[PKMN OPEN] [T]Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Frozen Gate

[MurkMire]

Busted Bagels​

Matthew, Machlah and Caz continued their fight with the surprise trio of Bagel Bandits, when at first, it was believed that only two bandits were acknowledged.

Caz and the unnamed Litleo were going at it, exchanging attacks without restraint. After Caz had spewed a barrage of Poison Sting, the Litleo had been struck between the eyes multiple times. "You know I'm going to get you for that…" Litleo growled trying to pull the poison needles from his face. The successful Poison Sting had Litleo getting Worked Up and when he got the last poison needle from from his face he shot another Ember at Caz.

Caz, all the while, laughed hysterically while seeing his opponent stuck with his own Poison Sting attack. But of course, he was thoroughly pelted with another Ember attack that broke Caz out of his stupor. "Ayyee! That burns really hot, y'know?! Take somma dis!" Caz posed again, his arms out and his feet together. Spinning rapidly, he kicked up sand and dirt at Litleo.

Matthew had been surprised by the Nuzleaf taking the attack, more so by the sudden counter that caused the fighter to stagger back. He found his foot again, just in time as the water gun sprayed against his face. He coughed and sputtered and wiped at his eyes, "Alright, two versus one. Bring it on!" He declared.

"It's been brought!" Maxi yelled before throwing another water gun with the Nuzleaf's razor leaf to back it up.

Machlah, meanwhile, was off to the side behind some trees, trying its best to remain hidden, so that it could catch its breath (in a manner of speaking) and assess the situation. "Hmm… Looks like Caz needs some help against that rude young Litleo. Matthew doesn't need any assistance, it seems like, and that Nuzleaf is nowhere to be found. Right, let's go demonstrate why curiosity and cats don't mix." It charged out of its hiding spot with surprising quickness, then skidded to a stop near the Litleo, kicking up a Mud-Slap in its direction.

While Machlah had been scanning, the Litleo had already rushed through the Sand Attack to headbutt Caz right through it. Caz couldn't see his attacker while wildly spinning, so he kept up his Sand Attack. Litleo's mad charge successfully connected with Caz as the Mud-Slap whizzed by his rear.

Behind them, Matthew held up his hands as the two attacks slammed into his forearms. The Machop staggered back and panted a bit, "That all… you guys got?" He asked. He closed the distance to his foes and swung his arms wildly, hoping that with the sheer amount of times he swung out that he would be able to hit them a few times.

Maxi deftly moved out of the way of Matthew's attacks while Nuzleaf once again stood his ground. With the Machop attacking so wildly he could easily dodge a fair amount of his blows. The ones he couldn't, the Nuzleaf countered back to Matthew. Nuzleaf didn't have to endure the attacks for long. Maxi grunted as she threw herself into Matthew and tackle him off of her ally.

Matthew grunted out as he fell down, only to quickly reach out and wrap his arms about the Squirtle to get a nice solid hold on her. "That wasn't… nice!" Matthew panted out. "Someone needs to teach you some manners!"

A loud yelp was emitted by Caz, feeling the brunt force of the thick-skulled Bagel Bandit, he rolled back and hit a tree, giving him a good knock on the noggin. He rubbed his forehead, and bitterly hopped to his feet. He frowned, and said aloud, "EY! You're gonna pay for that, ya filthy fink!" He wound his right arm, and began to swing it in a circle, as if revving himself for a powerful Needle Arm attack.

He yelled a battlecry, and jumped above the Litleo, ready to give him an equally hard smack in the forehead, if not right in his face. "YEEEEEEEEE!"

Machlah made a disgruntled sound like an engine backfiring and prepared another attack, this time folding its arms and head into its body. It shouted at Caz "Outta the way, youngster! I'm comin' through!", before using its legs to kick off the ground and start rolling towards the Litleo, pulling them in as it did so.

"What's a fink you dink?" Litleo yelled up to Caz as he watched him come. His face and eyes burned from the sand and poison, but he was still keen enough to jump out of the way. He laughed at Caz's poor attempt, but he couldn't get more than two ha's out before he was hit by the full of Machlah's assault. The impact winded Litleo and knocked him away before rolling to the stop on the ground. "Wh-Where did you come from?" Litleo said through gritted teeth.

Caz hit the ground, but not without poise. He merely slammed the ground with his Needle Arm, huffing with frustration. Not only did the bandit sidestep his attack, but someone else beat Caz to the punch. Literally.

While Maxi struggled to escape Matthew she could see the final scenes of Litleo's fight unfold. The 'mon had taken a massive amount of damage, but still tried to stand on his feet regardless. Maxi had seen enough, though. It was not just Litleo who was injured, but Nuzleaf as well. He had taken the brunt of Matthew's blows and wouldn't be able to take much more.

"Stop!" Maxi yelled as she put all her energy into one final push to release herself from Matthew's arms. She ran towards the Litleo and waved her arms to stop Caz and Machlah from throwing out any more attacks they may be charging up. "We're done! No more fighting, okay?" She stood protectively in front Litleo in case anyone didn't get the message.

Machlah had just gone around for another pass at the Litleo when the Squirtle called for peace. It skidded to a stop right in front of Litleo, windmilling its arms for a bit as it tried to regain balance. Once Machlah wasn't about to fall over, it asked Maxi, "So, 'zat mean you're surrendering? Because I think we're all fine with that. Goodness knows I'm pretty banged up too."

Matthew panted and stood up, wiping some sweat from his forehead. "Heh, not bad at all. Well, get out of here! We have a mission to do still."

Caz hopped angrily, waving his right arm at the Bagel Bandits exclaiming, "Ey, you bandits finally see how tough we are?!" Caz stopped for a second with a huff to catch his breath, but gave out another distinct huff, puffing out his chest.

"You punks finally gonna make good, and run off now?" He smirked at the trio, though it was clear he wasn't at full health, himself.

"Y-You're gonna be the ones… Runnin'," Litleo managed to get out. His feet shook under him, but he still looked raring to go. Maxi held him back.

"Yeah, we're leaving," she said as she backed from them, still very much in a defensive stance. "This is just round one, though! Don't think you'll actually make it through this forest!"

"Th-That's right!" It was the Nuzleaf this time. "We were just the lookouts so… So you better watch out! They kn-know you're coming!"


"And we'll beat them! Just like we beat you!" Matthew shouted at them. "Gah, can you believe those guys?" He asked the others. "Thinking they could beat us!"

Maxi clenched her fist and looked like she had to hold back a sharp response to Matthew. "Yeah, you beat us," she said reluctantly.

"No they didn't!" The Litleo mustered up the strength to shout. "I'm still ready to go, that Cacnea is going down!" Maxi just gave him a sour look before tossing him into the arms of Nuzleaf. The Litleo didn't have enough strength to do more protesting than a weak struggle.

"We're getting out of here, but don't think this is over yet!" Maxi pointed to the trio to emphasize her point. "This isn't over yet!" With her last words the Bagel Bandits turned and fled into the forest. The forest fell back into relative silence once the Bandits were gone and a familiar face came out of hiding from the bushes.

"S-So it's over now?" Filmore asked as he stepped cautiously from his hiding place. "You guys won?"

"Ye… ye we did…." Caz gave a tired, upward fist bump. "We really showed 'em though, eh?" Caz smirked, straightening himself up and fixing his bandana. "Good thing, eh? Those guys didn't know when to quit," he said with a huff. "They're even more thick than a Cubone's skull. So, where do we go next, eh? We gotta find the two other bandits soon." Caz asked as he looked past the group and around his surroundings.

Matthew glanced back at Filmore, glee in his eyes, "That was… AWESOME! Man, I've been itching for a fight ever since I left home!" He put his hands on his hips, "You see I was holding off two of them!? Hell yeah!"

Machlah made a series of grinding sounds that eventually resolved into computerized laughter. "Yep! We definitely showed those whippersnappers how to really fight, hehehe!" Its laughter eventually slowed, then stopped, as it surveyed the state of its teammates. "Hmm. I'm thinkin' we should probably stop for a bit and rest up, since all of us look kinda banged up. Gotta be in tip-top form for the real fight, y'know. What do y'all think?"

"We need to get after them while the trail is hot." Matthew pointed out. "Sure it was a bit hard, but we can take on anyone else we meet. I'm itching for some more fights!" He declared as he eagerly punched the air in front of him.

Caz, after finishing a Sitrus berry on-hand, sided with Matthew. "Me too, ey! We got those other bandits on the ropes now! We can take 'em out, y'know?" He hopped with a little more vigor and more pep in his step.

Matthew nodded eagerly, "Yeah! Let's get out there and take them down! We'll show them who the tougher mon are!" He flexed a bit, "We straight up took out three ambushers! They can throw all they can and we'll still come out on top!"

