her eyes peeled for another trainer-

"Hondour, Fire Fang 'em and hang on!" And there one went, ambushing the focused penguin Pokemon from the side with a Fire Fang attack, completely derailing the Piplup from her attack and allowing the Sizzlipede to scurry away once more.

"Dagh! Shake off that dog, blast his face full of water!" Reyna complied, giving the Hondour a Water Gun right to his face, who promptly let go of the glaring Piplup. With a huff, Reyna dashed ahead, with Haleigh right behind her.

Now was the time to make their move and end this stalemate once and for all. With Haleigh coming in from the creature's right and Reyna coming up from behind, the duo managed to pinsir approach the Sizzlipede until they were just close enough to strike.

"Now Reyna, Bubble Beam it!" Haleigh got out a Pokeball and held it ready in her hands to throw it as soon as the water attack landed. It was a bit risky, but if she could pull it off the gym challenge was as good as hers.

Haleigh took a glance behind her as she realized that the man with the Salandit was quickly sprinting over to try and halt their progress once again. There was no more time to waste. Reyna fired off a torrent of bubbles at the Sizzlipede - aiming for the spot right in front of it - while Haleigh threw her Poke Ball in an arc in the same spot.

Just as the bubbles battered the Sizzlipede, the Pokeball arrived in tandem to ensnare it, greatly disorienting the small bug Pokemon. Haleigh watched with bated breath as the ball twitched on the ground until finally...

Click

"With just over a minute to spare, challenger 41 has successfully completed the gym challenge!

She held up the Pokeball and exclaimed, "Alright, Kabu, here we come."

She examined the Pokeball, only to find two more Sizzlipedes having crawled their way over, looking up at the young trainer with bright-eyed expressions. Haleigh giggled as she said to them, "Wow, guess these lads are impressed. You lot can have your friend back though." She pressed the button to let the Sizzlipede from the ball back out.

Before turning around to face the door to move on to the pitch, Haleigh could have sworn the one she let go had a bit of a disappointed look on his face before rejoining his friends. Perhaps that one had grown fond of humans. She faintly recalled Simon having caught a Sizzlipede and two tagalongs in his first time challenging the gym versus Kabu.

The jubilant mood was interrupted by thinking about her friend, her mind again filling with worry at what was going on with him. Was he getting involved with criminals, did something really bad happen to him that-

No, she couldn't afford to be caught up in this frantic train of thought again. Of all people in the world, Catherine was someone who came to mind who had the right sort of thing to say in this situation: get your shit together. There was nothing she could do for him at that moment; she had a battle to win. All of that could wait after she held that badge in her hand.

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

After the successful completion of her gym challenge, Haleigh was ready to square off with the fire gym leader. Upon entering the stadium, the familiar sight of the crowd greeted her. It wasn't something she was dreading to see anymore.

Haleigh gave several enthusiastic waves to the cheering crowd, her face lighting up as she heard chants of "Hai-leigh, Hai-leigh" and "Cor-ey, Cor-ey". After giving the crowd several enthusiastic waves, Haleigh turned to face her opponent, the man of flames himself.

Kabu was the first to break the brief silence in the air. "Welcome, young Haleigh. I already know you are a trainer with ample fire in their heart, but you often let it overwhelm you and consume you."

He crossed his arms and fixed his gaze straight at Haleigh with his trademark intensity. "Do you have what it takes to tame those flames within you to pull through and succeed?

Haleigh's eyes shone with a determination that matched Kabu's own as she looked right back at him and shouted, "I've got everything it takes and more! My flames burn brighter than the bleedin' sun!!! I! AM! READY!" She pumped her fist up in the air and faced the crowd, earning a wave of cheers for her.

The fire gym leader nodded, seemingly satisfied with this answer. "Very well. We'll see how true those words are. Centiskorch." Kabu reached into the belt where he kept his Poke Balls and tossed the one containing the large fire centipede and released it.

"Alright Corey, it's all you mate!" Haleigh followed Kabu's lead and threw Corey's Poke Ball. The Raboot materialized on the field, matching the confidence that his trainer was putting out with a dramatic pose.

"Now." Haleigh pointed dramatically at Kabu and his Centiskorch with a wide grin on her face. "Allow me to turn up the heat in here. Corey, Sunny Day!" Corey used the move and conjured up an imaginary sun to bear down upon the stadium with radiating heat.

The fire gym leader couldn't help but have a small, wry smile on his face. A brash one indeed. "Centiskorch, Fire Lash, aim for the feet."

Haleigh, of course, realized that any fire moves that Kabu would be conjuring up would also be stronger as well, meaning Corey had to be on his guard just as much as any other move Kabu would make.

The large centipede Pokemon started to whip its body around to lash out with the tendril like flames coming from its head. If it had been just one flame, Corey could dodge the attack with ease; however, because there were four tendrils to deal with, he was going to have to do some tricky footwork to avoid it.