Machlah gave a rusty chuckle at Matthew and Caz's enthusiasm. "Hehehe. I don't doubt that we can certainly give 'em a good hidin', but don't go rushin' in there all crazy-like. Gotta be careful, plan well, and hit hard. Eh… y'got one of those Sitrus berries to spare? I'm pretty banged up." Indeed, there were dents all over Machlah's body.

Matthew frowned, "Uh… I didn't bring anything." He said with a laugh, "I didn't think we would need anything, really."

"Hrmph. Eh, whatever. It's arright. I've been around for longer than almost anyone in the world. Ain't nothing in this dungeon that can bring me down!" Machlah's eyes shone a bit brighter, and it straightened up, before going back to its normal posture. "...I hope, anyway. Heh."

Matthew smiled, "Hey, they tried to take us down and failed! I mean, they call themselves the Bagel Bandits. How many sorry wash out pokemon could they possibly have here?" He chuckled, "Bagel Bandits… that's really a stupid name." He put his hands behind his head in a carefree manner, "All we have to do is keep punching them, and they'll stay down."

"Eh now, we need to do somethin', eh?! We gotta pick up our pace. Oh, and uh, 'ere ya go Machlah." Caz pulled out his second Sitrus Berry and tossed it to the Automaton Pokemon. "I don't think I'll need the second one, but it's good to have for a teammate, eh?" The Cacnea gave Machlah a goofy grin before he hurrahed Matt's enthusiasm and pumped his fist up in agreement, in regards to Matt's last statement.

Filmore looked up from his papers. All the while he had been documenting the excited student's exchange. "If you guys want to keep going let's go!" He said optimistically. "Though uh… I'm not as excited to see more fights." A small smile came on his as he tried to convince himself mentally to support team's interests.

Machlah did… something to the Sitrus Berry, causing the berry to disappear and Machlah's dents to be repaired, almost as if by magic. "Thanks a bunch, Caz! I'm all patched up and ready for a fight!" It started trundling ahead. "Sorry, Filmore!" It called over its shoulder. "Thinkin' we'll see a lot more fights before the day's out!"

Caz gave a solid whack to Mac's back. "Ey, dat's what I like to see! Not a problem, pal. I do what I can for my team, o' course." He winked, and grinned, standing by Mac as he waited for the team to decide where to go next.

Matthew nodded, "Yeah! We will! So now we have to figure out where they are hiding. We can just follow the guys who left and track them down. They'll lead us to the other bandits and we can bust them up!" He said with a smirk.

"That's just what I was thinking, ey! We can at least interrogate the lot o' them, and see what they're really up to! Maybe they're plannin' on some weird Bagel Barge or somethin', y'know?" Caz, though as crazy as that may seem, looked as if it was sound logic to him. His eyes looked serious. Well, semi-serious.

"Do-Do you think so?" Filmore's eyes darted to each side of the forest. "Well… I-If that's the case we shouldn't stay in one place for too long." He inched closer to the students and kept his eyes on the tree above.

Matthew gave another nod, then turned to puff his chest out toward Filmore, "Hey, no worries! We fought them off once already! We can deal with them again! Trust us on this, we're strong, after all! Basically we knock their heads in." He turned back to the others, "If you don't mind, I can lead us on. I'll take whatever they have planned for us, and we can go ahead and give them some bloody teeth."

 

[pastelspectre]

The shy, quiet Fennekin trotted around the forest, alone. She didn't mind being alone, in fact she preferred being alone for this task to get rid of the bandits. She wanted to show off her skill, but..at the same time, she didn't want to take all of the attention. Charcoal pricked her ears up and listened closely for anything, and hearing nothing out of the ordinary she continued trotting along in the forest.

She comfortably kept trotting along, getting rid of wild pokemon when necessary, when she heard a rustle in the bushes. Scared to show herself if it were actually the bandits, and if they were a part of the exam takers, she hid behind a tree and trembled, cursing at herself mentally for being such a coward.
"W-who is it?" She calls out quietly, hating her voice for cracking right now. She took a deep breath and braced herself, coming out from behind the tree and showing herself. "I'm not afraid of you!" That was a complete and pathetic lie however, her shaking paws obviously showing the truth.

 

[MurkMire]

"Hey there, folks! Don't worry, the cavalry's here," Wobbo announced his arrival, waddling over to meet up with the others with the rest of the separated group he was a part of in tow. The Wobbuffet had to be kept at the front of the group, just in case he dawdled too excessively and ended up left behind. Glancing to the side, he continued, "I know I'm a little slow as far as cavalry goes, and I'm not riding on anyone else and nobody's riding on me. I might be about as tall as two of some of you guys stacked on top of one another. Think that's close enough to count as cavalry."


Caz called out to Wobbo with a big wave and goofy smile. "Ey, Wob! How ya doin' eh? What happened to your crew?" It then hit Caz that Wobbo was all by himself, and he shuddered.

"Hopefully nothin' happened to 'em now, eh?"

As if on queue, Ryuka appeared, having fallen far behind Wobbo due to walking slowly while looking at the ground with an uneasy look on his face. Not paying attention to what's in front of him, he ended up bumping into Wobbo from behind and stepping back a bit in surprise. "Ahhh! Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Wobbo!"

The Wobbuffet's body leaned forward at the force of the bump, then abruptly sprung back in the Riolu's direction. Wobbo let out a few mildly distressed sounds as his elasticity calmed down and his balance returned to him.

"Woah, ey, what the heck?" He burbled. "Someone nearly step on my tail?"

"Ah!" Ryuka cried out as he was hit back by Wobbo, which sent him flying back. Once he landed he got into a sitting position and looked up at Wobbo like he was about to cry. "I...I'm sorry, Mr. Wobbo. P...Please don't be mad at me…"

Matthew couldn't help but roll his eyes a bit at the scene, "Well, let's not stop now! We have them on the ropes!" He grinned, "We beat them preeeeetty soundly back there. We made them run in fear! We just have to find the rest, clobber them, and that's that." He looked toward the path they had to follow, "It'll be a piece of cake. I know that much. Not the kind you eat. It's an expression!" He puffed out his chest proudly, "Bernard told me that once!"

"Wuh- uh... mad? Dunno what there is to be mad about. We still have those hostage scamps, yeah?" Wobbo mumbled, slowly pivoting on his stubby legs to face Ryuka. The Wobbuffet seemed surprised to find his teammate on the floor. "You all right there, gramps? You look awful sad for someone sitting down."

"Oh, hello Wobbo! Weren't you on the other side of the dungeon? ...Eh, doesn't matter. Glad to see you're alright." As Ryuka entered into the clearing as well, Machlah called out a greeting to him as well. "Ryuka!" Thwack! Machlah winced in sympathy. "Oof! That definitely does not look good, no sir." The miniature golem trundled over to the young Riolu and extended a hand to him. "Looks like Wobbo managed to get ya pretty good. On accident, of course, but still. Need any help gettin' back up?"

"Th...Thank you, M...Machlah." Ryuka replied, accepting the Golett's hand to help him back up.

"Wait," the Wobbuffet said with a confused frown. "What'd I do?"

Caz laughed at the sight, but hopped back to action. "C'mon, ey! We gotta go grab those goons!" He was getting a little restless, still itching for a fight. His eyes darted left to right, and groaned a bit, his restlessness showing.

Matthew likewise was getting restless. He flexed his fingers and began to walk off, "I'll just head on ahead and see if I can catch some unawares." He said to the others, "I just wanna bash some heads in!"

Caz quickly followed suit, throwing caution to the wind (or his lack thereof) and tags along with Matt. "Let's be sure we can double team 'em, ey?"

"N-Now hold on Matthew, Caz!" Filmore called from behind the two eager recruits. Why were they so violent? This was only an exam! "That sounds a b-bit… gruesome," Filmore grimaced when he said the word, probably imagining the heads of the Bandits all over the ground after said bashing, "f-for what we're here for." He meant to continue on to tell them that they should be apprehending, not killing the Bandits, but rustling from the bushes near by cut him off and the timid Lotad immediately took a safer position behind the students.

Caz only heard Filmore's cry of reason, but wasn't really listening. However, Caz did listen to the rustling of the bushes, and immediately hopped into action. "There you are, you bandits!" He lept into the air, and raised his right arm. The spikes turned into a glowing white, signifying a Needle Arm attack.

Machlah started at Caz's sudden battle cry. "Er, Caz, wait-!"

"YEEEEEE," was the crazed Cacnea's battle cry, as he struck the bushes with gusto.
Matthew likewise raised his arm as he got ready for whatever bandit hid in the bush to leap out. From there, he would chop him straight on the head and get him knocked down.

Charcoal yelped, jumping out of the bushes. She rubbed her tail and licked at her fur gingerly, looking at the other Pokemon. Her eyes widen in disbelief.
"B-bandit? I'm no bandit! I'm on the mission to find the bandits like you.." She mumbles, her voice quiet and scared. She looks away shyly, shuffling her paws in the dirt. She tries to get the needles out of her fur and glares at the cactus-looking pokemon.
"Was that really necessary..?" She grumbles, looking at the rest of the Pokemon in the group. "Ah..I forgot to introduce myself. I-I'm Charcoal. And you all are?"

"Woah woah woah! How come you were sent by yourself? You'd think you'd be with us, since we're the only ones who were sent in at all… I think." Caz pondered this deeply, glossing over that he nearly put the poor Fox Pokemon into a serious problem. "But eh… sorry? Eheheh."

Machlah made a noise that probably would have sounded like a sigh a few centuries ago, back when it was in better condition, but now sounded like someone rubbing sand on a microphone. "Sorry about my friends, ma'am. They're a bit, uh… עַצבָּנִי. I'm afraid I dunno the proper word in this language, but rest assured they won't be flippin' out like that again." It shot a quick glare at the two, then trundled over to the spooked fox, light blue hand outstretched. "Name's Machlah, by the way. Nice to meet ya."

"I….I'm Ryuka." The young Riolu told the Fennekin nervously while hiding behind Machlah.

Matthew crossed his arms, a bit put off that Charcoal hadn't been a bandit, "Um, I'm Matthew." He said with a shrug, "Did you see any bandits around here?" He asked as he glanced about eagerly, "I wanted to bust some heads in!"

"Yo," said Wobbo.

Charcoal nods at all the Pokemon in acknowledgment and shakes her head, "I didn't see any bandits, I'm afraid.." She frowns and shakes Machlah's hand hesitantly but firmly. "I'm not sure why I was sent alone, to be honest but..oh well." She does a shrugging motion and licks her tail to groom it. "We can all find the bandits together...if you want, I mean."

Filmore, now recognizing that the hidden being was indeed an ally, looked at Charcoal curiously. It was weird that she was sent alone. "I'm not sure what goes through Hue's mind." That Furret had the most uh… Interesting? ideas and he'd count this as one of them. He took note of Charcoal's appearance in his journal before continuing on. "We're here on the same mission. I wouldn't mind if you tagged along!" He smiled before looking towards the team. "What do you say? This is your rescue team. Would you like her to come along?"

 

[Tojin]

Filmore, now recognizing that the hidden being was indeed an ally, looked at Charcoal curiously. It was weird that she was sent alone. ?I?m not sure what goes through Hue?s mind.? That Furret had the most uh? Interesting? ideas and he?d count this as one of them. He took note of Charcoal?s appearance in his journal before continuing on. ?We?re here on the same mission. I wouldn?t mind if you tagged along!? He smiled before looking towards the team. ?What do you say? This is your rescue team. Would you like her to come along??


?I...I would. She?s our friend, right? So we should travel together.? Ryuka answered as he leaned out from behind Machlah a bit.


Said golem responded with ?Always nice to have more folks around. Plus that fire you?ve got could be a pretty big help.?


?Yeah! We don?t have much FIRE POWER on our team, eh.? Caz winked and laughed out loud, then gave a hearty pat on the Fennekin?s back.


?The more the merrier,? Wobbo concurred, before removing a hand from one pocket to point over his shoulder. ?And, uh, speakin? of that; we managed to nab a couple?a pastry-related miscreants.?


?Pfft, I have plenty of fire!? Matthew said as he puffed out his chest proudly, ?You just haven?t seen much of it yet, that?s all.?


?Ye! Those Bagel Bums need to go down!? C?mon guys, let?s get a move on, eh?? Caz began to walk forward several steps before he turned back to the group. ?I got the mind to run after ?im and drag the lot by the scruff of their necks!? Caz said this before hopping with impatience.


The Lotad, a pastry-related miscreant as Wobbo so nicely put, watched Caz?s up-and-at-?em display with little enthusiasm. They had agreed to help the group, but he wasn?t happy about it. His Seedot partner, on the other hand, beamed with admiration. The words of the Psychic Psychologist Wobbo had really touched him. He wasn?t a ?bad guy? anymore.


?Yes! Let?s get a move on!? The Seedot nearly yelled before running excitedly to Caz?s side. ?They?re this way!? He went on ahead with the Lotad begrudgingly following behind.
?I don?t care how happy he is, you Rescue Bozos are wasting your time. It?s not like you?d beat them,? Lotad said pretty dramatically. ?Following us is just a quick way to lose.?


Caz shrugged off the Lotad?s sour attitude, and gave the happy Seedot a pat on the back. ?This kinda makes you an honorary good guy, eh?? Caz smiled at the Seedot while walking alongside them.


?Welp, if we?re gonna lose, might as well lose sooner rather than later,? Wobbo concurred with a shrug. ?I?m all for efficiency, as long as it?s that sweet spot of overlap where efficiency lines right on up with not having to do as much.?


Machlah scoffed hollowly at the Lotad?s defeatism. ?Obviously you haven?t us work, young?un. A bunch a? thieves like these jokers aren?t any better at fightin? than ????? on my foot.? The automaton pondered briefly on whether or not that was too harsh an assessment of the Bandits? fighting abilities, but the memory of that Litleo?s smug face removed any doubt it had instantly. Those whippersnappers were going down.


Matthew let out a sigh, ?Can we get going? Maybe into a jog or something? I?m itching to light some of them aflame!? He urged the others.


?That?s what I been sayin, eh! C?mon, let?s get those bums!? Caz waved to the group, already several feet from them, paused in mid-stride before he heard Matt and his protest. Filmore and the group followed behind Caz as he bounded ahead of them with the Seedot by his side. Lotad seemed eager to drag his feet while traveling with the group, but unfortunately for him he wasn?t given the chance to drag them all to a complete stop. The farther they went, the less he wanted to keep going which was surely a sign of that they were on the right track.

 

[GastlyGibus]

Keep going, keep trudging on.​

It wasn't long before they had gone into the deeper stretches of the forest. The trees, brush, and brambles were thicker here and the sounds of the forest were quieter, as though they had been disturbed and its inhabitants were hiding away. Finally, Lotad put his feet firmly in place and refused to move forward.

"Look, you brats have gone this far, but I'm telling ya if you don't turn back now you're gonna regret it. Don't listen to what that dummy's got to tell ya," he warned, gesturing to Seedot. The aforementioned 'mon made a sad face at the water type's insult, but he didn't seem to care enough to react. "You won't get much farther than this."

Machlah gave the dour plant-mon a strange look. "Son, I dunno 'bout you, but we haven't seen hide nor hair of these bandits you said are so terrifyin' and all, let alone any other Pokemon. You sure that they're as dangerous as you make them out to be?"

"Ye, and we beat the pants offa a three-man group of those bums earlier! Well, me, Machlah and Matt anyway." Caz snickered at the salty Lotad. He then laughed aloud, and said, "Machlah's right! Ever since we tossed those chumps, we ain't seen any bandits. Maybe the other three convinced 'em to beat it!"

"I guess it would make sense for the lead banditos to just beat it," Wobbo concurred with a smirk. "No-one wants to be defeated, after all. We're definitely strong enough to put up a fight. Funky enough, too."

Matthew nodded, soon gazing forward, "You know what? I can just dash ahead and see if anyone is there or not. I mean, if no one's there then we can just speed on through this place." The Machop crossed his arms with a sly smirk, "Maybe they even left some treasure behind. Were probably so scared that they just left everything they took."

"Does that mean we won't have to fight them after all?" Ryuka asked with a hint of optimism in his voice.

Charcoal licked at her fur and cocked her head, confused at Matthew's comment. "You mean to say that they might have left something?" She smiled slightly, "That'd be good, though. More for us..right? And if they're gone it means we might not have to fight them..which would be nice." Her voice grew quiet near the end, seeming ashamed that she didn't want to fight them. She looked away, embarrassed.

Matthew rolled his eyes a bit, "If they are just wussies and don't want to fight, then I wouldn't want to battle them anyways! Cowards aren't welcome to me! But if they are there, then we can punch some faces in!" He said eagerly as he smashed a fist into his open palm.

"Either way, we gotta find those bums! But, uh…." Caz had a sudden thought, like a brick that fell square on his head. "Ain't it kinda weird we haven't run into anything else? At all? I mean we're a tough bunch, but have we seen any wild 'mon around here?" Caz asked this as he looked around the trees and over the bushes.

"O-Oh uhm…!" Filmore, somehow in a way more nervous than usual, stuttered when he heard and tried to answer Caz's question. "Th-That's a good… uhm…" he searched the forest for an answer. He was having a hard time finding a good one it seemed. His eyes, what seemed like by chance, caught the eye of the Lotad bandit and he looked away quickly. ".. a good question…" He kept looking for something, maybe unnecessarily at this point, though this time taking special care not to accidentally make eye contact with the Lotad or the Seedot. "It's probably because… b-because…"

"Because if you weaklings had to deal with both you wouldn't have made it past the tall grass!"