As the first tendril came over to hit him, Corey gracefully dodged the first one before being confronted with a second tendril right where he was going to be, tripping him up and leaving him vulnerable to the third and fourth ones.

Haleigh winced as Corey took the attacks. That was not the best start in the world, but she wasn't going to let a slightly shaky start shake her confidence. "Corey, let's shoot up some Embers in his face!"

Corey dashed as fast as he could to get in as many Embers from as many different spots as possible. The strategy paid off as the flames - notably more intense than usual - barraged the large insect. Now if Haleigh can just get in an opening for-

"Centiskorch, get out another Fire Lash!"

Haleigh, in turn, instructed Corey, "Flame Charge out of the way!"

Luckily, this time Corey was able to stay away from the fire attack and use his own innate speed and the speed boost from the Flame Charge to nimbly dodge the tendrils of flame. He also managed to score an entry to attack the Pokemon up close and personal as the bug Pokemon lifted up one of his tendrils and left himself wide open for Corey to come in and charge.

Kabu's face, steely and determined as ever, shifted ever so slightly as he thought of his next course of action. Centiskorch had more than enough fight left in him, but it was clear he was being worn down quicker than expected on account of Corey's strength and Haleigh maneuvering him with more finesse than he had witnessed in her first few gym battles.

"Keep at it, Centiskorch. Get him away from you with a Scald attack!"

Haleigh's eyes widened at the surprise attack. "Corey, get-"

Unfortunately, it was too late for Corey to avoid the scorching hot torrent of water from hitting him and he was swept back a bit by its impact.

Haleigh shouted, "NO!", her mind flashing back to the first gym battle versus Nessa. Thankfully, her worst fears prevented taking hold when she saw Corey get right back up, looking a bit worn out but still definitely able to carry the fight.

There was no time to relish the relief as Haleigh quickly had to go back on defense as she did in the beginning of the fight. As predictable as it was, Ember was her solid go to option for ranged attacks. "We're still in it, mate, we can do this! Corey, Ember, aim for the tail this time."

"Extinguish those flames, use Scald again!"

As the fire centipede was once again prepared to use its water attack, Haleigh got a burst of inspiration as she remembered one other important thing from the fight with Nessa. "Let's do a proper run up here, prepare yourself for an Electro Ball."

The Raboot did as he was told. The aim, however, was not a direct hit, as the opponent was soon to find out. Just as the water was about to hit Corey, he managed to sidestep the attack, kick the attack up in the air and aim it at the torrent of water. The ball electrified the water, sending currents of electricity through the water and directly into the creature's maw.

The Centiskorch staggered back, starting to show its exhaustion. The crowd started to cheer, wondering if this would be the decisive blow like in her last match. However, the Centiskorch, like their trainer, stood strong and tall and weathered the blow.

"You've done excellently, young Haleigh. But I will not yield! Centiskorch, Thunder Fang."

Haleigh looked at her Raboot and said, "Alright Corey, it all comes down to this. Wait for my cue."

Corey knew well enough to trust his partner with these sorts of things and maintained his position, standing still but with his gait tense and ready to spring at a moment's notice. The Centiskorch lunged up and started barrelling down on Corey until Haleigh called out, "FLAME CHARGE, RIGHT TO THE NECK!"

In what seemed like a blur, Corey ducked and rushed just past where the Centiskorch's mouth had been just a moment prior and struck him right in the neck, the momentum causing the Centiskorch to stagger back. The creature stood its ground for a few seconds, but it was apparent that it could take no more as it started keeling over and went to the ground with a big thud.

The announcer loudly announced her victory over the loudspeaker. "And the winner of this match goes to challenger 41, Haleigh Windsor!"

The crowd erupted into raucous cheers and the chants of Haleigh's name resumed in earnest.

She turned to face some of them and shouted, "HELL YEAH, YOU ALL ARE LOOKING AT YOUR FUTURE CHAMPION!"

Kabu came up to Haleigh, holding a particular object in his hands that signified her victory. "For you. You have done more than admirable in your battle against me. Continue to hone that flame that drives you, temper it in the furnace."

And with that, Haleigh had another victory to her name. It was starting to feel like the course of her journey was taking yet another positive turn after all of the hardships she had been through.

[PKMN OPEN] Pokémon Spear [M] [IC]

Trickling away

Branch into Psyche

Magnificent Turnip

How did this even happen?

Me but more fabulous

Through the Fire

[font=Brawler][color=#91a8d4][i]Here comes the boi

That Dream...Make it Come True!

[font=Brawler][color=#91a8d4][i]Here comes the boi

always sprinkle when you tinkle

always sprinkle when you tinkle

How did this even happen?

[font=Brawler][color=#91a8d4][i]Here comes the boi

lover of milotics

Magnificent Turnip

Trickling away

Trickling away

Me but more fabulous

VS Kabu