The reply came from a loud voice between the trees in the forest, but there was hardly a moment before she revealed herself. She appeared in the space between where Caz, Matthew, and the Seedot ran ahead and the rest of the group lagged behind. The Audino's boldness showed on her face. The group had numbers while she had nothing but fruit in one hand and a bat in the other which she could call her allies. Even still, she looked the least bit concerned as she smirked at the rescuers in training.

"A bat!?" Filmore exclaimed, shocked at the idea of weapons brought to the fight.

"Yer damn right!" The Audino replied, her smirk growing. "Lucky they didn't let me put nails in it. Anyways, I'd tell you dummies to turn the other ways, but since you have," she scoffed, "'prisoners', I'm not gonna waste my time. So, question is: Ya'll wanna get yer asses kicked now or later? You ain't gettin' to the end for free."

Caz jumped back, seeing the kooky Audino with a crazed look in her eye, but began to chuckle when he saw the bat. "Pffft, you need to bring a weapon to a battle?" Caz laughed, almost crying by the sight. Regaining his composure, he said, "My Needle Arm is FAR better than a stick with nails in it. If you want, I can SPANK you with it so you can compare, eh?" Caz's expression turned to one that showed he was good and ready for a fight. His laughs turned to a smirk of confidence, he began to swing his prickly right hook, and stanced himself. "So, you're with those Bagel Goons, eh?"

Ryuka on the other hand quickly hid behind Machlah shortly after the Audino showed up, going into a crouching position and shivering with his paws holding the sides of his head.

The Audino's smirk turned into a grin. "Need 'em? No. Like 'em? Yes." The way she looked at Caz you'd think she found the perfect ball for her bat. As Caz went on her grin turned into a look of confusion. She looked away from the Cacnea and gave Lotad a quizzical look and then Seedot. "We're goons now?"

Lotad rolled his eyes. "Just get on with it, Marcy! You took forever getting here anyways, no need in dragging it along." The Audino, Marcy, groaned and rolled her eyes.

"I had to piss, pipsqueak, and you're no fun! I'm the boss before the boss, that means I gotta have a spiel. Anyways, they didn't answer my question. But by the sounds of that one," Marcy pointed towards Caz with her bat, "they wanna go home kickin' and screamin'!" She declared with a laugh.

Matthew smirked and got into his battle position. "Hah, we're not going anywhere! It's you who's going down!" The Machop declared, "Normal-types suck anyways! You're going to get creamed by my fists! One v one me, scrub!"

Marcy's smile turned from one of amusement to one of excitement. She turned to Matthew and pointed her bat his way.

"Alright, kid. You wanna fight? Let's fight."

"W-Wait," Filmore stuttered, "Matthew, do--"

"Shut up, Filmore! He's old enough to make his own decisions. And so noneuhyall try to get in the way, I got a few friends for ya!" Marcy placed her fingers to her mouth and blew out a loud whistle. Within moments bandits descended from the forest. Along with Audino was now a Phanpy, Helioptile, Ralts, Mankey, Swadloon, and Flabebe. Not to mention the Bandits that were already with them.

"Yee, this turned to quite a party, eh?!" Caz howled with excitement, swinging his right arm even harder. "C'mon team, we gotta take these goons head on!"

"Whoa, wait!" This was the Seedot now. "Guys! We can't fight them! Th-They're good guys! We can be good guys! They showed me the light!"

Marcy groaned. "Sprout, you do this every year. If you wanna get tied up too, be my guest! But these kids asked for it so we ain't backin' down!"

 

[Kikpanther]

​

A BATTLE WITH BANDITS

MARCELINE
LVL 35 | Regenerator | Boss Before the Boss
Self-Curer, Clutch Performer
Likes: Weapons, Being Loud, Sleeping
Dislikes: Stick-in-the-Muds, Responsibility

​

​

"You wanna go? Let's go!"

BATTLE​

From the Forest they descend! The Bagel Bandits! This time, at least. Throughout the RP our rescuers will run into more than just wild Pokemon and the occasional baddie. They'll run into bigger threats that lurk in the bowels of the dungeon they explore and these threats must be acknowledged properly! These battles will be signified by the dungeon border with the image and some information about the opponents our Rescuers must fight!

Alright. So what?​

So... You need to fight! Important Battles such as these occur before, during, or after important events in the RP. The majority of these battles must be completed before moving on to the next part of the dungeon or the next section of the storyline. As such, most if not all Battles are not escapable and any attempts to do so will surely be thwarted! Sorry to all our cowards out there. Though this doesn't mean you can't just hide and cry the entire time, but that's not very teamwork-oriented is it?

Unlike in the Mystery Dungeon games, there are no restrictions on items that are allowed to be used during a Battle as long as it is being used properly and fairly. What does that mean? You're items are important! You might have a limited store of them, but they might save your life one of these days. ;)

Yo... But... This seems kinda hard.​

Yes, Battles will be more difficult than your average stroll through the tall grass, unfortunately for you. However, all Battles are winnable so it's up to you to figure out how to do it! ;) Well... Actually. That's a lie. Not all battles are winnable. Either because our Rescue team failed to succeed or because we've made it painfully obvious that you won't win a fist fight with your enemy. In these cases, you'll have to think of alternative ways to win the Battle that doesn't involve directly defeating your opponent. It's important to note that sometimes the best way to win is to lose. There are no free rides in The Frozen Gate, your Pokemon can faint and they probably will at some point during the RP. We are counting on your honesty and understanding as an RPer to determine when your 'mon has reached their limit. Lights out means lights out, but never fear! Fainting doesn't come with harsh punishments! If the entire team is defeated in battle they will black out and reawaken in another part of the dungeon (chosen by random) and will lose some of their items (chosen by random). The story will then continue on! There will be points in the RP where fainting will affect the storyline (and in more ways than the NPC remembering that this is your second try).

The odds seem stacked against me here.​

Never, never! We're all in this together, after all! Your GMs are here to help! The Battle post will always have information about the Battle. It will show the image of who you're fighting/trying to defeat (typically the largest picture with the most information) and who they're allied with (smaller pictures with less information). The image of the main enemy will give you information about their level, skills, and personality. If they have henchmen then those henchies will be pictured below the main enemy. To find their information just hover over their image! Sometimes (but not always) along with the Battle information will be extra information that may hint at the best way to win the Battle. Pay attention! It could be written plain as day or hinted at in the normal Battle information.

Fight wisely! Glade Springs is counting on you!

 

[Kikpanther]

​

RECRUITMENT!: SEEDOT​

​

SPROUT
LVL 13 | Early Bird | Enlightened Bagel Bandit
No Skills Learned
Likes: Nice 'Mon, Helping People, Hanging out with Friends
Dislikes: Bad Guys

Sprout's plea fell on deaf ears. His friends... No... Former friends were more willing to listen to Marceline than to understand the errors of their ways. Wobbo had shown him the light and now he felt as though he had failed his new found friends and his old allies. The little Seedot was afraid to fight the Bagel Bandits now. They all looked ready to fight the Rescue Team--ready to fight him! He shook a little, but he was prepared. He hadn't known these guys for long, but he felt he already had a connection with Caz, Matthew, Wobbo, Ryuka, Charcoal, Machlah, and even the timid Filmore. Before the fight began he looked towards Caz and Matthew. Even knowing his hideous past, would they still accept him?

​

​

"Can I come along?"

RECRUITMENT​

Recruitment is a very simple and very useful mechanic in the RP. After talking to, defeating, or helping an enemy in a dungeon there is a chance that they will ask or be willing to be recruited. When they ask an Recruitment post will be made which shows an image of the Pokemon who can be recruited and some information about them. There will be points in the RP where having a volunteer on your side will be helpful. Maybe even necessary.

Unrecruited 'mon that you ask to join your Rescue team can say no. At the same time, you can also say no. If you don't like the 'mon you're recruiting you can kick 'em to the curb! But don't be too mean! The 'mon you recruit or don't recruit can just as easily become enemies. Be careful who you decide to be mean to!

 

[Turnip]

Wobbo Arrives And Then Stuff Happens And The Seedot Joins Without Much Trouble Wobbo Just Sorta Had To Ask
In which exactly what I said in the title happens well maybe not exactly but close enough.​

?Wait?? the voice of Wobbo called out, waddling slowly up to the commotion from the back. He took one look at the Audino?s bat and grimaced. ?You folks are doing sports? Count me out.?

?Th?.There?s so many of them!? Ryuka stated fearfully as soon as he saw how many newcomers there were.

?Y-yeah!? the Swadloon said to Ryuka, doing his best to appear intimidating. ?S-so you guys should just surrender, and nobody has to get hurt! ...please??

Matthew narrowed his eyes at the Audino, ?Heh, you think you can take down a fighter? Bring it on!? He cracked his knuckles and gazed about at the bandits, ?I can take you all down! Just watch me! You?re getting a close up look at a fire catcher! Now time for you all to catch some fire!? The Machop took in a deep breath, then parted his lips as a powerful Flamethrower shot out from his throat, aiming right at the Audino herself.

?Welp,? Wobbo sighed, waddling up behind the Seedot who seemed to be on their side now. The Wobbuffet projected a Safeguarding aura to his allies and looked down at his new companion. ?Looks like there?s gonna be a bit of a rough?n?tumble. You wanna sit this one out, lil? buddo??

?S-Sit this one out?? Sprout looked from Wobbo and then to the ensuing battlefield with nervousness. He wasn?t that great of a fighter as evidenced by their last battle, but he still wanted to help! How could he prove that he believed in the rescue team?s cause if he didn?t help? But he wasn?t as high leveled as some of his old allies. Would he even be of help? ?I don?t know. I want to help! But what if I lose again??

?You could always help me out if you want to,? the Wobbuffet said with a shrug and a reassuring smile. ?If there?s anything I?m comfortable with, it?s delegating responsibility. I?ll keep ya out of trouble.?

Even though Sprout didn't actually have a mouth it was clear that he was smiling. ?Alright! Let's do it then!?

 

[MurkMire]

Caz, and the Double Team​

She had taken her time, but Marceline was finally on the scene and the Lotad could finally consider himself free. Now that a fight was soon to begin he had to find an opponent. He inched away from Filmore and his captors, both to give himself space and to get close to whoever he wanted to tussle with. But who? Not any of those guys from the first fight, but that Machlah guy? They seemed easy. The Lotad opened his mouth as Marceline and Matthew?s fight began and readied for a Bubbles towards the gro--

?Hey!? Lotad nearly choked on his bubbles when the voice came from beside him. It was the always impatient Helioptile. He could feel the electricity coming off freshly Charged ?mon. As usual, he didn?t give Lotad time to respond. ?Back me up on this.?

?What?!? The Lotad was thrown all kinds of ways off guard. ?Back you up on what!??

?Just do some water stuff, trust me!? The Helioptile gave Lotad a thumbs up and a wink. He couldn?t even ask what this ?water stuff? was for before the Helioptile turned away and fired a Thundershock straight for one of the students: the Cacnea, Caz. This wasn?t who he had planned to fight, but under the pressure of the Helioptile?s swift and unexpected action he participated anyways and backed the Thundershock up with a Bubble, though it was delayed.

Caz heard the crackle of an electric attack, and saw two of the Bagel Bandits attack with a Thundershock and Bubble attack. One of them being the sour Lotad. He had an idea. ?Ey, get a load a this, you low lives!? With a quick motion, Caz spun rapidly, kicking up a Sand Attack to try and deflect the oncoming attacks.

He span as rapidly in place as he could, to try and create a strong enough response. He wasn?t really worried about the types, but he had been roughed up earlier. The sand Caz kicked up dispersed the attack, spreading some of the electricity wildly in another direction and some into the ground, though others stayed their course. The Sand Attack didn?t deter the Helioptile. He ran through the Sand Attack at full speed, and aimed a Pound at Caz.

With a *thud*, Caz was hit hard by the Helioptile while spinning. After sliding across the dirt, the Cacnea jumped back onto his feet and yelled, ?EY, you?re gonna hurt now!? Sucking in air, he quickly shot a Poison Sting attack at the Helioptile, aiming between the eyes. He knew he could take the Lotad, but wanted to try hindering the Electric-type bandito. The bandit, however, sidestepped Caz?s attack with ease.

?Ow! You were right that really did hurt!? The Helioptile teased. ?Dish out more like that and you're sure to win!?

From behind, Lotad could hear the Helioptile's teasing, but he had hardly gotten to the wall of sand in the air by then. He wasn't as fast as his partner. He had a lot of feet but they were also really stubby. Before he was able to reach them and flurry of needles burst out at him and he was hit dead on by the Poison Sting. He yelped from the shock and pain from the sudden attack. This wasn't what he signed up for.

?Hey, Bron!? Lotad yelled out as the Helioptile threw out another Thundershock. ?A little warning next time will ya?!?

?Yo, I saw that, Brotad,? Wobbo the Wobbuffet commented, moseying on by. ?Not cool on your buddy?s part. I?d ditch the guy, if I were you. Nice hat, by the way.? And with that, he wobbled onwards to other things.

Caz was hit by the Thundershock directly. Though he was a Grass-type, he still felt the power behind it. He wobbled for a moment, but when he saw the Lotad in pain, he smirked. ?Nah, but it hurt your buddy, eh?? He laughed as he was able to get a dead shot at the other mon without knowing it.

But, he brought his serious smirk. ?Let?s try that again, eh? He leaped forward at the Helioptile, rating up a Needle Arm attack. The spines glowed white and sharpened, his arm was pumping and his body felt light. He tried to swing his arm right down onto the bandit?s skull.

While Lotad was totally taken off-guard by Wobbo?s sudden appearance and exit he had to agree. That wasn?t cool and it did hurt! Bron didn?t seem to notice at all until Caz mentioned something and he turned to look at Lotad quizzically.

?You got hit by that Slowpoke?s move?? His face turned into one of pitying disappointment. ?You can see his stuff coming a mile away, man!?

?What!?? Lotad exclaimed. ?There was no way I could have seen that past the sand! And--? his eyes widened ?--Look out!? His warning gave the Helioptile enough time to look back and see Caz?s oncoming attack. In no time he zipped out of the way of the attack, but Lotad?s reflexes weren?t nearly as good. Caz?s Needle Arm hit him dead on and his head was slammed into the ground from the force of the attack.

?Whoa! Not cool!? Bron shouted, absolutely offended by Caz?s interruption of their conversation. ?Yo, Wes! Are you okay?? No response came from the Lotad. ?Wes!?? There was silence, but sure enough a weak groan escaped the Lotad. It made for? Some kind of response. A response that let Bronwyn know his ally wasn?t dead, but it didn?t look like he?d be back in this fight. Bron frowned. ?Alright, it?s time for me to go into Maximum Overdrive!? Bron Charged up once more before sending a powerful Thundershock towards Caz?s way.

 

[Kikpanther]

MATTHEW VS. MARCELINE​

Marceline giggled and then laughed at Matthew's speech. He was such a tough guy! She liked it, but her laughing distracted her from the oncoming flamethrower. The blast hit her dead on and her laugh turned into a shriek of surprise. She jumped out of the flames path, letting it continue past her whole she looked at her bat, now inflamed, in horror.

"Hey you little brat!" Marcy yells at Matt as she tried to exhaust the flames on her bat. "I'm trying to play nice with you but I can't do that if you mess up my stuff!" She should have gotten the metal one, definitely, but how could she have foreseen something like this? "So why don't you return the favor and cool off a bit?!" She swung her still flaming bat at Matthew while she spoke. Dang, she shoulda been a water type. It didn't matter anyways. Water or not, she'd still rock this kid's world.

Matthew had initially started smirking when his opponent caught on fire, but wasn't expecting the flaming weapon to be swung his way! The Machop let out a yelp and quickly crossed his arms in front of his face to protect himself. The bat smacked into his left forearm, with a loud whacking sound echoing around the area. The Machop normally wouldn't be that hard hit by the attack. He had a lot of endurance, sure, but he had also neglected to have a berry after the last scramble he had with the three bandits from before. The fighter staggered back and rubbed at his arm, "Well, if you don't like fire, how about this then?"

Matthew raised his palm over to the side and ran and Marceline. With a battle cry he swung his palm out at her, his Karate Chop whizzing through the air. As the Chop swung down, Marceline shifted her bat to block the attack.

"Better!" The Audino grinned when she spoke, but her bat, already weakened from the flamethrower, split from the force of Matt's attack and she stumbled back with the two pieces in her hands. "Dammit! Didn't we just talk about this!?" She threw the two pieces at Matt in anger. That bat had gotten her through plenty of battles and it wasn't cheap either! Marcy followed up her attack with a Double Slap, aiming to hit Matt once for each time she'd never get to swing her bat again.

Matthew was rather surprised when his attack broke the instrument. However, he didn't have a chance to recover from his surprise as suddenly normal-type hands were slapping his cheeks left and right. In fact, the slaps really hurt! As the last one hit his right cheeks Matthew couldn't help but stagger down to the ground. The fatigue from the whole dungeon experience was getting to him, but he still was good for another round. He managed to get back up to his feet and readied his fists, panting a bit. "I'm not… falling now… pant…." The Machop breathed out. "I'm a fighter… and I'm not going to lie down!" His hand curled up into a fist. With a louder cry the Machop shot his fist toward Marceline's chest, a Fire Punch all he could muster now at the moment. The attack connected with its target. The force of the punch pushed Marceline and forced some of the air from her lungs, but it wasn't enough to wipe the grin off of her face.

"You got spirit, kid. I like that." She lifted her hand and balled it into a fist of her own. "But you've got a lot tuh learn." Her fist glowed green and she pulled her arm back. "Lesson number one: This is how you throw a punch!" Marceline threw a punch of her own right towards Matthew, but instead of aiming for his chest she aimed for his face.

Matthew was already worn out by this point, and had no chance to block as his face took the hit. The Machop rolled back along the ground, lying still upon the ground as swirls danced about in his eyes.

Marceline stood above Matthew, her smile ever present. "Damn I do a good job," she said, rubbing her nose. In a few seconds another figure appeared across from Marceline. Filmore looked down at Matthew in abject horror.

"You…! Matthew! Is he okay?!"

"Bah," Marceline waved her hand dismissively. "He'll live. I pulled my punches." She admired her work for another second before she seemed to realize something and looked at Filmore with a frown. "Hey! I suggest you back up 'less you want some of this too."

"Oh! Uh… N-No th-that's fine," he replied before meekly walking away. Marceline laughed at the response.

"S'what I thought."​

 

[MurkMire]

Machlah had been hitherto silent (though it had sorely wanted to say something when Marcy called it a "kid"). The bravado of these "bandits" hadn't really fazed it much, given how much it had seen over the years. Still, they weren't to be underestimated, that was for certain. While Marcy was monologuing, it had been searching out a good target to pick off, and had chosen a Ralts that had been hanging around the back. It did wait until Marci had finished speaking, of course; there was a certain way to go about these things, after all. As soon as Marci and Matthew started tussling, Machlah immediately shot towards the Ralts with a Rollout, trying to take it out in one go.

Hal wasn't the biggest fan of attacking people, but he didn't mind it. Marcy had found Hal at a very young age and looked after him so it wasn't too bad. He stayed at the back of the group, trying to avoid confrontation, it was inevitable though. Hal felt a gush of wind and looked to see a ball of rock moving at a startling speed toward him, a small yelp was let out as he managed to just get out the way. He looked and saw what he thought was a Golett in the direction that the rock came from, he glared at the Golett. Hal used Double Team and Shadow Sneak to try and get the jump on it.

Machlah was taken by surprise by the Ralts suddenly hitting it with what was unmistakably a Ghost-type move, and splitting into multiple Raltses besides. It growled, the sound seeming more like a distant rockslide than anything. "Gotta say, whippersnapper, I wasn't expectin' a Ghost-type move outta you. Makes this a lot more interesting, ha!" Machlah closed its eyes and fired off a Shadow Punch, trusting the move to guide its fist true.

Hal didn't expect the attack to find him, it hurt quite bad, stupid weakness to ghost type moves. "I-I'm stronger than you think. Don't go assuming stuff!" Slightly frustrated, Hal sent out a dazzling gleam, hoping to stun the Golett temporarily.

Machlah just managed to dodge the brunt of Hal's attack, though it grazed Machlah's back. The golem spun to face the clone it thought the attack had come from.

 

[Tojin]

"Ay ay ay ay ay," A voice called out, and with all the lumbering menace of a bouncy castle Wobbo came forth, stepping protectively in front of the others. "What's going on over here? Dunno what kinda rules you think we're using, but I'm pretty sure all the sports with bats in 'em are non-contact. Gonna have to disqualify the both of 'em, I think - whaddaya think, co-judge Sproutems?"

"I think you're absolutely right!" Sprout replied. "And that's not the only violations! She--"

"Heeeyy, watch mouth, Sprout!" Marceline looked over Wobbo and Sprout quizzically before smiling. "And what are you talkin' about kid? This ain't a battin' sport this is a fightin' sport! So we're full on contact!"

"Ohhhh, you mean you're doing wrestling?" The Wobbuffet asked. "Ain't that all just fake, old lady? Is it taboo to say that around wrestlers? Am I gonna anger some kinda wrestler union by saying that? I'll just retract my statement, I don't have the stomach for an extended slander case…"

"Extended slander…" Marcy scratched her head. "What are you talking about?" She looked out at the battle field and then to Wobbo. "Shouldn't you be helping your friends? Unless you tellin' me you don't like 'em."

"Nah, they're cool. I like to think I help out just by being here. Moral support and all," The Wobbo shrugged, turning momentarily to shout out to a raging battle elsewhere. "Hey Swaddle-o! Keep on rockin' that leaf coat! That's style!" Seemingly satisfied, he turned back to the Audino. "Anyway. You considered going professional? That whole bat-fighting thing is like totally something… uh, a wrestler would do. I'll be honest, I don't watch wrestling. I hear it pays ok though. With free bagels on breaks."

The commotion that Wobbo was making was strange, but Filmore had taken the time to watch. He looked between the distracted Audino and Matthew. There wasn't much he was allowed to do, but maybe he could work with this.

"Yeah the bagels are nice," Marcy agreed. "Hey, you two wanna help me with somethin'?"

"Absolutely. Your wish is my command, as long as it's not too big of an ask and I actually feel like doing it," the Wobbuffet nodded, glancing to one side. "I never did get that role as a genie… guess you can't count on petty schoolteachers to deal with an adapted dramatic vision."

Marceline's face twisted in confusion, but she didn't put much thought into whatever Wobbo was talking about. She walked away from Wobbo and Sprout to pull some vines from the tops of trees.

"I was thinking before I had to knock you two's lights out you could help me tie up your friends after they get their asses beat." She gave them a sincere smile. "Whatcha say?"

"I don't think you'd want me tying anyone up," the Wobbuffet assured her. "I guess you could say I'm knot very good at it. Heh heh. You hear that one, Sprout?"

"Uhh, yeah!" Sprout replied, laughing nervously. Marceline raised an eyebrow at Wobbo before shaking her head and walking over to the fainted Machop.

"You rescue team kids get weirder and weirder." She bent down and started tying up the Machop.

"Woah," Wobbo exclaimed, waddling over. "Is that an angler's anchor bend boa hitch knot artillery loop? Never thought I'd see such exquisite rope-tying in my lifetime - do you think you could show me that one again, grandma?" The lumbering Wobbuffet encouraged the Audino with a subtle Encore before turning to his Seedot companion. "Ey Sprout, you think you could help the others out a lil? Think I'ma be busy here with this impromptu rope-tying instructional for a bit of a while."

Sprout gave Wobbo a curious but confident look before nodding. "A-Alright. Good luck, Wobbo! Call me back when you need me, Chief!" He turned and ran off to help others. Marceline watched him run off before looking at Wobbo with a brow raised. She stood up after she finished tying up the fainted Machop and scratched her cheek. She had the faint urge to punch that Wobbuffet square in the face with her Drain Punch. Weird…

"You wanna see that knot tying again?" Such a strange request… Maybe that's why she wanted to punch him? Marceline folded her arms to keep herself under control. "I could tie you up… Or you could find me one of your friends that's been KO'd already." She started laughing. "Or the ones that need me to finish the job!"

 

[MurkMire]

"Eh, how bad is it I keep whackin' your buddy while tryin' to hit you?!" Caz began to laugh hysterically, tears in his eyes. Seeing the Thundershock, he STILL laughed and cackled, his funny bone completely tickled. But, he wasn't without a plan to react. He began to kick up another Sand Attack to block the Thundershock, but spun left to right, almost as if he couldn't keep his balance with how much he was laughing. "I wonder if I'll hit your buddy again with my Sand Attack, eh?!" He laughed again while spinning rapidly, kicking up sand to meet the electric attack.

"It's worse for him than it is for me!" Bron replied, too outdone by Wes's lack of dodging skills. The sand attack deflected many of the attack's bolts just like it had before. Without waiting long to see the rest, Bron charged through the sand to hit Caz while the sand attack hid him.

Just as Caz heard the crackle of electric attacks cease, he leapt forward with a winding Needle Arm. He swung, and swung his right hook. "Hey Bagel Bum, take this!" He burst out of the sand and met the Helioptile, swinging his Needle Arm down towards him. The attack landed and the Helioptile was knocked hard to the ground. Another Thundershock erupted from Bron towards Caz.

"I'm not a Bum you…. Butt!" A great comeback for an even greater attack.

Caz almost began to spin up another Sand Attack, but when he retorted with that… Caz bursted out laughing, getting hit by the Thundershock. He was laughing nonstop, all while being electrocuted.

"Bahaha! Aahhhahaha! A butt?! That's rich, eh! Ahahaha!" Even after the attack subsided, he was shaky from the electric attack, but just began to roll around on his back, howling with laughter at the Helioptile's poor comeback. Bron frowned hard when he stood up. He didn't take too kindly to being laughed at by that Cacnea.

"Hey! I was distracted okay!?" He yelled before throwing another Thunderbolt at the laughing 'mon.

"Eurgh, okay, here we go again!" Caz hopped up, and spun another nasty Sand-Attack, pushing harder to hinder the Helioptile and finish this fight. Other 'mon of the crew were down, or elsewhere and needed to help them.

So not only did he kick up a Sand-Attack to block the Thunderbolt, he started to spew a rapid Poison Sting, shot all around the Cacnea.

 

[Kikpanther]

THE STRONGEST ATTACK​

"I mean, you could just untie poor lumpy over here and tie him back up again, but ya don't have to if you don't wanna," Wobbo elaborated with a sniff. "You sure you've got the energy to keep tying people up? That's enthusiasm right there. I'd say we both deserve a break. You went one-for-zero, that's plenty good enough…" The Wobbuffet paused to stretch - or some strange arching of his body that was the result of stretching whilst simultaneously moving as little as possible - and then gestured with his head behind the Audino. "That log looks pretty comfy. And there's all that mushroom footrest down there, too. That's luxury. Five star."

"Kid you're too damn weird for this job," Marceline answered with an even more confused look on her face. "Come over here with me we're gonna tie up some of your friends!" She grinned with excitement before walking off to the other fights ensuing.

"If you wanna tie up my friends, you'll have to survive my strongest attack," Wobbo informed the Audino. "Take this."

Marceline stopped in her tracks and prepared to take the brunt of some powerful attack, but… Nothing came. She turned and raised her brow only to see Wobbo still standing where he was before with a goofy grin on his face.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Dunno what you were expecting," the Wobbuffet said with a shrug. "I'm a Wobbuffet. Not really possible for me to instigate a fight outside of… iunno, just walking at ya. But that'd just be either inconvenient or inappropriate and I'm not sure which. Probably both."

Marceline frowned. "Inconvenient. For you I mean." She smiled a little bit then. "Kid I want to save you for last so why don't you let me save ya and quit botherin' me a bit, huh?" She continued forward into the ongoing fights. She could deal with the Wobbuffet after his pesky friends were out the way. It was time to wrap this up so she could finally take a break.​

 

[MurkMire]

"I can tell you're plenty strong, young 'un. 'S just that a Ghost move isn't usually somethin' your species knows how ta do. Where'd ya pick that up?" Without warning, Machlah suddenly shot towards the clone he was facing, going for a solid punch to the head.

It hit dead on, Hal was struggling to stand up now. "Doesn't matter" he spat. "Always known it, don't know how." He faced the Golem, and tried to smirk slightly. "Heh, good job." The Ralts put the rest of his energy into the last resort Shadow Sneak.

The Shadow Sneak hit Machlah dead on, though outwardly the automaton appeared unfazed. It began walking towards Hal, while speaking in a rather parental tone. "I'm thinkin' I should be congratulatin' you, young'un. You fought well. Now rest a sec while we finish up this fight." Machlah snapped off another Shadow Punch at Hal, hoping that this would be the finishing blow on the young 'mon.

The Ralts' eyes could been seen for a split second as they went wide, the attack hit and Hal went down onto the ground, fainted.

Machlah nodded, satisfied, and went off to see if its help was needed elsewhere. Sprout, who had witnessed the end of the battle, watched Machlah walk off in awe. He ran up to the big rock 'mon and grinned with his eyes.

"Whoa you're strong!" The Seedot said, amazed. "Hey when we get out of this can you teach me summadat?" Sprout looked eager as he waited for Machlah's reply which would obviously be of acceptance. That look he gave slowly began to disappear off of his face as he watched the tall figure approach Machlah from behind and send a punch speeding towards the Golett.

Machlah chuckled. "Well, I'm thinkin' you're a bit too small for that jus' yet. Also the whole 'lack of hands' thing. Once you evolve, maybe…" The golem's voice trailed off. "What's with the wei-"

It was cut off by a sudden blow from behind. Marceline let out a chuckle when her first connected.

"Alright, alright. You've had your fun, Rocky, but it's about time to end this. So you wanna come quietly or do I have to smack you again?

Machlah straightened up slowly, dazed. Even in its current state of befuddlement, it could tell that Marcy was definitely a good bit stronger than it was. "I'm th-th-thinkin'... Gah!" The robot shook its head quickly. "I'm thinkin' that blow loosened some wires, is what I'm thinkin'." Machlah folded its arms. "Tsk. No respect for the elderly these days, not one bit…"

"Elderly?" Marceline looked Machlah up and down. She didn't seem to notice his age until now. "They really need to put an age limit on this rescue team thing," she said with a slight chuckle. "Too bad age doesn't give you a free pass. If you don't get your mind right in two seconds I'm gonna send another one your way gramps. Now what's your answer?"

That age limit comment stung, though Machlah declined to comment on it. It huffed. "No sense a' patience, either. Anywho, I can tell that you're quite a bit stronger than I am, so I suppose I'll come with ya quietly."

 

[Andydemon]

RYUKA VS. SWADLOON


While the other had picked their opponents, the Swadloon nervously scanned his opposition, finding one lone Riolu. He could take him! Maybe… hopefully… right?

"H-hey you!" he shouted to Ryuka. "I'm g-going to… er… fight you! S-so surrender, or e-else!"

Hearing this, Ryuka's ears perked up before he turned to see the Swadloon facing him, prompting him to step back nervously. "M...Me? B...But I don't wanna fight!"

"Me neither!" the Swadloon responded, before realizing that wasn't the best thing for a bandit to say. "I-I mean… tough! Because you're an explorer, and I'm totally not an explorer at all! N-nope! S-so… take this!" Mustering up his strength, the Swadloon finally took action, launching a string shot straight at Ryuka.

Ryuka gasped in response to the attack before jumping out of the way, landing on his paws and knees, but quickly getting up afterwards. Realizing he had no choice left but to fight despite his reluctance to do so, he charged towards the Swadloon with a Quick Attack.

The Swadloon shrieked in terror, defending himself the only way he knew how. He brought his hands to his face, covering himself with his leafy coat and enveloping himself with a protect, bracing for the impact of the Riolu.

The Quick Attack rebounded harmlessly off the Protect, causing Ryuka to step back a bit from the Swadloon. The Riolu whimpered over the fact that his attack was rendered ineffective before retaliating with Feint, just to make sure his attack would connect for sure if the Swadloon tried Protect again.

The Swadloon tried again, throwing up another barrier before the Feint completely passed through, smacking him straight in the face and sending him falling back. The Swadloon slowly reoriented himself, silently cursing the fact that he had to fight. He decided to keep himself at his new range, throwing out several Razor Leaves at the explorer, swinging his arms wildly with each toss, hoping to keep the Riolu at bay.

Ryuka managed to dodge all the leaves except for one that grazed his left arm, causing him to wince in pain. Thankfully, he could still use his arm just fine, though now he was left to try and counter the Swadloon's ranged attack, which he did so by throwing out a Vacuum Wave.

Raising his arms again to Protect himself, the Swadloon shrieked again in fear, only to have his barrier fail completely, being blasted away again by the attack. He was nearly down for good, shakily managing to bring himself upright. He couldn't give up! Not if he wanted to prove himself! Steeling his resolve the Swadloon closed his eyes and winced, before suddenly charging with surprising speed straight at Ryuka in a tackle.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Ryuka only had just enough time to ready a Counter before being struck dead on by the Swadloon's Tackle. Though he had fallen into a facedown position, Ryuka managed to quickly hop back onto his feet and launch a punch towards the Swadloon that would strike him with twice the power of the Tackle attack he had just hit Ryuka with.

As soon as Ryuka returned the attack, the Swadloon's tiny bit of confidence was wiped away in an instant. Taking the full force of his own tackle, he flew back far, before bouncing once off the ground and skidding the rest of the way, finally coming to a stop, cross-eyed and knocked out for good.

Seeing the Swadloon fall from his last attack, a hint of guilt welled up within Ryuka, prompting the Riolu to approach his unconscious form and tell him, "I...I'm sorry, Mr. Swadloon…"

 

[MurkMire]

How many times does he get to use that!? Bron couldn't help but think as the Sand-Attack came forth again. He had never been this sandy in his life! Not even when they were in Meowth's Port. Bronwyn felt pain as the sand hit him and looked down to see the sand-covered needles sticking into him. The poison in them burned and when he pulled one out the pain multiplied rather than subsided.

"What the hell!?" Bronwyn cried out as his legs gave out under him and he fell to the ground. "Yo didn't they tell you stuff like that is illegal!?"

"Sorry, pal, all my attacks are au naturale." He chuckled, then hopped towards the incapacitated Bandit and began to wind up one last Needle Arm. "Now, I think it's time for ya to take a snooze, eh?" Without a moment's hesitation, after the needles on his arm glowed white, he smacked the Helioptile square on the face.

After he fist bumped the Helioptile's face, Caz wearily turned slowly, and saw Machlah was facing Marcy.

"Oh, crap… this ain't good. Mac, I'm coming!" Caz ran towards Mac's side.

A smile was coming on to Marceline's face. "That's what I like to hear. Now I have this rope see…?" She emphasized the rope she had in her hand by giving it a quick shake. As she did she noticed Caz run up and stand by his comrade. Her smile turned into a grin. "Thanks for savin' the trouble of me walkin' over there. You quittin' too?"

Caz halted, and looked at her with aggression in his eyes. He could see she was a tough cookie, but thought that he could join Mac and take down this Audino. "No way, chick-a-dee! We're gonna take you down!" Caz began to wind up his right hook, looking over to Mac.

"C'mon, ey! We gotta take down these Bagel Bums, otherwise, we ain't gonna end well!"

"Hey guys what's up I got a snack," Wobbo burbled, lumbering into view while munching on a cheri berry. He glanced momentarily at Marceline. "Oh hey again. I got bored. I think I figured out that knot thing. It was pretty great. You guys want some berries?"

Having defeated his opponent, Ryuka noticed the commotion going on with the Audino and approached everyone there and, fearing said Audino on account of the fact that she had defeated Matthew on her own, hid behind Machlah. By the time Ryuka had come, Marceline's amused expression turned to that of annoyance.

"Well don't you guys know how to come out of the wood works. What happened to my people?" She asked, looking around the forest to see defeated allies and some still ready to fight the 'mon before her. She grunted before looking back at the rescue team. "Look, you guys aren't gonna win. Not now, not later. Why don't you save me the trouble?"

Machlah looked around at the gathered bandits, then back at its comrades. It heaved a heavy, gritty sigh. "I dunno, everyone. I'm thinkin' it might be best to pack it in and go with 'em." As Machlah spoke to them, the exploration team members may have noticed that Machlah's eye dimmed for a moment, then flickered back to life. A robotic wink, or just a malfunction?

Caz turned, and saw Mac's "malfunction." However, he was a bit hesitant to even PRETEND to surrender. His legs shook, but he relaxed his arms. "Err… yeah, I guess, eh?"

He slumped for a sec and fixed his bandana, thinking to himself, "Whaddya thinkin, eh?" He wasn't too sure about this plan, but Caz knew he was beat up pretty bad. He hoped Mac had a good plan ready.

"Speakin' of saving people trouble," Wobbo yawned. "When's the whole big surprise reveal on this exercise dealie where it all blows over and we get to have a break? Can't have a whole morning mentioning bagels and not expect a guy to get peckish before the scheduled lunchtime. And speakin' of that, didn't get an answer on those berries. Promise they're good. Nice and fresh. Locally sourced… from my pockets."

"What're ya talkin' about a exercise?" Marceline asked with a slight edge to her voice. She decided to ignore the big, blue blob. "Since you're smart enough to surrender I won't even waste my time with the rope. Especially since I gotta take care of those guys." She gestured to her fallen comrades and Matthew. "The rest of my crew will escort you on your way." Marceline nodded and the Mankey, Flabebe, and Phanpy stepped forward to surround the rescue team members and begin to escort them on their way.

Fearing what might happen to them, but also too afraid to resist when everyone else has surrendered, Ryuka let out a whimper and went with the bandits without a fight hoping he and his team mates would be alright in the end.

"Do you guys want a berry?" Wobbo asked the three bagel bandit newcomers, not paying much attention to his supposed capture. "Barely even gettin' acknowledged by those folks. And I coulda kept these all for myself, too. Guess it comes with the territory - still probably need to break the ice with the buds. How've you lot been doing? You rookie explorers too, or you got a li'l experience under your belts? Metaphorical belts, course."


The Mankey tensed at "rookie explorers". The other Bagel Bandits and the nervous Mankey all gave shocked looks before Flabebe forced herself to look away and Phanpy's expression turned to Mankey.

"Wh-What?" Mankey stuttered out before swallowing. "What are you talking about? Isn't it obvious we aren't your friends?"

The Wobbuffet shrugged, "I guess without the distraction of actually doing anything, I can't help but be a li'l perceptive. Continuous refusal to answer on whether you want a berry or not mighta convinced me if my buddy bozos weren't doing the exact same thing. Guess they're the heroes this exercise deserves after all."

Mankey looked confused, but quickly turned it into a look of anger. "I don't want any of your dumb berries!"

"Hey!" Marceline called from behind. She had Matthew hoisted on her shoulder and was helping two other bandits who were beginning to wake up. "Ya'll shut up and get movin' aye? You walk slower when you talk."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Mankey called out. The bandits picked up the pace and continued on without another word.

 

[Kikpanther]

(Click here for the *link removed*)​

Tranquill Forest: Floor 2​

LVL 5-15
Weather Conditions: Sunny​

---

*bulbagarden.net image removed*​

"Remind me again why we took this stupid job?" The Pancham looked wearied and frustrated at the same time, carrying a large sack behind his back. With an irritated sigh he dropped the bag to the ground, kicking up a small dust cloud and crossing his arms. "Stealing baked goods. Really? That's the best they could come up with?"

"Yes, because," Ivysaur rolled her eyes as she began to recite the quote, "'Who could start their day without a good bagel? A bad breakfast is a bad crime.'" The Ivysaur dropped her bag beside her partner's and took a seat on the forest floor. It had been hours since their "grand theft" and they were stuck in the boring part of Tranquill Forest. Not that there was really anywhere to go beyond here, but who had fun dealing with the occasional irritated weedle around these parts? "They couldn't have gotten held up out there, could they?" She asked, her mind going to Marceline and her bat being bested by a bunch of babies in the woods (say that three times fast).

"Who, the rookies or our group?" the Pancham asked. He idly took out a muffin from his bag, munching on it and plopping himself to the ground lazily. "If the rookies got lost, then good for us. If the others haven't gotten creamed yet, then they should be here any second now…"

"And yet we've been here forever..." Ivysaur gave the Pancham a look when he began to eat. "You know we aren't supposed to eat those." The bagels were borrowed from the city, so eating them definitely counted as stealing. At least that's what they were told.

"Tough," the Pancham said defiantly. "They're making me do this stupid mission, I'm going to help myself to the 'loot.'" Ivysaur opened her mouth to make comment, but ended up closing it to dig into the bag herself.

"You know what we shoulda done was steal some cheese for these bagels," she said with a laugh after taking a bite of her own.

"Should have done anything else…" the Pancham replied. "At least I'll get promoted after for sure."

"Promoted!?" Ivysaur laughed with her mouth full. "Promoted to what? My second in command?"

"Hah! Like you'll ever get ahead of me!" the Pancham said with a snort. "Don't hold your breath."

"Oh? You mean like how I'm not ahead of you right now?" She was referring to their competition of who could complete the missions first. Though since they were on the same team it really came down to whoever saw the 'mon they needed to rescue first. It was a game she was winning fairly despite what some may claim.

"Oh shut up," the Pancham said, turning his head. "Just wait for these rookies to show up, yeah?"

It wasn't long after the Pancham's statement that the sound of approach could be heard in front of them. Ivysaur put on her renegade thief face which she thought was pretty good and convincing. Marceline came into the clearing with the rescue team in-training (and Filmore) along with her. Some of their guys didn't look like they had been so successful in whatever had gone on in the forest, but they came out victorious. Obviously. Or else those rookies wouldn't be looking so pathetic.

"Can you believe this!?" Marceline shouted as she came in, showing her prized bat broken in the middle. "I thought this was supposed to be without casualties!"

And I thought you weren't supposed to fight anyone. Ivysaur thought when she noticed the Machop's condition. "You'll get a new one. You guys shoulda dumped those losers in the swamp if you're that mad about it," Ivysaur said with an evil grin. Marcy just grumbled in response as she led the group to their designated Prisoner's Corner which looked kind of like a playpen you'd put kids in. Except it had spiky sticks as its fence to look really menacing.

"Wait, they lost!?" the Pancham exclaimed, struggling to contain his laughter. "And you guys wanted to be explorers? Please!"

Ivysaur chuckled. "Cut them some slack. This is probably the first time they've been anywhere bigger than their backyards. They don't know how to handle the big kids."

"Clearly," the Pancham, said smugly, eyeing over the recruits intently. "Guess they'll never learn now."

Ivysaur laughed again. "If you guys don't make a fuss we won't beat you up. Looks good for a ransom ya'know?"